#‘what do a guy gotta do to get some decent sleep in this palace
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To Be Truly Free
Chapter 4
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“You know, this is a perfectly good bed,” Sir Wil grinned as he lounged on the embroidered comforter, staring down at a stunned Technoblade. “But I’ve gotta admit, you were sleeping so soundly that you almost made a decent argument for the floor. Well, except for right at the end there. Bad dream?”
Technoblade gawked as he registered the man in front of him, then he was on his feet. Only swaying slightly as the room seemed to spin. He blinked rapidly as the blood rushed to his head, but lowered his gaze in respect.
“Ap-apologies, Sir Wil, I was not expecting-”
“Shh-shhh it's okay. You’re not in trouble,” Sir Wil assured. He sat up, hands raised in a placating motion. Technoblade was slightly annoyed that Sir Wil was treating him like a startled animal, but resisted rolling his eyes. “Honestly, I was just coming to see if you were settling in. But you were so cute, all curled up that I just had to stay a while.”
Technoblade felt his cheeks warm. Cute? Heh?
“It’s-I’m fine, Sir Wil. You don’t need to-”
“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal, Technoblade. Call me Wil,” Was this guy going to keep interrupting him? Technoblade frowned.
“Forgive me, Sir Wil, but I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be so familiar,” Technoblade insisted, shifting from foot to foot. He winced as his head spun from the motion, briefly there were two Sir Wils before him.
“I insist,” Sir Wil said, fluidly standing from the bed. Technoblade stiffened as the man came closer. “I didn’t come here as Sir Wil, advisor to the King. I came here as Wil, Tommy’s brother, someone looking for a pleasant chat with an interesting person. We didn’t get to talk much at all before. You know how Kings are. They demand all of your attention. And today has been so turbulent, I’m sure it could come as quite a shock for you.”
“It’s-” Technoblade trailed off, not sure what he was going to say. Honestly, a shock was an understatement. It had been a very confusing day. He wasn’t even sure why he was here in this room. Had the High Priest said? He didn’t remember if he did. Sir Wil might know, but Technoblade wasn’t sure if it would be rude to ask. And High Priest Jericho’s warning was still fresh in his mind. Was this some kind of trap? More so than usual conversations were traps?
Technoblade was pulled from his thoughts when Sir Wil clapped his hands together.
“I know! What if we leave this tiny room and go see Tommy?” Sir Wil grinned as he tilted his head to the side, a strange glint in his eye. “I wouldn’t call him a relaxing presence, but it would be so much fun! I just know he would love to see you again. He’s done nothing but talk about you and your trip through the city. And our rooms are close to this wing of the palace, I made sure of that. We can head over there now. I know Tommy has been sneaking into the kitchen to pilfer snacks for you, the little gremlin. It will be wonderful. What do you say?”
“I-Sir Wil, I can’t,” Technoblade shook his head.
“Oh, it's perfectly alright,” Sir Wil’s words were like honey. Technoblade shivered as they seemed to melt into the crevices of his thoughts, making them soft like dough. His shoulders relaxed as he stared Sir Wil in the face, brown eyes the only thing he could focus on. The only thing he wanted to focus on. Of course everything was perfectly alright! Sir Wil said so. The man grinned at him and stepped closer, tugging Technoblade’s wrist towards the door. His fingers just briefly brushed the hidden iron under Technoblade’s sleeve. “You will be much happier in our room. With us. We’ll keep you safe. You won’t have to worry about the priests or the Church. I promise.”
Safe. Honestly, Technoblade couldn’t imagine not having to worry about the Church. Though he always craved a small taste of freedom, he wasn’t sure he could truly imagine it. The lingering threat of punishment had hung over his head for as long as he could remember, the sword of Damocles always a breath from falling. The idea that he could just leave it behind was a balm on his soul. A long forgotten wish.
The words were more than tempting. Technoblade smiled slightly, taking a step to follow Sir Wil. Sir Wil beamed, cooing as Technoblade followed. Honestly, to be free of the Church always sounded impossible. Especially with-
“-You are not to leave this room without express permission from one of the Church. Do not try to sneak away. Do not talk back. There are no more warnings, no more second chances. Do only what you are told.” The High Priest had said.
Technoblade jerked and ripped his hand out of Sir Wil’s grasp, gasping as he took a step back. Sir Wil startled, eyes wide.
“I can’t-I can’t leave this room,” Technoblade gasped, heart racing. He shook his head and stepped away as Sir Wil’s hand came up toward him. Gods, what was he thinking? “I’m-I’m sorry, Sir Wil. I can’t leave.”
“Technoblade, I promise that-”
“No,” Technoblade shook his head frantically, stumbling back. He found himself gripping the bracelet tightly, the iron still hidden under his sleeve. “I can’t.”
Sir Wil frowned, looking slightly put out. The man hummed, and Technoblade shuddered. Great, now he had pissed him off. He had been too rude, too loud. He had even told him No . Not that he had a choice. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And the damnation of the High Priest could be so much worse. This was going to be the end of him. This whole conversation had been a trap from the start. Why would anyone important want to talk to Technoblade? Technoblade pressed his wrist against his chest and looked at the ground. It was a fight to keep his neutral facade, but he didn’t want to appear pathetic when Sir Wil inevitably got mad. He would keep some of his pride in the face of his end. There were few things in his life he could control, but this would be one of them.
“Okay,” Technoblade’s eyes shot back up to Sir Wil. The man was smiling once again. “We can stay in here for now. If you do something for me.”
“...what would you have me do for you, Sir Wil,” Technoblade asked slowly. Sir Wil snorted.
“I want you to call me Wil. Just Wil. Really, it isn’t that hard,” Sir Wil chuckled. “I understand that you probably have to call me Sir around others, but when it's just you and me? I would prefer to just be Wil. I’ve never cared much for titles. Well, that’s a lie, actually. I am honestly quite fond of some titles. But not from you. Just call me Wil.”
Technoblade hesitated again, scrutinizing Sir Wil’s expression. He wasn’t accustomed with such…familiarity. Not with someone so clearly important. Important people enjoyed the subservience of those under their heel, not acquaintanceship. Not with Technoblade. Yet he… seemed genuine.
“Plus, it would be soooo awkward if you called Tommy his name, and then I’m stuck as ‘Sir Wil’. Do you know how much the gremlin would tease me with that? I would be hearing about it for years. Decades even. You gotta help a mans out here, Technoblade.”
“Alright. I supposed I can do that…Wil,” Technoblade narrowed his eyes to gauge Wil’s reaction, but Wil clapped his hands in glee.
“Excellent,” Wil said, stepping closer to Technoblade once more. Technoblade tensed as Wil approached, but the brunette didn’t act as if he noticed. Wil tugged on his sleeve, leading him toward the bed.
“Here, let's sit down and talk. Tommy can suffer on his own for a little while. I want to know more about you , Technoblade,” Wil gently pushed Technoblade to sit on the bed, hands pressed on Technoblade’s shoulders. Or at least, he started to do so.
“Why do you smell like horses?” Wil scrunched his nose in distaste, hands still on Technoblade’s shoulders.
“Because I was working with horses?” Technoblade raised a brow. A brief wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes briefly, before looking back at a concerned Wil’s face.
“Are you alright?”
“Yep,” Technoblade tried to pull away, but Wil was not having that. “I’m perfect.”
“I mean, I agree, but-” His nose scrunched up again. “Honestly, did you just rub up against a horse all day. It’s just so… strong . How can you stand the smell?”
Technoblade thought back to the hour or so he had spent just laying ontop of Rocket, making small yet complex braids in her mane.
“You get used to it,” He shrugged. Wil huffed.
“Nope. No, we are not doing this. You are going to go take a shower.”
“Heh?”
Wil ignored him and rushed over to the nearest wardrobe, throwing it open with a flourish. He scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“I know they have an aesthetic going on, but the ‘all white clothing thing’ is a little much.” Wil yanked out clothes seemingly at random. Not that it mattered, they were probably all the same. “Especially if you are going to be working with horses. Or, you know, blood, since you are supposed to slaughter vampires or whatever. Seriously, did they think anything through?”
Technoblade snorted, covering his mouth to cover the smile. But Wil turned to grin at him.
“It may have crossed my mind before, as well,” Technoblade said with as much neutrality as he could muster. He wasn’t sure how well he did, though, as Wil’s grin grew.
“I’m sure. I would guess that it’s the Blessed that are the most inconvenienced by it. And the launderers. Honestly, I bet if I looked at the ledgers, the amount of money spent on bleach alone would be ridiculous,” Wil tossed the clothes at Technoblade, who caught them reflexively. Before he could think of an appropriate response, he was being pushed toward a door he hadn’t noticed.
It was a bathroom, ornately decorated. The room itself was larger than the communal showers that Technoblade was used to, plush towels sat folded on mahogany shelves. Marble tile contrasted with dark wine red rugs. A golden basin sat under a polished faucet, drawing attention away from a massive clawfoot tub. Technoblade could just glimpse a shower head behind a frosted pane of glass.
“Sorry it’s so small. They were very insistent about Hallowlance getting the biggest room,” Wil frowned. The brunette tsked and crossed his arms, before nudging Technoblade with his elbow. “Everything you need should be in here. Don’t drown.”
“Heh?” Technoblade turned to watch Wil as he ambled out the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a soft thunk. Technoblade blinked a couple of times, before turning back to the bathroom. He sighed and pulled off his boots, tossing them by the door before he undressed.
The shower was more complicated than the ones back in the Cloister, but Technoblade wasn’t surprised by this. Everything today had been more complicated. Technoblade wouldn’t be surprised if he learned a more complicated way to breathe by tomorrow. Or blink. Maybe the High Priest would require him to blink scripture in morse code from now on. When he first turned on the shower, he jumped back in surprise at how hot it was. He fiddled with the knobs until he found a setting that didn’t boil him alive. Something much more manageable. He scrubbed quickly, trying to get all of the dirt and sweat off his skin. When he marveled over some of the sweet-scented soap, he paused.
What was he doing?
Why was he just…hanging out with a King’s Advisor? An advisor that the High Priest obviously hated! This was just-what? This was the height of stupidity. There is no way the Church would approve of this. Technoblade didn’t have any power to make Wil stop talking to him, but he could be as prickly as necessary to make the man lose interest. It shouldn’t be hard. Most people didn’t really like Technoblade. At least, he assumed so. Most everyone avoided him, Steve being the only exception. But this guy wasn’t. And that was…nice. But it would get him killed. He just-no. He couldn’t. He had to find a way to shake off the Advisor.
He reached out and slapped one of the knobs, turning the water icy cold. He sucked air through his clenched teeth as his muscles seized from the sudden temperature change. He had to get a hold of himself. He couldn’t let a sudden change in scenery, a sudden change in the predictable trajectory of his life deceive him. The base facts were the same. He was still in the same position he had always been in, and he needed to tread carefully . It didn’t matter how nice Wil- Sir Wil was. He couldn’t let his guard down.
He quickly ran his fingers through his slightly damp hair, not bothering with braiding it. He used one of the least decorative towels to strain as much water out of it as possible before getting dressed. He only had to hold on to the sink for a couple moments to prevent the world from spinning out from under him. Steeling himself, he walked barefoot out of the bathroom, hoping that Sir Wil had decided to leave while he lingered in the shower.
That hope was dashed almost immediately.
“That was much faster than I was expecting,” Wil looked completely comfortable on the bed, shoes discorded haphazardly on the floor. He hopped off the bed and skipped over to Technoblade, grabbing at his arm. “Come on. The bed is incredibly comfortable. You can floor sleep some other time.”
“Sir Wil, -”
“Ah-ah! Nope, wrong. It’s Wil, not Sir Wil. You already agreed.”
“But-”
“Nope,” Wil sat a hand on Technoblade’s shoulder and steered him toward the bed. “No buts-shit, now I’m sounding like Dad. But I can’t have you calling me Sir. Nope. Nipping that in the butt now.”
“Bud.”
“What?”
“Nipping it in the bud. That’s the phrase. Not butt,” Technoblade said as he sat on the bed, spine straight as an arrow and intensely uncomfortable no matter how soft the bed was.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“It’s based on botany. Trimming the buds of flowers, in order to properly prune. It allows for better growth for a plant in the long run, even if you have to cut a piece of it away in the first place,” Technoblade scooted to the side as Wil sat, barely escaping the arm that reached out over his shoulder. Wil pouted.
“Well, I like butt better-”
“Shocking,” Technoblade deadpanned.
Wil giggled, hand covering his mouth. His laugh was infectious, and Technoblade found himself relaxing before chastising himself. Prickly personality. Unlikability. He has to get rid of him.
Wil finally collected himself, dramatically wiping a tear from his eye.
“You’re fun,” Wil smiled, before flopping backwards on the bed, head resting on the pillows. He patted the bed beside him, motioning for Technoblade to lie down. Technoblade merely frowned.
“Come and lay down, Technoblade,” Wil’s voice echoed. Technoblade met his eye and relaxed. It would be fine. With all the grace he could muster, Technoblade flopped on his back beside Wil. His long hair splayed across the pillows.
“So, do you like horses?” Wil asked, tilting his head. Technoblade’s brow furrowed.
“Yes?”
“Wow, you sound so sure,” Wil snarked. Technoblade gave him a look.
“I like horses,” He said instead.
“Really? Did you know that their legs are actually fingers?”
“Heh?”
“It’s true! Their legs are basically just overgrown fingers. If you look at the bone structure, horse legs are quite similar to human arms – they extend from the body, can move in the same directions, and have elbow, wrist, metacarpal bones, and phalanges. The wrist in horses is called the knee, but when you look below the knee, horse legs are really similar to the middle finger. It looks as if a huge middle finger is extended all the way down to the hooves,” Wil continued, wildly gesticulating with his hands.
“Okay…” Technoblade trailed off confused, making a note to ask Steve about this but also wondering if Wil was completely well.
“Yeah, when I learned that, I couldn’t decide if horses were trustworthy or not,” Wil continued. “Because, how do you know if they are flipping you off or not? They have four middle fingers, so that means they could be flipping you off constantly and you would never know! What if there is a horsey equivalent of giving the bird and I would never know? I don’t think I could deal with the disrespect, Technoblade.”
“Do you often spend your time trying to decide if animals are disrespectful or not?” Technoblade was trying very hard not to laugh. He was going to be unfriendly, not appealing to talk to. He was not going to laugh.
“Of course not. Well, unless we are discussing anteaters. But they are so obviously untrustworthy and disgusting little creatures, no one would argue with me there,” Wil said assuredly.
“Of course not. Completely obvious.”
“Yay! Validation. I rub it on my skin,” Wil mimed rubbing his face, Technoblade’s lip twitched. “So, you are around horses a lot, right? Do you know if there is an equine equivalent to giving someone the bird?”
“I think a horse would just bite you if they didn’t like you Si-, I mean Wil,” Technoblade said. “Or maybe trample you.”
“Oh My Gods, you're right. Trampling! That must be it,” Wil facepalmed. “Literally hitting people with all four middle fingers at once. It's so obvious.”
Technoblade couldn’t help it, he laughed. Maybe only slightly hysterically. But Wil smiled warmly as Technoblade composed himself.
“So, enough about me. Time to ask about you,” Wil said. “Let’s see. What’s your favorite color? Mine’s teal.”
“Hmmm,” Technoblade thought, before shrugging. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’? That’s like the easiest question ever,” Wil whined. Technoblade forgot all about being prickly.
“No one’s ever really asked me that before,” Technoblade pushed some of his hair out of his face, completely missing Wil’s frown. “And I haven’t really ever thought about it.”
“Well, think about it now. I want to knooowww,” Wil continued to whine. Technoblade rolled his eyes, and thought about it.
