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j4y-lvr · 1 year

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ADOR U!… nishimura riki ㅤ▷ cookie ㅤ“it's the grey area between friends and something more.”

SYNOPSIS. a silly dare led niki to attempt to be your silly boy

GENRE. fluff, crack, some angst

PAIRING. danceteamleader!niki x teammember!fem!reader ft. enhypen, newjeans

WARNINGS. unhinged and maybe its cringe since i explained the moves to the placement of their feet, im sorry-😭, jungwon says niki got no rizz(i dont think that's gonna happen anymore but we'll see), lowercase intended, tba

WORD COUNT. 1.7k

NOTE. this part was supposed to be longer but eh 1.7k is alright. oh and the updates wont be continuous anymore since i have skl👺

Reblogs and feedback are highly appreciated!

prev.:ㅤ.master.ㅤnext:.

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ㅤㅤㅤ ☰ queue

“how are things between you and yn?” jungwon asked, taking interest in his friend's blank face, willing to distract him about the very thing he sat thinking over. “bittersweet,” niki replied, zoned out. “well, do you wanna talk about it? you can’t mope around the whole day,”

Niki lays back on the bench beneath the tree, the sunlight hitting his eyes. A hand over his eyes, he sighs, “i don’t know, me and yn got in but she didn’t audition with me,” “oh, you mean the day in the cafeteria,”

“yeah, i think we never really mentioned anywhere in the video's content that we weren’t a team, nor did she perform with minji’s team altogether,”

Jungwon draws his eyebrows closer, “yn didn’t perform with the others? no wonder she was considered to be a duo with you.” Niki hums, ruffling his dark locks, the solemn mood settled. His niki dings, a message from you greeting the lit display, “room 5, 5pm”

“have you both settled on a song?” sunoo asks, putting his book aside, seated on the grass, his back to the bench. Jungwon panned his head to the boy beside him and then to niki, “no,”

“all i wanna do, jay park,” jungwon beams, his eyes twinkling as he stares at niki with an anticipatory gaze. “respectfully, jay park,” he adds, snickering, making niki erupt into a fit of laughter, the expression of the idol playing in their minds.

Urging the lugging door open, niki is greeted to an empty room. Frowning to your absence. Nevertheless, he connects his phone to the bluetooth speaker and begins warming up. Minutes passed by, and the closed space still lacked your presence. He pockets up his phone, dialing your number to no avail. His eyes dance around the room, finding your hoodie on the floorboard in the corner. Obtaining the material in his clutch, he decides to leave in a search for you.

Out the door you stood, hand loosely hung around the handle with little to no pressure applied in an attempt to swing open the door. On the other side, niki grasped the handle and flung it open, sending you forward along with the door, crashing into him and tumbling to the ground.

You land on your knees while niki took the hit with his tailbone, clutching his orbs in a tight wince. “are you alright?” you query, shifting to your feet, and lending your hand to the fallen boy.

He waves you off, slowly rising to his soles, hand aiding his lower back. Maneuvering to the table by the wall, he slants his body to it. “do you have any songs in mind,” he questions, dragging his back down the support, sitting with his legs crossed.

“not really,”

The boy shows you a smile, “i have one in mind,”

With a few days left, you huff, collapsing, fixing your eyes on niki who continued practicing. The way he moved his arms and legs with mesmerizing coordination, his face exhibiting no set expression but concentration.

You found yourself absorbed in the way he moved his body, in awe with the way he understood every nook and cranny of the routine. Your lost gaze on him caught his notice, his eyes settling on you through the mirror.

Neither of you dared to bring up the past conception, leaving it awkwardly hung in the air, focusing on getting enough practice for the final round. Your mind wandered as you gaped at the boy, admiring him from right up close.

Accounting your daze, he turns to you, tilting his head in confusion. He calls out your name but you missed it in your trance, zoning out on where he previously statured. He strolls to you, albeit your awareness, crouching and whispering your name in the shell of your ear.

Maybe it was the first time he’d seen you up close and personal, but he found himself lingering near you longer. Your surprised gasp when you snapped out of your daze and found niki in front of you a small peep away, you were given the scare of your life.

Unintentionally you shove his shoulders, scooting further from him. Your shove results in him landing on his palms, laughing. He gets to his feet, trais up to you, and kneels with his gummy smile present.

To you, he looked adorable and he noted your grin, “stop gawking, it’s obvious,” he mocks, bringing his palm to your cheek, cupping your face, and holding you closer. Without context, it would have seemed like he was about to veer towards and peck your lips.

Your laugh subsides and the light tension trickles to something mellow, your eyes being stared into by your coined minor inconvenience. The title was presently threatened to change to a major inconvenience, your heart pounding as he continued to search in depths of your orbs.

The shift in the air brought niki to blink himself back to reality, inching to you with a puff of breath greeting your face with his gaze locked on you, “shall we get back to practice,” His words rolled off his tongue and made their way to you, much to disappointment that he didn’t lean in—

Ok this was bad. Niki hadn’t only threatened to become a major inconvenience, he claimed the title and your heart for a grave amount of time before you snatched it from him in your imaginary play.

After your little freak out or more so ‘ohmygodisheabouttokissme’ moment, you regained your composure and your unwavering will to make him flustered in return, you know, pay back the favor. You meant it in all good fun, is what you told yourself but, of course, that wasn’t the whole picture.

Hanni entered the room in search of her lost keychain and obliged to watch your performance. She pulled up the file, playing the music and filling the room with its rhythmic beats.

Fumbling into position you begin with the hook, niki gracing the center with his presence and you follow along not long after, giving him a light push on his shoulder. You execute the jump and swipe your hand away, popping your head on command of your arm, creating an image of stairs with your hands topping each other, in sync with niki from the hours of practice you both spent, cooped up in the mirrored room.

The chorus progresses and you slide to niki, making eye contact and grin at him. His immediate response was to copy your smile and vibe in the gap of moves. You turn with arms open and point to your reflection, and bump into niki in the process.

Hanni beamed at you two as the verse continued and jay park took the backseat for a while. Niki trudged to you in accordance with the beats, your back facing him. Now came the difficult part for niki, to maintain eye contact with you in close proximity got both of you nervous, even during practice. This time it'd be different, though.

Hanni smiled upon noting his hesitation. You weren't one to lose, and you sure were on the track to making niki one flustered mess, placing your hand on his shoulder and flicking your head up to him, musing a smirk. It was most definitely much closer than before and hanni chuckled a bit with a cough.

Your gaze contained a hint of mischievousness and the boy was officially caught off guard. You put a hand to the nape of his neck, standing straight while your hand made it up his cheek, giving a small smack, causing niki to tilt his head away from you and prepare for the second chorus with a light jump.

The door panned open and minji peered through, watching as you both swayed through the routine, coming to a close and struck a pose with your finger on niki’s chin making him face the audience with a pout.

Hanni clapped and cheered while minji remained at the door with no readable expression. “that was great, and yn, you don’t really seem all that nervous anymore,”

You reply with a small thank you, “it's all because i rivaled her into being confident,” niki said with triumph and you scowled, “yeah and you were the one who got nervous this time,” you fire back, raising brows at him, having reached your goal on flustering him.

“one suggestion but could you both stand closer, there's distance between you both in the first verse,” hanni suggests, and you nod, whipping back to niki with a knowing look.

Minji ambles her way into the room with a smile, “could i talk to you for a moment,” she inquires, motioning to you. You comply and leave the space with hanni and minji, leaving niki in the room by himself. You stroll down the hallway in the hours of late afternoon, slow breeze fanning your sweat ridden self.

You reach the vending machine and lean on the wall for support as minji whisks two cans of soda, hanni having continued down the hall after letting minji know she’d be going home for the day.

She hands you a can, slanting on the wall herself, before managing to begin, “i wanted to apologize, i shouldn’t have taken it out on you that day,” she pauses, popping the can of soda open, “i was just saddened that we didn’t get in and the confusion caused, i am truly happy you were selected along with niki, your little minor inconvenience.”

“major inconvenience,” you correct with a giggle, minij well-knowing that you’d approved of her apology.

