#literally some parts of this state are just as bad as the deep south

[cocogrrrl]

off-week

part two to bandages: mysterion crashes in your apartment again, and some things start to be revealed.

mysterion!kenny x gn!reader cws: cuts and bruises wc: 1943

It’s been a week since your encounter with Mysterion.

You hadn’t really thought much about what happened, mostly because you couldn’t. You had friends that lived in South Park their whole lives, like Wendy and Kyle, but you were sure they would ask why you wanted to know who Kenny McCormick was if they knew him. What excuse do you have if that situation arose?

Still, despite that, you were a hopeless dreamer who put all their faith in his revisit once more. You weren’t sure why you were quite drawn to a man whose literal broken rib you helped restore, but the bottom line is that you might like him. He was the only thing you’ve been thinking of all week as well. Mysterion, Mysterion, Mysterion.

You didn’t want to be selfish or mean, but you hoped he got hurt again so he could come running back to your place for your nursing aid. 

It was almost as if your prayers were answered.

You were busy that night, finishing up some extra work given to you by your boss. You were completely immersed in your work that you were drowning yourself in it. You hadn’t showered, eaten, or even taken off your shoes—you headed straight to whatever you needed to do.

This was for the sole reason of reducing the number of things you needed to do, even if you were well aware that these types of things are never fully eliminated. They’re always something that is piled up on, at least in your experience.

A loud thump out your window pulled you from your work, though. Initially, you thought it was some stray cat, so you quickly fixed your attention back to where it was. Then, you heard some shuffling after that. You were confused by the noise. Now wasn’t a good time to be robbed.

As you made your way to where your fire exit was, the thought hit you like a brick—it was Mysterion, wasn’t it? To your delight, it was.

You opened the window, and you were greeted with a disheveled-looking Mysterion. His state wasn’t as bad as when you first saw him, but he still look like he just fought in the rain and got his ass totally beat again. You noted that some scratches littered across his upper half, biting through his clothes as his skin bleeding from sharp claw marks.

“Hello, YN.” There was that gruff voice you missed all throughout the week. His eyes were diverted away from you. You could tell he was embarrassed by the defeated look on his face.

“Bienvenida, Mysterion.” You nodded, opening the window wider for him to hop in. “Your off-day’s now an off-week?”

“Very funny,” he rolled his eyes giving you a dead stare after. “Unfortunately, you’re correct. I got my ass beat by the Coon again today.”

“Do you need me to clean you up?” You asked loudly, already heading into your bathroom to grab your med kit.

You heard a faint, “Yes. Thank you.” as you searched through your drawers. You found the kit and headed back to your living room, being greeted by Mysterion shirtless and sprawled over your couch. He supported his upper half up, but his legs were stretched out. He looked worse than you thought. He had cuts and bruises all over him.

“Jeez, what did he do to you?” You winced at the sight, setting your things on your coffee table as you settled by the foot of your couch to grab the things you needed.

“The fucker had brass knuckles and metal claws on. You think I’m gonna win a fight with a guy who has a great upper hand?” You delved into your kitchen for a split moment to grab an ice pack, throwing it to him—which he had caught with finesse.

“No, but that means you got to one-up him! Bring a gun, then shoot him in the stomach or something.” You said, dipping a towel in a soap-and-water solution and then wringing it out.

“Nah. I don’t wanna bring a gun to a fistfight. I’m not gonna stoop to his level.” He said, seemingly deep in thought. 

You motioned that you were going to sit on top of him, but he probably didn’t catch it. “May I?” You hummed, using your head to point over to his lap.

“Huh? Oh- uh, yeah. Totally.” He mumbled, clearing up his throat.

You situated yourself on top of his lap, embarrassment clear from the red blush on your cheeks. You pushed it aside, though, grabbing his arm as you cleaned his wound. “Ah, this is gonna hurt.” You warned, gently dabbing the cloth on his arm.

He knew what was about to happen, yet his teeth dug into each other you leaned his arms and chest. His eyes were tight shut, and his nails clung onto the ice pack he held against his body. Yikes, the cuts seemed to be a little deep.

After you cleaned his wounds, you set the towel aside, one hand cupping his cheek as the other massaged his shoulder. “You’re okay now.” You cooed.

“Thank you…” he grumbled, eyes opening once more, but turned away from you. You could see red forming on his cheeks.

“I’d stitch some of your cuts up, but my stomach’s a tad bit too weak to do that. Instead, I’m just gonna put some petroleum jelly then patch you up, okay?” He nodded in reply.

You reached over to grab a tube of petrolatum, squeezing a little onto your finger and then putting it on the cut. Repeat the process. “Seems like you’ve already made yourself at home, even if it’s just your second time here.” You said mindlessly, just wanting to make conversation with him.

“I guess so. I mean, you’ve seen me half-naked before, and I’ve already slept here—in your clothes, mind you.” 

“You think I’ve forgotten?” You chuckled, mostly for yourself.

“I’d hope not.”

“Oh, pretty boy, I promise you,” you paused briefly, eyes flickering to his. “I would never forget about you.”

“Uhuh?” His voice buzzed, a smug smirk on his face as he leaned closer to you.

“Yeah,” you whispered back, giving him a short peck on the lips before you pushed him back to focus on fixing him up like nothing happened.

From the corner of your eye, you could see him dart his eyes at you. Not in a bad way, not at all. You noticed a pink in his cheeks under his mask. Cute. “You look like you wanted more.” You giggled.

“Well-” He pouted, voice losing its deepness and raspiness for a split second. You whip your head back to him to give him a funny look. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

“Ha! I knew that wasn’t your actual voice.”

“Duh,” he said, his voice the higher-pitched one you heard just now. “You think I go to my regular day-to-day sounding like this?” He laughed.

“I just assumed.” You shrugged.

The two of you stayed like that, you on his lap as you tended to his wounds. A looming air of want was clouding over you two. You were sure he could feel it as much as you. He was the first one to cut the air.

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier, but I think I have some bruises on my face.” He awkwardly said, hesitantly pulling down his mask and hood

You paused there for a second, entranced by what he actually looked like. It’s true, the bruises got his face as well, but you imagine him without it. He was awfully gorgeous both ways. His hair was a little long, split ends littering everywhere. He had the faintest freckles on his face. You only noticed it now, but he had a gap in his teeth, which you found adorable.

“Hellooo? YN?” He asked, waving his hand in your face.

“Oh, uh—” You shook your head, setting yourself out of your trance. “—Yeah, yeah. You do have a few bruises. Just put the ice pack over it.”

“It’s warm, though.” He pouted.

“Oh, let me change it then,” you said, grabbing the ice pack as you were about to get off of him. You didn’t, though, he pulled you down to him. You turned to look at him, giving him a confused look.

“I, uh, should get it.” He awkwardly muttered, getting up. “You’ve done a lot, and I don’t wanna tire you.”

You clicked your tongue, finding yourself giggling at him. “Mysterion—”

“Kenny.” He cut you off.

“Why Kenny?”

“It feels weird to be called Mysterion if I don’t have the mask on.”

“Oh, well, Kenny,” you corrected yourself. “It’s just an ice pack, a walk to the kitchen. It’s not a hassle.”

“Please, let me do it.”

“No,” You hummed, getting up. “You’re the one who’s injured, so it’s my duty to help you.”

“You’ve been helping out this whole time! It’s the least I can do.” He pouted.

“Fine, you go do that.” You rolled your eyes light-heartedly, getting up to head to your bedroom, though. “Do you need to change?”

“I, uh,” he said, taking a brief moment to think. “Yeah, thanks.” He gave you a toothy grin.

Immediately, you felt your heart skips a few beats at the sight, quickly heading into your room so that he wouldn’t see your red, red cheeks. You got clothes that were in a familiar fashion to what you got the last time he was here: a big shirt and some basketball shorts.

When you exited the room, you spotted Kenny sitting down on your couch as he was holding up a new ice pack against his face. You handed him your clothes.

“Hey, YN?” You hummed in reply. “Was I interrupting you or anything when I got here?”

Your mind flicked back to the work you had to get to. Well, you weren’t upset that you were disrupted. “Yeah, but I don’t mind. I mean, I’m happy to help you out anytime, Kenny.”

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna get in the way of anything important.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” You gave him a reassuring smile, patting his shoulders. After that, you headed to the dining area where your work sat. As Kenny changed, you quickly tidied your things up.

“Are you staying the night?” You asked as you headed back to the living room, deep down hoping he would.

“No, sadly. I think I have to head out now. I have to go do something.” He said, seemingly knowing you’d be disappointed at your answer.

“What? Poison the Coon in his sleep?” You joked.

“Great idea, but no.” He laughed, making his way to your window.

“Don’t forget your shirt!” You folded it up and placed it in a paper bag you had lying around. “When, uh, will I see you again? So you can return my clothes?” You half-joked, not forgetting the extra pair he still had with him.

“Hmm,” he paused, feigning a deep thought. “How does this Wednesday, 5 PM sound?”

“Why so specific?” You raised a brow, not quite getting where he’s at.

“Because I’m asking you out on a date, silly.” He chuckled at you, grabbing the paper bag with his clothes in it.

“Oh! Yeah, totally.” You beamed. Although you would probably be busy that night, you were busy all the time anyway. You were willing to sacrifice a shit ton of paperwork just for a night out with him.

“See you then. I’ll meet you right here, cutie.” He said, giving you a kiss on the cheek before he exited through your fire escape.

#cocogrrrl's writing #south park x reader #south park fanfiction #kenny mccormick x you #kenny mccormick x y/n #kenny mccormick x reader #kenny mcormick x reader

[ratrisk33]

Spending Daily On A Yacht

Next stop is just around the corner off Norman Island. It is a set of tall jagged rocks since "The Indians." This area can get crowded a concern . cruise ship and big boat crowd, but your individual BVI boat tour captain should just how to to time your visit so you the area to unique. The reef surrounding the Indians approximately 40 feet deep and there's a narrow channel to swim through between method to and fourth rock. Colorful fish surround the rocks, and gorgeous sea fans and corals fill water. You could literally spend hours just snorkeling this area, but its time for also called stop, The Bight, with the eastern a part of the harbor south from the beach. The bowl-like form of the bay blocks rougher waters, so its a great area for starters as its usually very calm.

Prior joining the details, you must know what the yachts in fact. These are the water vessels, which bring two important reasons. May possibly rent it for some pleasure, familiar can read any island holiday perhaps cruise. The sizes of yacht differ a good deal. The smallest yachts can be amid 15-100 little legs. And the biggest ones may even be 500 feet and accommodate loads men and women. Finding a yacht for racing is very difficult. And in case to get such yacht, you need to make sure that the yacht one is more than 21 meters. You may well the family together in order to get a boat rental and charter, and the real reason for outdoors along with family. Doable ! choose between many boats to rent, such as houseboats or day boats, or even deck boats, depending precisely what you are thinking about doing. Boat rental and charter is an effective activity to undertake and ought to should consider doing the. A new program in boat rentals, Fractional Sailing enables you to share the lease on a boat rrn order that you pay far below normal rates, while recognize to sail a boat that you are familiar utilizing. No more guessing what kind of boat if possible have seeking to get use on it. Know what you will get before you obtain there. Relax and be tied to sailing. The best part is that as a SailTime member, you be permitted access to boats around turmoil. Wherever SailTime operates, a person a member with full privileges. Boat charters are expensive if you are them much. You have to spend money every single time to palma boat trips for the entire day. Plus, you have to make sure it is possible to find a charter that fits your foot your needs and might be when you want to go out on the the lake. If you don't book early enough, you're able to risk not finding most effective charters or paying a great deal more you should to enjoy trip on the actual. Charters are usually good for people of which are on holiday or who only go boating one or two times a year. Help with Paperwork: The volume of of paperwork that should be done within a yacht transact is impossible. This is where the help of yacht brokers is absolutely invaluable. Learn about other areas of the paper work requirement for your particular country or state they are part of. Student to instructor rate. Find out from selected sailing school how a lot of students each instructor handles. Ideally it always be 4 students to a trainer. Why? Because you'll find 4 main tasks in sailing, the main sail, working the jib, tiller and chart job. Having 4 will give the chance there are several bad student in order to in control of these 4 tasks. boat tental near me of action is quite effective as the kids will not really overwhelmed in the processes that has the for you to get familiarized with them one at a time.

#boat rentals near me #boat rental near me #ibiza #barcelona #Spain #Mallorca #menorca #malaga #palma #la palma #airbnb #boat #yacht #vacation #rent a boat #rent a yacht #boat rentals #yacht rentals #boating #fishing #hotel #sleep #stay

[fenderguitar]

reading about all these fucked up small towns in cali makes me not want to road trip anymore

#literally some parts of this state are just as bad as the deep south #it also makes me glad i live in south central lmao #bloods and crips ain't nearly half as bad as hillbillies apparently #the first time i went to church camp #there was someone flying a confederate flag across the street from the campground #this was in 2014 btw when racial tensions were high as hell #one of the ministers said something about it #but i was so fucking scared something horrible was going to happen #the summer camp is usually in some rural town near san diego or palmdale btw

[birdsareblooming]

Sonic may actually be lost royalty

I keep going down these rabbit holes I shouldn’t go down BUT! Although this theory is one that I don’t fully believe in (unlike the infinite/solaris theory and the chaos emerald theory) I still have a good argument that I want to talk about very bad.

I also tried to make this as short as possible but there’s a lot of ground to cover, but at least it’s not the infinite/solaris theory. But I have a TLDR at the end.

[Spoiler Warning for Sonic and the Black Knight]

let’s start with a ✨numbered list✨

1. Blaze the Cat

Blaze is the biggest caveat for this theory, but I think it’s best to start with her.

Now, firstly I need to clear up some things.

[Eggman: My world...]

[Eggman Nega: and my world...]

[Eggmen: are in a manner, inextricably linked!]

[Blaze: Like two Eggmans?]

Part of the Blaze’s world is that it’s a parallel universe. Parallel Eggmen, Parallel emeralds, Everything else that isn’t stated outright. Like how Tails and Marine are definitely counterparts. Seeming as Tails came from South Island and Marine came from southern island, Tails is definitely based on a kitsune and Marine, in theory, based on a tanuki. 

And, although not stated completely, Blaze and Sonic are universal counterparts.

[From Sonic Wiki: Blaze was designed as a charater who was equivalent yet and alternate version of Sonic’s character.]

Much like the Sol and Chaos emeralds, Sonic and Blaze are a mirror version of one another, although slightly different.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way:

Looking at the connections between the others, Sonic and Blaze seem, a bit too different.

The Sol and Chaos emeralds fulfill the same role, although their different appearance, and have a similar story.  Tails and Marine fulfill the same role, although their different appearance, and have a similar story. The Eggmen fulfill the same role, although their different appearance, and have a similar story. 

Blaze and Sonic fulfill the same role, although their different appearance, and have a... completely different story. 

Blaze was born to a royal family, and set to protect the Sol Emeralds and the Jeweled Scepter as her birthright, and it’s somewhat hinted that her powers may also be a birthright. Sonic, on the other hand, has no known past, and seems to have just run into the Chaos Emeralds by accident. 

You could claim that Blaze does take on the role of both Sonic AND Knuckles, which is fair and stated on the wiki, however Knuckles is also never stated to be any kind of royalty, and certainly doesn’t have that kind of past, his past being one of the more tragically alone ones. 

And here’s something interesting.

Time has warped our vision of Blaze. We all know her as “Princess Blaze the Cat.” But from watching Sonic Rush, her opening game... she is never mentioned to be a princess until the very end.

[Burning Blaze: As princess, it is my duty to protect the Sol Emeralds...]

From what I remember, this is the FIRST mention of her royal status. 

From this game’s viewpoint, they reveal the mirror status of the dimensions. They then show both Blaze and Sonic having mirror super transformations using their emeralds, highly implying that Sonic and Blaze were mirror versions. (also this was implied already by just Blaze’s shoes.) and then it’s revealed that Blaze is royal, and a princess. 

So if she’s the mirror of Sonic, what does that mean for Sonic? Especially right after showing the two of them being, well, mirrors.

2. King Arthur

SATBK is much less transparent about the counterpart universe thing.

Now this is an alternate universe, set up by Secret Rings, and surprisingly not just a story Sonic told as an elaborate excuse.

They don’t hide obivous Sonic characters being put into roles, and their in these roles for a reason.

Blaze and Silver as Percival and Galahad, the knights who quested together for the holy grail. Knuckles as Gawain literally only because of “Gawain and the Green Knight” But I respect that so much. Jet as Lamorak because of Lamorak’s fiery temper and competitiveness.  Shadow as Lancelot because he’s the “closest knight to the king” stated in game (👀) Tails as a Blacksmith because that’s p much the medieval version of a mechanic. Amy as the Lady of the Lake because like. Fuck she’s the most powerful one there. (but seriously, in forces she’s shown to be the most level headed leader and strangest, especially in Sonic’s absence. As well as “sensing” that he was still alive and having a past in tarot.) And Merlina as Merlina because... well that’s a whole other theory.

(all my theories are being brought up in the post. like i know the first two were expamples of theories I fully belive in but damn this is like a avengeners, ok,)

But Sonic as King Arthur makes sense when it’s revealed. Although he wasn’t anyone’s counterpart in Secret Rings (because secrets rings was confused as hell) He is in this game, and as the ring leader of everyone following him in SATBK, it makes sense. 

Although something that was never brought up...EVER is the Knight’s backstories, which are EXTREMELY important not only in Arthurian legends, but for the knights in Sonic lore. All of the knight’s mentioned backstories are important to their character, in both contexts. Although their never brought up.

*DEEP BREATH* Alright. The similarities between Sonic Character/Knight backstories.

Shadow and Lancelot have pretty simmilar backstories when getting down to it. Shadow/Lancelot were both raised for greatness, but still outshined by Sonic/Arthur. Although remaining loyal to them, even if for Shadow it’s only in times of need. Shadow doesn’t want to admit he’s a supporting role to Sonic, although Sonic generations kinda throws that Idea out of the water when Shadow cheers Sonic on while watching from the sidelines, much like early Lancelot.

For Blaze and Percival, in multiple interpretations Percival is of noble birth. Upon meeting Sonic’s Gang/The Knights, Blaze/Percival get’s inspired by their heroics and eventually joins them.

“Lancelot and Percival prove morally superior to Gawain who follows the rules of courtliness to the letter rather than the spirit.“ Is an actual quote from Wikipedia. Although it is VERY hard to find a concrete backstory for Gawain other than “separated from his home”, I think this proves enough. As well as the Gawain and the Green Knight story (in which Gawain tries to slay the green knight and then he picks up his head and says “see you in a year” is pretty representative of Knuckles constantly breaking the master emerald in a comedic light.) 

Lamorak/Jet are known for challenging Arthur/Sonic to competitions. 

Galahad/Silver are searching for an object/person aided by Percival/Blaze

So now that we’re all good, do you see the similarities between part one.

Although everyone else has given backstory similarities, Sonic is given none, seeming as, as far as we know, Sonic HAS no backstory.

But isn’t it interesting that King Arthur’s backstory is being lost royalty? And the secret son of the king? Wack.

3. Sonic Fucking Underground

Now, most of you are probably unfamiliar with Sonic Underground. Good.

If you’re not, you watched it as a kid and you’re nostalgic, and let me tell you I watched the entire show recently and it’s not as good as you remember.

But Sonic Underground’s quality and history could be a post on it’s own, it doesn’t matter here. What matters is the plot:

[From Sonic Wiki: Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena, the rightful ruler of Mobius and are pursued relentlessly by Doctor Robotnik and his bumbling bounty hunters sidekicks, Sleet and Dingo. As infants, the siblings were separated and placed in hiding to fulfill a prophecy made by the Oracle of Delphius (a spoof of the Oracle of Delphi of Ancient Greece) that the triplets would grow up to find their estranged mother, overthrow Robotnik and take their places once more as Mobius' rightful rulers.]

FORGOTTEN ROYALTY YOU SAY.

Now, Sonic Underground is VERY SEPARATED from Sonic Lore, and nothing has ever taken from it besides Manic appearing in some comics, although from what I know he’s never mentioned to be Sonic’s brother. So This is the part I always take with a grain of salt, however;

4. In conclusion/TLDR

We have Two Instances of Sonic being lost Royalty (One in a separate reality and one in a separate continuity) We have Two Instances of Dimentional Counterparts of Sonic being Royalty (Blaze and King Arthur) We have zero given backstory for Sonic We have Three instances of Sonic, or a counterpart, being royalty

And from what I remember hearing, three’s a pattern.

#sonic the hedgehog #theory #sonic theory #royalty theory #sonic rush #sonic rush adventure #sonic and the black knight #satbk #sonic underground #sonic wiki #Not only is this a deep dive into sonic #but I accidentally did a meta abput the satbk round table and their simmilarites to the og knights

[thefact0rygirl]

BEHAVE | Part 2/3

{part one} {masterlist}

Rating: Explicit 18+

Pairing: Boba Fett x Fem!Reader (no use of Y/N)

Word Count: 5.0k

Warnings: penetrative sex (p in v), oral sex (f receiving), breast play, mouth kink, light choking, squirting, name calling, creampie, softdom!boba, explicit language, explicit sexual content, explicit language, overuse of pet names what else is new

A/N: annddd we’re back with more boba thots (and some fluff). I 10000% believe boba’s love language is acts of service and i was yearning. Oh, and there’s going to be a third part because let’s be real boba is older and can probably only last one round

Cross-posted on ao3

For the first time in his life, Kole Terrek didn’t know what to say. 

Even after Fennec confirmed that, yes, Boba would have shot him, his tongue still itched at the need to say something to his employer. Anything. But what exactly do you say to a crime lord after you just flirted with his girl right in front of him? 

Most didn’t make it this far and yet, there he was: pacing around the throne room, racking his brain for the best thing to say. He mulled over every phrase, every word, but they all seemed to fall short. 

“Huh, that’s a first,” Kole chuckled, turning to stand in front of Fenenc. “Can’t think of anything to say when the boss returns. Don’t think that’s ever happened.”

“And yet you’re still talking.” Fennec retorted, flicking a grain of sand from her sleeve. 

There was some shuffling coming from a hallway behind Kole before the familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls. He recognized those steps.

Boba. 

Kole’s blood ran cold as he realized his time to figure out an apology had run out. Fuck it, I’ll just wing it, he thought, taking a sobering breath before spinning around. 

“Hey boss! Sorr—”

He stopped when he saw the two figures entering the throne room. Huh. He was surprised to see you. He wasn’t expecting Boba to let you out here again, especially after Fennec warned him to not look at you or mention you to anyone. 

“Boba doesn’t share. Especially her.”

And Kole had every intention of following through, but as you and Boba got closer, his mouth went slack. You looked disheveled with your messy hair and wrinkled dress. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Boba meant when he said you were “busy.”

But that wasn’t what made Kole dumbstruck. Oh no. It was when the dim lights illuminated your face. Kole squinted, trying to get a better look. Your face was shiny, even a bit sticky, as if you had smeared a thick balm all over and — 

Wait a fucking minute.

“I-Is that…” Kole he was asking more to himself, but he wouldn’t mind if Fennec jumped in. She saw it too, right? His eyes bulged out of his skull and his mouth hung open in a comical state. He looked like a character in a children’s holovid. He whipped around to Fennec, who remained unbothered by your state. 

“See something you like?” 

Kole’s soul just about left his body at the sound of Boba’s gruff voice. The two of you were now standing directly in front of Kole and, yeah, it was exactly what he thought it was. 

Semen. Seed. Jizz. Cock snot.

Whatever your preference, your face was covered in it. The hairs on the back of his neck as he tore his eyes away from the thick liquid dripping down your neck.

“Uh..N-No, sir…Boss. Nothing.” 

Don’t look, don’t look. 

“Good,” Boba replied, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Reaching into his utility belt, he pulled out a small bag. Holding it up, he shook it so the clanking sound of credits rang out. Kole’s payment. 

Just take the kriffing credits and run. 

Kole extended a shaky hand to grab the bag, but Boba tossed it behind Kole so it landed on the first step of the staircase.

“Get out.”

Boba was not playing around. So why weren’t Kole’s legs moving? His brain screamed at him to walk. Just get the hell out of there. But it didn’t seem to register, his muscles apparently taking root in the sandy floor. 

Was no one going to say anything?

He braved a singular look at you, because, shit, what was the worst that could happen now? Maybe this was some sick joke. You’d start laughing and Boba would laugh and this would be a funny story for him to tell his future children. 

But all you offered was a flirty smile. The same flirty smile that landed him in the current cesspool he was standing in. Gawking at you while you wore Boba (literally) all over your face.

After you tilted your chin down and raised your brows, signaling to Kole to leave, his body finally seemed to speed up. Pivoting towards the stairs, he snatched the bag from the step before stumbling up the stairs. He was almost out of sight when he heard Boba call out his name. Kole slowly turned back to face the crime lord. 

“It is.” Boba replied, tipping his helmet up to meet Kole’s stupefied gaze.

“…W—What?” 

Kole swore he heard a snicker erupt from the green helmet as Boba waved a casual hand towards your face.

“It’s exactly what you think it is.” Boba repeated again. 

Nope. No way. Goodbye. He wasn’t sticking around any longer. Kole trampled up the final stairs, tripping and almost falling back down. His unnerving steps grew quiet as he rushed out of the Palace, the large doors clanking shut to signify his departure. 

Boba was the first to speak. “All things considered, that went pretty well.” 

