#but one of my sisters shops for clothes online ALL THE TIME and she was like How do you live like this

[l3viat8an]

Hey, got any fem!Levi headcannons? I’m currently working on a story where my MC, Jasper, accidentally gender bends the brothers because he mixed up potion homework from Solomon with dinner because he was exhausted from running around RAD doing things.

You are the best Levi fan that I’m aware of, so I send the ask to you!

Hiiii that sounds so cool!-

Honestly I just kinda typed these out so it’s all random stuff- but uhh yea, hopefully it helps ya a bit!!! + I’ll check my old fem! Obey me hcs later ‘n probably add to this

If it’s possible Levi’s even more self conscious than before. No matter what she’s doing, she’s sure everybody is staring at her. So she tries to stick closer to hide behind MC or even one of her sisters whenever they’re out in public.

Levi still prefers oversized shirts and baggy pants over more feminine clothes, especially when going out or doing stuff. It more comfortable to stick with what she’s used too.

But she has a few skirts and even a Ruri-Chan themed dress in her closet she’ll try on “just to see how it looks!” not because that was the first thing that popped into her mind and she was so excited she almost ran to try them on-

(I don’t know if you already have any body ideas for Levi so let me add my take; she’d probably be pretty flat in the chest, (Asmo offers to buy her a padded bar or two but Levi keeps refusing). Her hair would be just past shoulder length, now too long because it would be annoying and she’d have to tie it up all the time. But Levi still wants it long enough she can try some fun hairstyles! Besides that pretty much the same and she still slouches even when she’s standing up.) (extra kinda crack note; Mammon would teases Levi about her flat chest a lot and Levi always snaps back that hers are normal sized! jskjsksn)

Asmo basically drags Levi out to shop insisting that they both need to try on some new dresses or at least check out what’s trending!!! (Maybe Levi will like it if she’d just try it!) And even if Levi doesn’t want to admit it, she totally has fun trying on a bunch of different dresses and styles!!! She still doesn’t buy much. Maybe one or two new skirts and a t-shirt, but she thinks about the other outfits she tried on until she gets home and orders a couple of them online in secret.

Simultaneously has gender euphoria and is oddly uncomfortable in her own skin. It’s kinda hard to explain- she would love having a fem!body and there are sooo many different cosplays she can try now. But at the same time it feels weird-

adding to that ^^ Levi’s probably really whiny about the whole gender bend thing, either complaining to MC (/your oc) or Henry 2.0 in her room. because she’s not sure how to feel.

anyways!!! That’s what I can think of right now, if you had something else in mind or just wanna hear more feel free to send another ask (or even dm me) XD

[strawheart-pirate]

Discount

Blackleg Sanji x gn!Reader

December 15th 2023 Words: 1177 CW: SFW / Modern AU / no/pre relationship / mentions of alcohol, but no drinking / flirting / very suggestive talk / a kiss / Sanji may be a bit ooc, but he’s precious

You met up with Sanji to go Christmas shopping and got more than you bargained for.

You waited outside the mall to meet Sanji. The traffic was much lighter than you expected, so you arrived a little early. Sanji was on time and complained that you hadn't told him. He felt bad that you had to wait. You shrugged it off and assured him that it wasn't a big deal before you both entered the mall.

"Are you ready for our big Christmas gift hunt? What do you have on your list?" Sanji asked with a determined smile.

"I have to get something for my father. He discovered his love for whisky this year. So, I thought maybe you could recommend something?" I asked Sanji. "What do you need?"

"I want to buy a new suit for myself and something for my sister, but I don't know exactly what. Could you help me with that?"

"Of course, Sanji. Let's go!"

It took you three stops to find the perfect gift for Reiju: a white headset with cat ears, neon lights and pink details. You'd been to Sanji's house many times, and you'd seen her in online games often enough. You were sure she would like it. Sanji was pleased that you were so attentive, and the two of you made your way to the next shop.

"So, what kind of whisky has your father tried so far?" asked Sanji as he slowly walked down the aisle, looking at the variety of fine whiskies.

"He had one of those classic bourbons and one with a strong, smoky aroma. The ones where you open the bottle and the whole room smells like you're sitting in the smoke of a bonfire." You wrinkled your nose.

"I see. And which did he like better?" asked Sanji, scratching his short goatee thoughtlessly.

"I think it was the smoky one." You looked at the bottles. Some were fancy, others simple.

"Then maybe we should go for something in between. Smooth, but with a nice smoky flavor. Let's see... Ah, this would be good." He took the bottle from the shelf and handed it to you. "It's not too expensive either. What do you think of it?"

"Looks good," you said, looking at the bottle and reading the text on it. It sounded very appropriate for your father and you smelled it. The smell of smoke made you wrinkle your nose, but it was a much more pleasant smell than the last one your father had.

"Yes, I like this one. We'll take it with us. Thanks, Sanji." You gave him a grateful smile.

"The pleasure was all mine." He said gently as you paid and you both left with another gift inside the bag.

Jolly Christmas music played as you entered the next shop. It was a suit shop and Sanji was a regular customer here. He knew exactly where to look. But before he decided if he wanted to try on an item, he showed it to you to get your approval. Soon he had three different suits in his arms and you walked over to the dressing rooms. Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" was playing as you sat on one of the chairs and waited for Sanij to change and show you the first suit. You bobbed your head to the music.

The song was coming to an end when the curtain was pulled aside with a flourish and Sanji appeared. His lips moved in sync with the music and he pointed his finger at you as he sang "All I want for christmas iiiiiis - youuuuuu", moving his hips to the rhythm. You giggled and so did he, this little playful banter really lightened the mood. When you regained your composure, you gave him your honest opinion about the suit and the other two he tried on. He then chose the first one, which had been both your and his favorite from the start.

Sanji put on his own clothes again. He put away the things he didn't want to take with him and the two of them went to the cashier with the suit he wanted to buy. The cashier looked like a bodybuilder and went to work. When he told Sanji the price, his jaw dropped. He had completely forgotten to look at the price... He regained his composure and looked at the man angrily. He had been shopping with Nami often enough to know all her tricks, so he tried his best.

"There's no way that suit is worth that much money. Look at the quality. Did you see the stitching on the seams? I want at least 70% off!" said Sanji loudly and overdramatically.

The cashier looked unimpressed. "You don't have to buy it, sir."

Sanji's expression changed from anger to surprise and he had to think of another way to get a discount quickly. He swallowed. There was one last thing he could try... .... He swallowed his pride and decided to try one last time because he really wanted this suit and most of all he wanted to impress you.

"You know, I want it. It just fits this masterpiece of a body perfectly. You'd be impressed." He said in a deep, flirtatious voice, his eyes half-lidded with a fiery gaze.

You coughed to keep from choking on his performance. You could tell how uncomfortable he was by the way he pressed his foot to the ground. The muscles in his thigh were tense and showing through his pants. But you had to admit, he was pretty damn tempting right now, so you distracted yourself with the socks and belts that were on a rack near the cash register.

"Oh, do you think your special someone over there would be okay with that? Because I'd like to see your body underneath me, blondie." The cashier purred and leaned over the counter to get closer to Sanji.

"Oh, don't worry about them, they are not what I want. But you, my dear, are an amuse-gueule I’d like to taste." Sanji leaned over and whispered the last words into the cashier's ear.

You had to avert your eyes because the way the two men looked at each other was steaming hot and had you blushing. You let out a sigh of relief when you saw that Sanji had paid and gotten a big discount as well as the receipt with the cashier's number on it. You were about to go over to him and leave the store when the cashier pulled him back by his tie and gave him a passionate kiss across the counter. Sanji didn't even have time to react as he let go of him and blew him another kiss as we hurried out of the store.

"Sanji, oh my..."

"Don't. I'm not going to talk about it. I have to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash or even sanitizer first..." said Sanji. His face was full of disgust, but the blush on it was sweet. You giggled and took him to the nearest drugstore. At least he got a 40% discount on the suit.

All content unless otherwise stated belongs to: ©Strawheart-pirate. Please do not copy / modify / translate / repost my writing, banners or art on other platforms. Comments, reblogs or likes are highly appreciated! Snowflake banner by ©firefly-graphics

[preciadosbass]

6/8/24 [did quite a few crafts today — pics at end … this read does get more interesting over time, i promise.]

woke up at 10 and laid aimlessly in my bed thinking about having to see my prevision. i’m never usually very active in the mornings, as is obvious in my other entries, but i’m especially not when i have to see a keyworker. i eventually step foot out of my room and sat outside with boris for 20 minutes. i would’ve been out there for longer, but i was paranoid my prevision would turn up early and see me on the driveway without me being prepared.

while i sat there with boris to my side i looked through the new gerard way photos/videos and made a highlight on |nsta of [mostly] faceless pictures of myself because i’ve been meaning to put my outfits online for a while — [@/iloveechicheng]. i went back inside at 10:50 to get dressed and sort out my hair as the straightening had long worn off from when i went to zoo. i also stress out over my outfit when this particular prevision comes round as allegedly her son dresses the same way as me. it honestly feels like a dress to impress with her because of that and it’s kind of tiring.

i took a while debating what shirt to wear as i didn’t want to repeat the same outfit as last week, i ended up going for my new slipknot shirt. this person i met at a sailing ‘expedition’ [it was almost the same as those camps that teens get sent off to and abused] got me it for my birthday. i hadn’t worn it before because i didn’t know how to style clothing in that colour but i ended up wearing it with these really baggy black jeans [of which have a barn owl keychain on a carabina among with other things which, i guess, make them more interesting], my zip up mcr hoodie, a can tab necklace, alien socks, and spiked cuffs. it was a pretty low effort outfit but i honestly couldn’t be too bothered to do much more.

my provision got here at near 11 and i took a few minutes to prepare to see her. i went out to living room with my dad and she attempted to make small talk but we were both clearly feeling very awkward so she brought out uno flip and we had two games. the second game ended up being over an hour and a half, maybe two hours long. which dosent sound like it’d be draining or scary, but it is - she’s still a stranger to me and you could literally feel tension in the air. she left at 12 and i spent a bit of time with boris until i decided i was going to tag along to my sisters asthma appointment because i felt like going out and she didn’t mind.

we left at 12:15-19 and i listened to mcr demos on the way to the hospital. i’m trying my best to excessively listen to as much mcr and fall out boy as possible for that tribute concert coming up. we got there at 12:25 and i briefly watch a skateboarding competition on the tv infront of us in the waiting room until i felt awkward by the silence and showed my mum some of gerard’s stage outfits. she seemed to think they were cool. we were called in for the appointment at 1, and i don’t have much to say about it, it was what you can expect, it’s self explanatory.

on the way out of the childrens section i saw that a few kids younger than me were colouring in a picture of pikachu so i asked my mum to ask if the receptionist had any spare copies. she luckily gave me two which means i can colour one, and decide whether i prefer it plain or not for it to go on my wall. i’m not even into pokémon, i know absolutely nothing about it, but i think the designs and things are cool. we walked back to the car and left for town at 1:45 or something along those lines.

once we got into the shopping centre i headed to hmv to check a few things. i wanted to check if there were any new magazines or discounted shirts, as the last time i came i got a fall out boy magazine and a reduced silverstein shirt from the so called ‘bargain bin.’ there weren’t any magazines i was interested in because all of them were related to glam rock however there was an asking alexandria shirt. i decided not to get it because i wasnt keen on the colours and i have a purple one similar. i looked at some of the other shirts that were on display and fell in love with a specific five nights at freddy’s shirt and a nightmare before christmas one. i wasn’t willing to pay over £40 for the both so i took a picture to remind myself to check for them on ebay/vinted/depop.

i went to get my safe food at 2:20 because there isn’t anything for me to eat at home even if i wanted to and got boba at 2:30 because i found out that this specific brand isn’t even too high in cals, well not for what it is. once we’d payed and gotten our [me and my sisters] drinks we set off for home. we got back at 3 and i cuddled boris on the sleeper again. it unfortunately started to rain almost as soon as i got out there so he crawled under my dads car, meaning i couldn’t stroke him anymore, so i went back inside.

my sister followed me back into my room and went through all her pokémon cards with me and let me keep the ones i like as she dosent ever plan on using them. i felt bad ultimately taking her cards even though she wanted me to. once i’d gone through them all and wound down from being outside surrounded by people my age, i decided to look through this 2000s arts and crafts book i must’ve gotten from a bootsale or something as a kid. i didn’t find anything to do at the time so i went out to my dad and asked him to paint my nails as id picked off the excess from last week, or whenever they were last done.

