#what’s the price and nik ship called

[stumisstability]

Nik: Soap and Gaz got into a fight.

Price: they did? Again?

Nik: yeah.

Price: did you try to stop it?

Nik: ...

Price: Nik, did you?

Nik: ...I bet £50 on Gaz...

Price: Nikolai...

Nik: sorry...

Price: ...did you at least win?

[fixfoxnox]

Ice Skating is Romantic (NikPrice) (Day 3 of COD-mas)

Description: Nikolai finds out that his husband doesn't know how to skate. He takes it upon himself to fix that.

Warnings: Mentions of death

“You don’t know how to skate?” Nikolai sounded shocked and more than a little bothered by the confession that Price had just made while leaning against his chest. Price hadn’t known that he was making a confession, or that the casual words he’d spoken would cause Nik to react so violently, but it was certainly too late to take them back now. 

Price gave an unbothered shrug and continued glaring over the reports in front of him. His boys had certainly caused a bit of a mess on their last mission and he was the one stuck writing everything up. He was going to have to make sure to never make the mistake of putting Gaz, Roach, and Soap on a team together. It was far too destructive apparently. “Never learned, not many opportunities around being shipped out to fuck all by the military.” 

Nikolai gave a few shocked sounds for a moment, stumbling over his words as he tried to find something to say. Price couldn’t understand why Nikolai was so bothered. His husband had never said anything about skating before and it wasn’t that big of a deal that they wouldn’t be able to go skating for their weekly date like Nikolai suggested. 

“Have I never asked you to go skating before?” Nik sounded horrified by himself, his accent growing stronger with his clear upset at himself. Price caught a few words in Russian mumbled under the other’s breath, though they were far too quick for him to figure out what they meant, even with his years of learning the language and deciphering Nikolai’s little phrases. 

He shook his head, “I think it came up as a possibility once while we were in Russia. We were on a mission though, and you know how conversations on a mission go.” He shook his head again and clicked his pen rapidly, trying not to grow anxious at the line of dialogue. “What’s the issue with me not knowing how to skate?” He nudged at Nik’s arm before playfully adding, “Don’t tell me this is divorce worthy?” It was a quick joke, one meant to diffuse his own nerves. 

Nik cracked a slight smile at that and turned to gaze down at Price properly, “John, how long will it take you to realize that there isn’t a thing in this world that would make me want to divorce you? You’re stuck with me remember?” The words pulled a bit of a laugh from Price’s chest, reminding him pleasantly of the early moments of their relationship when Nikolai had sworn the same thing, albeit with a less romantic meaning behind it. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Price snuggled closer to Nik, pressing a short kiss to his clothed shoulder. He thought perhaps that might have ended the discussion of ice skating, but it seemed that he couldn’t be so lucky. 

Nik tugged him closer to his chest, tucking him just under his chin. There were a quiet few moments before he spoke again, “I will have to teach you to skate.” Price gave a short groan at the words, but Nik seemed unbothered by his unwillingness. “You’ll like it, I promise.”

“Will I?” Price gave a short grumble, abandoning his reports in favor of pressing his face into Nik’s chest, “Because I adore falling and busting my ass over and over in front of my husband.”

He couldn’t see Nik’s face, but he could feel as the man’s body shook with amused laughter.

“What if I fall and cut my leg open with the blade,” Price’s voice shook with worry as he spoke, his eyes trailing down to look at the ice skates that Nik was lacing up tight for him. He thought it would be better to call the things on his feet knife shoes rather than anything, he’d nearly cut himself on the blade at the bottom just while walking to find a place to put them on. 

He wouldn’t admit that he was anxious about the entire thing. He didn’t even know why he was anxious. All that he knew was that the entire drive to the little frozen lake where they’d be skating, all he could do was bounce his knee and pray that the ice wasn’t thick enough for them to skate on. It was and he was forced to put on the pair of pristine white skates that Nik had gifted to him. 

Nikolai gave a small chuckle at the words. “You doubt yourself, John. And worry yourself.” He leaned forward, bullying his way between Price’s legs to place a short kiss on his lips. “I promise that you will enjoy this,” he spoke with such softness that Price could only nod along and agree with him, even if he didn’t particularly think it was true. 

The two held there for a short moment, just holding the other's hand and taking comfort in their shared warmth. Nik was the first to move, rising to his feet and easily hoisting Price up to join him, a joyous grin on his face. He didn’t let go of Price’s hands as he led them over to where the ice of the lake began. Price couldn’t help but wonder if Nik just wanted to hold his hand or if the man was doing it simply so that Price wouldn’t try to take off. 

“I’m going to twist an ankle,” Price’s voice broke a bit as they stepped toward the ice, “or break a hip. Do you know how much shit the team is going to give me if I break a hip?” 

Nikolai only chuckled at the concerned tone of his husband, showing no signs of hesitation as he easily stepped onto the ice. He was surprisingly graceful with the movement, stepping onto the frozen lake before spinning in place to face Price and join both of their hands together instead of just the one. “Come now, Captain, have a bit of fun.” 

Nik gave a beaming smile before pushing himself back further onto the lake and tugging Price with him. The result was a distracted Price who was so busy admiring his husband that the sudden movement sent him stumbling forward on the ice. 

He could feel his feet slip out from under him even as he tried to catch himself. A flash of panic ran through him and he gave a frightened yelp as he was sent sprawling forward, doomed to hit the ice. Except he didn’t. 

Instead, he found himself saved by his husband’s arms. 

Nik had caught him just before he could go all the way down and hauled him against his chest, allowing Price to use him to catch his balance. Price felt out of breath from the near fall and he looked up to Nik, ready to spill apologies and pleas to just leave from his lips. Those died on his tongue as he met the adoring gaze of his husband. 

“Thank you,” he managed, his voice shaking just a bit. Nik didn’t say anything for a moment, he just continued smiling at Price and gazing at him with those adoring eyes as he helped him right himself on the ice. 

The moment was quiet between them, Nikolai helping Price to balance and Price doing his damnest not to melt a hole in the ice from both embarrassment and the heat he felt for his husband. He couldn’t help it, he loved it when Nikolai got like this. 

It made it harder to focus on the task at hand, something that was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that Price was no longer so focused on the skating aspect. No longer so worried about falling and breaking something or dying a horrible embarrassing death at the hands of an ice skate. It did, however, mean that he was really struggling to pay attention to Nikolai’s directions. Nik seemed to recognize as much. 

“Focus, John.” Nik gave him a soft smile and started to skate backward a bit, pulling Price with him by his hands. Price nearly fell again, but managed to find his footing before his husband was forced to save him. He had to force himself to pay attention to the movement of his feet rather than Nikolai skating right in front of him, looking so charming in his winter wear and being so charming while guiding him over the ice. 

“Sorry, Kolen’ka,” he muttered under his breath, his mind trying to focus on the task at hand. Despite that, his mind wasn’t so focused that he didn’t notice the quick twitch of Nik’s hands at the use of the diminutive. He laughed internally at that, knowing that the name that had just slipped off of his lips had likely driven his husband wild. Even if it was for only a moment. 

There were several long moments of the two just skating around the little lake like that. Price had a death grip on his husband’s hands, frightened of falling again and Nikolai just let him hold on and get used to the feeling of gliding around on the ice. It was terrifying to Price but exhilarating all the same. The movement was so fluid and everywhere they went they left little tracks behind them, lines in the ice that showed their paths. 

There was something else about it. The trust involved, Price was sure. He trusted that Nik knew what he was doing, that his husband wouldn’t let him fall and wouldn’t let him skate over a part of the lake where the ice was too thin. Too dangerous. He trusted Nikolai to ensure his safety, to make sure that he didn’t have to worry. That, in itself, was more romantic than he’d expected. 

“Ready to try on your own?” 

Price gave a nervous laugh and gripped tighter to Nikolai’s arms, “Do you really think that's necessary?” He pulled himself closer to the other man, as though afraid that he might be left on his own if he didn’t. “I’m enjoying myself just fine like this.”

“It’s more enjoyable to do it on your own,” Nik’s voice was laced with amusement and he managed to give Price a grin even as Price tugged him closer, intent on not giving Nikolai even a chance to release him. 

“I disagree.” Price glanced up to give him a smile of his own when he suddenly found his supports taken out from under him. Nikolai had pulled away from him in a flash, leaving him practically shaking like a leaf on the ice. All on his own. “Nik,” he gave a warning call, panic flooding him. 

“Calm down, dusha moya.” Nik wasn’t too far, only about five feet in front of him. He had his hands placed on his hips and a shit-eating grin etched across his face. “Don’t panic, just do what we’ve been doing and come to me.” 

“I’ve been doing everything with you,” Price complained. He looked down at his shaky feet and, for a moment, he felt dizzy. 

“Look at me,” Nik’s voice cut through his panic. Price didn’t even think before taking his eyes off the ground and looking up to meet Nik’s eyes. “Trust me. Just come to me.” A short moment passed before Nik gave him an encouraging nod.

Price held still for a few moments, trying not to seem as annoyed as he felt at his husband. He reminded himself that it was only a few feet and that he would be more than able to give his husband a good smack for leaving him on his own the second that he crossed that distance. 

He said nothing, instead, he clenched his jaw and began to move his feet like he’d been doing while holding on to Nik. It was odd and he clearly didn’t have the movement down yet as it took him a long moment to even get himself started, but he was able to get started. He found himself inching forward across the ice. Little by little, the distance between him and Nik closed. 

When he finally found himself face to face with his husband, all thoughts of hitting him were gone from his mind. Now, he only took a shaky breath before tugging the other man down for a harsh kiss. The warmth in his chest and the feeling of success rushing through him had left him feeling airy and all too light on his feet. The kiss managed to ground him. 

It was a press of cold lips and warm breath, perfect pressure, and adoring attention. Hands finding one another, neither of them could be bothered to do anything other than wrap the other in their arms and hold close, warming each other from the cold. 

“Never make me do that again,” Price muttered the words against Nikolai’s lips, pulling a short laugh from the other man. 

“Whatever the Captain orders,” Nik responded playfully, tugging Price with him across the ice even as he pressed their lips back together. Whatever fear that Price felt at the move melted away with the kiss, leaving him feeling light on his feet and filled with such adoration that even he had to begrudgingly admit that his husband had been right. 

Ice skating was quite romantic. 

[captain-mj]

You mentioned NikPriceGraves on tiktok... anymore thoughts about it :)))))

Ya getting headcanons for them

Price is casually dating both of them, they all know they're not exclusive to each other

They go on dates (is there a term for three people going on a date? Like I know you can just call it a date, but is it like double date where there's another term for it?)

Graves plans the most extravagant dates, Price the most romantic, and Nik the most interactive

Nik and Graves get along, but they're not really dating (yet)

Price has no clue they're scheming, but they are

Threesomes aren't actually that common for them but mostly because of time. They're three busy men you can't expect them to all have the same day off very often

Price is the first one to realize he's pretty content with what they have. He knows Nik and Graves are still treating this as casual (they're not) so he doesn't push for exclusivity, but he stops seeing anyone else to focus on those two.

Unknown to him, Nik did the same thing a few weeks before. Graves never really saw other people, just not really seeing the need to.

Price is enjoying his day off, under the impression his two boyfriends are working

They have plans.

Nik and Graves get everyone else to leave their section of the base for a while

Price gets positively wooed

He also has left missions with less bruises, his entire chest looks like he got in a fight and lost

Throuple stuff happens

There y'all go

I still prefer PriceGraves (I'm a Taurus and stubborn goddamnit) but this ship is growing on me

[crabdrabbles]

141 + Nikolai Reactions to Soap Coming Back/Being Alive

Words: 2.8k Warnings: Mentions of depression, alcoholism/self destructive behaviour Ships: Ghost/Soap, (implied) Nik/Price A/N: i swear this was only supposed to be around 600 words but my brain wouldn't stop until i wrote all of this. up next: los vaqueros reaction.

- Price / words: 683

Soap’s death had been sudden. Unexpected. He was so young– the youngest, but he was one of the best. Only a Sergeant, but he could have gone as far as becoming something of a Captain in a few years time if he kept his head screwed on. All that promise and potential, taken away by one single bullet– no. Not the bullet– the man wielding the gun. Price doesn’t remember the last time he had slept more than 4 hours in the night since they spread Soap’s ashes. There was too much to do. There were other lives to save– other lives that were yet to be lost. Mourning for the man would have to come later. Later. Later. Later. There was only so many times that Price could push his needs to the back of his mind before it boiled over. So he took to cigars– cigarettes, if he was in desperate need. Alcohol became a common nightcap for him. Not enough to affect his performance as a Captain, but enough to garner worried looks from Ghost, Gaz, Nikolai and Kate. He couldn’t have them worrying about him– not now, not when they themselves were all reaching breaking points of their own. Ghost had withdrawn on himself to the point he was even worse off than when Price had first met him. He grunted and mumbled his words or avoided conversations entirely. He was still a beast on the battlefield and during missions, almost scarily so. His kills became more brutal, more messy. Dirty, Nikolai had called it once as he watched overhead as Ghost snuck up on a man and stabbed him 27 times. He had counted. 

And Gaz. Who had blamed himself. Price didn’t need to be a therapist to know that. What broke his heart the most was when he was escorting an exhausted Gaz back to his room when the sergeant muttered something under his breath. 

“Wazzat, Garrick?”

“... should’ve been me, sir.” Price didn’t have the words to respond to the statement. It shouldn’t have been Soap. Or Gaz. Or Ghost. It shouldn’t have been any of them. If anything, it should have been Price himself. If Soap hadn’t rushed in head first to save him, then Soap would still be here–

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Price would deny to his dying breath that he choked around his cigar when a familiar face entered his office. He had been run ragged and thin these past few weeks– chasing leads on Makarov and also juggling the emotions that hung in the air since Soap’s untimely demise. Or ‘apparent’ demise, considering said man had just walked into the room as if nothing had happened and Price hadn’t watched his head successfully catch a bullet while trying to save his life. 

“... surprise…?” Soap said awkwardly as he shut the door quietly behind him, scratching the side of his head as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. Like still being alive. Price could have snorted at the absurdity of it. Instead, he rose to his feet and ignored the screeching of the chair behind him. He stared at Soap as he rounded his desk, striding towards the not-so-dead-Sergeant.

“Fuck my old boots, I’m going crazy.” he breathed. Jogging the last few steps, he envelops the scot in a hug. One arm wraps around Soap’s back, the other cradling the back of his head. The body beneath the palms of his hands is warm, thrumming with a steady and strong heartbeat. 

“John.” he whispered and arms wrapped around him in return, squeezing some of his jagged pieces back into place. The time to explain how or why would come later. For now, he was comforted by the fact that Soap was still living and breathing. He was still here. He had unknowingly given Price a second chance– one that the dear Captain would not squander.

“Preferred it when ye called me sunshine, sir.”

