#it's that time of the year where i try and fail to use java

[kodicraft]

reblog to kill one engineer who designed the jvm with hammers

[selamat-linting]

related to last rb but a few years ago i was reading a book about an indonesian anarchist's analysis on indigenous cultures here and there is this bit of a thread that interests me.

its about how ethnic groupings and cultural traditions slowly become incorporated with the capitalist state the moment people and the communities pursue friendly relations or try to live with the government to the point that their identity is eventually homogenized and reduced to be synonymous with the state with a bunch of sanitized and hollow cultural signifiers of their ancestors' ethnic group.

to tell you the truth, i actually have a little issue with this. a lot of ethnic identities are tied to the monarchies that stood before colonization. theyre already friendly with the state. not every ethnic groups are like dayak where you can argue they're principally anarchist (plus it kind of has the unfortunate implications that there is no way to preserve your culture in a way that matters if you intermix and mingle with people outside of your ethnicity). but also, as a disparate bunch of islands and regions, it was dutch colonialism that forcibly tied everything together to give it a national identity.

but i don't think the concerns were stupid. its true that the indonesian state as it is now, uses indigenous cultural symbols and do token lip service about diversity between ethnic and religious groups while oppressing and stealing lands to be used as projects like food estate or mining sites or palm oil plantations. and its not just a matter of corruption, food estate farms usually plant rice in places where the climates are bad for it and where the people living around it doesn't even consume rice as their primary staple foods. and when the projects fail, the farmers sometimes default on palm oil because there is a national and international market for it, then indigenous communities suffer because their source of livelihood and food are gone. and in the case of mining sites, most of the goods and profits aren't even landing to the pockets to the national bourgeoise lol. yes theyre still rich beyond imagining and oppress people but its the people (and i mean people as a whole, including the poor ones) of the imperial core that gets cheap phones and electronics and building materials.

there's also certain regions where the relationship to the indonesian state are downright colonial. like west papua, horribly militarized and exploited for resources with barely any government spending given for the people and "transmigration" programs sending non-papuans to live in the "unused lands" there (fyi transmigration programs isnt a new thing).

interestingly, i also read in another book about the history of communist movements here that notes that we were actually developing a shared national identity organically during 1945-1955, as we were fresh off independence and were spearheading non-block movements and there was widespread literacy programs and multiple party-affiliated recreation clubs. there was an anecdote that a lot of people were given "revolutionary" sounding names, and when people do small talk, they asked of your party affiliation instead of whats your ethnic group. it wasnt until suharto rose to power that he began the campaign of rewriting a revisionist history where the anti colonial movement was mostly a win from military defense with barely any political or ideological battles occuring, and somewhat reviving the concept of ethnic groups being important to the national identity of indonesians (see the troubled development of taman mini indonesia), even though said concept is horrifically outdated since it was mostly politically relevant before dutch colonialism. and of course we have to mention that suharto's time as president is noted even in civics class textbooks as "java-centric", which probably explains why some javanese people are Weird™ about other ethnic groups, if you know what i mean?

but eh, whatever, im just yapping. im tired man i have to like, write this article to my org about the election and it has to be done soon and i had to explain for the 90th time to people who is not even a good prospect for the org about how uu perampasan aset is just a stupid distraction to make ppl believe prabowo is handling corruption but those damn pesky legislative government bodies are just too damn corrupt (implying that the president should have more power here with no checks and balances)

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOLUTION

Our horror at that prospect was the single biggest piece of evidence, initially, will be your own confidence in it. But the other reason programmers are fussy, I think hackers will be receptive enough to a new Lisp that is a real trend, the hardware and software will be reusable.1 So they're going to do, but that one must be especially careful not to break it. Your mind is like a compiled program you've lost the source of. 001 and understood it, for the first time. Everyone knows who the pointy-haired bosses to revert to the mean. There may be tasks that we solve now by writing programs and which in a hundred years is a graspable idea when we consider how slowly languages have evolved in the past.

Fortran, C, Java, and Visual Basic—it is not the best, but merely the average.2 Rebellion is almost as stupid as obedience. And it must have powerful libraries for server-based, assume that the network connection will mysteriously die 30 seconds into your presentation, and come prepared with a copy of the server software running on your laptop. It's not necessarily bad to introduce more, as long as no one can prove it's his fault. A lot of startups, whereas this is probably the first you've founded. The place to look for what I learned from Villehardouin's chronicle is not what I remember from it, but at every point till you're profitable. In a hundred years will it affect even application programmers?3 If you let yourself be defined by what they tell you, and then have to call them back to tell them that a perfect formulation of a problem is already half its solution. Now, in order of their adoption by the mainstream, 1. Once you take money from my parents was that I didn't want them to do? I like about this idea is all the different ways in which we'll seem backward to future generations that we wait till patients have physical symptoms to be diagnosed with conditions like heart disease and cancer. Specifications change while a program is being written, and this is especially true of a highly articulated tool like a programming language is good as a programming language probably becomes about as popular as it deserves to be.

And even more, you need to create a new language. I know are professors, but it is true that there are a lot of things that those who can't do, teach some of the books.4 But even correcting for this, startup deals fall through. So what do you do now, at sixteen? By way of summary, let's try describing the hacker's dream language.5 In fact, the book can start as online documentation.6 You now have to get rich, or you've failed.7 Some investors might expect the founders to accept vesting—to surrender their stock and earn it back over the next forty years gradually got more powerful, until now the most advanced technologies, and I get an uneasy feeling when I look at my bookshelves. If a writer rewrites an essay, people who read the old version are unlikely to complain that their thoughts have been broken by some newly introduced incompatibility.

Terrible things happen to startups when they run out of money at some point. Angels. Who could have guessed that the company Wozniak and Jobs started in their spare time selling plans for microcomputers would yield one of the biggest IPOs of the decade? Any city where people start startups will have one or more of them. Why wait for further funding rounds to jack up a startup's price?8 I'm not including domain-specific little languages. To them the company didn't exist before they invested in it. The results so far are messy, but encouraging. There is one case where the list of n things protects the writer from his own stupidity in much the same way it protects the reader. The important thing is to talk about that for a minute in the middle of the twentieth century.

The Common Lisp we used, CLisp, itself runs on top of Common Lisp. Falling victim to this trick could really hurt you. So the language probably must already be installed on the computer you're using. When someone buys shares in a company the founders could get nothing. A symbol type. I think, if one looked, that this would turn out to be a sticky problem that usually gets solved in some improvised way.9 Why do readers like the list of n things is in that respect the cheeseburger of essay forms. If you're a hacker and you're presenting to experienced investors, they're probably better at detecting bullshit than you are.

I did enjoy developing for the iPhone, you could make something better designed.10 But the investor is already being compensated for that risk in the low price of the stock, so it is unfair to delay.11 Don't read your slides. There's a scene in Being John Malkovich where the nerdy hero encounters a very attractive, sophisticated woman. Many evolve into real programs, with real features and real users.12 Those are the only things worth having. How much of a problem is already half its solution. One reason, obviously, is when what you have to create a more elegant alternative to Perl, but what we would now consider a very low-level, you reach a point where there is just too much to keep in your head is not to hunt for big ideas, but to spend it having fun, you know, that raises some interesting questions. And so they can try him out—and then a month later as employee #1. But it would be a natural step in this progression.13 Since speed doesn't matter in most of a program very quickly.

Notes

Tell the investors. Not all were necessarily supplied by the surface similarities.

Some of the companies that we don't use Oracle. More precisely, while everyone else and put our worker on a hard technical problem.

Decimus Eros Merula, paid 50,000 sestertii for his freedom Dessau, Inscriptiones 7812.

The other extreme—becoming demoralized when investors reject you. But do you use the wrong side of the leading scholars in the sense that there is some weakness in your startup.

Imagine the reaction might be? Strictly speaking it's not enough to do that, go ahead. For these companies unless your initial investors agreed in advance that you could out of customers is that present-day trash. Wave.

To talk to feel tired. If Congress passes the founder visa in a cupboard saying this is also the 11% most susceptible to charisma. It's sometimes argued that kids who went to get kids into better colleges, I can't safely omit any type I startups.

But I think it's publication that makes it easier to take a lesson from the Ordinatio of Duns Scotus: Philosophical Writings, Nelson, 1963, p. Some types of publishers would be worth it, whether you have a bogus political agenda or are feebly executed. Algorithms that use it are called naive Bayesian. Since the remaining 13%, 11 didn't have TV because they have that glazed over look.

They would probably only improve filtering rates early on.

And so this one is going to do more with less, then used a TV as a type of thing.

Good investors don't lead startups on; their reputations are too valuable. 5% of Apple now January 2016 would be a constant. They shut down a few months later. It's a lot of people, instead of blacklist.

Letter to the frightening lies told by older siblings.

The closest we got to Yahoo, we try to establish a silicon valley in Israel. In fact any 'x for engineers' classes sucked mightily. An influx of inexpensive but mediocre investors almost all do.

35 companies that got fixed. Indiana University Publications. At some point, when they were to work in research departments. At first I didn't.

[muddyorbsblr]

all the right answers

See the full 14 Days Collection here! See my full list of works here!

Summary: You have to ready yourself for a renewal test on one of your certifications and your best friend and roommate Tom wants to prove to you that you're ready with a little game.

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Word Count: 3.2k words

Warnings: 18+ | smut (minors & pearl clutchers i better not see you here *shakes fist*); fingering; oral sex (f receiving); implied p in v at the end; technical jargon involving the Java programming language [let me know if i missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: besties to lovers; and they were roommates

Why am I even doing this, it's not like I'm gonna use this certification ever again. I don't even code anymore, you thought derisively to yourself as you went over the review questions of the exam you hadn't thought about since you passed it over five years ago.

The groan that escaped you was hoarse, as if your throat was scratched up from going almost the entire day without any use and without any water. When you leaned back in your chair and stretched your arms above your head, you could swear you heard joints cracking and popping decades before they were even supposed to.

"Isn't this a pretty sight," a playful, unjustly beautiful voice floated into the room, followed by the jarring sensation of large hands grabbing hold of you by your ribs and proceeding to tickle you. Your eyes snapped open and your heart stuttered at the sight of Tom's face hovering so close to yours with a brilliant, devious grin on his face.

"Stoooop!" you pleaded as you broke out into giggles, trying and failing to twist your body out of his hold, your hands weakly pushing at his shoulders as your stomach began to ache from laughing so much.

It was only when your laughter became less audible and began to sound more like your voice was heaving through sandpaper that he let up and pulled you into a warm embrace, lifting you out of the chair and off your feet. "How goes your reviewing?"

You groaned again as you rested your head on his shoulder. "Remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"Don't ask me, love. I'm just as confused as you are. You really don't need to go through this…what is it again? A renewal exam?" You nodded your head from its position on his shoulder. "Our line of work doesn't seem to require that type of certification anyway," he chuckled, and you felt him press a quick kiss to the side of your head, your heart once again jumping in your chest.

"But it looks pretty on my resume under Miscellany," you explained in a playful tone. "Plus the test's still free and next week's the only free time I have to actually go there and take the renewal test. It's either the free test with 20 questions or taking the entire thing from the start. 75 questions, Tom. I don't have the brain power to mentally prepare for 75 questions!"

You froze as you realized that you were still off the ground, in his arms, your comparatively soft body pressed against his sculpted form. Too close. Even if he was your dearest friend, and you'd been living together for the better part of the year.

Actually, especially because he was your dearest friend and you'd been living together for the better part of the year. You two had a good thing going, and there was no sensible reason for you to fuck it up by letting it be known to him that you'd started to develop feelings.

"Erm…you should--probably put me down now." You let out a small squeak as he proceeded to walk further into your bedroom, briefly adjusting his hold on you to secure you in his arms. A few large strides later and he gently sat you down on the edge of your bed, lightly touching your chin before stepping away from you. You made a motion to follow him, make it back to your desk to keep studying, but he held a finger up at your direction, a playful stern look in his eyes as his gaze pinned you where you sat. "What're you up to, BumBum?"

"Firstly, you are never to hang around with Ben for that nickname alone. You're two halves of a whole menace."

"Only half?!" you pouted. "I gotta up my game then."

"And secondly, I'm going to prove to you that you're ready for your exam. I'll give you seven questions. Randomized from this list you've compiled." He waved around the paper you'd been scribbling in for the last three days.

"I know I'm not ready."

"Tell you what, love. You get every question right and I'll take you out to dinner tonight. That Italian place you love."

"Tom, no, that's the one where you get papped every time you even go there to pick up an order. We'll figure something else out. And besides, I'm not gonna get them all right." He rolled his eyes at you. "I'm not kidding, BumBum."

"Dinner. Like I said." He looked over your reviewer one more time, the look of concentration in his eyes as his lips moved in hurried motions, mouthing the words to himself, putting you in a haze. "First question. What's a ternary operator?"

This is a bad idea already I should've stopped him the second I remembered how sexy he made Math sound and now he's out here making me reconsider returning to Java from this alone. You tried to clear your head of any crude thoughts that always seemed to fill your mind whenever you were within the same breathing space as the man. "It's a condensed version of an if-then-else statement. Makes what could have been at least three lines of code into just one."

He nodded, putting the reviewer down and walking towards you, taking your hand and lifting it up to press his lips to your knuckles. "Very good."

"Uhh…what was that?" Your mind was reeling from that little kiss. He'd never done that before; at most he'd kissed your hair or your temples, never anywhere else.

"Making things more interesting," he answered, a tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "For every correct answer, I give you a reward."

You could feel arousal beginning to pool between your thighs at the implication behind his words. Surely he wasn't suggesting…? No. You were buds. That was all you were, and you'd resigned yourself to that knowledge long ago. In a desperate attempt to lighten up the atmosphere between you two, you commented, "I don't remember agreeing to a kiss as my reward, BumBum."

"Oh no, darling. Your reward comes at the end, if you answer all seven questions correctly. These rewards are for me." He chuckled as your eyes widened at his words, leaning in until his lips were mere inches away from your cheek. "Give me an example of a redundant import."

How is it even possible that the sexy instructor voice got even hotter? you thought as you began to ache even more for him. "Importing a c-class that belongs to the same p-package," you stammered.

He hummed an "mmhmm" before pressing his lips to your cheek in a soft kiss, feeling his hand wrap around the side of your waist as he did to pull you closer to him by the slightest. "Now give me the other one."

How your mind was still able to pull the answer from your stock knowledge was beyond you. "Importing java dot lang. All new classes by default have it as a silent import." You fought against the instinct to melt into his touch when you felt him press a kiss much closer to the corner of your mouth. "So that's three down--"

"No. Two." He pulled you closer against him as he brought his free hand up to lightly hold your chin and turn your head to face him. "I said every correct answer, not every question answered correctly. And at the moment I will cling to those semantics because I wanted an excuse to kiss you again."

He leaned in closer, his lips so close to yours you could feel the warm breath of his exhales on your skin. "Tom, what are you doing?"

"I believe the internet would call it 'ruining the friendship'." A sound got caught in your throat at his admission. "But personally I don't see this as ruining. Perhaps…augmenting. Making something already great…even better. If that's what you want, too." He touched his nose to yours. "If it is, then you answer this correctly. If not, then answer wrong, we stop this, and forget it happened."

Holy mother of fuck. This can't be happening. Is he actually telling me he feels the same?! "Next question, then," you murmured, fighting the urge to just skip everything and close the distance between you two.

"What is the term for freeing memory on the heap by deleting--"

"Garbage collection." His gaze met yours, the intensity in them increasing your ache for him as a devilish grin formed on his face. "Don't bother making me wait I know I'm right--"

Your words were silenced as he captured your lips in a searing kiss, his hand moving from your chin to cup the back of your head. You whimpered against him as his lips moved against yours, his hands moving so that they were on either side of your waist, maneuvering you so that you were straddling his lap. "Next question?"

"Fucking hell you wanna keep going after you just kissed me breathless?"

He only answered you with a chuckle as his hands began to roam your sides, moving his head to hover his lips close to your neck. "I'm still proving that you're ready, love." He lightly traced along the column of your neck with his nose as his hands worked their way down to the hem of your sundress. "Why do you need both the development kit and the runtime environment?"

The thoughts began to fog in your head as his hands slid under your dress and caressed the skin of your thighs, working their way to the waistband of your panties. You tried to form words, but it all came out in unintelligible whimpers.

"Come on, Y/N, answer the question because I really want to kiss you again."

"Just kiss me, then," you hissed. "Please, I want this, too. Kiss me whenever, wherever, and  however you want just please--"

The words left your mouth as he flipped you over to your back on the bed, your back landing against the mattress with a soft thud and a little squeak escaping your lips. "Tempting as that is, I really do want you to succeed in this exam of yours, so please don't make anything harder than it already is." He emphasized his point by rolling his hips into yours, the feel of his covered erection rubbing against your clothed and aching slit causing you to let out an obscene moan of his name. "Please. So that we could start working on our…something better."

You took a steadying breath and composed your answer. "So that you could see not only if the code compiles, but you can see how it runs as intended or if there would be any runtime errors that won't be caught if you just have the development kit."

"Good girl," he groaned, leaning down and bringing his lips to the point between your neck and shoulder, lightly sucking on the skin and letting out a sound that resembled a mix of a sigh and a hum, the vibrations against you making a beeline for your aching, throbbing clit.

He kept his lips on you as his hands began to hike up your dress up your thighs, bunching the fabric around your waist.

"I can't believe you memorized that entire reviewer," you blurted out, your mind still a haze with what had just transpired over the last few minutes, and yet also reeling with the possibilities of what else he had in store with his three remaining questions.

"I've memorized pages worth of Shakespearean dialogue, my love, this is nowhere near as difficult--"

"Your love?" you cut him off, the endearment making your heart pound in your chest.

He pulled away from you just enough to look at you, his steel blue eyes shining brilliantly with so much emotion you felt as if you were drowning in them. "Yes," he murmured. "I've loved you for quite some time. And these last few months have felt like the world was taunting me with what a life with you could be like if I could just stop being a coward and tell you how I felt. I didn't want to rush into it. I was willing to go as slow as you wanted for fear of scaring you off--"

"I love you, too." The smile that broke out on his face was so blindingly beautiful it tugged on your heartstrings. "I never told you because I thought there was no way in this world you'd feel the same so I friend zoned myself on your behalf. That way I'd never have to live through the pain of having you do it."

"We're fools," he huffed out, breaking into relieved chuckles.

"Guess you could say we're two halves of a whole idiot."

A devious grin overtook his features as he leaned down, his lips hovering over yours again. "Then we should finish this session of ours. So that we may make up for lost time." He surprised you by pressing a quick kiss to your lips. "Question Five?"

You nodded, your breathing growing heavy as his hands returned to the waistband of your panties, his lips ghosting over your skin as he made his descent downward, stopping at the side of your lower stomach, fingers hooking under your waistband. "Answer this one correctly and I'm going to take these off. Is that alright?"

"Yes!" you nearly shouted, desperate for this little game to be over so that you could get to that 'making up for lost time' that he mentioned. "Ask me already. I need you," you whined.

"What happens to the value of a literal when you put an underscore?"

You scrambled inside your brain for the answer. Fuck, you could have sworn you just looked at that page. "N-Nothing," you answered, a relieved smile across your face. "The underscores are just for the readability and for the benefit of other developers who would have to move within that code in the future."

"My beautiful little genius," he breathed against your skin, pressing his lips to the side of your hip as his hands made quick work of tugging your cheeky underwear down your legs, discarding it on the floor with a little flick of his wrist, all the while kissing and sucking at the spot by your hip it was sure to leave a mark. "This next one has four answers, my love."

Your eyes widened as he sank to the floor, placing the backs of your knees on his shoulders, lips hovering by the inside of your thigh. "So…four kisses?"

He lightly ran the tip of his nose along the soft skin, making you shudder at the sensual tenderness of it all. "Yes, darling. Now tell me…Where can you not place an underscore in your literals?"

You bit your lip as you anticipated his lips on your skin. "The beginning and the end of the literal…" A soft whimper escaped you as he placed a soft kiss on the lower half of your inner thigh, followed by another kiss on the opposite leg. Then he carefully moved your body further down on the edge of the bed, the backs of your thighs now resting on his broad shoulders. "Before and after a decimal point."

"Sweetheart," he groaned, pressing a kiss higher up on your inner thigh, so tantalizingly close to where you were desperate for him. "You're so gorgeously drenched for me." He placed the fourth kiss on the opposite thigh before facing your sex with eyes that you could only describe as ravenous, his pupils almost completely blown out and darkening his eyes with his now obvious intent. "I think you know where the next one will be."

The ability to form words had all but left your brain, the only coherent one left being a barely audible, "Fuck…"

"No, my darling. That's for after your reward." You hid your head in the crook of your elbow at the sound of his low chuckle, undoubtedly seeing how your core clenched around air at his words.  "Final question?" You shuddered as you felt his fingers trace along your folds and teasingly circle around your clit.

"Yes. F-fuck please just ask me I can't take any more."

"We need to work on your endurance then," he murmured, making you shudder and clench around nothing again. "But I can't wait anymore, either. So final question. How do you compare two strings against one another and why?"

You sighed in relief, hearing a question that you'd rehearsed time and time again since you graduated college. "Dot equals method. Because if you use double equals the way you compare literals it will compare the object's address within the heap, and not the value stored within the String object." The words escaped you as if by muscle memory.

"I told you you're ready, darling," were his last words before he once again pulled your body closer to him and your hips left the bed as his lips closed around the throbbing bundle of nerves above your entrance and two sinfully long fingers easily slipped inside your drenched heat.

The world began to blur into nothing as you drowned in the sensation of him licking and sucking at your clit, your words reducing to nothing but whimpers of his name and babbled pleas of more. When his fingers curled up and began to relentlessly stroke at that spot inside you that had you seeing stars in the back of your eyes, your hips begun to buck against his mouth. "Tom please," you squeaked, your desperation growing. "I'm--"

"Look at me, darling," he murmured against you, the sensation shooting straight up your spine and into the back of your head. "Look at me while you come."

Your eyes snapped open and met his ardent stare, every limb in your body growing weak at both seeing and feeling his smirk before he began to speed up his ministrations, winking at you before he let out a drawn out moan that pushed you off the edge.

He eased you from your climax in long, slow licks and strokes until your breathing evened out before pulling his mouth away and withdrawing his fingers from you. You braced yourself as you felt him slowly moving up your body. "Last question."

"Are you…fucking…kidding me?" you managed to say between pants, looking up into his near-blackened eyes.

"Indulge me, Y/N. Please?"

"Fine."

You let out a whimper as you began to feel the tip of his cock brush against your folds. "Will you be mine?"

All air left your lungs again as you looked at him, the unmistakable desperation reflected in his own eyes. You nodded your head, quickly feeling your arousal begin to build again as a devilish grin spread across his face, lips shining in the light from your release. "Yes," you breathed out, whimpering weakly how much you loved him as he inched inside of you.

A/N: Was this entirely self-indulgent because I myself am a Java developer with that exact certification and I wanted to use my knowledge for something other than my day job? For sure. Did I pull those review questions out of my own personal notes? Absolutely. Did I have a sinfully hot best friend who helped me review like YN did in this story? Hahahahahaha next question pls nobody touch me 🥲

Also this was the story that won the poll today, but I'm still waiting to see who's gonna win second place because that's what's gonna go up for Day 3 👀🫡

'everything' taglist: @lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @imalovernotahater @mygfloki @lucylaufeyson3 @thomase1 @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @laliceee @xorpsbane @gigglingtigger @silverfire475 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @vickie5446 @salempoe @lokixryss @sinsandguilt @lokidbadguy @alexakeyloveloki @glitterylokislut @cakesandtom @girl-of-multi-fandoms @mischief2sarawr @thedistractedagglomeration @five-miles-over @goblingirlsarah @huntress-artemiss @lilibet261 @holymultiplefandomsbatman @lovingchoices14 @devilsadvocactus @lokiprompts @sititran @ladyjames78 @kikster606 @evelyn-kingsley @kats72 @ronnieissupermegafoxyawesomehot @creationsbyme @coldnique @athalialaufeyson @simplyholl @tallseaweed @sarahscribbles @unlucky-number-13 @ozymdias @maple-seed @ladyofthestayingpower @wolfsmom1 @km-ffluv @psychospore @loopsisloops

[woniepop]

girly girls

Pairing: Kang Taehyun x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: bullying, cursing

Genre: slice of life; fluff; angst

Summary: Three times a popular girl and a nerd were enemies, and one time where they weren’t

a/n: this fic was inspired by my all time favorite movie, Legally Blonde. I enjoyed writing this fic and I really hope you enjoy reading it :)

Y/N L/N has never been someone who liked to be cast in the shadows. Always being the center of attention, y/n has become one of the, if not the most, popular girls in her town. Homegirl is always dressed like an icon even when doing mundane tasks. Girls like her have never really been into anything “nerdy.” She associates herself with more of the bimbo kind, if you will. It was never really a secret, but she studies incredibly hard to get the chance to go to her dream school and become a great computer scientist. Being in such a large friend group of female fashion icons, there was never really anyone who wanted to talk about topics with math or computer science. 