“Definitely not white,” Technoblade said earnestly. “And I don’t really like brown either. I still like red, even though…”
Technoblade trailed off, not finishing that thought. Crimson robes filling his mind with a shudder.
“Blue is a nice color,” Technoblade looked up at the ceiling as he thought, the only thing visible was the red cloth strung across the four posts. “The really dark blue you get when it’s almost dawn. Or the really light blue of a clear day.”
He couldn’t think of anything bad that was blue.
“Awww, teal is basically blue! We are like twins,” Wil grinned.
“I’m pretty sure that isn’t how twins work,” Technoblade’s lips quirked into a very small smile.
“Semantics,” Wil brushed off. “Okay, so how tall are you? Because you are almost as tall as me, which is really impressive by the way-”
Wil asked question after question, Technoblade answering as well as he could. Most of the questions about his likes or dislikes took a long time for him to answer, which seemed to frustrate Wil. Occasionally, something Technoblade said would make Wil frown and Technoblade would see the embers of a rage that made him slightly nervous. A slight tinge of insanity mixed with fury. Yet on and on the questions went, as the hours ticked by, Technoblade relaxed more and more. The warning of the High Priest was not forgotten, but something inside craved the attention that Wil was giving him. And it was a losing battle to tamp out that unknown need. So he did nothing to dissuade Wil’s questions.
“Okay, but what about your favorite food?”
“Potatoes,” Technoblade said instantly, spurring Wil to start laughing.
“Okay, but what kind-”
“If it is a potato, I want it,” Technoblade said instantly, then amended. “But I won’t say no to carrots.”
“That’s not very specific, Technoblade,” Wil admonished.
“Well, I don’t get a lot of control over what I eat, Wil,” Technoblade shot back. Wil frowned and Technoblade hesitated a moment before venturing to ask. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Sand,” Wil said offhandedly, sitting up slightly and glancing around the room.
“Heh?”
“Sand, duh. I like the way it crunches in my teeth,” Wil said distractedly, before looking at Technoblade. “Did you eat dinner? I don’t see any plates or a tray left in here. Did they already take them?”
Technoblade paused and thought for a moment. He hadn’t eaten, no. He shrugged in response.
“I’m not sure how long I was asleep. I might have missed dinner. No big,” Technoblade brushed off, but suddenly Wil looked livid.
“Except all of the Blessed are supposed to have food brought to their room. That was the rule the High Priest insisted on to limit contact. If you haven’t eaten, it means they never brought it,” Wil hopped off the bed, striding purposefully toward the door.
“Wait, Wil, what are you doing?” Technoblade was quick to follow, dread settling in his stomach.
“I’m going to find whoever is responsible and shred them,” Wil nearly growled. Technoblade shivered at the sound, fear traveling up his spine. But he rushed forward and grabbed Wil’s wrist before the brunette made it to the door.
“It’s fine. It’s just one meal, it’s not worth it. They probably just thought I had already ate at the Cloister-”
“It is not fine, Technoblade,” Wil was furious. Technoblade felt himself panicking. “And I am going to make sure they realize just how not fine their treatment of you is.”
There are no more warnings, no more second chances.
He had to stop him.
Technoblade dropped to his knees.
“I beg you, Sir Wil, please don’t do this,” Technoblade’s voice shook almost as much as his hands as he kneeled. He kept his eyes firmly on the floor, hair falling into his face. “I truly appreciate your concern, I do! You’re being extremely kind. But it would be me facing the consequences of this.”
Technoblade swallowed, Wil had stopped moving and was saying nothing.
“And I really don’t want to face those consequences,” Technoblade continued, iron bracelet feeling heavier than usual. “Please, just-please just leave it. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Sir Wil was silent, the only sound was Technoblade’s frantically beating heart. Technoblade wasn’t sure if the way the room was spinning was because of his fear, or a symptom of his fever getting worse. He supposed it didn’t matter in the end, if Sir Wil didn’t decide to drop it.
“It’s Wil,” Sir Wil’s voice sounded tight, Technoblade did not look up as the man took a deep breath. “You already agreed on just Wil.”
Technoblade stayed silent, still looking at the floor. Sir Wil groaned, before Technoblade noticed the steps getting closer.
“I’m sorry, Technoblade,” Wil bent down, gently putting a hand on Technoblade’s shoulder. Technoblade flinched. “I should have considered your position. But I won’t let this happen again, okay?”
Technoblade nodded, unable to find his voice.
“I guess I kind of ruined our conversation, huh?” Wil said mournfully. “I’m sorry for that, too.”
A hand touched his hair, pushing it out of his face. Technoblade hesitated before looking up at Wil. The man was leaning in front of him, a sad smile on his face.
“It’s getting late. I think you should go to bed for the night,” The words rang in his ears, and Technoblade nodded, slowly standing up. He should sleep. A cool hand on his shoulder steered him toward the bed. Technoblade reached out to pull back the blankets, but Wil’s hand was there first, yanking the blankets back and helping Technoblade into the bed. “Sleep, Technoblade. Tomorrow is going to be a chaotic day, I’m sure.”
Technoblade nodded slightly, eyes already closed. He felt his consciousness slowly pulled away thread by thread. He just barely noticed as Wil positioned his arms above the blankets. A hand on his arm paused, running a finger along Technoblade’s sleeve before gently pulling the white fabric away. Technoblade’s weary mind noted a finger running over the iron bracelet.
“What’s this-”
But Technoblade was already asleep.
—
Technoblade has had many unpleasant wake up calls. Gongs were the usual, but he had been literally dragged out of his bed a few times. Other times, he had been slapped awake, screamed at, or had water dumped on top of him. Truly, unless he woke up on his own, waking up was always unpleasant.
However, this was new.
“Technoblade!” A voice screeched, and then Technoblade found the air knocked out of him. He sat up with a start, gasping for air. When he looked down, a blond teenager was sprawled across his stomach, blue eyes looking up at him with a mischievous grin.
“Who let this loud blond child in here?” Technoblade gasped. Tommy sputtered, grin twisting to a look of rage.
“Fuck you! I am not a child,” The child screeched. Technoblade winced at the volume.
“Right, right. Of course. Big man. Sorry, I must still have sleep in my eyes,” Technoblade rubbed at said eyes. He could feel his heartbeat in his head, and heat poured from his skin in waves. Great, fever was still going strong.
“Thank you,” Tommy said. “Bitch.”
“What are you doing in here, Tommy?” Technoblade asked suddenly, blinking himself awake. “I’m pretty sure you aren’t allowed in here.”
Wil, maybe. He was an advisor. But he didn’t see the Church letting this foul-mouthed child in.
“I go where I want, Blade. No guard is going to stop me,” Technoblade begged to differ, but he supposed the kid was in here now. Technoblade looked around the room when he noticed.
“Did you climb in through the window?” The solitary window was open, curtains blowing in the early morning breeze. Dawn was here again.
“Fuck you. Some of us can’t be all sneaky like Wil,” Tommy hissed. “Windows are perfectly good means of getting into rooms. Even better than doors.”
“How did you even get up here? This is the second floor,” Technoblade questioned.
“I climbed. Duh,” Tommy rolled his eyes.
“Are you part raccoon or something?” Technoblade deadpanned, causing an irritated Tommy to sputter and curse. But Technoblade’s attention was drawn to the loud sound of metal sliding against metal. He looked around the fuming kid to see a small window open on the iron door, a tray pushed through. Huh, that must be what Wil was talking about.
With all the care he usually took with children, Technoblade shoved a screeching Tommy into the floor and got out of the bed. The kid was…surprisingly sturdy. He ignored the threats on his life as he ran his fingers through his hair. Honestly, he should have braided it before he went to sleep. It was filled with tangles. He bent over by the door, and picked up what must be his breakfast.
A familiar porridge sat in a bowl, a small chunk of slightly burned bread sat beside it. He sat the tray on a desk and turned to say something to the invading child. He jumped when he realized the kid was right next to him, not having heard Tommy move. The kid’s face was scrunched up in disgust.
“That looks gross,” Tommy looked appalled. Technoblade shrugged, dipping the bread into the porridge and stuffing it into his mouth. Tommy gaped at him.
“It tastes about how you would think it tastes,” Technoblade said after he swallowed.
“I think it’s gotta taste like shit,” Tommy said, glaring at the tray.
“Really? You have much experience with that?” Technoblade smirked. The teen glared at him.
“Fuck you, Blade. For that, I shouldn’t give you what I brought. But because I am obviously the bigger person here, I will look past your stupid words and shit and give it to you anyways,” Tommy puffed up his chest.
Technoblade quirked an eyebrow.
“And what exactly did you bring me?” He took another bite of the bread, not even flinching at the taste but inwardly amused at the look of disgust on the other’s face.
“Stop eating that shit!” Tommy reached for the bread, but Technoblade had anticipated the grab and held it away from the kid.
“A guy’s gotta eat.”
“Then eat this instead, you pink-haired bastard,” Tommy shouted, pulling a bag from his shoulder. Curious, Technoblade bit into the bread to free both of his hands and took the bag from the teenager. Opening the flap, his eyes widened as he looked inside.
The bag was filled with fruit, nuts, and berries haphazardly thrown inside. Technoblade hesitantly pushed the food around to see fine white bread wrapped in cloth napkins, tiny glass containers of butter and jam. Technoblade pulled out a fancy glass bottle with a corked lid, the inside containing a dark red juice. He didn’t really know what to do with this, and watched as the liquid sloshed on the inside of the bottle.
“Wil mentioned that you didn’t eat dinner yesterday, so I snuck down to the kitchen and stole you some food. And it's a good thing I did if that shit was what they were going to give you. You can go ahead and thank me, I already know that I am the best at taking care of you. Wil mentioned that he accidentally gave you a panic attack and I certainly haven’t given you a panic attack. That means I am the better brother, duh!” Tommy seemed very proud of himself. Technoblade shifted the bag into one hand so he could take the bread from his mouth.
“I-Tommy, you didn’t have to do this. What if you get in trouble?” Technoblade sat the bag on the desk, next to the porridge.
“Like they would ever catch me. If they did, I would simply say ‘No thanks, bitch. I am actually too pog for that to have been me’ and then they will believe me and let me go. I’m just that great,” The kid was beaming, but Technoblade felt conflicted about the unbelievable excuse.
“Right,” Technoblade drawled, moving to take another bite of the bread. This time, he was too distracted to stop Tommy from snatching it. “Hey-!”
Tommy wound up and tossed it straight out the window. Technoblade sighed.
“That was really unnecessary,” Technoblade moved toward the porridge but once more Tommy got to it first. “Bruh!”
Techno watched as the kid grinned and started to throw the bowl as well.
“Do not!” He quickly grabbed the kid’s wrist, the kid spitting like an angry cat. “Don’t you think people might be a bit suspicious if they see a random shattered bowl outside the window of my room? Put it back!”
“Bitch. Pissboy. Fucker. Let go!” Tommy said. Technoblade wrenched the porridge out of the kid’s hand, somehow not spilling it. Well, it was unpleasantly thick, so maybe that wasn’t surprising. “I could have prevented you from taking that. I was just holding back so I didn’t hurt you.”
“Right. Of course,” Technoblade sat the bowl back down. With a groan, he ran his fingers through his hair, pulling some of the tangles free. “Listen, Tommy, it’s not that I don’t appreciate you bringing all of this, but this is too big of a risk for you to take. You could get yourself hurt, or worse.”
“I’ll be fine, Blade. There is nothing to worry about! I’ve had plenty of practice. I steal the King’s breakfast all the time back home-”
Technoblade froze.
“...King’s breakfast?” He asked, his voice pitched higher than before.
“Yeah, I figured you deserved something great, so when I saw them putting together King Dante’s-”
“Tommy. Tommy, please tell me you are joking. Tell me you are not being serious,” Technoblade leaned against the desk.
“Uhhhhh-” The kids suddenly looked sheepish.
“You didn’t,” Technoblade glanced at the bag. Something so inconspicuous, but with such dire consequences.
“It’s fine. No one saw me! And it’s not like someone is around to tell!”
A sudden clanging filled the air as the locks on the iron door were loudly unlatched.
Technoblade didn’t think, merely grabbed the kid and the bag of food and threw them into the wardrobe, shutting the door with a snap. Tommy cracked open the door and called out a brief complaint before Technoblade shushed him, stepping quickly away from the wardrobe to meet the door.
It opened with a creak, announcing the arrival of Priest Jereth.
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Writing down my thoughts on Disney’s Sneakerella as they come to me
Too hot, cannot sleep. Forgot this movie was coming out, and shame on me bc I was excited for it. But I also get the feeling Disney+ kinda wanted people forgetting it was coming out, I don’t remember a single peep on the film after that trailer dropped.
00:07 I hate those fucking pencil towers in Manhattan they bug meeeee
00:30 “Once upon a pair of sneakers” oh this is gonna rock
01:29 THIS IS A MUSICAL?
06:18 movie has a way of focusing on shoes that are objectively not special. Doesn’t mean they aren’t cool. Just not interesting enough to get a motion track. Will reserve that the movie might make a point about this later, like “yeah but aren’t all shoes special? Aren’t they all worth rocking?”
07:35 always a bummer when you notice the Cinderella movie is 2 hours long, because the og story cannot fill that time on its own so there’s gonna be 2313356 side characters that do not matter at all
09:08 Disney’s first* openly Gay character :))))))
09:43 protagonist has a mind palace so deeply wired into sneaker history that he can correctly identify that the Vans logo is old. lmao.
10:17 sorry of this sounds gatekeepy but I just do not believe sk8 hi’s qualify for the sneaker moniker
12:00 characters in movies categorized as “artists” always have this same artstyle I’m just gonna call “doodlecore.” ooh strange monster thing, UFO, fire, etc. People who do custom jobs on blank sneakers do exist and make cool shit but they also have unique artstyles unto themselves. Idk wtf this guy is going for when it comes to his own stuff. Maybe a little Jeremy Scott? I only say this bc I’m already detecting some Adidas bias in and around this movie.
13:01 main kid is plugged in enough to say things like “sneaker drop” but is still stunned to see the line is long.
14:44 the writer is struggling to communicate that the main kid is knowledgeable on sneakers because they themselves do not know what that means. So they just give him things to do that nobody does, like pulling the Myers Briggs on strangers based on the shoes they’re wearing. He unpacks why a man is wearing 1s as if that unravels his whole personality and never once considers it’s because that is still the most popular Jordan by a wide margin.
16:02 don’t wanna dump on this kid’s custom shoes too much, but I’ve been to sneaker releases just like this and am decently confident he would get bullied
21:53 editing is really doing something here. A charcacter will be sanding still and, between shots, 1/24th of a second, they will be in a full sprint.
22:12 New Yorkians really think they invented living in a city. “Ey you never been to da corner store? It’s da corner store! You buy things! Bada Bing.”
22:54 CGI spray paint CGI spray paint
22:54(cont) “hey girl, lil Manhattan belle, let me pull you away to a new world; type of living you never thought possible: Queens” hahahahahahaha
25:17 compelling protagonist 101: person is already a fully realized person who impresses everyone and always has the cool thing to say and their only weakness is not living in Manhattan.
28:32 this soundtrack is telling me 97% of viewers aren’t subscribed so be sure to uppercut that button and hit the bell
32:00 doing a Cinderella story has gotta be one of the tougher prompts to make work for 2 hours. Even though they definitely went “what if instead of a glass slipper it was a SNEAKER huehuehue” and figured out the rest from that. Just inevitably a very boring story because you’re beholden to the handful of things that absolutely have to happen but need to space them all out over 2 hours. Have I mentioned enough times this movie is 2 hours (I’m rounding up and accounting for blogging time).
