#so when that happens... I just put a new queue in there to be eaten

[zelda7999]

how are you reblogging things so fast /shocked face/ like, i look away for 1 minute & there is 30+ uh new posts (all yours) and then by the time i scroll to the end of them I look at the dashcounter and there are 30+ new posts (all yours) and then-

(this is entirely in good fun / good humour. I am highly bemused by this. you reblog some very good posts so not complaining at all haha)

LMAO I USE THE TUMBLR KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

J = Down next post K = Up next post L = Like Shift + R = Reblog Shift + Q = Queue

I am also doing this to harass one (1) singular person, the beloved @lavenoon so you can thank him for all the bangin' posts LMAO

[causenessus]

try again

part 0.11. HERE TO STAY

“on the other side of the wall, she’s listening to her client with a smile on her face. she’s a professional; she’s been trained to multitask and take notes while still listening and providing feedback to her clients. right now, she’s clicking off a tab back to the one filled with bullet points on things her client has said. she always knows when he arrives. she hears the left door open, which she knows because it squeaks more than the one on the right. he always uses the left door (she thinks it has something to do with the fact that more people touch the handle of the right door on their way in) and his paces are always steady down the creaky hallway. her last sign that he's here is the chair he sits in every time, the one right next to the door into her rooms. the legs are the slightest bit uneven and the back of the chair will lightly tap against the wall as its way of letting her know of her welcome guest. she already has her queue of songs up. she’s always hated her thin walls until he started coming in. a lot has changed in her life since he's come back, hasn't it?"

content warnings: the big finale which isn't that dramatic! i'm sorry for my bad writing! y/n dad reveal! breaking news: her dad is an asshole! tad bit of violence, one mention of blood and also just cursing and abusive fathers </3

he insists on paying and she doesn’t argue with him about it for long; she’ll have countless more opportunities to steal the check from him, she hopes.

she feels better when she's finally eaten after a day of nervous nausea and time spent anxiously bouncing her knee. on top of that, she’d been with him for the majority of the day, distracting her from what had happened in the morning. he even listened to her issues, and she’s finally starting to believe the promise that he’s here to stay. 

they’ve just stepped off the train, and her apartment building is only a few minutes away. he walks alongside her the entire time, their arms brushing each other ever so often. whether it’s on purpose or not, neither of them will fess up.

he’s only distracted from his time spent mindlessly reaching his arm out just the slightest bit more to hit hers ever so often when he feels a buzz in his pocket. he slips out his phone quickly to check its screen:

akaashi’s a moment too late, because they’ve just made it up the stairs to her floor.

she’s already seen him, and he’s already seen her.

she wants to puke. 

he’s there, arguing with iwaizumi outside their door. his sunken eyes and gaunt face make her stomach twist with guilt, but a brush from omi’s knuckles reminds her where she is again. it’s not her job to take care of him. it never was, and it never will be.

"you," the man is pointing a finger towards her, stumbling forward and she immediately shrinks back like a shriveling flower, losing her confidence. omi's already standing in front of her without even thinking about it, putting a barrier between the two.

the old man keeps talking as if he can see right through him, though “you’re a disrespectful worthless piece of shit, you know that? can’t ever in your life put even a single person about yourself. here you are living with a bunch of boys. what are you, a whore? do you suck them off so they’ll keep the bad guys away? they’re doing a shit job at it. i’m standing here after, all, aren’t i?”

“it’s not like that,” her voice is quiet and weak, and she’s not even sure it makes it to the man’s ears.

“you can’t think about anyone else. you're too selfish. you won’t even answer your own father’s calls much less say anything to him at all–”

“i told you to back off!” her voice comes out loud this time, louder than she means for it to, “i’ve told you to back off so many times but you just don’t listen,” she steps out from behind omi, standing next to him instead while the man in front of them stops at the sound of her voice, “these are my roommates and my closest friends. i'm living with them because they genuinely care about me and aren't using me for any purpose, something you can't even dream about. the only reason you’re still standing here is that they have enough self-control and respect for me that they won't beat up the man i regrettably call my father.”

omi’s gaze slides over to hers, trying to see if she’ll meet his eyes. he’s simultaneously trying to communicate how proud of her he is and let her know that he'll support her no matter what happens. 

“take that back,” her father spits, starting to curl his fingers into a fist. she stays silent, and his face begins to flush an angry red. “you’re only proving my point. you’re just an ungreatful little girl who thinks she no longer has to care about anyone else because she's older. i took care of you your whole life and i will not have you ignoring me for the rest of my fucking life!” the smell of beer invades her senses as he steps closer.

“you did jackshit in my life! you never helped me with anything I asked you to. never bought me anything i needed, you've never cared about me. i’ve grown up and moved out. i can do whatever i damn please and i told you to leave me alone. maybe if you respected me i wouldn't ignore you, but that's impossible for you,” she retorts, standing her ground.

“don’t you fucking talk to me like that–” he nears her, only a few steps between them and she starts to feel the panic in her chest, “your stubbornness is the reason your mother left–”

“my stubbornness?” she can’t help but fight back. that’s what separates her from her past self. her younger self ran away, left home as soon as she could to live on her own, but now she’s grown into who she is today, and she won’t let him ruin that. “you treated your wife like shit and refused to change no matter how many times she screamed and argued with you right in front of me about how horrible you were. you've never fixed anything because you’re so stuck up and think you’re so high and mighty that she decided to pack up her bags and leave–”

“then why did she leave you behind too?” 

it’s like her heart stops beating for a second. her blood runs cold before her vision is a blur and the face of the man is crushed right in front of her, sending him to the ground groaning. his hand is covering his nose, preventing her from seeing how badly damaged it is, but she can’t find it in her to care.

“don’t blame her for your faults. grow up and take responsibility for your shit. she deserved better than either of you,” omi is talking down on the man now, and she looks up from her father’s body to the fist of the boy beside her, bruised and a little red.

he’s been by her side since day one, and maybe he disappeared for a section of it, but now he’s back. they're back together, and she stands proudly beside him, “she left me too, but i can’t be mad at her for being sick of you. or us. whatever it is, you’re both selfish and her absence nor yours is something i’m mourning over. i’m happy to have left you too and for the last time, i never want to see you again”

iwaizumi has joined them, standing above the man, no trace of sympathy in his eyes despite the blood that's streaking down her father's face. he tries to get up, only for iwaizumi to keep him down on the ground with a foot on his shoulder, “you heard her. don’t ever show your fucking face around here again. i’ll kill you the moment i lay eyes on you.” iwaizumi’s olive eyes move from the ground to meet hers, slightly softening when he sees her, “are you done with him? i’ll make sure he gets out of here and stays away for good.”

omi’s words from the diner rush back to her head, and she doesn’t feel so bad for relying on her friend. she believes he's willing to help her, and she won’t let her father’s words get to her head. she’s cared for others, unlike him, and developed relationships that she’s earned by giving out her own love. “yeah, i’m done,” her voice is quiet again as she keeps looking at her friend, searching his eyes for any sort of annoyance. but she can’t find any, and she smiles, walking towards him, wrapping her arms around him. “thank you, iwaizumi.”

he has an arm around her shoulders, his foot still resting on her father. “always,” he replies simply before she leaves him embrace, gesturing for omi to follow her. “i’m going to take care of his fist, now.”

iwaizumi only nods, turning his attention back to the man on the ground omi following his gaze as he passes by. iwaizumi will do more than a good enough job at keeping his word, he knows that, but he feels like he should have some part in taking care of the man whose plagued the girl in front of him for her entire life.

but she hasn’t asked him to take care of the man in front of her, and he knows its not his place. she knows she does not resent the man to the point that she wishes harm upon him, she simply wishes that he would leave her alone. and iwaizumi will make sure that wish is honored, and omi should be satisfied with the hit he landed on the man’s nose.

before her hand can even reach the knob of the door, it swings open and she’s pulled inside by the arms of a black-haired man who he recognizes to be akaashi. kita is standing beside him, a hand on [y/n]’s shoulder as they both check on her for any injuries or harm.

he hasn’t seen kita since his days in high school when he was the captain of inarizaki; atsumu told him he had moved out to the countryside but he must have come back after some time. he feels like a weight is lifted off his chest at the sight of her in the arms of his roomates, and he knows that she is cared for. that she has found her people, just like he told her earlier that night, and he hopes that she’s starting to accept his words as the truth.

he’s happy just watching her from afar, but she breaks apart from akaashi’s hug to gesture him in, and kita shuts the door behind him. “omi, this way,” she says with a smile on her face, beckoning him with a hand.

it’s the first time she’s called him by that old name since high school, and he thinks he’s falling even harder for her if that’s possible. she makes him sit on a stool in the kitchen while she searches her cabinets and a nearby closet for medical supplies. she’s begun to apply an ointment to his hand when he opens his mouth, “i can’t believe you think your roomates would ever leave you. look at how they all came to make sure you were okay. mine are one fight away from starting to vote people to kick out of the apartment nearly every week.”

she laughs at his comment, unwrapping a roll of bandages, “i’m sure no one would ever vote for you if that happened, but i guess you’re right, they’re pretty good, aren’t they?”

he nods, watching her face while she’s focused on his hand, “are you doing okay?”

she hums back in response, “yeah. the thing about my mom leaving me behind too kind of stung, but i don’t think life would’ve been any better with her, so it shouldn’t really hurt that bad. i’ll be okay. what you said at the diner really helped, you know. i feel like I can trust myself to say what i'm thinking rather than being scared i'm wrong or selfish. i can trust that it's not egotistical to believe my roomates don’t actually hate me. and that you don’t hate me. so i feel like i’ve finally escaped the weight of my dad’s words always crushing me and playing down anything i do.”

he reaches a hand up with his uninjured hand to wipe away tears from her face she didn't even realize were falling. and then he keeps his hand there, caressing the side of her face. “i don’t hate you, i never have. this entire time…how i feel about you is quite the opposite,” the words are slightly too intimate for him and as soon as they escape his mouth, it becomes hard to swallow and his face feels a little hot, but he doesn’t remove the hand from her cheek. he opts to say something more neutral next, “you did well, talking back down to him. i think you could’ve taken him down yourself.”

she chuckles at that, tying a knot to finish his bandage, “that’s what you think, but i’m sure i’d break my thumb or something. and if i have a hot man to defend me? i’m not lifting a finger.”

“you think i’m hot?” he says with a smile.

her cheeks grow warm under his hand, but she can’t look or move away from him, “i’m pretty sure thousands of people think so. it’s like a fact; newspapers can make money off of just having your face on the front page even if they barely mention you or don’t focus on sports at all.”

“well none of that matters,” he’s smiling softly now, and she’s still looking into his dark-colored eyes, hands holding his wrapped hand, “it just matters what you think.”

“what i think?” she repeats. and maybe it’s the adrenaline from the encounter they just had, or his boldness rubbing off on her in this current moment, but her next words come out clear and confident, “i think i love you, and i have for years. even when you left, i never stopped loving you.”

“i’m gonna make up for those years, you know,” he whispers back, pulling her by the sides to stand between his legs, bringing her closer. “i know i love you. i’d be a fool not to. and i loved you back then in high school too, even if i didn’t know it. i swear, losing you made me realize how much i took you for granted and everything became clear. letting you disappear was the worst mistake i ever made. i’ll make up for that lost time. make it up to you to the the point that you’re sick of me and you forget we were ever even separated for a time in our lives.”

“oh? and how are you gonna do that?” there’s a breathless feeling growing inside of her chest, where her heart beating fast with his confession and the way she's allowing him to pull her face close to this.

“starting with this,” his breath is hot against her lips before he closes the gap between them, and she’s kissing him back. she doesn't mourn or wish for the past, or for anything to change. he's come back and that's all that matters. she's happy with the word again. she likes it better than a phrase like "we fell in love at first sight." instead, she can say, "we met again. we fell in love again.

"we tried again."

it sounds like a story that reminds people endings aren't set in stone. she likes it.

.

.

.

“by the way, have you been playing songs for me in your lounge room when i’m waiting for you?”

“oh, you noticed?”

.

.

.

"the more you love your friends the more their features start to blur until all you remember is a pair of warm, welcoming eyes and laughter that feels like home."

prev. | m.list

extras <3

this is the end! thank you for reading try again <3

that last little quote is something i should've included like two chapters ago but it got lost in my gallery so here it is now <3

y/n's a good therapist i swear!!! she takes like one second to hit a play on a spotify playlist she's not playing games on her computer for entire sessions 😭

this is all i have tbh! i hope you enjoyed a little bit of this story <3 thank you so so much for being along on this ride w me!!

taglist: @eggyrocks @wyrcan @guitarstringed-scars @strawberryuri @violetesensou @kakeru-eem @glmge @heytheredemonsss @mollyrolls @bemebiu @daszy @snail-squasher @0moonii @thiisisntlovely @todorokiskitten @rory-cakes @iiwaijime @iatethemochi @yuminako @savemebrazilhinata @kismyscars @bokutoko @nobodybutnnoorr @wolffmaiden @daisy-room @softpia @lees-chaotic-brain @v3nusplanetofluv @crispchocolates @phoenix-eclipses @hhoneyhan @encrypta @rockleeisbaeeee @cr4yolaas @zombriesworld @localgaytrainwreck @moucheslove @hibernatinghamster @notverymarley @certaindreampost @akaakeis @ciderscape @lucien-luna @strawbrinkofdeath @wave2mia @samuel1004 @01trickster10 @dazqa @cosmiicdust @chemiru

[mj2606k]

A Gift From Eywa

Chapter 1 - A Second Chance Granted

This chapter starts out in a flashback, which will be italicized. Once it’s not italicized anymore it’s no longer a flashback.

Na’vi words will be in italics and blue

A lot of the recoms are probably going to be very OOC, I just write them how I interpret them and their personalities.