“Don’t push your fucking luck, Sergeant.” If Price’s grip on the other man tightened, neither said a word.

- Gaz / words: 565

Gaz has been running laps every single day since Soap died. He had been training, pushing himself as hard and as far as he could go. He wasn’t quick enough. He wasn’t quick enough to help when his team needed him most. He wasn’t quick enough to help Soap when he stared at Death in the face and watched as he pulled the trigger. He should have been faster– he convinced himself that he had to be faster. For Ghost. For Price. He wouldn’t fail them like he had failed Soap. He still thinks about the day they lost the scotsman. Remembers the blood pooling around his head like a sickening halo. He uses it as an incentive. As a reminder for what he lost that day– for what he still has left to lose.

Another lap came to an end in the form of him wheezing and almost stumbling to the finish line. He was bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to even out his breathing. He had pushed himself again today and he felt the telltale signs of nausea curl in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t beaten last week’s record yet. He makes a move for one more lap, but a voice stops him. Usually it was Price who stopped him before he pushed himself too far and ended up in medical. The Captain would appear seemingly out of nowhere, cigar in one hand and Gaz’s shoulder in the other.

‘That’s enough for today, Sergeant.’ He would say, and silence any words of complaint or refusal from Gaz before they were even spoken, ‘That’s an order, Kyle.’

“Whoa there, not the best idea to push yerself so hard. You’ll make yerself sick ya daft tit.” 

Either Price had adopted a Scottish accent in some deranged form of honouring their lost Sergeant, or Gaz had begun hallucinating from overexerting himself. It was likely the latter. He didn’t want to think of Price hiding a mohawk underneath his hat. A hand meets his shoulder and his own slaps over the top of it on instinct. Looking up, he squints as his eyes adjust to the sunlight– begin to focus on familiar features in front of him. Grinning familiar features. 

“Oh, you’re a bloody bastard.” He said, still regaining his breath from his laps. He knows that he hasn’t gone crazy– not yet, anyhow. He knows that the hand on his shoulder is real– that the man in front of him isn’t a figment of his imagination. His other hand claps Soap’s shoulder, gripping hard as he struggles to keep himself together. “You’re a bloody bastard, you know that?”

If Soap heard the crack in his voice, he’s kind enough not to mention it.

“I’ve been told. I only came back ‘cause you owed me twenty quid.”

“Last time I checked it was only fifteen.” Gaz raised an eyebrow, tears in his eyes but a smile on his face as they both fell into a similar routine as if Soap had never left. 

“Interest fee.” Soap quipped back, clapping Gaz on the back and bringing him into a tight hug. 

“Welcome back, Soap.” They fell into silence, the embrace lasting a little longer than usual.

“... I’m not giving you your twenty quid, by the way. If anything, you owe me twenty quid for the emotional damage.”

“Awa’ an bile yer heid!”

- Ghost / words: 1215

Ghost had withdrawn in himself after Soap’s death– or, more specifically, after the funeral and spreading of his ashes. He hated it. Hated watching as the breeze carried Soap away, spreading him across the Scottish countryside. It… it had been too final, for him. An end. The end of Johnny. That’s what it had felt like. The end. And he couldn’t fucking take it. 

Price had given Johnny’s dog tags to Ghost a week or so after everything. It was likely an excuse to talk to the Mancunian– to try and coax him out of his room. It had worked, albeit slightly, as it was an effective reminder to Ghost of who he still had left. Cutting Price and Gaz off wasn’t the way to go– and most definitely what Soap wouldn’t have wanted for him. 

It had been around 2 months, 11 days, 13 hours, and 42 minutes since Soap had died. The days had somehow blurred together but dragged in such a way that Ghost was still aware of the time passing in the back of his mind in some tortuous slew. It was a rare day that he had not only left his room, but the base entirely. His therapy sessions had gone from monthly to weekly to even bi-weekly sometimes. Price had forced them on him after the funeral. Ghost only went to get the old man off of his back. The sessions were generally an hour long, maybe a little over if he accidentally overshared. Most of the time he only sat and listened to the psychiatrist talk about different ways to deal with thoughts of depression and other ways to deal with bereavement. It was all a load of shite. Don’t get him wrong, his psychiatrist was a wonderful person– very passionate about their job but Ghost had been so overwhelmed by his grief some days that going to his appointments was just a waste of time, resources and money. Today’s session ended like the rest, a curt and professional goodbye and the arrangement of another session at the same time the following week. Ghost wondered just how many more sessions he could attend before Price stopped forcing him to go. The last time he didn’t, Price had wrangled him into Nikolai’s helicopter and had the Russian personally escort him to and from his appointment. How Soap would have howled with laughter if he had ever bore witness to it.

Price and Gaz were talking. That was the first thing that Ghost noticed when he walked past the common room. Whilst that wasn’t uncommon in the slightest, what was suspicious was that there was a third voice amongst them– one that Ghost was yet to forget. Likely it was his mind playing tricks on him again, filling the void that Soap had left in an attempt to save himself from the pain but still managing to gouge more wounds into his heart. Despite the apprehension, he was already opening the door before his brain could even comprehend it. 

“Hey, Lt.” Soap said, turning around to face Ghost when he entered and smiling like he wasn’t supposed to be dead and his body spread across some cliff in some backend of scotland. From the way Price and Gaz were looking directly at the sergeant, it was clear that he was no figment of anyone’s imagination.

“Ghost? Ghost!” For the second time in the space of around 12.5 seconds, Ghost’s body was already walking before his brain caught up. He was walking back to his quarters, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him. A few seconds later, desperate knocking filled the room. 

“Ghost, lemme explain!” How dare he? How dare Soap come back like this and treat it like none of the 141 had mourned his loss. 

“Simon… Si, please.” 

The mancunian leant against the closed door, struggling to even out his breathing. Silence fell, only broken by the occasional shaky exhale from Simon’s lips. It stretched on for several minutes, maybe even longer– 

“... Did’ja hear about the cheese factory that exploded in France?” What the fuck was Johnny talking abou– “Da-brie was everywhere.”

Simon almost snorted at the absurdity of the situation and the stupidity of the joke. Looks like the time Johnny had spent being dead gave him time to brush up on his jokes. 

“As I get older, I remember all the people I lost along the way. Maybe me budding career as a tour guide wasn’t the right choice.” Damn him. Damn Johnny for coming back like nothing happened and standing outside Simon’s door telling him goddamn puns. Simon still remained silent, not wanting to give Johnny the satisfaction of making him laugh. 

“Even people who are good for nothing have the capacity to bring a smile to your face, like when you push them down the stairs.” Alright, Ghost would admit that had wormed a soft snort of amusement. Johnny grew silent for a few seconds and it didn’t take too much brain power to imagine the shit eating grin forming on the sergeant’s face, undoubtedly hearing Simon’s mirth. 

“I was digging in our garden and found a chest full of gold coins. I wanted to run straight home to tell my wife about it. Then I remembered why I was digging in our garden…” Awful. Absolutely awful– Simon had taught him well.

“Do you know the phrase ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’? Wonderful saying, horrible way to find out that you were adopted. I can do this all day, Lt.”

That’s what he was afraid of.

Simon sighed to himself as he stood up and opened the door that currently separated the two soldiers. There was a loud curse and a thump as Johnny fell backwards and into the now open doorway. He must have been leaning on the door and didn’t expect the sudden opening. Serves him right. 

“Hi, Simon.” the scot breathed, staring up at Ghost like he had hung the moon. 

“Where did Joe go after getting lost on a minefield?” Simon found himself saying as he stared down at the man who was supposed to be dead. “Everywhere.”

Johnny’s face scrunched up in disdain and he groaned, throwing an arm over his face and still making no move to get up from his place on the floor. 

“Terrible.”

“And yours were any better?” Simon knelt by the fallen sergeant, head tilted to the side as he regarded him, drinking in the visible parts of his face. The shorter man moved to sit up, hands hesitating just before they touched Simon as if afraid of his reaction.

“They got you t’open the door, didn’t they?” Damnit. Simon held out his hand, palm facing up. Johnny took it as it was and placed his own over the top, intertwining their fingers. 

“Gonna take a lot more than jokes to fix this, Johnny.” 

“I know, Lt. Got a lot to make up for but lemme make a start. Permission to kiss you, sir?” The fact he asked where before he would simply act was enough to melt Simon’s heart– just a little bit. 

“Permission granted, Sergeant.” Forgiveness would be a low thing– but feeling Johnny’s warm and soft lips on his own was definitely a step in the right direction.

- Nikolai / words: 332

The first thing Nikolai does when he finds out Soap is alive is punch him. Not hard enough to break anything or bruise too severely, but hard enough that Soap will be reminded of it for a few days afterwards. 

“That is for making everyone think that you were dead.” It’s still fresh in his mind. Watching as Price fell apart at the seams after they spread Soap’s ‘ashes’, as the guilt ate him up from the inside out. As the ‘what if’s plagued his mind, ruined what little sleep he already didn’t get in the night– and stole his happiness, for a time. Nikolai can remember the week where Price smoked so many cigars that the Captain woke up with a tight chest, wheezing like a man starved of oxygen and clutching onto Nikolai’s shoulder as he gasped and spluttered– only to repeat the process the following day. 

‘I can stop when I need to.’ Price had said to Nikolai, brushing off any concern that the russian had voiced about the almost permanent smoke cloud that formed in Price’s office. 

Nikolai was not stupid– soldiers were lost all of the time in war. But not all soldiers left lasting impressions like Soap had to his Captain and teammates. He had touched the hearts of many with his shining personality and enthusiasm, Nikolai himself included. He had been fond of the Scotsman, even a partner in crime once during a prank that involved several bags of glitter and the helicopter fan blades. 

The scowl on his face morphs into something softer as he watched Soap try and massage the pain away with his hands. He brings Soap into a hug, pressing his forehead against Soap’s newly scarred temple.

“And this is for coming back to us. We all missed you, солнышко (Sunshine).” Despite the gentle words, his grip tightens until it is almost bruising. “Don’t do that again or I will kill you myself.” Soap doesn’t doubt that even for a second. 

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[losersimonriley]

Major MWIII spoilers below the cut - My thoughts on playing the campaign, mostly through my ghoapper shipping lense bc let’s be real. That’s why I’m here in the first place. (pleasantly surprised babbling ahead)

I will say it’s not Terrible like we were making it out to be after the leaked streams. Imo. Knee jerk reactions and all that. For what it is, I actually really enjoyed it (except the open missions fuck them. Thought I would love em but NOPE.)

Adored Soap’s moments. They really said that man is a feral Scottie dog and should act more like it. He’s such a fuckin brat sat there in the passenger seat smacking on his gum. And in contrast Ghost just being Some Goofy Guy in a Mask. Adore that.

And the Ghostsoap moments! Is there as much content between them as mwii? No. There are A LOT of characters at play here, which I think is why scenes feel a bit more hollow than mwii. But damn the parts that do feature these gays? They are constantly sitting, standing next to each other, staring at each other in the background, using /that voice/ with each other, being an unhinged iconic duo. I didn’t hear Ghost call him Soap once—this man is handing out Johnny’s like candy on Halloween. And!! They’d known each other at least 4 years before mwii! Fancy that!

“Do you tan or burn, LT?” “An impeccable bronze, Johnny” GET A ROOM

Nik and Laswell’s mission was so good. Nik metalhead canon confirmed. Price’s love and friendship and concern for Kate is so precious

Price always has a headache and nausea he’s just like me fr. Gaz is such? A sweet angel honestly.

Pushing Makarov through the stadium as Soap was so cathartic knowing what was to come

The 141 feels more like a team in this one!

Farah fans got FED. She’s perfect. What a fuckin badass.

Aaaand of course Soap’s death. Playing it through myself, it felt MUCH less…horrid? Do I like that they fridged him after only a year? Absolutely not. There was so much potential there. Do I think that scene could’ve been a lot more dramatic and emotional? Hard yes. BUT. There were little things about it that my angst loving heart liked—the absolute heart wrenching way that “JOHNNY!” rips out of Ghost’s throat. You can see him heavy breathing and shaking his head no. He touches him, rolls him over. Doesn’t leave his side, doesn’t say anything if Price doesn’t move to defuse the bomb, doesn’t try to help in any way. He literally just stays sat there until everyone blows up, perfectly content to die and let everyone else die right along with Soap.

As for the cliff sendoff I would like to wipe that from my brain entirely thanks

Overall I’m glad I didn’t cancel my preorder like I’d thought about. Happy to have some new canon content to play with and simultaneously choose to ignore! Also zombies mode with Soap bossing me around here I come.

[snootlestheangel]

Soap

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Gaz

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Ghost

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Price

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Nik

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

Kate

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Soap

12. My headcanon is that he's horrible to live with. There's a lot of evidence in the campaign stories to kinda imply that he's not shy about getting dirty and I feel like that's just cause he is. He just doesn't keep a clean area at home when he's off duty. Part of it might be he doesn't feel pressured by the demands of military living, but idk. He's terrible about cleaning up after himself, hardly does the dishes, doesn't really clean. And I also feel like he's incredibly loud at home. Like he stomps. You cannot tell me this man doesn't stomp everywhere. I'm sorry, I just refuse to believe he wouldn't. He just isn't aware he's being that loud, definitely. And if you were to say something he's definitely taking it seriously and being more conscious of his noise level.

13. 🫡 avid user of the salute emoji. It feels right

Gaz

12. A nerd. He's a big fan of DND. He's the type of gamer to play all the Halo games on the hardest difficulty like it's nothing. Absolutely was the type of kid to get in trouble for staying up late gaming. His mother definitely had a moment where she's complaining about him playing games all the time and he definitely (being the sassy bastard he is) bites back with "at least I'm not doing drugs or committing crimes". Of course one of his sisters calls out the execution thing they witnessed in one of his games. His mom gave up, cause at least he isn't doing drugs.

5. I have no idea tbh.

Ghost

12. You know that trend of girls and stuff being like "my man sleeps like those paintings of a passed out maiden"? Ghost would be one of those guys. Armed draped dramatically over his face and other on his belly. A dramatic sleeper

2. That he's actually so chill. If I'm remembering this correctly, in the comics he's like being really gentle with kids. He called a hostage "love", he's telling terrible dad jokes to his teammate to help him stay sane during a really stressful situation. He's just actually out here vibing

Price

12. I feel like he snacks on the weirdest things but also like they're still perfectly normal things to snack on. Like celery? Good snack, especially dipped in something or with peanut butter. Price? Just monching straight celery. Like apply that to most other snacks and that's Price being weird

1. He's such a cocky piece of shit and I love it. He's intelligent and cunning and dangerous and holy fuck- *I'm gonna stop talking*

Nik

12. Doesn't have any surviving family, but if he did, they'd still be hella close. It just feels like he gets his fierce loyalty from his family. It feels like he's the type of person to be like "we're family, of course I got your back" and it's something he has because he grew up in a family very much like that

22. I love when people really explore the sketchy side of Nik. Like the fact he's got connections that he really shouldn't. I don't really read enough with Nik in it so I don't know what I wouldn't like. There's the obvious and general "diminishing this complex character to a single trait or characteristic and calling it a day" when he's playing a more centric role in the story.

