#this was requested 50 million years ago though
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Finally posting this greninja
#pokemon#greninja#water type#dark type#bit of that randomized palette stuff again#drawing some random pokemon#this was requested 50 million years ago though#I actually finished the drawing 25 million years ago#I've been drawing by hand or playing video games more lately so less posting#I'm probably gonna peruse my followers and draw pokemon that people have as their icons#cuz why not#but I might get bored and only do like 3 who knows#random but not actually randomly chosen pokemon#but only those who read my tags will know#by request#ugh my computer mouse is breaking
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First Love / Late Spring
Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff
Summary: Natasha and Wanda moved forward with their lives, each on their separate paths. The question remained: Would they ever find peace with the choices they'd made? Could their love for one another prevail despite the issue that they faced?
Word count: 5,562
Warnings: angst, fluff, hurt, comfort, happy ending , college au
A/N: this is the part 2 of Angels Like You. Please read that one first before you hop on this fic. :)
╰┈➤ Masterlist
It's been three weeks since the break up and the second semester has started. Natasha chose to be absent during the first week in fear that she will see Wanda. Although, there is a 50% chance that she will see her since Wanda is only in her second year and Natasha is now in her final semester then she will graduate.
Wanda made it very clear that she wants nothing from Natasha. Natasha respects her wishes but still aches to be near her and apologise for a million times even though she doesn't really know now what she's apologising for.
Yelena had learned everything that happened that night but hadn't yet disclosed the truth to Natasha. To be honest, she couldn't quite fathom why she was withholding it. Natasha, in the meantime, was drowning her sorrows through smoking, avoiding any conversation with her sister. She feared that all she would receive from Yelena were judgments and accusations, but strangely, none came. Natasha waits for the storm to pass.
Yelena had also attempted to approach Wanda, but her best friend had shut her out completely. Wanda had even warned Yelena to leave her alone, a request Yelena complied with to avoid further upsetting her.
Everything appeared normal, with no signs of suspicion in the air. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Steve and Tony had been relentlessly pressuring Maria. Tony, thanks to his status as the University President's son, had even resorted to threatening her with expulsion if she didn't confess to what she had done to Natasha. The act of drugging someone was a desperate attempt on her part to win Natasha back.
Maria had reluctantly promised both of them that she would set things right. She intended to speak with Natasha first and offer a sincere apology.
The following day, Natasha finally attended her classes, but her day took an unexpected turn when she encountered someone she had hoped to avoid – Maria. Maria stood before her, wearing a solemn expression.
"Can we talk? Somewhere private?"
"Why would I want to speak with you?"
"I just wanted to talk about what happened at the party."
Alarm bells began to ring inside Natasha's head. Was this how she would finally learn the truth? Would Maria be truthful with whatever she has to say? Natasha had little interest in anything Maria might say. She had already come to terms with her failed relationship.
"I don't want to talk to you, Maria. Let it be and leave me alone."
"But… Natasha! You need to listen to me."
"I don't want to waste my time with you." With that, Natasha turned and walked away from Maria.
Pietro saw the interaction between the two women. He was aware of Natasha's history and that she had been involved with Maria before her relationship with Wanda. This left him puzzled as to why Natasha was talking to Maria. He decided to search for his sister and ask about the situation.
He found Wanda sitting beneath a tree, engrossed in her latest book.
"Hiya, sis."
"Oh. Hi Piet. What do you want?"
"Well, nothing really. I just want to talk to you about something."
"What is it?"
"I saw Natasha talking with Maria today. What's going on between them?"
Wanda had momentarily forgotten that she hadn't informed Pietro about her breakup with Natasha.
"Ah. Natasha cheated on me with Maria," Wanda replied casually, her words sending a wave of anger through Pietro.
"What the hell? Are you serious, Wanda? That jerk! I knew she was bad for you."
"Yeah. I found out at a party three weeks ago. They were kissing and all that. Natasha even denied it."
"I swear to God. I'm going to confront Natasha when I see her again."
"Save it, Pietro. She's not worth your time."
**
Days passed, and Pietro's anger toward Natasha still simmered. He had carefully waited for her outside the campus, determined to confront her.
Natasha was on her way back to her dorm when she heard someone call her name. She turned and spotted Pietro, letting out a small sigh before approaching him.
"Pietro. What do you want?"
"I heard what you did to my sister. You're a fucking douchebag."
Natasha remained unfazed by his words, as she had reached a point where she no longer cared about others' opinions of her.
"Is that all you're going to say? Because I've heard worse." Natasha's calm demeanor further fueled Pietro's frustration.
"You have the audacity to cheat on my sister after she gave you a chance! God, you don't deserve Wanda at all. I don't know what she saw in you. You're nothing but a loser who plays with everyone."
"You know what, say whatever insults that come into your mind. News flash! I don't care. Bye." Natasha turned around and Pietro saw red at that point. He grabbed Natasha's shoulder and gave her a punch straight to her stomach.
"That's for being a bitch!"
Another punch landed on her side. "For being an asshole!"
The following hits landed on Natasha's face, breaking her nose, blood flowing down her mouth.
"And that's for breaking my sister's heart!"
Natasha knows that she can fight back and even defeat Pietro. But she chose not to fight back because she doesn't want to hurt him and further upset Wanda. She just takes whatever blows Pietro is giving her.
"I hope we never get to meet you, at all! How I wish that I could erase your memory from our mind and not remember a single thing about you if that's all it could take for Wanda's pain to go away."
"I love your sister, you know." Natasha whispered to herself.
"No shit, Romanoff. What a way to show it." And he continued his blows all over her body and she had enough. One punch was all it took from Natasha and it went straight to Pietro 's side of the face, the impact will surely leave him with a nasty black eye, leaving him lying in the ground, clutching the right side of his face.
"We are done here, Pietro. Go back to your dorm before I beat you to pulp."
Pietro scoffed and mocked Natasha, “What? Are you going to beat me?”
“I could hold a better punch than you. Look at you, one punch from me and you're already on the ground. So I suggest that you walk away from here now before I do something more to you."
"You are proving once again that you're an asshole."
"I have nothing to prove to you at all."
Pietro stood up and started walking away from her.
That is the time that Natasha felt the pain in her nose, her head was ringing, and her stomach was aching. She just wished that Yelena wasn't in their dorm to avoid any questions from her.
She finally made it back to her dorm, though the journey took longer than expected due to several stops to steady herself from falling. Her vision was blurring, and she promptly collapsed onto the couch, on the verge of passing out. She had no idea how long she had been asleep when Yelena arrived, tending to her wounds and holding an ice pack against her nose and busted lips.
"What happened, sestra? Did you get into a fight? I hope you won, because you look pretty rough right now."
Natasha suddenly felt an overwhelming honesty in her response. "Pietro did this. I didn't fight back much, but I did manage to give him one punch. He's got a black eye now."
Yelena stopped in her tracks, looking at Natasha with disbelief. "Pietro did this? How dare he! I'm going to find him."
"Don't do it, Yel. I deserved this. I cheated on Wanda. You must know that."
Yelena recalled the events of that night and slumped to the floor. She realised she had to go to Wanda and reveal the truth to put an end to the madness consuming them.
"Natasha, there's something I want to tell you–"
Her words were abruptly interrupted by a series of loud bangs on the door. Yelena rushed to open it, and lo and behold, Wanda stood there with Pietro, seething with anger.
"Where the hell is your sister? She had the audacity to do this to Pietro!"
"Wanda, please, let's stay calm and talk this out like mature adults," Yelena implored, attempting to deescalate the situation.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down when you're hiding your sister! How could you side with her after you saw what happened? You're my best friend! You should be on my side instead of protecting that cheater!"
Yelena struggled to contain her own emotions as she's the only person in the room who could set things right. However, Wanda wasn't finished with her angry accusations.
"You know what? Maybe both of you planned this from the beginning, to manipulate me and have a good laugh when I fell into your trap. Is that what happened here? Did you help your sister get what she wanted?"
Natasha noticed her sister tensing at Wanda's baseless accusations but chose to remain silent, trusting that Yelena could handle herself.
"I've done my best to talk to you, Wanda, and try to explain what happened that night. It's true that I wouldn't side with my sister unless I had a good reason. But I believe you're taking this too far," Yelena retorted, still struggling to keep her emotions in check.
"Me? Seriously? I'm the one going too far while your sister literally cheated on me. How could you say that, Yelena?"
"Okay. Since we are all here now and throwing all these accusations, I'm going to tell you what happened, and you'd better fucking listen!"
The three other people in the room were stunned by Yelena's sudden burst of anger. This left Wanda speechless, with no choice but to listen.
"The day after the party, I went to Steve and asked him if he knew about what happened. He then laid it all out for me and explained the situation. Both you and I were wrong in our assumptions. Yes, it's true that Maria was all over Natasha since she wants her back, but I know in my heart that my sister would never intentionally hurt you. Steve told me she and Maria got into a fight, which Maria did not take lightly."
Yelena took a long pause and started walking around, finding her ground to continue her explanation.
"For all the stuff that Maria could pull off, she did something I'd never imagine her doing. She's too desperate and spiked Natasha's drink."
Natasha stood up forgetting about the pain in her abdomen and looked at her sister. "What? What are you saying, she drugged me?"
"Steve found you and Maria on the couch while she was having her way with you without your consent." Yelena looked at Wanda, who had a shocked expression.
"He was able to pull Maria off of you, and he and Tony saw that you were unconscious. They confronted Maria, asking her what she did, and right then and there, she admitted that she drugged you."
Natasha couldn't believe this. All this time, they were the ones who were played by Maria. She was too hurt to even fully comprehend what was happening.
Wanda, on the other hand, didn't know how to properly react. Everything that had happened was blown out of proportion. Everything she had said was wrong, but how could she get out of this mess now that she had already said those words to Natasha? She felt like a fool.
"I think it's best for both of you to leave us. We all now know the truth. I hope it will clear the air between us." Yelena faced the twins and gently coaxed them to leave.
But Wanda casted a look at Natasha, who is now sitting on the couch, her head down and looking at the floor, not even sparing her a glance. Her heart is aching. She wants to run to Natasha and apologise, but the words are stuck in her throat.
"Natasha…" Wanda tried to approach her, but Yelena stopped her.
"Wanda, not now. Please leave."
Wanda nodded and left, together with Pietro. She feels like her mind is floating somewhere she can't reach. She feels ashamed and embarrassed of her false accusations and the cruel words she said to Natasha. How could she take it back when the damage has been done?
Once Wanda and Pietro left, Yelena approached her sister and tried to talk to her. "Sestra, I am sorry if I didn't tell you sooner. I honestly don't know how I was able to keep out for this long. I hope you forgive me."
Natasha offered a reassuring smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, Yel. Atleast now I know what really happened."
"So, what do you plan to do? Are you considering getting back with Wanda?" Yelena asked with hopeful tone.
A heavy sigh escaped Natasha's lips as she contemplated her response. "All this time, people looked down at me, assuming that I would be the one to hurt an angel like Wanda but as it turns out, she's the one who hurt me."
"Hey now, I don't think Wanda would ever hurt you intentionally. I mean, she should have at least try to understand and assess the situation but her emotions got the best of her."
"Thank you, Yelena for taking the time and making an effort to speak with Steve. It means a lot to me." Natasha deflected Yelena's comments about Wanda.
"I've always got your back, sis. I know you would do the same for me."
**
Natasha is trying her very best to avoid Wanda. It's not that she doesn't want to talk to her; it's just that she doesn't have the emotional strength to express her feelings in case Wanda confronts her. Both of them are victims of Maria's stupid behavior, but truthfully, Natasha feels deeply hurt and holds a grudge against Wanda for what happened. So, she has decided to let time heal their relationship and see what the future holds for them.
On the other hand, Wanda is restless, replaying everything that went wrong in her mind. She really needs to have a conversation with Natasha, but Natasha is actively avoiding her. Wanda understands that Natasha doesn't want to talk to her, and she admits that it's painful. At this point, she's feeling helpless. She starts to question whether she should have sought the truth like Yelena did instead of jumping to conclusions. Sadly, it's too late to undo the damage, but she still holds onto hope, wishing for the best outcome and a chance to resolve the mess they're in.
**
On an early Saturday morning, the sun had just begun to rise, casting a warm glow on the local open basketball court. Natasha, the captain of the women's basketball team for the third time this year, laced up her sneakers and started doing warm ups before shooting. She did a couple of push ups and ran at different speeds to get her going through her routine. She's lucky that she gets to play on this court since her father donated a hell of money in order for this place to be built. Playing basketball alone helps her sort her thoughts and lately, she can't stop thinking about Wanda. There is this constant push and pull whether it is a good idea to get back in a relationship with her.
Natasha paused for a while to rest and to dehydrate although she was surprised to see Wanda entering the court and started walking towards her.
Wanda couldn't sleep, her mind filled with thoughts of Natasha. She missed her a lot and felt the need to talk to her. Wanda called Yelena early in the morning, and though Yelena was still half-asleep, she understood the word "court." Wanda knew where to find Natasha and decided to take a chance. She was relieved when she saw Natasha, but she felt anxious and unsure about what to say.
"Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting your morning practice," Wanda said hesitantly as she approached Natasha on the court.
"No, not at all." Natasha reassured her, sensing Wanda's anxiety.
"Are you going to play this year?" Wanda initiated a conversation, her voice tinged with hope.
"Yeah, I think so. It's my last year, and I'd like to achieve something special before I graduate," Natasha replied, her eyes focused on the ball she's holding.
Wanda watched Natasha as she spoke, her heart heavy with the realisation that their dynamic had changed. There was no hand-holding while they talked how their day went, lingering glances, or stolen kisses.
"That's good to hear," Wanda replied, trying to mask her emotions.
After that, a heavy silence settled between them, suffocating the air with tension and awkwardness. Wanda couldn't believe that it had come to this.
"Hey, I'm going to get back to my practice. You can sit by the bleachers if you want," Natasha suggested, breaking the silence.
Wanda simply nodded and followed Natasha's instruction. She didn't know where this interaction would lead, but she hoped for a positive outcome, even if it meant restoring their friendship. She'd rather have Natasha as a friend than not have her at all.
