#also hot take ill draw inevitably just 2 get it out there for the idea of a rewrite but. shad isnt aaron hes laurence it makes sm sense | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beewolfwrites · 3 years

Text

And When I am Formulated, Sprawling on a Pin - Chapter Nineteen: I May Think of You Softly

The angst is starting to hot up now, because we can’t have a Chishiya fic without it :)

As always, you can also read this on AO3 here.

Just adding this because I’ve gotten a few messages about it, but once this fic comes to an end, I’ll start reading the manga properly so I can eventually write a part 2/sequel!

While I’m reading it though, I want to make a collection of one-shots based on this fic from Chishiya’s pov. I have a few scenes in mind to focus on, but if there are some you’d like to see, just drop me a message, comment, carrier pigeon etc... and let me know!

----------------------------------------------

‘It’s time.’

They were simple words, but they carried an awful lot of weight. The plan had to go perfectly, otherwise we were finished.

Arisu’s voice sounded from the other line. ‘Is everyone getting into position?’

I picked up the walkie talkie and headed to the door, only for Kuina to grab my arm and stop me. Perplexed, I opened my mouth to ask her why, but her pleading expression silenced me as she took the walkie talkie from my hand.

At the same moment, a new voice – Usagi’s – came through. ‘I’m in the hall, keeping lookout.’

Never taking her eyes from mine, Kuina’s hand tightened around my arm. She pressed the button to activate the walkie talkie. ‘We’re watching over the elevator to the top floor.’

Except we weren’t. We were here, in my room.

Kuina??

Once again, I began to ask her what was happening, but she shook her head, shushing me. The guilt in her eyes was unmistakable. ‘The coast is clear,’ she said into the walkie talkie.

Then it became awfully, awfully apparent what was going on.

‘The new leader is making a speech in the lobby,’ Chishiya said, ‘and all the executives and militants are at the annex. I’ll let you all know if there are any changes.’ There was a pause. ‘This is our only chance. I’m counting on you, Arisu.’

Shrugging out of Kuina’s hold, I sat down on the bed, trying to process the situation. This had been his plan from the start. Not the official plan, but a fake one: to use Arisu and Usagi to locate the safe, and to let them take the fall. Chishiya may know the passcode, but the location of the safe is something that can only be discovered once you actually go into the room.

He’s using them as his guinea pigs.

‘I’m in the Royal Suite now,’ Arisu said. ‘Though I can’t see anything that looks like a safe. Just give me a minute.’ My knee began to bounce nervously as the line went quiet. Then his voice crackled through, triumphant, ‘I’ve found it!’

A puff of air sounded from the other line, and I could practically hear Chishiya’s smirk. ‘The code, it’s 8022.’

There was a pause. ‘How do you know?’ Arisu asked. ‘Did you see inside the black envelope?’

I leaned forward, curious about how Chishiya had managed to figure it out simply by sitting in the same room. There were two possibilities here. Either Chishiya knew perfectly well what the passcode was, and he would concoct a lie to give to Arisu, or he only had an inkling about the passcode, and he was using Arisu to test it out.

‘No,’ Chishiya said, ‘but I didn’t need to. Aguni’s expression told me everything. He was surprised at first, then he was confused. I believe the paper inside was blank.’

‘Blank? But what about the passcode you just told me?’ Arisu asked.

There was an amused hum. ‘The wax seal. You remember Hatter’s ring… it was stamped with the word ‘BOSS’. When the wax seal was stamped, the embossing left numbers. That was the true code.’

You really are incredible, and not necessarily in a good way.

It certainly sounded convincing enough, though until Arisu tested it, there was no way of knowing whether this was the genuine truth, or an impressive sounding lie. And judging by the way things were going, he would find out very quickly.

My heart broke for Arisu as he spoke with pure, blind amazement. ‘Chishiya, I’d hate to be your enemy.’

I held my breath, waiting for the worst as silence ensued. This was a setup, after all. I glanced at Kuina, but she only looked at me apologetically.

Why does he have to be so cruel?

‘Chishiya??’ Arisu’s voice shook. ‘Chishiya, the code’s wrong?’

The static shut off into silence.

------------------------------------------

Even the stale air of my room tasted bitter as I gripped my walkie talkie, turning it over in my palm. It was tempting to just toss into the dustbin and wash my hands of the whole thing, yet I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Chishiya had backed me into a corner. It would be too dangerous to stay at the Beach now that the militants had taken over, but I also resented Chishiya for stringing me along in such a dreadful scheme.

Kuina was waiting for me in the hall outside. Now that the militants were busy with Arisu and Usagi, the royal suite was unguarded. This was the final test. The real plan. But as for whether or not I joined them…. I didn’t have a choice, or at least, it seemed that way. I remembered the words that I’d told Hatter when I first arrived at the Beach.

‘I still have a choice. It’s just that one of the options doesn’t look too great.’

There was always the option to stay and pretend that I had nothing to do with it. Except there was an obvious downside; Niragi wouldn’t settle for that. He’d be out for blood. My blood. It was either possible death or certain death… freedom or confinement. I knew which one I preferred.

‘Though wise men at the end know dark is right, because their words forked no lightning they do not go gentle into that good night.’

It was funny how fittingly Dylan Thomas’ poem sprung to mind now. I was going to die. That was inevitable. But I still wanted my voice to be heard. I still wanted to chase the meaning of it all.

Pocketing the walkie talkie, I walked towards the door. It almost felt sad. All the textbooks I had been given, the books that had kept me sane this entire time… I would have to leave them behind. They were gifts from Chishiya, but after what he’d done to Arisu, they were tainted. I shut the door behind me, quite possibly for the last time.

Kuina was leaning against the opposite wall, and when she saw me, her expression was one of relief.

‘For a minute, I thought you weren’t coming.’

I tried to smile. ‘For a minute, so did I.’

The hotel was quiet as we made our way to the top floor, it became apparent how quiet it was. The militants and executives were likely dealing Arisu and Usagi by now, and I hated to think of what was currently happening to them. Perhaps this was another reason Chishiya wanted to use them; as a distraction.

‘I don’t like it either,’ Kuina said. Her jaw was rigid. ‘I really don’t like it. But I have to get home to my mother.’

Some of the bitterness I felt softened. I couldn’t fault her for that. Not really. She had told me once, while we were on the rooftop, about her mother being the only one to accept her after her gender reassignment, and now her mother was ill, yet she was stuck here, unable to help. She had tried asking about my own life, although I’d brushed it away at the time.

‘My brother,’ I said after a moment. ‘I want to get back to him. He’s older than me, a psychologist. He went into psychology to research treatment options for certain mental health conditions. My mother isn’t happy… to put it mildly. She’s a mess. Probably it’s something to do with being married to my dad, or maybe it’s genetic.’

Kuina went quiet at first, then took the quit-smoking aide from her mouth. ‘Are you two close?’

I shrugged. ‘I suppose we are. We both grew up in the same place, and we both have that understanding. He was always the one who went first, and I’d follow him. He wasn’t scared of anything, not even my dad.’

Kuina and I didn’t say anything more after that. We were nearing the top floor now, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew that Chishiya was lurking somewhere, waiting for us to give him the all-clear.

As planned, Kuina handed me a second walkie talkie, and I took my place at the end of the hall, looking out for any executives. Meanwhile, Kuina took watch outside the royal suite, where she could see Aguni’s room. So far, Aguni had remained in his old room, despite being the new number-one, and since Arisu and Usagi’s capture, he had yet to emerge.

Chishiya’s voice sounded through the walkie talkie. ‘You two, how are things on your side?’

Just the sound of his voice brought with it a mixture of anger… despair… betrayal… relief… and love. Even that. How was it that now, when I had never been more hurt by him, I still craved the safety I found in his voice.

I don’t know who I hate more, him or myself.

I didn’t particularly want to speak with him. But ignoring him wasn’t an option either. ‘You’re all good to go from where I’m standing.’

‘Aguni’s still in his room,’ Kuina’s voice crackled through. ‘We’re getting bored now.’

‘Then should we get going with the plan?’ he suggested.

I clicked my tongue, eyes scanning either side of the empty hall. ‘We’ve already gotten going. It’s you who needs to hurry up.’

‘Patience,’ was the curt reply.

I didn’t hear anything, but I knew that somewhere down the hall, Chishiya was entering the royal suite. ‘I don’t know if Arisu is stupid or intelligent,’ he said. ‘Hatter was paranoid. He wouldn’t have hidden the cards in a normal safe.’

Did Arisu try breaking into one of the hotel’s guest safes?

‘Where’s the real one then?’ Kuina asked. She sounded tired and weary.

‘When Arisu was caught,’ Chishiya replied, ‘Aguni wasn’t paying attention. He was looking towards a certain picture on the wall. It turns out the paper wasn’t empty after all. It contained a drawing instead.’

It was impressive how Chishiya was able to figure these things out through body language alone. For someone who seemed to have no concept of how people behaved, he sure paid attention to our behavioral patterns.

‘So, you had no idea where it was until then?’ I asked.

‘Exactly,’ Chishiya said. ‘What happened to Arisu was necessary if we were going to find the real safe. Speaking of which, I’ve found it.’

The way he talked about it was chilling. Not so much the words themselves, but the ease in which he spoke them, the lack of hesitation.

Kuina seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she sighed into the walkie talkie. ‘You used him just for that?’

The response was immediate. ‘In order to gain something, you have to lose something. He’s just a sacrifice. Things like this happen a lot, don’t they?’

The level of self-assurance behind those words… it was brutal. I always knew he was like this, but what did that mean for me and Kuina? Were we just pawns like Arisu and Usagi? Would our deaths be necessary too?

‘No, they don’t.’ Kuina said. ‘Not at all. I really don’t want to be your enemy.’

At this, I almost laughed. When I first met Chishiya, I had thought the same thing, and earlier today, Arisu had said something similar himself.

‘I get that a lot,’ Chishiya replied.

Perhaps everyone is his enemy. Perhaps the only person he sees surviving the Borderlands is himself.

The idea was a harsh philosophy, but it made sense. Chishiya had always made me feel like insignificant just through his calculating gaze alone. In that sense, he was just like my own father, and chances are that was why I was drawn to him. In this crazy parallel world, feeling small was the only thing familiar to me.

Maybe, in order to gain my own freedom, I have to lose Chishiya.

--------------------------------------------

Now that the sun had set over the skyline, the evening had turned still and cold. Aside from the hum of cicadas and the chatter of crickets, it was quiet. Leaning against the outside wall of the hotel, I wrapped my arms around me, although it did nothing to stave off the shivers that tickled my skin. Nor did it melt the wedge of icy determination that had buried itself within me.

I’ll follow him for the sake of leaving the Beach… but I refuse to let myself love him.

I had never been a good liar.

To my right, Kuina was leaning against a lamppost, staring guiltily at the ground. Meanwhile, Chishiya removed his numbered wristband as he strolled towards a decorative brick archway that led out of the hotel grounds. ‘I guess we won’t be needing these anymore.’

‘Don’t you feel sorry?’ Kuina asked quietly.

He stopped. ‘Sorry?’

I looked at him curiously, wondering how he could seem so calm. ‘About what happened to Arisu… I feel really sorry for him. We both do.’

Kuina nodded, folding her arms tighter. ‘Don’t you?’

Chishiya’s eyes flitted to mine, and for the first time, I saw genuine surprise there.

Show me a sign… please give me a reason why I should trust you.

‘Is there anything we wouldn’t do in order to survive?’

A shudder ran through me, and this time, it had nothing to do with the breeze. His words confirmed my every suspicion, but I couldn’t let myself feel so disappointed. I needed to block it all out… block everything out.

Then he smiled. It would’ve been easy to mistake it for his usual smile, if not for the hint of bitterness there. ‘If you both feel so worried, then maybe you should go and help him.’

Kuina looked at him, eyes wide with regret. However, she didn’t move. Neither of us could. We both had our own reasons why we needed to survive and return home. Knowing this well, Chishiya took a step towards the arch, only to stop once more. His brow furrowed as he whispered something under his breath.

Growing impatient, I pushed away from the wall and walked towards the exit… towards freedom.

‘Stop.’

Chishiya’s hand clasped around my wrist, dragging me back. I yanked my arm away immediately, both hating and loving the feeling of his fingers on my skin. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

Kuina appeared at my side, and the three of us watched tentatively as Chishiya tossed his wristband through the arch. A red laser burst through the plastic, leaving behind a singed hole.

I stepped back, horrified. This couldn’t be… could it?

The Beach is a game arena??

#alice in borderland #aib #imawa no kuni no arisu #chishiya #chishiya shuntaro #chishiya x oc #chishiya x reader #chishiya alice in borderland

75 notes · View notes

is0gild · 4 years

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 17

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 12,131

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

Day three of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really and so far, so good.

Though the thought of this triple date had my inner recluse curling up into the fetal position, I'd manage to convince myself it actually was a good thing when you really thought about it. One, it gave me more practice for trying to do this whole couply… thing I was trying to do. More practice meant I'd eventually, hopefully be more comfortable with it all, as well as less chance for screw-ups in front of my parents when the dreaded but inevitable weekend with them at last came. Two, we were trying to maintain this image of being boyfriend and girlfriend in front of everyone else at the mall. And boyfriends and girlfriends went on dates. What better way to be seen going on said dates than by going out with other actual couples? And three, we couldn't forget about the person the Duke had hired to tail Anna originally and could quite possibly still be keeping tabs on me now. If they were still out there lurking, it was important that they, even more so than anyone else,see me dating.

It was still kind of weird to think about - that an actual, real life PI or whatever had been surveilling me constantly for who knows how long and I'd had no idea. It felt so surreal. Unreal even. But the Duke was absolutely that crazy and I wouldn't put it past him to still have someone keeping an eye on me, looking for any cracks in the story, any slip-ups or mistakes. I'd have to start paying attention more when I was out and about, see if I could figure out who it was, spot any faces that seemed to always show up everywhere I went.

But then, even if I did identify a likely culprit, I would have absolutely no idea what to do with that information once I had it. Even if I marched right up to them and told them their cover had been blown so they may as well scram, the Duke was just insane enough and rich enough to keep hiring new people to do the job instead.

...jeez, I was really starting to sound paranoid now, wasn't I?

With my luck, it'd turn out the Duke no longer had anyone following me after he'd confronted me in the food court.

Best not to think about it too much, because honestly? It'd get me nowhere.

Sighing, I banished the thoughts from my head as I watched the buildings blur past my window from the backseat of Riku's silver Ford Focus. The three of us were on our way to the restaurant now and Lea, Kairi and Sora were going to meet us there. My hand anxiously smoothed out the creases of my outfit - a dark magenta sheath dress with long sleeves and a hemline at the knees. It had a tastefully low v-neckline and a double layered skirt, the top layer made of a shimmering gossamer material. Nice, but nothing too fancy for our "nothing too fancy" date, to use Kairi's words.

Per Lea's request, I'd also worn his leather jacket. It made sense, after all. Nothing screamed "dating" more than one half of a couple wearing their other half's clothes, so it certainly helped maintain the facade. His boy scent still lingered on it, even though he hadn't worn it in a couple of days now, given it had been in my possession. The smell was somehow both soothing and butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing at the same time. It was an odd mix of emotions, to say the least.

I felt a buzz in the jacket's pocket. Pulling out my phone (gosh, it was so weird having one again after going so many weeks without) I checked my notifications to discover I'd received a text.

Well, speak of the devil.

Still cant believe u didnt lemme come pick u up

Shaking my head with a small snort, I tapped out a reply to Lea.

It just made the most logical sense for me to ride with Riku and Rayne since we were all coming from the same place.

Rayne suddenly cried out happily, drawing my attention to her as she clapped and bounced in the front passenger seat. "Ahh, I'm still just so excited for date night! Good food, great company, hot hubby," she slyly pinched Riku's cheek, which he endured with dignity as he drove. "What more could a girl ask for?"

He chuckled as he shifted the car over into the turn lane. "You make it sound like I never take you out."

"You know that's not what I mean!" she playfully smacked his shoulder. "But with the baby on the way, I don't know how many more of these I'll have! This is one of my last chances to enjoy freedom! Jesus take the fucking wheel, hallelujah!"

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand again and I looked down at it.

I know not this logic u spk of

I felt a tiny smile pulling at my mouth as my thumbs typed.

Don't worry about it. Tis beyond your mortal ken.

"I just hope no one's drinking tonight," Riku snerked as I watched those three dots bounce at the bottom of my screen. "Don't need you dancing on any more tables, thank you very much."

"Your face dances on tables!" Rayne shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't even make any sense!"

Rude. Ill have u know I had half a mind 2 drive ovr n get u NEway, logic b damned

My smile turned a touch wicked.

I'm impressed. That's half a mind more than you usually have.

"Here we are!"

My head shot up as I heard the engine shut down. I hadn't even realized we were in a parking lot. I hadn't even realized the vehicle had stopped moving.

As I looked out my window again, I heard Rayne saying, "Have I mentioned how happy I am we're doing this?"

"You may have said something about that once or twice." I could hear the smile in Riku's low voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her leaning over towards him, her hand coming up to run slender fingers through his long, ashen strands. "Yeah, but maybe I should show you."

"Maybe you should…"

And that's when I, being the absolute clueless, blissfully naive little fool that I was, chose to turn and fully look at them, just in time to get a front row seat to their little game of tonsil hockey. I blushed, threw up a hand to block my line of sight and made a tiny noise of disgust in my throat. "Ugh! You know you're not the only people in the car, right?"

Rayne pulled away to smirk back at me. "Well, other people can shoo," she flicked a dismissive hand in my direction before grabbing Riku by his collar and yanking him over for a deeper, more passionate kiss. Ding, ding, round two!

Squeaking, I fumbled with my seatbelt until I heard the click release, threw my car door open, stumbled out and slammed it shut behind me with a huff.

Oi, that was the main drawback to this group date plan. We were going to be around actual couples, and actual couples actually, ahem… snogged. Rayne and Riku were going to be bad enough, but let's not forget Sora and Kairi were along for the ride too and I'd seen firsthand how gross those two could be as well. Mark my word, this night was going to have more than its fair share of uncomfortable moments with those four around, being all besotted and smitten and other such rot. But I would survive this and make it through to the other side. Somehow.

Sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, I glanced up at the building before me now. It bore a colorful banner over its entrance that read Fuente Del Oro. A local, family-owned Mexican restaurant, or so Rayne had told me. I could already tell this was going to be a very different experience from the types of restaurants my ex used to take me to for our dates. Those restaurants had all been about the look, the prestige… you didn't go to any of those places for the food, you went there to be seen, to give off an air of importance. Those places were… dull. Lifeless. This place before me now, on the other hand, was… nice. Colorful. Vibrant and full of character. Not elegant or frilly, but warm and inviting. And the aromas that I could smell coming from it, even all the way out here? Delicious.

I was actually kind of looking forward to this.

Phone still in my grasp, I looked back down at it and frowned.

No message back from Lea yet.

A giggle suddenly echoed out across the parking lot and my eyes snapped towards the source. It didn't take long to spot Kairi a few vehicles over, squirming and laughing in Sora's arms as he hugged her from behind, blowing raspberries against her neck. They were standing with a very familiar redhead who was leaning against a very familiar black muscle car. Said redhead had pulled his hair back into a ponytail again and was dressed in a snug, black tee with a second shirt on underneath, red and black horizontal stripes running down its full-length sleeves. His slim, dark jeans made his already long legs seem even longer and he was sporting his bright red Converse. He had his phone in hand in front of him, but it wasn't the phone he was looking at. Our eyes met and a grin tugged at one corner of his lips.

Suddenly, whatever boldness that I had felt behind the safety of text on the tiny, glowing screen in the palm of my hand had abandoned me and I felt a small pang of anxiety pierce my chest.

But I rallied.

Alright, Elsa, pep talk time. You can do this. You've been mentally and emotionally preparing for this since yesterday. Let him throw at you whatever fluffy, sappy moves he decides to today, all in the name of pretending to be your boyfriend. You can take it.

Shields raised and at full power, captain!

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, I pocketed my mobile and started making my way over to those three. Probably hearing my footsteps against the asphalt, Kairi and Sora looked over at me as I approached and greeted me with waves. I gave them a shy smile and returned the wave as Lea held his phone up, turning the screen towards me and showing the last message I'd sent him as he tsked, "Brutal. You wound me, madame."

I stopped a few feet away from him, my smile twitching wider. "You like it."

"True. What can I say, I've always been a bit of a masochist," he hummed a low chuckle, slipping his phone into the back pocket of his pants. His head tipped to one side and he stared at me for another second, then his eyes crinkled as he stretched a hand out towards me with a soft, "C'mere."

I bit my bottom lip, hesitating for a heartbeat before moving another step forward to take his offered hand.

"Lookit you," he whistled, closing his fingers around mine and leading me into a little twirl. "Digging the look." He then gently pulled me against him, drawing my arms up to hug his neck before slipping his hands beneath the jacket to wrap around my waist, enveloping me in his cinnamon scent. "Didn't get a chance to say it the other day, but my jacket suits you."

I rolled my eyes up at him, doing my best to be impervious to our sudden closeness. I wasn't succeeding. "Not really. It's too big."

"Yes really," he insisted, bowing his head slightly towards mine. "It looks way better on you than it ever did on me."

"Where's Riku and Rayne?" Sora interjected and I turned my head to look at him.

"They-" my words tripped over my tongue as Lea pressed a tender kiss to my temple.

Critical hit, captain! Shields down to thirty percent, but holding!

Ignoring the heat rushing to my face, I did my best to regather my scattered thoughts. "They, uh… they're back in the, uh… the…" Drat, what was the word again? "...car! They're back in the… the car."

Sora pulled a face. "Swapping spit, no doubt."

"Oh-ho, we'll see about that! C'mon, Sora!" Kairi cackled with an evil gleam in her eye, slipping free of her boyfriend's hold to instead grab his hand and pull him behind her as she ran off towards Riku's car.

"Seriously," Lea spoke up again, his voice hushed as I slowly returned my gaze to his. "Pretty sure I've lost all claim to that jacket. It belongs to you now."

My eyelids drooped. "That's not how that works."

"Sure it is." He rested his forehead against mine and I could feel his thumb rubbing light circles against the fabric of my dress just above my hip. "You don't choose a leather jacket, it chooses you. And trust me, that one has definitely picked you over me."

I gave a soft snort. "I'm giving it back to you after tonight."

"Don't you dare," he chided, his breath warming my lips. "You'll hurt the jacket's feelings."

"Stop anthropomorphizing the jacket." I was fighting a smile now.

"Make me," he murmured, something in his voice causing my insides to do that whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing.

And the academy award for best leading actor in the role of Elsa's boyfriend goes to this guy right here.

But had to say, I thought he might be overdoing it a bit. I mean, Sora and Kairi weren't even around anymore to hear any of this. And if we were being monitored by someone under my great uncle's payroll, they certainly couldn't hear it either. I suppose Lea just… really liked getting into character?

Clearing my throat, I unclasped my hands from behind his neck and shifted them down to his chest in an attempt to push myself free of his grasp as I whispered, "We, ah… should probably go speak to the hostess now."

However, his hold on me didn't loosen, his arms remaining firmly secured around my waist. He didn't say anything, just continued to grin down at me. His eyes became hooded as they flicked down to my lips now, making my heart skip a beat.

What was he-?

A sudden loud yelp ruptured the air around us.

Rayne.

Followed by an annoyed yell of, "Goddamnit, Sora! Kairi!"

And that would be Riku.

The two delinquents in question blurred past us and towards the restaurant's front doors, whooping and snickering and razzing their tongues back at their victims climbing out of the Ford Focus. "We'll grab us a table!" Sora called quickly at the same time Kairi shouted, "See ya inside!" Then they both disappeared through the entrance with Rayne and Riku hot on their heels.

I heard Lea sigh. Or maybe he didn't. It was so soft that it was fully possible that I imagined it. Then he released me, slipping one hand into mine and jerking a thumb towards the restaurant with a lopsided smile, "Shall we?"

I stared at him, feeling the night air cool my warmed face. Then I gave a tentative nod and let him lead me inside.

The others hadn't made it far past the doors and we stepped in to find Riku doling out Sora's punishment: death by a thousand noogies. Sora was smacking his cousin's arm and trying to wriggle free, but to no avail. Apparently Kairi had gotten off with only a warning for she was standing off to one side with Rayne, both cracking up as they watched the boys. I looked past them, taking in the restaurant. Strings of fairy lights hung from the ceiling intermixed with strings of multi-colored papers, each bearing cutouts depicting various imagery. The walls were painted with murals of fantastical, mythical creatures of various shapes and sizes with wings and prismatic fur, feathers and scales. This place was absolutely beautiful.

Once the roughhousing had finally settled down, we all approached the hostess, an extremely tiny, extremely old lady wearing a name tag that read Coco who seemed far more interested in napping than greeting new customers. However, she woke up long enough to squint at her list and find our reservation before calling over a man to seat us. He led us through the restaurant and to a large booth in one of the back corners, leaving menus, chips and salsa on the table before flashing us a warm, genuine smile and saying he'd be back to take our orders in a minute.

I started shrugging out of the jacket, feeling Lea assist me before folding it over his arm and gesturing towards the booth with bow and a, "Lady's first." Smiling at him, I took a seat and scooched towards the middle. Lea wasn't too far behind, sitting close enough for our knees to bump against one another. He tossed the jacket on the back shelf of the booth before draping his arm across the top of the cushioned seat behind my head. Rayne took the spot to my left with Riku of course beside her, and on the other side of Lea sat Kairi and Sora. The waiter came back after giving us a little time to peruse the menus and he gathered our food requests before dashing off again.

"So Ray," Kairi piped up, popping a heavily salsa-laden chip into her mouth, "how's the preggers-life treating you?"

"Really well," she nodded contentedly, one hand going to her tummy. "The jellybean's happy and healthy so far and I've just started barely showing in the past couple weeks. No weird food cravings yet, thank god, but those are supposed to be right around the corner."

Sora leaned forward, propping his chin in both hands and beamed, "Do we know yet if I have a lil nephew or niece on the way?"

"We're cousins, Sora. Nephews and nieces would only be if we were brothers," Riku corrected with a wry curve to his lips.

"We don't know yet," Rayne shook her head, "but I'm about four months along now, so hoping to find out at our next appointment."

Lea had shifted his hand to dangle down so he could idly twiddle my braid between his fingers. I could also sense his gaze on me, causing a bit of a flutter in the pit of my stomach. Reminding myself he was just playing a part and it wasn't real, I resisted the urge to squirm and instead pretended not to notice, directing all my focus into reaching for a chip to dip into the salsa.

"Well whatever the wee monkey turns out to be, you can bet Auntie Kairi and Unkie Sora will be here to shower it with all the love and kisses!" Kairi cooed.

Riku twitched and frowned. "I just said that isn't how it-"

"Shush, hon, they're just teasing you now," Rayne poked his cheek with a laugh before looking back over at Kairi. "And you? How's the new gig over at Mickey's going? You've been there, what? About a week now?"

"Mm-hm! It's been a lot of fun working the jewelry counter. Oh sure, there's the occasional asshole customer, but turns out I'm really good at killing them with kindness."

Riku kicked Sora's foot under the table, "What about you, ya freeloader? Any prospects yet?"

He shrugged with that big smile he seemed to always have permanently glued to his face. Just looking at it was starting to make my cheeks hurt. "Couple of interviews coming up, so we'll see!"

Smirking, Riku said, "Can't wait to hear how you screw them up this time, knucklehead."

"Hey!"

Kairi turned to look our direction now. "So what's new and exciting with you two, hm? Lea, you just had that big test, right?" Silence was her answer as I went for another chip. "Lea? Hello, earth to... ah-ha, there!" She rocketed up to her feet, slamming one hand down on the table and pointing the other right in Lea's face. "Lost puppy look!"

"Hm, what now?" he jolted, his hand jerking away from my braid to lay across the booth backrest once more. "Lost pup-? Bah, I told you already, there's no lost puppy look. You need to get your eyes checked, princess."

She scoffed, plopping heavily back down into her seat and smugly take a sip of her soda. "Please. You were bad at hiding it when you guys were dating in secret, and you're even worse at it now that it's all out in the open."

"What's the deal there anyhow?" Sora cocked his head at me. "There's all sorts of wild rumors flying around the mall, like that you're runaway royalty from some far off country just living off the lam now."

"What?!" I blanched, gawking in disbelief. Doing my best to recover with a tiny, awkward laugh, I hastily said, "No, nothing quite so, ah… dramatic. My parents, they're… well off, to be sure, but certainly not royalty. And not from so far away either. Just Arendelle, which is only about an hour north of here."

Chewing on her straw, Kairi eagerly leaned in closer, "I'd love to hear the story of how you two met!"

I stiffened.

Fudge.

Welp, add that to my ever growing list of things I should have thought about in advance but failed miserably to do so. I fiddled a chip between my fingers as I tucked in my bottom lip. Shoot, what was I supposed to tell her? It's not like I'd gotten any better at lying in the past few days since my visit with Father. In fact, I'd been mostly skirting by since then by dodging questions and letting people fill in the blanks for themselves so I didn't have to. Heart thudding in my chest, I opened my mouth, not quite fully sure yet what was going to come out.

"Last summer," Lea was quicker. "In another city."

"Oh, during that big cross-country road trip you took?" Rayne asked him as she leaned into her husband who slung an arm around her shoulders.

Lea tapped his own nose, "That'd be the one, Raindrop."

Kairi gasped, "You two met in a foreign city? How romantic! That's the dream!"

"You have to leave the country in order for it to be a foreign city," Riku shook his head.

"Cram it, you knew what I meant!"

"It was like one of those scenes straight outta a movie," Lea planted an elbow on the table, rubbing a curled finger over his smirk as he watched me out of the corner of his eye. "There I was, just strolling along minding my own business, smack dab in the middle of a jam-packed city street. But then the crowd parted and there she stood. The most gorgeous creature to ever walk the face of this or any other planet in all the cosmos."

Cue my face turning all new shades of red never before witnessed in the history of human eyesight.

Jeez, laying it on a bit thick there, Lea, don't you think?

"So whatdja do?" Kairi pressed, eyes bright and on the edge of her seat. "Sweep her off her feet right then and there?"

He snerked, "Shit no, I walked headfirst into a lamppost."

I smothered a grin behind my hand as the rest of the table erupted into laughter. Sora reached over to punch him lightly in the arm, "Smooth, ya stud. What city was this anyway?"

"Corona," I was the one to answer, surprising myself. Suddenly self-conscious with all eyes turning to me, I quietly added, "I was there for part of my vacation last year."

"By yourself?" Rayne quirked a dubious eyebrow at me. She knew this story was as made-up as my current relationship status was. I could only assume she was trying to poke holes in order to help us solidify this little tale that was being spun so we'd be more prepared for the next time we had to tell the lie.

The thing is, the best lies have a grain of truth to them. I really had been in Corona last summer. "No, I was taking the trip with Anna. We were actually staying over in Traverse Town, but had planned to visit Corona for the day to enjoy a festival there, since it was only a short train ride away. However, Anna disappeared with a guy before we could go. I'd really been looking forward to this festival though and didn't want to miss it, so I took the train over on my own."

"Wait," Kairi slapped both hands down in front of her, eyes widening. "Are you talking about that big lantern festival they do every year?" At my nod, she squealed. "Lucky! Punzie has shown me pictures in magazines, it looks so goddamn pretty! Oh man, I've always wanted to go! Hint, hint," she shouldered Sora, who just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"It was actually right as they were launching the lanterns that I saw her," Lea said, folding his arms atop the table now. "She was wearing this cute sundress. White with a lil diamond patterned hem. Split sleeves that were all flowy. Hair down and dancing in the slight breeze." Wow, he was really selling this. He'd even nailed that whole far away look in his eye, like he was seeing something the rest of us couldn't. "And the way those lanterns lit up her smile as she watched them float up, I knew my lowly mortal self was in the presence of a goddess. Knocked the wind right outta me."

"As did that lamppost," Rayne sniggered.

"As did that lamppost," he agreed with a chuckle.

Totally enthralled now, Kairi breathed, "So what happened next?"

"Yeah, what did happen next?" I grinned over at him, the barest note of a challenge to my tone. To the others, it probably just sounded like I was teasing him since obviously I was already supposed to know this story. But now I was almost as invested as Kairi and was genuinely curious where he'd go with it next.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked over at me and he leaned back, propping his elbows up on the back rim of the booth and once more slipping an arm behind my head. "Well after the lantern bit was over, I watched her get onto her train heading back to Traverse Town. So I did what any self-respecting, red-blooded, utterly bewitched male would do: I followed her."

"Stalker," Riku singsonged.

His wife smacked his leg, "Hush, it's sweet!"

He snorted, eyelids drooping, "Yeah, so sweet, the dumbass left his car behind in Corona."

"Psssh, I just took the train back for it later," Lea brushed off. "Anyway, when I found her on board, I sat across from her and worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation."

Rayne looked at me. "You? Talk to a handsome stranger on a train?" She squinted, repeating for emphasis, "You?"

"Heh… what can I say? He can be very charming," I smiled down at my drink, swirling the ice with my straw.

"Even with all of my roguish charm and devilish good looks though, it wasn't easy," Lea laughed. His hand had drifted down to start toying with my braid again. "But she warmed up to me eventually. By the time we arrived at Traverse Town, I was completely smitten. A total goner. She still needed more convincing though, so I managed to persuade her into joining me for a night out on the town. Luckily for me, Traverse Town has a very active night life that goes on for hours long after most other cities have gone to sleep."

"Yeah? Like what?" Sora burbled out around a mouth full of chips, making Kairi giggle as she put a hand over his face to hide it.

He pursed his lips to one side, looking up at the ceiling, "Oh, nothing too exciting. Few odds and ends here and there though… wandering around a record store… a café with a palm reader… a street poet at one sidewalk corner, a belly dancer at another, some stargazing in a park…" Now he smirked over at me, "A carnival with a kiss at the top of the ferris wheel."

A mock gasp from Rayne, "Scandal! And you with a fiancé, young lady!"

I looked away, suddenly feeling guilty and flustered over something that hadn't even really happened. "...ferris wheels can be very enchanting."

And my streak of helping the lie along while not actually lying myself successfully continues!

"And then, and then?" Kairi insisted impatiently, just eating this whole bit of fiction right up.

He chuckled and shrugged, "Just mostly a lot of meandering the streets and talking. We were out all night and watched the sunrise together. Eventually, she had to go meet up with her sister so they could move on to another city for the next leg of their lil vay-kay. But I didn't let her leave without agreeing to meet with me again in a few months."

Kairi was slackjaw now as she whispered, "And did she?"

"Mm-hm!" he hummed happily. "And from there, we kept meeting up, our little get-togethers getting longer and more frequent over time."

"Then what?" She was relentless.

A wolfish curl tugged at one side of his mouth. "What else? I slowly seduced her until she fell helpless into my bed, hungry for the pleasure only I could give her," he waggled his eyebrows.

Of course I'd chosen that exact second to be taking a sip of my drink. And of course I promptly spluttered and choked on it. "Excuse me?" I coughed, laughing incredulously as I elbowed him in the gut.

He gave a pained grunt, but grinned and snagged my hand before I could retract it, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "I mean that in the most gentlemanly and respectful way possible, of course," he winked at me before looking back over at Kairi. "From there, I convinced her to run away from her family and ditch her two-bit, loser fiancé to be with me. And the rest, as they say, is history!"

"Wow!" she sighed dreamily, slumping back and fanning herself. Then she blinked, "Wait…" A gasp. "Oh my god! You swore off dating about a year ago, which was last summer! Was it cuz that's when you two met and it was love at first sight?!"

"Huh. The two certainly seem to line up perfectly, don't they?" he chirped. He'd rested my hand back down onto the table, his on top of mine, threading our fingers together.

Our waiter popped up again just then. "Your food will be just another moment. In the meantime, please allow us to entertain you with some music." He then turned, clapped his hands twice and called out, "Miguel!"

Out charged a boy in his early teens wearing a red hoodie and lugging a guitar that was white, etched in swirly patterns, and nearly as big as he was. He flashed us a smile huge enough to rival one of Sora's and without further preamble, started strumming away and singing. The kid was actually really good too!

Kairi clapped in delight and Rayne cooed over how adorable he was. Sora gaped in awe at the boy's obvious talent while Riku just grinned, digging into the chips. As I watched him perform, I couldn't help but feel Lea's eyes on me once more instead of on our little musician. I shifted in my seat, slipping my hand free of his and bringing it up to tuck some bangs behind my ear, hiding the growing warmth I felt in my cheeks behind my fingers.

