#gonna set up an appointment to apply on Monday

[monstersofsilence]

help. please and thank you (refined)

typing this up again because I do not like how cluttered the previous one was

straight to the point: I need money for food. we have been scraping by okay but there are days that we don't have certain things to make whatever

whatever amount you give is nothing more than plenty to me. maybe something enough to get a frozen pizza .w.

if you do give me money, I will gladly draw whatever cheracter of yours. fully drawn and colored! the least I can do and to make up the previous times I asked for money but not give anything in return

my paypal link here!

some rules:

- no nsfw

- no mecha (can't draw that .w.)

- no furry (can't draw that either .w.)

- drawing can't be used for nft or cryptocoin or whatever

you can DM me either on here, tumblr, or my discord, pyriteofsilence, the ref of your character. I will draw it!

again, pay however much you can. I do not mind whatsoever as long you all got money left for yourself. I know this is a broken record but I just feel bad if people give me a large amount than what I ask for. I don't ask for much .w.

[ahappybeginning]

It’s been a minute since I posted here, and a LOT has happened in the past couple of weeks, both good and some really not. I’m gonna try to cover everything because a big part of the reason I made this blog was to help me track my progress during this journey and I don’t want to gloss over any important developments along the way, good or bad. So I’m gonna use this post to rant about the bad/annoying stuff first, then I’m gonna make a separate post for the good stuff so I can leave things on a positive note.

So the biggest and most devastating thing to happen was that this past Monday, it was announced that the hospital I was supposed to be having surgery at, which is only 10 minutes away and holds a LOT of history and sentimental value for me, is set to close at the end of next month, and they’re stopping all non-emergency surgeries next week. And this came right as I JUST let myself finally relax and breathe easy because after months of hard work and a million appointments, I’d managed to get through everything on my pre-op checklist for both the surgeon and my insurance, had already applied for short term disability with the dates I had gotten the ok from my boss to be off, and was basically ready to just wait out the last two weeks until my surgery date.

And then everything got upended with this news. So now, I will be forced to travel over an hour to the next closest hospital that my surgeon works at (and there’s no way I’m switching surgeons because I love the one I have, and anyway that isn’t even an option because my insurance will only cover me if I use specific doctors/facilities), and because there’s so much chaos with trying to move so many of his patients around, my surgery date got bumped back 6 days to September 12th.

Ok now, my logical brain knows that this could have been much worse. Overall, I know things will still be fine and I will still have the same end result. But the emotional part of me had a proper breakdown over all of this for several different reasons. First, 6 days may not seem like that much in the grand scheme of things, but the fact is, I’ve been maintaining a 30 carbs or less (daily) diet for well over a month already. I ended up starting it a few weeks before I really had to (it’s supposed to be a 30 day pre-op diet to shrink your liver to help during surgery) because I didn’t want it to be a huge shock to my system so I slowly started decreasing my carb intake until I could get to where I officially needed to be. And let me tell you, this shit is NOT easy. I’m hungry all the time and I’m experiencing some very unpleasant side effects based on the fact that I’m not getting enough of certain nutrients because of the restrictive nature of the diet. It’s not really meant to be sustainable for an extended period. So with that said, adding another 6 days that I have to do this is TORTURE. When my mom tried to tell me that 6 days is nothing, I challenged her to try and stick to this diet for 6 weeks and see if SHE would be ok with adding an extra 6 days to it, because I can guarantee she wouldn’t. And beyond that, the surgery date is now only 3 days before my birthday, and I tried SO HARD to avoid being miserable and in pain on my birthday. Plus, the likelihood of a hurricane happening increases significantly the farther into September we go, so overall I’m just very frustrated and unhappy with the delay.

And then if I set aside the technical aspect of the surgery for a minute, the news of that hospital closing hits a lot closer to home for me, because it’s where my dad used to work (my mom actually did, too, but only for a brief time), and I still have memories of going to visit him there when I was young, and he would give us the little booties the nurses wore over their shoes and we’d all eat lunch together in the cafeteria. It’s one of the very few memories I even have from that period of my life. And when I was there last month for an endoscopy, one of the nurses taking care of me said she’d gone through nursing school with my dad and remembered him fondly. So even though he’s been gone for a long time now (and hadn’t worked there in many years even before he died), I still felt his spirit and energy there, and it was a huge comfort to me. And I don’t think I realized just how grounding the idea of him somehow being there with me when I have surgery was until it was very suddenly ripped away from me. It’s deeply upsetting and it’s not something that most of the other patients being displaced by this closure can understand. So I’m honestly still grappling with that part of it, even though I’ve mostly calmed down about the rest.

And just to add insult to injury, I was told yesterday that now I also have to drive all the way up to the new hospital the Friday before my surgery in order to do a COVID test there and for registration. Well first, I already DID the registration online, so I have no idea why I need to do it AGAIN there. And second, the idea of driving 2 hours round trip for a test I SHOULD be able to do locally and that takes less than a minute to complete is ludicrous to me. It’s beyond frustrating and I hate that there’s nothing I can do about it (believe me, I tried).

So that’s where I’m at with the negative stuff. Next post will be a lot happier. ❤️

[fangirling-is-my-passion]

🎃 Halloween Special 🎃 (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Warnings: none, according to me

Summary: It’s your fifth year at Hogwarts and you decide to change things up a little bit by making a mix between muggle and magical traditions in Halloween.

A/N: Hellooooo, lovelies! I know it's been ages since the last time I posted any of my writings, but I got this idea the other day and I just couldn't let it die in my drafts. It's my first time writing for Draco, so if there's any mistake or stuff way too out of character, please, have mercy on me... 😔🙏 I love you and I really hope you enjoy it! Happy Halloween! :) <3

October was finally coming to its end and Halloween was just around the corner, so everybody's excitement was palpable. The Halloween celebration at Hogwarts was one of the most expected by the students and you were definitely not the exception, nonetheless, after already four years of spending the holiday the wizard style, you were kind of starting to miss the muggle celebrations you were so used to when you were only a child.

You missed the costumes so much. Everything was really cool, but why didn't wizards dress up for Halloween? I mean, can you imagine the possibilities?

And so your idea was born: A Halloween celebration in Hogsmeade with your friends and anybody else who wanted to join, but with costumes, like muggles did. It was going to be a little bit of a mix between the two worlds. And it was going to be fantastic.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys!" you said excitedly on Monday morning, sitting at the Gryffindor table in a rush, "I was thinking, why don't we throw a costume party in Hogsmeade the night of Halloween? It could even be at the Three Broomsticks, if we ask for permission, of course, I gotta check that, but, a costume party! What do you think?"

"You mean like the muggle tradition?" asked Hermione.

"Yes! Exactly! I actually don't quite understand why wizards don't dress up for Halloween, but whatever. I think this would be great!"

"Of course, sounds amazing, (Y/N)! But we gotta plan it very well, so I'll help you with the organisation," said Hermione with a lopsided smile.

"Well, sounds like fun, so count me in," said Ron, "By the way, (Y/N), can you pass me the sausages, please?"

"Sure, there you go..."

"I'm definitely in too. It would be my first time dressing up for Halloween, so I wouldn't miss it for the world," Harry added, "Dudley was the one who went trick-or-treating every year; meanwhile I stayed at home, either inside the cupboard or doing whatever chores my aunt could come up with."

"Blimey, Harry, that sucks..." Ron commented before placing another sausage on his plate, which was already brimming with food. Harry simply shrugged.

"Erm, well, great then! I think..." you paused for a second and then added," Let's tell everybody else!"

"Who are you planning to invite?" Hermione questioned; she was definitely taking this organisation thing very seriously.

"I was thinking of simply spreading the word, so anybody who wants to can join."

"Oh, all right. That sounds fine," she said, although she didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Are you going to invite your boyfriend then?" Ron inquired with a sly look on his face.

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend! We're just... acquaintances... who hated each other in the past... but not anymore..."

He referred to no other than Draco Malfoy, the so called Slytherin Prince. At the very beginning of your Hogwarts days, you honestly couldn't stand each other, with all his arrogance and his superiority complex, however, at some point and for some strange and unknown reason to you, he stopped being an utter arsehole, your mutual teasing became more of an inside joke than actual bullying and you kinda started getting along. At least you were able to be in the same room without trying to hex one another.

"Yeaaah, of course, and who also study together in the library..." Ron continued.

"That happened one time!" you exclaimed, a flush creeping across your cheeks, "Or was it twice?"

"Twice" Harry and Ron answered in unison.

"Actually," Hermione interrupted, "it happened three times if we count the one where they had to work on the potions project together."

"But that does not count! It was a project! We had to!"

"Mmmmm, it counts because you chose to work together" she explained, a sly tone in her voice.

"That was just because he's the only Slytherin I've had an actual, relatively decent interaction with... Seriously, Hermione? That's not even the point here, guys, let's focus. And yes," you said making emphasis en the 'yes', "I am going to invite him, 'cause, why not? He's probably going to instantly reject the idea anyways, you know how he is." You crossed your arms over the table and took a deep breath.

"Wow", said Ron, "I can't believe you actually said all that without pausing to breathe. However," he said emphasising that last word," I'm telling you, (Y/N), you're gonna end up together. But if you're so sure of the contrary, let's make a bet."

"What?"

"Yes, whoever loses will have to do the winner's homework for a week." Ron smirked.

"A week! Are you nuts?" you exclaimed.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about... Unless you do think you're gonna end up being Malfoy's girlfriend..." His smirk widened and your cheeks went a little pinker than they already were.

"All right, fine. It's settled then. I only hope you're ready to do all my homework for a week, Ronald Weasley."

"We'll see about that."

After a busy and tiring week trying to plan an amazing Halloween party at the same time as doing all your class work, Saturday had finally arrived and everybody was filled with excitement. The news of your party had spread like wildfire and soon you and Hermione had to recalculate the supplies you'd need in order to have enough for every single person who wanted to drop by.

Also, you'd indeed told Draco about the party, nonetheless, just as you thought it would be, he didn't seem very excited about the whole idea... Well, yeah, he might have implied that he would never in his right mind attend a muggle celebration like that and that you were nuts to think of the possibility, however!, he didn't really, explicitly say no, so you'd taken his response as a maybe and still hoped he'd go for at least a little while (wait, why were you hoping that? It's not like you cared that much about him attending or not... Right?)

Since you'd been very busy with all the planning, you'd started working on your costume a little bit late, but you were very satisfied with the result: you were going to be Medusa. I mean, she's iconic! Being able to turn people into stone if they look you in the eye? Wicked! (At some point Harry made a joke comparing Medusa to a basilisk, and I mean, sure, but to be honest he really had to work on his humour). You'd even enchanted a diadem with snakes so they moved like they were alive! (Because, come on, you were committed to this holiday, but let's be sensible, you weren't going to wear actual snakes on your hair, there are levels).

The point is that, like everyone else, you were incredibly excited about your party. And also a bit nervous, you didn't want to screw something up, but you also knew not everything could be perfect and what mattered most was that everybody had fun.

"(Y/N)! Are you ready? We gotta get going!" Hermione called from outside the bathroom of your dormitory. You opened the door and stepped out, ready to rock and roll.

"So? How do I look?" you asked, twirling so she could take a look of your whole costume.

"Intimidatingly gorgeous."

"Oww! Thank you! Wait," you said now focusing on Hermione's costume," what are you wearing? No, no, not that, forget that, but why didn't you tell me you were going to be greek goddess, Hermione?"

"For your information, I am Athena," she said and imitated your twirl, "and I wanted it to be a surprise, I kind of got the idea thanks to you, when you told me you were going to be Medusa."

"Well, yeah... It's perfectly okay, but I would've liked to know before! Also, dressing up as specifically Athena is so you, Hermione, and you look gorgeous, seriously, I'm in love with you. Draco Malfoy who?"

"Is that a confession?" questioned Hermione with a sly smile.

"It's a joke" you clarified rolling your eyes but with a lopsided smile on your face.

"Yeah, sure, truly convincing," your friend said with sarcasm "Anyways, we gotta go now, come on!"

And off you went. You met Harry and Ron in the Gryffindor common room (Harry had dressed up as a Gryffindor quidditch player who'd been hit in the head by a bludger, and Ron was simply wearing a Chudley Cannons uniform. Boy, if these guys were obsessed with quidditch...) and the four of you headed happily towards the entrance of the castle, where all the students gathered before going to Hogsmeade. In your way there you were able to see a lot of different costumes from the students who were attending your party and you were deeply amused (and amazed) by they're creativity. Wizards should definitely do this more often.

When you finally arrived to the Three Broomsticks, you found the entire place decorated just as you'd imagined, and Madam Rosmerta (whom you'd previously sent a letter asking for her permission to use the place for your party in exchange of a reasonable amount of money, and she very kindly had agreed and even offered to help you with the organisation and setting the ambience too) was just applying the final touches.

"Oh, hello, dears!" she greeted you with a smile; she really was a very beautiful woman, no wonder why Ron and many other students fancied her, "So? What do you think? Is it like you imagined?"

"It definitely is!" you exclaimed looking around the place in awe, "It's truly fantastic, thank you so, so much! Now all we got to do is wait for everybody else to arrive!"

It didn't take too long before the first group of students entered the place, only a couple of minutes after the time of the appointment, and from then on, people just kept flooding the pub.

"All right, guys!" you shouted over the murmurs of the crowd so everybody could hear you and be quiet while you spoke, "Here's what we've got: You are allowed to order two butterbeers free of charge, however, if you want more you'll have to pay them yourselves. Now, there's relatively decent food on that table," you pointed to the table on the corner at your left side," and in that other table next to the entrance you will find a bunch of various sweets that are definitely unhealthy if eaten in excess, so, please, don't get too excited, people," the multitude before you chuckled and you smiled widely," Also, dear Colin here offered to take pictures of whoever asked him to, so if you want one, just let him now... Ah! And I almost forgot, there will be a costume contest at the end, so be sure to write your name down on the scroll that's on that wall,"you said and pointed to the wall opposite to you," if you want to participate. I think that's all for now, so enjoy the party, and Happy Halloween, everybody!"

The crowd cheered and applauded you before returning to their chatting or heading straight to where the food was. You walked towards the bar to tell something to Madam Rosmerta and soon some upbeat Halloween-themed music started playing. At some point, a few students took a corner of the place as improvised dance floor and, frankly, everything was even better than how you'd pictured it at first. And that was saying something.

"Amazing party, (Y/N)! You should totally do this more often!" cheered Fred and George Weasley about and hour after the beginning of the party. They'd dressed up as some quite creepy zombie conjoint twins and you thought it was brilliant.

"Thank you, guys! I'm glad you're having fun!" you shouted over the music, "By the way, I think your costume is brilliant, suits you perfectly!"

"Thanks! Hope it's enough to win that costume contest of yours, but being honest, there's a lot of competition here," Fred replied.

"Yeah, I mean, just look at your costume! You look fantastic!" George continued.

"Oww, well, luckily for you, I'm going to be a judge, so I'm not participating..."

The conversation went on for a couple more minutes until Lee Jordan called the twins to the dance floor.

Although the party was an absolute hit, you couldn't help but think about a certain someone who wasn't there.

"You look a bit disappointed," said Hermione from behind you, making you jump a bit, "Thinking about somebody who didn't come, perhaps?"

Sometimes it was truly scary how Hermione could know so much.

"What? No! What are you talking about?" you asked trying to brush the topic off.

"Will you please stop trying to deny your feelings, (Y/N)?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, it's pretty obvious that Malfoy isn't indifferent to you and, to be fair, I don't really mind! I mean, he's been a lot less annoying since you two started to get along a little better, so go ahead if you fancy him!"

"But what if I don't want to fancy him, Hermione?" you exclaimed finally giving in, "He was pretty awful to us in our first years and, yes, maybe we get along now, and he's been a lot better but... I just... I don't know! I guess I feel a bit guilty about it... Besides,he can still be considerably rude sometimes towards people and, even if we left that aside, what makes you think that he could possibly fancy me? I mean, come on, he didn't even come! And I don't... I don't want to be all head over heels for him or anything, and that's also the reason why I keep denying it! If I talk about it, it becomes more real, so maybe if I simply ignore it, my feelings will go away soon enough!"

Luckily for you, you were wearing your green Medusa makeup, otherwise Hermione would have been able to see your cheeks turn bright red.

"Okay, I understand that..." she said, "But I think you got something wrong there, (Y/N), he did come..."

"What?!"

"He just arrived, look, there he is! It's like you invoked him" You turned to look were Hermione had her eyes fixed. And, of course, she was right, there he was. Looking quite dreamy, but you shouldn't think about that, should you? "I'd give you my whole pep talk, but there's no time, you've got more important things to take care of right now. Just, I don't know, let it flow, okay?... But go on, then! Go with him!" she hurried you. You did as you were told and walked towards him changing your mood instantly and pretending that the previous conversation with Hermione had never happened. Just act normal, you thought.

"So you came!" you greeted him once you'd reached him.

"I did," Draco asserted, "Medusa, huh?" he said looking at you up and down with a raised eyebrow and... was that the spirit of a smirk? Once more your makeup helped you hide your blushing and you tried to act like there weren't some butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

...Ugh, this was exactly why you didn't want to admit you fancied him in the first place!

"Indeed," you replied smirking, "And a vampire, eh? Pretty simple if I'm honest, but you look good."

"I always look good, (Y/L/N), but if I'm honest," he said imitating your tone, "you look pretty good too."

"I always look good, Malfoy."

You explained him what you'd told the crowd at the beginning of the party and he decided to order a butterbeer. Then the conversation between the two of you simply kept on going without much difficulty; for some strange reason the fact that you had feelings for him and yet apparently not a single thing in common with him didn't affect your communication.

"All right, but this is insane," he said at some point, " how did you manage to pull this off? I mean, it must have cost you quite a fortune..."

"Well, I did get help from my friends with the budget, but, yes, I had to negotiate with my parents and trade my Christmas and birthday presents of the next year for some money to do this right."

"You're bloody insane..."

"I think you made that pretty clear when I first invited you to come, and yet here you are," you said with sufficiency, "so I guess I'm not the only one here who's gone a bit nuts."

He huffed and took another sip of his butterbeer. In that moment, Ginny Weasley, Parvati Patil and Hermione, who were currently dancing among a bunch of other students, called you and gestured at you to go dance with them. You nodded and turned to Draco in order to tell him that he could stay there while you danced for a while, but before you could articulate anything he said:

"No way you're leaving me here, you're the only person I can actually interact with in a mildly pacific way, so I'm sticking with you."

"Okay... But you're gonna have to dance, then."

"And you think am not qualified for the task?" he asked with his usual smirk.

"Are you really always such a showoff?"

"Only when I'm trying to impress somebody," that answer definitely took you by surprise, but you didn't have the chance to say anything, 'cause he added, "Go on, then, they're waiting for you. I'll go right behind."

And so you danced with your friends. And he danced. And you two danced together. And it was pretty unbelievable for everyone, including you, but nobody seemed to mind since they had never seen Draco in such an unproblematic mood.

A couple of hours later, the costume contest finally took place. The prize for the winner was a special package of sweets you'd prepared plus five galleons... Yeaaah, you'd definitely put a lot of effort in the planning of your party, and it had been completely worth it so far.

All the participants formed a line so each one could walk around showing their costume just as if it were a fashion runway. Meanwhile, you were arranging the seats for the judges. And, as a matter of fact, you had one judge missing. Your intention at first had been that there were four judges in the panel, nonetheless, since both Harry and Ron had declined the offer because they wanted to participate, you were only three: Madam Rosmerta, Hermione and yourself. And all the people you trusted also wanted to take part in it, so it seemed that you'd have to settle with only three judges. Unless...

"Hey, Draco!" Wait, since when did you address him by his first name? Oooh, this was getting out of control... You shouldn't have said anything!

"What is it?" he asked from the seat he had taken at some nearby table, just like all the other students who wouldn't take part in the contest, and were happy to simply watch, had done.

"Well, I was wondering..." you began doubtfully, "if you would like to be a judge too?"

"Me? A judge?" He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I wanted there to be four, but I've got one missing. And I think you'd make a fair judge, as long as you keep your good mood and you're not rude to our contestants... So?" you said bitting your lip.

"Erm, all right. Can't promise I won't be tough on them, though" there was that smirk again.

"Oh, shut up," you said playfully," You can be tough, just not rude. There's a difference."

And so the contest began.

An hour flew by and sooner than you'd expected, you found yourself deliberating with your three judges on whose costume was the best. A task which was pretty hard to do. Harder than you'd expected, actually.

At the moment, you had managed to leave only three finalists, each one provided by one of your fellow judges, and you were the one with the final word. The problem was that you couldn't make up your mind.

"I'm telling you!" Hermione insisted, "Harry's costume should win! It's creative and original and very thorough!"

"Granger, you're only saying that because he's your friend," intervened Draco," but come on! That kid with the Dementor costume? He is literally floating! And he's like in second grade or so! I really think he's the one who should win."

"Well, he definitely portrays a dementor better than you did in third year..." the girl countered.

"All right, guys, don't fight, we gotta make a decision quickly and you're getting on my nerves. Yes, both of you..."

"I still say that those Weasley twins are a lot of fun... They should win if you ask me," Madam Rosmerta mentioned, already losing interest in the matter; looking at three teenagers argue over a costume contest wasn't exactly her definition of "fun".

"Yeah, but they're costume is not as complex as Harry's, (Y/N)!" Hermione reiterated.

"But Potter is not floating, now, is he?" Draco retorted.

