#half the muscles i use to poop are caught up in the muscles that are trying to make up for the lack of mobility/strength in my spine | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

maulusque · 3 years

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i have some QUESTIONS about Echo’s prosthetics

fair warning i’m going to talk about the uhhh intimate details

ok first of all, the legs:

from this screenshot, it looks like he’s had everything from the hips down replaced. Looks like he only kept a little more torso than Maul did.

in WHICH CASE

how does he poop? Where is Echo’s colostomy bag? Or did they install synthetic intestines somehow? Does that mean Echo also has a synthetic asshole? A synthetic sphincter? Prosthetic ass cheeks? What kinds of materials would you even make a synthetic butthole out of? Does wiping still work the same? Or are the synthetic organs like, way more efficient and you just have to open a little door in your prosthetic ass and remove a condensed poop cube like once a week

Does Echo have a robo-dick? If so, where is it??? If not, how did they route the urethra? Did they hook the bladder up to the the hyper-efficient robo-digestive system, and the cyberintestines just like, recycle the water back into the body and condense the rest of the urine contents into the hypothetical poop cube? Meaning Echo doesn’t have to pee ever again. And technically the Poop Cube Door would be a cybernetic cloaca.

i found this ref art and it DOES NOT HELP EXPLAIN THE DICK ISSUE

The material on his thighs kinda looks like pants, but given that it goes under the clearly metal parts, and permanent pants seems like a stupid idea, I’m guessing it’s part of the prosthetics. Meaning that Echo spends the entirety of that episode stark naked. No one even loans him a shirt. Please give him a blanket at least he looks so cold. And if there IS a robo-dick, this means it is retractable.

Fuck, dude. Imagine having to do regular machine maintenance on your robo-dick and prosthetic asshole.

Also look at that shit on his left arm. Those little cables and such. Those would be SO EASY to get snagged on something, and if they’re remotely important it would be a BITCH AND A HALF. Maybe the techno union re-routed the important arm arteries because the original ones were damaged, and just didn’t bother to put them inside the body because they were keeping him in cold storage anyway, not like he needed to run around and risk getting them caught or something.

Also why did they bother giving him legs? It’s not like they were letting him use them at all?? Why bother?

Also. The KNEES. Completely exposed joint. Here’s a closeup:

Look at all those gaps. And edges. And corners. Those joints would royally suck if you get any dirt, sand, fabric, or literally anything at all anywhere near them. Echo’s not wearing pants here, so it’s not a problem, but

He CLEARLY is wearing pants here. And somehow he’s not getting them all snagged up on his knee joints? How did he even get them on over those monstrosities? Did someone have to sew him into his pants? God.

Also, look at this nonsense:

He has no calf?? Nothing replacing the very important calf muscle??? How the fuck does he WALK???

and briefly back to the arm: there’s no reason to limit the prosthetic joints to normal human ranges of motion. Wouldn’t it be freaky as hell if Echo could just. Rotate his elbow joint all the way around. Just bend his elbow 100% backwards. I feel like Hunter would punch him on the spot if he did that in front of him.

And finally: Echo’s cyber earmuffs.

sorry for the shit quality screenshot but WHY ARE THEY SO BIG

Those are much bulkier than the earmuffs he had when Rex rescued him.

Smaller! More compact! And they don’t wrap around the back. Echo has a different neck-head plate thingy back there. But the earmuffs are just little discs right over his ears.

And the new ones???

SO MUCH BULKIER. AND THEY WRAP ALL THE WAY AROUND THE BACK. WHY.

This would be SOOO UNCOMFORTABLE to sleep with. Can’t lie on your sides, and now he can’t even rest his head on the back because the dumb new cyber-earmuffs wrap all the way around. Is there still skin under the earmuffs in the back? If so, how the fuck does Echo clean it? He has do otherwise he’d start growing mold and fungus back there the moment he starts sweating.

Also. Does Echo have ears anymore??? How does he hear things? If those are supposed to be cybernetic ears, why don’t they have, you know, an ear shape, so they channel sound into the ear canal?

ok and one last thing: Echo’s new helmet.

Is it just me, or does this helmet look like it absolutely would not fit over the cybernetic earmuffs? Those things stick out a good two inches from the sides of his head. This helmet does NOT look like it has 4 extra inches of width in it. Do we have a scene where Echo puts on/takes off his helmet????

Anyway i’m somewhat intrigued by the concept of a hyper-efficient cybernetic digestive system/cloaca. Though I’d imagine that everyone would be wanting one because how convenient would it be to never have to use the bathroom again???

#meta #arc trooper echo

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weirdfanaus · 3 years

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The Path that Leads Home

Summary: Azriel, on a mission in Day Court, finds himself in a moment of weakness, but somehow he finds his way back home with a life-changing dream in mind.

Rating: Mature

Words: 3347

Pairing: Azriel (ACoTaR) and Original Character

Author’s Note: All characters except the original one are from A Court of Thorns and Roses. The original one was created by a friend and she allowed me to use her in this story. You can find her under @majolishdustybooks .

No spoilers for A Court of Silver Flames

Also on Ao3

Azriel didn't know what to do.

He had always known what was going on, but now he was lost.

He was in the middle of nowhere, had muddy attire, no trace of the target he was chasing and a mood at its lowest.

He sat down on a stump and felt how his syphons hummed in agreement; they needed a break too. He sighed, combing his hair with his fingers and angled his head towards the warm light.

The sun shone and through the dome of leaves, its rays got to his tanned and tired face.

And the only thing he wanted was to sleep.

Azriel and his spies had been chasing his target for more than three months. And when they found that they had been hiding in a forest over the border with the Day Court, he didn't care who was supposed to take care of them. Thus, he winnowed near the frontier and used his connections and knowledge about that court to pass it as silently as possible.

But the mission after passing it… was not as easy as it was supposed to be.

The Day Court had always meant something else for the Spymaster. He was feeling closer to home, calmer and even younger. His instincts were different than usual and his lazy syphons, having a mind of their own too, were enjoying their time in the court of light more than they should.

He was sitting against another tree, half of the front of his leathers open due to the heat and was trying to find the will to fight the sleep that was slowly conquering his whole body.

A voice broke the silence of the forest, the birds stopped singing and the Illyrian opened an eye and looked at at the owner of the voice:

"Wow! The Night Court's Spymaster sleeping? During daylight? I've lived to see this day! I thought that you, bats, slept only during the night. Is the Night Court no longer good for you, old man? Decided that you preferred the sun over the moon and the stars?"

His siphons suddenly woke up.

"Nice to see you're alive too, Cyra," he replied with a tougher voice, sleep already clouding his body.

"Darn! You really must like me, if you are still half asleep right now."

If it were autumn, her proximity would've been alerted by the fallen leaves. But because they were still enjoying the calm weather and longer days, the summer gave Azriel the lisp of the leaves’ help.

"One of our guards caught Edgard trying to break into the main building." That sentence was a wake-up call for the Spymaster and when he stood up, back in the middle of the clearing, he noted how close he was to the female.

The silence was familiar. He didn’t like to talk too much when it wasn’t needed, but her presence demanded it and his heart and mind was happy to oblige.

And that's why, even though it was not needed, Azriel's right corner of the lip rose and a "Hi" broke the silence.

Cyra's hazel eyes sparkled at his tone and, because of the light, they became greener. Her lips curved in a smile too, while saying: "Hello, Azriel. Nice to see you alive and well. Heard you made new friends."

The male shrugged and stretched his wings lazily, while the female was assessing him, looking judgely. He knew that his wings were something meaningful to her, not only because they were his, but also because of her Illyrian heritage. His wings, scarred and darker than wet tree branches, connected her to her mother, whose wings brought the late female more pain than freedom.

“Can we go to where you hold him? I need to winnow him to the Court of Nightmares and get him to talk.” Cyra was somehow caught by surprise by his voice, but she shook it off fast.

“Yeah, he is kind of asleep now. You hit him hard.” Her voice was calmer, her body more relaxed than usual, not as guarded as she was the first time he met her. Back when she was cold, young and with strands of brown hair flying in the bitter winds of the Winter Court’s mountains, possessing a look in her eyes that would’ve killed him right there.

“It’s of no surprise that you look like you got hit by a volley of arrows. Yeah, minus the blood. That’s all mud and probably… poop.” her hands moved with such speed, while she spoke, that only by looking at them, he felt more tired than before.

“Cyra… I know I look like actual shit, but can we not talk about my attire right now? I would prefer to sleep, I haven’t slept five hours continuously for days and I think that I might pass out.” He stepped towards her in a manner very unlike him and Cyra’s face turned into an open book, worry filling its pages.

“You smell…” was her reply when she caught him right before he could fall. It was a sure thing that she was thinking whether she had a dead man in her arms or not, but his head moved against her hair, white strands finding their way through his dark locks and some even reaching in his mouth. He tried to get rid of them without using his hands, but when he realized there had been no progress made, he tried to use his hands, but the female moved faster than him. “And still act as a baby.” Azriel’s face was empty of any sign of emotion.

One moment they were in the middle of a clearing, in the forest, under the sun and the other they were in the middle of a living room. Warm colours, browns and a lot of white surrounded them then.

He would never get used to the great number of plants in that house. Even though in the years he had known her and they had started to get closer to each other, his house back in Velaris was almost as crowded as the one he was in. Stalks, leaves and flower petals covering almost every surface.

He asked her once, while she was bringing yet another potted plant into his apartment, back in Velaris: “Why are you so keen on growing a forest inside my apartment?”

Cyra just shrugged and while he waited for the more elaborated answer, which was coming, he watched how she played with one of the white hair strands that were framing her face, the rest of it was kept together with a clip.

"More oxygen won't hurt you."

"Yeah, but when there is no light outside, they use my oxygen. So…?"

She made an annoyed face then and raised a finger in his direction. "You are already dark and broody, why not brighten the place a little bit?"

"I get that you don't like my colour preference, even though we are in the Night Court, sweetheart. You didn't have to fill this place that much that I don't have any place to even stand. And it's my apartment!"

The female shrugged, pissed off by his statement. She bit her lip and looked at the plant she was still holding.

"Plants show us that even after weeks of cold weather, there is still a moment when the sun will come and we will have our moment to be reborn. They bring us all joy. I thought you needed some joy in your life, Az."

He had always known, deep down, that happiness would come at some point, even though for much time he had lived in darkness, hurting.

Cyra, with her bright hair and hazel eyes, sometimes even the colour of the plants she loved and cherished, was like the light at the end of the tunnel for him. She brought him joy, freedom and he felt like light, weightless, although he was always in the shadows.

And then, in the Day Court, surrounded by plants and flowers and vegetables, he was home.

But he was still unsure what to do next.

The female started walking around the room, moving blankets on the sofa, opening cabinets and pulling out packages, cans, jars, utensils and plates.

The water was boiling on the stove when he finally decided to talk.

"I should've gone to sort the problem with Edgard."

"Don't worry about him, he will be there after you take a shower and have something to eat. We need to catch up. It's been a while. I want to know everything about your brand new High Lady." Cyra didn't raise her eyes from the cutting board, where vegetables started gathering. But her tone showed that she was in the mood to gossip.

"I heard she likes soup." She rose her eyes to him and cleaned the tomato juice off one of her fingers.

Azriel chuckled at that.

There was a joke between the Inner Circle, about how Feyre gave Rhys canned soup when they sealed the mating bond. And Azriel knew that there was no way, the Spymaster of the Day Court would not find out about it.

She lived off tormenting his friends, usually the males.

"Can I at least have a bite… small bite… from what you have decided to cook?" He tried, but he was very aware that he was full of mud, probably smelled of deer poop and looked like he had got run over by dozens of wild horses. He knew Cyra very well and her eyes told him that he needed to get cleaned as soon as possible and there was nothing else to discuss.

He puffed, sad that he had lost that ‘battle’ and aimed for the bathroom.

The bathroom was the same as he had seen it last. Toiletries spread out on the counter by the sink: toothbrushes, razors and different kinds of soaps, each specially created for certain use.

He swiftly undressed himself and lowered in the already filled magical pool. The water was always warm and his muscles sighed in approval for the moment of peace. The last week had been filled with the smell of grass, branches and flowers. Their pollen sometimes disturbing his senses, a problem, which was once a disadvantage but had been redeemed by knowing the woman in the other room. After all, he basically had a garden in his house back in Velaris.

He rubbed all the mud off and when he decided that he had spent enough time in the bathroom, he got out. And with a towel around his waist, he walked into the bedroom linked to the bathroom.

Sunlight bathed the room and the plants were sprawling towards it. On the bed placed against the wall, right in the middle of the room, sat a pile of clean clothes, black pants and underwear and a white short-sleeved shirt, which he put on.

Back in the kitchen, the female, now with her long white hair bound, was mixing something in a bowl, the water in the pot boiling behind her. He reached it and the smell it emanated was a sign that its contents were done. Opening cabinets with familiarity, Azriel strained the vegetables and dumped them in an empty, clean bowl, placing it on the counter. He seasoned them and watched Cyra take a tray with meat out of the oven.

"Take a plate and pick your favourite." She said, tray in one hand and a fork in the other, gesturing towards a cupboard where he knew she held plates.

Minutes later, the two of them sat at a table by the window, plates before them, glasses filled with lemon water. The sun was covering everything on the table, the flowers in the vase spreading their petals in approval.

Everything in that house loved the sunlight. He preferred it over the darkness of his past and shadows.

"I've heard that Rhysand got a mate." Cyra, even though she wasn't a fan of talking, was the one that usually started a conversation between the two of them.

And this conversation wasn't something he felt like doing after the week he had just had.

"Yeah, he did," was what left his lips as he chose to pick at his vegetables and steak instead of looking at her.

"When?" she stopped eating altogether, now sitting in the chair in a way that favoured conversation.

"When what?"

"When did the mating bond go… boof." she moved her arms as if she had just finished a magic trick.

"I don't know… maybe around the annual snow fight? We were in the Steppes when Feyre found out that Rhys kept the fact that they were mates from her. “

“So, she is what… angry at him, takes some time off from all of you and they sort it out?”

She jumped in, making her usual assumptions, and Azriel just nodded his head in approval. “And they do the whole cook a meal thing and stuff like that.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“What do you mean by ‘something’?” she looked at him confused.

“Cans.” the word made her burst into pure laughter. She moved her hands and was almost going to spoil a glass’ components on the table, but Azriel caught it just in time.

When she calmed a little, she wiped some tears from her eyes while saying: “If Cassian gets the same treatment, I swear to the Cauldron that the three of you are destined to have mates that know nothing of the culinary arts.”

Azriel just puffed at her statement, which made Cyra shrug and plaster a small smile on her slightly tanned skin.

“She will learn…” he said hopefully, but Cyra just continued to look at him, smiling.

“It’s not like she will starve by not knowing” They looked at each other longly, thinking about a night around 200 years ago in a cabin in summer court, during a horrendous storm and a bag of potatoes.

“At least I knew how to mash potatoes,” she added a second after while grabbing another bite from her serving.

Her words, her tone and her actions right after she said that, made Azriel burst into a laughter of his own. He didn’t stop for a while, thinking of the awkwardness that went on between the two of them that night. Possibly thinking about that she started laughing too.

Still laughing, she collected the dishes off the table when they were finished, his plate almost empty, except for some leaves she used for seasoning.

“How’s Cas?” she asked while cleaning the dishes. Azriel walked around the counter, right from the dining area and propped himself against the now clean marble.

“In the Illyrian Mountains. He is trying to help Feyre's older sister figure life as Fae out.” he said while crossing his arms.

“Oh… is he all right? After what happened during that last battle…”

“It’s been a rough period of time for all of us. And I also know that I should’ve come by sooner…”

“I knew that you were alive. I could feel that you were also well, as much as somebody can be after a war… That’s what mattered,” she told him while drying her hands with a cloth. They looked at each other for seconds that felt more like hours. The silence was familiar, calm and it assured both of them that there was still time left, it wasn't running out, just yet.

“I think…”

“We should…”

They started talking at the same time. And sharing a mind connection had never been weirder and more useless before. But they held their minds from each other most of the time and that path that connected them was used in the most important situations.

And that was one of the reasons why they were that day together, because, in his state, Azriel used that connection to call for help. Help that he knew would come unconditionally.

They had decided decades ago that for this eternity to not be a burden, they needed their space. Also, the secrets of their Courts were bigger than them and they needed to be kept safe.

But the last war woke up something in him. Something that he had known since he had first met her during that mission in the Winter Court.

“You say first.” As she could feel the fight that went on inside his head, she broke the silence. Cyra looked off guard, something that he wasn’t used to, but he had seen before.

His hands were sweating, he was nervous and he didn’t even know why. It wasn’t like that was the first time they shared their hopes, dreams and insecurities with each other.

They were mates.

“I think… I think that we should try to have a baby.” He said. His voice small, eyes partially filled with fear, scared of rejection. He didn’t expect her to be always on the same page as him.

But Cyra didn’t look as angry as he had expected. She played with her fingers, one holding her wedding ring with a blue stone, the same colour as his siphons, which shone in the midday sun. And when she raised her eyes, hazel mixed with silver, she just nodded.

"I think so too."

And his whole world became even brighter than before.

He hugged her and kissed her whole smiling face, forehead, cheeks, nose, eyelids and lastly her lips a couple of times.

Their last kiss was longer than the previous ones, minds open to each other, secrets still hidden in the darkest depths of them, but happiness was buzzing between them.

Their foreheads were together when Cyra opened her eyes to look at him. He could feel her eyes on his face, his olive skin, the scars on his brows and cheeks, the circles under his eyes, but also the wrinkles created by the smile still present.

He started kissing her skin again, but this time his lips took a different path. Her throat was covered by his warm, chapped lips and in their trail, the skin was left wet and sometimes red, from sucking. She brought her arms closer to his neck, fingers running through his dark locks.

Small sounds were leaving her full lips when Azriel’s hands gripped her thighs and she was lifted off the floor and carried to the bedroom.

The sound of a closed door was followed by the rustling of clothes. Laughter filled the air again when the Illyrian stuck his shirt in a talon of his wings, but she helped and they kissed again.

The world seemed to be suddenly set on the right path when they finally joined. His kisses covered the inked skin of her chest, their marriage tattoo set right over each of their hearts. And with each step they took in their dance, they got closer and closer to the end.

Her legs hugged his waist, her arms, his neck, hands massaging his scalp, his elbows on the mattress, one hand at her nape, the other keeping him from crushing her, lips glued and their hearts were over the other, skin on skin, tattoo over tattoo. His hand searched blindly for hers when he felt that they were close to the climax, his movements speeding up. When their fingers laced through each other on the bed, the moment came.

Ragged breaths replaced the sounds of pleasure and their foreheads were once more against the other, bodies still joined and coming down from the high.

“I love you.” Her hoarse breath broke the silence. Her hand covered his cheek, trying to wipe some sweat off of his face. In a movement so similar to a cat’s, Azriel nuzzled his nose, face and hair against her damp face and placed his head in the crook of her neck, kissed the pulse point and hugged her body even more. She replied to his action by moving her hips higher and squeezed his middle. He muffled a swore in her now wild hair.

I love you too. Filled her head and a smile crept on her lips.

#azriel #azriel shadowsinger #a court of thorns and roses #a court of frost and starlight #azriel x oc #azriel x original character #acotar #acofas #weirdfanaus

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yamithediaperdork · 3 years

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Midnight Stroll (Soul eater)

Midnight stroll

It was a bright star and moon filled night out, something that a certain weapon wasn't all that happy with as he made his way toward the park in death city. When he'd originally planned this all out it had been with the understanding of a cloudy night to help him hide a little better and now that plan had gone to hell. Of course the fact he was even going to enact his plan outside meant that our hero wanted to be seen but still. who's our hero and whats the plan you may be asking? The Hero of course was Soul, weapon extorinair and always hungry for well, souls.And his plan was to engage in his bi monthly diaper waddle of shame. You see Soul wasn't like most boys his age who were off chasing girls and being all manly. his idea of a ideal date would be getting spanked silly, diapered and teased till he pooped himself and then being put to bed in a crib without a diaper change. As you might expect, this made his dating options slim to none so he just handled his babying himself. Granted there had been a close call or two when his roommate Black Star had walked in while he was diapered but Soul had manged to get under his blankets before being seen.

It was that close call that had soul decide to take his diaper games public, though he really only went out around midnight, and only did a quick little walk (or waddle if you prefer) in a area where not many people were up/knew him. before he had done massive diapers under shorts, and a diaper and t-shirt but tonight's main event so to speak would be his most daring outfit yet, and this time he wasn't going to carry his big boy clothes in a back pack with him. This time he was going to leave them in the public bathroom at the park so he'd have no real way of wussing out and hiding in a alley, scrambling to get pants on over his diapers. Just the thought of how MUCH of a big dumb stupid baby he was going to be had him almost skipping as he made his way into the park and made a B line for the bathrooms.

In the bathroom stall Soul paused and caught his breath, mentally psyching himself up for what he was going to do There was no two ways about it, while the THOUGHT of what he was going to do had him rock hard and squirming like crazy as he leaked into his Garfield briefs, he KNEW just how bad this could be if he was caught. Just picturing Maka or Death or really ANY of his friends finding out what a big baby he was had him whimpering even if he was totally ready to have a 'accident' if he kept it up. Still, he hadn't blown a ton of money to order these items in and NOT use them, and nothing ventured nothing gained. or some bullshit like that. In any case, he started to strip.

