#i don’t like that delay/waiting period when trying to feel

[bi-panic-at-the-disco]

meh

#disco speaks! #i get so full of love and feelings at night and I kind of wish that I felt like that all the time without it being behind walls #by behind walls I might metaphorical walls cause my feelings dampen significantly during the day in general #which is frustrating cause like I like feeling things a lot harder #i mean sure yeah I get hit harder when I get hurt but also there’s less of a delay #i don’t like that delay/waiting period when trying to feel

[airaibunny]

dom!yujin x sub!fem!reader - “more than studying” (warnings: smut, first time/inexperience, high school AU, praise, scissoring, breast play, begging)

a/n: requested! omg i’m sorry about the length, i just started writing shit and i didn’t realize how long it was. it wasn’t gonna be an au at first, but i decided against that. i know i’m trying a lot of firsts lately, but this is my first time writing an au, i ask u guys to please give me feedback as per usual. but um, ig hopefully i didn’t fuck it up that much

word count: 3.3k

everybody knows who ahn yujin is. she’s your high school’s “it” girl. you’re not exactly her friend, you don’t even know if she knows who you are. despite this, you can’t help but be completely captivated with her, but not in the way you should be.

all of the other girls look at her with envy. they swarm around her like bugs, they all want to be in her place. on the contrary, you look at her completely enamored. you have memorized every feature on her face, even if you’ve never gotten an up close look at them. the things you think about while looking at her are criminal, but you can’t stop yourself.

if only she’d give you the time of day. you often daydream about her asking you to hang out, or flat out kissing you in the middle of the hallway. but she’s never acknowledged you in the slightest. you’d love to get close to her, but you’re much too sheepish to do so yourself.

her usual flock of friends run to greet her when she walks in the front door of the school. you watch from afar for a few seconds, but quickly run to class in fear of being late.

your grades are entirely too important to jeopardize them for one more meaningless look at yujin. you’re very intelligent, top of your class in fact. you don’t live up to the tv-nerd stereotype however; you’re very pretty. you don’t indulge in vanity though, you hate being the center of attention and don’t crave praise for your looks.

you hear the bell ring and impatiently await the teacher. first period is dreadful to sit through because you can’t stop looking at the clock in anticipation; the only class you have with yujin is the one right after this.

your teacher rushes into the classroom, apologizing for the delay. you quietly sit through today’s lecture, sometimes catching yourself thinking about yujin and not paying attention.

the bell finally rings and you bolt up from your spot, packing up erratically and speeding out the door. you walk down the hallway as fast as you can and into your second period classroom. you sit at your usual spot in the front, closest to the teacher.

you watch the door like a hawk, waiting for yujin to walk in. when she finally does, you abruptly turn away, not wanting her to see you looking her way. you think she’s just going to walk past you and go sit in the back like she routinely does, but you freeze when she sits right next to you.

fuck.

you can feel your heart skip at beat as she takes out her notebook. you’ve obviously been this close to her before, but never for an extended period of time.

“shit. do you have a pen?”

your eyes widen at the remark. you turn your head to look at her, shaking. “yeah, here you go.” you nervously smile, holding out your hand with your own pen. “is this the only one you have? i don’t want to take it if it is.” you pull out another pen from your pencil case and hold it up to show her. she smiles and takes the pen your previously offered.

you turn back to the front, trying to stay calm. that was the longest (and the only) conversation you’ve ever had with her.

“wait, you’re the really smart girl. y/n, right?” you turn back to face her, in shock that she’s still talking to you. “yes, i am.” you hide your hands in your lap in fear that she might notice how shaky you are. “please drop the honorifics, they’re really not necessary.”

you agree with a nod, but you’re squealing inside. the ahn yujin just asked you to speak to her informally. does this mean you’re friends?

she gives you a big grin and you give her one back. “your smile is so cute!” your breathing hitches, did she just compliment you?

“oh, thank you.” you practically whisper to her, too flustered to raise your voice. “of course!”

the bell rings and you’re left to think about your interaction in complete silence. paying attention is extraneously hard, how are you supposed to concentrate when she just complimented you?

you keep looking at her throughout the entire class, but you make sure it’s not noticiable.

you sigh to yourself a bit when it’s over, upset at having to leave yujin. you start packing, but you stop when she starts talking to you again.

“oh my god, did you understand all of that?” you nod, trying to seem cool about the situation even though you are most definitely freaking out internally. “ugh, how? you should tutor me, like, i’m 100% serious. i’m really close to failing this class and i don’t know how my parents will react if i do.”

you’re pretty sure you completely stop breathing. tutoring yujin would mean spending time with her, alone. could you really trust yourself to do that?

“um, i could…” she stands up and you’re forced to look up at her since you’re still sitting. you suddenly feel even more nervous than before. “oh my god! really? that’d be amazing. i don’t have any smart friends. you’re my first.”

she just called you her friend.

this didn’t exactly what you want to be, but it’s a step in the right direction. “oh, that’s great!” you smile again and she giggles. “yeah! how about we hang out after school? you can try to explain whatever it is that the teacher was saying, and then we can just talk if you want.” you nod while still smiling, but you try to dissimulate how truly ecstatic you are.

“okay, can we meet at your house?” you nod again. “let me put my number in your phone.” you immediately hand your phone to her. you can’t believe she’s giving you her number. you quietly watch as she makes a contact for herself and hands your phone back. she took a selfie for her contact picture and named herself “yujin-ah🩷”

“let’s meet up outside the school gates after school, okay?” you nod for the hundredth time and she waves goodbye at you. you sloppily pack up as you realize how much time you and yujin spent talking after class.

the rest of the day goes by dismally slow. you sit through every class tapping your pen on your desk and shaking your leg. you blankly stare at the clock during your last class of the day, anticipating every move of the handle.

when the bell finally rings you almost hurt yourself getting up. you stuff all of your things into your backpack, which is very out of character for you. you hurriedly run outside and to the school entrance. you stand there, looking in every direction to see if yujin was coming.

“hey y/n!” she somehow sneaks up behind you and startles you. “oh, sorry.”

“no, don’t apologize, it’s okay.” you smile at her and stop her from bowing. “well, do you want to get going?” you nod and start walking away in front of her, but she links her arm in yours. you continue walking, but you can feel your cheeks and ears getting hot.

“am i being to forward, is that why you won’t talk to me?” you harshly turn your head towards her and furrow your brows. “no! not at all, i just don’t talk to a lot of people.” she stays silent for a few seconds. “oh. well, you can talk to me freely, seriously.”

“oh, okay.” you surprisingly talk the entire way to your house, taking her up on her word. sometimes you think you’re being too much, but they way she’s attentively looking at you encourages you to go on.

when you finally arrive at your house, you lead her inside and lock the door behind you. “i forgot to tell you my parents are at work, we’re alone.”

“that’s fine, i don’t mind.” you take her to the living room and ask her if she can unpack both of your supplies from your backpacks while you get a snack. she nods and you disappear into the kitchen, finally letting it sink in that she is at your house.

you take a few minutes to compose yourself before going outside with a few apple slices and drinks.

“are you ready?” she asks, lifting her eyebrows. you nod and sit down beside her.

you explain the material to her for about two hours before she decides she’s ready to give up for the day. she follows through with your agreement and just talks to you for a while. you listen to her every word very attentively. you’re still in awe that she’s treating you like this.

“it’s getting dark, i should probably head home.” you help her pack up and walk her to the front door. you try just waving goodbye, but she gives you a hug. you hug her back, smiling to yourself. “we should do this again!”

“yeah!”

and you did. you and yujin met up almost every day for the next month. your amazement died down after you got fully acquainted, but your crush has only grown stronger. now that you two are so close, you feel more immersed in her than ever. you’ve had to stop yourself from kissing her multiple times, and you can barely look at her without a vulgar thought popping into your head. will you ever be able to tell her?

“are your parents home?” she asks when she meets you at your usual spot outside the school. “yeah, they are.” you nod along with your sentence, curious about why she’d ask that. “can we go to my house today?” you find her second question stranger than the first, but you agree with her nonetheless. “awesome, let’s go.”

this is your first time going to yujin’s house. you wonder why she chose today, and if your parents being home influenced her decision. you brush it off, thinking she just feels like being alone.

she’s very quiet on the way to her house which is usually not how she acts. you’re both normally loudly laughing and making silly remarks on your walks after school. why is she acting so strange?

you get to her house and she pushes you inside, making you stumble a bit. you shoot her a ‘what the fuck’ look, but she’s facing away from you and locking the door.

“lets go upstairs.” she takes your hand and drags you up the stairs, not letting you respond. “where are your parents?” she doesn’t bother to look back at you.

“not here.”

a sudden thought pops into your head. the fact that she asked to go to her house because she knew her parents weren’t home is strange, what does she want to do? it can’t possibly be what you’re thinking. she just thinks of you as a friend, there’s absolutely no way.

she shoves you inside her room and turns around to lock that door as well. you giggle in confusion and somewhat fear. “are we doing some top secret studying, what’s going on?”

she drops her backpack on the floor and walks up to you to do the same to yours.

“we’re not studying, but it is top secret.”

with that, she grabs your face and crashes her lips into yours without a warning.

your mind stops working for a second and you just let yourself melt into the kiss. her lips feel infinitely better than you imagined. they’re smooth and pillowy, you can’t help but imagine how they’d feel elsewhere. you part your lips, allowing her to push her tongue inside your mouth. you try fighting her for dominance with your own, but she ultimately wins.

you can feel the slick running onto your underwear just from kissing her.

she only pulls away when you’re both gasping for air. “is this okay?” you respond by smiling and pulling her back in, wrapping your arms around her neck. “you’re so pretty. can you smile for me again?” you comply and she looks down at your shirt, slightly tugging at it.

“can i take this off?” you shamelessly nod and help her pull your shirt over your head. her hands land on your waist, pulling you closer to her. “have you ever done this before?” she brings her lips to your neck. “no…” she stops to look at you with a sickeningly sweet smile. “okay, i’ll be very gentle.”

she plants a kiss on your forehead and goes back to your neck. she leaves sloppy kisses and bruises all over it, earning soft moans from you. one of her hands moves to your back and unclasps your bra. you let it fall, but cover yourself with your hands.

“don’t cover up pretty girl, let me see.” she moves your arms out of the way and stares at your chest. your face turns red with embarrassment and she immediately notices. “don’t worry, there’s no need to be shy.”

she takes one of your breasts into her hand and pulls you in for another kiss with the other. you moan at the sensation of her hand on your tits, but also at the puddle forming on your underwear. you become hyperaware of the fact that she’s still fully clothed and whine out in frustration while pulling at her shirt.

“yujin-ah…” she quickly catches on to what you want and practically rips her shirt off. she lets you take off her bra and throws it on the ground. you stand frozen for a second, not knowing what to do next.

“do you want to touch?” you nod, but hesitate to bring your hands forward. she rolls her eyes with a smile and grabs them, placing them directly on top of her breasts. your face turns scorching once more, which earns another giggle from her.

“do you need me to guide you?” you nod again and she brings her hands to yours, making you caress her breasts. you let it happen, completely astounded at the fact that this is happening. you’re enjoying getting to touch her, but it’s just making you focus more on the wetness growing between your legs.

luckily, yujin notices how squirmy you’re being. “do you want to move on?” you respond to her verbally this time. “yes, please.” you see that same provocative smile spread across her lips, so you make an mental note of your response.

she unzips her skirt and lets it fall to the ground. she does the same to her underwear and you nearly faint. you’re completely sure you’re awake, but this still feels unreal. you watch the sway of her hips as she walks to the bed and sits down, beckoning you closer. you comply and walk in front of her.

she places her hands at either sides of your shorts and slightly tugs them down. “is this okay?” she pauses for a second but you give her your consent to keep going. she pulls your shorts and underwear off, leaving you completely bare. she holds onto your thighs and leans in to plant a soft kiss on your abdomen while looking up at you.

you twitch at the feeling of her lips and gasp a bit. she chuckles to herself and pulls you onto her lap. “i love making you so flustered, it’s so cute.” she leans in for another peck on the lips before moving on to your neck once again.

she uses one of her hands to massage your thigh and the other to do the same to your breasts. she continues marking you for a few minutes, making you whine out with her every move.

the hand on your thigh moves further up, stopping to ask you for permission. “can i touch you?” you remember her reaction to your previous response and answer in the same way. “mhm, please, yujin-ah.” she doesn’t need to hear another word before she brings her fingers to your core.

you let a loud moan escape your lips and hold on to her shoulders. you hear her breathing get shaky and wonder what’s wrong.

“you’re fucking soaked.”

your state is clearly eliciting a physical reaction from her because her hand feels shaky. “are you sure you want to keep going?” you whine in annoyance again and lift her face up to your own to give her a kiss.

“stop asking, please just go. ruin me, please.”

you don’t know where your sudden boldness came from, but yujin seems pleasantly surprised. “okay pretty girl, whatever you want.” she begins rubbing small circles on your clit and you immediately become a mess.

her lips land on your breasts, she sucks on them, leaving more red marks everywhere. you push her head farther into you, earning small laughs and witty remarks.

you feel a paralyzing knot building in your stomach and tighten your grip on yujin’s hair. her fingers speed up, sensing that you’re on the edge. her agility is impressive, you’re amazed that she’s not tired.

