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a-strange-echo · 5 months

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Distracting kiss

Pairing: Daniel Brühl x gn!reader

Summary: Reader is feeling lonely on the set of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and just want some attention from their husband.

Word count: ~~

Warnings: PDA, reader is mischievous, fluff, only one French sentence and one in Spanish.

Author's note: I don't think I will finish the flufftober, I have been really busy and lost the want to write, this is the first thing I have written in a few weeks so... yeah. Also, it's my first time writing for Daniel Brühl so please, be indulgent. (There are not enough fanfics about this man, I swear-) AS ALWAYS: ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGAGE

Author's feelings: I quite like this one, especially since it's been a while since I wrote and posted something.

The cast was on a break after the whole afternoon of shooting for an episode of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. There was only one scene left to shoot, and while some actors preferred to laugh together or eat something, Daniel was sitting on a chair rereading his script.

Y/N wanted their husband to spend more time with them even if they knew they technically were at work. They watched him from a few feet away. He seemed so entranced in what he was doing. His eyebrows were scrunched in a little frown they wanted to kiss away so badly, his delicate lips in a small, concentrated pout.

'He looks so cute.' Y/N thought, and they were sure they had a dreaming and love-sick expression on their face that anyone could see, but they didn't care.

"Why don't you go get your man?" A deep voice pulled them out of their reverie.

"Don't scare me like that, Seb!" They chastised with a slap to his arm.

"You just were so busy staring at Daniel that you didn't hear me talking to you." He clarified before taking a bite out of his pastries. "But anyway, go get him." He repeated as he pushed them slightly towards their husband.

"You know what? I have a better idea." They said with a mischievous smirk and departed in Daniel's direction.

Y/N sneaked behind him, being careful not to be heard. When they were close enough, they slid their arms around his neck, bending a little to be able to rest their head on his shoulder. He was a little startled at first but relaxed when he realized it was only his partner. He turned his head toward them and smiled back at them before going back to memorizing the script.

Y/N wasn't having it. They nuzzle their face in his neck before placing a slow, deep kiss on his neck, right below his ear. He leaned into the kiss, his eyes closed and a soft sigh escaping his lips.

"I love you." They whispered against his skin.

He didn't have time to fully understand what Y/N said before he felt them pull away and leave.

When they turned away, going back to Sebastian, who witnessed the whole thing, they had a satisfied smirk on their lips.

Daniel tried to focus back on the task at hand, but it seemed like the kiss sucked out all of his focus. He tried and tried to read the text, but he just found himself re-reading the same line again and again. After a few frustrating seconds, he found himself standing up and walking where he knew his lover would be: talking to their best friend Sebastian.

Y/N counted down out loud the seconds it would take their husband to go to them. And right on time, they felt two strong arms wrap around their waist and their husband's head on their shoulders. Y/N bend their arm to play with the man's hair just like he liked it with a smirk still plastered on their face.

"Hola, mi amor." He purred against their neck.

"Coucou, mon cœur." They smiled at him. "Told you I had a better idea, Seb." They teased the man who had a smile stretched on his face.

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Translation: "Coucou, mon cœur" -> "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hola, mi amor" -> "Hello, my love"

#daniel brühl #daniel brühl x reader #fluff #fic #nonbinary #non binary character #original work #i wrote it #i wrote this on my phone #i love him #i love this man so much

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nichenarratives · 6 months

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I don't know if Freckle or Rocky ever saw Ireland. I assume they didn't, or were very, very little when they moved... Still, with Irish heritage and a penchant for poetry, this folk song was written with the pair in mind.

Mostly Rocky, since he's the musician. Feels like something he might sing to himself as he works, sometimes.

TALES OF OLD

I got the country in my eyes,

Fields o'yonder, glistening gold.

O'er the streams and Irish glass,

Are where stories best are told,

From mouths of babes, those tales of old.

Flowin' through the whistlin' grass,

Swimmin' seas and touchin' skies.

Dreams skim o'er th mountains pass,

As voices flow like summer's rays,

From mouths of old, those long lost days.

#lackadaisy #lackadaisy cats #poem #folk music #folk songs #i wrote this #i wrote it #niche narratives #tracy j butler #rocky rickaby #freckle mcmurray

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britany1997 · 1 year

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The Lost Boys watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

This is longer than anything I’ve written up to this point already so if y’all like this I’ll do a part two.

