#not just nutritious but also delicious haha

[lazzarella]

I’ve been depressed and anxious and sooooo bored lately, but yesterday I went to the art gallery and, damn, it’s done wonders!! Really boosted my mood and energy

[cerise-on-top]

Been really into gardening, so what about Nikolai and König with a gardener s/o? Would they be interested in helping out, or have a specific favorite type of plant?

(I love love LOVE rambling about plants, they're so cool once you get to know them!! I blame my mom entirely since she has a green thumb)

(Also, do you have a fav kind of flower? I personally love hydrangeas)

Plants are really cool, though! Hydrangeas are very pretty, I think I've seen some here and there! I personally adore lisianthus, though! They're absolutely gorgeous! Now I can't help but wonder if I could grow some someday when I move out, haha!

Nikolai and König with a Gardener!S/O

Nikolai: I do believe that he has a garden somewhere near his house only he knows about, where he grows vegetables. He loves having his own little garden, just that little bit of space that no one can take away from him with which he can do just about whatever is nice. He especially likes tomatoes, they’re nutritious, healthy and very delicious, as well as easy to cook. Nikolai is a pretty good cook, so he knows how to utilize tomatoes to their full potential. He has tried to grow flowers as well, though. He’s made some good success with sunflowers, in fact he still has some in his secret garden. So he absolutely knows how to take care of a garden, he finds it relaxing even and would love to help you out a bit, if you let him. Do let him plant some plants of his own, though, he loves watching them grow. Although he’s never been able to do so, he’d love to cultivate some melons at some point as well. Watermelons, cantaloupes, honey melons, he’d love to eat his own ones someday as well, especially with you. He thinks it’s so cool that you’re a gardener because, in another life where he wasn’t a soldier and or leader of a PMC, he, too, would be a gardener. Has always dreamed of having a garden with you and would love to plant some trees as well. Apple trees, cherry trees, maybe even some orange trees, as long as he gets some delicious fruit out of it, he’s down. Besides, what’s more domestic than working at your shared garden together? He’ll even plant some flowers as well. He can’t particularly surprise you well with them, but he can look at your surprised face when they first start sprouting. While he won’t pluck or cut them unless he needs to, he will cherish the moments he gets to spend with you and your shared plants. And if you’re the type of person to name your plants then I can assure you he remembers each and every single name.

König: He’s never really been into gardening. He had a small succulent as a kid once so he had something to take care of that would help him with feeling down, but it didn’t survive very long. He loved the little plant a little too much and gave it too much water every day. To this day he feels guilty about it. He named it “Luisa”. Ever since then he’s not very confident in his plant keeping abilities, thinking he has the worst green thumb imaginable. He would love to help you, don’t get me wrong, but he’s afraid of killing your plants and making you mad about it. No, he’d much rather watch you and encourage you with your endeavors. He’ll buy fertilizer, if needed, or some new seeds or saplings if you want some, but he won’t really do much with your plants, aside from moving them to the sunlight if you want him to. Although, it should be added that he could still learn how to take good care of a plant. With some guidance, and another small succulent that’s hard to kill, it’s not too late. Just show him the ropes, tell him what to do and he’ll do it. He might get nervous about having overdone it again from time to time, and will come up to you, the succulent tiny in his hands, asking you if his plant will make it. Reassure him and give him some good tips, he’ll appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. König feels very accomplished when the plant has survived over two months. As time goes on, he’ll grow more comfortable with plants and ask you if he could maybe help you water some more plants. He may still need to get a feeling for it all, but he’s very eager to help you. Again, this is all very domestic for him, so he quite likes it. Just watering some plants with you, harvesting some parsley, maybe picking some apples from the tree. He can get most fruits from the tree due to his height as well, which is great. König’s more into the practical side of gardening, so he prefers fruit and vegetables over flowers. His favorite plant would be a pumpkin, but only because he loves pumpkin seed oil.

[true-blue-sonic]

I love your headcanon that Silver still has his fluffy baby quills and hasn't really started puberty due to malnutrition when he first arrives. Do you ever think he feels self-conscious about that?

Thanks ^-^ The reason I thought of that headcanon is because Pete Capella's voice is noticeably higher-pitched than Quinton Flynn's, and though in-universe that means nothing, I liked the idea it is an indication of Silver's age increasing between games. That being said, I doubt that Silver really minds or pays attention to it: especially in '06 and the Rivals games, he's far too busy with his missions to protect the future to be bothered by such trivial things, I feel like. Nor does he seem to care much what other people think of him anyway: the only time I can recall him getting peeved about being jeered at is in Rivals 2 by Knuckles, where he'll initiate a battle because Knuckles called him crazy. But that aside, I don't think he cares about it, haha! When the others notice, I figure he'll just shrug off their concerns: this is what's normal for him, and thus in Silver's mind that equals to this being the objective truth of a situation. Though, once he gets enough food (I imagine Amy meets him and offers to help teach him how to cook, feeding him delicious and nutritious meals all throughout) and his body begins recovering again, I think he'll become incredibly handsome and sleek with his adult quills setting in! Though, I figure also that is no concern of his, as long as he can keep saving the world and helping people XD

[chronussy-bc]

Annon-Guy: This is a minor thing, but aside from keeping up with the Cat aspect of his character, why do you think Train likes milk so much?

Also, this might be an anime thing, but in episode 8 (the one where Train and Eve fight that botanical garden monster), when they were at the diner, Eve just wanted a coffee. Does that mean she has a preference with coffee? If so, how come?

Childhood experience I think, mostly from his obsession with power when he was younger to get revenge on Zagine. It was the assassin who put the idea in his head also. In the manga, about the chapter where Timothy appears, there is a flashback of Train being told to drink milk by Zagine. He was stubborn at first but changed his mind once Zagine said that milk was nutritious so it would make him stronger. Probably it was just a trick to get him to eat healthily since Zagine knew how much Train wanted to beat him. Anyways, it kinda became a habit that was hard to quit as he grew older (I would want to add the taste factor as well. I think milk is super delicious though it is not all that, haha).

Eve ordered coffee in the manga as well, when they were in the sweeper bar finding more info about Creed. Must be copying Sven imo, since she wants to prove that she is not a child and Sven seems like the kind that would have coffee for his breakfast. She have thought that Train was childish many times so she definitely not gonna pick him as a role model for maturity.

[raz-writes-the-thing]

Oh by the way, your vampire reader x Aziraphale fic made me go CRAZY in the best way!!!! It was so hot and also I love the idea of them being friends (to lovers oops) with an immortal vampire just bc well, they have a lot in common from the get go. But Aziraphale being himself and giving, doing good for a friend and then finding yet another carnal pleasure. The erotic experience of being fed from (asking for more!!) and the blood being an aphrodisiac and Crowley walking in on and watching them (SCREAMS!!)!! So good. Thank you for the delicious meal!!!!

Omg thank you so much for this??? You're so sweet???

I can't even with the support rn for real. I love that with an immortal reader there's much less concern for the husbands to outlive the reader. They've got forever to be together, yknow?

You're most welcome for the nutritious and delicious meal! We serve all hours here haha

[stuudymoon]

hello guys!! how u doing?? I hope it's fine:))

well, I didn't make an update for 4 days, I'm sorry for that(⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

these days were kind of crazy for me haha, I had a test and I'm pretty sure I did not do great on it;-;

but whatever, talking about my skin I'm doing good lately!! I'm controlling myself to not pick on it and when I feel the urge I just try to do another thing with my hands and keep a big distance from the bathroom (where is the mirror) and it's working out so ever!

also, the redness is almost gone but some big and painful pimples appeared and I'm treating it with acid and pimple patches! I hope they'll be gone soon:')))

and considering everything I'm going to start a 15 day challenge!!! I think it will help me be the better version of myself:)

the rules/goals:

Sleep and wake up early!! At least 8 hours of sleep

Yoga stretches every morning

Drink 2 L of water everyday

Do some exercises every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (the days I have time) focused on ballet

Read at least 10 minutes everyday

Study 8 hours per day (school + home)

No sugar

Eat delicious and nutritious food

Clean a part of my room everyday

Be more connected to my family and friends

that's it!!! I'll start tomorrow, I'm really excited(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

(again, English is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes and feel free to correct me:))

[0tivez]

i love all ur head canons so much!!! idk if u take requests but i would love to see one about being roommates with gojo and/or geto/nanami/toji i kinda feel like being roommates with them would be horrible but so funny lol

if u don’t take requests no worries and have a good day!!

being roommates with the jjk men

(cause they would all be horrible ones)

note: thank you for your request anon! glad you liked my previous works! i do take requests, so if any of you want me to write something, send em away :)

warnings: gender neutral, slight nsfw

characters: gojo, geto, nanami, toji

<- navigation

gojo

⁜ super interactive

⁜ wants to talk to you all the time

⁜ will bring girls over all the time and make SO MUCH NOISE

⁜ never cleans his dishes

⁜ his groceries consist of sweets and condoms

⁜ he will lay out his groceries, makes sure you notice the boxeS of condoms KWDSKLAMWEDLKMWASEF

⁜ "haha yeah i have lots of sex see??"

⁜ "i'm surprised you even had the decency to use condoms"

⁜ "huh, what does that mean?"

⁜ "wait don't go WHAT DOES THAT MEAN"??"

⁜ will get sick for eating too much sugar. he will give you big puppy eyes so that you feel bad for him and look after him

⁜ he looks happy all the time, but after missions, when he comes home and you're not on immediate eyesight, he will look dreadful. like, straight up depressed. if he realizes you can see him, he will change to the clown he is

⁜ you want to get to know him better but he refuses to talk about himself

⁜ i mean all he does is talk about himself but not like... y'know?

⁜ his room is somehow very tidy??

⁜ if you bring someone over to do the deed, he will walk in your room "on accident" the middle of it. if he walks in in the really middle of it, he will 100% make fun of your partner's penis size

⁜ not even after it, right to his face

⁜ he misses your movie nights a lot while he's away on a mission. he just keeps listing films to watch together to distract himself

⁜ will look after you if you get sick. softens up a lot too

⁜ mostly respects your boundaries, won't walk in your room unless you're away and he desperately needs your underwear for something

⁜ won't accept cheap furniture

⁜ will buy the most expensive choice of everything

⁜ will walk around just in his underwear all the time. if he's not in his underwear, he wears one of those sexy, fuckboy grey sweatpants. sometimes with a shirt on, preferably without any

⁜ opens youtube and leaves it on for hours while doing something (anything) else

⁜ you two get into fights a lot, he apologizes first cause 1) he can't bother 2) he will get bored if you don't talk to him 3) he probably is in the wrong anyways

⁜ he doesn't even realize how much he cares about you. same goes with you too

⁜ slowly, you realize that even if he annoys you a lot, you can't imagine a home without gojo

⁜ and somehow, gojo stops bringing girls home

geto

⁜ won't talk to you unless you talk to him first

⁜ he really only sees you as a stranger in your house at first

⁜ every part of the house he uses is clean and tidied except for his room, which gets messy pretty quickly

⁜ will clean his room at 3 am

⁜ you can see he feels some sort of discomfort if you're in the room with him in the middle of a chore or something, he just really likes being alone

⁜ either in his pajamas or black sweatpants/sleeveless shirts or long, oversized sweats (i'm literally drooling)

⁜ his side of the pantry is so nutritious. he also has lots of different spices

⁜ amazing cook

⁜ it looks and smells delicious all the time

⁜ the first time you ever interacted besides housework etc was over his cooking, actually

⁜ you just sneakily went in the kitchen and started a conversation. which, to your surprise, was a pleasant one. he knew how to hold a conversation and was super kind. with a rush of adrenalin, you then asked him to cook for you one day. he stood there still for a second smiled and said "of course". for a moment, you could swear he was blushing

⁜ doesn't bring girls over if you're home. he doesn't want to bother you

⁜ HOWEVER

⁜ if you do bring someone over while he is home ONCE, he will bring girls over for a week straight

⁜ mf lasts for hours too

⁜ i can't even tell who is more jealous at that point

⁜ you, who heard this sex god for hours

⁜ or geto, who just can't be interested in the person he is over right now

⁜ when he cooked for you, you two talked for hours, though you really can't say you learned much about him

⁜ his friends are home a lot, and unlike geto, they try to bond with you too

⁜ so, you slowly became someone in his friend group too

⁜ you two started spending more time together. you got a tv show to follow every night. you once fell asleep on his shoulder, and it may or may have not awaken something in him

⁜ geto thinks he really shouldn't think about you this much, thinks it would be bad but oh how badly he wants to knock on your door at this lonely hour

nanami

⁜ perfect room mate

⁜ you wonder why such a loner like him wanted to have a roommate honestly

⁜ and to be fair, he wanted one cause he was sure he would die of loneliness if he didn't

⁜ he usually comes home at a reasonable hour, but there are times when he comes late and just heads to his room straight away and just... not leave

⁜ holds small conversations with you

⁜ doesn't go out at the weekends, likes to spend his time home

⁜ he saw your pantry once, lectured you about a healthy diet and then offered to do the groceries and share the bill

⁜ you agreed and it was the best decision you have ever made

⁜ cause he picks so many various food, always chooses the freshest vegetables/fruits and for the first time in years, you feel healthy again

⁜ has high standards in cleaning, so he will want to clean the common areas himself and just ask you to clean your own room

⁜ the house always smells of his cologne. so, if he has to leave for a mission and the smell slowly fades away you find yourself uneasy

⁜ if you come home drunk, he will take care of you

⁜ accidentally left one of his boxers in the washing machine. you found it, it was legit one of those white, grandpa underwears so naturally you just burst out laughing

⁜ "what happened?"

⁜ "sorry gramps, just found your underwear"

⁜ he felt so embarrassed but honestly, you were too amused to care. he quickly took it from your hand and murmured "they are affordable and healthy"

⁜ the next week, he "accidentally" walked out of his room with a shirt and a pair of sexy, black boxers. he walked past you, not noticing you. you just stood there like (°-°)

⁜ sometimes, on the weekends, isn't home in the mornings. he comes home a bit closer to the afternoon with a gym bag. that's when you see him most relaxed. he just has that post workout glow, a relaxed energy flowing out of him, his blonde hair perfectly messy

⁜ yeah you definitely were the first one to fall for him

⁜ sometimes brings you chocolate

⁜ when he's not in the mood, holding a conversation with him is impossible. he just responds dryly and talks about such mundane things that you just want to lock him in his room

⁜ is too organized and wants you to be too organized as well

⁜ won't tell you what bothers him, but he will just correct something he sees in front of you while sighing loudly

⁜ you were sure he was asexual, cause ain't no way this man didn't have women AND men waiting in line for him (don't worry bestie he knows like 3 women in total and 1 manchild in line for him), until he mentioned his previous relationships

⁜ goes to bed early

⁜ once curiosity weighed boundaries, you knocked on his door. nanami isn't dumb, he knew your intentions. though he would refuse this invitation during the day, he decided to welcome you to his room for that one time. after all, everything changes after 2 am.

toji

⁜ my GOD bestie run away

⁜ doesn't pay rent

⁜ "i could pay you in somethin' else if ya know what i mean"

⁜ messy messy messy

⁜ thank GOD he rarely comes home, mostly to sleep

⁜ doesn't really try to interact with you

⁜ will cut you quick if you try to open a conversation

⁜ walks out of his room naked, to take a bath, naked, full on

⁜ you don't know if this man is a blessing or a curse

⁜ if you prepare yourself lunch the night before, he will eat it

⁜ so, after a while, you start preparing food for him too

⁜ has zero boundaries

⁜ will also change the channel you are watching without asking you

⁜ i don't think he even ever told you his surname

⁜ he probably doesn't know yours anyways

⁜ gets into fights with your landlord a lot. he is ready to choose violence but thankfully you're there to stop him

⁜ it's common for him to come home all bruised up, bleeding even

⁜ that's why you have a first aid kit ready on the counter

⁜ "what did you do this time toji"

⁜ "ya should see the other guy, doll"

⁜ there are small things he does without realizing their effect on you

⁜ like he will tower over you in the kitchen, take a look, grunt and leave, which makes your heart skip a beat

⁜ might see you as his personal maid

⁜ for some reason, he starts to buy 2 cans of beer. one for him, one for you

⁜ doesn't think about making a move on you, cause what if you fall in love with him? he has enough lovers

⁜ but then, why are you always on his mind when he's with other women?

⁜ why does the image of you waddling out of the bathroom with your tiny, tiny towel so alluring all of the sudden?

⁜ says stuff out of pocket, just to make you blush

⁜ he doesn't know two can play this game

⁜ you don't even think about making him fall for you or something, you just want to mess with him

⁜ so maybe your tiny towel might accidentally slip and show some more skin

⁜ to your surprise, toji is also in the room!! what a coincidence!

⁜ one night, you were going out with your friends. your shirt was a bit too tight and showed a bit cleavage that didn't go unnoticed by toji, who was just watching tv.

⁜ "i'm leaving!" you yelled, innocently.

⁜ toji got up, walked over to you, towered you. he lowered his head to your ear.

⁜ "all dressed up like this, you're gonna bring men in my house, hm? don't ya have any decency?" seeing your blushed face and widened

⁜ eyes, he grabbed your chin, amused.

⁜ "do i have to teach ya decency?"

⁜ yeah you definitely learned a lot about decency that night

thanks for reading! i love reading your comments/tags! as always, my inbox is open :) see ya (✿◠‿◠)

[dream-meister-translations]

NOAH'S PAST STORY #1

━

Shadows gather around a warm bonfire. Echoes of happiness and nostalgia resounding in people's voices. Voices so pleasant, I find myself wishing I could listen in forever. ……But all at once, I find those soothing voices twisting into a cacophony of sound and I--…

NOAH : ………..!! I jolt awake in my bed. In my room. Outside the window, I see the sun shining high in the sky.

NOAH : (I remember now……. I was so busy at work yesterday, I ended up going to bed at the crack of dawn.) Lively voices. I hear them coming from downstairs. NOAH : (…… Shut up)

With a small sigh, I leave my bed. NOAH : Come on, Korokuru KOROKURU : Kyu!

CROW : Ah! Hey, Itsuki! You ate all the fritters! ITSUKI : You also ate six, you crook! So what's the problem? CROW : I only had four! GRANDFLAIR : Both of you are acting like children. Can't you even eat like adults!?

EMMA : Well, Gran's food IS delicious. I can see why they'd fight over it. ROUGE : My wine is perfectly good, too! Hey, hey, hey, guys, are you even listening to me? Are we going to go through this again today? NOAH : (… Too noisy.)

Emma was the first to notice me, her voice dragging me out of my lost train of thoughts.

EMMA : Oh. Good morning, Noah. Would you like to have lunch with me? NOAH : No, I'll eat alone. CROW : Oh! Noah, what took you so long? Gran's food's here, eat up! ITSUKI : He made enough for everyone. We're a little short on fritters, though.

GRANDFLAIR : That's because you guys eat so much. ROUGE : Well isn't Noah a sleepyhead-~♪ NOAH : I'm not in the mood, Rouge… Gran's food is good but I'm just not very hungry.

ROUGE : Haha. Gran, Noah's acting the same as usual, today. GRANDFLAIR : Noah, I'm not going to force you to eat it, but please at least try. It's nutritious and energizing. I even made some for Korokuru. KOROKURU : Kyukyu ~

The food is delicious and I have no complaints. I eat in silence, listening in to everyone else's conversation.

ITSUKI : Huh!? I was saving that Quiche for later…! Crow, give it back …! CROW : Hah! If you're gonna blame anyone, blame yourself for taking your eyes off me! GRANDFLAIR : Enough fighting at the table! Eat quietly! ROUGE : All this clowning around, and the one thing they don't knock over is the food.

EMMA : Fufu, that's true. Every day is so noisy, lively, and full of laughter.

NOAH : (.....I'm just not good at..... These kinds of things.....) NOAH : (.....What am I even doing here?)

But... For some reason, I also feel kind of relieved. It's got me choking up. And I can't shake these sudden memories of my dad...

(((...TO BE CONTINUED.)))

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Trey Clover Apprentice Chef Personal Story: Part 2

"Master Chef"

(Part 1) Part 2

[Kitchen]

Master Chef Trey Version ～Let’s Make Jalapeño and Capsicum Pizza 2～

Trey: Is this about enough kneading for the dough?

