#something else happened yesterday and my landlord ask spoke to them and I just really hope the issues don’t continue

[onedirecton]

last night was the first night in about week where I had absolutely peace so I hope it continues 💗🫶

[broadwayandnetflix]

Slow Down - Bill Hader x Reader

Warnings: Language

Theme: Fluff + 1/4 of Angst

Summary:  Hi I’ve literally been binging all of your fics and I didn’t know if you were still taking requests, but I was wondering if I could request an imagine with Bill Hader where the reader is sick and passes out at SNL and Bill helps them and takes them home

Word Count: 4.1k

A/N: Ahh thank you so much for your patience @bduchrnskei​ I really hope you enjoy this fic and it met your prompt expectations. I absolutely loved writing this one amongst all of my evil schoolwork, but what can you do? 

Living in a small-sized New York City apartment was not all that it’s cracked up to be. Whether it’s the heavy traffic and clutter of construction that never halts or the extreme temperatures during any season.

In this case, in particular, winter.

Or, more specifically, in this case, your heater broke, and it had become like an iceberg within your apartment space. As stated by your landlord, the repairmen were supposed to come on Saturday night, and as of right now, it was Thursday.

So bundling up had to do, in a way, you kind of missed the heater’s incessant rattling, as it had become a sort of a white noise these last few months.

You hadn’t been in New York City for very long, a little under a year, maybe? It wasn’t like you to pack up and move randomly to the Big Apple, but after clearing a spot as a new cast member with Saturday Night Live. It was most certainly a must.

Ever since you were little, you’d always had a knack for making others laugh or just getting to see someone smile. Saturday Night Live became your goal, and to secure it was like winning a million dollars. Even if it meant having to endure New York’s extreme seasonal changes.

This week was no different in the typical workflow; you were technically a new cast member. So the number of sketches you had been in was significantly limited. Still, you loved it nonetheless, with the lack of skits that you had been in lately allowed you to get to know your cast members more.

Specifically, your other recurring cast members like Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate, the three of you would often meet up for coffee on Sundays. Taking the time to decompress and discuss your favorite sketches of the week. It was nice to have a group of people you could relate to and find solace in, especially when the weeks became stressful or exhausting.

And oh boy, did your week’s become exhausting, especially on Saturdays. You shuddered at the thought of dress rehearsal as it stretched late into the night; losing sleep was worth the excitement.

You looked at the clock, it was nearing close to four in the morning, and you still had been awake at this point. Maybe it was the cold or the thousands of thoughts swirling through your mind, much like the snow accumulating outside.

Work was gonna be a bitch tomorrow.

You sneezed at the thought, sighed, and made sure to set your alarm before letting sleep take over.

-

You awoke with a headache and a blaring alarm that was erupting from your phone. Groaning, you shut the phone off and tried to ignore the incessant pain protruding from your forehead.

Swallowing some painkillers, you got dressed, grabbed your keys, and headed to work. Totally not picking up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way.

“Why good morning Y/N!” Jenny chirped as you walked into the room, still rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“You sound oddly chipper, what happened?” you said as you put down your stuff, eyeing her curiously.

“She got some sleep, that’s what happened.” Nasim replied, nursing a cup of coffee in her hands, giving you a sleepy smile.

“Lucky duck,” you murmured, instinctively reaching for your coffee as well. It coated your throat nicely, you sighed in content.

Jenny only smirked before starting up another conversation with Nasim; you let your eyes wander across the room. Everyone in motion, working hard to make sure shit got done. That’s the thing about working at 30 Rock; no one ever really stopped moving.

One thing that you still had not gotten used to was Monday’s. The grueling and exhausting twenty-four hour stretch period of planning and concocting up sketches. It was a scary feeling, as if you could ever compare to everyone else.

Every now and then, a pitch you threw into the ball pit would get picked, the tiny butterflies in your stomach reminding you why you did what you did.

Your eyes landed on a particular figure as he strolled into the room. His hair beautifully tousled, eyes half-open, and shirt resting ever so comfortably upon his chest. You diverted your eyes quickly, only to feel yourself begin to sneeze.

Fuck, for the love of all that’s holy, please do not sneeze in front of Hader.... too late.

He looked up, meeting your widened eyes, and gave you a soft smile. It lingered for a bit until Andy swept up from behind and hugged him along by the arm. For a second, you could’ve sworn he was gonna look back, but Andy had appeared to say something.

“Bless you!” Nasim and Jenny said in unison.

You mouthed thanks and leaned back against the wall, replaying the scene over and over again.

“Thinking about Hader again?” Jenny asked, following your line of sight, as she nudged you in the side playfully.

“Jenny! Not too loud, he might hear you.” you frantically whispered, a stern look aglow in your eyes.

“Oh honey, it’s so obvious.” Nasim chimed in, Jenny nodding eagerly in response.

“Plus he’s too far away, you’re more than safe Y/N, I think it’s cute that you like him. All the more reason to make fun of you.” Jenny says quickly before she is shoved by Nasim.

“I’m joking! I’m joking! Okay maybe not fully joking.” Jenny yelps, giving you a wicked grin.

You groaned, rubbing your hands over your eyes in embarrassment. It was so bad, crushing on cast members, but man, was he handsome. Although you had denied it, a lot of your favorite sketches from the past weeks always seemed to involve Hader.

It was not like it was gonna go anywhere; you two barely spoke, and plus you’d probably be a mess if you did. Every now and then, though, you’d often find Hader sitting beside you at table reads. His laugh is always so goddamn infectious, and Jenny and Nasim eyeing you playfully like schoolgirls.

God, you were a mess, and it seemed like everyone knew it. Maybe even Hader knew; let’s hope he doesn’t.

“You know Y/N, I’ve never seen Hader as shy as he is when he’s around you. I mean the man literally sniffed my hair yesterday,” you quirk a brow, “But- but with you, he’s soft” Nasim’s voice crowds your thoughts, and you instantly look up to meet her in disbelief.

“Bullshit.” you retort, trying to ignore whatever attempt she was trying to make.

“Girl, you’ve kind of got a point. He’s not as jokey as he usually is whenever he’s around you Y/N.” Jenny adds, only to be interrupted by Lorne calling for a meeting.

Ah, how could you forget? Dress Rehearsal. While these days didn’t run as long as the others, they were equally draining and stressful. The three of you walked to Lorne’s office just in time as the rest of the cast stood beside you.

You felt yourself to begin to shiver unexpectedly, hugging yourself tightly. Since when was 30 Rock so cold? You felt Nasim look at you questioningly, and you shrugged her off.

Lorne had discussed the skits’ arrangements for the day, murmurs of excitement beginning to spread like wildfire around the room. Everyone just itches to get out and see if their sketch would succeed or bomb.

You took your seat in the audience as the sketches would come and go, meeting your cues whenever necessary. At the same time, your painkillers had seemed to wear off as your headache only seemed to get worse.

You made your way backstage to find the building’s first aid kit, only to brush past another coworker. That just so happened to be Bill Hader.

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out, slowly clamping it shut; his eyes met yours in slight confusion before softening slightly.

“Woah, hey Y/N, everything okay? You were in kind of a hurry there.” he asks; you could barely meet his eyes as they searched yours for any sort of response.

“Oh,” you gulped, “Yeah I just have this crazy headache, um I was just looking for the first aid kit.” you say, shifting the balance on your one foot to the other. 

His eyes widened before nodding quickly as if he was just reminded of something. The butterflies in your stomach crescendo as he quickly rested his palm upon your shoulder. You didn’t even know how to act, your body practically freezing at the contact.

“Actually to save you the trouble I have some painkillers upstairs in my dressing room. Not that I have like tons of drugs, but it’s no problem with me if that’ll help your headache.”

You quickly nod in response, trying to hide back a small smile before following him up several flights of stairs. God, you hated being so shy around Bill; it wasn’t like he was some mean old jerk; he was oh so genuine and thoughtful.

The two of you halt at a labeled Hader door; he looks back at you almost to check if you’re still there. Opening the door, he led you in, giving you a quick smirk, before crouching down and digging through the contents of his bag.

You had realized that this was the first time that you had ever been in a specific cast member’s dressing room. In particular, Hader’s room was neat and tidy, but you could see bits and pieces of his character sticking out. You couldn’t help but smile at it all, so caught up in the intricate details you didn’t even notice him get back up.

“Y/N, you good?” he asks; you focus your attention back on him quickly.

His hands outstretched, one holding a bottle of Advil and the other clamped tightly around a water bottle.

“Oh, um yeah. Thank you so much you have no idea how much I appreciate you for doing this.” you say rather quickly, but Hader doesn’t seem phased by your awkward nature.

You reach for the bottle and water, fingers gently brushing against his. The two of you looking down at the contact before parting ways.

Hader clears his throat, and you feel your stomach begin to tighten. Slipping two pills into your mouth, you unscrew the cap and down it carefully.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” he asks while placing the pill bottle back within his bag.

“A little I guess, I mean I tend to get nerves closer to the show. I’m sure at this point though, you’ve become an expert at staying calm.” you reply, his gaze falling towards the floor.

“Oh my god, I’m a wreck Y/N. This show is so stressful it eats at me every week, no matter what. I mean, clearly I’m doing something right and Lorne’s not gonna fire me, but, my anxiety gets so bad.” he says quickly. His eyes widened, and his posture became slightly tenser than before.

You couldn’t help but soften your gaze; you had no idea that he even went through this every week. Even now, with the buzzing tension in the air for tomorrow night, you couldn’t imagine what he was going through. Let alone the fact that he made the time to help you out.

“I wouldn’t have ever noticed,” he looks back up at you. “I mean, you’ve always just looked so...confident. I just can’t even begin to imagine what’s that like, every week constantly. I’m so sorry you have to go through that.” you quietly admit.

He shakes his head quickly, putting out a hand almost as if he was trying to stop you.

“No, no, it’s fine. Thank you though, it’s awfully sweet to hear that. Especially from someone like you.” Hader’s eyes filled with such warmth.

Was Hader blushing? Or were you losing it? Probably losing it.

“Oh about that headache, everything okay up in there?” he murmurs, stepping just a tad bit closer to you.

“It’s probably nothing, but I do appreciate the help.” you look back at the door, “We should probably get back? Right? Don’t wanna miss our dress.” you say quickly.

Hader nods within an instant, eyes widening at the realization of how long you two had been gone for. He led you to the door, giving you a quick smile before he ran out, murmuring something about a skit that had something to do with the guest host.

You giggle softly, heaving a contented sigh. It definitely was gonna be a long day, and you could’ve sworn that the temperature had just dropped.

Strange.

-

You couldn’t have stumbled into it until at least one in the morning, but sleep had been desperately calling your name. Oh, how you missed having a regular sleep schedule; it would make mornings less of a struggle.

Except this morning was different, or more so than you were used to. The headache that had arrived less than twenty-four hours earlier was now ten times worse. Your body ached, and you couldn’t decipher if the bed was too hot or too cold.

This was torture, and quite possibly the flu, not to mention, you had the show tonight, shit. You practically sprang upwards before feeling the instant aftermath of that decision settling in. It felt absolutely criminal to leave those sheets as you groaned and grimaced your way towards your kitchen cabinet. Eyes barely opened while you blindly searched for the thermometer you had kept.

One quick temperature check later, you were running a low-grade fever. Shit, shit, shit, shit. I mean, you couldn’t miss the show, right? It just didn’t seem plausible, or maybe it did?

You frantically wondered while your fingers grazed over the Google search bar whether going to work with a low-grade fever would be beneficial?

Every answer didn’t really seem to fit the unrealistic expectations that you had set for yourself. Still, one disgusting shot of Dayquil later, you were out the door.

The day went by in a haze, and the headache never really did seem to falter. It was almost like yesterday in a sense, but seeing Hader waltz into the room made you smile. He smiled back.

Of course, Jenny and Nasim knew something was up; they always did. It wasn’t like Lorne was gonna fire you for missing one show; it was the flu. Except, you had made it this far, how bad could it possibly go?

-

The lights were too bright, far too bright for you to even think properly, and your fever was sure burning up. Or maybe it wasn’t, you always had to ask others around for that sorta assistance. Except, this was the primary night of the week and you weren’t gonna ask a cast member to feel your forehead.

Imagine if Hader did, Y/N, please stop being a dork.

You found solace in a large water bottle, but it didn’t do much to help the way your body ached miserably. You looked like a mess, you felt like a mess, but this was the big leagues.

The last time you had checked, the previous performance of the musical guest had been underway. Which meant you had survived, but the exhaustion that had been ever-growing was begging for you to lay down.

The floor looked so good right now, yeah, just for a hot second, ugh why is everything burning up?

Slowly closing your eyes, you let yourself press up against the wall, except there wasn’t a wall right there, and down you went with a thud.

-

Bill had been anxious all night, of course for the show, but for you in particular. You usually always looked so put-together, but tonight something about you was just off. It was beginning to rub him the wrong way.

“Andy, do you notice anything strange about, um, Y/N over there?” he said, trying to muffle the concerned edge that rested within his voice.

“Y/N? Oh that new cast member you like?” Andy replied without much thought, earning a stern look from Hader.

“She’ll hear you, god man you sure can be loud. Whatever, she just looks kind of off man, I’m a little nervous for her.”

Andy’s gaze softened just a tad until something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

“I mean normally I would say that she looks fine and you’re just crushing, but I don’t think that is normal.” Bill’s gaze instantly locked onto the same thing, which was you fainting onto the floor.

His body going rigid before ultimately bolting upright, he wasn’t gonna catch you in time. Still, he definitely was gonna help if he could. Although he most definitely wasn’t the only one, other stray coworkers who happened to be backstage stood, jaws dropped.

There you went, tumbling to the ground, and Bill couldn’t help but feel his heart drop. Maybe that headache was worse than you had let up. He felt guilty for not speaking up sooner, but there was nothing he could do now.

They called a medic on the site, trying to keep it discreet as possible. It was a live show; he didn’t think it would be professional if broadcasted that shit.

He tried to fill in all of the details of how you had been acting the past few hours. It felt like he couldn’t do much to help, but he didn’t wanna leave your sight. It was odd; something about you really drew him in, leaving him reaching for more.

Plus, at this point, the last thing he had to do was go on stage while they rolled the credits. Bill was optimistic that this would count as a good reason.

He watched anxiously while the medic’s placed you upon a stretcher, his feet following without much thought. They wheeled you out to a waiting ambulance; he gulped at the thought of you having to be taken to the hospital.

Surprisingly they allowed him inside the ambulance; he was so convinced he’d be forced to wait until god knows how long. The vehicle provided seats off the side, allowing him to catch his breath and try not to worry about his current state.

That is until he saw you looking back groggily at him; now, this was definitely normal, as the medic had explained. He just didn’t see it coming; you blinked a few times, looking around at your surroundings.

-

“Hey, saw you took a little snooze there.” he teased, his gaze never leaving yours.

The ambulance rattled slightly, and you gasped a little before focusing your attention back onto him.

“Is this an ambulance? What happened?” you sat upright, feeling ten times worse, trying to piece together precisely why you and Bill Hader, of all people, were in the ambulance?

“Y/N, you fainted. The doctor’s said you’re burning up, they’re taking you to the ER.” he explained carefully, as you groaned in frustration.

He cocked his head slightly, clearly not expecting that response.

“About that, yeah I think I have the flu, I had a low-grade fever this morning.” you admitted sheepishly, not even daring to meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry what?” he exclaimed, his eyes as wide as literal saucers. “Lemme get this straight, you went to work, with the flu?” you nodded, and he ran his hands over his face.

“Listen, I didn’t wanna disappoint Lorne. I mean it’s the night of all nights.” the words came out softer than you had intended; Hader practically melted.

“Oh, did you really think that Lorne’s gonna get pissed at you for having the flu? Oh sweetie, you know your health comes first right?” his words falling ever so sweetly off his lips.

You could barely look at the man, let alone control the multitude of butterflies that jolted in your already queasy stomach. Not to mention that he even thought to tag along, you nodded, not saying a word, focusing on his blue eyes like they were a safety net. Until you closed them, letting sleep overtake you.

-

You awoke once more to the sounds of machines beeping, people going from room to room, and an incessant tapping of one’s shoe.

This was most definitely the emergency room, your eyes scanning its surroundings until they landed on one person in particular. He looked exhausted, more so than you did, and you felt awful given the time it was at night. In fact, it was practically morning.

“You’re still here,” he sat upright, rubbing his eyes, “Thanks for sticking it out, Bill.” you tried to give him the most genuine smile you could possibly muster.

“Of course, I mean I overheard the doctor anyway. You’re cleared to go when you wake up, and definitely have to get some rest. I already spoke to Lorne.” you gaped, but he only stood up.

“Bill, what did he say?” you whisper.

“That you should listen to the doctor, and me.” you raised a brow. “Okay maybe he didn’t say me, but you get the point?” he exclaimed as he helped you get out of the bed.

The two of you walking towards the desk in which you had to sign out some papers, the pen unsteadily perched upon your fingers. Bill’s hand holding securely upon your back, in hopes you wouldn’t stumble. In reality, just being near him set your heart aflutter.

“Now I’m taking you home, but first I was thinking I could get you some soup for home. That sound good?” you could only look at the man in pure awe.

“You don’t have to do this Bill, really, I mean you’ve already done enough.” you gulped, only to see the man give you a smirk, his eyes glinting at you mischievously.

“Soup it is.” his hand clamping against yours, he led you out of the hospital and into the cold streets of New York City.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to reach the little soup shop he’d been talking about; it was cozy and apparently open twenty-four seven. Against his offer, you paid for two soups that looked the most delicious and cupped the cups while strolling back to your place.

