#does she WANT to go all the way to the village on a Saturday night tho that’s the question and the answer is usually no sndnfngmgm

[whiskeyswifty]

The way I’ve battled the Taylor AND Beyoncé ticket wars multiple times (and won each time!) but they all pale in comparison to attempting to get a Saturday night reservation for dinner in this fucking city. In the village no less, like this might be what breaks me.

[startanewdream]

Pocket, for @jilymicrofics. Or how James Potter's most annoying habit is keeping his hands in his pockets.

***

It’s only when Mary calls her name for the third time that Lily turns away to look at her friend.

“Golpalott's First Law,” she says, some lost part of her brain finding the answer to a question that Lily had not paid attention to.

“Thanks.” Mary scribbles something on her notes before shaking her head. “I thought we were going to study.”

Lily lowers her head to the book on her lap. “We are.”

“I am. You are just ogling at Potter.”

Lily purses her lips. “I am not,” she says as dignified as she can. “I was glaring.”

“Glaring. Ogling. It’s hard to tell with you when it comes to Potter.”

“It’s not like that, just look.”

Mary does; it is hard to miss that group of four friends under the shadow of a tree by the lake. Lily guesses they were supposed to be studying for the OWLs, just like all Fifth Years by now, on the evening of the beginning of their exams, only they are laughing and teasing each other, loudly discussing some past nights that make no sense to her—they nearly lost a rat?—, and planning something else that has nothing to do with exams.

“What?” Mary asks, confused. “So they aren’t obsessively reading their first year notes about History of Magic. Wish I could be the same.”

“Well, they should. Lupin always gets nervous on exams, you know it. Pettigrew’s grades are not great, and Black—”

“Black and Potter always get good grades.”

“Still, they should at least pretend, I don’t know—”

“Like you are pretending to study Potions? You know it all already by heart.”

“That’s not—” Her voice falters for a moment. Lily has nothing to do if any of them fail their exams, or if Potter is a good student with minimal effort; it was not even their laughs that bothered her at first because it was actually nice to see someone not freaking about the exams. But their laughs had attracted her attention and she had turned to see Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew sitting by the grass, and Potter—Potter was leaning against the trunk of the tree, looking so casual, hazel eyes shining excitedly behind the lens of his glasses, and— “Why are Potter’s hands in his pockets?”

Mary blinks. Twice.

“That’s not a crime, Lily.”

It isn’t, but maybe it should be. If only Potter was sitting with his friends, then she wouldn’t notice how he had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, all the way to the shoulder, and Quidditch, who could know that being a Quidditch player could give someone so nice muscles in their arms?

“It’s annoying,” insists Lily. “We should get inside, I’m thirsty.”

Mary's eyes spark with sudden understanding. “I bet you are.”

***

It was not supposed to be just the two of them, and yet Lily finds herself walking down the path to Hogsmeade alone with James Potter.

Her heart skips several beats that have nothing to do with their lazy walk, neither in a rush to reach the village. Few Sixth Years were interested in even going there—Remus is in the infirmary, Peter has some extra classes this Saturday, Mary was only excited because she had a date, and Black plainly asked what was the point in going. James had mentioned then that he would stay if no one else wanted to go, and Lily had jumped (metaphorically) to say she could go with him then.

“I need some new quills,” she had explained even though no one had asked.

If James had thought anything else about her offer, he hadn’t said it. All through their walk to Hogsmeade, he keeps his cool, talking to her as he would talk between classes, as if they are heading to the Great Hall for breakfast instead to Hogsmeade in what one might say it’s a date—or else a good opportunity for something, for that tiny tension that’s been there between them to be explored.

But through the exchange of quips, lingering eyes that are diverted when their gaze met, and her racing heart, Lily knows this isn’t a date at all, because James’ hands stay in the front pockets of his jeans most of the time. 

Which means his hands are far from hers, even after her hand brushes his arm on the walk, so many times, as Lily recounts some stories. When he helps her adjust the scarf on her neck, fingers brushing softly on her skin, Lily thinks, this is it. 

But James just takes a step back, smiles at her as if he couldn’t notice how her skin prickled with his touch, and puts his hands back in his pockets. Respectful. Casual. Far.

Lily almost misses the day where he would run his hand through his hair upon noticing her—maybe not, because James used to be very stupid back then, but really, that habit wasn’t as irritating as this new one.

***

James Potter had a fair number of quirks, most of which Lily admitted it was endearing, but this one of releasing her hand every five minutes to check the pockets of his cloak is new and frankly, annoying.

“What?” She asks when he does that for the eleventh time. “James—do you have something else to do?”

He blinks. “No, no, tonight was all for us.”

Lily looks up for a moment; from that high tower, she can see the waning moon in the horizon. No meeting with his friends then. That doesn’t explain his new behavior.

“What’s bothering you?”

He sighs. “Nothing, let’s just enjoy our night.” And he gestures around, to the midnight picnic he organized for them at the top of the Astronomy Tower. With candles, a bottle of wine, and flower petals over a blanket, it was very romantic and private, something that Lily had thought she might enjoy with him, only her boyfriend was clearly distracted.

And despite his words, even as they are kissing, his hand falls from her waist once again to pat the pocket of his cloak, face clearing once he finds whatever is that he is searching there.

“That’s it,” Lily says, taking his cloak and tossing it to the ground in a swift moment. “It's annoying, James, you need to—”

Her voice catches; from the pocket of his cloak, a silver ring has rolled, drawing a circle until it stops at their feet. They both look at it for a full second before James kneels to pick it.

“That was not what I had planned,” he admits, holding the ring and offering it to her. “But here it goes. Lily Evans—would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

[im-akira]

Joel Miller x F!Reader | 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 🌿

Chapter 5 : Here with me | Chapter 6 | Summary

Series Summary : Joel Miller is no longer the same man after losing his entire family, except his little brother. A few months later, after saving Ellie from the Fireflies. He now lives in a community of survivors with Ellie and her younger brother, Tommy.

He has only one goal, to ensure his own survival and that of those he loves. Until the day he crossed paths with a young woman and her son in the community. The young woman’s face was particularly familiar.

Are you and Joel strangers or are you a lot more than that ?

Warnings : Mature content angst, smut, romance, blood, violence...

Do not : Claim, Repost, Copy, or Translate my stories anywhere else.

Notes : The gif I chose will allow you to imagine the dance scene between Joel and Y/N, he grabs her hands and looks at her with an angel look. I won’t say any more, sorry !✨

I apologize in advance but English is not my mother tongue. 💙

~*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪°~

It's the weekend, and every Saturday there's a party in Jackson. Tommy and Ellie had this idea together, it was validated a few weeks ago. Despite the fact that Joel is not the first to want to participate in this kind of event like this, he had promised Ellie and Tommy that he would be there.

Ellie wasn't mad at Joel anymore, of course some of her anger was still deep inside her. But that party, that night, was the kind of time she could be just a teenager enjoying a village fete. In addition, she was surrounded by people who were important to her.

She didn't want to waste the occasion.

But there was one person in particular that made her nervous, Dina. It had only been a few weeks since she had met her at a group activity in Jackson, she was the one who made the first move. Dina was someone who understood Ellie, sometimes they didn't need to communicate with words, the look was enough to say things, emotions or feelings.

That evening, the world is there. Tommy and his wife, Maria, are already here to greet the people of Jackson. There are also Ellie, Jesse and Dina and other teenagers who have joined the party. Joel also joined his brother later that evening. He moved to a corner of the room with his guitar by his side. The hours pass and it is around the Green family to enter the party.

- James stays close to his mother and looks her up and down. Y/N made a little effort to dress up for this party. Generally she did not like to be the attention of all the eyes of a place, only that of her son was enough for her. « You look beautiful, mom, tonight. »

- « What do you mean by 'tonight'? Does that mean it's not the case the rest of the time ? » Y/N smiled at the expression on his son's face. He placed his arm just behind her back to support her.

- « You know exactly what I meant. » James could feel the gaze of some men on him and his mother on the way to the party. He didn't like it, he was like his father, a great protector. Y/N was an adult, she would have handled the situation perfectly if it had gotten out of hand. Yet James still keeps an eye on her.

- « It'll be fine, James, don't worry, and let's enjoy the evening, okay ? » Y/N clings more to her son's embrace to make him understand that she is not far from him, that she will always be there. « Jackson is not the outside world, there are no infected, no bandits. I know, you will tell me, danger is everywhere, but this time please me, for me, enjoy and have fun. »

- « Okay okay, I'm going to give in and listen to you in order to enjoy this party. »

The family goes to the entrance of the reception hall. The doors are already wide open. It's quite special. James is not used to this kind of place, he didn't really have time to enjoy it when he was young. Conversely, his mother likes to be with others, the world does not bother her. Much more comfortable with company than alone.

- After entering and greeting a few people, Y/N sees Ellie in a group of teenagers further down the room. Turning to her son, she stares at him. « Why don't you go join Ellie there ? You can meet new people, there are also some members of our group. »

- James looks away from his mother, turning slightly to Ellie and the other young adults. Putting her hand on her hip, a sigh blows from her mouth. « I guess I don't have a choice anyway. I just hope I don't regret it there. » When he finished his words, his mother gave him a dark look that made it clear he had to go, it was non-negotiable.

- He raised his hands in front of him, gesturing to his mother to tell her that he apologized for his words. « I was joking, of course. » James slowly walks away from his mother to join Ellie and the others at the corner of the room. Ellie is the first to see him, she beckons him to join them in the discussion.

- A glass of whiskey in hand, Tommy talking with his wife about everything and nothing at the same time. He sees Y/N who has just arrived, she was not accompanied by her son. « Maria, would you like to join me in introducing my friend over there ? » He points in the direction with his hand holding his whiskey glass.

- « Yeah, why not. But finish that drink before you talk to your friend, honey. » Maria smiles at her husband and moves first towards Y/N.

- « Good. » Tommy quickly finishes his drink with a sip and walks right behind his wife. He stands by her side and approaches the young mother. « Y/N ! This way ! »

- Once she made sure her son had joined the others and Ellie, she had the desire to go for a drink. Nothing bad, especially if she had to stay up all night. But before she headed for the bar, a familiar voice called her name, it was Tommy. « Oh ? Tommy ! And you are ? »

- Maria reached out to the young mother with a smile on her face. She was happy to meet another woman.« I introduce myself, Maria. I’m the wife of this man you know, Tommy. He told me you already know each other. » Maria introduced herself to Y/N in a friendly way, Tommy had not yet revealed to her who Y/N really was.

- Y/N grabs Maria's hand and leaves a smile on her face too. « Delighted Maria. My name is Y/N Green. And yes, that's right, I know your husband. In fact, he was the one who agreed to our group joining Jackson. I would say he saved our lives. » - « Don’t repeat that, or he’ll become pretentious. » Tommy lets out a beating in the throat, which makes both young women laugh at his reaction. « But if not, have you come alone tonight ? »

- « I came with my son, he is with the other young people of the evening. And you, I imagine you came together ? »

- Tommy speaks after Y/N. « That's right. The idea for this party came from me and Ellie. Maria wanted to join us to finish the preparations and Joel arrived a bit later to help us with the more complicated things to set up. »

- « I see, Joel can’t join the party ? » Asked the young mother. At first glance, she didn’t see him in the room. Inside, a little sensation, she wanted him to be there tonight. She had not seen him since the last time she was stuck in bed by illness. Since then, Joel has become a ghost.

- Tommy notices the young mother's interest in his question, it's as if she needs to talk to him. « Of course. He's right over there. » Tommy shows Y/N where Joel is, he was alone in a corner of the room with his guitar next to him.

- Y/N turned his body in the direction indicated by Tommy. « Why is he left alone ? »

- Tommy lets out a light laugh. « My brother’s been like that since he was a kid. You can’t change someone’s character, unfortunately. Maybe you should ask him to dance, and maybe you can get him out of his corner and join the party. »

- Hearing Tommy confirm that Joel was her brother, gave the young mother a slight kick in the stomach. Another confirmation of the truth that she had been trying to avoid since meeting Joel. « I have no objection to offering it to him, but are you sure he will accept ? »

- « Try it and see for yourself. We're going to dance with Maria, I'm sure you'll be able to get him on stage with you. » Tommy concludes and moves away from Y/N to move towards the center of the room.

- « See you soon and be brave, Y/N. I know my husband will be right and you will succeed. » Maria moves away from the young mother to join her husband near the stage, a smile on her face.

- Joel was quietly sitting in his corner, lost in thought, cleaning the wood of his guitar with an old rag. « Thank God you're here. » Caressing the strings with his fingertips, he closes his eyes for a moment.

Joel was sitting quietly in his corner, lost in thought, cleaning the wood of his guitar with an old rag. Thank God you’re here." He was always talking to his guitar, like she was talking to him back. By squeezing the strings with his fingertips, he closes his eyes for a while.

Y/N approaches Joel. He seems… asleep ? Seeing him with her eyes closed, she hesitates to disturb him. Knowing that her husband was only a few steps away and that she could at any time break that distance and hold him for the rest of the evening… But instead, she did nothing, she looked at him.

- Joel feels a presence near him. After rubbing his eyes, he sees Y/N facing him. A surprised look is on his face having recognized the young mother. « Y/N ? What are you doing here ? »

- « Good evening, Joel. Ellie and Tommy invited me and James to this little party. » His hands were particularly sweaty, and the rhythm of his breathing was also slightly disturbed. Joel was no stranger to her and yet she still managed to feel everything about him.

- « They did well. » Joel seems to understand by her attitude that she is trying to ask him something. « You seem to have something to ask me, don't you ? » He pulls his guitar away from his legs and sets it up in the spot right next to him, near the wall of the building. Strangely, Joel was particularly calm, which surprised even him.

To tell the truth, Y/N did not want to prolong what she had to ask him. Tommy was right to push her towards him, deep down she could tell he understood something about her. Was he aware of this game between her and Joel ?

- « Would you like to come with me to dance tonight ? » She went straight to the point of her thoughts and desires. It was after a few moments of hesitation felt deep inside her that Y/N managed to make her invitation. Doubt sinks deep inside her in a fraction of a second after her request. Will he agree to come with her ?

- Joel was not expecting it at all, Y/N offered him an invitation to dance. Why was he hesitating, she was his wife after all, wasn't she? But he had been putting up barriers ever since he met her. His choice was made after a few seconds of thinking in his head. « Y/N, it's not against you. But I'm not really the best dancer to accompany you. I think it's better for you to dance with someone other than me. » He concludes by devaluing himself with his last words. Again, Joel was trying to run away so as not to hurt her and to protect her.

- Y/N doesn't want to hear another word, that night she had a wish to put this game on hold between them, at least for tonight. This distance they inflict on each other was much more heartbreaking than being locked up in hell. She takes his hand and pulls Joel to the center of the room. « Now stop saying crazy things and get into position, Joel. »

Joel's gaze was on Y/N's hands. He didn't say anything, but his body and his eyes said a lot more than he wanted to show. He hesitates and grabs the hands of the young mother and with that he then offers her one of his most beautiful smiles. Y/N immersed himself in Joel's touch, his body had not forgotten his warmth and his touch.

You could almost say he had tears in his eyes. This look they shared, she was the only woman on this earth who was lucky enough to see it and have it. Y/N got that look on their wedding day, a moment she never erased from her memory.

Joel had understood the intentions of the young mother for this evening without her even saying anything. She wanted to be able to enjoy this evening with him and no one else. Even if it wasn't for long, it was better than nothing. So he was going to do the same thing, enjoy this moment, with her. - « Joel, relax your shoulders. » Y/N keeps her hands with Joel's, laughing lightly when she sees him let go and lets out a laugh. His hands were large, rough and warm. The young mother felt all her stress through the sweat on her hands. She slowly steps closer to his ear to whisper something that only he could hear. « It's just you and me, no one else. Okay ? » His eyes never leave hers.

The room and the dance floor were full of people, so what? That night, Y/N wanted to put aside his barriers with Joel. She knows she shouldn't, he knew it too but this distance has become more and more painful every day.

He was her man, her husband, her world, her heart. And from the first day they met at Joel’s, things were so different the next days. Everyone had the same intentions, protecting each other, but love and truth seem more powerful than all their lies.

The use of words was a second option, their bodies simply came naturally and calmly. Joel tightened the grip he had with the size of Y/N a little more, just enough to bring it closer to him. - Joel will also come to the young mother’s ear to blow her answer. His tone reflects gentleness and sincerity. « No matter how long it takes, if we have to stay here all night, that’s fine with me, and as long as I’m with you, I have a smile on my face. »

Y/N did not respond, but was more than satisfied with the response. She then let herself be carried away by the rhythm of the dance, it is neither too fast nor too slow. Joel who earlier demeans himself by saying that he was bad at dancing, it's quite the opposite. Gently letting her head rest against Joel's chest, the young mother lets herself be guided.

Joel lets Y/N relax against him, his presence against his body does not bother him, it was the opposite, almost a blessing. Even after years, having him against him could only help him to be appeased. Y/N is not just a stranger, she was his wife and mother of his children. She manages to bring out sensations that Joel had long abandoned.

Even Tess couldn’t get all her feelings out of him. Joel left no door open for her or anyone else. He didn’t want to get attached to anyone.

James, Ellie and the rest of her group have moved to a corner of the reception hall so as not to disturb those dancing on stage. Some talk about everything and nothing while others watch people dance.

Arms crossed, James meditates in his corner trying to clear his mind. A light clap on his arm ends his meditation. Opening his eyes, he sees Ellie who makes him look further on stage.

- « Tell me, don't James, Joel and your mother dance over there ? »

- James lowers his arms and straightens up slightly to get a closer look at where Ellie says. He's not dreaming, they're both dancing. James is able to decipher the emotion projected on his mother's face, she is happy. « Yes, they are. »

James only observed them for a brief moment, he didn't suspect anything. He did as his mother asked him, enjoy this evening and leave worries aside. Drinking a few drinks didn’t really manage to get your head straight. Nevertheless, he again directed his attention to his group and Ellie.

- Y/N does not take off for a moment from Joel’s chest. She feels so good when she is near him, her presence reassures her. Y/N just feels safe by his side. « Thanks, Joel. »

- Joel puts his chin just above the head of Y/N, a sigh escapes. Leaving a slight silence to settle between them, Joel’s gaze is lost on the other couples present on the dance floor. « Y/N I… I am no longer the man you married that day. You’re not safe with me. » He didn’t want to break that moment, but he’s worried about it. For him, he was not a good man, he had done unforgivable things, forgiveness was not for him.