“yujin…” you whimper, causing her to detach from your chest and plant a kiss on your lips. “it’s okay. i’ve got you, go ahead.”

you feel the pressure release as soon as she finishes her sentence. you instinctively bury your face into her neck as your hips stagger to a stop. she keeps her fingers pressed against your clit, gradually slowing until you’re completely done.

“you were amazing, princess.” she strokes your hair, letting you calm down and regain your normal breathing pattern.

once you’re back to normal, she moves you out of her lap and onto the bed. she’s pushes you, making you fall on your back. she positions herself on top of you and bends down to kiss you.

“can you lift your leg for me?” you oblige without thinking about it, your mind is so foggy, you’d do anything she asked you for. “good job, you’re so good at following directions.” you feel the familiar heat return to your core with that sentence and become immediately impatient.

she brings one of her legs over yours which leaves her core hovering over your own. you think she’s going to let her hips fall, but she brings her face to your breasts again, continuing to tease you.

“yujin, no teasing. please, just sit.”

you push her face away from your chest to look at her in the eyes. she licks her lips and chuckles down at you. “you’re such a needy girl. you’re lucky i don’t feel like being mean.”

you mutter another ‘please’ at her and she finally gives you what you want. your hips jerk forward as soon as you come in contact with her core, which earns a small moan form her. you take her breasts in your hands without thinking about it, playing with them exactly like she showed you earlier.

her hips move at a steady pace. your legs twitch a bit every time her clit brushes against yours. you’re both extremely loud, you’re very thankful her parents aren’t home. she looks absolutely heavenly on top of you. you can feel yourself inching closer to the edge every time her eyes meet yours and she shoots you a smirk.

she leans back, resting on her hands. your own hands leave her breasts and go to her thighs. she speeds up and her pace becomes erratic.

you think she might cum first, but you suddenly feel a wave of ecstasy wash over you. you dig your nails into her thigh, causing her to whine out. she keeps the same sporadic pace going for a few seconds until she finishes as well.

you can feel her juices leaking out onto your folds and mixing with your own. her bangs are stuck to her forehead with sweat and the air around you feels thick. you’re both gasping as yujin halts her movements.

“did you like that?” she leans down to kiss you and whispers against your lips. “mhm.” you smile at her. “i love your smile so much.” she drags her thumb across your bottom lip and looks down at your chest. her eyes widen when she finally sees what she did.

“sorry i left so many marks.”

#kpop fanfic #fanfic #kpop imagines #fanfiction #kpop gg #kpop smut #smut #kpop x you #kpop x reader #kpop girls #ive #ive smut #ive yujin #ahn yujin #an yujin #yujin #yujin smut #ive x reader #yujin x reader #ahn yujin x reader #izone yujin #izone smut #wlw nsft #wlw post #wlw #ive kpop #praise #first time #gg smut #kpop gg x reader

[asurix]

Chubby reader x dazai who is insecure about herself can you can i like your articles very much

OMG, i think this would be so cute! im on my period...so i dont think ill be very creative today but ill try sorry for keeping you waiting ml.sorry for the delay! i had to finish my other jjk smuts and i took a break! ( I’m so so sorry for making it a Chuuya I didn’t see dazai I thought it wir

Genre: NFSW/SMUT, fem!reader,dom!dazai,chubby!reader,insecure!reader.

Content warning!: groping,kissing,Vaginal sex,degrading,praising and thats all!

aftercare of course :3

look how fine he is

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

You were in your fancy room that Dazai, your boyfriend, had bought and hired people to decorate it just how you like, Dazai loved praising you , he was like a #1 praiser to you but just it was pure love, one thing you didn't understand was how could he like you? your fat hips and tighs, belly rolls, fat cheeks, saggy tits,cellulite all over your body and stretch marks, you always found them ugly and you just wanted to get rid off them, you were infront of your mirror checking every part of your body that you hated, grabbing them, fondling your breast, brushing your hand over your belly rolls and grabbing on them, you couldn't help but frown at the sight, little did you know your boyfriend saw everything, he wasn't feeling one pity in him just pure irritation, '' hey my love…'' he groaned out not loud but loud enough for you to notice him standing in front of the door ''what are you doing?'' he titled his head frowing at you, ''oh! i was just checking myself out you know..?'' you akwardly laughed, Dazai wasn't buying it he knew you were lying straight up to his face, ''i don’t like when you lie to me Y/N'' he raised an eyebrow , ''i really do'' he added, ''im sorry baby'' you held your tears, being in the verge of tears, ''baby…” dazai’a face melted finally stopped frowning, his irritation melting and molding into pure sympathy as he hated seeing you cry.

''dont cry donna ..''he walked up to you wrapping his arms around your waist, ''there is nothing i dont like about you'' he smiled at you. ''i love everything about you, if you dont accept that fact, then ill have to fuck you dumb until you understand that, dont you think?'' he tilted his head, you chuckled a bit, ''maybe?'' you responded. That was enough for Dazai to get him hard, he slowly put his hands on your ass grabbing and groping them, ''oh donna~ it would have been so nice to fuck you breathlessly mhm?'' he bit his lip, before quietly chuckling, “ how can you hate yourself? Bella? I love every part of you” he looked slightly hurt that you hated yourself. “ I don’t know… I just feel so fat and ugly” you looked down on the floor, embarrassed.Dazai processed what you said. he picked you up and threw you on the bed, your weight clearly not a problem to him, he got on top of you and kissed your neck, “ I’ll just have to fuck you dumb until you love every part of your body” he curled up a smirk. “W-wait! Dazai!” You stuttered, before you could even finish you're sentence Dazai lowered his head to your tighs and start biting you, ''i love these plushies'' Dazai continued nibbling on you're thigh before getting up to unbuckle his pants and line up infront of you're wet cunt, ''already wet for me? what a slut'' he grinned before burrying his cock deep inside you,Dazai started thrusting inside you hitting every good spot, ''fuck...so tight'' Dazai groaned, he continued fucking you, ''flip over for me beautiful'' Dazai exhaled, he stopped thrusting giving you time to flip over, you flipped over now laying on you're stomach, ''be a good girl and tell me suger how good my dick is alright?'' Dazai groaned in you're ear, thrusting once again inside you in a slow pace just to tease you ''how good is it baby?'' Dazai smirked ''its so good mhm~'' you moaned out biting into the pillow shoved in you're face. he continued thrusting into you're gushy walls, skin slapping echoing the entire apartment you and Dazai owned. ''oh really~?'' Dazai chuckled, you both went at it you came on his dick twice and Dazai still thrusting deep inside you hitting you're g spot really good, he finally thrusted 2 times before cumming, spilling all his hot sticky seed inside you, filling you completley. ''such a whore'' Dazai sneered before giving you're plushy ass a hard slap leaving a red handprint on it ''ah~Dazai dont slap me so hard'' you whined.

''should have thought about that before talking shit like that about yourself, im really dissapointed'' Dazai sighed, ''im sorry baby i just felt insecure'' you pouted ''its fine baby just dont talk like that again''

''okay baby'' you smiled, Dazai gave you a kiss on you're forehead before pulling out leaving trails of you're mixed juices. ''you should go clean yourself baby'' Dazai insisted, ''will you take a bath with me?'' you suggested with a smile, ''of course baby how can i resist'' Dazai smirked picking you up and taking you to the bathroom.

in the end you both had a nice bubbly bath togehter and snuggled in bed! ( I’m so sorry anon for mixing Chuuya!! and Dazai up)

#smut #bsd smut #bungo stray dogs #fanfic #bsd #bungo stray dogs smut #dazai x reader #dazai smut #bsd dazai

[rs-hawk]

My Brother’s Hot Friend: Week Four

FtM Reader x Dragon

Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four

Drake and you are wrestling on the bed, with you trying to push him off. “I told you that I don’t want to take it off!” Of course rationally you knew he was right, but did he have to be such an asshole about it? You sniffled, tears pricking your eyes.

Instantly Drake stopped, dropping back to his knees on the edge of the bed. “Did I… hurt you?”

“No,” you said quietly, scooting up against the head board as you sat up.

“I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you throwing up and having that on for extended periods of time can hurt you already. If you’re wearing that and something happens, taking it off is going to delay help to you too. A few seconds can matter in those situations,” he finally said, his voice gravelly. “Y/N I… I can’t lose you.”

You rolled your eyes, folding your arms across your chest again and looking away from the vague silhouette of his you can see with the little light in the room. “You don’t have to act like that.”

“Act like what?”

“Act like you care about me.”

“I do care about you!”

You snorted, pulling your knees up to your chest and wrapping your arms around your legs. “You don’t have to lie to me. I know you’re only taking care of me to help out my brother.”

He crawled closer to you on his hands and knees, his form suddenly seemingly hulking. “I did not.”

“You don’t even like me. You only ever put up with me because you’re my brother’s best friend,” you muttered, leaning your face against your arms.

He pulled your hands away from your legs, leaning his head on them next to your face on the leg. “Silly boy. That’s not true.”

“Yes it is,” you insisted despite your breath catching in your throat from his face being that close to yours.

Drake sat up straighter, using his long fingers to tilt your chin up to look at him. His eyes seem to glint amber in the moonlight. “Y/N, that is not true.”

“You’re so hot,” you blurred out, your lips slightly parted, feeling your eyes cross slightly as you stare at his eyes.

He chuckled, and this close, you smelled smoke. Did he smoke? You’d never seen it, but suddenly you remembered all the times there had been the smell of smoke when he was around. Maybe his parents smoked?

“Thank you. You’re so handsome,” he said in a possessive voice, almost a growl. His free hand snaked around your waist, tugging you closer to him, your bodies pressed together. “I’ve always thought so.”

Don’t wait to read the next installment and don’t forget to vote on what happens next! Check out my Patreon

#writers on tumblr #writing #fantasy romance #author #monster lover #monster romance #monster fucker #monster fuqqer #fantasy smut #smut #dragon boyfriend #my brother’s hot friend #weekly updates #weekly update #analog #writer stuff #writers of tumblr #my writing #shapeshifter romance #dragon romance #Patreon #poll driven #vote driven #queer fluff #queer smut #queer fantasy #queer ns/fw #queer romance #queer nsft #mlm romance

[manias-wordcount]

Unless You Try (Seishiro Nagi x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘁

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?  

It’s after school. You’re tired from a long day hard at work caring for your friends and acquaintances alike. The praise for all your effort and the constant stream of “thank yous” throughout the day is what got you to this point. But as you make your way down the steps of one of the more unused stairwells in the entire school, you remind yourself that there’s just one more task left. Even though the school grounds are practically empty except for those at their extracurriculars, there’s still more to be done. Even though every window you pass by bathes you in that warm, orange-tinted light that always seems to indicate it’s time to go home, you know you’re not finished just yet.

 All in a day’s work for a class representative, you suppose.

 Before you know it, you’re hearing your footsteps echo down the steps for a few seconds after you’ve come to a stop. There’s nothing but silence that follows you afterward. Silence, and the tiniest sounds of buttons being pressed. At this point, you know you don’t even have to look to see him there. But because you told your good friend Reo you would and because you wanted to, you turned on your heel and leaned against the stair rail to face your target head-on. 

 Well, as head-on as you could anyways.

 “I thought I’d find you here,” you murmured, a light smile on your face. For a second, his eyes glance up at you beneath his long, white bangs. You meet his gray eyes for just a moment, and you swear that’s enough time for them to soften. Even if just a little bit. Even if it’s just something that could only exist in your imagination. But all too soon, his eyes flicker downwards and he’s back to being nose-deep into whatever game you found him playing on one of his portable gaming systems. You let out a sigh. “You know Nagi…Mikage really wants you to come to practice today. It just started too, so you have time to get ready and come if you want to!”

 For a while, another period of silence follows when he doesn’t immediately respond. A breath passes. Then another. And another. Then one more. And another one after that. It’s a never-ending feeling, really. There’s nothing left for you to do but play with your fingers and tug at the ends of your blazer. You’re stuck just waiting for him to open his mouth. Waiting for him to acknowledge you further. You’re counting seconds as they pass you by. Watching the light from his game illuminate his face in a whole host of pretty colors. Part of you knows that you could stand here forever. The other part of you knows that the two of you are better off if you could get Nagi to practice. But it doesn’t make this moment any less hard. To convince him to go. To convince yourself to stop staring. To convince both of you that-

 “Don’t feel like it.”

 Nagi’s dull, monotone voice breaks you from your jumbled thoughts. It’s such a delayed response that it sends you sputtering for a few seconds before you remember what you just requested him to do. At that, your face twists up in a pout that you just can’t seem to wipe off your face. You know getting him to practice is hard. It’s always been hard. This isn’t your first rodeo. But this time, you’re tired and you’re ready to go home and you don’t want to accidentally take out any frustration on him. Though it’s hard. Very, very hard.

 “Nagi,” You try again, giving him the best student-representative smile you could manage at the moment. You try to keep your voice quiet. You try to keep your voice kind. But you feel seconds away from losing your usual sense of calmness and exchanging it for something a little less friendly and inviting. “Mikage really needs you to come to practice, okay?”

 “Hmm…” The reluctant prodigy gives you an absent hum. Almost as if he’s considering your request. Until, finally, he speaks again. “...I’ll pass.”

