#much less nearly 200!!! so yeah thank you all so much i really appreciate it 💖 makes me wanna draw more

[supercasey]

I wonder what would've happened if Moss found Oatchi before us...

[bizarropurugly]

Remaking the post since there’ve been some updates since I first posted

I am in need of financial assistance. Any amount or reblog will help. I have an $8,000 medical debt and lost my job in August.

On top of that, up until yesterday (oct 19th) I had foster kittens, which are a huge financial responsibility to take on.

edit: I got them back. I was worried sick about them. She charged me 120 dollars to have them back. She threw away some of their stuff too...

I didn’t really have the money but I had to get them out of there. I’m switching up my strategy on getting them adopted but until then I am back to paying for them. They both had some health problems coming back too...

My p*ypal is damegreywulf at gmail

Or, if you’d like to get something out of it in exchange, I do have a Redbubble.

Getting something important from my general wishlist and my cat supplies wishlist would also be appreciated.

Additionally, a good friend of mine who has amazing art is doing commissions and selling designs/adopts on my behalf.

If nothing else, check her out and give her a follow because she’s a cool kid whose art is just awesome.

Read more with details under the commission price sheet

The debt is from two stays at a psych ward around 10 years ago. I’m not sure it was an active debt but I fell for the pressure and made a payment, a payment I couldn’t really afford as I had just the day before lost my job. So I may have made a massive mistake that will fuck me over for the rest of my life, because at no point IN my life have I had 8,000 dollars, and the balance keeps accruing thanks to fucking interest. And they charged me TAXES when I sent the payment!

My unemployment is less than 200 a week and idfk where people are getting that it’s so high it competes with / is better than employment because no the fuck it’s not. And all these people saying “get a job, EVERYONE is hiring!” don’t get the difference between SAYING you’re hiring, and actually hiring a person. Because so far, I’ve been rejected every time.

Of course, that doesn’t account for how long I was struggling because they took OVER A MONTH to sort my unemployment out, because Illinois is a fucking mess right now, between scam artists and COVID restrictions for government employees only. You have to call to get in line, and they call you back anywhere from a few days later to nearly 2 weeks. There was a woman I saw who STILL hadn’t gotten an answer after 4 months!

Through the struggle, I was approved, then denied, then approved, then denied, with the final issue being that I had a indefinite ban on receiving unemployment from when I applied back in 2016. For one, why does such a thing fucking exist? And two, according to their own rules it should have AUTOMATICALLY fallen off once I had a steady job. So yeah, Illinois is fucking people over big time and doing jack shit all about it except going like “hey guys, another job fair, for Chicago area mostly!”

The kittens were damned expensive, would probably have been less if Gimli wasn’t so sick when I caught him and Pippin and Merry weren’t so young. Gimli and Pippin have been placed in a shelter, Merry’s already been adopted out, they’re all good and healthy boys. But they were as expensive as you might think a human baby. Between the checkups, vaccinations, cleaning supplies, food, etc...

Well to give you an idea, each vet checkup is 40 bucks, and typically tilted towards 200 if anything more was needed. Flea meds, 30-40 per month. Food 30-40 each time. Cleaning supplies 20-30 depending on what I needed. That’s not including the baby food, toys, blankets, warmers, and etc.

I’ve been struggling to afford gas, thanks to the fact I still have doc appointments pretty much every week, not including the gas for interviews when I actually score them. My car’s headlights also stopped working entirely so now I can’t stay out long lest I have to drive home in complete darkness and risk being ticketed. My parents are still disinterested in doing anything to fix my car because they think it’s not worth it, and when I do convince them I don’t get anywhere because nobody tells me who’s who to call about it, and I certainly can’t pay for it anyway.

Just, in general, I’m struggling and not managing well.

So... anything is appreciated.

[shikadainara]

an in-depth breakdown of b*ruto episode 178

sorry i’m late i was lost on the path of life

tl;dr yeah ok i can have my hopes and dreams about what specifically i would want but. BUT. honestly yeah the episode was more or less what i expected would actually be in it from the preview, so i can’t complain. i still sobbed!!! that’s all i really wanted!!

time to rewatch it! (warning: long post. LOL)

obviously this is nothing new but i still can’t get over how nice the exterior to the nara household is, good for them. i don’t think i noticed the solar panel before? good for them!

i’m entertained at how the episode does open with shikadai tying his hair as he walks, i just think it’s neat. i love how the camera frames it like seeing a nara with their hair down is something forbidden we’re not mean to see

temari has purple slippers i dedicate her commitment to her favorite color. (also i am Just Saying... purple........ the bisexual flag--)

yeahhhh ok so. i get the need for wanting to frame the narrative like this, but this really doesn’t make any sense. shikadai is 12, and is also a chuunin, like... he should know by now that his dad is always kinda a mess on this day of the year, and why that is. and even if he honestly really did just forget, the fact that he’s still asking his dad why he’s not at work while looking at the way his parents are dressed... did this not clue you in or what????

the fact that shikamaru’s up and ready (i really don’t think he gets much sleep on this day, every year...), and it’s shikadai who’s just getting up. i do think it’s cute that we do get to see a tiiiiiny bit of temari’s parenting that doesn’t involve being an out of character irrationally angry woman when she tells shikadai to not come crying to her when he’s late in getting ready, yeah that definitely sounds way more like her lol

temari says she told him about all of this the other day (shikadai blatantly forgot, he tries to pretend he didn’t but she doesn’t press him for it)... that does make me emotional thinking like. she is pretty painfully aware of how hard this is on shikamaru, and days in advance told shikadai about it, to try to make sure he understands what his father is going through........ she really does care about him so, so much.

i said this based off the preview, but... i would like to interpret that temari is purposefully doing the dishes(/rest of house chores) to give him space to grieve....... 

the fact that while explaining what today is, shikamaru has to get up, leave the room, and talk while not facing his family, as if he wouldn’t be able to say the words as easily while looking at them........ god. that. that hurts.

\

tsunade being the one to give this speech kinda feels random? like yeah she was the one that was kage during the war but...? i do feel like it would have been more fitting to have naruto say the speech since the whole entire point of the war was to protect him (and bee) but ????? ok

no one in the uzumaki family talks during this episode which is fine by me LOL. i would assume the memorial is on the day the war ended (which would also make it naruto’s birthday/memorial of the kyuubi invasion) but if it is, it’s never stated. maybe it’s the day the war started, idk

the collection of people up front feels pretty random??? kakashi as the previous hokage, sure, guy i guess because of how important his contribution the war against madara was and also because he is kakashi’s husband, shizune kinda has to be there if tusnade is, but... iruka? like yeah he is vital to the narrative, but to konoha? he is the headmaster of the academy i think now so i guess...? but then? ibiki??? anko??? i say this as someone that REALLY loves anko, she was my favorite character as a kid and i still love her but,,, huh? SHE WAS KNOCKED OUT DURNG THE WHOLE WAR!!??!?

then you see everyone that was in naruto’s class + team guy + sai except hinata is in the crowd. which of course to the narrative, to us the readers, those are the main characters (if you ignore how more or less everyone was super shafted throughout all of part 2) but!!! team guy’s only real connection to the rest of them is that they took the chuunin exams together, and neji and hinata were are cousins. that’s about it. was it that specifically all of these characters made such a contribution to the war compared to every other single shinobi from konoha that lived ??????

shikamaru staring up to the sky did made my heart clench... no matter how different he is now than he was when he was a 12 year old genin...... i do feel like he’s never entirely ditched his true self of just wanting to stare at the clouds all day.... i’m not entirely sure what the intent was here, but i’m sure there’s supposed to be some symbolism here. the sky is actually nearly entirely clear (the way is framed, there’s only a tiny cloud in the corner,) and then he closes his eyes and hums. maybe it’s supposed to be about the closure he gets in this episode...

\

ok and then here’s ao cool whatever. since i only skim through b*ruto for the characters that i care about i do not really careeeee since i won’t watch again until something interesting happens to said characters that i care about LOL

?? who voiced the receptionist they sound familiar but i can’t place it at all

katasuke is the bitch that made the scientific ninja tool for b*ruto so he could cheat in the exam right

what is ao doing here. is he supposed to be doing something evil. it sure looks that way

... who is the glasses orange scarf guy??? he kinda looks like a mix between udon and ebisu and aoba but i know he’s not any one of them lol

\

TEMARI AND KARUI STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER... i don’t think in any media they’ve ever??? ACTUALLY TALKED TO EACH OTHER???? BUT THEY SHOULD BE CLOSE FOR THE OBVIOUS REASON....... I’LL TAKE THESE CRUMBS THOUGH THANK YOU

OKKKKK admittedly like. in terms of Pleasing Me, Personally, it’s a damned if you do, dammed if you don’t situation like.... they do kinda HAVE to acknowledge that neji died during the war so. i appreciate that hinata like........ cares. i guess. i’ll try to not post the whole rant about why neji’s death was (logistically how he died aside) narratively and thematically absolute bullshit, kishi (i believe) saying that neji died so he could play cupid for naruto and hinata like!!! fuck off with that shit!!! maybe if it wasn’t for the goddamn “naruto-kun’s big warm manly hand” line i would feel a little bit actual sad but no.

WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOSHINO AND CHOUZA HELLO!?!?!?!? COULD YOU REALLY NOT HAVE PUT THEM IN THE CROWD??

ino also has an unnamed mother that the anime made up that i believe was only in like a single episode (and was cameoed in RtN i think?) but she should still be like. Alive. so her too.

MITSUKI PLACING FLOWERS IS SO FUNNY TO ME LIKE YOU DO KNOW YOUR PARENT’S SUBORDINATE/DOUBLE CROSS TRAITOR WHATEVER DID CAUSE THE WAR RIGHT BFIOBU*EHW$

\

aaand. here’s shikamaru and ino’s conversation. i’m not sure if i can put this into words, but... just... the way that they talk to each other, the weight of 15+ years of sadness about this, the way that they just!! fully know what the other is going through, the way that they’ve known each other for their whole lives and survived through everything together, the way i feel like they’ve avoided talking about this topic as much as possible over the years, hell even during this conversation the way they’re almost bickering to avoid having to directly confront their feelings, but it is unavoidable....... 

i also do wonder what their relationship with each other’s parents were while growing up: shikamaru does refer to inoichi as “inoichi-san” here, contrast to how their kids all call each other’s parents just “uncle” or “aunt”

siri play sad naruto flute.

ok since i did go back to rewatch the episode from shippuden right before watching this one for the first time i do wish a liiiittle less of the episode was about this flashback with the same reused footage like i get that they do have to put it in here but Still.

THE FACT THAT SHIKAMARU IS SMILING WHILE RECALLING WHAT HAPPENED, AND THAT THERE’S A LAUGH IN HIS VOICE........ I WANT TO CRY AGAIN

ino saying that it was so unfair how cool they looked in the end, and then giggles...... ino............. this must be so, so painful for her to recall, and yet.........

IT IS SO FUNNY HOW THEY SKIP OVER THE IMAGE OF SASUKE THERE AHAHAHAHA god i hated that so so much i can’t believe that’s manga canon. the line is perfectly fine and makes me cry just DO NOT RELATE IT TO SASUKE!!!! literally the only time they “”interact”” is when ino is introduced and ino just, for lack of a better word, glomps him???? THAT’S IT??? i feel like they might’ve changed it just because, well, you know the endgame pairings. but still. bye sasuke

damn you know what i do kinda wish they didn’t skip over the “get rid of that box before your mother finds it” part i AM curious as to what it was i mean it’s implied it’s something adult related so SP probably couldn’t show that on TV BUT!!!

ok ok all week i tried to not imagine what shikamaru and ino’s conversation would be since i wanted to go all “surprise me!!” BUT??? BUT. SHIKAMARU ASKING INO IF SHE THINKS THAT THEIR FATHERS HONESTLY, TRULY BELIEVED IN THEM?? HE’S BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT ON EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS YEAR THESE PAST 15+ YEARS, AND SURELY IT’S ALWAYS BEEN AT THE BACK OF HIS MIND ALL THIS TIME!?!?! of course. OF COURSE HE WOULD FEEL THIS WAY!!! HE’D HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING FOR SURE OR EVER FINDING OUT!!! like of course we as the readers know that shikaku and inoichi absolutely 200% felt that way but... from his perspective... you know what i don’t even think this idea ever crossed my mind HOLD ON THAT IS THE SOUND OF MY HEART SHATTERING--

and then he just... smiles. says that he won’t let that get him down, since it’s not like they’ll ever find out anyways. sure, it’s been 15+ years, he has had to have largely come to terms with everything by now, but...... still....

then he talks about the idea that the day will come and leave everything in the hands of their sons (now looking over at team 10′s turn to place flowers) just like their dads did... it is worded like a question, but showtaro morikubo’s absolute masterful performance does. it does portray a tone like he is absolutely 100% sure that it’ll happen, one day...

i’ve said this before but. i KNOW shikamaru has definitely spent so much time thinking about this. sure it hasn’t ever really been brought up on-screen (yet), but....... i want to see him talking about a direct contrast on what his grand plan through life he thought of by age 12, ending with him passing away by old age. obviously he did a complete 180 on they type of person he wanted as a wife LOL. it is kinda brought up at the start of shikamaru hiden while he visits the grave, says he hasn’t found anyone he’d give his life to protect... (well. now he has a son where if you see the recent chapters he is very, VERY protective of.) but i would like to see this change in his character be directly be brought up and examined

........ that being SAID. i sure hope neither of them actually like. die. i’m GOOD, thank you. they sure as hell can’t until they’re ready to pass things down to their sons, at least. until then, absolutely zero narrative reason to do so, but...... still. we don’t need to make everything an EXACT copy of what happened in naruto you can let them live kthx

they both say “what kind of half-baked response is that!” and then laugh just. I LOVE THEM SO SO MUCH TEAM 10 IS FOREVER

/

there is some symbolism in how ao walks over from a really dark shadowy area into the light when he decides that he has to pay his respects...

i do like how he does reflect on how he really should have come here earlier, but better late than never i suppose

i was expecting a... more elaborate explanation for how he lived??? especially since he was standing RIGHT NEXT to shikaku and inoichi... he just. happened to survive for whatever reason while every single other person died on impact

that survivor’s guilt does hurt to see

i do like seeing how he chooses to do something with his life, aside from being a shinobi, and live it to the fullest for the sake of everyone that died in the explosion. that’s nice

/

ino saying “i’m sure are fathers are happy!” AAAAAAAAAAA

IN HINDSIGHT....... I ABSOLUTELY SOULD’VE PREDICTED SOMEONE WOULD DROP A “YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE YOUR FATHER” AT SOME POINT IN THE EPISODE...... and. i did kinda chuckle, because like, no shit duh lmao. i’m sure shikamaru heard that all the time as a kid!!! and hell, i’m sure he still gets it from time to time over the years up to this day. BUT LIKE... SHIKAMARU’S FACE. HE LOOKS LIKE THAT, RIGHT NOW, IT’S ACTUALLY SOMETHING HE REALLY, REALLY NEEDED TO HEAR. LET ME CRY

hearing shikamaru say oyaji, and then the way his tone suddenly shifts to something very... quiet and somber? when he says “nara shikaku”..... something about that. man.... also it’s hard to see but there is a sweat drop on his face as he says all of this...

“sometimes, i end up wondering...” don’t lie to yourself. you think about this so, so much........

the flashback where ao says “listen to me calmly” when he says the bomb is coming this way sure reminds me of ino telling shikamaru to stay calm as she tells him that his son has a bomb around his neck

THE ADDED PART OF THE FLASHBACK WITH THEIR VERY LAST MOMENTS...... THE WAY THEY’RE SMILING AND JUST??? BELIEVE IN THEIR KIDS IN THE VERY END. just like how it’s described in shikamaru hiden where the narrative says that shikaku was a shinobi until his very last breaths-- actually, no. in the very end he was a father.......

“THEY BELIEVED IN YOU, WITHOUT A HINT OF DOUBT.”

AAA?A?AAAAAAAAA?A?A?A??A!??!!??!!

INO STARTS TEARING UP BUT I CALL ABSOLUTE BS THAT SHIKAMARU WOULDN’T ALSO JUST BURST ONTO TEARS ON THE SPOT, HE MAY BE 32 WHATEVER YEARS OLD NOW BUT... HE IS STILL SUCH A CRYBABY AT HEART, HIS ENTIRE CIRCLE OF LOVED ONES KNOW THIS.

you know who DID start crying though??? ME

/

i do wonder, is this the same hillside that shikamaru went to after asuma’s death...? (only in the manga tho, the anime had him on a rooftop instead)

is that??? someone watching them in the back left?? when shikadai finds him? i cannot tell what that is

i am. trying to follow temari’s logic of telling shikadai to go find shikamaru and... not also going with him?? i mean i figured from the preview that, yeah it does look like it’s only the two of them, but... i can’t come up with a reason. not a super big deal but. obviously my heart yearns for that shikatema content that’s ok i can write my own fanfic i guess!!!!

also like...... i imagine it can’t be THAT hard to find him, i’m sure that he only has a small handful of Spots Good For Coping(™) when he just needs to be by himself, that i would Think his wife would know where they are. and said wife would tell shikadai. but idk

after all of this, shikamaru wants to just treat his son to go eat out whatever he wants...!! what a good father

....... now like. the logic of “temari is currently making dinner and that’s why she’s a) not there and b) told shikadai to go fetch is father” would make perfect sense. but... if they’re going out to get food then... no?? shikadai would interject to say so if that was the case..... that makes this all make no sense seriously what the hell is she doing

i do wish that like. shikadai like.... uh. actually learned about more shikaku?? this scene is more brief than i thought it would be idk i felt like it would be part of the middle of the episode and not at the end, oh well. he’ll find out in due time

THAT BEING SAID...  STILL. THE ENDING WHERE HE JUST CARES SO SO SO SO MUCH ABOUT SHIKADAI!!!! WONDERING IF HE’S WATCHING HIS BACK!!! I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEMMMMM

/

not quite sure whatever ao is doing at the end of the episode???? IS IT EVIL??? i mean like that it’s him catching a leaf seems like he’s going against konoha but i mean konoha fucking sucks so. that is not evil i guess LOL

whatever not like i’ll care to actually find out!!!!! anyways let me know when the nara family (or anyone adjacent to them) does anything so i can care LOL

in conclusion. good shit.

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 68-71

Chapter 68

Andi remembers how Kalee gave her a tour of her home and bragged about how she’d be ruling the place someday. Andi asks why her and not her brother.

Oh, Androma. Kalee had laughed then, tossing her head back in that glorious, carefree way that made everyone around her want to come closer. You and I both know that a woman can rule better than any man ever could. And I’ll look twice as good doing it, too.

Shinsay, voices muffled as their heads are stuck up each other’s asses: This is definitely, 100%, one whole, bona fide, authentic, organic, home-grown feminism that we just put in our book.

Also ... take a look at that weak-ass description that’s supposed to show us how good and cool Kalee is. When she laughs (in a way that tbh have you ever laughed? be real with me now), people want to ... come closer? 

Wow! That’s like saying ... when I scratch my face, people want to call their mom. When I brush my hair, people may spontaneously feel the need to take a slightly deeper breath.

Talk about low standards. Hey fellas, you ever see someone laugh and just kinda sorta want to approach them but not really? Yeah, that’s the stuff.

Andi thinks about how Kalee would’ve been a better ruler than her dad, who doesn’t even bother coming down to meet his tortured son because that’s how incompetent and evil and heartless he is. I mean, Andi doesn’t know that Valen is the result of rape, but still. Idk if I’m on board with how the book demonizes the hell out of the General but tried to make whatsherface sympathetic. And by “I don’t know if I am” I mean “I’m definitely not what the fuck is wrong with these people.”

Dex tries to make some conversation and Andi says that nobody befriended Kalee, that only super duper special people were CHOSEN by her to become her friends.

I’m ... not sure how this is supposed to be better. In fact, I’d say it’s worse?

“Kalee chose the people she wished to let into her life. I was honored that she allowed me to be assigned to her.”

“Honored?” Dex asked, raising a bruised brow. “Or damned?”

“I’ll let you know after we talk to the general,” Andi said.

I’m gonna fiking piss. “I’ll tell you whether this important life event was honor or damnation, but like, later, after we have this appointment, ok?” Why is this so funny. Have I fully lost my marbles?

Andi foreshadows some escape tunnels that are hidden all around the estate so Dex has a logical way to save them at the end of the book. I’m sure there is a more elegant way of setting that up, but I can’t be bothered to find one, so let’s call it acceptable and move on.

They arrive at their destination and Andi notices that Alfie seems bummed out. She muses that he’s “capable of far more complex thinking than she’d originally guessed,” which, DOY, but ok, and then thinks about how he’s saved her crew and remembered Gilly’s Marketable Space Pet, which implies he has some “understanding of feelings and attachments.”

That hamster wheel do be spinnin’.

The “head Spectre” comes out to meet them and ...

It took everything in her to speak as the truth struck her.

“Dad?”

DUN DUN DUUUN, it’s Andi’s dad! Also, “the truth struck her?” What truth? That it’s your dad? Was that in doubt? Did you really need a moment to connect the dots, to realize this is your dad? Was there a moment where you saw this man, who is your dad, and thought that this wasn’t your dad, only for the truth to strike and OH SHIT THAT’S MY DAD!! WOW HOLD YOUR HORSES EVERYONE I NEED TIME TO PROCESS THAT THIS IS INDEED MY DAD.

Tbh if you strapped knives to a roomba it’d have more charisma and presence as the protagonist than Andi. And let’s be real, more intelligence.

Yet another chapter ends on a pointless cliffhanger only for the scene to continue exactly where it left off!

You’re just full of surprises, Shinsay.

Chapter 69 (nice)

Andi recaps everything that she’s gone through after the Kalee crash up to the fight with the big alien dude who got deus ex machina-d by Alfie and how she nearly kissed Dex, which gets written as extra special, just so she can make this point:

But this...her father, as General Cortas’s head Spectre?

This might actually kill her.

And aside from how generically melodramatic it is, I can’t help but recall this, from chapter 7:

The man in front of her was a victim of her foolishness. Beside her was the man who’d rejected her love.

The two of them, together? It was nearly enough to shatter Andi.

Andi has the same reaction as I do when in a room with multiple men. Except in her case I think it’s supposed to be deep and personal.

Anyway, self-plagiarism aside, Andi thinks about how her dad was always there for her but then one day wasn’t when he didn’t support her on her trial and how conflicted she feels about him, both wanting to demand justice but also wanting comfort. This is actually quite touching and feels very grounded and realistic.

General Cortas rubs it in that Andi’s dad, “Comander Racella”, has been very loyal and hardworking since he was promoted after Andi’s trial. Andi hopes that her father actually hates the general and was forced to work for him as some sort of punishment for what happened with their daughters.

The general says the situation on Adhira has been taken care of, and when Andi asks whether Xen Ptera attacked because of Valen and her crew’s presence on Adhira, the general says that’s classified. For reasons? Idk. Seems pretty obvious to me, or maybe he just doesn’t know?

Dex tries to yap but Cortas flexes his big dick and reminds Dex that he’s a Guardian now, and Dex is too much of a baby to risk his regained status so he shuts up. This is all spelled out for us by Andi’s inner monologue, because we’re idiots.

The general claims the Xen Pteran forces have been wiped out, saying how it’s probably all they had since there’s few able-bodied and willing people to recruit for war after their planet got fucked, and when Andi presses him for why the attack happened now and on Adhira, he says:

“War never really ends, Androma. The desire for revenge is often too strong to forget.”

“War never ends ... But me and my crew totes ended that war just now. They don’t have any more soldiers so this war is over.” Makes sense, sir. 

Cortas says that queen Alara is safe and will be at the Peace Summit, which Andi immediately tells him to cancel because it would be the perfect opportunity for another attack. Cortas replies by saying that Arcardius is impenetrable and that the day the Olen System successfully invades will be the day “stars fall from the sky” which is a very poetic and not at all natural way to say something like this, so it’s there for ... idk dramatic irony? He also reminds her that the Summit is important because it celebrates the peace after the war and the unity between the systems and I’m here like ... for a guy who says war never ends, you sure seem happy to celebrate a war ending and don’t believe one is going on right now. But I guess these characters just exist to spout meaningless yet deep-sounding nonsense at each other.

Dex reminds the general that they’ve done their end of the deal, at which point the general conveniently decides to prolong it out of nowhere and essentially forces Andi and Dex to be Valen’s bodyguards at the Peace Summit by holding Andi’s crew and ship and Dex’s money and status hostage. Thanks for ensuring the main characters are there for the climax, sir! Appreciated!

Dex and Andi leave in a huff.

Chapter 70

We’re in Lira’s POV as she reminisces about her childhood with Lon while he’s recovering from his near-death-experience.

So she sat by [Lon’s] side for endless hours, until the warm clutches of sleep stole her away.

She dreams about flying on an “Adhiran darowak” but then DUN DUN DUUUN Adhira below turns into Xen Ptera and it’s horrible!

“No,” Lira gasped. Her heart began to crack. Fissures spread through it, reaching cold fingers through every valve until Lira felt darkness stealing her away.

So the editor just left that in, huh? Just let Shinsay use the exact same wording in less than 200 words? Must’ve been stolen away by the editing fairy for editing crimes while reading this.

Lira is woken up by Alara, who got here so fucking fast she must be part-Sonic on her father’s side. You’d think a planetary leader would have more to do after a sudden and deadly attack on her home planet, but I guess Adhirans are so chill they’ll just let their leader fuck off to take care of her angsty teenage niece instead.

Lira says that she’ll do anything to make up for bringing Valen to Adhira, to which Alara says that the only thing Lira will do is “follow her heart,” which is sweet of her to say but also really convenient and makes this whole decision easier for her.

I mean, it’s nice that Alara is so supportive, but 1) narratively, it removes the conflict that was introduced only a few chapters ago 2) it makes Alara seem like she’s only there to be the supportive cool aunt and the Good Queen, without any expectations or wants of her own. Like, wasn’t the pressure from Alara something that gave Lira actual conflict? Idk. Seems too easy, is what I’m saying.

Lira didn’t let go of her aunt until the tears dried up. Until they sat down on either side of Lon’s bedside, held his hands and spoke of happier times. The beauty of a family that could come together, broken, and still find a way to become something whole.

You’re one step away from “Ohana means family” over here, Shinsay. Stop spelling shit out. WE. GET. IT. Also, whose narration is this? We’ve mostly stuck to third person limited, so ... is Lira thinking this? Is she thinking this shit while it’s happening? About her own family and situation? What the fuck?

Shinsay couldn’t keep their suspiciously sticky fingers out of their own writing and let it breathe so it comes out looking like God’s mistake.

Anyway, Lon wakes up and Alara tells him what went down on Adhira.

Chapter 71

We’re back with Andi, who just got out of a bath and is bitterly admiring her “private quarters” when she’s interrupted by DUN DUN her dad! He’s been waiting for her!

It’s all very tense. Before they can really start talking, though, we get a flashback. No, really. This whole tense reunion between father and daughter is interrupted by a lengthy flashback brought on by Andi watching her dad and Remembering.

Because Shinsay.

It’s a flashback to Andi in a cell, the day before she was supposed to be executed. Her dad tells her that her mother is "not well” and we find out his name is Oren. As they’re saying their tearful goodbyes, Oren slips Andi a key and tells her “Bay Seven. Tomorrow at dawn.” 

The flashback ends with Andi’s cell standing empty the next morning.

Very cool and all that.

Back in the now, Andi rightfully chews her dad out for being a cowardly little bitch and throwing his teenage daughter under the bus for the sake of status. Something he freely admits to doing. He says he and her mother had to struggle to rebuild their reputation after she ruined it, and that he believes his daughter died with Kalee and that whoever he saved in the cell was already the Bloody Baroness even if she didn’t know it yet. Then he fucks off.

It’s all extremely silly. It would’ve been heartbreaking in any better book, but instead, it just feels like it’s tacked on for the sake of adding even more angst to Androma’s character. In fact, she’s not even upset at this. Instead she just carves some more tallies into her swords, dances some more with the dead, and then sneaks out.

No really, it’s written like a list.

She waited for the tears to come. But they never did.

Instead she sat alone, adding more tallies to her swords. Dancing with the dead inside her head.

Why is this so funny! I think it’s because both the tally-carving and the ghost-dancing is supposed to be these deep and haunted things she does that’s given a fair amount of weight and focus, but then it’s just written out like this like it’s just some generic routine shit she does like brushing her teeth or wiping her ass.

Yup, there she goes, doing her generic angsty shit one after the other. Emotional whiplash glossed over for the sake of moving the plot along. She’s in such a bad mental state that we simply MUST ignore it and move on.

Also, I want to highlight how convenient it is for Shinsay to already have Andi suspect and previously coming to terms with how her parents don’t love her before this confrontation. Like, we see her father save her tearfully, yet Andi has almost no hope that he still loves her. Or, she does, but when it’s squashed, she just ... accepts it? Because hey, she already processed that trauma years before! Makes it easy!

Wouldn’t it make it more impactful if all these years, she’s hoped that she has a home to come back to? That her father’s final act of saving her meant they love her still and want her to come back? And now she finds out that they never even mourned her loss? Wouldn’t that be heart-wrenching? And also add to the idea that Andi wants to return to Arcardia, both because it’s her home planet but also because that’s where her parents are? Instead we’re led to believe Andi wants to return, but when she does, she hates it here, she knows nobody wants her here, and she wants to leave immediately.

I seriously question the inclusion of this subplot and these characters. It adds nothing, changes nothing, and is just there to make Andi more angsty, which she already is, so ... why is this here lmao?

Shinsay really went “let’s squander all our potentially interesting ideas and concepts for the sake of more cheap angst and making our protag a cool emotionless badass who don’t care for no thing.”

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 13: The Party

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

It's been one whole year since Lily was Turned and she refuses to let it be a bummer. Time to party!

[READ IT ON AO3]

Nadya’s glad she never has to explain to anyone what the Shadow Den looked like before Jax joined the Council and made the Clanless, well, not-so-Clanless. It’s just such a different place. Sometimes that dark and dim tiny-flame-in-the-endless-night hopeful sanctuary for anyone seeking it seems like a distant dream rather than a memory.

Even if she tried, too, Nadya’s not quite so sure they would believe her.

That being said — Maricruz has really outdone herself.