- Y/N pulled her face away from her chest in a rather quick move, hearing her say her words made her snap out of her thoughts. If she could take his face in her hands and kiss him without a word, she would but she couldn't, not here, not now. Instead, she came to place her hands on his large chest, with one of her hands placed just above his heart. All that remained was his gaze. « And me ? I could tell you the same thing, Joel. If you think you're a bad person, so am I. I am no longer the woman you married, and yet I stand before you. »

- Joel's hands pressed against Y/N's back, he didn't speak, but his gestures were enough to tell that he was listening to what she had to say. « I don't have all the details of his last years, but this world made us all what we didn't want to be, but above all, it was survival. Listen to my words, I am not afraid of the man you have become. Your son would tell you the same thing. »

- Joel continued to guide the Y/N body through the music playing in the background. « I could say all I want, put myself down as many times as I want. I couldn't change your point of view, it's always been like that between us, isn't it ? »

- « Wherever I go, I'll be home, if you're by my side, Joel. »

His reasoned words in his head, his lip trembled, he didn't want to show himself broken in front of her and the others. Joel wondered if this was reality or a bad dream. Nothing was fake, everything was real, like the love they had for each other.

This distance wanted to break things between them, the many years played a lot. Whatever it was, it turned Joel and Y/N into a version of themselves they didn't think they knew. Could he make up for lost time with Y/N ​​and James ? Would he be able to protect them despite the danger of this world ?

A few minutes later..

Here they are in the middle of the dance, due to fatigue, his legs no longer had the same strength as before and Joel stumbles unintentionally on the floor of the reception hall. Y/N tilts backwards, so he no longer controls his balance. Joel barely manages to put his foot properly on the ground. He quickly grabs Y/N by the waist and manages to regain his balance. Involuntarily, out of fear.

The young mother grabbed Joel's neck to avoid falling, she closed her eyes. What they haven't noticed at the moment is that their faces, their lips seem much closer. Y/N is so close to Joel, she can almost feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. Joel's gaze became one with that of the young mother, she could no longer leave him or even let go of his gaze.

- Y/N gently pulls her arms away from Joel's neck and steps away. « Excuse me, Joel. » Joel's arms only let go of his body when it was completely stable on the dance floor.

- Joel straightens up after giving Y/N time to remove his arms from his neck and slowly regain his balance. « It's alright Y/N, it's me who should apologize. My legs aren't as strong as they were a few years ago. »

- Y/N closes his eyes for a moment and tries to reflect on the current situation. An idea comes to mind, a smile on the face appears. « To make up for this fall, an idea came to mind. » She could see the misunderstanding on Joel’s face, it amused her.

- « I know that look and that smile too well, am I going to regret it ? »

- « You'll have to play me a song, of course, I'll let you choose the one you want. »

- « Okay, I guess I can't refuse. » Joel doesn't say a word and goes back to his corner where he was sitting earlier to retrieve his guitar. With guitar in hand, he returns to Y/N to pass her, move forward and exit the room.

Y/N understood by the outside movement, that Joel wanted to do it quietly away from others. Before she followed him to join him outside, she still wanted to warn her son of her short absence.

Her gaze quickly wandered around the room, then she found her. He was dancing with members of their group, and next door Ellie was with a young girl. Impossible for the young mother to put a name to this face.

For the first time in months, Y/N had been allowed to see a smile on James' face.

With everything that’s happened, with their band, the ups and downs, he hasn’t really been allowed to have a well-deserved break. He was always watching Y/N or the group members, his health was going on and it was normal for him because it had become a habit.

Y/N then decided to let him enjoy the evening quietly, if she wouldn't see him tomorrow morning, because he will have drunk, perhaps too much, or he will simply be sleeping at someone's house. . Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to her, because for Y/N, seeing her son flourish would only be a little bit, could only make her happy.

- « Tommy ! » She had spotted him just before she found James around the corner. The young mother had also noticed that his wife was with other people, in the center of the dance floor.

- « Y/N ? A problem ? » Tommy was sitting on chairs at the bar, Maria had gone dancing with friends of hers, leaving him alone with his whiskey in hand.

- « No, no, don't worry. But I would like you to do me a little favor. »

- « I'm listening to you ? » Tommy put his glass right next to him, adjusting his posture and his arms to place them against his chest, he was ready to listen.

- « I'm going for a walk outside with Joel. If James is looking for me, can you tell him why I'm not here? If you say no, I won't blame you, don't wor-… »

- Tommy smiled slightly at the young mother's request and slowly cut her off. Knowing that his brother was doing more than sticking around was more than enough. Besides, he wonders if Joel was going to try to do something with her. Will he tell her the truth or will he once again shirk his responsibilities ? « Go for it. It's a feat to get my brother out of his corner, so don't worry about your son, he'll get the information. »

- « Thank you so much Tommy, I owe you a debt ! » Y/N did not give her time to reply that she had already left for the exit of the building. She had picked up her coat at the reception and gone straight out hoping to find Joel quickly.

Tommy returns his gaze to the center of the room, more precisely to Maria. At the same time, she looks at him and gives him a nice smile, Tommy smiles back. He was hoping deep down that things would work out with his brother and Y/N.

It was not yet time to reveal to Joel the little secret between him and Maria, Joel was not yet ready to hear this revelation.

A few minutes later…

- The young mother is now outside, the air is rather balmy this evening. Looking to her left, she sees Joel sitting on a bench, his guitar against him. « So, did you make a choice ? »

- Joel puts his fingers on the strings of the guitar, a sweet sound comes out. « Yeah, the song is called 'Wayfaring Stranger.' »

Y/N is also sitting on the bench next to Joel. She closes her jacket, she puts her hands in the pockets of her jacket to counter the cold. The young mother is well seated and ready to listen.

Joel would play him a lot of songs over time, whenever he or she made a mistake. The arrangement between them was a song.

There were plenty of other solutions to fix the relationship issues, but Joel and Y/N decided on this together. Sometimes it didn't solve all the problems, but it was better than nothing.

Joel settles down correctly on the wooden bench, his fingers against the ropes, his breathing remaining suitably steady. He inhales a breath and lets his voice and his fingers play. The cold to give her cheeks a rather rosy tint.

I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger Traveling through this world below There is no sickness, no toil, nor danger

Y/N is completely spellbound by Joel's song. He perfectly coordinated his body with his guitar. Even over time, he hadn't lost the experience in that. He looked so peaceful and happy to be able to play her a song again.

I'm just going over home

I know dark clouds will gather 'round me 

I know my way is hard and steep 

- A few minutes later, Joel finishes his song. He gently caresses the wood of his guitar, he is proud of himself. Joel looked up at the young mother. He couldn't describe how he felt at that moment, Y/N was filled with happiness. « I hope it was beyond your expectations. »

- Y/N is going to take one of his hands out of his jacket and put it on Joel's, specifically the one that was on the guitar. « It was beautiful, thank you Joel. You still have a very beautiful voice, know that. »

- « Glad to hear it has you more. And not I- » Faced with Y/N teasing, Joel lets out a light chuckle. He gently puts his guitar against the leg of the bench and walks away to rest his back against the back of the bench. Arms against his chest, Joel stared down at the sunrise.

- Y/N could see Joel’s lost gaze at the beauty of sunrise. He seemed lost in thought. « How are you, Joel ? »

- « I can’t describe how I feel, but I wish I could relive all the memories of the good old days, good and bad. Look at us, how we both age. » The pressure of his hands against the fabric of his jacket was stronger than before. Joel didn’t want to cross Y/N’s eyes, not until he finished saying what was on his heart.

- « All I wish now is not to let you go, to watch this sunrise together until the end of our lives without leaving this bench. » Right now, Joel was fighting. He had so much to tell her, to ask her. But instead, he chose not to think about that distance and go for it. Like Ellie and Tommy told him, if the chance comes he can't miss this opportunity to fix things.

Y/N listened to every word he said to her. It seemed so profound, that it touched the young mother deeply. Tears are added to the edge of his eyes, a few centimeters from the flow.

But she didn't say anything, instead she grabbed and pulled Joel's arms. She had a little trouble taking them off, he was getting very tense. But her body let go when Joel saw her doing her move, Y/N had something in mind.

She quietly rests her head on his shoulder without a word, bringing Joel's arm around her waist. The young mother wanted to enjoy this sunrise with him, even if it was not for eternity but just a few minutes, that was enough for her. As long as she had him by her side.

Joel let her, he was more than happy with what she had just done. He was not afraid of being surprised by anyone because they were very far from the party venue. It was just him and his wife, Joel had no words to describe how he felt right now. His arm, which was placed around her waist, tightens further, allowing him to have her a little closer to him.

It only lasted a few minutes, but for them it was as if time had stopped and they were in their own world.A world of peace, far from any danger and fear or what might await them in the days to come.

Twenty years of fighting hard to survive in this broken world, that both of them had forgotten what it was like to have someone close like that and to have this kind of moment like this.

- Then, Joel takes the floor to ask Y/N a question, breaking the silence. « Would you like to come with me on the next patrols ? »

Joel knew very well that what he was proposing was risky. This distance that he and Y/N had managed to put on throughout his last weeks was starting to gradually diminish. Whether it was him or her, they had set foot on a new path.

What they didn't know was that their choices would soon fall on them. No one will be able to stop or guess whatand arrive.

~*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪°~ If you want to be marked on my future stories, let me know in the comments. Thank you again for reading ! 😊

[frowny-clowny]

HMNGNG SCREAMING TOTK OCS TOTK OCS

Basically just “what if the successors but evil and twisted? The dark machinations of my demented mind are enigmatic in nature-“

Info below mild spoilers but not really:

Info on each guy, mention of spoilers ig

Sorry if some of the info pertaining to names is wrong blame the Zelda wikis, Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and Google Translate.

I kinda assume they all were wanting their own power, and followed Ganondorf to get it. Whether their motivations began to shift or not, Ganondorf got them to swear fealty to him before using his Secret Stone to imbue them with power (whether or not that power is something close to the sages’ powers is undecided but I want to say yes because it’s cool).

Tiedo: Zora equivalent of a mid-late 20s Drama Queen bitch who wants to upstage the king and rule over the Zora when Ganon gets into power. Big Saturday-morning 90s villain energy.

(Name etymology: Musical scale, specifically the end of “Do Re Mi Fa Sa La Ti Do”. End because it overlaps with King Dorephan’s “Do Re”, like he’s trying to end or usurp his reign.)

Komame: A Gerudo warrior in-training curious about the world outside of the town’s walls, she sneaks out one night and, is captured by the Yiga Clan. Being a naive kid, the Yiga teach her about their past and what led them here, empathizing them to her. She took up arms for them and became the top general of the Yiga, despite her outsider background. She is the only Yiga member Ganon actually takes seriously, and is willing to have her use the Yiga for his ends.

(Name etymology: Ko, meaning ”little”, coming from Kotake and Koume, the Twin Witches from Oot. Mame coming from Edumame, with Mame meaning “bean”.)

The Goron: I don’t even got a name for him yet. :/ if y’all would like to recommend some comment on here (or repost)!! Just know that he’s, like, the Mipha of the group, power-wise: their cleric. He is the most devout of Ganon’s current followers and actually understands him to some extent. Like he probably gets the most isolated conversation with the king of demons than any of the others. He mentors the other sages/champions on strategy but usually just puts up with them in order to usher in Ganondorf’s dark reign.

(Name etymology: uh.)

Llanora: The youngest and newest member of the group, this teen bird took Revali’s “lone wolf” approach to life to the fullest extreme. She isolated herself from her friends and family, wanting to be able to be strong enough to fight on her own. I know that kind of conflicts with what she does now, but one: So did Revali, and two: she was promised strength from Ganondorf that would make her a one-bird army, and in some way she received it. She also futily believes that if she sides with Ganondorf, who to her is an impossibly powerful and ancient being, that he’ll spare her village. She would be the easiest to persuade to rebel against Ganondorf, but she’s too afraid to dare act on that herself. Komame essentially mothers her and tried to make Llanora brave enough to go forward with her goals. Also the braid in the Goron’s hair was done by Llanora!!

(Name etymology: the first half is a corruption of Lancer, inspired by a Zelda wiki claiming that the Japanese names of the Rito were focus on their occupations or behaviors, along with the repeated use of “i” and “L” in Rito names. Additionally, the end part of her name comes from Chieftess Elrora of the Watarara tribe from the OoT manga. The Watarara being a known inspiration for the Rito.)

So uh yeah hope you like them :)

[nataliesnews]

Let it now be said that I am all gloom and misery. Last night I went to see Julius Casear done by the Theatre in the Rough in the park near the King David. It is always great fun though you have to run from place to place and up and down over the grass. I take my accordion  chair which I carry in my rucksack but once I have taken it out I have to run with my stick and the bag as suit as it takes time. Sometimes people help me. Otherwise I just sukkel.It was very funny and I will show you who was Brutus and who was Caesar. It is very funny as they make Caesar into a woman, Brutus the absolute antithesis of what you would imagine hime to be, a small slight woman, Cassius is a big black gentleman who would have been more likely to have been Brutus.

This is Calpurnia.

This is Caesar

This is the choir which has been introduced by the producer of the play

The woman in the burgundy...do I have the colour right...is Brutus

Can anyone tell me what this flag actually is. I saw it at the Saturday demonstration last week and it was held by a group of religious youth and also be this man who looks more Haredi. They saw they are active in Hebron against the occupation and the flat as psalms on it and has been hung for years in synagogues.

 Well and back to politics

An Israeli settler woman is shot. I grieve for her family but I will not go with Tag Maier when they go to shiva. I will go to Tag Maier when the evening news does not deal for almost the full hour with the grief of the family and what a wonderful woman she was. I wonder, a;ways,  if she and her family have been active in actions against the Palestinians. Maybe she is one of the settlers who do not take part in any such actions against the shepherds or the villages. But if not then when does she not speak up against it? 

Also as I saw the grief of the family of the woman who had been killed I wondered why we were not shown, if only for a fleeting moment, the mourning family of a young Palestinian whom I had seen shot in the back as he was running back to a group and  was  shot in the back although he was unarmed and not attacking anyone. Up  to now the soldiers who carved a magen davied on the face of a Palestinian have been praised by members of the government and Ben Gvir wants to give them a medal. Another family group has fled their homes because of attacks by settlers........so   I grieve for her family but  I grieve more for the Palestinians who know that they will never find the justice they seek. In a few days time we will hear the the perpetrators have been found...those responsible hpr her death....but the soldier who shot a man in the back, the soldiers who carved a magen david, the settlers who at this every moment are harassing and stealing from the Palestinians? 

I went today to hear Yischa Harani lecturing on part of the New Testament at a new center which I did not know at all. A meeting ground for pilgrims and then too  a church which I only realised at the end was so there was this beautiful altar.

In the evening I went with Yehuda and Anat to see Oppenbeimer. I found the first  part  boring but when the bomb went off and I saw people screaming and backslapping I thought of the drowning of the Egyptians and the angels singing in joy and God admonishing them. I probably would have felt different seeing the movie at the end of the war itself. I wonder how much of this was shown on the television at that time....maybe most houses did not have television.

As a result I did not go to the demonstration in the morning against Ben Gvir in Hebron and also not to Sheikh Jarrah...maybe just as well as I heard there was police violence in both places. This evening I am also not going to the demonstration as I woke up feeling very weak. I had six visitors for brunch and was worried that I would be too tired as I did not sleep well either but it must have been enjoyable to all as they came at 13.00 and only left towards 4. There were four of  of us from Machsomwatch and my friend Gioia from Sheikh Jarrah and as Andrea, her husband, is from the UN I think both sides found it interesting. Andrea and Gioia next to me.   Yehduit who live at Nofim, Hanna Barag whom I often write about and I who am going on diet.  

But if you want to know what is happening with the Christians in Israel here are two examples:

Christians unwanted in Israel https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2023-08-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/the-damaging-rejection-of-christians-under-israels-far-right-religious-government/0000018a-1455-debf-afba-9cfff8210000?utm_source=App_Share&utm_medium=iOS_Native

At a Haifa church, Jewish pilgrims test coexistence strained by painful history

Haredi visitors outside Stella Maris say they want to pray near the presumed burial site of Prophet Elisha; churchgoers say it's just another attempt to intimidate Christians

This is what the Rabbis for Human Rights wrote about the above

The Stella Maris Monastery and Church in Haifa continues to face threats from a small Hasidic sect known as Berland Hasidim. The group continues to come to the monastery and harass the clergy and worshippers and has now received permission from the Police to hold prayer services close to the church.  Rabbis for Human Rights continues to support the Stella Maris community and this week submitted a letter signed by over 200 Rabbis to the President of the State of Israel, the Chief of Israel's Police and the Attorney General, demanding that the State safeguard this community from the threats they are facing. We were proud that the letter was signed by leading Rabbis from all streams of Judaism in Israel, and are committed to continuing and increasing our actions to protect religious practice of minorities in Israel. 

[httpdabi]

Jealousy

Word count: 6,5k

Genre: Smut, romance, no quirk lol

Warnings: 18+, a little bit of choking, a little bit of daddy kink, rough sex, dom!dabi , jealousy kinda, unprotected sex, alcohol

Credit to the owner of the pic!!

✨Friends to lovers fic✨

Throwing your phone across the room, deep breath coming out of your mouth. The fact that he was coming back today made the time pass so slow it was painful. You were glancing at your phone every now and then checking what time it is, knowing he should arrive around 17PM. Rolling down on your old bed, you took a good look of your room.

Pastel pink walls, white bed, small working table in the left corner of the room. Beside your bed were photos taped on the wall. All those photos woke a memory in you. Some of the photos were of you and your friends, but most of them were of you and Dabi.

Dabi.

Your childhood best friend. You will never forget the day you first met him. Shy little Touya not wanting to play with your dolls. I’M A MAN. He screamed back then, throwing the doll away, making you cry loudly. You will never forget how scared he got in the moment you started screaming around, trying to hush you down somehow. He did everything he could hoping his parents won’t hear.