Kate

12. Used to be a heavy smoker, but quit after a while. Started smoking in high school and smoked well into adulthood. Eventually stopped when she realized how it was affecting her health. She occasionally still has a cigarette every now and then but it's more of a test of her self control at this point

15. Her wife! I don't know, but I am fiercely protective of her status as a married woman and her wife!!

[anothercrisis]

oh no... Prikolai propaganda is working.....🚶 oh fuck im under Prikolai propaganda.🧎

What i think is: Nikolai, being raised in ' Christianity ' (can't call russian worshipping past and weapons +hating on anything not family oriented Christianity, (just so you get the idea of what was poured in Nikolai's head from small age)) but being the gay he suffers from religious guilt.

And you can't tell me his family isn't the first reason to this guilt. They, I don't want to use hate but sadly it fits, hate him for: A) He's gay and engaged to a man. B) isn't apart of russian army and works for foreign forces. He is traitor to their country in their eyes. All thanks to propaganda.

He hopes he

Alright, this is a lot. Sadly, i know a little too much about life inside russia (I am not russian and I beg not to call me that) So..let me know if i can help with that?

Welcome aboard the Prikolai ship! Even if you’re reluctant to be here lol.

You gave me thoughts. They are now your problem.

I think you’re right. I think Nik’s parents probably have plenty of issues with him, but especially on those two accounts.

Got a gay son? That’s horrible, but maybe he’ll redeem himself by joining the country’s army and do something worthwhile with himself. And look at that, he becomes a pilot! But, oh. No. He’s going to work for some foreign forces and completely disappoint you and betray your country. Can he do nothing right?

Nik is emotionally strong. He had to be to deal with the opinions of his parents on his life. But for a long time, the guilt and shame were so hard to bear. And it wasn’t because they got lighter that he was able to carry it better; it was because he got stronger and acclimated to the weight.

Insert the 141. A task force fighting with everything its got with soldiers from all over the globe trying to make the world a better, safer place. That’s where Nik wants to be. So he goes, joins up, and finds himself in the middle of a family that understands. These men are kind, good-hearted, accepting, and it overwhelms Nik at first because he’s so unused to feeling welcome and accepted.

Then there’s Price. Price, who’s got a keen eye for lost and broken people. Who can see the weight on Nik’s shoulders that he’s been carrying all these years. Who can see the fractures and the way being with the 141 loosens the tension in Nik’s back.

So, just like he’s known for doing, Price extends a hand, welcome Nik into their ragtag little family where no one goes without being loved.

And Nik quickly trips and falls in love with Price and his kindness and his bravery and his strength, with the shadows he doesn’t often try to hide, with his massive heart that he makes room for everyone deserving in.

[ It’s okay to be a lot; I’m a lot sometimes (like now). And thank you for your input! You’re always welcome to share more if you feel like it (: ]

[mygwenchan]

Stray thoughts while watching Love Syndrome III - EP6

Got my Ginger Ale and Taokaenoi seaweed snacks ready. Alright guys, let's do this~

And we're off to a good start with the reappearance of the magical BL towel that can cure anything, be it the common cold, depression or broken bones! Get your BL towel now! Call us within the next 10 minutes and save 50%! And surprise! You'll get not one, not two, but three magical BL towels for the small price of 9.99 (+ 99.99 shipping service). Call us now at willdaygetnakedagain-666!

Day being nice feels weird though. Is it a trap or has he decided to be a decent person for once?

Oh no, the little one is crying :( Itt needs a hug, poor thing

That scene with them holding hands and looking deep into each others eyes and the romantic music... I'm sorry, but it really cracked me up 😂

Oh! My two best boys Night and Nik are back, nice~

More cake in this episode. But won't Itt feel sick if he eats a tiny bit of porridge and a whole damn cake? Also why are there so many people in that bedroom all of a sudden?

"Are you eating or crying. Make up your mind!" Apparently Day has never heard of multitasking

Awkward cake feeding scene. There's some kink going on there, me thinks (god I hope Frank likes orange cake, cause if not... poor dude)

Well, at least Day knows he's been terrible towards Itt. Self-reflection is the first step on the way to self-improvement ☝

Ball is such a good boy, so nice. And Day is jealous as fuck lol

Itt in the garden: Darling, you really want to water your garden with that small ass watering-can? Yes? Ok... will only take you like 2 hours, but you do you

Damn, Day really did everything for Itt. No wonder Itt ended up being so spoiled...

Sinister music, weird phone call were no one is answering... My spider senses are tingling!

Day, don't talk about dying... and that sinister music again. Yeah something is definitely afoot!

Uh, is that the long-haired dude from that bar in ep1? I can't remember faces for shit... but yeah, I think that's him. I sense more trouble!!

...and the guy just answered my question lol Yeah it's him, and he has a name! Korn. And Day is jealous again. That man's tits are never calm

Ooooohhh! Day called Itt his boyfriend! That is what jealousy can do to a man 😂

Itt, I'm sorry, but you really suck at cooking. I've never seen someone peel a carrot like that

Romantic onion chopping flashback~

Oh god that scream when Day almost fainted totally gave me a fright XD

And suddenly we've got a battle between alpha dom Day and alpha dom Korn while... one of them get's a makeover? That's random, but ok 🤨

Day, calm down. Don't cut off ears in your own shop, do it somewhere else! Think about the mess your employees would have to mop up. Think about the poor working class people!

Yeah sorry, but I liked Korn better with long hair. It fit his cunt aesthetics. Also Korn, I think pissing off an ex-mafia guy who has killed people isn't such a good idea, just saying

And suddenly it's cute nose rubbing time~ Well, that's a sweet ending for this episode 🌈💕

[callofloony]

Beep boop,

Welcome to hell.

————

You can call me Elio or Salem! Whichever one you prefer <3

This is an nsfw free blog dedicated to the CoD games, specifically the MW reboot, or Ghosts (i may write for others once i get around to the campaigns) fluff and/or angst only. I am a minor. If you send me nsfw, you will be reported and blocked.

Requests are open, don’t be shy. <3

I have an ao3 (L4xu0rii.PNG) where I write for both CoD and TMNT. My main blog, insta, and tiktok are all under the same name.

————

Ships I do write for:

Ghoap

Ghaz

Soap/Gaz

Ghoapz (Ghost/Soap/Gaz)

Alex/Farah

Alex/Gaz

Alex/Farah/Gaz

Nikprice

Nikpricegraves

Laswell/her wife (lol)

Alerudy

Character x Reader.

Ships I don’t write for:

Price/141 etc (Ghost, Gaz, Soap, Laswell, etc, it makes me uncomfortable, sorry.)

Laswell/anyone else

Graves/anyone else that isn’t Price and/or Nik

No ships from Ghosts

————

Master list below the cut.

————

Fluff: 🌸

Angst: 🥀

Both: 🖤

————

141:

Scratches 🖤

As fate would have it. 🖤

Ships:

Awaken and you’re here | Ghostsoap 🖤

What he held back | Ghostsoap 🥀

Love me normally | Ghostsoap 🖤 (Ao3)

Ghost:

Tiny 🌸

Plus sized reader HCs 🌸

Puppy dog 🌸

Soap:

Pinchers 🖤

Gaz:

Regarding kisses 🖤

Needy 🌸

Price:

Dad nicknames 🌸

König:

Short Circuit German 🌸

Gentle Giant 🌸

[nikpetrovkc]

Hold! Who goes there? Why, is that [NIKOLAI PETROV] the [ARMS DEALER] of [VAILPAS]? They do look  [INTIMIDATING] for a [MAN] of [1905] years. Don’t they call  [HIM] the [WEALTHY AND BRILLIANT ARMS DEALER]? I’ve heard they’re also [UNRELIABLE AND SELF-SERVING] though. Don’t take my word for  it but they do look an awful lot like [BOYD HOLBROOK].

Basic Info

Name: Nikolai “Nik” Petrov

Pronunciation: NEE-KO-LAY PEH-TROW-V

Title (If they have one, Occupation if not): Arms Dealer of Fahalune

Place of Origin: Vailpas

Family Members:

Unnamed Son

Unnamed Daughter

Physical Description

Height: 6″2

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Light blue

Gender: Cisgender Male

Build: Tall and toned

Distinguishing features? (Scars, tattoos, piercings):  Myriad of tattoos of weaponry and battles across his entire body

Any health related issues?: N/A

Personality

Many who have come to know Nikolai, garner two different images of him. The first, as a self-made and brilliant mage. His story is one to be admired, often used as inspiration for the children of Vailpas and beyond. The second; however, paints an uglier picture. An image of a war profiteer with no true allegiances, whose money was made off the backs of violence and political unrest. Frankly, Nikolai cares little for either image. In truth, he is a man for whom loyalty is synonymous with advantage. Quick to change allegiances as required, Nikolai cares only for his family and his enterprise. He does not blink at threats, and has occasionally used the strength of his weapons to cut down his foes.

Despite his morality, Nikolai preserves one belief; the importance of family. The Petrov’s were a family of hustlers and schemers, but they were a family. A ‘family man’ through and through, there is little he would not do to protect his blood. His methods; however questionable, prove one cause his loyal to.

Nikolai is a man for whom ambition, equates to power. He is relentless in his work ethic. When not lavishing in his riches, he can be found designing the next slew of weaponry.

History

The Petrov family was nothing if not resourceful. An unremarkable, elven family situated at the heart of Vailpas - the Petrov’s were born with little to their name. But true to the nature of their land, they were enterprising. Born to a regarded blacksmith and a crafty mage, Nikolai Petrov appeared to be an exceptional young boy. At the young age of eight, he took great interest in forging and crafting weaponry. Most of which, the family sold to provide for the expansive Petrov family. But his passion for learning extended beyond craftsmanship. He inherited his mother’s magical abilities, presenting in the form of telekinesis. Under her tutelage, Nikolai was able to extend his abilities beyond the movement of items. By the age of sixteen, he forged his first, enchanted weapon; a bow and arrow. One specifically designed to return the bow to its arrow, and withstand the wear and tear of battle. The item sold quickly, earning a hefty profit for the young elf. And, for a young man with nothing to his name, this was only the beginning.

Nikolai took the profits of his craft and invested it in a decade of study. He boarded a ship, traveling from Elysi to Loqoala. His aim? To learn of the human world and the resources it possessed. Outside of Vailpas, he quickly determined the growing need for weapons. But not just swords and daggers, but innovative creations that would turn the tides against the growing unrest. He took his early creations to generals and commanders of various forces, each one impressed by the exemplary capabilities. At the turn of the century, Nikolai returned home with a bevy of orders and a slew of contacts.

What began as a single-man operation, evolved into the most formidable arms dealership in Vailar. The highly organized business extended beyond Vailpas, with manufacturing and design locations across Vailar. Each time a battle was struck or a rebellion uprising occurred, Nikolai’s pockets were lined further. After the Great War, the Petrov enterprise was regarded as the go-to for the best in quality and innovation. Meanwhile, Nikolai solidified his reputation as the brilliance behind the operation. His business savvy, combined with his magical genius made him one of the wealthiest men (if not the absolute wealthiest) in Vailar.

Today, Nikolai has contracts with all major kingdoms in Vailar. His creations, though hefty in price, have proven their tangible value in war. With the rebellion uprising, the demand on the Petrov enterprise has only accelerated. Not just from their partners, but from the silent contracts struck with the rebellion. War profiteering is, and always has been, the Petrov way.

Additional Info

If we lay a strong enough foundation, we’ll give it all to you: His son and/or daughter, whom Nikolai is molding in his image. Despite his reputation, he is known to their family as doting and patient with his children. His child (likely a couple hundred years, or even a full century younger) would be part of his business, or be pursuing an education at a magaestarium.

You’ll be back, like before. I will fight the fight, and win the war: A  business partner of Nikolai’s that has abandoned his business. Either, due to his illegal business activities, or to strike out on their own. Either way, Nikolai would take offenses to this transgression and made it his personal vendetta to enact revenge on your muse.

He will never be satisfied: The mother of one, or both, of his children. Their companionship would likely fall apart due to Nikolai’s business endeavors, or her discomfort with the risks his business takes. An exes plot that can be worked out!

[missnmikaelson-main]

The Mummy - The Desert

I do not own TVD or TO or The Mummy

Nik took a good look at the camels and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were quite possibly the worst camels in the herd, but they would serve their purposes well enough. He shook his head at the trader and named a smaller price in Arabic to which the man agreed.

“Completely ridiculous,” Kol took the reins of two of the animals. “Wouldn’t horses have been faster or at least worth the money spent?”

“Perhaps,” Nik nodded. “You know we probably could have had them for free,” he snickered, “all we had to do was give them your sister.”

“I’m sure she would have loved that suggestion,” Kol’s eyes darted to a group of children darting between the stalls of the trading post. “It’s a tempting proposition though.”

“Awfully,” Nik breathed.

Perhaps I should have spent time learning Arabic.

That was all Elena could think. She held up her hands and shook her head when the women of the tribe presented her with a myriad of jewelry. She shook her head again when they insisted and squinted while trying to remember the right words to communicate what she really wanted.

“Mulabis,” Elena smiled hopefully. For all she knew she was asking for coffee; at that point in time she wouldn’t have said no to a cup, but fresh clothes were more important. She couldn’t very well go traipsing through the desert in her nightgown; she plucked at the blue silk for good measure.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief when a younger woman nodded and took Elena’s elbow in order to steer her towards a chest by the wall of the trading tent. She shook her head at the lighter colours and pointed to the black; it was best to wear black in the heat of the desert. Not many people knew that, but loose black clothing was the best for the sun.

She stepped behind a partition and pulled on the dark material. It was tight over the chest, not constricting but tight enough that she would not require a brassiere; which was just as well as all of hers had burned on the ship. A belt gathered beneath her breasts from which the dress flowed towards the ornate rugs beneath her bare feet; she smiled gratefully when she emerged and was given a pair of boots that rose to her knees.

Elena tilted her head when the woman spoke in rapid Arabic. She had a hard enough time understanding when people spoke slowly to her, so the woman’s words were no better than gibberish. She shook her head to signify that she didn’t understand.

“Oh,” Elena nodded when the woman lifted the purse attached to her own belt. “Right, right.” She extracted the money she had gotten from Kol and paid for the new clothes. They had been lucky he and Nik were carrying their wallets when the ship caught fire.

Her eyes narrowed after she said thank you and the women giggled. She was pretty sure she hadn’t actually said what she wanted to.