(Part one-Seasons 1-3) (Spoilers for BTVS)

•Paul makes them watch it

•They’re like, ‘Why would we watch a show about a vampire slayer? Haven’t we lived that nightmare?’

•He’s like ‘wait wait wait you guys, the vampire slayer is a hot girl AND she has SEX with the vampires.’ Nightmare? More like wet dream

•They’re like 😮😮😮

•So they watch it

•They see her in the first episode and they’re like damn we got two 12 year olds with god complexes and they got this hot blonde chick???

•There is no justice.

•Paul is IN LOVE with Buffy. He watches the show with heart eyes fr

•The boys are like, ‘Paul she’s a slayer it would never work’ and he’s like, ‘I could fix her😍’

•Dwayne sighs

•The first couple of episodes are hard for them to get through, but Paul’s like, just power through it

•They think Cordelia is hot

•Angel’s introduced and they’re like, dude this tall quiet guy who reads a lot is just like you Dwayne!

•Once they find out that Angel’s a vampire that doesn’t even eat people, Dwayne’s pissed.

• “Damn, they made your guy a pussy.” Marko gets a pillow thrown at him

•Once they find out he gets the girl though they’re kind of like, gotta do what you gotta do I guess

•They hate Xander. HATE HIM.

•They grumble every time he comes on screen

•1. They think he’s annoying as hell and 2. He’s trying to steal Buffy from Angel??? LET HER FUCK VAMPIRES XANDER

•Buffy dies in the season one finale and Paul LOSES IT. He’s like, ‘there was not one single vampire hookup wtf??? All we got was some slow burn shit???’

•Oh she’s back, nevermind.

•In season two Spike shows up and they do a double take

•Marko, Paul, and Dwayne silently look at Spike, then at David, then at Spike, then at David again

•Paul says, “…is that guy supposed to be you?”

•David’s narrows his eyes and says, “I don’t see it.”

•The boys all exchange looks and then Marko says, “yeah he has a British accent and a great haircut, he’s wayyyy hotter than you.”

•Marko gets a boot thrown at him

•Marko WANTS to add that Spike doesn’t need high-heeled boots to look taller but he’s on thin ice so he keeps his mouth shut.

•Spike is a total bad ass with a hot crazy vampire girlfriend

•They’re like damn where are our hot crazy vampire partners????

•No. Justice.

•Paul says, “well, Marko’s our hot crazy vampire partner.” And Dwayne and David are like true true.

•Marko grumbles like ok but where’s MY psychopath

•Then they watch Spike get hit over the head with an axe by Buffy’s MOM and they all get second hand embarrassment, like yikes

•They’re like, ‘Lucy never could’ve pulled one over on us like that’ embarrassing.

•When Buffy fucks Angel they’re like FINALLY

•Angel turns into Angellus and eats someone in the next episode and Paul jumps up and yells “I knew he was fakin’ it!”

•Marko, David, and Dwayne groan. Dwayne’s like ‘just listen’

•Later that same episode Buffy blows up the bad guy with a bazooka and they’re like ‘damn we’ll take the twelve year olds’

•They love that Angel tortures and eats people now

•David literally pulls out a notepad and takes notes

•When Angel kills Jenny and stages the murder scene for Giles he and Marko each shed a single tear at the artistry. They’re impressed.

•Paul’s like, when are they gonna fuck again?

•When they see how Angellus turned Drusilla crazy they’re like ohhh ok so that’s how we get the hot crazy vampire partners

•Now Marko’s taking notes too

•Xander lies to Buffy so she thinks there’s no chance of saving Angel and Marko’s like, ‘can Angel just eat this guy?’

•Spike and Buffy team up? (Hot). Angel gets cured? Buffy kills Angel?????

•They take a break for blood after the season 2 finale, it’s a lot to process.

•Faith comes into town in season three they think she’s HOT

•Paul ships Faith and Buffy

•He also ships them with him😍

•ANGEL IS BACK???? AND NAKED???? COULD THINGS GET ANY BETTER????

•Paul is literally drooling through the entire episode

•They’re bored by angsty Angel he is nice to look at though they miss Angellus

•Willow and Xander kiss? Dwayne, who’s been pretty quiet the whole time, says “she could do so much better.” They all nod

•They literally think “the dog” is a better choice for her

•Xander is the biggest vampire cockblock ever they hate him so much

•SPIKE’S BACK

•His hot crazy girlfriend dumped him. Damn.

