#since i've been at work tonight I watched one dump the whole thing over on the security camera footage

[messier51]

at this point i think the raccoons are just digging in and knocking over any potted plants i leave accessible overnight out of spite

[a-tiny-teez]

Behind the scenes

Yandere Director OC X Fem reader

Part 1

Warning : 18+ content,MDNI, age gap, yandere themes, kidnapping,power imbalance, implied non-con, slight slow burn, reader is in her mid twenties and yandere Director is in his late thirties.

1:34 AM

The sound of the clock ticking away could be heard as you continue to type away on the keyboard.The last few scenes of the work you've been working on are going to be completed and with new inspiration you continue . Pulling all nighters , dumping strong coffee in your system and an unhealthy amount of rest has been your life for the last six months.

The purrs of your beloved cat taking your attention for a slight bit was actually quite good for your eyes as looking at a screen for a long time strained your eyes heavily. You looked at your cat with a smile. “ Just a bit left baby ”.It wasn't that you had a deadline. It's just that you loved your work. Your friends often made jokes about your intense workaholic routine but you just laughed them off.

“ At this point you're gonna have to marry your own character” , your friend Becky said laughing.

“ Wouldn't be bad you know” ,you smirked at her and she shook her head with a smile.

Being a playwright was your dream that you accomplished just a few years ago. Doing part time jobs and studying were most of the things you did during your college days. So although you were completely new to this field of work , you have gained quite a good amount of fame. Some of your work has been appreciated by the audience and the rookie playwright of the year award was a great feat of accomplishment of your whole life.

Now back to present, with the last word typed away you save your work and then send it to your beta to recheck everything. Stretching your arms out you yawned and finally stood up. Going over to your kitchen and opening a cabinet you pulled out a microwave ramen and decided to settle for it tonight. You decided tomorrow you'd go grocery shopping as you shivered watching the sorry state of fridge. After a few minutes you had your ramen while watching the tv . There was nothing much going on the tv at this time so you settled for a documentary show that was being re-broadcasted.

Oh , it's him. You thought as you slurped on the noodles. Spicey just as you liked it. The documentary was about a famous film director. You had seen him a few times during award shows. He was one of the most successful directors of the time and all of his films were successful as he got the best director awards quite a few times. It must be fate now that you came across this because you were just thinking about sending him your work. You doubted it'd be accepted but still it's worth a shot. You gotta keep trying in this field of job.

Hoping you'd at least have your work checked by him you turned off the TV and dumped the trash in the garbage can. Then after cleaning up you went to bed to get the sleep you very much needed.

____________________

“ I've finished rechecking. It's all good to send. Be assured”, said your beta, Alan .

“Alright. Done” you said clicking the send button. Now if it's accepted you'd get to meet the director and it'll be made into a film. Your genre this time matched with the kind of works he worked on so you hoped your work will get at least the recognition.

“ Man I hope I'll get accepted”

“ Don't worry. I have a good feeling about this and you worked really hard on this so don't lose hope” , reassured Alan. You smiled at him and hoped for the best.

“You wanna get lunch ? My treat.” You asked.

“Why not? Can't say no to free food”, he sheepishly smiled.

Alan was like your little brother. He's been with you ever since your first work and over the time you two bonded as if he was family. He was still a student from your alma mater and he looked up to you a lot. You were happy to have him appreciate you cause there were times when you felt despair but he was the one who always helped you get through tough times.

After eating and bidding Alan goodbye you went to the grocery store. Walking towards the aisle you remembered what you needed and put them in the cart. A carton of milk, eggs, vegetables, sausages ,Nutella oh and you were about to run out of coffee so a jar of coffee. Okay , that's all from here . Then you bought some cooking spices and other necessities. Checking everything you went to the cashier. Paying for everything you went out the store and a cold breeze passed by making you shiver. October was ending and it was getting colder. You pulled your coat closer and loaded your car then drove away to home as you planned on making dinner and having hot chocolate later.

_____________________

2 days later

The sound of luminary playing in the background could be heard as you were cleaning out your closet and filling it with warm clothes. It was one of your favourite soundtracks. It was just so beautiful and gave you lots of ideas.

You remember the earlier phone call. You still couldn't believe it. Dominic Albero read your script and he wanted to have a meeting with you. His assistant called and made you aware about the appointment which is tomorrow night. You're so happy right now. You can't believe your work got recognized by THE director everyone wants to work with. You informed Alan about this and boy was he so enthralled with the situation. He wished you best of luck for tomorrow and you decided you'd celebrate with him if your work gets adapted tomorrow.

[deada55]

The Game (WIP)

for kloktober day 8: mermaids or monsters AND for kloktober day 10: came back different

So... This one's a mess. I've had this idea for a hot minute, but writer's block is making it hard to envision and revise well.

But, here it is: some post-traumatic father/autistic son bonding! Also, I think Oscar is a Dallas Cowboys fan.

“How are we doing today?”

Rose turned on the range hood and started to toast the kraft mac n’ cheese noodles in butter. “Well, we got dressed, actually! We went outside for five minutes, then we watched TV. The afternoon was hard… Big crash. We’re still tired. I really think he only got two hours the other night… I think he was lying awake before the fire alarm chirped.”

“Still sick?”

“A little bit, but it sounds like a tension headache or a sinus headache.”

“That breathing thing didn’t work?”

“He couldn’t do the things he wanted to do, Oscar. I didn’t try to get him to listen to me count— I let him lay down  and hoped he’d end up asleep.” She dumped in the water to boil the noodles. The butter, when suspended on the water, was always a little less oil overall than one thought, especially in a new nonstick pan. (Best Christmas gift ever! She’d never felt so dowdy and proud!)

“So it’s really that bad…” He hung his keys on the tree by the phone. 

“Oh, no, he’ll be good tonight, He’s ready for a 8:00 kind of night. Give him a popsicle and a water after dinner.” 

“Think he’ll be off macaroni soon?” Nathan was going through phases of the same food over, and over, and over again before the school year started, but since Then, they were five times as intense. The pediatrician said whatever he’d eat or drink voluntarily is fine when trying to manage his other “symptoms,” so they leaned in. After all, they knew he was frightened deeply, and scared by how worried he was. It was wonderful having a kid who was so direct, so unembarrassed, and so serious, but it meant he was vulnerable. He got along fine with other kids (a miracle for a nonverbal only child!), but something so overwhelming, close, and incomprehensible as a truck coming through a classroom and mowing down your classmates had definitely touched a vulnerable place. Death, chaos, and fear… right where you’d least expect it.