Elena made her way past the stalls of food, jewelry and trinkets. She lifted the scarf over her hair to protect her neck and followed her nose towards what she knew to be a herd of camels. What else could it have been?

She smiled when she spotted them and waved. A flush of colour rose in her cheeks under Nik’s gaze. She was glad her face was currently covered; she would have never heard the end of her blushing from Kol.

++++

“Do you require assistance, love?” Nik tilted his head and watched her regard the height of the animal.

“I can get up on my own,” Elena insisted. She tried to ignore the way his voice sounded when he called her ‘love’; it made her feel warm and tingly.

“Have you ever actually ridden a camel?” Kol crossed his arms and laughed. “I’ve never seen you on one.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I have not, and I’m fairly certain you haven’t either.” She sighed before admitting defeat and turning to Nik. “It’s like a horse, right?”

“No,” Nik pressed his together to keep from laughing. He took the reins of her camel and clicked his tongue to make the animal sit. He motioned Elena to the side. “You’re going to want to swing your leg over quickly and sit.”

Elena did as instructed. Her eyes grew round when the camel clambered back to its feet. She leaned back and grasped the saddle tightly between her hands while managing to stifle her startled yelp.

“I got it,” she covered her mouth and giggled when she was steady before taking the reins back.

++++

They had been travelling non-stop since leaving the trading post. Most people might have found Nik’s competitive nature annoying, but Elena was enjoying it immensely. It meant she got to the city that much faster. Sleeping while in the saddle was not an easy feat.

Elena seemed to lose track of time in the desert. Staring at the endless dunes of sand she wondered how far the golden sea truly stretched.

At some point around the time the moon was beginning to rise she finally drifted off.

Nik turned his head when he heard the softest of hums and smiled fondly upon finding her asleep. The complete relaxation on her face was adorable. He spared her brother a quick glance; he was a few feet behind them and had drifted off as well.

Nik’s eyes widened when he saw Elena starting to slide in her saddle. With one hand he reached out and wrapped his hand around her soft upper arm. He gently pushed her back into the saddle and nodded when she didn’t wake up. He watched her for a long moment and traced her features with his eyes before sighing and turning towards the ridge.

++++

“I don’t why we don’t just kill them now.” One of the Medjay nodded to the trio below their ridge. “At the rate they’re going they’ll reach the city in a day.”

Elijah’s narrowed eyes watched the blonde man carefully right the woman in her seat. From this distance he could not see the mark on his wrist, but he didn’t need to be close to know what it was. He had gotten a good enough look two days before on the river barge; it was a perfect match for the tattoo on his arm.

“Not yet,” he spared the soldier a glance over his shoulder before turning his gaze back to the group. “Not yet.”

++++

Nik blinked at the lightening horizon and turned towards the siblings when he heard Kol’s voice.

“You’ll be pleased to know,” Kol turned to look at his stirring sister, “that you no longer snore.”

Elena’s annoyance flared. She was easily annoyed first thing in the morning and Kol knew it. She tightened her grip on the reins of the camel and reached into the bag at her side to extract a date.

“I have never snored.” It was very satisfying watching the fruit strike his nose.

“You’ve never heard yourself snore,” Kol fumbled for the date and caught it before it could fall to the sand. He smiled and bit into the fruit. “We shared a room for six years, Elena, and then I was across the hall. You snored every night.”

“I did not,” she glared and threw another date.

Kol snickered and shifted in his seat to catch the flying fruit between his teeth. “You did,” he smirked, “but I will be happy to tell your future husband that you’ve grown out of it. You do talk in your sleep though.”

Elena blushed when she heard Nik chuckle on her other side.

“What did I say?” She stared at the back of her camel’s head.

“No idea, love,” Nik shook his head, “it was all ancient Egyptian.”

“I picked up a few words,” Kol nodded, “but I’m much more proficient when I’m reading it.” He leaned forward to peek around Elena and look at Nik. “She’s fluent in the language. I’m still not sure how she managed to gain fluency in a dead language.”

“There is no way to know if I’m fluent without sharing a conversation with someone who is a native speaker.”

Kol gave her a pointed look and cocked an eyebrow.

Nik had a sense that a second argument was brewing on her true fluency with the dead language. His eyes scanned the horizon before he turned and interrupted the siblings.

“We’re almost there.”

“Are you sure?” Elena spun in her saddle to look at him. The mortification that she had said something embarrassing in her sleep had started to slip away; what were the odds that Nik spoke ancient Egyptian? Not even Kol spoke the dead language, and he had spent years studying it.

Nik looked down to the ground before lifting his eyes back to Elena. The closer he got to the city the more predominant the feeling of evil became. He had not been joking on the ship; there was something beneath the sand.

“Pretty sure,” he nodded.

Elena followed his gaze to the sand and paled. Her hand came up to her throat as she gasped loudly.

Skeletons, bleached white by the desert sun, stuck up from the sands. Many looked as if they were attempting to crawl up from the desert floor. Bony fingers grasped at the ground. Here and there an arm reached up as if to use the sun itself to pull the body from the earth.

“What is this?” Kol stared aghast at the mass of dead. They had all been picked clean by desert scavengers so there was no way of knowing how long they had lain beneath the sky.

“Other seekers of the city, perhaps,” Elena swallowed.

She lifted her gaze from the dead and frowned when another party rounded a sand dune; there were nearly three dozen men. She tilted her head; a few of the men in the group looked familiar like people she would have seen in passing.

“Good morning, my friend,” Beni smiled brightly.

That was when Elena remembered. It had been dark, and she had been shaken from her midnight swim and the fire, but she recognized the rat faced man’s voice. He was the little imp that had attempted to taunt them from across the river.

From the corner of Elena’s eyes she saw Nik nod once; it was clear he was not going to dignify the man with a response. She got the sense if he opened his mouth a threat of some kind would come out; she could see a vein throbbing in his neck.

A line appeared between Kol’s brows when they came to a stop a hundred odd feet from the American party. He was not the one to ask the question though; over the past few days he had come to put a certain amount of trust in his guide.

Elena assumed if Nik was staring out at the endless horizon he had a good reason. The other man who had also seen the lost city was mirroring Nik’s actions.

“What are we doing?” Kai slid back in his saddle and pulled on the horses reins.

“Patience,” Beni advised with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Elena wondered how many people the weasel had sucked up to over the years. She wondered how he was still alive.

Damon turned in his saddle and cast a challenging look towards Nik. He raised an eyebrow when he got a good look at the woman beside him and looked her up and down appreciatively.

Elena bristled under the man’s gaze and turned towards the rising sun.

���First one to the city, O’Connell,” Damon smirked at the camel.

Elena shared a questioning look with her brother when they had been sitting in silence for a while. She turned towards the horizon and drew in a sharp breath as the sun broke the flat expanse of nothingness.

“Get ready,” Nik straightened in his saddle.

“For what?” Elena turned to him.

“We’re about to be shown the way,” he sighed. He shook his head minutely when he realized that he had really returned. He didn’t seem capable of refusing the woman who had saved his life. The fact that he had a bet going with the American party was only marginally responsible for his return.

Suddenly the horizon was no longer nothingness. A shape began to rise: a volcano.

Elena blinked when the Americans took off at a brisk gallop towards the rising volcano with a whoop. She turned towards Nik and knew her sarcastic look was mirrored on her brother’s face.

“Shouldn’t we be going?” Kol cocked his head to the left and raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t ride us night and day to win that bet,” Elena pointed out.

Nik ignored them both and continued to stare out at the horizon.

“Fools,” Beni muttered and spat at the sand.

Elena blinked when the volcano shifted. She smiled when the racing party brought their horses to a screeching halt and turned to race in the other direction.

“Ah,” Kol shook his head and laughed, “a mirage. I really should have seen that coming,” he mused, “it is the desert and all.”

Elena covered her mouth and giggled when the American party stopped and turned again towards the shifting mirage. Her eyes grew round at some of the loud curses she heard flying from their mouths.

Elena tried very hard not to snicker when the man that had been appraising her flew from his horse as the party came to a stop on the far right side of the horizon. They all seemed to admit defeat and sat still to wait.

Kol narrowed his eyes when the shifting image came to a halt on the left hand side of the horizon. For a long beat nobody moved or breathed. From the corner of his eyes he saw Nik and Beni grin and share a look.

Next thing he knew everyone was racing towards the city. He was more than content to stay at the back and watch the ensuing race.

Nik and Beni were neck and neck. They raced at high speeds towards the lost city.

Kol smiled when Elena caught up and was moving alongside them. His smile frowned when he saw the small man’s whip come down as he tried to unseat Nik from his horse; on the third pass Nik grabbed the whip and jerked pulling Beni from his camel.

Elena glanced down to her left and saw Beni roll in the sand before lifting her gaze to the city. She laughed when the wind whipped her hair around her face. Her heart was pumping wildly sending adrenaline coursing through her body; she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so alive and it showed in the brilliant grin on her face.

She turned to her left and smiled when she felt Nik’s gaze on her. He laughed with her and saw her eyes dance.

Elena bit her lip and smirked before urging her camel faster. She had forgotten how competitive she could really be.

“Elena,” Nik called after her. He lifted his voice over the pounding hooves of the animals to try and reach her. “Slow down!” He yelled louder when she ignored him and raced up the ramp into the city. “Seriously, love, slow down there’s a really big…”

Nik cut off and grimaced when she flew from her camel and flipped in the air. Her startled shriek reached his ears.

“Never mind,” he shook his head and tried not to laugh at the stunned expression on her face. He jumped down from his camel and made sure she was alright before turning to the Americans, who had stopped to stare at the ruins of the city that had been concealed.

She took Nik’s offered hand and wiped her sand filled hair back from her face.

“I believe you boys owe me five hundred dollars,” he grinned up at them.

“Technically,” Elena swiped the sand from her eyes, “I was the first one in the city.”

Tags @elejah-wonderland @rissyrapp20 @elejahforever @eternityunicorn @morsmornte

[undinefin]

Promises - BNHA/MHA

hello ew tumblr's new colours lmao what. anyways!! sorry ive been so busy ;; hopefully the chapter makes up for that a bit www to the like. 4 people who read this lmao Genre: fantasy Ships: kirishima x bakugou Word Count: 6662 Author: @undinefin

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Eijirou had seen towns before. When he had finally perfected his human form, he’d gone into a few near his nest before his family had to relocate. The towns there were simple. Eijirou liked that about humans. Their little daily schedules, the way they would pack bond with objects or other species, and how they put value on things like clothes or paper.

All the towns he’d seen up until this point were quiet ones, where the most action or drama would be a party, or a bar fight. Occasionally the town would hold a festival and items would either drop or raise in price. But none of them were big, he could probably cross the town in a few strides as a dragon.

But Charnom was not one of those towns.

Above the buildings were streamers and flags of different colours. The central location where Katsuki had taken him was bustling with people. Eijirou was constantly being jolted from side to side. The boy had told him to look out for something called “pickpockets” and if he did see one, he could punch them.

Eijirou could pick up all sorts of conversations. Some were discussing a ball that was supposedly next week, others were haggling for goods at stalls, a few were simply joking around with friends, though a few conversations seemed to hold some tension. The dragon had never been this overwhelmed before. He’d felt this sense of wonder from humans before, and the warm feeling of appreciation and amazement was filling him once more.

“Close your mouth, you look like an idiot,” Katsuki ordered.

Eijirou smiled instead, letting his sharp teeth show. It was the one thing he was unable to fully change. He assumed it had to do with survival and his body ensuring he could still eat properly. Sometimes he’d have little success with shaping them into small rectangles, but within a day or so they’d grow back to the sharp state.

Katsuki led them through the busy market. Eijirou wasn’t able to properly process all of the stalls around him. He could point out some food or clothing stalls. A few seemed to sell weapons, or rather strange-looking drinks.

“Oh, Katsuki-chan! It’s been a very long time,” an old woman said weakly. The pair approached a small stall that seemed to sell food.

“I’ve brought some fruit.” He placed his pack onto the counter and took out the pots. “Oi, you too.” Katsuki gestured to Eijirou, who took a moment to pay attention to the boy’s orders instead of the thousand other things happening.

The old woman smiled softly. “It’s always nice getting fruit from you Katsuki-chan. You don’t charge a lot for your services, even though finding these fruits is so hard.”

Katsuki seemed almost concerned. “Is the business going okay?” he asked.

“Well, my daughter is supposed to take over, but she’s been so busy taking care of her son. I know my son-in-law won’t want to sit here running a fruit stall, but I don’t want to pressure the family either,” the old woman explained.

“Is there anything we can do?” Eijirou asked. He struggled to untie the pot lid.

The woman’s face brightened. “Oh, if you could! I wouldn’t want to trouble such nice young men. If you could, look after my grandson for a bit, then I’d be able to go out and sell my produce to a regular buyer.”

Katsuki opened his mouth, about to reject the offer, but he turned to see Eijirou’s pleading eyes. “Fine, when do you need us?”

The smile on her face made her weathering skin wrinkle more. “Oh, just after lunch!”

Eijirou nodded pleasantly as Katsuki dragged him back into the crowded street. They blocked themselves off into a side street. The smell of garbage and rotting food was extremely pungent there. Eijirou covered his nose in order to block out the disgusting stench.

“What the fuck man? I don’t wanna babysit some kid!” Katsuki pushed Eijirou’s shoulder back.

The dragon pouted. “Well I do! I almost never get to see human children.”

“That’s what this is about? You want to see a kid?” Katsuki shouted, his voice getting throaty from exasperation. The wrinkle between his brows became bigger, signifying his annoyance. The boy took a step back, realizing he was taking up the dragon’s space and forcing him against a wall.

Eijirou nodded shamelessly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Please?” he begged.

Katsuki sighed, “Whatever, we already agreed. But you’re doing all the work, okay? If the kid shits himself I’m not cleaning it up.”

“But I don’t know how!”

“Well neither do I!”

This sent Eijirou into a bit of a frenzy, worrying and fretting over taking care of human children. He knew the problems of taking care of dragon babies, the most concerning issue being losing sight of a small reptile.

Dragons, like most creatures, were free to nature as their bathroom. However, humans, somewhere along the line, found the concept rather disgusting and insisted that there be rooms dedicated to personal hygiene. This was another interesting thing about humans, though definitely one that Eijirou found quite troublesome. A bit needless if anything.

“How do you go to the bathroom, Bakugou?”

Katsuki whipped his head around, glaring. “What the fuck man? Why do I have to tell you?”

“Well, I didn’t see a bathroom in your house so I was just wondering,” Eijirou replied. He didn’t match the embarrassment that Katsuki seemed to have.

“There’s a river a few hundred meters out I use if it’s shit, but other than that I’m just like some animal,” he begrudgingly explained. The red on his face spread to his ears. “We’re not talking about this anymore.”