•They pause the show to pour one out

•They love Spike so much

•He’s basically David at this point and they love David. (David especially loves David so he’s a hugeeee Spike fan)

•Paul’s favorite episode is Bad Girls

•He rewinds and replays the scene where there dancing together at the bronze. Like a lot.

•Dwayne confiscates the remote after the 8th playback

•Their jaws drop when Faith kills someone, but they’re on her side.

•Marko’s like, ‘It’s not that deep Buffy, geez’

•They appreciate the use of chains in the show

•Faith is evil now? Hell yeah.

•The show needed another hot evil female character. She’s not a vampire but they’ll take it

•Hot crazy vampire Willow the next episode, fuck yes!

•Angellus is back? Just what this season needed

•He’s Marko’s favorite character

•This torture scene is weirdly erotic? David and Marko love it.

•Angellus isn’t back???? Their jaws are on the floor

•Marko’s low key disappointed but he appreciates the plot twist.

•They all miss Spike

•They love Faith but they hate the mayor.

•Second biggest vampire cockblock fr

•Also he eats bugs? What’s up with that?

•Angel gets shot by a poison arrow? Dwayne says he’ll stop watching if Angel dies, he grew on him.

• “Nooo Faith don’t die you’re too sexy ahaha”

•They HATE the watcher council, especially Wesley. They think Angel should get to eat him.

•Angel feeds from Buffy? They’re jealous.

•Paul is HELLA jealous

•He yells at the TV like, “THAT SHOULD BE ME”

•They finish season three, the gang beats the bad guy blah blah blah, but ANGEL LEAVES

•They all agree there needs to be another sexy vampire in season 4 to fill the hole Angel left

To be continued???

#i wrote it #and then I made my roommate proof read it #the lost boys #lost boys headcanons #tlb #the lost boys 1987 #tlb 1987 #david lost boys #dwayne lost boys #marko lost boys #paul lost boys #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #spike

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clementineofmine · 3 months

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Five and Diego finally get a chance to? Talk? And they do? Whaaaaaat!!!

Okay this fic was supposed to have 9 chapters but here we are, chapter 9, and I still have things to say, so....it's gonna be 10! (And maybe an epilogue for @assaily 😏)

Still though, this chapter right here is one that I've been mulling over in my mind for a long time. And hypothetically if I wrote half the fights in this fic with half a mind of just breaking down Diego and Five enough that they finally, finally don't have any energy left to fight each other, well...

#five hargreeves #tua #the umbrella academy #tua s2 #number five #allison hargreeves #tua fic #five fic #i wrote it

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imfullofworms · 1 year

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#poetry #poetic #my poem #poems and poetry #i wrote it #original writing #dark

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inmybook · 5 months

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I've never cried in front of anyone. It's a kind of undressing and I don't want anyone to know I've got the same skin, that it gets burnt, it gets cut and the scars remain. It's like giving a knife to someone and hoping that they won't use it.

-inmybook

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m00nc4kes · 2 months

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i’ve reread both parts of ily and uh i didn’t realize what i had put y’all through

my god-

#no cuz why am I THE ONE TEARING UP????#I WROTE IT #Had me clutching my heart and for WHAT #i just can’t leave them like this #i took a walk and listened to a good playlist so i think i have an idea on how i want this to go #part 3 soon maybe????#m00n's stuff #but uh thank you guys for liking my stuff #it makes me happy that you’re invested in my insane flower metaphorical fanfics

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pyschescylla · 10 months

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Head cannon; ABO,'beta presenting'

I think of their presentations as a bloody time.

Betas are dynamics with a higher sense of smell or scent. So, when they present, they get the onslaught of their dynamic and olfactory world , that their noses just start bleeding because of overload & sensitivity.

Presentation:-1 to 4 days (common and average case.) Ex;

They would have a nose bleed for an hour or two during presenting, if they are in a safe space or more hours if unsafe or in a crowd. The blood would slowly be dripping, scaring the soul of oneself and others. By the time realization of beta presenting sinks in,bloody waterfalls are usually on the way. [Nosebleeds are common in beta presentation and are different from medically diagnosed underlying nosebleeds. These symptoms are discussed and brought to awareness in understanding dynamic classes.]

Newly presented betas would prefer being alone and away from anyone (their own company when presenting). Even away from their family or loved ones because their noses are so damn sensitive that everything and everyone stinks and have disgusting [rotten smell] scent. They would want a clean room that have tidied and is neat with no smell. Not even of Lysol. Cleaned with just water. And a clean bedding with no scent. And be in a comfy, unscented clothes.