"Merlin's beard, you guys! Will you both please shut up?" you scolded, "If I'm completely honest, I wouldn't even consider any of them as my first option, I would choose Padma Patil!" you paused for a second thinking what to say next to state your point, "I mean, she dressed up as Celestina Warbeck! Are you joking? That's bloody brilliant if you ask me! And not only that but she brought Lavender, Parvati and that other girl whose name I don't remember at the moment as her Banshees! Come on! Creative, original... Besides, look at her dress! It looks pretty thorough to me! And yeah, she may not be floating," you added turning to Draco," but she's enchanted her necklace to play 'You stole my cauldron but you can't have my heart' to look like she's actually singing!"

There were a couple of seconds of silence, until Draco decided to break it.

"Then why on earth didn't you say that from the very beginning, (Y/L/N)?"

"Because you were so determined to say who you thought should win that I didn't want to cause more trouble with the decision!"

"Well, as a matter of fact, it makes it a lot easier for me," said Madam Rosmerta, "that girl and her friends were my second option. I simply love Celestina Warbeck."

"She was my third option, so I guess I don't mind," Draco stated shrugging and then leaned back on his chair.

You looked at Hermione.

"Well, yeah... She wasn't in my top three, but it's fine for me", she didn't sound entirely convinced, but it was enough.

"Okay, then..." you said finally, a little surprised by the result, yet satisfied," Brilliant! Then we've got our winner!"

The four of you stood up; Hermione, Draco and you walked to the center of the improvised runway while Madam Rosmerta simply returned to the back of the bar, clearly not wanting to take part in the decision-making of some fifteen-year-olds anymore.

"So, before we announce our winner, I wanted to say something," you began, "As you can see, it was quite difficult for us to make a decision, because all of your costumes are amazing. I truly think so! You're so creative and fun, and believe me when I say that if I had a larger budget I'd probably give prizes to all of you," you chuckled softly, " unfortunately, it isn't the case, so we had to choose only one... Are you ready to know who won?"

The multitude shouted a very enthusiastic "Yes" as response.

"All right, then... Padma Patil, congratulations, you and your Banshees are the winners!"

There were cheers, applause and a few disappointed sighs, but everybody seemed to be as satisfied with the decision as you. You gave the four girls their prize and the music started playing once more. However, the party was coming to its end and a lot of people were already saying their goodbyes and leaving. Therefore, before anything else could happen, you grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him all the way to where Colin Creevy was taking a few pictures of some third year students.

"What are you doing?"

"We're gonna take some pictures," you stated, "I've already got a few with Harry, Ron and Hermione, but since you arrived late..."

He didn't even get the chance to protest, because in that moment the third year students left and you dragged him once more to the spot where they'd been posing.

"What the... What am I supposed to do?" he inquired with a slight note of panic in his voice.

"Dunno, just think of cool poses! We've got two shots, so think fast!"

Your first shot was of you two in an average pose, you know, just smiling, you leaning on his shoulder, his arm around your waist and the butterflies in your stomach going a bit crazier about it.

"What now?!"

"I don't know! It's not like I'm used to doing this!" he exclaimed.

"I thought you were Draco bloody Malfoy, aren't you known enough to get a lot of pictures? You should be used to it!"

"I don't get a lot of fun pictures with weird poses!"

"Well, think of something then!" Colin could do nothing but stare in amusement at your absurd argument, trying to suppress his laughter.

"You think of something!" Draco countered.

"Why am I the one who always has to think of everything? Use your brain, mister!"

And you'd barely finished your sentence when, without a warning and almost against any common sense left on both of you, Draco's lips crushed against yours, his hands grabbing the sides of your face eagerly. Only an instant later he pulled away and looked at you, with his usually pale cheeks coloured in a bright shade of pink and his moon-like eyes reflecting the panic of maybe having done something very wrong. However, he quickly intended to hide it:

"Was that a proper use of my brain, miss?

You were flabbergasted. Totally. The whole night had been utter madness for you since this boy arrived... But it wasn't a bad type of madness, you were delighted. You fancied him. And now you knew that it was mutual.

"Well... Sure... but why did you stop?" you murmured, just inches away from his face, and then smiled bitting your lip. You saw his whole face lighten up as he smiled broadly, just before leaning in to kiss you once more, this time more passionately and intensely than before. You could feel the cold touch of his family ring against the soft skin of your cheeks, contrasting with the warmth of his palms.

The camera flashed and that single incredible moment was captured forever in a picture that would last for a long, long time, kept in scrapbooks and family photo albums.

"Oh, crap..." you grumbled after you pulled away the second time.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, his voice hoarse due to the kiss.

"Now I'm going to have to do Ronald's homework for a week!"

[buckthegrump]

I’ve Been Trying Hard Not To Talk To You - 3

Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Y/n hates Bucky Barnes. Absolutely loathes him what makes it worse is that she has to share her office with him. Now with a promotion on the horizon she has to find a way to work with him and not against him.

Warnings: Angst (kind of), it’s an enemies to loves, there’s not fluff in this part

Word Count: 1480

A/n: i love a good car ride scene

Y/n didn’t know how to make it any more clear that she did not want to go on this company team building beach trip. Jill smiled at her earning herself a glare. They were all gathered int the parking lot at 8:30 in the morning because this was a weekend-long thing. Y/n loved both Maria and Phil, but part of her wondered how hard it would be to find another job at a different company that didn’t do weekend-long team-building things.

Everyone was trying to figure out who was driving and who was going in which car. Typically, Y/n would offer to drive, but Carol’s stupid car was taking much longer than it should. Why did she have to be such a good aunt? This would be so much easier if Carol didn’t have Monica to hold over Y/n’s head.

“Hey, boss,” Peter beamed. “You excited for the trip?”

She was forcing herself to be at least civil to him, but goddamn did he have so much fucking energy for this early in the morning.

“You could say that,” she answered. He held out a Starbucks cup. “I can’t drink coffee.”

“It’s a chai latte,” he says. “You don’t drink coffee because of anxiety, right?”

She held back tears (she had the tendency to be a bit dramatic in the mornings). “Peter, someday you are going to make someone very happy.”

He blushed and looked at the ground but didn’t walk away.

“Bucky, can you take Y/n and Peter?” Maria’s voice cut through the fog in Y/n’s brain. “They’re the only ones that still need a ride.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” Y/n whispered to herself.

“Sure,” Bucky shrugged as if he didn’t hate her. As if they didn’t spend up to eight hours a day getting on each other’s nerves.

Y/n opened her mouth to protest, but then everyone started putting their bags in trunks. She barely registered when Peter offered to take her bag to Bucky’s car. She told him that she could take her own luggage, but Bucky swooped in and grabbed the handles before she could.

“Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Y/n couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not as Bucky led them to the car.

Ten minutes later, they were on the road.

Peter had oh so graciously, let Y/n have shot-gun while he was seated in the back. Bucky, who drove a stick (because of course, he did) set up the music.

Bucky Barnes, who was already devastatingly handsome (in an unfortunate sort of way that made her want to fling herself off a cliff), didn’t need to be any hotter. And that’s where Y/n’s problem was. She had always thought that a man driving was unreasonably hot, especially if they were mostly calm as they drove. 

With any luck, Bucky would have major road rage, and she could switch with someone for the drive home.

The beach was about an hour’s drive. Y/n wondered how hard it would be to fall asleep, but she didn’t know if she could trust Bucky not to find a way to draw on her face or something. Maybe she should have let Peter sit in the front.

Ten minutes into the drive, Bucky dug out his phone from his pocket and handed it to Y/n.

“Can you -” he started.

Without thinking about it, she took it. “Sure. Why is Stark Industries calling you?”

“Ignore it,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

“Ya know, if you roll your eyes too much, they’ll get stuck in the back of your head. And that would end up being very boring for you because there’s nothing back there.” Y/n rejected the call. A few seconds later, it started buzzing again. Only this time, the contact read Tony Stark. “Barnes, wh-wh-wh-”

“Is your brain not connected to your mouth right now? What’s going on?” Bucky chuckled.

“Why is the Tony Stark calling you? Why do you have Tony Stark’s number saved in your phone?”

“You know Tony Stark?” Peter spoke in awe.

Bucky ignored all their questions. “Will you answer it and tell him that I’m driving and can’t really talk right now?”

Y/n barked out a laugh. “I’m not answering the phone for the biggest tech genius in America. Do it yourself if you’re such good friends with him.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, again, not heeding Y/n’s warning. He grabbed the phone and answered. “Tony, I can’t really talk right now. . . Because I’m driving. . . I did. Monday morning. . . Bruce said it was fine -”

“Bruce Banner?” Peter asked in a hushed whisper.

“Tony. . . I told you I was busy this weekend. . . Yes, I can come to dinner on Thursday. . . I don’t know why you ask the answer is always no.”

Y/n strained her ears, trying to hear the second half of the conversation. Now she wished she had answered the phone.

Bucky lowered his voice a little. “No, I’m not going to do that. That’s one of the dumbest ideas you’ve ever had. I will see you Thursday.”

Bucky hung up the phone and put it in the cupholder between him and Y/n. The silence lasted all of three seconds before Peter started up again.

“So how well do you know Mr. Stark?” He asked.

“Considering that he just agreed to go to dinner with him on Thursday,” Y/n piped up, “I’d say they were in love.”

“That’s not what -” Bucky sighed. “I know him pretty well, kid. Why?”

“I applied for his internship, but I never got a call back.”

Y/n turned around in her seat and looked at him. “Peter, do you not like working here?” She shot Bucky a quick glare.

“No, it’s not that. I just - I’m more of a science person, and I just took whatever job I could get. This one paid the best, but I was really hoping that I would be able to work in the field that I actually want to go in.”

Y/n turned back around. “Told ya, you should be nicer,” she grumbled.

Bucky didn’t justify that with a response. The rest of the ride happened in silence, but Y/n really wanted to know what had happened Monday morning. Clearly, Bucky had some kind of appointment, which explained why he was so calm when he’d walked in late. She should leave it alone. He was allowed to have his secrets just as she was allowed to have hers.

* * *

Y/n had scolded herself about thirty times in the past twenty minutes. She couldn’t stop watching Bucky drive, because yes, he was very calm as he drove. It was really attractive, and his right hand would rest on the gear shift, and -

Get it together, Y/n. She scolded herself again. If she wouldn’t get car sick, she’d pull out one of the books she’d brought along for the weekend. She was trying to fall into one of her extensive daydreams when an all too familiar tune came out from the car speakers.

Saw your body language, and I know how you feeling. You look like the kind of girl who’s tired of speaking.

She bit back the laugh that was begging to be released. Glancing at the radio, she doubled checked that this was, in fact, his playlist and not the actual radio. She was struggling with whether she should say something or let it slide. Letting it slide was winning because she didn’t want to get kicked out of the car, but god bless Peter Parker.

“You like One Direction?” He asked a little too gleefully.

Y/n waited for Bucky to quickly change the song and grumble about it being on there because of his sister or an ex-girlfriend. But he didn’t.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of their songs,” he said simply.

Bucky said it so casually as if that wasn’t a surefire way to set her off. He needed to do something dickish so she could go right back to hating him. Hating him was as easy as breathing. It came naturally. This entire car ride was confusing the fuck out of her, and she didn’t particularly like it.

“Really?” Peter, who was sounding more and more like an excited puppy, asked.

“Yeah, my sister made me listen to them once, and I guess I just didn’t stop.”

Y/n bit the inside of her cheek.

“What?” Bucky asked. It took her a second for her to realize he was talking to her. “Are you gonna sit there and pretend that you don’t like them?”

“No, I just didn’t think that you would admit to liking one direction is all.”

“Well, sunflower, I guess there are still a few things you don’t know about me.”

[thatfanficstuff]

Impossible - 4

Pairing: Eric Northman x reader

Warnings: punching, discussions of death

A/N: Ooops, I posted early. It’s Monday somewhere right?

***

When you woke you were still in the chair but someone had placed a blanket over you. Sitting up you saw that Sookie was still sleeping and the light coming through the window was a pale gray. You figured you’d only gotten a couple hours sleep at most. You got to your feet and stretched before folding the blanket and laying it over the back of the chair. You shut the door behind you as you left.

A murmur of voices drifted up the stairs and you followed the sound until you found Sam speaking with Tara and Lafayette. The conversation cut off as you stepped into the room. Sam stood almost immediately. “Hey, Y/N. You want some coffee?”

“Oh, God. Yes, please.”

While he headed to the kitchen, Tara stood to give you a hug. “How’s Sookie?”

“She’s out. Hopefully she will be for a while. I gave her a valium.”

“Oh, sweetness, you and I are on the same page.” Lafayette pulled a baggie from his pocket. “I’ve got our girl covered.”

You walked behind him and patted his shoulder just as Sam returned. You took your mug and sat in the empty seat between the two men. Sam glanced at the time and sighed. “We only have a couple of hours before people start showing up.”

Tara huffed a laugh. “Nosy old biddies.”

“So, let me get this straight, Sookie’s grandmother gets killed and people are just going to turn up uninvited?” you asked.

“Not exactly. People bring by food and pay their respects,” Sam explained.

Lafayette arched his brow. “Then they stay so they can gossip about the dead and the living.”

“We may not like it, but it’s tradition. It’s just how things are done.” You weren’t sure if Sam was trying to convince you or himself.

You leaned back in your seat. “Well, it’s not how I do things. If Sookie gets up and wants to see people, that’s fine. But we’re going to let her sleep. We will accept the food gratefully and write down who brought what. And then they’re going to go home.”

“You can’t do that,” Sam argued. “You’re going to piss people off.”

The corner of your mouth kicked up. “No. You can’t do that. I don’t care if I piss people off.”

“Damn it, Y/N. Be reasonable.”

“I’m with her, Sam. None of these people give a shit about Sookie. They never have. Who cares if we piss them off?” Tara argued.

Sam looked to Lafayette.

He put his hands up. “Don’t look at me, Sam. None of those people like me anyway.”

“Fine. I guess you win, Y/N.”

You grinned. “You’d think you’d be used to that by now, Sam.”

***

You took up residence on the front steps. For the most part, people stopped when they saw you and accepted your word when you said that Sookie wasn’t accepting visitors. One of the others would take the food or flowers and add it to the list so she’d know who brought what later.

Then came Maxine Fortenberry. As soon as you saw her step out of the car, you stood. She gave you a tight smile and tried to move around you, but you continued to block her path. “Sookie’s not taking visitors right now. I’ll let her know you came by.”

She huffed. “I’m quite certain that doesn’t apply to me.”

She went to pass you again, and you put a hand on her arm to stop her. “It applies to everybody.”

Her lips pursed. “Then why are they here?” She lifted her chin to indicate the others gathered at the door behind you.

“Well, they’re here to take care of Sookie.”

“And what is it you think I intend to do?”

The corner of your mouth curled up though there was nothing humorous about the situation. “I think you intend to look for blood. I mean surely some had to be missed, right? We couldn’t possibly be that thorough. And then you can tell all the other church ladies how awful it was.”

“Y/N,” Sam snapped from behind you as he came out the door. “That’s enough.” He pushed past you so you were forced to move your hand from Maxine’s arm. “I’m sorry, Maxine. Y/N’s had a rough day.”

“I have never been so insulted in my life.”

“I find that hard to believe,” you said and resumed your original spot on the steps.

Sam frowned at you again and you shrugged. He could waste his time smoothing ruffled feathers if he wished, but you had no patience for women like Maxine Fortenberry. Her holier than thou attitude had set your teeth on edge from the moment you met her. She might want to believe that she was better than everyone around her, but in reality, she was just a bitch.

Your gaze followed the two of them as Sam walked her back to her car. He was full of platitudes and apologies that made you roll your eyes.

“We could just lock ourselves inside and put a sign on the door,” Tara suggested as she sat beside you.

You glanced at her. “Why didn’t we think of that earlier?”

She grinned. “I did. Sam said no. I figure by this point he’ll find it a relief though.”

“Hell, I’ll lock his ass out if I have to. Make a sign. I’ve used up all my give a damn already.”

Your conversation was interrupted with the arrival of Jason Stackhouse. Anger radiated from him and you got back to your feet immediately. “Tara, go inside and lock the door. Now.”

For once she didn’t argue and hurried away as you stepped between Jason and the house. A quick glance to the side, showed Sam with hands on hips and an empty spot where Maxine had been. Thank God for small miracles.

Jason grabbed your arms and tried to shift you out of his way, but you weren’t so easily moved. His brow furrowed. “Get the fuck out of my way, Y/N.”

“Not until you calm down. I understand you being pissed about Adele, but there’s no cause for you to come here like this.” You mirrored his movements just like you had Maxine’s. Football player he might be, but you weren’t a typical human. If you could throw vampires into a wall, he was no match for you.

“No cause? No cause? I got fucking cause. Sookie sleeping with that fucking fanger got my gran killed and she’s gonna answer for it.” Tired of trying to dodge you, he decided to just walk through you, expecting you to move out of the way. Instead, you placed your palms on his chest and shoved him backward.

“Back off, Stackhouse.”

“Woah,” Sam said and stepped closer. “Everybody just calm down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Merlotte.” Jason came at you again. His body curled toward you as he stalked forward. You were prepared to block him, but you weren’t prepared for him to hit you. Jason could be a dick, but that was out of the norm even for him. So, you were thrown more than a little off balance when his punch landed on the left side of your face. Pain exploded from your cheekbone and up into your eye. Fuck, that hurt. The blow had more power behind it than he should have been capable of.

He took advantage of you being caught off guard to storm past you and kick the door open. As he stomped toward the stairs, Sookie came to stand at the top of them.

“What is going on?” she asked, looking between you and her brother.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on—”

Jason was cut off when you grabbed his shirt and threw him back toward the door. He flew through the open space to land on the porch. When he tried to scramble to his feet, you picked him up and bounced him off the side of his truck. “Get the fuck out of here before I call the cops.”

He got to his feet and stumbled backward around the truck, never taking his eyes off you. Once he’d made his way behind the wheel, he gunned the engine and took off.

You turned to find your friends staring at you with various levels of confusion, concern and fear on their faces. You’d let your anger at Jason get the best of you and had shown more of your strength than you normally did. You cleared your throat as you stepped past them into the house.

Sookie hurried down the steps to meet you. She examined the side of your face which was probably already starting to turn colors. Damn Stackhouse. “Tara, get Y/N some ice. Are you okay?”

You pulled away from her touch and gave a small nod. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m just glad I was here.”

You took the icepack Tara handed to you and stepped back as Sookie looked around. The cold against your tender skin made you grimace but you held it in place just the same.

“Where is everyone? I expected the house to be full.” Her tone was one of wonder not disappointment. She was so used to doing what she should, what everyone told her was normal, that she was surprised when someone didn’t.

“Thank her for that too,” Lafayette said. “She said you needed your sleep and stood guard outside all day.”

“We kept a list of who came by with what,” Sam piped up as if Sookie might be angry you kept her from having to deal with half the town.

Sookie threw her arms around your neck and you chuckled as you hugged her back. “Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, Sook.” You stepped back and pursed your lips in thought. “Do me a favor and don’t let Jason in the house unless someone is here for a few days.”

“You don’t think he’d actually hurt me, do you?”

You shrugged. “I would have sworn this morning that he wouldn’t have hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it. He didn’t smack me, Sookie. He punched me. Hard. If he hit you like that, it might have done some serious damage.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

“And why is it that it didn’t do serious damage to you?” Sam asked. “Never mind you tossing him against his truck like he weighed nothing. You want to explain all that?”

You ran your gaze over him. “Nope.” You turned your attention back to your friend. “I have an appointment tonight that I need to keep. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, of course. You’ve done more than enough. Thank you.”

You nodded and checked your pockets for your keys. Sookie cleared her throat as you pulled them out and you looked at her expectantly. “I’m going to have Gran’s funeral as soon as possible. You’re welcome of course, but I understand if you don’t make it.”

You gave her another hug. “Thanks, Sook.” She was one of the few people that knew of your aversion to funerals. There was a lot of reasons for it. Mainly you just didn’t like to watch people cry. You glanced at everyone before you walked out the door. “You all know how to get hold of me if you need anything. I might be out of town for a couple of days, but I won’t be far.”

With that, you hopped in your truck. After a quick stop by your apartment to get some clothes, you sent your dad a text then headed for Shreveport. There were still several hours to nightfall but you had some arrangements to make before you saw Eric.

[imagining-supernatural]

The Second Check-In

Part 12 of Seventy Percent

Series Summary: When you left on your trip to Vegas, you’d planned on letting loose for one last weekend before heading back to reality and getting your affairs in order so your best friend wouldn’t be left cleaning up your mess when your cancer finally ended your life. What you hadn’t counted on was waking up married to a celebrity who has a knight-in-shining-armor complex, connections with an oncologist, and amazing insurance…

Chapter Summary: You and Sebastian discuss how to handle dealing with the press and media now that word is out that he’s married, then you go to the second-check in and see how your tumor is doing.

Word Count: 2,644

The picture that was taken when you were getting into the car showed half of your face and it was splashed everywhere. It seemed like the entire world wanted to know who Sebastian Stan’s mystery wife was. You’d decided it was probably best if he didn’t take you to the hospital on Monday and he’d reluctantly agreed. So, while you enjoyed your anonymity a little longer, he had a video conference with his agent and PR team.

As you got ready to leave after your infusion, a nurse stopped you and let you know that Dr. Chowdhury wanted to see you before you left.

“I am an old man, but I do have grandkids,” he started off. It was an odd beginning to a conversation between a doctor and his patient, but your life was one whole jumble of weird, so you shrugged it off. “So I see the headlines sometime, and, if I’m not mistaken, the man who comes in with you so often has been hitting headlines lately. Or, rather, you have been.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“You don’t need to worry about the hospital staff. Patient confidentiality, you know. But the other patients are not bound by the rules we are. I do not want to cause any undue stress, but it is imperative to your treatment that you remain in a positive frame of mind. So I was wondering if you would prefer we move you to a private room while you are here.”