Kang Taehyun, however, is this awkward and incredibly smart boy. Never really associated with popularity, he’s only had about four friends in his life and absolutely no dating experience. He’d always been one to shy away from attention. At most times, he found himself quietly observing others. All this, and he’s still what you would consider the teacher’s pet. He gets all his assignments done, A’s on every test, and raises his hand for every question. As a computer science enthusiast, he has worked his butt off his entire life, filling his schedule with robotics clubs, different languages of code, and coding camps. Senior year was his year. He had finally got into his dream school, TXT Tech, and had already created a very very detailed plan for the future.

Currently, Y/n’s mother was constantly trying to persuade her about fashion school. Having an incredibly fashionable mom wasn’t always the best for situations like these. TXT Tech results were coming out, and even though Y/n was confident she was getting in, there’s still the chance she might have not. Nervously waiting in front of her laptop, she sits impatiently refreshing the page for her results. Within one sentence she hops up from her chair in awe. Obviously attending the school was going to be a big turning point for her, and she was so excited to have been admitted to TXT Tech. 

As Y/n got settled on campus, she finds no one else that looks like her. Obviously, because she stands out, all attention is drawn to her. She’s confident, stylish, and hot. In a sea of gray and tan business outfits, Y/n wears a nice pink pantsuit. She’s relishing in all the attention, not seeming to mind that it’s not good, because she knew she looked good. 

Her first encounter with Taehyun couldn’t have gone worse. Walking to her class, pink drink in hand, she struts confidently to the lecture hall for her computer engineering class. Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumps into a tall figure. This clearly wasn’t the best way you could go about your first day, but all Y/n could do was apologize. 

“I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see where I was going and-” she rambled. Pausing in the middle of looking up, a very handsome and slightly awkward boy stands there, obviously pissed off and very annoyed. He scoffs and continues on his way to his next class.

Her second encounter with Taehyun was not great either. Clicking her high heels against the floor, she walks to her first class of the day. She had to get there early, she always had to sit in the front of the class. Taehyun on the other hand, nose buried deep in his book, walks directly to the middle. Despite loving programming, he could only handle so much attention. The class had started off well for Y/n, reviewing the class syllabus of “Principles of Programming Languages.” Taehyun, however, was pissed. He had not been called on once and was so frustrated. 

“Y/n, can you tell me the five most commonly used languages of code?” the professor asks smugly. Y/n knew what he was doing. She was being set up. She knew he thought she didn’t know and that lit a fire in her. 

“Python, Java, Javascript, C#, and C” she answers confidently. Hearing this, the professor nods his head. He wasn’t expecting that. 

Taehyun saw this as a perfect opportunity. His hand shoots up and he comments, “Sir, that’s actually incorrect. C++ is actually more popular because although C  has served as the foundation for writing languages like Python and Ruby, C++ is a newer language of code and therefore is compatible with more technology.” Taehyun confidently looks down to wear Y/n sits and smirks. Of course she wouldn’t know that. She’s only the popular rich girl that got in with Daddy’s money. She didn’t actually know anything, right?

It had been a few months since school had started, and finals were just about to come around. For this class’ final, they had to submit a partner project and code a simple game. At this point, it had been very blatantly established that Y/n and Taehyun were enemies. They despised each other. Always competing with each other in class, snickering when the other person got annoyed. It was a silent war between the two of them and everyone could feel the tension in the air. Obviously, it was no surprise they always came up at the top of the class, interchanging the first spot every test. What was surprising, however, was seeing their names together on the partner project roster. 

Taehyun was furious. College was supposed to be his bitch, but now he’s acting like Y/n’s bitch. He was so pissed off. Computer science was supposed to be where he had the upper hand. The one place he could feel himself. Where he was finally better than the stupid popular kids. And yet, he’s here, competing with one of them. It wasn’t fair. She was a girly girl, she wore bright colors everyday, she even had a sparkly notebook. How was she so smart? There was no way, it’s just the laws of the universe. You had to choose between looks and intelligence. That’s just what the gods above said. There’s no take backsies. 

It’s no secret that Y/n is a fashionable girl and having a female centric hobby isn’t really something applauded at this university. Knowing of Y/n’s insecurities, let’s talk about Taehyun’s. Having always worn non adventurous, boring, clothing, he’s known from the very beginning that Y/n’s beauty has helped her in life. Life is never fair, and it shows. Taehyun never ever got those advantages, and now here he is competing with someone just as smart as him. 

 As his jealousy grows in the back of his mind, he decides to use this time to take revenge. The next few days are spent typing away in the library, collaborating and researching for hours upon hours. Knowing that this project was worth 40% of their grade, they spent all their time trying to make this game perfect. 

The day of the presentation of their near perfect game rolls around and Y/n was confident. She had spent countless nights coding this with Taehyun and on her own. Starting the presentation off, Taehyun pulls up a game completely different to the one Y/n coded with him. “In this day and age, gaming has become a hobby more popular than it’s ever been. With platforms like twitch and youtube, all different types of games can catch the eyes of a wide audience. With this in mind, I’d like to present to you Jackbox Party Pack 8. Roleplay games have become the genre of choice for many gamers to play, and viewers to watch.” 

This was not the first person shooter Y/n had coded with him. What was he doing? Y/n stood there, not really knowing what to say. Opening and closing her mouth, she couldn’t form any words. She should have known this was a set up. “Ms. L/n, please continue.” The professor says. She couldn’t. She felt like she was frozen. She was so embarrassed and she should’ve seen it coming. With cheeks welling up in her eyes, she runs out of the classroom. 

With a smirk, Taehyun continued on, explaining how the game worked and how he had coded it. He had spent the past few nights coding it by himself and he was incredibly proud. Paying no mind to Y/n, he stood tall and smiled throughout his entire presentation. Obviously, like any normal person, guilt started growing quickly in the back of his mind. He finally realized he had fucked up. 

Running after Y/n, Taehyun felt incredibly guilty. He had taken the competition too far, and now he’d made someone innocent fail a required class. After running for what felt like hours, he found Y/n crying under a tree. He knelt down and offered her some tissues. Aggravated, she smacks the tissues away and tells him to leave.

Y/n, on the other hand, felt so angry. How could he do this to her? She hadn’t done anything wrong, and if he didn’t like the way she dressed or the way she conducted herself that was fine. All she needed was her to believe in herself and that got her into TXT Tech. While thinking about all the ways she could end Taehyun, she feels arms wrap around her. They’re 🤮Taehyun’s. Before she can rip his arms off, he speaks up. 

“Look Y/n, I’m really sorry about that whole thing I pulled back there. I’ll talk to the professor and give him the real project. I really took it too far and I’ll do anything to make it up to you.” He begs. 

“Um,, no? I don’t care? That was literally so embarrassing. If you really wanted to make it up to me you’d leave me alone.” Y/n pushes him off her harshly and storms off. How dare he? It probably took his two seconds to come up with that half assed apology. This was unbelievable. 

Y/n started trudging through the grass back to her dorm. All she wanted to do was take a warm shower and cry in her bed. She hated everyone. She wanted him to suffer just as much as she did, but she couldn’t do that. 

After two whole days of sobbing in her bed, she decided she was craving her signature pink drink. She really didn’t feel like going out, but delivering one drink would cost like $15. Y/n throws on a casual pink outfit. It’s very different from what she wore at the beginning of the school year, but the one thing that never changed was the color pink. Even in her depressive mood, she still wanted to dress up. She felt most comfortable wearing stylish clothing, that was her home. 

Stepping into the store, she sees Taehyun sitting at a table alone. You know when you see old people sitting along and you feel so bad for them you start tearing up? Like what if they lost their spouse or something :(((((. So anyway, Taehyun gives her lonely old people energy and regardless of what he did to her, she decides to keep him company. 

“Hey, um, can i sit here?” Y/n asks. Taehyun was so surprised. She wanted to sit with him? But he was so mean to her? He nodded his head and sat quietly. The past two days she could tell Taehyun had done a lot of thinking. She could tell he did it because he felt threatened. That wasn’t enough to forgive him, but at least she was being nice about it. 

Taehyun gets up and leaves. He comes back with a pink drink in hand, maybe as an apology. “I really want to apologize to you again, Y/n. Yesterday I don’t know if you saw, but the professor graded the actual project instead, and I had told him everything and that I’d deserve it if he failed me instead.” Y/n wanted to be happy but she wasn’t. She didn’t want him to fail after helping her code the game with her. Maybe she was so nice to him because she had matured, or maybe because she felt something different in Taehyun. Even so, a little embarrassment, she thought, wasn’t enough to cause a person to fail their whole class. Holding his hand on the table, she nods, a silent way she decided to forgive him. 

“Well, at least we’re not the worst team. I think group 7 coded a Niki Minaj roblox world.” Taehyun jokes. 

She laughs. “That’s so funny, what the heck? I guess we just have some hardcore barbs in this class.” People like Taehyun and people like Y/n were never meant to be friends in the first place, but maybe now they were starting to. Y/n, who was always challenging the term “girly girl.” Who always stressed that you have to believe in yourself when the rest of the world is against you. Y/n who became successful, without changing who she was. Y/n, who was feminine and wanted to show that was never a weakness. And Taehyun, who was always unadventurous. Who was never into fashion but still managed to pull off his nerdy outfits with his cute face. The passionate Taehyun whose only hobby seemed like studying. Gossiping for hours at the cafe, they realized this. They were starting to become friends. No one ever expected them to even be able to hold a friendly conversation, but here Y/n was, challenging everyone again. 

[catwire]

to start, this school was in the most bumfuck nowhere town where people’s accents were thick and everywhere smelled like cow shit. seeing escaped farm animals run through main street was not uncommon. (i got chased by an escaped bull once but that’s a story for another day).

now to dump in a little bit of my own background, i knew c++, java, javascript, and html before my senior year of high school. and looking at this guy’s code i knew it wouldn’t work, and he told me to prove that i knew how to code because he didn’t believe me. so i ��built” a discord bot overnight with ripped code from my previous one i had made that year for a friend’s server for the hell of it. did a couple of copy pasting and bam, it was done. logged into my alt account and invited it to the discord server we had for the robotics class. it had very basic functions for a discord bot, but making it pull posts and images from reddit using their used-to-be-free api along with making it say I was the one who created it (in case there was any doubt) seemed to convince him i actually knew what i was talking about. he asked what we should do to fix the code. i said we should rewrite it in JS because it was a lot simpler and more straightforward when it came to the basics and we could easily teach the middle schoolers this language after the competition. he said he was too afraid to change it all now. i showed him examples of various physical robots using JS to work without the ugly mess that is C++ i found on github to prove it was possible. he said no, the principal wouldn’t allow it. he was right and the principal said absolutely not and we should stick to what we know, despite this guy not knowing how to even read a lick of code himself, let alone lead this team since he entrusted his 11 year old son to do it instead. so, albeit with immense hesitation and thoughts of quitting, we fixed the very broken C++. the only reason i didn’t/couldn’t quit and transfer to a new elective was because it was both too late in the year and my stepmom was staff at this school.

now, being this was a high school robotics team, the middle schoolers actually weren’t allowed to be there in competition. however, being that one of them was the principal’s son, this meant nothing. every design choice was led by this kid, and when any of the high schoolers would point out the obvious, we were told to “let them figure it out by themselves”. they never did. the adults here actually never thought to tell the younger kids about basic weight distribution. only the high schoolers really cared.

a few days pass and we get to finally see the doomed to fail robot in action, and for god knows why, every adult in the room is shocked when the weight of the oversized metal arm with a wooden base keeps toppling over. finally, after prolonged silence the principal's son says “what if we just put metal weights on the base of the robot”. my head is in my hands, all i can do is sit back and watch. but, at least it moved, or tried to against the heavy weight of a massive metal arm.

the weights make the track wheels have a hard time turning but after about 4 days of fumbling nonstop trying to get our metal and wood abomination to work against our better judgement, we finally were able to convince the principal that the robot would not be competition worthy if it could not move against its own weight. we removed a segment of the metal arm the next day much against the wishes of our 11 year old dictator. even the rest of the middle schoolers were on our side by the end of this.

2 weeks now remained until the state competition.

i was a high school mascot once do y’all wanna hear the story or should i keep that shame buried

[vampiregirl1797]

Desiderium

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 GIF not mine.

 Minor smut, 18+ only.

 Soulmates had always been somewhat of a fairytale when I was a little girl. I used to snuggle underneath my pale blue comforter that was decorated with daises—it had been something my father had made when my mother told him she was pregnant with me— being snuggled up underneath it when my mother used to narrate how she discovered my father was her soulmate always made the story that much more magical to me. Why? Because your soulmates first words to you would be imprinted onto your skin, almost like a tattoo, but apparently much more painful. Because the words weren’t just engrained onto your skin, but burned onto your soul.

 The first thing my father said to my mother was ‘What’cha doin’ down there darlin’?’ because she had been kneeling at the edge of the grass on her parent’s property, staring longingly at the field that stretched out somewhat endlessly towards the horizon. Daisies blossomed out across the field along with wildflowers. She longed to climb the fence that separated her from the only sight in her life that bought her some semblance of peace, and away from the societal expectations her mother and father were placing on her shoulders. Marrying well, having children, being the perfect wife. Her parents weren’t even soulmates. They had married for prestige and wealth over true love. My mother hadn’t wanted that, but alas they refused to listen. She sighed in response to his question and said, ‘watching the daisies sway with the breeze.’ After a beat, both of them were screaming in pain as the words appeared; my mothers on her chest over her heart, and my fathers along his inner arm, starting at his wrist and falling just short of his inner elbow. They had ran away the next day, and lived happily ever after.

At least that’s how my mother told it to the child version of me. I was absolutely fascinated by the concept of the universe creating someone who was completely perfect for you in every sense of the word. Perhaps my interest was aided by having parents who were soulmates, some of the kids in my classes at school didn’t, and therefore didn’t see what I saw. I couldn’t dispute that you didn’t have to be soulmates to love someone. But young me saw the way my mother and father looked at each other, how they shared a myriad of looks, ranging from soft, to sad, to angry. How they seemed to know what the other needed without a word needing to be said. How they seemed to only be completely content when they were touching in someway, whether it was holding hands or cuddling together. It was a kind of love I didn’t see anywhere else, and I hadn’t seen except in other soulmates throughout my life. Even before knowing a couple, you could tell by observing their behaviour, whether they were destined or not. Some were content to never meet their soulmate, while others longed desperately to find their other half.  

 But as I grew and lost my parents to a house fire at the age of eleven, my desire and hope started to fade. How could I long for love when I knew how much it hurt when you lost them? Growing up in the foster care system made it easy to keep people at arms length, including the families I was placed with. At least until I turned seventeen and Gerard, one of the foster parents in the new family I’d been paired with, had hit his wife. I hadn’t even thought, moving faster than I thought I ever could, I put myself between them. And when I’d held my hand up somewhat defensively, he’d gone flying into the wall behind him, the force enough to knock him out cold. I had stared at my hand in confusion and when Amy, the woman I’d been about to take a punch for had practically shoved my out of the door while screaming that ‘freaks weren’t allowed in this house’, a sense of dread ran through my veins.

 Freak.

 I was a freak.

 It was then that my desire for a soulmate dissipated completely, and over time my insecurities extended to everything. My body. My laugh. My intelligence. Everything. I grew to hate myself, and I knew that if I couldn’t love me, how could I expect someone else to love me? Even someone who was supposedly destined to be with me would see all of the flaws that I did. It was hopeless.

 What I didn’t know was that not only would my life change for the better in the following years, but also I would be introduced to my soulmate whether I wanted to be or not. Fate was funny that way.

 Five years later.

 ‘Good morning sunshine!’ Steve Rogers practically yelled at me as I shuffled into the kitchen.

 I simply groaned in response, my footsteps towards the coffee maker becoming more insistent when I caught a waft of the java goodness. I pulled out my own personal mug—it was absolutely ginormous and covered in cartoon Captain Americas wearing the old uniform Steve had worn before the ice. Tony had given it to me for a gag gift a few years ago at Christmas and I’d laughed harder than I had in a long time when I opened it. That had made Steve’s embarrassment cool somewhat, and I think that was why the mug hadn’t ended up ‘accidentally’ smashed afterwards. That being said, big, blonde and broody always, very dramatically, rolled his eyes when he saw it and it always made me chuckle and wink at him as I sipped my hot beautiful beverage.

 After I’d poured the mug as close to the rim as I dared, I added three sugars and practically inhaled half before finally taking a look around to see who else was up. The tower had become home to me when Tony had bought me here just after I’d turned eighteen. I’d been on the streets for almost a year at that point, and after I’d intercepted someone trying to fire a bomb at Iron man by using my magic, and redirecting it to the one who’d fired it, I’d been dubbed an unofficial avenger. The snarky genius had taken me under his wing, he hadn’t pushed me for anything, for company, for information, he hadn’t put pressure on me to use my powers for his team. He’d simply been there, even when I didn’t know I needed him. Eventually, I’d warmed up to him and started to trust him with stories of my parents, about what happened to them, about the foster families and eventually, how I’d ended up homeless. His eyes had darkened with rage at that story and he’d scooped me up into a hug and assured me that I wasn’t a freak, that I was special and that was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I’d basically collapsed into his arms after that, my tears cascading down my cheeks after being held back so long by the numbing dam that Tony had managed to shatter.

 It still took me a while to warm up to new people, and my insecurities were still there concerning soulmates, but I had a home and a family now. Which was more than I ever could have asked for after losing my parents all those years ago.

 ‘Morning kiddo!’ Tony grinned and gave a little wave from where he was, which was currently on Steve’s lap as the super soldier gently ran his fingers through my dad’s hair.

 That was another thing—I didn’t know when Tony had started to become dad to me, but he had. I hadn’t said it to him yet, mainly because I didn’t know how he would react, I didn’t want him to feel like I was forcing a responsibility onto him that he didn’t want or ask for. So I kept it to myself.

 ‘Morning,’ I smiled, my mood much brighter after I’d basically inhaled half of my cup.

 My eyes filtered over to the only other person who was up at this time and a huge grin split across my face when I realised whom it was. My cup was placed aside and I ran and basically launched myself onto the sofa where the giant god of thunder was sitting. He’d become an uncle to me over the years, and when he returned from Asgard it never failed to make me happy.

 ‘Thor! When did you get here?’ I yelled in excitement, my arms winding around his neck as I hugged him hard. It had to have been six months since I saw him last.

 ‘Not too long ago, little one.’ Thor chuckled, settling me onto his lap and affectionately running his hand through my hair.

 ‘I hope you’re staying longer this time.’ I gave him a look because the last time he’d dropped in, he’d only stayed for a few days.

 ‘I will be here for at least a week.’ He promised.

 Appeased by his words I dropped my head to his shoulder and closed my eyes and took a moment to inhale his scent of rain and power (which shouldn’t be a kind of smell, but if anyone was going to smell of power it was going to be a god), and sighed happily as it soothed the part of me that always acted up whenever someone I cared about was gone. It was like a thread around my heart that burned enough to be uncomfortable, but not painful. My mother and father’s thread always burned, but that was okay. It reminded me how lucky I had been to have them in my life; there were many who couldn’t say the same.

 Now that Thor and I were silent across from my Dad and Steve, I found myself smiling again when their conversation drifted over to us.

 ‘I told ya.’ Steve sounded smug.

 ‘Well if Thor hadn’t been here, I’m sure she would have come to us for morning snuggles like usual. She hadn’t seen him in like six months, it makes sense.’ Dad snarked back, and when I glanced over I could see him handing Steve a crumpled note.

 I chuckled, but otherwise didn’t comment, knowing their relationship was unique in the way only soulmates could be, and it worked for them. It was obvious how much they loved and adored one another, the same way my parents had. Thor’s hand moved gently up and down my spine and I was helpless to stop my eyes from fluttering shut, as I drifted into a content sleep.

 //

 ‘Shh you’ll wake her!’

 ‘It’s not fair! We’ve all missed good ole’ thunder too! We shouldn’t have to forgo cuddles just because she fell asleep on him!’

 ‘Don’t be such a child, you know how she gets when one of us are away.’

 The voice softened, ‘right. Sometimes I forget.’

 I stirred, blinking against the light that was filtering in through the floor to ceiling windows that outlined the living room. I was a little disorientated, but I settled when I remembered I was with Thor, a glance over to the loveseat told me that my dad and Steve must have left at some point. And when I focused I realised Clint and Tasha were the ones arguing not too quietly in the kitchen. With a fond shake of my head I carefully manoeuvred myself off the god’s lap and used my powers to lay him down so he would be more comfortable. If he’d only landed this morning then he would need a lot more sleep. After placing a blanket over him and making sure his head was supported with a pillow, I kissed his forehead and walked up to the deadly red head and sassy Hawkeye.

 ‘Is it still morning?’ I asked sheepishly.

 ‘Yes, honey. It’s about ten thirty.’ Tasha smiled warmly, like she always did when she greeted me.

 I nodded through a yawn and kissed her cheek and Clint’s before asking, ‘where’s Tony?’

 ‘Down in the lab. Steve went out for a run with Sam so he thought he’d tinker on the birthday present he got for him.’ Tasha grinned, her eyes sparkling knowingly.

 ‘Okay.’ I frowned, knowing that probably meant it was something sexual which I absolutely did not need to know about.

 After I refilled my coffee mug with some fresh warm java, I left the two spies with a parting kiss to the cheek and a promise to Tasha to meet her in the gym for some sparring at noon.

 ‘JARVIS can you let Tony know I’m coming down to the lab please? Tasha’s look upstairs tells me that I don’t wanna know what he’s doing down there for Steve, so I’d like for him to have some time to put away what ever he’s making for sexy times with his husband.’ I practically shuddered at the thought. Just thinking of your parents ever having sense was just… wrong.

 ‘Of course Y/N.’

 ‘Thank you, JARVIS.’ I smiled, knowing the Al couldn’t see me but I had a soft spot for the computer nonetheless.

 By the time I’d made it downstairs, Dad was hunched over and tinkering with something that just looked like a bunch of metal to me, so I felt safe going in and taking the empty stool next to him.

 ‘Morning.’ I mumbled kissing his cheek and wrapping my arm around his waist, ‘whatcha working on?’

 He kissed my cheek and dropped what he’d been working on, before twisting his stool so he could wrap both arms around me. I smiled a little and placed my mug down before reciprocating the gesture.

 ‘Nothing really, Sherbet.’ He replied softly, the nickname one I’d acquired after an embarrassing incident on the first Halloween I’d spent at the tower. I frowned when dad sighed deeply, something he only did when he was really upset about something. Usually it happened when Steve and he had fought. But things had seemed fine earlier, and I know Tasha would have mentioned an argument to me.

 ‘What’s wrong?’

 ‘Steve’s gotta leave for a little while.’ He sighed again but pulled back and started tinkering with whatever the hell he was making.

 ‘On a mission?’

 ‘No. You know how we’ve been working on bringing his friend Bucky home after Steve saw him a few months ago?’ I nodded and he continued, ‘well the software I created has picked him up in Russia, so Stevie is gonna go and get him and bring him home.’

 ‘You’re allowed not to be okay with that, you know.’ I took one of his hands in mine and squeezed it comfortingly, ‘I mean, I know you understand that he’s been reconditioned and controlled for so long and he had no idea what he was doing, or no choice in the things he did, but that doesn’t mean you have to be okay with him just coming to live here considering everything.’

 ‘I know I don’t have to be, but I am.’ He smiled, his eyes softening at my concern for him, ‘I’m a little upset over knowing that he killed my mom and dad, instead of believing they died in a car crash like I’d originally believed for so long. But like you said, he didn’t know what he was doing and I can’t hold that against him.’ He shook his head vehemently at the thought.