At this rate, I didn't know how I was going to survive fake dating this guy for the rest of the evening, let alone for two more weeks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lea's hand closed around mine, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced over my shoulder at him, then back towards where Rayne and Riku were climbing into their car across the parking lot. "With them?"

"Ahhhnt," he made a buzzer noise, grinning. "Wrong! Would the contestant care to venture another guess?"

I gave him some side-eye, feeling one corner of my lips turn up. "...with you?"

"Bingo!" He started walking towards his car, gently tugging me along with him. "I was already so rudely denied my god-given right as the boyfriend to pick you up from your place. No way am I missing out on giving you a lift over to the movie theater. Same goes for driving you back home later tonight, so better make your peace with it now. It's happening."

I felt my smile twitch a fraction wider as I fell into step beside him. "I suppose being my chauffeur is quite the honor and privilege. Wouldn't want to take that away from you."

"Glad that's settled then," he gave a chipper nod, unlocking the front passenger door of his vehicle and holding it open for me as I got in. As he then jogged over to the driver's side while I buckled in, there was a loud meep meep of a car horn and I looked up just as a hot pink Jeep blurred past where we were parked - Kairi and Sora, it seemed, going on to the cinema ahead of us. I waved at them just as Lea had settled in himself and started the engine.

"So," I began once we were on the road, resting my temple against my knuckles with my elbow propped on the window sill, still grinning as I watched him out of the corner of my eye, "you took a road trip last summer?"

He gave a low hum of confirmation, reaching over to turn down the volume on the rock oldies station coming through the radio. "Decided to have one last big adventure before I really buckled down and started taking school seriously. Did a lil soul searching, that whole shtick."

"Ah." My gaze focused on the road ahead once more and I hesitated for a second, gnawing on my lower lip. "...that was a nice story you told. About how we met."

Lea chuckled, leaving one hand on the wheel while moving the other to lay atop the headrest of my seat. "Liked it, didja?"

"Oh definitely." Now I hid my growing smile behind my hand, trying to keep a straight face. "Though I have to admit, I think I was a bigger fan of the original movie adaptation."

I watched him visibly stiffen. "The…?"

Tapping a curled finger to my chin, I muttered, "What was the title again? Before Sunrise, I believe?"

He snerked, then broke out into a full laugh. "Crap, ya caught me. Yeah, I may have borrowed from the plot there a tad."

"Just a bit," I shook my head at him. "You're lucky Sora and Kairi haven't seen the film."

"Kinda surprised you have," he turned the car down a road that would take us towards the mall. "Pretty sure it's older than you are."

"Nothing wrong with old movies," I shrugged before wrinkling my nose at him slightly with a tiny smile. "Kind of sappy though. Wouldn't have thought that'd be your kind of movie."

Looking my way, he smirked, "What can I say? I'm a sappy guy. And hey, at least I didn't steal everything from that flick."

"True. The stuff before the train was all you."

"You helped," Lea pointed out as he pulled up to a stop sign. He then tapped his index against the steering wheel a couple times. "...outta curiosity, why'd you say Corona? Out of all the other places you must of visited on your trip, what made you pick that city?"

As the car accelerated once more, I tilted my head in thought. "Don't know really… I guess I just felt it would be a nice place to meet someone new in. That'd it make for a good story." I paused, watching some tail lights streak past us. "...the lantern festival really was beautiful. Have you ever seen it?"

Lea shook his head as he glanced up at the rearview before shifting lanes, "Nah. Had plans to on the road trip, but something else came up."

"A shame," I sighed wistfully. "You missed out."

"Wouldn't say that," he murmured, a warm flicker in his eyes. "'Sides, there's always next time."

"Suppose that's true," I nodded. "Nice touch, by the way, describing the dress I was wearing. I think I might even own one that's pretty close to it." Don't think I'd been wearing it in Corona though. But I couldn't really remember. It had been over a year ago after all.

He laughed again, fingers combing his scalp before returning the hand to my seat, now on a spot next to my ear. "Well, I did help you pack your clothes from your old condo just a couple days ago. I probably saw it then."

"Good point." That made sense. It would have been too much of a coincidence if that'd actually been what I'd had on that day. But now… should I be worried that I hadn't really been in that dress? What if someone found out the mismatch in the story? No… no, that was just me overthinking things again. Even if the tale ever reached the ears of the Duke's goon, it's not like they could go back in time to fact check. "Just one more thing now." My eyes narrowed at him, at odds with my grin. "Might want to edit the ending a bit."

"Which part?" he asked a touch too innocently, already turning us into the Dusk Town Center parking lot. "Running away to be with me? Hasn't that been the story all along?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Try a little before that."

Wouldn't have thought it possible to both purse one's lips and smile at the same time, but Lea proved me wrong in that moment. "Hmm… oh! Well, figured wooing you over the course of months sounded more believable, but if you think it works better as weeks or even days, then-"

"No no. Little after that."

"Well then, now you got me stumped cuz I know you just couldn't possibly be talking about the absolute masterpiece that was the slow seducing, helpless bed falling, pleasure hungry part."

A snort. "Why yes, actually, I could be talking about that and in fact am."

"But that's the best part!" he protested, turning to park in a space right next to a familiar Ford Focus. "It's the heart and soul, the very essence of the story! The pièce de résistance, the crowning glory."

With a good natured scoff, I unfastened my seatbelt as the car shuddered into powering down. "Well decrown it because you're dropping that bit."

He lifted his chin slightly and gave a dignified sniff, "I am a storyteller, El. An arteest. You wouldn't ask Leonardo da Vinci to remove the smile from the Mona Lisa."

Well someone had a high opinion of himself. Which honestly came as zero surprise. I fixed him with a dull stare. "Drop it or your jacket gets a giant, sticky stain before the night is out." And with that, I opened my door.

Lea scrambled out of the car and rushed over to join me on my side just as I slammed the door shut behind me. He had the decency to only spend a couple seconds looking mildly miffed at having been denied the opportunity to open and hold the car door for me before his frown melted into a smile once more. "Jeez, blackmail? Never thought you'd stoop so low. But eh," he shrugged, "jacket's black, it'll be fine."

"You're failing to see the big picture here," I crossed my arms as I waited for Rayne and Riku to get out of their own vehicle. My guess was they were probably going for another round of Seven Minutes in Heaven in there. Smirking at Lea, I elaborated, "Because then I'll wash it."

"Egads," he mocked gasp, splaying a hand against his chest, "the horror."

My smirk curled wickedly. "In a washing machine."

As my roomies finally vacated their car (faces flushed, I might add), Lea actually paled. "But it's dry clean only!"

"That's right," I said smugly and turned to walk away. "So nix that line or the jacket gets it."

"You fight dirty," he muttered as he caught up to me, slipping his hand into mine. However, he was grinning.

Huh. That wasn't what I'd been expecting. IE the face of a man who'd just suffered a crippling defeat by my hands.

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You certainly seem pretty happy about the impending, inevitable demise of your jacket."

Now the grin was joined by a dimple as we walked. "Well, it's just that in order for you to make good on your threat, you have to take my jacket hostage. Meaning you're gonna hafta keep it after all." His head dipped down closer to mine as he swung our hands slightly. "I count that as a win for me."

...well crud.

Score one for Lea there.

Shrieks and giggles suddenly erupted behind us before Sora tore past us towards the mall's entrance with Kairi riding piggyback. Rayne laughed and tugged Riku into a stumble behind her so they could catch up while Lea and I continued to take our time, bringing up the rear.

We made our way through the food court and over to Cinema XIII. The manager with long, silver hair that I'd seen there last time was present again, off to one side where he was setting up a huge cardboard display for the latest Star Wars movie. I watched him scowl and fiddle with the lifesize lightsaber cutouts as our group purchased tickets from a blonde chick with a weird hairdo that kind of resembled antennae. As we'd approached, I could have sworn I'd seen her boredly cleaning her fingernails with a small knife, but there was no sign of the blade by the time we'd reached her register. Perhaps my eyes had just been playing tricks on me.

Tickets for our whodunit comedy flick in hand, we then moved over to concessions which was being worked by that same teen with the emo haircut that I'd also spotted here a couple weeks ago. He hardly glanced up from the book he was reading as Riku and Rayne ordered snacks and drinks from him, Sora waiting in line behind them with Kairi still latched onto his back.

"Alright, whatcha want? My treat," Lea asked as he watched the flat screens hanging behind the counter scroll flashy ads for crisp, buttery popcorn and fizzing, bubbly soda.

I blinked. "What?" Then I frowned at him. "Oh no, not happening. You already paid for dinner despite my multiple protests. I'm not letting you buy me candy too."

We were only fake dating after all, and I wouldn't even want to make a real boyfriend pay for everything!

"But it's my right as-"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him as my eyelids drooped. "Enough with playing the boyfriend card already. You're having too much fun with that."

He puckered up and planted a tiny peck on my fingertip, sending a small jolt straight to my heart as I quickly jerked my hand back. He chuckled, "Just tell me what your fave candy is."

"Shouldn't you be able to guess?" I arched an eyebrow, stubbornly ignoring the way the tip of my finger still had a slight tingle. "Isn't that like your special gift or whatever?"

"Only with ice cream," he lightly corrected.

"Right," I crinkled my eyes at him. "How's that coming along again?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down. "It's a process."

"My turn!" Sora suddenly proclaimed loudly in front of us, dropping Kairi off his back and spinning around to get behind her.

His girlfriend gasped, "Sora no!"

"Sora yes!" he cackled, jumping onto her back, arms hugging her shoulders tight and legs wrapping around her waist as her hands automatically shifted to grasp beneath his knees. To her credit, she managed to stand for three whole shaky seconds before collapsing beneath her boyfriend's weight into a tangled heap on the floor with him.

Ah, to be young.

Never mind the fact that I was pretty sure I was only like a year older than them.

With a soft snort through my nose, I glanced back at Lea. "Well, while you keep processing, I'm going to go find our seats."

I turned to go, but he pulled me back with the hold he still had on my hand. "C'mon, just lemme buy ya something small," he insisted as he hopped over the Sora/Kairi knot that was still trying to disentangle itself, forcing me to gingerly step over the two of them as well.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I said, "Why won't you just let it go?"

He beamed. "Cuz what schmoopsie-poo wants, schmoopsie-poo gets."

Oh no he didn't.

"Uh-uh, no. Veto. You are not calling me that," I jabbed a finger into his chest.

There was a sly gleam to his eye. "Tell me what candy you want or I won't stop."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" he flashed a toothy grin as we stepped up to the counter now that my roommates had stepped off to one side, already munching away at their newly purchased sweets. "You'll think you died and went to schmoopsie-poo heaven."

I gave a small huff and looked away. "Small price to pay. Not budging on this."

"Fine. You've forced my hand." He turned his head to the concession worker, slapping his palm down on the countertop and proudly declaring, "I'll have one of everything, my good man!"

"What?! No, no, stop, he's joking," I hastily told the cashier, who froze mid-ringing the order up as he gave us a flat look with the one blue eye not hidden behind bangs. To Lea, I whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

He shrugged, grin not faltering. "Figure ya gotta like at least one of 'em."

I stared at him. Then my shoulders slumped and I hung my head, grumbling, "...Junior Mints."

"You heard the lady," he chirped to the theatre employee. "And throw in a small popcorn and large Kupo-Kola too please!"

Once the junk food was acquired and paid for, we moved out of the way to join Riku and Rayne as Sora and Kairi bought their own goodies. While we were waiting, I opened up my candy and reached inside, retrieving a minty, chocolate-coated treat and popping it into my mouth.

"Can I have one?" Lea asked beside me.

I gave him a blank look. Then I glanced down at his hands, otherwise occupied with a full soda cup and a bag practically bursting with popcorn. Digging another Junior Mint out and holding it up between us, my gaze met his once more. "Say ahh."

Face brightening, his lips parted wide.

I inserted it into his nostril.

He blinked a couple times, then snorted which had the byproduct of dislodging the Junior Mint. "Okay, guess maybe I deserved that for being a lil pushy about getting you the candy."

"You most certainly did," I said matter-of-factly, eating another one. A pause while I slowly chewed before swallowing and mumbling, "...but thanks for doing it anyway."

"Heh. Don't mention it."

Kairi and Sora rejoined us then, arms piled high with sugary delights. Jeez, all that on top of the gigantic Mexican dinners they'd both devoured less than an hour ago? One had to wonder how the two of them managed to stay so skinny.

It didn't take long for us to locate our theater and when we entered, all the lights were dimmed for the trailers that had already started to play. We quietly found our seats close to the middle of the auditorium and we settled into them, Lea to the right of me and making up one end of our group while Rayne took up my other side, the rest of the gang to her right. It seemed the cinema had recently renovated with new, barely-used cushiony sofa seating, the kind that reclined.

As I pushed the button that popped out the chair's footrest and made myself more comfortable, I caught a glimpse of the others. Half way through a strand of red licorice, Rayne flinched when Riku was suddenly in her face and chomping down on the other end of the candy. Grinning, he took a few more bites, bringing their lips closer together until he could give her a smooch before pulling away, looking quite pleased with himself as she blushed and snerked, giving his shoulder a light shove. Kairi was tossing Milk Duds towards Sora's open, awaiting mouth and rewarding him with little kisses every time he successfully caught one.

Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I glanced towards Lea out of the corner of my eye as he crunched away on some popcorn. Should we be acting all… couply right now? Like the others were? I mean, it was a dark theater… did we really need to keep the act up in here too? Would anyone really notice? Then again, I'd noticed our friends being all sickeningly cute and I hadn't even been trying to, my eyes had just wandered. So maybe it wasn't such a stretch to consider the two of us were also possibly being observed, even in here.

My gaze flicked down to the armrest I shared with Lea. It was wide enough for both our arms to lay on it side by side, elbows touching. He wasn't holding my hand at the moment, instead just resting his about an inch away from mine. Which, now that I noticed, actually felt a bit weird, oddly enough. I guess I was starting to get used to it. But perhaps I should look at this as an opportunity for some more practice. An exercise in me being the one for once to initiate a display of affection. I seriously couldn't get away with him being the one to start it all the time, right? Surely, I had to act like I liked him too.

Which, to be fair, I kind of did.

Even if it was a secret.

But now I had to wonder how does one go about, ah… what was the term? ...making a move? I'd never had to do it with my ex. I'd never particularly felt the urge, nor had he ever really encouraged me to have more initiative in that area. He'd always been the one to take charge and that seemed to be the way he'd liked it. It seemed to be what was expected of our relationship, by him, by my family, by the world of upper society that I had lived in for so long. But I was no longer in that world. Things were different here. I was different. And I needed to show that to my parents. And one way I could show that was by doing this.

So then… exactly how do I do this?

...well I suppose I could start by moving my hand in the general direction of his. Seemed simple enough… right?

Gulping and holding my breath, I slowly, oh so very slowly started reaching for his hand. As my fingers crept closer, the pounding in my ribcage grew louder and louder. A hairbreadth away from skin contact, I hesitated, what little courage I'd mustered already dwindling. But after a second, my face hardened. I needed to do this. For the sake of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really. For the sake of a continued future free from my parents' control. With a newfound resolve burning in my chest, I pushed on.

My pinky barely brushed against his knuckle.

Nope! No way. Mm-mm, not happening!

I snatched my hand back, blushing furiously.

The blush of a failure. Pathetic.

However the touch, no matter how light and brief, hadn't gone unnoticed. Lea glanced my way, his head tipping slightly. Then he smiled, shifting his popcorn out of his lap over to his right while moving the soda from the cupholder between us to the one on his other side. Then he lifted the armrest separating us, folding it back between our chairs before slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close so my head was pillowed by his chest.

I tensed for several seconds before relaxing against him, clearing my throat and, if possible, blushing even harder.

Well then.

Guess I no longer needed to worry about us not looking couply.

Even if I hadn't been the one to initiate.

...tomorrow. I would do a better job tomorrow.

As the last of the trailers ended and opening credits for the movie began filling the big screen, Lea ducked his head down next to mine. I could feel him grinning against my ear as he whispered, "This boyfriend model comes equipped with all the latest technology, including hilarious movie commentary. Would you like that feature enabled now?"

I leaned my head back a bit as I turned to look him in the eye. He cocked a playful eyebrow at me. Feeling one corner of my lips tug up, I whispered back, "Commentary on."

"You got it."

I was not disappointed.

"Is this really totally necessary?"

"Oh absolutely. Your uncle's spies could be anywhere, ever vigilant and watching at all times."

"Even here? In the parking lot for my own apartment?" I frowned dubiously.

I could feel him nodding against my hair. "Especially here. I'll have you know I've seen at least three cars pass us already, each one more suspicious and shady than the last."

Date night had been a rousing success, if I did say so myself. We'd had a good time with friends, dinner was amazing and delicious, and the movie had been excellent. But as everyone knows, all good dates (even the fake ones) must come to an end. And at the end of every date, some sort of goodnight ritual is often at the very least customary, if not absolutely essential. Traditionally, this usually takes the form of the infamous goodnight kiss. However, since I'd already taken any sort of liplock completely and one hundred percent off the table, Lea had instead opted for a hug.

One… extremely and uncomfortably long hug.

...okay, that was a lie. It wasn't uncomfortable at all. In fact, was actually quite nice. Pleasant, even. Ten out of ten, would recommend.

We stood next to his car at the moment, my apartment building just a few yards away. After he'd parked and we'd both climbed out, he'd pulled my arms up to wrap around his neck, his hands once again finding their way under the leather jacket to encircle my waist, hugging me close as he'd rested his cheek atop my head. And so we had remained for quite some time now.

Kairi and Sora were no longer with us, having parted ways back at the mall, but I could see Rayne and Riku off to one side near their own vehicle, enthusiastically taking part in some cuddle time themselves while they waited for me. Which actually I really appreciated. Without their added presence here, I'd probably be getting a lot more awkward a lot more quickly about The Hug That Would Not End.

That said…

"We've been at this for at least five minutes now. Wouldn't you call that a bit, er.." I shifted my feet, resisting the urge to squirm, "...excessive?"