Chef Ghost: Yep, the surface has become smooth, so it’s good! Let it ferment a while, and start making the tomato sauce while you wait.

Trey: … Alright, the garlic we sautéed is starting to have more of an aroma.

Trey: All I have left to do is to add the tomato into the frying pan, season with salt and pepper, and the sauce is complete.

Trey: Finally, the ingredients go on top of the dough, like so. …I’m done.

Trey: Chef, I finished placing the toppings.

Chef Ghost: OK! Then bake it in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

Trey: Yes sir.

Trey: ―Alright, it’s ready to go. Now we just have to wait for it to cook.

Trey: Might as well do some clean up now.

Chef Ghost: Why, it was beneficial that you’ve been making sweets for a while now! It’s such a rare sight to see something so well done!

Chef Ghost: I wonder what kind of pizza it’ll become. I’m also looking forward for it to finish cooking!

Trey: Thank you very much. I also learned a lot today.

Trey: Thanks to this, I might be able to teach the dorm students how to cool a lot smoother than I’ve done in the past.

Trey: …Oh, it’s done.

Trey: Now to add the final toppings to the pizza right out of the oven… Alright, it’s completed.

Trey: It’ll be the most delicious the hotter it stays. I have to hurry and take it to the judges.

[Cafeteria – Judging Venue]

???: ―Ara. The dish I’m judging is Trey’s?

Trey: Hm? This voice…

Trey: So you’re my judge, Vil.

Vil: It seems like luck is with me today. It’s unlikely that you’ll serve something that cannot be eaten.

Trey: Haha… It’ll be nice if it suits Vil’s palate.

Trey: it’s a Jalapeño and Capiscum Pizza. Eat it while it’s still hot.

Vil: Eh… what is this!?

Vil: I absolutely thought it would be a pizza with the jalapeños and capsicum just placed on top, but it’s completely different from what I imagined.

Vil: On top of the scattered jalapeños, shredded capsicum are arranged in a flower shape, giving the sensation that flowers are blooming in a meadow.

Vil: The tomatoes and olives, as well as the onions provide such beautiful color accents as well.

Vil: It’s more voluminous and gorgeous than a standard pizza. It’s more like a decorated cake.

Trey: Hmm, did I put a little too much on after all?

Trey: But it’s for a meal, and so I thought I’d add a lot of nutritious vegetables

Trey: I might as well add ingredients that would add to a colorful appearance.

Vil: Well, as expected we see just how much you’ve gotten used to making sweets.

Vil: Instead of just following the recipe as it’s laid out, using your ingenuity is just like you.

Vil: However, to begin with a pizza is…

Trey: Ah, yeah.

Trey: As the ingredients increased, I replaced cake flour with coconut flour as a way to try to reduce fat and sugar content.

Trey: That way, I think even those who take care of the nutritional balance of their meals like Vil should be able to eat it without problems.

Vil: There it is. Just as I was about to say it.

Vil: Really, you’re too thoughtful that I could hate it.

Trey: Hahaha, I’ll take it as a compliment.

Ruggie: Lucky～ That looks delicious.

Trey: Hm? What’s wrong, Ruggie?

Trey: I thought Kalim’s dish you were judging finished cooking a little while ago and was brought here already.

Ruggie: Kalim-kun got a little too carried away with the dish so he failed. So, he’s remaking it right now with the chefs.

Ruggie: Man, I’m about to collapse I’m so hungry～～～

Trey: I see. If that’s the case… I have something for you, Ruggie.

Ruggie: Eh, what is it?

Trey: Actually, I prepared more pizza. The second one should be finished baking soon, so endure it a bit longer.

Ruggie: I can eat one too!?

Ruggie: Hooray! Trey-san’s the best! Thanks so much!!

Vil: Trey… You’re really the type to spoil others, aren’t you.

Trey: What?

Vil: To be so proactive like that all the time is a bad habit.

Vil: Even when some of your dorm students are about to mess up cooking, aren’t you stepping in to help immediately just like you did now?

Trey: Ah, when you say it like that… There’s often a time that I’ll do it for them instead.

Ruggie: Wh-what a nice senpai… I’m so envious of Heartslabyul!

Vil: Envious? I’m saying that that part of him is no good.

Vil: Looking after your kouhai isn’t what’s bad. But it’s another thing entirely to take care of them too much.

Vil: It’s possible that by doing so you deprive them of the opportunity for growth. You need to think about balance.

Trey: … Now that you mention it, my parents, who taught me how to cook, would often just stand and watch over me while I practiced.

Trey: Same for the time my first ever batch of cookies were black and burnt to a crisp.

Trey: If they were watching from the side, they should have known what the result would be. But they never told me to do it one way or the other to fix it.

Trey: So that was to help me gain the experience of “failure.”

Vil: I wonder if you’re able to understand a bit of what I was saying then.

Trey: Yeah. Thanks, Vil. Your words were helpful.

Trey: I’ll explain how to cook in simple terms, and position myself to just watch over them.

Trey: ―Right. When I return to the dorm, I’ll put into practice immediately.

Trey: I’m glad that I tried out for the Master Chef after all.

(Part 1) Part 2

[ichika27]

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun s2 ep10

This is late haha.

Anyways, the episode has a lot of stuff in it. I had to try and cut down the screenshots I took.

The students who were unable to escaped are tied up in class lol. Except Clara cause she’s Clara and she’s actually having fun.

Baram-sense teaches them about fantastical creatures and their diets. He uses a local demon cat as an example and compares it to our normal Earth cat. I found this funny at first but it does make sense. They had never seen a normal cat so to them, those are mysterious creatures. Demon cats, which the human world doesn’t have would seem interesting to humans who had never seen them but demons who had been living their whole lives with the knowledge it exist won’t get what’s special about it.

Anyways, the others explain that students are scared of sensei cause he's prone to touching students like giving them head pats, hugging, etc... to compare it to something, it’s like what you’d do when you see a cute pet. I do the same thing to cats. According to rumors, he might be doing it to test if they’re suitable for experimentation though so it’s not as innocent as my comparison.

He teaches about humans next and asks the students what they’d do if they meet a human. Many says they’d want to eat the human. Sensei explains that humans are full of desires and that makes them not only delicious to demons but also nutritious.

Iruma is once again confronted by the fact that there’d be a big threat to his life if they ever found out the truth. He’s getting too used to living with demons that teh thought rarely crossed his mind anymore.

Sensei explains that if he ever met a human, he’d ask questions about how they, and other Earth creatures, live and survive. The demon world is too different from the human world which he thinks is a peaceful place. Due to the harsh nature of the demon world, demons have evolved and gained many features to help them survive like wings. (This is actually interesting cause this is basically biology class but they’re talking about humans and demons and not just animals).

To give as an example, Sensei tried to take out Iruma’s wings but notices he has none. Sensei panics and immediately brings our protagonist to the faculty room to tell the others.

When they checked though, there was a mistake and he has wings, just too small and so they let him go. Thanks to Ali-san’s quick thinking and making fak wings, Iruma is saved!

When they finally left the faculty room, Sensei takes off his mask and reveals to Iruma the injury he had from an accident and explains how he got it. He says he's revealing it to Iruma cause he think iruma doesn't want people to see his small wings and this would make them even. He then apologizes for what he did and said he was just worried Iruma might have been sick and it’s why he doesn’t have wings. After all, they’d have trouble surviving the demon world without them.

Iruma realizes that Baram-sensei is actually a nice guy.

The two takes a break and Sensei gives him tea. As Iruma thinks of the stuff that happened earlier and the revelation that Baram-sensei isn’t a bad guy, he lets his guard down and reveals the truth. They both end up panicking as Sensei can’t believe there’s finally a real live human in front of him (as he’d always wanted to meet one) and Iruma tries to take his words back but it’s too late.

Iruma is scared he’s gonna be eaten and while Sensei explains he kind of want to, he wouldn’t as Iruma is basically endangered as he’s the only one of his kind here. He does warn Iruma that not all demons would be so kind if they found out. He then starts asking Iruma questions about how he lives as a human (both out of worry that Iruma might be doing something that’d reveal the truth to others and also this is research cause Iruma is basically a live specimen).

Back at the classroom, Iruma’s class is having trouble studying and so Azz suggest that maybe the smart students could tutor the struggling ones. They group themselves into two and Azz, realizing the idiots outnumber the smart ones, that it maybe impossible for it to work out.

I just wanna say, I dunno how to feel about the fact that the others had no qualms about calling themselves idiots. The word above literally says “Aho” (idiot). They really are kinda a chill group aren’t they?

The class now feels bad cause this might mean they won’t have a summer vacation. They already have plans, too like going to an amusement park and stuff.  Iruma comments that those plans sounded fun and remembers he’s never experienced it as he’s always had to work. The others then tell him that they could all go together since Iruma hasn’t gone to the park yet. This made Iruma super happy cause he’d be going on a trip with his friends.

The fun is halted when Kalego-sensei comes in and reminds them of the impending exams. He’d be the one watching over then and so cheating would be impossible.

Baram-sensei came to visit! He and Kalego-sensei were classmates back in the school days at Babyls. Everyone is surprised that Kalego-sensei actually had friends lol. God, I can relate. It’s the same reaction my siblings had when I had classmates come over (to finish projects and not exactly hang out but it’s still rare).

Baram-sensei then tells Iruma he wanted to check up on him as he’s worried about Iruma. He also says he noticed they have trouble studying and thinks he has an idea to help Iruma.

He then shows Iruma a picture book with a story that teaches the different types of magic:

+Verbal Magic which needs an incantation for it to be casted. +Non-verbal Magic that doesn't need an incantation but requires lots of training to be able to do. +Bloodline Magic which is something unique to certain people and can be powerful if trained.

Baram-sensei reveals that he’d always liked picture books and it’s a hobby of his to make some and that he has a lot and could make more to help Iruma’s studies. Iruma is impressed by this and the fact that it’s easy to understand the lesson this way.

If Iruma’s study method is picture books, they show us Clara’s is singing about the lessons, and Lied’s is playing games based on history stuff.

The class decided to try these methods and is singing in class. Kalego watches by the door and is horrified as it looks like his students have finally lost it.

The next time they meet, Iruma tells sensei that he still makes mistakes but he’s changing and getting better at studying. Sensei writes the observation down.

The rest of the class also sees how much Iruma and his friends are working hard and gains the motivation to study harder. Class bonding session ensues. It’s super cute!

Next week - exam time!

--

Okay, so we have had a lot of misadventures and fun stuff happen in the show but now, we’re seeing the “demon school” part of the title lol. Even so, I actually really like this arc. It’s fun to see this little slice of life thing from Iruma and friends. The lessons about the demon world are pretty interesting, too. This is a fun way to show world building.

I’m excited for next week’s episode which apparently would be two stories in one episode. Thanks for reading this!

[raleigh-ocean]

daffodils for the queen of hearts | billie dean howard x dara ann lynch

words: 12,824

summary: Once upon a time, there was a queen whose heart locked in order to not be harmed again, behind heavy walls of stone. However, the story isn’t about those who she slayed in order to keep going, but about how a little unexpected flower started to grow in a crack at her feet and once she realized, a whole garden of them was plaguing its way to her heart. Four times Billie wanted to say ‘I love you’ and the time she finally did, with a little sweet epilogue at the end.

n/a: with this done, it’s time to let them rest for a little while and be secondary characters to the other ocs. I think I love them the most out of everyone and that’s why I wanted to write this for them. If we had to make a timeline of everything, it would start with them as well, the day they met...I get emotional thinking about them haha they were the start of everything, it’s impossible not to. I hope y’all enjoy this, from now on I’ll dedicate my time to fix the ocs entries on the archive and doing short things.

November, 2012.

Who the fuck was ringing the bell at this damned hour? 

Her tiredness and her headache as well got even worse with the mere thought of standing up from her desk chair. Maybe if she didn’t move or made a sound, they'd go away...but what was she thinking? It was impossible that someone could see her in her studio.

Looking at her laptop, Billie managed to check that it wasn’t past dinner time as she thought, but barely after lunch. How much time had she been at it? Her eyes drifted to the ashtray in her desk and she had to painfully look away because...well, there were too many cigarette butts there. 

The doorbell rang again and then some powerful knocks followed.

It was enough to get Billie's already on the verge nerves, so with her best scowl all over her tired face Billie went straight to the front door. 

Without thinking, fast like a punch, that was her usual approach to anything that bothered her...and usually when she was normal, it was something engraved in her persona, her DNA, passed through generations of Howards like some sick move to make them like they were.

“Listen, I don’t know what you want but if you want to keep that hand you better g-”

Billie barely registered the bright yellow trench coat before her eyes went up, a few inches, enough to encounter heavy brown eyes looking at her with a glint of surprise. If those damned dimples didn’t cause such a good impression on her, she would have closed the door firmly.

“Oh, I thought you liked my hands,” the woman in front of her was smiling, but Billie could perfectly hear the softness behind that. 

“What are you doing here, Dara?” Billie had to remind herself to be an ounce polite to the woman she had been seeing for two years already. She closed her eyes a bit, tired, and missed how the other woman looked at her worriedly. 

“Three days without hearing about you got me worried, honey,” Dara’s voice was clear and sweet. “And I was right when I decided to stop by.”

Almost with shame, Billie fixed her gown a bit, but if someone asked her it was because she was getting cold. As much as she was warm and cozy inside her apartment, it was pretty much late autumn outside. Dara crossed her arms under her chest, her bracelets clinking ever so soft yet for Billie’s ears was loud enough, and she waited for the blonde to speak again.

“So...are you letting me in or are you going to catch a cold because you’re in short pajamas, on your doorstep, in the middle of November?” Dara put behind her ears two locks of hair and then Billie saw how adamant she was about what she was saying. 

“I’m not in the mood for anything,” Billie warned and she could see how Dara’s soft features hardened. “I’m quite busy, in fact, need to concentrate, need silence, ne-”

“Billie Dean,” Billie looked at Dara again right in the eyes, because it was rare to hear her full name from the younger woman’s lips. “What you need is a shower, something to eat and to take a fucking nap,” her voice had this edge on it that made Billie feel her cheeks get warm, out of shame once again. 

"Seriously, I've lots of things to do for the program, we are about to get the pilot and we can't fail, I can't fail," Billie was trying too hard to push away Dara, to not let her see the mess inside the apartment - because yeah, she saw in her way to the door the fucking mess that it was. "The crew is counting on me."

"Well, and I was counting on them to keep you sane and healthy but look at you," Dara then played with her car keys in her left hand, making Billie to focus briefly on how her rings clinked along them. "I promise you that once you get a break, I'll help you with everything that's left, okay? Let's put my secretary course to use."

Billie stood there for a few seconds, trying to discern if Dara was being serious at all, and it was perfectly clear - by her posture, how she kept looking directly at her, how her voice didn't raise and kept the soft undertone even when it was obvious Billie's behaviour was getting under her skin - that she was, in fact, worrying deeply about her. 

God, even the way Dara was looking at her, those big warm brown eyes looking at her like she was looking right into her soul? As if she could see that she did need all of that, but was too stubborn to admit it.

She couldn’t say no to such a thing.

So Billie only moved aside to let her lover in, not saying a word, but feeling how her chest burned with a strange sensation that was pushing the need of crying into her. Dara didn’t say much after that, smiling sideways and giving her a cuddle in her cheek with two fingers. 

The moment Dara started to move around the apartment it was like the sun was coming in, even when it was terribly cloudy outside. All Billie could do was follow her like a lost puppy, she felt that vulnerable, but Dara never judged her upon seeing the mess around her. She was wearing her uniform from the dinner she was working in, the dress Billie only saw her in once, but she didn’t seem to actually care while going around and opening windows.

“Why don’t you take the shower now?” Dara suggested after cleaning Billie’s desk in a few quick moves. “I’m gonna check what’s in your fridge to make you something.”

“I don’t think there’s a lot,” Billie said, a mix of more shame and confusion laced in her words.

“It’s okay lovely,” Dara smiled and Billie thought for a second she was breathless, because she was unable to say something coherent. Her hands went to Billie’s cheeks, caressing with her thumbs and then pressing a kiss to her lips. Now that she was thinking about it, she actually missed her. “Let me take care of it, okay? You just don’t worry, I got you.”

If we were being honest here, Billie would have tried to form some kind of answer, some kind of witty remark or even something to say back, but all she could do was to kiss Dara once again, with all that warmth that was pushing in her chest and everything. Only a sweet giggled moan from her lover managed to make her break the kiss.

“Just go, come on.”

And now, more like a love sick puppy, Billie let herself indulge. When was the last time someone had cared about her like that? Not even her father, who was still pretty much alive, was so adamant on checking up on her. Not her sister, not her mother. But Dara was there, just fucking there when none asked her to be, cleaning her mess and just...just being her.

When did she win the lottery like that without noticing?

Once she was out of the shower, several minutes later, the faint smell of food made its way into the bathroom, in between the lavender scent and the soft almond one of her cream, and Billie realized she was way too hungry. Maybe all that coffee was enough to keep her alive, but it wasn't nutritious at all. With only her bathrobe and her wet hair, Billie made a straight bee line towards the kitchen and the view there...well, let's say, it totally dumbfounded her.

Dara had pulled her short hair in some sort of tiny ponytail, her rings and all lying on the counter to not be a bother, and she was humming to a song while cooking. Billie didn't know if she actually had rice, but there was some boiling in a pot, while Dara was stirring something in a pan, something that smelt like veggies and the Pekinese duck's leftovers she had from a couple days ago.

It was such a view? It made Billie feel like something was exploding in her chest and, without knowing, she felt her body move without a clear order from her brain just to envelope her lover from behind. Dara didn't startle at all, and one of her hands soon found its way over Billie's, which was over her stomach. Billie wanted to cry at that point, but she contained herself, enough to just let go a tiny whine that got lost in between Dara's shoulder blades thanks to their height difference.

"How was the shower?" asked Dara with a sweet voice and not stopping from what she was doing. "Feeling a bit better?"

"I do, it's like all the cobwebs in my brain melted," Dara chuckled at that and brought one of Billie's hands to her lips, kissing several times her knuckles with...love? "What are you doing?"

"My father always said rice with some beans was the way to go, so I asked your neighbour for a cup of beans after I discovered some rice in your cupboard," Billie took a peek over her lover's shoulder while she was explaining. "But I also overheard my mother yelling that wasn't enough, so I dug in your fridge to find some leftovers, so here we are," Billie couldn't help but leave a kiss in Dara's nape, making her hum contentedly. "I hope you like this monstrosity I'm cooking."

Billie wanted to say that she was going to like anything Dara cooked for her because she did it specially for her. Even if it was just some plain omelette, she would eat it like it was the most delicious thing.

So when, together, they managed to set the 'table' in the kitchen counter, Billie just kept at taking the 'sunlight' bath that being with Dara meant. She let her feed her, she let her talk about her day and things that made her mind to relax just for the sake of it, and she found herself loving every second of it? The feeling in her chest getting bigger and warmer and filling her with a kind of happiness she wasn't used to...but that she was growing to love.

And she was trying to push Dara away, when she made her feel that she was there, living on Earth but feeling like she was in cloud nine.

For a second she doubted if she was really tired enough to take a nap, but it only took her a couple kisses and a tiny remark glance to remember that yes, she really needed it. She was about to pass out on the couch when Dara lied down by her side, hugging her as she could, taking in count how tiny Billie's couch was, and she couldn't help but indulge once again in the other woman's presence. The earthy scent in her skin, the way her own skin trembled softly with a strange static, her breathing and the beating of her heart. 

Everything was like the best combination for Billie to just disconnect.

That's why she didn't even notice how Dara moved from her position holding her to go and check all the work she had done so far, to correct some numbers and lines here and there so they made actual sense. And that's also why she asked her not to go home that night, to stay with her, when she woke up alone on the couch - bundled in a blanket - and only needed to move her head enough to see Dara in the office, soft features deep in concentration while typing on the laptop.

Was it strange to think about how much the other woman made her feel? Like, everytime she crossed glances with Dara something hot - not warm, pure hotness in the pit of her stomach, burning her in a pleasant yet unknown way - swirled inside of her, asking her for more. 

