#now i want an image of the shiba family house and as you walk in there's just a big portrait of mitsuya their favourite family member

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Mitsuya not just being included in the Shiva family photo but front and center even in front of taiju...

It's clear who this family values the most

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 23: Home

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[masterlist]

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After 5 long years, your family finally moves to a new house. It’s bigger than the house Kiyoomi first lived in. Since you have kids now, so more rooms must be added. You don’t even know how your husband managed to find such a big house that is close to the city.

Kia is beyond excited to have her own room after 3 long years of sharing it with her younger siblings “Wow! My room is so big!” Kia says in awe, her eyes wandering her new room. She climbs up the bed and jumps on it, letting out a series of laughter every time the sole of feet recognize the springy feeling. “I love my bed! It’s big and it’s all mine!”

“Kia, be careful or you’ll fall,” Kiyoomi warns her. Done checking with Kia, he follows Mina and your family dog, Momo, inside her new room. “Do you like it?”

“Where’s Momo’s bed?” Mina asks as she looks around the room for the said thing. The Shiba Inu follows behind her like a loyal servant.

“I thought you wanted Momo to sleep beside you?” Kia’s eyes turn wide in joy as she runs to her father. She raises her arms so Kiyoomi bends down and she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Momo, give papa a kiss too!” Mina cheers and the dog jumps on Kiyoomi. He catches him with his hands and stretches his arms away from his body.

“We’re not close enough to be kissing,” Kiyoomi tells Momo and puts him down. Momo resembles his cousin, Komori, so Kiyoomi feels awkward showing affection towards him.

Kiyoomi leaves Mina to discover her room, which is very kid-friendly since that’s what he specifically asked the interior designer of the house when it was being built. He then heads to where you and the twins are. From your posture and way of speaking, it seems like you’re having an argument with your youngest children.

“What’s wrong?” Kiyoomi asks you, casually putting a hand on your hip and pulling you close to him. He eyes Kin and sees the scowl on his son’s face. Kiyoomi sticks his tongue out, childishly mocking him.

“Stop that. He’s your son,” you scold your husband and he stops making fun of Kin. “Kin and Mira wants to sleep in their rooms.”

“Then, let them? Does it really matter?” Kiyoomi answers and the twins nod, agreeing to his words.

“We’re big now!” They tell you in unison.

“You’re three and you don’t want to sleep with mama anymore?” You sigh in disappointment.

“Are you scared on your own mama?” Kin frowns and you nod dramatically. Kiyoomi gags at your acting and you nudge his side with your elbow. “Do you want Kin to stay with you?”

“She has me,” Kiyoomi butts in and Kin gives him an unamused gaze.

“You’re not even home most of the time...” Kin rebuts with confidence. Kiyoomi grimaces at his son’s words and you just laugh. “Right, Mira?”

“Right!” Mira just agrees to whatever her twin brother says.

“Listen to the kids, Omi,” you whisper to him and he rolls his eyes. “Please set up the table in the garden. It’s almost dinner time.” You kiss your husband’s cheek and then you hear Kin chant that he wants kisses too. You fulfill your son’s wishes before skipping happily to your new kitchen.

The three of them set up the table just like you requested, while the two older girls help you in the kitchen. “I’m cooking the meat now,” Kiyoomi tells you as he takes out the meat from the freezer. You hum and continue cooking the other dishes.

“Go help your papa set up the table,” you order Kia and Mina. They wipe their hands clean before going out to help their father.

Kin and Mira keep running back and forth from the kitchen to the garden as they carry one plate at a time. Kia and Mina are arranging the table cloth and wiping the benches clean. Momo is helping by making sure that no bugs or birds are landing on the plates and being cute of course.

“Do you want meat?” Kiyoomi asks his kids. They don’t answer him as they are too preoccupied with other things.

Kia hears him and answers, “I’m not in the mood to eat meat papa.”

“Momo, do you want meat?” The dog barks at his question and points his forefingers at him. “You’re my favorite child for a reason.”

“Why is Momo your favorite child? You said you’re not even close enough to kiss!” Mina pouts and glares at her father.

“Mama said favoritism is bad!” Kia reprimands her father, her hands on her hips. “We are your children! You should love us equally!”

“Right! Love us equally!” Mira echoes her sister’s words, putting her hands on her hips as well.

“I thought I was your favorite!” Kin complains and Kiyoomi’s eyes dart at him.

“You don’t even like me!” Kiyoomi complains back and Kin raises his forefinger up as if he’s going to make such a great point.

“But mama said you specifically asked for me, which means I am your favorite,” Kin explains and just when Kiyoomi is about to make a retorting statement, Mira shouts.

“Papa! The meat is burning!”

“Shit!” Kiyoomi curses as he tries to weaken the fire. The garden falls dead silent as his kids stare at him in disbelief and shock. Their father could curse? “What?”

“You said a bad word!” Kia gasps dramatically.

“Said a bad word!” Mira mimics Kia’s dramatic gasp.

“No I didn’t!” Kiyoomi tries to argue, attempting to sound believable.

“Papa, stop lying. Even Momo heard it...” Mina says in disappointment. The barks as if he’s agreeing to Mina.

“Remember when I said I’ll buy you a trampoline when we move houses?” Kiyoomi tries to change the topic so he can escape his children’s interrogation.

“Shit!” Kin says loudly, and as if on cue, you go out to the garden and hear your three year old son cuss with all of his heart.

“Sakusa Kiyoomi! How many times do I have to warn you about not cussing in front of the kids?!” Kiyoomi face palms and glares at Kin. The younger boy just shrugs and runs to help you with the dishes you are carrying.

Before dinner starts, you want to take a picture of your family for keepsake. Sadly, that isn’t easy to do with four kids.

Mira and Kin are fighting over who gets to sit on your lap, leading to the twins crying. Kia is restless and hungry and just wants the picture to be taken but her siblings are acting up, which leads to her acting up as well. Mina is shy and hiding behind Momo. Kiyoomi is trying his best to make the twins to settle down so he attempts to take Kin away from you, but the boy just grabs his hair and tugs on it quite harshly.

In the photos taken, you have no good ones as expected. Kia is frowning at all the pictures. In one picture she’s rolling her eyes in irritation. Mina’s face can’t be seen since she’s hiding behind your family dog. Kin is still grabbing Kiyoomi’s hair and scratching his face, holding whatever is close to him. Mira is wailing on your lap and is screaming ‘papa’ since she wants to be with Kiyoomi now. Meanwhile, you and Kiyoomi look so tired and haggard in the photos. The only one who looks good in the photos is Momo. The dog is just sitting and smiling with his tongue out. So much for just one family picture.

Dinner finally starts after that chaotic pictorial and you say your thanks before eating. Kiyoomi cuts the burnt steak he cooked into smaller pieces and attempts to give it to Kin. His son rejects it so Kiyoomi sighs and takes the meat out of his bowl.

“I’ll eat it!” Kia volunteers and lifts her bowl so Kiyoomi can put the meat in it.

“I thought you were not in the mood for meat?” Kiyoomi raises an eyebrow at her but gives her the beef anyways.

“I changed my mind,” Kia reasons.

No, she didn’t. Kia hasn’t changed her mind. She really doesn’t want to eat the steak but when she saw Kiyoomi’s sad expression because of Kin’s rejection, she felt bad for him. She can’t scold Kin about rejecting food yet since he’s young, but she has to show him that the food their parents are providing them is special

“It’s good papa,” Kia compliments her father. Kiyoomi smiles at her and he continues to cook meat. She eats what he gives her without complains. Seeing his sister eat with gusto, Kin asks for meat and eats it.

“Me too!” Mira gives her bowl to Kiyoomi which he gladly puts the sliced beef in. She happily eats it and even feeds her twin brother with it.

Kia watches her father’s face light up in satisfaction which makes her feel blissful.

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It’s 12AM and Kiyoomi feels a small hand tugging on his finger. He wakes up from the touch, and sees his son with an almost crying face. “Hi, buddy. Why are you up?”

“Want to sleep with you,” Kin answers, pulling his little blanket close to his chest. Kiyoomi’s heart softens. Kin may act like he hates his father, but deep down he wants his attention and affection too.

Seeing his son’s scared image, he jumps out of bed and picks him up. If Kin is scared, so must be Mira.“Okay. Let’s go get your sister first.” He walks to Mira’s room as quiet as possible so he doesn’t wake you or any of his daughters up.

Kiyoomi sees Mira’s door open so he quickly checks the room and doesn’t see her there. He hears murmurs from Kia’s room and also notices how Mina’s room is empty.

“Don’t be scared. Nee-chan is here!” Kiyoomi overhears Kia speak. He peeks at the small opening at the doorway and sights Kia putting Mina and Mira to bed. “Do you want me to tell you a story?”

“Yes...” Mira answers, shifting closer to Mina so they can cuddle. Momo is sleeping at the end of the bed, unbothered.

“We are going to have a new baby sister!” Kia confidently announces.

‘That’s not a story! That’s a gossip!’ Kiyoomi chuckles and then enters the room, which surprises his three daughters. “What are the three of you talking about that is keeping you awake at this?”

“Papa! Tell us a story!” Kia tries to hide their recent conversation, but her expression is giving it away. She looks like a deer that has been seen in the middle of the road. “Mina and Mira were scared so they went in my room to sleep.”

‘They’re still sleeping together in one room after all.’

“Okay. I’ll tell you a story. What kind of story do you want?” Kiyoomi gives in and sits on Kia’s bed. He puts Kin down on the bed and he snuggles close to his twin sister immediately.

“About you and mama!” Kia giggles as she joins in her other siblings.

“Again?” Kiyoomi raises an eyebrow at her. Kia loves hearing stories about the two of you. It puts her at ease.

Kiyoomi starts to share a random story about you and him during high school. Your first time meeting his family exactly. And midway, he hears his children snoring soundly so he stops speaking. He then notices Kia looking out her window.

“Go to sleep...” He tells her.

“Papa, I am so happy you’re my father,” Kia says out of nowhere, taking Kiyoomi aback. “I don’t think I would be this happy if you weren’t.”

“I’m happy you’re my daughter, too.” Kiyoomi kisses the top of her head and then smiles at her.

Kiyoomi is thankful.

Kiyoomi is very thankful that she is his daughter. If he didn’t meet Kia 5 years ago, he wouldn’t know where or who he’d be now. Having children changed him and probably made him a better person. He still can’t go on a crowd on his own, but if he’s with his kids, everything possible for him. Kiyoomi is willing to go out of his comfort zone if it means his children’s happiness.

Kiyoomi thankful that you gave him a chance to prove that he can be Kia’s father. Not just Kia, but also Mina, Mira and Kin. He knows how stressed you are with having to take care of 4 kids and him not being around most of the time, but you still stayed. You never gave up on motherhood, your children and him. He falls in love with you again and again every single day just for it. You are the best thing that has happened to him.

Kiyoomi is thankful that he has a house where you and your children are in. He doesn’t go home everyday but he knows that when he does, you’re there to welcome him. Kia is there caring for her younger siblings with you. Mina is there drawing on the living room, while her dog, Momo, sleeps on the couch. Mira is there running after her twin brother and making sure he doesn’t hurt himself. Kin is there watching everything you do because he loves you so much. You’re there raising your children with sincerity and love. You and your child are there waiting for him.

Kiyoomi is thankful that he gets to go home to where the five of you are.