As she watched Natasha on the court, Wanda couldn't help but reminisce about the times Yelena had dragged her to watch Natasha's basketball games. She had been a big fan of Natasha since high school, bringing cute banners at each game and that's when her crush had blossomed. It had taken her a while to admit her feelings, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Natasha didn't feel the same way. So, she kept her emotions to herself and ended up in a relationship with Vision. Vision was a good guy, but in the end, their feelings didn't align, leading to their breakup.
With sweat dripping on her face, Natasha had to stop herself from looking in Wanda's direction. Natasha always finds the girl beautiful, however there is something even more special when the sun hits her face making her look like an angel, who is basking in the morning sun. Maybe this is her sign to decide.
Natasha stands by the bleachers and grabs her towel so she can wipe off the sweat on her body. "Wanda, do you want to grab some breakfast? It's on me."
Feeling giddy, Wanda obviously said yes and walked down where Natasha is standing
"Where are we going?" Wanda asks as they are walking to Natasha's car.
"We can eat at your favorite diner. They should be open by now." Wanda smiled at herself knowing that Natasha picked something out of what she likes.
Wanda was the first to step out of the car when they reached the diner because Natasha needed to change out of her sweaty clothes. Wanda couldn't help but notice how Natasha's face was shining like a movie star as she drove.
"Okay, let's go. I'm hungry."
Natasha let Wanda go in first and wondered if they should sit side by side like before or face each other. After a moment of thought, Natasha chose to sit across from Wanda to avoid making things more complicated.
Once their food arrived, neither of them spoke much, and the atmosphere felt tense. Wanda wanted to escape from the awkwardness, but she knew she had to be brave and speak up.
"Um, I want to say sorry," Wanda took a deep breath and continued, avoiding eye contact with Natasha because she was afraid of her reaction. "I can't take back the mean things I said to you, but I truly regret saying them."
Wanda glanced at Natasha, who was trying to hide her emotions.
"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have done what Yelena did, try to find answers but my emotions got the best of me. I falsely accused you of cheating, and I'm really sorry. Please know that I love you,too." Wanda hoped that Natasha would look at her so she could reach out and hold her hand.
Time seemed to stretch, but Natasha remained silent, leaving Wanda worried that her apology might be a lost cause.
"Please, Natasha, say something. If you want me to leave, I can do that," Wanda pleaded.
"You hurt me, you know," Natasha's voice was almost a whisper. "Maybe it's my payback for my past mistakes."
"No. That's not true. This is all my fault."
Natasha shook her head in disbelief. "I saw the disgust in your eyes. It was clear you didn't want me around, and you made it obvious that I was just a loser who cheated on her girlfriend."
Tears welled up in Wanda's eyes as her heart ached for Natasha. Everything she had said now hit her like a wave of regret, making her realise how terribly she had acted.
Wanda's voice quivered as she spoke, "I'm really sorry, Natasha. If there's anything I could do to undo the damage I've caused, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
"There is nothing you could do."
Natasha's response cut deep, and Wanda couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She didn't care if anyone saw her cry, the pain was too much to bear.
Sobbing, Wanda asked, "What can I do to make things better? To fix our relationship?" Her words were muffled by her own sniffles as tears streamed down her face.
"What's the point?" Natasha's shoulders slumped in defeat as she continued, "How can you say that you love me when relationships are built on trust, and you clearly don't trust me."
Wanda's hope sank further when she looked into Natasha's eyes and saw the absence of emotion. It's like her heart is being ripped out of her chest.
"Can't we give it a chance, at least? Please?" Wanda pleaded.
"But how can we be sure this won't happen again?" Natasha questioned as she struggled to see the point of rekindling their relationship, given the pain they'd caused each other.
Wanda insisted, "It won't happen again. I'll make sure of it because we learn from our mistakes." She was ready to do whatever it took to bring Natasha back into her life. "I love you so much, Nat. I've loved you for so long, and I don't want to lose you."
They were quiet, and Wanda didn't want to upset Natasha. She'll accept whatever choice Natasha makes because it's her fault they're in this situation. Wanda watched Natasha, who kept playing with her untouched food.
"I'm not one to hold grudges, but I am now. I know I haven't been great in relationships, and it's fair to judge me for it. But it hurts more coming from you, the person I love most. It stings, you know?" Natasha usually hides her feelings, but she can't anymore. "If you want to get back together, I'm sorry, but I can't do that right now." Natasha added, and Wanda cried even more. She can sense Natasha slipping away from her and she doesn't know what to do.
"If that's what you want, I'll respect it even though it's not what I want," Wanda's desperation grows. She really wants to have Natasha in her life, in any way possible. "We can still be friends, right? I'd love to spend time with you and Yelena. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, I just want to be around you. You're about to finish your last semester, and I want to cherish our time together before you graduate. Please, Natasha?"
"Yeah. You can do that. You are Yelena's best friend and I don't want your friendship to be strained because of me." Natasha then responded to Wanda's request.
Afterwards, Natasha drove Wanda back to her dorm and watched her walk away. She was confident that she had made the right choice. Preserving their friendship felt more important than rekindling their relationship. But it doesn't mean that making that choice didn't cause her pain. Although it made her think, was she protecting the both of them for another heartbreak in the future, or was she too afraid of getting back together and she's protecting herself from Wanda instead?
**
Natasha and Wanda continued their lives, albeit separately. Natasha is busy practising for their college sports event, and she needs to be in her best shape. Wanda often watches her practice because Yelena takes her along. Wanda thinks Yelena is doing it on purpose, but she doesn't mind. She likes being close to Natasha. She will grab every opportunity where she can be close to Natasha.
Wanda stays with Natasha and Yelena in their dorm to study. Usually, Natasha studies with them, but lately, she's chosen to study alone in her room.
Yelena, during a break, asked Wanda if she missed Natasha. Wanda replied with a sigh, "You know I do."
Yelena suggested, "Maybe I should talk to Natasha and help her understand."
Wanda refused, saying, "No need for that. I want to respect her decision."
Yelena did not push further and simply said, "Okay, but I hate seeing you both like this. It's not like it used to be."
Wanda stayed silent, not wanting to think about Natasha too much. She didn't want to blame her for their issues, knowing she had made mistakes by jumping to conclusions and hurting Natasha in the end.
**
The gymnasium was electric with excitement as the students passionately cheered for their respective departments. All eyes were now on the final women's basketball game, and Natasha's team had a flawless record, never losing to their opponents. Natasha brimmed with confidence, convinced that her team would bag the championship.
Wanda and Yelena eagerly sat on the bleachers, awaiting Natasha's team's entrance. The gymnasium erupted with even more cheers and screams when the beat squad kicked off their drum sequence, signaling the women's team's entrance onto the court. Amidst the cacophony, everyone was shouting for their favorite players, and Natasha's name echoed from all corners of the gym.
Wanda couldn't help but wince at how unmistakably popular Natasha was, especially considering the loud cheers from a majority of the girls.
"Let's go. Natasha has arranged for us to sit courtside," Yelena encouraged, and they made their way down to the front row.
Wanda's heart soared with joy when she noticed that Natasha's jersey number during the team's jersey fitting was 16, which is her birthdate. However, she managed to contain her excitement, not wanting to startle Natasha. She decided to play it cool.
As the game began, Natasha confidently took the first shot, sinking a perfect 3-point score. Wanda couldn't contain her enthusiasm any longer and leaped out of her seat, screaming to show her unwavering support. Her cheers echoed through the gym. To her surprise, Natasha locked eyes with her and dedicated the incredible shot by pointing at her and gave a wink. This unexpected gesture left Wanda in even greater shock and delight.
Yelena sat beside Wanda, wearing a mischievous grin. She observed the interaction between Natasha and Wanda, silently hoping that Natasha's plan would unfold successfully.
The game intensified as they entered the final minute. The scoreboard displayed a nail-biting 83-80 score in favor of Natasha's team. As the team captain, Natasha felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. She had to guide her team to secure this win, calculating her moves carefully, including how to steal the ball from the opposing team. With only a minute left, anything could happen, and they needed to play flawlessly to clinch the victory.
With just 10 seconds remaining, Natasha executed a remarkable steal, with the current score at 86-85. She made her move, taking a buzzer-beating layup shot that found its way into the net. The crowd erupted in ecstatic cheers, and the beat squad pounded their drums with fervor. Natasha's department chanted their support and showered the court with confetti and balloons to celebrate their triumph.
Natasha's teammates swarmed around her, praising her for the game-winning shot. They lifted her on their shoulders, and she waved her gratitude to the ecstatic crowd. Wanda patiently waited for her chance to congratulate Natasha, but the moment took a bit longer as Natasha's fans rushed to take selfies and photos with her.
As the excitement settled, Natasha approached Wanda and asked, "Hey, want to take a picture with me? I'm wearing your number, you know?"
Wanda was almost overwhelmed with joy and gladly followed Natasha to the center of the court for the photo. Yelena, being the supportive sister she was, snapped the picture of the two women. Unbeknownst to Wanda, the other players had a surprise in store. Natasha's friend, Carol, held a bouquet of flowers behind her back, and the crowd let out collective "awws" as they saw this. Natasha presented the flowers to Wanda, who was taken aback by the gesture.
"For you," Natasha said with a shy yet adorable expression on her face.
Wanda, a mix of uncertainty and excitement, asked, "Natasha, what's going on?"
"Can we talk later? I want to be with you alone. If that's alright?"
Wanda beamed and replied, "Yes, of course!"
"That's good. I'll meet up with you later and text you after our celebration. Okay?"
Wanda nodded, unable to hide her delight at the unexpected turn of events.
At 5 in the afternoon, Wanda received a text from Natasha, asking for her location so she could come pick her up. Within minutes, Natasha arrived, and they headed to their favorite spot in the park, where they could watch the sunset together.
"I brought some drinks and snacks I managed to snatch from the team. I'm sorry for the wait, and I didn't have time to get food for us. It's been a hectic day," Natasha explained as they settled on the grass.
Wanda reassured her, saying, "It's perfectly fine. You didn't have to go through all this trouble."
Natasha took a deep breath and began, "You are probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you. I've been thinking non-stop ever since our conversation at the diner. I realise that both of us made mistakes, and I was too blinded by my emotions. Holding a grudge was immature and stupid of me."
Wanda wanted to interject, to let Natasha know that she had done nothing wrong, but she chose to listen, hoping Natasha had a change of heart. Metaphorically speaking, the ball was in Natasha's court.
"I've been reminiscing about the good times, the moments that truly matter. I remembered how you stood by me when I was down, lifting me up with your affection and words of encouragement, inspiring me to be a better person. Thanks to you, I've grown to be a better person, and you are genuinely the best thing that's ever happened to me. How could I ever let go of someone so beautiful and kind? You have the purest heart, offering a chance to someone like me, a heartbreaker, a player, someone who used to be good for nothing." Natasha's voice carried a mix of vulnerability and sincerity.
Natasha's heartfelt plea continued, "Wanda, I'm asking you to give us another chance. I understand your doubts, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it right. I'll court you all over again if that's what it takes to have you back in my life," but her monologue was abruptly halted by Wanda's fiery and passionate kisses. Wanda cupped Natasha's face with both of her hands, holding onto her like she could disappear at any second. Natasha was pleasantly surprised by Wanda's actions and had no intention of stopping Wanda.
Natasha's heartfelt words had struck a chord within Wanda, melting away her doubts and fears. This was it, they are finally getting back together, and Wanda wants nothing more in this world than Natasha Romanoff. This remarkable woman had turned her world upside down with a simple smirk, a casual wink could send her heart racing, and it was the little, simple things about Natasha that had always made Wanda fall head over heels in love with her.
"Baby, say it. Say you're mine again. I promise we'll make everything right this time. Please, say it to me," Natasha sought assurance once their lips parted. Their foreheads touched as they both tried to catch their breath.
Wanda gazed deeply into Natasha's eyes, her voice filled with sincerity, "Natasha, a part of me will always belong to you. I love you so much, and the thought of a life without you is unimaginable. I promise I won't repeat the same mistakes, and I will trust you completely. I am yours." Her words were a heartfelt pledge
In the profound stillness of this moment, Natasha and Wanda sat side by side, their hearts now beating in perfect harmony. They shared the promise of a tomorrow where their love would be the source of their contentment and strength.
This, perhaps, is just another chapter in the grand book of love, demonstrating once again that love prevails over every obstacle life places in its path. Love remains an enduring mystery, where each layer of shared experiences reveals the depth of emotions nurtured within and the boundless love they can offer one another.
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HeliosR - Sing in the darkness - Chapter 3 - Part 10
Translation of Sing in the darkness from ‘Helios Rising Heroes’, a new side arc alongside the current main story arc Like the dawning light.
Keith: Oi, Junior. It’s thatta way~
Junior: Okay, leave it to me!
Junior: Eat this! My serving of thunder….!
Masked civilian: It’ll be a struggle for death with this….!
Keith: !! Junior, wait!
Masked civilian: Uoooooh….!
Keith: Shit, will I make it…
Keith: !? He’s gone…
Junior: What!? Where did that guy just go?
-
Masked civilian: W-where is this! Why am I here!?
Nico: Used my power
Nico: You would’ve turned into a crisp if you kept going
Masked civilian: Ngh…. How dare you interfere! I didn’t ask for anyone to come save me, did I!
Nico: Don’t resist
Masked civilian: Stop! Don’t touch me! You filthy bunch…
Nico: …….
Masked civilian: Damnit… Finally I prepared myself for the worst and came this far, yet I haven’t achieved anything…
Masked civilian: Wheeze…. It’s hard to breathe…. I knew the air here was contaminated…
Nico: Hey, you okay?
Masked civilian: !! Don’t come close, you wretched hero!
Masked civilian: Better say your prayers… For your place to belong will be wiped from the face of this earth not before long!
Nico: ………..
-
Nico: ………….
Nico: (Wrong…. And this is wrong… this too…)
Nico: (When it comes down to information based on rumors, there’s more than enough. But none of it is accurate---)
Nico: Come in
???: ……….
Nico: Why are you being that quiet?
???: Fufufu….
Billy: Becaaause~! I got summoned to the operation room of the Anti-Eclipse unit!?
Billy: It’s not everyday I set foot in here~ It’s psyching me up~ I can’t make my entry without playing the part!
