#to see all these listings on paper that we can manage to afford but will be denied for every single time

[thoracosaurusblogs]

imagine if video games made it as hard to get housing as real life

[kittyt-hexxed]

Swimming with Tentacles

Demon!Cecaelian!Sevika x Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Perverted!Sevika, Dub-Con, tentacle bondage, nudity, breast fondling, groping, being fucked with tentacles (vaginal), throat fucking, choking, dumbification, stolen panties, being touched by something in the water, goofing off with friends, skinny dipping

Summary: On vacation with your friends, you get an amazing deal on a private beachfront house. You have a great time until you find out the reason the house’s owner was so eager to rent it for lower than it was listed.

You were in awe at the gorgeous villa that you and your friends managed to get at a discount. The six of you wanted to go on vacation to the Isle of Piltover for spring break so you saved up all year to be able to afford this trip. One of your friend’s friends had come to you about this villa called the Hand of Zaun that they stayed at and you decided to try your luck. When she told you the price, you thought it might be out of your budget but when you called the owner he happily lowered it! With your housing being below your budgeted cost, you could splurge on sexier swimsuits. You were excited for a whole week of nothing but sun and fun with your friends.

“I’m still surprised that we managed to get this place!” Gia squeals flopping onto the leather couch, “This place is gorgeous! I can’t wait for tomorrow morning.” She sighs happily.

“The owner was kind enough to stock the house with food for us, too.” Terry sits down with a cup of yogurt in her hand, “He was very sweet. What was his name again?”

“Silco.” You reply, taking a sip of your water, “He said this house has been in his family for generations, but he didn’t want to live here anymore so he rents it out.”

“I can see why.” Bailey says while coming downstairs, braiding her hair, “It’s a secluded area with a private beach and it’s an hour's drive to the city of Piltover. If you want a peaceful vacation, it’s the perfect spot.”

“RRAAHH!” Sophie springs up from behind the couch, making you all scream in fright, “Where no one can hear you scream!” You accidentally knock over your water when you flinch and Terry’s spoon goes flying out of her hand.

“Sophie, what the hell?!” You shout, hurriedly grabbing paper towels to dry up the water you spilled. She laughs as you all try to calm your racing heartbeats.

“How long have you been sitting back there?!” Gia hits her on the shoulder, “You could have given me a heart attack!”

“BOO!” Sophia jumps out, making Gia shriek while the rest of you burst out laughing. You knew that when it came to pranking people, the twins never did anything without each other. Gia was the newer addition to the group, so she was easier to pick on. It helped that she was the jumpiest out of your friends and a prime target. But, Gia could give it back and that’s how she got into your group in the first place. She had pranked the twins by putting clear nail polish over their pencil tips so they couldn’t write after they switched hers out of a fake one. You welcomed her with open arms.

“Gotcha!” The twins giggle before heading to the fridge for a snack.

“So, exploring first thing in the morning?” Terry asks.

“You bet!” You grin.

A few days go by and you’re absolutely in love with the area. The villa was at the edge of the shore with a large saltwater pool that the ocean fed into. You and the girls spent time exploring the beach and shoreline on the first day, checking out the tide pools and taking pictures. The goal was to get the pictures out of the way first so you didn’t have to worry about it. On the second day, the girls wanted to work on their tans so you joined them to soak up the sun. You didn’t want to worry about any burns so you made sure to put on sunscreen. You were surprised Bailey decided to lay in the sun, but it was nice to enjoy. Then came the day you’ve all been excited about.

“Last one in the water has to wash tonight's dishes!” Terry shouts and makes a break for the water.

“Hey! No fair!” You shout, running after her while the rest of the girls complain. You laugh as you run into the water, squealing at the cold temperature, and dive underneath. The cold water is refreshing on a hot day like this so you didn’t mind that your nipples were making themselves known. You gaze around at your friends, watching them shiver at the temperature with wide grins on their faces.

“Who was the last one in?” Sophia calls out.

“It was Sophie!” Terry laughs, “She tripped on the way down.”

“You’re not supposed to tell them that!” Sophie gasps, splashing her.

“Well, I did!” Terry splashes her back but gets Gia too.

“Oh, it’s on!” Gia grins. You all end up splashing around, laughing as you try to dodge each other and get saltwater out of your eyes. At some point, Bailey jumps on you and dunks you under the water. Your startled flailing ends up with you accidentally pulling the tie on her bikini top. Bailey lets you up as she yelps and hurriedly ties her top back on. You sputter as you wipe the water off of your face and blink at your friend’s devious smile.

“Uhhh, hiya Bailey.” You say nervously.

“Hiya, Y/n!” Bailey chirps, “Nice strings you got there.” She motions to your bikini top. You two stare at each other for a moment before she lunges at you. You shriek and try to run away from her in the water. The other girls laugh as you dodge Bailey’s hands, only to gasp as you feel your top come undone. You whirl around to see Terry grinning at you, holding your bikini top in her hand.

“Terry?!” You laugh in shock, “Give it back!”

“Come get it!” Terry giggles and starts backing away from you. Little did she know that Sophia was behind her. You watch with wide eyes as Sophia undoes her top and startles her. A shout from behind you has you whirling around to see Bailey’s top gone and her snatching Sophie’s. A little chaos breaks out as Sophia and Gia get chased before their tops are yanked off.

“We’re lucky this is a private beach!” Gia laughs, laying back and letting her body float with the waves.

“I will say that this is relaxing.” Bailey sinks into the water so it reaches up to her shoulders, “It’s nice to be in the waves. I fucking love the beach.”

“Me too.” You all chorus, deciding to embrace the fact that you’re topless. You had tied your bikini top to your bottoms so you wouldn’t lose them, so you weren’t worried about it. You stand around and talk with the girls before you feel something brush against your leg. You jump up with a squeal and stumble away from where you were standing.

“What happened?” Sophie turns to you, “Are you okay?” They look at you in concern and you nod your head, brushing your hand against your thigh where you felt something. ‘Wait.’ You pause, running your hand over it again before you groan in aggravation.

“I thought I felt something touch me, but turns out it was my bikini top floating away.” You sigh. ‘It was an old bikini but that’s so annoying. I could have sworn I tied it tightly.’

“Nooo!” The girls gasp.

“Did you bring enough?” Bailey frowns.

“Yeah, I did.” You nod, “I guess I could swim naked if I have to, but I have enough.”

“Ooooh, we should do that in the pool one night!” Terry claps her hands together, “A bottle of wine, some music, candles…”

“I’m down!” Sophia chirps. You agree and make a plan to do it on Wednesday night. That way you could go into the city and pick out a nice wine, maybe get a local dish to try out. You were craving sushi and Piltover made the best in the world so you added that to the list.

The next night you were laying in bed with a book in your hands. The day was spent back out in the water - with your tops on this time - before Gia decided it’d be hilarious to untie Terry’s bottoms. You were smug that your bottoms didn’t have any ties until your friends were ganging up on you. You laughed and shrieked, kicking your legs at them when Gia grabbed you. Your friend group was a little crazy, but that’s what happens when you meet in college. You got really close to each other so doing things like this wasn’t off limits, but only when it was in certain situations. The six of you ran around like crazy in the water, pushing each other around before deciding to see who could swim out to the edge of the rock and back. You were exhausted when you came back inside so you showered and got cozy.

It was raining outside and gave you the perfect atmosphere to relax. You could hear the girls laughing out in the living room as the room you chose was right next to it. It had a sliding door that lead out to the pool and you nabbed it for that reason. You wanted to be able to go out and swim without waking up the other girls since the rest of the rooms are upstairs. Sophie had wanted it too so you flipped a coin for it and won. She pouted when you won and went upstairs with the rest of the girls.

With a yawn, you decide it’s time to go to sleep. You get up from the bed to put your book on the counter, shout goodnight to the other girls, and reach up to turn out the light when you notice something. ‘Did I forget to close the screen door all the way when I went outside earlier?’ You furrow your brow, trying to remember if you did. You groan, getting out of bed and making sure to close and lock it. While you were in a private area, it made you feel weird not having it locked at night.

In the morning, while picking out an outfit to wear into the city, you noticed that the panties you had worn the past few days weren’t in the bag you keep them in. Confused, you search through your things for them but can’t find them. You shake your head and decide to worry about it later before throwing your clothes on and heading out. In the city, you got to enjoy a wide variety of the local cuisine and flirted with a few cute girls. You made the drive back to the villa, skipping inside to get ready to go out into the water. Since you’d be skinny dipping in the pool later, you wanted to swim around while the sun was out.

“You should wear the thong swimsuit!” Terry shouts as you head for your room, “Go ass out!”

“Are you going to take the picture for me?!” You shout back.

“Hell yeah!” Terry confirms and you grin to yourself. So you put on your thong one-piece and head off with Terry to take pictures. She stands in the water while you climb onto the rocks to get a better perspective. You’re instructed on how to pose, doing various amounts before you decide to pose in a way that completely shows your ass. As you’re moving down the rocks, you freeze as you feel something wrap around your upper thighs and over your butt.

“Y/n, don’t move!” You hear Terry say in a rush, “It’s just an octopus! It was probably hiding in the rocks and it got curious as to what you are! If you relax it’ll let go on its own.” You look down and sure enough, there are brown tentacles - matching the color of the rock - stuck to your body. You tense as they wander over your lower half, a weird mix of a slippery yet velvety feel and the suction cups stick to your skin. A low heat ignites between your legs, making your thighs twitch and you’re embarrassed by your body’s reaction. You blush fiercely when you hear Terry snap a picture as your ass gets squeezed and you’re appalled at the situation. ‘I am not in this position right now. I am not.’

“You did not just take a picture!” You question in shock, turning your head to look at your friend.

“The girls aren’t going to believe me! Besides, don’t you want the memory?” She laughs.

“OW!” You yelp, jolting as one of the suction cups tightly tugs on your skin, “Ow, ow, ow, ow! What the fuck!” You gasp, struggling as your skin is pinched. Your hands clutch the rock because if you try to tear the suckers off it’ll hurt more than it does now.

“Y/n! Don’t struggle, it’s only going to grab tighter!”

“I’d like for you to stay still in this position!” You huff, suffering through the pinching until the octopus finally lets you go. You sigh in relief and immediately get off of the rock, grabbing Terry by the arm and dragging her back to the house. She teased you the whole way there, your cheeks heating up, especially when she pointed out the round red marks all over your thighs and butt. You wanted to sneak into your room, but remembered that the sliding door is locked. So you prepare yourself for your friends’ reactions as you step into the house.

“Y/n got groped by an octopus!” Terry shouts as you walk inside.

“Terry!” You whine, “Why are you so mean to me?!”

“That’s what happens when you’re best friends.” Terry winks at you.

“What?!”

“No way, that didn’t happen!”

“Where’s your proof?!” After some back and forth, you begrudgingly turn around and the girls freak out. The marks on you are perfectly round and someone mentions that they look similar to hickeys, which makes you blush even more. You go through the pictures that were taken and can’t help but laugh at the one with the tentacles on you. If you didn’t know any better, it would have looked staged from how oddly… stylized it appears. As your embarrassment cools, you get excited about skinny dipping and even up laughing about what happened. It was hilarious that you were the one to get the wild interaction when the others were the ones who actively swam around there.

“Let’s get naaaked!” Bailey shouts, grabbing the wine while Gia grabs the glasses. You giggle and slip into your room to take your clothes off, tossing them into a pile on the floor to worry about later. Unlocking the sliding door, you slip through and step down into the pool. By you, an area of the pool is hidden by seven feet of wall to allow privacy before it’s the door into the living room. You wade over to the girls and a glass of wine is shoved into your hands. You weren’t much of a drinker, so the most you’d be doing is holding it until Sophia took it.

There was music playing, bottles of wine emptying, and a charcuterie board floating around as you talked. You swim around without a care, not having to worry about bumping into a fish or stepping on something. What happened earlier is pushed to the back of your mind as you talk about what to do for your last few days. The conversation dissolved into giggles and random topics as the wine set in and you cracked up as Terry almost dropped her glass into the pool. The others get tired before you since you’re not drinking and decide to go to bed. You wave them off, saying that you’re going to continue swimming and they bid you goodnight.

With a dreamy sigh, you fall back into the water and let your body float. In the pool, you didn’t have to worry about floating away so you were content to close your eyes. The sound of the waves was all that you could hear and you love it. ‘I’m so happy we’re here for a few more days. This vacation was more than needed after last semester. Maybe I’ll see if I can go on a date with Angie. She told me that she’s interested, and I’m into her a little. I don’t know much about her outside of her major, though.’ You feel the water shift underneath you right before something starts wrapping around your body. Your eyes snap open, a scream bubbling in your throat before a tentacle slithers around your neck and chokes you. You’re yanked backward until your back collides with something and a hand covers your mouth.

“Shhh calm down.” A husky voice whispers as you struggle, “I’m going to let you go, but if you scream I’ll choke you again.” Dark blue tentacles rise out of the water, one loosely wrapping around your throat and you furiously nod your head. ‘What the fuck is going on?!’ You scream to yourself in fear.

“Good girl.” The hand is removed from your mouth and you shakily turn around as the tentacles’ hold on you loosens. Your eyes widen when you make eye contact with a topless woman. Your gaze goes down her body, taking in her appearance and you make a noise in the back of your throat when you see that the tentacles are attached to her.

“W-What are you?” You stutter out. ‘She’s not human. What is she? Are these tentacles really attached to her?’ The fear was being edged out by curiosity. There’s a creature in front of you that you’ve never heard of before, and she was - quite frankly - beautiful. You swallow, watching her muscles flex as she reaches out to grab your chin.

“The humans refer to me as a Cecaelia or a Sea Demon.” She lifts you out of the water enough to expose your chest, her eyes focused on it, “You know I’ve seen so many breasts but yours are my favorite.” You squeak as her large hands cup your breasts and she starts playing with them.

“H-Hey, you can’t-” You yelp as she pitches your nipples.

“I couldn’t help myself earlier when you came out into the water showing yourself off like that.” She smirks, you feel tentacles move over your ass and squeeze it, “Such a soft-looking ass on a beauty like you.” Even in the water you can feel their soft, velvety texture and it has your mind flashing back to earlier.

“You’re the octopus that grabbed me?” Your eyes widen, heat rising to your cheeks as a low burning starts between your legs. You didn’t know if you should be relieved that it wasn’t a real octopus or mortified. Because an innocent curious animal is easier to rationalize, but an intelligent half-human creature? ‘Wait, it was on purpose? So she knew what she was doing?! Why does that turn me on?’

“I was.” She chuckles, turning you around and wrapping her arms around your waist, “I wanted to do a lot more than that, but you had a friend. You seemed to like it though, didn’t you? And, I wouldn’t lie. Or you might miss out on what I have to offer you.”

“I-” Your words falter as her tentacles tighten around your thighs, making the burning worse,“I-I mean- I like it- Liked it! But-”

“But what?” She purrs, her hands rubbing your hips, “You liked feeling my tentacles on you like that? Like this?” You inhale sharply as a tentacle rubs against your slit. ‘Oh my God, why am I so into this?’ They twine around your body, soft yet thick muscle moving to get a reaction out of you. A reaction she was getting as your breathing picks up and you struggle to respond to her.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” She taunts you, “Is this too much for you? Are you already so turned on by my tentacles doing this?”

“Y-Yeah…” You breathe out, a bit shocked you’re even admitting it. You were horny and curious about how it’d feel if she fucked you with them. From the way she was speaking, that’s what she intended on doing.

“Good.” She says, before the tentacle rubbing your slit pushes into you. You part your lips to moan but another tentacle enters your mouth as you do. It’s slick and salty on your tongue, pushing to the back of your mouth as you gag around it, “I can’t have you waking up those friends of yours. Besides, those pretty lips of yours were just calling me.”

The Cecaelia uses her tentacles to fuck you, thrusting down your throat and into your pussy. The suckers along the tentacles rubbed against your silky walls and provided a sensation you’ve never felt before. It made your legs tremble as it rubbed against your g-spot. Her hands found their way back to your breasts and she groped them, murmuring in your ear that your body is perfect to wrap her tentacles around.

You couldn’t say anything in response, her tentacle fucking your throat keeping you quiet. You were incredibly horny from this and enjoying it. You never thought that you’d be thinking that way at all, but she was fucking you dumb. The thoughts in your head vanished as you came and she continued to drill you with her tentacles.

“You’re my favorite human I’ve had the pleasure of fucking.” She hums, making you cum a third time, “Silco’s good at providing me with women to keep me entertained. I admit I’ve taken more from you than I have my other toys. I should stop before I break you, hm?” She pulls the tentacle from your mouth, saliva coating your lips as your incoherent babbling is now audible. Her tentacle thrusts into you roughly, forcing you to cum a fourth time before she stops.