Fennec let out an exasperated sigh before grabbing a bottle of spotchka. 

“Wash up!” She called, retreating through a side door to her private chamber. She’d speak with Boba tomorrow about a raise. If this was the buffoonery she would have to deal with, she was demanding a larger cut. 

— — — — — — — — — 

Well, shit. 

You certainly were a sight. A fucked out and sticky sight. No wonder Kole was close to a conniption. 

Following Fennec’s lead, you and Boba retired to your own chambers. As Boba removed his armor, you went on the hunt for a bacta kit to treat your scrapped knees. You swore you had seen one in the ‘fresher. As you flipped on the lights to aid in your search, you finally got a good look at yourself in the mirror and —

“Kriff,” You muttered under your breath. There wasn’t a part of you that didn’t scream mess.

Your hair looked like an untamed tumbleweed that framed two wide, bloodshot eyes. The puffy skin around your eyes complimented the red blotches dotting your cheeks, and then, of course, there was the real mess.

The ropes of cum had mostly dried down to form a shiny cast over your face. Your eyes trailed the nonsensical stripes of ejaculate as they traveled south. Whatever hadn’t dried had traveled down to splatter onto your chest. Most were absorbed by your dress, the stains leaving what looked like a vulgar strand of beads along the neckline. 

As you took in a deep breath, the skin on your chest prickled as a rose drop trickled down. Tugging down your dress, you found the offending droplet leaving a gummy trail as it slid down your sternum. 

Babe said not to touch, but Kole was gone and Boba was busy…

You hesitated a moment, before scooping the liquid with your thumb and popping your it in your mouth. 

“You like that?”

You almost choked at the sudden intrusion. Whipping around, you found Boba  shirtless, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You like walking around covered in cum?” The ghost of a smirk played on his lips. 

You pulled your thumb from your mouth, lips smacking in response, “I like walking around with your cum.”

He dismissed your statement with a snort and head shake. For as confident of a man that Boba Fett was, he had a shrinking mindset when it came to himself. Those who didn’t know him would say he was just sarcastic, which was true. He was sarcastic, but sometimes his dry comments emanated from his insecurities. And it confused the hell out of you. 

In the span of a single afternoon, Boba had threatened someone’s life, face fucked you in a hallway, and then paraded you around his release painted on your face, but the thought that you actually liked it was where he drew the line?

He moved to stand in front of you, his hands squeezing your waist while you pulled his face down so he couldn’t escape your fixed gaze. “I know what I like, Boba.” You pressed, as if that would squash his self-deprecating thoughts.

He didn’t even consider your words before crinkling his nose, “And now your knees are banged up.”

Okay. Technically that was true, but it was besides the point. You sighed, opting to not start a debate. You could practically hear Boba’s inner voice prepping a rebuttal. 

Instead, you nuzzled his cheek before grounding him back to you with a kiss. It was brief, just long enough for you to feel the warmth of his mouth and taste the air in his lungs, before he pulled away. He nodded towards the counter that was pressed into your back. 

“Up.”

Boba tightened his grasp on your waist to help steady you as you lifted yourself up to sit on the counter. Bending down, he assessed the damage to your knees. It wasn’t anything severe, just a bad case of road rash. But it still hurt. 

His hand hovered over your left knee, feeling the heat of inflammation radiate from the injured skin. Behind the caked on dirt, a violent shade of red peaked through, acting like a warning to back off of the offended skin. The surrounding areas formed a frame of budding bruises while scratches of various degrees ran down your knees. Some were small and already robbed over while others were much deeper. 

Shaking his head, he straightened up and began washing his hands. to wash his hands in the sink. 

“What did I tell you about those dresses?” He chastised, his protective nature coming out. 

You had to bite your cheek to keep your teasing smile. One of the things you learned about Boba was that his protectiveness extended past sex. It wasn’t just a kink for him. He was incredibly mindful of your wellbeing. Like when he warned you about running around the Palace in a dress that barely covered your ass.

“Easy access?” You joked, hoping your words would relax his clenched jaw. 

He responded with a pointed look, his broody eyes letting you he was not unamused. 

“Sorry.” You whispered as you bit your bottom lip.

“Practicality.” He emphasized, answering his own question. Grabbing the bacta kit, he kneeled in front of you. “This place is hard and dusty and covered in Hutt slime, you can’t be running around like this. You could get hurt.”

You give him a half-hearted nod in acknowledgement, your mind was bathing in Boba’s affection. He pressed a wet wash cloth to your knee trying to ease the caked on debris from your would. His full attention was now to you and tending to your wounds.

The universe had not been kind to Boba. He was thrust into scum and villainy before he could understand it. There was no place for empathy or emotions in such a wretched world. Emotions made you weak, and if you were weak, you were dead. 

The irony of it was that deep down, Boba was an emotional man. He had wants and desires just like anyone else, but he kept them buried, locked up in a box, and shoved into the farthest corner of his mind. What was the point of dreaming when he could never act on them? 

He operated in a state of diligent detachment from emotions and bonds. He liked it that way. It kept him safe. Sure, it wasn’t a mark of emotional maturity, but it worked for him.

And then you came along. He didn’t expect it at first. He saw you as a physical release, the result of a mutual agreement that sexually benefitted the both of you. And yet, you still opened yourself to him. You had your own problems and nightmares to deal with, but you still let him experience you so freely, as if you had nothing to lose. In response, he felt himself lowering his defenses and wanting to open himself to you just like you had done to him. 

For the first time, he went looking for that chained up box of desires and wants. When he couldn’t sleep, he would toy with the idea of revisiting those wants. But he held back. This was his own version of Pandora’s box and once he cut open the locks, there were no take backs. It scared him, although he would never admit it. So he waited, becoming reacquainted with affection and companionship. 

His love was non-verbal. It was brash and it wasn’t for everyone. He wouldn’t hold you, he wouldn’t write you love sonnets, or profess his love for you from the rooftops. He couldn’t speak his affection for you, but he could show you. He always made an extra cup of caf for you in the morning. On colder nights, he would wrap his blanket around you so you would stop shivering. 

He would treat your injuries, just like that exact moment. The King of the Underworld would get on his knees for his queen you. 

His touches were light and calculated as he worked, watching your body for any signs of discomfort or pain. When the antiseptic he poured over your cuts had flowed into a particular deep gash, you hissed and flinched away almost hitting him in the nose. He wasn’t annoyed or upset like you would have thought. He was comforting, pausing to hold your leg and rub soothing circles into your calf. 

“Hush, I know. Almost done.”

Moments like this were how he expressed his feelings for you. No one saw this side of him. Maybe Fennec after Boba saved her, but no one else. This was personal, the purest gift he could give you. It meant more than all the precious stones and credits in the galaxy. 

Your heart swelled with pride as he placed a bacta patch to each knee. With his job complete, you thanked him opening your legs so he could stand up and push himself between them. 

“What’s that smile for, girl?” He asked as his hands ran along your other thighs.

You didn’t even realize your were smiling, your mind hazy with adoration. You debated telling him, but decided against it. Affection was still new to him, you didn’t want to scare him off. You wanted to cherish the moment for as long as possible. 

Shaking your head, you intertwined your hands being his neck. “Nothing.”

His hands gripped the silky fabric of your dress before pressing his hot, open mouth to yours. The familiar knot constricting in your stomach from earlier had returned. His scent filled your body as your nails dragged against the nape of his neck. 

Boba broke away first to leave a trail of lazy kisses from your mouth up towards your temple, “Do you want to clean up?”

You shook your head, breath hitching when he dragged his tongue along a dried stripe running across your cheek.

“No?”

“No.”

“Why not?” 

“Because I like it.” Your breath caught in your throat as he tugged your dress up and over your chest. Once off, Boba threw your dress somewhere behind him leaving you in just your underwear.

“Always full of surprises.” He muttered before kissing you with the utmost respect, which only annoyed you. He was being cautious, teasing you by taming his actions just to see how needy you were. And you were really fucking needy by that point. 

He turned his attention to your chest. His fingers trailed along your flesh, moving inward to circle the outer perimeter of your nipples. So fucking close, but never actually touching them. With an impatient wiggle, you pressed your mouth harder to his, feeling your teeth crashed into his. 

Boba pulled away, “It seems like there’s something you want, little one.” 

He kissed down your throat, tongue gliding down to meet his hands as they massaged your breasts. Amusement laced his ever word as he spoke, “So what is it? What do you want?”

“Y-You.” You managed to get out as your heart thumped against your ribcage.

“You have me.”

“Boba…” 

“Use your words.”

You gasped when he finally pressed his lips to your chest. As his hands continued to massage your breasts while your nipples grew hard as he flicked his tongue over each of the hardened buds. 

Every nerve in your body on high alert to Boba and his taunting. You let out a high-pitched whine when he finally pulled a nipple into his mouth and began to suck. He didn’t let you revel in bliss for too long before calling out your name. 

Finally, a chance to compose yourself. You look down to find Boba watching you with a smug smile. 

“Fill me up. Please.”

Standing back up, his hand dropped to the front of your underwear. His finger ran along the waistband of your underwear before moving down to your clothed pussy. Your breath hitched when he started rubbing small circles on your clit.

“You like being bad, don’t you?”

“Maybe I do.”

“But you seem so nice.” 

“That’s what everyone thinks, isn’t it?”

“Everyone except me.”

“I like being naughty for you.”

His hands looped into the sides of your underwear and began pulling. You lifted yourself up just enough for him to yank the material off of your body, throwing it behind him to join your discarded dress. 

“Yeah?” He asked, not waiting for an answer. He kneeled in front of you again, pushing your legs apart. 

With you on full display for him, Boba pushed his face into, filling his lungs with your scent. 

“You smell so fucking good,” His nose bumped against your clit while his breath fanned out on your slit. “I could smell you when I was cleaning you up.”

Any hope that Boba was done with teasing was gone when he started bathing your lower half in kisses. He littered your inner thighs with pecks before sucking small bruises into your skin as he got closer to your wet core. 

“Boba,” You whined, when he kissed the joint between your leg and outer labia. His mouth was everywhere except where you wanted him. “I’ve been good.” 

“And I’m a man of my word. Stop pouting.”

His eyes stayed locked to yours as he pulled back your hood to place a chaste kiss directly on your clit. Rough hands gripped your thighs before he pulled the little bud into his mouth.

“Stars…Yes, yes,” You chanted when he started lapped and sucked on your clit. 

“That’s right,” His breath hit your clit with each word. “Let me hear those pretty little noises.”

You moaned his name as he ran his tongue long the edges of your lips, teasing your entrance, before dipping his tongue inside, pushing it in just a tiny bit, before pulling out. He repeated this, each time going a bit deeper. You squirmed as you watched as Boba’s nose grew wetter as his tongue moved in circles inside of you. 

By the time he pushed two of his fingers inside, you were on the brink of your first orgasm. His ministrations had chipped away at the little control you had left and the building pressure between your legs was close to breaking. 

“F-fuck, Boba-ahhh,” You moaned. Your orgasm escalating quickly, as you feel each stroke, each lick pulling you along. His fingers worked harder, his mouth going back to suck on your clit.

“Are you going to cum for me?”

“S-Stars I’m g-going to—” Shockwaves coursed through your body with every thrust of his fingers. 

“C’mon, little one. Soak my face.”

One, two, three more thrusts of his fingers and you wailed, your orgasm burning through you. He continued his ministrations until you let go of your thighs, letting them fall limp to the side. 

“You're beautiful when you come.” He stood up letting you awe at his soaked chin and jaw. You adjusted yourself before yanking his face down to your mouth. Running your tongue over his soaked skin, you licked yourself off of him while he sang words of praise in your ear.

“Good girl, taste how sweet you are.”

“My pretty baby came so well, your legs are still shaking.”

“You want me to fuck your pretty pussy?” Boba moaned, as he pulled down his pants just enough to pump himself in his hand.

“Think you can handle it?” 

You shuddered as he ran his cock along your slit. Your mouth hanging open unable to forms words. 

“Did my pretty girl go cock dumb? Does she need to go to bed?” Boba sneered, pulling away slightly, causing you to cry out in protest. Your arms flailed trying to pull him close to you.

“Then fucking beg for it.” He slapped your pussy with his free hand. “Show me how desperate you are.”

Overwhelmed and annoyed, you pushed your hands to his chest making him stumble back from you. You jumped down from the counter, turning around, and arching your back so your ass was stuck out for him. Your pussy puffed out between your spread legs the wetness from your release and his saliva smearing your inner thighs. 

Looking back around to him, your words were laced with exasperation, “B-Boba, please! You promised. I was so good, I was a good girl, I want you to fill me, please.”

Your exasperation was not lost on Boba. His knees buckled as he gripped himself harder. His baiting always made you impatient, but this was the biggest display of brat he had ever seen from you. 

You were a spoiled princess. His spoiled little princess. 

“Is my girl upset?” He cooed, approaching you again. “You know I’ll give you what you want.”

You could hear the sadistic grin in his voice. He loved to torment you like this. Even if you were good, he loved to watch you beg. 

“You just need to be patient.”

Finally, fucking finally, you felt the tip of his cock make contact with your slit. Not enough to enter you, just…resting there. Letting you know how close he is. You pushed back, trying to force him inside you fully, but Boba caught on. His hand came down on your ass, a loud smack vibrating against the walls. Your ass stung as a red hand print bloomed on your skin.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?” He growled, smacking your other cheek with just as much force. 

You choked on your words as you pleaded, “I was good. I listened.”

“And now you’re forgetting your place.”

“Do you think I’m messing around? Think I won’t stop?”

Despite his sharp words, he continued to tease your slit, tapping his cock against your clit. You had a sneaking suspicion that he was to trying to exert the same amount of self-control he was demanding of you. 

“You gonna behave?”

“Yes,” You mewled, screwing your eyes shut. Maybe if you couldn’t see him you would calm down. Maybe. Maybe not, but worth a shot. 

“Then fucking act like it.”

You remained steady, trusting he would reward you if you only waited. He slapped your ass again just to be sure. Your knuckles turned white as you held on, locking your knees so you wouldn’t budge from your position.

“Very good.” Boba hummed as he surveyed your feeble attempts at control in the mirror. 

The pressure between your thighs increased and you felt his head parting your pussy lips. You clenched at the small amount inside you, as if trying to pull his cock inside of you. You needed him so bad. 

Your knuckles turn white when he runs the tip of his cock along your slit, gathering your wetness to make an even bigger mess. He started with your ass, gently prodding at the puckered hole. Nothing extreme or invasive, just some gentle taps to let you know he was there. After all, he did promise to fill all your holes…

Boba pushed in a little further, letting out a small grunt as he did so. He was working his way into you and it was the sweetest torture you had received. Boba could feel you pulsating, too, and grabbed your hips hard, thrusting himself all the way inside of you, forcing you to take his entire length in one go.

With his cock fully buried inside your cunt, he lost all sense of self-control. He pounded into you relentlessly, your hands and feet working so you wouldn’t go sailing into the mirror. 

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

His hands were splayed across the globes of your ass as he thrust into you tirelessly. He didn’t let you move, not even to return his thrusts with your own. He kept you planted in place, owning you, making you helpless on his cock.

“F-fuck, good girl, you take me so well,” He muttered as he ran his thumb across your ass before gently prodding at the puckered hole. Nothing too extreme or invasive, just gently pushing to let you know he was there. After all, he did promise to fill all your holes…

The gentle pushing on your ass contrasted with Boba’s fierce thrusting in your pussy had you struggling to keep your whimpers from escaping your mouth. 

You felt his hands slithered up your body, one wrapping around your neck while the other wrapped around your abdomen right under your breasts. Pulling you up, he kept you locked against him. His chest heaved as he thrust into you, his force and rhythm never faltering. The hand wrapped around your neck moved up, his fingers prodding your lips.

“Open your mouth, baby,” He grunted, thrusting two fingers past your parted lips. His skin heated up as your tongue swirled around them. He pushed them farther in hitting the back of your throat as you moaned.

“Good girl,” He lifted his head to watched you in the mirror. “Suck my fingers, pretend it’s my cock.”

He wanted to commit to memory every single thing about you. The sheen of sweat that covered your body. The way the skin on your thighs rippled with each thrust. He watched your hands grip the arm wrapped around your chest, fingers scratching his scarred skin as you tried to fight off your approaching orgasm. Consumed in carnal bliss, you were beautiful to him. He wanted you to see what he saw, wanted you to experience it all. Every last detail. 

“O-Open your eyes, pretty girl,” He coaxed. “Look at yourself getting fucked.”

The first thing you saw were his fingers stuffed in your mouth as you drooled on his hand. His brown eyes leered at you from over your shoulder, watching you with such animalistic desire, he looked to be in pain. His desire and own release ached as he drove into your wet pussy. 

“What would that piece of shit Kole say if he saw you like this?”

Your only answer was a moan, feeling his cock rubbing against your g-spot. You watched Boba bite into the sensitive skin of your shoulder. 

“He’d never look at you ever again.”

“He wouldn’t think you were such a nice girl anymore."

“He’d think you were such a little slut.” 

“You’re my little slut, right? Only for me.” 

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Your pussy started to convulse, moments away from your second orgasm. 

“Touch yourself. Cum one more time before I fill you.”

“Can you do that?”

“Let me see you shake.”

Your hand shot between your legs, unable to taunt and tease like he had done. You were too horny, too desperate. You rubbed tight circles on your clit, the tips of your fingers brushing his length as he thrust in and out. 

Boba wasn’t far behind, chasing his own release. His voice cracked as he spoke, “O—h, fuck, I—I’m going to cum.” 

He ripped his fingers from your mouth, his hand returning to its original spot on your throat. Your eyes fluttered close for a brief second before Boba squeezed the sides of your throat. 

“No, no, little one. E—Eyes open.” 

“Watch yourself.”

Your chest felt heavy for air as your vocal cords vibrated in short, quick grunts. The pressure building inside of you was growing faster than before. It was intense, almost unbearable. Your pussy spasmed and you felt yourself starting to lose control over your lower muscles.

“B-Boba. I t-think I’m g-gonna—ahhh” 

“Let go. Cum all over my cock.”

You couldn’t hold back any longer. Caught in a crossfire of stimulation and pleasure, your body shook as you screamed. Your juices flowed out of you with an unstoppable force. It was running down your legs and splashing against Boba as he continued thrusting into you. 

“F—fuck, goo-od girl. You fucking soaked me.”

The sight of you loosing yourself to pleasure, pleasure he created, and feeling you dripping down him was all it took before he buried his face in your neck. Low groans vibrated against your shoulder as Boba caught his own release.

You clenched around him, making it impossible for him to pull out. He emptied inside of you, ropes of cum stuffing you full as he throbbed against your fluttering muscles. 

“Milk me, little one.”

“Take every last drop in your pussy.”

Boba continued with shallow thrusts, pushing his cum deeper inside of you. The warm feeling of fullness fanned over your lower half as you collapsed onto the cold counter top. Boba followed soon after, his forearms resting on the countertop on each side of your head. 

You felt Boba bury his face in your hair, letting you scent consume him. Even in a state of euphoria, his hands were still clenched in weak fists. Using the little amount of your restored energy you had, he pushed your head until your lips pressed into his calloused skin. He kissed the nap of your neck in return. 

Your bodies melted together in post-orgasmic bliss, your breathing slowly leveling out as Boba softened inside of you. You could feel some of his cum start to escape, trailing down your abused pussy clit. 

After a while, you turned your head, whispering Boba’s name. He lifted his head up, eyes disoriented as if he had been woken up from a nap. 

“I think I’m ready to wash up now.”

Taglist: @thundersheild​ @itsjammin​

join the taglist

#boba fett #boba fett x reader #boba fett x yn #boba fett x oc #boba fett fanfic #boba fett fanfiction #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian x reader #the book of boba fett #book of boba fett #star wars #temuera morrison

[sage-nebula]

@smallestfish​

I typed about five cellphone screens arguing against this with things in the game, but I accidentally highlighted all but the last couple lines and replaced them with a closing bracket instead of hitting copy. So, heavily shortened, Josh was more respectful to everyone in this game than the first one. He made a bet that the city would sort itself out if it had a few extra lives, moved one or two pieces when it was necessary, and let his opponent paint himself into a corner. Then, either Haz or he could just make it magically better after anyway if things really did go south, and things did, so they did.  Haz was significantly more cruel than Joshua has ever been by resurrecting everyone except Rindo's friends just to watch the kid squirm, and we know he did it with the intent to see how Rindo would react. There's a question to be asked of why Haz only intervened after time travel stopped being an option, and the answer makes Josh look like he's only waiting for Haz and Rindo to quit first and make his intervention actually necessary and good.

Replying this way because typing in the limit-restricted tumblr replies is annoying.

I disagree that the Shinjuku Game is in any way more respectful to anyone than the Shibuya Game. The Shinjuku Game was explicit psychological torture on the Players with no end in sight but their own erasure. The Variabeauties, Purehearts, and Deep Rivers Society were stuck for I believe 30+ loops; that’s seven months. During that time they not only saw other teams erased, but knew that their own erasure could come at any moment, and it’s specifically spelled out in the Secret Reports that this has an averse psychological effect on the Players. Of course, not that we needed that; Fuya, a 27-year-old man, was reduced to hysteric sobbing once he realized that his and his team’s fate was sealed. Motoi was never what you’d call an upstanding person (he was a plagiarist and an art thief), but his facial expressions when his treachery is revealed show that his sanity has been slipping for a while and he, too, is left grasping for any hope of salvation he can find. Kanon outright says she knows the Game is rigged and there’s no hope of winning, but she’s willing to try whatever she can to at least make it fair; it’s pretty clear that this unwinnable Game has been breaking her morale as well. And hell, by week two we see Fret’s optimism shaking as he realizes that the Ruinbringers can snatch victory away on technicalities, so even two weeks in a Shinjuku Game is enough to start wearing down on Players’ psyches, let alone thirty.

In the Shibuya Game, on the other hand, while it’s more brutal in the sense that the Reapers are out for blood (everyone’s gotta eat), anyone left alive at the end of the Week gets a chance to be restored to life or become a Reaper. (Well, most everyone. I think in the OG Secret Reports it’s stated that some are still redistributed into the Imagination of the UG, but for the most part all winners get a chance to return to life or become Reapers.) On top of which, the Players aren’t pitted against each other; they’re allowed, even encouraged, to work together to complete the missions and defeat the Noise. Shibuya’s Game encourages personal growth and development, whereas Shinjuku’s Game encourages competition and, to be honest, psychological torment. Joshua wanted to erase everyone in Shibuya just as Hazuki did in Shinjuku, yes, but his Game is far less cruel to the Players involved, not to mention the Reapers.

But Joshua simply . . . didn’t care about that, for three years. For three entire years he sat back and allowed Shiba to waltz in and dethrone Uzuki as Conductor. He allowed Shiba to disregard Shibuya’s Game in favor of Shinjuku’s. He allowed the Shinjuku Reapers to erase nearly every single one of his own Reapers for daring to speak out against this, to the point where Uzuki and Kariya feel as though their only option is to keep their mouths shut and go along with it, for their own safety. For three years he allowed Shibuya’s Players to not have the chance to grow, to develop, to discover themselves, to question what it is they’d want out of a second chance, and instead undergo literal hell in an unwinnable Game with no idea what they ever could have done to deserve such punishment. (The answer is, of course, nothing. They did nothing to deserve it. They just suffered it anyway.)

The point is: The Composer is the one who creates the UG. He is the one who creates the rules for how it operates, both within the limitations of the Game and otherwise. When Kubo and the Shinjuku Reapers came to call, and Kubo made it known that he wanted to “purify” Shibuya the way that he did Shinjuku, Joshua made a deliberate choice to enter into this Game with him and leave Shibuya to its fate. He flat out says this is his intention in “A New Day”:

Now, while one could try to argue that he was lying here, because he lies a second after this about not caring about Neku anymore (although in my opinion his definition of “care” is still pretty damn selfish), his actions in Neo make it abundantly clear. Joshua could have very easily done what Hazuki did to Kubo three years ago by booting him out of Shibuya and back to the Higher Plane. He could have easily let Uzuki keep her spot as Conductor and protected his Reapers from erasure by the Shinjuku Reapers. He could have very easily just returned Neku to the RG (thus protecting him from the Shinjuku Reapers / Kubo) instead of locking him in the remains of Shinjuku. He could have very easily done all of this and it would have been within his rights because whether the Higher Plane likes it or not, Shibuya is still his city and he didn’t technically break any rules by choosing not to go through with the purification. Whether Shibuya was purified or not was his call, even if they didn’t like his choice. It’s the reason why Hanekoma is in angel jail and Joshua is not.

But he didn’t. He chose not to. I’ve seen some speculate that this was due to Higher Plane politics, that Joshua wanted to show the Higher Plane that Shibuya was worth saving because it had citizens who could stand up even against angels and win. He wanted them to see what he sees in Shibuya. But even if that was his intention, countless lives were lost because of his decision. Countless people suffered because of his decision. The Variabeauties, the Purehearts, the Deep River Society—hell, even Reapers like Ayano and Susukichi—their erasure dust is partially on Joshua’s hands. He could have prevented all of this and he made a deliberate decision not to. The fact that Hanekoma makes a point in multiple Secret Reports (getting increasingly frustrated each time) that Joshua had opportunity to do something yet chose not to tells us all we need to know about how tied Joshua’s hands were, and the fact is that they were not. Or if they were, the only person who tied them was Joshua himself. 