Every bodega and small store in the city must be sold out of string lights. Not that Nadya’s complaining; all the bulbs put together like this form a weird kind of heated-lamp effect and being underground in the middle of January had been one of her biggest concerns about tonight.

The unofficial Fountain Square is a dazzling sight with multicolored fairy lights — and whatever stall can have streamers does have streamers stretching the whole length of the party. It’s kind of jarring when she spots the cutoff point. How everything just drops off into a dark abyss. But right now there’s probably no place safer on the entire island.

Adrian tucks his present higher under his arm and takes in the decorations with equal bewilderment. “I wonder where they’re siphoning the electricity from.”

There’s a little frown creasing between his eyebrows as he says it. Nadya knows that look and quickly diverts his attention. She doesn’t know either but she has a feeling the answer isn’t exactly on the right side of the law.

“I can’t believe you guys don’t do this for everyone.” This; a celebration for a successful year as a newbie-vampire. “Imagine what kind of party I could throw for you.”

Why is he looking at her like that? What does a 200 year old vampire have to be afraid of? Her party-planning skills are excellent, thank you very much. Or had he already forgotten the Fourth of July?

“Well, remember Nadya that for many people — especially around here — their Turning wasn’t something to look back on fondly.”

“Lily’s wasn’t.”

He’ll give her that. “Touché.” But his point still stands. “I can’t speak for some of the younger ones, but I definitely don’t remember the date on which I was Turned.”

“Because colonial America used different calendars?”

“Because we were in the middle of a war.” Which is a fair point, so Nadya concedes.

Only they’ve brought up his Turning — so of course Adrian goes uncomfortably quiet beside her. Thoughts lost a long time ago and with company way less cool than those at present. So instead she hooks her arm in his and points forward to where the alley of casual attendees empties out into the heart of the Square.

Hard to believe nearly a year ago they had sat in this very spot, Adrian on the run and Nadya just trying to keep up with everyone. They had sat together on the rim of the old memorial fountain and she just knew the weight of the injustice was something he demanded to carry. “So do something about it,” she had said — an offhanded thing when they were safe and sound.

But he had.

He had wanted to have a brand-new fountain made especially for the Shadow Den. Jax had refused, which was an argument Nadya’s too happy to recall at the moment, but his reasons were sound. Instead they worked together to renovate the one already down here. It wasn’t just a place to remember the lost and mourned; it was as much a part of the community as Jax, or Lily, or even little Lula.

Now, with cracks filled-in and worn edges sanded back to definition, the memorial stone in the heart of the Shadow Den was no longer something to avoid looking at. Now the pictures and names and memories of gone loved ones could be celebrated. As they were meant to.

Adrian takes it in; his passion project, his apology letter to the Clanless community. This can never make up for what we’ve done — but it’s a place to start. He starts blinking rapidly and Nadya squeezes his arm to draw him out of his somber appreciation.

Lily would kill her if she found out someone was crying at her party.

They leave their presents on a small pile by the fountain rim. What did you get someone for surviving death for the first time around — well Lily hadn’t wanted presents so much as the party itself, but if anyone wanted to bring something for the community they were more than welcome to.

As if Nadya could ever attend a party and not bring a gift.

“Nadi’Nadi’Nadi’Nadi’!”

Incoming. She braces herself for literal impact and somehow still manages to stumble as the whirlwind of child vampire comes at her like a tiny freight train. Pulls little Lula back to hold her at arms’ length and grin down at those tiny fangs and sparkling eyes.

“Hey kiddo,” she takes care not to ruffle the young girl’s hair, done up all special for the party with curls that look suspiciously like Maricruz’s, “wow, look at your dress!”

Lula spins in her frilly little frock, on one foot and with arms spread out, while her stuffed elephant is dangerously close to being hurled into oblivion. “D’you like it, do you do you doyou?”

“I feel like I’m looking at a movie star.”

Nadya elbows Adrian for good measure. He startles only a bit this time. “Absolutely,” he agrees, “you look like a little Shirley Temple.”

“Who?” Lula asks with her head cocked, and Nadya quickly slaps her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“I’m gonna let you handle that one.”

And if he’s going to try and get out of it the way Lula suddenly latches onto him insisting she knows stops that in its tracks. Nadya just winks and skirts off while she still can.

Because there’s only one place to find Lily Spencer at any party — and that’s exactly where Nadya finds her. Digging around in the wires underneath what looks like a pretty expensive DJ rig with wire strippers between her teeth and tangled electrical tape in her determined grasp.

She crouches down and taps Lily on the forehead. “Anything I can do?”

“I’ll call you if I want it to break.”

Not that they don’t grin at one another — Nadya’s fully aware of her technological ineptitude. Still she makes herself comfortable to watch a master work her art.

“You remember this is your party, right?”

“Uh-huh, your point?”

“Shouldn’t someone else be doing that?”

Stupid questions get stupid answers; in this case a look that’s so withering Nadya will see it every time she so much as trips on a shoelace. So she tries something else; “Where’re Mari and Jax?”

Lily spits out the roll of tape and Nadya grabs it before it can disappear in the crowd of feet. “Jax and Arnold are bringing in the kegs. Someone needed a boss so Mari went off. Hand me that, no, that thing right — no to your left.”

“You just said right!”

“Your other right!”

Lily all but yanks the god-knows-what from her hand and Nadya flicks her roommate’s nose for the trouble. “Don’t hang out under here for too long, okay?”

“Nadya — I can’t just sit by and not have a banger playlist going at a party with my name on it.”

“Really, will the party gods cast you out?” She feigns surprise, and quickly scrambles off of the small temporary stage before divine retribution comes upon her.

“You’d better run, Al Jamil!”

Only… Lily can’t see around the booth, so she doesn’t know just how right she is.

After all, why would anything ever go right for her? Why would she think she could enjoy a nice party and not turn to physically collide into the one person she had hoped she could just… yearn at from a safe and wistful distance?

Kamilah catches her faster than it takes her to realize she’s falling. Hands steady on her upper arms, making sure she’s not about to keel over and end up a pool of blood on the concrete underfoot.

Talk about falling head-over-heels.

“Uh — thanks for that…” says Nadya sheepishly, but Kamilah doesn’t respond. She just stares, eyes practically squinting, before leaning back with a nod.

“What,” Nadya pales, “something on my face?”

The woman shakes her head. “No. I was merely checking to make sure you had your contacts in.”

Oh. “Y-Yeah. Lily likes to — well this dance she invented is just spinning around and with her new speed I really didn’t want them to pistol-whip someone in the face.” Is she rambling?

Wow, she’s rambling. And Kamilah notices it too; likely in the same moment. The smile it gets is small but there. Like a secret between them even in the small crowd.

It makes Nadya feel not-so-bad for having one of her own.

“Thanks for coming,” she switches the subject quickly, “dunno if you know but… it—it means a lot to Lil’.” And to me.

Kamilah’s words are careful and measured. “Well then, you may tell Lily that I am grateful for the invitation. And wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to see her… enjoying herself.”

So this is a thing they’re going to be doing, huh.

Before Nadya can answer there’s a shrill whistle that makes the entire crowd—save herself—flinch. Sensitive vampires and whistles do not go well together.

A gaggle of angry glares all whip over to where Jax is smirking at the entrance to another alley of stalls. He lowers his fingers from his lips and motions at them with a wave. Before Kamilah even gets the chance to consider declining, Nadya nudges her with insistence. “Come on, we’re not gonna be those people.”

“And which people would that be?”

“The ones who get social restraining orders on each other.”

She doesn’t mention it, but Nadya doesn’t miss the little bit of relief that crosses Kamilah’s face under a string of purple lights.

Jax has alcohol (some thankfully not from a keg, though she knows Lily can and will live her fantasy of a keg-stand at some point tonight) which, thank god honestly. It helps that he’s with her too — because someone has to be here to back her up when Nadya will try to convince the world Kamilah takes a bottle of cheap beer from Arnold with a thanks and a long drink.

Adrian joins them shortly after; the huff he gives at Nadya with no real heat behind it. “Nu-uh,” she drinks her cider to avoid laughing too hard, “you dated yourself back there, old man.” Which makes Jax and Kamilah give equally confused looks — so of course the laughter can’t be contained.

Halfway through her bottle there’s blowback on unseen speakers — followed by chill-yet-classy electronica. When Lily’s sliding in with a manic delight that could only mean she’s ready to do something crazy…

Though she wants to wait for her grand ‘stand until Maricruz can admire her for it.

The music acts like a beacon. Summons vampires and humans alike from their scattered conversations and to the Square for dancing. Lily doesn’t give Nadya a choice in joining her — but her two left feet are a compliment to her best friend’s two right ones and they make it work.

Jax, too, gets dragged in with them — who in their right minds could possibly turn down Lula for anything, ever — and its with absolute amusement that Nadya watches the older seamstress Evelyn accost Adrian for something that’s a little too much like a swing for the current beats-per-minute.

And then there was one.

Under the guise of “needing a change in pace ohmygod,” Lily shoves Nadya away and heads back to the stereo stage. Only someone horrendously oblivious would think she wasn’t trying to do the obvious.

It’s Kamilah. Kamilah is horrendously oblivious.

She looks down at Nadya’s offered hand with lips pursed. “This isn’t the sort of music I’m… familiar with dancing to.”

“You think anyone actually does?”

Together they look out to the dance floor. Nadya’s point is proven in every direction, and then some.

“Nadya…”

But it isn’t dancing that has Kamilah hesitating. It makes perfect sense — Nadya was stupid for thinking they even could. “Nope, you’re right, my bad. I’ll —”

The familiarity of her hand is astounding. A drink of cool water on a blistering summer day. Nadya remembers a distant thought — that she had been happy to give up those sunny afternoons without a look back if it meant being with Kamilah.

And now; laughing until she’s pink in the face while showing a two thousand year old vampire how to improvise a groove?

She still would.

An hour and a second bottle later and Nadya’s sure she might die. No really, this is what dying feels like. Tightness in her chest, she can’t breathe, tongue dry and heavy in her mouth and her pulse racing through her body and pounding in her temples.

And just what will she say with her dying breath?

“Groovy moves, Jax!”

Thus Nadya can depart this world peacefully — or at the very least fall back into Adrian in absolute hilarity with the knowledge he won’t let her fall.

Jax glares but doesn’t let it stop him. He keeps on hustling, keeps on murdering Nadya with every jerky thrust of his hips.

Cause of death: aggressive hustle.

Though if she doesn’t get some air she’ll get dizzy at the very least. Adrian helps her back by the impromptu bar where Kamilah leans against a support column.

“I was under the impression we as a society had agreed to leave disco behind.”

Adrian snorts a laugh. “You did, but I’m pretty sure you were the only one.”

“If you ever visited a disco you must have done so behind my back.”

“No, but I can’t begrudge people going out and having a good time.”

“Ah yes, I forgot who I was talking to,” Kamilah rolls her eyes so hard it makes Nadya’s head hurt, “you’ve always been Mister Fun Entertainment.”

“Hey —”

She would be happy to watch the pair of them go at it all night, really. But when Adrian stops mid-sentence its enough to make both Nadya and Kamilah turn to see where Lily is running towards them… and with an all-too-familiar widened panic in her eyes.

Just one thing, can’t they have just one thing?

“What is the matter?” Kamilah sets on her immediately, but Lily ignores her for Nadya.

“You need to come quick.”

“Where’ve you been?” She distantly remembers maybe hearing Lily call out for her girlfriend, who had been mysteriously absent for how excited she was to throw this thing. “Lil’, what’s wrong?”

“Too much talking, not enough walking.”

Lily starts to shove Nadya down the way she’d come. The older vampires follow hot on their heels.

“Lil’ — stop shoving me I’m gonna fall. I’m com—I’m coming, okay? Jeez…” She has to practically force Lily to let her walk on her own two feet. And still with no questions answered.

“They’re just up ahead.”

They. Why does Nadya’s stomach fall out of her butt at that? Probably because the only ‘they’ in her life lately have been crazy killer lovers, maybe, possibly?

“Come on, stop for a second.”

“No, I don’t wanna leave her alone with him for long.”

Well now Nadya’s thoroughly lost. Thankfully when she looks behind to the others she doesn’t seem to be the only one.

Lily takes them all passed the unofficial border of the party; where the lights don’t reach but a few stragglers chat and feed with donor’s permission by candlelight. The farther they go the worse her anxiety; but there’s no stopping now.

They finally round the roasted cashew cart and her brain doesn’t really register the fact that there’s nothing to immediately panic about.

Maricruz looks up at them with her arms crossed over her chest, expression set grim. Behind her Nadya vaguely recognizes the entry to one of the Den’s closed-off feeding areas — because apparently performance anxiety was a thing vampires could have.

“Are you okay baby?” Lily asks, and immediately slots herself against the other woman’s side. Maricruz nods and kisses her temple — but it’s an absent act; a physical reaction. Her mind is definitely elsewhere.

“‘M fine, cariña.”

“But —”

“He’s almost done.”

He pushes aside the curtain before Nadya, Adrian, or Kamilah can even begin to process what’s going on. He has to duck because obviously the Den wasn’t built with people his height in mind.

Cadence thumbs away a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth almost sheepishly. Despite having—apparently—just fed he looks haggard; hair tied back in a messy ponytail but falling around his face almost gaunt in the hollows of his cheeks.

He hauls up the strap of his shoulder bag a bit higher and only then realizes they have company. Even his smile is exhausted.

Nadya knows that if she opens her mouth right now the only thing that will come out is some variation of “what the literal crap” so she does the smart thing… and keeps it shut.

But… is anybody gonna say anything? Anything at all?

“You know this man?” asks Kamilah, clipped and curt behind her. It takes Nadya a second to realize she’s asking Maricruz.

The smuggler kicks at the dirt under her heel. “Kinda.”

Adrian almost sounds relieved. “Cadence — what are you doing in New York?”

When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell Kathy? How the heck is this my life right now? Nadya still doesn’t say a word though which is probably for the best.

Though, thankfully, her stomach totally bottomed out on the run over here. So when the blond vampire looks right at her there’s nowhere lower it could possibly go.

“I’m here because I need the Bloodkeeper’s help.”

Silence.

When someone speaks; Nadya’s as surprised as any of them when she recognizes the voice as her own.

“We should talk about this somewhere else.”

“I agree.”

“C’mon,” Maricruz jerks her head back to the heart of the Shadow Den; the party still swings without them, “we’ll go back to Matsuo’s.”

Not that they have many other options — and even if they did Maricruz is already marching on, Lily’s hand in hers, very much not looking back. They all start to follow — or nearly all.

They’re already around a corner when Nadya notices Kamilah isn’t with them.

She looks back and the look on the vampiress’ face is… scary. Part of that fear is because she recognizes it too-well; because it’s the reason the two of them are the way they are right now.

The rest of it is because it’s so sudden; it takes Nadya by surprise.

“Kamilah?” she calls, and distantly hears the footsteps ahead of her stop, “Are you coming?”

It almost looks like she isn’t.

Then one step forward, and another, like she’s remembering how to walk. Nadya follows slow and purposefully at her side the whole way there.

The first thing Nadya realizes once the door closes behind them — she’s stuck in a tiny apartment full of vampires. And it’s not like control has ever been on her side when it comes to these kinds of things.

Hopefully it won’t take long.

“I take it you haven’t made much progress with the Amulet?” Cadence asks, though judging by the already apologetic way he looks at Nadya he already knows the answer. “I see, I’m sorry to know that.”

“Why are you here?” It’s Kamilah who cuts to the chase; abrupt and almost rude; and she’s not the only one who realizes it.

Adrian throws Kamilah a look but it isn’t returned. She hasn’t looked away from Cadence from the moment he’d left the feeding den.

To his credit, the blond vampire remains calm even under her aggressive scrutiny. Not many can. “I came to try and help if I could. I spent a decade trying to find it; and though it might not have been any use to me personally I thought some of my research —” he pats the bag now resting in his lap, “— might prove useful.”

Which is great if it’s true. But Kamilah’s suspicion might just be rubbing off on her. Something about his attitude isn’t holding up.

“Why doesn’t Kathy know where you are?”

He doesn’t look away fast enough. Nadya doesn’t miss the flash of pain over his features. “This was an impulsive decision. I was going to tell her once I’d settled in… and once you had decided whether or not to accept my help.”

Adrian’s arms cross over his chest. “When did you arrive?”

“Just this afternoon. I spent the daylight hours at the train station and sought you out the moment I could. I have no desire to repeat what happened with Izzy.”

“Good move on your part.”

But Kamilah isn’t having it.

“I thought I was clear when I told you never to return to New York. Should I have followed it with a threat?”

“The threat was well-implied, Miss Sayeed.”

“And yet here you are.”

“I would think the threat the Amulet’s secrets pose were worth the risk.” He raises an eyebrow; meets her toe-to-toe and doesn’t back down. Nadya would be impressed if she didn’t know how badly things like this usually ended. And not against Kamilah’s favor.

“Do not speak to me of risks. I know better than anyone —”

Then Adrian is between them; Nadya didn’t register the distance slowly closing between the confronting vampires until he’s got a hand on each one’s shoulder and, from the looks of it, struggling to hold his fellow Council member back.

“Kamilah,” he tries to chide; actually has to swerve his head to get her to look away from Cadence and at him, “why are you acting like this?”

She doesn’t answer, but Nadya can guess pretty well on her own. Can’t say she hasn’t been feeling a little of that apprehension rolling off of the woman in waves herself, but she’s hoping it’s just Bloodkeeper projecting and not something she really feels.

But Cadence takes her silence as an opportunity to back down; literally. Instead he looks to Nadya.

“Not only that, but I wanted to apologize to you; to all of you.”

“For what?” Which might just be her stupidest question to date.

“For my actions at Persephone, and for not being there to try and give this kind of help before. But when night fell and I was able to get to the others, you’d already left Louisiana.”

She shrugs. “It was important we got back.” She had things to do after all. Vampires to break up with. Relationships to ruin. Depression to cry over.

“Of course, and I understand that. And I won’t do you the disservice of sitting here and saying my actions and intentions are entirely altruistic ones. I want to help you because it’s the right thing to do. But I hope you might return my offer with help of your own. Help only you, Nadya, can provide.”

And there it is. I’m here because I need the Bloodkeeper’s help.

Nadya holds up a hand to her friends before they can say anything in her stead. Whether they were planning to or not — she deserves the chance to speak first. They can’t begrudge her that, can they?

It’s her power. She can do what she wants with it. And frankly, after all the grief it’s caused her, the thought of doing some good with it is nice.

“You want me to try and find your memories.”

“Yes,” and it helps that he seems almost apologetic for asking, “because I hate to admit it — and I think I’ve been avoiding admitting it for some time now — you might be the only avenue I have left. Every single lead has come up dry. It’s been a century now… and I’m tired of getting my hopes up if I’m honest.”

Nadya wrings her hands together in her lap. “I don’t… I mean I want to help, Cadence, please understand that. And if I know that I can then yeah, let’s do it. But this isn’t something I have control of. I don’t even know if it’ll work.”

“It will.”

“I thought you weren’t getting your hopes up?”

“You misunderstand, see I know it will — because it already has.”

The only one who doesn’t look surprised is Maricruz, but she also doesn’t seem to have been paying attention since this began. She looks at Lily and judges the context from there.

Though even among those in the know the reactions are mixed. Adrian looks the good kind of surprised and that’s sensible; he was the first one to try and help after all. But Kamilah couldn’t be more opposite; she melts the emotion away easily but not before Nadya has a chance to see it for what it is — fear.

And Cadence, well, he’s getting kind of excited. “I’ve always known I served on account of the uniform, but I’ve never had a lick of a memory about the war itself. But now I do, Nadya, I do. It was so small, a roaring engine and fellow soldiers and what I think were bombs falling in the trenches. All fragments, really. Beautiful, wonderfully complex and confusing fragments. And it’s all thanks to you.” He leans forward and takes her hands in his. Nadya can’t tell if she’s the one shaking, or he is, or maybe they both are.

“Flechette, remember? You and Izzy.”

And she definitely remembers now. Awakening from unconsciousness, Isadora de la Rosa having been digging around in her head like she was an abandoned bin of winter clothes in the back of a garage. Cadence had been unconscious, and when he’d come to…

He sees the recognition across her face. “I should apologize for that, too. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, and it was so fleeting… but you know how strange it is, don’t you. To have your entire life, all the things you can point to and know and name, and then suddenly there’s something new. Something you can feel in your bones is the truth.”

When Nadya swallows it feels like there’s glass in her throat. “And… you’re looking around, and you know what’s going to happen next because you—you lived it. But then you didn’t, and you’re still surprised.”

“But like a dream it never lasts long.”

“And you’re left wondering what was real and what was your imagination. Yes.”

If Nadya had known how good it would feel to have someone understand — actually understand; not because the memories were theirs but because they didn’t know what was going on just like she didn’t know what was going on — she would have laid out a red carpet for the guy.

Calling it nice doesn’t even scrape against what it really is, but there’s a relief there too. She holds on to that.

“You’re my last shot, Nadya,” Cadence insists; Nadya believes him utterly, “not only that you’re the only shot that’s yielded results. I think I’d given up a long time ago and not even realized it. Because to have hope for the first time… well, ever?”

She nods. She gets it — and not just because the longer her body heat has the chance to seep into his skin the more that starts to bleed through the cracks. Nadya yanks her hands away but luckily he doesn’t seem too insulted.

Adrian clears his throat and draws their attention. Pulls them out of their little world of someone who gets what it’s like to be someone and yourself and not knowing who either really is.

“Actually, this is a unique opportunity to study an actual measure to your abilities, Nadya.” He makes a point of ignoring the appalled silence radiating off of Kamilah beside him. “That is; if the both of you agree to a documented study.”

“Not a fan of how you’re making me sound like a lab rat.”

“You know what I mean.”

She does. And throwing a look Cadence’s way — he does, too.

“But we can hammer out the finer details tomorrow,” because he hasn’t missed Lily’s bouncing leg or the change of muffled music beyond the door, “because I think the hostess of the party has been away from it for long enough, wouldn’t you say Lily?”

“Lily would say,” Lily says, “Lily would definitely say.”

Cadence initially tries to back out but Lily won’t have it — though she does forget to tell him to duck before pulling him out of the apartment and he ends up stumbling with a red mark on his forehead. Maricruz follows at their heels and Adrian looks ready to join close behind — but he stops when he realizes no one else is coming along.

“Nadya? Kamilah? Are you coming?”

She knows what it looks like when someone is looking through you rather than at you. That’s why it hurts so much seeing it from eyes she’s always thought so beautiful; so boundless.

Nadya doesn’t regret ever falling for Kamilah. But at times like this — when she’s more content to twist herself up in her own concerns and shut everyone; shut Nadya out — she finds herself wondering how exactly she ended up doing so in the first place.

“Yeah, Adrian, I’m coming.”

She follows him out; and this time she doesn’t look back.

[nightybreeze]

Sound of Fury

Original female character/Billy Hargrove

A/N - I've created it with a Lady Macbeth/Macbeth dynamic in mind. I'm gonna try incorporate that into this fic as we go along. This is gonna be a long series. You could call it a slow burn but in terms of the plot. But I promise I'm pouring my heart and soul into this thing.

Summary: Action takes place in the season 2 of stranger things.

Word count: about 2 200 words

Chapter 1

Smash of the door. The twist of the key. Loud roar of the engine. Sudden rush of adrenaline that made goosebumps rise up on her skin. And then quick and daring take off.

The feeling was nearly invincible each and every time, but in its steadfast nature it never failed to bring a little bit of joy to her heart. As the machine accelerated it felt like taking a shot directly to the veins. And then what came next was just a steady, subtle drift that set her off into the wide blue. Mika in those moments was finally able to relax. Could forget about the sombreness of the reality that sourrounded her. Even if it was just a second, she could finally get a glimpse of how it felt to be truly free. The wind grizzled into the girl's ear and winnowed wildly through her hair to the beats of hard rock music coming from the radio. As the next track blasted out from the speakers, Mika was quick to recognize the piece. The song began with a distinguishable, descending tetrachord in a form of slow tremolo. It repeated itself a couple of times before the second guitar and the drums joined in. Soon enough, the lead vocalist started singing. Mika tightened the grip on the steering wheel and clenched her jaw in response. On paper the song seemed her type: full of energy and spark, quick-paced, with off the chain solos. If it was not for the lyrics, it would surely land on one of her personal cassette tapes. The persona came across as someone with real naive worldview and it was enough to struck her nerve. It didn't take a minute before she was speeding up.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭

'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰

𝘛𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 '𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 

She pushed the gas pedal even harder placing her well beyond the speed limit. As the song was reaching an end, she pushed the brake and sharply turned the wheel. The car smoothly slid across the street, making a one-eighty, and with a screech of the tires came to a halt. Mika didn't bother to move it closer to the pavement, it was good enough. She turned off the radio, released the keys and heedlessly slammed the door after leaving the vehicle. The girl entered the liquor store. She didn't seem out of place. She's been here many times before and it was like she had had every right to it. She was confident that nothing would ever jeopardise the purpose of her being there. Mika grabbed a standard-sized bottle of cheap tequila and went over to the counter. She noticed that the man behind it wasn't someone she recognized. She quickly then grabbed the ID from her pocket and casually flashed it at the shopkeeper while handing him her drink. The salesman glanced at it.

𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝘔𝘢𝘺 13𝘵𝘩 1962

Soon enough she was settling up the bill and on her way out of the store until suddenly a police officer entered the shop. He scanned the place with his eyes before giving Mika a suspecting glare. The girl tried to manoeuvre around him but the cop didn't let her.

- Woah, woah, woaaah there young lady. Not so quick - he said stopping her in her tracks - Is it your car outside the building?

It took her a second before collecting herself.

- Yes, sir, is there a problem? - she said calmly while fluttering her lashes and giving him the world's fakest smile.

The officer didn't seem to notice, she was a true pro.

- It's parked incorrectly. It's disturbing the traffic.

Mika looked above his shoulder. There was no traffic outside.

- I'm terribly sorry, I was just about to leave! It won't happen again, sir - she sighed dramatically.

She tried to take a step forward but the officer held her back.

- I'm afraid I'll be forced to check your ID

Mika's heart sped up a beat. She knew she could be busted. On the other hand her calm demeanour seemed unbothered. She glanced at him, smiled and quietly passed him the card. She took a peek at cop's badge and then noticed a couple of thick, white hair strands on his uniform. Just as the officer was about to get a closer look, Mika chimed in.

- Oh gosh, you've got a dog, Mr. Brown? - the girl asked cheerily, trying not to tip off her immense frustration.

- Am I that obvious? - the man chuckled while trying to examine the ID

- You struck me as the type - she said smiling innocently and after a short pause added - It's nice to meet a fellow dog person.

That was of course a plain, ugly lie -  the best card she could play at that very moment. She figured the best way to distract a man is to have him start talking about himself.

- So what's his name? - she asked but she couldn't care less

- Her - Officer Brown corrected - Becky. A pitbull. Loyal little beastie.

Of course, she thought, what else could have she expected than a national pride that is a fighting ring dog.

- I sure hope she is.

The cop seemed like he was about ask something, but he was then quickly interrupted by another male voice coming from behind the girl.

- Jerryyy!! What's good, is your wife alright?

Jerry Brown looked up and Micheala turned around to see another man who freshly left the back.

- Old Nick! Yeah the migraines finally stopped and she's better now.

- Say, what brings you here today? - Nick said while eyeing the girl up with concern

- Nothing much, just duty, sir.

- Duty, ey? - shopkeeper gave Mika a knowing look - Did the girl do something?

- I think she's too young to be buying stuff here. And besides, her car isn't nowhere near the sidewalk.

- Awh you know how women are, their parking is horrible, they shouldn't be driving in the first place

Mika furrowed her eyebrows at Nick but the man just gave her a sheepish grin in response.

- Tell that to Sarah! - Jerry laughed, clearly entertained - She's insisting on getting a driver's license. Can you imagine?!

The two men burst out laughing in unison. After a couple of seconds they stopped and then carried on with their conversation for another good minute or two. Mika stepped to the side, clearly bored. She was considering running off to her car and just driving away.However she didn't want to get in trouble with the police again and besides, Jerry still held her ID captive. Nick saw that and that was his cue to finally get to the point.

- So whatcha gonna do about... - he paused focusing his eyes at Mika

- The girl? I don't know man. What if she's underage? - the cop Jerry raised the card with his hand, recalling that he still hasn't properly inspected it yet.

- I assure ye, she's not. Mika's my loyal customer since she hit 21! She wasn't showin' her ass here before.

The police officer looked at the ground lost in thought. Then glanced to the side at Mika and back again at Nick and sighed.

- You'd vouch for her?

Nick hesitated for a second but after that a wide grin crept onto his face.

- Yeah, I would.

And that was enough for the officer Jerry to resign from his witch hunt. He moved aside to stand in front of the girl and finally handed the ID back to her.

- Here you go Miss, sorry for the inconvenience.

He left the store and called out from the outside.

- Practice your parking!!

Mika was so done with this whole situation but she managed to put on a one last smile.

- Sure thing, officer!

And with that it was over.

She wasn't this close from being caught by the police since her late evening trip to the pub near the centre - a foolish decision on her part. This wasn't New York. Not only was she the only woman at the bar, she was the only young woman at the bar. She managed to talk her way out of it of course, but the encounter still left a sour taste in her mouth. "Cops" she thought. "Always acting like they're noble and benevolent. Like they don't have anything better to do than meddle with somebody else's fucking business instead of doing something that is actually important".

Micheala stood there seconds longer, following Jerry with her eyes. After a while she grunted at Nick.

- You should've let us be.

She had it under control, she didn't need his help.

- You're welcome? - the man raised an eyebrow at her visibly amazed.

- I had it handled! - the girl scoffed.

- Like shit you had! I've saved your sorry ass, some words of appreciation would be nice.

Mika looked at him with hateful eyes, her pride hurt.

- Didn't ask for your help - she murmured quietly under her nose as she turned around and pushed the door open.

She walked outside but Old Nick quickly rushed after her.

- Hey, hey, Mika don't be like that - Nick closed off on her, undeliberately catching the girl's attention - I know you don't do well with that kind of talk, I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted you to be safe. Wasn't too keen on getting in trouble for selling booze to a minor either. You understand that, right? - he looked at her with pleading eyes.

She did, yes. It was his store after all. Mika was a little mad at herself for snapping like that. She just really hated being given favours though. She sighed.

- Yeah.

     Thanks Nick.