Sakusa Kiyoomi is thankful that you’re his home.

“I’m also excited for my new baby sister,” Kia mentions again. Kiyoomi for sure knows you aren’t pregnant because if you are, you would be complaining about it again. Or are you hiding it from him?

“Did your mama tell you that?” He asks for assurance that this is only part of Kia’s imagination and random child babbles.

“No, but I’m sure that mama has our baby sister in her stomach.” Kia closes her eyes and hugs Mina who is beside her.

“Okay...” Kiyoomi lets it pass and slowly drifts back to sleep, too tired to go back to your room.

Morning comes and you wake up to an empty space beside you. “Kiyoomi must have gone jogging...” You yawn and stretch your arms up. It’s already 6AM but you don’t hear any of your children chant the word, “mama” so you stand up and check on them. The silence is too rare that it’s scaring you.

Mira’s, Kin’s and Mina’s rooms are empty so you get anxious. You’re telling yourself that maybe Kiyoomi brought them jogging with him so you’ll feel better, but your anxiety grows since you know that Kiyoomi will never bring the four of them with him. Momo goes out of Kia’s room so you run to it, in hopes that your children are all there.

They are, and your husband is also there.

Kia and Mina are tucked in Kiyoomi’s armpits. Their hands holding onto their father’s shirt. Mira’s face is flat laid flat on Kiyoomi’s stomach, but her body is on the bed. Kin is on his thighs, the small boy hugging the muscular leg. You let out a silent giggle at the cute sight in front of you.

And all that happiness fades when you suddenly feel lightheaded. The feeling of being nauseous hits you so you run to Kia’s bathroom, which wakes everyone in the room up.

“Babe, are you okay?” Kiyoomi asks you he shakes his kids off his body.

“See, papa? I told you mama has our baby sister in her stomach!” Kia states as she rubs her sleepy eyes.

“We’re having another child?!”

End.

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Thank you so much for supporting my first ever story here. This will forever have a special place in my heart. I hope you all enjoyed it ♥️

[darisu-chan]

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

I’m back with another one-shot, this time a hilarious adventure with Isshin I had always wanted to write, and only had the chance now.

You can also read it here.

Prompt: “it’s not what it looks like!” 

Summary: Isshin’s latest attempt at listening through Ichigo’s door finally brings results.

Isshin was enjoying a rare afternoon by himself. It was a Sunday and all of his children were out. Karin was in the park, playing soccer, while Yuzu had gone to a friend’s house to bake brownies. Even Ichigo had gone to the movies with his friends ─at least Isshin really hoped they were, in fact, in the movies, and not out saving the world from yet another power-thirsty villain. Being alone meant that he could get to relax in ways he never could these days. He began by boiling water in a kettle, and taking out a tea mix he had been eager to try (call him old fashion, but he preferred mixes to bags). While the water boiled, he went and grabbed the book he had bought around a year ago, that he had never gotten to read. Taking out his favorite mug, he poured the water and added the tea. Isshin blew on it and then took a hearty sip. Ah. It was perfect. With his mug in hand, he made his way to the living room, ready to get down to read. However, just as he had sat down, he heard a weird noise. For a few seconds he sat on the couch, perplexed. When the noise wasn’t heard again, he opened his book, a novel about a man whose children were always getting into trou─

Thud

Huh. There it was again. Isshin looked up, down and sideways but could not pin point exactly where it had come from. Nothing had fallen down as far as he could see. It hadn’t even sounded as something hitting the floor, it was more like the sound of─

Thud

Thudthudthudthud

That piqued his interest. As the noises had sounded close together, he finally realized whatever that was, was coming from upstairs. Leaving both the book and the mug on top of the coffee table, Isshin slowly stood up, careful of not making noises. He then tiptoed as he went upstairs. His first instinct was to think there was a burglar. It was still early and bright outside for a robbery, but you never know these days. Then, he thought it could have been related to the Soul Society. It was no secret to him that several Shinigami often came to his house in search of his son. So far none had seen him, and for that he was glad, because he really couldn’t imagine what Rangiku and Toshirou-kun would think of seeing him again after so many years, living a human life. They would probably beat his ass fir disappearing all those years ago. Still, peeking into Ichigo’s room wouldn’t hurt. He had to make sure no foe was after his son.

As Isshin approached the door, he heard the thud even more strongly. Jackpot! He was about to slam the door open when he noticed there were voices coming from the room. Sure enough, they sounded exactly like Ichigo and Rukia-chan. The father blinked, for a moment left taken aback. Weren’t they watching a movie? His surprise gave way to shock when he heard what sounded distinctly like a feminine moan. Not wasting another minute, he pressed his ear to the door.

“Don’t be so loud, Rukia.” It was Ichigo who was talking. His voice husky.

“I-I can’t h-help it.” The girl all but whined.

Isshin almost yelped.

No.

It couldn’t be!

Where they…?

Thud

Moan

Thudthudthud

Oh.

They totally were.

They were going at it hard, by the sounds of it.

And with him in the house too!

What a pair of rascals!

(Though Isshin couldn’t really fault them. They had been apart for seventeen long months. If his dear Masaki and he had been separated for so long when they were young, he was sure they probably wouldn’t have left the room in a week. Maybe even more.)

He almost laughed to himself. Of course. He tended to forget sometimes that his soon was a teenager, a healthy one at that. He would definitely have urges, especially being so close to such a beautiful girl he was totally in love with, because, come on, Ichigo was in love with Rukia. There was no other explanation to his moodiness whenever she was gone. Isshin smiled. If this kept up, one day he would be the proud grandfather of a cute little child. He wondered if the baby would look more like his son or like Rukia-chan. Perhaps the kid would even look like Masaki. He couldn’t wait!

Isshin’s happiness was over, however, when he realized this was not the first time he had heard sounds coming from his son’s room. Each previous time had ended up in disappointment at finding Ichigo and Rukia-chan were most definitely not engaging in adult activities. Could this be a fake alarm too?! No! That would dampen his dreams of a child with orange hair and violet eyes! In a split second, the father decided to keep listening and put an ear to the door once more. He listened to more thuds. Closing his eyes, Isshin tried to imagine what they could be doing that could elicit such noises. The most obvious reason would be repeatedly banging against the bed. Yet, it could also come from the desk, the wall… or even the closet…

Could Ichigo be on those leagues now?!

His nose started bleeding.

No, Isshin, you gotta focus!

Shaking his head, he resumed thinking. There was a chance one of them was jumping on the bed, although that wouldn’t necessarily explain the moans. And speaking of which,

“Ah… aaaahhh.”

“Rukia! I told you to be quiet! Dad’s home and he doesn’t know we’re in here.”

“I-it’s your f-fault! Y-you’re g-going t-too… ah… har-aaah”

Thudthudthudthud

“C-can’t help it. We rarely get the chance to be like this.”

“I-ichigo.”

“Hmmm. That’s how I like it. Keep saying my name, Rukia.”

Yep.

They were having sex.

Now, any other father would have probably been alarmed, but not Isshin. He completely understood his son. It was a Shiba man thing to be passionate to a fault, and that did not exclude bedroom activities. Why, he could still remember that time Ryuuken had accidentally walked in on Masaki and him at the clinic on his off day. The man had screeched bloody murder, and though they had been interrupted, it had been a funny anecdote to retell during family reunions. Ryuuken always got red in the face, but it wasn’t as if he was one to talk. He still remembered the time Masaki had overheard him and Kanae-san having some alone moments in his room. Ah! To be young and in love!

Then, as if he had been drenched by a bucket of ice cold water, Isshin froze.

How could he be so dumb as to forget?!

Worry that the two weren’t using protection suddenly overcame him. Though he had given the talk to Ichigo as extensively as possible, he was reminded of the fact his son was a horny teen who tended to be reckless. Then there was Rukia who probably had no idea about human contraceptives. It was a recipe for disaster. More exactly, it was exactly how one got pregnant. Oh, he didn’t even want to imagine it! Not only would his own son become a teenage father, he would knock up Rukia, aka the sister of one of the most protective captains in the Soul Society, without being married. There was no way Byakuya-kun would not want to castrate Ichigo, or worse, kill him for good. No! Isshin could not allow that to happen. He loved his son too much to let him die by the hands of a very pissed off Shinigami. He needed to make sure the two of them were being safe or, at the very least, stop them before Ichigo could reach past the point of no return.

Opening the door as fast as he could, Isshin barged in screaming, “No, son! Don’t do it! I don’t want you to die!”

“What the hell, old man?!”

He opened his eyes, which had been closed beforehand, and instead of seeing the images his perverted mind had concocted of his son and third daughter bare naked on the bed (or perhaps in other places of the room), he saw both of them, fully dressed, attempting to tickle one another.

“Wha─?” He blurted out, dumbfounded.

“What are you doing here?! And why did you come in like that?!” Ichigo complained, finally sitting down on his bed properly, and he crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.

“B-but… what… I thought you… you were…”

“Where what?”

“I thought you were at the movies!” Isshin exclaimed.

His son sighed. “Plan got cancelled. Keigo came up with the flu and pretty much got everyone sick. Rukia and I are hiding here.”

That made sense.

But…

“And what were you doing in here with the door closed?” He asked, suspiciously.

At least the two had the decency to blush. “It-it’s not what it looks like!” Both stammered.

“We were just having a tickle fight.”

“A tickle fight?” He was still not buying it.

“Yeah, a tickle fight.” Ichigo nodded. “Just that.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Hmm.”

“But why did you barge in?” He questioned.

“Yeah, and why did you say Ichigo was going to die?” Rukia-chan asked him.

Isshin felt ashamed. He wasn’t about to tell them what he thought was going down. His son already thought he was a pervert, he didn’t need to add to that. “Well, I heard strange noises and thought you were being attacked! That’s right! I was concerned!”

Both teens raised an eyebrow as they looked at each other. Finally, Ichigo looked back at him. “Eh… Alright… Though if I was being attacked, I doubt I’d go down that easily.”

“Yeah… right…”

“Are you gonna go now?”

“Huh? Oh yeah! Continue whatever you were doing! I won’t bother you anymore!”

On that note, Isshin dashed out of the room and back to the living room. Once by himself, he started chuckling to himself. Of course his son was still too innocent to be doing such activities. Well, maybe if he waited longer until he was older, he’d be more rational and remember to use protection, so that his poor father wouldn’t have to worry about his untimely demise due to sakura petals.

“Eh. One day I’ll get my grandkids.” He muttered, opening his long forgotten book.

Unbeknownst to him, back in Ichigo’s room, the two young Shinigami had collapsed on the bed. If he had taken time to notice, he would’ve seen how ruffled their clothes were, and that Ichigo was wearing his shirt backwards.

“That was too close.” Rukia complained, burying her head on the pillow.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been so loud.” Ichigo retorted, grumpily joining her on the bed.

“I told you I couldn’t help it!” She defended herself, blushing.

“Che. You’re right. I love listening to you like that.” He grinned, tenderly caressing her cheek.

Rukia coughed before continuing. “It’s your fault, anyway. You forgot to lock the door.”

“Fuck.” Ichigo cursed as he stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“To lock the damn door!”

Rukia smirked impishly at him. “Oh? So Kurosaki-kun wants to go back to playing?”

“Don’t call me like that, and you bet! Or what? You wanna stop? You weren’t close yet.”