 You sigh again, the smile slipping off your face in an instant and being replaced with a look of defeat. As much as you appreciate his presence, you know he’s a real piece of work. As cute as you’ve always thought he was (and as big as your crush is on him, but that’s not the point right now), you could do without his usual nonchalance. At least, in moments like these. It’s bad enough when you’re trying to convince him to turn in enough work to pass his classes. But with soccer, he’s even more of a challenge. No matter how much you and Reo and others try to convince him that he’s talented. That he’s gifted. That he could turn his skill into an amazing career, but he never seems to listen. He never seems to want it as much as others want it for him. To at least try. That’s all you want him to do. 

 Just try.

 When you don’t have any to say back to him for a while, you began to notice a small change. A shift in his expression. A fold in his attitude. And once again, his eyes flick upwards. Just for a second. Almost as if to gauge your reaction to what he said earlier. This time, you can’t make yourself meet his eyes. You just can’t. You’re too tired. You want to go home already. You want to change out of your uniform. To eat dinner and to start your homework. You want to leave this stairwell knowing that he’s in good hands. That’s doing the best he can at practice. So you don’t have to worry about him anymore. So you don’t have to think about him anymore. At least for the rest of the night. But it’s not that easy with him. It never is. 

 Even so, you refuse to give up. 

 “Nagi, I think…”

 You refuse not to try. At least one last time.

 “...I think you should go for the last half, at least.” 

 It’s no surprise when he doesn’t respond right away. It’s what you were expecting. But it’s your one last push before you give up for the day. One last push before you find yourself going home, going to sleep, and waking up to find yourself on a day like today- relieving this moment over and over again. But you put too much effort in to walk away now. You put too much effort in to leave it for another day. For another hour. 

 For another you. 

 “I know you don’t want to, but please go, okay? A lot of people need you there. So, do it for them, alright? If not, then…” You continue with a murmur, your voice barely above a whisper. At this point, the sky has changed. It’s a little bit darker- with more reds and pinks and purples than what you saw when you first started out to find him. Your fingers tug at the ends of your blazer once more and your eyes continue to look away. If you had the strength to look at him, you maybe would have noticed how he looked at you in that moment. How his eyes truly did soften. For longer than a moment. “Do it for me, Nagi, okay? Do it for me.”

 For longer than a minute.

 “Fine.”

 And only for you.

 “I’ll go.”

 You look up in surprise, but he’s already turned off his game and shoved it in his pocket while standing up from the corner he was tucked in. As he straightens to his full, impressive height, you can tell he still looks disinterested. Like this is the last thing he wants to be doing right now. Like the fact that he’s so gifted is such an incredible burden to bear. But deep down inside, you like to think that there’s at least some part of himself that appreciates all that you and Mikage do for him. It’s the part of you that likes to think that maybe one day, you won’t just be his class representative to him. That you could be something more. But like with this moment, you may never know. You may never reach that point. You may never hear that answer. Never. Unless you keep at it. Unless you give it your all. And most importantly?

 “I’ll go. Only if you start calling me Seishiro.”

 Unless you try.

#seishiro nagi #seishiro nagi x reader #blue lock #blue lock x reader #nagi x reader #nagi #blue lock nagi #nagi seishiro #nagi seishiro x reader #blue lock nagi seishiro #blue lock seishiro nagi #blue lock fanfic #blue lock fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #x reader #xreader

[ladypeonies]

Fear of change

In July of last year, I wrote this about MileApo and distance, I stated:

‘The test of distance with MileApo will have to wait. I feel at this point they’re so accustomed to each other that, they’re clearly not ready for that distance.’

People online are trying to play detective, getting angry at lemons, trying to analyse IG posts, and in my humble opinion, it’s not necessary. I mean Mile went alone in Paris for a few days and said he was incredibly lonely, he had people with him including Pond (who cut the trip short). Apo even in a photoshoot, with his manager, make-up artist couldn’t help bringing Mile’s name. Mile said they would have met even in an alternate universe.

They were tears in their eyes while talking about what they feared for each other if they weren’t working together anymore. In this recent interview, Apo said ‘IF’ there is no MileApo, not ‘WHEN’ as he should. It shows how even him can’t yet imagine that moment which will come someday.

You don’t need to see it, you can feel how much time they spend together. It’s in their mannerism, in their words and silences.

They’re still in that bubble and they don’t want to leave it, hence why they fear the change. I think they have a plan, they know approximately when a degree of separation will occur. And when the time comes, my goodness, they will bleed. You think I’m being dramatic?

Let’s say you meet someone, and you work together to build something, see it fall and you rebuild it together. You know their scent, the taste of their skin, how to breathe in sync. You suffer, stress, cry together and comfort each other. You see each other regularly. You talk, again and always. You share beliefs and principles. You see their face more than your own.

With one look you know what they think, what they feel, what they will say. You tell them everything because they know you, and they will never judge or hurt you. You didn’t imagine that you could have this kind of bond and from the beginning it amazes you and scares you a little. Do you argue or fight? Yes, but you know with them you’ll always be safe. Now imagine you have to be away from each other and they won’t be within reach anymore, not for a few days but months. You know how it feels? Like someone has taken you air and water. Your reason will try to keep you sane but your mind, your heart, they will scream. You will go through a period of grief and you will need time to adjust. That’s human nature.

MileApo may talk about it but they aren’t ready at all to be apart and every single time I read an interview it’s so clear. Of course, they will be in each other’s life, but it won’t be the same. They know at some point things will change. But fear of change is fear of loss. They’re not ready to lose that proximity. But it will come at some point, and yet even if they know it, they probably planned it, the least ready aren’t you and me, but them. I’m just curious to see if they’ll delay or embrace the change.

#mileapo #apo nattawin #mile phakphum

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 25 - I’m Home

Izumi: Can everyone see everything okay? Is the sound working too?

Citron: “It is a-okay for me~!”

Sakuya: “I’m good too!”

Tsuzuru: “Sakuya, where are you right now?”

Chikage: “Isn’t that the Edo period?”

Citron: “Are you a time graveler!?”

Tsuzuru: “It’s time ‘traveler’.”

Sakuya: “Ahaha, when I told the supervisor about our remote rehearsal, he kindly lent me the theater’s stage to use for it.”

Izumi: I’m glad to see that you all seem lively. It’s kind of a relief since it’s been so long since I’ve seen your faces.

Tsuzuru: “For us, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since we’ve been talking on BlooCha.”

Izumi: Oh yeah, you did mention that you were going to try using that. Is it different from LIME?

Sakuya: “Because of our time zone differences, there’s a lot of times when we barely manage to bump into each other, but it’s still really fun. It’s kinda like a message board or collective diary.”

Tsuzuru: “If we get our timing right, it really does feel like we’re all in the same room.”

Masumi: “And you’re all just as annoying as ever when I’m trying to study.”

Tsuzuru: “That reminds me, when are you getting your temps, Masumi?”

Izumi: Huh, you’re getting your license?

Masumi: “I’m in driver’s ed right now. I’m just about to get my temps. I can’t wait to have you in the passenger seat, Director.”

Citron: “Leave the backseat to me!”

Sakuya: “You seem like you’d be really good at driving, Masumi-kun.”

Chikage: “I guess we’ll hand over the role of Spring Troupe’s designated driver to you, Masumi.”

Masumi: “I’m getting a two-seater.”

Tsuzuru: “You really only want Director riding along with you, huh?”

Izumi: Seems like Itaru-san is running a little late. Let’s go ahead and start warming up without him.

Izumi: The purpose of today is to prepare you for when you all come back next week and pick up rehearsals again, so just take it easy, okay?

Izumi: If you can move, move. If you don’t have the space, just run through your lines.

Izumi: I’ll let you know of any changes in direction as things pop up.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: --Alright, let’s stop here for a moment. It’s been a while for all of you, but you’re all doing a great job of remembering things.

Sakuya: “This is the first time we’ve done remote rehearsals, but it was kinda refreshing.”

Masumi: “We’re further away than when we’re in person, so it’s kind of like we’ve got to rely on your memory to know how everyone else’s acting goes.”

Chikage: “There’s still a bit of a timing delay due to our mode of communication, though.”

Citron: “I cannot wait to practice with you all phase to phase again~!”

Masumi: “Face to face.”

Tsuzuru: “By the way, Sakuya, your sword fighting really has improved a lot.”

Sakuya: “Huh, really!?”

Sakuya: “I’ve actually been really practicing my sword fighting skills for my current performance so I can apply them to when I play Romeo.”

Izumi: I can really see the results of that.

Tsuzuru: “Ah, right--.”

Itaru: “Sorry I’m late.”

Izumi: Good work today.

Sakuya: “Good work!”

Citron: “You are just in time!”

Izumi: Let’s start with the scene with Mercutio, Tybalt, and Father Lawrence.

Itaru: “Roger that.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: You guys were a little stiff at first, but once you started getting a feel for practicing remotely, you really managed to get back into the swing of things.

Izumi: It’s reassuring to see that Spring Troupe’s atmosphere hasn’t changed a bit.

Sakuya: “We’re still able to act together even when apart.”

Tsuzuru: “Even though we’re physically in different places, it’s nice to feel like we’re all still connected while standing on the same stage.”

Izumi: Alright, I’ve given you all my direction-related feedback, so let’s call it here for rehearsals today.

Masumi: “Do you have a minute after this then?”

Izumi: Sure, what’s up?

Masumi: “I just sent you a plan proposal on LIME. Can you take a look at it?”

*Phone notification*

Izumi: …A promotion plan? Huh!? Did you come up with all of this, Masumi-kun?

Izumi: (This is incredible, it’s got as much detail as a real corporate-level proposal…)

Masumi: “I’m doing an internship with the promotion department right now, and this is some of the stuff I’ve learned.”

Izumi: I see… I think this is really well organized and put together. I’ll be sure to discuss the contents of this with Sakyo-san.

Masumi: “Am I being useful?”

Izumi: Of course! It couldn’t have been an easy task for you to put this all together on your own. Thank you so much!

Masumi: “It’s nothing. I’m glad that I got a better understanding of just how hard you’re always working.”

Masumi: “So I want to help you from now on, too.”

Izumi: If you’re sure, then I’m glad. You’ll be a huge help.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Door opens*

Sakuya: “I’m back home!”

Izumi: Welcome home. You’re the first one back.

Sakuya: I was actually planning on coming back tomorrow, but the supervisor was nice enough to arrange for me to have today off…

Sakuya: I really wanted to be the first one home so I’d be able to say “welcome home” to everyone else.

Sakuya: It made me really happy to have everyone else say that to me when I went on my solo trip…

Izumi: I see. I’m sure you can’t wait to see the others.

Sakuya: Yeah. I want to practice with everyone as soon as possible. I’ve been thinking about my acting plans a lot while I was away.

Sakuya: Thanks to all the motivation and knowledge I got from the other theater company’s performance, I was able to come up with a lot of different ideas…

Sakuya: So I’ve got so much to talk about while testing out new things.

Sakuya: Actually--I’m gonna head to the practice room for a bit!

Izumi: Huh? Right now?

Sakuya: I just really feel like I wanna move right now!

Izumi: Ahaha, don’t tire yourself out too much, though.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: One, two, three, four…

Sakuya: (This will always be the most relaxing place for me to be. It really makes me feel like I’m back at home.)

Sakuya: (That reminds me, I wonder where all the other guys are right now. I’m guessing Citron-san and the others who are overseas right now have started making their way back…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

tsuzuru has entered the chat.

tsuzuru: Morning

tsuzuru: I’m packing things up to start heading home now

Having some trouble because I don’t have enough space for souvenirs

tsuzuru: I wonder if I’ll be able to make all the souvenirs for everyone in the troupe AND my little brothers fit somehow

tsuzuru: Ah, right, better not forget my laptop

I’m gonna be working on stuff until the very last minute, so I need to remember that

Curry has entered the chat.

Curry: i’ll remind you about your laptop tomorrow

tsuzuru: Thanks, Masumi, what would I do without you

TorORo has entered the chat.

TorORo: i am jsUbt about to eatb Breakfasrb. i will beh heaDifn to the Airportb around noon. i caNnot waiite to Be surrounded by everEyone

UC has entered the chat.

UC: I’ve got a connecting flight, so I’m about to catch a plane to Narita. I’ll probably be back to the dorms around tomorrow afternoon.

Saku has entered the chat.

Saku: I got back a day earlier than I thought I would. I hope you all have safe trips back!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: (Itaru-san’s rarely in the chatroom. He must be really busy…)

*Door opens*

Tsumugi: Welcome home, Sakuya-kun.

Banri: Welcome home.

Sakuya: I’m home!

Tenma: Practicing already? I’ll join you.

Sakuya: Thanks! Would you mind being my sword-fighting partner then?

Sakuya: I was just gonna take it easy, but I just get extra eager the moment I step foot in this practice room.

Tsumugi: I can understand that feeling.

Tenma: I’ll hang around until you’re satisfied.

Banri: Aight, I’ll help ya out with some of the direction-related stuff.

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

#a3! #a3! translation #sakuya sakuma #masumi usui #tsuzuru minagi #itaru chigasaki #citron #chikage utsuki #// sakuya sakuma the man that you are

[antaripirate]

Some final thoughts before Threads, from a place a little too close to my heart.

(and a note on Threads posts and spoilers)

So, its 11pm, and an hour untill I’ll have access to The Fragile Threads of Power (I ended up preordering the kindle edition on top of my physical ones, bc they are all delayed in shipping, and, as someone pointed out to me recently, I have the patience of a fruit fly).

I should probably preface this by saying that this will probably read as insanely cringey, but I have so much I want to say, and so much on my mind that I know I will never know how to convey.