Miles Quaritch crawled out of the ocean onto the small island, bloodied and coughing violently as he choked up water and gasped for much-needed air. He turned to look at Spider with confusion written all over his face, before Cupcake flew down to land on the island with them. Quaritch hauled himself up onto his feet with a groan and stumbled his way over to his ikran (banshee), connecting his queue to it's own before turning to look at his son. The pair talked momentarily before Spider turned and went back into the ocean, ignoring Quaritch's pleads behind him as his head disappeared under the water and he swam off. With another pained grunt, Quaritch climbed up onto the ikran's back and stared at the place his son had gone underwater for a moment before mentally instructing Cupcake to lift off and fly away, back in the direction of the forest.

It had taken Quaritch many days to get back to the Pandoran forest, having to stop at least once a day to find food and drinkable water for him and his ikran, but once he got there he was quick to put as much distance between himself and the RDA headquarters. His remaining human instincts told him to go back to the one place he was most familiar with on this cursed planet, the one place he would be at least some form of safe, but his survival instincts told him the truth, which was to stay as far away from the humans as possible. Getting an RDA ship sunk would get him in enough trouble on it's own, but once the General learnt that he had failed the mission and Jake Sully and his family had once again escaped? Quaritch knew he would be as good as dead, and he also knew not to put it past anyone in that place to put a bullet between his eyes the instant that Ardmore gave the order. So he told Cupcake to take him away, to fly deep into the mountains until he was sure the humans would never find him; he'd already dug the tracking device out of his bicep on the way back to the forest.

It's another few days of being on his own with nothing and nobody for companionship other than his ikran, when one day while hunting for food he finds Lyle, who had found Mansk and Zdinarsk together only a day prior. They discuss what had happened since the battle with the Metkayina (Reef People) and the Sullys and all come to the shared conclusion that none of them would ever be returning to the RDA. So over the next week they do their best to make a home for themselves; Lyle had designated himself as the one to build their shelter, so while he spent his days chopping down small trees to make a hut and weaving large leaves together to make a roof and new clothing for them all, Quaritch and Z-Dog decided to make themselves responsible for gathering, hunting down, and killing food. Then whether they brought back another small animal or a few fruits that they'd managed to collect and deem safe to eat, Mansk would cook their findings over a fire until they were ready to be eaten.

Everything seemed to be going well for them despite their situation for another two weeks, before Z-Dog was unable to find any more fruit that they were completely sure was edible, and the wildlife around their small camp had grown used to Quaritch and were able to easily avoid his hunting since he was only able to use his knife, which meant only close-distance kills that required the element of surprise. The group of recoms had even begun discussing the possibility of rejoining the RDA, weighing their options on which way they were more likely to survive, but one day while out on a hunt together Zdinarsk and Quaritch found something that instantly gave them hope. They returned to their small camp to tell the others of their findings and they all agreed to go back the following day, and when they did they were greeted by a group of warriors from the well-hidden clan they had found in the mountains.

The warriors took the group to the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk, who through desperate pleading in broken Na'vi they had all been granted uturu (sanctuary) by and were handed over to the clan healers, who took them to the healing caves and cleaned their few wounds, applying ointment and numbing paste where it was needed before taking them to the elder women of the clan. The group of recoms were given real new Na'vi clothing and while Z-Dog assured Lyle that the three of them all thought he still did a wonderful job on the clothing he made, all four of them internally agreed that the real clothing was much better than what Lyle had managed to sloppily stitch together with stretchy vines and large tough leaves. The elders took each of them to separate parts of the cave to change into their new clothing, then once they were done they managed to communicate to the recoms that their new teachers would show up soon to begin teaching them and helping them settle into the clan, and the ladies were right! Less than half an hour passed before a tall Na'vi male appeared in the healers cave, helping a woman who was clearly heavily pregnant over the slight step down into the cave. Despite the man looking and seeming very wise for his years and the woman being so heavily pregnant, they both assured the recoms that they were actually in their early 20s, much like the recombinants themselves.

The group was only slightly surprised when the pair began speaking to them in near-perfect English, despite their heavy accents hinting to the fact that they were not native speakers of the language. The male stepped forward and offered a hand out to Quaritch, a smile on his face as he spoke, "I am Rawm, a gatherer in our clan. I believe this is a handshake, a form of greeting, yes?" With a small chuckle Quaritch nodded before taking the hand offered to him and shaking it, then Rawm reached and shook hands with Mansk, Lyle, and Z-Dog as well. As Rawm began explaining basic customs of the tribes to the recoms, Quaritch felt his attention shifting to the pregnant woman, who had yet to speak other than the initial greeting when they walked into the cave. She looked very zoned out, one hand resting against her lower back as she stared at the empty wall past the recombinants' bodies, her other hand absentmindedly rubbing over her large stomach. He just studied her quietly until she suddenly visibly winced and let out a soft groan of pain, catching the attention of the other four Na'vi as well as the attention of one of the healers further back in the cave.

The healer hurried over quickly, gently directing the woman to the opposite side of the cave before helping her lay down on an angled rock slab that was padded with some sort of mat woven out of soft vines. Quaritch watched the exchange as the woman and healer talked to each other quietly in Na'vi before the healer helped her drink a slightly chunky mixture out of a bowl that made her make a face of disgust. Noticing the lack of Rawm going and checking on the woman, he turned his attention to him before speaking, "Shouldn't you be checking on your.. wife?" He asked Rawm, watching as he puzzled over his words for a moment before smiling again as he responded, "I suppose a "wife" is one of those human words for a mate? Allìra is not my mate, she is my youngest sister. She has, or.. had, a mate a few months ago, but he was sadly lost in a battle with a different clan. She carries their only child, and she is not far from giving birth." He explains to us all, all the men nodding in understanding before they turned to watch Zdinarsk walk over cautiously, gently placing a hand on the woman, Allìra's shoulder and giving her a soft reassuring smile when she looked up at her.

Allìra smiled back softly, grateful for her comfort as she brings up a hand to gently pat at Z's before carefully fully laying back on the mat, rolling onto her side with help from both the healer and Z-Dog before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, clearly physically exhausted at the work her body was putting into the small life forming inside her.

Quaritch couldn't help but feel his heart stutter slightly as he watched her drift off, his face not showing it but he felt extremely bad for the girl; she was still so young and she would have to go through the birth and the raising of this child on her own.

[cherrymangos]

FFXIV UPDATE! Another long one, so there will be many screenies under the cut :3

First up: I attempted to do the fall guys event! But my internet disconnected me and I could not compete so alas, that shall have to wait :(

Does anyone know for how long this event will last, and if it'll come back yet again?

Moenbryda :D

These DPS queues are ROUGH. While queueing for the hard versions of the 3 primal fights, I had 3 separate tanks drop and I ended waiting over an hour combined. I miss my healer queues

I got recognized during the Shiva fight :)

And now... it's Haurchfaunt time <3

Also, the foreshadowing sure goes crazy in this game

And if you've been following my journey, I'm sure you're wondering where my Hyur Vash has gone... Alas, I received one too many free fantasia's and became an au'ra. frankly it was a spur of the moment decision but i have an extra fantasia for when i want to become vash again so not all is lost :]

here are some screenies of my new WoL, whom i consider to be transmasc <3

anyways back to what you're here for... during the hard version of the Titan fight, i fucked up. a LOT. like, died 5-6 times. What can I say? It was late, i was tired, and i'd completely forgotten the mechanics because it's been so long T_T Also I got incredibly unlucky and was the only player to be targeted by that one move that entombs you in rock, so I had to wait for my party to bail me out. And yet somehow by the end of it, I still ended up getting a player commendation.

Quite frankly I wanted to refund it to whoever gave it to me, because that was the WORST performance I've put forth yet.

Anyways. I once again got cock-blocked and had to FINALLY finish the crystal tower quests. So uh. Yeah. Got eaten by a dog. Killed by a giant floating eye. Watched Graha take a nap and remembered I won't be seeing that guy for a long time. You know, the good stuff.

I also now have over 4 days worth of time put into this play through :)

And while I was shopping around at Revanant's Toll, another Au Ra popped up next to me and our chocobo started running into each other. When I exited my menu to get a better photo they stopped :(

Bye Moenbryda :( I wasn't terribly sad to see you go in all honesty because you did not get as much screen time as I remembered. I teared up a bit but didn't end up actually crying and the whole funeral felt a bit awkward because like, what do I actually really know about you...

And in today's episode of Minfilia continues to make me mad:

That's wonderful Minfilia! A shame I can't confide in anyone myself because you forbade me from telling the others about Midgardsormr yoinkin the blessing of light! Who's MY pillar of strength huh?? It's even better because Alphinaud says this:

Just wielding me like a weapon and I got no say in the matter :(

anyways... Hi Estinien! Quite frankly I don't remember how my last Dragoon quest left off because it's been a minute, but didn't you disappear? After being possessed or somethin? I'm VERY excited to play through Heavensward as a Dragoon. No other expansion has unique class dialogue do they?

Now for a speed run: got accused of regicide. Wanted to punch Teledji in the face. Wanted to punch Ilberd in the face. And I'm already missing my fellow scions... Hope I get to see you minor characters again because I'll be for real, I don't remember what happens to you!

ok so funny story... ive hit the photo limit. So uh. there will be more screenies in a reblog

[thessalian]

Thess vs The One Day Off

Every time I have to do overtime, I end up remembering why I only work a four-day week, and only six / six and a half hours on those four days. Because this is my one day actually off this week, and I am exhausted and made of aches and I have a feeling it's going to be just as bad this coming week.

But they do not get my Sunday this weekend. FUCK. THAT. I will put aside my Saturday Shenanigans until the New Year if I have to but I WILL NOT BE GIVING UP MY SUNDAY D&D CAMPAIGN FOR BULLSHIT LIKE WORK.

Also because ... seriously, this was my 'weekend'

Saturday: slept in because I was exhausted, logged in to find about 100 extra bits of typing in the queue, did four and a half hours of overtime which I didn't finish until nearly the time my Saturday D&D group would normally start, and slept poorly because pain and gale-force winds shaking the windows.

Sunday: got up at a halfway decent hour (...ish), braved gale-force winds for a few errands I had to run (which took longer than expected but never mind), got home, immediately logged in, did three and a half hours of overtime because I literally could not take anymore, and at least made myself a nice dinner before I became a pile of pain.

And now there's today. Woke up at a halfway decent hour ... rolled over and went right back to sleep because just NOPE. Could have done so again but I don't want to screw up my circadian rhythms completely when I have work tomorrow. But I also want to do something fun ... but I hurt badly enough that that's going to be an issue.

Oh, and last night I did some online shopping to get Christmas gifts for my mother. They're hard to shop for, the parentals. My stepfather is a pain to shop for and it's honestly best just to give him food. As for my mother ... I think the problem with both of them is that they're a bit insular, particularly since Covid and since Mum retired (around the same time, honestly). They don't know a lot of what's out there and they have their interests and ... yeah, anyway, Mum called while I was in the middle of yesterday's overtime and I got some ideas so TeeTurtle got some of my business. She likes my TeeTurtle T-shirts so I figured... Anyway, also found her toller retriever socks on Redbubble, because a) she likes "funky" socks and b) she loves Digby, her Nova Scotia duck toller retriever and they're not the breed you usually see on most merch. I was also thinking of an adjunct of, like, a little .pdf with a few of my cooking hints and tips, and some recipes I've had luck with.

Of course, now I have to think about what I might want for Christmas. Look, I didn't have to think about that last year, because Christmas and my birthday were eaten up by the MCM Comic Con ticket and (most of) the Critical Role cast autograph fees. I still regret nothing, because that weekend was fire even if it was excruciatingly painful in places, but ... like ... those were my Christmas and birthday gifts so I didn't have to think about it. Now I kinda do. Of course, the one thing I actually want is a bigger air fryer than the little one I got myself, but my stepdad refuses on the basis that "I don't know what the kitchen will look like where I end up". Which ... people work that shit out, stepdad, but okay. ...No, seriously, it honestly is okay, because if it's anything like my instant pot, it's not like he's saying I can't get one at all; just that he won't be party to it. Which is fair enough - just means I can't ask for one for Christmas. Probably not a new microwave either, because I noticed that Flat 13 now has a microwave installed and I dunno what's happening with that. I mean, obviously Steam gift cards go on the list because ... okay, it's weird. Like, I love it when my friends lob random games at my head, but from the parentals I like the luxury of a whole bunch of Steam wallet money that I don't have to feel bad about spending on something useful and the shopping experience of "How much of my wishlist can I clear during the Steam winter sale?" Then I guess there's the useful stuff - casserole dish with lid for those recipes that really need one, new tableware to replace the cheap-ass supermarket own-brand ones that are like ten years old (maybe even with decent-sized pasta bowls), maybe a weighted blanket... Well. Guess I have my list.

Anyway, with that out of the way ... this is my one day off and it's mostly over and I want to do something with it (Molly!Rook, for preference). But I do hurt so very, very much. All of my haaaaaaate. But it's probably going to have to be more overtime over the week, too, if things keep on the way they have been. I have the 19th and 20th off and I don't care what Scruffman says, I am not cancelling those days or moving them to some other time. I need them so badly, and they're the only Christmas-adjacent days I'm getting because I had the holiday period off last year so it was the other girls' turn. Honestly I just want to sleep for like a week.

[tadbitfooled]

Some slight updates to my rules, as I'm putting things on the google site and realizing stuff needs edited. So rules undercut, not many changes, but a few, like a new section.

Introduction

Firstly, call me JB. I am over 18. I operate in Eastern Standard Time. I’m newish to DND but I’m very interested in learning and absorbing everything I can about it.