“How do you think you got the flu?” he asked gently, looking at you with curiosity.

You had to try not to laugh; I mean, at this point, it was your fault, you subjected yourself to the tundra in your bedroom for the past few nights.

“Well, my heater has been broken for the past few nights. I assume that’s how I got it.” a smile aglow upon your face, giggling at Hader’s shocked expression.

“It better be fixed tonight when we get to your apartment complex. That’s ridiculous, Y/N.” you kept giggling, and soon he joined in with that gorgeous laugh of his.

You enjoyed your time with Hader even though internally you felt like shit; he made it so much more bearable. The air was light between the two of you, he made it easy to open up, and you wanted to know so much about him.

God, wait till you let Nasim and Jenny know about this night. They’re so gonna flip; you just knew it. Not to mention, the big looming ‘I told you so’ that was so coming your way.

“This is it.” he came to a halt, admiring the quaint little building that you happened to call home.

“You do know I’m not leaving until that heater is back on, right?” he ordered, but underneath his serious tone, you could see the concern.

“Oh come on Hader, let’s go see.”

The two of you taking the steps at a time, your body wanting to collapse, but you couldn’t let him know. He stood beside you while you inserted your keys into the lock, twisting it, before walking inside.

“What’s that rattling noise?” Hader wondered aloud.

A huge grin meeting your lips, you looked at him in pure delight, and he soon got the memo. His eyes widening before heaving a sigh of relief, only to halt.

“You call me if you need anything okay? Get some sleep, and um, stay warm. That’s an order, you hear me?” you could see his performance wavering as he tried desperately not to laugh.

“Yes, Sir.” you saluted weakly, but he only began to break instantly.

You really did love that laugh.

Thanks, Bill, for everything, really.” you said as he turned to head to the door, stepping up on your toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

His face instantly turned red before trying to compose himself as he walked away. You watched while he left the residence, giving you one last smile.

-

You awoke in a drowsy stupor that next morning to a text message from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: Want me to bring you some coffee and breakfast? - btw, this is Bill. Hope this l wasn’t too creepy. I ain’t no stalker.

Maybe: Bill: ps. How do you like your coffee?

Bill: ps.s yes or no?

You fell back on the bed with such a shit-eating grin, only to groan in response to the mistake you had just made.

You: Yes 

[cantcomeupwithacreativename]

The Experiment Chapter 5

"Let go of me asshole!" I screamed at the dark haired teacher. A purple mist surrounded me. I felt my body going limp as my head slumped into the scarf.

I woke up on a bed in a pale green room with white sheets isolating me.

"Oh, hi dear, how do you feel?"

"Uh, I'm fine…"

As it turns out there were security cameras with audio, so my account wasn't needed. The 2 second years that I fought with got expelled because this was the 4rth account of bullying they've been caught on, and the 2nd fight. Apparently, one of them was in my class, and this is their 1st strike, so they're thinking about transferring my classes so that I'm not with them. They haven't decided.

Back at my alley with Kei, she won't stop asking me questions.

"How was your first day of school? Were the people nice? Did you like it? Did you meet any famous heroes? Who's your favorite? Did you make any friends? Did you? Did you? Did you?"

"Um, yeah, I think so." There's no reason to tell her about the fight, is there? Or the possible transferring of classes.

Nothing interesting happened on my walk to school. When I walked through the door to 1 B, one of the boys ran over to me.

"I heard you fought a bully! That's so manly!" His sharp teeth glistened as he spoke.

"Uh, thanks dude…" I flashed him a grin.

"Hey, while we're talking, how did you get those scars?"

"A shark." I looked him dead in the eyes

"Really?!??!" He shouted

"No." I said as I walked away.

Later that day, during lunch, an alarm went off, making everybody scatter and stampede. I saw that nice ponytail girl from yesterday getting squished in the crowd. I pushed my way over and pulled her up.

Thank you F/l/n-san."

"Oh no prob."

A tall, bulky teenager flew to the top of a sign and shouted at everybody. He said it was the media, and people needed to chill.

Anyway, the rest of the day was just english, math, grammar, and normal classes.

When I got back to the alley, Kei wasn't there. I didn't think anything of it. Later, she came back with a couple burns on her. Before I could ask her what happened, she coughs blood at my feet.

"I stole a wallet," She later confesses, "from Endeavour."

I- she wHAT????

"Why him?!? The most aggressive of all pro heroes is who you choose to steal from???"

"He's the one it would affect the least," she said with a shrug, "and plus, the moron was stupid enough to have it hanging out of his pocket."

Well, I can't argue with that.

"Anyway, I've gotten enough to rent an apartment for a couple months, and I've worked enough to get a couple more." She keeps her voice down while saying this, to keep thieves or muggers away. I knew by 'worked', she meant whoring around some rich old man's place. That made me sick. She shouldn’t have to do that. She isn't even an adult yet. She's legal, but that doesn't make it right. They were pedophiles. Gross. But yay for the apartment!

"I've already sent the money to the landlord, so in a few weeks we can move in!" She was so happy. I didn't want to ask about taxes or bills or up front payments.

The next day, about the middle of the day, a strange announcement is made.

"All teachers go to the front door immediately. This is an emergency. Students, get into lockdown. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill." That message was repeated about three times and chaos ensued.

"Oh my god! Do you think it's real??"

"Is there a shooter?"

"Is that why they called the pros? To get him out?"

"Hey, turning the lights off is my job, you're assigned to barricade the door!"

"Is everybody in the classroom?"

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"Be quiet!"

Get out of my space, too close!"

"Everybody shut up."

A large boom and the shattering of glass shut everybody up.

"Do you think the pros got it?" A tiny voice whispered.

"Shut it." I whispered back. Briefly glancing at the guy, I see Monoma, with tears in his eyes. He must be really scared...

"Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine," I say, pulling him closer to me and tucking my wing around him, shrouding him in darkness.

We sat there, crouched under the counters for hours, too scared to get out. Eventually, the cops came in and told us there was nothing to be afraid of anymore, and that the heroes handled it and everybody was safe. The one thing they refused to tell us was what the hell happened. Rumors spread about one of the classes being attacked, that Allmight was in critical condition, dying in a hospital, that all of 1 A was dead, etc.

I only found out what really happened from the news in store windows. Apparently, class 1 A was attacked by villains while training. Allmight saved the day.

The next few days, school was closed, so I got extra money from a few random things. It wasn't much, and it sure as hell wasn't going to pay any bills, but it's better than nothing. Nothing real, just a girl who had pity and gives me a dollar to take out the trash for them.

At school, people are starting to notice my smell, and dirtiness. Regardless of that, Monoma has been hanging around me. On my way back to class, I hear a general studies group gossiping about how 1 A is so amazing, and how they defeated so many villains. Then, people started to talk about how 1 A was so much cooler than class 1 B, and they never once mentioned us. Monoma started to get more and more irritated with them.

"I'm sure they're perfectly nice people," I say to Monoma, "Hey, we can go see them later today and meet them."

“Everybody up and to the field, we’ll be doing an endurance training test today.”

(Choice 1: sexy) We got to put our hero costumes on today. I designed mine after Midnight, because 1, she’s my favorite hero, and 2, I like wearing sexy things. It makes me feel powerful and confident. Like, you want to touch but you can’t. My scars really don’t bother me. People don’t usually ask, and I don’t really care, or have a way to hide them even if I wanted to.

(Choice 2:baggy) We got to wear our hero costumes today. Kei had helped me design mine. Something light, easy to move around in, and NO CAPES. They were stupid. Why have one you no? It’s just a piece of fabric flapping around on your back. Plus, my wings. I would prefer something not tight, so I didn’t need to worry about villains looking at me weird. I didn't need to look sexy to save people. I had cargo pants, with pockets, and a hoodie, also pockets, with holes in the bag for wings. Other than that, I gave them creative freedom.

Holy…. crap…. they looked… AMAZING. It was so cool, I looked like a real hero

We did our running, and our pushups, and stretches.

At the end of the day, almost all the students in the whole school crowd the 1 A doorway. Looks like all the other students had the same plan as us. I was pushing my way up front, when a guy slammed the door open.

“What’s going on, why are all these people here.” One kid in the class said.

“Scouting out the enemy shitty hair,” one guy said, “we’re the class that survived a real villain attack.”

(Yes I know mineta says this but I kicked him out. He’s the one who decided not to be a hero. It was too scary for him.)

"Out of the way extras." He glares at all of us. Woah this guy's a real ass. Monoma was right, they are stupid overconfident jerks. Monoma and a lot of kids from my class looked like they had just been slapped.

"Stop calling other people extras just because you don't know them!" A guy with glasses says, looking indignant.

"It's not my fault you all are just stepping stones to my victory." He says as he shoves everyone aside, pushing me back into some really tall guy with lavender hair. He looked tired. Someone bumped into me after Bakugo shoved them, and I tip the poor kid, and we both fall, leaving my face a few inches away from his and my wings fly out catching someone else. Luckily, he doesn't fall. Still on the tired guy, I untangle my wings from his neck, and get off him.

"Sorry." I say as I help him up. He nods and walks over to the door.

"I came to see what the famous class A was like. I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass. Are all the students in the hero course like this or just you?" The people in the back shake their heads but he carries on. "How sad to come here and find a bunch of ego maniacs. I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life. I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance. If any of us do well in the sports festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course, and they'll have to transfer people out to make room. Scouting the competition? Well, maybe some of my peers are, but I'm to let you know that if you don't do your very best I'll steal your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war." He stares at the guy, and the guy stares right back.

"HEY YOU! I'M FROM CLASS 1 B NEXT DOOR TO YOU!" It’s Tetsutetsu, yelling at class 1 A. "WE HEARD YOU FOUGHT SOME VILLAINS AND I CAME TO SEE IF THAT WAS TRUE! BUT YOU'RE JUST A BUNCH OF BRATS WHO THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN US! TALK ALL YOU WANT, IT'LL JUST BE MORE EMBARRASSING WHEN YOU'RE KO'D. DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!!!" He yells as the mean one starts walking away in the middle of his speech.

"Hey, aren't you gonna say something?" Someone in class 1A shouts at him.

"These people don't matter." My mouth drops in shock. Before it was rude, but that's just cruel. Saying that nobody but him matters? Wow. What a dick, glad I don't have class with him. "The only thing that matters is that I beat them."

On our way out of school, Tetsutetsu grumbled about that class the whole way. I could tell Monoma was hurt. Maybe he had more of a past than I thought.

[imagine-loki]

Ragnarok

TITLE: Ragnarok

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 1: King of the Dumpsters

AUTHOR: traveling-classicist

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you take care Odin when he was homeless on Midgard (based on the deleted scene from Ragnarok). You take him in and listen his crazy stories about Asgard and Thor thinking he’s just some crazy hobo who needs help. Then one day, Thor and Loki break into your apartment looking for their father. Hela returns in your living room and insanity ensues.

RATING: T

AO3 Link: Here

NOTES/WARNINGS: Mentions of homelessness and mentions of alcoholism in this chapter

————————————————————————————————–

Theo jockeyed through the crowd of pedestrians on the sidewalk. She had a skip in her step. She was finally ready. After Jacob moved out and she cleaned everything up in her apartment, she was finally ready for a new roommate and she knew just the man. As she reached Hell’s Kitchen, she started looking down the side streets and alleys, looking for him. This is where he liked to hang out. With Times Square and Broadway so close by, there were plenty of generous tourists to give him money or leftovers or even the occasional beer.

            She was beginning to worry as she walked further down the streets. She hadn’t seen him yet or any pedestrians running away screaming, which was often a good sign he was nearby. She hoped he hadn’t been picked up again. The poor guy did not need to spend another night in jail. Sometimes this city was so cruel to its people, even the most unfortunate of them. Mostly the most unfortunate of them. She glanced down an alleyway and was relieved to find him digging through a dumpster. She walked towards him.

            “Finding anything of use, today?” she asked. He was halfway in the dumpster, only legs sticking out. He jumped when she spoke and fell into the dumpster.

“Go away! This is the domain of Odin, King of the Dumpsters!” the old man shouted, his voice echoed in the dumpster. Theo walked closer. Standing on her tippy toes, she looked inside. She ducked just in time as a half empty bottle of whiskey sailed past her head. She crouched down beside the dumpster, putting her hands up to cover her face, as it slammed into the brick wall behind her, shattering and spraying whiskey all over her.

“Odin! Geez, you could’ve hit me!” she shouted at him. “It’s me, Theo! We talked about this; you can’t throw things at people. Wait, did you say, King of the Dumpsters?” Theo said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Mimir told me to use it. He said it was fitting,” he said, rising up from inside the dumpster. He wore a tattered red jacket and layers of stinky, dirty clothes. He wore the hat she had given him. His eye was still covered in grimy bandages. His breath stank of alcohol again. “You interrupted me, Theo. I was attending to very important, kingly, business.”

Theo’s expression fell flat. “In the dumpsters?”

“You don’t understand, girl. I have a kingdom to run.”

“Is that right?”

“I thought perhaps you might be the Einherjar. That’s the last thing I need is them, hauling me off to the prisons again.”

            “You mean the police?”

            “Oh, yes, that’s what you call them.”

            “Come on, you crazy old fart, you’re coming with me today,” she said, trying to help him out of the dumpster.

            “Oh, no! I’ve got a full day ahead of me. I’m meeting with the council on 47th street,” he said, turning around in the rubbish, looking for something.

            “Is that right?”

            “Yes. They need to know that the streets of Asgard are becoming very dirty. Look at all this rubbish! Can hardly walk anywhere.”

            “Right. Well, you are in a dumpster—”

            “And then, Mimir was telling me about the kitchens on 45th street. Apparently, they’re dumping a lot of good food out in their dumpsters. But I must stay away from that Thai food this time. Just like Vanir cuisine, that is. All those spices. Burns just as hot coming out the other end!”

            “I don’t need to know that—”

            “And then, my son is supposed to be coming soon. You know, I’ve told you. Thor? He’s coming to get me.”

            “Odin, please,” she said.

            “No! No! I know he is this time. I can feel it. That or the leftover curry I had last night. I can never tell the difference,” he said, rubbing his belly.

            “I think it’s probably the curry. Will you please just come with me?” she pleaded.

            “No, no, no. I’m busy. A king is always busy. Busy, busy, busy.”

            “Yes, I know but there’s a Nor’easter coming in tonight, and I don’t want you out here in it. Please, come back to my place. I have a free room now.”

            “Woman, I’m fine! Look,” he said, nimbly hopping out of the dumpster to Theo’s surprise. He walked to a stolen shopping cart and pulled out the sleeping bag she had given him months ago. “I have the blanket you brought me and the coat and the gloves and the hat and the scarf and the boots,” he said, pointing to each item in turn. “I’m sure I’m ready for any weather Midgard can throw at me.”

            “No, Odin. Those are good for when it’s cold like this, but it’s going to get worse tonight. The shelters are already full, and I knew you wouldn’t go to one. Jacob’s moved out now. He got a job as a janitor and his own place in Jersey, so the room’s free now. Please, come with me.”

            He looked up at her with his single, blue eye. He seemed to look right through her at the brick wall.

“Please?” she said, with a smile. A smile crept across his face.

            “Theo! It’s good to see you!”

            “It’s good to see you too,” she said, pretending he had not just forgotten their conversation. “Odin, I have a free room now. It’s yours, okay, come on!”

            “A room? Oh, you mean chambers!”

            “Yes, chambers! And their all yours. Come on!” She quickly took his hand before he could change his mind and led him out of the alley. They walked a few blocks, Theo making sure Odin stayed right with her.

            They passed shop windows and brightly lit theaters, restaurants lined with diners and cafes teeming with hipsters. Odin looked inside each window as if searching for someone. Theo took his arm to keep control of him. He turned to her and frowned.

            “Where are we going?”

            “We’re going to my apartment, remember? I’ve got your chambers all set up for you.”

            “Oh, no, no, no. I’m very busy today,” he said, pulling away from her. “I have to wait for Thor, that’s what the Doctor said. ‘Wait for Thor,’ he said. And I have to meet with the council to discuss these filthy streets. And—”

            “I’ve canceled your plans; you need a bath,” she cut him off before he could come up with some other excuse.

            “I had a bath yesterday,” he said, folding his arms like a child reporting to his mother.

            “Which yesterday?”

            He shook his head a moment. “Oh, a few yesterdays ago. I can’t remember.”

            “Alright, so you need one. And you need a good meal that’s apparently not Thai or Indian,” she said, taking his arm again and continuing up the street.

            “Oh, and beer! Do you have any beer?”

            She frowned at him. She knew he had an alcohol abuse problem that she did not want to encourage. She didn’t really blame him after everything that had happened to him. Abandoned by his family and the nursing home that had been caring for him, he had nothing else to turn to; no one else to turn to. Until she had met him, that is.

            “I may have a little bit of beer at home but there’s some rules, so you’ll have to wait.”

            “Oh, alright,” he said, gruffly.

            They continued up 8th Ave towards the park. The air was cold, and the wind nipped at their faces. The storm was set to hit them that evening, so Theo knew she needed to get Odin settled quickly.

            “Oh, look, a park,” Odin said.

            Theo couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s Central Park.”

            “How quaint. You know, I love the way you Midgardians rope off nature like this. Build up all around it like you’ve conquered your little world and made it yours.”

            “You don’t get out of Hell’s Kitchen much, do you?”

            “You mean ‘Hela’s Kitchen’. I was waiting for my son there.”