A few final notes:

1.) My original shitpost was not about Hazuki’s morality or saying that he’s a “better person” than Joshua, but merely pointing out that he did more to save Shibuya (despite it not being his city and not his responsibility) than Joshua did, which is factually true. Joshua did nothing beyond show up for “moral support” for Neku and return Shoka to the RG. (And as far as we know, it was only Shoka. The Variabeauties, Deep River Society, and Purehearts are presumably still erased since they lost the Game.) Even after Neku and the others were perma-erased, Joshua did nothing. He did not intervene. He claims to Neku later that if things got really bad he would have, but again . . . everyone died, the city was on fire, and he was nowhere to be found, so I personally don’t think his word is worth very much here. Bottom line, I’m not saying Hazuki is a better person than Joshua—honestly I think they’re on the same level, more or less—but only that it’s hilarious that he actually took action to save a city that wasn’t his.

2.) For emphasis, Hazuki didn’t have to intervene. Shibuya is not his city. It’s not his responsibility. He could have returned to the Higher Plane to do angel things if he’d really wanted to. He exorcised Kubo for erasing Shibuya once he saw that Shibuya was actually going to be erased because Joshua had saved it once and he was curious as to why, and he couldn’t quite figure that out if Shibuya was gone. But he didn’t have to, and in fact he points out to Rindo that he won’t be able to do so again. But either way, it really wasn’t his job. It was Joshua’s. Joshua just chose not to do it, for whatever reason.

TL;DR:

Joshua let a lot of people suffer and perma-die when he very easily could have prevented it for reasons that are unfathomable even to the Producer (“Does [the Composer] have a plan at all?” — Secret Report #20), and while this was perhaps due to Higher Plane politics and wanting to Prove A Point to the angels of the Higher Plane, that doesn’t change the fact that the suffering and erasure of countless individuals was a direct result of his inaction, or that another city’s Composer had to step in to give the Players a chance to fix the mess because Joshua himself couldn’t be bothered to do so.

#neo: the world ends with you #ntwewy #neo twewy #long post for ts #smallestfish #also Rindo was Joshua's proxy so . . . if Rindo lost Joshua lost #and Joshua STILL did nothing even when Rindo DID lose #HAZUKI had to intervene #quite the contrast to the first game where Joshua joined up in Week 2 to ensure Neku could survive the week #(but also to needle him back to his old ways - or try to. or see if Neku would regress with needling. for science.) #Joshua's such an interesting character but he is not nice or selfless or even good #the only nice angel is Hanekoma #and that is Facts #ntwewy spoilers #neo twewy spoilers

[heyitssmiller]

Frosted Windowpanes Part Two

I have no idea why this was so hard to write? Part one just came so easily and this... not so much. But here it is! All the holiday tropes! Christmas puns (thank you to all of y’all who gave me ideas for those)! Falling in love!

As always, @donttouchmycarrots is my hero for proofreading!! Love you <3

@lumosinlove Guess who’s back to borrow your characters ;) Thank you so much!!

Part One if you missed it!

.

Finn had a Plan.

Well, half a Plan.

Maybe.

Step one: meet up with Logan and Leo again. Step two: woo them. Step three: …

Well, it wasn’t much. And it was very vague. But Finn’s plans tended to never go the way he wanted them to anyway, so vague was usually for the best. And so far, it had been going well. They’d grabbed dinner several times, ran into each other at the store or buying Christmas presents downtown. And on Monday the diner was closed, so Finn and Leo spent hours at the farm helping where they could and pestering Logan. He was so fun to tease – he got all gruff and grumpy and adorable. Leo seemed to think so, too, if the number of times he teamed up with Finn to make Logan get all red was anything to go off of.

At the beginning of all this, Finn had thought he’d been overdramatic. He’d woken up the morning after first meeting Logan and Leo and assumed he’d been tired and jet-lagged and was imagining all those feelings he’d felt the night before.

And then he’d met up with them again.

Love at first sight wasn’t real. Finn knew this. But being here, meeting Logan and Leo, just might have been enough to change his mind. It made no sense, but – well, here he was. The past few days were happy, rose-tinted, and Finn couldn’t believe his luck. What were the odds that he’d find both of them in this sleepy little town?

So here he was, pulling into the parking lot of Leo’s for a cup of coffee and a healthy serving of sweet southern blond.

Leo was out front, shoveling snow and looking absolutely miserable while doing it. He was bundled in a thick coat and hat, scarf wrapped high around his neck. Finn laughed under his breath as he turned his car off and braved the cold. Poor southern boy. Leo glanced up at him briefly when he approached, then did a double take.

“Morning, sunshine.” Finn said with a cheeky grin. “Enjoying the snow day?”

Leo’s resulting grumpy look made Finn laugh. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Nate called and said he can’t make it to work today because the roads are so bad.” Leo took a deep breath, and then the rest of his words came out in a jumbled, rushed mess. “Which isn’t his fault and I’m not blaming him at all. But I haven’t started cooking and we open in thirty minutes and there’s no coffee brewing and nowhere for people to park because of this goddamn snow and so I’m stuck shoveling snow instead of cooking and I’m so far behind-”

Finn gently pressed a finger to Leo’s lips, halting the nervous ramblings. Leo looked down at his finger, then back up to meet Finn’s eyes.

Oh, he was so gorgeous.

Finn had to force himself to focus on the matter at hand instead of cherry-red lips and soft baby blues. “Relax, ok? And hand me the shovel. I’ll do this, while you get on inside and start cooking.”

“But – Finn,” Leo said, and wow did he love the sound of his voice in that southern twang.

“Leo,” He echoed with an attempted accent, eliciting a smile from the blond.

“I can’t just ask you to work. You’re on vacation.”

“First of all, you didn’t ask – I offered. And the friends I’m visiting are both at work,” Finn explained, “so I’ve been left to my own devices for the day.”

Leo winced in sympathy. “Bless your heart.”

And see, Finn had done his research. He’d googled New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the south in general. And he’d learned that southerners were very confusing – more confusing than people gave them credit for. They were polite and kind to everyone, even if they definitely didn’t mean it. The phrase “bless your heart” could mean they either absolutely adored you or they thought you were the worst person on the planet.

Finn really hoped it wasn’t the latter. He didn’t think it was the latter, anyways.

“I’m literally dying of boredom. I’ll shovel the snow, and then I can come help you cook!” At Leo’s skeptical look, Finn brought out the big guns: his puppy dog eyes. They were known to melt even the hardest of hearts. He’d learned this lesson in college when asking his Grinch of an Ethics professor for some extra credit. “Please?”

Leo hesitated, but Finn could see the exact moment he caved. “Alright. But you’re getting paid.”

“Absolutely not. Consider it a Christmas gift.”

“I’ll pay you in food and coffee.”

“Deal.” Finn said, grabbing the shovel from Leo’s mittened hands. “Like I could ever say no to your food.”

Leo’ smile, warm and a little bashful, probably could’ve thawed the snow on the pavement if it was directed that way. “What would you like: sweet or savory?”

“Sweet,” Finn said instantly, even though he really preferred savory. His one-track mind was still stuck on dimples. “But I take my coffee black.”

“Comin’ right up.”

Finn watched him go, knowing that he had the dopiest smile on his face. Today was going to be a good day. And he knew a way to make it even better.

Finn dialed the number for Tremblay’s Trees, hoping more than anything that Logan would be the one to pick up. But of course he wasn’t that lucky. A bright, cheery voice answered the phone - definitely not Logan. “Tremblay’s Trees!0 This is Thomas, how can I help you?”

“Uh,” Finn said articulately, “Hi, I’d like to talk to Logan. Is he there?”

There was a slight pause, then: “Maybe. Who’s asking? And how do you know our dear Lolo?” The voice sounded curious, if not a little mischievous. Before Finn could answer, though, there was a scuffling over the line.

“Talker, give me the phone.”

“Oh, come on, I’ve got the five o’clock news slot tonight. Give the people what they want, Logan! Who’s your mystery caller?”

“I swear to god-”

The scuffling sound got louder, then there was a loud clatter when Finn assumed the phone hit the ground. He jerked his own phone away from his ear with a wince. “I am very confused.” He stated, not sure if anyone else heard him.

There was a small, softer rustle, then a breathless voice asked, “Hello?”

Finn couldn’t help but smile. “Hi, Lolo.”

That laugh was just as wonderful over the phone as it was in person. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Mmm… I might need to be convinced.” Finn said, letting some flirtiness slip through. “Anyways, I’ve got an idea. You busy today?”

“I’ve got the morning off. Why, what did you have in mind?”

So Finn, with the phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, told the story of this morning as he shoveled – Nate not being able to make it to his shift, the ice and snow in Leo’s parking lot, Leo being behind on cooking and acting anxious. “So I was thinking we could do something? Like a surprise? And I know you guys need to actually sell things and make a living and stuff but I was thinking about decorating the diner? He just works so hard and he’s so stressed and I feel like he could use a little holiday cheer. What do you think?”

The other voice from earlier must have shouted, because he was loud enough to hear over the phone. “Phone guy! What the hell did you say to make him melt like that?”

Logan punched Talker in the shoulder. Hard. “I will lock you in the closet, Talker. Shut. Up.” His attention was brought back to the phone by Finn’s laugh and his demeanor softened again. He’d never met someone as chaotically considerate as Finn O’Hara. It was such a sweet, thoughtful idea. And it was something to help out Leo? How could Logan say no?

“Sounds like a plan.” Logan said, cradling the phone closer to his ear. “Most people already have their decorations so we don’t have a whole lot left, but I’ll see what I can find.”

“Perfect! Oh this is going to be so fun – fuck, I’ve gotta go. Customers just showed up. But I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Great. Ok see you soon bye!” The words reached Logan in a rush before the line went dead.

What a dork.

Logan was pretty sure he was half in love with him.

“So…” Talker said suddenly, making Logan spin around quickly. “Who are you pining over?”

Noelle, who had been passing by on her way to the kitchen, backpedaled in order to join the conversation. “Are we talking about Logan’s love life? Because I’m so here for that.”

Logan sighed and went to the coat rack by the door, grabbing his coat, toque, and scarf. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

They both promptly ignored him. Talker grinned at his fiancée, sensing trouble he could get into. “He’s become such a sap.”

Noelle snuggled up to Talker, turning her teasing gaze to her brother. “But if it’s who I’m thinking of, they have such good chemis-tree.”

“Did you guys practice this or something?”

“Hey man, don’t be so defensive.” Talker said, voice turning serious. “You know we’re all rooting for you.”

“I hate you both so much.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, Lolo.” Noelle sighed, giving him an over-the-top hug and obnoxious kisses to his cheek. “We’re just having some fun. Do you want us to stop needling you?”

“I’m having fun fir sure!” Talker shouted, then burst into raucous laughter, which stopped as abruptly as it started. “Wait. That wasn’t Leo on the phone. You've got eyes for someone other than him, now? Branching out a little, are we?"

“No.” Logan said instantly, then winced. Because his feelings for Leo definitely hadn’t changed. But then there was Finn… “Maybe. It’s complicated, ok?”

“The redhead that was hanging out with you and Leo on Monday?”

Logan felt his cheeks heat up but didn’t say anything. Monday had been the best, though. Showing the two of them the farm and how he did his job and watching their noses and cheeks turn adorable shades of pink from the cold. Even though he’d been there for a year, Leo still seemed in awe of all the snow. He clearly hated it, but Logan could tell he still found wonder and beauty in a clean blanket of undisturbed, freshly-fallen snow. Finn, even though he was clearly freezing too, kept cracking jokes the entire time, his voice muffled by his scarf. They’d walked and talked and learned more about each other among the saplings that would be full-grown and ready to be cut down by next season.

Yeah, Monday had been a great day.

And Logan was so screwed.

“Birch, please.” Noelle teased, then softened. “But really, Logan. Both of them were just as interested in you as they were in each other. You’ve got nothing to worry about, you just need to talk to them.”

He looked up from the buttons of his coat. “You think so?”

“Only one way to find out. What are you doing with them today?”

“We’re decorating the diner.” Logan pulled his hat on and looked over at his sister. “Do you think dad’ll be ok with me taking some garland and a wreath?”

Noelle scoffed. “With all the coffee and pastries you boy’s given us, I think he’s more than paid for it. Do you want company?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” Talker said, wiggling his eyebrows. “We’d make the perfect wingmen.”

“You did enough while I was on the phone, thanks.” Logan said, grabbing the keys from the counter. “Ok I’m headed out. See you later.”

Talker and Noelle sent a chorus of boos after him, only stopping when the door closed firmly behind him. He huffed out a laugh, shook his head, and headed towards the display counter to grab decorations. They were a little old since it was so close to Christmas day, but they’d have to do. Logan hesitated for a split second, then grabbed the Santa hat as well. They’d get a kick out of that. He threw the decorations in the back of the truck and took off down the road.

.

They actually worked really well together – Leo and Finn, that is. Finn dealt with customers while Leo made the food. They had a complex, intricate dance around the close quarters of the diner but they seemed to know the footwork already and could predict exactly what the other needed without blinking an eye. Leo peered out the kitchen window at Finn as he took orders at another table, laughing at something one of the women said. He was good at this. He was naturally outgoing and good with people, but he was also efficient and seemed to be able to keep track of twenty different things at once.

Leo frowned thoughtfully down at the grits on the stove. Logically, he shouldn’t like Finn. The redhead had appeared like a whirlwind and thrown everything off course. But then he went out of his way to be helpful and sweet and thoughtful even though it didn’t benefit him in any way. He had a big heart with a lot of love to give. And he gave it willingly to everyone, it seemed.

Don’t get him wrong, that was a good thing – it was a great thing. But it also made the past few days incredibly confusing. Was Finn treating Leo like everyone else, or did he want something more?

He definitely wanted something more with Logan, though. That much was obvious.

Leo just wasn’t sure how he fit into all of this.

Finn barging into the kitchen snapped Leo out of his thoughts. He looked up as Finn started looking around for something on the counters and shelves, tongue poking out in concentration. Leo couldn’t help but smile at the little detail.

“What are you looking for?” He asked, stepping away from the stove.

“The, um…” Finn said, trailing off as he continued to search, clearly distracted. “The spicy maple sauce for the chicken and waffles.”

“In the fridge.” Leo stated plainly, maneuvering around Finn to grab flour from the pantry, brushing against his back as he did so and trying to ignore how the simple touch heightened his awareness of the redhead. Finn threw open the fridge door, scanning the shelves.

“Where?”

“Second shelf from the bottom, on the right.”

A few seconds of silence, then: “Where?”

Leo laughed, dumping a cup of flour into a bowl and heading to the fridge. He peered over Finn’s shoulder, then reached around him with one long arm to grab the bowl of sauce. “Right in front of you, sweetheart.” He teased. Finn turned around so that he was facing Leo, a look that Leo had seen a lot in the past few days but still couldn’t identify on his face.

“Yeah,” was all he said, soft and a little strangled.

Leo looked away from those deep, brown eyes and down at the sauce. His heartrate picked up significantly. “Have you tried this yet?” At Finn’s shake of his head, Leo grabbed a spoon from a nearby drawer. “Figured I’d combine my roots with where I ended up, y’know? Tabasco, black pepper, maple syrup, and a few more secret ingredients.” He said with a wink, spooning some out and holding it out to Finn. “I’m pretty proud of it, if I do say so myself. Try it.”

Instead of grabbing the spoon from Leo, Finn just leaned forwards and tasted the sauce straight from the spoon in Leo’s hand. Leo’s breath hitched and his stomach swooped as Finn straightened again and met his eyes.

Oh, he could stare into those eyes forever. Eyes the same color of the coffee Finn had slid through the kitchen window about an hour ago with the words, “figured you could use some” before dashing off to clear another table. Leo had turned beet red, but grabbed the coffee and held it close before taking a sip.

Leo also hadn’t realized how close they were. The diner was small and the kitchen was cramped, but they definitely didn’t need to be standing this close. Not that Leo was complaining.

“Is it hot in here?” Finn murmured, gaze flitting from Leo’s eyes down to his lips and back again.

Leo seemed a little lost, too, leaning closer to the redhead without even realizing he was doing it. “Must be the sauce.”

It definitely wasn’t just the sauce.

The chime that alerted them to the front door opening startled both of them, forcing them to jerk away from each other and blush furiously.

“I, uh, I’m going to go check on that.” Finn said, still not looking away from Leo as he backed up.

“Ok.” Leo whispered, reaching back to grab the island behind him in an attempt to steady himself. Finn reluctantly tore his eyes away and disappeared from sight, leaving Leo reeling in the kitchen as he entered the dining area.

Finn’s mind was still back in the kitchen, wishing more than anything that he hadn’t been forced to step away. He’d never wanted to kiss someone senseless quite as much as he did right then. And how was he supposed to keep it together when all he wanted to do was flip the diner sign from open to closed and get Logan here and finally talk to them. They’d felt this pull - this magnetism - too. He knew they did. The only thing left to do was finally talk about it. 

Finn was forced to snap back to the present when the counter was suddenly covered in green needles, red berries, and festive ribbons. He looked up to see Logan grinning at him. Under his coat he was wearing red plaid, which matched the Santa hat perched on his head.

How was it possible to want two people so much at the same time? He couldn’t breathe with all the emotions overflowing in his chest.

“Ho ho ho,” Logan attempted to say, but cracked up before he could finish. Finn grinned and laughed as well, stepping forward to greet him.

“You should’ve used the chimney.” Finn joked, tugging on the end of his hat playfully. He got a smile and sparkling green eyes in return. Finn bit back a dreamy sigh. “But really, thank you. Leo’s gonna love this.”

Logan’s face grew a little worried. “How is he?”

Ha.

Haha.

That was a good question, since Finn left him standing there in the kitchen with the spoon still in his hand, looking a little lost.

He ended up shrugging, glancing back at the kitchen door longingly. “Better now. Still seems tired.”

“We’re going to have to force him to take breaks, aren’t we.” It wasn’t a question.

“Probably. If we tag team, I think we can manage to make it happen.” Finn looked down at the decorations. “So where are we putting these?”

Logan looked around the dining area, giving Finn a perfect view of his profile. He longed to kiss that strong jawline so badly, holy shit. “We could hang some over the kitchen window and some around the front window. And the wreath can go on the door.” Finn followed Logan as he maneuvered his way around tables to the front window, eyeing it critically. “The frame is wide enough that it should stay up on its own, so we won’t need nails or anything.” He grabbed the garland from the counter and then turned back around. Finn looked from him to the tall crown molding around the window.

“Need a ladder?”

“No.”

Finn laughed, grabbing one end of the garland and stretching up to place it on the ledge. Once it was secure, he looked over his shoulder at Logan and stuck his hand out for the other end. Logan hesitated, clearly wanting to do it himself, but quickly admitted defeat and handed it over. He huffed at Finn’s smug smile.

“Shut up.”

Finn laughed as he hung the garland. Logan was so small and grumpy and cute. Finn wanted to bundle him up in his arms and never let go. His little pocket-sized lumberjack. How adorable. He was so different from Leo, in basically every way. And yet Finn still wanted them both. How the hell did that work? 

“I should probably check on the customers.” Finn said reluctantly, glancing around at the breakfast crowd. “Do you think you can manage the kitchen window?”

“I got it.” Logan grumbled, sizing up his next target. Finn just shook his head fondly and started making his rounds to the occupied tables. Logan grabbed the remaining garland and headed behind the counter. He couldn’t help but stick his head through the window and look around. It was several degrees warmer in the kitchen than it was in the dining area. Logan was surprised at how tidy it was, considering how hectic the morning had been. There were a few scattered dishes in the sink, but the counters were mostly clean and organized, each bowl seemed to have a designated location. Leo, focused with his head down, maneuvered between stations with an effortless grace as he breaded a chicken tender and threw it into a frier. Logan never thought he’d be so entranced by something as simple as cooking but here he was, watching Leo hum along to the Christmas music on the radio as he poured batter into a waffle iron. He grabbed a mug of coffee off to the side and looked up as he took a sip, jumping when he saw Logan.

“Logan! Hey, honey!” He smiled, like seeing Logan was the highlight of his day. Logan yearned at the sight of that smile. He seemed to be doing a whole lot of yearning lately. “When did you get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago. Brought you something.”

Leo arched an eyebrow. “That sounds a little ominous.”

“No,” Logan laughed. “No, it’s a good thing.” He held up the garland and wiggled it around a little, causing it to sway in the air.

Leo’s entire face lit up. “Christmas decorations?”

“It was Finn’s idea.” Logan said, looking back over his shoulder at the redhead. Leo visibly softened, smile gentle and eyes warm.

“He sure is sweet, isn’t he?”

You just need to talk to them, Noelle’s voice echoed in Logan’s head. Looking at Leo right then, he couldn’t help but think that maybe she was right.

.

“Sure is snowing hard out there, eh?” Logan asked several hours later as he looked out the window. It was a strange lull in the day – too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. They were all grateful for the break. Logan honestly wasn’t sure how Leo did this every day – it was exhausting.

Finn, who was sitting on the other side of the booth from Logan and Leo with his legs stretched out, pulled up the weather app on his phone. “It’s only supposed to get worse. They’re calling for a blizzard.”

Leo looked out at the snow worriedly. “I really don’t wanna drive home in all that.”

“Might need to close up early, then. No one’s going to be out in this weather, anyways.” Logan said, watching Leo bite his lip as he thought about it. “I could drive you, if you want.”

Leo looked over at him, relief clear in his eyes. “Would you?” He rushed to continue, “I don’t wanna inconvenience you or anything, and I know you need to get home too-”

“Leo,” Logan cut in with a smile. If Leo didn’t know Logan would do pretty much anything for him at this point, he was clearly oblivious. “I don’t mind, I promise.”

Leo seemed to accept it without further argument and looked over at Finn. “Do you wanna tag along? I was thinking about making cookies.”

“Well that depends.” Finn said with mock gravitas, leaning forward to rest his forearms against the table. “What kind of cookies are we talking?”

Leo matched his pose, mischief alight in his eyes. “I was thinking snickerdoodles, but I’d be willing to reconsider.”

“Sneak in some sugar cookies we can decorate and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Leo and Finn shook on it, keeping it professional.

Logan was infatuated with the two of them.

“So you’re closing early?” He asked, excited at the prospect of spending the rest of the day with them. At Leo’s nod, he nearly sighed with relief. “Good. You need a break.”

Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same. “Maybe I do.”

Finn grinned. “He finally admits it!”

“Ok, ok, I get it.” Leo sighed, shoving Logan’s shoulder repeatedly until he got out of the booth. Leo followed after him. “I’ve got to put stuff away in the kitchen and then I’ll be done.”

Logan and Finn shared a look before trailing after him. They worked together to clean up, put food away, and organize the receipts and cash register for the day. It went much faster with three people. Before they knew it, all three of them were piling into Logan’s pickup truck, bundled up against the cold and brushing freshly-fallen snowflakes off of their coats and out of their hair. Logan pulled out onto the road, driving while Leo gave directions from the passenger’s seat.

Leo’s house was nice – small, but it looked warm and well-loved. There was a snowman out front, complete with a scarf and carrot nose.

“Cute.” Finn said as they got out of the truck, walking up to the snowman. Leo smiled, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

“My friend’s little brother made that over the weekend.” He unlocked the front door and ushered everyone inside as he held the door for them. Leo’s house was all cool tones – soft blue and purples and greens. There was a tree in the corner of the living room by the window, all lit up and decorated. There were presents under the tree, wrapped in brown paper with ribbons and bows.

Leo hung his coat on the coat rack and took Logan’s and Finn’s from them. “So. Cookies?”

“Nope,” Logan said, grabbing Leo by the hand and tugging him towards the living room. “Rest first, then cookies.” Leo laughed, reaching behind him to find Finn’s arm and pulling him along with them.

“I won’t say no to a Christmas movie.” He agreed as they all collapsed onto the couch. Finn grabbed a blanket from the arm of the couch and threw it over the three of them while Leo grabbed the TV remote.

Logan moved closer under the pretense of getting under more of the blanket. He was now pressed up against Leo, butterflies in his stomach. “My vote is for Die Hard.”

Finn scoffed, throwing his legs over Leo’s and Logan’s thighs. “That doesn’t count as a Christmas movie.”

“I beg your pardon-”

“Is it about Christmas? No. Case closed.”

Logan leaned forward to look around Leo at the redhead. “It takes place during Christmas!”

Leo just listened amusedly to the bickering as he flicked through movie titles. They were still arguing when he started the cute, old Claymation Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Both boys trailed off as the introduction music started.

“This works.” Finn said, settling in to get more comfortable, his calves flexing against Logan’s thighs as he stretched. Logan hummed in agreement, eyes already glued on the screen.

They hadn’t even met Hermey the elf before Leo was sound asleep, head pillowed on Finn’s shoulder and breathing slow and even. Finn looked over blond curls at Logan and smiled, making his heart thud painfully in his chest. He needed to talk to them, and soon. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could sit there and keep all these feelings internalized.

But it could wait until after a nap. He snuggled up close and turned back to the TV.

.

“No, you need to-” Leo stopped and laughed, pointing to the recipe. “Teaspoon of vanilla extract, darlin’, not tablespoon.”

Finn switched out one measuring spoon for another with a wince. “That would’ve been bad, huh?”

“Very bad.” Leo agreed, looking over at the oven to see Logan already staring back at them, a wide, almost-giddy smile on his face as he started loading cookie dough balls onto a baking tray. One tray of snickerdoodles were already in the oven and spreading out rapidly as they cooked.