35:16 going to assume right now the writers think they made up a Sneaker Con and do not know there is a real Sneaker Con, only because I don’t think Disney would want to directly associate with whatever the fuck Sneaker Con has mutated into this past year.
37:10 this girlfriend character’s sister is not doing a good job here, lol, I’m sorry
37:10(cont) girlfriend character has been tasked with finding a new designer for her family’s signature shoe. Time limit is 2 weeks. Shoes take just slightly longer than that, conception to execution, just like a day or two longer I think
39:31 *holding a beaker of science juice* finally. Straight male character with Lesbian Best Friend
42:48 always interesting when you can notice the exact moment in a scene where dialogue was cut. Character just jumps from slightly distressed to wildly upset on a reverse shot.
43:41 does the stepfather character deserve a redemption arc? It’s Sneakerella on Disney+, man, drop the sword sometimes.
44:47 sometimes I feel bad in these scenes where young actors are trying really hard. Not because I think I’m being harsh on them, I feel bad because they’re doing it in the name of a concept one degree removed from an SNL skit.
46:32 unclear whether main kid has a) given up sneaker designing because his mom died, b) given up sneaker designing because of self confidence issues, c) given up sneaker designing at all because he’s already done it like three times now
50:40 “pretty weird fit for stocking shelves” is a good line
53:17 at a point this movie stopped trying to convince me this kid designed cool shoes and is now asking me to just take their word for it. Odd quality for a visual medium to have.
54:30 the magic carriage in this version is just a pretty nice car. Getting the feeling Disney didn’t spend much on this.
56:47 they either explicitly referenced the Disney splash logo or reused animation assets. Don’t know enough about animation to call it but one of these possibilities is funnier than the other.
57:43 a gay character being in this movie constitutes homophobia
1:00:00 this script works in sneakerhead nomenclature about as well as an undercover cop trying to smoke some reefer with you cool kids
1:03:19 okay hold on: girlfriend character was tasked with finding a talented new designer for her families shoe brand and just didn’t ask the one sneaker designer she knows? Did I miss something. Why the fuck didn’t she call him. She remembers who he is, remembers his name. Am I just stupid.
1:03:19(cont) hey, set designer, come over here. *CDG converse behind a glass case? Are we serious? Are you being for real? That’s what you think a grail is? Did you get that from tiktok?*
1:04:55 okay so she just didn’t know he designed shoes, just thought he was big into them.
1:08:00 their stand in for cinderella being a fake princess is main kid being a fake... famous shoe designer? People at this gala think he’s like this super secret yet already accomplished sneaker designer. I ask, who cares. If you all like the shoe so much what does it matter.
1:09:05 “How will I find you again???” YOU WENT TO HIS HOUSE
1:14:41 they couldn’t get one person actually involved in the sneaker business to cameo in this? Jeff Staple could not have been busy.
1:16:31 the choreography in these songs needs to be seen to be believed.
1:17:00 in this version, it is not a matter of who fits the shoe, because the girlfriend knows exactly what he looks like. Literally just a matter of her glancing at someone and being like “no not you.”
1:19:50 the third act of every Cinderella story movie is such a chore. Its a trial and error thing by this point but no we 34% more shit going on
1:21:47 step brother characters are the best in the movie, no contest. Every face these guys make I’m weak
1:23:23 okay I think I like this villain song. It’s not good but also it’s very good. Also bizarre to have the villain song be the last song but do you, movie.
1:25:26 main kid is so reluctant to participate in his own movie they invented a friend character to drag him everywhere. Just noticed how frustrating this is. Whole movie he’s just “oh, i dunno, what if they laugh at me :(((”
1:26:10 “you lied to me!” “no, it’s a misunderstandng” there are twenty minutes left plz we dont have time for this i wanna go to bed
1:30:12 nearly ninety minutes later and the narrator is back for one line. Editing marvel, this.
1:32:32 the only “hrm unrealistic much” thing I subscribe to is characters waking up with makeup on, shit’s so stupid
1:35:36 once you notice there’s only two exterior sets you can’t go back
1:38:28 in the universe of this film, Sneaker Con takes place in the lobby of an apartment building
1:38:28 “they’re 1:1...just like you :))))))))))))))))))))” I’m very tired
1:41:20 the best musicals have you forgetting its a musical until the next song happens
1:43:44 this writer is a Hamilton fan, I can sniff out these things
1:47:10 jury’s out on whether this writer knows what a Yeezy is. Couldve done with some deep cuts like, idk, British Knights. Or Rick Owens, those are in right now. But I also buy they had literally only heard of Air Jordans before committing to make this movie.
1:49:31 counting returning writers, this was written by nine people.
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Love Cuts Deep
Chapter 12- Whatever It Takes
Summary: This is it, you’re finally going to help save the world and if all goes to plan, bring Bucky back in the process.
Warning: bit o angst
Masterlist
It’s been a solid month since Tony and Rocket have been crafting tirelessly on the construction of the giant time portal machine type deal, or whatever he’s calling it nowadays. And to your great surprise, as well as everyone else’s, the first test run with Clint was an undeniable success.
Compared to the first one with Scott, things have come a long way.
Clint was able to wander around in that alternate universe for a couple minutes without returning with so much as a single scratch. Thus boosting the teams confidence and excitement for the inevitable time heist that’s in the works. So as of now, everyone’s currently brainstorming as to how this will go about for the most successful mission possible.
“Okay, so the how works.” Begins Steve as everyone sits around the large meeting room, glass screens projecting info about the stones displayed in the background, “Now, we gotta figure out the when and where. Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones...”
Tony cuts in with his spout of knowledge, “Or substitute the word “encounter” for “damn near been killed” by one of the six Infinity Stones.” Damn straight, your ass got launched into a Wakandian tree last you saw those goddamn stones.
“Well I haven’t..” Interjects Scott with a puzzled look, confusion clear in his voice, “..but I don’t even know what the hell you’re all talking about.” Oh right, he missed out on all the fun while he was fucking around in the quantum realm.
Sitting on the table you shrug, “Be glad you’ve never seen them, those fucking space rocks will kick your ass if used less then kindly, but it doesn’t matter now. From my understanding we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each.” You explain as they all listen intently, “And clearly these fucking stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history.”
Tony nods, “Our history. So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in, yeah?”
“Which means we have to pick out targets.” Adds Clint as Tony points in his direction, “Correct.”
Steve soon gains everyone’s attention once again, “So, let’s start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?” Asks the blonde, all eyes turn towards the back corner of the room to find Thor slouched in an armchair, beer can in hand while the other one keeps partially hidden in his pajama pants.
A dark pair of sunglasses conceals whether he’s currently awake or not. “Is he asleep?” Wonders Natasha as Rodney humorously adds, “No, no. I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”
A few soft chuckles are heard as you listen intently to the god of thunder, “He’s alive, and most definitely sleeping off that last beer.” You muse as they all give a collective curious brow while you simply shrug, “I can hear his heartbeat, and it’s low enough to tell me he’s not dead.....Well, at least not yet.” You mutter, eyeing up the sleeping giant as an idea sparks into your head.
A second later you pick up a discarded empty beer can sitting right next to you on the table before throwing it at the snoozing god, the thin metal smacks against his forehead with that familiar pop of the can sound, falling to the ground with a crackly ting as Thor jolts awake. And back to the land of the living.
“Nordic Santa you’re up.” His head snaps in your direction as he gives a semi-awkward half grin.
“Ah right, right, thank you angry one.” Points Thor with a genuine smile now as he quickly gets up before walking over to the screen depicting the red swirly like stone substance. Although soon he delves into the finding of the red mass, what it did to his former flame, that he took her to Asgard seeking help for her sickness, how he showed Jane to his mother, and then he immediately got sad and lost all motivation and train of thought on anything related to that stone.
Ah yes, personal trauma. It’ll do that to you.
Later that day when everyone was feasting on some Chinese takeout, Rocket began an in-depth explanation into where the Power Stone was found; by some guy named Quill who stole it from a planet called Morag. After some time later, Nebula revealed that the Soul Stone was retrieved from Vormir, the place where Thanos murdered her sister Gamora.
It’s been an interesting day to day the least.
Now here you are, slouched comfortably in a lounge chair you stole from the other room, flipping around a pocketknife as Natasha and Tony lay on the nearby table with Bruce sprawled out on the floor in all his Banner-Hulkness. Books scattered everywhere as the two Avengers keep comfortable on some decorative couch pillows as you listen to them brainstorm about the stones whereabouts.
Flipping the knife skillfully between your fingers an idea suddenly pops into your head, “Hey what about that time stone guy you were talking about earlier.”
Banner hums, “Doctor Strange.”
“Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?” Wonders Natasha as you mentally question the same proposition when Tony gives his quick witted answer. “Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit-from-hat.”
“Nice place in the Village, though.” Adds Bruce, Tony agreeing in an instant. “Yeah, on Sullivan Street?”
“Mmm....Bleecker Street.” Mutters Banner as Natasha interrupts, face shifting to realization. “Wait, he lived in New York?”
“No, he lived in Toronto.” Sasses Tony as Banner reveals the truth. “Uh, yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan.”
Tony coming back with more playful sarcasm, “Have you been listening to anything?”
Suddenly it feels like a lights been switched on in your brain, “Guys.” You quickly implore as they keep silent to listen, “If you pick the right year, wouldn’t there be three stones in New York?” Their faces all collectively shift to astonished realization when Bruce quickly sits up to look at you. “Shut the front door.”
“Well at least someone is paying attention.” Quips Tony as Natasha smacks him with a book.
——
“All right.” Begins Steve as the whole team gathers in the meeting room, “We have a plan. Six stones, three teams, one shot.”
You nod, smirking with excitement, “Let’s get these fuckers and maybe end up saving the world while we’re at it.” He sends you a proud grin and within the next half an hour are the eleven of you suited up and standing in a large circle atop the glass of the giant time portal.
“Five years ago, we lost. All of us....we lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams. You know your missions. Get the stones. Get them back. One round-trip each. No mistakes....no do-overs.”
“Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn’t mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives...and we’re gonna win.” Affirms Steve with a mutual nod, “Whatever it takes.” He gives one last look around the circle of familiar faces before nodding, “Good luck.”
Nudging the muscular blonde, he shares a small smile with you as you quickly return it, “You practice that last night?” Steve chuckles at your amusing comment while Rocket and Scott gush over his admittedly incredible motivational speech skills.
“Just thought the team could use the confidence boost.” Admits Steve as Bruce flicks the motherboards switches to get the time portal up and running. The machine whirs to life while everyone begins putting on their helmets.
Your slightly apprehensive gaze trails to your left where Natasha is standing, she gives a playful smirk as you force a true smile, “See you in a minute.” Chides the red head as you break out into a smirk.
“будь осторожен там Romanoff.” You add, shifting into your natural dialect that she’s all to familiar with, your actual words translating to “be careful out there” as you give her one last flash of a grin.
A hot second later, your body shrinks to the size of an atom as you feel like you’re entire body is free falling out of an airplane in some strange rainbow colored portal that shifts to shimmering diamonds and then finally a blue coral type texture as you find your teams designed route down some swirling tube of blues and bright white lights until at last you land in...
“Holy shit look at this place.” You mutter in absolute awe at the large golden pillars of Asgard, there was no fucking way you were missing out on traveling to this realm. And anyways, Steve kinda made it your task to keep the potbellied god of thunder in check as yourself and Rocket attempt to locate the Reality Stone with Lebowski as your generous tour guide.
Thor smiles fondly, proudly beaming at you with a rare form of happiness as he points towards the large cavernous halls of the royal palace, “Oh this? Yeah, it’s neat isn’t it, I grew up here....played games down this very hallway actually. Me and some friends used to spar one another as children down here with wooden sticks that looked like swor...”
“Thor.” Interrupts Rocket with an annoyed huff, “Remember why we’re actually here.”
You nod in agreement, quickly remembering the current mission, “He’s right. No time to dwell on fond memories, we need to find that stone before anyone sees us. And going by the logic of literally every time traveling movie I’ve ever seen, which admittedly isn’t a lot, but it’s enough that I know no one can see us. Especially you Thor, that would be a big problem for this timeline, so lead the way.”
“Yes, right on that, good point Y/N....okay um...” He looks around for a moment before pointing in the direction of choice, which is down a long spacious hallway, “This way, no ones gonna see us if we go by the dungeons.” Explains Thor as he quickly leads the way down the obnoxiously long hallway that thankfully is decently vacant.
After about five minutes of trekking around the castles interior, Thor guides you and Rocket down a long stairwell of dark grey stone until you reach the bottom floor. There are large basins of fire lighting the way down the lengthy hallway pass, he jogs past a couple golden tinged cells holding a few odd looking prisoners on your way out.
No doubt these fuckers look like they deserve it.
You pay them no mind as Thor hustles silently across the flooring to a door on the far end, though as you’re shuffling past another cell, your eyes land on the green and black clad slender body of a dark haired man laying atop his bed. Face focused towards the white ceiling as he tosses a cylindrical piece of metal in a repeated rhythm only done by that of an incredibly bored individual.
That must be his brother Loki, you draw into conclusion while racing out of sight of the trickster god while Rocket makes haste by your side. Kind of handsome, you think as an unknowing smile finds itself onto your face. God Y/N you truly are a desperate woman. No, just no.
Eventually, Thor leads your little team of three upstairs to some large balcony type area with a grand view of Asgard, the three of you keeping hidden behind one of the multitude of intricately decorated pillars as he eyes up a woman halfway out of a giant door while she accepts some clothing from a maid.
His bearded face lights up in joy as he points a finger towards the brunette woman, “Oh, there’s Jane.” Whispers Thor as she closes the door, the Asgardian maiden leaving and walking elsewhere down another yawning chamber.
“All right.” Starts Rocket as he stands on some ancient rock covered in unknown hieroglyphics before jumping down to face the two of you once the coast is clear, “Here’s the deal tubby. You’re gonna charm her, Y/N’s gonna keep watch, and I’m gonna poke her with this thing..” He shows some strange metal device with three silver prongs sticking out of it, “...and extract the Reality Stone, and get gone lickety-split.”
The optimism off of this creature never fails to astound you.
“Yeah, what he said.” You add with a shrug in Rocket’s direction as Thor sniffs before raising up a finger. “I’ll be right back, okay? The wine cellar is just down here...” Interjects Thor as he slowly begins walking away, clearly ready to abandon his part in the mission, “My father used to have this huge barrel of Aakonian ale. I’ll see if the scullery has a couple of to-go cups.”
“Hey. Hey!” You whisper yell, causing him to stop for the moment, “Aren’t you drunk enough already? Fuck that fancy wine we got better things to do.” You urgently vouch just as some doors loudly open nearby, immediately the three of you hide behind the stone of hieroglyphics and watch as a long haired woman leads the way, a multitude of servants in her wake as she says something about giving books to Loki from the library.
“Who’s the fancy broad?” Wonders Rocket as you raise an intrigued brow at Thor, his eyes never once leave the woman’s as he takes a steady breath, “That’s my mother.” Reveals the disheartened god, a sudden sadness lacing his very words that does not go unnoticed by you, “She dies today.”
Your breath catches in your throat at this sudden tragic news of great loss, you remember when you lost your own mother by the filthy hands of Hydra and how they helped you quickly forget about her. You didn’t have anytime to grieve or even question her sudden disappearance for that matter, “Oh, shit...that’s today.”
You share a nervous look with Rocket as Thor begins taking some deep almost panicked breaths, his emotions all rising together like a swelling storm as his face shifts to an afflicted pain, “I can’t do this. I can’t do this....” Rambles Thor with a shake of his blonde mane, eyes displaying panic, “..I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have come. It’s a bad idea!” Whisper yells Thor as he anxiously shifts from one foot to the other.
“Come here.” Beacons Rocket from his perch on the rock.
