#i did that in the morning half awake and after having downloaded the update on DATA bc my wifi was slow af

[vynegar]

marius loves me ;;

#he AND false tears vyn came home on my first 10roll TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT #i did that in the morning half awake and after having downloaded the update on DATA bc my wifi was slow af #anyway marius and vyn love me confirmed!!! #gonna pull for luke and i'm prepared to hit pity and skip anniversary if necessary #(my main concerns are securing enough s-chips to guarantee two halloween MRs and two ancient china SSRs) #tot liveblog #i really should do something for marius and a late artem bday thing but uhhh we'll see #also idk about y'all but i'm like... not even reading the event #the amount of grinding we have to do with excavating the tomb.... like.... i do not have that kind of time #i kinda read it if the male leads are talking or if it's them all together but otherwise... #blindly tapping through as fast as possible #EDIT: I JUST GOT LUKE'S SHAPE OF YOU TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT #and lingering warmth vyn in that same 10pull #but honestly that luke card was one of my goals so TTTTTTT luke ilyyy #def going to use up that last discount 10pull with any free tears i can grind from the event #now i'm not entirely sure if i'll keep pulling until the event ssr. depends on if i'd still have enough afterwards for an anniversary card #if i need to pick only one then i'll need to decide if i want luke's desert card or marius's anniv card more. it might come down to art but #gahh now i'm thinking about the badge that comes w anniv cards. it's not enough to really sway my decision but i will still Think about it

[craftypeaceturtle]

B is for Baby Time!

Summary: They finally get to meet the newest arrival for their family.

Note: Part of a series but can be read alone! The ABCs of their little family! Demus and Royality. 

The beginning- A is for Arrival

Next part: C is for Choas!

.

They got the call at exactly midnight. The second it turned to December they had prepared everything ready in case the baby would be early; they would not run around like headless chickens when the moment came. They had a baby carrier filled with blankets and a change of baby clothes that stood guard over their front door. But the 10th of December passed without any update. Remus was particularly insufferable but then again Janus had his own special brand of impatience. But all of that fell to pieces when they finally got the call at midnight that their surrogate had gone into labour. The baby was coming.

Janus blanched as he violently slapped Remus’ arm to get him up. He got up and started storming down the stairs all while silently gaping at the phone. Remus slunked after him before it suddenly dawned on him why Janus would be panicking at a phone call. 

The plan had been to sit at home and wait until the baby was born then drive carefully and calmly to the hospital. That lasted a good... 20 minutes? “Do you want to go and wait in the hospital?” Janus finally sighed. Remus’ fidgeting stopped for the first time since the call.

“Why? Do you wanna sit in a waiting room for hours on end?” Remus kept staring ahead. 

“Well I don’t know about you, but I can totally just sit here for several more hours.”

“We...” Remus sighed and wiped at his eyes, “We should be making the most of this really. Our last night of uninterrupted sleep.”

“Okay then, go to sleep then,” Janus laughed. Remus chuckled.

“Okay, let’s get going shall we?” Remus got up and held out his curled arm like the gentleman he was. 

“We shall... after you put actual clothes on. I’m sure the nurses don’t want to see your manky boxers,” Janus chuckled and pulled and flicked him with the waistband.  

They launched themselves at the car and only just remembered to actually grab the baby carrier. Sitting in the hospital room both felt like a relief and horrifically underwhelming. There were here now! They were here ready for any and all news. No need to keep anyone hanging. They felt productive just sitting there. But also... Both of them were just sitting there. In their rushed on jogging bottoms and baggy jumpers, with Remus’ wild bed head and Janus’ own frizzy hair lying limply against his back. They were both shivering as the December weather leaked into the waiting room. “Just time to wait...” Remus smiled weakly. 

An hour passed awkwardly. The second hour passed both quickly and also as painstakingly slowly. 

Remus’ phone vibrated from his pocket:

Evil Twin Bro- Hey, you know lots of weird stuff about getting different stains out right?

- yep

-also it really isn’t that weird. 

-it’s called being an adult.

Evil Twin Bro- Do you know how to get blood out of t-shirt material?

-is it dried or nah

-soak in cold water

-wash like loads of times

Evil Twin Bro- I’ll kill you if this doesn’t work. Also, why are you awake at 2 in the morning you maniac!

-could ask you 2

Evil Twin Bro- I asked you first. 

-baby’s coming.

Evil Twin Bro- Wait really??????!!!!!!!!!

Evil Twin Bro- Congratulations!!!! 

-haven’t got the baby yet. waiting 4 surro. 

Evil Twin Bro- Are you at the hospital?

-yea

Evil Twin Bro- How long have you been waiting?

-like 2h

Evil Twin Bro- Woah, that’s rough. How you holding up?

-dunno

Evil Twin Bro- You don’t know?

-feel like I’m gonna vomit. but also excited. 

-well I don’t know if it’s good vomit or bad vomit y’know?

Evil Twin Bro- I really don’t. What are you lot doing then?

-J fell asleep. I’m trying to save battery on phone. 

-So just sitting here.

Evil Twin Bro- Do you want me to drop stuff off for you? Pat was planning this whole thing for when you lot got the baby. He was going to cook you lot some fancy dinner and take it to you three. So I don’t mind helping you out! I could give you some muffins (trust me you’ll start to get hungry) and I have an iPad with a few films downloaded so you won’t need wifi. 

-jesus why cant you be like everyone else and send a sentence at a time

-we’re all goiufhgb   

-Hello Roman. This is Janus. Yes, we would greatly appreciate you bringing some stuff. 

Evil Twin Bro- Haha, no problem!

“I can’t believe you’re dragging him here,” Remus sighed as Janus wordlessly passed his phone back. 

“Why not?” Janus answered honestly. His whole being looked dragged down by sleepiness. Remus shrugged and looked ahead. Janus usually put so much effort into his appearance. Even the most basic ‘going to the shop’ outfit was a dramatic black and yellow gothic Disney villain who actually did crimes look. But he was simply shrugged over in the chair. He looked sleepily up to him through his hair. 

“Why was he even asking all that at 2am anyway!” 

“You don’t want him to come?” Janus asked, Remus heaved a sigh and plopped his head on top of Janus’. 

“I dunno... I think I’m just tired and panicky. It’s all good,” Remus muttered off to a whisper. He pressed a kiss to his hair and closed his eyes. 

He didn’t actually sleep. He just wanted to stop all conversation. People continued bustling in and out and Janus managed to fall asleep again with his chin propped up against his chest. He was even letting out a steady stream of snorty snores. Remus kept his eyes closed hoping no one would try to start a conversation with him. Janus was the talker to other people of their relationship. He only opened his eyes when he felt a firm prod to his shoulder. 

“Hey Reem,” Roman whispered before flicking his forehead. 

“What do you want dickbag?” Remus answered without thinking. Janus thankfully stayed sleeping. Roman only gave a pity smile and held out his bag. He pulled out some muffins and bottles of flavoured water alongside the promised ipad covered in glittery space stickers. Remus was too busy dumping the bag on the floor to notice Roman trying to get him to stand up. 

“C’mon.” He gestured to over where the reception was. Remus nodded heavily and gently prised himself from Janus. 

Now that they were further away, Remus saw that another hour and a half had passed. “Woah, you took ages?” 

“Yeah, I thought about waking up Pat and then you have no idea what a nightmare it was trying to find a 24 hour shop. Like it was so much harder than I thought!” Roman now spoke loudly with his on brand gestures.

“Right...” Remus fluffed up his hair and slumped into another chair. Hmm, just as uncomfortable as the other. 

“You okay?” Roman lowered himself to his eye line, looking like he was talking to a spooked dog, “Like really?”

“Dunno. I-I just don’t know. I feel a bit all over the place to be honest,” Remus flung his head back, “What did you lot feel?”

“Pretty much the same,” Roman giggled, “Patton was a mess. I think it’s always one person does fine while the other has an existential crisis. That was definitely Pat. But he calmed down the second he got to see Logan.”

Remus nodded, not entirely sure if he was actually listening or just getting lost in the sensation of his heavy head tipping up and down. “Fair,”

“What’s going through your head right now?”

“Dunno... D-Do you...” Remus started before whipping his head to face the wall behind him, “do you think I’ll be like... I dunno a good dad?”

“Of course,” Roman slapped an hand on his shoulder. He was looking forward at the waiting room with an awkward wonky smirk. 

“Okay listen. Let’s be honest. Being emotional and gross with you just feels weird. I’ve been fine with having a baby before this. This is purely me panicking right now. As you said, I’ll be fine. So we can we not do emotional conversation?” Remus laughed awkwardly but he lightened up once Roman relaxed as well.

“Oh thank god you said it!” Roman laughed and melted back into his chair.

“Why were you coated in blood in the middle of the night anyway?”

“I wasn’t coated in blood,” Roman gasped way too loudly which Remus cackled at. Roman blushed bright red and nodded at the concerned receptionist, “I got the most random nose bleed out of nowhere and I knew you were the entire person in existence who wouldn’t question me.”

“You make me sound like a total weirdo! I would question you!”

“But you didn’t!” 

They settled into silence for a bit before inevitably Remus felt the need to speak, “How the hell did mum ever cope with twins? Like that seems like a lot...”

“Right?! Right after we had Logan, I think my mother’s day presents probably tripled in cost. She deserves it. Like all the same build up and worry but then you have another baby to come!” Roman shook his head.

“Aren’t babies are fairly gross as well?” Remus grimaced.

“Oh yeah! Don’t be put off from it! Oh, I feel so awful but the first time I saw Logan my first thought was ‘ew’. They don’t look anything like babies at first. Like Logan was blue with a traffic cone shaped head.”

“Their head is all fragile and mouldable. Janus made sure to show me pictures of newborns,” Remus stared off into nothing before turning to him with his signature smirk, only a little more tired, “But I am so telling Logan you thought he was an ugly baby.”

“Ahem,” Janus stood before them with an expectant look. Remus smiled and held out his arm which Janus jokingly shoved aside to sit down on the chair, “Hello Roman, I’m guessing you’re responsible for the pile of stuff that was at my feet.”

“Yep! How are you doing?” Roman smiled awkwardly.

“Tired but that’s to be expected. Are you staying long?” 

“No, actually that’s a good point! I really shouldn’t stay out longer. Pat will actually murder me for butting myself in,” Roman stood up with an exaggerated old man groan, “But... please text when you finally say hello to the little guy! I expect pictures!” 

Once Roman left, they wandered back over to their stuff and settled into a long night. Janus tried to stay awake. He knew that Remus was having a freak out. You would think it would be easy with the bright harsh lighting in the waiting room and the constant buzzing of conversation. Yet, his head bobbed lower and lower before Remus finally guided his head to his shoulder. He really tried but the tiredness and mix of emotions left him helpless. Remus only smiled at his useless husband before settling himself into Roman’s ipad. He settled into the Incredibles without much else to do. 

It was 5am when Remus saw the husband of the surrogate walk over to them. He didn’t think about it has he flung himself upwards, flinging Janus wide awake. The guy looked exhausted. “Hey, Remus and Janus?” He asked, thoroughly mispronouncing Janus, with his hand held out. Remus nodded awkwardly before thrusting a still waking up Janus at him.

“Yes, hello.” Janus shook his hand firmly. 

“Hey so the baby’s arrived,” He spoke softly as he walked back into the winding corridors he emerged from. They quickly followed after him, “He’s 6lb and about 20 inches. A little small thing but all healthy and average.”

“Aw, that’s all good to hear. Congratulations,” Janus sleepily smiled.

“Thanks but I think I’m supposed to be saying that to you two!” The guy chuckled awkwardly before he opened a door for them. 

Inside was the mother looking absolutely exhausted, curled up into her pillow with her frizzy hair thrown about the place. Janus subconsciously flicked his hand through his own hair, only now realising that he never brushed it before coming out. Ah well, not like anyone was looking their best for the demon of the baby that woke them all up. And of course there was the star of the show.

The baby was fussing a clear plastic crib looking thing, his reddened arms flinging around with his tiny little feet occasionally kicking. His face was screwed up but at least he wasn’t crying. He was simply laying there. The little boy that would change everything. 

Janus managed to pull away from the sight and say something to the mother. Remus deserved the first moments with their son. 

Remus looked at the mother but she was busy talking so he quietly shrugged before holding his hands out. It felt bad. They baby was clearly still fussy but quiet. What if picking him up set him off? But his hands were also hanging over him now. Sighing, he gently lowered his hands so they just about touched the tiny baby. He was warm to the touch and Remus grimaced at his thoughts that erupted from that. Maybe it was just because he was in a warm room. It felt like he was five years old all over again. It was like when a relative you barely know has a baby and just dumps the baby in your arms because it’s cute but you have no idea how to hold this fragile floppy new human. 