Nico: Playing the part?
Billy: Yup yup. Let’s not fret the deets. Now, at last…
Billy: Hallo, Nico-paisen! Thank you so much for opting to choose the services of no one other than the informant Billy Wise☆
Billy: I’ll have you know Nico-paisen has become a valued client through and through♡
Billy: Steadily accumulating the truth has paid off if I do say so myself. You seek to invest in my true power, yes~?
Nico: Just wanted information so I requested you
Billy: ……
Billy: I am the informant New Million takes pride in! Billy Wise!
Billy: Since you requested my aid, I shall pour my body and soul in fulfilling any kind of unreasonable demand☆
Billy: Ah, there is something I’d like to convey first due it being quite important~.... As for the payment, would information about Nico-paisen’s family be OK?
Nico: How much is that in terms of money?
Billy: Guh…. Won’t provide any information just as I thought…
Billy: Even though me has been persistently approaching you eeeever since mine admission….
Nico: Leave those things for later. Get to the main issue already
Billy: Gotcha!
Billy: Let’s see, first let’s go over the requested contents
Billy: Wanting information pertaining to a general organization harboring a negative point of view towards heroes and substance…. Here we go
Billy: There are plenty of theories afloat both from inside and outside New Million, about how the utilization of substance and the existence of itself is not deemed acceptable.
Billy: Save for the scholars and certain individuals, organizations who operate on such a scale can be narrowed down to a limit of four total.
Billy: And between those there’s one with it’s homebase located within New Million… while having a closer look at it, I was able to scope it down to one sole connection☆
Billy: Ta-dah! That be “Thonis”!
Nico: Thonis…
Billy: Regarding what Thonis is, it’s the name of a city stemming from Ancient Egypt, known as "the city that sank under water”
Nico: A city that sank under water?
Billy: Yes! That very organization called Thonis was created by people who had taken refuge beneath the soil of New Million, in the Lost Garden, 50 years ago when substance had come flying in from space.
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Bobulinski
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We’ve told you a few fun things about yesterday’s hilarious failure of a hearing in the House Oversight Committee.
Shockingly, heavy breathing yapmouth Tony Bobulinski did not reveal the smoking gun, nor did Jason Cow Anus or whatever the one who was in jail’s name is.
Reformed Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas was pretty great, as he explained how committee chair James Comer’s entire investigation is part of a Russian intelligence plot to hurt America that’s been running for almost 10 years.
youtube
My name is Tony Bobulinski.
The facts set forth below are true and accurate; they are not any form of domestic or foreign disinformation.
Any suggestion to the contrary is false and offensive.
I am the recipient of the email published seven days ago by the New York Post which showed a copy to Hunter Biden and Rob Walker.
That email is genuine.
This afternoon I received a request from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance requesting all documents relating to my business affairs with the Biden family as well as various foreign entities and individuals.
I have extensive relevant records and communications and I intend to produce those items to both Committees in the immediate future.
I am the grandson of a 37 year Army Intelligence officer, the son of a 20+ year career Naval Officer and the brother of a 28 year career Naval Flight Officer.
I myself served our country for 4 years and left the Navy as LT Bobulinski.
I held a high level security clearance and was an instructor and then CTO for Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.
I take great pride in the time my family and I served this country.
I am also not a political person.
What few campaign contributions I have made in my life were to Democrats.
If the media and Big Tech companies had done their jobs over the past several weeks I would be irrelevant in this story.
Given my long standing service and devotion to this great country, I could no longer allow my family’s name to be associated or tied to Russian disinformation or implied lies and false narratives dominating the media right now.
After leaving the military I became an institutional investor investing extensively around the world and on every continent.
I have traveled to over 50 countries.
I believe, hands down, we live in the greatest country in the world.
What I am outlining is fact.
I know it is fact because I lived it.
I am the CEO of Sinohawk Holdings which was a partnership between the Chinese operating through CEFC/Chairman Ye and the Biden family.
I was brought into the company to be the CEO by James Gilliar and Hunter Biden.
The reference to “the Big Guy” in the much publicized May 13, 2017 email is in fact a reference to Joe Biden.
The other “JB” referenced in that email is Jim Biden, Joe’s brother.
Hunter Biden called his dad ‘the Big Guy’ or ‘my Chairman,’ and frequently referenced asking him for his sign-off or advice on various potential deals that we were discussing.
I’ve seen Vice President Biden saying he never talked to Hunter about his business.
I’ve seen firsthand that that’s not true, because it wasn’t just Hunter’s business, they said they were putting the Biden family name and its legacy on the line.
I realized the Chinese were not really focused on a healthy financial ROI.
return on investment....
They were looking at this as a political or influence investment.
Once I realized that Hunter wanted to use the company as his personal piggy bank by just taking money out of it as soon as it came from the Chinese, I took steps to prevent that from happening.
The Johnson Report connected some dots in a way that shocked me — it made me realize the Bidens had gone behind my back and gotten paid millions of dollars by the Chinese, even though they told me they hadn’t and wouldn’t do that to their partners.
I would ask the Biden family to address the American people and outline the facts so I can go back to being irrelevant — and so I am not put in a position to have to answer those questions for them.
I don’t have a political ax to grind; I just saw behind the Biden curtain and I grew concerned with what I saw.
The Biden family aggressively leveraged the Biden family name to make millions of dollars from foreign entities even though some were from communist controlled China.
God bless America.
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20 JAN 2024 - SABBATH - SATURDAY - MAIN - LIBRARY
NEW YEAR - AUTHOR - FAIR - INSIDE - BOTH FLOORS
EVERYWHERE - AUTHORS - AUTOGRAPHING - COOL
OLD - WHITE - MALE - SUPER - NICE
HE - SAID - LATE - FEE - OF - BOOKS - FORGIVEN
REMOVED - 4 YRS - AGO - 1ST - ONE - 2 TELL ME
ONLY - FEES
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HE - SAID - ‘COME - 2 - HIM - WHEN - LOST’
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BOOKS - LARGE PRINT - EXPENSIVE - $31.95 AND
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SHARED - LOVE - JUDITH DEVERAUX - HISTORICAL
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I - GET - THIS - SHARED - JORDAN - $6 MILLION
TRY VIRAL VAULT . com
TIK TOK - UPLOADED - 2 VIDEOS - DAILY - FREE
ONE - MADE - JUST - THAT - $4,000 - DAILY - HIS
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AMAZON - 4 - HUB LOCKERS - SHARED - HOMEWOOD
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AMAZON - PRIME - OVER - $1.29 BILLION - DAILY
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SHARED - GOOGLE - SEARCH
START - DROPSHIP - MOSTLY - ALI EXPRESS - CHINA
$5,000 - $10,000 - THEN - $25,000 - THEN - $250,000
MONEY - I - NEED - HIGHEST - BUILDING - COMING
CONDOS - 2 POOLS - ROOF - AND - 7TH - FLOOR
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$0.03 - I - RECEIVED - HE - SAID - IT - WAS - MORE $$$$
B 4 - I - SAID - MAKATI - CITY - NEAR - CAPITAL MANILA
BRINGING - MY - MONEY - THERE - 4 - INTEREST BEARING
CAN - COMPETE - WITH - OTHER - COUNTRIES - BUT USA
BAD - INTEREST - BEARING - SO - BAD - BUT - OURS - YES
AUTO - TAXED - SO - I - CAN - AFFORD - MIAMI - AND - SO
LOW - STILL - REAL - ESTATE - AT - ASHEVILLE - NC
GREAT - CONVERSATION - SHARED - HOW - 2 - MAKE $$$
SO - WITH - LIBRARY - CARD - GOT - MY - DUES
BOOKS - AUTO - REPEATS - TWICE - UNLESS - SOMEONE
REQUESTS - BUT - SINCE - NO - LATE - FEE - ANYMORE I
DON’T - HAVE - 2 - WORRY - THOUGHT - ALL 3 - SAME DUE
DATE - SAID - THOUGH - 2 BOOKS - SAME - THICKNESS - 1
IS - SLIGHTLY - SMALLER - THE - FONT - SO - THEY - CAN
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DOES - TITLES - AND - WHEN - DUE
PUTTING - IN - MY - NOTES - AREAS - BUT - NO LATE FEE
ONLY - WHITE - OLD - MALE - SHARED - WHAT HAS FEES
NICHOLAS SPARKS - LIVES - IN - NORTH - CAROLINA
MEETING - AND - GETTING - HIS - AUTOGRAPH
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HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON
AUTOGRAPHED - ABOUT - $1,000 - $10,000 - EA BOOK
BUYING - THOSE - I’M - INTO - BOOKS - LIKE
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I - HAVE - A - SHOPIFY - ONLINE - STORE - HOW - 2 BUY
ALL - THESE - PLACES - RESIDING - ALSO - IN - MIAMI 4
I - LIKE - NO - STATE - TAXES - ONLY - FEDERAL - IN - FL
LIKE - VERY - MUCH - ADDING - ASHEVILLE - NORTH
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INTEREST - BEARING - IN - MAKATI - 2 - INCREASE MY
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SO - BLK - FEMALE - BEHIND - SO - CONVERSATION
ENDED - THUS - HERE’s - THE - LIST - LARGE PRINT
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‘EVERY - BREATH’ - REAL - THICK - 20 DEC 2023
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ALREADY - READ - A - LOT
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ADDING - 15 LBS - FOLDABLE - 14 INCH - HGT
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FR - MIAMI - HAPPY - HOLIDAYS - TUMBLR 2
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Post-AGT Appearance 1270: Scott Shannon in the Morning October 4
Nothing unusual would be happening in the House of Representatives this week.
Word that Charles III was not the last name on Phillip's list would quickly reach Britain and my agent would wake up with dozens of interview requests and some proposals for me to perform there.
I would sleep in New York then visit Scott Shannon in person about 8:30.
Shannon: That last song of course is not a classic oldie like we usually play but a song actively working its way up the pop and country charts. It's called Canadian Wildfires, sung by Anthony Martin Murphey with some assistance from our friend Phil Cole, who joins us now in person. Phil, how are you?
PBC: I'm doing better after a touch of heat prostration.
Shannon: Well, it's getting hot today in New York. Can you handle it?
PBC: This is nothing like New Mexico and Arizona, so yes. Out there it's 85 with the air conditioners going full blast.
Shannon: So, you also have some breathing trouble...
PBC: Yes, the smoke from the California wildfires never left me. I sleep with a cpap machine and take 3 inhalers daily.
Shannon: Speaking of wildfires, that song is doing alright on the charts, with all the profits going to help victims and firefighters.
PBC: yeah.
Shannon: How much money have you raised to date?
PBC: I don't get daily updates, but the record sales and related products have taken in over $50 million for the various charities.
Shannon: Great! Now you also have a movie playing Demon Dress. I saw it. It's quite a story and not too dirty for a family.
PBC: That was our goal.
Shannon: And did it exceed expectations?
PBC: Yes, by a long shot. That's good. We really need the money.
Shannon: Because of lost revenue from lack of performances?
PBC: Yes, I performed only 6 times in the month of September and it took a lot out of me every time.
Shannon: Yes, now I have to talk about last night on The Late Show. King Charles is not the last name on Phillip's list.
PBC: Yes, he is not.
Shannon: How soon may we find out who it is?
PBC: If the person dies it won't be long. If Phillip dies, it won't be long.
Shannon: Now, for those of you who don't know, our friend Phil here is the leader of Phillip and Cole's Variety Team. Phillip is one of several characters, parts of Phil's personality, but he treats them like real people with real medical and personal problems. Did I describe the situation right, Phil?
PBC: Yes, just like I wrote it.
Shannon: Ha ha, well, recently one of the characters, the Ranting 109-Year-Old Man passed away. Why is that?
PBC: Because there aren't many living 109 year old men, and I don't want to defy nature.
Shannon: By that reasoning though, Batman for example would be about 115 years old now.
PBC: And if it was up to me he would have died and stayed dead over 15 years ago.
Shannon: So you believe in realism at all cost.
PBC: Yes.
Shannon: Now, though the 109-Year-Old Man is gone his routines remain and you said you have an album coming out.
PBC: Yes, November 15, his best routines.
Shannon: It's a spoken word album I take it?
PBC: Also available in Braille for the hard of hearing.
Shannon: For the hard of hearing ha ha. you...you cracked up my whole studio team with that one.
PBC: He does sing his theme song Ode to Smarties.
Shannon: I don't recall that one.
PBC: You know Sinatra...And though I love my wife, I prefer Smarties.
Shannon: Oh yes, what else is on the album?
PBC: A little story about his days playing minor league baseball, a story of life before the great depression.
Shannon: Because no one remembers that anymore. We have to take a break. Phil has another song going about the wildfires. We'll play it after the break. Don't go anywhere.
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The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:00 JST, July 9, 2023
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe one year ago on Saturday, attention was focused on the Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and the suffering endured by children of followers of the faith.
The alleged assailant of Abe was one of these “second-generation followers,” whose lives were left in tatters by the excessive donations made by their parents and the abuse they suffered in the name of religion.
They finally have had their voices heard, and are receiving expanded support from the public. But for many, the anguish is far from over.
A man in Aichi Prefecture still agonizes even though his mother purportedly left the Unification Church. “It seems her heart has not yet left the faith,” he says. “It’s really difficult to completely break from the church,” said the man who is in his 30s.
After the Abe shooting, he convinced his mother, who is in her 60s, to leave the Unification Church. Or so he thought. He suspects that she still maintains ties with the organization.
His mother had joined the church before he was born. She purchased expensive vases from the church, leading to frequent arguments with her husband. When the man was in elementary school, she went alone to South Korea, where the general headquarters of the Unification Church is located, to take part in a ceremony.
She would purloin his New Year’s gift money, and took out high-interest loans from consumer finance companies to make donations totaling over ¥15 million.
After Abe’s death, it came to light that defendant Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, held a grudge against the Unification Church, stating that his mother had bankrupted the family by contributing over ¥100 million to it. Yamagami said he targeted Abe because of his alleged links to the church.
“It’s the same as us,” the Aichi man thought when he heard Yamagami’s words.