“I—that’d probably be smart.”

He nodded and made a note in your chart. “Good. Also, tomorrow we’ll run you through some more scans. I want to see the progress this new medication is making.”

“What if—” You really didn’t want to know the answer to this question, but you needed to ask it anyway. “What if there hasn’t been any progress? What if the tumor just won’t shrink?”

“We have one more course of action we can take should it come to that. We aren’t giving up on you, Y/N. Don’t give up on us just yet.”

“This journalist said they like my hair,” you mentioned conversationally as Sebastian puttered around the kitchen, making dinner.

“It’s good hair.”

“It is good hair, isn’t it? I’m glad neither of my treatments caused hair loss.”

Besides the photo that leaked from the Vegas wedding and the one from the diner, no other pictures or new information had come to light. So far, you hadn’t seen any outright negativity in the news regarding you or Sebastian. Mostly because the headlines were focused on you as a Mystery Woman. As soon as the veil lifted and the truth came to light, you were sure things would turn ugly. But for now, you would enjoy the neutrality.

“You haven’t read any comments, have you?”

“Nope. I promised I wouldn’t and, as Dr. Chowdhury said today, it is imperative that I maintain a positive attitude for my treatment to work,” you said, trying your best to match his Indian accent. However, much like your aptitude for foreign languages, you were downright dismal at accents.

“You talked to Dr. Chowdhury?”

“Yeah.” You set down your phone and waited until Seb looked at you. “Can you come with me tomorrow? We’re running scans and he’s gonna let me know if this treatment is actually shrinking the tumor. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go alone, considering how I reacted last time.”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “What time’s the appointment?”

“Two. I know you’re going on some talk shows here in the city this week. Will that work for you?”

He nodded. “I’m going on Late Night with Seth tomorrow. Should have enough time.” Sebastian checked on the soup on the stove before rounding the island and taking a seat next to you. “Speaking of… Have you thought any more about what you’re comfortable with me talking about on TV?”

“A little. As much as I’d love for you to veto all questions about me, I think your PR team is right. You probably should acknowledge the elephant.”

“Are you calling yourself fat?” He gasped in fake offense.

“Elephant in the room, you idiot.”

“I’m your idiot, though.”

Okay, so you knew you were technically married to the man, but it still felt wrong to feel butterflies in your stomach when he teased you like that.

Friends. That’s all you were in actuality.

“And as my idiot,” you kept it going, ignoring how much you loved saying those words, “I think you should definitely acknowledge that you’re married. I don’t think I’m comfortable with my name being out there, though.”

He nodded. “I figured that. And I agree.”

“Part of me wants to play it safe and pretend like we’ve known each other for a while. Like, long-distance relationship thing. But another part of me hates the lie. And also, as someone who grew up on Harry Potter fanfiction, this accidental marriage trope would just be eaten up by your fans.”

“Which means we’d probably stay in the spotlight longer,” he pointed out.

“Yeah. And you’d have to explain why we stayed married. Mentioning that your wife has cancer is kind of a downer for a talk show like Seth’s.”

Wife. Rather than think about how the word applied to you, you chose to replay the John Mulaney segment in your head as a nice distraction from those damn butterflies in your stomach.

That’s my WIFE!

“Do you feel comfortable with me telling everyone you have cancer?” He asked.

At some point during this conversation, you’d grabbed his hand and were now playing with his fingers. You kept your eyes on where your fingers were massaging his as you contemplated the question. It was the only one you hadn’t come to conclusion about before now.

“I don’t know…”

“Think out loud. Maybe I can help.”

“Okay, so, on one hand, if you mention I have cancer, that would be a great time to ask for privacy. You know. Play the pity card. Say how I’m going through treatment and the stress would make it harder for me. Which is the truth.”

“On the other hand…” he prompted.

“If you leave that part out I might seem less interesting and the spotlight might move on faster, you know? And I’m a private person, as you know.”

He grinned. “Oh, yes. I remember, Y/N no-middle-name Y/L/N.”

His reminder of the first day you were in the city made you laugh. It seemed like an entire lifetime ago. If only you’d known that you would be putting your entire life in his hands less than two days later…

“You know what? I trust you, Seb. The only hard line I’m drawing is my name. I want to keep that out of the light as long as I can. For the rest… you’re better at this publicity thing than I am. You’ve talked to your PR team. I trust your judgment.”

“That’s so sweet,” he cooed, freeing one of his hands to wipe away imaginary tears. “You’re making me cry, Y/N.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up and check on the soup.”

“You asked me to be here so—”

“If I’d known you’d be so annoying I wouldn’t ha—”

“Just give me your fucking hand, dammit. I’m trying to be supportive!” Sebastian scooted his chair over and grabbed both of your hands out of your lap, gripping them on the armrest victoriously. “Now I have both of your hands. Whatchu gonna do ‘bout that, huh sweetheart?”

Glare at him, was your answer, though the shock of the new pet name dampened the fire behind it. It was a few minutes after two ‘o clock and you were waiting in Dr. Chowdhury’s office. A nurse let you know he’d be a few minutes late which immediately made your blood pressure skyrocket.

And that’s how you found yourself arguing with Sebastian about him holding your hand.

You huffed, but shifted in the seat so you could more comfortably keep your hands in his.

“Glad to see you two getting along so well,” an amused British accent you hadn’t heard in a few weeks said, alerting you to her presence in the room.

“Helen!” Seb released your hands for long enough to stand, give her a hug, and shake Dr. Chowdhury’s hand before sitting back down and expectantly putting his hands on the armrest of your chair. Neither doctor said anything as you stared down your husband. It was only when he quirked his eyebrow that you sighed and gave him your hands again.

“Sorry ‘bout that. He’s trying to become the personification of the phrase way too over-supportive,” you shot both doctors a tolerant grin.

“There is no such thing when it comes to treatment,” Dr. Sharpe said, grinning as she sat next to Dr. Chowdhury behind his desk.

“Told you,” Seb muttered to you.

“Shut up, the adults are talking,” you whispered back. To the doctors, you said, “So, I don’t know whether to be scared or happy that both of you are here.”

“We are seeing progress, Y/N,” Dr. Chowdhury said simply.

“Progress,” you repeated softly. The word felt foreign in your mouth.

“What does that mean?” Seb asked, squeezing your fingers.

Dr. Chowdhury sat forward, clasped hands resting on his desk. “It means that your scans showed that the tumor is shrinking. Slower than we would have hoped, but it is shrinking.”

“And before you say anything,” Dr. Sharpe broke in, “It is enough. While the progress is slower than we planned for, we both agree that if it continues like this, the tumor should grow small enough to remove it. It just might take longer than we planned for.”

“It’s shrinking,” you whispered, still processing this good news. Despite your better mood, you’d still been expecting bad news when you came in.

“It’s shrinking,” Dr. Chowdhury confirmed, smiling.

This treatment was working. There was progress. It was shrinking.

“How much longer do you think it will take?” Seb asked.

Dr. Chowdhury nodded his approval of the question. “That is why both Helen and I are here today. You have a decision to make and we are both of different minds. As you know, I have kept Dr. Sharpe appraised of your progress during this study. We have conferred frequently, so though this is my study, her opinion is very much valid. And both options are medically sound.”

You nodded, ready to listen.

Dr. Chowdhury went first. “I would like to adjust your infusion cocktail one more time. This approach is quite aggressive, but my hope is that the tumor will begin to shrink more rapidly and you can have your surgery at the time we originally planned for.”

“I believe,” Dr. Sharpe took over the conversation at this point, “That it would be best to continue your infusions as they are. We estimate you will have to continue treatment for a month longer, at least, before surgery. But the progress you’ve made in the last week is promising, and you will not have to go through another period of adjusting to the new medication.”

“Option one is a more aggressive treatment plan that would keep us on schedule, and option two is to continue on with the current treatment and wait longer for the surgery?” Sebastian summarized. Both doctors nodded.

“One concern my doctor back home had about more aggressive treatment options was that my body would be too weak for surgery.” You looked at Dr. Chowdhury. “Is that a concern with the more aggressive treatment?”

“It is always a concern. One that I have considered. With how you’ve responded to the increased dosage over the last two weeks, I believe that you will not have to worry about being too weak for surgery. However, if I am wrong about that, there are a few courses of action I have in mind that would help so you can still have the surgery.”

You and Sebastian asked questions for a few more minutes until you felt you had enough information to continue the discussion alone. Since this decision wasn’t as time-pressing as the decision to begin treatment had been, Dr. Chowdhury suggested you two go home and come back the next day with your decision.

Before heading back to the apartment, Sebastian had Sean, your driver, drop you two off at the grocery store. There were a few things you both needed and, for the first time in a while, you felt up to walking around for a bit. So you braved being in public with Sebastian and only teased him a little for his choice of hat. Hopefully it would help keep his anonymity, and by extension, yours.

“Oreos?” You asked hopefully, knowing full well Sebastian wouldn’t say no. You were eating better, but any time you got excited over some food, you could see him mentally putting that dish on a list of meals that you were sure to eat. And even though Oreos weren’t healthy, they were food nonetheless.

“Regular? Double stuffed? Mint?”

“Mmm,” you considered, looking up at the shelves upon shelves of cookies. Your energy was slowly depleting, and you found yourself leaning against the cart more and more. Still, you were enjoying the little trip. “Regular is better to dip in milk, but double stuff is better if you don’t have milk. And you can never go wrong with mint…”

“You want all three?” He shot you a look with an amused eyebrow quirk.

“I mean, yes. But that’s a lot of Oreos to eat before they go stale. Why don’t they have a triple pack? Each row is a different kind? That would sell great.”

Surprise covered his face. “That’s… actually a good idea.”

“Don’t sound so shocked. I have good ideas every once in a while.”

“After you made me watch that one movie about the sexually transmitted demon, I’m not so sure.”

Your laughter rang down the aisle. “Okay, fair point.” Rolling the cart forward, you grabbed a pack of mint Oreos and tossed it by the boxed brownies you’d also conned him into getting. He tried talking you out of it, saying you could stop by the bakery down the street and get better brownies, but your counter point that you couldn’t eat half the brownie batter from the bakery had won you the round.

“What’s next?” you asked. “Ice cream?”

“You’re supposed to be eating healthy,” he pointed out.

“Look, can we just be happy that I’m finally getting my appetite back? You can lecture me about calories or saturated fats or whatever tomorrow.” Giving him your best puppy dog eyes, you pouted out your bottom lip. “Please? I might just wither away if I don’t have cheesecake ice cream tonight.”

He mumbled under his breath before starting to walk away.

You followed him, ignoring the squeaky wheel on your cart. “What was that?”

“If you spend more than two minutes choosing which flavor of ice cream, you’re not getting any,” he replied. That wasn’t what he had mumbled, you were sure, but you let it go.

“I’ll do you one better. If Ben and Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake isn’t stocked, I won’t get ice cream at all. Deal?”

“Deal. So, ice cream, produce section… anything else?”

With a head shake, you pushed forward until you were walking right next to Sebastian. He glanced at you and you gave him a soft grin. “Thank you, Seb. You’re the best.”

He tossed his arm around your shoulder and pulled you slightly closer. After pressing a quick kiss to the side of your head, he gave you a cocky grin. “I know I am, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.

First in Dr. Chowdhury’s office and now here. That damn word was going to be the death of you, you swore.

Any ideas what it was Seb said under his breath?? And how do you think the interview later tonight is going to go? 

Chapter 13: The First Interview

[bubblyani]

Cooperation in Full # 1

(Lucifer Morningstar x OC)

A Lucifer Morningstar Multi-Chapter Series

Chapter 1: Business Offers and Favors

Series Summary: Maya Sigera, an ambitious Event Planner, strives to put her company in the spotlight by forming a cooperate relationship with LA’s most enigmatic nightclub owner, Lucifer Morningstar. But as their lives intertwine, both Maya and Lucifer seem to find it difficult to keep their relationship professional. But regardless, their ‘Cooperation’ is ‘in full’.

Soundtrack: ♪♪♪ Bottoms up - Keke Palmer  ♪♪♪

Authors Note: So so exciting cause this will be the first ever story I’m doing with an OC. Hope you will all enjoy this story with each chapter!

His eyes, they entrapped her gaze, sealing it so tight there was no escape.

“Tell me…” He asked, “This money…It really isn’t for your debt, is it?”

She felt it. The truth. And she felt it reach her tongue faster than expected.

“No…it’s not”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(A Day earlier)

To find oneself a free seat on a bus was indeed a dire task. It applied to anywhere all over the world, including Los Angeles. But in the rarest of moments, a seat or two will make themselves available, as it did on this late Monday morning.

Except she did not seem to notice.

Fingers gripped on the handrail, she kept standing; completely oblivious to rare miracle that was so visible. Which was a shame. Earphones were plugged in her ears, yet still she listened to no music. But her lips moved fast, and the manner it moved was repetitive. It was her mantra, her psych-up speech. Her attempts of fueling herself with enough positivity for what’s to come. But her train of concentration took a sudden stop when her mobile phone rang.

“Gurl, it’s like you knew” she answered the call, adorning a smile that lit up her face. She heard a familiar giggle from the other side.

“I always know, Maya” the caller replied,“ So, is today the day?”

“It sure is…” Maya said, giving an involuntary nod, “ I finally got an appointment, Denise. I still can’t believe it”

“Yeah, and with the man himself ” Denise said, sounding quite impressed, “How many days were you trying to set a meetup? Two ?Three?”

“Two actually…” Maya corrected, as she stared at her reflection on the bus window. Adjusting her raven locks tied into a high ponytail, she smacked her nude pink lips. Her brown skin glistened in the rays of the morning sun streaming through the glass window.  

“Shit…” she muttered, “I’m actually on my way to meet Lucifer Morningstar”

Indeed, she was.

Assistant Events Manager in an up and coming Event Planning Company in LA. That title hung above her head, yet she still considered herself insufficient in assisting.

Until she finally made a decision. A decision that could place the company at the top. The day she made the bold declaration to her boss was fresh in her mind:

“I’ll get LUX to partner with us!”

The expression of disbelief, the laughter that followed from her boss were also quite vivid.

“Maya…” She began, “…don’t get me wrong but…don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch? I mean, a place like LUX…” with clasped hands, “It was never easy. And don’t even get me started on the owner, Lucifer…” Scoffing as she continued , “ He can literally see right through people-”

“Then perfect!” Her subordinate cried out with confidence, “I can do it. You’ll see…”

With a sigh, Maya blinked into reality. And reality reminded her of the current purpose as the bus slowed down.

“Shit” She gasped, “My stop. Gotta go Denise! Wish me luck”

“Good Luck hun, You got this!”

Jumping carefully out of the bus, she stared at the venue she dreamt of conquering.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The keys of the piano sang as Lucifer Morningstar’s fingers grazed over them in rhythm. As he played in pure leisure, his eyes wandered around LUX, that transforms into complete desolation in daytime.

For the entire world, he was the owner of a high-end nightclub, a playboy, a man of power. But in reality, he was also the Devil. Satan himself, the fallen angel who decided to take a sudden holiday. Never was he hesitant to admit he was the Lord of Hell if needed. The only problem was that it all just seemed such a waste of energy, especially when no one around him actually bothered to believe him.

He heard a huff from Mazikeen ‘Maze’ Smith. The annoyance was evident, as she watched him from the bar.

“A Business Meeting? Really? Why do you need to do this Lucifer?” his demon bodyguard said, “I thought this was something you actually find boring. You know, you can actually hire people to do the talking for you, right?”

“Oh Maze…” Lucifer drawled, looking over at her, “You never stop your incessant whining, don’t you?” With a chuckle, he continued,  “Watching humans do whatever it takes, all for the sake of money and power, it is quite titillating. Ah!” The clicking of heels heard from the distance caught Lucifer’s attention.

“Right on time…” he said to himself with a grin.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The first time Maya ever saw Lucifer Morningstar, was when she looked him up on the internet. With the intention of putting a face to the name well known, she had no idea what she would find. Tall, dark and extremely handsome, she found herself exhale with frustration.  

“Damn…” she muttered to herself, “What a hottie, eh?”

“RIGHT?”

An excited colleague replied, making her jump, “Apparently sex with him is supposed to be amazing!” The colleague added with a dreamy quality.

“HEY! Shhh! Watch your mouth, young lady!” Guffawing, Maya looked at her with a dropped jaw, “That could be our future business partner”

“Even better!”

“Watch it!”

A hilarious memory indeed.

As she chuckled that incident away,  Maya maintained her pantsuit clad confident posture while descending down the stairs of LUX as a pair of eyes watched her. Or was it two? No, definitely one.

“Good Morning, Mr. Morningstar!” She greeted in her most confidence voice.

Moving away from the piano, the man who was addressed began to adjust his jacket.

“Indeed it is…” Lucifer replied, with a smile, and a tone filled with seduction. Smiling back, she extended her hand.

“Maya Sigera” she introduced herself, “….one of your associates scheduled a meeting for us today. I hope you were informed”

“Yes, yes I was…” Lucifer replied, taking her hand in his “…although it is such a pity I was not informed of the magnitude of your beauty” he purred, as hands were shaken. Maya chuckled.

“Ahaha! I should be flattering you” she said, while maintaining strong eye contact, “…for it is I who’s here with the proposition”

When it came to business, appearances proved nothing to Maya. As it should be. She was well trained. But the moment her eyes made contact with the enigmatic nightclub owner, she knew it was a mistake.

The man exuded attraction. He was magnetism incarnate. So powerful that every inch of her body beseeched her to follow her natural instinct that weighed towards desire.

But with a strong, resolute blink of an eye, she managed to pull her hand away. She stopped herself. And she was relieved she was able to. For she was a professional. Although, she would be lying if she were not clenching her fists with frustration.

“Well...” Lucifer began, “in that case, let us wait no more”

“Great! Is there an office where we can discuss?”

“Nonsense! We can discuss it here”

With a raised eyebrow, Maya looked at her host with confusion as he guided her towards the bar.

Definitely out of the box.

“Now, what would you like to drink, darling?” Lucifer asked, as a young, male bartender appeared before them. Maya was certain she saw a woman earlier.

“ I….uh” she hesitated, “I don’t know if I should drink now” she added with a nervous laughter.

“Oh come now…I insist!”

“Alright…one Mojito please!”

This time it was Lucifer’s turn to raise his eyebrows, forcing Maya to smile.  

“What?” She asked, “Technically it is a drink, right?” She looked over at the bartender.

As the younger man nodded in acknowledgment, Lucifer chuckled.

“Fair enough.Well then Ms. Sigera...” he said, taking a sip from his glass of whiskey:

“Impress me…”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It may have been just Lucifer watching, but for Maya, it was likened to the entire world. The pressure was just as immense.

The speed of the bartender’s service impressed her, for all she needed was the chill of the ice cold glass of the mojito comforting her hand. Thanking the young man inaudibly, she took a large sip.

“This is nice…” she remarked, pointing at the drink before taking a deep breath:

“Firstly,  I would like to thank you for providing me the opportunity to meet you. And second, I swear I won’t be lying, cause I know it’s not gonna get me anywhere.”

Wrong move. Wrong move. Why did she feel the need to say that? Maya felt the need to kick herself. And yet, for some strange reason, she anticipated a reply. Instead those eyes merely watched her with pure fascination. Clearing her throat, she continued:

“Our company…it may be a small, yes. But we always strive to provide our clients a high quality service. Giving them the privilege to forget about any form of stress, we take charge of coordinating with all the third parties…” She felt a surge of confidence with every word that exited her lips, “And venue-wise…we believe LUX is possibly one of the best places in LA. Nay, the best ever…and so, we want nothing but your full cooperation”

Avoiding his eyes, yet she fixed her gaze at him. And so far it was a relief to see how he remained genuinely fascinated with what he heard. Clearing her throat once more, she spoke:

“Forming a partnership…”

“Oh?”

“….it can be a win-win for both of us.” Maya said, giving a subtle smile, “I think if our company holds events here, new customers can be introduced to LUX with so much convenience. And existing clients of LUX? They will get to know about us, making it easy for them to plan any future events too.” Holding her glass, she began to chuckle,  “Now I know….many… many other companies may have proposed the same to you. But if you just give us a chance…” Maya said, placing one hand on her chest, “… if you even take a look at some of our current events we have undertaken, you will see how well we work. Our efficiency. Our Professionalism. You…. won’t…. be disappointed.”

With a deep exhale, she finished it. Another huge gulp of mojito moistened her tongue once more. The transparency was evident in her. And it surprised Lucifer.

“You’re actually quite serious about this, aren’t you?”  He commented with sheer curiosity. Never had he been this concentrated on a business proposal before. Nodding, Maya took the glass away from her lips.

“Of course! It’s my job. I -” looking around, she leaned in closer, looking into his eyes with intensity,  “…truthfully, my boss thinks this is a dead end, considering how difficult it was to partner with you. But…” pressing her lips together, she continued in a low tone, “ I’m hoping to prove her wrong. There! I said it! Oh! Almost forgot...” With the snap of her fingers, her voice grew loud while she looked into her bag, “....here is our company profile… this includes the past events we have done” clasping her hands together, her foot rocked as she watched him flip through the booklet “I heard you don’t deal with any BS and I think that’s great cause...so do I-”

“Lucifer!”

Both heads turned to find Maze by the entrance. There she was, Maya thought.

“You have a visitor” Maze’s voice echoed across the room as she stood with arms folded. Waiting beside her was a nervous looking young man.