His hold on me didn't budge. "Gotta be convincing. 'Sides, we're obviously still in the honeymoon period of our relationship. You know, when the couple takes forever and a day telling each other goodbye a thousand times before actually leaving. Otherwise known as the No-You-Hang-Up-First phase."

My brow furrowed. "I thought that was only made-up for TV. Real people don't actually do that, do they?"

"Yup," I felt another nod. "Trust me, I'm an expert. I know these things."

I squinted off into space. "...haven't you only ever done one night stands?"

"Shush, I said trust me on this," he murmured.

And shush I did. I suppose I could look at this as a sort of… endurance training? Get me more used to his hugs so I'd be less awkward about them in public? Make them seem more natural? Yeah, okay. This might be good for me. Let's see how long I could keep this up.

...answer? Not long.

Tentatively trying to pull away, I began, "Alright, maybe we should-"

"One more minute," he insisted, squeezing me tighter and shifting his head down now to instead nuzzle against my neck. His nose was cold and his breath tickled against my skin, making my cheeks warm. Welp, so much for not squirming.

Huh. He really seemed to be taking this whole pretend boyfriend thing very seriously. This was some extreme dedication to the role.

And there my insides went all over again, doing the whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing. Alright, just breathe. Deep, calming breaths. Remember: Conceal, don't feel.

...maybe just focus on the concealing part. The not feeling part was already a lost cause.

"Ya know," Rayne's voice suddenly piped up nearby, causing me to jump, "maybe you two don't have to say goodnight just yet." Lea straightened up, loosening his grip on me just enough for us both to turn our heads to see she'd joined us. Gracing us with a sly smirk, she said, "I mean, if you want to really drive this date home for any eyes that might be prying, Lea could always, ya know..." her eyebrows bounced as she leaned in closer to whisper conspiratorially, "stay the night."

"What?!" My face erupted into blistering heat, the likes of which would've put the Sahara Desert to utter shame. "N...No! Absolutely not! How could you possibly even-"

She laughed, her finger booping my nose. "Relax, you silly goose. Of course he'd only sleep on the living room sofa! S'not like your grunkle's minion would have x-ray vision into our home."

Oh.

That's what she'd meant.

Well of course that's what she'd meant. It's not like she'd ever really suggest…

Actually, no, this was Rayne we were talking about here. I honestly wouldn't have put it past her.

She elbowed Lea in the arm, "So whaddya say, stud?"

He smiled, removing one hand from my waist to rub at the nape of his neck. "Well, I'd planned on getting some reading done for my classes tonight. But I do have my book bag in the backseat, so I suppose I could just as easily read here on your couch." His gaze shifted back down to mine, "That is of course, as long as you're okay with it!"

My face still recovering from its abrupt and devastating heatwave, I looked down and muttered, "Well, I… I suppose, ah… sure. Okay. I mean, just to keep up appearances… " My eyes flicked back up towards Rayne, "Thanks. I guess that's… actually a pretty good idea."

"Of course it is! I came up with it!" she beamed, planting her fists on her hips and puffing up her chest. Then she turned back to her husband, pressing her lips to his cheek as she linked her arm in his and led him over to the building entrance. Lea at last fully released me, but only long enough to unlock his car and pull out a messenger bag that looked heavy with textbooks. Kicking the door shut, he slung the strap of the bag over his head to hang across his chest before slipping an arm around my shoulders, grinning down at me as we followed the other two inside.

Once in our apartment, he removed the arm while Rayne pulled some spare pillows and bed sheets from the closet, tossing them onto the longest couch for Lea. Then grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, she unscrewed the cap and held her drink up high. "A toast! To Lea's sleepover! May it be the first of many!" she declared before tossing her head back to chug half the bottle.

Riku just snerked, shaking his head while Lea scratched his cheek with a weak chuckle and walked over to drop his bag on the sofa next to the blankets. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my fingers between my eyebrows with a soft sigh. Still, she had a point. I suppose it was only natural for my "boyfriend" to stay the night with some amount of frequency. Oh gosh, I hope this wouldn't be too much of an imposition on Lea.

As Rayne recapped the water bottle and put it down on the kitchen table, Riku stepped up to her, taking both her hands in his and pressing their foreheads together. "Hon, why don't we head to bed early tonight?" he asked, tone low and eyes hooded.

"Mmm," she breathed him in, smiling up at him through lowered lashes and nodding, "sounds good." As he pulled her towards their bedroom, Rayne glanced back at us. "Good night, you two! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she winked and waved before disappearing through the door, closing it behind her.

Silence followed. It felt strangely sudden and almost deafening.

I slowly turned to look at Lea.

He looked back, giving me a tiny smile.

That's when it struck me.

This was the first time in two full days I'd been alone with Lea. Like, really alone. Not in public, not where we had to put on the boyfriend-girlfriend act. Even when it'd just been the two of us in his car earlier tonight, even then we'd still had kind of been in the relative safety of pretend date mode. Besides, driving around in a car was completely different from being alone with him here, now, in my apartment late at night. Now that there was no more reason for all the hand holding, forehead kisses, and other little touches, things felt… well I wouldn't exactly say wrong per se, but more felt just kind of… off?

Panic was beginning to set in.

My mind was drawing a total blank.

I… didn't know how to be around him now. Not when we didn't have to fake a relationship anymore.

I'd forgotten how to act normal.

I think he could sense it too. The weirdness that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere. His eyebrows knit together, his gaze shifting about for a couple seconds. Then he opened his mouth to say something.

"Good night!" I loudly blurted out first.

Then I was in my bedroom so fast, you would have thought I'd spontaneously developed the power to teleport.

I slammed the door shut behind me, pressing my spine flat to it, eyes wide and taking shallow breaths through my nose. A few seconds passed where I just forced myself to inhale and exhale slowly a few times, trying to calm down. Then I winced, lightly banging the back of my head against the door.

Good job, Elsa. Way to make things mildly awkward. And for no real reason at all, you useless, hermitic dope!

With a small scowl, I shrugged out of the leather jacket and tossed it onto my bed. Then I unzipped my ankle boots, kicking them off and started pacing the length of my room back and forth, my hands twisting at my braid.

I couldn't just leave things like that. I had to talk to him. I had to toughen up and find an excuse to march my butt back out there. But what excuse?

My feet paused mid step as I glanced around my room for a minute before landing on one of my walls. Not just any wall. The one I shared with Riku's and Rayne's bedroom. Then I lightly tapped one fist into my palm. That's it! I quickly moved to my nightstand, opening the top drawer. Amongst its contents was a plastic baggie of earplugs. Digging out a pair and dropping the bag back into the drawer before closing it again, I then stepped over to my door. I took a second to take a deep breath and gather myself, standing up straighter and flicking my braid back behind me. Then with a firm, determined nod, I turned the knob and pulled, walking back out into the living room.

Lea was sitting on the couch that would be doubling for his bed tonight, arms splayed out wide to either side atop its backrest while he read the textbook that laid open in his lap. He'd pulled his hair out of its ponytail so his crimson locks were once again wild and free and he'd taken off his long-sleeved undershirt, now just wearing the tee.

Looking up at me, he all but leapt up to his feet. "El! Hi! I-" he grunted as the book he'd apparently forgotten was in his lap crashed down hard onto his foot.

I sucked in a tiny breath through my teeth with a frown, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out, "You okay?"

"Fine," he groaned. "I didn't need that toe anyway. It was only holding me back. Just dead weight." He laughed it off as he picked the textbook up off the floor, tossing it behind him onto the cushions before crossing his arms, "So, was there, ah… did you forget something?"

"Yes," I took a little step towards him, then frowned, glancing away. "Well, no…" I started to take a step back before catching myself. Wrong way, dork. "That is to say, sort of… er, I just...hm…" I thrust one fist forward, opening it palm facing up to reveal the earplugs, "Here!"

He stared down at them blankly. Then at me.

"Oh!" I gasped. "Right! Some sort of explanation would probably help." I gave a nervous heh. "So… uh… you know, those two," I gestured with my chin towards my roommates' bedroom door, "well, they just… the look they were giving each other before they went to bed, it's… well, it's a look I'm very familiar with from them. You know the look, the kind that should come with its own Marvin Gaye soundtrack. And those two… when they get going, they can really rattle the old headboard, if you know what I mean." A beat. Then I blanched. "Of course you know what I mean! Right, moving on. So uh… they are not quiet about it and they're definitely not quick. And these walls? They're thin. I'm talking like tissue paper thin. And not even the good Kleenex Deluxe kind of tissue, more like the cruddy, two-bit kind you'd get at the dollar store that just disintegrates if you even so much as breathe on it." Great, now I was just plain babbling. "These walls may as well not even be there for all the sound they block. Or rather, don't block. Then again, if they weren't there, then we'd not only hear but also see-" Wrap it up, girl, wrap it up. "A-Anyway! So just… just take these. You'll thank me later, believe me."

His eyes crinkled and he nodded, plucking them from my hand. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Thanks."

Good. Okay. Yes, this was going well.

...huh. Though… slight hitch in the plan…

What now? I hadn't exactly thought this far ahead.

Maybe this was enough. I could now just make a graceful exit, leaving things in a better place than where I had previously. Yeah, that sounded good.

I gave him a tight-lipped grin, inching backwards as I pointed towards my room. "Okay then, I think I'll just…" But as I turned, my eyes landed on Rayne's and Riku's door again and I froze and grimaced. "Ah, shoot," I hissed under my breath.

"Problem?" I heard Lea ask behind me.

I shook my head, "I meant to ask Rayne to unzip my dress before she went to bed since the zipper is just where I can't reach and-" I blinked, then glanced over my shoulder at him sheepishly before fully turning to face him. "And why am I even telling you this? Forget I said anything. It's nothing, I'll figure it out."

"I can do it," he tossed the ear plugs onto the coffee table between us before stepping around it.

Waving my hands rapidly back and forth in front of me, I said, "No, it's fine. Really, you don't have to-"

"Don't be silly, just let me help you," he came to stop in front of me.

I tucked in my lower lip. Maybe I was just being silly about this. I mean, what was the big deal? Really? "...o-okay," I sighed, turning my back to him once more and sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, running my hands down its length a few times. At least my old nemesis, The Blush, had the common courtesy to wait until I was no longer looking at Lea before creeping its way up into my cheeks.

I could sense him taking another step closer to me, could hear his gentle breathing as I felt his fingers undo the clasp at the top of the zipper. One of his fingertips incidentally grazed my skin and I couldn't stop a tiny shiver. Then there was a pause. Like… a long pause. I frowned straight ahead, uncertain. Nothing seemed to be happening. I turned my head slightly, stopping just short of actually being able to look back at him. "...everything okay?"

"Uh… yeah, the uh…" he cleared his throat, "...the stupid thing just got stuck for a sec there, but it's all good now." At last, the sound of the dress unzipping reached my ears. "There ya go, you're all set!"

My hand darted to clutch at the back of my dress, holding it together as I whipped around to face him. My blush? Only seemed to be growing in strength. I started backing away, "Th-thanks… for that. That was really… something. Nice! That was nice. Of you. To do that… for me. I-" I crashed into my door frame and stumbled. "Oops. Heh. Who put that there? Um… anyway…"

And on that eloquent and fully formed note, I dashed into my room, banging the door closed. Then I puffed out a breath, slumping down to sit on the floor as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Great. Just dandy. I hadn't left things mildly awkward this time. Oh no, I'd only left them mega, ultra, super awkward now. Progress! Superb. Just perfect.

That's it. It's decided. I'm not fit for human contact. I was just going to barricade myself in this room and never come out ever again. Ever. Period. The outside world would be better off without me anyhow. Good bye, people. Hello, sweet sweet solitude. I-

I heard a muffled buzz and my head snapped up. It'd come from Lea's jacket on my bed. I squinted at it for a second. Then it clicked. My phone! I half crawled, half scrabbled over to it, digging into the pocket and pulling it out, swiping the screen.

There was a new text from Lea.

2nite was fun

I blinked, looking over at my door. Then back down at my phone, pursing my lips to one side. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard for a second. Then slowly I began to type.

I thought so too.

I waited as those three little dots hopped in a row.

We shud totes do it again sometime

A huff of amusement escaped through my nose, the tension starting to leave my body.

I'd really like that.

Then I tipped my head to one side, grinning slightly as I tapped away further.

I'm paying next time though.

The dots were dancing on my screen again.

Aight, if u insist. But b warned, Im not a cheap date

Now I actually laughed.

I can live with that.

Perhaps I'd been a bit too hasty. Maybe there was no need to barricade myself in here. Not just yet anyway. I'd hold off for a bit.

At least long enough to see what tomorrow would bring.

Author's Note: Anyone else notice Lea's shirts seem to be getting tighter and tighter every new excuse he has to see Elsa out of his work clothes? I think he's subconsciously putting on a courtship display to present himself as a sexually viable mate xD Ahem, moving on… Fun Fact 1: Fuente Del Oro is a real, Coco-themed restaurant over in Disneyland Park in Paris! Google translate says the name means "Gold Fountain", oooOOooo pretty! I really hope Coco makes it into one of the future KH games eventually! Fun Fact 2: Elsa's dress this chapter is inspired by her purple dress from when she sings Into The Unknown in Frozen 2! Just picture it shorter and more cocktail-dressy. And I know in the movie, that purple dress is a nightgown, but shhh, we'll just forget that part. And the dress Lea described in his "how we met" story? Loosely based on Elsa's Show Yourself dress - again just picture it shorter, more practical and more sundressy xD Also if you haven't heard of it, Before Sunrise is a real movie, not to mention a real SAPPY movie. Kind of slow, but cute. I'd actually never heard of it until I started writing this chapter - saw a gif go by on tumblr of the lead couple from the movie doing something adorable that made me go "oh gosh, that's SO Lea and Elsa!" and had to watch it xD I'm kind of happy it came along when it did though, cuz it gave me inspiration for Lea's "how we met" story :)

Next chapter, what new challenges will Elsa face in her adventures in fake dating? Will she ever be able to work up the courage to initiate a display of affection herself? Just how much of a "not a cheap date" is Lea really? What about his shirts? CAN they get any tighter? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

17 notes · View notes

thewayofthetrashcompactor · 6 years

Text

For @kuresoto for day 4 of @reylo-au week!

also on ao3

Rating: T Words: 1382

Ben ran through the corridors of Snoke’s fortress, Rey's weak and pale form limp in his arms. In daylight, most of the inhabitants still slept, which was the only advantage they'd gotten so far. He hadn't figured how he would get her out in the sun and to help yet, but he was determined a solution would present itself, even if he had to burn to ash to do it. He knew the secret corridors of his former master’s stronghold, but the time for subtlety had long passed. He wasn't sure he could fight off any more of Snoke's minions, who would have no idea what had happened to their leader, and still protect Rey. His choice in the throne room had been difficult enough.

Snoke had thought he'd known exactly what he was doing, half draining Rey and presenting her to his apprentice, but Ben's choice had never been what you'd master expected. He couldn't deny the entrancing scent of her blood, but the even the thought of drinking from her, stealing any of her life away, made him ill. Logically, he knew that he could never have saved Rey and gotten them out of the throne room alone without first killing Snoke, but he couldn't help but regret the time it had taken. Even while slowly bleeding out, Rey had still managed to hold her own against the guards, long enough for him to take his opening.

He looked down at her again and his breath caught in his throat at how pale she'd become. For as long as he'd known her, she'd always radiated light, her skin kissed by the sun. Everything he wasn't. Now, it couldn't be clearer that she was slipping further away from him by the second. He quickened his pace, wincing as his steps jolted her.

“Ben,” she groaned, and his arms tightened around her.

“It's alright,” he assured her uselessly. “I'll get you to the Resistance; they'll help you. You'll be fine.” He choked over the words.

(continued under cut)

She shook her head. “Stop. Put me down.”

He paused but still held on to her. “Rey,” he pleaded.

“I can't --” She broke off to catch her breath. “The running makes it worse. Please.”

Reluctantly, he knelt on the floor with her in his arms. There was nowhere to put her but the stone floors and walls, so he cradled her in his lap. “Just for a minute,” he bargained, running his hand through her hair. “We can still make it.”

She leaned her head into his touch, but shook it again. “No. You know how this has to go.”

Tears swelled over his cheeks and down his face. He bit his lip, tasting the stale blood there. He must have cut it during the fight. Blood from the guards and from Snoke already coated both of them, along with fresh blood from her own wounds. He felt the press of his fangs. It would be so easy to --

He shook the idea away, rejecting it. “I can't. You know that, Rey, I can't do that to you, can't curse you like…”

She reached up and grabbed the front of his shirt, her grip stronger than it should have been. He grunted as she pulled him down to her. “I swear to you, Ben Solo, if you let me die out of some misguided chivalry because you think you’re saving me, I will haunt you to your grave. Do you hear me?”

He gave a huff of laughter through his tears. “I do,” he murmured. He couldn’t help his reluctance though, the feeling that he’d be stripping something from her if he went through with what she wanted. “If I do this, I can’t… There’s no going back.”

“Death has a way of sticking around as well,” she said dryly. “I know what I’m asking, Ben.”

He breathed out slowly, shakily, and nodded. “Okay. We should --” He looked around, but the hallway was just as empty of any kind of comfort as it had been before.

“Ben,” Rey said softly, and his gaze was inevitably pulled back to hers. “I don’t have time. Now.”

“Right.” He curled his arms around her, glancing down her body. He could bite open a vein, maybe at his wrist, feed her the poison that way. His tongue swiped nervously along his lip, tracing over his fangs. The sharp taste of blood still lingering there made everything fall into place.

He braced himself, taking a deep breath, then wrapped his arm around her waist, spreading one hand over her back, and cradled her head and neck in the other. She held her breath as he leaned over her, the air still between them just before his lips met her skin. He ducked away from his goal, leaving a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. Her skin was cool under his lips, reminding him of what had to be done.

“Ben,” she whispered.

“I know,” he said, lips brushing her cheek. He bit down on his lower lip, fangs digging in until the blood dripped down onto her. She turned her head slightly until her mouth was under his and, finally, he lowered his lips to hers.

He had a moment to enjoy the kiss before his blood took hold in her. Despite their chill, her lips were soft and eager against his, pressing up as much as she could. He caressed her, thumb brushing over her cheek, and her hand smoothed over his chest where it was still wrapped in his shirt. Her tongue traced the shape of his mouth, then pulled his bloodied lip between hers and sucked. It wasn’t the most efficient way to turn someone, but it did its job quickly. She swallowed, his blood sliding down her throat, and then her body stiffened in his arms. Within seconds, she began shuddering. The infection had started to take hold.