The man and his younger brother confronted their mother and pushed her to leave the organization, saying, “It’s not so far-fetched that we end up [like Yamagami].” The mother resisted, saying, “The church is not bad,” but eventually gave in and submitted an official notice of quitting the church.
The man insisted that she request that the church return the funds she had paid, but she only got back ¥50,000. Believing it was far from enough, he pressed her to sue for a larger amount, but she refused.
A look at the call log on his mother’s mobile phone revealed contacts with an individual linked to the Unification Church. He brought up the news of people suffering because of excessive donations to the church and urged her to cut all contact, but said she ignored him.
Recently, she has been deleting her call history and hiding her phone, and he cannot confirm whether she has severed ties or not. “I have no idea how to fix this problem,” he says.
A letter with no reply
“We can’t go back to the life we had before she got involved with the cult,” says a woman in the Kanto region struggling with her relationship with her mother.
In the Kanto region, a woman in her 50s had long struggled with whether to get her mother to leave the Unification Church. The answer still eludes her.
In 1973, her older brother, who was 5 at the time, was killed in an accident. Devastated by the loss, her mother turned to the Unification Church, and made donations over the years totaling at least ¥20 million.
Initially, the woman, her father and younger sister exhorted her mother to leave the organization, but she steadfastly refused. The father and sister eventually gave up, but the woman persisted.
The conflict led to a rift between the woman and her family, and she hasn’t seen them for about five years. Her father passed away three years ago, but she was only informed after the funeral. The woman became increasingly isolated, and finally gave up on convincing her mother.
After Abe was shot, the woman considered trying again, but the fear of rejection remained and time had passed. “Even so, I want her to be aware of the problems of the church,” she thought as she had a change of heart.
In late June, with the one-year anniversary of the shooting approaching, she sent her mother a letter for the first time.
“No matter how much time passes, my impression of the Unification Church will not change. Is there any salvation in a religion that pushes people to such extremes?”
There has been no reply.
_________________________________
Many Japanese women in Korea divorced and returned to Japan with their children in a state of deep dismay
_________________________________
Editorial: 1 year on from Abe's murder, let us renew our resolve to protect democracy
July 8, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)
Japanese version
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hermes crocodile kelly 8
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The verdict has been rendered in the defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The jury found in favor of Depp on all three charges, supporting his claim that statements Heard made in a December 2018 article were defamatory and done with “actual malice.” Depp is to be awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and another $5 million in punitive damages (although Judge Penney Azcarate said that latter number would be capped at $350,000 due to state laws).Heard’s countersuit was not deemed to be fully successful, specifically that she and her team did not prove all the necessary elements of defamation. She was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages over one claim related to Waldan’s quotes.Depp sued Heard over a Washington Post op-ed, in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard never named Depp in the piece, but the Pirates of the Caribbean actor said it affected his ability to get work and sought $50 million. She countersued Depp in 2020 for $100 million, stating that Depp and his team had tarnished her reputation by attempting to discredit her allegations against him. She specifically cited comments by Adam Waldman, a one-time lawyer for Depp.In a statement released on Instagram, Depp wrote, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye…And six years later, the jury gave me my life back.”In a statement released on social media following the decision, Heard wrote, “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a women who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”It was Depp’s second high-profile lawsuit, following a libel case he lost against English tabloid The Sun, which referred to him as a “wife beater.”The trial took place in Virginia because of the location of the Post’s press, and has been omnipresent in the news and on social media during the previous six weeks. During testimony, Heard accused Depp of various acts of abuse, including that he had “sexually assaulted” her while they were on a trip to Australia. Her legal team also presented disturbing text messages Depp had written about her when the pair were still married. Depp and his team denied those claims, while arguing that Heard had been physically violent towards him and claiming she had doctored photographs to show that she had been abused.Outlets like the Poynter Institute have noted that the trial could affect whether victims of domestic abuse are willing to share their experiences in writing or potentially moving forward with charges.The impact the verdict has on the two actors’ career will take years to fully grasp. Depp resigned from his role in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts at the study’s request days after losing his libel trial, and has primarily appeared in smaller films over the last few years. Heard’s acting output has also dropped considerably, though she has a prominent role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a DC superhero film due out in March 2023.Heard has the option to appeal the case.
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Mr. Grump and Miss Sunshine: Prologue
pairing: toji fushiguro x fem! reader.
story description: Megumi is finally entering the first grade, and Toji didn't expect to be attracted to his teacher. But he isn't worried about that, he is worried how you convinced him to be the class helper. He is betting it was your smile. (curses don't exist bc I said so. let toji be happy 2022)
wordcount: 1.9k
a/n: suprise, a wholesome story. I love this idea. Hopefully I can finish it I guess. idk if ill add smut or not, but we will see.
Toji felt something poke his cheek. Probably a bug. He thought and ignored the continuous poking.
“Dad, c’mon. We are going to be late.” Megumi pleaded, still poking his dad’s cheek. Toji groaned but woke up and grabbed his son’s finger to stop his assault.
“Yeah yeah kid. I’m up. Why are you in such a hurry?” Toji grumbled and opened his eyes to see his son fully dressed. Megumi was always independent. He learned how to dress by just looking at Toji and has demanded Toji not to help him because “he isn’t dumb”.
“We are supposed to go to school to meet my teacher.” Toji let out a small curse. He completely forgot that the school had sent him an email that parents and kids have to attend a meeting with the teacher. A one-on-one meeting because the teacher would ask them questions to know the needs of the students and the families. Toji dreaded it from the minute he read the email and now the day had come.
“C’mon dadddd. We need to go. We can’t be late!” Megumi shouted while crossing his arms. Megumi was angry because he hated the idea of being late, especially on this special day. His kindergarten teacher Miss Utahime was nice and he liked her very much. Megumi was worried that his new first-grade teacher would be mean or annoying like that third-grade teacher.
“Fine.” Toji rolled his eyes and grabbed the nearest cleanest clothes. He really didn’t care about his appearance. This was his one day off from having to be assigned to watch over some annoying pop star with a whiny voice and millions of teenagers screaming at the poor 5’5 popstar who has barely hit puberty. And now he has to spend it with his kid’s teacher. Probably a 50-year-old woman who was bored out of her mind and bitter because her retirement was only 2 years ago.
Fuck, I am not looking forward to it. Toji thought, angrily scrambling the eggs that Megumi requested for breakfast.
Meanwhile, you were at school. Preparing your classroom for the parents and your new students to come and meet you. You were so excited, your friend Nagi’s son was finally at the age of going to first grade. You have been waiting for this moment for a while because Junpei is adorable. He is a little bit shy but you promised Nagi, he was gonna end the first grade with friends, at least one. You were sure of it.
You were hanging out the last decorations when your friend and the principal of the school, Nanami Kento, appeared.
“You outdid yourself this year, Y/L/N.” Nanami said looking at your weather-themed room. You really did feel like this year is gonna be a good one. Even the decoration was on its A-game. You smiled at your friend’s compliment.
“Thanks, Nanami. Did you get the thing I asked for?” You asked excitedly. You asked Nanami last semester for a special object that would really help your classroom. Even though you knew it was a stretch, but if there’s one thing principal Nanami is gonna do is, fight with the district to keep his teachers happy.
“You know I did. It took me a while but she’s here.” Nanami pulled a big box out of the hallways.
Last year some of your more rambunctious kids broke the storytime mat. Which sucked big time because it was the best weapon against a very hyper class. Call them up for storytime and they will stay quiet and attentive to your funny stories and the cute puppets you forced Suguru, the art teacher, to make. So you were in dire need of a new one because you sure as hell won’t survive this new school year with 0 storytime mat.
“Thank you so much, Nanami! You are the best, man. I owe you lunch.” You said, opening the box and pulling out the beautiful rainbow mat.
“You also owe Gojo.” You looked at Nanami confused. What did Gojo have to do with this? Nanami sighed.
“The administrator didn’t want to bargain with me so Gojo decided to flirt with her to get the mat and some art supplies Getou needed.” You laughed at the image.
“How selfless of him.” You joked walking to your desk.
“How many parents do you have today?” Nanami asked. You didn’t even have to look at your journal to answer.
“Only one. The rest of the parents were here yesterday. This one worked yesterday and couldn’t join.” Nanami hummed at your response. He frowned for a minute.
“What’s the name of the kid?” He asked, suddenly. You reached for your work journal and there it was.
“Fushiguro, Megumi.” You answered. Nanami nodded.
“He’s a good kid from what Utahime told me but she always requested that I would be present for the parent-teacher meetings. The boy’s father scared her. I can see why, he is a huge man. I don’t think I ever saw him smile, even when we were praising his son.” You listened to Nanami and started to get worried. Usually, parents loved you, that was your gift but this might be the one to break you.
“Want me to stay with you?” Nanami asked noticing your suddenly cloudy disposition. But you shook your head. Even if Utahime was afraid of him, everyone deserves a fresh start. Maybe he had changed during the summer.
“I’ll be good, Kento. Don’t worry. I’m a big girl. I can handle a grumpy parent.” You winked at Nanami but used his first name. To emphasize, that you got this. Nanami shrugged.
Toji parked at the elementary school. Megumi almost made him fall because he kept pushing him to get into the car. He almost fucking spilled his coffee too. Little shit, he grumbled looking at the nervous kid in his booster seat. He knows he should be more understanding. Megumi doesn’t have many female figures in his life and anytime there is one introduced to him, he gets really nervous. Poor little guy.
Toji unbuckled the little guy and lifted him up. He grabbed his little hand and walked together toward the school. He could hear Megumi’s heavy breathing. Toji is secretly wishing Megumi will have a fucking Mary Poppins type of teacher because he couldn’t handle his son being this stressed at fucking 5.
Toji knocked on the door that had the number that was indicated on the email. Suddenly the most beautiful woman appeared. You looked messy but still put together. You gave Megumi the warmest smile. Toji felt his heart speeding up a bit. What the fuck was that? Toji asked himself.
“Hello! You must be Megumi. Nice to meet you!” You said, opening the door. Megumi focused his gaze on his little spiderman shoes. You can just eat him out. His little cheeks got red at your excitement.
You heard someone let out a cough. You looked up to finally see Mr.Fushiguro. You can see why Utahime was a little bit scared. The man was a fucking giant. Wearing black everything and a shirt so tight you can see his muscles bulging out. He had a scar on his lip that screamed danger. But man was he fucking fine.
“You must be Mr. Fushiguro. Come in. Have a seat.” You moved out of the way to let the Fushiguros in. The man walked past you and his perfumed just hit you like a fucking train. You almost sniffed the air but didn't because what kind of example would that set for little Megumi. Hey kid, your new teacher is sniffing your dad because he smells delectable. Not even being friends with Nanami would save you from being fired.
You sat down in front of them and cleared your throat.
“Hello, I am Y/N Y/L/N. As you know, I will be Megumi’s first-grade teacher. This meeting is just gonna be quick. Megumi if you want, you can go play or explore the classroom while I talk to your dad.” The minute that you sorta dismissed Megumi, he got off the chair and went straight to the little reading nook you set up with a bunch of picture books. You smiled at the boy and turned your attention back to his dad, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of you.
You felt intimidated but you won’t falter. You gave the man the warmest smile you could muster, but that probably didn’t work because he gave you a confused look. You handed Mr. Fushiguro a folder with a bunch of papers.
“These are the class schedule and all the planned activities we have this semester. We have a few field trips planned and we can’t wait for them because they are the best we’ve had.” You told the man, excitedly. But the feeling didn’t last long. The dreaded question was on the tip of your tongue.
Toji didn’t like the expression you had. You looked nervous and there’s nothing good about a teacher being nervous during a parent-teacher meeting. Last time that happened with Toji was to tell him that Megumi threw a crayon at one of the kids to protect a frog that was on the playground.
“There is also something, which isn’t forced or anything. We don’t do that but we do wish parents would sign up for the Special helpers club. Which is a list of parents that collaborate and help out with the class activities, read to the kids and go on our field trips to chaperone.” You said, twiddling her thumbs and looking nervously around the classroom. You took a deep breath and gave Toji another smile. Which in all honesty, made his stomach drop. Fuck the school for giving Megumi a pretty teacher. That was gonna be the end of Toji.
“I am asking every parent if they would like to be a part of the program.” You handed Toji the signed up sheet. That only had two names written on them. Toji looked back at you and noticed your “kicked puppy expression”
Don’t ask him what possessed him but it was probably the fact that he couldn’t say no to your smile but he grabbed one of the pens and signed his full name and his phone number on it. You gave him an ever bigger smile when he handed back the sign up paper.
“Thank you so much Mr. Fushiguro! I will be sending you a text whenever we need a special classroom helper. You don’t know how much this helps me.” Toji couldn’t help but feel a warmth all over his body. Megumi appeared right next to him. Y/N smiled at his son too.
“And it’s gonna be an honor to be your teacher, Megumi.” You patted Megumi’s head and a blush appeared on Megumi’s face. He gave you a small smile, which is interesting because Megumi is like Toji, barely smiles at all.
Toji and Megumi headed on their way. You waved at them when they left school. Toji’s mind was definitely trying to hurt him because he kept replaying your face over and over again.
“Dad.” Megumi called out.
“Yeah, Megs?” Toji took a look from the rearview mirror to see if there was something going on with his son.
“I liked Miss. Y/L/N. She had really good books.” Megumi smiled thinking about the dinosaur books he read. Toji nodded.
“I think I like her too.” This school year was gonna be rough for Toji. Little did he know, that it was gonna be rough for you too.