***

The girl arrived back home - a shithole that was looking same as always. Except at the house on the opposite side of the street were parked two cars. Which wouldn't be anything worth noting, but the 5280 Cherry Street stood empty since Mika came back from college a couple of months ago. At least it's what she recalled. So yeah. A bunch of new shitty neighbours. If her mother made her bring them a "welcome pie" she swore she was going to murder someone. Or she'll just end up throwing it in the dumpster as a big ol' "Fuck you". Or eating the thing herself. She's not decided which out of those three ideas appealed to her most.

Mika leaned against the trunk and lit up a cigarette. She spied some figures moving behind the window curtains.| "Please, don't borrow any fucking sugar". On a further inspection she noticed that one of the cars parked outside, the blue one, was a Camaro. "Right, another pathetic male playing macho" Suddenly a front door swung open. A boy came out of the house. He strot in a hurry. Mika took a nice, long drag of her cigarette. The boy was young, approximately her age. Pleasantly looking. She stared intently at him as he made his way to the blue Camaro. "Of course" - she thought as a slight grin crept onto her face. The boy wore the most generic bad boy hairstyle, a pair of tight, midwash jeans and a black crew neck. He seemed irritated, quite over the edge. But then again, maybe it was just his bad boy facade.

She let out a big puff of smoke.

Okay, yeah, he was handsome. He looked like taken out of a goddamn TV screen. The Boy was gorgeous. So gorgeous, Mika started wondering when was the last time she's seen a man so damn pretty? Ah, yes. 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬.

What was he doing in Hawkins? He really must have been new. Was he there unpacking when she went out to that store? Guess she couldn't care less to notice.

No no, she would've seen him.

Probably...

The unnamed Boy took a large box out of the back of his car. He held it with his one hand while he slammed the boot door shut with the other. And then, unexpectedly, as Mika was about to take another blow out of her cig, the Boy's and hers eyes met. They held each others gaze for a split second. She breathed in the smoke and he adjusted his seemingly heavy pack. And then Boy disappeared behind the same door he so quickly came from.

Mika stood there, finishing her smoke. She threw the burnt bud on the ground and crushed it with her shoe.

Alright so maybe she wouldn't be so mad if 𝙝𝙚 was the one to ask for that bag of sugar. The girl decided she must make herself acquainted with this handsome newcomer. Yes, she was planning to get to know him real 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺.

She grabbed the tequilla out of her car along with the cherry coke that was laying there on the floor. She wrapped the liquor in paper and wandered off into the nearby woods.

[not-safeforsanders]

Sugar Daddy

Warnings: Age gap (19-37), nsfw as always, I guess sort of prostitution but not in the traditional sense. 

Ship: Logicality

Plot: It seemed like a simple arrangement, fuck the dude, get paid. Really simple. Right up until Patton realized that his sugar daddy is actually kind of...sweet

((Am I projecting onto characters again? U bet ur ass I am))

Patton sighs as he looks down at his outfit. “You look wonderful, as always, Pat,” His flatmate, Roman grins at him “That ass though,” Patton giggles a little as he stares in the mirror. White, ripped skinny jeans with a pastel blue shirt tucked into them, little cacti decorated the shirt and overall gave him a look of sweet and innocent. 

Which heavily contradicts with the arrangement he’s made. 

He slides his circular glasses up his freckled nose and runs a hand through his unruly curls in hope of sorting them out somehow. “Are you sure I look okay?” He sighs, sliding his feet into his rather battered boots and tying the rainbow print laces into double bows. Roman nods enthusiastically in response, being the personal hype man that he always is for his friends. 

“Absolutely stunning, he’s not going to be able to keep his hands off of you,” Which might also be a problem. See, Patton is no stranger to sex, it’s having sex with strangers that is the predominant issue. He knows very little about this man as a person, what if he’s not trustworthy? What if this is all just a really bad idea. Isn’t this essentially prostitution?

He thinks about this as he slides his headphones over his head and begins his journey to the place they’d agreed to meet up. It’s just dinner, really, for tonight, just to feel a little more comfortable with each other. And for Patton, a free meal is a wonderous thing especially when he sees how bare his cupboards are. 

The college student stands outside of the restaurant, hands in his pockets as he sways nervously on the spot, he glances down at his phone every now and then just to refresh his memory of what the other man looks like. A car pulls up outside, if this guy could not get any more stereotypical he has his own driver. 

Patton really does hate billionaires most days of the week, but this one is feeding him so he can’t really complain right now. 

Then, there he is. Tall, slender but not skinny, with a sharp jawline and tan skin, black hair perfectly coiffed except for one strand that didn’t seem to want to behave today, as it fell into his blue eyes. “Hi there Patton,” He extends a hand which Patton shakes with a dazed expression, tugging his headphones off of his ears. “Glad to see you got here safely, shall we” He gestures towards the restaurant with a small smile.

If he didn’t know better, Patton might say he almost looked a little shy. But men like that don’t get to come into so much money by being shy. Right? 

The inside of the restaurant is huge, with dim lighting and candles on the tables, the menus finely printed in white and gold. If Roman ever became rich, he’d love this place. As they’re seated, Logan holds out a menu for Patton before talking “So I suppose I just wanted to know about you, get to know you, perhaps it would make the whole ordeal feel less strange for both of us if...”

“We don’t feel like strangers?” Patton smiles a little “Yeah I get that feeling,” His eyes widen at the prices on these meals, a soft ‘what?’ leaving his lips. “Why...Why here? Aren’t these prices a little...excessive?” He’d really just wanted something to eat, he hadn’t expected a meal of nearly $200. 

“Admittedly, not my general place of eating, it is excessive, but I wanted to make a good impression, and I’m told the best way to do that is too...” He trails off a little, looking for the right words. 

“Buy them?” Logan’s cheeks flush, looking a little mortified at first until he sees Patton’s grin “You don’t need to throw your money at me for everything, especially food that I probably won’t even enjoy,” He rests the menu on the table for a moment “And if you really want to make a good impression, mister, you could start by not throwing money around like it’s nothing, the costs of these meals are the cost of my rent for a month,” He chuckled “But I suppose I’ll enjoy being spoiled just for tonight,” 

“I apologize, I hadn’t quite considered you may be offended by frivolous displays,” Patton hesitates, noting the sincerity in the other’s voice, and that the blush to his cheeks hadn’t quite faded making this detail noticeable even in the low light. He’s kind of cute. For someone in their late thirties anyway. 

They order food and wine and talk. Logan discusses his work, which was formerly as a CEO of his father’s company and he detested every second of it, he now works as a professor. “I finished my doctorate when I was 25,” He explains “But my father wanted me to work for him, and it paid very well so I stayed, and I saved up a lot of my money because I knew there would be a time where it didn’t come so freely, but then my father died and I got practically all of his money, and my brother took over the company so it all worked out in the end,”

“I take it you and your father didn’t get along well?” 

“He was, for lack of better phrasing, the world’s biggest asshole,”

“Language!” Logan laughs a little, and Patton can’t help but smile a little. “So now you work in a University? What do you teach?”

“Physics,” Patton nods, he knows nothing about physics, or science, or really anything that requires any degree of mathematics. “And what about you? You mentioned you are a student?”

“Part-time, it’s all I can afford,” He chuckles, but it has a sad tone to it. “I work two jobs just to make rent, sometimes I have to cover some of my roommates because his boss keeps fucking him around, and it’s not exactly easy to get a job these days,” He notices Logan’s expression and corrects the misunderstanding that may have occurred “He always pays me back! It just leaves us both a little strapped for cash when it happens, which basically means food is...nonexistent,” Logan’s eyebrows furrowed, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend that people live like that.

“What do you want to be?” He finally asks. 

“Oh, I want to work with children, primary school children mostly because teenagers are scary,” 

“Admirable, much harder job than mine, I spend too much time around young children and fear I may spontaneously combust,” He fidgets around with his phone for a moment “And what’s your roommate's name?”

“Roman, Prince,” Logan nods slowly, not looking up from his phone for a moment. 

“And what University do you study at?”

“Beacon College...is this 20 questions?” Patton watches him with a look of confusion on his face but is then distracted as the food is put down in front of them. He thanks the waiter with a smile as he starts to eat. Logan switches off his phone and places it down on the table, ignoring it’s existence again. 

“Apologies, work texts,” Patton nods, understanding as he practically shovels the food into his mouth. “I appreciate that you may be hungry, but if you continue to eat at that pace you will make yourself feel sick,” The student slows down a little, swallowing his food before uttering with a smile.

“You sound like my mom,” He teases lightly, as Logan rolls his eyes and starts on his own food. The two eat in varying degrees of quiet, occasionally chipping in odd comments and tidbits of conversation. At the end of the meal, Logan tips the waiter and gives him a smile. “Put it in your pocket and don’t tell your boss,” Patton advises, the waiter laughs and gives Patton a small wink as he takes the plates back to the kitchen. 

“This was nice,” Logan said gently “I almost forgot we even had a predetermined arrangement halfway through that meal, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk to a person in a normal manner, it’s very...calming and grounding to spend time with someone who doesn’t mind being honest with me,”

“Honesty is the best policy, most of the time,” Patton replies, digging his hands into his pockets “So...do I go back to yours or...?”

“Perhaps not tonight, our meal lasted longer than anticipated and I have a 9 AM lecture to teach tomorrow,” Patton nods and looks down at his feet awkwardly. “If you don’t mind me asking, however, do you mind...if you’re interested...?” He stumbles over his words, a man so eloquent yet so easily foiled by matters of the heart as he gestures loosely towards Patton. 

The student smiles, watching the man trip over his words before he finally pities him just a little too much, and leans up to kiss him gently. He tastes like wine and coffee and whatever was in that meal he ordered, yet he also tastes soft...and of something that Patton had never tasted before. 

As quickly as it started it was over, and Logan ducks his head to hide the flushed cheeks as Patton fights back a smile. “See you later,” 

“Yeah,” Logan replies dazedly, blinking as he watches Patton walk away “See you later,”

--

For the next two days, Patton can’t stop thinking about Logan. He gets a text just as he’s finishing work on the first day asking if he’d like to come over for dinner tomorrow evening. When he says yes, Logan asks for his address and says he’ll send someone to pick him up. 

Now Patton’s not, generally, dumb. That’s what he tells himself as he hands over his address to a near stranger, an action that has him, and Roman, questioning his sanity. He gets through his own front door to be greeted by his roommate, who looks like he’s just seen a ghost, he’s holding an envelope in each shaking hand. “I think your sugar daddy paid off our university bills,” He whispers, holding out an unopened letter with Patton’s name on it. “Because I didn’t pay them off,”

Patton reads his own letter, a hand coming up over his half-open mouth. “Holy...smokes,” He whispers “He didn’t? He did, holy...oh my God,” His face breaks out into a smile. 

“Jesus you must have some sort of magic ass to get that done,” Patton flushes red at the comment and shoves Roman playfully. 

“We haven’t actually fucked yet, but I guess I should probably go get changed for that,” Roman squeaks as he ushers the other man to his room. 

“I have to dress you for this occasion,” Patton sighs, but there’s no arguing with Roman once he has his mind set on something. They’re both the same height and weight and it’s not uncommon for Roman to steal some of Patton’s jeans every now and then, but in general, the younger has a much more frivolous taste in clothing. Which is how Patton finds himself wearing a pleated white skirt that falls just above his knees, with knee-high socks and dark blue shirt. “You’re definitely getting laid tonight,” Roman chuckles as he sits cross-legged on the bed applying glitter to Patton’s eyelids. He pauses for a moment “Is this...do you want to do this?” He finally asks, looking worried. 

“I do,” Patton replies softly “I wasn’t sure at first, but he’s actually...really sweet and, if all else fails, really cute,” Roman nods, satisfied with this response “And he has lovely eyes,” The elder can hear his friend laughing just a little at his lovestruck expression, but Patton can’t quite react as the younger resume applying makeup. 

The car picks him up at the time agreed upon and Patton gives Roman a quick kiss on the cheek, with the promise that he’ll call if he needs him. The ride to Logan's house wasn’t all too long, and the house itself was not quite as lavish as Patton has been expecting, no it was a moderately sized house that most upper-class people would have, with a quaint and pretty garden. 

Patton stands at the door feeling so small against the big house, reaching up to knock before stepping back a little. Logan opens the door, wearing skinny jeans and a smart blue shirt tucked into them. A tea towel resides on his shoulder, indicating he’d just been using it which is solidified by a wonderful smell. “You have your own driver but you cook for yourself?” Patton relaxes and smiles as he teases the elder man just slightly.

“I can’t be completely helpless in the world,” He holds open the door “May I take your jacket?” Patton smiles and slides the denim jacket off his arms, handing it to Logan as he hangs it up on the coat stand. “Generally I ask for people to take their shoes off at the door, I have some house shoes, cleaning these carpets can be a nightmare,” Patton nods, they have the same rules in their flat too, only because their vacuum is trash and neither of them has a lot of time for cleaning. He toes off his shoes and slides his feet into slippers that are four sizes too big, but he doesn’t miss the slightly endeared look Logan gives him. 

“So what’s for dinner?”

“Lasagne if that’s okay? I realized I possibly should’ve asked if you have any dietary requirements,”

“Oh no, not at all, it smells lovely,” He follows the other into the kitchen and sits down at the dinner table “So did you...was it you who...paid off our student debts? And our tuition? That’s a lot of money I don’t know how to thank you...”

“I’m not in the habit of lying, so I will admit I did, but I don’t want nor need a thank you, I have the money to spare I wouldn’t make a decision financially that I couldn’t handle,” Logan rests a plate down in front of Patton “Furthermore, please don’t feel obligated to me, I simply couldn’t handle the idea of you struggling like that, you don’t...deserve it, nobody does, and for now it’s all I can do,” He sits down opposite Patton with his own plate “Also the food is hot, please don’t burn yourself,”

Patton can’t quite understand his kindness. They had a set of rules in place, an arrangement. Patton hadn’t even given him his end of the bargain and Logan wasn’t remotely pushing for it, he was simply being...nice? Letting Patton go at his own pace? It’s rather sad that Patton really does not, cannot, fathom why someone would do such a thing. 

But there again, if it were him in Logan’s shoes he’d probably do the same. They eat in a comfortable silence as Patton digests his first and only meal of the day. He feels out of place in this big home, he feels so small against the tall walls and like he doesn’t belong, doesn’t fit. As he finally rests down his knife and fork, he looks nervously over at Logan. ���So I guess you would like me to...I mean our arrangement was...”

“I only want you to do what you want to do, your company has been more than pleasant enough,” It finally settles into Patton that sex hadn’t been what Logan wanted at all. For some reason, it had been easier to say that than admit the truth. 

He’s lonely. 

All the money in the world can’t buy you a real friend, can’t buy you someone to listen to your awful parents except maybe a therapist, it can’t buy you someone who looks past who you’re supposed to be into who you are. Patton’s lips quirk a little “Well I’m lonely too,” He replies “And I’m bored, and I’m not...opposed,” Logan rests down his knife and fork and wipes his mouth off on the napkin “But I suppose you don’t get this often...what do you want?”

It takes the elder a moment before he nods “Mostly to watch a movie and see what happens,” Patton nods. 

“Netflix and maybe chill it is then,” Logan looks like he doesn’t understand the reference, Patton is somehow completely not surprised. 

They curl up on Logan’s bed as he opens Netflix, Patton’s head rests on the elder’s collarbone, his arm around his stomach. Once a film had been chosen, Logan’s arm rests comfortably around the smaller’s shoulders. “You look...nice,” He says softly, compliments not always coming easy to him but he felt the overwhelming urge to make sure the other knows he is pretty. “I like the skirt,”

“I bet you’d like what’s underneath it too,” Logan’s jaw tenses and his breath hitches a little as Patton leans up to kiss him softly. “Say no if you want to stop,” He mutters against his lips. It had been a while since he’d had the time to simply...well, fuck; Roman seemed to have someone every other night but he also has ten times the amount of energy of a normal human being. Which usually meant Patton had to listen through the very thin walls. 

He’s lonely and he’s horny, in essence. “So much for just seeing where it goes, huh?” Logan mutters as Patton’s thighs trap his body underneath him, his ass resting against the other’s crotch suggestively. 

“I’m seeing where it goes,” He kisses him again, his hands keeping himself up as he grinds his ass down against Logan, eliciting a rather surprised gasp as the elder man’s eyes closed. Patton somehow looks even prettier, his glasses sliding down his nose, his skirt tenting slightly as it rested higher up his thighs. 

Logan’s hands rest firmly on Patton’s hips as he rolls his own up against Patton's ass, feeling his own cock harden underneath the younger. Logan’s hand slides up Patton’s skirt, squeezing him through the material of his very tight, very thin underwear; the brunette gasps out and rocks his hips into Logan’s touch with a whimper of need, nails digging into his partner’s arms. “Fuck me, please, Patton breathes quietly against Logan’s neck, his breath turning sporadic. 

The elder man doesn’t need to be told twice as he easily flips them over, lying Patton down into the bed; he takes a brief moment to admire how wonderful he looks with his cheeks flushed, legs spread, soft curls splayed out against the pillows. Logan wastes no time sliding his partner’s underwear down, discarding the item before sucking the tip of Patton’s cock between his lips, tongue brushing against the slit. 

Patton gasps and whimpers and makes all sorts of wonderful noises as he tries not to simply fuck Logan’s throat. “Please Lo...” He finally manages, embarrassingly needy after spending so long alone. The blue-eyed man pushes through his drawers, looking for the bottle of lube and a condom 

Once he’s found both of these things he slides his belt through the loops and discards it. Pouring some lube onto one hand, he teases Patton’s hole a little, whilst listening to the soft pants and whimpers coming from the brown-eyed man’s lips. As he starts to stretch the other open, forearm tensing as he works his fingers in and out of Patton, with his other arm he squeezes himself through his boxers. His dick flexes under his touch and a quiet moan escapes him, biting down on his lip as he watches the way Patton rocks his hips into Logan’s touch “I’m ready,” He whispers. 

The professor nods as he kicks off his trousers and underwear, sliding a condom over his hard length and lubing himself up. His arm rests to the side of Patton as he uses his free hand to guide himself into the other. Patton welcomes the pleasurable burn with a quiet series of moans, easily accommodating his partner. “Fuck that feels good,” the younger whispers once Logan’s cock is fully inside of him. 

“Good, it would be somewhat counterproductive if it didn’t,” A light teasing tone accompanies the seriousness of his statement. He does want Patton to enjoy this too. It’s been a while for him too, and the warm tightness around his dick is slowly eating away at his resolve, he takes it slow anyway so he doesn’t cause Patton any unwanted pain. 

He rests himself between Patton’s legs, his chest pressing against Patton’s, as their lips meet again in a warm and heated kiss, Logan moves slowly at first until he can taste and hear the quiet demands for him to go faster. As he thrusts into the other, feeling his skin prick with heat and muscles burn in his arms and thighs and abdomen. Patton responds by grinding his hips up, whimpering every time the angle was just right; he makes a lot of noise, but quietly, soft whimpers and gasps in quick succession of each other. 

Logan has been told he’s too methodical to make noise during sex. He concentrates so much on making his partner feel good that sometimes he genuinely forgets he’s supposed to also be feeling good, and he does...it’s just sort of like background noise right now. 

He leans down to suck and bite at Patton’s neck, his hand finding the younger’s twitching cock and squeezing. He teases a little, listening to the curses aimed at him with an amused lilt to them before he strokes Patton properly and in time to the rapidly increasing thrusts. “Fuck, Lo...I’m close,” 

“Language,” Logan teases a little before he presses deep inside the other, Patton bites down on the other’s ear lobe in response, taking note of the throaty and surprised moan it elicits. Patton bites down on his bottom lip, his throat bared as he arches lightly, his nails digging into Logan’s shoulders as he moans and gasps, eyes screwing shut. 

Logan thinks he looks absolutely stunning as he comes, watches him stammer out words in an order that makes no sense, although he does catch a “thank you,” in there. He stills his thrusts as Patton hisses lightly from the overstimulation, pulling out and rolling the condom off of his cock. Once the younger moves again, he pushes Logan back onto the bed, looking a little shaky but with a wide smile on his lips. “There are some flavored condoms in there if you need them,” Logan supplies helpfully. 

He didn’t think he’d ever see someone get excited over flavored condoms. He can’t help but smile as Patton holds up the different flavors. “I have got to try all of these,” He mutters, before grabbing the strawberry one and opening the packet, rolling it down Logan’s dick. The elder relaxes back into the pillows at the touch, watching as Patton’s head sinks between his thighs. His hands grip the sheets at the warmth and wet, trying his best to keep his hips pinned firmly to the bed as Patton finishes him off, head bobbing up and down his cock. 

It doesn’t take much longer for Logan to finish, gasping out Patton’s name like a prayer as he shifts his hips just a little into the other man’s mouth. As he reaches his climax, Patton looks up at him through long lashes and that image is really all he needs to be pushed straight over the edge. 

He lies back, running a hand through his sweat-slicked hair as he smiles up at Patton, the younger crawling up his body to press a kiss to his lips before the two set about chucking the condoms in the bin and getting a shower. 

Logan doesn’t quite think he’s ever liked someone as much as he likes Patton. Although the sex has done wonderful things for his Dopamine levels, he doesn’t think it’s the sex that makes him feel this way; no it’s more to do with the fact that Patton is currently dancing around the bathroom wearing nothing but his underwear whilst singing along to music that logan has never heard before but has decided he loves. And there’s his smile. And his eyes. And how his hair seems even curlier after sex. 

Logan just...really likes Patton. 

--

Ko-Fi ((Please if any of u can donate I would be very much thankful, u can also commission work off of me))

[mustardprecum]

Hi! If you’re taking harringrove prompts: fake dating. One of my fav tropes lol

This is a minor au where Billy and Max showed up from Cali, but there were no monsters and no confrontation at the Byers house. 

Billy had been completely silent since Steve started talking, his eyes were half lidded and sleepy looking, which Steve didn’t know how to read, so basically he just kept talking and talking in the hopes that there would be some positive sign.

“－so yeah, I have no fuckin’ clue why my mom thinks I’m gay, but she’s really excited. And it’s weird, and it’s worse because my dad is really excited? Which is weirder? I don’t know what’s happening. But I got a D on my last math test, and I panicked, and I don’t know why announcing that I had a boyfriend made it suddenly okay, but it did, and now my parents want to meet my boyfriend, but I don’t have a boyfriend. And now it’s going to be Friday, tonight you know? And I’m not going to have a boyfriend to bring to dinner, and they’re going to get mad at me and, and, and,” Steve choked on his own spit and started coughing.

Billy was in much the same position he’d been in when Steve approached him in the school parking lot. Leaning against his car, unlit cigarette lazily hanging between his lips.

The silence was deafening; Steve was deafened. Then, Billy smiled, it was way worse than the blank stare. How could someone look so incredibly, gleefully, mean with such a pretty smile?

“So you want me to be your boyfriend.”

“Yes!” Steve paused. “I mean, for tonight. For pretend.”

“Uh huh,” Billy finally lit his cigarette and saunted toward Steve. “What’s in it for me?”

“I mean, the fact that I have money is one of my few redeeming qualities,” Steve said. Dustin had said it once as a joke, it had hurt, but he thought Billy might appreciate the joke.

Billy snickered; Steve was a genius.

“So money, $200,” Billy ticked off his fingers ignoring Steve’s splutter. “What else?”

“What else, what the fuck, $200 isn’t enough?” Steve raked his hands through his hair. “What else could you want?”

“You drive my shitty stepsister to and from school.”

“Fine.” Steve didn’t point out the fact that after joining the gaggle of middle schoolers who followed him around, Max ended up getting rides from him most of the time anyway.

“If I ever use you for an excuse, you go with it no matter what.”

Steve raised his eyebrows, brain concocting several worst case scenarios that could happen. Begrudgingly, he nodded.

“Great,” Billy did that thing with his tongue that Steve didn’t know how to react to. He held his ground as Billy stepped up to him and offered his free hand. “You got a boyfriend.”

“Oh thank god,” Steve shook Billy’s hand. “Thanks man, you’re saving me.”

Billy hummed and dropped his cigarette. Then he yanked Steve closer and purred, “so what should we practice?”

“Practice?” Steve squeaked.

“Every movie I ever seen says they’re going to make us kiss at some point,” Billy’s eyes practically glittered.

“I’m pretty sure my parents aren’t that weird.” Steve tried to pull his hand back but Billy held fast. “Oh god, you’re going to be really weird about this, aren’t you.”

Billy threw his head back and laughed. Steve edged back a couple steps until Billy stopped and looked at him mirthfully. “Yes. I’ll be at your place in an hour.”

An hour later, Steve was listening to his parents in the kitchen. He was completely baffled by them. The moment Steve was assumed ‘gay’ all the fighting suddenly stopped. Suddenly his dad wanted to help in the kitchen. Suddenly his mom was following the directions on her pill bottles. SUDDENLY STEVE WAS ALLOWED TO GET A D ON A TEST.

He was reeling, with his face pressed to the window, listening for Billy’s loud ass car. Asking Billy had been a mistake, Steve knew that now. All he’d been thinking was that he was desperate and Billy was from California, and people were supposed to be cooler in California or something, right? Hence why Steve’s grandpa refused to vacation in San Francisco.

Steve yelped when he heard Billy’s camaro, and he heard his mom comment that he sounded ‘excited’.

Stupid Billy had taken off so fast, Steve hadn’t gotten to coach him on what to say, how to act, or how to dress. He hurried out the door as Billy got out of his car. He looked...nice, actually, in his red shirt that was buttoned up like a human, and jeans that were fitted but not nearly as tight as Steve knew Billy’s jeans could get.

Billy swagged up to him with a lazy smile. “Hey Princess.”

“Don’t call me that,” Steve wrinkled his nose. He never thought he’d miss the derisive ‘King Steve’.

“Boyfriends have pet names,” Billy leaned in and Steve let him out of sheer curiously until Billy kissed his cheek.

Steve’s cheek burned where Billy’s lips touched but he managed to keep his composure. “Boyfriends don’t use pet names that the other boyfriend hates,” he said in a bratty voice. Christ, Billy smelled nice, why did he always reek of cigarettes and hairspray if he could smell like this?

“This one does,” Billy brushed past Steve and smacked his butt. “Introduce me to your parents,” he said over Steve’s squawk.

Billy was going to ruin everything.

Billy was incredible with parents. It was unnerving, bringing him inside and introducing him, only for Billy to dial up the charm to 11. Pretty smiles, respectful behavior, appropriately bashful as he took Steve’s hand.

Before that night, Steve would have never expected his dad to get along with someone like Billy. But there they were, sitting at the patio table, chatting about baseball while Steve’s mom asked for his help bringing in the food.

“He’s gorgeous,” she whispered happily, pinching Steve’s cheek. “I always knew you inherited my taste.”

There was a joke about her taste in marrying his dad on the tip of Steve’s tongue. Instead he smiled and settled on, “I never thought I’d bring him over.”

“I’m glad it’s all out in the open,” she sighed dreamily. “Your father and I love you. You know that?”

“I love you too, mom,” Steve followed her back outside with a big summer salad. It was a nice day out.

Billy had come up with a story all his own about how they started dating. It was better than Steve’s so he went along with it. He kept his leg pressed against Steve’s while he spun lies around Steve’s parents.

“Do you parents know?” his dad asked.

“No,” Billy’s voice dropped. Steve looked at him, his face was solemn. “And they can’t. My father is...not open minded that way.”

Steve’s parents made the appropriate sympathetic noises, and Steve rested his hand over Billy’s. He’d heard some horror stories about Neil being an asshole from Max, it wasn’t until just then that he considered how Neil might have reacted to Billy being with a boy.

Billy took Steve’s hand and swiped his thumb over Steve’s knuckles. When he smiled, it was soft and sweet like cotton candy. “I was really happy when Steve said how supportive you both were.”

If there was any doubt before that, it was completely gone. Even his dad looked teary eyed.

At the end of the night, after so much fawning that it made Steve sick, he walked Billy back out to his car. “So,” he drawled proudly, “you were wrong.”

Billy raised an eyebrow.

“My parents aren’t creeps who made us kiss in front of them,” Steve clarified. Billy kept his eyebrow raised, which was annoying because it made Steve less victorious. “Anyway, so, see you at school?”

“Yep.” Billy pushed Steve up against his car and crowded against him. His eyes shifted all over Steve’s face, and his hand moved slowly as he grabbed Steve’s chin.

Were his parents watching and Steve hadn’t noticed? Was Billy just messing with him? Steve was very unprepared for Billy’s behavior the whole night. Most of their interaction was Billy heckling him at basketball practice and at parties.

Steve stayed relaxed, expecting a short little peck.

Billy kissed the way Steve expected, forcing Steve’s mouth open and practically kissing the life out of him. Steve was overwhelmed, he’d never had so much tongue and teeth in a first kiss but by the time Billy pulled away Steve was panting, blushing, his knees were shaking, and he felt like a swooning heroine.

“Christ,” he whispered as Billy pushed him harder against the camaro. They kissed again, this time with more participation from Steve.

He’d been single for a long time, hadn’t realized quite how much he missed making out with someone. Billy was really fucking good at it. His body felt so different from Nancy, so much broader than Steve’s, hard and so stronger that the camaro actually rocked when Billy ground against him.

“Stop fucking with my hair,” Billy muttered against his mouth. Steve may have had both hands tangled in the blond curls. He tugged for good measure and Billy bit his cheek.

Then Billy stepped back so suddenly that Steve almost dropped. He pushed his hair back, casual as though he wasn’t very visibly hard. Steve had his eyes on it as he adjusted himself.

That was confusing; Steve was confused.

“See you Monday, Princess,” Billy reached around Steve to open the drivers side door.

Pushing away any thoughts that were hard to process was something Steve could do. “Have a good weekend, uh, pookie?” He winced at Billy’s dumbfounded look.

Then Billy laughed, “abso-fuckin-lutely not.”

“Whatever.”

Billy left and Steve went back inside, unsure he actually had a boyfriend or not.

[jocelynscloset]

Moonage Daydream Chapter 1 - Me and Bobby McGee

Part 2

Title Song & Inspiration : Me and Bobby McGee (View story playlist here)

Summary: 70s Adam Driver AU (multiple part fic) part one. The reader picks Adam up on the side of the road and they get to know each other...

Warnings: nothing for this part, but potential sexual content later on...