But I am just so fucking grateful that V has brought these worlds, these characters, back to us.

They feel like my home.

Something I always try to explain when people ask why Shades means so much to me, is that when I first read ADSOM, it was the first time I had ever seen myself in a character so entirely, and just felt so fucking seen.

I know that not everyone loves Delilah Bard, and that’s okay. But I’ve never felt quite so myself as I do when I have Lila there on the page next to me, as ridiculous as this probably sounds. I don’t really know how to explain this, because there are so many ways I could begin.

And then there’s Kell. Oh, Kell.

It’s so odd, to have never found a character like me, and then all of a sudden, stumbled across one who I wholeheartedly see myself in, and another where I can see pieces of me reflected.

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m not very good at putting these feelings into words, but trying is better than nothing, right? So I’ll continue.

The concept of having these characters back is so reassuring, so exciting, so nerve-wracking. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been up to, how their relationships have strengthened and changed, how new characters will push and pull on the threads of established dynamics and weave new ones.

I am scared of inevitably awful things happening to my favourites. The thought of Kell and Lila not being ok, and safe, and happy, and together fucking terrifies me. They are my entire world, both together and apart. But as terrified as I am, I can’t wait to have them back. To hear them snark at each other, and pull each other out of trouble, and just love each other.

I could writes essays on these two, and on all of the original ADSOM cast, and on predictions and theories and things I’d love to see, but I don’t think right now is the time for that. I’m already rambling and already so nervous with excitement.

I feel like a ball of adrenaline.

I can’t wait to come home.

A note on spoilers on posting:

So I’ve been wondering a lot about what to do regarding posting here about Threads whilst in the spoiler risk period, and I think what I’m gonna do is anything I do post, I’ll have a huge heading broadcasting spoilers for the book and also for which part within the book, because I am fucking terrified of accidentally spoillering someone. If anyone has any thoughts on this please do lmk!!

Anyway, if you read this, thank you - I hope it didn’t sound too ridiculous.

Anoshe.

#i may end up deleting this #it probably reads like nonsense but it’s got a lot of emotions in it from me #anyway #here we go #the fragile threads of power #threads of power #tftop #fragile threads #adsom #a darker shade of magic #a conjuring of light #a gathering of shadows #kell maresh #shades of magic #v e schwab #lila bard #delilah bard #kellila

[writingwhimsey]

All's Fair In Love & War- Nobunaga Ch. 36

Chapter 36

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room when Sato announced that Ranmaru had betrayed Nobunaga. Everyone was quiet for a moment. Though I noticed Nobunaga didn’t seem too surprised by this news. It made me wonder if he had suspected this from Ranmaru all along? I made a mental note to ask him about this later.

“Ranmaru has made his choice.” Nobunaga said, as if it were nothing more.

Everyone here had their own relationship with Ranmaru and clearly cared about him in their own way…as for myself…I couldn’t help but to think there was more to it than him simply being a double agent. While hiding behind a smile was something quite normal…I don’t think Ranmaru faked his friendliness and kindness.

“What should we do, my lord?” Hideyoshi asked. “We now have three enemies…”

“Three?” Sato asked.

Jiro gestured for her to come over to sit beside him and quickly filled her in on the news of the Uesugi-Takeda alliance. “Pretending to be dead…that’s a pretty good strategy.” Sato muttered.

“We do not know their goals yet.” Nobunaga said. “We know Kennyo’s only goal is to take my head, but he will likely continue to lay low until he is ready to make a move.”

“I will send more scouts to Echigo to see what I can learn.” MItsuhide said.

Nobunaga nodded. “Good. Until we have a better understanding of what their next move is, we won’t strike until then.”

“I imagine it won’t take too long before they make a move.” Hideyoshi said.

“Yes, word of the attempted assassination at Hono-ji has already started to get out.” Mitsuhide said. “I am sure we won’t be waiting long before we have some small fires we have to contend with.”

I repressed a sigh. I knew all too well how hard power was to obtain in this world and how easily it could be taken. Especially if rumors were going around that you were weak. If you didn’t make a show of strength when things turned like this…it could all be over just from in-fighting.

“When those fires start we shall extinguish them.” Nobunaga said, a strong air of confidence around him. “They will learn that I will not be taken down so easily.”

Later that night…

I stood on the balcony of the tenshu, overlooking Azuchi. A cup of sake rested on the railing. Nobunaga and I had both had some things to tend to before we would have our evening together. He must have still been handling his business and so I had the time to myself.

My mind kept playing over the events of the day, wondering what was next. I also felt my heart aching at the thought of…what if I had only delayed Nobunaga’s death for a short period of time? Knowing we had more enemies coming…I couldn’t help but to think…what if history was just delayed instead of changed?

It was as I was beginning to drown in the waves of anxiety, I felt two familiar arms wrap around me from behind and I was pulled against a strong chest. “What troubles you?” Nobunaga asked as he kissed my cheek.

I sighed as I turned around in his arms, so I could return his embrace. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Just…worried.” I answered.

Nobunaga’s hand came to stroke my hair. “Do you fear with our enemies piling up that you will still lose me?” He asked.

“Yes.” I answered. “I can’t help but to think…what if all I did was delay things instead of stopping them? I know how history originally played out…and what if…what if time tries to course correct?”

“I do not care if the heavens themselves try to swallow me whole, I will not leave this world without fulfilling my ambition…I will not leave your side.” Nobunaga told me. “Whatever challenges come, I will face them head on as I always have and I will conquer them as I always have.”

I looked up at Nobunaga, feeling my anxiety ebbing in the wake of his confidence. “We will.” I replied. “Just as you promise not to leave my side, I won’t leave yours.”

Nobunaga smiled at me. “Good…because you are…stuck with me as you said before.”

I returned his smile, stretching up to place a kiss on his lips. “I love you, Nobunaga.”

“I love you, Ava.” He told me. “Whatever comes our way, we shall face it and overcome it together.”

“Together.” I agreed. We were then sealing our vow with a kiss.

When we broke apart, I looked up at Nobunaga and I could see the concern in his eyes. “You seem like something is troubling you.” I told him, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

Nobunaga gave me a self-deprecating smile. “It appears you and I are two of a kind.” He told me. “Knowing that Kennyo targeted you to get to me…this likely won’t be the only time something like this happens.” His fingertips were gently trailing over my injured side, as he spoke.

“You act like I don’t make enough enemies of my own.” I replied with a smile. “Ebisu wasn’t the only one to come after me for my position and I am sure he won’t be the last.”

“And yet you wouldn’t be targeted to get to me if…”

I put a finger over his lips. “Don’t you even dare finish that sentence.” I told him. “There’s nothing that would make me want to leave your side. Besides, I am made of tougher stuff than that.”

Nobunaga smiled as he kissed my finger that was pressed to his lips. He was then reaching his hand up to remove my finger from his lips. “Despite knowing that you would have less enemies if you weren’t with me…I can’t help but to be a very selfish man and want to keep you at my side.”

“If wanting to be with the person you love is selfish then I am too.” I told him. “I don’t want to be without you or to have anyone else.”

“I feel the same way about you, Ava.” Nobunaga said, pulling me closer. “No matter what else happens, I want you by my side always.”

Our lips were soon meeting in a sweet kiss. It was a promise, a vow. Our love was strong and unbreakable. It was something we would cherish and protect forever. No matter what came at us, we would face it together.

The End (with an epilogue to follow)

#ikesen nobunaga #ikemen sengoku nobunaga #nobunaga oda #cybird nobunaga #otome nobunaga #ikemen nobunaga #ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen mc #ikesen oc #warlord ava #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #ikemen series #fanfic #ikesen au #cybird #otome boys #fanfiction

[auroraescritora]

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME - PERCY/NICO AU HIGH SCHOOL - CHAPTER VI

Hi, how's everyone? I've had limited time to write, that's why the delay in the chapter. Things will get slower, but I'll do my best to deliver a chapter per week, even if it's on the weekend. So in this chapter things start to get more interesting. Just keep in mind that my characters are never perfect, okay? But I do try to make them likable.

Have a nice read!

Previous chapters: CHAPTER I / CHAPTER II / CHAPTER III / CHAPTER IV / CHAPTER V

Nico had a feeling he was doing something very wrong, like he was staining the picture Percy had of him. But they'd already touched like that, slept in the same bed naked, and now they walked down the halls, hand in hand, like the boyfriends he said they weren't, so what if... if he showed Percy how much he meant to him? Especially given the way Percy took care of him last night? Nico just wanted to return the gesture. Then, as one who wants nothing, he said::

"Per, I need to go to the bathroom."

Without waiting, Nico ignored the bell for the second period and took Percy by the hand, leading him towards the bathroom in the sports court area that would be empty at that time of day. Percy just tilted his head, all confused and followed him without question, while Nico tried to act normal so as not to spoil the surprise, thinking it was too innocent even for him, but honestly? He wanted Percy to see how nice it was to be cornered and without any warning.

Nico didn't give Percy much time to think at all. As soon as they entered the bathroom, he guided Percy to one of the cubicles, closed the door and put his hands on Percy's shoulders, pushing him back until Percy hit the wall with his back. Nico couldn't believe how much fun it was to see Percy's eyes widen and his breathing become faster when he hadn't even started yet.

And why waste more time? Looking into Percy's eyes, he let his hands slide down as he knelt between Percy's legs, Nico put his face over Percy's crotch and toched the place over the jeans, letting his mouth come closer, kissing the fabric that already it had a good noticeable bulge.

He looked up and smiled, but Percy didn't smile back. No, he was all tense, shoulders straight, jaw set, breathing fast and hands fisted at his sides. This used to happen in the past too when Nico pretended not to see and not to know what was going on; this was Percy horny and trying to hide it, trying so hard to be the nice, honorable boy everyone thought he was. I mean, Percy was the best, it was the high libido that Nico wasn't willing to deal with back then.

Well, now things had changed, or rather, evolved. What could he say? Nico admitted he was slow to do things that people his age were already experienced. By the time he'd found himself alone and regretting every decision that involved sex, particularly for not dealing well with Percy and…and kissing, it was too late. On the other side of the world and after the shock had worn off, he'd missed Percy so much that he'd wanted to go right back and tell him he was wrong, begging for forgiveness. In the end, his family thought it best for them to stay there for a while.

It didn't matter anymore, he rather focus on the moment, on the way Percy tried to control himself, all tense and anxious, trying not to touch him, but as Percy had promised, his friend wouldn't force him. Deep down, Percy was right; he would say one thing and do the opposite. Maybe he was just kneeling between Percy's legs because Percy said he wouldn't do it again, and Nico wanted to test how committed Percy was. Nico finally took his hands to the button on Percy's pants and unfastened it, about to unzip it down when Percy grabbed his hands.

"What are you doing?” Percy was practically accusing him and he was practically laughing in Percy's face, feeling vindicated for that morning on the stairs and with his sister.

"You don’t want to?”

“You said you wanted to take it slow.”

"Isn't this slow for you?"

“Nico!” Percy ground out through his teeth, keeping his voice low. “I'm trying and you're not helping.”

“I just wanted to make it up to you, you treated me so well last night…”

As he batted his eyelashes as innocently as he could manage, speaking all sweet and nice, Nico saw the moment Percy collapsed against the wall, his expression a mixture of frustration and anguish so intense that Nico couldn't take it, he rested his chin on Percy’s leg and laughed, giggling, letting his chuckles echo through the empty bathroom.

"I knew you would get back at me."

"Just a little.” Nico said between laughs. "But the offer is still on."

"It is?" Percy mumbled, now calmer and more in control, taking one of his hands to Nico's hair, stroking it gently. And Nico liked that a lot, the firm, confident voice and steady touch, how Percy made sure what was going on with him before letting his libido take over. That’s why Percy deserved a reward.

He finally lowered the zipper and slid his fingers inside Percy's underwear, searching until he found warm skin and the erect member, pulling it out, admiring the size and width, the warmth of him. Nico knew this was going to sound cliché, but…but it was big and long and heavy, and full of bulging veins and wet at the tip in a way that made him want to lick it until it was wet again.

"You don’t need to.” Nico heard in a whisper at the same time that Percy's hands came to the back of his neck, touching him slow and nice. Percy's voice was too close, making him see that Percy had leaned over him, and that he was now tugging by the roots os his hair, forcing Nico to face him before kissing his lips all sweet and soft, as if trying to seduce him: " You don't have to. Never. If you don’t want to.”

"I want.” If there’s one thing Nico learned in all this time away from Percy is exactly that, he liked it a lot, was the only thing he'd realy enjoyed before last night. But he wouldn't say that to Percy, too afraid to see Percy’s reaction. It was easier to act and let things happen.

Then, taking courage and still watching Percy's reaction, he held on the base and brought his lips to the head. He licked like an ice cream before sealing his lips around it, sucking, slow and tight, making sure his teeth were out of the way. Then, to test the walters, he made a slight pressure with his lips and slid down a little, bobbing his head even more slowly and finally hearing the first moan come from Percy, shuddering when Percy pulled his hair hard, forcing him to move away from his cock.

"Who taught you that?"

“I had a boyfriend, you know?

“You said you didn't have sex. And this is sex.”

"Yeah?”

“If someone is having pleasure and enjoying it, it's sex.”

“Hmm.” He murmured, licking his lips. Percy was even more attractive when he got all... intense.