He lowered his forehead to hers, still feeling the blood being pulled out of him as she continued to suck at his lip. His eyes closed and tears dripped from his lashes onto her cheeks.

Slowly, her hold on him grew weaker and weaker until it fell away completely. She lay senseless in his arms, still shaking. His arms tightened, drawing her close to his chest.

“Rey,” he sighed, the one word saying everything he didn’t know how to.

Somewhere deep in the castle, metal rang out on stone. His head jerked up, looking around. Nothing nearby, but they couldn’t stay here long. He took stock of the hallway they’d ended up in, and calculated how best to get to the nearest rooms. Keeping Rey close to him, he stood, and took off down the hall.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive at the door he needed. He knocked, and when an answer wasn’t immediate, he slammed his weight into the door until it broke open. The inhabitant of the room, some minor underling whose name he couldn’t be bothered to remember, woke up from his bed with a small cry. Ben slammed the door closed again, shoved the nearest piece of furniture against it, then set Rey gently down to deal with the other man. He snapped his neck before he could get out a proper cry, then frowned at the body. With a grunt, he took it and shoved it under the bed. They shouldn’t be staying long enough for it to start to smell, and Rey might be hungry when she woke.

He lifted Rey again and brought her over to the bed. At least the man had been a neat one. He lay Rey down, pulling the blankets over her, then lay next to her and curled himself around her. In the time it had taken to find a place to rest, she’d gone from cold to burning hot, and he hissed as he passed a hand over her forehead. He rested one arm under their heads and wrapped the other over her chest, keeping her steady even as her body fought the changes taking her over.

He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. All there was left to do now was wait.

#reylo #benrey #rffa writers #reylo au week #reylo writing den #reylo fic #fantasy #vampire au #vampire kylo #my fic #blood #tw blood #kuresoto

50 notes · View notes

tipsycad147 · 5 years

Text

5 Annoying Problems That Magic Won't Fix For You

Avery Hart

Magic is an amazing tool to use when creating your ideal life. There’s something uniquely powerful about being able to reach down inside of yourself and pull out the exact energy that you need to change circumstances in your life to match what you really want for yourself. This is exactly what magic is for!

That said, magic isn’t a cure-all.

I see it all the time. People ignore the mundane solutions to their problems in favour of magic and then nothing ever gets fixed! Instead of talking to their partner about an issue they whip out a spell. Instead of figuring out how to budget properly or asking for that raise they cast a spell. Instead of actually addressing the problems in their life like an adult, they try to magic it away like it was never there. This doesn’t usually work!

Magic is wonderful and can do so many amazing things for your life but think about it, if you’re not willing to put in even a little bit of work to get your life back on track what message are you really sending yourself and the universe? Probably that you don’t actually care about getting it fixed! Whether or not this is true, backing up your magic with real-world actions solidifies your intent and streamlines your energy so that you can manifest the changes you want as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Here are a few things that you should never, ever rely solely on magic to solve for you.

5 Problems Magic Won’t Fix

1. Debt

I know, it would be flat out amazing if we could just make debts disappear with a snap of our fingers. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the reality we live in. Debt is a very complicated energetic process involving you, another person or business, money, and very likely a whole lot of guilt or shame. There’s not enough magic in the world to untangle that energetic mess with witchcraft alone. You can use magic to improve your flow of money but it’s up to you to make the responsible decisions necessary to get rid of the debt once you do get that money. That number isn’t going to go down any other way.

One thing I would suggest for anyone who has chronic financial struggles is to take a look at the beliefs and energy that you hold in relation to money. Do you think money is bad? Do you think you deserve money? Do you think rich people are evil, greedy assholes? If you’re holding any subconscious negative beliefs about money your mind won’t allow you to become more abundant! You need to dig through those beliefs, clear your resistance to having money, and utilise magic to help align your energy with that of financial wellbeing AFTER you’ve cleared up the blockages that are preventing you from making sounds financial decisions.

2. Mental illness

I know I’ve talked about this before but it’s so, so important for us to be real about the limitations of magic in this realm. Magic will NOT cure you of depression, anxiety, psychosis, personality disorders, or any other form of mental illness. The reason for this is very simple. If your mind is what you’re using to direct energy, and your mind is currently ill, how is it that you’re supposed to call up the energy of mental health? Your mind won’t even be able to conceptualise what that energy might feel like and if you can’t imagine or feel something you can’t direct energy toward it properly. It is paramount that you get the right kind of help in recovering from your illness instead of trying to just cover it up and ignore it with magic.

That said, there’s another very prevalent myth that we need to address when it comes to mental illness and magic. You may have heard it thrown around that mentally ill people shouldn’t practice magic, or that people with personality disorders can’t be witches, or that you should avoid doing magic when you’re depressed. This is flat out false. Not only is it false but it shows a deep lack of understanding about the kind of impact religion and spirituality can have on recovery from mental disorders. Practising magic or being a pagan is no different than someone turning to Christianity during times where they’re mentally unwell. This can be a very healthy and very beneficial way to support your recovery efforts.

No, your illness will not attract spirits. No, your magic will not be ineffective because of your illness. No, you do not have to wait until you’re in a state of perfect mental health to practice magic (I mean really, who are these people with perfect mental health? They don’t exist!) You may have symptoms that can easily be mistaken for magical happenings but in these instances, magic can actually help you differentiate between reality and non-reality. Not sure if the “spirit” you’re seeing is real or a hallucination? Banish that sucker, if it sticks around it’s not real. You might even find that the act of banishing your hallucinations causes the hallucination to end. You may also find that if you’re struggling with depression finding the energy for magic is quite difficult. This is ok! It’s alright to draw energy from an outside source or even take a break for a little while if you practising magic seems like too much for you. The main thing that matters is that you’re doing what feels right for you in your practice.

3. Chronic health problems

Magic isn’t going to get rid of your cancer, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, or other major health problems. As with mental illness, you can use magic to support your treatment efforts and I would definitely encourage you to do so but you should never replace proper medical care with magic wholesale. You deserve to have the best chance of overcoming your illness or at least finding a way to exist as comfortably as possible within your circumstances and if you’re cutting out all treatment avenues and just relying on magic you are robbing yourself of so many opportunities to find the right treatment plan for you.

4. Romantic troubles

Yes, love magic is a thing and yes it does work. No, it won’t solve every romantic woe you have. In fact, the vast majority of love magic will probably give you a bigger romantic headache than you know what to do with. I cannot tell you how many people come to me wanting a spell to get their ex back, stop their partner from cheating, or force someone to fall in love with them. Let me just say, every one of these ideas is decidedly horrible!

Forcing someone into an emotional state that isn’t natural to them will backfire. Even if the spell works, you will be left with a person whose negative feelings and perceptions are thinly veiled under the surface of their conscious mind and this will not end well.

I’m sure you all know what happens when you try to bottle up your emotions, you might be successful for a little while but eventually, the pressure becomes too great and all of the emotions you’ve been trying to repress come spewing out like a volcano of hot, painful, emotional lava all over you and anyone you may have had feelings about at any point during this bottling attempt. And that’s what happens when you do that to YOURSELF. Imagine how much worse it is when you try to do it to someone else. Not only will you inevitably end up with the same fiery explosion of emotional magma but it’ll be mixed with a whole lot of rage at you for putting them in this state in the first place. And trust me, even if they don’t consciously know it was you, subconsciously, they know.

Save yourself the massive headache and work out your romantic troubles the old fashioned way: with an adult conversation. And if your problem can’t be fixed with a conversation? They aren’t right for you to begin with! It’s impossible for someone to be the right partner for you if they don’t want to be your partner! That quality alone knocks them out of the pool of prospects immediately. Give up on them, move on, love your own damn self and go find someone who’s really, actually excited to be your partner.

5. Abuse/harassment

This one is hard to talk about. People in situations where abuse or harassment are a problem often feel powerless to change their situation and often magic may seem like the only recourse they have. I get this, trust me, I do. And I am not telling you that magic can’t help you in these situations. Binding spells, protection spells, and hexes can definitely help you survive the situation but you very likely cannot solve the situation long term with magic. Seeking out help through the proper channels, getting yourself a solid backup plan and support system, and finding a way out of your situation can take time but it IS possible and you should use every resource at your disposal to get out.

If you’re hoping to change your abuser with magic, stop. It’s not going to work. I don’t care how much you love your abuser. If he hits you, or she constantly berates you, or they make you feel afraid for your wellbeing, they do not deserve your love. You will not be able to change this behaviour with magic. Again, as I said above you can only bottle up someone else's emotions for so long before the seal breaks and all of that pent-up abuse comes pouring out. Long-term change for this person will require them to take responsibility for themselves and seek out professional counselings and help. And it is not your responsibility to make them do this! You have to keep yourself safe first so getting out of the abuse situation should always be your first priority.

Magic can help you overcome anything in your life but there are some situations when you shouldn’t rely on magic alone to create the life you want. This may be inconvenient or not what you want to hear but it’s the truth. As witches, we’re here to take back control of our lives and magic is an amazing tool in this pursuit but it’s not the ONLY tool. If you’re ignoring mundane avenues to getting what you want in favour of just using magic, you’re not using witchcraft to create the life you want, you’re using it to avoid doing the work and taking responsibility for your reality. You can have anything you want in this world! And magic can help you get it but only if you’re really willing to put in a little effort and prove to yourself that you actually want what you’re trying to create in your life.

So go out, do your magic, and use absolutely every tool at your disposal to create the life of your dreams. You deserve it.

https://thetravelingwitch.com/blog/2018/8/26/5-annoying-problems-that-magic-wont-fix-for-you

0 notes

scifimagpie · 6 years

Text

In and Out of the Closet: A Fat Girl's Personal Style Journey

Content warning: this article deals with body image issues that may be triggering for some readers. Discretion is advised.

I am a member of the Disney Generation. This is hardly a revolutionary claim or point to make, but for a fat femme girl, who's also bisexual, it comes with invisible baggage and fears.

Full skirts, improbably round breasts, delicate waists, paneled gowns, shimmering fabric, vibrant colours, and jewels shaped my idea of not only desire, but also royalty. Studying history from a young age, I saw rich fabrics, precious treasures, embroidered and lined gowns, and I admired it. Drawing endless pictures of dresses and gowns, often with surprise cut-aways and deep decolletage, I both desired them and wanted to be them. Formal garb was both my ambition and my most secret hope, but it was also something I believe impossible for myself.

Fat girl life

My mother's body image issues left a deep impact on me, and readily transferred over to my own. I had always been sort of tall, but wished I was taller. Hating my muscles and fat, seeing the curves as proof of a lack of fitness - I didn't grow up within a corset, or with bound feet, but the cage and constant pressure of the BMI chart was just as strangling and hobbling.

In the 90s and 2000s, flatness and muscle and bones were the beauty ideal. I used to daydream about surgery and liposuction and waking up with a body that moved, looked, and felt different. For years, I tried to get by on 1000, 1200, or whatever number of calories per day would work - inevitably failing when encountering food, of course, or when sabotaged by my mother, who'd encourage me to 'live a little' and eat a salty or sweet treat, caving in to her own cravings. But soon, it'd be back on the wheel of nagging to exercise, not for the joy of movement, but to deal with the shame of my flawed body.

In this way, I spent my teens and a good portion of my twenties - trying different techniques to shed stubborn pounds that were as good as nailed to my flesh - due, unbeknownst to me to hormonal imbalances. I learned to like certain things, and aspired to climb buildings and corners and walls and roofs, assuming that only by losing weight could I attain those literal high hopes.

At the same time, in the back of my mind, fashion and clothes I liked were often weighty. Elegant layers, oversized cuts, voluminous skirts, corsets swooping in to hug a waist I didn't think I had - these were things I associated not with femininity alone, but with being regal, imperious, and respected. Later, I became intrigued by swooping, voluminous clothes - Jedi robes, Amidala's gowns, even oversized boxy cuts in music videos. Finding ways to mingle these elements with layers has led to an unexpected but perfect style intersection for me.

#outfit #selfie #clinic #spoonielife

A post shared by SciFiMagpie (@scifimagpie) on Aug 23, 2017 at 2:39pm PDT

I stopped confining myself to things I 'could wear', and started experimenting with revealing my skin, taking inspiration from slimmer models as necessary and trying out a variety of looks. Overly modest circle skirts, sarongs with jeans underneath, a million skin-tight black turtlenecks, black and white tiered skirts, fishnets and lacy patterned tights, steampunk leather corsets, knitted sweaters and business-like skirts. Eventually, I achieved a more defined and coherent look, featuring cocoon sweaters, leggy wrap dresses, layered corset-cut vests, flowing circle skirts, and oversized scarves - where I'm at these days. Older style elements make their way into clothes, but I dress with more deliberation, strategy, and joy these days, not seeking to hide my shameful corpse under oversized tie-dye t-shirts and baggy jeans or in ill-fitting and suiting button-up shirts.

The personal is political - pencil skirts included

I've hit a point where I can not only incorporate a variety of influences, but I receive social praise for my skills in doing so. I've begin to feel like I inhabit my own body, that it is not broken, ugly, or in need of repair. The vibrant body-positivity movement has helped this immensely. Then I saw this.

At first, I simply ignored it, because I didn't understand it and couldn't relate to it. But after talking about it with a friend, a sort of Pod People-like realisation snapped over me, and I considered that yes, most fat women ARE dressing according to this code. Pretend it's 1950 or face a return to the same old standards and shames. In my retail days, I had to wear carefully coiffed and chosen outfits and makeup, while my very tall, slim manager wore pilling sweaters and got not a word of criticism about it.

Chatting with my friend Katie de Long, who is also both a ferocious feminist and enthusiastic fashionista, I was dismayed and alarmed by the through-line of this pattern. In her words [edited slightly to remove my part of the conversation],

"...There are societal biases that make it MORE needed for fat women to prove their femininity.

No one ever thinks of the "hot curvy girl" as being draped in loose, structural clothes.

They see her va-va-vooming in a waist-training corset and full face of makeup. Anything that "erases" the figure or the curves is seen as undesireable, even if it fits properly and is well-tailored.

I think another thing is that plus sized women are trained to hide their size. We see Christina Hendricks or Amy Schumer's curves as being desireable.... so long as they're in a close-fitting pencil dress.

But I do admit I'm pretty prey to that shit too. I avoid wearing loose clothes, wear things too tight rather than too lose.... and get really sexual, lots of cleavage, short skirts, slit-up-to-there, etc. I love exaggerated shapes. So I've always hated really drapey clothes, or close-fitting clothes that don't highlight the figure (fuck you, leggings).

Plus, and I know this is victim-blamey, my first semester of college featured a police officer advising the girls in the freshman class to NOT wear loose clothes because it's easier for a rapist to get them off, even without scissors.

So for me, when I wear loose clothes, I have really nasty panic attacks about the idea of someone peeling them off me without my consent. When I wear tight clothes, I feel confident, that they'll have to use scissors, which is more likely to give me an opportunity to either get away, or seize the scissors and take out an eye. As well, my style's fuckyou femme, so for me [as a rape survivor], I feel like my gender and the violence I've suffered because of it is erased when I put on loose, minimalist designs."

What to wear?

At the end of the day, even though clothing choices are fraught with danger and hidden signalling that can be hard to understand, finding a way to express oneself through attire can be very important. From talking to my nonbinary "enby" friends, I've gotten even more insight into this. What strikes me as funny and maybe even uplifting is that my experiences with feminism and trauma have taken me in a circle. Instead of pretending to be a man, or having no identity at all, or seeing my childhood dreams as unattainable, I've been able to make my innermost desires come true.

There's an old saw idea that feminists are ugly, hairy, unconventionally feminine, fat, and basically undesireable. But taking back a sense of inner worth has given me the tools to fight my inner ugliness, wear makeup without feeling as though I'm faking something, and stop hiding my inner exuberance. There is freedom in ugliness and invisibility, and a merit to reclaiming or defying constraints - but at least for me, there is more joy in this new, permissive ground.

Ultimately, I hope that my experiences can make people feel a little better about their own secret desires and hopes. A lot of hay has been made about how 'style has no size', but there's still fierce debate about 'who can wear what'. But simply wearing what one wants isn't as easy as it sounds, and takes time. If you need it, take this as official permission to try out that thing, regardless of your gender. You are not 'too old' or 'too fat' or 'too thin'.

You are enough.

And it's okay if it doesn't look right at first. What matters is that your clothing expresses who you want to be.

Additional reading:

A Nigerian designer using fashion and style to explore feminism and self-expression

Information about the cost of existing in a female body and/or having periods and breasts

The ways we judge women and how it affects their careers *** Thanks for returning to the nest. Leave a comment and say hi! I want to hear from you. Keep up with the new releases by getting on the mailing list. Buy my books on Amazon, and keep up with me on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and the original blog. This is the one and only SciFiMagpie, over and out!

#femme #fashion #fat #feminism

1 note · View note

intoabrownstudy · 5 years

Text

“So are you United or City?”

This is the inevitable follow-up question after, on clocking my accent, someone has asked me where I’m from. I always say that I’m from Manchester. I feel there is a reasonable expectation that they might know where that is or maybe have at least heard of it.

And I enjoy that follow-up question. It shows interest and knowledge that Manchester is, at least these days, probably best known as a football town. But I never like my answer.

“Well, actually, I’m from a town a few miles out of Manchester called Bolton, and it has its own team, Bolton Wanderers, they used to be in the Premier League a few years but now…”

I try to stop myself at this point. The poor questioner was anticipating a simple one-word answer but is now being faced with the prospect of having to feign interest in far more information than they expected going in.

“Oh.”

I’ve found that striking up a conversation whilst watching games in bars over here is almost inevitable. I moved from Bolton to San Diego, CA, just over ten years ago. Since then, I have spoken to many people with varying exposure to football. One aspect that seems to fascinate those not used to the sport is the idea of promotion and relegation in club football.

“If you’re not good enough, you get kicked out the league. My team were relegated a few years ago from the Premier League.”

“Oh right. So who’s your team now?”

This question stems from the fact all the major sports in the US don’t have the jeopardy of falling out of the league and that even the franchises themselves can be moveable feasts. Sometimes the sports fan in the US are asked to change allegiances.