#fushiguro toji x reader#toji fushiguro x reader#toji imagine#toji x reader#fushiguro toji x you#toji x y/n#daddy toji#fushiguro x y/n#toji fushiguro fluff#toji x you#toji fushiguro x you#jjk x reader#jjk x you#jjk x y/n#jjk fluff#jjk imagines
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Garden sales have been absolutely wild here (mid-sized city in the Canadian prairies). In 2020 my main supplier smashed their previous record for mail orders by 300%. In late January this year they had *15,000* more orders than they'd had at the same time last year. Currently they've suspended phone orders, instituted a daily quota on online orders and are frantically hiring more full-time warehouse staff.
oh man, this is fascinating to hear; cool because of how notoriously hard greenhouses are to keep afloat financially, and fascinating from a garden industry perspective.
for those not acquainted with the really interesting world of garden and flower industries, most (ornamental flower) greenhouse and florist sales in recent years come from valentines’ day and mothers’ day alone, as opposed to several decades ago where flowers (in floral arrangements at least) were considered a thing you got on a regular basis without any special occasion needed. the turnover rate for retailers selling flowers for planting in gardens is really high unless you’re a big chain that sells flowers/florist services on the side, or you expand to include garden equipment, landscaping, houseplants, etc (my fave book on the flower industry and how this all goes down is called Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart, for anyone interested).
that aside, this feels like the other side of a new york times article i saw last month called We’re Saying it with Flowers. Loudly and Repeatedly, by Carly Lewis (which to be fair is specifically about florists, not greenhouse or houseplant sales; i’d assume gardening is way up too for similar reasons, though). it was really conflicting for me to read, because like...it’s a horrifying set of circumstances where this huge influx is happening, but it’s happening for really human reasons. excerpts for those who dont have access, although the whole article is really cool:
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Three weeks ago, Julia Gray, a florist, delivered a bright bouquet of flowers to a customer in Queens — spring colors, by request. Judging by the accompanying card, which the sender had carefully dictated to Ms. Gray by telephone, a familial falling out had taken place. The flowers were sent as an apology.
“It was this young woman, sending flowers to her aunt,” Ms. Gray said. “She hadn’t seen her family for a year and a half.” When Ms. Gray told the recipient the flowers were from her niece, her face lit up. “People are realizing that time is of the essence,” Ms. Gray said. “You can’t hold a grudge.”
[...]
Spending the past 11 months in various states of lockdown has inspired many a soul-searching expedition. It’s been a period of perhaps involuntary rumination, during which many people have had no choice but to be alone with their thoughts. And when those thoughts sometimes become softhearted mea culpas, florists get the call.
[...]
Mr. Harkins estimates that his business is up 50 percent compared with this time last year. “My father told me when I was a young man that the flower business is recession proof,” he said. “He started during the second dip of the Great Depression in 1937. He said, ‘When things really get bad, a guy can’t go out and buy his wife a new car or a mink coat, but he can buy a dozen red roses and feel like a big shot.’ It’s kind of a denial of the hard times. That’s where the florist steps in.”
According to a recent survey conducted by the Society of American Florists, over 80 percent of respondents reported an increase in holiday sales compared to 2019. In January, 1-800-Flowers, a leading e-commerce retailer, announced what it said was the company’s highest quarterly revenue and profit in history, with a total net revenue of $877.3 million, an increase of 44.8 percent compared with the same quarter last year. Chris McCann, the president and C.E.O., estimated that approximately 22 million stems, including about 14 million roses, were delivered by the company for Valentine’s Day.
[...]
“It’s wrenching to know that the reason someone is sending flowers is because otherwise they’d be there in person,” said Whit McClure, who runs the floral design studio Whit Hazen in Los Angeles. “I get choked up thinking about that.” Ms. McClure also noted that, given the staggering number of Covid-19-related deaths in Los Angeles, she has been receiving a significant increase in condolence and sympathy orders.
[...]
“We’re getting more deliveries just to say hello and check in,” Ms. Gray said. “There’s this one couple we just started taking orders from during the pandemic. He lives in Brooklyn and she lives in Queens, she’s taking care of her elderly mother. He sends flowers to her every two weeks — beautiful arrangements, always decadent, gorgeous long-stem roses. Had the pandemic not happened, he could have been seeing her and not sending her flowers. You should see the cards he writes. He is madly in love with her. They actually got in a fight, I think they broke up at one point. But they got back together. He kept sending flowers.”
Emily Scott, who owns Floriconvento Flowers in Harlem, said that customers and florists alike are mindful of exacerbated sensitivities amid the pandemic. “There have been so many deaths, and that is such a touchy subject,” she said. “But whether it’s a death or a great, positive occasion like a new birth, there’s still so much love that needs to be expressed.” As well as less clear emotions: “There’s a lot of nuance that can be acknowledged through flowers.”
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yeah so anyway
#oh god i almost cried again rereading this. rare incredibly hard hitting plant-related mainstream article#plont asks#asks#industry#Anonymous#economic botany
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the 1995 brits x damon albarn & liam gallagher
hhhiiii I'm here with a very cute little fic about the brits!! the idea of writing something with Damon and liam fighting over someone was requested quite a long time ago (sorry it’s taken so long omg) but I loved the idea!! I do hope you all enjoy it as I enjoyed writing it a lot hahah xx
Pairing: 90s damon albarn & 90s liam gallagher x reader
Warnings: nothing, just a little bit of bickering n dat
Word count: 3.057
Requested by anon x
༉‧₊˚✧
Being a part of the madness that adapted the name ‘Britpop’ was truly an experience. Paparazzi at every corner you turn, equipped with the brightest, flashiest cameras, also having the most annoying click noises to the point that after one image you’ve earned yourself a migraine that would last the entirety of the day; parties that would last entire nights, bearing millions of different kinds of drugs - some that hadn’t even been given a name yet, but you’d still give a try anyways, since you’re so high and drunk that you simply lose the intellectual capability to construct decisions, you say fuck it, and get so high to the point that you’ve blacked out in a booth in a bar, with the owner asking you to get out since you’ve been inside for one too many hours after closing time; as well as constant press coverage. With your name plastered over literally every newspaper and music magazine known to man, as well as having your entire life consistently dictated for the entire nation to read about every Sunday morning and indulge themselves into as a form of entertainment, it was what being famous delivered, right on your doorstep at 7 in the morning. Any earlier and you’d feel rude not to give them a cup of tea as a form of dignity and respect towards their sublime dedication to the job. Although it was fun being associated with it all, my band in particular gaining a different form of calidity due to it being a female fronted band, by the time that the entire nation was hooked on this ‘Blur vs. Oasis’ rivalry, it was as if every other britpop band had been washed away from existence, due to eight boys arguing as to whom had the better music. And the better looks, according to Liam Gallagher.
Tonight was the night of the Brit awards, perhaps the most prestigious awards ceremony for music. To be awarded a Brit was probably the largest achievement possible in British music in the form of an award, and it was definitely either going tonight to either Blur or Oasis. The chances that another band, say Pulp, were to get the award, would not only be extremely amusing to see the reactions of the two biggest names in the Britpop game, but would also cause the largest uproar in the nation. It’s either Blur or Oasis. “Their drama is so silly,” laughed Emily, the guitarist in our band whilst flicking through the latest edition of the Sun, the cover of the newspaper being, of course, Liam Gallagher. “They’re literally bickering about who looks the best. How do people find this interesting?”
“Because of how silly it is, people never leave their secondary-school-like selves. Just a bit of fun I guess.” I replied, fixing up my hair in the mirror in front of me. We were currently getting ready to go to the award show, and needing to look your best was an expectation. Though I wasn’t dressed in anything that would result in jaw’s dropping, it was important that I at least appeared somewhat admirable - the entire nation always had their eyes on us, but tonight they were going to see us all, live. Perhaps the reason why bands like Oasis and Blur are so obsessed over nowadays, since all they’ll do is turn up in some flimsy Adidas t-shirt and call that fashion. I suppose scruffy was the new elegant.
“Who do you think they’ll give the award to?” she questioned, still aimlessly flicking through the recycled pages of the magazine. “I think Oasis. Their music is so much better than Blurs.”
“Really? I’d say Blur. They won on top of the pops, so the likelihood of them winning the Brit award is highly likely,” I answered, shuffling away from the strong reflection of myself towards Emily, my eyes quickly scanning the page that she had her eye on currently. “Gosh Liam’s so full of himself.”
“He’s got his eye on you, you know,” She said, shoving the paragraph she had just read in my face of Liam boasting about his little crush he had supposedly gained from watching our latest performance on top of the pops. “Thinks you’re ‘well fit’.”
Scoffing in response, I mumbled back to Emily. “If he thinks that he’s sleeping with me, he’s very deluded.”
By the time we had arrived at the venue, you weren’t able to walk into the entrance without at least 50 cameras blinding your eyes and the shouts of so many begging for you to quickly turn your head and grin - the price for the photo would reach the many thousands. Once walking in, it was less crowded, only having select people by the ground floor, dedicated for musicians and bands, with the occasional interviewer walking past to every circled table, adorned with white cloth and champagne glasses, asking questions about how they’re feeling, who they think may win, and what they thought of the music throughout the past year. What was nice was that people didn’t have that much interaction with one another, just with their groups. It created a sense of formality in the space, which made me feel a bit at ease from the idea of some random row happening in the middle of the floor, most likely between Liam and Damon. The past year in music was truly something. Britpop was at its peak the entirety of the year, with songs like Parklife and Supersonic pouring out of every radio station in Britain that by the end of the year, you had ditched casual radio music and began blasting the classical station. It was a nightmare. Since the fall of grunge subsequent to Cobain’s death the previous year, the talk of any other genre in Britain apart from Britpop didn’t occur. It was as if we were living on this mystical island, miles away from any other music and culture, whilst adorning and obsessing over our own. What was nice about Britpop was that it was a pure celebration of English culture, whether it be a simple Sunday roast, or going to school, they all carried the same ambience of nostalgia and pride - also disregarding whichever band wrote what song.
“Free champagne… Yes please,” said Madeline, the secondary guitarist of the band, whilst heading to the first seat she could sit on, then quickly indulging herself with the first taste of the rich drink. “Oh my gosh it’s heavenly!”
Laughing at her reaction, the rest of the band took a seat around the table and took their first sips of the champagne, which we would all come to find to be indeed heavenly. Small talk was shared here and there with the rest of the group, but overall I stayed silent. In all honesty I found attending award shows was quite boring because if you didn’t end up getting an award, you would essentially be sitting there for two hours doing nothing. Even if you did win an award, it’s simply a minute of glory with the speakers blasting your music, and another minute of all eyes piercing into your soul as you make sentences about your gratitude towards those who had helped you along the way to earn such an achievement. I doubt anybody genuinely liked attending shows like these.
“The champagne is good, yet we don’t get enough for our table,” I complained, grasping my now empty champagne glass and waving it around in the air. “I’m gonna head to the bar to get a refill, anybody want anything?”
After receiving a handful of nos from the rest of the band, I took myself out of my seat and wandered over to the bar, which was empty, perhaps due to the venue not yet being completely filled with all the artists that were set to attend the night. “Just a refill of the champagne, please.” I asked politely, handing the bartender the used glass I had kept in my hand. Whilst waiting, I noticed that Damon was on the other side of the bar, who also didn’t notice me there, until he caught eyes with me.
A grin broke out on his face as I walked over to him. “You alright?” He asked me, quickly thanking the bartender for his drink and turning back to look at me. The height difference between us was evident, but it wasn’t the case of something so dramatic that he was the height of the empire state building and me, just a measly common tower in the city. He looked quite content, his hair scruffy yet neat, along with his outfit being just as I had assumed: a white shirt with jeans, a used pair of Adidas for shoes.
I smiled back at him and nodded. “Suppose you have high hopes for the award tonight.” I said, simultaneously receiving my refill of the beverage I had ordered, followed by my thanks. We stood adjacent, although there was enough distance between us to establish our relationship - mutual acquaintances whom had met every now and again, since they’ve both been dragged into this wormhole of madness. He was quite the opposite in comparison to his rivals, though he himself could be quite bothersome occasionally, he still had a grasp to what those may call sensibility.
“Oh well we’re better than them, aren’t we love?'' He chirped, his head now cocked to the side in a teasing manner. “I’ve heard that you’re rooting for us this year.” He added, a little smirk pasted on his face.
“Do you read every paper you see?” I questioned, my face turning away from him in slight embarrassment. Between us, there was no shared intention for a relationship to stem, though there was definitely a flirtatious tension that followed between us wherever we had met. Whether it be a random photoshoot for a magazine double-spread, or backstage at top of the pops, we always managed to share a chat with one another, and nothing else followed on from then. It was quite sad, because once you’ve established a connection between something you either both disagree or agree with in terms of societal views, something in the press, or life in general, you’re instantaneously cut off and asked to hop onto stage to record a meaningless three-minute performance with fake, plastic instruments which practically mean nothing.
“Well it was nice seeing someone else's face on the papers for once.” He replied, downing his drink, then ushering at the bartender for another. A thing that we both realised was that, between our conversations, we indirectly indicated that we were both there for each other, because we both had a complete understanding towards what may be happening to the other person. It was stressful being in the limelight constantly, and for someone who was the frontman of a band so large, with his face plastered on every magazine cover imaginable, things were bound to be stressful.
Sighing, I turned to face him again. Despite the fact that before I had the ability to respond, our conversation was cut short from a voice shouting my name from behind. “Well if it isn’t bloody Y/N.” the voice said, and from then I instantly knew it was Liam’s. Turning my face away from Damon’s, I locked eyes with Liam. As always, he was dressed in the usual: a parka, with casual jeans. Oh, and don’t forget the Adidas shoes. Even though he and Damon practically hated each other’s guts, they always seemed to have similar fashion senses, but I could never picture Damon in a parka. And I don’t think I even want to.
“How’ve you been love?” He asked, swinging his arm around my shoulder in a warm, but nonchalant manner. Me and Liam had a similar relationship to that of mine and Damons, simply just minusing the sentimentality of it. We were friends, and had come across each other at random parties, which opened the gateway for us to drink and get high together many a time. While he was quite the idiot, he was also a very fun guy to be around, but I knew Damon would never understand that. “And why’re you letting this twat chat to you?”
A laugh escaped Damon’s throat. “I think you’re the only twat here, Liam,” he began, a sigh leaving my mouth as I was trapped in a situation that I could only pray didn’t gain much traction from the rest of the attendees. “Me and Y/N are friends, don’t suppose we’re getting jealous are we?”
Liam’s grip on my shoulder tightened as I stared at his reaction to Damon. I felt quite small in this situation, due to me needing to tilt my head a good amount to properly look at Liam, and knowing if I left it would just erupt chaos and make it worse. “No need for me to be jealous when I know that she wouldn’t want to spend a minute with you in bed you bastard.”
“And you’re so sure about that are you?” Damon replied, amusement laced in his words. “Because you’ve totally spent a minute with her haven’t you?”