Nico shouldn't think about those things, he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't his fault if Percy kept holding him by the hair like he belonged to Percy or if Percy kept staring at him with that fire in his eyes, like a caged animal wanting revenge. He felt like he needed psychological help, but in the meantime Nico could have fun, couldn't he?

"Are you going to fuck my mouth?"

“Wha-what?”

"Maybe you want--"

"Say no more!" Percy roared in frustration, moving closer to Nico’s face. " You want to kill me? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Per.”

“Where did my shy, innocent litlle boy go, hm?”

“He got lonely and decided to get company. But his company wasn’t very kind.”

Percy whimpered in frustration, seeming to grab onto the last threads of control he still had in, and kissed Nico again, this time tongue and all, holding him by the neck tight and strong. But that wasn't enough anymore, he wanted... Nico wanted to suck Percy until he felt cum go down his throat, and that's what he would have. When Percy finally let him breathe, he opened his mouth wide open, wetted his lips and slid them along the length of the Percy's cock, hearing a long groan and a thud somewhere near them; Nico opened his eyes to see what had happened, it was Percy who had punched the wall behind him and had his eyes squeezed shut and lips bitten, holding back his moans. Yes, he could feel Percy throbbing on his tongue, seeming to grow bigger even further. It was at that moment that Nico sighed and relaxed his face, allowing those last inches to reach the back of his throat.

He was willing to confess, he had choked, rushing things a litlle bit. It was all worth it when Percy threw back his head and grabbed hold of his hair again, guiding and moving his head. It was beautiful, was magical, to see the instant Percy grabbed him hard and when he least expected it, his mouth was being moved on that fat cock, over and over again, feeling Percy's balls hit his chin while he just he stood there, hands in his lap, watching the scene unfold and… ah… letting Percy control his body, pinned against the wall beside the toilet. Nico didn't even realize when Percy had come, founding himself swallowing around Percy, slow and leisurely, sniffling and floating, hearing Percy grunt only to be lifted suddenly by his hair and then by his waist; Percy was cleaning his face and holding him in the safety of his arms, touching him everywhere Percy could reach.

“Nico, baby?” Then, he was groaning himself when Percy opened his pants and found wetness there. Everywhere. "Did you come?"

He…he thought he had. It was something that had maybe happened once or twice before… but it didn't matter. Nico was floating and Percy held him back so he wouldn't go too far, as his lips came down against his once more, and again and again, until… Nico didn't know… well, until his feet touched the ground once again.

***

"All good?”

Now they were out of the bathroom, walking towards the cafeteria after splashing water on their faces and getting a peppermint candy. He wasn't proud, but they had lost a lot of time between waking up, talking to Bianca, driving to school and... going to the bathroom. His throat was still dry and heis lips swollen, his knees ached, and a phantom sensation lingered in Nico’s scalp where Percy had pulled. However, he couldn't control that nice feeling at the bottom of his stomach, content and satisfied, by what he saw. Percy, instead of holding his hand, clutched his waist, all possessive, staring down at anyone who looked at him for longer than three seconds. Nico had missed that too. And that made him a terrible person.

“Nico.”

“Hm?” He replied when Percy stopped in the middle of the hall, touching his face and making him look at him.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't want that to happen. It doesn't have to change anything between us.”

So that was it. Percy was really afraid he was going to run off to Italy like he had before.

“Per, I wanted to.”

To prove that everything was fine, he stood on hid tiptoe, wrapped his arms around Percy's neck and brought their lips together, letting his eyes close for a moment. Percy immediately wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him back, all intense, nibbling his lips and tangling their tongues together, stealing his breath.

He heard a clearing of a throat and a hiss, but he didn't care, it was too late to worry about what people would say. Right now he needed to calm Percy down and let him know that everything was fine. Then, he released his lips and remained in Percy's arms, taking his hands to his friend's hair, trying to comfort him.

"Relax, all right? I was enjoying the moment.”

"Enjoying?” Percy repeated, frowning, perhaps squeezing him tighter still.

"I liked.” He shrugged, trying not to laugh or blush, as the crease in Percy's face deepened. "What's wrong with that?"

“If you like it that much, you didn't have to go that far.”

Nico almost rolled his eyes, he knew how jealous Percy could be and he knew how jealous he  himself could be back. It’d always been like this, the reason that really scared him and forced him to run away, showing him feelings he couldn't handle. He knew exactly what would happen if he came back, and here was the proof, the possessiveness personified. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd missed that too.

“Per.” Was all he’d said for a few moments and Percy ducked his head slightly, seeming to realize what he was doing. "I'm here now, aren't I? I promise it's everything I learned in Italy.”

It was a lie, of course. Even though he was technically still a virgin.

"Really? If that were true, you wouldn't have to promise me anything.” But that was enough for Percy to lose his murderous expression and his face softened into a sweet, if slightly suspicious look.

A little nice kiss followed, a brush of lips soft and wet, hands sliding around the back of his neck in an affectionate caress.

"I promise it won't happen again."

“Don't promise what you can't deliver." Nico said when finally the butterflies in his stomach calmed down and he added: "I don't care if it happens again.”

"Sorry.” Percy said in his usual tone, seeming back to normal.

Percy shrugged and finally took a step back, looking at Nico with a bright smile, only to lift one of his hands and smooth Nico's hair back, Percy's hands sliding to Nico's neck, and only then did Nico realize that Percy was massaging the side of his neck, because the area throbbed slightly.

"Hickey?"

Another thing that didn't surprise him. I mean, how could he not see? It wasn't the first time this had happened.

"Are you a dog?” Nico grumbled not really caring, the rest of his body wasn't much better. And how could he have the right to complain when he could see a hickey high up on Percy's chest where the shirt didn't hide the skin?

" Sorry.” Percy said once more, his smile widening.

Yeah, looks like nothing has changed.

"Do you want to eat something?”

Why not? He let Percy take his waist again and they both walked towards the canteen. Percy ordered for them, a juice, a milkshake and a piece of pie without asking for permission. Bianca would’ve been outraged if she saw how Percy hadn't even let him speak, as if he didn't have the ability to. The truth is, he would hardly have noticed this behavior if his ex hadn't done the same to him months ago. He had been offended at the time, finally starting to understand the problem, seeing what his former friends said. And now, watching Percy take the order and bring it to the table they were at... it was still hard to care when it came to Percy.

Apparently, a blindness came over him when he saw those green eyes and puppy smile.

"Aren't you hungry? Want something else?”

"No, thanks.”

He took the first bite and felt so happy to taste the same flavor, even if his happiness had another reason. Was this happiness so intense just because Percy did this for him?

“Eat slowly.”

"Yes, Dad. I’ll eat properly.”

Percy didn't look the least bit impressed by the joke. He grimaced and took the napkin, wiping the corner of Nico's mouth, saying, “Please.”

And Nico? He just smiled and continued eating contentedly, happy to know that nothing had changed; the care and concern still evident, only now sex had become part of their relationship, finally filling in what was missing.

"Thanks.” Nico said without thinking, watching Percy throw away his napkin. “I never said how grateful I am.”

“I don't want your gratitude.” Percy then glared at him, trying hard not to get all serious and spoil the happy mood. But he couldn't fool Nico.

"I know. I wanted you to know.”

"Then, what?”

“This between us has nothing to do with gratitude. But I’m grateful.”

Nico wanted to say more, wanted to say that he never wanted to hurt Percy and that he would never leave him again. Instead, Nico took Percy's hand and smiled at him. Immediately, the surrounding environment became light again and the world around them stopped spinning, in the midst of all that chaos creating a little place just for the two of them.

***

"Exactly who I was looking for!"

Nico blinked rapidly, looking away from Percy’s gaze, looking surprised by the interruption.

Percy sighed. Who else could it be? Grover and Luke, of course. It made no difference to Percy who got in their way, all he knew was that he regretted having friends like his. But he refused to let Nico walk away; keeping Nico's hand over his, he turned to his friends:

"What do you want?”

Hearing Nico laughing at him, he held Nico’s hand even more firmly, and he just didn't complain more because Nico moments later rested his head on Percy’s shoulder, all sweet, soft and innocent, his black eyes radiating happiness.

"Where were you? You missed a test.” Luke said.

"Are you going to the practice?" Grover added. Both had strange smiles on their faces.

" What?”

"Looks like mosquitoes bit you. Hard night?”

Percy just sighed, he was too tired for their little jokes.

"Percy, man! You disappeared! You don't answer your cell anymore?”

"Whatever.”

“Ohhhh it's one of those days.” Luke said, nodding, pretending to be thinking about something serious.

“No, it's one of those 'baby day'. Don't you remember?”

“No! Danger, danger! We better not get close.”

Luke took Grover's arm, and together they took three steps back, still facing them, as if they didn't want to turn their backs on a wild animal.

“You guys are unbelievable.” Percy muttered, trying not to let the memories remind him why these moments were called "baby days".

"We just wanted to know how you were going!" Grover yelled, already pulling away. “It's good to see you again, Nico.”

Luke nodded, smiling, still dragging Grover away.

"Baby days? What does that mean?” Nico said when they finally disappeared across the cafeteria, staring at him with a curious expression.

"It’s nothing.”

"Nothing?” Nico insisted. “Does this have to do with the days we used to stay at home without seeing anyone?”

"Maybe.”

Part of the time it had to do with the depression Nico was trying to hide, but other times, calm and happy, it had to do with him wanting Nico's attention all to himself. It was something they didn’t know at the time, Percy found out he had it too, a milder version, but regardeless, it still was depression.

"How cute. You even have a name for it.” Nico's voice was playful, so Percy thought it’s safe to put a hand on Nico's shoulder and pull him closer.

“It wasn't my idea.”

"I know. It’s funny.”

"What is funny?”

“Everyone but me saw what was going on.”

"When you say it like that, it sounds like I've played you." Percy said, taking off his chest what he'd been hiding for years.

“It wasn't exactly like that. Deep down, I knew.”

“You weren't ready.”

" I wasn’t.” Nico said in a final tone with his head still resting on Percy’s shoulder, meaning he didn't want to talk about it. Not that they needed to, as it was obvious. He knew Nico only said those things to reassure him. The truth was that Nico had shown himself to be much stronger and more independent than he was, and that if Nico said all those things it was to make him feel better, Percy could even imagine what else Nico had noticed and if those things had been why he needed to cross the ocean to feel safe.

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Thank you for reading! Your presence and your feedback make all the difference. Like, I'm thinking of turning this story into an original as soon as I finish it, so any constructive comments are very welcome.

See you next!

#my writing #nico di angelo #percy/nico #percy jackson #percico #pernico #there's no place like home

[toomanystupidpigeons]

Call me maybe

Pairing: platonic, just a cute funny drabble between female!reader, Marc, and Steven (tiny Jake reference)

Desc: you’re trying to get through to the dentist when you accidentally find yourself on the phone with three strange roommates.

Adulting is hard, and even though you’re well into your thirties now, the thought of ringing up the dentist to book an appointment still makes your stomach squeeze into a dozen tiny knots.

You crash onto the sofa just as your phone screen lights up in your hand: a text from Mum.

Sweetie I’m sure. Stop delaying!!

Your previous message had been an urgent, Are you sure this is the right number??

Perhaps you should just take your mum’s advice and get this all over with. The worst case scenario will be that your throat will seize up and you’ll end up excusing an ugly croak. That did happen once.

No, on second thoughts, this is a terrible idea.

Another text from mum: Have you called yet?

Damn her and her stubborn persistence. But you know her heart is in the right place: if you don’t make this call you’ll be drinking your food from a smoothie cup at every social gathering for the rest of your life.

Okay. You can do this.

You stab in the number, then allow your thumb to waver uncertainly over the call button. For a solid ten seconds, your heart bobs in your throat as your finger balances the art of “Will she? Won’t she?”. At one point you think of banishing the idea and calling it a day…

With a reckless burst of spontaneity, you hit call.

You compress the urge to hurl the phone straight across the room, which is a good start, but you feel your heartbeat immediately quicken, beads of sweat prickling at your scalp as it begins to dial.

After five painful rings, you hear a click on the receiving end, then a faint, “Hello?” The owner has a strong London accent, which you recognise because you live just on the outskirts. Still, you’d expected something more professional.

“Uh, yes hello,” you say, bringing the phone to your ear. “My name’s Y/N Y/LN. I’m wondering if I could possibly book a dental appointment?”

“Uh…” There’s a short period of silence, then you assume he’s passed the phone, as another responds instead. American. “Yes, we can do that. Is this for your dentures referral?”

“My… what? Sorry. You must have me mistaken for somebody else. I don’t need dentures. I need a filler.”

“Oh no, ma’am,” the American says, “you’re in desperate need of dentures. Your teeth have contracted a rare bone disease that means you will experience rapid teeth loss—“

“That’s enough,” the Londoner cuts in.

“My teeth are going to fall out?” you cry, feeling a rush of anxiety coil it’s spindly tail down the back of your neck.

“No, no, no! Bloody hell, Marc! Don’t panic. That was just my… Roommate,” the voice says quickly. “Sorry, some people just can’t help acting the goat whenever the opportunity presents itself.”

“Hold on,” you say, “I’m confused. You’re there with your roommate?”

“I think you called the wrong number,” the Londoner explains.

Goddammit Mum.

“Oh, that makes more sense. Sorry for wasting your time. I’ll hang up now—“

“No wait. Hang on! Marc needs to apologise.”

“It’s really not necessary,” you try to say.