“Ah bloody hell…” Maya heard Lucifer mutter under his breath. She turned towards him. Could it be that her window of opportunity just closed? Did she lose his full attention?  

“Ms.Sigera…” Lucifer began disappointingly, his eyes still on the visitor.

“Ah...something  urgent, I’m guessing?” Maya asked, hiding her own disapproval.

“Unfortunately, yes…” he replied with a sigh. She kept nodding in compensation.

“I understand…” she chuckled, standing up “You’re a busy man”. Was this a cheap ploy to get her out? It was difficult for her to know. Standing alongside her, Lucifer replied politely:

“Please do know that your proposition will be considered. Be sure to expect a call from me when I do” He said with a smile.

“I look forward to that” Extending her hand once again, Maya added, “Thank You, Mr. Morningstar”

“A pleasure, Ms.Sigera” Lucifer replied, giving a firm handshake, “Come now!” he gestured to the man casually, who ran past her in a flash. Finally, he ended up beside the nightclub owner,  holding his hand in desperation.

“Lucifer please! I need that favor”

“Curious much?”

Maze’s voice made Maya jump all the sudden.

“Ahaha! I’m sorry. I’ll go”  she said, turning to leave.

“So, the favor thing is real” she muttered to herself as she walked.

Taking a step out of the club, Maya had grown  more curious than the time she entered. Regardless, she sighed in relief. She did it. She took that challenging step. She pitched the idea.

What seemed torturous now was the waiting. For nothing was set in stone. Nothing that was promised or agreed on. Just in mere consideration.

As she waited at the bus station, all she could think of was him. Of all the people, of all the men she had ever encountered, Lucifer Morningstar was certainly different. Perhaps it was merely his spellbinding handsomeness that was tricking her. He was a toughie. But at the same time, she was fascinated. He was challenging.

The ring of her phone woke her from the pondering. It was not Denise. But it was certainly someone who made her smile.

“Uncle Pablo!”

She greeted with adoration, “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about dinner tonight, okay? I’ll-”

The bloody, gurgling cough that responded on the line made her freeze. It sounded familiar, and it certainly sounded painful.

“U-uncle Pablo?” Meekly, she inquired once again, “Whats going on?”

Only to hear the one thing she hoped not to ever again:

“Maya, they’re back!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(The Next Day)

“You’re crazy, Maya Sigera. Crazy”

With a drink in hand, Maya muttered as she sat by the bar. The venue was vacant this morning as the morning before, but her state of mind was definitely not.

A night of contemplation and self convincing led her to LUX the very next day, for it was the only option she had left.  

“Ms.Sigera, sorry to have kept you waiting...” Lucifer’s voice boomed as he quickly descended from the stairs to join her. He seemed to have rushed back in hurry“Now regarding your plan-”

“...thats not why I’m here Mr.Morningstar” Maya said, her voice brimming in nervousness.

“Oh?”

“I…I....” taking a deep breath, she looked right at him, finally gathering courage:

“I need a favor”

Breaking into an amused laughter, Lucifer certainly found it unexpected.

“What? Business offers and favors? Ms. Sigera...you must be desperate”

“Oh believe me! I know how this sounds...” scoffing, Maya answered in kind, “ but this favor, I have no other choice”

The grim expression on her face was no joke. And it proved grim enough for his laughter to die down.  

“Right, what is it that you need?”

“Money”

Plain and simple was her answer, which was akin to her tone. Lucifer raised his eyebrows.

“Why?”

“I have a debt to settle”

“How much?”

“50,000 dollars”

“You? A debt?” He asked, as his eyes scanned her up and down, “Interesting”.

Restlessness and desperation overtook Maya. “Look, can you help me or not?”  She snapped. Before he could respond, her phone rang, forcing her to click her tongue with frustration.

“Shit!” She said before answering.

It was work, it was urgent was certainly unavoidable.

Hanging up, she looked at him with a sigh.

“Ah...something  urgent, I’m guessing?” He asked.

For a moment, Maya was impressed as Lucifer Morningstar managed to turn her own words around on her. But she was too upset to show it.

“Yeah...” she nodded, with brows furrowed as she slid off her barstool.

Watching her run off in a hurry , Lucifer dialed his phone with furrowed brows.

“Detective…” he greeted, with the phone pressed against his ear,

“I need you to look up someone for me”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(7:59 pm )

The line of people eyed Maya with sheer envy when the bouncer granted her special access to LUX, upon a mere glance.

For a moment she wondered if this was a sign that her proposition was accepted. But that was just wishful thinking for sure. For that text she received from Lucifer Morningstar remained clear as day:

Regarding your favor.

8pm at Lux.

Being only subjected to it’s glory through mere photographs and videos, the real-time extravagance of LUX nightclub certainly took her breath away. Especially when the venue was packed with satisfied clients.

Except for a small group, as she had noticed. As a potential cooperate partner, it disturbed her slightly.

Nevertheless, business seemed to be booming. And Maya had no regrets with her intentions for collaboration. Beautiful, all occupants here were so beautiful. Or maybe it was merely the cheerleader effect, but nevertheless, it felt flourished.

Except for that group, that her mind could not let go of.

Dressed in a silk jumpsuit, Maya looked club appropriate as she swam through the crowds hoping to find Lucifer, her possible savior for the night.

And she found him by the bar.

All the women around him wanted him with much intensity. If common decency never existed, they could possibly appear to be salivating over him like he was a succulent dish.

They say if you stare at someone long enough, they would notice. And just like that, Lucifer sensed Maya’s gaze. And to her surprise he brightened up as a result.

She didn’t budge as he walked up to her in the midst of the crowd. If it were any other day, she would have savored a handsome stranger approaching her in a club. But tonight, she was impatient and very helpless.  

“Mr. Morningstar...” she began, “have you had time to consider my favor?” Though she was serious, her  body began to sway involuntarily to the music. Force of habit.

“I have...” he replied, with his hands in his pockets, slightly amused by her movements  “Although there is something that’s bothering me”. Before she could even question it, she felt her body freeze up the moment he leaned forward.

His eyes, mesmerizing, they entrapped her gaze, sealing it so tight there was no escape. All the voices around her suddenly vanished, except for his own.

“Tell me…” He asked, “This money…It really isn’t for your debt, is it?”

Hypnotized, she felt it. She felt the truth being dug up. And to her shock, she felt it reach her tongue faster than expected.

“No…it’s not”

With a gasp, she felt herself unfreeze. The truth was finally out. How the hell did he do that? She thought.

“Right...” Lucifer said, “Fancy a walk?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Strolling down the streets of LA at night with Lucifer Morningstar was definitely what Maya did not expect.

“How did you even-”

“I have my reliable sources. And according to them you’ve never had any form of debts nor any criminal record. Now why would someone with a squeaky clean background ask for money?”

“Shit happens but ..just out of curiosity, why do you care Mr. Morningstar?”

“As someone giving a favor I think it’s only fair that I know the full story. I can tell the guilt is eating you up...”  Looking at her, Lucifer said as they both kept walking.

This man, seriously, Maya thought.

“Fair enough...” chuckling, she folded her arms:  

“Like I said earlier, the money is not for my debt. It’s for ...my uncle” looking ahead, she continued, “Technically he’s not my blood relative but, he is the only thing close to family here. But he...he got into some bad shit back in the day”

“Drug dealing? Theft?” Lucifer guessed excitedly.

“Unlicensed boxing” Maya corrected him, “Some matches ...they didn’t go down the way the bookies wanted and uh... ‘El Fuego’, this gang that ran the matches, after so many years they suddenly decided to uh ‘stop by’ to check up on his financial matters. This was two days ago...” with a shudder, she continued, “...they hurt him...pretty bad” with a heavy sigh, she envisioned that fateful night. The way she found him beaten and battered in his own home.

“Trust me, Mr. Morningstar...if I had enough money I would have done something. But unfortunately I can’t risk it....I wouldn’t have come to you if I weren’t so desperate-”

“Ms.Sigera, consider your favor to be granted”

Lucifer declared out of the blue, making her eyes widen and stop on the pavement.

“W-what ?” She stuttered, “You serious?”

“Yes...” he smiled warmly.

For a second she wondered if she was looking at an angel in disguise.

“I can give you the money…” He said, “Under one condition”

“Hmmm?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“See those young ladies over there?” Lucifer shouted through the music, while showing Maya a part of the club. Maya knew her instincts never failed her.

It was them, that particular group that caught her attention. Their scowls and negative auras were  quite distinctive.

“Those young ladies are proving to be quite the buzzkill” he said, rolling his eyes, “Trust me, I tried to diffuse the situation but then it’s like bees to honey all together, and I have a club to run”

“Of course, you’re not obligated to seduce them No no...” Maya said worryingly, “but yeah, I did notice from the moment I walked in” she added , “Want me to do something about that?”

Her confidence and reliability made his jaw drop.

“I was hoping you would say that.” He laughed with relief, “Yes please! Your efficiency. Your professionalism”, he continued, “Let this be your shining moment to fight for your company and your uncles debt”

Giving him the thumbs up, Maya felt purpose engulf her whole. Walking over to the group, she got down to work. It was her time. She could show him her capabilities. Even though it was a tad bit unexpected and different.

“Good Evening Ladies, How are y’all doing today?”

She said brightly, greeting the group who sat on the sofa.

“What does it look like?”

One snapped back at her. Ms. Snappy huh? Maya thought.

With her hands on her waist, Maya further observed her target audience. In their early twenties, they showed classic signs of a stubbornness, immersed in nothing but boredom.

“ Are you the hostess? I thought this place was supposed to be fun”

Ms. Snappy added rudely. Maya chuckled.

“Oh...now don’t be too hasty with your impression, hun” Clasping her hands, she maintained her positivity, “Maybe something particular isn’t suiting to your taste here. Like, in my opinion?” Bending low, she attempted empathy by leaning towards them to whisper, “I think the music can be a bit more….you know , dance friendly? And the dancers...they may seem a little monotonous I don’t know-”

“So? why don’t you do something about it?”

Ms. Snappy asked, raising eyebrows whilst snapping fingers at her. The other girlfriends  nodded in approval.

Typical Spoilt kids, Maya thought. She had to think fast. Telling the dancers off in public didn’t seem respectful to the club. She had only one option.

The DJ’s face lit up when she came up to him and whispered in his ear. Upon seeing his thumbs up of agreement, she motioned one of the dancers to get down from the box. Thankful for wearing sturdy high heels, Maya managed to catch everyone’s attention including Lucifer’s when she gave the DJ a nod.

♪♪♪  ♪♪♪

A smile came over her the moment the music began. Looking down, she permitted the music to take over her soul. Until she finally felt possessed.

She snapped her fingers to rhythm, as her body embraced the song completely.Her hips. They certainly did not lie, swaying to steady rhythm, eliciting whistles and cheers from the crowd. Riled up, Maya did not hesitate to let loose as the chorus began.

Body rolling, buttocks bouncing, nothing was close to demure or decent when she reunited with her dance-enthusiastic self. And the crowd certainly liked what they saw.

A long loud whoop later, Maya watched the others join in the dance fun, including Ms. Snappy and her snapper crew. Eyes widened with excitement, they certainly appeared different.

“Oh my god…” Ms. Snappy cried, “That was incredible!”  

“See? I told you…” panting, Maya got down from the box, “it’s all about the right song...Now come on ! Shake that booty gurl…”

Finally, looking around, she sensed no dissatisfaction. The atmosphere was on fire. All was well again.

Amidst excited squeals, Maya moved over to the DJ.

“Put some dancehall and we’re golden” she said, giving the ok sign, “Thanks!”

“Ms.Sigera!”

Maya turned in a flash upon hearing Lucifer’s voice. Her long, loose locks that bounced earlier, suddenly rested on her shoulder with obedience by his tone.  

“I must admit...I am impressed!” He said, with a huge smile on his face, “Amazing dancer and mood maker? Who could have known?”

“Nah!” She shook her head, “I’m not that good of a dancer” she said, while being guided to the bar “You see, what I did was...” an awkward pause came over her, when one of his alluring groupies wrapped themselves around him, “Uh...it’s just the right choice of music. It ...goes a long way” she continued, her professionalism maintained.

“Hands on…I quite like that” He commented, fully focused on her, as the friendly bartender handed over a mojito.

“Thank you” Maya said, looking at both of them.

“And…”Lucifer said, gesturing to the bartender, “ as promised…” gasps came over her when they revealed a duffle bag filled with cash. With discretion.

“Oh my god-”

“Dad has nothing to do with this!” Lucifer said, sounding offended. “What?”

“No matter. So…” he began, “...will you be making the transaction for your uncle’s freedom tonight?”

“Actually I think I will” she said with a chuckle, “I’m in such a good mood right now, don’t think anything’s gonna ruin it. Besides...” lowering her voice, “I just wanna get it done soon…get over it you know. Be free” she said,  taking the bag with a big smile. Lucifer chuckled back.

“Then I’m glad” he said, raising his glass “Good Luck Ms.Sigera. Ladies, if you excuse me…”

And just like that, she watched him disappear into the crowd. For a second, she felt her stomach turn.

“Are you gonna sleep with him too?”

“What?” Shocked, she realized the woman who clung on to him was still around, “Oh no!” Maya replied. The blonde adjusted her dress enough to reveal more cleavage excitedly.

“Well…I am. Can’t wait” Her enthusiasm was akin to an overexcited teenager. Chuckling, Maya patted her on the shoulder, “Well...I can’t blame ya” she said, making sure that it was her exit line before the big mission.

Little did she know, on the other side of the club, something else was brewing. Little did she know, how Lucifer Morningstar excused himself, only to find his way to his demonic bodyguard.

“Care for a rush-inducing adventure, Maze?”

He said, leaning against the stair railing beside her, who sat and indulged the visual of a dancer. Mazikeen licked her lips, “Only if its got to do with some good old fashioned violence ” she said, taking out one of her knives to admire.

“Well, my friend. You��re in luck”

The lord of hell replied,

“Cause we are about to take out some ‘baddies’”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(10:00 pm)

Making contact wasn’t exactly necessary, when her uncle knew of the usual Wednesday warehouse spot for “El Fuego” poker night. Maya made sure she wasn’t followed, she made sure she wasn’t made suspicious either.

But the moment she stepped in to the place, all her built up tough defenses went flying out.

“What the-?” She breathed.

‘El Fuego’ that she heard of and have seen, were proud, standing tall and threatening.

Never lying on the ground, groaning in pain, like what she just saw.

Every gang member, weakened to the floor, looked bloody or swollen and no way shape or form to fight. Some of the light bulbs were broken, chairs were in pieces. The scene, it looked strangely similar to a fight that had gone bad. And lost to the lowest point.

“Pater Noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum...”

Latin words, that suspiciously sounded like a prayer appeared out of nowhere. Stepping over a groaning gangster, Maya found the leader Juan.

She had heard stories about him. About the cold blooded schemer who did not bat an eye to kill, to steal, to make her uncle a forever debtor.

Anti climactic it was certainly, to see him hiding behind his wooden chair, before a now-non existent table at an empty warehouse.

“.... Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie...”

prayers left the old man’s trembling lips as he sat on the floor with his eyes closed.

“Hey!” Maya called out, “...a-are you okay-”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

The man screamed out, fear quite visible in his face. Gaunt, with no color, tears streamed down his cheeks.

“I don’t need your money” he said. Maya raised her eyebrows.

“How did you-”

“RUN!” He yelled, “The devil is among us. You better run. Or else...he will find you!” Juan said, pointing at you , “Tell Pablo that it’s over...JUST GO!”

That was it? All is done? Just like that? It all seemed too easy. Why?

Lingering around for the answers was not Maya’s intention, especially amongst ‘El Fuego’.

Taking the gang leader’s word, she left. But she did not go home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The flashing disco lights shone in her eyes. Closing them, her ears were drowned in the rhythmic melody of the music played. Though she only was there a few times, Maya felt at home at LUX already.

“Looking for someone?”

“Gah!” Clutching her chest, she laughed seeing Lucifer appear from behind her, “Actually I was .... I’m here to give this back” she said, holding the duffle bag in front of the quizzical Lucifer Morningstar, “Cause something crazy happened”

“Really? do tell”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Too excited to even drink, Maya described the incident animatedly to the fascinated club owner beside the bar.

“…And he just... kept telling me to run away, or else the Devil might get me”

“The Devil? Really?”

“Yeah,  It was just insane. The day I go to pay back the money, everything’s just…poof! cancelled” she said, lost in thought, “ it’s like someone is watching over me-”

“Hmmm hmmm...interesting. So he says the devil...he might get you?”

He asked, only to watch her nod nonchalantly, “Then here is my query...Ms. Sigera...” He proceeded to ask, “Suppose you actually meet the devil? Would you run away?”

Serious, he sounded serious. But Maya could only lean in and smile.

“If I...actually meet the devil, running away would be the last thing I’ll ever do” she said softly, proceeding to chuckle, “Hell ! I’d probably even have a drink with the fella, chatting away until he gets fed up of me” she added, leaning back in her barstool.

“Oh! He certainly won’t!” Lucifer answered quick, making her giggle.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am, darling” He said with confidence, “Regardless, crisis averted. Congratulations Ms.Sigera, your family is officially free!” Raising his glass, he cried out. Grinning from ear to ear, she took a bow.

“And now...” standing straight, she heard him continue, “it’s time for that favor back”

Of course, she knew of this. Tit for tat.

“Oh dear...” sitting cross legged, Maya began, “Nothing too cruel I hope.” Flashing a nervous smile.

Lucifer smiled.

“On the contrary...”

“Hmm?”

“I want to do business with you”

Never did Maya’s jaw drop faster than it did just then.

“W-WHAT?” She asked.

“I am agreeing to your offer.” He replied with a chuckle, amused by her expression, “Your cooperate deal with LUX. But that’s only if you are the officially coordinator...no one else”

Overwhelming happiness came over her.

“This is just…” Maya paused, “Hang on…is this because any sympathy bullshit?” Worryingly, she asked, clutching the table dramatically. “No of course not!…The way you handled that party tonight, which...still seems to be going on. That’s thanks to you-What? what’s so funny?”

Confused, Lucifer inquired when she laughed. “No no…I’m just happy” she breathed, raising both her hands up in the air,  “Ahhh Fucking Finally! IT’S HAPPENING!! Ahem! Pardon me…”

Embarrassed, she realized her place as she retracted her arms back down.

Until Lucifer held one back up.

“Oh no no….” He said, smiling:

“...from now on. No pardon required, Ms. Sigera ”

Maya never felt more victorious. She felt as if she had conquered the near impossible.

“Right...” Lucifer rubbed his hands together, “...how about we sign the contract tomorrow?”

“Wait...what?”

——————————————————————————————

Tagged: @ladyofwalpurgis​​ @kittenlittle24 @aberrant-annie​​ @ellimcgiseler​​ @therealcap​​ @valentina15

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[rissa-explains-it-all]

Captain’s log, Stardate something something: 

In the past two days I have:

had five out of six meals

and today’s dinner was kale feta pasta that I made (my roommate minced the garlic but still!! 

applied to two jobs

edited and uploaded a friend’s pre-wedding photos

updated my photo insta links/ the links they lead to

got my meds and not missed a single one yet

quit being a bridesmaid for my former best friend who broke my heart bc the girl who has actually been a great friend to me all this time might have to move her wedding day to the same as the other one, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late with the dress, and I know where my loyalties lie and if someone was gonna get hurt, it wasn’t gonna be the girl who actually cares about me and I care about

her reaction was so hypocritical, I was living, but moving on, I won’t be petty too much longer

I put up a canvas my sister painted me of Kero from Cardcaptor Sakura in the corner and it’s my favorite thing, forget the ocean poster from my fave photographer

speaking of my sister, we always get on her for sharing too much with strangers, but here I am...

don’t tell my mom lol

 I also, on the not so great side:

have this weird like shaky unfocused vision for the last like 45 minutes that may or may not be related to taking all my meds, stay tuned

it could also be because I starved myself last week and now that I’m trying to take care of myself, my body might be screaming at me more now that it knows I’ll feed it and I was just hungry

(I don’t know if I can finish my pasta lol)

Or I’ve been staring at a screen too long doing the job apps and cover letters

wait what if I need a new prescription?? it’s been over a year!!

I got two hours of sleep from the overproductivity last night and my body wakes me up early for no reason all the time

The anxiety of the job applications of not getting them is like insane bc bills am I right

Things to look forward to:

I have more jobs to hear back from since, see point two, I put my name out there!

I’m getting the fanciest camera of my life, most likely on Monday, plus some beginner business stuff because my dad just wants to support my dreams since he never got to study photography like he wanted (what a dude, no pressure though, he’s being really sweet and knows I shut down with pressure)

and the equipment will help me improve my reel and be a Real Photographer™️ (I know, I know, the equipment doesn’t make the photographer but it sure does help)

if by some terrible luck (of which I have so much, Catholics may not believe in luck but I’m latina so we get both), I don’t have a job, my mom and siblings and I are doing a three day RV trip in August!!

night photography and local business marketing material anyone?

But please I need a job and money, anyone need photo editing or adobe tutorials or graphic design

My roommate and I will be playing Mexican train the right way very soon

maybe even bananagrams????

AND I set up an appointment with my therapist for the first time in months!

[missroseofficial]

A for Amiable

Hiya, loves!  So this is something new that I’ve been working on, and I’m not totally sure what this is.  Anyhow, here ya go!  Enjoy!!

True love is giving feedback 

Heeeeeeere we gooooooo...