Betas will probably develop a small fever, as a symptom of presenting. So, after a bloody and snotty nose time, their immune system will be backing up soon for them and ready for bodily changes and recovery and the aftermath.

Recovery:- One or two days of presentation probably after, they will slowly familiarize themselves with the smell of food firstly, because they must have been eating bland veggie oatmeal or rice with veggies. Yes, even the food stank. The meat. Don't even ask. [Baby betas did have a breakdown, also adding to the fever. And one of the reason why betas are known for being gourmands.] Then the scented clothes of their family and friends, their own clothes, gets out of their safe room, slowly after a warm reuniting moment with family, gets around their home, then the neighborhood in their third day, the transit, the usual coffee shop/diner.

Familiarizing and re-entering their data.

Adding head thoughts of a daily life of a beta.

#beta #abo #omegaverse #abo dynamics #abo au #alpha beta omega #presentation #wip #i wrote it #omegaverse betas #betas omegaverse #betas presentation

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depressedhatakekakashi · 1 year

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Purple Lighting

Characters: Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Sai, Shizune

Words: 1915

Kakashi-Sensei was late.

Not just a little late, but three hours late. Sakura, Naruto and Sai had all ordered and eaten their bowls of Ramen and were just starting to really worry.

“He’s not usually this bad,” Sakura grumbled as she drummed her fingers against the counter. “Not when it comes to food. Usually, he’s only an hour late for that.”

“He could be busy,” Sai stated. “His workload has increased dramatically since becoming Hokage.”

“That’s true,” pushing herself away from the counter, Sakura sighed. “Tsunade-sama always had piles of paperwork to do every day. Kakashi-Sensei must be stuck behind a stack of paperwork taller than him.”

Paperwork was the one thing Naruto wasn’t looking forward to when he took over the job. Just watching his Sensei drown behind the seemingly endless piles was almost enough to turn him away from his dream of becoming Hokage, but he refused. Even knowing that all that work would be his to deal with one day, Naruto persevered. There was no challenge that he couldn’t face head-on.

“I’ll go get him,” Sakura announced, standing up from her seat. “He probably hasn’t even told Shizune-san he was supposed to meet us. If he had, she would have sent him here on time.”

Naruto jumped to his feet suddenly, a grin stretching wide across his face. “Sit down, Sakura-chan,” he insisted, pointing down to her seat. “I can get there faster. I’ll drag Sensei out here before you even miss me.”

“Miss you?” Sakura scuffed and rolled her eyes. “It would take at least a week for me to start missing your loud, obnoxious voice, Naruto.”

Anyone else would have heard the annoyance in Sakura’s voice, but all Naruto paid attention to was the time she gave.

A week. That’s all it would take for her to start missing him. In Naruto’s opinion, that was a victory.

“Keep my spot warm,” he called back as he stepped past the exterior noren into the street. “I’ll be back quick, dattebayo!”

With that, Naruto was off. A blur disappearing into the air headed directly for the Hokage’s residence that sat in the centre of the village.

“He’s not here,” Shizune offered an apologetic smile when Naruto found her just outside of the Hokage’s office with a completed pile of paperwork in her arms. “He left about four hours ago.”

Four hours was a long time to be gone, and it meant that Kakashi-Sensei hadn’t been held back from dinner by paperwork.

“Do you know where he went?” Naruto asked, determined to drag the older man to Ichiraku so he could enjoy a relaxing dinner with his team, just as he’d promised he would.

Thinking it over for a moment, Shizune mulled over all the places she could think of. “Oh!” She exclaimed suddenly. “He mentioned that he wanted to work on his new jutsu. No doubt he lost track of time.”

A new jutsu? This was the first Naruto was hearing of such a thing, though it wasn’t all that surprising when he thought of it. Even though they were experiencing a time of peace never seen by the five great nations before, his Sensei never seemed to forgo training. Always wanting to improve himself even when he had Naruto and so many others to protect the village.

“Thank you, Shizune-San!” He waved a quick goodbye and headed for the nearest exit.

“Oh, Naruto!” Her voice called after him. “Don’t you want to know what training field he’ll be in?”

“No need!” He continued forward, knowing right where he’d find his Sensei. There were a lot of training fields in Konoha for someone to use, but only one that suited the needs of someone creating a whole new jutsu.