“Oh, no, It’s not a case of that. I just follow them in whatever league they are in.”

Bolton Wanderers: A club that very few choose for. Manchesters United and City have, respectively, established and growing international fanbases because of, respectively, historic and current successes. It is extremely unlikely that Bolton Wanderers will ever garner anything like the attention that their noisy neighbours attract.

So why do I bother? Why do I follow this team in lower leagues, where the standard is awful and the coverage is limited. What has got me to the point where I, as a moderately-intelligent forty-two-year-old, more than five-thousand miles from home, still get all hot and bothered about a team that has only ever brought me disappointment? Well mostly.

I want to explore the origins of my love for Bolton Wanderers. The memories that have formed it. These memories are genuine, with the only research undertaken was to make sure timelines are correct.

oOo

In early 1987, Bolton Wanderers are struggling. A once mighty club1 are in a bad way financially and in the bottom third of the old Third Division. Relegation to the old Fourth is a very real possibility.

As a ten-year-old however, I was blissfully unaware of all of this. All I knew was that I liked football and I liked watching football matches. My first interest in the sport was being allowed to stay up for the 11 pm kick-off to watch the instantly-forgettable nil-all bore-off that was England’s group stage match versus Morrocco at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. A game in which nothing happened, save England’s captain, Bryan Robson, being carried off and England’s vice-captain, Ray “Butch” Wilkins getting sent off for throwing the ball in the general direction of the ref. Awful. Loved it2.

A combination of our enthusiasm for football and the dire situation in which Bolton Wanderers found themselves must have been the catalyst for my dad to take us to some home games. Usually, this would be the point in the piece where I am supposed to wax lyrical about my first game. The intoxicating aromas of wintergreen, second-hand pipe smoke and the half-time pies. The roar of the crowd. The elation of seeing my first goal. None of that. I can’t bring it to mind at all. I assume that we did go to some home games before the first game that I do actually recall, which was an away game. And it’s not a particularly cherished memory.

Looking back, I’ve no idea what my dad was thinking really. One of Bolton last few away games of the ill-fated 1986/87 season was at York City. As a family, we had been to the city of York many times. So, the plan was that we would drop my mum off in the city centre to do some shopping, whilst me, my dad and my younger brother would head over to Bootham Crescent for the 3 pm kick-off. We parked up around the corner from the ground and found our seats in the away end. My only recollections of the game were that the real Robbie Savage3 had his shirt ripped and that he refused to replace it. And that we were one-nil down at half-time.

This, apparently, was all that was needed for some Bolton fans to start causing mither4. The seated section of the away end was separated from the terraced area by railings to our right. Some Bolton fans started to climb them. An image that is seared on my retina is a deranged face poking through the railings, as he swung on them to force them to fall over. Other fights broke out behind us. This was Bolton fans against each other. I was frightened. As was my brother. I recall my dad asking for calm. I don’t recall if there ever was. We left the game before the second half started, as my brother and I were in a pretty inconsolable state. We picked up my mum and headed for home.

This incident is consistent with a fairly stereotypical view of football crowds in the late Eighties. It is the only time that trouble has happened so close to me at a football ground, but it must have had an impact, as I didn’t go to any other away games until my adulthood.

Bolton were relegated a few months later. The fourth division. A historic new low for the club.

Bolton Wanderers as a football club didn’t have a great deal going for it at this time. Burnden Park was an outdated stadium and in order to pay off debts, a corner of the ground was sold to the Co-Op so a Normid supermarket could be built. Sympathetic away fans would later chant “You only sing when you’re shopping”. The club asked regular supporters for financial help. They set up what they called Lifeline. Supporters could set up a monthly direct debit to donate money to the everyday running of the club. They needed fans to step up, and they did. Amongst those fans was my dad and I remember helping him spend his winnings from the monthly draw on the occasions his numbers came up. And I think it was in this spirit that he decided that buying season tickets for the first ever season in the fourth division was the right thing. It was this idea that, I believe, triggered my love of Bolton Wanderers.

As a young fan, the fourth division would be a baptism of fire. We were at our lowest ebb. In theory, things should only get better but certainly not get worse. We should have a good season.

The manager, Phil Neal, England and Liverpool legend, was able to bring in new players. I actively followed the moves made before the start of the season in the Bolton Evening News, the local paper. We had signed an impossibly-bronzed right-back from Halifax Town called Phil Brown5. A frontman from Bristol City called Trevor “Sumo” Morgan, who’s backside had its own gravitation pull. A striker from Preston, John Thomas, who seemed like he might score goals. The new home shirt6 was great; the best one there ever has been and since. I definitely recall a sense of optimism around the place when the first match of the season finally arrived. A home game against Crewe Alexandra.

And we scored first. The goal came from another new signing, from Grimsby Town, the box-to-box midfielder Gary Henshaw7 with a volley. We were cruising this division, right up until the point that Crewe equalised, by some no-mark called David Platt8. One-all, the final score. Ah well.

This was, and hopefully will forever be, the only season Bolton Wanderers spent in the lowest professional league in England. We gained automatic promotion to the third division by clinching third place on the last day of the season.

During this season, a matchday routine was crystalised. Parking up on the same street and then walking on the ground, buying the matchday programme from the same corner and asking my dad where on Earth Scunthorpe or Hartlepool or Darlington is.

Inside the Burnden Park itself, the amenities were less than salubrious. We sat in the Great Lever end which was nominally designated as the family end, although I was never sure what it was that made it family-friendly. It was dark, had just-about serviceable toilet facilities and a portacabin serving your half-time Bovril. As season ticket holders, we had designated seats which were right behind the goal almost all the way towards the back of the stand. In actuality, we could have sat anywhere we chose, but we always very deliberately sat in “our” seats. There was no earthly reason to do so, as in the seat in front of us, was a very elderly gentleman, complete with flat cap, who sat quietly on his own but would chain-smoke his way through every game. Looking back, we must have been a persistent annoyance to him also, as we would bring along a genuine World War Two ARP rick-rack, which we had painted club colours. On the appearance of the teams, we would swing that thing around for all our worth, making, on reflection, a very unpleasant noise. But neither side relented. Every week, same spot.

What I do remember with fondness about Burnden Park were the times, as a family, that we would go to lunch to what was dubbed the “Executive Lounge”. This is where the top brass of visiting clubs would be entertained and what passed for the fancy-eating quarters for the players after training. But during the day, any old scruff could avail themselves of the plentiful buffet for a very reasonable price. You would often see the players tucking into their lunches and best of all, the club legend and lifetime president of the club, Nat Lofthouse would be there. A nicer, more considerate and conscientious man I have yet to meet. Sir Nat had time for everyone.

In his pomp, he was the most feared striker of his generation. After scoring two goals against Austria whilst playing for England, he earned the title, The Lion of Vienna9. To this day, Bolton’s six-foot-plus furry mascot is named Lofty the Lion. As a tribute to the great man and this epithet, local folk band, The Houghton Weavers produced a song of the same name which they released on 7-inch vinyl. Sir Nat was gracious enough to sign my copy even as I interrupted his meal one day. My mum has kept our copy10.

Nat Lofthouse was an important part of why Bolton Wanderers survived as a club. And for him to not mind some oik asking for an autograph, and in fact made to feel actually welcomed, meant a great deal. Even in the moment, but probably more so now.

It was around this time that I must’ve had it bad. With definitely my dad as the enabler. The whole family would often go to see the stiffs11 play on cold midweek evenings. Even travelling to Blackburn’s Ewood Park and Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park to see youth team cup games. I enjoyed that a typewriter had been used to produce the teamsheets that were handed out at these games, that you could hear the players’ voices as they hurled insults toward the ref, as well as the creek of the wooden stairs in the Manchester Road end12.

There were other occasions, such as the day, we all woke early on a dreadful Saturday morning to go see a Bolton A13 team match against Manchester United at their old training ground, The Cliff. It was a disgusting day; the type when the rain drives at you sideways. It also happened to be Christmas Eve! The redeeming aspect of this adventure occurred before the game even kicked off. Manchester United’s first team were there for a light training session before their Boxing Day game. I was able to get the autographs of players that I’d seen on the telly and who I knew were really good. Gordon Strachan, Paul McGrath, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and, best of all, Bryan Robson14. A hero. Amazing. Then Bolton A played in a match.

As I planned this piece, my research revealed that I had misremembered gaining promotion to the third division in the same year as we won a Wembley final. That glorious day in North London remains the best I’ve had as a Bolton Wanderers fan. Alas, that happened in May 1989. Eek. I had remembered us fighting on all fronts, cup and league when in reality, we had clinched mid-table mediocrity by February and had only the Sherpa Van Trophy to play for in the rest of the season. These were the years when only clubs from the third and fourth divisions could enter15, so after we had beaten Blackpool over two legs in the semis, I felt confident that we could go on to beat a fourth division team, Torquay United, in the final. That final was at Wembley.

It probably goes without saying that I had never been to Wembley before. In those days, there were only a handful of games shown live on television. A few hand-picked first division matches on a Sunday. And, of course, the FA Cup Final. At Wembley. Where it was always sunny. The field, implausibly green and twice the size of any other. The crowd, unfeasibly large. I really couldn’t wait to see my team down there.

We stayed overnight at my auntie’s in Stevenage and, as a family, marched on Wembley Way, bathed in the prerequisite sunshine. It was the time when supporters had started to bring inflatable objects to games; a craze started by Manchester City fans, who honoured their striker, Imre Varadi16, with inflatable bananas. Bolton produced their own inflatable, a pig, as we are known as the Trotters (Even though it is believed that the nickname doesn’t actually relate to pig’s feet, but to a colloquial term for a practical joker). I had brought one of these for the big day, but when it was made clear that I would be responsible for carrying the thing all day, a decision was made to leave it in the car. However, the rosette created especially for the game did make it to the ground. I miss the use of a rosette for finals, I think they look smart and are due for a revival.

Bolton won. But not before conceding the first goal of the game. Four different scorers for Bolton made it four-one at full-time, which included one of the best goals ever scored by a centre-half at Wembley17. To this day, I remember Dean Crombie cushioning a pass on his chest after making a lung-busting 50-yard run and then slotting home like it was his job. Everyone around me was understandably ecstatic and were stood up during the trophy lift. I decided to stand on my seat, the kind that flips up, to get a better vantage point. So what I remember most about Bolton receiving the coveted Sherpa Van Trophy is the excruciating pain of trapping my leg in the seat after losing my balance. Even now, this mental scar twinges whenever I’m navigating a partially-empty sports stadia.

Looking back, I’ve used the word “we” a great deal. We won the cup that day. It was an important day for the club, as it reminded the whole community how important it was to the town.

Bolton were bang average for the next few seasons after the Sherpa Van Trophy success. Phil Neal was never able to gain promotion to the second division after several attempts. These seasons have, over time, merged into nothingness. It was only after the appointment of Bruce Rioch did the club start challenging for promotion. Under him there were great cup runs, defeating, most notably, Liverpool at Anfield in a FA Cup replay, and promotions to the second division and ultimately the Premiership/Premier League18 through the playoffs.

oOo

It was my dad’s enthusiasm for his football club, and his sense of civic pride, that first nudged me down the path towards Bolton Wanderers fandom. Continuing what he started is a huge part of why I still care.

I support because of the great days the club has afforded me. I support because of the sense of sharing with friends and family and with absolute strangers. I support in hope, rather than in expectation.

Bolton Wanderers has always been a club that represents the town. I take pride in how our 1958 FA Cup win was achieved by 11 blokes who were born and raised in the town. That has not happened since by any club, and will probably never happen again. Nat Lofthouse epitomised that. His love of the club meant that he would do whatever was asked of him. Filling in as manager if needed. For our club to be associated with a great figure like Sir Nat is a privilege. His example is one that we as Bolton fans should always be mindful of. Throughout its history, the club has existed for the fans, and also because of the fans. Currently, the club is in a difficult period. We need to be watchful and supportive in ways that might extend further than simply cheering on the team on a Saturday afternoon. It should be treasured, and we must not be complacent. The club should be maintained so that it can thrive and remain the great representation of our town into the future.

Bolton Wanderers is a significant, historical sporting institution. As I Boltonian, I am extraordinarily proud of it.

Footnotes

1 Founding member of the Football League; scored the first-ever goal in that League; Four-time FA Cup Winners; Winners of the first FA Cup Final held at Wembley in 1923

2 On the back of this, me and my brother both got full England kits, which we both wore out of the sports store in York.

3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Savage_(footballer,_born_1960)

4https://www.yourdictionary.com/mither

5 Now famous for being impossibly-orange in management at Hull City et al and number two to Sam Allardyce at Bolton.

6 Alas, my replica of this shirt is lost. Either at an Airbnb in Milwaukee or Chicago. Tragic.

7 On my first day of a summer job as a driver’s mate for a local delivery company, to my surprise and delight, Gary Henshaw was the driver of the van. Together, we made sure the good folks of Scunthorpe got their fridges and washer-dryers that day. I was definitely star-struck.

8 A few years later, David Platt went on to play for Aston Villa, then, Arsenal, Juventus, Sampdoria and of course England. He scored “in the last minute of extra time”.

9 For more reading about Nat Lofthouse, this is a fabulous article from TheseFootballTimes.com https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/09/29/nat-lofthouse-the-lion-of-vienna-and-the-gent-of-bolton/

10 The photograph courtesy of my mum; note that Sir Nat signed with Thanks.

11 The reserve team.

12 So here’s where I allow myself to wax lyrical, about reserve team games.

13 A third-string team of reserves and youth players.

14 This photo courtesy of my mum who still has the autograph book.

15 In its current iteration, the Checkatrade Trophy, Premier League and Championship clubs can submit academy teams (if they wish).

16 Some kind of corruption of Varadi into Banana. No, I don’t either.

17 All views expressed are my own.

18 Delete as appropriate for that year.

0 notes

woodyhomeemaintenance-blog · 6 years

Text

The Secret of Woody Home Maintenance and Depot in Seattle

There are 2 main areas of a seamless gutter to tidy. The interior rain gutter, where all the particles collects, and the outside of the rain gutter. The interior part of the gutter need to be cleaned up twice a year, unless you have gutter covers, and the exterior of the seamless gutter needs to be cleaned as soon as a year with the remainder of the house.

Cleaning up The Interior Of Gutters

If particles supports water in your seamless gutters, the water can cause serious long term problems to your house. It can easily rot out the fascia and sophet as well as cause interior wall damage if the water discovers a method in to the eaves. The very best method to avoid this is with seamless gutter cover setup.

However, if you have to clean your gutters the old fashioned method, take out a ladder and go section to section and remove all the particles. The biggest draw back to this is the ladder work. It is extremely simple to fall off of a ladder. Plus, climbing up and down a ladder 50 times might not be your concept of a great time on a Saturday afternoon. Also, Be careful not to crush your seamless gutters with the ladder.

If you live in a single story house, your best option might be a pressure washer with a special gutter attachment. It is never a smart idea to try and use a ladder and a pressure washer at the very same time. One issue with this method, is the possibility of blowing water back into your house through the eaves, however this is the preferred technique.

Really getting on the roofing and cleaning up the seamless gutters is a really bad concept. Especially if you are not utilize to strolling on roofs. I have seen roofing contractors stroll up ridiculous angles in order to do their task, however they are qualified professionals. All it takes is one slip and your time might be up.

Outside Gutter Cleaning

It is a great concept to pressure clean your home at least when a year. During this procedure do not neglect your gutters. Fundamental mold and gunk will develop on your rain gutters and unclean rain gutters really diminish the charm of your house.

Use a strong degreaser and apply it your gutters. Make sure it is authorized for use in your pressure washer, if you need something that is not approved you might constantly use a spray bottle or an acid injector. Put the degreaser on the gutters and let it sit for about five minutes. Do not let it dry. Go back over it with the white nozzle and see if you can get off all the gunk.

If you are unable to get rid of all the gunk, you might have to use bum around. This is a painstaking process and in some cases it does not get everything off. Specifically roof tar, which for many years stains the rain gutters. If your gutters are really bad, it may be a much better concept to merely replace the rain gutters.

Seamless gutters have to be cleaned from time to time to prevent clog. The seamless gutters that are not cleaned up can cause different illness as they attract flies and germs. People think that tossing away the dirt implies cleaning up the gutter. This is not the ideal method of cleansing. Unclean seamless gutters can cause lots of problems. It ruins the appearance of your house. Working with an expert seamless gutter business is always chosen. Here are couple of reasons that you ought to hire a gutter business to keep the seamless gutters:

Much better Knowledge

Business hire experienced professionals for cleaning. They have appropriate understanding about the ways of effective cleansing. You will certainly discover the gutters damp and damp even after you clean it. This will again attract flies and bacteria. But when an expert does this job, your seamless gutters will be completely dry and will not offer birth to any type of bacteria.

Specialist Services

Researching about the gutter business will let you discover reputed gutter cleaning company. This research can be of 2 types:

1. Online

2. Speaking to skilled individuals

These two types will let you hire the best company as knowledgeable people understand much better what these companies need and will suggest accordingly. Online research study will provide you evaluates about the business in addition to their services. It is much better to research about these companies by taking ideas from friends and family members. Sites can likewise assist you to find good and affordable companies.

Calling few business and going over the services provided is likewise a way to research and understand more about them. This can be done when you decide to employ a specific rain gutter cleaning company.

Guaranteed Results

Cleaning job done by a seamless gutter company offers ensured outcomes. These results are long lasting as well. One need not stress over the outcome as expert services give better outcomes than anticipated.

Is gutter protection a great idea? Yes, it certainly is. A rain gutter guard system will protect the drain channels from obstructing and your home from leaks. With the ideal system, you will be able to use rain gutter cleaning tools less often and better. The question is which type of protection is best for you.

Foam gutter protection systems are low-cost and easy to utilize. You simply require to get adequate material to put inside the drain channels of your home. Generally, foam can be cut into all shapes and sizes so you will have the ability to install this system incredibly quickly and rapidly.

A foam guard uses a good level of defense, however its effectiveness will inevitably lessen with time. Even though the product is designed to be resilient, it is permeable, many of the small dirt particles and particles will stay inside it. As a result, water will not have the ability to drain pipes effectively ultimately. Besides, the surface of the foam is rather irregular so damp leaves might remain on top of the protector which will impact drainage negatively.