This blog is set up as a semi-private roleplay blog, as in I plan on only interacting with mutuals in roleplay threads, but askbox is open to any. I’m not terribly selective about who I follow back. My only restrictions are

No auto-love interests. I prefer doing build ups for that and I enjoy muses falling in love instead of rushing to the in love part.

Please understand I have astigmatisms, so I need to be able to read what you write, as in make sure there’s good contrast. A lot of the time, black backgrounds with thin white font is not something I can read comfortably so I may not even bother with your blog.

Basic Etiquette

I expect manners from my followers. Do not push me, I have a lot of stuff going on in my life at the moment.

Do not control my muses or have your muse know things about my muse they should not.  Do not be too overpowered. Make it fair, let’s roll initiative if we do have a conflict.

Starting OOC drama is a no. If I see it on my dash, I will unfollow and drop any threads we may have. Sorry, but I graduated in ‘09. I don’t have time for that anymore.

Interactions

My desire is for my primaries to be interacted first and foremost, unless you have approached me with an in depth discussion for one of the background muses.

Some of my background muses will require prior interaction with the primary muse they are tied with, unless there is an exception to that.

Shipping

I like shipping. I like discussing potential. What I don’t like is when relationships are assumed or there isn’t prior discussion and interaction. I’m very big on chemistry between characters and roleplayers. So please, let’s chat and interact first.

I’m multiship, I don’t tend to do exclusives. If I do end up doing exclusives, it would be due to having heavily plotted with the other rper and have built up a strong collaborative writing with them. And that takes months for me, so it’s not something that happens often.

My background muses are not open for romantic shipping at this time.

Greeters, Starters, Replies

I don’t do greeters for new followers, as they often are stale and get ignored. 

I’ll occasionally post starter calls for specific muses. If I do and you like it, expect me to comb over your blog and write at least a paragraph.

For askbox memes and starters, I try to reply to those within 24-48 hours so you know they didn’t get eaten or whatnot. As for replies to starters for me and threads, I throw those into the queue just so there’s some schedule here.

Triggers and Thus

Tag your nsfw items with a simple tag please. I know tumblr's being a pain, so nsft or usfw works too

I don’t have any major triggers, as I’ve gone to therapy to work through some of them. The color pink is not my friend, though, and if you have a lot of pink in your theme or about your muse, it may take me a little bit to get through the information/get comfortable with them.

[kaoarika]

sometimes I don't know what is going on, but as I try to organize my drafts, I SWEAR I reblogged/queued something and turns out it was/is still on my drafts? And while I DO vaguely remember "hey, didn't I post this yesterday?" in one... I don't remember if I ever clicked on the "edit" option or I did it from OP's post as I was consulting their tags to know how to tag it...

Just now, I had a weird incident as I was going to post something, I even tagged it and all and scheduled it... but somehow the page returned me to the same draft post w/o tags and what I thought was queued, was nowhere to be seen there. When a post fails on "scheduling" because I erred on the date, it usually tells me it is wrong and I try to do it again with the correct date or time... but it never deletes the tags... (unless it didn't proceed or smth like a server error?... it doesn't make sense right now to me?) So, I even copypasted the same tags and now it is on my Queue line, but... man, what? I don't get it ;(

And... man, I dunno if tmblr being glitchy or smth or if it's a thing of firefox? Or just me not paying attention at all at what I am doing? but... no? I even checked if the post was eaten in my drafts or smth, but nope, always the same 7 missing posts, as it always have been.

😵‍💫

I feel like this isn't the first time smth like this has happened? But I always blame it to the fact I clicked two times on "open this in a new tab" (and I didn't notice) but this is nowhere like that? It was already on my drafts...? it doesn't usually delete the tags I am trying to put? it never queued (until I went again to do so), either.

Weird, weird.

I really should stop posting or scheduling so late at night...

[cellophaine]

Congratulations on 1K!!! You deserve it so much your writing is honestly so amazing!

If it's not too late I'd love to request a Matt Murdock x reader where y/n is in an unhealthy relationship and Matt finds out (queue angry protective Matt) and takes her back to his place where she admits she thought she was genuinely in love with her now ex. Idm how you end it or if you want to add or change anything to this.

Please feel free to ignore this request if you don't want to write about this stuff or if I'm too late or just if you feel like it haha 😊

Hope you are staying healthy!

Ultraviolence

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Warnings: Depictions of an abusive relationship.

Author's Note: Thank you Anon!! I'm very much conflicted about how this fic turned out, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

GIF Credit: @/malydiamakingifhunts-blog (Somebody get Charlie in JPCU – Jordan Peele Cinematic Universe – immediately. IMMEDIATELY.)

You stared out of the window, watching raindrops race down the glass pane. The building across the street started to morph into something else behind the fogginess in your eyes. Sleep pulled at your eyelids, begging you to rest for a second. The two cups of coffee you had earlier did nothing to help as you felt progressively worse throughout the day. Your eyes fluttered slowly, trying to stay awake as your grip on the pen loosened.

A hand came down on your shoulder, disrupting your daze state, startling you. The pen slipped out of your grip, falling to the floor with a sharp echo. You raised a hand up in defence, only to lower it when you saw Matt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I called your name, and you didn't answer."

He pulled his hand back, showing you that he meant no harm. You let out a relieved sigh, smoothing a hand down your face in the hope of dampening the embarrassment you felt.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I should've been more focused. Sorry, it won't happen again."

You stood up abruptly, walking around the desk to retrieve the fallen pen. Matt put his hand out, stopping you before you could return to your desk.

"Are you okay? You seem … distracted. Tired, even."

You released a shaky sigh, smiling at Matt even though he couldn't see your vain attempt in pretending everything was okay. Even with your verbal confirmation.

"I'm fine. It's just one of those days."

You squeezed past him and returned to your seat. Your silence, along with the rustle of pen on paper, ended the unfinished conversation that left Matt with even more questions and concern. Because the thing was, it wasn't just one of those days. This had gone on for over a year, he noticed. You were always tired, muffling your yawns with the back of your hand. Your body seemed to droop when you thought no one paid attention, as if you were only propped up by skin and bones. You spaced out more often; you stopped hanging out with him, Foggy and Karen after work. He noticed how you tensed up, your muscles tightened, as if you were briefly paralyzed when another person put their hands on you. You didn't act this way before until a new presence forced himself into your life. Matt had his suspicions, but he couldn't confirm them since you always pretended that you were okay. He didn't want to overstep the boundaries you had set up before your friends. Before him.

It was 10:47PM, and you were still in the office. He knew because he stayed with you. You locked up in the office all day, and if he wasn't mistaken, you hadn't eaten at all. Something felt very, very wrong.

"It's late. You and I should go home."

You looked up from the computer, eyeing Matt standing at the door to his office. You held back a yawn, answering him through the bleariness in your voice.

"You can go ahead. I'm almost done with this. You don't have to wait for me."

Matt tilted his head slightly to the side, his brows knitted in worried lines.

"I'd like to walk you back. It's late, and you know how the neighbourhood can be."

"It's okay. I … I want to stay here."

Your voice grew smaller in the last sentence. Matt perked up at the sliver of an opening, and he took that chance, slipping through the crack you ever so slightly left exposed.

"What do you mean?"

Your body tensed up, and Matt almost regretted asking you. But he advanced.

"Is everything okay at home?"

Matt tried to keep his voice level, not to alarm you of his impatience to find out what was wrong. You sighed heavily before continuing.

"I had a big fight with my boyfriend ...."

Something clicked in place in his head. Too many things started to unravel themselves, creating a predicament of threads woven deeply into the root of his mind, yet, they let him see the complete picture.

".... about how much time I was spending at the office. He accused me of cheating on him."

You sniffled dryly; your hands played nervously with the manila folder.

"Anyway, you're right, it's late, we should go. He's probably not angry anymore. He's expecting me."

You busied yourself, gathering the stacks of the document in front of you, oblivious to Matt's silence. His suspicions were confirmed, but instead of the satisfaction of being right, Matt felt a chill racing down his spine. He was terrified of what had been happening right under his nose, but above all, he was furious. He couldn't see it, couldn't hear your cries for help. But you hadn't known of them, either.

"I don't think you should go back to him."

You stopped in your tracks; the sound of paper rustling in the quiet room fell dead in the weight of what Matt just said.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my dad. You're not my boyfriend."

Your tone turned cold as the need to be defensive rose in waves. With your vulnerable state, you couldn't afford to be weak in front of anyone else, for you were afraid you would break.

"I am your friend who's worried about your well-being. Shouldn't that mean something? And just because someone is your father, your boyfriend doesn't make them entitled to your life and decisions."

You scoffed; your voice made a mockery out of his sincere concern.

"And how ironic is that you're making my choice for me."

"I can tell that you're lying. You don't want to be with your boyfriend right now. In fact, you're scared. Am I wrong?"

Matt knew he stepped over the line, but it was too late for that now. Your chair scraped unpleasantly on the hardwood floor as you stood up, outmatching his fiery counter.

"I'm not scared of him! Stop putting words in my mouth."

You didn't bother to be quiet at this hour of the night, not when your friendship was discarded to the side like a broken toy.

"Then stop denying it! Even a blind man like me could see that you're lying."

"Fine! I'm fucking terrified of him!"

You choked on your outburst, drawing in a sharp breath. The weight of the words sunk in, racing in your conscious. You had never admitted it out loud, not even to yourself. You saw your boyfriend for what he truly was –abusive, controlling, manipulative. But you ignored the sirens in your head, for you believed that no one would love you as he did. So you bought his excuses, putting up with his toxic behaviours and abuse.

You sobbed, clenching a fist over your mouth to stop the uncontrollable whimpers from coming out. Your body shook hard, and you felt like you couldn't stop. The dam was broken, overflowing with grief for parts of you that died to please your boyfriend. You were exhausted, but your mind was free of burden.

Matt hated that he was doing this to you, that he was the one who inflicted more pain on you. He was afraid this would happen, and he would never be able to get you back. You could walk away from his life and never return. His heart pounded hard in his chest as the thought squeezed at his heartstring, making it harder for him to breathe. But Matt knew he would rather lose you than see you enduring the pain.

You were pulled into a warm, comforting embrace of the only other person in the room. You felt Matt's hand coming up to the nape of your neck, pulling you to him.

"Do you have anywhere else to go to?"

You shook your head after a long pause.

"Do you have someone you could stay with?"

Another shake of your head. His heart felt like it was bleeding as the walls of his ribcage closed in, crushing the throbbing flesh and vessels.

"Please, don't go to him tonight."

His voice trembled as he begged you. The unconcealed intensity of his plea resounded in your mind, and you shivered at the sheer rawness.

"Stay with me instead. I'll keep you safe."

You looked up at him, still safe within his embrace, and saw the serious expression on his face.

"I know I might not look like it, but I do pack a punch."

That pulled a watery chuckle from you as you wiped your face off with your sleeves. Finally, you nodded, your damp cheek dragged across his white dress shirt. Matt felt like a boulder was lifted from his chest, and he could finally breathe again.

His place was just like how you remembered. Dark, and weirdly impressive. Matt hung your coat up and pointed you in the direction of the light. You trailed behind him as he walked before you to the living room.

"How long has this been going on?"

You felt dread creeping in at the coldness of his voice. You hadn't expected that from him, at least, not at this moment when you still felt vulnerable. You could see the anger etched onto the stubborn lines of his brows and the deep frown on his lips. The silent fury seemed to pour from him, burning in his unsighted eyes. He was the predator looking for a prey to devour.

You involuntarily took a step back.

"I ... I can't. It's complicated."

Matt could feel your uneasiness, and he regretted his question. He ran a hand through his hair, calming down the rage that still burned at his skin. His face softened as his next question came.

"Are you hungry? What do you feel like?"

Your stomach responded at the mention of food. You clutched at your waist, hoping Matt didn't hear that.

"Anything at all. I haven't eaten all day, so I'm not picky."

You lingered at the end of his couch, not knowing what to do with yourself. Your hand picked at the sleeve of your blouse nervously. The soft material stuck to your body like a second skin, and you desperately needed to change into something else. You didn't want to bear the weight of this exhausting day anymore, not when you were in a safer place.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket, startling you. You searched for it in your bag, reading your boyfriend's name on the screen. Fear spiked in your heart again, and you hastily declined the call. Scrolling through the notifications, you swallowed hard at the multiple missed calls, voicemails and threatening messages. You turned the phone off with shaky hands, dropping it into your bag. You looked up to see Matt coming out of the bedroom with a stack of clothes in his hands.

"If you want to freshen up, the bathroom's right there. I think it might help you feel a little better."

You smiled at him gratefully, taking the bundle from him with a word of appreciation. Under the hot stream of water, you let the reality soak in. You were here, in Matt's place and not your boyfriend's like you were supposed to. You were terrified of what he might do, and you couldn't help but quiver at the thought. Taking a deep breath, you reminded yourself that you should deal with this one step at a time.

You came out of the shower after trying to make Matt's clothes fit better on you. His sweatshirt hung off your frame; the end of the sleeves reached past the tips of your fingers. His sweatpants were no exception.

The smell of food made your mouth water as Matt beckoned you to join him. You ate in the comfortable silence until Matt spoke up, breaking your peace bubble.

"What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I ... I want to be there for you."

He tried to keep his voice level, not letting it betray his simmering rage. You dropped your head, allowing a heavy sigh to escape.

"Promise me you won't hire a hitman to go after him?"

Matt made a cross on his chest where his heart was.

"I promise. Cross my heart."

You put your food down, wrapping your hands around yourself, suddenly feeling exposed. You told Matt how your relationship progressed in the past year since you met your boyfriend. A seemingly perfect gentleman who knew what to say at the right moment. He wooed you with flowers, dinner for two at some fancy restaurants, date nights at the theatre and so much more. It was all a front to pull you into his web of deception, and by the time you realized what truly went on behind his mask, you were in too deep. He craved control and power. He rendered you helpless with his sugarcoated lies, manipulating you into a mere decoration by his side. And when you didn't listen, the real terror began.

