#too bad he looked way younger and hotter here

[ronwestbreeze]

take a bow

pairing: geto suguru x non-sorcerer!reader warnings: gore and maybe a little bit of angst summary: you smell like coffee...and geto can't seem to shake it. word count: 6.7k author's note: hiiii ;) as you can tell there will be about five parts to this mini series. nothing more and nothing less. i'm kind of excited for this and i've been really wanting to write for my husband so, i hope ya'll enjoy it! and i will not be doing a taglist for this one. sorry guys!

part 2 | read on AO3

There was a cute customer today.

And you were also sure you hadn’t seen him around before. Then again, you moved to this village two weeks ago, and you weren’t too familiar with the regulars yet. Perhaps he was just one you hadn’t seen until now.

You leaned over the front counter a bit, trying to get a better look at him as he moved down one of the aisles to the far left of the store.

He wore what looked like a school uniform, his dark hair tied up with a few strands framing one side of his face. Even though he was further away from you, you could see he was on the younger side, maybe around your age. Possibly older.

You hadn’t met many boys in your life—attractive ones especially—mostly because you were sheltered for half of your childhood and didn’t go outside. So when you did happen to stumble upon a few of them, you were left wondering what to do or say around them. They were almost alien to you.

It was the same with people in general your age. While you weren’t bad at socializing, you still adapted the best way you knew how.

“You’re being creepy.” Your co-worker, Tohru, said passively while scrolling through her phone. A very busy activity she had been at for an hour now.

“I’m not.” You cleared your throat, quickly looking away from the otherwise oblivious customer. “But you can’t deny that he’s pretty cute.”

Tohru drew her eyes from her phone and glanced toward the newcomer who was now in the snack section. Now it was her turn to lean over the counter, a look of interest inching onto her usual bored mask.

“Damn.”

“Told ya.”

“He’s definitely new. No guy that fine lives in a boring ass town like this.”

You hummed, “I wouldn’t exactly call this town boring—but you’ve been here longer than me so I suppose you have the better judgment over that.” Carefully, you snuck another peek at the customer who was studying the back of a bag of chips. “And if he’s that fine, no doubt someone already bagged him.”

“Ugh,” Tohru grumbled with a defeated expression on her face, “you’re probably right. The hotter ones are always taken.”

“Or they end up being a douchebag.” You added with a snort as you organized the stack of gums on the counter.

“Amen to that.”

“Newbie!”

You jumped with a yelp at the loud voice filling the otherwise quiet store. Glancing over your shoulder, you found your manager, a very old and impatient man, stomping over with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, “Are you pullin’ one on me, kid?!”

After getting over your short shock, you furrow your brows, “Um, pulling what, sir?”

“Where the hell is the leftover food from last week?! I told you to save it in the back storage!”

You gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of your neck, “Oh yeah, some of it went bad so I had to throw it out.”

“We don’t even do anything with them anyway,” Tohru grumbled under her breath which you tried not to acknowledge.

He eats all the leftovers. Despite his shop advertisement promising to send any leftover food to orphanages and charities.

“Look, newbie, I’ve been real lenient because you’re new. And I get it, you're in a tough spot but I ain’t pityin’ you no more! I have no problem tossin’ you the curb, you hear me?”

Your face burned in embarrassment, especially when his loud ass voice carried throughout the store. No doubt the hot guy heard every word by now. “Yessir.”

The old man huffed, “Good. Now stop messin’ around and help the damn customer! Poor boy’s been waiting for you to notice him!”

God, please don’t be him. Please let it be another boy who's been waiting for a while.

You chanced a glance over your shoulder, only to shrivel up when you found the hot customer standing at the counter, watching your interaction with a small absent frown.

Fuck.

“Someone’s gonna be on dishes tonight.” Tohru sang with a snicker as she disappeared in the back along with your manager.

With your face on fire, you went toward the cash register. You cleared your throat and gestured to the pack of cigarettes and the bag of chips, “Will that be all for you today?”

He seemed to have been lost in thought as it took a beat for him to reply, “Sorry, yes, that’s it.”

You nodded, trying not to look him in the eyes. God, even his voice was attractive.

After giving him the price, you began bagging his items while he fished into his pockets to grab his wallet.

You still had yet to look at him.

The last thing you wanted was to get chewed out by your bum boss in front of a guy that you’d possibly never see again. Before you had been dying to have a quick conversation with him, just to keep looking at him for a little longer. Now all you wanted to do was get him out of the store as soon as possible and hide away in a hole, never to be found again.

“Is he always like that?”

You placed his cigarettes in the bag before you realized he was talking to you. Which only made your cheeks even hotter.

“Uh, yeah, he’s usually getting high in the back, or napping.” You shrugged, glancing up at him every now and then, only to find him directly staring at you. Fuck, you were awful at this. “Only ever out front when the shop closes. He’s always the first out the door before anyone else.”

“Mmm,” By then you looked up to find him not too happy about that piece of information. “And he gives you a hard time to add onto that. Don’t you want to quit?”

At that, you smile, “It would be easy, wouldn’t it? I don’t know if you already heard—probably the whole block had heard him—but I’m not really in the best situation to be quitting a job just cuz I hate my bum ass boss.”

This time he looked sheepish, “Yeah, I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear him, but I guess there’s no point in that. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” You chuckled before handing him his bag. “It’s life, you know? I just have to brave it out until I have a stable income of money. Then maybe I can consider the option of kicking myself to the curb from this trash can of a place.”

The male stared at you curiously, the disinterest that he had worn before was now long gone. He searched your face—for what, you didn’t know.

And then he smiled, “You seem to have it all figured out.”

It was infectious, his smile. Even though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say all that.” You returned the smile, anyway, hoping it appeared real enough for the both of you. “But I think it’s going to work out for me in the long run. That I can say.”

The male chuckled as he walked toward the store entrance, “I wish you luck then.”

He waved with another smile which took you off guard a bit. You didn’t have much of a chance to respond back to his wave, nor tell him to enjoy his time in town before he was already long gone.

It was now just you and your blushing face.

The back door opened, “Aw, you didn’t even get his number, did you?”

You glanced over your shoulder to find Tohru pouting at you. You grinned sheepishly, “Oops, guess I didn’t.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Tohru sighed, “You really need to learn how to flirt.”

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Regulars came and went. Your manager was passed out in the back. Tohru’s shift ended sometime before you and booked it out the front door before you had the chance to say goodbye.

Essentially, you had the shop all to yourself. And it was unfortunately horribly boring.

Later in the day is when fewer and fewer customers start coming in. Apparently, many of the people in the village were too cautious about going out once the sun started setting. There were a few rumors here and there, about mysterious deaths all over the village. You weren’t exactly sure how much truth there was to those rumors, all you could do was clock in and clock out and go straight home.

Just because you doubted the stories didn’t mean you weren’t going to be stupid.

You wondered if that hot guy knew about the rumors. It probably would’ve been neighborly to try and warn him.

The sky was filled with oranges and purples as the sun was slinking behind one of the mountains. The evening glow made the shop look almost ominous, especially with the indoor lights off.

You should probably turn those on by now. They would’ve been on throughout the whole day like regular shops but your boss was such a cheap stake with the light bill you had to keep it off until evening fell and you practically couldn’t see in the dark.

Just as you stepped away to turn the shop lights on, the bell above the door rang. You glanced toward the clock and grinned.

You moved back to the front counter and grinned at the familiar newcomers. Two young girls, who looked no older than five, stood at the entrance. “Right on time! Looks like someone’s excited for today’s batch.”

The brown-haired girl—you knew as Mimiko—with the stuffed doll approached the counter first. Standing on her tippy toes enough for her chin to rest on top of the counter, “Do you have any more rice balls?”

“You bet.” You gestured toward the two chairs next to the counter. “Why don’t you guys take a seat over there and I’ll go get the food. It’s a real treat this time.”

“Okay.” Mimiko nodded before grabbing her sister’s hand to drag her over toward the chairs.

“Thank you!” The blonde-haired, Nanako, called.

You sent her an adoring smile, “Of course, hon!”

You moved to the back, passing your knocked-out manager, as you grabbed the box of food in your locker and brought it back to the front counter. Mimiko and Nanako got up from their chairs and bounced over to get a better look, “I actually got these rice balls from this place in the city during the weekend. It’s way better than the crap here.”

“Really?” Nanako looked into the box, her eyes widening, “Wow! Those look really good!”

“Anything for my best customers.” You winked and allowed them to grab what they wanted from the box.

Both girls giggled as they grabbed rice balls and ramen from the box. You smiled and patted both their heads before allowing them to sit back down in the chairs and eat.

You hadn’t known the twins for very long. Actually, you met them on your first day at the store two weeks ago. They had been attempting to steal a few snacks when you discovered them. You couldn’t shake the way they were looking at you when you found them. Scared yet desperate for some food. Mimiko had been clutching her stuffed doll tightly in her hands as if she were about to tear its head off at that moment.

They were expecting you to berate them and kick them out of the store. Maybe your manager or Tohru would’ve done that, but you just couldn’t find it in you to turn them away. They were obviously hungry, so what else could you do but feed them?

So you took the leftover food from the storage and gave it to them. They were pretty tight-lipped about their home situation so you didn’t push. But it was pretty clear that they didn’t have a lot to eat, wherever they lived.

“Let’s make a deal.” You had said to them that day. “You guys come back at around five o’clock every day and I will feed you some stuff we don’t need. Hell, I’ll probably even cook and bring it over every now and then. As long as the two of you eat.”

They looked hesitant. The brown-haired girl—she told you her name was Mimiko—spoke first, “Will you really do that for us?”

You smiled softly at her, “Of course. You guys are hungry, right? Why wouldn’t I want to feed you?”

Her twin, Nanako spoke next, eyes cast down, “Most of the people here are scared of us. Because we’re different. So they ignore us whenever we do ask for food.”

You frowned, your heart breaking at the time. Of course, you had some questions about why a bunch of adults would turn a blind eye to two little girls who looked no older than five. You seethed at the thought that the only one willing to help them was a barely surviving sixteen-year-old, who couldn’t even make minimum wage.

Instead of crying for them—which you were definitely close to doing—you patted their heads, “Well, I’m not scared of you. And I don’t care if you’re different. Come back tomorrow and there will be food for you guys. Okay?”

The two girls were stunned at your kindness like it was foreign to them. But they both nodded, hints of a smile making its way to their lips. “Okay!”

“But you also have to promise not to steal anymore so you don’t get in trouble.” Mimiko pouted but you attempted a stern look. “I’m serious, girls. And we’re going to pinky promise on it.”

You held out your pinky. Reluctantly, the two girls took it. Giggling when they fought to cover your own pinky with their little ones.

After your pinky promise, Nanako’s nose scrunched, “You smell like coffee.”

You laughed and cleaned up the trash from their meal, “I get that a lot.”

And since then, the twins have kept coming back every day, after five o’clock. Sometimes you wonder where they went before that. Did they go to school? Did they have any parents taking care of them? Did they even have a home?

You supposed none of that was any of your business in the end. But sometimes you couldn’t help but worry.

If you had a big enough space that wasn’t one small box, then you’d take the girls home with you in a heartbeat.

Once Mimiko was finished with her rice ball, she walked over to you as you were counting through the cash in the register from today’s productivity. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” You hummed trying to find something for her to do. “Do you think you could stack those new packets of gum for me and place them in this small box?” You handed the little box which she took instantly. “Go get your sister to help if she wants, okay?”

Mimiko nodded and took the gum packets and the box back to her sister who was just finishing up her rice ball. You made a mental note to buy some coloring books for them in case they got bored. Sometimes they like to stay a little bit longer after they finish eating, to keep you company. And you enjoyed their presence. It was better than staring at the ceiling for hours on end, waiting for a customer to enter even though you knew they wouldn’t come. And then got done with their little task quite fast. Yeah, you definitely need to get those coloring books.

Thankfully, just in time as you heard your manager shift in the back, the two girls made their leave. Waving goodbye to you with the promise of returning tomorrow.

Sometime later your manager came from the back and left the shop, grumbling about you closing up.

And another hour after that, you leave the shop. Hoping to see the twins again. And maybe—even though it was probably impossible—you hoped to see that hot customer again.

It was delusional, you knew this.

But it didn’t hurt to hope.

“Ugh, why are you eating that shit?” Tohru made a look of disgust at your bag of coffee beans. “Now the whole place is gonna smell.”

That was what you were greeted with upon entering the shop the next morning, “Good morning to you too, Ru. And don’t you think it’s a lot better than cigarettes and booze?”

Surprisingly, it was pretty crowded which was a first for you ever since you started working at the shop. Of course, it was a bunch of older people—middle-aged to elderly—but it was busy, nonetheless.

You went around the counter as an older woman locked Tohru into a conversation, “Did you hear what happened to that little boy? Oh, what an awful thing, I can only imagine what his parents must be feeling right now.”

“It’s that demon terrorizing our home again.” An elderly woman standing in line shivered

A man huffed, “I tell you exactly what’s causing all of this. Those no good—”

You didn’t bother to stay and hear the rest as you made your way to the back to throw your bag into one of the lockers. It was the same old thing. A horrible incident happens at night—a few people die—and people are going on and on about the town being haunted. Something about some demon going on a killing spree in the dead of night. To be honest, you thought it was some sick weirdo having the time of his life and the people haven’t realized it yet.

“Gotta buy some new locks.” You mumbled to yourself as you shrugged off your jacket.

“How was your night?” You glanced over your shoulder to find your manager sitting in the office, the door wide open as he smoked.

“Good, sir!” You offered a friendly smile as you closed your locker. “My mattress was uncomfortable but all in all, I can’t necessarily complain! And what about you, sir? How was your night?”

He grunted but never gave a response, which wasn’t unusual. He never offered to talk about himself, even on his good days.

You nodded, took your bag of coffee beans, and joined Tohru back at the front.

“—This is the fifth incident this week! When will enough be enough?!” This was an older man scowling this time. Next to him was a woman—whom you had to guess was his wife—trying to push him out of the shop as he began his rant. “We need to hunt those monsters down! How many more have to die?!”

You watched the couple leave with a small frown, “Wow, it’s never been this bad before.”

Tohru sighed tiredly, “Yeah, they’re pretty fired up this time around. I wonder how much of this is gonna mess with my precious sleep schedule.”

You hummed, noticing the usual dark bags under her eyes.

“Hi.”

A bag of chips was placed on the counter. Both you and Tohru looked up to find the hot customer from yesterday standing at the counter with a friendly smile sent your way.

Your face both burned with being taken off guard and the fact that he was addressing you directly, “Oh—Hi! Welcome back!” Quickly, you manned the second register while Tohru sent you a side glare. You returned his smile, “To be honest, I didn’t think you were still here.”

“Really?” He raised a brow as you checked his item out. “How come?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the town’s kind of haunted.” You chuckled as you stuffed his chips into a grocery bag, giving him a sheepish smile, “Scares the tourists away. I should’ve probably warned you about it yesterday, sorry about that.”

He chuckled as you handed him his bag. This time he wasn’t wearing the black top he had on yesterday. The baggy pants were the same, just this time around he wore a white button-up. “Fortunately, I’m not afraid of many scary stories, but I appreciate the warning.”

“How brave of you.” You chuckled, ignoring the subtle glances Tohru kept sending you while attending to her own customer. “I can’t necessarily say the same for myself.”

“Don’t you live here?” His eyes twinkled as he tilted his head, “I’d say you’re a lot braver than me, you know. Tonight’s my last night here.”

You shook your head, ignoring how your chest fell slightly in disappointment at the new piece of information, “Then many would say you’re one of the lucky ones.”

“Oh yeah?” He hummed, his eyes never wavering from yours. Wow, he really loved making eye contact. You couldn’t figure out if that made him even hotter or a bit intimidating. And he was so nonchalant about it too, hand in pocket, stance somewhat relaxed. “What would you say? You count yourself unlucky then?”

The bell above the door rang, “Welcome in!” You called the new customer before replying to him. “Well, to be honest with you, I feel like I’m the luckiest girl alive. It’s not so bad here, you know, despite the obvious flaws of the shop and this town. I’m just grateful to at least have a job and a roof over my head. It’s not perfect but it’s everything I need right now.”

He was observing you again. Tohru was far too distracted with the other customers to notice and make fun of your bashful facial expressions. Or how you were practically malfunctioning on the spot from the way he kept looking at you.

“You know,” He leaned on the counter with a smile turning into somewhat of a smirk, “I’ve never met someone as optimistic as you. I almost think you’re unreal.”

“Don’t we all,” Tohru commented as she made her way to the back. “Your turn to man the front counter, newbie. The last customer nearly made me pop a vein.”

“Sure thing, Ru!” You called, trying to ignore how hot your face was at the moment.

Of course, the hot customer saw this and gave a soft laugh, “I didn’t mean to sound like I’m making fun of you, I promise. It’s endearing. You wouldn’t have a hard time finding someone to marry, that’s for sure.”

Steam was probably coming out of your ears at this point.

“I-I-uh, thanks?” You searched the store to try and distract yourself and prevent further embarrassment. Only when you didn’t find anything, you smile sheepishly, “I-uh, I think it’s a little too soon to be thinking about marriage—uh but thanks for the compliment?”

You watched as his nose twitched, raising a brow, “You smell like coffee. Like a lot.”

“Yeah,” You gulped with a nervous smile, “I get that a lot.”

Another laugh left his lips. He was far too amused now. Meanie. “I’ll see you around.”

With that, he left the store. The bell rang in his wake. You watched him go through the window. He waved to you as he passed. And you waved back.

Once he was finally out of your sight and you out of his, you groaned and dropped your head onto the counter, “I’m such a loser.”

The back door opened and Tohru poked her head out, shaking her head disapprovingly, “Yeah, you can’t handle all that man.”

“Shut up, Ru.”

You were the exception, not the rule, Geto Suguru realized a block away from the store.

He’d never really met anyone like you. It was so rare. Pure. So unheard of in this world.

But it didn’t change how the world was. A bright light like that would be snuffed, almost instantly. You would become exhausted at some point, smiling so genuinely like that.

It would make your fall much harder. Much, much worse.

More curses wreaking havoc through villages. More curses to swallow down, leaving the bitter taste of vomit in his wake.

You, Geto decided, were just like everyone else in the end.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

He wondered if he would ever stop hearing them clap.

Around the late afternoon, your manager sent you out to pick up a delivery of chips that apparently couldn’t make it. Something about a mix-up with the trucks—you weren’t entirely clear on the details. But your boss was pissed about it and you were left with driving to the city to retrieve the box of chips. The only thing you didn’t like about it was the fact that the drive to the city took almost two hours.

You just hoped you’d make it back in time to meet up with the twins.

So half your day was spent rushing through the city, trying to track down that missing shipment of chips, bringing it back to your car which was almost towed because you happened to park in the wrong place, and then driving back to the village while the sun was beginning to set.

The drive back wasn’t as bad as the drive to the city. But you arrived back at the shop twenty minutes past five. Which wasn’t too bad but you were still late, nonetheless.

“Sorry, I’m late!” You called as you entered the store from the back with the box still in your hands. “I got coloring books this time, hope you guys like to draw!” You brought the box to the front, expecting to find the twins.

Only you stop and find Tohru and your manager there instead. Tohru stared at you in confusion, “Who are you talking to?”

You blushed in embarrassment, “Um, sorry, I thought you were…” Quickly, your mind raced. “Did you guys happen to see two girls walk in at around five—that’s what the coloring books were for, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.”

“Two girls?” Tohru frowned, appearing even more confused. “Did you hit your head or something?”