“Come out like this tomorrow night and I’ll fuck your pretty little brains out.” She smirks, her silver eyes showing her satisfaction at your near listless state, “I might have to steal you away, human.”

[lovemebutleavemewild]

Leave it to the land - Chapter 3.

The world has ended, it's over—except some people can't seem to accept that. Those same people think the cure lies in people like you and your little sister. And they're willing to do anything to find it.

The road to safety is a long one, and you're about to learn that it isn't one you can walk alone.

Read it on ao3.

Tag list: @elentiyaiswriting

You manage to stay awake for most of the night, although you're sure you start to doze at some stage.

You spend most of the time going over what happened on the fire escape and cursing yourself. You'd always been afraid of heights but this time, you'd gone completely to pieces. And in front of Ghost, of all people. You were trying to make these men your allies, while making it clear that you wouldn't take anyone messing with you or Dot.

Hard to take someone seriously when they can't even climb a ladder, you think to yourself bitterly.

All in all, you've had better mornings and you're grumpy as you try to scrounge together some breakfast for yourself and Dot. Soap and Ghost each have those ready meals you've seen soldiers eat. You have one protein bar left and give her the bigger half. It's actually a few months out of date but you can't really afford to stick your nose up so you decide to chance it.

After you've all eaten, you stand around kind of awkwardly, not sure what to say or do.

Eventually Soap glances at Ghost and clears his throat.

“So, we've decided to take ye’ up on yer deal.” Your heart leaps. He holds up a finger.

“On the condition that you give us the general location we're going.” He sees you open your mouth and continues before you can start. “It's the only way we can plot the best route.”

You shut your mouth and scowl.

“How do you know I don't already know the best route?”

Soap scoffs.

“If you did, you wouldn't still be here.”

Your scowl deepens.

“I know how to get out—it's just doing it that's hard. We're a little low on weapons, in case you haven't noticed.”

Of course they've noticed, you think, and once again you've pointed out how vulnerable you are, as if it weren't obvious.

You don’t even know why you’re arguing. You should be delighted at this turn of events. You've got two obviously skilled soldiers willing to accompany you to meet Kyle. And they're friends of his. This is exactly what you'd been hoping for. And yet, now that the offer is on the table, you're having doubts.

There's nothing to say they're telling the truth about being friends with Kyle. They recognised his patch, sure, but they could have picked up that information from somewhere else. You could be leading a trap right to him.

Another thing: you can't stay awake around them every night—you're already feeling the effects of not sleeping the night before. Doing this would mean trusting them enough to let your guard down, at least a little, and you’re not sure you can do that.

But then you look at Dot and remember the last few months of trying to find enough to eat, close encounters with tier fives, and government sentries and bounty hunters who wouldn't hesitate for a second to hand you back to the research centre.

Your little sister has an almost permanent pinched look on her face like she's spent every moment of the last few months afraid. You know you can't go on like this for much longer, either of you.

Which means you don't have a choice.

Soap produces a paper map and you use it to point out the direction you'll need to go.

“So we're leaving now then?” You're feeling antsy and want to move. The dead have wandered off during the night, but you know they won't have gone far.

“Soon,” Soap assures you. “We just need to make a stop first.”

“A stop?” you ask suspiciously. “A stop where?”

“Safehouse. Like the one Kyle told you about.” You must look confused because he goes on.

“We each know about a few of the safehouses, not all of ‘em. We’re not sure where the one Kyle showed you is but the one I’m on aboot isn’t far from here”

“How many-”

“That's enough.” You startle and look at Ghost but he's glaring at Soap, who shrugs.

“Why do we need to go there?” You ask.

“We'll need more ammo and they might be able to get us transport to the edge of the city.”

You have to admit that's tempting. You consider asking who “they” are but one look at Ghost’s tense stature tells you it won’t do any good. So with the increasingly familiar feeling of not having any choice in the matter, you agree.

Your trip through the city is quiet in the early morning. You naturally take up your positions from before, with Soap leading the way, you and Dot walking behind him, and Ghost bringing up the rear.

You find yourself missing Dot’s voice. She usually kept up a quiet but constant chatter while you walked, but she's barely said a word the last few days. You get it—you find Ghost and Soap scary enough, you can't imagine how much worse that is for a little kid. You see her glancing at Ghost’s mask sometimes, then quickly away.

You silently take her hand in yours as you walk. She still doesn't say anything but you feel her squeeze your hand hard.

After some time, Soap holds up clenched fist, and you hear Ghost come to a stop. A second later you feel something touch your elbow and flinch away.

Ghost holds up a placating hand, then points to a building up ahead.

“This is us. When we go in, let us do the talking.”

You nod. Your patience for meeting new people is at breaking point anyway.

You pull Dot closer to you as the four of you move into an alleyway.

Soap knocks on a door, which opens almost immediately. You hear him talking quietly to someone, jerking his head back at you and Dot. You start to feel uncomfortable and you're about to say something when the door opens fully and Soap gestures you inside.

The room is small and dim. The person inside is wearing a mask, much like Ghost’s, but plain. Soap and Ghost stand close to them and talk some more, while you hang awkwardly behind them, Dot tucked behind you.

Eventually Soap turns to you.

“We'll be back in a few minutes. You stay here.”

Now, you are going to argue—splitting up and leaving you with an, almost definitely armed stranger, was not part of the plan, but Soap and Ghost are already gone.

You consider pulling out your knife but resist the urge, instead just keeping a wary eye on the person in the mask, who has stayed behind and is now watching you without speaking.

You take a seat and settle in for what turns out to be a long wait. Your leg shakes nervously and you make an effort to sit still.

A sudden noise from a walkie on the table makes you startle. The person in the mask picks it up and talks into it for a few seconds.

Then they leave, giving you a long look before they go.

You wait for another while, until almost half an hour has passed, getting more and more antsy by the minute.

After you've chewed through most of your fingernails, you make a decision. You kneel down to look at Dot.

“I just want to have a quick look around, okay?” When she starts to shake her head, you put a hand to her hair and shush her.

“Just to see if everything is okay, in case something’s holding them up. 10 minutes top, okay?”

When she nods reluctantly, you press a quick kiss to her forehead.

You keep her behind you, letting her hold the back of your shirt so you can keep your hands free.

The corridor outside is surprisingly bright compared to the dim room you just left. There are a few doors along it but you don’t open them, scared to attract attention. At the end of the hall, there are a few doors with glass panes—you make a beeline for these instead.

Peering into the first, you jerk your head back when you realise there are people inside. You look again, more carefully. A woman wearing gloves is drawing blood from a man’s arm. You duck underneath the door and make your way to the next room.

What you see there is familiar, even if the set up is a little different. There are different sized items of glassware sitting on a bench. Some of them are filled with liquid. Petri dishes are laid out under some microscopes and a computer monitor is set up, though the tiny text is too far away for you to read from outside. It doesn’t matter. You know what this is.

It’s a lab.

Your breath starts coming a little faster. Idiot, you think to yourself. You’d spent so long trying to get out of the facility and now you've walked right back into one. Soap and Ghost have clearly led you right into a trap. They were probably negotiating their price for the pair of you right now.

Well, whatever experiments they're running here, you want nothing to do with it, for you or Dot.

“Come on, Dot,” you whisper, and hurry back along the hall, still half bent so you can't be spotted through the glass topped doors.

You get back to the room and immediately go to the door leading to the alley, only to find it locked. You whirl around and start looking for a key but the room is almost completely empty, apart from the chairs you'd just vacated.

You go back to the door into the hallway, and yank it open, determined to find either a key or something to batter the door down, only to walk straight into something solid.

You bounce back like you've hit a brick wall and look up. You've just walked straight into Ghost. He makes no move to steady you and just stares.

“Going somewhere?” he asks you, folding his arms over his chest.

You swallow, mouth dry and back up, sweeping Dot behind you with one arm. As if it'll do you any good.

You barely notice Soap enter the room. He looks at you, frozen, half crouched in front of Dot, arms spread protectively, then at Ghost, raising his eyebrows.

“Alrigh’?" he asks, glancing between you both. Neither of you answer and he shakes his head.

“Grand, so. You guys ready?”

You blink at him.

“Ready?”

“Uh … yeah? We're all stocked up and we were able to get a car with half a tank—should be enough to get us to the edge of the city. We can find our own way from there.”

“And what did that cost?” There's a hard edge to your voice that makes Soap cock his head at you. He must think you're a fucking idiot. A fair appraisal considering your behaviour so far, but you're done trusting them now, Kyle or no Kyle. If these guys are involved with the research centre, you need to put as much space between you and them as possible. But if they’ve sold you out, why is Soap still keeping up the act?

You remember what Ghost said about the other safehouses. Maybe they've been hired to take you to another lab for testing, with you following them, docile as lambs to slaughter.

“It's paid for, doll, no worries.”

Well, if they think you're dumb enough to go along with whatever they have planned, maybe it's best you go along with it. After all, you still need a way out of the city and you're not getting out of this building without them.

“Right, let's go then.”

Soap nods, and you realise the person from before is back. They let you out onto the street again. They still don’t speak and the sound of the door closing and locking behind you is loud in the quiet.

The car is in an underground garage, which is locked until Soap says something into another intercom and the roller door trundles open.

The engine stutters for a few seconds when Soap turns the keys but eventually roars to life. Ghost gets shotgun so you take the backseat with Dot, who peers out the window, wide-eyed. She won't remember the last time she'd been in a car, you realise. So many things you'd taken for granted in your old life are still novel to her.

The drive is quiet and you spend the time making your own plan.

As long as Soap and Ghost think you trust them, you have leverage. You'll get as far as you can with them, then make a break with Dot. How you'll do that remains to be seen but you'll have to figure that out later. Having some idea of what you’re going to do doesn’t help you relax much but the toil of the day and the lack of sleep from the night before finally catch up to you and you find yourself dozing.

You wake to Dot shaking your arm. The car has stopped and the landscape has changed. You're close to the edge of the city now and in front of you, a forest stretches further than you can see.

“Just about out of petrol,” Soap tells the car at large. “We’ll hide the car for the guys to come collect, but we're on foot from here. Let's try and get going while we've still got a few hours of sunlight left.”

[andreafmn]

12 Days of Ficmas - Day 11

Prompt (by @12-days-of-ficmas): someone answered my daughter’s ‘dear santa’ letter and it’s actually super sweet how kind they’re being

Word Count: 3.1K

Story Description: It's hard being a single mom, especially during Christmas when all you wanna do is give your child a day to remember. But Ellie, (Y/N)'s daughter writes a letter for Santa that somehow falls into the hands of an Avenger.

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bruce Banner x Female!SingleMom!Reader

A/N: Back to not being caught up, but life happens 😅🫣 anywho, Merry Christmas everyone!! Thank you for following along with my stories, it truly has made my year 💖💖

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Dear Santa

Christmas was a hard time for many people. (Y/N) being one of them.

Though she loved her daughter more than anything in the world, it was tough being a single mother. During the holiday of giving there were certain expectations to provide your child with a day to remember. And although she did the best she could every year, she always felt like it wasn’t enough.

It was hard being by herself and doing everything in her power to provide for her daughter. She worked as much as she could without missing important moments with her daughter, Ellie. It was hard but she had managed it for six years already.

“Alright, dude, ready to make your list for Santa?” (Y/N) asked her daughter, sitting down next to her on the floor. “We can make it really pretty.”

“But I don’t want you to see this one, mommy,” the girl said covering the paper. “This one goes straight to the North Pole.”

“Okay, baby. I won’t peek.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, dude,” she laughed. “I promise I won’t look at this one. But I need to at least know what you’ll be asking for Christmas; cause I have to consult with Santa what the budget is.”

“I know, mommy,” Ellie smiled.  “Now, go! I gotta finish this.”

“Geez, you’re pushy today. But, fine. I’ll go to the kitchen and bake some brownies just for me, then.”

“That’s not fair! You have to share.”

“I’ll consider it,” she laughed. “Finish your letters and then we’ll talk.”

(Y/N) left her daughter for the kitchen, watching how she lost herself writing. She uncapped markers and pens, sharpened colored pencils, and brought out the crayons. She did everything to make this the best letter to Santa she had ever written.

Curiosity peaked in the woman as her daughter put her whole energy into the piece of paper in front of her. But she had promised the girl that the letter would remain between Ellie and Santa, and she meant to keep that promise. It would simply get lost in the sea of letters to the North Pole that would never reach the imaginary old man dressed in red.

The next morning, before dropping the girl off at school, they stopped at a blue mailbox. The little girl excitedly dropped both letters into the receptacle and went on with their day, thinking nothing would come out of the secret letter.

At least she had been able to see the one with her list. A couple of dolls, a couple of cars, a science kit, and other things (Y/N) could simply not afford yet. She would work as much overtime as she could at her job and hoped the Christmas bonus at the office would be enough to make rent and have left over for the presents.

A week later – after completely forgetting about the secret letter – (Y/N) was looking at her mail when a bright red envelope caught her attention. The letter was embossed in gold and the penmanship seemed expensive. Nothing she would receive from any of her friends or her family.

It was addressed to her and her daughter, which struck her as odd. Especially since there was no return address on the letter. Taking a knife, she sliced the top of the envelope open, pulling out a thick cardstock invitation from inside and a smaller envelope addressed only to Ellie.

On one side, it simply read:

You are invited to the

Avengers Winter Soiree

December 24th at 7 o’clock

at Avenger’s Tower

Dress Code | Formal

On the other side, in a handwritten font:

 A town car will be around to pick you and your daughter up at 6:30 pm on the 24th

(Y/N) didn’t understand how this invitation got to her, or even why. It wasn’t like she had entered a contest or met any of the members of the team. Receiving that letter was quite a peculiarity. But Ellie seemed to know exactly why they were the recipients of the letter.

“It was Santa, mommy!” Ellie exclaimed after reading the letter that was just for her. “We’re gonna meet the Avengers! Look. Look!”

The girl waved the piece of paper around as she ran to her mother to show her the letter written with the same lettering behind the invitation. Excitement overflowed from the child as she waited for her mother to finish the card that read,

Dear Ellie, I would like to let you know that we got your letter for Santa. It seems some envelopes got mixed up in the mail, and we just so happened to get yours in our mail. But, don’t worry! We had a talk with Santa and he said it was okay for us to help him with it. That’s why you and your mom were invited to the Christmas party in the Avengers Tower. You’re gonna be able to tour places no one is allowed in, join us in the lab, and be able to spend some time with the Avengers. We truly hope you are both able to join us on that day and that you enjoy your Christmas with us! Hope to see you soon, Bruce Banner Merry Christmas!

It was a heartwarming letter and it made her eyes well up with tears. The response was kind and completely out of the blue. And it made the woman all that more curious as to what her daughter had asked Santa for.

They were both excited about the party for the rest of the week, giddy to finally meet the valued heroes of New York. When the night came, (Y/N) and Ellie got clothed in their new dresses. The woman did both of their hair, put a bit of makeup on Ellie upon her request, and did her own.

Waiting for the clock to hit six-thirty was excruciating, their excitement too high to let them sit still. They were minutes away from the most sensational night of their lives, and they still could not believe it. Luck didn’t normally change for people like them.

As soon as the clock shifted into those awaited for three numbers, a knock rang out through the small apartment. The sound made Ellie jump to her feet, her sky-blue dress bouncing as she got up. The girl pulled at her mother’s arm, beckoning for her to move faster.

With a chuckle, (Y/N) gathered her things – keys, phone, purse, and coats. She turned off the lights in the apartment, making sure everything was off and their home would be there when they came back.

“Ready to go, dude?” 

“Yes!” Ellie screamed. “Let’s go!” 

On the other side of the door, they were met with a man in an all-black suit. He had a kind smile as a perfect accessory to his outfit, a pin with the Avengers’ symbol on his lapel.

“Ms. (Y/L/N?” he asked before she confirmed with a nod. “Well, my name is Lucas Miller and I’m here to escort you to the Avengers’ Tower.” 

“I’m Ellie,” the girl chimed in.

“Hello, Ellie,” he smiled. “Are you both ready to go?”

“Yes,” they chorused.

Mother and daughter followed Lucas out of the building and into a black town car. Inside, he told them they could help themselves to any food or drink that was in the back. But they were both too nervous to take anything. It was the nicest car they had ever been in, and they had no idea what to do with themselves.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the heart and soul of New York and park right in front of the tall tower where the world’s mightiest heroes resided. Rare was the time that the duo came into the city, and each time they did they were reminded of why people gravitated so much to the place.