“Well I’ve got my arm around her haven’t I? And she’s not stopping me,” Liam argued back, a smirk entwined on his lips. Reaching for my hand, Liam grasped it lightly, then then brought it to his lips, kissing it, before holding it gently. Method of intimidation, perhaps, and though it was sweet, there was a time and place. And this was definitely neither the time, or place. “Who’s the jealous one now, eh?”
“The last I recall, she had hoped that we were winning this year, not you,” He boasted, moving the contents of his drink around whilst grasping it firmly. Whilst it would be something that would offend Liam, he was simply the type of person to not take criticism regardless of whomever it was coming from. I respected him for that. “So much so for a healthy relationship.” Damon mocked, staring into my eyes as a small laugh escaped my lips.
Granted that I had found the argument shared between the pair of them to be extremely silly, it was good entertainment as the time passed before the award show would begin. Watching them both, attempting to throw insults at one another, each one trying to cut a little deeper than the one previous, made me almost laugh at the both of them right there. “You know, it’s so silly that you both think you know me so well to think which one I’d pick from the both of you,” I said, detaching myself from Liam’s embrace and snatching my half-empty glass of champagne. “At this point, it’s neither of you.”
Walking back to my band’s designated table, I quietly took my seat as the show began. “Saw you chatting to Damon,” Emily whispered, raising her eyebrows. “Also saw you grinning like a madwoman.”
“Oh shut up you,” I replied, looking back at the bar to notice that both parties had left, assuming back to their places. “There’s nothing going on between me and Damon- Liam too in fact.”
~~~
As the ceremony went on, the boredom got to us. Even the amount of drinks I had didn’t entertain me, but what could we do, we were stuck in the middle of an award show celebrating music, even though I had largely doubted that the majority of those attending were enjoying themselves. I had no clue who the awards were going to be handed out to, and whether that somebody may be us in a category, but we all knew Blur were going to win something. Yes, Oasis had gained a lot of fame and had become one of the most famous bands in the music scene at the minute, but by the way things had gone for Blur after the release of Parklife, things only seemed to go further up from there. And that was only proven to be truthful, after Blur had left with four different awards.
After Blur had received their fourth award for best British group, we all knew that there was nothing left for Oasis. “They’ll get it all next year, they only debuted this year you know.” I said to the table, who were staring at the four smiley boys on stage as they trotted up to receive their award. I admired Damon as he said his speech, then also turning to look over at Liam, who looked quite evidently pissed off. He was practically drooling in anger from the sight brought to him at that particular moment, and I couldn’t blame him - their band hadn't gone home with one award that night, but neither had ours. “They’ve taken four awards home, isn’t that like, the most anybody has ever taken?”
“Indeed it is,” Madeline replied, taking a sip from her drink. “Must be a good year for them then, eh?”
As I watched the band leave the stage in absolute glee, I stared at Damon as he walked back to his designated seat for the short remainder of the evening. Despite the fact that my band had been sat in our seats the entire evening in complete boredom, just like Oasis and so many other acts that had been nominated for pointless awards, it would be a lie to say that I wasn’t proud of how far Blur as a whole had come and evolved through their music, and especially Damon. From beginning as young, bowl-cut boys only charting so far on top of the pops, to creating songs and melodies that could unite our entire nation, it was impressive.
Damon was the face of Britain at this very moment, and a very good looking one. Once I watched him sit down, he scanned the room for a while until he was able to find where I was sitting, which was parallel to his seat, merely a couple metres away. He connected eyes with me as soon as he found me, also accompanied with a small smirk painted on his expression as he raised his eyebrows and sent me a wink. I simply smiled back at him in response before turning away abruptly, disrupting the little moment we seemingly shared, and though I felt my heart flutter a little, he’s definitely not winning me that easily.
#britpop#fanfic#bandimagines#Liam Gallagher x reader#damon albarn x reader#damon albarn#blur#Liam Gallagher#oasis#blur band#oasis band#my writing#fluff#angst
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Love Malady.
Part 2.
Part 1.
Summary: Daughter of the notorious gang of thieves. One day your brothers group kidnap a nobel woman. Feeling guilt you gave her warm clothes, tended to her injuries, and helped her escape. instantly the world falls under a deadly pandemic and is killing/infecting people left to right and you are the only one who is immune. All because you saved a girl years ago coming to find out... it was the goddess of death(Famine).
Warnings- cursing i think, violence.
___________
Present.
February 12th, 2021.
The night Buck got sick changed everyone's life. I waited hours for my phone to ring giving me the ‘okay homeboys fine.’ but Jaime walked into my room with tear-stained cheeks telling me Buck didn't make it.
Then a couple days later after Bucks death one of the guys found Adam dead with the same symptoms. Then Pedro, then Jackson, then Shelli, and it killed off almost all of my fathers gang. The disease spread like a wildfire. From our home town to the city, the state then just did this hopscotch move and expanded around the whole world.
The first year the doctors tried to keep it a secret but it flared so fast that society called it the ‘Sinister Ash’. There was no cure when the officials realized it was airborne, literally nothing could cure anyone. Some were lucky with similarities of a stomach virus and a mild headache, and there were the less fortunate. Headaches, stomach bugs, fever and cancer like symptoms. The strong can work through it but it was permanent. The rest who had it worst? Died off just like Buck and Adam.
“Why are you not eating?” My fathers voice rang me out of my thoughts with his thick Venezuela accent, I peeked at my father shrugging my shoulders. Grumbling, he focused his attention to Jaime as they went over the next move for their ‘purloins’. I grabbed my plate walking towards the kitchen running the hot water over the greatest plate, a thud sounded in the dining room which caused my brother's name to boom out my fathers mouth. I ran towards the other side of the table to grasp my brother's shaking body, cursing under my breath. I dialed 911.
“The ambulance is on the way, go Pa.” I instructed my father watching his face fall, he sighed placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Our time has come, I love you, my child.” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on my forehead making his way out the back. I cooed into Jaime’s hair as I held him in my arms praying to the man above if he could not let this disease invade my brother's body.
________________________________________
“Did you at least get the girls number?” Jaime stated in disbelief when he woke up and saw the EMT worker reeling him into the ER. I chuckled, shaking my head playfully, pushing his shoulder.
“She was pretty..” I mumbled causing Jaime to widen his eyes pushing me back-
“I TOLD YOU!” he laughed out loud when the doctor walked in with a clipboard. A man around his 50’s with a look that masked his face of light, but we all knew he was trying to survive like the rest of us.
“Good afternoon, I am Doctor Nives.” The man spoke ever so gently but his beard gave me Cap vibes. I nodded my head looking at Jaime slipping my hand into his.
“So there’s news, I do not know how you both will take it but-“ he grabs the x rays placing them onto the screen that took up half of the wall next to Jaime. I watched as the deeper detailed body of my brother's chest caged clouds of red, black, and green.
“As you can see you have stage 2 of the Ashen, the red that covers this area here-” Dr. Nives circled the red that surrounded the upper left of my brother's chest.
“Covers your heart, but after running the test I see your red cells are fighting the virus and it knocks more time for you.” A lump formed in my throat as the last 4 words flew out his mouth.
“Wait, what do you mean more time?” His eyes soften sending me a sympathetic look, Jaime gasped softly looking down at his hands.
“Well from the lab work it shows that you had 3 months, but at how good your cells are handling the virus you have 6 months to a year.” He finished taking his gloves off and applying hand sanitizer,
“Since you ma’am we’re around him can we run some lab work for your safety?” He asked looking between Jaime and I. I looked at my brother to see him nodding my way, turning to the man I nodded as he clasp his hands together.
“Great. We can move you right next door so you can stay close to your brother.” Reassuring the both of us, I placed a kiss against his forehead following the doctor out. I took a seat onto the bed leaning against the back of the wall holding out my arm.
For the last 4 years I’ve noticed a big change in my appearance that it actually scares me on the inside. First year, I lost a tremendous amount of weight, the extra weight turned into bulk in the places I always wished for.. huh..
During the first year, the acne on my face disappeared in thin air. One minute I’m trying to clean the pores with three different facial cleansers, I go to bed, then the next I wake up and my face is so clear. I was changing for the better, yet the world was changing for the worst. That first year we lost almost 2 million lives, including a lot of the people around me.
The second year is what sparked my curiosity of my body. One night, I was cooking dinner for Jaime and I, having a heavy debate with who is better at shooting the knife slid through my palm causing Jaime to spring off the island placing his hand against the deep gash trying his best to stop the bleeding. We knew we couldn’t head to the hospital for the sake of our fathers identity and the groups, so Jaime wrapped my hand the best he could and called it a night. I didn’t like his Tostadas anyways. Next day, I woke up to change my bandage. I opened the wrap to see no gash from the night before. Eyebrows furrowing together I question my own body for the first time in my life.. I can’t be immortal, that’s only in books. Then I noticed it. From small paper cuts to bruises- my wounds healed faster than any other person. From taking days for a wound to close, a couple minutes and it’s gone. Clean. Like it was never there to begin with.
Last year, an incident had happened; Traumatizing to say. Snuck out with an old friend of mine, talking around the den says she’s been trying to make a move on me but me being me I waved them off knowing she’s not the type. Met up with her, got a couple drinks in headed back to her place, got a couple kisses in. The kissing escalated until this small beautiful voice that I heard years back echoed in my ears, jumping back, I stopped what we had and went home. Next day I received the news that she passed away AND GET THIS- JUST like Buck. Since then, her voice echoes in my ear. It’s been quiet the last month, I miss it though.
A pinch brought me out of my thoughts when the nurse smiled my way explaining what the blood was for and Dr.Nives will be in shortly to give me the news. I snooped around heading to my brothers room when my name was said from the doctors a couple rooms down from me.
“That can’t be possible, it’s only been 5 minutes and she’s literally clean from head to toe.” A nurse quarreled, a couple more murmurs were heard but Dr.Nives voice caught my attention-
“Let’s do Code A.” A gasp was heard from within their circle with multiple disagreements, confusion flashed my face until a ‘yes sir’ and footsteps were heard coming my way. I sprinted towards my room taking a seat sending Jaime a small text message.
“Heya Y/n, do you mind if I give you some antibiotics just in case you are diagnosed with the Ashen?” The nurse requested which I nodded extending my arm watching her place the small plate next to me. I squinted my eyes examining the shot that contained a weird dark substance.
“Why is the stuff black? Isn’t medicine a clear color for safety purposes?” I blurted out, watching the nurse grab the shot striking the needle into my vein. I grunted feeling the warm liquid enter my body, I huffed lightly leaning my head against the wall. Then, it hit me.
“Wait, what if my test comes back negative? Why do I need antibiotics?” I glanced at the nurse feeling my heartbeat raise as the room began to shrink.
“What’s… what’s happening to me?.” I whispered watching the nurse draw more blood from the previous spot. I felt like I needed to throw up, once the nurse left I wobbled towards my brothers room next door,
“Man bro we need to get some take out when we leave this place- Y/n? Are you okay?” Jaime rambled out then his face washed with concern as I stumbled onto his bed.
“I don’t feel so good Brother..” I breathed out looking up to lock eyes with his own. He gasped, wrapping his arms around me, rocking me back and forth.
“Y/n…” he whispered, watching my contacts with my brown eyes slowly drain into this grey/golden color.
“What the hell happened?” He asked turning towards the door making sure no one came in.
“They gave me the Sinister Ash.. I can feel it in my chest. We have to go.” I grunted using all my strength to push myself off my brother's bed wobbling towards the door. A cough formed in my throat falling out my mouth, my hand flew to my mouth watching the black and red substance pool into my hands.
“Y/N?” Jaime shouted running to my side, I grabbed him for support walking out the room. I felt the fire in my chest pass when a small burp lashed out my lips. Sighing deeply I stood up straight facing Jaime.
“I… I feel better.” I mumbled opening the doors to the emergency waiting room. My body collided with another grabbing them instantly- I gasped at how quick my reflexes were, even Jaime’s eyes widened.
“Why thank you, I’m so sorry I- Y/m? Why are you not in your room?” Doctor Nives questioned looking between the both of us, I felt warm liquid on the side of my mouth. Quickly wiping it, a fake smile formed on my face slowly stepping back towards the exit just a couple feet from us.
“Sorry Doctor, but I think it’s time my brother and I head home- our father must be worried sick.” I bluffed, gripping my brother's wrist, giving him the signal.
“Y/n. We know who you both are.”
_______________
Thank you for the wait<3
taglist- @xxxtwilightaxelxxx
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Used Pt 2
Anonymous said: Hello i loved your post “used” with Harry and i just wanted to know if you are planning a part 2 in the future?!?
Anonymous said: Loved your most recent imagine of Harry! Can you plzzzzz make a part 2 of used, where she’s a bad B and becomes even more successful and she’s better off without him? Thank you!
A/N I loved that you guys loved the first one! I went through a few different ideas / endings for this one and I think I'm happy with the outcome! warning it is a long one so strap in!
Used Pt 1 can be found here
Requests are open!
That night at Harrys apartment felt like a life time ago. The breakup wasn’t messy as neither of us addressed it really, I archived all of my posts of him and he had done the same for me and that was about it. It didn’t take the fans to catch on but what can you expect, they know more about me than I do. it had been almost 6 months to the date, not that I was counting or anything but I honestly felt like Harry was my soulmate at the time. Oh how love can blind you.
The past few months I had submerged myself into my channel and my fans. I had done an array of meet and greets and was interacting more with them, and honestly my love for YouTube was restored and I felt like a whole new person. I had had a full make over and due to this my channel had grown immensely and I had hit 50 million subscribers, a huge achievement which I never though would happen. it was amazing to see the amount of support I was gaining from my fans and how much I had grown, from a naive teenager to a young adult. I had received an overwhelming amount of support from my friends. When Harry and I broke up they tried not to take sides but It was evident that that couldn’t last forever and I was ok with that.
I had just finished a meeting with my manager at her office. With my new look and attitude brands seemed to swarm at me and I was gaining so many new opportunities it was kind of crazy. It was like I was a completely different person and it seemed to be working in furthering my career. I got in my Uber and made my way to my new apartment, after the break up I felt like starting a new was best and so I moved into my new multi million apartment in knightsbridge. It was nice to be in an area by myself as it meant that I had more privacy and was able to truly live my best single life. Plus a tour of new apartment left many of my friends in awe, and honestly I loved that I could show off all my hard work.