The two reached the town centre, which was a large circle that held no large building or structures, save for a wooden board and a large tower. The area had a brick path that lead around it, but there was also a fair amount of greenery. All of it was planted though.

“How are those flowers even surviving here...?” Eijirou wondered aloud.

“Why? Are they not supposed to?”

“These are Campanulas, they shouldn’t grow in Amagata’s climate at all. They’re obviously imported, and someone’s regulating the temperature around them. Or maybe it’s those weird...pesty-sides? Is that what they’re called? Maybe it’s fart-ill-eezer?”

“Fertilizer? Pesticides?” Katsuki guessed.

“Yeah that! Or magic I guess. But using magic for flowers seems like a lot more work than needed.”

Katsuki stared at the pretty blue flowers. “You’d be surprised.”

Eijirou watched in pure confusion as Katsuki approached the large wooden board. He could read some of the slips of paper with relative ease. They seemed to be requests, asking for favours in return for nik.

Bored, Eijirou let his eyes wander around the rest of the opening. Unlike the busy street they had been on, the town centre was lined with little cafés, and shops that sold odd, likely unnecessary, but still fascinating trinkets.

Eijirou found himself drawn to the large tower. It was made of dark brick that seemed to be fading in the sunlight. The structure looked far too thin to house people, but the exterior wasn’t particularly interesting either. He concluded it wasn’t a form of art, but still couldn’t make heads or tails of the weird circle at the very top.

“Hey Bakugou, what’s the tower for?”

The boy looked up towards where Eijirou was pointing. “That’s a clock tower,” he said simply.

“What does it do?”

“Can you shut up and give me a few seconds, then I can explain? If you’re not going to earn money then keep quiet,” he ordered.

Eijirou nodded, though not scared or worried about Katsuki’s tone. He amused himself with the birds that were flying from one building to the next, and the few who were waiting patiently at the cafés for a speck of food. He watched a few children running around the centre, playing some game he couldn’t understand.

Finally, Katsuki turned to him. “So, you see the numbers inside the circle?” he said out of the blue. Eijirou was surprised by the sudden conversation, but quickly nodded. “And the big sticks?” Eijirou nodded again. “Well you read those, and it tells the time of day.”

“It...it’s like a sundial?” Eijirou asked. He was confused enough by the odd device at Katsuki’s house, but the clock tower seemed even more vague. Time was another concept that Eijirou didn’t share with humans. It wasn’t something so organized for dragons. Perhaps because they lived so much longer, they didn’t need such strict schedules.

“No, it doesn’t tell you the month or day. It’s just used as a general thing,” Katsuki explained.

Eijirou did notice that the circle with numbers on it – the clock perhaps – was flat, unlike the sundial Katsuki owned, which dipped inside, creating a spherical shape. “Can you read it?”

“Yeah, it’s not hard. But it’s still sort of new to Piece. From what I’ve heard, they’re gonna stop using sundials. Speaking of time, we have to go pick up that old woman’s kid soon,” he mentioned.

The dragon would have stayed and tried to figure out how the clock worked but the excitement of meeting a human child outweighed the clock tower. The two made their way back into the crowded marketplace. Again, his senses were overwhelmed from the commotion.

Between the different food stalls, potion shops, and lamp tents, Eijirou could have sworn he saw a booth that sold trappings made from dragon scales, blood, and teeth. He didn’t focus on the stall for very long. Most humans would pay thousands for items such as those. Causing a commotion would only lead to suspicion, but he still couldn't help but quicken his pace.

“Katsuki-chan, over here!” the old woman waved from beside her stall, which had a sign telling patrons that it would be temporarily closed. Beside her was a very small child, which fascinated Eijirou more than anything. Human children were often extremely cute, with their miniscule hands and impossibly high voice.

As the pair approached the old woman, the boy sneaked behind her legs, using her as a barrier. “Oh, he’s just shy! Thank you so much for doing this, it’s such a huge favour!”

Katsuki grunted. He crossed his arms and refused to pay attention to the child. Eijirou on the other hand was excitedly waving towards the kid.

“It’s no problem ma’am. We’ll take care of him for a few hours!” Eijirou promised.

The old woman stepped aside, forcing the kid out in the open. He still clung to her legs, but his small, red face was facing the pair at least. “This is Kota, my grandson. He’s twenty-months old. He knows a few words, mostly ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ but—”

“Mommy!” Kota cried out. Tears formed at his eyes, and he clutched onto his grandmother with greater strength.

“Well, Kota can walk just fine. Take him somewhere where it’s distracting, but not busy. It’ll be great trouble if you lose him,” she laughed.

Eijirou felt his heart melt as the child begrudgingly let go of his grandmother’s leg. The dragon held out his hand, hoping Kota would take it.

“Now Kota-chan, this here is Katsuki-chan.” She pointed to Katsuki, who still refused to properly greet the child. “And this is...?”

Eijirou was caught off guard. Should he use the name he gave Katsuki? Or would someone, somehow catch onto it? No, Eijirou couldn’t take any chances. Not with his family and dragonkind being at risk just because of some stupid fight, which is what landed him in this position in the first place (not that this position was necessarily awful, it was just dangerous).

“I’m Kirishima. Nice to meet ya Kota-kun!”

The old woman pushed her grandson towards the pair. “Yes, this is Kirishima-chan. Be a good boy, okay Kota-chan?” With a kiss on the cheek, the grandmother made her way through the busy marketplace. Kota tried to follow her with his eyes, but quickly lost her in the crowd.

“Baa...Baa-cha...” he mumbled. His small voice, paired with teary eyes made Eijirou’s heart squeeze. Dragon children weren’t this cute.

Eijirou managed to slip Kota’s small hand into his, and Katsuki led them down a side street to stay away from the busy crowd.

“So, you’re twenty months old, huh Kota-kun?” Eijirou asked. His voice unconsciously pitched when talking to the child. Kota nodded slowly, bringing his thumb to his mouth to suck on. “How...how old is twenty months?” Eijirou asked, realizing he didn’t actually know what the value meant.

“God you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Hey! No swearing around the children!”

Katsuki sighed. “I don’t care damnit. The kid isn’t going to pick up any words from just two hours of being together.”

“Can I start calling you Katsuki-chan then?” Eijirou laughed.

“Absolutely fucking not! Also, twenty months is almost two years old, so he’s still basically a baby,” he answered Eijirou’s previous question.

“I...I don’t know a lot about humans but something tells me that’s incorrect.”

“Kids are all the same to me,” Katsuki defended himself. “Whatever. Where are we going with the brat?”

Eijirou looked towards Kota again, who was getting saliva everywhere from sucking on his thumb. His eyes were pinned to the floor. “Do you wanna go anywhere Kota-kun? Or do you want me and Katsuki-chan to choose?”

“Hey! Fuck you!”

“No swearing!”

Kota’s bottom lip trembled. “Baa-cha,” he said quickly.

Eijirou frowned. “I’m sorry Kota-kun, we can’t go to Baa-chan right now.” The child hung his head, whimpering and mumbling ‘Baa-cha’ over and over. “How about the town centre? Maybe we can eat something there? Or look at the birds!”

“Birdie?” His face brightened at the response. The widening eyes and curious expression slowly turning into excitement was enough for Eijirou to turn, and beg Katsuki to lead the way to the town centre.

“Look, you’re the one keeping him entertained, I’m just here babysitting two idiots,” he called from ahead. Eijirou paid the insult no mind, instead focusing on Kota, who was now excitedly jumping up and down.

***

Eijirou was impressed by how well Katsuki knew Charnom. He navigated the backstreets well, easily leading the three to the town centre. Again, Eijirou rested his eyes on the clock tower, but Kota tugging on his arm quickly distracted him. He seemed to be eagerly heading towards a flock of birds gathered at a café.

“Let him run around, it’s not as busy here. Just keep an eye on him and yell at him every so often,” Katsuki said.

Eijirou nodded, telling Kota to not wander far. The boy ran towards the birds, excitedly chasing them as they either hopped or flew out of his grasp.

“You know, the kid reminds me of you. I wonder if he’ll be anything like you when he grows up,” Eijirou commented. “Like, the spikiness of his hair is sorta’ similar, and his eyes are scarily angled that it kinda’ looks like he’s a bit mad all the time.”

“I do not look like some idiotic kid!”

The dragon laughed, showing off his pointy teeth. “Aww, is Katsuki-chan angry? Need a nap?” he teased.

“Shut your stupid face, or I’ll shut it up for you,” Katsuki growled.

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“By punching your damn jaw so hard you won’t be able to laugh anymore.” Katsuki cracked his knuckles, letting out an intimidating grin. His pupils seemed to reflect a fire that wasn’t present, but Eijirou could easily picture it.

Somehow, the dragon was disappointed by the response.

At some point, between when Kota had fallen onto the floor because some bird kicked dirt into his face, and when the woman at the café had given the boy crumbs to feed the birds, a man selling balloons walked by.

Eijirou had only seen balloons about two times in his life. They were a truly mysterious creation. He found it odd how humans found happiness and excitement in some thin sheets of paper being lifted by air. When he first saw them, he initially believed the user would control the balloon by manipulating the air. It turned out that a small flame would be conjured within the paper sphere, which would lift the entire contraption. Attaching a rope to it would give humans control over the balloon, preventing it from floating away.

Balloons could come in different colours, and different shapes too. Eijirou, who was a being that relied purely on magic, marveled at the amalgamation of science and magic. His intellect might play a part in his fascination—because Eijirou could never wrap his head around such subjects like arithmetic or science—but the limitless human imagination was still amazing.

Kota ran up to the two. “Please?” he pleaded, pointing at the balloon vendor.

Eijirou turned to Katsuki, who was in charge of the wallet. “Please?” he imitated the child.  The boy caved, handing a single nik to Eijirou. The dragon took Kota’s petite hand, leading him up to the vendor. As they approached the man, the toddler grew increasingly nervous.

After some fumbling, and broken conversation, Kota walked away with a forest green balloon. The pair ran back to Katsuki, who looked unimpressed by the decision.

“Here, pass me the string,” Katsuki demanded. Kota looked hesitant, hiding his small figure behind Eijirou’s legs. Eijirou slowly pulled the child from behind him, placing Kota’s hand into Katsuki’s. The boy kneeled while tying the string around Kota’s wrist. “There, now it won’t float away.”

Kota ran around again, this time his green balloon trailing behind him. Eijirou worried a bird would pick up the piece of paper, and fly off, leaving only a fire in a small wicker basket. To distract himself, Eijirou focused again on the clock tower.

“How does it work? Magic?” he asked, noticing how the rods of the clock were now in a different position.

Katsuki shrugged, “Hell if I know. If it isn’t on magic, then it probably started with it. Most things do that.”

“So, you guys just develop from magic to science?” Eijirou echoed.

“I think so. I dunno much about either of ‘em though,” Katsuki said, finishing the conversation. “Hey, didn’t we come here to get more books in the first place? Why don’t we go over there now? Even if the kid doesn’t wanna come he doesn’t have much a choice,” he grinned.

“Bakugou!”

“I thought I was Katsuki-chan to you,” he gibed. “Oi kid, we’re going to a new place now.”

Kota was startled by Katsuki’s yell. He scurried over to Eijirou, and this time took the initiative to hold Eijirou’s hand himself. Again, they followed Katsuki’s lead to the bookstore. The building was further from the busy market place, and west of the town center. There were only four or five other people on the street where they walked, none of them conversing.

Walking into the bookstore, the unusual smell of parchment and leather filled Eijirou’s nose. The room was filled with books of different lengths. There seemed to be signs on the shelfs, marking different genres, and even languages.

It was a different sense of wonder than the market. Here, Eijirou knew that the heart and mind of all humans were collected within these pages, all concentrated in this very store. People poured their thoughts, their studies, their emotions onto the pages and spun them so the words would turn into an idea, perhaps a different idea, in another person’s head.

There was a certain kind of magic that humans held with these books; one that Eijirou hoped to understand, even just an inkling of what they contained.

Kota pointed to a book that was stood on a table at the front of the store. It was clearly on display for people to look at. “Aw-Might!”

“Who?” Eijirou asked.

“Aw-Might! Strong!” he shouted. Kota ran towards the book, and flipped through it. When the contents proved to have no images, he sadly put the book down.

Eijirou faced Katsuki. “Who’s ‘Aw-Might?’”

The shopkeeper spoke up, “Oh! Are you Bakugou-kun’s friend? I heard that you don’t get out much. But even if you live under a rock, you should surely know of the Champion.” Eijirou shook his head in confusion. “Are you a foreigner?”

“Uh...yeah,” he responded. “Not from Piece.”

The old man beamed. “I’d be glad to tell you about the Champion! You know, he’s the Pride of Piece, the Unassailable Soul, the Champion–All Might! He’s a part of the Royal Guard, but he’s so strong that he’s basically a unit on his own. I don’t think there’s a day in Piece history, where he’s lost or surrendered.”

“Woah...so he’s a super strong, manly, man?” Eijirou asked.

“Strong! Aw-Might!” Kota nodded. He held his hands out in front of him, fists balled, and began running around the room. The child spewed nonsense, copying phrases and words that were on the cover of the All Might Book.

“He is!” the shopkeeper laughed. Eijirou picked up the book, and noticed the image on the front. The Champion seemed to be a big, burly man with the largest smile Eijirou could conceive of a human. His hair seemed to be a signature of sorts. The way the blond locks formed a V-shape atop his head was unusual. On his shoulder was a massive sword, as big as the man himself. It was rusted, and cuts on the blade itself told stories in themselves of the battles the Champion had fought.

“If you’ve ever heard of the Chimera Crisis, it was the Champion who fought off the beasts from the west coast. He participated in gladiator fights when he was younger, winning them three years in a row. It’s how he became so well known. Oh! He also took out the entire Darkwing Organization on his own,” the shopkeeper rambled on.

He listed many other achievements, including a preventing an assassination on the Royal Family, and resolving the conflict between the naiads and the selkies, who were flooding the towns and displacing many habitats.

“You know,” the shopkeeper chuckled. “Bakugou-kun used to come in here and read all sorts of stories of All Might when he was a child. He was obsessed with the Champion, weren’t you Bakugou-kun?”

The boy flushed, sputtering, though not denying the statement. “I was not obsessed!”

“He was passionate,” the old man said gently.

“All kids are passionate about All Might! He’s the strongest knight in Piece!”

Eijirou laughed, mimicking whatever action Kota had done before with his arms outstretched and fists balled. “Did you pretend you could go around like this? And carry a huge sword? Huh, Katsuki-chan?” he teased.

“Don’t call me that! All Might is the idol of every kid in this country, it’s only natural that I was also a fan!”

“Oh? Are you going by Katsuki now?” the shopkeeper asked, straying from the topic.

Katsuki let out a growl, grabbing Eijirou by the flaps of his vest. His voice was hoarse from shouting, his eyes filling with white. “I don’t! Shitty Hair if you don’t fucking stop—”

“Kaccha?”