“We might’ve put those too close to each other,” Logan said, crouching down to look into the oven. “They’re all starting to stick together. It’s just one big, square cookie.”

“That’s ok. It’ll still taste good.” Leo said with a shrug. They both turned when Finn started banging on the table in time to the music.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas! There is just one thing I need!” He screamed, bopping along to the song. Logan laughed and let himself be tugged forwards to dance. Leo watched as they both jumped around and danced in the kitchen, hips swaying and acting like total dorks. But they were so happy, as well. Big smiles graced their faces as they laughed and sang and held each other close. Leo whisked wet ingredients together in a bowl and leaned back against the counter as he enjoyed the over-the-top show. They were cute together in the warm glow of the kitchen – a sharp contrast to the snow falling outside and collecting on the windowsill. Finn tilted his head back to shriek the last high note, causing Logan and Leo to both burst into fits of laughter.

“O’Hara, please don’t audition for Broadway.” Logan teased, still laughing a little. Finn scowled and grabbed a tea towel, spinning it up before whipping it at the brunet.

This started an all-out war. Many a cookie lost their life in the crossfire when Logan accidentally hit Leo’s arm as he was transferring cooled cookies into a tin. They had a warrior’s send-off as they were dumped into the trash can.

After the cookies were baked and decorated and the kitchen was cleaned thoroughly, it was pitch black outside. Leo had genuinely lost track of time, but he was selfishly grateful for it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for y’all to be driving in this weather in the dark.” He said, snagging a cookie from one of the plates and taking a bite as he tried to be casual about the two boys potentially staying the night. “I’ve got a guest bedroom and a pull-out couch if you wanna stay here.”

Finn and Logan looked at each other, then Logan shrugged. “If that’s ok with you.”

Ok? It was wonderful.

“Of course it is. I’ll go make up the beds and get y’all something to sleep in, ok?” Leo said before hurrying to his room, where he hastily made his bed and rummaged through his dresser for clothes. He muttered to himself as he pulled out two pairs of sweatpants. “Don’t make a big deal of this, Nutty. They’re just spending the night. That’s it.”

His mind fast-forwarded to imagine sleep-mussed hair, soft smiles, and rough morning voices. Sitting at the table together, nursing cups of coffee as the sun rose over a clean, white blanket of snow. They’d talk and laugh and just maybe share some coffee-flavored kisses.

Leo sighed, pressing his forehead against the edge of his dresser. “I’m screwed, ain’t I?”

.

Logan woke up to a gentle hand prodding his shoulder. He breathed in sharply as he remembered where he was and blinked his eyes open to be met with worried blue ones. “Leo?” He asked as he sat up, voice raspy with lack of use. “What’s wrong?”

He was greeted with an absolute onslaught of words. “There’s so much snow outside. Like, so much snow. I’ve never seen this much snow before. And I didn’t think it would be this bad so I don’t have any milk or bread or eggs in the house and I doubt I can get to the store. How long do you think the roads will be out? And what about the diner? Is snow damage a thing? Do I need to go check-”

Logan laughed softly, falling back against the pillows and covering his eyes with his forearm. “What – milk, eggs, and bread?”

“It’s a southern thing.” Logan couldn’t see him, but he could hear the pout in his voice. His vision was suddenly filled with blond bed-head and wide baby blues as Leo pulled his arm away from his face. If he could wake up to this every day, Logan would die a happy man. “Come on, sweetheart, I’m really freaking out right now.”

One of these days, the terms of endearment were actually going to kill him.

“I’m sure the diner’s fine. Besides, there’s not much we can do until the roads clear, so we’ll just have to wait it out.” Logan shifted over on the bed, leaving a Leo-sized spot open. He tugged on Leo’s arm until he crawled into bed, laying on his side to face Logan, their feet tangled together. Leo was wearing fuzzy socks.

Logan smiled at the sight in front of him, then closed his eyes again. “Go back to sleep, Leo. We’ll deal with it when-”

The door banged open to reveal Finn, face bright with excitement. “Snow! Have you guys seen all the snow? We should-” He stopped when he saw the two boys in bed, nestled together and still sleepy. He cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to-”

“Cuddle.” Leo said, reaching up for Finn as well. “We should cuddle.” Finn smiled warmly and didn’t hesitate to clamber into bed on Logan’s other side, scooting in close and only elbowing Logan once as he got comfy. Logan grumbled, but quickly got over it when he felt a tentative arm wrap around him as he drifted back off to sleep.

.

Leo woke up to two boys asleep in bed with him and couldn’t think of a time when he was happier. They were all tangled together in a mess of limbs and blankets and pillows. It was warm and soft and Leo never wanted to leave. But he also wanted to surprise them with coffee and breakfast. Breakfast in bed wouldn’t be too obvious would it? He thought back to the past twenty-four hours and decided that if this wasn’t flirting, he wasn’t sure what was. Now it was just a matter of taking that next step and actually talking about it. So who cared if it was too obvious or not?

Leo glanced at Logan and Finn one last time. There was just something about seeing the two of them in his clothes. Logan’s sweaterpaws were visible from where he was grabbing onto Finn’s arm in his sleep. Finn was close to the same size as Leo so the clothes actually fit him pretty well. His face was pressed into brown hair, arm tightening around Logan as he huffed out a breath. The sight did something to Leo’s heart. He smiled dopily before sneaking out of bed, his back popping as he stretched. Ok, game plan: coffee, breakfast, talk. He could do this.

He crept down the hall and into the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as he could when getting a frying pan out and setting it on the stove. Next came the kettle for water to use in the French press, bacon, and ingredients to make homemade biscuits. Normally he would’ve done eggs, but they’d used all of them on the cookies yesterday.

The biscuits went into the oven and the bacon into the frying pan, sizzling away. So much for breakfast in bed. Leo knew the smell of food cooking would bring the other two out of the bedroom and, sure enough, he soon heard two pairs of footsteps headed towards him, one slightly muffled by too-long sweatpants hems dragging along the floor. He grabbed three mugs from the cabinet and sent a smile over his shoulder at the two boys.

Three cups of coffee: one black, one with cream only, and one with cream and sugar.

Leo pulled the biscuits out of the oven and quickly transferred them onto a plate, doing the same with the bacon before bringing both to the table.

“Leo, you’re an angel.” Finn said as he grabbed plates and silverware for the three of them. Logan hummed in agreement from in front of the fridge, where he was collecting butter and jams for the biscuits. They all joined each other at the kitchen table, still a little sleepy-eyed and half awake.

Leo, halfway through his first sip of coffee, passed Finn his mug of steaming black coffee, then Logan his own cup full of cream and sugar, just how he liked it. Logan looked down at it and sighed happily, “Love you, Nutter Butter.”

Finn’s head shot up. Leo choked on his coffee, cheeks heating up. Logan looked at them confusedly before he realized what he said and his face paled. “Shit.”

“You... you love me?” Leo asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Logan’s heart ached a little at the look on Leo’s face. God, he should’ve told him a long time ago. In response he just slowly nodded, hesitantly meeting wide eyes and hoping for the best.

Leo smiled, letting out a soft laugh. “Honey, I’ve loved you for months.” He took a deep breath, as if gathering up his courage, then reached out to grab Finn’s hand. “And I think I’m falling for you, too. Judging from the way Logan stares at you when you’re not looking, he feels the same.” Leo looked from Finn to Logan hopefully. “Right?”

Finn squeezed Leo’s hand, finally daring to hope. Maybe he could actually have this. His heart thundered in his chest, so loud that Logan and Leo were bound to hear it. “And how does he stare at me when I’m not looking?”

Leo’s eyes flicked over to Logan with a smile. “Take a look for yourself.”

Finn’s breath hitched as he looked over into evergreen eyes, bright and gazing at him the same way Finn had caught him staring at Leo so many times before. He laughed a little in relief, tracing Logan’s cheekbone with gentle fingers.

“I was a little worried we were never going to have this conversation. And I know we’ve got a lot to figure out, but...” He trailed off, a little in awe. What were the odds of this? Everything seemed to fall perfectly into place, like puzzle pieces. It wasn’t some huge revelation, though. There were no grand romantic gestures, no race against time, no frantic outburst. It was calm and gentle like the sun rising outside, casting everything in light pastels and golds.

Logan just laughed softly, scooting his chair back with a loud scraping noise and standing up. “Stop just sitting there and come here, I’ve been wanting to kiss you two for forever.”

Finn scrambled up from his seat and all but threw himself at Logan, nearly bowling him over as he kissed him enthusiastically, arms wrapped tightly around Logan’s waist. Leo smiled as he watched them. He loved their dynamic – the bickering and teasing like they’d known each other for years, and yet the head-over-heels way they looked at each other and held each other and kissed each other. They were so comfortable together, not shying away from anything it seemed. Leo couldn’t wait to see how their relationship grew and evolved over time. He couldn’t wait to see how all three of them would grow together. He stood too and joined Logan and Finn, pressing kisses to their cheeks, their jaws, their necks – anywhere he could reach.

Finn broke the kiss to press his forehead against Logan’s, eyes closed and smile a mile wide. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you at that farm.” His eyes turned to Leo next. He reached up and cupped Leo’s face in his hands. “And I’ve wanted to kiss you since that first bite of pie.”

“What, was the muffuletta not good enough for – mmph.” Leo’s teasing words got cut off by Finn’s lips on his. He sighed into the kiss, draping his arms over Finn’s freckled shoulders and angling his head to deepen the kiss. He could taste black coffee on Finn’s lips and had never loved the flavor more. There was another hand at his back, stroking over his spine. Logan. Leo leaned back into his hand before breaking away from Finn to look at Logan – the guy he’d been pining after for just shy of a year.

“How did I get so lucky?” He murmured, prompting Logan to lean up and kiss him, softly and heartbreakingly gentle. Leo kissed him with purpose, running his tongue against Logan’s bottom lip and causing his breath to hitch.

He thought back to his musings of the night before during his panic in his bedroom and laughed against Logan’s lips. The brunet made a questioning humming noise, so Leo leaned back just far enough to whisper, “Maybe I’m clairvoyant.”

Finn laughed, bewildered. “What?”

Leo just glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, smiled, and combed a finger through red tresses. Sleep-mussed hair, soft smiles, and rough morning voices. Sitting at the table together, nursing cups of coffee as the sun rose over a clean, white blanket of snow. Talking and laughing and sharing some coffee-flavored kisses. Those had been his thoughts last night. And here he was, suddenly getting all of those things.

“Nothing, sweetheart.” Leo said, looking down at his two with overflowing fondness as he thought of the future and hoped that those musings would come true, too.

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #o'knutzy #frosted windowpanes

[kingk8art]

hetalia rant

pls ignore how I won't use any proper punctuation or capitalization because my arms and fingers all hurt from volleyball :( Edit: My arm’s are better now so I’m actually using proper capitalization and punctuation (special thanks to my friends for proofreading and also Google autocorrect.) Special thanks to my friend for helping me out with writing this.

so i'm one of those people who joined the hetalia fandom like REALLY late, having first watched the anime in like 2017 or 18. Nevertheless, when I heard about how the anime was coming back in 2021 I was really excited!! I’ve been reading world stars lately but there’s just something in the hetalia anime that made me love it so much. the voice acting and how it’s animated and everything, it really brings the characters to life! out of curiosity I searched up hetalia on twitter. keep in mind that i’m pretty new to the fandom so i never really got to see the shipping wars, or really any toxic part of the fandom, since i wasn’t there when hetalia was at its peak.

What i saw was really different from what i expected to see. I kinda expected twitter threads hyping up the new season, or things like that but most of ones I found in the top section were hate comments about hetalia, and things about why it shouldn’t come back. I was reading these and I was like, wait why? Some of them actually made sense, and the others had flawed logic. Here are my rants on why hetalia ISN’T anti-Semitic or problematic (as of now).

Misconceptions About Hetalia

1. Hetalia is About Nazi Germany or the Holocaust

If you’ve actually watched the show/read the manga, it’s quite obvious that although some of the events take place during WW2, it never mentions Hitler, Nazis, the Holocaust, or anything like that. and there’s a good reason for it. In the first place, hetalia isn’t meant to be a serious comic. The manga only focuses on subjects like funny things that happened to historical figures/occurrences during a war, weird inventions; generally those kinds of things. It focuses on the cultural differences between countries, or wholesome moments in history (such as when two enemies stopped fighting on Christmas day to play soccer.) Hetalia itself is antiwar. Consider the main character himself: he absolutely hates fighting. I don’t see how hetalia can be anti-Semitic or pro-war at all. But what I will say is fucked up are those certain cosplayers that did the Nazi salute, posed in front of a Holocaust memorial, etc. But I can still guarantee that the MAJORITY of the fandom is not like this. Every single fandom has its bad apples, some more than others. It’s not right to generalize the entire fandom as anti-Semitic, racist, disrespectful shits.

Do people realize that Germany’s character in Hetalia isn’t Nazi Germany?  In the first place the Holocaust wouldn’t be Germany’s responsibility — the depictions of these characters are meant to portray the people as a whole, not their systems of law or government. It’s stated in the series that nations MUST obey orders from their “boss” (which probably refers to the country’s ruler, president, prime minister, or other leaders at the time. Nations can’t choose what their superiors do, or what those under that control do. Saying Germany is humanized Nazi Germany is like putting that label on all German people without considering factors like time period or representation. Hetalia characters are a mere representation of each country’s people, nothing else.

How does mentioning WW2 in a comedy make it offensive? There are PLENTY of movies, novels, and other kinds of media that take place in WW2 and yet are in the comedy genre. Ever watched Jojo Rabbit? If you thought Hetalia was offensive, have you ever watched South Park or looked at CountryHumans? I do get why some people dislike Hetalia, but why does it receive so much hate for something that was never in the series (or generally speaking, for the wrong reasons)? It may have flaws, but there’s a strong definition to what those flaws actually are. It doesn’t revolve around antisemitism or Nazism. 

2. Hetalia is Racist and Stereotypes People

Now this is a pretty controversial topic. Being a comedy about personified countries, stereotypes are really something that HAS to be used at some point to make the characters funny. But does that automatically make it racist? No. I saw this on a YouTube video comment section somewhere, but stereotyping (generalizing) that all stereotypes are ‘bad’ (or have negative connotations/associations) is literally stereotyping. Not all of the stereotypes are bad. Like the way Britain acts like a gentleman or likes drinking tea, which in a way, is a British stereotype. That’s not a bad thing, just funny to see in the show — played for comedy purposes, and not necessarily offensive.

Although Hetalia characters are sometimes influenced by stereotypes that revolve around the actual countries and represent the people in general, they DO NOT always represent what those country’s people are actually like. Also, I’m pretty sure the point of comedy about personified countries is to use some of those generalizations. Specifically, stereotypes that the Japanese have about foreigners. France is portrayed as a flirty man because in Japan France is known for being a “romantic country.” But that doesn’t mean that they think all French people are like that — it’s just a lighthearted joke. And now, Hetalia characters have grown to be more of their own character rather than simply a humanized country at its base. Despite being a personification, they’re like their own person, not just used to depict stereotypes. Just because a character has a certain personality trait doesn’t mean Hima believes that everyone from that country has the same trait. It’s not meant to be racist, and isn’t. 

What I Think Was/Is Problematic

As much as I love this show, there were DEFINITELY some problematic things that people tend to ignore.

1. Korea Controversy

As a Korean American, I have to say that I was quite disappointed when I learned about how Hima portrayed Korea in the manga. I won’t go that deep into this one since it’s not that relevant to what I'm talking about now, but it was definitely a HUGE problem and I’m glad that he was removed from the series.

2. Iron Cross on Germany

The iron cross that Germany wears in Hetalia (in every time period) is a military decoration that was used since the King of Prussia until the time period of Nazi Germany in WW2. Today, it’s considered a hate symbol, similar to and alongside the swastika. To be fair, it wasn’t just a decoration used purely for the Nazis, unlike several other examples of Nazi symbols and memorabilia, so I suppose it could be up to each person to judge whether it should pass or not, despite the surrounding circumstances — it isn’t up to me as part of the fanbase. But personally, I think it should have been removed/not used in the first place. I mean, it wasn’t that necessary, seeing all of the military uniforms drawn in Hetalia were simplified anyways. Perhaps it would be much less problematic if Hima didn’t draw the iron cross, and the same goes for the other presented issues.

3. Japanese Imperialism

The way Hima portrays Japanese Imperialism was pretty offensive in my opinion. An instance is the presentation of the Japanese invasion of Korea. It wasn’t just like how the colonies were under Great Britain’s rule. It limited much more of Koreans’ rights and was much more gruesome. I don’t know about anyone else and can’t speak for each individual, but as a Korean, portraying all of this as Japan merely patting Korea on the  head is fucked up. This ties to the controversy of Korea’s character. From what I’ve seen, Hetalia is pretty close to a rightist (in Japan, not the US) series. I won’t dive too deep into that, but rightist — or in Korean, 우익 — animes are animes that glorify their country’s past/country, or  use content to make fun of or criticize other nations. Actually, it’s probably much more complicated than that, but as of now I don’t know much about it. It mostly ties to the tension between Koreans and the Japanese, so if you’re not either, there’s not really much to worry about. But (maybe because I’m Korean) I found it weird that the manga seems to give every single character a bad/negative characteristic except Japan. I guess it’s only natural, since the creator is Japanese. But then again, France was basically drawn as a rapist/pedophile, but I have never seen a French person complain about it. Or maybe they just completely avoid Hetalia? If anyone knows about it, I would be glad to listen. Perhaps it’s just a bias that I have as a Korean. It could also be a cultural difference too, since we tend to be very patriotic.

4. The Title: Axis Powers

Although the main character is Italy, and the story revolved (emphasis on the past tense) around the 3 countries that were part of the Axis, Hima should have been more considerate with the title of the show, thinking about what the Axis Powers actually did during WW2. Just “Hetalia” would have been fine. But it also should be considered that when Hima started drawing the manga, he did not expect it to become a long-term thing or for it to blow up so much. Thankfully, only the first two seasons of the anime were titled as Hetalia: Axis Powers, and later seasons were titled more acceptable things, like World Stars (manga) or The Beautiful World.

5. Seychelles

Personally I don’t find a problem with there not being that many African/South American countries in the show. Africa’s country borders (and all of that related material) were very different from what they are today, and it would be really fucking hard for Hima to keep track of all of those while still writing good characters. And unlike Europe, Africa’s history was not transcribed much, and is a lot less-known. The problem with Seychelles was her skin color, which wasn’t accurate. But that’s since been fixed.

Is Hetalia Really Problematic?

My most straightforward answer for this question would be no, it is not problematic as of now. Something I realized while listing all of the aspects of Hetalia that I personally thought were wrong to put in was that most of them don’t exist anymore. Besides Germany’s iron cross, all of them were removed from the show. Korea was banned from the anime, and he no longer appears in any of the manga strips. The manga strays further and further away from topics like Japanese Imperialism or WW2. Most of the time in the manga, countries do not wear their military uniforms anymore, but stick to more casual clothes. The characters stray further away from stereotypes that Hima used to use as a comedic effect when he first started drawing. My point is: Hima learned his mistakes. Which only makes sense, considering all of the criticism he probably received when the series first started. I think that’s a good thing. Now back to what I was ranting about earlier. I don’t get why people are saying Hetalia shouldn’t come back! The new season is most likely going to be based off the most recent Hetalia manga series, which is Hetalia World Stars. If you’ve ACTUALLY READ THE MANGA AND DIDN’T JUDGE THE ENTIRETY OF HETALIA BASED ON ITS FIRST FEW SEASONS, you would know what World Stars is about. It’s about all sorts of things. My personal favorite strips are the ones about ancient Rome! It’s not just drawn to give readers a laugh but it actually teaches you some history. Other than Rome, the manga is also about the trends of clothes in certain countries/time periods, industrial revolutions, or just the interactions between the characters in general. I really don’t see how animating these would be harmful at all. The subjects don’t revolve around what a lot of opposers say/negatively connotate the series with. If you think bringing Hetalia back is a terrible thing to do because the fandom would return and start doing toxic/weird things, I really don’t know how to respond to that. The fandom already died out around the time the last season was released. Now newer fans will come around, and the former fans would return (hopefully) matured up. It's already been 5 years since the last Hetalia season aired, after all. And like I said earlier, toxic fans never represent the entire fandom. If you really hate the fandom that much, I recommend not getting involved at all.

#hetalia #rant #hetalia 2021

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues — Prologue

word count: 1.8k

warnings: not any for this chapter

ship: Dousy, background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

okay y’all.. here it is. the first installment of my first LONG TERM SERIES!!!!!! ahhhh i’m so excited. literally i cant wait to continue this and see where it takes me. i have an idea and a few different planning sheets, but honestly i have no idea where exactly this will end up. i love each and single one of you <3 thank you for reading!! this is also posted on Ao3, and linked in the masterlist.

Daisy hated the sound of the bells at The Academy. Screeching, awful, way too loud, the bells were the bane of her existence. They all wore standard-issue watches from the lab that monitored vitals and gave them reminders, and also told the time, for god’s sake! Fitz had even modified hers so that she could play snake on the tiny watch face! There was no need for the bells to be so excruciatingly disruptive. Though, Daisy guessed, there were many things more tortuous than bells ringing every hour and fifteen minutes.

Daisy slowed to a jog, cutting her morning run short. The bright side to being a third-year was that you chose your schedule, for the most part, and that meant Daisy had a free first period for four out of five days of classes. She usually spent this free period getting an extra hour in at the gym, boxing or sparring with Mack or Bobbi, two fourth years that had reluctantly taken her under their wings, or sleeping in. She reserved sleeping in for especially rough nights where visions of ashes and earthquakes and lightning returned time and time again, no matter how many deep breaths she took or sheep she counted.

But this morning was not one of those mornings. She had been up before sunrise, a little before her usual alarm and silently headed out of her dorm for a run. It was humid this time of year on most Virginia mornings, but never so hot that it made Daisy feel as if she was being smothered. The cooler air chilled her sweaty skin, her chest rising and falling as she jogged up the three flights of steps to the second years’ dorms. Down one long hallway, and she arrived at her room.

Daisy had been given her own room at the start of last year, complete with poly-adaptic-proto-whatever panels, which she had painted a pastel shade of purple, to compliment the greens of her cacti and the dark purples and blacks of everything else in her room. Even May had agreed that the stark white was too ”psych wing” for a bedroom. Daisy was grateful for the space, but considering the panels and the private room were only necessary since...

She shuddered. Grabbing her shower caddy, Daisy set off to the bathroom at the opposite end of the hall, hoping no one else was spending a free first period at the dorms.

Her shoulder-length waves were wet from bouncing against her neck, and starting to become annoying now that the sweat had dried and was starting to itch. Picking the white tiled shower furthest away from the door, Daisy quickly turned the water on, checked the temperature, pulled her sports bra and shorts off and hopped into the shower. Shampoo, condition, soap body, rinse. Checking her watch, Daisy found that she had showered in record time, less than three minutes. After spending another five just enjoying the hot water, she hopped out and changed into her class clothes.

Dark purple leggings, Coulson’s grey vintage SHIELD tee and a pair of white running sneakers she had “borrowed” from Jemma completed her look. Passing the mirrors, Daisy tried not to glance at herself. If her hair was messy or her undereye bags a bit too dark, she didn’t want to know. Instead, she headed back to her room to pack her bag for the day.

SHIELD-issued laptop, extra hard drives and a charger, Advanced CS 3: Ethical Hacking: Theory and Application, Advanced CS 4: Secrets of The Coding Languages, Physics notebook, an essay that was three days late on some boring book about international laws, and her sparring gear were all thrown into the black bag. She gave a second glance at the Russian notebooks Bobbi had loaned to her, promising that she’d learn without taking the class. Oh well, she still had all of this term to start. Plus, would she ever really need more than the dirty words?

One look at the alarm clock that sat on her dark hardwood night table showed that she still had almost forty-five minutes before she had to be in the computer lab. Sitting down on her bed, Daisy ran a hand over the grey blanket May had given her.

Daisy’s relationship with May and Coulson had been something of a problem with other students when she first got here. Some had been okay with the obvious paternal love Coulson showed for Daisy, showing her around and checking up on her, scheduling lunch dates and reminding her of tests. May was more subtle, texting her links to tai chi videos when she noticed Daisy getting too stressed or letting Daisy do her own thing if she saw that she was overwhelmed. Of course, none of the other students knew her family history, what she had gone through just to realize that May and Coulson were more her parents than her biological father and mother could ever be. She would see them later today—May during field training and Coulson in between lectures in the canteen.

Daisy walked over to her window to open her blinds, staring out at the campus she had grown to love. The large brick buildings scattered around acres of the Virginia countryside; green fields meant for physical activities like sparring or obstacle courses, or simply basking in the weather to study or chat; the dorms—red brick and concrete melded together to upgrade and expand the charming style of previously-built homes.

Grabbing a protein bar, Daisy headed to the canteen to make a green smoothie (and maybe snatch a cup of joe before she had to listen to an hour-long lecture on the reason SHIELD must cooperate with the UN’s stupid rules at 7:30 in the morning). Smelling the pines and morning dew surrounding her, she smiled slightly. Maybe this term wouldn’t be so bad.

———————————————————————

Daniel Sousa was a man of honor. He was a man of great strength. Agent Daniel Sousa, previously Officer Daniel Sousa in the US Army, was a man who could fix his damn alarm clock on his own.

Just, not today. Or the day before.