“he moved up the ranks?!” minji gasps, “how so?

“i’d say he moreover claimed the title himself by being a menace to my hearts wellbeing,” you reply, sipping on the canned soda, earning yourself a nudge from

minji, “looks like someone has decided on an answer,” “more or less,”

“and when do you plan on spilling the beans to him” "it's like the grey area between friends and something more. Though i do plan on telling him 2 days from now, after our performance at the competition,” She gives you the eyes, ogling, “after you claim the first place, i see,” minji teases, in seriousness. All while you were unknown to the fact that he’d asked out on part of completing his silly dare, yet here you were, on the verge of letting him be your silly boy.

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kneeanderthal · 11 months

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Useless head-cannons i have for the party:

- Dustin is a huge, huge musical theatre nerd, he did drama in middle school (fact!), and would randomly break out into song, pissing the party off, but it was really cute

- Lucas would phone Will every Friday at exactly 5pm (CA time) while Will lived there.

- Mike has huge fascination with space, and used to study how they built the rockets, and would have so many overdue library books about all the astronauts, that he got banned from the library for four months.

- Max and Dustin stayed surprisingly close when the party fell apart while Will and El were in CA, although they didn’t hang out at school like they used too, they shared alot of classes, and would call eachother frequently.

- El sings in the shower, like really loud too, and not in a secretly good singer way (she’s terrible, don’t tell her that though)

- Will LOVES tigers!! (Fact) He has a tiger shirt that he calls his good shirt, which he never wears out because he’s worried he’ll ruin it.

- Lucas has a box under his bed filled with scraps of stuff his bestfriends have given him over the years, from rocks, to letters, to notes from class.

- Mike writes poetry (and its not bad either), dramatic as ever he would burn it when he finished it.

- Will started making people mixtapes for their birthdays, with songs that reminded him of them.

- Max has her and El’s photo from star court in her wallet.

- Dustin and Will are aggressively addicted to caffeine, specifically black coffee.

- Mike took Will to see the Labyrinth when it came out and Will still counts it as one of the nicest nights of his life.

- When in California, Will had really close bond to his English teacher, doing extra credit all the time, getting him A’s his whole time there.

- Mike and Dustin shared home room together and would spend the whole time (everyday) trying to lip read what the other was saying from across the room without bursting out laughing.

- Mike’s favorite movie is stand by me, he talks about it all the time, and has the soundtrack on tape.

- Will would stay in Max’s hospital room, eventually getting over his fear of hospitals, just talking to her the whole time so that Lucas could actually sleep.

- Max and El have always dare each other to do stupid stuff and neither of them back out. From swimming from side of the quarry to the other, and spray painting cars at the junkyard to having boyfriend getting competitions.

- Dustin and Will were meant to go to camp Knowhere together but Joyce backed out last minute.

- Lucas and Will always race eachother trying to figure out who is faster.

- Mike babysits Holly all the time but she never wants to talk and be nice unless Will or Max are there.

- El lies for fun, no longer about meaningful stuff but stupid things like her favourite colour, all so that she can reveal it later for shock factor.

- Mr’s Sinclair like’s Will the best while, Karen like’s Dustin, Joyce likes Mike and Claudia likes Lucas.

- Will’s family Is Jewish (Lonnie isn’t)

- El has a million books on Buddhism because Max told her about it once, and she found it the most interesting thing ever.

#Stranger things #the party #Will Byers #Max Mayfield #Lucas Sinclair #El Hopper #dustin henderson #Mike wheeler #I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS GOT SO LONG #dont take this too seriously #byler #lumax #byclair (if you squint)

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ficsyoumayhavemissed · 1 year

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all I remember — @andfollowthesun

2.159 words / @1dchristmasfest / Harry x Niall

“Okay,” Niall says. “Don’t get me wrong, ’m grateful for the fans and the music and everything— “—and your fifty guitars, and the very expensive pieces of real estate in London—” “Yeah, yeah,” Niall waves his hand. “But fame is also what’s right now preventing me from throwing me hat in the ring to be Holmes Chapel’s next jelly wrestling champion.”

Heartwarming, that is the perfect word to describe this fic because even though it is very short you are able to fall in love with Niall and Harry with every word. It's fun and portrays Narry perfectly, showing how important is for your partner to be your best friend as well.

Winter Light Spectacular — @reminiscingintherain

2.631 words / @girldirectionfest / Harry x Louis

‘Coming Soon! Winter Light Spectacular! Starting Friday 11th December, 5pm, Golden Botanic Gardens. Entry free.’ Louis blinked as she read the poster in the staff room. “Uhh… what is this?” she asked, looking around with a raised eyebrow. ~~~~ When head gardener Louis has the plans of a light show dropped in her lap, she's instantly protective of her gardens. Can coordinator Harry change her mind?

This fic is simply wonderful. Louis’ sassy character swearing up a storm, but still being kind and good natured rings so very true. Give this one a read if you’re looking for a sweet fic with good banter! You can also listen to this as a podfic here!

Dine with me — cyandiamond

2.689 / Harry x Louis

Harry’s ready to close up the shop and go home after a long shift, until an unexpected turn of events makes him rethink.

Some fics you read in order to be in a new world and this is one of them. This fic has such a wonderful and vivid sense of place. The imagery brings the cute story to life and a smile to any reader’s face.

Worries, Kisses and Surprises — @neondiamond

3.105 words / Harry x Louis

Harry and Louis are hosting Christmas dinner with both of their families for the very first time. Harry is a little stressed out about it, but for a good reason.

The domesticity packed in this fic is just perfect! It’s sickeningly sweet and a cozy read for a cold winter evening.

I don't care about the present — littlejo_ana

3.522 words / Harry x Louis

“You're not really saying that Michael Bublé's version is better than Mariah's." He said, raising his eyebrows, but Louis just smiled. “That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest, his blue eyes focused on Harry as if daring him to contradict him. “Well, you're wrong then, Mariah Carey's version is a classic, and it's iconic!” He said back, crossing his arms over his chest as well, because two could play that game. “It's overplayed and everybody's tired of it," Harry gasped dramatically. “Now, Michael's version, it's new, romantic and engaging.” or the one where Harry and Louis compete for the best version of "All I want for christmas" and somehow, they both win.

This fic is a frank and fun discussion of Christmas songs. It’s wrapped in some cute banter and friendly competition that in the end both Harry and Louis win.

santa, won't you bring me the one i really need? — @alwaysxlarrie

5.539 words / @1dchristmasfest / Harry x Louis

This Christmas, Louis is going to ask for new friends, because his are the worst. That's the only possible explanation for how he's been dragged into dressing up as Santa and taking photos with strange small children at the mall for hours on end. I mean, Christmas is a season of being cheerful and all, but this is ridiculous! …although the handsome guy who his friend somehow managed to persuade to play the elf is at least a small perk of the job.

This fic is extremely cute and funny, perfect to start getting into that chilly Christmas mood, almost like a Christmas romcom!

Christmas won’t be the same this year— @dearmrsawyer

7.473 words / Liam x Louis

Liam is a suburban dream. Louis hates him and his Christmas lights.

One part new neighbors, two parts jealousy, one part attraction. Add some Christmas sparkle and stir generously, and you’ll get this crazy, fun fic about rivalry and redemption. Liam will warm your heart. Louis will have you groaning into your hands. But when they come together, it’ll leave you cheering.

Avoiding every mistletoe (until i know it’s true love) — @stylesthebrave

10.315 words / Harry x Louis

Even as the day comes to a close, Louis isn’t afraid to call the man sitting next to him on the sofa, watching snowflakes fall outside as the scent of sugar cookies fill the flat, the love of his life. Through his anger and sadness, never once did he stop loving Harry or regret loving Harry. If anything, he’s afraid of a world where he isn’t loving Harry. So, yeah, his heart is pretty content right now. Or, the Christmas exes to lovers AU.

While a chilling snowstorm builds around them, Harry and Louis attempt to talk about what broke them up and slowly rekindle the warmth that used to burn between them. The feelings are relatable and the hope is contagious in this sweet story of ex-lovers getting a second chance.