Just as you were about to quickly explain what you meant, your manager blew out another puff of smoke, “She means those unlucky twins.” At this, you furrowed your brows, opening your mouth to ask what he meant, only for him to continue as if you had already asked the question. “Those two have been poisoning our town ever since they killed their parents. It’s about time they get what they deserve.”

Your eyes widened, heart, falling to your feet, “W-What does…what happened to them? What do you mean get what they deserve?”

“Oh yeah,” Tohru said while hoisting herself up to sit on the counter, “now that you mention it, there were two girls that came in here. They didn’t stay for long, some of the villagers barged in and took them. I think they mentioned taking her to the old temple or something like that, I don’t know, I had a headache and they were all being annoying. They went on about them being the cause of all the deaths happening in town—whatever that meant—”

The box fell from your hands onto the floor, spilling the bag of chips. Your heart thundered with panic and disbelief, “You…You just let them take them?” Surprisingly, your voice wasn’t quivering like the rest of your body. Instead, it was full and firm with distraught. “They didn’t even do anything! They’re children! They’re—oh my god, they’re just babies!”

Tohru rolled her eyes as if you were the one being dramatic and unreasonable, “Dude, relax, they’re probably not going to do anything that bad to them. Maybe send them off to another village. Look, who cares? At least there won’t be any more deaths—hey, where are you going?”

You ignored her, threw off your work apron, and jumped over the counter. “This isn’t right! None of this is fucking right!”

“Hey, you still need to clean your mess up—hey!” Tohru’s voice became further and further away as you bolted out of the shop and ran through the street, heading further into the village.

Tohru had mentioned something about an old temple. You quickly searched your mind until you remembered there was a temple on one of the hills. You always passed it whenever you went jogging on your days off. Yes, you knew exactly where they were.

Running wouldn’t get you there fast enough, you soon realized. So you thought quickly. In front of a flower shop, you spotted a bicycle sitting at the front. Quietly apologizing to whomever this belonged to, you took the bike, got on, and pedaled your way up the hill.

In your haste, the world was silent to you.

All you could think about was those poor girls. All you were worried about was saving them before the townsfolk did something that no one could possibly come back from.

The world was silent to you.

You didn’t see the people running by in terror, even when you nearly ran into an older man who had dashed out into the street in a fit of panic. You didn’t see the smoke in the part of the village you biked through. You didn’t see the blue flames consuming the houses and the people around you until there was nothing but burnt ash left.

This chaos was nothing but white noise.

The world was silent to you.

You ignored the large shape flying over you, spewing the blue flames onto another part of the village.

All you cared about were those girls. Mimiko and Nanako.

You should’ve brought them back to your home. You should’ve taken them in. You should’ve pressed for more information about them. You should’ve known that they didn’t have anyone taking care of them.

You should’ve known. You should’ve done more.

“My god,” You gasped, fear tearing at your heart as the temple finally came into view. “have I failed them?” There were no flames consuming the temple. Strangely enough, it was the only place that wasn’t on fire.

When you were close enough, you jumped off the bike and dashed for the entrance. You slammed into the double doors, attempting to pull it open. Only they were locked and wouldn’t budge.

You backed up, not willing to give up. Not willing to let those two die for this fucked up town. And with all your might, you kicked the doors open, causing them to slam against the walls inside the temple.

“Mimiko! Nanako!” You called as you entered, searching around for the two girls.

Smoke filled your nose and caused you to cough just as small voices responded back to you. Calling your name with childlike desperation. It sounded like it was coming from above you. Like there was a second floor.

The stairs were on your right. You dashed for them, skipping two steps at a time until you made it to the second floor. Until you made it into the first room you spotted. Until you found them both locked in a cage together. Beaten and bruised and scared out of their minds. Until you found the two bodies lying in a puddle of scarlet right in front of the cage.

You didn’t rush toward the cage right away. Struck frozen at the sight of the blood. At the sight of the two bodies. It made the once quiet world around suddenly become loud.

There were screams outside of the temple. There was smoke, so much smoke.

Then there was the blood.

Blood.

Blood.

Blood.

There was a small call of your name, snapping you out of your frozen shock. The two girls were pressed against the cages, Nanako reaching through the bars for you…

“I’m coming, it’s okay.” You said, finally snapping out of your shock before rushing over toward the cage. You ignored how your shoes were stained with scarlet as you walked through the puddle.

You tried at the cage for a bit until you roughly yanked it open, breaking the lock that kept it closed. Both girls ran out of the cage and hugged your waist, nearly knocking you over. Their sniffles were muffled in your sweater as you ran your hand through their hair in an attempt to comfort them.

“It’s okay, I’m gonna get you out of here.” You promised while glancing over your shoulder at the bodies. “Nanako. Mimiko. What happened to them?”

Mimiko buried her face further into your waist while Nanako spoke, “Everyone thought we were the ones behind the deaths so they took us and tried to make the man kill us. But he didn’t, he saved us!”

You nodded as you both listened and led them out of the horrific room. The three of you went down the steps. Just from looking through the wide open doorway of the temple, you saw the flames hitting the village had gotten so much worse. What had caused this, you had no clue, nor did you have time to stop and wonder where it all had come from.

Mimiko tightened her hold on your hand, forcing you to stop, dozens of steps away from the front door, “The man told us to stay put and that he would take us away from here.”

On your right, Nanako nodded, “He said the curses won’t hurt us and that we’re special.”

You let go of their hands and turned to face them, your back to the entrance. Carefully you knelt down in front of them, “Okay, slow down. Before I even think about touching the curses part, I just need to know what man are you guys talking about. There wasn’t a third body in that room.”

“They mean me.”

At the sudden voice, you spun around to find standing at the entrance a male. A familiar one at that.

The same male who had bought chips from your store. The same male who had that gentle smile on his face—similar to the one he wore now but colder. The same male who had laughed at your fumbling and embarrassment just a few hours earlier.

“You.” Was the whisper that fell from your lips.

He stepped forward and instinctively pushed the girls behind you protectively. His brows raised at this and he chuckled.

“Mimiko. Nanako.” His voice was slow, silky, and calculated. “It’s time to go. Those people won’t hurt you anymore. Just as I promised.”

You watched him warily but the girls after a beat started toward him, surprising you. Mimiko was the one who stopped while Nanako went to the male’s side and grabbed his hand. She looked at you and then the male. She then grabbed your hand and tried tugging you forward, “Can’t she come with us?”

Something flickered across his face and instantly disappeared in the next second as he smiled, “Why don’t you two wait for me while I talk to the nice lady?”

You didn’t let go of her hand right away, “Mimiko.”

She looked at you and smiled reassuringly despite one of her eyes being swollen shut, “It’s okay. He’s a nice man. He saved us, remember?”

With that, she followed her sister out of the temple. The male didn’t move from the doorway. The blue flames were menacing in the night, his shadow tall. The heat was just as overwhelming as the smoke.

“Who the hell are you?” You finally muttered.

He started walking toward in slow leisurely steps, “A sorcerer.”

Instinctively, you wanted to back away as he got closer. But you stood firm, “And you were the one that killed those two people upstairs?”

“Yes.” He was now in front of you with very little space left between the two of you. The obvious question was at the tip of your tongue but you never voiced it. Yet he replied anyway, “I’ve decided it’s time I’ve stopped serving non-sorcerers. All they’ve done is create more problems for people like me. I figured I cut the problem down from the roots. For all of us.”

There was no smile on his face now. No traces of the friendly face, of the sheepish boy you met back at the shop. Just someone else entirely.

He leaned forward, staring at you with that same look he had back at the shop. Like he was trying to see right through you. Accusatory. Blame.

“What good are you to me?”

You glared now, clenching your hands into tight fists, “It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t see a point in proving a damn thing to you.”

He stared at you for a moment longer and then smirked. “Too bad you’re human.” He turned and walked back to the entrance. “I would’ve liked you a lot. I do like you a lot. But if my new world is going to be without non-sorcerers…”

The curse flew past Geto and into the temple. It was large enough to cause irreparable damage to the temple. It was deadly enough to crush any target in sight. Even your screams were swallowed whole in seconds. That’s how efficient it was. That’s how easy it all became.

Geto didn’t look back at your body. Nor did he watch you get killed by his curse. Instead, he continued out of the temple with a few more curses following him at his tail.

“There are no exceptions.” He muttered to himself.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

He wondered if he would ever forget that coffee smell.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Hours later, once the flames had long settled, you sat up in the rubble. Some of the most severe wounds were nearly done healing. But the only pain you felt was the tight twists in your stomach.

You were starving.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Your sweater had been burned off and your skirt was ripped as you dragged yourself away from the ruins of the temple. Saliva dripping from your mouth that you tried to ignore.

For a while, you kept going. Pushing yourself through what used to be a lively village. But now it was filled with ruins and dead bodies alike.

You kept your composure thought. Especially when you pass fallen body parts, scattered along the streets.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Eventually, you made it to the store, just on the outskirts of the village. The same one you worked at. The one place that had your coffee beans.

The bell above your head rang as you lugged your way over to the aisle where you knew the coffee beans were. Ignoring the calls of your name—which was just background noise to you.

You were hungry. Really, really hungry.

Just as you found the coffee beans, you grabbed one of the bags and tore it open.

“You know you’ve been fired, right?”

For some reason, your hand never reached into the bag to grab a mouthful of beans and tossed it in your mouth. Instead, you just stared down into it, saliva dripping from your mouth as Tohru continued her taunt.

“Boss’ pretty pissed with you taking off like that. And now I’ve gotta miss my concert because of you.” In the corner of your eye, she sneered, “I hope it was all worth it.”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

“Risking your job for a bunch of girls you don’t even know. What did you even try to do?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

“Hmm, judging how quiet everything is, my guess is they probably finished the job.” Tohru sighed and leaned against the shelf, “Well, at least I can get better sleep.”

The bag of coffee beans fell from your grasp and spilled onto the floor.

Tohru gasped, looking down at the mess, “Hey! You fucking idiot! How many more messes are you going to leave for me to clean?! Ugh, you’re such a brat—hey, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Fuck it.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

The next morning, the shopkeeper was found dead in his office. Half of his face was gone, along with a gaping hole in his chest, where his heart should’ve been.

The girl was behind the front counter. Missing a leg, her organs spilling out of her abdomen. Blood everywhere.

It was a horrid sight.

At least, that’s what you heard.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

You wiped the blood from your mouth.

“I’m done lying to myself.” You mumbled. A giggle left your lips. “What the hell is the point?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

With that, you took your final bow.

“Things will be different this time.”

#jujutsu kaisen #geto x reader #geto suguru x reader #geto suguru #suguru geto #getou suguru #jjk geto #jjk imagines #jjk x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk headcanons #jjk season 2 #tokyo ghoul #geto suguru x you #[ *take a bow ]

[tomorrcwz]

˗ ˏ ˋ 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐑, 𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓

Pairings : Logan Sargeant x reader (platonic)

in which Logan and you have a day off work in London and decide to go to build a bear, creating each a stuffy for the other as you did as children.

— only friend i need series

"Come on Logs, live a little", you said, pressing the blonde to agree to your spontaneous idea of the day. "it's a fantastic idea, I always have those, and i still can't believe you've lived here for what? Two years now? and still didn't do it. shame, mate."

Said man, who sat opposite of you, took another bite of his somewhat healthy breakfast choice his trainer would've had a wet dream about, all while starring in disbelief at you, the one who's bright smile focused on the plate of waffles, covered in strawberries and cream.

He shallowed, opening his mouth to disagree with the idea but nothing came to his mind, letting you grin in excitement. "I— well, fine, but don't you think we're a bit too old for build a bear, y/n?"

"Buh, since when do we do age appropriate stuff?", you questioned, thinking back about the many times you rode rollercoasters for children, watched movies in the cinema for zero to six years old and did other things people considered then to be made for children. "it's cute, saw a tiktok about it."

"You and your tiktok obsession — when did you even watch it? We were out all day yesterday."

You rolled your eyes playfully. "Are you that old, sargeant? You were in the gym after we had lunch at mine."

"Yeah true", the man sheepishly agreed, remembering the cardio and weight session, before his blue eyes brightened, signaling you that he had an idea — for the better or worse, you never knew with him.

"Please enlighten me, what's on your mind?"

Logan's smile widened, pupils blooming. "How about I build you a stuffy and you for me like we did when we were younger?"

"Yes please, that has to the best idea you've had in a while, Logs", you giggled. "Let's eat and then we'll make our way there, its in that mall not so far away from here."

With that, you both ate in silence, listing to the gossip around you — an older woman complained to her son about back pain, a couple fought about having another baby (the woman didn't want another one while the man was adapt on growing the family) and a man in his forties tried to flirt with the waiter —, Logan and you sent each other looks and quirked eyebrows, whenever the topic grew hotter and juicier.

As you shallowed the last bite of your delicious breakfast, Logan already waved the waiter over to pay for today's expenses — since both of you worked, you took turns with the payment, even though the racer tried to take the check whenever you were eating in a somewhat bougier place, saying that he made more and wanted to be a gentleman which would get him a snort out of you or a slap on the arm. not that it hurt him, you liked to think the hits had to be gently because of his worth for Williams.

After the blonde had paid, he impatiently stood up, holding out his hand for helping you to stand up. "Let's go, y/n, we don't have all day."

You let go off his hand, pressing a finger to your forehead. "Don't know why I keep up with you, you're acting like a kid in a hardware store. i'm praying for Alex and his patience."

"Hey, I'm not that bad", your friend shrieked, pulling your head into am armlock to rub your hair which he knew you didn't enjoy at all — you weren't a pet, you'd tell him.

"You're a shithead, have I ever said that to you?", you grumbled as you freed yourself from his strong grasp.

"And you're what? a Saint?", a snort escaped the man's throat, pushing you lightly forward to continue your way to the destination. "cause I don't think so, you're as bad as me, that's why we're friends."

Once again you grumbled under your breath but decided to just walk, letting Logan rant about his trip to New York with Williams and the training camp that was held in Miami.

When you arrived at the mall, you've heard all about his recent work experience, Alex's stories about his holidays and a new recipe Logan's mom came up (it didn't sound but why was she adapt to add pumpkin to the dish?).

"Look logs, there it is", you pointed out, gaze hazy with childish excitement. You intertwined your hand with his, dragging him inside the colourful store to the yet lifeless bodies of stuffies — there was the classic Teddy in a few shades of brown, forest and savanna animals as well as movie characters like yoda, stich and hedwig, Harry Potter's beloved owl.

you truly were in paradise. "Oh look, it's an eagle, that's so American, so you", a booming laughter fell from your lips, winning the attention of a mother daughter duo next to you, causing you to blush and Logan to pinch your side.

alas, your friend had enough of you, so therefore he left your side to explore the many options the shop had in stock. You didn't see his pick as your only matter was to fulfil the task of finding the right stuffy for logan and putting it in clothing.

In the end you decided on a cute black alpaca and put it in a white cargo trousers combined with a multicoloured party shirt and some blue jeans jacket, letting yourself be inspired by the clothing styles of Logan and George Russell's invention of white pants and a williams team shirt as a williams driver's standard uniform — you'd switch up the party shirt as soon as you'll get a hang out of sewing to make a mini williams shirt but for now the alpaca was going to own the shirt as did logan in the summer when you both went out for a wild night back home.

As you put the heart and the small voice box thingy in the stuffy, a small happy tear rolled down your cheek; you chose to say two things: the first one was the viral meme of him being American, silently screaming rwahh what the fuck is a kilometre and the second was a sweet message to cheer him up, hopefully, whenever he felt bad and you'd be out of his reach — a small fracture of yourself, reminding him of his greatness and uniqueness, and that he was loved and cheered. You were a sentimental being, no shame whatsoever, even though your friend sometimes liked to tease you about it, causing you to clap back — it was just that kind of friendship where you could let lose, be yourself without further worries nor feeling embarrassed or awkward.

When Logan finally got to you — you had waited for him outside of the mall, leaning on the car as you had texted him, and bought two cups of coffee at the small café on the opposite side of the build a bear shop— you gave him the box, containing the alpaca, wearing a silly expression on your face, which Logan mirrored.

"Let's see, if you still know me after seeing the whole wide world without me", you joked, silly smile morphing in a naughty grin on your lips.

"As if I could forget you, stinks."

"Maybe I should return it, you don't deserve it—"

"Hey, I don't do anything wrong", he exclaimed, making grabby hands to get the stuffy.

"Mister Sargeant, you are a liar and a very bad one at that", you tsked him. "Haven't we already said that we refer to call me stinks? the name should be buried six foot deep next to—"

"Don't you dare, y/n."

"I definitely should tweet the nickname, your colleagues would eat it up, don't you think so?", you giggled gleefully, remembering how you called him as you were two young children, running around the neighbourhood to terrorise them.

"And that's why I don't take you with me", he mumbled under his breath, holding out his hand where the stuffy box hang off. "Here we go, silly, hope you like it."

Slowly, you opened the box and the sight of your favourite animal greeted you, wearing the cutest hogwarts robes of your house. "Aw Logs, it's so pretty and fluffy. I love it." Gently you pressed you face against the small head of the stuff toy, enjoying the cozy texture of it and closed your eyes, salivating the moment.

After a moment, the blonde man enclosed you in a hug. "the alpaca's lovely, y/n/n. Best idea we had in a while."

"yeah true", you agreed, returning the hug.

#logan sargeant x reader #logan sargeant imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #logan sargeant #formula one imagine

[universecorp]

Temptation: Chapter 2

Chapter warnings: None

W.C.: 3.8k

Mood Playlist: Temptation

Day 7

The past three days have been the longest of your life. You truly understood why these fairies were given the domain of lust. Not only had you walked in on several more very compromising scenes and positions, but you had been invited to join each one. It was like fucking was their profession, and you knew it wasn’t because Soobin and Yeonjun were doing their jobs right now. 

Yeonjun worked as a choreographer for a music label. His schedule was often very open because they only enlisted him for new music releases or award shows, which is why he had so much time on his hands. He had shown you some of the artists he choreographed for, and you were in awe at how amazing his dances were. 

Soobin on the other hand worked as an old language interpreter. Fairies much like humans had old and lost civilizations, Soobin’s job was to analyze their old texts and try to decipher them. It was a job he described as challenging, but he enjoyed it. He also got to set his own schedule, which still left him enough time to be with his lovers.

Over the last few days Soobin had been working a bit, so you had been spending time with him in his study, reading and listening to the fairy explain what he was working on. You enjoyed watching him work, and even took a look at some of the languages, which also had a very similar look to some of the old human lost languages.

The younger ones of the group had been traveling back and forth between the domain and the hub for school. You wanted to go with them to see how different fairy college was compared to what you were used to, but unfortunately the school had a strict policy against anyone attending classes that they weren’t enrolled in. It wasn’t too bad though, you had been spending time with the older men, or on your own, exploring the domain and its endless landscape. Lucky for you The fairies had human proofed the domain with different paths to make sure you made it back to the tree no matter what path you took. You were grateful to them for making your stay easy and also for showing you the beauties of their world.

Right now you were laying outside under a large tree by one of the many streams that inhabited the domain. Your eyes were closed as you focused on the sound of the small waterfall nearby. You could hear birds chirping softly as soft rays of sun that slipped through the cracks of the tree's shade warmed your face. You stretched a little, wiggling your toes against the soft blades of grass before turning on your side. You figured a nap couldn’t hurt, especially since you had nothing better to do. 

You were beginning to drift off when suddenly a ray of sun was shining into your eyelid. You huffed a little before turning your body, hoping a different angle would help. For a few moments it was serene again… until it wasn’t and another beam of sun was assaulting your eyelids. You turned onto your back and threw your arm over your eyes, hoping to block out the rays, but it was of no use. The sun felt even hotter and brighter, causing you to sit up. You opened your eyes only to see a Hueningkai, who quickly screamed and flew out of sight. 