Brush rain gutter protection systems are likewise simple to set up and low-cost. Generally, you put a brush inside the drain channel. This system operates in much the very same way as the foam one. Still, it will not get clogged with smaller sized dirt and debris particles. On the other hand, leaves might in fact get in the drain channel and get stuck in between the bristles. In this way, a brush system will work, however it will require more frequent cleaning. When it pertains to durability, this is not the longest long lasting option.

Fit together gutter defense panels are amongst the most typically utilized systems. Most designs require expert setup, even though some do not. The mesh panels are made from durable metal or plastic material so they are quite dependable. These systems are more costly compared to the previous ones, but they are more effective as well. Leaves and bigger debris will not enter the drain channels while the smaller ones will be cleaned off.

Waterfall gutter protection systems are created to be set up at an angle so that the leaves move down quickly. The systems have thin slots through which the water falls under the drain channel. They are connected to the roof so installation is a bit challenging. Still, waterfall guards appear to use the greatest level of security. You just need to choose a design with a big drainage capability.

You can readily choose which rain gutter security is for you.

When your home has bad seamless gutters it causes much damage from fractures in the walls, to leaks in the ceiling, basement and a cracked structure. Many people do not generally examine for clogged up rain gutters unless they were to have actually a roof installed.

Gutters are the most essential outside part of the house to keep it in top shape. Property owners question why they require a new roof when their existing roof is just 7 years of ages, or why their structure is cracked. It's due from bad seamless gutters that have not been protected with seamless gutter guards staying out the particles and branches.

When your gutters get obstructed, the rain or snow has nowhere to go however up on the roofing or down the side of the home permeating into the interior walls and foundation triggering damage. Bad rain gutters begin sagging or pull away from the fascia board caused from excessive snow weighing down the rain gutter.

When the rain gutters are not protected with gutter guards, they take a lot of wear and tear from trees, animal feces, snow, ice and rain. When you have a strong guttering system, the water and melted snow will run through the seamless gutter in to the downspout out on the ground fleing from your home.

Without the seamless gutter guard protection, your gutters will eventually cause damage costing you countless dollars in repair work that might have been prevented. Your health is also at threat because mold and mildew form on the ceiling and walls causing allergic reactions and other respiratory diseases.

When the gutters are clogged with particles in the hot weather condition it's risky for a fire and you might lose whatever you worked for, precious memories that can not be changed, the life of yourself or an enjoyed family member or your pets. You've probably had your rain gutters cleaned or had them replaced, but without seamless gutter guards they're facing the problem of getting clogged up particularly if you live where there are great deals of trees.

Another problem from the wet basement, walls, ceiling or foundation is the dampness that can trigger termite damage. They thrive on wood and chew it up from your window frames, crawl area, trim locations and can actually destroy a home.

youtube

0 notes

roofandguttersstlouis-blog · 6 years

Video

youtube

There are 2 primary locations of a seamless gutter to tidy. The interior rain gutter, where all the debris gathers, and the outside of the seamless gutter. The interior part of the seamless gutter must be cleaned up twice a year, unless you have rain gutter covers, and the outside of the rain gutter has to be cleaned up once a year with the rest of the house.

Cleaning The Interior Of Gutters

If debris supports water in your rain gutters, the water can trigger severe long term problems to your house. It can quickly rot out the fascia and sophet along with cause interior wall damage if the water discovers a way in to the eaves. The finest way to avoid this is with seamless gutter cover setup.

Nevertheless, if you have to clean your gutters the old made way, get a ladder and go section to area and eliminate all the particles. The greatest draw back to this is the ladder work. It is really easy to fall off of a ladder. Plus, going up and down a ladder 50 times might not be your concept of a great time on a Saturday afternoon. Likewise, Be careful not to squash your seamless gutters with the ladder.

If you live in a single story house, your best option may be a pressure washer with an unique rain gutter attachment. It is never ever a smart idea to try and use a ladder and a pressure washer at the same time. One issue with this method, is the possibility of blowing water back into the home through the eaves, nevertheless this is the favored technique.

Really getting on the roofing system and cleaning the seamless gutters is an extremely bad idea. Specifically if you are not use to strolling on roofs. I have seen roofing contractors stroll up ridiculous angles in order to do their job, but they learn professionals. All it takes is one slip and your time could be up.

Exterior Gutter Cleaning

It is a smart idea to pressure wash your home at least when a year. During this process do not neglect your seamless gutters. Fundamental mold and grime will develop on your gutters and filthy gutters really diminish the charm of your home.

Utilize a strong degreaser and use it your rain gutters. Make certain it is authorized for use in your pressure washer, if you need something that is not approved you might constantly utilize a spray bottle or an acid injector. Put the degreaser on the gutters and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Do not let it dry. Go back over it with the white nozzle and see if you can get off all of the gunk.

If you are unable to eliminate all of the grime, you might have to use bum around. This is a painstaking procedure and in some cases it does not get whatever off. Particularly roof tar, which over the years discolorations the rain gutters. If your seamless gutters are actually bad, it may be a better concept to just change the rain gutters.

Gutters require to be cleaned from time to time to avoid clog. The rain gutters that are not cleaned can lead to various diseases as they draw in flies and bacteria. People think that throwing away the dirt means cleaning the gutter. This is not the perfect way of cleansing. Unclean gutters can cause lots of problems. It ruins the appearance of your home. Employing an expert rain gutter business is constantly chosen. Here are couple of reasons why you need to hire a rain gutter business to preserve the gutters:

Much better Knowledge

Business hire experienced professionals for cleaning. They have correct understanding about the methods of efficient cleansing. You will absolutely discover the seamless gutters moist and damp even after you clean it. This will once again bring in flies and germs. However when an expert does this task, your gutters will be totally dry and will not offer birth to any sort of bacteria.

Specialist Services

Investigating about the rain gutter business will let you find reputed rain gutter cleansing services. This research study can be of two types:

1. Online

2. Talking with skilled individuals

These 2 types will let you hire the very best company as knowledgeable people know much better exactly what these business require and will recommend accordingly. Online research will give you reviews about the business along with their services. It is much better to research about these companies by taking tips from good friends and relatives. Websites can also help you to discover excellent and cost-effective business.

Calling couple of companies and discussing the services offered is also a way to research study and understand more about them. This can be done as soon as you decide to hire a specific rain gutter cleaning up company.

Surefire Results

Cleaning up task done by a rain gutter business gives guaranteed outcomes. These results are long lasting too. One need not stress about the result as expert services offer much better results than anticipated.

Is seamless gutter protection a good idea? Yes, it definitely is. A seamless gutter guard system will safeguard the drain channels from obstructing and your house from leakages. With the ideal system, you will be able to utilize rain gutter cleansing tools less often and better. The question is which type of protection is best for you.

Foam gutter defense systems are affordable and basic to use. You just have to get adequate material to position inside the drain channels of your house. Normally, foam can be cut into all sizes and shapes so you will have the ability to install this system very easily and rapidly.

A foam guard uses a great level of security, however its effectiveness will inevitably reduce gradually. Even though the material is created to be durable, it is permeable, numerous of the tiny dirt particles and debris will remain inside it. As a result, water will not have the ability to drain pipes effectively ultimately. Besides, the surface area of the foam is somewhat unequal so wet leaves may remain on top of the protector which will affect drain negatively.

Brush seamless gutter defense systems are likewise simple to install and economical. Generally, you put a brush inside the drain channel. This system operates in much the exact same way as the foam one. Still, it will not get obstructed with smaller sized dirt and debris particles. On the other hand, leaves might actually enter the drain channel and get stuck in between the bristles. In this method, a brush system will work, however it will need more frequent cleansing. When it comes to sturdiness, this is not the longest lasting service.

Fit together gutter protection panels are amongst the most commonly used systems. A lot of designs require professional installation, despite the fact that some do not. The mesh panels are made from resilient metal or plastic product so they are quite dependable. These systems are more costly compared to the previous ones, but they are more effective as well. Leaves and larger particles will not enter the drain channels while the smaller sized ones will be washed off.

Waterfall rain gutter protection systems are developed to be set up at an angle so that the leaves move down easily. The systems have thin slots through which the water falls under the drain channel. They are connected to the roof so setup is a bit hard. Still, waterfall guards appear to offer the highest level of protection. You simply require to choose a design with a big drainage capacity.

You can easily choose which gutter security is for you.

When your house has bad gutters it triggers much destruction from cracks in the walls, to leaks in the ceiling, basement and a split structure. The majority of people do not generally look for clogged up seamless gutters unless they were to have actually a roof set up.

Gutters are the most important outside part of the home of keep it in top shape. Property owners wonder why they need a brand-new roofing when their existing roofing system is just seven years of ages, or why their foundation is broken. It's due from bad rain gutters that have not been protected with gutter guards staying out the debris and branches.

When your rain gutters get blocked, the rain or snow has no place to go but up on the roofing system or down the side of the home leaking into the interior walls and structure causing damage. Bad seamless gutters begin drooping or pull away from the fascia board caused from excessive snow weighing down the seamless gutter.

When the seamless gutters are not protected with seamless gutter guards, they take a lot of wear and tear from trees, animal feces, snow, ice and rain. When you have a strong guttering system, the water and melted snow will run through the gutter into the downspout out on the ground running away from your home.

Without the seamless gutter guard security, your gutters will eventually trigger damage costing you countless dollars in repair work that could have been avoided. Your health is likewise at threat due to the fact that mold and mildew form on the ceiling and walls triggering allergies and other breathing illnesses.

When the rain gutters are clogged with debris in the hot weather condition it's dangerous for a fire and you might lose everything you worked for, valuable memories that can not be replaced, the life of yourself or a liked household member or your family pets. You've probably had your rain gutters cleaned up or had them changed, however without seamless gutter guards they're facing the issue of getting stopped up particularly if you live where there are great deals of trees.

Another problem from the damp basement, walls, ceiling or structure is the wetness that can cause termite damage. They flourish on wood and chew it up from your window frames, crawl space, trim locations and can actually damage a home.

Bad seamless gutters lead to damage that can trigger your the home of fall apart. The majority of usage don't consider our gutters when we're doing repairs to our home, however if you attempt to think about the damage they trigger, then you won't spend a lot cash fixing the problems your rain gutters are triggering.

0 notes

starhomecontractors-blog · 6 years

Text

The Best Gutter Cleaner Ever!

youtube

There are two main locations of a gutter to clean. The interior rain gutter, where all the particles gathers, and the outside of the rain gutter. The interior portion of the rain gutter must be cleaned twice a year, unless you have seamless gutter covers, and the outside of the seamless gutter requires to be cleaned up when a year with the rest of the house.

Cleaning up The Interior Of Gutters

If debris backs up water in your gutters, the water can trigger severe long term issues to your home. It can quickly rot out the fascia and sophet along with cause interior wall damage if the water finds a method to the eaves. The finest way to avoid this is with rain gutter cover setup.

However, if you have to clean your rain gutters the old fashioned way, get a ladder and go section to area and get rid of all the debris. The biggest draw back to this is the ladder work. It is extremely simple to fall off of a ladder. Plus, going up and down a ladder 50 times might not be your idea of a good time on a Saturday afternoon. Also, Be mindful not to squash your rain gutters with the ladder.

If you live in a single story home, your best bet might be a pressure washer with an unique rain gutter attachment. It is never ever a smart idea to try and use a ladder and a pressure washer at the very same time. One issue with this approach, is the possibility of blowing water back into the home through the eaves, however this is the preferred approach.

In fact getting on the roofing and cleaning the seamless gutters is a really bad concept. Specifically if you are not utilize to walking on roofings. I have seen roofing professionals walk up insane angles in order to do their job, however they are qualified specialists. All it takes is one slip and your time could be up.

Exterior Gutter Cleaning

It is a great idea to pressure wash your house at least once a year. During this process do not neglect your gutters. Standard mold and gunk will develop on your rain gutters and unclean seamless gutters really diminish the beauty of your house.

Utilize a strong degreaser and apply it your gutters. Ensure it is authorized for use in your pressure washer, if you need something that is not authorized you might constantly use a spray bottle or an acid injector. Put the degreaser on the seamless gutters and let it sit for about five minutes. Do not let it dry. Return over it with the white nozzle and see if you can leave all of the grime.

If you are not able to eliminate all of the grime, you may have to utilize bum around. This is a painstaking process and often it does not get everything off. Especially roofing tar, which for many years stains the gutters. If your seamless gutters are truly bad, it might be a better idea to merely change the seamless gutters.

Gutters require to be cleaned up from time to time to prevent obstruction. The seamless gutters that are not cleaned up can lead to various illness as they draw in flies and bacteria. People think that discarding the dirt implies cleaning the rain gutter. This is not the ideal way of cleansing. Unclean seamless gutters can trigger many issues. It ruins the appearance of your house. Working with an expert seamless gutter business is constantly preferred. Here are few factors why you should work with a seamless gutter business to maintain the rain gutters:

Better Knowledge

Companies hire skilled professionals for cleansing. They have appropriate knowledge about the ways of effective cleansing. You will definitely find the rain gutters wet and damp even after you clean it. This will again draw in flies and germs. But when a professional does this job, your gutters will be entirely dry and will not give birth to any type of bacteria.

Professional Services

Investigating about the seamless gutter companies will let you discover reputed seamless gutter cleaning company. This research study can be of two types:

1. Online

2. Talking with experienced individuals

These 2 types will let you hire the best company as experienced people understand better what these business require and will recommend accordingly. Online research study will give you examines about the business as well as their services. It is better to investigate about these companies by taking suggestions from pals and loved ones. Sites can also help you to discover good and cost-efficient companies.

Calling few companies and discussing the services provided is also a method to research study and know more about them. This can be done once you choose to work with a specific gutter cleaning up company.

Surefire Results

Cleaning up job done by a gutter company offers guaranteed outcomes. These outcomes are long enduring as well. One need not stress over the outcome as expert services provide much better outcomes than anticipated.

Is gutter protection a smart idea? Yes, it definitely is. A seamless gutter guard system will safeguard the drain channels from blocking and your home from leakages. With the ideal system, you will have the ability to use gutter cleansing tools less often and more successfully. The question is which kind of defense is best for you.

Foam rain gutter security systems are inexpensive and easy to use. You simply need to get sufficient product to place inside the drain channels of your house. Normally, foam can be cut into all sizes and shapes so you will have the ability to install this system incredibly easily and rapidly.

A foam guard provides a great level of protection, however its efficiency will inevitably lessen with time. Although the product is designed to be durable, it is permeable, many of the small dirt particles and debris will stay inside it. As an outcome, water will not have the ability to drain pipes effectively eventually. Besides, the surface area of the foam is somewhat irregular so damp leaves may remain on top of the protector which will impact drain adversely.

Brush gutter security systems are likewise easy to install and economical. Generally, you put a brush inside the drain channel. This system works in similar method as the foam one. Still, it will not get blocked with smaller dirt and debris particles. On the other hand, leaves might in fact get inside the drain channel and get stuck in between the bristles. In this way, a brush system will work, but it will require more regular cleaning. When it comes to durability, this is not the longest lasting option.

Mesh rain gutter security panels are among the most commonly utilized systems. Most designs need expert installation, although some do not. The mesh panels are made from resilient metal or plastic material so they are quite reputable. These systems are more expensive compared with the previous ones, however they are more effective also. Leaves and larger particles will not enter the drain channels while the smaller ones will be washed off.

Waterfall gutter security systems are developed to be installed at an angle so that the leaves slide down quickly. The systems have thin slots through which the water falls under the drain channel. They are connected to the roof so installation is a bit hard. Still, waterfall guards appear to offer the greatest level of defense. You just need to pick a design with a big drain capacity.

You can easily choose which rain gutter protection is for you.

When your house has bad seamless gutters it triggers much damage from cracks in the walls, to leakages in the ceiling, basement and a cracked foundation. A lot of people don't normally inspect for clogged up seamless gutters unless they were to have a roofing installed.

Gutters are the most important outside part of the home of keep it in top shape. Homeowners wonder why they need a brand-new roofing when their existing roof is just seven years old, or why their structure is cracked. It's due from bad gutters that have not been secured with rain gutter guards staying out the debris and branches.

When your gutters get obstructed, the rain or snow has no place to go however up on the roofing or down the side of your house seeping into the interior walls and structure triggering damage. Bad seamless gutters start sagging or retreat from the fascia board triggered from excessive snow weighing down the seamless gutter.

When the rain gutters are not safeguarded with rain gutter guards, they take a great deal of wear and tear from trees, animal feces, snow, ice and rain. When you have a strong guttering system, the rain water and melted snow will run through the gutter into the downspout out on the ground running away from your house.

Without the gutter guard security, your gutters will eventually cause damage costing you countless dollars in repairs that could have been prevented. Your health is likewise at danger since mold and mildew kind on the ceiling and walls causing allergic reactions and other breathing diseases.

When the seamless gutters are blocked with debris in the hot weather it's risky for a fire and you could lose whatever you worked for, valuable memories that can not be changed, the life of yourself or an enjoyed relative or your pets. You've most likely had your gutters cleaned or had them changed, however without gutter guards they're facing the issue of getting clogged specifically if you live where there are lots of trees.

Another issue from the damp basement, walls, ceiling or structure is the wetness that can trigger termite destruction. They prosper on wood and chew it up from your window frames, crawl area, trim areas and can actually damage a house.

Bad rain gutters result in destruction that can trigger your the home of break down. Many of usage don't think about our gutters when we're doing repairs to our home, but if you attempt to think of the damage they cause, then you will not spend so much money repairing the problems your gutters are causing.

0 notes

celticnoise · 7 years

Link

I haven’t included the previous season in this series, the Year We Stopped The Ten.

It breaks the chronological order but how possibly could I include a season where we won our first league championship in exactly a decade and in the process of doing so prevented Rangers eclipsing our 9 and winning 10 in a row?

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of that triumph and I’m sure plenty will be written about it nearer the time.

So I’ll hold off on that for now; it certainly doesn’t deserve to be filed under ‘Dark Days.’

Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the season that followed it.

We had the league championship trophy on show inside the boardroom but otherwise, relative chaos ensued around Celtic Park.

Not long after securing the title for us and weaving his way into Celtic folklore in the process Wim Jansen departed alongside assistant Murdo MacLeod.

The reasons for that are many.

At the time the narrative was decidedly slanted in favour of the Dutchman.