"I haven't truly felt safe and happy in a long time. But, still, I really was ... in love with him. Or so I thought."

You felt goosebumps rising along your arms. You ran your hands up and down, trying your best to calm your frazzled nerves.

"I think what made me love him was the idea he gave me. That he was the one for me. So he couldn't do anything wrong in my eyes."

You trained your eyes onto the coffee table in front of you, not noticing how Matt's hand clenched tightly on his side. The grip made his knuckle turn white, his finger dug into the palm, almost breaking his skin.

"I accepted that as if it was my idea of love. So when … when he hurt me, it felt like his way of showing how much he loved me."

Overwhelmed with all the conflicting emotions, you buried your face into your hands, letting yourself break down in front of Matt for the second time that night. He pulled you in, his hand found its way to your head, resting your face in the crook of his neck. It was as if the fog was lifted, and he could see better than ever. Matt whispered at your temple, hoping that you could feel the truthfulness in his words.

"I won't let you go through something like that ever again."

That night, you fell asleep on his bed, with his hand on your hair soothing you. You were unaware of what happened after you drifted off, and you wouldn't know about that, at least for a while. Matt closed the bedroom door, heading straight for the hidden chest. He gave you his words that he wouldn't hire a hitman. But he didn't promise he wouldn't go after your boyfriend himself. So Matt went out, following the invisible trail of blood you left behind, seeking out the root of your torment in the dead of night.

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(Please let me know if I missed anyone, or if you wish to be removed.)

[phoenixyfriend]

Would anyone like to hear about my Fun New Tumblr Glitch?

This is my help desk ticket, put in around 10:30 PM

I hit post limit earlier today, and decided to simply fill up my queue to 1000 and wait for it to reset for tomorrow. However, the number in my queue keeps going down, and the suggestion from the FAQ, that failed posts would simply return to my drafts, isn't playing out; the drafts number stays static even when the queue number goes down, and I can see that the most recent post in the queue HAS changed. It was earlier a Pride Month post about a burger king ad, and it is now a short chat-format post about The Mandalorian. The queue appears to have eaten about fifteen posts like this today.

In the twenty minutes after, sending the ticket, it ate the Mando post.

Except I kept a tab open this time, having opened a post preview, and it is. Insane

It got posted. To private? I don't know how to access my private posts without already having a link? So the dozen-plus from the last six hours? No idea where they are now. How do I locate them.

All four views were showing "can rabbis have kids" from about 6:30 PM as my most recent until midnight, when I could start posting again. The missing Mando post, in private, was showing as being posted May 11th, presumably the date I first drafted it.

I gave tumblr the updated details and my primary worries, hopefully the additional information will help. I can confirm that, now, after midnight, the eaten posts are still showing as private, but not as private posts.

Rather, if you go in to edit, they reveal themselves as preview posts (if you go to the three dots and hit preview on a post that's in queue/drafts), because they still have the Five Options instead of just save privately/publicly.

This means that the posts weren't actually posted to private. They just... remained as a post preview/draft, except they are only viewable with the links; they are not in my drafts, back in my queue, or on my blog as actual posts.

I still don't know how to find the dozen or so posts that I lost before I realized what was happening, since they haven't magically reappeared in my drafts (I checked the May 11th location in my drafts and the aforementioned Mando post preview isn't there).

We'll see?

[the-rarest-sexiest-coinkydink]

Happy Accidents (Mikey Way x reader)

Summary: Despite having made sure they took care of themselves in the queue, the crowd gets a little too rough for (y/n) and things go downhill. Thankfully, someone up on the stage noticed... 

Word Count: 2632

Warnings: mild talk of blood and head injuries 

A/N: I’ve never passed out at a gig (I’m just that good) but if I did... I’d definitely want it to go something like this. 

(Clarifying note: even when I’m writing for the band in their current era, I’m writing them as being single. I adore their partners + families, and I don’t particularly wanna write cheating storylines or anything that paints them very negatively, ‘kay?) 

I’m a sucker for fics where the reader gets spotted in the crowd at a show okay? Sue me. 

Sixteen hours queueing outside the venue in torrential rain and three hours inside, adjusting to the feeling of being packed into an active crowd for the first time in forever, had led up to this moment. The lights were down, the static was echoing across the venue, and the feeling in (y/n)’s veins was electric. They had made it. 

One hand wrapped tightly around the top of the barrier, they alternated between babbling excitedly with the friends they’d made in the line and staring up at the equipment on stage, awestruck. 

“It doesn’t even feel real yet dude.” Fern’s messy orange hair was almost glowing in the venue light as they bounced up and down on the spot. “I’m gonna faint from excitement when they come on, I swear.” 

(y/n) nudged them, rolling their eyes. “Hey, don’t you dare. We put way too much effort into getting here to black out in the first song. Besides, that shouldn’t happen, because we’ve actually eaten and slept. Unlike half the people behind us.” 

Fern snorted, admiring the messily scrawled number eighteen on the back of their hand. “Yeah, how that lot up in the nineties are gonna make it is a mystery to me. I don’t think they moved all day. At least we made the effort to get pizza.” 

They opened their mouth to reply, but the house lights dimmed, and movement on the stage made their heart freeze. Their voices joined the screaming from the rest of the crowd as the band filed on, waving and getting themselves ready to begin. (y/n) was faintly aware of Fern grabbing their free hand and squeezing, both of them momentarily overwhelmed by the fact that their idols were right there. 

As Gerard took his position at the front of the stage, drawing roars from the crowd as they realised he was wearing a very short hospital gown spattered with fake blood, the people in the pit rushed forwards, crushing the front row against the barrier. The increase in pressure was unwelcome, but they soon adjusted to it. It was hardly a surprise that it had happened, after all. 

The band launched into The Foundations of Decay, and (y/n) grappled with their phone for a few moments, got a couple of pictures, and then tucked it away again. They wanted to be in the moment as much as possible - and there was so much to see. Ray’s incredible curls bouncing back and forth as he worked his guitar with lightning-fast moves. Frank nuzzling up against the microphone (which was turned up blissfully loud, and whoever had done so deserved the entire world on a plate). Gerard playing with the soundboard like a kid with a new toy on Christmas Day. Mikey rolling his eyes at every little thing his brother did and grinning at the handful of signs dispersed through the crowd. 

One song slipped into another over and over again, with the occasional break for Gerard to screw around with some voice effects or ramble about something unintelligible for a few minutes before carrying on like nothing had happened. (Y/n) felt like they were on top of the world. Despite the heat of the crowd and the way they were all crammed in like sardines, they were loving every second of the experience, and knew it wasn’t one they were going to forget in a hurry. And they were rather proud of themself, too - multiple people a few rows back had been pulled out of the crowd at various points because they’d fainted, whereas they felt perfectly healthy. Taking naps, eating when they got hungry and drinking plenty of water had set them up perfectly for an hour and forty minutes of intense singing and dancing. 

Of course, good things don’t always last forever. 

During Boy Division, something changed. There was a confused flurry of movement a few rows back from the barrier that (y/n) didn’t really register as a problem until the yellow-shirted security team started rushing in their direction. But they weren’t fast enough. They felt a heavy boot collide with the back of their head and very nearly bounced off the barrier as a crowdsurfer came over, flailing wildly. Security managed to get their arms around the man, but he was very tall and a little on the larger side - and they didn’t have a good enough grip. They dropped him. (y/n) felt a second impact, this time to the top of their head, as the man came crashing down against them. The security team finally pulled him over the other side of the barrier, but (y/n)’s vision was going grey and they could feel their legs shaking. As they dropped, losing sense of the world around them, they were vaguely aware of a familiar voice interrupting the song. 

“Stop, stop! Someone’s down!” 

And then there was nothing. 

***

The next thing (y/n) was fully aware of was the throbbing pain at the back of their skull. They sat up slowly, closing their eyes again as the bright bulb in the little room seared it’s light into their brain. From the sliver of the room they had managed to see, they had deduced that they were in the first aid area. The stacked supply boxes against the walls had mostly given it away, and the lumpy surface of the fold out cot they had been placed on made that assumption even clearer. As they tried to adjust to being conscious again, they became aware of low voices nearby. 

“So they’re gonna be okay?” 

“Yeah. They’ve got a pretty nasty scrape to the back of the head and the beginnings of a mild concussion, but things could have been a lot worse.” 

“That’s a relief. I saw them hit the barrier and just... I don’t know. It was pretty scary to watch.” 

Bored of being the subject of conversation without actually being involved, (y/n) managed a slight groan. “Was even scarier from my point of view, if you ask me.” 

They heard footsteps, and felt the bed sink a little next to them as someone sat down. “Hey, how are you feeling?” 

“Like I just had a grown man dropped on my head.” 

The newcomer snorted. “Yeah, I bet. Adam, you wanna come over here and check things out now they’re awake?” 

A second man - presumably Adam - joined them, settling on a wheeled stool on front of them. “Okay, I’m one of the medics here tonight. You took some nasty hits to the head back there, and you’ve been out about an hour. Can you tell me your name?” 

“(y/n), I’m (y/n). But... an hour? I missed the end of the show?” Their eyes flew open, face painted with dismay, and the man who’d sat down next to them put a hand on their shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry dude. The show ended forty five minutes ago, you missed the encore.” 

They groaned again. “Oh, I don’t believe it. What did I miss?” And they shifted to look at him properly - and made eye contact with none other than Mikey Way. “Oh, shit.” 

Mikey grinned sheepishly. “Hi there.” 

“You-” 

“Yeah.” 

“It was you who stopped the show! I remember hearing you...” 

Was the light playing tricks on them, or had his cheeks suddenly got very pink? 

“Yeah, I ran over and grabbed Gee’s mic, they were closest. I’d spotted you a few times earlier in the show, so it was lucky that I was watching at the right moment.” 

The conversation paused as Adam checked (y/n)’s pupils, apologising as they winced back against the light of the pen torch. “Okay, so you’ve got a slight concussion, but it’s nothing serious enough to need a hospital trip. How did you get here tonight?” 

(y/n) frowned. “I walked here. I only live a few miles away, and I was just gonna get a taxi home.” 

Mikey’s face fell. “All the roads round here are closed, it’s been chaos trying to get people out. Apparently there was some kind of protest going on and the police got involved?” 

“Oh, there was a football match tonight.” They rolled their eyes. “So that’s probably what’s happened. A load of drunk idiots have kicked off for no reason and screwed over everyone else. Great. Ow!” 

Adam apologised again as he examined the injury on the back of their head. “I cleaned this up while you were out and it doesn’t seem to have bled much more, which is a good sign. But I really wouldn’t recommend you walking home - or trying to get home by yourself. Is there someone who can come and get you?” 

“I live on my own, the rest of my family is a good fifteen miles away. And even if they were close, the road closures mean I’d have to walk to meet them anyway. So basically, I’m stuck. Wait - has the queue for tomorrow’s show started yet?” 

“Let me go and find out.” Mikey got up and left, reappearing ten minutes later with a bundle of fabric in his arms. “Yeah, there’s a bit of a line. Why, are you coming to this one as well?” 

(y/n) managed a laugh, wincing a little as the movement made their head throb. “Oh, I wish. This show sold out before I could even think about tickets. I was just thinking of sleeping out there, at least I won’t be on my own.” 

“There’s no way I’m letting you sleep outside the venue, are you kidding me?” 

“What? I got here in the early hours today and slept, I was fine. We had blankets and everything.” 

“Yeah, and now you’ve got a head injury, so I’m not gonna let that happen. Come with me.” 

Adam shrugged at them as if to say ‘don’t ask me what he’s up to’, and (y/n) nodded. Realistically, the choice between heading outside in the cold to nap on the uncomfortable pavement and staying with the very attractive bassist of their favourite band a little longer wasn’t a difficult one. “Okay.” 

They wobbled a little as they stood up for the first time, and Mikey moved to steady them. “You good?” 

“Yeah, just... getting used to being upright again. I’ll be fine if we go slowly.” 

“Okay.” 

And they walked together through the crew zones of the venue, making small talk and stopping every few minutes to make sure (y/n) didn’t get too dizzy. Mikey had revealed what had been played after they had been pulled from the crowd, and had received a playful smack in the arm for his troubles. 

“You played (favourite song) without me? That’s so rude.” 

“Oh dude that sucks, I’m sorry. I can promise to put it on the set for tomorrow, if that makes you feel any better.” 

“Yeah, but I didn’t get tickets for tomorrow, remember? I could just stand outside the venue and imagine being on the barrier again, I guess.” 

He laughed, and they missed the little glint that flickered in his eyes as he did so. “I mean that’s one way of doing things. Just through here.”

The two of them stepped through the doorway and into the lobby of the attached hotel. As (y/n) stopped, frowning slightly, Mikey brushed his hand against theirs for the briefest of moments, leading them towards the front desk. 

“We’re all staying here for the next four nights with all the crew, and there’s some spare rooms, so...” 

“You got me a room? Oh Mikey, you didn’t have to do that.” 

“Well, I couldn’t just let you sleep outside, could I?” And he talked to the receptionist for a moment before taking the room key and checking the number. “Come on. I managed to get you put in the last room on the floor the guys and I are staying on, so you’ll have some familiar faces to see tomorrow.” 

Blown away by his kindness to a literal stranger, (y/n) found themself glued to the floor for a moment, and he held out a hand. 

“Look, I know this is probably a lot to take in right now. I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I let you leave here injured. I’d rather know you were tucked up safe for the night, okay? Besides...” This time, it definitely wasn’t a trick of the light - he was blushing. “I was watching you a lot tonight. You just looked like you were having the best time, and... that smile took my breath away.” 