“Nu-uh. Give it to me, Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“Do you want all of it?”

“Hell yes!”

More thudding could be heard, but Isshin ignored all of it. It was no possible the noise could mean anything more than a tickle fight… right?

Sadly, he was unaware that, for the first time ever, he had been absolutely right.

Thudthudthudthud

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Us Against the World

Fandom: Star Wars (Childhood Best Friends AU)

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Summary: You and Poe have been best friends since preschool. At that young age, Poe made a declaration, a promise. One that he intended on keeping. Based off of this post.

Age 4

You were nervous entering the preschool. When your mom said she’d be leaving you there for a couple of hours, you were scared. You didn’t want to be alone.

“Don’t wanna go,” you said with a whimper as you clung to your mom’s hand.

She knelt down, “Y/N, it’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna have so much fun! You’ll make friends and you’ll forget you’ve been gone for a while.” You still had a scared look on your face. Your mom sighed, “If you’re good, I’ll take you out for ice cream, okay?”

You smiled softly and nodded. She walked you into the classroom and was instantly greeted to a woman about the same age as your mom, “Hi there. I’m Mrs. Organa. And who might you be?”

“Y/N,” you said shyly.

The woman smiled, “Hi, Y/N. Nice to meet you. Do you wanna go play with some toys?” You nodded and hugged your mom good-bye before heading towards the toy chest. 

You spotted a big fire truck and grabbed for it, but so did another kid. You looked up to see a boy with tan skin, black curly hair, and brown eyes. He picked up the truck and look at you, “Do you wanna play with me?” As if feeling your apprehension, he smiled, “I’m Poe!”

“I’m Y/N,” you said shyly.

“Wanna play, Y/N?”

“Okay.”

After that, you and Poe could not be separated. You both always got upset when you weren’t in the same groups for play time. You always wanted to lay next to each other for nap time, and you two always shared your snacks. 

One day in class, Mrs. Organa asked what everyone wanted to do when they grow up. Poe immediately stood up from his chair, “When I grow up, I’m gonna marry Y/N!” he said proudly. You blushed as all the kids laughed and made noises of disgust. Poe immediately got upset, “It’s not funny! Y/N is my best friend and I wanna be with her forever!”

Age 10

You and Poe sat in the principal’s office waiting for your parents to arrive. You and Poe held each other’s hands as Ms. Tanno looked at both of you disappointedly. 

Your dad and Poe’d dad, Kes, walked in frantically, “Is everything okay?”

“What happened?”

“Is anyone hurt?”

Ms. Tanno held up her hand and they all silenced, “The only person who got hurt was Mrs. Organa’s son, Ben Solo.”

“What exactly happened?” Kes asked.

Ms. Tanno gestured to you, “Go ahead, you two.”

You sighed, “Ben was making fun of me. Saying I was ugly and that no one would like me.”

“Then I was defending her and told Ben to buzz off!”

“Then Ben called Poe stupid and knocked him down. Poe looked like he was about to cry and then...”

You looked at Poe’s who’s eyes fell down to his lap and were filled with hurt, “He said ‘What are you gonna do? Cry to your mommy? Oh wait, you don’t have one anymore.” Poe started sniffling and you tightened your hold on his hand.

“So I punched Ben in the face.”

Kes knelt down in front of both of you, “Y/N, I appreciate what you did for Poe, but violence isn’t the answer.”

You looked down in shame, “I know, but after Ben mentioned Aunt Shara, I just..I just couldn’t help it.”

Your dad looked to Ms. Tanno, “So what’s going to happen?”

“Well, since Y/N punched someone, I’ll have to suspend her.”

Poe’s head shot up, “No! Suspend me!”

Ms. Tanno shook her head, “But you didn’t punch Ben, Poe.”

“So? I-It’s my fault that Ben got punched! I interfered! I should get suspended, not Y/N!”

“I’m sorry, Poe. It’s not how that works.”

Poe frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, “Well if Y/N is suspended, then I’m not going to school until she’s back.”

“Poe, stop,” you tried reasoning with him.

He looked at you, “No. Best friends forever, remember? They can’t separate us no matter what.”

Age 16

Poe was anxious. He stood by your locker, waiting for you to get out of math class. He kept muttering to himself, “You can do this. She’s your best friend. You got this, Poe. You got this.” as soon as the bell rang, he tensed. It was now or never. 

He stared at his shoes, his old beaten up Converse, waiting for your arrival. He tried not to let his nerves get the best of him. He’s known you for his whole life. He shouldn’t be afraid, he shouldn’t-”Whatcha starin’ at?” 

His head slowly raised and his brown eyes met your Y/E/C eyes. He smiled, “Nothin’. So, uh, I have something to tell you.”

“What’s up?” you asked as you switched your math book for your English book. You closed your locker and looked at Poe expectantly.

Poe gave a deep breath, “I like you. A-A lot. L-Like more than a best friend kind of like.”

A smile formed on your face, “Really?”

“Well, uh, yeah. I mean, you’re smart, funny, beautiful, fun. What’s not to like?”

You blushed, “I like you too.”

“R-Really? Like how I like you like me?”

You laughed, “Yeah, Poe.” You leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, “Now let’s get to class, yeah?” you slipped your hand into his. 

Poe looked down at your intertwined hands with a big smile on his face, “Yeah. Okay.”

Age 18

You had Poe had graduated high school. Despite it being a joyous occasion, both of you were saddened. Poe had be recruited to the Air Force. Within a week, he’ll be shipped off to training. So you two spent as much time as you could together.

He took you out on dates, he slept over your house, you two went on a day trip out of town, and Poe had gotten you a puppy.

“He’ll keep you company while I’m away. Right, Beebs?” the little corgi-shiba inu mix wagged its tail as Poe pet him, “Oh!” Poe pulled out the necklace he always wore: his mother’s ring hanging from a metal chain, “Keep this safe for me, yeah?”

You gave him a sad smile, “Okay,” you said sheepishly.

“I’ll think of you every single day. I’ll try to write as much as I can. But you have to promise me something, sweetheart.”

“What?”

“Don’t push everyone away. Don’t isolate yourself. This is your summer before you go to college. Don’t waste it crying over me.”

You began to sniffle, trying not to let the tears fall, “I’m gonna miss you so much,” you whimpered.

“I know, baby.” Poe kissed your cheek, “I know.” then he hugged you. He held onto you as long as you needed him to.

Age 21

You were typing away on your computer when you received a Skype call from Poe. You immediately answered it, “Poe?”

The grainy image of him appeared. He waved, “Hello, my love. Whatcha doin’?”

“Working on my novel.”

He nodded, “Ah yes. Our love story.”

“It’s not our love story! It’s Oscar and Angela’s love story!”

“Uh huh, which is based off of our love story, which technically means you’re writing about us. You even used our own descriptions for the characters!”

You looked at him surprised, “You actually read some of it?”

Poe scoffed, “Of course I did, baby! And you’re not subtle at all about the parallels between our story and theirs.”

You chuckled, “There are some differences...”

“Oh yeah, like how Oscar is taller and has more abs? You tryna tell me something, baby?”

You laughed, “No! You’re fine just the way you are.”

“Uh huh. Suuuure.” You both giggled, “Anyway, I got permission to visit next month.”

Your eyes lightened up, “Really?!”

Poe nodded, “Hell yeah! Can’t wait to see you, kiss you, hug you, fu-”

“POE!”

He giggled, “I’m kidding! Maybe...not really. Anyway, let’s see our lil fur baby!”

You called Beebs over to you and lifted him to your camera, “He’s doing well!”

Poe leaned closer to the screen, “He’s gotten fatter!”

“But he always whines when I don’t give him enough food! I feel bad!”

“You’re making our baby fat, Y/N!”

“Okay! I’m sorry! I’ll take him out more to work it off.”

“Yes. Sounds good.”

You sighed, “Well, I better get this chapter finished up. Talk to you later?”

“Of course. Bye, sweetheart. I love you bunches!”

“Bye, babe! I love you bunches more!”

Age 26

You and Poe socialized with your family. It was your dad’s birthday and your mom threw a barbeque for him. You stood next to Poe as you spoke with your neighbor and long-time friend, Rose. Meanwhile, Poe talked to long-time friend and Air Force pal, Finn, while his arm was around your waist. 

It felt so good to have Poe back, even for a little bit. As time passed, you’d gotten used to his temporary stays. Despite that, you two had gotten an apartment together. Something that was your own. It was a big step for the both of you, but it was a long time coming. As was this.

“Everyone! May I have your attention please?” Poe called out. 

You looked at Poe confusedly, “What’s going on?” Everyone circled around you as Poe pulled you closer to him. 

“Y/N, when I was four years old, Mrs. Organa, our preschool teacher, asked us what we wanted to do when he grow up.”

“Oh my God.” you held your hands to your mouth, already knowing what was about to happen.

Poe chuckled, “Don’t get ahead of me here, sweetheart!” He cleared his throat, “My answer to that question was that I wanted to marry you. And this is me keeping my word.” He pulled out a ring and knelt down on one knee, “Y/N L/N, you’re my best friend, my soulmate. In front of our closest friends and family, I’m here declaring my never ending love for you. Will you do me the honors of becoming my wife?”

With teary eyes you nodded, “Yes!” 

Poe took your left hand and slid the ring onto your finger. He then gave you a kissed and picked you up, spinning you around as everyone cheered.

Age 30

You were wringing your hands together as you paced back and forth in the hall. Rose, Phasma, Kaydel, Jess, and Rey watched you.

“Why are you nervous? You’re marrying the love of your life?” Rey asked.

“Oh, I’m not nervous about marrying Poe. Fuck yeah I wanna marry him! I just don’t wanna trip down the aisle or stutter my vows. You know how I am with speaking in public.”

Rose shrugged, “Don’t think of it as talking in front of a couple hundred people. Just think of it as talking to Poe. Making your promise to him and declaring your undying love and all that lovey dovey stuff,” Rose said. The other women agreeing with her. 

Your dad approached you, “You ready?”

You sighed, “Yup. Let’s do this!” 

Meanwhile...

“Oh God. What if I stutter? I don’t wanna sound stupid!” Poe whispered anxiously to Finn, his best man.

Finn shook his head, “Man, calm down. Whether you stutter or not, Y/N will still love you.” 

The doors to the venue opened and in walked the flower girl, ring bearer, and bridesmaids. They all joined Poe and Finn at the end of the aisle. Then the wedding march began to play and everyone stood. Poe gave a deep breath and then turned towards you. He was floored. 

You looked absolutely stunning in your wedding dress. You looked angelic even! You joined Poe at the end of the aisle. You chuckled as he wiped his eyes.

“Sorry, you’re just so beautiful.”

“Thank you and you look even more handsome.” you nodded to his formal Air Force uniform. You loved when he was in uniform.

Poe chuckled, “Thanks, babe. So, together forever?” he asked, intertwining your fingers with his.

You smiled at him, “Together forever.”

“Us against the world, baby.” he whispered as he faced the officiant.

[jellidile]

Tears Shed in The Dark 2

wowow here is the part 2 I said I had! It’s nothing crazy. Just David and company reminiscing. I’m not sure if it’s canon, but hopefully, letting David live in Miller’s house is okay with y’all.