Word Count: 1,304

Feel free to tell me what you thought/send a request through my ask box

You’re cruising fast down the highway, Joplin filling up the silence in your truck while you bop your head to the steady beat. The sun is warming your skin through the windows, and your sunglasses are sliding down your face with every bump you roll over on the unkempt road. Your hair is blowing in the wind coming through your window, and you’re happy.

You see him in the distance, and you slow cautiously, contemplating offering a ride. He looks harmless, though he’s massive, and you can tell even though you’re at least 200 feet away. He’s far from town, though, and you know you’re probably the only person who’s not a truck driver who’ll be down this road for a while. 

You are driving away from the middle of nowhere, where your folks are settled down next to the Santa Clara river, and you guess that he’s probably looking for a ride the extra 50 miles to LA. You decide to give it a shot. Either way, you have a crowbar under your seat, so if he tries anything, you’re covered.

You roll to a stop and you reach across the center console to roll down the window. “Hey there, stranger.” You greet.

“Hey, I’m Adam. I was hoping to catch a lift to LA, if you’re able.” You nod and gesture for him to get in.

“Hope you’re not a murderer. I have a gun on me, and I’m a good shot.” He laughs at that, and assures you he’s perfectly normal and harmless. “How long have you been out here on the highway?” 

“Just a bit. I started walking about 2 hours ago. There was a party a few miles back in Santa Clarita and my ride forgot me.” You nod and he continues. “I’m a student at USC, but I took a weekend trip to visit some family.”

“Really? I was visiting my parents in Buckhorn, over on the riverside.” 

“You grow up there?” You shrug and reach up to pull down the shade. 

“I suppose, but I spent most of my time in Santa Clarita with friends. I was hardly ever home, especially during the summer. There isn’t much to keep a teenager occupied in Buckhorn. I had to drive to Clarita for school anyway.” He nods as you tell him about Buckhorn and the camping spots and some stories about when you were a teenager and you’d sneak away to Santa Clarita for parties in Oakmont, one of the more wealthy neighborhoods in the town.

“Sounds fun. I spent most of high school in my room studying or in my best friend’s garage.” You smile at that, and you both continue talking about your teenage years.

“We’ll be in LA in about 20 minutes if traffic is good. Where are you looking to be dropped off?” He shrugs, and you let him think.

“Maybe a diner somewhere. I’m pretty hungry and I’m not quite sure I want to go back to my friend’s place yet. They’re usually there all day and leave at night, so I’ll wait until they’re gone.” You nod and continue driving in silence until you hit the LA traffic. You see a long line of cars blocking the flow of the freeway, so you decide to turn into the parking lot of a tiny roadside diner. It looks quaint and not too busy, so you decide to treat your guest to lunch.

“So, what’s your story?” He asks you, as you both sit awkwardly at a corner booth in the diner, which is less busy than you thought it would be around lunch time. You shrug, thanking the nice waitress that brings you both cups and pours coffee in them.

“I was born here, and I grew up in Buckhorn. I’ve been here my entire life, and I’ll probably be here for the rest of it.” He smiles lightly and brings the warm mug to his lips. 

“I meant, like, your real story. The one that hasn’t started yet.” You tlt your head at that question, but you figure you’ll give it a shot. 

“Well, I’m a musician. That’s something, I guess.” He nods and looks at you to continue. “I’m in a band, we play new wave, and I’m the lead singer and guitarist. I live in a tiny two bedroom apartment, and I used to live there with my best friend until she ran off to London with some British guy she married in Vegas.” He sends you a sympathetic look and you shrug once again. You’re starting to feel very comfortable around this man, who is a total stranger, and for some reason you feel like you could tell him your deepest secret without hesitation. 

That feeling scared you.

“Interesting. I didn’t beg you as the singer-type, but the guitarist part suits you.” You smile and cast your eyes to the mug in front of you, which you have yet to touch. You sigh and take it, lifting it to your mouth and taking a big gulp of the steaming liquid.

“How about you? What are you doing in the city of angels? You don’t seem like the struggling artist type, to me.” He chuckles and sets his nearly empty mug down.

“I’m a Junior at USC. History major.” You smile and nod, casting your eyes down to your the mug, watching the dark liquid swish around at the slightest movement. You’ve always loved history, but in Buckhorn there was nobody who wanted to talk about anything other than fishing or the next party in Santa Clarita. You were starting to wonder how you never met this boy in high school. Oh right, he didn’t party all the time, hence college.

“Yeah, you definitely seem like a history major to me.” He smiles again, and for some reason, you feel this sense of.. pride, from getting him to smile. To you, it seems he’s a little closed off, reserved, and you’ve always loved getting into the hearts of people like that.

“Yeah, I’m a typical nerd. I’d like to think I’m a little less geeky than the usual type, though.” You almost respond too quickly at that. You want to tell him he’s too attractive to be considered a nerd, and that being well over 6 feet and built like a tank kind of excludes you from that title. Thankfully, you catch yourself and just nod. Nodding’s harmless, right?

The waitress returns and you both order your food. It arrives not too long after and you spend a good half hour eating together and discussing everything you can think of, from the Vietnam War to each other’s recent musical discoveries. Before long, it’s well past 2 PM and you’ve got to drop Adam off before heading to band practice.

You two split the bill and hop back in your truck. Adam reaches into the center console and pulls out a cassette tape; Fleetwood Mac’s recent album, Rumours. You smile when you hear Go Your Own Way playing through the speaker, and you two drive the last 20 minutes to the train station next to your apartment in South Pasadena, where you had decided to drop him off.

“Here’s my number. I live up the street from here, so feel free to stop by sometime if you have the chance.” He smiles at you and nods, taking the napkin you had scribbled your name and number on in the bathroom of the diner during lunch. 

“Will do. Thanks for the lift, and I enjoyed talking to you.” You both get a little lost in the moment, smiling at each other awkwardly for a good 10 seconds before he pulls the truck door open and steps onto the asphalt. He turns the corner and he’s out of your sight, and you wonder how you could feel so happy and.. satisfied, after one afternoon with a stranger.

Hopefully, he’ll be around again soon.

I really hope you guys enjoyed the first part of this new fic I’m starting with the 70s Adam concept. You all seemed pretty enthusiastic about it, so I created a plot for it and planned it out to make it a full on story. I have a lot of good stuff in store for all of you ;) Please leave any feedback you can, and feel free to leave any comments and reactions for me! If you wanna fangirl about 70s Adam, or any other type of Adam, I’m always willing to fangirl over on my spam blog, @bestbitterbetterspam. 

Also, if you want to be added to the taglist for this story, leave a comment down below letting me know!

Send me concepts to write about or send a request through my ask box!

Spam Blog // Ko-Fi // Masterlist *Any support over on Ko-Fi is very much appreciated. I’m a full time student, and have to stay caffeinated enough to write stories, so any contribution helps!*

[rwbyremnants]

WARNING: Nsfw for lesbian reasons.

NOTES: Hey! So this shortish oneshot is actually older than SWTD, and is the first that’s a joint effort between me, BangAYang and YangingAround. It was lost in the recesses of my external hard drive but I dusted it off and gave it a makeover, and now here it is. Happy Yuletide!

                                                 H O T    S T U F F

The door to the Beacon Academy dorm room slammed open, bouncing off the wall with a deafening thud. Framed in the doorway was Weiss Schnee, and she did not seem at all amused.

"YANG!"

Having been fully captivated with her task of fixing the damage her beloved Ember Celica had taken in their last battle, Yang Xiao Long had not heard Weiss's footsteps and was caught completely off guard. In her startled state, she managed to fall from her perch upon her bed and land on her face.

"Ow…" After a moment of laying there in her shame, she looked up at the petite woman before her, the scar over her left eye seemingly throbbing with rage. "What the hell?"

"What, pray tell, do you suppose this is?" Dangling from her delicate hand was a pair of yellow ‘boy shorts’ underwear. The words "Hot Stuff" were emblazoned across the rear in huge red letters, the tops stylised to look like flames.

"Hm?" Yang's eyes scanned the piece of cloth before her and a smile spread over her face. "Oh, yeah. I thought you could use a gift, and who doesn't need a pair of confidence-boosting panties? I mean, really, it's a must-have for your drab days of grey clouds – and lets face it, all your days are covered in grumpy clouds." She smirked cheekily.

Weiss's eyes flew wide, incensed. After a long moment, she stomped a few feet further into the room on her prissy heels and snapped, "Really? Is that why you left them hanging on the doorknob of the bathroom? An odd place to leave such a personal 'gift', isn't it?"

"Sorry, did you want me to personally put them on you?" Yang asked as she got back up to her feet, adjusting her clothing and straightening up.

Sputtering, Weiss flung them at Yang, who caught them easily. "N-no! What?! Why would you even say something like that, you dolt?! I am perfectly capable of dressing myself, thank you very much!"

"Oh come on, lighten up; it was a joke." She smiled coyly. "So you don’t want them, then? I think I might be a little hurt. I spent three days trying to find just the right ironic pun to give the Ice Queen."

"Stop CALLING ME THAT!" Weiss whined, stamping her foot. "And no, I don't want your smelly old panties! You probably left them there because you were afraid we'd kick you out if we had to suffer with the stench any longer!"

Her brow rose and her slender arms crossed over her ample chest. "Wow, rude. You think with all that money you have, you could at least purchase some manners?"

At that, Weiss looked as if she had been slapped. Regaining her composure, obviously with great effort, she said, "My manners are impeccable. And what would you know? You're just an odorific street thug who happens to have a decent weapon and a decent semblance. I don't know how you and your sister even made it to Beacon, really."

"And you're just a scared little girl who bought her way in here with good looks and daddy's money. Now that we're on the same page, I'm starving. Would you like to grab lunch?"

The offer to go eat caught Weiss off-guard. "I... but we were..." Then her eyes narrowed. "This whole time, you've just been trying to upset me, make fun of me! Like you hate me! Why would you DO that?!"

Yang let out a short bark of laughter. "Yes, because you buy gifts for the people you hate! Remind me to pick up a lovely necktie for Cardin!"

At that, Weiss glanced down at the panties on the floor, then back up to Yang's face. "Are you... those really were for me? You didn't forget them in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, they really were. Brand new and just for you." The tall blonde gave a shrug. "But if you don't want them, that’s cool. I was just trying to be friendly. Seems like most people don’t like to extend their hand to you for fear of getting slapped – and gee, I wonder why! I figured it was at least worth a shot."

Weiss's face began to redden with combined irritation and shyness. "But it's such a personal... do you know where panties GO?"

Yang flashed her a big cheeky grin as she spoke. "Oh, God no! I mean, they came with instructions but I’ve never used them before, so I got intimidated and just decided to leave it all up to you."

"You ignoramus!" Knowing that her cheeks were bright red by now, she turned and folded her arms. "Why did you think I needed panties, much less ones that say something so, so... crass?!"

“I figured the ones you have must always be up your ass, with the way you act; figured these might make you a little less grumpy."

The slow turn of Weiss's body was like the inevitable movement of a glacier. "How... dare you! I... how dare you, how DARE you!" By the end of this, she was literally jumping up and down. The tantrum brought the widest of smiles to Yang’s face, and when she started jumping she couldn’t help but laugh so hard her whole face was red.

"Oh man, was that worth it!"

Weiss reared back and slapped Yang across the shoulder with the heel of her palm, just hard enough to let her teammate know that the comment was not appreciated. "I do not have anything up my- up there! You take that back!"

Yang, still laughing, gripped her now sore arm and rubbed it. "Oh don't be so stiff, that was gold! Just put some ice on that burn and lets go get lunch."

"STIFF?!" She huffed and puffed for a moment, staring Yang in the eyes –her laughing, violet eyes. Then she rolled her own. "Your sense of humor is not appreciated, Xiao Long."

Yang attempted to pout but she was still laughing a little too hard for the full effect. "Lighten up, Princess! One of us has to have a sense of humor."

A scoff escaped Weiss’ throat as she strode from the room, not bothering to check if Yang was coming as well. After wiping the tear from her eye, Yang noticed that Weiss had stormed off and promptly scurried after her. "Hey! Wait up! Aren't you supposed to move at a glacial pace?!"

The two of them were getting better, even if it was difficult to believe. Yang could well remember the days when their fights were actual fights, and not just petty bickering over trivial matters. Weiss Schnee was the heiress to an entire fortune in Dust, and she acted like it; snooty and spoiled. But she was a good teammate, and down deep beneath the whining and the entitlement, she seemed to be a halfway decent person. It would just take them some time to find middle ground on a regular basis.

Having just spent a good two hours in training, Yang made her way into the locker room, ready for a shower. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement; turning her gaze, she noticed Weiss fidgeting with something in her locker. "Hey there, what are you up to?" she asked, using a towel to dab the sweat from her brow.

"AAAH!"

After a flurry of movement, Weiss was holding a towel in front of her body as she peeked around the locker door. "Who is- oh no, it's YOU!"

Offering a smirk in return for the expected greeting, Yang gave her a wink. "Sure is, the one and only."

"I m-mean-" Weiss cleared her throat and tried again. "So. Did you have a good, um... whatever it is you thuggish types do with yourselves?"

"Training session? Yes I did. Beat my personal record on targets taken out in thirty seconds." She beamed oh-so-proudly. "What are you up to, besides being very nude?"

"I'm not nude! I'm just... not fully clothed yet. It wouldn't be decent for me to prance around like this." Then she tried to shift the topic back again. "H-how many targets?"

"200 targets, thirty seconds, 360 degree range." Yang nonchalantly began stripping herself of her sweaty workout clothing.

"Im- impressive." It was clear Weiss was trying not to care about the damp tank top being flung on the bench, or the sneakers that thudded into the bottom of Yang's locker. But when she saw the panties once her shorts had joined the tank top, she pointed and yelped, "HOT STUFF!"

Mildly surprised, Yang glanced over her shoulder at the woman. “Why, thank you! Not so bad yourself, Schnee!” She flexed her glutes for good measure, and laughed when she saw Weiss’s cheeks get a little rosier.

“No, no! Those underwear you’re wearing!”

"Oh…" Yang craned her neck to see her own butt. Sure enough, it was the same proclamation emblazoned across her cheeks. "Well yeah, you didn't want them so I figured I'd make them look good, instead." Her tone was light and her facial expression coy.

"No, but... then whose are these?!"

When Weiss stomped over with her towel hanging to one side, it became obvious that, against all odds, they were wearing matching underwear.

"HAH! You did take them! I knew it!" Strategically, Yang had bought two pairs, hoping a situation like this might have come out in the end. "Man, was I right about picking those out for you."

“Nooooo! But- you-" Only then did Weiss realize how ludicrous it was to believe someone else – anyone else at Beacon Academy might own the exact same panties, and that she might have stumbled across them. Also, that she was still standing there in nothing but those and an undershirt. "I..."

Stripping herself of the last of her sweaty clothing, Yang picked up her towel and rubbed her sore shoulder. "I’m gonna grab a shower. You’re welcome to join me, Frosty." She spoke in a teasing tone, still half admiring the way the garment sat on Weiss's hips.

It was clear Weiss didn't even know what to think or where to look. Firstly, she was nearly bare. Yang was bare. For some reason, knowing that they had both been wearing the same design of underwear a moment ago – and that Yang had touched them both – was making it hard for her to think rationally. But that was ridiculous! They had seen each other in the locker room plenty of times. Why should matching underwear make any difference? What was the matter with her?

"I... had a shower this morning, I just wanted to change out of my uniform."

"Suit yourself." Yang shrugged, taking a few steps in the direction she needed to go before she paused with a devilish grin. "You'd probably end up more dirty than clean, anyway."

"Wh-what?" Weiss felt her mouth run dry as she glanced around at the rest of the locker room, desperately hoping no one else could hear her. They were alone, luckily; most people either showered much later, or in the morning. "Just what are you implying, Yang?"

The coy smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Oh, I don't know. You'll just have to wonder, Princess."

She didn’t bother to wait around for Weiss's rebuttal, but instead disappeared behind a curtain. The sound of a squeaky faucet being turned broke the thick silence she had left, and soon after the familiar noise of running water hitting tile followed.

A deep confusion settled over Weiss as she looked down at the towel she was squeezing in a death grip. First, they're wearing matching underpants. Next, Yang invites her to shower together. Together! And the phrase “end up more dirty than clean” heavily implied something that did not normally transpire between two women. And why did she keep thinking about Yang's body? She had seen it before, but this was not the same. There had to have been something different about it from before, but what?

It was imperative that she checked. Walking as softly as the cold tile could allow, she paced forward and nipped the curtain aside slowly, just enough to peer through...

Yang's muscular and slim body shone in the fluorescent light, the water having reflected it off the contours in all the right places. Idly, she scrubbed the sweat and grime from her gorgeous pale skin, blonde hair clinging to her body as it became heavy with water.

'This is wrong,' Weiss thought to herself with sudden realization, pulse ticking up a notch. 'Yet... I must observe her. Something is different about her, I know it!'

Yang let it go for another couple of seconds before she opened her mouth. "You know, for a privileged girl that claims to have manners, you’re certainly not using them. It’s rude to stare."

Every drop of blood in the younger girl's veins froze. Yang didn’t even bother looking back; the cool air slipping in through the opened shower curtain had alerted her to Weiss's presence a while ago. She had been discovered – Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was peeping!

No. No, she was not peeping. There had to be something else she could do besides let that accusation stand.

"I..." Desperation forced the words out of her mouth. "I was j-just thinking about joining you, after all!"

If the way she dressed wasn’t any indication that Yang had nothing but confidence about her body, then the fact that she turned around and faced Weiss fully certainly was. "Well, I'd suggest taking the rest of your clothes off for that."

There really was no choice. Either she got into the shower, or she admitted that she was staring at Yang, which had implications that could not be allowed. "I… Okay. You promise not to make any more jokes like that one you made a moment ago? Because I can't tolerate that! I won't have people thinking such things about me!"

Yang's brow rose. "Like what? I don’t recall saying anything uncalled for."

"You know," Weiss went on as she hid her body behind the shower curtain while unclasping her bra. "Th-that comment about getting... d-dir... dirtier." Why was it so hard to finish that single word?

Yang grinned like a predator, wide and toothy. "Again, totally not uncalled for."

"But you can't! You can't say things like that while we're in there together!"

"And why not, Princess?"

“It's undignified!" Weiss yelped as she hooked her thumb over the hem of her underwear. Until the topic had been resolved, however, she couldn't follow through on the action. "People might get the idea that we're... that we've been..."

Yang stepped forward and pulled the curtain back and away from in between them. "What? Dirty? What’s wrong with that? Live a little."

Weiss gasped, pulling the towel over her chest again, backing up a step. "Wait, I- I'm not a- are you saying we should?!" Then she narrowed her eyes. "You're saying you don't care if people think we're doing things like that? What kind of harlot are you?"

"I'm not saying we should ‘do’ anything, Schnee. I’m just offering for you and I to get to know each other a little better – offering for you to unwind a little. No one else has to know, but it’s totally up to you." This entire time her tone had been teasing and nonchalant simultaneously.

Weiss decided she had enough of being the one everyone teased. It wasn't acceptable that she always got angry because she had been raised with elegance and refinement, and meanwhile everybody else got to have a laugh at her expense. It was infuriating and unfair. At the same time, Yang really did sound like she wanted to talk, to exchange ideas. Ruby was her partner, but Yang was on her team as well, and this could only help them function better as a unit. Disgusting insinuations and teasing aside, what could it hurt?

"Fine. I will shower with you and we'll see just how honourable you can be in there, harlot."

Raising a brow, the blonde held the curtain open for her. "Fine. We'll see, indeed."

Weiss merely stared at her for a long moment. "Well?"

"Well get in here! You have to be in the shower to shower!"

"Aren't you going to turn around while I finish undressing?"

"You're going to step into the same shower as me, and you think me seeing you undress is gonna change anything once you get in here, anyway?"

Weiss knew her face was already as red as it was going to get. The only way for her to save face was to pretend to be a lot braver than she felt at the moment. "Fine!"

Heart in her throat, she draped the towel over her shoulder and grasped the sides of her panties, eyes locked with Yang's the entire time as she slowly slid them down and stepped out of them. Never once did the tall blonde's gaze stray from Weiss's. It was almost like she was challenging her back.

"Great! Bravo, good job, so proud. Now hurry up and get in here; water's a-wastin'."

Jaw set, Weiss held the towel out to one side and hooked it over the nearby peg, then stepped a pace closer to Yang, fists at her side and chest heaving as they stood bare before each other. Her every action issued a challenge. Impressed with the proper girl's gall, Yang stepped aside and let her pass untouched... for now.

They headed into the twin streams of fresh water and Yang grabbed the shampoo. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that Yang's body was covered in various scars – each one a mark of a fight she'd survived, a battle she'd lived through. A reminder that she was only human, that her world was hard and real and her spot at this academy had been earned through toil and bloodshed.

"Y… " But Weiss let the word die before she finished it. What else could she say that might possibly be of any use after the hundreds of days that must have passed since Yang received each of those marks? Her finger drifted to her own scar as she finally stepped under the water and allowed her hair to begin soaking it up. They had all been through a lot, it was true, but Yang seemed content to bear hers with a smile, to forget all about it instead of… doing what Weiss did. Using it as an excuse to shut everyone out.

Stepping aside to lather the soap in her hair, Yang made sure to actively keep her gaze from lingering – especially to keep Weiss from seeing her doing so. She was letting the younger girl’s curiosity build, and thus her strategy would unfold.

"Yang?" she finally spoke up.

“Mhhm?" came the absentminded reply as she worked the rest of her long hair into a manageable mess, tangled in the suds of the perfumed shampoo.

"You can tell me this is none of my business," Weiss continued as she edged close enough to grab the soap, doing her best not to look at her teammate again. "But... all those scars on your back..."

Yang seemed unfazed by the question. Her upper body followed her hair’s example and was soon covered in the lather. "What about them?"

As she started churning the soap in her hands into a cloud of suds, Weiss asked softly, "Where... did you get all of them? That seems like a lot for someone so close to my age."

“I'm a street thug, remember? " she answered idly. "A ruffian, with no place at this school." Every once in a while, Yang's super confident and altogether high-energy personality took a passive aggressive turn in a subtle manner. This was one of those times. The small satisfaction that came from making Weiss eat her words in such a somber moment brought a light smirk to her face. "How do you think I got them?"

"Apparently, you really did get them in street fights," Weiss snapped – but even she heard the lack of bite to her tone. Stripped of both her entitled air and her clothes, she was vulnerable. She didn't like it. "Did they hurt much?"

"Some of them." Others stung more with emotional pain than physical. As some scars do. However, she didn't feel like Weiss had earned that much insight into her quite yet.

"Right."

"You don't like me much, do you?" A simple question, but one with a complicated answer, she was sure. Yang knew there was more to Weiss than the girl let on, but they had to start digging if they ever wanted to find the rest.

"Whether or not I like you is irrelevant," Weiss answered easily, rubbing the soap along her limbs, over her stomach. "We're a team now. Our grades and our futures depend on us finding a way to cooperate. But... you said that, too." She fidgeted slightly, hoping the unspoken apology would be enough.

"You'll get more clean if you use this." Yang half-smiled, offering her a loofah for scrubbing purposes. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge for too terribly long, and everyone on her team had some sort of baggage. Ultimately, she hoped their scars would only bring them together; she had hopes of being the best team they could be.

"Right." Weiss reached for the scrubby, then instinctively covered her chest with the other arm when she felt it jiggle slightly, causing her hand to miss the loofah and slide gently over Yang's. "Oops, I- sorry."

The blonde's smile only widened as she relinquished her hold on the object. "No worries."

This wasn't good. Weiss felt like a fumbling child in all the ways she normally felt like a poised and self-assured adult. "Thank you," she whispered belatedly as she used the gift to form more lather.

Having an extra one in tow, Yang returned to scrubbing the rest of her workout away, only struggling when it came to reaching a specific part of her back. "Hey, Weiss, do you mind helping me out?"

"Me?" Instantly kicking herself for asking such a stupid question, she recovered. "I m-mean, I suppose, in the spirit of diplomacy, I could."

Hanging her own scrubby from the hot water spigot, she nervously approached Yang's back, watching as she pulled her wet blonde locks further over her head to allow access. One hand was holding the spongy item over her shoulder for her to take, and she did.

"Um... just all over?"

Yang beamed over her shoulder, grateful for help with the difficult task. "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

Lips pursing to keep from making another biting comment, since Yang hadn’t earned it this time, Weiss reached out with the loofah at arm's length and just barely brushed it up and down the center of Yang's back, eyes half-closed as she tried to touch and see as little as possible.

"Nah, you gotta scrub it, exfoliate the skin, really get in there," Yang urged, wanting to be as clean as possible. Sure, that’s what she wanted. Sure.

"Hmph," Weiss grunted as she stepped closer. "Aren't you the demanding one?" But she did as she was told. Pushing in a little harder than she would on her own skin, she dragged it up and then down to her tailbone, where she paused. "Exfoliated enough?"

Yang smirked. "Come on, a little more than that. Don’t forget the sides, not just the middle."

Growling, Weiss braced her other hand against Yang's hip as she began scrubbing up and down, finally focusing on the work instead of her own insecurities. As she scrubbed, she asked, "You really do get filthy out there. What do you do, wrestle Beowulves for sport?"

Backfired – oh, this plan had backfired. Yang's cheeks sported a soft blush at the feeling of Weiss's hand gripped so tightly on her hip. It was just a little too close for comfort, even though that was supposed to be the idea in the first place. "Hhm? What? Oh yeah... lots of dirt. Targets. Dirty."

"Dirty seems to be a theme with you," she accused. When she noticed Yang was wobbling slightly from her movements, she raised her hand to a shoulder instead to steady her. "You didn't answer me about your scars, so I apologize if I was insensitive. I don't like talking about mine, either. It's just that... there are so many..."

“Life outside of glamour and fame is a lot harder, Weiss. People don’t constantly try to get on your good side to ride your coattails; they try to take everything from you by force instead." Yang didn’t go into detail. She would rather leave it to the other's imagination.

Weiss's movements slowed and then stopped. She wasn't sure why; she only knew that Yang had a deep hurt buried under that carefree attitude, and that she was scraping the attitude away. It wasn't kind and it wasn't showing interest. It was cruel.

"But you didn't let them," she told her teammate's back softly, hoping it would help. "And now look at you; you're at Beacon, you're going to be a huntress."

"Of course I didn't let them. I didn’t have a choice; I couldn’t let them walk all over me in front of R-" A short pause. "I couldn’t let them take me down so easily. So I took them down instead."

Panic rose in Weiss's chest. She wasn't good with people – and she was even less proficient in comforting them in times of grief. What could she say that would help? Had she ever done such a thing? Yes: once before, with Ruby. But she had coffee for a prop then, and a scrubby sponge wasn't nearly as effective. Or was it?

"You did what you had to do, Yang. It was the admirable course of action. You..." Her hands felt tingly now from where they were placed, but she pressed on, trying to finish the job. "I am proud to fight alongside you."

Few words meant more to the blonde dragon than "I’m proud of you"; for someone with such an extroverted personality, her waters ran deep. She smiled over her shoulder at Weiss. "And I'm honoured to watch your back."

Weiss's heart was pounding in her ears as she met Yang's eyes, grimacing fiercely. They both understood the importance of knowing someone would not desert you in the heat of battle... but Weiss had a feeling that her teammate had seen a lot more combat outside of mere practice.

Then she smiled wryly. "Is that 'watch' or 'wash'? I could use a turn."

The blonde gave a smirk and a small wink. "Why not both?" Promptly after her words, she swiped the scrubby from her shower companion and motioned for her to turn around. "Lets try to make you less dirty, shall we, Princess?"

"Hmm," Weiss said with false annoyance, eyebrows rising. "Princesses don't get dirty." It only occurred to her after she said it that in doing so, she had accepted the nickname. Frowning at herself, she turned away because it was easier than confronting her misstep. "You may cleanse me, pleb."

Being the cocky shit that she was, Yang slid a finger down the pale skin of the winter-haired woman's spine. "Thank you for the opportunity, Your Majesty."

"Hey, hey!" Weiss snapped, looking back over her shoulder at Yang. "No funny business, please! Just... wash!" Then she turned away once more, also pulling her hair over her shoulder the way Yang had as an afterthought.

"Oooh, excuse me! I was only paying homage to your perfection." The fire dragon chuckled coyly before setting to the task of scrubbing the skin she had admired moments before. "Is this better?"

Sighing, Weiss relaxed into the sensation. "Much, thank you." After a few more seconds of silence, she began, "Have you... no, never mind."

Pleased with Weiss's growing curiosity about her, Yang smirked. "No no, please ask, Princess."

"Okay, but don't blame me if this is too personal." Rolling her shoulders as an unconscious physical manifestation of shedding her irritation, she went on, "Have you done this a lot? For Ruby, I meant – not just for random strangers, obviously."

"Which part? Showering together, or washing each other's backs?" Yang inquired idly, scrubbing little circles against her smooth skin.

A little sigh of contentment escaped Weiss's throat as she said, "Either one... but I suppose I meant washing backs."

"I used to wash hers a lot when we were younger. As we grew older things subtly started to change, and she depended on me less. Which is fine. It's what happens when younger siblings get older." The scrubbing had gradually grown a little faster, as if the task could distract her from the subtle sting of reality.

"Oh." Very quietly, Weiss added, "I can relate. Family is like that." Then she winced and said, "Hey, um... not to seem ungrateful, but that's starting to sting a bit."

“What? Oh, right." Yang smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, wanted to make sure you were really clean. You know, keep up your image as the cleanest slate on campus."

"Your tireless efforts are appreciated, peasant." Then she blinked, turning with her hands on her hips. "Wait, what do you mean, 'cleanest slate on campus'? What is that supposed to mean?"

Yang let out a chuckle and winked at the flustered and confused girl. "Princesses aren't dirty, remember? I'm just keeping up the image."

Both of Weiss's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you weren't implying that I'm mentally deficient in some way?"

It was too easy. "No, I'm implying you're inexperienced." She enjoyed being cryptic just to keep Weiss asking questions.

"Hey!" Weiss jabbed a finger into Yang's shoulder, not particularly hard, but just hard enough to be felt. "I'll have you know that I have been in formal training to be a Huntress since I was ten years old! Even before that, I took fencing, and was practicing my semblance! In what way am I inexperienced?"

Yang, with a much more devilish grin than before, stepped forward into Weiss's space, closer than she had dared before. Barely a breath between them, Yang whispered, "In all the best ways."