Both Fergus McCann and in particular the Director of Football Jock Brown were painted as the bad guys. In subsequent years though it’s become clear that Wim was not quite the victim that some had painted him. Anyway, all of the season 97-98’s fallout can be discussed another day.

It’s on to the season at hand.

Firstly we had to appoint a new manager.

We did that and it was none other than the little known Dr. Jozef Venglos.

Dr. Jo had actually managed in the UK before taking over at Aston Villa in 1990 for one season. Villa finished 17th and despite his lack of popularity amongst the fans by all accounts, the club owner Doug Ellis wanted him to stay but Venglos decided to walk.

His methods had not been popular amongst players at the West Midlands club.

Basically, the good doctor was way ahead of his time.

He demanded the players behave professionally in every aspect of their lives and implemented a strict diet regime, along with curfews, intense cardio workouts and insisted they curtail their drinking. It went down like a joke in a mortuary with the grizzled old English pros amongst the ranks and Venglos spent the season facing near perennial resistance.

No surprise then he declined a second term.

Nowadays, every single one of those ideas is custom and practice at the top clubs.

Like I said, he was way ahead of his time.

Outside of that, he had probably the most extensive coaching resume of any manager before or since in the Celtic Park hot-seat.

Having began his coaching career in Australia after retiring from playing the game in his native Czechoslovakia he then went onto have spells managing back home with ŠK Slovan Bratislava where he won back to back league titles, before managing the Czechoslovakian national side for 4 years guiding them to 3rd place in the 1980 European championships and then to qualification for the 1982 World Cup in Spain where they exited at the group stages.

He then spent individual seasons managing Sporting Lisbon, the Malaysian nation side, back to the Czechoslovakia national team again whom he led to the quarter finals of Italia 90′ this time, before Villa, two years in charge at Fenerbahçe, another two years with the newly independent Slovakian national side and then a short spell presiding over Oman.

So pretty much a footballing nomad who had traversed the globe.

The appointment was somewhat underwhelming and perhaps slightly ill advised as a big name appointment would likely have calmed the then ongoing furore over Wim Jansen’s departure.

Dr. Jo was a pretty gentle soul.

He presented a calm, relaxed and almost serene figure whom the press had as much luck getting a rise out of as they would blood out of a stone.

Indeed it’s difficult to remember any of his press conferences.

Quiet and unassuming his demeanour left most of the Celtic support rather perplexed. His assistant was ex Aberdeen player Eric Black which itself also came a little left of field considering that Black had had no previous association with the club.

Like the club owner Fergus McCann, Venglos was very diligent in the transfer market. So diligent in fact that no significant signings were made that summer. We eventually did spend £1.5 million on Norwegian international defender Vidar Riseth from LASK Linz in September.

Not exactly a game changer.

Meanwhile across the city ‘The Mint’ David Murray had his cheque book out.

Still reeling from his failure to secure ten-in-a-row, and his sides season on season embarrassments in European competition, Sir David responded in the only way he knew how by significantly extending the club’s overdrafts and ‘flashing the cash’ all be it, it was other people’s money he was ultimately spending.

This was, of course, the season of the famous Jim Traynor ‘succulent lamb’ interview with Murray that was conducted in November of 1998 at some fine dining establishment somewhere in Glasgow.

Having just furnished the new Rangers manager Dick Advocaat with the best part of £40 million to completely rebuild the first team at Ibrox it was clear he meant business and Traynor was at pains to point this out as he gazed longingly across the table at Murray whilst consuming, as he put it ‘the finest of reds’ and mouthfuls of ‘the most succulent lamb’.

It really was nauseating journalism and proved beyond doubt if any was needed that Murray had Traynor and the vast majority of his fellow press men eating out of the palm of his hand. He also stated in a separate interview around this time that for every fiver Celtic spent, he would spend a tenner.

This strategy would, of course, lead his club to catastrophe but no one at that time within Scottish football journalism had the cojones to point out the inevitable pitfalls of spending money that far exceeded your income.

As glorious as it is to look back on such ill advised hubris the reality was that at the time Rangers were assembling a squad full of top calibre players.

The majority of players upon whom their 9-in-a-row success was built around were discarded that summer by ‘The Little General’ as Advocaat liked to call himself. These included the likes of McCoist, Goram, McCall, Gough, McLaren, Durrant and even Brian Laudrup.

In their place, £36 million was spent to bring in the likes of Arthur Numan, Andrei Kanchelskis, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Claudio Reyna, Colin Hendry, Stefan Klos, Neil McCann, Gabriel Amato and Rod Wallace. There was no doubting they had built a formidable team and that we had to respond.

I actually remember getting on the train one evening coming home from a shift as a winter temp at Burtons Menswear in mid-November and sitting beside a few of the stock room boys who were going in the same direction and were also Ibrox season ticket holders.

They rattled off two quality players for every position with contented smiles on their faces whilst I sat there wondering if my team was ever going to open the purse strings.

“Not trying to rub it in big man.” they laughed. Funny how things change.

Anyway to the actual football itself.

Things started off brightly on the park at least as we hammered Dunfermline 5-0 on flag day.

Sadly Fergus McCann was booed.

Looking back it’s one of the most cringe worthy and embarrassing displays ever by a Celtic support but then everyone has a degree in hindsight. At this stage, the support was very much on the side of the departed Wim Jansen and dead set against Fergus and his right-hand man Jock Brown.

As myself and my father approached the stadium that day I can still recall a rather heavy set individual walking in front of our path with a somewhat elaborately emblazoned message printed across the back of his Celtic home jersey that read “Wim Jansen Celtic Legend Fergus McCann Out Now.”

No doubt that shirt is gathering dust in a box somewhere in a darkened loft or dingy basement where it should be.

The joy on the pitch was short lived as we then suffered a 3-2 defeat at Pittodrie against Aberdeen.

Three days later we were beaten 1-0 at Airdrie in the 3rd round of the League Cup.

So safe to say even on the park things weren’t going particularly well either.

We bounced back briefly with a 2-1 home win against Dundee Utd before going a horrible five matches without a win in the league, losing one and drawing four including a 0-0 game at Ibrox and a 1-0 home defeat against St.Johnstone.

That was followed by winning away at Motherwell (2-1), drawing 2-2 away to Dunfermline and beating Aberdeen at home (2-0) before losing 2-0 away to Kilmarnock.

Our sojourn into Europe had proved to be the standard disaster.

Having struggled past Irish Champions St. Pat’s Athletic 2-0 on aggregate after an embarrassing 0-0 draw in the home leg we then faced Croatian Champions Dinamo (then Croatia) Zagreb. We got a fair amount of encouragement when we beat them 1-0 at Celtic Park thanks to a solitary Darren Jackson strike, however the star of that match was the Croatian internationalist midfield talisman Robert Prosinecki who ran the show with a display of midfield mastery rarely seen at Celtic Park.

A class act.

Zagreb pretty easily cuffed us 3-0 on their patch in the second leg with the aforementioned Prosinecki scoring twice.

We dropped into the UEFA cup and made it past Portugal’s Vitória de Guimarães 4-2 on aggregate at the first round stage before succumbing to Switzerland’s FC Zürich. After a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park where captain Tom Boyd got himself sent off at half time, we lost a goal fest in the away leg.

After going a goal down six minutes into the second half we equalised through Phil O’Donnell a mere two mins later only to then go behind again only two minutes after that. Six minutes later it was 3-1 and the tie looked dead until Henrik Larsson struck on 72 minutes and we were dreaming of snatching another and going through on away goals…..for all of about three mins when the wonderfully named Sant’Anna struck and eliminated us on the 75th-minute mark.

The form was all over the place and the fans were crying out for signings.

We had signed an unknown 33-year-old Slovakian midfielder for £380,000 in October.

Based on the minuscule fee and the fact no one had ever heard of him the presumption was that he must be rubbish.

The press lambasted the singing as a return to the biscuit tin mentality of yesteryear.

His name, of course, was Lubomir Moravcik.

“If anything the signing of Lubomir Moravcik at a cut price has merely caused them further embarrassment.” said Jim Traynor.

“I don’t know what I find more laughable; the fact that Celtic cannot find £500,000 from their biscuit tin to sign a proven talent like John Spencer, or the fact that they then spent £300,000 on one of Dr. Jo’s old pals, the unknown Lubomir Moravcik!” pronounced Hugh Keevins.

Lubo made his debut in the 6-1 annihilation of Dundee.

At one point in the game, he let the ball drop from the air and killed it with his backside.

In another instance, he placed an inch perfect cross into the box for Tommy Johnson to score using the outside of his foot.

It was only one game but he looked, well, absolutely class to be honest.

His best though was still to come.

Next time out we lost for the second time that season to St.Johnstone this time by 2-1 at McDiarmid Park.

That would be followed by another Old Firm encounter and one we were all dreading on the 21st of November 1998.

Lubo was to be played up front with Henrik and ahead of up and coming young striker Mark Burchill.

Many in the press scoffed.

“Josef Venglos will live to regret his decision to play this unknown Slovakian ahead of Mark Burchill in such a vital Old Firm Game.” laughed Derek Johnstone on Radio Clyde before the game.

Oh, how wrong they were.

Celtic routed Rangers 5-1, our biggest margin of victory in the encounter since winning 4-0 in the 1969 Scottish Cup final.

It was also our biggest scoreline against them in 32 years equalling the 5-1 hammering of our city rivals in the league back in 1966.

Lubomir Moravcik scored two, one a sublime left foot finish from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner and the other a fabulous header to make it 2-0.

Henrik Larsson refused to be outdone and also scored two before Mark Burchill came on late as a sub and made it five.

If it had been a boxing match then the referee would have stopped it.

Quite simply it had been probably the greatest Old Firm debut ever seen and left many in the press with egg on their faces. It’s also notable as being one of the last ever Old Firm matches to be played at 3 pm on a Saturday something that just would not happen nowadays.

Tragically I never got to see it live.

I was working at Burton’s down at the St. Enoch centre.

The security card Peter kept on popping in telling us the scoreline updates but I didn’t believe him. Peter was a bit mentally unstable you see as well as being a Rangers man. I couldn’t take the uncertainty anymore and briefly left the confines of the store, breaking all the rules and risking my £3.80 an hour part time temporary job in the process, and walked over to peer into through the window of Dixons.

The Teletext showed 5-1 to Celtic.

It was true.

Peter for once hadn’t been lying.

My disappointment at missing it all soon gave way to the excited expectation of seeing all the goals that night on Sportscene.

It was safe to say that that particular episode would be getting recorded.

The result didn’t just have historical importance but also began a sequence of losing only once in 17 league matches as well as winning through four rounds of the Scottish Cup as our season finally exploded into life. This included 13 wins and 3 draws on league duty with the only defeat being a 2-1 loss at Tynecastle to Hearts in early December.

After the Hearts defeat, we went 18 domestic games in all competitions without a loss which saw us reach the Scottish Cup final and remain in contention for the title. We scored an absolutely incredible 56 goals in those 18 games.

Some of the hammerings dished out included at home to Dunfermline (5-0), away to Dunfermline in the cup (4-0), away and at home to Dundee (3-0 & 5-0), at home to St.Johnstone (5-0), away to Motherwell (7-1), home and away to Hearts (3-0 & 4-2) and away to Aberdeen (5-1).

We also drew 2-2 with Rangers in the New Year’s Derby at Ibrox.

The football was incredible.

Larsson and Lubo were on fire.

Sadly though Moravcik got injured during the 7-1 massacre of Motherwell in late February.

We had finally opened the purse strings by then though and signed two quality additions in Johan Mjallby for £1.5m from AIK Solna in November and £3 million on striker Mark Viduka from Croatia Zagreb in December.

Viduka had actually played against us for Zagreb earlier in the season with his performances catching the eye.

Mjallby took his time to find his feet having a bit of a howler in the 2-1 defeat at Hearts.

On the other hand, though Viduka had taken no time at all to find the next flight home citing stress as the reason.

Celtic attempted to cancel the signing but it was eventually resolved with Viduka returning in January and making his debut in a reserve game in February. That wouldn’t be the last time Viduka went AWOL in a Celtic shirt but that story is probably better left for the Barnes / Dalglish season.

On the field disaster struck as we lost for the 3rd time in the season to our new bogey team St.Johnstone by a goal to nil at McDiarmid Park and then came probably our darkest hour since Fergus McCann came to the club with a 3-0 home defeat to Rangers which saw us relinquish the League Championship for the first time to our greatest rivals at Celtic Park.

The 3-0 win saw them go 10 points clear with 3 games remaining.

I remember that one well. Who wouldn’t?!

Going in our squad had been wracked with injuries. Craig Burley, Jackie McNamara, Marc Rieper, Lubo Morvacik, Tosh McKinlay, Reggi Blinker, Jonathan Gould, Phil O’Donnell, Tom Boyd and Johan Mjallby were on the sidelines that day.

We’d never known an injury crisis like it and it came at the worst possible time.

It got so desperate we had to call in Scott Marshall on an emergency loan from Southampton.

Marshall looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights and had a disaster.

French defender Stephane Mahe, a signing from the previous season, let the occasion get to him, got swept up in the atmosphere, completely lost the plot and was sent off within 31 minutes for persistent fouling.

It started off terribly with Neil McCann putting Rangers ahead after only 9 minutes. Tony Vidmar provided Rangers with a second before half time via a dubious penalty and with Celtic pushing forward desperately in the second half McCann broke away and rounded Kerr to make it three and seal it for our bitter rivals.

Rod Wallace for Rangers and Riseth for Celtic walked in the dying embers for separate incidents.

It had been a brutal day.

Not helped by a 6.05pm early Sunday evening start time for the benefit of the Sky TV cameras which saw the whole stadium more or less blootered with the drink by kick off.

Coins rained onto the pitch almost relentlessly, fans fell from the stand, referee Hugh Dallas ended up with blood flowing from a head wound via one of the coins and the atmosphere even for an Old Firm game was decidedly poisonous.

I distinctively remember at one point in the first half thinking the home support might charge the Rangers away end in an attempt to get the match abandoned as any chance of saving the title on the pitch walked with Mahe. It was utter chaos.

Thankfully as the booze wore off so did the indignation and by the time McCann scored the third most Celtic fans had long since surrendered any faint hopes of a miracle.

Not long after I entered the Gallowgate with my dad, a family friend from Donegal and his son who was about my age. We decided the Welcome Inn (long since demolished) was too busy so retreated to a taxi rank in an effort to go over to the southside and drown our sorrows there.

Whilst waiting at the deserted rank a double decker corporation bus pulled in front of us up jam packed with Rangers supporters. The windows were steamed up and they were for want of a better word going ‘bananas’ as they opened the fire exit window at the back and mocked us with the standard triumphant sectarian abuse.

We were in shock at the sheer brass balls they had to pay the driver off to take them down there where they sat at the lights for what seemed like forever.

We stood and took it.

The patrons of the Caltonian bar though were not in such charitable moods and soon exited the bar en masse and descended upon the bus determined to cause it and it’s passengers as much damage as possible. The bus then took off like a bat out of hell when the light turned green and as we watched it disappear into the distance down Argyll Street it seemed like everyone lining their path had thrown some form of missile at it.

God knows what the driver told his bosses when he took it back to the terminus that night.

It looked like it had been driven through downtown Beirut at the end of a ceasefire.

For what it’s worth we won the final 3 matches of the season away to Dunfermline (2-1), at home to Aberdeen (3-2) and away to Dundee Utd (2-1).

From 36 games, Celtic won 21, drew 8 and lost 7. We scored 84 (6 more than Rangers) and ended up with a goal difference of +49 (2 better off than Rangers) with a points total of 71 which saw us finish 6 points behind them in second.

We finished 3 points less well off than the previous season, scored 20 more and had a goal difference that was 9 better.

The Scottish Cup final was our last hope.

A chance to win some silverware and prevent Rangers from completing a treble on the day a finally fully refurbished Hampden was to open.

En route we had swept aside Airdrie, Dunfermline, Morton and Dundee Utd scoring 12 goals and conceding only 1 in the process. Jonathan Gould, Tom Boyd, Johan Mjallby, Regi Blinker and Lubo Moravcik all returned to the first team from injury for the game. As a result, optimism was high.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

We meekly lost the game 1-0 with the Rod Wallace scoring the only goal of a disappointing encounter three minutes into the second half.

That was it for Doctor Jo.

He was expected to take up a director of football role with the club, replacing the departing Jock Brown in the process but it never came to pass.

He showed at times great tactical awareness, an eye for a player and the team played some wonderful free flowing football under his guidance.

But he suffered from a terrible list of injuries which ravaged the team as well as painful under investment in the squad with the money that was spent coming far too late into the season.

In total his transfer outlay was a paltry £6.4 million that season with all but one of his five signings making their debut in November or later.

In the previous season, nine players had come in, six in pre-season, one in September, one in November and another in December with the total spent coming to £10.2 million. Not only was it nearly £4 million less than the previous season but £30 million less than Rangers.

How could he really have hoped to compete?

Fergus McCann had completed his 5 years and departed as he always said he would.

There weren’t many tears for Fergus.

Sadly the despair at seeing Rangers win the treble clouded out the fact he’d saved us from insolvency, had built a world class 60,000 seat arena and had seen us lift silverware for the first time in 6 years as well as preventing 10 in a row.

There’s no point in going into the finer details of Fergus’s reign here.

His legacy had been alluded to over this series of articles.

His departure also came at a time when an apparent consortium led by both celebrity Celtic fan Jim Kerr and former player Kenny Dalglish were trying to purchase a major stake in the club. Fergus was resistant to it. The fans wanted Kerr in as he was promising to spend major money and to bring in world class players. McCann though didn’t like their business plan which he claimed was not based on personal financial investment but instead was to follow the David Murray blueprint by obtaining enormous overdrafts from the banks on which the expenditure would be based. In any event, they had their chance to put their money where their mouth was when Fergus put his 51% majority shareholding up for sale in the summer of 99′.

They didn’t.

Dermot Desmond did and in the process somewhat exposed Kerr et al as being, rather like Brian Dempsey before them as all talk and no actual cash.

Fergus handed over the reigns over to new Chief Executive Allan MacDonald.

Under his stewardship, we would finally spend some money.

Lots of it in fact.

The only problem was we just didn’t spend it wisely.

Something to look forward to, right?

http://ift.tt/2yaUYsM

#CelticNoise #Celtic #CelticFC #TheCelticBlog #News

0 notes