“He asked me for juice today.”

“Nice. Apple?”

“Cranberry.”

Oscar crossed his arms and chuckled. “Where’d he pick that up?”

“Probably the TV. Want to go see if he’s still awake?” She picked up the pot with two trivets and slowly started pouring the spent pasta-water into the sink. 

Their living room had been converted into a hole lit by the television and a scented candle. Their curtains, lined with white canvas, blocked out every crack and crevice of sun through a very specific pleating and placement of fabric. Their carpet was vacuumed weekly, three times over, while Nathan was with the psychologist. The whole house was flipped in those two hours, from neat but not bleached to fumey and sparkling. Why? 

Nathan laid on the floor on his stomach, face propped up against his arms. True to Rose’s report, he was wearing normal clothes, and hadn’t chosen to do that since Then.

Oscar sat down criss-cross on the floor a yard and some change away from him, near his eyegaze. “Hi, Nate! How was your day?”

He covered his face and huffed in frustration… no big deal, he didn’t want to use up energy to talk. 

“Mom’s almost done with your dinner. It’ll be five minutes, ok?”

Nothing but a grunt.

“Nathan~! We’re running ahead of schedule today. Get hungry!”

He groaned, but he rolled and sat up kneeling.

When the macaroni was done, Oscar brought it out while Rose packed up the other half for the fridge. Nathan saw the bowl, but didn’t want anything until Rose turned the corner into the living room, then he could eat.

After he’d been put to bed, their bed, Rose grabbed her tiny makeup kit off the top of her dresser and jammed it into her purse. Her claw clip, blouse, slacks, and mules were as haute as she could get. Her friends offered to take her out, and she followed a whim to try and break a month-long streak of checking on Nathan every ten minutes or less. Tonight felt like a toss-up, but Oscar had her phone number, and the doctor had just prescribed valium if Nathan hurt himself.

Oscar sat down on the couch, and she patted his shoulder as she made her way out the door and into her friend’s car.

The game was on, so having a couple drinks and a couple peanuts made sense… then he remembered the bills. While he was still clearheaded, he should get ahead of the game. He worked at the kitchen table, where he could sip a beer and pick at cocktail mix between checks and calculations. 

Nathan came out from the shadows in the hall and haunted the doorway. All the key-tapping on the calculator and pen scratching stopped. Oscar started trying to balance something else. Nathan looked fine, straight face, looking back at him, pajamas still clean…

“Hey, buddy,” In order to reach the phone for Rose, he’d have to cross in front of Nathan, and it might send him running. 

Nathan and Rose had a different kind of relationship of course, but there were a lot new of miserable, depressed aversions and nervous tics that Oscar seemed to set off more than he soothed. This wasn’t a situation where he was explaining how people die on the job before remembering his son said his first word a split-second before a hideous degloving incident on a “bring your kid to work day”, well-meaning and misdirected. He was trying, he read the damn books, he loved letting him try two or three times to put his thoughts into words, he loved that Nathan talked about other kids in his class (by their names, twice!) before some motherfucker drove their truck into an elementary school. Nathan might have been swept away like a barrier island in a hurricane. He used to be so willing to go places and be around people without much hesitation, but now he was stuck between being terrified to sleep and enraged when he wanted to but couldn’t. The only person who could get him to function since was his mother.

He came forward. Oscar turned out from the table to face him head-on.

Nathan’s Mickey pajamas were getting some miles. The bottom hem had been pulled down so many times that there were marks for the last couple of inches where the knit of the fabric had been stretched beyond return in horizontal stripes and lighter than the fabric around it, like little scars. Nathan picked at the seams at the sides and looked only at Oscar’s chest… There wasn’t a point in asking eye contact from Natan after dinnertime, and usually when he gave it, hed forget anything you said while he was looking at you. He shifted his weight between his bare feet.

“What can I do for you?”

The ceiling fan rocked overhead.

“Do you want me to call-”

Nathan stepped closer until he were resting on Oscar’s chest and wrapped in his arms.

The television played an intro. Osca didn’t realize how tightly he was holding Nathan until the weight in his hands changed.

“Ooh, stand up, buddy.” When Nathan was self-supporting again and rubbing his face, Oscar pushed him away to get a better look at him.

“Feel OK?”

He got a nod back, and Nathan stepped forward.

“Hold on. Do you want to go back to bed?” Nathan shook his head and looked up at his dad.

“No? Well…” Oscar smiled and tilted his head towards the living room. “Do you want to come sit with me?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t even the end of the first quarter when they settled on the couch. Nathan immediately pushed a throw pillow against the arm of the sofa and laid down, but he sat up when he heard the rustling of a chip bag.

“Lay back down, I didn’t forget you.” Oscar opened one side of a square paper napkin to make a cone and put a generous handful of chips in it before putting it on the coffee table in front of Nathan. 

Nathan’s feet made their way onto Oscar’s leg. “Got enough room?”

He unfolded, picked the throw pillow back up and put it against the back of the sofa and Oscar’s side, then he curled up under his arm. He was almost too big for it.

“Comfy?”

Oscar cracked open a Lite and watched the game. About half the can later, there was a penalty, and he started to explain it to Nathan until he felt deep, easy breathing under his arm.

Rose came home with five minutes left of the game and pumped her fist in a silent cheer. Even if the guys were only asleep another twenty minutes, that left her a guaranteed ten with the bed all to herself!

[rreyie]

bubble bath

summary- after a long and excruciating week, you need some downtime with onyankopon. what batter way to relax than with a bubble bath and some bathroom intimacy?

warnings- intimate nudity, smut, bathroom sex, unprotected sex

a/n- there is a severe lack of onyankopon smut in here, time to change that

"darling, are you in there?" you hear a deep voice call from outside the door.

you were submerged in your tub filled with water, bubbles floating on the surface. the room smelled of fruit and vanilla which was an effect of the bubble bath you put in the water. thick clouds of steam floated around the room as you relaxed, your body completely at ease. 

"yes, onyankopon", you respond. "you can come in if you like, but i have nothing on..."

the silver doorknob twists and in walks his tall figure, looking down at you in the tub. he was wearing a suit with a black tie, most likely because of his work- also because he always preferred to dress formally.

"all the more reason to come in here and check on you", he grins. "how are you doing? i'm sorry i didn't come and say hello sooner, i had a whole stack of paperwork to go through."

"it's alright", you say. "i've just been sitting here for who knows how long, my muscles have been killing me today."