Yours and Touya’s parents were literally best friends, visiting each other almost every day. Having to face him so often, you two almost had no choice then to become friends. At the beginning none of you were impressed by each others company. But how both of you grew up, you were becoming closer and closer. At some point, you two became inseparable.

When Touya started getting piercings, you were so jealous. You wanted to get that Certilage piercing just like him, but your parents were so strict even the thought of it made their hair get up. Of course Touya being Touya, he didn’t give a two shits about their decision. Picking you up one day after school and brining you to his friend that did his piercings too. That night both families were fighting. His parents lecturing him how he is such a bad influence to you, and your parents screaming on you how you’ll never get married with piercing like that. Saying it’s not ladylike.

,, If no one marries her, I will’’ Touya said, making your heart flutter, and everyone else in the room laughed loudly, finding it cute how he was protecting you.

Of course, growing up both of you went different directions in your life. Moving out of your parents place was best thing that happened to you. Having that freedom you never had before, you were appreciating even little things.

Dabi moved out in another city, saying he never wanted to live in his hometown anyway. Of course, there wasn’t a day that he didn’t contact you. But having him so far away made things much harder for you. The only positive thing about him moving to another city was the fact that your huge crush on him would melt down, at least you hoped so.

You were so in love with him. How could you not be ? Having him around so much, such a handsome and good guy, you simply had to develop feelings toward him.

Walking downstairs, you heard Enji laughing loudly at something your father said. You visiting your parents home again, while Todoroki’s were also there, all of you waiting for Dabi to return. It made your heart warm up again, missing moments when all of you were spending time together so often.

Making your way toward kitchen, you opened the fridge looking for something to eat. Not that you were hungry, you were simply bored and something had to kill that boredom.

Taking the milk pudding, you opened it and took one spoon. You tried to multitask somehow, with one hand you were eating the pudding, while with other hand just scrolling your instagram feed.

Suddenly, a head placed on your shoulder, trying to see what you were looking at. Your parents always did that. They had to know why you were always holding that damn phone in your hands.

,, Dad, this is private, I’m not a child anymore’’ you whined, pushing your fathers head away. You hated when he does that, privacy is privacy and it has to be respected.

,, I didn’t know you were into daddy kink’’ a familiar voice whispered, making you flinch in surprise. Turning around you immediately jumped on the person standing behind you. Dabi laughed, placing his hand around your waist hugging you strongly, before he pulled you up in the air.

,, You little piece of shit, I missed you so much’’ you said hugging him back, not paying any attention to your parents in the background.

The rest of the day was all about Touya. How he was, what did he do, does he have a girlfriend and so on. Of course he liked to be the center of the attention, talking about everything. Not that you were complaining, you were sinking in every word that came out of his mouth, admiring him as always.

At the end of the day, your parents made plans that this week all of you should meet and have a super cool bbq like in the old times. Which meant one big ass sleep over, with Todoroki’s. Those nights were always amazing, so much food, so much sweets and of course so much alcohol for grown ups. That was the reason why Rei and Enji slept over after all. All of them would simply get wasted.

Dabi decided he will sleep at your place, since he never saw your new apartment, all of them agreeing, knowing that there’s a lot he probably wanted to tell you.

First both of you went to his old home, placing his suitcase and taking just few stuff to bring over. He didn’t want to waste any time, since his parents were still at your place, and he really wanted to finally see your new apartment.

Placing his bag in his hallway, he immediately went inside your living room, looking around, commenting what doesn’t look good and how he would decorate it much better. He opened the fridge, feeling like home and took one ice cream out of the freezer. Making his way toward your couch.

,, So, where’s that piece of shit called Kai’’ he asked, biting the chocolate on the ice cream. You were confused a bit, since you broke up with Kai long time ago.

,, Didn’t I already tell you? It’s been six months since we broke up’’ you laughed out. How can it be possible that you left your dear Touya uninformed about your love life.

,, Oh, that breaks my heart.’’ He said sarcastically. ,, What happened?’’ he added licking the ice cream.

,, Well, he cheated on me’’ you lied, sitting down beside him. Well, technically he did cheat on you, but the reason behind it was because he found out about your feelings about Dabi. He found out that he was only being used to forget your one sided love. Not that you didn’t like Kai, you did find him attractive, but you couldn’t force yourself to do with him stuff every couple did. Which made him cheat on you, hoping he will make you step further. But at his surprise you did something every normal person would do, broke up with him.

You did feel disappointed that you two had to part your ways like that, but you also understood him and with that you couldn’t force yourself to hate him or be that much hurt.

,, He didn’t deserve you anyway. I have no idea what did you see in him. Dude looks like he fed a whole Village in Africa, no offense ‘’ he said, making you laugh.

,, Anyway, we are invited to Mina’s birthday this Saturday’’ you said placing both of your legs on the table.

,, Aren’t we having a bbq that day?’’ Dabi asked as he placed the stick of his ice cream on the table.

,, Yeah, but we can still go tho. They’ll be really happy to see you again, I told everyone that you are back’’ you said, as he placed his head on your lap. You smiled, knowing how much he loves when you play with his hair.

,, Sure, we can do both. I am glad I’ll see them all again’’ he said making your stomach twist out of jealousy. You knew how much Yua and Akari liked Dabi. Of course you were friends, but the fact that all these two had their eyes on him made your blood boil. Even Mina was into him, until she found a boyfriend recently. They didn’t know that you liked him, but you knew very well that they weren’t happy that you had him by your side all the time.

After telling you about the city and all his experience, you two decided to go to sleep since it was already 2AM. You went to the bathroom to change into your silk pajama, coming back only to find Dabi in your bed wearing only shorts.

,, I really wanna get some tattoos too’’ you said looking the tattoos over his chest and arms, wanting to touch every single one of them.

,, Do it’’ he simply said, placing his arms under his head. You just rolled your eyes on him, he knew very well that you weren’t that brave.

,,You can sleep here, I’ll crash on the couch’’ you said ready to stand up. He was a guest after all, and for him you would sleep on the floor if he asked you to.

,, Of course you’re not’’ he said grabbing your arm and pulling you in the bed beside him. Wrapping his one arm around you.

,, Don’t get all cold with me suddenly’’ he laughed while covering both of you with your covers. Of course, you two slept together in one bed before, it wasn’t something unusual. But knowing how you feel about him, you knew that with every move like this, your feelings will grow back even stronger then they were before.

,, Touya, we aren’t children anymore’’ you said, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

,, That’s exactly what I was thinking about. Might as well do stuff adults do’’ he said jokingly, making you push him even harder. Making sure you are smiling he just held you stronger repeating that he was joking.

Once you realized that he won’t really give up, you just gave in, preparing yourself for one sleepless night with him.

Dabi placed your leg over him, slowly caressing your tight while telling you about some nonsense like he did before until you would fall asleep. Once he thought that you fall asleep, you felt his long arms around you and his lips on your head.

Having him so close to you, he didn’t know what effect he had on you. For him it was just one normal night, while for you it was something you won’t be able to keep out of your mind next upcoming weeks.

The next days it was like before. Dabi was spending more time at your place as he did home. You two would spend time together, playing games, going grocery shopping together, visiting cafes and so on. You even saw Akari in one café, and of course she was all over Dabi. You couldn’t watch it, she was touching his arm so recklessly, and the fact that he wasn’t doing anything about it didn’t’ help either.

Excusing yourself, you said that you felt sick. Dabi wanted to follow you home, but Akari was insisting how he should stay, since they didn’t see each other for such a long time. Not wanting to make any scene, you just told him to stay, not to worry and left them.

On your way home, you felt terrible. It wasn’t anything big, but yet you overacted there and had to leave. But you simply couldn’t watch or hear anything more. You were the one that was supposed to touch him like that. You wanted to touch all those tattoos, and even tho you were his best friend you couldn’t find the courage to do it. Yet, stupid Akari did it without a problem.

Knowing that Dabi will probably just come back to your place, you made your way toward your parents house, not ready to face him somehow. In that moment you wished you didn’t gave him your spare keys. You didn’t want to wait for him and think about what they were doing.

Of course your parents were more then happy to welcome you home. Since you moved out you didn’t sleep at their place that often. But they knew something was wrong, not wanting to bother you, they just let you be.

Once again the night was sleepless for you. Dabi did contact you, asking if you are ok and if he should bring something to you, but once you saw that Akari posted him on her Instagram story, you couldn’t even force yourself to text him back.

You knew that It was so childish of you, he didn’t even know how you feel about him, yet that something small would upset you so much. But your feelings were getting better of you. The whole night you were rolling around in your bed, thinking if he’s home yet, if they are fucking somewhere. You were thinking what would have happened if you just stayed. If you did, he would probably just leave home with you.

Waking up next morning, you wanted to kill yourself. The soreness in your eyes didn’t help either. You saw few messages from Dabi, asking where you are, yada yada. Seeing that it was sent around 4am, you tossed your phone across the bed. Did he stay that long with her ?

You slowly stood up and made your way toward the bathroom, brushing your teeth before leaving home. Your parents were insisting that you should stay, and spend the rest of the day with them. It was Saturday anyway, so you’ll be here later anyway.

But you didn’t want, you had to clean your apartment a bit together with your thoughts. Also it was Minas birthday today, so you had to get ready before you leave for the bbq and her birthday.

Opening the door of your apartment, you saw Dabi’s shoes placed beside yours. Slowly tip toeing, you found him in your bedroom asleep. You slowly closed the door, and started cleaning quietly, making sure not to wake him up.

You wanted to lay down beside him, and simply cuddle yourself close to his body, but because of the thought of the last night, you also wanted to grab his hair and force him out of your apartment.

Of course, once he woke up, you couldn’t be mad at him anymore. You had to act it up, and just ignore what happened, after all how could you explain to him why were you even mad ? Dabi left your place around 16PM, leaving you all alone with your thoughts once again. You whished you could tell him how you felt, you wished he would understand.

When the time came, you wore your light purple spaghetti strap dress. Since the evenings were still kidna cold, you decided to wear your oversized black cardigan that was the same length as your dress. Covering just enough.

After doing your make up and straightening your hair, you placed your small bag over your shoulder and wore your overknee lace up boots before you left. The cardigan was bothering you a bit, since you knew how hot it usually gets when you’re in club, but once the wind brushed your naked tight, you didn’t mind it anymore.

Once you got at your parents place, you helped them with all the preparing. Your mom didn’t let you prepare the food, being scared you’ll ruin your dress. But you still helped with plates and all the alcohol. Placing everything on the table outside.

When they arrived Enji and your dad immediately started with the bbq. Rei and your mom were simply enjoying the evening and sipping on their wine, waiting for their food. While both of you and Dabi were simply on your phones. Once again you were upset, all of them complimented your looks, everyone but him. Piece of shit like he looked any better, whit his simple white shirt and jeans.

Lies.

He looked so beautiful without any effort, the tattoos on his arm totally visible.

You took the wine from the table filling your glass, drinking it fast down. Just the thought of Akari and other girls being all over him was driving you crazy. You had to prepare yourself.

,, Slow down doll, I don’t want to spend the rest of my night holding your hair in the toilet’’ Dabi said taking the now empty glass away from you and laughing a bit.

,,Don’t worry about me, I’m capable of taking care of myself on my own’’ you said taking the glass back and filling it with wine again. Who does he think he is ?

When the meat was done, both of you ate and drank a bit before leaving. Dabi didn’t want to drive since he also had plans to drink. Enji was insisting on giving you a ride, but you two didn’t want to break his fun, after all the club wasn’t that far away.

,,So, who will be there tonight?’’ Dabi asked you, taking the box of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one cigarette.

,, Mina of course, Yua, Himari, Ryohei, Hiro, Akari and Kai’’ you said, placing your hands in the pockets of your cardigan.

,, We should make your little Kai jealous, what do you think?’’ He said, placing his arm around your shoulders.

,, Nah, no need’’ you said looking down on the floor.

When you arrived the club was already full of people. Thankfully Mina waited for you two in front of the club, not wanting for you two to waste your time looking for them. You gave her the present that you and Dabi bought few days ago and graduated her. Knowing that Mina is in relationship with Hiro, so the hug she gave Dabi didn’t bother you so much.

Once you got inside, you greeted everyone and ordered your drinks. Of course Akari was giving all of her attention to Dabi, trying to get as close as possible to him.

None of you wanted to wait, so all of you ordered your drinks. You ordered Malibu with cherry juice, you were up for something sweet. Since the sweet drinks kick in much faster and that’s exactly what you needed. Dabi ordered whisky, while Kai, Hiro and Ryohei ordered pure Vodka. Rest of the girls ordered Wine.

,, Hey’’ you heard very familiar voice close to your ear. You turned around sipping on your drink, welcoming Kai with a small smile and nodding your head.

,, How are youu?’’ he asked loud enough for you to hear. Body too close to your own in your opinion.

,, I am good and you?’’ you simply answered finishing your drink, asking yourself why is he starting this random boring chat. Realizing that your friends were eyeing you and your ex down, you smirked to yourself. If they only knew, how little shit you gave about him.

,, Let’s go get another round of drinks’’ you said, and made your way toward the bar, while Kai was following every step you made.

,, You look beautiful tonight’’ Kai pointed after you ordered what everyone was drinking. Well, at least someone appreciates your effort tonight, you thought to yourself.

,, Thank you, you look cool yourself’’ you said already trying your drink, while giving the money with your right hand to the bartender. He didn’t look bad at all, wearing black button up shirt, one part of it tucked in his jeans. His typical black convers shoes. He looked good.

Once you two got back, placing all the drinks on the table, you could feel Dabi’s eyes on you. You weren’t sure if he wanted to tell you something, so you took his Whisky and went to him.

,, What is it ?’’ you asked giving him his drink.

,, Nothing at all’’ he replied eying you down. He was about to say something more, but Akari interrupted him, saying some nonsense. Not wanting to watch them together, you just left them, making your way toward Ryohei, Himari and Kai on the dancefloor.

All of you were dancing. Jumping around and waving your body to the sound of the music. You realized that Kai was trying real hard to get you to himself, but sadly your drinks didn’t hit you that much yet. Still the only person that was on your mind was Dabi. You wanted to look at him, and see what’s he doing, but you were afraid once you turn around you’ll find Akari all over him again, or even worse making out with him. It would definitely ruin your night.

After few more drinks, you finally started getting tipsy. While Mother Mother was playing, you and Himari were jumping around, making your way back toward the table to get your other drink that was already there, you two were screaming at each other ,, My daddy’s got a gun, My daddy’s got a gun, My daddy’s got a gun, you better run’’ moving your body crazily just as the music was.

,, Cheers’’ Himari screamed, once both of you placed a bit salt on your hand. Licking the salt of your hand, both of you drank the tequila fast before sucking the lemon. Making the weird face, both of you laughed preparing another shot.

Making your way back to the others, both of you were going crazy to the beat of the song you loved. With a new drink in your hand, you didn’t think about the consequences. After all the music was just so good, you simply had to drink.

Dancing around, you felt a body pressed against your. Tilting your head to the side, you realized it’s Kai standing behind you, trying to get as much of you as he could. At that moment you didn’t give a fuck anymore, just giving in and dancing with him. You saw Himari and Mina laughing at you, thinking you two will get together.

,, I’ll go smoke one fast, wanna come?’’ Kai asked. You simply shook your head giving him a sign that you'll simply wait and found yourself once again dancing with Himari. You were glad Himari was there, since without her you wouldn’t have much fun as you had now.

,, You are fast’’ you said, feeling Kai’s body behind you again. Slow down by Chase Atlantic started playing, no better song for grinding your body against someone else. Moving your body slowly, you felt his hands holding your hips firmly.

,, Are you sure you aren‘t into daddy kink doll?“raspy and deep voice made you twitch in shock. ,, What’s wrong? Didn’t expect me ?’’ he added, holding your hips stronger, not giving you any chance to move away from him.

You felt like there was no need to answer him, since Mina bought you another drink you were already busy sipping on your drink . After all, all you wanted to do was drink and get wasted in that moment anyway. So you moved your body from the side to the side, enjoying how close his body was to yours.

Realizing that you drank your drink, Dabi took it form your hand and gave it to the bartender that was passing by anyway. Turning you around to face him, he took your arms and placed them around his neck, while his own arms found their way to your waist.

,, Wasn’t the plan to make Kai jealous?’’ he asked. You could feel his hot breath on your ear. Tilting your head a bit to the left, you closed your eyes and gave him a small nod with the biggest grin ever.

The grin was long gone once you felt his hands over your ass, squeezing it tightly. ,, Then why am I at the end the jealous one ?’’ He asked giving you one more squeeze. Drunk like that you forgot about your friends and what might they think.

,, Is this how you treat your daddy?’’ he added, not giving you a chance to even progress the last question he gave you. You were never into daddy kink, but coming from his lips, you were ready to call him daddy as much as he wanted.

,, I want.. drink.. haha’’ you said laughing, hoping he will get you another one, since you weren’t capable to do it on your own anymore.

,, We are going home’’ he said. He was already tipsy on his own, but nowhere drunk as you were. He told everyone that you two are leaving, not giving you much time to greet them. Seeing disappointed look on Akari’s face made your night. IN YOUR FACE YOU BITCH ASS HOE

Dabi helped you wear your cardigan, and placed your bag over your shoulders, before he placed his hand around your waist helping you walk a bit. Well, you could walk, but with his grip around you, it was much easier.

,, I thought you could take care of yourself’’ he said once you two were outside. He placed you on the nearest bench, just to light up his cigarette before he pulled you up once again. You placed your arm around his shoulders, bragging about how you can walk perfectly fine.

,, Stop pissing me off doll, you’re hard to hold’’ he said as his grip was getting stronger.

,,Or what ?’’ You laughed, taking the cigarette from him and placing it between your lips. You don’t smoke usually, but alcohol took over you. Dabi laughed surprised, not used at the sight of you smoking.

,, My little Touya, you weren’t even born when I started smoking’’ you managed to say, while he was just laughing at the nonsense you were telling him.

Dabi didn’t know what he should do first, hold you firmly or pull your dress down, scared it was to high up for everyone else to see what’s under it.

,,Now, behave yourself, we are almost home’’ he said pulling your dress down a little, and throwing the almost done cigarette from your lips on the floor.