The boy saw red.

Katsuki turned to see Kota looking up at him, but his small face rounded more, and his eyes looked much bigger. His red cheeks from excitement looked instead like he was crying. The small figure was shaking in Katsuki’s eyes, and suddenly it wasn’t Kota standing in the bookstore anymore.

“Kaccha?” the toddler repeated.

Katsuki strode up to the child, his blood boiling. A part of him knew what he saw wasn’t true, but that alone wasn’t enough to stop his fist from raising above his head. Katsuki cocked his head to the side, his neck straining from the position. He stared at Kota, who was no longer Kota to him. Adrenaline ran through his blood, urging him to bring down his hand.

Kota swallowed, his eyes no longer glowing. “...scary,” he mumbled. The boy ran to Eijirou, who could only stare at the scene.

Katsuki turned to Eijirou, seeing the unnatural white in his face. Slowly realizing exactly what his actions had implied, he rushed towards the two, preparing an apology in his head. He was sweating, the palms of his hands wet from fear and anxiety.

“I didn’t—”

“No! Not Kaccha!” Kota screamed. The sound ripped through Katsuki’s ears. He lunged, preparing his hand to grab a throat.

At contact, Katsuki was holding onto small red scales. A small hiss, and a bit of smoke was released from his hand. Looking up, he met Eijirou’s eyes which wore an emotion Katsuki had never seen in them before. His eyes shone, maybe because of his draconic nature, but to Katsuki, it felt as though the dragon was going to cry.

Snapping his hand back, Katsuki stormed out of the shop. He didn’t look back, but did wait at the door for the other two. There was no movement for a long time. Katsuki simply stood, looking onto the empty street and forcing himself to push out his violent and grey memories. No, right now he had to focus on living. He wouldn’t see that damn useless guy anymore.

Katsuki slapped his cheeks. It was still a habit to call that guy useless, but Katsuki knew better than that now. That’s what he promised.

The door beside him opened slowly, and Kota walked out shyly. His hands were gripping onto his shirt, and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Bakugou-san!” he shouted.

“Good job!” Eijirou’s voice called from inside. The dragon lead the child out, so all three were on the street. Katsuki could hear the shopkeeper call out a farewell through the wall.

Katsuki took a deep breath. “Me too kid. Sorry for being bad.” He bowed his head slightly. Bad was an understatement.

Eijirou nodded. “We won’t call you that anymore. Sorry.”

Kota couldn’t hold it anymore. He began to whimper, and transitioned into a full-blown meltdown. Big tears fell down his cheeks, and his small mouth let out a perpetual, high-pitched cry. Eijirou tried to hush him, but Kota only panicked from the proximity, flailing his arms. Eijirou took the message and backed up.

The boy raised his hands and began rubbing the tears away from his eyes. Katsuki watched as the balloon’s rope slowly slid off his wrist with each rub. When Kota finally pulled his hand away, the balloon took off into the sky.

This only prompted more crying. The child grasped for the string, which was already out of reach for him. Katsuki jumped to grab the string, but it slipped from his fingers which were still sweaty from before. He cursed, backing up and hoping to gain more leverage.

Before Katsuki could jump again, a pair of wings crossed his field of vision. When he blinked, Eijirou was on the ground with the balloon in his hand. His vest was tossed to the side, leaving a man shirtless in the street with a balloon in hand, and a smile of sharp teeth.

He put a finger to his lips. “Kota-kun, don’t tell anyone you saw that okay?” Eijirou bent down, and gave the balloon back to Kota.

“Pretty...” the child whispered. Katsuki watched the child stare intently into Eijirou’s eyes, which radiated onto his cheeks. The beautiful gold had returned to the dragon's eyes, but slowly faded.

“You promise you won’t tell anyone?” Eijirou asked again.

Kota nodded, still fascinated with whatever creature stood before him. “Promise!”

***

The last purchase the pair made was a candlestick and saucer for the walk home. They didn’t share much conversation on the way back to the glade. Eijirou kept on asking if he could bring out his wings and fly back, since walking was really tiring, but Katsuki had already given him a heavy scolding from his stupid, past actions.

The Wyrm Forest felt much denser at night, as if the canopies closed in without the sun. It was eerily quiet, only the sounds of cicadas filling the air.

“Are you sure we won’t be attacked?” Eijirou asked for the nth time. “I swear this forest gets creepier at night.”

Katsuki groaned. “I already told you Shitty Hair, wyrms don’t attack unless they feel threatened! And considering how big they are, that isn’t very often! Unless you go around poking a stick at them or some crap, they won’t attack you. They’re your cousins y’know. They’re smart.”

Still jittery, Eijirou gave a hesitant nod. “How do you make this journey so often? It’s so long,” the dragon whined.

“Ya get used to it. Why? Not strong enough to do it? Need me to carry your lazy ass?” Katsuki jeered. He bent over, as if inviting the dragon for a piggy-back-ride.

“Really?” Eijirou played along. He grabbed Katsuki’s shoulders and almost jumped up onto his back, but the boy ran ahead, laughing.

Katsuki was the one holding the candle, but Eijirou needed neither light nor warmth. His glowing eyes provided enough light for him to see, and as a fire dragon, he could certainly regulate his body temperature. Katsuki found it almost frustrating how magical Eijirou really was. Every component of him worked off of, and in turn, exuded mana.

“You wanted to know why my wing got torn, yeah?” Eijirou broke the momentary silence.

Katsuki nodded rather shamelessly. His childlike curiousity took over from the main point he was trying to make.

“The truth is that, well, I got too close to a group of travelling humans. They were hunting some egg or something. I was fascinated by their carriages, and the way they had enchanted their swords. I wanted to see humans do what they do best: make things happen.” Eijirou’s eyes flashed a brighter orange. “But they must’ve had some ranger or someone else hiding where I couldn’t see, or even hear!

“Before I knew it, I was being fired at. I couldn’t properly protect myself without jeopardizing all dragons as a whole. I tried to fly away, but as I began to flap my wings, they must’ve shot some explosive projectile or maybe some magic but whatever it was, it tore my wing.”

The two broke through the forest wall, entering Katsuki’s glade. He watched as the form beside him fell onto all fours, the skin and hair stretching and slipping off. It was sickening to watch Eijirou's eyes roll back into his head, and his nails growing abnormally long. He struggled to get off his vest and pants while scales enveloped his entire body, which was now four times the size of Katsuki. The dragon took a step forward. His body mass was finally big enough to shake the ground. His sharp teeth simply grew in size, and a second row sprouted up behind the first. Finally, with a shake of his head Eijirou returned to his full form and his eyes slid back, fiery orange.

“That was horrifying what the fuck. Doesn’t it hurt?”

Eijirou nodded. “A bit. It hurts more to go the other way though. Anyways, after my wing was shot, I set some nearby trees on fire and ran until I reached the North Mountains. Stayed up there for a few days but that damn Cherufe was so infuriating I left. That’s when I got to the forest, and I met you soon after.”

“Huh, you’d think dragons could heal faster,” Katsuki mentioned.

“Man, I wish!” Eijirou exclaimed. “It’s because we’re so reliant on magic, and so huge that it takes a long time to heal stuff. We can take lots of blows, but it usually requires a year to recover from a full fight. Well, then again, a year isn’t worth much to a dragon.”

“Why do you still like humans if they’re trying to kill you all the time?”

“You’re not trying to kill me,” Eijirou said. Katsuki glared. “Okay, okay. To be honest, I don’t even know. But everything you li’l guys do is so fascinating. You’ve built castles and churches larger than even some of the biggest dragons! By yourselves too! And the paintings, or songs, or the way you live your lives is so odd, but always so interesting.”

“So, you’re just a fuckin’ nerd,” Katsuki concluded.

Eijirou snorted, “Sure.”

Katsuki stopped at the door to his hut. He looked the dragon in the eye, and hardened his expression. “I’m definitely gonna do it. I’ll create a kingdom where I’m the king, and there’s gonna be dragons everywhere. You and I will be sitting on a massive pile of gold.”

Eijirou’s amber eyes shone, and the dragon gave a massive, toothy grin. He nodded, nudging Katsuki with his snout. With the silent exchange, Katsuki watched the dragon walked away to hide himself in the woods to sleep.

Katsuki dreamed of flying in the sky. He couldn’t tell if it was from his own abilities, or another force, but beside him was Eijirou. Instead of a dragon, it was his human form with wings sprouting from his back. The sky was a clear blue. The boy knew it was a dream. Eijirou wouldn’t fly so freely when he could be spotted, but Katsuki wanted to stay in the moment a little longer.

But the Eijirou in his dreams was too one-dimensional. Sure, the dragon’s laugh was pleasant to the ears – almost addicting – but it was the only thing that dream-Eijirou could do. There was no banter, and no matter how hard he tried, Katsuki couldn’t say a word. Possibly the worst element was the distance between them. Katsuki couldn’t move closer to the dragon at all.

Slowly, the form began to fall, like he’d seen earlier. His skin dripped off, like candle wax and fell to the earth. Underneath the layer of skin was unnervingly slimy scales. Even with the sounds of his bones cracking, and eyes rolling back and forth, the dragon was still laughing. The sound became distorted, low and then high frequencies replacing the once beautiful laughter.

Eijirou fully turned to Katsuki, revealing the blood on the side of his face, hemorrhaging from a chunk taken off his head. Bits of bone were visible, and the blood slowly turned to scales on his face, locking the dragon’s despairing expression in place.

He woke up in a sweat. Katsuki took a moment to regulate his breathing, hoping his heart would slow down with it.

“Bakugou.”

The boy screamed, nearly jumping out of his bed. He turned to see Eijirou in his human form, with the same expression on his face that Katsuki had seen in the dream, minus the blood.

Eijirou looked ready to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better guest here. A better man. I’m so sorry,” he whispered it, speaking quickly.

Katsuki stood up. “What do you mean? The hell’s going on? Were you attacked?”

Eijirou pursed his lips, which were trembling. “Not yet. I was too careless in town, I know they’re coming I can feel it, I can hear it. They’ll come here eventually.”

“No—”

“I have to leave. I can’t put my family in danger anymore.” His eyes were a bland maroon. “I’m sorry,” he said it again. Katsuki could see light out his window. The sun hadn’t lifted into the sky. No, it was torches, and with torches came humans.

“I know it’s selfish to leave you here in danger. I’m so sorry, I’ll try to throw them off somehow but—”

“You’re damn right it’s selfish,” Katsuki growled. His hands were getting sweaty again, but this time with anger. “You’re just gonna go? As if nothing ever happened? I can’t believe that you’re just abandoning me! If you were so worried about this why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” He felt his heart beat faster with every demand.

“I didn’t want to worry you! You’re too headstrong, you’d try to fight that entire town if I told you. I’m leaving,” the dragon declared.

“So, what!? I told you, I said it myself I would fight every damn person on this continent if it meant that you could fly freely.” Katsuki grasped Eijirou’s arm, feeling the unnatural heat emanating from it.

Eijirou smiled sadly. “I know you would. And I know you can definitely do it, but not now. Now isn’t the time.”

Katsuki almost screamed. “Then when is the time!? Huh?”

Eijirou began backing out of the hut. “I’m sorry,” he said again. The boy followed him, grabbing his sword in case he did need to fight.

The dragon broke out into a run, letting his wings form, but they were stuffed into his vest. Katsuki ran after him, putting every ounce of energy he could into chasing down the Eijirou. “Wait!” he cried. “You’re definitely coming back, right?”

Eijirou stopped and turned. He seemed to wipe a tear from his eye. “I will. I promise I’ll come back.”

“When?” Katsuki begged.

“Soon.”

“How soon is that!?” his voice broke. He cracked on the last word, some foreign feeling filling his throat. Katsuki wanted to blow something up, he wanted to destroy whatever awful thing was tearing at his heart right now.

The dragon’s eyes reflected light that wasn’t his. The people were drawing closer to the glade. Even though they couldn’t hear him from across the field, Eijirou still lowered his voice. “I don’t really know. It could be months, it could be years.”

Katsuki seemed to whimper at the response. “So...you’re really going? Just like that? If you could stay, we could lie, or fight them off. Don’t just leave you asshole,” he matched Eijirou’s volume.

Eijirou nodded. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a smoothed claw. “This is... actually really weird and mildly disgusting if you think about it but...I didn’t want to leave everything behind, and I selfishly wanted you to remember me, even just a bit.” Eijirou held the orange claw in his hand, which gleamed under the moonlight.

“I made this quickly. It’s one of my claws but it’s smaller for obvious reasons.” He placed it in Katsuki’s hand.

“Magic?” the boy guessed. Eijirou nodded. “Yeah it’s sort of disgusting,” Katsuki agreed. “Like, really disgusting. I could’ve gone without the fucking details.”

Eijirou laughed. He pulled out another claw that was similar to the one Katsuki was given. Holding his empty hand above both of the claws, he casted a small light upon them. “It’s a weak sort of tracking. This is the best I can do to keep you and I safe,” he explained. “It’ll grow warmer the closer we are to each other. I’ll definitely find you again.”

Katsuki bit his lip, trying to compose himself. “Okay.” He nodded. “Okay, you better find me again, you lazy asshole.”

Eijirou leaned in, touching his forehead to Katsuki’s. Neither of them could say a word. Katsuki couldn’t bring himself to give a proper farewell. The boy wanted to grab Eijirou and force him to stay. Maybe he could tie him down, or barter with the nymphs to protect him. Though, Katsuki knew that none of those were the best option for the dragon. Eijirou would have to leave.

He felt the heat leave his forehead. Katsuki watched the dragon give him one last, toothy smile before flying off into the night. Katsuki could only follow his figure until he reached the clouds, where only a wisp of Eijirou was left.

The claw in his hand was cold.

Turning to face the torches, Katsuki could make out a horde of people. They carried pitchforks, weapons, and hatred. They were angry. They were envious. The boy couldn’t help but scream, let the sound know exactly what he intended to do.

He made his promise, and he was going to keep it. Katsuki was going to build his throne of gold, sit upon it, and create a kingdom. Once he did, his dragon would surely return to him.

ahhHH the plot continues to move~ in case you haven't noticed it, these two are about 4 years in the past from the others in their timeline. after this chapter, everyone will be in the same time. hope that isn't too confusing!!  thanks for reading ;;; if u have any comments or wanna let me know u liked it!! the like button!!!! i sound like a bad youtuber okay thank u!!!

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[fixfoxnox]

"The 141 are pinned down"

Me: 👀👀👀

Me:

Me:

Me: oh you meant like in a fight....ah

I will pin them down in other ways hold on

Warnings: Safe word use, Smut, Rough Sex, various ships below, spit as lube

NSFW below the cut 😁

Price (NikPrice):

Large hands grabbed his hips, quickly flipping him from his back to his front. He was yanked roughly back, a small gasp forced from his lips as the man behind him slipped right back to where he had been slamming in and out of him at a quick speed.