"oh, i'm so sorry dear", he says, and kneels beside the tub. you could smell his cologne on his collar. "you could always ask for help from me, you know that right? i could give you a nice massage if you need one later."

"thanks, honey", you smile. "but all i need right now is your presence. i've missed you all day."

"say less", he said. "may i join you? it smells lovely, what did you use in this?"

you picked up the bottle that rested on the side of the bathtub. "papaya vanilla bubble bath. got it from that new soap store downtown."

onyankopon began to undo his tie, the strip of black silk soon fell to the floor. he quickly picked it up, not wanting to get it dirty. he slid off his jacket, followed by his shirt and pants until all that he was clad in was his boxers. you could specifically remember getting him that pair of grey boxers for the holidays one year, and it warmed your heart that he was still wearing them. soon he slid his fingers between the waistband of his boxers and his skin, and tugged them off.

he walked over to you and dipped a foot in the bath, but quickly pulled it out with a hiss. "how hot did you make this bath, you're going to burn! i bet this water is at the boiling point!"

"hot water feels better, plus that's the soothing part of the bath!" you giggle. "sorry that i made it too hot, i guess i can put in some cold water if it's that bad..."

"you don't have to, i'll get used to it", he said. he dipped his foot in once again, this time sinking it down so it was submerged. sighing, he placed another foot in and crouched down, and sunk himself into the water.

"okay, this isn't too bad now, in fact it's nice..." onyankopon said. "come here. i haven't seen you all day, can i have some love?"

"of course", you say. you scoot over to where he was sitting in your large tub and sit next to him, planting a kiss on his warm cheek. he slung an arm around you and pulled you closer to him, feeling his wet skin on yours. he put a hand on your jaw and tilted it up so you could see his bronze eyes looking into your orbs. slowly, he guided your lips to his to meet in a kiss, one that you two had been craving all day.

his tongue became curious at it explored the depths of your mouth, feeling him slide around in your mouth as you let out a small moan. he stopped, and looked at you with that smirk you had seen ever since you knew him.

"getting a little riled up, i see", he smirked. "in the mood tonight?"

"i have been for the whole week", you said. "but you've been busy and i didn't want to bother you."

"how could this stunning face possibly bother me?" he asked, cupping your cheek. "you never are and never will be a nuisance, you got me?"

you nod. a tender smile starts to take form on his face, and he pulls you in again. a palm of his rests on the back of your head gripping your hair, another still on your cheek. he tugged at your bottom lip, tongue one again dipping into your mouth. your hands were on his broad back, nails ever so slightly digging into his supple flesh.

his lips trail along your face, then down to your neck where he pressed another few gentle kisses to your skin. a hand of his travels along your back and eventually to your chest, giving your breast a firm squeeze as he continues to explore your mouth. his thumb rubs around the areola of your perked nipple, making the heat down in between your legs begin to pool and fill you up with a warm sensation.

"why don't we get out of here so we don't make a mess?" he asks you, pulling away briefly. "the water will spill out of the tub if we keep this up."

he gets up, and you can see very clearly that he's as needy as you are. his dick was standing up, a few veins protruding through the shaft. he reached out a hand to you, hoisting you up from your seated position in the tub. you both step out, the water dripping down your bodies and onto the plush bath mat on the floor, creating dark drops that stained the fabric.

"bend over for me, will you?" he asks, guiding you to the counter. you could see your reflection in the mirror, which was now fogged with condensation from the steam. your hair was damp, parts of your chest were covered in little patches of leftover bubbles you didn't care to wipe off. onyankopon was standing behind you, watching in amusement as you stared at yourself in the mirror.

"you look so pretty, bent over for me like that", he purrs. "guess you can't help but stare."

those words went straight down south. you could feel yourself clamp around nothing, something onyankopon seemed to enjoy seeing from the smug look on his face. he reached over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a bottle of lube, the kind that you both had been using since you started to do these types of things with each other. he squirted some into his palm before rubbing it and smoothing some onto his cock, slightly pulsating in his touch.

“tell me if i go too rough, darling”, he whispered to you, giving your ass a gentle squeeze and lining up his cock at your entrance.

he inched himself in slowly, your eyes clenching shut due to his sheer size and girth. this was always the hardest part of having sex with him, but the pain would soon be over. you let out a pathetic whimper, something that he took as a signal to keep going.

once he was all the way in, he thrusted himself out to try and feel your walls clench around his tip- which was one of his favorite sensations to feel from you. he pushed back in, the tip just brushing your cervix. it was a tight fit, but you two could make it work.

“oh god...” he gasped. “you’re feeling so good... love you so much. i’ll make you feel real good.”

so then he began to pump in and out of you, hands on your waist holding you in place while you were smooshed up against the cold marble countertop. you’re sure that if you were on your back right now, you would be able to see a bulge in your tummy. well, better keep that in mind for next time.

his pace was slow and endearing like always. since the first time you got with him, he always liked to take things slow to savor the moment. and he did it right every single time.

“o-oh...” you moaned. “you’re s-so big...”

his balls slapped up against your little clit, adding some extra stimulation. each plap, plap, plap sound was like music to your ears. behind you, he was letting out some deep grunts as his fingers dug into your waist, tightening his hold.

“f-fuck, m’ gonna cum”, he grunted. “do i-“

“yes, please go inside!” you yelped, almost out of breath. “please, please onyankopon...”

this begging of yours seemed to convince him enough. with another three sloppy, rough thrusts, he let out an especially loud moan as he came to a stop and spilled his cum inside of you. and holy shit was there a lot of it. the feeling of him dumping inside of you sent you over the edge, a broken whimper filling the room as you came to your high. the feeling was overwhelming, to the point where your legs felt weak.

as soon as he pulled out, you could already feel his release spill out from your hole, mixed juices dripping down your pussy to your inner thigh. onyankopon chucked at the sight.

“alright. sit down, let’s get you all cleaned up”, he laughed. “you did amazing, by the way- like usual.”

you were too out of breath to form a response, only muttering an “uh huh” back to him.

“made you feel good like i promised, didnt i?” he asked you, grabbing a white towel from the towel rack. he kneeled down to where you were now sitting on the counter, and began wipe your thighs.

your eyes grew tired, as the rest of your body did as well. onyankopon noticed this, and without another word carried you to your shared bedroom. neither of you even bothered to change into your pajamas. after gently placing you in the bed as if you were porcelain, he tucked himself in as well, curling up next to your body and pulling the comforter over you two.