Especially in the wintertime, New York City was a sight to behold. In between the white blanket of snow that always rested on the pavement, the lights and decorations made the whole grandeur of the city seem even bigger. For the time being, they were lucky to call that place home.

Lucas directed them both into the building and to the last floor.

“Well, this is where I’ll leave you,” he announced. “Just stay put and someone will be out to greet you in just a second. Have fun, and Merry Christmas.” 

“Thank you, Lucas,” (Y/N) responded. “Merry Christmas.” 

The man disappeared into the elevator, out of sight until the next day when he came to take them home. After the elevator dinged, the big doors in front of them opened, and a man walked out.

(Y/N) recognized him instantly. She had seen him in the news, rarely, but she had. He had been the same man to respond to her daughter’s letter.

“Hi,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Bruce.” 

“(Y/N),” she smiled, taking his hand in hers. “Nice to meet you.” 

“And you must be Ellie,” Bruce directed himself to the girl. “We’ve all been very excited to finally meet you.”

“Can we see the labs?” the girl burst.

“Dude, manners,” (Y/N) reprimanded her daughter in whispers.

“That’s quite alright,” he chuckled. “I can tell you’re excited. So, why don’t we go on a tour of the place first?” 

The pair followed the man as he directed them through the place. Bedrooms, kitchen, training rooms, med bay, and simply any place that Ellie was simply not interested in – and she made that known many times. The girl wanted to rush through every spot that wasn’t their research lab, so all she did was peak in as Bruce talked and moved onto the next thing.

When they finally made their way to the labs, Ellie’s face lit up brighter than the city that doesn’t sleep. She stared in amazement as Bruce explained what every machine was for, the type of research he did there every day, and the things they had already accomplished with said research.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at her daughter as she spoke to the man about things she could barely comprehend. The girl went on and on with questions the woman had no idea one could have. She was the most excited her mother had ever seen — going to museums was the second closest. It was the sort of happiness (Y/N) could give her every day.

What did surprise her was Bruce’s attentiveness to Ellie. He was patient with her, listening attentively to everything she said, and making sure she was satisfied with the answers before moving on to the next thing. When his attention wasn’t on Ellie, he would turn to (Y/N) and try to explain in simpler words what they were speaking of, making sure she felt part of the conversation.

Bruce was charming. Quiet, but very charming. There was something about him that made it easy to gravitate toward him. It did help that he was easy on the eyes, (Y/N) thought. But it was the fact that he was being so kind that made him the most attractive.

After being in the labs for over an hour, the three of them moved to where the Christmas party was in full swing. It was a small enough gathering. (Y/N) was able to point out the most known heroes quickly, some of the others were hazy but she knew their faces.

“Hey, Ellie,” Bruce said as he motioned for the kids in attendance to come closer. “Why don’t you play with the kids? These are Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel. Guys, this is Ellie.”

Quickly, the kids ran off to play whatever it was they could, falling into a friendship as only children could. It was heartwarming how easily her daughter fit in, her happiness the only thing the mother cared for.

The man introduced the woman to the group, going around the room and making sure everyone knew who she was. (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel a mixture of intimidation and awe. She was sharing the same space with people that saved lives whilst she wasted away in an office. Yet they all seemed… normal. When they spoke to her she felt she was their peer rather than a random civilian.

After an hour of socializing in a group, Bruce and she were left by themselves as everyone carried on in their own conversations. He ordered a drink for them both as they stood at the bar, chatting with each other.

“So, I’m still wondering,” (Y/N) started as she took a sip of her glass. “Why were we picked to come here? I don’t see anyone else here that had no connection to the avengers. So, why us?”

“Well, what I told Ellie in the letter was true,” he responded staring down at his glass, too nervous to look her in the face. “Her letter did get mixed up with our mail. When I read it, I just felt the need to reach out. Have you not read it?”

“Ellie didn’t want me to read it, actually,” (Y/N) chuckled. “Said it was a secret between her and Santa. I promised her I wouldn’t read it, so I didn’t. And, somehow, now we’re sharing a space with the people that have saved the world a couple of times now. So, it had to be a hell of a letter.”

“Would you like to read it?” Bruce finally looked into her eyes, staring at the glimmer that was in them.

She was an attractive woman, that he could admit. But what intimidated him was her kindness. Ellie had made sure to paint her mother in a beautiful light in her letter. And though, mostly, he invited them to the party to fulfill Ellie’s wish, he also wanted to meet the mother of such a bright girl.

“I-I shouldn’t,” she stammered. “I promised her I wouldn’t. But you could tell me the gist of it. That’s a loophole, right?”

“Mostly she spoke about you. She said she had the most kind, hardworking, loving mother in the world,” he started as a dark red hue washed over her. “Ellie wrote that she knew how hard you tried to give her the best life you could. That being by yourself was hard, but you never put that on her – always trying to appear strong so she doesn’t know when you’re struggling. But she does.

She sees the nights you don’t sleep, the things you renounce for yourself so you can give to her. So, she asked for a Christmas when you didn’t have to stress over that. She said she wanted at least one day where you could feel as special as you made her.

And she said she really wanted to see the labs in the tower one day and learn about everything we – or rather I – did here. You have a very loving and bright kid, (Y/N). You should be proud.”

“Oh, I am,” she said as she wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. (Y/N) took Bruce’s hand in hers. “Thank you for this, Bruce, truly. It’s been hard being just the two of us, but somehow we’ve made it work.”

“To be perfectly transparent, her letter made me want to meet you. It was so genuine that I couldn’t help but be curious as to who had raised such a smart young girl.”

“Are you saying you had ulterior motives, Mr. Banner?” she teased. “That you didn’t do this out of the pure kindness of your heart?”

“W-well, y-you know,” he struggled to speak. Though he had started the flirting, he had never thought she would reciprocate.

“I’m only teasing, Bruce. I am actually glad I got to meet you,” she smiled. “If I am being perfectly honest, you are my favorite Avenger.” 

A look was exchanged between them, one that made everyone stare at them. It was no secret that Bruce lacked in the socializing department, but he had been very adamant to invite this seemingly random woman to their Christmas party.  

“Kiss her!” Thor yelled out, faking a cough.

 “Make a move, Banner!” Steve joined in.” 

“If you won’t,” Tony said passing behind them. “I will.” 

“Stop it, guys,” Natasha chimed in. “You know he’s a slow burner.” 

As everyone chuckled, Bruce guided (Y/N) out onto the balcony. As soon as the cold air hit them, he took off his blazer, draping it over her shoulders to cover her from the weather. Their hands brushed for a split second, and they felt it. A spark. Unlike when she had laid a comforting hand on him when he told her about the content of her daughter’s letter, this was purely done randomly.

“So, your favorite avenger?” Bruce smiled, breaking the silence. “I think you mean the Hulk is your favorite.”

“Nope. Dr. Bruce Banner is,” (Y/N) corrected, wearing the same teasing smile he did. “Ellie and I are fans of what happens behind the scenes rather than the fights. It takes a different kind of strength.”

“Well, I’m always happy to meet my fans,” he chuckled. “Although, I think you’re hurting the big guy’s pride.”

“Thankfully, I’m not interested in the big guy. But I am interested in a 5’9,” brown-haired, brown-eyed man with a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics.”

“You’ve really done your research,” he smiled proudly.

“I told you, me and my daughter are big fans of yours.”

He took a second to respond, staring deeply into her (Y/E/C) eyes, before he asked, “Would you like to be my dare to our New Year’s Party?” he blurted. “Obviously with Ellie, of course.”

“Only if you take me on a date without Ellie.”

“I think I could swing that,” he chuckled.

(Y/N) couldn’t wait any longer and stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Bruce’s lips. After getting over being startled, he kissed back. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him. She could feel his warmth even in this weather and she wanted more.

“What was that for?” he asked pulling away out of breath.

“Well, didn’t have time to get you a Christmas present as a thanks for this invitation,” she grinned. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“As far as I know, this is the best Christmas present I’ve gotten.”

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[levmada]

ok this has been bothering me for ages and i wanna talk about it but no one i know irl wants to hear me rant about levi so here i am

so here's my question: can levi read???

like, there probably weren't any books around when he was little, right? do you think kuchel would have managed to get a pen and paper to teach him how to read/write or was she too focused on keeping them both alive? did kenny teach him? can KENNY read? how high are the illiteracy rates in AoT? could furlan or isabel have taught him? did erwin teach him or was levi too stubborn to admit it to him? maybe hange taught him? i mean, i bet all the commanding officers have to know how to read and write, but have we ever seen levi read anything??? i'm so curious to hear your headcanons (also sorry for the million questions lol)

i AM a doctorate holder of aot lore i am happy to answer.

tldr: yes levi can read.

the underground is like. the pinnacle of poverty. you would NOT have any scholars or ppl of even minimal education down there bc EVERYONE is simply trying to stay alive. like they don’t even have sunlight. reading and education doesn’t even appear on the average citizen’s list of priorities.

similarly, i doubt kuchel could even afford proper toys for levi to play with. not even a cradle for when he was a baby, unless the other women chipped in as an act of kindness maybe. more likely he had woodchips or beads from old jewelry… or maybe some of his babysitters or kuchel let him do their makeup and vice versa okay im getting off track

seeing how kenny got aboveground, and w his later role as captain of the secret MP squad, he probably learned how to read and write at some point. it can be deduced that kenny and kuchel also grew up underground, so they probably didn’t get schooling themselves either.

(i mean grandpa ackerman is KENNY’S grandfather. so for three generations at least, levi’s portion of the ackerman family has been underground after fleeing persecution. where mikasa’s side fled to the countryside. i’m getting off track again.)

kenny had gone aboveground by the time he found levi. maybe he did know by that point, but it would’ve been pointless to teach levi since that had nothing to do with survival. i think it’s more likely he taught levi the bare minimum of bookkeeping / math tho. the basics.

seeing how aot is set in a standard medieval setting, there is an obvious division of class from nobles to farmers and menial labor jobs, etc. becoming a soldier is encouraged as far as the garrison and MP are concerned even. so there’s no way literacy rates (as far as before they found the sea and technology drastically changed) are high at all. below average. i feel like it’s a privilege to know how to read or write, and if you live in Sina you’re much more likely to learn than if you lived in rural wall Maria for example.

isabel and furlan were born in the underground too. it seems like furlan would be good with numbers and record keeping (they ran a criminal enterprise after all), but i don’t think any of them had any literacy.

it’s canon now that erwin taught levi things (in a previous post i made i referenced the source) and specifically classroom stuff levi didn’t understand. so: reading and writing included. that said i don’t think levi trusted hange enough to admit it to them or ask for help at that point.

if you rank as at least a squad leader, reading and writing has to be mandatory. levi is the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT officer so he must know how (like i said, it’s canon erwin taught him). at least once levi was promoted to squad leader. anyway lmao we’ve seen levi read lots of stuff like the newspaper and wanted poster in s3p1 with the drawing of his face + opening the book in the basement in s3p2. in s4p2 in the forest, he read the report from the two messenger scouts. actually as early as the ilse langar(?spelling) ova, when they discovered her body, i think he took out the journal and opened it before hange so. yes definitely.

[timeoverload]

I haven't had much to say lately. I go through the same routine pretty much every week. I feel like I am repeating myself over and over. I'm not very exciting. I also figured it's probably best if I stay quiet if I don't have anything positive to say. I don't like complaining all the time. I have been tired and grumpy and I haven't been sleeping enough. I have been doing my best not to project how I'm feeling because I don't want to bother anyone.

Typing is sort of difficult for me right now. I can't tell if my arthritis is flaring up or if I'm developing cubital tunnel syndrome. My right hand and arm hurt really bad right now. It's making it hard for me to get a grip on things. My ring finger and pinky are tingling. My ulnar nerve moves more than it's supposed to and gets trapped sometimes. My elbow snaps a lot when I bend it and it's loud. It has always been an issue for me but I try to deal with it. I don't think the weather is helping. I am going to do my best to ignore it and hopefully it will go away soon. I am doing everything I can to avoid going to the doctor for a while.

I have been busy as usual. My work-load has increased a lot but it always does this time of year. A new eye doctor started recently so I have had a lot more cases than usual. The past few days have been very stressful because we have been installing a new computer system at work and I don't think we prepared enough for it. I have mixed feelings about it. It has changed the way I do my job in some ways. We had been using the same system since I started so it has been a tough change for me. I'm used to having to scan instruments into the autoclaves and stuff but a lot of our documentation was still done on paper and now most of our records will be digital. There used to be a batch sheet that would print out when we would load the autoclaves that would list everything that was in there but now we have to get on the computer to check which can be inconvenient if someone needs that information quickly. I can't just print labels for my cataract pans at the beginning of the day so now I have to do each one individually and it makes it difficult to keep track of which doctor I should be setting up for. Surprisingly I didn't make any mistakes today so I guess that was nice. I understand that the new system is better for tracking and saves paper but it's still annoying and takes more time. I'm glad I'm a fast learner and I know how to use it already but it will still take some time to get used to.

I am happy that I have been able to have some peace in the morning this week since the morning team lead is on vacation. That probably sounds bad but I know that he would have been stressed out if he was at work this week and it's hard to be around him when he's like that. Everyone else has been in a bad mood as it is so I don't need any more drama right now. One of the girls in my department was really upset about something earlier and then she snapped at me when I asked her if she was ok. I didn't do anything to warrant that kind of response. I was just concerned. I am trying not to take it personally but I'm not going to go out of my way to talk to her if she's going to be like that.

I'm a little frustrated because I'm on probation for sick days again and I got a verbal warning so I can't call in for a while. I also don't have any PTO. I don't want to get written up so I'm trying to avoid that. I can't afford to lose my bonus this year because I have so many bills I need to pay right now. I have been having trouble managing my finances as it is.

Maxwell, I really would like to come see you before the 17th but I don't think I am going to be able to. I don't want you to be upset with me. I don't want to wait that long either because I miss you and it's making me sad. I really hate the way things are at the moment but I know it won't always be like this. I wish I could make you happy right now. I'm sorry.

I wish I felt like I had more control over my life. I hope that someday I can get my shit together. I want to be responsible. I don't understand how other people can balance everything without falling apart. I am trying not to complain about stuff but I can't help it.

Overall I suppose this week has been ok despite the circumstances. The schedule tomorrow looks bad for me but I will try to make it a good day anyway. I'm looking forward to the weekend even though I will likely spend most of it in bed trying to feel better. I need to stop typing and give my arm a break for a while because it's starting to bother me a lot. I will probably be up late again because I still have stuff I need to do tonight. I'm going to do my best to get things done quickly so that I can relax for a while before I go to bed.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow. I appreciate the nice messages because they make me feel better when I'm down. Thank you all for caring and listening to me. 💖💖💖

[willhauldumpsterrental]

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[oldsalempost-blog]

The Old Salem Post

Our  Local Tamassee-Salem SC Area News each Monday except holidays                                          Contact: theoldsalempost@gmail.com                              Distributed to local businesses, town hall, library.                                               Volume 7 Issue 27                                                                                                  Week of July 17, 2023                https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/oldsalempost-blog                                                         Lynne Martin Publishing

EDITOR: **WGOG reports this morning that tonight at 6pm in the  Oconee County School Administrative Building on Pine Street Walhalla the 5 year plan is being presented.  I will reiterate that if you care at all about trying to prevent our Tamassee-Salem Elementary school from closing and consolidating with Keowee Elementary,  now is the time to gather the masses, show up  and speak out. LRMartin  

Town of SALEM:  Need Softball and Soccer players!  Need Soccer ages  6 and under and 14 and under.  Softball players ages 8 and under and 12 and under.   Sign up at the Salem Town Hall.  944-2819  

Recreation Department:  Adult coed Softball game,  July 29.  Register and Pay at 5:30pm at the ballfield.

Jottings from Jeannie:   Miz Jeannie Reporting from Our Nation's Capitol Out of town visits afford me the opportunity to relax with a gigantic SUNDAY PAPER.  First, I turn to The Washington Post's creative obituaries.  A 66 year old "dearly departed" had composed a letter to her  friends offering  appreciation and  advice.    Her letter satisfied this reader in ways that the traditional list of colleges and kudos cannot.  I never met Anna, but after reading her letter,  I declare that I am one of Anna's friends, too.  The second obit reported on the scholarly accomplishments of Dr. Randall Mensch, DDS. The last sentence declared:  "Always remember to brush your teeth in a circular  motion!"  News to Me! Haven't you ALWAYS been taught to go up and down?  Give circular brushing a try.  Dr. M's wise contribution to earthlings' dental health, leaves me to ponder:  Everyone should leave a brief, important bit of advice for the rest of us plodding along in the world of MUD and CIRCUMSTANCE.  When the sweet chariot swings down for me, my parting shot will be: If you want to win an argument, pile up a bunch of  statements to prove your point: First of all, Secondly, In addition, Moreover, Furthermore...  And when you get to the end,  clinch the argument by boldly stating CONSEQUENTLY.