By now, (y/n) was positive that their own cheeks were burning brightly, and they reached out to take his hand. “Good thing that I was smiling at you then, isn’t it?” 

The conversation returned to a slightly more casual tone as they made their way upstairs, but the atmosphere had definitely shifted. (y/n)’s heart felt like it was trying to beat it’s way out of their chest, and they were definitely a little disappointed when they reached the right room. It made them feel a little better to notice that Mikey looked like he was feeling the same way as he passed over the bundle he’d been holding. 

“Oh, I picked these up for you. Kinda eyeballed the size a bit, but if they don’t fit I can always switch them out.” It was three merch t-shirts, one of which being the Mikey Way mystery one. 

(y/n) grinned, folding them over their arm. “You were dead on with the size, well done. And thanks, you really didn’t have to.” 

“Well, I didn’t know if you’d got blood on your shirt when you got hurt, and figured you wouldn’t wanna keep wearing that if you had. Oh, and here’s the room key.” And he slipped something else into their hands with it. A guest pass dated for the next three shows. (y/n) felt their jaw drop. 

“Oh, Mikey, I... Seriously? This is for me too?” 

He nodded, smiling. “I felt bad that you’d missed out on us playing your favourite song because of some random guy. At least at the side of the stage you know you’ll be safe from morons.” 

“Oh, thank you!” They desperately wanted to hug him, but didn’t want to make him feel awkward and didn’t exactly know how best to ask. Mikey solved that problem by leaning in and initiating the hug himself - and as they stood there, wrapped in his arms, (y/n) could’ve sworn that they felt him kiss the top of their head. 

“Hey, it’s the least I could do. Oh, can I borrow your phone real quick?” When they passed it over, he tapped away for a few moments before giving it back. “If you need anything, or you start feeling ill, whatever, just text me, okay?” 

“You- you’ve given me your phone number?” This experience was getting more surreal by the minute. “Do you do this for every poor idiot who gets injured at a gig?” 

He shot them a wink. “Only the really special ones. Will I see you at breakfast?” 

He’d sounded a little nervous as he asked - almost like a teenager trying to ask their crush on a first date. And that thought almost made (y/n)’s heart explode. 

“Well, I don’t see why not.” In a moment of bravery, they got onto their tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight, Mikey.” 

He was now almost the same shade of red as the hotel carpet. 

“Goodnight, (y/n).” 

The two of them ducked into their respective hotel rooms, each closing the door behind them before doing a little happy dance, grinning widely. 

Maybe they had something to thank that crowdsurfer for after all. 

[demented-tours]

The line between writer panic and comfort is so damned thin.

...that moment when you have a reasonable idea of how long a story is going to be based on the outline/past experience/your inability to write anything less than 100K words, and this one will be almost 2x that due to character complexity and the story structure you're exploring, and you also know your general output of words and how often that output can occur, so the math for how long it will take you to finish the story is pretty straightforward...

...and you realize you'll be writing this beast for another seven months. And part of you wants to roll around in happiness because OMG STORY FEELS SO GOOD AND IS SO DARK AND SEXY AND MMMM CHARACTER JOY and the other part of you looks at the long queue of creatures waiting to get written, and then you start calculating how long you have left to live, given a certain set of parameters and barring critical system failures, and you realize you need to cut out some major time sinks in order for this to all work, like sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom...

...but your health journey dictates that you can no longer do that, as it's Bad For You, so, okay, you'll just have to flex the space/time continuum in order to bend reality and make additional pockets of time and hope you don't cause some kind of storyline event horizon that sucks down the entire planet or opens a hell gate or perhaps resets the universe to zero...

...but THEN you realize that if you DO that in the quest to make more stories, then that'd be an awfully good story for somebody (not you; you'll be squished flat by the terrible, infinite weight of dark matter, space, and time compression and/or eaten by demons and/or be too busy RULING the demons that your writing pursuits just need to go on hold for a little while for the sake of your new career, and KAREN, THAT DOES NOT ACTUALLY MAKE ME A FAILURE AS I WILL BE THE QUEEN OF THE MOTHERFUCKING DAMNED AND PLEASE STOP TRYING TO PUT ME IN A BOX AND NOT EVERYTHING IS MEANT TO BE FOREVER EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY THIS NEW HELL DIMENSION THING THAT IS POTENTIALLY HAPPENING), once, you know, we develop out of primordial sludge and get those opposable thumbs happening again, and it won't MATTER that you can't finish all your stories because somebody else will... ...which just speaks to the continual wheel that is time and purpose and destiny and there's always another life around the corner and you won't KNOW you missed out on writing stories as it's a soul purpose, not a life purpose, and there will be new ones to tell in THAT life and in THAT existence, so, honestly, just do your best with the fucking word count, Dee, and maybe go have a goddamned cookie or some fruit or something because all of this spiraling over math computation is likely because you forgot to eat again, AS YOU DO, which is WHY WE ARE IN THERAPY.

*huff... puff... gasp... wheeze*

Okay. So, um. Yeah. Gonna go... get a snack. And, um... I'll be done with this story in July.

Cool.

Peace.

[impactmintsfresh]

Do I have to spank you two? Ch 3

Masterlist - Summary : Soulmates Steve and Bucky are a pair of brats looking for a third, and they have their eyes set on Tony

Warnings : Light Daddy kink

Tony had been hidden away behind an army of doctors for days now. Even the serum couldn't do anything against what the boys were doing to their bodys, not eating or sleeping, spending most hours of the day in the gym beating the shit out of anything or anyone in the vicinity.

Nat found them both on the fourth day. Both bruised and bloody, Bucky's eyebrow was split and bleeding and Steve was vomiting up blood. The whole place looked worse than many of their battles.

"You're being selfish".

They both heard her but didn't react.

"Do you think he needs to also be worrying about you two during this time?" There was a twinge of guilt on both their faces. "He's awake, you know."

Steve and Bucky both stumbled trying to get up and out the gym. Nat stopped them, honestly they wouldn't have been much good against a five year old right now. "You will not see him until you have showered, eaten, and each had 6 hours sleep. If you show up into that hospital room and cause Tony to stress, it won't be him you need to worry about."

Too tired to argue and worried, on Steve's part, that they would simply spit up more blood if they opened their mouths, they walked slowly to their apartment. Steve broke down first, crying in the shower clinging to Bucky like the would drown otherwise. They didn't speak much, just held each other tight and tried to process what had happened these last few days. It felt strange to hold each other again after doing nothing but beating the shit out of each other.

When they were finally allowed to see him, Tony was asleep. He was mostly covered in bandages and there was some swelling but he was still Tony. Bucky's hand shook as he stroked Tony's face as if he was made of sand and would blow away in the wind. Within a few minutes they were both carefully wrapped around him silently.

Tony didn't wake up, and an hour or so later a nurse arrived to change his bandages.

"Do you mind if we stay?" She looked at the boys, she recognised the look in their faces immediately. Her husband had had a similar one after she had a complicated birth with their second daughter.

"Of course dears, I might even need one of you to give me a hand." The relief on their faces made her heart ache.

Bucky helped lift and move Tony while she took the old ones off while Steve held the new one. It was Steve who saw it first, almost dropping the supplies in his hands. "Buck…" but Bucky had already seen where Steve was staring.

"Did you know?" The nurse was nearing retirement and working in a hospital like this you see almost everything. The shocking reveal that the person you are in love is also your soulmate is more common than people think.

"No"

Steve was still trying to piece this together in his head. "Do you think he knew?"

Bucky looked up at Steve, "of course he did Steve the man has his AI watching us shower." The nurse blushed but stayed quiet.

"Actual James, Miss Potts expressly forbid him from putting a camera in the bathroom." The nurse was the only one to react to the disembodied voice coming from the ceiling.

"Why did he ne- Do you think he doesn't want us?" Steve's voice shocked a little at the possibility. Bucky flushed with humiliation thinking about all the ways they put themselves out there, the way the rest of the team watched and let them! Did they laugh at them behind their backs? Was it just some joke? Before he could storm out he felt a weak hand around his wrist.

"What have I ever done, to give either of you boys the impression that I don't want you both in every possible way?" It was crockey and a little out of breath, but there was no mistaking the voice of Tony Stark. The nurse took this as her queue to slip out of the room. The bandages can be changed later after all.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Steve's eyes filled with tears were breaking Tony's possibly actually broken heart.

"Fear mostly." It was a blunt answer but they both knew the man well enough to read between the lines.

The nurse came back and they both stayed with Tony until he forced them back out to get some sleep. They were back bright and early the next morning, arms full of puzzles and games. It took another week before Tony was discharged, which had given them all enough time to talk through their feelings.

Tony was looking forward to getting to spend the night in his bed, especially since there were now two space heaters moving in with him. He was less pleased that Steve had insisted on carrying him bridal style from the hospital. He had protested a little but Bucky had just smirked and pointed out that wrapping himself around Steve wasn't convincing.

It was all giggles and kisses as Steve carried him over the threshold of the penthouse suit, when he stopped short. "Tony?"

Tony looked to where Steve was looking and saw the painted couch. "There was no way I was donating a Steve Rogers Original, that's worth a fortune you know." Steve just kissed him again.

Tony seemed to take this new relationship as the green light to be even more overbearing, and they boys to be more bratty. The only real change was that Tony followed through on his threats of spankings and the boys got all the sex and attention they wanted, enough to make up for all the years in ice as Clint likes to joke. Bucky finally got his bike back, on the condition he wears a helmet at all times and the speed is capped by Jarvis except in emergencies. Steve admitted to breaking the TV and is now allowed to watch movies rated PG-13, Tony did promise however that with good behaviour he might be allowed to watch scary movies in time for Halloween. Steve had just hit him in the head with a pillow for that.

[laurenairay]

2) “You’ve been avoiding me, why?” with Jacob Markstrom please!🖤

Here you go @danglesnipecelly – thank you for letting me borrow your man! 😘

This is the last of my prompt list blurbs so I hope you’ve all enjoyed them!

“You’ve been avoiding me, why?”

*

Drinking always had repercussions. You knew that, not even because you were no longer young and naïve. Sure, your tolerance had gotten better over the years, but the amount of time you went out partying had decreased in turn, so it all balanced out. And by that, it means that casual drinks were absolutely fine, but one big night out would knock you off your feet.

And now, one of your newest friendships was suffering because of your dumb actions.

Three weeks ago was Elias’s birthday. Annica had invited you as you were one of their neighbours and you’d grown quite close with her over the past couple of years since she and Elias had moved to Calgary. Through them, you’d met Jacob this year…and you knew the moment that you saw him that you were in trouble. No-one should be that tall, that handsome, and that sweet – it just wasn’t fair. Luckily you’d managed to keep your heart eyes to yourself (although you had a feeling that Annica had her suspicions) as well as keeping your cool around him…until the party three weeks ago.

You’d managed to make excuses to avoid group gatherings, only meeting with Annica when it was just the two of you, but she had begged you to come to the casual party Elias was throwing at their place tonight, and you hadn’t found it in your heart to tell her no, even though you were dreading facing the man you’d made a fool of yourself in front of.

It had only taken 30 minutes before you found yourself cornered by Jacob in the kitchen.

“Finally, I thought I’d never get you alone,”

You cursed under your breath before looking up at the Swedish giant with a nervous smile, making Jacob frown slightly, before his face smoothed out.

“You’ve been avoiding me, why?” Jacob asked softly.

Was there any point in lying?

Probably not.

It’s not like he didn’t know…

“Because I made an absolute tit out of myself last time I saw you?” you offered, smiling wearily.

Jacob laughed, making you wince, but he just shook his head.

“That’s why you’ve turned into a ghost? I thought I’d done something wrong!” Jacob mused.

Oh god no, that was the furthest thing from the truth.

“You were wonderful. It was me who was a dumb drunk mess,” you grumbled, face flaring with heat.

“You were not the drunkest person there – so far from it. And you weren’t a mess…you were cute,” he insisted.

Cute? No, he didn’t mean it like that. You sent him an unimpressed look but he just grinned back at you. Where to even start?

Even just thinking about the events of the night three weeks ago made you cringe so hard. The evening had started well, don’t get you wrong. You’d worn a cute flowery dress and put your hair up in a pretty braid, with a little light make-up to finish off the look. Annica had greeted you with a big hug and a large glass of white wine…and that’s where the night went downhill.

In short, you’d gotten absolutely smashed on white wine with Annica.

Wine drunk was a different level – while you knew that you definitely weren’t the only very drunk person that night, everything you’d done…ugh. Not okay.

“What do you remember from the night?” Jacob asked, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Everything, unfortunately,” you grumbled.

“It can’t all have been bad,” he teased.

Hah. That’s what he thought.

You admit, it started slowly. A bottle of wine shared between you and Annica got you started on karaoke (who brought the machine with them, you had no idea), with a whole queue of people continuing after you.

Then came the second bottle of wine – when you’d finished that, a lot of other people were drunk too. Elias himself was so drunk that he fell off the sofa laughing at something that Noah had said. And instead of helping him up, you and Annica had sat behind him and braided his hair, each of you having a spare hairband around your wrist to secure the two messy braids (and you were certain Jacob himself had taken a few photos of the braiding session).

You knew you’d eaten after then. And drank some water too. But that didn’t stop you from getting drunk-teary as Milan’s wife showed you the cutest new photos of her kids (they were just so cute!). Drunk-teary, like seriously. Thankfully you hadn’t full-on cried but that was bad enough. Annica had saved you from that…by dragging you into the kitchen and pouring you another glass of wine.

This devolved into the two of you going back and forth, telling each other you’re so pretty, no you’re so pretty, until Elias and Jacob stopped just watching in amusement and interrupted the love fest, with Elias taking Annica outside into the backyard for some fresh air, Jacob just getting you some more water.