Addy had always been highly interested in fashion.  It was one thing that she’d always been good at, but, finding a job in that industry was easier said than done.    She had applied for internship after internship to get her foot in the door, but, she never got any of them.  The last one she applied to was one with Harry Lambert about four weeks ago, all hope was lost when she didn’t receive a call after a week.  

Addy’s eyes were glued to the television screen, watching a show, when her phone started going off.  It was an unrecognizable number but she answered anyways, in hopes of it being about an internship.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Adley speaking?”

“It is!”  She said sounding a bit more excited than she wanted.  The man on the other end of the line started to speak again, “This is Harry Lambert, you applied to be a fashion intern a few weeks ago?  So sorry I haven’t got in touch sooner, it’s been a bit hectic.  But we could definitely use the help, that is if you’re still interested?”

A huge smile grew on Addy’s face, she tried her hardest to hold back a squeal.  She finally had an internship offer in the fashion industry, something she’d been waiting for her whole life.  “Of course, I’d be honored.”  She said trying not to sound too desperate.  

“Alright Adley, so then I will see you Monday morning at 9?”  Addy wanted to jump up and down but held it in until she got off the phone, “See you then!”  With that, she hung up the phone.

Monday morning came round and Addy could not have been more nervous.  She woke up with butterflies in her stomach, and her mind wandering with all sorts of thoughts.  Were they going to think she was weird?  Maybe too bubbly?  Sometimes she rambles, would they find her annoying?  

“Shut up, Addy.  Don’t overthink it.”  She mumbled to herself as she crawled out of bed walking towards the bathroom.  As she washed her face, a number of possible outfits popped into her head.  Her phone dinged, making her snap out of her thoughts.  Drying her face off, she reached for her phone.

Lambert  Addy

Hi, Adley.  Hope you’re doing well this morning!  Would it be possible for you to meet me at the Gucci store instead of back at my office?  

Sure thing, see you at 9!

See you then!

***

Addy set her phone back down on the bathroom counter, and looked at herself in the mirror.  Just as her mind was starting to settle down, it began to go insane again. What am I supposed to wear? To GUCCI.  Holy fuck...can I do this? Wow, oh my nutella.  Okay Addy, breathe and shut the fuck up. She thought to herself.

Her eyes scanned her closet for something to wear, something where she would somewhat look like she belonged in a Gucci store.  Okay a dress?  Or a pant suit?  Pant suits give off professional vibes.  But dresses are cute.  Nah, I’m gonna wear a pant suit.  Should I wear heels?  Ohhh Addy, you are far too clumsy for that.  Let’s not.  Flats it is!

Addy took a quick shower and got ready to head out the door.  Making sure she had everything she needed before she left her apartment, more nervous than she’d ever been before.

As she approached the Gucci store, knots started to form in her stomach, her mind went nuts with thoughts.  It almost felt like she was in a dream, nothing felt real at this point.  Addy had finally got her chance to prove her talents and she was not going to disappoint.  

Here we go Addy.  You got this.  You are one smart bitch, let’s do this.  She was too caught up in her own thoughts to see the two men walking towards her, one of them, she bumped into.  

Looking up to see who she bumped into,  Addy quickly froze.  She knew that Harry Lambert was Harry Styles’ stylist but she didn’t know that he’d be here.  Addy was a massive One Direction fan, Harry Styles especially.  “Holy apples.”  Harry gave her a funny look like he was confused, but there was a smile forming on his face, “Sorry?”  He spoke.  “Oh fuck, I mean, shit, no I...crap.  I’m so sorry.  Um hi.”  Addy stopped herself before she could start rambling.  

Harry laughed and Lambert put his hand out signaling Addy to shake it.  “You must be Adley, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Harry Lambert, we spoke over the phone.  And I’m sure you know who this is.”  He let out a light laugh pointing at Harry.  Addy’s cheeks turned bright red, “Please, call me Addy.  Nice to meet the both of you.”  She smiled shaking both of their hands then looked down in embarrassment.  

Harry flashed a smile at her when she looked up, noticing her cheeks were flush.  He thought it was cute, she was cute.  Addy followed the two men over to a sitting area in the store, “H, is going to try on a couple things and then we’re going to head out of here for an early brunch.”  Lambert said sitting down in the chair.

Addy sat down next to Lambert, she wanted to ask about what her duties as the new intern would be, but she was afraid to ask.  She had always been shy, and lately she had been trying to open up more.  It’s why Addy would often ramble, she can never seem to find the right words, let alone be brief about things.  

“So, Addy, I’m not sure how good you are with keeping track of a schedule and managing appointments and what not.  But, that’s what I need the most help with.  H, has a tour coming up in just a couple weeks and I’m in need of a lot of help in that area.  Is that alright with you.”

Addy smiled, “No. I mean, that’s perfectly alright with me.  To be honest, I’ve been waiting a long time for an internship in this industry, so I’m down for anything.  I am ready to learn!”  

When the three finished at Gucci, they all made their way to a small cafe to have an early brunch.  They talked, made a few jokes, Addy’s nerves had subsided at the point and she couldn’t be more happy.  

Addy went home happier and more satisfied with her choice to take on this internship than she had imagined she would be.  Crawling into bed that night, with a smile plastered on her face, and something to look forward to the next day.  

The alarm went off at precisely 7 AM, so that Addy could be ready and out the door by 8:30.

This time, Addy would be meeting Lambert at his office, which was only about ten minutes away from her flat.  On her way their, her mum called her.  She was driving, so she called her back once she got to the building.

While she was about to hang up the phone, as she walked into the building, she ran into someone.  You’ve got to stop doing that Addy.  Damn.

Addy looked up to see that it was, again, Harry Styles.  “Oh I’m so sorry.  Are you alright?  I’m so clumsy.”

Harry laughed, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink, “ ‘M alright, love.  But we have got to stop meeting like this.”

There ya have it!  As always, feedback is ALWAYS welcome! Or feel free to pop in and just say hello :)  Part 2? Yes? No? Maybe so?

All my love, 

Prissy 

[artificialqueens]

hollywoof hills [vet au] - chapter 3 - akita

A/N: this took a lot longer than expected, but hey, i got it done! i dont think any triggers apply really except one case of misgendering someone. theres a little bit of set up in this chapter for later events

It was a quiet day today. There weren’t many appointments booked, and all the calls so far had been to book things in later that week. The phone wasn’t even ringing much, and while you’d think that would be a nice thing for the two on reception, it was not. Since they didn’t have anything to do, they’d both been asked to sort the Pet Health Plan monthly flea treatments. It was a lot of checking info, labelling, and putting  things in packets. Farrah looked frustrated and restless, and Manila looked like she was ready to end it.

“Why can’t the nurses do this?” The pink haired girl mewled, “They all have to sign them off anyway.” “I know! We have other things to do.” “Like what?” Adore barked, having been sat at her desk, “I don’t see you handling any animals, or having to do a fuckload of paperwork.” “You wouldn’t have a ‘fuckload of paperwork’ if you filled it in when you got it,” Manila cockily returned, and yelped when a pen lid hit her neck, “Oi! Don’t throw things. I’ll tell on you.” “You’ll tell on me? Good luck, Jinkx loves me and Max can’t touch me.” “Go back to your paperwork, Delano.”

They fell into a quiet again, making small talk over the crinkle of plastic packets. Then, a moment of salvation - the door alarm rung as someone came through. It was Brutus, his saggy lips slobbering, and his bald belly swinging. For someone who’d had a major bowel op, he was looking pretty happy. “There’s our hedgehog eater!” Farrah cooed as she stood up, before glancing up at the person walking him. She didn’t recognise them at all, having only ever seen this dog with a middle aged woman, but she noticed that they were much prettier than the typical owner, and definitely younger. “What’re you looking at?” They said with a biting tone, though their face followed it with a smirk. “Sorry, I’ve only seen him with your… mum?” “Yeah, she made me bring him in today.”

There was a brief pause, Farrah still getting a grip on herself. They were quite cute, and though they were coming off a little brusque, she wanted to know more. However, she did need to do her job, and eventually asked, “Can you just put him on the scales?” “Why? He’s not gonna have lost weight since yesterday.” “I don’t know, but I’m told I have to ask anyone who comes in with a dog to get their weight.” After pulling a face, they put the canine up on the scales, calling over, “84.5 kilos, the fat fuck.” They affectionately pet his side, “What was he yesterday?” “He was 84.5 kilos.” She returned. “Told you.” “Take a seat, Miss Kween.” “Ew, don’t. Call me Aja.” With that, they wandered off to the chairs, large dog lumbering after.

When Farrah turned back to Manila, she caught her sniggering at her. Pulling a face, she tried to go back to sorting the flea treatment, but there was a fluster on her face, and she kept glimpsing up at the person sat on the chairs, pretty chilled out, fussing the dog and telling him how handsome and brave he was. When Jinkx came out to call them through into the consult, they greeted them pleasantly, like they knew each other. As soon as that door closed, the dark haired receptionist started on Farrah.

“Look at you getting all nervous!” “Fuck all the way off.” She was quick to snap, “So what? I didn’t expect to see anyone my age, or cute, this morning.” “You think they’re cute?” “I don’t not think that, leave me alone,” Whining, she threw one of the empty flea treatment boxes at her. “Why is everyone chucking things at me?” “We wouldn’t if you weren’t annoying,” Adore chimed, getting up to join Jinkx in the consult, realising she was meant to follow. Once she was gone, Farrah mumbled, “Even if I do think sh-” “They.” “-They’re cute, they’re a client, I’m not really gonna get a chance.” “You never know.” She smirked, “We’ll see what happens when they come back out.”

-

Max was a very polite woman. Politeness was something she’d prided herself on, particularly in this line of work, where you sometimes did have difficult clients. This pre-op check, however, was testing her a little bit. The cat was fine, it was a young male, 5 months old, in for a castrate. He was the right weight for the operation, so that wasn’t an issue. He was looking healthy and happy - or at least, as happy as a Persian could look. In fact, he would be the perfect pet to operate on, until she noticed that in his fur, there was some cat food.

It was necessary to ask anyway, though it was now a lot more important to do it. “Has he had any breakfast?” “I had to give him something, he kept meowing for food.” “So he has eaten this morning?” “Yes.” The owner seemed a little irate at the questioning. Max took a deep breath, trying not to show the annoyance she felt, “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to operate today. When you booked him in, you were informed that he must have food withdrawn the night before, at 8pm.” “But I can’t just not feed him! It’s cruel!”

For a moment, she considered getting someone else into the room. She considered seeing if Jinkx was free, because they were a more seasoned vet, and they must have dealt with this before. But Max couldn’t always go running for help, and after a moment’s consideration, she re-explained the exact risks she’d listed for the owner three days ago when the cat was booked in. “The anaesthetic can make the cat feel poorly, and it can make them vomit. Because of that, we need them to come in on an empty stomach so that they don’t vomit while unconscious on the table, as they can then end up choking, and in many cases, it can kill them. We can rebook you in for later this week, but please, you must not feed him after 8pm the night before the operation.” “Fine. I better not have to pay for this waste of time appointment.” “The pre-op check is free.” Putting the cat back in the basket, she saw the owner off. Milk quickly slipped into the room, saying a quick goodbye to the client.

As soon as the door was shut, Max pulled a face in the direction of where the owner exited. Perhaps it was immature, but it got a light laugh from her nurse, who sprayed down the table and scales with disinfectant. It wasn’t much, but it saved the vet the hassle of wiping things down before another appointment. “The dog for its dental’s here, you want me to start setting up in prep for him?” “I’d say yes but I don’t know yet if his owner knows how to follow instructions.” “I’ll do it anyway,” Milk laughed, “Try not to get too stressed out, if anything, it gives us essentially a free break to catch up on stuff.”

-

Not long after the cat went, and the dog came through, Aja left the consult room, slobbering Brutus lumbering behind them, elizabethan collar clanging loudly on the doorframe on the way out to reception. He was healing well, and they’d been instructed to just keep a close eye on him, and to bring him back again the next day. As they came up to book in again, Farrah near scurried out from the vet’s desk area, where she’d been meaninglessly flipping through worming packets, trying to actually manifest some confidence.

“How’s he doing?” She cooed, sitting in her chair and leaning forward on the wood. “Well, his insides are still in him, so that’s good. And he’s not too inflamed around them or anything. They said I’ve gotta bring him back tomorrow?” “Of course,” she opened to book an appointment, “Is 9.40 tomorrow okay?” “Should be fine, yeah.” After a pause, punctuated by taking one of the business cards, they asked, “You working tomorrow?” “Yeah - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday are my days.” “Guess I’ll see you in the morning then.” With a smirk, Aja waved with their free hand as they headed outside.

When they’d walked out, Farrah turned toward Manila with an incredulous expression. She didn’t want to be getting her hopes up, but there was something promising about the way they asked about her shifts. It could have been just pleasant conversation, but that wasn’t what she wanted it to be. There wasn’t much time for chatting about it though, as the phones were quick to provide an interruption. The black haired receptionist picked up, leaving the other to turn to speak with a bored Adore, who was now on the couch, cuddling a dozy Major.

“Did you finish the paperwork?” “Fuck no,” She snorted, “I have to get Jinkx to double check like all of it as well.” “How much you got left?” “Not a lot but it’s all stuff to be signed off. I’ve filed a few things away though.” “You’ve only got 2 appointments and they’re both after 5, so you have to go clean the groomer’s room out.” She grinned as soon as the woman groaned. “How many appointments Jinkx got?” Moving off the couch, she looked over Farrah’s chair, chin resting on the back of it, “Oh they’ve got like a free morning. They’re helping me now then.”

-

This room was full of just any old garbage. There were rusted dog crates, a broken cat basket, half a broken computer chair, a fold away table  that was for some reason not folded away, and several boxes and bags of decorations. A couple of boxes in the corner, it turned out much to Jinkx’s delight, was full of leashes and collars, clearly put here as spares, which were quite needed. They had a couple of slip leads on the hangers by prep, but they were worn through, and several of them had just disappeared.

Adore was currently focused on the unopened packages with ‘VET BED’ scrawled over them in scruffy writing. This room had clearly been meant for storing things they needed, but most of it had gotten completely forgotten about. Opening the box, it was full of the soft wooly bedding, which she decided she would suggest to Chad to use in replacement of the old, overwashed strips of it they were using. There was a lot of the new stuff, so much so that she checked it was from their own order, and not for the groomer. It was delivered a year ago.

“There’s a lot of good stuff in here,” Jinkx mused, “but there’s also a whole lot of… junk?” “You’re free for ages, and Max just has one op, should we take some of this shit out to the dump?” “Why not? It’ll probably take until lunch, so I guess it’s McDonalds today.” “Fuck yeah! We offering to anyone else to pitch in for it or are we just getting it for us?” “I’ll go ask them now, you start moving stuff nearer the door so we can get it out quicker.”

As Jinkx left, she focused quite intently on rearranging the room. This wasn’t Adore’s favourite type of job, tidying up was boring and exhausting and she’d rather be doing something more productive, but the promise of food was good incentive. Plus, she absolutely loved going in the car with Jinkx, as silly as it sounded, because it was always fun. Even if they were going on the worst home visit, the car ride was light and entertaining. Dragging the broken chair to be beside the door, she hoped this wouldn’t take too long, now excited to get out. When Jinkx was back, they helped drag everything toward the door. Once they’d sorted what was going in the tip, they encouraged Adore to help load the car.

-

Sat on the floor in front of one of the kennels, Max was doing the fun job of hand feeding a dog wet food. She’d been warned by the owner that he would wolf it down, so to try and prevent him from aspirating it, she elected not to just leave a bowl of food in his crate, as was the usual protocol. Originally, she’d offered it on a spoon, but he was clanking his gums off it and whining, so the best option was feeding him by hand. Sure, she had a rubber glove on, but she didn’t find it any less disgusting. Milk slumped down beside her, greeting the greedy yorkie with a polite hello.

“For someone whose hands have been inside of animals, you’d think I could manage this without feeling ill.” “Well, animal insides aren’t usually cold.” Nudging her elbow, she offered, “I’ll feed him, if you want.” “No, it’s fine, I’m getting used to it.” Max smiled a little towards her, before focusing again on the dog. After a pause, Milk asked, “How long you been working here? 4 months now?” “I think so, it’s gone by fast…” “Chad was really proud of you, you know. You’ve come on quick for someone so new.” “It wasn’t really a choice, I couldn’t be bad at it, or I’d be out of a job.” “Take the secondhand compliment.”

When the dog was fed, they both decided to hang around the in the room, mostly to make sure the little canine kept his food down. Max had brought her laptop in, and was sat at the prep table, making notes on the yorkie’s file. Milk was now restocking the syringe cupboard, having noticed when prepping the pup that they were running low of 1mls.

“We aren’t shifted for tomorrow, right?” “We never work thursdays, but we have to come in at lunch for a meeting.” “That’s enough time to recover - you want to go out for drinks tonight?” Max raised a brow, “I suppose, who else is going?” “Adore, Farrah, some girls I know from outside of here.” “Alright, sure.”

-

At closing up time, everyone was more than ready to go. Adore had hurt her wrist in moving things out of the car, but had got by her day alright, and was still planning on going on the night out. There was a stray dog handed in, which was reunited last minute, and the owner was kind enough to put a donation in the Guide Dogs box. Farrah was making her last Pet Health Plan call for the day, and when the phone clicked down into place, she cried a loud hurrah, pushing away from the desk to go and pet Major.

“Your turn to cash up tonight ‘Nila!” The door swung open, and in walked Raja. With a snidy tone, Manila turned to the girl on the couch, “Joke’s on you, my ride’s here.” “Didn’t realise I was your Uber driver now, as well as your personal shopper and all around slave.” “You knew what you were getting into when you asked me to get with you, that’s all I’m saying.”

As she gathered her bag and coat, she pointed to the til, “I cleared it with Chad that I could leave early, so this is actually your problem now. See you tomorrow at 12!” When Manila and her partner left, Farrah flipped her off, returning to the desk, but calling the dog with her. If she was going to have to tediously count money, she was having a canine friend to help her. She would have asked Adore, but she was even worse at getting the cashing up done. Knowing she’d be having a miserable time, and done writing up their notes, Jinkx came to sit with her.

“You count the notes, I’ll count the change.” “Thanks Jinkxy!” Now that the ginger was here, the dog had abandoned her to sit by his owner. With the two of them doing the job, it was a lot quicker, and it also meant she didn’t have to wait around for someone to sign off on the amount. “So, I seen you talking to Aja, do you know them?” “No, I’d only seen their mum here. Do you know them?” “They come to the group I run in the art centre, they’ve been coming for about a year.” “Really?” Farrah tilted her head, “What’re they like?” “When they let down the front, they’re sweet. But they like to come off… I wouldn’t say tough, but you get what I mean?” Nodding, Farrah closed the envelope, signing it, and pushing it over to Jinkx, who did the same. It was then put in the locked draw.

“What night does your group run again?” “It’s on Fridays, from 8pm to 10pm, and also Saturday, from 4pm til 8pm.” The group Jinkx hosted in the art centre was an LGBTQ+ support group, mostly for people to make friends, and get advice. They also hosted fundraisers from time to time, and it was something they’d become proud of. It had been running for 6 years now, and they’d been running it since the start. “I might start coming again.” Farrah used to go; that was a leading factor in her getting this job. She’d met Jinkx there 3 years ago, and attended the group for a year. In that time, she’d lost her original job, and they let her know almost as soon as they found out that there was a vacancy for a receptionist position. She’d been here ever since. She only stopped going to the group when she’d started a night class.

When everyone was ready to leave, all having changed into their non-work clothes, the going out girls converged into a group outside as Farrah locked up. A sweet routine that had started was that before Jinkx put him into the car, Major would go around to everyone who’d finished so he could get a fuss before he left. As Jinkx drove away, they would wave out the window, and Major would jump up at the the back seat windows, looking out with a dropped jaw and a happy face. Once the vet’s car out of sight, the girls hit the pub.  

[h-styles-babes]

No Control | Chapter Thirty

Summary: 

Micky Bennett: college student, loyal friend, aspiring nurse, One Direction fan, Harry Styles enthusiast. Her best friend, Trevor, wins tickets to a show in New Jersey with meet and greet passes. Micky expects a quick photo op with the boys and a great night at the concert with her best friend. What she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.

To read previous chapters, you can go here.

*Please feel free to reblog and send feedback. It’s much appreciated :)*

*Gif is not mine.*

CHAPTER THIRTY

Aside from some news outlets reporting on the fact that Harry and I were seen together again in London over the weekend and reported sightings of us together in LA, as well, there’s not a big deal made out of the whole affair. I’m sure the fans are losing their minds online, but I stay well away from that, and I advise Trevor to, as well, even though I know his nosy ass will probably still be hunting on Twitter and Tumblr for some discourse. 

My life returns to normal when Monday comes around. I go to work at my normal time with only a little bit of jet lag to show for it. I manage to get a nap in in one of the on call rooms just after lunch, though, and it makes everything a bit better.  

Harry keeps in contact with me over the week, making sure I don’t need anything and the baby is doing okay. He throws around names every once in a while, too, which I think is kind of cute. He sometimes stumbles upon ones that I take into serious consideration. Trevor is all smiles when I tell him Harry and I are discussing names, so he doesn't have to keep threatening to take the birth certificate forms from me in the hospital. 

The next week, Harry calls me to confirm that he’s going to the appointment with me. I tell him that there’s a back entrance for the doctor’s office, so he doesn’t have to be seen walking into an Ob/Gyn. He thanks me and lets me know that he’s told Jeff, who’s taken it upon himself to take care of all the legal things that come along with a celebrity having a baby with a woman he’s not in a relationship with. Harry says he doesn’t think it’s necessary, but I know that it’ll probably benefit him in the long run if those sorts of things are figured out now. 