So, Agent Daniel Sousa was now hurrying his way to class at The SHIELD Academy, books in hand and gym bag slung over his shoulders. Catching a glance at himself in the shiny glass doors of the bio-chem building, he groaned. He hadn’t even brushed his hair. And, looking down, he discovered he was wearing two different shoes.

This is the college experience everyone raves about, he thought bitterly. You see, Daniel Sousa had enlisted to the army straight out of high school, forgoing university. He climbed the ranks impressively quickly, earning his place as second-in-command and reconnaissance scout in the 28th Infantry Regiment. Unfortunately, after only four years in the army, Sousa was injured in the field, losing his leg and almost his life.

He came back to the US a war hero, and yet, he felt he wasn't finished. So, when a recruiter named Peggy Carter knocked on his door claiming to be from SHIELD (“Wow, you guys are still a thing?”), he leapt at the chance to continue fighti-...doing good. The Academy wasn’t exactly what he had bargained for, though. Trying to earn his B.A. and training to be an agent at the same time was grueling, but nothing he couldn’t deal with.

No, six different one hour and fifteen minute long classes plus mandatory physical therapy every day wasn’t going to break him. Learning how to be a communications agent and re-starting field training and catching up on general college education was no problem. Pressuring himself to be the best, to break the limits, to get past all his weaknesses was just another miniscule feather to add to the pile.

Unless his stupid alarm clock broke. Then yes, Agent Daniel Sousa would fail, buckle under the weight and be left on the floor to die.

Maybe he was being a bit dramatic.

One bunny-slippered right foot and a sneakered left leg carried him forward, propelled by a quickly chugged orange Celsius and his sheer will not to be late.

Daniel heard the late bell ring out, understanding that, on his first day of class, he would be counted late. It wasn’t like him, not at all. Especially when his first class was a refresher course on field tactics and covert strategy, something in which he was already aces.

He let out a sigh, slowing as he rounded the corner into the comms building. At the Academy, most buildings were grouped into categories: the cafeteria, gym and pool, and student resource building all to the south; the gun range, obstacle course, and specialized gym to the east; bio-chem labs, tech labs, and smaller rooms for lectures to the west; the computer labs and comms buildings right smack in the middle; and dorms to the north.

He swiped a key card with his driver’s license picture and student ID, unlocking the sliding doors that led to the computer labs. It was quicker to short cut through them than to walk around the building to the entrance closest to communications classrooms.

It wasn’t because he knew a certain broody brunette spent her mornings in the lab.

No, it wasn’t, because she wasn’t in her usual seat in the corner, typing away.

He slowly walked through the rows of computers, searching for a familiar black backpack. Nothing was there.

“Hey, Sousa,” an accented female voice called behind him. He whipped around to see who it was, feeling just a twinge of disappointment when Elena, or, as most people knew her, Yo-Yo, was leaning against the door frame. Yo-Yo, a fourth year operations trainee, who was very close with Daisy.

“Hey, Yo-Yo. Good morning,” he called, “I’m running a bit late.”

Elena checked her nails casually, “Way to state the obvious. You were running faster than I could trying to get here before the bell.”

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “Yeah…”

“Daisy’s running late today, too.”

Daniel looked around, pretending that hearing Daisy’s name didn’t make him want to smile. “Oh, of course. She’s usually here early.”

Elena nodded, chuckling a little at his response. She couldn’t tell if he was oblivious or just a bad liar. It was charming, really. “Right. See ya ‘round, Sousa!”

“See ya,” He replied. He thought he heard a quiet ‘Lovable nerds’ coming from the direction she left, but he couldn’t be sure.

And so, with a last look around the computer lab, Daniel set off to arrive late to May’s lecture.

———————————————————————

okay okay,,, what do y’all think?? like/reblog and let me know! it’s the best way to support writers and it only takes a second! stay tuned for more chapters!!

#academy blues #daisy johnson #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #dousy #daisy johnson x daniel sousa #timequake #daniel sousa #jemma simmons #leo fitz #fitzsimmons #philinda #philindaisy #ashby’s fics #marvels aos #au!

[ru08us]

My concept of an Azulaang Fic

I have wanted to write an idea for a very long fic about this two characters. I figured out that for them to be together with their original characterization I literally have to change all the structure if the show, so here it is. I hope you like it.

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. When I was a child I remember seeing how the Four Nations lived in Harmony. Air Nomads living in peace in our high temples, the Water Tribes striving with beautiful cities, the Earth Kingdom growing in peace and tradition, and the Fire Nation, living the biggest prosperity age the world had ever seen. But everything changed when these last one attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But he failed, three times. A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the War. Two years ago, I woke up from an iceberg and discovered that the world I had been born in was gone. Some people say the Avatar is out there, hiding in the Earth Kingdom, or that the avatar cicle is broken. But I believe they are wrong. The new Avatar must have been born in the Fire Nation, and I’m going to find him. Deep in my heart, I know he is going to come back and save the world”

4 Main changes for the story

Azula is the Avatar, Aang is an airbender who got frost for 98 years, Ozai is more calculating and cold and Zuko’s arc changes completely

Book 1: Air

So I will start describing Character arcs and relationship developments

Azula and Aang

First 2 chapters: The Fire Nation is making it’s annual examination to find if the Avatar is in their country. Every 14 year old is put into this process. Azula is discovered as the Avatar and Ozai congratulates her, only to chi send her into a cell. She is rescued by another 14 years old guy, Aang, and they escape together. She uses the Avatar State for the first time while escaping.

They manage to sneak into the Earth Kingdom riding Appa and then Azula starts figuring out her situation properly. She questions Aang on his motives and he tells her he is an air nomad who has been looking for the avatar for 2 years after being frozen.

Chapter 3 and 4: This first part is basically Azula figuring out going along with the flow would be better for the time being and starting to relate to Aang. She tries several times to intimidate him and get him into a Ty Lee situation. But Aang is too cheerful and fails… until she starts asking about the nomads and his motives. They have one adventure where they save a town from destruction and in a happy moment Aang tells her he ran away. Azula starts taunting him with this, and she demands going to the southern air temple. She is figuring out what to do: go back to the Fire Nation or become a spiritual overlord as the Avatar?

Chapter 5 and 6: When they arrive Azula starts making cold comments about the Air Nation and its army, Aang tells her they didn’t have a formal military and after a while Azula says he is right, that they were so weak they didn’t. Aang starts getting mad at her and she calls him a coward for running. Aang then revelas they thought he was the Avatar, but they were wrong. Azula has bargain and thinks she knows how to manipulate Aang, consoling him. Zuko meets Azula and Aang and asks for the Avatar, believing it’s Aang, and Azula taunts him and humilliates him. They get attacked by Zuko and some Fire Nation soldiers then, but they escape (mostly to stop the temples from destruction).

Chapter 7 and 8: Aang and Azula start traveling back to the Earth Kingdom and discuss their countries and cultures. Aang tells Azula about Gyatso and how he was like his father. Azula makes a parallel saying how Ozai wanted to send her away too. The point was to make Aang more dependent, but he gets mad at her. Aang tells them that monks were a peaceful culture unlike the Fire Nation and Azula tells him that the Fire Nation is powerful, smart and wealthy, unlike the Air Nomads. Aang tells her she cannot think that if she wants to learn airbending (she has been training for some weeks with Aang by now and she is doing pretty bad, she attributes this failure to Aang and the situation she is in). They both decide to go to the eastern Air Temple, Aang to show her how good his culture is and Azula to show the opposite. Azula makes fun of Aang during the road, telling him he could be a great Fire Nation Citizen if he tried, cause he is too close. Aang starts thinking about this and tells her he can have an open mind. They arrive and Azula sees that the Air Nomads were actually competent and smart, while Aang relives the fear of Gyatso “wanting” to send him to the Eastern Air Temple. But he learns other things, going in close rooms. He sees some deathly techniques and learns Air Nomads abandoned babies without airbending to non bending families all around the world. Aang is kind of broken and Azula feels confused. In a moment she tells Aang she feels ready to learn airbening and Aang is almost crying for the last part. Azula comforts him tells him that Fire Nation culture can have some bad aspects, like some spicy food and stuff. Aang laughs and they start becoming friends.

Chapter 9: Aang teaches Azula the principle of liberty and games. He tells her they has been very stressed for a while and need to have some rest. Azula mocks Aang for this, but agrees to release some tension. They have fun for a while in some earthbending place, and they talk about trivial stuff. Then they got into training and a routine (slow chapter, mostly for giving Azula time to rest and release pressure). Azula reveals the plans and Sozin’s comet to Aang, mostly to add urgency and play less, but Aang says that distractions are necessary for airbending. Aang questions Azula about firebending and asks if some moves can be used in air, due to azula combining them in training.

Chapter 10 and 11: Zuko and Iroh found Azula and Aang in a several days, while they travel figuring out what to do. Aang and Azula beat Zuko pretty bad (together and separated) and then Azula discovers (by manipulating Zuko) Zhao’s plan toward the North and Aang and Azula decide to go there, cause maybe they won’t find a waterbender master by the time. They are very south of the Earth Kingdom by now.

Chapter 12, 13, 14, 15:Azula and Aang have adventures in the Earth Kingdom and deepen the bond. Aang is more open now and Azula is weirdly nice. They get to Omashu and Aang meets with Bumi in a different way and the White Lotus is the focus, Azula starts acting nice (for her standards). They run into Jet (Azula doesn’t trust him and dismantle the operation easily) and finally they get chased by Zhao but he is easily beaten by both of them, with the Yuyan Archers. Then the fortune teller, not similar to the show (Aang doesn’t have such a strong crush with Azula, if any; and azula dismisses the things). Aang basically cools a volcano and Azula is for the first time surprised on how powerful he is. They talk about him being a prodigy and they bond.

Chapter 16,17: Extended Northern Air temple, but instead of a minister is Ozai himself. Azula rans into a bit of a panic, and for the first time Aang calms her. Aang find a letter from Gyatso to a friend, telling him that he is taking Aang out of the Southern Air Temple to run away with him. Aang tells this to Azula and she acts comforting. She has started to grow close to him and thinks that: “I don’t need fear with him, I can work with he worshipping me as the Avatar”. Both of them start developing feeling from now on. They escape with the village (but not the Mechanist). By this time Azula has advanced enough in Airbending

18-20: Siege of the North. They meet Katara and Sokka. Katara’s illusions of the Avatar shatter and they don’t get along. Azula tries to manipulate Sokka but plays too much into his insecurities. Both sibling dislike her and she just asks Pakku to train her in waterbending. But before anything happens the siege occurs, the spirit dies and she almost does when all the ships who didn’t die at the attack (commanded by Zuko) start firing at her core, but she is saved by the siblings and Aang. The end is she waking up with Aang and the siblings at her side, being told she is needed in the Earth Kingdom and Katara will be her master and her with Aang having a private moment and a hug. Azula starts thinking of Aang as her first true friend.

We completed the main Arc of both of them in Book 1. I will finish their arcs for the rest of the books and then write Zuko’s, Katara’s, Ozai’s, etc. I won’t write. a fic about this, but if you are interested contact me by dm.

Please write comments so I feel this is not going so bad heheh

#azulaang #princess azula #avatar the last airbender #fanfic #avatar azula #au #aang rarepair week #aang

[evas-apartment]

Famous Puerto Rican Wrestlers!

So, the last post i made on pro wrestling got a lot of positive feedback, so I’m gonna keep talking about it lol. Two things that mean a lot to me are wrestling, and being Puerto Rican. Nothing makes me immediately like somebody more than when I’m watching somebody on TV and going “oh shit! they’re latine, that’s really cool, wonder where they’re from” and then going to their wikipedia page and finding out that they’re also Boricua, that’s really cool to me. So I thought I’d highlight some famous Puerto Rican wrestlers, cause representation matters. Join me under the cut, will you?

Damian Priest

Known in Ring of Honor as Punishment Martinez, he currently works for WWE on the Raw brand under the name Damian Priest. He is a one-time ROH TV Champion and he is also the current WWE United States Champion, which I love. I love latine people holding any gold, but there’s something real cool about him being the US champion specifically. Like we’re the face/representation of the country. Anyway, super good wrestler, super charming, wrestled a match tag-teaming with fellow Boricua and singer Bad Bunny in a match better than it had any right being. Also he has a really deep voice, and I really like that.

Carlito

Also known as Carlito Caribbean Cool, Carlito was a mainstay of WWE’s mid-card throughout the latter half of the 2000′s. Carlito is a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a two-time tag-team champion, with his cousin Primo (Primo being Spanish, for cousin :P). Carlito is the son of Carlos Colon Sr., the founder and owner of WWC, the World Wrestling Council, the premier wrestling federation in Puerto Rico, and as such Carlito and a lot of his family is involved in wrestling, in either on-camera or behind the scenes roles. The reason I’m not featuring his father is due to his cover-up in the murder of fellow wrestler Bruiser Brody, but that’s another story, for another time. Carlito was famous for “spitting in the face of people who don’t want to be cool”, literally spitting apple in the face of people that offend him. A good hand, and a memorable character, Carlito still wrestles today for various other promotions, on the independent circuit.

Zelina Vega

Wrestling as Rosita in Total Nonstop Action, Zelina Vega is perhaps best known for being the manager of Andrade El Idolo in NXT and on the Raw brand of WWE. A great wrestler in her own right, she shines as a talker, a vital part of the art of wrestling. In TNA she was a one-time Knockouts Tag-Team Champion, with Sarita, and she is also an accomplished cosplayer. Like seriously check out her cosplays, they’re really good. She currently wrestles for the Smackdown brand of WWE, usually in really good outfits.

Pedro Morales

Pedro Morales is famous for being the first ever Latino to hold a world championship in wrestling, holding the WWWF (what the WWE was called before 1979) for a staggering 1,027 days, being not only the 4th person to ever hold that belt, but for having the 5th most combined days as WWE Champion. Back in that day, championship reigns were long, and champions worked many, many, MANY days traveling all around America, and the world entertaining people. A champion in many other territories, Morales is also a WWWF United States Champion, a tag-team champion, and an Intercontinental Champion, also having the most combined days as an IC champion, making him the first-ever WWE Triple Crown Champion (having held the world championship, the tag-team championship, and one or both secondary championships). A well decorated-well season, well-liked wrestler, Pedro Morales is a testament to Puerto Rican success, saying that not only have Boricuas been killing it in this game for some time, we’ve been doing it for at least fifty years, and I think that’s really cool.

Ivelisse

A champion almost everywhere she works, Ivelisse has held championship gold in Shimmer, the World Wrestling League, All Elite Wrestling, winning the Tag Team Cup with fellow Latina, the Cuban-American Diamante, and perhaps most famously Lucha Underground, being a Trios Championship tournament winner, and a two-time Trios Championship holder, with Angelico, and Son of Havoc. Currently, she works for Shine Wrestling, a sister company to Shimmer, where she is their reigning and defending Shine Champion, with her current reign being more than 600 days, which is nuts. She also holds the distinction of holding that championship for the most combined days, good for her!

Eddie Kingston

Finally, we have Eddie Kingston. I haven’t been following AEW for too long, so I JUST found out that he’s Puerto Rican, and that makes me so fucking excited lol. Potentially, the greatest talker going today, Eddie Kingston has that rare ability to talk people into the building, to really make people care, to make people really believe what he’s saying, and that when it’s all said and done, Eddie is gonna kick your ass. A very decorated champion, having held the top prize in Combat Zone Wrestling, All-American Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, and being the first-ever Chikara Grand Champion, he currently is wrestling in All Elite Wrestling, where he is known for his partnership with former bitter rival Jon Moxley. His feud with Moxley won Feud of the Year from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and most recently Kingston wrestled Miro for the TNT Championship at AEW All Out on September 5th, in an EXCELLENT match. What else can I say, other than Eddie Kingston is one of the coolest wrestlers currently at it, and I am damn proud to call him one of my own.

So! This is something new that I might keep doing going forward, let me know if you like it! This isn’t even close to every single notable Boricua wrestler, but I didn’t wanna take up your whole dashboard, just most of it lol. As I said before, if you’ve read this far, thank you, I appreciate it, tell me what you think, I’m open to suggestions, and if you have any questions, my inbox is always open. Thank you!

#my post #my ramblings #wrestling

[weasleypogues]

newbie on set pt.2 (r.p)

so i got a lot of requests saying to do a part two so i hope u guys enjoy lol :) also!!!! i’m gonna put little twists on it here and there because it’s going to be like shes going into season 2 and sarah and john b are in the bahamas

read part 1 if you haven’t already :D

part 3 part 4

tag list for the series so far: ivebeenthinkingboutu nas-marie-loves-u k-k0129 

masterlist.

after a lot of preparation with fittings, readings, rehersals, and everything in between, you were finally shooting today. you and the cast had excitedly texted back and forth in the group chat but rudy made sure he also texted you on the side as he was eager to still get to know you.

you, madelyn, and madison sat in the makeup and hair trailer, gushing about the scenes you were shooting today and how excited you guys were to just be in south carolina and have fun like they did last year.

“did you see the tiktok i sent you?” madison asked madelyn, giggling and glancing at you because you were the once to convince madison to send it in the first place. madelyn glared at the two of you snickering, as she rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight back the giggle.

“yes! i did! i see them everywhere. ‘relax b john, i have a gutter, get you’re head out of the brother’ or ‘it’s not like i’ve never seen a gutter before, get your head out of your ass john b’, they literally fill up my page!” madelyn responded, laughing her ass off. you guys were referring to the hundreds of tiktoks that mocked that line in the first season. you threw your headback in laughter, tears coming out of your eyes. your hairdresser lola glared at you playfully and placed your head forward again because you kept interrupting her. you blew her a kiss in the mirror as a joke and she laughed.

“you guys are something else..” she trailed off, a huge smile upon her face. 

“are you nervous for today (y/n/n)?” madison turned to you and asked. you let your cheeks fill up with air before letting the breath out slowly, in deep thought. you hated to say it but you were literally terrified. you didn’t want to be the reason that a scene that should’ve taken maybe 60 minutes at most to shoot could take longer because you weren’t working to your full potential. “i’ll take that hesitation as a yes..”

“i just don’t wanna fuck up. like no one does, but if i did it on my first day it would be all i think about.” you responded, twidling with your thumbs.

“you did amazing at the table read and great at rehearsals, you’re gonna do great today.” madeyln smiled, reassuring you. “especially......because your first scene is with rudy today.” she smirked, sending a wink your way.

you felt your face grow hot and cowered in your seat slightly, but not enough that lola couldn’t continue working on your hair. you and rudy had been texting nonstop ever since you guys left the restaraunt after the first table read. you have to admit, he was very flirty but you always seemed to psych yourself out because you caught on that he was just an outgoing and friendly guy. but madison and madelyn snapped you back to reality that he wouldn’t play footsie’s with just anyone or constantly text them if it wasn’t something that crossed his mind. 

someone with an earpiece, walkie talkie, and clipboard walked onto the trailer saying that he needed you and madison for a scene. as sarah and john b were in the bahamas, you guys weren’t getting any scenes with them for a little while. you walked out of the trailer with string bracelets and other accessories practically covering your wrists, neck, and ankle to make you look more summer-y and pogue like. you walked towards where you guys were shooting a scene in the wreck and placed the apron around your body, talking to madison. 

“lady pogue! baby pogue!” you heard a familiar boy yell and you turned around to see rudy and jonathan. jonathan had on a green tshirt and grey cargo shorts, accessorized with a beaded necklace and a hat on backwards. you pulled him in for a hug first until he was pulled away suddenly. before you knew it, you were in rudy’s arms being given probably the best hug in the world. you giggled and looked up at him as you pulled away.

“you just couldn’t resist me, i get it.” you joked and raised your eyebrows. rudy laughed and let a smirk grow onto his makeup-bruised face.

“how’d you know?” he responded somewhat sarcastically. you rolled your eyes and pushed him away playfully, in doing so you admired his arms as he wore a white tanktop and backwards hat as well. 

“you guys ready to get started?” you all heard jonas yell out and you let out a deep, nervous breath and nodded. 

“you got this, (y/n).” madison reassured you, rubbing your arm lightly before the three of them got into their spots at a table at the wreck. you fixed your hair slightly, hiding your script from plain shot of the camera and tightened in apron that wrapped around your waist.

juliet walked towards the group of three pogues sitting at a picnic table at the wreck. she had just moved to the outer banks with her parents and brother for some business thing that involved her parents and real estate. however, whatever sum of money her family had didn’t stop her from finding a job and getting out to do her own thing. nick carrera was kind enough to give a sixteen year old girl with no restaraunt experience a shot at waitressing at the wreck. he said it wasn’t difficult and that his daughter, kiara, had fun. 

juliet had worked a couple of shifts with kiara and they had fun but juliet didn’t want to over step her boundaries. her next table to serve was kiara and her two friends, jj and pope? juliet couldn’t remember if that was their names or not. kiara had talked about them but said that it had been a couple of months since they’ve seen each other because they lost two friends at sea. juliet decided it was probably still a touchy subject and didn’t want to invade anymore in fear of upsetting kiara. 

however, kiara did mention that she had not seen pope or jj in a long time. juliet wasn’t sure if they had agreed to take some space or they drifted apart because of the lost friends. so when juliet saw kiara sitting at a table with two boys that fit the descriptions of her old friends, it clicked in her head. they looked like they were in a deep conversation and she thought maybe she should give them a second instead of interrupting them for a simple drink order. juliet shook her head to snap out those thoughts and walked up to the trio.

“hey kie, anything i can get for you guys to drink?” she built up the courage to ask, giving a small smile to the trio with her pen and paper in hand.

“just waters good for me, juliet. boys?” kiara started, sending a kind smile back to her. 

“same here.” pope brought up, fiddling with his fingers as it was clear they were in the middle of a deep conversation. juliet lowered her head to write on the paper and felt a wave of regret wash over her because she felt bad for interrupting the rekindling group.

“juliet? like romeo and juliet?” jj asked, looking at juliet with a small smirk on his face. juliet took a second to take in the fact that the blond kid in front of her face was bruised and cut up. he clearly fucked with the wrong people, probably kooks from old stories kiara had told her on break one day. juliet nodded with an awkward smile.

“like shakespeare intended.” juliet responded, fixing her hair slightly as a natural mannerism. 

“got a romeo? or do you want one?” jj replied with a wink. even in character, you felt your cheeks get hot because if you remembered the script correctly, that was not rudy’s line. he improvised. as you all played off that improvised line, kiara kicked jj from under the table which jj didn’t hesistate to flinch and rub his shin. “fiesty...”

kiara looked up at juliet, sending her an uncomfortable smile in a way of saying ‘sorry for him, he’s always this stupid’. “he’ll just take a water.” kiara flat out said because jj just failed to respond to juliet’s initial question.

“on the rocks!” jj joked to ease the awkwardness as juliet walked back towards the wreck to fetch them their drinks.

you heard the director yell cut and let your body somewhat relax from it’s on screen state and turned back around. “cute line, rudy! s’all you got?” you hollered over towards the trio, as you walked towards them. 

“c’mon, you gotta admit, that was funny. i had to make it a little more authentic!” rudy defended himself with his hands up. you rolled your eyes and shoved him slightly on the shoulder for almost messing you up on the first day if it wasn’t for the rest of the cast who played along so well. you let your elbow rest on his shoulder, exchanging a couple of words between madison, johnathan, and rudy in between takes. now you understood what all the hype was about.

---

after a long day at work, you packed up your backpack in your trailer, pulling your charger out of the socket. as you glanced around one last time, making sure you didn’t forget anything you heard a knock at your door. 

“come in!” you hollered out, although you didn’t let your eyes leave the surrounding areas.

“hey.” you recognized the voice as rudy’s and felt your heart flutter lightly and looked up at him. his rosy cheeks and messy blond hair almost made you melt on the spot.

“what’s up?” you asked, throwing your backpack over your shoulder and grabbing your phone. rudy took a couple of slow steps towards you and now you two were basically inches away from each other. 

“i was wondering if you were up for dinner tonight?” rudy asked, rubbing the back of his neck. he was clearly nervous, but for what?

“yeah i’m down! what do the rest of the group have in mind?” you responded, pretty obliviously. rudy let out a big breath because he thought he had gotten the hard part over with. 

“actually, i was thinking you could come around to mine and i could cook something....like y’know. just the....two of us?” rudy responded, his face slowly growing red as he avoided eye contact with you.

a huge smile grew on your face and you saw as rudy slightly relaxed himself as maybe this was a good sign. “like...a date?” you answered. you felt bad that maybe you were egging it on more and making him clearly more stressed but you needed that clarification for yourself.

“uh, that’s what i had in mind?” rudy stated, with his eyebrows raised. you lifted on your tippy toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. as you took a step back, you stared into his blue eyes and smiled.

“a date it is.” you answered. you never in your life thought that you would have the confidence to do that, so it wasn’t a surprise that your heart was racing fast and your hands felt sweaty.

you walked past him and opened the door to the trailer before turning back. “you coming or what?” you asked.

rudy did not even hesitate to follow after you.

#outer banks #outer banks writing #outer banks imagines #jj outer banks #obx writing #obx writings #obx imagines #obx #obx x reader #rudy obx #rudy pankow #rudy x reader #rudy pankow writing #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank #jj x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x reader #john b routledge #kiara carrera #pope heyward #sarah cameron #rafe cameron #topper thorton

[lonelyreputation]

Pet Names

A/N: Is this me projecting my general dislike for pet names?? Yes 😌 This is also 110% a totally personal opinion––Reading them is v cute in fics bc it’s just like 🥺––But in real life?? ……Please no pet names they make me squirm sdlkj

Summary: Shawn calls you a lot of pet names that make you cringe…And you’ve finally had enough

MASTERLIST | LET’S CHAT 🥂 | ADD YOURSELF TO MY TAGLIST

Warnings: A brief mention of smut (nothing directly written) & a swear word or two

WC: 2.5K // 110% all Fluff 

“Hey, baby,” Shawn said as you looked up from scrolling on your phone, trying your hardest not to cringe, “Can you pass the pepper?”