With an automatic step backward, Weiss began to stammer, "Oh, s-stop that, I told you not to make jokes like these! You promised to behave yourself!"

With a mock pout, the blonde cooed, "Awww, I was just trying to be friendly and answer your question." With a light chuckle, she turned from the paler woman and stepped under the stream of heated water, rinsing her skin and hair, ridding it of the suds that blanketed the surface.

"I do not think that is a 'friendly' way to approach any situation!" Weiss insisted, stamping over to Yang so hard she left little splashes in her wake. "Insinuating that you... that you and I c-could... no, no, and no!"

"Eh, you're right. You'd be horribly noobish at it, and it'd be a waste of my skill and talent." Her tone was aloof and she didn’t even bother to look at the woman that had addressed her.

"N... noobish? What does 'noobish' mean? How can we even have this conversation if you won't speak coherently?" Hopelessly flustered by the entire situation, Weiss stood as boldly as she could by Yang's side, leaning over slightly to catch her eye. "And who says your 'skill and talent' is anything to be proud of?"

“For a princess, you don’t know your kingdom well. Noobish, newbie, unskilled, green. Got it now?" She tried to keep her expression unreadable. "As for who says I have skills... well, certainly everyone that's experienced them. Five-star reviews across the board."

Deciding to ignore the comments about her being inexperienced in such things – especially because, come to that, she was – Weiss mulled over the implication. "So... one could infer from the way you say that... that you have previously... well..."

A small smirk broke through Yang’s unreadable mask. "One could infer, yes," she answered with a cheeky tone. "Or one could see for themselves."

"Stop that," Weiss said, more softly this time. She was becoming conscious of how close she was to Yang, how quick her pulse had become due to the subject of discussion. "What's it like? And don't say 'why don't you find out' again, I'm merely curious. For academic reasons."

Yang didn’t hesitate to answer, speaking with a self-satisfied grin. "It's exactly like when you touch yourself – except better, because I'm doing it."

At that, Weiss rolled her eyes, though this was somewhat undermined by her steady blush. "Don't be ridiculous. Only degenerates touch themselves like that."

"Oh my God," she breathed as if she had seen the light of truth itself, turning to gape at her.

"Wh-what?" Weiss asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"I totally get it now; you're so grumpy because you never get yourself off! Well, have no fear; it is now my personal mission to get you laid." Yang grinned widely, adding a cheeky wink to the end for effect.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Funny how the same exclamation could sound so different a second time. "To get me- did you say 'laid'?! What does that mean?!" When Yang opened her mouth, she snapped, "Never mind, I figured it out - and that is SO CRASS!"

The blonde gave a light shrug. "Hey, my words may be crass but the mouth that conveys them tends to make it all better... when put to proper use."

A long moment passed with the water falling on the two women, Yang looking smug, Weiss looking completely nonplussed. Distantly, a bell sounded, indicating the beginning of a meal period. Finally, slowly, the shorter of the two teammates found her voice again.

"Are... you aren't joking at all, are you?"

There it was, the first sign the curiosity was outweighing her resolve. "Not at all, Princess," she idly replied, subtly running a brightly-coloured washcloth over the length of her body to draw Weiss's gaze. This tactic worked, and Weiss jerked her eyes away when it drew closer to her lower half.

And then it crashed over her. She was naked, in a shower, with someone asking to do things outside the normal bonds of friendship. This was a terrible situation, indeed.

“O-oh.”

"Is that offensive in some way, Princess? That the dirty street thug would have experience in dirty street thug things?" She gave a self-satisfied smirk and then set about washing her thighs.

"W-well, no," Weiss said anxiously, watching the washcloth move up and down one well-muscled leg. "I... not the thug things. Dirty, however, I... why would you and I ever t-touch each other the way you're suggesting? We're both women!"

It took everything she had not to throw her head back and laugh at just how naïve Weiss was. "Because, Weiss, no one knows a woman's body like a woman. All the right places to touch, the exact amount of pressure to place here… or there." Her tone was husky at this point; she was laying it on thick, no longer hiding behind a playful tone. "Men use women for their own pleasure, and sometimes give some back. Which is fine, I guess. But women pay homage to other women, and worship them like they deserve. You’re never gonna have your mind blown with a guy the way you could by a woman-loving-woman, Schnee."

This was beginning to become too much for the poor, pampered girl to take in. Yang was serious! Not just serious, but insistent, and trying to get her to agree! This was a disaster!

But she shouldn’t panic. This was just another dangerous situation to navigate, just as with her training. Pulling her hair down over her shoulder to at least cover half of her chest, she said, "I-I've never even truly w-wanted to be with any guy, let alone a..." She had been about to say something offensive, but only just managed to stop herself. "And anyway, you don't have the proper equipment to satisfy a woman! Perhaps I'm not as worldly-wise as you, but I studied basic biology!"

The fiery woman's brow rose and she failed to keep all of her offense in check. "Excuse me, but I've never had any complaints. Lots of screaming, sure, but no complaints."

In a rare moment of boldness, Weiss reached forward and lightly slapped the pubic region of her teammate a couple of times. "I don't feel anything here that could do what you're suggesting, Yang! You're not making any sense!"

The taller girl was taken aback slightly by the sudden boldness, needing a moment to blink and suppress a slight groan of detached pleasure, but she grinned all the same. "Oh, you're halfway there. I keep telling you that I’ll show you, but you don't want me to, so I guess your burning curiosity and need to see if I'm right will go unattended forever."

"I just don't see what you have to show me," Weiss growled, already regretting her misstep after seeing the taller girl's reaction to it. This was mortifying. "Y-you won't explain what you mean, and you know I'm not going to let you d-do a 'demonstration', so it's not my fault I'm still uninformed, now, is it?"

"No, you're right; it's mine. Oh well." Yang didn’t say anything after that; she simply ran her body under the stream of water again, relieving herself of the dirtied suds that covered her pale skin. She had baited the lure; now she had to see if the big mouth bass that was her teammate would bite.

"I... but... you..." Both of Weiss's hands went to her scalp and tugged. "ERURGHH! Can you please just tell me how two women can do such things?!"

Her irritation was adorable and amusing. Yang looked thoughtful for a moment before she reached forward and grabbed the smaller girl's hand gingerly, raising it to her mouth, keeping eye contact as she did. "Sure. Y'see, there are plenty of ways to pleasure a woman… without a dick. And these are one of those ways." As she spoke, she brought Weiss's fingertips to her lips.

Instantly, Weiss jerked her hand away. She was no longer furious, or annoyed, or demanding. Clearly she was afraid. Both the unambiguous language and the feeling of soft lips on her fingers were far more than she had been expecting in the next instant.

"O-oh," she merely breathed, clutching the hand to her chest, eyes wide as saucers. "Without a... wh-what kind of ways?"

Calmly, Yang leaned her shoulder against the wall and spoke in a laid-back, nonchalant tone. "Ways with your fingers… tongue… hell, even foreign objects can be fun."

"Foreign- are you out of your mind?! I'm not putting anything in there! Not ever! I don't even use tampons!" Then, utterly ashamed she had just admitted that, Weiss blushed an even deeper shade and looked away. "I use p-pads." It wouldn't do to allow Yang to think she just allowed the blood to fall where it may.

Now Yang couldn’t help but laugh. "Okay, good to know! File that away for a rainy day."

This time, Weiss truly tried to think through this. She supposed one day she would be expected, as an heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, to take a husband. In that event, there would have to be at least one item allowed within her sacred place, whether she was ready to accept it or not. Logically, what was the difference?

But Yang was her teammate. Plus, she was such a brutish barbarian, full of herself. Furthermore, she was a woman. Her parents had taught her for all her life that men marry women, and even when she heard the inevitable whisperings that it wasn't always true, the Schnees quashed them with "what nonsense" and "deviants" without truly discussing the matter. Yet here was Yang Xiao Long, determined to convince her otherwise.

"Have you... really? With other women, I mean?"

There was no hesitation in her reply; she was pretty straightforward in this regard. "Hell yes. I prefer them to men, actually. Men don’t listen to your body's needs like women do."

Swallowing thickly, Weiss looked down at herself briefly before looking back up at Yang's. "Bodies? I mean... my body has needs? I haven't felt any. I'm not really sure what you mean."

"Oh yeah, your body has lots of needs. See, Weiss, it’s not enough to take care of your body nutritionally; there are other tasks it needs. Like washing, and those pads of yours. And more."

"Yes, of course," Weiss said casually, hoping to wrong-foot her teammate, regain the upper hand. Perhaps stop her legs from trembling the way they were at that moment. "Training. And showering, as we are currently pretending to do."

Was she serious? "Weiss, your body has sexual needs, as well," she stated flatly.

"Not my body. Maybe yours does, but perhaps I have evolved beyond such trivial matters." Though she turned away with her arms folded in front of her chest, she continued to watch Yang out of the corner of her eye, curious.

"Tell you what: what if I showed you, by letting you touch me? That way you can stay pure, and you get your answers." She had elected to ignore Weiss's previous statement about being evolved. “What do you say?”

At that suggestion, Weiss felt her jaw drop open. "You- with my- are you INSANE?! You want me to push my hand into your filthy..." At the last second, she somehow managed to rein in her tirade. "Alright. So maybe it isn't filthy, especially because we're currently showering. So I apologize for saying that."

Yang's brow had never risen, and then risen higher, faster in her whole life. An apology from the Ice Queen herself? Deciding to grant her a small mercy, she didn't focus on that and instead went on, "Also, I'd like to point out that you’d be lucky to fit three fingers in me, let alone your whole hand. I don’t know what you got going on, but I run a pretty tight ship – if you know what I mean."

"That isn't..." Weiss sighed, shifting uncomfortably as her eyes unwillingly fixated somewhere in the region of Yang's hip. "Wh-why do I suddenly feel like I'm bathing with a boy?"

"Because you stepped into a ring with a big dog and you were wholly unready to run with the pack," Yang told her matter-of-factly.

"Dog is right," Weiss scoffed. "You... on a scale of one to ten... how serious are you about letting me do that? Not that I care."

"A very solid thirteen."

That made her head feel a few ounces lighter. "Really? Wait... are you... experiencing those kind of urges? With me in here? Right now?" All she gave Weiss was an aloof shrug and a cocky smirk. "Because of me? No, not because of me." Weiss shook her head firmly. "You've just been toying with me because you're already, um, in that type of mood. Right?"

The grin just got wider, watching the normally self-absorbed heiress fumble over her words. Yang gave a very obvious leer down at Weiss’s body as they stood there. And then, though it was the tiniest flicker, Weiss felt something like a hot prickling in her lower regions. None of these sensations or possibilities were familiar, and they terrified her.

"Why?" she whispered softly.

For a moment, Yang was caught between being a complete cocky ass and being a real sweetheart. "Because you're beautiful," she spoke softly. "And my god, that ass of yours." In the end, she had decided somewhere in the middle was best.

Instinctively, Weiss's hands whipped back to cover said ass, but then she realized how silly that was when she was facing toward Yang and moved them back in front of herself, folding them in front. "You... a thirteen out of ten isn't mathematically possible, but if you mean that... if you really want me to... no, no I can't! How could I? This just sounds wrong in so many ways! I wouldn't even know how to start!"

"Why, it’s simple! Just start with a single touch." She spoke as she took a step forward. "A simple caress, that leads to a spark... that leads to a fire... that leads to a blazing inferno." Wow she was laying it on thick.

"Really?" Weiss said in what she hoped was a deadpan. "I just touch you? Fine, here." She raised one hand and laid it on Yang's elbow. "When do the fires start?" "When you place the other hand on the other side, and I lean in real close..." As she spoke, she stepped even further into the younger girl’s space. Yang’s face was two inches away from Weiss's as she spoke. "And tell you how beautiful you are… and how lucky I am to be here, this close, with you." Saying the right thing at the right time was like an art for her.

Suddenly, Weiss felt very small and very weak in the shadow of the taller and more self-assured woman. Yang oozed confidence in equal part with sensuality. That Weiss even noticed her sensuality was cause for alarm. "Lucky? Being in the room with me makes you feel that way? I... why?"

"Because you are one of the strongest, most confident, refined, pedigreed women I know, and you have no reason to waste your time talking to street trash like me." Her lips barely brushed Weiss's ear. "But here you are..."

"I... I know." Weiss couldn't move. Her hands lifted to push Yang backward, but she couldn’t manage it. The caress of air on her ear was paralysing somehow. "I m-mean... all those things you said are true, of course. I know objectively that people consider me to be pretty, and, um… whatever. But why... when you say things like that, why does it sound so different?"

Then, slowly, she moved the hand from Yang's elbow to her side and simply held it there, not even sure why she had. Testing the waters. It was smooth and warm to the touch. Something in her heart felt sick but it was too late to back down.

"Because I mean them," Yang answered simply. "Contrary to popular belief, I’m not just blowing wind up your skirt." And in a way, she really wasn’t. She had been interested Weiss for quite a while, and begrudgingly liked her spunk even if it was with a side of entitlement. To what extent she liked her remained to be seen.

"Just... sorry if I'm being repetitive, but this is so new to me. How much did you mean it when you said I could... could try it out on you, to know what you mean?" Weiss tried to swallow. It didn't work. Her next words were raspy as a consequence. "Because... if you're sure, then... I..."

Yang smirked and let her breath tease the smaller woman’s ear again. "I meant every word of it. You can do as you please." She lifted her fingertips to trace the contours of Weiss's arm idly.

A shiver passed down Weiss's arm at the touch. She was so far out of her depth... but Yang wasn't forcing anything. Teasing, yes, forcing, no.

"Okay," she whispered as her hand drifted down over Yang's hip. "Stop me. I mean... stop me if you should wish to change your mind, of course."

For a moment Yang's heart stopped. This was happening; it wasn’t a game anymore, she had won… hadn't she? "Of course," she reassured the white-haired woman. The blonde took a deep breath and awaited whatever Weiss would allow herself to do.

Belatedly, Weiss realized she had really meant it when she said "stop me". She wanted to be stopped by some outside force, because her body seemed to be determined to follow through. And follow through it did.

It was like a shock of electricity when her fingertips waded through the thicket of blondeness above Yang's center. Her heart sped up and her breath came faster once her brain registered where she was touching. Of course, she had touched there scant moments ago in a moment of jest, but this was not the same. This would lead elsewhere.

A soft exhale wafted over Weiss's neck as her fingers inched downward towards her most sensitive area. "Mmhh…" Yang was careful not to touch Weiss too much; she didn’t want to push the girl into anything. If this was going to happen, it was going to happen on Weiss's terms.

"I... I'm going to go further." She didn't know why, but instinct was telling her to put her other hand on Yang's back – so she did, just in the center, feeling wet hair under her palm. Her fingertips inched lower, listening for any change in breath, any protestation. This couldn't be something Yang really wanted, could it?

Instinctively, Yang's hips rolled into the other's touch, a soft moan escaping parted lips as Weiss's touch lowered. "Please do," she chimed lightly.

"This is completely insane," Weiss breathed shakily as she continued to advance. "Don't know why I let you talk me int- into... o-oh, I think I f-found you." The softness that her middle finger came into contact with was strange enough without the sheer amount of moisture that clung to its surface. That couldn't just be from the shower they were in, either.

"Please, Princess, of all the crazy things you could be doing, this is by far one of the less insane ones." The last word was something more of a whimper. "And y-yeah, that’s me..."

Of course the sensation was familiar; there had been a time or two when Weiss came into contact with herself when washing or adjusting her underwear. However, when she did so, she did not make sounds even remotely close to the ones Yang was making. Biting her lower lip to keep from asking another inane question, she slowly moved her hand further inward until she could feel Yang running the length of her finger, feel it on the fingers to either side.

It was hard for the blonde not to grip Weiss's shoulders, but she kept her hands to herself anyway so as not to scare the smaller woman off. The sensation felt better than she had expected, if she were honest with herself; it apparently had been longer than she thought since her last escapade. "Mmmhhh… that feels good…"

"Of c-course," Weiss breathed, struggling to keep the complete and utter shock out of her voice. "You're being touched by a Schnee. We don't do things halfway."

Of course, they didn't do things like this at all. Biting her lip harder, she slowly moved her hand backward and then forward again, watching this ghastly show play out in front of her and listening for Yang to protest.

A subtle blush overtook the pale skin of the taller woman as the sensations echoed through her nerves. Yang was careful not to make to many noises; didn’t want to freak the newbie out. However, this was proving to be very difficult. Unable to stand it any longer, Yang's hand slowly lifted to run her finger tips down Weiss's arm, a soft moan escaping her lips.

A nervous laugh escaped Weiss's throat. "Okay, y-you can't do that while I'm doing this," she squeaked as she felt her other hand ball into a fist against Yang's back. "Don't touch me. I'm s-supposed to be touching you, right?"

"My bad, Princess," she half-chuckled as she was scolded, withdrawing her hand. "Its just hard not to with your fingers doing such a good job."

"Am I?" Licking her lips nervously, Weiss stepped a few inches closer. "This is my first time trying anything like this, so if you were to, uh, direct my movements somewhat, I would appreciate some instruction. That is, if I need any." Trying to recover her pride, she added, "Perhaps I really am doing it perfectly already."

A soft snort broke the awkward silence that fell between them, and on its tail, the blonde said, "Quick circles and a thrusting motion in the right spot, it's... pretty simple." She paused to grin wider. "I'm sure someone as skilled and perfect as you would have no problem catching on."

Weiss allowed herself a light chuckle, but it sounded more like a cough due to her nerves. "Yes, yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some circles to attempt." Which she did. The way the thin ribbons of flesh slid over her knuckles felt so unnatural that she shivered, but she persevered, determined to see why Yang cared so much about this activity.

"Well, excuse me, your majesty," Yang jested. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her hands to herself, so instead... Yang kept her hands to herself. Slowly, she slid her fingertips up her stomach and over to grip her own breast firmly, humming happily at the added sensation.

It was with morbid and detached fascination that Weiss watched Yang touch the rest of her body. She wondered for a second if this meant she was doing something wrong, hurting Yang, but that didn't seem right. Therefore, she simply kept at it, watching intently for any sign of change. Meanwhile, her own heart was hammering in her chest, and the heat she had been trying to ignore further down on her body was becoming more insistent. This wasn't really something a person could just do to another person, was it?

Practiced fingers worked her breast expertly as Yang bit her lip, trying to stifle any sounds of pleasure that came from the mix of the two touches. Even still, she couldn’t hold back the low needy groan that slipped past her lips.

Another step closer. Weiss felt her hip just barely brush Yang's and froze in place, shivering; this was too close, but she couldn't back up now without seeming like a coward.

"Are... you doing okay?" she asked uncertainly as her fingers continued to drift in lazy circles.

Another cheeky grin disturbed Yang's expression of ecstasy as she replied to her momentary companion. "Oh yeah, doing… mmhhh… just f-fine… you should go a little faster."

"Alright." Her fingers began to trace a quicker circle, feeling both them and Yang's body getting warmer with each movement. "Just, um, tell me when I'm supposed to go inside. Still can't believe you really do that."

Yang's hips slowly started to roll into the attentions. "Y-you can go inside now if you’re brave enough, Snow Angel."

"Really?" Trying to distract herself from her building panic – and other things building elsewhere – Weiss readjusted her stance again but felt herself standing on Yang's foot, so she hastily stepped over. Alas, that put her body even closer than it had been, her stomach pressing into Yang's side. They were so near now. "Um... h-how do you know? When it's ready, I mean. For academic purposes."

"How do you know what?" Yang inquired, wholly enjoying Weiss's closeness more than she intended. "When you’re ready to go in?" Weiss merely nodded as her body began to adjust to Yang's mild and comforting heat against her front. When had it become comforting? "Slide your fingers further down; you should be able to feel a substance of different consistency than the water. Thicker. When there's plenty of that... mmhh... that's when you know you're ready."

That wetness was an indicator of that? "I see," Weiss said softly. "You know, I was going to ask about... nevermind." Then she cleared her throat as the tip of her middle finger began to edge the soft lips aside. "Just... put a finger right in there? Just like that?"

"Y-yes, just like t-that," Yang mused, exhaling softly, heart racing in her chest.

"Well, you're the expert, I suppose." Then, biting her bottom lip hard, she began pushing the finger inward, just a tiny fraction of an inch at a time, her movements more like a thief trying to break into a house without waking anyone rather than someone being intimate.

"Don't be afraid of it, Weiss; you're not going to hurt me."

If it had been anything else, Weiss would have shoved the finger in roughly in protest of Yang's goading. Still, she did take this as a cue that she could move faster. When the finger was in to the second knuckle, she whispered, "H-how's this?"

The elder girl bit her lip, head spinning dizzily. "Yeah, that’s good... n-now curl your finger slightly, and continuously do that..."

Weiss did as she was told, purely because she had no other notions. The strangely rumpled-feeling insides of her teammate caused her some concern, but she supposed she would feel less confused if she had ever explored her own body in this way. This was probably very natural.

Then she felt gentle resistance against her fingertip. "Oh! I... did I go the wrong way? What is this?"

"N-no! Not the wrong way!" Yang all but moaned. "The very, very right way... tha-that's what you want to stroke..."

"Okay," she whispered as she continued to do so, trying not to think too deeply on the murky wetness she was feeling all around her finger, about what she might or might not be prodding inside Yang's body. "Okay, I- and this feels good to you, does it?"

"Mmmhh, that's called th-the g-spot. It's a s-sweet spot of n-nerves."

"G-spot, hmm? Wonder what the 'g' stands f- you know what? Don't answer that." Purely out of nerves, Weiss quickened her movements, listening for whether or not that was pleasurable to her teammate. How could this possibly be something she wanted to pursue? It seemed irrational... and yet Yang's head lolled back and her hands slipped into her hair, a low moan telling Weiss that her actions were doing what she had intended.

It was all Weiss could do not to flee the shower and hide under one of the locker room benches. In truth, however, she didn't want to. This encounter was too intriguing, too scintillating to completely ignore. Her hand was curling as she stimulated this "g-spot" which Yang swore gave her so much pleasure she was barely rational.

She could feel it building. So soon? Too soon. The blonde was already close to her end and Weiss's lightning strokes were not helping in the slightest. "G-geez, I-I'm getting... c-close already. Wow!"

"Close to what?" Weiss asked, almost entirely focused on what her hand was doing, her own breath coming slightly faster from the effort.

Was she really this naive? "T-to orgasming!" she spat out. "My God, what d-do you think?!"

"Orgasming? Y-you mean that thing that people do when they make a baby?!" A squeezing sensation hit Weiss in the chest but she forced herself to ask rational questions instead of panicking. "But we can't make a baby, we're both girls! Right? Right, Yang?!"

It was almost enough to kill the whole mood, had she not already been so close. But Weiss's movements only grew more jerky and strong in her state of near-panic, which practically tore the next words from Yang's throat. "No! No babies! Don't st- don't stop!"

Nearly in tears, Weiss did not relent and heightened her pace. Yang's words shouldn't have been all that surprising; still, it was a relief. Having put that worry to rest, she whispered, "Okay... okay, I won't stop! You sh-shall have your orgasm!"

It wasn’t even a full two seconds later that Yang’s climax ripped through her, and she sang Weiss's praises to the gods, one hand having instinctively gone to rest at Weiss's lower back. It was more than the shorter girl would be ready for but it was impossible for her to do anything else in the midst of her passions.

"A-AH!" The fingertips in the small of Weiss's back caused her to gasp aloud, a trembling shooting down to her knees. Why did she feel so strange when it was Yang receiving the treatment?

Nearly a full minute passed, filled with nothing but panting and shivering. When they had both regained their breath, Weiss glanced up at Yang, trying to ascertain whether or not she had recovered. "Well, that was... I hope you are s-satisfied now. A-are you?"

It took the blonde a while for her to resist panting, only a quick nod following her question. Instinctively, she pulled the girl in closer to her, recovering from the height if her climax. She swallowed, finally regaining her voice. "Satisfied's an understatement. Damn… how have you not done that before? That was... Wow."

"Of course I haven't done that before!" Weiss snapped, positively trembling in Yang's arms. Much more discomfiting than her closeness was the way her most intimate area was now pressing quite hard against her the taller woman's hip. Heat blazed into her cheeks. It felt... not altogether bad.

However, she couldn't let that be too obvious. "Wh-what are you trying to do to me now? Do you want a kiss or something?"

"Well, if you're asking." The taller girl looked down upon the heiress, noticing how she was pressed up right against her. How her legs were brushing against hers. Was it the fact it was The Weiss Schnee that made her blush or the fingers that were still inside her.

Speaking of which... "You can take your hand away now, Princess. All done."

"I can wha- OH!" Never had Weiss's hand withdrawn from any surface as fast as it did from Yang’s wet folds. "Yes, of course I could! I'm just... all of this is very new to me, okay?"

Now she wasn't sure what to do with said hand. It ended up on Yang's hip, which made her feel as if she were returning the embrace, despite the fact that she was only doing it so her arm wouldn't be flapping about in midair. Then she looked meekly up at into the violet eyes above her and waited.

Although somehow she knew the placement of the heiress's hand was unintentional, she couldn't help but look down at it. Why did she like it so much? It wasn't even a sexual touch, and yet it was something she craved. Her closeness.

Something else was running through her mind. Although she had teased Weiss about it, she had no idea it was actually true. "You didn't know what an orgasm was? Really?"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss pinched Yang lightly for good measure. "I knew, but… I just didn't fully appreciate that it happened... you know, outside of procreation." Then she fired up again. "Don't make it sound like you know so much more than me, okay?! I'll have you know my education cost thousands of Lien and was tended to by the top professionals in the-"

"But not one of them gave you ‘birds and the bees’ talk, huh?" The thought made her chuckle, but in a way she felt terribly sorry for the girl. For someone who stood her ground firmly, who had all the book smarts, she was terribly misguided when it came to the affairs of love. It was all the more obvious that while Weiss had the book smarts, Yang had the street smarts. "Look, an orgasm's perfectly normal. You can even do it on your own. It's actually really good for you."

"Really? And how is that?" She swallowed. "I mean, s-sure, it looked like you enjoyed yourself, but I can't imagine many health benefits arise from... from braying like a donkey!"

"You know when you work out really really hard and you're out of breath? It's like that. Your heart is faster, and it kinda clears out the pipes."

The look Weiss was giving her was still heavily skeptical. All the same, she found she was swaying slightly back and forth. Why? The answer did not readily present herself at first; perhaps it was just a nervous tick. But the longer she did it, the more she began to suspect that it was because Yang's thigh meat was grinding against her.

"Can you... do me a favour?"

"Hmm? Whatcha thinking?" she asked, looking down at the girl.

"Could you... describe it?" One shoulder shrugged an inch as she averted her eyes. "Not the, um, orgasm. But wanting one; arousal. What does that feel like?"

“Kinda wondering if you'd be feeling it right about now." Though confident, it took her a while to come up with the right words. How does one describe a sensation like it? "It's like… hunger. A tingling sensation, below your stomach. You feel an urge to do things... To have things done to you. It feels good, but satisfying it is even better. That answer your question?"

Weiss took a long moment to absorb that. Along the way, she was still pressing herself against her teammate. "Suppose... hypothetically only, of course... that I were feeling warmth down there, and the tingling you described. That would mean I was aroused, wouldn't it?"

"Sure would. Tends to be the longer you go without getting off, the worse it gets." Noticing the girl was brushing against her, Yang pushed her leg forward onto Weiss, managing to guide it between her legs. "My guess is, right now, someone's a real horn-dog."

"Ah!" Weiss gasped as she clenched her thighs together to stop Yang from pressing against her. "Nn-no, Yang, wait! Wh-what should I do?"

From seeing Weiss's reaction to her advance she hesitated a moment. But she was good at reading her teammate's expression. The crimson blush, the questions; it was obvious that she truly didn't know about any of these feelings. Even until that point, Yang had wondered if Weiss was feigning ignorance, but clearly she was not.

"If you really have never gotten yourself off before, might be a good idea to start. Would relieve the stress, and would stop you feeling aroused for a fair while."

Scoffing, Weiss tried as hard as she possibly could to keep her hips from grinding against the leg beneath her. It wasn't working. "Like it's s-so easy. Just reach my hand down and do what I did to you a minute ago, huh? I'm so sure."

Yang nodded, however heat rose to her cheeks again when thinking of what she could do. She could show her how, or better still, do it for her. She could watch the heiress unwind before her. "That's how you'd do it alone, yeah. Or…" The leg pressed up against her again, hands reaching to her lower back to hold her closer. "Like I said, having another person help out is way better."

A loud cry burst from Weiss's throat when she finally felt Yang's thigh flush up against her inflamed sex. Her defenses had failed. Her protests had fallen on deaf ears. Yang had not pushed her out of her comfort zone too quickly, but rather used time, patience, and persuasion... and it yielded the same result.

"I-I'm scared," she admitted without meaning to. "B-because I don't know what to compare this feeling to, it's s-so weird! Does it hurt? Do you have to hurt me first to make it feel good?! I don't understand!"

"No. If you're aroused enough, it shouldn't hurt at all – especially if you’re with somebody as good at this as I am." Regardless of if they would or wouldn't initiate said act with one another, she felt the need to say such a thing. Yes, it could be that Yang would show her what it was like, what an orgasm was. But she cared enough for the girl to let her know this in case she wanted to back away, to go off and experiment with a boy instead.

And yet she wasn't moving any time soon. Weiss was curious, wanted to know how it felt. Wanted to satisfy herself, or the knowledge of how to do so. And Yang could show her.

"If you're curious, I can take care of it for you,” she whispered when the Ice Queen didn’t respond. “Just like with me, no one needs to know. You'd just feel what I felt. You'd understand why I was making those sounds. But, you can walk away if you don't want to."

Even as Yang was still talking, Weiss began to shift her hips back and forth ever so slightly, feeling the pressure amplify that tingling sensation, the taut heat that blossomed everywhere it touched. The need to continue was starting to outweigh her misgivings.

"Wh-what happens... if I just do this?" the heiress whispered as her thighs shifted farther apart, as she widened her stance to accept more of her teammate's leg. "What do you even call this? It has to have some k-kind of offensive name."

"Grinding?" The girl asked, pressing her leg firmer up against her hot sex. She was able to feel the intense wetness of the heiress, regardless of the shower. She needed this. "If you want to do that, go ahead. That's one of the things they don't teach ya at school."

"B-but I feel like some kind of animal!" Nevertheless, her hips were moving faster, and she wrapped both arms more securely around Yang's waist and rested her face against the side of her chest. Noticing this last part, she whispered, "I... is this okay? My face being here, I mean."