At his and your surprise both of your parents were still outside enjoying their time. You threw your arm up in the air ready to greet them, but Dabi stopped you fast enough. It’s not like your parents have anything against you drinking. But he wasn’t in a mood to talk with them about anything tonight. And he knew very well that drunk like that you were more then ready for a chat with them.

,, Already home?’’ Enji screamed once he saw you two. You were ready to brag about how you wanted to party a bit longer, but Dabi once again stopped you, telling them how you didn’t feel good that much.

,,What’s your problem man ?’’ You hissed at the party breaker that was pulling you upstairs to your room. Looking how your parents prepared your room made you grin. There was a mattress beside your bed prepared for Dabi.

,, They really think you’ll sleep down there’’ you grinned.

,, Obviously’’ Dabi said, placing you slowly on your bed.

,, Now, change into your pajama while I’m brushing my teeth’’ he said slowly, making sure you understand every word.

With alcohol in your system, you just lain down to rest a bit, before getting all the power and will you had to change.

Pulling your dress over your head, you started looking for your pajamas. Seeing Dabi’s shirt on the floor, you felt satisfied and just wore it. Standing there in the room, you thought if it’s his shirt he wore today, or just the one he got himself for bed. You would rather sleep naked than in a shirt he just wore in the club. Even the thought of the smell of all the smoke and alcohol made you feel dizzy.

Taking the part of his shirt, you pulled it close enough for you to sniff it making sure it’s not his shirt from clubbing.

,,What are you doing doll? ‘’ You froze. Looking to the side, you saw him leaning on the doorframe while smirk was formed on his lips. Luckily there was enough alcohol in your system to feel embarrassed in that very moment, since the view of you sniffing his shirt was weird as fuck.

,, Can’t get enough of me ?’’ he added getting closer to you. ,, You have to wear some shorts, or I’ll really be forced sleep on the mattress tonight’’ he added looking you up and down, while you just stood there speechless.

,, Come here, let’s take off your make up’’ he said, placing his hand on your back, leading the way to the bathroom.

Once you were in the bathroom, Dabi pulled you up, making you sit on the washing machine. Slowly helping you wash your teeth. Swinging your legs playfully, Dabi almost poured the water he prepared for you on the floor. Placing the glass to the side, he took your legs and wrapped them around his waist. Even tho you weren’t sober, you could completely understand the position you were in. Taking the wet wipes he started cleaning your make up carefully. You just closed your eyes enjoying his touch on your face, while he was giving his best to do it gentle as possible.

Sudden feel of a skin brushing over your nose made you open your eyes. Seeing his face not even inches from yours, made you froze. His nose brushing against your own, before you felt his soft lips against your own.

,, You are driving me crazy’’ he said, placing his forehead against yours. Not thinking twice you placed your hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss. At first you knew that he was surprised since he just stood there, but after a short second you felt him smile into the kiss, leaning in and wanting more.

With his hands under your, or better to say his own shirt, he was moving them up and down slowly. The touch of his hands rubbing your naked skin softly made you want more of him. Pulling him closer with your legs, you placed your hands on his chest , wanting to feel everything you could.

Pulling your head back breaking the kiss, you attacked his neck, leaving wet kisses all over it. Touya pulled your body up, placing his hands on your ass, making his way toward your room. Making small breaks while pushing your body against the wall trying to kissing you like his life depended on it.

Once he placed you on the bad, he didn’t waste any time, hovering over you and kissing your neck. Wanting everyone to know to who you belong to. He wanted to make sure the next time you see Kai, he will know that Dabi is the one that’s dicking you down.

,, I know you couldn’t stand the sight of me and Akari, but grinding on Kai like a little whore, making me all jealous was really unnecessary’’ he gasped between kisses. Pulling the shirt over your head he threw it over the room, leaving you only in your panties. ,, especially in that little dress of yours” he added, as he looked over your half naked body.

,, Fuck you, what did you expect of me, I was mad’’ you moaned out once you felt his lips on your breast, sucking and biting it.

,, Well.. guess what’’ he said, still sucking your boob, while squeezing the other one.

,,What?’’ you breathed out, eyes closed while enjoying his lips on your body.

,, Daddy will punish his little naughty girl’’ he said, once again leaving wet love marks all over your chest.

,,Touya, I’m really not into daddy kink’’ you said, your hands deep inside his hair.

,, But I am’’ he said, his head in front of your, making eye contact with you. ,, And tonight I want everyone to know who your real daddy is. I want everyone to know who you belong to’’ he said, wrapping his hand around your throat. ,, Do you understand me ?’’ he added.

,,Yes’’ you whispered, not breakig the eye contact.

,,Yes what?’’ he asked as his hand started to apply pressure to your throat. Not being used to choking, you couldn’t really manage to give him the right answer. It wasn’t the kind of choking where you felt like passing out because of the lack of oxygen, but you were still new to it.

,,Yes daddy’’ you managed to say somehow. Satisfied with your answer, Dabi moved his hand away from your throat, leaving small kisses over the same spot where his hand left small marks.

,, Such a good girl’’ he said, pulling your panties down. Licking his lips, as you were exposed to him. The fact that you were so valuable to him, and knowing how much power he had over you was turning Touya even more on.

Not wasting any time, he spread your thighs further apart, his head leaning down to run his tongue through your folds. Feeling his tongue piercing on your clit, something you always wanted to feel, made you throw you head back into the pillow, while grabbing Dabi’s head pulling him closer to yourself.

Licking you around your opening, the warm and hot feeling of his tongue, mixed with cold feeling of his piercing was making you shiver. You could feel him smirk against your core as he saw how much effect he has on you. You moan as his lips and tongue move against your folds, eating you out like it’s his last meal.

,,Touya please’’ you moan out, as he sucks roughly on your bundle of nerves, causing your body to jolt up, as your fingers grab his messy hair.

Flicking his tongue roughly and tugging your clit, his hands were holding your thighs firmly, as his light blue eyes were focused on you. It doesn’t take him long to make you cum all over his mouth, his name falling from your lips shamelessly. Climbing over you, he kissed you passionately, making you taste yourself on his lips.

Pulling away from the kiss, you started kissing his tattoos, something you wanted to do long time ago. Especially since he came back. Dabi breathed heavily, his head hanging low, while you were under him kissing every little line that covered his body.

He gave you the time you needed, exploring his body as much as you wanted. But once he felt your small hands pulling down his shorts together with his boxers, and licking the tip of his already erected dick, he had to stop you. At your surprise, even his dick was pierced.

,, Another time doll’’ he said, pulling you up. ,, I’ve been dying to fuck you since forever’’ he added, slowly rubbing the tip of his dick around your core. Without any warning his slammed his whole length inside making your scream both in pleasure and pain. Wiggling a little, trying to move just a bit away from him, hoping the pain will go away. But Touya couldn’t let that happened, now when he finally had his dick deep inside you.

,,Just relax baby’’ he said not moving, letting you adjust to his size. Placing soft kisses all over your jaw, then slowly moving out of you, only for him to slide back in, so slow that you could feel every vain of his dick move, together with his piercing rubbing your walls.

Dabi was moving so slow, grinding his hips against yours, as his fingers were rubbing your clit gently. Sliding out of you only until the edge of his head remains, before moving slowly again in, repeating the same move all over again. Only God knew how much he wanted to break you.

,, Touya’’ you moan out once he wraps his fingers with yours, placing your left arm above your head, while his right fingers were still rubbing your clit in circles. Your legs shake as you wrap them around him, another orgasm hitting you hard.

Dabi moans with you, as you squeeze his dick while riding of your orgasm. With you having your second orgasm, he couldn’t hold himself any longer. Your warm walls around him coated in juices were driving him crazy. All the soft and slow moves were forgotten, making his motions now much deeper and intense. Pulling out till the end and slamming recklessly into you again. Groaning in pleasure, he was slamming into you with a speed you could only imagine.

,, Touya, slow down’’ you moaned, closing your eyes, still sensitive from your second orgasm. ,, I don’t think I can take it’’ you added, trying to catch your breath.

,,Of course you can take it. Look at you, you’re taking it right now doll’’ he groaned, holding your hips in one place while fucking you hard like no one ever has before. You were a moaning mess, with every move your moans were louder.

,, Oh God, Touya’’ you moaned, fingers still connected to his. Grabbing his back with your left hand and digging your fingers inside his skin.

,, You’re takng it so well love’’ he said, groaning as he felt the pressure of your nails digging into his back. ,, Go ahead, scratch my back as much as you want’’ he added kissing you sloppily.

Once he started rubbing your clit again, you found yourself digging your nails into his back like a wild cat, finding comfort in it. ,, Touya’’ you moaned his name out as both of you were coming closer to your highs. You could feel his dick twitching inside of you, his moves becoming more deeper and jankier. His eyes were shut, while your body started shaking once again. Once again you felt your orgasm pulsing through your stomach, and there you were again squeezing his dick not being able to control yourself as you moaned his name over and over again. Dabi continued fucking you , his groans getting louder and louder, feeling your walls getting tighter and tighter while you were milking his dick down, he released. Emptying his seeds deep into you.

Both of you stayed in the same position, trying to breath normally. His thumb gently rubbing your hand, as he placed kisses all over your bruised neck.

,, You have no idea how much I wanted to be with you’’ he said between the kisses. ,,I’m so in love with you doll’’ he breathed out, making you feel butterfly’s inside your stomach.

,, Are you?’’ you asked, tilting your head just enough to look at him.

,, Don’t act like you didn’t know already’’ he said smiling, while brushing his nose against your cheek. Of course you didn’t know.

,,Fuck you, I was dying here for you, thinking my love is just one sided’’ you said hitting his chest lightly. ,, I even dated Kai hoping I’ll forget you somehow’’ you added hitting him once again, making him laugh a bit.

,, Don’t mention his name. That’s the past. You belong to me now, only me’’ he said, grabbing your jaw and kissing you. You were always his anyway.

,, All yours, Touya’’ you said, kissing him back-

,, Are you kids awake ? ´´ Enji’s head peeked inside your room, finding his eldest son naked on top of his best friends daughter. Making him choke on the air and forgetting the actual reason he was looking for you two.

[newtonsheffield]

In the future when Kate goes on tours, does she always dedicate her first song to her mouse? And in the distant future when she and Antony have a family of their own, does the dedication go to her mouse and their little pinkies? And the audience just goes wild!!!

Okay! This was actually going to be a little epilogue, in the story, but I decided not to do it, decided just to leave it the way it was. just a little hopeful.

She didn't know why she always got so nervous. Even now, sat across from a journalist from Rolling Stone her stomach was churning. She could stand in front of 20,000 people with a guitar and a loop pedal and barely sweat. But this felt so much more vulnerable, squashed into the tiny booth in the tiny pub in the tiny village she made her home years ago now.

"There you go, Kate." The barman set a drink she hadn't ordered down in front of her, just like she always ordered it. "Can I get something for your friend?"

Kate turned towards him, "Thanks Tommy. This is David we're just doing a little interview thing." She turned towards the journalist, "Can Tommy get you a drink, David?"

David honestly looked a little bemused that the barman hadn't even blinked at her, had just nodded when she said she was conducting press in the sleepy little room of the tiny pub. "Err just... a crown?"

Tommy nodded, fetching one from behind the bar, smiling to Kate as he left again, "Remember to bring that boy of yours this weekend, We're doing candy floss at the fete, and I know he likes it."

Kate felt the corner of her lips tick upwards as she hummed, fiddling with the rings on her finger "Yeah, and Edmund likes it too."

Tommy chuckled to himself as he went back behind the bar, slightly awkward silence falling over the table.

"It's funny, if I didn't know better I'd think you hadn't just released your third straight number one album."

Kate shrugged, "When there's 1200 people in the village, there's not really a lot of room for celebrity and I like that, it's nice."

And really, it was. They might live up at the Castle, but no one really seemed to car, she was just Kate here, who still sung in Saturday nights here after a few drinks when Anthony goaded her into it, and they sat on the bench outside the post office with their tiny son between them.

"Let's start with some quick questions." David said casually, a tape recorder on the table between them as she nodded, "Okay, hardest thing you've ever done?"

Kate startled a little, "Well, if you're asking that you haven't tried to parallel park on the high street here."

David chuckled, taking a swig from his drink, "And the easiest?"

She'd been staring down at the rings on her finger, idly, the way she always did, and she didn't even think about the answer, her eyes flicking upwards, to meet his. "Um- when I was 24, I met a really cute boy outside a pub in Brixton of all places." She chuckled a little, remembering how he'd slid right out the door, arms and legs flailing like a newborn foal, and something about his eyes had stopped her heart.

"And I don't know, the timing wasn't right, really, I didn't want to leave London, I was trying to get my career started, and he has his family in the village here, and it shouldn't have worked, but five months later I was living here with him and I wrote Foundations and it started my career, and I was nowhere near London."

She remembered writing the song so clearly, looking at Anthony one day, sprawled out on the lawn of the castle, threading flowers into his hair and before she'd known it the lyrics of the chorus had been on the tip of her tongue, Kiss by kiss foundations form And she hadn't expected it at all, but someone had filmed her at the pub three days later and before she knew it someone and told someone who'd told someone else and she was signed to a label. But all she could remember was the way Anthony had had tears in his eyes, hearing it for the very first time.

"I stole two cigarettes from him, and he stole a lot more than that from me. That's the easiest thing I've ever done, fallen in love I guess."

David was staring back at her a little wide eyed, and something like panic rose in her chest.

"Oh my god, that was terrible, I'm sorry, tell everyone I've done a perfect round of ten pin bowling, instead."

David shook his head, his fingers drumming over the table. "I don't think I will." Awkward silence humming between them, "Your husband Anthony, you dedicate Foundations to him every time you perform it. It's always the first song of your set."

Kate shrugged, feeling a little awkward, "I met him when I was having a kind of difficult time, and so was he, and it just... It felt right, straight away. Have you ever met someone like that?"

David shook his head, "I'm not sure I have."

Kate shrugged again, " Of course, sometimes he drives me absolutely insane he's so stubborn but... He's my favourite person. We've been married for nearly four years and we have a little boy, and everything I have I built with him."

She couldn't help but think about it, the way Anthony looked at her all the time, his heart in his eyes, when she could see them just off the stage, Edmund on his shoulders with a tiny pair of earmuffs on clapping happily, his lips forming the word Mummy! sending her heart fluttering around the stadium Anthony's lips forming I love you and all she wanted was more.

"But Foundations was the first song I wrote for him, and the first night I met him I dedicated the first song of my set to him and he was such a country boy, hated the city, he still does, and the nickname just kind of happened, and now it's tradition."

Silence fell again, drinks on the table between them, her heart hammering in her chest.

"But enough about all that, Let's talk about this tour I suppose."

"The little mice coming with you on tour?"

And she couldn't help but smile so much it hurt, "Little mice definitely coming on tour."

[mixelation]

a scene, ~3k

ummmm I mentioned a while ago that in summer 2020 i wrote about ~30k of a fic where Sakura is Kakashi's apprentice. this week i've been writing more in this AU, and here's a cute snippet. there's another snippet of it here.

Kakashi makes good on his promise to take her camping. He has to ask Shikaku where to go. He’s led ANBU field training missions, but he doesn’t think ANBU would be very happy with him taking an Academy student into one of their designated areas.

Shikaku’s eyebrows twitch. Kakashi had interrupted him in the middle of receiving his quarterly review. Shikaku must be used to him by now, because he doesn’t even tell Kakashi he’s being troublesome.

“I usually take my son over to Mawaki Stream,” Shikaku says. That’s an area Kakashi’s familiar with-- the stream runs through the Nara’s little forest, but parts of it are free-access. “As for your mission completion rate--” Shikaku pauses, frowning slightly at Kakashi. “Actually, since you’re an idiot: remember to take a tent, and some real food.”

He goes back to telling Kakashi that while his mission completion rate is perfect, he’s gotten multiple complaints from fellow ninja that he’s purposefully annoying. Kakashi does not intend to change his behavior in any way going forward.

He’s grateful for Shikaku’s tip about what to bring. ANBU mostly don’t bother with tents and sleeping rolls, unless they know one is going to be necessary. There’s no reason Sakura’s first camping trip has to be sleeping squatted under a tree and living off of ration bars and unseasoned squirrel meat that was cooked via electrocution.

Sakura is very excited about the planned excursion. She brings home four separate books from the Academy library on field survival. Sakura really likes to prepare and have all the facts before she does anything.

“I don’t think we’ll be making traps this time around,” Kakashi says, picking up one of the books Sakura’s proudly spread across the dining table. Two more are general guides for genin and pre-genin, and the last one is a field guide to Fire Country ecology. “But if you really want, I can set some up and make you run through them.”

“Dog Man!” Sakura yells, playfully shoving him.

“What?” he asks, setting down the book and picking up one of the guides. “It’ll be good evasion practice.”

He makes Sakura pick out what they’re going to bring, spreading supplies out across the kitchen floor. She doesn’t own much relevant equipment herself, but Kakashi obligingly goes and digs things out of his room. He discovers some exciting things, like that he does own a flint striker and a camping lamp. Who knew?

Sakura takes her list of camping must-haves directly from one of the guides, and it appears to Kakashi to be a list of every conceivable piece of camping equipment. He makes sure to tell Sakura she did a good job before he has her remove some things from her pile, and he explains his reasoning for why they don’t need them, and when Sakura might actually want to bring them. He feels very teacher-ly. Pre-Sakura Kakashi would have never.

They set out early Saturday morning, and Sakura looks frankly adorable with Kakashi’s adult-sized travel bag on her back. If Kakashi were spending just a single night in the woods on his own, he wouldn’t even bother with a bag, but Sakura just turned nine. He’ll let her bring luxuries, but he’s also going to make her carry them, no storage scrolls allowed.

It’s training, right?

Sakura stares around the forest with wide eyes, like everything is brand new to her, even though Kakashi knows her class has taken at least a few field trips outside the village gates. She pauses more than once to take a second look at an odd mushroom or an early-spring flower, and Kakashi lets her. It’s pretty cute.

When they get to the stream, he tells Sakura to pick a campsite.

“Um, well…” Sakura fidgets. She hates questions where she can’t just regurgitate information from a book. It makes her nervous and the prospect of failure tanks her confidence, and on his worse days it makes Kakashi so annoyed he wants to peel his own skin off, because Sakura is good at this sort of analysis when she’s not second-guessing herself. “We’re supposed to find a good water source… and a… defensible area…?”