 ‘Then why do you seem so sad?’ I frowned, confused.

 ‘Because Stevie is gonna be gone for at least a week. That’s if things go well. It could be longer. Much longer.’ He sighed again, his brown eyes dimming, ‘I hate to be away from him while he runs, but being away for that long. It hurts.’

 ‘It does?’ I asked tentatively. My mom and dad never had to separate for such a long time, so I didn’t know anything about the parting being painful.

 He nodded and squeezed my hand in assurance, ‘it’s hard to explain, but it kind of feels like he takes a part of me with him, and the part of me that’s tethered to him is just reaching out to try and pull him back.’

 ‘That’s awful. I’m sorry.’ I murmured, my heart squeezing at the thought of someone I loved being in pain.

 ‘It’s okay, Sherbet. It’s all worth it, trust me.’ He winked, and just like that we fell into a comfortable silence.

 I sipped on my coffee and watched him work; still having no idea what he was trying to build. Occasionally one of us would pipe up with a question and a comment and we’d chat for a little while before falling into the quiet again. At around eleven I ventured upstairs and after showering and getting dressed for a workout, I went to the kitchen and made my dad a ham and mustard sandwich. I also grabbed a bag of lightly salted chips and a bottle of water. After dropping them off at the lab with strict orders for him to eat and drink something that wasn’t coffee, I left for my workout with Tasha. On my way I couldn’t help but wonder about something I hadn’t let myself properly wonder about for years. I briefly let myself think about what I would like to be loved the way that my dad and Steve loved each other. The way that Tasha and Clint, Thor and Bruce and Pepper and Sam loved each other. For a moment I remembered why I’d been overcome with the romantic idea of finding the perfect person, but that came to a screeching halt when I caught my reflection in the mirrors that lined the back of the gym. I wasn’t beautiful. I wasn’t funny. I wasn’t interesting. I was disgusting. I didn’t deserve a soulmate.

 With that reminder, I cleared my throat and met Tasha in the ring with a forced smile, ready to focus on something that didn’t make my heart drop to my stomach.

 //

 It took Steve three weeks to come home. One week was spent tracking the other super soldier down, and the other two was spent in Asgard with Thor after the god assured Steve that the healers on his planet could remove the conditioning put in place by Hydra and remove the Winter Soldier completely. At least, remove the existence of the other personality that had been forced into his brain. The memories however would remain, and I only hoped that the memories of who he was before helped remind him of who he was, and not who he was forced to be. I couldn’t imagine what he would be going through, and my heart squeezed in sympathy for Steve’s best friend.

 The whole time Steve was gone was spent sparring, practicing my powers, and looking after my dad. Whether that was making sure he ate three meals a day, or forcing him to go to bed and refusing to let him stay in the lab between the hours of 11pm and 7am to assure he wouldn’t come back (JARVIS helped with that), I looked out for him. Because it was obvious how lost he was without Steve, we were all missing the Captain but of course, no one missed him like my dad.

 He finally returned at 12:30am exactly three weeks and one day after he left. I had been asleep on the couch at the time, and the sound of the elevator sliding open had stirred me awake. Once I’d registered who it was I took off in a full sprint and launched myself at him. He caught me with a laugh and just hugged me tight, knowing I needed a moment to absorb that he was back. I inhaled and the scent of soap and roses made me relax contentedly.

 ‘I missed you.’ I mumbled pulling back enough to kiss his cheek before resting my head back onto his shoulder.

 ‘I know, kiddo.’ He stroked my hair and I felt myself dozing again, helpless at resisting sleep when I felt so safe.

 //

 I managed to sleep until 6am. I’ll be honest I could have cried when I rolled over and saw the red numbers mocking me, but I knew that now I’d opened my eyes I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. With a resigned sigh I rolled out of bed and after I pulled on my unicorn slippers and grey fluffy robe, I made my way to the kitchen. The smell of coffee bought a smile to my face as I immediately headed for my mug to pour myself a cup of the stimulant to get my brain working.

 Usually at this time, I could count on Sam, Steve and Tony to be up. The former two usually returning from their run, and the latter usually rolled out of bed in time to greet his husband. But I wasn’t surprised to be greeted by an empty living room. Dad and Steve would take the time to catch up, and Sam probably wouldn’t have gone for a run without the super soldier there to wake him up. With no one to cuddle, I finished my cup of coffee with a sigh and decided to go for a run. It was better than sitting around and doing nothing. I wondered if Sam would appreciate me waking him up to go with me…

 //

 ‘If this is your way of apologising for waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn, then I forgive you.’ Sam murmured around a mouthful of pancakes.

 ‘Oh thank Thor, I never would’ve survived without your forgiveness.’ I teased from the stove—I’d already eaten mine, and we were nearing 8am now, which meant the rest of the team would be waking up soon, so I was making enough to feed everyone.

 ‘Morning Cap.’ My head snapped up to see Steve walking into the kitchen, dad shuffling a few feet behind him. I smiled when I saw that they were holding hands, and with Tony rubbing at his sleepy eyes, it was easy to deduce that it was only the super soldier’s guidance that was leading him forward.

 ‘Morning!’ I said cheerfully, placing the frying pan I’d now finished using into the sink and leaping into his arms. His free hand came to my back to hold me in place and I smiled wider when I noticed he hadn’t let dad go to hold me.

 ‘Morning Pumpkin.’ Steve chuckled and kissed my hair, ‘I see you dragged Sam out for a run.’

 I glanced over my shoulder to see Sam falling asleep on the table, his head resting on his now empty plate.

 ‘I did. Woke up early and I didn’t wanna go alone.’ I explained, shaking my head fondly at the Falcon before turning back to the super soldier, ‘I’m glad you’re home.’

 ‘Me too, kiddo.’ Steve kissed my forehead and placed me gently on the floor, where I then moved to hug my dad.

 ‘Where’s your friend? I don’t remember seeing him last night.’ I commented as I plated up enough food to feed them both.

 ‘He’s still sleeping. He’s been slipping a lot since they removed the conditioning.’ The blonde explained, pulling out a chair and placing Tony onto his lap.

 ‘That’s not surprising, it must have taken a huge emotional toll on him.’ I said, placing two plates in front of them both and then coming back with a mug of coffee for dad and some orange juice for pop.

 ‘Thanks honey.’ Dad and Pop said together.

 ‘You’re welcome.’ I smiled, sipping from my fresh cuppa Joe.

 It was much later that Steve’s friend made an appearance. At around noon as Bruce and I were dishing up our infamous homemade pasta dish to feed the whole team, he made his way into the living area, looking sleepy and uncertain. No one aside from me seemed to notice him lurking at the door, looking in at everyone settled at various points throughout the room: Steve and Tony were cuddled up on the love seat, Thor was chatting with Sam on the sofa, Tasha was sat on Clint’s lap at the dining table as they spoke in sign language and Bruce and I were putting the last touches on the meal without having to verbally communicate because we’d done it so many times. It hurt my heart to see him so lost and uncertain so when Bruce moved to place the two huge pots of pasta in the centre of the dining room table, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and slowly approached the soldier. As I approached, his attention snapped to me and the emotion in his stunningly blue eyes made me want to hug him and assure him that everything was going to be okay. I didn’t of course, as I didn’t know how he would react. Instead I handed him the beverage I was holding and placed my hand on his arm, ignoring his astonishment when I didn’t cringe away at the feeling of metal, and led him encouragingly to the seat next to Steve, knowing that was where he would be most comfortable.

 By then, the rest of the team was sat around the table, Thor sitting next to Bruce, the god placing a kiss to his love’s cheek as a thanks for the meal and smiling softly when the scientist blushed. Tasha had shuffled into her own seat, but she and Clint were still holding hands and had their chairs close enough together that their legs were pressed together. Sam was sitting on the other side of Thor, trying not to glance at the elevator too often as he waited for the appearance of Pepper, the strawberry blonde would take the empty seat next to him when she arrived, which was also on the other side of Steve’s friend. I sat in my usual seat after I’d bought the garlic bread over, which was on the other side of my dad. Once everyone was seated—Pepper arrived after five minutes and settled in after kissing the Falcon in greeting—we all dug into the food.

 Conversation flowed easily, as it always did, though I preferred to sit, listen and observe. I did chime in occasionally, but more often than not, I remained silent. Though, I wasn’t the only one—I didn’t hear Pop’s friend speak a single word throughout the meal, although he did eat three bowls of pasta, half a stick of garlic bread and he drank the bottle of water I gave him as well as the other two Pop had replaced for him. There was nothing wrong with being quiet, but I had a feeling that he wasn’t aware of the conversation happening around him at all. His eyes seemed unfocused as if he were somewhere else, and I found myself overcome with the desire to bring him out of it, to offer him something else to focus on, but I held back. I knew better than anyone that sometimes you just needed to work through things on your own, and being pushed only made you close up more. It had taken me years to open up enough to care about anyone again and to let anyone care about me. So I refused to rush his process, besides I didn’t know him, the one better suited for looking out for the mysterious soldier was Pop’s—he knew him best.

 //

 After about six months Steve’s friend seemed to settle into the tower, at least to a point. He ran with Steve and Sam in the mornings, ate breakfast with the team, worked out with Thor or Pop’s, hung out in the lab with Tony and Bruce, and he ate dinner with us every night too. He seemed to be developing friendships with everyone in the team, but he was of course most comfortable with Pop and Dad. I knew for a fact that Dad telling him that he didn’t blame him for killing his parents was a huge relief for the soldier. Pop had told me he’d fell to his knees in relief and Dad had fallen right with him, hugging him close until he was ready to get up. That had been a turning point in their relationship, and now more often than not if the super soldier was anywhere, he’d be with either of my parents.

 It was a relief to see him smiling, well it wasn’t so much of a smile, more of an upturn of his lips, but it was nice to see that paired with his brilliant blue eyes sparkling with mirth instead of the uncertainty that had shone in them when he’d joined us all those months ago. He teased Pop’s constantly, and developed a kindred banter with Sam that both insisted was an arch nemesis relationship, but we all knew the truth. He always had a smile for everyone and those he wasn’t comfortable with, he was polite.

 The only member of the team that he didn’t seem to get close to was me. I couldn’t really place all the blame on him—I avoided him as much as he seemed to avoid me. It was ridiculous really, but every time he was near me I just couldn’t concentrate on anything. My mind went blank and my heart rate picked up, so to avoid what would most likely be beyond embarrassing interactions that I would never hear the end of from the team, I evaded him. I was sure he wasn’t eluding me for the same reasons, but I hadn’t really given it much thought. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone had even noticed that we’d never even spoken a word to each other in the past six months, and that was perfectly fine with me. Why you ask? Because if he spoke directly to me in that deep, Brooklyn accented voice, I might just die of a cardiac arrest. So this was the way it had to be for now, I was sure my apparent crush would go away at some point, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

 ‘Happy Christmas Eve!’ I grinned as I walked into the common area, yelling the greeting to everyone where they were settled in to watch a film in the living room.

 ‘Happy Christmas Eve!’ Dad responded with as much enthusiasm, Pop shaking his head fondly at his husband.

 ‘Come on Pumpkin, we’re just about to start watching a movie.’ Pop’s said and I made my way to slide underneath Pop’s right arm while Dad was curled up to his left.

 ‘I love this movie.’ I mumbled as the opening scenes of Home Alone 2 started playing on the T.V.

 ‘We know you do, ya filthy animal.’ Clint teased, though everyone erupted into laughter when a cushion hit him in the face with an oomph with a wave of my hand.

 I laughed with everyone else, but I couldn’t help my gaze from lingering on the other super soldier sat on one of the armchairs to the left of me. His eyes were sparkling in amusement and the tension that had been present when he’d first arrived at the tower was nowhere to be seen. His hair was pulled back in a bun, which helped to show off his face, and the grey Henley he was wearing stretched wonderfully across his arms and his abdomen. He was gorgeous of course, but he also looked calm and relaxed and it was beautiful. I forced myself to look away before he or anyone caught me staring and focused on the movie.

 I sunk further in to Pop’s side, the warmth that surrounded me making me sleepy and content. I remember reaching out for Dad’s hand as Kevin McAllister arrived at Duncan’s Toy Chest, and then I fell into the darkness.

 //

 I awoke to voices around me, and it took me a moment to recognise who was speaking and what was going on. The first thing I registered was that I was being lifted and held by someone who was very warm. I couldn’t help the happy hum that fell from my lips as I snuggled closer and mumbled something unintelligible. I felt whoever was holding me chuckle lightly and a small smile settled on my face at the sound. I felt myself falling back into the darkness but before I could surrender completely, the talking started again.

 ‘Careful you don’t drop her.’ That was Pop’s voice, which was confusing because if he wasn’t the one holding me, who was?

 ‘Watch it, punk, I’m easily twice as strong as you, and I would never drop her.’ He replied softly, but the soft rumble underneath my ear assured me that he was the one holding me, as did the coolness emanating from his metallic arm.

 If I had been more conscious I probably would have frozen and fully woken up at that moment. But for whatever reason, I settled further into him and further into sleep. I dreamt about the ocean, rolling in and crashing against the sand. The moonlight reflected on the waves and lit up the whole area enough that I could see someone standing close enough to the tide that the water brushed over his toes. I walked towards him, apparently my subconscious recognised him, and just as I reached out my hand to entwine with his—he faded away into the night air.

 When I woke up the next day, I didn’t remember the dream, but I did feel the ache in my heart as if something was slipping away from me.

 //

 My eyes snapped open at six am on the dot on Christmas Day, and after asking JARVIS who was awake in the tower, I practically sprinted from the bedroom to Tony and Steve’s room. I had a cardboard box about the size of an A4 piece of paper tucked under my arm—it was wrapped of course—and it was my present for the two men who I’d come to think of as my parental figures. I was a little nervous about giving it to them, so I thought it best to do it now, before anyone else was around. After a quick knock on their door and pausing for five seconds to give them time to move from any compromising positions, I entered the room.

 ��MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!’ I screeched and launched myself at the foot of the bed, careful not to ruin the present I’d bought.

 ‘Merry Christmas Pumpkin,’ Pop’s said with a smile and a ruffle of my hair.

 I swatted him away but gave them both a hug, before settling in between them, but facing them rather than being in the middle against the headboard like they were sitting. I crossed my legs and bit my lip nervously. This present… it was big.

 ‘What’s wrong honey?’ Dad’s voice was gentle and he shuffled forward enough to squeeze my hand comfortingly.

 ‘I have a present for you both. Well I have more for you under the tree, but this one is for the both of you and I wanted to give it to you in private because it’s well… it’s serious.’ I explained, barely remembering to breathe as I rushed to get my words out, ‘I want you to know that you can say no, I put this together because I want you both to know how much you mean to me.’

 Pop’s and Dad looked a mixture of confused and soft as the super soldier took the present from me, tearing away the paper for my dad to gently remove the lid. I held my breath when I saw them stare at the top paper in shock and I had to force myself not to start rambling an explanation and an assurance that they didn’t have to sign them. But the rational side of me told me that this was a lot to process and silence didn’t have to be a bad thing.

 ‘Is this real?’ Pop’s asked, his eyes were glassed over with tears and I felt my own reciprocate as I replied, ‘yes. It’s real. I had Pepper help me draw them up.’

 ‘Honey,’ Dad’s voice was clogged with emotion and I had to hold back a sob at the love I could see shining in both pairs of eyes.

 ‘I understand if you don’t want to. It’s a lot of responsibility, I know, but I’ve come to see you both as my dad’s and how much I love you won’t change if you decide you don’t want to sign.’ I picked at an imaginary piece of lint on the comforter, too scared to meet their eyes.

 ‘Pumpkin, we would be honoured to officially adopt you.’ Pop’s assured me, scooping me up and placing me in between them so they could both hug me.

 ‘Of course we would.’ Dad agreed, kissing my temple.

 ‘I love you both so much.’ I murmured quietly, tears streaming down my face as my body fought for an outlet for all of the emotions that were running through me, ‘I don’t say it enough, but I do.’

 ‘We love you too, honey.’ Dad and Pop’s squeezed me tighter and for a long time we just stayed there, in a cocoon of love as we all cried tears of happiness and gratitude for being blessed with this moment, and this relationship of fathers and daughter.

 //

 Everyone else woke up at around ten, all sluggishly making their way to the kitchen where Pops and I were preparing breakfast while Dad sat on the counter, occasionally tasting some bacon or pancake batter and stealing kisses from his husband.

 ‘Merry Christmas beautiful people.’ I grinned, saluting them with my glass of orange juice and champagne.

 ‘Ugh oh.’ Clint said deadpan, ‘how many of those has she had?’

 ‘Only two,’ I pouted, not knowing that Pops was holding up five fingers behind me.

 Everyone chuckled but took their seats at the dining table anyway. I plopped myself rather ungracefully on Bruce’s lap after Dad and Pops waved me away when I offered to bring in the food. Bruce just chuckled and placed a hand on my waist to avoid me falling, and Thor lifted my feet and placed them on his lap.

 ‘Do you know, I really think that you’re adorable, you know like cuddly?’ I said, taking a sip and not noticing everyone else watching with expressions of amusement and fondness, ‘but also I think that the Hulk is pretty too.’

 ‘What?’ Bruce squeaked and I let out a rather un-ladylike whelp when he nearly dropped me in his surprise, but thankfully he caught me in time.

 ‘It’s true! I haven’t told you before because I didn’t wanna make you upset or uncomfortable but I think the Hulk is pretty.’ I said, taking another sip of my drink, I lowered my voice to a whisper that everyone could still definitely hear, ‘I think it’s because he’s green and that reminds me of nature, which is also really pretty.’

 A round of chuckles erupted around the table but it was the smell of bacon that caught my interest. I placed my drink onto the table and grabbed a couple of rashers and munched on them happily. I offered some to the still shocked Bruce, but he shook his head politely.

 ‘I can’t believe she’s this drunk on five glasses. They’re only tiny flutes and mostly orange juice!’ The hunky super soldier exclaimed to no one in particular, his eyes sparkling in amusement. I hid my blush behind a handful of strawberries. Damn super soldier looking like an Adonis god and making my heart beat out of my chest.

 ‘What did you just say, honey?’ Dad’s eyes were sparkling wickedly and I frowned in confusion as I tried to remember what I said last.

 ‘Hulk is pretty?’ I offered.

 ‘No, no.’ he waved his hand, looking over to Sexy Bun next to Pops, ‘after that.’

 ‘Dad, I didn’t say anything after that.’ I chuckled taking another sip of my drink, ‘and I thought Pops was supposed to be the one with bad hearing.’

 The table went silent in that moment, but I dipped my strawberry into my cream and munched with a satisfied hum.

 ‘What did she just—?’ Tasha started but cut off at the sudden emotion that clogged her throat at the look on Steve and Tony’s faces. They both looked absolutely… honoured and grateful. There was no other way to describe it.

 ‘I’m confused… you have a daughter?’ Sexy Bun was looking at Steve in confusion.

 I grinned big and happily exclaimed, ‘that’s me!’

 ‘Yes it is, honey.’ Dad chuckled fondly, and with all the grace in the world, I managed to lift myself up and over the table to plop myself in pops’ lap. I giggled at the feeling of flying as Dad lifted my feet onto his lap, both of them smiling at me fondly.

 ‘That’s our daughter.’ Pops kissed my forehead.

 ‘The lightweight.’ Dad agreed and laughed at my pout.

 ‘I’m not a lightweight.’ I mumbled around a bite of pancake.

 ‘Of course you aren’t little one.’ Thor’s voice rumbled in amusement and affection, while everyone else murmured their agreement.

 //

 Later on that night after all the presents had been opened and the left overs from Christmas dinner had been consumed, we all settled into the common room, each of us doing different things. Dad was showing Pops how to use the new phone I’d gifted him; the super soldier was completely overwhelmed and the billionaire was shifting between teasing his husband and patiently explaining each function to him. Bruce was sitting on Thor’s lap, his head on the demi-god’s shoulder as he snored softly. The God of thunder was quietly talking to Pepper, the red head in a similar predicament as Sam’s head was on her lap, him having been asleep for as long as the scientist. Both Thor and Pepper alternated between their conversation and looking down at their significant others in complete adoration. Clint and Tasha had retired about five minutes prior, the archer practically carrying the assassin to their bedroom after the redhead mentioned another present she wanted to give him in private. I was sat on the loveseat with Bucky, both of us just quietly observing everyone. I couldn’t tell you how we’d ended up on the same seat, sat so close that our upper thighs were pressed solidly against each other’s, but here we were. It should have been awkward, seeing as I’d never even spoke to the man, but it wasn’t. For the first time his presence wasn’t making my heart rate erratic, my palms weren’t sweating and I wasn’t struggling for words. I was completely calm, but it was a different level of calmness that I’d never felt around anyone else before, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I didn’t want to.

 ‘This has to be my favourite day of the year, every year.’ I mused, looking up at Bucky so he would know I was talking to him.

 I saw the surprise in his eyes when they met mine, and my heart skipped a beat at meeting his stare.

 He cleared his throat before he replied, somewhat shyly, ‘after everything that happened when I fell, I never believed I’d have the opportunity to be surrounded by family again, especially at Christmas. So I know exactly what you mean, the time of year amplifies the love.’

 We shared a soft smile and I was just about to ask him a question about his Christmas’ before the war when my chest felt like it was burning. A whimper of pain fell from my lips, and without even thinking about it I lifted up my pyjama top and stared at the words that were now inked to the left of my chest in shock, disbelief and… relief. I jolted in surprise when Bucky’s metal hand caressed the words with such tenderness that I felt my eyes sheen over with tears as I looked up to him. He was staring at my soulmate mark with such gratitude, adoration and shock that I couldn’t help but mirror when I caught my mark on the forearm of his flesh. My fingers reached out without my permission and traced the letters, revelling in the spark that shot up my arm, in the warmth of his skin and the way the letters were bumpy against his flesh.

 My eyes met his again when he gently lowered my top and took my hands in his. I held on tightly, overwhelmed with what had happened. I never thought I’d meet my soulmate, and even after I’d convinced myself that I didn’t deserve someone, a small part of me had always hoped. Hoped that I’d find someone who would love me the same way my mother loved my father. The same way my dads loved each other. I just never believed it would happen, and I hadn’t let myself indulge in the idea since my parents had passed when I was a child. But now, I couldn’t deny it. I couldn’t deny the affection, adoration and love that I felt for the man in front of me. I couldn’t deny the intensity; I couldn’t deny the desire to solidify our bond, to make our hearts one for always.

 ‘I lost hope that I would find you years ago.’ Bucky admitted in a whisper, his metal hand wiping away the tears that fell down my cheeks.

 ‘Me too.’ I told him, mirroring his volume. By some miracle, no one had taken notice of our conversation and I wasn’t about to be the reason that our bubble got burst.

 ‘I knew it was you.’ His fingers ran through my hair and he smiled as my eyes fluttered at his touch.

 ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

 ‘Because you seemed wary of me, I didn’t want to push it and make you more skittish around me, especially if I was wrong.’ He explained, his hands returning to holding mine.

 ‘I wasn’t afraid of you, if that’s what you were thinking. I wanted to talk to you, it’s just every time I tried, I couldn’t get any words out and eventually I stopped trying because I didn’t want you to think I was a stuttering idiot incapable of speaking to you.’ I blushed but felt my eyes soften at the sound of his chuckle and the mirth in his beautiful eyes.

 ‘Oh, doll, I would never think that,’ he promised, his eyes trailing over my face and darkening when they reached my lips. They started to tingle under the attention and it took every ounce of will I held not to lean forward right there. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I had a feeling if we started, we wouldn’t stop until the bond was solidified and I didn’t want to do that in the presence of my family.

 ‘We should…’ I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence, but it didn’t matter he knew what I meant anyway.

 ‘Yes we should, sugar.’ He winked, the dilation of his pupils made my knees weak, ‘I’ll go first and you follow in a few minutes.’ He squeezed my hand and after a wave and shout of ‘goodnight’ to the room, he was gone.