JOCASSEE VALLEY BREWING COMPANY,(JVBC) & COFFEE SHOP 13412 N Hwy 11 Open  Wed–Sat-Sat 8am-9pm. Sun: 12pm-7pm.  Events this week: Wing Wed with Wing Wagon 5pm and the Blue Grass Jam 6:30pm  Thurs: Food: KISS MY ASADA 5pm and Palmetto Trail Talk 6:30pm. Fri– Food: Chocs BBQ at 5pm  Music: Jaguar4 at 6:30pm.  Sat–Food: IRON PIG Music: Owen Grooms & Timber 6:30pm.  Sun: Food: IRON PIG 12pm-7pm   Music:  Ageless Acoustic  4pm.      Coffee shop features Pisgah Coffee Roasters and Dough-Dough pastries. 864-873-0048                                                 Book Club: Our July book is A Time For Mercy by John Grisham and we will meet on July 19th at Jocassee Valley Brewing Company at 10:00am. I look forward to seeing you all there for our usual lively book discussion.  

Recycle Tip for the Cage beside Pat’s Cash & Carry:  Please bag  your Clean Aluminum cans in  plastic bags before tossing into the recycle container for ease of removal.  All those loose cans have to be placed in bags for the nonprofit assigned to the project.  OPUS Trust is managing the project at present.  Thank you to the Burgess family.  Also if you see illegal dumping at this site or anywhere in the county please report immediately to the Oconee County Sheriff’s office at 864-638-4111 or 864-638-4112 or 864-638-4113.  Take a picture of the tag number if possible or a description of the vehicle.  The litter officer will prosecute offenders.                                                                                Conservation Corner:  Landowners are the only true stewards who have the power to make a difference in the protection of special places.  Conservation groups worked with landowners around the Isaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel areas to protect those surrounding areas from development and prevented closure of those beloved parks to the public.   Landowners can prevent sprawl!  Choose to protect the gift you are privileged to own,  Be a source and a leader for change…To Be Coninued ...E Martin          

DAR SCHOOL STUDENT FROM 1942-46 RECALLS EXPERIENCES - - (Sixteenth Installment of Pauline Kelley Cannon's Memoir). . .There were 25 of us to graduate in 1946. Mr. and Mrs. Dupree wrote a song that included all of our names and was sung to the tune of "The Man on the Flying Trapeze." I wish I had saved a copy of their song but I didn't. But I have written my own version of it from memory, and here it is:. . ."Our class was once happy but now we're so sad. We soon will be leaving all the fun that we had. We launched on a journey, our fortunes to seek. Oh, please wish us good luck today. . .There's Doris and Nettie and Virginia, Bobby and Geraldine and Joe, Verner, Faye, Inez and Christine, Janie, Pauline and Ernest, also. . .We worked and we played, it's hard to believe, The time passed so quickly, and now there's a need, To finish our studies and pass every test, Tamassee we owe you our best. . .There's Agnes and Hoyt and Andrew, Virginia and Marjorie and Ruth, Elizabeth, Willie, Kate and Benny, Doug, Helen and Ruby Nell. . .How the years have flown by, graduation is here, We must leave Tamassee, the place we hold so dear. May God bless our lives as we go separate ways, To Him we give Glory and Praise". . .CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

 EAGLES NEST ART CENTER , 501c3, 4 Eagle Lane, Salem  DHEC kitchen available & rentals                                                                                                                      

TALENT SHOWCASE:  August 12th.  This will be a fun evening to show off your talents on stage.  Please sign up by July 30th.  Please call 864-944-2490  or email eaglesnestartcenter@gmail.com.  All ages welcomed!  

SONGS of the COWBOY Trail- Aug. 19th, 7pm– A Tribute benefitting ENAC.  Jef Wilson sings the songs of Gene Autry, Bob Wills, Cowboy Copas and others. $10 or Cowboy Dinner & Show $20.

CLASS REUNION:  The T-S Class of 1978  is having their 45th Class Reunion at ENAC, Friday, July 28, 6pm-8pm. We are inviting former classmates, faculty and staff to stop by to share memories and a covered dish meal together.

SAVE THE DATEs:  Sept 16th, 7pm next Oconee Mountain Opry,  Oct 7th, 4pm-8pm Alumni Fall Gathering.  Oct 14th 7pm Elvis Returns!    See our eaglesnestartcenter.org website for more details and follow our posted events.  

                                    CHURCH NEWS                                                                   Salem Methodist Church:  Community Women’s Bible Study each Monday morning, 10am in the Fellowship Hall.

TAMASSEE DAR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM:  Sign up beginning July 3 for the Tamassee DAR Afterschool program that begins August 3.  Call 864-944-1390   for more details.  

Dial 988 for Mental Health or Suicide Crisis.  Call the Hotline by dialing 988.    Millions have been helped.  Prayer: Father, When we do not know what to pray for or how to begin, let us start by saying “Lord, Help Me!”

Scripture: Isaiah 33:17 it says, “Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.”

Thank you Lord, for walking with us daily, for showing us your beauty before us, reminding us of your ever Presence!

Happy Birthday to Gavin!  LM                        

[printerydubai]

What Are Printing Services' Benefits?

Amateur printers have a variety of drawbacks, such as poor print quality, delayed turnaround, and expensive market prices. Office printers are a convenient tool for light deskwork. But, you should rely on skilled printing specialist co-ops if you need to print thousands or even millions of sheets of paper. They assist you in doing the task fast and competently. This article outlines the benefits of working with professionals in case you are still on the fence about using one for all of your print media requirements.

The convenience is assured

Printing services, as opposed to inexperienced printers, promise convenience. This can take many different forms, including open communication and fast responses.They will provide you with all the information you require regarding your project and their progress to date. Also, they will inform you of their completion and shipping dates for the materials. This information is crucial to your customers and the day-to-day operations of your organization. The finest part is that your printed papers are delivered exactly on time according to the turnaround time that was set. There is no greater peace of mind than knowing that the person you entrusted with the delivery of print media is going to deliver. This is something that amateur printers cannot guarantee you. They can fail even at the last minute. You can try Printery Dubai for flyer printing Dubai to deliver the project on time.

High quality

Businesses that provide printing services carry out their work using sophisticated and cutting-edge machinery. You may therefore anticipate high-quality and reliable print media for your brand. For any brand, quality and consistency are essential since they differentiate you from your rivals in the market. Your clients may perceive a lack of seriousness from you if your print materials are of poor quality. If you do not make any investments in high-quality print media, customers will find it difficult to believe in your goods and services. To protect the reputation of your brand, only choose the best and don't skimp on quality. We provide the best quality of business cards Dubai.

Different Materials

They produce a wide range of printed goods, including brochure printing Dubai, magazines, business cards, banners, and promotional items. By doing this, you can avoid wasting time and effort driving about looking for amateurs for a variety of tasks. The finest part is that great care was taken to ensure accuracy and uniformity in printing all of these items. This will provide brand coherence across all of your print media. You can see how this would be unprofessional if each of these goods came in a different brand colour. Printery Dubai offer a variety of custom gift box that perfect for anyone on your list.

Lower Costs

This is more affordable when compared to the large range of print media products that printing companies create. Because there is usually a discount on buying in quantity, purchasing print media will save you money. By doing this, the printer will also purchase raw materials in large quantities and will therefore receive a discount from their suppliers. You benefit from this discounting since it trickles down to you and allows you to save money for other crucial aspects of managing the business. Also, purchasing in quantity results in free delivery to your location, saving you a significant sum of money that cannot be achieved when using amateur printers. Printery Dubai offer high qaulity of video brochures at an affordable prices.

[inkcartridgesireland]

Factors to think about before purchasing printer toner

Wouldn't it be wonderful to work in a paperless environment? Unfortunately, if you prefer holding a piece of paper in your hand or if the document is required by law, there are still times when you must print it.

If you don't think it through carefully, choosing your printer could be a choice that results in frustration, unnecessary costs, and decreased productivity. Being one of the best sellers of Canon toners, we come across printers daily. So, we've simplified choosing the right printer by listing some factors you should consider before purchasing.

1. Laser or inkjet

Consider the type of ink you want to use, even though there isn't a huge price difference. Choose a print for which toners and ink cartridges are easily available. And they are suited to your budget. It's also important to find out if you can refill the ink cartridges and purchase third-party ink for your printer.

2. How many features are you looking for?

Some businesses are content with a printer and copier, while others might prefer an all-in-one printer that can print, fax, scan, and copy. Look through to see what your office frequently uses and what kind of equipment is already in place. For instance, you don't need a printer/scanner if you already have one. 

3. Picture calibre

When you print images, consider your needs. Are you a writing firm that only needs to print text, or are you a design firm that needs to print in high quality to show their clients rough drafts of work? It would be unfortunate to need high-quality images but have a poor printer. And sometimes, having bad quality HP toners on your HP printer can also ruin the job. So, keep in mind to buy authorized ones only. 

4. Printing rate

Consider how much paper you plan to print. The more you require, the more likely you desire a faster printer. We've all waited impatiently as a printer produced a document slowly. It isn't very pleasant. Print speed will be a key consideration in your purchase choice if you print a lot, especially documents with many pages.

Pages per minute are used to measure printer speed (PPM). Pages of text and pages of images will print at various PPM rates depending on the printer. However, you frequently only see one PPM rating when inspecting a box in a store. It describes the number of pages of black text that the printer can print in a minute.

5. Interconnection

It would help if you asked yourself these questions to determine which connections you require:

Do you care about wireless connections, or are you completely uninterested?

Would a standard computer connection suffice, or do you prefer to     print from your mobile device?

What location will you use for printing?

What devices will you use to print?

Some models do, however, also provide Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. While Wi-Fi and cloud storage enables you to print documents remotely while you're away from home, Bluetooth is excellent for printing from nearby mobile devices.

6. Paper management

You will need to buy particular printers for the job depending on the paper you want. A different printer is required for someone who wants to print primarily on cardstock and photo paper as opposed to someone who wants to print on plain white paper. Don't forget to consider the desired paper sizes. Don't buy an inadequate one if you need to print on larger pieces of paper. And make sure that only quality Lexmark toners are used with the printers for the right output.

7. Workplace size

You should get a portable printer if you primarily conduct business while travelling with a laptop. Otherwise, you can easily afford a larger one if you have some extra space and depending on print quality.

8. Other operating expenses

Consider the brand of cartridges you want to use in addition to ink cartridges. Although purchasing refillable cartridges could result in some financial savings, letting the ink run out completely could harm your printer. Consider the cost and energy consumption in case your printer malfunctions. Especially if you are using Canon or HP printers, you must only trust authorized sellers for Canon toners & HP toners.

9. Desktop, portable, or compact?

There are now numerous compact versions of printers available if you're looking for one that will fit in a small space. The scanner and copier functionality may have to be sacrificed, but it's still a good choice for infrequent users.

Some devices may be noticeably larger because they aren't made for domestic usage and are typically marketed to small businesses. Remember that technology should be attractive; avoid purchasing items that clash with your surroundings. And not every agency can help you with Lexmark toners for portable printers. So make sure you have the right toner sourcing beforehand. 

We want to save as much paper as you do. But, if we can't ignore the printing, we better save the paper from wrong and rough printing. And for that, you should trust Ink Cartridges Ireland, which has the best toners that don't spill the ink and always serve the best quality. 

[shamimahammedz]

591lab vs Spoto Which is better?

Exams can be stressful, but proper preparation with study materials can help you manage your stress and show your best self. There are many techniques and resources to help you get the most out of your exam preparation. This is the purchase of study materials or exam materials from various providers. If you are considering purchasing school supplies, be careful when buying or disposing of school supplies. Now let's talk about the top two learning material providers, 591lab and Spoto.

591lab

591Lab specializes in famous examination certifications and expert certification examination coaching services. They offer customers the entire schooling essential to gain the first-rate outcomes of their respective control and IT profession certifications. They have a large listing of the most reliable and glad clients that backs up all of our claims.

591lab has some of the best certified instructors in China, both of whom are certified professionals.

591lab firmly believes that customer satisfaction is the hallmark of our service.

591lab makes your certification process complex and complex. Enjoy online from the comfort of your own home.

of his 591lab instructors and staff help candidates pass his PMP, CISA, CISM, CISSP, Cisco, and Huawei certification exams.

Why do you choose 591lab?

Reliable

We are a technical training company, yet a value-driven institution. We treat our customers like family and wish them every success. At 591Lab, we strive to prove our excellence and strive to make every customer successful. We have a long list of satisfied customers and the numbers are proof of that!

Quality

Our website provides a one-stop solution for all current popular IT vendor and management certification exams in the market, including but not limited to CCNA-CCNP-CCIE, PMP, CISA, CISM, CISSP, and CRISC. increase. it provides. We work closely with the best trainers/institutions in mainland China and abroad to provide accurate and up-to-date solutions. Whatever you want to achieve regarding your career goals, our experts will guide you every step of the way.

Peace of Mind

We provide up-to-date online training materials to give you an edge over all other candidates. We offer you the opportunity to lead your colleagues with a big difference. 591Lab has the best instructors, teachers, trainers, and partners to provide our customers with the best training and help them pass their certification exams easily. Sign up now to see what we have to offer.

Spoto

SPOTO is a technical team with 17 years of experience in IT certification exam training and reference materials such as study guides, Q&As, practice tests, and more. He specializes in Cisco CCNA, CCNP, CCNP DevNet, CCDE, EI, CompTIA+, PMP, NPDP, ACP, Microsoft, Huawei, Redhat, Linux, Oracle, Aruba, F5, CWNA, Palo Alto Certification Practice Exams.

An organization of skilled experts involves his SPOTO to present your wish of passing those checks on the primary try. We agree that when very well making ready our materials, we are able to have a deep knowledge of the applicable understanding points.

591Lab vs Spoto: Core difference

591lab

591Lab Provides training, guidelines, study materials, and practice test services.

591Lab has learning materials for a variety of specialized courses.

591Lab is focused on helping people achieve excellent test results through training, practice tests, and lab internships. The

591Lab has practical laboratory testing capabilities.

Customer support is top-notch. They are improving their service regularly

591lab provides materials for UpToDate

Spoto

Spoto affords a Question paper that may be an absolutely unethical manner to skip an exam.

Spoto has the simplest CCIE

Spoto specializes in presenting dumps, probably questions papers, etc.

Spoto has now no longer any competencies of presenting sensible lab take-a-look-at support.

Spoto is attempting to offer UpToDate substances however they're some distance at the back of the often up-to-date practices.

[galleyjaguar7]

What Does 14 Best Work Order Software in 2022 Mean?

Therefore you’re looking for the greatest job order software program? What's it out there for and what's your experience along with it? What's it out certainly there for? In this post, we'll explain our encounters along with a married couple of apps (Hex or the iPhone) you could be using and how they influence you – whether you're on a strict finances, working from residence, or merely like you're in affection with software application. As your production ability and amenities grow, so performs your demand for maintenance control. What you are delivering are going to be an sign of your capability to comply with your demands. Along with your new company, you are going to be offered the adaptability to manage your location and to help make your brand-new consumer solution course (DSHAP) your facility of company. Along with your service increasing, you are going to be provided the flexibility to manage your facility and to produce your brand-new consumer company program (DSHAP) your facility of company. Inevitably, every amenities has actually to help make a choice. The only method to make the many of it, after all, is through performing the right trait. And when one of those decisions takes place to be yours, you receive to choose how it ought to be made. When will we be told that our money must go to one of the companies that has a legitimate risk in assisting deal with for fair tax plan that will definitely protect against unlawful immigrants and refugees coming from getting in our nation? That decision is to aid their dedicated upkeep division along with management software application. The brand-new technology allows IT supervisors to build and maintain staffs by immediately making software bodies that have their work in front of them during the course of building of particular structures. They can right now utilize the device to automate the method of program and building and construction of the entire area with the objective of at some point setting up some of the work directly from the create itself.