“i love you, my darling. sleep tight.”

he placed a kiss on your forehead, and turned out the lights.

[dragon-chica]

This is a post about cats I am/have rescued. mentions cruelty and neglect (not graphic or extentsive)

SO. Let's take it from the top boys.

I have plenty of cats of my own, all but the first being personal rescues and shelter cats.

Around christmas I noticed at this one trailer that without fail, every day, there was a cat sitting outside the door. No matter the weather, storm, every day. Find out it's abandoned and the people who moved, left their 'cat'.

I start feeding said starving cat, and find out it's not one, but four cats abandoned there. During the time I'm feeding them someone drops off another cat. One of the cats is sickly and crippled, barely able to crawl. I take him home and through much work and determination on both sides, nurse him back to health. Another of the cats gets injured, I take him home, care for him, trying to get someone to take him.

I feed and water these cats daily working to befriend them, every single day, and I've been asked if the neighbor trailers mind me doing this, everyone agrees with my answer "if they didn't, I'd be chased off with a shotgun."

Tonight for the first time in over 5 months someone walks out to me while I'm with the cats, I'm terrified what does this woman want, and keep my head down watching the cat eating as she approaches.

She comes and asks me if I feed the cats, if they're mine, I tell her they're abandoned and I'm trying to feed them and get them homes, and turns out someone dumped a litter of kittens under her trailer. no mother, just suddenly, babies.

And her daughter fed one, all the rest followed out. her husband said to get rid of them or he will shoot them. I know these things aren't empty threats through personal experience.

So with all my cats, a cat in the garage, and a whole lot of life going on. I say what time I'm here every day, and if she can catch the kittens I will take them all tomorrow. I don't know how many their are, or their age, BUT.

I have already rescued 4 cats since moving here gods damn it.

[hopeless-lovex0]

I HAVE A DREAM (PART 13)

Kim Hongjoong Fanfic

Warning: Angst. Cheating. Heartbreak. Cursing. Fluff.

I present to you guys part 13 of I Have A Dream! I know this whole week has been hectic with everything happening in the kpop industry. I hope that my story at least gets your guys mind off what’s happening so far, even if it’s just for a little while. I think this is the longest chapter I’ve written so far as well so I’m glad I managed to write this much throughout the week. Let me know what you guys think of this weeks update and a little heads up next weeks update is gonna have a major time skip, just to speed the plot of the story up a little. Now without further ado here’s this weeks update of IHAD part 13 😊🥳

Y/N woke up to her brothers yelp from the room across from her, various curses following after. Lifting up one of her hands, she reaches for her digital clock reading 10:47. Groaning out she places back on top of her bed side table.

Unwrapping herself from her comfy sheets, she throws her legs over the side of the bed. Shivers run up her spine when she feels the chilling floor beneath her, missing the warm soft carpet she used to have in her old apartment. Slipping on a pair of white slippers, she walks towards her door and opens it up to a mess of clothes thrown all around the hallway leading up to her brothers room.

Walking up to the opened door she peeks her head in, watching her brother mutter curses under his breath as he tries to shove a mountain of unfolded clothes into one of his 3 suitcases. “ Y’know shoving it all in like that won’t work right?” Y/N questions aloud, Youngji throwing himself back in defeat while groaning outto her. “ I know, but I leave tonight and I dragged packing up till today and there's just so much clothes!” He whines out, throwing his feet up in the air then bringing them back down.

Y/N lets out a snort from her brothers childish tantrum, walking up to him and pushing him aside. “ It’s a good thing I have you as a brother. With the way you act, it’s like I’m already taking care of a baby.” She says causing her brother to let out a whine in annoyance.

“ Look I’ll help you pack up your stuff for tonight if you go make breakfast for us right now. How does that sound ?”

“ Sounds like a plan! I know for a fact that packing up will only take 2 to 3 hours instead of the whole day if I let you help. I’ll head downstairs then, make breakfast for the three of us.” Youngji says, getting up from the floor and giving his sister a kiss in the forehead. He does the same to her stomach before finally turning and walking towards the stairs, his footsteps causing the wooden stairs to creak loudly from the weight.

Taking ahold of the suitcase she turns it around and dumps the crumbled clothing onto the floor, various clothing mixed in and wrinkled from being shoved in. Humming to herself she begins to separate the clothing and fold it neatly into piles.

From downstairs she hears her brother bustling around in the kitchen, sounds of pans and sizzling food causing her stomach to grumble. Patting her stomach, she continues to fold her brother's clothing before getting interrupted by three loud knocks at her door.

Getting ready to stand up, her bother yells out an I got it hearing him open the front door and start conversing with the person who knocked. Hearing nothing for a couple seconds, she starts folding clothes again only to be interrupted again.

Someone knocks on the door frame bringing her attention to them, standing there are two goofy giants. They grin at her and wave their hands at her, walking into the room and sitting down in front of her. “ Hey there big bean! Where were you today? We thought you were working today, but Mrs. Park said you took the day off?” Yunho says, Mingi reaching forward and starting to help her with the clothes.

“ Yeah, I'm sorry I forgot to call you guys last night. I took the day off since Youngji leaves tonight and I wanted to spend the day with him.” She says as she finishes folding the clothes, starting to put it neatly inside the suitcase. “ Ahh okay and it's not a problem! We have to start packing up tonight too since we leave tomorrow morning. San will probably come by later on, and the rest of us will say goodbye in the morning.” Yunho says, helping Y/N put the rest of the clothes inside then zipping up the suitcase.

“ Can't believe you guys are leaving too! I could have sworn it was yesterday that I found San with a sprained ankle.” She exclaims, getting up and dragging the case with her and putting it against the wall. “ We know! It really has been a whole month of us living here, and I'm not ready to begin practice back up again.” Mingi whines out, leaning against Yunho and fake crying. “ We have to start practicing for the next comeback too, and you know they'll work us down to the bone since we've been away for a month.”

Both boys lean against each other fake sobbing, Y/N watching them from the doorway in amusement. “ Please take breaks along the way, If I find out you guys are up till 4 in the morning practicing I'll drive to the company myself and drag you out the practice room.” She says, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at them. “ WOW! You really have to “mom tone” down already Y/N!” Mingi tells her, Yunho smirking and nodding his head along with mingi’s statement.

“ Well, I have you guys to practice it on since I take care of guys like babies along with my brother as well.” Y/N says, tilting her head towards the stairs indicating that she's heading down. The boys get her message, getting off the floor and scrambling behind Y/N as she walks down the stairs making sure that she doesn't fall.