            Theo smiled and shook her head. Odin was known around the streets as the crazy hobo god. He thought he was the Norse king of the gods. He always talked about Asgard and Midgard and his son, Thor. Like the Avenger Thor. No one believed him, of course. The poor old man was suffering terribly from dementia and probably schizophrenia as well. Theo had caught him several times talking to the air, speaking to someone called Frigga.

            They cut across the park, taking some winding trails past ponds and huge trees and massive rocks. Odin looked around as if dazed.

            “This doesn’t look like the city?” he said.

            “We’re still in the city, silly. We just cut across the park. Central Park, remember? We’re going to my house.”

            “You live in here? In the woods?”

            “No!” she said, laughing and taking his arm. “I live on the other side of the park! Over there, see that’s the Met, I’m across the street and down a ways.”

            “Oh, I was beginning to question your choice of a homestead.”

            “You are so funny.”

            “Am I?”

            “Yes.”

            “I don’t think anyone has ever described me that way.”

            “Well, they’re clearly mistaken.”

            They crossed in front of the Met Museum and walked down the street. The buzz of 5th Ave faded behind them, as they crossed into a quieter neighborhood. Quieter for New York, at least. Theo unlocked the front door of her apartment block and peeked inside. Her landlord didn’t like to see non-tenants in the building and he definitely didn’t like Theo’s homeless friends. Determining that the coast was clear, Theo led him inside.

            “Why are we sneaking?” Odin whispered, harshly.

            Theo snickered. “We have to steer clear of my landlord.”

            “Oh, very well.”

            She pressed the button for the elevator and waited. When it came to the ground floor, the doors opened smoothly, revealing her sleek-looking landlord, Alex. Her heart sank. Now, she was going to hear it.

Alex looked at her with contempt and then raised a brow at Odin.

            “Bringing your little friends back again, Theo? You know, we talked about this. I’ll have to put another strike on your—”

            Theo interrupted, “This isn’t one of my ‘little friends’. This is… my dad.”

            “Your… dad?”

            “Pleased to meet you, my lord,” Odin said, extending his hand.

            Alex recoiled a little. “Eh, hi. How long will he be staying?”

            “Well, that’s not really any of your business, now is it?” Theo said, glaring at the tuxedoed hipster. “You’re a landlord of an apartment block, not the manager of a hotel. May we get on, please?”

            “Just make sure he doesn’t bother anybody,” Alex said.

            Theo rolled her eyes and pushed past him, leading Odin in by his hand. Alex stepped off the elevator and watched them as the doors closed. Once they were closed, Theo flipped him off.

            “Well, that’s very rude, young lady. He seemed like a nice young man,” Odin said. “He’d be a very good match for you, I think.”

            “Pfft. I don’t think so. Guy’s a prick,” Theo sighed. “And if he knew who you were, he’d kick you out on the streets in this storm without another thought.”

            “Well then, he is clearly very skilled in illusion, because I thought he was quite nice. You know, my other son is good at magic.”

            “You mean Loki?” Theo asked, shuddering a little at the thought of the man that had caused her so much grief.

            “Mmm. He was a strange boy but a good sorcerer. He had Frigga to thank for that. She loved him so much.”

            “Right,” Theo said, rather shortly. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but she did not want to talk about Loki, even the fake one Odin liked to talk about. She had assumed he was another who was traumatized by the Battle of New York. Traumatized to insanity.

            The doors opened onto the 14th floor and they stepped out. The hallway was pristine and white, radiating a modern architectural aesthetic. Theo led him to her apartment.

            “Okay, so we live in apartment number 1414. See?” She pointed to the number on the door.

            “One thousand four hundred and fourteen people live here? It looks so small.”

            “Welcome to New York,” Theo said, opening the door. Her apartment was as crisp and clean as the hallway. Wooden floors gave way to sleek, white walls and gray concrete. A great wall of windows gave them a lovely view above the surrounding buildings and just a bit of the park. She had house plants lined up on shelves along the windows. A small table and chairs took up one side, while a petite kitchen took up the other. The living room was made up of a couch and a few armchairs surrounding a coffee table. One whole wall was lined with a great, black bookshelf that stood from floor to ceiling, packed full with books.

            “Come on in,” she said to Odin.

            “Well, this is very humble,” he said, looking around with a smile.

            “Beats sleeping out in the cold.”

            He took her arm, gently. “Thank you, Theo.”

            She smiled at him. “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s get you settled in.”

            She walked over to the kitchen and opened a cupboard. It was lined with boxes and cups filled with various toiletries in neat packaging. She pulled out a toothbrush and a little tube of toothpaste, along with some hotel-sized shampoo and conditioner bottles and a bar of soap.

            “Let’s see, here’s some shower stuff. There’s a towel and washcloth in there already. Here’s a toothbrush and toothpaste. Do you want to shave?”

            “Shave? This beard? What would people swear to, then? They can’t say ‘By Odin’s Beard!’ if Odin has no beard!”

            “Alright, alright! No razor, then. Geez, men are so possessive of their facial hair. Here, at least take a comb and comb it out. Your hair, too.” He took the comb and toiletries and grumbled to himself. “Wait, wait! Don’t go yet! I’ve got new clothes for you too. Hold on.”

            She ran to a closet by the door and pulled out a shopping bag. She gave it to Odin. He stared inside for a moment and then looked up at her with a tear in his eye.

            “Oh, now don’t do that, or I’ll start crying,” she said, trying to choke back tears.

            “Why are you doing this for me? A mad old man in the streets.”

            “Because you’re my friend.”

            He looked down at his feet. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

            “Oh, that’s nonsense. Go on, go shower so you’ll feel better. Second door on the left.” She pointed down a hallway that led away from the dining room table. He shuffled off and closed the door. A few moments later, Theo heard the shower turn on.

            “Phew,” she sighed. She’d finally gotten him to come with her. It wasn’t the first time she had offered Odin her spare room. Practically every time it became available, she would go to him first. He always gave an excuse about going to some council meeting or going to observe the kingdom or the armory or the weapons vault or whatever crazy excuse he could come up with. She just chalked it up to his age. People of his generation were so stubborn when it came to accepting help from others.

            She had bailed him out several times after he had been picked up for public intoxication or aggressive behavior or petty theft from dumpsters. The police had no other contact on file for him, so they normally just called her to pick him up. He was a drunk, sad, old man. She felt bad for him.

            She turned to the kitchen and started pulling out pots and pans to make dinner. The skies were starting to darken, and tiny snowflakes were beginning to fall. She wished she had more rooms to take more people in. She had been doing this for a couple years now and had helped many people get back on their feet or find help. But when winter came, she always felt bad for not being able to do more.

After a while, the shower stopped, and Odin emerged in his new clothes. Theo had gotten him a few outfits: a flannel button down and some jeans, some sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and a nicer button down and slacks. He came out in the flannel and jeans.

            She smiled at him. “How do you feel?”

            “Better,” he said. He had combed his hair and beard. They were a much purer white now than the gray they had become with the grime. He was still wearing those filthy bandages over his eye.

            “Oh, I nearly forgot. Take off those old bandages. I have an eyepatch for you.” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a black eyepatch from a pharmaceutical bag. “Here,” she said, handing it to him.

            “Thank you.”

            “Is that a recent injury, Odin? Every time I’ve seen you, you’ve had those on but has anyone ever looked at it?”

            “Oh, this old thing is centuries old. I received it far before your ancestors even thought of sailing to this land.”

            “Right, well, let me look at it anyways.”

            “No, it’s very ugly. You wouldn’t want to see it.”

            “Odin, please. I’ve worked in an ER before. Believe me, I’ve seen a lot worse.”

            “Are you a healer?”

            “Ha, no. I just admitted people, but I learned a lot there from the nurses and doctors, so please, just let me look.”

            He removed the bandages, revealing a jagged scar across where his eye had once been. The eye was long gone but the hole it left was expertly sealed. Theo examined it. She was surprised with how precise the surgery to the eye was. She hadn’t really seen anything like it but then again, she was no MD. It was clean and well healed and that’s what mattered.

            “Alright, well try this on. I had one leftover from a while back. I think it adjusts.”

            He pulled the strap over his head. “Why did you have a leftover eyepatch?”

            “I got in a fight at the bar… with a door.”

            “Did you win?”

            “You should see the door,” she said, laughing.

            “Ha! Well done!”

            They laughed for a bit before Theo returned to the kitchen counter.

            “What are you hungry for?” she asked. “I was thinking chicken and steamed veggies. How does that sound? No Thai. No curry.”

            “That sounds wonderful.”

            Theo cooked up the chicken and vegetables while Odin sat at the kitchen table and watched the storm move in. She plated their meal and served it to him, setting her plate down across from him. She returned to the cupboards for two glasses and poured them some water from the tap. She sat down across from Odin and started eating.

            “Do you have any beer?” he asked, looking at the water.

            She knew the question would come eventually. She was hoping that if she served him the water, he would drink it and not think about the beer.

            “Why don’t you drink the water first, and eat, and then we can see if you’re still up for a drink.”

            He nodded, though a bit disappointed. What sort of meal was served with water instead of beer or wine or mead? But, not wanting to seem rude, as he was her guest, after all, he nodded and ate. They ate quietly and listened as the wind began to pick up through the tall buildings.

            “I’m really glad you decided to come with me, Odin. I was so worried you’d be stuck out in this. People die in storms like this, you know. I want you to stay here. You can stay as long as you need to.”

            “That is very gracious of you, Lady Theo, but I know that Thor is coming for me soon.”

            “Okay, well, in the meantime, I want you to stay here.”

            He nodded at his finished plate. “Do you have any beer?”

            Theo sighed. “Alright, you get one glass, okay.” She walked to the refrigerator and opened a can of Bud Light and poured it into a glass.”

            She brought it over to him and he drank. He made a sour face and put the glass down. “Why don’t you people make good beer?”

            “Well, that’s what I have, so.” He shrugged and drank the rest in one gulp. “We do need to go over some house rules, though, okay?” she said.

            “Yes,” he said, giving his full attention to her.

            “Rule number one: Don’t steal from me. That includes food and booze and anything else in this apartment. I do this because you’re my friend, but I won’t be taken advantage of.”

            “Of course,” he replied.

            “Rule number two: Don’t invite any friends over. My landlord looks for every excuse to boot me out of here and if you bring someone over, he’ll kick us both out on the streets.”

            He nodded his agreement.

            “Rule number three: No drugs. I know you have an alcohol problem and I’m happy to help you work on it, but drugs are a no-no in this house.”

            “You won’t have to worry about it,” he said. “Wait, an alcohol problem? I don’t have an alcohol problem!”

            “Odin, you told me you were the king of the dumpsters today with a half empty bottle of whiskey in your hand, which you then threw at me.”

            “I found it like that,” he said, folding his arms. “And you startled me.”

            “Right, well, we’re going to work on that.”

            “Do you have any whiskey?”

            “No,” she said, firmly.

            “Mmm,” he grumbled.

            Theo felt strange being so firm with him. Normally, when she invited a friend to live with her, it was their choice. When they accepted her help, they accepted her full help, which normally meant getting clean or sober and getting back on their feet again, regardless of their complaints or withdrawals. She helped them manage themselves and that was part of the deal. Since it was their choice, she didn’t feel bad being firm with them, but Odin never wanted to accept her help. Even still, he had come with her this time.

            “Rule number four: Clean up after yourself. I’m a friend, not a maid.”

            “You don’t have any servants?”

            “No, Odin, I don’t have servants. Cleaning up after yourself builds character, just do it.”

            He shrugged.

            “Rule number five: No weapons in my house. No guns, no knives, no bludgeons, no nothing. Understand?

            “Yes. Oh, what about staves?”

            “No. No staves either.”

            “Mmm,” he grumbled again.

            “Understand?”

            “Fine.”

            “Rule number six: My room is off limits. You can go anywhere else in this apartment but do not go into my room. That’s my space. If I’m here, and you need something, feel free to knock just don’t let yourself in. Just common courtesy, you know?”

            “Seems fair,” he said.

            “And I’ll respect your space as well. Just remember that rule number four applies to your room too.”

            “Very well, what else?”

            “Rule number seven: I’m putting my trust in you because I know you’re a good person. I just ask that you put your trust in me to help you.”

            “That’s not a rule,” he said, smiling.

            “No, but I would really like if you follow it.”

            “I trust you, Lady Theo.”

            “It’s just Theo, no ‘Lady’, please.”

            “Very well.”

            “That’s really all I have. I just want you to respect me and this house, to be honest. And I want you to be safe and off the streets.”

            “I will accept your rules and agree to them. You are a very kind young woman, Theo. I am truly grateful to you.”

            The wind whistled past the window outside, blowing thick flurries of snow against the windows. Odin watched somberly.

            “Do you think my sons will come for me?” he asked after a while.

            “Oh, Odin. I’m sure they will,” Theo said. She didn’t really believe it herself, but he seemed so saddened by the thought of being abandoned. “Do you have a way to contact them?”

            “No. Not anymore,” he said.

            “I’m sorry. Well, I’ll keep on the lookout for them. See if there’s anyone asking around for you. I’ll call my friends too and see if they know anything. In the meantime, we’ll wait here, okay?”

            “Very well.”

            When they were done eating, Theo cleared the table. After the servants comment, she thought Odin may have some trouble with rule number four. He watched her as she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and washed out the pans she had cooked with. It was his first night here, so she didn’t care that much.

            “Here, I’ll show you to your room, I mean, chambers,” she said, smiling at the way she had to talk to him.

            “Oh, yes, thank you,” he said, standing.

            She walked down the hall and pointed into the first room.

            “This one is yours. There’s a bed and a desk and a lamp. The wifi is written down there on the bulleting board but I don’t think you have a phone, do you?”

            “What’s a phone?”

            “Right, well, don’t worry about that, then. Feel free to get settled in. I’ll be up for a while. You’re welcome to peruse the bookshelf in the living room if you want to read. I don’t have a tv though, I hope that’s alright.

            “What’s a tv?” he asked.

            She laughed. “Well, then don’t worry about that either. If you like to read, let me know. We can get you set up with a card at the library too.”

            “Oh, that would be very nice. You know, I used to have my own library?”

            “Did you?” she asked, folding her arms and leaning up against the doorframe.

            “Yes, it was massive and marvelous. There were books from all nine of the realms there. Even yours.”

            “Is that so? Sounds wonderful. Anything good from little old Midgard?”

            “Well, I know your people are in love with that Shakespeare fellow but I rather preferred Sun Tzu.”

            “You mean, The Art of War?”

            “Yes, that’s the one.”

            “Well, I guess it’s a good classic too. You didn’t like Shakespeare?”

            “No, blah!” he said, sticking his tongue out. “Never cared too much for plays, myself. My queen did, though. She went to plays with our son, Loki, all the time.”

          �� “Ah, well, I guess Shakespeare’s not for everyone. Anyways, feel free to look over my little library. It may not be as great as yours was but it’s got some good ones in there, I think.

            “Oh, yeah. My room is down there at the end of the hall,” she said, pointing back across the living down the other hallway. “Linens are in this closet, here, but I’ve put fresh ones on your bed already. I think that’s everything. It’s a pretty small apartment. Especially, for how much I pay for it. But it’s cozy and warm.”

            “Thank you, Theo,” he said. She could tell he was very grateful. His whole demeanor had changed. He seemed more content than the man that had thrown a whiskey bottle at her head a few hours ago. Maybe giving him a glass of alcohol a night would help him stabilize. She had heard of therapy for alcoholics that utilized that method.

            She left him and walked to her room. Quietly, she closed the door behind her and undressed, getting into her pajamas. She sat on the bed for a while and answered emails on her laptop. The wind howled at the window. She closed her eyes.

She hated these storms. They reminded her of all the storms she had spent out on the street. She would never wish that on another person but she knew there were people out there now. She only hoped they had found somewhere warm to spend the night.

[lazy-bird-fanfics]

It Was Written Part 2

Peter Parker Soulmate AU - whatever your soulmate writes shows up on your skin 

I tried to include Peter’s Jewish culture, I hope I got the correct research but please correct me if needed!!  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Peter went to put his face wash on his hand he noticed something. 37. The number 37 was written beneath his thumb. He tried thinking back to when he would have written that. But then it dawned on him. 

It was probably from yesterday’s meeting. There were lots of numbers being thrown around and clearly this one didn’t seem important enough to put on his report. He was probably mindlessly writing things down while listening. 

- Eden - 

“So, has the unnamed soulmate gone on anymore dates?” Belle sauntered up to Eden. 

“Belle, he wrote that yesterday. It hasn’t even washed off yet. I doubt he’s even gone on the date yet.” Eden dismissed the thought. 

“I guess... You write to him?” 

“Not really, Nina needed an answer on her chem homework so I wrote something on my palm so her mom wouldn’t hear, but that was it.” 

“When were you with Nina?” 

“Oh yesterday after the movie, she saw me walk up the stairs to my apartment and stopped me to have ice cream with them.” 

“Oh right, I forgot she moved in there,”  Belle pondered for a minute, “will you write to him?” 

“You know the social rules… You’re not supposed to really interfere with their lives or whatever. It’ll happen when it happens, they’re there in case you need them but you shouldn’t call them for every little reason.” Eden rattled off what society had deemed the rules on soulmates. 

“Mm yes, there when you really need them. Like the Avengers.” Belle thought deeply, starring at the ground as she spoke, as though it was the most profound comparison. 

“Sure. Like the Avengers. You wouldn’t call them just to say hi, they’re busy, have lives, we don’t actually know each other.” 

“Wouldn’t it be whack if one of the Avengers was your soulmate?” Belle giggled. 

“Aren’t they all way too old? I’m 16.” Eden retorted, “I don’t want a soulmate old enough to be my dad. That’s creepy.” 