You nodded your head with a tight smile and picked up the pepper shaker to place in his open hand, “Here.”

He smiled, “Thanks, doll.”

Another deep breath,  teeth clenched, and an eye twitch––a subtle cringe.  But you put that aside because you knew that’s how he showed affection, “Anytime.”

Pet names.

While they were cute when used correctly, Shawn tended to over use them.  Every single sentence, every single time he could’ve said your name, he substituted it for a pet name.  And every single time you cringed.

At the beginning of your relationship it was sprinkled in here and there.  He would say babe as he casually slid an arm around your waist, let out a gentle sweetheart when he asked for a favor, or whispered a soft angel out as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head.  

You didn’t mind it the first few times.  You still felt very much in the honeymoon stage of your relationship when you first started dating, but now, a year and three months into your relationship, you wanted to gag every time you heard a pet name.

Every part of your relationship with Shawn was near perfect, with the exception of all the pet names he called you.  But it was a sacrifice you were willing to make for him.

///

Shawn was courteous enough to invite you out on the road for a portion of his summer tour around the United States.  While it took some planning between your job, Shawn, and Andrew, everything was able to work out.

Unfortunately, Shawn wasn’t able to pick you up from the airport, but that’s what he had Brian on tour for; to do all of Shawn’s miscellaneous work.  And while Shawn said on the phone––Oh, lover, you know I would come myself but with soundcheck and meet and greets––You accepted his answer right off the bat after he said another pet name.

You saw Brian waiting for you at baggage claim and you smiled at your boyfriend’s best friend, “It’s been too long!”

Brian smiled and opened his arms wide for a hug, “Oh how I missed my honey bunny.”

You froze in his arms––deep breath in, teeth clenched tight, and an eye twitch.

Brian took notice of your uncomfortable posture and looked down at you with a small chuckle, “I hear him on the phone.  I couldn’t resist.”

Letting out a sigh you nodded your head and stepped away from him, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get weird, it’s just––”

“He’s too fond of pet names,” Brian gave you a knowing look as he took your suitcase from your hold and started rolling it himself.  “If I was you, I wouldn’t know how to handle it.”

You grimaced as you weaved your way in between people until you were outside, already sweating from the Tampa heat, “I don’t…That’s just how he is.”

“You don’t like it,” Brian said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as the two made their way to the idling car with one of Shawn’s security guards in the driver's seat.  Brian popped open the trunk and slid your suitcase in the back, “Tell him.”

“Brian––”

“You literally tensed up in my arms,” he closed the trunk and walked around the other side to get in the car.  Once you were both in, and buckled up, the security guard started driving toward the arena, “Do you do that when you’re with him?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I don’t think he notices.”

“So you’re telling me,” Brain turned to face you, but was having a little trouble with the seat belt, “That if Shawn calls you baby girl during sex––”

“Brian!”

“––he’s not going to notice?”

You glared at him and crossed your arms over his chest.  The two of you were in a stare off, waiting for the other person to break first, but the smug smirk on Brian’s face indicated that he knew he was right.  

And the worst part was…The scenario he proposed wasn’t too far off from something that happened the last time you saw your boyfriend.

Your gaze dropped from his and he let out a small chuckle, “Just tell him to chill.”

“As if it’s that’s easy,” you rolled your eyes, “That’s just how he expresses some affection––”

“Some?”  Brian cut you off with a laugh, “It’s every other word, Y/n.”

You wish you had a rebuttal for that, something else to defend Shawn’s overuse of pet names on you, but everything Brian was saying was true.  All the pet names made you squirm, it was like he forgot your name and called you every term of endearment in the dictionary, with how little he said your actual name.

The rest of the drive to the arena was in silence as you tried to figure out a way to talk to Shawn.

///

A little less than a week later, you were walking down twelfth avenue south in Nashville, hand in hand with Shawn, and you still hadn’t brought up how prickly pet names made you feel.  

You tried to ignore it for as long as you could, but every time he said a pet name, your ears would perk up and Brian would shoot you a knowing look.

Right before Shawn ran to the bathroom, before he went on stage in Miami he kissed your cheek and said, can’t wait to see you side stage, sweets. 

Backstage in Orlando, he came up behind you while making tea, wrapping a strong arm around your stomach, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck mumbling, would you make me a cup too, sweetie.  

And in Atlanta…When the two of you were in his hotel room after his show, and he had his fingers dipped below your underwear, he called you princess.

That was only two days ago and you wanted to erase it from your mind.

Luckily, he hadn’t been too bad with the pet names since being in Nashville.  You were hoping to keep it that way, but when the two of you made a stop in a cute coffee shop at the end of the tourist street, you choked on your iced latte.

“Here, bubs, let me get you a napkin––”

“Stop.”

Shawn had pulled the door open to go back into the coffee shop, but stopped with a tilt of his head, “You…don’t,” his eyes darted down to your hand that was dripping in coffee, “want me to get you a napkin?”

You shook your wet hand, hoping to get most of the liquid off, and gave Shawn a small smile, “I would actually appreciate a napkin, thanks.”

Shawn smiled brightly, “Be right back, bubba.”

And just as fast as the coffee sprayed out of your mouth before, the smile was gone from your face.

You stood off to the side as people walked up the single step on the patio as Shawn opened the door for the family before walking out to you.  The weird looks you received with having coffee dripping from your hand wasn’t lost on you.  

“Here you go,” Shawn handed you the napkins as he put his sunglasses back on, “Keep walking?”  You nodded your head as you reached out to grab his hand but he made a noise in protest, “Not the coffee hand.”

You rolled your eyes at his childish behavior and now held your coffee cup with your ‘coffee hand,’ reaching out to your clean hand to Shawn.  He smiled brightly and laced your fingers together.  Conversation was light, mostly just commenting on the murals you caught glimpses of down the street, until you got to a traffic light.

“Want to go to that park?” You asked Shawn as he pressed a button to cross the street.

He nodded and took a sip of his black iced coffee, “Sure.”

The two of you waited until the light changed to cross the street, and you were waiting on the corner of a sidewalk, waiting for the light to change again so you could make it to the park.  Tapping his foot impatiently, Shawn walked over to the edge of the sidewalk, taking you with him, and looked down to the left, right, and then left again.

“There’s no one coming,” Shawn said over his shoulder with a tug of your hand, “Run?”

“And take the chance of getting hit?” You raised an eyebrow at him, “I don’t think Andrew would be too happy with either of us.”

Shawn rolled his eyes, “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”  He tugged on your hand one more time with a pleading look in his eyes.  

With a sigh, you stood next to him on the edge, looking down to the left, right, and left again.  You looked up at him, but he was already looking down at you with a mischievous smirk, before both of you nodded your heads at each other and bolted across the road.

“The thrill of breaking the law,” Shawn said in a joking manner as he let out a relaxed breath with a smile on his face.

You rolled your eyes and took a sip of your coffee through the straw, “We just crossed the street on a red light, that’s hardly criminal.”

Shawn laughed as the two of you walked through the parking lot to eventually get to a little path way.  The park wasn’t huge, but it still had a few hills, a playground for children, and a small stream.

“Soon we’ll be on America’s most wanted list,” Shawn said as you let out a laugh, “Bub.”

His use of your least favorite pet name immediately cut off your laughter and made you come to a stop in the middle of the path.  Shawn, who was three steps ahead of you, turned his head over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, “Are you coming––”

“Stop using pet names.”  You cut him off before he could tack on another frilly word that made your stomach flip.  

Clearly surprised by your outburst, Shawn’s eyes widened, and you saw a few worry lines crease his forehead.  He took a few steps towards you, “What––Pet names?  You don’t like them?”

You nodded your head and sighed, “I know you like them, but I––They make me cringe and I don’t think I can take it any longer,” you looked down at your shoes, kicking at a small pebble, “Sorry.”

It was silent and for a moment you thought you hurt Shawn’s feelings, but when you looked up, all you saw was his head tilted with a slight smile, “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

You shrugged your shoulders and Shawn reached his free hand out to take your hand, “That’s how you show that you care and I didn’t want to stop that.”

Shawn let out a laugh, “If it makes you uncomfortable, I’m not doing a good job at caring for you,” Shawn looked down at you with a teasing smile, “So you don’t like any of them?”

“It’s not that I don’t like any of them,” you tried to reason, but he gave you a pointed look knowing that you were lying, “Fine,” you let out a huff, “I dislike almost all of them, just like––You just over use them––Like, it wouldn’t be bad if you used one every once in a while.”

Shawn nodded, “Noted,” he said as he threw an arm around your shoulder to continue your walk before he had to be downtown for his show, “So what do you want me to call you?”

“My name?” You said as if it was the most obvious thing, because well, it was obvious.  Shawn hummed so you went to explain further, “I don’t know what it is but just someone saying my name, or a nickname, just really does it for me.”

“Alright, Y/n,” Shawn scratched your shoulder with the hand that was thrown over you to keep you close to him.

And for the first time since you joined him on tour nearly a week ago, you felt an eruption of butterflies in your stomach and a slight chill down your spine.  You wouldn’t mind if he called you sweetheart or love––in the appropriate setting––every once in a while, but hearing your name roll off his tongue brought you a sense of comfort that no pet name could.

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips, a content sigh was breathed, and you closed your eyes in bliss–––a subtle showcase of euphoria.

“So which ones do you hate?” Shawn smirked, “I wanna know where I went wrong.”

You barked out a laugh and rested your head into his side, “I don’t want to put that burden on you.”

“Pleeeaassee,” Shawn whined like a toddler, “I find this hilarious, just please tell me, Y/n.”

Another smile tugged at the corners of your lips, “I really hate any form of,” you cringed as you forced the word out that made you want to vomit, “Bubba.”

You felt Shawn rumble with laughter, “Gimme more, Y/n.”

At the sound of your name, you released a soft content sigh, but it was soon met with an eye twitch when you started listing every pet name that made you cringe, “Baby girl…Love bug…” you scrunched up your nose as Shawn was laughing, having a field day watching how uncomfortable you were listing every single pet name he was guilty of calling you, “Doll…Princess–––”

“That’s what I called you––When I––And we––In Atlanta–––What?!”

Shawn was at a loss for words as he was now the one who stopped in the middle of the path.  You ducked out from under the arm that was placed around your shoulder and turned to face him with an apologetic smile, “Yeah that really didn’t do---–”

Shawn’s eyes were wide, mouth opening and closing like a fish, as he tried to find the right words to say, “But you––When my fingers––You closed your eyes–––Were you––”

“Cringing?” you let out a small chuckle as his mouth fell open in shock, “Yeah…”

“I thought you were enjoying yourself.”

You rolled your eyes, reaching out for his hand and lacing your fingers together, “I was enjoying myself,” you tugged on his hand and he followed your lead, “But when you called me that,” you cringed just thinking about the memory, “It just took me a little longer to get in the headspace again.”

Shawn bit his bottom lip as he tried to hold in a laugh.  While the situation in Atlanta wasn’t ideal, you were glad he was seeing humor in the situation, “I’m the worst boyfriend.”

“No you’re not,” you pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Now you just know.”

“Oh trust me,” Shawn smiled down at you and your eyes closed, “I know now, Y/n.”

With your eyes already closed in bliss, a smile tugged at the corners of your lips, and a content sigh was released–––a subtle showcase of euphoria.

taglist: @adelaidestreets, @alilovesshawn, @alina--jpeg, @fallinallincurls, @lights-on-mendes, @mendesficsxbombay, @now-that-i-saw-u, @particularnarry, @shawnmendez, @shawnsreputation, @turtoix, @vinylmendes,  @5-seconds-of-mendes, @pupsandducks, @musicalkeys, @madatmendes

#Shawn Mendes fic #Shawn Mendes imagine #Shawn Mendes #Shawn Mendes fluff #Shawn Mendes fanfic #Shawn Mendes x y/n #fluff #Shawn Mendes fics #Shawn Mendes blurb #Shawn Mendes x reader #Shawn Mendes writing #Shawn Mendes writings #Shawn Mendes imagines #smtt #Shawn Mendes fanfiction #Shawn Peter raul mendes

[lifeofkaze]

An Art of Balance #28

Warning: I'm absolutely not sure I need one, but better safe than sorry. Mention of a slightly NSFW joke, blink and you'll miss it.

A/N: Julian Bennett belongs to the wonderful @slytherindisaster

Word Count: ~ 4.600

_______________________________________________

Chapter 28: No Heartache, No Distraction

“I forgot again, how do you harvest Dittany leaves?”

Skye scowled at her textbook as she flicked through the pages in search for an answer. Her frown deepened when she reached the end of the chapter without finding a satisfying conclusion and repeated the process for probably the fourth time by now. Her hair was tousled from the many times she had run her hands through it in frustration, little strands of the blue section sticking out from the braid pinned across her forehead.

She was looking as exhausted as Lizzie was feeling. It was almost the end of May and the term had slowly but surely entered its final stretch. With the O.W.L.s breathing down their necks, Lizzie and Skye had found themselves in the library more often than ever before.

Lizzie didn’t mind concentrating on studying for what felt like the first time this year; besides from it being more than necessary by now, it was an effective way to take her mind off the final match against Gryffindor that was scheduled for the next week.

Her insides were already churning with anxiety at the thought of what was at stake, but she wasn’t the only one on edge; the whole student body seemed tense, the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in particular. Neither House had won the Cup in a few years and both were eager to end their streak of bad luck. Even Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, who were known to be great friends, were feeling the building tension, only exchanging a minimum of polite words during mealtime.

Over the years, Lizzie had found several ways of dealing with her pre-match anxiety, her favourite one being keeping her mind busy by spending time around her friends. This year, however, she didn’t have that many people left to hang out with.

Although a good few weeks had passed since the match against Slytherin and its eventful aftermaths, the atmosphere between Lizzie and her friends was still as tense as before.

Contrary to what she had thought, Charlie hadn’t wanted to speak with her when she had tried to apologise on the same evening of their fight. She had tried to catch him a second time the next day, only to be informed by Julian that Charlie had made it very clear that he had no desire whatsoever to talk to her anytime soon.

“I believe his exact words were ‘She can bugger off’ but you know how he is,” he had told her sympathetically, “give him some space and he will get over it eventually.”

But as of today, she was still waiting for any sign of readiness for peace from his part. Lizzie regretted her rash words and wanted nothing more than to apologise for them; but if Charlie was still too hurt to listen to her, she had to accept it, albeit begrudgingly.

Where Lizzie knew what she would tell Charlie if he only agreed to speak to her, it was exactly the other way round with Rowan.

When Lizzie had told her about the outcome of her decision, it had been clear to see that it was not what Rowan had expected. Although she had immediately tried to hide it, there was no denying the surprise flickering across her face.

Both of them had tried to make peace with one another and continue with their friendship as if nothing had happened. They had always been able to talk to each other openly, but now, neither girl knew how to approach the other.

Lizzie told herself time and time again that they only needed some time to heal before they could go back to normal, but there was this nagging voice in the back of her mind that kept getting louder and louder every time Lizzie felt more relieved than anything else when Rowan left her to herself. Maybe all the things that had gone wrong between them were too many; maybe, there was no going back for them.

Lizzie could tell she wasn’t the only one unhappy with the situation. Penny was always troubled when there was fighting within her immediate group of friends; she couldn’t stand the uncomfortable silence when they all met up in their dorm at night. Usually, they would all recount their days, laugh and joke and gossip about what had happened, with Penny being the happy centre of it all.

Nowadays, no one was speaking and if so only in hushed voices. Lizzie and Skye kept mostly to themselves, Tonks was out more often than not and Rowan was so concentrated on her textbooks she now carried with her all of the time, that Penny often sat alone on her bed, brushing out her braids with a sad expression on her pretty face.

The whole situation was draining Lizzie of all her energy. She was sleeping uneasily and was having trouble concentrating in class, much to the dismay of her teachers.

Not even Quidditch practise brought her much joy anymore. She tried her best to pull herself together and play well, but she knew her performance had taken a dive. Neither she nor Orion knew how to act around the other; when they were playing, it somehow worked after a fashion, but beside that, Lizzie couldn’t even look at him without feeling guilty and ashamed all over again.

The only one of her friends she found easy to be around these days was Skye. Although Skye’s fears had been confirmed when their team dynamics had gone south yet again, she had stuck with Lizzie without even questioning it; Lizzie had never been so grateful for Skye’s total disregard of anyone else’s opinions before.

Skye wasn’t Lizzie’s favourite study partner by a long shot, but she would have preferred her to Rowan any time these days; her constant complaining about the massive workload the teachers were piling upon them, didn’t help Lizzie’s lacking concentration, however.

Thankfully, the library was currently deserted, with them and Madam Pince being the only exception. The afternoon classes were still taking place and the fifth-years had gathered on the training grounds with Madam Hooch for flying lessons. Not considered mandatory for the members of the House teams, Lizzie and Skye had excused themselves from class to catch up on their increasing pile of homework.

They had been brooding on an essay for Professor Sprout about the different healing properties of Dittany for the past hour; Lizzie hated to admit it but her progress was bordering on pathetic. Her scroll was still more empty than not and try as she might, her concentration was constantly slipping.

She couldn’t help the thought that Orion would certainly know exactly how to answer all of the required questions; with a sigh, she dipped her quill into the inkwell she and Skye were sharing and started writing again.

Skye didn’t even look up from her textbook when she broke Lizzie out of her thoughts again only moments later.

“You’re doing it again, Jameson.” Her tone was mildly impatient while she flicked through the pages of her book.

“What?”

Raising her eyes for a second, Skye only nodded towards her parchment for an answer.

After a few words, Lizzie’s thoughts had started wandering again and so had the tip of her quill, drawing tiny swirls and circles on the edge of the scroll. Looking at the bits she had written so far, similar drawings could be found on the edge of her essay in regular intervals.

“Oh,” was the only thing she said before she stopped it. Even if she managed to complete her assignment, she would have to copy the whole thing before handing it in.

With a resounding smack, Skye closed her book and looked at her friend reproachfully. “We agreed on something. No heartache, no distraction; just focus.”

She gestured vaguely at Lizzie’s sorry excuse of an essay, “And that doesn’t look like focusing to me.”

“Come on, give me some credit for trying,” Lizzie pouted. “It’s just that I’m so distracted these days; especially doing Herbology,” she sighed wistfully, thinking about the countless hours of tutoring she had spent with Orion in the greenhouses. Lizzie knew she was acting like a ridiculous, lovesick girl but she couldn’t help it; she missed him like crazy.

Skye was slouching back in her chair as she shook her head at Lizzie’s whining, “I really hate that depressive state of yours. Where’s your fire gone, mate?”

“I can’t help it,” Lizzie flicked her ponytail back over her shoulder with an irritated motion. She felt a little annoyed at Skye calling her out, but more about the fact that she was right than anything else. “Everything is so awkward now, you’ve seen it yourself at practise. I can’t even look Orion in the face and half the time I don’t know if Everett wants to knock him off his broom or if his aim has gotten even worse than before.”

At the mention of their disliked teammate Skye rolled her eyes. “That bloody idiot.”

“Exactly,” Lizzie agreed. “And that’s not the only thing. Given that I called it quits on everything that could have been with Orion for her, you’d think Rowan would act a bit more warmly but no, not at all; you can literally see how glad she is every time we’re leaving her and Penny alone. And don’t even get me started on Charlie.” Her face darkened and she angrily threw her quill away out of frustration. “Did I forget anything?”

Skye had let her rant without interrupting; now, she tilted her head to the side and watched her for a moment. “You know, there is one other thing I’ve noticed.”

“What?”

Skye drew a deep breath, as if collecting herself. “I have come to a conclusion, but I’m not sure you want to hear it.”

“Out with it, Parkin,” Lizzie urged her on. Her brow had furrowed at Skye’s hemming and hawing; somehow, she didn’t like the sound of this.

When Skye reached out and covered Lizzie’s hand with a solemn expression, Lizzie felt the colour drain from her face. “After all these years of being friends, I can’t deny it any longer,” she squeezed Lizzie’s hand and dropped her eyes to the table, “I can’t believe I’m saying this…”

Lizzie’s eyes widened in shock; afraid of Skye’s next words, she held her breath in fearful anticipation when Skye suddenly raised her eyes again to meet hers, sparkling with suppressed laughter as a wide grin spread on her face.

“… but even if you’re all fuzzy in the head right now, your notes are way superior to mine; let me copy that, will you?”

Now fully laughing at Lizzie’s baffled face, she reached for the half-finished essay. Relief washed over Lizzie when she realised she’d fallen for Skye’s joke; her cheeks blushing bright red, she playfully swatted Skye’s hand away from her work.

“Do you think you’re funny or what, Parkin?”

Skye simply shrugged, her grin still plastered onto her face. “Actually, I do; you should’ve seen your face.” She pulled an exaggerated face mimicking Lizzie’s flabbergasted look from before, coaxing a laugh from her friend. “Sorry to disappoint you, Jameson, but you’re not my type; I prefer blondes.”

Lizzie couldn’t help but roll her eyes, but the smile was lingering on her face. She had been so miserable the past few weeks, smiling at Skye’s horrendous jokes felt almost foreign to her.

“On a more serious note,” Skye picked the conversation up again, “constantly butting heads with as many people as I do does have its perks, you know.”

“I wonder what those would be?” Lizzie remarked wryly.

But Skye wasn’t deterred from her point. “I know how to properly apologise; want to hear my advice?”

Lizzie considered Skye for a moment, trying to determine whether she was still joking or not; but Skye looked deadly serious at her offer. Rubbing her temples with her fingers, Lizzie nodded finally. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but go on.”

“Let’s make one thing clear first,” Skye declared and held up her index finger, “I’m not a fan of Weasley and I disapprove of fraternising with the enemy. However,” she added quickly as she saw Lizzie’s face darken, “I know he’s important to you, so I’ll let it pass.”

“Well, thanks a lot,” Lizzie mumbled, followed by another eyeroll.

“Want my help or not?” Skye grumbled and Lizzie shut her mouth again. “He’s mad and won’t talk to you, so you have to find a way to make him see you’re sorry. I’d say go and show him some sign of good will. Remember when we were fighting back in the days, when you were getting a bit too friendly with Rath?”

As if Lizzie could have forgotten that; it had been their first real fight and the worst one as well. “Of course I do; you organised tickets for a Catapults match afterwards, it was amazing.”

“Exactly; I knew you liked the Catapults – for whatever reason – and it worked like a charm.”

Lizzie raised her eyebrows sceptically. “But you also apologised for being a brat and saw reason,” she conceded dryly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, that’s not the important part right now. What I wanted to say is, do something nice for Weasley and I’m sure he’ll be much more willing to talk things out with you.”

Thinking about Skye’s words for a moment, Lizzie couldn’t deny that Skye’s method had worked on her in the past; maybe it was worth a shot. She had nothing to lose anyway.

“Okay, you genius, maybe you’re right. Any idea how I get Rowan to be normal again as well?”

“Of course I am right, Jameson. Told you, I’m good at apologising.” Now it was Skye’s turn to roll her eyes. “As for Rowan; if you ask me, she’s acting super childish, but whatever. You did everything she wanted, now it’s her turn to make an effort. I’d say, just act as normal as the two of you get; worked for Penny and me as well.”

Lizzie only hummed in response. It was true, Penny’s and Skye’s friendship had normalised again; but the starting situation between them had been a very different one. On the other hand, Skye had a point; Lizzie had met Rowan’s terms for reconciliation; it would take both of them to fix their friendship, not only her.

“You got any advice on Orion as well?” Lizzie asked quietly.

Skye raised her hands defensively and shook her head. “Blimey, I’m absolutely no expert in that field. I’d suggest you go to Penny for that; or Murphy for all I care. I bet he’d have some statistics to share with you.”

Laughing at the thought, Skye got up and stretched her arms. “Anyway, look at me getting all wise and reasonable, I’m almost getting scared by myself; let’s get out of here.”

Lizzie pointed at their half-finished assignments. “We’re not done yet.”

“No, but Flying lessons are bound to be over soon and I want to get a run in before places are getting crowded again; wouldn’t hurt you too, you know. Running helps getting your mind off things.”

She looked around at the old, dusty bookshelves towering around them. “You can only get depressed in a gloomy place like this.”

*

Skye had been right; after she and Lizzie had gotten changed into something more suitable for running and stepped outside into the blinding summer sun, Lizzie felt her mood lift almost instantly.

They were going at a good and demanding pace, each spurning the other on when they began to slow. The combination of sunlight, fresh air and the pounding rhythm of their steps was clearing Lizzie’s head and she felt a good bit of her energy returning to her.

Under normal circumstances, the Hufflepuff team would have exercised together to get into proper shape for the upcoming Quidditch final. The circumstances were anything but normal, however, and Orion hadn’t been in the spirits for extensive group training exceeding their official practise times.

So Skye and Lizzie had taken up running as a compensation for the many hours they were spending hunched over their notes and textbooks. Both being more on the competitive side, their workouts never failed to wear Lizzie’s mind and body out in the best way possible; it was one of the only things that helped her fall asleep these days.