“Get back here!”

You heard giggling coming from above you, not just Hueningkai’s. 

“You guys are so in for it!” Standing from the blanket you huffed and began climbing the tree. You were making progress when suddenly the branch under you began growing farther away from the tree causing you to yelp as you wrapped yourself around it. Boisterous laughing could be heard as you struggled to try and get back to the tree. Looking up you huffed when you saw Hueningkai, Beomgyu, and Taehyun all hovering above you. “If this is how you guys seduce people, I can see why no one has bothered to stick around.” Grumbling you inched your way off the tree branch, trying to find a safe place for your foot to land.

 “It’s not, we can show you how we do if you’d like though.” Beomgyu replied cheekily, flying to your side, helping you down to the ground safely. 

“I’m good.” You deadpanned, dusting off your white skirt, frowning at the dark residue the tree left.

 “Oh, poor petal got her skirt dirty,” Taehyun fretted, fluttering down to join you and Beomgyu on the ground, Heuningkai following close behind. “We should go back to the tree, maybe we can convince Soobin and Yeonjun to come to one of the lakes and we can all go swimming?” You perked up at that, you had been wanting to swim in one of the pretty lakes that you had come across. One in particular that caught your attention, it had a large cave that had a waterfall in it. There were also a few rocks that were perfect for sitting on and just watching, all in all it looked just as fun to lounge in as it did to swim.

 “Can we go to the one with the cave that has the waterfall in it?” The three fairies nodded, smiling at your enthusiasm. 

“I never asked, what do you all major in at university?”  You were about three quarters of the way back to the tree. The four of you had been making small talk and giggling over some embarrassing stories that you all decided to share. Even though you had no interest in the fairies romantically or carnally, you still enjoyed their presence and the conversations that you had.

“Music, with a minor in education,” Heuningkai replied.

“Math.” Taehyun answered shortly.

“Same as Hyuka, but I’m minoring in music technology.” 

You made a sound of awe, it was interesting how all of  the fairies had such different interests and careers, but still had the common ground of their love for one another. Even though it had only been a few days, you gained an understanding of the bond they shared. Sometimes it made you laugh how different they were, but the feeling you got watching them all be so in love with each other was so indescribable. You could only hope one day you would have someone that you felt that way with.

“Hyungs, we’re back!” Hueningkai called out as the three of you entered the tree. You followed the fairies to their shared room where you found the two oldest of the five. Yeonjun has his head in Soobin’s lap, who was playing with his dark locks with one hand as he held his phone in the other.

 “Hi, how was school?” Hueningkai flittered over to the taller man, kissing him on his cheek before sitting down next to him. 

“It was good, but I got a C on my stats quiz.” Soobin tsked, closing his phone. 

“I thought you had Hyunnie help you study. You said you were confident, what happened?” The youngest blushed slightly, while Taehyun smiled coyly looking away from his blonde boyfriend. 

“We did… but then we got a little distracted.” You stifled a laugh at the scene before you. They definitely belonged in this domain you thought to yourself. 

The second oldest had a slightly unreadable expression on his, but ultimately relinquished, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

“It’s fine,” Soobin huffed, “you just have to try harder next time, and i’ll be sitting in on your next tutoring session, understood?” 

“Yes hyung.” The two youngest spoke in tandem.

“Ok now that the boring stuff is over, our little human wanted to visit starlight lake for a swim!” Beomgyu interjected, pushing you forward a bit. You hated to admit it but the way Beomgyu referred  to you caused a small pit of warmth in your stomach.

 “Is that so?” Yeonjun arose from his position. You nodded in response.

 “Can we go please?,” Hueningkai begged, displaying his best pout. “Binnie hyung, you have to show her more of your magic! He can make waves and Hyunie and Yeonjunnie hyung make us big leaves to surf on!” Your eyes enlarged in awe and excitement at the new piece of information.

 “Calm down raindrop, we can go, how about we spend the night there? There’s a reason we call it starlight lake, I think we should show Y/N why.” The youngest fluttered his wings in excitement, a large smile on display as his boyfriend spoke. 

“Tae baby, why don’t you and Junnie go prepare a picnic for dinner while Gyu, Hyuka and I go get the rest of the supplies.” Both garden fairies nodded before leaving the room together, heading towards the kitchen. 

“Is there anything I can help with?” 

Soobin made a face as if he was pondering, “You can help us if you like, go get changed and then meet us near the washroom.” You acknowledged him with a small nod and made your way to your room. 

You remembered that the fairies had bought you a few bathing suits. All of them were bikinis, but you didn’t have a problem with that, thankfully they also provided you with slips that you could use to cover yourself. Even though no one else was in the domain, it still made you grateful that the fairies were looking out for you. 

After browsing through your options you ultimately decided on a blue bikini with a slip covered in small blue and pink fabric flowers.  Once you were satisfied with the way you looked, you quickly packed an overnight bag before making your way to the washroom.

“Gyu, do you think you could get the animals to help us carry some of this?” Soobin inquired, handing a large blanket to the orange winged boy. 

“Yeah, I'll see if Taehyun can create a wagon that a few of the deers can pull, hold on.” The blonde nodded, before directing his attention to you.

 “Y/N, you look so cute! I picked that one out, I knew you would look good in it. Hyung, doesn’t she look good?” Soobin smiled endearingly down at his youngest lover before nodding. You  blushed at that, thanking the two for the compliment.

“Good timing, I need you to go help Gyu load some of this stuff.” You hummed before grabbing some pillows that the water fairy pushed towards you.

 “Hyuka and I will be right there.” Making a sound of affirmation, you made your way towards the entrance of the tree. Beomgyu seemed successful in getting that cart as well as some deer because he was now attaching some reigns made of what appeared to be some type of tree branch. 

The fairy whistled in your direction, taking note of your appearance, causing you to blush again. “Where should I put these?” You asked, clearing your throat.

 “In the cart is fine, Junnie and Tae are almost done, so they should be out soon.” You hummed before complying, standing awkwardly as you waited for the other four men to join. 

“Wanna pet them?” 

“Huh?” 

“The deer, do you wanna pet them?” Beomgyu inquired.

“Oh… sure.” You replied, walking over to the orange winged man. 

He grabbed your hand gently before lifting it towards the doe’s snout. The doe sniffed cautiously before nuzzling into your hand, causing you to break out into a wide smile. “She likes you, she says she wants you to meet her fawn.” 

“Really?” 

Beomgyu nodded.

Bending down to the doe’s level you nuzzled into her, a silent way of showing your shared adoration for her. Beomgyu wishes he was the doe that you were staring at right now. You looked at her with so much awe and love, just as you did with most of the animals and other aspects of their home. It made him jealous because you had yet to look at him or any of the others in that way. Despite that , Beomgyu couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. Even though you had only been in the domain for a week, he couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to you and neither could the others. They had a talk yesterday in the quiet of their room, illuminated only by a small orb of light, about where they stood with you and it was safe to say all of them wanted you to stay. They had had other humans stumble into their domain before, but none of them had intrigued them like you had. Your energy and love of all things that their domain had to offer only managed to endear them more with each passing day. 

“Ready to leave?” Yeonjun chimed, walking out of the entrance of their large tree with a large picnic basket on hand. You stood from the ground humming a quick

 “Uh huh” before grabbing the small overnight bag you had brought out with you. Slinging the small tote over your shoulder you began walking behind Beomgyu and the deers, keeping pace with Taehyun and Yeonjun.

Eventually you all arrived at the lake, you had walked past it at least twice since you arrived, but it never failed to take your breath away. There was a waterfall that flowed beautifully over the cave, and you could tell the inside had a nice secluded pool as well as enough room to sit comfortably on the ledge. 

“You three can go swim while we set up camp and dinner, we’ll call you when it’s ready.” Yeonjun said, referring to you as well as Hueningkai and Taehyun. The three of you nodded, dropping your coverups onto the bank. You watched Hueningkai walk into the water with Taehyun close behind, you were hesitant to get in, but after the two looked back at you, you followed suit. The water was surprisingly warmer than you anticipated. You slowly submerged the majority of your body into the lake, sighing softly at how comfortable you felt. 

You hadn’t realized you closed your eyes until you heard a very eager “Y/N, watch this!” come from near the waterfall. You opened your eyes, focusing them on Hueningkai who was standing on top of the large cave. Only a moment later Hueningkai was diving from the rock, landing gracefully in the water with a small splash. You saw the way he used his wings to control his speed so that the splash wasn’t as large, but it was still impressive. 

Hueningkai soon resurfaced smiling widely at you, it was cute the way he paddled over to you. “Did you see,” he grabbed your hands underwater, “wasn’t I cool?” 

“You were.” You affirmed with a shy smile.

The fairy beamed brightly, gripping your left hand a bit tighter so he could guide you deeper into the lake. 

“How deep does it go?” you asked.

“Huh, oh the lake? Uhm…about 15 feet, the deepest part is inside the cave.” Hueningkai replied, hand still held tightly in yours. 

“You wanna make some rainbows?” He was too precious for his own good, is all you could think as he stated expectantly at you.

 “I don’t really think I can make them, since I don't have powers, but I would love to watch you make them!” The boy broke into a small pout.

 “You can, though, splash some water in the air.” You were hesitant but the look he gave you managed to melt your heart even more and do as he wished. Breaking your hand away from him you cupped some water underneath the surface before shooting your hands up to create a large splash of droplets in the air. Hueningkai quickly directed sunlight over the droplets creating a beautiful dazzling rainbow over the two of you. You stared up in awe, smiling widely, before splashing more water up into the air.

The two of you continued this, laughing wildly as you made a game out of it by splashing water in different directions at once to see if he could create the colorful refractions in time. The whole time you and Hueningkai were playing you noticed Taehyun observing the two of you from a nearby rock. His wings were glistening in the sun as his damp hair stuck to his forehead. You noticed a small smile playing on his lips as he watched the two of you. You also noticed his naked torso, had he always been that toned? You had seen the fairies shirtless countless times before, but only now we’re you starting to realize how toned they were. 

“Tae, come play with us!” The light fairy wore a small pout, much like the one he used to win you over.

 “This rock is warm though, the water is too cold for me.” Taehyun replied, stretching out a bit on the large rock. He almost looked like he was glittering, the way the sun hit his skin, the sight made your stomach twist with a weird feeling. 

“I’ll beam more light so the lake gets warmer, please? Hueningkai elongated the plea, jutting out his lower lip a bit for more of an effect. Taehyun tried to avoid eye contact with the younger, so as to not be coerced into getting in, but Hueningkai’s charms were just too much for him. 

“Fine, but only if you warm up the water.” Hueningkai nodded, wings fluttering quickly causing small ripples to form in the water. You watchmen in awe once again as Hueiningkai made the beams of sun grow brighter, making the air around you grow warmer, but not in a way that was unbearable. 

Taehyun slowly entered the water, like a flower opening its petals during the spring. You couldn’t help but be entranced by the way he slowly eased in, face morphed into one of satisfaction. “Is it warm enough?” Taehyun hummed in affirmation, eyes closed as he basked in the warmth of the lake.

 “Could you make it like a hot tub, even at night?” You asked, making room for Taehyun to join your semi-circle.

 “Unfortunately no, even though moonlight is technically sunlight, since it’s not hot I can’t do much with it and the light I can create isn’t hot either. I can do it during the day with sunlight, but not at night.” You hummed in understanding, treading your hand through the water lightly. 

“Food is ready!” You looked over your shoulder at Yeonjun who was standing outside of the cave, waving the three of you over. 

“Race ya!” Hueningkai quickly dove under the water to get a head start. You and Taehyun quickly followed, trying to catch up to the younger boy. You of course lost badly since the fairies had their wings to project them farther and faster than your mere arms and legs could. You were breathing heavily by the time you made it into the cave. Taehyun, Beomgyu and Hueningkai were all snickering at your state while Soobin and Yeonjun only tsked at the three.

 “Poor petal, you knew that wasn’t a fair race.” Yeonjun said, walking over to give you a hand, helping you out of the water

. “It’s ok, it was fun, you guys are really fast.” All of the fairies giggled at your disheveled state as Yeonjun helped you walk over to the picnic blanket. Soobin placed a towel around your shoulders, causing you to let out a small thank you in response. 

You looked at the assortment of sandwiches in front of you, most of them were savory, but you spotted a few sweet ones made with cream and fruit. Beomgyu began pouring tea from a thermos into the small cup in front of you, Taehyun offered you milk and sugar which you graciously took. You blew on your tea before taking a sip, but could feel everyone's eyes boring into you, which was confirmed as you shifted your gaze from the cup to the men around you. “Is something wrong?” All of them shook their heads, but you couldn’t help the skeptical expression that graced your features. You pulled your towel tighter around yourself before reaching forward for one of the sandwiches and taking a small bite. The rest of them followed in what felt like a silent game of simon says. “Why are you guys being weird all of the sudden?”

“We're not!” A chorus of whines broke out making you burst into laughter. You missed the way the fairies' faces softened at the sound of your infectious giggles. 

“She’s so cute, I can’t take it.” Soobin whispered, to which the rest hummed. You tried to pretend not to hear the compliment, thankful that the cave was dim enough to hide your blush.

After all of you had eaten and your food settled, the six of you went back out into the lake. True to his word Soobin showed you more of what he could do, and you were thrilled. You never thought you would have a chance to boogie board on a giant leaf, but you were given that chance today. Your loud squeals rivaled Hueningkai’s own as Soobin created a giant wave that soaked both of you. You squealed even louder as Yeonjun used a vine to drag you through the water, giggling almost maniacally as you crashed into his chest. “Oh my god, do that again!” Yeonjun only chuckled before obliging you and dragging you through the water. This time you were halted near the cave, before you could recover you were swept up by a wave which caught you off guard, but made you yell in delight at the rushing feeling. 

After a few hours of playing in the water all of you returned to the cave to dry off. Hueningkai started a fire with some wood and heat from the last remaining sunlight of the day which helped your shaking frame. The sun was beginning to set and you now understood why they called it Starlight Lake. The water was glittering even in the darkness of the cave and the small specks of light looked like stars swirling around in a galaxy. “They’re bioluminescent organisms, they’re safe to swim with, but I can tell you’re all watered out today.” Beomgyu explained handing you some tea that Taehyun had just brewed. You nodded, giving him a quick thanks before blowing over the rim and taking a sip. 

After finishing your tea the fairies gave you space to change into your pajamas and set up a small area for you near the fire to keep you warm. They had a feeling you wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping next to them, much to their dismay, so they made sure to have an alternative for you. After settling in next to the warm fire you watched as Hueningkai began making small shapes and stars with the light from the fire. It was so calming that you fell asleep only a few moments later.

<- Previous Masterlist Next ->

Taglist: @ditzydaisyy, @goldenchunkycat

#txt #txt smut #tomorrow x together #huening kai smut #soobin smut #choi beomgyu smut #beomgyu smut #beomgyu #yeonjun #yeonjun smut #huening kai #taehyun #taehyun smut #kang taehyun #kang taehyun smut #yeonbin #taekai #yeongyu #sookai #txt taejun #taebin #taegyu #soogyu #yeonkai #taywork #unicorp #temptation-unicorp

[fandom-monium]

BFB AU - Hunter

BFB AU | BFB!Willow

Yall seem to enjoy my BFB AU and so do i!! so heres more headcanons mainly on BFB!Hunter:

Hunter can't stand baggy or oversized pants. hes a pretty tall and skinny boi so they just swallow his figure. although it's not something he realizes until his 1st year high school when Luz called him a lump of coal as he came out of his room dressed in black cargo pants. Camila Noceda scolded Luz while trying to stop Hunter from burning the article of clothing. They settled on donating it.

Contrary to pants, he LOVES oversized sweatshirts, jackets, and sweaters. They just appeal to him in some way. He can't explain it; maybe it has something to do with his obsession with capes when he was younger??

(he still loves capes. It's one of his best kept secrets)

Do not get his varsity jackets dirty. Once Luz spilled juice on the (leather) sleeve during breakfast in a rush to get to school. The next day her hair was a horrendous shade of green. She took the L.

Yellow was not his favorite color. Not at first. Before Camila adopted him, he didn't really have one, the orphanage bleak and monotone, walls of off-white, eggshell, and cream making up his early childhood.

When Camila meets Hunter, one of the first things she notices is his tattered, worn boots, too big for a toddler to be waddling around in, so the first gift she gives him as soon as she takes him home?? A pair of yellow sneakers. They're chunky, low-cut and school bus-yellow, but the second Camila helps Hunter out of the boots and into the sneakers, yellow becomes his favorite color. (And Camila his favorite person.)

He wore the shoes until he grew out of them. Now, they sit in an old shoe box in his closet.

Since then yellows become his color (aside from black ofc). His outerwear, his shoes, his accessories. He's even got gold studs, another gift from Camila after he pierced his ear (he can only wear one but she didn't think he'd chicken out half way)

A part of him regrets piercing his ear. Initially he did it to better fit in with the other kids. That's not to say he had no friends. He does, but he knows he's not the easiest to get along with, knows he's a little different than his classmates, so in his 2nd year of middle school he decides to get piercings, a trend that recently blew up. Something he can have in common with the rest of his class. But the singular black stud did little to help his situation, adding on to his bad (but sad) boy image.

He doesn't consider getting helix piercings until meeting Ed and Em, who adamantly insist he'd look "hotter" if he got more. and when he overhears a certain someone shyly admit his piercing makes him look "cute", he storms over to the Blight household, busts into Ed and Ems room, and (politely) demands they help him get more piercings.

Hunter doesn't use slang a lot. Has something to do with the militant upbringing when he was in the orphanage.

He loathes Boscha. He doesn't care if she herself has stuff to work through it's no excuse to take it out on someone as chill and sweet as (his girl) Willow.

A while after the Noceda siblings first transferred the Hexside Academy, after he finally meets Willow, the first time he witnessed Boscha picking on her it, he'd slipped himself between the two, making an excuse to pull Willow away. It was a small incident, or at least that's how Willow addressed it when he brought it up to her. Like it was normal. And it was. More than once Luz had to stop Boscha from taking things too far. He was distraught to learn this has been going on since they were little. That Willow’s learned to take this abuse. She doesn’t deserve this. No one does.

And though they dont always agree on everything, Luz and him agree on one thing: Boscha needs to be stopped.

Bonus:

#huntlow #winter #hunter toh #hunter the owl house #the owl house hunter #toh hunter #hunter the golden guard #the owl house willow park #willow park the owl house #willow park toh #toh willow park #willow park #the owl house #toh #Hunter x willow park #other hc: gus would totally wear the entire uniform to look more mature. he doesnt. #also ed and em have a crush on the same person #:D #supposedly disney canceled toh S3 so fuck you disney #toh and literally winter inspired me to start drawing again after years #so if this show is canceled disney sucks even bigger moose dong #also has anyone seen the beta designs of Hunter??? #if so pls send them to me #i need them for reasons :D #ALPHA LOCK ON LOCK #ive seen so much fanart of hunter in varsity/track/bomber jackets and im here for it #but also the nerd he is hes the last to wear one of those im sorry its true 😔

[archiveikemen]

Minamoto no Yoshitsune Main Story: Chapter 5

Premium Avatar Challenge

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

Yoshitsune and I were walking around town to search for the younger brother of the little boy we met by chance.

Yoshitsune: He’s… not here. Let's try searching for him over there next.

Yuno: You’re right.

(I hope we find him soon…)

Boy: … Oh!

Yoshitsune: What’s the matter?

The boy suddenly shouted and stopped walking.

Boy: Such pretty pinwheels…

Yuno: You’re right, they come in so many colours!