its only been up until recently that i’ve ever had them painted. i mean, it’s nothing fancy, just black — but i like it. i also wanted them repainted because at this point in the day i thought i was going bowling but that didn’t end up working out as it would’ve been too much hassle. also ignore that i cant paint my own nails.. i have the worst hand coordination *cries* / after theyd dried i went back into my room and remade that can tab necklace with the skull bead on it with a bigger tab. it took longer than the original did as i had to manipulate more metal and make a loop for the actual string of the necklace to go through. [pictures at end]

once i’d done and shown my parents, i continued looking at the book at 5 and saw a homemade trinket box shown on it so i started cutting up a cat food box into various rectangles until i had a lid, base, and the sides of the box ready. my hot glue gun and tile were still in their places from when i made those hot glue pins so i got started and glued the thing together. i finished at 5:30 because the gun took ages to get hot/i kept on accidentally burning myself/i had to adjust the sizes of the card multiple times during gluing. after id finished with that, i painted the box black. it took me barely any time at all and i left it on my windowsill to dry.

i went outside with boris while i was waiting to be able to customise it. i got a little nervy as he kept on going further away from me and more out into the driveway to be around the grass. i walked myself back to my room at 7 and looked through a few band font/logo things to draw on the top of the box. i settled on my chemical romance’s text font in the black parade era. i ‘rehearsed’ the writing a couple times on a scrap envelope and used a red paint pen on the actual box. it didn’t turn out like the actual thing, as i noticed that one’s drawn in a paintbrush kind of style, but i’m not disappointed with how it came out, i like it. [pictures at end]

while i was waiting for that to dry i collected a few examples of raccoon tails on dyed red hair to show my parents and hairdresser. i also found out that she [my hairdresser] had found the straighteners she’s been planning on giving me as the one i use is at least 20+ years old and has cut the fronts of my hair to the size of my pinky 😭, so it’s good i’m getting something that’ll take that out of the picture and prevent it from looking as fried as it does now.

that didn’t take long at all so i drew spirals on either side of the box while the top was still drying. it isn’t perfect as i had to go over the hot glue i used which makes it mismatched but i much prefer when spirals are ‘messy’ so i’m not bothered. id drew on the longer sides of the box multiple times at this point, but kept on painting back over it. so while i was waiting for that to dry to have a fresh start, i made a friendship bracelet. [pictures at end]

the technique was in that same arts and crafts book but it was so much more confusing. with the box i just looked at the end product and easily knew what to do because like.. it’s just a box. so i thought a bracelet would be the same, but no - i ended up having to get both of my parents to try and work it out but my dad eventually figured out what i needed to do, and once i’d done it a few times i got the knack. i made it out of yarn in black, medium light blue, and gray. i finished that at 10:20 and took pictures of all the stuff i’ve made today.

i started writing about my day [finally] at 11 on a draft, but while i was halfway through and had already written in detail about a number of things, it deleted itself. i had to re write and re word everything, which took up until 11:50 before i went upstairs to ask my parents questions about boris. i know it took over an hour today, but i don’t know how many more minutes after that. i think it was a lot as we all kept on getting sidetracked.

i went downstairs at 1 something and made toast while speaking to boris about my day/apologising for going out and everything else i need to address. i unintentionally switched up the routine a bit today because i obviously couldn’t brush my teeth before having food. i finished at 2 and got into bed a few minutes past 2. i had to end off this entry so i did that and actually went to sleep at 2:20.

have a good day/night O_o

[perfectsunlight]

how yn feels about all the hate jennie gets? especially considering that she’s on twitter, people fs wouldn’t shy away from tagging and dming her asking all kinds of stuff. jennie is very private about her family so does she tries to shield yn from this part of her life? like has yn ever appeared in one of her vlogs, gone to fashion week with her, accompanied her on tour, does she mentions yn or it’s more like blinks now she’s her sister but she doesn’t really mention her publicly and only post a pic tgtr once in a blue moon?

ngl if i was jennie’s sister i would be throwing hands all day all night

oh yn HATES all the shit ppl say abt her sister. there's def been times where yn is like stomping around in a circle abt to fight ppl on the internet, but her mother stops her and tells her jennie wouldn't want that.

and she's right. jennie doesn't want her sister involved with fighting some internet trolls. their mother taught both of them to be still and silent, even when people say the worst. especially bc it doesn't matter what anyone says, all they will see is how yn or jennie reacts.

as for blinks + yn:

blinks respect yn's private life a lot surprisingly. they're not like up her ass the way they are w jennie. they know yn is a student and respect her studies.

which thank god bc they clearly don't respect her sister's privacy lmao

part of it is honestly just bc there's nothing much to the girl if ykw i mean? yn isn't an idol, or in the ent industry at all. she's just a "normal girl" in the eyes of media, which sort of is a deterrent for people who would rather say smth abt her or her sister.

sometimes blinks will catch yn liking edits of her sister or funny clips of jennie bc they tag yn in them, but its never to the point where its invasive. they don't send her death threats or anything.

but overall, they really respect her younger sister's privacy a lot...thankfully.

now for the jennnie + yn interactions:

ofc jennie is very private abt her life, especially with her family. but with yn it's a little different.

jennie LOVES giving her sister everything in the world. she loves her that much. like instead of their non existent father being the one to spoil his daughters, jennie does it instead. the car yn drives? jennie bought it for her. her university tuition? jennie pays for it. anything yn needs or wants, jennie pays for it.

(this is why kazuha alw makes yn pay for everything...)

jennie actually has a separate black card for her sister to buy things with. the only contingency is that jennie has to see the receipts. she knows yn is an adult, but it's still her money, so she needs to know whatever her sister is doing with her money.

(this is why jennie doesn't like kazuha...bc she makes yn buy her things with HER money)

whenever jennie has the opportunity to bring someone with her to an event, she always takes her mother and her sister if allowed. jennie's would rather share her best moments with the people she loves instead of alone.

so there's been a few fashion weeks that yn has been to. and ofc chanel loves jennie's sister too, so yn gets to wear all the nice things as well.

paparazzi def loves photographing them together, both at and not at public events.

there's def been photos of jennie and yn shopping together. blinks alw point out that jennie never checks to see the price, she js puts the clothing up against her sister and see's if it looks good or not 💀

blinks alw comment abt meeting yn and jennie in public, saying that they really look alike and act like real siblings. if jennie wasn't an idol, no one would ever think they were any different!

online + vlogs:

yn and jennie are alw in each other's comments lol so people can see their social interactions are very frequent. like jennie can post a picture and yn will comment smth like "is that my shirt?" 💀

jennie mentions her sister once in a while, mostly in interviews when they ask abt her family. but she doesn't like putting her sister in the media like that, mostly bc of safety reasons. she alw asks yn beforehand if she wants to say smth abt her and ofc the girl alw says its fine lol but jennie is js very protective.

but oh my god yn is almost ALWAYS in jennie's travel vlogs. it's like the only thing jennie feels comfortable with in regards to yn and the media bc she can alw edit out anything if she feels it risky. (aka the time when yn said taehyung's hair looked like "bird shit" in the background of a restaurant video in paris LMAOOO)

(ofc yn was js teasing her sister's bf but she didn't know jennie was recording when she said that lmao)

i could totally make a yt series abt their vlog interactions but this is the basics of it <3

[shitty-goose-quack]

older sister -> tomboy -> lesbian -> she/they (i'm an ally!) -> she/they (im not a woman) -> 🤔🫠🤨🧐 (im 14 and edgy) -> gender fluid (my crush said she was) -> gender fluid (im indecisive) -> some complicated bullshit about genderfae/genderfawnet -> gender fluid -> it would really just be easier if i was a guy ->🤔🫠🤨🧐 (im depressed) ->

🔥NAME CHANGE🔥

"it's like the ocean or something (xenogender) (micro labels are fun) -> 🤔🫠🤨🧐 -> gender fluid but in an ocean way -> oh i like this agender shit -> nah fuck it gender fluid (you can be all of it) -> pan gender -> you're a woman you fucking trender -> nope that was just a woman day you're gender fluid ->

🔥MERCH TIME🔥

✅ gender fluid hair tie

✅ gender fluid earrings

✅ gender fluid picrews

✅ binder that isn't actually a binder cause you're bad at online shopping

✅ long tumblr rant that is still your most popular post

🤔🫠🤨🧐-> you're a straight girl who's looking for attention -> genderfuck (micro labels will make me happy) -> ocean gender (micro labels will make me happy) -> genderfae (micro labels will make me happy) -> micro labels will make mehappymicrolabelswillmakemehappymicrolabelswillmakemehappymicrolabelswillmakemehappymicrolabelswillmakemehappymicrolabelswillmakemehappy -> fuck it gender fluid (part 2) -> oh whats this? people in my head? that are different genders? making me feel like different genders? -> quinn is a hot mess and nigel is a man and x is nothing and thea uses she/they...

and years go by and felt like hours or however that poem goes but also the background music box shit off of lovely ladies playing

-> hello im your chest dysphoria and i would like to *punching noises* -> so. here me out. we dissociate from the dissociative disorder so bad that all the people get repressed and you feel like your friends died can we not? nah it's fine. (neutral gender??) -> 📞 hello we have been trying to reach you about your chest's extended warranty for some time now. would you like to return your tits? -> like nonbinary i guess just use they/them and don't be weird -> but girl. ew. he/they -> no one said he so ig just back to they/them

and years went by but felt like hours

oh god but trans guys are so relatable -> what if i just went on t for a little bit for the bottom growth and the voice and then came back from it -> what if top surgery but no too scary -> what if little boob reduction so binder work -> shit i taped the bitches down and i feel alive maybe i do want top surgery -> down the rabbit hole of ftm youtubers and fuck you im a guy -> yes -> no -> yes -> no -> tiddy look good tiddy feel bad -> well you see i only wear men's clothes and never do makeup and bind my chest and sleep with a packer and get kinda giddy when someone calls me he and i dressed up as my brother for halloween and i cut my hair off and i don't wear earrings anymore but im not like,,, a guy what are you talking about that's crazy anyway how do you grow a beard without taking T asking for a friend

[punchdrunkdoc]

Chapter 3

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 

Masterlist

——————————————————

CHAPTER 3

Calina hummed along to the tune playing through her earbuds as she entered her apartment building. Of the hundreds of tracks she’d listened to over the past few weeks, she’d found 46 that she’d liked enough to add to her playlist. And of those 46, this one was by far her favourite.

Her favourite.

The concept was still so new and exciting that it made her smile.

That smile dropped when she noticed the resident of 2C shuffling towards the elevator. When the elderly lady had dropped her bag the other day, Calina's first instinct had been to pick it up and help her, but her years of conditioning had blocked the altruistic impulse before she could move a muscle. By the time she'd shaken off her training, another neighbour had already come to the rescue. Calina had been gifted with a sour look from the do-gooder, and she was left with a feeling of shame and guilt every time she encountered the lady from 2C.

Not wanting to share a ride with the source of that shame and guilt, Calina pushed open the door to the stairwell and jogged up the six flights to her floor.

Where she was greeted with another source of shame and guilt - the petite blond woman leaning against her apartment door.

What was she doing here?

The outfit she was wearing was…unexpected. An eclectic mis-mash of colours and fabrics that Calina would never have thought to pair together. Although, to be fair, like her taste in music, her fashion sense was only just starting to evolve. So far she’d struggled to move away from her usual black, but she had developed a fondness for expensive leather and silk and cashmere - sumptuous fabrics that she loved to run her hands over and which felt decadent against her skin. She carried her latest online purchase under her right arm - a satin camisole and a pair of wool wide-leg pants - and she’d been looking forward to trying them on this evening.

But it looked like her plans had changed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked her visitor.

The clothing may have been different, but the cool, assessing eyes that trained on Calina were very familiar. “What? I can’t come visit my favourite sister?”

Calina rolled her eyes. “I’m not your favourite.” She’s wasn’t her sister either. But the two of them were bonded by something far more powerful than blood.

“You’re my favourite today,” was the reply.

Calina raised an eyebrow. “Which means you want something.”

“Busted.”

“What’s going on?” Calina asked.

“Can we talk somewhere more private?”

As if to underscore the lack of privacy, the elevator doors opened and her neighbour stepped out.

Matthew.

The lawyer.

The very attractive lawyer.

And the blind man who could perceive more than he was letting on.

“Let’s go out,” she suggested to her visitor. “There’s a nice coffee shop a block away.”

“What about your apartment?”

“It’s too messy.”

That wasn’t true. There wasn’t enough…stuff…for it to be messy. But it was her space - a little piece of the world she could call her own - and she was slowly filling it with the things she liked. Making it into a home, and planning her future within its wall.

The thought of her past invading it was…unpleasant.

Luckily, Matthew cut off any objection her ‘sister’ might have had. “Hi,” he said in greeting, his voice warmer that she'd ever heard it. “Are you talking about The Hideout on 10th? I like that place too.”

“Yes,” she replied, grabbing her sister’s arm and practically pulling her down the hallway. “Goodbye, Matthew.”

He tilted his head and she could feel the confusion radiating off him. “Goodbye.”

“Rude!” her sister complained as the elevator doors closed, blocking them from her neighbour’s view. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello.”

And I hope you never do, Calina thought.

———

They didn’t speak again until they were inside the coffee shop. Calina had discovered the place her first week in Hell’s Kitchen and had fallen in love with it. She loved the bustle of people coming and going, the comfy arm chairs by the fire in the corner, the oversized mugs, and the aroma of freshly baked brownies.