Walking out of the bathroom with a waddle in his step, Soul was crimson faced but grinning like a fool as he checked out his reflection in the mirror. looking back at him was a young man, in thick massive nursery print diapers that forced his legs apart and would be more then up for the challenge of holding ANY messes the so called big boy could make. On his feet gone were the sneakers and instead was a pair of white baby booties in his size with little silver stars decorating them. His scrawny chest was covered with a plastic bib, white with a silver trim and in silver letters proclaimed soul to be a 'messy eater.' In his mouth bobbing in and out, and attached to a string around Soul's neck was a white and silver Pacifier, with a extra large nipple on it so his whole mouth was filled and it was already making him drool like the big baby he was. the final piece of his new look was a oversized white and silver baby bonnet to A) help him look even more silly and B) help help his identity. 'You, are SUCH a baby!' he thought to himself, squirming and crinkling as he wiggled his hips. Giggling like crazy he waddled back over to the stall and zipped up the book bag with all his big boy stuff in it and hung it on the inside door hook, the closed the stalls from the outside. Sure anyone who pushed on the door would see no one was in there buttt it wasn't like the place was exactly hopping with a bunch of people so Soul was sure it would be ok.

the first few steps into the wide open area of the park was the most nerve wracking, there was NO where to dodge and try and hide once he walked more then five steps away from the bathroom and Soul felt like at any second everyone and their uncle was going to pop outta nowhere and point and laugh at him. 'Mental note..next time toke up first.' he thought, squirming and his belly full of butterflies as he waddle over toward the play structure. Plopping his butt down in one of the swings (and barley fitting) he looked over at the baby seat swing with want in his eyes but if his fat diaper butt could barely fit in a normal swing, they'd have to call someone to cut him free out of one of those. Swinging back and forth a little he closed his eyes and pretended that it was the middle of the day, and a group of kids were all gathered around pointing and laughing at him. 'oh nooo! they're all being sooo mean to widdle meee! where my mommy and da-' Soul was thinking , but with his eyes closed and getting carried away he didn't notice that the slick plastic of his diapers had been sliding on the seat and suddenly he fell off the back of the swing. '...owwwwww..' he whined mentally, looking up at the sky. Since clearly swings and his diapers were going to work out on this fine evening, Soul after picking himself up moved on towards the slide. Climbing on the metal ladder with it being somewhat narrow and his diaper so bulky was a little trickier then he'd thought it would be and his foot slipped more then once as he made his way up. 'I swear, if I hurt myself AGAIN on playground equipment I'm just gonna bring a bucket and sand shovel next time and play in the sand box.' Soul thought dryly. the fact that he was apparently too much of a baby to use this stuff meant for little kids though DID make him feel nice and babyish and he was all grins as he got to the top of the slide and started to come down..At least till the static cling and the bulk of the diaper and the smallish sides of the slide meant while he didn't get stuck, he got one hell of a diaper wedgie. 'Anddd I think I'm done with the playground.' Soul thought sheepishly, trying to pick his diapers out of his ass crack.

The next part of his little planned fun was a little bit more risky then just playing on the playground. the playground had been close enough to the bathroom that he could of dashed back in as needed, but now as he tapped his chin and looked in different direction, he was going to go and walk for a block in the city on one of those directions. He wasn't too worried about being jumped or attack since well, diapers or no diapers he was a fucking weapon, but still people seeing him, pointing and laughing, maybe even taking pictures.... It was everything he dreaded and everything he wanted and it didn't take long for any common sense to be drowned out and he picked the southern route, meaning a good 6 minutes of waddling just in the park before even hitting the streets. His nipples stiff under his baby bib, Soul took one last look back at the park, then waddled out into the city.

as fate would have it, the path that Soul took actually went by a new all night gay bar, something he didn't realize till he turned a corner and there was a group of 5 well muscled men out having a smoke. The sight made him freeze in his tracks which was bad because he was under a street lamp at the time and while he to unfreeze and back track, he got noticed. "What the hell.." Came a drunken voice. "Oh my god! Tell me I'm actually seeing this and it's not just the phantom blast shots I've been pounding!" "Pffftt..it's a little diaper boy!" "You lost little boy? come sit with uncle." Anther one called and patted his lap. "Heh, think they'd wipe our bar tab clean if we brought him inside?" The last one asked. Soul's paci was moving in and out of his mouth BIG time now as he unfroze, but was squirming like crazy as a deep red blush covered his face. the men got up and started to walk over, smirking, smiling and one of them was pulling his cell phone out! "A-Ah! N-No pictures please!" Soul squeaked out, letting the paci fall out of his mouth and trying to cover his face. "heh..Cutie offer cutie. turn around and wiggle that cute butt of yours for us and there will be no FACE pictures." Cell phone said. A huge whine came out of soul, but he had to admit this was exactly that kind of attention he had humped stuffies into oblivion thinking about. It wasn't like he was going to be able to outrun the guys even if they were clearly wasted with the massive diaper between his legs and he briefly thought about maybe just switching to pull ups for next time so he could take off easier if this sorta thing happened again. Banishing THAT thought from his mind he did a half turn so his pampered butt was facing the drunks and then he started to shake it back and forth and getting into it, reached back and slapped it a couple of times. "Oh, somebodies a naughty baby huh? Does your daddy and mommy know where you are?" "hehehe Nope~! And.." Soul paused, the attention and the feeling of all of this short circuiting any restraint. "And it's just my daddy. We live together but he doesn't know what a dumb diaper bitch I am and How much I love being a pamper filling humiliation junkie~" "..well I'm hard." came a voice he recognized as cell phones. Soul giggled and wagged a finger back and forth. "ah ah ah, Sorry Uncles..This diaper boy is a official virgin for life so I can't help you with that! No sex for me ever, just poopie diapers and lots of teasing!" Soul giggled, then swatted his butt again and rubbed the front of his diapers. "Oh man.. no one is ever going to believe this..even with the pictures." "I'm seeing it with my own two eyes and -I- can't." Soul giggled again but then his tummy gurgled and grumbled, apparently his greasy supper wanted to make a appearance. "..wait..is he going to.." One of the guys asked. Not having to look at them, Soul found himself more daring then ever and popped a squat, rubbing his tummy. "Ohhh nooo! the big dumb BABY has to go boom boom!" he whined in babyish tone, and dared a look over his shoulder. and then paled. the original five had turned into 15 men watching him and smirking and suddenly the idea of loading his diapers in front of such a big crowd didn't seem like such a good idea. "A-Ah on second thought.." He squeaked. "Aww come on, don't be a cock tease! you promised us a show!" a guy wearing a bandana and sunglasses at night protested. "I..But..This is too many..and.." Soul whined and squirmed, his guts churning and a muffled fart coming out of him. "...Ok guys we're scaring the baby. phones away, no one record little soul's accident." Came the voice of one of the original five and Soul relaxed for a second..then turned around, letting out a massive poot and eyes wide. "W-Wait you know m-my name!?!" He practically shrieked. "uh..Yeah. wasssss I not suppose to? you're kinda famous in town." the guy said rubbing the back of his head. "..I'm going to run away now." Soul said, voice going faint. He made it all of five steps in his effort to get away, over the protest of his crowd of 'fans' when he was forced to hunch over and pop a squat again. Those who watched the show would later on agree while the visual effect of watching a deadly weapon helplessly blort out his diaper so it was sagging and discolored was hawt..they could of done without the smell. Still when Soul had dropped to his knees and pounded a fist on the street, while crying out that he was making cum cums, that helped them put up with the stink.

The waddle back to the park took much longer, though with the heavy load in his diaper making him waddle worse then before and his legs weak from the force of his orgasm it wasn't that shocking. Several times he had to pause and rest against a lamppost, and just suck on his paci, having semi orgasmic after shocks as he thought about what he had just done. 'Well, Ones thing for sure. that's to sure fuel my stuffie humping for at least half a year.' He thought and giggled a little. Finally making his way back to the bathroom, and having to wave away flies now, soul had let the paci fall from his mouth as he was holding his nose. "guh, I'm fucking rotten. no more greasy joeys fried chili-dogs for me." He muttered softly and spotted his stall. and froze. because it was wide open. "Ohhh no. no no no.." Soul said, gulping and a shaky smile on his face. "M-My Book bag is GOING to be there. it's going to be there. it's going to be there." it became a mantra as he took one step at a time, a feeling of weakness washing over him. "it's going to be there. it's..it's.." Soul mewed as he made it and looked, tears welling up in his eyes. "It's..Not here..But..my house key was in there...I..I have to waddle home..In..In a poopie diaper..and..And get Black star to let me in.." the big baby went silent as it sunk in and then feel to his knees crying out and sobbing even as a second powerful orgasm wracked though his body.

Black star was less then pleased as the doorbell wouldn't stop. he'd had more then a few drinks before going to bed and shouted for soul to get the fucking door, but of course the white haired bastard was ignoring him. 'I swear..after I answer the door if he's still asleep it's hand in warm water time.' Black thought. in just his white boxers with little black stars all over it (Yes, he was THAT vain) he made his way down to the front door. Modesty wasn't really a big thing for him and to be fair with how late it was fuck whoever was knocking on the door and ringing the door bell, they could see him in his undies. Not bothering to use the peephole first to see who it was, Black Star just opened the door and started to snarl. "What do you fucking..want..Uh..soul?" he roared, then went from a pissed off face, to a confused one, then smirking. "Oh. My. God." Soul whined and blushed, squirming back and forth. "C-Can you just move and let me in already?" the big baby whined. "Bwhahahaha! I knew it! Maka and everyone else said I was crazy But I fucking knew it! I know that was a diaper I saw you in the other day!" Black star crowed, then paused and wrinkled his nose. "wait..is that smell coming from you?" "N-No! I mean..yes, but uh..I just..stepped in some dog crap! yeah! that's it an-" Soul tried to say, but Black star not only tugged him into the house, but turned him around and planted his palm on the massive mess in the back of soul's diapered, making the big babies eyes roll in his head. "You did! you totally fudged yourself! Oh man!" Black star laughed, and then kept patting the poor weapons droopy pampers. "I think we need to have a nice long talk about how things are going to change around here, don't you?" Black Star asked and smirked. "I..I Uh..Ohh.." the weapon mewed and spread his legs to allow Star a easier time of smushing his mush tush. "though first and foremost, the first thing that needs to be changed is your stinky diaper butt..little boy." Black star said and then kissed soul's cheek. As his third orgasm in under a hour wracked his body, soul couldn't help but think that maybe he should of just stayed in tonight and streamed a movie.

The end

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #425

“evolution repressed by our backwards contest / breeding our torrential demise as we come to this edge”

Serious question, peanut butter or nutella? I think Nutella is a godsend, but I use peanut butter waaaaay more often. We don't even really buy Nutella because I will destroy the jar. Do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes? Baked. What is your oldest sibling’s middle name? Kathryn. I think. Do you like breadsticks? I just like bread, man. What are your favorite things to spend money on? Tattoos, uuuuugggghhhhh <3 Which would you rather have a new puppy or kitten? Neither, really. Most puppies drive me insane (even though they're cute as everliving fuck), and I don't want another cat. Mom actually talked about getting another, but I really just want my one boy. Roman would get SO jealous, anyway. I enjoy just having my baby. How old will you be on your next birthday? 26. Yikes. Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? As "the fat one," I can be sometimes. I would say though that more often than not, it's sort of whatever to me because I'm a human that has to eat. When you opened your eyes this morning, what were your first thoughts? I thought I slept way later than I actually did. What is one thing in the room you’re in that reminds you of somebody? My stuffed meerkat Rebel. Jason got it for me for my first birthday that we were together. Could you ever be friends with somebody who was homophobic? Never again. I was once able to think "agree to disagree," but sometimes by doing so, you're siding with evil by not enforcing what is more than just a belief. It should come with being a human. Also given my own sexuality, it would be a slap in the face to me. Would you ever want to be a supermodel, or date one? Hell no. I'd date one though, if they were modest about their position. Honestly, have you ever made fun of somebody so bad they cried? Wow, no. Honestly, would you rather be complimented on your looks or intelligence? Quite frankly, nowadays, my appearance. I need it. My self-confidence is so far below "shit." Have you ever purchased a pregnancy test, for yourself or otherwise? Nope. You can get one thing, anything, for free right now. What do you pick? Why? Hm. I know I talk about it a lot, but it would still probably be a 40 gallon terrarium for Venus. She needs - and deserves - it. Honestly, have you ever danced naked? NOOOOOOOO. What was the first illegal thing that you did? Did you get caught? Downloaded music. My mom eventually found out, but didn't care much. What is the home page on the computer you’re on? Google. Do you like to write poetry? I do, but I haven't done it in a while. :/ Are your ears pierced? Yes. If so, were they pierced with a piercing gun, or with a sterile needle? Piercing gun. Which, by the way, do not do. There are many more risks with a piercing gun versus a needle by a professional. Do you wear makeup regularly? I never do. Did you eat cereal for breakfast today? No. I've been on a bagel kick lately. When was the last time you tripped over something? Last night, actually. The rug in the living room was slightly turned up, and I tripped in the dark. I didn't actually fall, thankfully. Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies? I'm diagnosed with OCD. I experience more ruminations and intrusive thoughts more than obsessive behaviors, though. Who was the last person you yelled at? Probably Mom. Why did you yell at them? I don't remember. Favorite type of apple? I like pink lady apples. I really enjoy any, so long as they're crisp. Ever seen live horse racing? No. To be totally honest, I don't really like the concept of it. Motivating a horse to run by hurting it doesn't exactly seem moral... How about live greyhound racing? No. What’s one thing, besides the obvious, that you couldn’t live without? The Internet, haha. Have you ever touched a giraffe? No. What does your mom call you? Britt. What stresses you out the most in life? I really don't think I could pick a top one. There are so many. Do you play any PC games? What is your favorite? Yeah. Y'all probably know WoW is my favorite. If you were pregnant, how would you tell the father? Well, that would depend on the circumstances. Did we want a baby? Was it a bad surprise, a happy surprise? I can't answer this with just one idea. What’s the hardest level you can play on Guitar Hero? I used to be able to slam out Expert easily with only very few songs I had to play on Hard, but now it's been YEARS. I've played less than once in a blue moon, and my skill's definitely faded some. It really depends on the song. What ever happened with you and your first boyfriend? He couldn't handle my depression anymore. What’s your favorite country song? "When The Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw, probably. What is the worst thing a former boyfriend/girlfriend has done to you? Fail to communicate what he was feeling with me and then make a dashing break for it very, very abruptly after three and a half years. It put me past a state of shock, but trauma with how no less than obsessed I was with him. What were you for Halloween last year? I didn't dress up. :/ I wish I had the money and motivation alike to. Are you feeling guilty for something? I always will. Are you usually quiet or loud? Quiet. How many hours do you spend on the computer a day? Like... uh... all of them, oof. What is the show that you watched when you were little, and you still do? Meerkat Manor. Do your siblings text you? Not really. Do you want a small or big wedding? Small. Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth? Not the house I currently live in, but I have before. Who is your ex dating/talking to? I don't know. Ever kissed someone who smokes? No. Does it take a lot for someone to annoy you? Frankly, no. Do you own your own computer? This laptop, anyway. Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? Yes, with my younger sister as a kid and pre-teen. What noises in the room you’re in, do you hear at the moment? I hear the video I'm watching, as well as my fan. Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours? Yes. What’s the biggest upcoming event for you? Nothing. Not like that's a surprise. What do you typically order from Wendy’s? Son of the Baconator. @_@ Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper? No. Those are so awkward to me. What do you love most about yourself? I don't know these days. Have you ever received a hickey from the last person you kissed? No. What are you doing right now? This survey and re-watching John Wolfe play Outlast 2. What’s bothering you right now? I'm immensely nervous about tomorrow. I have my first (and I pray the fuck to God not only) session with my new personal trainer then, and I'm terrified by how my body and my mental fortitude is going to react. Y'all have no fucking idea JUST how out of shape I am, and the muscles in my legs seem basically non-existent by now. I have to do something about my health, though, and I'm determined to make this shit work. More than determined. I know the first day is going to be hard, but I need to do this more than I can explain. What was the last thing you drank? ... What great fucking timing, I have a can of Mountain Dew, lol... That's another thing that needs to change. I've gotta stop the emotional and boredom-eating and chill the fuck out with soda. Be honest, do you like people in general? Quite frankly, no. There are plenty of people I love and think are amazing, of course, but I think I lean towards humanity being too shitty to like "in general." Do you want your tongue pierced? I miss my snake eyes. :/ That was suuuuch a cute piercing. I just had to take it out for the safety of my teeth. I kept accidentally clamping down on one of the balls when eating, and it would cause tiny fractures. Do you change your phone background a lot? No. Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something? No. Have you ever been strip searched? No. Do you have a funny last name? Does anyone make fun of it? It's not funny-sounding, no, I just think it's too manly for me to enjoy as part of my name. Ever have a drug overdose? What did you OD on exactly? Yes. Oddly enough, I don't remember what I OD'd on now... You'd think I would, given how extreme the situation was. It was some cold medicine. Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I absolutely do. It's extremely insensitive to people like myself who legitimately suffer - and I do mean "suffer" - from the disorder. Describe your day so far in three words: Dull. Lazy. Anxious. What was the most stressful project you had so far/while in school? Probably my senior project and the presentation I had to do for it. I taught about the fallacies and misconceptions of snakes, and I made a PowerPoint and some drawings to color and crosswords for the special ed children. I was so, so very nervous, but I got through it fine and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I actually still have the recording. Choose one- Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers: MILKY WAY. FUCK I love those. Have you ever stepped in dog poop? UGH yes. What was the last thing you spent money on? My niece's birthday present. Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Is there a guy that knows a lot about you? I almost said "yes," but then I realized he doesn't know me at all anymore. I've changed so much, hopefully mostly for the better. He hasn't "known" me in many years. Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? It's terrifying to imagine my life without Mom; Sara, too. Do you prefer Starbucks coffee or small cafe coffee? I prefer no coffee. Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? Nah. Do you enjoy being outdoors? If it's cool outside and I have somewhere to sit that's not the ground, yes. Do people tell you that you have an accent? Sometimes. Do you enjoy watching fireworks on the 4th of July? They're pretty, but I don't support their usage by this point in my life. They're a fire hazard, triggering to some vets with PTSD, and beyond terrifying for animals. What’re some unspeakable subjects for you? I get most heated about child molestation. You do not fucking touch a child like that. I don't even write any of my bajillion evil guys committing it in RP because I just can't stomach it. Even when my little sister (a children's social worker) is telling Mom about some stuff she sees at work, I have to not be present, 'cuz that shit isn't rare. It's nauseating. Is there anyone you would take a bullet for? A good number of people, honestly. Do you enjoy tanning? Hell no, I avoid the sun and heat at like all costs. Are you a virgin? This is going to sound weird, but I actually don't know, but I lean towards no. Who’s your celebrity crush? mARK EDWARD FISCHFUCK Did or do you get good grades in English class? I was always excellent in English. What part of your body are you self-conscious about? My stomach. But I'm self-conscious about everything else, too. Are you expected to help fix Thanksgiving dinner? No. Everyone knows I can't cook worth a damn. Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Truly close, no. Unless you include pets, actually. Then a few. :/ Do you personally know anyone who is transgender? Yep. When was the last time you got a shot? Earlier this year for Covid. Get your fucking vaccine, btw. :^)

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''altaer" by 3teeth

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namelessthirst · 4 years

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Domestic

So this is straight up gonna be a compilation of gross, silly, and funny domestic moments of various characters. And of various things. If you’re easily grossed out, maybe don’t read this. I’ll try to list all yucky things ahead, but be warned. Just a snack while I work on rqs and wips!

I’m not listing every character on here like usual and you can’t make me.

3k and some change words total.

Butt zits, pregnancy, vomit, snot/sneezing, blackheads, farts, burps, poop, periods, yeast infections, B.O., Testicular cancer, pee, pubic hair, teeth goop, bad breath, and some smut.

You were shimmying your shirt on, trying to avoid staining the edges with your deodorant, when your boyfriend hurried to you from the bathroom.

"[Name], is this a blackhead or a freckle?"

You sighed as you spoke, paying little mind to Izuku as you checked the shirt's edges for marks, "It's a freckle, Izzy."

When you were met with silence, you looked up into his fervent pout.

"Don't give me that look, that's the same tone you gave me when I asked you that a week ago!"

"Just- check, please? I might have an interview later," he wheedled.

You huffed without malice, "Yeah and they're definitely going to do an HD zoom check on your pores."

"Ow owww, your nails are sharp!" For a guy who got his bones broken on the regular before, he sure did whine about little things.

"Ah."

"What?"

"It wasn't a freckle."

"I TOLD YOU." ---------------------------------------------------

"Hi babe," you called from the living room, your voice raised over the sound of the TV.

Eijiro headed past the living room to dump his gym bag on the bedroom floor, "Heey."

"Have fun?"

"Well, you weren't there so..." His voice came through more clearly as he walked back toward you.

"Awww," You cooed with puckered lips in a mock kissy-face.

He flopped heavily down beside you on the couch, tucking his arm behind your head.

"Tetsu says hi," he notes cheerfully, leaning in to mouth at your neck.

It takes a second for the prickle of teeth to pull your eyes away from the screen and into a lidded stare, "Mmm."

You can feel Eiji nudging his leg up under yours, trying to settle you more into his lap.

The firm pressure of his thigh under your ass didn't stay comfortable for long.

"Eiji..." You almost didn't want him to stop the tickle of hot breath on your throat.

"Mmm..."

"Eijiro."

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're stinky." -----------------------------------------------

"Honeeeey-"

You heard your husband's feet hurried across the floor to the bed, "Yeaaaah?"

"Feel my balls."

"Are we really already past the sweet-talk phase?"

"No, really."

You sighed, seeing the wavering smile on Neito's face that tended to show up when he was worried, and sat up away from your book to cup the presented scrotum.

"Do you...feel anything?"

"I feel balls."

"[Name]!"

"No, sweetie, I don't feel anything. Why?"

"I just...thought I felt something."

With another sigh, you smiled fondly, "No baby, they feel just like they always do. Come lay down?"

Without a smug comment or cocky look, he climbed in beside you as you made room. He must have been really freaked out.