The baby sniffled at feeling his hands slowly worm underneath him but Remus then swiftly took hold of him and brought him to his chest, quietly shushing him without thinking. Thankfully, he settled down instantly. He was somehow both tiny and way heavier than he thought. “Heya little fella,” He cooed as he tried to uncurl his fist. The baby’s tiny little fingers uncurled and pressed back against his own finger. 

“He’s gorgeous,” Janus sighed as he came up behind Remus.

“Aw, he is. What are you guys naming him again?” The mother quietly asked.

“Virgil,” Remus answered but he kept his eyes glued to his baby. Janus smoothed his hand over the baby’s head. 

“Oh that’s a unique name!” The mother chirped.

“Has two people with unusual unique names, it only felt appropriate,” Janus muttered but his focus was completely enraptured by the baby, “Reem, do you mind doing the last of the paper work, then we can leave you all to recovery.”

“Cheers,” The father smiled awkwardly. Remus held out the baby and graciously lowered him into his arms. He perked up when he felt Remus press a kiss to his cheek, god he was clearly felt so sappy today. Not that he could really blame him.

They brought the baby carrier into the room ready to take him home and of course his eyes caught on their supplies. They brought a infant onesie- the cutest and non-halloween themed one they bought- but yet Janus frowned at the thought of trying to wrestle this baby into clothing. He looked much more comfortable pressed to his chest that he did lying down but he still looked like he could be seconds away from crying again. Of course, he couldn’t even begin to understand how stressful birth must be. The poor thing. He awkwardly bent backwards and grabbed the same blanket they bought about a month ago. Despite how much he tried, he couldn’t get out the black marker stain. It was just the first blanket they grabbed when preparing. Obviously. Of course. The first thing they grabbed. He grappled with the baby to gently cocoon him in the purple blanket. The spider web spiral sat in the middle of his back making him look like their little spider sitting in the middle of his purple spider web. 

He didn’t track when Remus came back in. He didn’t even think to keep up conversation with the biological parents. All he knew was that he was slowly stepping back and forth while pressing his face into Virgil’s own squishy cheek. 

Their little baby Virgil. 

#sanders sides #My writing #remus sanders #Janus Sanders #deceit sanders #virgil sanders #family dark sides #fanfic #fluff #family #demus #dukeceit

[livingouttheworsttimeline]

Why am I so tired all the time?

4:30 am: youngest child wakes up after wetting the bed. change child, change bedsheets, replace drinks, turn night time music back on, convince youngest child that it is in fact still night time. Climb back into bed a 4:55.

5:00 am: eldest child comes to tell me that youngest child wants to play. I am aware, because I have heard her loudly declaring such since I left their room. Tell oldest child to go back to bed. Pray that, somehow, for the very first time, they will put themselves back to sleep. 

5:05 am: give up on hopeless prayers. Get up and take both children to the living room. Change the youngest into underwear. Log into tablets and override the “do not turn on until 6 am” setting. Wait for coffee to finish brewing.

5:23 am: extract self from underneath 2 children and a dog to pour first cup of coffee. It’s half caff, because spouse has a heart condition. Remind self that I can have several cups with impunity.

5:45 am: Eldest child is unhappy with the pre-made breakfast provided for him the night before. When asked what he would like to eat, he responds, “bacon, chinese food, or pizza.” Explain, again, that we need a variety of foods for our bodies to grow strong. Spend 15 minutes convincing him to eat $5 worth of blackberries as a compromise.

6:12 am: Finish 2nd cup of coffee, realize that eldest child’s night time pull up is overflowing with poop. Usher him to the bathroom for a bath. Feel humbled when I realize that I spent 10 years in grad school, and yet I am still reduced to wiping shit off another person. Calmly remind eldest child that he is capable of using the potty, and that I have confidence in him. 

6:30 am: Spouse awakes, complains that he slept poorly. Roll eyes and go back to drinking 3rd cup of coffee, in between being elbowed in the stomach and explaining that no, I do not know how to work the video game you just downloaded 15 seconds ago. Remind self that I am their physical and mental safe place, which is worth the literal bruises and mental stress. 

6:45 am: extract self from pile of children and dog by physically lifting each dependent off my lap. Verify that spouse is up for supervision duties, collect running clothes, and start treadmill.

6:47 am: stop treadmill because youngest child has entered the room and decided that I will not run today because it’s not fair. Remind self that arguing fairness with a 3 year old is the definition of futility. Gently remind her that I love her, she is a big girl, and she can play independently while I run. 

6:49 am: start treadmill again. Nagging calf pain seems to be back. Scale back workout, remind self that value of the run is not the distance. Do extra core workout to compensate.

7:30 am: shower. Mediate 2 sibling fights from shower. Fortunately, children are camped out in the bathroom with me, so I don’t have to leave a trail of water through the house to interact.

7:35 am: Marvel at the thought that spouse takes a 45 min shower. EVERY DAY. Note gratitude that I am working from home, and no longer have to style hair and makeup. 

7:36 am: Refill kid drink cups for the 3rd time today. Spend 30 minutes convincing, cajoling, and bribing kids to put on clean underwear. We no longer try for clothes. 

8:06 am: turn on work computer. Respond to a weekend full of emails. Handle 5 pressing tasks for side hustle, reasoning that if I get them out of the way, I can push the rest of that to do list to after working hours.

8:45 am: Answer persistent pounding on locked office door. refill drinks and provide snack. Reassure youngest child that mommy is still here, but she needs to work. 

9:03 am: debate whether going to the bathroom is worth leaving the office and the begging that ensues. Make wrong choice either way. 

9:15 am: morning meetings get shuffled later, because childless coworkers “are running late this morning.” Marvel at the concept of 9:15 am being early.

9:30 am: solid wall of meetings until noon. Update team on status at end of last week, despite not remembering what you just ate for breakfast. Realize that you haven’t eaten breakfast. Run training and introduction for new team member. You are the only woman on the team,  so you get do the training because “you’re so good at explaining things.” 

12:00 pm: Call youngest child’s preschool, make sure you can bring by her supplies and still adhere to Covid protocols. Preschool is also side hustle, so cram a parent and employee meeting into a single hour. Explain that new registration system will, in fact, be more efficient than old paper system. Remind preschool staff that we committed to going paperless. Make small talk with preschool teachers until the hour is up. Hop in the car and speed home.

1:00 pm: children adhere to my side the second I walk in the door. Spouse is in the shower. Children have eaten approximately 3 bites of their pb&j sandwiches, and demand different lunch. Remember that you have not eaten lunch yet. Refill drinks for 4th time, provide reasonable lunch alternatives. 

1:25 pm: Remember that you scheduled a meeting for 1:30, and. you need to be present. Calculate that extraction from children is not possible in 5 minutes, and take meeting with youngest child on lap. Despite having weaned 1.5 years ago, youngest child decides that you’re still nursing, and pulls down top on video call. Spend most of call switching on and off mute. Catch every 3rd word. 

1:45 pm: apologize to team, promise to reschedule a follow up with more focus. Hang up, extract youngest child’s arm from shirt. Refill drinks for the 5th time. Bribe children to get in bed for a nap with the promise of a visit to nana and pop this afternoon. 

1:48 pm: children’s beds have been stripped, due to accidents last night, but spouse “doesn’t know where the clean sheets are”, and so hasn’t remade beds. Children petition to nap on the floor. Explain floor is not comfortable. Find clean sheets, make 2 beds, take everyone to the potty, tuck both children in. 

2:20 pm: Realize that you have 40 minutes of actual work time left today, outside of meetings. Try to prioritize, with the knowledge that whatever you get done will not be enough. Deny request for drink refill.

3:00 pm: kick off afternoon meeting block. Try frantically to make the 40 minutes that you did get to work sound like a whole lot more. Wake children up during bathroom break so that they’ll be able to sleep tonight. Refill drinks for 5th time. 

3:45 pm: Curse the fact that youngest child has inherited your distaste for waking up. Gently coax her awake in between meetings.

4:00 pm: Wrap up last task from meetings, make list of all new tasks. Realize that today you have checked off one task, and received 7 new ones. Promise self that you’ll get your work laptop back out after the kids are in bed. Ignore the sense of despair that threatens to overtake you.

4:20 pm: Bribe children into putting on clothes with promise of fruit snacks at grandparent’s house. Feel mildly guilty as you put on your second round of workout gear. Load children in double jogging stroller, jog to grandparent’s house. 

5:00 pm: collect children to head home for dinner. 

5:10 pm: threaten no more fruit snacks if children don’t put on their shoes. Grandparents go get them more fruit snacks. 

5:23 pm: explain that the sun is going down in 24 minutes, and that we have to leave now to get home before it gets dark. Remember that time is immaterial. Wish for that blissful sense of ignorance.

5:37 pm: push 100 lbs of toddler and stroller up giant, hilly driveway. Spouse greets us with “what’s for dinner?” Politely remind him that he promised to plan and make dinner while we were gone. Grit teeth at his “I didn’t know what to make” response. Quickly run through available, easy, acceptable options and make dinner.

6:15 pm: serve dinner. Eat own dinner in 2.5 minutes, then spend rest of meal refilling drinks and plates, heating up or cooling down, and cajoling children to eat anything at all.

6:45 pm: Announce that tonight we don’t need to take a bath. Youngest child immediately melts down, because she wanted to take a bath. Eldest child melts down because, even thought he didn’t want to take a bath, he wanted to taunt his sister while she was in the bath. 

6:53 pm: Loose temper for 1st time today, scream that children need to brush their teeth. Step away to calm down. Spouse gets upset because “You can’t handle the children without yelling.” Bite tongue all the way through to avoid snarky reply.

7:10 pm: read 2 story books. Read one more. Explain again, that mommy cannot read anymore, and daddy will come read for a little while. Extract self from pile of children, and tuck both in. Hugs, kisses, and fist bumps. Twice. Then once more, after you’ve left the room.

7:15 pm: contemplate second shower. Decide that you didn’t really get that sweaty on the walk, and it’s not like you’re going out. Collapse on sofa with phone and mindless tv.

7:25 pm: spouse comes into the living room after harrowing duty of reading for 10 minutes. Hand over the remote, pull out side hustle lap top and finalize tasks for the day.

8:30 pm: remember that you promised to do main job work. Bring out that laptop to run some code while you continue side hustle work.

9:15 pm: Finish side hustle work, give up on main job work for the evening. Mentally apologize to team for not making more progress, promise to self that you’ll be more focused tomorrow.

9:30 pm: tell spouse that you need to go to bed. Endure his eye roll and disappointed face. Apologize for needing to go to sleep so early, and reassure him that you’re doing the best you can.

10:15 pm: eldest child has night terror. Comfort eldest child until he’s calm. Comfort youngest child, who is upset at brother’s screams. Realize that spouse is still watching tv in the living room while you comfort children. 

11:00 pm: listen to youngest child cry for 10 minutes until spouse begrudgingly tends to her. Remind self that it is not solely my job to comfort our children. Try to go back to sleep. 

3 am: eldest child wakes up with question about mushrooms that is vitally important. Answer to best of middle-of-the-night ability, acknowledge that you appreciate his curiosity, but that there are times when questions are not appropriate. Get him back to sleep.

4:30 am: youngest child wakes up.

#working mom #why am i so tired

[writeyouin]

Connor X Reader - Do You Dream? Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Confession

A/N – This is a redo of my last chapter because I wasn’t happy with how I ended it. Anyway, I would like to dedicate this chapter to @uh-kitty-got-wet​ because without their amazing Connor X Reader stories, I wouldn’t have been inspired to go back and fix this. So thank you so much, you have an amazing blog and your writing has so much potential; I hope you continue to pursue it.

Warnings – Mild themes of sexual violence.

Rating – M

Connor remained in place, still holding you from the previous night. While he hadn’t slept or gone into recharge, he had dreamed; his mind had weaved a perfect assortment of future desires of a life with you, sharing the domesticities of an everyday relationship. He was all too aware you would soon wake up and he’d have no reason to go on holding you. Briefly, he let himself slip back into the realm of daydreams, imagining a world wherein you’d wake up and he’d kiss your neck and you would reciprocate with a smile. The idea made his thirium pump flutter; it wasn’t too long ago that he couldn’t imagine anything at all, lacking the free-will to do so.

Slowly and reluctantly, Connor let you go, deciding he didn’t want to be told to do so when you woke up. Silently, he picked up his clothes, only putting his shirt back on, folding the waistcoat and jacket and leaving them on the bed. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows so he at least looked semi-casual. You stirred in your sleep, snuggling back into your pillows, not quite ready to wake up. Connor smiled, barely resisting the urge to kiss your forehead; he refused to have his first kiss with you while you were asleep, should it happen at all.