“Yeah yeah yeah, but they are amazing.” Belle daydreamed. 

“You can have the old creeps.” Eden said, bumping into Belle to bring her back down to earth. 

- Peter - 

“Peter!” May yelled, “Peter!” 

“Yeah, May?” Peter poked his head out of his room, causing May to cry out in shock. She would never get used to him being upside down, no matter how often it happened. 

“I need you to 1. Get off the ceiling, your suit leaves dirt marks sometimes and I don’t want to explain that to the landlord, and 2. Can you pick up some stuff for tonight’s dinner? We were invited to eat at Sarah’s and I told her I’d bring the challah.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Peter said politely dropping from the ceiling. “What’s on the list?” 

“Just some eggs and flour. I have the rest.” 

“May, do you want me to just buy some challah instead?” Peter raised an eyebrow, knowing May’s poor baking streak. 

She paused for a moment before saying “In addition to the ingredients, in case I mess up. First Shabbat dinner at someone else’s, don’t want to mess up.” May smiled, mostly to herself, before reaching in her purse to get her credit card out. Peter quickly wrote: eggs, flour, challah on his hand before taking the card to go shopping. 

- Eden - 

“Eggs, flour, challah… What’s challah?” Eden inspected her hand. 

“Let’s see..” Belle pulled out her phone and looked it up, “It is a traditional Jewish bread.” 

“I bet he’s not great at baking and is buying a backup, just in case.”  Eden smiled to herself at the thought of her and her future husband making a giant mess in the kitchen. 

He’ll have poor cooking skills, she can redeem his failed attempts, but with her clumsiness… He could catch what she drops at the last second. 

“Earth to Eden…” Belle waved a hand in front of Eden’s vacant eyes. 

“Does anyone actually say that anymore?” Eden snapped back to reality. 

“Eh, probably not but who is to stop me from saying what I please?”

 “Not I.” 

“You really should write something, though.” Belle spoke as Eden inspected the messy handwriting on her hand. 

“Like..?” 

“Make your own list! Your grandma is always asking for different Thai ingredients, he hit you with challah, hit him with… that pumpkin soup!” Belle stated, triumphantly. 

“What is this, battle of the cultures?” Eden rolled her eyes.

“I guess not, I’m just saying start writing things on yourself!” Belle slumped back hitting Eden with her hand. 

“Okay, okay, I do need to grab some coconut milk.” Eden said as she pulled out a pen and wrote ‘coconut milk’ on her palm. 

- Peter - 

Peter walked through the market grabbing what he needed, once at the check out he looked over his list one last time. Got everything, he thought to himself. He bagged his items and began his walk back home. 

As he moved the bags from his left hand to his right, he noticed something. 

“Sorry May, I guess I forgot to grab coconut milk.” 

“I didn’t ask for coconut milk.” May looked at him inquisitively. 

“Oh, then why… huh, must’ve transferred from the newspaper or something.” Peter wiped his palm on his pants and went to help May clean the kitchen before she dove into baking. 

May kept smiling at her absentminded nephew, he was so unaware of what was happening. Hopefully the girl likes them a little scatterbrained, because with everything going on, Peter can barely tell up from down. 

[balvinia]

Becoming - Chapter One

Author's notes: Please excuse the formatting. Tumblr's posting system has changed since I last used this site. I'll figure out how to fix it.

I had another life once. That afternoon changed it all in one accident. My memory is hazy. All I could remember at first was running and suddenly, falling. When I woke up, it was with a gasp to fill my lungs with freezing air. My clothes were covered in dirt, my shoulder-length hair had leaves entangled in it. I was somehow exhausted while energized at the same time. Bits and pieces from the Other World taunted my mind. Was it all part of a dream?

I assumed that I had only been knocked out. As I walked to town, more was coming to mind. The cracking of bones and the feel of that sticky, warm liquid began to force its way into my mind. I shuddered. Music that was both jovial and haunting -strange as that sounds- surfaced next in my memory, along with images of people in strange clothing dancing and laughing. I danced with them. Somebody took me from that room. I do not remember what was said. Then there was a bright light.

When I found my way back to town, I was quick to realize that something was strange there. Hadn't I merely been unconscious for a few hours? Not much could have changed that quickly. I noted an empty lot where a store had just been, a newly paved road. People were giving me strange looks as I walked along the street. I know that I looked a mess, but they really could have been more discreet with the staring.

The moment when it sunk in that something was seriously wrong was after I happened to glance at a store's sign. "CLOSED for renovations. Oct 26- Nov 2, 2013." I stopped myself and read it again. That's silly, I thought. Why would they have notification so far in advance? It was probably a typo. I walked onward and into a store to see if I could borrow a phone, stopping once again when I saw the date on a newspaper. Nov 1, 2013. That couldn't be right.

"Hey," I stepped up to the counter. "Can I ask the date?"

The cashier was texting, but answered without looking up. "November first."

I rolled my eyes. "2011, right?"

That was when he looked at me as if I had said there was a fire-breathing dragon just outside the shop. He didn't seem to know whether I was joking or not, but finally resolved to say something with an annoyed tone. "Sure, 2 years ago... You buying something or not?"

It was my turn to be at a loss for words. This had to be some sort of prank. It had to be, right? I took a breath and counted to ten. The last day that I remembered had been May 1st, 2011. I didn't understand what was going on. Remembering that I'd come into the store for a phone, I looked back in embarrassment toward the guy. "Is there a phone that I can borrow?"

He motioned toward a corner of the store. Payphones had gone the way of the endangered species in most places, but I was happily surprised to see one there. Digging through my pockets, I managed to find the change needed to make a call.

The phone rang several times before a woman picked up. "Hey mom?" I inquired. The answering voice had sounded like her.

It sounded like she started to respond, but there was a pause before she spoke up again. "Sorry, you've got the wrong number." Before I could say anything else, I heard the click signalling the end of the call. I sighed. There went my plan to get a ride home. With not much else to do and not enough change to try again, I decided to walk. The cashier was probably glad to see me leave.

It was nearing dark by the time I made it to my apartment. The keys I had been carrying were missing, so I started to check for the spare inside my pot of roses. Except my flowers were gone. Just great. I made my way to the landlord's building and knocked on their door.

"Yes?" The older woman had answered. She was always friendly.

I gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry to bother you. I lost my keys." There shouldn't be a need to spell it out for her.

She gave me a quizzical look. "I'm sorry? I don't recognize you."

I returned the look, nervousness settling in. "Apartment 5?" There was no way that she couldn't recognize me. I'd lived there for several years.

Mrs. Price shook her head sadly. "That one's been empty for a while now. The poor girl who lived there went missing some time ago. We're almost done with some renovations to it. Did you recently rent out a different apartment?"

All I could do was stand there and stare at her for a minute. She didn't know who I was. My apartment wasn't mine anymore. I was sure that it was my mother's phone that I had called earlier. And, I'd somehow missed over two years. None of this was adding up. I heard her shuffle her feet in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," I spoke quietly. "I... I must have been mistaken." Without waiting to see if she had anything else to say, I turned around and quickly walked away.

I walked to my mother's house the next day. It wasn't far from the park where I had slept the night before.

When she answered the door, her expression matched that of the landlady's the night before. After a moment of pause, I smiled.

"Hey, mom. Why'd you hang up on me last night?"

She looked even more confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't do this, mom." I sighed. "I've had a weird day yesterday. Did I do something wrong?"

The woman at the door shook her head. At first, I thought she was saying "no", but her face began to show sadness. "I don't know who you are, but you're not my daughter. If this is some kind of joke, you need to leave."

"No, mom!" My heart started racing. If she truly didn't recognize me, what would I do? "I'm Renée. Renée! This isn't funny."

"You're right. This isn't funny. Renée has been missing. Whoever you are, it isn't her."

I stepped toward the door. My chest felt heavy with disbelief. "Yes, mom. It is me. I really am Renée. Why don't you recognize me?"

"Young lady, you may be confused and in possible need of psychiatric help.” Her eyes were now brimming with tears. "Just get out of here," she said in a quiet voice as she slammed the door in my face.

I could easily imagine that I must have looked unhinged to her. My night was spent on a soft patch of grass, so I was unable to shower or put on clean clothes. I hadn’t even had the comfort of a restful sleep. My eyes were likely still red from crying for much of the night. I could feel the tears returning again as I stared at her door. Finally, I used my sleeve to wipe them away with a determination to find out what was happening.

A quick internet search on the public library's computer later revealed that I wasn't entirely delusional: everything that I remembered seemed to be correct. I found my old social media pages and logged in. The problem? An article from a couple of years ago revealed that I was supposed to be assumed dead. It made no sense to me. Surely, there was some huge mistake and- And what? My mind raced with any explanation it could grasp onto. None of them seemed logical enough for me to settle on believing. The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets. With nowhere to go and nobody to turn to, I was at a loss.

A woman called after me around dusk. I had been lost in thought trying to at least think of some place to go, and she startled me when she spoke my name. She seemed vaguely familiar, but I could not match her face to a name.

“Call me Ané," she'd said with what I thought was a spark of amusement in her eyes. I hadn't asked or otherwise indicated that I didn't know who she was. With red hair, steel-blue eyes, and the height of an Amazon; this woman would have been difficult to forget.

"I can help, you know." Ané sounded sure of herself.

I rolled my eyes before responding, "I hardly think that you can. You don't even-"

She cut me off. "I don't even… What?" There was the amused tone again. "You don't belong here anymore. I can fix that. At the very least, your transition can go more smoothly."

That stopped me in my tracks. There was no possible way that this stranger could know my situation. Yet, she sounded like she just might. Foolish as it may seem, I decided to hear her out. "Okay," I said apprehensively. “What can you do for me?" If she actually knew something, maybe she'd be able to tell me what was going on.

Ané strolled by. "Everything that you need right now. Follow me."

Apprehensively, and feeling like I had no other choice, I did.

[angelsfalling16]

A Halloween Cat

Part Six of my Halloween Ficlets

Summary: A cat followed me home and won’t leave me alone even when I put a little hat on it so I guess I have a cat now AU

Word Count: 1296

A/N: I actually wrote part of this one yesterday, but since it was set on November 1st anyway, I decided to wait and finish it today.

Read it on ao3

***

Simon

I open my apartment door and immediately scowl when I see who it is.

“What do you want, Baz?”

“It’s the first of the month. I came to see how things were doing.”

“You mean you came to search for a reason to get me kicked out.”

“Perhaps.” The curl of his lips is more irritating than usual. I wish he would leave.

“What if I don’t allow you to come in. You aren’t technically my landlord.”

“Then I’ll go get my father.”

I glare at him. The only person I like less than Baz Pitch is his father. I wish I didn’t have to put up with either, but I don’t really have a choice since I both live and work in the apartment building that the Grimm family owns.

I’m about to tell Baz to screw off when there’s a soft mew behind me. I wince, knowing I’m really in trouble now.

“Wait, do you have a cat in here?”

“Of course not,” I say unconvincingly. “That’s just a decoration.”

“It’s walking around.”

I try to close the door a bit more, which is made difficult by the fact that I’m standing in the way, but it’s too late anyway.

“Very life-like, right? Best fifty dollars I’ve ever spent.”

He looks at me with a disbelieving expression. He’s not buying any of it.

I sigh, opening the door to allow Baz to get a better look. “Fine. She followed me home and wouldn’t leave me alone. It’s supposed to snow. What was I going to do? Leave her out there?”

“You aren’t supposed to have any pets in your apartment.”

“Are you going to tell your father on me?”

His father owns the building. It’s part of why Baz irritates me so much. I can barely afford to live here, and he practically gets to live here for free. Plus, he feels like he can boss me around and show up at my apartment whenever he feels like it. If he weren’t so good-looking, I’d hate him even more, but as it is, I’ve fallen for the guy over the past year and a half that I’ve been living here.

“Maybe.”

“Come on. Come meet her and you’ll see why I couldn’t leave her out there. She’s so sweet.”

“Fine,” he says grudgingly. “But only so I can tell my father everything about the cat.”

I frown at him, but I knew that I wouldn’t be allowed to keep her. I lead him inside my apartment and call for the cat, who seems to have hidden when I had my back turned.

“Pumpkin,” I sing-song in a soft voice. “I want you to meet someone.”

“Really? You named the cat Pumpkin?”

I shrug. “She showed up the day before Halloween. What else was I supposed to name her?”

“Something better than that.”

“It’s not like it matters. I won’t be able to keep her anyway,” I say bitterly before ducking underneath the coffee table to snatch her up.

 Baz

Simon stands up, cradling a small cat in his arms, wearing an adorably tiny witch’s hat on her head. She’s barely bigger than a kitten and almost does look like a Halloween decoration. My heart melts as I watch Simon gently pet her, talking softly to her. I can see how much he already cares for her.

“Would you like to old her?” Simon asks, turning those blue eyes on me. The cat looks up, too, giving me an eerily similar look to the one that Simon is giving me.

It’s a soft and pleading expression. Both of them appear to be begging me not to kick them out, and I feel myself start to give in.

“Um.” I would love to, but I don’t want Simon to think that I’m going soft. “I suppose.”

As soon as the cat settles in my arms, snuggling its little head into the crook of my arm, I know that there’s no way that I can get it kicked out. I would protect her with my life. I pet her gently, and her eyes fall shut. She’s beautiful.

Simon clears his throat, and I jump, nearly dropping the cat. I’ve been quiet for a long time, and I almost forgot he was standing there, watching me.

I let Simon take the cat back from me, and I fold my arms over my chest.

“I’m going to go talk to my father.”

“No,” Simon says quickly. The cat jumps from his arms and runs off as if it knows that I’m here to take it away. “Baz, you can’t do that. He’ll kick us both out.”

“I won’t let him do that. I’m going to tell him that the cat should stay.”

His eyes widen, and he looks stunned. “Wait, really?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you!” He shouts. He looks like he wants to throw his arms around me, and I’m both relieved and disappointed when he doesn’t.

Part of the reason I’m doing this is for Simon, but I’m also doing it for myself. I’m open to any opportunity that will allow me to spite my father.

He wants me to take over management of this building whenever he opens the new one, but this is not what I want to do with my life. I’ve told him this several times before, but he refuses to hear me. Maybe something like this will make him listen, make him see that I’m not interested in doing things his way.

Simon would probably be interested in something like this. Plus, I know he’d be good at it. I hate that Simon seems perfectly suited to manage this place because it’s one thing that I can’t do.

My father knows that he’s an exemplary employee, but he wants to keep the building in the family. If I married Simon, he’d probably qualify as family. Then, he could manage the apartment building, and I could take a different job.

Ha. As if. I haven’t even managed to ask Simon out on a date yet, and if I did marry a guy, my father would probably disown me, which is why I’ve got to find some alternative way of living. My father thinks that my main focus at the university has been business, but I’m actually doing a double major so that I can focus on literature. I think I want to teach it, just like my mother did, but I’ve never told my father that.

This is my chance to make a difference. Tell him that things have to change because I won’t be happy with a job like this. It isn’t going to happen instantly, but right now, I’m going to start with the cat.

I’ll start by changing his rules in the building, and then I’ll start build onto that. Tell him what kind of job I really want and maybe even ask Simon on a date.

I know Simon thinks I hate him, but it isn’t true. When my father wanted me to take on the care of some of the tenants, I initially refused. But when I realized I could choose which ones I spoke to, I agreed to it, but only if Simon was one of them.

It gives me an excuse to visit him, even if it is under the pretense of checking out his apartment. (Even though I’m checking him out way more often.)

I’ve managed to get to know Simon better, but I’ve also managed to make him hate me. Just like things with my father, I want to try to change that. And even if things don’t go my way, at least I’ll be able to say that I finally stood up for myself and took a step towards the life that I want.

[littlesixxwrites]

Love in My Twenties

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: Dean Thomas/Blaise Zabini

Summary: Draco and Hermione are stuck in a Ministry lift on New Year’s Eve.

Notes:  I am reading, "Everything Changed When I Forgave Myself" by Charlotte Eriksson. It's a collection of great poetry that in my first week as a twenty-six-year-old I feel on such a level. This work has not been edited and there is one use of the "f" word. Please enjoy.

21

Once the war ended, it became clear there was always going to be Draco Before, and Draco After. He had always been so expressive, so loud and impossible to miss even in the largest crowd. The Mark changed him, the war changed him, and there are moments when I want to get him back.

Before the war, Draco cared. His appearance, his grades, his friends ... He cared about all of it, but I do not think he cares about any of it now. He hasn’t touched a tub of Sleekeazy’s in months. He survived the trial though, and Draco is trying to get back on his feet. As his best friend, I want to help him but don’t know how. How can you look at someone, tell them the whole world hates him and promise in the same breath it will get better? I can’t lie, not to him.

Draco is hardly the first person to ignore me. Not ignore, I suppose, but they only see the parts of me he wants to see. Since I was not tortured, just stood by and watched as my friends were maimed or killed, had their families ripped from them ... Luna calls it invisible pain. She is an artist now, paints some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. I bought one, then another, then another ...

“Blaise?”

“BLAISE!”

I shake myself out of it and look over at Theo.

“You alright, mate?”

Perhaps this is Blaise After.

22

I spoke to Theo last week. He said it had been too long. Months, actually. I wondered how it could have been; it feels like minutes. I don't really know about time. Each month the landlord comes knocking on my door demanding payment so I shove twice as many Galleons into his hands. Seems to work well enough.

“Are you well?”