"J-just shut up and enjoy the ride, Princess," she encouraged. Truth be told, the feeling of having someone pressing right up against her breast was quite nice. She enjoyed the attention of it. Which reminded her of another method she had to teach her. "Put your hand on your boob like I did. That can help, sometimes."

"Put what where?" One of Weiss's hands released Yang's hip to reach up and squeeze her modest asset. "Mhhh... but that... why do I like that? Touching my boobs has never felt remotely pleasant before, I... do you like that, too?"

"Who wouldn't love mine? Look at them!" Although she laughed, she knew that wasn't what the girl meant at all. The sensation was indeed something she enjoyed, it helped her reach her peak. And kept her hands busy. "But yeah, if you're not going deep, it's an extra thing to help get you to the finish line."

But in order to help Weiss further, she pressed her leg up against her sex even firmer, hands wrapping around her back to help her push back and forth.

"Yeah... look at them..." Almost without any conscious thought, Weiss released her own breast and caressed Yang's. It was smooth round, and had a pleasant buoyancy to it that worked in tandem with its weight. Perhaps it was only because she had just been doing the same thing to herself, but knowing how it would feel to Yang when she did that only served to strengthen her arousal.

And that gave Yang an idea. "If you wanted... We can make this really intense. For both of us."

A humourless laugh threaded through Weiss's tentative moans. "Your ideas seem to lead to a l-l-looot of trouble!" Unable to help herself, her teeth clamped down on the side of Yang's soft breast for a half-second as she rode an unexpected flare of heat. "I... what did you have in mind?"

She moved her hand to Weiss's lower back, holding her in place as she shifted her spare leg across; trapping one of the heiress's legs between her own. She would be able to feel it pressing against Yang's sex, the wetness that was coating her fingers now pressing firmly against her legs. She rocked back and forth herself against it, mimicking Weiss's movements. "If we both do it, at the same time... I mean, no reason we can’t make this a two-player game, right?"

"O-ohhhhh, but you feel s-so..." Weiss had been about to say "slimy", but instinct told her this would be a bad moment to say as much. Worse still, she found she didn't mind at all. Now her face was resting against two pillowy mounds that jiggled slightly with every motion, and she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that.

"Yang? Do you... are you ready for another one? Is that why y-you moved my leg?"

"I am, if you think you can handle it." She moved Weiss closer still, encouraging her to continue her previous movements. She found when she did so, and when she moved forward herself, the two would meet in the middle. And bodies pressing up against one another only heightened her arousal. God, was she ready for it. "So do you wanna feel an orgasm or not?"

"I... I think I…"

Something was distracting Weiss from being able to finish her sentence. An urge she had never anticipated. It was very odd, indeed, but then again, so was everything else that was happening. The biting had planted the seed. Now all that was left was to explore what fruit it bore.

As they shifted against each other's thighs, Weiss moved the hand still on Yang's breast to raise it higher. Trying hard not to weep in frustration at her own strange yearnings, she then took the nipple into her mouth.

"Wha-AH!" She hadn't expected that at all! Not for Weiss to suddenly seem to dominate her, to stimulate her even more. The feeling added to her grinding against the heiress's leg was phenomenal, and bought forth heavier breathing.

"I'm sorry!" Weiss burst out immediately, head drawing back to gaze up at her friend. "Did- was that too much, are you okay?"

She shook her head. “Fuck no! Weiss, you’re so good!” If anything, she wanted to return the favour. But in the midst of pleasure, in the middle of pressing her sex against Weiss's leg as close as she could, in feeling her do the same; she didn't know how.

Instinct took over. She couldn't help herself. The blonde leaned forward, mashing her lips against the Heiress's in their heated exchange, tongue flaring out to meet it's partner right away.

Instantly, Weiss was screaming. Screaming louder than she had ever screamed before - but all the sound was going into Yang's mouth, there was nowhere else for it to go. Her first kiss! Her first ever romantic kiss, and it was with Yang?!

Hot anger and sadness tried to overpower the arousal, but they only served to drive it onward, to make her hips shift faster and faster as a foreign tongue wrapped itself around her own, as her hands raised to alight upon the head and back of the woman showing her things she had never imagined in her wildest nightmares. The hand on the back felt numerous scars and slid over them, feeling her anger ebb slightly with every single one she touched until that hand was resting on on a firm backside, her fingertips pressing in to hold Yang's shifting hips even harder against herself, to spur both of them onward.

Moans poured forth into the heiress's mouth as Yang pushed herself faster and faster, matching her pace in order to spur herself on, to have a second climax. It wouldn't take long, not after the first one. The tongue brushed everywhere it could; the underside of Weiss’s, and even the roof of her mouth and the bottom of her lips. A hand of her own slipped down to Weiss's backside, squeezing gently as she brought the girl under her own power, pushing her back and forth against her leg instead. What was happening to her? Why was she so desperate for her teammate to finish rather then herself? Why did she care?

Something was about to happen: something big that couldn't be easily overlooked. Of course, Weiss had a feeling it was an orgasm, but never having felt one before she couldn't be completely sure. What should she do? Keep going? Ask Yang to stop? Ask Yang to go harder? The sounds coming from her and vibrating against the tongue tangled up with her own gave plenty of evidence that this was going to be spectacular, whatever it was.

In the end, all she was capable of doing was going harder herself, hips nearly slamming against the leg under them as she tried to coax every last bit of pleasure from every last action.

They were both close. Yang felt every movement, the twitching in her leg, the warmth of her sex, the vibration of her mouth; Weiss was close to her climax and she knew it. So what could she do to make her first orgasm magical? In the end, she redoubled all efforts. She grasped her backside firmer, pushing her against her even more forcefully, whilst her spare hand went up into her hair, grasping some and pulling it rather firmly. Her tongue then began to brush against the underside of hers, continuing to do so until she reached her climax.

It was like a freight train running over Weiss when she finally reached her end. Shaking and vibrations, and heat, and sensations that she had absolutely no words for that were stronger than the ones for which she already had no words. In that second, everything was beautiful, and she wanted to stay in it, to hold Yang against her body and never let go until the world fell apart.

Then the heat began to dwindle downward, her heart slowed. The screaming she had been doing finally became apparent to her, and she stopped. Breathing ragged, she withdrew slightly from the kiss, her teeth raking over Yang's lower lip as she did so.

In that time, Yang’s thrusting tapered off and stopped. Although she wanted to continue, to reach her own climax once again, she was more concerned with her teammate. It was her first time, whilst in comparison, Yang had done it far more times. She could always finish herself off later. Finally drawing her lips from the ice queen's, she pressed her forehead against hers, allowing them both breathing space as her grip loosened from her backside and hair. Between ragged breaths, she spoke.

"And that… is an orgasm."

"What... what did you do to me?" Swallowing thickly, Weiss's hand came up to rest on Yang's collarbone. "All of that... that wasn't me, I... it was like something took over my body, my brain, it..." Her back shivered and she nearly collapsed. "A-ah! I'm so weak now, why..."

"You're worn out, don't push yourself!" The girl couldn't help but laugh, holding her upright against her, allowing her to use her leg for support rather then to continue grinding against it. "I barely did anything; that was all you and your instincts. Listen to your body and it will rarely steer you wrong, dude."

Then Weiss buried her face against her own hand, shaking as she sobbed quietly, "Y-you kissed me. How dare you. How dare you take that liberty while I... there was nothing I could do, how could I have stopped you? D-did you know I've never been kissed before? Did you? I... I wasn't expecting that!"

The once confident expression vanished. The blonde then moved her head away from Weiss's, softening her grip even further just so it was holding her upright, nothing more. She had no idea. "Shit, I… I'm so sorry. Really, I thought you at least had tried that! But... I was running on instinct, too – when I did that, I mean."

"WHO would I have kissed?!" Fire brought her back straight again and she glared up into Yang's eyes. "Do you think anyone in my life has been worthy of receiving a kiss from Weiss Schnee? Of course not! So what, you decide you're just going t-to..." But Yang had already told her she didn't expect it to be her first kiss. That it had been unintentional. She wanted to scream, to flail her fists against the amazonian anchor of their team, but it wouldn't do any good; what was done was done.

"Fine. Then you'd better make it up to me."

"H-hey, it worked, didn't it? Like, it made your orgasm a lot stronger, right?" Although then Yang remembered that she had nothing to compare it to. She didn't know the difference. She could have gone as normal and NOT ruined Weiss's first kiss.

Weiss gave an exaggerating shrug. "How should I know? Am I the kiss-expert?! Do I have a degree in kissology?!" Then she seemed to deflate, even though she was still huffing and puffing like she had run a mile. "Why... why do you still look all... I don't know, tense? What's the matter?"

"Look, I feel bad I messed up your first kiss. And I'm sorry, alright? I guess my first kiss didn't mean a lot to me, so I thought everyone else was the same." There was no pun this time. No innuendo, no jokes. Yang was pouring her heart out to the girl before her, apologising truly from her heart. Something very out of character for the blonde.

But it didn't last long. "Told you the shower would only make you dirtier."

"You weren't wrong." This identity crisis wasn't going away any time soon. The longer Weiss stayed in the shower with her teammate, the more she was going to succumb to these odd new emotions, and she wasn't sure if she wanted it. However, she wasn't sure she could leave even if she tried; curiosity was holding her there, next to the person who at least MIGHT have some answers.

"Can we..." She knew it sounded stupid even before she asked. "Can I kiss you this time, and we pretend the other one didn't happen, and say this is my first kiss?"

Her brow raised. "Wait, you want your first kiss to be with me? The street thug who bought you the ‘hot stuff’ panties?"

"No!" Weiss snapped. "But I don't have any choice now, so... so if I can't have it with somebody else, at least I can have it on my terms, right?!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, Ice Queen!" She raised her arms defensively, slowly lowering them onto Weiss's shoulders. Keeping eye contact, she smiled. "Go ahead. Kiss me how you want."

"Fine!" Of course, the instant Weiss said this to her, she felt terrified of what she was about to do, but there was no backing down. Perhaps she didn't want it to be Yang Xiao Long in front of her at this moment in her personal history... but after the passionate embrace they had shared moments ago, she knew it could be a far worse candidate.

Her hands moved up to softly grip the taller woman's shoulders, drawing her down; Yang moved easily under her touch, ready to accommodate. Mouths drew closer, pulses raged.

"I... I'm gonna do it," Weiss whispered.

"Then do it already," the blonde egged on, gazing into her eyes whilst doing so.

For several long seconds, nothing happened. The small enclosure was simply filled with the sound of water droplets pounding against tile. Weiss shifted her weight from foot to foot. Her thumb rubbed over Yang's shoulder. She blinked several times. This wasn't getting them anywhere, or so Yang thought. Guilt continued to gnaw at her mind that because of her actions, Weiss had to force herself to this. How could she make it easier for her? So Weiss could have a decent first kiss?

She closed her eyes slowly, thinking the lack of purple irises staring at her would make it easier. Holding her breath, Weiss convinced herself to lean in. Just an inch. Then another inch. Then she dropped back an inch, shaking from head to toe, trying to swallow as she closed her own eyes.

"Oh, whatever."

Then Weiss's lips collided with Yang's again, slower and sweeter than last time. Taking every moment as it came with great relish. To her own great surprise, she channeled every last drop of desire and passion she had into the contact, practically singing into the contact.

It took a short while until eventually Yang returned such contact. Lips curling around hers slowly as she very slowly brushed her tongue against her lower lip, goading her into more. How could this woman have never kissed before? How could this be her first time? Though baffled, the rough, thuggish woman enjoyed every minute of grace that the Schnee heiress honoured her with. It was only fair for her to try and make her experience all the better.

This time, when Yang's tongue searched out Weiss's, she was not as forthcoming with returning the gesture. She did, in the end; just not as readily. It was on her terms, and she wanted that to continue to be the case.

But completely unbidden, her hand wandered up to Yang's cheek and caressed it. The skin was surprisingly soft, supple. Almost as much as Weiss's, and she doubted that the rough-and-tumble blonde moisturised as much as she herself did.

Or perhaps she did? What did she really know about Yang Xiao Long? Apparently, it was time for her to learn as much as possible. She was beginning to think she wanted that more than anything.

Of course, she responded to the heiress's gestures. But where could she touch? Could she touch her cheek? Or would she be overly sensitive about the scar? Sure, Yang had many scars all over her body, but none as visible as Weiss's. In fact, it was something she felt rather sorry for her having.

In the end, she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her in closer as they continued their soft embrace. There was something gratifying about kissing someone so soft, compared to the tougher company in the past.

The longer they kissed, the more Weiss felt her heat beginning to grow again. That shocked her; could it be done more than once? How long did one have to wait before doing it again? She wanted to ask Yang these things, but it suddenly seemed inelegant to ask them during the moment. Therefore, instead she simply pulled back just enough to lean their foreheads together and whisper throatily to her newfound partner in experimentation.

"Do you... are you feeling like... doing more?"

"Why? Do you?" she asked through ragged breaths. Truth be told, she was still pent up from grinding against the woman's leg; she wanted to finish when Weiss did. But if her own heat was building yet again, it was all the better.

"See, I thought you might have been... from the w-way you were standing before, I just d-didn't want to assume." Her hands trailed down over Yang's chest, staring at them as if mortified at her own actions. "I think I might be, too, but… I mean, I'm still so new at this that I didn't know if it meant we SHOULD do more or if it was just some kind of lingering side effect!"

"Hey, if you've never gotten off before, you're gonna be horny as fuck, Princess. Best to let it all out now so you're not distracted from studying later..." She darted forward, kissing Weiss's unmarked cheek softly, only to then lean toward her ear, whispering, "Do you want me to make you scream again?"

"I... well, okay I guess, but you didn't seem to get much out of it last time." Shrugging, she took a half-step backward. "Give me your leg, then."

She looked at the heiress a moment, before taking her arms away from her. "How about something different?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she felt awkward, standing somewhat alone again. "Different is bad. I don't know if I like different."

"Well so far it's worked out well for you." She chuckled. "Don't suppose you're familiar with a 69?"

The stare that Weiss returned was fairly blank. "I... know of it as the number between 68 and 70?"

'Wow, this girl really was sheltered,' Yang thought. With a raised brow she explained, "It's also a position. Usually you use your mouth for it, but if that makes you uncomfortable, we can just use hands."

"Use your mouth for- wait, wait. Just... I'm so confused right now. How is a number a position? Is this in a book?" Then her mouth dropped open and she goggled at Yang. "Have you done the other 68 positions, too?! Just what degree of promiscuity do you have going for you?!"

Instantly, she slapped the palm of her hand against her face. "One, there are way more then 69 positions. Two, I have lost count of how many I have tried. Three, it's the shape of the numbers. Get it? Like one person is facing one way the other person is on top of them facing the other and you both sorta just lick-"

"Oh MY God!" Weiss blurted, covering her ears. "What am I hearing right now?! STOP!"

"I seriously can't believe it took you THAT much explanation!" The blonde erupted with laughter. Of course, it was hilarious to her, but the heiress may consider otherwise.

"Don't make... FUN of me!" Weiss punctuated her words by sliding her leg slightly inward and shoving Yang down by the shoulders.

The laughter was slowed down by Weiss's sudden movements as she barely caught herself from crashing h ard. Feeling herself getting pulled down by her brought on a wave of desire. "Someone's more eager than I thought. So what do you say? Like I said, we can just use hands. Whatever floats your boat."

It still stunned Weiss that she was now perched on top of her teammate on the floor of the shower, their naked bodies flush with one another, desire coursing through their veins. This was completely atypical. "I... I was just mad, but I g-guess we... how do we start, oh Knower of Sexual Things?"

"Well, you gotta get down here." From her knees, the girl slowly laid back, fully pressed against the soaking wet tiles as she stared up at the girl before her. "You gotta get on top of me."

Crawling hand-over-hand, Weiss was now lying atop Yang and staring into her eyes - and thereby clearly demonstrating she had misunderstood a lot of what Yang had explained. "Done. N-now, what are we doing with our hands?"

It took a lot to keep from slapping her own face again. Instead, she gently lifted the girl back up. "Other way around, Princess."

"You want on top of me? Or..." She tried to think back through what Yang had said. "H-hey, you said we didn't have to do licking!"

"And we're not going to, it's just the position! Do you wanna try this or not?"

"But I still don't..." Sighing, she sat up, not thinking about how she was literally sitting on Yang's hips. "Just tell me what to put where? You know I haven't done this before, I'm doing my best, okay?!"

"Alright, alright. I guess I should explain it clearer." The blonde swallowed. Feeling Weiss straddling her sent all the more heat to the union of her legs. Oh, how she wished she was able to thrust upward into her, but she lacked the equipment for that. Perhaps if the two experimented again, she could come prepared. "Okay, you want to be pushing your nose into my snatch, pretty much. You use your fingers, basically doing what you just did; I do the same on my end. So you're receiving as much as you're giving."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you..." The blush was not only pronounced, it was legendary. "Are you... going to put them in? I'm not sure if... if I can handle that yet, I've never..." Then she shook her head. "No, I'm sure you know what you're doing. You wouldn't dare push me beyond what I'm ready for, would you?"

"No way. That's why you're on top, so you can roll off if it gets to be too much." She couldn't help but shuffle beneath her. The tiles certainly weren't comfortable, but the woman above her was.

With a hesitant nod, Weiss climbed off Yang and stood over her for a moment, taking in a good eyeful of the beautiful woman laid out beneath her. It was odd how she was thinking at the moment; unnatural. Yang was voluptuous and desirable to most males she knew – but she was not a male. Why did gazing at her pronounced curves set her off?

Then she turned around and backed up until she was straddling Yang's middle, gazing down at wet knees as she lowered her own to the floor. Once there, she placed her hands on Yang's thighs and whispered, "Are you sure this is going to b-be okay? For both of us?"

She placed her hands on Weiss's thighs, attempting to reach forward. Though she realised with a reluctant sigh the heiress was too far away. She'd have to more or less lie down on the top of her to be level. "Well you're gonna have to back up a lil more, I can't reach you yet."

"I'm really supposed to... p-put my rear in your face? I didn't think we'd be getting THAT personal." However, she did as she was bidden, reversing until her center was hovering several inches above Yang's face, her calves sliding beneath arms. "B-better?"

"Yeah, that's it." Although she wanted to make a comment on the view, she suspected in their current situation the heiress wouldn't take it too kindly. Her hands slowly caressed the girl's thighs. Slowly reaching back up to her rear again in order to work her up further, she continued her instructions. "Just as you did before: slow rubbing to get me warmed up, then enter..."

"O-oh, right! Sorry!" Weiss felt embarrassed that she had nearly forgotten to return the favour being bestowed upon her. But when she leaned down between thighs, she realised something she wasn't expecting. Yang's organ was very pleasing to the eye. That shouldn't have been a thought that was even in her lexicon, but she truly appreciated the sight below her; soft folds and smooth skin. Her hand passed over it unbidden, just to take a more measured stock of the feeling than she had before when she was merely trying to get things done.

Likewise, Yang was also enjoying the sight of the heiress. As expected, completely perfect. Although she did say, "So hey… you can say no, but what if I tried using my tongue on you? Just to show you how a 69 is supposed to go for a second."

The little laugh Weiss let out held a marginal amount of her previous condescension. "Oh, I think I'll pass. That sounds quite unsanitary." Clearing her throat, she allowed her hips to sink a few inches lower. "Just, um... b-be gentle and go slow? This will still be the first time anyone's... well, you know."

"You got it, Princess."

And with that, soft fingers began to press against Weiss's wetness. Slowly at first, they began to move back and forth through the wet folds, attempting to stimulate the entire area. Resisting licking the folds instead of touching wasn’t easy, but she respected her teammate’s wishes. The young Schnee swayed visibly, heart shooting into her throat as she experienced pleasure unlike anything she had ever conceived. Now, she was extremely grateful that her first experience moments ago had been something easier and less overwhelming, because it made this so much more pleasurable.

"Hnnhh!" she breathed as she rocked her hips back against Yang's hand. "Oh, I... ohhHHHhhh!"

Her movements continued to tease her wet folds, cheeks blossoming with red at the sounds of Weiss's moans. How she wished she could see her face, watch as her expression went from that of her usual grumpy self to completely given over to this moment. She pushed her hand slightly more upward, her middle finger beginning to circle her clit.

"OH! Oh, fffffantastic!" Weiss whimpered as her own hand clutched more desperately at the folds beneath her. Sheer luck kept her from doing any damage to the sensitive organ with her well-manicured nails.

"Aah! C-careful!" She winced, toes curling up when feeling her firm nails contact the softer skin of herself. Once the heiress calmed down her movements again, she let out a small moan of her own. She was too stubborn to allow Weiss to undo her faster then she could undo the heiress herself.

A half-chagrined, half-elated laugh erupted from Weiss as she petted Yang's wetness with a more delicate hand. "My apologies, but this IS my first time..." She then watched the curling and uncurling toes for an idle moment. "Did you... kind of like that, though? It seemed to cause a pretty strong reaction, one way or another."

"Hey, I'm a kinky girl, but being scratched THERE isn't my thing." The emphasis was on the location, rather then the act; trying to make it clear that scratching wasn’t completely off the menu. Although another moan was let out again as she trailed her hand back downward, fingers firmly pressing up against the wet folds by her entrance, one single finger teasingly rubbing around it.

"Mmhhh," Weiss sighed as Yang began to stimulate her again, and she laid her hand flat and resumed her ministrations. After a moment, she brought the other one into play, only using it to hold her friend open so her first hand could reach more of her surface, tease between each fold.

As she gazed into the glistening textures, it dawned at her that this was the first time she had ever truly looked at a vagina. Even having one herself, she had always been told they were dirty places that were merely functional, and that the less time spent worrying about them, the better. Therefore, she felt forbidden heat of the taboo prickling along her spine as she examined it, prodding gently when she could but mostly just trying to touch all of it, to give Yang what she desired.

"Ah... Yeah..." Her breath could be felt against Weiss's hot sex, adding a new sensation of air brushing past her folds. But now came the tricky part. Feeling wetness coating her fingers, she brought her middle finger forward. Weiss was ready, she could feel it and sense it. Testing, she slowly pressed her middle finger against it, dipping the tip into her warm sex.

"MmmhhM? Oh-OH, whoa, what is- you're..." But Weiss did know what was happening, and any questions would be useless. Literally shaking at the sensation of something going inside of her for the first time, she twitched her thighs together - only to feel them being held apart by Yang's body between them. There was no way to shield herself just a tiny bit; it was either let this happen, or roll off entirely.

"Do you… want me to do that again? While you are?"

"That's the idea. Lemme know if this is okay, though."

She said between heavier breaths, bringing her other hand back to Weiss's sex as well. Whilst one stroked her wet folds and clit, the other slowly slid the finger even further inside, starting a gentle movement in and out to get her used to the sensation of friction.

A moan swelled and reverberated from Weiss's lungs as she began to roll her hips a little at a time to the sensation of Yang's finger inside of her. It was an entirely new and beautiful feeling, even if she was still partly scared of what it all might mean.

Belatedly, she began to ease one of her fingers between the folds in front of her, feeling more acutely what was transpiring than she had before. It was delicious. That was an odd word to be using, but it fit; there was a strange pleasantness to the feeling of moisture all around her fingertip, of watching it sink so gently into the welcoming flesh. How often did Yang do this?

"Oooohhh…"

The movements Weiss was making felt amazing. Despite the uncomfortable floor, the water still pouring over their bodies, it felt a lot better then the first time she tried. Her breath continued to pour forth heavily, toes curling with every sensation. Weiss felt every gust of air upon her most sensitive skin. Something about this had been bothering her slightly all along, and this more than anything else drove it home to her. Not knowing how else to phrase things, she merely swallowed and did her best.

"Are you... looking at me?"

"Uuuuhhh..." The blush rose to her own cheeks when that was asked, her movements freezing for a moment. "You bet. Why, do you want me to stop?"

"I don't care." That wasn't strictly true; she cared a great deal, but she was finding that she didn't mind. Shivering from head to toe, she allowed her thighs to drift a little farther apart. "Is it... don't make fun of me, but I want to know what you think. How does it look to s-somebody like you?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

“Not that you’re- I just meant… someone experienced.”

“It’s a pussy.” She didn't really know what else to say. Weiss was rather pleasant to look at, but she preferred to allow her hands to do the talking; especially as she pushed her finger a little further inside, pushing in and out a little faster.

"AH!" she gasped. "No, I... you've d-done this before, you must have looked at vaginas previously to mine, s-so how does mine compare with- NHH! Oh, God!"

Though Weiss did wish an answer to her question, the sensation was becoming too intense to ignore in favour of logical thought. In fact, she was already so close to collapsing on top of Yang's body with sheer weakness. How could performing such silly acts lead to this much enjoyment? How had no one told her before now?

"What can I say?" she said between breaths. “Your little pink curtains are pretty cute. I’m a fan.” Able to feel how close she was, her finger thrust faster into her, another working her clit in unison with her movements. On instinct, her own hips thrust against Weiss's hands, wanting more from her. She needed more.

With every thrust of her hips against Weiss's hand, she felt her finger sink deeper, saw the softness arching up toward her nose. When they had begun, she was holding herself so much higher than before, actively trying to put space between her face and the filthy organ below. Now?

Why had she stopped paying so much attention to the distance? Too much pleasure; that was the reason. Yang was caressing her every inner wall, coaxing more heat and more joy with every movement. It was intoxicating… as was the heady scent wafting up toward her from where her finger was. It mingled with soap and sweat that had not been rinsed away before, but very minimally; she knew now that almost everything filling her olfactories was arousal. The smell was something she was certain would normally sicken her.

Why did she like it in the moment? Why was it making her mouth water, her heart beat faster, her lungs rattle?

It was getting more difficult by the minute to resist Weiss, to resist leaning right up and taking her with her tongue. She probably would have, had she been with someone less reserved. But the last thing she wanted to do was frighten the heiress, not when she was in the middle of treating her like a queen. Her moans began to grow more intense, already pressure was beginning to build in her stomach.

"G-god! Weiss!"

"Yang!" Swallowing, she cleared her throat and leaned closer as she pressed her finger further and further inside. "What... what was it you said people normally do... in this position? Lick things? Is that really something… people d-do?"

"W-whatever, just don't stop!" she begged.

"Dust forgive me," Weiss breathed quietly before she allowed her tongue to dip down and press very slightly against the soft hood at the top.

"W-WHOA!" Her eyes snapped open in surprise, overwhelming pleasure beginning to seep over her at the sudden contact of her warm wet muscle. The pressure began to build even faster and instinct took over. Her tongue surged forward toward the wet folds before her, taking long licks from side to side.

A strangled "HNAH!" burst from within Weiss when she felt the same treatment being directed upon her own body, and much less hesitantly. Had Yang been waiting for her to try it first so she could respond in kind? Was it so much better?

It was. Tasting the strong and salty flavour of the taller girl below her somehow heightened every last drop of pleasure, while the source of the scent being that much closer was driving her wild. Nevermind how having such a wet and fluid thing drifting back and forth across her own opening made her feel! Another orgasm was building already, and she could not have been more pleased to know that's what it was.

Wasting no more time, Weiss wrapped her lips around the hood and its tiny occupant, suckling gently as she began to thrust her finger in and out, hoping to reach everywhere and give Yang as much pleasure as she was getting, to bring them both off in one glorious moment. There could be no better fate.

"MMMYAAAAHHH!!" She moaned loudly against her teammate, back unable to help but arch her back in pleasure. In turn, this pushed her firmer against Weiss, allowing her to press her tongue right against her clit. Finally she began to push her finger in further, curling it in the hopes of hitting another sensitive spot.

She succeeded.

"MMNHHHH!!!" Weiss cried out against Yang's folds, tongue swirling and dipping further down in to meet her own finger before she set her lips to suckling on the erect nub again. That had seemed to satisfy Yang the most, and it was the least she could do to return the joy she was experiencing throughout her entire body in that moment.

The pressure became too much, as finally Yang's legs began to shake uncontrollably. White hot flames seemed to flow through her veins, pleasure searing through her very bones as she reached her climax. But she was determined to take the heiress with her. Through one more effort, she withdrew her finger, only to then add another when pushing back in again, curling yet again to hit the sensitive spot within her. She continued to devour her clit and folds in turn, trying to tease every bit of pleasure out of her she possibly could.

A scream ripped through her body and into Yang's as she felt herself being penetrated with two fingers. Hard. Between that and the tongue torturing every other part of her sensitive flower, her second orgasm in the same shower stall crashed over her, and she felt her own toes curling, back arching, stomach muscles clenching and releasing over and over as she held her hand deep inside the body beneath her.

That was that. Weiss Schnee was no longer a virgin; she had her very first sexual encounter and it was with another woman. No one could have told her this was how it would be and been able to convince her they were telling the truth, but she found it no longer bothered her overly. The extreme levels of joy rocketing through her system made it difficult to care.

The blonde's head fell back against the wet tiles, allowing her to finally breathe. As she waited for the pleasure to cease pulsing through her, she gently pulled her fingers free from her lover's sex. A pronounced whiplash could be seen as Weiss was exited, and she tried not to sob at the feeling of having nothing inside of her anymore.

"Well?" she managed to groan out, still light-headed.

"Wh... at the end there, you d-did something differently. Was that more than one finger?"

Managing to lean to one side, she held the two fingers in the hair, both coated in her bodily fluids. "One didn’t seem to be doing it for you."

"Oh, it was doing it for me," she laughed uneasily. "But th-thank you for your consideration." Carefully, she began to slide the finger out of Yang, as well, trying to be slow and gentle about it.

"H-hah..." She couldn't help but gasp when feeling the finger removed, a sudden wave of emptiness sweeping across her. Although when seeing how close the heiress to her, it was all forgotten. She and Weiss had sex. On the list of things she expected to be doing, that was not on the list. Especially not after she found out the girl had never done it with anyone before.

"Congrats, Ice Queen. You just lost your V-card!"

For a brief second, Weiss attempted to stand. That proved impossible, so she flopped back down on top of Yang, rubbing her face idly against her thigh. "Wh-what card?"

"Mrrmimermy?" The voice was muffled by her thigh. She brought her hand back up, helping push the heiress upwards. "Virginity?"

"Oh." She swallowed, turning to help Yang up as well - unsteady on her own feet though she was. Her free hand braced against the wall of the shower for good measure. "I... was thinking about that, and I suppose you're right. Should I be... what, worried? Excited? Embarrassed? I've never been in the position to lose it before so I literally have no frame of reference."