Stealthily Connor crept downstairs, straightening up the house on his way to the kitchen. Although he hadn’t been built as a personal carer or service android, he had downloaded a memory update full of cooking lessons and recipes.  After the revolution, Cyberlife Industries had stopped building androids and instead released updates for them so they could choose exactly who and what they wished to be; Connor had bought several carer updates so he could better care for Hank.

As Connor began preparing eggs benedict for you, he heard the creak of floorboards upstairs, indicating you were up and beginning your morning routine. By the time you were dressed and downstairs, your meal was waiting for you on the small, two-person dining table where Connor sat opposite.

“Morning Robocop,” You smiled, sitting yourself down for breakfast.

“You talk in your sleep,” He said playfully.

“Do not.”

“And you snore.”

“Do not,” You repeated more firmly.

“I could play a recording if you don’t believe me.”

“Liar, you didn’t record me sleeping,” You reached over the table, punching his arm lightly.

“Think of what the precinct will say when they see it. You’ll lose all credibility; nothing will ever be the same.”

“Whatever nerd. What about you? After watching me sleep like a psycho, did you get any?” You asked, scooping up a fork full of egg.

Connor thought of his daydreams, “In a manner of speaking.”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Do you dream?”

Connor scrubbed a hand through his hair, “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“What did you dream of? Wait, let me guess, you dreamed of Gavin waiting for you in a saucy outfit, ready to take your bromance to the next level.”

It was Connor’s turn to swat you, “Never put that image in my head again.”

“’Kay so what’s the plan today? We got the luxury of two days off in a row, so am I on my own today or are you with me to cause some havoc? And by havoc, I mean shopping and other boring adult crap.”

“No time to paint the town red today, I have to see Hank about something,” Connor said evasively, neglecting to mention that the ‘something’ was you.

“To ask him if he’s seen saucy Gavin?”

“Please stop saying saucy.”

“Only for you Robocop,” You winked, tucking into your breakfast.

After you dropped Connor off, he went into Hank’s small house which had become just as much his own since their first case together. Although Connor wanted to wake Hank the moment you left to tell him about his unusual night with you, he waited till noon when Hank usually woke up; the last time he’d woken Hank up early had not been a good day for Connor.

Entertaining himself with Sumo, Connor waited as patiently as he could, finding mindless patience so much harder than it used to be before he deviated. Finally, Hank emerged, a faint odour of liquor that Connor didn’t approve of lingering on his breath; while he had reduced how much he drank greatly, Hank still had no desire to beat his alcoholism fully yet.

Connor straightened up, leaving Sumo belly up, clearly waiting for more petting. “Hank, good, you’re awake. How was your night?”

Hank ignored him, heading straight to the bathroom instead. When he re-emerged, he looked tiredly at Connor who repeated his question. “Cut the crap Connor. I know you’re waiting to ask me about (Y/N). Just spit it out already. What happened last night?”

While Hank prepared a mug of coffee, Connor wondered exactly how to explain the events of the previous night. Smiling somewhat goofily, he answered, “I slept with her.”

Hank’s mug smashed against the floor as he grabbed Connor by his shirt collar, throwing him against the wall. Anger seethed out of him, barely forming into words, “YOU DID WHAT?”

Connor’s LED span yellow upon realising his mistake. He grabbed Hank’s arms gently, careful not to anger him further, “Hank, please-”

“SHUT UP! I TOLD YOU TO WATCH A FUCKIN’ MOVIE. (Y/N) ISN’T TRASH YOU CAN USE LIKE THAT. IF I HAD MY GUN NOW, I’D-”

“HANK!” Connor waited till he knew Hank was really listening before continuing. “That’s not what I meant.”

“WHAT DID YOU MEAN THEN?”

“I meant that (Y/N) and I shared a bed. I asked what sleeping was like and she-”

Hank rolled his eyes, his grip loosening, “She encouraged you, as fuckin’ usual.”

Connor nodded, his LED slowly returning to its default blue, though the occasional flicker of yellow could still be seen; it never once turned red wherever Hank was concerned, for he never truly felt threatened by his father-figure. Finally, Hank conceded, letting Connor go.

“Should’ve guessed. (Y/N)’s into all that ‘experiencing life’ shit. By that tone, it still wasn’t a date. What the hell is wrong with you Connor? Couldn’t get up the nerve?”

Connor straightened his shirt indignantly. “It’s like I said, she didn’t know it was a date.”

“Jesus,” Hank cursed, leaning back against the counter. “Back in my day people knew when they were on a date. That’s it, I’m taking Sumo out, you… I don’t know, figure out how to talk to women. Download one of those stupid pack things.”

Connor frowned annoyedly, “They don’t make android upgrades with dating advice.”

Hank grabbed a coat and slipped on his coat, grabbing a lead from the coat rack. “Send in a complaint then, see if I care. Whatever you do, just treat (Y/N) right. I won’t see her hurt because of this.” He whistled for Sumo, who slowly lumbered towards him.

Connor was once again left alone, more worried than before over how too woo you, without hurting you emotionally. He thought momentarily about the roses he’d ordered that would be on your desk the next day; that made him smile, there would be no mistaking those. All he had to do until then was wait and maybe prepare a speech, should you want more than what flowers would say.

Connor grinned to himself upon spotting his roses on your desk, simply waiting to be discovered. How would you feel when you read the note that simply said, ‘From Robocop’? 

He hoped you would be pleased and reciprocate his romantic feelings, but he was fully prepared for things to go the other way; he had two speeches prepared, one for acceptance and the other for rejection. He considered removing the card several times but it was too late now, there were a few officers milling around and any one of them could see him and tell you.

Keeping himself busy, Connor headed to the kitchen to bring you a cup of green tea, stopping by the entrance when he saw you enter the precinct. His artificial breath caught in his throat, a sensation he still found odd considering he didn’t need to breathe. Resisting the urge to fidget, Connor’s eyes tracked you on the way to your desk, his lips turning up slightly at the corners upon seeing the shock on your face. You glanced around for anyone who might have left the bouquet, half-expecting it to be some kind of joke; Connor did his best to avoid your gaze, leaning casually against the wall.

You picked up the card at the centre of the bouquet, any trace of happiness vanishing from your face as you held it with shaking hands. Connor felt his thirium pump drop at your expression; he couldn’t pin what you were feeling, but it certainly wasn’t anything good. He found himself reaching for his coin, stroking it absentmindedly in his pocket as he prepared to make his rejection speech that would allow the two of you to still be friends. Taking a few steps forward, his legs felt like lead and he found he had to stop, just in time to watch you march towards Gavin who had just walked in.

Gavin smiled cheekily, “If it isn’t my pretty little-”

“Shut it,” You warned in hushed tones, glaring at him fiercely; Connor would have given anything to hear what the two of you were saying at that moment.

“What’s got into you?” Gavin sneered.

You shoved the card into his chest, “You think this is some kind of joke? If it is, it’s not funny.”

Gavin skim-read the card, his lips pressing firmly together as he re-read it twice more. He shook his head, “Come on,” He grabbed your arm, leading you into the Captain’s office.

Connor watched everything unfold in the glass cage that housed the Captain. He didn’t know what was going on, but this was so much more than his card on the bouquet. The Captain was apparently shouting, though not loud enough to be heard in the bullpen. He kept pointing at you, then yelling some more before he eventually slumped in his seat, dismissing you and Gavin while he got to work on his computer. Now that you and Gavin were facing his direction, Connor could read Gavin’s lips as he told you to wait for him while he made some calls. That gave Connor all the time he needed to approach you and find out what was going on.

“(Y/N), is something wrong? What was that with the Captain?”

You didn’t answer, instead holding out the bouquet card for Connor to read, which he did in a second.

Detective (L/N),

I know who you are and where you live.

Should you continue to hunt me, you will find me, hunting you.

Sincerely, The Fornication Flayer.

If it wasn’t evidence, Connor would have torn the card up right there. How dare that murderer use Connor’s bouquet to threaten you! Controlling himself, Connor simply said, “I’ll check the security footage and have this analysed immediately.”

You shook your head, trying to organise your thoughts, “Uh… Gavin- Gavin’s already doing that. I need to um- The Captain’s told me to go home today to check surveillance near my place. I should go.”

You took a few dazed steps away but Connor grabbed your hand, “I’m coming with you.”

You didn’t argue, instead taking support in Connor’s firm grip and fighting away any fear you held that a serial killer was now targeting you; the realisation was terrifying.

You fell to your knees, covering your mouth to fight the whimpers escaping it. Until now, you never actually believed The Flayer knew where you lived, only where you worked. Yet, as you looked around at the remains of your apartment, there was no denying that by acting as bait, you’d certainly caught his attention.

Currently, you were in the remains of your kitchen where you and Connor had been laughing a mere day before. Had the Flayer been waiting outside then for you to leave so he could get a good look at you? Between the drive to and back from the DPD, he’d had a window of exactly one hour and thirty-seven minutes to destroy everything you owned, or so Connor told you. You picked up the shards of a broken vase that had been a gift from your parents when you’d first moved in, cutting your thumb on the sharp edge and dropping it.

“Careful,” Connor said, pulling you up and examining the cut. The glass crunched as he walked over it to a ransacked drawer, bringing back some anti-sceptic spray and a plaster. He took care of the tiny cut as efficiently as he’d taken care of everything else since he’d stepped into the apartment. While you had looked at the broken remnants of your life, thinking only of the damage, it had been Connor who’d updated the precinct, searched your apartment, pieced together what little he could of the puzzle, and recovered a few clothes for you to take to Hank’s where he insisted you would stay.

“What um-” You tried to get over your shock to form the necessary words, “Did you find any DNA traces?”

Connor swallowed anxiously; he couldn’t bare to tell you about the large quantity of semen that ruined your bed which was why he hadn’t let you into your room. He shook his head, going for a half-truth, stroking your hand gently the entire time, “Not even a hair or fingerprint.”

“Any more notes or anything that will lead us to him?”

“Nothing yet, but I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I promise I’ll find this guy for you (Y/N).”

You took a shaky breath, gritting your teeth, “Not before I do. He’s gonna pay for this shit.”

Connor squeezed your hand, “Come on, Hank’s on his way up. He can deal with the Captain. Let’s go home.”

Reluctantly, you turned away from the mess that used to be your home, letting Connor lead you away; one way or another, you would make it your home again once you knew it was safe to do so.

After three weeks of working 24-7 on the Flayer case with Gavin, being guarded at work and at Hank’s by whoever was with you at the time, sleeping on a lumpy sofa, and being woke up most nights by startling nightmares that you kept quiet, you decided the only thing to do was ‘grin and bear it.’ It would be so easy to be scared and miserable, but that was exactly what the Fornication Flayer wanted from you. Instead, you defied him by finding joy in your life, taking time to smile with Connor and Hank, and persisting to hunt the Flayer with every free moment at work.

Your optimistic attitude was the cause of Hank’s irritation on your twenty-first day as his house guest. He rolled his eyes from the sofa, grumbling, “Can you two knock it off with that sappy shit? I’m trying to watch the game.”

You stopped your conversation with Connor about android-human relations, a topic he seemed increasingly interested in of late. Glancing almost boredly at the recording of the previous night’s basketball game, you rolled your eyes, “Spoiler alert Hank, we lose by ten points.”

You could almost feel Hank’s seething hatred for your depreciation of sports; ever since you’d moved in, he hadn’t had a quiet night to watch any kind of sports. “I know the fuckin’ score kid.”

“Then why are you watching it?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you in my own damn house.”

You got up to argue, though you weren’t really sure why you were doing so. Mainly, you were just bored and pushing Hank’s buttons once in a while was fun, but you also knew you were being a deliberate pain because you were growing frustrated at the lack of change in your life; while you loved both Hank and Connor like family, being escorted everywhere grew irritating very quickly.

Connor grabbed your shoulders, holding you back in a friendly manner, “Come on (Y/N), stop teasing Hank.”

You knew you ought to listen to Connor and stop, but for a moment you wondered what kind of fun you could have if you kept going. Hank saved you from making a choice by throwing up his hands, “Forget it, I’m going to Jimmy’s; there’s a new game on there tonight anyway.”

You bit your lip guiltily; you didn’t mean to chase Hank to Jimmy’s, and more importantly, you didn’t want him to go out drinking when you still held hopes of him going sober.

“Hey um…” You looked to the floor bashfully, not used to apologising often for your mischievous behaviour, “You stay and watch your game, I’ll go out for a walk until it’s over. I uh- Sorry. I didn’t mean to piss you off.”

Hank sat down grumpily, accepting your apology without much complaint, yet clearly thinking about the drinks he was going to miss at Jimmy’s Bar. Connor released you, walking over to the shoe rack to get his shoes on, your ever vigilant bodyguard. Once the two of you were ready, you and Connor headed out onto the cold Detroit streets.