Nothing a few kisses can't fix.

--------------------------------------------- It was moments before disaster.

The calm before the storm.

The gentle hugs and rubs before movie night was rudely interrupted.

The sneeze caught you off-guard, even caught Katsuki off guard, his hand coming to your side when you jerked from the force.

When you stilled, nose still buried in your arm, he raised a brow.

"Babe, let me up."

"What? Why?"

Despite his protests you moved his arms from around you and lifted yourself up off his lap, revealing the wet spot left on his poor soft sweat pants.

He ended up following you out to change pants. -------------------------------------------- "Ow, babe, careful!"

"I'm trying! This isn't exactly a clear process."

Untangling your boyfriend's pubes was not exactly how you expected your evening of intimacy to go.

Things had been so sweet, naked and cozy in bed, gently running your fingers through the black tufts above his cock while you sucked tongue together...

And now the damn thing was in the way. His half hard dick trying to spring up with every shift while you tried to pull apart the knot.

"That’s it, I'm getting the scissors."

"No!" -------------------------------------------- Tetsu nearly ironed up on reflex when you jumped him immediately outside of the locker room.

"Whoa, babe!"

You snickered at him, comfy even with his firm grip on your biceps. "Whats with that look? Don't tell me you really got spooked by me."

"I just didn't expect you here! I'm not off duty for another few hours, y'know," He huffed.

You wiggled free of his grasp to dip your hand into the satchel on your hip, tugging out a yellow lunchbox, "Yeah, but now's about your lunchtime, right? I thought we could eat together."

He looked curiously at the meal once you'd opened the box, steam wafting out from the pan-fried spinach and egg. Little strips of cooked beef took up more of the box, along with some rice and lemon.

He was drooling with as much intensity as his heart throbbed for you.

With a relieving snort, he wrapped his arms around you, tight and firm.

You got the box closed just in time to keep his pressing from spilling the food, "I take it that's a positive response?"

"It would be stupid of me to say no," he spoke into your hair while his hands rubbed into your sides.

With his chin untucked from your head, you peered up as he leaned in for a kiss. Butterflies were still frequent, though they laid forgotten when you spotted green against pearly white.

He expected your lips on his mouth, not your thumb, picking at leftover spinach from the morning. The butterflies were well and alive in his chest. ---------------------------------------------- Your muscles ached wonderfully as you stretched out in bed. You knew you needed to get up and get going for the day soon, you had things to get done.

Waiting for Katsuki to be done in the bathroom was just taking way too long. You could feel the sog in your panties from your night-time pad. Nasty.

So off you rolled from the bed, shuddering when your bare feet touched the cold floor.

"Katsukiiiiii," you called through the bathroom door.

All it garnered was a grunt.

"Are you gonna be much longer?"

"Go back to bed!"

That was definitely a yes.

"No, I'm coming in. I have shit to do," you fussed as you opened the door. Neither of you had bothered locking the door in ages.

"So do I!" He huffed at you from the toilet.

You wheezed slightly when the brick wall of stink hit you. Goddamn his love for bowel ruining food.

He glared up at your wrinkled nose as you leaned over him to the cabinet above, tugging a pad out, "Explosive sweat, explosive attitude, explosively rank farts. A triple threat."

You squirmed when he took to nipping at your exposed belly, "Shut up."

He quit when you whacked him in the head with the pad, "Brat."

He didn't bat an eye when you stripped off your panties to free and roll up the used pad, stuffing it into the trashcan beside the toilet.

He did however rip another deafening fart with a smug grin.

You only half-mocked the gag you let out, deciding to grab your toothbrush and paste with your panties still around your thighs.

"Fuck you I'm gonna use the kitchen sink."

"Told you to wait."

"I'm gonna spit in your favorite mug." ----------------------------------------------- Candlelight danced against the walls, rolling in just the same as how your lover's hips did with yours.

The scent of them was a bit overwhelming, Izuku having dug into your stockpile and grabbing a bunch of random types.

Still, with your nose buried in his neck, most of it was drowned out.

You bit and moaned into his skin as the tip of his cock ground against your sweet spot, "God- yes! Right-Right there, Izzz-Izuku!"

He leaned back enough to lick into your panting mouth, clearly just as lost in the pleasure.

Your nails carved into his back, toes curling, as you came on his fat dick. And he didn't stop, chasing his own release while the flutters and pulses were still strong around him.

So, you were very caught off guard when a lustful groan broke into a screaming sneeze.

Usually, it was his face getting splashed on during sex.

"O-Oh my god I'm so sorry!" His hips abandoned their assault while he took the sheet to quickly wipe your face. You tried to ignore the snot trail on his nose.

So were the risks of mixing candles. ----------------------------------------------- It wasn't terrible often that you got to top. Denki was usually too restless to just lie back and take you like he should, even when he wanted to!

But tonight he moaned and keened for you so sweetly, legs spread wide and hips twitching off the bed with each suck to his taint.

"Yes, yesyesyes, god yes! Right there!"

Your fingers were a bit sidetracked, their objective to simply spread the lube and stretch Denki out forgotten once they'd found his prostate.

You let your fingers grind into that spot until Denki was fucking himself back on them. Oh, how he whined when you took them out, the pleasure leaving with them.

You gave the back of his thigh a slap, lifting it as you nudged the tip of your strap against his slick asshole.

He sighed happily when you slid it in, but you only made it a few inches before your warmup thrusting was interrupted.

His moans cut out suddenly and his eyes were wide. You were sure it must have hurt when he scrambled up off your cock and bolted off the bed toward the bathroom.

"NOT NOW, NOT NOW GODDAMMIT!"

You caught onto the issue and belted out laughing, "You didn't go beforehand?!" ----------------------------------------------- These weren't exactly the sighs of pleasure Hanta expected to hear tonight, but they were pleasant all the same.

It was a lover's duty to love and care for one another, and one he was happy to perform.

"God, yes, Hanta. Right there."

When the vaginal cream appliques proved too short for his sweetheart's vagina, his dexterous and long fingers were the perfect thing to assist.

"Feel better, babe?" He asked softly.

You hummed approval, already feeling relief from the damn surge of yeast, even more so when he pressed a soft kiss to your temple before he went to go clean off his hands. ----------------------------------------------------- It felt like Eijiro's cock was in your throat with the way he had you bent. Knees up so far and hips off the bed while his thick cock stretched you so deliciously.

His breath was hot on your neck, panting and groaning against you with each hungry clench your pussy gave around him.

You were giving him similar treatment, cracked moans of pleasure each time his pelvis brushed and pressed to your clit.

You could tell he was peaking, thrusts getting spastic and hurried, so you egged him on, crying his name in his ear and digging your nails into his back.

He was so close, you were sure.

You weren't quite as sure after another thrust shoved a belch out of you and into his ear.

He was snorting and laughing as he came. -------------------------------------------------- It'd been a bit since Izuku was willing to be atop you.

The swell of your belly either simply getting in the way, or his worry of accidentally pressing against it too much doing the same.

But with you laid down in the bed, Izuku's hips moving slowly above you while he dented the bedframe with his grip, you found it was a wonderful compromise.

You'd missed his cock, finding that with your positions limited, it'd been hard to get him as deep into you as you'd have liked. Especially for oral. The height wrong to simply sit on the bed and let him stand, your stomach being an issue for laying down, and you just couldn't kneel for long anymore without pain.

So finally having the weight of his dick in your throat, the taste of his skin heavy on your tongue, was a blessing.

He was still being so gentle, keeping his thrusts smooth and his eyes glued to your expression, a hand tangled in your hair. Even so, your hands were pinned to his ass, nails leaving crescents beside the freckles.

Another moan around him was all he needed to chase his peak, cock twitching as he fucked his cum into your throat a bit faster.

The next few seconds were too dizzying to be anything more than a blur.

The taste of his cum was never great; it was cum after all. But it'd always been on the better side and had the bonus of it being his. Plus, you were kind of a cumslut.

And yet, you yanked off of his cock in a blink, leaning around his thigh to the trashcan beside the nightstand, cum and some of dinner coming violently from your mouth.

Izuku panicked, climbing off you and rubbing your back as you coughed, "[N-Name], are you okay?"

He reached past you to pull the tissues closer, bringing one to your leaking nose, "I haven't forgotten to eat the fruit..."

You let him wipe your snot and misdirected vomit, "It's not that, baby..."

Apparently, you had to add spunk to the list of things your body rejected during pregnancy. ----------------------------------------------------- It was almost a quiet evening.

A satisfying dinner, and love-making a bit later even more so.

Neito had a glass of water in one hand, a book in the other, smiling contentedly as you scrolled your phone and laid your head on his lap.

The way your fingers combed through his soft curls almost made him want to go again, and he thought nothing of it when your phone fell out of view.

After a few tugs at the carpet and the distinct sensation of your hand on his dick, he moved the book aside to actually look at what you were doing.

"Uh...love?"

You snickered, gently placing another fallen out pube on the tip of his cock, "Look babe, it's got a toupee!" ---------------------------------------------------- You were so cozy. It was a sunday morning, and for once Tetsu wasn't rushing off to work, or an emergency call, or to go train at the gym.

It was just you, him, and the sleep-warmed bed.

It was so quiet and calm, you didn't quite want to even roll over into your lover's arms, lest it disturb the peace and summon something to ruin the day.

At the sound of Tetsu's phone going off, you damned your thoughts for drawing the attention of the universe.

He shifted sleepily, a deep breath against your hair as he reached for his phone. You pressed back against him a bit insistently, holding his free arm tight against you with an unquiet whine.

But, instead of a groggy and admittedly pleasant sleep-roughed greeting to whoever was on the phone, you were met with silence, and his arm coming to rest back over you.

"You're not gonna answer?"

Tetsu turned toward you, rolling that gruff voice that you loved into your ear, "It'd be shameful to spoil our time like that."

His nose brushed up over your ear and at last you let yourself turn in his grasp to tangle into him properly.

"Aww, babe," You cooed.

His hair was messy, his eyes half closed and clearly ready to go back to sleep, but you couldn't help a kiss, just one to settle yourself.

The texture and warmth did just that, though the heavy smell of dry mouth and iron kind of ruined it.

At your wrinkled nose and retreat from the kiss, Tetsu huffed, "That bad?"

"Like a dying car."

"Now that's just rude," He snorted. "Guess I'll just have to do something else."

With his pearly daggers looming over you, suddenly it wasn't his bad breath you worried about. ----------------------------------------------------- Denki had been looking oddly smug all day. Since the moment he woke up, till the moment he was shucking his clothes for bed.

"Y'know, you really did me in last night."

You looked up from where you had your phone balanced on your breast, "Yeah?"

He kicked his briefs across the floor, climbing in with you to lay on his belly, "Yeaaah. My assholes been sensitive all day. If I sit wrong, I can feel it."

You snort, "Is that why you were wiggling around all damn day?"

He just gave you a sly grin, utterly pleased as he shifted his bare hips around on the sheets.

You roll your eyes fondly and lean in to play his game, bringing a hand down on his ass-cheek loudly and going in for a kiss.

"Been thinkin' about that ache all day, honey? Just couldn't get my cock out of your head?" You tease, both by word and by the fingers brushing over the swell of his ass. You tug a cheek open and let it snap back against the other.

Denki groans softly, wagging his ass against your touch.

You coo a bit of praise and lust into his ear while you slip a finger between his cheeks, running them over his well-loved hole.

"...Denki, pull your butt open for me?"

With a smile he obeys, not picking up on your less than lustful expression.

After a bit of shuffling, you click your tongue, "Yeah, that ache you kept feeling, hon?"

He hummed in acknowledgement, though it cut off into a yelp when he felt a pinch near very sensitive skin.

"Yeah, it was a zit." --------------------------------------------------- Sometimes you amused yourself with the idea that your husband's hair was made specifically for you. For your hands to grip and tug at the perfectly tall and available peaks.

But that thought is as fleeting and light as Katsuki's tongue on your clit.

It would surely be easier for him if he'd just use a hand to part you, but he really did seem to prefer merely bullying his mouth between your folds and keeping his hands pinned under your ass, rolling the flesh in his rough palms. Each time he slipped out, your slick pussy making it hard to keep inside, he'd suck noisily to each labium before diving back inside.

As soon as he took his tongue from your hole, you were using his hair like reigns to grind yourself on his tongue. Lips, nose, chin- it was all fair game when he let you use him like this.

You earned a sharp smack to your arched ass when you ground a bit too much on his nose, sure he'd be snorting your arousal for at least a good hour.

Regardless, he tucked his nose back against your clit, tongue finding its way back in to thrust quick and heavy in your entrance.

It would be your love's undoing, as another grip to your ass spurned your guts to release air.

A rolling fart, as well, one that would often leave you shifting uncomfortably for a good while as you tried to press the air bubbles out.

Instead, it slipped right into your lover's face.

He recoiled fast, coughing and wiping his face as if the smell and butt particles would merely wipe away.

An apology was on the tip of your tongue, until you remembered last week's interruption in the bathroom.

"VENGEANCE IS MINE!"

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fandom-collective-writers · 4 years

Text

In Defense of You (Zero x Reader)

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution

Pairing: Zero x Reader

Prompt: “I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

Warning: None!

Intended Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 2,227

Requested by: Anonymous

Written by: @lordsister

Disclaimer: I do not own Ikemen Revolution or any of its characters. All that goodness is the property of Cybird. I do, however, own the plot of this fanfic. Please do not repost or reblog this on any other website.

Additional Notes: Zero is good boy and he must be protected and loved at all costs. I loved his route and I adore him so much.

For a moment he actually thought it would stop, the rumors, the whispering that followed wherever he went. After the events that ended the 500 year feud between the Red and Black armies, he’d even forgotten about it, happy as he was to have you at his side. But no. Weeks later it was like his actions had meant nothing, particularly to Red territory’s high society.

“Alice the Second?!” Your hands were ripped away from his arm by an overexcited Clemence cousin with an excessive amount of blush on her cheeks. “Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you! I must say the rumors don’t do you justice. However I’m quite surprised.” Her eyes glimmered with blatant disgust as she shot a glance at Zero. “You’re with...the Ace?” She said the word “Ace” like she’d just stepped in dog poop or bitten into a rotten apple.

Zero saw your shoulders go rigid, the tips of your ears turning red. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” you said through teeth clenched in a tight smile. “The Ace of Hearts is the most honorable, admirable officer in the Red Army. Why wouldn’t I be with him?”

The woman chuckled uncomfortably and released your hands. “Sure, but-”

“(Y/n), I think there’s cake over there. Do you want to go get some?”

Smiling brilliantly at him, your hands returned to his arm, accepting his offered elbow. “Yes, I would like that very much.”

Zero could tell you were still bothered by what the noblewoman had said, your grip on his arm a little tighter than necessary, but he didn’t remark on it. Honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised some people would still hold prejudices against him. Maybe he should have accepted guard duty instead of joining you as your partner at this party. The last thing he wanted to do was upset you when you should have been having fun, but it was too late to take it back now.

“Oh, you’re Alice aren’t you?”

He groaned internally as the next opponent appeared and your smile stiffened. This time it was a young man in a high-necked suit, his dark hair slicked back.

“Yes, I am,” you responded politely, allowing the man to grasp your hand in greeting while the other maintained a tight grip on your plate of cake.

“I’ve heard about your part in the recent conflict between the Red and Black armies and the Magic Tower. You were quite courageous.”

“Thank you,” you returned, “but I really couldn’t have done any of it without help.”

“No need to be humble,” he waved you off, and Zero saw your brow twitch. “Anyway, you. Ace of Hearts.” The young nobleman’s voice had lost it’s cordial edge, turning arrogant and flippant as his lips curled in a sneer. “You must be grateful for the opportunity so graciously bestowed upon you by King Lancelot. All of us were rather astounded to hear that Mousse was stepping down and being replaced with someone outside the Atlas family. It’s extraordinary, especially for someone of your...background.”

He was used to this. He’d heard the same words a million different times, said a million different ways. It would always hurt somewhere deep down inside, but he was used to it. You weren’t however. You never would be.

“Zero’s just that amazing. You don’t know him so you wouldn’t understand. In my opinion, your ignorance and short-sightedness is especially amazing.” He snorted at that, lips twitching as he tried not to smile. The look on the young man’s face was ridiculous, his jaw hanging open and his face turning redder as he spluttered in embarrassment and rage.

Turning back to Zero, you smiled cheerfully and asked, “Want to get some of that chocolate over there?”

“Yes.” Grabbing your hand, he gave it a soft squeeze, silently thanking you.

“You know you didn’t have to do that for me,” he murmured, smiling as you tugged him away.

“Yes I did,” you replied and squeezed his hand back. “I love you. No one gets to talk about you like that while I’m around.”

The third and final opponent approached when you and he were talking to Edgar. The same young man from before was back with a friend, lurking at the edge of Zero’s vision as he tried to forget the rudeness from before and enjoy the rest of the night with the two most important people in his life, his lover and his mentor.

“Excuse me,” the young man’s friend interjected with a tap on your shoulder. Zero saw a muscle twitch in your jaw as you turned, gearing up for a fight, but the other man only offered his hand. “May I have this dance, Miss Alice?”

Three sets of eyes blinked in surprise and you looked between the young man and your lover.

“I, um…” you trailed off and he could tell you didn’t want to, but didn’t want to be impolite either when the guy had done nothing wrong...so far.

Looking up, Zero realized that the other young man from before was gone. Odd. Maybe you had scared him away.

“Zero?”

Turning back to you, his blue gaze met your silently pleading one. He smiled. “Go ahead.”

“But-” Before you could finish, you were swept away into the dancing, the pale yellow and orange of your dress blending in with the swirl of colors.

“Letting your lady get whisked away by another man?” Edgar gasped comically, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Zero rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t be ridiculous.” He’d never been the jealous type and he knew you loved him...but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t bother him to see another man’s hands on you, even if the two of you were only dancing.

“I think you’re lying, Zero.”

“I think you’re full of it, Edgar.”

The other man laughed and tipped back his champagne glass. “Honestly though, I’m surprised you decided to join us instead of taking guard duty again. It can’t be easy for you.”

“I’m used to it. Besides.” His eyes found you in the crowd, the dress he’d had made for you flared around you mid-spin. Your gaze caught his and a beautiful smile just for him graced your face. An ‘I love you’ in a smile. “I don’t care as long as she’s enjoying herself.”

Edgar reached out and hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Good for you. I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

Zero smiled softly. “Thanks.”

The happy peace of the moment was spoiled by a sudden commotion from the dancefloor and Zero pushed himself off the wall, immediately looking for you.

“How many times can Alice be pissed off tonight before she snaps?” Edgar chuckled, green eyes sparkling with mirth. “Three apparently.”

Leaving his mentor, Zero waded through the crowd. He found you at the center of the dance floor, your arm crossed over your body and your hand splayed post-slap. The young man you had been dancing with stood shocked, his head snapped to the side and his cheek bright red. It was obvious what had happened. And Zero could guess why.

“Don’t you dare talk about him like that,” he heard you actually growl. He’d never heard you growl before. Your face was red with anger, your jaw clenched.

“(Y/n)?” he called your name softly, brow furrowed in concern.

The anger immediately drained from your expression when you saw him, your eyes widening in realization at what you had just done. “Zero,” you whispered, turning to him. He half expected you to burst into tears. His Alice hated hurting anyone no matter what they did or said. To his surprise, your mouth twisted as if you were biting your lip instead, trying to hold in laughter. You gave him a smile that was helplessly affectionate.

Taking his hand, you grabbed your skirts with the other and ran, pulling him out the door and down the hall with you. Despite the unapproving looks you got from other party-goers, your laughter and smile were contagious and he found himself joining in as the two of you made your escape. It felt freeing to run, to get away from the stuffiness and sideways glances and disapproving sneers hidden behind fans and champagne flutes. This was the most fun he’d had all evening.

Back in the ballroom the Jack of Hearts approached his king, amused smiles on both men’s faces. “What say you, King Lancelot?” Edgar asked.

“I say thank goodness. This party was boring until Alice spiced it up. It’s rather amusing to see all these vultures with their feathers ruffled, don’t you think?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

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

“I can’t believe I did that!” you gasped, the two of you slowing to a halt in the garden.

Rubbing his hand in circles across your back, Zero remarked, “They’re probably going to be talking about that for years.”

You blinked at him owlishly. “You think so?”

He was still smiling as he said, “Probably.”

“Oh well!” You laughed as you spun in a circle, taking his hands. “I don’t regret it. I’m glad I did it, actually.”

“Why did you do it?” he asked curiously. He knew it had something to do with him. You wouldn’t have reacted so strongly otherwise.

Your expression turned serious and you leaned forward into his arms, seeking his warmth and comfort. “He insulted you, right to my face, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I can only take so many people mocking the love of my life, especially when they don’t know a thing about you.” You looked up, resting your chin on his chest. “I couldn’t just do nothing.”

His fingers ran through your hair, playing with the styled curls. “I understand. I would’ve done the same thing in your position.”

Your head tilted to the side just slightly. “But?”

Zero sighed, his smile wry. “I don’t like it when you’re so upset you want to punch someone.”

“I slapped him,” you corrected, raising a brow.

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t like it when you’re upset.”

Pouting, you stepped back and let him lead you over to a fountain. Sitting you down on the stone rim, he sat next to you and brought your hands to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “Thank you for doing that for me. I love that you care about me enough to get so angry for me, but I wish you hadn’t let it get to you. I’m used to the things people say about me and I don’t care.”

“I care though! Imagine if it had been me they’d been talking so badly about! What would you have done if you had been in my position?”

His grip tightened on your hands as the scenario crossed his mind. “I would have drawn my sword on them.” You gave him an ‘I told you so’ look and he chuckled, his shoulders slumping in surrender. “Okay, okay, I understand.”

“Good,” you said, kissing his nose softly and pressing your forehead to his.