—-

As always, support the authors by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

If you can’t get enough of our recs in this post, make sure to check out our tags page and scroll through the categories to see if you find any more fics you like! — FYMHM xx

#hledit #hlcreators #hljournal #1dsource #1dficvillage #tracksintheam #trackinghome #trackinghappily #ficsfor4am #fic rec #fymhm #december 2022

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lirusstories · 1 year

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Heartstopper

Inspired by this post

Jameson taps his fingers rhythmically against his leg as he sits inside his gilded cage watching the black and white TV they brought him, Stars, 60 years ago? He really wishes they’d upgrade it by now. He knows color TV exists now.

The facility however, does seem to be doing it’s best to please him, most likely to keep him calm and compliant. Technically he could break out, but he’d rather stay in one place so he can be found easier. Besides, once they let him make his own food his experience has increased exponentially so!

He hears some workers outside of the room with a voice he’s never heard before.

He turns to look at the door as it opens, two older works and as he suspected, a new intern who seems to think highly of himself.

He smiles and waves at them and the two scientists who’ve dealt with him before avoid looking directly at him. The intern on the hand pauses before turning to one of the scientists.

“Are you sure this is the right ALTR?”

“Yes Johnson now-”

“But he’s so cute!”

“That's what makes him so dangerous.” The other snaps at the intern in a strained quiet voice.

Jameson can feel his smile become more strained as he watches them. Jameson raises a hand, smiling as brightly as he can, catching the researchers and interns attention before waving.

The intern seems to melt while the researchers avoid looking at him.

“Aww he’s baby~” The intern coos in a not so quiet voice and it takes all Jameson has to not let his face twist with disdain.

The taller scientist, Micheal if he recalls correctly clears his throat as he enters the room further.

“Apologies Mr. Jackson, the restocking for your food as been delayed, if they are not here by 5pm we’ll allow you access to the kitchen to make whatever you like.”

Jameson merely nods in understanding. As long as he doesn’t need to go back to that awful gruel they dared call food again.

“We’re merely here to check on a few things and show Mr Johnson the ropes.”

Jameson nods again before lifting his hands and signing, “‘Tea?’”

“No, thank you, Mr. Jackson.”

Jameson merely nods again and goes back to tapping his fingers. Perhaps he’ll paint off his unfinished dolls tonight…

“What did he say?” The intern, Johnson, asks.

“He was just asking if we wanted some tea.” Tom, The other scientist mutters.

“Aww, he’s so sweet.”

“Focus Johnson.”

‘So unprofessional.’ Jameson thinks as he watches them, looking back at his show he decides to just make himself tea.

For the next thirty minutes he can feel the eyes of the intern looking back to watch him when he makes his tea and when he sits back down, drinking it and watching his show.

Around the thirty-minute mark, Micheal comes over with his clip board.

“Anything you’d like to request before we leave Mr. Jackson?”

“‘A Colored TV would be wonderful.’”

The scientist, pauses, looking at him, almost surprised before slowly nodding and writing something down.

He hears Thomas translate for the intern as Jameson stands up.

“Oh my god he’s so small.” Johnson whispers as her takes the three of them to the door, Tom explaining to Johnson that it’s something he does because he says it’s polite.

And Jameson stands firm on that stance thank you very much. However, this intern on the other hand…

Jameson feels his hand twitch, his sleeve far too empty for his liking before smiling to himself.

“Have a nice day Mr. Jackson.” Are Micheal's parting words, then tom but the inter stays behind, looking down at Jameson with the smile.

“See ya later Jackson.” Then the man reaches up, patting Jameson’s face. Jameson’s hand twitches, resisting the urge to rip the man's hand away.

“Johnson no-!”

Jameson smiles pleasantly, adorably, at the man. Earning him a smile in return before the intern freezes before being ripped away from Jameson.

Not even a second later and the intern collapses. Jameson smiles at the two man, staring at the now corpse of the coincidently former intern. Waving a goodbye before closing his door as he hears more people approaching.

Hm, perhaps he will paint a doll, he thinks he knows exactly how he wants it to look. He wonders if his family will like it when they finally find him.

taglist: @immabethehero @malaboos-bodacious-blog @protectjj @glitchyartist

Sorry we've had some pretty bad writes block when it's coming to bits and pieces we'll try and update it doon

If you like our writing feel free to join our Discord where we're starting to be more active on and if you can spare some cash, throw some at us on our Ko-Fi and make sure to like and reblog!

#jse jameson jackson #jameson jackson #jse iris #iris #jse egos fanfic #jse egos #jacksepticeye egos #jacksepticeye fanfic #our stuff

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konietzko-sylvoran · 2 years

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♥ Hearts of Tenacity Fest ✩

Introducing Hearts of Tenacity Fest!

✩♥ A special faction neutral RP event hosted on WRA ♥✩ When : Saturday May 28th - Sunday May 29th Time : Begins at 5pm WRA (7pm MG) Where : Saturday is hosted at Tenacity Isle, Pandaria, S. of Isle of Reckoning (Map in Official Discord) Sunday is hosted at Heart and Hearth Enclave, Zuldazar, S.W. of Xibala (Map in Official Discord) Event Info: Saturday the doors open at 5pm WRA as guests are given an hour to mingle and visit our various food and drink caterers as well as the official HoT merchandising booth where every performer's official merch is sold. At 6pm WRA the performances kick off featuring a full lineup of three different performance blocks (Details in official Hot Discord) Hosted by the Syl'voran's Starflower and Aethril. Following the final performance block DJs TalKon kick off a late night rave to close us out after our amazing entertainment from our fellow stars.

Sunday the doors open at 5pm WRA as guests are given an hour to mingle and visit our various food and drink vendors as we gather round the Heart and Hearth Isle's Bonfire. A full night of storytelling begins at 6pm WRA lead by Aethril's magical show of story weaving.

What would a festival be without giveaways and raffle prizes to take away? We've so many wonderful artwork prizes to raffle off from amazing artists for those who simply show up! But there are many other ways to get your name into the drawing and increase your chances at winning one of our several artist prizes!

Anchors, Maps, Further Details, Raffle Art Prizes and more info can all be found in our official Discord so be sure to join it if you are interested in attending this event!

We look forward to sharing our festival with any heart who dares to dream! Join our Official Discord Here https://tinyurl.com/HeartsDisc

Star Performer's Flyers performing Saturday Here! Sunday Storyteller Lineup and the Enclaves Location Here! Art Raffle Prizes from all our wonderful artists Here!

@wracentrall @the-royal-courier @moonguardevents @wowrpevents

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librarian-of-favonius · 1 year

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❝ Oh, good evening, cutie~....❞

It was, say, rather unusual, to see the Librarian of the Knights of Favonius in the headquarters this late at night. It was rather unfortunate, in Lisa's personal opinion, but work was work. And she knew that she would not want to shelve this new shipment of books come tomorrow morning, so, a late night it was.

She was not, however, expecting visitors, not after hours, and especially not so late. The library closed at 5pm, and by the looks of it, it was now closer 7, so why on Teyvat was someone here this late? Especially when they knew the opening hours of the library.

Hearing footsteps, the Librarian makes her way from between the shelves of books, ready to shoo off whoever it is that dares disturb her this late at night, especially when everyone knows she dislikes overtime as it is.

"Apologies, dear, but the library is...-"

She cuts herself off when she appears from between the bookshelves and sees just who it is that has come to visit her so late.

。* 。 • ˚✦⧖

#open starter #genshin roleplay #rp starter #open rp #。* 。 • ˚✦⧖Books and candlelit moonlight || Lisa starter #genshin rp #genshin rp starter #lisa minci #Lisa starter

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fatalezr · 2 years

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Personal Assistant

Lilly smiled as she stepped outside the store, bags in hand. It was good to be back in the city again. It had only been a few months since she was last in Miami but it felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed in her. She had left secretly with Marina in the dead of night, frightened that they may not make it out of the city alive and that Tony Falcano's assassin would not give them the chance to do so. Marina had been the picture of calm that evening, assuring Lilly their plan would succeed, earning the assassin's trust when she shot Catrin, the other maid that Lilly shared the household duties with. Lilly had seen the incredible sight of Marina and Falcano's hitwoman unloading bullets into Gio, Marina's husband, the soft spitting of the bullets and the moans of the women, something she remembered often.