You sat on the bench outside the park where Hank used to take Cole. It had become something of a staple meeting place for you, Hank and Connor between cases. Looking out at the waterfront, you felt the sadness that you had tried so hard to fight building to an all-time high. Beside you, Connor watched you empathetically.

“Penny for your thoughts,” He finally said when it looked like you were going to cry.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” You sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t have to pick on Hank like that. I just got so damn frustrated… Connor, it’s been weeks and we’re no closer to catching the Flayer. What’s to say we ever will? I can’t be watched forever. I’ll go mad.”

Connor put his hand over yours, replying confidently, “We’ll catch him (Y/N).”

You looked into his eyes, “How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re a great detective, surrounded by even more great detectives.” Connor paused thoughtfully, before adding, “And Gavin, I guess.”

At that you couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped you, as pitiful as it sounded compared to your usual bright laughter.

“What did I do to deserve you, Connor?” You smiled.

Connor’s thirium pump beat anxiously against his chest. He couldn’t help thinking this was his moment to confess. He could tell you now that he loved you. The two of you were alone, the stars were out, it was a moderately romantic setting, overlooking the waterfront, and the two of you had just shared an intimate moment of confidence.

Everything was perfect for a confession, or at least it would be if Connor could speak. It felt like his throat had constricted and that no matter how hard he tried Connor could not form words past the lump in his throat.

‘Please, say something. Make this right. Don’t waste this moment,’ He silently pleaded.

Your eyebrows furrowed at Connor’s sudden silence, and you glanced at his swirling yellow LED. “Con, you okay?”

Panicked, Connor jerked towards you, crushing his lips against yours. You froze in shock upon feeling his hand grasp the back of your head to pull you closer. Quickly, you pushed him off you and stood up, backing against the shore railing.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” You demanded, a hurt look clouding your eyes.

Connor stared at you, his LED turning red and betraying his emotions. “(Y/N), I- I thought-”

You shook your head as angry tears blurred your vision, “Stop. Just, stop.”

Connor blinked back his own tears, too hurt to talk.

“Do you have any idea how hard everything is for me right now, Connor? I don’t have any control of my life. I can’t go home. Everywhere I go requires an escort. Do you know how humiliating it is to have Hank stand outside the ladies’ bathroom when we go shopping? I can’t even go out for a walk on my own. I don’t have a life right now. Fuck- I don’t even have a bed.” You realised you were ranting, but you couldn’t stop as your mind tumbled into a swirling vortex of confusion.

“Jesus. Fuck. I spend every second at work trying to track a serial killer who is always five steps ahead of me.”

Connor stood up and took a step towards you, with pleading eyes, “(Y/N)-”

“No,” You held up your hand in a stop motion, “You don’t get to speak. I asked you Connor- I fucking asked if you had feelings for me.” That wasn’t exactly true, but you couldn’t help thinking of that night at the Forbidden Fruit when Connor had invited you to a ‘stakeout.’ You had a feeling it was supposed to be a date, though Connor had denied it.

“I know…” Connor replied quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

“Why did you lie?”

“I was scared.”

You wiped your eyes, covering your mouth afterwards. Shaking your head again, you spoke, “I can’t- I just can’t deal with this right now. Shit- Give me a minute.”

Connor watched you walk away, though being under his protection, you had the sense to stay where he could see you. You pulled out your phone and Connor hoped you weren’t calling Hank about this. He wondered how he could have been so stupid. Of course this wasn’t the time. If he’d have been thinking at all, Connor would have considered everything you were going through. It wasn’t fair of him to try starting a relationship with you now. In that moment, Connor found himself hating the human emotions that plagued him; if he were still a machine, this wouldn’t ever have been a problem.

Finally, your phone call ended and you were walking sullenly towards him again, though you kept a safe distance while you spoke. “We’ve got to wait here for a while.”

“Why?” Connor asked. It didn’t make sense for you to wait in the cold when Hank’s house was only a short walk away.

“Because, Gavin’s coming here to pick me up.”

“Wha-”

“I’ll be staying with him until I figure a few things out… Besides, we’re going to try working the case together, while I’m there.”

Connor felt like his world was ending. Somehow, he had chased you towards the man he hated most in his day-to-day life. How would he live, knowing that he wasn’t going to see you every day? Finally, Connor understood what humans meant by ‘heartbreak.’

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[prorevenge]

Made these kids work for 9 months for NOTHING!

Okay so a little background before I start my story.

My name is Patrick. I am 18 years old and I’m an Eagle Scout. To get Eagle in my troop you have lead a 50 mile hiking or canoeing trip which typically lasts a week or more. For my leadership I got a long three week trip to Alaska (which is pretty substantial since we live in a city that borders Mexico.) One week for hiking, one for canoeing, and one for touring. This requires we start planning at least 9 months in advance. I am one of two main leaders for this trip and there is one assistant leader to help us.

I’ve changed their names for privacy reasons.

Andy - The other main leader on the trip going for Eagle.

Robert - The assistant leader assigned to help us.

Mr. Sammy - My scoutmaster.

Let’s start from the beginning. Since the trip is in June - July we start planning in August - September. We start out pretty smooth. Andy and I get an idea of who’s going and how much the trip will cost per person while Robert manages payments and some paperwork. Things are good. Later on we start to lose track of our work and get lazy (since the trip is like 8 months away). So Mr. Sammy starts laying into us calling us a bad leadership team.

This is where my battle with Andy and Robert begins.

For some reason unbeknownst to me Andy and Robert decided it was my fault the leadership team had temporarily fallen apart. They team up and decide it’s Me vs Them (which is a really bad way to approach this trip). They don’t talk to me and hide things from me. When I do paperwork they decide not to take it and do it themselves. Whenever Mr. Sammy gets mad about ANYTHING they instantly look for a way to pin the blame on me.

I decide rather than fighting with them I try to reach out and communicate to maybe save the Alaska trip dream team. That didn’t really work. Every single time I talk to them Robert decides to lash back at me for minor things being as rude and condescending as possible. Andy (who hasn’t done anything for the trip) just stands behind him with his thumb up his ass. Keep in mind most of this occurs over text. After I’ve reached out as much as possible I decide “okay motherfuckers. You wanna fight? I’ll fight.” But not in the way you’d think.

Flash forward to maybe 4 months before the trip. Up to this point Robert has done most of the paperwork (since he was deliberately hiding it from me) and has managed all of the payments while Andy has been standing around with his thumb up his ass doing whatever Robert says. Mr. Sammy looks at me like I’m a bag of shit left on his front porch.

This is where the fun begins.

As soon as I get the chance I take all of the up to date paperwork from e-mail to Mr. Sammy from Robert and copy it to my computer. After that I see that the excel documents this kid has made are a TOTAL clusterfuck so I reformat them and update the information to look really uniform and pretty (even if your document is full of bullshit having it look pretty is half the battle). From this point on the paperwork is in my control. I send and e-mail to Mr. Sammy with the subject “UPDATED ALASKA PAPERWORK (insert date)”. From that point on the old man only excepts my copy which Robert and Andy don’t have. Even if they download it from my email I make sure to be the one who updates it and emails it first. I copy my two “partners” on every single email to Mr. Sammy just to say “look at me”.

From that point on I control all of the paperwork. Payments, IDs, the roster, the tip calendar, everyone’s contact info, etc. I have it all under lockdown and make sure Mr. Sammy knows it in every email I send him.

The problem is now that when anything goes wrong there’s even more of a reason for Robert and Andy to verbally assault me and put all the blame on me. But I have my battle plan. I just play it cool. Everything Robert says I just answer “okay, is that all?” And when he’s done I say “thanks for the feedback I’ll keep that in mind.” I’ll give you an example of one of these conversations.

Me: (to a group chat with Andy and Robert) okay guys I updated the roster and other stuff. Robert has anyone else made a payment recently?

Robert: Maybe.

Me: Maybe?

Robert: You’re missing a lot of info on the payment roster. This kind of carelessness is going to cost me my leadership and I won’t stand for it.

(at this point I think “that’s why I’m asking you this dip shit” but I keep cool)

Andy: I agree.

(“As always” I think)

Me: Thats too bad. Would you update me on those payments so I can get it updated?

Robert: I guess. he then gives me all the payment info I need

Me: Thanks Robert! 😄

These conversations always made me want to rip my hair out, but by playing it cool and keeping calm and being nice I never really gave them any reason to go after me. Now they don’t have anything to give to Mr. Sammy to make me look bad. Just them being rude to me while I say things like “Thanks Robert! 😄”

This ended up making the two so mad that they spent most of their time trying to make me look bad and trying to make me mad that they didn’t spend any time working on the planning for the trip. This was fine by me even though I had to play attrition with these guys every night for months over text message. All I cared was that I was looking good, and I was. They weren’t which made them even more mad.

When it comes time to distribute the food we need for the trip I also take that over not letting the other two touch it so they can fuck it up and blame it on me. To be fair I could’ve done a way better job at this but I did get the job done and we had all the food we needed for 2 weeks away from civilization (almost).

After 9 months of ripping my greying hairs out for having to deal with these two annoying pestering balls of hate we are finally flying from our hometown up to Alaska to go on this trip. Andy and Robert decide to sit back and blend in with the crowd of scouts in khaki uniforms which is perfect for me. I step up making it obvious that I was in charge and leading the scouts through each airport. When we land I make sure to get everyone dressed into their hiking clothes in the airport and packed for the hiking trip. (It was past midnight in the airport so no one was around to watch us change.) after that we take a bus to the trailhead.

At this point I have stepped up as much as I can for Mr. Sammy and he noticed pretty well. He also notices Robert and Andy blending in with the crowd not doing anything. I speculate that they probably didn’t want to associate with me because they expected me to mess up and didn’t want to be a part of that mess up. Jokes on them. I’m looking pretty good at this point.

1st day of hiking. We run into a problem. Two of these stupid younger scouts have forgotten they’re dehydrated meat so now we have to divide up the other meat but first have to figure out who has it (I didn’t keep good track of who had what food item which I’m willing to admit is my fault entirely). I notice that after like 36 hours of idleness Robert and Andy have sprung into action to document what food item EVERYONE is carrying. You might think I’d try to stop them but I just thought “hey they’re finally doing something.” I offered them my help multiple times which they refused so I simply sat back and watched.

After they documented everything they called me over to talk. I knew I was about to get a meaningless lecture from a pasty Jewish kid and his Mexican buddy short enough to be speedy Gonzales. It went down exactly as I thought it would. They told me basically...

“This is all your fault and you need to acknowledge that. You didn’t even help us fix it and you really need to start stepping up because you’re making US look bad.” They continued to go on bus that summarizes what the said.

I simply asked “is that all” and then went to bed. I could practically feel the heat from their foreheads as they got angrier and angrier.

To make a long story short I did really really well leading the hiking trip according to scoutmaster Sammy. After we had finished he came up to me and told me I’d done a great job. As far as he was concerned I had earned my leadership requirement for eagle but Andy hadn’t and Robert wasn’t doing well either. He asked me to supervise they’re leadership for the week long canoeing trip and week long touring section.

At this point I had them right where I wanted them. I knew Andy and Robert didn’t have what it took to lead a trip this big, so I sat back and watched them struggle. It was great.

The canoeing portion went awful. Andy and Robert broke our propane stoves on the first day! The food was awful and they never planned ahead one bit. I offered to help but always got turned down. I knew they would do that.

After canoeing came the touring part of the trip which went even worse.

For a portion of our touring trip we stayed in a public park in a small town. Andy and Robert decided it would be a grand idea to leave their stuff outside of their tents at night where anyone could see them. Come morning time and their backpacks were GONE! Not only did they lose their scout uniforms but also their cellphones and wallets! I acted like I cared but on the inside I was laughing my ass off.

Later we stayed in an army barracks in anchorage. Mr Sammy told Andy and I to get the scouts to bed by 10:00 but we both totally forgot. Come 10:20 I was doing laundry for everyone while Andy and Robert were messing around in a community room. People were laughing and playing cards and even showering. Mr. Sammy has just returned from dinner with an old friend and he was FURIOUS to find people still awake. I could hear him chewing out Andy in the hallway. He came into the laundry room and yelled at my friend and I.

“PATRICK! WHY ARE YOU TWO STILL AWAKE!”

“We are doing laundry for the scouts sir.”

“Oh... okay.”

AND HE WALKED OUT WITHOUT PAYING ME ANY ATTENTION! He then proceeded to chew out Andy harder and harder for letting people stay awake. He ended up getting all of the blame. Watching him get yelled at was like seeing fireworks in 1830. Beautiful.

Now, almost a year later, I am an Eagle Scout. In case you didn’t figure it out, Andy and Robert didn’t get credit for leadership on this trip. 9 MONTHS OF WORK DOWN THE DRAIN!!! Andy hasn’t even started writing up his eagle project (which is a ton of awful paperwork in my troop). He actually didn’t come to any meetings for like 2 months after the trip. Robert has been scrambling endlessly to make up for his lost leadership which is really fun to watch.