Both you and he jumped and gasped as a second later the fountain lit up, tiny magic crystals embedded in the stone flaring to life to illuminate the rest of the garden. The soft blue glow bathed the area in seconds, mixing with the moonlight. Crickets chirped in the grass and the occasional pinpoint brightness of a firefly broke the otherwise silvery-blue scene as the faint sound of the orchestra echoed from the open windows beyond the garden.

Your eyes widened in delight, a beautiful smile breaking out across your face, and Zero couldn’t tear his gaze away from you. It was the happiest you had looked all evening and a weight lifted from his heart as he watched you. Still, after all of the drama that had occurred there was one more question he meant to ask you.

“(Y/n),” he called softly, bringing you attention back to him.

He nearly forgot how to breathe as you turned your smile on him and answered, “Yes?”

“Do you ever feel embarrassed about being seen with me?” he asked quietly, dropping his gaze to your hands. He wanted you to say no, hoped that you would say no, but he wanted you to be honest too.

“Zero.” Your gloved hands cupped his cheeks and tilted his face up to meet your serious, yet gentle expression as your thumb brushed over his cheekbone. “I have never once been embarrassed about being seen with you. I love you. So, so much. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I just care about you.”

Blue eyes closed and he leaned into you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into his chest. Your arms looped around his neck as you leaned up to kiss him, loving and lingering. “Thank you. I know I said I don’t care about what people say about me, but that’s only true so long as you’re here with me, giving me this warmth.”

You giggled, squirming out of his arms and pulling him to his feet. “Then you don’t have to care for forever if you don’t want to. Now, will you dance with me?”

Zero took your hand and wrapped his other arm around your waist, smiling into your hair. “I’d like that very much.”

#ikemen #ikemen revolution #ikerev #ikemen series #cybird #cybird ikemen series #ikemen revolution zero #ikerev zero #ikemen zero #romance #fluff #slight angst #zero x reader #in defense of you (zero x reader)#otome x reader #ikemen x reader #ikemen revolution x reader #otome

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uglypaw · 5 years

Text

i'm 6 weeks post op as of yesterday! heres my full diary for the first week post op that i wrote during recovery if anyone wants to know what my experience was. CW: blood, surgery, drugs, unsanitary, self harm. if you have any other questions im happy to answer them!

sorry for how long this is lol--

june 21 friday (surgery day)

i'm writing this a few days later but here's how i remember it--

i checked in to the empty office and the copay was $10. the receptionist had me sign a form so that they could call my dad once my surgery was over and he gave me a plastic medical bracelet with my info on it. we hung out in the waiting room for about 10 minutes before i was called in by a nurse. she asked me if i had to pee (i did) and asked if there was a chance i could be pregnant (there wasn't). this nurse was very apathetic and had a very flat voice. i didn't like her.

she had me go to a bed with a gown and a bag for my stuff on it and instructed me to change with the curtain drawn. i did and hung out for about 10 minutes for her to come back, and then she had me lie down and covered me with a blanket and went over my medical record and what meds i was taking and stuff like that. while she was doing this, a male nurse came by and gave me a bunch of painkillers to take with a cup of water(i almost choked on them), and put in my IV on my hand, which was the most painful part. he said i have thick skin on my hand and he really had to push. at this point i got kinda lightheaded hearing him say that but i calmed myself down after a bit.

they called my dad back in and another nurse told me it would be about an hour before the surgeon came to see me. we hung out and played with the monitors on my blood pressure and heart rate and O2 and stuff and made jokes about writing messages on my torso for the surgeon to see when i was under. during the entire time waiting for surgery i was super hungry and wanted to hurry up so i could eat afterwords.

after about an hour the surgeon came by and marked me up, which was kind of uncomfortable because the markers he used were sharp. he held conversation the whole time and was very friendly and charismatic. he went over the marks a bunch of times, and had tentative places marked for my nipple grafts.

he told me the right side was larger than the left so the incision would have to be a bit longer, but since i'd lost weight the incisions were going to be very minimal either way.

after he marked me up he left me again and i asked another nurse to use the bathroom and i got a heated blanket. the anesthesiologist came by and he was funny and casual and alleviated any anxiety by explaining what meds he would be using on me (don't worry about the pain, i prescribe A LOT!!!) and he left once more and another nurse (OR helper) double checked what procedure i'd be doing on the computer, and she told me they would ask me the same questions again once we were in the OR to double confirm. (this ended up not happening because i passed out pretty quick.)

they came by again and confirmed the OR was ready for me, and the anesthesiologist gave me two shots into my IV of some warm liquid and told me i'd be feeling it pretty quick because they were strong (he was right, within a few minutes i was feeling loopy and warm. i was worried i'd have a panic attack about the meds taking effect so fast but it was nice). my dad filmed this part.

they came by about 5 minutes later and said they were ready so they had my dad go back to the waiting room and wheeled me to the OR which was a tiny room with a lot of machines and bright lights and white walls. i remember thinking it looked nothing like it did on TV. they had my name on a whiteboard on the wall. they introduced me to some of the new people i hadn't seen before but i was pretty out of it by then so i wasn't paying too much attention.

they had me scoot over from my hospital bed to the surgery table, and had my arms out to the sides crucifix style. i thought this was really funny and made a note to remember it after surgery.

i recall a few more moments of them rechecking my charts but then the next thing i remember is coming out of anesthesia and seeing my dad and the lights overheard being really bright. someone took off my oxygen mask but i think i was having trouble waking up so they had to put it back on so i would breathe.

they tried to sit me up too fast and i almost passed out so i was given water and gatorade (that i brought from home) and they very slowly raised my bed. my throat was really sore during this time and i remember the gatorade burning as i drank but it was better than the water.

coming out of anesthesia was long and i remember being irritated at it taking so much time and making everyone wait for me. i was also the second to last person in the recovery room (there was a lady next to me coughing a lot, the nurses were saying she was a handful).

my dad told me the doctor told him it was a super easy surgery and it made a difference that i was "lean". he said i might not have fluid in my drains by monday (surgery was on friday) but they wanted to be absolutely sure that i wasn't draining anymore before taking them out.

we talked with the nurse for a while as i caught my breath and could sit up again, and my dad ran to the pharmacy downstairs to pick up my muscle relaxer meds before we left. the nurse talked to me about my transition and stuff like that. i didn't mind because i was still pretty out of it.

when my dad came back they got me a wheelchair but made sure i could stand and could walk to the wall without falling. i was pretty weak but made it steadily. i was surprised how mobile i was. my dad helped me get dressed but i didn't need much assistance.

my dad pulled the car around the front while the nurse wheeled me down to him, and we chatted as we went. the whole hospital was empty and it looked closed. he pulled my chair right up to the car and helped me in, and we thanked him a few times before leaving. he kept repeating if there was any issue with drains coming out to come back to this hospital.

the drive home was fine, and when we got back my dad insisted on taking the dogs out so i could get out of the car. he helped me out and eased me inside to my room. my mom gave me soup though i wasn't too hungry. i chilled in bed for a few hours before falling asleep and my dad showed everyone how to empty the drains. my mom was grossed out but not too much.

i ended up eating about half an edible to help me fall asleep and manage some of the discomfort, but i could have done without it. i had to pee a LOT during the night because of how many IV bags they'd given me. right when i came out of surgery they told me it was good i was dehydrated because it meant i had followed the instructions on not drinking nor eating since midnight the night before.

i was a little worried about wiping myself but my arms were very mobile and i could do it no problem.

i took a bit of tylenol but none of my prescriptions because the pain was very manageable.

sleeping on my back was the hardest part as i was supposed to be sitting up, and my neck was killing me even with my travel pillow. my butt was also really sore so the next morning i made an effort to walk around a bit. having a big squishy pillow under my butt while i slept also helped with the soreness and by day two it was fine. i stretched my legs a lot and tried to lay down as little as i could.

june 22, saturday

morning after surgery

night 1 wasn't great! i woke up a lot to go pee and it was uncomfortable laying sitting up. my neck ended up hurting a lot from the travel pillow. this morning brutus wanted to be with me so bad and i felt bad sleeping without him. i had to maneuver him around so he was on my lap and not my chest because he wanted to be close.

my incisions hurt a bit but it's not unbearable. it feels like the night after i made a big self harm cut, stings and i don't want to jostle them.

the rice krispy definitely helped last night with pain and relaxation and falling asleep, and i'm surprised it didn't give me anxiety or a bad dream.

i don't like sleeping on my back. i woke up around 3 to pee and didn't get back to sleep until almost 5. i was thinking about food to eat the whole time.

i really want ihop pancakes and syrup.

i'm getting little sharp shoots of pain on parts of my chest but they're not too bad and hopefully they mean i'm healing. i'm hopeful they're where my nipples are.

i really should have brought cough drops to the hospital, my throat was very sore after intubation.

i feel electrodes still stuck to my upper chest and i want them off, they're irritating. (i ended up peeling them off a few hours later)

it's still tough to pee but i've been taking short walks around the house to stretch my legs. i. get tired easily so they don't last more than a few minutes. still haven't taken any of my prescribed pain meds, but the pain is getting worse i think. people are telling me the pain will get worse tomorrow.

i've been vaping thc and taking tylenol to manage the pain and they make me sleepy so i've been taking 2-2.5 hour naps and then getting up to pee and snack.

i took a norco pill in the afternoon but i dont think i needed it. i didn't feel much of an effect from it at all, but it did make me sleepy. that evening i went for a bit of a walk around the front yard.

june 23, sunday

i didn't sleep very well again last night but it was better than the day before. i think having a soft pillow under my butt helped with the soreness and i didn't need the travel pillow as much as i did yesterday with my naps. i still woke up disoriented a lot from my 2 hour naps

i stayed up till like midnight and then just passed out from exhaustion so i didn't wake up very much during the night to pee. this morning i woke up very refreshed but feeling gross physically. i cleaned out my own drains, had papa clean my shoulders and put on my testosterone, and megan dry shampoo my hair. i still haven't pooped but i'm not making too much of an effort. j think i'll take laxatives today.

thus far the pain isn't too bad. last night i had little twinges of sharp pain along my sides near my armpits but haven't had any since. taking deep breaths is getting harder because the incisions are getting more sore and my back is hurting from the binder.

this morning when we drained my drains one of them had barely anything in it which is good

update: i did poop a bit. i've been peeing a lot today.

i haven't napped at all but my arms are getting painful from being squeezed from the binder.

having that shower in a bottle has helped keep me feeling fresh and clean. i may take a sponge bath sometime this week. hygiene is keeping me feeling good, i brushed my teeth and washed my face with actual soap earlier which helped me feel good.

june 24, monday

i'm very sleepy today. i washed myself again with the shower in a bottle and i woke up itchy. i took a long nap in the middle of the day and i'm still pretty out of it and tired. i woke up last night only twice to have diarrhea from the ex lax chocolate papa got me yesterday.

i didn't have a lot of fluid in my drains this morning but it was more than yesterday.

my right drain keeps coming undone. i took another nap today and once i woke up i saw it was completely inflated. i fixed it pretty easily but it's strange it keeps happening.

ive been having binding pains a lot today from being compressed so tight. it hurts mostly when i stand up.

i gave myself a sponge bath today and washed my hair in the sink! i think that activity drained me because afterwards i took a 2 hr nap. i keep feeling like i'm sleeping a lot but all my naps are quite short.

june 25, tuesday

today i had a bit more pain where the drain sites are. it stings and burns a bit but it's not unbearable, just very uncomfortable. it happens regardless of the arm positioning.

i'm getting a lot more tingling/pins and needles over my chest but my actual incisions don't hurt. my ribs and back are killing me from the binder soreness, and i've been tired but not enough to sleep. every time i get up it kind of resets the pain so i'm trying not to adjust a lot.

i feel like i've been eating a lot of crap the past few days so im trying to be more mindful about eating more protein and less refined sugar

also, my chest was very itchy so i put my hand down the front of my vest to scratch it and i couldn't feel anything. it felt like when a limb falls asleep too hard to even be pins and needles and just turns numb. it made me uncomfortable so i only did it a few more times.

i have less energy to walk today than i did yesterday, but not tired enough to sleep. i'll definitely take more of the sleepy antihistamines to sleep tonight.

june 26, wednesday

not much new stuff to update on today. i took two norco pills because one didn't do anything and i almost passed out, i got super lightheaded and nauseous and had to lie down for a while to let my brain catch up.

we took the dogs on a walk to the gate and my chest felt weird walking but not in a totally bad way, i just had to go a little slower so i didn't jostle anything.

i'm so excited for friday! i can't wait to get my drains out.

pain has been pretty minimal today though i did take a few naps. i haven't smoked today at all because i wanna keep my brain clear and save my weed and there hasn't been a huge difference in pain.

my muscles feel very good today and it doesn't hurt to stretch my shoulders and reach for things as much.

drain sites are still very itchy and kinda sore. not a lot of fluid but i noticed the right side hasn't been inflating as much! i think it just needed to be milked and cleaned better.

june 27, thursday

the pain has been the worst today by far. i was draining a lot and found out that exercise or excessive movement will cause more drainage, and i did go on a longish walk yesterday with my mom and the dogs. i ended up taking tylenol, flexeril, hit my pen, and had the rest of the rice krispy treat just to dull the pain. it's starting to go away now but i'm still getting like stinging throbs and aches where my drains are. i'm definitely taking painkillers before we go tomorrow!!

i'm worried the excess drainage means that they'll want me to keep the drains in longer. i rally hope not, they're the one thing causing me pain.

i looked at my chest this morning and last evening and there's a little blood bubble inside the plastic they taped me up with on my left side. i can see my chest too, with all the surgeon marks and the edges of the incisions. it does look like he curved under the pec muscle. i was expecting straight line incisions, though i'm sure i'll warm up to it.

i've been very weak and light headed today, and when i stand up i need to take a minute to let the stars go away out of my vision.

june 28, friday

today's the day! we're leaving soon to go to kaiser for my one week post op. i really hope they take the drains out despite the spike in fluid i had the other day from going on that walk.

i'm very tired today and feeling very lazy. usually i want to bathe in the mornings but today i feel so gross i don't want to do anything. i managed to get myself out of bed today to do my laundry but that's as much work as i could manage.

later; they ended up not taking the drains out because of the spike in fluids from going on a walk the other day. they want to be 100% sure that there's less than 20mg over two or three days so i'm making an appointment for monday.

Monday update: got the drains out. Completely painless and not uncomfortable -- didn’t have much sensation in the area and the nurse distracted me so I didn’t notice her removing them. The worst part was her cleaning the area with alcohol beforehand.

#speaks #top surgery #surgery #post op #recovery #long post #cw

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flying-guinea-pig · 5 years

Text

A friend like this (complete)

A/N: finally finished that Avarice AU ficlet! You know, that one where Stan became a demon instead of Dipper, and how that would influence the demonology gang’s story? I’ve started clearing out my draft folder. This one was closest to finished, but expect other drabbles to appear soon...

On AO3: A friend like this chapter 3

A friend like this

Poker Night had become a regular occurrence, pretty much since the first day of classes, when Lee spotted them at lunchtime.

"What are you playing for?" he'd asked.

Maria had shrugged. "Just points. Brad doesn't want to play for money."

"Not against you, you witch. Hi, I'm Brad by the way. I've seen you in class, I think?"

"Yep, he's the guy who slept all through Demonology 101," Maria had said. "Evergreen, isn't it? Deal you in?"

"Call me Lee. And yes." He'd taken a seat and turned to the table behind him, where another student had been sitting all by himself. "Hey, wanna be our fourth?"

The other kid had looked up. "Really? I mean - sure!"

He'd hurriedly changed seats and beamed at them. "My name is Eduardo. How does this game go?"

"I'll explain," Brad had promised. "Nice to meet you Eduardo."

"Such a mouthful," Maria had teased. "Can I call you Eddy instead?"

"Er, sure."

Lee had grinned and given him a playful punch to his shoulder. It was clearly meant as playful - it also left a slight bruise.

"Nah," he'd said. "I think you look more like a Soos."

It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

---

Of course Lee was odd. No one could deny that.

It was a lot of things, but one of them was how he never seemed to study. Often he didn't even show up for class, coming back the next day - or next week - in the grumpiest mood ever. And yet his marks were the highest of their year, whenever he bothered to go. Higher even than those of the resident nerds, Adams and Strange.

"How do you do it, dude?" Eddy had asked once, struggling with an essay about low-level binding wards. "Are you some kind of genius or something?"

Lee had paused at that, a weird look crossing his face for a second. Then the smile returned. "I'm no genius, buddy. I just know some stuff. Do you need help with that essay?"

"Does a Multibear poop in the woods?"

"Let's see it then."

---

Lee spent so much time with the three of them, that all those oddities really started to stack up. Eventually even they had to figure it out.

"Let's play for something other than points or candy tonight," Maria said, shuffling the cards one Poker Night.

"Oh?" Lee asked. He sipped his beer and burped. "We're finally playing for money then? Your funeral! Hey Brad, how rich did you say your parents were again?"

"You're a real hoot," Brad said. "But no. We're playing for answers today."

"Answers? Ugh."

"Yep," Maria said. "Whoever loses has to answer a question truthfully from the winner. No evasions, no lies. Like playing truth-or-dare!"

"Last time we played truth or dare Eddy got stuck in a skylight for three hours."

"Yeah, we're not doing that again," Eddy added. "Please. It was so cold..."

"Well, how about it?" Maria said, her poker face already in place, a slight smile curling her lips. "Are you in or not, Lee?"

"What the hell, sure," Lee said, and met her eyes with a poker face of his own. "Bring it on."

Eddy was decent at poker - Brad was a disaster, either raising too much and scaring everyone off, or trying to bluff with a lousy hand. Usually the winnings went to either Lee or Maria, depending on which one of them got caught cheating the most.

Not tonight. Tonight Eddy and Brad flanked Maria, blatantly sitting close enough for her to peak at their cards before they folded. The first time could have been coincidence. The other times, not so much.

Lee cocked an eyebrow. "Are you three ganging up on me?"

"This isn't cheating," Maria said. "It's cooperative play."

"Don't bother, I've got a bad hand anyway. You win." He threw down his cards on the table and sat back, arms folded in front of him. "What's your question? Is it how many girls I've dated? What my most embarrassing memory is? It's something like that, right?"

"While I do wonder about some of those things..." She shook her head and met his eyes. "Are you the demon Mercuriat?"

Lee blinked. If they hadn't been watching so closely, they would have missed the momentary expression that slid over his face before being replaced by 'honest' surprise.

"What?" he said, sounding flabbergasted. "No, of course not. Heh, why would you even think such a thing! It's ridiculous. Why would a demon - a handsome, clever and powerful demon he is, sure - waste his time like this? Makes no sense. None at all. Heh, I won't even count this one as a question, ask another. Go on, ask another question."

"Not before I get a truthful answer to my first one," Maria said. "Nice try though. And why we think you're Mercuriat, well..."

"Your disappearances tend to coincide with news about Mercuriat destroying some evil cult," Brad said. "It, eh, was Eddy who pointed that out first, I'll admit. I first thought you just made a deal for knowledge with Mercuriat, which would be a lot less terrifying."

"You sometimes talk about the past as if you were there," Maria said. "Things that happened centuries ago. And you know things. Like that time you mentioned how demons have a bar in the Mindscape? How the hell would a human know that?"

"Also, your eyes glow a bit when Maria beats you at poker," Eddy added. "So... that was a big hint, dude. Might want to watch out for that."

Lee - Mercuriat - stared at them.

"I... may have let down my guard a bit," he admitted. "This doesn't bother you?"

"We study demonology, bro," Brad said. "Bit dumb if we were scared of demons. And you're alright. But I'd just like to know one thing..."

Lee sighed, and snapped his fingers. Another beer popped into existence in his hand. "I was bored. That's why I pretend to be a student."

"We figured that, you're known for stuff like that - but not what I was going to ask. I just want to know... why a mullet?"

"Hey now!" Lee sputtered. "Mullets come back into style every few centuries. I figured it was time for them again. Someone has to set the trend."

Eddy patted his shoulder. "You tried."

"It's time to give up. Let it go," Brad said.

Maria got up. "I'll get the scissors!"

---

Thomas liked the small library in the demonology building. Access was restricted to second years and up, so even on its busy days there weren't more than a handful of students there. It was a good place to go and study in peace.

Usually.

Not today, though. Dewitt and her friends were doing some assignment at the other end of the room. He could see their reflection in the big silver mirror that hung between the bookshelves. They were talking quietly enough but occassionally erupted into laughter, which didn't really help Thomas' concentration.

Elisabeth had given up in disgust already and gone home. Maybe he should follow her example...

He idly tapped his pen on the table, still deep in thought, when he noticed Evergreen coming over. His arms were full of books, which he put on the return tray. Oh, good. Looked like he and his friends were leaving.

Evergreen paused in front of the mirror, probably to admire himself. Thomas made a face. It's not that he actively disliked Evergreen, it was just... high school had instilled a natural distrust towards sporty types who looked like they could break him in half with one hand.

But Evergreen wasn't preening and flexing his muscles, like Thomas had expected him to do. No - he seemed to freeze at his own reflection.

Thomas couldn't find anything odd about it. It was just a mirror after all, not even an enchanted one. Good for trapping ghosts but not anything special. And Evergreen looked normal. His hair was still poofy, but anything was better than that mullet he used to have.

"Heh," Evergreen muttered. He put his hands against the mirror. His reflection's smile was bitter. "Don't know what all the fuss was about. This college thing is easy."

Then he licked his fingers and the weird, tense moment was broken as Evergreen used his spit to style his hair into short spikes. Thomas cringed. Yeargh.

---

A gloomy basement, plastic zip ties around their wrists, a group of cold-faced kidnappers with guns trained on them...