“ I'm about to eat breakfast, did you guys eat already?” She questions, walking into the kitchen and helping her brother out with the final dish. “ We already ate so don't worry about it. We just came by to check on you, we have to take off anyway since we have to start packing up for tomorrow.” they say, following behind her as they watch her take plates out to set up the food.

“ Okay well I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning when your heading off. Don’t forget to say goodbye to me okay guys!” She says, setting down the plates and walking up to the two giants. Standing on her tippy toes, she gives both of them a big hug both of them crouching down so that she could comfortably embrace them. Pulling away, Mingi pats her stomach and Yunho pats her head. “ We wouldn’t dream about leaving this place without saying goodbye! And I’m sure it’s gonna be hard to get San to leave you so we’ll be here.” He says, causing Mingi to snort out a laugh which he tries to cover up as a cough.

Shaking her head, Y/N pulls away and follows them towards the front door. They both says their goodbyes again before finally leaving her house.

Closing the door, Y/N let's out a sigh as she leans against it tired from her short walk to the front door. Happily padding back towards the kitchen, her and her brother finally sit down to eat spending their last day together in peace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“ I want you to call me every night before you go to bed, and if you can every morning when you wake up. I left my work phone number in a piece of paper along with the other guys number. If I don't pick up the first two times then call one of the guys or call my job, I'll answer as fast as I can. I also left you some prepackaged lunches, enough to last you a week.” Youngji rants on as he stands in front the small house with his sister.

Taking ahold of his sister face, he continues to list out things for her to do and eat. Y/N watches him in amusement, letting him rant on knowing that it would make her brother less worried. The dark sky above them shined with various scattered stars, the waxing crescent moon hanging in the sky like an ornament.

“ Are you listening to me Y/N?” Her brother questions, snapping her out of her little daydream. “ Yes, I am dear brother. I've listened to everything you've said in the past 4 hours.” Y/N states, grabbing her brother's hands and pulling them away from her face.

“ Good! I can't just leave my poor baby sister and my little niece alone without some sort of help can I?” Youngji says as he pulls Y/N into a hug, patting her belly when he pulls away. “ I won't be alone remember? I have Mrs. Park and Kyung Mi.” Y/N says, grabbing one of the smaller suitcases and rolling it towards the trunk of the car. Before she can even lift it up, a pair of hands grab ahold of hers and take the suitcase of her hands.

“ Y’know a pregnant woman shouldn't be lifting heavy things up.” San says as he turns towards her, greeting her brother with a handshake and helping him with the two other big suitcases. “ First of all it wasn't that heavy and second of all what are you even doing here?” Y/N questions, San closing the trunk and standing back. “ It was as heavy as a sack of potatoes and I finished up packing my clothes for tomorrow so I decided to visit you before we leave.” He explains, watching a Youngji finishes putting his stuff in the car and walk back towards Y/N.

“ I have to leave now if I plan on making it back before 3:00 AM, long drive and everything.” Youngji mumbles out, a sad look upon his face. Knowing how sensitive she can get, Y/N pulls her brother into a tight embrace burying her face into his chest.

“ I'll miss you baby sister... Please make sure to call me every day and please take good care of yourself and my niece.” Youngji mumbles into her hair, giving her a kiss on her forehead. Pulling away, Y/N quickly dabs under her eyes to get rid of the stray tears. “ I’ll take good care of myself and this bean for you big brother. I’ll make sure to call you every night too so the little bean won’t forget their uncle’s voice.” Y/N grins up at him, causing Youngji to grin as well.

Turning towards San, Youngji pulls him into a bro hug and leans towards his ear to whisper something to him. San nods his head quickly and tugs Youngji into another hug before finally letting go and walking up to Y/N. They both stand together in front of the house as they watch Youngji get into the car and start it up. They wave their hands at him as he begins to drive away, laughing out loud when Youngji opens up a window and screams out an I love you to Y/N.

Once he's out of sight, Y/N begins to walk towards the house as the cold night air starts to nip at her. “ Do you want to come in? Or do you have to go back so the manager won't get mad at you?” She questions, hearing San walk up the stairs behind her.

“ I snuck out so I have a total of 30 minutes before the manager figures it out. Wooyoung and Yeosang are covering for me but knowing them, they'll most likely blurt it on accident.” San says, following Y/N into the kitchen and sitting down on one of the chairs in the middle island. “ Look at you bad boy, like to live dangerously I see.” She teases, taking a container of freshly cut cucumber and munching on it.

“ Only when it comes to you.” He teases, causing Y/N to choke on a piece of cucumber. He quickly gets up and runs around the island, softly patting Y/N’s back to stop her from choking any further. Waving her hands, she assures him she's fine before continuing to eat her snack.

“ I noticed that we never actually got to find out the gender of the baby.” San says, changing the subject immediately as to not make her uncomfortable. “ Yeah I know, when I rescheduled they asked me if I still wanted to know the gender... but I kind of want it to be a surprise. Youngji is set on the baby being a girl so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but Jongho wants them to be a boy so I can name it Jongho so I also don't want to crush his dreams.” she says, mindlessly playing with a piece of cucumber. “ Knowing the gender would only make me feel bad for one of them, so I decided to just find out once I give birth.”

San hums to himself, munching along with her. “ The guys and I made a bet to see what the gender is. So far it's $100 dollars for the winners. Mingi, Yeosang and Seonghwa think it's gonna be a girl and Yunho, Wooyoung, Jongho and I think it's gonna be a boy” He says, causing Y/N to throw her head back in laughter San watching her with adoring eyes. “ Well good luck on that, though I'll personally give Jongho the honor of naming my next child if it ends up being a girl.” Giggling together, they both sit in silence gazing into each other eyes.

“ I still remember that favor you asked of us. We've been trying to be nicer to Hongjoong and it seems like he's comfortable enough to be in the room with us for at least half the day so that's an improvement.” He says, watching the relaxed look on Y/N’s face be replaced with a deep frown at the mention of Hongjoong’s name.

“ I'm glad that you guys are learning to get along well again. I'll hate for you guys to continue to fight because of me so it makes me happy that you guys are trying to fix the friendship between you guys... I think at some point in between this pregnancy or after my baby is born, I'll have to face him properly and talk to him about being apart of his or her life.” Y/N mumbles out, casting her eyes down and playing with the napkin holder in front of her.