Not more in a sexual way - and that for a fact they had it covered really well -, more in a 'I want to stay close to you' way, more in a 'why are you so cute when you smile?' way, more in a 'what are you doing to the cold and unapproachable Billie Dean Howard?' way. Billie, while walking behind Dara, hands on her neck and shoulders while pressing a tender kiss in the crown of her head, thought that she wasn't really minding those new ways. Upon hearing Dara's giggle because she tickled her ear without noticing, she didn't feel like missing her past lovers or even the need of finding a few more.

Billie felt that it was more than okay if Dara stayed like that, as her only priority in the field, for a little longer.

Why couldn't she indulge in what she believed was the beginning of love a bit more before everything went downhill like always?

June, 2014.

Days like those made Billie always want to just disintegrate into oblivion and become part of the universe in some kind of magic oniric way. 

She could handle very long days of shooting, going places, getting things done here and there and being able to communicate with people in a more physical way; however, office days were basically Hell. How come she grew to hate making calls and typing at her laptop for hours? That’s what she did for a great part of her twenties and early thirties...well, maybe that’s why she kinda hated it, but the point was that she hated being behind a desk.

With all her dark and terrible soul.

Billie couldn’t help but chuckle with that last thought, making her way to her apartment. That was a running joke between her and the crew after two years of being together, mostly because sometimes Billie was too harsh or had a more realistic approach to everything and clashed with everyone else in the room. But there was someone she knew that couldn’t agree with that, not even in a joking tone.

Crossing the front door in silence, she slightly got startled by the sound of the washing machine along the television, making her stop dead in her tracks for a second. 

Three weeks already and she still didn’t get used to her new normalcy for the time being.

However, she felt herself soften at the view once she turned her head to scan the living room. Said view was none else but Dara, her lover for the last four years, sleeping soundly in the, probably, most uncomfortable position ever which was with her legs draped over one side of the single sofa, a comic issue over her face and her arms acting like some sort of blanket by the way she was hugging herself in her sleep.

The stress of not finding a job nor a new apartment was too much for her, Billie noted, that she always fell asleep right away due to all the tiredness accumulating in her body.

It had been an awful surprise knowing that Dara had been sleeping in her car and crashing on friends' couches for a week because she was kicked out of her tiny apartment, after not being able to pay due to losing her job and not telling Billie anything about it. Everything happened the month prior, so you could see how well Dara could hide something like that or how bad Billie was at noticing stuff when it came to her. But the important part in all of this was that, after discovering the situation, she had made Dara stay with her and save her lots of worries until she was back on her feet again.

"Cute…" Billie felt herself chuckle lightly, placing her bag on the coffee table and then getting the comic out of Dara's face skillfully slow. "Too cute for your own good."

And once she placed the issue in the coffee table as well, Billie couldn't help but sit there and...and just admire her sleeping beauty. 

As of lately she had caught herself doing that, just observing Dara in the most unexpected moments. Her mind had been buzzing so hard with stress that doing such a simple thing calmed her for some reason. The lazy mornings that they had, watching Dara do her tiny ‘beauty’ routines, having someone alive around reminding her that she was pretty much living, not that much take out food anymore, the warmth of her body in both innocent and not that innocent way by her side in bed, the happiness Dara radiated the second she put a feet in the apartment…

...God, that was melting Billie’s heart so fast and so good.

Billie stretched a bit her neck, letting go a deep sigh while focusing on her heels to have something to do. Almost forty years she had and only a handful of times she felt something similar. Similar because this...love she was developing for Dara was on another level, one that she never explored before even when she could identify her own cues.

Being honest, that was also stressing her a bit, but at the same time her overthinker big brain was starting to wonder what if they stayed like this. What if Dara didn’t have to leave? What if they kept this ‘house-play’ and see where it was leading? What if she wanted Dara to never worry again about not having, at least, a roof over her head? What if…?

“Hmm…” Billie’s eyes shot up upon hearing the soft sound of Dara starting to wake up, looking at the not anymore asleep woman through her fingers because somehow she was covering her face with both hands. “Billie?”

“Were you waiting for someone else?” Billie couldn’t help herself from using her own humor to cover all the stress she just put on herself. 

“Tonta,” Dara chuckled, still half asleep, but she reached for Billie the same with her right hand, both lacing fingers as if they did that since forever. “For you, always,” she closed her eyes again, trying to stretch a bit before looking at Billie with droopy eyes and a cute pout in her lips. “Sorry I don’t have dinner ready.”

“Don’t be,” Billie smiled tiredly at Dara and checked her wristwatch. “We can get some thai, don’t you think?” She traced with her thumb Dara’s knuckles and, without breaking the contact, Billie stood up and got closer so she could lean and kiss her forehead. “Tired day?”

“Thai is perfect, extra spicy,” Now it was time for Dara to take advantage of the situation and when Billie was kissing her forehead, she circled her waist unexpectedly to pull her into her lap after getting a bit comfier. “But yeah, I got like two interviews today and then I went all the way to Sunland to see a place,” Dara nuzzled her nose in Billie’s neck, leaving a big soft kiss there that made Billie’s heart squeeze. “I don’t think they’ll get me in one, but the lady in this shop seemed pretty impressed when she knew I could read my cards.”

Billie had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, mostly because she still thought Dara could be much more than that. She respected Tarot, she respected Dara’s beliefs...yet she couldn’t help herself to think how that was of such caliber. Billie knew Dara had practically the same gift as her, she had seen her using it every time they visited Constance’s house, so she couldn’t come up with a reason for her to not make a career path of it.

“Is that so?” Billie raised her hand to put a lock of hair behind Dara’s ear. “How was the place at Sunland?”

“Yeah, but if that lady decides to not get me...well, I should keep looking for a job,” Dara sighed and Billie’s heart hurt a bit. “And the place at Sunland...was a room, actually. It was a nice one, for sure, but the people who also lived there…” Dara clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Me dio yuyu.”

And after that, while Dara kept talking about her trip to Sunland, it left Billie room to think about why she was getting so distressed by the fact of wanting to pursue more with the cutie pie she managed to have sitting in her lap after a few minutes, changing their positions. She was merely listening to what Dara was saying, taking advantage of the new position to let her hands wander over soft thighs and nice butt, and finding some sort of solace and comfort in being so intimate with someone else.

Feeling Dara fit so well against her body, her soft kisses making her feel all the stress slipping away...Billie’s eyes closed to indulge in all of that, a pleased tiny smirk covering her lips as Dara’s cuddles were getting more slow and intense.

“Don’t go Annie, stay with me here,” saying those words left Billie breathless, ice spreading right away through her lungs. “Only worry about getting a job.”

Billie knew Dara was still on top of her because all her warmth was intensifying for some reason, trying to melt away the cold that was trying to settle in her. She couldn’t open her eyes, afraid of the response, because she never did that, being forward with what she wanted. It made her feel about to cry, being completely honest.

Because what she wanted was to explore going further with the first woman she felt that deep connection.

Dara’s right hand was still resting in her neck, thumb caressing there, and her face was hiding as well on the other side, because Billie could feel her breathing ever so soft and warm against the patch of skin Dara had been leaving a hickey. Then she felt her lover move enough and her left hand went to her neck as well, Billie feeling how Dara was holding her head in place, indexes massaging right behind her ears - where she always felt a never-ending tension - and thumbs caressing her jaw.

“Amor, mírame,” Billie knew little to nothing about spanish, but she had listened to Dara enough during the last four years to at least understand a bit...however, opening her eyes was really hard right now. “Bills.”

“Yeah?” 

She still had her eyes closed, but Dara was trying to coax her to open them by getting closer again and kissing her cheeks until Billie found herself doing it little by little. What she found before her was the softest expression she ever saw in Dara, slight concern in the way she was frowning softly.

“Are you sure about this…?” there was worry laced in Dara’s voice and Billie hated it, hated that she was worrying about it. “Like, do you really want me to stay?”

Billie wanted to scream on top of her lungs that yes, she wanted nothing more than that. Dara didn’t move from her lap and Billie was thankful, because her hands pulled her closer by taking a good hold of her ass. It made Dara yelp, surprised, and Billie laugh to let go of the anxious and feral feeling.

“I am, I do,” she leaned to kiss Dara’s neck and then bite her softly. “Our house, you and me, sounds good enough to not go to Sunland?”

It totally did, making it even more clear when Dara’s hips moved against her.

“Yeah, totally, I stay,” Billie felt her whole body react from the inside out, any cold left replaced by a raging fire. “But Billie?”

“Hmm?”

“If you call me Annie once more, I think I’ll cum right away, no touching needed.”

October, 2015.

Talking with Ginebra, her investor for the show, was always a conversation that Billie awaited with good spirits - joke totally intended. 

The woman was a pleasure to work with, she was invested in every part of the show and, since day one, always treated Billie like her own child for some reason. Billie thanked finding someone like her, being honest, because she always made her feel listened no matter what they were talking about.

This semester’s meeting had started like every other, early in the morning. Gin liked to spend the whole day with Billie, doing whatever she had to do for the day and talking like they were merely friends instead of having a professional relationship. They got coffee, went to the tiny meeting room to see where they were filming next, go over some practical stuff and then, now in reality, they were getting lunch in Billie’s office.

Everything was going fine, Gin even asked about Dara, which made Billie smile like a fool in love and Gin pointing it out, good laugh and according blush along.

Everything was fine, until it wasn’t.

They were talking about some banal stuff when someone knocked hurriedly on Billie’s door. Everyone in the crew knew that Billie didn’t usually like to be interrupted when she was with Ginebra, so the first thing she did was look at her companion apologetically before saying a tired ‘come in’ before taking a drag of her cigarette. 

“What’s the matter Piper?” Billie didn’t look directly at her assistant, smiling lightly to Ginebra first. “Jean dropped a lightbulb again?”

When she finally looked at Piper, Billie felt her smile freeze on her face upon being hit by a wave of fear and worry coming from the girl. Piper seemed to have ran all the way from wherever she was to the office, clearly showing in her ragged breathing, and was clutching her phone against her chest. 

“No, it’s- Billie, I-”

“Take a deep breath hon,” Gin suggested while Billie stood up from her chair. “She’s not gonna eat you alive.”

“It’s the hospital, they want to talk to you,” her eyes were a mirror of all those waves of feelings Billie was getting. “Dara got into a car accident.”

To say that Billie entered in an automatic state, was an understatement. 

Getting into the phone was hard, listening to the nurse telling her the whole context of the accident and trying to suck all the anxiety up in order to get there as soon as possible. But the fact that Gin had to take her car keys from her trembling hands, gave away that she wasn’t doing a great job at it, even worse when she wasn’t able to say something until they were at the hospital reception. 

In her head, Billie was replaying and burning every second of memory she had of Dara from that very same day, letting Ginebra guide her body around the corridors.

They’ve started with a lazy morning, both waking up way too early to start their day and deciding to just spend those blissful forty-five minutes kissing and sleepy talking, hands teasing but too comfy to actually act on the tease. Dara had made coffee for her afterwards and Billie just hugged her from behind meanwhile, talking about what they were going to do in their day. She had complimented Dara a lot when she played a bit dress up so Billie could pick her outfit, because they sometimes did that, and it earned her the promise of a surprise once she was back later in the night.

So good and so peaceful for once, that Billie was feeling herself glitch with the thought of this reality.

It wasn’t of any help that she had to wait to see Dara. That was what truly sent her spiraling into her usual overthinking, having Ginebra lead her to a chair from the waiting room and try to make her react in some other way that wasn’t trying to chomp off her acrylic nails or digging a hole on the tile with her heel.

“You know she’s strong,” Gin said while resting her arm on Billie’s shoulders, the comfort of the gesture being heavy on her. “She’s gonna get through it, dear.”

However she wasn’t sure about it an hour later, when they finally let her see Dara after they moved her to a room after getting out of surgery.

Billie’s insides twisted in such an unpleasant way that she had to hold herself onto Gin because her knees got weak. Until that second everything felt a bad dream, a nightmare she wasn’t able to wake up from but mixed with the feeling that she wasn’t living it at all, but when her eyes scanned Dara’s figure…

God, it truly sent her downhill.

There, laying still in bed and connected to way too many things, clad in hospital gown, bandages and her skin not glowing like everyday. The neck brace sent a shiver down her own spine and her eyes went to both her legs, left one on a cast and right one on a bigger brace directly attached at her hip.  

Her heart was totally ripped out of her chest in that very moment.

“Excuse me?” She couldn’t look away from Dara but Billie felt Gin moving by her side when the nurse came back. “I brought her pertenances, this is everything she had on herself and what they brought after from the wreck,” Billie was starting to feel like she was fading, having to support herself on the end of the bed with a hand. “Whenever she’s awake, please do call me, okay?”

“Of course, thank you,” Gin was polite and kind with the nurse and getting reminded that she wasn’t alone was what prevented Billie from passing out. “Billie, darling, are you…?”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she doubled her response to ground herself, recovering the facade, passing her hand over her mouth for a second before turning around to look at Ginebra and take Dara’s stuff from her hands. “I need to go home and bring things she might need back, I need...I need to call…” Billie stuttered when she felt the facade didn’t last more than a few seconds, finding it really hard to keep on talking because her eyes watered fast and her throat closed. “The insurance, where her car is...” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath that didn’t even help. “...I, Gin, work, her parents and…”

Billie felt hopeless and helpless the second everything came to her like a tidal wave. Raw fear translated into tears that made the other woman to hug her tightly. This nightmare that came true, the fact that something bad had happened to Dara, was enough to make Billie cry her eyes out while holding onto Ginebra as if her life depended on it.

Like a short-circuit that made her revert into a state she had been hiding and pushing back for almost five years, even before meeting Dara and becoming the Billie that she hated the most.

When Gin managed to calm her down enough and told her she was going to their apartment so Billie didn’t have to move from Dara’s side, Billie finally went through Dara’s belongings. The only clothing item there was Dara’s wool jacket, then her purse - with most of the stuff trashed -, and then the tiny pieces of jewelry that she wore that day. Bracelet, two of the four rings she wore daily and her gold necklace, with the gold cross and the Virgin of Fatima’s little medallion that had her initials and birth date behind.  

Billie pulled the necklace out and tied it in her left wrist so she could wear it as some sort of bracelet form, leaving the paper bag against the wall before pulling the chair there and placing it by the bedside. She was afraid of touching Dara, or harming her in some way, but Billie managed to do it carefully so they were connected. Even like this, Dara’s touch was warm and welcoming and Billie felt her tears start to fall again.

She had to call Dara’s parents to tell them, she had to call and do so many things, but in that moment Billie could only think that she almost lost what was the most dear to her. Lately she had been wondering how much her love was developing, growing and learning, but that the situation broke her facade, her attempts of getting her shit together to not fall apart, told her enough. 

Told her that she wasn’t unbreakable like she always thought, that she could get out of any situation by the sheer willpower of her stubbornness and the many things in her head  that she didn’t fix for all her life.

Told her that now, something inside her head, knew that she wasn’t alone anymore.

That she had someone she, finally, worried so deeply about.

Was this what Helena yelled at her about six years ago, when they broke up so messily and terrible?

“Let me take care of this, okay? You just don’t worry, I got you,” Billie felt herself whisper that, so soft and tiny, like a memory from every time Dara had taken care of her. “I got you, I do Annie…”

I got you, I love you.

Billie couldn’t say that out loud, not in this situation, not when she was feeling that anything she said in the hospital would be jinxed. But she was feeling her love for Dara burning her inside like thousand suns, as if the mere thought of leaving her side would make her combust, the mere thought of doing anything else but loving her girl would make some God up above them smite her.

So she put in the back of her mind anything she needed to get done until Dara was awake, her lips pressed to Dara’s hand and trying to calm herself, stay vulnerable with the only person in the world she could be vulnerable around, and then go back little by little to the broken facade in order to get things done.

Dara, when she opened her eyes and felt like a whole zoo walked over her, didn't have the heart to comment about Billie’s messed up make-up and terrible face because all she could sense was not only the worry and sadness, the anxiety, that Billie was feeling.

She was also getting the bits of love she knew they were there all along.

May, 2016.

If there was one thing Billie loved about going to visit Dara’s parents is that they always ended up cuddling in the lower bunk of Dara’s old shared room. Even when later her back would kill her, she loved it the same because she gotta have her darling girl close.

Today was one of those days Dara had finally managed to fall deeply asleep and Billie knew it just by the way she had found the perfect place to hide her face in her chest and didn’t bother in moving her trapped arm between their bodies. Her breathing was a bit heavier as well and when Billie’s lips brushed softly against her skin - wherever she could, forehead, temple, cheek -, Dara curled better against her and hummed a little in her sleep. 

The knowledge, little unconscious cue, was enough to send a wave of warmth all over Billie.

That made her feel not so tired, because when one of them managed to get a good night of sleep the other tended to have the opposite. Thankfully it wasn’t Billie’s first time being restless, so the only thing she got herself busy with while being unable to close her eyes and nap was to caress Dara’s back lightly and fix the blanket over them.

Being honest, it was the first time in seven months she felt she had a real break and some room in her head to think. 

After the accident, Dara needed a lot of help for everything and Billie had provided to the best of her capacity. She still did, thus why not far away from the bed there were her crutches, so it was an everyday kind of battle to get better. And they were getting through this together, which only made Billie feel how the love she had for the younger woman grew more and more everyday it passed. It had been hard watching her partner cry in silence when it hurt too much to handle, it had been hard every time Dara had apologized for being a ‘burden’, but at the same time it gave Billie a way to channel all the unsaid feelings she had for Dara, all those things she was so afraid to show.

Feeling that finally she was reciprocating everything Dara did for her made Billie feel on top of the world, even when she was exhausted. 

I wonder what you are dreaming about, thought Billie, lips pressed softly to Dara’s forehead. Maybe of me…?

Billie wanted to giggle to herself because of that. In forty-one years that she had, she didn’t have many of those inner questions in her repertory, but being with the younger girl in her arms had put them in.

Lost in her thoughts, Billie didn’t really check the hour on her phone, so when the bedroom’s door opened it startled her. It made her move enough for Dara to finally move as well from her position, rolling in her back and head facing the side opposite to where Billie was.

“Mom is making pancakes,” Dayanara, Dara’s little sister, didn’t notice right away that her sister wasn’t awake but finding Billie looking at her directly was what made her lower her voice. “Do you want some or you’ll wake my…?”

“I’ll go, just let your sister rest,” Billie said while trying to figure out how to not wake Dara in the process of getting out of bed, taking in count she was on the side of the wall. “Ahm, can you give me a hand, please?”

Leaving Dara, all alone and cuddling where Billie had been lying, was hard though, but the promise of food had made her stomach grumble with hunger. Which was funny, because it was really difficult to feel hungry at Dara’s parents’ since they always cooked a lot and...

“How is she doing in therapy?” Dayanara’s voice brought Billie back and she blinked a bit. “I saw Ana is still using both crutches.”

“Well, she’s getting stronger after the complication with her left leg’s healing, that’s for sure...but the therapist thinks she will have to use a cane in the end.”

“That’s...what does Ana think about it?” Billie frowned a bit, looking at her sister-in-law while they were going downstairs. “I know she likes to be always active and...well, just moving and doing stuff.”

“She joked that she would become a very distinguised gentlewoman with a cane addition,” Dayanara rolled her eyes, knowing her sister’s antics. “But I think she’s still processing the whole thing. You should ask her directly Dayanara,” upon the suggestion, Dayanara’s face got a bit scared. “She doesn’t bite, she’ll probably appreciate some encouragement words from you.”

And Billie did mean that, from the bottom of her heart.

Dara was really close with her family, she loved her siblings and cousins dearly and Billie hadn't seen her more happy than after being able to talk with a family member. But Billie had noticed that, with the accident, those calls didn't come as much as usual...or maybe it was that she was spending more time around her partner and picking some things up. More time around as in engaging with her in-laws more than the bare minimum, because Billie felt a bit helpless the few times they spent time together along the years and had tried to put some space in between them.

Looking into it, both her and Dara were a bit off with each others' families but Billie was the one having it worse, mostly because they didn’t live near them.