10 years had passed since Catherine Miller had lost her father and moved in with her uncle. And now at 22, she finally was going to visit her old house one last time. Venom and Quiet gave her a hug as she stood at the door. Catherine smiled,

“It’ll only be a few days. Then I’ll come back and well, I want to talk to you both about something.” Venom grinned ruffling her hair,

“Just make sure you call us every now and then. I’ve spent 10 years worrying about you. I’m not stopping today.” She nodded opening the door,

“Obviously I will V. I’ll see you both later!” With a wave Catherine sighed. If she was lucky, she’d make it to the house on the twenty-fifth.

Luck seemed to be on Catherine’s side as the afternoon sun shone on the snow around the familiar house. Catherine was surprised to see smoke coming from the chimney. She didn’t know anyone had lived there since her father. She decided to look around the outside first, going around she saw that the backyard fence that had been used to keep Shiba now held even more dogs. Catherine could swear it was at least fifty. Heading back to the front of the house Catherine could hear people inside,

“Hal! I saw a lady outside! She was so pretty! And she had these cool glasses!” Who Catherine assumed to be Hal, spoke next,

“Y-You what! D-Dave, could you check that out!?” Catherine sighed walking up to the door. She didn’t know she’d have to intrude on someone’s day. Especially not on the anniversary of her father’s death. She stood at the door as it opened. The man who opened the door, his eyes went wide as he looked at Catherine,

“Master Miller?” Catherine gasped as the man spoke. She knew that voice. It was a lifetime ago, but she knew that voice,

“David?” It was confusion that crossed his face first then it turned into realization,

“Wait, his daughter! C-Catherine, is that you?” Taking off her father’s glasses Catherine hugged David. It had been too long since she’d heard his voice,

“David, my god it’s been too long!” David slowly closed his arms around Catherine. Catherine pulled away and placed her hands on his shoulders,

“You look so old!” David chuckled,

“And you’re wearing Master Miller’s glasses.” She smiled sadly at the name,

“Yeah.” From behind David, ‘‘Hal’’ spoke,

“David who is it? Do you know them?” David welcomed Catherine in. She stared at the living room. It hadn’t changed very much. A new chair there, a coloured rug here. Catherine looked in front of her to see a thin man staring back at her. Messy black hair framed his face, and glasses reflected the light. Catherine paused, giving the stranger a wave,

“Hi. I’m Catherine Miller.” Immediately the man’s eyes sparkled,

“Wait like, the same Miller that trained David and made war economy a thing?” She paused, did her dad actually do that? David sighed,

“This is his daughter Hal.” Hal nodded with an “oh!” a stuck his hand out, Catherine firmly shook it,

“Nice to meet you…” Hal stared for a moment,

“Hal! Hal Emmerich. Nice to meet you Catherine.” She smiled as a little girl peeked from behind Hal. Catherine waved with a smile,

“Hello there.” The girl grinned walking out of her hiding spot,

“Hello! I’m Sunny!” Catherine chuckled,

“Nice to meet you Sunny. I’m Catherine.” Sunny smiled as David went and sat on the couch,

“Can I ask why you came back, not much here for you.” Catherine sighed,

“Thought I’d see home one last time before I go and live my life.” Hal took a moment,

“Does that mean you used to live here? David isn’t this where they found your mentor’s… ?” Both Catherine and David nodded. David perked up and looked at Catherine,

“How are you alive? Whoever killed Miller, they were out for blood. They would have killed everyone in the house.” Catherine looked at David closely, chuckling,

“Well I went to stay with my uncle Venom. Thinking about it, he looks alot like you.” She watched as David paled,

“He does?” She nodded pulling out her camera from the shoulder bag she usually wore,

“Yeah, I have a picture of him! Wanna see?” David rushed over as Catherine brought the picture onto the screen. His eyes went wide,

“He’s alive?!” Catherine worriedly put the camera down,

“David what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He took a step back,

“Who is that Catherine?” She looked quizzically at him,

“I’ve always known him as Venom. He’s not a bad guy David.” David bit his lip,

“C-Can you call him over?” Catherine paused,

“It’ll take a few days. But I can.”

A few days past, since Catherine had arrived at the house, and things had been going well. David was still worried about Venom’s visit. Anyone could tell by just looking at him. And Catherine had learned what David and her father were doing. She was amazed by the story David told, and she couldn’t wait to get the other half from Venom. Although, V sounded too happy when she’d asked him to come over. Hal had been fun to talk to, and Sunny was a joy. Just being around the small family made Catherine’s heart yearn. David and Hal had let her stay on the couch, but she could barely sleep. Just being in her old home again reignited feelings long thought gone. Sometimes she found herself standing where she had stood 10 years before, when her father had given her his glasses. 

Catherine hadn’t mentioned that the day she arrived was the anniversary of her father’s death. She didn’t want David or skirt around mentioning him, or have any of that awkward pity.

The night before Venom was to arrive Catherine couldn’t sleep, again. Memories were flying through her head. Playing with her father. Stories, songs, time spent together. Soon it became too much and all Catherine could do was step outside. Wrapping the knit blanket she’d been given tight around her shoulders, Catherine leaned off the porch rail. It was cold. Cold enough she felt it bite into her skin. Yet Catherine didn’t care, because at least it wasn’t him.

 A small bench was on the porch and Catherine curled up onto it. Looking to the sky, the millions of stars stared back. The Northern Lights glistened and the moon’s gentle light caressed everything in sight. Catherine felt at home, peaceful memories slowly filtered through. She had more control outside, instead of everything hitting her at once. Late night snuggles, and hot chocolate seeped through the cracks of her mind. She closed her eyes letting the cold and the night wash everything away.

The door creaked open and Catherine snapped her head to the door shrinking her figure. She only relaxed when she saw that it was David. He looked over to her and sighed,

“You’re going to get sick out here. Come back inside.” She grimaced,

“In a second. Just need to breathe. Did I wake you?” David softened slightly,

“No. I’m a light sleeper sometimes. Thought I’d see what you were up to.” Catherine stiffly got up heading to the door,

“Alright. I’d hate to have disturbed you.” David chuckled,

“You’re nothing like him. Or, your manners aren’t anyway.” Catherine sighed gently sitting down on the couch. David sat next to her,

“Are you okay?” Catherine groaned quietly,

“No. I can’t sleep, and I already feel like I have to go back outside.” David pat her shoulder,

“Just let it filter. Don’t try to hide or ignore anything. It’s the only way.” Catherine closed her eyes and did as David instructed. Image’s flowed and she didn’t even realize until she’d opened her eyes that she was crying. She let the tears fall and then, nothing. David hummed looking out the window,

“Isn’t a nice feeling? No big realization, no determined spark. Just, nothing.” Catherine breathed wiping her face,

“I’ve never felt better. And I’ve never felt worse.” David looked over to her quizzically, but Catherine just continued,

“He’s gone. Has been for a while. So,” Quietly she got up and walked to the mantle over the fireplace. On which there were mostly pictures of Hal, Sunny, and David. But in the centre was an old worn photo of Kazuhira Miller and a small bundle. Taking her father’s sunglasses off the coffee table Catherine placed them in front of the picture, “just for today, he can finally just be gone. I can always remember him tomorrow.” Two more tears slid down Catherine’s cheeks as she turned away from the photo. She sent a smile to David,

“You should get some sleep. I’ll be okay.” It was then David saw his master in front of him. Tired eyes and enough pain for two hidden behind a single convincing smile. That drive to work and distract that overflowing mind written clear as day. Blue eyes that at one point had sparkled now sat dulled. And messy hair too tedious to keep neat pulled into a loose ponytail. David resisted the urge to call out for him. For David, it really felt like he was there.

In the morning Catherine had “woken up” earlier than everyone else. She was busy cooking hashbrowns and bacon when Sunny woke up and smelled food,

“Miss Catherine? What are you doing?” Catherine smiled flipping a pepper container without spilling anything,

“Cooking breakfast. Hashbrowns, bacon, toast, pancakes, and eggs. I’m almost done. It’s just eggs and setting the table.” Catherine watched the little girl shift nervously. Smiling Catherine pulled over a nearby stool with her foot as she put the bacon and hashbrowns on a plate,

“Could you help me with the eggs Sunny? I hear you have a lot of practice.” Watching the little girl perk up and nod feverishly was more than enough for Catherine. And she’d had the most fun cooking in a while too. Sunny was always a joy to talk to. And it was even better to watch Sunny’s little eyes sparkle when Catherine spun around and caught an egg on the spatula. Hal, and David woke not to long after the girl’s were done cooking. Sunny smiled wide as they sat down to eat. David glanced over at Catherine, but didn’t get the chance to ask her if she had even gone to sleep. Sunny smiled when Catherine had given her pancakes shaped like a smile. And no one noticed the water welling in Catherine’s eyes. She couldn’t deny it, but this is all she’d ever wanted. A day at home where her whole family would be together. Catherine couldn’t wait to see Venom.

It was in the afternoon that Venom arrived. David had been in the back of the house checking on the dogs when there was a knock on the door. Hal had been talking to Catherine about anime again, while Sunny was playing in her room. Catherine jumped the couch and quickly opened the door. She smiled wide hugging her uncle,

“V! You’re here! And you brought Quiet!” Turning around Catherine seemed to hug air. Then Quiet appeared. Hal was left speechless at the sudden appearance of the woman and could only sit bug-eyed. Venom looked impressed,

“I didn’t know you could fix an old house like this so fast.” chuckling Catherine shook her head,

“No, I didn’t fix this house. David, Hal and Sunny live here. This is Hal!” Catherine ran over to Hal and grabbed his shoulders. Breaking the trance he had been in. Immediately he began stuttering,

“N-Nice to m-meet you! I’m Hal!” Venom smiled brightly,

“Please call me V, if you’d like! Or Ahab!” Hal was still staring directly at Quiet,

“Catherine, you are a-aware t-that woman just, just appeared right?!” Catherine laughed,

“That’s Quiet. She doesn’t talk, so me and V can help you understand her. She, uh, does that sometimes.” Patting Hal’s shoulder’s Catherine welcomed them in and told V why they were here,

“David asked if I could call you. No idea why. But he’s the soldier I used to know when I was little!” Venom froze. He still smiled, but he had a feeling this was going to be an awkward few hours.