But what she loved the most was the feeling she got when she took a seat by the window, sipped on her drink and just watched the world go by. It felt so normal.

She felt normal in this place.

Just a stranger among many, wiling away the hours.

She was loathe to introduce her past to this special place - almost as much as her apartment - but she’d panicked a bit upon seeing Matthew. She was struck by the urge to get her sister - and the secrets they shared - as far away from him as possible. There was more to him than met the eye. And until she figured what it was exactly, she needed to keep her distance.

She took a sip of her foam-topped spiced toffee latte, eyeing her companion as she did the same, curious what her reaction would be to the indulgent drink.

“Ugh,” was the verdict. “How can you like that? It's so sweet.”

“I like it because its sweet,” Calina replied. “Because it’s frivolous and unnecessary and not nutritionally valuable.”

“So its a rebellion.”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

“I get it.”

Judging by her loud and completely indiscrete outfit, Calina figured she did.

A few moments more passed in companionable silence. It was nice to be with someone she didn’t have to pretend with. Someone who knew her, and everything she’d been through. The weight of their past settled over them like a blanket, one woven from trauma and pain; oppressive and painful, but comforting in its familiarity.

But as the minutes passed Calina started to feel anxiety creeping in at the edges. She needed to know what this visit meant - and what help was needed from her. She placed her drink down on the table and leaned back in her chair. “Okay. Spill it. What’s going on?”

Yelena Belova shrugged and offered her a sad smile. “The Widows need you back.”

———

The emergency lights strobed in flashes of red, and the floor lurched underfoot as the Red Room slowly fell from the sky. But Calina had no thoughts of saving herself. She had been given a command - kill the Black Widow.

The traitor, Natasha Romanov.  

Calina spun and kicked at Romanov's legs. The older widow jumped up to avoid the attack, then stumbled forward as Anya landed a punch to her back. The Widows circled her, moving closer. The traitor was outnumbered. She would be dead in moments-

But then...an explosion...a  red mist, stinging her eyes...

Calina woke with a gasp, her heart thundering in her ears. She pawed at the lamp on her bedside table, exhaling in relief when she found the switch and light flooded the room.

Light which proved she was in her own bed.

In her own apartment.

Not there.

She collapsed back on the mattress and scrubbed her face with her hands. The nightmare was always the same, her brain tormenting her with the memory of the worst moment of her life. The moment of awakening. The moment when the fog of mind control lifted and she grasped just how violated she’d been.

Used, and manipulated, and sent out in the world to do horrible things against her will.

Again and again and again.

She sat up and swung her legs to the side of the bed. She wouldn’t be getting any more sleep tonight - she never did after one of those dreams. So she padded to her bathroom, stripped off her slightly damp pyjamas and hopped in the shower.

She tried to kid herself that she was merely washing off the sweat induced by the nightmare. But the truth was, she always felt…dirty…after one of those dreams. Like a layer of grime covered her, particles of shame and revulsion clinging to her pores.

The shower helped a bit. But the fresh air and the night sky helped more.

Once dried and dressed, she stepped into the shoes by her door but left her cardigan where it was - draped over the arm of the couch. She loved wrapping herself in the thick, cosy layer of baby-soft wool but not on a night like tonight, when the scorching heat of the day had barely dissipated and a blanket of humid moisture replaced the air.

Pointedly ignoring the dossier that now sat on her kitchen table, she slipped out of the door and up to the roof.

When the comforting skyline of her new home came into view, when the warm breeze danced around her, when she tipped her head back and saw the tapestry of stars overhead…only then did her breathing truly even out.

After deciding to leave the other Widows and go it alone, she’d had her pick of literally any city on earth to live.  And she’d opted for New York. She’d had a mission here several years ago and had been seduced by the rich vitality of the place. The way it seemed to have a life of its own that transcended its citizens. She loved the anonymity it afforded, the way a person could get swallowed up and lost among the 8 million other inhabitants. And she loved the way the city embodied the American dream - the notion that a person could make anything of themselves here.

So yeah, choosing to live in New York had been an easy call, for many reasons.

But choosing this particular apartment building, had been down to one reason and one reason only - the rooftop access.

She only truly felt free when she was up high under the vast expanse of the sky, no walls in sight, no barriers keeping her contained. The ability to climb one short flight of stairs and step out onto this roof at any time of the day or night was a gift she would never take for granted.

She breathed deeply as she paced along the length and breadth of the space, the repetitive motion banishing the last lingering traces of her nightmare. It wasn’t surprising that the dream had come tonight. There was usually no trigger for it that she could discern, but Yelena’s unexpected visit had brought everything in her past bubbling to the surface.

The dossier that she’d spent an hour studying before falling asleep also hadn’t helped.

Yelena had handed her the file in the coffee shop after asking her to come back. “It’s only for one job,” she’d explained. “I wouldn’t ask if we weren’t desperate. I know you wanted out.” Her words were tinged with contempt.

Calina sighed. Yelena had never understood her decision, had always made Calina feel guilty for wanting to leave her past behind.  “I always said I would help if you needed me. If there was a Widow who needed me.”

“There is. It's Katya.”

“You found her?” Calina leaned forward. Very few of the Widows had been present in the Red Room when it went down. Most had been out on assignment, and Yelena and the others had been tracking them down one by one in order to administer the counter-agent to the mind control serum.

Melina Vostokoff - a former Widow - had created an unlimited supply of the antidote. A way to make amends for her part in creating the mind controlling serum. So now it was just a matter of finding the other women and freeing them. They’d been pretty successful over the past few months, but a few of the Widows were so deep undercover that locating them had proven difficult.

Like Katya.

She had ‘graduated’ the red room in the same class as Yelena and Calina. That hadn’t made them friends by any stretch. They weren’t allowed to form those kinds of bonds - they were too busy being pitched against each other.  But they were bound together by shared trauma, and that fostered a certain respect between them. A feeling of solidarity.

It had nagged at Calina that she had left the Widows before Katya had been found.

She would absolutely help get her back.

“We found her,” Yelena confirmed.

“What do you know?”

“She’s embedded with the Japanese ambassador in South Korea. Dreykov was planning to reignite hostilities between the two countries, to weaken their growing economies. Katya’s playing bodyguard, and apparently feeding misinformation to the diplomat and and stoking his latent resentment.”

“She was always good at that.”

All of the Widows had the same basic training. They’d all mastered the same set of skills that made Widows so formidable - hand-to-hand combat, acrobatics, weapons training, espionage and more. But along the way, each Widow found their ‘speciality’ - an aspect of training that they particularly excelled at. Trainers would then hone those abilities and handlers would tailor their missions around them.

Yelena’s specialty lay in killing. She had a sniper’s precision, and a ruthlessness which made her a formidable assassin.

Katya was adept at manipulation. Finding a target’s weakness and exploiting it. Or nurturing it, depending on the objective.

Anya - another one of their classmates - was a computer genius and master hacker.

Calina was an expert at infiltration. Deep undercover work. Her looks were adaptable to multiple different disguises. She was an uncanny mimic of accents and voices. She spoke multiple languages fluently…and the Red Room had systematically and completely wiped her innate personality, until she was the perfect blank slate. A barren field in which any persona could take root.

“What’s our in?” Calina asked.

“We’ve got to hit the ambassador’s house and corner Katya there. It’s our only option - there are too many variables outside. But the place is a fortress with a private army of guards. We need someone who can get in discretely, and then get out again with minimal disruption. If it turns into a gunfight we risk exposing the Widows.”

They were all flying under the radar of the World’s governments. Romanov had kept their existence a secret after the Red Room fell, and now they were operating independently, trying to keep out of reach of the Sokovia Accords.

Sparking off a diplomatic incident would definitely put them in reach.

“So who do you need me to be?” Calina asked.

“Erin Brownly, personal assistant to the ambassador. You’re a similar height and build and we can use the nano mask to match her face. The trick is the voice. She speaks fluent Japanese and Korean, but with a British accent. There are a few recordings on the thumb drive in here.” Yelena dug out a brown envelope from her satchel and slid it across the table.

Calina glanced inside to find a dossier on Brownly and a USB stick. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yelena huffed out a laugh. “Only you would say that. Its why we needed to bring you in on this. But I'm...I'm sorry. For what its worth.”

Calina was surprised. Maybe she had imagined the contempt from before. Maybe Yelena did understand. Or was at least trying to.

Either way...“Its worth a lot. But you don’t need to apologise. I agreed to help when needed - I want to help-”

“But I know you wanted to go and build a boring life-”

“I never said boring,” Calina objected.

“-in your boring apartment, next to your boring neighbour.”

“He’s not boring!”

Yelena raised an eyebrow, and a slow smile overtook her face, making her look almost impish. It was such a change from the steely, cold Yelena of the past that Calina barely recognised her. It looked like Calina wasn't the only Widow who was uncovering her true nature from beneath the Red Room's conditioning.

And Yelena's true nature appeared to be a troublemaker.

“Oooh, Calina has a crush! Tell me everything.”

And a gossip.

Calina groaned. “I don’t have a crush.”

“Why not? He’s pretty cute, if you like that tall, bland and built look.”

Calina held back her instinctive scoff. He wasn’t cute. Cute was for puppies and boyband members. Matthew was handsome. An old-fashioned term, but it fit. He was classically handsome. With his height and his broad shoulders and his sharp, stubbled jaw and his deep, measured voice…

But it wasn’t his features that made him interesting. Good-looking men could be very boring, Calina knew that first hand. It was the other details that she’d noticed that made him distinctly not-bland. “There’s something about him-”

“I knew it!”

“Would you listen!” Calina laughed, and realised she was enjoying herself. When she'd seen Yelena outside her apartment earlier she'd been braced for another lecture. Another guilt-trip.

She hadn't expected to laugh and joke with her. It was almost like they were true sisters.

Yelena smiled in response. “Sorry, go ahead.”

“There’s something strange about him," Calina explained. "About the way he moves when he doesn’t think anyone’s watching. With a confidence and purpose, as if he can see. And the other day, I kind of…reacted…when he got too close, and he blocked my attack. Grabbed my arm as if he knew where it was - and he was strong. He also gets hurt a lot. Bruises on his face, and he holds himself a certain way when his chest or back is sore…”

Calina tailed off as she noticed Yelena’s frown. “What?” she asked nervously.

“You’ve been watching him a lot, then.”

She had. She could admit that.

The first time she’d really noticed him had been the morning his friend - and business partner - had visited. She’d left her apartment for her daily run and had almost collided with the sandy-haired man in the corridor. He’d introduced himself as ‘Foggy’, one of the strangest nicknames she’d ever heard. Then he had asked her if she had a nickname, and it had thrown her a bit. She must have looked like a clueless idiot as she floundered in the conversation - something her trainers in the Red Room would have beaten her for if it had happened on assignment.

She knew about nicknames of course - it was common practice to in Russia for people to call each other by the diminutive forms of their names. But it was something done between family members. Or friends. Or lovers. It was a gesture of affection, the spoken equivalent of a hug or a pat on the back.

There was no affection in the Red Room.

Growing up, when she was called anything besides ‘girl’ or ‘Wretched Failure’ it was always her full name. And after she graduated and the missions began, she was addressed by her designation - Widow 118.

So, no, she had never had a nickname.

And while explaining this to Foggy, she'd heard the light footsteps of the man in apartment 6A. She'd seen his shadow beneath the crack of the door a split second before it opened, so she was ready for it when he pulled it open.

Or so she'd thought. It had taken all her training to remain calm and poised when the unexpected jolt of attraction had hit her.

For the first time in her life.

To the old Calina, men were simply targets. Names in files. Existing solely to be used, seduced, killed - all on the orders of other men. The men who controlled her life. 

Men had never been objects of beauty that she just wanted to look at. But to the new Calina - the one slowly trying to find out what she liked and what she wanted from this life - Matthew was a man she wanted to look at.

All the time.

So...she did.

She started pacing the end of her morning run to coincide with him leaving for work; she would slow to a jog on the opposite side of the street and watch him as he turned left out of their building and guided himself down the street with his cane. She would wait in The Hideout for him to pass by on his way home, or time her daily mail collection so that she could occasionally ride in the elevator with him.

And during the course of those sort-of encounters she had started to notice things about him. Things that only someone with her training and observational skills would detect.

Like the way he would tighten the muscles of his arm, drawing it to his side as he passed someone on the street, as if he knew they were about to bump into them. The way he would suddenly cock his head, as if picking up something no one else could hear. The way his mouth would open and his tongue would dart out, as if tasting the air...

Slight movements.  

Subtle. Almost innocuous.

Unlike the incident with the boxes. That had not been subtle. And it had been the biggest clue yet that there was something different about Matthew Murdock.  

She’d known he was in the mail area with her - she had timed her arrival home on purpose. But something about the way that he had suddenly stepped close behind her, his arm outstretched, had triggered her instincts. And she’d reacted without thought to the feeling of threat.