“No, no, no...” Deviates Thor as he waves his hands nervously in the air like he’s trying to flick some mud off of them, “I think I’m having a panic attack.” Worries the flushed faced god.
“Come here. Right here.” Says Rocket as he points to the rock, an increase in irritation shifting the tone of his voice while Thor breaths heavily, clearly not on board with whatever Rocket’s going to tell him.
“No, no, no, guys I can’t...I can’t do this, I’m sorry but I’m not ready, I can’t...” Thwack, Thor yelps in surprise at your intentionally weak assault on his large bicep, “Y/N what was that for?” He half-offendedly demands, brows furrowed in confusion at the flash of anger racing across your sour glare.
“You think you’re the only one who lost people?” You snap as he lowers his head like a beaten dog, “What the fuck do you think we’re doing here? I lost the only person I ever loved, Rocket lost his whole family, gone, just like that.” You affirm with a snap of your fingers.
His face grows conflicted as you suddenly lose your heated aurora, face falling into a frown as you place a comforting hand upon his shoulder, “Thor, I know it hurts that you lost your mom...believe me I get it, but she’s gone. And there are plenty of people who are only kinda gone, and you can help them.”
Thor nods apprehensively as you share a small smile with him, “So if it’s not too much to ask, can you get your shit together for the next however long this is going to take so we can save the world?”
Rocket chuckles before gaining the both of yours attentions. “Agreed. Now all you gotta do is make schmoopy talk to Pretty Pants and when she’s not looking, suck out the Infinity Stone and help us get our family back. Aight?”
Thor nods once more, face twisting into a saddened pain a he looks down to the floor, “Okay.” Mumbles the god of thunder weakly, face reddening as his eyes get glossy. You let him take a breath as he avoids your gaze at all costs, eyes beginning to water while he tries to play it off.
Giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze, your brows furrow in puzzlement, “Are you crying?”
He shakes his head, some tears slipping despite his verbal protest, “No.” Mutters Thor weakly as his tearful gaze finally picks up to meet you, “Yes..” Squeaks out the teary eyed god while his eyes flicker from the far wall to your face once more, “...Y/N, I feel like I’m losing it. I don’t, I don’t know what I’m doing...I just feel so...shit I don’t know anymore.” Admits the fearful Asgardian as he avoids your softening yet slightly annoyed gaze.
oh, Thor you sad motherfucker. I’ve been there.
Rolling your eyes you gently shake his shoulder for emphasis, “Listen to me you big lion, get your shit together! You can do this. You’re the god of thunder for fucks sake, you can do this Thor.” His face turns into a surprisingly more confident expression as he huffs with a self-assured nod. “I can do this.”
“Yeah...I can do this.” Repeats the Asgardian with a sniffle.
Smirking, you give his arm a friendly smack, “Good. Now let’s do this and get the fuck out of here.” You add before swiftly turning on your heel as you and Rocket lead the way to the door, reaching it, the talking raccoon tugs on your leg before you get a chance to open it. “What is it now?”
“Y/N, we lost him.”
“What?!” Realizing Thor has indeed slipped away and out of sight, you clench your fists in irritation, “Goddammit.” You seethe before looking down at Rocket, “Whatever, we’ll find marshmallow fluff later, let’s just get this stupid rock.”
——
Racing down the palaces golden hallways, your boots thud against the stony ground as Rocket runs on all fours right behind you, “I almost hope they catch you!” You shout in between the yelling of the royal guards as they hastily pursue the two of you down the hallway.
“We got the stone didn’t we!” Snaps Rocket as you pick up your pace.
“We gotta make it back first you dumbfuck!”
He grumbles something unintelligible before you follow the beer tinged scent of Thor into another room, he’s speaking with his mother when they quickly turn around, “Oh, uh, hello...uh, queen something.” You mutter before Rocket practically smacks into the back of your legs. “I got the thing. Come on. We gotta move.”
Thor nods, speaking some last final heartfelt goodbyes to his mother before abruptly stopping the countdown to three just so he can summon his hammer. After a couple lengthy seconds, Mjolnir falls right into his strong grasp causing Thor to laugh and smile in excitement. “I’m still worthy! I’m still worthy.”
Rocket shares a look with you, “Oh, boy.” Mumbles the raccoon as you simply roll your eyes at the bearded Asgardian prince. A moment later the three of you are sucked into the time portal once again before landing on the glass of the time portal machine.
“Did we get them all?” You hear Steve ask in wonder as you hold your stomach from the jostling ride back.
“I think I’m gonna throw up.” You mutter as Rodney smiles in excitement at everyone around him and the stones in their proximity. “Are you telling me this actually worked?”
Taking a deep breath to steady your turning stomach, all eyes turn to Clint as he suddenly falls to his knees, face a mask of saddened grief that sparks panic in your heart. “Clint, where’s Nat?” Questions Bruce as your face falls.
Not her, not Natasha too.
Standing solemnly on the Facility’s large dock with the teams main Avengers in various places close by, you lean against one of the thin steel beams, a deep frown on your lips while your fingers anxiously play with Bucky’s dog tags around your neck.
“Do we know if she had family?” Questions Tony to no on in particular.
Steve swallows thickly, a couple free tear stains falling down the side of his cheeks, “Yeah. Us.” Mutters the blonde gloomily as you bite your bottom lip to keep from crying again.
“What?” Wonders Thor almost in disbelief as Tony gives him a quizzical look, “Yeah, no, you guys are acting like she’s dead. Why are we acting like she’s dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones Cap, we can bring her back. Isn’t that right?” Adds Thor, glancing between all of you before facing Tony again, “So, stop this shit. We’re the Avengers. Get it together...”
“Can’t get her back.” Interrupts Clint dismally, eyes still set on the open water beyond the compound.
Thor’s brows furrow in befuddlement, “Wh-what...”
“It can’t be undone. It can’t.” Insists Clint, voice slightly wavering in despair; Thor then starts chuckling at the absurdity of the whole shitty situation before rambling about space magic and that there must be another way. Clint on the other hand quickly gets heated about this and promptly snaps at Thor about some red floaty guy he met who revealed once the Soul Stone is taken, the one sacrificed can never come back. Ever.
Soon things calmed down again, though still a rather gloomy atmosphere still lingers like a persistent hazy fog even after they all left, leaving no one but yourself and Steve on the dock. He keeps a steady gaze on the rippling water as he lets his sadness take its course, this is indeed a heavy blow to bear.
Letting out a shaky breath, you move from the leaning against the beam to instead find a spot next to him on the wooden bench. Dog tags still clutched in your fist as you steal a glance at the tearful man. You’ve admittedly never seen him so upset, well, you both may have shared a good cry when Bucky was whipped from existence five years ago. That was the first time you ever truly bonded with anyone from the team, the first time Steve and Natasha showed you their vulnerability.
And for that, you’ve formed a stronger bond with them that you’d never thought possible. They welcomed you into the compound like an old friend, always treated you with respect and gave you room when you needed it. And even when you didn’t want to be around anyone, they still forced you into playing cards with them anyways, among other dumb games. Which annoyingly so, is what your sad little self needed back then.
But without Natasha, without her beaming heart and fierce attitude to keep fighting through the unknown and murky waters, you’re not even sure if this would all still be conceivable. Or if you’d even still be here with all of them for that matter, you might have gone on an angry warpath just as Clint did when everyone he ever loved was snatched from him forever.
So why, after all this time and pain, is she the one who had to go? It’s not fare. And your heart feels broken all over again; sniffling, you swallow thickly before turning your head a little in Steve’s direction, “I didn’t know her for as long as you guys did.....but she was, really the best of us..” You laugh dismally.
Voice shaky as you hold Bucky’s tags close to your chest, “..If not better. She was the first Avenger I ever met you know, the only piece of my past that didn’t try to murder me on sight, actually. I liked her. She was who I needed to get me through my grief, among other things huh...and uh...I will miss her.....a lot.”
Nothing is heard except for the low rustling of the nearby trees as a soft wind blows into your faces, Steve clasps his hands together, turning to you, “Funnily enough, it took me some time to completely trust her, but now....there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.” Mutters Steve with the flash of a genuine smile as he thinks fondly on Natasha, who you wish more then anything could still be here to celebrate the hard work of finding those goddamn stones.
It’s not fucking fare.
Swallowing thickly, you nod in agreement as more hot tears trail down your somber face, “The world will owe her their lives and never even know it.....but I will, we all will. Her memory will live on if I can help it, we owe her that much.”
Steve slowly nods, thumbs fiddling together anxiously as he mutters a raspy, “Yeah.”
You rest a comforting hand atop his broad shoulder as he shares a mutually dismal look with you, “We’ve already lost so much already and she fought for this like no once else did, we will avenge her Steve. I don’t doubt she knows it.”
-
Tagged: @diegos-butt @minigranger @bibliophilewednesday @holyhumorliteraturelight @lilacs-lavender @a-girl-who-loves-disney @starkssnarks @vikingqueen28 @bizarrebibitch @atomicpersonacheesecake @jmstz @staygoldsquatchling02 @marvelbros-oneshots @shawnartmendes @mischiefmanaged71 @jckie94 @iamasimpingh0e @mjaudrey @thescarlettvvitch
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky barnes x reader#the winter soldier x y/n#the winter soldier x reader#the winter soldier x you#marvel imagine#marvel x y/n#marvel x you#marvel x reader#the winter soldier#fanfic#fanfiction#the avengers imagine
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road trip — s.h
Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson! Reader
Category: fluff
Summary: You and Dustin planned a little road trip to go see Suzie in Utah, and of course Steve was gonna come along for the ride.
Requested by: @ofrosesandteacups !
Word Count: 2.8k
Author’s Note: This is best read on the website rather than the mobile app, the app flubs up the formatting of it all
I really really liked this concept hehe :)
Honestly, I liked it so much that I’m going to be doing a few spin-offs for this :)
(I have five in mind!)
Also! This takes place during an alternate universe proceeding season three, but all the demogorgon stuff didn’t happen, Mews is alive, Starcourt Mall and The Palace are present, the Byers (and El) didn’t move away, and pretty much Hawkins is very normal but all beloved characters are thriving and here.
Lastly, this is kinda bad now that I’m re-reading it lmao sorry :(
—
harrington master list
“Got everything packed, dears?”
Your mom asked for the millionth time, checking over all of your belongings alongside Dustin’s things. You and Dustin both nodded, going over everything necessary once more from the list for your mother’s sake. Two weeks of planning and packing and so many long, extra nights of putting up with Keith at The Palace finally led to this fateful day — and would actually lead up to a whole month of rest and recreation.
To put it simply, you and Dustin were very eager to go on another summer get-away. As much as you both loved Hawkins, it was nice to get a breath of fresh air from the insanity at home. On the plus side to everything going on, you’d get to spend your month with your favorite boys and finally meet the girl that stole your brother’s heart nearly a year ago.
Dustin helped you pack everything into your minivan, placing the cooler in the middle and the bags on the chair that Dustin wasn’t going to be sitting in. You ran to your mom and gave her the tightest hug, Dustin joining soon after calling ‘group hug!’.
“Take care of Mews for us okay?” Dustin nodded at his mom, giving that concerned parental look to her. Your mom laughed, obviously agreeing to take care of the poor kitty for you both. Mews was your precious baby and you didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.
After long minutes of smothering hugs and kisses, you and Dustin drove over to The Palace to say your good-byes to all of Dustin’s friends. The car ride there was full of you two discussing ideas of what to do while you were in Utah and the like, Dustin scribbling ideas down on the backside of your checklist.
Roughly five minutes later, you pulled up to The Palace and hastily parked the van. You looked to Dustin for a moment as he grinned at the sight of the arcade, and you could tell straight away that he wanted to get a couple of games in before ultimately leaving.
“You can play,” You murmured in your silence, tossing a bag to him as he sat in the passenger’s seat. Dustin smiled wider than before, throwing his arms around you in a tight hug. “Now go! — I didn’t put up with Keith’s shit for extra hours for nothing,” You jested, shoving your little brother out of the car.
The quiet buzz of fuzzy arcade static, cheering of kids, and intro start-ups on replay rang in your ears. In a way, it felt peaceful to walk in here without having to reprimand kids for beating up the machines when they got angry. You walked around the carpeted floors for a little while longer, eventually spotting Dustin with the rest of the gang. You chuckled softly to yourself, quietly reminiscing of your middle school days with all your friends.
“So you’re finally leaving, huh?” Keith questioned, bursting you out of your slight daze. He slowly chomped on Cheetos, eyes narrowing at you. You smiled sheepishly, nodding as you met his gaze.
“Yep. You’re gonna have to hold up fort without me, bud,” You joked, raising a fist up to Keith. He rolled his eyes, giving a small smile before returning your fist-bump. “Gonna miss you,” You added in softly, snickering lightly. While Keith was a creepy piece of shit, you guys became really good friends over time and you were quite pleased with that.
“No you won’t,” Keith laughed, making you snort and shrug. “Have fun in Utah,” Keith finalized before you saluted him and departed from him and join your brother.
“Ready to jet?” You asked, swinging your arm around your little brother.
“Do you guys really have to leave again?” Will frowned, walking over to give you and Dustin hugs.
“It’s only for a month,” You reminded as you were hugging Will. “We’ll be back before you know it,” You smiled.
“And you could help me with my new campaign?” Will asked with hopeful eyes, and you smiled at the charming boy’s question.
“I wouldn’t trade it up for the world,”
There were numerous farewells exchanged between Dustin and the gang, and of course, you said your good-byes to the children that stole your heart. Before leaving, you gave Keith one last smile and wave — and of course, this caught Dustin’s attention.
“Since when did you get along with Keith?” Dustin asked as he slid into the passenger’s seat.
“I said he was creepy, never said I didn’t like him,” You chuckled, buckling up. “The guy is weird with single girls, but he’s … decent … enough with me,” You carefully chose, backing up out of The Palace parking lot and toward the Starcourt Mall.
—
You and Dustin luckily found Robin’s car in the parking lot of the Starcourt, and you took the convenient spot beside her. You snagged your wallet with you and gave a quick glance at your brother.
“Wanna buy ice cream before we head out?” You asked with a grin, and of course, he nodded. The both of you hastily walked into the mall and toward Scoops Ahoy with a determined stride. The two of you were so goddamn excited and were minutes away from heading out on your day-long trip and month-long vacation.
“Robin!” You cheered when you saw the pretty face of your favorite worker. She smiled and glanced over her shoulder to yell at Steve.
“Hey dingus! Your wife and kid are here!” Robin drawled with a teasing tone, and you’ve never seen the guy stumble out from behind the backroom faster. He had already changed out of his uniform, dressed in a thin sweater and jeans.
“You forgot something,” You teased, striding over to him to pluck the hat off of his head. Steve chuckled and gave you a little kiss on the cheek, taking the hat from your hands and tossing it onto the back counter. Robin rolled her eyes endearingly at the two of you — honestly finding you two disgustingly adorable.
“Let’s hurry up and go,” Dustin exaggeratedly said, causing a short laugh to come from Robin.
“Yeah, come on, lovebirds,” Robin teased. “Little Henderson’s gotta see his girl too,” You laughed, parting from Steve before leaning against the counter. You tapped the silver bell and gave a cheeky grin at Robin.
“Mind if we grab some ice cream first?”
—
In less than thirty minutes the three of you had left Hawkins with bubbling thrill in your stomachs and smiles on your faces. Steve took care of the driving duties while you were his not-so-alert passenger. You were hunched over on the dash, the list from earlier and a pencil in hand. Thus far, you three had hiking, ice cream, and museums vaguely written down.