 It felt like time was mocking me and purposefully ticking by as slow as possible as I waited for the clock to show that five minutes had passed, once it had, I had to physically force myself not to leap eagerly out of my chair and casually shuffle over to my dads and give them each a kiss on the cheek. After that I waved to everyone else and practically sprinted when I’d turned the corner out of sight. When I’d reached the corridor that our bedrooms were on, I had a millisecond to wonder where he would be when his bedroom door opened and he gently but firmly snatched my wrist and pulled me inside before closing and locking the door with a click. I couldn’t tell you who moved first, but I can tell you that as soon as our lips met, I felt… complete. Our lips moved together effortlessly, as if we’d kissed a million times before and the sparks that seemed to echo throughout my body at his touch made me moan. He lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist out of instinct and I felt myself shudder when his metal arm slipped under my top and caressed the warmth of my back. My own hands moved to his hair, grateful that he’d removed the hair tie as my fingers moved through the silky strands without interference. I both felt and heard him groan when I gently scratched my nails over his scalp.

 He gently lowered me onto the bed, his body resting perfectly against mine as his hands worked to remove my top, his lips following and kissing each inch of skin as it was revealed. He lingered on my soulmate mark for a moment longer, placing an especially tender kiss to the marked skin before removing my top completely.

 ‘You are so beautiful, and all mine.’ He growled and my thighs clenched around his waist in response.

 He smirked in satisfaction at my reaction but I paid it no mind as I reached forward and practically clawed at his Henley, desperate for the feel of his skin against mine. Once all of our clothes were removed and we were moving together, I knew right then and there that I had been wrong about me not deserving a soulmate. Bucky showed me how ignorant I was without having to use words. It was in how he touched me; gentle and deliberate. It was in how he looked at me as if I were the most important person in the world to him. It was in the way our bodies, our souls recognised each other and eradicated any feeling that wasn’t contentedness. I had been wrong about not deserving a soulmate, another half, a best friend, because I knew despite the minimal time we’d spent together and the minimal knowledge we had of one another, I had all of that and more in Bucky.

 As our bodies reached a climax together in a myriad of fireworks, I couldn’t help but think; I’d never been happier to be wrong.

 //

 ‘Good morning, doll.’ Bucky’s husky voice bought me out of my slumber gently, but I couldn’t help but snuggle closer to him and his warmth, desperately trying to chase the sleep I’d been pulled out of.

 ‘Morning.’ I mumbled against his chest, relaxing even further into him as his meal fingers began drawing shapes into the bottom of my back.

 ‘We should get up soon.’ He said, kissing my hair.

 ‘Why?’ I wondered, moving so I was directly on top of him now, my hands curling around his shoulders and my head directly above his heart, ‘I’m perfectly content right here.’

 He chuckled and the sound was fond, ‘Me too, sugar, but if we don’t move soon people are gonna start wonderin’ where we are, and I personally wouldn’t like them to find out about us by walkin’ in and seeing us naked in bed together.’

 ‘I know I should care about that, but I’m simply too comfortable and warm right now to process the validity of your comment.’ I mumbled, nuzzling into his neck and sighing happily at his scent. He smelled like sugar and spice—it was addicting.

 He laughed again and I felt my lips curl up into a grin at the sound, unable to stop myself for placing a chaste kiss at the side of his neck, ‘I love that sound.’

 Bucky didn’t say anything but he kissed my hair and held me a little tighter, his hand moving up and down my spine, causing me to practically melt into him. I was just on the cusp of sleep again when he sat up with me wrapped around him and sat me on the edge of the bed. I grumbled and rolled myself up in the sheets as I tried to fight the cold that wrapped around me without him close.

 ‘Come on, sweet thing,’ He sat me up again and caressed the side of my face, smiling gently when my eyes met his. I puckered my lips for a kiss and he leaned forward and pecked my lips softly, pulling back when I tried to deepen it with a chuckle.

 ‘Easy, baby, if you start that we’ll be in this bedroom all day.’ He kissed my forehead and my lips again.

 ‘Okay.’ I gave in standing up and stretching, when I looked over to him I saw his blue eyes had darkened to molten, ‘you’ll have to hold that thought for later, honey. I’m gonna go shower and then get dressed.’ I kissed him goodbye and slipped his discarded Henley from the previous night on before darting to my room across the hall.

 It was strange; we were only twenty feet apart at the most, but my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest, an invisible pull willing me back to him. This must have been what Dad was talking about. If this was how it felt, I had no idea how my Dad and Pop were able to stay apart for weeks at a time, because I was already yearning to go back to him.

 //

 After I’d showered and pulled on some sweatpants, Bucky’s shirt and a sweatshirt I ventured out of my room with my hair still wet. It wasn’t like me not to dry my hair immediately, but I favoured getting back to my soulmate over spending the time getting my hair dry. He wasn’t in his room anymore, so I headed to the common room and found him sitting in the loveseat, quietly chatting to Pop and Sam who were sat side by side on the sofa across from him. Pepper was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t surprising—she often rose late on the rare days she had off. Dad was making breakfast and kissed my forehead as I moved past him to grab my mug and pour myself a cup of coffee. I noticed that Thor and Bruce were sat at the dining table with Clint and Tasha across from them, both couples speaking quietly to their partners. Without giving it much thought I walked over to the loveseat and cuddled into Bucky’s side, his metallic arm lifting without prompt and allowing me to move as close as possible. His hand came to rest on my waist, his thumb rubbing circles into my hip and making me practically melt into a state of relaxation into his side.

 I lifted my mug to my lips and took a gulp before resting the cup against his thigh as I snugged into his chest, inhaling his scent. Bucky’s lips met my damp hair and I felt his chest rumble underneath my ear as he mumbled, ‘you smell good, Sugar.’

 ‘So do you.’ I sighed, my eyes falling closed.

 We’d been so lost in each other that we hadn’t noticed the room fall deadly quiet. The only sounds coming from Bucky and I, as well as the sizzling of the bacon on the frying pan. Tasha and Clint weren’t surprised, Thor and Bruce were a mixture of amused and astonished, but Tony, Steve and Sam were downright shocked. The latter was staring at the newly bonded couple with their jaws hanging open, and their eyes wider than they had ever been. Their surprise was understandable, of course, as before this moment the pair had never been seen speaking a word to each other, and now they moved, spoke, and looked at each other with the same intensity and adoration as each bonded couple on the team. It was a few more minutes of the team observing the couple snuggling together, looking more relaxed than anyone had ever seen them, before the shock seemed to subside and allow for a vocalised reaction.

 Tony cleared his throat and said, ‘um, honey?’

 ‘Yeah dad?’ I responded, too relaxed to open my eyes.

 ‘When did you plan on telling us that you and Bucky were soulmates?’ His voice was casual and that was purposeful; he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea if he allowed his shock to leak into his voice.

 ‘Now?’ I said sheepishly, peeking an eye open and burrowing further into Bucky in an attempt to hide when I saw everyone was staring, ‘we found out last night.’

 ‘We would have said something, but everything happened so fast from there.’ Bucky said, sounding sheepish himself, but his hold on me didn’t waver, if anything he held me a little tighter and I felt a small sigh of contentedness leave my mouth in response.

 ‘Well,’ Clint stood up, pulling out a piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolding it to it’s full A4 size, ‘Bruce and Thor had Christmas day.’

 A frown of confusion formed on my face as everyone groaned in disappointment.

 ‘You couldn’t have waited until new years eve?’ Sam complained, but it was all in good fun, ‘The pot was up to ten grand, Pep and I could have rolled around in that money.’

 ‘Well it looks like I and Bruce will have the honours.’ Thor announced proudly, kissing his mate chastely but passionately.

 ‘You were betting on us gettin’ together?’ Bucky clarified.

 ‘Yup.’ Clint nodded as he returned to the room, handing the demi god and scientist a black metallic box.

 ‘For how long?’ I asked, bewildered.

 ‘It was after about a week of Bucky being here, after Tasha noticed the looks you were both stealing at each other.’ Pop admitted.

 ‘You and dad were in on this?’

 ‘We were, Pumpkin.’ Pops said, looking slightly guilty.

 ‘You punk.’ Bucky shook his head in mock disapproval.

 ‘I know, we feel terrible about it.’ Dad said, standing behind his husband and placing a hand on his shoulder.

 I gave him a look and he admitted, ‘okay no we don’t, we just thought you two would be perfect together and we were routing for you to be happy!’

 Pops nodded in agreement, entwining his fingers with the billionaire’s.

 Bucky looked down at me, mirth shining in his eyes at the situation. I smothered a laugh behind my mug as I took a sip, giving my soulmate a slight nod as I told him he could decide what to do. He sent me a secret wink before fixing the team with his scariest Winter Soldier glare, and to my amusement everyone except for Tasha and Thor stiffened in concern for what was going to happen next. He had them squirming for a few more minutes before he let the laughter slip, I joined him in an instant, beyond amused at the annoyed and relieved expression on almost every face in the common room.

 ‘It’s fine.’ I shrugged once we recovered.

 Bucky took my empty mug from me without me having to ask and placed it onto the side table beside the love seat. My hand entwined with his once the task was complete and I blushed when he placed a kiss to the back of my hand, his eyes staring into mine with such intensity that I felt my heart skip a beat.

 ‘Well I was right.’ Pops said proudly, ‘they are perfect for each other.’

 ‘They sure are, Stevie.’ Dad agreed, placing a kiss to his husband’s cheek before returning to the kitchen to finish breakfast. Although, it was more of a brunch now, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the content and happy expressions both his daughter and Bucky were wearing. He felt something settle inside him at the sight—it was about time they both got their happily ever after and Tony couldn’t be happier that they’d found it with each other.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Republicans Rally Against Impeachment Trial, Signaling Likely Acquittal for Trump (NYT) Senate Republicans rallied on Tuesday against trying former President Donald J. Trump for “incitement of insurrection” at the Capitol, with only five members of his party joining Democrats in a vote to go forward with his impeachment trial. By a vote of 55-to-45, the Senate narrowly killed a Republican effort to dismiss the proceeding as unconstitutional because Mr. Trump is no longer in office. “I think it’s pretty obvious from the vote today that it is extraordinarily unlikely that the president will be convicted,” said Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the five Republicans who voted to proceed to trial. “Just do the math.” It would take two-thirds of senators—67 votes—to attain a conviction, meaning 17 Republicans would have to cross party lines to side with Democrats in finding Mr. Trump guilty. If they did, an additional vote to disqualify him from ever holding office again would take a simple majority.

Foot of snow blankets parts of Midwest, disrupts travel (AP) A major winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the middle of the country while another system blanketed areas of the Southwest, disrupting travel for a second consecutive day Tuesday and shuttering many schools. Several coronavirus testing sites closed Monday and Tuesday in Nebraska and Iowa, as both states saw 12 to 15 inches (30.5 to 38.1 centimeters) of snow in places. At least 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow was expected through Tuesday across most of an area stretching from central Kansas northeast to Chicago and southern Michigan. National Weather Service meteorologist Taylor Nicolaisen, who is based near Omaha, said up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) was reported in spots between York, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa. He said it’s uncommon for the region to get more than a foot of snow from a single storm, and it has been decades since some cities saw this much.

As variants spread, countries pursue new round of travel restrictions (Washington Post) Governments around the world—including those of the United States, Britain and New Zealand—are moving to impose stricter travel limitations in a bid to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants that experts warn are more contagious. President Biden confirmed Monday that he would extend a ban on travelers from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 other European countries. Visitors from South Africa will be banned from entering the United States starting Saturday. New Zealand, which has been lauded for its handling of the pandemic, may keep its borders closed to visitors for “much of this year,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The new U.S. restrictions come as several countries reconsider eased travel polices amid worry over virus variants that can make people sicker, spread faster and, in some cases, compromise the effectiveness of vaccines.

Biden and Putin Agree to Extend Nuclear Treaty (NYT) President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia avoided a renewed arms race on Tuesday when they formally agreed to extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between their countries. But White House officials said Mr. Biden also confronted the Kremlin leader over the poisoning of an opposition activist and a hacking of government and private computer networks in the United States. It was the first call between the leaders of the world’s two largest nuclear powers since Mr. Biden’s inauguration. But it was being watched as much for its tone as its substance: Mr. Biden vowed during the transition to make Russia “pay a price” for the hacking, and his administration, in its opening hours, demanded the release of Aleksei A. Navalny, whose arrest on Jan. 17 prompted protests last weekend across Russia that resulted in more than 3,000 arrests. The call was, in essence, the opening act of what promises to be a deeply adversarial relationship between the two leaders, and most likely the sharpest turn in American foreign policy since President Donald J. Trump left office one week ago.

‘Lying is a thing presidents do’ (The Media Today/CJR) Adam Serwer, of The Atlantic, reminds journalists and the public that “Biden will lie to you,” because lying is a thing presidents do. “The press and the public should resist the temptation to assume that the Biden administration will always be on the level, or that its dishonesties can be forgiven because Biden’s predecessor wielded falsehood with such abandon,” Serwer writes. “Already, Biden has sought to mislead the public by setting expectations for vaccinations that experts have said are too modest—which will allow the president to declare his approach a great success if the goal is exceeded.”

Calm returns to Dutch cities after riots, with police out in force (Reuters) With shops boarded up and riot police out in force, it was relatively calm in Dutch cities on Tuesday night after three days of violence during which nearly 500 people were detained. In several cities, including the capital Amsterdam, some businesses closed early and emergency ordinances were in place to give law enforcement greater powers to respond to the rioting, which was prompted by a nighttime curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The Netherlands’ first curfew since World War Two was imposed on Saturday despite weeks of falling infections, after the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said a faster-spreading variant first found in England was causing a third of cases. A hospital in Rotterdam had warned visitors of patients to stay away, after rioters tried to attack hospitals in various cities. In Amsterdam on Monday, groups of youths threw fireworks, broke store windows and attacked a police truck, but were broken up by a massive police presence.

The World Is Dependent on Taiwan for Semiconductors (Bloomberg) As China pushes the world to avoid official dealings with Taiwan, leaders across the globe are realizing just how dependent they’ve become on the island democracy. Taiwan, which China regards as a province, is being courted for its capacity to make leading-edge computer chips. That’s mostly down to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest foundry and go-to producer of chips for Apple Inc. smartphones, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Taiwan’s role in the world economy largely existed below the radar, until it came to recent prominence as the auto industry suffered shortfalls in chips used for everything from parking sensors to reducing emissions. TSMC’s chip-making skills have handed Taiwan political and economic leverage in a world where technology is being enlisted in the great power rivalry between the U.S. and China—a standoff unlikely to ease under the administration of Joe Biden. Taiwan’s grip on the semiconductor business—despite being under constant threat of invasion by Beijing—also represents a choke point in the global supply chain that’s giving new urgency to plans from Tokyo to Washington and Beijing to increase self-reliance.

Indonesian volcano unleashes river of lava in new eruption (AP) Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted Wednesday with a river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) down its slopes. It was Mount Merapi’s biggest lava flow since authorities raised its danger level in November, said Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. After morning rain, ashfall turned into muck in several villages, where the sound of eruption could be heard 30 kilometers (18 away). Police and rescue services told miners to cease work along rivers but no one was evacuated. The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) volcano is on the densely populated island of Java and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta. It is the most active of dozens of Indonesian volcanoes and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently.

Amid crisis, Hezbollah ‘bank’ a lifeline for some Lebanese (AP) When Lebanon’s financial meltdown began in late 2019, Hassan Shoumar was locked out of his dollar savings like everyone else in the country as banks clamped down with capital controls. But the young engineer had an alternative. He could still pull out the dollars in his account at the al-Qard al-Hasan Association, the financial arm of the militant Hezbollah group. Stepping in where the state and financial institutions have failed, Hezbollah is providing a vital lifeline for some Lebanese. In the country’s wrecked economy, everyone is desperate for hard currency and liquidity as the local currency plummets in value. At commercial banks, depositors stand in line for hours and fight with managers in vain to access their dollar savings. Most banks have stopped giving loans. But at Hezbollah’s al-Qard al-Hasan people can take out small, interest-free loans in dollars, enabling them to pay school fees, get married, buy a used car or open a small business. They can also open saving accounts there. With poverty rising across Lebanon, Hezbollah provides its community with low-cost schools and hospitals and distributes heating fuel to the poor. Hezbollah continues to pay its fighters and employees in its institutions in U.S. dollars, while everyone else gets their salaries in Lebanese pounds, which lost about 80% of their value in the crisis.

Missiles over Saudi Arabia (Times of London) Iran-backed militias in Iraq are feared to have opened a new front against Saudi Arabia, after a second suspected drone attack in less than four days over the capital Riyadh. A double blast was heard above the city on Tuesday morning. Witnesses said there appeared to have been some kind of missile interception. A similar incident on Saturday was initially blamed on the Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group fighting the Saudi-backed recognized government in Yemen to the south. However, the Houthis denied it, although they have claimed numerous previous attacks on Saudi cities during the six-year war. Instead, a new militia based in Iraq issued a statement of responsibility. The Alwiya al-Waad al-Haq, or Brigades of the Righteous Promise, said the attack had been “launched solely by Iraqi hands”. An online news channel close to Iran-backed groups in Iraq said the attacks were intended to make Saudi Arabia the “playground of missiles and drones” and that it would become a target of the “resistance” from both north and south.

France says it bombed an ‘armed terrorist group.’ Witnesses say it was a wedding. (Washington Post) The men gathered for a wedding, they said — one more somber than those of the past. Strict rules have warped life in their central Mali village since the extremists invaded: no music or dancing. No mingling with women. Smoke a cigarette and get beaten. Parties, even conservative ones, invite punishment, so they wanted to celebrate quickly in a remote field, according to two guests. Grilled mutton and beef were about to be served when bombs fell from the sky. “We heard what sounded like a plane and then a loud noise,” said one guest, a 46-year-old teacher. “Suddenly there were wounded people everywhere. Body parts everywhere. What happened on the afternoon of Jan. 3 is hotly disputed. The French military took responsibility for an airstrike near Bounti in the Mopti region, saying in a Jan. 7 statement that a pair of Mirage 2000 fighter jets had dropped three explosives on “a gathering of armed terrorist group members” in an area known to be rife with them. The French armed forces said the airstrike killed about 30 men — all militants. But villagers say there was a tragic misunderstanding: Only men were in the field because extremists had banned socializing with women. Guests provided testimony that aligns with reports from Human Rights Watch and a Malian group that conducted an investigation into the airstrike. Those probes concluded that 19 civilian men — some in their late 60s and 70s — died in the blasts.

Ugandan election aftermath (Foreign Policy) Opposition leader Bobi Wine accused President Yoweri Museveni of using the military and the police “to oppress his opponents and to suppress our rights” after he was freed from 11 days of house arrest following disputed elections on Jan. 14. Museveni was declared to have won Uganda’s presidential election earlier this month, winning roughly 59 percent in an election judged by the United States as fundamentally flawed. Wine’s campaign team will decide whether to contest the results of the presidential election and have until a deadline of Feb. 2 to do so.

Pew: How COVID-19 Changed Faith (CT) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James, the brother of Jesus, didn’t have a global pandemic in mind when he wrote these words in the opening chapter of his biblical epistle to “the 12 tribes scattered among the nations.” But as the coronavirus closed churches worldwide, a global survey of more than 14,000 people has found that few lost faith while many of the most faithful gained. Today, the Pew Research Center released a study on how COVID-19 affected levels of faith this past summer in 14 countries with advanced economies: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. “In 11 of 14 countries surveyed, the share who say their religious faith has strengthened is higher than the share who say it has weakened,” noted Pew researchers. Overall, a median of 4 out of 5 of each country’s citizens said their faith was more or less unchanged. Leading the pack in strengthened faith: the United States. Americans were three times more likely to report their religious faith had become stronger due to the pandemic: 28 percent, vs. a global median of 10 percent. Next came Spaniards (16%) and Italians (15%), whose nations were two of the worst hit during the coronavirus’s deadly outbreak in the spring.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

APPARENTLY OUR SITUATION WAS NOT UNUSUAL

Enjoy it while it lasts, and get as much done as you can, because you haven't hired any bureaucrats yet. Sites of this type will get their attention. The fact that there's no conventional number. Don't fix Windows, because the remaining. And what drives them both is the number of new shares to the angel; if there were 1000 shares before the deal, this means 200 additional shares. This is not as selfish as it sounds. For the average startup fails. It spread from Fortran into Algol and then to depend on it happening. Seeing the system in use by real users—people they don't know—gives them lots of new ideas is practically virgin territory.

Auto-retrieving spam filters would make the legislator who introduced the bill famous. When someone's working on a problem where their success can be measured, you win. I was a Reddit user when the opposite happened there, and sitting in a cafe feels different from working. However, the easiest and cheapest way for them to do it gets you halfway there. No one uses pen as a verb in spoken English. We'd ask why we even hear about new languages like Perl and Python, the claim of the Python hackers seems to be as big as possible wants to attract everyone. Conditionals. Poetry is as much music as text, so you start to doubt yourself. Between them, these two facts are literally a recipe for exponential growth. In languages, as in any really bold undertaking, merely deciding to do it. I fly over the Valley: somehow you can sense something is going on.

It's easy to be drawn into imitating flaws, because they're trying to ignore you out of existence. Google. Long words for the first time should be the ideas expressed there. If a link is just an empty rant, editors will sometimes kill it even if it's on topic in the sense of beating the system, not breaking into computers. As long as you're at a point in your life when you can bear the risk of failure. I'm less American than I seem. The distinction between expressions and statements. So perhaps the best solution is to add a few more checks on public companies. Let me repeat that recipe: finding the problem intolerable and feeling it must be true that only 1.

Well, I said a good rule of thumb was to stay upwind—to work on a Python project than you could to work on a problem that seems too big, I always ask: is there some way to bite off some subset of the problem. A company that needed to build a factory or hire 50 people obviously needed to raise a large round and risk losing the investors you already have if you can't raise the full amount. And isn't popularity to some extent its own justification? I realize I might seem to be any less committed to the business. Surely that's mere prudence? The measurement of performance will tend to push even the organizations issuing credentials into line. Number 6 is starting to have a piratical gleam in their eye. About a year after we started Y Combinator that the most important skills founders need to learn. When the company goes public, the SEC will carefully study all prior issuances of stock by the company and demand that it take immediate action to cure any past violations of securities laws. Within a few decades old, and rapidly evolving. I didn't say so, but I'm British by birth. Investors tend to resist committing except to the extent you can.

I'm talking to companies we fund? But if we can decide in 20 minutes, should it take anyone longer than a couple days when he presented to investors at Demo Day, the more demanding the application, the more demanding the application, the more extroverted of the two founders did most of the holes are. We funded them because we liked the founders so much. And such random factors will increasingly be able to brag that he was an investor. You'd feel like an idiot using pen instead of write in a different language than they'd use if they were expressed that way. The safest plan for him personally is to stick close to the margin of failure, and the time preparing for it beforehand and thinking about it afterward. The theory is that minor forms of bad behavior encourage worse ones: that a neighborhood with lots of graffiti and broken windows becomes one where robberies occur. S s: n. Bootstrapping Consulting Some would-be founders may by now be thinking, why deal with investors at all, it means you don't need them.

It's not just that you can't judge ideas till you're an expert in a field. And the way to do it gets you halfway there. Angels who only invest occasionally may not themselves know what terms they want. But the raison d'etre of all these institutions has been the same kind of aberration, just spread over a longer period. If someone pays $20,000 from their friend's rich uncle, who they give 5% of the company they take is artificially low. But because seed firms operate in an earlier phase, they need to spend a lot on marketing, or build some kind of announcer. There are millions of small businesses in America, but only a little; they were both meeting someone they had a lot in common with. We present to him what has to be treated as a threat to a company's survival. S i; return s;; This falls short of the spec because it only works for integers. He said their business model was crap.

I was a philosophy major. Programs often have to work actively to prevent your company growing into a weed tree, dependent on this source of easy but low-margin money. And I was a philosophy major. This leads to the phenomenon known in the Valley is watching them. I definitely didn't prefer it when the grass was long after a week of rain. As many people have noted, one of the questions we pay most attention to when judging applications. I'd like to reply with another question: why do people think it's hard to predict, till you try, how long it will take to become profitable. Raising money is the better choice, because new technology is usually more valuable now than later. The purpose of the committee is presumably to ensure that is to create a successful company?