"How many will you want?" Carla's voice - Dara's mom - was this time what cut the conversation and when she turned around her smile relaxed upon seeing Dayanara and Billie on the kitchen's door. "Is Ana okay?"

"Yeah, she's still asleep," Billie was fast to respond, taking the chair by Jeziel - Dara’s father - and waving a bit to Bruno - Dara’s grandfather -, who nodded at her before going back to his reading. “She had a few days of trouble sleeping, so I didn’t want to cut it.”

“Mejor que duerma, lo merece,” Bruno said without lifting his eyes from the newspaper, reminding Billie of her own father, sliding one of the coffee-filled mugs towards Billie. “Coffee.”

“Gimme three,” Jeziel said to his wife, big smile on - and Billie knew right away who Dara got hers from - and then turned to look at Billie. “Three is good for you?” Billie nodded while taking a good sip to her coffee. “Six this way, love!”

Billie thanked Jeziel in her head because, out of the two, he was the one trying his hardest to make a connection with her. She could feel Carla’s hesitation and doubts coming out from her in waves, like when they stayed at her apartment for the time Dara was in the hospital, and Dayanara’s doubts and distrust just flowing freely as well. The only exception, of those present in the table, was Bruno, because from the moment they met he treated her fairly and as close as he could show.

She didn’t want to think about Deirdre and Diana, Dara’s older sisters, because the headache was pretty much a reality. Both rubbed off the wrong way to her the second Billie met them and the feeling, as much as Dara had tried to put her at ease, didn’t fade. And Darziel, Dara’s little brother, was another thing completely. Billie was older than him for almost twenty years, the gap too big to make something out of it, but he was a sweet boy and always tried to engage with her the same, which also Billie thanked.

“Dónde está este chico, de verdad,” Carla said with an annoyed tone, serving everyone food, before raising her tone higher than she even heard her own mother raise it. “Darziel, can you come down already!”

“Cedric said it was okay for him to go later,” Jeziel said with his mouth full, getting a hard look from his wife. “Honey, seriously, your brother can fend for himself well. You two spent forty minutes arguing about this, let papi sleep more.”

Ah yeah, Billie almost forgot Dara’s uncle and Dahlia’s father, Cedric, which lived there as well. He was a quiet man, pretty similar to his daughter, and Billie was as cordial with him as he was with her. Really reserved and with a permanent sad aura, Billie didn’t want to ask Dara about why he was like that.

“Mom, stop stressing over, it’s too early,” Dayanara sighed loudly after drinking some juice. “And I’ll already have to hear a lot of screaming at the hospital later, can’t we have a calm morning for once?”

“Okay, sure,” Carla sighed as loud as her daughter, but exasperated instead of tired, and sat down by Billie’s side. “I bet your mornings at your parents’ weren’t this loud,” she tried to chuckle at it and Billie put a good chunk of pancake on her mouth to just not reply right away. “Or you talked back like this girl here?” and with that swatted at Dayanara’s thigh playfully but Billie knowing there was some scolding in too. 

“Ahm, well, yeah,” Billie was pretty eloquent when she was talking to her in-laws, but it was because she wasn’t sure how to put it without sounding...wrong. “My father was always gone by the time we were up, my mom already busy with her things, so there wasn’t muc-”

Like a saving grace, a loud voice cut Billie’s reply and made everyone look at the door’s direction.

“¡Señora, señor, señoritas y abuelo!” Darziel’s voice was so loud it made Billie’s flinch a bit. “With a hundred sixty pounds, five ten tall and the might of a bear, I present you my tata, which made it all the way here without any help!”

To accompany that statement, the view upon them was clear. Dara, still clad in her old silly pajamas, was walking slow and a bit unsteady towards them. Billie’s heart stopped and her mind went blank, the only thing her body managed to do was to stand up. Darziel was behind her, with both crutches and being back-up support if needed, and Dara gave Billie a reassuring look.

A look that totally said I got this, I do, I can do it myself.

It was the most painful waiting Billie did today, going back to her chair but her eyes never leaving her partner, her hands itching to reach and help. And while those minutes passed, all the love and warmth she had been feeling since early morning came back to her along with pride. 

Pride because someone that clearly was having a really hard time - Dara’s face a mix of concentration and discomfort but determination all over it - and was trying to overcome it, strong as ever, was by her side and she had the luck to call her ‘mine’.

I love you, I love you and I won’t ever stop loving you.

Billie let Dara sit on her lap after Jeziel had hugged her daughter big and the rest applauded Dara’s strength to do such a thing. Bruno reached for her granddaughter’s hand there and gave her comforting pats while Billie passed her arms around Dara’s middle. She wanted to do more, she wanted to kiss her as big as she deserved and pamper her in love, but in front of the rest Billie toned it down by just kissing her lover’s nape.

“Seriously Darziel, it wasn’t necessary all the circus,” Dara was ashamed and Billie knew it by the tone of her voice, and that doing all of that spent all her morning energies. “Can I…?”

“Serve yourself babe, my plate is yours,” Billie mumbled that because she knew Dara wouldn’t drink coffee. 

“It was!” Darziel was still loud, maybe a bit drunk in her sister’s accomplishment, but finally sat in a stool in between his dad and Billie, giving his sister a glass of juice. “You did it for me once, I owed you!”

“You were eight, Darziel!”

“And only sprained my ankle! But you put a whole show to make me feel better.”

The banter kept going back and forth during all breakfast and Billie decided to just be a passive part of it, getting fed from time to time a forkful of pancakes and sipping on her coffee. It was good to have Dara talk more, to interact with those whom she loved, and it only showed her once again how warm her girl could be in spite of whatever she was feeling.

And while they were chattering after Darziel left and Dara occupied his stool, it made Billie realize that there was something else hanging on the room thanks to having Darziel’s overwhelming energy out of it. It was subtle but Billie managed to pick at it, there was this flare of...envy? and also distrust again floating, disturbed by a neutral force that seemed adamant to drown it.

She didn’t comment on it, not when Dara was now focusing on her completely and asking if she wanted to meet with Dilania and Demelza, her cousins that were the same age as her, in the afternoon.

And she decided to not really do it either in the future, giving Dara a couple sweet pecks on the lips to say yes, because she thought the other woman didn’t need that extra worry over everything she already had.

April, 2018.

She fucked up.

God fucking damn it, she totally fucked up so bad.

Billie wanted to scream on top of her lungs an incoherent stream of words or a full blown scream able to fit all her feelings. But all she did was to rest her forehead on the steering wheel and think again on what she was going to say. She had prepared an entire speech with all her feelings, with the apology and with things she didn’t think about before; and she was so afraid to fuck things up more, it was unbelievable. 

Looking through the windscreen, she fixed her eyes on the red door of Dahlia’s house. She had driven two hours to get there, to Santa Barbara, because of all places Dara had chosen her closest family member to stay with. 

In Billie’s mind she didn’t think Dara would actually do it, going away like that. Maybe it was because their discussions never went further than taking their time in different rooms, so that was what made the situation more scary.

It brought back to Billie a dark feeling she only managed to identify because last time she got it, her...girlfriend at that time left forever.

When Billie got out of her car, only the keys in her hand because she didn’t want any distraction, she couldn’t help but check herself out in the side mirror. Nothing in her was flashy or that it seemed she just got out of work, plain jeans and shirt and her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Raw, all Billie Dean and nothing more, because if she wanted to fix this she needed to be sincere with both.

Today was probably the day the world, her world, would go away...as dramatic as it sounds.

Knocking three times on the door, Billie felt out of breath and her unusual anxiety going up, making her place her hand - with keys and all - in her nape and press to relieve some, the cold from the metal being awkwardly soothing. She felt like she was going to throw up, not gonna lie here, and that for her was really hard to achieve.

But the second the door opened and the first thing she saw was her girlfriend, clad in pajamas and her flowery robe, Billie felt breathless. 

Oh God, I fucked up big, big time.

Dara looked...devastated and, even then, she managed to keep her composure enough to look at her right in the eyes. Eyes that were clearly red from crying, Billie felt the weird static hit her like a wave to show her all the fear, the tiredness, a void of sadness that the other woman was feeling in that moment. Billie wanted to reach for her, hold her in her arms and hide her away from the pain...pain that she herself inflicted. 

A move from behind Dara caught Billie’s attention and Shelby’s blonde head appeared in view.

“I’m…” Billie needed to start talking, because Dara didn’t seem to want to do it. “Can we take...a walk? I want to talk with you.”

“Why?” Dara was direct like that, not moving much from her position aside from giving Shelby a gesture, telling her that she was okay without breaking eye contact with Billie. “Do you have something else to tell me that you didn’t two days ago?”

“Yeah, I do,” it wasn’t time for Billie to get stubborn or start to get annoyed because of the little jab in Dara’s tone. “I want to fix this Dara, and I need you to listen to me in order to do it.”

Billie knew that calling her ‘Annie’ right now wasn’t the ideal, because she knew what it did to Dara inside. Using her first name and, overall, be respectful of her limits, of whatever space she needed, was the right path to follow in this crusade she was leading. Dara took a deep breath and stepped back - giving Billie a heart-attack in the process -, just to put her trainers on.

“I don’t know what you will say,” Dara closed the door behind her and started to walk. “But it won’t hurt to listen.”

After fifteen minutes of walking, Billie finally decided to push through the empty feeling those words left in her. Dara didn’t seem to want to look at her, always keeping a bit of distance even when they were walking side by side, and it was making it hard to even take the step and talk.

“I...I’m sorry,” Dara hummed at that and Billie squeezed her own fingers nervously. “I truly am, I shouldn’t have said those things to you,” her throat felt tight and she couldn’t look at Dara while she was talking because she was afraid of being left speechless as well. “I should have listened to what were you trying to tell me, understand your position better instead of getting mad at you-”

“What did you need to understand when I’ve been telling you the same for years?” Dara cut her speech and it gave her a new rush of panic. “That only makes me wonder if you ever listened to me at all.”

“I do, babe, I do,” Billie heard the panic in her own voice. “It’s just that...I was so...I don’t want you to be unhappy or to worry about anything, I thought that it would be a good solution since you’ve been worried and anxious all these months and-”

“Billie, I’m not unhappy with my job! I worked my ass off for three years to be able to have a decent salary, to not have problems with hours so I can be home at a decent hour,” Dara’s voice had a tired tone in it. “I’m not anxious or worried because of work, it’s because I don’t know what to do with my life or what fucking part I play in yours anymore!”

And yeah, Billie’s rehearsed speech died just like that.

Dara walked a bit ahead of hers and Billie just watched her stop, paralyzed in the middle of the sidewalk. Her back facing her and building a wall between them, Dara hit the pavement with her cane two times and covered her mouth with her free hand.

“What are you...Dara,” Billie felt her system restart right away, her heart dropping with a painful beat to her stomach. “Part in my life? You are my-”

“Your what, Billie? Partner?” Dara mocked that word, clearly done at this point with it. “We have an anniversary because we just took the day of Tina’s wedding as such,” when she turned around to look at Billie, Dara was crying. “Your family thinks I’m a gold digger or whatever, that I’m with you because of your money when, in reality, I’m always the one worrying about it. My family...no, my own sisters think that I’m your fucking toy and you’re about to toss me aside,” Dara raised a finger. “I heard them and I cut my immediate family to the minimum until they fucking respect my choices, but I can’t do that with yours,” she tried to clean her tears and Billie’s chest got tighter. “You are the best at not noticing, ignore, the elephant in the room Billie, but I’m not and it’s hurting me too much at this point.”

“I thought you were...why didn’t you tell me?”  

“When, Billie? When do I tell you?” Dara threw her arms to the air. “When you come home from filming for a few days and go away a few more later? When you’re not busy going everywhere instead of staying with me for a bit? When everything else in your life, your head, is more important than fixing our relationship?” Dara’s soft features were full of sorrow and the tears that she couldn’t stop. “Two days it took you to come here and talk to me, two days, Billie.” Dara whispered. “Everytime we got the slightest disagreement in the past, it was me reaching out to you to fix it, speaking up, sucking my opinion up in order to keep things going.”

Having all those things on display made Billie’s heart shattered the same way Dara’s did two days ago in the apartment, when Billie didn’t stop her from leaving. Everything was moving too fast for her, but she knew that it really wasn’t the case because everything had been building up from a long time ago.

It made her see that she should’ve been and done better.

“I’ve never loved anyone like I love you Billie,” Dara’s voice was a bit higher and she closed her eyes for a second. “And I always tell you because I don’t want you to forget it, and I always tell myself that one day you’ll tell me you love me back. Like, genuinely tell me those exact words and feel them mine,” she curled her hands into fists, holding on her cane. “But all that I think about, at this point, is why you keep bei-”

“Because I do as well!” Billie said that really loud, as if it was the right way to do it and let Dara know it finally. “I do, I do, I fucking do and will always do,” her voice went normal again. “You know I’m an absolute disaster, it’s not an excuse, I suck at being in a relationship but I want to do better for you, do better and be better...and it’s so hard?” Billie got closer to Dara but still didn’t dare to touch her. “You’re my third really serious relationship and the longest I had...and I still don’t know what I did to keep you by my side,” Billie felt herself tear up really fast, faster than she did while driving here. “You made me think of things I wasn’t thinking that much, of what if’s, and...and then you had the accident and-God, Annie, thinking about losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me,” it slipped and not only made Dara cry harder but also made Billie start to cry as well. “You’re the constant that never fails in my life and I want to be that for you too...but I don’t know how,” Billie looked at her hands, blurred by her tears. “And it’s hard, really hard...I don’t know how you do it.”

“I don’t know either,” Dara said, voice affected by this at this point, trembling hands over her cane. “I’m just there, waiting, like I did my whole life,” Billie looked at her and Dara was looking down. “Things are hard, life is hard Billie, what else can I tell you? You’ve been here longer than me,” a little sad chuckle that made Billie shiver. “But I thought my love could handle everything, like always, and now I see that it didn’t...and I apologize too, because I should’ve made things easier for you as we-”

“No,” Billie finally touched Dara, holding her by her arms with a firm grip that managed to make the younger woman look at her. “I shouldn’t have let you do this alone,” she relaxed her hands over Dara’s biceps and lowered them to her forearms. “Maybe both have our share of blame in everything but it’s clearly me more than you,” a new wave of tears hit Billie. “And I want to fix this, I want to learn even when it’s hard...but I need…” Billie wasn’t one to ask for it and that’s why she struggled with that part in her initial speech. “I need...help. I think together we can make it,” Billie tried to smile even in tears. “I don’t want to lose you, because I...Annie, Dara, I love you. I don’t want to love anyone else but you and only you, so please...let me fight for this, for us, please...”

Being in the arms of your most loved one was a sensation Billie discovered she both loved and needed. Her voice broke in that last please, which was what made Dara to close the distance in between them once and for all, her arms around Billie to shield her from everything. 

They were lucky Dahlia lived in a rather calm area by the beach, because making a whole scene there in the open wasn’t a thing they both liked much, being honest. Their discussions were always in a normal tone, maybe getting a bit louder when one was making a point, but this one was a whole different mess.

Dara managed to move both to a bench nearby and after sitting for a few minutes in silence, Billie holding onto Dara’s hand like her life depended on it, one of them finally said something.

“I’ve been thinking for two days straight how to let go of you,” Dara’s voice was a hurt whisper and Billie tightened the hold in her hand a bit. “I thought ‘this is an ultimatum, take it or leave it’ and I was preparing myself for the latter, I was mourning,” she chuckled a bit again. “And now…” she sighed and put her other hand over their holding hands so she could caress Billie’s reverse of the hand better. “What should we do, sugar…?”

“Try…?” Billie asked that and fixed her eyes in their hands, using her free one to rub her tired eyes. 

“If we try, how do I know we won’t spend another eight years like this?” Dara looked forward and Billie couldn’t help but close her eyes tight, trying to not start crying again. “I’m being serious here Billie, I need to see a change. I can help you, I can change myself, I can do whatever is needed, but if I’m the only one again on it…”

“I understand, I know,” Billie nodded, feeling her opportunity about to slip through her fingers. “I promise I’ll do everything to show you this...us staying together is worthy.”

In that moment, Billie managed to finally look at Dara and it was completely different, as if she was looking at her for the first time in forever. She was wiping her tears with her sleeve, trying to calm her breathing at the same time, and almost shyly the sweet static that she always felt by just being near her girlfriend started to feel about all over her skin.

Why was Dara pretty even when she was crying? 

But she said ‘okay’ in half voice after a few minutes of silent delivery and that sent Billie into crying harder again, which made her girlfriend hug her again to calm her down.

“You said it,” another tiny whisper not because she was shy, but because Dara was trying hard to calm herself, and then she bumped their shoulders together carefully after they went to hold hands again. “How did it feel, honey?”

It started as a giggle and then both were laughing tiredly, not letting go of their intertwined hands. Billie felt renewed, the sadness and the anxiety starting to slow down and the late afternoon sun making Dara glow again with what she almost lost. 

She didn’t think her first genuine ‘I love you’ would show up in such a disastrous situation.

“Pretty great, actually,” she confessed with a smile only Dara and her spontaneous side could put on easily, looking first at her eyes and then at her lips. “Can I kiss you…?”

It would take a little while longer for Billie to get used to it, to trying to convey what she was feeling fully so both could work it out together, but in that moment everything felt as if the raging storm was finally calming down. As if everything would be totally fine as long as they were like that, together and never apart. They didn’t know, sitting side by side on that bench in Santa Barbara, that some more big challenges were ahead of their path.

“Jesus Christ, I thought you would never ask,” Dara sighed, the biggest smile on a second later, and then her fingers found their right place in Billie’s cheek. “Come here, I've missed you.”

But in the moment their lips touched...well, Billie didn’t fucking care what was about to come, she only cared about holding her girl and showed her how much she missed and loved her.

Epilogue. November, 2020.

Billie couldn’t help but smile at the marvelous view she had.

She was just fresh out of the shower, short pajamas on and barely spreading cream in her hands because she felt them a bit dry after the whole day at the beach, and she felt as if it was the first time she managed to rest after ten years. Too many things had happened along the years, but looking back at them, well, it made Billie put things in perspective.

It made her a better woman...or at least that’s what she wanted to believe.

The smile on her lips was hard to drop, even when she still had some nightmares almost every night since the incident at the Cortez, and seeing Dara sprawled in the middle of the bed only made it more difficult. Panties and an old pajama shirt, Billie’s, was the only thing on her and she was enjoying the fresh air that was coming from the open window. Rainy night after a couple days of nice weather was appreciated, actually.

They deserved this vacation, Billie wasn’t joking at all when she said she wanted to escape for a few days to Hawaii and just forget about everything at home, only the two of them enjoying each other.

It took her two weeks to plan everything and there they were.

Everything that also involved what was she hiding in one of the drawers of the nightstand.

Walking towards the bed, she didn’t want to interrupt the calm moment, so Billie just kept observing how pretty Dara was just like that. Natural and beautiful her, all the freckles, the tattoos, her scars. Dara only reacted to Billie’s presence when she climbed on the bed and went for a kiss first, slowly hovering over her and finally placing herself in between Dara’s legs.

“Hello,” Billie whispered with a soft laugh, feeling Dara react by placing her hands on Billie’s waist and pulled her closer, trapping her with her legs. “How’s my love doing?” she placed another soft kiss on her lips and then down her neck. “Did you miss me?”

“Terribly, I needed my hourly dose of you already,” Dara chuckled at that, closing her eyes and mewling ever so soft due to the attention given to her. “I was getting a bit sleepy, actually,” Billie felt her belly get warmer as her girlfriend caressed there with her fingers, which made Billie finally rest her body over Dara’s. “But staying awake is much better, yeap.”

“You swam too much today, I’m impressed you didn’t doze off the second you touched the bed,” Billie placed her arms better in each side of Dara’s head so they could be at the same level, kissing the tip of her nose. “But how so is that staying awake is much better, hmm?”

“Hello?” Dara raised an eyebrow and looked down, stating the obvious just like that. “I’m not missing any bit of you, miss Howard.”

Miss Howard. 

It made Billie smile wider because of her plan, which she didn’t know how to start getting ahead of. She decided that it was best to keep kissing and making out lazily in bed, taking their time because they were in no rush.