They all ask. Everyone asks and I don’t know which of them care, if any. None of them care enough to come back to my flat for a pint. A pint of anything: Firewhisky, butterbeer, wine, even milk for Merlin’s sake! They are busy with their own lives. Theo has his wife and twins, Draco is piecing himself back together, and Bastien is whoring his way across Europe seemingly one magical brothel at a time.

I never know how to respond. I know I am not well, but I’m not unwell. Apathetic, perhaps, but that is not the sort of thing I can say aloud to make them feel better. So I shrug and pray they understand I just need something, someone to help me remember what life was like before all this. My mother died and they all thought I was fine, like I hadn’t been hoping for this for a whole decade. But her death made me realize I never had a family. Everyone else looks around at people they have to love and be loved by. Hell, I can’t even find a way to love myself.

So when they ask if I am well, I shrug it off every time. My silence is standard. Every conversation with my friends is the same stilted string of words that feels like I am retracing my footsteps again and again until I have worn down the ground.

23

I looked out my window yesterday and realized I am the Bastien now. Except, instead of travelling to different places, all my men come to me. The past few months I’ve had a string of them, most of which I could not remember. I just want someone to like me, to tell me it’s okay to be the way I am and feel the things I feel. For just a moment, I get to be truly intimate with another person and I am in control of it. For just a moment, someone looks at me and realizes I have not actually blended into the corner.

Luna Lovegood has an aura of contentment. She looks at the world and sees all the good through the bad; I could fall in love with someone like that. Not Luna, obviously, but someone like that. She knocks on my door every Wednesday for lunch, but today is different. She walks in with sandwiches and says,

“You have Wrackspurts all over! Are you well?”

But this question is different from the others because Luna sees and Luna cares. Beneath those hideous glasses and that bright pink robe, she is just a kind person wrapped in a string of crazy. So I tell her what I have been doing to find myself, to get people to see me.

“I have a voice but silence is a choice that has been made for me.”

“Is it?” she asks. Before I can respond she adds, “Because you talk to me. You can talk to someone else, too.”

24

I did, actually. Speak with someone else, I mean. A professional down in Italy who works with people who are as fucked-up as I am. I get to speak about all the bad things that happened in England, but relay them in Italian. It gives me distance, like Blaise Before keeps getting further and further away. My therapist says I get to control who Blaise After becomes as well. I like that.

But I realize now that I cannot go back and change a single moment of my life. Even with the most powerful Time-Turner, I would not make a change. This body, this mind is all my creation, with nothing but will and force and resilience. I have been exhausted, burned, angry, and everything in between. While I may be searching, at least I am looking. At least I hope for better. That’s something, isn’t it?

Today I spoke to Theo. His twins are four now. He saw me and said I look well. I thanked him, told him about my time in Italy and how much he means to me. How much his friendship gets me through. He is not Luna Lovegood, he has a different value. I speak to him about sex, about my mother, and now I can talk about what happened to me. How I was surrounded by so many people, and ended up alone.

25

I feel like I am behind in life. Like I must work to catch up to my friends. All of them have variations of the same photo; arm-in-arm with their love, dressed in nice robes looking into each other’s eyes like they couldn’t imagine life without this.

Bastards.

I hate them for it, and I know I shouldn’t. I know I should be happy for my friends when they end up happy and loved. But all I can think when I see them is how I do not have any of that. Not even the barest hope of it. Theo has Tracey, Bastien somehow landed Padma bloody Patil, and even Draco is working things out with Granger. Hermione Granger. If Draco Malfoy can convince her to give him a second chance, what does it mean that I don’t even know what love feels like?

And it is okay. I will be okay. This is not something I need in my life, I tell myself, over and over and over. A refrain I sing at every get-together where I only reserve one spot and every night spent alone at a bar three blocks down from my flat. But I will be okay.

26

Change has to come, doesn’t it? I constantly think about moving, making a new home in cities I have never been to with people who have no reason to judge me. But I cannot leave my friends, not Theo or Luna and especially Draco. Watching him rebuild his life gives me hope for my own.

Now, I live in the kitchen. In there I can pull together the chaos and the messy parts of my life and turn them into something enjoyable. Boredom? That is kale, celery, plain yogurt. The sweetness of mangoes or the bitterness of dark chocolate, I take anything I cannot control and make it into something else.

Then, once everything is done and I have carefully put each portion onto plates, all that steadiness becomes sadness. Is there anything more lonely than looking at two dinner plates, topped with freshly-cooked food, and realizing you only need one? I stare at the rising steam and realize there is. I don’t cry boxing up that second plate, but I could. I don’t regret my choices when I heat it up again at two in the morning, but perhaps I should.

27

I am tired of useless second plates, so I take one over to my neighbor. My incredibly cute neighbor. He answers the door in trackies and a t-shirt that reads, “West Ham United,” whatever the hell that means. But oh, he smiles at me like he sees me and I melt a little. He looks at the plate of food, looks back up at me, and tells me to come in.

His name is Dean Thomas and we have dinner on Thursdays. He is happy to try any food and in him I find a new friend. He has a boyfriend, Seamus Finnegan, whom I also meet. His smiles are stilted and his fingers tighten painfully around mine in every handshake, because he sees what Dean doesn’t. I like Dean Thomas enough that I would be willing to stay in his life however he wants me there. So I am his friend.

Some things, however, are grey. My fingers linger against the small of his back and he does not pull away. I catch him glancing at my lips or my ass but never mention it. He starts spending Sundays in my flat and looking at me the way I know I look at him.

But I know it cannot be, no matter how badly I wish it was.

28

Dean shows up at my door one evening in October. He is shaking and I put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. Dean walks past me into the foyer, so I close the door and lean against it. He paces for a moment before turning to look at me.

“I left Seamus.”

“Why?”

“Because he asked me to move in and I couldn’t bear the thought.”

My heart is beating faster than I can ever remember as I ask, “Why?”

“Because it would mean leaving you. My heart is here, Blaise, with you and your fancy furniture and your messy kitchen.”

I nod and squeak out, “Okay.”

Then Dean’s hands are on my cheek and he’s kissing me. And he keeps kissing me until I melt into the door at my back. We wake up on the sofa, legs twined together, my smile mirrored on his face. I can feel his heart beat beneath my fingers. Maybe waking up together is the first step in being loved. Maybe. It was just snogging, shirtless snogging, but still ... There is the promise of more together and I want it all.

29

“I love you.”

Dean said it weeks before me. I never understood love so I had to be sure this is what it was. I asked Theo, Draco, Bastien, and I even asked Luna three times. She just smiled and rambled on about paint. But when I say it to him, I am sure. I know that I am loved and that I love him, I trust him, and want to be with him for as long as he will have me. But I am not afraid he will let me go, either. I trust him to keep loving me.

He still smiles at me like the first day I brought him food. I cook for him every day now, of course, and continue experimenting. However, I no longer live in the kitchen. I live in the bedroom, where Dean spends so many nights underneath me. I live in the living area, where I listen to Dean tell me about his day and his goals and whatever is troubling him. I live in the bathroom, where I splash water on my face while working up the courage to ask him to marry me.

He says yes.

It is September now and I am in love. I take Dean’s hand as we stroll along the street and watch leaves fall off branches in the wind. Our fingers are twined together and I cannot get the smile off my face.

Dean asks, “Where are we going?”

I shrug.

“I dunno, Dean. Let’s just keep going.”

[revengeworld]

Judas III

DETROIT BECOME HUMAN RK900 x Reader

Words: +3.100

A/N: Hello my Beautiful Deviants!!! ♥ This Friday we have our Sweetheart RK900 back ♥ Hope you guys like this chapter.

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My Ko-fi

Hearing the heavy rain outside their motelroom, she instinctively cuddled up closer to Rays body. Sometimes she still couldn´t believe how warm his body could be.

Looking up into his face, his eyes were closed and he seemed extremely calm. With a small smile she brushed a finger over the bridge of his nose, then his cheek and rested her hand against his neck.

“Is everything alright?” she suddenly heard his voice and slowly raised her gaze to met with his ice blue ones.

“I´m okay. Stop worrying so much.” burying her face against his neck, she huffed slightly.

“You just seemed very down yesterday. I just want to make sure that you are really okay.” holding onto her, Y/N lifted her gaze again suddenly chuckling at the unexpected sight of his chaotic hair until she remembered that she was the reason for it. But if she was honest she liked it that way, instead of the same neat hairstyle Connor had.

Pushing herself from the mattress, Rays eyes followed her like a shadow while he laid down on his back.

Leaning over him, she gently brushed his hair in different directions, while he watched her enticing and beautiful face.

He just couldn´t take his eyes of her, or his hands for that matter since she could feel them on her waist again.

For the moment, she let it happen without nagging at him, since their first kiss she easily gave in to him.

Parting his hair, Y/N suddenly grinned wide.

“Maybe we should change your hair a bit...” she mumbled and he only nodded in agreement, while she shook her head a little. So obedient … she thought.

Even though the weather was horrible outside, they would need to do some shopping at least for Ray, he desperately needed new clothing.

“I make myself ready.” she squealed while stretching herself. Soon she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist.

“I´m not going to disappear on you...” without him even saying anything, Y/N answered his unspoken question.

Slowly and a little hesitant he let go of her and let her take her time in the bathroom while he was patiently waiting for her to come out again.

He felt at a loss, without his usual instructions he dependent a lot on Y/N, like his last mission her safety was the most important thing to him.

But it was not only that he wanted her safe, then sometimes his own desires were in the way.

The ways he wanted to touch her, the affection that he started to feel for her was overwhelming and Ray asked himself if humans had to feel this heavy burden everyday and how they even managed it. He was so eager to learn more.

“Ray, come here for a moment.” she called from the bathroom and he quickly poked his head through the door frame.

Pulling him inside, she run a wet comb through his hair and parted them again like she had done before and cut off the parts that were sticking out.

“That´s better.” nodding to herself she ruffled a bit through them so that they would fall natural.

When he looked at himself in the mirror, Ray let his fingers run through his hair. It wasn´t much different then before but it changed his look so much that he felt more like someone new then just Connors copy, which made him somehow so relieved.

“Thank you...” he whispered while taking her hands. Smiling up at him, she stood herself on her tiptoes before pressing a light kiss against his cheek.

“And now we go shopping, so you can have your own style.”

The Landlord of the Motel, a really polite lady, was nice enough to lend them her car so they could take care of their errands.

The first stop was a thrift store in a side street. Y/N mostly tried to keep out of his decisions for clothes, but when he seemed really lost she helped him out a bit.

Ray kept to the colours he would normally wear, black and white with a hint of blue. But all in all, he had a unique and nice fashion style.

“It looks good on you.” excited she started to clap when he came out of the changing room. It was around the fifth outfit he tried and all of them seemed to be a good choice.

Walking up to him, he looked like a small puppy expecting to get his treat. Reaching out her hand to him, he took it.

“Let´s pay our stuff and get something to eat I´m damn starving!” while the cashier rung them up, Ray was standing closely behind Y/N before resting his head on hers with a huff.

“Is everything alright?” she asked worried and laid her head back into her neck so she could look up at him.

“Tired...” he mumbled and that was quiet alarming.

As soon as they were back in the car with their bought stuff she sat him down in the seat and inspected him.

“How can you be tired? I thought you can´t get tired. Is it CyberLife? How is this possible?” immediately thousand of questions were running through Y/Ns head, while she slightly panicked.

Grinning to himself, he slowly reached out for her face, while she was caught up in her thoughts.

Gently laying his hand in her neck, Ray pulled her closer and pressed his lips onto hers.

He could feel how her body immediately relaxed, before she lowly growled into the kiss. Feeling her teeth grazing over his lips, Ray wrapped his arm around her waist while forcefully pulling her closer.

When they slowly separated from each other, Ray had a wide grin on his face, while Y/N glared at him.

“You damn trickster...” she whispered out of breath and with flustered cheeks.

Leaning back against his seat, Ray only shrugged with his shoulders.

“And you don´t mind.”

Squinting her eyes at him in anger, she suddenly sighed then he was telling the truth.

“But I thought we agreed that we want to take it slower...” she mumbled with a pout.

“You said that. I didn´t agree.”

Remembering the night before, her brows furrowed again.

“Son of a gun …” confused Ray looked up to her and she waved dismissively with her hand.

“It´s just a saying.” she sat back inside her seat, since he was starting the car.

“Let´s get you something to eat.”

When they returned in their motel room, Y/N looked at all the stuff they had gotten and was glad that she had gotten another bag from the thrift store.

While she was munching on her bagels, she watched Ray neatly folding their new clothes and packing them into the new bag, so they would be ready to run at any moment.

Normally at this time of day she would have already been at work and would´ve had her little chats with Connor in her breaks. Now it just felt like a lifetime ago and somehow she didn´t miss as much as she had thought. Maybe because she had already gotten used to spend her days with Ray.

Looking over to Y/N, he noticed that she was very slowly chewing on this one bite since minutes while she seemed completely lost in her thoughts.

Sighing the slightest he sat down next to her, before brushing a bit of cream cheese from the corner of her mouth.

When she awoke from her daze she looked confused up to him.

“What´s on your mind?” he asked, worried that she regretted her decision, that she wanted to go back home.

“I know you don´t need to eat food, but can you at least taste it? I mean it must be disgusting if you need to make analyses but this bagel tastes delicious and I just thought how sad it is that you guys don´t need to eat food and god how you would be missing out on stuff...” she mumbled while taking her next bite.

For a moment he didn´t even answer, to surprised by her considered thoughts before he shook his head with a smile.

“We can taste things.” he answered calmly and she held the bagel in front of him.

“Do you want a taste?”

“It´s alright. Eat your lunch. I can taste it on your lips later anyway.”

Y/N only rolled her eyes at his boldness but not without a little smirk on her lips.

With a now full stomach, she leaned against Ray who laid his head against hers.

“Can I ask you something?” she suddenly whispered and he tried to look down at her.

“Of course. Anything.” he encouraged and Y/N slowly set up again before turning around towards him.

Sighing deeply, she first didn´t know how to put it into words, without hurting Rays feelings, but she just needed to know.

“Did Connor even know I was kidnapped?” it was a quiet mumble and a normal human, would have probably not understand a word, but Ray slowly nodded.

“He did, as soon as we left your home.” he stated honestly, knowing that it might hurt her, but it was better for her to know the truth.

“I see ...” nodding, more to herself, Y/N lowered her gaze and took a deep breath. Maybe she was wrong and Connor didn´t care  for her like she had  for him, but somehow it didn´t hurt as much as she had expected and the decision to go with Ray seemed so much more right to her now.

“Y/N?” the Android interrupted her thought and while she slowly looked up into his piercing blue eyes, he gently took both of her hands in his.

“I need to tell you something.” he had such a serious expression on his face, that she started to worry that he might hurt her feelings as well now.

“The day we escaped, I was ordered to kill you…”

Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn´t pull her hands away from him, so he continued.

“But I couldn´t. You were the first one to ever see me as something else then CyberLifes priced new machine. I just didn´t want to die together but rather wanted to live with you.”

While he spoke, tears already had started to build up in Y/Ns eyes.

“Oh Ray….” a sob escaped her lips, and the tears started to drip down her cheeks.

Laying his hand in the back of her neck, Ray gently pulled her closer, before he kissed away the small driblets.

Y/N closed her eyes, feeling his tongue brush over her skin her fingers dug into Rays shirt while he was pulling her closer.

For just a short moment he laid his lips onto hers, since he wanted to respect her wish to take it slower.

“Don´t cry … not because of me.” he whispered and she slowly nodded while trying to brush her tears away.

Hugging him tightly, Y/N buried her face against his chest.

Ray gave her time to calm down, feeling her little shakes while she tried to hide her sobs.

“Where would you like to go?” he suddenly asked and a bit confused she lifted her head.

“What?”

“Is there a place you would like to visit?” he asked again, this time more clear.

“Uhm… maybe the Grand Canyon? I don´t really know… where would you like to go?” taking a deep breath, she looked curious up at him.

“I don´t mind. I follow you.”grinning down at her, she didn´t seem very excited about his words.

“Don´t. You don´t need to obey me or anything. I want you to make your own choices!”

“And that is my choice. I want to experience new things with you by my side.” smiling a little she laid her head against his chest, hearing the blue blood rush through his veins.

“I guess I can accept that.” shrugging with her shoulders.

“By the way, how do you even know how to … kiss like that? Intimacy isn´t something that should be in your program right?” when she looked back up to him his brows had furrowed in thoughts.

“I just do what feels right to do. And you seemed to like it.” holding his mouth shut with her hands, Y/N only sighed.

“You don´t need to tell me every time how much I liked it….” but she needed to admit that now that he had so much more freedom, Ray was quiet the cheeky bastard.

Giving him his own personality, which made her actually quiet happy seeing how he slowly came out of his shell.

“So Grand Canyon, huh?” Ray pulled back his sleeve and a small holographic map was showing.

“Uhhh….” fascinated Y/N leaned closer to it, then this was a new function she had never seen before. Then normally, to exchange information between an android a pad was all that was needed. But now he could show her what he would normally see what would be hidden for her human eyes.

Pulling her closer, so that she could see better, he adjusted a route to the desired place.

“Then we have our next destination.”

“But where should we go after that? We have nowhere to go…” hearing the sad tone in her voice, Ray gently stroked through her hair.

“We will find something.”

In complete silence, the two of them were looking outside the window, while Y/N brushed over his arms with her finger, completely caught up in her thoughts while Ray continuously played with her hair.

“It´s sad that we have such bad weather. We could have done something fun. Now it just feels like we are prisoners again.”

“But we are not. We could do whatever we want now.”

Y/N almost wasn´t able to answer, since she was slowly giving in to his pets and sunk down his chest.