“ We are trying as hard as we can, for you. We want you and the baby to flourish together in a positive environment, so if that's what it takes for you to be happy then we'll gladly do it. You don't have to face him right away you know... You can take as much time as you want. If you don't mind me asking... Do you think you'll ever get back with Hongjoong..?” San questions causing Y/N to snap her head up towards him. He holds his breath as he waits for her answer, preparing himself for what could possibly break his heart into a million pieces.

Y/N stared at San for a couple of minutes before shaking her head at his question, she swears she hears him let out a sigh of relief. “ Although Hongjoong and I had a good relationship when he was still faithful.. I can never look at him the same way I used too. I don't care if people say I'm throwing away a couple of years worth of a relationship down the drain because he was cheating, to me that was the lowest of the low and I feel like I could never trust him emotionally like that.” Y/N says firmly, for the first time in a while pouring out all of her doubts and thoughts out towards someone.

“ I don't want to exclude him from my child's life.. What he said to me that day about taking me to court honestly tore me up emotionally and I admit I was scared that he would do it, but I've know Hongjoong even before debut. I know he's not that kind of man, that's why I'm considering letting him be apart of my child’s life.” She finishes off, keeping her eyes down as to not see the type of look San is giving her.

Leaning forward, San takes ahold of her hands and brings them up towards his mouth. “ Don't hide your eyes from me... I don't think bad about you at all, your reason is valid and I'll support anything you decide to do 100%.” He mumbles out, softly placing a kiss on her knuckles.

Sitting together in silence, they bask in the comfort of each other. Y/N’s mind racing with a millions thoughts, a couple about Hongjoong but most of them about the deep dimpled man sitting in front of her. It's not a good idea to fall for him Y/N! For fucks sake he's the member of the guy that knocked you up! What would the public say if this got out? I can't risk me and my baby getting harassed like that. Y/N slowly sinks further and further into her head, various scenarios appearing in her head. Before she can slip completely away, San’s phone begins to ring breaking the silence around them.

Taking his hands away from Y/N’s, he digs into his pocket and takes out his phone to answer the incoming call. Wooyoung's loud voice comes blaring from the small speaker, yelling at San to come back home and something else about the manager that Y/N can't make out. Knowing that it's about time for him to go, San ends the call rather quickly and turns back towards Y/N.

Standing up, she walks towards the front door and opens it up for him knowing that he was following behind her the moment she got up. “ Go before they decide to keep you in the studio extra hours.” She chuckles out, San smiling back at her.

They stand there looking at each other for a couple seconds, San having a mental battle with himself before finally making his mind up. Crouching down, he lifts up his hand and tucks lose baby hairs behind Y/N’s ear letting his hand fall and then placing his lips on her forehead. He gives her a quick kiss on the forehead before pulling away and bidding her farewell. He screams at her that he and the boys would pop in tomorrow morning to say their final goodbye, running away from her house after that.

Slowly Y/N places her hand on the same spot San just kissed, feeling the familiar warmth of a blush creep up her neck and towards her face.

Closing the door, she leans against it with a goofy smile in her face before it drops completely. A single thought clouding her mind. Don't fall for him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

That next morning, her small brick house was bustling with life. All 7 men had marched up to her house around 7:30, startling her awake from her deep sleep with heavy knocks on her wood door.

To say she was slightly grumpy was an understatement, although she was glad it was a weekend instead of a weekday were she'll have to work. The boys had barged in with a bag each in their hands, the smell of pancakes and bacon drifting around the house.

Jongho and Seonghwa dragged her to the kitchen and immediately gave her a plate full of food, telling her that it was their goodbye gift. She watches as all the boys gathered around her with plates full of food and began to eat together, she could have sworn she heard someone whisper out family breakfast to someone else.

Letting them talk amongst each other, she looked all around her at them watching as each one of them bothered each other. San and Wooyoung were giggling to themselves, making a face on one of the pancakes and calling it Seonghwa. Said older male just gave them a dirty look then continued his conversation with Yeosang (something about orange juice?) Mingi and Yunho were fighting over the last piece of bacon with Jongho in the background chanting out fight fight fight! The comical sight in front of her causing her to burst out in a fit of giggles.

The guys stop their crazy antics and watch as Y/N continues to giggle to herself, one of the seven watching her with a love-struck look. “ Sorry sorry! It's just that I'll miss this when you guys are gone... Even if we didn't start off on the right foot, you guys have proved to me more than once that you guys are sorry and I see that you guys are trying your hardest to earn my trust. Thank you for taking care of me and my baby throughout your break, you guys could have spend it doing whatever you liked but instead decided to act like bodyguards so thank you..” she finishes off, giving all of them a small smile.

“ Everything we did.. We did it because we wanted too. We weren't the greatest friends to you and for that we are sorry, we want to be apart of your life because to us you weren't just “hongjoong’s girlfriend” you were more than that. You are family to us and so is that little bean inside you, so we will do anything for you both.” Seonghwa says, giving her a big grin while the rest of the guys hum in agreement.

Smiling back at them, she turns her attention back towards her food and continues to eat, the rest of the guys doing so as well.

Before they know it, the clock hanging above the entranceway reads 8:37 the guys officially leaving at 9:00. With heavy hearts they all help Y/N pick up the leftover food and garbage from the kitchen, cleaning the table for her as well as loading the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Together they gather around the front of Y/N’s house and begin their goodbyes. One by one they carefully lift her up in a tender hug, the maknae of the group tearing up while keeping her in his embrace. The last one to hug her is San, walking slowly up to her as if he's trying to slow down time to spend a couple more minutes with her. Reaching forward, he takes both of her hands and wraps them around his neck his own hands sliding over her stomach and placing themselves on her back.

He places his forehead to hers and they stand there basking in each others warmth for a little longer. “ I'll miss you both.. And please take good care of yourself.” He whispers out, eyes closed while still having his forehead places on hers. She whispers out an okay in acknowledgement, pulling away from each other they continue to hold onto each other hands as the rest of the guys start to walk away.

Squeezing her hands in affection, San pulls her in one last time placing a tender kiss on her forehead before finally pulling away fully. Waving at him one last time, he turns around and starts to sprint after the guys giving her one final smile.

Watching him leave, she waits for him to be out of sight so she can walk back inside her house. Finally turning back around, she notices the flag of her mailbox raised up. Tilting her head in confusion she reaches towards the lid of the mailbox and pulls it open, a medium-sized box laying perfectly in the middle.