Thomas would have like to spend his Friday night a bit differently. Watching a movie, maybe. Or visiting the boardgame club, they usually met in the Mangy Dog on Fridays. Stars, even a dentist appointment would have been fine - anything was better than being kidnapped and forced to summon a demon.

At least he wasn't alone. Did that make it better? Not if they were going to die, of course - though dying all alone would suck - but maybe together they would come up with some idea to survive this thing. Elisabeth had a gift for banishing circles and Thomas was pretty good with figuring out loopholes, so together they maybe had a chance...

He wasn't sure what Evergreen could add to their escape attempt though. Really, he didn't seem inclined to help much. He'd taken a look at the crate with summoning supplies their kidnappers had left them with, shrugged, and sat back against the wall.

"Evergreen, you look up the regular summoning they want," Elisabeth whispered, as she and Thomas put their heads together. "Then the two of us can focus on getting out of here alive. We should be able to sneak something into the wording of the deal -"

"Nah," Evergreen said. "I'm going to take a nap for a while. Just relax, kid - things will be fine."

"Don't call me kid, we're the same age," Elisabeth said.

Evergreen snickered. "Sure we are, kid. But seriously, take a seat and relax. I've got this."

"Excuse me if I'm not eager to put my trust in you," she said. "Why are you even here, Evergreen? I can understand why they kidnapped Thomas and me. But you? You spend all class playing cards with Dewitt instead of paying attention."

"Odd how Hicks never says anything about that," Thomas mused. It wasn't like Evergreen and Dewitt were subtle about it. Not to mention the armpit concerts they held during last Contract Negotiation class.

"Suit yourself," Evergreen shrugged, sliding the hood of his jacket back over his head. "Wake me up if something happens."

"If something happens? We're going to get killed and you don't care! What is wrong with you?"

"Hey, you there!" One of their guards called out. He gestured at Elisabeth with the hand that still held his gun. "Stop shouting and get to work!"

"Come on," Thomas muttered to Elisabeth, who looked ready to explode. "Time is ticking."

---

"Alright," Thomas said. "What do we know?"

"We made the preparations correctly," Elisabeth said. She tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought. In the background her aquarium made soothing bubbling sounds. "I'm sure of it. That circle should have summoned Gubal the Thousand-Eyed."

"But it wasn't Gubal who showed up," Thomas pointed out.

"You don't have to remind me." Elisabeth shuddered. He couldn't blame her - he had nightmares too, about everything that happened in that basement. Being threathened with guns had been bad enough, but when the sacrifice had been dragged out and their kidnappers started the summoning...

The wording had been tricky. They'd worked really hard on it, and Thomas still wasn't sure it would have been enough to save them.

In the end it hadn't been necessary. It wasn't Gubal who answered the summons. Instead, of all things, a three feet tall, winged, fire-breathing goat showed up. In the smoke and confusion it must have escaped the binding circle somehow, because through stinging eyes Thomas saw it make a beeline for their kidnappers and then... then...

Crunch.

Goats eat everything, after all.

When the smoke cleared their kidnappers were reduced to bloody smears on the floor. The demon goat had disappeared again. And Lee Evergreen was cutting through the plastic strips binding the other captive with a knife he'd pulled out of nowhere. He'd paused long enough to give them both a shit-eating grin.

"We have to face the facts," Elisabeth said. "He must be some kind of supernatural entity. My money is on demon."

They looked at the list Thomas had been working on, detailing all the strange occurrences and weird habits they'd noticed in the past three years. They had only really started to pay attention after the kidnapping, but the list was still pretty long. Long enough for Thomas to wonder how the hell he'd ever missed this.

Well. He knew why. He'd been too busy with the whole university experience. Studying, the boardgaming club, homework sessions with Elisabeth... He'd ignored the, let's say, less academically inclined part of their class. They weren clever enough - he couldn't remember Evergreen ever getting a question wrong, in fact - but they didn't seem to take things seriously. Evergreen and his buddies were always goofing off, especially Dewitt. Sometimes loud enough to disturb the entire class, which was more than annoying.

"Do you think they know?" Thomas said. "They spend a lot of time with him."

"His friends? Probably. Maybe he's starting a cult, who knows." Elisabeth took a deep breath. "We have to tell Hicks."

Let the professional handle it. That seemed like a good idea. On the other hand...

Getting Hicks involved could have big consequences. And maybe it wasn't necessery? Evergreen - whatever else he was -hadn't done anything wrong, as far as they knew... On the contrary. They probably would be dead if not for him.

Elisabeth with a mission was difficult to reason with, though. Especially since Thomas wasn't quite sure about his own arguments to let 'Evergreen' be. It would be smart to tell Hicks, it would, but...

But he remembered a mirror, reflecting eyes that seemed too old and too human in their loneliness.

He needed to think. And derail Elisabeth, at least for a while. "Maybe we should wait until we have some kind of proof."

"Thomas, really? Are we going to waste time with - don't give me that look, fine. But if he eats our souls I'm blaming you."

He smiled. "I can live with that."

Stars, he really hoped he wasn't making a big mistake.

---

"You think too much," Lee said, baring his teeth in a grin. "You need to act, not think."

"That's easy for you to say." Brad massaged his fist. Lee was teaching him to box, which was harder than it seemed. Of course Lee had freakishly good reflexes, being a demon and all, but still. He'd toned it down for their little brawl and Brad still couldn't manage to land a punch.

Well, he'd managed to hit the wall. Unfortunately. He just wasn't cut out for this stuff.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Lee teased. "Come on, punch me! As hard as you can. Don't be a sissy."

"Why do you even want to learn this?" Eddy asked, from his cosy corner of the couch, where he was playing a videogame with Maria.

"Just in case I ever need to defend myself," Brad said.

"There are easier ways to defend yourself," Maria said, idly killing Eddy's character when he was distracted. "Like a gun."

"I was thinking about something less lethal and more close-range," Brad said.

"Or there's magic. Not everyone has Mercuriat on speed-dial, you know. That's quite an ace in the hole."

"Less lethal, Maria. I think calling a demon on some poor robbers is a bit much."

"Yeah, and I'm not your bodyguard," Lee said. "So, are you punching me or not?"

-------

It had taken a while to track them down. Evergreen didn't have an adress Thomas could find, but apparently he hung around Dewitt's apartment a lot.

He knew who Evergreen was, now. And sure, technically he could just summon him and tell him that way, but...

But it was still freaking Mercuriat, biggest and baddest demon around, and if he had to face him, he preferred to do it when Mercuriat was surrounded by people he probably didn't want to physically or mentally scar.

Probably being the key word there.

This was all such a huge mistake.

Still, he steeled himself and rang the doorbell, before he could chicken out. Maybe he was lucky. Maybe only Dewitt was here - she could give 'Lee Evergreen' the message and with a bit of luck he'd never need to see Evergreen again.

Damn it. The door was opened by Hallman, which didn't bode well on the odds of Dewitts other friends being absent. The smell of pizza wasn’t promising either.

"Strange?" Hallman said, clearly confused. "Hello."

"Good evening," Thomas said. He took a deep breath. How to say this...? "Listen. I need to talk to you - and your friends. I know Evergreen is actually Mercuriat -"

There was a gasp and then a burst of pain as Hallmans fist made contact with his face.

Through the haze of pain and watery eyes he could hear voices.

"Whoa! Is that Strange?"

"Did you punch him?"

"I'm sorry! He said he knew about Lee - I reacted by instinct, really, I didn't mean too!"

"You punched Strange!" The voice sounded way too amused about it. Thomas blinked away the tears and recognised Dewitt, flanked by both Evergreen and Noguerra. "That's kind of impressive, Brad."

"Yoo bwoke my noze," Thomas groaned. "Whad de hell!"

"I'm sorry, you startled me!" Hallman protested.

Evergreen gave Hallman a pat on the back. "Looks like those boxing lessons weren't a waste of time after all, heh?"

"Let's clean up your mess, Brad," Dewitt said. She took out a knife, and Thomas hurriedly backed away until his back touched the wood of the door. Someone must have closed it behind him.

"Whad?" he said, pronunciation still mangled by his swollen nose. "Yoo goin' do kill me now?"

"Don't be a baby," Dewitt said, and cut into her own finger. "Hey Lee, wanna make a deal?"

"Shh, we have company," Noguerra said.

Dewitt made a face. "Don't give me that look, he knows already. So, Lee - what about it?"

Thomas stared in horror as Dewitt and Evergreen high-fived, and blue flames covered their hands for a second.

His nose healed itself in the blink of an eye, leaving him free to sputter: "That isn't even close to how you make a safe deal! No laying down the terms? And we have nice, sterile needles for a blood sacrifice - why the hell would you use a knife like that!?"

"Because it's cooler," Dewitt shrugged.

"She's right," Evergreen added. "So, smart guy. Why exactly are you here again?"

Right. He was here for a reason. He wanted to help these crazy people.

"We know who you are," he said, focusing on Evergreen. "Or, well. What you are, actually. You're Mercuriat."

Evergreen seemed to freeze, just staring at him. It didn't escape Thomas' notice that Dewitt, Noguerra and Hallman all seemed to draw closer to him in some kind of protective move.

"You seem really sure of yourself," Dewitt said. "Why?"

"Does it matter? Listen, I'm here to warn you. Elisabeth and I, we figured it out after... what happened in that basement. I tried to stop her but she still went to Hicks, and apparently he'd figured it out himself already. He's been calling some experts. Don't know for sure when they'll arrive, but I thought... I should warn you." He avoided their eyes and shrugged. "I kind of owe my life to you, so... There."

There was a long silence.

"Alright," Evergreen said. "Seems like I have some cleaning up to do."

"Uh," Thomas said. "You're not going to hurt Elisabeth or Hicks, are you?"

"A word of advice, Strange," Dewitt said, not really unfriendly. "If a high-level demon says he's going to do some cleaning up, it's better to not ask too many questions."

"I can't let you hurt anyone."

"I'm not going to hurt them, kid," Evergreen said, sounding exasperated. "I'll probably trick them into loosing their memories about this. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Wait, what?"

"What did you expect me to do?"

"Well, I don't know... I kinda thought you would just... leave? I mean, why would you stay? You've been found out."

Evergreen paused. "So you came to warn me... just to throw me out?"

“Er. Well…” He flinched when Evergreen threw an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. Sofly, but with a definite hint of a threat.

“I’m not going a̡̜̰͎̭̗n̲̣̤̯͙͓y͔w͉̦̠͉he̬r̭̲͈̝͘e͖̦̮̲͍̙͜,” the demon said.

“Not until graduation, at least,” Dewitt added, with a rather unsettling grin. “It’s going to be epic.”

“Great,” Thomas said, weakly. “So this is a cult then.”

“No, dude, it’s so much better.” Noguerra waved his slice of pizza around in a grand gesture. “It’s friendship.”

“Oh boy.”

He glanced around the room, hoping to glean some sign of whatever nefarious thing they were planning. The room was a nightmare. It looked like an arts and crafts room and a library melded together and exploded. The table was covered in sheets of paper, pictures, empty pizza boxes and, for some reason, underwear.

Thomas almost didn’t dare to ask. But his curiosity got the better of him. One day that would get him killed, for sure… “Why do you have piles of men’s underwear lying around?”

“Right, that,” Hallman said, sheepishly. “We can explain that.”

Evergreen moved to the table and showed Thomas one of the pictures with a dramatic flourish.

It looked like the cover for a book.

‘Mercuriat, Gentleman Demon’ the title proclaimed, with a picture underneath of Mercuriat in full demon shape, his face turned away but the pose rather provocative.

Thomas took another picture from the pile. It was even worse. ‘Mercuriat and the Quest for Gold’. Sheesh.

"Alright. So this isn't a cult," he said. He leafed through the pages, reading. "This is worse."

"This is making money!" Dewitt grinned. She high-fived Evergreen again, who seemed entirely too pleased with himself. "Mercuriat? More like Mercuri-HOT!"

Thomas cringed. Hallman did too. “We’re not using that as a slogan, Maria.”

��We’ll see.”

“But why?” Thomas had to ask. He waved at the table with the pictures, the lopsided stacks of what he now realised were supposed to be freshly-written novels. “Just… why?”

Evergreen shrugged. “You know that movie that’s supposedly based on me?”

“Er…” He’d come across it in the past, when looking up demons in pop culture. It was a cult classic, wasn’t it? Rather old though. “Might have heard of it.”

“We’re cashing in,” Dewitt grinned. “Turns out, writing a bestseller isn’t that hard when you have some demonic assistance. We’re going to be filthy rich!”

“Mystery! Adventure! Romance! Gentleman Demon has got it all,” Noguerra added. “Maria writes, and Brad and me are working on merchandise.”

Hallman seemed less enthusiastic. “I still don’t think autographed underwear is ever going to sell.”

Thomas stared. At them. At the room, with the ridiculous pictures and everything. And at Mercuriat, the literal demon, who just stood there with a sly smile.

“What?” Evergreen shrugged. “It’s free advertising.”

Silence.

“So… you mentioned something about losing memories? Because I would be fine if I never heard about this.”

Evergreen laughed, and surprised him with another one-armed hug. “You remind me of someone I used to know, kid. Get that stick out of your ass and we’ll get along fine, you’ll see.”

#avarice au #mercuriat #the demonology gang #thomas strange #a friend like this

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sp4c3-0ddity · 5 years

Note

If you're taking prompts... Can I ask for Hunk and a space chicken? 👀

i’ve been waiting my entire life for this prompt. thank you for enabling my Hunk + birds habit on top of my love for chickens ;_;

also timeline in this is all over the place so let’s call it canon divergent. ~2000 words, and i hope you like it

If there was one thing from Earth - beside his family - Hunk missed it was chicken eggs.

Sure, there were other foods and herbs and spices he couldn’t quite replicate with ingredients from alien plants - although he found capsaicin in the exoskeleton of a beetle-like insect thing and ground it to season curry for Shiro…not that he’d tell him that was the source - but he never found anything resembling a chicken egg.

The consistency would be all wrong, the yolk a strange color, too much cholesterol or too little protein, a shell even the Yellow Lion’s foot couldn’t crack (and Hunk really didn’t want to know what would hatch from an egg that tough)...

Hunk just wanted a quiznaking omelet.

“Are you sure these are edible?” Pidge held an oblong object that barely fit in the palm of her small hand up to the kitchen’s light. It seemed to reflect the lights overhead, with the darker spots of pigmentation absorbing.

Hunk carefully snatched it from her hand. It was soft and squishy, sort of like a water balloon, under his fingertips, and he guessed he’d have to puncture the...skin to get at the edible flesh.

And when he shone a light through it, a round core absorbed the rays, the flesh almost translucent.

Hunk set it beside the others in a large platter. “You and I have both scanned them,” he pointed out, “and they might be a little protein-rich for fruit, but they don’t contain anything toxic to humans.”

Pidge folded her arms on the counter and leaned towards the platter. “Seems a little...risky though,” she mused. “Remember that spotted fuzzy fruit you tried to fry like plantains?”

His shoulders sagged, renewed guilt making his heart sink, but he couldn’t help retorting, “It’s not my fault Lance ate half of them before I could warn him that too many would probably have side-effects.”

Pidge’s eyes narrowed. “He couldn’t walk further than five meters from a bathroom for almost a movement.”

“And I still feel bad about that!” he protested, his stomach twinging with a sympathetic nausea.

“Not as bad as he did,” she retorted. She prodded one of the water balloon fruits with a fingertip. “Where did you find these anyway?”

“Under a tree,” Hunk said. He rummaged through a drawer until his fingers closed around a small knife - something with a bit more point than a spork. “Kind of in a ring? And they definitely feel ripe.”

“Really?” When he turned to face Pidge, her eyebrow was raised. “Why do you think that alien fruit would follow the same rules as Earth fruit?”

“Because so far other rules have been pretty consistent.” Hunk clutched a balloon fruit in one hand and pressed the tip of the knife into its flexible skin, watching how it puckered under. Just a little more pressure... “I mean, it seems like photosynthesis is pretty universal, for one, and for another--”

He broke off when the knife’s point punctured the skin, a triumphant grin pushing at his lips when a viscous white fluid oozed out. He transferred the fruit to a pan on the stove and sliced open the rest of the skin.

The dark core was a deep yellow and definitely not hard enough to be a pit.

Hunk stared at the blob of clear white fluid with its soft yellow center. “Uh...quiznak.”

“Um, Hunk? Something’s happening with one of your so-called fruits.”

He spun around, the tension in Pidge’s voice making his heart race as he turned his attention to the remaining balloon fruit sitting in their platter.

One quivered in place, as if shaken by tremors that only affected it. Its skin rippled before something pointy poked it from the inside.

Hunk stumbled backwards away from the counter, raising the knife in his hands and wishing he had his bayard . “Oh God we’re in a horror movie!” he realized. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew--”

The fruit exploded.

Pidge gasped, arms raised to shield her face, while something wet hit Hunk’s forehead. His eyes pinched shut as a fluid trickled down towards them, and when he dared open them again his breath caught in his throat.

“I-I think I prefer this to Alien,” Pidge commented, eyes wide behind her glasses as she leaned over the platter and the tiny fuzzy chick cheeping in the center.

Pidge insisted on slipping the rest of the water balloon eggs underneath a lamp to incubate and see if they’d also “hatch”, but when the noisy baby that enjoyed pooping on Hunk’s palm proved the only survivor (or the only fertilized) of the clutch, he happily cooked the rest.

“Are those eggs I smell?” Lance wondered. He skipped across the kitchen from the doorway, a dreamy smile on his face as he loudly inhaled. “Poached?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Pidge said. She flashed a teasing smirk at Hunk.

He scowled and, rather than retorting, watched the eggs - that, now that he had the opportunity to cook and examine them, had an odd green sheen to their yolks - cooking in boiling water.

Lance peeked into the saucepan. “You have ham to go with those green eggs?”

“As soon as Hunk finds a green pig,” Pidge told him.

“Hey, Pidge, can you make yourself useful and check on Ramsay please?” Hunk cut in before she and Lance could get a little too into their teasing.

“Ramsay?” Lance raised an eyebrow. “You have an Egyptian pharaoh hiding in the pantry?”

“That’s Ramses,” Pidge corrected, although she obediently hopped off her stool and walked over to the bin in the corner with the lamp shining over it. “This is Ramsay.”

She scooped up the chick in all his fluffy, cheeping, magenta glory and wandered back towards them. The baby’s eyes slipped shut when she stroked its head, a soft smile on her face.

“Get him out of the kitchen before he poops on his siblings’ remains!” Hunk said, raising a spatula in alarm.

Pidge turned, shielding Ramsay from him and with her lower lip jutting out in a pout. “You’re the one who murdered them.”

“And we both agreed they were never alive!”

“Okay...” Lance glanced between the two of them. “This sounds like some weird science thing I don’t want to get in the middle of.”

“And how do you know Ramsay is male anyway?” Pidge wondered. She lifted the chick to eye level, squinting at his underside. “It’s a chick!”

“There are ways,” Hunk pointed out.

“I’m sure,” she said, rolling her eyes, “but do you know them?”

“Ooh, actually”--Lance raised his hand as he broke out into a broad grin--”if he’s anything like a baby chicken from Earth, I can sex him.”

“You can?” Pidge set Ramsay on her shoulder...just so she could cross her arms.

“Uh, sure?”

“He can milk a cow,” Hunk reminded her. “Why not say if a chick is going to be a rooster or a hen?”

“Huh.” Pidge passed Ramsay to Lance, who...

Well, Lance squealed like a little kid. “Aw, he’s so cute! Just like a chick from Earth!” He poked the tiny barely there tail and ran a finger down the chick’s back.

“So he’s a boy?” Hunk said.

“I didn’t even look yet!” Lance lifted the chick and... “Oh, Hunk, I think you gotta change his name to Rachel Ray or something.”

“Girl?”

“Yep.” Lance grinned and said, “But if it gets us more eggs...”

A gasp escaped him, excitement gripping. “Lance, you’re a genius!” Hunk clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“You can tell that’s a girl,” Pidge said, her eyes wide and incredulous, “but it surprised you when I said I’m one?”

Hunk laughed when Lance only scowled.

Ramsay - name unchanged, despite Lance’s suggestion - ate anything.

She was a hen after Hunk’s own heart.

“Not a very good critic, is she?” Lance commented.

“She’s growing fast,” Allura said. She smiled, cooing over the chick sitting in her lap while the mice looked on with what Hunk guessed must be jealousy.

(He’d have to watch them around Ramsay.)

Predictably, the smile twisted into a disgusted grimace when the chick dropped one on her dress.

“I suppose pets do have their...drawbacks,” Allura mused with a frown.

Hunk scooped her back up and smiled sheepishly. “I’ll keep her confined.”

“And away from Keith’s wolf?” Lance said with a nod at the door.

“Keith’s wolf teleports,” Pidge piped up. “If he wants to eat unripened chicken for breakfast, doors won’t stop him.”

Hunk’s stomach twisted unpleasantly. “I’ll...talk to Keith about that.”

Keith, however...

“You have time to raise a chick on top of being a Paladin?” Keith wondered.

Hunk raised an eyebrow. “I have time to cook for you guys, Lance has time to milk Kaltenecker, Pidge and he have time to play video games, you have time to train till you put too much strain on every muscle in your--”

“Fine, I get it,” Keith cut him off with a hand covering his face.

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that Kosmo is not allowed anywhere near Ramsay,” Hunk said.

As if summoned by the sound of his name (which...well, he was something like a dog), Kosmo teleported into view in a burst of light. Hunk reflexively stepped away, cradling Ramsay between his hands, but when the cosmic wolf’s nose twitched in curiosity, he extended his arms.

He held his breath as Kosmo sniffed the obliviously cheeping chick. He stiffened when the wolf’s tongue flicked out.

Kosmo licked the chick’s downy feathered back.

“He likes her,” Keith said.