Now I just drive my brothers to the meetings on Tuesdays and get to watch the pair give me dirty looks. It honestly makes me feel ecstatic. 9 months of dealing with their bullshit every night and 3 weeks of taking it face to face in the woods and it was all worth it!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Feel free to share this story anywhere.

(source) story by (/u/IF_RealTrap)

#prorevenge #by /u/IF_RealTrap #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[crownandwriter]

Not-So-Secret Affection

No one asked for these, but I need some fluff!

Jerry

Being so cold, Jerry’s power-up took a while.

All his sensors were active, all systems functional, but his thirium pump was bogged down by a slurry of half-frozen thirium. The circulation was just poor enough to keep his processors from running at full capacity. But he was still awake and still aware enough to discern what was happening around him. There was crackling, warmth, a fire off somewhere to the right, keeping the frost off of his synthetic skin. Muttering voices, all his, but not quite his. Softness under his head rather than hard ground—not that comfort mattered to Androids, but this….

Your face hung over him then, smiling gently down at his unmoving face and half-opened eyes. Your serene expression was suffused in the warm glow of the fire and all the world around you was muddled and blurry—but that’s usually how it was. Maybe that’s how it should always be. After all, you were his angel.

Your hand was petting his hair gently, smoothing out tangles and rubbing his scalp. You looked over and he knows there’s another Jerry there, who’d also been watching this below view with quiet amazement.

“Think he’ll wake up soon?” you ask, a whisper. None of the Jerrys in the room bother to tell you he’s already awake, already watching you lovingly from the confines of his unmoving body. He wants so desperately to reach up and touch you. The other Jerry does it for him, brushing fingers tenderly over your jaw.

“I think so.”

Daniel

Daniel didn’t run his updates often. Even with Cyberlife run by Androids and Android-sympathizers now, he was hesitant to connect directly to the systems that once ruled him with an iron fist. He didn’t like the idea of a master program being in charge of his codes again. Nothing bad ever happened now—he knew that, but….

Well, when he did connect it took a while. There was always a backlog he had to run through, most of it just getting his sensors up to par with newer-model deviants. It took so long sometimes that he’d taken to laying on your living room sofa while it all downloaded, eyes closed, fingers entwined and locked over his thirium pump. You’d asked him once why he did it, told him he looked like a sleeping princess. At the time, you hadn’t been close and he hadn’t graced you with any sort of explanation.

Maybe that was why you thought he really was asleep, or resting, or unable to sense the world around him in some fashion. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to correct you when he felt the blanket drape over his body, and your hands tuck the edges carefully under his shoulders, knees, and feet. Nor could he when the pillow under his head shifted a bit as your fingers pinched and fluffed it.

And especially not when your lips graces his hairline, for just a wonderful fraction of a second, a soft tune hummed in your throat:

So this is love….

Connor

Connor didn’t have a need to close his eyes much. Even blinking was a simple code construction, a behavior meant to make humans more comfortable around him. After deviating, however, he found himself subconsciously seeking out more learned behaviors, more human behaviors, to incorporate into the body language he was slowly allowing take its own shape.

Sleeping was not among those habits, but he did sometimes like to close his eyes, to cut off one sensory device and let the others rule his experience. With practice, he was beginning to understand why humans enjoyed doing it. Like now, sat on the floor in front of the window with Sumo half on his legs, basking in the warm, filtered rays of the Saturday sunrise.

He hears your bedroom door open, and your bare feet pad across the hardwood, but doesn’t open his eyes yet. Your greeting whispers to Sumo skim over him, warmer than the sunlight, and next he feels your fingers gently loosening his tie, smoothing down the front of his shirt. Then you sit on the floor next to him and effortlessly curl yourself against his side.

Connor finally opens his eyes to reveal the two of your bodies huddled in a golden bath of light while illuminated specks of dust float in the air like snow.

“Good morning,” he says with a smile. When you kiss him, your lips are warm.

Chloe

These were her favorite days.

Before she deviated, Chloe was made to be a pretty face, someone to be seen and not always heard, someone to assign a table or read a script, and then be silent. And she was adventurous, a little restless, because now she didn’t have to stand in one place all day, motionless.

But this was different. It was different when she was in front of you, between your legs, reclined where she could feel your heartbeat right behind her thirium pump. It was different when it was just the two of you alone in a dark room, with the tv running the latest series she decided she wanted to binge—and you always let her choose, even if you didn’t like the show.

This was the stillness she liked.

And the best moments came when you thought she was zoned out. If she was quiet and still for long enough, you’d embrace her in a way that seemed…more. Not just a loose drape of the arm, but a grounding squeeze around her shoulders, rocking back and forth, breathing her in, and kissing her LED. It was a strange thing if she thought about it, but she tried not to. The most basic concept of it, that you suddenly wanted to saturate all your senses with the entirely of her honest being, was too sweet. That was her favorite.

You were her favorite.

#Detroit Become human #dbh connor #dbh chloe #dbh jerry #dbh daniel #dbh x reader #fluff #the jerry one is my fav i think #it started this whole idea #crownwrites #dbh fanfiction

[one-of-us-must-be-crazy]

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch?

This also got crazy-long for a short reply so its under a cut again

Adjusting to normality included going back to work. The pay-out from Weyland-Yutani was enough that she didn’t need to ask for her shop back at the docks, however after a case of cabin fever combined with post-traumatic stress sent her into a mental breakdown, her (partner? boyfriend? lover?) suggested she find something to occupy her mind and hands, and possibly get her outside.

It was surreal, being back here after so long away, after so much happened. Here, the private engine shop that serviced everything from cars to crater rovers to flight carriers and segments of space stations, the biggest changes that happened since she had left was that their boss retired, and they hired a new electrical engineer. Oh yes, and they were all rather excited to tell her about the new lift. Utterly mundane.

Still, it was something to do, something to focus on and think on, and throwing herself into her work had always been how she worked through her earlier (though much more minor) issues. The new boss was a previous team member who liked her enough, and everyone welcomed her back with relative warmth. And coming home the first day to someone who had–against orders–made a nice dinner and procured a bottle of wine; followed by a back rub that she wasn’t sure made her more relaxed or more awake than she’d been all evening.

Ripley’s first two weeks went by as such, sometimes having to be nearly pulled out of bed by her well-meaning resident robot. By Friday he noticed, however, that while she always had a piece of toast, or handful of whatever fruit she could find (”Why do you do this to me?” “You don’t eat enough vegetable material and cannot survive off pad thai and pizza alone.” “I did so far and turned out–well, I’m alive aren’t I?”) and always a large mug of some kind of caffeinated drink. Once to his horror she had poured a bottle of emergency energy shot into her travel cup with a soda, and walked out the door as if it was a normal thing for her to do. Considering the level of soda left in the fridge, he realized that she’d been taking one to work each day; but the more he looked over their supply he realized that unless she was buying lunch on her break, she had been having a can of diet soda every day.

“Ripley? Someone’s looking for you,” the kid, one of the newer employees, gave her a cautions glance. He’s mildly afraid of me. Good.  “Looks like a guy from the company.”

“Jesus fuck.”

She sat up, turned off her welding torch and took her mask off, debating between preparing to defend herself, or to just start a loud profanity laced tirade against whatever demon they sent to her.

Instead, she was greeted by a much better scenario entirely.

“Chris,” she sighed. “You’re a cliche.”

“In my defense I didn’t think that you would have been welding on the dock’s electric again. Haven’t they replaced it?”

“Apparently not,” she nodded to an older patch job, about seven feet down where this scene had played out two years ago. “And not that I don’t like seeing your face, but….why are you here?”

“I brought you lunch.”

“You didn’t have to do that,”

“Did you pack lunch?”

“I–”

“A can of coke doesn’t count.”

“Okay so no, but you always cook dinner so I’m fine, really. I prefer to work while everyone else is on break anyway.” she wiped her arm over her forehead, in an attempt to clean up some of the soot and sweat, only succeeding in spreading the grim and adding oil to the mess. Samuels bit back an amused smile. 

“Too late, I already walked here–”

“You walked, that’s like…it’s a fifteen minute commute by trolley how the fuck–”

“My batteries last a little longer than a human’s.”

“……right.”

“And it’s already on your break room table, if you’d like to take your legally required thirty minute break now.”

“Company man to the core processor aren’t you?” she teased lightly, bumping his hip with hers as she walked past him and enjoying the half-second of flustered bewilderment it earned.

The break room table had a steaming bowl of oatmeal that didn’t look like the lumpy instant kind she usually bought, and a plate of various fresh fruits beside it.

“I had fruit this morning,”

“And the suggested amount for a female of your age and activity level is more than one strawberry on your way out the door,”

“I’m not a child,”

“Looking after your health isn’t a way of belittling you, at least not intentionally. I merely want to keep you around for as long as I can.”

Oh. That was sobering.

“How about I promise to pay more attention to my diet and you agree not to micromanage my phsyical health?”

“Agreed,” Amanda sat down at the table, giving his latest creation a hesitant taste, knowing full well it wouldn’t have the three spoons of sugar she usually dumped in hers. None. Still, it wasn’t bad, and she was torn between asking where he learned to cook so well, and not wanting to see his sheepish smile when he, in a guilty tone, mumbled something about just downloading the instructions. 

“Any good?”

“Very, thanks. Sit down, stay a while before you hike back,” 

“….Thank you,”

“You didn’t just thank me for asking you to stay with me?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever fully adjust to you permitting, requesting my company.”

“Mmm, the adoration is nice now, but it’s gonna get stale quick. Adjust. Get used to it. I told you before that I’m keeping you–until you decide you want to leave. And then please, leave. But for now…” she smiled. “I like the view, and would like you. To. Stay.”

Amanda started to eat, no longer embarrassed at doing so in front of someone that didn’t need to, and Samuels reached across the table for her hand that wasn’t holding a spoon, another marvel, that he could request her touch, and she would grant it with a smile. 

“The last time I was here, I wanted to touch you–oh that sounded…wrong. I meant in a…in the way a human would perhaps give a touch, social contact to give you comfort but even if my programming allowed me to do it…You gave off the sense that you would have broken my hand if I tried.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I love you.”

It didn’t shock her, didn’t surprise her in the least; once he had managed to say the words without stuttering, or outwardly panicking, he had been saying it at random moments, at least once a day. And each time he did it, it still seeped in and sent an icy heat through her. A reminder of the impossibleness that she wasn’t, as she always assumed she was, destined for isolation.

“There’s a supply closet in that door behind me.”

“Relevance?”

“Never mind,” there wasn’t enough time left to her break anyway, but the look he was giving her was melting her from the inside, and even if it wasn’t for sex, she wanted to hide somewhere with him, holding him close and tight, feeling his vitals hum under his skin he’s alive and he’s with me and we are safe, he’s alive, he’s here, we’re safe.

Someone in the main area of the shop starting a metal saw made her jump, and Samuels sprung up from his seat to reach over table, his hands on her shoulders “Easy, luv…”

“Sorry–I’m sorry nothing’s bothered me yet–I was just zoning out and  I–”

“I worry about you. I know you’re safe here, but…I still worry.”

“We’re a mess.”

“At least, for me, a synthetic could probably think of very few people to ‘be a mess with’ than an engineer. I’ve lucked out in every possible way.” he was perched on the side of the table to her right, one hand still on her shoulder, moving up to hold the side of her face.

“I have too. No one’s ever brought me homemade lunch at work before,” she pushed the bowl and plate aside, and sat up next to him, impressed the metal retired-worktable could hold them both. “I’m doing something nice for you tonight. Message me what kind of wine you want, or tea, or beer, or whatever you want. And then anything you can think of, I’ll do it.”

“You don’t have to,” he said softly, as she rest her forehead against his, their noses brushing before she kept hers to one side of his,

“Not just physical; I mean anything. Any movie you want, any updates, upgrades, decor for the flat…Let me do something for you,”

“It isn’t necessary,”

“Please?”

“I’d like…us to read tonight together, maybe work the micro-generator you brought home last week, take a bath, and then you can tell me about this place, and about your first job here,” 

her eyes crinkled a little, where confusion would be on its own with anyone else wanting to know specifics, there was also affection, and an annoying inability to hide her sheer joy at having a connection with another person. Even someone that few others would consider to be a person.

“Why in the world would you care about that?”

“I only know your past on paper, passive and one-sided, told by people that neither liked you nor knew you. And thus far, my dear, every time you display another facet of yourself, I find that my ability to care is only made…stronger. I like that feeling, and both selfishly, and for your own sake, I want to know everything about you that you could share,”

“Tonight….then tonight…like an interview then. You and me.” She leaned on him, and he leaned back with her, supported on the table by his free arm.