Taking it out, she closes the mailbox back up and walks back up to her house closing the door behind her once she's inside. Stepping into the living room, she grabs a pair of scissors from inside one of the drawers and cuts away the clear tape holding the box closed.

Slowly opening it up, inside lay a pair of worn out baby boy sneakers. The dark blue color of the small shoes worn out but still in perfect condition, a couple of strings sticking out here and there.

Taking them out, she notices another pair of shoes laying further in the box this time a pair of pink brand new sneakers. The pair of light pink shoes decorated with a couple of colorful stars and a little unicorn at the front of one of the shoes. The pink shoes brand new as opposed to the dark blue ones she grabbed first.

Placing them next to the other pair, she takes the box and peers inside of it noticing a neatly folded up piece of paper at the bottom of the box. Taking it out, she inspects the inside one last time to make sure she didn’t miss anything before opening up the paper.

Inside lays a written letter, the hand writing all to familiar to her. Deciding not to dismiss the letter right away she begins to read it.

Dear Y/N:

I hope that you didn’t throw out the letter the minute that you opened it up, and if you’re reading this right now it means that you thankfully decided to at least let me explain myself.

I don’t have an excuse, for my words and actions towards you. I’m a complete and utter asshole and that slap you gave me a while ago was very much deserved. Actually I deserve so much more than a slap and I guess karma will get me back later on.

I know about the guys making sure that I don’t get near you and the baby and even though I wish to make it up to you.. I’m glad that you can depend on them and I’m thankful towards them for keeping you safe and sound.

I wanted to give you the pair of boy shoes to you the minute I found out you were pregnant. They were mine when I was a baby and I always thought about giving them to my first ever boy I had.

I always wanted a family with you, and at some point I always dreamed of asking you to marry me.. but I let myself be driven by lust. I lost you to that and you don’t know how much I regret being so intimate and vulnerable with someone that wasn’t you.

I should have told you the minute I slept with Ji woo and I don’t know why I didn’t. I completely lost myself to her but she wasn’t you. She could never be you. You were the love of my life, you still are... but my actions didn’t portray my feelings and I take full responsibility for my actions.

I’m sorry for what I said to you the day I saw you with San. You were walking away from me again and I panicked, I thought you would leave and disappear again. I thought I would never see you and our child again, so I said the first thing that came to my mind.

I was out of line and I want to reassure you that I would never even dream about taking you to court. I would never do that to you.

If you decide to raise the baby by yourself, can I ask you for a small favor? I know I’m in no position to ask anything from you but this is the last thing I ask of you if I will never see you again.

Can you please give my shoes to our baby if it’s a boy ? I also bought them a pink pair in case if they turn out to be a girl. And can you please tell them that Daddy loves them?

I love our baby so much and I wish I was a better man so that I could be apart of your guys life.

If you are willing to accept me back into your life and be able to love our child together, then I promise you I’ll be the best father in the whole wide world. I’ll dedicate my whole life to making it up to you and our little angel.

I love you Y/N and I love our little baby too. I know you changed your phone number so I added mine at the bottom of the page in case you decide to talk to me again.

Please take care of yourself and our baby, I love you guys so much.

Sincerely: Kim Hongjoong

She finishes reading the letter, tears on the bridge of falling but she wipes them away. I won't cry anymore she says to herself, placing the letter down and bringing her hands up to her face. Breathing in slowly, she grabs the pair of shoes and slowly caresses them.

Grabbing the other pair, she walks up the stairs and towards the nursery room. Opening the door, she opens up a dresser and places both pair of shoes with the rest that her brother and the other guys have gotten her. Gazing at Hongjoong’s shoes for a couple seconds, she closes the dresser and leans against it.

Caressing her stomach, she starts to talk to her baby something she has started to do once her bump started to show.

“ My beautiful baby, what should mommy do..? Daddy seems like he wants to meet you and even though I know I can take care of you by myself, I don't want you to grow up not knowing your father.” She sighs out, pulling her hair back in frustration.

“ I'll guess all will fall in place later on, just know little bean that mommy loves you with all her heart and soul.”

[nnegan13]

I've read your tag about Fede never calling edo on incantava first date and I agree that it would have changed the whole plot!!!! God damn it the possibilities!!! Maybe you could write something about that? Please??

hi! sorry that I’m just getting to this. I honestly think it would’ve gone soooo differently and after you asked this I was like, ‘well that’s as much of a sign as any to write something for it’ so here’s a little blurb from the beginning of an AU one-shot that I’m not really sure I’ll get around to finishing. it’s kind of rough and not edited but! it’s what I’ve got for you lmao 

FRIDAY 15 MARCH 19:51FIUMINCINO 

“Not to be repetitive, or anything,” Eleonora says, sliding her eyes back over to Edoardo, hunched over his knees, and pursing her lips a little. “But, if you could apologize to Silvia, again…” she stops, lips curling into her mouth, watching the way his face falls open the moment she begins to speak, and regrets letting her tongue be so loose. She’s going to promise things she isn’t sure she can do. 

“For texting her again?” He sounds confused, but willing, and that’s the worst part. 

“I mean, maybe not apologize, but talk to her, at least.” She turns back to the waves lapping at the dock. “Explain that you’re not interested.” 

“But keep you out of it.” 

She nods. “Keep me out of it.” 

“Because you’re going to tell her, right?” 

She cuts her gaze over to him, frowning. “About what?” 

“About this.” He gestures between them and she clamps down on her heart to keep it from beating faster. 

“Why would I?” 

“It’s just as shitty to keep this from her as for me to use her,” he says, shrugging. “You want her to get over me? What better way than to tell her I’m interested in you?” 

Eleonora’s heart starts pounding. I’m interested in you. “Still different, I think.” 

“Whatever you say, Ele.” He hums a little, a bit of a laugh to his voice, and looks back out at the sea. Frowning, she grabs another cookie from the tin in her lap and tries not to be too furious when she bites into it. Damn him for making good points. Edoardo was much easier to hate when he was some nonsensical boy playing school-ground god. Now that she’s got a peek at the inner workings of his brain? 

Her distaste of him is at risk. 

She deflects from her own self: “You’ll talk to her, though?” 

“Want to make another deal, or something?” His smile is wry and her fingers clench around the cookie involuntarily. She frowns, mouth opening to say something rather angry and malicious, and watches a joking backtrack cross his face before she can speak again. “No, I’m kidding.” He nods and holds his hand out for the tin. “I’ll talk to her.” 