And he’d responded in kind.

He’d been quick. Accurate. And strong.

Really strong.  

Not wanting to give him an opening to ask her how or why she had attacked him, she had ignored the evidence of his own training. And in the elevator afterwards she had deflected his questions, not feeling confident enough to keep up the charade of her cover story.

Something else her trainers would have punished her for.

Severely.

“Is that a bad thing?" Calina eventually responded. "Keeping an eye on my neighbour? I need to know who I’m living next to.”

“That’s sensible,” Yelena agreed. “But don’t get too close. I’m worried you could get hurt. You were always more…sensitive than the rest of us.”

Thinking back on the conversation from the safety of the rooftop, Calina was touched that Yelena apparently cared about her - if a little insulted that she was viewed as ‘sensitive’. The way Yelena had said the word sounded like a weakness.

But Calina wasn’t weak. She had survived every bit of the same training as Yelena.

And more.  

Besides, she wasn’t looking to get close to anyone. Not when her life was so uncertain. And definitely not when she was about to undertake a dangerous, diplomatically fraught mission on foreign soil to rescue one of her sisters.

She couldn’t afford to be distracted by a handsome lawyer.

A handsome lawyer…who was standing behind her on the rooftop.

----------

CHAPTER 4

So I hope Calina’s slightly strange actions in the first couple of chapters make more sense now! Did anyone guess her secret? And how do you think Matt will react when he discovers it...?

Taglist: @hollandorks, @yanna-banana​

If you’d like to be added, let me know!

[lambotel]

hey! i don't mean to sound rude but i have a few questions ❤️ so i know you have a lot of dolls but i just wanted to ask how did you start your collection and why? are your dolls haunted? where are they from? how much were they? and do you buy them yourself or are they gifts? not that i want you to tell me your whole life story i'm just curious and have asked others similar questions! ❤️

hi lol, its ok. and idk how to answer any of this but i will try. already struggling w the first one, dont know how or why. i have always been used to my dad gifting me and my sister cars because he would rather get me, her and my brother the same gifts and always went with what was more boy-ish for whatever reason. always made us match clothes and everything, everything was almost the same, so it's crazy how we eventually did grow up to have different interests etc. mine became colelcting antique dolls because one day my dad just boguht a really big beautiful porcelain doll home (when i say big, not extremely big, just bigger than the others) for me. and he wanted /me/ to have it. part of. me believes he did it randomly but out of love, while the lther part of me believes he was guilty and upset when he saw how jealous i was seeing everyone have dolls that can literally sing. he never wanted to make me feel singled out in things or different from others, even though i was, and even though he was terrible in some doings- this was kind, and special. like a way to see i didnt need a singing stupid doll when i can have a very old antique one WITH the letter of authenticity.

growing up i noticed similar looking dolls in the charity shops i went to, they were expensive but also not cheap. i used to get bulloed really bad in highschool and college (yes, in college too lol), i had no friends and spent most of my days with my mum because my dad always worked. me and my mum always went to charity shops because the clothes and house stuff was just way cheaper. i dont want to say they let me buy what i want out of pity, but i know they were always trying to get me back on my feet again - thats the thing with asian, immigrant parents. never being able to tell you words of affirmations, but always somehow showing it in their actions. my mum knew i would look at a doll or two here and then, she always picked it up without asking or saying anything. brushing its hairs and putting it on my shelf for me and organising my books too. my mum bought me all the books sitting on my bookshelf rn.

if you want to start your own collection, i think you should start looking in charity shops or antique stores. a lot of old people, or family members of old people, dump their stuff there all the time. i have many memorable items from charity shops that aren't just dolls. they're worth a look. and dont worry about not getting an authenticity certificate - if you are bothered, you can always describe your doll online, however some antique sites (?) will ask you to pay in order for you to get info from them. so be careful. you can always ask straight from the person youre buying, if you look on places like depop or etsy, but who knows they might be lying lmao. i personally wouldnt care too much about it. i just am informative on it because my first doll came with it, i was hyper fixated on it for ages.

i hope this answered everything. i might delete this later if i decide to feel like i have over-shared on this platform.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

What a Sweet Story🥰

"The company was set up by designer Alice Avenel, an old schoolfriend of Kate's, but she has now sold it. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday about the sweater, the mother-of-three said: 'I gave it to her years ago. It was a hand-me-down. I sold the company in March."

Clothing company brings back jumper after Prince Louis wore it

The daughter of an ex-Army officer, Alice, 41, has been a close friend of both the Prince and Princess of Wales since childhood. She was a teenage friend of William and a peripheral member of the 'Glossy Posse', who would hang out at Highgrove.

She was at exclusive Marlborough College with the Middleton sisters, playing tennis with Kate and hockey with Pippa. The Prince and Princess of Wales went to her 2012 wedding to French banker Gerald Avenel.

Alice, who has three children, Rose, 11, Constantine, nine, and Edward, seven, founded Little Alice in 2018, after the births of her children when she discovered a 'passion for smocking'. She also sold that company last month.

Explaining why she set up the firm, she said: 'My clever mother kept all of my beautiful smocked dresses from when I was a child, but I found it very hard to find affordable dresses in the shops.

Then the Princess of Wales released a photograph of her youngest son Prince Louis to mark his fifth birthday last weekend, shoppers rushed to find the same sweater he was wearing.

But there was only one problem: the £75 Fair Isle design was a hand-me-down Kate was given years ago, and had since been discontinued. So now, after being inundated with requests, the company which makes it has brought back the retired design.

Lallie London had, until Friday, been accepting advance orders for the smoky blue jumper, even though it won't be available again until September.

It is not the first time the Wales children have worn one of Alice's designs. Five years ago, Princess Charlotte, then two, almost stole the show as she and Prince George, four, arrived at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, to meet their baby brother. The £45 Periwinkle smocked dress she wore came from Ms Avenel's other label, Little Alice London, and immediately sold out online.

[duskwoodgirl4life]

Chapter 3

Trigger warning ⚠️⚠️ contains bad language ⚠️⚠️

MC and Phil had been back together for a month now, they had just been taking it slow Phil had shown MC that he had changed.

MC and Jake's friendship was growing after he had fixed her laptop. MC started to work for Jake a couple days a week on the busy days. She would take repair jobs and book them in and she even made him a website so people can book online.

Everything was going great with Phil, life seemed almost perfect until MC found a women's watch under the bed while she was looking for her earring.

When she turned the watch over there was an engraving on the back that said To our darling daughter Hannah we love you love mum and dad. MC was furious Phil had not changed one bit he was still the same old cheating arsehole.

MC tried to calm herself down as Phil would be back any moment, they were both going to the rainbow cafe for coffee. Phil arrived back home he had a massive grin on his face and a bunch of roses for MC.

Phil: Hey babe, you okay?

MC: Hey baby, yeah am good are you ready to go?

Phil: sure let me just go change my shirt first

Phil went into the bedroom MC could see him through the gap in the door, he had picked up Hannah's watch and quickly shoved it into his pocket. He then grabbed a fresh shirt and changed.

MCs POV

What a fucking idiot I have been!! He's done it again this time with one of my best friends how the fuck could they? I don't know how I am going to deal with this yet.

I don't think I can ever look at Hannah ever again. Just the thought of it makes me sick. I quickly move back from the door just in time when Phil comes out.

He grabbed my hand and his touch was making my skin crawl. I hate him so much I never want him to touch me ever again.

MC and Phil arrive at the rainbow cafa Hannah is there with his sister Lilly they are by the window talking. MC tells Phil to go grab a table and she will order the coffees MC spots that Phil has sat close to Hannah's table MC makes the order and the waitress will bring them over.

As MC got closer she could hear Phil and Hannah talking all of a sudden MC stops in her tracks. Did she really hear that Hannah is pregnant with Phil's baby?

MC: You two faces lying bastard!!! I fucking hate both of you

Phil: Baby, please I can explain please don't go

Hannah: I'm so sorry MC we never meant for this to happen

MC didn't say anything she walked over to Hannah and smacked her as hard as she could. Everyone in the cafa was stunned at what just happened then MC turns to Phil she pours the hot coffee all over his crotch and punches him in the face.

MC storms out of the cafa not really knowing where she was going, she sat on a bench not far from Jake's computer shop. He saw her outside and sat in the rain. He grabbed an umbrella and ran over to her.

Jake put out his arm and led her inside his shop and told MC to sit down In front of the heater while he went back into the shop. MC just sat there water dripping off her face lost in her thoughts she was soon snapped out of them when Jake came back over.

Jake: Hey, come on I have closed early come upstairs I've got some dry clothes you can change into

MC: thank you Jake

MC took his hand and went up the stairs to Jake's apartment. It was beautiful, everything had its own place and was so spacious. After a few minutes Jake came back with some dry clothes and a towel. He showed her to the bathroom leaving her to shower. MC had finished in the bathroom Jake had given her a pair of his sweatpants and a hoodie. She got the sweats to fit by pulling the cord on them tight. The hoodie was way too big but it was so comfy stepping out of the bathroom MC found Jake in the kitchen making hot chocolate.

Jake: Hey, you find everything okay?

MC: I did thanks

Jake: give me your wet clothes I will freshen them up for you

MC: that's really nice of you thanks

MC handed Jake her wet clothes and he put them in the washing machine to freshen up, he then grabbed the two cups of hot chocolate and handed it to MC.

Jake: Can I ask what you were doing out in the rain?

MC: I just broke up with Phil this time for good

Jake: Can I ask why?

MC: he was sleeping with Hannah and now she's pregnant with his baby

Jake: Wow!! He's such an arsehole doing that to you

MC: I don't know what I'm going to do now. I can't go back to Jennifer's her parents have come to visit. I can't go back to the apartment. I'll just end up killing Phil, I guess I'll have to go to the motel.

Jake: your welcome to stay here if you like there is plenty of room, that's if you want no pressure

MC: Aww wow!! Thank you so much Jake I'd love to you're a lifesaver, there is just one thing I need to ask could you come with me later to get my stuff

Jake: of course just let me know when you want to go

Later that night MC and Jake went to the apartment to pick up the rest of her stuff and the apartment appeared quiet. As they got further in the apartment they could hear the shower running. As they got closer they could see Phil and Hannah in the shower together having sex.

MC didn't do anything straight away she got all her stuff with the help of Jake, then just before they left MC grabbed a saw from Phil's toolbox and used it to burst the water pipe. Water went everywhere and the kitchen quickly flooded.

She found a small pot of red paint under the sink and used it to write whore and scumbag in massive letters. She threw the paint on the floor grabbing the rest of her stuff and left the apartment slamming the door behind her.

[prettynhot]

13.01.2024 Sat restarting,revolving n readjusting.

new day,new me:) i’ll start talking about last night first. after i logged in here with my journal update, i left my course place n got home. while i was walking though, i witnessed the first snow falling in my city for this winter!

the snow was incredibly pretty and delicately falling with a slight cold breeze. the breeze moved my hair quite romantically, i was blushing from the cold so with my cute red cheeks n red nose, delicate snowflakes in my hair n outfit, i looked and felt like i was in a movie. people were passing by with literal awes and someone even offered to carry my bag for me! people are so nice <33

after i got home i ate my dinner,got some sweets and as i sat down to relax,i fell asleep😭 i woke up to a call from my sister, facetiming me to ask what to wear for her bday celebration. she just turned 30 this year! i still cant believe she is 30 now,she has that young aura n energy which makes everyone feel like she’d be in her 20s forever. crazy that shes stepping into her 30s now. im excited for this new chapter in her life, feel like its going to be her best one yet:)

after talking to my sister, i got up,changed from my outdoor clothes to my comfy sweatpants n thin,soft long sleeve,grabbed water n cleaned up my room a bit. after that i shopped online for a while and danced for at least 2 hours.

it was soo much fun!!! i hadnt danced in a quite long while n totally forgot how in touch with my femininity n grounded it makes me feel! while i was dancing ag’s new song played, titled ‘yes and’ which i quite liked!! then i saw that time flew by n it was nearly 12 am, which i was waiting for in order to celebrate my sister’s bday:) we facetimed at 12 exactly n i even blew candles for her! she got so happy n told me all about the presents she got n how her bday celebration went. we talked a bit but i needed to study so i had to hang up :(

then, since i had not studied at all ever since i got home,i sat down n studied for a good 2 hours, brushed my teeth n my hair n had a nice night sleep😴

woke up in a good mood, drank my morning water n had a filling, delicious breakfast with a good load of veggies, a whole lot of protein n some carbs. it was soo yummyy^^

then i got ready, decided to postpone the glamming for my little tc thing, since i didnt want a crush to get in the way of how my exam goes, knowing i wouldnt be as comfortable in all glam.

so i took the exam! it went quite nice at first but as time went by, nearing the end of the 3 hrs, my focus got harder to maintain n i didnt even realize i had a headache from constrating so hard! even though i didnt feel like i did as good as i was capable of, it still wasnt horrible n i know the result will be decent. so im pleased yet eager to do more!

after the exam, i had a class with my teacher:) the one whom i have a little crush on:) he was exceptionally smiley today! he asked me how my exam went, kiinda checked me out(i mightve even made it up honestly😭but lowkey felt it though!) chatted with us for a while. then his class starts, as usual hes very interactive with with everyone n me, jokes around n stuff.

one thing i really like about him is that he always looks at me while he’s telling a story about himself or anything personal really. its as if like hes telling that to me only as he is only making eye contact with me. it makes me feel super special!

it was quite hot in the classroom so i wanted to open the windows yet he was cold so he didnt want me to,and joked about that the whole class.

and he even came rlly close n sat beside me.specifically right beside me. just to talk to me.