“Yeah b-but how?” Hunk said. “He’s about to give me a heart attack...”

Keith smiled but clicked his tongue. Kosmo spun around at attention, ears on end. “He won’t eat her if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Oh! Oh good.” The tension trickled out of Hunk’s shoulders, and as soon as Keith and Kosmo left he fell into a boneless relieved heap with Ramsay sitting on his stomach.

Ramsay grew to be the size of a chicken in only a few movements. But unlike a chicken from Earth, her down feathers gave way to scales.

“Well, birds on Earth descended from the dinosaurs,” Pidge said.

“She’s really ugly this way,” Lance said.

“Excuse you, she’s my child and she’s beautiful!” Hunk retorted, shooting a glare at him.

“But she looks like a chubby and flightless pterodactyl!” Lance gestured at where Ramsay foraged through the meadow alongside Kaltenecker.

The not-chicken - space chicken, they all, except for Allura and Coran, took to calling her - gathered scraps of grass into a heap, almost like...

“She’s building a nest,” Lance observed with a grin. “Aw, look who’s getting ready to lay eggs!”

“What, already?!” Hunk shot up with alarm, a sudden lump lodging in his throat. “I-I’m not ready to be a grandfather!”

“Relax!” Lance said, standing and patting him on the shoulder. “We’ll be here to support you, but only if I get to be the chicks’ godfather.”

“Uh, you guys are kind of forgetting something important,” Pidge said as she joined them.

“What?”

“Ramsay doesn’t have a mate to fertilize her eggs.”

Hunk exchanged a glance with Lance, then he looked at Pidge. “Oh,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as embarrassment filled him. “I knew that.”

Hunk never had considered chickens a viable pet before, but Ramsay followed him everywhere. She trailed him through the Castle’s hallways, leaving poop he’d have to clean up later in her wake, and hopped into his lap when he sat down. Her eyes closed in contentment when he rubbed her vicious beak, and she perched for the “night” on his bed frame.

And if Allura, Pidge, Lance, and Keith could have pets, why couldn’t Hunk think of this strange space chicken that imprinted on him as one?

He’d see about Shiro adopting a cat later…once Ramsay learned to lay her eggs in a nest and not on the kitchen floor where a certain princess’s mice could steal them.

#hunk #garrison trio #kind of soft on the chicken care but #imagining a space chicken by the seat of my pants #this was fun!!#but i hope that ending isn't too lame ;_;#voltron #reem writes fic #reem writes gen #pidge #lance #hailqiqi

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parentingtheoryandpractice · 5 years

Text

14 Weeks of Maya

Not all that much life stuff happened this week, which was a welcome change! We went to the park on Monday and saw some friends other days, but that was pretty much it for scheduled stuff.

Sleeping

Maya has been inching towards stability for naps! I think there were a few times when I snuck away from her around 20min into a nap this week.

Her basic evening sleep pattern seems to be that whenever she goes to sleep after around 5 or 6 is a short nap, and then the next time she goes to sleep after that is for the night. I haven’t been particularly tracking how many naps she usually takes before that point.

If I find myself wanting more morning sleep, my hit rate on closing the curtains and getting her to sleep in more is pretty good. Right now it’s 10:20 and she hasn’t gotten up for the day. (She did wake up at a more “normal” time, but she went right back to sleep after nursing.)

Eating

I got my period back this week, but it seemed like a pretty marginal one. I saw from my old notes that I often felt like my supply dropped a little during my period, but I didn’t notice anything like that this time.

We seem to be basically back to normal post vaccines. I did have a poop miss—or maybe two? At least one of the times I didn’t notice her normal noise because she was sucking on her fingers instead.

With Maya getting increasingly stable at night, and me having been pretty tired lately, I’m usually a pee or two at night, though often I’ll catch at least one pee in the early morning too.

Babywearing

Mostly front carries this week. I was musing on back carries being more useful to me once my babies have longer wake times, since I really don’t love having a baby fall asleep on my back (unless I know transferring will be easy, which I usually don’t.)

I seemed to have a little less babywearing stamina this week :-/. I did take some long walks with Maya, but I seemed to be more opposed to putting her up around the house. I can’t tell if this is because I was still playing catch up on sleep, I’ve been feeling off in some other way, she got a little bigger and my muscles haven’t caught up, or something else.

Motor Skills

I don’t think she rolled back to front this week while she was awake, but she did do it once when she was asleep. It woke her up a little, because then she was trying to crawl and move around. It’s possible she started out more on her side than on her back?

She’s getting fairly good at reaching and grabbing stuff! And is very clearly doing it super intentionally. The Manhattan Toy she is best at grabbing seems to frustrate her when she actually puts it in her mouth though.

She can’t hold a sit at all, but for the past two weeks she’s seemed on the edge of being able to start to do it for a half a second here or there. She can sometimes sit for a bit in a tripod position with her hands in front of her.

At one point yesterday when she was on the ground on her stomach she was getting her knees way up under her in a way that casually seemed like it was going to result in marginal forward motion (a thing she is sometimes capable of these days), but instead after a while had passed she was facing the same direction but had moved a whole few feet to the left!

A few times since then she has turned at least 90 degrees. I guess she is stronger on one side?

Communication

She similes and laughs, but nothing very new going on communicationwise. It’s started to feel more natural for me to talk and sign to her, so I’ve been doing some of that.

Personality/Other

I think if anything Maya has been less happy on the ground lately, because she’s more ambitious. She wants to get her tops and interact with them, and given her actual capabilities it’s pretty unsatisfying. She wants to look in her mirror, but then she also wants to grab it, and then she’ll knock it over and she can’t see herself anymore.

On the other hand, there are a lot more minutes in the day where she is happy with me playing with her on the floor instead of walking around with her. And by playing with I sometimes just mean that she can see my face. So it’s gotten easier, for example, to hang out with her while she’s awake and I’m folding laundry.

Siblings

When she’s on the ground I’ve noticed Zeke going over to her and playing with her when she’s cranky more and more.

Dogs

The dogs really like licking her directly on the mouth!

I’ve been feeling a little off and low-energy this week. Nothing that bad, but not quite how I’d like to be feeling. I’ve sometimes thought I might be fighting off a cold or something, but I’m not sure that’s it.

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elaianna · 6 years

Text

The Hangman’s Noose - Part Two

The Company dismounted from their steeds and elbowed, shoved and pushed their way through the crowds. All except for the Admiral.The decision to push through the crowd kept the Company from running through and trampling citizens, causing casualities, but it wasn't without effect as the Rear Admiral took the lead, barging into the crowd, attempting to wade through with a shoulder here and a shove there all while yelling. "CEASE AND DESIST AT ONCE BY ORDER OF THE LORD ADMIRAL!"

A shaky breath left Elaianna's lips as she heard the cease and desist order. She'd live another day.

Dagan pulls on the harness of her hippogryph, forcing him to stop in his tracks, upon him standing in place, the Mercenary looks over to Elaianna, her frail figure, the rope around her neck. "My dear friend, what have your people done to you?" spoken barely above a whisper.

Thomas still did not drop from his saddle. Despite the clamor and the crowd, his steed was faithful. A well bred animal, it did not balk at the noise nor danger of violence. A steady -- and high -- vantage from which to aim from. His hand rest on the stock of his rifle, tendons in the wrist flexing in preparation.

Yet the words stirred protest within the crowd. The people begun to riot every which way. To make matters worse, seeing that situation just went from tense to a possible death toll, the Executioner feigned not hearing the Rear Admiral and hit the lever.

Elaianna looked to Thomas, seeing him sitting up above. This wasn't a hallucination. Relief painted her features. For a moment, she looked elated. "Thom--!" His name was cut short, as down she went, a strangled gulping sound leaving her as the air left her throat. It didn't snap. She was left swinging on the hangman's noose, choking for air with her hands bound behind her back, preventing her from attempting to loosen up the noose or hold herself aloft.

The sudden departure of his wife from solid ground gave flight to Thomas' hand. Even as she was falling, he was raising his rifle to sight in for the bundle of cordage that knotted the line of rope to her neck. Better to risk sending shrapnel and wood down from above than to take a chance at severing the single noose. Yet while his steed was a well bred sort, and not prone to startling, it was still pushed and the rider jostled, causing his aim to miss it's mark. Indeed, shrapnel and wood rained from above as the bullet hit the gallows, rather than the knotted cord.

As she fell, Karthe folded his hands behind his back to try and subtly manipulate the arcane, preparing to Arcane Blast the beam holding up the ropes. He didn't need to shove through the entirety of the crowd when he could cast magic.

As he did so, three men, Joseph, Dhargul and Daniel, came barreling through the crowds, pushing past to where Elaianna gasped and fought for air.

Daniel ran through like greased owl poop, shoving people aside as gently as possible as he moves through. Not listening to protest, attempts to stop him only meeting the shield he wielded, he finally reached Anna. Dropping his shield immediately, the Captain grabbed Elaianna by the feet, lifting her up, so that she can stand on his hands.

Joe let out a bellowing roar as he charged through the crowd, plowing through and shoving everyone aside, knocking folks down left and right without feeling sorry for once! His only focus was to stop that rope from choking her. He helped lift her up in what looked like a hug.

Elaianna was able to gasp for a breath of air as Daniel got ahold of her legs and held her up. She swayed and leaned to one side, but was able to get at least that gulp of precious air before she was struggling-- then Joe joined and held her upright. With the support of both men, she was no longer swaying so heavily to and fro like a helpless rag-doll.

Meanwhile, Dhargul had made his way through the crowd, stopping before the two men holding her up. He had his weapons brandished, offering protection to Elaianna and those that held her aloft, eyeing those that came close.

As the beam above head broke at Karthe's well placed spell, slackening the rope that held Elaianna, she crumpled down against the group holding her. She was passed out. A body could only take so much strangulation.

Dhargul wrinkled his nose as he heard the rustling behind him. "I'll beat up a path fer ye if I have to lad, just give tha word."

As Karthe's spell hits the beam, Danny, luckily, caught her, pulling her into his arms, to carry her like an infant. Anyone trying to hurt the Lady would have to get through the tall, muscled man's defenses.

Dagan, seeing that Elaianna dropped into the waiting men's arms, pushed through the crowd as Warpson did, bursting on through the other side to see a crowd surrounding to where the Lady dropped.

Despite a rough entrance, Marius was soon able to maneuver the dense crowd with practiced ease. As he made his way to the center, a small glass vial was sipped from his belt and casually dropped to the stones where it shattered. He had also lifted an old, gold scarf over his face before doing so. Every aggressor within range of the alchemical fog that emerged from the vial would start to feel... A little woozy but far more passive. However those without strong constitution might just find themselves asleep.

The passing glance of his shot left Thomas' gut curled against itself. But -- by the grace of the Company's good efforts, his wife was relieved from her hanging at the noose. Past his lips a silent prayer of thanks spilled as Captain Conaroy and Mr. Brandstone took her weight -- even Karthe's efforts entered his prayer, despite his feelings on the Graybush. By all manner, it seemed as if Marius' endeavours had worked as well. Rationale over bloodshed -- it almost felt like a first.

As members of the crowd begin to lose interest thanks to the rising mist of that alchemical potion, it gave the Rear Admiral a chance to break through and bark his orders once more whilst reaching down to yank the bell from the poor shell-shocked boy’s hands! As with all Kul Tirans the sound of a bell gradually caught the attentions of everyone. “I SAID CEASE AND DESIST! BY ORDER THE THE LORD ADMIRAL, I AM ORDERING THIS CROWD TO DISPERSE! ALL CRIMES LEVIED AGAINST THE WOMAN, ELAIANNA NESBITT-STALSWORTH ARE HEREBY REMANDED…" He continued on as more of the crowd begrudgingly calmed to listen. ”Furthermore, those responsible for her unlawful and neglectful incarceration will be taken into custody and put to trial for their crimes against a noble woman. Should any here attempt to stop the removal of her presence here, my men and our associates are hereby ordered to shoot at will. AM I UNDERSTOOD!?”

Dagan and Marius converged towards Elaianna, seeing her limp form carried by Daniel, who's main goal was to get the Lady to her husband. Who knew when the crowd would turn volatile again? "Were we too late?" Dagan asked. "Is she conscious?" asked Marius. The questions caused Joseph to frown. He truly didn't know if she was alive or dead. He didn't know if she had made it, or if she was gone.

Thomas bucked his stirrups into the haunches of his mount, ushering the beast to rake hooves through the air and thunder forward. By the clamor of the Rear Admiral's bell and Marius' handiwork, few stood in Thomas' path as he brought himself to the gallows platform. An expression of restrained relief wracked his face as he cast a glance to the unconscious form of his wife -- but he turned to address the crowd from atop his horse. "Men! Women! Lads and girls! We are not your enemy, and neither is the Duchy! A ship is guided by starlight, and you've been led astray under a fog -- will be put right soon, so heed th'words of the Admiralty an' harbour in your homes until things are settled!"

As the Admiral spoke, Captain Daniel carried Elaianna up to him, still cradling her like an infant. " 'ere ya go, lad." Not really one for conversation, he lifted her towards her husband as he finished addressing what was left of the crowd. At the urging of Conaroy, Thomas leaned down in his saddle. With his rifle falling to rest inside its scabbard, he used both arms to carefully lift his wife into his arms. There was a moment wherein he clearly had expected more weight -- surely he had lifted her before. But now, she was slighter -- smaller -- weaker. A throbbing vein amongst his forehead came to life, and stowed it's blood in his jaw.

Elaianna's head lolled to the side as she was hoisted up. The sudden change in her upright position caused her to cough, startling herself to be awake. Through half-lidded eyes she looked upwards, seeing her husband. "...Am I dead..?" her voice asked in a whisper, a hoarse rasp of what her voice often was.

There was a lacking of attention from Thomas to any but his wife. He cradled her against his chest. The gentle clatter of chainmail reminded him of how far apart they still were. No matter, his lips lightened at her voice and he shook his head, "Ain't so yet, gal. I got ya'." After his words, he blew a soft air across her face. Well -- not quite air, but a curling of pale mist. Minor, momentary, but invigorating.

Thanks to the Company, her family, and friends, she would be safe now.

@atc-wra @thomasstalsworth @calling-gull @brandstonethings @adventures-and-artifacts @marius-blackwood @eidrich-crone @gloryofsteel @themercenarycorner @karthe-surick

A huge OOC thank you to Sabine and Eidrich who were major storytellers for this entire story arch. What started out as something meant to be a small personal plot evolved with more and more people, both in and outside of the guild, wishing to become involved and help. It took a lot of work on their ends to make this something they could do so with. Thank you!

A huge thank you to my guild for also not killing me, even though you came pretty close. There was one point where it was a very real possibility.

#Anchor Trading Co #Anchor Trading Company #WRA #IC #Canon #RP #The Lady and the Sailor #Stormhollow

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writer-and-artist27 · 6 years

Text

Finding Kei

Note: The theme for this is ReoNa’s Rea(s)on from Sword Art Online Alternative: GGO. Because it’s a good song and the translated lyrics match the situation in my opinion. And look, I ended up using it faster than I thought. I don’t own anything or anyone except Tomoko. Davy Jack belongs to @unlucky-marine and Kei belongs to @langwrites.

Also, I think it has to be said now that Seaside Sibling Train takes place in the timeskip between S&S Chapters 20 and 21, since Tomoko’s 10, but some ninja are now 11. :p

Anyway! Please enjoy~!

“Explosions Around The Docks?”

Jack-nii was just as incredulous as I was when I recited the newspaper headline aloud from past his hand. Technically, I was reading the newspaper past all the piles of paperwork flanking his arms as always on the desk, I mean. Once again, other Marines were freeloading on him, to my own annoyance. “Tomo-chan, you weren’t supposed to read that.”

…Well, he was annoyed for a different reason, anyways.

Tomoko-chan.

I know, Hisako.

Outwardly, I tried not to pout. “I finished organizing all the photos you left for me, Jack-nii! I couldn’t help it!”

I did not want to vocally admit I was bored, but I’ll admit that I’m currently bored. Photography and paperwork can only drag on for so long until you can start to feel your soul sap away to all the words.

My Marine caretaker put a hand to his face, giving me a single, half-hearted look of annoyance through his fingers before he sighed and reached over with his other, free hand to pat my head. “It’s not something you should be worried about, Tomo-chan. I’m the one who has to deal with that later today, not you.”

Uh.

Hisako only snorted, rolling her eyes while smiling wryly.

“…Does it help that I was curious?”

Jack-nii only hid a quiet snicker. “Maybe!”

I ended up pouting anyways. “Should I be worried?”

This time, the answer was a flat and deadpan, “No.”

“Muu,” I mumbled instead. That was a definite sign that I needed to. Instead of voicing it, I ended up blurting out, “Is there anything else I can help you out with then, Nii?”

The nickname wasn’t even on purpose. It only slipped out in a strangely cute, high-pitched voice that was in turn a byproduct of boredom, so by the time it registered in my head, my face was already flooding with fire and Jack-nii was gaping at me. “T-Tomo-chan, did you just call me ‘Nii’?”

Frig, I just called Jack-nii by Sora’s nickname, and only Shiro has dibs on that, fuck, what do I say—!

Pfffffffft. Oh, Tomoko-chan…!

Hisako, you’re not helping!?!

“Um,” Outwardly, I was starting to squeak now as I took a few steps back, already thinking about finding a corner. Even in my kimono dress, the room was starting to feel embarrassingly hot and humid. “I-I mean, Jack-nii, you are like an older sibling to me, and Nii is a nice nickname, I think, um—” My voice was cracking. Frig. Hands, do not sweat on me, please! I do not need to wash this dress again when it was just washed this morning. “You’vealwaystookgoodcareofme, especiallyforthesepastsixmonths, sothat’swhyyou’reNiitome—!?”

There was a very, very long pause.

Jack-nii’s Marine hat nearly fell off his head, only barely staying on by the back strap as his ahoge poked up from the top of his brown hair. “Tomo-chan…”

Um. Why is he not reacting. Say something, please, like, “Don’t say that!” or SOMETHING. I hate silence like this!

Hisako was starting to cackle loudly, falling out of her armchair in the library while holding her stomach.

That’s it. I needed to find a corner now.

Covering my face as best as I could with my hair, I turned on the heel of my sandals to face away from my caretaker while discreetly looking around for the darkest corner in the room. Thankfully, there was a nearby closet. With a locking mechanism built into the door. That would work. “Well, I’llshutupandgosulknow, sogoaheadandgetbacktowork, Jack-nii! IGNOREME.”

I was already preparing my legs to run towards my new hiding spot when a chair was suddenly pushed back, and I could hear stomping behind me, like wha—

Big arms were already encircling my waist, and I tried not to squawk as soon as my feet had promptly left the ground. Yep. It was my caretaker. Being strong, tall, and able to lift me up without any problem. Aaaaaah. “Wooo! I caught a rogue Tomo-chan!” Jack-nii proceeded to cheer, and the heat was still on apparently because I was already squeaking in protest.

“N-Niii—!”

HAHAHAHAHA!

“Awwww, Tomo-chan, don’t be shy and hide!” My caretaker only proceeded to snuggle me, even with my squirming and all, and wait, was he used to this?! “It’s completely okay for you to call me ‘Nii’! You are my little sis, so why not?”

Even with the vocal reassurance, I still found myself sputtering from the embarrassment. Wiggling didn’t do much to help, because my caretaker was still an adult and I was a little kid trying to swivel around and face him properly. Aaaaaaah. Why couldn’t I go into a dark corner and sulk already? “B-But Jack-niiiiiiiii, it’s weird!”

And taking from another actual little girl who says the name so much better than me.

“And it’s adorable, Tomo,” he insisted with a large grin, apparently ignoring my current thought process with his reply, and gosh, when did he start swinging—

Surprised laughter was already leaving my lips as soon as my caretaker started spinning around in circles, still hugging me all the while. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and soon enough, I could barely think on anything else because I was just trying to hold on and hug back. Gosh, Jack-nii was strong. The Marine jacket really hid the muscles. “N-Niiiiiiiii! Q-Quit — hahaha — spinning me! I-I’m — haha — getting dizzy!”

Aaaaaah. Pretty colors.

Hisako was positively choking on her laughter now. She was enjoying herself too, I guess?

Jack-nii was still laughing with that large grin of his when he finally stopped spinning and set me down on my feet, only going on to hug me even tighter. Eh? “I love the name, Tomo, so you don’t have to be embarrassed.” From the closeness, I could feel his smile as the grip on me tightened. “I’ll be happy to be your ‘Nii.’”

Aw.

For some reason, tears were pricking my eyes as I nodded. The scent of his bandana was comforting, and I was already burying my nose into it to take in the sea while squeezing back. “Muuu.”

Jack-nii only snorted but hugged me tighter.

I ended up pouting childishly into his shoulder, because really, how could I resist him. I love Jack-nii. Simple as that. “I’ll still call you ‘Nee’ when you’re feeling feminine, okay?”

Jack-nii snorted again, but there was something affectionate in the tone before he pulled away and pecked my forehead between my bangs. “Of course, sweetie. And thank you.”

I tried not to flush red from the gesture and nodded anyways. “I-I love you, Jack-nii, so it’s no problem!”

Jack-nii only pulled away a single centimeter when I finished spreading all the apparent cheese in the room before something sparked in his eyes and it resulted in more hugging. I could’ve sworn I even caught a small tear in his stare before he was snuggling me again, and baaaaaaah.

At this rate, I would be worried about him even finishing work. Aaaaah.

Hisako never did stop laughing for quite a while.

The radio set crackled as the man adjusted the volume on his mic. “Are you all in position?”

“All set, Sensei.”

“We’re all clear here.”

A pause followed before there was a dry drawl of, “Obito, don’t start tearing up or something from the explosions, okay?”

Something bumped in the background. “OI! I-I have my goggles and eye drops! You don’t have to remind me, Bakashi!”