As you recounted it all to Jacob, the smile on his face only grew.

“None of that was bad! I told you so – you were happy drunk and no-one thought bad of you, I promise,”

“I wish I could believe you,” you sighed.

“Anyone that remembered anything, which was very few people because vodka was flowing heavily, only thought it was cute and funny, I swear,” Jacob grinned.

The way that he kept insisting, the way that he kept repeating that you hadn’t made a fool of yourself, gave you a spark of hope. Maybe?

Then his face went serious, making your stomach fill with butterflies.

“And do you remember what you said to me?” Jacob asked softly.

You swallowed heavily. There it was. How could you not? It was why you’d been avoiding him.

“Yeah, I do,”

When he’d gotten you the water in the kitchen, you’d told him he was the most handsome man you’d ever met. With the biggest drunkest smile on your face. You wish you had Annica’s memory-loss bliss, but unfortunately the memory was seared into your brain. You could only thank your fairy godmother that instead of doing anything even more stupid, you’d just skipped off to find your friend afterwards.

But being here with him now, knowing in your gut that he remembered everything too, that gave you the heaviest feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“You said I was handsome. The most handsome guy you’d ever met,” he said.

Almost word for word. Wow. Fantastic. Just what you needed. Even just hearing the words said out loud again sent another hot rush of embarrassment flooding through your body, and it was all you could do not to shudder.

“Yeah I’m well aware. Can you just forget it, please?” you sighed.

But Jacob shook his head, confusing you. What? “Why would I want to forget?” he asked, frowning.

“Please, J, it’s embarrassing as hell and I’d like to still be able to show my face around here,” you pleaded.

Why was he being like this?

But then he stepped closer to you, impossibly closer, one hand rising to cup your face. You inhaled sharply as his thumb stroked over your cheekbone, unable to look away from his beautiful blue eyes.

“Why would I want to forget the most beautiful woman I know, telling me that I’m the most handsome guy?” he said seriously, towering over you in a way that took your breath away.

He…you…what?

“You can’t just say that,” you murmured, feeling helpless, but in no way that you wanted to be rescued.

“I mean it. I’m not just saying it either. I wish I told you sooner,” he said firmly.

“Jacob…” you whispered.

You trailed off, unsure of what to say. Did he mean it? Did he really mean it? Jacob saw the uncertainty mixing with hope on your face, and licked his bottom lip nervously. The thumb that had been stroking over your cheek brushed over your bottom lip, making you gasp.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked quietly.

Even though the two of you were in public, in the open kitchen, it felt like you were in your own little world. You were completely consumed by him.

“Yes,” was all you could whisper in reply.

Jacob wasted no time in leaning his head down to press his lips to yours. You couldn’t help but whimper as he kissed you firmly, no hesitation, no nerves, just kissed you over and over and over until your head was spinning.

And then he broke away, making you gasp for breath, heart racing even more at the intensity in his eyes, the wet shine on his lips.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,” he murmured.

You just clutched at his shirt, your knees feeling weak, words escaping you. He’s wanted to kiss you? Was this really happening? Jacob could see how overwhelmed you were, his eyes desperately searching yours for any sign of discomfort, but he found only surprise. So he took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

“Let me take you out on a date. Let me show you how beautiful I think you are,” Jacob asked softly, smiling hopefully.

The smile that spread across your lips felt ridiculous, but you couldn’t stop it. “I would love that,” you replied, smiling shyly.

Jacob just grinned before ducking his head to kiss you again, his hands travelling down your body to clutch at your waist as your hands slid up around his neck. This all felt like such a dream, a wonderful impossible dream. But there was no way you could’ve imagined the way his body felt pressing up against yours, or the way his tongue sent shivers down your spine. This was better than any fantasy, and you couldn’t wait to see how it played out.

[xiaomoxu]

LUCIEN - Taste Date

SPOILER ALERT!!

A date from CN server which hasn’t been released on EN server yet. Might contains some spoiler.

The projector in the living room flickered, and the music at the end of the movie was intertwined with the warm sunshine. In this space that belongs to me and Xu Mo, there is a warmth day after day.

I looked at the scrolling subtitles on the screen and yawned.

Xu Mo: Do you think the movie is boring?

Xu Mo turned his head and looked at me with a faint voice as always, but the smile in his eyes was a little bit more than usual.

MC: Nope. The movie is very interesting. I especially like narration, music and mirroring.

MC: It's the movie you picked.

As I said, I leaned against Xu Mo again, leaning my head on his shoulder.

MC: I just relax suddenly and feel like I'm lazy

MC: Obviously I did all kinds of imagination before the holiday, but when I could really rest, my brain went on strike, and I didn't even bother to think about the plan.

Xu Mo: However, if you don't plan well, this rest day will also slip away unknowingly.

MC: There is nothing wrong with this principle

MC: Then we will discuss how to spend a full and rich rest day tomorrow.

MC: But right now... just rest with nothing to do for one day, okay?

When I looked up at him, I was amused and blinked earnestly. Xu Mo seemed to squeeze my face helplessly.

Xu Mo: You...

Xu Mo: Do you want to watch another movie?

Before I had time to agree, Xu Mo's phone on the table rang untimely.

The caller is Aming.

Xu Mo pressed the hands-free button after answering the phone, got up and walked to the cabinet where the discs were stored.

Aming: Professor Xu, sorry to disturb you.

Xu Mo: what's happening?

Aming: Do you have any arrangements for today? The previous experiment has made some progress, I would like to trouble you to follow up.

Xu Mo paused when he picked the DVD.

Xu Mo: is it urgent?

Aming: It's not actually too late after the holidays.

Aming: However, there will be a few academic conferences and postgraduate papers that you need to check. Time will be a little tight.

Xu Mo: I know. Leave it until after the holidays.

Aming: Alright professor, take a good rest.

As the phone hung up, Xu Mo also chose the DVD. And I, who was listening silently beside him, suddenly had a thought.

MC: Xu Mo, I have a plan!

Xu Mo: Yes?

MC: Since it's a holiday now, there shouldn't be many people in the research right?

Xu Mo: Well, that's right.

MC: Then I will go to work with you!

As if shocked by my sudden suggestion, Xu Mo raised his eyebrows and said again to confirm.

Xu Mo: Go to work with me?

MC: Yes! This way you can spend the rest day with you without delaying your work.

MC: And it satisfies the condition of "fullness and richness" very well. Isn't it a great idea?

Xu Mo: I do not deny that this is a feasible method....

Xu Mo: But my work is probably not as interesting as you think

I shook my head vigorously.

MC: It is not an opportunity every day to see Professor Xu's work side up close.

MC: This holiday plan will definitely be the one I wanted to start a long time ago.

MC: "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation" project adds an important record!

Although I have “sneaked in” here many times because I gave Xu Mo a lunch box or helped him take care of the plants in the office...

But walking into the office with him in this way and watching him sitting behind his desk up close is still a new experience.

MC: Xu Mo, you just treat me as if I'm not here, just do your usual work normally!

Seeing that I had quite taken out a notebook to record his daily momentum of work, Xu Mo gently tapped on my head.

Xu Mo: Well, now that producer MC is fully prepared, then I will cooperate well.

Xu Mo: But say it in advance, even if you feel boring, you can't run away.

MC: Pftー don't worry, I won't!

I hope our "cooperation" today will be turned well.

I held back a smile, sat pretentiously on the sofa in the corner of his office, and waved to him.

The so-called "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation" project, only "observing Xu Mo" is my real purpose.

The person in front of me always seemed to be able to cooperate with my careful thoughts, and would not pierce easily.

For me, seeing Xu Mo's work in a rare way is already the most interesting thing for me.

Xu Mo sat behind his desk, his narrow eyes could not see emotions, only the light spots on his face swayed playfully with his breathing rate.

We didn't speak for a while, and typing sounds regularly echoed in the office where only the two of us were alone.

Xu Mo: Is it connected to the intranet?

Xu Mo didn't stop his hand movements and spoke naturally

MC: Yep, it's already connected.

MC: However, the network speed of the highest biotechnology institute is really fast

??: After all, we have a lot of data to process, and it will be troublesome if the network cannot keep up.

With a soft knock on the door, a familiar voice heard outside the door.

Researcher: Amin told me that the professor was not coming today, and he was probably going to accompany MC. I saw that the office light was on, and it was strange.

Researcher: Unexpectedly, you came together.

The other party was one of the researchers who followed Xu Mo as a researcher, and I had met Xu Mo several times before.

Xu Mo nodded lightly in response, and I also smiled politely at him.

MC: Do you have a job to talk about? Then I first

Researcher: No, no, I will go back to the lab now. Professor, you are busy, I won't bother you.

The researcher winked at us jokingly and waved away.

Xu Mo raised his eyes and looked at the direction the person was leaving, then smiled and said to me.

Xu Mo: It seems that when I didn't know, the researchers around me had a better relationship with you.

MC: Because everyone is very kind.

Xu Mo: A lot of things have been added to the office unknowingly.

Xu Mo smiled and pointed to the blanket on the sofa.

MC: Of course. My goal is to make it comfortable and easy to work with!

Xu Mo: Then I will wait and see.

In the next few hours, Xu Mo's typing sound never stopped.

Occasionally, a few researchers came in to submit materials, and because they were all familiar people, they directly handed me the documents that needed to be sorted out.

In this way, I also feel a little happy to be around Xu Mo and do something for him.

But....

Xu Mo: Ugh...

Hearing Xu Mo's sigh for many times today, I walked behind him and massaged his shoulders and neck.

You keep sighing, is your work today not going well?

Xu Mo: Is not. It's just that the efficiency is not as high as usual.

MC: Is it too tired?

MC: Xu Mo smiled and took my hand, leaned a little later, half leaning on me.

He took off his glasses and put them on the table. The eyes that looked at me were full of clarity, and there was no fatigue.

Xu Mo: If you are here, I will be distracted.

Xu Mo: Are you hungry, do you want to eat first?

The noon daylight gradually slanted, and the crisp keyboard tapping in my ears stopped.

Xu Mo stood up and moved his shoulder and neck slightly.

The work is more cumbersome than I thought, and it may take more time.

Xu Mo: Why not we have lunch together?

MC: It would be nice if Professor Xu Mo could eat as well as he did today in his usual work.

Xu Mo: With your strict supervision, I am getting healthier day by day.

Xu Mo got up and put on his coat, and naturally brought me a coat and hat.

Xu Mo: For the restaurants nearby.

Seeing Xu Mo's thinking, I interrupted him first.

MC: Today I am here to do "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation", so just go to the place where you usually eat.

Xu Mo: But I usually.....

I can probably guess what he said subconsciously. I squinted at Xu Mo.

MC: Did you really eat well under my supervision?

Xu Mo: ....

Xu Mo: Compared to before, my life is indeed much healthier. Especially the love bento you sent, I ate them on time.

MC: Huh?

MC: What about when I didn't send it? Is it not on time?

I did not let Xu Mo go, but further "questioned" him.

Xu Mo: Overall.... it is on time.

Xu Mo turned his gaze away with a rare guilty conscience, and gave an ambiguous answer.

MC: Then take me to the place where you usually eat now.

MC: I have to supervise the cunning big fox Professor Xu!

Although I am always amused by him accidentally, I will never compromise in this kind of place.

Xu Mo: Alright, I get it.

Xu Mo: In the future, I will follow MC's requirements more strictly and try to ensure that I work and rest regularly.

Seeing that I couldn't help but Xu Mo could only sigh and surrender.

Xu Mo took me to a small restaurant near the research center.

Most of the diners who come and go in the store wear badges from the research center.

MC: It seems that this is still a popular meal of the research center.

Xu Mo and I stood at the end of the ordering queue, looking up at the short menu. The dishes were almost occupied by sandwiches, burgers and pizza.

MC: But the food does not seem to be too rich...

Xu Mo: Yes. After all, people usually think more about how to make eating time the most efficient than enjoying food.

Xu Mo: If you have not forgotten to eat, you will choose food that is portable and can be eaten as quickly as possible.

Xu Mo: So you can finish a meal while walking or working.

Xu Mo didn't look at the menu and ordered a sandwich when it was our turn.

It seems that he does come here often.

The clerk clearly placed the order and settled the bill. The smooth and streamlined movements are in line with efficiency aesthetics.

MC : I'm going the other way with you, and I will never give up any chance to enjoy food

MC: Occasionally, I ran for a cup of coffee during my lunch break.

MC: After all, eating is a very happy thing.

Xu Mo: Yes. Indeed it is.

MC: Xu Mo looked at me as if he missed and said with joy.

Xu Mo: I didn't think three meals a day were important or pleasant.

Xu Mo: But I found it now.

Xu Mo: This feeling is especially strong when you eat the rice cooked by this "Snail Girl".

Almost as soon as I was seated, the clerk had already delivered some nice sandwiches.

MC: Huh? Is this restaurant serving food so fast?

The sandwiches on the tray are very rich in content, some vegetables and meat, and it seems that there is an egg in it.

MC: Is this your usual lunch?

Xu Mo nodded and unpacked.

Xu Mo: The sandwiches in this shop are very popular in the research center.

MC: Is it because the nutrition is balanced and delicious?

Xu Mo: Would you like to taste it?

Xu Mo smiled and split off a corner of the sandwich and handed it to me.

While talking, other meals were also delivered over.

In such a comparison, I always feel that the sandwich in front of me looks very simple.

But as the saying goes, the food is not good.

MC: Well.... the nutrition seems to be very balanced.

I returned Xu Mo with a bright smile.

Xu Mo: Doesn't it taste good? It's better to say that it was just enough to swallow it just now.

MC: ....

MC: It must be that the ingredients used in the store are more particular, right? It can add rich nutrition.