“No. Marc, get out here. You’re saying sorry whether you like it or not.” Amidst the strange ramblings that follow, you’re almost sure you hear something being mumbled in Spanish. What exactly is going on?

“Y/N?” Marc says slowly, his accent laid on extra thick thanks to his sarcasm. “I say this as close to my heart as I can: I. Am. Sorry.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard was it?” the Londoner says, sounding particularly proud of himself.

“Will you let the poor girl go now?” Marc asks.

“I don’t mind it too much,” you interrupt. “You guys are pretty funny to listen to.”

“Ha!” Marc erupts, so loud that you hold the phone away from your ear. “She did appreciate my joke.”

“But you’re right. I’ve got a phone call to make. To a real dentist. Else I won’t be able to eat solid food ever again.”

“No,” the Londoner says. “Make that phone call. No solid food? That sounds horrible.”

“Hey,” Marc began. “If it turns out you can eat solid food, maybe we could take you out for a bite sometime.” There was a short pause. “Sorry, that was a poor transition.”

You laugh and cover your mouth with a grin.

“No, no. It’s sweet,” you say. “And even if I find out I can’t eat solid food ever again, then I’m always down for a drink?”

You can’t believe yourself. Finding that you’re flirting with these strange roommates. And yet, there’s no denying how happy you are your Mum made a mixup.

#x reader #female!reader #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #steven x reader #marc x reader #jake x reader #moon knight #drabble #moon knight fic #moon knight drabble

[yourlocalartsonist]

ROTTMNT Moths Fly In Packs - Chapter Seven

A/N: Please kill me my soul has left my body writing this god forsaken LONG ASS CHAPTER but hey it was very worth it imo. Uh sorry for the month long wait. I think the AO3 writer curse found me and my poor beta reader since shit kept happening to both of us delaying this chapter even more. But hey! It's finally out, so I hope y'all enjoy while I go lay down bye- Credit to: @sweaterrat for being my beloved beta reader! Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Chapter One

Disclaimer: Chapter involves obsessive behavior, obessive language, demeaning language, injuries, manipulation, degrading language, bullying, shaming over having emotions, panic attacks, spiraling thoughts, gross creepy motherfuckers, recorded without consent, slight physical harassment, implied verbal harassment, getting restrained, uncomfy thoughts, self-degrading language, light s*icidal thoughts, violence, and curse words. This one's a heavy chapter folks so if you're sensitive to that stuff, scroll past and stay safe!

Alright, Salena. You got this. Just remember: if you’re quick and quiet, he won’t notice you. ‘Tis the rules of ninja stealth mode, baby!

Finally back at school but am I gonna face my problems? Nope! I’ve decided to take Splinter’s advice on just doing things when I’m ready. Even though sometimes I feel like I’ll never be ready. Every time I even thought about talking to Jaiden or Zane, I’d find myself getting strangely mad. I know I’ll screw things up if I talk with a temper. 

But hey! That’s not my focus right now, anyway. I’ve been searching for a good opportunity to finally meet and talk to Draxum today! It turns out the world really is fucking miniature since he works at April’s old high school - aka my current one - as that scary mean lunch aid everyone fears to death. Who knew, right? I’m hoping I can make a good impression on him today! And maybe possibly get my very own weapon but that’s totally not my first priority at all… 

I already planned to skip study hall to try and sneak into the kitchen. I know that lunch is next period but Draxum gets pretty busy when he actually has to work so I'd rather not bother him during those moments. Besides, it’s May! I would’ve spent my study hall sitting there doing jackshit, anyway, so I doubt the teachers care if I’ll be missing. There’s just one hurdle to my otherwise flawless plan. The reason I’m perched up on top of the fluorescent light trying not to cry from how dirty it is up here instead of in the kitchen by now: Zane’s been tailing me all damn morning.

He and I share a study hall so not seeing me there probably prompted him to run out looking  for me. Guess I can’t blame him too much, I haven’t really talked to him or Jaiden so I know he’s just worried. But my god, the dude’s more annoying than an actual hall monitor right now. I’ve lost track of how long this little cat and mouse game’s gone on. 

I watched in agony waiting for Zane to pass by. He stopped, looked both ways, and turned the corner, successfully convinced I wasn’t right above him. Man, I knew parkour would come in useful someplace but never have I ever thought that place would be in school. 

I victoriously hopped off the pretty bright light and bolted towards the cafeteria, checking behind me to make sure Zane didn’t come back this way. I can’t wait to finally meet Drax and get my very own weapon! I hope it’s something cool! I mean, I don’t even know how it’s supposed to be picked but holy hell I am so excited and everything’s playing out so perfectly right now I genuinely can’t believe-

“Oof!” 

Of course, I accidentally ran into someone. So much for ninjocity. The poor guy fell to his knees, and rubbed his head, messing up his fluffy black hair.

“Omigosh are you okay!? I am so so so sorry!” I stepped closer to him, reaching out my hand. “Here, let me help you up.”

“Argh… yeah, thank y-“

He stopped mid-sentence, wide teal eyes staring right at me. His expression looked strange, it wasn’t happy but it wasn’t sad either. Or actually, it was a little? He’s not saying anything or moving, it seems like he’s about to simultaneously laugh and cry. 

But maybe I’m reading too deep into it, he could just be in shock or something. 

“Um… I hope I didn’t bump into you too hard. Are you gonna take my hand…?”

“O-oh, right, sorry! I uh… I spaced out.” 

“Don’t worry, totally get that!” I laughed, pulling him to his feet. “Ya know, I don’t recognize you. Are you new here?” 

“Yeah, I actually just joined today, tenth grade! My name is Ca-”

“There you are!” A hand grabbed my shoulder from behind.

“Z-Zane!?”

“I’ve been looking all over for you, Salena!” His arm wrapped around my shoulder, possessively holding me close while shooting daggers at the stranger. It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out what message he’s trying to send. “Hey there, new guy. Nice to see you again. I didn’t know you and Salena already met.”

“We just bumped into each other, that was it.” He turned towards me, his look switching back from hostile to friendly “So, it’s Salena?”

I wanted to respond but got cut off as always “Oh, getting bold now, are we? What, just because you’re new you think you’re some kind of hotshot?”

“What? No, I’m literally just talking.”

“I know, that’s what I’m saying. Don’t talk to her at all.”

“Uh, why? You’ve been rude to me the entire time in class and now you’re trying to monitor who I talk to? Honestly, what is your problem?”

“My problem is cute guys like you who think they can do whatever they want with whoever they want just because they look good! I’m warning you now if you try to play any mind games on her, you’ll be hating every fucking second of being alive.”

Fucksake, what is he doing? “Zane, come on, you’re being extra.”

“Salena, don’t.”

“But-”

“Just don’t! You’re too nice to everyone and never know what’s good for you!” As he said that, I glanced over and saw the new guy looking at me with expecting eyes. Zane turned to him shortly after. “And you, stay away from her, got it? I’ll say this once and only once: she’s not interested.”

“Dude, why are you getting so worked up? I’m trying to talk to Salena, not you. I want to befriend them. It’s their choice if they don’t want that and I’ll respect it. But you don’t get to decide that!”

“Yeah, okay, look at you trying to white knight the situation. Look, Salena might be naive but I’m not!” Ah, there it is again! If the word naive were a person, I’d be on death row by now! “I know exactly what you’re trying to do, you little freak, and it’s not gonna work, ya hear me?”

“Zane, stop!” He was starting to get way too physically close to him and way too metaphorically close to breaking my patience. “He’s new to the school, we just met! Why are you acting like this? You’re being mean for no reason!”

“No reason? You haven’t said anything to me the entire day, Jaiden texts saying you’ve avoided them too, and now I just happened to find you here giggling with the new transfer and you’re telling me there’s nothing funny going on?” 

I groaned. As much as I felt tempted to clock him in the face, I didn’t feel like dealing with the aftermath of having to somehow make it up to him. For now, gotta focus on making sure the new guy doesn’t pop a blood vessel on his very first day. Defeated, I reached out and grabbed Zane’s shoulders, keeping him facing towards me.

“Of course, there’s nothing going on! Hey, I’m gonna talk to other people but you and Jaiden are still gonna be my best friends.” My hand signaled the boy behind him to run while he could. “I’m not gonna just replace you guys for no good reason!”

“Then why were you avoiding me?”

“I wasn’t avoiding, I just… I had something important to do, alright?” At least that’s only half a lie.

“Oh really? Important with some guy who just transferred here?”

FOR THE LOVE OF- “Ugh, no, I told you I ran into him by accident! Like, literally ran into him. The important task is something else.” I peeked behind him, noticing the boy left. “And speaking of that, I gotta dash! It’s time sensitive so… yeah!”

“Huh? W-wait!”

You bet your ass I skedaddled away from him as soon as I could. I finally entered the cafeteria, resuming my mission from before. It’s quite empty, a stark difference from what I’m used to. You could probably hear a pin drop in here. I decided it got too eerie, so I took a page out of Mikey’s book and proceeded to swing the kitchen doors open in the loudest, most obnoxious way I could, getting greeted with a scream followed by a very annoyed groan. 

“Oh, it’s one of you annoying brats. I thought I had to be worried for a second.” He didn’t roll his eyes but he might as well have, honestly. 

“Sorry! I just wanted to ask-” I paused, looking past his body and catching a glimpse of something he was trying to hide. “What’s that behind your back?”

“Nothing that concerns you. And shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Eh, it’s study hall so skipping’s not a huge deal.”

He sighed “Do what you want, kid, but why insist on pestering me? Can’t you see I’m busy enough?”

“Oh! Right! My bad.” I lightly bumped into the door frame as I walked inside “Um, so like… I was just wondering, do you happen to know a Baron Draxum around here?”

The purple vines swiftly tangled around my waist, snatching me from the ground and suspending me in the air while a couple others pointed sharp at my head.

“How do you know that name!? Who sent you, tiny assassin?”

“Yo yo yo, chill, chill! I’m a friend! O-of the turtles! Ya know, your sons or something?” 

He scoffed “Likely story! Those idiots get themselves a new ‘friend’ every week. Tell me, assassin, if you’re on such friendly terms with them then why would you refer to me as Baron Draxum? They don’t call me that anymore!”

“Dude, I dunno! I wanted to somehow indicate that I knew about the whole Yōkai ordeal and I thought if I called you Barry you’d think I was just another kid, ya know?”

“And why exactly wouldn’t you just say that?”

“...Good point. You know what, I did not think this through. And actually, thinking about it now, it honestly makes way more sense you’re a Yōkai! I mean, the occasional random vines in the flooring, the weird forestry state of the kitchen, yada yada. But I guess I just thought you were some sort of extreme nature lover or something, ya get me?” 

SHING!

“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!” I looked at my arms and gasped “Wait! I can prove it! My arm-wrap-glove-thingies!”

“What about them?”

“They’re Genius Tech, a gift from Donnie!” I took one of them off and threw it, landing on his eyes with a splat. “See? Donnie wouldn’t give me these if we weren’t friends! O-or at least close acquaintances on friendly terms! So ha!” 

He inspected the clothing, grunting when he saw the all too familiar logo “...Fine. I suppose he wouldn’t let a thief get away with all their limbs intact. But why are you even wearing these in school?” 

“…They go with my aesthetic, okay?”

“That was rhetorical, I didn’t actually care.” He finally set me down, not looking any less bit irritated, though. “Now, what do you want? I don’t have all day for your childsplay.”

“A weapon!”

“What?”

“I want a weapon!” I beamed at him, instinctively flapping my hands. “Like the ones the guys and April have! April told me they all got their first weapons from you since you’ve got a whole stash of them! So, I was wondering if I could get one, too? Please?”

“Of course you are.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. “And for the record they didn’t get their weapons, they stole them! But anyway, I can’t help you even if I actually wanted to. My weapons are down in the Hidden City, I cannot simply wish them into existence.”

Darn. “Well… is there some way to portal down there maybe? Mikey and Leo can open portals so maybe you can too?...”

“As a matter of fact, I can.”

“Great! Then lets-”

“Not doing that, though.”

“What!?” At this point, I feel like he’s just dicking with me for the sake of it. “Oh come on, you’re supposed to be some sort of great mystic warrior alchemist guy! Surely you can do something to help me?”

“Listen, kid. Barry Draxum has far too much work to do to take some random student on a lab tour, especially just to get them a weapon to fit in with their friends. Go away and stop bothering me.” 

He walked past me to start prepping for lunch next period, his towering height only further emphasizing his authority. Still, I’m not backing down. Not this time. 

“I’m not trying to fit in. I know you’re busy but I’m not asking this for shits and giggles. I want a weapon to keep me safe! My life has been one chaotic run-in after another with mutants and giant cats and every time has had at least one near-death experience guaranteed! Look! I’ve even got the scars to prove it!” 

I held up my left arm, the bandage now visible with my arm wrap off. “Something bad almost happened last time and I got everyone worried. I just wanna make sure I don’t have to constantly need protection and burden them again. I wanna be useful, you know?”

He glanced at my arm and sighed. He may act like he didn’t give a rat’s ass but looking more carefully, it’s clear a part of him might’ve softened a little. 

“I’m not opening a portal and I mean that, I promised Mikey and O’Neil I wouldn’t use my mystic powers on the surface. With that being said, however…”

Draxum walked back to where I initially found him crouching when I came here, beckoning me to join him. I gasped when he opened the cupboard, revealing two giant blades hidden in them.