A few days later, Trev tells me that he’s having his birthday party at Cafe Habana, a Cuban fusion restaurant in Beverly Hills. Some friends of his have connections, so he’s got a whole section reserved for us to celebrate. He’s having his mum fly out and some of our friends from NYU coming, as well as some of his new friends from USC, so it should be a good time. He tells me to invite Harry, if I’m comfortable with it, and I tell him that I’ll talk to him when I see him in a few days. 

On the day of my appointment, I wake up excited because I’ll get to see my baby again. Little Bean has been pretty active lately, and she keeps me up sometimes, but she usually settles enough towards midnight that I’m able to get enough sleep in order to function like a normal human being while I’m at work. 

Since I don’t have to worry about hiding the bump today, I pull on a pair of jean shorts and a Rolling Stones t-shirt that still miraculously fits me, and I find a white jean jacket to pull over it because it’s always a bit chilly in the doctor’s office. Trev is already gone to class by the time I make it out of my bedroom, and he’s left a note on the fridge reminding me to get extra copies of the sonogram photos to send to mine and Harry’s parents. I make a mental note to also get some to send to Grimmy, since he’s texted me nearly every day the past couple of weeks asking about the baby and making sure I haven’t done something stupid like return the heap of clothes he bought during our trip. When I get to the office, one of the MAs calls my name immediately, a polite smile on her face.

“The father has already arrived,” she tells me, her voice low. I called the office the week before to let them know that Harry was coming today and asked if there was a way he could go straight to an exam room when he got here. They were more than happy to accommodate my request, not unused to having publicly recognizable faces in and out of the office. “He’s in exam room 3.”

“Thanks for this,” I tell her as she shows me back to the room, stopping at the nurse’s station first to take my vitals. “Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

She smiles as she places to blood pressure cuff around my arm. “None at all. We do it quite often. Plus, he’s so sweet. Chatted with one of the nurse’s about her own pregnancy for awhile and asked us all how we are.”

“Yeah, he’s a charmer,” I agree with a chuckle as she takes my temperature. “Are you two still together?” she asks. “Up on the scale,” she instructs.

“No, we never really were,” I admit, not knowing how else to explain it to her. I don’t even know how to explain it to myself most of the time. “He’s just a good guy and wants to be present.”

“Sometimes, that’s all we need.” She’s silent as she takes down my weight, and I notice that I’ve only gained a few pounds since the last time I was here. “He seems like he’ll be a good dad.” We smile at each other and she tells me to get down. “Let’s head back to the room. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes.”

Exam room 3 is just down the hall, and the door is closed. She taps lightly three times before opening it up. “Micky’s here,” she tells Harry, who’s sitting in the extra chair in the corner of the room. 

He looks up from his phone as I enter, a smile stretching across his face. “Hey,” he greets, standing to pull me into a hug. “Sorry I was kinda early. I’m nervous.” I laugh and pull back to look up at him. “What are you nervous for? Just gonna get some pictures and take some measurements.”

“All very routine,” the MA nods. “I’ll be out of your hair. Dr. Lorenz will be in soon.” She parts with a smile, closing the door quietly behind her.

“How’re you feeling?” Harry asks, his hands immediately dropping to cradle my belly. Of course, the baby starts to move around just as he does, bringing a wide smile to his face. 

“Fine,” I answer. “We’ve been good.”

“I feel like the bump’s gotten bigger even since the last time I saw you.” I nod. “Definitely has. Little Bean’s gonna start getting big pretty fast now.” “Lunch at mine after this?” he asks. “Jeff wants to meet with you.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” I huff. 

“Nothing scary, love,” Harry promises. His thumbs are making little circuits where they’re still pressed to my stomach, and it’s actually quite soothing. The couple weeks we spent apart kind of cooled down my attraction to him, but standing here now, looking at his way too pretty face and inhaling his entirely too delicious scent and listening to his way too silky voice, I’m gone. I fucking hate myself for it, too. “Just wants to make sure you’re okay with the legal arrangements he’s made and maybe talk about how we’re gonna let this information out.”

“You’re ready to do that?” I ask. I don’t really care too much at this point about how or when the world finds out Harry Styles is having a child, but it’s more pertinent to Harry’s career and I want to him to be one hundred percent ready.

“We’ve only got ten or less weeks left, Mick,” he sighs. “If I just show up one day with a baby, there’s gonna be a lot more problems than if everyone finds out beforehand. And I’m not gonna hide this. My family comes before my career.”

As I look at him, I can see the sincerity in his face. As much as this whole thing can potentially harm his career, I can clearly see he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he had to cast of his child as if they meant anything less than the world to him. No matter how suddenly he got thrust into this just a few weeks ago, Harry is here and more than ready to take on the responsibility of being the best father he can be, because family really is the most important thing to him. I take a deep breath and nod. “Alright. If you’re okay with it, Harry.”

“Are you okay with it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m okay with it,” I assure. “Promise.”

Harry slides his hands so his arms are around my waist and pulls me into him. “It’ll all be okay. We’ll make it work.” His lips press gently to my forehead just as there’s a few taps on the exam room door.

Dr. Lorenz pokes his head in with a smile. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” My Ob/Gyn is quite possibly one of the most attractive doctors I have ever personally seen. Grey’s Anatomy aside, this man is just overall really attractive, with his dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes and broad shoulders. He’s a bit too All-American for me (and I did discover he played football in high school and undergrad during one of my earlier appointments) but I can admit that he’s attractive. He’s not married, as well, which means all the nurses and MAs in the office are quite smitten with him. I’ve never known him to be anything but professional, though.

I shake my head with a smile as Harry and I slowly untangle from each other. “Not at all. Hi, Dr. Lorenz.”

“Good afternoon, Micky.” He comes in and closes the door behind him, my chart in the crook of his arms. If he’s surprised by Harry’s presence, he doesn’t show it. As the MA from earlier said, they deal with celebrities pretty often. 

I slide myself up onto the table with Harry’s assistance, since I’m not exactly the most agile anymore, which is pretty annoying. Once I get situated, I make introductions. 

“Dr. Lorenz, this is the baby’s father, Harry. Harry, this is my Ob/Gyn.” 

The two men shake hands, both with pretty smiles and kind nods of acknowledgment.

“Good to meet you, Harry.”

“You, too,” he reciprocates.  

“Well, have a seat. Micky, I’m gonna have you lay back and pull your shirt up for me and we’ll talk a little bit as I’m taking measurements.” 

Both Harry and I do as instructed, and Dr. Lorenz goes about setting up the sonogram machine. He warns me about the cold gel before applying some to my stomach. I turn my head to see Harry obsessively pulling at his bottom lip, eyes flicking between the monitor and my belly. I reach over and grab at his hand, holding it hostage in mine against my chest so he stops abusing his poor mouth. 

“Stop fidgeting,” I tease as the doctor presses the transducer to my stomach. Nearly immediately, the rhythmic whooshing sound of our baby’s heartbeat fills the room as the grainy black and white image manifests on screen. 

“Nice strong heartbeat still,” Dr. Lorenz comments with a smile, eyes scanning over the image as he moves the wand around. “Quite active, too.”

“Yeah, she’s been pretty nonstop, lately,” I acknowledge. 

“That’s normal,” he assures, eyes flicking to Harry and me. “She’s still got room, so she’s using it to her advantage while she can. In a couple weeks, there won’t be a whole lot of space left in there. You’ll be able to see the movement on the outside of your body when that happens. Fair warning.”

I look back to Harry again and see he’s now got his bottom lip firmly held between his teeth, a soft look in his eyes.

“You okay?” I ask quietly, giving his hand a squeeze to get his attention. 

He startles a bit but looks at me, his lips pulling up into a small smile. “That’s our baby.” He sounds so in awe, his eyes moving back to the screen to watch as different images of her pop up as the doctor moves around. 

I can’t help the smile that pops onto my face. “Yeah, that’s our baby.”

“Everything’s looking good,” Dr. Lorenz comments. “I’ve taken a few photos, so I’ll have the nurse print out however many you guys want. Do you have any questions?”

Harry asks a few that I could have answered for him, but I’m sure he likes hearing it from the professional, so I just sit back as the two men speak. They chat a bit about when it’s safe for the baby to be born and then there’s a discussion of where we plan to have the baby. I break in to say that I’ve already registered to have the baby at the local hospital, but I can see the wheels in Harry’s head turning, making some sort of plans, I’m sure. I’ll have to ask him about it later.

Dr. Lorenz also asks if I’ve looked into any birthing classes, and when I answer in the negative, he strongly suggests that I do that as soon as possible. I fully intend on getting an epidural when it’s time to give birth, but he says that birthing plans are never set in stone, that we all just have to play along to whatever the baby wants, and sometimes they can have plans that don’t line up with ours. Harry assures him that we’ll look into it, and I can already tell that this is going to be something Harry participates in and wants to experience, not that I’m going to deny him the opportunity. 

Harry helps me clean off the gel from my stomach as Dr. Lorenz says goodbye and gives me a reminder to make my next appointment for a month out. Harry’s instantly on his work phone, looking at his schedule to make sure there’s a date at the end of March when he can come with me again. 

“I’m supposed to be flying back that last Wednesday in March, but I can rearrange it for the day before,” he tells me as I slide off the table.

“Where are you going?” I ask casually, pulling my purse over my shoulder. 

“London again,” he says. “Got some…stuff to do.” There’s a weird pause in his speech that I narrow my eyes at.

“What are you doing, Styles?” I question, instantly suspicious. He’s never held back in talking to me about the business side of his life. Hell, I knew about the hiatus back in August. I essentially knew his whole schedule for the rest of 2015 back then. He’s going to hold back on me now?

He groans. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I really can’t say, Mick. Just got some work stuff to deal with. I promise to tell you as soon as I can. You’ll be the first to know.”

I glare at him for a moment longer before relenting. “Fine. I expect full details, though.”

“Promise,” he says with a smile. He throws an arm around my shoulder and pulls me toward the door. “Come on, Jeff’s already at the house.”

Pulling up to Harry’s Beverly Hills home is a little bit of a trip. There’s a ton of windows and all the white is really crisp and bright in the shining sun of the California summer day. There’s a gate a little ways from the house that blocks the street from the driveway, and Harry punches in some numbers at a little panel to get it to open. There’s a couple cars in the driveway, including Harry’s Mercedes and a sleek silver car that I’m sure costs more than the worth of my entire wardrobe. 

“Glenne’s probably here, too,” Harry tells me as he puts the car in park.

“Who’s Glenne?” I ask. I’ve apparently removed myself from the fandom for a little too long now. I’m sure a whole lot of other people know who this Glenne person is.

“Jeff’s girlfriend. Good friend of mine, too,” he tells me. He hops out of the car and hurries around to get my door. He takes my hand and helps me down, keeping a hand around my waist as we walk up to his front door. “Got pizza. Hope you’re okay with that.”

“Sounds great. Trev makes me eat way too healthy all damn the time. Haven’t had pizza in months.” 

Harry chuckles as his hand rubs along my belly, opening the front door.

“Harry?” a male voice calls, very obviously American. 

“Yeah, mate,” Harry answers, kicking his shoes off at the front door. I follow along, not wanting to dirty what looks like freshly polished hardwood floors. “Pizza come yet?”

“Just got here before you did.” There’s a pattering of feet against the floor, getting closer to where Harry’s helping me out of my jacket. A man that I vaguely recognize from photos I’ve seen rounds the corner, a smile popping on his face when he sees me. “You must be Micky.”

“Yeah,” I nod, accepting his outstretched hand. “You must be Jeff.”

“That’s me,” he agrees. “Let’s go eat and we’ll chat about what I’ve got planned. Nothing too intense, alright? I’ve just got Harry’s and the baby’s best interests in mind.”

“Then we’re on the same page.”

I’m introduced to Glenne, who’s sat in the kitchen at a stool that’s perched at the island. She’s very pretty, just as I always knew she was, even when I didn’t know her name. She smiles kindly at me and even coos a little bit over my belly right before complimenting me on the shirt I’m wearing. I like her immediately, just as I can see myself liking Jeff, and I realize why Harry’s kept them around fro so long and made Jeff his manager. 

Harry gets plates out for us and takes drink orders as we serve ourselves. He suggests moving to his kitchen table so we’re not all leaning over each other to speak like we would be at the island. Harry pulls my chair out for me and pushes it in once I sit, and I don’t know why I’m still so astounded by his manners. I should be used to it by now, but no other man in my life has ever done things like open my car door, pull out my chair, or take off my jacket for me. I’m extremely proud that Little Bean will be growing up with Harry as her example of how a man should treat a woman. 

“So, Harry’s told us the basics about you,” Jeff starts after swallowing a bite of is food.

Glenne scoffs. “More like gushed about you every chance he got when he met you.” She shoots Harry a teasing smile, to which he glares back.

“I was gonna leave that part out of it,” Jeff chuckles. “Anyway, you seem lovely, and Harry says he trusts you, so I’m inclined to trust you, as well. All this legal stuff is just to make sure nothing gets messy in the future more than anything else. Parenthood is hard enough as it is; it’s got to be even harder when the parents are no longer together and one has a very public career.”

He goes onto explain that the things he’s done are just to ensure that Harry gets a say in his daughter’s life and that he is her biological father. He says that a paternity test has to be done for any of this to really have meaning, which I agree to once the baby is born, since I’m not getting stuck with a needle right now. Jeff says that as long as Harry and I can decide on custody arrangements between the two of us, nothing has to be taken to court. 

“You’ll also be getting child support from Harry monthly once the baby is born,” Jeff adds casually. “That will just be between you two as well, otherwise it can get messy in court for no reason.”

I shake my head immediately. “I don’t need money from him. That’s the last thing I want, actually.”

“Please, love,” Harry pleads, grabbing my hand with his. “I’m gonna be there as much as I can, but we all know I’m never gonna be Little Bean’s primary parent. I can’t be. I hate that I can’t be, and I’d change it if I could, but it would make me feel better knowing neither one of you ever needed for anything. The hospital pays you well, but babies are expensive.”

The pout in his lip broke me even before his pleas did, so I sigh in resignation and squeeze his hand. “Fine, but nothing crazy, alright. I know child support is usually a percentage of the parent’s income, but that’s ridiculous.”

“We can work on it,” Jeff assures. 

“Alright, no more legal stuff,” Glenne announces. “I want to see those sonogram pictures I know you got today.”

THIRTY-ONE

[prorevenge]

My kid does 13K in damage to studio equip, we handle it like lunatics.

[Part 1]

Some background:

I'm an audio engineer and score arranger full time in my self-owned business. It's how I provide for myself, my fiancée (also CF), and my mother. I record, mix, and master for bands, voice-overs for local commercials, and write music for people's weddings, college films, indie games, etc.. It was my passion since I was a child and every day I ask myself why I get paid to do what I do.

You know, until today.

I had a woman schedule to come in because she wanted me to record her monologue for an acting class. I thought it was going to be easy enough. I set up a mic and a music stand in the sound booth and got my workstation prepped for tracking. She was supposed to show up at 3:30, so when 4:00 came around, I called her to ask her if she was still coming. It was my last contract for the day and I was wanting to get home to my fiancée, dogs, and dinner.

"Oh, sorry sweetie, I'm going to be there soon. I just had to get my son from ex-boyfriend."

Uh oh.

4:12, she showed up with her child.

To preface, I've never really wanted kids, and don't really hate them either. But I've been childfree of mind for a decade now in league of several bad child experiences in public.

Anyway, I sat her down at the conference table and tried to talk to her about the contract and billing, etc., and just couldn't because of the six-years-old pile of ovary droppings next to her.

"Mommy it's cold in here." "Mommy, I'm bored." "Mommy, that guy has girl hair." "Mommy, I want to play on the phone."

The incessant whining went on for the entirety of the discussion. She did nothing about it. I had an ache in my stomach that this might be a rough session.

I was right.

I showed her to the sound booth, positioned the mic at face level, told her the basics of mic use, and then she floored me with a question.

"Can my son stay in there with you while I do this?" I insisted that he wait in the conference room (across the hall from the control room) because the control room wasn't a very kid-friendly place considering the 120K of equipment at arms reach.

"But he's a little angel."

I shouldn't have taken her word for it. I SHOULD NOT have taken her word for it. This kid was ANYTHING but. I let him in, told him to sit in one of the office chairs and don't touch anything. Needless to say, he touched. I queued the recording arm and signaled her to start. She got three lines into her take before I hear a deafening screech and crash.

That little shit machine had just knocked over a $4,000 Korg into a rack with $9,500 of equipment. Completely shattered the touchscreen on the Korg, busted the dials off of half of the effects, and totaled my distressor that I use for almost all the vocals I track.

All of this, by the way, was the room's length apart from where I told the crotch goblin to stay.

The kid, because of the loud noise, started full-lung screaming. Not crying. Not yelling. Screaming.

The mother, with no hesitation, ran over to the control room and DEMANDED to know what I did to her child. She cussed at me and accused me of hurting her little snot monster. Threatened to sue and even swung at me. When I told her that her precious angel had just racked up at least twelve grand of damages, she said "good", spit on me, then stormed out, slamming every door on the way. So I pulled the security camera footage and had filed a police report. Grand total: $13,504.25. I also mailed her the bill for her session for good measure.

Of six years in the studio, this is my only truly terrible experience. Fuck mombies. Fuck having children. Thanks for making my vasectomy decision that much easier on me.

[Part 2]

I'm going to start off and say that this community is bad ass. With legal advice, moral support, and inquiry of the trade, you guys/gals/other have made this whole endeavor a bit easier on me.

Cheers.

Okay, since Sunday, I've managed to speak with my insurance company, my lawyer, some repair techs, the police (again), and my urologist. For the sake of good storytelling, I'll organize this chronically.

Monday:

I left a message for my insurance agent about all this. I then called some repair techs about getting my Korg and the distressor repaired to potential working order, and to no avail. The distressor would have costed two grand to repair (on a $1,320 piece), so I wait on my insurance payout to replace it. Korg, apparently, has no replacement parts available anywhere in the US for their flagship keyboard, so another $4k down the drain. The dials on the rest of the effects rack can be easily fixed. May not look as stellar, but what can you do. At least it survived an attack from an over-metastasized cumshot. I ordered replacement dials from my local electronics store and mailed out the session bill to Mombie. Beyond that, I got in touch with a friend in Memphis who was gracious enough to lend me his Portico 5042 in the meantime. Should be arriving some time Friday.

Tuesday:

Boy oh boy. I went to my lawyer's office to see what could be done about Mombie's actions. He's thinking it'd just be best to let the insurance company go after the property damages, and that it'd be too expensive for me to recruit him for what the insurance company will do by themselves. As per the assaults are concerned, he asked me to gather all evidence (Video, contract, police report) and said that since no bodily harm was caused, it'd be the best idea to go to civil court rather than criminal, and file for a protective order. The words "emotional damages" were emphasized. He was very specific about not posting any of the evidence. As long as what I post remains vague, doesn't mention any identifying information, it doesn't stand in court.

"Make sure you can say it is a made up story if asked."

We also discussed revising my contract, more info on that when we get to it. Beyond that, I decided to jump the gun and inquire about a vasectomy. I have an appointment with my GP on the 7th of March.

Wednesday:

Reader beware, this is where it gets cringy. I'd grab a stiff drink if I were you. I opened the studio back up and got back to work. I had a voicemail left for me on the studio phone. A "lawyer", toting the most deep fried country accent I've heard, called me from a "Ford & Handcock" law firm (which I couldn't find anywhere on the internet) threatening "Immediate sueing" for "Sexual rape harassment" for filing a police report against his "client."

Here's the transcript of what I could understand through his dumpster fire of an accent: (I swear I'm not making this up) "Yeah, this is [withheld] from Ford & Handcock callin' to tell you that you're gonna get immediate sueing for what you did to my girlfri- client and her baby boy. Y'all know as well as I do that [unintelligible noises] was nothin' short of sexual rape harassment and that you're goin' ta be in a lawsuit if you don't delete the cop report you made up(?)."

I couldn't breathe, I was laughing too hard.

Once I regained my composure, I called back to inquire about this impending doom that I was promised by this product-of-incest harbinger. The call was forwarded to their voicemail inbox, where it opened up with the aforementioned accent, saying:

"Hey, this is [different name than the "lawyer"] and [mombie's name] and we're not here right now so if you could leave..."

So on.

So I just hung up and called my fiancee, emailed her the voicemail and asked her to listen to it, just to hear her sniffling and cackling like a maniac at the sound of this guy's six-inches-deep-in-cousin accent and overall misunderstanding of the american law system. I recorded the voicemail onto a thumbstick and giving it to my lawyer along with the video, police report, etc..

Thursday:

As of this morning, no call back from my insurance adjuster, so I'm just going to wait on that. I'm sitting by the phone, so if I get another call from "Ford & Handcock", I can deliver the "Do not call back/stop harassing me" line, so I can add that to the list of potential charges if it becomes a thing. Not very much else happened beyond that, and I'll keep you lot updated. Thanks for your support. *Edited to fix a phone auto-correct, what was supposed to say "Ford & Handcock" said "Ford & Hitchcock". Sorry all.

[Part 3]

There has been a... development with the mombie, dr /professor/lawyer/part time absent-father from Ford and Handcock.

I said in the update I posted before (Links at the bottom) that I had a call from a "lawyer" from one "Ford and Handcock", and am practically on standby for another call from said "lawyer".

Well, that call came on Friday.