UGHHHHHHHH

losing my pretty mind over that.

this man literally tried to sit on the heater to talk😭hes also absurd sometimes.

AND ALSO!!

HE TALKED ABOUT HOW HE IS TRYING TO NOT BREAK STUDENTS HEARTS NOW. WHILE LOOKING AT ME. HE WAS LIKE ‘IM WATCHING MY WORDS NOW SINCE I DONT WANT TO BREAK ANYONES HEART’. WHILE LOOKING AT ME. CUZ I TOLD HIM HE HURT ME THE OTHER DAY??

look, i might be delusional(likely) but come on, what would you think in my shoes?

i’d like to think that it was intentional so i will:)

n that was all for my little crush talk.

after his class i stayed on the place where i took my courses to study a bit more. while i was there, one of the founders of that place, offered me fruits n even cut them up for me🥹 hes usually an unusually cold man so i was quite suprised! but it made me very happy nonetheless!

after i was done, while i was leaving the course i came by the owner of the course place n chatted with him for a while, he’s the bestest! hes very intelligent and sweet!

that’s all i have for today! i texted with one of my best friends as well, we promised to meet this monday to visit our national library. we’ll see how everything goes!

im trying to readjust n revolve, into the girl who is disgustingly overeducated, into the girl who is balanced and feminine, into the girl who has everything together in her life<3

same time tomorrow?

[rodrigo-esc]

My BABY love Who: Rodrigo and Jade @jadeclark What: Shopping for friend's baby gift, these two have an important talk Where: Target When: November, 2023. A/N: My apologies. I had drafted this a million years and realized recently i never posted it!! Enjoy!

JADE

Jade tugged a shopping cart free as she and Rodrigo entered Target and prepared to walk directly towards all of the baby supplies. On the way to the multiple aisles, she looked at her phone where a list of possible items to purchase sat. She softly hummed a jazz tun to herself, stuck in her head from hers and Rodrigo's date night the previous night. While looking at the list of items for the dozenth time, she paused her humming to share with her boyfriend, "I asked a few people on my staff what sorts of things would be the most helpful to guy Aera and Fletcher. Just about everyone said diapers, wipes, blankets, and onesie undershirts. Those should be easy enough to find, but I added a few more things that were mentioned and some things that I looked up online too. And maybe we can get them one big item? Like a stroller or baby swing? Or maybe one of those easy portable playpens in case Aera or Fletcher are taking the baby with them somewhere?"

RODRIGO

Rodrigo smiled as he listened to his girlfriend hum. It was peaceful to him. He walked beside Jade, looking around Target, making mental notes of some other things he may pick up for their house but also adding gift ideas to the top of his list. This was very important to Aera and Fletcher- two of the most important people in his life. He wanted to do right by them. As Jade listed the items she had in mind, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I say we go on a shopping spree", and then he nudged her gently with a grin plastered against his lips. "I like the diapers idea. We should get them every size or something. Oh! The portable play pen sounds great. I feel like the stroller and baby swing may be given by some family members? What do you thinks? He saw a cute little teddy bear and held it up in front of Jade. "Look at this guy. I think he's perfect."

JADE

Jade smiled, "It's probably inevitable. Shopping for a new baby is pretty fun, isn't it?" She thought about the few baby showers she had been invited to and how hard it was sometimes to limit herself on the gifts. She gave him a rueful smile, "But don't both Aera and Fletcher consider you family? So a gift like that would be appropriate. But we could certainly buy them a lot of diapers and look for a nice play pen and some gender neutral clothes." While Jade was typically modest about her PDA, she took a little risk and reached over to playfully pinch Rodrigo's butt with a grin. "I like it. And the teddy bear's cute too."

RODRIGO

"Yeah, it's nice." Rodrigo offered her a smile and considered her words. She was right. Aera was like a sister and Fletcher was his best friend. "Well, you got me there. We can do the play pen and one of the big gifts that haven't been purchased as well. See? Always the sensible one." He chuckled at the pinch, looking over to Jade with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'll get you." Rodrigo continued walking beside Jade. He stole a few glances, taking in her excitement and wondering if it was shopping for Aera and Fletcher that had her this giddy or shopping for baby items in general. The latter made him think about the subject he often tried NOT to hink about. "You like this, huh? The baby shopping?"

JADE

"Thank you, honey," Jade replied with another soft smile when Rodrigo agreed to them getting a second big gift for Aera and Fletcher along with the play pen. She flitted away after pinching her boyfriend's ass while looking to his face to catch his reaction and when she heard him, she giggled a little. "I hope so," she quipped back with a grin and then continued pushing the red shopping cart. While approaching the floor models of play pens, she thought about what her staff advised and considered it, looking from one model to the next. But she heard Rodrigo's question and turned to gaze up at him. "You know? I do. I haven't really done a lot of shopping like this, outside of staff members who've had babies, and the baby showers I've recently been invited to this past year. I've seen cute baby clothes before, in passing when I've gone shopping but it's different when I'm intentionally looking. What about you? Do you enjoy shopping for baby items?"

RODRIGO

Rodrigo tossed the teddy bear into the cart, a smirk gracing his face the entire time. Jade's playful side was just one of his favorites. He looked around, taking in the aisles of baby items thinking about how great parents his friends were going to be. He listened to Jade's response to his question, nodding and smiling softly as she did. When the question was turned on him, he wasn't quite sure what to answer at first. The thought of having children terrified him. Taking care of birth control on his end was to lessen the stress on his partners but also because "accidents" scared the living crap out of him however, being with Jade made things pleasantly complicated. He knew his relationship with her would be forever and with that, the conversation of forming a family was inevitable. He did wonder (and often) where she stood so hearing how much she enjoyed shopping for baby things gave him a little more clarity. "I do. I mean, how can you not, right? Lots of cute little things." He looked up at her. "You know, we never really talked about it. I mean, we've talked about just everything else." They have a house together, for Godsakes. "Do you want children?"

JADE

Jade chuckled at the plush bear being lobbed into the cart and then continued looking at the floor model play pens. Some were exactly that: play pens with mesh walls and easy assembly. Others had a top portion that was half infant resting space, half changing station. One looked entirely complex in appearance and ridiculous in Jade's eyes. "Those are my thoughts exactly," agreed Jade as she listened to Rodrigo’s response. She was eyeing one of the playpens with a changing table on top when she heard Rodrigo speak up again. She listened but it wasn't until his question hit her ears that she stilled and then turned to face him and look up at his face. "I do. I wasn't entirely sure before. Just…because of my past and how incapable I felt because of…well, largely because of my mother and how much she affected me. And then with her still having been in my life, the idea of bringing a child of my own into the picture seemed like cruelty. I couldn't wilfully subject a child to her toxicity and abuse. But with the restraining order being effective and me working through some of my issues in therapy, and seeing how loving, caring and passionate you are about your students…" Jade felt like she was ruling so she trailed off and gently shrugged. 'I love you and the life we've been building together. With you, a family that includes children is something I feel like I could want, and do someday." She took her hand off of the cart and tenderly cuffed it to one of Rodrigo's forearms. "Has this been on your mind for a while or was the shopping trip today just making you curious?"

RODRIGO

Rodrigo listened in silence but intently. This was an important topic and he would never want to jeopardize his relationship with Jade. But what did that mean exactly? Up until now, this was the conversation he hoped he'd end up avoiding forever but that's probably because up until now, he didn't think it was in the stars for him to find someone amazing, fall in love, have them fall in love with him , buy a house, share everything together and now have the dreaded talk. Never in a million years did he think he would be in this situation. Rodrigo had gotten comfortable with assuming he'd never have to form a family with anyone and he was even more comfortable in thinking it would be for the best. What could he possibly offer a child of his own? He didn't have the best people to look up to. And as these thoughts circled in his mind, he managed to listen and hang on to every word Jade was telling him even the ones about how he'd probably be a great dad because of how he was with his students. It temporarily brought him back to his talk with Raj and how he had said something similar. When his girlfriend brought him back to reality with her hand against his forearms, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "The first part. A long while. I'm talking about months now and usually thinking about having children feels like I'm drowning. But lately I can't help but wonder what they'd look like. If they'd have your eyes. Would they love to read like us? But I also end up wondering if I would be any good at it? I can't imaging a world where I disappoint you and our child…I--I'm working through it in therapy but it's a thought and again, last year, I would have laughed at the thought of even thinking about kids because of my own issues. Now, I'm considering it but I'm terrified. I don't have a good dad…."

JADE

Jade took in Rodrigo's unspoken reactions as she shared her response to his question. And when she checked with him on what brought this on for him, she listened fully and carefully to him. It saddened her a little that she had no idea he'd felt this way before and never would have guessed it. But this wasn't about her and she knew as much as she absorbed his words. She held both hands to each of his forearms now and kept her eyes on his as she spoke. "Rodrigo, I… I'm glad you're working through it in therapy but I'm also relieved that you're telling me. You and I both grew up having at least one undeniably terrible parent. And the truth is, I think that we're always going to have some degree of fear that we might repeat their bad parenting in some capacity--disappointing a child of ours, or treating them in some way that even marginally resembles how our terrible parent treated us." She moved her hands up to cup his cheeks. "But I also think we're lucky to have each other and the relationship we have. We're both so open with each other. We have something real, honest and good. And not to diminish how wonderful Emiliana is, but it's so much more than what either of us was raised with. I can't imagine we wouldn't expand that to a family of our own. Not only do we have each other, but we have family and clos friends who love, care and support us. I know that would extend to any child or children we might have, and their love would include holding us accountable and calling us on our shit if we're doing something wrong or concerning."

Jade lightly stroked her thumbs along his cheeks and then slid her hands to his shoulders. "Through your love and our relationship, the friendships I've grown over the past year, and my therapy I've been realizing that me having a bad mom doesn't mean I'd be one. I wholeheartedly believe that's true of you and how you would be as a father."

RODRIGO

Jade was always so comforting to Rodrigo. He was sure she'd talk him off the ledge every single time and he'd hopefully do the same for her. She was soft spoken and kind and understanding and there were many times he felt like he didn't deserve that until now. Rodrigo's mind went back to therapy and how he had been advised to give himself and his new relationship grace. He was told that while others might think they rushed things, the pace was perfect for the two of them. They had an understanding that some people struggle for ages to achieve. Having that and being able to speak about his fears surrounding potential fatherhood, was priceless. He listened, eyes on hers, a soft smile appearing on his face. "Thank you. And you know I feel the same about you. I think you'll be an amazing mother. I didn't even consider it until I met you and I think that just adds to the excitement and the nerves. All these new things I never thought about or thought would happen until I met you. It's refreshing and terrifying", Rodrigo admitted with a gentle laugh. "Do you--should we maybe do some therapy sessions together? since we've both been tainted by our oh so wonderful parents?" He whispered in the empty aisle. "I want to do what it takes to provide for you and our future children. Erase the mistakes our parents made. You know?"

JADE

Seeing the smile appear on Rodrigo's face made Jade's expression relax a bit more and a gentle smile form on her own lips. She took a deep breath and calmly let it out while telling him, "I hope I will be someday. I'd like to be a good mom someday." Her hands stayed on his broad shoulders and she kept looking up at her boyfriend while listening to him. "I know what you mean, about it being refreshing and terrifying at the same time." She listened further when his voice dropped to a whisper and at his suggestion that they go to therapy together, Jade thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I think that would be good. And we don't have to rush it either. I know it's not like we're having a baby tomorrow, but before we start trying to have our own family, therapy together would be good. I've heard of people doing that when engaged too so, maybe we can plan for it when we get to that point?"

RODRIGO

Rodrigo looked into Jade's eyes as she spoke to her and immediately melted into her brown hues. It was difficult not to and he knew that everything would be okay. It was a huge leap for him, one he never thought he'd budge in but there was something about Jade that felt like forever. Hearing her mention they could revisit couple's therapy when they get to the point of an engagement brought on that familiar feeling again. The same one that he felt when they got their place together, the same one he got when spoke to Raj and asked him to help him pick out a ring for Jade, the same one at the boo bash. Rodrigo was smitten and it was okay. he was going to marry the hell out of Jade. Once again, he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead and then wrapped his arms around her. "I love you so much."