As he came to a stop in front of the nearest window, he gave Shizune one last smile before sliding the window open and jumping outside.

‘Just wait, Kakashi-Sensei’ he thought as the wind rushed through his hair. ‘I’ll be right there.’

As expected, Naruto found his Sensei in training field D. The exact same field in which the older man had taught Naruto about Chakra Natures and helped him begin the process of creating his very own jutsu.

Memories flooded his mind as he stared at the familiar field. Precious moments that seemed so far away now, but still brought up a comfortable warmth in his heart as he dwelt on them. Captain Yamato’s face, so focused and stern, sitting in the centre of the field ready to take action if Naruto needed his help. Kakashi-Sensei’s voice, as soft and calm as it always was, explained everything to him in small chunks of information. Allowing him to process what he was hearing before they moved on to the next part of the discussion.

Naruto couldn’t help but smile. Growing up alone and unwanted, he’d never thought that he would see the day when he was able to stare into days gone past and think of them fondly. To have experiences with others that would leave him feeling warm and loved.

If he were to ever find himself standing in front of his younger self, he was certain he’d find it impossible to convince him that all of his dreams had come true. That he’d found the family he was looking for after all those years of being alone.

Then, as quickly as the memories had appeared to him, they vanished. In a brilliant strike of purple light, Naruto’s attention was brought back to the present. To his old sensei standing in the middle of the training field where bright purple lightning seemed to strike outwards from his feet and danced across the ground searching for a target.

Naruto had known his Sensei was talented. He’d heard all of the stories from others about Kakashi’s achievements, and had fought by his side countless times in battle seeing firsthand how well he adapted to every fight. He’d even watched as the man whipped out a seemingly endless variety of jutsu to fit every situation.

When he was younger he’d thought Kakashi-sensei was one of the strongest shinobi ever, and watching him now as those bright strips of purple lightning extended outward once more, this time reaching out just a little bit further, Naruto realized how right he was.

“Not enough,” he heard the muttered words of aggravation dripping from his Sensei’s mouth. Words spoken only to himself, with no thought to who might be around to overhear them. Perhaps if Naruto had been anyone else he may have missed those whispered scoldings, but he wasn’t.

He was Uzumaki Naruto, and those words fell on his ear as clearly as if he’d been standing right beside his Sensei.

“One more try.” he watched as Kakashi flexed his hands, as if willing the jutsu he was working so hard on to work. “One more try, and then dinner. I must be late by this point, but they’ll understand. They’ll-”

Realization seemed to strike at that moment and Kakashi’s attention diverted away from his current work and straight onto Naruto. Soft, kind black eyes stared at him, brows furrowing in confusion.

“Naruto-”

“Yo,” Raising a hand, he greeted his Sensei with a sweet smile. “You were late so I thought I’d come to find you.”

“Late,’ another scolding that seemed to be directed at himself, this time with a more apologetic tone to it. “How late?”

Naruto couldn’t help but cringe at such a simple question. His Sensei already seemed so upset with himself that he was certain answering it truthfully would only aggravate him more. So, with a cheerful smile and a dismissive wave, Naruto opted instead for a deflection.

A tactic he’d learned well from listening to the man who stood in front of him.

“That doesn’t matter,” he argued. “We just need to get to Ichiraku before Sakura gets upset,” it was a bit late for that, but Kakashi would find that out the hard way when he arrived. “Oh, but Sensei what was that?”

Kakashi stared at him, the confusion etching itself into his face even deeper than before.

“That,” Naruto pointed towards the ground and then waved his arms around a little. A poor copy of the lightning that had created such a delightful scene mere minutes ago. “That thing you were doing. Was that a new Jutsu?”

His enthusiasm couldn’t be contained. Naruto may not have been capable of learning Jutsu’s as easily as Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke, but he still enjoyed learning about them. Hearing their uses, or even just seeing them in action always sparked his excitement.

“Oh,” Kakashi chuckled awkwardly. “That’s something new I’m trying to figure out. I can’t use the Chidori anymore since, well-” he waved a hand towards his left eye. The place where Obito’s Sharingan had been for years until Madara ripped it out and claimed it as his own. Had it not been for Naruto, that eye socket would be empty now, but with the sage of the six paths chakra, he’d been able to recover his Sensei’s original eye.

Or, as close to his original as possible.