Now she was returning not as a maid, but a killer herself. She was no longer Lilly, the fake identification she carried said her name was Leah Jones. Whilst she still served her mistress, it was not as a cleaner, but helping with important missions and she felt alive in doing so. The life of relative luxury that she had previously worked in was not something she missed. The trips on private jets and plush hotel rooms had been replaced by a cheap and run-down house and a bumpy ride to it in Jackson's fishing boat but she did not care. They were building something greater here.

"Decent haul?". Lilly turned to see Lucia walking out beside her, dark glasses on and wearing a long white shirt and comfortable leggings.

She smiled at her friend. "Not too bad". Today was the first chance they had to do some shopping and Marina had encouraged them to go into the city and pick up some new clothes. They had all had to take relatively little with them in the boat and Lilly was trying to find some more daring and varied outfits. They had both just emerged from a Victoria's Secret store, Lilly having tried on and purchased an array of intimate and sexy lingerie sets that she wanted to wear on some missions.

"We should head back," Lucia said, looking at her watch. "see where the boss is after all these meetings". Lilly nodded and they walked together back through the city towards and then into one of the art deco hotels that lined the beachfront. They saw Marina sitting inside the lobby by the bar, a tight floral dress on her body and large dark shades. She was talking to a blonde woman in a grey trouser suit that Lilly did not recognise. The hotel had peeling paint and was almost deserted by other people.

Marina beckoned them over as they approached. She was sipping on some coffee. "Lilly, Lucia, meet Eleanor Harris" she said, indicating the woman in the trouser suit who gave them both a curt nod. "Your timing is impeccable. Eleanor, please, continue".

Eleanor kept her voice low. "Like I say, I've been whipping votes like crazy but I'm still one short. It's Hal Mitchell. He's got the proxy votes of two major shareholders. We need him to support me".

"And my guess is he won't respond to more gentle persuasion?" Marina queried.

Eleanor shook her head. "No. Look, everything else is set. I've got the next release coded, we're close, really close". She was passionate but Lilly could tell she was also stressed.

"I understand," Marina said, "and I had a feeling this might be the case. Tell me, is your board still using virtual voting?"

"Yeah" Eleanor replied, "and the resolutions should be with them tonight but the software generates a unique code for each member. I can't try hacking it".

Marina leaned back and Lilly could tell she was deep in thought. "The codes would be delivered to each member's assistant, yes? They could access them?"

"That's right" Eleanor said, "they could. You'd still need the iPad though, it's programmed specifically for each individual user".

"And the votes open when?"

"Tomorrow at 5pm, everyone has 24 hours to submit," Eleanor said. Lilly tried to follow along but stayed quiet.

"Well, we did not come this far to be derailed," Marina said resolutely, "I have a strategy. Eleanor, keep resolute. Control the votes you can control, let me worry about Hal Mitchell". The two women stood and Marina shook her hand. "We will make history in two days" she assured her.

Eleanor nodded and smoothed her jacket. She glanced again at Lilly and Lucia before exiting the hotel into the Miami sunshine. Marina turned to face Lilly and Lucia, her face calm. "Eleanor is the Chief Product Officer at Secrtapp, and the heir apparent to the company after the untimely death of its CEO and CFO". She gave Lilly a look, and Lilly realised that they were the two men she had killed a few weeks ago, the first time she had done such a thing.

Lucia was nodding. "This was your plan?" she asked Marina.

"It is," Marina replied, keeping her voice low, "the company has just signed major deals to protect a number of global institutions, giving it access to an unparalleled amount of data that can be useful like watchlists, identity data, law enforcement and finance. We can use it to move in the shadows freely and to target our strikes accordingly".

Lilly now understood the gravity of the situation. If they could have an ally controlling that, it could be huge for their ambitions. "But I guess she needs the board's support?" she asked.

"Precisely" Marina said, "I had hoped that all could be arranged diplomatically but it seems we may need to intervene, and this is why we are here".

Lilly nodded. "What can we do?" she asked, and she saw Marina smile at her confidence.

------

Lucia was still sipping on her coffee and reading a book when Lilly noticed the movement in the lobby. They were sat inside the lobby of the Continental Hotel looking as if they were waiting for someone before a business meeting, Lucia in a black trouser suit with a blue blouse and Lilly in a navy dress with a flowing skirt at the bottom that she kept one hand on, a little concerned it would ride up her leg and reveal the holster around her thigh that contained her Beretta.

She saw Hal Mitchell enter the lobby from outside, wearing a beige linen jacket and blue trousers. He was tall with white hair and still wearing his sunglasses inside. Next to him was a more diminutive figure, an American-Korean wearing a tight red dress and carrying a set of folders underneath her arms. She looked to be struggling to keep up to Mitchell as he walked ahead and the two were followed by a man with a short haircut wearing a black suit and tie that Lilly knew would likely be Mitchell's bodyguard. She looked at her watch. It was 4:30pm. They would hopefully be able to move before Mitchell cast his vote.

Mitchell stopped and spoke briefly to his assistant, looking like he was giving her some instructions. She nodded, and Lilly watched as she walked away and towards the stairs. She also noticed Mitchell's lingering eye on her rear as his assistant walked away and his bodyguard smirking as he made some kind of comment. She glanced at Lucia, who had also seen it and who rolled her eyes. The lack of respect by the men disgusted Lilly but she picked herself up from the sofa and set off to follow the assistant, Lucia a few paces behind her.

The assistant walked up two flights of stairs before heading down a corridor. Lilly followed but peered around the corner at the top of the stairs to see what room she had gone into. She caught a glimpse and let Lucia catch her up.

"You see the room?" Lucia asked her.

"Yep," Lilly replied. She started to feel some butterflies in her stomach and the weight of the pistol against her thigh.

"Ready?" Lucia said, smiling at her.

"Of course" she replied confidently but inside she had some doubts. This was another new challenge again, and a situation that could easily change in a second. The initial plan was to threaten the assistant, but killing her might have to be an option.

They walked on to the corridor and Lilly showed Lucia the door that the assistant had disappeared behind. Lucia straightened her jacket and knocked.

"Who is it?" a muffled voice replied from the other side.

"I'm from hotel management Madam, we need to discuss some details of Mr. Mitchell's booking" Lucia said loudly.

There was a pause and Lilly was almost certain she could hear the assistant sighing before saying "OK". She steeled herself, ready to move when the door opened. There was a click and the door opened. "Come in," the assistant said to Lucia.

Her colleague needed no second invitation and did so, Lilly following directly behind her and shutting the door quickly. "Wh-" the assistant started to say, startled at the appearance of a second person but Lucia moved as quick as a cat behind her and put her hand over her mouth whilst grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back. The assistant gave a muffled cry of pain but Lilly ignored her and lifted her dress to find the Beretta handgun in the holster on her thigh.

"Quiet!" she said forcefully, pointing her gun at the woman and taking a proper firing stance to be more intimidating. The assistant's eyes widened and she attempted to shout again but soon fell silent, breathing heavily. "Good" she said, trying to sound calmer, "now we're going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer quietly. Do you understand?"

The assistant looked scared still but nodded. Lucia slowly moved her hand away from the assistant's mouth and there was no noise. "OK, good," Lilly said. "I take it you have access to Mr Mitchell's emails and files?"

His assistant continued to look scared but Lilly noticed her breathing was calmer now. "Some" she said in a quiet and yet composed voice, "but not everything".

"His board papers?" Lilly enquired.

"I'm copied in, yes, but I don't always see them," the assistant answered. Lilly was surprised at how calm the woman was, but then remembered what she had witnessed in the lobby.

"What do you think of him?" she asked. Lucia was behind the assistant and shot Lilly a curious look but she wanted to find out.

"He's....." the assistant started to say and a hard look came into her eyes as she looked away for a second before stopping. "What do you want?" she said, "I can't access accounts of his investors, neither can he".

"That's not our concern" Lilly said, "answer my question".