Eventually, they ended up rolling and changing positions and Billie couldn’t wish for better, mostly because Dara was straddling her and really focused on marking her neck in her favourite spot, which was making Billie feel many different things that weren’t calm at all. In the past, this make-out session wouldn’t have lasted long, but with time she learnt to just lay back and enjoy.

“Marking what is yours, babe?” it was Billie’s time to chuckle when Dara finally withdrew enough and traced with her finger Billie’s neck. “Because I think you already made a point last night.”

“Hmm not clear enough,” Dara said, giving her a peck on the lips and then cuddling in Billie’s chest, making Billie wrap her arms around her and give her a kiss on the crown of the head. “I think we’ll traumatize Audrey once and for all, your ass is my masterpiece.”

“Well, my ass, my thighs and my neck,” Billie laughed and patted Dara’s ass a bit, another cuddle. “But yeah, I also thought that, I literally got carried away with your tits,” they both laughed at that. 

“My stomach honey, where do my real tattoos even start?” Dara closed her eyes and Billie thought it was the moment to reach for the drawer, which was easy since they weren’t in the middle of the bed. “And to think that you weren’t big on this when we met, look at you now.”

“Well, you really made me rethink that,” Billie shrugged and pecked Dara when she moved her head to rest her chin over her chest, looking directly at her and making Billie to swiftly hide the...gift under the pillow. “Also, we still have like...three more days here.”

“Challenge accepted.”

That sent them both into a fit of giggles because they knew they would make the most out of these calm days. They’ve not only kept up with each other but with things they had pending, like the list of films they’ve been wanting to watch or shows; talking about stupid stuff was also on their list and their phones...well, that was almost forbidden - the decision coming from both.

Billie felt free for once and it was the best.

“Hmm, Annie?” Dara hummed, with her eyes closed again, waiting for whatever Billie was about to say. “I’ve been thinking these days about a couple of things,” Dara frowned a bit and spied in between her eyelashes how Billie was looking at the ceiling, biting her lower lip. “We’ve been through a lot of things in the time we have been together, many of them scary and weird and others simply were just nuts,” Dara’s chuckle rumbled deep in her chest, enough to make Billie feel it. “We talked about serious stuff, like when I asked you about...us having kids or when we were close to breaking up,” that earned Billie a kiss in the base of her neck. “And, well, all of that made me ask myself what was the next step for us...I mean, we have an apartment and a house, as haunted that is at the moment; and things are going...I won’t say great, but they’re going really well with our families,” now Dara was a bit more awake, a strange feeling swirling in her gut, a mix of fear and worry, that Billie noticed right away - being together more time meant they were even more connected through their powers. “I think the next step for us would be more like...double step, and there’s where it comes the second thing I’ve been thinking about.”

Dara moved to sit, minding her own weight to not harm Billie in any way, and Billie followed, so that way Dara was sitting on her lap and they were face to face just like that. Her hand moved under the pillow and Billie felt on fire, a pleasing fire, when her fingers felt the velvety box. Upon seeing it Dara’s eyes opened wide, watering, and both of her hands flew to cover her mouth, the tiny gasp she made both making Billie’s heartbeat go faster and her stomach explode in butterflies.

“I’ve never asked you properly to be my...girlfriend, it just happened,” it hurt Billie a bit saying that and Dara blinked faster to not let her tears ruin the moment. “Now it’s one of those things I regret the most, that’s why I wanted this to be as perfect as possible.” Billie took with both hands the red velvet box to show Dara the promise ring, her and only hers, tiny rubies over gold. “I know I can grow even more by your side because you make me want to be better, do better, and I love you in a way that none can even imagine, not even myself,” she chuckled at that and made Dara give a tiny moan. “That’s why...well, Dara Ann Lynch, Dara, my Annie...would you want to skip the girlfriend part to just entirely be my wife?”

For a second Billie panicked, because Dara had closed her eyes and started to cry, but then she finally reacted and Billie couldn’t help but let go a bit of that panic in a tiny yelp when her girl tackled them to bed again, all before being kissed on the lips big and deep.

“Yes,” Dara managed to say in between more kisses and getting air in her lungs to keep giving those. “Yes, please, yes,” Billie felt herself tear up but laughed instead, when Dara let go from a kiss.

“Okay, okay, just...Annie!” Billie giggled because Dara started to kiss her all over the face and only calling out her name was what made Dara to stop for a moment. “Give me your hand, please,” Dara sat up a bit and, still on her back, Billie pulled out the ring from the box to place it on Dara’s ring finger and sealed the deal with a kiss over it. “There you go, my love,” Billie felt her chest puff with pride when Dara stared at her own finger. “My fiance.” the words hung in between them so peacefully. “Lucky me you said yes, imagine you said no...oh God.”

“Why would I ever say no, silly?” Billie chuckled her anxiety away when Dara swatted her shoulder lightly. “Josephine and Roseanne are finally going to poison me...or choke me to death,” Dara laughed while trying to wipe her tears. “This means I finally have to kill you to get all your money, remember.”

“Only accepting murder by sex, thank you very much missy, have a nice night,” Billie joked and made both laugh again, because it was a recurring joke at this point between them. “Your sisters are going to have a heart attack as well.”

“Oh, I was counting on it, our sisters hand to hand to us doing whatever equals to that,” Darar rolled her eyes and then kissed Billie again. “So this was your plan all along, honey? Bringing me here and asking me to marry you with a tiny lie of vacation?”

“There was no lie, we did need the vacation, but the proposing part was omitted in order to achieve the surprise effect,” Billie embraced her fiance, hands starting to wander to better places when Dara started to be more intense in her affections. “Which I think I got just right.”

“More than right, you got it just perfect.”

With that, Billie felt the whole scene close, sealing it nicely and wrapping it on the best gift paper possible. Whatever it came, they would get through it, Billie knew that for sure - or at least that was the most her brain let her think in the moment, too busy undressing Dara from the two pieces of clothing she had. Every kiss over her skin, the light tugs and fingers pressing just right reminded her that she will spend the rest of her life like this.

And she was so fucking up for it.

However, there was a twist on their story that neither of them took in count. 

Billie was, again, busying herself adding more length to the hickey on Dara’s chest when her girl finally said something more coherent.

“Let’s marry right after we land, I don’t want to wait,” Dara was breathless, mostly because Billie had moved her mouth over her left nipple. “Just us, only for us.”

“Witness?” Billie managed to say, after letting go with a soft ‘plop’. “Papers?”

“We do it later, my laptop,” Dara cradled Billie’s face with both hands and pulled her closer to kiss her on the lips. “Audrey, Jordan, Wendy, pick one.”

“Audrey, let’s do Audrey,” Billie groaned and it sent them both into another place. “Rings?”

“Tomorrow,” they both nodded before going for another kiss. “Honeymoon?”

“We are on it babe, but we’ll take another one later.”

Outside of it, everything was an absolute mess, even Audrey was confused - oblivious of what was going on - when she got a message after days from Billie telling her to be formally dressed at her apartment the same day they arrived from their vacation, but complied the same. They didn’t think about how Christmas would be the day the rest will officially know, not even the absolute chaos related to it because many things were about to happen that year around those dates.

But there, in that hotel room, everything just made sense.

Because as long Dara was by her side, Billie knew everything was going to be alright. 

[imagine-jjba]

dates with the jojos!

may or may not have started to get carried away at the end. i feel like it’s okay, though. you guys get the x reader content you deserve. my personal favorites are the josuke and jolyne ones. though, the jolyne one might just be because i am totally in love with the girl, haha.

anyway, requests are open! you can request me on anon (i think) if you’re too shy to turn it off. however, you will be tagged if you decide to turn off anon, so i guess that’s just what you’ll have to decide between? anyway, please send in asks, i love to write these little things. however, i won’t do part seven and eight characters. i don’t know enough about them to do that, sorry. ;;;

i hope you enjoy this!

jonathan ;

jonathan would love going on any date with you, honestly. he would love to go to anywhere with you, as long as you were having fun and staying safe.

he would most likely take you to the nearby river to swim in. or, you two would go to a traveling carnival that had come around.

he would also let you choose whatever dates you wanted to go to. if you wanted to do something, he would follow your lead and take you there!

during those dates, he would of course buy you a plethora of things. after all, he is a fairly rich gentleman. you would have so many gifts and trinkets that you wouldn’t know what to do with them!

of course, if you two decided to stay inside for a change of pace, he would totally do that. you’d most likely end up reading a book or teaching the lovely joestar how to cook.

he’s very shy when it comes to affection, so if you offered him some while in public, he would be very flustered. though, he would still accept it and offer you some back.

at the end of your dates, he would tell you how much he loves and treasures you, kissing your cheek and walking you home. at home, you would receive one last gift before parting ways.

after your dates, you could find him gushing over you in his room. though, he wouldn’t tell anyone what he was doing in there. he just finds you adorable and wants to make you feel special, but doesn’t have much of an idea about how to do that besides feeding you all the love and affection that he can put into his actions.

his favorite type of dates are the ones where you two can just relax and have fun together. most certainly, it would be where you two could have a picnic. you would bring a basket of food and utensils while he would bring the blankets and other things that were needed.

all of the food you packed as homemade and very nutritious! jonathan likes whatever you make and is always hungry, so he enjoys the food very much. he tries not to scarf down the food, but he has a hard time resisting to urge too. after all, how could someone be so good at cooking? plus, it was just a meal for the two of you, even better! he really loves the time you two spend together and enjoys every minute of it.

once you two are done eating, you sit outside and bird-watch. it’s something that jonathan actually enjoys. he loves watching the peaceful nature around him. it also reminds him of danny, who he didn’t bring along with him. it’s a bit weird not to see the cute puppy around your boyfriend, but you knew that it was probably for the better. after all, you wouldn’t want to risk him eating all your food, would you?

you both spot many birds and try to list out all the details of them. it’s very peaceful and relaxing, leading to some moments where you lean into his broad shoulders and get into a comfortable silence. nature really is something wonderful.

joseph ;

joseph doesn’t mind going on dates. in fact, he loves going on them. especially fun and chaotic dates where you two run around town.

when you first meet up for a date, he very happily takes your hand and starts dragging you around to the places that he was planning on showing you. of course, you love him so much that you don’t mind his actions. all you really want to do is just spend time with the big goof.

he ends up taking you to the higher-end stores that sell comics, as well as movies. he’s a geek and is obsessed with those sort of things, always raving about the newest comic. depending on your interests, he would also take you to places where it had a mix of your favorites.

though, if you want to choose a date, he would let you. even if it’s not his ideal type of fun, he’s always willing to give something a try. just as long as it doesn’t involve too much work. if it does involve a lot of work, he’ll playfully complain about it, but afterwards, he’ll get to it. he doesn’t want to be too childish around you, but he can’t help it sometimes.

he also goes with the flow of things. you two always seem to have so much fun together. especially when there’s so many fun things around to do. though, the 1930s didn’t have much available, at the time.

there were many competitions, like the dancing until you dropped ones. he would probably like to participate in one of those for the fun of it, but he also doesn’t want to put too much strain on you. so, instead, he takes you out to watch some of those. it’s entertaining, to say the least.

he would also most likely show you a bunch of weird tricks he could do on dates. he wants to impress you! there were challenges of swallowing goldfish whole, at the time, so that was probably something he would do. and then he would probably use his hamon to try and spit it back out, which would be gross, but funny all at the same time.

at the end of your dates, he would make sure that you’ll be okay walking home. if he thinks that it’s too dangerous to get home by yourself (though, you’re fairly strong, he just feels a sense of protection), he’ll walk you home.

jotaro ;

most likely, you two would be spending your time at one of your houses. or, if you really wanted to go out, he would reluctantly follow you around.

on the days where you’d like to stay at your house, he would come over with (embarrassing for him, but cute to you) gifts. some of those gifts would be made by holly, as she sees you as someone reliable and good for her son. she also sort of forced him to give you the gifts, but he enjoys seeing your smile when you receive them.

eventually, when jotaro is settled down and you get some water for him, you start putting on the TV for some movies that you can watch. jotaro wants to try and be affectionate for you, but has no idea how to do that. when he tries to lean in to cuddle, you don’t really seem to get the hint. mainly, you’re just watching funny things on the TV and end up leaning forward in laughter.

eventually, he just wraps his arm around you, but he isn’t sure if that was the right move. you’re flustered, but lean not the touch with a gracious smile. you both watch TV until it gets boring. then, you bring out your small game collection you have.

that’s where the romantic moment ends, sadly. after you get out the games that you have, you start to teach him about the basic controls. it turns out that he doesn’t understand much of it, so you have to show him what the controls are with the game on.

eventually, he starts playing. he isn’t the best at it, but at least he’s not completely lost! you guide him around and help him figure out the controls to the game.

jotaro ends up getting frustrated, but doesn’t want to ask for help. he still has to at least appear somewhat cool to you, after all. so he’s determined to at least finish one level of the game to mak you proud. it takes a few rounds of losses before he finally understands the gist of it.

when he wins a round, you’re so proud of him that you end up grabbing his hand and raising it up, like how you sometimes see wrestlers doing in movies. you feel like a mama bird who just watched her baby bird grow up, at that point.

by that time, jotaro has to leave, so you clean up your things and give him a box of dinner to eat. it’s the least you can do to show your appreciation. at first, he doesn’t want it, but since you spent your time making it for him, you insist. eventually, he gives up and brings it home with him.

when he’s at home, he’s very grateful for the meal that you have made for him. holly’s glad that he found such a wonderful partner and is proud of him for having such a good day out. jotaro ends up eating the meal happily and is very appreciative of it.

josuke ;

when your friends finally leave you alone for the weekend, you two totally decide to plan a nice date together. before the date, you prepare a bunch of things for josuke, such as nice gifts you made yourself. after all, you’re a bit artsy yourself. josuke plans on paying for the meal since he doesn’t want you to use your hard earned money (though, he just steals his from his dad).

meeting up isn’t too tough, but since josuke has many friends around morioh, you end up seeing a lot of them. you even see your main group while walking down to the restaurant that josuke was taking you too. you end up getting a bit side-tracked and you all end up talking for a little while.

but once josuke remembers about the reservations, he makes sure to say goodbye to his friends before bringing you along. he’s very proud of himself for setting up this plan! you can see it on his face, the way he proudly marches forward with your hands intertwined together. it’s a very cute look on him.

you get to the restaurant and, what a surprise, it’s tonio’s restaurant! well, it’s not that much of a surprise, but you know it’s very delicious there. when you go inside, tonio greets you two and sets you down. he lightly mentions that the two of you must be on a date, which makes the both of you blush and laugh awkwardly.

josuke personally goes to the back of the kitchen and politely asks tonio to not use pearl jam in his cooking. he doesn’t really want one of those weird happenings with the meals, especially if the two of you are supposed to be on a nice date. tonio comes to an understanding, but he lets pearl jam help out in the kitchen, at least.

coming back to the table, while you wait for your food, he starts to give you his first gift. depending on your interests, he tailors it to that. if you’re an artist, he’ll give you a nice pen you’ve been wanting for a while now. if you’re interested in plants, he’ll give you a small plant friend to grow. going along with the plants idea, you name it after crazy diamond since josuke was so kind to you.

you end up giving him your gift as well. whatever it may be, josuke treasures it all the same. if it’s something for his hair, he’ll proudly put it on for you. if it’s something else that he enjoys, he’ll thank you endlessly for the precious gift.

after you talk for a while and exchange your first gifts, tonio brings in some food. like promised, pearl jam isn’t in the food, but you’re always a little wary of it. even if josuke is eating it just fine without any... reactions, you’re still paranoid. don’t worry, though, your boyfriend is right there to reassure you that he personally asked tonio to not have pearl jam inside the food. it calms you down and you’re able to eat your food in peace.

after eating, josuke pays tonio a generous amount, along with a nice big tip (courtesy of joseph’s wallet) to thank him for everything. he’s very appreciative of it! you don’t stay for ice cream since josuke thinks that you guys should walk and see the night sky. it’s romantic and cheesy in his head, sure, but he really wants you to enjoy yourself.

once you two get outside, you both start talking about whatever you’d like. if it were about the adventures that you two had, josuke would be very fond of it and the memories he shared with you and all of his friends. this would be the time where you could slip in a compliment or two, which would make him a bit flustered, but he’d compliment you back.

once you get to the ice cream parlor that he wanted to take you at, you get your own chance to pay for the ice cream. josuke would like to pay for that as well, but you keep your foot down and insist on paying.

after you et the ice cream, you both continue to walk until you finish your ice creams and throw the trash away. then, josuke walks you home, making sure you’re safe. he knows that the town that you live in is a dangerous, filled with many stand users that could possibly come into contact with you two. though, the threat of stand users never come and you two are safe. once you get to your doorstep, you give josuke a kiss on his cheek and a hug.

josuke gives you one last gift, a very nice bandana. it’s something that you weren’t expecting, but he thought it would look cute on you. you end up wearing it all the time after your date. josuke feels a sense of pride in getting you a gift that you used so often.

giorno ;

giorno is very kind and generous on your dates. he would love to spoil you in any way he could. of course, he already does that regularly. but even more so when you two find yourself in such a romantic and intimate setting.

he finds that he wants to give you the time of your life. so, he takes you to a place that he’s very fond of and that he’s hope you’d enjoy as well. of course, this is an art museum we’re talking about. he likes looking at all the paintings and interpreting them in his own means. he just hopes that you find the trip just as exciting and enrapturing.

you both have your duities to the bucciarati gang, considering that giorno is the don to passione now. however, he feels as though he should treat you right, no matter the circumstances. so, you end up going to the museum anyway.

as you enter the room, you can smell the distinct smell of luxury. it’s not something that you could describe to anyone, but it’s there in the air. you can also smell the hint of paint. but most of all, you can see the luxury all around you. how the large paintings on the wall were framed with golden, intricate frames. how the texture of the paints rose off of the canvas just slightly. it’s breathetaking, really.

you two walk around, holding hands and whispering to each other things about the paintings that you notice. there’s so many things about them that were so amazing, especially the paintings of portraits and scenaries. the experience of this is very intense.

giorno also makes sure to keep you close to him, not wanting you to get lost or anything in the giant space. when you start to drift apart from him, he’ll get a bit anxious. after all, every time you two go out together, even in a group setting, it’s always intense and nerve-wracking. people might be out there, trying tot ale down the leader of passione.

but you come to his side and reassure him that everything is okay and that you’re not hurt. you two have a special code, just in case something doesn’t seem right. if you don’t use it, then giorno relaxes himself and starts to have a better time viewing the paintings again.

you even see other art pieces, like glass sculptures and whatnot. they’re encased in a special glass, just so no one can touch them. but even from where you’re standing, you can appreciate the beauty.

as you walk through the museum, giorno looks at your face and how amazed you seem. he isn’t new to all of this. in fact, he’s probably been there before. but he does find it very interesting to see your face light up in awe and excitement.

at the end of the museum, he brings you back to the hideout that giorno stays in. you end up sleeping over, because you really don’t want to go back home. it’s very comfortable for you to stay there. you both cuddle there, wrapped up in each other’s arms. it’s very intimate and just a soft moment for each other. you’re both finally able to relax.

jolyne ;

this gal isn’t the type of gal to go on a date at a reasonable time. nope, not at all. she calls you at one am, telling you that she’s bored. of course, you tell her the obvious and that it’s one am, but she doesn’t seem to care. she just tells you to meet her at the movie theaters because she’s bored.

so, you meet her there, sneaking out of your house. this plan is rediculous, but you love her to bits and pieces, so you can’t deny her going to the movies for a nice date. at the theater, she’s already there, waiting for you on her phone. she’s wearing something really casual, just a simple outfit that’s comfortable. you, however, look stunning to her. even if you’re wearing your casual clothing as well, she thinks you look beautiful. she tells you as such, it makes you very flustered.

when you decide on a movie, you both find an action movie that seems really good. so, you end up buying tickets and getting popcorn. though, you don’t have to worry about other snacks, she’s snuck then in the pockets that she could easily hide them in. you don’t find it too bad to be sneaking in snacks, it’s not like the people there care, anyway.

once you sit down and the movie starts playing, you’re very attentive. jolyne also is, of course, but she’s switching between watching you and actually paying attention to the movie. at least she understands the plot of it.

by halfway through it, however, you end up falling asleep. it’s a weird position o be falling asleep in, especially in a cramped chair, but jolyne makes sure that you’re a bit comfortable by giving you a shoulder to lean on. idly, she finds her hands in your hair as she watches the rest of the film.

when it’s time to leave the theater, she shakes you awake and tells you that the movie is over. you wake yourself up before getting out. jolyne would take you home, but she’s also starving. you, in fact, are also a little hungry, so you both go into a small dine in restaurant that’s somehow still opened.

it’s a little dirty there, but that’s the joy of it. there’s other adults there, some older than you and some your age, all huddled in there small groups. it’s already almost theee am, though, so when you walk in, the people behind the counter seem to be a bit tired. no matter, however, you find yourself sitting down at a booth across from jolyne.

talking between the two of you is fun as you mention how you met up in the first place. of course, it was a nice meeting together. you’re very fond of the memories that you have together and jolyne thinks the same. she doesn’t mind bringing up those fond moments you have together. it’s very intimate, as well.

once your food comes in, you eat in a comfortable silence. there isn’t much to talk about, but you’re both fine with it. you and jolyne share a breakfast meal as well, coming in with whatever you’d like. she doesn’t mind, just as long as it’s something.

when you’re finishing eating, you start a conversation again, talking about if your friends were awake right now. some of them most likely were, but you didn’t want to call them and find out. after all, even if jolyne didn’t mention that it was a date, you hoped that it was just for the two of you.

at the end, when you’re walking back home and have to split ways (you don’t live too near each other, but close enough to where you can safely walk to your house), she ends up giving you a kiss on the cheek and a small joke. as you’re flustered, you find her laughing. it’s a very cute look on her, but you decide to keep that thought to yourself. however, you do wish that you could capture the moment.