Once standing, the woman immediately got back to her routine. It was almost as if it had never happened. Sure, her breathing was still heavy, but anyone could mistake it for someone who had just had a heavy workout if they were to see her scrubbing herself with the bar of soap.

"Eh, it's not really a big deal to be honest. You don't feel any different – at least, I never did. We just had some fun, right?"

Weiss took that in as she also set about washing herself again, following Yang's lead. "I do feel different, though. Not drastically, but it's as if... my body has been awakened in a way it never has before. Also, you and I have this new… bond, I suppose." The soap squirted out of her hands and bounced off the wall before skidding to a halt in the middle of the drain. "Does this make us lovers?! Are we t-together now?!"

“Whoa, settle down there, eager beaver,” Yang laughed, staring at the bar of soap on the floor. She managed to resist making a crude joke that probably would have pissed off the sensitive girl. In fact, she bent down to retrieve the soap for her, passing it over with a smile. "That's up to you if you think you can handle a dragon. But yeah, I’m not opposed."

Why did Weiss find her eyes being drawn to Yang's form as she bent to pick up the errant bar of soap? Shaking her head out, she took it and went back to her washing. "Handle it? Please. I just... well, would you want that? You seem to be alright with a sort of 'passive' arrangement."

Of course, the woman went straight back to scrubbing her own skin again, eyes remaining on the icy blue ones staring back at her. Somehow, they worked. It shouldn't; they were entire opposites. In personality, appearance, even semblance! Yet they clicked. Yang could fire Weiss up into having fun, and likewise Weiss could cool her thuggish self down. Even in sex, the two seemed to pair quite well if this first time was any indicator of their potential future.

"Look, I've done the 'passive arrangement' as you called it before, and if you wanted to do that, I'd be totally down. But… if you meant it as in you and I being a couple? Well… I guess… that might not be so bad, either."

"I see." Slowly, Weiss's cheeks began to glow red again. "You mean that, don't you? That we would d-date and kiss and all those things. Do more of wh-what we just did, but also hold hands while we go shopping, and try on makeup and clothes together, and cuddle at night?"

The very words caused her movements to slow right down. There wasn't a sarcastic comment this time, or an instant denial of her suggestion. It was sincere, or so she assumed. Not only that, but it was an offer Yang hadn't had before. The majority of her relationships only lasted the length of a single night together. This was the chance for something more, something meaningful.

Not that she would admit how much it meant to her so easily. "So, there's a warm heart in there after all, huh, Ice Queen?"

At that, Weiss smiled smugly and turned away, rinsing off her torso. "Hah! Dream on, Hot Stuff. You'll have to work a lot harder to wrap this Queen around your little finger like that." As she leaned against the wall to scrub her right calf and foot, she glanced at Yang out of the corner of her eye. "Though we might begin those 'arrangements' henceforth. If you're as open to it as you claim to be."

Although a little disappointed Weiss hadn’t accepted the offer for something more, she couldn't blame her; this was brand new. Maybe they should take it slow and see where things led.

Her teasing attitude returned as she went to leave the shower. Running a finger gently across her shoulder blades, she leaned over to whisper into her ear, "I'm looking forward to it, Princess."

With that, she finally exited the stall, leaving the flustered heiress to finish her shower alone.

The end of the Ice Queen's rather eventful day was nearing. For Yang, it had already ended, if the rather loud snoring coming from her bunk was any indication. Weiss shook her head as she got ready for bed. It wouldn't be too long until their other teammates would return to the dorm room; even Blake wouldn't be able to stay in the library ALL day.

The door swung open, their leader stomping back into their room after a sparring session with Jaune. At first, she wanted to question her sister's loud snoring, but something else caught her eye.

"Hot stuff?!"

At the sound of her bunkmate's shrill cry, Weiss whipped around, pulling her nightgown hastily over the rest of her body. "Ruby Rose! D-don't you know how to knock?! What is wrong with you?"

Ruby kicked the door shut behind her. "Oh come on, you don't have anything I haven't seen before! Well, besides the ‘Hot Stuff’ undies!" As usual, her annoyingly inquisitive nature began to show, as she stared back at the underwear. "I didn't think you were the type wear something that, y’know, flirty!"

"I'm not," Weiss grumbled, finishing covering herself with the nightgown and holding her hands in front of her pelvic area to further reinforce the message that the show was over. "It's... these are special, alright? Besides, why does it matter?"

"Special… undies?" She tilted her head. "Ooookay, if you say so. And it doesn't matter, I'm just curious."

"They were a gift! Who died and made you the panty police?!" Sighing irritably, she turned and began to crawl into her bed. "Can't even wear whatever I like anymore..."

The girl raised her arms defensively, heading to her own drawers to fetch her pyjamas and letting the subject go. Although, once she had gotten changed fully and was about to get into her own bed, that was when the penny dropped. Who gets underwear for a friend?

"Wait, undies for a gift? From a special friend, maybe? Like a partner?"

Rolling over just enough so she could be heard clearly, Weiss growled, "Did you give them to me, partner?"

"No! Why would I call you 'hot stuff'? I meant a special boyfriend kind of partner!"

"You asked if there was a partner, and my only partner is you, and if you did not give me the underpants, then no, I was not given them by a partner. Now GO. TO. SLEEP."

"Aww come on, you can tell me. Is he cute?"

It took all of Weiss's willpower to avoid glancing over at Yang in the neighbouring bunk beds, peacefully snoring away. Instead, she merely picked up her pillow and smooshed it over her head, trying to blot out the sound of the bunkmate now hanging over the side of her top bunk and staring at her upside-down.

"Whaaaat? You can tell me, I really wanna know!" she chuckled, managing to sway back and forth whilst looking, before finally gasping. "Is it Neptune?”

"You're Neptune," Weiss grumbled, knowing full well how juvenile she sounded. Seized by inspiration, she rolled over and shouted, "YANG!"

Of course, her sleeping teammate's eyes snapped open to try and find where the noise came from. Though of course Ruby then looked over to her from her awkward position, grinning innocently.

"Hey Yang, Weiss has a boyfriend!"

"Yang, can't you keep your sister under control?!" Weiss was complaining. "I am trying to sleep and she is being simply intolerable!"

"Pleeeeaaaase?" Ruby begged, swaying back and forth again.

Her sister was unable to help but chuckle, rubbing her eyes. "I swear you should have been a bat Faunus, Rubes. But she has a point; it is getting late. Besides, Ice Queen's got to have SOME mystery about her."

"Yes, thank you," Weiss said, rolling away… only to immediately roll back toward Yang to say, "And do NOT call me 'Ice Queen'!"

"So what would you like instead? Snow-Senpai? Cutie-Patootie?"

Although this was obviously flirting, it was the type that would go straight over her sister's head. After all, Yang gave people silly nicknames all the time, and was flirty with everyone. It would make sense for Ruby to take it in a friendly manner. It was a success in getting her little sister to return to her own bed, tucking herself down into her own sheets.

"Next time we spar, I want to know, though," Ruby grumbled, facing the wall away from her sister.

"We'll see," Weiss sighed, glaring steadily at Yang. It was the response that would get Ruby to quiet down the fastest. After that, of course, she winked at the blonde. "Goodnight."

Thankfully, that was what the blonde wanted. It at least allowed her to wink back at Weiss as she snuggled in to sleep. "Goodnight, Hot Stuff."

The near-darkness of the room hid Weiss's blush so well that not even Blake's night vision could sense it when she crept in fifteen minutes later. The heiress was eternally grateful for that, even if she found it almost impossible to sleep.

                                                              THE END

[bannedtogether]

Ok, I just found your blog from another one I follow, so I’m not sure if I’m coming in late in the game here or not to tell my story. My close friends are the only ones who know about this, and it has been a few years at this point (my last text to SN being in 2015) but I still feel like I need to actually put this public finally because I didn’t realize this behavior was as prevalent as it is (or was, I’ve honestly stopped following the band just because I stopped keeping up, I’ve done that with a lot of artists lately). So I pretty much have a 2 year long SN story. Going back through your SN tag, someone mentioned that in 2014 at SPWF he kissed a fan in a hallway in front of a bunch of people right before they left? Yeah I’m pretty positive that was me. I want to put out there that through the entirety of this I was above the legal age of consent, there was a definite age gap, as seems to be a pattern.

Just a warning this is going to be long. I can also send screen shots and pictures he sent me as proof of all of this. From the time I started texting with him to when I stopped, there where 200 pictures exchanged that are still on my phone. I made sure to never delete anything.

He actually started talking to my sister and I (we are twins as well) in 2013, the first year we were at SPWF. We had met the band in either 2011 or 2012 (whenever they were still at the zoo) during a trip to San Diego, but hadn’t met him, and then went and saw them when they were actually on our coast for SPWF. Sam had broken the pipe on the side of his hat and needed tools to fix it, so my sister messaged them once they put a call for help and told them we had parts that could fix it. So when we went to the signing they had before the meet and greet, the band already knew who we were and I guess that made SN interested, especially when he found out we are twins. He made sure to tell us we needed to come to the photo op they had later, where he made the band scoot to the side so he could get a picture with us, each one of us kissing his cheek on either side, and had us redo the picture like 3 times. We really didn’t think too much of it, thought it was fun and moved on.

Next year (2014) they came back, and SN had messaged me several times through tumblr, talked on his video game streams, even made sure to message me as soon as they knew they were coming back to SPWF to tell me to buy tickets before they released that knowledge to the public. I thought it was cool, seeing as I am looking to go into the audio field, I was hoping for the chance to get to see the set up he runs, ask some questions, learn a little bit, while hanging out with this seemingly pretty cool guy. I went with my friends as planned, re-enacted the cheek kiss picture as he requested, hung out for a few minutes, and then we went on with our day. Saw him in passing throughout the weekend, never really spent and extended amount of time together, but again, he tried to make sure we were coming to the meet in greet. This year, it was a private one you needed a higher level ticket for, one I didn’t buy. He swore it would be fine, just tell the people at the door and they would let us in without a ticket. I’m not that brave, and I wasn’t trying to create an issue, so we just waited outside the door until it let out and trying to grab him as he left. We caught him as he came out, talked for a quick minute, then the whole “well I gotta leave, so let me give you a kiss bye” thing happened. I thought he meant on the cheek like before, as did my friends who were frankly shocked as hell as I was. But he did ask if it was ok, and I thought he meant on the cheek, so I agreed. He kissed me on the lips, then kissed my sister, and gave both of us his phone number on a slip of paper (he had already prepared with a freaking little red heart next to it) and ran off. So like I said, we were all in a little bit of shock.

From there, we started texting pretty regularly, as did my sister. It was pretty innocent at first, and then started to get more mature in nature. I don’t know if it was the same for my sister but I can make an educated guess that it did. He would say stuff to me that if we lived closer he would be really interested in dating, or dates he would like to take me on if I was in San Diego. He didn’t go straight into the inappropriate stuff, he kind of eased into it, and really made me think he was actually interested in me as a person, would do stuff like text me good morning and good night almost every day for a long while. Clearly that wasn’t the case though.

He continued to talk to both of us, add us both on steam, co-op games with us, send us selfies, everything like that. There was pretty much always enough communication to feel like I could call him a friend, even when disregarding the texts that where more sexual in nature.

We saw him at several more events across the country. I’m smart enough to say that I never traveled to a convention or show just to see him, they were parts of trips I planned with friends or trips that had other reasons for us to be in that area, so I don’t regret any trips where I ended up seeing him. Everything sort of came to a head when we where out in California so my sister could look at a school out there and we saw one of their shows that was at the same time we were out there. Of course I had told him we were gonna be there, and he knew what hotel we where staying at and asked to come hang out with us for a while after they had their sound check the night before. He ended up coming over later than planned because they went to dinner with the people from the venue, and then he didn’t end up staying long, because long story short, we told him he didn’t get to sleep with both of us, that that is not how this works.

Things went downhill from there, but that is not to say he didn’t try that again. He still was asking for pictures, and was starting to put in less effort, texting less, responding less than he had been before. The next SPWF he tried a different tactic, figuring he would get what he wanted if he got us to come to his hotel room we might actually agree, and we still both said no. This time he didn’t take it nearly as well, we actually were staying at the con hotel this time, and didn’t see him any time other than shows or soundchecks. He literally told us he wasn’t leaving his room unless he had to, he started acting like a pouting child. After the convention, he really stopped texting as much, and then started removing both of us from friends lists on any thing he had any of us on. It became extremely apparent that he was only interested in having sex with twins and when he didn’t get what he wanted he didn’t care at all about either of us, even as friends. The last time I texted him was May 20, 2015, only 4 days after SPWF.

Looking back I realize now how manipulative he is. This story doesn’t paint myself or my sister in the best light but I prefer to put my stupidity out there for people to see if it means warning someone else off to make sure that they don’t make mistakes like I did. Everything since has worked out for the best since, my sister is now engaged and I’ve been in a relationship for almost 2 years now, neither of us have any animosity for each other, only for him because we realize what he was trying to do. 

If you are interacting with this man please realize what he says to you may not be true and don’t let him talk you into anything you are uncomfortable with. I fully believe that he has pulled off the internet because he knows hes been doing this enough its going to catch up with him. Don’t let this man sweet talk you and make you think you mean something to him, please realize there is a pattern.

Thank you, Anon, for sending this to us. We are extremely appreciative that you are willing to be so open and honest about what happened to you and your sister. I personally would also like to say that if consent is acquired by means of deception, as in this case, it does not count as consent - you and your sister both were under the impression that he was asking to kiss you on the cheek, and he likely knew that. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this sort of bait-and-switch behavior coming from him.

I would also like to thank Anon Z who sent us this video of the incident being referred to in this submission. Just to clarify, we have received permission to post this video from Anon Z and the Anon who sent us this submission.

- Mod X

[the-punforgiven]

ALL 200

WELL, ALRIGHTY THEN, LET’S GET STARTED

200: My crush’s name is: I’m not sure honestly, I’m kinda not really into anyone super seriously right now. Like I’ve got a few people I think I might have crushes on, but no one I’m certain I do, if that makes sense199: I was born in: A hospital198: I am really: Fuckin dumb197: My cellphone company is: I can’t remember off the top of my head196: My eye color is: Some weird green/brown195: My shoe size is: Too fuckin big I’ve gotta order shoes off the internet194: My ring size is: Honestly? I don’t know, I’ve worn like two rings ever193: My height is: 6′2192: I am allergic to: A very specific brand of hot dogs and a couple types of smoke191: My 1st car was: Well, we’ll see when I get one190: My 1st job was: A Dishwasher, unless you count the middle-school paper route189: Last book you read: Lisa Peschel’s The Runes188: My bed is: A loud-ass-fucking steel bunk bed that I swear is gonna give me a concussion someday187: My pet: Is a cat, her name is Groucho and she’s very shy but I love her186: My best friend: I can’t pick a favourite person, I’m sorry185: My favorite shampoo is: Whatever makes my hair flow majestically like a fuckin power metal album, I haven’t found a brand I prefer though184: Xbox or ps3: I don’t actually use either, but PS3′s got some better exclusives I’d say183: Piggy banks are: A thing? I dunno182: In my pockets: My wallet, phone, some papers, and a pendant with no chain181: On my calendar: I.. I don’t presently own one180: Marriage is: Something I rarely think about, sorry179: Spongebob can: Stop airing completely and I genuinely wouldn’t care178: My mom: is a great person and I wish her nothing but the best177: The last three songs I bought were? I dunno whatever the last three songs on Amon Amarth’s Jomsviking album are176: Last YouTube video watched: This one (Or at least that’s what I’m presently watching, the one before that was This175: How many cousins do you have? Too many. (7? I think??)174: Do you have any siblings? Yeah dude I’ve got like 5173: Are your parents divorced? They were never married, they can’t get divorced172: Are you taller than your mom? Yeah171: Do you play an instrument? Yes! I can play the guitar and the piano, and I’m hoping to learn more instruments just as soon as I can get ahold of them170: What did you do yesterday? Hung out with a friend of mine, spent the night, played some videogames, talked about superpowers. The usual I guess[ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight: Maybe?168: Luck: Yes167: Fate: Yeah?166: Yourself: if I believe in myself to fuckin fail at everything yeah165: Aliens: Yes. I mean, the universe is so insanely fuckin massive, it’s honestly fucking terrifying to think that this is the only planet out there with life, you know?164: Heaven: Maybe?163: Hell: Maybe?162: God: I dunno161: Horoscopes: Kinda?160: Soul mates: Yeah?159: Ghosts: Yes158: Gay Marriage: Yes157: War: I’m not quite sure what this is supposed to mean, sorry?156: Orbs: ???155: Magic: Kinda, yeah[ This or That ]154: Hugs or Kisses: I prefer kisses, but I hug people way more153: Drunk or High: N/A152: Phone or Online: Online151: Red heads or Black haired: Black Haired150: Blondes or Brunettes: Depends on the blonde. Like, platinum blonde hellyeah, but buy-and-large, brunettes, I guess?149: Hot or cold: Cold148: Summer or winter: Winter, seriously a full moon on a clear winter’s night with freshly fallen snow is alone more fuckin beautiful than most of the shit summer can muster in my opinion, and also there’s less chance of me fucking burning to death, which is always a plus147: Autumn or Spring: Spring, rain is good, and spring has the most rain I think?146: Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate145: Night or Day: Night, for the sheer virtue of not getting sunburns, and the fact that a full moon is so fuckin pretty dude144: Oranges or Apples: Oranges143: Curly or Straight hair: How curly we talkin? Like, wavy is my favourite, but that’s kind of middle ground. I dunno, they can both look really good, I guess142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDonalds, though that comes with the qualifier that the only Burger King I have ever visited gave me food poisoning141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: No Dark Chocolate? What the fuck??? Nah, aside from Dark Chocolate being the best kind without debate, I still prefer Milk Chocolate to that White Chocolate filth. It’s not even real chocolate and it tastes like ass140: Mac or PC: PC139: Flip flops or high heals: High heals, huh? Honestly, no preference138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: honestly I’m ugly and poor and I’d honestly prefer enough money to shower my friends in the wealth an happiness they deserve over a slightly-less-disgusting face137: Coke or Pepsi: Coke136: Hillary or Obama: I’m not gonna pretend I know enough about American politics to answer this one135: Burried or cremated: I mean, both, kinda?134: Singing or Dancing: I can’t do either, but I sing a lot more than I dance133: Coach or Chanel: I’m sorry, this question doesn’t make any sense to me?132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Who and who?131: Small town or Big city: Small town, I get this really weird panic in big cities130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Ben Stiller, I guess?128: Manicure or Pedicure: I.. I don’t remember the difference?127: East Coast or West Coast: Is this referring to where I live, or?126: Your Birthday or Christmas: I would say Christmas since I love giving gifts as much if not more than getting them, but I can rarely actually afford gifts and I always feel like absolute shit for not getting anyone anything, so I guess I’ll go with my birthday?125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolate. Flowers wilt, and that shit’s kinda really sad to me for no reason I can describe, sorry124: Disney or Six Flags: No preference123: Yankees or Red Sox: No preference[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War: I’d prefer if it never happened, but that seems depressingly unrealistic121: George Bush: I don’t know enough about him to feel confident about forming an opinion120: Gay Marriage: Why isn’t it allowed everywhere yet, like actually what the fuck119: The presidential election: There is no combination of letters possibly capable of describing the twisting in my stomach that comes with thinking about that event.118: Abortion: Honesty it’s really not my place to say, like, I’m almost literally the least qualified person to talk about this117: MySpace: I vaguely remember it, rest in peace you dead service you…116: Reality TV: Not my cup of tea, personally115: Parents: They’re… Necessary to the continuation of life and a common occurrence in nature? I’m pretty sure there isn’t really much alive that doesn’t have parents, how am I supposed to give my thoughts on a concept that widespread? Yeah, things have parents, and reproduction’s been around for millions of years, I guess114: Back stabbers: I’d appreciate it if I wasn’t stabbed in the back, thanks, I mean I’d appreciate if nobody was, but these things happen, I guess. Best we can do is to make sure not to do it ourselves and hope everyone returns the courtesy113: Ebay: I don’t use it, is it any good?112: Facebook: Bad. I mean I still use it, but it’s bad. Especially it video player, like actually what the fuck, Facebook put how much money into itself why is the fuckin video player still that bad???111: Work: Money is good110: My Neighbors: I dunno, I’ve never talked to them, Generally they seem ok though, though exceptions exist109: Gas Prices: uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhh108: Designer Clothes: Wear what you want, make what you want, I’m not gonna judge you for it107: College: I’d love to go there someday, shame it’s nearly inaccessible for me in my present situation (i.e. Dumb and Poor)106: Sports: Not my cup of tea105: My family: I mean, despite everything, I still love them, I guess?104: The future: I can only hope it’s long and wonderful, I hope the world can love in happiness and peace for the rest of time. I mean it’s not like that’s entirely possible, but that doesn’t stop me from hoping[ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone: No idea102: Last time you ate: Just earlier, I’m doing good!101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: Also just earlier!100: Cried in front of someone: Uhhhhhhhh, back in like, grade eight at some point, I think? I’ve cried like twice within the last 7-8 years, give me a break99: Went to a movie theater: Back whenever Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was in them, I dunno98: Took a vacation: Like middle school, my dude97: Swam in a pool: Not sure. Not like, recently, but not as far back as the crying thing. Fuck honestly I don’t even remember when the last time I wore shorts was96: Changed a diaper: No idea95: Got my nails done: Like never. Maybe once, but I do not remember that day very well at all, so it might have been some weird fever dream94: Went to a wedding: A couple years ago, I think?93: Broke a bone: Never92: Got a peircing: Never91: Broke the law: No idea90: Texted: Earlier?[ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most: I dunno, I laugh a lot, and I can’t quite pin down who does it the most88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: My instruments, honestly87: The last movie I saw: Harry Potter and the Big-Ass Cup? I don’t remember which one. I want to say The Goblet of Fire, but that seems too logical. The one with the hedge maze of death, I wasn’t really paying attention86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Halloween!85: The thing im not looking forward to: Actually making a costume for Halloween!84: People call me: Weirdly nice things, it’s almost as if they haven’t met me or something83: The most difficult thing to do is: Stop time. I still haven’t figured it out82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: No, but I’ve also never driven, so take of that what you will81: My zodiac sign is: Virgo80: The first person i talked to today was: My mom79: First time you had a crush: Back in elementary school sometime. Remembering what I was like back in elementary school, it’s probably best I didn’t say anything to anyone about it78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my fuckin grandma, her presence alone is enough to force the truth out of you77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Earlier today, I guess?76: Right now I am talking to: You, Anon!75: What are you going to do when you grow up: Kick a few habits, hopefully? Maybe develop a few healthier coping mechanisms? I’m not gonna pretend I know what I’m doing with my life74: I have/will get a job: I fuckin hope so73: Tomorrow: I’m gonna hope it goes well, and probably try to get my rent situation sorted out. Chances are I’m gonna really want to do something with some friends and completely miss the opportunity for one reason or another, I seem to have made a habit of that recently72: Today: I’ve gotta try and get some fuckin sleep honestly. I’ve also gotta remember to take that pill lest my stomach attempt to dissolve my fuckin throat again71: Next Summer: I’m gonna set up my Air Conditioner at the fuckin start of it, like a fucking smart person70: Next Weekend: I’ve got no plans69: I have these pets: I have two cats, two dogs, and two birds, it’s a fuckin zoo in here. I mean technically only one of the cats are mine but whatever68: The worst sound in the world: My fuckin midrange, help67: The person that makes me cry the most is: Dude I’ve only cried like twice in reliable memory, only one of them was actually brought on by anyone, so that guy, I guess66: People that make you happy: There’s just way too many to say, but I’d say a great many of my mutuals, followers, and whoever’s been sending me anons, I love you guys, as well as my Discord pals, obviously, you guys rock65: Last time I cried: Season 2, Episode 2464: My friends are: th fuckin best63: My computer is: Not quite my whole life, but a very significant portion of it62: My School: I’m not in one presently, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯61: My Car: What car?60: I lose all respect for people who: Can openly condemn a person they don’t know anything about.59: The movie I cried at was: It, uh, wasn’t a movie, for one, and for two, I’ll take that secret to my fuckin grave58: Your hair color is: Red57: TV shows you watch: Honestly, I just really don’t have time for TV56: Favorite web site: I dunno, probably either this one or YouTube, I don’t do a lot on the internet, honestly55: Your dream vacation: Visiting festivals in Norway and Finland54: The worst pain I was ever in was: When I got an ungodly sunburn on my back. Now, that may sound weak but keep in mind I was like ten and I burn faster than your average tank of gasoline. Like, it didn’t even compare to the times I tore open my legs on rocks, including the one that got infected and the anaesthetic-free treatment for that, just to give an indication of how bad that fucking burn was. I’ve been literally on fire and that was more pleasant than that fucking sunburn somehow53: How do you like your steak cooked: I’m not big on steak, honestly52: My room is: My own. It’s a bit too hot, and it’s kinda small, but it’s mine and I’m very glad to have it51: My favorite celebrity is: Honestly? No clue.50: Where would you like to be: Somewhere with more food, I’m fuckin starving49: Do you want children: Maybe if I am ever able to competently raise some, but until then, no48: Ever been in love: Maybe? I don’t really know, as strange as that sounds47: Who’s your best friend: I’m not picking favourites46: More guy friends or girl friends: More guy, I think? I’m not gonna count them out, and I don’t know if most of the people I regard as friends really regard me as a friend in return, you know?45: One thing that makes you feel great is: Fuckin, Music, man! It’s just so fantastic, I love it44: One person that you wish you could see right now: My dad. He’s a swell guy, I miss him43: Do you have a 5 year plan: A what42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: Not really? I’ve got some things I’d like to do, but the chances I’ll ever be able to actually do them are… Slim41: Have you pre-named your children: No40: Last person I got mad at: Not sure. I rarely even get frustrated with anyone, let alone mad39: I would like to move to: I dunno, I don’t really have anywhere I could see myself settling down38: I wish I was a professional: Animator, musician, metalworker, I dunno[ My Favorites ]37: Candy: Dark Chocolate Kit Kats, I fuckin love those things so much36: Vehicle: That fuckin huge ass speaker truck from Fury Road that I really want to say is the Doof Wagon, but I don’t remember for sure35: President: Chip Zanuff34: State visited: The State of Bliss is a favourite of mine. I’ve anted to try visiting the state of intense meditation, but alas, no luck yet33: Cellphone provider: No Preference32: Athlete: Honestly I don’t know the names of like any, dude31: Actor: Sir Christopher Lee, may he rest in peace30: Actress: I fuckin forgot her name, it’s gonna bother me for the rest of the week but rest assured as soon as I remember it there’s gonna be an allcaps text post that’s just her name, I assure you29: Singer: Joakim Broeden, Nina Osegueda, Christopher Bowes, and Anna Murphy, presently28: Band: Arsis, Children of Bodom, A Sound of Thunder, Alestorm and Sister Sin27: Clothing store: The fuckin music store lmao26: Grocery store: No preference25: TV show: Metalocalypse24: Movie: Kung Fury23: Website: Wasn’t that asked above? I think a few of these were, actually22: Animal: Snow Tigers. They’re cute but large cats, but with added majesty21: Theme park: I’ve been to like one theme park in my life, I can’t really say20: Holiday: Halloween19: Sport to watch: Do the Armored Combat Leagues count? If so that18: Sport to play: See above answer17: Magazine: I don’t read magazines, sorry16: Book: I don’t have a favourite honestly15: Day of the week: Saturday, I guess?14: Beach: No idea13: Concert attended: I haven’t attended any, I don’t think. I might have been to one when I was in grade two, but that might have also been a weird fever dream, I’m not sure12: Thing to cook: Brownies and Cake! I just love to bake, honestly11: Food: Pizza and Pasta10: Restaurant: The Colander Restaurant. Literally the most amazing fucking spaghetti I have ever eaten in my entire fucking life. Seriously, it’s the best, go eat there9: Radio station: No preference8: Yankee candle scent: I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a yankee candle in real life, ever7: Perfume:Not a clue6: Flower: No idea5: Color: Red, Blue, Purple, Green, frankly I’d have a faster time listing off colours I don’t like/consider a favourite4: Talk show host: I don’t watch talk shows, sorry3: Comedian: No idea2: Dog breed: Samoyeds, they’re so cute I love them so much1: Did you answer all these truthfully? I’m allowed to lie??

[docsamurai]

Humans are weird: The Research Facility

*Quick note before I start: This is the 4th installment in a series I’ve called the Lost Colonies which is largely about human society adapting to the strange environments of other worlds. You can read the other installments here: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing this series, but with my new work schedule I had to bring it to a close. If you’ve enjoyed this story follow me on here for my other writings. Thanks again to everyone who has reblogged, liked, replied, DMed, or otherwise shown their appreciation for this series. It means a lot to me that people enjoyed it and the love you’ve all shown me has really helped keep me going for these last few months.*

The airlock hissed and Kiara felt her knuckles ache as the pressure adjusted to the station. Reflexively she clenched and unclenched her fists trying to ease the dull throb that she could already feel spreading to her other joints. On most worlds that had significantly higher or lower pressure than Earth humans lived in enclosed dome cities or underground stations that were kept calibrated to standard Earth atmosphere. For some reason this facility seemed to be kept at a slightly higher pressure. It probably had something to do with the fact that the station was within the atmosphere of a hothouse planet similar to old Earth’s stellar neighbor Venus. She made a mental note to ask about it later when she got the chance.

The door to the airlock swung smoothly open despite the fact that it appeared to weigh nearly a metric ton. On the other side awaited a tall man who stood at full attention in a crisp military uniform. He gave a quick salute and gestured without a word for Kiara to follow him. The pair wandered down deserted corridors that had been polished to a mirror shine before arriving at the administrator’s office. The tall man knocked twice on the door before it slid into the wall, he then stood to the side of the door and snapped off another salute though Kiara noticed that his hand was trembling.

The administrator’s office was just as polished and barren as the rest of the station had been so far, the man himself, decidedly less so. The administrator was a short pale man who had cut himself badly attempting to shave with a thin ring of white hair around his head. He wore a suit which was several sizes too large and had been hastily pressed to try and remove some of the wrinkles. The administrator stood behind his desk and gave a quick nervous smile as he ushered Kiara into the room.