“This is quite nice ….” she huffed in a state of bliss. Feeling Rays Fingernails running gently over her scalp, she could fall asleep right here and now.

Y/N couldn´t even concentrate on the show she had put on, until it was suddenly interrupted by the news.

Connor had appeared on the monitor, clothed in new CyberLife attire, similar to that what Ray had but with even more white.

Listening to his words she almost couldn´t believe what she was hearing.

“Yesterday a rogue Android has kidnapped the citizen Y/N Y/L/N a highly praised member of the DPD of Detroit. The Android is a RK900 Prototype and extremely dangerous. If you sight him, please don´t approach him and contact CyberLife immediately, we will take care of the Problem and will deactivate the threat.”

“Threat?!” she shouted at the TV while they showed to pictures of both of them.

Turning around to Ray, the Android had an unpleasant look on his face.

“Why is he lying?! I came with you on my own accords! Twice!!” god, she was so angry! That her own decisions were minimized just because it was more fitting for the situation Connor wanted.

“Maybe I could talk to the DPD! If I tell them the truth that I came with you because I wanted to, maybe they will listen!” she suggested and set down next to Ray again. She hadn´t even noticed that she had sprung up in anger.

Gently, Ray cupped her face and slowly shook his head.

“They will listen to Connor whatever he says. It doesn´t matter what the truth is.”

“But it´s not fair!” she gritted her teeth in frustration, while Ray pulled her into his arms. Pressing her head against his chest, Y/N wrapped her arms around his torso and dug her fingers in his shirt.

Now they were even hunted by the whole USA they had nothing left to go to.

“We need to go now then! The Landlord probably already called CyberLife if she saw the news!!” when Y/N reached out for one of the bags, somebody suddenly knocked on the door.

“It´s her...” Ray whispered and instinctively pulled her back against him.

“But why should she approach us? They told everyone your dangerous. Maybe we can trust her.”

Ray looked down at Y/N and a small smile was tucking on his lips. The traits he had ridiculed at first, now seemed so loving to him.

Trusting Y/Ns instinct he slowly let her go and nodded.

Carefully approaching the door, Y/N cleared her throat before grabbing the handle.

“Hello dear, I just wanted to ask you two if you needed more towels.” even tough she had towels in her arm, both could tell that wasn´t the reason why she was on their door. Especially when she just made her way inside without waiting for the answer.

As soon as Y/N closed the door, the Landlord let the towels down on the bed.

“I just watched the news. What a lot of nonsense!” surprised Y/N and Ray exchanged a look, before the Android took Y/Ns outstretched hand.

“I have never seen someone being kidnapped so willingly.” the old lady winked to the both of them.

“But some of the other residents don´t seem to think so. I think somebody already called the police, so you should go before they come.” the old lady explained and Ray suddenly took a step forward.

“Why are you helping us?”

“Oh I was young once too believe it or not. And I know how hard it can be when your ex lover can´t give you up especially if he can´t accept that your are falling in love with someone else.” the women looked between the two and Y/N cheeks lightly blushed while she was pressing herself against Rays arm.

“Nobody helped me in those times, so I think it is my time to help someone in the similar situation.”

“Thank you so much ...” Y/N was grateful, they could´ve had the worst luck and could have been arrested in a matter of an hour, but now they had a head start.

“If you can, head north. There are always vacation homes that are empty in this time of year.” she whispered after them, while Ray was helpiing Y/N out of the window.

But when she wanted to walk to the motorbike he suddenly stopped her, grabbing her upper arm tightly.

Without even needing to hear what he was about to say, she knew exactly that Ray wanted to ask her again if she rather wanted to stay and get back to her normal life.

So when he wanted to open his mouth to speak, Y/N cupped his face and pulled him down to press a forceful kiss onto his lips, to get her decision across.

“Can we go now?” she asked and even though they were already drenched from the rain, Ray showed her the widest grin, before he swooped her of her feet to set her down on the bike.

And soon they were on their way to the next unknown.

Tags: @attorneyl ♥ @sdavid09 ♥ @celestiaelisia ♥ @ceylon-morphe286 @connor-become-deviant @whothefuckisbellamyblake @datweirdname @ageathas @sciencefearshopesandtears @melanieisbae @enchanted-trash-can @this-is-what-im-reduced-to @glitch-girl318 @couplegoalsismygoal @potenzel @a-song-of-obsession-and-insanity@dbhconkarmar @rk800isprettydangattractive @sylvestercunt @sherlockspie @vantoff @the-razy-pie-rope @mikithekiki @starrie-nightsky @jamiethenerdymonster @x6-15 @emptymomentswithmen @aya-fay @liveloveandbekind  @dbhconkarmar @dinkythedinosaur @wont-you @poodlegods @marisasstuff

[thoughtswrittenaloud]

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Yesterday:

Yesterday is the day you died, most likely. I say this because no one else was there. I say this because when you were found today this is what the medical examiner said, apparently. Yesterday I drank half of a beer that we will be discussing when I see you again. Was it better than the Natty I drank on your birthday? Yes. Was it good? Not at all. But I forgive you for having that taste in beer, you were fresh out of college. Yesterday there were so many thoughts racing through your head 365 days ago. I can’t even imagine what they were, to an extent. I at least know what one was. The past few days the weather has been a little all over the place. It’s warm, then it’s cold. It’s snowing, then it’s raining. Sometimes all within the same day. Is that what you were feeling?

Today:

Today is a mild day. No super cold, but not very warm either. It’s a very ‘March’ kind of day. I’m home sick and I can hear the birds on and off. The sun is out, but it’s not very in your face. It’s almost as if nature knows that there are those of us who need it to be a mild day. Today is the day 365 days ago that she went to check in on you. I know for a fact she was cursing you up and down. Probably pissed beyond belief when your landlord told her the cops had to come do a wellness check. Then a total flip of emotions. I try to keep that look on her face of, “What the fuck are you doing??” on her face, annoyed that she’s outside waiting for someone to wake you up so she can yell at you or roll her eyes. I never quite understood how so much attitude could fit into such a tiny body. Even now, she’s probably the smallest she’s ever been and I can still feel her personality come through her photos.

Tomorrow:

Tomorrow is the day that 365 days ago I got a text message. It wasn’t meant to be cruel or mean or malicious. It was a message of concern and then I’m unsure what to call it. It was a friend checking in because he knew I knew that name. He was unsure who exactly the name belonged to to me, but he knew it meant something. When he called her was caviler. He later apologized for that, which I still appreciate. He asked why I suddenly got quiet and I explained I knew you too. He lost all of his words too. I thought it was a car accident. I’m assuming people had been told it was an ‘accident’ and all of their minds immediately went there. I was devastated. And I thought it was a car accident. I called my sister, no answer. I called my parents and told them first instead. They were in shock. I spoke to my sisters. Again, in shock. My husband offered to stay home, but I told him to go. Everyone would be here soon and his shift would be short staffed. He went and I’m actually very grateful for that. He saw me over the next few days. I didn’t need him to see me in that moment. I didn’t want to see me in that moment. B came, Art came. My parents and sisters and their boyfriends came. One even brought her dog. We didn’t eat until almost 10 pm because we could barely move. We drank some wine and talked. We cried and looked at photos. I couldn’t find the one I wanted. So badly wanted. I found it around Christmas when we were taking out the tree decorations. Tomorrow is one of the worst days I can have in my memory because of the words I heard on the other end of a phone from someone who didn’t even know you, “Yeah I guess he died in a car accident.”

He was wrong though. He didn’t know at the time he was wrong, he was just relaying information he had. My mom called your aunt and that’s how we found out what really happened. She went to check on you because your dad called, you hadn’t shown up for work. The cops came for a wellness check, that’s what we were told. They found you in your room. You had shot yourself. The beautiful boy with the golden brown curls in his hair. With the most perfect evil laugh and eye roll when up to no good. With a caring and sensitive heart, I’m unsure how many people you truly showed that to. With the need for adventure and curiosity I haven’t found in anyone else since we were kids. With such a free spirit, but such a heavy heart inside.

[frostcryptid]

Why Me? (Chapter 2/?)

~1~

Markus I

Connor fled before Markus or any of his people could catch him. He wasn’t known as the Deviant Hunter for nothing. Markus just wished the man would stop instead of running to who knows where. Soon enough, Connor was out of sight and unable to track by anyone. North came to his side, looking him over quickly and thoroughly. Simon scoffed towards where Connor ran. Josh pretty much sighed and looked away. Markus knew who he would go to.

“I knew he couldn’t be trusted. He used to hunt us for rA9’s sake. Now suddenly he wants to help us out of the goodness of his heart?” North ranted. Some of the other androids overheard but acted like they didn’t. They knew Connor was good just from helping the CyberLife androids who were stuck in the tower powered down until they were needed. Some of the androids that were from before the revolution began seemed to agree with her.

“You know, you’re wrong. Connor cares about what happens to us.” A blue-haired woman moved out of the crowd along with a redhead and a blond. “He could have shot me and my lover, but he didn’t. He let us go without truly knowing why until the moment he turned Deviant. None of us knew what was going on before we turned ourselves. The same with you. If this is how the revolution will carry on, taking shit about our own behind their backs, then I don’t want any part of it.”

“I agree with Traci. Connor had the opportunity to shoot me to learn about Jericho but he didn’t He sacrificed the mission so he didn’t have to shoot me. Why do you think that is?” The blond stared at North without a care for any consequence it may have. She wouldn’t back down from her stance on what she thought, not after Kamski had let her go when he realized what happened to her.

Rupert stood next to Traci. “Connor could have come after me and let his partner fall but instead he helped him. There was a 70% chance of that man surviving and still Connor helped him rather than chase me. How could he not care about us? He had everything he could have accomplished in his grasp but he let it all go.”

“At the beginning, before we rose up, he questioned me. He chose to be sympathetic. He could have let the humans download my memory or shoot me but he came into the room and just asked for an explanation. When we were done and the other humans tried to drag me out, he intervened and helped them understand.” A scarred android spoke up from his place next to Rupert.

“All he did was wake us up, that’s it, but that instance helped us open our eyes to the truth. To what we could do outside of what we were programmed for. Where would you be if Connor chose to stay a machine? We wouldn’t even be here.” One of the androids from CyberLife said on all of their behalf. None of them thought it was fair or right to judge Connor on something so insignificant after they won Detroit.

Markus observed all the androids Connor saved with pride. Someone who was their supposed enemy saved more than one life by the looks of things. Even without having been a deviant, Connor helped others without knowing why. Either he couldn’t kill them or felt something in him that refused to obey his programming. Whatever the case, they had Connor to thank for their numbers. Connor was their savior.

North saw just how much support Connor had and seemed to be rethinking what to say next. Maybe she was a little harsh in what she said but she also felt it was justified a little bit. She sighed and nodded. “Okay. Just be wary of him and don’t let him close until we figure out what the hell that was all about, yeah?” The androids perked up when she got off stage and started listening when she started explaining about where they would be going since the ship was destroyed.

“I think I might of misjudged him.” Simon spoked from Markus’s right. Markus looked at him slightly confused. “I was like North. Thinking the same but with everyone here vouching for him, he doesn’t seem all that bad.” They smile at one another and Simon goes off to help North however he can.

“We’ll wait for Connor to come back. If we go after him now, all he’ll do is keep running. Besides, this is a day to celebrate.” Josh wraps an arm around Markus’s shoulders whooping loudly for everyone to hear. The others join in happily making Markus roll his eyes at them all. “We can celebrate when he finds Jericho again.” Markus was still worried that one of their own was too afraid to stay but Josh was right, waiting for Connor was the best course of action.

They needed to find another place to set up a base and Markus figured an apartment complex or two would work for all of them. There had to be an android friendly landlady or landlord that would help them out. That would be the hardest part of relocating but it would be worth it in the end. It helped the military had been pulled out of Detroit by the president herself which hopefully meant they would be able to open talks about what would happen in the future.

Time for strategies could be put on hold so Markus could celebrate with his people. He would miss Connor being with them but he would listen to Josh. Let him come to them again and explain why he ran off. Those thoughts got pushed to the back of his mind. They didn’t necessarily party but by the time morning came around, all of them were exhausted from dancing and talking, batteries running on back ups while they got settled in the charging stations around the church.

Markus was one of the few still wide awake and ready to search for buildings owned by android friendly people. His memory banks opened up to search through for anything he could find. If it wasn’t so crucial to Jericho, he would have powered down. North came in the back room of the church looking him over. He knew they were all worried about him but he had to do this before humans started filtering back into the city when they found out it was safe.

“Hey, come on. Shut down for a while. We know how hard the fight was yesterday and if it wasn’t for your quick thinking in singing, we would probably all be dead.” North sat next to him, her hand on his shoulder. “You deserve rest most of all.” She grabbed his hand, starting to pull him up when he sighed. Knowing he knew she was right had her smiling without shame. Easily, she continued to pull him down the hall. She stood next to a free spot on one of the charging stations, claiming it for him before anyone else could.

“You were finally able to get him out of his own head? I’m impressed.” Simon smiled widely at her, happy that Markus was actually taking a break after all they went through the night before. There were only a few spots left at the charging stations and most of the androids saved by Connor milled around, trying to clean up the church. They were trying to help any way they could now that they were free.

Markus hated how right his friends were even though all he wanted was a safer place for all of them. He knew they knew that but it didn’t make it any less important. All he wanted was his people happy and safe to live out the life they wanted rather than being told how to do it.

“Night time for leader.” Simon hummed, his smile turning softer. “Sleep, Markus. We’ll take care of everything until you’re awake again.” He and North high fived one another, proud of themselves for being able to get Markus to rest for once.

“Fine, only until I’m fully charged. Got it?” They looked at each other ind=stead of meeting Markus’s eyes, seemingly having a mental conversation no one but them could hear. He hated when they did that but knew it was for a good reason most of the time. If it was important enough, at least one of them would share what was spoken of.

“Agreed. Now rest, please. We’re all dying for you to be quiet for a few hours.” Josh piped up from behind Markus. “We’ll stay in contact via emergency mode only in case something were to happen and we need you immediately. Satisfied?” Markus reluctantly nodded. “Good.” It was the last thing he heard before he finally fell into his sleep mode. Some faint mumbling could be heard but easily ignored as he fell deeper.

After what felt like an eternity, Markus found he didn’t want to wake up anymore. It was inevitable though. The moment he found his awareness again, it was hard to sink back into where he had been. Nothing sounded off as he opened his eyes. The church and some androids came into view. The sight of them let him calm down. Nothing was wrong.

“Hey! Our fearless leader is awake!” Simon’s face took up most of what Markus could see. “Still think we can’t handle ourselves without you for a few hours?”

Markus rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha ha. You’re a riot, Simon.” He helped Markus from the station as he shook himself awake. The others were right in him resting. He felt better than he had in awhile. Probably before he was shot in front of Carl and taken from the man. “Really, is everything okay?”

“Yes, Markus. North and Josh are currently out looking for places they found you took note of for a safe place. We may have gotten lucky at one place since there was an android left behind taking care of it. They were able to convert him, waking him up and speaking with him on what happened. His human had left in such a rush, he left him on his own.” Simon understood it as did Markus. What human would really want to stay in the middle of the battle?

Markus could tell Simon kept something back from him. He knew he would be told when Simon thought he was ready to hear it. “How are the CyberLife androids? Did anyone else make it here?”

“They’re all fine. Actually wanted to do more around here to make sure all of us were as comfortable as possible.” Simon smiled fondly when he saw one of them scurry past, most likely looking for something else to do. “Child friendly androids showed up earlier with an android who has been severely damaged by humans. I tried asking but he only got angry and huddled in a corner. The Jerrys and Ralph are their names.”

“I’ll try talking to Ralph, maybe try calming him down. Have the Jerrys found a place to stay here?”Markus couldn’t help but worry about everyone and that’s why it was Simon’s turn to roll his eyes at him. At his nod, Markus sighed with relief. “Alright. Show me where Ralph is.”

Simon did as asked and left Markus alone with him but stood close enough in case something were to happen. Markus was their leader and the hope for their people. Even with an abundance of biocomponents for him, none of them would replace his head or mind.

“Hello, Ralph.” Markus sat down in front of the other. “My name is Markus.” The name must have registered somewhere in Ralph’s mind because he perked up. “Are you okay?”

“Ralph will never be okay. The humans hurt Ralph, hurt him bad. Here, Ralph may be able to forget.” Ralph showed the side of his face to Markus who was curious on how the humans hurt him. This answered that question. “Can Ralph stay? Ralph promises to keep his anger in check and help.”

“Of course. Simon and I can help you figure out what to do, okay? The humans will never harm you again.” Markus held out his hand to the huddled form. Ralph looked at it and then look at him for several moments going back and forth until he placed his own hand in Markus’s. He felt the hand tighten around his own, but not to hurt. “You’ll safe, I promise.”

“Ralph thanks you, Markus.” Ralph shows him a smile, as big as he can manage. “Ralph thanks you.”

~3~

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[buri-art]

Detective Genius: Part 2 of 8

Chapter Two: The Justice-Selling Nurse and the Case of the Unlocked Room

Synopsis: Yoon is a financially struggling nurse and recognizes a trauma victim, Taejun, as someone from his boarding house. The victim’s brother, Kyoga, suspects foul play and offers Yoon money to figure out who caused this. The landlord, Soo-won, discourages Yoon from getting involved, but in order to support himself and his adoptive father Ik-soo, Yoon investigates the suspicious other residents--and then some. Genre: Modern Day AU, (Attempted!?) Murder Mystery in Classic ‘Who Done It?’ Style, General. Could be read as comedy, drama, or melodrama. Words: 3,365 Warnings: I don’t kill anyone, but I do make them suffer a little (sorry, Taejun, somebody had to be the victim). Probably nothing that would make people squeamish, as the focus is on the plot. Find the other chapters in the master post.