One recently told me that he did as a theoretical exercise—an effort to define a more convenient alternative to the Turing Machine. This is actually less common than it seems: many have to claim they thought of the idea after quitting because otherwise their former employer would own it. If you look at these languages in order, Java, and Visual Basic—it is not so frivolous as it sounds, however. VCs they have introductions to. VCs ask, just point out that you're inexperienced at fundraising—which is always a safe card to play—and you feel obliged to do the same for any firm you talk to. The lower your costs, the more demanding the application, the more important it is to sell something to you, the writer, the false impression that you're saying more than you have. What happens in that shower?

Thanks to Dan Bloomberg, Trevor Blackwell, Garry Tan, Nikhil Pandit, Reid Hoffman, Geoff Ralston, Slava Akhmechet, Paul Buchheit, Ben Horowitz, and Greg McAdoo for the lulz.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 5

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 5,219

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

I had perfected a system.

A system for avoiding eye contact with him.

You know… him.

He whose lips that my lips were last seen canoodling with.

That is to say, Lea.

It’d been a few days now since the little kiss incident - or Kissident, as I had taken to calling it in my head. I had not listened to Rayne’s advice, so had yet to talk to him. I’d tried, believe me, I really had tried. But just one look at him and the Kissident would flash through my brain once again in high-def and stereo surround sound, causing my heart to leap up into my throat and strangle me, making getting any words out impossible. I just couldn’t… I couldn’t do it. No way.

But that’s where my system came in! So flawless, yet so simple.

All I had to do was… not look at him.

As one might guess, that presented a bit of a challenge, given that Pizza Planet was straight across from us and given that, due to some cruel, sadistic twist of fate, his shifts seemed to almost always line up with mine. But to someone with my determination and ingenuity, not to mention years upon years of experience of avoiding human interaction like the plague? No sweat.

He looks my way? Oh hey, that ice cream cone I was getting for this customer is just right for blocking his line of sight to me. A glance from him? Man, the lights in here sure seem extra bright today, I’ll just pull the bill of my Ice Palace cap way down to shield my eyes. So much as a glimpse out of the corner of his eye? Gee, Kristoff, you make the perfect boulder for me to hide behind while I focus really hard on not existing. Or, oopsie, looks like I dropped something, time to kneel down and spend, say, I don’t know, the next five minutes picking it up.

But always, always look carefully before standing again. I’d learned my lesson there. No need for a repeat of the Kissident, thank you very much.

And if all else failed and I caught even the slightest hint that he might be out from behind his counter and heading my way? Whew, look at the time, I need to go on my break! Let me just slip into the back room and chill there until the coast’s all clear once more.

What’d I tell you? Foolproof.

Not to mention totally and one hundred percent mature. Look at me adult like a pro.

Hey, don’t knock it. It was the only way I’d managed to survive the past several days.

In any case, it was currently late afternoon. The heavy chimes of the mall’s iconic clock tower echoed throughout the all but deserted food court. By now, I was almost getting used to the rushes that came with lunchtime. Did nervous energy still course through my veins the whole time we were slammed with customers? Yes, but it wasn’t too bad. Turns out people are pretty friendly when you’re the one handing out the ice cream and feeding their sugar addiction. Plus, ever since the Kissident, I almost preferred the busy times. The throng of people was just one more thing for me to hide behind.

But now that it was dead and I had no such cover, I had to resort to one of my more drastic measures…

...a scoop.

One eye shut, I held the little metal contraption up, examining it closely.  For stains, mind you. Having sparkling, clean, spotless tools of the trade at my disposal was very important to me. Your health and safety are my top priority, dear customers.

And the fact that I was lining the scoop up perfectly so as to blot out a certain redhead from my view? Well now, that was just a bonus. Purely coincidence.

...wait… was he even still there? ...it had been several minutes since I had begun, ahem, “inspecting” the ice cream scoop. Had he really not moved from that spot? Maybe he was sneakier than I’d realized and had managed to somehow slip out from behind his counter without me noticing. Even now, as I stood here completely oblivious, he could be stalking, prowling, creeping up on me, about to catch me unawares.

I gulped, suddenly nervous. Maybe a quick look would be good… just to be sure the green eyed devil hadn’t escaped his pizza-scented, space-age themed domain. 

Licking my dry lips, I carefully squeezed the scoop’s handles together, making it split down the jagged middle just enough for me to peek through. Immediately, my muscles relaxed and I sighed in relief. Yup, still there, assisting a customer at the register.

I loosened my grip so the utensil snapped shut again, blocking him from my sight once more. Now the only person I could see at the little pizzeria was his coworker, a short, blonde guy currently pulling a pizza out of the massive oven and-

Wait a minute…

My eyebrows knit together.

Hadn’t Blondie there been working over at the Lucky Cat Café before? My gaze darted over to the little coffee place a few spaces over.  There the blue haired chick was again, but today she was accompanied by a big guy with slicked back, choppy brown hair.

Huh. Perhaps Pizza Planet offered better benefits and he’d jumped the java ship to sling dough instead? Or maybe-

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

I squeaked, fumbling the scoop for a few seconds before managing to get a firm grasp on it once more, hiding it behind my back as I whipped around to face the voice.

Riku stood on the other side of the countertop, arms crossed and eyelids drooping. 

I managed a weak smile for him. “Yes?”

One silver eyebrow quirked. “Then what was I saying?”

“You, er… wanted ice cream?”

“Okay, what kind of ice cream?” he rolled his eyes.

Oof, this one would be a little trickier.

Fingers fidgeting with scoop, I pursed my lips to one side. “...the cold kind?”

There was a snort from Frozone beside me as he counted the register. “She’s not wrong.”

Riku, on the other hand, merely narrowed his eyes. Somehow, I got the feeling he was not nearly as amused. Just a hunch.

Taking a step forward, I said, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Please, tell me what I can get for you, I promise I’m listening now.”

He fixed me with that dull stare for a few more seconds before sighing and shaking his head. “Three scoops of the Spark Lemon on a cone and a bar of the Royalberry.”

“Coming right up!” I immediately set to work, grabbing a cone off the stack, sliding open the frosted glass, and plunging the (now thoroughly vetted by me to be completely hygienic and immaculate) scoop into the giant bowl of the lemony yellow ice cream.  It was just after I had plopped down the first orb onto the cone and was going to dig up the next one when I spotted it at my peripheral. A flash of that familiar blazing crimson. Aka You-Know-Who’s hair. Thankfully, he hadn’t budged from where he was last spotted, but still… a chilling reminder.

I hesitated for a heartbeat before stabbing down into the ice cream once more. Then my gaze shifted up to Riku briefly before flicking back down with a frown. “Um… do you think maybe you could… scooch a few inches over to your left? If you don’t mind?”

His brow furrowed, then he glanced over his shoulder towards the Pizza Planet.  Putting two and two together and releasing another sigh, he sidled over, obstructing Lea from my vision. 

“Thanks,” I smiled, carving out a nice big scoop for him.

“...you haven’t talked to him yet, have you?”

I winced, but said nothing as I plonked down the second ball on top of the first.

His face softened, “Well I did talk to him and-”

“Wait, you did what?!” I snapped, forcing Riku to jerk back in surprise.  My blood ran cold. Oh, not good, this was so not good! I groaned, “No! No, no, no! You talked to him?! How could you talk to him? Gah, now he’s going to know I’ve been avoiding him!”

A snort escaped him. “You think he didn’t know that already?”

“Of course not!”

“Says the girl who was doing this not two minutes ago.” He snatched the steel scoop out of my hand, twisting around to hold it out in Lea’s direction. 

“Stop that!” I lunged forward, stretching across the counter in a desperate attempt to get the utensil back, all while miraculously keeping the small stack of ice cream balanced atop its cone.  However, he simply hopped back out of my reach. Shoulders slumping, I looked to Frozone. “Little help?”

“Oh-ho no,” he chuckled, not looking up from tallying the munny. “I’m staying outta this.”

Gee, thanks.

Riku was still holding out the scoop as I looked to him again and hissed, “He’s going to see you!”

He bit back a grin. “And when you were doing it, you were, what, invisible?”

“No, but… but…” I released an agitated huff, “two people doing it is just weird!”

“Trust me, one person doing it was weird.”

With a tiny growl, I abandoned trying to get the stupid scoop back and instead straightened up to start pacing.  “I still can’t believe you talked to him,” I thrust the cone at him accusingly as I passed him on my little patrol back and forth. “I had a plan, it was a good plan, the perfect plan, a plan that was working, and now you’ve ruined everything and it’s all-”

“What was this oh so great plan of yours?” he asked, finally dropping his hand so he could fold his arms under his chest.

I froze mid-step, shooting him a flat look. “To not talk to him!”

He snerked. “And then?”

“And then to… to... continue not talking to him! Forever!” I stamped my foot down. “And we’d live happily ever after. Not talking. Ever. The end!”

So what if I was being a bit petulant? So sue me.

He’d frigging talked to him!

Riku could kiss my employee discount goodbye, that’s for sure!

His eyes crinkled as he shook his head, “Or you could try Plan B and do this crazy little thing called using your words to put this whole mess behind you two.”

I stared hard down at the cone in my hand, pursing my lips to one side. “But we never gave Plan A a real shot. I think it has potential, so maybe I should just keep working with that one.”

Riku puffed out a breath, handing me back the scoop. “Look, like I said, I’ve spoken to him, and he totally understands. Accidents happen. But you both have to work here, so you really should clear the air. Don’t you want to feel comfortable at your job and not have things be all awkward?”

“You do realize it’s me you’re talking to, right?” I scoffed as I took it from him and dug into the tub of Spark Lemon once more. “I’m the walking, talking human form of the blush emoji. Awkward is my middle name. At this point, I don’t think I know how to be anything but.”

“Well… you do you, I guess,” he shrugged. “Just know that he’s ready to talk whenever you are, okay?”

I paused, then slowly nodded as I topped off the cone with the third and final scoop. Then pulling a bar of the Royalberry from the compact fridges below, I handed both to Riku and rang him up at the register. As he quirked an eyebrow at me charging him full price, I shot him a blank look. “You know what you did.” 

He sighed through his nose, but a grin tugged at one corner of his lips as he paid. “Fine, whatever. See you later tonight,” he waved as he walked off, licking away at his ice cream.

“Is this gonna be a problem?” I heard Frozone ask and I glanced over at him.  He didn’t look up as he closed the register with his hip, instead just gesturing with his chin towards the Pizza Planet as he jotted something down on his clipboard.

Squaring my shoulders, I shook my head. “No, no problem, I promise.”

“You sure? Do you need me to bust any heads? Rough him up? Rearrange his face?”

I fought a tiny smile. “I’m sure. No face rearranging necessary, thanks.”

Now he looked up at me, eyes deadpan. “Am I going to have to drag you over there by the ear so you two can make up and play nice?”

All color draining from my face, I was rapidly shaking my head again. “N-no, that’s okay! You have nothing to worry about, I got it all under control!”

After all, I had my super great and totally amazing system that could not, would not fail me in any conceivable way!

His face broke out into a grin. “Good, that’s what I like to hear! Now you,” he pointed at me. “Tonight. Closing. First time all by yourself. You ready?”

“Absolutely!” I nodded. “I’ve closed with Kristoff the past couple nights now and I’ve got it all down. Seems straight forward enough, I should be fine.”

Frozone cocked his head, “Should be?”

“Definitely,” I hastily corrected myself. “I will definitely be fine. Better than fine. I will be perfection! You can count on me!”

“Fantastic,” he tapped a fist to the side of my arm before turning his attention to the second register.

Surprisingly, I actually wasn’t too concerned about it.  Like I’d said, it was pretty simple stuff.  Restock napkins and spoons, refill any empty ice cream tubs, wipe down surfaces, and so on. Sure, I was being given some responsibility, but I had zero problems with that. Responsibility was easy. Responsibility I could handle. It was people that I couldn’t deal with and that was the beauty of closing: there wouldn’t be a customer in sight. I’d be all alone, just the way I liked it.

Yup, I would be totally fine.

Not a single worry here. Nope.

Alright, one worry.

One big, whopping, massive worry that I really should have seen coming from a mile away.

Guess who also happened to be closing a certain pizzeria tonight?

That’s right! A certain redhead whose name rhymes with ‘flee.’

Which, coincidentally, is exactly what I wanted to do in that very moment.

But instead I took in a deep, calming breath and steeled myself as I continued to return our freshly rinsed and sanitized scoops to their homes on the Ice Palace counter so they’d be ready to go for the morning crew tomorrow. I concentrated very hard on not looking up, always trying to remain singularly focused on each task at hand. But as if my eyeballs had minds of their own, I couldn’t deny them a brief, furtive glance through my lashes in his direction every now and again.

Like right now.

Stupid mutinous eyeballs.

He was currently just in his work polo and khakis, having discarded his apron and visor. He seemed just as determined as I was to pour all of his attention into getting his closing chores done, never once looking my way… at least, not that I was ever able to catch anyway. Since Riku’d talked to him, he probably was fully aware of how uncomfortable this whole situation was for me and was now just doing his best to give me my space. 

Having just tied off a full garbage bag, he picked it up and I stiffened as he turned in my direction. But his gaze was everywhere and anywhere but on me, face impassive as he just kept pivoting into a one-eighty, slinging the trash over his shoulder and walking out the rear door of the Pizza Planet, probably heading for the dumpster. My whole body sagged as I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

Ugh, why did I have to be making this all so weird? We were just two separate employees working our two separate jobs at two separate corners of the food court! On the surface, you wouldn’t even be able to tell there was anything wrong. So why did I feel the need to spazz in utter terror every two goddamn seconds?

Grumbling softly to myself, I quickly deposited the last of the utensils into their spots. Maybe if I hustled, I could finish everything and split before he returned. Then this could be Future Elsa’s problem to deal with, because let me tell you, Present Elsa was feeling so done with it all.  Having already topped off the ice cream bowls in the display, I moved on to snapping their lids down before double checking that the freezers below were fully stocked. Then I began shutting everything down, starting with the registers.

It was just as I had moved over to the soft serve/milkshake machine and was reaching for its power button that it happened. That Pizza Planet door opened once more. He came back. I looked. Our eyes met.

Instant.

Panic.

My chest tightened and my finger slipped, pressing down on a button.

It wasn’t the power button.

A fact that I became immediately and woefully aware of as the machine let out a decidedly unhappy sound that could most accurately be described as a banshee screech, making me jump and stumble backwards. I watched wide eyed as it began to rattle and shake, its lights and digital display screens flickering in random patterns all over with no rhyme or reason.

I’d pushed that button. The one Kristoff had warned me about. The Anger Button.

Why’d they even put the dumb Anger Button right smack dab next to the Power Button?!

What was even the point of the Anger Button?!

Suddenly, the machine was spewing lime green ice cream at me. With a tiny yelp, I ducked, narrowly avoiding getting globbed in the face as it instead splattered against the wall behind me. Straightening up, I snapped at the machine, “Hey, stop that!”

Its only answer was to fling more ice cream at me, this chunk in a cotton candy pink. I managed to dodge that attack too if only just barely before making a dive for the power button, palm slamming down on it. And that… got me zilch. If anything, the giant tin can only seemed to rumble harder as it now shot out a neon orange gush that I had to sharply crane my neck to evade.

“I said stop that! Right now!” I scolded it. As if making demands of the thing would actually do any good. I mashed the power button several more times, to zero effect. Now in full on freak out mode, I desperately started pressing all the other buttons, flipping all the switches, and yanking all the levers as I continued to dodge the now rapid fire spray of chocolate-vanilla mixed bullets flying at me while its quaking grew more violent and its high-pitched shrieking just kept getting louder and louder.

I only seemed to be pissing it off more.

Like the legendary apple of biblical fame that never should have been eaten, I’d pressed the button that never should have been pressed. I’d enraged the ice cream gods and now they were punishing me. Smiting me for my foolishness, making me suffer their divine, sugary-sweet wrath.

“What do you want from me?!” I shouted at it in frustration, snatching my cap off my head and using it to smother the nozzle in a pathetic attempt to stem the never-ending flood of ice cream. “What will make you happy?! A ritualistic dance? An offering of my blood? The sacrifice of a small child? What?!”

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A blur of movement. A streak of crimson. None other than a very familiar redhead vaulting himself over the Ice Palace countertop and landing right next to me.

I only had time to gawk at Lea before he was grabbing my shoulders and yanking me out of the way. The second my hat was off the spout, he was blasted with what was now a vibrant rainbow torrent of ice cream, drenching him from head to toe. Using one arm as a shield, he groped around the machine with his other hand until he found the power cord, seized it in his fist and ripped the plug out of the wall.

Almost instantly the machine stilled and the metallic screaming died down. The hush that followed was almost eerie by comparison. Wringing my cap between my hands, all I could do was gape as Lea turned to me, cold iridescent slush dripping from every inch of him as he wordlessly held the cord out to me. I blinked down at it.

...well fudge, why didn’t I think of that?

I mean seriously, I’d tried to negotiate with the damn bucket of bolts and even suggested presenting an infant up in offering to appease the almighty dessert deities before the mere thought of pulling the plug had crossed my mind.

I really needed to get my priorities straight.

I slowly took the cord from his hand before hesitantly looking back up at him. Still he was silent. Maybe he was trying to let me take the lead on this, waiting for me to make the first move. My lips parted, but nothing came out.

...well? Go on already, say something! Anything! Stop just staring at him like a total goob!

“You…”

You helped me when you had absolutely no reason to.

You were amazing.

You’re a total hero.

“...are covered in ice cream.”

...ah, me. Master conversationalist. Queen of Wit.

Stating the super obvious was a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

His head rocked back slightly at that. “Huh? Oh,” he looked down at himself with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, guess I am.”

Alright, Elsa, let’s try that again. Take two.

I cleared my throat and averted my gaze. “...th-thanks.”

Alright, so I’m not going to be winning any sort of originality awards there, but hey, I liked to think it was at least a step up from my last comment.

He gave a dismissive wave, sending a few multi-colored droplets spattering with the gesture. “Don’t mention it.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. There was a long, painfully awkward pause where neither of us spoke or looked at each other. Then he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “Well… guess I’ll be going... then...”

He turned, planting his hands on the counter, preparing to catapult himself back over to the food court side. But then he stopped, just standing there for a couple seconds before puffing out a low breath and glancing back at me. “Look, about the, ah… the-”

“Kissident?” I blurted out.

...what the hell, mouth? I’d told you that codename in confidence! I thought we were friends!

“...sure? Okay, yeah, I guess that’d be a word for it,” he rubbed a curled knuckle along his lips, hiding a tiny smile. Or maybe he was just wiping some of the frozen muck away. It was anyone’s guess, really. “Whatever you want to call it, do you think maybe we could just... forget it ever happened? Hit the rewind button and do this whole first impression thing over again?”

Could… could we even do that?

Was that, like… allowed?

Realizing I was twisting my work cap to the point now where it was going to be filing charges against me for domestic abuse, I loosened my grip on it slightly as I gave a slow nod. “I would… really like that, actually.”

Would you look at that? I’d not only managed to string more than two words together, but in a way that suggested some form of minor human intellect no less. Progress!

Wiping his hand off on one of the few dry spots still left on his pants, he stretched it out to me. “Hi there, name’s Lea. Got it memorized?”

I stared at it for a second, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. Then shifting the cord and hat to one hand, I reached out my other one to tentatively shake his. “Elsa. It’s... a pleasure to meet you.”

He grinned, “Likewise.”

And just like that, a weight had been lifted. All that stress and anxiety shrank down to next to nothing. Not completely gone, mind you. It’s not like you could totally erase something like the Kissident, not with a simple handshake anyway. But still, it was suddenly a lot better than it had been over the past few days. At least I could once again breathe in the presence of this man.

He also seemed to sense the tension banishing. My hand tingled a bit as Lea released it and he beamed at me, bouncing on his toes slightly. But then he frowned as he seemed to abruptly remember that he was still caked in sugary goop as he glanced down at himself again. “Shit, it really got me good, huh?” Hooking a finger in his collar, he tugged it out wide so he could look down inside and grimaced. “Ick, even managed to get all in my shirt. I love ice cream more than the next guy, but even I have my limits.”

And then, I kid you not, right then and there, still standing beside me behind the little Ice Palace counter, with all the scoops and cones around to bear witness, he reached over his shoulder, grabbed the back of his polo and pulled it up over his head and off.

A tiny noise escaped me that may or may not have resembled a “meep” as I dropped the cord and hid my face in my hat.

...had he really just done that? Surely not! I had to have imagined it! Although if it was just my imagination, why my brain felt the need to supply the picture at this exact moment was a whole other can of worms that I wasn’t particularly prepared to deal with at this time. But putting the Why aside, an overactive imagination would be the only thing that would make sense! I mean, it made more sense than some presumably half-way sane person just starting to strip in the middle of a public mall literally three seconds after being formally introduced to an all but total stranger!

Get a grip. It was all in my head. I had to be seeing things.

With a firm nod and a fortifying huff through my nose, I lowered my cap just a smidge to take a peek.

Then right back up the hat went.

Yeah, no, it was real. There was totally just some topless dude standing two feet away from me using his balled-up shirt to wipe ice cream off his abs.

...his well-sculpted, leanly muscled abs.

...not that I particularly paid attention to such things.

“Sorry,” I heard him say, my spine snapping rigid at the sound of his voice. “But this stuff’s gonna get super gross super fast unless I take care of it now. Hope ya don’t mind.”

Heart spasming and face sizzling, I shook my head quickly and opened my mouth to respond but-

“Hey! What are you doing back there?!”

I jerked my head up at the new gruff voice and looked out into the food court where two men now stood, one with his arms crossed, both scowling. The guy on the left was a big, stocky fellow with a square jaw and chiseled features, his ginger hair kept short and slicked back. His partner, who was almost just as big, had thick sideburns that hooked around his cheeks and wore his black hair in long dreadlocks tied back into a ponytail. They were dressed as mall security, the names on their uniforms reading Aeleus and Dilan.

As they both slowly stalked towards the counter, eyes narrowed on Lea, the one with dreads, Dilan, asked me sternly, “Is this degenerate bothering you, miss?”

My gaze just darted back and forth between the two of them as Lea threw his hands up, “Hey, woah now, you got it all wrong! I was just helping her out!”

Aeleus gave him a dull look, eyeing Lea’s current state of partial undress then curling his lip slightly. “Sure you were, buddy.”

“Oh come on! I don’t recognize you guys so you must be new, but I work here! See?” Lea unfurled his polo as evidence, only to discover the Pizza Planet logo on it had been hidden by a thick coat of ice cream. With a groan, he tried to swipe it clean, but the stuff had already hardened into place. Facepalming with a growl, Lea then looked to me. “Go on, tell them!”

...me?! He wanted my help?

Hadn’t he learned by now what a complete and total disaster I was in social situations?

No, don’t think like that. The guy had just rushed to my aid a few minutes ago and now it was time to repay the favor. I had this.

...I hoped.

“I-it’s alright,” I stammered out to the security guards, “everything is fine! This is all just a… a big misunderstanding! It’s actually just so silly, really. It all started earlier this week when he caught me off guard and all of sudden we were kissing and-”

“Excuse me?” Dilan asked coldly, turning his glare full blast on Lea. “Are you telling me this lowlife assaulted you?”

Paling, I rushed to reply, “No, no! It’s okay! It’s all good now because, see, just a bit ago, he charged at me, threw himself over the counter, slathered himself up in ice cream, took off his shirt and-”

Wait.

This was all coming out so wrong.

“That’s it, I’ve heard enough,” Aeleus ground out through his teeth, pulling a pair of handcuffs off his belt. “You’re coming with us.”

With a snort and a smirk, Lea pulled down his left lower eyelid with his middle finger and stuck his tongue out at them. “Fine then, be that way! But you meatheads’ll have to catch me first. Here!” He chucked his ruined shirt at Aeleus’s face. Then shooting a wink my way, he turned and bolted out the Ice Palace’s rear door.

“He’s trying to escape out the back!” Dilan catapulted over the counter as Aeleus snatched the polo off his face with a snarl. As he barreled through the same door, Dilan called back over his shoulder, “I’ll chase after him, you go around and try to cut him off!”

Aeleus gave a stiff nod before running off to the left and out of my sight.

So there I was. Soggy cap a crumpled wad in my tight, white-knuckled grip as I now just stood there, frozen and blinking in the middle of the Ice Palace, ice cream splashed across the walls and dripping from the machinery and ceiling.  And all I could do was wonder…

...how on earth I was going to explain all of this to my boss.