I thanked my Uber driver and made my way to my apartment, once inside I collapsed on my sofa and kicked off my heels, which I was still getting used to in all honesty. Having changed from living in baggy jumpers and old trainers was a bit of a shock but I loved wearing my more out there wardrobe, with tighter clothes and higher heels, my makeup always done to perfection, I always felt like people had their eye on me and I felt amazing. My change in personality and look hadn’t gone unnoticed either, although they didn’t say anything I could tell my friends liked my new attitude, after wallowing in self pity for a few months I think they’re happy that I’m back and stronger than what I was before.
I still thought about Harry from time to time. How I not so secretly still had one of his jumpers and when I was alone id wear it, just to feel his embrace once more. When we had initially broken up it took him less than two days to send Freezy round my apartment to drop off my box of things and to request his stuff back. I know Freezy felt bad but what choice did he have if Harry wanted to erase me from his life then so be it. More fool him, I had grown so much and if he was truly clout chasing then he should’ve stuck around a little longer.
I woke up to my doorbell ringing. I must’ve fallen asleep on the sofa. I stretched a little when the doorbell kept ringing. “Jeez I’m coming” I mumbled to myself. I pressed the array of buttons for who ever it was to get through the front gate and after a few minutes I opened the door to reveal Talia. “Have you been sleeping?” She giggled at me as she walked into my apartment, propping herself up on one of my breakfast stools. “Hmm, oh yh, busy day” I laughed closing the door and standing the other side of the breakfast bar looking up at her.
“Soooooo” I edged her to start talking. “Oh right sorry, your release party, Simon was pestering me to ask you if a certain arsehole could come?” She said the last part in a sheepish tone. Fuck, my release party I completely forgot, I had had so much on my plate that I forgot I was opening a club and releasing my own line of spirits. I stood up looking at Talia with a confused look “why the hell would I invite my ex to my release party?”. I reached up and grabbed two wine glasses pouring us each a glass of rosé. Passing over a glass to Talia as she pondered her reply. “Honestly I said the same but apparently all the lads feel bad as everyone we know is invited except for him” she swirled her glass of wine and took a sip as I copied her mentioned. In all fairness it was rude that I invited everyone but him, plus it was going to be the event to beat, and I had a few spaces on the guest list. “T, I don’t know” I shrugged at her sighing. “If I was you id tell him to stick it where-“ Talia started before I cut her off “I know, I know, it does seem a little harsh, I have invited so many people and, well, you know what fuck it, I’ll get my manager to add him to the list if you let him know” I decided. Talia looked gobsmacked, I had never seen her this speechless in our lives. “Are you sure, he’s a dick like you really don’t have to” she said cocking an eyebrow at me. “Look its not fair, plus there’s going to be hundreds of people there and the likelihood of us actually interacting are practically 0” I stated. Which was true, there was going to be just about the whole British YouTube community there, as well as some celebrities and journalists, and I would have my team around me at all times so the chance of him even getting near me is slim.
That night Talia and I had gotten wasted, watching movies and just have a nice little girly night. However, right now I was shaking in my heels. My hair and makeup had been done to perfection and I was in a body hugging dress which showed off all of my curves perfectly. I looked almost like a model that’s how good I looked. I of Course was going to be the last to arrive at the venue, I needed everyone to be chatting with flutes of complimentary champagne when I entered so all attention was on me, as conceited as this sounds my publicists and manager had worked months for this to run as perfect as possible. I arrived at the venue and I could hear the music from outside “you ready?” My manager, Lucy asked. I nodded my head and made my way through the back entrance. I stood behind the stage door with a mic in one hand and a bottle of my own vodka in another. “Deep breaths, you’ll smash it” Lucy smiled at me, I just nodded and plastered on a smile, I heard the music die down a little and the door opened and I made my way on stage. An eruption of applause and cheering began from my friends and guests. I smiled taking it all in for a moment before I raised the mic to my mouth.
“Thank you all so much for being here today and supporting me in my new business venture. If you would have told me a year ago that this is where I would be I would have laughed. These past few months I’ve grown more than I ever have, my channel, my business and more importantly myself. I can’t thank you all enough for the continuous love and support, without you guys or my fans I wouldn’t be where I am today. So id like you to all enjoy a complimentary glass of my new Vodka and enjoy yourselves. Because tonight is about friends and loved ones. So let’s get wasted!!!” I recited my speech cheering at the end. I got a mass amount of applause and cheers and I smiled looking over the crowd. I could see all my friends together happy, the way it should be and I smiled until I saw him, he actually came. My smile faltered slightly and my breath hitched in my throat. I quickly shook it off and made my way to the stairs, exiting the stage. I was quickly engulfed in a mass of hugs and bodies, people I knew and some I didn’t all congratulating me.
I had done it I had made it and all on my own.
After about half an hour I made it over to my closest group of friends. They all cheered when I went over and I did a mock curtsey, careful not to reveal too much. I got handed a glass of something and started polite conversation. “We’re all so proud of you” Gee gushed “you’ve done so well I can’t believe that you are basically the most sought after name at the moment” freya added. “ I couldn’t have done it without you guys” I smiled. “Oh shut up little miss humble” Ethan who had clearly had a bit much to drink already. “You’re the queen of UK YouTube, you have your own empire going and you built it all yourself” he grinned at me before smothering me in a hug. “You need to be in more of our vids then maybe we’d be doing just as well as you” Simon commented earning a laugh from the group. “Here’s to Y/N the baddest bitch I know” Talia toasted and everyone joined in. I smiled as we fell into polite chatter. “I’m just nipping outside” I informed my friends smiling at them before making my way to the balcony. I leant over the edge and smiled, nothing could ruin my life right now. I thought to myself. That was until I heard footsteps approach me from behind and the body heat of someone I could recognise in an instant next to me. “Before you say anything I’m here to congratulate you” Harry said. I kept my gaze forward, not wanted tears that I didn’t know still existed for him to spill. “I’m so proud of you, honestly I am, so are my family, they miss you, I miss you” I turned my body and met Harrys gaze. I studied his face, he had bags under his eyes and the usual scruff on his beard was longer than he usually kept it, his hair was also scruffy, not scruffy like usual but tangled and unkept. He was wearing smart trousers and a nice button up shirt, no blazer, Harry hated formal clothes. “Thank you” was all I was able to say as I smiled at him. “You know, with every day that goes by someone reminds me how I fucked up and should have kept a death grip on you, that you were the best part of me and now I’m just some boring kid who plays Fifa” I half chuckled at the end. I felt sorry for him, it seemed that I had grown and succeeded and that Harry had stayed stagnant in his life. “Harry, I, I don’t know what you want me to say” I looked at him with sorry eyes, I think maybe I still loved him, but I had been doing so well without him I just I didn’t know whether I wanted to kiss him or kill him. “No I, I get that, I was a dick. I was in a rut and I took it out on you. And well honestly seeing you do so well without me just shows how I was holding you back. I’m proud of you, I’m happy for you, honestly I am bear, sorry Y/N” we had made eye contact at this point. So many memories came flooding back to me. Our first kiss, our first date, the nights we spent talking about what we wanted to name our children, and how we wanted to have a house in Guernsey and one in London. How we were going to grow old together and never let the other go.
I broke my gaze when I heard Lucy call my name. I took a deep breath. “I loved you harry, with all my heart, with all my being and I was willing to stay and love you no matter what. I think I still do love you. But right now I need to focus on me, my empire has only just started and I don’t want us to back peddle. The only way for me is forward no mater if you’re there with me or not.” I spilled my heart out to Harry before I heard Lucy call me name again. “Sorry” was all I could say before I headed back inside. I wiped a stray tear from my eye and took one last look at harry, I had left him so broken. But now was time to put me first Y/N is number one in my life and as much as I wanted to fall back into my old self I couldn’t. I had made promises and shown that after heartbreak you can build and make yourself stronger than before. And I was not about to throw it all away.
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KELLY SEVERIDE
Skeletons and Whatnot.
Requested: yes
Prompts: none
Warning(s): none
Author’s note: I feel like this is rubbish, but I also feel like it’s not. 50/50 (1.6K words - might come back to edit it tomorrow)
Also you can see how tired I am (it's 4:30AM) I mean what is this title??? GOOD NIGHT.
~
"That's not possible. Check again."
"But I already did! Like a million times!"
"Adam, I swear to God-"
"Alright, alright…" Your colleague mumbled, turning on his chair to run the data yet again.
While he sat on the chair, looking through files he didn't have a clue about, you were leaning against the wall and shaking in your boots. Your heart hammered and your palms felt clammy.
Not possible. I killed him.
"No look it says right there," Adam declared; proud of himself for being able to gather information like this on his own. "Some girl named Lucy Riggs pawned a gun she got off some guy named Jon Prescott.
You squinted your eyes at the information that made no sense. "Get to the point."
Adam visibly swallowed, "Turns out the guy's name isn't Jon. Shocker. It's actually Parker Torres."
Your blood ran cold at his words. A million thoughts raced through your head. You wondered where he was, what he was doing… The questions that evaded your mind are usually normal, but here, when you thought about the dark man of your past, the questions seemed to be anything but normal.
"What about the gun?"
Adam clicked away until a picture of a metallic gun popped out. "Smith & Wesson Model 64 revolver."
Next thing you knew, a chain of vulgar profanities escaped your mouth, and you couldn't stop them. Ruzek's eyes widened ever so slightly at your lack of composure. "Mind telling me what this all about?"
You took a deep breath. "My skeleton escaped the closet."
***
The lack of information you found within the last couple of days was mind blowing. The only lead you had was the gun that wasn't even in your possession, having gotten lost in a misfit of undocumented sales.
Lucy wasn't of help either. The poor girl just wanted to get rid of her husband's gun, saying everything but useful information along the way. "If he wants a gun, then he better get a good one… A new one too! I don't want that piece of garbage in my house. God only knows who used that gun!" Lucy told you, just 48 hours ago. Those exact same words.
She was right about one thing.
That dammed gun went through so many hands and took double more lives.
And you didn't even have a lead.
"You look like crap," Kevin Atwater teased, handing you a steaming cup of coffee.
You didn't even manage to smile, looking at him through your shades that were, so far, doing a great job at concealing the bags under your eyes from the world.
"Rough night?"
"Mhmm."
Kevin didn't know that you no longer lived with Kelly. The temporary solution to your problems turned out to be moving back to your own place. Putting Kelly in harm's way, no matter how much he thought otherwise, was something you didn't want to do. The comfort of his bed and body were replaced by a thin blanked and an uncomfortable dining chair.
Dozens of glass decorations were laid out all over your apartment. On every window still, next to every door… On every surface, really. You slept on the dining chair 5 yards from your front door with a pistol strapped to your back, a shotgun under the chair and a rifle wrapped around your two arms, acting as a teddy bear for every time you dozed off.
Friends from Interpol would call here and there, with nothing more than sad news.
Hank Voight was pulling out every contact from his little notebook, but not even they could solve your years long case.
You wanted to throw up.
"Hey Kev."
"What's up?"
"You still friends with that FBI agent?"
***
"Second floor clear," The grip on your radio loosened after the second you needed to inform your team about your situation had passed and you moved on upstairs. You could hear them respond in the same matter as you held your gun with both hands and carefully climbed up the stairs.
You didn't let a sound slip your lips as you trekked the stairs up to the very last floor, save for the attic. For a drug house, everything was eerily quiet. It didn't feel like someone left in a hasty hurry.
It felt like as though there was no one there in the first place.
Your need to report that to your Sergeant faded away quickly once you saw smoke. It seized your full attention within a few seconds.
Smoke grenade was your first guess. Nasty things but nothing new.
That was, until you took several steps closer and the smell of the source journeyed through your nostrils. It clicked in your head immediately. Three years of being a squad lieutenant's girlfriend can do that to you. The scent of fire is nauseating and sweet, putrid and steaky, or something like leather being tanned over a flame. The smell of it can be so thick and rich that it's almost a taste. Kelly's words rung in your head, and you pulled your radio to your mouth.
"Call CFD! There's a fire on the third floor!" You informed, shielding your eyes. "Stand down! I repeat –"
Things went black after those words.
***
"We have a detective trapped on the third floor," Voight informed the first responders. "That's where the fire started."
Wallace nodded, "Squad 3, take the third floor."
Unlike Wallace, who had found his source of information in Voight, Kelly Severide had found it in Jay, who stood on the street visibly stressed. "Jay where's Y/N?"
Jay frowned, "She went to scope ahead. She was on the third floor when the whole place just blew up…"
"She could be unconscious right now," Kelly muttered. "Squad 3 let's go!"
Kelly Severide was already in the burning building when Chief Boden found out just who was trapped upstairs. "Dammit."
***
"Y/N?!"
Kelly's patience was thinning by the second. Knowing that his time is limited and that the place could blow in a stronger matter at any moment, he paced toward your unconscious body expeditiously.
Noticing the angry streak of blood that came from your nose had his heart in his throat. You were twisted in a way not normal for a human body to be in, catching him off guard the moment he laid his eyes on you.
Despite all that, Kelly still swooped in to grasp your limp body in his arms.
The stress of the last few days he went through didn't come close to a match with this very moment. "I'm coming down chief!"
For a moment Wallace wanted to bark back, but he bit his tongue. Love makes people do crazy things.
He knew that better than anyone.
"Get the hoses ready!" Boden announced and turned to the Intelligence.
"She'll be okay."
***
You were okay.
Maybe even better than you thought possible.
"Kelly wake up."
You smiled cheekily at doctor Mannig, who stood by your hospital bed, waiting for Kelly to wake up with the same thin line of patience as you.
You woke him up with a slap to his shoulder.
Natalie was beaming, her eyes sparkled despite the fact that she was the doctor to the most heavily guarded patient in the whole city of Chicago. "I think congratulations are in order."
"What do you mean?"
She winked before handing you the tablet, "You're 11 weeks along Y/N. Congratulations you two."