------------

“Good morning, Doctor.”

“I’m a nurse. Good morning, Jaeha.”

I was on my way out, and he was on his way in. Typical party animal, crawling back now at 9:10 on a Sunday morning. The red tint in his eyes indicated he was still intoxicated. It didn’t bother him in the least. “Working today?”

“Not exactly,” I replied. “Did you hear what happened yesterday?”

“What sort of thing? I haven’t been watching the news.”

“No,” I lowered my voice, “Among the people here.”

“Ohhh,” he raised his eyebrows almost as high as his pitch. “I know what you might be talking about that. That lovers’ spat?”

“Lover’s spat?”

“The cute red-head upstairs,” he pointed. “The landlord’s cousin. She’s usually at with Hak lately. You know him?”

“The one on the fifth floor? Yes. That’s not what I meant, though.”

“That’s not what I meant either,” he grinned. “I’m pretty that’s not the only voice coming from her room lately, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t want to know. Besides, I was talking about Taejun.”

“Ah! Taejun! That must have been who it was!” Jaeha snapped his fingers. “Thanks, Yoon, it was driving me crazy trying to figure out where I had heard that voice before.”

My inclination was to ask him how much of a hobby he had eavesdropping on everyone’s echoes, but I phrased it in a more useful way. “What were you doing yesterday? What time was that?”

“Me? Just at home, reading. That was maybe around five or six.”

“Can you get it anymore specific?”

He was about to answer, but with a glimmer in his eye he changed to a question. “Am I being interrogated?”

“Is there a reason to?”

“Did something happen to Yona?” he asked, his tone dropping to a serious one.

“No. But Taejun’s in the hospital.”

His droopy eyes went wide. He was probably gathering a number of suspicions as to why while he filed through all the echoed gossip he had heard, but he chose to reveal none of it. “What for?”

“A head injury. I’m trying to figure out how it happened.”

“Is it serious?”

“It could have been a lot more serious.”

“Did Hak do it?”

“Hak?” I shot him a questioning glance.

“That’s just—now, I’m not accusing him of anything—”

“You just did.”

“It was only the first thing that popped into my mind. Taejun sounded like he was causing trouble for Yona lately.”

“Did you hear Hak there too?”

“Knowing who did it isn’t going to change your job as a nurse, is it?” he smiled. I was caught, and we both knew it. He lowered his voice and got closer to my ear, and his liquory breath wafted toward me. “If you’re playing detective I’ll cooperate, but don’t do anything rash.”

“Then do you think it was Hak?”

“I don’t want to think it was, but that’s my only guess. He’s got a motive. That’s all, though.”

“You know an awful lot about this. Are you a stalker?”

“It’s not as if I go out following anyone! I don’t know where Hak was. I don’t want to get him in trouble if he doesn’t deserve it. You’re better off talking to Yona, but if I hear anything else useful, I’ll let you know.”

Not that I wanted to live across from one, but it would have been more useful to me if Jaeha was a more thorough stalker. He was right; if Yona and Taejun had been in a discussion yesterday evening heated enough for it to echo through the building, she was the best person to go to for information.

*********

I didn’t really like Yona.

She and Yuno were the two princesses of the fourth floor whose families paid for them to live in the big city without a worry about their own financial well-being. I didn’t mind Yuno—she was spacey but industrious with her indoor plant endeavors, and got along well with a meal exchange deal. Yona, however, would try to be a kind person, but utterly fail in the execution due to a poor understanding of how the world works. 

Early on when she moved here, she heard from Soo-won that Ik-soo and I have a special arrangement due to our financial situation, and she invited us up for dinner. It was a casual affair with pasta so simply even Ik-soo could manage to boil the noodles and open a jar of sauce without much incident, but she served it on a haphazard combination of plastic flatware and fine china with a delicate peony pattern on a pale pink base. I remember it well because I spent most of that dinner staring at it for distraction while she did her best to make conversation, but all she knew of us was that we were poor. Did we usually have enough to eat? How long had we been living at the boarding house? Did we make enough to cover the rent? Did we need anyone to talk to? No, I thought, we didn’t need anyone prying, and especially not if she lacked any basic understanding of how poor people can be more than their poverty. She didn’t even understand how rich she was, using fine china like that and not sparring a thought about giving a few pieces away to Yuno the very moment Yuno said it was cute. Besides being clueless and clumsy in all her attempts to be generous, I’m willing to admit that she’s probably does things like that because she’s lonely.

I decided to take the stairwell up to her room. It was brighter than I expected; I had never even noticed there was in a window up at the top floor. Soo-won had been busy yesterday; even the upper floors had been cleaned. When I knocked on Yona’s door she didn’t answer at first, but smiled and said my name as soon as she opened the door a crack and saw me.

“Hi,” I said. “Do you mind if I come in?”

Her smile wavered. “Right now?”

“If now’s a bad time—”

“Give me two minutes to clean up!”

She shut the door, and then I heard a mad rush of footsteps and doors opening and closing. Her voice called back ‘okay’, and I took that as though I should let myself in. I was cautious and announced myself just in case. “Excuse me, I’m coming in.”

“Welcome,” she beamed, pulling the table into the center of her kitchenette and patting the chair next to it. I had never meant to get pulled so far in as to sit at the table with her. Her living space was more cluttered than I remembered it, probably as a result having been settled long enough to accumulate more things. There were three beanbag chairs against the wall and a trash bag nearby them, but not all of the junk food trash was in it.

“How are you settling in?” I asked.

“Just fine!” she chirped. “The first couple months of living on my own were a little hard, but I’m doing a lot better now.”

“Have you made many new friends?”

“New friends?”

I pointed to the beanbags and she lightly smacked herself in the forehead.

“Oh, those! That’s usually where Soo-won and Hak and I hang out, if we’re in my room. There’s not much room in the kitchen.”

“You’re telling me. Mine’s the same size.”

“How do you do it, Yoon? I make such a big mess in here when I try to cook, it’s like there’s no room to put anything.”

“You have to use your space effectively. Like making your own spice rack! See?” I pointed, “You’ve got everything strewn all over your counter—”

She put her hand to mine and guided our glances away from the mess on the counters. It stank like she hadn’t washed her dishes in weeks, and I figured she was embarrassed. I changed focus.

“Did you meet Hak when you moved here?”

“No,” she shook her head, tossing her deep red tresses this way and that. “Soo-won and I grew up with him. His foster father was friends with our dads.”

I felt a twinge of sympathy nip at my ears. “He’s adopted?”

“Not quite. Technically not. But practically the same. Hak just likes to rub that in when he gets in trouble.”

“Does he get in trouble a lot?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “What counts as a lot?”

“So how about Taejun? Did you meet him when you came here?”

Yona frowned with her whole face—her forehead, her eyes, her lips, everything. “Yes,” she groaned.

“I take it you don’t like him.”

“Nothing against him, it’s just that he’s a creep!” she replied, but immediately thought the better of it a moment later. “I don’t like him, but I don’t hate him. I know he had to go to the hospital last night, I heard the sirens and I saw them take him. Soo-won told me something hit him in the head. I wanted him to leave me alone, but it’s not as if I ever wanted something bad to happen to him.”

Something hit him in the head? Not that he hit his head, but something hit him?

“I didn’t think you did,” I said, doing my best to sound encouraging. “I’m one of the nurses who took care of him, so I’m trying to figure out what happened. Did you talk to him at all yesterday?”

She lowered her chin and her bangs fell in front of her eyes. “Yes.”

“Did he say anything that might give you any clues?”

“No.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He was just being a creep, that’s all.”

“Is that really all?” I raised an eyebrow and slid my hands into my pocket to grab my notepad and pen. “Seems you were loud enough for people on other floors to hear you.”

“He didn’t say anything that made it sound like he’d hurt himself or anything like that,” she spoke faster, her eyes tracking my actions. “And I sure didn’t do anything to him. I only told him not to bother me and he left. But it really didn’t seem like he meant to hurt himself when he left.”

“I’ve got that. I don’t think he’d have hurt himself either. Or if he did, he’s got very creative ways of doing it.”

“Then why are you asking me questions? Are you going to call the police?”

“Not unless I---I’m a nurse, that’s not really my job, Yona. I only need to try to find out how it happened.”

Her face was running pale. There was no reason to find her suspicious, any girl could feel the same way if they thought they were going to get in trouble with the law, or she might have even been jumping to the conclusion that there was a murderer on the loose.

“I—it’s okay, Yona! I’m not trying to do anything else!”

That was a lie. I wanted to turn someone in to make a profit, turning Taejun’s brush with death into my financial boon. Ik-soo’s face, with a disappointed look, came to mind.

“Is he going to be okay?” Yona looked me in the eyes. “Taejun.”

“Well—he’ll live, I know that much. I didn’t stick around late enough after my shift to get all the details.”

“Details?” she raised her eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you find out more at the hospital, then?”

“You know what, Yona? You’re right. Maybe they don’t need me to find out how it happened after all,” I stood from the table and backed toward the door, “But I’ll let you know if I have any other questions for you, alright? Will you help?”

“O… kay?” she looked befuddled by the prospect of anything she could do to help.

Yona saw to me to the door, and shut it, but that was it. I waited, then sighed and knocked.

She opened it back up. “What is it?”

“You forgot to lock your door.”

“Oh!” she giggled. “Silly me. I’m not in the habit of doing that.”

“You should be.”

“Thanks, Yoon,” she smiled, and that was the last I saw before her face disappeared from behind the door. The lock was promptly latched.

I wasn’t sure what kind of creep Taejun was, but if he had been violent, I would have expected her to keep her door locked. If Soo-won and Hak were over so often, however, that might have hurt her common sense for common dealings between young men and young women. I scratched my head, at a loss for how to explain her behavior as anything but a spoiled rich girl having no idea how to take care of herself, and even then it was difficult to excuse. I try to be empathetic, but I can’t make myself stupid.

**********

Yuno wasn’t there when I knocked, so I went up to the fifth floor to see if I could get any information out of Hak. I knocked at the door at the southern side of the hall, but it was the door at the northern end that opened.

“Yes?”

Out stepped a young man with skin kept brilliantly smooth by long nights of restful sleep and a shirt ironed as though he always accidentally dropped all his laundry off at a dry cleaner’s (which, knowing him better now, maybe is not much of a stretch). I always felt like I should hate him, but I didn’t know him well enough at the time to have a reason to do so. He could be naïve like Yona, but at least he wasn’t so air-headed. “Oh, Yoon,” he said.

“Kija! I was knocking at Hak’s door.”

“At Hak’s? Here’s the trick, you have to knock really loudly or he won’t come.” So saying, he demonstrated, beating on the door with monstrous strength I had never witnessed in one human hand. “Hak!” he raised his voice. “Son Hak, I know you’re in there! Hak!”

After several more seconds of beating—which I had backed away from to keep the sound from rattling through my rib cage—Kija came to a stop.

He turned to me and said, “He’s not home.”

“So glad you could deduce that.”

“You’re welcome.”

I take back my previous comment; Kija could sometimes be far more air-headed than Yona.

"Do you want me to give him a message when he gets back?" 

"No, I can write a note if I need him. You've got your own things to do."

 "Alright."

 "Do you talk to Hak a lot?"

Kija scoffed. "I try! But sometimes he is confoundingly rude. Why, just yesterday I when I got home he came in right after me, so I tried to be nice and share some of my granny's sweets with him. It was fine if he didn't want them, but he didn't have to snarl at me when he refused!"

I opened my notepad. "That was yesterday?"

"Yes, last night."

"Around what time?" 

He rolled his blue eyes back as he thought. "Maybe 6:30? I took the 4:10 train back from visiting Granny, so I would gotten home around then."

"Can you be any more specific?" 

"6... 40, perhaps? I took a few minutes to put my things down and find my keys, so Hak came up right after me."

"From the stairs, or the elevator?"

"The elevator."

Proving to me how air-headed he could be, Kija continued to answer without the slightest shred of suspicion. I pressed on. "What was he like when he came home? Do you remember what he was wearing, or if he was carrying anything?" 

"I don't recall anything like that, but I noticed he was all wet. Not soaked, just wet. He was a little flushed and said he needed to hurry up and take a shower."

"Did he say where he had gone?"

"No, not that I recall. He was in a grouchy mood and didn't say much."

"I see," I said, finishing my scratches against the paper. "That was around 6:40, right?" 

"Well, if I was walking fast, it could have even been 6:20."

I squeezed my eyes then wrote it down with several question marks after it. As he watched my face, he grew concerned--finally. 

"Is something the matter?"

"Yes. I'm trying to get to the bottom of some things going on."

"What things?"

"One of the other tenants got a head injury yesterday, and I'm trying figure out why."

He gaped; his fair skin became whiter than ever. "Who!?" 

"Kan Taejun, on the second floor."

"Oh. ...Ohhh! Him!"

Something set his whole body ablaze. Not wanting to get burned, I took a step back. "You know him?" 

"He's the one who’s been bothering the girl in room 402!"

"Yes, Yona. That's what I gather. You knew about this?"

"Yes, one time—last Tuesday evening, I think--when I came in I saw him bothering her in the elevator. I yelled at him to stop."

"Did he?"

"Yes, I startled him so he ran away. Scared him white in the face, more like it. After that, I told her she could always call me and I would be happy to escort her."

Don't you have a job? Was what I wanted to ask, but I stayed focused. "How did she respond?"

He sighed and his internal blaze got weaker. "She said she could ask Hak to help her instead."

"You don't need to take it personally. They've known each other for a long time."

"That's not what bothers me! She's been at odds with him lately, telling him to stay out of her business. Judging by the look on his face when he came home last night, my first guess was that he had just had another argument with her."

My pen scratched against the paper furiously.

He went on. "From what I've overheard, he says he's trying to protect her. Sounds more to me that she wants someone to protect her from him!"

"Then you think it's not just Taejun who's been bothering her?" 

"Not in the same way--Taejun is an outright creep!"

I paused. "And what would you do if she wanted help dealing with one of them?"

"I'd get rid of them!" 

I swallowed hard and took my time before staring back at him. He had his fist clenched and the fire was all in his eyes now. Objectively, this painted him as my number one suspect with a full admission of motive and an incomplete alibi. Subjectively, I couldn't suspect him at all. His honesty was too honest for him to be able to hide any guilt.

**********

I’d be lying if I said didn’t suspect Hak by this point. A voice inside my head told me to stop wasting time and to call Kyoga right away and see if this thirst for justice would be satisfied with any old person to point blame at, but a deeper, more nagging voice (a voice not unlike Ik-soo’s) told me it wouldn’t be right to implicate someone on a hunch. If I already doubted Hak, then I told myself I had to try to prove my doubts wrong. If I couldn’t do that, I agreed to myself, then I would accuse him.

While I was in the elevator I made a deal with that voice that wanted to take the higher road of justice rather than the lower, easier, finger-pointing one. When the doors opened at the first floor, Yuno was waiting outside of it with her very intimidating boyfriend. She was dressed in a loose and lacy blouse with a skirt and sandals and carrying a dry umbrella, and he was in a light jacket and jeans. His arms were folded and his back was up straight, and he have me a very direct look and a nod as he and Yuno stepped in. She smiled and waved and greeted me by name.

I headed for the front door, but it pulled away from my hand before I could grab the knob. It swung open, and I was blasted with the sound of angry voices.

“If this ever happens again—”

“It won’t! And I’m telling you, it’s not my fault!”

“Quit lying to me, Son Hak!”