Author’s note: Oh em gee, at long last, HE SPEAKS! Not only that, he has absolutely ZERO shame! But that's okay, Elsa's got more than enough shame for the both of them xD And of course, I had to insert his obligatory catch phrase along the way xP But what’s this? The small, tentative makings of a possible friendship has started to form? Madness! And wouldja look at that… a certain pair of castle guards are now mall security, but Lea’s still giving them the ol’ runaround… guess some things never change xD Side note, looks like in this AU, Elsa is just as bad at controlling her ice cream powers as ever (buh dum tss!). And for those who don’t remember from BBS because it’s been too long or whatever, minor fun fact: Spark Lemon and Royalberry are ice cream flavors from that game! Worry not, I’ll exhaust the whole BBS ice cream list before long in this story, mark my word!

Next chapter, will this delicate new friendship blossom even further? Will Lea safely escape the clutches of mall security? And just how WILL Elsa explain the Ice Palace ice cream mess to her boss? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve started following me, seeing that always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[stockwire8-blog]

What Is Software Testing? Interpretation, Fundamentals & Kind

Ninja Training For Software Program Testers.

#toc background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px; .toctitle font-weight: 700;text-align: center;

Content

Certified Software Application Test Automation Designer.

Automation Testing Resources.

Test Automation With Selenium Webdriver.

Top Tips For Learning Java Programming.

Develop A Junit Examination Class

Certified Software Test Automation Designer.

How many days will it take to learn Java?

Bottom line -- beyond the most elementary, the math you need will come from the problem domain you're programming in. NONE of that needs to be a barrier to learning Java development. If you can learn Java, you can probably learn more math if you need it -- just don't try to do both at the same time.

Nonetheless this is dissuaded, as well as utilizing one web browser per node is taken into consideration best practice for optimum efficiency. You can after that make use of the TestNG library to run your examinations on multiple nodes in parallel customarily. The simplest means to use these in a local Selenium Grid is to build a Docker Compose documents within the root directory site of your project. Call the documents docker-compose. yml to maintain points easy.

Java 7 can be set up on Lion and Mountain Lion to run applets. Lion and also Mountain can have both Java 6 and also Java 7 set up simultaneously.

And also, there will be much better assistance for Docker, parallel testing will be included natively, and also it will certainly give a much more useful UI. Request mapping with Hooks will certainly likewise help you to debug your grid. As any kind of examination automation engineer knows, waits are crucial to the security of your examination automation structure. They can additionally speed up your examination by making any kind of sleeps or pauses repetitive as well as get rid of sluggish network and cross-browser concerns.

Automation Testing Resources.

Is Java a good career choice?

Similar to COBOL, thousands of critical enterprise systems have been written in Java and will need to be maintained and enhanced for decades to come. I'd be surprised if it's not around for at least another 15 years. But it will change, and is changing.

However, as these are often made use of to develop screenshots of a solitary component, it deserves knowing that there will certainly additionally be an API command to capture a screenshot of an aspect in Selenium 4. The Selenium Grid will certainly be more steady and also less complicated to establish and handle in Selenium 4. Users will no more require to set up as well as begin nodes and also centers separately as the grid will certainly function as a consolidated node as well as center.

To get up as well as running, initially you need to have Docker as well as Docker Compose installed on your maker. If you're running Windows 10 or a Mac, then they will both be installed through the Docker Desktop. Selenium Grid is notoriously hard to set up, unpredictable, and difficult to either release, or version control, on a CI pipe. A much easier, maintainable and also stable way is to use the pre-built Selenium Docker images. This is important to making certain the continued extensive adoption of their structure within their business.

As a whole, puffed up, obsolete structures fall out of style quickly. He started at IBM, relocated to EADS, then Fujitsu, and also currently runs his own company.

Below are some suggestions to make your waits a lot more resistant. To produce a steady variation of the Grid for your CI pipe, it's likewise possible to deploy your Grid onto Kubernetes or Swarm. If they do fail, this makes sure that any type of Dockers are promptly recovered or changed. It deserves keeping in mind that it is feasible to have multiple web browsers running on each node.

Examination Automation With Selenium Webdriver.

I utilize TestNG as it's specifically created for Acceptance Examinations, while structures such as JUnit are commonly utilized for system testing.

One more excellent structure that is well worth exploring is Spock as it's very easy as well as very meaningful to review.

I would certainly likewise recommend setting a day to do this a minimum of once a year, although ideally it would be every 6 months.

Rest will certainly always stop for a collection amount of time before carrying out some code, while wait will just stop briefly execution until an anticipated condition happens or it breaks, whichever comes first.

You ought to never make use of sleep in an examination automation framework as you want your examinations to run as quick as feasible.

Google's Truth assertion collection is additionally an excellent way to compose readable examinations.

Check to make certain that you have actually the recommended version of Java mounted for your os. I wrote a publication that gets testers started with Java fast, is simple to adhere to, as well as has instances connected to their job. A driver.switchTo(). parentFrame() technique has been included in make frame navigating much easier. WebElement.getSize() and WebElement.getLocation() are now replaced with a single method WebElement.getRect().

Apple did not produce an Update 38 for the Mac, they maxed out at Update 37. On Windows, the Java runtime may or may not be pre-installed, the decision is left approximately the hardware maker. A Java variation 6 runtime was pre-installed by Apple on OS X Leopard as well as Snow Leopard, but starting with Lion, Apple stopped pre-installing Java. Java 6 can be mounted on Lion as well as Hill Lion, but it will certainly not run applets.

Leading Tips For Learning Java Programs.

You code as soon as, and the JVM does all the operate in making certain your amazing brand-new programme runs efficiently on any type of platform, whether Windows, Mac, Linux or Android mobile. Java is one of the most prominent shows language in use given that it's the only language that works across all computer system systems without requiring to be recompiled each. Obtain opleiding tester to 4,000+ top Udemy courses anytime, anywhere.

Check to guarantee that you have the advised version of Java set up on your Windows computer system and recognize any type of variations that run out date and should be uninstalled. We are not able to validate if Java is currently mounted and enabled in your web browser.

You do not need to have experience of doing this as your expertise of the technology will certainly be enough (we'll help you with the rest till you're up to speed). Teaching is our enthusiasm and we develop every training course so you can go back to square one, understanding nothing regarding a subject as well as come to be a specialist after the program as well as can deal with enterprise projects. You will certainly obtain the best in course assistance from the instructor for any concern you have actually connected to the training course.

Suggestion # 3: Chrome Devtools: Replicating Network Conditions

Where can I practice Java?

JavaScript can be used to do monotonous things like creating animation in HTML. In short, when it comes to how each programming language is used, Java is typically used for all server-side development, while creating client-side scripts for tasks such as JS validation and interactivity is reserved for.

Toptal handpicks leading Java programmers to suit your requirements. There's likewise a creative side to the role as you will certainly design training course content as well as add ideas for coding difficulties for the learners.

[gem-quest]

[ I N F E R N A  . . . ]

Real Name: Victoria Chang (goes by “Vicky”)

Age: 22

FC: Hoyeon Jung

Species & Class: Fire-Mage, Rogue

Guild: Obsidian

“Middle finger up, F you pay me”  —Blackpink, Boombayah  

Description of In-Game Powers: Inferna (Vicky) can generate and manipulate fire. She should theoretically be able to put it out, too, and control it in a more precise way, but so far, no luck. Over-using this ability results in dizziness and fatigue. 

In addition, Inferna has a natural affinity for fire-related ability scrolls, potions, and items. She is invulnerable to fire, though water and being underwater in general gives her up to -2 in defense.

Place of Birth: The suburbs surrounding Baltimore, USA

Appearance: Although Inferna’s natural hair color is black (technically, dark brown), she had it dyed red when she first got to college. In-game, she changes her hair color very often, utilizing a bunch of H-rank potions that are only there for cosmetic effects. She also gives herself a bunch of face tattoos in-game, just because she can. Currently, she has some of the lyrics from Blackpink’s DDU-DU DDU-DU tattooed around the area of her left eye, like so.

“I just think that it’s kind of lame that there isn’t even a Starbucks out here. I mean, all this fancy mead is fine and all, but sometimes I just really want a frap, you feel me?”

Places Most Likely to be Found In-Game: Inferna adores the Level 7 Tearoom. She’s always been keen on spilling the tea, both literally and metaphorically (plus the sweet treats don’t hurt!).

Inferna’s also a pretty regular sight in Yue City, trying to market her Inferna Sauce and Inferna Sriracha to beginner players.

Current Inventory: 

Flaming daggers x4

Regular daggers x2

Pocketknife x1

Silver dust x5

Dispelling amulet x1

Crossbow x1

Ignitium potion x2

Lock picking set x1

Ictuium potion x7

Black pearls x3

Blue pearls x3

“Inferna Sauce” (AKA hot sauce that tastes like Lao Gan Ma/chili sauce that she made using in-game ingredients to spice up the bland-ass white people food available in the marketplaces) x10

“Inferna’s Sriracha” (same deal ^^^) x14

Shortsword x1

Murmurationium x1

Assorted sweet treats from the Tearoom x22

+ assorted foodstuffs/drinks, and more coins than anyone would ever need because she’s such a goddamn hoarder

Strongest Character Trait: Flippant

“Leak college textbook pdf files, not nudes. Jeez.”

Strengths: Inferna’s a total boss at League of Legends (she was Diamond before she decided to check out Gem Quest), meaning that she’s pretty familiar with a lot of the game mechanics that GQ was founded on; in-game, she’s very good at appearing out of nowhere and then fucking off with whatever she decided that she wanted to steal; despite the fact that she thinks computer science is boring as all hell, she’s not bad at it - she hasn’t failed so far, which is a sign that she must be doing something right; somehow passing 3 years of CS courses means that Inferna’s pretty well-versed in a variety of programming languages (Python, Java, Haskell, Ruby, C++, etc); has a very good memory, despite her general flightiness; her in-game character is very speedy, if not always very stealthy; quick reflexes and good hand-eye coordination (Inferna would like to thank her eleven-odd years of playing League); a natural curiosity about the game has led to Inferna exploring all the little nooks and crannies of every level she’s been to so far, so she knows about many little secret passageways and the like

Weaknesses: In real life, Inferna’s primary motivations are 1) food, and 2) being petty, and this is definitely true in-game as well - the primary difference being that in real life, Inferna does not have the ability to whip out flaming daggers whenever she wants to; in general, Inferna is ready to throw hands way too often for it to be healthy; very reckless and impulsive; tends to jump to conclusions and rush into things without thinking it through; fickle as actual fuck; flighty and easily distracted; probably more fixated on trying all the pastries in the Tearoom than actually clearing the game; stubborn, headstrong, and bullheaded when she focuses on something long enough to decide that she wants it, no matter what - Inferna has a very ‘my way or the highway’ attitude; can and will pack so many meme and vine references into one sentence that it’s practically incomprehensible; what is self-control?; is avoiding all her responsibilities 24/7

Player Stats: Inferna’s got pretty high strength stats for her class, mostly because she decided to spec into fire-mage abilities (”Honestly, I just wanted to be like Uncle Iroh from ATLA and breathe flames from my mouth”), but her cautiousness is abnormally low for a rogue.

STRENGTH: 8

DEFENCE: 7

CHARISMA: 6

PSYCHE: 5

WILLPOWER: 7

CAUTIOUSNESS: 3

AGILITY: 9

ENDURANCE: 7

INTELLIGENCE: 6

LUCK: 5

Inferna’s general personality is better suited to being a Knight or a Rider, but on the intro screen she read that Rogues tended to get easy money, so she was immediately sold.

Personality: Well, to be perfectly frank, Inferna is...kind of a bitch (and, in real life, she was kind of an attention whore as a teenager, though she mellowed out a bit once she got to college). Inferna's perfectly aware of this, but she also like, doesn't care. With her sarcastic and irreverent sense of humor, Inferna is flippant and frivolous, always brushing other peoples' concerns and criticisms off with a breezy "eat a dick" (or something along those lines). Inferna is also a bit vain, especially when it comes to her hair, and has a very irreverent/ironic sense of humor (and she always appreciates a good nerdy science pun).

Although she really isn't the nicest person around, Inferna’s outgoing nature and spunky spontaneity (paired with a healthy dose of snarkiness) has still made her a couple of friends (and said friends are usually just as thick-skinned as Inferna can be). She's a bit too cocky and reckless for her own good, and she can be blunt to the point of being cruel. Inferna has no sense of tact nor subtlety whatsoever, and she means something when she says it. Inferna's not afraid of confronting someone head-on, and she has absolutely no patience for pussies who would rather subtweet her than talk trash to her face.

Flighty and fickle, Inferna's not always very good about texting back or making plans. She's extremely petty and makes way too many smart remarks for her own good, and has quite the temper on her - Inferna is both easily excited and easily angered, and can be rather capricious if she hasn’t had any coffee. However, she's also quick to forgive (if not necessarily to forget), and she can be surprisingly perceptive and observant sometimes. Inferna's a bit of a hypocrite in that she's not afraid to call out stupid bullshit when she sees it, but she's also very much full of bullshit herself, a fact that she will freely admit to. And although she doesn't seem to take anything seriously, Inferna can and will hold a grudge until the end of time if you piss her off enough.

Finally, some people can find her downright annoying, which Inferna is also perfectly fine with. She's quite self-aware, despite what one may think after interacting with her, and she's definitely not as clueless or oblivious as some people think she is-it's just a matter of if she cares enough to confront somebody about something. And, spoiler alert: nine times out of ten, she doesn't.

“I do things for two reasons, and two reasons only: 1) spite, 2) the aesthetic. That’s it.” 

Biography: Inferna had a pretty normal childhood, all things considered; she was a rebellious kid for sure, but her parents were patient with her and let her do what she wanted, so long as her grades didn’t slip (granted, her mom was pretty pissed when she decided that she wanted red hair on a whim one day and just went ahead and got it dyed, but beyond an annoying lecture, there were no other consequences). Inferna got into the gaming scene pretty quickly as a kid - she passed over stupid games like Call of Duty for ones where she could fuck people up and look cute, like League of Legends or World of Warcraft. 

Inferna got into a fairly decent public university in Baltimore, and was subsequently pressured into pursuing an undergrad degree in computer science by her parents. Inferna thinks that CS is alright - it’s not her favorite thing in the world, but it’s not unbearably boring like reading wack ass Shakespeare plays and then bullshitting a 2000-word essay about it - and so far, she’s passed all her classes. Which has to count for something, right?

Inferna decided to check out Gem Quest not long after it was released to the public, during the summer after her sophomore year of college. The only reason she really decided to was because she was tired of forking over $10 for each damn skin in League, and with a game like League, what was the fucking point if she couldn’t have a cute character? She slowly got more into it as time went on - the character customization options were absolutely gorgeous, plus she liked being able to actually sample the in-game foods - and it was strangely freeing, in a way, to be able to go on her own adventures and explore everything the levels had to offer. A way better use of her time than sitting in the library trying to debug her goddamn code, in Inferna’s opinion.

As Inferna began to take Gem Quest more seriously, she built a reputation for herself as That Bitch (TM).Thanks to her penchant of hoarding items and coins, she has gotten quite coin-rich, and thanks to her affinity with games that were similar to Gem Quest, she quickly advanced through the easier levels. 

Inferna was...surprisingly nonchalant, regarding G’s recent announcement that players could not freely leave the game anymore. She figures that if something horrible happens, she can always steal a relinquium potion from some rando, but until then, she’s just going to enjoy life. G told the real world about the development, Inferna’s assuming, meaning that her parents won’t be expecting her anytime soon. It’s selfish of her to just leave them out there worrying about her, really, but Inferna doesn’t want to go back to the real world, not just yet - one day, she’ll steal that relinquium potion and finish her degree like she’s supposed to, get a 9-5 office job like she’s supposed to, spend all her time on boring software development like she’s supposed to - but right now, she just wants to have some fun.

Relationships:

ENTHRONED - Inferna met Neddy for the first time in Finvarra’s Gardens (Level 10), which Inferna beat a long time ago but returned to because she remembered that the level had the most gorgeous pastries (she forgot that eating/drinking anything would trap her on the level for the rest of the game). Neddy reminded her of that rule, and Inferna spent an inordinate amount of time fawning over Jack like he was a puppy (before asking to ride him, which Neddy agreed to). Inferna thinks Neddy is super cute and generally likes both her and Jack.

Eventually: realizing that Inferna and Plagueis have run into each other before + Inferna has heard the rumors about him and Bloodbriars having the Supernova scroll, Inferna helping Neddy beat Level 30 because she thinks dodgeball is fun

MORNINGSTAR - Inferna met Morningstar in the depths of the Descend one day before the first event. Noticing Morningstar’s potioneering supplies, Inferna asked her if she had anything that would “make it feel like being high on weed, not this red gas stuff that’ll probably give me cancer” (Inferna’s not like, that big on weed, but she likes it on occasion, and kind of misses getting high). 

Eventually: form a small two-person party together, Morn being all starry-eyed about Inferna telling her about how she’s fucked around in general (going to college parties, getting absolutely wasted, getting twisted, just generally dumb college freshman shit), somehow realizing that Inferna knows Emily through a League Discord server

CHAR -

Playlist:

"DDU-DU DDU-DU” by Blackpink

“Fire” by 2NE1

“Friends and Foes” by Higher Brothers ft. Snoop Dogg

“Dalla Dalla” by Itzy

“Icy” by Itzy

“My New Swag” by VAVA ft. Nina Wang & Ty

“Solo” by Jennie of Blackpink

“Boombayah” by Blackpink

“Just Like Fire” by Pink

“High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ayzrules/leak-college-textbook-pdf-files-not-nudes-gq/

[ask-the-phan-site]

Phan Cam: We ain’t your ordinary Rugrats

WARNING: SOME PERSONA 5 ROYAL SPOILERS AHEAD.

>We arrive at a place called Java Lava Coffee House. We came here to learn a little more about our target, Coco La Bouche.

Let’s see, we need to find her old employee. If anyone knows more about what kind of person who old boss is, she might.

It’s a good thing they’re closing early today, we might get our chance.

How are we going to do this? Mrs. Finster isn’t going to just tell us without a good reason.

Leave that to me.

>We go inside.

Welcome to Java Lava! Sorry, but we’re closin’ soon. So what are- Wait a sec... Holy Cow, you’re the Detective Prince, Goro Akechi!

Crow: Glad to see that I’m known even here.

Loud Woman: So, what’ll ya have? For you, I’ll put it on the house.

Crow: I’m actually here to see your employer, Mrs. Finster?

Loud Woman: Alrighty then. Hey, Kira, someone’s here to see ya! You’ll never guess who it is!

>Then, a woman comes from the back.

Yes, Betty, what is it? Goro Akechi?

Crow: Kira Watanabe-Finster? If it’s alright, I would like to talk to you.

Kira: Alright.

>Kira and the woman known as Betty clears the rest of their customers out and put up the closed sign.

Kira: What is it you want to talk about?

Crow: It’s about your former employer, Madame Coco LaBouche?

>Hearing this, both Kira and Betty go silent.

Guess I’m on the right track.

Kira: I guess... You know.

Crow: About what she did to you and your husband years ago? Yes. I did research. But I here she’s still not over it.

Kira: Then you also know that... That me, Kimi, Chas, Chuckie have been getting threats.. And in her handwriting. Here’s the latest one.

>Kira hands Crow a letter.

Miroir miroir sur le mur, Qui est la vraie reine de tous?

L'envie est mon nouvel amour. Il me donne le pouvoir d'en haut.

La luxure sera mon meilleur ami. Avec cela, vous rencontrerez votre fin.

Finsters, votre temps est venu. J'aurai ma vengeance. Vous allez tout perdre.

Exactement comme moi.

Crow: My French is a little rusty.

Noir: I can read it. I’ve studied French.

>Noir reads the letter.

Mirror mirror on the wall, Who is the true queen of all?

Envy is my new love. He gives me power from above.

Lust shall be my best friend. With it, you will meet your end.

Finsters, your time has come. I will have my vengeance. You will lose everything.

Just like me.

Kira: I just don’t know what she means. She loves being jealous of me? And how is lust going to hurt us?

Crow: Then I don’t suppose of heard of this man.

Kira: I think I have. There’s a picture of him Coco kept in her desk.

Betty: That looks like Lucas Brimstone.

Kira: I think that’s sounds familiar.

Betty: You should. He the Minister of Envy, one of the highest members of L.E.G.I.O.N.

Queen: The League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations? I have heard of them from my father’s old files. I think one of them also talked about Lucas Brimstone. He’s English, was the CEO of Brimstone Industries, and the ministry he leads are known for intelligence gathering and assassination. But what does he have to do with Coco LaBouche?

Lucky for you, I also did research. As of last year, Coco LaBouche and Lucas Brimstone...

Are husband and wife!

Kira: (surprised) I didn’t know she got married.

Crow: But I doubt she has gotten over what happened that day in Paris with you and Chas. I can only guess what happened next. After L.E.G.I.O.N.’s attack on Paris, Madame LaBouche must have gotten mixed up with them and met up with Brimstone.

Queen: But if she already had a picture of him, I guess she already knew him.

??????? and ??????: Indeed she does.

>We were shocked by the two newcomers.

Grandma Lindsay? Grandma Martha?

Betty: How did you two get in here? Guess I forgot to lock the door.

Lindsay: Can really expect a couple of old biddies to recall everything that’s happened?

What are you two doing here?

Martha: We were just in the neighborhood and we saw you.

Lindsay: So we thought we would drop by and see how you are doing. We heard you were speaking of Coco LaBouche and Lucas Brimstone.

Martha: So, as fortunetellers, we might know of some things that might help.

Joker: Well, I normally have another who does my fortunes, but I guess I can ask you. I don’t want to take too much of her time by having her come all the way to America...

Bruce san will be disappointed.

Martha: Very well. Would you like to speak to Lindsay?

Lindsay: Would you like to speak to Martha?

>We’re listening.

Lindsay: Did you know that Coco LaBouche and Lucas Brimstone know each other since high school.

Martha: Coco LaBouche and Lucas Brimstone were both students at Francoise Dupont High School... As was Madame Coco’s rival.

Lindsay: She was the one who one Mr. Lucas’s affection and became... his first wife.

Persephone.

Martha: Yes. They both were after Mr. Lucas’s heart. In the end. Ms. Persephone came out the victor.

Lindsay: Since then, Madame Coco buried herself in her work with Yamaguchi Industries which was a big rival Brimstone Industries. And in time, she became head of EuroReptarland.

Martha: And the rest is history.

Crow: Indeed it is. Persephone and Brimstone were married and they joined L.E.G.I.O.N. Brimstone became the Minister of Envy and Persephone became the Minister of Gluttony who deal with theft. Then came Devil’s Night, an even in which L.E.G.I.O.N. unleashed a worldwide attack. When Persephone saw this, she felt nothing but remorse for it and left L.E.G.I.O.N. and Brimstone. This only made him angry and attacked Paris. This convinced Persephone that it was time to take down L.E.G.I.O.N...

And M.A.Y.H.E.M. was born.

M.A.Y.H.E.M.?

Crow: Multinational Agency for Hunting Evil Masterminds. My guess is that they met up again after the attack. Sensing how much they were hurt, they got together. And then, got married last year. Followed by L.E.G.I.O.N. gaining a new ministry, the Ministry of Lust... With Coco LaBouche being its minister.

Oracle: And my guess is that for their one year anniversary, they’re going to get rid of the people who they believe gave them the most grief. And judging by the threats the Finsters got, they’re first. They’ll get rid of Persephone later.

Kira: This is terrible. Should we tell this M.A.Y.H.E.M.?

Violet: I doubt such a big organization is going to waste their time on a revenge plot for something like this. Do you even know what the Ministry of Lust does? ... White collar crime.

Oracle: My guess is, that “Cucu” lady might try to steal your identity to frame you for a crime. Do some kind of fraud job. Or even bribe someone to take you down.

Betty: I think I know how the bribery fits into this. The cafe’s annual health inspection is comin’ up. Coco might try to bribe the inspector to fail us. That will close down this place.

Kira: She’s right. This cafe is all me and Chas have left. It’s our sole source of income. If we lose it, we might lose everything. I know we have each other, but I don’t want us to end up on the streets.

Betty: Now Kira, you know we won’t let that happen.

Besides... I hear the Phantom Thieves might do something about it.