Venom had forgotten every bad feeling however when Sunny came out. She peeked from around a corner and Venom gently smiled when he saw her. Quiet was too busy writing a reply to one of Hal’s many questions to notice. Sunny slowly came from behind the wall and walked over to Catherine,

“Who’s that Catherine?” With a smile Venom waved,

“I’m uncle V. Though, I guess, I’m more grandpa V to you little one.” Sunny stopped. She had liked the way Catherine had talked about her uncle and decided he didn’t look scary. Sunny actually giggled seeing the bright knitted sweater he wore. Catherine beamed as Sunny went to sit with Venom,

“He’s just a big teddy bear Sunny. You should show him your dogs later. He loves dogs.” Venom shook his head reaching over and ruffling Catherine’s hair as she walked by,

“Don’t tell her all my secrets Catherine.” Catherine merely stuck her tongue out and was surprised to see David standing in the doorway of the back door. Pale,

“David? Are you okay?” Catherine reached out to David. He didn’t even register her being there. Instead David could only mumble,

“But I thought. He went with… the-” David suddenly rushed forward and Catherine wasn’t quick enough to catch him. He walked over to Venom and paused. Venom looked back calmly asking Sunny to go to Hal. David didn’t even speak,

“David. It’s good to see you. Looking as old as I am.” David’s face contorted into rage and confusion,

“You should be dead. Both of you.” Venom nodded,

“Should be, and we are. I’m just an old man now David. I have no mission.” David was at a loss for words. Catherine hovered behind Venom worriedly. Venom sighed,

“I want nothing more than to live out my days in peace. Although, I’m sure Catherine would appreciate us both being, around at least.” Catherine tapped Venom’s shoulder and he pat her hand,

“Catherine, it’s time you learn what your father used to do with me, and, who I used to be.” Catherine sat down on the couch. And she listened. And for once, she understood her father. Why he wouldn’t go with her, why he never talked about her mother, why he knew he would die. Why he gave her his glasses. Catherine understood him. Catherine could forgive him, even though she never blamed him in the first place,

“So dad was… Your best friend, even though he knew you weren’t, who you were?” Venom chuckled,

“It’s confusing, I know. Honestly I’m just glad that he still talked to me after… everything.” Catherine shrugged. It felt like she was supposed to be amazed by all this information. But she was just thankful she did know. She glanced at David, everything about him radiated with distrust. Venom was quick to see it,

“I don’t expect you to ever trust me David. But at least save your glares for when I’m gone. Unless Catherine or you invite me, I won’t stick around here. Too many memories.” David huffed,

“Christ, you really did raise her. Was it you who taught her to go outside to breathe?” Venom shot a look back to Catherine,

“No. I’ve told her not to do that. Catherine, do you mind explaining?” Catherine smiled backing away,

“Y’know, I think it’s time we make lunch! We’ve all been talking for a while, hm! Sunny want to help?” Sunny laughed as she ran to the kitchen. Catherine clapped her hands shrugging as she quickly disappeared also.

Venom held in a laugh. Looking around he was surprised with how bright the house was. Yet there was nothing of Kaz’s save the chair Venom was sitting on,

“David, Hal, did Kaz leave anything? Pictures, heirlooms, things like that?” Hal shook his head,

“No. When we got here it was empty. Just that chair there, and that picture on the mantle. Even the beds were gone. But we found those in the dump about a week after we moved in.” Venom nodded. With a groan Venom got up and looked at the pictures on the mantle. He liked all the pictures of David, Hal, and Sunny together. But Once he got to the centre Venom’s face fell. The old worn photo still carried enough detail that you could see the faint smile on Kaz’s face as he shakily held Catherine. Venom remembered that day. He watched the photo get taken and afterwards Kaz had begged someone to carry Catherine because he was so terrified of dropping her. Breaking from his trance Venom saw Kaz’s glasses neatly placed in front of the photo. He smiled,

“This is the first time I’ve seen her go without these for so long.” David grumbled,

“Jeez, she really does take after master Miller doesn’t she?” Venom smiled,

“In more ways than you know David. In more ways than you know.”

[orbemnews]

He’s a Dogecoin Millionaire. And He’s Not Selling. Last February, when Glauber Contessoto decided to invest his life savings in Dogecoin, his friends had concerns. “They were all like, you’re crazy,” he said. “It’s a joke coin. It’s a meme. It’s going to crash.” Their skepticism was warranted. After all, Dogecoin is a joke — a digital currency started in 2013 by a pair of programmers who decided to spoof the cryptocurrency craze by creating their own virtual money based on a meme about Doge, a talking Shiba Inu puppy. And investing money in obscure cryptocurrencies has, historically, been akin to tossing it onto a bonfire. But Mr. Contessoto, 33, who works at a Los Angeles hip-hop media company, is no ordinary buy-and-hold investor. He is among the many thrill-seeking amateurs who have leapt headfirst into the markets in recent months, using stock-trading apps like Robinhood to chase outsize gains on risky, speculative bets. In February, after reading a Reddit thread about Dogecoin’s potential, Mr. Contessoto decided to go all in. He maxed out his credit cards, borrowed money using Robinhood’s margin trading feature and spent everything he had on the digital currency — investing about $250,000 in all. Then, he watched his phone obsessively as Dogecoin became an internet phenomenon whose value eclipsed that of blue-chip companies like Twitter and General Motors. The value of his Dogecoin holdings today? Roughly $2 million. On the surface, Mr. Contessoto — who dropped out of college and has no formal financial training — seems no different from a lucky gambler who walks into a casino, bets all his chips on a single roulette spin and walks out a millionaire. But he is also emblematic of a new kind of hyper-online investor who is winning by applying the skills of the digital attention economy — sharing memes, cultivating buzz, producing endless streams of content for social media — to the financial markets. These investors, mostly young men, don’t behave rationally in the old-fashioned, Homo economicus sense. They pick investments not based on their underlying fundamentals or the estimates of Wall Street analysts, but on looser criteria, such as how funny they are, how futuristic they seem or how many celebrities are tweeting about them. Their philosophy is that in today’s media-saturated world, attention is the most valuable commodity of all, and that anything that is attracting a great deal of it must be worth something. “Memes are the language of the millennials,” Mr. Contessoto said. “Now we’re going to have a meme matched with a currency.” Mr. Contessoto, an affable, bearded hip-hop fan who goes by the nickname Jaysn Prolifiq, is a first-generation immigrant whose parents came to the United States from Brazil when he was 6. As a child in suburban Maryland, he saw his family struggling with money, and he vowed to become rich. He discovered a love of hip-hop music as a teenager, and after school, he moved to Los Angeles, where he took a job making $36,000 a year as an entry-level video editor while trying to book gigs for an up-and-coming rapper he knew. His dream was to save up enough money to buy a house — one where he and his hip-hop friends could live while making music together. But that kind of cash was elusive, and he spent several years crashing on couches while trying to save enough for a down payment. In 2019, he started buying stocks on Robinhood, the commission-free trading app. He stuck to big, well-known companies like Tesla and Uber, and when those trades made money, he bought more. And in January 2021, he watched in fascination as a group of traders on Reddit successfully boosted the stock price of GameStop, squeezing the hedge funds that had bet against the video game retailer and making millions for themselves in the process. (He tried to get in on the GameStop trade but he was too late, and he ended up losing most of his stake.) Shortly after the GameStop saga, Mr. Contessoto was browsing Reddit when he saw a post about Dogecoin. He’d heard of the currency before. (Elon Musk, who is to Dogecoin fans roughly what Pope Francis is to Catholics, had called it the “people’s crypto.”) But as he did more research, he became convinced that Dogecoin’s jokey, approachable image might make it the next GameStop. “Dogecoin has the best branding of all cryptocurrency,” he said. “If you put in front of me all the symbols of Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin — everything just looks super high tech and futuristic. And Dogecoin just looks like: Hey, guys, what’s up?” He imagines that newbies investing in cryptocurrency for the first time might gravitate toward something fun and recognizable, and that Dogecoin might eventually become a kind of on-ramp to the larger world of virtual money. “I feel like eventually we’re all going to be buying and selling things with memes, and Dogecoin is going to lead the way,” he said. Strange as his investment thesis might seem, it’s hard to argue with the results. Even after a recent crash following Mr. Musk’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live” (in which he joked about Dogecoin being a “hustle”), Dogecoin remains a very lucrative trade. A dollar invested in Dogecoin on Jan. 1 would be worth $203 today — much more than a comparable investment in Bitcoin, Ethereum or any stock in the S&P 500. Dogecoin’s stratospheric rise has also fueled plenty of grumbling among cryptocurrency buffs, who see it as a tacky sideshow that overshadows more serious uses of cryptocurrency. One of Dogecoin’s original creators has disavowed the coin, and even Mr. Musk has warned investors not to over-speculate in cryptocurrency. (Mr. Musk recently sent the crypto markets into upheaval again, after he announced that Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin.) What explains Dogecoin’s durability, then? There’s no doubt that Dogecoin mania, like GameStop mania before it, is at least partly attributable to some combination of pandemic-era boredom and the eternal appeal of get-rich-quick schemes. But there may be more structural forces at work. Over the past few years, soaring housing costs, record student loan debt and historically low interest rates have made it harder for some young people to imagine achieving financial stability by slowly working their way up the career ladder and saving money paycheck by paycheck, the way their parents did. Instead of ladders, these people are looking for trampolines — risky, volatile investments that could either result in a life-changing windfall or send them right back to where they started. Mr. Contessoto is a prime case study. He makes $60,000 a year at his job now — a decent living, but nowhere near enough to afford a home in Los Angeles, where the median home costs nearly $1 million. He drives a beat-up Toyota, and spent years living frugally. But in his 30s, still with no house to his name, he decided to go looking for something that could change his fortunes overnight, and ended up at Dogecoin’s door. When Mr. Contessoto recalls the way he used to pursue wealth — working hard, cutting back on expenses, saving some money from every paycheck — he sees evidence of a system that is rigged against regular people. “I feel like those experts on TV, the older generation of old money and wealth, they try to scare people into staying safe so nobody gets too rich,” he told me. His new motto, he said, is “scared money don’t make money.” Many things about Mr. Contessoto’s investing philosophy would turn a traditional financial adviser’s stomach. But wildest of all is that despite his spectacular gains, he has not yet cashed out his Dogecoin millions. He thinks the currency’s price will continue to rise, and he doesn’t want to miss out on future profits by selling too soon. (He does plan to sell 10 percent of his stake next year, once his earnings will be classified as long-term capital gains and taxed at a lower rate.) Instead, he is branding himself as a Dogecoin expert, adopting nicknames like “the Dogefather” and “Slumdoge Millionaire” and making YouTube videos promoting Dogecoin to others. “I’m bullish as they come in the Dogecoin community,” he said. “If this exceeded my expectations of Dogecoin, and I only hit it in two months, imagine where it’ll be in a year.” Of course, as with any volatile investment, there is a real chance that Mr. Contessoto’s Dogecoin holdings could lose most or all of their value, and that his dream of homeownership could again be out of reach. Already, the price of Dogecoin has fallen nearly 50 percent from its all-time high, shaving hundreds of thousands of dollars off Mr. Contessoto’s portfolio. But gamblers rarely leave the table the first time they lose, and Mr. Contessoto’s commitment to “HODLing” — an acronym favored by cryptocurrency traders that stands for “hold on for dear life” — is buoying him through the recent market turbulence. Earlier this week, he posted a screenshot of his cryptocurrency trading app, showing that he’d bought more. And on Thursday, when the value of his Dogecoin holdings fell to $1.5 million, roughly half what it was at the peak, he posted another screenshot of his account on Reddit. “If I can hodl, you can HODL!” the caption read. Source link Orbem News #Dogecoin #hes #Millionaire #Selling

[starrbomb]

Palapups au

Allura has to move in with her god father Coran after her father dies in action (he was a dectective).And Coran can tell that she’s really struggling with everything, with moving and losing her only family, and she’s pretty much closed herself off from other people.So he decides that maybe getting her a dog might help her come out of her shell and start the process of grieving for her father.He goes to the local pound and sees a lot of different types of dogs, but just doesn’t see any that he believes would be a good with Allura.

That is until he sees one of the workers, a big burly man with a scar over his eye (I wonder who that could be) drag this three legged husky/shiba mix out of its cage and starts to pull it towards the back door of the pound.

Coran knows what’s about to happen, and calls out for the worker to wait. It’s obvious that he’s gotten on his guys nerves but Coran Wimbleton is not one to back down when he sets his mind to something! So he tells the worker that he’d like to adopt the dog, much to the displeasure of the worker.