She gives Kakashi a pointed look. She obviously doesn’t know how to evaluate what spit of forest is more defensible than another one.

“Do you think we should camp along the bank, or between the trees?” Kakashi prompts.

“Hmm…” Skura frowns, eyes darting from the stream to the forest they just walked out of. Mawaki Stream is a tributary of the Naka River, and this section of it runs slowly, with deep pools filled with fish. There is several meters of clear space between the treeline of the forest and the stream itself, where the ground is cracked earth with some patchy grass.

“I read that when we’re camping next to water,” Sakura says slowly, “we should be careful of places where there’s not a lot of plants or anything, because that means maybe there’s flooding or tides.”

“Very good,” Kakashi tells her. There hasn’t been nearly enough rain recently to worry about it, but this area does have the occasional flash flood. That’s why there’s no trees at the banks of the stream-- they all get knocked down every once in a while.

Encouraged, Sakura turns to the treeline and starts babbling about hiding and spaces to conceal traps. While they’re not in the walled bits of Konoha, this area is very well patrolled and there’s no reason to be this paranoid about being attacked by enemy ninja or random thieves, but… well, it’s cute, and Kakashi wants to encourage Sakura to be more confident in her situational analyses.

“Oh, but,” she pauses, biting her lip. “Wouldn’t camping in the trees make it easy for people to sneak up on us too…?”

“That’s a good point,” Kakashi tells her, shoving his hands in his pockets. “How would you detect someone sneaking up on you, Sakura-chan?”

“I guess…” Sakura fidgets, tugging at the bottom of her shirt. “I’d hope I hear them first. Or!” Her face lights up. “Smell them! Or, or! We could pick a place where there’s only one approach, like in that movie--”

Sakura wanders back into the trees, waving her arms and babbling about finding an area with good airflow to carry scent but enough trees for “security.” Where should we camp, on our own village’s territory? Is not a question important enough to warrant as much thought and concern as Sakura is putting into it, and there’s no one best answer, but that’s also sort of the point of this whole lesson. Kakashi follows her at a lazy pace, and they end up several hundred meters further down the stream where the trees have thinned out a bit before Sakura picks a spot she thinks is perfect.

The rest of the morning is spent unpacking and setting things up, which happens at such a slow and disorganized pace that Kakashi actually manages to give himself anxiety over it. If his team-- not even his ANBU team, but just a normal team on one of his regular jounin missions-- was this slow and dropped things this much, he’d write them up.

But he’s not on a regular jounin mission. He’s with Sakura on her first ever time camping, and it’s normal that she doesn’t have the slightest idea what she’s doing. He makes her set everything up herself, correcting her when she starts to go wrong and working very hard to hide his giggles when the tent collapses and she looks downright offended by it.

“Kiba says his sister just does all this for him when they go camping,” Sakura tells him, fuming, when the tent collapses a second time and Kakashi fails to hold back his laughter.

(It’s not that it’s fun when Sakura screws up. It’s just that the faces she makes are adorable.)

“Then Kiba will be behind you when you have to learn in class,” Kakashi tells her a couple minutes later, after he’s gotten a hold of himself.

“Do you even know how to do this?” Sakura mumbles to herself, although she doesn’t complain further.

Kakashi does demonstrate how to catch fish for her for lunch, mostly because just setting up took longer than he thought (almost everything about teaching takes longer than he thinks it should), and he can hear her stomach growling. He even does it the way he’s pretty sure the Academy teaches it, wading out into the water with a kunai in his hand. Sakura follows him, her footing unsure on the slick rocks, and he lets her grab onto his vest for support.

They brought some spices and fresh vegetables with them-- an absolute luxury you only really get on the cushiest of civilian escort missions, Kakashi tells her as he cleans the fish and sets a fire.

Sakura watches him eagerly, her green eyes bright and filled with intense concentration.

He pauses once he has a frying pan in his hands. Sakura blinks at him curiously, and then that curiosity slowly starts to fade to doubt.

“I haven’t… done this in a while,” Kakashi admits. Most of his outdoor cooking involves cutting things up with a kunai and then putting it on a stick to roast. Who brings a frying pan on a mission?

“You’re supposed to put it on a grill rack,” Sakura says helpfully. “Then you can cook normally. That’s what my book said.”

“Did you… bring a grill rack?” Kakashi asks slowly.

“Uh,” says Sakura, horror dawning on her face.

Kakashi resorts to finding several rocks to set into the fire and then support the pan on, and Sakura looks at him like this is a particularly genius solution. It makes him feel a lot better that he’s a moron who forgot a grilling rack even existed as a concept.

Sakura did think to pack a rubber spatula, so Kakashi doesn’t have to doubly embarrass himself and admit he hadn’t even thought of that.

“I think… this tastes better than what we make at home,” Sakura concludes of their meal, which they eat directly out of the pan. She sounds very suspicious about it.

Kakashi is a little suspicious of it, because she’s right. Does he have to come out and get river-fresh fish every time he wants to competently cook something?

“Hard work is the best sauce,” he tells her, and Sakura makes a face.

“Sounds like something Gai-san would say,” she says. Kakashi snorts.

They spend the entire afternoon preparing for dinner. Sakura had said she wanted to learn to fish and to make a fire, and so Kakashi helps her set up a trap for fish upstream, and then gives her a kunai and has her practice catching them by hand. She comes dangerously close to stabbing herself and Kakashi several times, and does not catch a single fish.

“Maa, that’s normal for your first time,” Kakashi tells her when her shoulders slump. “That’s why we made the trap too.”

She has much better luck setting a fire, and the two of them go through different strategies and ways to arrange tinder until the sun starts to go down. Kakashi would never admit this outloud, but his favorite moments with Sakura are the ones like these, where she picks up whatever skill easily and Kakashi doesn’t have to squash down frustration or feel bad that he’s not a great teacher. Plus, watching his cute little apprentice perk up as she realizes she’s good at something that she’s learned is… well, it’s very cute, and weirdly rewarding on top of that.

There are more than enough fish in Sakura’s trap when she goes to check, and this delights her. She also tosses some edible water weeds into their dinner, and Kakashi lets her even though he doesn’t like the taste. She’s proud of herself for finding them, and he’s not going to squash that pride.

When they go to turn in for the night, Sakura takes in how much of the tent Kakashi takes up just by himself and asks, “Are you sure this is a two-person tent?”

“Unfortunately, tents tend to be cramped,” Kakashi tells her. “I can sleep outside if you don’t want to share.”

His gut instinct is to tease and threaten to make her sleep outside, but even though Sakura will eventually have to learn to be comfortable getting up close and personal with her fellow ninja, there’s no reason she has to be made uncomfortable now. He holds himself back.

“I’m not going to make you sleep outside!” Sakura cries, and then crawls in with grim determination. “It’s cold.”

It is indeed early enough in the season that it’s still fairly chilly at night. Kakashi is used to such inconveniences.

“Thanks, Beans,” he says, ruffling her hair. Sakura glowers at him.

Sakura does try to put as much room between them as she can when she lies down, but the temperature is dropping and only a few minutes later she wiggles over to him and curls up at his side.

“How are you supposed to do this during the winter?” she gripes.

“Better thermal blankets,” Kakashi tells her. “Chakra exercises to regulate body temperature. Oh, and cuddling.”

“Jounin don’t cuddle,” Sakura protests, despite currently being practically in a jounin’s armpit in order to leech his body heat.

“My missions are fifty percent cuddling,” Kakashi tells her, and she pokes him meanly in the side.

Sakura falls asleep quickly, exhausted by the day. Kakashi spends a few moments listening to her breathing before he lets himself drift off as well.

When he wakes, Sakura has uncurled herself, her elbow directly in his ribs. Kakashi very carefully climbs over her and out of the tent. Outside, he does some calisthenics while he debates if he’s going to make Sakura forage for breakfast or not, and then crouches down at the shore of the stream to splash some water on his face and brush his teeth.

He hears Sakura shifting around in the tent while he does this, and when she eventually teeters out of the tent, he turns and waves at her, toothbrush in hand.

Sakura freezes like one of the Nara deer.

“Yo,” Kakashi tries.

“D-d-dog Man,” Sakura splutters out. She takes several very hesitant steps forward, like she wants to look at something but is afraid to approach. “Your face.”

For a moment, Kakashi thinks maybe he has something on his face. Then he realizes the scandalized look is because he doesn’t have anything on his face at all, actually, not even his mask.

“It’s just a normal face!” Sakura continues. She’s come up to within arms reach of him, although she hovers back, like she doesn’t quite trust him. “I thought you must’ve been hideous under there.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi replies, stroking his chin. “I’m pretty sure I’m well known to be devilishly handsome…”

Had Sakura really never seen his face before? He hadn’t been intentionally hiding it from her, not really, because how was he supposed to hide his face from someone he lived with? But he supposed he did habitually wear the mask whenever he wasn’t actively bathing, even in the house, so apparently he’d been successful at that anyway.

Sakura is stuttering out an angry speech about how he was keeping secrets that didn’t even need to be secrets. She sounds comically betrayed that he’s not offensively ugly under his mask.

“I’ve decided I trust you with my secret,” Kakashi tells her, pulling his mask back up. “Don’t tell anyone else about my normal face. I’m trying to stay mysterious.”

Sakura scowls, puffing her cheeks out.

He makes her eat a ration bar for breakfast, telling her it’s to motivate her to get better at catching fish real fast. She continues to scowl at him over breakfast, then complains about not being able to bathe properly in the woods and rewearing clothes from yesterday, and then whines again that she’s deeply upset he’s not hideous. Kakashi makes bored, sympathetic noises at her and tries not to laugh.

Then she slips and falls into the stream while wading for more fish, and Kakashi fails to hold back a couple giggles.

“You’re so mean!” Sakura screeches, and for a moment Kakashi thinks she’s going to hurl her kunai at him. During that moment, he’s not really afraid of getting hit at all, but he is afraid of the talking-to he’ll have to give her, because it’s one thing to shove or poke or pinch the jounin teasing you, and it’s an entirely other thing to throw a weapon at someone.

Instead, Sakura throws a handful of slimy algae from the bottom of the stream at him. This only makes Kakashi giggle harder, and they end up splashing stream water at each other until Sakura is giggling too.

“Ah!” she says, stopping mid-splash with the horrified look on her face. “The fish...!”

This was, admittedly, partially Kakashi’s fault. He obediently gives her a piggyback ride up the stream a bit, where they haven’t scared all the wildlife away.

Sakura finally catches a fish, well after noon, stabbing her kunai right through its little body. She holds it above her head with a manic sort of glee, scales and water cascading down her arm, and Kakashi regrets not bringing a camera.

The fish is more bone than meat, but Sakura carefully cleans and cooks it herself and refuses to share.

“You’re going to still eat with your mask on?” Sakura asks, hunched over her tiny fish like a wild animal.

Kakashi, having dramatically caught his own fish on the first try just to see the face Sakura makes at him, pauses.

“Was my face really such a tempting mystery?” he asks.

“Why were you covering it?” Sakura demands. Her new fish-killing prowess has made her bolder. Or maybe Kakashi is just annoying her more than normal?

“Lots of reasons,” Kakashi says without further elaboration.

Sakura looks deeply, impressively unimpressed for a few moments, before shrugging it off and going back to carefully picking every piece of meat she can off her fish.

Kakashi makes her do all the camp clean up, making her list off the chores she read about and flounder through them herself. It takes hours, and by the end of it Sakura looks so frazzled and tired, he offers to carry the pack for her.

“You promise I’ll do better than Kiba in class?” Sakura asks once he deems their campsite clean and they start to plod home. The area is still a mess by ninja standards, but they’re not going to start a forest fire or anything.

“Don’t you already do better than Kiba?” Kakashi asks.

“Only on the written stuff,” Sakura gripes.

“And the chakra stuff,” Kakashi says.

“And the dog stuff!” Sakura adds, suddenly looking smug. In another student, Kakashi thinks an ego trip like this would be discouraged by a competent sensei, but Sakura’s self-esteem spends so much time in the gutter, he’ll let her have a few minutes feeling superior to Inuzuka Kiba.

After a few beats, Sakura comments, “That wasn’t so bad though! I caught a fish and everything. Maybe next we can try foraging plants? I think I would be better at that.”

She babbles for a bit about the most interesting plants in the ecology guide-- most of which she will not be finding in the forest immediately surrounding Konoha-- and then says, “Not showering for two days isn’t so bad, either.”

“Nope,” Kakashi agrees, grinning down at her. “Just you wait until you get to do this for a whole month.”

Sakura blanches.

[only-johnny-deppp]

“Whatever I’ve gone through, I’ve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...” 

 Johnny Depp’s NEW INTERVIEW!

Last saturday, August 14, The UK Times, released a new interview with Johnny for the Sunday Times section. It was realized sometime earlier this month, in London, probably on the same day he and Andrew Levitas were recording for the Q&A for the “Minamata” release in UK. This is Johnny’s first interview since the UK trials in London last year, and released three years after Johnny’s major interview for the British GQ Magazine. Here Johnny and Andrew Levitas speaks about “Minamata”, his future as actor and a thing or two about his personal life, although he cannot talk about the court case.

For those who couldn’t read yet, here is the FULL interview:  Enjoy.

***

“I’M BEING BOYCOTTED BY HOLLYWOOD”

Johnny Depp has a new film out this week. In the opening scene his character, the real-life photographer W Eugene Smith, says, “I’m done. I’m tired. My body is older than I am. I’m always in goddam pain. I can’t trust my f***ing dick any more. Constantly in a foul mood. Even the drugs bore me.”

I ask Depp if Smith’s despair resonated with him. Depp stops. Rocks back and forth. “That’s interesting,” he replies with painful hesitation.

“I didn’t approach playing Smith in that way… Although you bring your toolbox to work and use what is available. Having experienced...” He stops again. Depp takes any questions that might refer to his calamitous libel case last year slowly, in a mumbly, croaking drawl. “A surreal five years…”

In the film Smith needs to revive his reputation. In real life Depp’s task is even more daunting. Thanks to the judgment, everyone can call him a “wife-beater”. Now he must convince a Hollywood still convulsed by #MeToo that he’s not toxic — and that any attempt to rebuild his career is a risk worth taking. This is Depp’s first interview since the case.

We are speaking over Zoom, Depp in his London home, in front of a gold-framed painting. The 58-year-old is wearing a lot of clothes. Earrings. Floppy hat. Sunglasses. Bandana. Scarf. Checked shirt over a T-shirt with an indiscernible slogan. If you saw him on the Tube*, you might think he was off to work at the London Dungeon*, to play most of the characters.

PS. For those who are not familiar with British words: * Tube = British slang for London Underground, the subway trains. * London Dungeon = is a walk-through experience that recreates scenes from London's scary history in a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides.

Depp resumes, talking in broken sentences about the new film, Minamata, in which Smith, via Life magazine, exposes the brutal mercury poisoning of Japanese villagers in the early 1970s.

“How do we do this?” he asks rhetorically, meaning how to speak about the elephant in the Zoom. “Well, there’s no way one can’t recognise the absurdity of the mathematics.” He grins. “If you know what I mean?” No. “Absurdity of media mathematics.” He talks in riddles. “Whatever I’ve gone through, I’ve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...”

He trails off again. He is holding a big brown roll-up of some sort. “What the people in Minamata dealt with? People who suffered with Covid? A lot of people lost lives. Children sick...Ill. Ultimately, in answer to your question? Yeah, you use what you’ve got. But what I’ve been through? That’s like getting scratched by a kitten. Comparatively.”

Last July, I went to the High Court in London to watch Depp on another screen — a video from the socially distanced court where the Hollywood star was losing a libel action against The Sun after it called him a “wife-beater”. It was the grottiest showbiz trial of the century. There were photos of the actor passed out in a foetal slump, socks on show. One lengthy exchange involved faeces. Another urination, inside or outside a house, after a violent night with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

This had all been going on for a while. In 2016 Heard applied for a temporary restraining order against him. The couple had long endured a narcotic, booze-filled, childish relationship, but that does not matter — 12 incidents levelled against Depp were proved, said the judge, and abuse is abuse, regardless of how badly they both behaved. Depp wanted to appeal, but the court said no. Next April in the US he has a $50 million defamation case against Heard relating to an opinion piece she wrote about being the victim of domestic abuse. It may be his last roll of the dice.

In the 1990s Depp was a sensitive heart-throb. Cooler than DiCaprio, edgier than Pitt. In this past year he has been stripped of his status and dignity. On day three of the trial Sasha Wass QC, representing The Sun, asked Depp about daubing a penis on a painting. He could not remember. “That would be quite a big thing, painting a penis on a picture?”  Wass asked. “Quite a big thing?” Depp asked.

It was a well-delivered line, but Depp was on show. Performing. Now he is more timid, less lucid. His people say he cannot talk about the court case given the looming US trial, yet it hangs over everything. The director of Minamata, Andrew Levitas, is also on our call — as a pub trivia aside, Levitas is married to the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins.

The two men clearly get on. “With regards to journalism, it was important for us to put across in the film the power of truth,” Levitas says. Depp nods. “The responsibility of journalists to look after citizens of the world. [Our film] coincided with the moment important publications had to put Raquel Welch on a cover to get enough eyeballs to sell enough ads in order to put something meaningful inside. A result of that is clickbait — it’s destroying the purpose of journalism,” Levitas continues.

“You said it beautifully,” says Depp, one of the world’s most pinned-up men, who built a career on magazine covers. “I couldn’t say it better than that.”

Last month Levitas wrote to MGM, which bought Minamata for the US market but decided not to release it. He accused MGM of being concerned that “the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them”. Then the letter got really strong. Levitas accused MGM of failing in its “moral obligation” to release the film and said it needed to explain to the victims “why you think an actor’s personal life is more important than their dead children”. He then attached Smith’s photos of ghastly deformities that shocked the world 50 years ago.

“It’s important that the movie gets seen and supported,” Levitas says. “And if I get an inkling it’s not going to be, it’s my responsibility to say so. Where it goes from there? I don’t know. But we have responsibility to these victims . . .”

You can see why he’s passionate. The film is good. MGM bought the film because it is good. Depp is good too. He disappears into the role, far from his more recent pantomime parts. It’s being released worldwide, just not in the actor’s homeland.