Xu Mo: It's just ordinary ingredients.

Xu Mo: From a nutritional point of view, meat is somewhat insufficient, and the intake of carbohydrates and protein is definitely not enough.

I tried to maintain the smile on my face, somewhat worried whether the store would hear this straightforward conversation and swept us out.

Xu Mo: However, it has a unique advantage that it can become the favorite food in the hearts of researchers at the research center.

I opened my eyes slightly and listened carefully.

Xu Mo: High speed.

MC: What?

Xu Mo: The serving speed is very fast, if it is taken away, the speed is even faster.

MC: So that's all...

Xu Mo: Someone once did statistics...

Xu Mo: If you order this sandwich in this restaurant, you can save at least 13 minutes and 22 seconds even during peak dining periods.

As I listened to this so precise and unnecessary data, my brain gradually emptied.

Does the research scope of the research center cover this kind of place?!

Xu Mo: This statistical report covers all shops within a walking distance of 20 minutes, and the credibility is very high.

MC: That's it, everyone at the research center are so strictㅡ

Xu Mo was amused by my lack of emotional ups and downs, and he pushed my burger toward me.

Xu Mo: But the taste of other dishes should be normal and worth eating.

Sure enough, the beef Hamburg, which looked very tender and juicy, basically reached the standard of "delicious".

Compared with the tasteless sandwich just eaten, it can be called "delicious."

MC: So, do you usually eat this kind of food for lunch?

Xu Mo: Yes. This is considered to be one of the most optimal in all aspects

Xu Mo bit the sandwich in his hand and explained the facts calmly.

MC: Although time is important and this sentence is also very long-winded, I still think three meals a day are very important

MC: After serious work, it is worth rewarding yourself with delicious, nutritious and balanced food.

MC: Eating enough and sleeping well is not only a guarantee of life, but also a statement to myself: Today I am also living seriously.

Facing my serious "preaching" Xu Mo stretched out his fingers to smooth my frowning brows, and smiled a little happier than before.

Xu Mo: It is as expected.

Seeing me looking at him a little puzzled, Xu Mo smiled and fed me a piece of French fries, and continued to speak.

Xu Mo: Several times, when I ate sandwiches from this restaurant, I wondered how you would react if you came here and ate the same food as me.

Xu Mo: When you taste the taste, you will definitely hesitate to say it bluntly.

Xu Mo: You will definitely tell me after listening to my reasons for choosing it, to eat well and take care of yourself.

Xu Mo: My guess was not wrong.

MC: Hm....

MC: Why do you think of me at this time?

Xu Mo: When you encounter all kinds of things, you will always share with me

Xu Mo: Every time I receive a message from you and learn about every bit of your life, I am very happy.

Xu Mo: Of course I would want to do the same thing.

Xu Mo: Rather, it is the most normal thing to unconsciously think of the people you care about in every bit of your life.

Xu Mo's tone was light.

This is indeed an ordinary thing.

But this kind of thing, being said so bluntly and seriously by him, still makes my cheeks hot.

MC: You, why don't you hurry up and try other foods?

MC: This pizza looks delicious. Would you like to try it?

As if to conceal my feeling of making a fuss about "normal things", my body has already taken a step before my reaction.

(karma CG included)

I picked up the pizza just baked and handed it to Xu Mo.

MC: Is it a sweet pizza that you haven't tried before, try it?

Xu Mo didn't take the pizza I handed over, but just bent down and bit the tip of the pizza.

His snort rubbed my fingers, it was warm and a touch of humidity.

The reduced distance is like a switch that flashes a similar scene in my mind.

Xu Mo: is good?

Xu Mo who bit the pizza opened his eyes slightly.

MC: Is the pizza with cheese, blueberry and honey taste too weird?

I looked at Xu Mo's face and tried to find the answer in his expression.

Xu Mo moved closer to my side and bit off the cheese.

Probably the pizza that was just out of the oven was still a little hot, Xu Mo didn't speak immediately, but motioned for me to try it too.

MC: It is good!

On the first bite of the pizza, I also opened my eyes wide and nodded to Xu Mo frequently.

MC: it's nice!

MC: Unexpectedly, there is such a delicious thing hidden in a place so close to the research center!

The little beauty and surprise that I suddenly found, the joy that I shared with my favorite person the first time...

The scent of blueberries and the sweet taste of honey are intertwined, and the heart is full of satisfaction.

Xu Mo: It seems that I am too underestimated and I am too used to this restaurant.

MC: Coming with you today is really rewarding!

Xu Mo: Indeed it is.

As Xu Mo said, he picked up another slice of pizza and handed it to me, his eyes were softer than the lemon-colored sunlight outside the window.

Xu Mo: Even if I'm very familiar with the things I am used to, when I'm with you, it will always be different.

Xu Mo: It seems that as long as I look at you, I won't miss all the beautiful things.

Xu Mo's voice is still so faint, with some warmth and softness in the heart.

MC: In the future, I will continue to work hard to discover the little beauty in life.

MC: So Professor Xu will continue to rest assured with me.

He did not speak any more, just smile and stretch out his finger and wiped the corners of my mouth.

There have been many times when he used the same tone and tone to explain a certain theory and a certain truth for me.

Just now, he told me more facts about himself.

Small, ordinary facts have not been verified by large sections of papers, nor are they new discoveries that shock the world.

But it is absolutely correct and constant like any other law that constructs this world.

It was enough to make my heart beat faster than usual.

--- END ---

I’m sorry if there’s some mistranslation. Kindly tell me if you found some :) thank you for read it~ ^^

[blu-joons]

He Meets Your Big Family ~ Jeon Jungkook

You always knew it was going to be a big deal introducing Jungkook to your family, you’d answered hundreds of questions from them before about him, but never had they met him in person, you were terrified that your family would be overwhelming for him.

“I’m excited,” he chuckled as he followed you out of the car and across the road, “you’ve told me so many stories about them, I can finally put a face to all of the names,” he added.

“I’m glad you’re excited,” you replied.

As per usual, he was calm and composed, he’d waited for so long to meet your family, coming from such a small family he was excited to meet the large part of his extended family.

His hand slipped into yours, squeezing your hand reminding you that things would be alright, he knew that everyone would love him, he’d use his charm like he usually did. He knew how you felt, when you were set to meet his family he was terrified that they’d end up scaring you off, but luckily everything seemed to go well, and he knew that the same would happen today with yours.

You smiled across at him, “I wish I had the confidence that you have, they’re going to love that smile of yours. It’s the embarrassing stories I’m worried about them sharing with you today.”

“I’m excited to listen to every single one of them,” he teased.

Your eyes rolled, shaking your head as he smirked back at you, it was all part of the fun of meeting families, hearing about all the silly things that you got up to as a child, knowing that he’d be able to mock you for it over the years to come.

The front door was open once you arrived, walking straight in, every member of your family was in the garden awaiting your arrival. “Hello,” you blushed, stunned by how many faces there were.

Instantly your younger siblings ran over to Jungkook, whilst you were straight over to your parents pulling them into a tight hug. Whilst most of your family only knew him as Jungkook, a few of the younger members of your family knew him as the superstar he was.

Questions were soon fired across at him like you anticipated, with so many people wanting to meet him and introduce themselves he was overwhelmed with how many people were quick to huddle around you both.

You’d warned him several times just how big your family were, but he continued to ignore you and try to pretend that it was no big deal to him, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that even he was struggling to speak to everyone quickly.

“It’s so lovely to meet you Jungkook.”

“We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Y/N said that you were good looking!”

He struggled to listen to all of the voices at once, looking around for you to help him and try and calm everyone down.

“Give him some space,” you told them all, moving your siblings away from him so that he could look around. “Everyone, this is Jungkook, my boyfriend, try not to scare him off.”

“Don’t worry sweetheart, we would never,” your mum assured you, finally greeting Jungkook.

Finally, everyone settled around him, they began to talk to him, and one by one began to introduce themselves to him, you could tell he was trying hard to remember everyone so that he could impress them all later on.

Once everyone had finished obsessing over Jungkook, they finally acknowledged that you had come home too, very few of them had an interest, but you were still happy to see them.

For most of the afternoon together, Jungkook was right by your side, it was scary for him to be around so many new people, but he tried his hardest to speak to as many of them as possible, before you pulled him to the side.

“Happy?” You asked him instantly.

“I am very happy, promise.”

His arms wrapped around you, pressing a kiss to your forehead, hearing the murmurs of your family members who spotted the two of you across the garden.

“You’ll never be able to escape them now,” you told him, shooting a glare at them all to leave you both alone, “I’m glad they all seem to like you though, and not too many embarrassing stories have been told to you just yet.”

“There’s still a lot of time, I can always ask to hear a couple,” he teased watching as your eyes lit up in horror. “I’m only messing with you I’d never do that.”

“I know what you’re like, and you definitely would,” you chuckled in response.

The two of you were interrupted by your mother calling out dinner, the whole garden had a stretch of food across in order to fill all of your family, plus a little extra to make sure that Jungkook was well fed too.

“Guests eat first!” She quickly called out, walking over to pass Jungkook a plate, moving him to the front of the queue despite his protests that he was happy to wait. “Fill up on everything you want Jungkook, the others will eat whatever.”

“I’m honestly happy to eat what’s left,” he spoke, but her head shook.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the control your mum had over him, he didn’t mind being at the front of the queue, the sooner he had access to all of the food was better in his opinion, he was just excited to enjoy all your mother’s cooking.

Once everyone had eaten, and continued to get to know each other, time soon flew by, and the night began to draw in, no one wanted to see the two of you go, but you were only in town for a few days.

“It was really nice to meet you Jungkook,” your father was the first to speak, offering Jungkook his hand to shake. He looked back to you for reassurance, you nodded encouraging him to shake his hand as a good gesture.

“It was nice to meet you too Mr Y/L/N,” he responded back to him.

“Call me Y/F/N,” your dad told him, watching as your smile grew, seeing how accepted Jungkook had been in your family made you so unbelievably happy.

The goodbyes took a long time to go through, Jungkook had perfected every single person’s name, and was happy to go around them all again with a hug and a smile.

You followed behind him, there wasn’t quite the same enthusiasm for you, but you didn’t mind too much, “it was so lovely to see everyone again, I forget how big our family is!”

Your hand slipped into Jungkook’s as the two of you walked out of the house and back over to your car, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face after it all.

“How did you find it?” You asked him.

He nodded, “your family is amazing, I’ve always wanted to be a part of a big family, and all of yours made me feel so welcome. I can’t get to know your family more, over the years to come too, they’re great.”

You let go of a huge sigh of relief, “I’m just glad that none of them scared you off, it can be quite intimidating meeting so many members of one family.”

“I’ll admit now that I was a little bit nervous, I just didn’t want to admit it,” he chuckled, “but I know now I had absolutely no reason to be nervous at all.”

“And you shouted at me for being nervous,” you giggled, hitting his arm lightly. “I’m just glad that everyone liked each other, that’s all I wanted from today, everyone to be happy.”

His arm reached across as you climbed into the car, “everyone was very happy.” “I’m so pleased.”

---

Masterlist

[blinder-secrets]

Lion Tamer - part 8

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven

3,270 words, mild nsfw

ao3 link

It was late when you left, but London didn’t seem to follow time in the same way that it did elsewhere. There was no slowing in the approach to midnight. No sign that things were about to be wrapped up, shut away. The pavement outside the club Arthur had chosen was as full as the inside, just as loud, just as unruly. You would’ve had to queue if you weren’t with him. Fuck, you’d have turned around and left altogether if he wasn’t attached to your palm. You weren’t used to the noise, to the heave and pull of bodies. It would’ve been unbearable without your anchor.

Arthur, however, walked through it like he knew where he was going, like he was put together in the midst of it, made of the racket. He’d insisted he’d never been but his shoulders parted the crowds easily, footsteps sure and keen, hand wrapped tightly around yours the entire way. He didn’t stop until you were by a table near the front of the stage — one that had been cleared and emptied quickly, frantically, like you were unexpected but valuable all the same.

‘Here, love,’ he said, holding the chair out for you.

‘Thank-you.’ You sat down quickly, eager to be out of the way. The band at the front were mid-set, already roaring, the audience loud and pulsing with alcohol. ‘This is…’ There wasn’t a word. You felt like your mind was rattling in the bend of the nearest trombone.

‘I know,’ Arthur finished, though you’d barely begun, and dropped into the chair beside you. ‘Nothing like this in fuckin’ Small Heath, is there?’

You snorted. ‘It wouldn’t survive if there was.’ The gold would tarnish before it could even be appreciated. ‘Is this what they’re all like?’ you asked, cringing at the volume you had to speak to be heard.

‘Nah, nah,’ he shrugged, ‘just the expensive ones.’ His eyes were on the table, his hands reaching for the small card that sat in its middle. He took it all in like it was Christmas, sank into his seat like he was home. Shoulders softened, angled down, his breathing deep and satisfied. He looked happy, brand-new. His knee fell against yours as he settled. ‘What d’you want?’ he blurted, squinting at the writing in his hands. ‘Somethin’ to drink?’

You didn’t realise you were smiling until it curved your words into a purr. ‘You pick, Arthur. I don’t mind.’

The tone pulled his gaze to you. ‘What?’ He flitted over you quickly, like he was worried you’d done something and he’d missed it. ‘What is it?’

‘You look happy,’ you told him, laughing beneath it. ‘I like it, that’s all.’

He was flustered for a moment. ‘Well, I am happy,’ he said, gruffly, like the sentiment had to be bracketed with something rugged. ‘Bloody happy.’

‘Good. Me too.’ You laughed. Your hand fell away from where it’d been propped under your chin, and went to cover his. The back of his palm was warm, familiar, his thumb lifted to rest over your fingers. ‘Go on, then,’ you pushed, ‘order us something.’