“Wow…”

“You’re lucky you came at the perfect time.” He took them out, gripping the seafoam green handles. “Usually, a warrior such as I would be entrusted with the safekeeping of numerous weaponry. But after gaining a criminal record, the Council decided I wouldn’t be allowed any more than I currently have.”

“Then… how’d you get this one?”

He scoffed, “Obviously, I stole it. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to obtain them even with the Council on my side. These don’t belong to them.” He proudly presented the weapons, the silver blades shining in the light. “They’re a privately owned contraption, made by a very famous pristine Family in the Hidden City. No one outside them owns these sickles except now, of course, me.” 

“Hold up, these giant things are sickles? Aren’t those, like, usually way tinier and kinda useless compared to other ninja weapons?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Well, this beggar can and will.” I pointed at myself, skeptical he was still trying to sell me short. “I’ve done my fair share of research on weaponry, sickles are lame! Their blades can barely do shit and they’re way too close range to keep the wielder safe.”

“Stop sassing me, child, I’ve done my own fair share of more accurate research. These are mystic sickles, they will be different from your pathetic human tools.” 

He began polishing them while continuing his rambles. “If you’re concerned about their sharpness, then you’ll be satisfied to know their blades can change by the user’s will. One minute, they’re strong enough to slice diamond and the next minute, they can’t even shatter glass. And all my sources confirmed they can turn the wielder invisible for varying periods of time, depending on their strength. It’s incredibly difficult coming across any information on them, but apparently, they were made to manipulate reality.”

“Apparently? I won’t lie, this all sounds legitimately cool and stuff but like, have you ever tested them out? Why’s all this just based on research when you have the weapon itself?”

“They don’t work from my touch.” Bruh.

“Come again?”

“These sickles are the only weapons that don’t seem to activate when I use them. So, my offer to you is if you can get these to work, I’ll allow you to own them permanently as long as you send me any new information you gain on them.”

“Oh, joy! You think that I - the ordinary human person - can get these things to work when you - the mystic magic Yōkai guy - cant?” I sighed, scratching my head before ultimately reaching out. “You know what, fine. Even if I get scammed, it’s worth a shot.” 

He plopped them into my hands as I fell forward, grunting from the weight. Jeez, I can barely even pick these up. “God, for a scientist you sure are pretty bad at educated guesses- Woah!”

I flinched and stepped back when the sickles suddenly sharted floating in the air. Draxum copied my actions, both of us staring intently at them. The pink details on the handle lit up, spiraling around the grips and spreading to the blades, shining it all in a soft aura of the same hue. A part of me felt drawn to the light, as if it were calling me. I realize how incredibly stupid that sounds but in the moment, that didn’t really matter. 

I reached out and held the sickles again, the aura spreading to me before fading away. They felt much lighter now, I can actually hold them with ease! The silver blades got dipped in deep, dark pink. If a rose could bleed, it’d be that color.

“Fascinating…” He adjusted his glasses. “Seems like my guess wasn’t so stupid after all, was it?” He smirked at me, genuinely emoting this time.

“I… I guess not. Aight, I’m sold! Although, I feel like the sickles chose me more than I chose them.” So, like a person getting claimed by a stray cat, I had no choice but to keep them.

“Wonderful, these are now yours, congratulations.” He held me by the shoulders and pushed me out the kitchen. “And remember, update me on any and every new bit of information you learn while using this. It was nice to meet you, blah blah blah, now don’t bother me during work ever again.”

He closed the door and almost instantly the school bell rang. I jumped, frantically shoving the sickles into my backpack right as people started coming in through the doors for lunch. I had no idea this much time passed. I should probably get out of here before-

“Salena?” 

I’ve been jinxing myself a lot today, haven’t I? Jaiden’s standing right in front of me now. Might as well leap off a cliff and call it quits, to be honest.

“H-Hey…” 

“Quite the busy gal today, aren’t you.” They’re speaking slowly, this isn’t a good sign.

“Oh, um, yeah, kinda. I just had to take care of something.”

“Cool, I guess.” 

We both stood there awkwardly. My chest feels so heavy. Jaiden’s barely looking at me but I swear if they did I’d downright die from their glare. What do I even do? How do I face this?

Just… run away. You’re… you’re good at that. So run away.

“…I need to go.” 

“What? Okay, that’s it. What is up with you? You didn’t come to school Monday or yesterday and you’ve avoided me all of today. Now when I finally catch up to you, you have to go?” 

“I just got into a small accident, is all. I had to stay home.” Not like you tried to reach out, anyway. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

They groaned at me. I don’t usually bicker back but the way Jaiden was treating this, as if they don’t know what they did, it’s just… it’s just getting to me. I don’t want to be like this but it’s getting to me.

“Salena, snap out of it, will you? You’ve been acting so pissy, lately! I literally didn’t even do anything!”

My body chose to scoff “Yeah, not with me, that’s for sure.”

They squinted at me, only half understanding what I meant. “Are you… mad we didn’t hang out this weekend?” They facepalmed, framing me as the idiot for being upset over that. “Dude, you can’t be serious, I said something came up! It’s not like I totally ghosted you or anything!” 

It’s not like you totally ghosted me?

“...Jaiden, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Why not?”

Shut up. 

“I don’t feel okay talking about this.”

“Oh really? Like how you never feel okay confronting anything? What, do you just expect me to drop this because her highness isn’t feeling okay?” 

My face feels boiling hot, I can’t help clenching my fists. I’m trying to breathe. Everything will be okay if I just breathe.

“A-are you crying? Ugh, seriously? It’s like all you ever know is how to run away or cry! We’re not thirteen anymore, just grow up!”

Stop.

“It was annoying when you were such an emotional crybaby back then but now it’s just getting ridiculous!”

STOP.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’re upset that I’m right. That you’d rather selfishly push this to the side instead of just dealing with it like a normal person!”

Why are you being so mean?

“Salena, say something already! Stop with the pity party, the world doesn’t revolve around you-“

“I SAID SHUT UP!” 

They did.

I didn’t mean to say that.

I don’t know for how long, but somehow I tuned out the noisy cafeteria, my ears bugged with a faint buzz. My eyes were fixed on them, and theirs on me. In all our five years of friendship, I’ve never not once yelled at Jaiden before.

“…Who even are you?…”

Those words sting. They sting because they’re right. Who am I?

“Moni! Reeves!” Draxum’s voice snapped me out of my daze. “Stop standing in the middle of my cafeteria and causing traffic!” 

I guess that was our cue to sit down. And continue. Even though I don’t want to.

“Where do you think you’re headed, Moni?” For whatever reason he was still yelling at me from behind the food rack.

“T-to go find a seat?”

“I told you to head to the nurse! If that cut you got while helping me in the kitchen gets infected thanks to your horrid luck, I’ll be held responsible. So go there right now!”

Huh?…

“Y-yeah, sorry, I’m going.” I rushed out before Jaiden could say anything more. I’m a little shocked he was listening, even more so that he actually helped me. 

Whatever, I’m just grateful for the excuse to get away. 

I gently touched my heated forehead. 

Plus, maybe going to the nurse isn’t such a bad idea, anyway. 

***

The shiny streets reflected my steps as I took in the familiar damp scent. The gray fog left over after rain always gave the city a different vibe.

I got sent home early by the nurse. Apparently, another panic attack arose after talking with Jaiden. The nurse took pity on me when she realized and got me the rest of the day off, giving me a pass and everything. Told me to go home and take it easy. Come back tomorrow when I’m feeling better. I laughed at the memory. Oh, if only they knew going home meant the exact opposite.

So instead, I’m out here. Wandering in New York in its post-rainy weather to clear my mind. Maybe that’s why I keep having these thoughts. I don’t usually dwell on the whole shitty situation of my life. But right now, in the colorless skies and the somber silence, I can’t help but feel pathetic.

A pebble found its way into my boots. Annoying. I didn’t feel like dealing with it, though, so I just kept walking.

I walked more and more and more, trying to forget being present. Trying to forget this stupid mess I somehow got myself into. Wordlessly wandering, hoping the city would just swallow me whole so I wouldn’t be seen. I feel sick and ashamed but so enraged at the same time. How could they still continue to play dumb? After seeing me like that they pretended to know absolutely nothing. I’m not misreading anything, am I? What if I got the situation wrong? I can’t tell if I’d be happy Jaiden didn’t actually ditch me, or depressed I’d have yelled at them for nothing. They’re right but they’re wrong but they’re right. Or, at least I think they’re right? Maybe that’s wrong. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. But that could mean so many things. What am I even talking about? What’s-

“Hello? Anyone there?” A pale hand waved in front of my eyes. I glanced up at its owner. “Welcome back to Earth, sweetheart.”

A tall blonde boy stood in front of me, a couple other boys whom I can only presume were his friends looked down at me with him. 

“H-h-hi?...” My brain, still adjusting back to reality, only spoke in stammers “C-can I help you?”

One of his friends chuckled “We were wondering the same thing. You were just walking blindly into a dead end!”

For the first time since god knows when, I scanned my surroundings realizing I have no clue where the fuck I am. Somehow, I wandered into an alley, not too deep but still pretty disorienting. There’s a wall behind them, I guess that was the dead end they’re talking about. Two of them snickered while looking at a phone.

“You seriously recorded her?”

“Course I did. I knew girls were ditzy but this? She ran into a building, like, three times! And apologized to it!” Okay, I admit, not my best moment but still, feels a little weird for them to record it. I wonder how long they were filming before deciding to actually check in on me.

“Guys, stop. You’ll make her run away.” The blonde boy spoke again. “Don’t worry kitten, we’re not here to hurt you. You just looked lost. If you want some help finding your way, we’d be glad to assist!” 

…I know he’s not saying anything inherently wrong, but the way he speaks makes my skin crawl. There’s something about his tone. It’s sweeter than it should be. That specific type of sweetness no human being shows without having ulterior motives. 

His gaze grew more intense. “Do I… know you?” I don’t like how close his face is to mine.

A part of me got suspicious, too. We might indeed know each other. Or at least, I might know him. Blonde hair, green eyes, creepy as shit. But it’d be ridiculous if he’s actually who I think he is. I mean, not every blonde white guy’s gonna be related to-

“I do know you! You’re that cutie my brother keeps talking about!”

Yep, it’s him. Because my luck couldn’t get any worse, I ran into Cole Evans, Zane’s freakshow older brother. 

No wonder my fight or flight feels triggered.

Play it cool. “I think you have me mistaken for someone else. And thank you, but I’m not lost.”

Right as I turned around to leave, my shoulders pricked up. He put his grimy hands on them, firmly grasping onto them as if any of this is fucking okay. “Oh, don’t be like that! What’d he say your name was… Salena, right? You think I’m as boring as Zane or something?” He spoke too close to my ear. My legs are trembling, aching to run. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this. “Why’re you being such a killjoy, hm? You know I’m not that much older than you, right?”

I need to go.

I spun around and elbowed his side as hard as I could, forcing him to stumble back. I desperately wanted to sprint but his friends blocked my path, grabbing my wrists when I tried reaching for the blades hidden in my backpack. They were laughing and poking fun at Cole and he himself didn’t seem all too phased either, straightening up as the pain died down.

“Let me go!”

“Seems like she’s more tiger than kitten aye, Cole?”

“Good thing I like the feisty ones.”

I thrashed around kicking and stomping, trying to hit anything I could or at least break free but nothing was working. They’re dodging everything and the grip on my wrists only gets tighter. All the while they’re mocking me like I’m a dog or something. Is this just a sick joke to all of them? 

“Aww, look at her! Is that really the best you can do to fight back?”

I need to keep trying, I need to find a way out. But they have me trapped. I can barely move around. I can’t dodge, I can’t run. I don’t know how to fight, I’m useless if I can’t run. What do I do? What do I do?

BAM!

I didn’t realize how unstable my balance was. Not until I found myself fallen on the ground finally able to freely move my wrists. The guy restraining me earlier was now groaning on the ground too, holding the freshly bruised side of his face in agony. 

“You wanna fight? Then pick on someone my size!”

“Raph?...” I watched from the ground, mouth hanging open.

Without hesitation, Raph charged at them. They were cocky at first but the atmosphere quickly shifted after seeing how powerful the “person” in the gray hoodie was. I don’t even blame them, I’ve never seen him punch anyone so hard before. He’d slam them into everything: the walls, the ground, I might’ve even heard bones crack. He’s taking all of them on.

Meanwhile, I’m here uselessly watching. 

I should help. I want to help. I know he’s strong but there’s a good number of them and they’re not exactly weaponless. But what do I do? What could I do? I have my sickles but what if I make things worse? What if things get too messy, what if things go too far? If the police get involved-

Wait, an opening! 

They’re so distracted dealing with Raph, no one’s blocking the way out! 

Run! JUST RUN!

“Come on!” I grabbed Raph’s hand the first opportunity I could and fled from the scene, him confused but not stopping us. 

We ran for what felt like forever. Just chose a direction and bolted, not much logic behind it. If anything, it felt like pure instinct. Traffic lights and stop signs didn’t seem to matter to me and frankly, I’m surprised we didn’t get run over. We only stopped when my lungs gave out and forced me to gasp for air. 

Raph seemed fine, a little concerned, but fine. “You okay? Was passing by and heard ya scream. When I ran in, I found ‘em surrounding you.” 

“Y-yeah, I’m just… I just, I-I don’t know. Sorry, can I just have a minute?” I continued heaving in the air, can’t tell if it was from running so much or another god forsaken panic attack.