JADE

Jade offered Rodrigo a gentle smile as she gazed up at him and waited for his response. She knew that they had packed a lot of their relationship together in the less-than-a-year's time that they'd been together but Jade regretted none of it. Every step of the way with Rodrigo felt and continued to feel right. She shut her eyes when he bent his head to kiss her forehead, and then when his arms came around her, she returned that gesture with her slender limbs circling his middle. "I love you too. My Rodrigo." She squeezed him a little bit tighter after that and then released him enough for her to look up at his face again. "Should we hurry up and get out of here before we end up needing one of those flat bed carts?"

RODRIGO

At her response, Rodrigo chuckled and looked back at their cart. So they went a little overboard. Fletcher and Aera deserved it as far as he was concerned. "Ah yeah, let's get out of here before I need to do more OT." He laughed and let Jade take the cart so that he could wrap his arms around her waist and walk with her. IT was incredibly cheesy but Rodrigo was so happy that she was his. He kissed her hair before releasing her and then walked beside her towards the register. "Oh wait! Let me just get another box of diapers!" He ran back quickly and picked up a box, stared at the long aisle of baby items, and drew in a deep breath before his lips curled into a small mile. Rodrigo's eyes then zeroed in on a pair of baby sock booties and he took them off the perch, holding them close to his chest. He'd pay for these himself. They wouldn't be for Aera and Fletcher's child. These booties would be for a future bundle of joy.

[daisy-has-too-many-wives]

all practically ran from teh door, yelling rushed thank you’s at him. Crowley laughed, laving enjoyed that class, as for more than half of it, Him and his year 13’s were having a discussion on what they though angels would look like to be able to survive as high up as they suppossedly did. They had all decided on very large oxygen tanks. Crowley made his way through the courtyard of the school, pausing at the staffroom for Pepper, who he was taking out for lunch, just like they did every second wednesday. “Crowley!” pepper said, as she walked alongside him “Are you coming to Samaels with Adam and i?” Crowely groaned, running a hand through his long hair, “ugh- is hastur going?” “Nope” pepper replied, sitting herslf down in the passenger seat of crowley’s car. “I guess i am going then, arn’t i” Pepper nodded, resting her feet on the dashboard “where to today, anthony?” The two decided on a classic. A small cafe, unbeknownst to almost all of the civilians, named ‘Apple and Serpent’ Crowley ordered his usual, a large black coffee, and pepper ordered a milkshake. “You’re a child”  crowley laughed as their waiter brang the order to tehir table “At least i  have good taste. Who drinks a black coffee at 1 in the afternoon?” “Me, that’s who you cheeky-” “Laungage!” pepper snorted, “so- mr ‘ive got such a good coffee selection-” (crowley rolled his eyes at her. Hard. she just smirked.) “what do you think of the new teacher at sameals?” “What do i think of him?” crowley asked, raising an eyebrow “pepper, i havent even met this man” “He is your type though” “How do you know my type? I dont even have a type, pepper” “Yes-yes you do” she told him “you are the classic Black cat. You eiether need a golden reteiver or an orange cat” “Are- pepper are you telling me you want me to buy another pet? I have 2 dogs alr-” Pepper groaned, loudly “you need to- my god anthony you are a boomer” “Augh” he said, faking offence “i am Not I thank you very much,  i was born in 1990!” “Old” Crowley rolled his eyes again “why do i need a labrador and a hamster?” “You are deaf as well, then” “Why, pepper, enlighten me” A black cat, pepper explained to him, as tehy left the cafe, adn on their drive back to school, was someone who kept to themselevs, was a ‘loner’ and typically wore black clothing. Crowley saw how that waas him. A golden retreiver, was ‘the happiest person in the world’ pepper said. ‘Always happy, always active, optimist’ crowley definetly wass not that. And apparently a orange cat was just a pshyco. Pepper told him, that poeple online often ship what’s called a black cat x golden retrevier, where one person is ‘goth’ and the other is ‘very cheery’; and what not. Crowley was impartial to this idea, not really ahving tha much of an opinion on it, since the only relationship he had ever been in was with someone he didnt even know what happened to them. And that was when he was 18, and just figuring out that he was gay, genderfluid and wanted to be a teacher, not an artist. Once the school day had finally come to an end, crowley dragged himself home, and changed into his work clothes, a plain black shirt and pants. Yes, he had a part time job, but he felt he needed to support his neice Angel as she started law school as sa favour for his older sister, Daisy who had helped him more time than he could count. So, crowley had become a chef. He had worked up his ranks, and was now head chef at a local sushi restaurant ‘家’ or ‘Home’ in english. And sometimes, he worked the till if business was slow.  Luckily, the sushi place was moderately busy on teh best days, so most of the time it was him talking with his colleagues and teh regulars. His coworker, Abby, was the only otehr one on tonight as the shop was slow, and they both had the late night shift. The bell tinkled as their last scheduled regular entered to shop “hey azira” crowley said, from behind the till. Their regular, and crowley’s favourite, Mr. Azira fell entered the shop, wearing the same matching beige waistcoat suit and brown shoes that he wore day in, day out

I LOVE THIS AAAA

[cyberphuck]

Collars Dot Com Ch 2: The Hammer of Thor

(Back to Chapter One) I shut the lid on the washer, started the cycle, then leaned against it as it filled. To the left the dryer thumped steadily, sounding like a particularly monotonous wedding night.

I'd changed the sheets on the bed, stuffed my bachelor-smelling comforter in the washer, gathered up the long-neglected laundry pile, dragged the comforter back out of the washer in favor of washing the clothes first, scrubbed the bathroom, sanitized the kitchen, vacuumed the living room, collected six thousand sticky coffee mugs and empty soda cans from my desk, wiped down every flat surface, and nearly thrown up twice.

I sat down on the arm of the couch, putting a hand over my eyes to try and keep them from falling out of my skull. I smelled like bleach wipes and hangover sweat and the coffee I'd spilled down the front of my shirt two hours ago and all I really wanted was to lay facedown in bed and sleep until rigor mortis set in.

Some time between changing the pillow cases and gagging on bile, I'd opened the DoorDash app on my phone and ordered two bottles of Gatorade, two containers of fruit salad, and two more bottles of Gatorade in case the first two and the vitamin C from the fruit weren't enough to purge the tequila and idiocy from my body.

I did stupid things when I was drunk. That's what had ended my last relationship, hadn't it? I'd gone out for drinks with some of the guys from work, ended up doing jello shots with a bunch of college girls, and sent a picture of my dick to everyone on my contact list-- including my sister-- with the caption 'THE HAMMER OF THOR!'

I'd woken up the next morning with a variety of responses waiting for me. From my boss, 'you're lucky you're the only one I can rely on to turn in scripts on time,' and from Alyssa: 'I'm tired of your immature bullshit.'

My sister had sent a thumbs-up emoji.

It wasn't the first time Alyssa and me had gotten in an argument over how I spent my free time, and I thought an apology and giving her some space to cool off would keep things rattling along. Instead she dropped her copy of my apartment key in my mailbox, changed her relationship status on Facebook, and posted several memes about finding her flame and not letting anyone hold her back anymore.

Then lockdown had started, my entire department had been sent home to work remotely, all of my meals came from no-contact DoorDash deliveries, and if I wanted to hang out and drink with the guys from work, I had to do it over Zoom. I hadn't realized how much I'd relied on visits from Alyssa to motivate me to give a shit about what my apartment looked like until...

Well, until about 2pm today.

This was going to be the kick in the ass that I needed, I decided. I wasn't gonna keep the Pet I'd ordered, but I wasn't going to mix alcohol and online shopping again, either, and I was gonna clean up after myself and have people over again. Or better yet, go out. See people. Meet people. Shave every day.

Someone hit the buzzer in the downstairs lobby. I got up to hit the unlock button by the front door, got another whiff of stale coffee, and jogged into my bedroom to try to find a clean shirt so I didn't look like a complete slob for the DoorDash guy. I tossed the dirty shirt into the laundry corner, stopped, picked it up and put it into the hamper, and pulled on an ancient band tee, the screen printing long since faded away into nothing. By the time I emerged from the bedroom, DoorDash was already knocking.

Usually I only knew my order had arrived by the swish of a plastic bag being dumped on my mat and the driver's footsteps as he walked off. But I had to sign something, I guess. They'd used to make you sign for stuff, before. I turned the deadbolt and opened the door.

There was a boy standing there.

Blond hair, big eyes, freckles and a pretty mouth that was currently occupied by some kind of black rubber gag. Behind him was a man with a moving dolly stacked high with boxes labeled 'COLLARS.COM.' Behind him was pretty much every single one of my neighbors, all out to grab their mail and pick up their newspapers and check the hallway for werewolves at once.

Fuck.

"Delivery," the man said, looking supremely bored. "For--"

"Yeah, uh, yeah, come in," I said quickly, backing out of the doorway and holding the door wide. The boy stepped through first, then his chaperone with the dolly, and I thought about how I was going to have to either find a new apartment or somehow keep living in this one without ever making eye contact with any of my neighbors ever again.

The man set the dolly upright and plucked a chunky black device from his belt, shoving it at me. "Just use the pen to sign," he said, indicating a thin plastic stylus swinging from the device by a tether.

"Right, uh, so, there was kind of a--" I began weakly, trying to give the device back.

"Hit 'enter,'" the man said. The boy had been wearing a sort of black smock, tied at the back, and his chaperone was taking it off. The black pants came off too, and the boy was very much wearing absolutely nothing underneath them.

"This was-- I can't--" I tried again.

"Arms out," the man said to the boy, holding up his phone to take a picture. "Alright, turn." He glanced at me. "Press the pen down harder if it isn't doing it," he said.

"There has been," I said slowly and firmly, "a mistake."

The man looked at me. I looked back at him.

"Are you Brian Stink?" he asked.

"It's 'Stynch,'" I said automatically. "Listen, I bought all this by accident, I didn't really mean to--"

"The return policy is on the website," the man interrupted. "Can you sign the thing? I've got other deliveries."

"But I can't." A misshapen silence popped between us; I'd been expecting him to cut me off again. "I can't, uh, take him, really."

"I can't put him back in the van," the man said. "I've already sent Proof of Delivery to the dispatcher, and I can't just stick him back there while I finish all my other deliveries. By the time I got him back to the hub, all the handlers'd be gone for the day. Sign," he enunciated, "the thing."

"Alright, fine, fuck," I sighed, scribbling something approximate to my signature on the heavy device and watching it struggle to accept my name with technology from 1992. I slapped it back into the man's hand, trying to show my severe annoyance with him. He wasn't phased. "I'll see you again tomorrow when you come to pick him up," I told him.

"I'm off tomorrow." He yanked the dolly out from underneath the tower of shipping boxes and turned to let himself out. "Enjoy your purchase and have a nice day."

I glared at the closed door for a while, entertaining all my fantasies of letting his employers know I was Very Offended and that they had better do something to make up for it, and receiving an email from the CEO begging for my forgiveness.

Maybe even a phone call. We're so sorry. We're so sorry. The mean delivery driver has been reprimanded and fired-- no, that was too cruel, not with the economy the way it was. He probably had a family to feed. We have sat him down and told him he has been a Very Bad Boy. Yeah.

I locked the deadbolt. And the horse you rode in on, I thought viciously, turned around, and remembered there was an extremely undressed Pet standing next to my shoe rack. The room congealed around me a little, going from the hot soup of righteous anger to the greasy leftovers of what the fuck am I going to do now in an instant.

God, he looked good.

I had been expecting him to be a little plainer than the profile picture I'd glimpsed in a drunken haze the night before. Nobody was supposed to look as perfect as their headshots, that's what Photoshop was for. But there he was, smooth and blemishless, the same buttery curls, the sprinkling of freckles like cinnamon on a macchiato. The mouth, which was still stoppered by the rubber gag whose straps were beginning to leave red marks in his cheeks. He swallowed awkwardly around it and looked at me.

I stepped forward, reaching behind his head and feeling for a clasp. The strap was stiff and new, the price tag still stuck across the cheap plastic. "This thing smells like a used tire shop," I muttered, picking the tag off and undoing the buckle. "Probably tastes like one too."

I pulled the gag out of his mouth. It was a couple inches long, wet and slick where it'd been pressing against his tongue. I wrinkled my nose at it and set it on top of the boxes. They could take that back, too. "How long have you had that thing in your mouth? Do you want a glass of water?"

The boy's mouth puckered; he wiped saliva off his chin with the back of his hand. "Yes, please."

I went to the kitchen, took down a glass, turned on the tap and let in run until it was cold. My coffee mugs were still piled in the sink, looking at me accusingly with sticky eyes. I ignored them and returned to the living room to find the boy standing just where I'd left him.

"Here." I put the glass in his hands. "Come on and sit on the couch."