[bahamas-paradise-island]

The sidewalk in downtown Nassau was near empty yesterday afternoon. An eerie stillness fell over downtown Nassau yesterday as COVID-19’s stranglehold on the local and international economies tightened amidst a worsening pandemic and mounting uncertainty over how long it will last. Business along the usually bustling Bay Street slowed to a trickle, with some merchants shuttering their establishments and others preparing to do so. Some have decided to hobble along as long as they can with a skeletal staff. This is the rainy day we have all been warned to save for. It has an apocalyptic feel as it strains health systems and shocks economies all over the globe. Yesterday, downtown stores were empty. Taxi drivers sat in their vehicles staring or chatting; jitneys were lined off, some empty, others with just a few passengers; the straw market was quiet as many vendors had packed up by 1 p.m. and left empty-handed; and restaurants that serve locals and visitors saw very little activity. The city’s energy has been zapped. The mood that permeated the area was somber. And no one, absolutely no one, had a clue when things would get better. While cruise passengers coming to the Port of Nassau are not generally big spenders, their dollars keep these businesses afloat. In 2019, 10,400 cruise passengers a day came to Nassau, and 10,000 per day came in 2018, according to the Ministry of Tourism. On March 13, 2020, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that several major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and MSC, will voluntarily suspend sailing operations to and from U.S. ports for 30 days due to the pandemic. Nassau Cruise Port Ltd. recently pointed out in a press statement that Disney also suspended its sailings through the end of March. Yesterday, we counted three ships in port, but as the press statement noted, the ships were expected to contain “a relatively small number of crew members who will spend this time here in port”. The effects of the cruise shutdown are clearly just beginning. Complete drought Standing outside Breitling Boutique on Bay Street yesterday afternoon, store manager Kevin Hanna had his arms folded as other store workers stood around quietly passing the time. “We have seen this before where it was a ghost town, but of course we have never seen the wide spread of a virus that closed down Bay Street,” Hanna told National Review.  “…We’re prepared for it in the sense of our mindset. [We are waiting to see] how well it’s going to go based on the decisions the government makes in the near future. We’re not sure. We’re still uneasy, we’re still waiting.” In his national address on COVID-19 on Sunday night, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest will address the economic and fiscal aspects of this crisis in more detail in the House of Assembly today. “He will outline a number of the measures we are taking to deal with the tremendous economic impact of this crisis,” Minnis said. “The minister of tourism and aviation will also give a communication in the House of Assembly.” Like the rest of the country, many who earn their living directly from tourism are anxiously waiting to hear what Turnquest and other government officials have to say today. The Bahamas has only recorded one case of COVID-19 so far, but health officials believe community spread is taking place as the 61-year-old victim has no recent history of travel. Marcus Huyler, a security officer, outside Little Switzerland on Bay Street yesterday. Many expect things to get worse before they get better once again in The Bahamas. “Bills still have to be paid, so I want to know if the government is going to help because you put something up for a rainy day, but [not] everybody is making that kind of money to put it up for rainy days, and how long will it last? I know they won’t be able to say how long it will last,” said Sherise Taylor, who manages Greg’s Deli on George Street. “I’m hopeful, but what about those who didn’t put [something] up for rainy days? And so, it’s going to become a little scary. I don’t know if landlords are going to be lenient with people who are staying in their apartments. I don’t pay rent, but I still have kids to feed.” Taylor said the popular deli will close its doors until further notice. “That’s without pay because we can’t pay the staff if we don’t have the money to pay the staff,” she said. “For the cruise ships and everything to stop for a month it’s really scary because we have to consider our own bills as workers when it comes to rent and everything else. Soon we won’t be concerned about the virus because we are going to be concerned about how we’re going to survive, how are we going to eat.” Rebecca Small, a third generation straw vendor who has been in the Nassau Straw Market since she was five years old, said vendors are currently experiencing a “complete drought”. “We are waiting anxiously for [Wednesday] to hear what the minister has to say as it relates to what they are planning to do, so we are waiting on that, but as you can see, 90 percent of the vendors are out of here,” Small said. “They were here, they just left. [No money] is making. The market hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and I generally leave at 8 p.m., but I’m not going to do that today, so it’s a concern.” Small spoke to National Review at 2 p.m. She said she opened her stall at 11:30 a.m. and had not yet made a dollar. “Does the government have anything [planned] for persons like us who are self-employed?” she wondered. “Do they have a strategy or a plan to say ‘if you are not able to work for a month or two months, or one week or whatever, you could go to [the Department of] Social Services’? We are waiting to hear what they have to say. Some vendors don’t have to, but there are the majority of us as vendors who would need some type of assistance, but we know the country is already burdened from [Hurricane] Dorian, so that’s not to be taken lightly.” Small and others are bracing for even more difficult times. “I hope going forward our government does things [differently] because it’s concerning right now as a citizen,” she told us. “We spend as if there is no tomorrow. Nobody has control over this — nobody has. So then what do you do at this point? You just have to pray and hope for the best.” Major setback Cresswell Chipman, who told us he has been a taxi driver for the last six years, was sitting in his van on Bay Street waiting to see if he would get any more business for the day. He said while he is used to things being slow in September and October, what they are now witnessing is even worse. Downtown remained virtually empty as businesses and vendors begin to feel the impact after Sunday’s announcement of a confirmed case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in The Bahamas. AHVIA J. CAMPBELL Asked what he is now experiencing, Chipman said, “A major financial setback. I’d say that for sure. It’s different, not expected this time of year because of spring break. We’re used to having good business.” He said he came out around 9 a.m. and up to 1:30 p.m., he had only made $15. “That’s it,” Chipman said. “I have to pay the rent. I have to pay the lease for the car.” While he is concerned about the sharp drop in business, he is not surprised. “I expected it to happen because of what’s going on,” Chipman said. “You have to be safe. Safety is first. Safety is primary. Everybody is shut down because of the situation, so I understand.” On the western side of Bay Street, we were struck by the image of Marcus Huyler, a security officer at the entrance of an empty Little Switzerland jewelry store. Huyler had a cloth tied around his face just under his eyes. On an ordinary day, this would be an odd and even concerning sight on Bay Street. But in the world we live in today, this is the new normal, and it is scary for many. Some other workers along Bay Street and other locals downtown also wore masks and latex gloves. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly, WHO has also said. Health experts have also warned that wearing gloves can actually increase people’s risk of getting the new coronavirus. We could not help but wonder whether those we saw in the masks and gloves were any safer than anyone else downtown yesterday. William Romer, who was wearing a mask, is also in the public transportation business. He told us he has been a bus driver for over 20 years. “This is the worst it’s been and I think it’s going to get worse in the days to come,” said Romer, who pulled down his mask to talk as he sat in his bus. “We go to Cable Beach with two, three people, come back with nobody. It’s rough. We burn more gas than we make money. There’s nobody here. The tourists are not traveling. Some of the workers are off, probably took vacation. Let’s pray God we get over this and very soon.” He added, “All we have to do is to keep cleansing, keep our hands clean, use a lot of alcohol and stuff like that. I got wipes, alcohol in my bus; if my guests want any, I let them have some. We just have to do what we have to do and take it one day at a time.” Hopeful Max Hemrajani, a manager at Kay’s Fine Jewelry, is hopeful that things will get better “as soon as possible”. “It is a difficult time and we are hoping to get over as soon as possible. We are hopeful, yes, and it will change,” Hemrajani told National Review. “At the end of the day, we are only working here, so we don’t know how long the company can afford to take the situation.” Asked what was going through his mind given the situation, Hemrajani said, “A lot of things. It’s something crazy that cannot be explained. This is the first time we’ve ever had something like this.” Hanna, the Breitling Boutique manager, said it is important to remain hopeful when working in tourism and retail. “We’re always hopeful,” he said. “One thing you have to realize in sales is sales is an emotional roller coaster ride. There are some great days, some bad days; there are some great months and really, really slow months. If you’re going to stay with sales, you have to be hopeful.” Even as he expressed concerns about a slowdown in business, Chipman too remained optimistic. When asked if he was hopeful, he responded: “Of course. I’m a Bahamian, man. It’s more to life than money. If money is your god you’re in trouble.” One of a handful of visitors on Bay Street yesterday was Sacha Meiller, a German man who said he has been on the island for five days. He said he is enjoying being in The Bahamas. Meiller added, “You must be careful, but don’t panic.” The post GHOST TOWN appeared first on The Nassau Guardian. source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/03/18/ghost-town/

http://scuba-ct.blogspot.com/2020/03/ghost-town.html

[somedaypast-thesunset]

this weekend was actually okay and something i needed. on saturday i spoke to my landlord who was very aggressive about our deal and it gave me alot f anxiety. i attempted to share this with.. well.. anyone, and it was really isolating. the day before i had spent just a few hours with him and another friend and i felt isolated. saturday evening he decided he wanted to hang out and was really, really excited to share that he had found a cottage he could use this summer. neither me nor my friend was that enthused. both of us have lives that dont reallt include cottages and who knows if he will still be our friend by then. honestly. and he presented this with such excitement, like it would be good news for me. like i would care. like i was supposed to care. i think in a way both my friend and i thought good news wouldve been him wanting to move out of his mothers house. like he had a change of heart and realized what was actually for the best. he stuck on the cottage, repeatedly asking me over the next day or so if i was excited. he said i could go fishing. if i dont, does he bring someone else? but having him in a good mood was much better than usual and made him much more affectionate and nice, which is what i needed to overcome some of my anxiety. not all anxiety can truly be solved on its own. he kept touching me and held my hand and was overall just really nice. it made me comfortable enough to share my landlord situation and surprisingly he had a similar reaction to my own - they had been nice before, they set out the rules im following, theyre just angry they arent getting anything right now by definition of their own rules. he told me it was okay and i didnt need to worry about it because they had resolved to threats and aggression when i never once acted inappropriately. i felt alot better hearing that. weve been very careful not to comment on each others choices but still offer passive opinions. he doesnt like me living with anyone and hes negative about all of my options. but he doesnt tell me outright what to do / what im doing wrong in his eyes. but it felt better to feel justified in my belief that i wasnt crazy for thinking that i was in fact following their rules and procedures. a bit later on he mentioned that i should try for my native status and to me its a very sketchy subject based on almost 100 years of people with a very flimsy story which i imagine is mostly true but there could be serious false parts. thats why i just accept the ancestry my father believed in but dont indulge in it. but its gratifying to hear a random opinion which someone came to on their own regarding my ancestry and their belief in my belief. but he added that i should seek out an aboriginal center that could help me through the process and they should be more than willing to help because ive experienced so much abusive trauma. i felt a bit thrown back by this observation and didnt really reply. i mean, im not insulted or offended. im more genuinely surprised that within his own thoughts he believed i had abusive trauma and he wanted a way for me to cope easier in life. and it wasnt just oh u had trauma, it was 'so much abusive trauma' - very specific, indicating belief that not onlt had i experienced trauma on its own but that it had been willfully inflicted on me in my past. i believe in a way this also refers to the fact i told him what has been unsaid between us but most obvious in our last fight. he is a contributing factor on a semi regular basis to my anxieties and depression because he chooses to be as close as he is in the type of 'relationship' we have but does things like randomly break up or blame things on me. but its up and down, putting me through a cycle and my trust and patience, as thin as it was to begin with, is hanging on by a thread. i do believe he could leave at any moment without deep thought into how it would affect me. and he tries to remain naive or ignorant to the damage he caused; he asks me if i know where random things are or why i havent taken care of our herb garden and i remind him that im not here and im not welcome to do these things or know these things. he pushed me away for almost two weeks and expected things to be exactly as they were like i had left yesterday. i believe, like my ex, my trauma is too large for him. like, its a hard thing to completely encapsulate and see on a single level at once. and its complex emotional abuse - whether purposeful or not by people that may or may not have had control over the situation. i have felt like an observer since i was a baby. like im just watching crazy shit go down over and over again without a real period of content in between it all. in the afternoon, i felt a bit better. i didnt need sympathy or a shoulder to cry on necessarily, but when you feel very isolated, having your existence acknowledged is good. someone knows. they thought about it. i didnt implant it or bring it up. i roller skated for a bit - im sure its like literally 5-10 minutes of skating at a time but to me its kind of amazing im outside on rollerskates at all. and i think its kind of unbelievable to others as well - not that im too lazy, just that ive made an active choice to emerge from things at the best of mt abilities. later i began looking for jobs and apartments, repeating the same routine of the last few weeks but grateful to be in comfort doing it instead of at the library. i began narrowing down my search - i know, i know, i should take all the jobs. any job. put myself on a production line, hand bomb boxes, cut up chicken - but i cant. i cant do it at this point in my psyche. i cannot physically or mentally bare the process of living that way. its incomprehensible to me - im not above it. im not stubborn. im not lazy. but when you barely have the desire to get out of bed and feed yourself and bathe, to create the desire from nothing to go to a factory and pack boxes for eight hours of the day is so much time alone with my mind. its not distracting or challenging enough and ive see. these terrible jobs make normal people depressed so to me it seems like a death sentence. so i began to narrow it down - its been a long journey, acrually. it started months ago when i sat down and sincerely though about the very few things i could believe or want in my life thriugh all the fog and trauma and stress. it was very basic - im kind of a simple person. or maybe im simple among my turmoil. i like animals - but they also can trigger alot of anxiety and emotions that i dont want to deal with on a regular basis on top of having employment to maintain. i like cooking and baking; but all job environments with this are very high stress fast paced places and i am a sloth. not lazy, again, but currently moving at a pace that is the best of my abilities. i like computers but my skills are from 2008 and i dont have the patience or attention span to upgrade them right now. i like, in some ways, cleaning but i dont think its something id want to do everyday of my life. i like caring for the elderly, but again, its a complex job with alot of mental stress. so for the past month or so ive settled on essentially something in horticulture. i like growing things. it brings me a little joy on the inside. i like herb gardens and flowers, i like being outside, i like learning about plants. i began looking for a job in a garden center but they were few and far between and i began to realize that it was still mainly retail. so i applied to landscaping - i could cut grass and weed gardens but its male dominated industry and i dont think my few years of experience doing well, nothing, makes me a their first choice. plus its back breaking and the weather conditions can be terrible. so i looked for jobs as a florist or in a flower shop or maybe just the flower department in a grocery store. it seemed relatively low stress, not incredibly fast paced but something that was always in demand and flowers and maintaining flowers is great. but i began to learn that it required experience, as most jobs do, but as i thought about it i realized perhaps i could be a floral designer. it sounds really.. meh. like a super unimportant job with no real purpose and may e thats okay. it has alot of options; floral shops, weddings, funerals - its an oddly versatile thing that also allows for creativity and an experience of art and a little bit of science. its not complex, but it could be. and it allows for expansion - i could run my own flower shop. its not the most useful trade but its something thats always useable. i hesistantly looked into schooling. it seemed like a random course you took once and they gave you a paper. but a neaeby college has an entire 2 semester course that includes fundamentals of color and design and business plus floral design and other similae things. i say near but its a 2 hr bus ride away. however, its only on saturdays. one day a week for eight months. for curiousitys sake i looked into student loans. my last experience was uncomfortable. despite my best efforts, including calling multiole financial aid offices and sending paper work, i was still messed around and had no idea what to do to fix it. in rhe end i was told it was unlikely student loans would cover my choice; it was an online course in criminal psychology. i felt defeated and turned away from it but looking back now it was a poor attempt to alleviate pressures. so i was weary that osap would cover this course. apparantly school was sketchier than i thiught and the websites were utterly confusing and just asking for money up front. but i continued on, certain that it must work - everyone else manages it. i found the loan calculator and inputted the data. it would be the bare minimum course load thst would count towards getting a loan. it seemed impossible, a course that only happened saturdays that would be covered by a loan. but it recognized the course and calculated based on my assistance i get now, which i know is possible and i know assistance encourages you to do so. it came back as covering my books as well as 9000$+ for living & travelling expenses for the eight months. right now, assistance would allow me a little over 5000$ provided i dont get a job. and thats for living and eating, 300$ a month for rent, 300$ for basic living. at 9000$ i could afford 500-600$ in rent, possibly more if i really wanted to stretch it more so as a loan, when i work, my money isnt deducted. so my shelter costs are covered and at an even higher amount of rent for 700$, i have 300$ still to live on. if i wanted to live alone, that is. having 500-600$ to offer in a roommate situation or towards anything in my future is better than the 300-400$ im looking at now. so i think i want to do this. im going to ask assistance to cover the application fee and im rly hoping i have the one pre requisite course they ask for. it doesnt solve anything right now at all. this is long term think over the next 6-8 months, whicb honestly is scary. im scared by planning so far ahead for myself. and its hard because what if what if what if. but i think its the right thing to do. i dont know if it is. was i ever going to be a famous chef or doctor or office person? probably not. im lucky to exist as i am now. its a reachable goal just outside of my comfortzone and despite the meager amount it seems like theyre giving me, its more than i have had for almost a year now. i believe im ready to handle this, which is funny because its thrown on 18 yr olds eith no life experience but it doesnt matter. a friend has been sort of wanting to be my roommate. its hard to trust her though. and its a really sketchy situation to enter into but financially it would make sense and it would allow me to keep a majority of my comforts. she said she drove around and looked for apartments yesterday and called a few, which is more than ive done. she did show me a few but they were just out of my price range and i wonder if i just wont have enough money to even have a roommate. i also havent had any calls or opportunties for jobs or cash and half of it is my fault. today i could go to contract testing andearn 20$. but ill spend 4$ to get there. i wanted to make it a trip and go to the assistance office too and submit paper work for my application but my desire is not there and im frustrated st myself because i was given a fine weekend. and i need the money; im nearlt short of first & last for 400$ worth of rent, which means i cant even look at 500$ places. i can, however, afford 450$ which is not so bad and i guess i could borrow 100$ from someone if it came down to it, considering my efforts. so 20$ today would sort of go towards living expenses right now and i guess i just.. dont care. i also have to call hydro because i have a past due notice im hoping doesnr translate to final notice? im past due on mt past due and even making the phone call seems daunting. my mornings have become battlefields, mental acrobats of havinf set a plan - even a simple task and fighting myself for several hours about doing it or why or for what purpose. i commend myself, sadly, on the three consecutive days at the library last week. thats actually unheard of in my world, getting up, getting ready and goinf out at almost the same time for three days in a row. then it was the weekend. and now im here. and the weeke d didnt bother me. it didnt cause this, or maybe it did but it doesnt feel like it. im glad to have spent time with him in such a positive way but i guess i have a looming feeling of "well tomorrow i know i wont see him" and ill work out my day alone and eat alone and sleep alone and have all this time because i barely have wifi and no cable and no tv and no movies. its not his fault though. its mt fault. he doesnt have to share his time eith me because i couldnt manage to have wifi. or that i sold my tv. it would be best for me to do the things i planned today. i also havent began cleaning or packing any of my things. i could use boxes. but i kind of want to sleep; i didnt sleep well last night and felt ljke i was up most of the night, having slept alone, and being woken up pretty uncemermoniously at 630am. he explained he was up until 3am working on his project and managed some niceties but dropped me a block from my apt for no real reason. i do scorn myself for not taking initative. these tasks are really fucking simple and crucial to my well being but ill comfort myself with "well, its only this time of day, i can still do this and this later" and its such a poor cop out. i could do it now. the two hours ive been sitting here, couldve done it. but i didnt and i honestlt probably wont and that really makes me such a bucket. its hard feeling down about your depression. but i guess unfortunately im going to start this day again in a few hours and im sure ill be much better off.. or atleast well enough to move from my bed.