She slides it across the dock and tries not to focus on the graceful curve of his fingers as he goes about rummaging through the tin. “Good.” 

Looking up, he gives her a close-lipped grin, something she can tag as pleased, and the fact that he’s happy she’s happy with his agreement burrows into the back of her mind. What could that possibly mean?

She deflects from herself again, focusing on the superficial. “Speaking of deals, this one’s done, right?” 

That pleased expression doesn’t leave his face. “Are you not having the greatest time?” 

“He thinks himself a comedian.” 

Edoardo does chuckle a little at that and shrugs before letting sincerity slip onto his face, even if it’s marred by a hint of disappointment. Surprisingly, it’s similar to how he looked when he talked about his mom— “Once we’re done tonight, we’re done.” 

“And this never happened.” He gives her a pointed look, holding eye contact she somehow can’t break, until she relents. “Okay, to Silvia, maybe it happened. But you’re telling her, too.” 

He puts the lid back on the cookie tin, rubs his palms down his pants, and stands, tin in hand. “This never happened, but only once we go to this gelato place down the street.” 

She stares up at him, that tiny nest in her mind trying to figure out what, exactly, his game is, piecing together things he’s said tonight and all his texts while she was in England and everything they’ve ever said to one another since she ripped him to shreds in front of il baretto, and keeps circling back around to the pleased expression on his face from just a minute or two ago. Eleonora nods. “Fine.”

— 

TUESDAY 19 MARCH 13:37 SCHOOL

She sent the text earlier almost as soon as she saw them walk past her and the girls outside the school this morning, taking the moment in which Silvia started tittering with concern to follow her impulse and ask him to meet after classes were done. 

Now, standing in the middle of an empty classroom cordoned off for school remodeling, Eleonora might regret certain actions she’d taken. 

Edoardo shows up a few minutes after the bell rings, hand casually looped around the strap of his backpack like his fingers aren’t taped together, like his knuckles aren’t split a searing red, like his face isn’t various shades of purple. She swallows as he enters her space, just a step or two away. Her hand twitches at her side. 

He says, “What’s up?” and it drives her crazy. 

“Nothing, I just—” she lets her hand move so it doesn’t do something stupid, like touch his face, and gestures at his person, “—wanted to apologize.” 

His eyebrows furrow. “For what? As far as I can remember, you weren’t the one throwing the punches.” 

She bites her lip, tries not to think of the flicker of his eyes down and back up her face. Her heart pounds out of her chest and she folds her arms. “No, I know. I meant about Friday, your mom, I didn’t know.”

Silvia’s story about his mom’s illness combined with the proof of his terrible beating, bruises very fresh even two days later, set something off in her. His words from their date still have her on edge; as far as she knows, neither of them have talked to Silvia yet, but his frustratingly accurate analysis of the situation sits just under her skin and wants to come out in the form of sympathy for him. 

It’s only a little infuriating. 

“I wouldn’t have said those things if I had.” Her voice echoes loudly through the room despite her efforts to be quiet, and she doesn’t look away from him, even though she wants to, badly. “I’m sorry.” 

The corner of his mouth tugs up, reminiscent of his pleased expression from Friday, and adds itself to her collection of Edoardo-isms she has yet to understand. “Don’t worry about it.” A beat passes, he leans into the desk she’s propped against and, subsequently, more into her space, and now her heart is racing for different reasons. “Thank you, though.” 

“Mm.” She looks away, but not before catching how his expression turns teasing. What is she in for, now? 

“Maybe I should get beat up more often.” Eleonora narrows her eyes at her shoes. “That way, you’ll get all concerned and—”

“No.” She clicks her tongue against her teeth and glances at him. He’s kidding, again, like he was about the second deal; the fact that she can recognize that in his face, in his voice, is worrying. “Don’t joke about that.” 

He moves one last time and, now, their shoulders are pressed together; the fabric of her shirt rides up when he shrugs. “Okay.” 

Thinking about that one point of contact is a dangerous path, so she deflects. The reoccurrences are becoming almost as annoying as Edoardo. “Why were you even fighting, anyway?” 

“Ah,” he shrugs, looking mildly put out at the reminder. “Last week, I broke one of their noses for calling Emma Covitti a slut. It might’ve pissed them off a bit.” 

“A bit.” 

Apprehension shades his face when he meets her eyes again, traces the quirked line of her brow with his gaze, but she can’t find a speck of guilt. Eleonora prays her own face doesn’t heat at the intensity in his expression and wonders when it became so easy to read him, if it’s easy for him to read her in turn. “Is that judgement I hear?” 

“Violence begets violence.” 

“So, it’s my fault?” The interesting thing is that Edoardo doesn’t sound angry, just intrigued by her answer. 

“Maybe.” A muscle ticks in his jaw and she presses her lips together. “You could’ve just talked to him.” 

“I don’t think talking to him would’ve changed his mind.” 

“He probably would’ve been more willing to think about it without a broken nose, though.” He snorts, and that pisses her off a little. “What are you laughing at?” 

“I would’ve thought you’d be glad I broke his nose for what he called Emma,” he explains and his words slip right under her skin, again. 

Radio feminist. Killer lipstick. Defender of women. That’s Eleonora Sava in a nutshell. Edoardo might be right, but in this case? 

She looks at the blackboard. “This is different.” 

“Why? Hm? Because it’s me?” Yes. 

His tone is light but she can see an underlying hurt in his eyes when she turns back to him. She doesn’t like how sincere he always sounds and how it makes her head spin, so she changes the subject. “When are you going to talk to Silvia?” 

He tilts his chin, lips twitching a little. “When are you?” 

“This weekend.” She isn’t sure, actually, but it might be the best time to do it. Secluded in the mountains, with their friends around for comfort and logic, convenient places for Silvia to dump a body if it comes to murder. “We’re going to Federica’s for the break.” 

“When do you leave?” 

“Thursday.” 

“Okay,” Edoardo nods and half-smiles at her. “I’ll talk to her before then.” 

When she nods and that pleased expression returns to his face, she steps away from the desk. “Good. Uh, I’ve got to go.” 

“Okay.” She walks backwards toward the door, angling her head to the side a little as she watches him. He doesn’t make an effort, that she can see, to stop her from leaving and it only adds to her annoyance. And the fact that she’s annoyed about it also annoys her. “See you.” 

It’s open ended, not a promise, just a possibility, and Eleonora hates it a little even though it’s what she asked of him. Once we’re done tonight, we’re done. She waves, “See you,” and exits without a backward glance.