Otherwise recognized as a job order program. This has actually to be positioned within of a program's executable. For a job order program, you will definitely really want to placed them all within the app, for better report quality, or else you could crack them. Some job purchase apps consist of precomputed files, while other courses may be produced by systems themselves, so that if you generate a paper in the documentation pecking order, you have to placed every report in there certainly straight at the origin. Companies that function along with huge and massive assets and tools mayn’t afford down time. Most importantly, their employees are taught to make sure connection and efficient business methods. This implies they are required to work in a extremely useful corporate environment, with a high possibility of breakdown, and to work in the feeling of their consumers. The capacity to manage huge and complex enterprises requires a emphasis on development, development and client company. In simple fact, also program business need to have to be functioning consistently to receive the required customer contentment. The brand-new government's brand-new campaign, the Clean Energy and Conservation Fund (CTFW), helps make sense, as it will definitely aid to deal with climate improvement once the federal government finally authorize off on weather targets. It also produces sense that a authorities that's actually committed to putting emissions listed below what the nation has created for years and has not done anything to take care of the complication have to function right now to obtain these objectives. If something breaks down, you mayn’t hang around for email notices with routine maintenance jobs. Currently you can easily see notices for an existing setup. And through supporting automated screen, the system is not merely keeping track of updates, but is checking everything. Along with Mailbox right now, there would be no requirement to put up your software program or hook up to a cloud company. All you have to include is a Google deal with and a couple of choices. You require a mobile phone job purchase program system that instantly delegates the activity to a servicing group. It's like a "manufacturing facility" as you can easilyn't see or pay attention to your customers. It's a great deal much easier to generate a device that may carry out points outside your management. The option listed below is to use a mobile house computerization system that allows you to do everything from another location. Research It Here has presently been in manufacturing with a amount of home hands free operation apps and the business is preparing them for the App Store. After all, velocity to respond is essential. Even a lot more crucial, they must always keep their thoughts in good stead with their activities in the moment, and help make certain it is their best not to squander time when the scenario might phone for it. You need to have to take the opportunity, and that is what an smart representative usually offers in one kind or another. This is especially important because an intelligent broker can help defend your family members or the family members member that you most likely are in danger.

[cycleslime1]

New Arrow Rests for 2021 Can Be Fun For Everyone

January 07, 2022 Through Jace Bauserman The big information in the arrowhead rest sector carries on to be how modern-day remainder — drop-away and repaired — are placed to the head’s riser. A basic level part on a lengthy center was made use of to figure out resting posture through matching up two other items of paper along the axis to determine the span coming from the principal body system to the arrowhead. Berger opening mounting is going by the wayside. This has actually to hang around for someone someplace along with a respectable degree of experience to happen get our part of work on that particular part and say something regarding what we could've carried out much better. If you do, we can take it and help make it a lot better. To take what work we can and utilize it to better provide people. This is another means to see the firm that we work with. It's easy to shed passion in a company. The Integrate Mounting System makes it possible for the customer to mount numerous rests via a dovetail layout machined directly right into the spine of the riser. The important gap is reduced through palm before the mount is put in in the major framework. Click Here For Additional Info enables for a a lot more strong and reputable function. The Integrate Mounting System integrates a dual-layered layout to achieve a even more total installing system while also raising the preciseness of a sound positioning surface area including screws, rails and screws. This concept assures safeguard rest mounting, structured preciseness, and maximum tunability. The D-Nissan's D-Nissan's D/Nissan-exclusive back air vents are adjustable for a number of various make use of and features, consisting of sky bagbing to optimize air flow and make the most of the comfort of our body systems. From all-mountain and mud air bed mattress to mud air bed mattress, we've accommodated everything coming from mud sky pads to mud sky beds along with sturdy materials. Right here are some leading rest choices for 2022. Q: What are the best 15 most profitable sporting activities teams in the 2017 NCAA Power rank? A: It's hard to say. The Big Ten and ACC were one of the leading 20 the past 13 years, but you additionally possess to bear in mind the Big 12 was a little bit much smaller before that's going to become affordable once again. Huge Ten subscription is quite sizable today -- the seminar produces up 9 per-cent of its total subscription but not all. QAD UltraRest Incorporate XS For 2022, QAD proceeds to blow away by including a new model to its uber-successful UltraRest Integrate series. With a new high-resolution touchscreen with an all-new different colors tire, the XS Ultrasound provides new levels of management at a much reduced price.". ―TechCrunch TechCrunch As part of the procurement of Lenovo, LG has announced three brand new products and campaign this past September.

Like its precursor, this modern and portable rest gets rid of the going-by-the-wayside Berger opening and makes it possible for the customer to mount the remainder to the Integrate Mounting System, which fastens the remainder to the back face of the bow's riser. Once separated coming from the head, you can store the bolt in spot while you remove it. The Integrate Mounting System allows the recessed rest face to be switched out along with a replacement body system for usage along with the C-5. This accessory guarantees correct leveling and locks the remainder securely in location with its two-part latching unit. Each device gives 10-17mm wide x 4mm deeper screws for effortless setup. The screws have been extensively checked for premium and match the project perfectly. For information on shipping price click listed below For added particulars on shipping expenses click below For assistance with installment please get in touch with the vendor directly with inquiries or responses. Parallel and vertical modifications are a breeze, and the friction-feel individuals get when producing adjustments makes certain accuracy and zero slop. The little, instinctive switches on the left and right button between various different colors and brightness settings. The sizable and modern layout creates the new USB energy slot an excellent style option for the consumer's notebook and an added bonus: it assists asking for much faster than typical power cord and provides the option of demanding USB out of the package through pressing the power button. Filled with the very same fantastic UltraRest features QAD enthusiasts yearn for, this rest is created in the USA and happens in at a really good rate. Along with a large and steady sell and a strict fitting physical body, you can easily established this up for the ultimate in convenience in under 3-5 hrs of usage. With a attractive finish, reduced servicing product (plastic fibreglass and nickel), the rest is incredibly nice and you can also add a little of color and experience in your hands. $199.99 | qadinc.com QAD UltraRest HDX Nock On QAD lifts the shroud on its all-new UltraRest HDX Nock On in a new relationship along with weapon tale John Dudley. Created just to be held in every pocket or wallet for security and comfort, the quadrangle quadrangle features a dual-density, aluminum framework that sustains up to two massive responsibility structures in a backpack that's geared up along with one singular swivel. Developed to operate along with all compounds, this brand new drop-away offers shooters a remainder that not simply looks fantastic but creates bow arrangement and tuning a doddle. Created in USA, this makes its technique from South American to International countries. Featured with every gun at Gun Shop! Our really very own Jeff and I Jeff and I shoot numerous semi-automatic rifles, guns, shotguns, shotguns, attack rifles made in the US, along with one gun being all the rage. Of course, it has proven, tried-and-true QAD features like Lock-Down Technology, Anti-Vibration Technology, and EZ-Clamp Technology. We've likewise applied it to aid you get started and discover how to make use of it to lock your notebook or drive with higher top quality visual drive. We've also got the fantastic KW-ITX3D, a high preciseness QAD sensing unit that provides you really precise picture functionality. $144.95-$169.95 | qadinc.com RipCord Drive IMS A trusted title in the drop-away remainder sector, Ripcord’s 2021 rest wonder, the Drive, is back for 2022, but like all RipCord rests, is right now readily available along with the Integrate Mounting System.

[snehaleenakashe-blog]

Things You Should Consider Before Investing In Real-Estate

Things You Should Consider Before Investing In Real-Estate

Many dreams of owning a home, but buying a house can also turn into a nightmare if proper procedures are not followed. In current times, investing in real estate is one of the best investments if you pick the right properties. The building of an asset such as a property costs a lot of money, so a poor investment decision can have a profound effect on your financial health.

As a result, you need to be careful at every step of the process. We have compiled an extensive checklist that will help you avoid any pitfalls during the home buying process. Here are some things you should know before investing in real estate, from determining a price to why you should hire a broker.

Make Use Of A Reputable Realtor

We all know that realtors take a share of a home’s sale price, which makes some buyers wary of using one since they feel it raises the entire cost. Keep in mind that the commission is paid by the vendor, not the customer. A knowledgeable realtor who works for you can safeguard your interests and help you through the whole purchase process, from price negotiations to house inspections.

Organize your Finances

If you want to buy a parcel of land or a standalone house, the down payment will be substantial. To guarantee that you are on the correct road, it is recommended that you manage your finances before commencing your home search. It is simpler to obtain a house loan for the purpose of purchasing an apartment, but the procedure requires a lot of documents and other formalities. It’s advisable to speak with a loan officer to have a good sense of the loan you’re eligible for, the interest rate, and the list of essential property papers.

The Major Points of Connectivity

One of the most important elements to consider when purchasing a home is the location’s connection, particularly from your workplace. Examine how close and easy transportation amenities, such as train stations, bus stops, and fast motorways, are to the property. Because you will be traveling every day, it is unlikely that you will spend hours of your life commuting from home to work and vice versa.

Rentability and Respectability

In the accounting process, the rental and future resale value of a house should be accounted for. It would be best if you considered the future gains you may accrue from the property when you are finalizing the purchase. For this reason, it’s important to know everything about the location where the property is located. A reiki session can be done in the surrounding area to see how the current infrastructure is and to find out if future developments like schools, freeways, hospitals, malls, etc. are in the works. In the long run, it will prove to be beneficial to you by fetching a decent rent or resale value if you wish to do either of these things.

Select a Location

The next item on your home-buying to-do list should be deciding on a suitable location. Property in particular areas proves to be more profitable over time as it appreciates at a rapid rate. However, some areas do not expand as quickly as others, resulting in a property rate that is relatively unchanged. The amount of rent derived is also determined by the location. Many people find it challenging to afford a home in a well-developed neighborhood.

Goodwill

We are still organizing the real-estate sector, as real-estate has become a hard-selling business off late, despite a lot of regulations in place. It is crucial that you do thorough research on the builder’s profile before buying the right property and that you learn as much as you can about the builder’s history. Additionally, you can read reviews from previous clients, as well as check on the developer’s progress on current construction projects. In order to make an informed and safe investment, you will need to investigate the builder’s credibility and reliability.

Stamp Duty and Registration

There is a revelation for those who believe that they must raise funds for only purchasing a house. Registering and paying stamp duty are also required. Stamp duty and registration cost a lot of money. Get a sense of the price range depending on where you intend to buy and what type of property you are looking for. Consider this step as you go through the home buying process.

Conclusion

Buying property or investing in real estate is a big responsibility and it is essential to understand which one suits you. You can find several options and people dealing with the same. It is essential to consider a credible source for your dream place.

With over a decade of experience, Elite Capital provides mortgages (home financing/loans), as well as buying, selling, and leasing of real estate.

[mayraki]

✧ the hotel room - bucky barnes

-> violadvis’ gif

summary: after an awful night with your family the only thing you want to feel is bucky’s body against yours.

masterlist

check out my bucky barnes x oc series let’s play fire with fire

warnings: family members being mean. fights between reader and family. oral (f. receiving), cowgirl, unprotected sex (don’t be silly wrap your willy). if there’s anything else, please, let me know. +18!!

“Did you order the pizza, baby?” You asked the second you walked into the living room. Bucky was sitting on the couch while his fingers were moving around the TV controller, touching every single button to get the movie going. You smiled at his confused face as you sat down next to him, waiting for his answer.

“I can handle a phone or putting a channel on, but a movie?” He said still with his eyes glued to the TV and all the options it was showing as his fingers were pressing more buttons. “I can’t seem to understand it.”

You let out a tiny laugh before taking the controller from his hand to press the button that said ‘back’ and then, when the movie list came back to the screen, you clicked another button to soon see the movie slowly loading to start. “There.”

“You just did that with two buttons, two!” He rested his back on the back of the couch frustrated. “I’ve been sitting here for like fifteen minutes. And yes, I order the pizza. It should come any minute now.”

You let out a tiny smile as your head went towards his chest to rest on it. “To be fair, I haven’t teached you yet how to put a movie on, so is alright if you can’t. It’s hard for you, Buck.”

“I just wanted everything to be ready for you, doll.” He said softly while his cold metal arm was now around your shoulder and his fingers were caressing your cheek, making you feel the coldness of them in your skin.

You locked eyes with him to get closer and leave a little kiss on his lips. Feeling his warm lips you let out a tiny smile enjoying the feeling of it against yours. He grabbed your cheek with his right hand to pull you even closer to him, even if there was no place left. “I think we have a couple of minutes left before the pizza gets here, doll.” Bucky said softly against your lips.

As his eyes were glued to yours, you could noticed the desire in them. You couldn’t blame him, since yours had the same thing in them. “Really?” You asked as a grin escaped your lips. “And what to do think we should do in those minutes we have?”

Without giving you an answer, he let out a smile and quickly, with his strong metal arm, managed to grab your waist and pulled you up to gently place you on his lap, while your two legs ended between his waist. Soon grabbing his cheeks with your hands, you pulled him in for another simple yet hot kiss. You could feel his hands on your waist grabbing them with strength, but then they quickly moved towards your back to touch the skin under your shirt. So, with slow moves you felt how his fingers started to trace your lower back while pulling your shirt up.

While the hotness in your body was growing and the kiss between you and Bucky was getting quicker, without giving him the chance to do something else you started to move your hips slowly against his pants. His hand quickly stopped to break the kiss and look at you with lust in his eyes. “Fuck, doll.” He said almost in a whisper gaining a smile from your lips. But the moment you were about to unite your lips with his once again, the doorbell rang, making you let out a sigh as your head rested on his shoulder.

“I guess it was less than a couple of minutes.” He said the moment you moved from his lap and ended right by his side. He got up while letting the biggest sigh and then walked towards the door as your eyes were following him, admiring every little detail of his body. “Thank you so much, have a good one.” He said with a little smile after giving the delivery guy the money and some tips. Instead of closing the door once the guy was gone, he looked down and stayed put for a second before kneeling down to grab something off the floor. Curious, you lifted your body over the back of the couch to have more sight on him and the floor, so noticing a couple of papers on his hand, you furrowed your eyebrows confused.

“What is that?”

He turned around and closed the door behind him. “I don’t know.” He said confused as he was walking towards the tiny table in front of the couch to leave the pizza on top of it. “Is like some sort of invitation.”

“What? Let me see.” The moment he sat down he handed you the paper. Quickly grabbing it you read the first word on top of the paper thinking that it was some sort of mistake, but as soon as your eyes were finished with that tiny title, your heart sinked to your stomach. “Oh my fucking God.”

“What?” Bucky asked going back to you since he was opening the box of pizza while you were reading. “What is it?”

You closed your eyes letting out a long sigh not wanting to read what was left on the paper. But the moment you felt the invitation leaving your hand, you opened them again.

“The future Mr. and Mrs.” Bucky started reading. “Join us for an engagement party honoring. George and Kimberly.” As soon as he finished he turned to you with his eyebrow furrowed, confused like the first time he saw it. “Do you know these people?”

You slowly nodded tilting your head to the left while your eyes were slowly wondering around the invitation. “George. That’s my little brother.” You pointed at his name in the paper which made Bucky turn to it once again, but then soon went back to you.

“Your brother is engaged?”

“Apparently. I didn’t even know he was with someone.” You shook your head. “But I think me going is not an option. So you can throw it away.” You got closer to the pizza and grabbed a piece. Ready to grab the controller to play the movie, you took your free hand towards it but when you noticed Bucky still reading the invitation, you looked at him. “What?”

“Why aren’t you going?” He asked locking eyes with you. “I mean, I know the story you have with your parents and all, but he’s your brother.”

“I’ll call him later and celebrate it with him and his fiancé alone, I’m not putting up with my parents and my stupid family. Buck, I’m not discussing this, so, c’mon, let’s play the movie.”

After you grabbed the controller and started the movie, Bucky let out a low ‘alright’ and proceeded to grab a piece of pizza to enjoy the movie with you.

After that day, you definitely forgot about the invitation and the party. You moved on by living your life like you did years ago. With your work, your tiny apartment, new friends, and then soon, with your boyfriend Bucky Barnes. Your mind was busy to even give it a tiny second of thought, either way, you already made a decision. You weren’t going.

But even though you tried, the moment that you saw the invitation once again on the tiny table in front of the couch the next night, you stared it for too long as the memories were slowly going back to your mind.

The tears, the screams, the loud fights, the fake relationship to please people. You remembered those days to be the worst years of your life. You being pressured to be someone else just to be the rich happy family your mother always wanted it to be. Your dad with his incredible obsession with his work, that at some point you didn’t even see him for weeks. And then, when he was home, he was either drinking or watching a football game, not even giving five seconds of a attention to the five year old little kid trying to show him a drawing that they made. Then, it came your older brother. He was a nightmare. People always talk about having a older brother as something so fun and memorable, but not with yours. Nothing about him you wanted to remember. Making your childhood a living nightmare, calling you names, breaking your toys, insulting you as you two were growing up but then pretending to be the innocent little boy for mommy when she walked by. He was the spoiled brat you tried to escape since you started to think for yourself.