Depp, who also produced the film, interrupts. “We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.”

“Some films touch people,” he adds. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything…” He pauses, as he does. “For Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?” He trails off. “But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that…” Again, he trails off. “To bring things to light.”

The fact, as I think Depp knows, is that for his career, the court that matters is not one of law, but public opinion. On social media, where a lot of minds are made up, Depp’s good reputation will always outweigh the bad, thanks to his frequently blinkered fans.

Outside the High Court, as Heard arrived, I saw Natasha, 30, yell: “Get hit by a truck, Amber!” She is extreme, but the persistent way his fans demand that others think their idol is a saint shows a career revival will happen. After all, most filmgoers do not follow his private life at all. To them, he is Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands. To them, he is a star — and a star can take an awful lot of heat before it burns out.

“They have always been my employers,” Depp says of his fans. “They are all our employers. They buy tickets, merchandise. They made all of those studios rich, but they forgot that a long time ago. I certainly haven’t. I’m proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth they’re trying to get out since it doesn’t in more mainstream publications. It’s a long road that sometimes gets clunky. Sometimes just plain stupid. But they stayed on the ride with me and it’s for them I will fight. Always, to the end. Whatever it may be.”

Depp will talk like this for ever — about his “truth”. Minamata is the last film Depp has listed on the industry site IMDb, where actors usually have half a dozen in development. So, yes, fans of the actor can see Depp in a new role now — it is a return, but is it a relaunch? The film was finished in 2019, way before last year’s court case. Is that it? His last film? He thinks and looks off to his bookshelves, at biographies of Betjeman and Olivier.

“Er...no,” he says, eventually. “No. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way. Because once you’ve...Well, look. The way they wrote it in The Wizard of Oz is that when you see behind the curtain, it’s not him. When you see behind the curtain, there’s a whole lot of motherf***ers squished into one spot. All praying that you don’t look at them. And notice them.”

I would ask him to explain, but I am not sure he is an explainer. Watch this space, I guess, but he is already taking a first step back. After we speak, it is announced Depp is getting the coveted Donostia award at the San Sebastian Film Festival next month. Some people are just too famous to fail.

~ Interview by Jonathan Dean, in London, for The Times UK (released on August 14, 2021)

[lottiebagley]

Have you ever been in love? - Cedric Diggory

The Diggory family had lived next door to her family since she moved house when she was only 4. He had been in his garden on a kids broom, his parents sat on the patio in front of the grass watching him play, when the new next door neighbours had burst into their garden.

It was like life itself injected into the small and quiet village. Twin boys, maybe 7 or 8 with loud laughs and boisterous attitudes. A young girl who had a desperation to keep up with her brothers running out after them.

The parents had talked over the fence and Amos invited the family over for dinner, insisting that after the stress of the move they shouldn't be cooking.

The daughter ended up being only 2 months younger than Cedric and immediately they were joint at the hip.

They grew up together. Swimming in the lake in hot summers, cuddled up under blankets whilst drinking hot chocolate at Christmas. They made promises of a lifelong friendship in the small village and neither had any intent to break it.

The boy was the epitome of kindness. He was caring and sweet. Always patient with her when she got into stupid situations and loyal as they come.

She was just different enough it worked. With two older brothers who she always wanted to impress she was brave, some would say to the point it was stupid. She could be reckless but she was also passionate. If she cared she would do anything for someone and she really, really, cared about her best friend.

It was no shock that they were placed in different houses. It was also no shock to anyone that knew them that they stayed best friends. Joint at the hip.

He grounded her and cared when she felt like no one else would.

She stood right by his side through anything.

It was natural. The love that blossomed in her heart. He had grown up to be an attractive boy. With perfectly tousled hair and a tall stature. Milky skin with bright eyes and a sharp jaw. But he was more than that to her.

He was warm smiles and easy laughs. He was her rock. The one thing she could always rely on. Of course she fell for him. Fell  hard. It was only ever natural.

"Ced!" Her voice sounds through the hall, she leaves the Weasley twins' side, they were her closest friends in her own house.

He can't help the wide smile on his face when he turns to see her jogging down the corridor to catch up to him. His dorm mates rolling their eyes and calling him whipped jokingly before continuing on their way to breakfast. Leaving him to be with his best friend.

"Morning love," he grins down at her when she reaches his side, his arms wrapping around her. She can't help the blush on her cheeks at the pet name. "You sleep well?" He asks, his arm stays tightly wrapped around her as they walk to the hall.

"I slept okay. Angelina has a cold so she was snoring which kept me up a bit," the girl admits. Rolling her eyes when she sees the worry over taking her best friends features.

"You should have just come and slept in with me," he reprimands gently

"Oh yes Mr. Prefect, let me just break those school rules with you," she teases

"Since when did you care for the school rules?"

"I don't want to bring you down with me,"

"Ah. But you're the only one I would let drag me down," he laughs

"Seems like your reputation will stay crystal clean then,"

"You're a pretty bad bad influence," he chuckles giving her a tight squeeze "I mean it though. I never mind you staying in my bed," he smiles lightly.

"Thanks Ced," she grins. They arrive at the hall and she drags him to eat breakfast with her at the Gryffindor table. He pretends to protest, knowing she will never let him actually not come. The love-struck grin on his face lets everyone near the pair know that he could never say no. Even if he wanted too.

The pair talk easily over their breakfast, playing footsie under the table like it's a thing all friends do. He makes sure she's eating a balanced breakfast and she laughs calling him a mother hen. Both of them mistake the love in the others eyes to be platonic.

"Sorry love birds but y/n we have to get going. We have Herbology," George smiles down at the girl waiting patiently for her. Trying not laugh at the bright flush overtaking both their features at the name.

"I'll see you in divination?" She asks the Hufflepuff in front of her.

"See you there love," he grins. She smiles pressing a kiss to his cheek over the table. Before flouncing out of the hall with George.

If she had looked back she would have seen the smile he can't wipe off his face. The way his hand subconsciously touches his cheek. The way he laughs at himself quietly. You got it bad Diggory. He can't get the thought out of his house as he watches her laughing figure turn round the corner.

**

"You're playing with fire you know," George mutters to the girl as they stand working on a mandrake in a  tucked away corner.

"What on earth are you talking about Georgie? You must have inhaled some fumes," she jokes

"Flirting with Pretty boy Diggory. You're only going to get yourself hurt if you are with him all the time and don't tell him you feel," he states "I mean you're clearly in love," he adds on the end, laughing when her face turns beat red.

*

Y/n sits with Cedric in the library. It's late, the library will close within the hour,  and a  Friday night. Most students are having a night off and relaxing but the girl had vowed to finish all her homework by midday on Saturday, freeing up all day Sunday to spend with Cedric.

He had asked in divination if she would like to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room, something not uncommon for her, and join him and some of his friends in a games night. She had politely declined, too embarrassed to say the reason she wanted to get all her work done tonight, instead telling her friend she was behind.

Ever the good friend, he had decided to join her in the library. With their OWLs being at the end of the academic year their was always work he could be doing. He would rather be studying with her than having fun without her in any case.

He's noticed she's been distracted ever since breakfast. Arriving in their shared second lesson and slipping into a seat next to him, in some form of trance, lost in her own thoughts. He wishes he knew what it was making his best friend so stressed. Wished he could help.

"Ced?" She questions into the silent room. Looking up to see her friend peer at her from behind the book he's copying notes from.

"Yeah?" He replies, placing his quill down and smiling gently to her.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asks.

See it wasn't the idea of it being dangerous to be close to the boy she was crushing on. She knew that. Knew she was setting herself up for a heart break. It was the word love. Was she in love?

"Yes," he answers without a doubt. No question in his mind. He was in love with the scared looking girl in front of him. He had never seen her look scared before.

"Really?" She questions mouth agape. She tries so hard to ignore the ache in her chest. The feeling of her heart splintering. The way her whole world crashes down. "How did it feel?"

He is worried. Who did she think she might be in love with? The pair are practically inseparable. What boy had captured her heart whilst he had sat next to her blissfully unaware she was being snatched from him?

"It feels nice. Like home," he starts. He's nothing if he's not honest. He prides himself on that. He will help his friend through what she's feeling, he would always help her. "She's the only girl I ever want to see. Only person I ever want to see. I wake up and she's my first thought. If she's okay? If she slept well? When I'll see her?" He admits.

She nods. That fits. He is always her first thought.

"I don't stop thinking about her all day. She just occupies my head without even trying. Anytime I hear a joke I think of her laugh. When something upsets me if vision her hugging me to cheer up. When I'm in the same room as her I can't pull my eyes away," he continues.

That fits. Doesn't she always turn to see if he's laughing at a joke? Always relies on him no matter what.

"She's the first person I tell when anything happens in my life,"

That one hurts a bit. That there's some girl out there finding out the ins and outs of Cedric before she does.

"I would do anything for her. Break any rule. I'd move earth if she asked. All I have to do is vision that smile and I'm putty in her hands," he finishes.

It all fits. And it hits her like a ton of bricks. She's in love with Cedric.

"Have you?" He asks. Trying so hard to swallow his jealousy. Maybe it one of the twins. He could come to accept that. They're good to her. They would be worthy of being her first love, stealing the title he has been dreaming of since they were 11 and she broke into the hospital wing in the middle of the night to check on him.

"I think I might be," she admits. Not looking at him. It's even harder to hear than he had imagined.

"Really? Who?" He asks. God why is he torturing himself? He feels helpless. The last thing he wants is to hear and yet he just has to know.

"I don't want to tell you. It's silly," she whispers.

"If there's a boy on this planet who could have you and would choose not to then he is stupid. If he's stupid you don't want him in the first place," he's never been so sincere. What boy could ever say no to her?

"He's not. He's beautiful. And he's kind. And he's smart. I know he loves me. I just-well- I think it's platonic," she admits. There's something about how she says it. About how she's looking at him that makes hope spark in his chest. He squishes it down. This is painful enough without letting himself think it could ever be him.

He doesn't say anything. Doesn't know how to form words. Doesn't know what he can say that won't let her know she's just broken his heart.

She doesn't say anything. She is so certain he knows she's talking about him, that she'd made it so clear. And kind, sweet Cedric is trying to think of a nice way to reject her.

"We don't have to do this. You don't have to say anything," she whispers. Gathering her books grabbing her bag. "Night Ced," she tries so hard to smile but there's tears pooling in her eyes as she slips out of the door.

His heart snaps. Grabbing his own bag and leaving the book on the table chasing her through the quiet corridors.

"Love, just wait, hold up. Just-" he calls out for her. She stops in her tracks. She can never bring herself to walk away from him.

She blinks rapidly before turning around, the moon shining through the window the only thing lighting the pair. He can't help but think how ethereal she looks, the moon illuminating her.

"What's going on?" He asks, hands holding her arms, rubbing gently with his thumb in an attempt to comfort her. Heart breaking at the tear dripping down her cheek.

"Look Ced, you don't have to. Yknow- say it. We will be fine. Just- I need a bit of space. Not for long- just- just for a bit," she steps out of his hands. She can't let him comfort her right now. Not when she's so in love and only just realised. Not when he's breaking her heart.

He is confused now. Why they would need space. Why she doesn't want him to say anything. It all falls into place and he struggles to say it. Maybe it's true. Maybe it's his desperation causing him to see things that aren't there.

"Who are you in love with?" He whispers. Scared to talk any louder.

"Are you really going to make me say it?" She questions, trying to bite back the sob "I just- if you're going to force me to hear you reject me you don't have to make me say it," she whispers. Refusing to look at him.

His heart explodes. He's in front of her in two steps. One arm wrapping around her form keeping her there. The other hand cupping her cheek, the thumb reaching out to dry a tear.

"I've been practicing asking you out in my mirror since I was 13," he admits. Her eyes widen in shock before he presses his lips to hers. Kissing her with so much passion and desire that there's no doubt in her mind. He feels the same.

She's desperate for more. Kissing back with as much fervour. Grabbing at his school shirt to pull him closer, impossibly close. She can feel him everywhere as her hands squeeze the fabric. His arms hugging her whilst he kisses. They pull apart panting.

"Can I take you on a date?" He smiles "I wanna do this properly," he admits, if it was anyone else he would feel shy. Not with her.

"Sunday?" She asks, she couldn't be more glad she had cleared the day. He nods a beam on his face.

"I know you want to this properly and I do too. But please tell me we get to kiss again before the first date," she smiles, he chuckles

"Whatever you want love," he grins, his lips pressing a gentle kiss on hers now.

"Love?" She whispers against his lips. He's called her it forever but it means something so different now.

"I love you," he states. No one can ever question it, not when he says it with that much confidence,

"I love you," she repeats. "Merlin, we really have done this in the wrong order," she laughs

"Whoever said proper had to be what everyone else does," he smiles back.

He's right of course. It was just right. It was them.

**

Masterlist

[blissfulescapee]

Caught Up in You - 1

A collection of one-shots, in no specific order, inspired by a prompt list I saw on here a while ago for 50 types of kisses! Turnadette have so many gorgeous moments on the show, so this should be fun! Happy reading, everyone!

One-shot starts beneath the cut. 

Prompt One: A nervous kiss after a first date.

At the top of the boarding house steps, before pressing the doorbell, Shelagh turns and takes Patrick's coat from around her shoulders before she thanks him as she hands it back. She had gotten a little cold on the way home from the restaurant and so he, being the gentleman he is, had removed his coat and draped it around her shoulders without thinking twice about it. Whether it had been intentional or he had been aiming for her cheek and missed, she has no idea, but he had kissed her on the neck as she had drawn his coat closed around herself and she shivers involuntarily at the memory of his lips on her skin. "I had a wonderful time tonight," She finally finds her voice and gives him a smile. "I never knew you were such a dancer."

"Likewise," He smirks. "I would have thought living the religious life would leave little time for dancing lessons."

She laughs at that, ducking her head for a moment. "Do I have to remind you, again, that I wasn't always part of the Order? Believe it or not, I was once a fourteen-year-old girl who climbed out of her bedroom window at six o'clock every Saturday night to attend dances at the village hall. I had boys lined up left, right and centre, all of them desperate to dance with me."

"Oh, rub it in, Miss Mannion, rub it in." He shakes his head while crossing his arms across his chest.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're envious of a bunch of teenagers, doctor?" She inquires as she steps a bit closer to him.

"Honestly, I hate thinking about you in anyone's arms other than my own," He reaches for her instinctively and pulls her to him, the smile she gives him as she rests her hands on his chest only deepening his love for her. "I should probably tell you, before any more decisions are made, that you're getting involved with an incredibly selfish man and I shan't be sharing you with anyone. For this to work, you have to promise that you'll dance with me and only me for the rest of your natural life."

She sucks air through her teeth. "You drive a hard bargain, I admit, but I suppose I can accept those terms."

"You're certain? It won't be too much of a sacrifice for you?" He has to fight to keep himself from chuckling.

"I don't think so," She shakes her head. "But if you ever step on my toes then the deal is off, do you understand?"

"I think so." He nods, the two of them looking at each other in silence for a second before they both burst into laughter.

"Oh, I should probably go in," She sighs disappointedly. "Even though I'd much rather stay out here with you all evening."

He moves a hand from her waist to her lower back and pulls her closer to his chest. "Can you wait a minute longer?"

"I think so, yes, but what for?" She asks.

"Because I have wanted to kiss you all night and I don't think I can wait a minute longer," He whispers as he uses the hand that isn't holding her close to tuck a curl behind her ear, her eyes closing of their own accord as he lets his fingers graze her cheek while he does so. She slowly opens them again when his hand returns to her waist. "Shelagh, may I kiss you? Please?"

"You…you don't need my permission." She tells him as her gaze moves between his and his lips for a second.

Wordlessly, he closes the remaining distance between them and brushes his thumb against her back through her dress as he looks her in the eye in silence for a moment. Whether or not this is the first time she's ever been kissed, he has no idea, but she is clearly nervous and so he takes his time. He leans in and simply ghosts his lips over hers the first time, no pressure at all, and when he pulls back her lips are slightly parted and a blush has risen in her cheeks. He shares a smile with her when she opens her eyes and lifts his hand to her neck, tucking it beneath her hair and stroking his thumb against the soft strands while he studies her features. She is radiant. "You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" He murmurs quietly to her.

She rolls her eyes good-naturedly as a smirk crosses her lips. "Patrick, stop talking and kiss me."

"You're quite a bold girl, aren't you?"

"When I need to be."

Her initial nervousness evidently long gone, he uses the hand on her neck to tilt her head back a little and captures her lips with his in a tender kiss. He keeps it as chaste as possible, not wanting to push his luck and take it any further than this, and the hand on her back returns to her waist, drawing her further into him as his lips move over hers and he feels her wrap her arms around him. Her hands roam over his back through his shirt as she rises onto her tiptoes to fix the height issue and the world seems to fade away as she loses herself to his embrace. She could stay in his arms like this for the rest of time, she has no doubt whatsoever, but life is never that kind to her and so it comes as no surprise to her when the urge to breathe arises.

Reluctantly, she breaks the kiss but keeps her eyes closed and her arms around him as he rests his forehead against her own. Their breathing is uneven, their cheeks are flushed and their clothing is somewhat creased but neither one of them cares as they stand together and wait for their hearts to stop racing. He eventually leans back and she feels him kiss her forehead, his lips warm against her skin as he lingers for a minute longer than he probably should before he pulls back again and her eyes open. "I couldn't think of a better way to end the evening," She rests her chin on his chest as she looks up at him, her eyes twinkling behind her spectacles. "I really should go in now though, it's getting late and you need to get home to Timothy."

"I do," He nods before he takes his arms from around her and lets her turn around so that she can ring the bell. He puts his arm around her, running his hand up and down her arm to keep her warm while they wait for the landlady to come to the door, and when she does he shares a smile with her before Shelagh steps forward to start making her way inside the house. "Shelagh," He calls her name quietly while she crosses the threshold and she glances over her shoulder at him. "I love you."

His words give her butterflies and her cheeks burn as she fails to hide her smile and gives him the only response she can.