They were racing along the path leading towards the Black Lake, which was glittering brightly in the sunlight. When they had reached the shore, Skye slowed her pace to a moderate jog, allowing both of them to catch their breaths.

Running while the rest of the school was still stuck in their classrooms had been a good decision; before long, the shoreline would be swarmed by students enjoying the warm weather. But now, the scenery was remarkably empty, allowing them to run next to each other without having to dodge picnic blankets, school bags or the odd Fanged Frisbee.

“Now, look who it is.”

Skye had slowed even further, now coming to a halt in the shadow of a tree. Lizzie joined her and dipped her head back, eagerly gulping down deep breaths into her burning lungs. After her heartbeat started normalising, she followed Skye’s gaze.

A good bit ahead of them Orion and Murphy were sitting in the shade of a willow tree overhanging the shore. At least, Murphy was sitting; he was bent deeply over one of his playbooks, scribbling something into it before crossing it out and starting over again.

Orion, on the other hand, was taking his own spin on preparing for their match. One of his favourite ways of exercising besides broom balancing had always been doing yoga; he had even tried to implement it into their practise routine a few years ago, until Skye had threatened him with open mutiny.

At present, he was balancing in some sort of handstand, his weight resting on his underarms. His hair was falling into his face, but Lizzie knew his eyes were closed in concentration to keep his pose and balance. Every time he wavered, she could see the exposed muscles of his arms tensing ever so slightly to keep himself upright. Being upside down, his white shirt had slipped downwards, revealing the bronzed skin of his toned stomach.

Suddenly feeling light-headed, Lizzie turned away, only to face Skye watching her with a smug expression. The blush on Lizzie’s face didn’t only stem from running in the heat of the afternoon sun anymore.

“Yeah, I heard Flitwick was ill today, they probably got some time off.” She leaned on Lizzie’s shoulder grinning like a Cheshire cat at the flustered state of her friend. “Want to go over?”

The warmth that had spread in Lizzie’s stomach despite her best efforts died down as quickly as it had appeared. Her eyes dropping to the ground, Lizzie quietly shook her head.

She staggered a bit to the side as Skye’s weight suddenly left her shoulder. Her friend was looking at her sympathetically. “Oh man, no, that’s not what I wanted; don’t go looking all sad again. Remember what we said, no –“

“No heartache, no distraction,” Lizzie finished what had somehow become her own personal mantra. “I know.”

But she couldn’t help the wistful sigh that escaped her as she surreptitiously glanced over at Orion one more time. Luckily, neither of the boys seemed to have noticed them so far.

She was brought back to her senses by Skye snapping her fingers in front of her face. “Stop the pining, Jameson, that won’t help you get over this.” Her voice turned softer when she added, “For what it’s worth, I think you guys would’ve made a smashing couple after all.”

Lizzie took a moment to answer, as she thought about what might have been for a second. “Maybe, but it’s not going to happen now,” she muttered defeatedly. “Besides, I thought that went against team philosophy.”

“It does,” Skye confirmed, “but still, would’ve been better than how it is now. Quidditch used to be a lot more fun when you and him were talking to each other.”

Her eyes suddenly flashed with determination and she started moving away from Lizzie. “You know what? Screw Rowan, I’m going to do something about this.”

It was only thanks to her reflexes that Lizzie managed to catch her elbow before Skye was out of her reach. “No, you are absolutely not,” she hissed. “Stay out of this, Parkin!”

She waited until Skye had abandoned her attempt to march over to their friends before she added, “And besides, what Orion’s doing is actually pretty difficult, I don’t want you to ruin his concentration.”

Skye watched him sceptically. “You sure? He’s looking pretty relaxed to me.”

“He always does but believe me, it is hard. He showed me how to do it once and let me tell you, I didn’t know my body could hurt that much; he positively wrecked me.”

Skye guffawed at her words. “He wrecked you, huh?” she snickered. “Is there more to the story than what you told me?”

Realising what she had said, Lizzie felt herself blushing furiously. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Skye Parkin!” she cried, but not without a laugh ringing in her voice. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

But Skye was working herself into a laughing fit and Lizzie felt a grin spread on her own face as well. She shoved Skye playfully, who was doubling over from laughter by now. It resulted in Syke falling to the ground, which made Lizzie burst into laughter herself.

Before long, both girls were crying tears of laughter, not even laughing at Skye’s joke anymore but simply for the sake of it. Lizzie was so distracted by her hurting cheeks and stinging sides, that she didn’t notice Skye stealthily moving closer to the water; she dipped her hand into the icy cold water of the lake, splashing a good load of it into Lizzie’s face.

Lizzie screeched when the water hit her face, making Skye cackle even harder, but Lizzie was having none of it.

“That means war, Parkin!” she exclaimed, trying to tackle her friend down into the grass.

But Skye was already up and running again, with Lizzie hot on her heels. “Only if you catch me, Jameson!”

*

Contrary to what Lizzie believed, Orion and Murphy had, in fact, noticed Lizzie and Skye. Their voices drifted over to them, too far away to make out what exactly they were saying, but the familiar sound was tugging at Orion’s concentration.

He felt both his physical and mental balance slip and breathed deeply, trying to block out his thoughts by concentrating on staying balanced on his underarms. His fingers dug into the cool grass and his brow furrowed from the prolonged effort of supporting his body with the strength of his shoulders alone.

Focusing on the stinging in his muscles, he embraced the pain before letting it go with a slow breath; his wavering body became still again as he returned to his peaceful headspace.

Murphy had seen the girls as well. Orion could hear him closing his playbook, followed by the rustling of his clothes as he leaned his back against the trunk of the tree.

“Skye and Lizzie seem to take your directive of preparing for the finals seriously,” he glanced at Orion, who was still frozen in the same position he had been in for quite some time now. “Counting you doing whatever the hell you’re doing there, at least 42.86 % of your team is increasing their physical fitness on a regular basis.”

Orion only hummed noncommittally in response; he wasn’t in the mood for talking.

But he wasn’t surprised to find Murphy happily ignoring his silence. “Gryffindor is the fastest team out of the four by a whopping 24.7 % on average. The only thing to raise your stakes is improving your technical features and come up with a flawless strategy, which I am working upon; theoretically, that is,” he added quickly, “I am, after all, impartial.”

Murphy’s chatter had it for his concentration. With a sigh Orion let his feet slowly fall back to the ground and sat upright with his legs crossed beneath him. He waited a moment to let his head adjust to his shift in position before he opened his eyes.

Lizzie and Skye were standing in the shadow of a tree, probably taking a moment to cool down from the summer heat. Orion noticed the blond streaks running through Lizzie’s usually honey brown hair, where the sun had lightened it over the last few weeks. It had grown longer again, her beloved ponytail reaching down between her shoulder blades. The lighter hair contrasted beautifully with her tanned skin, bronzed from the countless hours he knew Lizzie was spending outside. All the running and practising had toned her body even more than it had been anyway and her face was flushed from the fast pace she and Skye had been going at.

With a sigh, Orion closed his eyes again, letting the butterflies rising up in his stomach subside. Thinking about her in that way was no use; it held nothing but distraction for him.

Lizzie had barely been talking to anyone but Skye for weeks now. Although she still sat with her friends during their meals, Orion could see that she wasn’t happy.

Her energy had the power to light up a whole room, drawing everyone into her orbit, whether they wanted or not. Nowadays, her fire seemed dimmed, her shoulders constantly slumped and her beautiful smile had become a rare sight.

Orion was a firm believer that everything in life was balanced; for every good, there was a bad, a low for every high, a pattern continuously repeating itself in an eternal cycle.

But lately, he had been wondering how long this particular low after the short high he and Lizzie had experienced together would last. He was worried about her, and not only because of their final match being almost on their doorstep.

For the first time since he’d known her, she didn’t seem to have her heart with her on the pitch. It was apparent that she was trying hard to perform well, but he could see how much she was struggling. There was nothing Orion wanted more than to help her regain the fire he admired so much, but he didn’t know how to go about it..

The sound of laughter drifted over to them and before Orion could do anything about it, all the emotions he had tried to let go of earlier were there again, bubbling under his skin even stronger than before. Hearing Lizzie laugh was a rare sound these days and a pleasant shiver ran down his spine. He couldn’t help his lips curving into a smile of his own.

“It’s good to hear her laughing again,” Murphy noted quietly. Apparently, Orion wasn’t the only one worried about Lizzie’s state of mind.

“It is,” Orion agreed, his eyes still closed while he tried to find his breathing pattern again.

“The chances of her being in the right state of mind in time for your last match stand at 48.5 % to 51.5 %.”

Orion opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows in McNully’s direction. “Don’t you think that’s rather vague?”

Murphy let out a cheerful laugh. “Well, if there’s one thing hard to predict, I’d reckon it’s girls.”

Orion chuckled along with him as he finally stretched his arms before letting himself fall back into the grass.

“For once, my friend, I can say that I wholeheartedly agree with you.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #quidditch #orion amari #orion amari x mc #skye parkin #murphy mcnully #the quidditch squad #lizzie jameson #aob #art of balance

[not-siri]

do you like tacos. How do you feel about them. Are they good? Bad? Give us your thoughts.

Tacos can be contrasted with similar foods such as burritos, which are often much larger and rolled rather than folded; taquitos, which are rolled and fried; or chalupas/tostadas, in which the tortilla is fried before filling.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 History

3 Traditional variations

4 Non-traditional variations

4.1 Hard-shell tacos

4.2 Soft-shell tacos

4.3 Breakfast taco

4.4 Indian taco

4.5 Puffy tacos, taco kits, and tacodillas

5 In popular culture

6 See also

7 References

8 Bibliography

9 External links

Etymology

The origins of the taco are not precisely known, and etymologies for the culinary usage of the word are generally theoretical.[1][2] Taco in the sense of a typical Mexican dish comprising a maize tortilla folded around food is just one of the meanings connoted by the word, according to the Real Academia Española, publisher of Diccionario de la Lengua Española.[3] This meaning of the Spanish word "taco" is a Mexican innovation,[2] but the word "taco" is used in other contexts to mean "wedge; wad, plug; billiard cue; blowpipe; ramrod; short, stocky person; [or] short, thick piece of wood."[3] The etymological origin of this sense of the word is Germanic and has cognates in other European languages, including the French word "tache" and the English word "tack."[4]

In Spain, the word "taco" can also be used in the context of tacos de jamón [es]: these are diced pieces of ham, or sometimes bits and shavings of ham leftover after a larger piece is sliced.[5] They can be served on their own as tapas or street food, or can be added to other dishes such as salmorejo, omelettes, stews, empanadas, or melón con jamón [es].[6][7][8]

According to one etymological theory, the culinary origin of the term "taco" in Mexico can be traced to its employment, among Mexican silver miners, as a term signifying "plug." The miners used explosive charges in plug form, consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling.[1]

Indigenous origins are also proposed. One possibility is that the word derives from the Nahuatl word "tlahco", meaning "half" or "in the middle,"[9] in the sense that food would be placed in the middle of a tortilla.[10] Furthermore, dishes analogous to the taco were known to have existed in Pre-Columbian society—for example, the Nahuatl word "tlaxcalli" (a type of corn tortilla).[9]

History

The taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. There is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented the first taco feast enjoyed by Europeans, a meal which Hernán Cortés arranged for his captains in Coyoacán.[11][12]

Traditional variations

There are many traditional varieties of tacos:

Tacos al pastor made with adobada meat.

Tacos al pastor ("shepherd style") or tacos de adobada are made of thin pork steaks seasoned with adobo seasoning, then skewered and overlapped on one another on a vertical rotisserie cooked and flame-broiled as it spins.[13][14]

Tacos de asador ("spit" or "grill" tacos) may be composed of any of the following: carne asada tacos; tacos de tripita ("tripe tacos"), grilled until crisp; and, chorizo asado (traditional Spanish-style sausage). Each type is served on two overlapped small tortillas and sometimes garnished with guacamole, salsa, onions, and cilantro (coriander leaf). Also, prepared on the grill is a sandwiched taco called mulita ("little mule") made with meat served between two tortillas and garnished with Oaxaca style cheese. "Mulita" is used to describe these types of sandwiched tacos in the Northern States of Mexico while they are known as Gringa in the Mexican south and are prepared using wheat flour tortillas. Tacos may also be served with salsa.[13][14]

Tacos de cabeza ("head tacos"), in which there is a flat punctured metal plate from which steam emerges to cook the head of the cow. These include: Cabeza, a serving of the muscles of the head; Sesos ("brains"); Lengua ("tongue"); Cachete ("cheeks"); Trompa ("lips"); and, Ojo ("eye"). Tortillas for these tacos are warmed on the same steaming plate for a different consistency. These tacos are typically served in pairs, and also include salsa, onion, and cilantro (coriander leaf) with occasional use of guacamole.[13][14]

Tacos de camarones ("shrimp tacos") also originated in Baja California in Mexico. Grilled or fried shrimp are used, usually with the same accompaniments as fish tacos: lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, avocado and a sour cream or citrus/mayonnaise sauce, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla.[13][14][15]

Tacos de cazo (literally "bucket tacos") for which a metal bowl filled with lard is typically used as a deep-fryer. Meats for these types of tacos typically include Tripa ("tripe", usually from a pig instead of a cow, and can also refer to the intestines); Suadero (tender beef cuts), Carnitas and Buche (Literally, "crop", as in bird's crop; or the esophagus of any animal.[16])[13][14]

Tacos de lengua (beef tongue tacos),[17] which are cooked in water with onions, garlic, and bay leaves for several hours until tender and soft, then sliced and sautéed in a small amount of oil. "It is said that unless a taqueria offers tacos de lengua, it is not a real taqueria."[18]

Two fish tacos in Bonita, California

Tacos de pescado ("fish tacos") originated in Baja California in Mexico, where they consist of grilled or fried fish, lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, and a sour cream or citrus/mayonnaise sauce, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla. In the United States, they were first popularized by the Rubio's fast-food chain, and remain most popular in California, Colorado, and Washington. In California, they are often found at street vendors, and a regional variation is to serve them with cabbage and coleslaw dressing on top.[13][14]

Tacos dorados (fried tacos; literally, "golden tacos") called flautas ("flute", because of the shape), or taquitos, for which the tortillas are filled with pre-cooked shredded chicken, beef or barbacoa, rolled into an elongated cylinder and deep-fried until crisp. They are sometimes cooked in a microwave oven or broiled.[13][14]

Tacos sudados ("sweaty tacos") are made by filling soft tortillas with a spicy meat mixture, then placing them in a basket covered with cloth. The covering keeps the tacos warm and traps steam ("sweat") which softens them.[13][19]

As an accompaniment to tacos, many taco stands will serve whole or sliced red radishes, lime slices, salt, pickled or grilled chilis (hot peppers), and occasionally cucumber slices, or grilled cambray onions.

Tacos made with a carnitas filling

Grilled shrimp taco

Tacos de suadero (grey) and chorizo (red) being prepared at a taco stand

Barbacoa tacos

Taco al pastor with guacamole

Non-traditional variations

Hard-shell tacos

Main article: Hard-shell taco

The hard-shell or crispy taco is a tradition that developed in the United States. The most common type of taco in the US is the hard-shell, U-shaped version, first described in a cookbook in 1949.[20] This type of taco is typically served as a crisp-fried corn tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and sometimes tomato, onion, salsa, sour cream, and avocado or guacamole.[21] Such tacos are sold by restaurants and by fast food chains, while kits are readily available in most supermarkets. Hard shell tacos are sometimes known as tacos dorados ("golden tacos") in Spanish,[22] a name that they share with taquitos.

Various sources credit different individuals with the invention of the hard-shell taco, but some form of the dish likely predates all of them.[22] Beginning from the early part of the twentieth century, various types of tacos became popular in the country, especially in Texas and California but also elsewhere.[23] By the late 1930s, companies like Ashley Mexican Food and Absolute Mexican Foods were selling appliances and ingredients for cooking hard shell tacos, and the first patents for hard-shell taco cooking appliances were filed in the 1940s.[22]

In the mid-1950s, Glen Bell opened Taco Tia, and began selling a simplified version of the tacos being sold by Mexican restaurants in San Bernardino, particularly the tacos dorados being sold at the Mitla Cafe, owned by Lucia and Salvador Rodriguez across the street from another of Bell's restaurants.[22] Over the next few years, Bell owned and operated a number of restaurants in southern California including four called El Taco.[24] At this time, Los Angeles was racially-segregated, and the tacos sold at Bell's restaurants were many white Americans' first introduction to Mexican food.[22] Bell sold the El Tacos to his partner and built the first Taco Bell in Downey in 1962. Kermit Becky, a former Los Angeles police officer, bought the first Taco Bell franchise from Glen Bell in 1964,[24] and located it in Torrance. The company grew rapidly, and by 1967, the 100th restaurant opened at 400 South Brookhurst in Anaheim. In 1968, its first franchise location east of the Mississippi River opened in Springfield, Ohio.[25]

A hard-shell taco, made with a prefabricated shell

Common ingredients for North American hard shell tacos

A crispy taco from a Sacramento, California taqueria

Soft-shell tacos

Three soft-shell tacos with beef filling at a restaurant in Helsinki, Finland.

Traditionally, soft-shelled tacos referred to corn tortillas that were cooked to a softer state than a hard taco - usually by grilling or steaming. More recently, the term has come to include flour-tortilla-based tacos mostly from large manufacturers and restaurant chains. In this context, soft tacos are tacos made with wheat flour tortillas and filled with the same ingredients as a hard taco.[26]

Breakfast taco

Breakfast tacos

The breakfast taco, found in Tex-Mex cuisine, is a soft corn or flour tortilla filled with meat, eggs, or cheese, and can also contain other ingredients.[27] Some have claimed that Austin, Texas is the home of the breakfast taco.[28] However, food writer and OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano responded that such a statement reflects a common trend of "whitewashed" foodways reporting, noting that predominantly Hispanic San Antonio, Texas "never had to brag about its breakfast taco love—folks there just call it 'breakfast'".[29]

Indian taco

Indian tacos, or Navajo tacos, are made using frybread instead of tortillas. They are commonly eaten at pow-wows, festivals, and other gatherings by and for indigenous people in the United States and Canada.[30][31]

This kind of taco is not known to have been present before the arrival of Europeans in what is now the Southwestern United States. Navajo tradition indicates that frybread came into use in the 1860s when the government forced the tribe to relocate from their homeland in Arizona in a journey known as the Long Walk of the Navajo. It was made from ingredients given to them by the government to supplement their diet since the region could not support growing the agricultural commodities that had been previously used.[32]

A puffy taco

A frybread taco

A fish taco on frybread

Puffy tacos, taco kits, and tacodillas

Since at least 1978, a variation called the "puffy taco" has been popular. Henry's Puffy Tacos, opened by Henry Lopez in San Antonio, Texas, claims to have invented the variation, in which uncooked corn tortillas (flattened balls of masa dough[33]) are quickly fried in hot oil until they expand and become "puffy".[34][35] Fillings are similar to hard-shell versions. Restaurants offering this style of taco have since appeared in other Texas cities, as well as in California, where Henry's brother, Arturo Lopez, opened Arturo's Puffy Taco in Whittier, not long after Henry's opened.[36][37] Henry's continues to thrive, managed by the family's second generation.[34]

Kits are available at grocery and convenience stores and usually consist of taco shells (corn tortillas already fried in a U-shape), seasoning mix and taco sauce. Commercial vendors for the home market also market soft taco kits with tortillas instead of taco shells.[38][39]

The tacodilla contains melted cheese in between the two folded tortillas, thus resembling a quesadilla.[40]

In popular culture

In the United States, National Taco Day is celebrated annually on October 4.[41][42]

See also

icon Food portal

flag Mexico portal

Arepa

Burrito

Choco Taco

Fajita

French tacos

Gyro (food)

Korean taco

Pupusas

Shawarma/Doner kebab

Taco rice

Taco salad

Taco soup

Tacos de canasta

Tlayuda

Tostada

Tunnbröd

References

^ Jump up to: a b "Where Did the Taco Come From?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-16.

^ Jump up to: a b Tatum, Charles M., ed. (2013). "Tacos". Encyclopedia of Latino Culture: From Calaveras to Quinceaneras [3 Volumes]. Cultures of the American Mosaic. 1. Greenwood / ABC-CLIO. p. 495-497. enc-lat-cult.

^ Jump up to: a b "Definition: Taco". Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2008-06-13. Tortilla de maíz enrollada con algún alimento dentro, típica de México.

^ de Echegaray, Eduardo (1887). "Taco" [Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language]. Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española (Scanned book) (in Spanish). 5. Madrid. p. 481.

^ Jesús Ventanas, El jamón Ibérico. De la dehesa al paladar., Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2006, p. 102.

^ Julio César, (2011), El gran libro de las tapas, Ed. Grupo Salsa, 2011, p. 45.

^ Jesús Ventanas, Tecnología del jamón Ibérico: de los sistemas tradicionales a la explotación del aroma y del sabor, 1st ed., Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2001, p. 193.

^ José Bello Gutiérrez, Jamón curado: Aspectos científicos y tecnológicos, Editorial Díaz de Santos, 2012, p. 239.

^ Jump up to: a b Frances E. Karttunen (1983). An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806124216. Retrieved 14 March 2016.

^ Florilegio Verbal Náhuatl, Nexos, Mar. 12, 2016

^ "History of Mexican Cuisine". Margaret Parker. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2015.

^ "A Thumbnail History of Mexican Food". Jim Conrad. Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2015.

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Graber, Karen Hursh. "Wrap It Up: A Guide to Mexican Street Tacos (Part One of Two)". Mexico Connect. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Graber, Karen Hursh. "Wrap It Up: A Guide to Mexican Street Tacos Part II: Nighttime Tacos". Mexico Connect. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

^ Graber, Karen Hursh. "Tacos de camaron y nopalitos". Mexico Connect. Retrieved 2009-08-14.

^ Feld, Jonah (2006). "The Burrito Blog — Buche". Retrieved 2008-07-26.

^ Bourdain, Anthony (7 June 2010). Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. A&C Black. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4088-0914-3.

^ Herrera-Sobek, Maria (16 July 2012). Celebrating Latino Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 697. ISBN 978-0-313-34340-7.

^ "Tacos Sudados (Mexican recipe)". Mexican Cuisine. Retrieved 2008-07-09.

^ Freedman, Robert L. (1981). Human food uses: a cross-cultural, comprehensive annotated bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 152. ISBN 0-313-22901-5. Retrieved 27 December 2011.

^ Gilb, Dagoberto (2006-03-19). "Taco Bell Nation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-07-24.

^ Jump up to: a b c d e "An Oral History of Hard-Shell Tacos". MEL Magazine. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-16.

^ "Tacos, Enchilidas and Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2008-07-14.

^ Jump up to: a b "Company Information". Taco Bell. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.

^ Wedell, Katie (August 3, 2015). "Local restaurateur remembered as 'Mayor of Main Street'". Springfield News-Sun. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

^ "Homemade Chorizo Soft Tacos (recipe)". BigOven.com. Retrieved 2008-07-09.

^ Stradley, Linda. "Breakfast Tacos". What's Cooking America. Retrieved 2008-07-09.

^ How Austin Became the Home of the Crucial Breakfast Taco, Eater Austin, Feb. 19, 2016,

^ Arrellano, Gustavo (23 February 2016), "Who Invented Breakfast Tacos? Not Austin - and People Should STFU About It", OC Weekly, retrieved 14 March 2016

^ "Navajo Fry Bread and Indian Tacos: History and Recipes of Navajo Fry Bread and Indian Tacos". Linda Stradley. Retrieved 3 January 2014.

^ "Hundreds attend powwow". Louisiana Broadcasting LLC and Capital City Press LLC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2014.

^ Miller, Jen. "Frybread". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 2012-01-20.

^ "Homemade Corn Tortillas (recipe from Saveur)". Saveur. 2003. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-11-10.

^ Jump up to: a b Lankford, Randy. "Henry's Puffy Tacos - San Antonio". TexasCooking.com. Mesquite Management, Inc. Retrieved 26 December 2011.

^ "Puffy Tacos (recipe from Saveur)". Saveur. 2003. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-07-26.

^ Gold, Jonathan (2008-07-23). "Getting Stuffed at Arturo's Puffy Taco". LA Weekly. LA Weekly LP. Retrieved 2011-08-14.

^ Chisholm, Barbara (2004-04-30). "The Puffy Taco Invasion". The Austin Chronicle. 23 (35). Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 2011-08-14.

^ "Old El Paso Taco Dinner Kit". Ciao! Shopping Intelligence — UK (blog). Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-07-08.

^ "Ortega Taco Kits". B&G Foods. Retrieved 2014-03-04.

^ "Green tomato and corn tacodillas". Honest Fare. June 1, 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.

^ "National Taco Day - Oct 4". Retrieved 4 October 2017.