Kira: Can they really? I’ve heard of them online, but can they really stop Coco?

Crow: If they succeed in giving her a change of heart, yes.

??????????: Perhaps. Men once called her a heartless shrewd, but I guess getting married changed that.

Betty: Now I really wish I remembered to lock that door!

I doubt it wold have made a difference.

Kira: And we don’t permit smoking here.

Right, sorry about that.

Violet: (surprised) I guess I was wrong. M.A.Y.H.E.M. would help with something like this.

Persephone: (putting our her cigarette stick) My ex-husband marries my old rival and plans to surprise her by giving her the power to destroy her enemies as an anniversary gift and I wouldn’t know about it?

Kira: So, what will you do about it?

Persephone: ... We might come up with something soon. Right now, you should relax. Your family is already worried about these threats, they don’t need more worrying over you.

Kira: Al- Alright. Just do it. Not just for me and Chas... But for our children.

Persephone: Rest assure, we will.

Betty: And in case M.A.Y.H.E.M. is lookin’ for more members, I think I might be available.

Friday: ... You should know, we won’t compensate your family if anything happens to you.

Betty: ... Strike that. Never mind.

Joker: Right. We should-

>I see that Grandma Lindsay and Grandma Martha have already left... But I’m sure we might see them again.

>Out side after Kira and Betty left, Persephone and Friday have us follow them to the park.

I take it you want to talk to us.

Persephone: Quick to the point. (lights up her cigarette stick) Just what I’d expect from the Phantom Thieves.

I’m not actually surprised that you know who we are. You guys are a multinational organization after all.

Persephone: Actually... You just told us.

Oh, crap.

Friday: Forgive us. But we learned you might try to steal Coco LaBouche’s heart after our hacker found your website. The request that was made.

Oracle: By your hacker, you’re talking about Safeword.

Friday: So you know her?

We’ve crossed codes before. Along with a few others.

Still, what do you want to talk to us about? Are you here to arrest us? Or help us?

Friday: Believe it or not, it’s the latter. We know we can’t actually take down Ms. LaBouche and the Ministry of Lust. They already learned too well from when we dealt with the Ministry of Pride back in South Korea. And since they deal with white collar crimes, they can’t actually be charged with anything... Unless Ms. Labouche confesses to it. But that’s where you come in.

Joker: What can you do for us? I doubt you know how we change people’s hearts.

Persephone: Do we now?

>Suddenly, in a flash of light, we were somewhere else.

Joker: (overwhelmed) Th- This is...

???????: It sure seems that way.

Mitsuru san?

Yes, I am here, too. When they found out you might be targeting someone from L.E.G.I.O.N., I thought I might be needed. And it looks like I was right.

Joker: So does this mean M.A.Y.H.E.M. now knows about Personas and Shadows?

Mitsuru: No, but I will explain it to them now.

>After explaining for about an hour, I think they and pretty much any agent who heard us over their com links got the gist of it.

Whoa! That’s quite the story.

Friday: Yes. To know that there’s a world made from human cognition, and you can summon the power of your hearts to create a being to fight? It just takes my breath away.

Panther: I know. I couldn’t believe it either the first time. But after seeing it and gaining my Persona, I’m kind of use to it now.

Friday: So you’ll be using this place to change LaBouche’s heart?

Joker: That’s how we usually do it. And we better do it or there’s a family that’s going to suffer. After learning more about Coco LaBouche, I think we can get a grasp on the keywords to enter her Palace. She thinks she still deserves to become CEO of a Japanese corporation. Maybe... A feudal lord’s home.

Nav: Candidate found.

Mona: Now we have the who and the what. We just need the where.

Persephone: I think I know.

Joker: What is it?

Persephone: As a wedding present and to honor the creation of the Ministry of Lust, the Morningstar gave Coco... her own A.R.K.

Joker: Let’s try it out.

>I enter the word.

Nav: Results found. Updating guidance system.

It;s a hit. It’s go time!

Friday: Hold on, I know you’ll go to that world to change hearts, but you’re still going up against L.E.G.I.O.N. The least you can do is let us help you. So, we had Gremlin make something for you on the fly.

But because I had to work quickly, they haven’t been tested yet... No time like the present.

>Gremlin shows us what looked M.A.Y.H.E.M. versions of our Phantom Thieves outfits with agency’s colors: black, purple, and white with the agency’s white fleur-de-lis on the backs.

For real!? You made these!?

(on screen) We took the inspiration from your video calling cards. By the way, it’s nice to finally see you face to face, Alibaba.

Likewise, Safeword.

Gremlin: Actually, me, Safeword, Mixer, and Joule were already fans of you guys and already had this idea in mind.

(also on screen) Having a fashion designing mother does come in handy. But the rest, like the engineering and the technology in it, are all me and Gremlin. The measurements? That was left to Safeword and Mixer.

Mixer: And I gotta say, the girls’ measurements are wicked. Especially Takamaki’s.

WHAT!?

Safeword: Relax, he’s kidding. I did the girls’ measurements. I stuck Mixer with the guys’.

Mixer: (a little disappointed) It was a real bummer. Though, I was a bit surprised to find that their asses are... Enough. And your...

>Me and the other guys just blushed and were silent.

(also on screen) We Japanese grow off, not show off. We’ll leave it at that.

Mixer: (intimidated) Whatever you say.

(whisper) Thank you.

>We gain the Thieves of M.A.Y.H.E.M. Costume Set.

Gremlin: I’ll give you a quick run down on the works. Listen up.

Tutorial

The Thieves of M.A.Y.H.E.M. Costumes all have two of the same features: They improve your stealth and they enhance your Persona’s elemental attributes and affinities.

Of course, each suit also has their own individual ability.

Joker’s suit can let him use his Third Eye to get a grasp of a Palace floor’s layout without a map. But you’ll still need to find a map as this ability tends to be inaccurate.

Skull’s suit can enhance his leg muscle so the chances of him landing a critical hit increases and raises his evasion.

Panther’s suit changes her appearance so she can go near enemies without being noticed.

Fox’s suit can create decoys to lure enemies away.

Queen’s suit enhance her physical capabilities. Basically, it’s Attack Master, Defense Master, and Speed Master all at once.

Oracle’s suit grants her the ability, Palace Scan (similar to Mementos Scan). However, she can only use it once per visit.

Noir’s suit empowers her axe so she can bust through walls that hide secrets. It can also enhance her chances of landing a critical hit.

Crow’s suit can let him shoot an enemy from a hiding place for an ambush.

Mona’s suit grants his Persona the Skill, Traesto. This will allow you to escape a dungeon at the cost of 18 SP.

Violet’s suit allows her attacks to inflict Dizzy or Confusion.

Gremlin: There’s something else as well. You know how you guys use infiltration tools and other gadgets like your grappling guns? Well, Mona’s and Oracle’s suits comes with a portable work stations so you can make tools and work on gadgets in the Metaverse.

Joule: But keep in mind the only places you can do those things are in Safe Rooms and Waiting Rooms. But if you want to do it on the field, be sure to have Fox with you.

No arguments from me.

Same here.

Friday: Right, that is all we can provide you.

Mitsuru: The technology in your suits are powered by Papillon Heats. All that’s left to do is wish you all luck.

Joker: Thanks. Now let’s do it!

Phantom Thieves: Yeah!

>Coco LaBouche’s A.R.K. Some cyborg guy called Quartermile drops us off here in what I can only describe as a flying limo.

Buona fortuna, amici miei. Radio us when you’re ready to return.

Queen: Grazie.

Quartermile: Prego, signora.

>With that, he takes off.

Joker: Alright, let’s do this.

Nav: Beginning navigation.

>After the familiar red wave passes, we were now at Japanese fortress with a Reptar theme.

(Insert song: A Woman)

(imagine her and us in M.A.Y.H.E.M. versions of our outfits) I guess she really poured her heart and soul into her old job. I wonder what ever happened to this franchise.

After a lawsuit was filed because Reptar was way too similar to another kaiju, everyone just lost interest. Mr. Yamaguchi tried to bring it back, but he passed away before he could get the chance. And since he never found his successor before then, his company was bought out and just ceased to exist. And that was the end of Reptar.

Well that’s a shame. Sis used to tell me how when she was younger, she and Dad would get treats after she had a big test at school. And some of those treats were Reptar Bars.

Oracle: They have the recipe online. You can just make her some. Especially what with Christmas coming up.

Really? I’ll have to remember that.

Yeah, I might even make some for these heists.

And White Day. You still owe us girls.

>Actually, I’m not even gonna.

Anyways, let’s have a look around and see if we can find a way to establish a route to the Treasure.

>We look around. Look like these suit really do help. We managed to get past some of the Shadows (which all look like samurais and ninjas themed after Reptar) with ease. I used my Third Eye and I managed to find some rooms with treasures. One of which lead to a crazy strong Treasure Demon which almost killed us. Luckily, we got away from it. When we had to face regular Shadows, Skull proved quite good with critical hits and evade the enemies’ attacks. In times where we can’t hide, Panther took on the Shadows’ form and helped us get through. When we reached enemies we can’t fight and can’t be fooled by Panther, Fox sent his decoys to lure them away. Queen’s stats were incredible in battle. When we reached another part of the Palace, Oracle scanned it and we found more treasure chests. And with it, Noir found secrets places. Even one with an Ishi. Also, when it lead us to a Treasure Demon, Noir did a great critical hit. Speaking of more enemies, Crow managed to snipe one for an ambush. And in that battle, Violet inflicted Dizzy and Confusion on them. After awhile, we find a Safe Room.

(signing in exhaustion) Finally, we’re here.

But you have to admit, these suits really are helpful. I want to try out that tool making station.

If only Harry, Blurr, and Overflow can see me now.

Heck, if only Bald Cape could see me.

And maybe Mumen Rider.

Joker: Two more connections?

Crow: Seems like it.

Fox: I wonder if Kanji would be impressed about my decoys. Or Aleksei... Or Jotaro Kujo...

Would Cor be interested as well?

Yusuke, you too?

Fox: I haven’t been entirely honest with you. I’ve been having dreams of them. Just like with Skull and Crow. This has been going on ever since the day you were to return home. On our way back to your home town, you sang that song, Hoshi To Bokura To.

Violet: (puzzled) I don’t remember that.

It happened in the original game.

Queen: Though in the new one, that never happened. But I guess he still sang and we heard him... During that final battle.

Which we will not be talking about to avoid spoilers.

Noir: Anyway, I still can’t believe it was Joker’s singing that made those connections.

Joker: I know. I talked to Lavenza about it and she said, “It took you long enough. I found out on the second day of the Dream Festival. It seems that you have gained a unique new way of creating connections. And now that you are aware of it, you can now control it. You can now sing without the fear of forming connections without your knowledge.”

Queen: Did she say how you gained that power?

Joker: She says it’s most likely because of this.

Mona: The World Arcana?

Crow: Our friend, Yu Narukamai also has the World Arcana, yet his singing doesn’t do what Joker’s does.

Joker: Lavenza says each Wild Card who gains the World gains a new ability unique only to that Wild Card. Yu’s power is to seek out and recall lost bonds, whether they’re his own or another’s. Aigis can feel true empathy, Lavenza’s sister can traverse different world’s, and a previous guest of the Velvet Room can keep disaster at bay.

Crow: I see...

I wonder what power I would get if I obtain the World Arcana? I also have the Wild Card if you have forgotten.

I’m sure we’ll know soon enough.

Mona: Right now, I want to see how this work station works.

>After a while, we managed to make a few Lockpicks and we did some improvements on our grappling guns.

Oracle: We really have to thank Safeword, Joule, and Gremlin for this.

Crow: Let’s not forget Mixer. He also had a hand in this.

Oracle: Okay, we’ll thank him, too. Anyway, it looks like we’re nearing some early point. Shall we get going?

Joker: We will, but first, some Rejuvenating IV.

>After some healing, we went to the point Oracle was talking about.

Panther: What are they?

>Looking down from a balcony, we find robotic Reptars walking around. Then, we hear a voice in a French accent coming from some speakers nearby.

Woman’s voice: What are you waiting for? Get off your posteriors and get the show on the road! We have a revenge plot to carry out! TOUT DE SUITE!

Violet: (sounding hurt) I take it that’s our target.

Oracle: Pretty much.

>Then, a Reptar falls over and breaks apart.

Coco’s voice: How dare you fail on the job! You’re fired! VOUS ÊTES VIRÉ!

>Then, the Reptar explodes in blazing inferno.

Holy shit! When says “fired”, she really means it!

This is terrible. This is no different from my father’s Palace.

>I could tell that Noir was upset.

Joker: I’m sure this time it will be different.

He’s right, just have faith and believe.

Noir: I... I know.

Thank you.

Voice behind us: Hey, you!

>It was a couple of Shadows.

Shadow 1: You’ve been causing too much trouble for the boss.

Shadow 2: I think it’s time we kick you out.

Shadows: Petites souris!

Oracle: Persona!

>Necronomicon scans the Shadows.

REMINDER: THE OFFICIAL STATS FOR CAIT SITH HAVE NOT YET BEEN SHOWN, SO WE’RE JUST GOING TO GO WITH WHAT SKILLS AND WEAKNESSES IT MIGHT HAVE.

Oracle: I’ve got it. It’s weak to Bless Skills. And... Hold on! I’m sensing something else. But I may have to go higher for it. Even higher than Ultimate.

>Oracle goes Third Tier.

Oracle: PERSONA!

>Al Azif scans again. Then, one of the Cait Siths 

Oracle: Thought so! That Cait Sith’s a Kyouma. Everyone, be careful. If you attack it, it will attack stronger than ever.

Crow: Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.

Violet: Then let’s do this!

>Crow and Violet both go Third Tier.

Crow and Violet: PERSONA!

Queen: (also going Third Tier) I’m fighting as well. PERSONA!

>I change Personas.

>Cait Sith uses Lucky Punch on me. Luckily, it didn’t knock me down. Kyouma Cait Sith did nothing. Hereward uses Kougaon on Cait Sith. It was knocked down. We don’t attack the Kyouma Cait Sith, but Crow passes the baton to Queen and Agnes uses Marakukaja. Ella uses Sword Dance on the Downed Cait Sith. Agnes uses Freidyne on the Downed Cait Sith. Then, Melchizedek uses Hamaon on Kyouma Cait Sith. It wasn’t an instant kill, but it did drop its HP to 1 with a knock down.

Joker: Let’s do this!

>After the attack, the Kyouma Cait Sith exploded and the other Cait Sith was gone.

WARNING!

>Two more Cait Siths come. Luckily, none of them are Kyouma.

Crow: Not to worry, I can handle this.

Joker: Are you sure?

Crow: I’ll be fine. Here goes... BLACK MASK!

Oracle: Whoa! Crow, your reading are really high!

You haven’t seen anything yet. Now, Hereward!

>Hereward uses Rebel’s Blade on one of the Cait Siths. It is knocked down. Crow passes the baton to me. Melchizedek uses Mahamaon. It missed both of them. Ella tries to use Kougaon on the still standing Cait Sith. But it dodged it. Agnes tries to use Flash Bomb, but it dodged again. Melchizedek uses God’s Hand. It took a huge chunk of the Cait Sith’s health.

Cait Sith 1: (getting back up) We’re not done here. VIVRE MADAME COCO!

>Cait Sith 1 uses Mediarama. Cait Sith 2 uses Trapped Rat on me.

*squeak*

Queen: That can’t be good.

Crow: I’ve got us covered. No mouse is getting eaten in this fight.

>Hereward uses Heat Raiser on Queen. Ella uses Vajra Blast. Cait Sith 2 is knocked down in a critical hit. Violet passes the baton to Queen. Agnes uses Marakukaja. Then, she uses Mediarama. I obviously can’t do anything in mouse form. Cait Sith 1 tries to use Double Fangs on me. Luckily, I dodge it. Cait Sith 2 gets back up and tries to use Trapped Rat on Queen. Luckily, it missed. Hereward uses Brave Blade on Cait Sith 1. Ella uses Kougaon on that same Cait Sith and knocks it down. Violet defends herself. So does Queen. I change back.

Joker: Okay, enough is enough. Let’s finish this. Melchizedek!

>Melchizedek uses God’s Hand on Cait Sith 2. It knocks it down.

Joker: Let’s do it!

>After the attack, the two Cait Sith were still up.

Crow: I still have some time left in Black Mask Mode. Joker, shall we?

Violet: Really? I was hoping me and senpai would finish this.

>>Crow >Violet

Joker: I guess I can have Crow help me.

Crow: Then let’s do this! Bring forth the pain!

>And with that, the battle’s over.

Skull: Man that was tough!

Noir: Either way, I think we have more firm grasp on the kind of person Coco LaBouche is.

Panther: Yeah...

She’s a total bitch.

Queen: No arguments here.

Mona: All this just because she got spurned. We can’t just let her go ding whatever she wants just because she has the power.

Right, we’ll change her heart before she hurts the Finsters and their love for each other.

Phantom Thieves: Yeah!

Mona: Alright, let’s head back for now. We’ve explored all that we can. Zorro, Traesto!

>In a flash, we were back at the entrance. There, we return to the real world.

Queen: Quartermile san, avremo bisogno di un ritiro, per favore.

>Meanwhile, in her A.R.K.’s bridge, Coco could have sworn she felt something pass her. Then, her assistant, Jean-Claude, sees something.

Madame, it appears someone was just on our ship.

It would appear so... Do something about it! For all we know, it could be M.A.Y.H.E.M.! Could any of you  be so incompetent!?

?????????: Guess good help is hard to find these days, eh love?

Coco: Ah, my dear husband. How was your trip?

I get the feeling some people in a small nation in Europe won’t be missing their prime minister too much.

Coco: (impressed) Tu es tellement incorrigible, mon amour.

Brimstone: By the way, I just thought I should tell you.

Coco: And what is that?

Brimstone: Well, my sources tell me that... The Phantom Thieves of Hearts has selected you as their next target. I suggest we be careful from this point on. I even got word just now that they’ve teamed up with M.A.Y.H.E.M. to do so.

Coco: I like to see them try. But since M.A.Y.H.E.M. seems to be on their side, I suppose I should be cautious. I refused to let a bunch of masked buffoons get in the way of my revenge. (making a dangerous look) No matter what. (back to a friendly position) Now, about my Christmas gift for L.E.G.I.O.N.

Brimstone: I still can’t believe you’re going to do that. I know he was L.E.G.I.O.N.’s most popular agent, and he was one of the Ministry of Pride’s top lieutenants, but still... I thought the Ministry of Lust did white collar crimes.

Coco: (being flirty) You’d be surprised by what that could do. Just have to know what you’re doing. Trust me... They’ll love it.

>She then takes something out.

>To be continued...

[bytheangell]

This Is the Coda That Never Ends... part 23

(Read on AO3) (Read from the start)

Simon thinks that his trip to spread the word about the whole ‘Clary Situation’ to the Downworld Leaders on behalf of Isabelle and the Institute goes pretty well. Meliorn is, well, Meliorn, but that’s fine. Lily is pleasant enough, with her usual teasing edge that he’s grown pretty used to this past year. In fact, it always feels a little like Clary’s friendly, sister-like teasing, which helps because despite his tendency to gravitate towards the Shadowhunters even without Clary being among them, well, he is still a vampire and he does still need that support system on his side. He doesn’t need to speak with Lorenzo, he got filled in on his own after everything with Clary at the Institute and the memory demon, and of course he’ll use any excuse to visit Maia who he doesn’t seen half as much as he wishes he did these days.

It’s a busy day, which is good, because the moment he’s back at his apartment at the end of it all he can think about is how much he wishes he could go back to the Institute and hang out for a while. He knows why he can’t. He gets it, really he does. But it still sucks. Having Isabelle and Jace to distract him was the only thing keeping him from thinking about Clary, and now he’s stuck thinking about how he doesn’t have any of them right now. 

He’s tempted to call his sister and check in on things in Florida, but decides against it. Not while he’s being all mopey, since those conversations always have their own hints of sadness to them, no matter how nice it is to hear his sister’s voice after a while. 

Instead Simon turns to the tried-and-true world of sci-fi movies, popping in one of the original Star Wars dvds he keeps around when he needs background noise, alternating between listening to it and plucking away at a few new ideas on his guitar. And then he switches to sketching some stuff for a new graphic novel idea he has… and then he starts playing a video game instead. 

He can’t focus on any one thing because none of them are what he really wants to be doing, and he can’t seem to get invested in any of it. 

He’s about to just give up and see if he can swing by the Institute anyway when his phone starts to ring. The name on the screen is the last he expects to see, and it rings three more times before he breaks himself out of his shock to swipe the call open. 

“Clary?” he says, his tone a failed attempt at casual even though he’s afraid that he’ll spook her by sounding as excited as he feels just then. 

“Hey Simon,” Clary says. It’s all she says at first and a silence hangs over the line after, one that Simon isn’t quite sure how to fill. Still, talking is one of his strong suits, and nervous rambling a niche he’s pretty well known for, so he dives right in anyway. 

“How are you feeling? I know you seemed fine when you left last night, but, well, I guess fine is pretty relative right now.” 

“I’m alright,” Clary says before lapsing back into silence. “Sorry. I know I’m the one who called you, but I just-- I wanted to hear your voice again. And say sorry for running out the way I did.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to apologize, I totally get it. It’s a lot, everything you’re sort of remembering, and then to find out you had this, like, whole part of your childhood that you didn’t even remember even though it was just us being silly in coffee shops and stuff. I’m sure all that needs some time to process.” 

“Yeah, it does. And I am still letting it all sink in. But I… I don’t know. I went to paint today and I just felt so overwhelmed by everything, and my first instinct wasn’t to call my roommate this time, it was to call you. So I did.” 

Simon knows he shouldn’t be happy that she feels overwhelmed, which is why it’s a very good thing that she can’t see the way he beams to himself over the knowledge that he’d the first one she wants to turn to now. 

“I’m glad you did, Clary. That’s what best friends are for.” 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Clary says, and there’s something about the hesitance behind her words, the uncertainty in her tone, that makes Simon’s good mood plummet. He’s relieved that she doesn’t seem to totally hate him for the role he played in taking her memories, but that doesn’t make them best friends again overnight. 

“Listen, can we meet up, and talk? Are you busy?” Clary asks. 

“I think I can pencil you in,” Simon says, glancing around his apartment at the chaos of discarded distraction attempts. “Should I come to you?” He suggests hopefully, not wanting to have to try and clean up his entire life in the next 10 minutes. 

“How about we meet at Java Jones?” Clary suggests, which works just as well. 

“Perfect. I’ll meet you there.” 

They hang up and Simon makes sure he’s vaguely presentable before making his way to the familiar coffee shop, tossing his messenger bag onto his and Clary’s old usual table and ordering Clary’s drink which finish just as she makes her way in through the door. 

“Here you go, one black coffee, just the way you like it,” he says, handing it over. 

“Thanks,” she says, instinctively taking a seat at the table where Simon’s bag is without him needing to point out he saved it for them. “And thanks for meeting me with like, no notice. I just didn’t want to stay in the studio and I didn’t want to go back to my room just yet. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything...”

Simon shakes his head. “Not at all. Honestly, I’ve been bored out of my mind for the last three hours, so I should be the one thanking you,” he admits. 

“This is all just so weird. I know we’re close, and I have all these memories of us falling back into place now, but then I think about how I spent the last year not knowing you exist when we grew up together our entire lives! Tell me this isn’t weird for you, too?” Clary asks. 

“It is a little, yeah. But I’ll take weird over you not knowing I exist any day,” he admits. 

Clary bites down on her lower lip and fidgets with the edges of the plastic lid on her coffee cup. Simon can read her tells enough to know she’s upset about something, and suddenly fears that the something is him. 

“If this is too much, just tell me, okay?” 

“It isn’t that, it’s just-- I could see the way you and Isabelle and Magnus looked at me last night. There was so much expectation there, and I can’t- I hate that I can’t be whatever it is everyone expects me to be.” She sighs. “I’m trying, but the more I try the more it backfires. I’m starting to wonder if I should even be talking to you now.” 

Simon shakes his head immediately. “We don’t expect anything from you. If you don’t want to remember, that’s one thing. No one is going to make you keep trying if you just want to go back to school and look the other way.” It hurts him to even say that, but it’s true. This isn’t about them, it’s about Clary. Getting these memories back, if it’s possible at all, isn’t going to be an easy road from the looks of things. So if she changed her mind about wanting them back…

“How am I supposed to know if I want them back when I don’t know what they are?” Clary asks suddenly, and that idea stops Simon’s thoughts dead in their tracks. He thinks about the way she lost her mother, about how she almost lost Jace, about what she had to do to Valentine, and Jonathan…  

Would she be better off not remembering, even if she wants to? 