I discovered, then, that it was possible for someone to sensually drink a glass of plain tap water. The movement of his throat and the sound of his swallowing was almost obscene. Maybe it was just because he was naked, or because I knew what he was for, but the lovely pink mouth was definitely in the lead for 'reasons I was about to make decisions with my dick.' I knew, when I reached out, that just touching his mouth wouldn't be enough. I promised myself I just wanted to feel the shape of it, his lips against the ball of my thumb, but I had wanted that mouth since I saw it on the website, had clicked yes and yes and  yes because I hadn't cared what I'd have to pay to get it. I cupped my palm against his cheek and he leaned into it, looking at me, and I was pushing forward without looking at the price.

I kissed him because I wanted to feel the softness of his lips, the texture of them against my tongue, the sweet sound as we parted. There was a little hesitation when he opened his mouth to mine, as if he wasn't quite sure of it, like the sensation of my tongue against his was new for him. I held him still with a hand against the nape of his neck, where the finest curls of his hair tickled against my fingers, and let him get used to what it felt like to be kissed by me.

By the time I let him go, his breath had gone a little short and there was color in his cheeks and down his neck to his collarbone. His lips were still slightly parted, and I slid my thumb into his mouth. He made a soft sound as I pressed down on his tongue and bottom lip. He made that sound again when I pulled him forward for another kiss, and he slipped off the couch and down to his knees in front of me before I could even form an image of what I wanted.

Now he was looking up at me through his eyelashes and wetting his upper lip with his tongue. I took his chin in my hand because-- I don't know, I wanted to look at him, wanted to stay in the moment of anticipation forever, but with my other hand I took out my stiffening cock for him because I wanted it in his mouth.

He took the head between his lips, delicately, like kissing the first bite of a ripe peach, tongueing the flesh. He took the shaft in his hand and drew upward and I felt a throb of pleasure, my cock bobbing when he pulled away. He looked up at me again and I watched him take me into his mouth in one long, delicious slide, lips and tongue working as he sucked. He lifted his head, taking in a breath, then down again and I could feel myself in the back of his throat. Another shudder of pleasure, releasing in a groan.

I leaned my head back, listening to the sound of his mouth on my cock and riding each rise in tension, each a little bit stronger, a little bit longer than the last. I held my breath to make the pleasure hit deeper, letting it out when I was coming close to the edge. My back and thighs were tensing, wanting to thrust upwards; it began as a soft rhythm, then grew more and more insistent until I braced a hand against the back of his head to fuck his mouth.

I twisted my fingers into his hair, fucking into the friction I wanted, faster and harder, trying to come up short before I climaxed but tumbling over the edge anyway, coming hard with a hoarse, cracked groan.

I felt him swallow twice, then wrap his fingers around my aching cock and pull slowly upwards. I sucked in a breath, wincing, and put out a hand to stop him before he yanked my organs out of my body. "Enough," I panted. "Enough. I'm done, I'm good." He let me go. I took a few more steadying breaths, blinking up at the ceiling,  and alternated saying "god" and "fuck" a half dozen times until I was able to think clearly again. It might have been several hours. I don't know. When I finally pulled myself together, I looked down at him still kneeling there.

"So," I said. "What's your name?"

He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "My name is Ren." Kofi - Donate - AO3

[namesjay]

How culture affects business

I am from a small city of himmatnagar. Few days ago I was having a small chit-chat with my neighbour who is into the gold business he is from rajasthan but from past 100 years they are residing in himmatnagar . His greatgrandfather shifted to himmatnagar for economical purposes so they are a very big extended family like a very big kutumb. Everyone of them are in the same gold business so we can say that 50-60 percent of jewellery showrooms/shop are of their community/family . They are traditionally in this business and also he personally owns 3 shops so during the discussion about the changing course of business and market in this times and he is also planning to open a jewellery showroom one of the biggest in himmatnagar. So I asked him why will people come to your showroom to buy the jewellery and not go to the nearby big cities like ahmedabad and gandhinagar because as I have seen most good to do family do most of the jewellery and cloths shopping from ahmedabad for functions like marraige or babyshower. Like last year my cousin sister got married she did 95 percent of her shopping from ahmedabad or online. In the past also there were so many marraiges and babyshowers like function in my extended family and I have seen that most of the shopping being done from ahmedabad. Thats why I got the curiosity that if he will invest so much in some business like that how will he get cutomers as now a days people want diversity like so many designs and colours and variety which they don't get in himmatnagar that's why people go for big cities. So he explained me that few years ago people in small cities and towns didn't had so much money like most of the people were into farming and not everyone in the family was earning . Also there were bigger families as compared to current times, every couple had like 4-5 kids or more and income was also very low . So amount of people buying gold for investment purpose or fashion purpose was very very low . people that time would buy gold only for the purpose like marraiges or babyshower or related functions and they had to buy that gold on credit(udhaar) . So the people owning the jewellery shop also had to give them on credit to run the business and the customers will repay back slowly and sometimes shopkeepers also had to bear some losses as they will not get the money back on time or sometimes even didn't get it at all . Because of this borrowing system cash flow was low. So the scope of jewellery shop owners developing there business like having much variety was low . And for the people buying gold on credit also had no other option then buying whatever is given to them as they are buying on credit they don't demand for variety . But with the changing time and development people having land got good prices of there land because of development and also families very also getting small like most of the couples are having 1-2 kids and everyone in the family started earning . Because of this income of the family increased and with there increase in the purchasing power they demanded variety in things they buy so they go for big cities with much more diversity and bigger markets having variety and the market of jewellery shops decreased a lot with people turning there way towards ahmedabad . Because they don't have to buy gold on credit , now they have got the money they just wanted the good things and here the jewellery shops were not able to provide them with the things they wanted because of the past business they were not able to develop there business . Social media also played a big role in people turning towards big cities for things as modern adults/teens knows what they want and which trend is going on and they also want to explore all that . Now the jewellery shop owners here in himmatnagar also want to grow there business by providing variety and diversity in there shop as now they dont have to worry about cash flow and money not coming back to them , as customers buy things in cash and it benefits the business man.

culture and development plays a big role in the purchasing power and buying trend of a community and a business model based on the communities purchasing power is something to be evolved with time as people will buy the daily need things from the local market but when it comes to luxury they want more diversity and they don't want to compromise on anything . A major role played by well developed roads, infrastructure and well connectivity between the cities in people going out of the city to another city for shopping. people are not worried to travel instead they find it joyful . Now a days most people have car or any other kind of vehicle .

[zandra-lang-cave]

Welcome to Wednesday/Thursdays of random thoughts.

Also, know as my tired overnight brain gets to weird places.

Today's thoughts are. things that give me and other people gender/body euphoria.

It's relatively easy to know when something doesn't feel right in your body or the way we express ourselves, aka dysphoria. But sometimes people get gender/body euphoria, basically the opposite of dysphoria, it's hard to explain but for me there are certain things I wear, say or do to express myself that just feels right.

To give some context and avoid misunderstanding, Im not trans but I use they/she pronouns, I don't consider my self any were ouside of the gender binary (though peole might disagree where my placement should be) i just like being called they every once in a while, mostly online. I'm a lady and use she/her IRL all the time for 2 reasons.

1 I haven't even bother to tell people i like to use they/them, just thhinking in having to explaining it gives me a migraine, it's easier to just use she/her and it doesn't bother me most of the time. And 2 my native language is Spanish and is one of the hardest languages to use any sort of neutral pronouns, most words are gendered so there are not many chances in my life for people to call me any sort of neutral term, again it doesn't bother me most of the time.

With that explain there are certain things I do/wear/say that gives me gender/body euphoria, most are just sutil stuff but they fill me with such joy that no one but me can understand completely.

My family nicknames are "pumpking" and "chele," and they both give me euphoria.

Pumpkin is an inside family joke base on the fact I don't like anything Pumpkin flavor, mostly my sisters and nices/nephews use this, and I love it when they call me that instead of my name or any other gender word like aunt or sister. Can I explain why? Not really. I just think it fills me with more joy than it's probably normal.

"Chele" Is a word we use in my home country to call white skin people since they are relatively rare. This one is use mostly by my parents and I can actually explain why it gives me euphoria, it's one of the few terms in my native language that is gender neutral and it feels great when they use it, it feels gender validating without being cultural exclusive. That is something I can feel rarely since I am basically still in the closet gender identity wise.

I preferred "Masculine" clothes/colors/activities to the point one of my sisters asked me if I wanted to be a boy. The answer is a very hard NO. I like being a lady, and the idea of being a man just doesn't feel right to me.

But I tend to like more "masculine" clothes like pants, shorts and long t-shirts, the few "feminine" clothes I wear are either "masculine" colors or neutral colors (that my sisters insist are still masculine). One vivid memory I have is of my sister asking why I want a blue pencil case instead of the pink one, I say I just like blue better but she say it was a boy color so she bought the pink one. I didn't Really care about the color, I just didn't wanted to look at an eye-bleeding shiny pink all day, I would have like it if it was a soft pink instead of a neon one.

I love boxing as an exercise (Don't care for it has a sport), and everyone thinks it is way too masculine, but for me, it makes me feel like a powerful queen. Don't know why, but it just feels validating. Even if everyone else thinks it is just for boys, I rarely feel more women than when I'm exercise boxing.

And last and definitely the weirdest one, I like wearing masks.

My coworkers always ask why i wear them even after they stop being required. I just said it is because I don't want to have to smile to people, half true, but in reality, it just gives me gender euphoria I can't understand. I have even considered wearing them at home, but I do not want to hear all my family's questions. If I do so, that's gonna stay in my head. But if im grocery shopping or at the mall, i will 100% wear a mask.

The best way i can explain it its, I just feel like myself when I wear a mask. It's not like I dislike how i look without them, but something just clicks in my mind, and I just go "this it's right."

That concluded my thoughts on things that give me gender/body euphoria. I don't usually think this hard about my gender identity, i tend to just say "im a woman but i use she/her pronouns", despite the fact I'm aware the answer is more complex than that.

I feel most people focus on the things that make them feel dysphoria rather than what can make them more in tune with the way they feel. especially people like me who don't really have a word that describes what we are. We just feel what we feel and try our best to explain it to everyone else.

I wanna know what other things people find that give them euphoria.

Reblog or comment something that makes you feel like you that you can't explain.

[issybettyx]

CRIMEBOYS AU

Tdlr; Tommy works at odeon part time so he can get money to move. Wilbur is a famous actor in a new film. Boom brothers

(My sister worked at a cinema for a bit so i’m gonna use my knowledge on what she did to write this, so if it’s different to what you know just know that it is still true to life, pls and ty)

Aka: i went to watch the mario film and this popped into my head so i’m writing it, enjoy the crimeboys content :D

———

Whoever told Tommy that working at a cinema would be great had clearly never worked at a cinema.

He had a feeling he was going to start having nightmares soon about shovelling popcorn mindlessly for hours. Plus, the customers weren’t the most fun people to talk to. Before this job, Tommy had worked at a supermarket for a few months, and somehow those people were more bearable. People spend so long picking, and then he makes it and then they get annoyed after eating the entire thing.

But it was his coworkers that made it so he didn’t punch someone in the face.

“Tommy, did you hear about that new movie that’s coming out?” Tubbo had asked excitedly once the foyer was empty, and Tommy could only hum as he sipped on his slushy. “It’s a new super hero film, a new franchise, and do you know who’s playing the main role?”

Tommy in fact didn’t know. Despite needing to come in for work every single day the entire next week, he hadn’t thought to check who was acting in it (he didn’t know the name either, all he knew was that a new film with superhero that make child go ‘wow!’ That’s how Ranboo had explained it anyways).

“It’s Wilbur Soot.”

Tommy spat out his drink, wiping his face as he stared wide eyed at the brunette.

“No shot.” He replied, jaw open as Tubbo frantically nodded, his smile bright.

“Yeah, they posted an interview with him and he was explaining how he wants to inspire kids like how he was inspired.” Tubbo explained, leaning on the counter with a grin. “I would do anything to be as cool as him.”

There were many famous actors, and Tommy knew all of them and their mothers off by heart. It was one of the reasons he decided to work at the cinema in the first place, hoping he would get to use his knowledge for the greater good. Wilbur Soot was one of the greatest actors of all time, and he was only twenty-six. Twenty-six and he was probably one of the most well-known people in the country. Tommy had spent hours watching interviews of him, ranging from a few minutes on the news to hours of talking about the most random things on podcasts.

That was also something that fascinated Tommy about him. Wilbur just seemed like any other guy. He was tall, brunette, wore glasses ‘just for show’, and he didn’t spend heaps of money on designer clothes. Paparazzi caught him in charity shops several times, once even in Primark looking at a white frilled shirt? Either way, he didn’t spend his money stupidly, but rather donated most of it to charity, as well as promoting music festivals that he sometimes even performed at.

It was why Wilbur Soot was one of Tommy’s favourite actors of all time.

And he was in a new movie that Tommy knew absolutely nothing about.

The doors to the cinema opened, and Tommy sighed as he turned back to his station. Time for more popcorn shovelling.

—

The fact that the first entire three days of Wilbur Soot’s new movie were sold out said a lot. After several hours of research, Tommy had discovered many things about this new film.