“How about the movies?” Steve suggested. “If memory serves me right, ‘Ferris Bueller’ should be coming out,”
“Oh! ‘Aliens’ is coming out too!” Dustin reminded, and you hastily wrote down their suggestions. Steve glanced over to you for just a moment, quietly admiring you and silently doting on how cute you were. You were sat cross-legged on the seat and your face was hard with concentration as you attempted to write as legibly as possible.
“Eyes on the road, Harrington,” You called him out with a little smile playing on your lips. His eyes shot back to the road, a light blush across his cheeks. After writing down the lists, you looked back over to Steve and quickly left a short kiss on his cheek. Steve blushed a little more and giggled lowly, reaching over to hold your hand without taking his eyes off the road.
Dustin smiled to himself when he noticed Steve holding your hand daintily. Honestly, Dustin was insanely happy that you and Steve were dating. More often than not, you were full of bright grins around him. It was obvious that Steve made you happy, and that much made your brother elated.
He loved you both in his own way, and he couldn’t imagine a better summer than the one he was about to have. He was going to be surrounded by some of the most important people in his life and soon come back to see the rest.
—
By the time it was 8:00 PM, you all reached a mostly empty campsite. Sunset would come by nine and it was best to get yourselves situated sooner rather than later. Steve parked the van and you hastily popped open the trunk, crawling inside to grab the giant blankets and pillows you instructed for them to bring.
Steve began to set up a little campfire while you and Dustin set up the sleeping space — one thin blanket laid across the surface of the van as a make-shift comforter and the numerous pillows scattered where your heads would be. While Dustin worked on setting up the radio and numerous snacks for the lot of you, you fumbled with stringing up the back end of the van with the numerous set of fairy lights that you purchased from the shop.
“Good job, campers,” Steve proudly appraised, a cheesy grin on his face.
“Wow, Eagle Scout Harrington — look at you,” You jested, gesturing over to his campfire set-up. Surprisingly, he did rather well with the whole thing. Dustin applauded him and the fool bowed as if it were some performance. You chuckled at their silliness and gathered together the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Steve lurched inside the van and grabbed the metal hangers he brought along for this particular moment.
The three of you sat in the comfy back of the van, at ease with the world and one another. The night was quiet, save for the occasional bustle of the trees due to the wind or the howl of distant creatures. You head was leaning against Steve’s shoulder and your hands were intertwined while you toasted your marshmallows.
Not even a few hours into the day and the moment was already perfect. Dustin and Steve shot jokes at one another — one of which included Dustin turning into a gummy-mouth monster with the melted mallow. Music was softly playing in the front of the van and the fire warmed your shivering forms.
The meal eventually subsided, and all the laughter came to a gradual halt as you all felt sleep creep behind you. Steve held you in his arms, and you were facing your brother. While both of your boys had been asleep, you were still awake. You brushed a stray curl away from Dustin’s face and smiled to yourself, peaceful as can be.
—
Back on the road and only a few miles away from Suzie’s house. Dustin could barely contain himself as he practically bouncing in his seat, entirely fidgety and restless as the destination came closer and closer. Steve checked out Dustin through the rearview mirror and laughed.
“C’mon, bud,” Steve smiled. “Don’t get all hyper now, we’re almost there,” You smiled at the little comment and lulled your head against the seat, staring out at the barren land before you. Hawkins was filled with trees and yet here in Utah it was deserted and you could feel the heat radiating from outside. It was definitely a lot hotter than Indiana.
Before you knew it, Suzie’s house came into view and Steve parked as excruciatingly slow as possible — obviously to torment Dustin. Before Steve could even drive up to the house, Dustin was already unbuckled and literally ready to hop out of the van.
“Fuck this!” Dustin complained as Steve joked to adjust the parking one more time, and leaped out of the van. He hastily ran up to Suzie’s house and knocked on the door, rocking back and forth on his feet as he waited for the door to open.
“Should we go too?” You asked Steve as he set the van on park, and he nodded in your direction with a grin. You both stepped out of the car and by the time you approached the house, Dustin and Suzie were wrapped up in one another’s arms.
“So she is real,” Steve hummed in amusement — causing you to chuckle and slap him square in his chest.
“Of course she’s real, idiot,” You laughed, rolling your eyes. Dustin and Suzie began with the cute, but cringey nicknames and that alone almost made Steve burst out laughing. You had to cover his mouth and suppress your own laugh too, both you just grinning stupidly at one another before Suzie interrupted you two.
“Hi! You must be Dustin’s sister,” Suzie addressed you first, beaming sweetly at you with her hand extended.
“[Y/N] Henderson,” You grinned as equally bright as her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally,” You shook her hand firmly. Suzie returned the gesture, her smile practically never ceasing.
“I’ve heard only good things,” You added on with a little wink, your gaze flickering over to Dustin for a moment.
“I sure hope so,” Suzie giggled, giving her boy a playful glare.
“It’s nice to meet you, Suzie,” Steve then cut in, offering his hand out to the young girl.
“You must be Steve,” Suzie said as she adjusted her glasses for a moment, reaching to shake his hand immediately after. “Dustin talks a lot about you as well,” She mentioned.
“I’ve heard only good things,” Suzie mimicked, smiling in your direction as she said this. You chuckled lightly at the repeat, your cheeks flushing a light red.
“Come in,” Suzie motioned, leading the lot of you inside. Once past the living room, you were met with a gorgeous dining room with plates of food waiting for you all to devour.
“Did you make this?” Dustin asked with a surprised smile. Suzie nodded with a proud grin, quickly asking for your preferred drinks before heading out to the kitchen.
—
During the lovely lunch, the lot of you were chatting among yourselves — telling embarrassing stories and teasing one another. You told Suzie all about the embarrassing moments of his and he did the same for you, but this was all in good fun. The room was filled with the beautiful sound of absolute bliss.
Suzie asked all about Hawkins and what it was like out there. She was grinning at the prospect of endless miles of trees and having snow fall on your tongue during winter.
Midway through the dinner, you felt Steve’s hand reach for yours under the table. You happily took hold of his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. While you continued to eat and listen about Suzie and Dustin’s adventures during summer camp, Steve stared at you lovingly — and back again toward the children. While you were listening, Steve leaned over and whispered sweetly into your ear.
His comment raised heat to your cheeks and your hold on his hand tightened just a little bit more. You looked at him with a soft gaze, lowly resisting the urge to kiss him right then and there. Dustin picked up on this new exchange and gave a curious look to the pair of you, narrowing his eyes and suspiciously looking to you both.
“What did you tell her?” Dustin asked slowly, assuming that he said something promiscuous or something of the sort. You shook your head and dismissed his question, waving your brother off. Dustin rolled his eyes and picked up from where he left off.
The entire lunch was lovely, and the rest of the entire month was even better. Every moment shared between you four was filled with laughter and smiles, practically emitting the personification of summer and love. Honestly, you didn’t want to go home and miss out on more of this.
Throughout the entire vacation, you couldn’t help but ponder on Steve’s whisper from the first day. They were the words that kept you attached to Utah truthfully. And you entirely believed it was true.
“We’re like a cute little family,”
#steve harrington#steve harrington x reader#steve x reader#stranger things#stranger things imagines#stranger things imagine#steve stranger things
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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 8: Mission Prep
When Ren woke up, she felt Morgana cuddled up near the foot of her bed. She smiled. She liked the reminder that someone was there for her. She got out of bed and got dressed for school before Morgana woke up. She decided to wake him up. “Morning sleepyhead.”
“Ugh” Morgana groaned. “Morning.”
Ren smiled. “Get up. We’re going to school.”
“Oh. OK” Morgana said, half asleep. “Wait, WE?!” he said, waking up.
“Mm-hm” Ren said. “You heard Sojiro. This a restaurant. You can’t be hanging around here all day.”
Morgana seemed displeased. “I could walk around and stuff…”
“I guess” Ren said, sitting down next to him. “But I’d rather you be close by just in case.”
“Hm. Very well” Morgana said.
“Alright, in you go kitty” Ren said, opening her bag.
Morgana gave her an uneasy look. “Do you need to call me a cat?”
Ren looked surprised. “I thought that by affirming your status it might make things easier for you.”
“You mean the more you call me a cat, the more I’ll get used to it?” Morgana asked.
“Well, if most people are going to see you as a cat anyway, it would be beneficial to get used to it,” Ren said. “Plus, you told me you don’t mind it.”
“Well, I appreciate the thought,” Morgan said, “but I’m not sure if I quite like it yet.”
“Fair enough,” Ren said. “Well, hop in anyway. I don’t want to be late.” Morgana hopped in Ren’s bag, and the two set off for school.
At school, Morgana hid in Ren’s desk. Morgana helped Ren out on occasion, but Ren was knowledgeable for her age.
In the afternoon, Ren got a group chat message from Ryuji.
Ryuji: Hey, so I uh can’t take you to that weapon place today.
Ryuji: My mom needs me to go shopping today.
Ryuji: Does tomorrow work for everyone?
Ann: Sorry, I have a photoshoot tomorrow.
Ren: You do photos?
Ryuji: You didn’t know?
Ryuji: She’s a model.
Ann: Well, part-time…
Ann: And it’s not really something that comes up too much.
Ann: In case you forgot, something happened that would have put sharing that information on the backburner.
Ryuji: Right.
Ann: Why don’t just you and Ren go to the weapon place tomorrow?
Ann: It’ll give the two of you a chance to get closer!
Ren: Are you sure?
Ann: Of course!
Ryuji: Alright then. It’s settled. Meet me at Shibuya Station tomorrow Ren.
Ren: Got it.
Ren: I think I have a lead on some medicine.
Ren: I can handle it.
Ryuji: Alright. I’ll leave it up to you then.
Ryuji: Later.
Ren put away her phone and went back to paying attention in class.
Once school was done for the day, she traveled back to Yongen-Jaya. She asked about the doctor to the street dwellers and found that the doctor was close by. Dr. Tae Takemi ran a clinic here in Yongen.
She also heard a few off-hand rumors about her. She apparently has some strangely strong medicine, but she’s also a bit dangerous. Ren didn’t let that bother her too much. After all, she knew a thing or two about being unfairly labeled. Maybe they were just exaggerating.
Ren made her way to the clinic and walked in. Sure enough, she was there, although in a doctor’s coat rather than her full punk-goth getup. “Hello,” Ren said.
Dr. Takemi looked up. “Hm? Oh, you’re that girl from before. What brings you here?”
“Um, I need medicine,” Ren said.
“Medicine huh? What for?” Takemi asked.
“Well…” Ren was panicking. However, she thought she could use that to her advantage. “I’m exhausted.”
“Exhausted?” Takemi said.
“Yeah. I’m constantly worried about entrance exams. Not to mention all of my social anxieties” Ren continued.
“Really?” Takemi said, not quite believing her. “You seem fairly outgoing.”
Ren smiled. “Well, I guess I can be.” She paused. “But there are some things that I’m worried people will find out about me.”
Takemi smiled. “Say no more. Follow me.” Ren met up with her in the office. “So, based on what you said, I think some painkillers might do the trick. Is that alright with you?”
“Well, you’re the doctor,” Ren said.
Takemi smiled mischievously. “If that’s the case, maybe some sleeping pills might be better.”
“Hey” Morgana said from Ren’s bag. “That won’t work in the metaverse.”
“You think she’s on to me?” Ren whispered.
“Well, you can’t be a doctor if you’re not smart,” Morgana said. “Dang it.”
Takemi giggled. “Do you need some metal help as well?”
“Huh?” Ren said.
“You’re talking to your bag,” Takemi pointed out.
“Oh, uh, well…” Ren said nervously.
“It’s fine,” Takemi said. “You seem to be under a lot of pressure. Both here and at the cafe. You seem like a good kid though. I’ll get you whatever you want.”
Ren was relieved. “Thank you doctor.”
“For the right price, of course” Takemi stated seriously. “I do have to keep this place afloat after all.”
“Right. For your other patients” Ren pointed out.
Takemi was surprised then giggled. “I like you. Feel free to stop by when you need something. I’ll be here for you.”
Ren nodded. “Thank you.” She made her purchases and left the office.
While still in the clinic, she saw an aggressive man barge in. “Out of the way kid” he said, pushing her to the side. He barged into Takemi’s office.
“How may I help you?” Takemi said.
“Cut the crap. You know why I’m here” the man said.
“I’m a doctor, not a psychic,” Takemi said. “Although, if you’re looking for something like that, I’ve heard good things about a fortune teller in Shinjuku.”
“Obstinate as ever” the man said. “You should have known that any rumors about you creating special medicine would get back to me eventually.”
“Oh my. You’re keeping tabs on me?” Takemi said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on me.” Ren heard the man growl. “However, I’m not one for these grade-school antics. I much prefer a more mature approach.”
“Laugh all you want for now!” the man yelled. “But if these rumors keep persisting, I’ll make sure you won’t have a license anymore!”
There was a silence. “Is that all?” Takemi said. Ren noted the change in her tone.
“Yes,” the man said.
“Then I’ll ask you to leave,” Takemi said.
“Hm” the man pouted. He left, passing Ren by rudely again. Ren followed him out
On the streets of Yongen, Morgana popped out and asked “Did you hear that?”
“Which part?” Ren said.
“Apparently Dr. Takemi is working on some special medicine. That could be more helpful than the stuff we bought.”
Ren smiled. “You’re always focused on the job, aren’t you?”
“Well, what did you take from that conversation?” Morgana asked.
Ren looked serious. “I was thinking of trying to help Dr. Takemi out with that guy.”
Morgana got serious as well. “I know how you feel, but what can we do?”
“Well, I was thinking,” Ren suggested, “what if that guy had a palace?”
“Hm” Morgana smiled. “Always willing to help others. However, let’s pump the breaks on that for now. We don’t know if you can take on one palace yet. Taking on another might be too much. Besides, Takemi seems like she can handle herself for a bit.”
Ren seemed frustrated. “Look,” Morgana said. “I know. And I promise, we will help her. But if you keep taking these tasks, you might break. Then you can’t help anyone.”
Ren smiled. “You’re right Morgana.”
“Of course I am,” Morgana said. “Besides, I have an idea as to what to do about him But we should focus on the Kamoshida thing first.”
Ren nodded. “We should head back. It’s getting kind of late.” The two returned to Leblanc and spent the rest of the evening doing some studying.
The next day, Ren met up with Ryuji at Shibuya Station. “Hey” said Ryuji.
“Hello,” Ren said.
“So, the shop we’re heading to is in an offshoot of Central Street,” Ryuji explained. “Since you’re new around here, just follow my lead, OK?”
“Got it,” Ren said. Ryuji began walking. Ren followed.
Ryuji was fidgety. “So,um, you wanna go grab something to eat afterwards?” Ren looked at him curiously. “It’s just, we don’t really know each other that well, and yet fate has tied us up in this Persona business. I figured we should at least learn about each other.”
Ren smiled. “I like that idea.”
Ryuji was shocked. “O-OK. Cool. I, um, know a-a pretty good ramen place we can go to. If that’s alright with you.”
“Ramen sounds great,” Ren said.
“Cool. Cool” Ryuji said.
Ren couldn’t help but giggle. “Why are you so nervous?” she asked.
Ryuji’s face turned red. “Well, it’s b-because…”
“You know this isn’t a date, right?” Ren added.
“Oh. R-r-ight” Ryuji said. “So, um…”
“And nothing you say will make it one” Ren said.
“Figures” Ryuji said in resignation.
“Hm-hm” Ren chuckled. “It was a decent effort on your part, but like I told Mishima, I’m probably not the right girl for you.”
“You turned down Mishima too, eh?” Ryuji said. “Well, I guess I’ll have some solidarity.
As they passed through Station Square, the pair heard a street orator speaking to a disinterested public. “People of Tokyo! Please, listen to what I have to say! These mental shutdown occurrences are continuing. Yet the government is in disarray! The government should be working for the people! Yet they do nothing! I vow to you that I will work hard for all of you!”