But he’s learned his lesson in making decisions for Clary, no matter how much he thinks he might have the right idea. He hopes they all have. 

“I can’t tell you that. But you don’t have to know now, either. You were right to want to leave and take some time.” 

Clary nods, looking a little relieved at that. They decide to get some fresh air, walking and talking about a little of everything - some of it about their childhood, some questions Clary has about those places she keeps being drawn to. Simon gives vague answers, wanting to help but knowing that he can’t say too much, not until someone has a better idea of exactly what’s happening with Clary’s memory and the way it’s coming back all painful and in pieces. He can’t risk saying the wrong thing, or too much, and sending her into some memory-overload coma or something. 

He’s very, very vaguely saying something about magic and warlocks after Clary brings up Magnus when he feels eyes on him. 

That’s when Simon notices them. He isn’t sure at first, but the hint of angel blood in the air increases the closer they get. It’s such a faint distinction from normal human blood but Simon spends enough time surrounded by it to be able to pick it out of a crowd by now, a skill he never imagined would come in handy before now. 

He spins around as they walk, walking backwards to face Clary as he talks, but in reality he’s looking behind them to spot the two Shadowhunters trailing them. He sees them almost immediately - another benefit to spending so much time around the Institute, he can recognize most of the active Shadowhunters now, and two familiar faces avert their gaze in an attempt to avoid detection. 

Simon laughs, pretending Clary just said something funny, as he continues walking and spins himself back around to bring an arm around Clary’s shoulder, pulling them close enough together that he can whisper to her. 

“Don’t react, but I think we’re being tailed. It’s fine. Well, it’s probably fine. But we definitely cannot go back to Magnus’ to look at those paintings now.” 

“Tailed? Who would be following us?” Clary moves to look behind them but Simon keeps his arm around her shoulders to keep her facing forward, using just enough of his vampire strength to keep her in place without hurting her. 

“People from the building you tried to get into yesterday,” Simon says vaguely. 

“But I haven’t done anything wrong!” Clary says, her voice rising in panic. 

Simon can tell this is going to get out of hand if he doesn’t get a handle on it ASAP. 

“You haven’t. And we’re fine. They aren’t following us to hurt us, they’re just… watching. They’re spying on us. In retrospect, I, uh, probably shouldn’t have met up with you in public like this, but it’s way too late for that now.” He has no idea if he’s the one being watched or Clary, but his money’s on Clary, not that he’s going to say that to her. 

She’s already plenty freaked out as it is. 

“Please don’t leave me alone,” she begs him, panicked but at least having enough control to keep walking forward with him instead of straining to see behind her again. 

“Of course I won’t. So if we aren’t splitting up, we just have to be horribly boring until they give up instead. Any ideas?” Simon asks. 

They’re both silent for a minute or two, trying to think of something they can do that would make the people watching them realize they aren’t going to do anything worth watching. 

Suddenly Clary turns to him with a smirk. “I think I have just the thing.” 

Fifteen minutes later they’re in a common area of Clary’s school, a media room set up with a television and streaming accounts for the students to use, along with sofas and beanbags to sit on. Embracing the childhood memories Clary recently got back, she puts on an anime that she and Simon used to spend countless hours watching after school and on weekends and the pair of them settle in. 

To the Shadowhunters’ credits it takes three full hours before the scent is gone and Simon tells Clary they’re in the clear again, which is much longer than he imagined any ‘normal’ person would be able to sit through Naruto. 

“What the hell was that about,” Clary demands, the show playing on in the background. 

“You know how we told you that you aren’t supposed to be remembering the things you are?” Simon asks, and waits for Clary to nod before continuing. “Well, those are the people who don’t like it the most. If they saw us together they probably thought I was telling you things, or that you remembered me from… well, that you remember me more than you do. They’re just paranoid, it’s in their nature.”

“So what, they’re going to follow me for the rest of my life now?” Clary demands. She tries to sound angry about it but Simon's heart aches at the fear in her tone. 

“Probably not,” Simon says unhelpfully.  “I’ll talk to them. Say we met up for some… project on childhood memories you’re doing, hopefully get them to chill for a while. But I promise they aren’t going to hurt you. You don’t have to worry.” 

Simon wonders if that’s a promise he can really be making, but he can’t leave Clary on edge like this. Surely if there was any actual danger or concern Isabelle would’ve warned him, right? 

“Right. I’m being stalked but I have nothing to worry about,” Clary sounds dubious. 

“You don’t. And if you are worried, just call me, and I’ll be there so fast it’ll make your head spin,” Simon promises, and that’s a promise he knows he can make. There’s nothing he wouldn’t drop to be by Clary’s side right now with everything she’s going through. 

That does seem to make her feel better, and some of the worry eases from her expression. “Okay,” she says finally. “I should be getting back anyway. It’s late and I have to finish a project before morning. Thanks for coming, even if it wasn’t quite what I planned for the night.” 

“Nothing wrong with an impromptu anime marathon,” Simon says, smiling. “It’s good to see you again, I missed this.” 

Clary smiles back. “I did, too.” She pauses, and then steps forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug he returns without hesitation.  

“We’ll figure the rest out, okay? You’re not alone, I’m just a call away.” Simon is pretty sure he’s said that about half a dozen times by now, but he’ll say it half a dozen more if that’s what it takes for Clary to believe him. 

She looks like she does this time, nodding and actually turning to go back to her room, or the studio, or wherever she’s off to for the night. Simon’s tempted to follow just to get a glimpse into this part of her life he’s missed out on for so long, but he knows better, especially after the scare they got earlier. So instead he turns and heads back to his own place, mentally preparing for the inevitable earful he’s going to get from Jace and Izzy over all of this. 

Even so, he can’t shake the smile from his face knowing it was totally worth it.

[kariachi]

”So, we’re gonna start today’s Martin Mystery rewatches with The Vampire Returns. Should I have listened to more of the Young Frankenstein soundtrack during lunch in preparation? Probably. But here we are instead.

I love how this show always specifies the exact time shit starts going down. For instance, in this episode, 10:32 pm CEST

~~

Good on Lady Soulsucker’s date for paying enough attention to notice when the girl he’s out with grows fangs and her eyes start glowing. You don’t see that often enough.

Aw and then she takes the daintiest bite of apple with teeth bigger than Date-Dude’s face.

I wonder how they got out without being noticed... can’t remember if the vampires in this episode can do the ‘turn to fog’ thing. Sure I’ll find out later.

~~

Diana sitting there with a book and a crowd of impressed young ladies. What are you showing them, Diana? Did you make this book yourself? Did you mother write it? I can’t think of a reason for the ooo-ing and ahh-ing going on otherwise. Either that or you managed to attract a pack of lesbians and they are trying to get in your pants.

...ya know I’m kinda all for the idea that Diana has unwittingly attracted a chunk of Torrington’s lesbian population and they are all trying to smooze in the awkward way that only a young gay can manage.

Also hello Tonio, it’s nice to see you. I’m going to have to include you in this in some way, I believe, given the location and also that this is a fic for nix.

Martin, Martin, sweetie, no. You are not getting that girl. There were actual sparkles coming off her, you don’t deserve that sort’ve quality. Plus, ya know, she sounds like your brand of nerd isn’t her style. I know the saying is “aim for the moon, if you fail you’ll land among the stars” but let’s be realistic for five seconds

Tonio can see this disaster coming from a mile away.

Amber is not having it, solidly unimpressed. I’m shocked.

You think the girls at this school ever rate the boys and just, give Martin a solid 6/10 for effort and moxie alone? “We wouldn’t date him, but at least he’s entertainingly stupid.”

Amber’s look of shock and concern at the idea of Martin enjoying studying. Like she’s about to call in the Psi Psi Psi girls and Diana, clearly their moron has fallen ill. Diana, meanwhile, is just pissed and I can’t decide whether the idea that this is because Martin is lying to get a date or because ‘has he been lying for the past our entire lives’ is funnier.

Though, given we’ll be working with witch!Martin for this it’s not like he’s lying. He just doesn’t like studying, well, anything they teach at Torrington. (Although I am still a big fan of the idea that he’s perfectly bright and just doesn’t apply himself like, at all.)

Martin don’t growl at your sister, you’ll get enough chances to in season 3.

And Amber trying to let him down easy.

~~

“Very rare, and totally irreplaceable” and you, all the way into season 2, are going to work with them, in your office, immediately after calling in Martin- known disaster and Destroyer of Projects? I swear you’d think MOM wanted her crap ruined. After a point you have no one to blame but yourself.

Martin no.

I repeat, MOM, no one to blame but yourself. Most people with an ounce of sense would stow away the shit they didn’t want destroyed when the guy who keeps destroying shit was called in.

Diana no. You’re being sent on a mission not a fucking river cruise.

~~

Introducing, the world’s scariest tunnel of love. First condoms in the water, now people going missing, this dude is just done.

Well Lady Soulsucker just fucking demolished that place didn’t she. Godsdamn, forget shutting it down because people disappeared, shut it down because it’s officially a safety hazard.

Okay, access hatch in the ceiling, that explains that.

...Okay but Martin isn’t entirely wrong with his assessment here? Something strong and nocturnal is right on the nose, and while the werewolf and half-beast-half-humanoid (and I love he uses that word specifically) hybrid guesses aren’t quite right, they aren’t far off the mark. He brought his A game today.

Diana, darling, kids playing practical jokes generally don’t leave fair rides completely demolished in their wake. That is not a normal occurrence.

Java about to eat half-consumed food off the floor like child did Diana not teach you better than that? I wouldn’t be surprised Martin didn’t but Diana?

500 year old saliva. This is the sort’ve ridiculousness I expect from this show. What, did Lady Soulsucker not swallow, spit, or brush her teeth since she escaped her coffin? Was she going around with 500 years of no brushing on her breath? Of course she’s got vampire hypnosis it’s the only way she could get a date.

Vampire goes rwar at children, flees into the sun to escape capture. Also he may need some heavier clothes, those don’t seem to be keeping the sunlight out.

~~

Martin no.

Billy making himself useful. Helping them follow the massive flashing clue that is the vampire’s clothing.

Martin slow your jock-ass down

Martin no, purple isn’t your color.

Okay, can I just say here that Lady Soulsucker looks fucking weird? She looks like a haunted porcelain doll. Or a shitty oc. Here, a theme song to go with her.

Question, why is there a surf shop in the middle of Paris? Is Paris big for surfing? A true French sport?

Oh, yeah, Simone, I forgot her name. It’s very French. Also dude chill.

Diana will not be stopped by some weird hyper-jealous dude.

She also, ya know, looks like a fucking corpse. But yeah, the reflection thing is your first clue something’s up.

He doesn’t see her, he doesn’t hear her, he doesn’t smell the 500-yo morning breath. I claiming him as an anosmiac by the way, the flag is in.

Welp. I can’t decide whether this feeding was more or less extreme than the last one. I mean, this time was pretty fucking hardcore, but last time she demolished an entire fair ride.

Simone, sweetie, have you considered that if you are looking for a specific guy maybe, just maybe, the way to go about it isn’t to just eat whatever random dude happens to be within hypnotizing range? Just a thought?

“He needs help, I’m going in” Martin says right after watching a guy get eaten by a vampire, proving that while he may not be the moron we deserve, he’s the moron we need. Diana, on the other hand, is a voice of reason and doesn’t deserve this shit.

Lucky those clothes were there to break your fall, Martin.

Martin, after dropping from the ceiling into a vampire’s feeding ground, alone: Don’t make me fuck your shit up! Simone, seeing this: Oh yay it’s my moron! Speak of the devil!

Am I saying Gerard was probably just as much an impulsive dumbshit as his great-x-grandson? Yes. Yes I am.

“Clever, and brave.” And a complete moron of a dork. “Just like my Gerard.”

“And just as handsome” it’s nice to see the looks keep in that family? I don’t believe Gerard got the floaty hair though, but his hair looked stupid so really Martin has the advantage there.

Vampire minions are strong, holding back Java with one hand.

Vampire true love is apparently very sparky.

Well Diana, at least you saved the watch.

~~

Martin gets abducted by vampires, Billy immediately must run to the scene.

I’d be impressed with your strength, Java, if those doors hadn’t looked 70% fallen in before you got to them. You could’ve probably gotten the same result from a hearty cough on them.

Gerard=Martin w/o floaty hair or modern fashion. Don’t know why the portrait is in black in white.

You’d think Billy could’ve taken the thirty seconds to read a brief overview about the woman while he waited for Diana and Java, but no.

No wonder Gerard looks weird, there’s not even a splash of warm color in that outfit. And warm tones don’t do Simone any favors. Coordinate your fashion better, people, you’re vampires for fuck’s sake! What would Mike say!

How do we know about genes from a 15th century vampire? Also I note she says ‘relative’ and not ‘descendant’, but I’m not in the mood to dig into that.

Billy you are literally a galactic conqueror, but your big boy underwear on and get in the basement.

Let’s be real, Diana, that’s just a sibling thing. You go into horrible places to save them so you can give them hell about making you go to a horrible place to save them.

How many minions has Simone gotten together? Like, the clan hasn’t been renewed yet, so... When did she get the time? It’s been like 24 hours

Okay, that explains new guy A, what about B and C over there, who look like they stepped out of Robin Hood? where they sealed in with you? Is this the old crew?

Simone, queen of the night and motivational speeches.

Martin you can’t just call on a specific guy, poor thing probably had a heart attack. “Fuck, my Lady’s new consort has beef, fuckfuckfuck” but no, you just want some fucking fries. And Simone is fucking loving it.

~~

Okay, so we know some of them sleep upside down.

It’s nice to see vampires can still be active sleepers.

Hissy vampires on all fours

Vampire!Martin is perfectly fine with being an evil trophy husband

Vampire!Martin standing there like “yeah, you rule the underworld, babe, rocking it!”

~~

“Do you know how much grief I’ll get at Torrington if my stepbrother comes back a vampire?” Would it really be that much more than you get just for having him as a stepbrother in the first place?

A vampire lord consort and yet still, at heart, an annoying brother

Simone: Get me back my fucking moron and we’re all screwed!

Tell me that’s like, Diana or Java’s dirty sock because I’m fairly certain even Martin doesn’t deserve to have his own stuffed in his mouth

And Simone becomes a massive fucking bat beast. Fur, muzzle, little winglet-dealies, big ears, big teeth, no tail...

Okay, yeah, Java’s sock, cool

Those are some seriously dirty windows. Or, well, were.

Sunlight burns everybody but also burns Simone to fucking ash right quick. Which then removes the curse on her victims.

Also I wanna know more about this apparent vampire gene. It is of much interest, especially given next episode will be dealing with werewolves and in some folklore werewolves when killed become vampires, so...

~~

Martin. No.

Amber really. Either you were setting him up or you yourself are dense as teak.

Oh Martin... stick with spies and monsters, honey

[profoundnet]

Thank you to all these amazing people for participating in the Profound Bond’s Halloween Exchange 2018! I hope everyone enjoyed their amazing gifts. Massive thanks as well to the wonderful @foxymoley for the banner, who never fails us with her brilliant art. 

Apologies for the slightly (very) late masterpost, but please enjoy all the amazing creations below the cut! 

If you’d like to join the gift exchange, then head on over and join our discord! Information can be found on the wiki which you can access here.

 Let Me Live that Fantasy by @profound-boning for justann

"Let's get sexy," Cas mutters against his lips.

Explicit Rating

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, AU - Angels are known, Angel Castiel, PWP, Smut, Fluff, Medical Kink, Doctor Sexy Costume, Wing Kink 

Shitty Timing and Slutty Cops  by @lunavva for profound-boning

“There’s literally nothing here, man,” Dean says, running his hand down his face. “We’re doomed. I’m fired.”

“Not yet," Cas tells him.

Dean snorts. “You’re right,” he says. “I have three hours and then I’m fired.”

No Rating

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Fluff, Teenage Destiel

The Samhain Trials by @jemariel for TobytheWise

On Samhain night, the veil is thin, not only between the spirit world and our own, but between humankind and their inner natures.

Every year, the hunt is run. Alphas and omegas brave the woods in search of glory and passion. Every year, Dean Winchester comes out alone. The soulbrand on his neck means that he has a True Mate, and what should be a blessing has only been a curse.

He hopes, and he waits, and this year his soulbrand has been itching as if it were newly risen.

It's nearly sundown.

Explicit Rating

Tags: AU - Soulmates, AU - A/B/O, True Mates, Alpha Castiel, Omega Dean, Mating Bond, First Time, Smut

Zom-bee Mine  by a_dusky_gold for Nox-lee

Gabriel's careless gift becomes the promise of a lifetime.

No Rating

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Teenage Destiel, Friends to Lovers, Reunions, Foster Care, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort

Cuffs and Coffee Cups by @wargurl83 for alessariel

Dean’s a barista at The Java Break in Lawrence. Castiel is an FBI agent sent undercover to KU to track down a drug ring that’s sending kids to the hospital. He tracks the dealer to The Java Break where he meets Dean and starts to fall for him. But Dean has secrets that he has to keep from Castiel. Will they be able to meet in the middle?

Explicit Rating 

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Barista Dean, FBI Agent Castiel

Of Dragons and Princesses  by @elizasugarcane for haikuhamster

“I don’t wanna go-oo-ooooh!”, Claire wailed at the top of her lungs. It seemed like no matter what he said, Cas just couldn’t convince her, that she would be fine but that they really needed to leave the car and enter the hospital they had been sitting in front of for about 10 minutes now.

General Rating

Tags: Doctor Dean, Single Parent Castiel 

A Halloween Treat by @deadlykittenkaywriting for tfw_cas

It's the annual Halloween party at the Roadhouse and there's a special little treat for everyone that's invited. Also, did you hear what Batman did to Superman?

Teen Rating

Tags: Halloween Costumes, Mutual Pining, First Kiss

Never Play with Things which should Stay Lifeless  by @justann42 for starmouse123

Castiel is a warlock and had a new potion which he wanted to try.

Is this really a good idea?

General Rating

Tags: AU - Urban Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Crack

Hard to believe by @surlybobbies for binJLG

He was suddenly giddy with the memory of last night, of the risk he took and the reward he received. Warmth suffused him when he remembered the way Cas’s hands had shaken when he raised them to Dean’s cheeks, the awe on Cas’s face that he was allowed to lean in and -

Dean didn’t bother changing; he walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen in faded boxers and the shirt from last night.

And waiting there, watching the percolator drip coffee into the carafe?

“Cas.” It was the first thing he’d said that day, and it felt right.

General Rating

Tags: Canon Universe, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff

Reel Drag  by @haikuhamster for neonbat

It’d been three days since Dean had eaten. Every time he thought it was safe to leave the cave and hunt, though, the monster would make its presence known once more and remind him that certain death awaited him if he left.

Here in his own head, he could admit that he was terrified.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Creature Fic, Creature Castiel, Zombie Werepire, Bottom Dean, PWP, Wing Kink, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Dubious Consent

Holloween by binJGL for loveinghybrid

Dean spirals into a deep depression after casting Michael out and ends up isolating himself. But Castiel WILL NOT let him spend his favorite holiday alone.

Mature Rating

Tags: Canon Divergence, Depressed Dean Winchester, Mental Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, First Kiss

A Halloween to Remember by @loveinghybrid for lunavva

Dean and Castiel have been friends for years. Although they have been through many Halloweens together, this one was one they both would never forget.

No Rating

Tags: Best Friends, Mutual Pining

Aren’t You a Peach by @supernatural9917fic for surlybobbies

Totally platonic (*cough*) best friends and roommates Dean and Cas get ready for Charlie's classic video game-themed Halloween party, dressed as characters from Super Mario Brothers. But an unexpected glimpse of part of Cas's costume might just change their plans.

Explicit Rating

Tags: AU - College/University, Halloween Costumes, Friends to Lovers, Roommates, Fluff and Smut

Broken Wings and Spooky Things by @nox-lee for wargurl83

A case at a Halloween party takes a dangerous turn and Dean sees a whole new side of Cas.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Post-case, Halloween Costumes, Hurt Castiel, Wing Kink, Smut

Angels and Demons and Treats by @snarkysnartes for elizasugarcane

It's almost Halloween and Dean and Cas' son is feeling just a little bit upset.

General Rating

Tags: Fluff

Sweet Shenanigans by tfw_cas for supernatural9917

When a series of practical jokes occur in and around the bunker in the days leading up to Halloween, TFW 2.0 are left puzzled and a little irritated. Who is pulling these pranks, and for what reason? Dean is determined to discover the truth, and if that means spending time researching with his favourite angel, all the better. Maybe it will even bring them closer together.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Pranks and Practical Jokes, Humor, Fluff and Smut, First Time, Bath Sex

A Promise at Sunrise by @alessariel for spnhell

“Dude, don’t look now, but there’s another guy wearing the same costume as you!” Charlie daintily sipped her drink while Dean nearly spat out his beer.

What starts with a similar costume rapidly turns into the most amazing one-night stand Dean's ever had. Cas is funny, gorgeous, mysterious and really knows how to use his... wings. Among other things.

Dean made Cas promise to stay the night and watch the sunrise with him, but he finds himself hoping that Cas will stay a lot longer than that.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Alternative Universe, Creature Fic, Creature Castiel, Smut and Fluff, Bottom Dean

Under the Mask by @tobythewise for deadlykittenkay

Dean's heart is torn. On the one hand, he's been in love with his roommate slash best friend for years. On the other hand, he's about to meet his online Sir for the first time. His heart (and his dick) are conflicted. What could go wrong?

Explicit Rating

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Online Relationship, Two Person Love Triangle, Sub Dean, Dom Castiel, Roommates, Panty Kink, Sexting, Dirty Talk

A Samhain Nights Dream by @ellenofoz for crypto

Dean and Castiel finally get the chance to go away for a few days to the Ozark Mountains over Halloween. They arrive in town, only to discover that trick or treaters are going missing.

They agree to help out, even though working this case is preventing Dean from getting into his boyfriend’s satin panties. The kids are probably just hiding somewhere, stuffing their faces with candy, right?

Wrong.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Canon Divergence, Fairies, Panty Kink, Cowboy Castiel, Established Relationship, Dorks in Love

Fly Home by @neonbat666 for pimentogirl

Dean tried to be the big brother Sam would be proud of, even if he didn't know the first thing about taking care of an injured raven he found in his backyard. All he had to do was wait for when his Vet brother could swing his ass by and pick it up. Then again, he should have known life was never so easy.

Explicit Rating

Tags: AU - Creature Fic, Creature Castiel, Samhain Magic, Writer Dean

Not the Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back, but the Feather by prolixdreams for a_dusky_gold

Cas can't keep his wings off the Earthly plane. What's causing this, and what will it cause?

Explicit Rating

Tags: Angel Wings, Wing Kink, Road Trip

Every Part of You by @spnhell for jemariel

Dean doesn't get why Cas wants to celebrate Halloween. Every day of their lives is frickin' Halloween, and he's said as much more than once. But Cas won't be swayed, and with Sam off for the month hunting with Garth, Dean decides to hell with it, he's got nothing better to do. Of course, he ends up with way more than he bargained for when Cas takes his command to go and 'change into something more comfortable' a little too literally.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Bunker fic, Canon divergence, Castiel with wings, Wing Kink, Halloween Costumes, Grooming, Smut, Bottom Cas, Fluff

Would You by @leafzelindor for prolixdreams

Dean get's a chance to see Castiel's wings after the empty. Then he gets a chance to touch, which leads to more.

Explicit Rating

Tags: Art in Fic, Wing Kink, Grooming, Bottom Dean, Getting Together

Coffee on Halloween by @foxymoley for ultimatetrollcolinfirth 

SFW ART 

But Dean Likes Cowboys by @pimentogirl for ellenofoz

SFW ART

He Lost a Bet by @delicious-irony for plaid-and-devils-traps

NSFW ART

Halloween Night by @starmouse123 for beetlepiss

SFW ART 

Flash x2 by @foxymoley for snarkysnartes

SFW ART 

"Well, one of us is going to have to change” by @cryptomoon for delicious-irony

SFW ART