(FYI, the dog pound worker is Sendak if you hadn’t already guessed) Anyways, sendak tries to dissuade Coran, telling him how hard it will be to take care of a dog like this one, and coming with reasons why he shouldn’t adopt him, but Coran is adamant about his decision and at the end of the day, he’s leading his new dog to the car.

When he gets back to the house and introduces the dog, which he has skillfully named Shiro, Allura is a bit hesitant about taking care of a dog, especially one with only 3 legs. She thinks that it could be difficult and be too hard for her to handle (she’s like 12 right now so, yeah) but with each day, Shiro gets more healthy and energetic, and Allura realizes that it doesn’t matter to Shiro if he only has three legs, he can still do anything any other dog can. And the more Allura plays with him, the more she’s starting to open again and actually talk with people (usually to apologize for Shiro who is both super friendly to every kid in the park but learey of adults and might even growl if people start to yell around him.) plus, Shiro is best guard dog. and therapy dog. If he thinks that Allura is in a dangerous situation or something about this stranger is just wrong he will not hesitate to put himself between them and growl and bark at them.

After a couple of years with Shiro, Allura is doing much better, she has friends at school, her grades are well and she’s a part of the debate team at school. But he beat part of her day is when she walks out of school to see Shiro at the front of the school, waiting for her. She still goes to the park every day and plays with him, and takes him practically everywhere in town.

And then one day.....

Coran’s police buddies call him up, saying they just took down a big dog fighting ring and say that they found an adolescent pup that doesn’t seem to have been treated kindly, and while he growls at anybody that walks by he doesn’t bite people like the other dogs. They ask if he can foster the pup until they can find a suitable home for him to go to.Coran happily accepts, hoping that he’ll be able to help give this poor dog a second chance on life. When Kolivan, who lead the bust, comes by he notices that the dog is a young Rottweiler who does indeed growl none stop, but only gives off barks when he feels he’s threatened (which is pretty much every time Coran or kolivan get too close to the front of the crate).

When they eventually get the adolescent dog out of the crate by its own free will (no way were they going to force it to come out) he’s still really weary of it all, rushing off to hide under the couch. Coran and Kolivan share a look of pity that the poor thing is so skittish of the slightest thing. Coran puts down a second bowl of water and food near the couch so it doesn’t have to go too far to eat or drink.He even goes as far as laying down those potty training papers around and as under the couch as he can. With each day, the puppy slowly gets used to seeing Allura running by as she races out the door to school, and notices how Shiro is always trotting with her. They both decide to name the new dog Keith while he’s there with them, and the more Keith comes out of his hideaway, the more interested he is of Shiro.Soon enough, wherever shiro goes you can see Keith tumbling after him. While he’s still super nervous around people, he’ll lay next to Shiro if he’s laying by Coran or Allura. He even starts to come with them to the park (on a leash of course, because he still just a pupper and they don’t want him to get lost) and whenever Keith get overwhelmed with all the people around, he’ll get as close to Shiro as he can, going as far as to try and hid between his legs.

By the time Kolivan comes back around saying that he’s found a possible home for Keith, Keith has gotten to be really close with Allura and Coran let alone Shiro. He’ll follow them around the house and worm his way between them and any hard surface, enjoying the physical contact. If Coran is sitting at his desk doing paper work, keith will either lay down beside the desk or he’ll figure out a way to get his head in Coran’s lap, getting the head rubs he loves so much. Kolivan can’t bring himself to take away the dog that has finally found a place where it doesn’t have to worry about anything other than getting the much needed positive physical contact, so he calls the other home and tells them that he regrets to inform them but Keith has already found his forever home.

The next dog they get is a little Pomeranian from a neighbor a few doors down from them. This sad kid comes up and knocks on their door, telling them that his parents were spitting up and his dad (who he was moving with) told him that their new apartment didn’t accept dogs, and his mother has always been allergic to dogs, so he asks if they’ll take in his dog since they seem to be really nice to their dogs.They of course accept, and when they ask what her name is, he tells them it’s Pidge. Allura and Coran are pretty confused about it until the boy explains that it’s because she always tries to chase after the birds in their backyard and the name just sort of stuck.

They wish the boy good luck and promise to take care of Pidge. Keith isn’t the best when it comes to change though, so when Pidge starts to lay on Coran’s lap or curl up next to Allura when she’s studying, you can say that he got a bit jealous. But in the funny way, where he tries to do the same thing so whenever he sees Coran sitting on the couch he’ll jump up and try to curl up in his lap like Pidge can, or will try and lay next to Allura on her bed, but that usually ends up with him spreading out and taking most of the bed space. But Keith starts to accept the new addition to the family when she starts to lay next to him when she takes a nap and it becomes obvious that she is very secure with herself and doesn’t need a lot of physical affection as Keith does, so he lays off in trying to out do her. Pidge loves watching Coran on the computer, it’s one of the few times that she will climb up in his lap, so she can watch all of the images and fast words being typed up. They of course take their newest puppy to the park with Shiro and Keith, but she usually just lays down next to Coran while Allura plays with Keith and Shiro.

It’s a year after they got Keith and Pidge that Allura and Coran have to move bc Coran got a better job in a different state. They of course bring all three dogs with them (no one gets left behind!) and once hey get to their new home, it’s obvious that it’s much different than their last neighborhood. While they got a really great house, just a couple blocks down from their neighborhood is the ‘bad side’ of town. They usually do their best to avoid it, Allura even walking the long way to school just to avoid going that way. After a couple of months of getting used to the new place and the new school and even finding a new park to take the dogs to, everything seemed to be looking up for them. That is until one day there’s a big wreck right outside of Allura’s school, pretty much closing down the entire sidewalks on both sides on the route that she usually takes home. So she has to go through the rough side of town.

Of course, Shiro waits for her at the front of the school and braves the journey of going through that neighborhood. But she does realize it’s not as bad as people make it out to be, it’s mostly immigrants from Cuba and Mexico and the Colombian republic, and yeah she does get a few woof calls here and there but there’s usually a loud smack to immediately follow and she can hear mothers and girlfriends alike berate them about denouncing women like that. So she occasionally, if the debate club runs longer than usual (which it occasionally does) she’ll go through the immigrant neighborhood and she’ll talk with some of the older women who sit out on their porches or some of the kids will come up and ask if they can pet her dog or if they can play with him and give him treats, which she agrees to, and usually whenever the kids from the neighborhood plays with Shiro, Allura will sit with the other girls from her school or some of the younger ones and helps them with homework or talk about gossip.

It was one of these times that Allura figures out why so many people considered this the bad neighborhood.

Mr.Iverson, a hateful man that for some reason lived in the heavily immigrant part of town and yet would gladly see everyone of them, and probably Allura too, get deported or sent to jail, was outside of his yard for probably the first time since Allura moved there, hunched over in an alleyway repeated hitting something.

The more that she moved closer to see what exactly he was doing, the more Shiro grew agitated and tense, letting growls slip out as Allura finally saw what Mr. iverson was doing.

He was hitting a poor dog, starved and dehydrated and had obvious signs of years of abuse and neglect. And he was beating on it as if it was no more than a punching bag, as if every whimper and cry from the poor thing wasn’t even there.

It seemed that Shiro had had enough and ran off, slipping in between the man’s leg and positions himself over the cowering dog, growling up a storm and even going as far as to bare his teeth. Iverson is quick to try and hit Shiro, but Allura is so NOT letting this asshole hit any dogs especially her dog. She grabs his raised hand and easily takes him down, using an old technique her late father had taught her, all the while the smell of alcohol is overwhelming as he swears like a sailor. She doesn’t hesitate to tell him that her godfather is great friends with the cops (old friends of Kolivan’s and Alfor) and he backs off, but before he can run off she takes several pictures of both him and his hands to show the cops later.

Once he’s gone, Allura returns her attention to the poor dog under Shiro, still cowering and even covering its eyes with its paws, when she picks up the dog, she realizes just how light he is and sees just how much worse the situation is. He has patches of skin with no fur, obviously scratched raw and bloody, and a rope that is tied around his neck has practically fused with its skin from it being constantly rubbed raw. The poor thing doesn’t even have any fight in him, just accepting whatever fate he has now. Allura books it back home, Shiro hot on her heels. She passes by home and keeps running straight into town, and crashes into the vet clinic crying out for help. It takes the vets hours of surgery, all the while Allura is sitting in the waiting room, Shiro laying his head in her lap as she keeps fumbling with her phone. She already told the vets about what happened so their sure to take pictures of the abuse, but she can’t help but wonder if he will survive, if he’s going to be ok. That’s how Coran found her once he was able to get off work, still sitting in the waiting room, dried blood staining her blouse as she keeps glancing back at the door, hoping for one of the surgeons will come out soon but also dreading it.

L

After hours of waiting in silent tension, the doctor finally comes out from the surgical room and tells them that while there is a lot of damage that’s been done, they were able to get him stable. They were able to identify that he is a Doberman/collie mix. He will need to stay there for a while to make sure that there weren’t any complications and in case something else comes up. So Allura and Coran head home, already settled that they’ll both come by tomorrow to see how he’s doing.

It takes days for the vet to clear the newly dubbed Lance, and they have to take him back regularly for constant check ups and to make sure the infections that had entered his wounds haven’t come back, and Coran is carrying a bag of medication for him while Lance leans against Shiro as he slowly makes his way to Coran’s car, all the while Allura is constantly making sure that the new collar isn’t too tight and irritating his wounds or bandages. It takes a bit of coaxing to get him in the car but once they do and make sure that he’s completely calm, they slowly make their way home.

Keith is very jealous at first, cause Shiro and his humans have been constantly ignoring him (they weren’t ignoring him they’ve just been giving him less attention) but once he sees the new dog limping in with barely any fur on it and obviously nervous of everything, he joins the protect Lance dog squad in his own way. He gives Lance space. when they do share a room he makes sure to make himself look smaller than he is (although it doesn’t really make a big difference bc Lance is already bigger than him, he definitely got the Dobermans height) and if he’s not in the same room, he’ll guard the doorway to make sure only the right humans (aka Allura and Coran) can come in and see his new brother. Shiro almost never leaves his side, making sure that he eats and helps keep him relatively calm when Coran has to administer medication or rewrap his stitches and healing wounds.

It was during one of Lance’s weekly check ups that they found a large dark Komondor dog being brought into the clinic as a stray by an old man who had found him digging through his trash. The clinic was being very cautious, fearing that the large hulking dog could attack someone. Instead he was calm and very sweet. But it was when Lance was struggling with allowing the doctor to do his check up, scampering around and hiding behind Allura or he table and the large dog just trots in, his dreads swing back and forth and he lays down in the middle of the room, panting quite a lot but other than that he just relaxed on the floor, showing that it was perfectly safe for Lance. It was the sweetest thing Allura had ever seen and instead of going home with one dog, she comes back with two, Lance and the newest addition, Hunk.

When summer comes around, Lance is back to a healthy weight and his fur has grown back completely, although there are a few scars here and there, but he doesn’t let that bother him. He loves to play with Shiro and Hunk in the backyard but when they go to the dog park he rarely goes out and plays with Hunk shiro and Keith, he’ll usually just sit next to Coran on his usual bench with Pidge.