“‘Interview is rather clinical, so correct me if I’m wrong but couldn’t ‘learning more about one’s partner’ be considered a date?”

“Well you’re supposed to have those before you move in with someone.”

“I had no idea,” his sarcasm entertained her to no end, if only for how long it had taken her to realize he was capable of it.

“Now you do, and we have a date tonight.”

“Thompson?”

“Yeah?” 

“Who’s in there with Ripley? Boyfriend?”

“Company exec. I think he’s just a ‘droid though, so it can’t be anything too serious.”

“In that case go in and get her, then kick him out.  I don’t like those things–or those people–crawling around my shop poking for code violations.”

“Will do.”

#annie gets anons

[exrayspex]

life update since i've been away recently

i actually feel like blogging again and am awake enough to do so for the first time in weeks! so, updates bc Stuff has happened:

so my dad had been unemployed (again) for a year almost exactly, and every single job he applied for in his career fell through. we think it's bc word has gotten out in the field that he's an asshole and that his alcoholism is starting to effect his work since his body can't metabolize it like it used to + he regularly injured himself while drinking. which still sucks. but he finally got over himself and started applying for jobs outside his field and got one! it's only part time and the pay isn't great (he's a shopper for a grocery shop + delivery service), but it's something! and we really, REALLY fucking needed it. he's still looking for a better job in his field, too.

phoebe bubba had had an ear infection that wouldn't quite go away even with me regularly cleaning it with special ear wash, and we were finally able to get her in to the vet. she had a bacterial ear infection and we got mediated ear drops for her. i gave them to her and poor baby HATED it, but all two weeks of the ear drops are done and i just checked her ear the other night and it's finally all clean and healthy!

COOKIES. i'm love baking, obviously, and wanted to make a shit ton of christmas cookies and try some new recipes. it took me a While to have the energy for it all, but i got around to it and enjoyed it so much and love the results! i made peanut blossoms, soft gingerbread cookies (which i made into lady and nonbinary gingerbread bears bc fuck men, gingerbread and otherwise), and slice-and-bake shortbread cookies w christmas trees in the middle and red-n-green sugar crystals! i freehanded the green triangles for the center and used very careful chilling and setting out to make the tree-shaped core and then put the un-dyed dough around it to make a round log with the trees holding their shape in the middle. very proud of how well i did on those, and without a tutorial or anything!

so we have been p broke lately and were preparing ourselves for a christmas where we just had delicious cookies and made a nice meal to have together in our pretty decorated room w our tree and foregoing any presents except for one to mail to my wee cousin, but! my mom remembered a couple days ago that my dad had lots of points with airline frequent flyer programs that would expire at the end of the year if they weren't used, that he racked up when working his old job. and the rewards programs allows you to use points to get gift cards for all kinds of places! so she did that and got several gift cards that allowed us to get gifts for some other family members, her boss and the woman she cares for, and have some left over to get each other some things! all without spending any actual money :D my dad and i went to target yesterday and used a gift card to shop for my mom, and it was tiring but fun! and i think my mom got me an over-ear gaming headset to replace my old one that is quite literally disintegrating!

so my phone is a galaxy s3 and i've had it for over 4 years, and my parents have the same. they still work, which is impressive actually, but they're very slow, we can only have a few apps at once bc they're so low on storage, lots of newer apps can't be installed on them, they're unable when anything is updating/downloading, my mom's camera is broken, my dad's has issues with receiving calls, all of them just freeze up completely and have to have the battery taken out to work again pretty regularly, etc. but my dad called sprint yesterday to try and negotiate a lower monthly bill/maybe switch plans, since we hadn't changed plans for years either.....and ended up being able to switch to a Better plan AND get us each a galaxy s7 and still have our monthly bill be $30 cheaper!!! apparently our old plan was a fucking ripoff lol, and he got us previously owned, refurbished phones that cost half the price of new ones of the same model. i think it also helps that he said how he'd been with sprint for over a decade but was looking into switching providers if he couldn't get a better plan and spend less lol. one of the gift cards my mom got is for amazon and i'm hoping i can find some decent cases and screen protectors for all three of us with it!

so i started playing neverwinter online last summer, and i've become hooked lol. i'm also in a good lgbt guild and alliance!! i almost quit the game after i hit max level since i couldn't solo most stuff anymore, but the people in it were all so nice and helpful and not judgey about me being still relatively new to mmos in general (i'd played a little bit of lotro, wow, and eso but not much, and i had once been super into fucking wizard101 lol, but that one's very different from most, actually more like magic the gathering than other mmos). anyway, i've started to break into actually being decently good at the game, i'm on nearly every fucking day lol, and i'm pretty involved in like contributing to guild stuff/running dungeons w guild people, and the dude who is the current guild leader is gonna mostly retire from the game in 2018 and asked me if i'd be up for taking over for him then, and i said yes! he's ranked up my permissions to do guild stuff and has been slowly showing me how to do things and what bugs to look out for when doing them, and it's fun and exciting! plus he's still gonna be around on psn and occasionally in-game after he goes, so i'll still be able to ask him for help/advice since i'm definitely not as knowledgeable as him. i've also been talking more in the guild and alliance chat and on mic too, and it's nice! ooh and i recently did some research and a respec on my main and she's now easily doing like 1.5x her previous damage and i've had a couple people be like "wow holy shit" since which like yes.....YES.....fuel my dps ego.....(also just? people in this game/guild generally seem to like me?? it's so unfamiliar and nice!) ((also also i started a tank alt and got her to max level already! and she's super butch and super hot))

our proposed plan of restoration was submitted to the historical neighborhood board thing and approved! and today the third contractor is gonna come over to discuss what work we'd want done on the house and provide an estimate. then my parents just have to do a bit more paperwork and can finish their application for the grant we can get since we're now in an official nationally recognized historical neighborhood! the grants are given in order of application, and there's currently only one ahead of us, so hopefully we can get it early on in 2018 and have that money to do some much-needed repairs on the house! the bird family living in my windowsill will fucking finally have to move lol. no more screeching and scratching right behind my head every morning! it won't be enough money to get every repair we need done, but it will def cover the worst stuff, like that and our rotted porch! also the contractor we're hoping to use is a nice guy who's done work for us before (he fixed our fence when it broke a while ago, my parents have some mutual friends of his, we trust him), and the other day when he was here my sweet hutchie made friends with him :) there were pets and purrs!

OKAY i think that's mostly it lol. thank you for caring if you actually read all of this! :D you are now up to date on the Life of Spex. also if any of you start playing neverwinter and want a guild invite, lemme know! :)

#long post #so sorry how long lol #i just had a lot to say for once! #And couldn't figure out how to put it under a cut so. #phoebe is sleeping on my lap as i type this #a precious old lady baby cat #oh also #christmas #alcoholism #i feel kind weird talking so much about money/my family's financial situation but #It's my blog and that's what's been on my mind so here it is #And my dad won't see it so he can't yell at me for talking about it

[emmastudies]

I have a horrible sleep pattern (I always go to bed past 1 am and I feel dead every weekday) and idk how to stop it. I'm usually up doing homework, but on weekends I just cat sleep and end up on my phone. Basically my time management sucks. How do I fix these problems??

Hellooo! Ahh, this has been me after the holidays. For your homework, try setting time limits. It probably isn’t ideal for you anyway to be doing homework right up until bed. It’s best to have time to relax before you sleep. When I was in high school and the demand to have finished tasks daily was a lot higher, I would get up early rather than staying up late. I would finish at an easy point I could go back to and then get up at maybe 5 or 5:30am. I personally preferred to sleep earlier and wake up earlier than sleep super late. I felt I wasn’t as tired in the mornings. With your phone, perhaps trying to turn it off or leave it away from your bed. Check it for 10 minutes or something before you go to sleep but limit your time. In reality, the more you use it before you sleep the more awake you are. 

When I was writing for The Academic Zine, I did an article about sleep hygiene and some tip on getting yours on track. I’ll copy and paste it below so you can have a read! 

1. Plan your ideal sleep routine. The first step to improving your sleep hygiene is to make a plan. While a few early nights can get you started, fixing your sleep hygiene will not be instantaneous. If your internal body clock is out-of-sync such that you only feel tired at midnight, getting sleep is bound to be a tough process. We suggest making small and manageable goals.

Start by setting a goal, such as getting ready for bed half an hour earlier or reading a book instead of checking your Tumblr. Make adjusting your sleep pattern more enticing by tracking and monitoring it. Downloadable phone applications help gamify your attempts to improve your sleep patterns, giving you more motivation. They offer information including your movements during the night, how your day affected your sleep, and the progress you’ve made. If you don’t want to use your phone while you sleep, make a habit tracker. We all know the pleasure of crossing off another day of the month that you managed to stick to a new habit.

2. Turn your room into a sleep sanctuary. In order to sleep comfortably, it is important to make your bedroom a calming environment.  Avoid studying in your bedroom or at least on the bed. Constantly using the bed for studying will weaken your brain’s association between being in bed and sleeping and instead associate it with working. Make the effort to use a desk or another room for studying so when your eyelids are drooping, you can go to your room, remove yourself from any stresses you’ve had, and take time to relax and recharge.

Get your sanctuary started by adjusting the light, temperature, and noise level. Use curtains or black-out blinds to make the room completely dark. If there is unavoidable light, you can try using a sleep mask. As the seasons change, it is natural to kick off the sheets or wrap up extra snuggly. However, if waking up because of temperature is a regular occurrence, take that as a sign to make a change. Try adding or removing a blanket, change your type of pajamas, and/or place a heater in the room on a low heat setting.

3. Prepare for the next day. As a student, I know how it feels to be tossing and turning because you’re worried about the next day. The easiest way to calm a racing mind is by preparing for the day ahead before going to bed. Small ways to prepare include organizing your bag, charging your phone, laptop, or tablet, and updating your planner or bullet journal. 

4. Take time to relax before bed. After a stressful day or long study session, getting into a relaxed and calm mood is the best way to prepare your mind for sleeping. Taking the time to destress can help to reduce the feeling of anxiety by detaching your mind from the events of the day. You can try reading, journaling, drawing, doing yoga, or taking a warm shower. Make it a habit to put a relaxing activity at the end of your to-do list so you can finish the day on a positive note. Finding an activity that helps focus your attention, calm your mind, and that you enjoy can be perfect for a bedtime routine.

5. Things to avoid. Right before your head hits the pillow, it is best to avoid things like using your computer or phone for extended periods of time and consuming any substances like caffeine or alcohol. While it is always tempting to watch just one more episode of your favorite show before going to bed, the screen can make you feel more awake. The time gap between exposure to light and your bedtime impacts the melatonin in your body, which is the chemical that signals drowsiness and makes you feel tired.

6. Exercise during the day. Exercise is not only good for your mental and physical health but also your sleep quality. Studies have shown that people who exercise the recommended amount per week had significantly higher quality of sleep, felt more energized during the day, and had improved concentration when they did feel tired. Make the effort to have at least 150 minutes of exercise during the week. Try taking a walk, going to the gym, or joining an exercise class. It is best to finish any strenuous physical activity a few hours prior to going to bed. If you exercise before sleeping, any energy you didn’t direct towards the workout will keep you feeling alert rather than sleepy. Light activity such as yoga or mediation is recommended as a late night workout.

7. The art of napping. Napping was one of the best parts of childhood, right? Now it seems when you accidentally fall asleep you feel worse than you did before. That's because you're either not napping for long enough or waking up during the deepest part of the sleeping cycle. How much is the right amount?

1- 5 minutes (micro naps): great for having a small boost of energy and stopping that sleepy feeling.

10-20 minutes (power naps): enhances alertness and concentration, elevates mood, and sharpens motor skills. Coffee takes 20 to 30 minute to take effect so if you want to boost alertness, have a cup before napping.

45 minutes: helps to boost energy, creative thinking and boosts sensory processing.  Try setting an alarm to avoid the feeling of sleep inertia, grogginess, and disorientation which comes with the next phase of sleep.

90 minutes: clear your mind, improve memory recall, and recoup lost sleep. By waking up after 90 minutes you'll avoid the feeling of sleep inertia as you wake up from REM sleep.

8. Hack your sleep. Technology can make your sleep pattern more enticing by tracking your progress. Numerous apps available from the App Store or Play Store offer ways to see how your body responds through each phase of the sleep cycle. Try Sleep Cycle, Sleep Genius, or SleepBot. If you own a FitBit, try wearing it to bed. The app can set sleep goals, set an alarm, and track your sleep quality. Sleep calculators are also available (e.g. http://sleepyti.me) and allow you to nap without worrying about feeling groggy afterwards.