The assistant paused and looked her in the eye and Lilly sensed that she was looking at another woman who had known far too many rich and powerful men stomping over her. There was a flicker of recognition between them. "He's a fucking creep" the woman said, "a fucking arsehole who drags me around and pervs on me all day long. He's always buying me a dress a size too small and trying to fit me in it".

Lilly nodded. "And you can't leave?" she asked, but already knew the answer.

"I want to. I threatened to last month but he's a vindictive son of a bitch. One bad word from him and my career in finance is over. I'm unhirable. It happened to his last girl, I saw it with my own eyes. Fucking Harvard degree and her career went up in smoke overnight when she tried to get out". The assistant had some tears in her eyes and Lilly lowered her gun.

"What if I told you we could help set you free?" she asked. The assistant looked at Lilly and then her gun. She breathed deeply, contemplating her options.

"How?" she said, "he's got papers to sign, people to meet, security. How?"

Lilly had already thought of this. "You know how to run his affairs right?"

"Sure," the assistant said.

"So how long do you think you could reschedule things and keep his life going without anyone seeing him?"

The assistant gave a wry smile. "With full access, maybe a week, maybe two. I could re-route the security contracts a few times, keep a fake person guarding him".

"And after that week or two, he could go on a fishing trip?" Lilly asked, "maybe he has an accident at sea. It's notoriously dangerous for boats around here during storms..."

The assistant nodded. "I suppose so...wait, fuck, is this...are you for real?"

Lilly extended her hand towards the assistant. "Join us and find out". The other woman paused, but then took her hand and shook it. Lilly smiled at her and then Lucia, who was looking cautious but going along with Lilly's plan.

"I'm Evie," the assistant said as they shook.

"Lilly" she replied, choosing to trust her at this time. "Can you get him down here with his iPad for his board meetings?"

Evie thought for a moment or two. "Oh fuck" she said quietly, "fuck, I know how I can get him down here". She reached for her phone near the bed but Lucia stopped her, pulling her hand. Lilly gave Lucia a nod to say that it was ok and Lucia let go, but she remained cautious and drew her black H&K P2000 pistol from inside her suit jacket along with a thick suppressor that she started to slowly thread on to the gun. Evie laid down on the bed and hitched her dress up to reveal some white satin knickers with black lace details.

The camera shutter on the phone clicked and she typed something in. Lucia edged next to Lilly. "You sure you know what you're doing?" she whispered.

"I do" she replied quietly, hoping beyond all hope that her instincts were right about this woman and she was ready to escape Mitchell's grasp. Evie came over to them, showing her phone and the message she had written underneath the picture of her knickers and legs on the bed. 'Sorry we've had some disagreements' it read, 'maybe you can do your meeting preparations with me and I can apologise properly?'.

Lilly could tell that there was still anger in the assistant but she could also see Evie reclaiming her power. She nodded again and the assistant pressed 'send' on the message.

"Well then I guess we're doing this" Lucia said, speaking for the first time to Evie. "Get on the bed". She signalled to Lilly to cross the room and head towards the bathroom. Lilly did so, praying the trap would work. She took the time to hitch her dress up again and this time pull out the suppressor for her Beretta. She threaded it on to her pistol and waited patiently, seeing Evie on the bed with her dress still hitched up and knickers on display.

She waited for a few minutes and was unsure if Mitchell would be on his way. If this did not work, what would their next plan be? It would soon be 5.30pm and he might be looking at the board resolutions and voting against Eleanor at any moment. She did not worry about the security cameras. The footage could be edited slightly to show Mitchell staying in his room.

There was a brief knock on the door. Lilly glanced to see Lucia flatten herself behind the door, suppressed pistol in hand before hiding herself in the bathroom. She breathed deeply and tried to recapture the feeling of the sensual warrior she wanted to be. She let her hand stroke the suppressor on her gun and her nipples hardened in anticipation.

She listened as Evie went to the door and opened it. "I'm happy to see you" a male voice said quietly.

"And you too" she heard Evie respond flirtatiously.

"Let me check the room sir" a more gruff voice said, and Lilly guessed it was the security man. She heard the door open wider and the men step in before the door closed. That was her signal. She spun around to see the room in full, her pistol raising towards the shirt on the chest of Hal Mitchell. His face turned to shock and he looked behind at his security but -pfft-pfft-, Lucia had already slipped behind the bodyguard and placed two bullets into his back, cupping her hand around his mouth and easing him to the ground as he went limp. Pfft-pfft. Lucia added two more shots to his chest to make sure.

"What the fuck?" Mitchell said, his face horrified. He looked towards Evie. "What the fuck have you done?"

"I've had to put up with your shit for two fucking years" she spat back at him.

"I'm maki-" Mitchell started to protest, looking accusingly at her but Lilly decided to remind him of the situation.

"Quiet" she said, raising her pistol towards Mitchell. "Drop your briefcase". He paused but slowly complied. "Evie, check inside" she said and his assistant picked it up and moved it over to the bed to open it.

"Look lady" Mitchell said, trying to be calm, "I don't know what the fuck you think this is, but you're making a massive mistake. There's no way you can get away with this". Lilly did nothing but smile. It was refreshing to see these powerful men begging her when there was nothing they could offer her. "Please just tell me what you want," he said, "money? I can get you money, but you need me alive".

Lilly glanced over towards Evie, who was smiling and pointing at the laptop and iPad in his case - it was all they needed. She felt a murderous power grow within her. She felt like she was back on the beach, with the cool night air touching her as she laid waste to the CEO and CFO of Secrtapp, initiating this whole plan into action. "What do you think, Evie?" she asked the assistant.

Their eyes met briefly and she saw Evie smile too. "Do him," she said softly.

"No! NO!" Mitchell shouted but Lilly was already pulling the trigger. Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft. She shot deliberately into his chest, turning his white shirt to red as her bullets punctured him. She felt a rush of adrenaline as he stumbled back and giggled when he fell. Pfft, pfft. She tracked his body down with her gun and kept firing, her suppressor beginning to smoke. Her eyes were wild and she felt a tingling sensation beneath her thong that she wanted to explore. Instead she paused and breathed deeply.

Evie was watching her in astonishment. There was no horror, only admiration and Lilly decided to take a gamble. She turned the handle of the gun towards Evie and offered it to her. The assistant looked at it for a few seconds but then took it and gripped it in her hands. She walked and stood over Mitchell's body. Pfft. She fired, the recoil on the gun not controlled and almost knocking her backwards but Lilly caught her. There was a new bullet hole in Mitchell's head and Evie was panting, perhaps a little unsure that she had done that herself.

Lilly eased the gun from her hands. They spoke no words, but there was suddenly a connection and a bond between them.

"OK, we need to do this and leave," Lucia said, cutting the moment. She holstered her pistol in her jacket. "I'll get a sheet basket for the bodies, you two work out the board papers". Lilly nodded and Evie went to the laptop and iPad, switching both on and accessing the files using the codes she had been sent. She showed them to Lilly who suddenly saw how much power and reach Mitchell had - he worked with many leading companies and they could now access their data. This was a treasure trove of information. They found the resolution to appoint Eleanor and voted in favour of it before closing the rest. They could wait for later.

Lucia returned and Lilly helped her load the bodies in the sheet basket, covering them with sheets from the bed as they did. They also found cleaning chemicals for the room and scrubbed some of the blood from the floor between all three of them.

------

Marina looked over to Lilly. "You took a large risk today" she said, "and you had the potential to jeopardise our operations. Modifying the footage from the hotel and escaping was never a guarantee". They were sitting on the porch of the rented house. Lilly felt like she would be scolded. "However" Marina continued, "I have always told you to act boldly, and you have won us a new prize and a new ally". She gestured inside the house where Lilly could see Evie poring over the papers and information on the laptop, making notes on a piece of paper as she did. "In a few days when Mr Mitchell disappears we will have all that we need but this young lady will be useful in the future no doubt. Well done" she said, smiling at Lilly ,"our plans continue afoot".

#lilly #hitwoman #killer woman #story #female assassin #femme fatale #silencerhitwoman #silencer hitwoman

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kinkalot · 2 years

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MID-WEEK REMINDER

Hello, Kinkalotians!