[mammon-sama]

The Purgatory Hall Boys Are Bad at Road Trips (Fanfiction)

I just *clutches chest* really love the boys at Purgatory Hall and felt they needed more spotlight so here they are being big dummies on the road.  Oh, I also posted this on AO3 here. 

Title:

The Purgatory Hall Boys Are Bad at Road Trips

Summary:

On a R.A.D-sanctioned road trip to the Caverns of Degeneracy, the Purgatory Hall boys prove that they have just as many brain cells as the demon brothers (read: none).

Genre:

Humor/Fluff/Slice of Life

Rating:

T

Word Count:

6870

-

Hour 0

Our story begins just outside the gates of Purgatory Hall, where two of its three non-native Devildom residents stood near a rather expensive-looking, immaculately-maintained vehicle. 

The short, prone-to-fits-of-righteous-anger one yanked behind him a wagon, which was piled high with duffel and overnight bags, all made of a stiff white and gold fabric straight from the Celestial Realm.  

The other, older man, who never left home without a mysterious smile and his magic wand, too, tugged the handle of his own luggage—although his was a wheeled backpack which sagged due to the weight of the approximately seven-hundred souvenir keychains from around the Human World that he had clipped onto it.

The pair were waiting for their third friend—who, in every sense of the word, was an angel—as together they were planning to embark upon a new R.A.D tradition, which the Demon Prince Diavolo had appropriately christened—Our Annual Road Trip to the Caverns of Degeneracy (A.R.T C.D for short).  The Caverns of Degeneracy were on the far outskirts of the Devildom, over six-hundred-and-sixty-six miles away from the R.A.D campus, and yet, for some asinine reason, Diavolo had decided that they were the perfect spot for hosting the academy’s yearly Bleeding Hearts Festival.  

(Many of the Student Council Officers and faculty had wagered that the Demon Prince had just wanted an excuse to take a road trip—a phenomenon he had recently been introduced to through one of Leviathan’s video games.)

Diavolo himself planned for his personal driver to ferry him and his butler, Barbatos, up to the Caverns a day early so he could begin preparations for the festival and encouraged all students to find their own means of transportation in order to get to the event on time.

The R.A.D Student Council Officers—all of whom resided in the House of Lamentation—had decided to pile themselves into Asmodeus’ tour bus (he had bought it specifically because once he became a famous DevilTuber, he would need it to do meet-and-greets with his fans and also because it had a “bear-y adorable design”) and drive down together.  

As the Purgatory Hall boys had no modes of transportation to call their own, Lucifer had graciously allowed them to borrow Mammon’s Demonio 666 Lexura (fits had ensued à la the secondborn but were ignored), which both Luke and Solomon now hovered around.

However, as Solomon poked and prodded the vehicle, commenting admiringly under his breath at the paint job, the young angel peered nervously at the sorcerer’s backpack.  

He cleared his throat, bent on sounding as polite as possible—but failing miserably—and said, “Solomon, er—are you the one who’s bringing our road trip snacks?”  He followed this with a silent please say no, please say no, Father please let him say no.

Solomon raised an eyebrow.  “I thought you were bringing them.”

Luke dropped the handle of his wagon.  “No!  I would’ve made some snacks if I had the time but I was helping those,” he gagged, “wretched demon brothers pack using some low-level Celestial Realm magic.”  

“Oh, that’s right,” Solomon said, snapping his fingers.  “I just remembered that I volunteered to make the snacks, but Simeon heard and immediately offered to do it for me.  Then he sent me on a bunch of errands to buy groceries, but it felt more like he was trying to get me out of the kitchen.”  He laughed at the last part and shook his head because there was no way that such a criminally calm angel like Simeon would be that underhanded.  

“No!” wailed Luke, yanking his hat off and clutching it to his chest in despair.  “Don’t you know what this means?”    

“It means you don’t like Simeon’s cooking as much as you let on,” decided the sorcerer with a smile at Luke’s theatrical display.

Luke shook his head so vigorously that Solomon had to hold in a laugh based on how much the angel looked like a chihuahua shaking itself dry.  “For trips, Simeon only makes the most nutritious, most energizing food.”  He screwed up his face in disgust as he seethed, “The most disgusting food.”

“The stuff Simeon cooks for dinner isn’t particularly unhealthy and you seem to like that just fine,” pointed out Solomon.

Luke frowned.  “Yes, b—but I’m talking about real healthy stuff here, so we’ll all have lots of energy throughout the trip!  L—like entire salads squished between two pieces of bread and ‘yummy morsels’ of banana slices dipped in cashew butter and drizzled with mung bean and coconut water paste!”  He gestured toward himself.  “Look at me, Solomon!  I was made for jam-filled pastries and perfectly-iced cakes!  No—not,” he shuddered, “health foods.”

“You’re serious?  He’s really going to bring that kind of stuff?” Solomon’s eyes widened.  “I guess I should’ve given in to my gut intuition and made some pork pies as backup snacks.  ‘Snackups,’ if you will.”

Luke could feel bile rising up his throat at the thought of Solomon’s cooking.  “Er—no, I don’t think that would’ve been necessary!”  He spotted a figure exiting Purgatory Hall.  “Oh, look, there’s Simeon, now; we can just ask him what snacks he brought.”

“And then burn them,” finished Solomon.

The younger angel gave a scandalized gasp at the comment as Solomon nodded at Simeon, who walked closer to the pair.  

A lone celestial blue suitcase trailed behind the elder angel as he beamed at his traveling companions.  “Is everyone ready?”  Before waiting for an answer, he turned toward Luke with a gaze that was almost motherly in nature.  “And has everyone gone to the bathroom?  We only have a day to drive to the Caverns of Degeneracy and I want to see some of the Devildom sights along the way.  I even brought an instant camera to take pictures.”  

He pulled out from his cape pocket said camera and an enormous stack of printed DevilmapQuest directions and began to rifle through them, trying to decide which of the landmarks and tourist destinations he wanted to visit most.  

“S—Simeon!  Why did you have to stare at me when you asked if we all went to the bathroom?  I may be young, but I at least know that I should go to the bathroom before long car rides!”  He then blushed and handed Solomon his wagon handle.  “A—and that being said, I—I have to go to the bathroom.”

As he ran inside, Solomon peered over Simeon’s shoulder at the map sheets and laughed.  “You know, most of these directions are online.”

“I know, I know,” admitted the older angel.  “But reading the directions off of a D.D.D requires knowing how to operate one, and you know I’m not too good at that.”  

Solomon smiled and said, “That’s fine, then.  We three will take turns driving and meanwhile, one of the two who aren’t behind the wheel will navigate.”  

“Haha, you’re aware Luke can’t drive, right?” asked Simeon, turning to give Solomon a look that cautiously strode the line between tolerant and what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you.  

“Well, I guess he’ll be the one giving directions, then,” replied Solomon, without missing a beat.  He couldn’t help but silently add he’ll be doing that, either way.  

As Simeon continued to sort through the DevilmapQuest papers and double-check all the items packed in the messenger bag slung across his shoulder, Solomon began to load everyone’s luggage into Mammon’s car.  He couldn’t help but envision himself playing Tetris as he carefully arranged in the trunk the seven blocky bags that the group had among them—six of which belonged to Luke, who packed as if he were planning to change his clothes at least twelve times a day.    

His own backpack—and Simeon’s messenger bag—would be staying with the trio in the cabin space of the car.  He hadn’t felt the need to pack nearly as many outfits as Luke and most of his bag consisted of medical supplies, while Simeon’s was supposed to be filled to the brim with road trip snacks.

Speaking of snacks, Solomon felt his mouth turn dry as he mulled over the healthy monstrosities that Luke believed the older angel had created in place of actually palatable food.  He turned to Simeon.  “Er, Simeon—what’s on the menu in terms of snackage?”

“‘Snackage?’” Simeon laughed.  He pat his messenger bag and said, “Let’s see, well, whenever I go on long trips, I try to make foods that provide a lot of energy, since we’re going to need it—especially you and I, as we’ll be driving.  Here, I made dried, salted edamame and roasted chickpea trail mix, almond-butter-and-white-bean-stuffed dried dates, and oatmeal-honey-sesame-black-bean balls with dried pineapple, coconut, and avocado.”   

Solomon did not like how many times Simeon had mentioned “beans,” for as far as he was concerned, road trip food was junk food exclusively.  He took a deep breath and carefully twisted his mouth into a smile.  “That sounds well … delicious. Ten out of ten.”

“Excellent.  Now, where is Luke?”  Simeon peered behind them toward Purgatory Hall, where a munchkin of a silhouette now appeared.  “Ah, there he is.”  He tossed Solomon the keyring Mammon had tearfully given him the day before.  “Mind starting the car?”

Solomon nodded and after examining the gaudy charms that adorned Mammon’s keys, he clicked open the car and stepped toward the driver’s seat door.  “I’ll take the first shift.  It’ll take us fifteen hours of sheer driving to get to the Caverns of Degeneracy, so we’ll take three-hour turns.”  

As Solomon yanked the car door open, something tumbled out of the front seat.  He jumped back, and Simeon and Luke rushed toward the commotion.  

“M—Mammon?  What are you doing here?” exclaimed Luke.  

Simeon laughed, his brows furrowing in confusion.  “Hoping to hitch a ride?”

Solomon had to swallow his smile when he saw the almost-comical tears that ran down Mammon’s face.  “Did your brothers leave you behind?”

“N— no!  They’d never leave without me, The Great Mammon!”  Mammon hastily wiped his nose before sprawling his hands over his Demonio 666 Lexura.  “I just couldn’t fathom leavin’ my beloved baby for so long!  I had to say goodbye!”

“Speaking of saying goodbye, you do know that Asmo’s bus already left a few minutes ago, right?” asked Simeon.  “I caught a glimpse of them before I came out here and they were already on the road.”

Mammon’s face paled.  “Wh—what?  They wouldn’t! Wait—of course, they would!  Those bastards!”  He immediately turned into his demon form, planted a kiss on his car’s hood, and sped off into the horizon.

“I suddenly understand what the term ‘speed demon’ means,” commented Luke as he watched Mammon’s quickly disappearing form.

“I sure hope he manages to catch up to them,” Solomon said, rubbing his chin.  “Anyway, everyone, pile in.  It’s time to get this show on the road.”

Hour 1

After they had driven well out of the bounds of R.A.D’s campus, Solomon announced, “All right—first item on the agenda—”

Luke raised his hand from the back passenger seat as he strained against his seatbelt.  “—What’s an ‘agenda?’”

“Oh.  An agenda is basically a list of things we have to do,” explained Solomon.

Simeon’s eyes widened in concern.  “I didn’t know we had an agenda.”

Solomon nodded gravely.  “Oh, yes—an unwritten road trip one.  And the first thing on it is picking some tunes.”

Again, Luke raised his hand.  “I have a suggestion!  I have a suggestion!”  From the pocket of his shorts, he drew out a CD case labeled 1001 Hymns to Praise Him.  “This album is my personal favorite.”

Solomon began coughing violently in attempts to cover his laughter, while Simeon smiled and took the CD from him.  “That’s a great idea, Luke, but how about we play this when I drive, and when Solomon drives, he’ll pick the music.”

The sorcerer handed Simeon his D.D.D, keeping his eyes on the road as he instructed, “Here, go to my Akutify account and play my Travel playlist.  Hope you guys don’t mind that I managed to export my entire Spotify account onto Akutify, so we’re going to be listening to Human World songs for now.”

It took Simeon seven tries to carry out Solomon’s orders, but before long, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys blared through the state-of-the-art stereo system of the Demonio 666 Lexura.  

Luke was silent for a few moments before he innocently asked, “I don’t understand, Solomon.  What do they want ‘that way?’”

Solomon shook his head.  “I’ve been trying to figure that out for years.”

Hour 2

It didn’t take very long for Simeon to discover the first location on his list of places to visit along their trip.  

“The Maw of Beelzebub,” Simeon breathed, taking in their dark, ashy surroundings from the passenger seat.  “I’ve seen it in pictures when I researched for TSL, but I never fathomed I’d get to see it in person.”

Luke pouted as Simeon exited the vehicle.  “Don’t tell me we’re going to see those dumb demon brothers.”

“Nope,” Solomon said, unbuckling Luke from his seat, despite the vehement protests from the little angel.  “The Maw of Beelzebub is a chain of three volcanoes, actually.  The two smaller ones that form the ‘eyes of Beelzebub’ are active, but the huge, massive one that we’re going to walk across by way of that bridge,” he pointed to a shaky overpass that was suspended over a volcano crater a thousand miles wide, “is dormant.  However, you can still see the enormous pool of lava bubbling inside.  Tourists like to drop things down into it—and of course, it disappears into the molten lava—which is why it’s named after Beel because no matter what you feed him, he’s still hungry as if he’s never eaten.”

“Remind me again, then, why we’re walking across it?”  Luke asked as the trio wandered over to the entrance of the precarious bridge.  

Simeon looked at him curiously.  “Don’t you think it’s exhilarating, Luke?  To be so close to something so much bigger and powerful and dangerous than yourself?”   

The younger angel pondered that for a moment before deciding, “Father is so much bigger and powerful and dangerous than me.  I think that’s enough.”   

Simeon laughed.  “So it is.”  He wiggled his fingers under Luke’s hat to rumple his hair.  “But let’s go see it, anyway.”

 Hour 3

“Psst,” Luke hissed, “Simeon.” The elder angel seemed to be too enthralled by the latest song in Solomon’s playlist, “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, to hear him, so Luke reached out to poke his shoulder.

If he wasn’t strapped to his seat by his seatbelt, Simeon would’ve jumped about fifty feet in surprise.  “Ah, you startled me, Luke.  Did you need something?”

Luke adamantly refused to meet Simeon’s eyes as he flushed and muttered, “I have to go.”

“Don’t worry, Luke—there’s no shame in needing to go to the bathroom,” assured Simeon.

“There is when you just went ten minutes ago,” mumbled Solomon under his breath, but he swerved into a gas station, nonetheless.  “I guess we’re due for a tank refill, anyway.”

Simeon put up his hand.  “You paid for the gas last time—let me do it, especially since Mammon left explicit instructions that his car is supposed to be ‘fed’ premium gas only.” 

Solomon grinned cheekily.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  He followed Luke, who had already gone into the gas station convenience store.  “I guess I’ll just have a look around, then.”

However, before he got more than a few feet into the store, he heard someone whisper-screaming his name.

“Psst!  Solomon!  Over here!  Behind the candy stand!” 

He followed the voice, only to find that it belonged to Luke, who was very much not in the bathroom and rather ripping open a packet of fruit snacks.

“Whoa, I didn’t know you had it in you to employ the much-loved five-finger-discount,” Solomon said, nodding appreciatively.  “Considering you’re an angel and all.”

Luke stared at him with blank eyes.  “I don’t know what that means, but these were in my pocket from earlier!”  He motioned for Solomon to come closer and poured a few of the gummies into his hand.  “This is my last pouch—eat them fast.  They might be our last bit of yummy food before we have to eat Simeon’s nightmares.”

Solomon bobbed his head, before dumping the fruit snacks into his mouth all at once, savoring their sweet taste.  He gestured toward Luke.  “Do you always keep those on you?”

The angel’s offended gasp could be heard by all the demons in the convenience store.  “I’m a ten-year-old, Solomon!  Of course, I keep fruit snacks in my pocket!”

Hour 4

It wasn’t that Simeon was a bad driver.  It was just that driving in the Devildom (and the Human World) was very different from driving in the Celestial Realm.

Here, in uncontrolled intersections, it wasn’t customary to say “hello” to the drivers rolling to a stop in all directions.  Even stranger, the traffic lights weren’t celestial blue, gold, and white, but rather red, green, and yellow! 

Luke, who had discovered a “2020 Devildom Rules of the Road” manual crumpled inside one of the cupholders, was forced to bark instructions at the eldest angel, all while offering condescending commentary on how imbecilic the rules of driving in the Devildom were.

“Simeon!  Listen to this!  In the Devildom, you have to obey the posted speed limits, or else you’ll get in trouble!” realized Luke.

“Wait—you don’t have speed limits in the Celestial Realm?” Solomon asked.

Luke replied smugly, “No, because angels have the sense to know how fast they should or shouldn’t be driving.”

“Wow, that’s honestly impressive.”  Solomon grimaced as Simeon ran through another red light.  “Remember, if the light is red, then you have to stop.”

Simeon offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m so used to remembering that blue means ‘stop.’”

Solomon slunk low in his seat, knowing better than to rile up the angel, who was rumored to have a feisty side when he got angry.  “I just hope the police or whatever they have here don’t catch us for breaking so many traffic laws.”

“What’s a ‘police?’” asked Luke.

“Oh, you know … people who are supposed to make people follow the laws and stuff,” replied Solomon.  His eyes widened.  “Do you not have a police force in the Celestial Realm?”

“The Celestial Realm is a perfect world, Solomon,” answered Simeon.  “We don’t need police.”

Hour 6

Solomon didn’t know that he could get sick of songs.  Sure, he got tired of the “Despacito” remix after the first dozen times it was played on the radio—but he meant real music.  

“Amazing Grace” in particular.

Luke’s favorite album, 1001 Hymns to Praise Him, really should’ve been called 1001 Ways An Angelic Choir Can Sing “Amazing Grace” because Solomon swore about ninety percent of the songs on the album were just renditions of the classic hymn sung by different groups of angels.

And this seemed to bother neither of his driving companions, who crooned along to the choir in heavenly tones—it seemed to be a prerequisite for angels to be divine singers—without missing a beat.  

He hadn’t even known all the words to “Amazing Grace,” but now he could recite all six verses on demand.  He fought the urge to smash the “eject” button on the CD player, but he worried that Luke would throw a fit or Simeon would look at him with a stare so full of disappointment that Solomon would be willing to throw himself off a bridge just to rid himself of its gaze.

But one could only hear the line “amazing grace, how sweet the sound,” so many times.

He had to do something.

“Hey!  I have an idea!” Solomon chirped.  “Let’s make up our own song!”

He had to fight the urge to smack himself upside the head.  Why did he say that?  He had no ideas for potential song lyrics!

“I like that!” Luke pursed his lips, deep in thought.  “Here, let’s have the first lines go like this: ‘Father, You are all that I need!’”

Simeon used one hand to snap out the beat, and continued, “‘Father, listen to my creed!’”