So, guy called back, my fiancee was in the studio with me while we were taking turns playing Dishonored 2 on a "workstation" pc doing very important adult-like studio work, and his message for me was practically a carbon copy of the last one. I gave him the "Do not call back/stop harassing me" bit, to which he said

"That law don't apply to me. I'm a laawwyyeerr. I can do whatever the hell I need to do to do the law, even if it takes lethal deadly force" [sic]

Given the threat, I called the police, filed a report, gave them the original recording of the call and kept a copy for myself.

My wife-to-be did notice that the inbred gave the pseudonym "Conrad McMasters", which she recognized from the TV show "Matlock". Go figure.

So, skipping on to tonight.

We came back to the studio to pick up a laptop for my mum to use while in the hospital (just a minor fall injury, she'll make a full recovery), and noticed that the handle on the exterior door had been jerked loose. So, I told Fiancee to get back into the car and park down the street, have 911 dialed, don't come out until the all clear, call the police if she heard gunshots. I drew my handgun and looked around the place.

I didn't find anything, but the windows and outside door were damaged with what seemed like an attempted break-in, and a "Cash Express" post-it-note stuck to the stoop that said "U fucked up".

Shout out to U/VanillaG6790 (hope I'm formatting this correctly) for suggesting that I put cameras outside the studio alongside the interior ones. I only have one installed as of yet (DIY), facing the front door. So, I made sure nobody was around, waved Fiancee back to the studio, we got in, locked up, and backed up the security footage to see what we could find.

Lo and Behold, Mombie's car. A man (maybe the singletoothed re-imagining of Mr. McMasters from before?) yanked on the outside door with the veracity of a chimpanzee in the prime of mating season, walked out of frame (in the direction of the aforementioned windows) and stayed out of frame for about fifteen minutes, before returning just to scribble on the note and stick it on the stoop. He then saw the camera, shot the biggest 'O SHIT' face, and scurried back to his methmobile and sped off.

So to recap, we have a clear-view copy of:

His license plate

His attempted breaking-and-entering

His face. The pez-dispenser looking motherfucker practically spiked the lens for five seconds.

Police were called for this too. Details will be submitted post-trial, and I'll contact my lawyer first thing in the morning.

I tried doing it just now, but, DUH, it's Sunday, his office is closed.

Anyway, you guys are awesome. The advice I'm getting from you lot is saving me so much grief. I'm contacting the Bar association to tell them about the actions of Dr./Professor/Matlock-Impersonator/absent-father.

By the way, Meeting with GP (and then hopefully my urologist) next Tuesday in attempts at getting snipped.

Oh, and I've gotten most of the dials my equipment repaired, I ordered another KRONOS, another distressor, and got the Portico 5042 on Friday as a temporary stand-in. I have to give it to the Portico. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I'll keep you all updated as things happen, but I'm not sure when it may be. I'll post a micro-update on how the appointment goes on the 7th.

(source) (story by deleted)

[rescue-satellite]

In Your Court

Chapter 10 of my Sidekick!Adrien AU is now available on AO3!

AU created by @geek-fashionista

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8046313/chapters/21842978

Marinette heard about her internship on Tuesday. Nearly sprinting out of class, her heart pounded out of her chest as she picked up the phone from an unrecognized number, answering and enunciating the practiced “This is Marinette Cheng.” It took a second for the other line to register her words.

“Ms. Cheng. We are calling in regards to the position you applied for as an intern and assistant to Mrs. Durand.”

“Yes?” She could feel the palpitations, every beat hitting her rib cage and most likely leaving a sizeable bruise.

“Unfortunately, we have filled this posi-”

Marinette’s heart dropped to her feet and she could no longer hear the words that were being said. The position was filled. Not by her, but by somebody else. They were going in a different direction, without her. She would not be needed. Don’t bother coming in. We’re sorry.

Words that didn’t belong to the speaker on the other end of the line flooded through her head, and the crushing feeling of inadequacy rushed through her. She wasn’t a good candidate for an internship at a minor-league fashion company. Not even an assistant role. Apparently, she wasn’t good enough to go for coffee runs or organize a schedule.

“Ms. Cheng?”

It was harder than she would have liked to pull herself out of the fog of her thoughts. “Yes, I’m here. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

“Absolutely.” The caller wet on to repeat the message that Marinette had missed. “After reviewing your application and your - impressive - recommendations, Ms. Roux, General Director and Chief Editor has expressed interest in having you as her private assistant. If you are available for an interview within the next week, we should have you processed and able to provide work by this coming Monday.”

The entire world seemed to be crumbling and reshaping itself around Marinette. Not five seconds ago she had not even the barest chances of getting a job, and now she was - what? - basically guaranteed? General director, she thought. So basically, the motherfucking head of the whole operation wanted her as an assistant? A personal assistant? Out of a pool of how many applicants?

“Ms. Cheng?”

“Um, yes!” Her mouth was suddenly able to work again, and she was elated. “Yes, I am absolutely available for an interview. Any time, really. I am always available, thank you so much for thi- Thank you. This means so much to me, and thank Ms. Roux, too, I mean. Yeah. Um, an interview. Yeah, what time should I come in?”

The girl on the other end suppressed a giggle before going through the scheduling options that Marinette could choose from. Every appointment time had some sort of conflict with her schedule, she would miss one class or another with any option, but she wasn’t about to tell them that. Skipping lectures wasn’t the problem. Having to make up the work was. School was important to her, and it always had been, but this was an amazing opportunity, one that she had no idea would be coming any time soon. She had to take the leap.

They set up an appointment for the following day, for a half hour between one thirty and two. It was immediately before Marinette had to be in ballroom class, but she could be late. She would happily be late. Being late was the greatest thing that would happen to her all week.

She stumbled over her words as she got off the phone with the receptionist and thanked her profusely.

As soon as she hung up, she was dialing Alya’s number.

Never mind that she had things to learn in the next room, she could barely express her excitement as she told her best friend the news. She was sure Leroy would understand her squealing in the hallway. Maybe she wouldn't. Did she really care? Alya was equally excited, chirping along about how she absolutely knew that Marinette would get a break soon enough, and that she deserved it and was proud of her. Marinette had to quell the happy tears that threatened to break over her water line.

“I love you,” she told the phone, and Alya made a kissy noise back. She hung up right as her class got out.

Adrien walked up to her with her bag in his hand, and she took it thankfully.

“What’s all the smiles about?” they walked along together to go and get lunch in between classes, their shoulders bumping occasionally in the crowded hallway.

“I got a job interview.” Adrien’s interest piqued and he smiled down at her. “A really good one, too. Apparently my recommendations were <em>impressive</em>. I didn’t think that Leroy was really that impressive, but she must have written something that they really liked. I didn’t really like the letter all too much, but it’s what I had to go with, so I gave it to them. But either way I have a job interview, and ohmygodIhavenothingtowear.”

Stopping in her tracks did not make her the most popular person in the busy halls, but she did it anyway. Adrien stopped along with her, moving to stand directly in front of her to minimize their space.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I have <em>nothing to wear.</em>” She articulated very carefully for effect. “I mean, it’s an interview at a fashion company. I’m going to be speaking with the <em>editor</em> of a <em>fashion company</em> and I have to look good. I have to look better than good. Adrien, I have to look flawless or I’m not gonna get the job. There’s no way.”

“I’m sure they don’t care what you’re wearing.”

“It’s a fashion company, Adrien. If anyone were going to judge me for what I’m wearing, it’s going to be them.” She sat and stewed for a moment, chewing at her thumbnail nervously. Her mind was racing through hundreds of thoughts. How would she be able to get something suitable? Could she mix this thing with this other thing to make it look good, or was the color choice to risky? Did she have time to make something? It would certainly be impressive and she could show that she could make things. Maybe get the conversation going towards her own designs? The interview was tomorrow. She had made things in less time, but it would have to be perfect and-

“Marinette.” Adrien grabbed her shoulders to make her focus. She was sure he was saying something to her, but she was too in her head to pay any attention. “You could walk in there in a burlap mumu and mismatched trainers and they would have to hire you. You know why?”

She shook her head, eyes going wide. Never mind the fact that he was so close and was touching her arms in a strangely intimate way, but he was being far too kind for any sort of her comfort.

“Because you’re Marinette Dupain-motherfucking-Cheng.” She barked out a laugh. “You are smart and funny and kind and talented, and you have more than enough skill to fill the position of that woman’s assistant. Hell, you have the skill to <em>be</em> the director of a fashion company.”

They stood together in the middle of the hallway for a long while, long enough for the hourly traffic to filter each body to their respective classes and leave them alone with a couple of stragglers that were late or leaving early. With his hands keeping her grounded, she felt more secure than she had in a long time. He was right, right? She would be fine. She could do this.

Abruptly, he pulled her in for a tight hug, and she stiffened in his arms.

“You’re amazing, Marinette.”

She was lucky that her face was buried in his chest because the heat that spread across her face was sure to make her look like a tomato. Her arms found themselves wrapping around him, loving this new feeling of his body outside of the sterile atmosphere of the classroom.

When he finally pulled away - because lord knows she would never initiate the distance that came between them - she felt frazzled for a whole different reason. “Thanks,” she muttered, and raked her fingers through her hair, placing strands firmly behind her ears. He was too kind for his own good, and she was unused to that sort of physical affection coming from someone so… perfect.

“No problem.” They started walking toward lunch, where they worked diligently on the project due in three days.

While the worked, a text from Alya displayed brightly across Marinette’s phone.

<em>I have an important interview tomorrow that runs through yours. I’m sorry, but I can’t drive you. Can you find another ride?</em>

Worry spread through her, but she thought hard before answering. She could take the metro. Find a bus. She would be later to ballroom than she wanted to be, but it didn’t matter.

<em>ill be fine. good luck</em>

Her phone buzzed back almost immediately.

<em>You too. Kill it.</em>

She sighed and went back to cleaning the lines of one of the covers. She had been over it about a hundred time by now, but she still found little imperfections that needed correcting. She huffed.

“What’s up?” Adrien asked, looking over her shoulder at the piece. They had become familiar with the physical vernacular of each other’s frustrations. More often than not, the other person saw what needed correcting or was more capable of fixing an error than the other. Working together made their project better. They made a good team.

But she shook her head. “Oh, it’s not the cover. Alya just can’t drive me to my interview tomorrow, so I have to take the metro.”

“I can drive you, if you want. I mean, the Gorilla can. We both know I don’t drive.” He grinned and her heart trembled.  

“Thanks, Adrien, but I can’t. It’s right before ballroom, and I don’t want to make you late. That’s unfair.”

He thought for a moment. “Well, you’re my partner in ballroom anyway. So if you were late, I would have to dance with myself. Or worse, I’ll have to dance with Jackie and I’ll look like an idiot.”

Jackie was the most experienced dancer in their class, who often served as a model for perfection when it came to dance. The professor even turned to her when he forgot technical terms or needed a reminder about how a certain step went or how to hold one’s arms. However well Adrien held himself on the dance floor - which was pretty damn well - nobody looked good next to Jackie.

Laughing, she finally conceded. “Fine, you can drive me. Thanks, Adrien.” She said it like it was a burden, but a weight was released from her shoulders.

“No problem,” he reminded her, and they spent the rest of their time working in silence.

When ballroom came around, they kept cracking jokes with one another about how Adrien would look dancing with Jackie. Marinette insisted that he would be able to hold his own - and look good while doing it - but Adrien made it a point to trip as much as possible over her feet when they learned new steps. He told her that he was actually a clumsy mess but somehow he was able to hold it together to impress the cute girls in the class.

“I’m sure Jackie has taken notice,” she said, gesturing to where Jackie unabashedly checked out his “footwork”, among other assets.

“I’m not talking about Jackie.”

It was official, Adrien was a giant flirt. Marinette could not handle it, and receded slightly into herself, looking at his forehead instead of into his eyes like a proper dancing pair should. His hand at the small of her back made her warm, but she reminded herself that she couldn’t be interested. It wouldn’t be good for her at this point. She had too much else in her life that was in chaos for a boy to mess anything up.

He noticed the change in attitude with his comment, and he regretted it. Neither of them could look the other in the eye anymore, and they constantly blushed through the rest of the class.

They reviewed and confirmed plans for the next day as they walked to the parking lot where Alya picked Marinette up everyday, and they waved goodbye. Marinette was blushing more than usual.

“What is it?”

“He’s a flirt.”

“No he’s no-” Alya’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t give a hint as to why. A knowing grin spread over her face as she started down the street. “Oh yeah. Total flirt. The worst.”

-----

Marinette shook as she sat across the current assistant to Ms. Roux, Rachel. They had chatted for a while before she took her seat, and apparently, she was going on maternity leave and needed a replacement as soon as possible. Marinette wanted to ask about the position, what would be required of her, because precious little information had been given to her over the past couple of days, but she was left in the dark when the receptionist went to take a call.

So there she stayed, in an old grey blazer she’d had to take in at the shoulders and waist, a black pencil skirt that was too short to be professional, but was also the only thing that made her look like she knew what she was doing, and a soft purple blouse that complemented the blue of her eyes, waiting. Her leg bounced up and down, the strap of her short heels slipping off every so often, so she’d have to bend over and readjust the strap, then every other piece of clothing she had disturbed.

By the time the assistant had told her to enter the office, she was ready to bolt. Instead, she stood, composed herself, took a long, deep breath, and pushed the door to the office open.

The office, much like the rest of the floor of the building, was open, large, and gorgeously decorated. A small lounge of plush white chairs and a couch were centered around a modern, asymmetric glass coffee table at the front of the room. The singular wall that wasn’t completely made of windows was a large bookcase, filled with encyclopedias, novels, and archived magazines alike. Past the makeshift lounge was a large desk that spanned half of the room.

Mostly bare, a bank of three monitors sat at the corner of the desk, decorative cups held pens and pencils at the ready, and a small silver placard displayed the name of Ms. Roux.

The woman herself typed away at her keyboard, staring intently between the three screens, seeming to multitask between the monitors. She was younger than Marinette expected, with auburn hair pulled back into a tight chignon, her eyes expertly made up, and her lips a devastating shade of deep red. She sported a daring amount of cleavage between a low cut, black silk top that fell wide of her shoulders, exposing the straps of lacy bralette. She looked she could kill you with just an offhand glance, but the set of her eyes was kind and her stance open.

When Marinette entered, she offered a wide grin, her lips parting to expose bright white teeth.

“Marinette!” she exclaimed, and rose, coming around the desk. Her dark skirt matched the shade she wore on her lips, but she didn’t wear shoes. They were probably lost under her desk during the day. She came up to Marinette, barely an inch shorter, and embraced her.

She had no idea what to do, so she hugged back. A quick embrace and then she stood awkwardly, waiting to introduce herself.

“Please, have a seat,” Ms. Roux said, gesturing towards the white chairs that were intimidating in their crisp cleanliness. Marinette felt like she was breaking some sort of rule by placing herself on one, but Ms. Roux draped herself comfortably across her own. She tried to copy the ease of movement.

“Ms. Roux, it’s-”

“Oh, please. It’s Francesca. I hate the formalities of last names.”

Marinette smiled to herself and began again. “Francesca, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ve decided to speak with me. I’ve been job hunting for a while, and it’s always been a dream of mine to work in fashion. Being here is such a privilege.”

Francesca listened intently and broke into a wide grin. “I’m just as privileged, honestly. You come very highly recommended.”

“My... professor? Do you know her somehow?”

Both women looked at each other with confusion. “You professor? Oh, darling, no. Mr. Agreste. It took me off guard when he called yesterday. He told me how highly he thought of you and what a wonderful addition you would make to this company.” Marinette was taken aback. “I must say, he’s quite fond of you.”

“Adrien called you?”

“Yes, dear. He didn’t tell you?”

“No.” A pit of upset took root in her stomach. “No, he didn’t.”

“Well, that’s fine.” She waved her hand in ardent dismissal and changed subjects. “I’ve reviewed your resume, which looks fine, if plain. You check off all the necessary boxes, and you have experience working with people, which is always a plus. You will be answering a lot of phones, I’m afraid, but Rachel assures me that the work isn’t all bad. Apparently, I’m a fun boss.” They laughed together, Marinette not quite in it, still distracted by thoughts of Adrien. “Oh, I forgot,” Francesca stood. “Would you like anything? Some wine, juice…?”

“Um, water would be fine, thank you.” Marinette’s mouth was dry, and she took the moment that Francesca didn’t have eyes on her to reorient herself. Was she just here because of Adrien’s recommendation? Probably. But she needed a job, and she couldn’t blow this one. She would just have to run with it, make the best of it.

Still, she could feel the absurd sense of betrayal building in her.

Ms. Roux returned and handed Marinette a tall glass of water, while she herself sipped on a glass of red wine.

“Francesca,” Marinette started, beginning her speech that she had been mulling over in her mind all day. “I’m really honored at the chance to work with you and your company, and I must say I’m more than ready to take on any challenges that you have for me. I’m an incredibly hard worker, and I’m extremely dedicated-”

“Marinette, I know all this already.”

“You… do?”

“Yes, Adrien told me all about you. I’ve been friends of the family for years, and any time he thinks so highly of someone as he does of you, I have to take interest, especially if you have interest in me.” She set her glass down on the table and leaned closer to Marinette, as if they were going to have an intimate conversation. “Think of this less of an interview and more of a get-to-know-you. I’d like to know more about you, and hopefully you have some questions for me.” She went back to sipping at her wine with the same signature smile.

They spent the next ten minutes discussing what Marinette expected to come of her life - wanting to become a designer, hopefully sign with a label or start her own, and to build from the bottom to create a strong company that would be successful, whatever that meant. She tried to sound as passionate as possible whenever she spoke - and it wasn’t difficult. This job, if she even got it in the first place, was a dream.

Francesca claimed to admire the ambition, but Marinette couldn't tell how much of it was genuine, and how much she just wanted to make a good impression on Adrien and the Agreste name.

Nearing the end of the time they had, Francesca decided to wrap things up.

“Thank you for coming in today, Marinette. It had been great meeting you. Please, call with any questions you might have, and when you are available to begin.”

A weight settled on Marinette’s chest, and she decided she had to speak up. It sounded as if she were already guaranteed the job, but she hadn’t even had a proper interview. If Francesca liked her, it was one thing, but there was nothing what she picked up from the conversation that felt like anything more than stiff formalities. Sure, they were friendly as strangers, but that’s where it ended. Marinette didn’t even know about any of her job descriptions.

She stopped by the door and turned, half hiding herself behind her own body.

“Ms. Ro- Francesca.” She was sitting back at her desk, sitting straight and preparing to type on her keyboard. “I hope I don’t offend by saying this, but I didn’t want the help of Adrien to get this job. I didn’t ask for it. He’s a friend of mine, and he means well, but I can't have it on my conscious that I would only be working here on the recommendation of someone so prominent in the industry. I truly am trying to make a name for myself, and I don’t think I will be able to do that on the coattails of someone like Adrien, especially since we’ve grown… closer lately.”

She took a deep breath and watched as Francesca’s face fell from contained and friendly to what could only be expressed as relaxed and… impressed? Marinette set her shoulders back with new found confidence, and turned more firmly towards Ms. Roux.

“So, whatever choice you make regarding my employment at this company, please only hire me because you want me to work with you, and you see me as someone who will be valuable to you as an assistant and work associate. I think I have a lot to offer you besides an appeasement to the Agrestes, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to me through them. I-” she wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Thank you for speaking with me today, Ms. Roux. And I truly hope I made a good impression. If I’m meant to work here, then I think I’ll be happy, and I hope you will be, too.”

That was it. Leave, Marinette. It’s time to go.

“Marinette,” Francesca called across the long office. She had crossed her hands in front of her on the desk, fingers interlocking, and eyed Marinette intently. A smirk pulled up the edges of her lips, less friendly than it was when she walked in, but infinitely more familiar. “Thank you for coming in. I look forward to your call.”

They nodded their goodbyes, and Marinette scurried from the office as quickly as possible, hurrying outside to where the car idled, waiting for her. She hopped in the back seat, where Adrien had just been playing on his phone.

“How’d it go?”

She didn’t answer for a moment, still not having processed everything that had happened in there.

“You called her. Without asking me. To tell her that you wanted me to work for her.” It wasn’t posed as a question, but still demanded an answer.

It took a moment for him to register the frustration in her voice. No. It was anger. “I thought-”

“But you didn’t, Adrien. And you didn’t ask me. That’s not fair.” She refused to make eye contact, but instead stared at where his hands were placed in his lap. It hurt that she had to even accuse him of something like that, and hurt worse that he admitted so easily. He didn’t understand what that meant to her. “If I’m not supposed to get this job, or any job, I don’t want you to come in and pull some strings to put me somewhere I don’t belong. That’s not who I am. I’m trying to make a name for <em>myself</em>. I don’t need you doing it for me.”

Her arms crossed themselves about her chest and she slumped down in her seat, not minding that the short skirt rode up to reveal a good portion of her thigh. She was not in the mood to be polite at the moment, and she didn’t feel like any apologies, so when Adrien started, she put a hand up to stop him.

“Please. I can’t right now. I-”

The incessant buzzing of the phone in her hand cut her off. She watched akuma alert after article headline spring onto her phone, and leapt to attention, looking out the window. They were close to the bakery, her old house. It was somewhere that would be safe to transform.

“Pull over,” she told the Gorilla.

“Marinette, there’s an akuma attack.” She hadn’t noticed Adrien’s phone lighting up with the same alerts as hers, but it didn’t really matter at the moment. She needed an excuse to get out of the car.

Slipping off her shoes so she would be able to run faster, she crafted one. “My mother lives close. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

The car was pulling to a stop when Adrien interjected. “We can drive you. It’s not safe.”