“How long?” he asked, eager to find out as much about the new jutsu as he could. “And what’s it called? Is it powerful? More powerful than chidori?”

Holding his hands up in front of him, Kakashi laughed in a forceful, skeptical sort of way. “Now now.” he moved his hands in a gesture that Naruto knew all too well. One that he realized long ago meant ‘slow down’ or ‘breath’. A gesture he’d become accustomed to whenever his Sensei was feeling overwhelmed.

Taking a deep breath, he took a mental step back and forced himself to relax. Though the questions still rushed through his mind he knew he’d never receive answers for them if he overwhelmed Kakashi. That would only lead to the older man making a run for it, and Naruto’s mission to retrieve him for team dinner being labelled a complete and utter failure.

“How long?” he asked once more, more calmly this time.

“Well, tilting his head back, Kakashi seemed to think on it a moment before returning his gaze to Naruto and offering a soft smile. “I’ve only just started working on it last week.”

Last week.

Only one week of work and his Sensei were already progressing far enough for lightning to extend outwards from him and surround a significant area. All of this was without the use of shadow clones, which greatly expedited Naruto’s work when he first created the rasenshuriken.

“Amazing,” he whispered, awestruck by the progress his Sensei had made in such a short amount of time. “You know that, right Sensei?”

“Eh?” Kakashi stared at him as though he had grown a second head. “I don’t quite understand what you mean, Naruto.”

Naruto could only shake his head and chuckle. It was just like his Sensei to ignore any praise of his skills. That was yet another thing he’d learned of the man in front of him, and something he wished so deeply to change if only he would allow him to.

That wasn’t a worry for today, though. Naruto had a lifetime to convince his Sensei of how awesome he really was, and a whole lot of friends to help him with the task. For now, the more important thing was to get him to Ichiraku ramen.

There he could pester him more about that stunning new jutsu while eating his fill of delicious ramen.

#Hatake Kakashi #Uzumaki Naruto #Fanfic #I wrote it #I did it and I'm actually kind of proud of it #I like it

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ominouspositivity-or-else · 1 year

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midwestern gothic

It's snowing again. It snowed yesterday. It snowed the day before. It's supposed to snow tomorrow. The weather man's hair is gray. He says that it has always been February. You must have counted the days wrong. Your calendar says it's June.

The basement of the Catholic church has a Stephen King book on the lending shelf. It's a beaten up copy, and some old church lady has gone through and blacked out parts in thick sharpie. There are pages with only one word visible. The pages are yellow. The name in the cover is accompanied with a funeral card. "Rest in peace" it reads. You do not think that someone who took Stephen King's most offensive scenes to the grave with her will be able to rest peacefully.

The basement of the Lutheran church smells like coffee. "It smells like coffee," your uncle says, "Church basement coffee." "I know," you say, because you're in the church basement. "It smells like death." He smiles at you, and raises his styrofoam cup towards you. The coffee smells stronger on his breath.

Jerry's is never open past ten on the weekends. One time, driving past at midnight on Saturday, the windows were full of light. There were no cars in the parking lot. You are struck with the memory of all the taxidermied animals on the walls.

"That's how we made it in the great depression," you say, when your friend asks why you made such a brown looking food. "We're not in the great depression now," they answer, as though they can't see the eyes of your dead great grandmother in the window, looking at you with a friendly and menacing look, "Why do you make it like that?"

The sun is hot. The sun is burning. Your skin is cooking, your flesh is sizzling. You were not made for these temperatures. The world took too long in training you to survive the cold. It never taught you how to brave the heat. You set foot on the sand. You feel your skin begin to melt. You run.

The last berry is sitting in the bowl. No one will touch it. No one will look at it. It is invisible to every eye. Your littlest sister reaches for it. You slap her hand like she's reaching for a hot coal. That berry does not exist. No one will touch it. No one will look at it. It is invisible.

You're sitting on the boat in the sunshine. The water laps lazily against the side. You look down into the water, and you see a shark. You pull back, staring up at the clear blue sky. You look down towards the water again. There are no teeth. The shark is gone. It's a freshwater lake.

There are twinkies in the glove box of your car. There is a shovel in the trunk. There is an ice scraper in the pocket of the door. There is a pair of thick, warm mittens in your bag. They have been there since winter. It's October.

Your grandfather is telling you about the fish he caught in his ice house. No one was around to see it, and he threw it back. It sounds like the shark you saw last summer. Everyone laughs. You do too.