It was called ‘Siren’, and it was about a superhero with the ability to control people using only his voice. Due to his work, Tommy got two free tickets to see any film, but because this new one was so popular he had to wait until a week after to use them. Which he wasn’t completely against, work was tiring and he simply had no time to see a film amidst it all.

The very first showing was on a Monday, and it was the premier. The seats were more expensive, but people queued to buy tickets even after they’d all been sold online.

It was chaos.

“No, I ordered a medium popcorn, not a large.” The woman complained when he handed over the box.

“I can remake it for you if you’d like?” He asked, ever kind and totally not because he was obligated to be respectful.

She huffed, lifting her chin and snatching the box. “No, I’d like to pay for my medium but get the large because you messed up, for compensation.”

“Ma’am-“

“Are you saying I’m wrong, Mister,” she drifted off, looking at his badge before fixing that sharp look on her face, “Tommy, are you accusing me of lying?”

“I would never, I’m just saying-“

“Get your manager for me, I would like to see him.” She ordered, and Tommy had to bite back his retort of ‘she’s a woman, actually’.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for the rest of it.” A voice cut in, and Tommy looked up to see-

Oh my god it was Wilbur Soot.

“Sir you have to wait in the queue.” Tommy found himself saying before he could stop, leaning his hands on the counter with a smirk when Wilbur paused, wallet in hand as he looked at Tommy.

“I’m not buying anything though?” Wilbur asked slowly, but Tommy shook his head, pointing to the back of the queue that was only growing.

“You’re paying, you’re buying, back of the queue.” Tommy told him, staying adamant as he smiled. Baffled, Wilbur slowly put his wallet away and walked to the back. “Now, Ma’am, either pay for the large or I’ll remake you a medium.”

She ended up paying for the large.

The queue was so long Tommy only reached the end of it five minutes before the movie started, handing over their coke and salted popcorn with a customer service smile he’d mastered over the past few months.

Only then did Wilbur step forward again, smiling as he rested his hands in his pockets.

“Hello sir, thanks for waiting, what would you like?” Tommy asked with a grin, and he was surprised to find Wilbur smiling back, something strange flickering in his eyes.

“Oh, nothing really,” he drifted off, looking at the screens behind Tommy with the menu on, “Wait you guys do nachos?”

“I mean, yeah, they’re a bit expensive when you can make better ones from scratch for cheaper but,” Tommy scoffed, shrugging at Wilbur, the latter looking at him weirdly. “What? Have I got something on my face?”

“No, it’s just-“ he cut himself off, looking back to the cinema screens with furrowed brows. “Nevermind.”

“You want those nachos then big man?” Tommy asked, and Wilbur sighed again, smiling nonetheless.

“Please, and a pepsi please.”

“Pepsi max I hope.” Tommy muttered back, picking up a premade tray of nachos and placing them on the counter.

“Nah, just pepsi.”

Tommy paused in his movements, staring at Wilbur with astonishment.

“And I thought I knew everything.” Tommy laughed out, making his way to the drinks machine. “Never meet your heroes I guess.”

Whilst Wilbur was paying, that weird look never left his face, picking up his order before walking towards the screen. He looked back for a moment, so Tommy gave him a two fingered salute.

Then, he disappeared into the darkness of the cinema, and Tommy was left rethinking the past half an hour of his life.

—

It was a week later when Tommy saw Wilbur again.

He was the only one left on shift, everyone had left an hour earlier and he was left to clean up their mess.

It was when he was wiping down the counters that the actor strolled in, a yellow jumper, black jeans and a brown trench coat on. No one ever walked in so late, so Tommy found himself looking up at the sound of the door opening, smiling when he saw the brunette.

“Hey Wilbur, there’s no films on for the rest of the day.” Tommy said, scrubbing at the side where something wasn’t coming off. The man smiled back, shrugging.

“Didn’t come here to watch one.” He replied simply, walking up to the counter and leaning on it.

Tommy frowned back. “Well that’s a bit stupid isn’t it? Wandering into a cinema to not watch a movie.” He scoffed back, rolling his eyes before placing the cleaning stuff back under the counter, starting to untie his apron.

“I came here to see you, actually.” He returned almost slowly, watching Tommy’s face as if he was studying it closely. The blonde faltered, confusion overtaking him as he flicked through his mind for any reason Wilbur would show up to see him.

“Oh shit- please don’t fire me.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for being rude to you, my bad, I need this job.” Tommy tried, pinching his nose as he muttered to himself, words hardly coherent as he took a shaky breath.

“Woah, mate, I’m not here to fire you, you weren’t rude to me at all.” He immediately assured, holding his hands up in mock surrender when Tommy glanced up at him, only more confused than he was before.

“So,” he started, leaning on the counter like he had when he first met the man a week prior, except the actor seemed a lot more nervous than he did before, “You came here to see me, but not to fire me?”

“I-“ the man paused, running a hand through his hair, “I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out some time soon.”

If Tommy had a thousand years to guess why Wilbur was there that evening, he didn’t think he would’ve gotten it.

“What?”

“Well, I- uh,” he stuttered out, ever eloquent, “You seemed kinda cool, and you didn’t treat me differently despite knowing me.” Tommy laughed to himself, purely because it was a lot more than ‘knowing’, more so ‘looking up to’ and ‘being inspired by’. “And you’re funny, and I don’t know-“

“Who talked you into coming here?” Tommy asked slowly, a realisation dawning on him.

One interview a few years ago, when Wilbur’s career was just starting to take off, he had explained how his confidence usually stopped him from being able to make friends. That explained the nervousness, but it didn’t explain where he’d gotten the confidence to ask in the first place.

“Techno, my-“

“Twin, I know, I’m not stupid.” Tommy finished for him, smiling as he looked at the other looked at him in bewilderment.

“How much do you know about me?” He asked, shock in his voice but very little accusation. Tommy grinned, taking a handful of popcorn before walking out from behind the counter.

“I have watched every single one of your interviews at least twice.” Tommy explained, throwing a piece of popcorn in his mouth. “You’re cool, it’s really the least I could do.”

“So,” he drifted off again, swaying on his feet with a smile, “Do you wanna hang out some time?”

Tommy rolled his eyes, threw a piece of popcorn at the man’s face and opened the door to the cinema.

“Sure, my shift ends at one tomorrow, don’t be late.”

Wilbur’s smile was so bright Tommy thought he was hallucinating.

“See you then!”

The door swung shut behind him.

—

“So, let me get this straight.” Niki (Tommy’s boss, the one that Karen asked for once the week prior) started, hands pressed together flat in front of her face as she leaned over her desk, Tommy sat in the chair opposite as he hid his smile behind his hand. “Wilbur Soot came to the cinema yesterday and invited you to hang out, so you want to leave work early?”

“I forgot my shift ended at four today and told him it ended at one!” Tommy defended, arms wide as Niki laughed quietly to herself. “Please, I will make up for it at some point this week I swear, Tubbo and Ranboo have it handled!”

“Last time Tubbo was left alone without you he set the popcorn machine on fire.” Niki explained, and to this day Tommy had zero idea why she didn’t sack him for it. “I can’t leave them alone together until at least a month after the incident, it’s policy.”

“But Niki, do you understand how big of a moment this is for me?” Tommy pressed, hands clasped at the back of his head. “My hero has asked to hang out, I can’t cancel on him.”

If anyone would understand, it would be Niki. Sometimes, if she had to cover a shift, Tommy would talk about his favourite things to her purely because she listened. So, she may have heard him ramble on about Wilbur Soot for hours, if he added it all up.

And it seemed he was right, because she sighed, leaning back in her chair with a thoughtful look.

“If you can find someone to cover for you, and make up for the time lost, and prove that you aren’t lying to me to get out of work early, then you can leave at one.” Niki finally told him, and Tommy had never jumped out of his seat faster, rushing around the desk and pulling her into a hug.

“You won’t regret this Niki, I’ll tell you all about it I promise!”

She giggled as he left the room, shouting back, “I expected nothing less!”

Tommy found someone to cover for him in five minutes.

Well, kind of.

“Jack, please, if you cover for my shift today I will do anything to repay you.” Tommy begged him, looking into the bathroom mirror and looking at his crazed eyes.

“What’s happening that’s so important that you’re willing to do anything?” Jack laughed back, but Tommy knew this was no laughing matter.

“Wilbur Soot is happening, Wilbur Soot, Jack, and if you don’t cover for me I will hate you for the rest of my life.” Tommy spat, and the call went silent for a moment.

“If,” Jack started, and Tommy’s hope was flickering, “If you cover my next three shifts, and buy me McDonalds after our next shift together, I’ll cover for you.”

“Deal.” Tommy said immediately, already making a mental note of everything he agreed to doing. An extra three shifts is something he could deal with, and it gave him an excuse for a McDonalds, it’s a win in his books.

“I’ll be there at one.”

“Thank you so much Jack, thank you.”

The man laughed from the other end, and Tommy heard his keys jangling, “Of course man.”

—

Wilbur walked through the doors a few minutes before one, and Tubbo and Ranboo’s jaws dropped.

“Tommy, Tommy,” Ranboo started.

“Yeah?” Tommy asked with a grin.

“That’s Wilbur Soot.” Ranboo pointed out, trying to stay subtle as he poured a drink. “That’s Wilbur Soot, Tommy, how are you so calm.”

The boy hummed, already untying his apron. “I knew he was coming.”

“You knew and you didn’t tell us?” Tubbo whisper-yelled, eyes fierce as he glared at him.

“Well I thought it would be a cool surprise.”

“Hey Tommy.” Wilbur called when he got close enough, smile as bright as it was when Tommy saw him the day before, and the blonde couldn’t help but return it.

“Hey Wilbur, ready to go?” He asked, folding his apron and leaving it on the counter, knowing Jack was bound to walk in at any moment.

“Yeah, are you?” Wilbur returned, looking at the two boys who stood beside Tommy who stared at him as if they’d seen a ghost. “Hi, nice to meet you. Are you Tommy’s friends?”

“Not anymore.” Tubbo mumbled, earning a nudge from Ranboo.

“I’m Ranboo,” the man introduced himself, holding out a hand that Wilbur took with a warm smile, “And this is Tubbo-“

They both turned a little more to Wilbur’s left, to see Tubbo grabbing Tommy’s hair and yelling god knows what at him.

“I’m sorry I wanted to surprise you!”

“You could’ve surprised me when he visited last week.” Tubbo pressed, tugging harder on his hair. “This is so sad, I thought better of you than this.”

Wilbur turned back to Ranboo, finding him much less shocked at the scene. “This happen often?”

The taller scoffed, rolling his eyes. “This is Tubbo on a good day.”

“You fucking prick, I swear to god you will never forget this day.”

“You know,” Wilbur started, leaning against the counter, “I think my brother would like him.”

“You have a brother?” Ranboo asked, and Wilbur paused for a moment, considering the situation for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, his name’s Techno, he’s an author you might’ve heard of him.” Wilbur explained, seeing the flash of realisation on Ranboo’s face before the man smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, Tommy’s mentioned him before I think, not a big reader but he has all of Techno’s.” Ranboo explained, and that seemed like enough for Tommy to find the strength out of Tubbo’s hold, the blonde quickly hitting the back of Ranboo’s head.

“Shut up no I don’t.”

“You do, you were going on and on-“

Another light hit. “No I don’t.” The boy glared at his taller friend for a moment, and Wilbur saw the moment realisation dawned on him, quickly nodding.

“I lied, he doesn’t.”

Tommy hummed, before walking back around the counter. Only then did another door open, and it was the one from the staff rooms. Niki was dressed in her usual work outfit, her hairstyle choice for the day being a bun, her pink hair pulling into it nicely.

Her smile grew when she saw Wilbur, and she immediately made her way to Tommy’s side.

“So you weren’t lying to get time off work.” Niki half laughed, looking at Wilbur for a moment before holding out her hand. “I’m Niki, Tommy’s boss, he got his shifts wrong and was meant to be ending at four today.”

On cue, the main doors to the cinema opened, and in walked Jack, his eyes immediately lighting up.

Only then did Tommy start to notice just how uncomfortable Wilbur was getting, nudging his side and motioning outside.

“Thanks Jack, appreciate you!” Tommy shouted to him, speed walking out of the doors. Wilbur offered a smile, swiftly pushing open the doors and letting the cool autumn air hit his face.

“Well then,” Tommy started as he skipped down the steps, smiling when Wilbur turned to face him, “Where to?”

———

Me when me me me when CRIMEBOYS *runs*

They mean sm to me, you don’t even understand.

Tommy: *omg my hero is here omg omg omg*

Wilbur: *yooooo this kid is really fuckin cool and hilarious i want to befriend him but im too terrified to do so*

Techno: *suck it up and get on with it I wanna meet him*

Btw after the end they go to a cafe, get some coffee, go to a shop and laugh at Techno’s books, and then they go on a drive and listen to music.

Brothers your honour o7