Solomon sighed.

He did not know if this was any better.

Hour 8

“Luke, wake up.  We’re here.”  Solomon couldn’t help but layer on the desperation thick as he shook the younger angel awake, despite the fact that they were in no danger whatsoever.

Luke shot up, trying very hard to hide the fact that he had been drooling all over his shoulder.  He rubbed his sleep-filled eyes. “What?  Did we beat all the other demons here?  Are the Caverns of Degeneracy as hideous as I imagined?”

Solomon unbuckled Luke’s seatbelt and dragged him out of the car.  He snickered, saying, “We’re not at the Caverns, yet.”  He gestured toward their surroundings, which now consisted of precarious cliffs and rocky crags instead of the open road of the Devildom. 

Simeon stood a few feet ahead of them and turned around, spreading his arms wide in wonder.  “Welcome to Sinner Falls!”

Luke stared at the dark stone formations.  “I don’t see any waterfalls.”

“That’s because Sinner Falls isn’t a waterfall,” Solomon explained.  “You probably better know it as ‘the Abyss—’”

“‘The Abyss? ’  Why didn’t you say so?”  Luke exclaimed, his eyes glittering excitedly.  “The place where demons are tortured for a thousand years during the Millenium has always been one of my dream places to visit!”

Simeon smiled, a little taken aback by the younger angel’s enthusiasm.  “If we’re lucky, we might get to see Abaddon, Angel of the Abyss. He’s supposed to be guarding the canyon up ahead.”

“If we see him, do you think he’ll let me call him ‘Abba?’” teased Solomon, even though the remark earned him a kick in the shin and a “He most certainly will not!  How dare you even say such a thing about one of the most high-ranking angels!” from Luke.

“Careful now, Solomon,” Simeon warned, as the trio walked toward the deep canyon amongst the cliffs.  As far as anyone could tell, there was no end to the inky, suffocating blackness that was visible when looking down into it.  He pointed into the canyon.  “This is the Abyss—er, Sinner Falls.  Us angels cannot pass this invisible barrier—” he pressed his hand out to the ledge of the canyon, only for it to smash against some kind of unseen wall, “—but any human or demon who falls down into it falls for eternity, never to come back to the surface.”

Luke beamed. “That must be why it’s called ‘Sinner Falls!’  Because most humans and all demons are sinners!”  Despite this, he grabbed Solomon’s hand to prevent him from wandering too close to Sinner Falls’ ledge (as he was wont to do), because, despite their bickering and mutual pestering, Luke had a soft spot for the sorcerer.

Simeon followed in suit and intertwined his fingers with Solomon as the trio looked down into the great Abyss, wondering if any of their demon friends would be among the many thrown into it one day.

Hour 9

Simeon rifled through his messenger bag, intent on looking for something to eat.  He had made sure to pack plenty of goodies and was pleased as to how nutritious the snacks he’d made had turned out.  He scooped a handful of edamame and chickpea trail mix into his hand and turned to Luke, who was hunched over a map in the back passenger seat. 

“You haven’t eaten anything in over eight hours; aren’t you hungry?”  Simeon offered him the bag of trail mix.

Luke gulped, as he beamed and shook his head.  “N—no, no!  I’m okay!”

Simeon shrugged and held out the bag toward Solomon, who was driving.  “Do you want some?  I can pour it into your mouth if you want, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.”

“As titillating as that sounds,” said the sorcerer, “I’m afraid I’m not hungry at the moment.”

“I guess that’s more for me, then.”  Simeon poured more of the trail mix into his palm, but before he could eat any of it, he heard a strange sound.

It was a low rumble, but very, very loud.

It almost sounded like … stomachs growling?

He whirled to face Luke and Solomon and scratched his head in confusion.  “Are you two sure you’re not hungry?”

When the pair shook their heads furiously, Simeon raised an eyebrow.  He yanked out from his bag the stuffed dried dates and the oatmeal-honey-sesame-black-bean balls.  “So … you two wouldn’t mind if I ate all of the snacks?”

“Yeah, sure, go nuts, Simeon,” Solomon assured.  He winced as his and Luke’s stomaches rumbled in unison.  “You wouldn’t actually have any nuts in that bag o’ treats, would you?  Preferably of the chocolate-covered variety?” 

“The dates have almond butter stuffed inside them,” pointed out Luke helpfully, although his expression was less-than-enthused.

Simeon raised his other eyebrow.  Clearly the pair were hungry but refusing food.  What kind of rebellious spirit had gotten into them?  Didn’t they know that food was essential to oh, survival?   His left eye twitched as he felt a black miasma of rage cover him. “If you two don’t eat, I’m turning this car around.  That’s a promise.”

Solomon exchanged nervous glances with Luke at the normally calm angel’s outburst. “Angry Simeon is scary,” he whimpered.

“If you don’t eat, you’ll see just how scary I can be,” promised Simeon with a smile that bordered downright terrifying.  He plopped an oatmeal-honey-sesame-black-bean ball into Solomon’s mouth and handed a stuffed date to Luke.  “Now, eat your snacks.”

He definitely didn’t miss Luke’s grumpy, “Yes, mother.”

Hour 11

“Solomon, I hate to complain—” which earned a snort from the sorcerer, as Luke continued, “but do you really have to play that now?”  He gestured toward the sound system, which, now that it was Simeon’s turn to drive, blared 1001 Hymns to Praise Him.  “Seven Lyres is my favorite orchestra and their take on ‘Amazing Grace’ is simply the best!”

Solomon, who had purposely pulled out a reed pipe from his backpack in an effort to drown out the nine thousandth chorus of “Amazing Grace,” sighed and put it down.  He knew he wasn’t an expert in playing the reed pipe—in fact, this was the first time he’d ever seen the instrument, but the racket was so soothing.

“Where did you even get that from, anyway?” asked Simeon.

“Found it in my backpack.  I didn’t pack it, but considering there was a note attached to it that said ‘Blow,’ I think Asmo put it there as some kind of visual innuendo.”  Solomon shrugged.  “Now seemed like as good a time as any to play it.”

 Luke tapped his chin thoughtfully.  “What’s an ‘innuendo?’”

“Something you’re not allowed to make until you’re much older,” replied Simeon sternly. 

Luke seemed satisfied with the answer and held out his palm toward Solomon.  “May I try?”

Solomon handed the reed pipe over and cocked his head.  “You know how to play?”

He received his answer when Luke gestured for him to lower the stereo volume (which Solomon did with immense pleasure) and began to carefully place his fingers over the openings and gently blow into the instrument.

The young angel played masterfully and Solomon would’ve given him a standing ovation if it weren’t for one tiny thing.

“Why don’t you play a different song besides ‘Amazing Grace?’”  he suggested.

Luke furrowed his brows.  “It’s the only thing I know how to play!”

Hour 12

“I don’t like this place, Simeon,” Luke mumbled, yanking his hat over his eyes.  “It looks like something straight from the End Times.”

He, of course, was referring to the town at which’s city limits they stood in front of.  It was one of the last tourist spots that Simeon had wanted to visit, and it was renowned for being one of the Devildom’s most haunted ghost towns.

Solomon nodded.  “I’m with the Chihuahua.  I’m super excited for the end of the world, and even I’m not getting a good feeling from whatever-this-place-is-called.”

“Deathblow Beggar’s Pass,” answered Simeon, ogling the city entrance sign gleefully.  “They say it’s the most haunted district in all of the Devildom.”  He took a step onto the creaky wooden path that led into the town.  “It’s been evacuated for centuries and now, even most demons are petrified to go inside.”

Luke gripped Simeon’s cape so tight, his knuckles turned white.  “Then why do you want to visit this place?”

“Don’t worry, Luke,” the older angel said (avoiding the question, which the young angel noticed), laughing, as he tousled Luke’s hair under his hat.  “I’ll make sure none of the scary ghosts come near you.”

Luke’s eyes widened.  “Sc—scary ghosts?”  He cleared his throat when he realized how incredibly uncourageous he sounded.  “I—I mean I’m not scared of any g—g—ghosts!”

Solomon and Simeon shared a secret smile at the angel’s feigned bravery, and instead of teasing him, Solomon turned to Luke very seriously.  “I strictly deal with demons, not ghosts.  How about you do me a favor and sit on my shoulders to be my lookout in case any of those ghosts try to pull anything?”

“W—well if you need my help, I’m definitely willing to offer it!” Luke blushed as he climbed onto Solomon’s shoulders.  “It’s my duty as an angel to help humans, after all!”

“That’s the ‘spirit,’” Solomon said.  He laughed when he saw the angels’ unamused faces.  “Get it?  ‘Cause we’re walking into a ghost town?”

Simeon laughed stiffly as to not hurt the sorcerer’s feelings before straightening his posture and looking ahead.  He channeled his inner fantasy writer as he declared, “Get ready, everyone!  We must put aside our doubts and fears as we charge forward into Deathblow Beggar’s Pass, where no creature has exited without releasing screams that could curdle the blood of the Demon Lord!  We might not be of this world, but we certainly can brave its most terrifying sites!”

It would have been a very heroic speech if it weren’t for the fact that not five minutes after the trio entered the city limits, Solomon and Simeon sprinted out, with Luke wailing loudly.

“That was the worst ever!” the little angel blubbered, yanking Solomon’s hair.

The sorcerer didn’t even have enough energy to flinch as he panted, “What in the name of all things unholy was that?”

There was nothing but fear in Simeon’s eyes as he doubled over, trying to catch his breath.  “We should’ve known the saloon bathroom stalls wouldn’t be empty.”  He gagged.  “I never want to see millennia-old demon penis again.”

Hour 15

“Simeon, are we there yet ?” asked Luke for the twenty-first time in the hour.

The other angel sighed.  “Almost, Luke.  Just a few more minutes.”

“Don’t you have the map?” Solomon pointed out as he honked the horn in irritation at a slow driver ahead of him.  “Shouldn’t you know where we are?”

Luke fussed with the multitude of papers that were stacked on his lap.  “I only have the stuff for Simeon’s places.”  His eyes opened wide in realization.  “Wait—how do you guys know where to drive if my maps don’t lead to the Caverns of Degeneracy?” 

“Diavolo said as long as we travel along Route 666 until we see the sign markers, we should have no problem getting there,” explained Simeon.  He peered ahead and squinted at one of the upcoming signs.  “And look—that sign says that the Caverns of Degeneracy are ten miles up ahead.”

“I hope we’re the first ones there,” said Luke.  “It’ll be nice to see all the looks on those dumb demons’ faces when we get there before them.”

Solomon pursed his lips.  “Speaking of those ‘dumb demons,’ I wonder if they’re all right.  We haven’t heard from them since we left Purgatory Hall.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Simeon assured.  He let out a laugh as he continued, “Assuming they haven’t killed each other already.  It must be hard having all seven of them cooped up in one small space.”

“We can only hope,” said Luke solemnly.  He paused for a moment as he shimmied as far as his seatbelt would allow him and peered over Solomon’s shoulder to look at what was going on in the front seats.  He pointed at the gear shift. “What does ‘D’ mean?”

“I’m not supposed to say that word in front of you,” answered Solomon as Simeon simultaneously replied, “Drive.”

“Oh.  What does ‘R’ mean, then?”

Simeon replied, “Reverse,” before Solomon could say anything.

At the elder angel’s preemptive glare, Solomon widened his eyes and innocently said, “I was going to say ‘reverse,’ as in ‘Uno Reverse Card.’’”

Luke turned toward the dashboard.  “What’s ‘E?’”

“I feel if I say ‘Evanescence,’ Simeon is going to yell at me, so I’ll just go with ‘empty,’” pouted Solomon.  

“Empty what?”

“Gas.”

“So … since that line-thingy is almost at ‘E,’ that means we’re nearly out of gas?”  

“Yep.”

Simeon turned around to cover Luke’s ears at Solomon’s next sentence: “Holy shit—we’re almost out of gas!”

The older angel’s eyes promised murder as he stared at the sorcerer, before directing his stare to the fuel gauge.  “We’re running on fumes.”

“We need to refuel, stat.  Simeon, grab my D.D.D and look up the nearest gas station,” directed Solomon.  “I always forget that Mammon’s car is a gas-guzzler.” 

“What should I do, Solomon?” asked Luke, eagerly awaiting orders like a baby soldier.

The sorcerer nodded, deadly serious.  “Sit there and be cute.”

Luke pouted as Simeon—with surprising speed—brought up a log of the nearest gas stations on Solomon’s D.D.D.  “There should be a station three miles ahead.”

Solomon frowned as he analyzed their fuel gauge.  “I’m not sure we’ll make it.”

“We have to!” cried Luke.  “How will we ever beat those demons if we don’t even make it to the Caverns of Degeneracy?”  

“We’ll have to trust that Mammon’s baby is strong enough to get us to the gas station, then.”  Solomon stroked the dashboard as if trying to offer the vehicle some kind of encouragement.  

And as the car’s fuel began to peter out, Simeon and Luke began to cheer in chorus, “You can do it, Mammon’s car!” while Solomon exclaimed, “You’re a fierce, strong woman who doesn’t need any man to tell you that your fuel gauge is empty!”  

After an eternity (okay, it was more like five minutes), the Demonio 666 Lexura finally eked it’s way to the first pump at a Demobil gas station. 

As the engine sputtered out, the trio let out a cheer, and Solomon and Simeon shared a hug in the front seat.

“Thank Father we made it!” exclaimed Luke as he unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car.  He pat Mammon’s car.  “Also, thank you for getting us here, even if you belong to the scummiest demon in the Devildom.”

Solomon grinned and turned to Simeon.  “You spotted the gas bill last time, so I’ll do it now.”

“Are you sure?” asked Simeon.  “My TSL royalties are huge, even after I’ve tithed my ten percent.  I’ve got no problem paying.”

“Nah, it’s fine—you can go stretch your legs.” With that, Solomon exited the car and began to work the gas pump.

Simeon nodded and together with Luke, walked toward the attached Demobil convenience store.  By the entrance stood a higher-level demon, who appeared to be selling bouquets of fresh flowers.

The vendor, who had noticed the pair exit Mammon’s car and had seen Solomon get up to pump the gas, called to Simeon, “Flower for your Mister?”  He gestured toward the white-haired sorcerer. 

Luke gasped, absolutely scandalized, and huffed, “Simeon would never settle for a human!” while Simeon chuckled, replying, “I’m sorry, he’s not my ‘Mister,’ but I’ll take a bouquet, anyway.”

After exchanging Grimm for the flowers, Simeon and Luke strolled back to the Demonio 666 Lexura, where Solomon was just closing the fuel tank. 

“Simeon bought you flowers!” announced Luke.

The angel nodded as he handed the sunny bouquet to Solomon.  “It matches your wand.”

“How did you know gerberas are my favorite?” laughed Solomon.  “These are great—thank you.”  As they all piled back into the car, he carefully arranged the flowers in one of the cupholders and beamed, because God,  sometimes the angel was so nice. 

The group drove in silence for a few moments before Luke commented, “I didn’t know gerberas smelled like … salt?”

Simeon sniffed the air.  “I think that’s the sea.  After all, the Caverns of Degeneracy are right along the beach.”

Just as the angel spoke the words, Solomon pulled right into a parking lot that was situated right next to miles and miles of black sand.  

Luke cheered, kicking his feet at Solomon’s seat excitedly.  “Yay!  We’re here!”

Their road trip had finally come to an end.

Destination

After wandering the beach for a few moments, the trio eventually found themselves at the mouth of the Caverns of Degeneracy, which turned out to be several huge caves filled with glowing pastel stalactites and stalagmites.  Hellfireflies twinkled in the air, while friendly gentlemanbugs strolled about the cavern floor.  Some kind of glittering pink moss had been used to adorn the walls with the words, “R.A.D Bleeding Hearts Festival 2020.”

In the middle of it all stood Diavolo, who was discussing the festival decorations with Barbatos.

As soon as he saw the Demon Prince, Luke raced up and, bobbing uncontrollably, asked, “Are we first?  Are we first?” 

Diavolo let out a hearty laugh.  “Welcome you three!  And first for what, Luke?”

Solomon sauntered up and answered, “To arrive.”

“Luke’s been very anxious to know if we’re the first ones here at the festival,” elaborated Simeon, placing his hand on the younger angel’s shoulder.

“You make it seem like it was a competition to get here first—which, yes, you three are,” said Diavolo.  His eyes lit up.  “That’s an excellent idea, though!  Next year, we’ll make the R.A.D C.D a contest to see can make it to the Caverns the fastest!  First place will get a coupon for teatime with me!”

Luke wrinkled his nose.  “Teatime with you?  That sounds—”

“Incredibly fun,” cut in Simeon smoothly.  He turned to Diavolo.  “Have you gotten any word from those seven demon brothers?”

Diavolo grimaced.  “It seems that they’ll be late.  Beelzebub ate all their road trip snacks immediately as he entered Asmodeus’ tour bus, so they had to stop for food at every fast food restaurant they could find because he still wasn’t satisfied, Belphegor kept falling asleep at the wheel, and Mammon got so many speeding violations and every time the police showed up, Asmodeus tried to seduce his way out of their ticket, which only earned them more fines and lectures from Lucifer.  It’s comic-con season, so of course, Leviathan had to stop at every convention center along the way, and unsurprisingly, Satan’s road rage forced him to get into out-of-car fights with every driver he encountered when he was at the wheel.”  He sighed.  “They managed to turn a fifteen-hour trip into a twenty-two hour one.”

Solomon smiled as he said, “I guess we should’ve expected that.”  His grin grew even wider as he gestured toward his traveling companions.  “Meanwhile, we did all fifteen-hours of driving—courtesy of me bending the speeding rules quite a bit when there was no traffic— and saw some of the sights of the Devildom along the way.”

“Oooh, did you manage to get any pictures?” asked Diavolo with an excited gleam in his eye.  “I always want to travel around the Devildom but never get the chance.”

Simeon nodded as he pulled out from his messenger bag some of the pictures he had asked fellow tourists to snap with his instant camera.  He handed them one by one to Diavolo and beamed at the goofy scenes.

The first one was from when they stopped at the Maw of Beelzebub: Solomon teasingly dangled Luke’s hat over the bridge’s railing while the young angel cried and stomped on the sorcerer’s foot in retaliation.  Simeon, meanwhile, tried to rescue Luke’s hat.

The second photo showcased Solomon sitting at the ledge of Sinner Falls with his feet swinging over the bottomless canyon.  Luke and Simeon posed obnoxiously as if they were going to fall into the Abyss, even though as angels, they were unable to.  

The final picture was the only one he had from Deathblow Beggar’s Pass, and it was of the trio crouched in front of the sign that spelled “Enjoy your stay at Deathblow Beggar’s Pass!”

Diavolo examined the images wistfully.  He sighed as he handed the photos back to Simeon.  “You three looked as if you made some fun memories.”

The angels and the sorcerer exchanged contented glances and chorused, “We most certainly did.”

[beenjen]

Deep thoughts with Jen - mainly, is it that I just don’t want to tackle folding this mountain?

But really, busy morning here. Cleaned the house - I even took the swifter under Jamis’ bed and he put all the flotsam up.... that feels like such an accomplishment! Too, was able to do a masked grocery run and it feels great to have loaded up on fresh veggies

I feel like one of those memes where people say ‘could you live like this for a year?’ Haha except I still love cheese and the meats.

On a more serious note, and capitalizing on Lilith’s nap time, I’ve done a lot of thinking over some posts I’ve seen lately, and have had some deep conversations of late, that lead me to considering about the mental health aspect of weight loss, poor eating habits, unhealthy choices, etc. and I’ll admit, for a long time, I didn’t think I really had any holdover emotions to why I was overweight and the steps that got me there? And not just once, but this is the second time I’ve come back from 200 pounds....

What I epihonied, was that from a very young age, I’ve been surrounded by either using food to cope; in times of sadness, or to celebrate, or anything, being based solely on foods, v being told eating was bad. Some key moments I’ve been able to finger;

1) my moms mom lived through the Great Depression, she lost a baby brother who had a cows milk allergy, and he starved to death because the neighbor wouldn’t share their goats milk, and her mom was so sick after having him, she wasn’t making milk. There’s so much there, but the point I’m aiming for, is that she spent her life trying to feed everyone. If we didn’t eat when we went to her house, she pushed and pushed, and it was from a place of love, but developed unhealthy habits of eating to please others, eating when I wasn’t hungry, etc.