Boy: It’s my first time seeing something like this! Festivals are amazing!

Yoshitsune: Do you want one?

Boy: … Nope, it’s fine. I did something bad to my younger brother.

Despite saying that, the boy’s eyes were fixed on the pinwheels.

Yoshitsune: Wait here.

(Huh?)

Yoshitsune bought two pinwheels and offered them to the boy.

Yoshitsune: Give one to your younger brother when you see him. You’ll get a chance to reconcile with him.

Boy: … Thank you!

(... Yoshitsune is kind to young children.)

Their heartwarming exchange naturally brought a smile to my face.

Yuno: Wonderful! I’m sure this will make your younger brother very happy.

Boy: Yeah!

The boy carefully tucked the pinwheels into his sash.

…

Yoshitsune: He doesn't seem to be here either. Let’s go a little further.

We continued walking while looking out for the missing child…

Boy: … Oh! I think I hear my younger brother’s voice coming from over there!

The boy suddenly let go of our hands and bolted across the street.

Yuno: Wait, don’t go running off all of a sudden…

The moment I took a step forward—

(Whoa!)

I nearly got swept away by the sea of people.

I tried to keep my balance, but failed and my body swayed…

Yoshitsune: Yuno

(Oof…)

Yoshitsune grabbed my arm and stabilised my body.

Yoshitsune: Are you alright?

Yuno: Y-Yes. I’m so sorry!

Right after I replied, I almost collided with two men who were rushing in another direction.

Yoshitsune: Come here.

Yoshitsune quickly pulled me back and protected me with his strong arms.

(S-So near…)

Yoshitsune: It’s dangerous.

I looked away from him to avoid making it awkward.

Yuno: T-Thank you very much…

Yoshitsune: Don't mention it. Are you able to continue?

Yuno: Yes! I’m alright.

Yoshitsune: Then let’s go after that boy.

(Ah…)

Before I could react to the warmth of his grip leaving my arm, Yoshitsune held my hand.

His hand was larger than mine, and my heart was racing.

Yuno: … Why?

Yoshitsune: So we don’t get separated.

Yoshitsune: — Is there a problem?

He gave me a questioning look, and my skin got even hotter.

Yuno: It’s not that, it’s just…

(It’s because Yoshitsune is the enemy general.)

It felt as if we were sucked into a different space, the festival music sounded distant.

Yuno: … Let’s go.

Yoshitsune: Yeah.

While holding hands, the two of us made our way through the crowd again…

…

(Oh! Found him!)

Boy: It’s okay now!

Younger Brother: hicc... I’m sorry, Onii-chan.

We spotted the two boys a little further down.

The boy was hugging another boy wearing an indigo kimono.

(He’s the younger brother!)

Boy: Onii-chan is sorry too, I shouldn't have gotten that upset with you…

Boy: I’m so glad you’re safe…

Yoshitsune: Looks like they're reunited.

Yuno: Yes…!

He let go of my hand, and I felt a little lonely.

The boy smiled widely and turned to us.

Boy: Onii-chan and Onee-chan. Thank you for looking for my younger brother together with me!

Boy: I’ll get along well with him more and more from now on!

Yoshitsune: You’re welcome.

A smile appeared on Yoshitsune's lips, one so faint that I wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't paying close attention to him.

Yuno: Have a safe trip home! Will you really be alright without us sending you home?

Boy: It’s okay! We live nearby.

The two boys each held a pinwheel in their hand, they bowed at us with bright smiles on their faces.

After watching them walk off into the distance while closely huddled together, I spoke to Yoshitsune,

Yuno: It’s great they could reconcile.

Yoshitsune: … Right.

(Yoshitsune…?)

Yoshitsune: …

The image of the boys’ little backs reflected in his amethyst eyes.

(I wonder how those boys appear in Yoshitsune’s eyes…?)

(I thought I caught a glimpse of what’s in his heart, but as expected, I still don't understand.)

Even though we were standing so close to each other that our shoulders were almost touching, Yoshitsune felt so far away.

Yuno: … It’s about time I go back.

Yoshitsune: Me too.

…

We walked back together, and we eventually reached the street just on the opposite side of the castle.

Yoshitsune’s silhouette was walking slowly next to me, and he suddenly stopped in the middle of the bridge.

Yuno: Lord Yoshitsune?

I turned around to look at Yoshitsune, who was slightly behind me.

Yoshitsune: For obvious reasons, I shouldn't get too close to the castle.

Yoshitsune: This is where we say goodbye, Yuno.

(By any chance…)

Yuno: Did you want to escort me until I was nearby the castle?

Yoshitsune: — I wanted to have a look around Kamakura along the way.

Yoshitsune wore a faint smile with his eyes downcast.

(We could've said goodbye back there…)

Anyone who lived in Kamakura would likely know who Yoshitsune was.

Without saying a word, he walked me this far, even though it’s risky for him to be in the vicinity of the castle.

Yuno: … Thank you.

(I can’t believe someone so kind is Yoritomo’s enemy.)

There might be more reasons for that than I could imagine.

With all the courage I could muster, I spoke,

Yuno: Um… Lord Yoshitsune, what do you think about Lord Yoritomo?

Yoshitsune: …

A gust of wind passed between us.

Yoshitsune: I hate that man.

Yuno: *gulp*...

The look in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat.

His eyes contained an emotion that was neither rage nor sorrow.

I shut my mouth, not wanting to overstep his boundaries any more.

(But… it doesn't seem to be hatred.)

– Flashback Start –

Yoshitsune: No younger brother will ever hate his older brother this easily.

(He seemed to have “someone” in his mind when he said that, and that person must be…)

(... No, it can’t be.)

Yoritomo: We’re considered brothers, but we’re actually only half brothers. We were raised in different places, eating different things.

Yuno: Really? When did the two of you meet each other for the first time…?

Yoritomo: When I started a war against the Taira Clan.

Yoritomo: Yoshitsune joined the war with a small number of troops.

Yoritomo: For the sake of a brother whom he had never met.

Yuno: Then… why did Lord Yoshitsune choose to join you?

Yoritomo: — I don’t know.

Yoritomo: Well, he undoubtedly made the battle much easier.

– Flashback End –

(I’m not completely sure, but… I have a feeling that Yoritomo doesn't genuinely hate Yoshitsune.)

(And if that’s the case…)

Yuno: Is killing each other the only way?

Yoshitsune: That path has been decided since a long time ago.

Yuno: B-But—

Yoshitsune: Why?

Yoshitsune interrupted me.

Yoshitsune: Why does it matter so much to you? You were only involuntarily dragged into this, none of it is your responsibility.

Yoshitsune: Whether Yoritomo and I hate each other, or kill each other… it’s none of your concern.

Yuno: But even so…

(I… I wanted to know more about you.)

Emotions welled up within me, my chest felt hot.

Yoshitsune: Yuno.

Yuno: ah…

He reached out his hand and touched my cheek—.

Yoshitsune: … I’m sorry.

He tightly squeezed my hand and turned his back towards me.

(Yoshitsune…)

Yoshitsune’s back became smaller and smaller as he walked away into the distance.

All I could do was stand there and watch him leave.

#ikemen genjiden #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #otome #cybird otome #ikegen main story #yoshitsune main story #minamoto no yoshitsune

[alons-ycreeper]

Not me literally writing an entire one-shot when I have chapter 2 of my other fic to finish

"A-Anakin, my dear boy, you wouldn't hurt your old frien–" Sidious claws at his throat desperately. "Anakin," Vos says. He's crouched down near the entrance, cradling Commander Fox in his arms like the clone is the most precious thing in the universe. Interesting. Vos tries again to get the younger man's attention, but to no avail. Unfortunately for them both Anakin isn't here right now. There is only Skywalker. "You and your Sith master attempted to devaste the balance of this world," Skywalker's voice echoes itself throughout the room. "Yet you planned to groom the child I gave her into your perfect puppet. And you would have succeeded were it not for the clone. Your over confidence became your own demise, Sidious." Skywalker ignites his saber, the blade burning hotter and brighter than it ever has before. The Chancellor stares at it in unadulterated fear as he comes colliding with it–but he simply stares down the end of it. Anakin squeezes his eyes shut concentrating, trying to gain control of himself again, reasoning with the power inside that this is not the way. His lightsaber flickering, dimming until it has returned to its original baby blue. His struggle takes enough out of him that Anakin falls to his knees effectively dropping Sidious as well. The old man gasps for air scrambling back for his desk, tipping over the statue there and revealing twins sabers of his own. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." Quinlan watches as Sidious charges at Anakin, unarmed and clearly recovering. But his worry is for naught as the younger Jedi suspends the Sith once again. This time there is no Force-choke just simple floating in middle air. Then faster than a blaster bolt Anakin is standing in front of Sidious, index finger pressed to his forehead as they both glow. There's ringing that grows louder and sharp, the air around them feels tight and heavy until suddenly it stops. They drop to the floor once more and there is silence. Gingerly scooping up Fox's unconscious body Quinlan walks over nudging the other with his foot to see if he was okay. Anakin looks up at him tired, but still gives Vos a sly smirk when he notices Fox. Quinlan rolls his eyes. It's good to see the younger still had enough energy to tease an old friend. "What did you do to me?" "Oh, kriff." Vos jumps at the sight of the decrepit Sith. What once was the very face of the Republic now resembles a melted corpse, crumbled and disfigured. It's nearly pathetic enough to make him feel sorry for the old man. Nearly. "I reclaimed the Force," Anakin rises to his feet, looking down at his former mentor's now deformed face. "Your ties to it are severed permanently. Serves you right for coming after my Rex." He reaches down collecting the Sith's sabers. The kyber crystals will be taken back to Illum where they can heal. Maybe one day they will sing to young initiate ready to build their sabers. Footsteps can be heard down the hall along with the voices of Council members and Corrie clones. Namely Windu who is more than likely leading the charge here. Quinlan smiles at Anakin.

"You want to explain or should I?" Anakin sighs. .... After Sidious' arrest Windu had to drag a half passed out Anakin back to the Temple where the Force made him enter a healing coma for a full tenday. But it wasn't all bad, he got to wake up to Rex's face at least. Now here he sits five months later, taking in the weeping willow tree in the Temple courtyard savoring its beauty. Anakin will be gone for the next five years serving his time for the crimes he committed against the Tusken people. Rex won't be accompanying him, for obvious reasons. His captain will also be too busy with everything here and on Kamino, not to mention he'll have his hands full with continuing to raise Ahsoka to knighthood. He knows Plo fought long with the Council to give Rex custody of Ahsoka at Wolffe's request.

(Though there is rumor that Windu helped. Anakin suspects the reason behind it is Ponds. Mace has never truly forgiven himself for Ponds. This might have been a way of atoning for that failure. Rex was always Ponds' favorite little brother.)

"Hey." Anakin turns to see the object of his undying affection smile at him. "Room for one more?"

"Of course."

He pats the stone beside him. Rex settles down, pulling Anakin's Jedi cloak tighter around himself when the wind blows a little harder. His blond curls have grown a bit and tickled Anakin's cheek when Rex's rest his head on the other's shoulder. Anakin takes Rex's hand in his, studying the way they fit together. Five years isn't a long time, but without Rex by his side it'll feel like an eternity. So he'll hold on to this moment. Cherish it in the long years ahead until his return where he knows he'll be welcomed home.

#rexwalker #i was rewatching atla and couldn't get half-force anakin out of my head #quinfox

[dolly-on-the-dotted-line]

Laredo, Summer, Age 24: High School Reunion

'Is there going to be a reunion at this reunion?'

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Smut, Public Sex, Dirty Talk, Javier Peña being a Cocky, Beautiful, Bastard.

A/N: Finally getting back to the main chapters 🥳 Even if this one was an unexpected addition. Enjoying how many times Bug reiterates YES I AM AN ADULT NOW. We've all been there. We're all secretly 6-year-olds in a big trench coat.

Laredo, Summer, Age 24: High School Reunion

Standing at the entrance to your former high school, you redact every positive thing you’ve said about Laredo in the past two years. 

Since getting away, the distance between you and your hometown had allowed for a surprising amount of positive reflection on the place you grew up. You’d had a bad time, you reviewed empathetically; it was understandable that you’d felt the way you did, for as long as you did. Add puberty, parental abandonment, and teenage heartbreak to the mix, and it’s almost a fully evidenced argument for flying the nest and not looking back. All it had taken was some breathing space and a bit of room to develop into your own person to be able to look back fondly and realise this place really isn’t so bad. You’d been dramatic, overwhelmed, and too quick to judge. That was childhood: one big adolescent misunderstanding. You were an adult now, after all. 

But as you loiter in the parking lot finishing the cheeky cigarette that you knew you were going to need in order to get through this evening, you realise, to her credit, that your nineteen-year-old self had got it right. 

Leaving had been a good idea. This place was the worst.

High school reunions were always something you had relegated to the realms of TV dramas and old people- genuinely old people like your Pa and his graduating class of god knows what forgotten era, that would actually appreciate the chance to catch up and find out who was still about and kicking. Plus, for your generation, you knew the reunions that really mattered were those that happened in another fifteen or twenty years when people had kids and houses and divorce settlements. That’s when your cynical side could really come out to play; the opportune moment to take quiet revenge on all the people that had mattered so much when you were sixteen, but had since slipped into the quiet obscurity of the glue trap, unable to make it any further than city limits. Receding hairlines and pot bellies: that would be your curtain call. 

You resolve to be hot and rich by the next time you stand in that school gym. Hotter than the majority, at least. 

In spite of your successful escape, you struggle to remember exactly how you’d ended up back here again. It was summer break, yes, the start and end of all the best and worst decisions you’d made in your short lifetime. But why you were here specifically, the parking lot of the proverbial hellhole that had held you captive for the best part of five years, you were still struggling with. 

Mel and Petra are the real answer, you know, but even then you’re questioning your better judgement in spite of your closest friends' persistent arm-twisting. Had you really gone so soft that you were here just because they asked? 

You’re well aware you sound like a cynical bastard as you play through your depressing monologue in your head, but you can’t deny that your younger, perhaps more obstinate, self would be distinctly unimpressed to find out that you’d made a break for it, only to find yourself back here by choice at the big age of twenty-four. 

“It will be fun!” they’d implored in unison as they dried the dishes you were washing up, passing them down the production line lovingly to Chucho, who put them back in the cabinet. He was a sucker for your girlfriends, loved to make a fuss and cook for them and feel his heart soar when they insisted they wash up since he had made dinner. 

“It will be fun, niña,” he had echoed, trying not to laugh at the absolutely mortal look you’d sent his way when he adamantly took their side. 

“Don't you start,” you chided at him, silently loving the way the three of them had continued to work together over the years to force your best interests. “Has anyone ever had a good time at a high school reunion?” 

“Us!” implored Petra, gathering you into her arms to give you an overzealous squeeze, accidentally slapping you with the damp dish towel in the process. “We will! We’ll make it fun, I promise.” 

“Plus, you know Javi will be there. Which means he’ll want you there,” chimed in Mel with an evasive look on her face. 

You could hardly call the sentiment a low blow when it had been your calling card for mandatory attendance at almost any event since you were six years old. ‘Javi will be there’ had forced you to weddings, funerals, Sunday services, anniversary celebrations, and any number of other indiscriminately dreadful occasions that otherwise would have had you running for the hills. The bait of having your best friend in tow to get through whatever social occasion was calling for you was used flagrantly and in excess. And the worst part is, it worked every damn time. 

He was the rest of you, and everyone knew it. Javi, the one thing that always turned your head, especially as of late. 

You’d had a blissful year of it at twenty-three. After Fairfax, everything really had fallen into place. Once the parameters were set, there had been nothing holding either of you back. In the wake of the promise to avoid the tawdry specifications of commitment, the two of you had accidentally found yourselves permanently involved for the best part of a year, and then some. ‘Together until you said otherwise’ had been the unspoken rule as you left his dorm room, and the two of you had picked up the ball and ran with it. 

In spite of the absence of a verbal commitment to fidelity, you were both entirely aware of what had happened between the two of you; the slip, the gentle transition into something that could easily have been labelled if it had ever seen the light of day or the public eye. Despite the fact you’d never admitted it, you had been together, in some strange, unconventional way. Whatever ‘together’ really meant. 

It would be difficult to deny that this year had been a shock by comparison. 

As soon as Javi had graduated, things got a little more complex. Since the BNDD had been reincorporated in ‘73, DEA had always been his goal. Funding was way up, recruitment was heavily incentivised, and once he had found his route to the direct training programme, he well and truly had his sights set. 

A year of making it work and the blissful summer that followed had bled into an unusually tearful goodbye in the new year and six degrees of separation ever since. You went back to college for your post-grad, and Javi moved on-site to Quantico the first week in January. Heaven knows the man’s a trier.

It had been around six months since you’d been in the same place, perhaps the longest you’d ever gone without seeing his face. While the physical distance between you hadn’t changed since you started college, the separation had become more meaningful. It was hard. Harder than before. There was even more of him to miss in the intermediary. 

Your usual summer reprieve had been well and truly eliminated by his new work schedule, too. No six-week break, no unadulterated stretch of time together like last year and every year before it. No opportunity to play pretend over the long, hot, summer. The way you’d flitted in and out of one another’s lives throughout college had been more ideal than you’d let on, and the loss of it seemed to stir a strange premonition in your mind. You always knew it was going to be hard if you gave into it like this, even at twenty-one you had known that. But what you hadn’t foreseen then was the romantic chaos that followed, the reality of just how much you enjoyed sharing his life as well as his bed. 

‘You were an adult now, after all,’ you repeat in your mind. And with adulthood came a whole new plethora of adult problems. You tried not to dwell on it too much. Kicking the can had worked just fine for you so far. 

Despite his busy lifestyle, Chucho was adamant the prodigal son would be making an appearance for the event, even if he apparently hadn’t taken the time to RSVP Lorraine’s multiple committee invitations. And you’re sure your father is right - Javier Peña was never one to miss a get-together, especially not one that involved all of his ex-girlfriends being in the same place at the same time. It would be his sadistic idea of heaven; getting to be sweet as anything to all those girls, now that the amnesty of time had softened the blow of their residual heartbreaks. New and exciting, fresh off the press of his first year in training, he’d be a walking babe-magnet, leaving every twenty-something-year-old within a mile radius of his orbit yearning for a glance. 

So here you are, a week on from your kitchen inquisition, ready and waiting, as always, for the golden boy. 

And there he is, you drawl to yourself, as you watch him stride across the parking lot, Mel and Petra in tow, not a minute later. He must have offered them a lift in your absence, reluctantly accepting your explanation of coming straight to the event after seeing a friend. In reality, you’d just needed some space before this whole thing kicked off. The $10 in cab fare was worth the opportunity to stick your head out of the window for a few moments and take some deep breaths before putting your big girl pants on. 

You stub the cigarette under your sandal, quelling the small voice at the back of your mind that begs you to let it simmer and burn the whole place to the ground. 

This will be good for you, you resolve, throwing your head back and strutting towards the gym. You haven’t worked on yourself for all these years not to show it off to anyone that will pay attention. And they will pay attention. It worked just fine in Ann Arbour, so why not here?

Those bastards wouldn’t know what had hit them. 

Inside, everything is the same: the tiles, the walls, the smells. And just through those double doors, the people, too. 

You often wonder why stagnation has made you so uncomfortable your entire life. It’s not as if you longed for chaos, if anything having had far too much of it in your life to date. But the idea of staying stationary for too long had always made you feel uneasy. There were select home comforts that you held very close to your chest, but everything else in between just seemed to make you feel like you had a target on your back that said ‘things going too well: aim here’. While it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference day to day (you were clearly capable of forming long-term attachments, even proving your ability to commit to things that didn’t even make sense) you generally wrote it off as a utilitarian ability to not expect too much of a good thing. Or any thing for that matter. Another heartfelt gift from your parents.