Ren was curious about this man. His speeches were passionate, and he had an aura of truth about him. Like he believed what he really said. However, she also noticed that she was the person paying attention to his speech the most.
Ryuji looked back to see Ren stopped. “Hm?” He looked at the politician. He walked back over to Ren. “Don’t tell me you’re into older dudes.”
Ren couldn’t help but laugh. “No. No. Sorry. No.” Ren took some time to regain her composure. “Sorry. I was just interested in what he was saying is all.”
“A politician, eh?” Ryuji said. “Well, it’s not like it matters too much, since we can't vote anyway,” He said, continuing to walk.
Ren began following him again. “I know we can’t vote, but it’s important to learn about the world around you. And who knows? He might be up for election when we are able to vote. I liked what he had to say.”
“Yeah Ryuji” said Morgana, popping out of Ren’s bag. “You’ve gotta pay attention. You could learn a thing or two.”
“Wha-WHAT?!” Ryuji said. “That cat’s been here this whole time?!”
“Yeah,” Morgana said. “By the way, you sounded kind of pathetic, trying to ask her out.”
“Sh-shut up!” Ryuji yelled. “It’s not like you’d do any better, you dumb cat!”
“I’m not a cat!” Morgana said. “I just happen to have the form of a cat…”
“Same thing!” Ryuji said.
“Boys! We have a mission” Ren said, calming them down
“Fine!” Ryuji said. “But why is he here anyway?”
“Well, I live in a restaurant,” Ren explained. “If there was a cat just wandering about, people would freak out, and I wouldn’t have any place to live.”
“Oh, I getcha,” Ryuji said. “Wait, you live in a restaurant?!”
“Well, you said it yourself, we need to get to know each other better,” Ren said.
“Well, yeah, but that would surprise anyone!” Ryuji said. “Are you doing OK?”
“Well, I’m doing as fine as I can be,” Ren said.
“Well, good…” Ryuji said. He sighed. “If you were in trouble, I’d be tempted to invite you over to my place, but we don’t got the room.”
“I see,” Ren said. “Well thanks anyway.”
They arrived on Central Street. “OK, it’s just round that corner. Keep close” Ryuji explained.
Ren nodded. She followed Ryuji around the bend and saw the shop in view. However, she got a sensation in her mind. She looked at the corner where they turned to see a blue cell door there, and standing next to it was Lavenza. Ren was confused.
“Do not be alarmed,” Lavenza said. “No one else but you can see this.”
“What’s it for?” Ren asked.
“It is to help facilitate your mission” Lavenza said. “If you ever need anything from myself or my master, you may be free to do so.”
Ren nodded. “Thank you Lavenza.” Lavenza nodded back. Ren walked back to Ryuji, and the two entered the store.
Untouchable, the store, was packed with real-looking weapons and other high quality gear. “Wow,” Ren said.
“I know, right?” Ryuji said. “This place is pretty cool.” He handed her some money. “Here.”
Ren was confused. “What’s this for?”
“Well, you seemed like a natural back in the village,” Ryuji said. “I just feel like you might be able to make the best choices for what I should have with me.”
“Understood” Ren said. She approached the surly owner. “Um, hello.” The owner looked up. “I was wondering what kind of stuff you would recommend for a really realistic-looking model.”
The owner seemed cautious. “What would you do with such a model?” he asked. “You two seem a bit young to be gun buffs.”
“What are you talking about?! I was here last week!” Ryuji shouted.
“Hm. Don’t remember you” the man said.
“For real?!” Ryuji said.
“Well, I’m a real gun aficionado” Ren said. “Truth be told, he showed me a gun he bought from here, and I insisted he show me the place.”
“Hm. I see” the man said, a smile adorning his face. “Well, for really realistic stuff, we have a few things.” The man helped Ren pick out weapons and gear for the whole team.
“Thanks,” Ren said.
“Come again,” the man said. “Just be sure to be cool when it comes to showing those to people. I don’t want any negative press coming back to me.”
“Understood” Ren said. She and Ryuji left.
“How did you manage to win him over?” Ryuji asked.
“Well, I do like guns,” Ren said. “I’m not that much of an expert, but I really do like the detail on these guns, even if we weren’t using them to shoot up shadows. Plus, he seemed like a man who takes pride in his work.”
“I see,” Ryuji said.
“Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her as well,” Morgana said.
“Shut up” Ryuji responded.
“So, how ‘bout that ramen now?” Ren said.
“Huh? Oh, yeah” Ryuji said. “Let’s head back to the station. It’s a bit of a commute, but it’s good.” The group headed out.
They arrived at the ramen place. “So this is it,” Ren observed.
“Yeah, it’s great!” Ryuji said. “But it is a restaurant.” He gave a look to Morgana.
“...Fine. I can just walk around a bit. Besides, this does seem like a personal thing between the two of you.” Morgana hopped out the bag. “I’ll meet you back here. Don’t worry.” He started walking about.
“So, shall we go in?” Ryuji said. Ren nodded. They stepped inside. Ren handed Ryuji some money. “Huh?”
“Well, you let me pick out the weapons,” Ren said. “And you seem to know this place better than I do. I’m just returning the favor.”
“Alright! I know just the thing!” Ryuji ordered them each a bowl of their best ramen. “Kay, so while we’re waiting, I guess I can tell you a bit about myself. What do you wanna know?”
Ren thought about it. “Well, you said Kamoshida took everything from you. What does that mean?”
Ryuji looked dejected. “Going straight for it, eh?” he said.
Ren panicked. “If it’s too much, you don’t-”
“Nah, it’s alright,” Ryuji said. “Truth is, I used to be on the track team. I’m not good at much but I was second to none when it came to running! So, I figured I’d try helping my mom out by getting a track scholarship.”
“Help your mom out?” Ren inquired.
“Oh, yeah,” Ryuji said. “My dad isn’t around anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Ren said.
“Don’t be,” Ryuji replied. “The guy was the dictionary definition of the word scumbag. He left me and my mom and I before I graduated elementary school. All he would do before that was drink and beat my mom. I think he wanted to beat me too, but my mom wouldn’t let him”
“Sounds awful,” Ren said.
“Yeah” Ryuji said. “Still, I had thought I put all that behind me. But then Kamoshida showed up. He doesn’t like anything that he can’t control, and he knew that included me. He found out about my dad, and told everyone.”
Ryuji smiled, though he looked completely dejected. “I can still remember that moment. Everyone was looking at me in horror. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked and I ended up punching Kamoshida in the face.” He sighed.
“What happened next?” Ren asked.
Ryuji frowned. “Kamoshida knew something would happen, but I doubt he was expecting that. He got really mad and broke my leg. The school took his side in it all, and the track team was forced to disband. It’s bullshit! It sucks, you know?”
Ren calmly stated “Yeah. I get it.”
“Here you go,” said the server, delivering their bowls.
Ryuji was now curious. “You get it?” Ren nodded. “Well, since I just spilled my guts, it’s only fair you spill yours.”
“Hm. Fair enough” Ren said. She ate some of her ramen. “Wow, this is good.”
“I know, right?” Ryuji said, excited. “But back to the matter at hand.”
“I know, I know” Ren said. She sighed. “The truth is, I have a criminal record.”
“For real?!” Ryuji said. “What, did somebody think you were too cute and have you arrested?”
Ren giggled. “Ann asked me the same thing when I told her. But no. What happened was there was this man trying to force a woman to get into his car. I tried putting a stop to it, and the man fell and started bleeding. Some officers came by and he told them that I had assaulted him. I was tried and sentenced quickly, and now I’m on parole.
My family thought that a kid on parole in my small town would stick out, so they sent me here. The person I ended up with asked me to live in the restaurant they run because their home situation seems complicated. But he seems nice overall.”
Ryuji was in shock. “Holy shit! What an effing d-bag! I can’t believe it!”
“Ryuji?” Ren said.
“I can’t STAND selfish adults doing whatever they want while making us suffer! It’s BULLSHIT!” Ryuji continued. “How the hell are you so calm about things?”
Ren set down her chopsticks for a bit. “Well, it’s all I can do,” she explained. “I’m always worried about what will happen if everyone at school found out about my record. But fretting about it would be pointless. So I just need to press on.”
“That sucks,” Ryuji said. “You can’t just keep all that in.” He thought about it. “Well, I know I’m not the smartest person, but if you ever need anything, I’m always willing to lend an ear.”
Ren smiled. “Thanks.”
I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Chariot Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.
Chariot-Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1
“Well we should finish this ramen,” Ryuji said. “No sense in letting it go to waste.”
“Agreed” Ren said. The two finished their ramen and left to go home for the day.
#persona 5#persona fanfiction#persona 5 royal#p5r#p5 femc#p5r rework#p5#FeMC#female ren#ren amamiya#Ryuji Sakamoto#morgana#tae takemi#ann takamaki#yoshida toranosuke#iwai munehisa
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A Summer Romance Part 1
Summary: Liam is a crowned prince bored with his life at the palace but what happens when he falls for an American tourist?
Pairing: LiamxMC
Ladies and gentlemen were about to begin our descend in Cordonia
MC looked out the window and her eyes sparkled Wow it’s even better than the pictures on the internet. MC buckled her seat belt as the plane landed. She was excited to start this vacation after getting her master’s she deserved to treat herself. MC closed her eyes and sighed This is gonna be a good vacation.
MC walked among the streets of Cordonia. She loved everything about it. It looked like it was out of a fairytale. When she got to her hotel she laid back on her bed “Ahhh now this is relaxing I think I’ll get my sleep on before I begin my day tomorrow. I should call mom and tell her I’m here”
She opened her phone and dialed her mom’s number
“Hi sweetie”
“Hey mom I just landed”
“Great hun I hope that you enjoy yourself”
“I will bye”
She hung up and drifted off to sleep.
****
Liam sat in his room reading as a knock came to his door “Come in”
A maid poked her head in “Your highness your father wishes to see you”
Liam sighed “Thank you I’ll be right there” The maid nodded and walked away. Liam closed his book and gritted his teeth What does he want now? Liam got up and walked to his father’s study. Constantine sat at his desk writing as Liam entered “You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah I wanted to talk to you about the social season”
“You know I’m not looking forward to that”
“Liam just hear me out as a prince you have-”
Liam rolled his eyes “To marry someone of noble birth yeah yeah I know”
“Liam…”
“Was that all? Can I go now?”
Constantine sighs “Now I don’t know why your so against this social season this is your chance to find a wife”
“Yeah by your terms”
“Liam come on you’re gonna thank me for this one day”
Liam stands “Goodbye father”
“Liam…”
He walks out without a second glance and slams the door. Liam clenches his fist I’ll thank him when pigs fly. Lian walks back to his room and stands out on the balcony Leo made the right choice by abdicating he hated the social season as much I do. I really hope there are some decent girls coming. Not snobby and stuck up but someone down to earth. I really hope Madeline isn’t one of them I can’t stand her. He sighs he wished to marry for love he had hope to find a girl who liked him for him and not because he was a prince Although if I don’t pick I’ll just have to wait until next year maybe then I can find a girl myself He smiles mischievously That’s what I’ll do I hold it off till I can find someone on my own. He smiles it’s a nice day I’ll think I’ll go out and explore.
****
MC walked down the streets of Cordonia “Better get some dinner for tonight” She went into the market picking foods out smiling “Everything here is so fresh I love it” She picked out the food and walked down the street “I should take some pictures” She snapped a couple of pictures of the sunset and the streets “This can’t compare to back home you can barely see anything with those city lights and you’re lucky if you don’t get robbed” She giggled as she took some more pictures.
****
Liam sat in the back of the limo watching as the streets pass by “I’m gonna rule all of this” He took a deep breath “I’m sure I can do this just gotta look out for my people how hard can that be?” He continued to walk out the window when something caught his eye. He went wide eyed as he turned to yell at his driver “Stop the car!”
The limo came to a halt and Liam quickly got out. Bastien the head of his security followed “Your High what’s going…”
Liam held up a hand signaling him to wait. He stepped closer admiring a girl who was snapping pictures with her phone. He felt his heart race My God she’s beautiful. As the girl turned to walk away something feel out of her bag. Liam grabbed it and called out “Excuse me miss!”
She turned around and Liam could see her hazel brown eyes how they sparkled. He walked up to her “You dropped this”
“Oh I was so into taking pictures I didn’t notice thank you umm…”
“Liam and you are?”
“MC”
“Charmed to meet you MC” Liam took her hand and kiss it
MC blushed and giggles “Is that how the boys greet each other here?”
“Do the boys not greet you like that?”
“Nope”
Liam smirks “What a shame”
MC laughs This guy is funny
“So you’re here on vacation?”
“Yeah I just graduated and got my master’s”
Liam grins “Well let me say congratulations what did you study?”
“Nursing I start school in the fall”
“Ah you’re only here for the summer”
“Yeah and I’m loving every minute of it”
Liam smiles She’s so amazing I need to get to know her “Well there is a masquerade ball at the palace would you like to come?”
“That sounds amazing but how will I get in I’m pretty sure they don’t just let anybody in”
Liam hands her an envelope “Here’s an invite just hand it to the guards and they’ll let you in”
MC takes the envelop “Thank you”
“And I’ll handle the costume too so I can be able to identify you in the crowd”
“I can’t ask you to-”
“Good thing you’re not I’m offering and I’m not taking no for an answer”
MC smiles “Ok I just hope you have good taste in fashion”
Liam chuckles “You’ll be surprised until the ball” He kisses her hand
MC blushes and hands him a paper “Here’s where I’m staying see you then” She waves and walks off
Liam watches her as she goes he sighs Wow. He heads back to the car where Bastien is waiting
“Liam what just…?”
Lian grins “Something wonderful Bastien”
Tags: @indiacater @hopefulmoonobject @annekebbphotography @the-soot-sprite @cora-nova @romanticatheart-posts
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Brooks: Ficlet 2 Part 2
Sorry I was so busy I didn't get to post this a while ago! Thanks @fleur-quinn for the rp :) it was fun ❤️ Sorry for typos! (2200)
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I'd been doing some research for the past few hours and the frustration was starting to get to me. I was fed up with being unsure about my theory and terrified if it proved correct. It was an impossible situation.
I leaned back in my swivel chair and spun around. “What to do, what to do,” I muttered to myself. I could try and read something, I thought. Damn, Bertram would probably chastise me for being ‘antisocial’. I guess I could hang out with Max or Mal for a bit. Sounded well enough. And even if I couldn't find them, I could just walk for a bit.
I stepped out of my room and into the hall and down the stairs. Mal would probably be in the makeup parlor next to the dance studio. I headed towards that direction, nodding towards guards and avoiding eye contact with maids.
I looked up briefly and saw a flash of red hair. Oh, Fleur, I immediately guessed. She wasn't hard to miss. She was walking aimlessly with her headphones on, seemingly unaware of anything around her.
I tried to get her attention to no avail. Finally, I waved a hand in front of her. She looked up in alarm, quickly pulled out her earphones and to ran her fingers through her hair. I assumed she was trying fix it up a bit. It was a bit messy, but not in a bad way. It suited her. “Oh hey Brooks! Sorry, didn’t see you there!”
I shrugged and smiled. “I get that a lot. What are you doing?”
“Oh, uh, I was just dancing in the studio, and thought I’d get something to eat and drink before heading back!” She held up glass of water. “Took your advice and got a glass of water, not a bottle.”
It was actually quite nice to hear that she remembered something so minuscule that I had said. “I'm so pleased. The life of a true lady,” I laughed at my own joke. I'm actually hilarious. “You dance?”
“Of course, the flower queen gotta act lady-like, yeah?” Yes, because ladies say ‘gotta’. “And Yeah, I dance! I love it!”