Also, during the summer all of the mothers from that ‘bad neighborhood’ ask Allura if she’ll babysit their children while they’re at work, so she gets in a lot of money (she doesn’t charge a lot, but it builds up after babysitting half of the neighborhood kids) and they love it when Allura is babysitting because they get to go to her house and play with her dogs! Shiro is always a good sport and is playful with the kids, Hunk is probably their favorite because he looks like a mammoth to some of them but is as gentle as a butterfly. Pidge usually hides away in a room whenever the children come over, Keith doesn’t really like having the kids keep touching him, he hasn’t seemed if they are safe or not, so he’ll usually hide away with Pidge if it gets to much. Lance loves the attention to an extent, he can get overwhelmed and will usually curl up or find shiro or Hunk to hide behind. After this happened a few times the kids ask why and Allura does her best to explain that Lance didn’t always get happy touches, so sometimes he can mistake happy touches for mean touches and will hide away.

The kids obviously feel bad, and only touch him if he comes up to them.

All is right in the world and no one could be happier!

(Although with the amount of dog hair that gets everywhere, everyone is constantly perplexed on how Allura’s and Coran’s clothes don’t have a hint of dog hair on them?)

[des-does-art]

A Beginning

“A Beginning” by Turtleninjaof-theday

Summary: Ichigo stands on a balcony and thinks of all of his friends’ successes before they visit him. An alternative ending to the very last chapter of “Bleach.”

    Overlooking the cities that floated in the sky, Ichigo slipped his hands into his pockets. The golden band on his wedding finger pressed against the skin of his leg as he slowly walked toward the railing of his palace balcony. From his spot, he could see the Royal Guard making their rounds and checking in with one another. Ichigo sighed and touched at his orange hair, softer than after the use of human shampoos. He hadn’t aged since the downfall of the Quincy’s uprising, but there was a wisdom of thirteen years cradled in the brown of his eyes. It was winter now, and winter meant that his friends could come back to visit him.

    Of course, his friends’ visit didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of their successes. Closing his eyes, Ichigo saw Chad, tall and much more muscular than before. The giant man was actually in Mexico this time, and he was speaking his fluent Spanish and serving his home community at a volunteer center. Chad was wearing an apron over his normal clothes, and a hairnet covered his long dark hair. He ladled soup into bowls for people, who were thanking him and returning to talk with him about various topics. Ichigo could see the inspiration that sparkled in everyone’s eyes as they gazed upon his friend; it was heartwarming. Sometimes, Chad would play his guitar and sing on the weekends, often being joined by other musicians and singers. The brown-haired man was able to fulfill the need to serve and protect, not harm, by creating the very charity he worked in, Heart to Heart.

    So you’re holding up really well, Ichigo, Chad had said. The last time he’d been in the Royal Palace, Chad had barely started Heart to Heart.

    Well, Ichigo had replied, I’m holding everything up actually.He chuckled along with Chad at his joke. You started a charity, Chad. That’s great!

    Thanks, his friend had said, a smile on his face. I’m doing something that I like… and I’d like to think that my abuelo would be proud of me. I hope he can see it all. I hope he can see that I’ve returned to my roots and put up an altar for him during the Day of the Dead. I hope he can see that I don’t use my fists anymore.

    Ichigo smiled. I don’t doubt it, he’d said and had closed his eyes to search out the other spirit realm, where his sights were usually forbidden. Then he’d caught sight of him, an elderly man as tall as Chad, staring back at him. I can see him, your abuelo in the other spirit realm.

    You can see him!

    I think he sees me… Wait. He says he sees you, Chad. He says he’s proud.Ichigo had opened his eyes to see Chad silently weeping. They had embraced. To him, Chad was at his best.

    Uryu, on the other hand, was doing something much more glamorous. Ichigo saw him wearing a fancy suit and sitting at his desk in an office building in the capital of Japan. As a CEO, Uryu was signing papers and reading over plans for his company, Soul Threads. His office was covered in posters and filled with books and binders. At the moment Uryu signed a check to donate to Heart to Heart, his father walked in. At this, Ichigo smiled, knowing that Uryu and his father were speaking with better relations than before. Following her father-in-law, Inoue walked right in with the baby carrier in hand. She was on maternity leave at the moment; her fellow veterinarians were happy for her. Uryu got his happy beginning, outside of medicine, and he had Inoue with him.

    Briefly recalling the end of the war, Ichigo had seen Inoue walking toward him and blushing, despite the many injuries she’d retained against the Quincy army. He had known that she’d watched as he and Rukia both had battled Ywach, and he’d known that Inoue wanted to help them so much. At the end of it all, Inoue had confessed her feelings to him and had taken his hand in hers.

    Inoue, Ichigo had said, I understand your feelings. You’ve had them for a while.

    The young lady had smiled and had held onto Ichigo’s hand even tighter. Does that mean, she started.

    Ichigo had shaken his head and had looked Inoue in the eyes. I’m sorry, he’d apologized. I value your friendship, and I always will. I can’t return what you want from me because I don’t feel the way you do.

    Kurosaki…

    You deserve to live happily back in Karakura, Ichigo had explained. Go to Uryu. Care for him and for yourself.

    Doing her best not break down, Inoue had replied, I will always love you, so I will go back...for you…

    Shaking his head again, Ichigo had said, Don’t do this for me. Do this for you. Live happily with someone who returns your feelings.

    Before she’d left, Ichigo had wondered if Inoue would break down at that moment, but she hadn’t. Instead, Inoue had released his hand after running her thumb over his wedding finger, had turned from him, and had walked toward Uryu, who had held her as she’d rested her head on his shoulder. Ichigo and Uryu had made eye contact at that time, and it had been clear that Uryu had appeared conflicted. Later, Ichigo had assured Uryu that he had no intention of returning home and had no intention of loving Inoue, especially when his heart had never been hers.

    Then, an image of Rukia came to Ichigo. She was wearing her new robe as a captain of the thirteenth squad, and her hair was much longer. Her fair skin glowed in the sunlight as she walked even steps toward her office. He watched her attend to paperwork and give orders to various soul reapers. Ichigo chuckled when he saw the crushing soul reaper gawking at Rukia before leaving with a blush on his face, saluting with a Good-bye, Captain Kurosaki!A smile graced Rukia’s face as she shook her head. Touching at her wedding band, Rukia gazed a picture on her desk.

    You’re really doing it, Rukia had said. You’re staying here. Does your father know yet?

    I’ve sent a letter with Chad, Ichigo had answered. He smiled as he had gazed down at Rukia’s own smiling face. A welcoming flush of heat had filled his chest and had tinted his cheeks a pink color. Ichigo had been holding in what he had thought would never come to fruition.

    Giggling, Rukia had teased, Are you blushing, Ichigo? I guess you’re just happy to see me.

    We’ve been fighting together the entire time, Ichigo had pointed out. He had touched at her hand, feeling his chest had tightened when Rukia had held his hand completely. You’re bankai…it was beautiful…Rukia…

    You fool, Rukia had said, her smile never wavering. That’s not what you want to say.

    I’ll be the Soul King soon, Ichigo had said. Before that or anything else happens, I want to thank you. Rukia had rasied a brow at this. Without you, I wouldn’t be here, not like this. I’d be different, I think, and I wouldn’t have liked that person as much.Feeling Rukia pulling away her hand, Ichigo had held on tighter, meeting Rukia’s glossed eyes. Saying all that, I have something else to tell you.

    Ichigo.

    I was never that good with directly saying what I really wanted, Ichigo had expressed, but, Rukia, I love you!

    He’d compare the bloom of their relationship to a rose, but Ichigo had known Rukia had never been like any other person he’d met. With such a thought, he’d compared the beginning of their relationship to the fan of a carnation, a comparatively beautiful and equally complex array of petals, each a memory woven in to the same truth.

    With the thought of his father and sisters, Ichigo looked to them, seeing that they were all going about their lives. Yuzu was still cooking and writing her own cookbook; moreover, she was succeeding in school, placing number one in exams. Karin was training to become a professional soccer player, so she was at school and on the field most of the time. Their father was sitting across from their mother’s poster. Ever since he’d regained access to his powers, his aging had stopped, and he’d make frequent visits to the Soul Society, catching up with old friends and helping rebuild the name of the House of Shiba, which gained even more favor after Ichigo’s ascent to Soul King.

    In the thirteen years that he’d been in the palace, his family had visited him twice a year, making sure to bring their joys and treats along. Ichigo had been grateful, and Rukia had been excited every single time they made their visit. Like his friends, his family would come this winter.

    “Ichigo!” came Nel’s voice.

    Ichigo turned just in time to be smothered in a hug. “Hi, Nel,” he said through her arms.

    “We came back from our rounds of the palace!”

    “One day,” came Grimmjow’s voice, “you’re going to smother him too much, and he’ll die.”

    “You exaggerate,” whined Nel as she let Ichigo go, allowing him to regain his footing and take in a deep breath of air. Nel wore her usual attire, fluff and a body suit, but she also had a special robe to wear, showing that she was defending Ichigo at all times. The insignia on her robe showed that she was not a soul reaper and meant for defense against Quincy attacks. Along with her clothing change, Nel’s skull had been altered over the years as she grew stronger in training with Nimaiya, who had challenged her until she had bled. Her horns were longer and sharper, and the skull’s fracture had completely closed up. Her sword had become two, like her horns.

    Like Nel, Grimmjow wore his usual black suit and belts; however, there was a robe that billowed off of his shoulders like a cape, bearing the same insignia as Nel. The jawbone on his cheek had only changed in that the teeth were much sharper and that the corners were pointed out, much like Nel’s horns. Because he had trained with Kirinji, Grimmjow had grown as a warrior in both strength and understanding of one’s own limits. Unfortunately, Grimmjow’s limits still hadn’t been where Kirinji had wanted them, so they had trained much longer compared to Nel and Nimaiya. His sword remained as one, but the length of the sword increased, making Grimmjow a much fiercer opponent.

    At the end of the war, both Nel and Grimmjow had been unsure of their place in rebuilding everything. Seeing that the Quincy had been vulnerable to Arrancar attacks, Ichigo had suggested they remain with him as his body guards in the case that Ywach would come back. Because he was Soul King, no one had objected. Thus, both had remained with Ichigo, who had learned how to keep everything in balance with the help of the Royal Guard.

    “Quit acting like a child,” grouched Grimmjow as he crossed his arms.

    “I don’t act like a child!”

    “Yes, you do!”

    “Am not!” protested Nel.

    “Are to!”

    “Am not!”

    “Are to!”

    Placing himself between the two, Ichigo pushed the Espada apart. “You two have to stop this,” he said. “The days pass quickly here, so we’ll have visitors soon. I don’t want any accidents like last time.” He’d been referencing the enormous fight that Nel and Grimmjow had gotten into, requiring Ichigo and Chad to pull them apart.

    Suddenly, Ichigo felt it. He used flash step to get to the balcony’s edge in order to see the Royal Guard escorting all of his friends up the steps toward his palace. “They’re here!” he said with a smile. Rukia was nowhere in the group, making Ichigo frown.

    “Looking for me?” came Rukia’s voice.

    When Ichigo turned around, he saw Rukia standing there with her arms crossed. Grimmjow and Nel were standing aside to let her through. “Rukia!”

    They embraced. With her there, Ichigo felt peace overcome him. “I’ve missed you,” he said.