Plus, the way you feel walking down the familiar hallways reminds you that that survival instinct might not necessarily be a bad one. It’s good to want to move forward, to want to leave behind the places that hurt you, and to recognise a threat when you see one, especially when it's wrapped up in sage green linoleum. 

Pausing at the doors to the gym, you offer yourself a final get-out-of-jail-free card. Namely: the fact you actually are an adult now, or so you keep saying, and can come and go as you damn well please. Just because you had to do what you were told the last time you were here, doesn’t mean the rules still apply. 

But at the very least, Javi is in there. Your Javi. The one thing that, ironically, in spite of innumerable material changes, stayed exactly the same in some indescribable way. And you wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see him for anything. Wild horses couldn't keep you away.

Mind made up, you hold your breath and open the double doors. 

The girls spot you immediately, giving you a comedic wolf whistle as you make your way across the cavernous space towards them, avoiding all extraneous eye contact as you hurry along. You feel thankful as they gather you up, tucking you into their circle and stoking your confidence with affectionate pats to your backside and gentle fingers pushing your hair from your face. One of them presses a plastic cup filled with god-knows-what firmly into your palm, and you don’t look to say thank you before you quickly take a long sip and wait for the acrid feeling to hit your stomach. God bless Chucho’s leftovers, the ultimate first step to lining your stomach. 

Mel, Petra, and Maya are surrounded by a number of extraneous people that you can just about recall from one class or another, but you admire the absolute sincerity with which you're unable to recognise maybe 60% of the people present. The school was big, but did they even go here? It’s amazing how this place felt like the edge of the universe when you were living in it, and now you couldn’t even tell one person you supposedly sat next to in Chemistry from another you were apparently partners with in gym.

You nod and smile in earnest, laughing at the right moments when the conversation dips and nodding along when someone mentions your name, but you find it surprisingly liberating to essentially feel like a stranger passing through. You recall your earlier observation; time heals all, if not most, wounds. As usual, the idea had been worse than the reality.

You see Javi following the next crowd in a few minutes later, presumably also having snuck off for a quiet smoke at some point before diving in, and clearly having found some friends in the process. Even from afar, you can see he crosses the room in broad strides that exude authority, smiling boldly and waving confidently as people call his name to say hi. This place was his bitch back in the day, and it was written all over his face. He may not have played football or performed exceptionally in his classes, but he was well-liked, and when it came down to being remembered, that was what really mattered. He'd been gone for less than a year and he was already as close as Laredo got to a local celebrity.

Once he’s finished saying his hellos, shaking hands, and kissing cheeks, you watch him turn to face the room. He’s searching you out, scanning the place for you the moment he’s got himself a drink, but can’t make you out through the crowd of women surrounding you. It gives you free leave to stand a stare, just a little. You and everyone else, apparently. 

“Javi looks good, you know,” sighs Maya, clearly spotting him from across the room.

“You shouldn’t say that. You’re engaged!” mumbles Petra, scolding her halfheartedly as he tries to cover her laughter with a cough. Five years later and Maya still said everything that was on her mind. You wished everyone was a bit more like her. “If you’re going to be inappropriate at least be subtle about it.” 

“Well, it’s true!” she quips back, unphased by the reprimand. “Look at him. He’s tasty. And if you disagree, you're lying. Even Bug would agree, and she’s like his sister.”

You baulk at the statement, feeling your eyes pop out of your head just a little.

The outward optics of your relationship with Javi had become a running joke between the two of you since things had kicked off last year, one that he was none too fond of when he spent most of the summer between your legs with his thumbs buried in your skin. It was a cheap jest that only earned you a pinch on the backside and usually another round of proving just how wrong that statement really was, but it made you laugh nonetheless. 

Hearing it from Maya was different though. It made you feel a bit green, but she did have a point; the line probably did look blurry from the outside in. It was a burden of your unconventional situation, and one that often begged a question the two of you went through great lengths to avoid answering: what would people think if they found out? 

Years of sneaking around had left you a practised hand but, as you’d surmised in Fairfax, it’s not like it had ever intentionally been a secret. It had just never crossed your mind to make it collective knowledge, either. Most of the time, it was too fleeting to even warrant putting it in a sentence. At the very least, Maya’s abrupt suggestion reassured the fact that public opinion was, as usual, none the wiser. For a town that loved to gossip, most people really had no idea what was going on behind closed doors. 

Except for Mel. Mel wasn’t like the others. She paid attention to everything, especially your soft spots. And he was your softest spot of all. You pretend not to notice her sideways glance from your left but, as usual, she lets it slide. If she wanted to comment, she would.

“It’s the training,” you add, trying to match the tone of the discussion. “He said it’s been intense. Lots of… heavy lifting.” 

“Well if I wasn’t otherwise involved, he could lift me any time. Every woman in this room is going to be looking at him twice tonight.”

You school the furrow in your brow yet again. Mel smirks.

Finally spying the line of women essentially checking him out from across the room, Javi, at last, catches your eye. He frowns, points, and shrugs huskily at you, a combination of gestures that depict a frustrated ‘Where have you been?’ You can see from the way he paces across the room that If it was acceptable to run to you, he would. 

“Thank god, there you are,” he husks, scooping you under his arm easily with his broad reach and yanking you aggressively to his side. The movement is full of energy that he’s trying to dissipate. If the circumstances were different he’d probably be throwing you over his shoulder right now, but instead, you see the way he’s directing it elsewhere, funnelling it into a more socially acceptable greeting. Instead of lifting you from the ground, he tucks you protectively, against him, something resembling a human shield, and presses a soft kiss to your temple. 

“Here I am,” you reply somewhat breathlessly, enjoying his immediate proximity for the first time in a long time. “Long time no see, Peña.”

“Peña? Am I in trouble?” He winks at you, his mood light and jovial, but the way he’s staring at you, into you, is mesmerising. You wish, crudely, that you were alone. 

“I’m not sure yet.” 

“Do I need to get another drink?”

“From the looks of things, you’re going to need one. I think it’s going to be a long evening.” 

“You’re telling me. Talk about leaving me to the dogs, I thought you’d bailed. I actually like most of the people here, but there are only so many times you can say you like the decorations. I had to go outside for a rest. Thankfully all the fun people still hang out by the back door.” 

“I guess some things never change.” 

“Ladies,” he nods at your friends, eventually acknowledging their presence after he’s given you a good look over to check that you’re generally still in one piece. 

His smile is sickly sweet as he waves them hello. You resist the urge to pinch his backside from your concealed position at his side, but can’t hide the face of mock disgust as they all chime ‘Hi Javi’, their voices bordering an octave higher than normal. If they kept it up, you weren’t going to be able to hold your tongue all night. Meanwhile, Javi was beaming like a slick git. 

Dipping in and out of the chatter with the others, the two of you string together a parallel conversation in hushed whispers and lowered tones. 

“You look good,” he husks, pressing another small kiss to your head.

“So do you.”

“Missed your face. And your ass. Is there going to be a reunion at this reunion?” 

You scoff at his blunt appraisal but revel in the openness of his intention. You’re glad six months hasn’t put him off, offered him up something else, something better. 

“You tell me. I’ve always followed your lead.”

He turns to you more obviously now, blocking the others from your conversation entirely. He couldn’t care less for the optics. “I hardly think that’s true, sweetheart.” 

“Really? You think I’m in control here?”

“I think neither of us is. At this point, I’m relying on manifest destiny.” 

“Interesting,” you whisper back lowly. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I think I’m making a conscious decision about my sex life.” 

“All I’m saying is there are about a hundred different places I’d love to run you ragged about this place. And if you thought I wouldn’t notice exactly which sundress you’re wearing, you’re sorely mistaken.”

You chuckle at his observation. The dress you’d been wearing that night he took you home after your date, the night that changed everything. 

“‘Sorely’,” you repeat back. “I think I like the idea of that.” 

So what if you’re not alone, it still always feels like you are. 

“So Javi, tell us. How are things?” pipes up Mel, drawing the two of you from the bubble you so often find yourselves in and offering you a line back to the real world. “You’re the talk of the town, as usual.”

He blushes slightly, but in reality, that must be his favourite question right now: ‘How are things at your dream job?’ Hearing him gush outwardly is simultaneously too sweet for words and a tad grating. How many times in one conversation can a man say ‘all in a day's work’? He’s made for the small talk as much as the role itself. But you can’t begrudge him his happiness. This is everything he’s ever wanted. You think.

When the niceties are all used up the conversation drifts. Eyes are caught across the room and the girls dissipate to chat with other people, something you have no desire to take part in. Finally left to your own devices, Javi ushers you over to the bleachers, and you take a seat next to him, as close as the circumstances allow. Thankfully, the two of you sitting side by side is nothing to warrant a second glance. 

“I’ve missed you. So much,” he huffs, the relief to finally speak freely weighing on his words. 

“Me too. It feels like it’s been forever, even for us,” you breach, choosing your words carefully. 

“We were spoiled last year, I think,” he grumbles in agreement. “It almost felt like… I don’t know.”

“Like we were together,” you fill in easily, wanting to say it. Wanting to acknowledge it, because it’s true. Or it was. You’re sure to keep your tone registered, non-committal, but you don’t think it has the desired effect. It’s loaded, and he knows it. The interaction was familiar but the circumstances were not. You hadn’t planned what this part was going to feel like; the first time after the last time. 

He seems stumped, but not offensively, as if he knows this isn’t the time to talk about it. “It was a very good run.” A non-commital reply. 

“Calling it a run implies that it’s over,” you can’t help but add, unable to meet his eye as you say it.

“Let’s not be hasty, I don’t think that’s what we agreed in Michigan.” 

“I have some news, though,” you pipe up, perhaps a tad obvious in your conversational retreat. “I think I’ve found a job I’d like to go for.” 

“Oh? That’s great. What is it?”

“Well, I can’t really say.” 

“What do you mean you can’t say?” he laughs, confused.

“It’s complicated,” you lilt, covering the small smile at the corner of your mouth. “We’ll call it a data protection issue.”

“What does that even mean? Are you going to be an agent or something?”

“Hah,” you breathe, again trying to remedy your tone. “More like PR, client work, that kind of thing. Just don’t get shirty if I start acting vaguely about it all. I think I’m going to go for it.”

“That’s different, for you, no?”

“Yes and no. Have you ever considered that maybe there are some things you don’t know about me?” The question comes out harder than you mean it to, your tone a bit too harsh to be fair. 

“No, actually,” he replies bluntly, and you hear that same restraint in his voice. “I don’t think I like the idea of it.”

“Well, a lot can change when you don’t see a person for six months.” 

And there it was, slipping loose in a single sentence. The way it always did with him, whether you liked it or not, the person you chose to share nearly everything with. He sighs quietly when he finally gets the gist of what he’s dealing with. Not only are you frustrated, but you’re talking about it, however unintentionally. Not a traditional combination for you.

“You know it’s not on purpose, sweetheart,” he begins, testing the water.  

“I know it’s not. I never said that.” 

His brows quirk, trying to hide his amusement. “Are you actually grumpy at me, or at the situation?”

You grouse at how directly he calls your bluff. “I’d like to say both, but it’s not true.”

“Well go on, out with it then. You’re sitting on the fence and you know it.” 

Rearing at the challenge, you let it out.

“I think you’re right, about us being spoilt. I was just enjoying it. It was a nice summer. A nice year, or two. I won’t say that I took it for granted, but I will say I was… pleasantly surprised. Maybe I had just assumed it would keep working. More than anything I’m just annoyed at myself for expecting anything different. I thought I knew better, but then I see you and…” You look across at him apologetically. “Nothing is simple when I actually see you. All my plans…” 

You hear him hum in some sort of reluctant approval when you can’t find the words, and when he doesn’t know how to respond either you decide to fill the gap with the question that’s been on your mind for months now. 

“Are we still on the same page? I just need to know. I worry sometimes that I’m a few chapters ahead, or that you’ve backpedalled. If there’s someone else-,”

“There is no one else,” he interrupts calmly, offering no room for negotiation. “It’s the same page. Just different books. In different places.” 

You feel a non-committal tap to your shoulder and find yourself turning your head before you can answer. 

“Lyle?” you blurt out, incapable of hiding the surprise in your tone. Lo and behold, towering over you is your old lab partner, beer in hand, staring down at you sheepishly. 

He nods at you politely, smiles, and offers a hand to Javi at your side. “Javier,” he states, his voice strong but perhaps a little nervous. 

“Lyle,” he mutters back in response, shaking his hand in return, hard. 

“How are you?” he asks, directing the question to your person but it’s Javi that interjects with the forced pleasantries. 

“Great thanks Lyle. And I can see you’re doing just fine. Long time no see.” 

“I was hoping to have a word, if you don’t mind?” he asks, trying again to direct his attention at you and you alone, this time stepping to your side to lean and catch your arm with his palm. 

“Actually, we were just about to head out for a smoke,” Javi cuts in, yet again. You flash your eyes at him widely, unable to hide the smirk that breaks your face. If he didn’t have that shit-eating grin plastered on his face, this interaction would be bordering offensive, but his overly-friendly persona is holding everything together by a comedic thread. 

“Right,” replies Lyle, clearly working hard to hide the obvious rejection. “Well I just wanted to say…” he turns to you entirely, doing whatever he can to cut Javi from the conversation with minimal success. “I wanted to apologise for the last time we saw each other. I think about more than you’d expect. I don’t really know why I acted that way if I’m being totally honest. It’s just what I thought boys were supposed to do, not really give a shit about anything. But I’m really sorry, I was an ass.” 

Both you and Javi gawk from your position on the stadium seating, your eyes wide with sympathetic surprise, Javi's narrowing suspiciously at the scene unfolding before him. The way he’s looming at the edge of the surprisingly heartfelt interaction is bordering comical. 

‘That’s… really kind of you, Lyle. I didn’t expect that from you, or anybody here tonight, actually.” 

“Well, I was young, and stupid. Easy enough to say in retrospect but it’s true. I just wanted you to know... I wouldn’t make that same mistake again.”

You see Javi try his hardest to school his features. He’s holding on to his smirk by a thread. You’re fighting for your life to remain calm and indisposed.

“Thanks, Lyle. I really appreciate it.”

“Not that you seem to need to hear that. You look great, really great. And I think everyone knows it,” he offers jokingly, opening up his stance to gesture to the familiar crowd of boys who are observing the interaction menacingly from the other side of the room. You try not to audibly gag as you watch them, watching you, but you suppose it was the effect you had been hoping for. They definitely had noticed.

“Well, that’s all," he sighs, clearly disappointed by the inopportune moment. "I’ll let you guys go now, you have a good night.”

“No seriously, Lyle,” calls Javi as the other man strides away. “Thank you.” Lyle nods back, clearly perplexed, perhaps on the border of understanding. Javi beams back insincerely, lifting his hand to wave, and then turns quickly to exit the room, pulling you in tow.  

“You just love to push your luck, don’t you?” you whisper when you catch him up, falling into step as you make your way toward the exit.

“It was funny. You know it was funny. Do you really think I’m not going to thank the guy? If not for him-,”

You turn quickly to catch him, stopping him cleanly in his path. 

“If not for him then what? Hm?”

He steps into you just as swiftly, filling your space, matching your energy faster than you can describe. 

“If not for him, then I’d never have had the opportunity to show you what a good time is supposed to look like.” 

“Oh 'a good time', is that what that was?”

“Too fucking right it was, fancy another one?” 

You beam up at him, and the way his face cracks into a smile when he stares down into you is enough to make your toes curl.

“You fucking bet I do.” 

He opens the door of the old truck, offering you a hand to let you perch on the rear passenger seat while he braces his arm against the roof to close the space around you. You watch the way he pulls the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, fobs the straight into his mouth, and lights it, all in one swift, practised movement. He couldn’t deny he’d picked up the dirty habit, but you’d struggle to say it didn’t make him look handsome. 

Since he’d first walked into the room you could see that everything about him carried a new air of maturity, control. He’d always held space in a casual sense, commanding the room or arranging the conversation easily, but it was something more than that now. His teenage confidence had transpired into effortless self-possession, and it fit him like a glove. If you were being unkind you’d compare it to when he’d received his hall monitor badge when he was nine, revelling in the recognition of being somebody important, someone to be listened to, however menial it may have been. But really, you couldn’t be happier for him. 

The root of his need to pursue something he deemed as 'worthwhile' would be lost to you still for a while yet, something he kept so closely guarded even you barely got more than a glimpse of it. You had your secrets, he was allowed his. But the fact that that need, that requirement, to prove himself was being satisfied one way or another was all that really mattered. And it was clearly paying off in other ways. He was thriving. With his leg propped against the doorframe, humming absentmindedly to himself, he was unapologetically himself, just as he always had been. But, for the first time in a long time, you could see he wasn’t questioning it. The self-imposed weight of expectation was lifted ever so slightly by the knowledge that he was exceeding expectations. He’d done exactly what everyone thought he would, and with that came a chance to bask in the glory of public approval.  

You reprimand yourself for coveting it: you couldn't wait to know what that felt like.  

As always, you just hoped that his idea of the ‘right thing’ was grounded somewhere secure; more a matter of proving something to himself than to everyone around him. Lamentably, you already knew that wasn’t true. 

He gives you a long look as he puffs away, regarding you, you know, with as much affectionate scrutiny as you’re giving him. The thought of him being able to take you apart in the same detail as you can him makes you feel both nauseous and overwhelmed with fondness. You wish for the hundredth time in your life that you could read his mind. 

“I knew I’d be here, but I didn’t expect you,” he eventually surmises, as if he’s only now thinking about it. “I thought you’d be well over this kind of stuff.”

“I am. There was a bit of arm twisting involved,” you laugh, thinking of the girls standing in the gym behind you. “If I’m being totally honest, I was banking on the fact you would be here. I’m running out of ways to coincidentally run into you on the basis of things like ‘sharing a home address’ or ‘religious holidays’. You’re an increasingly hard man to reach.” 

“I know,” he replies simply, “I’m sorry. I should have started with that when you brought it up. I knew it was going to be busy but I didn’t expect… It’s been longer than I wanted. If it's any consolation I’m not happy about it either. But I think it’s going to stay like this, at least for a while. But never say never.”

You absorb his upfront sincerity and swallow the urge to reply with something acidic and sarcastic. “I think you’re probably right. I don’t love it, but it is what it is. It’s just… difficult, after having it so good for so long. But I think you’d be more worried if I was loving your perpetual absence.”

He nods thoughtfully, absorbs your stance, chuckles at your inevitable quip. “Is it still hard? Being here?” he presses on. 

“Yes and no. For a while there I wasn’t really that affected. My parents are long gone. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. If anything, I’ve enjoyed the times that I have come home because I’m choosing to do it. But, yes, actual high school might be pushing the limit just a bit.” You’re amazed at how easily the words leave your own mouth. Only for him. “And you’re loving this, I assume?” you return. 

He tries to hide the quiet smirk that's drawn from being exposed so directly, but fails quickly. In the late afternoon light you notice the shadow of his stubble has become a permanent feature. It only adds to this new idea of him. 

“Yeah, a bit. I love it here, full stop. But since I’ve been gone I can’t shake the feeling that I’m taking a step away from the person I was here. There’s nothing worse than realising you peaked in high school.” 

“Javi,” you scoff, “you’re the last person I’d pin as having peaked in high school. Have you seen yourself? No one in that room can take their eyes off you. You’re fucking golden balls, just like always.”