We know fest deadlines can be a lot to keep track of, so if you’ve been sleeping on any of this week’s due dates, consider this your mid-week wake-up call to shake a leg and get up and at ‘em! Let’s have you, lazy daisies!

BONUS CHALLENGE 2: This week’s Bonus Challenge is Truth or Dare, and it will run until Friday 12 August at 5PM BST. That means you have 2 days left to take up the gauntlet! Remember, you don’t even have to be signed up for this one, so why not give it a go?

MAIN CHALLENGE 2: Our main challenge this week is Dangerous Liaisons, which will be open until Saturday 13 August at 11:59PM BST. There are only 3 more days to throw your hat into the ring and earn yourself some sweet, sweet points!

VOTING FOR CHALLENGE 1 ENTRIES will also close on Saturday 13 August, this time at 10:59PM BST. Remember, voting is mandatory if you’re a participant, and voting is open to everyone, including those who haven’t signed up for the fest. We need YOU to help us award the Kinkalot Cup!*

It's that easy...and that hard. So don't delay – get your entries / vote in today (or at least by the above outlined deadlines)! ♥

* Still entirely fictitious, sorry!

#kinkalot #kinkalot 2022 #bbc merlin #merlin #merlin fests

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redheadspark · 2 years

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Friday Prompt Time!

Guess who's back?!

Sorry I had to step away for a bit, had to deal with some real life stuff that was no fun! I want to come back into doing another prompt for the weekend!

This theme is: “YOU CAN KILL ME BUT DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM” DYNAMICS

This one will go from tonight until tomorrow night around 8ish so I can have time to write and creative some good stuff for you all!

Here are the rules:

1.) You can pick up to Two lines and ONE scenario that's listed below!

2.) If you wish to be anonymous, that's fine, but I also would LOVE to tag you with your request!

3.) My cut off for requests is tomorrow by 5PM Pacific Standard Time

Characters that are available:

Druig from Eternals

Benedict Bridgeton

Azriel from ACTOAR

Shang Chi

Oliver Wood from Harry Potter

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

Here is your prompt list:

❝ i only want you. ❞

❝ i don’t need anyone else. i just…you. you’re all i need. ❞

❝ listen, i’ve lost a lot of people in my life. i learned how to deal with it but…you’re different. i can’t take it if it’s you. ❞

❝ i think about anything happening to you and i— i just. i fucking lose it. ❞

❝ you don’t understand. i need you safe. not because i don’t think you can handle yourself but because i can’t focus on anything else if there’s even the smallest possibility you’re in danger. ❞

❝ no one is ever gonna get near you again, you hear me? ❞

❝ i won’t let you get hurt. i promise. and i don’t make empty promises. ❞

❝ turn around. you don’t need to see this part. ❞

❝ just give the word and i’ll kill every one of them. ❞

❝ you can’t get all worked up every time something happens to me. that’s just life. you’re not always gonna be able to protect me from it. ❞

❝ no one else understands me. but you do. you always do. ❞

❝ i don’t think i’m the best person for you, i don’t. but i do know i’m the one that can keep you safe ❞

❝ hey— look at me. it’s over. it’s done. we’re okay. ❞

❝ who the fuck made you cry i’ll fucking rip their head off. ❞

❝ i know you’ve always got my back. ❞

❝ please, let me take care of you this time. you’re always protecting me but it tears me up inside every time you get hurt because of it. ❞

❝ can you make everyone else just go away? i know they mean well but i just want to be alone— alone with you i mean. ❞

❝ i know when you’re here, the real monsters can’t touch me. ❞

❝ oh, i am one of the monsters. but that just means i can keep all the other monsters from ever hurting you again. ❞

❝ if you’re gonna keep risking your life for me than you’re also gonna let me patch you up without a single complaint. ❞

❝ we keep each other safe. it’s my turn to protect you. ❞

❝ i killed them for you. i know you could’ve done it yourself, but you shouldn’t have to. ❞

❝ i love you because i know how capable you are. and i show that love by making sure you don’t have to be the one to always do the hard things. ❞

❝ i’m gonna make them regret ever even thinking about laying a hand on you. ❞

❝ tell me what you want me to do. i’ll do it. whatever you want. ❞

❝ i love you just like this. i love you when you touch me gently like no one else ever has. and i love you when your hands are bloody and your knuckles are bruised. ❞

❝ please, just let me protect you. ❞

❝ are you hurt? did they hurt you? ❞

❝ wait, stop you’re bleeding. ❞

❝ did you just wince? where are you hurt? ❞

❝ i need you in my life. i’m not used to that— needing people. but i do need you. ❞

❝ you make me feel things i’m not used to feeling. ❞

❝ why do you let me close when you’re always driving everyone else away? ❞

❝ you’re mine. and i protect what’s mine. ❞

❝ thank you for always being here for me. ❞

❝ you see things in me that i didn’t even know where there. ❞

❝ that’s enough. let’s go home. ❞

❝ i’m okay now. i’m safe. you don’t have to be angry anymore. ❞

❝ please stop— this is scaring me. ❞

❝ you don’t have to do this for me. ❞

❝ hey stop— stop! look at me. they’re dead now. you can stop. ❞

❝ i have to make an example outta them so no one else tries to hurt you again. ❞

❝ killing for you is easy. it’s right. it feels natural. ❞

❝ let me do this for you. ❞

SCENARIOS

[ ONE ] for sender to take a bullet for receiver.

[ TWO ] for receiver to take a bullet for sender.

[ THREE ] for sender to protect receiver and then carry them to safety.

[ FOUR ] for receiver to protect sender and then carry them to safety.

[ FIVE ] for sender to witness receiver get hurt which sends them into a violent rage.

[ SIX ] for receiver to witness sender get hurt which sends them into a violent rage.

[ SEVEN ] for sender to be hurt trying to protect receiver which makes them bloodthirsty for revenge.

[ EIGHT ] for receiver to be hurt trying to protect sender which makes them bloodthirsty for revenge.

[ NINE ] for sender to have violently protected receiver, so receiver kisses them to calm them down.

[ TEN ] for receiver to have violently protected sender, so sender kisses them to calm them down.

[ ELEVEN ] for sender to carefully approach receiver in the aftermath, gently touching them to try and bring them back to themselves.

[ TWELVE ] for receiver to carefully approach sender in the aftermath, gently touching them to try and bring them back to themselves.

[ THIRTEEN ] sender was kidnapped, receiver shows up to save them.

[ FOURTEEN ] receiver was kidnapped, sender shows up to save them.

[ FIFTEEN ] sender executes a third party in front of receiver because that person hurt them.

[ SIXTEEN ] receiver executes a third party in front of sender because that person hurt them.

[ SEVENTEEN ] sender thinks they’re alone but receiver comes out of nowhere to rescue them from someone who intends to do harm/making them uncomfortable.

[ EIGHTEEN ] receiver thinks they’re alone but sender comes out of nowhere to rescue them from someone who intends to do harm/making them uncomfortable.

[ NINETEEN ] sender has been devastated by something. receiver holds them until they calm down so they don’t do anything drastic.

[ TWENTY ] receiver has been devastated by something. sender holds them until they calm down so they don’t do anything drastic.

[ TWENTY-ONE ] sender thought receiver died so they set out to get revenge. receiver shows up in time to stand in front of them before they go too far.

[ TWENTY-TWO ] receiver thought sender died so they set out to get revenge. sender shows up in time to stand in front of them before they go too far.

[ TWENTY-THREE ] sender is in a vengeful rage because of something that happened to receiver. receiver gently approaches to calm them down saying this isn’t what they want.

[ TWENTY-FOUR ] receiver is in a vengeful rage because of something that happened to sender. sender gently approaches to calm them down saying this isn’t what they want.

[ TWENTY-FIVE ] for sender to have receiver stand by somewhere safe where they can watch sender kill on their behalf.

[ TWENTY-SIX ] for receiver to have sender stand by somewhere safe where they can watch receiver kill on their behalf.

Prompts provided by @leneemusing

HAVE FUN!