The only one that managed to make your days better was your little brother, George, the only one you remain with a little relationship the moment you left the house. He was the one more similar to you. Not wanting to be fake just to please the rich families around you, liking to just be chill and watch movies instead of going to fancy parties like your mother insisted. He was your best friend growing up. Even if he was like your twin, he had at least something that went with the family, he liked to work with your dad. That was the only thing that made him survive all those years back in the house. But you didn’t have anything. It broke your heart to leave him when you did, but it had to be done for you to be better and enjoy your life.

So, when you got the chance to leave them, you did. As soon as you turned 18, you grabbed every little saving you had from your job and rented the tiniest apartment you could afford. And from then, you built a family and a life of your own, trying to leave every ugly memory you had from them on the past.

You weren’t going.

You repeated as you sat down on the couch to rest and feel your body relax as it was trying to release everything bad from the day. But when you closed your eyes, the sensation of your phone vibrating in your back pocket made you opened them again. Knowing that it was almost dinner time and Bucky always called you around that time, without reading the name in your screen you answered the call to later bring the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” You said with a smile.

“Hi big sis.” You heard the voice of your little brother on the other side of the phone making you sit up straight as a surprised smile came out of your lips. “Nice to hear you again.”

“Georgie. What- what are you doing calling me?”

“I wanted to say hi, you know, since you’re my big sister and all.” Hearing his voice filled your chest with happiness as the memories of him and you playing around appeared on your mind. You two were just kids... but not anymore.

“You sound like a man, G.” You heard a little laugh coming from him.

“Yeah, well, it got deeper. Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Did you got the invitation for-?”

“Yeah, I did.” You nodded. “Why didn’t you told me you were seeing someone?”

“Y/n, I can ask you the same thing.”

You let out a tiny laugh. “Touché.”

“So...” You could notice the hesitation on his voice. He wanted to ask you something and was looking for the courage to do it. Deep down you knew what it was, but still waited for him to ask it. “Are you coming?”

You let out a tiny sigh and closed your eyes feeling your stomach turn. You hated feeling like that, like you would disappoint your little brother. But you didn’t want to go. “I’m sorry, Georgie. It’s just-”

“You don’t want to see mom, dad or the rest of the family, I get it. I do, believe me.” The hurt on his voice made your heart shatter into pieces. “But- I would love to see you there, Y/n.”

“I know, I know. I suck. But what if I just take you two to a fancy dinner. Just the three of us a week after the party. My treat.”

You let out a tiny proud smile because of your idea, maybe that was going to fix everything, but the moment your heard a sigh coming from his mouth, the smile quickly disappeared. “I would love that, but we leave to Mexico a day after the party because half of her family lives there.”

“How about after?”

“We leave for a year.”

“A year?” You asked softly disappointed. You let your back rest on the back of the couch as you closed your eyes once again. The moment you were about to open your mouth, the front door opening cut you off. Bucky walk into the apartment holding bags of food and a little smile on his face.

You turned away from him as you heard your brother speak again. “Can you come, Y/n?” He asked with the same tone you did seconds ago. As soon as a little sigh came out of your mouth Bucky sat down by your side and left a gentle kiss on your cheek. But noticing the strange look on your face, soon furrowed his eyebrows and mouthed ‘who’s that?’ but you didn’t answered, you just stayed silent not knowing what to say next. “I would love for her to know my big sister, I know she would like you, a lot. And I know you would too.”

“I love you too much, you know that?” You said after letting out a long sigh.

“Is that a yes?” He asked excited. Noticing this, you let out a little smile and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m going.”

“Y/n! Oh my god, I’m gonna see you. This is amazing. I love you sis!” As soon as a laugh came out of your mouth Bucky took his right hand and placed it on your thigh to gently caress it. You did the same and took your hand towards his, resting it on top to wrap your fingers together. “Maybe you can bring that boyfriend of yours, too.”

“Oh,” you locked eyes with him with the intention to say that he wasn’t available, not wanting him to deal with your family, but instead you shrugged your shoulders and let out a softly: “Maybe.”

The moment you ended the call Bucky got closer to your face with a little smile still placed on his lips. He looked down to yours as you bit your lower lip, looking straight to the desire on his eyes. “Hi.” He let out almost on a whisper.

“Hi.”

He ended the space and united his lips with yours to feel that warm sensation against your skin. His hand now on your cheek made the kiss even deeper but before it could lead to something else, he broke the kiss and without moving further away from you, asked: “Alright, who is the person you love too much and where are you going?”

You let out a tiny laugh hearing his jealousy tone but with a little bit of joke in it. Grabbing his cheek to caress it with your thumb you looked down to his lips but quickly went back to his eyes, melting under his sight immediately. “My little brother, and I guess I’m going to the engagement party.”

“You are? I thought you said you didn’t want to.”

“I’m going because of my brother, that’s it.” He nodded before giving you another simple kiss on your lips before getting up to get the food he brought. As you were following his every move with your eyes, you bit your lower lip wondering if you should tell him about what George told you.

Inviting Bucky to the party meant him finally meeting your entire family. Meeting the people that once made you feel miserable and have the worst years of your life. Who knows what could happen? Maybe nothing, maybe a lot. But you did know one thing, if you were going to deal with your family the entire night you definitely needed Bucky by your side.

>>>

“This sucks.” You said letting your head rest on the back of your sit by Bucky’s side as he was driving the car. You felt his hand touch your thigh which lead you to slightly tilt your head towards him.

“You looo beautiful tonigh, doll.” He said softly giving you a quick look. Inevitable, you let out a smile as your were biting your lower lip. The way this man made you feel was incredible, making you feel the best of things even on the worst moments. “It’s gonna go fast, I promise.”

“I hope so.” As soon as you said those words the giant hotel building covered in bright lights appeared in front of you. Fancy people walking up the big and long stair while smiles where plastered on their faces. Some women even had white gloves on their hands, the men were wearing expensive suits, that made you smell the old and extra fancy perfume from your car.

Bucky handed the keys to the man working as the valet and then quickly walked closer to you while you were getting out of the car. The dark green dress you were wearing quickly fall towards your knees the moment your feet touched the ground. It started to move along the wind as well as your hair making you feel a little bit chilly, but the moment Bucky touched your waist to start walking and you felt his body next to yours, it all immediately started to fade away.

As you were slowly walking the steps up to the front door you could feel your heart beating faster. Even if you didn’t want to feel nervous to not make the night worst, seeing all those people being fancy like you remembered when you were a kid made you bring all those awful memories back. You let out a long breath the second you noticed you were next to step into the building.

Unintentionally, as you were waiting you looked inside the hotel to check if anyone you recognised was in your sight. But luckily, nobody that you knew was there. Just old rich people talking and having drinks in the reception.

“I didn’t know your family was this rich.” Bucky said softly by your side while his eyes were wondering around the big hotel. You nodded but before you could let anything out it was your time to say your name to enter the party.

“Y/n Y/l/n.” You said with a little smile to the man with a suit standing outside the front door and it didn’t took him long to find your name and nodding with a smile. Seeing him move to the side you started walking towards the inside, but not before receiving a key from the man you talked to seconds earlier. “A key?” You asked confused the moment it touched your hand but it was too late to ask since he had already moved on to the next in line.

As yours and Bucky’s eyes were wondering around the room, you slightly opened your mouth surprised at what they were seeing. It was as fancy and expensive as those parties you attended with your family when you were young. But your surroundings didn’t seem to matter to you, all you could think about was you reuniting with your family. It made your heart beat faster as your fingers couldn’t stop playing around with themselves. Turning around your rings, pulling them on and off leaving heavy breaths as your eyes were still following the people around you.

Noticing this, Bucky grabbed your waist and pulled you closer, making you turn around to face him and unite his lips with yours. As soon as you felt his warmth against you the speed of you heart started to slow down as well as the air coming in and out of your nose. You let out a tiny smile the moment he took his right hand and placed it against your cheek to slowly caress it with his thumb. “Ready to go in?” He asked softly and you nodded, after letting out a tiny sigh and realising this was it.

“Y/n!” You heard a male voice calling your name but as soon as you turned around a couple of arms wrapped your body with them, making you soon recognise your little brother.

“Gergie.” You said softly letting your chin rest on his shoulder. “You know how to throw a party, baby brother.”

“Oh, c’mon.” He said once he broke the hug. “You know it wasn’t me who did all of this.” You nodded but then quickly turn to Bucky who was standing by your side with a little smile. As you were getting ready to present him, George spoke before you. “And this is the boyfriend, am I right?” George took his hand to shake Bucky’s while he just nodded with a smile.

“James Barnes, you can call me Bucky.”

“Bucky, alright.” George did a quick look to you as a grin came out of his lips but before he could let out a word a girl called his name. “Oh, that’s Kimberly. She needs me. Y/n, I’ll introduce you two later so don’t go anywhere.”

“I won’t.” You said with a smile, even if the first thing you wanted to do was ran as fast as you could from that party.

>>>

Since the moment you sat down on your table next to Bucky and some old random people, the only thing that you did was eat and have a laugh with Bucky. He knew that you were ready to have an awful night, he knew your story and how bad it was, so he made the mental note to make it a good night for you. Kissing you, making you laugh, remembering embarrassing moments or just stupid things you two did together. At one point it felt like you two were just in a bar having a normal date together.

Even if that helped, you still felt the looks of the people around you on him and you. People that you used to know as a kid or just because you had a similar face as your family, making them wonder who you were.

Soon later, George went looking for you with the intention to introduce you to his future wife. Even if you expected her to be the rich woman your mother would want his son to marry, she was the opposite of that. She was one of the sweetest girls ever, with her beautiful smile that would light the room and with her funny personality she did made you laugh a couple of times since you started talking to her. George was happy, you did noticed that. He was excited and proud the moment you fell into a conversation with Kimberly about a movie you two liked, seeing his sister and his fiancé like each other was all he wanted and it made him fall into a more deep whole of happiness. And that, was all that mattered to you. After spending 20 minutes talking to each other, Kimberly was needed to be somewhere else and, after saying goodbye with a smile, left you and George alone.

“She’s sweet, G.” You said the moment you noticed your little brother waiting for your reaction. “You better now fuck it up.”

He let out a tiny laugh before shaking his head. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” He did a quick look towards your table to see Bucky having a nice conversation with the old lady by his side. “You better don’t fuck that up, either.”

“Uh, uh,” you shook your head “I’m the big sister here, I say what you do and don’t.” You said jokingly gaining a laugh coming out his mouth. “I haven’t seen... mom. Or dad, yet.”

“They’re around.” George said with his eyes wondering around the room but once he came back to you, he let out a tiny smile.

“I know they’re around, but thanks to you and your fiancé for inviting like a thousand people so is not as easy and I thought it would be.” You said leading George to let out a tiny laugh as he was shaking his head.

“You’ve met Kim so you can go if you want, seeing you happy and hanging out with my girl is what I wanted for tonight. But, if you want to stay, the key they gave you on the entrance is for your room. You can use it when the party is over if you stay until late.”

You nodded. “Damn. You did take this party seriously.”

“It was Kim, her idea.” You nodded already knowing the answer. Soon your laugh joined George’s as he was getting closer to hug your body tightly. But just like before, he was needed somewhere else.

“I think Mrs. Harrison is flirting with your boyfriend.” He said before letting out a big a smile and turning around leaving you confused. But once you turned around to see your boyfriend and noticed the old lady he was talking to earlier was now closer and was trying to touch his strong metal arm.

Biting your lower lip trying to not let out laugh you started to walk towards them as you eyes were glued to Bucky trying to be as friendly as possible to the old lady flirting with him.

“Going somewhere, little sis?” You heard a voice behind you making you stop quickly.

“Michael.” You said annoyed before turning around to lock eyes with the tall man in front of you.

“Nice to see you, Y/n.” He said with an arrogant smile as his hand was holding a glass of champagne.

“I would say the same, Michael...” you said with a smile “but that would be a lie.”

“Mom and dad know you’re here.” He said ignoring your comment completely. “You know?”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Good for them.”

The arrogant smile still on his face made you feel disgusted. He was standing like he was the best thing on the world and wanted to show it. But the only thing he had was dad’s money, nothing more. “You’re stupid for leaving all of this, Y/n.”

“I’m happy, Michael, believe it or not some people just don’t need millions to be happy.”

“You? Happy? With that-” he pointed behind you towards Bucky “man? He looks like a man that you just picked from the street and took him here. C’mon, y/n, you can’t be serious.”

You let out a tiny fake laugh and walked closer to him to make it very clear for him: “You’re just a little bitch, Michael. And if you’re just insecure about your love life because you could never make a girl happy like ‘that man’ does, just say that.” Even if he tried his hardest to now show that your words hit him, you definitely knew and let out a tiny smile before turning around to walk towards your table, but before you could, Bucky was already behind you.

“Is everything alright?” He asked softly with his eyes glued to Michael behind you. Nodding, you grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the dance floor where some people started dancing as soon as the music became louder.

Wanting to feel Bucky’s body against yours, you pulled him closer as soon as you where surrounded by people dancing. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he grabbed your waist and moved your hips along the music. You smiled to yourself since you noticed the little dance lessons you used to gave him for modern music paid off since his hands were moving your body like a professional.

Grabbing your hand to turn you around, he wrapped his fingers with yours and spin you around to finally grab your cheek and unite his lips with yours in a simple kiss. Playing with your lips he moved them around making the kiss even more deeper while your bodies were feeling the music. He grabbed your waist with his two hands as a little laugh escaped your lips the moment you broke the kiss. Everything bad you felt moments ago was gone, and your chest was nothing but filled with electricity and warmth.

After that song came another one and another one, making you and Bucky dance for at least five songs without a break. But as soon as you felt your throat getting dry you pointed towards the table and Bucky nodded without taking his hand of your waist ready to lead you to the drinks.

“I’ll get you something.” He said loudly enough against your ear before giving it a little kiss and with a smile, leaving you behind.

As your eyes were following him back away, you gently bit your lower lip enjoying your sight. His arm on that shirt looked extremely good so you found yourself not blaming the old lady wanting to touch them before. His back was wide and it was fit, it could be seen through the shirt. Your eyes slowly went to his hand making you remember all those times he picked you up to lead you the bed and do all those things you loved so much.

He was all yours. And that single thought, made your insides go wild.

“You seem happy, dear.” As soon as you heard those words and that voice your breathing unintentionally cut short and your heart sinked to your stomach. Not wanting to turn around you closed your eyes hoping that it was just your imagination playing games with you, but that voice spoke again. “Y/n, I’m talking to you.”

“Mom.” You said the moment you turned around to lock eyes with those dark eyes. She had a little smile on her red lips while her hand was holding a glass of whiskey. That old dress made her waist look thinner and her legs to seem longer. Like she always liked.

“It was nice seeing you dance with that man, you know, like you do in the night club.” You immediately took the word ‘nice’ as sarcasm for the way she said it, making you let out a tiny fake smile trying to eat every bad word your brain wanted you to scream. “But he looks like a good man, Y/n.” You furrowed your eyebrows confused at her nice words, but then when she opened her mouth once again, you went back to normal. “Never thought you were going to end up with someone like him, to be honest. Always thought you were gonna end up running away with someone covered in tattoos and with no future whatsoever.”

“Someone who’s covered in tattoos doesn’t mean that they don’t have a future, mom.”

“Ah, there it is.” She said nodding. “You, never agreeing with me.” You rolled your eyes getting up from the table to leave her behind not wanting to face her, but then her voice stopped you. “You got a job, Y/n?”

“Yes I do, mother.”

“A good one? Do they pay you good?”

“Yes-”

“And your place, is it big?”

“Big enough for one.”

“Oh,” she said quickly to then soften her tone “so you don’t live with this man.”

“No- what is this? Some sort of interrogation?” You asked loudly gaining a couple of eyes on you. Noticing this, your mom looked around angry at the way you behaved that walked closer to you and grabbed your arm to pull you aside. “Mom, what are you doing?!”

“Lower our voice, would you?!” She asked in a loud whisper while looking around and letting out fake smiles to the people around you two to let them know everything was alright.

“Oh, so that’s why.” You said while looking at her and a loud laugh came out of your lips. “You still don’t want to break that perfect family fake shit you built when I was a kid, got it.”

“Watch your language!” She quickly turned to you and pointed her index fingers in your face. “You broke our family the moment you ran away. The only one to blame here is you.”