“Are you any good?” Of course she was, but I figured I'd inquire more on the topic. Fleur seemed to be quite talented. It was almost insane. She was exceptional in the arts and academics. She was a bit intimidating.
“Well... I don’t know,” she bit her lip, nervously. “Do you... do you wanna watch? I mean you can be the judge.”
I felt my ears tinge pink. If she felt nervous, I felt like I should too, as if there was something I wasn't understanding. “You wouldn't mind?”
“Nah, not at all... Piglet.” The redhead giggled reached up to tap my ear.
I felt my face heat up even more with embarrassment. “Just show me the dance.”
She laughed. “C’mon then.” Fleur grabbed my shirt sleeve and pulled me along towards the studio. “Well, uh, have a seat!” She set down her glass of water. “This is a very nice studio you guys have here, by the way.”
I nodded, assuming she was right. This may come as a shock, but I'm not exactly artistically inclined in my opinion. “I'm pretty sure I've been in here, like, twice.”
“What a coincidence! This is also my second time here!” I grinned at her response. I enjoyed her easy going humor.
“So, do you have some sort of routine or are you just going to wing it,” I asked as she picked her music.
“Uh, I can do both actually.” Damn. “But today I’ll do a choreographed dance.”
“Let's see it.” I walked over to the corner of the studio and sat criss-cross-applesauce, my long legs proving it more difficult than necessary.
Fleur nodded as she found the song and started to dance. I actually didn't watch a lot of dance. It was hard to take interest in something you were so unforgivably atrocious at. But, she… She was wickedly talented. I wondered if it was something natural or she genuinely had to work hard at.
There were things extremely noticeable about Fleur that I usually prided myself on never recognizing on anyone else. She was beautiful, there was no getting around that, but she seemed to hold herself in a different way every time you saw her. She was either strutting around with the confidence of a lioness or dragging her feet as if she was lost in some perilous thoughts her mind had conjured up in an act of betrayal.
With one final movement, she finished the routine and looked at me expectedly.
“Wow... T-that was... That looked like something I'd be very bad at doing,” I joked. I'd probably break something.
She blushed and giggled. I could her the nerves in her wavering voice. “It’s not that hard, really... You know ballroom dancing, don’t you?” You're joking, right?
I nodded. “Sure.” Lie, such a lie.
“Yeah! Then it won’t be hard to pick up this sort of dancing!”
I have her a flat look. That definitely wasn't ballroom dancing. “I have a feeling I can't drop to the floor like that.” Which she did.
Fleur laughed. “Well maybe that will take some practice. But the others are easier- you should pick up a few moves,” she said, eyes bright with amusement. “Then you’ll be a homeless dancer! And maybe they’ll finally let you sleep in the palace because of your awesome,” she did a random dance move that consisted of mostly flailing arms, “dance moves!”
“I hope to dance exactly the way you just did. Just that one move. Nothing else”
She repeated the move once again in slow motion. I did my best to mimic her without even moving my arms, trying to make her smile. “Nailed it.”
She blinked her eyes in surprise. “But your hands-” She cut herself off by covering her face and laughing loudly.
I joined in. “What?” I reached out and pulled her hands away from her face. “I thought I did really well that time.”
She peeked at me through her tear-stained lashes, trying not to laugh. “It’s just that when I meant relaxing your arms, I meant,” she paused suddenly, “Are you ticklish?”
Well this took a terrible turn. My smile dropped as I stepped back. “No.”
She grinned mischievously. “Something tells me you’re lying!” The redhead stepped forward to tickle me. Why was she so fast?!
I let out a weird giggle scream and jumped back quickly. Fleur did a war cry and ran after me.
Alright, Brooks, time to actually use your one shred of athletic ability. I ran out of room quickly, my height propelling me forward at a decent speed. My dad actually used to make me do a lot of track growing up, claiming that if I stayed inside to read all day, I'd regret it. He decided it was best for me to get some physical activity. I wasn't half bad, but I hated running and I was exceptionally clumsy. Winning a race just loses its effect when you trip right after crossing the finish line.
“Hey! No fair,” she exclaimed and sped up. The distraction caused me to trip and fall straight forward onto the marble floor. I groaned.
Fleur gasped and walked towards me, quickly. She looked at me with concern. “Brooks! Are you alright?”
I sat up and leaned back on my arms, no amusement on my face. “This is why tickling should be outlawed.” And why the idea that tickling was cute to be abolished. I had strong feelings about this.
She sat down next to him with a small smile. “I’m, uh, sorry… I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I could have died, Miss Quinn. All because your positively vicious antics.”
She hung her head. I hoped she didn't actually think I was upset. “I’m sorry... to be fair, you could’ve just let me tickle you.” Uh huh. ”Anyways, I’ll let you tickle me as a revenge?”
I almost slapped myself at how I immediately processed her words as some innuendo. I'd been around Max too much recently. “I'm far too much of a gentleman for that,” I smiled politely.
“Says the boy who ran like a madman just now,” she chuckled. “Your weird giggle scream…”
“'Says the man.' I'm a man.” Real convincing, kiddo.
“Whatever you say, my Prince,” she replied in da singsong voice.
“Your prince, huh? Wrong one, Fleur,” I teased. I knew what she meant but it almost gave me pride to see her flustered. She seemed untouchable at times.
Her eyes widened as she blushed and stuttered. “I- isn’t that what people-,” she suddenly realized I was teasing. “Maybe not the wrong one,” she said quietly.
I cocked my head to the side slightly at her words. Suddenly, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. But it wasn't as if there was anything wrong going on. “I am no one's and neither are you,” I stood up and offered her a hand. “People don't belong to each other,” I smiled in a way which can only be described as my signature expression. It may have seemed random, but this was something I actually had a strong view on. It's what bothered me about the selection at times- that there was an assumption of ownership over human beings.
She took my hand and sighed. “Right,” she replied lamely. “But isn’t that what people call the royals, ‘My Queen, My king, My prince, My lady’...”
I could tell she felt uncomfortable. “A technicality that I would abolish if I were king,” I flashed a posh smirk.
“Well, you can still always suggest that to your brother!”
“Mmhm, it's on the list.”
“Oh and by the way, I got an A for that assignment last time!” Fleur did a quick happy dance.
“Congratulations,” I grinned wholeheartedly. “What was it on?”
“Uh…, she thought about it, “uh... oh! Rule of Law!
“You hesitated. By Illea, Fleur... A-are you lying,” I gasped dramatically.
She rolled her eyes. “I was not! I simply forgot the topic! Once I finished an assignment, I would not think about it again. Don’t wanna live through the nightmare again.”
I shook my head. “Naw, I don't buy it. Spit it out, what was the paper really on?”
“The rule of law!” She stomped feet in frustration. “Comparison between the rule of law in Illéa and America. I can prove it to you! Humph!” Fleur crossed her arms in defiance. I raised an eyebrow at her actions.
“It was probably about statistics on cows. Remember, Miss Quinn, a future queen mustn't lie.”
“I was NOT lying,” she groaned. Fleur whipped out her phone and found the document. “See? and I don’t do statistics on cows!”
“Well you should. I would read it ALL.”
“Why would I write about statistics on cows,” she threw her hands in the air. “Maybe /you/,” she jabbed her finger into my chest, “should do it. And I won’t read it!” Damn, she's really into this.
“No point then.”
“Did Brooks Schreave just say that he will only do a research if Fleur Quinn reads it? Ha!” Her eyes danced with amusement.
“Poor girl, you confuse my meaning.” I smiled smugly. “What I'm saying is that I have no want to write about cow statistics, but I would do it to spite you. But if you weren't going to read it anyway, there's no point.”
“First, I’m not ‘poor’.” Darling, I'm well aware. I've done the research. “Second, stop smiling like that,” she looked at me with disgust. Ouch. “Third, you’re /still/ saying you’ll only do a research if I’m reading it! I never specified what research!” She winked dramatically. “But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. I won’t tell anybody about it,” she finished with a solemn nod.
I wiped imaginary sweat off my forehead. “Wow, that's a real weight off my shoulders. How could I ever repay you?”
“You can’t! But you can walk me back to the studio because I’m really thirsty after all the exercise.”
“Seems simple enough,” I shrugged, “and I am, at heart, a simple man.”
We began to walk. “Yup, I could totally see that with all the, what’s that?” She gestured to my attire. “Sweater and tie! A very casual and simple attire indeed.” I almost clutched my stomach self consciously. What's wrong with my clothes?
“I'm a very suave hobo, as you can see.” She laughed.
We arrived to the studio and she grabbed her water. “Water has never tasted better! “Thanks for walking me back,” she beamed. “Oh no! Dinner’s an hour away! I have to get changed!”
“And I have to…” I thought of something, “wait an hour for dinner.” Smooth. “See you then,” I smiled and waved.
She returned the action. “See ya! Don’t starve!”
I held in a laugh. “I'll try not to,” I called back.
Huh, that wasn't too bad of a distraction. Fleur had a kind heart that was both endearing and refreshing. I rubbed the side of my face that had been so severely hit earlier that day. Very refreshing.
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5 beautiful destinations Pakistanis can travel to on a budget
From island escapes, Eastern European marvels and South-East Asian delights, inspire your inner wanderlust on a budget
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/GIRL WITH THE GREEN PASSPORT/ESLIMAH/AYESHA OMAR
KARACHI: The global travel industry is growing and it’s growing fast. Not only that, more people are travelling now than ever before, thanks to cheaper flights and the ease of planning and booking a trip.
Add to this the new batch of travel bloggers on Instagram and you’ve got hundreds of people jetting off to places they had never heard of before. After all, it’s a most human thing to explore new horizons.
And statistics don’t lie. The travel and tourism sector grew more in 2018 than all other economic sectors, adding a record $8.8 trillion to the world’s combined Gross Domestic Product – up from $8.3 trillion in 2017. It created some 319 million new jobs as well, according to Forbes.
While Pakistan is expected get higher numbers of tourists thanks to the government’s support, what about Pakistanis wanting to go abroad? Everyone is surely feeling the rupee’s present standing against the dollar and this can make travel for Pakistanis at home very expensive.
But don’t worry, we have you covered. Here are our recommendations for some pretty lust-worthy destinations across the globe that will allow you to indulge your wanderlust without draining your pockets. Bon voyage!
Istanbul, the transcontinental escape
Turkey really offers the best of both worlds. Straddling Europe and Asia, its capital Istanbul is hailed as one of the greatest cities in the world with lots of history, heritage, culture and beauty to offer. Not to mention, the Turkish and Pakistanis love each other!
A single entry visa will cost you around Rs8,500 and flight tickets will be roughly Rs80,000 return during peak holiday seasons. Decent 3-star hotels are abundant, right next to the exquisite Sultan Ahmet Mosque. And then, there is the AirBnB option.
Best places to go: Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square…need we go on?
Maldives – the water wonderland
This island nation is the picture of paradise. Think bungalows hovering over turquoise waters, golden beaches and lots of scuba diving. Oh, and seriously Insta-worthy sunsets! How could you not want to travel to the Maldives?
The best thing is that this dream can be a reality because it’s surprisingly reasonable and also Muslim-friendly.
Located in the Arabian Sea, the capital Malé has a busy fish market, restaurants and shops on the main road, Majeedhee Magu, and 17th-century Hukuru Miskiy (also known as Friday Mosque) made of carved white coral. No wonder it’s a honeymoon staple.
Cheapest flight: Around Rs60,000.
Eastern Europe – the new it place
You may not think Eastern Europe is cheap area but it actually is! If you want a unique travel experience that truly captivates, this entire region is the place for you.
Take Romania for example. Whatever you think this country is, it probably isn’t. The Transylvanian region, in particular, defies expectations with its quaint medieval towns and spectacular Carpathian mountain range. Many travel bloggers reiterate that it’s a beautiful country with great food and friendly people. The cheapest flight is around Rs60,000 (not to mention once you’re there, eating and sleeping is great value!), making it one of the most inexpensive countries to travel to for Pakistanis.
And, can we please talk about Ukraine. It’s on every traveller’s bucket list as of late and there are raving reviews about it. With flights starting from around Rs50,000, Ukraine is possibly one of the cheapest options for Pakistanis wanting to go beyond the Middle East.
Hotspots: The coastal city of Odessa on the Black Sea is a favourite, while the beautiful city of Lviv (close to the Polish border) is widely tipped as offering some of the best values for money in Europe.
5 Muslim countries that are trending holiday destinations this summer
Azerbaijan and Georgia – easy on the eyes and the wallets
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I burnt my hand in Georgia. . I was rushing to catch the 10 am Mashrukta (intercity mini-bus) from Tbilisi to Signagi. When I reached the bus stop, there was a 10-minute window. I bought some bananas for breakfast & coffee in a flimsy, small cup from a tiny window in a kiosk. I got into the minibus with low roof, my back bent, backpack on, bananas, wallet & phone in one hand and coffee cup in another. As I sat amongst two strangers, and tried to adjust my butt, I shook the coffee cup, it spilled a bit on my hand, it was so hot that in within a second, my instincts had me drop the entire thing, and then it spilled it on my right palm all the way to my right thigh, splashes on left hand; and couple splashes on the stranger sitting next to me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was first embarrassed on my clumsiness, then guilty for being late & rushing in the first place and then in pain. I had burnt my right palm and it was BURNING. The bus had started. It was a 2-hour ride to this small city, Signagni, reputed to be the city of love. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And in burning pain I thought, holy mother of shits I need to see a doctor and finding a doctor in a small city I’m heading to for the first time! I was sure I’m gonna get huge blisters all over my palm and then I won’t be able to touch or hold anything and then the rest of the trip will be a waste. All thoughts crossed my head in the next 15 minutes. I felt like crying. The only thing that comforted me was the reminder that I was medically insured for such accidents, courtesy @jgi.pk (not an ad). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anyway, I kept a bundle of tissue paper soaked in water, between the palm of my hands, the entire journey. Suggested by the stranger next to me. And that did relieve me to some extent. I reached Signagi, the burning had calmed & I didnt feel the need to see a doctor. I looked at my coffee-stained dress, felt sad; but then I looked at the terra cotta roofs, amidst lush green hills and cobblestone streets of Signagi and I forgot the incident. I headed ahead to explore this tiny quaint town & make the most of my day! Ever spilled coffee & burnt yourself? Outfit courtesy: @qnhstore #Signagi #Georgia
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Travel Lifestyle (@girlwithgreenpassport) on Jun 11, 2019 at 8:52am PDT
Speaking of Eastern Europe, take Georgia for example. Where is it? Right next to the latest Pakistani travellers favourite, Azerbaijan. So consider going to both countries together and explore this stunning region.
Georgia small country in the Caucasus – one you’ll probably be hearing more about it in the years to come. It all starts in the eccentric capital of Tbilisi. From there, be sure to explore the stunning Caucasian Mountain range, dip your feet in the Black Sea, and visit ancient hilltop monasteries (a few of them are inside caves!) all over the country.