"I love you too, Patrick…"

[kdramachitchat]

Yu-Mi’s Cells Episode 4 Recap: Dates, First Kiss and Meeting Lustasaurus

Episode 4 of Yumi’s Cells begins with Gu-Woong arriving with his umbrella. Then the lights are back on in Cell Land and brought in the sweets too (There's other sweet things that adds to Cell Land and not literally), bringing Yu-Mi to look at Gu-Woong in a much more positive light. He was curious about why she didn't reply, so he showed up to check on her. Woong finds out about her broken phone and ended up with a sigh of relief realizing she wasn't ignoring him at all. He shouldn't jump into conclusions so quickly! He looked so happy and told her he thought he got dumped, which led Yu-Mi smiling. In Cell Land, it's the first time in years since it snowed. Woong's Cell showed up on Yu-Mi's Cell land as his Gatekeeper.

In Cell Land, one of Gu-Woong’s Cells shows up to check out the village. However, the cells there refuse to allow it and punch him away. There’s more pressing concerns though and as Yu-Mi passes out while waiting at the bus stop and runs a fever. Woong checks up on her. In Woong's Cell Land a alarm bells as a emergency, the cells activate the sprint mode and let Woong carry her to the nearest hospital. The Cells announced the mission as cleared and Woong ends up acting conceited. While she's still asleep, Woong received a call from Louis who is curious where he is and he mentioned that he's in the hospital with Yu-Mi. Louis is worried how he went to the hospital, Woong said that he carried her and said that Yu-Mi's light. Sae-Yi tells him it's the wrong idea while Woong doesn't approve because this is what his algorithim tells him to do then hungs up.

Woong then even buys her new clothes with a frog on the front. Yu-Mi eventually wakes up realizing that she's in the hospital and sees what Woong has done for her. Yu-Mi checks out the clothes Woong bought for her and its a one-piece. Then a frog show up in Yu-Mi’s Cell Land and helps save all the different cells, cleaning up the village that has been contaminated with stress and making sure Hysterius won't come back by putting up a fence. The Frog even saved Love and True Feelings too who were stranded in the deserted island. The cells were thankful and the frog went in because of Yu-Mi's heart. Only, it turns out the frog is just an outfit for Woong’s love cell. What a sneak! What a metaphor too. Woong sneaked into Yu-Mi's heart without her realizing it. Woong came back to the hospital to check on her. She even told him that she likes the clothes he picked and that it reminded of the festival. Yu-Mi in return as being grateful invited him for a second date! Woong is worried about the restaurants closing asking about the time and Yu-Mi ended up using the same time joke! Haha. Yu-Mi started using his jokes adding that she's a "gentleman".

The pair have a wonderful date and Yu-Mi thanked him for everything. Yu-Mi even told him to send her a text though Woong tells her it takes a while to get home and reminded her of her phone. Yu-Mi tells him that she has a laptop so they can contact each other through that. After that moment, The Dream Theatre came to a close. Then the Bulletin Board Cell shows up late at night to help clear up Yu-Mi’s cluttered mind as a way to sort one’s mind out at the end of the day, especially her daily life. The comments that Yu-Mi should remember are the ones that are moved up, especially when it comes to Woong. I really love this idea of Cell Land's Bulletin Board it's like our own board with post-it notes for reminders. After this, Woong and Yu-Mi started chatting. Woong asked her if he can call her tomorrow and bids her goodnight for real. Woong and Yu-Mi ended up smiling, especially Yu-Mi who seems to be in lalaland. The top reminder of the Bulletin Board is the 2nd date for tomorrow as a reminder by Love Cell. With Woong's Bulletin Board all he thinks about is Yu-Mi and the Cell is annoyed because he wanted to sleep, hihi.

Woong heads back to check on Sae-Yi, who happens to be tipsy checking out Yu-Mi's social media saying to herself that she's his type. Sae-Yi starts talking about their old times and the Cells know that she usually has a ulterior motive whenever she does. While she was acting way off than usual, Woong's Cell Land detected the danger ended up activating his defense mode, which then is interpreted as a bear. As a bear he cant pick up clues or hints, making him look dumb. The defense mode switched off and Woong clearlyh knows that Sae-Yi likes him. Sae-Yi went on her second attack as she wanted to sit beside him, but they ended up switching seats. A third attack came in and it's about her crush. Thankfully Louis awakens just in time, saving them from awkwardness. Her physical touch attack begins and the Cells are troubled. Good thing the taxi arrived. The mission is officially cleared and the bear ears are gone. Sae-Yi has her own bulletin board, she wants Woong to be her husband if ever she gets married. You wish.

Saturday rolls in and Fashion Cell wakes up Cell Land, desperate to try and wake Yu-Mi up so they can go shopping even to the point on praying to the Shopping Spree Deity, who in turn encourages Fashion to sing. This works to wake up Yu-Mi, who goes shopping.

Lust Cell makes an entrance and tells Yu-Mi to to unbutton her dress by a few buttons. Well, Yu-Mi ends up spilling down her dress, ruining everything. I had a feeling. Woong sees her and is worried then invites her to his house.

With Lust Cell being kept under control (just about) by the other Cells, Lust Cell ended up being freed which made Yu-Mi imagine Woong in the shower. This is just too awkward, hard to watch and yet sexy. Hahaha. The actor has a good body i give him that. Yu-Mi ended up snapping, Lust Cell mentions how big his well thing is. I cracked up so loud at this part! I cannot. Woong's Cell Land under attack by Lustasaurus who stomps around the ground breathing fire. Another metaphor after seeing her wearing his clothes. Lust Cell is also trying to calm down Lustasaurus who Woong at the same time trying to calm himself down.

Yu-Mi tries to stop Woong from using fabric softener as a accident may happen then the two look at each other longingly. Unfortunately, Woong’s phone rings, which stopped their moment. It’s a work emergency and he has to go.  Their date is over and Woong promises to message her.

He gets the taxi home. Yu-Mi decides to get the bus. Woong  heads over and returns her dress back. There's a moment when he realizes that Yu-Mi wants to kiss him. Woong then holds her hand to pull her close, holding the crook of her back then finally ends up kissing her in a passionate way! Holy crap what directing to that kiss buildup.

Woong so far is a gentleman and romantic too. Who wouldn't fall for him too?

[slytherinnbitch]

Can you please do #28 of prompts with wolfstar?

Firstly sorry for responding to this after so long, couldn't bring myself to write anything :// Hope you like this

Prompt #28- Hogsmeade Date

Pairing- Wolfstar

Background- Sixth Year. After going in circles for years, both of them decide to just fuck it and go on a date together and see what happens from there. Or rather Sirius finally summons up his Gryffindor courage with the help of James of course and asks Moony out.

Thank you for asking <3

______________________________________________

Sirius wakes up last on that Saturday morning. Rubbing his eyes to push the sleep away, he looks around the room to find Remus fondling with his hair, dressed up in Sirius's favourite brown sweater and wool trousers.

He whistles softly, startling Remus and asks innocently, "Going somewhere, Moons?"

He tilts his head and smiles at him leaving Remus feeling dazed momentarily. "Hogsmeade Date, Pads. You should know this by now, after all I've been wanting to go with this bloke for years now."

Sirius wants to snog him silly just for uttering those words and expresses just so with his eyes. Remus gasps sharply and leaves the room with a quick excuse that Sirius doesn't care for when he catches Sirius's expression.

He shakes his head while grinning like a fool. A fool in love as he falls back on his head for that extra five minutes.

An hour later he comes down to the Great Hall along with James and he immediately spots Remus talking to Lily. He is blushing beautifully as Sirius makes his way towards him with James in tow.

"Hey Moons! You look beautiful." he greets him as he sits down and serves himself.

"Thanks Pads. You look....." Remus gulps audibly as he takes in Sirius's apparels. He is wearing a Queen t-shirt with black leather jacket and black jeans, just his signature look.

"I think Re wants to say that you look hot, Siri." Lily supplies when it becomes clear that Remus has forgotten how to talk. Sirius flashes her a grin and starts eating.

After breakfast is over, he turns slightly so he is facing Remus directly and asks, "Are you ready or do you need ten?"

Remus smiles sweetly at him and shakes his head. "I'm ready, let's go."

They bid their goodbyes to their friends who are all very enthusiastic and ask them not to return unless it's absolutely necessary. James, the bastard that he is adds that they might not want to return before tomorrow since it's Sunday and they don't have any classes. It gets him a shove from Sirius and a glare from a very flustered Remus.

As they walk towards the Hogwarts gates, Sirius grows nervous. It's one thing to act cocky and confident infront of everyone but now that they are alone he has no idea what to do or expect. He thinks of holding hands and even inches his hand near Remus's but quickly retreats.

He does this three more times before Remus gives him a look and takes his hand and entwines it with his own. He shakes his head fondly as they continue walking.

The silence isn't awkward, rather it's comfortable. He just enjoys walking along side Remus while holding his hand, something he had wanted to do since he discovered that he liked boys. But soon enough he gets the urge to speak so obviously he starts on the easiest subject. The weather.

Just after he utters the words, Remus spins around and faces him, "Really Pads? Are we that pathetic that we need to talk about the sodding weather."

"Well no....." Sirius smiles sheepishly at his date as he tugs them towards the village.

"We are still getting chocolates first, right?" Remus asks after a moment.

"Of course Moons. That's the rule, innit? Just because we are out on a date doesn't mean that chocolates aren't allowed. More like, I'm going to buy you a ton of chocolate that will last you a whole century." Sirius says with a goofy grin on his face.

"Sirius Black, do you really think that there is enough chocolate on this Earth at this moment to last me the whole century?" Remus teases and both of them start chuckling. From there the conversation flows easily, they have only been best friends for the last five years after all.

Sirius true to his word buys Remus five bags full of chocolates. He calls one of his house elf and transfers the bags directly to their dorm. They walk through all of the Hogsmeade, buying tit bits, roaming through the small bookshop, feeding eachother chocolate from the one box Remus had kept with himself while the rest of them were taken to the dorm.

Sirius's eyes spark happiness when Remus feeds him the first piece and it takes all his self control to not kiss the bloke there and then. They then go to The Three Broomsticks because even though they are on a date it would be a crime to go anywhere else. Rose would kill them herself for that.

"Hello boys, what can I get you both?" Rose asks as a way of greeting, a few minutes after they had sat down.

They both look at each other for a moment before saying 'two butterbeers' together. Rose smiles at them while they both blush red.

"Anything else?"

"Fish and chips?" he asks Remus who nods and he confirms it to Rose.

"The other two not coming?" Rose asks when they don't add anything else.

"Um.....they- we are..." Sirius starts stuttering.

Remus slightly squeezes his arm and says, "We are actually...on a date so no...."

The smile Rose gives them could easily light up all of Hogsmeade. She heads back to the counter, muttering 'about time' under her breath.

They sit there, talking and holding hands. Hands which are kept on the table in a proud display. Rose comes back with their food and proclaims them to be on the house, refusing to hear anything about it.

They bid their goodbyes to Rose and walk back to Hogwarts in a content silence. When they finally reach the bottom of the stairs leading to the Gryffindor Tower, Sirius starts talking again.

"So..."

"So what?" Remus asks confusedly.

"Well usually after a date, I kiss the bloke goodbye either in the common room or here. But well...you know we are in the same dorm room with beds facing each other so I don't know what to do."

Remus laughs softly at that and takes his face in his hands bringing it close to his own face. He whispers against his lips, "Siri, did you know you talk too much?" As Sirius starts to reply, he shushes him and continues, "You do and Merlin, I love that at times but not right now. So shut up and listen to me, idiot."

"O-okay"

"Why don't we go back up and talk to our friends like normal and later at night you can kiss me goodnight and we can sleep while cuddling together?"

Sleeping while cuddling is not something they had never done before, it was almost a regular occurrence nowadays but the kissing part of it was definitely going to be new and Sirius was very eager for that but instead of saying all that he just nods his head.

Remus brushes their lips together in the faintest of kisses and Sirius can't help but kiss him back just as gently. They stand there in each other's arms, although Sirius doesn't remember when he actually put his hands around Remus's waist because that had just happened somehow.

And now he wasn't really sure if he was ever going to remove his hands or let Remus go for that matter. So they just stand there for who knows how long.

Also I have just one more request left so if you could just drop some, it would be great. Doesn't have to be from the prompt list and I would love it if you asked for smut (any sort, iywim)

[i-am-a-bad-influence-writes]

Boys are raise to be men. Intro

Series Masterlist - Bucky Masterlist - Full Masterlist

Summary: Things are different outside the city. When Bucky moves out of the city to live closer to his father’s best friend, Steve, he meets a peculiar girl from a strange family. She’s loved by everyone in the village and like him, she’s missing a limb. And, to Bucky’s surprise, she’s determined to make him part of her life.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word count: 1135

Author’s note: I am not disabled and I couldn’t ever imagine what it’s like. If you have anything to not about that aspect of the story, please send me a message so I can fix possible mistakes or misunderstandings in upcoming chapters. Also, let me know if you want to be tagged in future updates.

Flowers blush up through the fields as spring comes around the corner. Wildflowers weave their way through the weeds and let themselves be gently pushed around by the wind. It’s almost time for the cows to go outside again and the town is anticipating it with all that it has. Seeing those animals buck around like they’re just calves is the most wonderful thing. The dim streets start to look like a fairy-tale as the flowers in the gardens bloom and trees slowly gain their leaves back. People douse themselves in lighter colors and the whole town seemed to wear a smile from the moment the first crocus peeked its head through the cold earth. Y/n skips her way through town, holding the hand of a child, who is holding the hand of another child, who is holding the hand of another child, et cetera. The group skips to the town center where the market is held. As per usual on a spring Saturday, all the children have two dollars each and are told to get themselves something for lunch. When everyone reports back to Y/n, they go into one of the fields and sit down for lunch. After that, they’ll play games and/or read until four pm. When four rolls around, Y/n forms a line again and she walks all the children home. It isn’t hard to get them home fast in a village as small as this one. You can get from one side to the other within a half-hour walk. It’s small and quaint, and Y/n has thought about leaving, about going back to the city and trying to make it in the world. Yet, she always realizes she won’t get it any better than she has it right here. Life just moves at a different pace here. A pace much more comfortable. A pace much more accepting. A pace much more loving.

‘I’m home,’ you shout through the house as you get in. You take off your boots by the door and hang your jacket. Someone calls back to you, welcoming you as you step into the living room. No one there. You always enjoy coming home. Though, at age 24, you are more than old enough to move out, you enjoy life with your siblings and stepfather who you consider to be your real dad. You enjoy each other’s company. Besides, how could you ever make a house feel as homey as your mother made this one feel? The stairs creak with the thumping of feet coming down it. That could only be one. Peter. The two of you share a nine-year age gap but have been inseparable since you met. You enjoy each other’s company, even when you’re doing completely different things. Most times, Peter does his homework at the flower shop you work at. Everyone knows your family and the rough summary of how it came to be as strange as it is. See, you two aren’t blood-related. In fact, none of you are and your stepfather carries a different name. ‘You really have to learn to lift your feet,’ you jab at Peter with a grin. He follows you to the couch and sits down beside you. ‘I got that from your mother,’ he jabs back. ‘But that woman had the biggest feet I have ever seen,’ you joke back, ‘you’ve got ballerina feet. It doesn’t make sense.’ ‘At least I’ve got two,’ he chuckles. You roll your eyes and take off the prosthetic on your left calf and hit him gently with it. He laughs and tries to shield himself from the thing. ‘What’s all the commotion,’ your stepdad calls as he walks down the stairs. ‘See Peter, that’s how you walk down the stairs. Quietly,’ you inform Peter matter-of-factly while you reattach the prosthetic, ‘by the way dad, the new prosthetic works like a charm. It’s almost as if I’ve got two feet.’ You stick out your leg to show him the metal contraption. He nods with a smile and heads over to the kitchen. Peter jumps to his feet and runs after him. ‘Hey dad, can I come to work with you this Monday? I don’t have any classes,’ he says, taking a seat at the dinner table. You follow the two and sit down with Peter at the table while your dad starts dinner, which means he puts the oven on. ‘What plan you got kid?’ ‘Y/n gave me one of her old prosthetics, one that she grew out of, and I’ve been messing with it but I think I could make it work better if I had the right tools.’ ‘Son, Stark industries is a serious business, not a playground,’ he tells Peter firmly while taking three pizzas out of the freezer. ‘And the kitchen’s for making dinner, not warming up junk food,’ you tease him in return. ‘It’s your company dad. Surely, you have a space that Peter could use for one day.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘Just because my name is on that company doesn’t mean I can do whatever,’ he argues. You cross your arms and stare him down. It takes less than a few seconds for him to crack.  ‘God, you really are your mother’s daughter. Fine, Peter, you can come along Monday. But only if Y/n cooks dinner tomorrow.’ ‘I make dinner nearly every night, why would tomorrow be the exception,’ you ask him, not really wanting to know the answer. Something tells you it won’t be a positive statement. ‘Because Pepper asked if she could come over tomorrow and I don’t want her to think I’m incompetent,’ he admits. You get up, walk around the dinner table to your father, and place your hands on both his shoulders. ‘Tony Stark, you are quite literally the most genius man on earth,’ you speech, ‘you literally gave me my leg back. You are not incompetent. You just need a few cooking lessons.’ ‘Thank you, Y/n,’ he says with a smile but there are tears in his eyes, ‘you are so much like your mother.’ You feel tears poking in your own eyes. ‘No, don’t that now, I’m going to cry,’ you say wearing a proud smile but your voice beings to shake, ‘why would you do that?’ Tony laughs and pulls you into his chest, his arms gently around you. Peter looks at the two of you, proud of how far you’ve come. It took a few years for everyone to come around but you all made it in the end. And now you’re a family. Would you believe it? All these single pieces form a perfect little family together. Everyone with their own baggage and own hurt but you have each other and that’s all you could wish for.

[ntamain]

Is my (24F) neighbour (27F) into me or is she just being friendly? How do I know if she's gay?

another gay gem from the r/relationship reddit

Update:

Image ID under the cut, please let me know if I did it wrong!

[Image ID: four screenshots of a post from the relationship subreddit by tumblr user nta-main. The title reads “Is my (24F) neighbour (27F) into me or is she just being friendly? How do I know if she’s gay?”

The text reads “Update post is now locked, I cant believe so many people were interested in us!! Thank you again for your support, comments and messages.