“Me? I broke it? What about you wanting me and my little brother to be something we’re not? You literally built something fake! All because you wanted to be the perfect family and make everyone envy you! You didn’t give a shit if any of us were hurting.” As you felt the anger and pain grow inside your body, not wanting to make a scene and ruin the party for your brother you closed your eyes to let a big breath out.

“You could never understand what I did for you when you were growing up, the way you treat me-! Disgusting!” She said in a loud whisper. “You’re so ungrateful. I gave you everything you wanted and now-”

“Everything I wanted? Back then the only thing I wanted was for you to be there for me. But the only thing you cared about was you and your perfect little family. But I didn’t give a shit so you started to treat me like you didn’t care at all-”

“Please! I did care.”

“Throwing money at my face wasn’t going to make me do all the things you wanted. I’m not Micheal.” You felt your throat hurting but at that point, you couldn’t stop. “I just wanted for you to be my mother, to care, to caress my hair and tell me everything was gonna be alright. But you didn’t.” You got closer to her face and felt the air coming out of your mouth mixing with hers. You could noticed the anger in her eyes but just like she always did, she would bottle them up and save them, showing nothing but fake happiness and wealth. “You treated me like I was just trash. And, oh boy, I know how much you don’t like trash.” Since there was no words coming out of her mouth you knew that you were hitting the part that annoyed her the most. Not being able to control you and having you in the palm of her hand. “Remember what you said to me? The moment that I left the house? You screamed at me: When you fail don’t you ever come back because this door won’t be open for you.” You felt a tear coming down your cheek as you were getting ready to say your last words. “See me now, mom? I didn’t fail. Are you disappointed?”

Slowly shaking your head you turn to the side looking for Bucky and once you noticed him waiting for your drink, you stepped aside ready to leave your mom behind, but once again, her voice stopped you. “He’s gonna leave you, you know?” She said softly yet intimidating. You stared at Bucky as the tight nod became even stronger in your chest. “A man like that won’t stay with a girl like you.”

Without hesitating, you turned around to face her and say with the same exact tone as her: “If he does, don’t wait for me to come home and run into your arms.”

As quickly as your feet allowed you, you turned around and made your way towards Bucky, who was now holding your drink with a little smile on his lips. But at soon as he noticed the sadness plastered all over your face and the little tear dripping down your cheek, his eyes were now covered in worry as he was getting closer and closer to you. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“Can we just get out of here?” You asked softly grabbing his arm and he quickly nodded by letting the drink aside and wrapping his fingers with you ready to walk out the door.

Now in the reception, as you were walking away from the party you noticed all the people making line while waiting their cars. Not wanting to wait, you stopped as an idea came to your head. Bucky gave you a strange look the moment you turned to the side and started to walk up the stairs towards the room. The moment you grabbed the key from the pocket of your dress and read the number ‘14’ to look at your designated room and get away from everyone else once and for all.

“What are we doing here, Y/n?” Bucky asked confused by your side but you didn’t respond as you were still focused on finding your room. The moment you arrived at some dark corner and saw the little ‘14’ in the door, you quickly opened the door with the key and walked inside the room dragging Bucky with you.

“Fucking finally.” You said sitting on the bed and covering your face with your hands annoyed. Ignoring how confused Bucky was, he got closer to you and sat by your side to gently caress your shoulder with his right hand. You uncovered you face the moment you felt his lips leaving a simple kiss on your cheek. Letting out a little smile you touched your forehead with his and let your breathing mix with his, enjoying the little hot breath of his against your skin.

“What happened, doll?” He asked softly.

“My family, that happened. She just- sucks.”

Taking your head towards his chest, you rested against it while his chin was resting on top of your head still with his fingers caressing the side of your shoulder. Letting out a breath to relax your chest you closed your eyes and felt the hot air coming out of your mouth. “We can stay here if you want.” Bucky said almost in a whisper after a couple of seconds in silence.

You looked up to wonder your eyes around the room. It was definitely fancy. Something that you weren’t used to. The moment your eyes stopped at the tiny fridge and you noticed the five different types of beer sitting in there you tiled your head and for the first time after a long time you let out a genuine little smile. “Yeah, we can stay here for tonight. I want to break my dad’s wallet.” Bucky confused followed your body as you got up and walked towards the fridge to take out two beers. You waved them gaining a little laugh from him, and that unintentionally, made the tight nod you had in your chest to slowly get undone.

>>>

“I can’t believe my dad rented an entire hotel to make an engagement party. I mean, look at this-” you said getting up from the bed to sit down on top of the dresser “I can use this as a seat!” Bucky let out a little laugh as his eyes were staring at you. Once you looked up at him, you felt a little tingle in your stomach making you bite your lower lip.

The way that he was laying on the bed with just a simple black shirt on and his pants, his hand under his head making his arm look even more strong than it already was. As soon as your eyes noticed the slight piece of stomach of his since his shirt was a little bit lift up, your mind started to go wild without a warning. Imagining your fingers against his stomach, tracing his abs up and down slowly while his hands were gently touching your thighs making you weak like he always did. Your legs between his waist feeling him under you, filling your bodies with lust and desire as the minutes were passing. And before you could think of something else, you started to feel your skin getting warmer.

“Come here.” You said almost in a whisper pointing with your head towards your body. Bucky let out a tiny smile before getting up from the bed and slowly walk to your body that was still sitting on top of the dresser. Opening your arms you instantly wrapped them around his neck the moment he arrived in front of you. Resting your head on his shoulder you started to feel his perfume entering your nose, and wanting to feel it even more deeper, you took your nose and gently pressed it against his neck. Noticing this, Bucky started to caress your thigh on top of the dress you were wearing after taking a little step closer to you body and feel the warmth your body was giving him.

The poor light surrounded the room didn’t let you have a good look at him even though he was close, but you knew since the moment you stared at those pink and thick lips you knew that you wanted them against yours. So, without waiting another second grabbing his cheek with your hand you pulled him closer and ended the space between you two.

Immediately feeling his soft lips against yours, you opened your legs wide to let his body between them and deepen the kiss even more. You wanted to feel the electricity running through your veins, so grabbing his other cheek with your other hand, you pulled him even closer against you to feel every single angle of his lips on yours. The kiss was happening in a slow speed but even if it was, you could feel the hotness of it.

The way his lips was playing with yours it looked like it was the first time you two had kiss, wanting to remember every single detail of the other so taking the time to experience and taste each other. But the moment you felt his tongue touching you, you opened your mouth even wider to let it twist with yours. His soft and quick tongue made its way to yours and started to control it up and down slowly, making your heart sink to your stomach as the butterflies were going wild inside of you.

Every time he moved his fingers against your thigh the more you wanted to feel them between your legs. You could feel it tingling under your dress and underwear, feeling the wetness starting slowly inside. Taking your right hand you grabbed the one that he had on your thigh to take it towards your underwear. Breaking the kiss, he slightly moved backwards with his eyes locked in with yours, seeing the little sparkle in them as you let out a tiny smile. “Fuck me, Bucky. I want you to fuck me right now.”

He let out a long breath making you feel the hot air hitting your face. There was nothing else that you wanted to experience more than him inside of you, fingers, his dick, anything of him would be enough. Maybe it was the anger that you had inside of you for fighting your mother that it was making you feel that way so quickly, or maybe those last words that she let out to you... you didn’t know. All you knew is that you wanted Bucky to press his body against yours and fuck you right on that moment.

Gently grabbing your cheek he pulled in to give you another kiss, but then quickly broke it to look you in the eyes and see the lust in them. You could feel the sweat starting to come out of your forehead as he slowly started to trace your underwear up and down. Letting out a little breath of enjoyment, you grabbed his arm to feel it move against you. “Fuck, Bucky.” You said in a whisper making you shiver and let your head rest on the wall behind you. Embracing every movement he was making you opened your legs wider and let out yet another long breath.

As your chest felt heavier you let go of his arm and placed them beside your body to lean your back backwards and not arche it in the wrong way in the process. His fingers were still slowly tracing your underwear up and down while his other hand was slowly caressing your thigh. But once you opened your eyes you felt his hand gently tracing your skin and stopped once it arrived in your waist. The coldness of it could be felt even if you had your dress still on, but according to Bucky and his hand, it wasn’t going to be in your body much longer.

“Lift your waist for me, doll.” He said softly making you feel shivers down your body. Without questioning it, you pushed your body upwards with your hands to let Bucky, with a quick move, take off your underwear and leave your dress up to your stomach, softly resting on your waist and dresser under you.

Without giving you a time to take a breath, Bucky took his fingers and quickly touched your folds to trace them up and down gently. His index finger was making tiny circles while it was going downwards towards your orifice. But once there, he didn’t sink it in like you expected, instead, he joined with his middle finger the message he was doing to your folds. Making you want for more, he didn’t speed it either. “Bucky-” you whispered almost begging for him to touch you more deeper. He knew what you wanted, but he had the need to treat you like a princess and take time to make the final line even better.

“What, doll?” He asked looking at you waiting for your eyes. But you didn’t open them, the enjoyment of his fingers against you was making you fall into so much lust and desire that you didn’t even noticed them being closed. “Open your eyes, doll. I want to see how much you want me in your eyes.”

As he told you, you slowly let your eyes see the man that you had in front of you. Once you did, a little smile escaped his lips and without making you wait another second, took his thumb and started to caress your clit gently, doing tiny circles, rubbing it side to side, left and right, every movement possible.

“Shit-” you said as soon as you felt his thumb gaining speed but he took it down immediately, making you feel your folds warmer and tighter between your legs. He loved to see you under his touch, messy and letting out breaths or words you couldn’t control. He adored it. So taking his sweet time with you wasn’t news for you.

The air getting hotter around you made you feel your little hairs getting stick to your skin as the seconds were passing and Bucky was still focused on your folds and clit. Switching fingers, he took his middle and index finger towards your clit and quickly regain the speed not wanting you to lose everything you were feeling under his touch. Now, having his thumb free he slowly rubbed your orifice which lead you to let out a tiny smile.

“What? You want me inside of you, doll?” He asked softly but with a little bit of cheekiness on his voice. Biting your lower lip as a smile was coming out, you were ready to pull him in for a kiss, but before you could lift your hand up feeling his thumb inside of you made you stop and let out a tiny moan. Getting closer to you he paused right before your lips and whispered softly: “You better we quiet, we don’t want the people in the room next to us hearing what we’re doing.”

“Fuck them, Buck. Fuck all of them.” You answered softly before ending the space between you two to give him a little kiss. Wanting to take control of it, you made the rhythm slow and moved your lips with decision. But you in control didn’t last long since the moment Bucky started to move his thumb inside of you, you pulled away breaking the kiss to close your eyes with strength. Even if it was as simple as his thumb, his movements were the thing that got you weak against him. He started to make slow circles as he was getting in and out of you. Moving his arm up and down you grabbed it once again to feel it move and make your body even hotter because of it. As he was moving you could feel the tight nod becoming stronger in your lower stomach. Making little tingles as you arched your back feeling all of his fingers speed their rhythm. But bofore you could reach that wanted orgasm, he stopped and took his fingers off you.

With your heavy breathing you locked eyes with him as he was letting out a little smile. Taking you hand to his cheek you pulled him closer and united his lips with yours to feel his skin against yours like you wanted. Slowly after leaving your lips, he went down to your neck and left little kisses on it while your skin shivered under his hot breath. Arriving at your chest, he soon grabbed your dress and quickly pulled it up your body, leaving you with naked in front of him. His eyes took their liberty to admire your bare body as your eyes were still glued to his face. The fascination he had while watching your body made the butterflies in your stomach to fly uncontrollably as well as a little laugh escaping your lips. Hearing this, Bucky locked eyes with you and let out a tiny smile. “You’re so damn beautiful, Y/n.” He said softly but he didn’t give you a kiss like before, instead, he went down to your lower stomach and started to leave gentle kisses on it.

His movements there didn’t last long since he quickly moved towards your folds and clit to press kisses in them as well. Locking eyes with you, he took out his tongue and waited for you to let out a long breath before licking your innner lips with it. Arriving at your clit, with the tip of his tongue started to trace it around slowly making you let out a simple low moan. Slowly speeding up, you could feel once again the warmth against your folds and lower stomach. The tingle sensation made you let out another moan and quickly look towards Bucky to see his tongue moving uncontrollably against your clit.

“Please, Buck, don’t stop.” You whispered grabbing his hair and wrapping your fingers with it. Your legs started to slightly shake between his head and without being able to control it, you lifted your thighs and widen them more to feel him against you even more deeper. You could feel the wetness of your walls dripping inside of you, and that was soon handled by his middle and ring finger quickly sinking into you. Seconds after you could feel your walls pounding as his fingers were moving every single way possible. Your clit was almost reaching that wanted point the moment with his free hand grabbed your inner thigh to widen your folds even bigger to help his tongue and make you finish. Seeing the lust in your face Bucky speeded his tongue as much as he could in your clit as well as his fingers inside of you.

Closing your eyes as soon as you felt your body melting and getting weaker under his touch, the warmth inside and out between your legs made you let out a softly moan as the orgasm was slowly fading away. Your chest was quickly moving as air was coming in and out of your mouth. The moment you felt your hand that was resting on his head lift up, you opened your eyes to see Bucky heading towards your neck to leave a simple kiss in it. Soon he moved towards your lips and stopped right in front of them while his eyes were glued to yours.

“You’re so good to me, Bucky.” You said as a little smile escaped your lips. He grabbed your waist and pulled your body closer to yours making you widen your legs between his body. While your breathing was now going back to normal, Bucky was now gently caressing your naked body up and down as your hot breath was mixing with his. Grabbing one of his cheeks to give him another kiss, you wrapped your legs around his waist and took your other hand towards his chest to slowly caress it down until it reached his belt. Slower making it undone, once it was lose, you quickly pulled it and dropped it on the floor making a loud noise in the process.

Reaching down to his crotch area you massaged it gaining a little smile escaping from his lips. Soon enough, a little bulge appeared against your hand. “That fast, huh?” You asked cheekily once you broke the kiss.

“It’s all you, doll. All you.”

Uniting your lips with his once again, you lifted your waist the moment you felt his hand going towards your ass to lift it up and walk towards the bed. Surprisingly, instead of going towards the comfy mix of pillows on top of the bed, with his strong body placed yours on the floor making you feel the coldness of it immediately. But you didn’t mind, wherever he wanted you be, you were going to be there.

Without breaking the kiss you took your hands towards his pants and clumsily pulled it down towards his knees. With a quick move he had no longer clothes and was as naked as you on the floor. Since he was kneeled down in front of you, a little smile escaped your lips as his big erection was all your eyes could see. Biting your lower lip you locked eyes with him and noticed the desire to touch you in them, he got closer to your face making you feel his dick against your folds. Letting out a long breath of enjoyment you close your eyes embracing every movement he was doing. With his arms by your side he pulled in for another kiss but soon took his right arm to grab his dick and slowly sink into your vagina and feel that incredible sensation he always gave you between your walls.

“Fuck.” He whimpered while slowly entering with his dick. Once fully inside, he dropped his hand by your side and flexed down to unite his lips with yours again. He slightly dropped his body on top of yours for you to feel his V area against you. Taking your hand to the side of his stomach, you started to slowly caress it while his body was still on top of you waiting for you to get used to his dick inside you. But knowing that it didn’t took you long, since you’ve felt it before, he started to grind against you making you let out a moan in the process.

His skin rubbing your clit gently made you shiver under his body and grab his ass with your other hand to feel it move. “You look so good under me, doll.” He said with his heavy breathing against your lips. You took off your tongue and touched his lips as the hotness of his and your body was raising.

Feeling his dick fill your body with lust the more he moved inside of you, you bit your lower lip avoiding the loud moan wanting to come out. Stopping with the grinding, he slowed down and took off his dick off of you to gently rest it against your folds. Catching your breath you took your hand and started to brush his hair with your fingers while he was still holding his body with his hands beside your head.

Not wanting to waste time, you grabbed his dick and gently started to rub your fingers against his tip. He smiled and let out a breath. “You’re such a horny girl.” He whispered before giving you a kiss.

“It’s all your fault- I have to take care of my needs.” The second you were finished with your sentence you wrapped your legs around his waist and with your whole strength, pulled your body upward to hug his shoulder with one arm as your body swing to the side and end up right on top of him. Surprised at your move, Bucky let out a big horny smile to soon take his eyes towards your body. His metal hand started to play with one of your breast as you grabbed his dick and started to rub it with your hand up and down. “Fuck..” he whimpered closing his eyes. Not giving him a chance to take a breath you moved your hips towards his waist and quickly sink his dick inside of you.