#prompt time #druig eternals #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #azriel shadowsinger #oliver wood #benedict cumberbatch

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mizunoakira · 29 days

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Chapter 2: Getting married (for a house)

It is 5pm on a Friday night. Akira has finished her last lecture before the semester break, plus submitted the revised grant proposal to the department head. Her brain is currently in a half-fried state.

And she's in a truck with Takinami Suzuka, on the way to visit Suzuka's parents...to seek their approval for their upcoming marriage.

Things cannot get wilder.

"Takinami-sensei, are you sure I don't have to get changed into something better?" Akira looks at her current attire; thank goodness she'd been lecturing prior to this and as a result, had dressed in reasonably formal attire, though not very "daughter-in-law-like", because which prospective daughter-in-law visits her parents-in-law for the first time while dressed in a blazer, button-up-shirt and chiffon black pants? Is she their daughter-in-law, or grandchild's tuition teacher?!

"Please don’t worry about it," Suzuka responds as he steers the truck. "Actually, my parents will appreciate the smart get-up. After all, I come from a family of academics, and they've always wanted a daughter-in-law befitting of this lineage. This shows them that you clearly fit the bill. You can even pull out your lecture slides later if needed."

"Right," Akira smooths down her formal black pants. What he's saying makes good sense - the Takinami family is quite renowned for their work in Psychology, even if in different subfields. To have a lecturer join the family would make perfect sense, though it may also be lucky that she hasn't gotten tenure yet, because her being of a higher position may have been interpreted as a threat to the existing familial and academic hierarchy.

"I do wish my family isn't as political and stuck-up like this. It's a bit better ever since my father's generation, but it's nonetheless ingrained in the way he was brought up by my grandfather. I apologise on their behalf." Suzuka isn't looking at Akira because he's still driving his truck, but she can hear that he means it. She also knows that he means it, too - he's always been a little different, plus estranged from his family, despite sharing the same line of work as well as line of study. His success had been a product of his own efforts, achieved despite not having had to stand on the shoulders of his family ties with academia, perfect proof of the actual substance he possesses as a thinker in his subfield.

"No worries." Akira is half-lying - she'd be insane to not be worried. After all, to someone she'd met just less than two months ago, with whom she'd never been in a romantic relationship, with whom she’d even hesitate to confirm that the feelings of friendship she holds are mutual…she's getting "married"...

…For a house. Doujima Akira is getting married for a house. And she’d never thought she’d find herself in such a position.

"No worries," Akira repeats, thinking of what her brother might say if he ever finds out. She resolves never to let him - the false-marriage contract will end in two years time, and it'd be like any other normal marriage, where divorce and separation are almost just a normal milestone rather than a major setback.

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

When they arrive at the Takinami household, it is nightfall; they are in the outskirts of Kawasaki City, still located in Kanagawa Prefecture but quite a fair distance from Tokise University.

"I'm home," Suzuka announces, taking off his shoes at the entrance, with Akira closely following suit. He's expecting his own mother to jump on him any moment now-

"SON!" His mother buries herself in his arms. "How I've missed you! How dare you not call, only visiting once in every two months. You didn't turn up for the last blind date either-"

"Mom, meet my fiancée, Doujima-sens-” He clears he throat. “-Akira,” He beckons to Akira, who launches into a 90-degree bow.

"Good evening, madam, my name is Doujima Akira. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Akira extends a polite hand while still in the 90-degree bow.

His mother takes fifteen good seconds to process the information, motionless as she does. When she finally manages to, she starts jumping up and down while shaking Akira's hand.

"Oh my god, son, you actually managed to get yourself a girlfriend," she gasps. "And such a pretty one she is, too! Your name is Akira, you were saying? What do you do for a living?"

"I am a newly-appointed lecturer of Food Science in Tokise University," Akira whips out her laptop, showing Suzuka's mother the lecture slides used from earlier today, as discussed earlier. Suzuka stifles a laugh because he didn't expect she'd actually go as far as to do that - he actually finds it pretty cute, how seriously she takes things.

"Oh my god," his mother gasps. "Food science. That's really cool!" She runs to the back of the house, screaming something along the lines of Old man, come out here because your son has somehow managed to score himself a girlfriend, oh my god!, and Suzuka feels a bit of a headache brewing.

"Not just girlfriend - fiancée," Suzuka mutters.

(If he had to be more honest, he'd have said, "Not girlfriend - just fiancée," instead. After all, there requires no girlfriend step to be involved in a contract marriage.)

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

Takinami's father is way less scary than he sounds, thinks Akira. The way he's been portrayed to be a no-nonsense academic hyperfixated on hierarchy and power...she could see no semblance of that in the friendly old man, who seems really nothing other than a cat-loving elderly man.

Nonetheless, looks can be deceiving, so she decides not to let her guard down.

After dinner, she helps to wash the dishes (alongside a Mrs Takinami cooing, such a helpful daughter-in-law! You don't know how lucky you are, silly Suzuka). They sit in front of the TV, catching the news, when Mr Takinami suddenly pulls her aside.

"Let's have a word," is what he says as he sits Akira down at the balcony, offering her a cup of sencha. Accepting it with both hands, she realises how wise it has been to not let her guard down, because "Tell me honestly, why are you marrying my son?" is what escapes his mouth right afterwards.

She doesn't say anything - not yet. Her brain still needs a while longer, to search for the most situationally appropriate answer.

"Is it for tenure? Do you think that by marrying a tenured professor, you can get tenure faster?" He smiles as he says this, and Akira feels...she feels like she's sitting for a test.

And as someone who has spent their youth taking a bunch of tests, Akira knows just what she needs to do - breathe. Calm down. Examine the problem from the perspective of the person who set the question. Come up with an answer that is as vague as possible, but as precise as needed.

"I'm marrying Takinami-san because of love." Honesty aside, she’d thought was the most situationally appropriate answer. She didn't even have the time to process just how embarassing that sounded. "There is no other reason to get married, except for love. He is amongst the kindest people I know."

Perhaps except for the last statement, everything she has said in this string of utterances has been a fat lie. And she knows it.

So does he, Takinami Suzuka, the man at the other end of the contract marriage.

And the thing is, they’re both okay with it. More-than-okay with it, to be precise. Because it’s the way it’s supposed to be - big, fat, white lie, created to benefit both parties, according to Clause 5 of the contract.

Things cannot get wilder.

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

Suzuka overhears what Akira says when his father accuses her of marrying him for the sake of tenure.

"I'm marrying Takinami-san because of love. There is no other reason to get married, except for love. He is the amongst the kindest people I know."

Nice save, Suzuka cheers inwardly. This lady is definitely even smarter than she looks. He knows that answer's sure to score with his dad.

And sure it does, because his dad says nothing. Takes a sip of tea. Turns to leave, but before he enters the living room, he says something to Akira without facing her straight-on -

"Don't let him get in the way of your success, then."

Suzuka glances at his mother in the living room - if not for his grandparents' fulfilled wish to domesticate her, she may well have been a tenured professor herself. Before their marriage, she and Old Takinami, her then-fiancé were both lecturers in the same university. Fearing that their daughter-in-law might eventually supersede their son in terms of power, Old Takinami's parents had forced her to quit her lecturer job in the university. Mrs Suzuka may have swallowed it and lived it down, but her husband never has. Not one day has he woken up without being shrouded by a sense of guilt and apology at having imprisoned his wife, would-be superstar in the Child Psychology academic universe, in the old misogynistic stronghold of traditional Japanese society. It is why Suzuka fully understands why his father had said what he did, as well as why he'd asked the question he'd asked to Akira - to let her know that this marriage may well break her academic career, instead of make it.

Well...pretty sure that won't happen, as long as it's this Old Mr Takinami approving the marriage this time round. Plus, the contract's supposedly ending in two years - most likely not enough time to "break" an academic career. Or so he hopes.

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

"That was quite well-played, sensei,” Suzuka says to Akira on the way home. "You have a way with words."

Akira pauses for a bit, realising that Takinami-sensei had heard what she said. Her face starts to heat up slightly at the recollection of what embarrassing things had escaped her mouth, but she quickly soothes the blush down by reminding herself of her current role - a pretend wife.