    “I’ve missed you, too,” replied Rukia. She broke their embrace and pressed Ichigo’s hand to her belly. “We have something to announce today.”

    Ichigo gaped and then smiled. “You’re pregnant!”

    “Two months,” announced Rukia. “I see that I was able to successfully keep it a surprise.” They held onto each other as Nel embraced them both with congratulations. Grimmjow had to pry Nel away, providing the perfect picture for the entire group of friends to come to.

    There it was. Not a happily ever after; Ichigo would never call it that. Rather, it was a beginning.

[tokikurp]

Ahhhh you killed me with that last prompt but it was soooo good too! How about UshiSemi and 46 if you don't mind??

_(:3/ It hurt writing that, it really did! BUT I’M HAPPY YOU ENJOYED! THAT’S WHAT I LIKE HEARING \( ᐛ )/

46- “Can I kiss you right now?” 

PRAISE THE LORD IT’S LOVE 🙌  !

📬 Send me a prompt, there’s 200 to choose from ❗

4:30AM

[Text sent by Ushijima Wakatoshi]: Eita and I are about to leave for the hospital for his surgery. I will send an update before he goes in.

Ushijima held back a yawn as he pressed the send button to family and friends, he had just woken up half an hour ago and already he could tell it was going to be a long day. Because it was going to be a long day for him, he’s a patient man. 

But with Semi having surgery today, he knew is going to grow impatient.

Just over two months (yes months) ago, Semi thought he sprained his knee after landing wrong during practice. He wasn’t in a lot of pain and there was no swelling so Daichi, the head coach and Ushijima all agreed it was best that Semi just rest it for awhile.

It never got better.

So after a month it not getting better, they went to go see an orthopedic to see what was wrong with Semi’s name; by now the setter had missed four games and he was not happy about that. The doctor did a physical exam and asked what happened.

“I landed wrong while I was serving.” Semi explained as the doctor nodded.

“Did anything happen when you landed? Or did you hear anything like a pop?” The doctor asked.

“Um yeah. The moment I landed, I started to see spots? I think Daichi said my blood pressure might have dropped? And I think I did hear a pop when I landed.” Semi responded as he looked to Ushijima, who confirmed with a nod.

“I see, well what I want to do is send you for an x-ray and a MRI scan to see if maybe your knee is bruised. What could have happened is that it popped out of place, but went back into place and it’s just bruised. But I also want to make sure it’s nothing serious like your ACL.” He explained as the two nodded.

So Semi went for the x-ray and the MRI scan a week later. He was late to training because his x-ray was in the morning, but he was excused because of that. (Plus he hasn’t been able to do much since Daichi doesn’t want to risk his knee possibly getting worst, Ushijima agreed). But his MRI was that evening so the captain was able to come with him for the MRI.

“That machine was so damn loud, I could hear it over the music they were playing.” Semi complained as the two walked home, the setter having a slight limp because of the brace he wore.

“I never thought a MRI machine would be loud. I thought they were quiet.” Ushijima responded.

“Yeah I thought so too.”

The results came in two weeks later and they were called in by the orthopedic to come chat about them. On the way there, Semi gripped Ushijima’s hand tight, feeling nervous about what the results could be. Ushijima had to take away the laptop because Semi was doing so much research on what it could possibly be.

“Alright so I have to bring some bad news to you, Ushijima-san.” The orthopedic doctor started as he opened the file. “Your MRI scanned showed that your ACL is torn. Now it didn’t show how torn, but I could tell it was in fact torn.”

 The surgery was scheduled for two weeks later and they were busy getting things ready. First informing the national team and getting time off for both Semi and Ushijima (Oikawa having no problem taking on the role of captain for at least two weeks). Second, telling family and friends who were all shocked to hear that Semi would be suddenly having surgery. His grandmother even offering to come stay with them while Semi recovered (They declined it was knee surgery and they didn’t want her to have to be responsible for picking Semi up if he had fallen). 

They also prep their home, moving their bedroom from the second story to the first story so Semi wouldn’t have to go up the stairs after surgery. He was going to be on crutches and have a brace on that would make it difficult to go up the stairs. So it only made sense moving their bedroom downstairs until he could make it up the stairs, even if it was one step at a time.

“Arf!” Looking down from his phone, Ushijima was met their his and Semi’s dog, Ace. The captain chuckled as he bent down and scratched behind their shiba inu’s ear.

“Look after the house while Eita and I are at the hospital, Ace. I’m counting on you.”

“Arf!” The dog responded while wagging his tail.

“Come on, I’ll feed your breakfast.” Even though it was four something in the morning, Ace was all excited about food. 

“Wakatoshi! Are you ready?” Semi called out as Ushijima set Ace’s bowl down.

“Yes Eita. Are you ready?”

“Yes! Come help me get off this last step.” For the past two months, Semi has had trouble with the stairs, getting Ushijima to help him get off the last step or take the last step. 

The captain made his way over to the stairs and offered his hand out to his husband, who took it and slowly stepped down. Hissing just a tad as he put pressure on his knee.

“Got everything?” Semi asked as Ushijima nodded.

“Yes. I’ve sent the text to everyone and Ace has been fed.”

“Alright good. Let’s go, the sooner we can get there, the sooner I can have my knee back.”

Because it was still so early, they had no trouble getting to the hospital. By five-fifteen, they were checked in and in a room. Ushijima sitting by Semi’s side and holding his hand, gently rubbing it as the setter’s vitals were taken. His nurse was none other then Yaku, who chatted with them while writing everything down on the chart. 

“Ah shit that burns.” Semi hissed as the nurse pushed the IV needle in.

“Whoops sorry about that but I think I got the vein.” Yaku apologized as he felt one more time for the vein. “Yup got it.”

“Damn Yaku.” 

“Eh it happens. Often do you get poked in that arm?” The nurse asked while throwing away the container the needle came in.

“Barley.”

“I would hope so. Alright so the doctor will be in shortly to chat with you before you’re taken back. So hang tight and I’ll be back to check on you.” Yaku responded with a chuckle before heading to check on the other patients. 

“Hey, hey, hey good morning!” Came Bokuto’s voice as him and Kuroo snuck into Semi’s room.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” Semi asked as Kuroo came in, handing a cup of coffee over to Ushijima.

“We came to see our favorite setter before he goes in for surgery.” Kuroo answered as he leaned against the wall. “Yaku snuck us in so we could say hello and a good luck to you.”

“Yeah, how you feeling?” Bokuto asked.

“Tired.” Both Ushijima and Semi replied at the same time.

“Couldn’t sleep last night because the surgery was on our minds.”

“Yeah I can image. Surgery is a scary thing.” Kuroo responded while taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yeah. How long will you be out of training?” Bokuto asked.

“The rest of the season, I believe he’ll be out for six months.” Ushijima responded.

“Yikes. That’s just about going into next season too, huh?” The middle blocker asked as the captain nodded.

“Depending on how he does with therapy, I would say about June maybe?”

“Summer comeback.” Bokuto nodded as Kuroo pushed himself off the wall.

“Alright well we just wanted to come say good luck and we’ll be thinking about you today. Get better tough guy.” He said while patting Semi’s leg.

“Yeah good luck today!”

“Thanks guys for coming.” Semi waved as the two left the room. “Well that was nice of them to come see me before surgery.”

“I agree.” 

Next thing they knew, it was time to part ways. They pressed their foreheads against each other and Ushijima kissed Semi’s lips.

“I’ll be right there when you wake up, alright? Don’t worry about anything, you’re in good hands.” The captain responded as Semi nodded.

“I’ll be expecting you to be there when I wake up.” Semi whispered back as his husband nodded.

“Of course. I love you, Eita.”

“I love you too, ‘Toshi.” 

“Have a nice nap.”

“I will.” Semi giggled.

For three hours, Ushijima waited and waited for the surgery to be over with. He had gone to get breakfast and half an hour had only passed after he finished. He read the newspaper and the advertisements, which after reading those he started to get responses from the text message he had sent that morning.

[From Shirabu]: Has he gone back yet?

[From Tendou]: HOW’S SEMISEMI DOING?

[From Jin]: How are you holding up?

[From Reon]: Any word yet?

[From Yamagata]: How’s Eita doing?

[From Oikawa]: Ushiwaka-chan! Do you have any updates on Semi-chan?? (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Ushijima responded to them all, informing them that yes Semi has already gone back, but he didn’t know how he was doing. He started to get nervous around the two hour mark, no one had come out to update him on what was going on. He called Semi’s parents to inform them how their son was doing, who both were worried about their son. Grandma Semi was also informed the moment Ushijima hung up since his parents actually had the day off for once! 

“Ushijima-san?” A voice called out to him. Having decided to rest his eyes, Ushijima must have fallen asleep because he now was looking at the surgeon.

“Yes? How is Eita doing?” The captain asked as the surgeon sat on the coffee table (which Ushijima thought was another seat to be honest). 

“Your husband is doing fine. He’s out of surgery, it was a success. He had a complete tear which is why it took longer then expected. He should be waking up soon if you would like to wait in the room you two were brought into.”

“Yes that would be great. Thank you doctor.” Ushijiam bowed to the surgeon. He walked to the room they were just in that morning and sat down, pulling his phone out to send the update.

[Text sent by Ushijima Wakatoshi]: Eita is out of surgery and I’m currently waiting for him to be brought back to the room.

It was just a ten minute wait when Semi was brought back. Ushijima stood up and bent over the bed, stroking his husband’s face.

“Welcome back, Eita. How are you feeling?” Ushijima asked as Semi looked at him, oh how exhausted he looked! “Tired?”

Semi only nodded as he leaned against Ushijima’s touch. The captain couldn’t help but smile at his tired husband. He looked so out of it as he leaned toward his husband’s touch.

“Mmm…’Toshi.” Semi spoke after half an hour.

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you right now? You promised me a kiss before I went in.” Semi asked. Ushijima blinked, what kissed? How much anesthesia did they give him?

“But of course. A promise is a promise.” Though they didn’t promise a kiss, Ushijima wasn’t going to decline another kiss from his husband. The captained kissed his husband’s lips, who smiled afterwards.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Eita. When we get home, I’ll carry you to bed and you can sleep longer alright?

“Okay.” Semi responded as he leaned his forehead against Ushijima’s. “I like that idea.”

“Me too.” 

“Well I’m sure you would like that to happen now, huh?” Yaku asked as he walked into the room with a folder and wheelchair. “He’s ready to be discharged and head home. This folder will explain what to look for incase of an infection and also expect a call from the physical therapist in about two to three weeks.” 

Yaku explained as he pulled the IV out of Semi’s arm and applied pressure while Ushijima nodded.

“Do I need to sign any papers?”

“Yes.”

Papers signed and Semi dressed back into his own clothes, Yaku pushed the dazed blond toward the exit while Ushijima went ahead to get the car. The captain picked his husband up and gently set him into the car before thanking Yaku for his work.

“No problem. Call me if you’ve got any questions.” 

“I will. Thank you again, Yaku.”

“I’ll come by and check on him after I get off my shift.” Yaku responded Ushijima nodded, getting into the car and driving the two of them back home.

“ARF!” Ace barked as he greeted his humans home.

“Hello Ace. Thank you for keeping the house safe while we were out.” Ushijima thanked as the dog wagged his tail. “Come on, let’s go nap.”

“ARF!” The dog agreed.

Sleep is good.