2) my mother has been overweight, and not just overweight, but morbidly obese, throughout my whole life. I watched her yo-yo diet, dropping weight, then gaining it back, justifying fast food, overindulgences, etc. and my fathers family would say things such as ‘are you sure you want to eat that? You’ll get fat like your momma’ and my great-grandmother telling me at 7, that my butt was big and ‘you need to watch what you eat, you’re already getting a fat ass’ - I realize now, the women on that side of the family, saw that my grandfather was a serial cheater, and they attributed that to my dads mom no longer being a size 5 after 4 kids.

3) as a teenager, my brother telling my mom he didn’t want her around his friends in a bathing suit because she looked like a ‘beached whale’ and it upsetting her, and me internalizing that weight and what you looked like, was how people would see you, not the person you were. Too, as a mom myself, having a fear of my kids being ashamed of me, or my husband being embarrassed if I wasn’t a certain size, et al.

4) a guy I dated in high school, telling me I had a weird fat roll behind my left knee and that I should ‘work on it’ - and I was a super thin teen, size 2, was an avid gymnist, ran, swam, worked out 2 hours a day for training, and have never been fitter, that’s just my body. Mainly he was a dick, which I later learned, and this wasn’t so much a pivotal moment as much as an example of how people can build you up or break you down with words.

5) my overvisceral reaction to comments made to my kids about their weight - telling my 2 y/o she has a ‘fat tummy’ or random other comments about my son. Also I want to note here, my kids are absolutely healthy, even on the leaner side, so never has there been a worry about them being overweight, and I realize it’s meant as a joking haha moment, but I completely lashed out that children shouldn’t be taunted about their weight, and everyone thought I was nuts, but now I know why I responded as harshly as I did.

So, all the above being said, I feel like I completely had been geared to have an unhealthy relationship with food. There was never an understanding of healthful habits, portion control, that food was nutrition and part of life, that our bodies and the shape of them garnered us affection and worth. I have come so far about recognizing when I’m full and not having to clean my plate because it’s there, not having something I really don’t want so as to not upset someone, that it’s really ok not to eat, or to eat, and that it’s important to have a balanced diet moving forward, for my health and my families health, not just to look a certain way. Too, I want my kids to not have these hang ups, I want them to be active, and healthfully eat and not be obsessive regarding food/weight and I want them to learn this seeing us make good decisions, being comfortable with our bodies, eating real and nutritious meals. Not eschewing certain things out of fear to gain wait, what have you.

This was such a powerful thing for me to associate. Not because I want to be thin, not because the scale defines me, but because I notice how harmful a weight bias can be and because though weight is important health wise, it is not end all be all, too, because breaking and keeping broken, bad habits, so often stems from events in our past that we may not even realize. And I want to break the cycle.

Also, I want to recognize, that I completely have a life outside of my weight, food choices and exercise routine. Though a lot of what I say relates to this, I also am a mom of 2 amazing flipping kids. I have an adoring husband that is the balancing center of my universe, he is super supportive (obviously if you’ve followed my blog you’ll know we have our moments of poor communication and overall crankiness as well), I have a full family, extended family, friends, pets.... I work full time, and have an accomplished career. I am a part of a team that helps people. I work with my kids schools/daycare on projects and demonstrations. There is so much more to me than this one issue, it just happens to be a focus at the moment, and that’s ok too.

I guess that’s it. I really need to go fold those damn clothes and finish putting away the rest of the groceries. So that I can sit on the couch and snug my Jamis until little sister wakes up and we all head out for a family walk. Then I really need to think about the delicious tuna steaks I have seasoning and if I should go with roasted asparagus, roasted green beans or a salad as a side.....

That being said, we all struggle. Struggling is part of the process, it’s what you do after, that defines you xx

[tournesolia]

Chaos Lineage Yuma Chapter 1 Translation

Place : Scarlet mansion – Vacant room

Yui : I choose Yuma-san...

Yuma : What ? Me ? Well, I'm the one who turns out to be the best guard here

Fine with me, I accept. But you're gonna lend me extra help in return

Yui : Okay...

Yuma : Now that we're settled, I've got no choice but to take you... Hey, wait for a bit

Yui : O-Okay ?

*some time passes

Yui : (It's been quite a while since everyone left the room...)

(Should I just stay here ?)

(I imagined incredible things like being chained in jail or being tortured since it's a battle to become the supreme ruler...)

(That's a relief)

*someone suddenly enters the room

Yui : Kyaaa... !?

Yuma : Ah ? Why are you freaked out ?

Yui : Y-Yuma-san... ? Well, you didn't knock at the door before entering...

Yuma : Why would I do that ? I'm your guard so I enter your room whenever I like

Yui : I-I think that even if you're my guard, you can't enter my room without permission...

Yuma : How annoying... Looks like you don't understand your position yet

Yui : What... ?

*Yuma gets close to Yui and lifts her

Yui : Yaah... ! What are you doing all of a sudden !? Please put me down !

Yuma : Tch... Stop struggling. You want me to drop you ?

Yui : But you suddenly... !

Yuma : Shut up

Yui : … !

Yuma : Looks like you guessed it wrong, I'm not gonna have you sit like a doll

You're gonna... give me plenty of help

Yui : … !

(I was over-optimistic after all. I can't get away with this without a price. I have to do things from now on...!)

Yuma : Now, let's go

Yui : (Even if I struggle, I can't run away from him)

(Where exactly is he bringing me to...?)

Scene change : Scarlet mansion – Garden

Yui : (… T-This place is...)

Yuma : Look, we arrived. Stop dozing off and get off

*Yuma drops Yui

Yui : Kyaa !

Y-You didn't have to drop me all of a sudden... !

Yuma : You stay here. Don't do anything weird other than what I instruct you

Yui : Um, where are we... ?

Yuma : My vegetable garden. It's not big enough, though

Yui : Vegetable garden... So this is a vegetable garden

And... what are we doing in a vegetable garden ?

Yuma : Haa ? To grow vegetables and harvest them, duh. What else do you think we do ?

Yui : I-I thought you would take me to jail and torture me or find the way to become the supreme ruler...

Yuma : Heeeh... If you like that sort of thing, I can make you my pet

Yui : N-No thanks !

Yuma : Haha, you're getting all red. I don't have such bad hobbies, even if you ask me that badly

C'mon, take this

Yui : … A basket ?

Yuma : I'll pass the vegetables I harvested to you so hold it firmly

*Yuma leaves

Yui : (He began to check on the vegetables. It seems he really does farmwork...)

(I see, if he guards me while working in the fields, the best thing is to bring me here...)

(I'm ashamed of myself for panicking and imagining things...)

Yuma : We can harvest this area already

Yui : (He's skilled... What a surprise)

Um, do you always take care of the vegetable garden ?

Yuma : Yeah

Yui : I see...

(So Yuma-san takes care of the vegetable garden... It feels somewhat strange)

(He looks violent with his large build and not good with delicate work)

Yuma : Tch... You're staring at me. You got something to complain ?

Yui : T-That's not it... !

Um, is this one of your hobbies ?

Yuma : … No

Yui : Eh... ?

Yuma : It's not a hobby. But... I feel that I have to do it, sort of

As if I have always done this for someone...

Yui : (Yuma-san is troubled about something ? I can clearly hear some things he says until now, but...)

Yuma : Aah, shit ! Ignore that ! I don't have to tell you in the first place

Yui : O-Okay...

(Does he have an important reason... ? He's working very seriously)

(Yuma-san may be kinder than I thought)

Yuma : Tch... Hey, Eve !

Yui : Yes !?

Yuma : Are you gonna starin' at me forever !? Help me out a little !!

Yui : Eh ? But...

(You asked me to stay here...)

Choice 1 : Obey (white roses)

Yui : (Well, it's not good to just stand here watching Yuma-san working...)

(It may distract me as well if I move my body)

Is there something I can help you with ?

Yuma : Oh, showin' interest ? You face it well

Yui : I would feel sorry for not doing anything. So what should I do ?

Choice 2 : Complain (black roses)

Yui : Didn't you tell me to stay here ?

Yuma : So you won't do anything unless I tell you to ? You're well-off, huh

I asked you to help me out so you should obey quietly

Yui : … Understood

(T-That's preposterous...)

– End of choices

Yuma : Look, those are the vegetables to harvest right now

Yui : (Wow, the basket is full...!)

Yuma : Put them in that box. Sort them by size to make it easier to use later

Yui : U-Understood

(Oh, it's heavy...)

Yuma : You're unsteady ! Don't make a single scratch on my vegetables I'm proud of !

Yui : O-Okay...

(I can't believe I've been taken away by vampires and the first thing I do is farming...)

(But I don't feel out of place at all. I wonder why...)

*some time passes

Yui : Phew...

(It was very hard but moving my body made me feel a little better. All the vegetables look delicious)

(Huh ? Vampires are eating them, right ? So they also have ordinary meals ?)

Yuma : That should be enough. Now, let's just bring them for today's dinner

Yui : Do you and your brothers eat vegetables ?

Yuma : Well duh

Yui : I see. I thought vampires' meal is only blood...

Yuma : No, we only need blood to survive. But we're also hungry for other things because of the past

Yui : The past ?

Yuma : Yeah, after all, we were--

… ? What was that... ?

Yui : (Yuma-san began troubled again...)

Yuma : Shit, I don't get it well ! But we're eating meals, got it !?

Yui : I-I got it !

(W-Well, humans eat sweets even if they aren't nutritious to them... So it must be something like that ?)

(But to think he works so hard in the fields even if he doesn't need to eat vegetables...)

(Yuma-san is strange)

Yuma : You... What's with that weird look ?

Yui : Eh ? Well... I thought it was strange that you grow vegetables even though it's not necessary...

Yuma : Aah ? It's not necessary ?

Yui : (Ah... The atmosphere changed...)

Yuma : You don't know that painful feeling when you don't eat ?

Or you're laughting at us vampires for having meals ? For a tool, you're making a fool of us !

Yui : T-That's wrong ! I didn't... !

Yuma : Shut up with your complains !

*Yuma grabs Yui

Yui : Ouch... !?

(He lifted me from the ground... !? He's incredibly strong... ! I can't push him away at all !)

Yuma... san... !

Yuma : If me growing vegetables is so funny to you...

I'll eat a vampire-like meal as you wish

Yui : (He will... suck my blood...!?)

No... ! Stop !

Yuma : You'll realise in a snap how it was a mistake to make me rage that much

Yui : Hiiii... !

Yuma : Ha... I had low expectations since you have a poor-looking body but your smell isn't bad...

*sucks blood

Yui : Ah... Hmm...

(His fangs are... He's really biting me...!)

(I can see that he's sucking my blood. A-At this rate, he's going to kill me...?)

Yuma : Hmm... Haa... So sweet... Maybe even more than sugars. Looks like I'll enjoy it...

Yui : (H-He already finished...?)

Yuma : Hey, it's not over. 'Cause I haven't drunk from here yet

Yui : No... No more... !

Yuma : That expression's nice as well... It's pretty arousing... *sucks blood

Yui : (O-Ouch... His fangs are piercing me many times... I don't understand well anymore--)

(As it is... will I become... a vampire's meal...?)

(But... When his giant body's near me... I strangely calm down... Why...?)

*flashback

Yui : (…!?)

*end of flashback

Yui : (What was it just now ? It was a familiar place...)

*Yui gets other flashbacks of differents places from the Mukami house

Yui : (Uuh... I'm having a... headache)

*end of flashback

Yuma : … Haa... Your blood is the best. Looks like I can't stop

Hm ? Hey, what's up ?

Yui : My head... AAAAAAAAAAAAH !

*screen goes blank

Yui : (Ah... Why...?)

(Why did I forget ?)

Yuma : Hey, hey ! Tch... Did I suck too much ?

Yui : Ah... Yuma-kun...

(Why didn't I remember until now ?)

(Yuma-kun's my beloved one... He's someone precious to me, and yet...)

Yuma : What ? Have you gone crazy or something ?

If you become weird, that Reiji guy's gonna be noisy

Yui : (Reiji-san... ? That's right, why Yuma-kun is in the same family as Reiji-san and the others ?)

(I woke up in a church and was brought in this mansion...)

(I'm supposed to live with the Mukamis as usual. Since when am I in such a place ?)

(Where am I in the first place ?)

Yuma : Hey, we should go back soon. He'll sermon us if we're late at dinner

Yui : W-Wait, Yuma-kun ! What on earth is happening !?

Yuma : Haa ?

Yui : Where are we ? Who exactly this mansion belong to... ?

We're not in Kaminashi Town, right ?

Yuma : The heck are you talking about ?

Yui : (… ! Yuma-kun ? Could it be his memories are...?)

H-Hey... Do you remember Ruki-kun, Kou-kun... and Azusa-kun ?

Yuma : Ah ? I don't remember then but I know their faces well. After all--

They're all enemies who compete for Eve

Yui : N... No way...

(Enemies ? That... That can't be !)

Did you forget Ruki-kun, Kou-kun and Azusa-kun !? And you had such a good relationship...!

Yuma : Stop telling me sickening jokes ! Me, getting along with that Ruki bastard ? That eldest son dude from the Oranges ?

Even if we let the enemy part aside, he's a bad cocky guy. I dunno what he's thinking to himself

Kou and Azusa are those Violet brothers, huh ? They get on my nerves when they sneak in

Yui : (No way... Yuma-kun is...)

(For Yuma-kun to speak about his brothers like that...)

Yuma : What's with that pale face ? We're done here so let's return to the mansion

Yui : (Does Yuma-kun happen to have his memories altered ?)

(No, all the others are like that as well. Did they lost their memories just like me before ?)

(How did this happen !?)

Yuma : Hey, if you keep that shitty attitude towards me, I'll seriously get mad

Yui : P-Please... Let me check one last thing...

Don't you remember that we're lovers either... ?

Yuma : I'm your lover ?

Yui : That's right... We talked about various things and overcame a lot of difficulties together--

(We understood each other, and yet...)

Yuma : Okay, look...

*Yuma grabs Yui hard

Yui : Ouch... !?

(It hurts... ! My shoulder... He won't let go !)

Yuma : … Don't carry your jokes to extremes. I fucking hate annoying women like you

Yui : … !

Yuma : Your true intentions may be to beg for me to let you escape but that ain't gonna happen

Yui : I-It hurts... Yuma-kun, please... Let me go...

Yuma : This will teach you a lesson, don't say fucking nauseating things like that ever again

*Yuma drops her

Yui : Ouch... !

(The place where he grabbed me is numb... I can't feel it)

(Besides, Yuma-kun's eyes are ferocious and... scary. Like the time when we just met...)

Yuma : I'll tell you this so you don't misunderstand

I may be your guard but that's just because you're Eve

You're a tool to become the supreme ruler. You have no more value than that

Yui : … Yuma-kun...

Yuma : If you get it, don't say weird stuff ever again

Yui : …

Yuma : Don't keep silent. Say “Understood”

Yui : … Under... stood...

Yuma : That will do. C'mon, stand up and get ready. We're going back to the mansion

Yui : … Okay

*Yuma leaves

Yui : (An unknown land. Everyone having strange memories. A battle to become the supreme ruler--)

(What exactly have I gotten into...?)

Chapter 1 : End

[wendylewis-blog]

03.22.2020 /bad.morning.

I woke up around 6:30 am. The sky was getting lighter through the brown blinds hung on the south side bedroom window. It looked so peaceful peeking through the slats. Pink smeared with grey, the next day arriving. Here it is. The next day. When I let Sonny out, I saw a skim of snow had fallen overnight, covering the ground. It felt like a clouded metaphor. 

A reply in FB this morning from a NC high school friend sorta clarified that metaphor in some way. Donna said, Most all of the cherry trees in Winston-Salem have been replaced with Bradford Pears and, while beautiful when they bloom, they have a pungent, unpleasant odor . . . maybe a sign that beauty is truly only skin deep. Thank you, Donna. 

And maybe truth is only skin deep? At least, the truth being espoused by our government lately? I dunno, huh? Politicians are only saving themselves right now and it feels exceedingly shallow, skin deep and dirty. There is no real leadership on top but plenty of ego and fairytales spinning. Gah. Fk. We are all being rendered helpless for so many reasons, ones I cannot possibly enumerate. I’m not even gonna try. That’s not the point. 

Meanwhile, in my state of MN, I’m gonna take a minute to applaud our Gov Tim Walz. He is in touch with us, speaking hard truths without lip gloss, and working to come up with survival plans and simply—good solid advice for our state going forward. I am sure he is working hard for us.

Meanwhile, I honestly don’t give a shit about the stock market (sorry for those of you who are losing your investments and retirement :((( ) but am very much more concerned about those working in service industries; restaurants, small businesses and retailers, vintage stores, musicians and performers of every kind, daycare workers, delivery drivers and so many more I’m not able to list right now—it’s too enormous, all of us hinged with each other on any working calendar day. Bless all of you. Hang in there... be in touch. I want to hear from you.

OK. Pulling myself together a little more. My personal deal is, I’m away from my children and my 6-month old grandson, Ezra. I don’t know when I’ll see them in person again. Fk. But I am gratefully in place with my amazing husband and that guy makes me laugh every damn day. Like, what would I do without him? We DO have to keep laughing, it’s a Vonnegut thing. I also recommend all of you following Tony Baker on Instagram. If you don’t have Instagram, just GET IT. In addition to my husband, Tony is keeping me afloat all day every day. He’s posting like a maniac. Skiddlety-paps! Thanks to my friend Annie who connected me. 

OK! Pulling myself together even a little more. Today is a Sunday. It helps to talk with anyone who is reading this. It might be a bit warmer today and at some point I will venture out onto the prairie and walk along the river with my trusted companion, Sonny. I’ll probably cry my face off. That will help. 

I’m listening to NPR right now, Michelle Lee in Alexandria, VA—a store owner. She’s on the front lines the same way the medical industry is. Honor them! They are putting themselves at risk, ALL DAY EVERY DAY, to check us out at the register with our provisions and stay as risk free as possible or treat us at the doors of clinics and hospitals. 

I thought about that yesterday as I paid cash for a purchase and felt like I was pouring contagion change into my wallet. Yikes! But, dood had hand sanitizer at the ready and was cleaning his hands after every customer came through. Way to GO! Soooo maybe my wallet isn’t a virus breeding container. Still, when I got home, I washed it. :) We can actually wash cash as well, if we are being uber careful, and soak our change in white vinegar. NOTE: There are more ways to disinfect than buying Clorox Bleach wipes which are utterly unavailable on the shelves. 

For those of you who care at all about cooking, and lately, we all might be, since we are stuck at home (but DO support your local restaurants with curb service take-out if you are WFH and financially able) you might wanna visit BonAppetit vids on YouTube. Super entertaining, instructive and FREE. If you go there and like beans (which are extremely available dried), check out Carla making the perfect pot of beans. I made them last week and they are still in my refrigerator—delivering for quesadillas, soup, cold from the fridge next to kraut, arugula, and cottage cheese (haha... me and my weird small cold plates)—and you can always freeze them in bags or containers. Super delicious and nutritious. Once you click on my BonAppetit link, you can scroll through endless other videos, go into that rabbit hole, calm yourself, trance out. After I finish this post, that’s what I’m gonna do. 

Final note. Friend Alissa wrote me on FB this morning and said this, in regard to cherry blossoms mentioned in my previous post: I just got my mom in touch with her family in Japan today after a long hiatus. and they were like pass this message on to her. which basically translated to the cherry blossoms are in season... (thanking my friend Kevin in Bed Stuy who sent me the link via FB mssngr)

It will be warmer today and—rain is coming. I might just take a walk in the rain with my deep sadness that I am trying to beat back. Thanks for listening, ppl. We all have our own worry and pain and separation from our loved ones. One day we’ll feel okay and the next, annihilated. It’s all good—we have to stay real and let our frustration and sadness be there and hopefully, later, be released. 

Let’s stick together. We have to, right? We do. YES. We do. I’ll be back sooner than you want me to. Hahaha. Gotcha.