^ King, Bart (2004). The Big Book of Boy Stuff. Gibbs Smith. p. 151. ISBN 9781423611189. Retrieved

[drethanramslay]

Voicemails (part 1)

Pairing: Ethan x mc

Word count: 5.5 K words (damn that's the most I have written

Masterlist

Warning: ANGST

Taglist: @miyakokurono @trappedinfandoms @openheart12 @sekizincimektup @junggoku @ethandaddyramsey @edith-eggs1 @ethanramseysgirl @samihatuli @loveellamae @x-kyne-x @paulfwesley @zeniamiii @binny1985 @an-urban-witch-ig @ramseyegerton @noboundariesplease @mrsdr-ethan-ramsey @newcolonies @theodorepjames4 @unluckygs @choices-love-affair @kaavyaethanramsey  @caseyvalentineramsey @ohramsey @virtualrain202 @squishywizardhq  @junehiratas @lilyvalentine @nooruleman @itsgoingnuts @cordonianbleu @agent-breakdance @jamespotterthefirst @choicesfanaf @temptress-of-death-and-desire @ac27dj @rookiefromedenbrook @gaiusimp @theeccentricbibliophile @oofchoices @hatescapsicum @sanchita012 @edgiestwinter (if you want to be added to the taglist, let me know ☺️)

Author's note: Well I know I said I was going on semi hiatus but, my studies are going great so I decided to post 🤪 also, shout out to @kittykatchoices for helping me in bouncing ideas( she is amazing)

also I went full out and posted screenshots and dividers sike

Songs: Callin by Alec Bailey is my main muse but I made a playlist too

Forgive me if there are any errors

Day 1

Ethan was jolted awake from his slumber as the flight touched down. It continued to speed down the runaway when it eventually reduced to a slow crawl and he saw the glass facade of the airport, glinting in the afternoon sun.

AEROPORTO INTERNACIONAL DE MANAUS EDUARDO GOMES. The banner read and Ethan let the reality sink in that he actually was in the state of Amazonas, South America.

"Welcome to Manaus International Airport. The weather here is partly sunny with 98% chance of precipitation. The temperature is..."

Ethan zoned out. His back was killing him and the need to stretch was becoming unbearable. Even though the WHO team of doctors had settled in comfortably in the plush seats of the private jet, it was a very boring flight.

There is a certain restrictions to the number of boring and wasteful romantic comedies you could watch in a 40 hour flight.

They did have 2 stops for refueling but they weren't allowed to step out of the plane.

God I want to go on a run so bad. He thought mentally as he massaged his spasming neck.

The doctors kicked back and relaxed, ocassionally discussing the cholera epidemic break out in Tefé, a small city on the riverside. It was very productive and they did manage to make a dent in the treatment plan but, when everybody was asleep and it was just him and his thoughts.

And his thoughts mostly revolved around the reason why he volunteered to join these prestigious doctors to battle the epidemic.

It wasn't out of selflessness, or the need to save humanity or for some mindless award.

It was an opportunity.

An opportunity to run from the girl who has invaded his head and heart, and resided there. 

Leah.

You are doing this for her own good. You are doing this for her professional development. You are doing this for her success. Feelings are fleeting, they will fade away. Ethan repeated those sentences like mantra, trying to ingrain it in his mind that he was doing the right thing leaving her behind.

No call, no text. A clean break.

But no matter how much you lie to your brain, you can't lie to your heart.

Ethan you know you are running away from her because she confessed that she loved you, stop lying to yourself. The snarky inside voice spoke up.

But, if he paid attention to it closely, it sounded just like Leah, calling him out in his bullshit.

He shook his head, trying to erase all the thoughts in his head as the aero-bridge connected to the door and they were opened. Standing up, he stretched his sore muscles and took out his duffle bag.

When he reached the exit, the air hostess with a face caked with makeup, gave him a polite smile. "Hope you had a pleasant flight doctor."

Pleasant my ass...

As he walked through the corridors towards the baggage claim area, he switched on his phone.

As he stood there waiting, he saw an influx of messages from Naveen and his dad.

But that was not what caught his eye.

Leah🌞

(3) missed calls (1) voicemail -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was midnight here and around 1 am in Boston.

Ethan walked out of the bathroom, exhausted to the bone. It had been a long day for him. The moment they had landed they had been rushed to Tefé, where they dived straight into work. The hospital was already flooding and there was so much pain and suffering all around.

Ethan has the emotions of a block of granite but, seeing so much misery and sadness, made his energies drop low.

And it did not help that the pocket in which his phone was kept, was weighing him down.

(1) voicemail from Leah🌞.

He wanted to delete it immediately but every time his finger hovered above the delete button, he just could not. So, he let it lay there in his inbox as a heavy reminder.

The moment Ethan's back hit the mattress a huge sigh of relief escaped his lips. He was weary and his body ached.

But, sleep didn't come to him.

He just lay there staring at the ceiling, seeing the different shadows casted by the moonlight. He saw the shadows of the trees swaying and the reflection of the Amazon.

His eyes landed on his phone on the bedside table and he stared at it for a long time, contemplating if listening to the voicemail was worth it or not.

You don't have to respond...

But, then my resolve will weaken...

His logic and conscience went back and forth but there wasn't any clear winner.

If this is what having feelings for someone is like, I don't want it...

But, you would take a 100 leap of faiths for Leah, won't you?

"ARGH!" Ethan threw the comforter off and got up. He started pacing around the room, trying to work off his restlessness. He walked around the room, his eyes trained on the phone as if it was a bomb. He clenched his jaw and tried to not let one insignificant notification affect him, but it was getting harder with every passing minute.

"Ah fuck it." Ethan said as he picked up the phone to listen to the voicemail. Leah's uncertain and raw voice flooded which forced him to lie down because of the emotions which bubbled to the surface.

"Umm.. hey Ethan, Leah here. I..uh heard that you went to the Amazon to fight the cholera epidemic from Naveen today... And I am proud of you but, I know that is not the reason why you ran, is it?

It's because I said 'I love you' three days ago, isn't it?"

Leah's voice cracked as she took a deep breath, before continuing.

"Are those three words that scary?

I had prepared myself that you would ignore my very existence and shut out all the feelings and that would have been painful but bearable, but... You literally ran to another fucking continent?!"

She bitterly chuckled and Ethan's heart squeezed.

"I don't even know what to do at this point. Don't they say that you should confess your feelings the moment you realize them, otherwise you will regret it? But... I can't help but feel regret... Why do I even try? I should have just shut the fuck up and get on with my day but NO! I had to open my mouth and here I am here talking to your answering machine.

I just can't help but feel that I let you slip away from me...

Anyways, it's okay.. I will wait. I promised you I would always wait.

Just...come back to me..okay? Bye."

The phone beeped, signalling the end of the voicemail. Ethan lowered his hand to stare at his phone's screen.

"I love you Ethan. And it's okay if you don't say it back. I know you need time and I will be here waiting for you..."

That's what she had said three days ago. And as much as they lifted him, it pained him. He was confused and just couldn't think straight. He needed some space.

But, he could feel his resolution weakening. The itch to dial that number and talk to her was irresistible.

You made a promise to yourself Ethan. You can't go back on that now.

He let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his brown locks. His eyes landed on the table on which there was the complementary stationary provided by the b&b. An idea slowly bloomed in his head and he nodded to himself.

Sure I can't call her. But atleast I can write down my reply so that it won't keep on being a burden on my shoulder.

With that being said, Ethan sat down on the desk and poured his heart out on the loose sheets of papers.

DAY 10

For the next ten days, Ethan would keep an eye on the phone for any notification.

And by any notification, it meant a voicemail or a message from that one particular woman who had him in the palm of her hand.

He would get excited whenever his phone would ping but, his hopes would immediately crash when it would just be a message from the telecom company telling him about his telephone bill.

After he got his seventh 'Bem-vindo à Amazônia'(welcome to the Amazons,) he just let out a sigh of disappointment and turned his phone off and got on with his day.

I am such a moron... Look at where the mighty have fallen. The person who hated texting looks forward to a text. Ethan chastised himself as he entered the local hospital for a busy day.

Around noon when he headed to the cafeteria down the street, he turned his phone on to find a notification that made his heart beat faster.

(1) voicemail from Leah🌞

He pressed the button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey Ethan, just wanted to update you on the hospital and your patients. Everything is running smoothly and all your patients are alive. Chief Naveen and someone named Dr. Hirata are managing them. Mrs. Rodriguez went home today and she left you some cookies which I may or may not have stolen because well... they might catch fungi and that's sure would be a tragedy. Also, you don't even like anything sweet and would have given it to me anyways."

Ethan could imagine her shrugging as she stuffed her face with a cookie. That mental image was way too cute and Ethan couldn't help but melt a little. He sat down on his designated seat in the cafeteria and Leah continued.

"Also, Mr. Agarwal from room 456 was taken in by Harper for emergency brain surgery. He had an aneurysm and is in recovery. So far, he is showing great scope of a full recovery.

In short, everything is fine and smoothly running in your absence.

To be honest, I don't miss you that much. It just feel like a normal day when you are in one side of the hospital and I am in the opposite side. But... When I cross your office before clocking out, instead of seeing you working on your desk or lounging on the couch in your office, I just see emptiness.

And then that reminds me of the emptiness in my chest... But fuck that, who cares?!

Seriously, I don't miss you at all. But... That doesn't mean it's an invitation to stay in the Amazons indefinitely.

I would very much like it if you come back to me...okay? Bye."

A grin decorated his face and it made him so happy that his cheekbones were hurting. He shook his head as he put his phone down on the wooden table.

I don't miss you at all...

Who are you trying to convince sunshine?

Those words may be biting but he also knew his sunshine pretty well. He knew that she also missed him the way he did but, both of them were stubborn and had their heads all the way up their asses.

Neither of them were going to cave in and confess.

It's a tiring game and Ethan often wondered how long is he going to last.

So with his head full of thoughts, he took out the hotel stationary and began writing his response.

DAY 19

"Put the patients in bed number 4 and 25 in the recovery ward and ask if they are willing to provide blood for plasma therapy. Bed number 20 is going downhill so increase the dosage of the narrow spectrum antibiotics from 100mg to 250 mg every two hours. And..."

Ethan turned around and let his eyes run over the different patients. He was covered from head to toe in scrubs and goggles donned his face. The mask muffled his speech.

"Bed number 40 should move to another ward because it isn't too severe in her case. And can you update me on the patients in the gymnasium?" Ethan asked as he looked up from the clipboard.

"Most of them are infected sir. We have been segregating them from the healthy ones. We made the banquet hall the centre of testing and if anyone tests positive we are either sending that person to the hospital or to the gym. We have even initiated lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease." The doctor spoke with a heavy Portuguese accent.

"Good. Keep me informed about the patients in bed 12, 39, and 26 throughout the night."

"Yes Dr. Ramsey. Boa noite!"

"Good night."

Ethan walked out of the isolation ward and headed into the locker room where he could sterilize himself. Getting out of the numerous layers of scrubs was a task in itself and he felt so suffocated in them.

As he pealed out the layers off his sweaty body and removed the mask he stepped into the shower cubicle and turned the tap on.

He sighed in relief as the cold water washed over him, washing away the day's dirt, grime and sadness. Working in the isolation ward was never easy. It was always filled with fear and despair. Ethan would try his best to make them comfortable but, he never had a knack of people's skills.

If Leah was here she would have them laughing in no time. The thought rushed through his mind.

Leah.

Ethan was missing her terribly. The first few days were easy to handle the absence but now? Good lord, he craved her.

She was his sunshine and she always knew how to lift his spirits up when he had a rough day be it by cracking awful dad jokes, her infamous puns or her just being around him.

He missed those hazel eyes which would fill up with concern the moment she noticed his discomfort. He missed the way she would reach out for his hand and squeeze it twice when they were in broad daylight. He missed the way she would wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head against his chest when it was just them.

He stepped out of the cubicle, water dripping down his toned abs. He slipped on a fresh pair of jeans and a plain tshirt. He was about to pick up his messenger bag when he saw the screen of his phone light up with a notification.

Leah🌞

(1) missed call (1) voicemail

Ethan gave a small smile before pressing the button to hear the message.

"So apparently now I am Jenner's emergency contact, huh?"

Amusement laced her voice and Ethan groaned, hiding his face with hand. He hoped that Leah would never have to know but now the secret is out and all he wanted to do was curl up and hide.

She chuckled before continuing. "Don't be embarassed Ethan. I think that it is cute and I am so glad that you can trust me with your girl. Look at you, growing up and trusting people."

Ethan chuckled and Leah's tinkling laugh joined his.

"Basically, Jenner's dog sitter had to go out on an emergency so she called me to go to your apartment and feed her. Not going to lie but... I am scared."

She sighed before continuing.

"It's just that once I cross the threshold and see the cold empty penthouse shrouded in darkness... It would confirm that you are actually gone and that I can not continue living in the state of denial.

So, if you are getting calls from your neighbours that there is a hobo muttering to herself and pacing in front of your door, that's me."

Nervous laughter resounded on the line followed by another sigh.

"...you know what, fuck it. It's just a door."

Jingling of keys was heard on the line and it was shortly followed by excited barks.

"Oomph!" Leah was cut off by Jenner tackling her. A crash was heard, which might probably be the phone falling down on the ground.

Ethan smiled. He liked seeing his girls interacting.

Leah's coos were heard along with barks and whines from Jenner. Leah's voice sounded faraway as she spoke to Jenner in a baby voice.

"Oh girl... Don't be sad. I know he hurt you by leaving you here all alone. But you are not alone. Well, he hurt me too. So, don't worry we are on the same boat girl."

Those words were like a sucker punch in the gut and Ethan could not help but sit down on the bench as an after effect.

Don't worry... He hurt me too... Those words continue to echo through his head. He knew that Leah didn't say those words intentionally but, it just made him realise just how much of a facade she had put up, to hide her pain.

God, sunshine...

Leah's voice continued. "Well Jenner misses you too. We are okay, aren't we?" An excited bark sounded throught the phone and Leah chuckled.

"Sorry to disturb you. Go back to do your job of saving lives. You are doing a service to humanity Ethan, and I am super proud. You are so brave."

There was a pause before Leah blurted out.

"I- I miss you Ethan. A lot. And it hurts not seeing you here. But don't worry about me, I am a strong cookie and I will stay strong... For you. I just have one request though..

Come back to me soon...okay? Bye."

You have reached the end of the voicemail. If you want to hear agai-

Ethan immediately pressed the button and he heard her voice through the speaker of his phone. As she spoke, Ethan hauled a taxi to take him to his b&b.

You are doing a service to humanity... You are so brave..

Oh sunshine, if only you knew... it wasn't bravery.

I miss you a lot...

I miss you too sunshine...

Ethan sat and stared out of the window of his cab, a turmoil of emotions just running wildly in him as the words of the woman he loved, ran in his mind.

DAY 28

It was 12 am in Tefé and Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone's screen with narrowed gaze.

C'mon Ethan, don't be a pussy. It's just a message.

And that one message will be the breaking point for all of my will power and resolve. Might as well catch a flight home and personally wish her.

You are blowing things out of proportion... His inner voice reasoned.

"Shut the fuck up." Ethan exhaled, clenching his jaw, the muscle ticking as his eyes again landed on the blinking cursor, mocking him.

It was the 29th of April.

His sunshine's birthday.

And Ethan sat, twiddling his thumbs, contemplating what to type and send.

His thoughts went to last year when they were so at ease and could stay up and talk for hours but now, here he was, not able to formulate a single text message for the girl he had feelings for.

What have we come to?

Ethan couldn't help but feel guilty all of a sudden. Doubt clouded his mind and he wondered if running to the Amazon was really a good idea or not.

I needed space to think and figure out this 'love' thing... Right?

Shaking his head, he cleared all those lingering doubts and looked down at his phone again and wrote what came to his mind.

When did the great Ethan Ramsey get so cheesy? His inner voice snickered.

As he continued to read and re-read the message again and again, he started hating what he wrote.

"This is utter garbage. Who in their right mind uses emojis? Fuck this." Ethan muttered as he erased the entire message. He locked his phone and placed it on the bedside table before getting comfortable in the sheets and slipping into a deep slumber.

11:57 am Ethan had finished his rounds and was just taking a five minute break before he headed into the conference room where the team of doctors would discuss their approach.

The condition did improve a bit here on Tefé, but it was a massive outbreak and things were getting harder to control. It was a stress fest 24/7 and Ethan could feel his brown locks greying by the second.

In this five minute break, instead of grabbing something to eat and regroup his thoughts, he stood in the hallway, looking down at his phone. He had typed another message with lesser mixed signals.

Well... This sounds robotic... No wonder Leah called me Dr. Terminator the first time. Ethan snorted as he shook his head, disappointed.

He was about to type more when he heard his name being called by one of his colleagues.

"Dr. Ramsey, we are good to go."

Ethan looked up and curtly nodded. "Yes, I'm coming." He locked his phone and slipped into the pocket of his denim jeans, diving into work again.

7:16 pm Ethan was sat down on the bench outside the hospital and let out a breath of relief. He had been on his feet since the last 5 hours, running between the gymnasium, the hospital and the banquet hall.

The mask and goggles he had worn, had left bruises on his face and he just needed a fresh breath of air. Ethan took big gulps of the humid air which had hints of rain.

The thing about Tefé was that it rained everyday, without doubt. He enjoyed the rain but hated the humidity which was an inconvenient side effect. Though it was relatively cool at night, Ethan's shirt stuck to his chiseled body due to the excessive sweat.

Ethan took his phone out of the pocket and opened the messaging app again. "Short and sweet is better." Ethan mumbled as he started typing again.

He was half way through the message when his phone died due to the low battery. Ethan just looked up at the sky with defeat.

Was this the time to come at me karma?

He was about to head to the locker room to put his phone on charging when he heard panicked voices calling him. "Dr. Ramsey!"

"Yes?" He got up and started jogging to the entrance.

"Five patients in isolation ward CC-23 are deteriorating and they need help ASAP. We are short-handed and-"

"Say no more. We have lives to save."

12:00 am It was a stressful evening to say the least.

The patients kept on flat lining and Ethan and the staff tried bringing them back to life by injecting them with adrenaline. After a giving quite a few scares, they were finally stable and moved to the ICU.

Ethan dropped his duffle bag on to the sofa in his b&b and stretched his arms above his head, cracking his neck to release the tension in his shoulders. He fished his phone out of his pocket and immediately connected it to the charging port.

His screen lit up after sometime and he saw a notification which made his heart sink.

Leah🌞 (1) voicemail

I could not wish her...

Ethan opened his notifications and pressed on the voicemail she left, preparing himself to face the music.

"Uh..hi Ethan. I hope things are going as smooth as they can over there. I have been reading the news and keeping up with the situation there. I ain't worried about that because well... You are Ethan freaking Ramsey, the best diagnostician of your generation!"

Nervous laughter flitted through the phone speaker before it turned into a sigh.

"I know you are busy with the epidemic and all but... You missed my birthday. And- and I don't want to sound like those middle school teenager crying over an unwished birthday but... It hurts when the love of your life doesn't do it.

I have been trying to reason with myself that you could have forgotten but, I know you. I know that you never forget... And I didn't expect an elaborate gesture or anything! Even a small 'happy birthday Leah' message could have made my day... And I know you are caught up in your work but... How long does it take to type three words?"

Leah's voice cracked and Ethan felt regret gripping at his throat.

"Ethan- I am running out of reasons to convince myself. I am running out of those optimistic reinforcing shit. I am running out of the the number of benefits of doubts to give you. I am running out of faith that you feel the same way as me.

The longer I am spending time without any communication from you, the more I am loosing myself into the vicious cycle of doubt and self loathing.

I am angry at you and I hate you so much right now. I want to burn down your sweater in my closet and throw away the sun pendant you gave me. Just forget that you existed and go back to being the old happy me."

Ethan gasped, feeling breathless all of a sudden. The heavy burden of her pain and his self loathing was crushing his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

In a soft, broken voice Leah spoke.

"But I won't. I don't have the strength to yank the necklace off me. Even though it burns me and is a reminder of the person who left me, I still wear it. Even though your name hurts me, I still want to hear it...

...I love you Ethan, so damn much that it hurts me. I need you Ethan, I really do and I know it's selfish of me but...

Just come back to me... Please. Bye."

Ethan leaned his elbows on his knees and let out a breath which rattled through his body. He put his head in his hands and let out another breath, trying to breathe through the heart shattering pain.

I am so sorry sunshine...

So fucking sorry...

DAY 36

It had been eight days since the last voicemail and Ethan had been tormented, swimming in gut wrenching guilt.

Most of the times he found himself reaching for the phone to call her, but he would just clench his fist and resume his work. All the words left unsaid, he would just pour it out on to the loose sheets of paper. That was the only thing that prevented him from slipping into insanity.

He was never one to understand the sentimental reason behind having a diary or journal. From a scientific perspective, he knew that it has long lasting effects in mental health and helps get rid of the anxiety.

But now, whenever he felt like he was going to get crushed under the guilt, he often found himself writing.

If he wasn't writing, he would be working. He started staying at the hospital longer and worked for longer hours so that he could tire himself out. That way, when he went to sleep, he would immediately fall asleep.

But still, no matter how much he tried, his thoughts would always go back to her.

Funny how one person could make or break your life.

It was 4:45 am and Ethan was in the lab, checking in on the newest vaccine that they had worked on. The doctors had been utilising the plasma of the recovered patients to formulate vaccines using the antibodies created in defense. And so far, it had been helping them. They were already vaccinating the asymptomatic people and it made a huge impact.

But still, there was a long way to go.

"Dr. Ramsey, why are you still here?" Dr. Batra, a 50 year old woman from India asked, her voice laced with inquisitiveness.

"Just working on the vaccine strains, Dr. Batra."

"You and I both know that those strains are highly effective." She said as she leaned against the door frame.

"Never hurt to be perfect." He shrugged as he leaned back from the microscope.

"But it does hurt when you over work yourself."

Ethan sighed as he took his glasses off. He rubbed his face.

"How long have you been awake Ethan?" Dr. Batra asked, the maternal concern evident in her tone.

Silence.

"Ethan..." She gave him a stern look.

"Yeah, yeah I will go now. After some ti-"

"You do know that avoiding your problems won't make them go away, right?"

Ethan's eyes snapped to her and immediately looked away not able to hold her gaze. She reminded him of Naveen and how he could never hide anything for him.

I wonder how he is doing...

"But I am delaying the inevitable, as most doctors must do."

"Ethan... I have known you for a very short duration but, I know for a fact that you are not a man who gives excuses."

Ethan sighed. "It's complicated."

"As must all the things in this universe."

"It's just... There is this girl, and she confessed her feelings for me. And the intensity of the feelings scared me. So here I am, taking a break. But... There is this small pain in my chest whenever I think about her. She fills me up with euphoria but can also break me down. When I reflect back on all the happy moments, I get light headed, as if I am on drugs. That is why I am here, to analyse and figure out my feelings whilst helping with the epidemic."

"Well... I think you know the answer but, you are just living in a state of denial."

Ethan sighed as he looked down at his hands. "Don't I know that?"

"Well, if you know the answer then what's stopping you?"

"I-" they were interrupted by the shrill ring of Ethan's phone. He saw the name 'Leah🌞' and pressed the silent button immediately.

"You won't take that?" she asked eyeing the phone.

"I don't think I am strong enough to do that."

"Love is for the brave Ethan. Remember that." She got up and patted his shoulder before stepping out. The sun rays filtered through the gigantic windows of the lab, slowly illuminating the clinical set up with its golden rays. Ethan picked up the phone and saw that Leah had left another voicemail.

Picking up the phone, he stood in front of the window, letting the warmth of the sun wash over him. Be brought the phone to his ear and he heard her.

"Hey. Its 6 am here and I was bored so I decided to call you. Or leave a voicemail because you never pick up my call. I was just feeling lonely so here I am! Kinda ironic but meh.”

Ethan could hear her shrug though the phone.

“I have been taking double shifts all week and it's been so productive. The cool cases I have done and solved, the lives I have saved... they have been giving me my quota of serotonin.

Literally nothing interests or makes me happy now. So my job is the only thing which I look forward to. The things I used to enjoy doing, seems like a chore.

Everything seems like a chore.

Sleeping, eating, breathing, everything seems like an exhausting task. I don't even like sleeping anymore. Because whenever I sleep I dream fo you and when I dream of you, it's like I am being stabbed in the heart.

I don't even want to go home, because whenever I am home, I see your sweater and then my mind goes back to the numerous night outs we had, working on our cases.

The hospital is okay but, every corner I turn I think I see you which, I am going to blame on my sleep deprivation. Don't worry, I am not going into self destruct mode. I still force myself to eat three square meals a day and I get around 4 hours of sleep for every 48 hours I am awake.

So it's okay... I am okay.

I maybe a ticking time bomb BUT, I am not a working hazard. I am alert at all times and all my patients are in tip top condition. I think I should give credit to the two energy drinks I downed along with a cup of coffee.

Don't worry, my heartbeat is under the safe limit of 180 BPM.

In short, don't worry. I am golden.

I hope you are taking care of yourself too! I just hope that you come back to me.

Bye. Love you."

"FUCK!" Ethan exclaimed as he threw he phone with a thud on the table. He placed his palms on the cool granite countertop, breathing heavily.

Shit, shit, shit.

He started pacing in the lab, playing with his beard, his mind racing with worry and concern.

This was not supposed to happen.

Ethan stood and gripped the counter again closing his eyes, trying to centre his breathing but it was futile.

I need to do something, anything! His conscience egged him.

He opened his eyes and it landed on his phone.

Well, I guess it's time to make a call.

well, I hope you guys liked it!

do you think Ethan finally caved in and called her?

like, comment, reblog and let me know what do you think :))

#choices #choices oh #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices stories we play #pixelberry #open heart #open heart mc #open heart 2 #open heart fanfiction #choices fanfiction #open heart fic #anushka writes #oh Ethan #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan jonah ramsey #dr. ethan ramsey #dr ethan ramsey #ethan x f!mc #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan ramsey one shot