Digging your fingers on his chest to help your movements you started to grind against his dick and let out a tiny smile seeing him getting weak under you. With quick hand, he grabbed your ass and started riding him with you. Taking control of the rhythm he started to move you faster as little moans were starting to come out of his mouth. Wanting to feel them against your ear you reached down and placed your head in his shoulder. Shivering under his breath you touched your chest to his while feeling his dick making your walls pound once again. You could feel your lower stomach shaking as his hands were moving you quicker on top of his.

Taking your lips towards him you placed a little kiss on them and without moving, you started to move your ass up and down making his dick go in and out of you. “Shit- Y/n, don’t stop.” He said in a whisper making you melt while your breathing was getting heavier and your legs were getting tired.

Saving you from your legs not working anymore, Bucky grabbed your waist and with a quick move, changed positions. Once again, you found yourself under his body while his dick was going in and out. Not ending with the rhythm and your bodies starting to feel tense, he placed his hands beside your head as the noise of his body hitting yours hit your ears, making you feel even hotter.

You grabbed his chin to pull him closer to your face and look at those blue eyes and the lust in them as he was reaching that wanted organsm. With your other hand, you took your fingers towards your clit and stated to rub it to feel the combination of him inside of you and your clit, wanting you to shatter when the end came.

He started to grunt as he was strongly and deeply sinking into you. “C’mon, Buck, cum for me baby.” You whispered with a heavy breathing feeling your walls strongly pounding and your clit letting out a slight tingle feeling.

Now the room was filled with your moans, his grunts and his body hitting yours. You wrapped your legs around his waist as soon you felt your clit shattering against your fingers. You could see the lust on his eyes as he let out a moan, feeling your insides getting filled with his cum you grabbed his cheeks and gave him a kiss as you and him could feel the orgasm slowly getting away from your bodies.

The moment he dropped his body in top of yours you started to caress the side of his stomach as his and your breathing was trying to go back to normal, while your body was processing what just happened. “Fuck- Y/n.” He let out gaining a little laugh from your mouth.

“Fuck indeed.” You grabbed his cheek so your thumb could trace it and his lips and you eyes were wondering around his eyes, loving every second of it.

He moved a piece of hair hanging out over your face and pulled it away to grab your cheek as well and worship your face. “I love you, Y/n.” He said softly against your lips making your butterflies go crazy.

As soon as he let out those words you unintentionally remembered your mom’s words making you feel a tigh nod in your chest. You didn’t want to believe her, you knew that Bucky loved you and wanted you by his side, but the thought of him not being around you and being with someone else was going around your mind. So, with the lowest tone possible, you closed your eyes as soon as you touched your forehead with his. “Don’t ever leave me, Bucky.”

Hearing those words, he left a kiss on the side of your lips and whispered softly: “Never, doll.” Making you melt under his voice, once again.

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[mischiefandspirits]

Bernard Figures It Out

Was reading through all the comments on @frostbittenbucky's post and all I could think of was that it was Bernard talking to Tim. Then I got to thinking...

"I've connected the two dots."

"You didn't connect shit."

"I've connected them."

Bernard figures out Tim's a superhero... sort of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tim fidgetted nervously as he waited on the front porch of his boyfriend’s house. Bernard had sounded so serious when he’d called during Tim’s lunch to ask him to come over after work so they could talk about something.

Which Tim had done, after spending an entire board meeting just going over the past week trying to figure out what he’d done.

The only thing he could think of was that he’d ducked out halfway through their lunch date on Wednesday to give Duke some backup, but Bernard had seemed understanding when Tim explained there was an emergency at GRC Labs. It couldn’t have been a tipping point, either, since Tim had managed to only flake on three other dates over the past few months they’d been dating. Kate had been happy to cover for him as often as she could “out of queer solidarity” when she found out Tim was dating a boy for the first time and Tim had managed to trick Bruce into covering a few actual Wayne Enterprises emergencies for him when they came up.

There had to be a reason Bernard was breaking up with him, though. Had he missed something? He definitely wasn’t forgetting an important day. He was good with days and Tam was even better, so she would have reminded him on the off chance that he had forgotten.

What was he missing?

Bernard was smiling when he opened the door, but there was a nervous energy to it that had Tim’s stomach sinking. “Hey, Tim.”

“Hey.” Tim gave his own nervous smile then slipped inside.

They went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Tim frowned when Bernard grabbed a manila folder off the coffee table. Crud, had he screwed up enough that Bernard had had to make a list? He knew he was new to dating a guy, but he hadn’t thought he’d done that bad. He’d really been trying, especially with how his and Stephanie’s relationship had fallen apart at the end. “What -”

“Just let me speak, Tim,” Bernard said, waiting for Tim’s nod. “Okay, so you know Clark Kent, right?”

Tim blinked as Bernard opened the folder to show a picture of Clark. It looked like one of the employee pictures from the Planet’s website, with his dorky “I’m just a humble country boy” smile and the golden globe from their roof photoshopped in as the background. “Uh, yeah? I think so. He works for the Daily Planet, right? I think he’s worked at a few of Bruce’s events. Not a lot of outside reporters are willing to come to Gotham.”

“Exactly!” Bernard said, snapping his fingers and pointing at Tim.

“What?”

He pulled out the picture to show the next page was an article titled, “DAILY PLANET REPORTER… BATMAN!?”

A wave of relief washed over Tim and he placed his face in his hands. “Were you up all night on the hero conspiracy boards again?”

“No. I mean, I found this on a board and was up all night thinking about it, but I found it reasonably early.”

“One in the morning isn’t reasonable, Bernard.”

“Says the guy who’s always wide awake when I call to infodump.”

“Touché.” Tim leaned against Bernard and gave him a smile. “So tell me, why is some reporter from Metropolis from all places Batman.”

“First of all, living in Metropolis is the perfect cover. Everyone assumes Batman would live in Gotham, no one would consider he could be from anywhere else. Metropolis is outside the GMA, but close enough that the commute is still possible.”

“But it’s Metropolis.”

“And who would think Gotham’s Dark Knight lives in the sunshine capital? Plus, I hear he disappears a lot on the job. There’s gotta be a reason for it!”

Tim made a note to let Clark know he needs to cut back on the disappearing act some since people are catching on.

“And have you seen the guy? He is swol AF, babe.”

“Please don’t call me babe while you’re talking about how hot another guy is.” Especially Tim’s honorary uncle.

“You know I prefer twinks.”

“BERNARD!”

“I’m just saying,” he continued, ignoring Tim’s shout. “The guy is definitely hiding something! Besides, Kent is an investigative reporter. He’s gotta know a lot about cases and the underground and detective work.”

Not as much as he likes people to think, but more than he likes people to know Superman does, Tim mused. “But what about the other vigilantes?”

“Well, Kent has a cousin…” Bernard flipped through a folder and pulled out a picture of Kara. It looked like a screenshot of her interviewing Lena for CatCo. “She’s obviously the latest Batgirl. Look at her hair. And the first Batgirl and the current Batwoman were obviously Lois Lane, the red hair is just a wig. Did you see how she kicked butt at that last event she went to? She’s not as subtle as Kent. That means their son is the latest Robin. He’s exactly the right size.”

Oh, Damian better not hear about this, Tim cackled internally. His youngest brother hated being reminded that Jon was the same height as him despite their two years age difference. Damian definitely took after Talia when it came to body type, no matter what he said.

“And Kent also has a brother.” This time he pulled out a picture of Kon. The clone must have been caught by a reporter out shopping with Ma since he was carrying some paper bags and glaring at whoever was behind the camera. “At least, he’s supposedly Kent’s brother, but he was a teenager when he first showed up with the Kents. A lot of people think he’s actually Kent’s son, that Kent got a girl pregnant when they were teenagers and something happened to the mom so Kent had to take him in. Now the Kents are trying to hide it by saying the two are brothers.”

That was… scarily accurate actually. Especially given Luthor and Clark were close friends at the time that Kon would have theoretically been born.

“And that beef would explain why the younger Kent brother went all crime lord on Gotham for a while before reconnecting with the family.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, Kent Jr.’s got the perfect build for Red Hood.”

Tim bit back a comment on how Kon was shorter than Jason by a good foot. Timothy Drake-Wayne should not know that. Add Jason to the list of people who can’t hear this theory.

“And then there’s this girl,” Bernard picked up a picture of Lois, Jon, and Natasha Irons walking down the street together. “No one’s sure exactly who she is, but she’s been spotted with the Kents a few times. I think the cover story is that she’s Jon’s babysitter.”

“And the actual story?”

“She’s Black Bat, obviously. That’s why she wears a mask that fully covers her face. She doesn’t want to stand out as the only African American Bat.”

“Isn’t Signal also Black?”

“Yeah, but he works in the daytime so he’s already a standout.”

“And who is Signal in this? And what about Nightwing and Red Robin?”

“Well, Nightwing’s just a Blüd who came to Gotham. He doesn’t count.”

Ouch. Sorry, Dick.

“And Red Robin is obviously an older Robin, the one who was Robin when we were kids. Kent wanted to keep him on, and I don’t blame him. As for Signal, he’s got the same backstory as all the other Robins Kent picked up, he just went the Signal route because he didn’t fit the usual Robin mold.”

“Because the female Robin fit the mold,” Tim snorted. Robin Mold, as if he and his brothers were even the same ethnicity. Or even had the same hair color. Jason dyes his hair, Dick’s is brown-black, Tim’s is pure black, and Damian’s is more a dark brown and it’s only getting lighter as he gets older.

“She didn’t, that’s the point. Kent tried to give breaking the Robin mold a chance by letting his cousin have a go at it, but he realized it just didn’t work so she went back to being Spoiler and he got a new Robin.”

Not touching that with a ten-foot pole. “Right, and where does he get the usual Robins? Please tell me you’re not back on the secret government orphanages theory.”

“No, no, no. Kent travels sometimes for his job, right? And a lot of the time he’s going to places that have been hit by disasters or major crimes. So he’ll take in some of the displaced children to train as his robins.”

Tim pressed his face back into his hands.

“You see it, right?”

Honestly, Tim was just wondering how his boyfriend could be so close, and yet so far off. “How would Kent even afford taking care of a bunch of secret -- possibly illegally acquired -- children without anyone noticing?”

“Simple. Bruce Wayne is funding him.”

“Bernard, I love you, but what the heck?” Tim blushed and looked up as he realized what he’d said, but Bernard didn’t seem to notice as he steamrolled ahead.

“It’d also explain how he can afford all the gear and how he’d be able to travel to Gotham or anywhere else Batman goes without anyone noticing. He probably has a secret Batplane or something.”

“Why would Bruce do that?”

“Because Wayne cares about Gotham, everyone knows that, and this way he can make sure someone’s taking care of the city without anyone putting two and two together.”

“And two plus two is?”

Bernard gave him a hard look. “I’m not stupid, Tim. Bruce Wayne is obviously Superman. His face is right there.”

Oh, the others are going to love this! Too bad I can’t tell Damian or Jason. Jason especially would have loved this. “Right. Bruce is Superman.”

“He is. Superman is known for being nice and Bruce Wayne’s basically all that’s keeping the city running at this point. That’s nice as hell.”

Oh my god.

“And Wayne does charity for the victims of cataclysms, doesn't he? I bet he first saves people from them as Superman and then builds them new homes for free.”

Oh my god! Why am I not recording this!?

“And the Wayne’s were rich enough to hide the fact they adopted an alien baby.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “If you’re about to tell me this is why Bruce’s parents got killed, you might want to stop while you’re ahead.”

“It’d make sense. There’re all sorts of unanswered questions about their deaths,” Bernard muttered under his breath, flipping through the folder. He pulled out another picture of Kara. This time she was in full Supergirl attire with a bus held overhead. “So if Wayne is Superman, then that’d mean your ex-girlfriend could be Supergirl. They look a lot alike and it’d explain how she got involved with you all.”

“Bernard, she has a human dad. You know, Cluemaster. The supervillain.”

“Yeah, her dad. But we don’t know anything about her mom!”

“Let me guess…”

Bernard pulled out a picture of Karen. She and Helena were suited up and talking to a group of cops, two goons held over each of Karen’s shoulders. “Her mom could be Power Girl! Some makeup and a wig and she could look just like Crystal Brown! And Damian Wayne is obviously the new Superboy! That’s why his background is such a mystery, right? He had to stay a secret until he could control his alien superpowers. That’s why he’s always so mean. It’s a cover since everyone knows Superboy is super sweet!”

Sure, when he’s not helping Damian pull pranks or using his adorable powers to put the blame on Kon and I. “No, Bernard. Damian and Steph are just very human hellspawn. And Bruce and Crystal are human too. I can’t believe you called me over here just to tell me you think Superman is both Batman’s sugar daddy and my adoptive dad.”

“Well, that’s not exactly why I called you over,” Bernard admitted, the nervous energy coming back. He grabbed Tim’s hands. “Tim -”

Tim’s stomach sank. “You are breaking up with me!”

“What? No! I don’t want to break up!”

“Why are you acting all nervous and serious then!?” Tim asked, pulling his hands away to throw them up in the air.

Bernard shook the folder. “Because I’m trying to tell you I figured out you’re Superboy!”

Tim’s brain blue-screened and his hands slowly dropped. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I know you’re Superboy. The older one, obviously. By the way, you and Damian really need to figure out separate names.”

Forget Jason and Damian, Kon can never find out about this. He’d never let me live it down. “Bernard, you called me a twink five minutes ago. Su-” Shoot, I can not risk getting Kon’s attention! “The older one might not be as big as Superman, but he’s not a twink.”

“Well, yeah, that’s the shapeshifting at work.”

“The what?”

“Obviously you Kryptonians can shapeshift. Why else would you look so much like humans?”

… Why do Kryptonians look so much like humans? Was there some - Wait, no! Break into the Fortress of Solitude for research later! Reassure your boyfriend that you’re not an alien now! “Bernard -”

“And that explains why your step-mom was so hot.”

“Gross.”

“She and your dad were actors hired by Luthor so you could have a normal life! But now Bruce has custody so he adopted you.”

“No.”

“That’s why you and your dad were so weird with each other when I met him.”

“We were weird because he’d just gotten out of a coma not long before to find that his wife was dead so he decided to actually be a dad for once in his life, but overcompensated and became a helicopter parent to a kid who was mostly on his own for his entire life!” Tim blurted out. “I am not an alien, Bernard!”

“Well, not technically since you were cloned from Superman on Earth.”

“Oh my god! You were just talking about Steph being Supergirl! Why would I date my dad’s cousin?”

Bernard blinked. “Supergirl and Superman are cousins?”

Right, Timothy Drake-Wayne wasn’t supposed to know that. “I thought they’d said something like that before, yeah. Are people seriously saying I’m Superboy on the internet?”

“NO! No, I swear I would have led with that if I thought your identity was compromised. A few people have mentioned Wayne and Damian, but not you or Steph or Jason.”

“Wh-Jason!? You think Jason was an alien too!”

“No, not exactly, but a few times when I’ve visited I swear I’ve seen a guy in the manor who looks like Jason. It’s just been out of the corner of my eye and he’s gone whenever I look so I’ve always thought it was just Dick or Bruce or some picture of Jason that my mind was playing tricks with, but it makes sense now that I know Wayne is Superman. He must have been able to heal Jason with alien tech, but couldn’t say anything because that would give away that he’s Superman.”

Damn it Jason! And damn it Bernard! I’m dating the smartest moron in the world! “Bruce did not bring Jason back with alien technology and none of us are aliens!”

“It’s okay, Tim. I won’t tell anyone.”

Tim grabbed Bernard by the jacket and pulled him into a kiss. When he started to feel lightheaded, he pulled back, “Could someone whose skin is as solid as stone kiss like that?”

Bernard blinked dazedly at him for a moment. “How do you know what Superboy’s skin feels like?”

Tim screamed internally. “He’s saved me from a kidnapping before.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can get you the police report if you want.”

“Huh… And the others?”

“Not Supers. I can stab Damian the next time we’re at the manor if that’ll prove none of us are aliens.” He’d rather stab Jason, but that would probably only confirm to Bernard that Bruce used alien technology to bring him back.

“You probably shouldn’t stab your brother if he isn’t an alien.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “I won’t stab him anywhere deadly.”

“That’s not the point,” Bernard said slowly.

“He’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

“So do you believe I’m not an alien now?” Tim huffed, letting go of Bernard’s jacket.

The blond’s eyes dipped down to Tim’s lips. “If I say no, will you kiss me like that again?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Tim said, but he kissed him anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, but I still say Clark Kent is definitely Batman.”

“Sure, Bernard.”