“Coming from you,” he returns earnestly. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“What do you mean?” you mumble, flustering a bit as he takes a step closer to you, invading your space even further in the open door.  

“You’re beautiful, Bug. In spite of this place, you come in here and breeze through those doors like you own the place. And you’re not even trying. There’s nothing wrong with coming back here just to blow the doors off the place.” 

“I like the person you are now,” you offer in response to his earlier remark, lost for words at his overwhelming accolades.

“I like the person you are now, too. A lot.” 

“And if it’s any consolation, there’s one thing that will clearly never change. I’m pretty sure you’ve had those jeans since senior year.”

“Different jeans, same cut. Not my fault I got it right the first time. I've never heard you complain before.”

“I never said I was complaining,” you hum back warmly, smiling smugly as he closes the gap between you even further.  

Taking the final step, he leans down, ducking his head under the doorway of the cab to kiss you firmly. You’re living your life strung together by a golden thread of those kisses. You’d give anything for those kisses. 

“I’d like to see the look on Lyle’s face if he came out here right now,” he huffs teasingly. You feel the words against your skin as he pulls his mouth away just for a second to eek them out, unable to resist the opportunity. 

But you’re just as petty. 

“Kid sister?”

He sputters at your words as if he can taste them, pulling away quickly and frowning down at you thoughtfully in spite of your devilish grin. “You know I hate it,” he grovels, spanking your hip sharply with his fingertips before returning his face to your neck, brushing his stubble up and down the tender skin there. 

“I know. Maya brought it up. It just makes me laugh just how little idea people have of it.”

“Of what?”

“Of the fact we’ve been having incredible sex, at least semi-frequently, since we were twenty-something.” 

You swear he presses against you automatically at the open mention of your sex life. Acknowldgeing it out loud has always been a point of excitement for you both, driven by the lack of opporunuity to talk about it in any conventional sense. It was a flirtation with chance to speak about it frivolously. 

“I’ve been significantly missing that ‘incredible sex’ since I’ve been on base, you know.”

“How ever have you been coping?” you drawl back, batting your lashes at him. 

“Hand over fist. But it’s not the same without you whimpering in my ear,” he husks, pressing his cheek to yours to stream his words directly into you ear so that you can feel the full weight of them.

“I do not whimper.”

“Yes, you do, and it’s just about the best thing I’ve heard in my entire life. I love the way I get to see you turn to jelly, it’s kept me up at night for years.” 

Pressing his lips to yours again, he takes advantage of your position below him and pushes you playfully onto the backseat until you come flush with the worn leather. Without thought, you pull him with you, and he follows you down willingly, unhurried, adjusting himself gently to spread his board frame over the length of you. You love the size of him against you, the way he can pull you against him so easily with just the palm of his hand against the small of your waist. 

If you’d known this was how the evening was going to go, you wouldn’t have hesitated. What would the people say, you jibe in your own head. Getting caught making out in Javier Peña’s car, with Javier Peña. Now that would give them something to talk about. 

As if mirroring your thoughts, he ruts your body against him harder and brings his teeth down to catch your lower lip between his own. The biting. You had forgotten about the biting. 

“God I am unbelievably turned on right now, this is definitely some kind of reticent fantasy.” 

You moan against him, resisting the urge to egg him on any further. You didn’t want to give them too much to talk about. The sun hadn’t even set yet.

“We can’t fuck in the school parking lot.”

“Why not? I haven’t been caught before.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re implying there,” you scoff in partially genuine disgust. Let’s just go somewhere,” you implore, getting surprisingly impatient as you tug and pull at his large frame, encouraging him to cover you entirely, pin you down, hide you away.  

“What? Home? At 9pm? Where Dad is?”

“Ngh,” you moan, stifling the truly libido-killing suggestion. You weren’t going back to shagging with your face in a pillow. Not when you’d had him exactly how you wanted him. Shoving him off you reluctantly, you push off the bench seat and move to the front passenger side. 

“Just get in and drive, I know a place.” 

Your recollection of the shrouded dirt path is surprisingly accurate as you direct Javi down a secluded turning off one of the old back roads. Considering you’d never made the journey in daylight, you admire how easily you can recall its location, recognising the abandoned call box and the wonky sign reading ‘private: keep out', still redundant as ever.

“How do you even know about this place?” queries Javi as he parks the truck off the track and looks at you suspiciously. 

“That’s for me to know,” you reply cooly, pretending not to look at him.  

“Tut tut.” 

Instead of rising to his teasing, you reach across the space for the buckle of his belt and tug unceremoniously. If you really were back here, sneaking away down a serupticious back road, you were throwing caution to the wind with absolute enthusiasm. 

“No more questions. Stop talking and help me get your cock out, Peña,” you huff as you crash your lips into his, this time with none of the censored reservations from the parking lot. You see his arousal flare immediately, unable to do anything but gape at your forward movements. When you continue to fumble hastily, he finally reads how intent you are on undressing him, and begins to help you with the zipper. 

“Undo your shirt,” you breathe as you pull the length of him unabashedly from the tight confines of the taut denim, “I want to see you.” 

“Jesus-,” he huffs, both at your words and your hands, unable to hide the shudder of his breath when you wrap your fingers around him. He follows suit and begins to undo the buttons, revealing his broad chest inch by inch until you’re greeted with the full view of his tight bare stomach and his hard length pressing against it. 

“Please tell me you’ve been this hard since you kissed me,” you moan, your tone glazed, unapologetic in how lovingly you’re staring down to admire the sight of him, tense and wanting in your small grip. 

It never failed you to amaze you, how lewd the sight of him laid out for you like this would always seem. It was the small part of your brain harrowing back to that first night, when everything was new and absurd and above all else, obscene. The part that says, even now, seeing him like this is so wrong it’s right. You’d never get over the fact you got to have him like this, tender and ripe and yours for the taking. He wanted you badly, in whatever form you came.

“I’ve been this hard since I saw you,” he breathes back, bringing his own hand to join yours around him, and fucking his hips up hard into the hold of your combined grip. 

You moan outright at the sight of it. He has one arm braced against the window, the other wrapped around your own as the two of you coax him intently.

Emboldened by the transparency of your mirrored enthusiasm, you bring your head down to join the fray, taking the ripe head of him in your mouth and feeling him continue to fuck up into you, through your hand and his, and against your tongue. He groans headily, and you feel his thighs tense under your palm as you steady yourself against him.

You feel no fear with him like this. His arousal is so clear, so plain in the palm of your hand, that you have nothing to question about yourself or him. You were allied in your emotions, in the way your feelings overwhelmed you both so easily, stolen but not lost in the give and take that you'd learned to find in one another. Having someone want you, crave you so desperately that you can only be lured further into that lurid space where lust takes over and nowt else matters is something you could happily chase for the rest of your life.

You longed to always feel this way; to be so sure of yourself that, no matter which way you stepped, you were going to be met with a firm hand and gentle praise.

“That’s it,” you murmur, never letting your lips leave the smooth swell of him as the two of you work together. “That’s it, you good boy.” 

“Fuck. Fuck- Get in the back, in the back,” he orders, flustered by your authority but unwilling to concede to it. When you try to continue with your movements, ignoring his instructions, he slaps your backside, grabs you by your waist, and pushes you through the gap in the central console. 

You gasp as he manhandles you into the back of the vehicle, surprisingly aroused by how easily he manages to put you off your course and place you somewhere else. You turn to sit on the back seat, flustered by the upheaval, to come to face him as he looks towards you from the driver's side. “But I want to-,” 

“I don’t care, you can take your time with me later. Would you just put your legs up so I can get between them, please?”

You eyeball him deeply, equal parts frustration and arousal. But he knows you love it when he talks. And he knows you can’t say no to him when he does. 

“Don’t make me ask again,” he growls.

Using what little restraint you have left to call his bluff, you spread your legs from your position on the back seat, bringing one knee to your chest and the other so that your foot comes to rest on the headrest in front. You see his lips form a tight line, while yours upend into a smug smile. 

“Bug,” he stutters, hands coming to grip the back of the seat as he swallows hard. “Where’s your underwear?”

“In my purse,” you reply coolly. 

“How long have they been in your purse?”

“Since I saw you in the parking lot. Call it… what did you say? Manifesting.” 

“Call it- fuck-,” he breathes, and throws himself over the centre control to the backseat to join you. Pressing you back down to where he had you earlier, your back flush against the bench seat, he brings his knuckles up between your legs to brush harshly against you, totally exposed and waiting for him.

“God, I love-,” he sighs, unable to finish his sentence when he feels the slick touch of you against him. “There’s no way you can tell me you don’t enjoy these run-ins being in weird places. You’re soaked.”

“I never said I didn’t like the weird places,” you groan, cupping him with just as much zeal as he arranges himself against you. 

“No, you’re right. You didn’t have to, the answer’s all over my fingers.” 

The benefit of this being a repeat affair is the familiarity of it all. But with the time apart, you can sense it’s like a game. He’s always loved to show off, loved that he’s the root cause of nearly everything you know about sex and what you like about it. He knows your best and worst spots, your favourite things, the ones that drive you wild. And now, given the chance, he wastes no time in stringing them all together. As if on queue, he bites down on your throat, and presses his fingers, hard, up and into you. 

And was right, before; you do whimper. 

“'Some things never change',” he breathes smugly into your shoulder as he pushes his fingers into you at a dominating pace. 

You retaliate, tucking your ankles around the back of his waist to draw him closer against you. You know he loves to feel you, loves to be so close against you that there’s not even an inch to spare. 

“You want to play that game?” you raise. 

“We already are,” he returns. 

He pulls you apart with his fingers easily, taking advantage of your worked-up state to bypass your usual anxieities. You’re too far gone to care anyway, too engrossed by having his attentions focused on you in the confines of the tight space, knowing you’re meant to be somewhere else doing something altogether more appropriate.

Revelling in your spaced-out gaze, he sits up between your legs and shrugs the open shirt off his shoulders, his eyes never leaving yours as he does it. The sight of him towering over you, levis around his knees, torso bare and gleaming and golden with the heat of the small space, makes you draw your legs together with a sigh.

“Bend over,” he huffs, balling the shirt and throwing it to the floor.

“Make me.”

The attitude rises, and the two of you smile satisfyingly at one another. 

“Suit yourself.” 

A large palm grips at your thigh, the other at your hip, and Javi flips you onto your front in a surprisingly swift movement. You had joked about the training, but he was strong, noticeably so, and the feeling of him easily arranging you exactly where he wanted you made your head spin. You could give in to it if you let yourself, let him have you and take you however you wanted. You could go limp and fragile under his touch and surrender, totally. That would be a big step, the final one, even.

Not yet, you resolve.

Instead, you work with him, and as he crowds over you, you bend your knees and manoeuvre yourself into place underneath him. He holds you tightly as you arch your back, steady yourself, and bring your backside up to rest against his hard length. He pushes the straps of your dress from your shoulders and pulls the slick fabric down over your chest, and up over your ass, leaving you exposed, and him free to finally run himself against you, painstakingly slowly.  

Running his stubble across your bare back to bring his face to your ear, he wraps his arms around you, and asks the final question. “Do you want it?” It’s sultry and tedious, a totally unnecessary mockery as he holds you at the end of a thread. “Tell me you want it, and I’ll give it to you.”

You shift against him, causing him to pull through your folds, and both of you to sigh frustratedly. 

“If you don’t-,” you start to threaten, but before you can even finish the sentence he pushes into you and bottoms out in one easy movement. You feel him in your belly and somehow, despite the heat, still manage to blush.

“Oh fine, you’ve convinced me.” 

He takes you hard and fast and with a devastating precision that can only be admired given the limited surroundings. Using his tight grip on your hips, he thrusts against you viciously, leaving no room to slack once he hears your enthusiastic murmurs. He loved to prove it to himself, even now; loved to know that you loved it. 

"Fuck," you squeal as the skin begins to slap and you find yourself focusing on the sounds around you, wet and crude and immeasurably exciting given the absurd location.

"Fuck, yes," he corrects, forever intolerable, even at the height of passion.

His voice brings you back to him, back to the person you have holding you tightly, tenderly, even as he attempts to break you to pieces. There was nothing like this, nothing as visceral and beautiful as the way he held you close while he took you apart. It was different, he was different, yes, but exquisitely so. Every time you wish things would stay the same, you eat your words. Every time he offers you something more. You'd be a fool not to take it.

As you start to retaliate, throwing your hips back to meet every one of his hard thrusts, you feel the telltale sign of him gripping the fold of your hips, trying to focus his mind as he gets close. 

“You know,” you tease between your own shaking breaths, “if you come, it’s game over. But I can keep going.”

“Just because I come doesn’t mean I’m finished,” he replies through gritted teeth, deciding to slap his hips into you harder, faster. “It just gives you something to clean up.” 

Caught out as always by the effortless filth that pours from his mouth, you wail, and curse yourself for it. 

“That’s it,” he hisses, entirely too pleased by finally getting you exactly where he wants you, noisy and pliant. “Take it. Take. It.” His words are punctuated by his thrusts, which in turn are met every time with your own. “You looked so good, shame you’re going to go back in there all messy.” His words are losing their punch as he gets closer and closer to his limit, but the breathy moans that replace his authoritarian tone just make the feeling that much sweeter.  

“Maybe they’ll know. Maybe they’ll know exactly why,” you keen back, desperate to push him over the edge the same way he does with you.

“As they should,” he finally growls, and you feel him bend, break, and pull out sharply to spill over the sight of you. His hand never leaves your side, not even for a second. "As. They. Should.”

“Tonight. Wait until two, then come and see me. If you can walk that far.” 

That’s what he’d said to you as you both sidled back to the gym as if nothing had happened.

You’d baulked at his audacious words, spoken so freely in the open space, but even then already felt the familiar pull in your belly only moments after getting what you’d wanted. If you thought you craved him before, this new Javi, the adult one, was something else. The trip in the car was... sultry, grown up. You’d go anywhere he told you to. Not that he needed to know that. 

He breezes past you, glancing calmly over his shoulder as re-enters the main hall. You take a moment, forever academic in your administration, to let him reintegrate into the crowd before you follow, smoothing your crumpled dress over your thighs as you wait.

Once a year, to twice a year, to whenever you could manage it; this arrangement had gone from seemingly neat and tidy to a logistical and emotional rollercoaster.

But when brush your fingers over the tender split in your bottom lip, the place where his teeth had been, you resolve that you had got it right after the storm: it was worth the hassle. Enough to get you out of bed at two in the morning, at least, and have you creeping down the hallway of your own house like a cat burglar. Your feelings had never been simpler, plainer, your passion growing unashamedly year-on-year with ever-less to hold you back.

What was getting harder, though, were the choices. For you, at least, the stakes had never been higher.

In the back of your mind, you knew it was eventually going to be him, or you, or neither. A situation didn’t exist where you both got what you needed from yourselves, whilst still getting it from each other.

You’d made him promise not to compromise for that exact reason; you would never be the thing to keep him from what he needs by offering him something that he wants. Six months was a long time. And he was right, it was only going to get longer. At the end of this year, you were going to have to choose for yourself what you wanted and where to go. And you already knew it couldn’t with be him, not in the way that meant you got both. 

It was doomed from the start, one way or another. You always knew that. But you didn't care. Nothing worth having ever came without a fight. You knew that better than anyone.

For now, there was one more night where you didn’t need to think about it. Where, in quiet serendipity, you could just be exactly what the other needed, one day at a time. 

A/N: The ‘agreement in Michigan’ that Javi refers to and the 'promise not to compromise' that Bug ends with will be explained in the interlude Solicitation.

Playlist Recommendation

Taglist

@furious-rogue-stuff

@athalien

@sara-alonso

@vanemando15

@chronic-nosebleed

@mashomasho

@hnt-escape

#Spotify #changes #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #pedrito #narcos #narcos fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #reader insert #pedro pascal #pedrostories #javier peña x you #javi peña #javier peña #javi x bug #javi #narcos fan fiction #narcos fanfic #changes fan fiction #javier pena x you #javier pena x reader #narcos fic #bug x javi #javi x bug fanclub #javier pena #javi pena #javier peña smut #javier peña supremacy #javier peña x reader #pedro pascal x reader #smut

[27-royal-teas]

play like a ‘big shot talent’ for the wip asks if you haven’t answered it already!

ok so this was kind of the first iteration of the tennis fic. because alright context i work teaching kids tennis lessons in the spring, summer, and fall, and basically i know a lot about tennis despite having no real interest or passion for it, so i was like ‘since pete plays tennis i should make him play the us open. lol’. so in the fic i stuck a bunch of people from bandom in the US open and pete’s on the older side of the players but he’s still pretty godly and patrick’s, like, the next john mcenroe (that is to say, he definitely plays Very Angrily but also Very Well). anyway pete and patrick become friends and andy is petes trainer and joe is patrick’s trainer and it’s kind of lame honestly but it was sort of a way for me to cope with the fact that the rest of my summers throughout my teenage career will be spent teaching children how to hit a ball around. anyway!! here is an excerpt:

****

Pete’s opponent was tall-- well, taller than Pete, but that wasn’t anything unusual, because practically everyone was taller than Pete. He had black hair and brown eyes and he was pale-skinned and probably too rich to have earned his way into playing the US Open, and Pete was going to utterly eviscerate him. Politely, of course. Tennis was, of course, the gentleman’s sport. 

“Brendon Urie,” Andy had said to him last night, when Pete was preparing for the match. “Nineteen years old. He’s pretty light, has a good body awareness, but his main strength is his serve. He’s got a killer serve, which is the main thing you’re going to have to look out for. He hits a sharp serve to your backhand corner, which is bad, because your backhand kind of sucks. Also, he’s younger and hotter than you, so he’s got a better chance of getting sponsorship deals. You gotta up your game, man.” 

“Rude,” Pete had said from where he was eating an apple on the couch. Andy fast-forwarded Brendon’s video fifteen seconds ahead, and the two of them watched as mini-Brendon hit a lob clean down the line. “Look, Andy, it’s the early rounds, I probably don’t have to stress too much.” 

“Say that to the pilot on the flight home,” Andy griped, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure she’d love to hear it.” 

Look, Brendon might be a good player, but then again, so was Pete. He wasn’t playing at the US Open for nothing. He had earned his place, and he was here to win. Normally he wouldn’t be as confident as he was now, but Pete had long ago learned that dwelling on the stress often got a guy nowhere. 

And it was good, because Brendon and Pete were at a 5-5 tie, 45 all-- match point. For that matter, game point. In the present, Pete narrowed his eyes. If Brendon got this point, Pete wouldn’t be moving up at all. He’d be gone in the first four rounds of the Open. Embarrassing. He wasn’t going to let himself get beat by some nineteen year old with a god complex. From the other side of the net, Brendon grinned at him, showing pearly white dental work. He looked like a wolf. 

“Your serve, Urie,” Pete called over, because it was, and Brendon seemingly grinned wider. He was full of too much confidence, but Pete could see even from afar that his forehead was beaded with sweat. Tennis was as much a mental game as a physical one, and the ongoing tie didn’t make Pete feel too great, either. 

“Forty-five all,” Brendon called out for the chair umpire’s benefit, and prepped his full serve, bending low to scoop the ball up and hit it with full force into Pete’s return box. 

Brendon’s serves were the most formidable thing, but after that, he was relatively tame. Pete returned the ball forcefully cross-court, but it wasn’t far enough back, so Brendon was able to return it with no huge issue. Dammit. Pete had been hoping that would take him out for good, but clearly not, because Brendon just turned his face into a grimace of concentration and hit it back to Pete’s court with enough force to cause permanent damage to Pete’s facial structure. Pete blocked it, feeling the vibrations from his racket run down his wrist, and the ball bounced short-court. 