You go out to visit the ice house. The sun is starting to set. You'll have to drive back in your grandfather's truck. It's been on the ice all day. You open the door, and the black and white fish-camera screen shows you the relics of frozen plants, and a northern swims right by the camera. It's tail swooshes. It has an almost human look in its eye. You think it knows who you are. It probably wants to eat you.

Hockey is on in the background. Your grandmother is drinking a beer. She's talking about her parents. They have been dead for 20 years. She's cursing about them. She shouldn't speak ill of the dead. No one tells her to stop. You don't want to listen. You sit there. The only alternative is to watch the hockey game.

There are forty-five dear in your front yard. They see you. Their glowing eyes blink in the darkness. They stare. You shake your fist at them through the glass of your window. Their eyes glow red. Something horrifying lives within them. You don't want to know what it is. There are forty five deer. They continue to eat your flower garden.

You do not smile for three days. You make seven people cry uncontrollably in front of you. The other three you interact with call you names behind your back. Your parents give you a talking to about your attitude. The lady at church tells you, "Some of us have been thinking about how we need to maintain a really welcoming and upbeat attitude for newcomers to our parish! Being rude and impolite really won't attract anyone to our parish, and I have seen some people just be generally downhearted when they come to church. It's an issue. I think I'll go bring it up with the pastor. He'll get it out to everyone." You plaster a smile on your face. No one says anything. You're supposed to be polite.

It takes you seven hours to get to your grandma's house. There are no hills for the entire drive. In the winter, the stretch of highway is the only thing that keeps you sane. People went mad on prairies like this, your mom says, to a car full of quiet people. Nothing but the sky and the grass and the wind and their one-room houses. You believe her. You can see the images of buildings on the horizon, always the same distance away.

There is a cemetery in the center of a farmer's field. A church used to be there, someone once said to you. They tore it down, but kept the cemetery. You wonder why they have respect for creation but not the creator. You wonder what made them tear the church down. You wonder if anyone visits. You drive past that lonely cemetery at night. You think you see someone staring at you from behind the chicken-wire fence. You look away.

There is a sign on the side of the highway, written in ominous letters. It comes into focus as you drive by. Best place to buy knitting supplies in the whole state! You don't believe them. You see the sign five more times. Then they get worse. Come to our store. We need you at our store. We know who you are. We have yarn for you. We know where you live. Each one gets more threatening. Stop at our store. The last one reads, and so you pull over at the correct intersection. You buy five bags of yarn. The lady behind the desk is smiling. You smile back. You cannot feel your lips.

All the kids at school hate you. You'll never tell them. They cannot know.

The Kwik Trip has a nasty bathroom. Theirs are usually so clean. You feel sick. You walk out and tell your mom you need to go to the identical gas station across the street. Her eyes flash. She buys her soda, and you drive across the road. The gas station is identical in every way. The displays are the same. The candy is in the exact same spots. They have the same magazines. The man working at the desk is the exact same one. This bathroom is clean, though. You buy another soda and leave. The bell rings to announce your departure.

The city is different now. The lights are too bright. The smell hangs low. The crime is higher. You don't feel safe walking outside at night. You think about the wolves that used to live here. You hope they haunt the streets. They deserve to.

Someone shot up the big city Walmart yesterday. They're closing down. You hear a disappointed church lady tell her friend that she doesn't know where to get her radium, anymore. All the good places are going out of business. "It's those stupid kids," she says, "And all the theft. I wish I lived in Kewaunee." You are too caught up on the "radium" thing to question the name of that town.

Your boss is angry. You can feel it in the air. It vibrates around you like a jelly, stifling and crushing you, pushing your lungs into your chest. She smiles at you as you clock out. "You're fired" she says, her eyes trying to commit a crime. Her lips do not move as she speaks. They are frozen in her "customer service" smile.

You dump things into a pot. You do not read the labels. Everything sounds the same. Everything tastes the same. You have not touched your spice rack in three years. You have not ever smelled cardamom in your life. You do not know what chili is supposed to taste like. It's all the same. Everything is the same. It all tastes like hotdish. You eat it like it's the last food on earth and you're starving.

#midwestern gothic #my writing #horrors within my comprehension #quite literally #i wrote it #midwestern #minnesota #wisconsin #north dakota #south dakota #iowa #united states #gothic #gothic aesthetic #goth aesthetic #midwesterners #for bethany

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