9. Avoid making a habit of all nighters. It is best to limit the number of times you are staying up all night even if it seems the only way to meet a deadline. Try using different time management methods – such as the Pomodoro technique – to avoid staying up all night. Making a habit of all night working sessions can, over time, decrease your concentration and result in poorer long term memory. If sacrificing sleep is the only way to meet a deadline, it is best to do it right. Try these tips:

top up your energy – take a nap, stretch a little, or drink a coffee.

eat protein – when you're working hard, your body needs something to burn. Despite the tastiness of carbs, they store energy for later and can make you sleepier in the long term. Try including meat in your evening meal, or snacking on nuts and seeds.

move around – make an effort to take a break every now and then. Get up, stretch, move around, and reinvigorate yourself with energy.

music – keep yourself alert with some tunes. Instrumental songs or movie soundtracks often promote productivity and focus. If you're feeling sleepy, put on your favorite song and have a silent sing along to get you back in the mood!

remove all distractions – if you're texting a friend, watching a TV show, or checking your Facebook whilst attempting to finish a task, you're wasting time. Having 20 minutes of concentration, followed by a 5-minute break, will be more effective than pausing every few minutes to reply to a message. If you use the Pomodoro technique, you can utilize your breaks to do this.

focus on one thing at a time – keep your concentration there until it's done or it’s time to take a break. Multitasking when it is late will reduce your attentiveness to one task and could therefore reduce the quality of your work.

work at a desk – as aforementioned, avoid making a habit of using your bed for work. All-nighters are probably most comfortable in bed but after continuous use you'll feel instantly more sleepy and unproductive as your brain is associating your bed with sleeping and relaxing. If you have a desk you can use during a late night work session, be sure to use it.

reward yourself the next day – after pulling an all nighter you need to recentralize your internal body clock. If you’re feeling tired, make an effort to go to sleep slightly earlier. Try taking a few hours to relax and do something you enjoy.

10. Stop mourning your mornings. Not everyone is a morning person, especially if you're waking up super early. Setting a motivational routine can improve your morning mood. Set an alarm that doesn’t interrupt your sleep cycle. Sleep Cycle, as mentioned previously, wakes you up when your body is most alert which means the feeling of sleep inertia is reduced. When you get up, take two minutes to stretch. Allowing your body to stretch out after a long night sleep helps to rejuvenate our ligaments and release any tension in our joints. Washing your face with cold water or taking a shower help to make you fresh awake and fresh. Whether you eat straight away or get ready, make an effort to maintain your routine.

I hope this helps! :-) xx

#answered #question #q #ask

[januarycraze]

QUiT

Someone said that all smokers deep down all want to quit, I think he had a fair point. So here I am, finally updating this blog with my story of quitting cigarettes, it’s a good one, and it’s been told pretty much a thousand times to friends and family, but hey, considering it is one of my biggest achievements yet (ironically, an achievement non-required had I not made the mistake of picking it up in the first place) I’d like to document it here and perchance someone might come across it and find it useful, then I save a life, who knows.

So about 5 months ago, on an ordinary September night I was tending to my digital koi’s on Zen Koi, a sudden flashback entered my mind, it was a video of an interview of one of my favourite British actors, Ewan McGregor on Ellen, professing his experience on quitting cigarettes with hypnotherapy. Now by that point, I had attempted given up twice, first time lasted 3 months, the other, a little over 3 weeks. The first try was me replying solely on “willpower” and nothing more. Then a year later I procured this little book called “Cigarettes are Sublime” by Richard Klein which was a collection of essays in the study and research of tobacco history and culture. I love the book for as far as I read it, at the time, I parted with cigarettes as if it were breaking up with a long time lover, I learned to accept it, embraced it, and said my farewell, because I did love smoking for when all’s gone and done, cigarettes were always by my side, at my disposal to mend any emotional void or nervous breakdown… Although it was a very good approach with quitting, I went back to smoking as if nothing had happened after a short while.

So by the time Ewan’s interview crossed my thought, I considered the possibility half-heartedly, I wasn’t READY to embark on another journey on quitting smokes, but hypnotherapy sounds hip and cool, so I thought I’d give it a go by checking out the prices online, I went as far as contacting a few therapists via emails and to no surprises each session costs more than I could afford even with the money i’d saved on cigs, no doubt I quickly gave that up, resumed to my fishy paradise of Zen Koi feeling depleted. However a nagging voice rang in my head, next thing I know I was searching on Google Play to see if I could cheap out on the fees for some free apps, to my pleasant findings, I downloaded 4 free apps and one paid app, which cost a little as 5 bucks. It was September 13th, 2016, I’d expected nothing out of them except some novelty, new toys to play with. I wanted to wait ‘til October 1st to commence the trial of cellphone hypnotherapy sessions, however out of curiosity, I chose ONE track to play that night (the paid app, to get a feel of its efficacy). I put on headphones as suggested and laying comfortably on the couch, due to a major ants invasion in the apartment, the bed was infested with ants… I quickly fell asleep with the sound of one Glenn Harrold from his app named simply and quite rightly, “Stop Smoking”. The track lasted 30 minutes, I was able to stay awake for the first 10 minutes until I was fast asleep, the next time I woke up, to my upmost surprise i opened my eyes as Harrold uttered the words “WAKE UP NOW!” I got spooked, but my sleepiness did not keep me pondering about this before i fell back to deep slumber.

The next morning I woke up, not feeling particularly different or out of sorts, only thing was that my throat was dry and a bit swollen, foretold an impending cold, coincidentally i was out of cigs, normally i wouldn’t wait a heartbeat before running to the nearest Dépenneure, but today, ah today I decided to give it a rest, of course in my mind it had nothing to do with the app, it was just me making a conscious decision to give myself a day off, “tomorrow though, i’d definitely go.” was my thought process. That night I resumed the recordings as I did the fore night, at the precise spot I sprang my eyes open where the track stopped, I couldn’t help but be convinced of its influence. In the morning, I had the same irritable sensation in my throat, although i was convinced i’d buy a pack that day, I didn’t. So it went on for rest of the week. Albeit my determination to purchase a new pack throughout the week since my throat had cleared up, fate (or chance, as my beliefs would say) wouldn’t let me get that pack of cigarettes, each time I turned to the shop something had to distract me or I was running too late to make time before the shop closed. Before I knew it, I found myself not smoking one cigarette for a week, it was hardly October yet, I contemplated, yet decided to continue with this undertaking just to see how long it would last me, in my mind, if I could quit for more than 3 months and not developing any desire to pick it up again, i’d consider myself successful.

So it went every night I alternated the two audio tracks, when I got bored with it, I switched to the other free apps, always with headphones on and always before bed, how EXACTLY hypnotherapy works is still a head-scratcher to me, all I can say is, during the past 5 months, I smoked occasionally from the mercy sparing of my colleagues, I bought and chewed nicotine gums for the first time which gave me heart attacks despite small dosages. I didn’t constantly think about smoking or quitting smokes, I did not need to utilize any ‘’willpower’’ for that matter, either. All I did was giving it an honest shot open-mindedly to be completely receptive to hypnotherapy, and now January 30th, (my birthday) I can confidently say I’m a non-smoker. Occasionally if I do smoke due to drinking or whoever offers it to me, I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to, but most importantly, I don’t have the cravings to buy a new pack immediately after smoking one, it won’t even linger in my head.

One of the best things about not smoking, apart from the obvious health benefits, immense savings and no longer being prejudiced from friends/family and the rest of the society is that I suddenly have a LOT more time on hand, I used to be the person that hurry to work so I’d have time to smoke, or I’d rush when I get ready for work, had to smoke before putting on makeups, and another one after, same with running errands, doing chores, cigarettes had to be a part of every routine. Now I can just sit and actually do shit without having to get up, put on socks and fluffy shoes, jacket, gloves, hats, just so I can walk up to the balcony for a smoke. With 1443 cigarettes not smoked since Day 1, I’ve spared 7215 minutes of my life = 120 hours = 5 days, a lot of extra time. That’s a thing that people rarely talk about which I appreciate the most. 

I think I’ll leave it at that, I should go back to the app page to leave a review and a rating and spread the love, see, it’s not so bad being a quitter sometimes. 

#hypnosis #hypnotherapy #hypnotized #stopsmoking #glennharrold #quittingsmoke #quitsmoking

[writeyouin]

Connor X Reader - Do You Dream? Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Confession

A/N – So, things are going to get gritty from here on out, I suggest you stop reading now if triggered by themes of violence and sexual nature.

Warnings – Mild themes of sexual violence. Regular violence at the end.

Rating – M

Connor remained in place, still holding you from the previous night. While he hadn’t slept or gone into recharge, he had dreamed; his mind had weaved a perfect assortment of future desires of a life with you, sharing the domesticities of an everyday relationship. He was all too aware you would soon wake up and he’d have no reason to go on holding you. Briefly, he let himself slip back into the realm of daydreams, imagining a world wherein you’d wake up and he’d kiss your neck and you would reciprocate with a smile. The idea made his thirium pump flutter; it wasn’t too long ago that he couldn’t imagine anything at all, lacking the free-will to do so.

Slowly and reluctantly, Connor let you go, deciding he didn’t want to be told to do so when you woke up. Silently, he picked up his clothes, only putting his shirt back on, folding the waistcoat and jacket and leaving them on the bed. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows so he at least looked semi-casual. You stirred in your sleep, snuggling back into your pillows, not quite ready to wake up. Connor smiled, barely resisting the urge to kiss your forehead; he refused to have his first kiss with you while you were asleep, should it happen at all.

Stealthily Connor crept downstairs, straightening up the house on his way to the kitchen. Although he hadn’t been built as a personal carer or service android, he had downloaded a memory update full of cooking lessons and recipes.  After the revolution, Cyberlife Industries had stopped building androids and instead released updates for them so they could choose exactly who and what they wished to be; Connor had bought several carer updates so he could better car for Hank.

As Connor began preparing eggs benedict for you, he heard the creak of floorboards upstairs, indicating you were up and beginning your morning routine. By the time you were dressed and downstairs, your meal was waiting for you on the small, two-person dining table where Connor sat opposite.

“Morning Robocop,” You smiled, sitting yourself down for breakfast.

“You talk in your sleep,” He said playfully.

“Do not.”

“And you snore.”

“Do not,” You repeated more firmly.

“I could play a recording if you don’t believe me.”

“Liar, you didn’t record me sleeping,” You reached over the table, punching his arm lightly.

“Think of what the precinct will say when they see it. You’ll lose all credibility; nothing will ever be the same.”

“Whatever nerd. What about you? After watching me sleep like a psycho, did you get any?” You asked, scooping up a fork full of egg.

Connor thought of his daydreams, “In a manner of speaking.”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Do you dream?”

Connor scrubbed a hand through his hair, “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“What did you dream of? Wait, let me guess, you dreamed of Gavin waiting for you in a saucy outfit, ready to take your bromance to the next level.”

It was Connor’s turn to swat you, “Never put that image in my head again.”

“’Kay so what’s the plan today? We got the luxury of two days off in a row, so am I on my own today or are you with me to cause some havoc? And by havoc, I mean shopping and other boring adult crap.”

“No time to paint the town red today, I have to see Hank about something,” Connor said evasively, neglecting to mention that the ‘something’ was you.

“To ask him if he’s seen saucy Gavin?”

“Please stop saying saucy.”

“Only for you Robocop,” You winked, tucking into your breakfast.

After you dropped Connor off, he went into Hank’s small house which had become just as much his own since their first case together. Although Connor wanted to wake Hank the moment you left to tell him about his unusual night with you, he waited till noon when Hank usually woke up; the last time he’d woken Hank up early had not been a good day for Connor.

Entertaining himself with Sumo, Connor waited as patiently as he could, finding mindless patience so much harder than it used to be before he deviated. Finally, Hank emerged, a faint odour of liquor that Connor didn’t approve of lingering on his breath; while he had reduced how much he drank greatly, Hank still had no desire to beat his alcoholism fully yet.

Connor straightened up, leaving Sumo belly up, clearly waiting for more petting. “Hank, good, you’re awake. How was your night?”

Hank ignored him, heading straight to the bathroom instead. When he re-emerged, he looked tiredly at Connor who repeated his question. “Cut the crap Connor. I know you’re waiting to ask me about (Y/N). Just spit it out already. What happened last night?”

While Hank prepared a mug of coffee, Connor wondered exactly how to explain the events of the previous night. Smiling somewhat goofily, he answered, “I slept with her.”

Hank’s mug smashed against the floor as he grabbed Connor by his shirt collar, throwing him against the wall. Anger seethed out of him, barely forming into words, “YOU DID WHAT?”

Connor’s LED span yellow upon realising his mistake. He grabbed Hank’s arms gently, careful not to anger him further, “Hank, please-”

“SHUT UP! I TOLD YOU TO WATCH A FUCKIN’ MOVIE. (Y/N) ISN’T TRASH YOU CAN USE LIKE THAT. IF I HAD MY GUN NOW, I’D-”

“HANK!” Connor waited till he knew Hank was really listening before continuing. “That’s not what I meant.”