The change in angle allowed the bulkier man to hit harder and deeper inside of him, forcing desperate moans from his mouth in a little punched out melody. Pleasure thrummed through him with every hit, his aching cock begging to be touched.

"Nik," he whined out desperately, pressing himself back against the man behind him, "Please, please, please!"

Nikolai was quick to wrap an arm around his chest, his hand fixing its way around his throat so that he could yank him back. He continued to pound into him with unrelenting strength, even as he pulled him back to rest against his chest. "What do you want? Hmm?" Nikolai muttered the words in his ear, sounding as though he was hardly effected by the hard pace he was moving at. The only sign that he was effected were the little grunts and pleased noises that occasionally escaped his lips.

Price could feel his legs shaking, pleasure spiking in his body. He wanted to touch himself, wanted to finally finish himself off with just a few strokes. The slow build of pleasure in his gut was so unbelievably good, but it was also maddening. "Please," he moaned, his head tilting back against Nikolai's shoulder.

"Please?" Nikolai gave a breathy chuckle beside his ear. "Come on, Captain. Use your words."

Price felt a small twinge of annoyance run through him at the man's teasing, but it was quickly buried as Nikolai nailed his prostate, sending his arms rushing back to grab at Nikolai behind him, his blunt nails digging into the other man's skin. Nikolai continued hitting that spot with deadly accuracy

His voice was more desperate than he thought he'd even heard it as he finally gave in and weakly called out, "Please let me touch myself, please."

"Was that so hard?" Nikolai chuckled against his ear. "Thank you for asking," he was quick to shove Price back down to the bed, shoving his face into the mattress as one of his hands fixed itself on the back of his neck, pinning him in place as he continued to slam into him. "You're going to cum like this, dusha moya. You're going to finish from my cock alone or not at all."

Gaz (SoapGaz):

Gaz stumbled into the room, his mouth connected in a fiery kiss with Soap's. Their hands explored the other quickly, rutting up clothing to touch skin and darting down to get a quick pinch or grope at the other's ass.

They barely managed to shut the door behind them before Soap had Gaz pressed against the wall, pinning him in place against the wood as one of his knees shoved its way between his legs, pressing a delicious friction against his hardening cock.

Soap's hand continued to explore, shoving Gaz's shirt up so that he could dart down to capture a nipple in his mouth, flicking the bud with his tongue. Gaz arched into the feeling, moaning out as he grew tangled in his shirt, trying desperately to get the fabric away from his heated skin.

One of Soap's hands slipped down, easily bypassing the waistband of his sweatpants. The man palmed at him over his underwear first, sending pleasure crawling up his spine and forcing his hips to jerk into the movement. "Fuck, Soap," Gaz's head fell back with a bang against the door, his mouth gaping open as the dual sensations of a mouth against his chest and a hand on his cock continued. Soap only hummed against his skin.

After a moment, Soap stood up fully, recapturing his lips for a filthy opened mouthed kiss. The click of teeth and tongues only seemed to drive the feeling of Soap's hand slipping into his underwear higher for Gaz, his back arching against the door desperately as Soap wrapped a hand around him.

Soap began a slow pace, his hand dragging up and down Gaz's cock with a torturous twist of his wrist. Gaz jerked his hips into the movement, trying to get any sort of further friction from the man in front of him. It only served to make Soap chuckle against his lips, his free hand moved up to stroke along his chest again.

The mouth against his own moved away, trailing down to place heated kisses against his skin and suck bruising marks on him. Gaz could only whine and moan at the feeling, his own hands skating over Soap's clothed chest desperately before finally grabbing tight to his shirt for some sort of purchase.

"Soap," he grabbed tighter to the man as the slow pace of his hand grew to be not enough for him. He needed something faster, he needed the other man to tighten his fist around him. "Please, please, faster, fuck!"

"Need more, do ya?" Soap gave a quick nip to his neck, "Should have just said so." All at once he changed his pace. His fist tightened and he quickly began jerking up and down Gaz's cock at an overwhelming speed. It was too quick of a change from his previous pace and it had Gaz's legs shaking as gasps were forced from his lips continuously, hardly giving him a chance to breathe.

He tried to squirm away from the touch, the feeling of it almost overstimulating with its quickness. Soap was quick to remove the hand from his chest and press it against his hips, forcing him to stay still as he pinned him back against the door. "Soap!"

"C'mon now," Soap had a wicked grin on his face, "Keep still for me, this is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

Ghost (GhostRoach):

"Fuck!" Ghost tilted his head back, trying desperately not to buck his hips up into the mouth of the man hovering over him. It was a difficult thing to do, especially when he pulled off to give several long swipes of his tongue along the length of his cock.

Roach was always good at this. Ridiculously good with his mouth and his hands and always more than willing to drop to his knees at a word from Ghost. Now though, now was different. Now Ghost was at Roach's mercy, trying desperately to follow the man's command to keep his hips still.

It was difficult as Roach leisurely sucked at the head of his cock, his hand moving up and down his dick in tight slow strokes. His other hand had moved down to massage over his balls. All of it was making keeping still feel more and more impossible.

Roach took him further into his mouth slowly, his tongue stroking up and down the underside of his cock as he did. Pleasure singed up Ghosts spine and and he was forced to grab tight to the sheets of the bed, needing some sort of purchase as Roach hummed around him. Roach met his eyes as he continued sinking down further on him, his gaze just as challenging as it was mischevious. He clearly wanted Ghost to lose control of himself.

He knew exactly how to get that too. He sank himself all the way down, taking Ghost's cock into the back of his throat before moaning around his length. Ghosts legs shook and he tossed his head to the side, a deep groan pulled from his throat.

"Fuck," he gave a desperate grunt as Roach quickly pulled off of his cock and returned to only giving him sweet kitten licks to the tip while his hand worked over him slowly. "Fuck, Bug, this is unfair." His words were desperate, his voice already wrecked.

Roach pulled away from his cock with a mischevious grin, his hand beginning to work him up and down faster. "Unfair?" He tilted his head at Ghost innocently, "I'm sucking your cock, aren't I?" His hand tightened around him, "All that I asked is that you be good for me and keep those hips still."

"You," Ghost tilted his head back with a groan, "You're making that impossible." Roach ran his thumb over the head of his cock suddenly and that was it for him. The unexpected move had a gasp tearing from his throat and his hips jumping up desperately to follow the friction of those hands.

As soon as he'd done it and the hands on his cock were gone. Instead they pressed harshly onto his hips, pinning them in place as Roach came to hover over his dick again. He gave a small laugh, "Look at that," he grinned teasingly up at Ghost, "You lose."

Ghost would have been annoyed, but he couldn't find it in himself to be when, a moment later, Roach took him all the way down his throat.

Soap (SoapRoach):

Roach had him bent over the nearest hard surface that he could find, his hands working him open with all of the confidence of a man who did this often. With the amount of lube the two had gone through in the past week, Soap knew very well how often Roach got up to this sort of thing.

He gasped against the table, pressing his warm cheek to the cool wooden surface desperately. Roach was very skilled with his hands and, as his fingers worked their way in and out of him, Soap couldn't help but squirm, the attention not enough for his already leaking cock.

Roach met the movement with a hand slapping the back of his thigh harshly, "Stay still." His words were hissed out and punctuated with a sharp thrust of his fingers that had Soap giving a loud moan. Roach was quick to give a slap to his thigh again, "And quiet, we don't need someone outside to hear you. I'd hate for the enemy to find us while I'm knuckle deep inside you."

Soap gave a moan again, but he was quick to muffle it with his hand. He knew that Roach was right about them needing to stay quiet. This might have been a safe house, but that didn't meant they couldn't be caught.

He tried to rut back against the fingers curling inside of him and, thankfully, Roach didn't seem to mind. In fact, Roach gave a low chuckle before slowly beginning to work another finger inside of him, stretching him well with three buried as far as they could inside of him.

The pressure made his legs shake as Roach increased the speed of the fingers fucking into him. It was so unbelievably good and he felt more than ready to take Roach's cock, but still, Roach continued with no sign of stopping. He worked him higher and higher with his fingers, forcing pleasure to haze over his mind as he continued whining into his arm.

After a moment, Roach brushed against that spot inside of him, nailing it so perfectly that he couldn't help but jerk in the man's arms, a loud whine pulling from his mouth as he moved away from his arms on instinct.

In a flash, Roach had a hand around his mouth, his entire body pressing against his to pin him down to the table as his hand harshly nailed that spot over and over. "Didn't I tell you to stay still and keep quiet?" His voice was harsh and Soap moaned again at the sound of it, his entire body shaking as he was worked higher and higher into his pleasure. "Do I need to gag you? Tie you down? Is that the only way you'll listen?" Soap moaned against him again, a flush running over his skin at Roach's responding laugh. "Is that it, hmm?" He leaned forward, his mouth pressed right against Soap's ear as he spoke, "Is that where you belong? Gagged and pinned down while I fuck you stupid?"

Soap's eyes rolled back as the white hot of his orgasm rushed over his body.

Roach (GhostRoach):

Roach gave a moan as he came down from the high of his pleasure. The feeling of Ghost still rutting inside of him was quickly becoming too much after the third orgasm that Ghost had ripped from his body that night. His hands dug into the other man's shoulders desperately, tiny gasps pulled from his lips as he tried to speak around Ghost continuing to nail his prostate.

"Simon!" He sobbed out finally, "Please, please, too much!!!" Ghost didn't listen to him, his mind laser focused as he chased his own pleasure. Normally Roach would have gladly let himself be used, but this was definitely pushing into unpleasant territory for him and he couldn't let that happen. He could help Ghost get off in another way but for now he needed the man to stop. "Whiskey!" He called finally, "whiskey, whiskey!"

Simon stopped immediately, his eyes turning wide as he looked down at Roach's red face. "Shit," He tilted down to press a kiss to Roach's exhausted face, "You alright? I'm so sorry, Bug."

Roach waved him off quickly, "You didn't do anything wrong," his voice sounded weak to his own ears and he could see Ghost wince. He tugged the man closer to him, "This is why we have the safeword, remember?" He pressed a kiss to Ghost's cheek, "If I needed it before then, I would have used it. I'm okay."

Ghost seemed to calm down at the words, his entire body relaxing with a relieved sigh. "Good, that's good." He caught his eyes, "What do you need?"

Roach winced slightly, "Pull out?"

Ghost did as he asked, slowly pulling out of him in a move that had both of them wincing. Ghost was still hard, precum leaking from the tip of his cock. He gave no indication that he noticed though, completely ignoring it in favor of pressing kisses to Roach's cheeks. "I'll go get you some water," he spoke lowly.

Roach stopped him with a hand on his arm, "No," he motioned to the bottle of lube that had been discarded against their nightstand, "Hand me that, baby."

"Roach," Ghost started lowly, "You don't have to-"

"Si," Roach met him with a low look, "The lube."

Ghost hesitated for only a moment before handing the bottle to Roach, watching with wide eyes as Roach poured a generous amount into his hands before handing the bottle back to him so he could return it to its place.

Roach warmed the lube up between his hands, taking his time before finally lifting his legs and beginning to slather the slick substance between his thighs. Once he was satisfied he turned to meet Ghost's wide eyes with a smile, "Wanna fuck my thighs?"

Ghost was on him in a second, shifting back to in front of him on the bed. His hands gripped tight to Roach's legs, lifting them up and pressing them back toward his chest, pinning him in place with the movement as he rutted up against the backs of his thighs.

"Fuck, Bug," he pulled Roach's legs apart just enough that he could slip his aching cock between them before pressing Roach's legs tight together, gasping as the plushness of Roach's thighs enveloped him in a tight heat. "God you're fucking perfect."

With that, Ghost began to shallowly rut himself between the slide of Roach's thighs, moans and gasps pulling from his throat. He picked speed up quickly, soon matching the pace that he had earlier as his hands continued to press Roach back, pinning him to the bed by his legs. Roach couldn't help but admire the sight of Ghosts red and fucked out face.

"Feel good, baby?" He asked, meeting his boyfriend's eyes with an innocent smile.

Ghost met his teasing by pressing against him harder, a growl pulling from his throat as he spoke, "Going to be doing this much more often, Bug." One of his hands slapped Roach's ass harshly, pulling a squeak and bright red blush from the man underneath him, "Every part of you was just made for me to fuck, wasn't it?"

Bonus! Jackson (Gaz/Jackson):

It had started as some light making out on the couch with his boyfriend. Jackson really hadn't meant for it to turn into anything more. He hadn't even tried to turn it into a makeout session! He really had just wanted to kiss his cute boyfriend for being cute. That was all!

It was Gaz who had pulled him in for another kiss! It was Gaz who had licked his way into his mouth, pressing closer and closer to him with every suck of his tongue into his mouth. It was Gaz who had shoved him to lay back on the couch and crawled into his lap. It was Gaz who had started to grind against him, pulling harsh gasps from his lips.

And now, it was Gaz who was shoving his sweatpants and underwear down just enough that he could pull his already hard cock out to begin stroking over him quickly.

He could do nothing but groan as the other man worked him over quickly, a seductive smile on his face as he stared down at his gasping and panting form. "F-fuck, darlin'," Jackson's head tilted back against the couch at the smooth slide of the other man's hand against him. "Jesus fuck, you're so fucking perfect. So good, fuck!"

Gaz gave a chuckle at his babbling, his eyes watching him carefully as he ran his thumb over the head of his cock. "I was thinking," he started innocently, tightening his hand. He waited a moment, watching Jackson's glazed over face and the adoration in his eyes with growing amusement, "Are you paying attention, baby?"

Jackson nodded rapidly, his mind blank as his mouth hung open. Gaz was the only thing he could pay attention to at the moment. His hips jerked just a bit as Gaz slowed his strokes, running his fingers lightly over his shaft for several moments.

"I think," Gaz smiled at him, "That I want to ride you. Right now. What do you think?"

"Yes, yes fuck, holy shit, please," Jackson babbled out, his entire face dusting pink as he watched Gaz. "Do whatever you want oh," his head tilted back as Gaz started jerking him off quickly again, "fuck, fuck, whatever you want, darlin'. Whatever you want!"

Gaz gave him a toothy grin, "That's what I like to hear." He surged forward to connection their mouths in a sloppy kiss again. When he pulled back, spit was slicking both of their lips. "No touching until I say so, yeah?"

Jackson nodded wildly. Gaz could have asked him to shave himself bald in that moment and he would have said yes. Whatever the man wanted and he would do.

Gaz was quick to pull his hand away, climbing off of him. Jackson gave a whine, but that was soon cut off into a moan as he watched Gaz discard both his pants and underwear before climbing back on top of him, sitting over his thighs for a moment as he leaned his face down close to his cock.