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Welcome to Georgia. Sitting at the crossroads of Asia & Europe, but unfairly, the less talked about country, compared to its neighbouring Turkey. It swept me off my feet with its expansive sights, sounds, experiences and tastes. All of which, I had a heart full of in my 10 days. Tbilisi, the beating heart of the country sits in the lap of lush green hills. It is dotted with old Eurasian architecture on the slopes and decorated with modern and artistic glass shaped buildings and bridges in the centre. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Three hours north of the capital & I was in the midst of the Caucasus mountain. The tapestry changed. The little town of Kazbegi welcomed me first with its chilly mountain air & then warmed me with the hospitality. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I drove 2 hours east of Tbilisi, I was in Kaheti, the wine region of the country. Ask a local and they show you with pride, their traditional winemaking methods. With a curious set of eyes and ears, I learnt all I could about 8000-year-old Georgian winemaking tradition. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Three hours west of Tbilisi, I reached one of the oldest cities in Europe, Kutaisi. The highlight was the locals I met; they were even more friendly and had all the time in the world for conversations. They enjoyed learning about Pakistan from me as I did about Georgia from them. Nature swayed me even more, as I visited the canyons nearby Kutaisi. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The only thought I had throughout my visit, is that this country deserves more limelight than it has! There is so much I want to pour out, but I gotta save some for upcoming posts. Are you guys with me? Pls let me know what do you want me to tell about the country? . : Old town Tbilisi (picture taken via self timer & remote)
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Travel Lifestyle (@girlwithgreenpassport) on May 28, 2019 at 5:10am PDT
As for Azerbaijan, the capital Baku is an obvious must. There’s so much you can pack in a few days, including the ultra-modern Heydar Aliyev Center.
Flights: Cheapest air-tickets to either or of these countries are around Rs45,000, usually with one stop somewhere in the Middle East.
Vietnam – a different kind of South East Asia
Forget Thailand and Sri Lanka right now because Vietnam is all that it’s about these days. And for good reason too. From the beautiful chaos of Hanoi’s Old Quarter to the serene Hoi An riverfront adorned with coloured lanterns, this is truly a country full of contrasts.
But Vietnam is not for the faint-hearted. If adventure is what you’re about, be prepared for crazy weather cycles and off-beat exotic scenery. Alas, it’s also among the cheapest places in Asia: eat local and you’ll struggle to spend more than a few hundred rupees per meal. A round trip ticket is around Rs87,000.
What to do: There are a myriad of pristine beaches, such as Mango Bay and Halong Bay. Don’t forget to explore rice-farming mountains where you can go caving. Adventure sports on the beaches are also a must.
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Late Night Calls
Something just for you guys. Its honestly just a cute night call with a bit of fluff. So yeah enjoy my late night writing!
Pairing: Shukita
—–
It was late at night and Akira was still awake from his bed. The thought of school tomorrow really kept him on edge, and he couldn’t comprehend what on earth he was going to do tomorrow.
Since it was technically Sunday today, Akira thought through on what he could do later on. He could go shopping, maybe buy a new book, get some upgrades, watch a movie, probably beat that damn burger challenge, all of the things he would do to make sure him and his team were set for their next palace. Whenever that was…
Akira sighs. Being a leader is tough work. He could just text Ryuji or Ann to get some things for them so he can enjoy making some hot coffee. Or maybe getting a decent sleep? Ah heck, he’ll just roll with it, like always.
Suddenly, his phone vibrates in his pocket.
Morgana perks his head up at Akira, his hazy eyes blinking from sleep, 'Oh who could that be now?!’ says Morgana.
Ignoring Morgana’s complaint, he clicks his phone and sees the bright screen with Yuskue’s name on it. He’s calling me?
‘Ugh. Why is Yuskue calling you at this hour?’ asks Morgana, a strain of annoyance evident in his voice.
Not wanting to show his smile, Akira turns his body away from Morgana and shrugs, ‘Hm,’ says Akira, ‘Maybe he can't sleep?'
‘Well… whatever it is, can you tell him that I’m trying to get my beauty sleep? A cat’s gotta sleep too, you know.’
Rolling his eyes, he presses his screen and brings the device to his ear, he smiles, ‘Mushy mushy?’
He hears a soft chuckle on the other end, his stomach doing weird twists again, 'When will you stop with that remising welcoming, Kurusu-kun?’ Yusuke.
Hearing his voice sends multiple shivers through Akira’s body, his voice reminding him how metallic and soft it was. Something he could listen to for ages. And since him and Yusuke have only been seeing each othen, its still rare to hear his voice so deep like this.
Akira laughs, 'Uh until it isnt funny anymore, I guess? And what is so wrong with my warm welcoming?’
He could hear Yusuke pouting at the thought, 'Hm, well… nothing I suppose. I thought I had awoken you up from your slumber. Because well, it is almost 2 in the morning. So if I’m disturbing you or anything, please don’t feel the need to stay up for me. Sorry I do apologi-
'What? Oh no no, you’re not disturbing me at all.’ In the corner of his eye, he can see Morgana’s head slowly rising from his bed sheets. He’s so going to get him after this. 'What’s wrong? Everything alright?’ asks Akira, grabbing his pillow to protect himself from Morgana’s creeping claws.
He could hear yusuke sighing, 'Oh yes! Everything is fine, thank you. I just… wanted to hear your voice. That’s all.’
If Akira wasnt already wide awake, he would have sworn he was just hearing things. But since he already knew what he was feeling for Yusuke, and the fact that he just wanted to hear his voice, made Akira’s chest tighten with nerves.
'R-really?’ asks akira, his voice lower than he expected.
'I-is that weird?’ says Yusuke. He sounds so small when he’s questioning himself.
Morgana was now right behind Akira, and knowing him, he’s most likely going to strike after this phone call. But Akira ignores that thought and grins to himself, ’….No. No not at all. Its uh, its… I think its nice to know someone likes hearing my voice, Yusuke. Quite a romantic gesturer, wouldn’t you say?’
Smirking to himself, he hears Morgana sighing in annoyance, pushing Akira’s back for being a total idiot. 'You’re such a tease.’ whispers Morgana. Wait can he hear them right now? Oh who’s he kidding? The cat practically always reads his damn messages anyways.
Akira waits for Yusuke’s reply, already regretting his choice of words as he hears Yusuke swallow. 'Well… I. Perhaps that might be the case. You’re voice is a symbolic melody that I cannot stop listening to.’ whispers Yusuke, his quiet voice sends a soothing wave through Akira’s mind. He almost lets out a small groan, but holds back as he covers his smile again.
‘Spoken like a true artist.’ says Akira, his blush creeping more prominently then before.
A deep chuckle, along with a sigh from Yusuke rang through, and Akira could tell he was also feeling the same way, ‘Am I now? Hah ha, well, I cant always describe my favourite masterpieces, unless he’s willing to…’ Yusuke pauses. And for a while to.
What is he going to ask? I’m starting to get sleepy.
Akira’s eye lids were starting to fall, and he could hear his and Yusuke’s slow breathing in the hollow room. ‘He’s willing to, what?’
Yusuke takes a couple more breathes, before clearing his throat and saying, ‘…If the most intriguing, knowledgeable, alluring, nasty crime boy student of Shujin High, and charming leader of the Phantom Thieves become my model for my next exhibit?’
He didn’t realise he started laughing half way through Yusuke’s request. It didn’t even sound like a request, more like a proposal even! And here Akira thought he would end up with someone else, someone unlike Yusuke. A passionate artist, who’s vision of the world sparks through other peoples eyes by his smooth brush strokes and wild colours. Somebody who over came his fear for his sensei, somebody who he thought was once a good man. And now his own true self. His fox. His everything.
And now that his thoughts were full of Yusuke, he couldn’t imagine a life without him.
‘I thought you’d never ask.’
*THIS IS SO BAD WHY DO I WRITE SO LATE*
#its late#its so late guys#omg#but yeah#i hope you enjoyed this#like i said#a simple but cute fluff for out phantom cuties#*let me date him atlus you trick ass bitch*#shukita#yusuke kitagawa#akira kusuru#persona 5#persona#one shot#shukita one shot#got any requests?#send me some and ill start writing#screams how bad this is tho oml#trust me when i say that the next ones will be better#this was just a random one shot in which i started writing and couldn't stop
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Budapest
I’m writing from Vienna now, though I only just arrived a few hours. I was in Budapest from May 4th-9th, but I arrived around 5pm on the 4th so it doesn’t really count.
My bus from Brno to Budapest was an hour late, but I had loose plans for the day (that I actually was thinking of not going through with since they focused a communist museum and I don’t really care for modern history) so I wasn’t heart broken. When I got on the bus, as I always do, I looked for a seat with the most unobstructed window view. I found one and sat down, only to be disrupted by the guy in front of me dancing, bobbing and aggressively flailing his arms around. At first i thought it wouldn’t last long but it lasted a few minutes so I decided, so as not to become suicidal on the ride, to move. He’d pushed his chair back so far that I had to ask him to adjust it so I could get out. I literally was trapped and he was so into his music, he didn’t hear me so I had to tap him and I hate touching strangers. I moved and was free but he kept walking back and forth on the bus, up and down the stairs. At one point, he moved behind me and stay there for an hour. He was a douche. He’d yell out questions, directed at no one, waiting for an answer. He’d yell out questions to me from 3 rows behind. I answered one but ignored the rest because fuck you. They’d be like “are we in Hungary yet?”. Pay attention. It’s not my job to babysit you. I hate him.
But getting into Budapest, on the 5th, I went to the old side of the city (Buda; Pest is the new side, they were merged not too long ago). I took a bus which conveniently dropped me off at the bottom a hill. The thing with all these Medieval cities is that they were positioned on hilly grounds for defense but now, it’s just annoying. So I hiked my ass up there and saw a stunning church, wandered around the surrounding streets (bought a cute postcard!) and got some decent panoramic views of Pest. My /fake/ student card is serving me well but I’m worried now in Austria, they might be more English-y and be able to tell “youth” from “student”. Fingers crossed. I wandered back down and found a Hungarian restaurant. Actually it was a Hungarian-Korean restaurant, which was weird. I got Chicken paprika as that’s a very traditional Hungarian dish, with some noodle soup, for about $6. The chicken came with, what I later learned was thick, oddly shaped pasta, but I couldn’t tell what grain they were, which made for an interesting meal. It was good but the grains freaked me out a bit. Then I journeyed back up to the castle grounds (I later learned they were all on the same hill, ugh), taking a short cut by essentially walking up at an 80 degree angle until I almost died and went to a Hungarian Museum, focusing on the history of Budapest. It had a strange layout and didn’t feel like a traditional museum at all. The entire building, and the surrounding buildings used to be the Buda Castle but they’re obviously not anymore. They’re all museums/libraries. The history museum I was in kind of just had scattered objects from various periods, sometimes with plaques, and sometimes in chronological order. For whatever reason, I was really tired (all that walking up and down, I bet) and caught myself just skimming the words but not actually reading anything. I was trying really hard because central Europe with Holy Roman Empire confuses me (what the hell is an imperial seat? What is Bohemia doing with an Imperial seat? can someone tell me?) and I find I need to understand things to enjoy them but my eyes and brain were failing me. I’d planned to go on a tour that day, but it was supposed to pour all day so I changed my plans. It ended up raining for maybe 5 minutes. After the museum episode, I wondered into a library as I’d vaguely read about it online. Awkwardly, the receptionist told me it was just a modern library so I called it a day (this happened to me again in Budapest later on).
The second day, it was supposed to pour again and this time no rain fell whatsoever. I started the day by going to St Stephen’s Basilica, which was another very pretty cathedral. Then I wandered looking for some lunch. I ended up getting some sweet gelato (recommended to me by a work friend!). I went searching for an 12:00pm tour but couldn’t find it (some smaller ones don’t run if they don’t get enough prebookings- I wasn’t lost) so I, knowing there was a different company running a tour at 2:30pm, ventured off for a bit. I wanted to properly find lunch and spent a while hunting down a meal. For whatever reason, I constantly crave Japanese and Thai food, but was also looking for Hungarian food to get the experience. I ended up getting Chinese food because it was $3.50. Then I wandered into a very famous Four Seasons hotel (I think it was a palace?) but I just ended up using their internet. Then, I followed the Danube river, saw a WWII memorial on the way, before checking out the very impressive parliament buildings. I shuffled back to the Basilica for the tour. Just as I’d feared, the tour not only took us though Pest, but they took us to the Buda sights I’d seen before. I went anyway, completed it just to complete it as the fact that I never did one in Prague got to me. The tour guide was nice but she more or less would explain what we are seeing and didn’t really go below the surface. By the end of the tour, I was very, very tired. The guide even made a comment.
The third day, I had plans to do a bit of shopping, check out a park and then go to the largest synagogue in Europe. I made it through some shopping- went to a mainly produce market before ending up in a mall where I had some lunch. Suddenly, I felt really sick though (it wasn’t the food, I was feeling sick as I started eating) and, slowly but surely, made my way back to the hostel. It took me a while because I felt having to sit down. I actually had to do like breathing exercises and whatnot. I made it back in one piece, popped a few pills and a few hours later, I was better (not perfect but better). The synagogue was open til 7pm so, after dropping off some laundry, I checked it out. Tickets were really expensive but I figured, I gotta get my Jew on when I can. I completely walked by it at first and saw the mass graves, memorials and the square that was part of the Jewish ghetto in WWII. Then I found the synagogue and joined a tour of the grounds. I couldn’t tell if the guide wasn’t Jewish or if he didn’t speak English very well because his explanations were worded very cryptically. I was anxious to get back to my laundry but I’m trying out a new thing where I don’t let strangers control my decisions. I don’t know if it’s just me but I often get the urge to act in out of concern for how others will perceive me, out of not wanting to annoy strangers, that sort of thing. Like I was worried about getting back to my laundry so the employee wouldn’t be mad at me for leaving it but then I thought, I paid for this tour, why should i cut it short so that the employee wouldn’t think I’m annoying? Like I’m actively trying to take strangers’ power away from my decisions.
On the last full day in Budapest, I started by walking 30 minutes to a park where an old palace was (though you could only visit it from the outside which I was A-OK with). I took a lot of photos; it was very nice out, another rain forecast that never came true. Then I walked an hour down to the main tourist shopping street. I bought myself some shoes finally! The ones I was working with had holes and were stretched so whenever I lifted my foot, the back would fall out of place. I’m very pleased to have comfortable feet again. I follow the street down to a market, which was closed, before doing my routine stress-search for a place to eat. It took me a while but I found a place and got some salmon pasta. Then, as I promised myself, I went to see a movie. I’m still keeping up my movie in each country plan. I’d originally planned to see this Hungarian film called 1945, and online it said there was a showing with English subtitles but when I got there, couple hours early because I’m an anxious person, the employee told me the subtitled version was playing at a different, farther location. It was actually close to where I’d walked from, along the route from the palace. For whatever reason, I like things to follow a logical route and plan so I found a theatre close to my planned ending point that was playing Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in English so I saw that. It was enjoyable, not as good as the first I’d say but I had a good time. I got popcorn and candy to treat myself as I hadn’t eaten much that day. It was a pretty sold out show. Turns out, Marvel fanboys are everywhere.
Today, I was in Budapest until 3pm so I figured, I still have things I want to see, I can wake up early and get er done. It was a moral battle, let me tell you, as I wanted to sleep but I also knew future me would be mad if I slept so I awoke at 8am (that’s early for me okay) and ventured out to a thermal spa. Budapest is known for their Turkish baths. The one I chose was from the 16th century and was like a dim, stone, interior bath. I’d arrived for the morning special and got into my bathing suit. I read online they’re mandatory because I ain’t doing a nude thing. I got to the pool and, lo and behold, about 70% of the women were at least topless, with a solid 50% full on naked. There were bodies from all walks of life, let me tell you. But I was so relieved that it was just a female pool. I didn’t even know it but I’m glad. I obviously stayed in my suit, I wasn’t about to experience that, but I sat in basically a giant hot tub for 45 minutes with a ton of old naked women. The acoustics in the room were crazy. I kept trying to locate a voice but you couldn’t. It was like a small, domed room. After that adventure, I went back to the market I’d missed the previous day. It was mostly souvenirs and, since it was my last day, I didn’t have much cash on me so I was quick to leave. I played the stress-find a restaurant game again before, 15 minutes before I had to leave for my bus, settling on some goulash soup, a dish I’d been meaning to try for a while.
And 4 hours later, I was in Vienna.
Macy
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