“WHAT DID YOU MEAN THEN?”

“I meant that (Y/N) and I shared a bed. I asked what sleeping was like and she-”

Hank rolled his eyes, his grip loosening, “She encouraged you, as fuckin’ usual.”

Connor nodded, his LED slowly returning to its default blue, though the occasional flicker of yellow could still be seen; it never once turned red wherever Hank was concerned, for he never truly felt threatened by his father-figure. Finally, Hank conceded, letting Connor go.

“Should’ve guessed. (Y/N)’s into all that ‘experiencing life’ shit. By that tone, it still wasn’t a date. What the hell is wrong with you Connor? Couldn’t get up the nerve?”

Connor straightened his shirt indignantly. “It’s like I said, she didn’t know it was a date.”

“Jesus,” Hank cursed, leaning back against the counter. “Back in my day people knew when they were on a date. That’s it, I’m taking Sumo out, you… I don’t know, figure out how to talk to women. Download one of those stupid pack things.”

Connor frowned annoyedly, “They don’t make android upgrades with dating advice.”

Hank grabbed a coat and slipped on his coat, grabbing a lead from the coat rack. “Send in a complaint then, see if I care. Whatever you do, just treat (Y/N) right. I won’t see her hurt because of this.” He whistled for Sumo, who slowly lumbered towards him.

Connor was once again left alone, more worried than before over how too woo you, without hurting you emotionally. He thought momentarily about the roses he’d ordered that would be on your desk the next day; that made him smile, there would be no mistaking those. All he had to do until then was wait and maybe prepare a speech, should you want more than what flowers would say.

Connor grinned to himself upon spotting his roses on your desk, simply waiting to be discovered. How would you feel when you read the note that simply said, ‘From Robocop’? He hoped you would be pleased and reciprocate his romantic feelings, but he was fully prepared for things to go the other way; he had two speeches prepared, one for acceptance and the other for rejection. He considered removing the card several times but it was too late now, there were a few officers milling around and any one of them could see him and tell you.

Keeping himself busy, Connor headed to the kitchen to bring you a cup of green tea, stopping by the entrance when he saw you enter the precinct. His artificial breath caught in his throat, a sensation he still found odd considering he didn’t need to breathe. Resisting the urge to fidget, Connor’s eyes tracked you on the way to your desk, his lips turning up slightly at the corners upon seeing the shock on your face. You glanced around for anyone who might have left the bouquet, half-expecting it to be some kind of joke; Connor did his best to avoid your gaze, leaning casually against the wall.

You picked up the card at the centre of the bouquet, any trace of happiness vanishing from your face as you held it with shaking hands. Connor felt his thirium pump drop at your expression; he couldn’t pin what you were feeling, but it certainly wasn’t anything good. He found himself reaching for his coin, stroking it absentmindedly in his pocket as he prepared to make his rejection speech that would allow the two of you to still be friends. Taking a few steps forward, his legs felt like lead and he found he had to stop, just in time to watch you march towards Gavin who had just walked in.

Gavin smiled cheekily, “If it isn’t my pretty little-”

“Shut it,” You warned in hushed tones, glaring at him fiercely; Connor would have given anything to hear what the two of you were saying at that moment.

“What’s got into you?” Gavin sneered.

You shoved the card into his chest, “You think this is some kind of joke? If it is, it’s not funny.”

Gavin skim-read the card, his lips pressing firmly together as he re-read it twice more. He shook his head, “Come on,” He grabbed your arm, leading you into the Captain’s office.

Connor watched everything unfold in the glass cage that housed the Captain. He didn’t know what was going on, but this was so much more than his card on the bouquet. The Captain was apparently shouting, though not loud enough to be heard in the bullpen. He kept pointing at you, then yelling some more before he eventually slumped in his seat, dismissing you and Gavin while he got to work on his computer. Now that you and Gavin were facing his direction, Connor could read Gavin’s lips as he told you to wait for him while he made some calls. That gave Connor all the time he needed to approach you and find out what was going on.

“(Y/N), is something wrong? What was that with the Captain?”

You didn’t answer, instead holding out the bouquet card for Connor to read, which he did in a second.

Detective (L/N),

I know who you are and where you live.

Should you continue to hunt me, you will find me, hunting you.

Sincerely, The Fornication Flayer.

If it wasn’t evidence, Connor would have torn the card up right there. How dare that murderer use Connor’s bouquet to threaten you! Controlling himself, Connor simply said, “I’ll check the security footage and have this analysed immediately.”

You shook your head, trying to organise your thoughts, “Uh… Gavin- Gavin’s already doing that. I need to um- The Captain’s told me to go home today to check surveillance near my place. I should go.”

You took a few dazed steps away but Connor grabbed your hand, “I’m coming with you.”

You didn’t argue, instead taking support in Connor’s firm grip and fighting away any fear you held that a serial killer was now targeting you; the realisation was terrifying.

You fell to your knees, covering your mouth to fight the whimpers escaping it. Until now, you never actually believed The Flayer knew where you lived, only where you worked. Yet, as you looked around at the remains of your apartment, there was no denying that by acting as bait, you’d certainly caught his attention.

Currently, you were in the remains of your kitchen where you and Connor had been laughing a mere day before. Had the Flayer been waiting outside then for you to leave so he could get a good look at you? Between the drive to and back from the DPD, he’d had a window of exactly one hour and thirty-seven minutes to destroy everything you owned, or so Connor told you. You picked up the shards of a broken vase that had been a gift from your parents when you’d first moved in, cutting your thumb on the sharp edge and dropping it.

“Careful,” Connor said, pulling you up and examining the cut. The glass crunched as he walked over it to a ransacked drawer, bringing back some anti-sceptic spray and a plaster. He took care of the tiny cut as efficiently as he’d taken care of everything else since he’d stepped into the apartment. While you had looked at the broken remnants of your life, thinking only of the damage, it had been Connor who’d updated the precinct, searched your apartment, pieced together what little he could of the puzzle, and recovered a few clothes for you to take to Hank’s where he insisted you would stay.

“What um-” You tried to get over your shock to form the necessary words, “Did you find any DNA traces.”

Connor swallowed anxiously; he couldn’t bare to tell you about the large quantity of semen that ruined your bed which was why he hadn’t let you into your room. He shook his head, going for a half-truth, stroking your hand gently the entire time, “Not even a hair or fingerprint.”

“Any more notes or anything that will lead us to him?”

“Nothing yet, but I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I promise I’ll find this guy for you (Y/N).”

You took a shaky breath, gritting your teeth, “Not before I do. He’s gonna pay for this shit.”

Connor squeezed your hand, “Come on, Hank’s on his way up. He can deal with the Captain. Let’s go home.”

Reluctantly, you turned away from the mess that used to be your home, letting Connor lead you away; one way or another, you would make it your home again once you knew it was safe to do so.

After three weeks of working 24-7 on the Flayer case with Gavin, being guarded at work and at Hank’s by whoever was with you at the time, sleeping on a lumpy sofa, and being woke up most nights by startling nightmares that you kept quiet, you decided the only thing to do was ‘grin and bear it.’ It would be so easy to be scared and miserable, but that was exactly what the Fornication Flayer wanted from you. Instead, you defied him by finding joy in your life, taking time to smile with Conor and Hank, and persisting to hunt the Flayer with every free moment at work.

Your optimistic attitude was the cause of Hank’s irritation on your twenty-first day as his house guest. He rolled his eyes from the sofa, grumbling, “Why’ve you gotta play that dumb game with Con? You know he can’t taste.”

You smiled playfully at your new game, in which Connor had to close his eyes and turn off his scanners temporarily to taste a food you were holding and guess what it was; he was wrong every time, though he indulged you with more rounds, enjoying the fact you could still find happiness in your dire situation. “Maybe he can evolve,” You countered.

“You know that’s impossible,” Connor chuckled.

You shushed him, determined to win the pointless argument or at least annoy Hank in the process. Evidently your plan worked because Hank turned off the TV. “Enough of this shit,” He said, padding into his room, leaving you and Connor alone. You glanced at the oven clock, finding it was almost midnight, but not saying anything so you didn’t have to go to sleep.

Despite your silence, Connor seemed to come to the same realisation for you. “Shouldn’t you be getting to sleep now too?”

“I’m not tired yet,” You said nonchalantly, hoping he wouldn’t press the matter further or mention that you hadn’t even got changed for bed yet. “Come on, just a few more rounds of this and I’ll sleep.”

“No way, you’ll jam my mechanics if you keep making me play this.”

“Party pooper.”

Connor smiled, “Fine, see if you can guess what things are.”

You shrugged, simply happy to delay sleep by a few more minutes. You shut your eyes, holding out your hand for the spoonful of whatever Connor had prepared for you. Feeling the cold metal in your hand, you brought the spoon to your lips, eating its contents. “Way too easy, Robo-cop. Strawberry.”

“Alright, then try this,” he gave you another spoon.

Your face contorted in disgust, “Ew, God, was that- Was that yogurt and pepper?”

Connor laughed heartily and you opened your eyes to examine the products remains, “Gross.”

“Hey, shut your eyes, I’m not done until you get one wrong.”

You took a sip of water before complying, waiting while Connor topped a spoon with wasabi and paprika. He stared at your face, finding his all-too familiar longing returning to him. Glancing at the spoon, he placed it silently on the table, acting on complete impulse instead. Standing in front of you, he bent down, barely thinking as he pressed his lips gently against yours. Shocked and confused, you opened your eyes, pushing Connor away the second you did.

“Connor, what the hell are you doing?” You stood up and hissed, careful not to alert Hank to what was going on past his bedroom door.

Connor’s LED flashed, continuously switching between yellow and red. He stared down at the floor, unable to meet your eyes, “(Y/N), I- I have feelings for you.”

You shook your head, disbelievingly. Everything in your life had been beyond your control for the past few weeks and the idea of one more unknown scared you more than anything. “I don’t believe this. You can’t just go around kissing people, okay? You can’t!”

You moved to the door, grabbing your boots and coat. Connor reached out for you but you pulled away, the action hurting him more than if you’d physically slapped him. “(Y/N)…”

You shook your head irritably, “No. Just stop. I don’t- I can’t handle this right now. I have to go.”

“Go where? It’s still dangerous for you to-”

“Dangerous? Really, that’s what you’re going to lecture me on? Fine.” You whistled for Sumo, grabbing his lead and attaching it to his collar. “There, not dangerous anymore. Dog’s a freakin’ tank.”

You didn’t give Connor any time to argue as you stormed out of the house, running down the street. Unsure of what to do, Connor called for Hank, he had to repeat himself a few times, having barely made a sound at first. Hank stumbled grumpily out of his room, “For fuck’s sake Connor, what is it-”

He fell silent, seeing the tears streaming down Connor’s face. He grabbed Connor’s shoulders, “What is it son, what happened?”

“She doesn’t feel the same,” Connor whispered.

Hank sighed, wishing Connor was human so he could solve the problem with alcohol, He hugged his android partner tightly, “’s okay Connor, she’ll just need some time to come around… Where is she?”

Connor forgot his broken feelings as the reality of the situation hit. You were alone in the world, being hunted by a serial killer and he’d let you go; the night had just gotten a whole lot worse.

You trudged the cold streets of Detroit’s suburbia, not paying attention as the frigid air buffeted you from all directions. You knew it wasn’t fair how you reacted to Connor’s declaration of love for you, but then again, it wasn’t fair of him to say such a thing when your whole world was already upside down.

From your side, Sumo whined and you paused, checking your watch. Somehow, it was already half-past twelve and you’d been wandering the streets for almost twenty-five minutes. “You’re right boy, time to go back and face everything… not that I know where to start.”

Sumo whined again and you bent down to let him off his lead, giving him some room to roam; he never usually strayed far from you anyway. The action seemed to make the Saint Bernard a lot happier as he meandered ahead, setting the pace back home.

After walking only the length of the first street, you felt a sharp pain in the back of your head as you were hit from behind. You fell forward, reaching out and scraping the palms of your hands. Dizzily, you looked up, barely seeing the man by your side before he hit you again, knocking you out. The man placed the rusted pipe he’d hit you with back into his belt, leaving no evidence for the police to find later on. Lifting you over his shoulder, he carried you down an alley to another street where his van was waiting. He took a moment to smell your skin and hair before placing you in the back and driving away.

In the distance, Sumo howled, running home and barking agitatedly at the door. Hank opened it, letting him in. Frantically, he grabbed his phone from the kitchen table, using speed-dial to call Connor who was out searching for you.

“Kid, get back here, Sumo’s back, (Y/N) isn’t.”

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