You shook your head wildly and pressed a palm to your mouth, acting out what your defense mechanism wanted you to do. "Oh God…"
"Really?" Kelly asked next to you. He had already grabbed your hand and gripped it tightly, holding you to the ground of your new reality. "Are you for real?"
She nodded, "The tests don't lie. I'm so happy for you two."
Natalie hugged you both closely before disappearing back into the crowded ER.
"Hey," Kelly murmured, grasping your chin with his index finger and thumb. "What's wrong? You're not happy? I thought…"
You shook your head immediately, stopping him from saying something that was untrue. "No, Kelly… I'm really happy."
Two heartbeats within one body. Your body.
A child that was going to take after you and the man you loved most in this world…
You felt so incredibly lucky at that moment.
Yet so guilty.
"Our baby could've died today…"
Fresh onset of tears attacked your eyes, pushing through until the moisture was dripping down your face, and you tried to muffle the hiccups with your hands. Everything started to make sense.
"Baby you didn't know…" He tried to calm you.
You shook your head violently, dropping his attempts into the water. "I should've known better. We didn't use protection... Then I felt so sick last week."
"Y/N-"
"But I was so obsessed with Parker Torres that-" You couldn't even finish the sentence because the guilt turned into anger. "God I'm so stupid!"
"Babe, look at me," Kelly's voice hardened yet the hands with which he cupped your face were gentle and comforting. "You didn't know, so none of this is your fault. If you knowingly went in there that's when it would have been your fault."
He kissed your tears away and gave you the softest smile ever. "Do you want to have this baby with me? Because if you don't, we can…"
You stopped him with a kiss.
You were venerable in the moment of the kiss, yet you never felt more at home. In this kiss is the promise of years of love and the sweetness of life. No one mattered at that moment. Not Parker… Not anyone. Only you two and the vow you just shared.
The next few weeks will be hard, that much you knew. You were introduced to a new reality and priorities shifted. The hunt for your skeleton will continue in the hands of the people you trust most and as months go by the light will greet the darkness of your tunnel.
But the next few years, you see nothing but light and happiness.
No skeletons to torture your life, but a baby and a soulmate to make it better.
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MASTERLIST
#Kelly Severide#kelly severide imagine#kelly severide fanfiction#kelly severide x reader#kelly severide masterlist#Chicago Fire#chicago fire fanfiction#chicago fire imagine#chicago fire fanfictio#Chicago PD#chicago pd imagine#chicago pd fanfiction#chicago pd x reader
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zuko + 7. ( a kiss on the eye lid ) pls? thank you <33
campcampie said: hey! i’d like to request a kinda modern day zuko x reader where they’re going on their first date and they’ve been friends for like ever using prompt 24 from the 50 types of kisses? if you don’t have time that’s completely fine
LAST FIRST DATE // zuko
WC: 2.4k
PROMPT: “a kiss on the eyelid” & “deep kisses where they have their hands tangled in each other’s hair to pull them closer”
WARNINGS: say goodbye to ur teeth
A/N: hi loves! i hope you don’t mind, but i combined these two requests bc i thought they’d just be super cute together :^) i made it extra long since it’s two requests in one. thank you for sending them in!! we love tooth-rotting fluff here
⇦ 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛
It was the only time you had ever felt like this before a first date. You didn’t look him up to check if he had an arrest record, or turn on location sharing with your friends, or repeat conversation starters like a mantra in your head. You didn’t schedule an “emergency phone call” as a graceful way to bow out. You didn’t do any of these things, because you knew you didn’t need to. Your pulse didn’t race in your neck out of nerves, but excitement.
You tried on all your clothes in every possible combination, all of which he’d seen you in before. You fixed your hair one way, then changed your mind, then put it back again. It all either felt like too little for such a blind leap or too much for such a natural step. How was it possible that everything and yet nothing might change today?
Okay, so maybe you were a little nervous. You tried not to focus on how wobbly you felt when you went to answer the knock on your door, but it all melted away at the sight of your best friend standing on your porch with a half-wilted bouquet of your favorite flowers. When he caught sight of you his lips turned up into a sheepish grin, his cheeks already going pink.
“Hi,” you said, much quieter than you’d intended.
“Hey,” he exhaled. “You look... beautiful.”
Now your face was starting to feel hot. “Zuko, you’ve seen me wear this before.”
“So?” He crossed the threshold into your home when you stepped aside to let him in. “You always looking amazing. You could make a burlap sack look designer.”
“Oh, hush.” You accepted the fleeting peck he placed on your lips. It was something you’d done a million times before in greeting or goodbye—yeah, you’d been more than friends without being “more than friends” for some time now—but there was a new electric anticipation to the familiar gesture and it made your heart palpitate. Trying to calm yourself, you fixed your eyes on the flowers he held in an almost white-knuckle grip. “Are those for me?”
He looked down at his hand as if surprised he was carrying a bouquet. “Oh, yeah.” You took it when he thrusted it out at you. “I, uh, saw them at the store and they reminded me of you. They’re your favorite, you know.”
“I know,” you giggled, moving to rustle through your cabinets to find something to put them in. Redness crept up his neck from under the collar of his shirt and he grimaced.
“Right, of course you do.” He looked at you apologetically. “I’m sorry they’re not as pretty anymore. I... got a little excited when I saw them and bought them on the spot a few days ago. I probably should’ve waited.”
“I think they’re beautiful,” you said, filling a jar with water and setting them in place. “Thank you; you didn’t have to.”
“I know. And I knew you’d say that,” he chuckled. He took your hand when you stood in front of him once again. “I just want to make sure I do this right. You deserve to be... wooed, or whatever.”
“Well, consider me wooed.” You squeezed his hand. “I’m happy no matter what, as long as I’m with you.”
The soft, sweet look he fixed you with made you want to melt into a puddle. God, you were head over heels for this man. It was unbelievable how long it took for you to realize and actually do something about it. Everything felt so obvious now—the years of feelings you’d swallowed back like bitter medicine despite how he’d clearly been doing the exact same thing; the ache of yearning in your chest and the burning jealousy that rose like bile in your throat every time you saw him with someone else.
But none of that mattered anymore, because you were here now, with him, sitting in his passenger seat with the windows down and trying to goad him into singing along to the stereo with you. You held his free hand that wasn’t on the wheel in yours, forcing his arm to dance along with you. He watched your antics out of the corner of his eye with a smitten half-smile. You were satisfied when he tapped his fingers against the wheel along with the rhythm pumping from the speakers and bobbed his head. You swore you could even hear him humming when you leaned in close enough while swaying in your seat.
The date had been your idea, because of course it was—you knew him better than just about anybody else, especially himself and maybe even his Uncle Iroh. Your sharp perceptiveness and ability to read him like a book had unnerved him at first, early in your friendship as awkward, angsty teens. He didn’t like the concept of being known and analyzed; uncomfortable with the idea of existing in other people’s minds in a form beyond his control. That always led to expectations, and expectations led to disappointment.
Learning how to be okay with his own vulnerability and personhood was one of many things you had helped him with over the years of your relationship. Because of you—for you—he was a better person, a better friend, a better man. It was something he wished he knew how to thank you for. Even if he could find the words (and the nerve), it would never be enough. He had settled long ago on just trying to show you, every day and in every way he could.
As the two of you traipsed across the park grass and you searched for the perfect spot, he couldn’t help but marvel at the fact his hands seemed to be designed to hold yours. The way your fingers fitted perfectly between his, the warmth of every contact point between your palms; it felt as natural as the tides or the winds or anything else that had always been and always would be. He’d experienced the feeling of your hand in his hundreds if not thousands of times before, but it all felt so much more... poignant, somehow, in this time and place.
“You’ve been really quiet,” you observed as you laid out the blanket once you’d deemed the area suitable. He sat on it next to you, dropping down the backpack of snacks he’d been carrying. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“No, definitely not,” he quickly reassured you, wanting the worried crease between your eyebrows to smooth away. “I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking.”
You nodded, not pressing him. That was just one more of a million things he adored about you: you never forced him to tell you things he didn’t want to say. This, however, was something he wanted to share with you.
“I’ve been thinking about how important you are to me, and how lucky I am to have you in my life. And how... easy this feels.”
You quirked an eyebrow. “Easy?”
“Yeah. In a really, really good way. I feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. Even if this doesn’t really work out the way we want it to, you still mean everything to me. I can’t even imagine who or where I would be if I hadn’t met you.” He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. Taking in a deep breath, he continued. “I think about it a lot, actually, but I guess I’m just... thinking about it more, now.”
Your lips curved up into that gentle smile that made his heart skip a few beats and you squeezed his hand. “I know exactly what you mean, Zuko. I feel the same way and I couldn’t’ve said it better myself.” The tips of his ears burned when you leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. He mumbled something incoherent under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck, and you giggled at his sudden shyness. He cleared his throat and looked over at the raised stage a little ways away.
“Um, I think the show is starting.” You followed his gaze up to where stagehands were setting up props for the play. The crowd of people hushed as the lights illuminated the stage and orchestral music flowed from the speakers. His stomach flipped when you shifted closer to him and turned your head so your lips brushed his earlobe.
“I’ve heard this troupe is better than the Ember Island Players, but if they’re not I packed some tomatoes to throw,” you whispered before burying your face in his shoulder to stifle your laugh at his scoff in response.
“If they’re worse than the Ember Island Players then consider this our first and last date. I don’t think any relationship could recover from that,” he mumbled and you rolled your eyes with a grin.
“Harsh, but understandable,” you sighed. You rooted around in the bag and pulled out the bottle of cheap wine you’d slipped in. You passed it to him after taking a swig, a devilish smirk on your face that made goosebumps rise on his skin. He took a sip just as the first actors entered the stage.
They were much better than the Ember Island Players, though that was a pretty low bar to set. As much of a theater snob he could be, he had to admit they did Love Amongst the Dragons justice (and even brought some tears to his eyes that he hastily blinked away in hopes you wouldn’t notice). The sun had set long before you both rose with the rest of the crowd to give the troupe a standing ovation. He could feel his heart swell with adoration as you clapped and whistled enthusiastically, the lights on the crowd making the tear tracks on your face glisten.
“That was amazing!” You turned to him breathlessly, eyes sparkling. The wine you’d shared was making him feel bold (and a little wobbly) and the way you looked at him was making the blood rush in his ears. Without thinking he slid his palms under your jaw and leaned in to capture your lips in a sweet kiss. After your initial moment of surprise you closed your eyes and twisted your hands into the front of his shirt, pulling him against your body as you kissed him back insistently. A jolt shot up your spine when his tongue prodded at your mouth and you parted your lips, humming as you tilted your head to deepen the kiss.
“Zuko,” you breathed against his lips, pulling away just far enough to gasp for air.
“(Y/N).” Your name rolled off his tongue like a reverent prayer. His hands slipped down to your waist where he dug his fingertips into your skin, as if afraid you’d dematerialize if he didn’t hold you in place.
“Are we spinning? It feels like we’re spinning.”
“No,” he chuckled. “I think we had too much wine.”
“It’s not the wine.” You opened your eyes to see his were still squeezed shut. He was afraid that he’d open them and wake up and it would all have been a dream.
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
“No—“ you cupped his face and tilted it so you could press a kiss to his forehead, and another to each cheek, and then one brushed over the rough skin on his scarred eyelid that made his breathe catch in his throat “—you always make me feel like that.”
He opened his eyes now, cheeks flushed a blazing red. He drank in the sight of your wide eyes and kiss-swollen lips and felt his heart leap into his throat. You felt captivated by his hungry gaze; he was staring at you like a man starved. “Sorry,” he mumbled breathlessly.
You weren’t expecting that. “Sorry? For what?”
“Making you feel... spinny.”
You giggled and pulled him in for another kiss, threading your fingers of one hand through his shaggy black locks while the thumb of your other skimmed across his scar. He raised his own to tangle in your hair, tugging you impossibly closer. Your foot caught on the blanket and you stumbled, bringing you both crashing to the ground as your faces smacked together. Surely you two were a sight to see for the people filtering out of the park now that the play was over.
“Fuck,” you groaned, rubbing the bridge of your nose where his chin had slammed against it. He grunted and propped himself up so he wasn’t laying on top of you anymore.
“That was definitely the wine,” he said and you nodded in agreement. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” You dropped your head back into the grass and scrunched up your face. “Your chin hurt my nose.”
He leaned over you with a grin. “Well, your nose hurt my chin.”
“Oh, my apologies. Didn’t even consider how your bony chin could be injured after smashing into my soft cartilage.” You rolled your eyes, trying to ignore how his huff of laughter made your stomach feel fluttery.
“Just try to keep it in mind next time. This time, though—“ he gently kissed between your eyes, then the bridge of your nose, then the tip “—I’ll kiss it better for you.” He reveled in how you visibly flustered, opening your mouth and then closing it again quickly.
“Dork,” you muttered and he laughed again. “The hell do you mean, ‘next time?’”
“Well, y’know, if we keep falling for each other, then—“ You cut him off with an exasperated groan.
“If I didn’t know better I’d think Sokka gave you the idea to purposefully fall, just to drop that stupid line.”
“I mean, he did offer to help since I always seem to trip over my words around you.” You made a disgusted face in response to his cheeky smile and shoved him off you. He rolled onto his back next to you as you sat up.
“I should’ve seen that coming,” you grumbled.
“Yeah,” he sighed, obviously pleased with himself. You looked down at him when he tugged on your sleeve. “Hey, Sokka’s tips didn’t ruin my chance at a second date, right?”
You took his hand in yours and laced your fingers together. “As if I’d let Sokka’s stupid ass fuck up the years of pining I’ve put in. You’ll have to try harder than that to get rid of me, Zuko.”
You could feel his smile against your skin when he brought your knuckles to his lips. “That’s what I like to hear.”
ATLA TAGS: @hotgirlazula @octophopi @simpinforsukka @protect-remus @akiris @sunflowerazula @wooscottoncandyhair @chewymoustachio
ZUKO TAGS: @fiantomartell @avatarayeaye @hypercakeiii @sher-lockedmarvel @sunflowerr-mami @emeraldpotato @september-ctd @duh-dobrik
#zuko x reader#zuko x you#zuko x y/n#zuko fic#zuko fluff#zuko#mine#requests#avatar the last airbender#atla x reader#atla
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