He nodded, smiling, and looked back to the card. He didn’t let you pull your hand away. ‘There’s a poet on next,’ he said. ‘You like that stuff, right?’

Deja Vu. That’s what it was. That’s how he looked at you, that’s how it felt. That’s why you were giddy. It had happened before, all of it, it was youth repackaged and polished into something new. The two of you were exactly the same as you’d always been, except now you’d lived some. Now, you’d realised it was worth trying. Cherishing. You were teenagers without the wanton carelessness, without the desire to stay free and untethered, without the need to ask, but what’s next? What else is there? Where do I go when you’ve left?

You knew the answers now, you’d worked it out.

What came next didn’t matter; everything that was worth having was already there, already found. If you’d rushed, it wouldn’t be so sweet or so certain. You didn’t need to ask him to know he felt the same.

The food they served was small, and designed to be eaten between the pinch of two fingers. He’d picked a few plates to share and you had passed them to each other like you were critics, commenting on the crumb of the biscuits, the seasoning of the fish. You’d laughed and drank, and talked about everything from everywhere, until you were so looped up in each other that his thoughts seemed to come from your head directly. You were talking like you read each others mind, like you’d opened the gate and welcomed him in. Take a seat, Arthur, stay, stay and make it your home.

Eventually, the bar had emptied. The acts had ran their course and people were left dancing to nothing in the space between the tables, with just drink and lingering-energy to keep them upright.

‘Let’s go back,’ you said to him, when you were slouched in your chair with his arm over your shoulder. ‘I can’t stand another thing.’ The room was spinning, swaying, dipping in and out of your head like you were a buoy and he was the tether beneath the waves.

He nodded, his reaction lagged slightly. His fingertips ran up and down your arm. A rake through the leaves, a farmer laying tracks. ‘My head’s in the fuckin’ bin,’ he said.

‘It’s not.’ You turned and put your palms to his cheeks; it would have been sweet if you weren’t so clumsy, so counter-balanced by the gin in your system. ‘Your head’s right here on your lovely shoulders.’

‘Like your book,’ he slurred.

‘What?’

‘You’re gonna say it, you used to.’

‘Say what, Arthur?’

His brows pulled together. ‘The thing,’ he rambled, ‘about your books. Bout me.’

‘You remember that?’

‘Why would I fuckin’ forget, ay?’ He leant away slightly, drifting like the tide, before coming back. Closer. His skin ran hot under your hands. ‘Nicest thing anyone ever told me,’ he said.

And you loved that, and your heart grew so tight in your chest that it might’ve broken free, might’ve pushed through the alcohol, and the ribs, the flesh, so tight that he should’ve felt it; because he was close enough, because he leant forward and you didn’t stop him. You just held his face, his gaze, and he was so warm and so him, that you kissed him.

You kissed him, you kissed him.

His moustache was rough, scratching. His hands dug into your waist like he was pawing for air, like he wanted more of you and you were willing, so willing to give it. When you came away to breathe, he chased you, stupid grin on lips that you had finally tasted. They were sweet. It was alcohol and cigars, and not an ounce of bitterness, not a drop of anything other than him, him just to the core, him and his lips and his breath and his tongue pushing through to meet yours. Christ, Arthur. Christ, you thought, that’s it then. That’s what it’s like.

‘Wanted to do that forever,’ he said, dripping the words down your chin. He pulled back enough to look at you and then kissed you again like he’d left it behind. ‘Took us bloody long enough,’ you thought, but he said it at the same time, words from your head and into his mouth in the same second.  

‘I know,’ you agreed. You were panting so heavily it didn’t even feel like breathing, it felt like storms, like curled winds rutting against each other. ‘Why didn’t we…?’ You couldn’t finish the sentence. Your hands clung to the back of his neck like you were falling. ‘Kiss me again,’ you said, ‘please.’

He did. He kissed you there, in the club, and again in the car on the way to the hotel. In the lift, in the hallway by your room. He kissed and kissed and kissed, and you thought for one, hopeless moment, that maybe you were dreaming, maybe you were asleep in your bed at home, but then he said, ‘I feel like I’ve won the fuckin’ derby,’ against your neck and you laughed so stupidly that it made him pause.

‘What?’ he asked, frowning and smiling at the same time. ‘What’s funny?’

He was over you on the bed, the front of his hair flopping down to cover his brow. You, you thought, you with your hair and your muscles and your lips on my throat like I’m edible.

‘Nothing, nothing.’ You’d gotten drunker somehow. He was more lethal than the cocktails, more dizzying. ‘Can we just,’ you stuttered, ‘just, I don’t know.’ You laughed, and sighed, and then dropped your palms, limp, from his back onto the mattress. ‘I think I’m going crazy from all this kissing. I feel like a kid.’

He barked a laugh, grin mirroring your own, and then rolled off you like he agreed. He fell onto the bed beside you, bouncing it with a groan. ‘Who needs fuckin’ snow, when you can have this,’ he said, chest puffed. Boasted upwards like the ceiling was taunting him. He glanced at you once, then again, and then sighed with a quiet, ‘Fuck me.’

‘I don’t think I can,’ you joked. You could barely handle the kissing.

‘Ey?’

‘What?’ He’d heard you well enough. You flashed him a smile that should’ve been coy but felt wild instead, unmanageable. ‘I didn’t say anything,’ you lied.

‘Is that right?’ He was nearly smiling himself. His gaze fell to your lips before the thing could set. ‘C’mere,’ he said.

‘No.’

‘No?’

‘No,’ you insisted. ‘I’m having a breather.’

He laughed again and shook his head in the fond way. He was back to looking at the light fitting when he spoke again. ‘Y’know,’ he started, ‘I thought I’d missed it with you, thought I’d let it all slip away between my fuckin’ fingers.’

You’d thought the same, you’d just never acknowledged it. You set your eyes on his profile, on the angle of his nose against the light from the window. Without the gas-lamp outside, he’d be invisible, lost in the dark. You don’t even know what time it was.

‘Everyone knew it would happen,’ you mused. ‘We’re the last to realise, I think.’

It seemed stupid now, utterly ridiculous that you would be anything other than this. The line between you had been crossed, no not crossed, it had been shattered entirely, torn up and thrown in the Thames. You didn’t ever want to be just friends again. There was no reason to draw the line back to where it had been.

‘Not everyone,’ he muttered, voice dropping slightly. ‘Tom couldn’t work you out. Think he thought you was after money, or something. Not,’ his hand lifted, gesturing in circles to the air above him, ‘y’know, not this.’

‘Tommy knew,’ you said, before sense had caught up to your liquored words. ‘He asked me if I wanted you or him.’

‘What?’ His voice soured sharply. ‘He what?’

You’d done it, you’d ruined it. ‘Don’t worry,’ you told him quickly, ‘it wasn’t serious.’

He sat upright, turning and blocking the amber glow from the window. ‘What did he fuckin’ say?’ You couldn’t see his face, couldn’t make out his expression, but the words were hard, pointed. He spat them out, crystal clear through the haze. ‘Ay? The fuck was that?’

‘Arthur, it was just—‘

‘You tell me, tell me now.’

You scrambled into a sitting position. ‘It was just that, just some stupid mind game to see…’ To see what? You’d never even decided yourself. ‘I shouldn’t have brought it up, alright? I’m drunk, it doesn’t matter.’

‘Matters to me,’ he bit back. Then he sank slightly. Less angry, more hurt. You pulled toward him, shifting onto your knees to meet him in the middle, to tug at his shirt like you were lamenting.

‘Arthur, baby,’ you said, and his head picked up at that, lifted with the endearment. ‘It’s just what he’s like.’

He grumbled. ‘No fuckin’ excuse.’

‘I know. I know.’ You climbed your palms up his chest until they were on his neck, your thumbs rubbing circles into the stubble beneath his chin. ‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed,’ you started, tone serious but as light as you could allow, ‘but, well, he’s a prick, Arthur. He just says shit and leaves the rest of us to deal with it.’

His hands stilled your wrists. You just about made his iris’s out in the dark. ‘What did he say?’ he asked slowly, his words firm enough that you couldn’t bat it away like before.

You sighed. It didn’t matter, it really didn’t matter. After the night you’d had it was almost laughable to think about; if you could go back in time, you’d tell Tommy outright how stupid he was to even suggest it. ‘He asked if I was serious about you,’ you offered Arthur, ‘and I told him yes.’

He twitched his head to the side. ‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘I’m not.’ It wasn’t fully the truth, but it wasn’t so far from it that you felt guilty. ‘He asked, very rudely, if I was ever going to sleep with you.’

‘You said—‘

‘Arthur,’ you interrupted, snapping at him. ‘Why does it matter what he said, when my answer was yes? That I chose you?’

And you always had; you always would.

‘Let Tommy play his little games,’ you continued. ‘You have me.’

He groaned; the noise slipped out of him, strung out of his mouth like the whine of an injured animal. ‘I’m getting sick of hearing his fuckin’ name,’ he said, and you knew he meant from you, from your lips. It came out and sat between the two of you like chainlink. ‘I never know what to bloody think.’

You laughed dryly. ‘That makes two of us.’ You touched his face, brushed his cheek, felt the line of his moustache. ‘I’m sorry,’ you said. ‘I didn’t mean to spoil this.’

‘You haven’t.’

‘I feel like I have.’

With a sigh, his arms wound up around you, bringing you close and onto his lap once you’d pulled your legs through. ‘So, I have you, eh?’ he asked gently, close enough that you almost felt the rumble of it in your chest. ‘You’re all mine?’ He held you like a prize, inspected you like he did with everything he loves; noted the details like he would before, when he drew horses, and people, and everything else that he thought was beautiful. 'Isn’t that something,’ he commented. Quiet, just to himself.

You toyed with his collar. ‘Didn’t you know that already?’

There wasn’t an answer. Instead, he kissed you roughly, like he was suddenly desperate for it, and the pair of you melted backwards into the sheets. His hands were on your neck,  then along your ribcage and down, down, smoothing down until they hit the soft dip of your waist, the curve of your hips. He squeezed you there, pushed you flat, held his thumbs to your hipbones tight enough to pinch the skin.

‘Can we?’ you asked, surprised that it came out so steadily. So calmly. You twisted your hand into the top of his hair and watched his gaze lift, scorching into your own.

‘You want to?’

You nodded, humming. You had never imagined you could, never imagined you actually would, but now it seemed easy. Natural. You let a smile fall into place. ‘But,’ you teased, not meaning it in the slightest, ‘I might change my mind if you keep me waiting any longer.’

He didn’t hesitate; he met your lips again, hungrily, careless in a way he wasn’t before. His hands went into your hair and then it was your turn to drop, to explore.

You ran your fingertips along the line of buttons down his chest, pulled them apart and away from each other slowly, like you had the time. Because it was London, because it was the two of you, and nothing else, and time had been left back in Birmingham with the smog. His shirt fell open; you dragged your nails down his ribs, his stomach, over the straight hair that scattered from his navel. When your hands found the fastening of his trousers, he pulled back to pant against your neck.

His lips went against the skin clumsily, dragging heat and lust over the goosebumps. ‘I want you,’ he said between breaths, ‘so bad.’

‘I know.’

‘But.’

You undid the fastening, slipped a hand between the cotton.

‘But,’ he rasped again, stilling you, ‘I don’t think I can, love.’

‘What?’ You pulled your hand back. His head dropped until his hair brushed your collarbone, his chest heaving into yours. ‘What’s wrong?’ you asked.

‘Been a long day,’ he said, pushing the words into the space between your breasts. ‘I’ve drank a lot.’ He kissed your shoulder, your earlobe, then pulled back to face you remorsefully. ‘I don’t think I can,’ he grumbled. He looked between you, down at himself, and then back to explain. ‘It won’t, you know, well.’

‘Oh.’ The meaning clicked and you felt yourself melt with relief. It wasn’t you, then. Wasn’t serious. He was sweeter every day, every moment. If you told anyone about the Arthur you knew, the one straddling you with shame printed onto his features, they wouldn’t believe you. They’d say you had the wrong man entirely. ‘It’s fine,’ you told him earnestly. ‘Don’t worry. It’s okay, we can just sleep, Arthur, really.’

He smiled and brought your hand up to kiss the palm. ‘Too good to me,’ he said.

‘No one’s too good to anyone,’ you said back.

‘Here.’ He dropped your hand again, pulling close to kiss beneath your jaw. ‘Just cause I can’t,’ he whispered, ‘doesn’t mean…’

‘Arthur.’

His lips dripped down your neck, your chest. His face lost itself in the fabric of your dress as he bunched the skirt up and out of the way. You felt your breath flush once, twice, three times out your mouth as he rolled the wool of your tights to your knees, his hands firm and certain. Positive of their mission. Your cheeks grew hot, firecrackers snapping across your skin, down your legs. Lighting in your blood like he’d timed it all. He was saying things into you, against the silk, his voice low and rough, but you could hardly hear him through the thumping in your ears.

‘Arthur,’ you breathed, sounding as desperate as you felt, ‘you don’t have to.’

His nails caught the skin on your hips as he tugged your underwear down and then you stopped lying to him, you stopped acting like you didn’t want it. Your hips lifted to meet his mouth, but he pushed them back, held them down. You rolled your eyes to the ceiling, squeezed them shut as his moustache brushed the inner portion of your thighs, as his hands put your legs flat to the bed.

‘Let me take care of you,’ he said, or you thought he did, because it had all begun to swirl into one roar of noise, one rush of heat and feeling from your head, through your heart. It flooded you and it was him, all him. He had possessed you. Taken your brain and turned it to mush.

You pulled the sheets into your fists and let him unwind you, let him pull you apart.

Arthur, you moaned, Arthur, you thought, Arthur. Arthur.

Read part 9 >>>

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