Then there was a sigh over the speakers. “Boys, this is not the time to be butting heads. I don’t like this place either, but we have the mission to worry about.” Another sigh. “We need to find Tomo, then get back as soon as we can.”

Rustling followed on another end. “Kei, let me know if you feel Tomoko-chan’s chakra anywhere, okay?”

“Judai-jichan, I’m right next to you.”

“Still, as extra insurance.”

The man at the center of it all rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle. “Judai, stay on track and look after Kei and Obito for me, alright?”

“No need to tell me, Minato. I got it.”

The mission was already a go.

“So, the explosions were around here… Hopefully nothing’s going to happen, but knowing my luck…”

Tomoko-chan. Do something. Hisako tapped Oblivion against the ground for extra emphasis. We can’t just walk in blind again.

Oh dear. I decided to speak up via tugging on his sleeve. “Um, Jack-nii?”

My caretaker slowly loosened his grip on the closest cherry bomb on his belt before glancing down at me with a more hesitant smile. “What is it, Tomo?”

“What are we…” I gestured to the area around us, teeming with ocean and the occasional bits of trash, grimacing at the smell of bird poop. “What are we doing at the docks? Aren’t these the same docks from the paper this morning?”

Jack-nii’s smile turned a bit more forced as he nodded stiffly, adjusting the brim of his hat all the while. “Headquarters called for Marine investigation. Wendy’s busy, and I dunno what the he—heck!” I didn’t miss how he cut himself off on cursing before smiling again a bit more naturally, “Leith is doing, but I can’t exactly leave you alone back in your room now, can I, Tomo?”

Embarrassment was flooding me yet again. “Y-You didn’t have to, Jack-nii, I could’ve waited back at the base for you.”

My caretaker only smiled and blew a small teasing raspberry at me. “But you would worry and then do something reckless, wouldn’t you? If not that, then sulk.”

More heat was flooding my face, and I let go of his sleeve to pout again. Apparently, my childish instincts were even kicking in because I ended up stomping one of my sandals against the gravel. “Niiiiiii.”

“Tomoooooo,” he echoed back.

Pfffft. That’s a loss, my dear.

My Nobody was getting a penchant of not helping at this rate. Darn it.

“Muuuuuuu!” I ended up saying finally, looking away to hide the red on my face. The white-pink lace of my kimono dress wouldn’t help anything. “Nii, you dork.”

Jack-nii snorted before his free hand landed on my head, patting it. “I love you too, sweetie,” he cooed happily.

Of course he wasn’t in Serious Mode yet. Or I just snapped him out of it. Somehow. What was I, a cupcake? How did he start loving me?

Hisako lightly tapped Oblivion against my shoulder. Cinnamon Roll.

…What?

Cinnamon Roll! You are a cinnamon roll, Tomoko-chan!

HISAKO, YOU’RE NOT HELPING!

I wasn’t expecting my thoughts to be jolted at the sound of a distant explosion. In hindsight, I probably should’ve expected it, considering how Ace-nii announced his presence before proposing to Leith-nee on that same day, but then again, we weren’t in Dressrossa right now and we were near the ocean, so where the hell—

“Tomo-chan, get behind me.” Jack-nii was already pulling out one of Marcy-nii’s homemade cherry bombs, and I could already feel a lump surfacing in my throat at the steel in his voice as I nodded vigorously, ducking behind his hand to instead hide behind his jacket. The Marine hat on his head seemed tighter somehow with the angle and his taking a defensive stance. I didn’t miss how he was also starting to crouch, like he was about to break out into a run any minute now. “Just let me know if there’s anyone around you who looks dangerous, okay?”

A part of me was wondering how he could still sound so comforting in my direction. “O-Okay, Nii,” I said instead, because there really wasn’t much else to say to that.

In a world filled with Marines, pirates, and guns, self-defense could only go so far.

BOOM, went another explosion in the distance, this one sounding closer than the one from before.

Hisako was already readying Oblivion. Tomoko-chan, deep breaths. Deep breaths.

I found myself gripping the hem of my caretaker’s Marine jacket while inhaling as much air as I could. Both out of comfort and for something to hang onto.

Jack-nii swiveled his head around a few more times. “Where are they—”

Another BOOM.

I couldn’t help the loud squeal of shock leaving my lips at the sound of screams in the distance, and Jack-nii was tensing as soon as fire started shooting up from a nearby warehouse. “Wh-what the—”

And then I could hear yelling. Very familiar yelling.

“TOMO-CHAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Hisako nearly dropped her Keyblade. What.

My heart could’ve stopped.

Instead of saying something aloud, I poked my other Self. Hisako?

My Nobody answered almost immediately. What is it, dear?

I wasn’t the only one who heard that, right? Right?!

My heart was beating hard now.

Hisako immediately shook her head, long brown hair nearly slapping her cheeks in the process as her glasses slipped down to the bridge of her nose. It wasn’t just you, Tomoko-chan. I heard it too.

Then…then…

The idea had already latched onto my mind as the fire burned in the distance.

Jack-nii was completely at a loss for words in the outside world, though. “What the heck…?” Around us, other Marines were running, trying to get out of the way of the fire, but I found my feet frozen.

It can’t be… can it?

Then I heard another voice. A voice much closer than any other explosion today.

“HISSATSU: RAPID STORM!”

Even though my caretaker was tensing from all the chaos, I already knew who was yelling.

The name was almost like sawdust on my lips. How did they even get here?

“Papa…?”

Jack-nii was already swerving his head to look at me in disbelief. “Papa?” he echoed.

There was another close BOOM with the end of that remark, and then I was seeing someone fly out of the smoke. Technically leap, but as soon as my eyes landed on a blue Konoha hitai-ite and the gleam of a kodachi sword, my jaw dropped.

“KEI?!”

I couldn’t even make out Jack-nii’s shocked sputtering.

It didn’t even take that long for the mystery person to land a few meters away from us, crouching in a way akin to the old action movies, and once the sudden wind and smoke started to clear, I was making out a white-blue hooded jacket and messy black cowlicks that I wouldn’t see on anyone else.

Tears were already filling my eyes as soon as the person raised their head from looking down at their knee.

It had been 6-7 months, but she was still Explosive As Ever, apparently. Even when I was gone…

I slowly let go of the back of Jack-nii’s jacket to peer past my caretaker’s arm. “Kei?” I said again, my voice cracking. “I-Is that you?”

My reincarnation buddy, my bestest friend in the entire world, only stared at me with wide black eyes as her mouth took on a surprised “o.” Whether it was the reunion that was going on or the carnage around us, I wasn’t sure. But those black eyes and eyebags were definitely dead-ringers for Kei. “T…” the syllable was almost silent on her end as she continued to gape. “To…”

I wasn’t even aware something else exploded nearby until shrapnel was flying everywhere and Jack-nii was covering me in a protective hug. Even when squeaking, he didn’t let go until the smoke had cleared, leaving me to breathe in the scent of salt water from his jacket for quite a while.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?! Hisako demanded angrily in my place.

For once, I didn’t have an answer until Jack-nii slowly let go of me, and once my eyes could adjust to the fading grey smoke and the newly trashed dock area, I could make out a head of two-toned brown hair.

The tears were spilling over now because there was only one person I knew who had hair like that. And the old navy blue ninja headband.

“P-Papa?!”

Oh. Hisako said quietly, lowering Oblivion.

Papa was already on his feet as soon as my voice echoed in the sky, and I didn’t even have a second to move before there was wind and he was standing in front of me. His eyes were glowing a dark red-orange and green, but they were already starting to fade for a tired yellow as he fell to his knees, his hands reaching out to cup my cheeks. The gesture made me feel like I was a doll he hadn’t seen in years. His palms were rough with calluses and perhaps some dirt, but they were still Papa’s hands. “H-Hime…” he breathed a soft and broken laugh as soon as he was making eye contact with me, my tears already starting to fall onto his fingers. “Hime.”

“Papa…!” Joy was filling my heart and flooding my veins with cheese and probably every other single warm emotion in the world, but I couldn’t find it in myself to move. All I could do was smile as widely as I could as my nose started to clog. It was like I was experiencing the joy of seeing Ace-nii propose to Leith-nee all over again, only better. “I-It’s you, Papa, right? It’s really you, Papa?”

He was nodding vigorously as the tired yellow in his eyes quickly faded for happy brown, a bright grin on his face. “It’s me, sweetie, it’s me.” And then I was being squeezed in another hug as something musty wafted through my snot-clogged nostrils. Even if my ribs were creaking from the grip, it was hard to miss the water droplets falling onto the top of my hair. Oh goodness. “Tomoko-chan…!” Papa choked above my head. “We found you, hime…!”

I was gone for way too long.

My vision was promptly shot too as I buried my nose into the shoulder of his green flak jacket. “I-I missed you too, Papa! I missed you too!”

I wasn’t even sure where Jack-nii was now, but soon another pair of arms was joining into the hug, and then I could smell a bit of ink and mochi.

“You doof,” Kei muttered angrily, but the messy black hair brushing my cheek was nothing to laugh at. She was here too. The heat wasn’t even in her words anymore as her chin bumped the side of my head. “Where have you been, Tomo? All the way out here?”

“S-Something like that,” but I was laughing, and it was the first time in a while that I felt free, “But I found you all again, didn’t I?”

Kei only snorted in disbelief but tightened the now apparent group hug as soon as Papa started brushing through my hair with a hand. “Yeah, right. It’s more like we found you, Tomo-chan.”

Hisako was smiling. She’s right, y’know.

The first sob was leaving my lips now in a happy choking noise, but I didn’t want to break down completely because my loved ones were here, and I still needed to address Jack-nii in the area. “I-I’m sorry for missing so much. B-But I’m okay, and I’m here!”

Kei snorted again, but there was a hiccupy quality to it this time as the grip on me loosened, probably for the sake of giving breathing space. “Go on, Tomo. Judai-jichan could probably use a better explanation than you getting kidnapped.”

I could vaguely hear the clatter of books falling to the ground in my head. Oh, fuck.

Even in all the emotions rolling through me, my mind still had enough coherence to squeak in protest. “I got here by black hole thingy!”

Papa and Kei were now pulling away from me to stare in disbelief.

“Um,” I said, because there was still fire in the distance from explosions, and now I could vaguely hear a loud yell of my nickname. Again. “Portal thingy?”

And whoop-de-doo, another second was all it took for another friend to barrel into me. I didn’t have to look up to know it was another member of Team Minato, but once goggles were digging into the shoulder of my kimono dress, I already could guess. “H-Hi, Obi.”

My Uchiha friend only let out a muffled cheer, lifting me up high before spinning around, and I had to hold back teary giggles. “We found you, Tomo-chan!” was the happy yell in my ear. “We finally found you!”

I politely didn’t mention his wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeves to instead hug back by winding my arms around his neck. “Missed you too, Obi. Missed you too.”

He cheered again, but I could already tell that there was a slight hiccup in the noise as he put me down, grinning. “You’re worse than Kei when it comes to trouble, Tomo-chan! Seriously, you’ve been here for the past few months?!” Obito then glanced around the docks before turning back to me with a teary eye and a loud and dry remark of, “This place sucks!”

“You all did kinda burn the place,” I pointed out, trying not to pout and/or deadpan from the exasperation of getting indirectly burned because the lump in my throat was still there and all. “Explosions?”

The Uchiha only jumped with a loud shout of protest. “HEY! That was Kei!” Obito then fumbled with his hands.

My reincarnation buddy, even when a few centimeters away, still had enough energy to look indignant. The eyebags helped her case a lot. “Don’t put all the blame on me.”

Nearby, I could see Papa put a finger to his ear. He was muttering something, but I couldn’t make it out because Obito was hugging me again, aaaaaah. “Tomo-chan…!”

Goodness, he was going to cry soon.

I patted his head, holding back the urge to smile. To think I missed this. “I love you too, Obi. Thank you for coming and finding me.”

He jolted for a single second before squeezing tighter, and I tried not to squawk because ribs. “Tomo-chan, you’re a doofus!”

“A-And you’re making it hard to b-breathe!” I choked out instead, because gosh, my ribs were creaking more now. How many hugs could I take at this rate? Ninja were strong. “Obito!”

Kei was definitely laughing now as soon as Obito squawked too and let go.

A long second of silence passed before Papa turned back to me with a more hesitant smile. “So, hime?”

I wiped my tears away with my kimono sleeve, both because I didn’t have a tissue on me and the nearby smoke was hard to inhale. “Y-Yeah, Papa?”

He then pointed behind me with his tanto, and the horror only hit as soon as his eyes flashed red-orange and green again. “Think you could explain the person standing behind you there? With the hat?”

I glanced behind me, only to see Jack-nii wave at me happily, apparently not minding Kei and Obito’s now combined glares in his direction.

Goddammit, Jack. Hisako muttered.

I tried not to blanch as soon as there was another WHOOSH of air. “Are we late?” said the newly arrived Minato-san. Another hand was then resting on my head, and I looked up only to see Kakashi give me an eye-smile of all things before looking forward, and once I followed his stare and landed on Jack-nii again, my heart was the next thing to fly out of my ribs.

Oh no.

“Not really, Minato, no,” Papa said testily, still pointing his tanto in Jack-nii’s direction. I didn’t miss how he extended his chakra to make said tanto into a large and threatening chakra blade. “Just in time for interrogations!”

Meep.

“I’m alright with that, Judai-jichan,” Kakashi added quietly, his hand still resting on top of my head.

Jack’s gonna die.

I don’t want him to die.

Do something.

On it.

I raised one of my hands and added a soft, “Um, Jack-nii over there took care of me? For the past 6-7 months?”

Kei was the first one to swivel her head back and stare at me incredulously. “What.”

“Eh? You don’t believe me?”

Obito shook his head at the same time Kakashi said, “Not even a bit.”

Jack-nii only grinned, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly. “I knew I would like you people!”

GODDAMMIT, JACK.

#Seaside Sibling Train #davy jack #hoshino tomoko #keisuke gekko #long post #writing #yuki judai #uchiha obito #hatake kakashi #minato namikaze #team minato #hisako

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travelswithzsubes · 3 years

Text

The Golan Trail: A trip report.

Ah, it’s like exercising the old muscles again, writing a report of a trip here. It feels oh so good. I love writing, yet find many excuses all of the time to not spend my time doing it.

I got the harebrained idea in my mind to hike the Golan Trail in four days. It’s 125K, so you can do the math. It’s basically going from 0 to 60, nothing to something significant. My roommate, however, came through big time. He ended up having pretty much all the gear I needed and more (blow up pillow? sit pad? wind screen?) and donated it to me for the few days I was going to be out in the woods. He is a tzaddik.

I took a bus up to Majdal Shams, a Druze city that is one of the most northern places in Israel. There I stayed in an Airbnb with Ahmed for the night. Ahmed showed up in a pickup truck after talking to the driver of the bus I was on, telling him to make a special stop for me by the gas station. He knows everyone in Majdal Shams, or so he says. “What a cute, petite guy,” he said of the bus driver.

Ahmed offered me whiskey and hookah and told me his family had lived in the area for 1,000 years.

Day 1

The next day, he said, I should call him after 9am so that he could pick me up and take me to the top of the hike, in the Hermon. When I (non-authentically) protested that that was out of his way, he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “No other way for you to get up there,” he said. And so he drove me around the steep curves, up the mountain, and there I was, by the sign marking the top of trail. I couldn’t believe I had the gear, and the time, and the ability to do this hike - one I have wanted to do for quite a long time. I am incredibly lucky. And I was very happy.

Me and Ahmed

The beginning.

My goal was to hit 31K per day - something around 19 miles. Each day, though, the morning was, for whatever reason, slow. I didn’t know this would happen on Day 1. But the section from the Hermon back down to Majdal Shams was probably one of the more difficult sections of the entire trail, at least in terms of technical descending. It’s also easy to lose the trail. Thankfully, I had the AllTrails app, which helped me out a ton (I promise I am not getting paid for this). The poles I got from my roommate were incredibly helpful, though. I think they may be a mainstay for me in the future.

It was beautiful, though. You’re up at 4500 feet or so, and you can see very far. The whole world is ahead of you.

I find that I get frustrated easily on these hikes. I spent a good 15 minutes at one point going back and forth, trying to find the trail that really wasn’t so difficult to locate. I think I’m pretty bad with directions in the wilderness, for whatever reason. But I got to the bottom of the section, and so began a relatively easy next few kilometers, through Kibbutz Nimrod, Masa’ade, and around a reservoir. Before Nimrod, there’s a point where you can see Kiryat Shemona, Metula, and into Lebanon. It was a lot of downhill on a road, and then it started to go up again after Masa’ade. The landscape was wide open, and you could see pretty much everything around you, including the snowy Hermon peaks, Majdal Shams resting comfortably on the hill, nearby mountains, and so on. It was kind of hazy though.

The view into Lebanon.

Majdal Shams and Hermon.

The climbing wasn’t hard, but it was there. I stopped for lunch near some cows. It was getting a bit late in the day, and by this point I was getting nervous for timing. I had wanted to get to a point where the trail crossed Route 98 (the highway the trail skirts for most of the way), but I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen.

The climb then continued, all the way up to Har Odem, which is a bizarre tangle of mining sites and some sort of other contraptions on top. From there, you get a whole other viewpoint south. You really started to see what was left of the Golan, what you had in front of you, what was coming. Mini-volcanic peaks, grasslands, and so on and so forth.

Har Odem.

From there, there was a slight descent. Birds were chirping, and it was beautiful. I still felt pretty good physically and was simply trying to make good time at this point. I knew there was a climb coming my way, but it took longer to get there than the map indicated. A road goes around Har Hermonit to avoid a military installation on top, and so I took that, and hit the top at about 4:30pm - about an hour and a half of daylight to go. But when I looked at the map, it said I had gone a full mile less than what my watch was telling me. I was certainly concerned at this point - everything really had to go perfectly for me to finish in four days.

From here you could see straight into Syria.

Looking into Syria - signs for land mines.

Hazy sunset.

I got lost at one point, but by virtue of getting lost I passed a sign that told me I was entering the Emek HaBacha - Valley of Tears, so named for being the site of a major battle in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Now it’s home to the Golan Heights Winery and many wind turbines.

It was getting dark, but I realized I was within a mile of the point I wanted to get to that night. I didn’t quite make it all the way to the road, but I got even closer, and found a nice grassy patch by the site of the trail where I decided to spend the night. After setting up the tent, cooking, and taking care of some phone business (I hate having to use my phone while hiking or camping, but too much was going on in the world that day for me not to, in terms of many things in my life) it was already 9pm by the time I crawled into the tent. Still, I felt OK, physically, and knew I had a long next day ahead of me.

Day 2

It took me a little while to get out of bed this day. By the time I did all the morning things, it was already 8:45am. That was when I left - later than I wanted to. I knew I was near the town of Merom Golan, and I was hoping to reup on water there (that’s basically how you do it on this trail; there aren’t THAT many water sources, plus I thought I brought iodine with me, but it turned out to be iodine neutralizing flavor tabs, which don’t make water clean, so, yeah...).

Again I got lost and walked 0.6 miles out of the way, which doesn’t sound like much, but feels like a lot when you have a tight schedule. I walked back, though, and then encircled a reservoir, and eventually arrived at the base of Har Bental, the steepest climb of the trail. It was certainly steep, but the trail was lined with flowers (I haven’t even talked about those yet, they are everywhere; red, purple, white, etc.) and it was a lovely time. There’s also a coffee shop on top called Coffee Anan (a three-way pun, by my count). I duly purchased a cappuccino and filled up on water there.

Har Bental flowers.

Sculptures at the mountaintop.

I then kept a fast pace through to the point where I next crossed Route 98, which was already 10 miles in. It was through red flowery fields, and it made for fast walking. This was the first time, though, that I noticed that my left shoe was starting to come undone (the toebox was starting to flap open), and that was scary. I also felt some blisters starting to form.

But things kept going. A friend actually met me for a short part of the trail here, and had a car, so I was able to drop my pack in the car and continue on (we met up along the trail, but the car ended up being parked near that night’s camping spot). I flew through the next miles, even though there were three separate small climbs. It went fast, and I felt pretty good, even all the way up to Mile 16. More views of Syria from the top of the climbs.

After descending the final climb (Har Chozek) I ended up in a grassy field, and it was just so peaceful. Cows lounged around, and I even saw some wild horses. You could still see pretty far into the distance, but there was green all around you. I was quite happy.

Wild horses.

All day, every day.

This was my longest day, but physically I felt mostly OK, although I did notice I was starting to feel pretty tight. My feet were hurting, and I had blisters. My shoes weren’t in great shape. When I didn’t move anywhere for 10 minutes and then moved again, I felt like I couldn’t walk so well. And I still had two days to go. It didn’t feel all that promising at this point.

This was also quite a chilly night. I slept through the night, but the camping spot at Choresh Chushnia wasn’t so great (lots of wonderful cow poop smells), and foxes were howling very near us. At one point my headlamp caught their eyes, and all I saw were two beady red dots in the distance, staring at me. Spooky! There was a small moon, though, and the stars were out, and there was a wide open sky. Perfect.

Day 3

The elevation profile for this day told me that it would be all downhill. That wasn’t really true, but any climbing that happened on this day really wasn’t so bad. I was counting on blowing through this day quicker than the others, though, especially after a relatively slow start. That did not happen.

Cattle gates. Endless. I didn’t take a picture of one, probably because I was just constantly frustrated by them. You turn to your left, pass through the first part of it, oh, watch out for that barbed wire, turn to your right, make sure you don’t tear the sleeping pad bound to your pack, oh, you can’t fit through? Take off your pack, lift it above your head, risk your back health, and take valuable time.

And repeat the same thing 400 meters later.