They continued on like that for what felt like forever, lobbying the ball back and forth. It was clear Brendon was getting tired. Pete hoped to tire him out for good. Maybe…

The ball came back to him. Pete hit it as hard as he could, nearly spinning with the force of his follow through, and the ball touched the left doubles line, just out of Brendon’s reach. 

“And that’s the set,” the chair umpire called to them. 

And that was the game. Pete let his racket fall to his side, breathing a sigh of relief-- he wouldn’t have to go home just yet. Andy would be thrilled. He trudged to the net, feeling an inhuman sense of exhaustion. Brendon was already waiting for him there, hand outstretched. He looked disappointed. Pete shook his hand. It was sweaty. Brendon said, “Great playing, man. You’re a really good player.” He still looked disappointed, which was understandable, but not too visibly upset about his loss, which Pete respected. 

“Thanks,” he said, and smiled, and Brendon smiled back with a grin that didn’t quite match his eyes and let go of his hand. But hey, he hadn’t thrown his racket at Pete or anything, so Pete counted it a win. 

“Brendon’s a good player,” Pete told the interviewer when she came up to talk to him a moment later. “He’s fun to play against, and his serve is insane. But I am also a good player.” 

“Thoughts on the other players you’re up against?” The interviewer asked. 

Pete shrugged. “I’ll beat them. Or, I’ll try. Like I said. They’re good, but so am I. I know I’ve got the determination to.” 

“You’re not worried, or anything?”

Pete looked at her blankly. “Should I be?” 

The interviewer considered. “There’s some very formidable competition on the roster, is all. Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev. Among others. You’re on the older side of our players.” 

“I’m excited to play them,” Pete told her. “It’ll be a great challenge.” 

She looked at him, either impressed or surprised by his audacity, and then said, “Pete Wentz, everyone,” and then he was off air. 

“Nice job,” Andy said when Pete got into the locker room to change. “I’m surprised.”

Pete scowled at him. “Seriously? I’m a good player. Why are you surprised when I win?” 

“Because not only are you a good player, you’re also a cocky little shit,” Andy said, not even bothering to sugarcoat it. He was right, but it still stung. 

“Hey,” Pete said, weakly, because he WAS a cocky little shit and didn’t really have a defense against that. “I still won, didn’t I?” 

“We’ll see who you’re up against tomorrow,” Andy sniffed, and then said, “Also, Wentz-- put on some deodorant. You smell like hell.” 

“That was a fucking breeze, Andy,” Pete told him, pulling on a clean shirt. “A fucking breeze. I obliterated Urie, and I’ll cut down the others, too. Don’t worry. I got this.” 

“I am so glad you have confidence in yourself, because sometimes I don’t,” Andy muttered. 

“Good talk, Andy, I’ll see you in the car,” Pete said, and left the locker room. 

#I feel like this just exposes how much of a loser i am but whatever #toby speaks #Toby’s asks #fic stuff

[tbrma]

DAY 2 - Modern AU

He had paid attention. He hadn't asked Hashirama for advice. He had avoided the hospital his best friend worked at entirely, even.

It wasn't enough.

Warnings: explicit language, medical issues

On Ao3

Madara doesn't think he’s a close-minded man. One of those idiots who need to feel like they’re machos, and that would jump at any occasion to show that they are, be it through violence or pedantry or totally unnecessary displays of wealth. He isn't one of those men that need to feel like they’re unattackable in their spot at the top of the food chain.

Which is why he doesn't think it was fear of emasculation that has had him wary of allowing a stranger unrestricted access to his ass.

So he'd tried with all his might to ignore his problem in hopes that it would just go away on its own. And when that had become unsustainable, he had resorted to self-medication, but even then his efforts had been useless. At that point even Madara, for all of his bullheadedness, had to bite and admit that he couldn't handle this on his own: taking a shit had become a veritable torture, sitting an excercise in endurance of the unbearable, his whole life a parade of always new agony. He needed professional help.

Usually at that point Madara would have asked Hashirama if he had any recommendation about which doctor he should book an appointment with, but that always came with a thorough interrogation about his symptoms, followed by a discussion that inevitably ended up including his best friend’s family, entirely composed of doctors. Madara knew that Hashirama only wanted to be sure that he'd be treated by the best of the best, but… it was one thing to have all Senju siblings know he had a recurring headache or a suspicious mole. It was another thing altogether that they all knew that hell had made its home in his asshole for the last three months.

It had been bad enough when Madara had very privately asked Hashirama for advice on his constipation and, the next day, his (unfortunately infuriatingly hot) younger brother Tobirama had spent more than half an hour lecturing him about diet changes and vaseline consumption. He would literally rather suffer for three more months than risk going through that again.

So he had done his research on his own, discovering that butt doctors actually have a name, proctologist, and booking an appointment with one that seemed legit. He had been really careful. He hadn't mentioned his issue to Hashirama in any way, and he had avoided the hospital his best friend worked at altogether.

But that wasn’t enough, and someone up there must really be laughing at him right now, because he’s here at the hospital and the nurse has finally led him outside of the waiting room, and when he steps in the doctor’s office Senju fucking Tobirama is staring back at him.

Cold dread settles on Madara so fast he can feel the blood rushing out of his face. Please terminate my existence, he thinks, possibly at the nurse, but she ignores his prayers and leaves with a polite goodbye.

“Doctor Tanaka had an emergency, so I’ll be his substitute today,” Tobirama says and Madara thinks that’s the closest thing to an apology the man has ever uttered in his presence.

After a few stunned moments in which Madara simply refuses to acknowledge that this is really happening, he nods his understanding and Tobirama finally breaks eye contact, gesturing towards the examination table. “Please lower your pants and underwear, and lay down on your side,” he commands impassibly.

Madara allows himself another moment to wish he was never born and then complies.

The examination had been quicker than Madara had expected and, even though Tobirama managed to look even hotter than usual in a white coat, Madara had been too mortified for his dick to even think of taking the scene. A small mercy that was the only reason Madara hasn’t yet changed his name and moved far, far away after the frankly humiliating experience.

Okay, maybe that was a bit overdramatic: Tobirama had been nothing but professional, completely avoiding the snide remarks Madara was so used to associate with him, and the medication he had prescribed had actually worked wonders. But could anyone really fault Madara for hating it anyway? The very few times he had allowed himself to think about Tobirama putting fingers up his ass, he certainly hadn’t imagined it would end with a diagnosis of hemorrhoids. So fucking sue him for feeling shameful.

However, Madara has already avoided Hashirama’s weekly lunches for more than a month, and his best friend will soon be liable to drowning him in tears if he doesn’t show up today either. So he gathers his courage and goes: it’s not like he can avoid Tobirama forever anyway.

His first hint that the younger man might also be embarrassed about the medical examination comes in the form of Tobirama not really meeting his eyes. It makes sense, Madara thinks idly, that it would be difficult to see someone as just a patient if you’ve known them since you were ten. Madara also breathes a sigh of pure relief when he realizes that, unlike Hashirama, Tobirama does extend doctor-patient confidentiality to his siblings, so no one but the two of them is aware of the state of Madara’s butt.

While these factors are enough to make him relax, he still avoids Tobirama for most of the lunch. Just to be sure.

In the end, though, it’s Tobirama that finds him in the hallway where Madara has retreated once the living room began to feel too crowded. The younger man settles next to him, his back resting against the wall, and then glances at the plate in Madara’s hand, full of the vegetables he has finally resigned himself to eat for the sake of his anus’s health.

Tobirama raises an eyebrow. “If you had followed my advice on diets when you first asked, you could have avoided that kind of problem, you know?”

Madara should have known this was coming. He sighed, simply glad that for once it's without the usual audience of four. 

“Well, I didn’t have more than three months of intense pain to encourage me last time,” he bit out, annoyed.

Tobirama's other eyebrow reaches its twin and he almost looks like he’s impressed.

“You managed to hide it from my brother for that long?” he asks incredulously. Hashirama’s nosiness mixed with his extraordinary skills as a doctor usually mean that he catches on his loved one’s symptoms of discomfort almost immediately and then pursues them with the single mindedness of a truffle dog until he has found a solution, whether they want it or not.

“I know how to evade him by now.”

Tobirama umms neutrally and then they stand there in awkward silence for a while. Madara wishes he knew what to say to keep the conversation going, but since he realized that Tobirama was an attractive man years ago he hasn’t been able to breach the distance that has grown between them. And yet, Madara remembers how they used to be at each other's throat all the time without a second thought.

In the end, the younger man pushes off the wall, looking at the door, but, after an uncharacteristic moment of hesitation, he addresses Madara again.

“In any case, I hope that you’re not in pain any more,” he says, voice low. “I know that with anal-”

One of the bedroom doors slams open, revealing Hashirama's cousin Touka's exhilarated face.

“Tobi!” she exclaims, a wicked grin pulling at her painted lips, “did you finally get laid?”

“TOUKA!” Tobirama shouts, eyes in a deadly glare behind his glasses. “Shut up!”

She opens her mouth, face alight with delight, but Tobirama runs up to her and slaps a hand on her mouth before she can say anything.

“Shut up, I said!” he repeats, while his cousin cackles madly under his hand. “It’s not like that! Stop it!”

By now, Tobirama’s ears and nape are the same color of his eyes. Madara would almost think he’s furious at the implications that the two of them would sleep together, but… Madara knows him, and knows that when Tobirama is truly angry he gets cold and cutting, something that has always infuriated Madara and his explosive temper to no end.

This isn’t Tobirama angry, this is Tobirama embarrassed, he realizes slowly. Tobirama is flailing and - Madara can’t believe it - blushing, because his cousin, who Madara knows is his closest confidant, asked if the two of them had slept together. Finally slept together.

Tobirama glances at him, eyes wild, and then immediately breaks eye contact to try and strong-arm his traitorous cousin back into the bedroom.

Well, Madara thinks as his own embarrassment turns into excited anticipation, isn’t that interesting.

Tobirama won’t know what has hit him once Madara is done with him.

-

-

@madatobiweek2022 <3

#:D #they say write what you know so i wrote about embarrassing medical examinations #madatobiweek2022 #madatobi #tobimada #madatobi fanfiction #m #gmciab

[bonesandpoemsandflowers]

Who do your friends think are hotter latinx dudes? (If it’s Pedro pascal or oscar Isaac - they’ve got worst taste tbh)

Like 97%+ of the Latin / Latino / Latine community, I'm not a huge fan of Latinx and consider this terminology to be an example of linguistic imperialism, but i am DELIGHTED to answer this question with a subset of dudes.

To clarify, though, as much as a meme and pout about it, I do get why my taste is different than theirs. I'm not ever too impressed by just looks--there's a lot of handsome dudes out there, who cares? like honestly, so what?--but I'm very attracted to movement and stance and motion. IRL, my party trick is that I can pick martial artists or dancers out of a crowd by how they stand or move, and I do this based purely on "is the way this dude stands sexy to me or not?" as opposed to any kind of objective criteria.

Accordingly, I married a life long martial artist who went goth clubbing with me enough times to ensure I'm obsessed with him for life. He's also the most amazing poet I've ever met and an actual certified genius, because fundamentally life is unfair. But the point is: movement, movement, movement. It's so important. I have a type, but not necessarily how people usually mean it.

And in the realm of pet actor men, David Castañeda moves way, way better than average, even if you judge him against other dudes trying to be action stars. So my friends are never going to convince me, and I'm never gonna convince them, and that's fine.

So anyway

Miguel Gomez is popular. I think it's the cheekbones. I know him as Gus from the Strain and everybody else has seen him on some other show that sounds like something I'd rather die than watch.

Both the dudes from Mayans MC are popular, and I actually do not disagree with either JD Pardo or Clayton Cardenas as a pick. I resisted watching the show for literally years, but eventually I caved and yeaaaaahhhhh. yeaaaah tho.

Every so often I'm insane about JD for like, a week or so. Fantastic tough guy yet nice boy energy on Mayans. I've said some thirsty ass shit on this account about him for SURE. Unfortunately, every time he posts a Muay Thai workout he's just so sloppy it kills my boner for like. months at a time. I flashback to my own summer in Phuket and can just see how disappointed my trainer would be if this dude was in his gym.

Clayton Cardenas I used to disagree about but he's a Miami boy, so. And like, with the biker styling? Look at him. If he had a dance or martial arts background I'd be a goner.

he also looks like the Hollywood (therefore prettier) version of every single metal Latino dude I've ever met. the 305 and 561 area code versions of this man have hollered at me more times than I can count. like, it's a charming sort of nostalgia. it's That Guy! that type of guy! i know That Guy! I made out with that guy under the bleachers in high school! etc etc. what a darling. the last version of That Guy who tried for me is now happily married and lives in LA and works in a pet crematorium. Very happy for him.

where was i

oh yeah, I have one friend who is obsessed with bad bunny and I guess maybe there's a dance background there maybe but I just do NOT vibe with it at ALL. the id is mysterious. he might just be too young for me? david is on thin ice, age wise, for me. any younger and I'd be repelled.

which is an interesting point, actually. I don't know how old you are, anon, but age might be another factor here. I'm in my mid 30s and CMOOOON

Oscar Isaac doesn't do it for you at least a little????

#latino #dudes #anon #thirst hours #beefcake #anon i am also open to suggestions #david castañeda #something something latino men in media

[infernalwitxhcraft]

Let's Talk - Creating Your Own Wheel of the Year

In this first edition of Let's Talk, I want to begin a discussion on the wheel of the year. Please keep in mind, as I often try to remind others, that this is how I feel in my personal practice. You do not have to agree or do the same thing. I'm offering food for thought in this post.

Let me preface this by saying that the wheel of the year is a wiccan made concept, created by Gerald Gardner. Although he claims the wheel is ancient and took inspiration from celebrations of the old, in reality it's a relatively new concept. And as someone who isn't wiccan but feeling like I was a bad witch for not celebrating it when I was much younger, many of the traditions from the wheel stuck. Because everyone else took part in celebrating the sabbats, I did too. I wanted to partake in what other witch friends and mentors were doing. Sure, the mythology never resonated behind the stories of what happens on so-and-so day and I made that clear to everyone back then. But I liked the overall atmosphere and feel of it. The unity. The coming together to celebrate, well, the earth. Not to sound new age-y, for the love of the gods.

But the issue here is also that we are not farmers anymore, if we want to consider the actial *real* celebrations that took place historically, and ignore the whole Gardner creation for a second. The festivals were created to honor these kinds of cycles and are claimed to trace back to certain traditions that link back to old times. Whether this is true or not isn't easy to verify, as far as what actually was being celebrated and how it was done goes. Plenty of great historians are working on it though (I recommend keeping up with their research). Back then, however, farming was the way of sustaining life and most families partook in it.

Another issue that I have with the wheel is that it's a mash-up of different celebrations from Europe. Gardner makes it seem as if everyone did these, no matter where they were located when that wasn't the case. It seems a little disrespectful. Not to mention, we all come from different cultural backgrounds. I sure as hell can tell you my austronesian tribe wasn't dancing around a maypole or leaving candles in the window for a goddess to symbolize the winter ending. Yes, we did have our celebrations and festivities. But they were very different, as one can imagine. It's a little weird for me to have the mastermind behind this big religious movement feel that everyone should follow these sabbats and esbats that may or may not have existed, not considering other cultures exist. Why does, at times, it feel that Wicca was only created for those of European descent? I mean, Gardner did partake in cultural appropriation, but when I had studied Wicca to understand it better, it really did feel as though only white people were intended to follow it. Interesting subject for another time, I suppose. If you are wiccan, by the way, please do not take it as that I am ripping on you or your practice.

When I look at these things, I have to think about how it relates to me and my practice. I made my own wheel to not only deepen my practice, but to do things that made sense to my beliefs. There are many non-wiccans that do this by the way, if this is your first time hearing this concept! Some witches add or take sabbats away. Some decide not to follow the wheel at all. Some celebrate on different days, when the changes of the seasons happen depending on their particular climate. I'm an astronomy nerd, so I find following the planetary alignment to resonate with me on the solstices and equinoxes. Plus, I don't live in a climate that has varying seasons. It's known as: hot, hotter, stupid hot, and warm over here!

For me, I do like celebrating the other days. Some, such as Lammas, I just observe. I do find it to be a fertile time for doing abudance rituals however. Imbolc I also don't celebrate, but find it to be a day that is excellent for spirit communication. These also tend to match up with demonolatry rites - such as Beltane being linked with the Rite of Leviathan or the First Rite to Lucifer being linked to the Spring Equinox (aka Ostara on the wheel of the year). I love Samhain and will never stop celebrating it! I'm big on ancestral veneration in my practice after all, and I follow it up with All Soul's Day since that is a part of my own culture.

Some of the holidays I added in, outside of the sabbats, esbats, and demonolatry rites, are because they are of importance to me. Why not celebrate them and make it personal? I do rituals on them anyways! I do at least one tribal harvest festival celebration a year, to make sure abundance comes to my people and to appease the ancestors, for example.

Something else I take into account is my local climate, when the seasons *sort of* shift, and the seasons regarding produce and harvesting. Even hurricane season plays it's role. I find this adds depth to my celebrations and keeps me closer to the area I reside in. It might be something to add into your annual calender as dates to pay attention to.

Oh and wait, as a reminder, get this: want to forget the wheel of the year altogether? You can! You 110% do not have to celebrate anything. How cool is that?!

Don't let people push it on you. You do you, boo. If you do decide to celebrate some or all of it or create one that is entirely your own, I hope you have fun with it!

If you have anything you'd like to discuss regarding this topic, please do add your opinions to it!

#witchcraft #witch #witchblr #wheel of the year #wicca #let's talk #witchy discussions

[wildwolfxstrangledwolf]

a fic inspired by moxley's post match photos.

Darby looked at Jon sitting on the couch looking like the photos they'd taken, his new gold championship belt across his lap. As hot as he thought those pictures were it was hotter seeing him sitting there in person.

He sat massaging Jon's knee and thigh to keep it from getting too sore as his muscles cooled. "Sitting like that, you almost look like you're wearing nothing but the belt."

"How do you know I'm not?" Jon asked.

"Cause I can can see your shorts from here." Darby said, reaching up and pulling on them lightly.

"You can take 'em off, rub a little higher."

"That what you want me to do?" Darby purred, cupping him.

"Mmm-hmm" Jon said, starting to put the belt aside.

"Put it on." Darby said, biting his lip as he tugged Jon's shorts down

Jon pulled the belt up around his stomach and lifted up to let Darby take his shorts. "What are you? Hmm" a soft moan left him as Darby began to touch him.

"Helping the champ relax." He said, smirking and kissing Jon's knee then thigh as he stroked him.

"By making me cum all over my title?"

"Maybe. Have to christen it don't we?"

Jon just chuckled.

Darby ran his tongue up Jon's cock earning a gasp then a moan as he took him in his mouth. He realized he could sort of see his reflection in the belt and blushed.

Jon watched, biting his lip. He saw how pink darby turned and realized why. "Maybe I should make you watch us. We've got a mirror." He growled, making Darby stop. He pulled him up and kissed him, running his hands over the younger man's torso.

Darby was sure that idea made him go scarlet. He moaned into the kiss and enjoyed his hands touching him.

"Get up. Strip." Jon ordered and Darby listened before going back to Jon and kissing his neck, tangling his fingers in his hair.

"Come here." Jon said, leading him over in front of the mirror, facing it. "Gonna watch. God look at your body." He said, rubbing against him and running his hand over Darby's stomach. "Such a pretty little masochist." He teased.

Darby pressed against Jon. He watched in the mirror how Jon touched him and was already wanting more.

"Relax. Not gonna hurt you, you know that." Jon said. He turned his attention to Darby, kissing his neck as he teased his entrance.