“Welcome to my facility. I apologize that I cannot offer more of a tour at this time but I’m afraid that I haven’t verified your clearance level yet Miss Williams.” Kiara smiled and offered a handshake ”It’s actually Mrs. Williams-Venn but Kiara will work just fine”. The administrator took her hand and then sat down quickly apologizing for the sweatiness of his palms. “Well, Kiara, I’m afraid that we haven’t had contact with EarthGov for some time now, and as such we’ve been unable to verify your rank or clearance level so until we are able to do so we cannot allow further access to this station. I hope you understand.”

Kiara took a long deep breath. It didn’t happen often, but holdouts like these were always difficult to deal with. It was an unfortunate failing of humanity that people could hold onto a failing ideology for centuries. Kiara looked the administrator over again. 15 sols of conducting personal interviews had taught her how to read people and this administrator looked nervous as hell. She’d have to play this one carefully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name, Mr...” “Eckstein. Johnathan Eckstein.” “Well John, I’m sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news but I’m afraid you won’t be able to grant me security clearance as that office of EarthGov no longer exists.”

John screamed and fell out of his chair and the guard at the door took off running. Kiara spun around expecting a threat coming from behind, seeing nothing she stood up cautiously and looked over the desk to see John cowering on the floor. He looked up at her and sobbed “Just make it quick.” Remembering the stories she had heard of EarthGov’s brutality it finally clicked in Kiara’s head. John thought she was sent there from EarthGov to kill them all. “Uh, John, Mr Eckstein, it’s fine. You can get up. I’m not here from EarthGov. They no longer exist.” John rolled over onto his back to look up at her, tears streaming down the sides of his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. “Really?” “Yeah, really.”

The sobs eventually turned into relived laughter as John picked himself up off the floor. Finally he slumped back down into his chair and slapped the intercom switch on his desk. “Condition Green. Code 2635. We’re clear everyone.” Kiara heard a dull roar of applause and shouts from down the corridor as the rest of the station cheered in celebration. “I’m sorry for all that Kiara, we’ve just been a little on edge since that transponder lit up. Would you like a drink?” John pulled a bottle of clear liquor out of the bottom drawer of his desk along with a pair of glasses and started filling both before she could answer.

Mildly amused she took the proffered drink and tapped the glasses together in an old Earth tradition. “Cheers” John’s face split into a wide grin as he downed the drink in a single gulp. Kiara tried to take a sip and broke out into a violent coughing fit. “Oh, yeah, sorry, we distill our own around here and, well, you get used to it.” Kiara set the "drink” back on the desk and smiled again at John. “So, how about we try this again. You tell me what’s been going on at this facility and I’ll fill you in on what’s been happening in the rest of the galaxy.”

John nodded and picked up Kiara’s glass and drained that too. “Where do I start? Ok, well, we were an EarthGov secret weapons research lab. We were stationed here to conceal our location with only one transponder to communicate to our higher ups in EarthGov. Our facility is entirely self sustaining since it could take several solar rotations for us to have a window to so much as get people on or off the planet. It wasn’t unusual for us to lose contact with the outside world for long periods of time so at first we didn’t notice that it had been a while since we had last heard from anyone. That while turned into a few years, then a decade.”

Kiara checked her datapad and asked “When did your people last have contact with anyone from EarthGov?” John looked like he was considering pouring another drink but put the bottle away instead. “218 years ago, plus a few months.” Kiara’s eyes went wide and she double checked her notes. “That was almost 20 sols after EarthGov fell!” John’s gaze wandered around the room as he lost himself in thought. “Hmm. You call them sols. Makes sense if we’re not being Earth-centric about our units of measurement. But yeah, not too surprising that they tried to keep their weapons development going for so long after it all went to shit. My grandmother said they were getting kinda weird for those last few transmissions.”

Kiara scribbled notes into her datapad as she tried to wrap her head around this new information. “I had heard a lot of stories about EarthGov I just never thought that- wait did you say ‘Grandmother’? As in it’s only been 2 generations in over 200 sols?” John laughed. “Yeah, I guess I’m a lot older than I look. That’s kinda what happens when you put a bunch of medical scientists in isolation for a few hundred years. I turn 120 in a few months, or whatever unit of measurement you use these days.” Kiara stared at the short man behind the desk. It was true, aside from the hair he didn’t appear any older than his early 40s.

“That’s remarkable. Can I ask how?” John just shrugged as though one of the most significant medical breakthroughs in human history was a minor matter. “Partly genetic therapy and partly cloned organs. We grow a kind of ‘genetic blank’ version of any organ you might need that carries enough DNA to be recognizably human and then when you need something replaced we just take the information we need from your existing cells and work it into the blank. It’s not perfect and we can’t replace everything, but I have a life expectancy of over twice my current age so long as I don’t damage anything important.”

Something clicked in the back of Kiara’s mind “Like I said, remarkable, but you just said ‘medical scientists’ I thought this was a weapons research facility?” John froze in place before scrunching up his face and mutter a curse under his breath. His hand reached again for the bottle in the desk before he stopped himself. “Yeah. Biological weapons. Look I’m not proud of it. No one here is. And everyone who was originally part of the project is dead. About a century we put it to a vote decided that EarthGov was probably gone for good and even if they weren’t that we couldn’t risk that kind of destruction getting out. So we destroyed all the virus samples that weren’t viable for other forms of research. There’s not anything left on this station that could hurt anyone.”

Kiara turned her datapad’s recorder off. “I want you to know that I’m on your side on this, and that I’ll present your case to the Galactic Republic. I’m sure that it will be fine, but I need to know. were the original scientists volunteers?” John stared off in silence for several minutes before finally answering “Yeah. Most of them. I don’t think there was any real animosity towards aliens, it’s just, there wasn’t a lot of work for scientists outside of the government. And what the government wanted was a weapon that the ‘alien threat’ couldn’t defend against. At least, that’s what my grandmother said.”

Kiara’s hands clenched into fists, her knuckles aching again though she didn’t think it was still from the pressure. “Were there any projects done on a virus for Turics?” John shook his head. “Probably, but we destroyed all that a long time ago. I’ll double check the files to make sure that nothing remains though. Why? You got a thing for the big furry bastards?” John was grinning until he saw the look on Kiara’s face. “I’m going to say this just once. If you’re going to be a part of the galactic community, you’re going to need to drop those prejudices right the fuck now. I’ve dealt with a lot of backwards bullshit in this job and I can tell you that if you want off this rock you’re going to have to unlearn a lot of that ‘human first’ mentality. Got it?” John was now paler than she had ever seen a human before. “Understood! I’ll make sure to bring it up with the rest of the facility at the next meeting Kiara.”

Kiara got up still glaring at John. “It’s Mrs. Williams-Venn. And for your sake, you should hope that you don’t have to hear that name again.”

[laurel--writes-blog]

Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Even Scaredy-Cats Can Do It!

August 15, 2017

By the time I reached the Clingman’s Dome parking lot at Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee, it was about two o’clock in the afternoon. The place was positively buzzing, overrun with people. It shouldn’t have come a surprise, though, since I’d already read in the Gatlinburg 2017 Vacation Guide that the Smokies see over 10 million visitors each year, more than any other national park.  

But, the popularity of the park wasn’t an entirely bad thing for this trip, as it turned out. As I hiked up the Clingman’s Dome Bypass Trail, I met several different groups, families mostly, who were incredibly helpful toward me and encouraged me to not give up in the rough spots where that option was most tempting. At times, especially later on, it would have been easy to quit.

There was one couple from Knoxville who parked next to me in the lot at the base of Clingman’s Dome. They saw that I was alone and, without my prompting, took nearly an hour or so to explain to me the different gear they use as avid hikers along with the particular situations in which certain items might become more or less useful. One particular example they offered me was the use of crampons to be worn over boots and create more traction in icy conditions. I didn’t have any with me, but fortunately, they were not needed on this trip.

Another family – three generations altogether – sort of adopted me for the next couple of hours, simply because we were all from Maryland. The mom, the dad, the grandparents, the kids – they all regarded me thoughtfully, and we joked our way up the trail like old friends.

Especially after working at one of my more recent minimum-wage positions and simply dealing with unpleasant individuals in general, it is genuinely nice to know that there are people who are not only capable of treating others well, but also choose to do so…and for seemingly no reason at all.

After climbing the steep, half-mile incline to the tower itself, I made my way to the top. Once there, it became clear why the highest point in Tennessee is so crowded. I heard myself gasp as I looked out past the edge of the circular platform. With the sun shining down across it all and hardly a cloud in the sky, the landscape before me quite literally took my breath away. 

Rather than the thunderstorms and thick fog I’d been promised by weather forecasts, I saw mountains, blue-ish green and jutting up into an even-bluer sky, higher and more rugged than I could have imagined.

To take this journey alone was one thing, but to stand where I stood and look out on what I saw was the definition of what it means to feel small, but also as if you are a part of something greater than yourself. It was almost as if, while gazing down on them, I could actually feel the 200-million-or-so years the mountains had been standing there.

After lingering in the tower for some time, I was burning daylight and still had to hike from the trailhead to my campsite nearly three miles away at Double Spring Gap. Given the terrain, I wasn’t entirely sure how long that would take me. Around four o’clock, I took my first steps onto the Appalachian Trail (AT).

It took me just over two hours to reach campsite #107, partly because my pack was weighed down with three liters of water and partly because I repeatedly stopped to take pictures, unable to tear myself away from each and every enrapturing view. 

Some might think it cliche somehow, hiking with phone in-hand, but the desire to share the beauty I witnessed is anything but.

There were cliff-like lookout points which gave way to the mountains beyond and valleys below. 

There were green and gnarled and fallen trees, which remained with upturned roots jutting out from the earth like moss-covered ruins.

Once, I set my foot down next to the footprint of a Black Bear. 

Later, I had to move through a section of the trail which was swarmed by honey bees. In some portions, the trail narrows down to a path no wider than a foot, and stepping off to the left or to the right means a nasty spill down the mountain.  In these areas, it is sometimes impossible to not cross through an active swarm.  

Despite my attempts to disturb the bees as little as possible, I still managed to receive a painful sting to my right upper-arm for coming too close.  Luckily, I’m not allergic to bees, and even this pain did not take away my appreciation for the place I found myself in.

The emotions this place inspired in me reminded me strikingly of my home – or rather, the place I feel most at home – in the C&O Canal of Maryland and Great Falls of Virginia.

In my awe at what I saw along the way, I forgot how tired my body was from hauling my overstuffed pack. Even after routinely consuming water and bananas for energy, I felt myself growing weaker about a mile or two in. My legs became somewhat shaky, so I had to make an even more conscious effort to be careful.

“Easy does it,” I told myself, “…slow and steady.”

As I approached Double Spring Gap, I heard masculine voices ahead and felt an unexpected knot form in my stomach. 

My head flooded, echoing with the voices of every person along the way who'd felt the need to ask, "But, aren't you scared of...(insert here)?" In my uneasiness, I reached to my waist and grabbed my SABRE pepper spray. An SOS fold-out blade and an emergency whistle rested in the same pocket, attached by a simple keychain. 

My body was frozen and it was only the pain of the growing knot that made me realize this. Without really meaning to, I leaned behind a tree, peeking out as the voices grew closer. I hated myself in that moment, hated the fear that gripped me and constricted my breathing.

Realizing (first) that I was hiding and (second) that I wasn't it doing it very well, I started feeling pretty ridiculous. Just as I stepped back out and onto the path, a figure came into my view. It was a tall young man who looked to be in his twenties, about the same age as me. His reddish-brown hair hung down into his face, and as he moved it out of his eyes, he saw me. We both remained still for a moment, but then he flashed a bright smile and introduced himself. Aaron, I think it was.

The smile caught me off guard. I remember moving my thumb away from the trigger and lowering my hand. But then, I saw the points of his canines and the phrase “wolf in sheep’s clothing” popped into my head. So, I smiled back, but kept my pepper spray in my hand. He noticed this and backed off, apologizing for having scared me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a canister identical to mine.

“My mom made me carry one of those, too.”

This made me laugh and relax a little. 

We began joking back and forth about how the scariest thing on the trail seemed strangely to be other people, rather than Black Bears.

“Yeah, we actually had to evacuate an area on our way up here. There was too much bear activity, so our site was closed down and we had to hike through the night to get to this one.”

At that point, I’d forgotten about the other voices, but the word “we” caught my attention and again I felt that distracting unease. I didn’t mean to ask so bluntly, but the words “Who’s ‘we’?” popped out of my mouth in response. Aaron simply smiled, wiped away a bead of sweat from his face, and gestured back the way he came.

“You’ll see ‘em.”

That didn’t make me feel any better, but I laughed nervously and moved to the side so he could pass, well out of reach. 

After he moved by, I waited until I could no longer hear his footfalls on the path before I stepped back out and continued on. Now, I could hear the other voices more clearly. Again, I hated the knot in my stomach. I also hated the fact that, when the campsite came into view, there were seven or eight other men sitting in and around the shelter.

All at once, they stopped what they were doing and glanced up at me. I froze in place and looked back at them with what I’m sure was a comedic, yet clearly horrified expression. Eventually an older, white-haired gentleman with tortoise shell glasses stood up and broke the silence. He greeted me with a smile, then pointed further down the path.

“There’s the bear cables. Over there’s the water. And, down that way’s the privy.”

The other men still watched us quietly, but slowly reanimated as I thanked him and continued on down the path. Admittedly, the time I then spent securing my bear bag was invested mostly in trying to determine if I should (a) hike back out of the trail and sleep in my car, (b) pitch my tent somewhere in the woods, or © stick it out in the shelter.

The shelter, of course, was my only realistic option. At 6:30 PM, the sky was already beginning to dim slightly, dropping the temperature with it. I was worn out and in no condition to continue hiking, and certainly not in the dark. Not only that, but I soon realized that I had misinterpreted the park’s rules concerning backcountry camping. Tenting, I was soon informed, is not allowed in the wilderness because it disturbs the natural habitat. This makes perfect sense but, in my preparation, I had made an oversight and now found myself sleeping in an open-air, three-walled shelter with a large group of men whose intentions were foreign to me.

It seems to me now that my uneasiness must have been clear. When I returned to the shelter after hanging my belongings up on the cable system, the group of six young men were removing all of their belongings from the shelter and relocating to an unestablished site further into the woods. That, or it could have been because the group had experienced some friction with the other three hikers, as I later found out.

This trio, I came to know as the Stuarts -- a self-identified “family of Boy Scouts.” The older man who had greeted me previously called himself “Tortoise,” then introduced his oldest son, “Land Nav,” and his youngest son, “Trick Knee.” Each nickname was based on some significant characteristic the men possessed. Like so many other hikers I had met so far, they spent the next couple of hours allowing me to pick their brains over gear, hiking spots, water safety, and AT etiquette.

Around nine o’clock, we all turned in for the night. My head was pounding with a migraine and when the sun set fully, I realized how woefully unprepared I was for the following temperature drop. What had been a sunny day of 85F became a frigid, damp night of 44F. In trying to preserve space for my water, I’d opted for a thick wool blanket over my sleeping bag, but it was nowhere near enough. As a result, I slept for only a scattered thirty minutes or so throughout the night, just shivering and waiting and praying for the sun to rise and warmth to return. A team of field mice scampered unceremoniously overhead, preventing any chance of sleep as they scouted from rafter to rafter, searching for a way to infiltrate what little supplies were not already hung on the bear cables.

To further prevent any chance I might’ve had at sleep or warmth, a thick fog rolled in near six o’clock in the morning, bringing with it only more of the damp cold.

At first, I was going to wait until late morning to see if the temperature might warm up a bit, but near eight o’clock, the rain started. At first, it fell as a sprinkle, but soon the light pellets became thick, round globs. 

Around this same time, the Stuart contingent woke and packed up. Less than an hour later, they began moving toward our shared exit point at Clingman’s Dome, but first made sure to fill my water bladder from their own with what they had collected and filtered from the nearby spring.

Out of pride, not wanting them to hear me huff and puff my way back up the mountain, I decided to wait half an hour before heading out myself. By this time, the group of young men had trickled back into the campsite and begun preparing their breakfast.

As I looked out from my place huddled in the corner, the mist was so thick I could hardly see the edges of the shelter where they sat, eating. The sun had now risen, but brought with it only a slight relief, more light than heat. Even with three layers of clothing, including long johns and a beanie, I trudged to the latrine with the wool blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders.

Now that the Stuarts were gone, the heavy footfalls headed toward me in the secluded, open-air outhouse again gave me pause. I cleared my throat loudly to make it known that the privy was occupied and the steps trailed to a stop, then trodded off in another direction.

When I was leaving the latrine and headed back toward the shelter, I felt silly for being afraid of someone who was simply trying to go to the bathroom…that is, until I heard voices echoing from the site. I knew they were there, of course, but this time I could make out what they were saying. They were talking about me.

“Do you know where she went?”

“I think down that way, but her stuff is here.”

“She’s by herself, right?”

When I say that my heart stopped, I could almost swear it really happened. My mouth suddenly went dry and there was a sour, metallic taste…like blood. The knot twisted fiercely inside me and, for a moment, I felt sick. A million non-thoughts raced through my head and I felt my fingers tremble with adrenaline as they reached to my pocket, searching numbly for the keychain connecting my spray, whistle, and knife. With a lurch in my stomach, I realized it was back at the campsite. I’d have to walk past them to get it. This all occurred in a matter of seconds.

Just as quickly, my fears were abated.

“Man, can you believe that? I’d never do this alone…would you?”

His question was greeted with a staggered but enthusiastic chorus of “Hell, no!” I forced myself to take a deep breath, and as I exhaled the breath turned into a slight chuckle, at all of our expense.

As I stepped out of the path and back into the campsite, one of the men looked up at me and smiled warmly. Even though each person I’d encountered had been nice to me so far, this look was even more disarming than the last. In the same moment, an unexpected streak of sunlight cut through the fog and the trees and painted itself across his face, causing his dark eyes to glow a deep, honey color. I smiled back at him but kept my distance as I walked over to my sleeping bag. Grabbing my keychain, I began heading down the path toward the bear cables.

“There’s more than just people in the wilderness,” I reminded myself mockingly.

But then, I heard someone rise from the table and the crunching of footsteps on the stone-covered path. He had followed me, and I felt more aware of his presence behind me than of my own. I made a point not to look back over my shoulder at him, but my heart beat faster with each step, blood pounding painfully loud in my ears. When I reached my bag, I spun quickly around, careful not to leave my back unprotected. I made sure he saw my keychain clearly within reach. I hated the fact that it felt necessary to do so.

“Do you need a hand with that?”

Looking up at him from where I had knelt on the ground while working to untangle my bags from the hook, I saw that the ray of sunlight highlighting his eyes had followed him somehow and I caught myself struck once more by the kindness they seemed to exude. It’s hard to describe, but there was something about the youthfulness of his face in the changing light...even under  a few days’ worth of five o’clock shadow. His face communicated a feeling of innocent curiosity - a hint of playfulness. 

He seemed, in many ways, more like a boy than a man, and this made him feel like less of a threat.

“Yes, please,” I said, “if you don’t mind.”

He took hold of the cable and hoisted my bags into the air so I could root through them without having to rest on the damp ground. At one point, my cable became tangled with another and we were both too short to reach. He had to call over one of his taller friends to help us out, and we spent several minutes laughing at ourselves. 

When he laughed, he looked like the sort of person who’d be nice to come home to, the sort of person who would be missed if they didn’t come home.

“I’m Laurel, by the way,” I said, extending my hand, “Or, Lo’. Either one is fine.”

“Laurel?,” he asked, reaching out his hand to take mine, “That’s a pretty name. I’m Bennett.”

[losingsiide-archive-blog]

eyyy so ya boi made it to 200!! i think these are still cool? who knows, i’m not hip with the kids. but i made this blog just a few months ago and hit 100 in a few weeks, and now i’m here. honestly coming back to rp after?? god knows how long?? was one of the few good decisions i’ve made. i mean, granted, i made plenty of bad ones afterwards ( skipping class to talk about headcanons, writing 2500+ words in a little under an hour, like 90% of the stuff that makes me cool ) but it was well worth it. i came into the sherlock rp community cautiously, honestly expecting to leave within two weeks, but i’ve made some really good friends who are incredibly important to me. i love them a lot you guys.

RAIN MARS INSERT SHITTY JOKE HERE,

so. i’ve talked about kacie a thousand times, i know i don’t have to. you guys know how much i love her. but i say it because it’s important. kacie and i built a friendship off of loving each other and rolling our eyes at everyone else; at the end of the day, she’s who i have. she’s my best friend, my soulmate, my partner in far too many bad decisions but all of my good ones, the only person who call my on my bullshit and encourages me to be my saltiest self in the same breath. for three years, i’ve gotten nothing but love and support from her. so please excuse my outward affection, all the appreciation posts, all the replies on her munday photos and every ooc post, how i yell about rain to people who don’t even know who kacie is, i’m just trying to make up for three years of her doing the same for me. nobody else can make me laugh like she does, the kind that leaves me gasping for air and smiling so hard my entire face hurts, and nobody else can make me go from angry and annoyed and frustrated to flopping over onto my bed and pressing my face into a pillow because her anger at whatever is bothering me, no matter how small or how little she knows about it, makes my chest hurt from all the love. so just, like, let me have this. even though she’s gonna read this and call me gay, and i’ll tell her i’m just gay for her, and she’ll send me a heart and i’ll send her one and know i made her smile, and that will be enough // @fxrechild​

MY ENGLAND MOM, MARTHA,

i guess i should probably start at the beginning. sophie was my first friend in the fandom. my rp blogs don’t last long without partners to write with. i get bored easily. so to everyone who likes my blog, everyone i met after sophie, you have her to thank for my being here. sophie let me rant to her about headcanons i had barely developed, back when i had even less of a grasp on sherlock than i do now. she was my rp partner, and then somewhere along the way she became a lot more than that. she’s a teacher. if there’s one thing i’ve learned in all my years, all sixteen of them ( guys help i’m so old ), it’s that teachers are very much born. it’s not an occupation, it’s a type of person. sophie just happens to be employed as a teacher as well as being one. i know i’m not making sense so let me explain: few people are capable of the warmth that sophie displays, and even fewer are capable of directing it towards someone so far away, and then, once you have that, you have to actually be able to teach something. for sophie, it’s how to care. sophie is, without a doubt, the first person i think of when someone says compassion or kindness or love. she’s there for me when i’m anxious, sad, upset, but she’s there for the good times too, for all the smiles and the laughter, and she never misses a beat. i said once that she was family and that still stands. some people are just too important to simply say ‘friend’ // @adler-thewoman​

MY ANGST QUEEN SUPREME,

i’m half-tempted to leave it at that, actually. i swear, allison has made cry as many times as she’s made me smile. allison is incredibly involved in her character. she understands abigail in a way that shocks me every day, but it makes her wonderful to talk to. her dedication to her character is, in short, absolutely beautiful to see. allison is absolutely beautiful to see in general. she’s chill as hell, which is great for days when i’m too tired to do much else but talk about sherlock and abigail being cute together. she doesn’t get nearly enough sleep but that’s okay; it means she’s always awake when i need her. allison is, in every respect, one of the best listeners i have ever had the pleasure of being friends with. whether it’s long-winded headcanons about our muses or just my irl problems, she’s here, ready to talk. and when i need time alone, she understands. i can’t explain how important that is. being able to listen, to understand, these are skills i’ve struggled with my whole life and allison makes it look easy. when i’ve had a long day and i want quiet, chill time, she’s who i go to. my gratitude for her patience and time can’t be expressed in words // @suumuxor​

MY ACTUAL IRL ANGEL,

i don’t actually write with jack all that much. jack isn’t someone i have to write with to maintain our friendship. there’s genuine affection here. when i come home, when i’m sad, when i wake up, he’s the person i go to. i couldn’t tell you why to save my life. i’ve tried a thousand times, written jack novels about why he means so much to me, but it’s the kind of thing i can’t put into words. but i’ll try one more time. half the time he’s making a joke, the other half he’s being one of the most affectionate people i’ve ever met. i can’t think of what i could have done to earn his singular love, so i assume he’s like that with everyone. as funny as he is, as much as he makes me laugh and roll my eyes in equal measure, it’s that ridiculously thoughtful, caring part that fascinates me. i still haven’t quite figured jack out, but i’m gonna. i guess until then, that’s my excuse to keep talking to him // @psychopatx

MY PERSONAL RAY OF SUNSHINE,

every day i call her my sunshine and every day she tells me i’m wrong. i wonder when she’s gonna figure out that i’ve never been so right about anything. zoe is an amazing person. incredibly strong and determined, intelligent as hell and passionate about what she does. she loves mary like i love her, and that’s saying a lot. even without knowing i’m in a bad mood or in a bad place, she cheers me up, and has never failed to do so. being around her is like being outside in the perfect weather in your favorite place. it’s impossible to not feel better when you talk to her. she’s such a beautiful person, insanely caring and always ready to help her friends. she cares so deeply for the people she chooses to surround herself with, and never fails to make me feel loved, which is hard to do. if i can be half of what she is to me, i’ll consider myself a success // @traiinedassassiin

&& MY PARTNER IN MY SLOW DESCENT TO HELL.

sometimes michelle is indistinguishable from john watson. i haven’t told her this yet, but sometimes she says things or does things and i sit back and wonder if that’s why she’s so good at writing him. here’s the thing about john watson: sherlock pulls a lot of bullshit. he does a lot of stupid things, he’s a ridiculous man with mood swings like hell, but john puts up with it. not only does he put up with it, he loves sherlock. and that’s a lot like michelle. i do a lot of ridiculous things. i get anxious for no reason, sad over small things, i have mood swings like hell, but michelle is right there. always calm, always telling me to talk to her about it instead of letting it get all bottled up. michelle is balancing on that thin line between caring and commanding, which can really throw me off sometimes when she tells me to talk to her and yes, i want to, but she’s also very hard to say no to in general. so maybe that’s why i keep writing sin and further cementing my place in hell. it’s here i have to point out that while writing this, michelle saw fit to send me absolute filth from a johnlock fic, so she’s going down with me. but back to my point. michelle is the most patient person i have met. she deals with me at my worst and somehow comes out of it still sane and wanting me around, and i don’t quite think i can express how important that is to me // @julietthotelwhiskey

and a note from the author. i have argued and will continue to argue that roleplaying is about one thing: people. it’s people who like writing, yes, but it’s people. we’ve all fallen into this odd little hobby together, so we may as well make friends. my bias list is short because it’s honest; the people above are people i genuinely care about, and i will continue caring about them as long as they allow me to, or as long as i am meant to, whichever comes last. i have five ( yeah, fuck kacie ) IM conversations open right now. little icons on the side of my dash and i can’t tell you how big my smile is when one of my friends messages me. so let yourself make ridiculously close friends through this dumb little hobby, because knowing that someone cares about you for you is one of the most rewarding things in life, far better than having good graphics or formatting or hell, even being the best writer.

that’s all, folks. <3

[owljolson-archive]

a sort of me: andromeda review

so, i’ve sunk nearly 40 hours into me: andromeda over the past couple weeks. and you know what? i’m enjoying the game.

yes, it’s a flawed game. i wish the ui and menus had a little more finesse to them. i wish the maps weren’t quite so huge, that there was a bit less traveling and running back and forth (thank god for fast travel waypoints). i wish things were a little more streamlined, that the dev team had had more time to iron out the kinks with some of the animations and character models and various bugs. i wish the opening of the game was a little less slow. but honestly? there’s good stuff in it, and i really am having a good time playing andromeda.

i really like the cast of characters and already love a number of them; my squad is a weird fun party squad and i like all of ‘em. there’s a really nice variety in terms of race and gender and sexuality with the npcs (many women and poc in important roles! more female aliens! gay people! gay aliens! interspecies gay relationships that aren’t asari-based!), there’s thoughtfulness in the way the whole colonization aspect is being handled, and in a lot of little areas that i appreciate. i’m invested in the story and want to see more of it and to see it through, and the old customary bioware lore dumps through npc conversation and the codex. a lot of the animations and character models aren’t quite that bad as people led me to believe (and are a customary feature of all bioware games anyhow let’s be real), and the actual locations and worlds themselves are legitimately varied and gorgeous. this is also probably the smoothest and most fun and most ‘natural’ combat has ever felt in a mass effect game. and jumping!! you can jump!! good god am i so happy to be able to jump

and honestly? there’s lot of humor and fun characterization going on, with fun little asides in logs and emails and such. it’s slow to start, but it’s there, and i really like it. vetra’s a lot of fun and in terms of brand new available romance options i don’t think i’ve slammed the Smooch This One button harder or quicker than when she showed up (like it took literally five seconds for me to love her). and possibly a particularly controversial opinion, i dunno, but i find male ryder and both his baseline personality and voice acting to be way better than male shepard’s was for the most part. shepard was a grim n7 spectre action hero, ryder’s just some guy thrown into an uncomfortable spot and trying to keep his party bus together while lowkey screaming internally pretty much constantly behind the dad jokes and friendly demeanor.

i dunno, i think in general, some folks aren’t being very fair to the game? like yeah, it’s got its definite big and many faults and needs some fixing, but it’s not the repugnant shit heap that ‘ruins’ the franchise like i’ve seen said. it’s a very different game with a completely different cast from the original trilogy, and i guess that can be hard to accept. plus, it’s totally understandable if huge open world stuff isn’t to your liking! i put 200+ hours into fallout 4, and i’m putting a lot of hours into andromeda, because i’m enjoying myself, but i understand that it’s not for everybody. just like there are folks who would die for the dark souls series, which i find torturous and confusingly written and wouldn’t touch with a ten foot clown pole. different strokes for different folks!

and i dunno, as somebody who knows a few people who work in the games industry, i’ve had a front front seat to seeing how much sweat and blood and tears and stress goes into making games, all the problems that arise during the process of making them and all the sacrifices and compromises and such, especially if the team is working with the various handicaps of crunch and scheduling and the requirements of higher-ups. it’s made me a whole lot more sympathetic to devs and open-minded about games and how close they are to ‘perfection’ or not.

not sure what else to say, really. it’s a tricky game to talk about, and the gaming community can be a very vocal and black-or-white-no-greys minded one. all i can really do is reiterate that i personally am having a real good time playing the game and that i feel there’s more quality and playability to it than some people want to acknowledge, and that it’s also perfectly okay to still not like it because we’ve all got different tastes. but quit gettin’ mad about video games, it’s not good for your blood pressure!