Hi all, I can't believe I'm asking for advice from a bunch of strangers on the internet but I don't really have anyone I can talk to about this. Sorry for the incoming essay but I guess I need to give history. I bought my first house in September last year, It was an odd time but everything just fell into place. It's quite a small village and everyone is really friendly so I got to know my neighbours soon after moving in - yes, socially distanced. Then I met my over-the-road neighbour, let's call her Elle. I can't describe it but it's the first time I've ever met someone and been lost for words and my heart was racing and just thought "omg", y'know?? So after I blushed my way through a welcome to the village type convo we only saw each other for a wave and hello for a few days.

To help kinda settle in I had my dog (Bea) with me for the first few weeks. During this time there was a massive increase in dog thefts in a nearby town, not just from gardens but literally wrestled away from people. If I'd have been working (furloughed off and on since March) then I would've taken Bea back to mum's but since I was home with her all day she stayed. So the local police advised to not walk dogs alone but we go out twice a day, a 10k run in the morning and a few miles walk in the evening. So obvs this scares me, but at the same time she is honestly a pain in the arse and gets upset if she doesn't go for a run and needs to be tired out so I'm kind of stuck at this point. Then along comes Elle. She knocked on the door and offered to come with us as she'd seen Bea and me in the evenings and everything kind of spiralled from there. I told her about my morning runs but she didn't really bite so I thought nothing of it. Then a few days later I bumped into her on a run, so she started joining us on those too.

A few months later and we are spending more and more time together everyday. It has now progressed to a run early morning, afternoon coffee, dinner most evenings and then the evening walk. It just seemed to happen without me really noticing. I didn't read into things that much as I don't want to get my hopes up and ruin anything until another neighbour commented about how much time we spend together and how "it's nice to see you young gals getting on" and winked. She actually winked at me. I asked her what she meant but she just laughed and said "you know what I mean". So now I'm looking back on things and wondering if she could like me too?

Here's some reasons why she might like me:

I went running along the same route at the same time for nearly 2 weeks before I happened to run into her a few days after I told her this?

I make her a coffee every afternoon (Elle is WFH) and take it over in her fave mug. She says I make good coffee but I'm pretty sure I saw a fancy coffee machine the first time I went round (it's not there now?).

Elle carried on running and walking with me even after Bea went home. I told her she was going back to mum's and she said well "I'll have to make another excuse to join you" and then we just carried on everyday.

She has tried really hard to bond with Bea. Bea is a very anxious dog and is scared of everyone except me and mum. Elle bought special treats to give her everyday and has been so amazing with her and never tried to force anything. When I asked her she said "it's important to me that she likes me and is comfortable". Bea actually fell asleep between us on the sofa yesterday and It just makes my heart skip a beat guys.

She invited me to the zoom quiz she does with her friends every fortnight or so and they were all like "oh so this is who we've heard so much about "

We realised we had become each other's support bubble. Elle asked if I was meeting anyone else and I said no, she said she was glad she had me all to herself (!!)

We gave each other quite personal xmas presents. Like, it actually made me tear up it meant so much to me. And she bought stuff for Bea!!

Reasons why she might not like me:

All the reasons above, but that she's just doing them because she's a fucking great person and we're friends?

It might sound dumb but idk I need your help guys. She is the just the most incredible person I have ever met and I really really like her but if she isn't gay or doesn't feel the same I don't want to lose her friendship as she has become such a huge part of my life. I genuinely have no experience with these kind of things as I went to quite a strict all girls school, so it's not as if there were any relationships around me as a teen and then I went to a very small uni (8 of us on my course). I guess another reason is that I've struggled with anxiety and depression for the past 10 years, as well as my weight and working on my self confidence, but I can say that right now I am the happiest and healthiest (both mentally and physically) I have ever been. I've only just really become comfortable with the fact that I'm gay and I have never really told anyone in real life, but I don't think people would be too surprised lol. I don't have any close friends as no one stuck around when I was really struggling with my MH a few years ago so I can't discuss this with anyone irl.

So I need your advice : how do I find out if she is gay? And no, I don't have the confidence to just ask!! What if she says no and I ruin everything? She has never mentioned anything about past relationships and I'm pretty tactless so not sure how I could naturally slip it into the convo. Like, "hey tell me have you ever had a girlfriend? Do you want one now?" Lol. And how can I make a move without really making a move so I don't ruin things??

tl;dr : Don't know whether my neighbour is gay and into me or is just really friendly. How can I make a move without ruining our friendship?

Edit: Ok guys, thank you so so much for all your support and encouragement. You've all given me a lot to think about. I think I'm going to casually slip some gay stuff into conversation and see how she reacts. Then bring up the neighbours comment like some of you suggested, seeing as tho the neighbour was heavily implying that we're gay. I'll do it tonight otherwise I'll talk myself out of it again. I will post an update to let you know what happens (eek). If you never hear from me again assume it went badly and I am consoling myself with cake and watching brokeback mountain in floods of tears.

Hi reddit, yes it's me the useless lesbian. First off I want to thank you all for your support, encouragement and advice - and the undeserved awards! I never expected this many of you to take the time to comment and that so many of you were rooting for us.

So I had the plan to drop these gay hints into convo like you guys suggested but honestly it all went out the window. Elle was kinda stressed friday after a shitty work zoom and just needed to vent so it wasnt the right time to start anything. Though I guess I must have been a bit off thanks to spending all day overthinking things on here, as Elle turned up Saturday morning rambling about stressing me out and apologised (!!) for ruining dinner. Obvs I said "what are you talking about you can talk to me about anything", and she said "anything?" and I said "anything" back. And guys the tension was unreal, staring at each other and hoping our lesbian mind reading powers would kick in.

Then there was some loud noise like a car backfiring or something and the moment went. So I went to make coffee and then Elle asked me why I was a bit quiet the night before and I said something about overthinking stuff and she said "what stuff" and idk you guys I wasnt prepared to be put on the spot my casual gay pop culture references were useless in this moment. My mind just went completely blank and I forgot every single thing you guys suggested and my heart was pounding and I just blurted out you know I like you, right?.

...And then she kissed me. Kissed me. We straight up just snogged in the kitchen and it was fucking great. So...you were right. You were all fucking right. She's gay, she likes me and has been trying to drop hints for nearly 5 months. sigh

We were both just too scared to make a move or ruin anything. Turns out she's been burned by straight girls in the past, so she's pretty wary and was hoping I'd straight up say I'm a lesbian so she'd know for sure - maybe the I'm a lesbian wall hanging would've been a good idea after all? Her friends have been helping her drop hints, she showed me the group chat and guys their suggestions ranged from flirting more to just turning up in a trenchcoat and nothing else lol. Also, the winking neighbour has been making comments to her as well, so shout out to her for trying to make this happen too.

So no cake and cry watching brokeback mountain, just 5 months of dating to catch up on. As for worrying about how our current schedule could be more date like during lockdown, you were right it's kinda irrelevant when you've essentially been dating the whole time. Though we never made it to our morning run yesterday, in fact we didn't leave the house at all, ha.

Thank you guys for giving me hope, even if all your suggestions completely disappeared in the moment. Maybe I'll show her the post later and ask if any of the suggestions would have worked.

tl;dr: she's gay, into me and I'm an idiot”

End image ID]

[the-knights-who-say-book]

Of a Witch, a Gossip, and a Library

The library on the corner of Oak and Vine was an accident. The crown didn’t bother opening libraries this far out west, so far from any of the major cities—so far that the townspeople joked to each other the king might someday forget to send his tax collectors out there, too. So Feldwidth had never had a library before.

When the local witch died a few years back, nobody quite knew what to do with her narrow corner cottage, with its living space upstairs and walls lined with shelves of witchcraft ingrediants on the single ground floor room. The witch hadn’t any children or relatives to continue living there, and nobody else claimed the space in the months after her death. The downstairs room, shelves on all four walls (even on the inside of the door!), just didn’t invite new inhabitants. No one in Feldwidth, except for the general store owner on Main, practiced a trade which required so many shelves, and no one wanted the tedious task of taking them all down.

It was Margorette Clay, who lived just outside the village and came in once a week supposedly to sell produce but mostly just to gossip, who said they ought to get themselves another witch.

“Not like you find them growing in a road ditch,” Jame Clott said irritably, because Margo was leaning against his fence. As far as he was concerned, no one who hadn’t painted that fence themselves were allowed to lean on it.

“Suppose not. Guess that’s only where you find Clotts,” Margo said, and ducked the dirty sheet that Jame had been beating out on the stone path and was about to beat out on her head. Cawing her distinctive laughter, she ran down the street, apron full of apples jostling and jumping with her loping stride.

Jame leaned over his fence to yell after her, “And they find Clays on the streets after it rains, too dumb to get back into the dirt!”

Margo’s laughter drew Catty Loose to the open doorway of her house as sure as if she’d had a ringing bell to announce new gossip. “What’s got Jame worked up?”

“Cause I said you ought to get yourselves a new witch,” Margo said, barely half-truthful as usual. “Buy an apple? They’re almost as blushing pretty as your kitling.”

Catty’s smallest daughter went red and buried herself deeper in her mother’s skirts.

Another kid, barely older, leaned against Margo’s leg and pulled her hand, nearly spilling all the apples from the apron she was holding up. “Why nother witch? What for?”

“Ah, every place ought to have one,” Margo said vaguely. “It’s the way of things. One apple for each of your kitlings, Catty, and I’ll throw two in free.”

————————

“Margo’s right,” Catty Loose said after temple that Saturday, as the townspeople gathered in the yard to mingle and eat, her arms full of children and another two playing at her feet.

With preternatural hearing, Jame Clott turned from speaking with his husband Willem across the yard to say loudly, “Margorette Clay has never been right once in her life.”

Catty ignored him. “We ought to get a new witch. Sooner or later we’ll want one.”

“That’s crap,” Jame said, coming into the circle that surrounded Catty, which seemed to be half made up of her own children. “What’ll we want a witch for? No one’s been cursed in ages.”

“Aida Macintosh,” someone put in.

“Aida Macintosh ate the red berries by the stream. That’s not a curse so much as a punishment for stupidity.”

No one could really disagree.

“Need one for love shpells,” a tiny Loose kitling named Alfed suggested.

Jame crouched down, his face softening, to look into his small, earnest face. “Love spells are a gross affront against consent and should have been outlawed years ago,” he said gently.

Little Alfed Loose sneezed in his face.

“For getting a baby when you can’t make one yourself,” Mendy Hark said, one hand squeezing her daughter’s shoulder protectively.

Jame, wiping his face, didn’t say anything.

————————

“So how’s one get a witch anyway?” Lukey Keening asked, continuing the conversation from several days ago without preamble, as he tended to do. He and his overly long teenage limbs were sprawled in the grass of the meadow where the families of Oak street gathered once a week for a community meal, conspicuously not helping.

The eldest Loose girl, siblings hoisted on either hip, made a thoughtful sound. “You don’t get one, I think, they get you.”

“I don’t wanna get gotten,” one child on her hip sniffled.

“That’s only bad witches that get you,” Lukey said.

Lettie sighed. “No, I mean, you don’t do something to get a witch, they come to you.”

“That’s right, girly,” Margo Clay said from her perch watching over a pot of stew on the open fire. She had not been invited. Like witches, Margo simply appeared without being fetched. “But I tell you what, you can make them know you want one.”

“How’s that?” Daff Keening asked, arms crossed over his comfortably large belly. His sudden and stout presence made his son scramble up and pretend to be busy helping Lettie wrangle several children, all of whom resembled her as nesting dolls resemble the one they fit inside.

“You make a place ready for her.” Margo’s brash tone, as ever, drew more people from their tasks to pay attention to her. “Like baiting a trap. Can’t expect a mouse to walk into your trap unless you make it look inviting.”

“What do you know about mice?” Sal Hark asked skeptically.

“They’re close relatives of hers,” Jame Clott said, unable to resist. “The better question is, what does she know about witches?”

————————

Margo Clay was an incorrigible gossip, but people who liked gossip liked Margo, so she was listened to anyway.

Catty Loose sent Lettie  to sweep the empty store and dust the unnecessary amount of shelves. Lukey Keening tagged along to clean the small windows and help keep three small Looses in hand. The gaggle of children in and around the shop drew Jame Clott to poke his head in and see what was going on.

“Well! It looks clean, but it doesn’t look like a witch’s shop,” he declared.

“He’s right, Mama,” Lettie told her mother that evening. “I tossed out all the shriveled up herbs she had in there when I cleaned the shelves. Some of them had crumbled near into dust. But with the shelves empty it doesn’t look much like a witch’s place.”

Catty relayed this to the Macintoshes, who were eager for a replacement witch, in case anybody got cursed like Aida had last year.

“Mmhmm,” Catty said to that.

“I think the Harks have the magic books the old witch left,” Theo Macintosh said. “We can put those in there.”

—————————

Sal Hark brought the books around the shop a few days later, squinting in the sunshine at the man who was already there. “Hey, Jame. Witch showed up yet?”

Jame Clott startled back from the window he was peering through. “Nah, no witch is coming.”

Sal let out a whistle of agreement, but his smile was amused, like he thought Jame was wrong.

“Not with the shop looking that shoddy, anyway,” Jame said with a sniff. “There isn’t even a sign.”

“Blew down in a storm a few years ago, I think,” Sal said. “We know what shop it is, anyhow. Not like we’ve got shops every which way.”

“The witch wouldn’t know, since she’s new,” Jame said testily. If the whole town was going to take up Margo’s logic, they had better be consistent.

“Tell you what, then, you ought to paint a new sign. You’re the only one here who knows which end of a paintbrush goes where.”

Jame shook his head and waved goodbye. He wasn’t making a sign for an empty shop, a shop that would remain empty.

That night he saw Willem look out their kitchen window at that empty shop, something sad and wistful in his eyes, several times during their quiet dinner. Their dinners were always quiet, though they told each other about their days in detail, and debated if Margo’s pumpkins were any good at length. It was the quiet of something missing, the kind of quiet the Loose’s house down the street, full to the brim, had never known.

“Sal Hark said I should paint a sign for the witch’s shop, to make her want to come,” Jame said, surprising himself.

Willem tore his eyes away from the window and looked at him. After a moment, he smiled. “Face it, Jame, they won’t get her to come without your help.”

————————

Jame put up the new sign next week, his back so stiff-straight that nobody dared tease him about coming round to Margo’s thinking, though several people gathered across the street to watch.

The sign was big and square and sturdy, and painted on both sides was an open tome with stylized curls of magic shooting from it. Willem held the ladder steady while he hung it up, and Jame felt almost hopeful. Through the shining little windows passersby could see the neat shop room and the witch’s small collection of spell books sitting on one of the many shelves, and it looked almost inviting.

————————

Margo, who lived outside town, was the first one to realize someone had come to town overnight.

“Your witch is here!” she crowed, all but dancing down Oak Street in the early morning. “What did I tell you? Make it nice and she’ll come!”

“Quiet your racket,” said an irritable Jame, poking his head out his door. “Witch isn’t the word I’d use for you.”

“Wheel tracks!” she yelled at him. “Fresh wheel tracks down the road before I left my farm! Who brings a cart into town except for me and the tax collector? And the tax collector wouldn’t have set up shop in there!” She pointed one victorious finger at the corner shop where Jame’s sign swayed gently in the breeze. A rickety wooden cart was collapsed on the ground below it.

Jame opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say.

Down the street, Catty Loose stuck her head out the window. “Margo, what are you whooping about? Oh my—Lettie! Lettie, find my shawl!” Her head ducked back inside, and before the last copper curl had followed it out the window, she was rushing out the front door, Lettie close on her heels.

Jame snapped his mouth shut and hurried after Margo, Catty, and Lettie, following them to the corner shop. A sleepy bundle of Loose kitlings, a couple of Keenings, a herd of Macintoshes and even a Hark or two were all heading in the same direction.

Someone had moved into the witch’s shop.

There were muddy shoe prints down the stone path, a new blue-checked curtain drawn over the window, and Margo standing triumphantly in front of the house, hands on her hips. “Didn’t I tell you! Didn’t I!”

“So you did,” said Sal Hark, “but quiet, Margo, or you’ll wake her up. She must’ve come in dead of night.”

Margo ignored him. “Well, I hope you all remember this. When I’m right, I’m right!”

Behind her, the witch’s door cracked open.

The girl who opened it was no older than Lettie Loose, and probably younger. Her face was nervous, but as she took in the crowd outside her door, it broke into a shy smile. “Oh. Hello. I didn’t expect... I’m not all set up yet. But I suppose the library can be open now if you want.”

“What?” said Margo.

“Library?” said Catty.

“I knew it,” said Jame. “You didn’t catch yourself a witch. You caught a librarian.”

Margo glared at him, apparently lost for words.

The girl looked back and forth between them. “I’m sorry?”

Margo rounded on her. “A librarian! Is that what you are? Then you have to leave. We’re waiting for a witch.”

The girl’s mouth opened and shut, her eyes big, and then she looked down and sniffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jame snapped, a protectiveness in his voice so fierce that Margo took a step back from both him and the girl. He glared around him, making sure no one else was going to follow Margo’s lead, and then turned back to the girl. All anger dropped out of his face immediately, replaced by a gentle warmth. “Have you got family?”

“Not anymore,” she said. “I’m... I’ve just been taking my library around. That’s my family. I thought we could stay here, maybe, If that’s alright.”

“That’s just fine. We’ve never had a library before, we’re all real grateful you came. Come have breakfast.” He didn’t wait for an answer, already thinking of having a full kitchen, and Willem no longer staring out the window, and needing to find more eggs for breakfast, and who in town might have extra shoes to replace the worn-thin boots on her feet.

A layer of tension seemed to slough off her. She stepped out of her doorway and a few feet onto the path to follow Jame, then paused. Looking back at them, she said, “When you take a book, write the title and your name in the ledger, and return it in two weeks.”

Skipping to catch up with Jame, she grabbed his hand with an easy sort of trust. She turned her face up to him. “If it’s not for a library, why is it full of shelves? Why were there already books there? Why does it have a book sign?”

“Sometimes,” Jame said, “People think they’re waiting for one thing, but they’re really waiting for another.”

“Were you?” she asked.

He saw the moment Willem noticed them through the window, saw hope dawn in his eyes as he watched them come up the path; his husband, and a girl who looked like she needed a home.

“No,” he said. “We were waiting exactly for you.”