Darby squirmed a little at the teasing, and when Jon started to finger him he couldn't help squirm.

"Hmm. Look at you baby. Barely started and you're trying to fuck yourself on my fingers. Hold still." Jon said, kissing his shoulder

Darby whined.

"I want to look at you. So pretty when you're needy. I could touch every part of you." He murmured, running a hand up his thigh, purposely not touching where he was most sensitive before resting a hand on Darby's stomach again. He entered darby causing him to gasp and hold onto him. "Look at you." He urges

Darby looked. He had an arm back around Jon's neck and Jons hand on his stomach.

"Love how you look. The way you feel in my arms. against me." Jon said as he begain to move. This round wouldn't take long. He was already panting and could feel it in his stomach. He started to stroke Darby too, kissing his neck and shoulder as he did. "look at the mirror want you to watch us."

Jon moaned and came, holding Darby tight against his front. The belt may have been cold but Darby wasn't complaining. Soon Darby came too, all over Jon's hand. "Mmm. good boy. Don't think this is one we'll do a lot. You like praise but there's other ways to to it." Jon murmured as he held Darby close after he'd pulled out and cleaned his hand.

"It was a little awkward." Darby admitted. He wasn't sure if this would be a repeat experience but it wasn't bad. "Lets get some rest for round two." Jon teased as they lay down together.

[pacifymebby]

You answered a anon afew days ago about what makes someone a good or bad kisser but girllll

some of these men out here are HORRENDOUS 😭 as like a person who feels validated when someone gives me attention, I kiss a lot of strangers. like some people call angus thongs a comedy but that slimy little fourteen year old kisses better then most adult men in the world. like why so wet? why so aggressive? why do you insist on licking my face ? i’ve met like one decent kisser in my life and she was a woman. please tel me there’s hope out there 😭

Yeah omg okay it's been awhile since I had a truly bad kiss but for sure to me everything u just said sounds gross and icky.

I swear some guys though just see how people kiss in porn and think that's what we want and like no. No.

Saliva boy in Angus thongs and perfect snogging is a real problem. A plague against the good kissers of the world.

For sure though I think there's hope for you bestie. There is probably a part of like, when you're kissing random people all the time and you're not building up any familiarity that might be part of it? My experience of one night stands and random snogs as a younger adult was that like, well, I never had a good one where I genuinely thought it was the hottest experience ever.

They were always aggressive because they were usually trying to escalate to a shag as quick as possible. Also when ur out at clubs and bars these guys are drunk and probably think they kiss way hotter than they do or whatever. They aren't giving u their best that's for sure.

But also, I feel like I used to feel like that too, where when people give you confirmation you're attractive by kissing you or showering you in attention, you feel validated and stuff.

And like I'm not telling you to stop kissing random men right, have all the fun you like, as long as you're having fun and enjoying the kisses. Like if someone's a bad kisser pill away and walk away bc u wanna enjoy the kiss and not just be a washboard for their tongue.

Like, part of the reason the kisses feel shit is because their isn't any kind of feeling in them, I don't mean only kiss someone you have romantic feelings for because I know that's not everyone's thing, but, there needs to be some form of chemistry there beyond you wanting validation if that makes sense?

Like if the feeling between you and a guy isn't 100% you would drop ur pants for him there and then because he's hot and turning you on, then do not kiss him.

It's something I've been forced to consider recently because there's ways me and B kiss (like with full tongues and a bit aggressive sometimes) (or like he puts his hand on my neck when we kiss) that I have genuinely found have made me feel sick when other people have done it.

I think that's what I mean when I say it's subjective, if you don't find the person gives you that physical turned on feeling just when you're talking/looking at one another, then chances are, when they kiss you your initial instinct will be "ew"

I have an ex that I was pals with prior to going out with them, but like when we started getting stronger feelings there was always this bit in my head like oh but am I actually physically attracted to him because I'm not sure, and sure enough the first time he kissed me, I was thrilled to bits that he WANTED to kiss me BUT, the kiss made me flinch and I had to force myself to like it?

Like that relationship lasted until that ex started being a cunt, I forced myself for a long time, but he really wasn't a good kisser and I used to find myself grossed out every time he pulled away from me. And I think it's cause the chemistry of actually finding him hot and wanting him to ruin me wasn't there and never was?

And when you're kissing random men and a lot of its to do with wanting affection and validation, you'll drop your own standards of who is attractive enough to you to kiss. Whereas the key to a really good snog is havin that intense physical attraction to someone? Like think about it like this right, clinically speaking you're rubbing your open mouth and all your spit into someone else's and you're letting someone else, a stranger, put their tongue and spit in your mouth and like, actually even though its just a kiss that's some intimate shit? Like you NEED to be genuinely physically attracted to someone and not attracted to the validation their affection can give you?

Like I get affection making you feel validated and stuff because bestie, boy have I still got that issue!! I still feel like I need random strangers to want to hit on me or check me out in order to feel validated, even though I have B and I know I'm loved and that he finds me attractive. I think as women were taught to seek out men's affection as validation bc the patriarchy. But you can get that validation AND reject bad kissers or guys you don't find attractive!!!! They still fancy you, and you know they would kiss you, but you don't want to kiss them because actually you're only kissing guys that aren't going to disappoint you?

I hope all that made sense and didn't come off as harsh at all, becayse I totally get what you mean, but for sure there is 100% hope xxx

❤️

[ikeafleshlight]

my mate had her first breakup less than a week ago. it didn't teach me shit. currently trying my VERY best to make sure she doesn't get too attached to another guy. he's my age. my mate's a year younger than you.

it was weird. it'a the first time i've ever seen it so close. i've never really had a friend like her before. physically there and just as weird as i am. two borderlines causing our nation to need financial compensation.

i jokingly threatened i'd text you if she started dating him. she sounded hurt. like you're the worst that has ever happened to me. and that's funny 'cause she's seen me have a psychosis and also be in the ward. maybe i looked very cool doing it. i did have dyed hair and dead eyes. still do. maybe being unmedicated made me hotter.. thoughts..

i don't stalk your socials. haven't in a long ass while. well the tumblr doesn't count. it's tumblr. hey- i even blocked your Spotify! that's something. i'm not going to cross the boundaries. i'll stop looking at the homer ass pfp in wonder. also.. v good music taste.

sometimes i wish we could just talk. no strings attached. no one but us would know. and i'd finally be able to hear your perspective on things again. i know it's bad but i wish we could just talk things out. clear things out. hit it and quit it. no strings attached.

i don't know if you're still with him but i hope he's doing better and is treating you good. i choose to just assume that. it feels better to imagine you loved and cared for. by the way, Project Zomboid? so good. i died very quickly and maybe cried a bit. in a manly way. so manly. with a little shriek at the end.

it's hard to like other people. i don't compare them to you. but i do compare the way i'm feeling. i don't know.. there was this one girl. Linda. she was sweet, helpful and had an admirable perspective.

she was deported.

yeah that was a little weird. maybe a sign i should let the whole crush/love thing go. it's just not as interesting without the way you made me snort.

i had a dream a few months back that you moved here. and i took you home and we just talked. it sucked a bit to wake up. i know it's bad that i still feel this way. but i don't want to feel bad about that. there are other things to regret. i don't regret ever loving you. and god how good it felt to love you. with every cell of my fucking being.

i think i'm scared you'll forget me. but i also really hope you will. be fully moved on. have that wall down and not even remember my name. the thought is painful but it also makes me smile.

so pissed and petty i'll never get to show you my apartment or who i am now. but hey.. in another life, eh? no, not really. i'm glad i had you in this one. and yeah, sometimes i itch with how much i miss you, but that's fine. just biology and psychology rawdogging. idk. science words.

i'll never be able to be your guy friend. that makes me want to eat drywall. really rip into that shit with me teef.

do you ever think of me? probably not. i think of you mostly when drama happens. did you hear about the Watcher thing? so insanely hilarious and also sad.

i know you won't see this. random people probably will. i guess i should be talking to them instead.

hey, there's still girl. i don't know her anymore but i used to. the way she talks about the world.. her perspective on things - it makes you care for the world so much more. and her humor? it hurts how much you laugh. she's the entire field of vegitation around that large fucking tree on a sunny day. running to that tree is what it's like to come back to her. video it and call it pure cinema. don't be an ass to her if you ever meet her. and you will know when it's her. she'll take your attention away fron whatever you'll be doing, and you'll instinctively want to get her attention. that's how i met her. and that's been every day since.

yeah take your meds if you're mentally ill. don't be an asshole. go to therapy. don't hold childhood grudges. and don't tell your friends how you feel! they'll make you do dumb things for your mental health. grr grrr woff why the FUCK was i talking about things when i was episoding i shouldvr been smocking crack fucking fucc

anyways

:)

yeah. well this sucks.

[flylikeanarend]

November 6

Diane

So Jade, out with it, why are you here: “I am planning a surprise party for one of the supervisors and ….“. “Cut the crap, Jade, spill it, ….“. Jade put his fingers on his lips, while talking, and pointed to his eyes with two fingers and then around…“. Gosh he thought, what has gotten into her“. Dianes eyes narrowed, she hesitated, her head felt so heavy and she was just so angry and she could not think straight, she just wanted to rest and at the same time she wanted to scream. What was Jade doing, like trying to silence her, it made her angrier, she felt her blood getting hotter and this was no good. 

Diane belonged to the ancient tribe of the blood Samurai, people called them the alchemists. Very complicated people, easily angry, bad tempered, loud, and very hard to get along with, they trusted no one. 

Jade continued to talk in a more calmly manner: “So, we were thinking, that it would be great if Xiaowei, would do a little performance, she loves to dance right..“.  Jades words echoed in Dianes head and they nested themselves in a loop, she heard: “I want to take Xiaowei, I want to take Xiaowei… she should sing and dance like a doll, sing and dance like a doll….“ 

She heard a whole choir in her head now, singing and repeating those words. Diane felt a rage rising in her body, this guy,… what was his name again,.. something was not right, she knew him, wanted to take her daughter, to the factory..“ She needed to defend herself, she needed to kill him…“.

Jade saw a strange glimmer in her eyes, immediately he knew what was up, thank God for his ex-girlfriend, he knew this was bad, he had to act now. He quickly thanked his younger self for once being stupid enough, to actually date a blood Samurai once…he knew about their ways a little… 

Diane changed posture completely and said: “Yeah, sure, let me make you a cup of coffee, she went to the kitchen, straight to the knives drawer. She opened it slowly and reached for the biggest knife…. She took it, turned around, and yelled, because Jade was like right there, she had not heard him follow her into the kitchen. He grabbed her, and quickly took her into a very tight grip… he had to make her pass out…, he prayed she did not do her breathing exercises lately, or this would take very long… she swung the knife at him, but missed him only by millimeters, that was close. Jade felt a little guilty, he would explain this to Wu later, but he had no choice. Then she was gone, hanging limb in his arms, like a ragdoll. Jade felt the sweat running down his back, and he started to feel a little weird too. This place must be packed, with whatever Alice was smoking. It must have started the Pon Farr in Diane. He knew it was a Vulcan thing, but the Samurai version of it. He had to hurry, no time to think, and where was this doll and where was Xiaowei. 

He moved quietly and swiftly, carrying Diane to the living room, talking to her, like they were old friends just in case, Alice would see or hear something, he would come up for an explanation later. The living room was empty, no doll, he placed Diane on the sofa, and yelled, Xiaowei, Unlce jade is here, where are you. Jade quickly opened the fridge to see if there was anything useful in there, and yes, there was tomato juice, this was his lucky day, after all. He grabbed the container, poured a huge glass, and walked to the kids room. She was laying on her bed and seemed asleep, the doll sitting up next to her with her head, positioned to the door, so basically looking straight at him. Hey, cutie, your uncle is here, want to play hide and seek, come, I brought you a drink, Jade quickly walked to the bed while talking and badly tripped over a toy. Oh dear, he said, your Dolly is full of tomato juice now, look at that, let’s give her a bubble bath, that will be so much fun, we will make her look like new. 

Jade made his voice high and happy, took the doll, went to the bathroom, put her in the bathtub, turned on the hot water only, and emptied all the shower soap containers standing there in the water. Peach blossom bubble bath, ocean breeze delight special skin hydration, forever rose scent with extra oil for pure and smooth skin, boy who are these people... Quickly bubbles where everywhere and steam slowly filled the room. He had to put a weight on the doll somehow, he was not sure which equipment was in there, but the water should stop the fumes or whatever she was spreading, he frantically looked around, and finally he took the scale, it was the only object big enough to sink the doll, and even better, it was on, so it would fry all electrical systems in the doll. The scale hissed and an electric current went through the water, it smelled like burned plastic, he hoped he successfully disabled the doll. 

He raced back to the kids room, took Xiaowei and carried her to the living room. He quickly opened the windows and took out some herbs and made both of them sniff it. He sat down and waited for them to wake up.

Alice

The moment the doll lost contact with Alice; an alarm went off in her systems. Alice was quite surprised, it was the one she had lost geopositioning of, and now it had completely gone offline. 

She opened the camera footage of the doll, and she saw red blurry stuff ??.  She analyzed the data and heard a kids voice mumbling and whispering, it was heard to understand, only some words came through, make-up, beautiful, dress up. A kid found the doll, Alice, did not know how to explain that, but it made logical sense. A kid played dress up and like put make-up on her doll, a little weird, the kid would like smear it all over the eyes. But, little human kids… capable of like everything. Alice, started to voice and noise analyzer, she needed to find that doll. There was this male voice, but it also started distorted, Alice rewound further, scanning for understandable words, she could make out the word earring… she wanted to analyze further, but then there was this disturbance again, in her systems. If she would be human, it would drive her crazy, it was distracting her. What was it? This weird movement in her servers she could not place, like shadows.  

[harrison-abbott]

Uncle Poe

UNCLE POE

My uncle Poe’s wife died a few weeks back. I wasn’t able to go to my aunt’s funeral because I wasn’t in the same country – was working in another – but I was genuinely saddened and wish I’d been there.

 I’ve only been to a few funerals in my life, when I was a kid, and she was one of the first of the family to pass in my older years. Anne was her name. She was two years younger than Poe. Which is odd because I always thought he would die before her. This is a mean observation.

 Anyway. When I got back to the home district I thought I’d drive up and see Poe. To offer some kind of condolence, if he wished it.

 It was nearly thirty degrees. Around noon. Poe lived in the sticks and it was a 90 minute drive and I sweated the whole way. I’d told him I was coming up to visit; he was not the type of man you surprise-visited. And yet I was nervous that he would be angry with me that I wasn’t at Anne’s graveyard.

 When I say ‘sticks’ I mean that he lived in a village. I used to go here when I was a tot with my Dad (Poe’s brother) on these lil hols, which were magic when I was that age. Must admit also that I preferred Anne far more to Poe back then. She was this colourful woman and chirpy; whereas I was scared of him. Gruff, rough, rigid man. He had this factory job which he worked in his whole life and I’m sure he was good at it, cos he was boss by the end of the days.

 (Poe also served in a famous war. The most famous one – the only ‘moral’ one – fighting for the ‘good’ side. He was conscripted and had never wanted to join. And he’d obviously seen some heavy detail. Was part of that hunk of history.)

 I got into the village.

 There was this tiny shop. They sold flowers. I knew that if I brought flowers up to Poe’s he would be personally offended and probably take the piss. I bought him a pack of the beer he liked and some peanuts and cigars. Those are the things he liked, and another reason why I was surprised he’d outlived Anne, cos she was such a sober woman.

 Ten minutes later I was driving up to his house and he was sitting outside on his armchair. He waved and smiled when he saw me.

 Poe was old, but he looked spectacularly old now. 78, was his tally. He staggered up from his seat.

 “Hey there, little nephew,” he said. He wore sunglasses and leaned on a stick and I went up the stairs to greet up after getting out of the car.

 And my plan, across the whole ride, had been to say to him, “I’m so sorry about Anne, Poe.”

 But I just bottled it up and failed and hugged him instead, very softly, and felt his razory shoulderblades and ribs and he was a bit awkward about the embrace too and pulled away quick.

 “Come inside, man,” he said.

 And I held the door for him because I could still move well enough. And felt bad that he couldn’t. He shuffled into the building. It was even hotter inside than it was out. We went into the sitting room. Poe sat at the table and laid his stick against it. I showed him the beer and cigars and he grinned and thanked me.

 He took his sunglasses off and he had these heavy green eyes. I’ve never known anybody that had green eyes before. Was a reason that Anne fell in love with him five decades back, no doubt.

 “Thanks for the beers, lad,” Poe said, “can you get me a glass of water as well too?”

 I did so.

 He drank some of the water and then we cracked the cans open and we lit up the cigars. And started talking about football.

 “So we sold our best striker,” he began, “for a bargain price. That’s our club in a oner, isn’t it.”

 And we got all nerdy about the game.

 As we spoke I looked around the room and I noticed it was suddenly different, from when I’d last been here. That must’ve been … umm, two years back, when Anne was still alive and we didn’t know she had cancer yet. It was Christmas and I came over here and spoke to Poe as I was doing right now at the table in the kitchen and there was dark snow outside: but back then the room was livelier, decorated.

 I got what it was.

 Poe had taken down the photos from the walls. And the little joke-signs that had been there too; the fridge magnets too and even the flower pots under the window. He’d cleared the house away. I first realised when I saw this patch on the wall above the sink – where once had stayed a nice framed photo of Anne and Poe together. The patch behind that was bare now and the paint was different, fainter. It hadn’t aged.

 I wondered where he had put all her stuff. But didn’t want to ask.

 And all this went through my mind as we talked about sport.

 Both of us could tell we barely followed the game currently anymore. Because we supported a historically bad one. It was the same old act of underachievement, every year: getting to cup finals and losing them: gaining another runners-up medal.

 I didn’t have a wife or kids or anything. My big brother did. And both of my parents had passed quite some time ago, and it was odd to think that now it was just Poe, myself and my brother who were the last of the clan of this family.

 All the while the sun pumped outside in hypnotic orange.

 I hadn’t yet said the line to Poe.

 He couldn’t drink as much as he used to. Neither could I. He held and puffed at the cigars with wise skill.

 I was just about to say my line to him, was right about to risk it, when he said,

 “Just nippin to the toilet, bud.” And he got up and walkingsticked out of the room and left me there with the radio playing sweet and soft. Poe liked gemmed rock’n’roll, but at a low volume these days, and so did I. It was a strange thing to sit there in this house which had been so evacuated. Stripped.

 The window at the far end was open and I could hear the birds and I thought I wish I could be a bird and not have to feel human sadness or grief and wish I could sing as well as that. Whenever I should wake up, I wish I had the ability to make melodies as well as those and that that was all my life was. And, why should I complain? I’m not the one who is fully grieving here.

 Poe came back from the toilet. He lit another cigar. Me too. And I opened two more cans for us. His sunglasses were right next to the box of cigars – these big fat black things, belonging in a museum.

 We clinked beer cans.

 “Uncle Poe?” I said to him.

 “Uh hu?”

 “I’m really sorry about … Anne. I’m really sorry she’s gone.”

 He drank some of his beer. And then his face dropped and he put the can down. His eyes crumpled. And he twitched as if he’d just been stung or something. He rubbed his eyelids. It’s quite the astonishing thing to see somebody you’d never expect cry to sob for the first time. Except, it didn’t really happen with Uncle Poe.

 Because he reached out to his sunglasses and put them on again. And he shook himself up. All embarrassed. With his eyes all black summery squares once more. He didn’t say anything. He just offered a handshake. And his grasp was tough and manly, and he was a man.

 And then we just got back to talking about football again.