Jackson watched him in confusion for several moments before another moan was torn from his body as he watched Gaz let spit fall from his lips to land over his cock. Gaz spread the spit down his length while grinning at him, quickly shuffling back up his body to hover himself over his cock.

Jackson didn't even have a chance to mention that Gaz hadn't been prepped when the other man started sinking down on him. Gaz was tight and warm, but there was something else. He was already slick. Already slick and already stretched.

Jackson realized with a groan as Gaz continued sinking down onto him, "Fuck, you planned this didn't you? Fucking tease."

Gaz gave a laugh between his moans, his hands fixing themselves on Jackson's chest for support. "Took you this long to realize that?" They both groaned with delight when Jackson finally bottomed out, Gaz fully seated on his cock as desperate little breaths pulled from his lips. There was a flush laying over his skin and Jackson took the chance to admire him through the haze of pleasure that threatened to crowd his mind.

After a long moment, Gaz lifted himself up slightly before slamming back down on Jackson's cock, pulling a groan from both of them and causing Jackson's hands to fly to the man's hips, trying to force him to move again. Gaz wasn't going to let that happen though.

Before Jackson could even register what was going on, Gaz had his hands pinned above his head, his face hovering close to his as he gave a smile, "No, sir. I'm in charge right now. Remember? No touching until I say so." With that, the man rolled his hips once again.

Bonus! Roach (Roach/Jackson):

Jackson held Roach to the bed with one hand, his other making quick work of his belt as he stared excitedly at the form of his naked friend in front of him. Roach's entire face was red and that flush ran down his body temptingly. It drew Jackson's attention to his friends cock, already hard and dripping.

The younger man was already prepped, Jackson knew that without looking. After all, he'd walked into his new room to find Roach with three fingers inside of him already, working himself open just for him.

Finally he managed to get his belt undone. He didn't bother taking it off, just like the rest of his clothes. He was too eager to get inside of his friend, too eager to fuck him just like Roach had told him he was allowed to.

"Fuck Sanderson," he finally managed to get the button and zipper of his pants undone. He pulled his half hard cock from his underwear, not bothering to pull anything down more than he needed. He wrapped a hand around himself, giving himself several slow teasing strokes to work him up fully. He admired the way his hand looked pressed against Roach's neck, "If this is the present I get for being promoted, I'll be a fucking five star general by the end of the month."

Roach squirmed under his gaze,trying to get some sort of friction to himself. Jackson watched the movement with glee, "Could probably just get off looking at you like this," he pressed the man further into the bed, "Wouldn't even touch you, just look."

Roach gave a whimper, "Paul!" His hips jerked up, "No, c'mon!"

"Ah," Jackson gave him a wicked grin. "What do we say?"

Roach gave him a pout, "Please!"

"Please, what?" He leaned closer to Roach with a grin, letting his cock press against the younger man's thigh, "C'mon, you know what I want to hear."

"Please, Sergeant," Roach grabbed at his shoulders, tugging him closer, "fuck me!"

Jackson grinned at his friend before lining himself up and quickly pressing inside the younger man in one quick move. They both gasped at the feeling, Roach scratching at Jackson's shoulders for purchase as Jackson grabbed tight to Roach's thighs with both hands, pulling him closer.

He gave him only a few moments to adjust before his hand was returning to Roach's throat, holding the man in place as he began to fuck into him quickly, the sounds of skin slapping skin ringing through the small room.

Jackson set a rough pace, delighting in his friends desperate gasps and moans as he fucked him into the bed, the springs of the old frame squeaking dangerously. He paid them no mind, his hands quickly beginning to skate appreciatively over the body under his.

"Fuck, you been hiding all this from me, Sanderson?" He grabbed Roach's hips in a bruising grip, increasing his pace as he continued wringing pleasure from the both of them, building it up in their veins.

He changed his angle after a moment, grinning wide when he heard Roach yelp and felt him arch against him, his hands clawing into his shoulders. Jackson slammed into him over and over, abusing his prostate with hard quick thrusts.

"Paul, Paul!" Roach babbled out, his eyes rolling back as his mind was taken over with the feelings of hot pleasure panging in him mercilessly. He grabbed tight to Jackson's hair, trying to tug him closer to him as he continued, "Too much! Fuck too good."

Jackson was quick to put a stop to Roach's yanking hands. He grabbed the man, slamming his hands to the bed above his head with one hand before grabbing his throat with the other. His hips continued moving as he leaned down to press a hot kiss against Roach's mouth. When he pulled back he spoke, "Take it, I know you can. Go on, baby, take everything I give you like the good little toy you are."

No what, you guys are the one who wanted me to write the 141 being pinned down, not me 🙄

I definitely had no desire to abuse this and write Jackson smut thats craaaazy

[kaimaciel]

My Favorite Books of 2018

The Archived  by Victoria Schwab

“Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall.”

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

“On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.”

Still Me (Me Before You #3) by Jojo Moyes

“Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?”

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

“Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out... Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.”

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

“On 21 June 1922 Count Alexander Rostov – recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt – is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. But instead of being taken to his usual suite, he is led to an attic room with a window the size of a chessboard. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. While Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval, the Count, stripped of the trappings that defined his life, is forced to question what makes us who we are. And with the assistance of a glamorous actress, a cantankerous chef and a very serious child, Rostov unexpectedly discovers a new understanding of both pleasure and purpose.”

Heart of Iron (Heart of Iron #1) by Ashley Poston

“Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him. Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them. When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive. What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?”

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

“THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY. KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it. AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost. THE WAR HAS BEGUN. THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING. Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons. Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?”

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.”

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

“A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment. Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including— Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs. And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.”

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

“Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.”

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

“Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips. Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends. Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.”

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.23

229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. 1280 – The Spanish Reconquista: In the Battle of Moclín the Emirate of Granada ambush a superior pursuing force, killing most of them in a military disaster for the Kingdom of Castile. 1305 – A peace treaty between the Flemish and the French is signed at Athis-sur-Orge. 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins. 1532 – Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the "Treaty of Closer Amity With France" (also known as the Pommeraye treaty), pledging mutual aid against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. 1565 – Dragut, commander of the Ottoman navy, dies during the Great Siege of Malta. 1594 – The Action of Faial, Azores. The Portuguese carrack Cinco Chagas, loaded with slaves and treasure, is attacked and sunk by English ships with only 13 survivors out of over 700 on board. 1611 – The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again. 1683 – William Penn signs a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania. 1713 – The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada. 1757 – Battle of Plassey: Three thousand British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000-strong Indian army under Siraj ud-Daulah at Plassey. 1758 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Krefeld: British, Hanoverian, and Prussian forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany. 1760 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Landeshut: Austria defeats Prussia. 1780 – American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township). 1794 – Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kyiv. 1810 – John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company. 1812 – War of 1812: Great Britain revokes the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war. 1860 – The United States Congress establishes the Government Printing Office. 1865 – American Civil War: At Fort Towson in the Oklahoma Territory, Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie surrenders the last significant Confederate army. 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer". 1887 – The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada creating the nation's first national park, Banff National Park. 1894 – The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne in Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. 1913 – Second Balkan War: The Greeks defeat the Bulgarians in the Battle of Doiran. 1914 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta. 1917 – In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire. 1919 – Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia. 1926 – The College Board administers the first SAT exam. 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane. 1938 – The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States. 1940 – Adolf Hitler goes on a three-hour tour of the architecture of Paris with architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker in his only visit to the city. 1940 – Henry Larsen begins the first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 1941 – The Lithuanian Activist Front declares independence from the Soviet Union and forms the Provisional Government of Lithuania; it lasts only briefly as the Nazis will occupy Lithuania a few weeks later. 1942 – World War II: Germany's latest fighter aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales. 1946 – The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. 1947 – The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft–Hartley Act. 1951 – The ocean liner SS United States is christened and launched. 1956 – The French National Assembly takes the first step in creating the French Community by passing the Loi Cadre, transferring a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa. 1959 – Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany where he resumes a scientific career. 1960 – The United States Food and Drug Administration declares Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world. 1961 – The Antarctic Treaty System, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and limits military activity on the continent, its islands and ice shelves, comes into force. 1967 – Cold War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference. 1969 – Warren E. Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren. 1969 – IBM announces that effective January 1970 it will price its software and services separately from hardware thus creating the modern software industry. 1972 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about illegally using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation's investigation into the Watergate break-ins. 1972 – Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds. 1973 – A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist Peter Dinsdale. 1985 – A terrorist bomb planted by Canadian Sikh militants known commonly as Khalistanis explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard. 1991 – Sonic the Hedgehog is released in North America on the Sega Genesis platform, beginning the popular video game franchise. 1994 – NASA's Space Station Processing Facility, a new state-of-the-art manufacturing building for the International Space Station, officially opens at Kennedy Space Center. 2001 – The 8.4 Mw  southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami followed, leaving at least 74 people dead, and 2,687 injured. 2012 – Ashton Eaton breaks the decathlon world record at the United States Olympic Trials. 2013 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope. 2013 – Militants storm a high-altitude mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, killing ten climbers and a local guide. 2014 – The last of Syria's declared chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction. 2016 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%. 2017 – A series of terrorist attacks take place in Pakistan, resulting in 96 deaths and wounding 200 others. 2018 – Twelve boys and an assistant coach from a soccer team in Thailand are trapped in a flooding cave, leading to an 18-day rescue operation.

[cool-danielramos]

How to Choose the Most useful Rug Stores to Buy From

With the web as huge and far hitting as it is nowadays everybody else should start contemplating having some kind of on the web presence in order to keep up with the adjusting techniques of purchasing and selling. In order to create an online shop there are a few measures you need to remember and you should be able stufe to begin getting in revenue from all around the country and probably also the planet if you're interested in that.

1. Develop a name. In the event that you presently want to produce an online shop odds are excellent that you already have a term for your store but could it be a good title? A title needs to be remarkable and quickly tell your client what you are about and what you sell. With a stone and mortar store you are able only a little secret as individuals are more likely to walk in out of absolute curiosity. With the web being about immediate gratification though an individual appears to have irritated and simply click away; why decide to try to find out your store when they can go to 1 that offers them precisely what they need? To create an online shop is to produce an on line presence, and to be most reliable an individual needs to know what that presence represents and is capable of doing.

2. Choose your products. Since you have a title selected you have to find out what it is you are likely to offer as soon as you create an on line store. There are numerous different alternatives in this step as you are able to offer things you produced or things others made. You can privately own the merchandise or go via a drop shipper that handles all of the shipping and products. Within my knowledge probably the most successful online retailers are the ones that offer anything unique to an individual base; something that's sometimes unique or extremely wanted after. When you create an online shop you need to put this towards the top of your last and have an agenda for the manner in which you are likely to acquire your products and just how much you plan on offering them for, this can make the process complement a great deal smoother.

3. Find out style, shade, etc. Just as crucial as your title can be your style and shade palette. A store with a very dull or also active palette can blast even if you have the worlds coolest name. Consider it with regards to a real life store again. In the event that you visit a store and are quickly bombarded with brilliant shades and sporting lights, until you're in Las Vegas chances have you been will not stay around. You have to keep this in your mind once you create an online shop as so long as have the bodily behave of entering a store it is a purely aesthetic experience. You want to attempt to stay with all moderate light shades or all lively soaked colors. With computer screens over the state featuring information differently you need to make your shade style as cohesive as you possibly can so it looks as similar as you possibly can from monitor to the next so you have some kind of quality control on what the person is seeing.

4. Select a hosting service. This is a essential step in the act to produce an online shop as this can make or break your success. You'll need to choose a hosting business that most readily useful meets you and your needs. Many E-Commerce answers provide a wide selection of hosting plans and various perks with each offer so be sure you do your research. One thing to always remember is whether or not they are nice to utilize because if your site should go down for almost any reason or you want to make changes you can not determine on your own you will have to call them. Therefore I suggest before picking one without a doubt you need to call all of the potential companies and have a speak with them. If they are pleasant and educational I'd transfer them to the the top of number, but if you get shuffled around on the phone or never actually communicate with a real individual I'd transfer them to the underside of the list. The hosting company is essentially your partner once you create an online shop and you need to be sure you partner will be there for you personally and have your very best curiosity at heart.

5. Market your store. After you have got the store up and working you have to out some function engrossed; here is the period wherever many shops begin to fail. A person buys catalog and gets the store going but expects visitors to just find their store and the merchandise to begin flying down the shelves. To create an online shop is easy, but to effectively run an online shop is bit trickier. Ensure you get your store out there. Discover appropriate blog posts or turn into a trusted member of a forum highly relevant to your products. If persons do not know your store exists they can not very well get from it. One process that will support when first getting started is to pay only a little money each month of Pay Per Press advertisements; while they may possibly not be the lowest priced way to advertise, they support when an online shop is first starting out. When you create an online shop you can also look to much cheaper techniques in your neighborhood area. Produce an order of T-Shirts along with your brand on and internet site about it and get buddies and family to use them or get permission to hand them out at local running events. Any such thing you can do to get your store title and internet site out there could possibly bring in new clients equally by strong contact and by term of mouth.

6. Accomplish standard preservation on the store. After you begin to have clients to arrive and only a little revenue flowing be sure you do not begin to curl up too much, sure the difficult areas over nevertheless you still have to keep potential clients pleased and to do that you have to remain active with the store. If I go to an online shop and it does not look like the merchandise or such a thing has been current lately I generally do not get such a thing from there because who's to state the person is also still in operation in real life? It's super easy for an online shop to drop through the breaks and be up also although the bodily store has shut down. Because of this you need to constantly be updating things and make your web visitors experience as if you care about the store because if you never then why should they? A simple way to get this done is to attach a weblog to the store that you update every couple of days with sometimes news about your products and programs or simply small tidbits about your days; this can support variety a kind of community around your store and you'll begin to detect regulars commenting on articles.

7. Start preparing for longevity. What I am talking about here is that when you have set all this work into your store, started going solution and have a tiny community you need to begin preparing what you can do next to keep them coming back. With a physical store the consistency and reluctance to go trying to find new areas keeps clients finding its way back but with online retailers and the capacity to find something almost everywhere on the web you have to make your store extremely welcoming and cozy to have persons coming back. Consider campaigns you are able to offer to clients who article most regularly in your blog, or methods you are able to enhance your store with a brand new search or greater variety of products, just do not allow store get stagnant. When you create an online shop it is really a full time work to keep it up and working and to keep up accomplishment, but there is no other sensation want it while your own employer while all of the disappointment goes for your requirements, every oz of the accomplishment goes for your requirements as well and that is clearly a truly good feeling.

Nik Aberle is an E-Commerce Website Expert functioning at Webplus, Inc. in Aberdeen, SD. He has had knowledge dealing with companies including little at home endeavors all the way around large national stage making companies and numerous others in between.