And pretend, was exactly what she was doing, as expertly as she could have in that moment that could have been a crisis averted.

"Thank you. I actually feel really bad for lying. After all, they're already getting old."

Akira glances at the man in the driver’s seat, and she thinks she catches a faint smile, but she can’t be sure in the scant light of the surrounding traffic.

"It's okay, you’re most definitely not at any fault. It was my idea to begin with.” He looks at her, and she can see that he’s definitely smiling, but it’s a smile she can’t exactly read. “Though you did agree after all, so we're in this together."

Akira smiles. She would never have thought she'd feel so assured about the prospect of telling lies together with a man she'd just met almost two months ago - the kindest man she knows, yes, but nonetheless a man she'd just met almost two months ago. Who'd simply been kind enough to provide her with free coffee, and now, a free house.

Indeed, she would never have thought she'd feel so assured about the prospect of getting married…

…For a house.

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The Old Salem Post

Our Local Tamassee-Salem SC Area News each Monday except holidays Contact:[email protected] Distributed to local businesses, town hall, library. Volume 7 Issue 32 Week of August 21, 2023 https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/oldsalempost-blog Lynne Martin Publishing

EDITOR: Time set apart is important. Couples need time apart to remember the feelings that brought them together in the first place. We all need time set apart for God to relish in the One who loves us beyond comprehension. Love binds us. True quality time together nurtures that bond. Always be aware that Satan loves to sever the bonds of love. It is easy in this ever moving, ever changing world to be distracted from those who love us most, and lose the greatest relationship we will ever experience. LMartin

TAMASSEE-SALEM Elementary Proposed Closing: The Oconee County School Board has plans to close our T-S Elementary on the long range plan agenda in 2027. You may call the administrative office at 864-886-4400 to be a speaker or sign up on your early arrival at the next meeting on Monday, September 11 at 6pm at the SDOC Board Room located 414 South Pine Street in Walhalla. If you care about this local school and about your children or grandchildren’s commute please share your concerns to help prevent closing TSE.

Town of SALEM: Election: The Town of Salem will be holding election for Mayor and 2 Council seats held Nov 7, 2023 at the Salem Town Hall. Candidate filing is from Friday Aug 11, noon through noon Monday Aug 25th. Candidates must reside within the Salem town limits….Collecting Toys for Tots begins Sept 9th, 5pm at the last summer Car/Truck/Motorcycle & Jeep show. Burgers and more food will be offered by the Fire Department as their local Christmas fundraising. There will be first and second places for car show exhibits and for the group and/or club who brings the most toys. We are asking all local churches and businesses to participate to fill up our boxes. Call 944-2819 ***Downtown Market every Sat from 8am-12pm. *The children’s area at the Town park is closed for renovations. *****The picnic shelter can still be rented.

Jottings from Jeannie: The Talent Show- A Great Success! In the midst of the hottest week in a broiling summer, OCONEE residents experienced a SUPER KOOL evening of nostalgia and talent. First of all, the Eagles Nest Auditorium reminds "us oldsters" of our comfortable "junior high" gathering place. Then, the talent delighted us with good, clean family fare: clogging, music, and an account of mysterious local folklore I challenge you, YOU Sons of Salem and YOU enchanting Daughters of Tamassee: dust off that old clarinet, re-cleat your tap shoes. Miz Jeannie double-dog dares you to sign up to be a performer at the next talent show! Have some fun using your GOD-given talents! Miz Jeannie loves YOU!!!

JOCASSEE VALLEY BREWING COMPANY,(JVBC) & COFFEE SHOP 13412 N Hwy 11 Open Wed–Sat-Sat 8am-9pm. Sun: 12pm-7pm. Events this week: Thurs– Old Time Jam ( and Cookies ) at 6:30pm Fri– Food: IRON PIG at 5pm Music: McGaha & Lark at 6:30pm. Sat–Food: IRON PIG—Music: Cannon & Cohen Trio at 6:30pm. Sun: 12pm-7pm Food Truck: The Lettuce Shop Music: Alma Russ at 4pm. (864-873-0048)

The Blessing Box across from the Dollar General in Salem is for people in need of items or food. Churches and individuals are stocking the box and checking the items. Please do not put expired canned goods or rusty cans in the box. Many of these unfit items were removed this week by this month’s caretakers.

Conservation Corner: Saving for All Generations: In the mid 1800’s the Davis family settled on Jump Off Mountain, located in what is now Laurel Park, close to Hendersonville, NC. Because of a loving, caring, and generous family this area is protected where visitors can view the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains from the elevation of 3025feet. In 1925 the McAdoo family from Florida purchased the property from the Davis family and donated it to the newly formed Town of Laurel Park. Thank you to stewards of this earth who preserved this view for all generations to see. Jump Off Rock has a legend that a fair Cherokee maiden jumped to her death after her warrior love died in battle.

ASHTON RECALLS by Ashton Hester: CIVIL WAR VETERAN COMMENTS ON WAR IN EUROPE - (The following item was in the January 6, 1915 issue of the Keowee Courier). . .John W. Cannon of the Salem section was in Walhalla Monday and showed us a “Paroled Prisoner's Pass” that he received at Appomattox Court House, Va. on April 10th, 1865. It states, “The bearer, John W. Cannon, Sergt. of Co. C. Orr's Regt. of Rifles, S.C.V., is a paroled prisoner of the Army of Northern Virginia, and has permission to go home, and there remain undisturbed.”. . .Commenting on the current war in Europe, Mr. Cannon said, “You young fellows can't appreciate like we older ones can the horrors of what is taking place over in Europe now. I wish something could stop it. Even we old fellows who fought in the Civil War can't fully appreciate this awful thing taking place over there. They kill hundreds with their deadly machine guns and heavy artillery, where we killed by ones and tens with muskets and small cannon.”

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

Treasure Store Open every 1st and 3rd Saturday mornings. We will increase opened hours as we have more volunteers.

OCONEE MOUNTAIN OPRY September 16, 7pm. Tickets $10 day of event or on Ticketleap. This is our own original variety show of regional musicians and comedy. You don’t want to miss this.

October 7th Eagle Fall Reunion 4pm- Spread the word to your classmates. Get your basketball team!

October 14th Elvis Tribute Jim Reiser Returns to ENAC. Tickets available on Eagles Nest Art Center.org Ticketleap. They will be for sale at the Town Hall soon.

Christmas Talent Showcase: Dec 2 7pm-9pm. Showcase your Christmas talent. Don your Christmas attire and be a part of bringing Christmas Spirit to our community. Email [email protected] or call 864-280-1258 ***Visit www.eaglesnestartcenter.org to view details or for ticket purchases. ***

CHURCH NEWS Bethel Presbyterian Church(PCUSA), 580 Bethel Church Rd, Walhalla, 29691, worships at 10:30 am. Sermon: August 27 August 27th, Message by Mel Davis "Knowing Why." Scripture reading is Genesis 37:1-27. We need people who like to sing. No obligation. Come as you are. All welcome. See you Sunday!

Salem Methodist Church: Community Women’s Bible Study each Monday morning, 10am in the Fellowship Hall. Worship Service each Sunday at 10:30am. Sunday School at 9:30am. Sunday Breakfast at 9:00am. Church Celebration: Please come and help us celebrate disaffiliating from the United Methodist denomination. We have reserved the Community Center for September 24, 2023. We will have an outdoor service, at the gazebo (weather permitting). In case of bad weather we will meet in our sanctuary as usual. We invite everyone and especially those who have no home church. We will serve hamburgers and hotdogs after the 10:30 am service and fellowship with all that are able to come. We invite music and singing, so any of you musicians and singers please bring your instruments and join us in our celebration. We hope to better serve our community and surrounding areas. We want to also extend an invitation to all our churches in the area (don’t worry pastors, we’re not after your sheep.) :) We are extending a Christian invitation to you and your congregations as we celebrate the reclaiming of the our original name, Salem Methodist Church. John 6:63...Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth…” ( Translation “It is the Spirit that gives life.”)

Interested in starting a story telling group?: Leave a brief message at 499-4944 Happy Birthday Brother Scott! LRM

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