“The bakery is behind us. I have to get there quickly. I’ll find my own way back to class, okay? My mom has a car I can borrow.” She slipped out of the car as Adrien called for her to stop, but she was sprinting back down the street before he could prevent her from doing so.

The akuma was close, and all the patrons of the bakery were to hide in the kitchens if there was an attack close by. Every store had its own precautions. Their own safe places that they would go when there was an attack too close for comfort. Businesses were made around making and installing high quality, cage-like shelters that would protect you from a building collapsing or an akuma spitting fire at you.

The store was stark and empty when she burst in, and she headed straight for the stairs at the back that would lead up to the balcony. Taking the stairs two by two, she was on the roof and transforming in no time, zipping out towards the reports of the attack.

Hammer hands was a new one, but they looked as menacing as they sounded ridiculous. The Leveler took great pride in screaming his name and smashing things to tiny bits. He laid waste to large chunks of buildings, popped tires off of cars in one hit, and knocked over lamp posts and traffic lights like they were nothing. He screamed for her to come to him, taunting that he wished to speak with her.

“Come out, come out, little bug!” His voice was gravelly and strained, like he spoke around the bulging muscles in his neck. He was grotesquely built, his arms and legs thick like tree trunks, his face contorted with anger.

Ladybug stood atop a building nearby, taking in the scene as quickly as possible. The Leveler was large, but he was slow, and it wouldn't be too difficult to reach in and nab the akumatized article from his person. The problem were the sheer size of his fists, large circular slabs of metal that he swung easily, crashing into things, and sometimes each other, creating a sound like a thunderclap that shook the foundations of the buildings.

She would resort to her tried and true method, she thought, by wrapping him with her yoyo to render him immobile and take the moment of relative safety to cleanse the akuma. She noted that the trajectory of destruction was heading straight towards the bakery, where she knew people were cowering in fear and wait.

A hint of panic was added to her calculating plan.

Taking action was the last step. She swung in to meet the Leveler, dropping in front of him before he was about to smash in the window of a boutique. A slow smile spread across his face when he registered who it was, and he flexed his muscles, trying to be intimidating.

It didn’t work on her.

“Ladybug.” Each syllable was spit from his mouth. His uneven, yellowed teeth showed from behind his thin lips.

“Hi,” she waved.

With a tremendous growl, the Leveler swung out with his bulbous arms, swinging towards Ladybug as she backflipped away, easily dodging every attack.

She took her time dodging his strikes to gauge the real speed, and any abilities he might be hiding to catch her off guard. It seemed pretty simple, and her distraction provided cover for civilians to get out of danger. She spotted trickling streams of people ducking behind cars and in doorways, quickly finding their way to less dangerous areas.

While the Leveler was preoccupied with her, he no longer was swinging aimlessly and causing property damage. There was significantly less danger for all those around her, including her mother less than a block away, if she remained engaged. The time that she fought she used to look for the akumatized item that he held on him.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the door of a car she recognized opening. Adrien stepped out of the car, watching the fight fold out in front of him. While she was distracted by the sight of him, and surprised by his refusal to get himself to safety, the Leveler took a swipe at her that came far too close for comfort.

He roared mightily and clenched both fist-hammers together above his head, rearing back and ferociously slamming them into the ground. The ensuing rumble and scattering of rubble caused Ladybug to fall back slightly. She used her yoyo, spinning in a fevered circle, as a shield to the debris that would have caused her harm, and recovered from the shocking blow.

Her yoyo moved at the flick of her wrist, locking around the wrist-portion of his over sized body and securing his hands together. She crept close to him, avoiding the movement that he was still able to do, as he swung in disoriented circles. He caused much more damage than she would have liked, so she acted quickly, crawling over to him and searching for the purple-tinted item.

A tool belt sported a large hammer with a black handle and purple head that didn’t go with his strictly grey ensemble. Adrenaline ran through her as she went to grab for it, but one of his muscular arms was in the way. She reached past him, stretching her arms to the limit, trying to hook a finger around the akumatized object.

“Ladybug!” she heard a scream from behind her, and her head snapped up to see what was wrong.

Somehow, the Leveler had loosened the bond of her yoyos, and in a tremendous ripping move, he wrenched his arms backwards, flinging her from her perch draped over his arm.

She felt herself flying through the air, the wind coming at her from all directions, and watched as the Leveler’s form grew more and more distant. Comprehension that she was going to come to a painful stop made its way slowly into her mind, until her back slammed into the corner of a brick wall.

The sharp edges of the uneven bricks bit into her back, stabbing into her ribcage. She felt her head slam into the wall as well, and a brief darkness overtook her.

Coming to, she saw the Leveler smiling before her, advancing slowly. Her brain was scrambled, and she stood only to have the world spin around her. She grasped her head painfully. Her legs fumbled beneath her, trying to hold herself upright, but it took leaning heavily on the wall behind her to keep herself from falling over.

A chorus of screams and shouts came from spectators that took time away from getting themselves to safety to watch her.

Leveler was suddenly directly in front of her. Maybe not suddenly, maybe he moved very slowly, but the end result was the same: she was defenseless, her yoyo lying limp in the middle of the street, and he was going to kill her.

Giant grey, muscular arms encased in metal and ending in a blunt hammer rose before her, and she could do nothing but watch. It seemed distant to her, the way the sun glinted off of the dull metal, how the crowd that had been spectating spoke out as one, anguished in the inevitability of her being crushed. Would Hawkmoth even be able to extract her miraculous from beneath the rubble that would become her body?

As the hammers came crashing down, she could do nothing but watch, resigned to her fate.

It was an unexpected turn of events when she closed her eyes, not to feel the weight of the akuma’s fists bare down on her, but to go flying sideways, a force knocking her to the ground, out of the way of the deadly hammers.

The second shock to her body righted everything in her head. Something, someone had plowed into her and knocked her out of the way, saving her from becoming a rad pancake on the ground. The relief of the crowd gathered was palpable, and there were people who were crying from the fear and confusion of what had happened.

Ladybug sprung upright, ready again to fight. She looked down at her savior, who was still lying on the ground, disbelief clouding his eyes.

“Adrien! What the hell?” She pulled him upright, seeing that they were still dangerously close to the Leveler, and grabbed his hand. They sprinted towards her yoyo which laid sadly in the middle of the street, and she swung away with him in the crook of her arm, depositing him in a safe place. “Stay,” she ordered, and swung back into the fight.

Knowing now where the akumatized item was made the fight much easier. The shock from the Leveler escaping her bonds was a flub, and she would make sure it wouldn’t happen again. For now, they had moved far closer to the bakery than Marinette would ever want an akuma.

“Hey!” She screamed to the akuma, where he had gotten bored of her and went back to destroying property randomly. His attention turned back to her when she yelled for him, and she wrapped her yoyo surely in her hands.

“Little bug,” he laughed. “Come come.” He opened his hammer fists and smashed them together repeatedly, like a bull ready to charge.

It took no more than twenty seconds for Ladybug to render him immobile and cleans the hammer that had been used to akumatize him. She sent Tikki’s magic around to heal and repair much of the destroyed avenue, but there was still much to be fixed.

She approached the man who had been akumatized, who turned out to be a scrawny imp of a man without much muscle mass at all. She helped him up and escorted him to an ambulance that awaited a passenger.

As she watched first responders - after her, of course - respond, she found herself less needed, but her attention remained at the scene. Behind her, where she deposited Adrien to retain his safety, she could just see him sitting against a wall. She walked over to him, her back screaming at her from the pain of the attack, but she didn't stop until she stood before him.

“Adrien,” she called down to him. He looked up expectantly, and his face transformed into shock when he saw who was speaking to her.

He stood quickly, straightening his clothes and running a hand through his hair. “Ladybug. Hi, I, um - wow. Um. Hi.”

“You can’t do that.”

Shock. Confusion. Comprehension.

“What? Pushing you out of the way?”

“Putting yourself in danger. That’s not your job.”

“You could have died.”

“No, Adrien,” she told him sternly. He looked taken aback, but she kept on. “<em>You</em> could have died. You can’t just… put yourself in danger like that. You could get hurt or worse.”

“Well… so could you!” He was getting frustrated, perhaps because of his confusion. He would have thought that she would be grateful for help, that she would come over to give him some recognition towards his rescue. But she didn’t need help, she told herself. Her work was far too dangerous for others to join her.

“Yes. I could. I have been hurt. Many times. Which is why I know that people can’t just come in and try to be a hero willy-nilly. You’ll get hurt. You’ll die. I can’t have that. There’s already too much danger in Paris, and I’m the one who has to deal with it. I can’t have people putting themselves in danger and having to save them.” She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. “Please, Adrien. You can’t put yourself in danger.”

Tears swelled in her throat. She forced herself to look away from him, the thought of him in danger making her entire body ache more than being power slammed into a brick wall. Maybe not, but it didn’t suit her. She wanted him, all people, to remain safe. That was her job, after all.

Now, though, that she felt herself growing closer to Adrien, the crush that she felt at their first meeting growing into something far more profound, imagining him hurt… that killed her.

With her emotions at bay, she looked back up at Adrien, who stood a head taller than her. “Promise me,” she asked. She pleaded.

He stood before her, staring down into her eyes, and he could feel a heat growing in his cheeks. She wanted to take his hand, make him swear on something physical, that he wouldn't risk himself.

“I c-”

Can’t? The mere thought of him refusing her made her heart break.

But as they shared a silent conversation between one another, he nodded, and she nearly sobbed.

“I promise.”

[spoonielivingfree]

It’s time for another week in the life. This past week has been characterised by lots of pain, lots of fatigue, getting lost and climbing.

Monday was my first day on the difficult cases at work and it was so much more fun than work has been! I found it much easier to get through the day with a little more cognitive stimulation. I went for a climb in the evening and took it easy as my elbow was causing me pain at work and I didn’t want to do any further damage. I spent a lot of time chatting to people which is one of my favourite things about bouldering and did a lot of technique/route reading practice and flashed a purple (v3-4) for the first time ever! (Yes I flashed a V3-5 over xmas but different centre so I’m taking the glory again.) Although I love projecting I really want to get myself more consistent and that purple was an important step towards that.

Tuesday was a bad endo day and not great mental health day as I was a stressed out mess over the GP appointment I had the next day and pain wears you down. I got home and I just couldn’t and hilariously enough the pain just got drastically worse once I was home. Isn’t potentially having endo, potentially having PCOS, potentially having something else all together so much fun. Anyway. I went to bed early got 11 hours sleep and on we go to Wednesday.

I had a GP appointment and she actually took me seriously and listened. I had to find my way to the hospital after the appointment and got a little lost cause the cold and google maps drains your battery. But, I found my way and got the 3 viles of blood taken. I am also getting another ultrasound at some point. I think of the transvaginal variety. Absolutely not looking forward to that! Went into work for the afternoon and god were the cases bad. Or maybe I’m just a bad caseworker. I then climbed and not gonna lie my right bicep is still sore as we were doing endurance stuff and being me, I may have pushed it a little too far but it did feel really good to be in the training area, doing actual exercise like the old Han would be. I also resent a purple after the session which is mad! I’ve never resent a purple before. *Slight disclaimer here is yes in grades, yes 4 years ago, yes before I took 3 years out* It was another sign towards me slowly getting myself towards my goals.

Thursday was a horrific endo day. How I worked and smashed my stats I will never know. But anyway, I got home, applied for a law event and then accidently napped. Woke up, got ready for bed and then slept for another 10 hours.

I felt beyond dreadful on Friday. But I powered through the bad cases and got as many grants as I could. Didn’t hit stats but what can we do. Not much. I literally just crashed when I got home and ended up with that horrendous midcycle migraine. You know the one so painful that you can’t eat, can’t do anything, can’t tolerate any light but also can’t sleep. It was traumatic.

Nevertheless, I took myself on a trip to rock over on Saturday and although I didn’t explore the whole wall, I spent 4 hours there! My hands were a wreck! I really enjoyed the different setting and movement that I had to do even on “easy grades”. I also felt super fancy on duotex holds and flashed a super fun lil v4 and the first few moves of a v5!. I did however aggravate my elbow again and have somehow aggravated the left one as well. My pain was horrendous Saturday night so again late night but got 10 hours sleep and still feel like hell so trying to rest as much as I can.

A week of prevailing and failing through pain and fatigue.

It’s time for another week in the life. This past week has been characterised by lots of pain, lots of fatigue, getting lost and climbing.

A week of prevailing and failing through pain and fatigue. It’s time for another week in the life. This past week has been characterised by lots of pain, lots of fatigue, getting lost and climbing.

[soysaucevictim]

This post got long again... :P

-

July 25

Been up since about 8AM.

Went to the facility, did some drawing, socializing, and the DD before group. The DD being 20 back extensions with EC. Not much to say other than it was very doable and a good bit of back TLC. ;P

WRAP Group went pretty well. Talked about how to apply the system to work-related wellness, which I felt somewhat timely.

Did some more socializing before we shipped out.

I didn’t get a whole lot done when I got home. Found the sleep debt too great and felt pretty zapped of energy. Mostly did the YouTube and gaming thing until I got to bed.

-

July 26

I really needed to catch up on my sleep, so woke up a bit before 1PM.

Been up to a lot of the usual YouTube and gaming stuff. But I did start on some laundry and I did catch up with my exercise...  later than ideal, though.

First, today’s DD. 30 single leg bridges with EC (15/15). Got really distracted today. But anyways, this was manageable, despite mild hamstring strain. :P

Second, Day 17 of the T10C. 10 sets of 2x20″ high knees + 20″ climbers. Still kind of stuck to a jog - but I did get pretty winded. Probably shouldn’t have worn loose pants, because adjusting them during the high knees was awkward.. Also stomach wasn’t the hugest fan of a lot of up and down stuff like this. But done.

(After much debate about doubling up and some recovery time...)

Third, Day 18 of the T10C. 7 sets of 40″ squats + 20″ shoulder taps, with a finisher of 3′ squats. Was a bit dubious about doing more up and down work - but since it’s a bit less aerobic - I could manage.

Last, Days 17+18 of the CCC. 40 torso twists + 140 side leg raises. Did each in one go, the latter into 70/70 - which was doable but was feeling the fatigue after all the leg work. :P

I also started on some laundry earlier in the day, but after that, I worked to put it away.

-

July 27

I got up a bit after noon, today.

Did a bit of the usual stuff, before getting in my exercise a bit earlier than usual.

First, today’s DD. 10 V-ups with EC. These are pretty intense, but I enjoy doing them!

Second, Day 19 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop punching. I actually enjoy these days a lot and find them a bit easier to knock out. I swapped stances every minute and counted 1121 punches by the end.

Last, Day 19 of the CCC. 40 torso twists. Breezy work, as always.

That’s pretty much the only worthwhile thing I recall getting done.

-

July 28

I got up a bit before noon, today.

Did go pick up my meds and splurged on a bit of candy.

Also did some dishes and made some frozen pizza... overindulged on pretty much everything. So I was groggy and overfull pretty much all day.

The only exercise I managed to get done today was the DD. 2′un/clenching fists with EC. (I think I counted 218 reps in the time given. Sounds about right- managed ~120 in the first minute and definitely slowed down from fatigue; it gets pretty hard to fully extend the fingers after awhile, but I enjoyed it! :D

Determined that my stomach would not be happy with the exercises I was supposed to get done... so rain-checked on that. :/

-

July 29

I got up after noon, today.

Started on the usual before picking up some food with my bro.

Then, I did catch up with my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 leg raises with EC. Very doable, despite mild neck strain in the latter half or so. :P

Second, Day 20 of the T10C.5 sets of 2x30″ high knees, 30″ climbers, and 30″ plank hacks. Again, glad I had 2′ to rest, this time. Even going at a moderate/slow pace and varying the intensity of my transitions (jumping in/out, walking in/out, dropping & resetting.)

(After some recovery with more distractions...)

Third, Day 21 of the T10C. 10 sets of 20″ squats, 20″ sit-ups, and 20″ flutter kicks. I definitely debated on whether I should double up, but I’m glad I went for it. It’s kind of fun getting into a groove fluidly transitioning from squats to sit-ups. And the duration of flutter kicks were manageable enough to keep my head up for all/most of the workout.

Last, Days 20+21 of the CCC. 150 side leg raises + 40 torso twists. Did the former in one go, 75/75.

I took a shower after that and did a bit more of the usual, before getting to bed.

-

July 30

I got up a bit before 8AM.

Got to the facility, mostly did some socializing and organizational stuff. Went to Seeking Safety, which was alright. And did touch base a bit with the case manager. Was kinda too tired to be up for drawing.

Got home and spent a good deal of my day on the usual noise.

But I did make dinner and my DD. 20 downward/upward dogs with EC. Barely. Stringing 20 of these in one go is still not the most fun to get through and was so tempting to split it up. :P

Determined I was too damn tired to do much else, before bed.

-

July 31

I got up around 8AM.

Had a service plan appointment today, so I had to be up early to get to the facility. Spent my time before and after it drawing and socializing. The appointment was amusing, if a bit routine (we need to do these regularly, I understand why.)

There was free pizza, there too (celebrating all the folks who had July birthdays). That was nice.

Got home, did some dishes and the usual before catching up (again) with my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ backfists with EC (1′/1′).

Second, Day 22 of the T10C. 4 sets of 1′ jumping jacks and 1′ high knees, with a finisher of 2′ climbers. Same comments on pacing and on the longer rest periods, as in similar days before. But, my guts really decided to hate me near the end and it forced me to do the climbers at almost a glacial pace (even though I was tempted to break it up - I trucked on). Bleh.

Third, Day 23 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop side-to-side leg raises. I think I managed to count 529 reps, by the end. Otherwise similar experiences as previous ones, too.

Last, Days 22+23 of the CCC. 160 side leg raises + 40 torso twists. Pretty much a similar experience to Monday’s stuff (including structure). No big deal.

-

Aug. 1

I got up a bit before 8AM.

Went to the facility, took a short nap, did some drawing and socializing before WRAP Group. Good stuff.

Since I usually don’t bother doing much in my remaining hour at the facility, didn’t like my set-up to attempt the DD, and was bored... I decided to go into the TV room and organize the VHS tapes. Got kinda engrossed and missed my ride by a few minutes. Felt a little bad about that inconvenience... but also productive? (Though I only got to ~75% done with that... gonna bother me a bit, til next Tuesday.)

Got home, got some food with my bro, did a lot of the usual before just taking a ~2 hour nap. Too damn tired.

More of the same, watching last week’s iZombie episode, and did my exercise late...

First, today’s DD. 2′ half jacks with EC. I always love half jacks and I counted 129 reps by the time was up. :D

Second, Day 24 of the T10C. 7 sets of 40″squats + 20″ shoulder taps, with a finisher of 3′ squats. Relatively anaerobic - which is nice for a late workout. Very manageable.

Last, Day 24 of the CCC. 170 side leg raises - 85/85 in one go. Doable, but certainly getting more challenging in this arrangement.

-

Aug. 2

I got up a bit after 11AM.

Active rest day, so as far as exercise went, I just did the DD. 20 push-up + jab + cross combos with EC. The "hidden burpees" are the most tiring feature of this combo. It got pretty winding and tempting to break it. :P

Besides that, only thing of note was errands and making dinner, today.

Mostly was up to my usual stuff. Did think to draw... but that didn’t happen. :P

-

Aug. 3

I got up a bit before noon.

Mostly spent my day on the usual, but I did get in my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 80 side leg raises with EC. (40/40). A pretty fun one, having some challenges that involve lots of them probably helps in making it pretty breezy.

Second, Day 25 of the T10C. 10 sets of 1′ jumping jacks. Kept a moderate pace throughout. Got into a pretty satisfying breath rhythm - drawing 2 in-breaths and exhaling returning to start position. I think it’s pretty helpful to get just a bit more 02 in, that way.

Last, Day 25 of the CCC. 40 torso twists in one go. Yeah, breezy work.

-

Aug. 4

Blah, I woke up a bit after 1PM, today.

Same old, same old. But one of the first actually productive things I got done today was my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 50 front kicks with EC (25/25, balancing). This was a lot of fun, I always dig combat and balance work. Definitely takes a bit of focus to maintain balance - especially on the switch-up. :D

Second, Day 26 of the T10C. 5 sets of 2x30″ high knees, 30″ flutter kicks, and 30″ sit-ups. Doing 1′ of march steps as a warm-up was a good call, and as always I savored the 2′ rest periods. Oof. I did keep my head for most of the flutter kick intervals, but I had to keep my overall pace moderated.

Last, say 26 of the CCC. 180 side leg raised, 90/90 in one go. Got a bit challenging but still doable. Not too much strain, too. Which is nice.

I then got some dishes done and made the family some dinner. Also watched the final episode of iZombie. It was okay. I can see how there’s a split on whether people liked it. But I won’t spoil things.

Okay. I really need to hit post because this wound up getting long again. orz

[wwwnillakush1]

Internet getting set up soon

Happy Monday biotch! My tongue has healed little by little thus far and its only getting better. Considering that follow up appointment but well see!

Boy let me tell you the first thing I want to eat when my mouth has healed completely is a big juicy cheeseburger from Backyard Burgers which is -right- across the street!!! With seasoned fries!! Ahhh!!! I also will apply there. I have so much I still need to get done around here but I had to take easy to give my tongues hole time to close up at least some.

Internet router is coming in the mail soon. I think Zack has the mailbox key.

Oh boy!!! My return to webcam modeling!!! I am going in with no expectations of nothing. :P I know its gonna take time, dedication, and diligence to rebuild a following and be making decent cash. I'm all too familiar baby!!!

Ill keep ya all posted! I have a huge blog to post once internet is up!