So that was annoying. The hiking was also on top of a mini-ridge that followed a stream. It was certainly beautiful, but it was a bit slow. There was one point where I went the wrong way and ended up walking through a barbed wired surrounded gate into a wet stream, another time where I slipped and my feet were muddied (remember, my shoes were falling apart at this point). I was frustrated.

But I found a mini-waterfall in which to swim. The hiking was beautiful - real grassland hiking, long plains stretching out westward and forever. There is also a strange, Stonehenge-like arrangement of rocks at one point along the trail (called Rujum al-Hiri), which historians cannot really explain. Combine that with faster walking in the middle part of the day and I was in a better mood by lunchtime.

Grassland hiking.

Swimming waterfall.

I went around another reservoir and found myself next to a large canyon right around the time to break for lunch. That canyon came out of nowhere, and it was stunning. The trip guide told me I would have an opportunity to hike down into the canyon (here it was called the Gamla Natural Reserve) and I was excited to do so.

But I was pretty tired at this point. This was the point where really everything started to hurt. My feet, my heels, every muscle in my legs, muscles that I didn’t even really know I had.

Still, the walking was good after lunch. I kept a consistent pace, and made decent time, even though I was hurting. It was only when I started to go down towards the canyon that I started to feel that familiar marathon-race type pain, the one where your body simply wants to shut down but you have to push through it. It was scary, a little bit. I was not feeling good, and I still had a long ways to go. And I could see the sun starting to drop in the sky, just a little bit.

But the canyon was honestly maybe the most beautiful part of the entire trip. Cows grazing, red flowers, lush greenery - and, at the bottom, a shaded water crossing that led to the Syrian Bridge crossing in the area (unclear to me, exactly, its historical significance).

Look closely and you’ll see red.

Awesome river crossing.

From there, another climb. After the climb, I got my first view of the Kinneret of the entire trip - a goal to work towards. I was exhausted, though - I was about to hit 17 miles on the day, and wasn’t sure where I would camp.

Kinneret visible between the mountains.

I reached the end of that particular hiking section, though, and it informed me that after a 2 mile descent, I would reach sea level, and a camping spot (at Mifgash HaNachalim, where two streams would meet). I had enough daylight for that left - about an hour. I walked (poorly) downhill for two more miles, and made it - but was met at the bottom with three water crossings. I took my shoes off for the first one, but the next two I plodded through - I was too tired at this point to keep taking my shoes off and putting them on, especially when the shores themsleves were probably my biggest burden at this point.

At the campsite, a father-son duo watched me as I trudged through the final water crossing. “Why did you go through the water?” they asked. “There is a way around!”

The final insult. There always is one.

I cooked dinner, put up my tent, and finally got my shoes off. An unbelievable feeling. My feet were wet, blistered, and doomed to remain wet for the rest of the trip, I knew. One more day, though. Another 20 miles, but one more day.

(I heard some suspicious panting outside my tent, though, and thought for a second it might be a wild boar. But, in the end, nothing happened.)

Day 4

I needed to get out early on this day - and I basically did. I was out and hiking by 7:30am, but not before hearing some rain pitter-patter on my tent in the morning. Luckily it only lasted a minute or two. It didn’t matter, really - everything was basically wet and muddy at this point.

The morning began with a climb, which went fine. But I got lost (thank you to the angel at the top of the climb who pointed me in the right direction) and then, while hiking though heavy underbrush, lost again. I tried to bushwhack to find the trail, but it was no use. The trail was nowhere to be found. This was insanely frustrating, but fit in with the common theme of unexpectedly difficult mornings the entire trip.

But I was able to stay on some sort of dirt path and make my way uphill toward Givat Yoav - a kibbutz. I had to open and close a few gates to get there, but once I was there, I was near the trail again. There had been more views of the Kinneret along the way.

Getting lost had cost me some mileage, but it also put me further along the trail, meaning there was a small section that I actually didn’t end up doing. I’m intense about such things, and spent brain power feeling bad that I had “skipped” part of the trail - the part that went very close to the Kinneret, no less. (I felt better when later in the day I met someone else who had also gotten hopelessly lost in the same place.) And, in Givat Yoav, a very nice young man offered me water, and I got a chance to look at the kibbutz sheep. Overall, an insanely peaceful time.

Morning viewz.

Givat Yoav.

I did take a small side trip to check out the section I had skipped (after I took my pack off). My bad side told me I hadn’t done the whole trail since I had skipped it - but I ended up doing more than the mileage the trail actually is, so I choose to not believe that bad side of myself. I did the whole trail, dammit.

“Skipped” section.

From there was a long down and up to the Golan Amphitheater. The trail moved away from the Kinneret side, eastward, and went down a long descent past other kibbutzim, before eventually making its way uphill to that spot. It didn’t take that long, though, and there were plentiful flowers along the way. With about 8 miles left, I was starting to smell the end. I ate a three-tortilla lunch and took a little more time than normal at lunch. I’m good, I thought.

I thought the next section would be similar to the last - a long descent, followed by a long ascent, not too bad. And that is basically what it was - but the long descent was technical, down to Meitzar Stream, and then the walking along the stream was covered in low trees and grass. Not the fastest hiking - but honestly some of the most lush, stunning landscapes of the whole trip. Everyone should go to Meitzar Stream - just a beautiful waterway nestled inside the Golan.

Golan flowers.

Top of Nachal Meitzar.

The Meitzar trail.

It was slow hiking, and then to climb out of there, you had to hike up a long, paved road that led you back up to the plain. That was endless and at this point I really could barely move. Someone offered me a ride - how tempting! But in the end, I saw the top, and to my left, Syrian villages were visible, beyond them Jordanian mountains. I knew I had a Kinneret view coming up to me soon - even though I got lost one more time and had to walk an extra half mile, just for good measure.

When I arrived at the last trail section (I don’t think I mentioned the trail is divided up into 15 sections, with moderately inaccurate information on each side that introduces each section) I knew I had 5K to go, even though the sign was telling me 7K (blatantly false).

I allowed myself to smile a bit on the easy way down to Ein Teufik and to the bottom of the hike. I had done this section with my parents a couple of years ago, and while not the most impressive trail, you do get amazing Kinneret views. I saw people doing some sort of paragliding in the sky. “You look tired,” one guy watching the spectacle said to me. And I was.

At the end.

I met a couple guys at the end of the hike who had taken five days to do the whole trail. In retrospect, four days was crazy. I sit here four days later and I still am sore (although a massage last night helped a bit). Still, they accompanied me to the end, and it was nice to have partners in crime to finish the trail with, with a big whoop at the finish.

There were certainly points where I didn’t think I would make it.

We all needed to hitchhike down from the trail. Within 15 minutes, I was in the car with a very nice couple who drove me way further than I had expected - all the way to the airport area, where I caught a bus back to Jerusalem. I sat in their car, eating kohlrabi they offered me, pleased to be off my feet, looking forward to that best moment - when I would peel off my wet socks and the underfitted shoes on my feet and sit down, in a room, just for one second.

Hitchhiking from here.

54,000 steps in a day - maybe a record?

In the end, of course it was worth it. I think I get frustrated easily by little things on these hikes, and judge myself for not going as fast I the impossible standard I hold myself to. I don’t always see the green that is inevitably there. A lesson - to take deep breaths, know that it’s going to work out, even if the sun is setting and you’re getting lost and your feet hurt. It’s really OK - more than OK, really. Downright flowery and beautiful.

#golan

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bamfcoyotetango · 6 years

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Number 7, Chaleigh please. 😁

Oh gosh, this is so very late but the Muses ate the prompt and gave me this .

7. Fake Relationship AU

Hand In My Hand

Raleigh's in the middle of setting up the music for the piano when Hansen, their bartender for the night, cleared his throat behind Raleigh.

"You need help cutting the citrus?" He asked sympathetically.

All the bartenders hate citrus and Raleigh's pretty good with a knife.

The only problem was that Hansen didn't ask for help.

Like... Ever.

"Yeah, actually. I, err, I've been meanin' t' talk with you." Hansen relented, his broad shoulders slumping in a show of emotion Raleigh didn't expect.

"Oh?" Raleigh arranged the music and left the wide performance platform, careful to step over the wires the sound crew hid under the rich red carpet. "Any reason in particular?"

The other man handed over a knife, a cutting board and a bag of mixed citrus. "Look, I know I'm not... the most social."

Raleigh snorted at that, "No shit."

"Oi, fuck off yeah? I'm trying here." Hansen growled defensively before he sighed. "I've got a problem."

"... And you think I can fix it?" He countered dryly as he sliced the fruits into multi-colored discs. "I know I'm the bar's handyman and all but uh, I normally don't fix people as a rule."

"Yes." The blunt honesty has Raleigh setting down his knife and turning to face Hansen. "Look, you're pretty enough that my Dad might be fooled inta thinkin' we're datin', alright? He knows I don't swing too often the other way and Mako's like my sister so I can't ask her an' the rest of the bartenders-"

Raleigh held up a hand and mulled it over, parsing out the basics of it in under two minutes. It wasn't exactly a secret that Raleigh appreciated multiple types of people. Hansen might've been a surly jerk but damn if he didn't fill out his bar polo shirt nicely. "You want me to date you... because your Dad is a hard ass?"

"Look, he's coming to visit in a few months an' he keeps a hairy eyeball on my social media, yeah? He knows when I'm not datin' and he gets all sad an' mopey like he didn't do a job 'n a half raising me. My old man wants to see me happy. So... are you in or what?" Hansen grumbled even as he rubbed at his nose.

Raleigh thought of his Maman, in remission, being overjoyed that her middle child finally found someone.

"I'll make you a deal," He allowed carefully, "if this is for your Dad, then it's also gotta be for my Maman. She's in remission and now she's tryin' to meddle in my love-life. You break her heart and I'll break your face. I'll pretend to date your ass for her sake if nothing else."

"What about...?"

Raleigh gritted his teeth and sucked in a calming breath. "Let's just say he's a bastard."

"... Oh. I guess we need to outline what's not okay to touch as a topic." Hansen pointed out.

"Yeah, might be a good idea." He admitted.

"For starters, don't ask about Mum and I won't ask about the rat bastard."

"Got it."

"By the way... M' name's Chuck." Chuck held out his hand and Raleigh shook it.

"Raleigh."

Chuck, for all of his asshole tendencies, was pretty decent with the whole dating thing.

Once Raleigh got past the scowl and the snark and the Alaskan-sized chip on his shoulder, that is.

He'd even bothered to ask Raleigh for his favorite flower (sunflowers) and had presented them with a scowl at the start of their next 'date'.

Somewhere along the way, dating Chuck had become less obligation and started to feel like... something Raleigh shouldn't enjoy as much as he did.

He shouldn't enjoy the under-the-breath quips that were so sarcastic that Raleigh actually cracked up laughing when he caught them.

He shouldn't sneak glances when Chuck closed his eyes and reveled in the wind coming off of the sea.

He shouldn't save a sunflower from each bouquet Chuck "remembered" to bring.

Raleigh spun a thick stem between his fingers and quietly admitted to himself that if he fell in love with Chuck, it might not be so bad.

It wasn't like the ginger bastard would ever return his feelings after all.

Raleigh was one of, it turned out, a lucky three people who had Chuck's phone number.

""So, Chuck hasn't called in and I have it on good authority that you're dating. I got the Kaidonovskies to cover his shift but could you do us all a huge favor and go check on him?"" Sergio asked. ""He's never done this before so I'm a little worried.""

"I'm on it, Serg. I'll let you know what's up, okay?" Raleigh hummed and then scrubbed a hand down his face as he texted Chuck.

Raleigh: Where r u?

It took near five minutes for Chuck to respond, which was way longer than his usual five seconds.

Chuck: m sick

Chuck: don't come over

Chuck: if I die u get my dog

He snorted, texting as he grabbed his jacket, his scarf and his washable surgical mask Mako had given him for his birthday.

Raleigh: drama llama

Raleigh: Ur not gonna die

Raleigh: I'm coming over

Chuck appeared to rouse at that.

Chuck: NO

If Chuck thought he could out-stubborn Raleigh, he had another thing coming.

Raleigh: YES

Raleigh: I'm making you homemade soup

Raleigh: u giant wiener

Chuck didn't respond for several moments as if shocked that Raleigh would do something that nice.

Chuck: U need my address

Chuck: Or did u expect to kno

Chuck: where I live, u wanker

He did laugh at that, midway through testing a tomato with his fingers.

Raleigh: I could ask Mako

Raleigh: She'll provide the info

Raleigh: with half the hassle that

Raleigh: Ur giving me

Raleigh: btw

Raleigh: R u allergic to tomato?

His phone buzzed with the response as Raleigh finished grocery shopping.

Chuck: no, not allergic to tomato

Chuck: pick up some tissue

As though he sensed he was being a little rude, he followed it with another text.

Chuck: ... pls?

Raleigh shook his head, flicked on his voice-to-text app and said, "Already on it period. Send."

Chuck sent the address and Raleigh pulled over into a gas station to input the address. He paused, contemplated labeling it 'U Grumpy Bastard' and then grinned at it occurred to him.

Chuck's address ended up as 'My Dumbass

An English bulldog sat in his way, Raleigh's arms aching as the grocery bags creaked.

"Uh, hi, pup. Could you do me a favor—"

"Max, get." Chuck rasped, poking his dog with his socked foot to let Raleigh into his apartment.

He toed off his boots out of habit and nudged them into a vaguely neat pile near the door.

Raleigh set all the bags down, found the trash can and the fridge and got to work.

By the time the tomato soup was bubbling on the stove, Chuck had been served eucalyptus tea, meds and tissues, in that order.

Raleigh absently texted Sergio as he watched his soup, keeping half an eye on a bemused and snuffling Chuck. He reigned in the urge to kiss the frown off of Chuck's face.

Chuck frowned and then wrote on the whiteboard Raleigh had brought from home.

'What? Do I have something in my face?'

"Nah. Just an old habit from when my sister was sick. She'd sneak off the couch and then get me sick cause she likes to cuddle when she's loopy on meds." He deflected as he poked at the soup.

The squeak of the marker was proceeded by Chuck gathering his blanket nest and sitting on the tall chair next to the counter.

'U have siblings?'

"Mm, two. Yancy's the oldest and Jazzy's the youngest. I'm the middle kiddo."

'Why tomato soup?'

"I'll have you know that Maman and my Mémé would skin me alive if I fed you anything else aside from this. It's supposed to be loaded with nutrients and good protein to help you get better." He countered with a raised brow.

'Meme??'

"French for Grandma. Maman is Mom." Raleigh explained. He pulled out the bacon, frowned and asked, "Where's your frying pan?"

'Under the stove.'

"... You don't cook, clearly, cause otherwise you'd know that that's the broiler, not a drawer. Also, these are really nice pans and it's a shame they don't get used more often." He talked mostly to himself but Chuck blew a raspberry from behind the covers. "It's true."

'Don't b rude. It's my space u know.'

"Supposed to be our space, remember? Shit, should I move in?" Raleigh asked and Chuck shook his head hard enough to negate that.

'NO.'

Chuck wrote quickly and then thrust it out as Raleigh patted the bacon to get the excess grease off.

'I'm already regretting asking u, alright? The last thing I need is to see u in ur undies. I bet u wear whities.'

"Hey! I wear boxer briefs, you jerk. Tightey-whities are soooo last season. Also, Jazz would murder me for that fashion crime. She's majoring in it and if I'm related to her, I'm gonna not cause her pain by dressing, and I quote, 'like a fisherman with no sense'. She's already tried to kill my sweaters, okay?" Raleigh grumbled as he dumped most of the bacon into the soup.

'Wait. Seriously?'

"Yeah, seriously."

'Ur jumpers r how I know it's u. No one else at the bar wears them like u do.' If Raleigh tilted it right, it might've been a compliment but Chuck didn't do those.

"Uhhhh, thanks, I think. Now, eat your soup and rest some more, alright?" Raleigh served up a decent bowl that would go down well with Chuck and reserved the rest of the soup in the pot, closing it with a lid. "Don't even think about ruining my soup by sticking it in the microwave. Heat it up on the stove on low." He looked at Max. "Do I need to take Max for a poop?"

'Probably. His lead's in the hall.'

Raleigh grabbed the red leash and Max was suddenly at his feet, butt wagging furiously.

He barely had room to tug on his boots.

"I'll be back! Finish that soup, Chuck!" The door closed with a clunk behind him. He laughed when Max tugged him down the street, barely giving him time to shrug on his jacket and wrap his scarf up the right way.

"Is that Max I hear?" Max boofed and somehow his butt wiggled even harder. "It is~" An older woman was sitting on the porch, her hands cradling a warm drink with a blanket in her lap. "Oh! You're not Chuck!"

"Ahh, no. He's sick," Raleigh mentioned with a shrug, his muscles straining as Max tugged on the leash in this woman's direction. "Max, pas maintenant*." He chided.

"You must be that friend of his."

"... Umm," Raleigh's face heated up as he thought about Chuck, who was probably miserably eating his soup and scrubbed at the back of his neck.

"Oh, I see. How long?" Her confidential tone made Raleigh want to combust from embarassment.

"Coupla months," he choked out, "Gotta go, ma'am, Max is, umm..."

"Go on. Chuck's got himself a keeper! You tell him Mrs. Gage said so, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Raleigh agreed as Max tugged on the leash again.

"Chuck, I swear to God that you've got the nosiest neighbors—" Raleigh froze at the sight of a man who could only be Chuck's Dad.

He let Max off the leash on autopilot after he closed the door, hanging it up like he'd seen it earlier. Raleigh kicked off his boots again and set them against the foyer frame, this time a great deal neater than they'd been before.

"You must be Raleigh," the man said as though he hadn't thrown their whole plan out of wack. "I'm Herc."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." He let his manners take over, a smile on his face as he shook the offered hand. "Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?"

'Dad doesn't do tea.' When the whiteboard popped up from the couch, it seemed Chuck had retreated back with his blanket nest.

"Mm, coffee then?" Raleigh hummed as Herc looked between them. "Milk? Creamer?"

"Creamer, if you don't mind."

He busied himself preparing two cups of coffee and then dug into the supplies he'd organized on the counter, muttering to himself in Korean as he read the instructions for the citron tea he'd brought over.

"Coffee 'n creamer for us, tea for Chuck. Don't make that face. It's gonna feel nice and it's yuzu, vaguely lemony with honey." He sat next to Chuck, reaching to adjust the blankets and handing over the tea.

'Ur gonna get sick.'

"Mmm, yeah, probably. Do I look like I mind?" Raleigh pointed out as he gently pecked Chuck on the lips. Chuck grumbled wordlessly but snuggled closer as he drank his tea. He made a noise of surprise at the taste and looked at Raleigh with a wordless question. "So-Yi suggested it when I dropped by the bar. Y'know, half of them thought you got in a fight or dropped off the face of the planet. Being sick never even occurred to them."

'Liar.'

"No, that's what you get when literally three people have your number, you dumbass." He bickered back, looking up when a muffled laugh brought him back to their current situation.

Right.

Chuck's Dad.

"Y'know, I almost didn't believe my son when he said he was dating someone. He works hard and doesn't remember to leave time for himself but I can see he's in good hands with you." The pride Herc had for his son was clear in nearly every word he spoke.

"Yeah, well I could've said the same a while back. Chuck's sweet under like, fifteen layers of asshole, but you gotta have enough patience for the layers." Raleigh ribbed Chuck gently, letting himself touch instead of shying away from Chuck. They had to make this convincing—At least that was how he justified it to himself. "Mmm, you've got a fever." He told Chuck as he brushed the damp ginger hair away from Chuck's forehead.

'No shit, u wanker. What r u doing?'

Raleigh leaned in close and whispered his answer, "I'm being your boyfriend, hell practically the perfect one. The least your dumbass could do is play along, right?"

Chuck huffed at that and leaned into the casual touch. 'whatever. R we still doing that ice thing?'

"Like I'm gonna miss the chance to see you fall on your ass?" Raleigh teased. "We'll just have to reschedule for when you're better."

"I'll leave you two to be cutesy." Herc chuckled and Raleigh nearly face palmed.

They were totally—"Oh God, I'm the worst host-"

'Sorry Dad.'

"Don't be sorry. You two remind me of a better time." Herc only smiled at them and let himself out, nudging Max away from the door with his foot out of years of practice.

Raleigh practically turned the air blue with French curses before he sighed. "At least your Dad's convinced?"

"Why'd you kiss me?" Chuck's voice, as raspy as it was, caught his attention immediately.

"We're supposed to be dating. If I really was your boyfriend, I wouldn't let a cold keep me from kissing you. You were just so adorably grumpy," Raleigh replied before he caught what came out of his mouth. "I-I mean, I've gone and done it with my other relationships, y'know, so I thought you wouldn't mind—"

"Raleigh." Chuck's gaze cut off his voice faster than anything else. "Did you call me adorably grumpy?"

"No," he denied it quickly, valiantly trying to ignore how his face felt like it was on fire.

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

"Raleigh, I-"

"I think I might be in love with you." He blurted and then slapped both of his hands over his mouth in shock.

Oh he was so screwed; Chuck was going to break off their agreement, break up with him even though they weren't really dating and why did that thought hurt so much?

Raleigh made to stand, one foot planted on the floor when Chuck's hand shot out and grabbed the front of his sweater.

"I thought it was hopeless," Chuck coughed before he continued hoarsely. "that there was no way in a million years that sunshine personified would ever like me enough, but you said... You said you're in love with me."

Huh. Weren't they a match made in heaven; oblivious as hell until one of them confessed.

Raleigh settled back into the blankets and whispered, "'Sunshine personified'? Really?"

"Don't you start, Rahleigh."

"Well, since we're actually dating, there is a way to shut me up."

He was going to regret it later, he knew, but the feel of Chuck's tongue in his mouth over-rode the resignation of being sick right along with his boyfriend.

Mako only laughed when Raleigh whined about being sick.

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