Regardless, Raph stayed crouching by me as I held my throbbing head, trying to not cry. He's quiet but attentive, noticeably making an effort to avoid physical contact for now. Strangely enough, his presence alone is making me feel better. 

I steadied my breathing “Th-thanks for jumping in, Raph. Um… sorry I couldn’t, ya know, handle it myself.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Not your fault those creeps were messing with you.” 

“Still…” I wish I did more. 

And just like that, my breathing progress backtracked “Sorry I… A-a lot happened today. Too much too soon and I have no clue how to just… Gosh, I don’t even know, I-I guess get it out?” 

“Uhh, well uh…” His eyes lit up “Ooh! Actually, I’ve got a good way to deal with that kinda stuff, if you don’t mind comin’ over to the lair for a bit!”

“Oh, um, really? You wouldn’t mind?”

“Course not! Plus, Raph could use the company, anyway.”

Well, I’d definitely be safer in the lair than out here. 

I gave a weak smile “Alrighty then. I’m down!”

He reached for my hand, only taking it when he was sure it was okay. We walked along the city streets for a while. His large hand practically engulfed mine, I felt like a little kid next to their big brother. Is it weird to say I feel a little safer that way? 

We reached the lair, entering through a manhole and strolling till we reached an abandoned subway track. The familiar scent shot back to my brain. It’s strong but not overwhelming. 

“Here we are! Home sweet home!”

It’s surprisingly empty today. “Where’s everyone else?” 

“Probably doing their own thing. Hopefully safe. Raph, uh, doesn’t like thinkin’ about it too much.”

“Then Salena shall not question! So um… what exactly are we gonna do?-” 

“Catch!”

I stumbled back in shock, peering down as whatever he threw now landed in my arms. They’re… boxing gloves?

“The fuck?”

“We’re gonna deal with your thoughts the best way I know: by punching ‘em in the face!”

I blinked as I realized he’s being completely and entirely serious. I hesitated at first, but then I really gave it a good thought. I’ve read before that working out can boost your mood. A little harmless violence is a strangely good way to let out anger, especially. Plus, if I make a habit of this, I might be able to boost my strength along with it! Then I wouldn’t have to solely depend on running all the time! 

“Worth a shot!” I finally shrugged in acceptance and put on the boxing gloves, staring at the bag in front of me. “Do I just go ahead and punch it?”

“Yep, basically! But when you do, try thinking about whatever’s bugging ya and pretend it’s the bag. It’ll help you smash harder and make ya feel better!”

“Okie dokers, here I go.” 

Smack!

I gave it a light punch to test it out, making sure to catch the bag as it swung back so it didn’t punch me instead. It hurts a little since I’m not used to the impact on my fist but it’s nothing that makes me scream and writhe in pain.

“Good job for your first hit, Salena! Now try and put some more force into it!”

I repeated my actions but with a stronger punch like he instructed. I kept doing it until I got a decent enough rhythm I could keep up with. So now it’s time for the second and arguably harder part: letting my thoughts out. I don’t really wanna think about the… situation in the street. So I guess what’s left is thinking about Jaiden instead. Ugh.

Smack!

Where do I even begin with this? I mean, I can’t even properly figure out how I’m feeling, let alone word it. All I know is that there’s a shit ton of guilt associated with it. I never meant to yell at Jaiden, it just sorta happened. 

Smack!

But it’s not like it came out of nowhere, either! They’re the one who ditched me! Jaiden and I planned ahead of time to meet up and hang out, I made it explicitly clear I missed them and wanted to be with them. They said they were busy and didn’t even give me a reason for it! And then they hang out with Zane the same day? They basically chose him over me!

Smack!

But I shouldn’t have yelled either. I made things so much worse now, it’ll be too awkward to ever bring it up. They’ll just tell me off for getting mad and completely ignore everything else. God this is so frustrating! 

SMACK!

Why did I have to be so stupid? Why did they have to be so mean? The things they said and the things I did! It’s all spinning around in a giant whirlpool of bad and dangerous thoughts and I hate it! I can’t stop thinking about it and I hate it! Have I been a bad friend? Is Zane that much better than me? Am I just not interesting? What did I do for them to just ditch me! 

SMACK!

We’re best friends, why are we acting like this!? I let my temper get the best of me! I yelled at them, I fucking yelled at them! I’m mad and upset but fuck I yelled at them! I’ve never yelled at Jaiden before. We’re best friends. How could I do that!? 

SMACK!!

I’m awful! I’m terrible! I feel like an asshole! I am an asshole! I should know better! I do know better! How could I fuck up so badly!? How could I do this!? How!? How!? HOW!? I DESERVE TO FUCKING-

“Salena!” 

SMACK!!!

Raph’s arm went in between me and the bag, taking the hit in my place. I know he’s strong but judging from how loud the crash was, I doubt it didn’t at least sting.

“That was close. Everything okay? Why’d you stop punching? If the bag hit you it could’ve done some serious damage!”

“I didn’t realize I did…” I ran my hand through my hair, sighing heavily. “Ugh, fuck! Sorry, Raph. I don’t think I’m in the right headspace to do this. It’s just making everything feel more clouded than before.”

He stared at the bag for a moment. “Alright, well…” Then he let it rest, and faced me with his fists up. “We’ll spar instead.”

I tilted my head to the side, communicating my confusion.

“The whole point of this thing is to let your thoughts out, maybe if you’re just thinkin’ about it, it’s still keeping it in. If you’re cool with it, we could try talking instead of only venting while we fight and it might clear things up!” He chuckled lightly. “And don’t worry, Raph goes easy on first-timers.”

Honestly, he might actually have a point with that. “I’m open to trying!”

We’re starting off with some light jabs at each other. I felt a little out of place fighting Raph, partly cause I don’t like hitting him and partly cause I’m terrified to let him hit me. I’ve been dodging and blocking decently enough, though. HIs punches feel way lighter than normal so he wasn’t kidding about going easier.

“So, tell me. What’s bothern’ ya so much today?”

“It’s kinda my friend. I think I did something since they hadn’t talked to me much for days. And then one day when we were supposed to finally hang out, they told me something came up.” I punched a little harder, getting blocked by his forearm. “And then I found out that ‘something’ was them hanging out with our other friend who posted it on Instagram! They totally ditched me!”

He jabbed at my right, barely missing when I dodged. “Did you try talking to them? Could be a misunderstanding.”

“That’s the thing, every time I wanted to I just kept getting so mad thinking about it. And then when it actually happened, I wasn’t prepared and I screamed. They were being kinda mean but still, I never yelled at Jaiden before.”

The pace picked up some more. Raph’s hits were getting quicker and harder to dodge, I’ve had to shield myself more often. He did leave some opportunities, though. I’m gonna assume it’s on purpose to let me have a few hits but either way, it’s training so I’m gonna take full advantage of that.

“How long have you two been friends?”

“Five years, we’ve known each other since middle school. That’s why it’s killing me inside. You should’ve seen their face Raph, they looked so… shocked! Shocked that I had it in me, that I’m a shitty enough person to yell at my friend!”

“I mean, I get it but, you’re still human. No normal person’s gonna go through life never yelling at their friends.” He swung at me. “And if you’ve been friends so long, why don’t y’all just talk it out? Dontcha think apologizing would help?”

I ducked, narrowly missing it. “I mean, yeah it would, but that’s not gonna stop it from being an issue. Sometimes I’ve had to fight myself really hard to stay calm around Jaiden but I always managed to do it. Now that I blew up, though, it’ll just keep happening.”

“What do ya mean?”

“Anger issues.” I attempted a jab. “I’ve had anger issues growing up.”

“Ah. Yeah, Raph knows a thing or two about that.”

“It sucks because like, I try not to let it show. And I think I’ve done a good job. But everything’s been so overwhelming lately that I’ve been snapping left and right! I keep getting mad and forgetting to control my temper and doing stupid things as a result! It’s so annoying!” 

The anger’s helping my punches get faster. I’m barely even focusing on it but I can tell I wasn’t moving this quick earlier. Somehow, I actually managed to land a hit on his plastron, though he didn’t even flinch. Still, it’s definitely helping me build up some power. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have celebrated too quickly, though. He countered with a jab at my shoulder, forcing me to pause and regain my stance. He let me take my time, bouncing with his fists up like before and waiting for me to resume the fight. I did so shortly after catching my breath.

“Ya know, I’ve dealt with anger issues growing up, too. It’s why I got into working out so much, it’s a good outlet.” He started blocking more, letting me get a few more hits in to help me practice.

“Yeah, but your brothers love you a lot, you couldn’t have hurt them too bad. If you did, wouldn’t they just hate you?”

He laughed. “You’d be surprised! I was a real problem-child growing up, even worse than Donnie. I mean, I still loved my bros back then and acted the way I do now but… I still had a huge temper and wasn’t as good keeping it in check. Actually speaking of Dee, I did hurt him pretty badly once. Physically.”

My arms were getting tired. “What’d you do? If you’re okay sharing.”

“Well, uh, turns out anger issues and pre-teen hormones don’t mix well. It’s a little fuzzy but I know it was over something dumb. I was having a bad day so I started punching my room’s walls. It made a lotta noise and Donnie came in telling me I was bein’ too loud and it hurt his ears. I shoulda just stopped like he asked me to but I didn’t and started yelling at him and taking my anger out on him. Don didn’t back down, either, so we ended up arguing. I don’t even know how things got so heated but it got physical and I accidentally hit his shell.”

“What!?” I stopped for a moment, trying to take it in. I know Donnie’s a softshell and judging from how hard Raph’s been hitting even now when he’s being light, I could put two and two together. “Sorry that happened, Raphie. For both of you.”

“It’s fine, he wasn’t too badly hurt thankfully.” He threw a punch to signal me to keep going. “But he built his battleshell a few days later. I don’t think it was out of anger towards me, I don’t even think Dee remembers what happened other than us getting into a fight. But it still stung when I figured out why he made it.”

“And why was that?”

“...I think he built it so I wouldn’t have to worry about hurting him again. He knew I felt guilty and I wouldn’t stop apologizin’ to him for days. I think the battleshell was his way to keep himself safe but for my sake more than his.”

Raph began using a more offensive style, letting me play defense and rest my body a little. Perfect timing since I don’t think I would’ve been able to focus on giving strong hits. I’m just trying to process what happened. I knew Raph could get mad easily and shouts a bit. But I’ve never seen him really act violent towards his family, quite the opposite actually. It never even crossed my head that maybe he had to learn this the hard way.

“We’re both past it now and I’ve def gotten better with the whole temper thing. Plus that battleshell’s like, his favorite thing he ever made now. So all’s well that ends well, I guess!”

I slid back, shielding another hit. “Does it… still hurt you to think about it?”

He paused and chuckled. “You kiddin’? Hurts like hell.” Then went right back to fighting.

“So… how’d you do it? You seem so different compared to how you described yourself as a kid. Just… seems like a lot of change.”

“It was! I found better ways to deal with things. I worked out, listened to older songs, that kinda stuff. Still not the best I could be but it’s a work in progress!”

“I already do those things, though. I mean, not working out but like, I’ve got ways to cope with my anger. It just still happened.”

“Then there’s only one thing I can tell ya. It’s the hardest thing but also the most important.”

I freaked out when he swiped his leg at mine, knocking me off balance. I raised my head to look at him crouched by me again.

“Never give up on yourself. If you do that, it’s over.” He picked me up by my shoulders, me weighing absolutely nothing to him, and set me back on my feet. “But ‘till you do that, there’ll always be hope.” 

He smiled, the snaggletooth gleaming. “Think we’ve done enough today. You look tired.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Truth be told, I didn’t entirely realize how worn out my body was ‘till he pointed it out. “Thanks for, well, helping me out with this stuff. You’re… a good friend, Raph.”

“Anytime.” He pointed at his shell. “Want a ride home?”

I grinned and nodded, my nerves washing away from me. I know from experience this relief is only temporary, but maybe it’s okay to enjoy it anyway.

We had a nice and pleasant walk back to my place, me on his shell as we talked about more lighter topics. He shared a lot about his music taste especially, R&B is his favorite and helps him chill out often. I’ve never given it a try myself but I’m always happy to have an excuse to. I got dropped off at my building’s entrance, strolling in as I thought about the last thing I asked him before bidding him goodbye.

“Raph… do you think I’m a bad person?”

“Not even close. Like I said before, you’re just human.”

I hate to admit it, but there’s a lump in my throat from thinking about it. Weird thing is, I don’t mind it. The elevator’s quiet hum only made this peace more apparent. 

Ding!

And there goes my phone ruining that peace once again. I saw the notification, Zane texted. I guess his brother told him about our little “introduction”, if you can even call it that. 

Ding!

He also told him about Raph. And he’s mad at me now, asking who the guy in the gray hoodie was. He’s more focused on Raph than on his brother’s bullshit. Lovely.

…You know what, this can wait for another day. One thing at a time, Salena. One thing at a time.

Next Chapter

#save rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt #rottmnt oc x canon #rottmnt fanfiction #unpause rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt season 3 #nickelodeon #netflix #rottmnt s3 #rottmnt oc #oc x canon #rottmnt x oc #rottmnt moths fly in packs

[whentherewerebicycles]

good morning! I felt pretty lousy all week but I feel so much better now—I think in retrospect I was bracing myself for something going wrong with the ultrasounds and delaying me another month. but I did the IUI yesterday and everything went well. I always feel most at peace right after the IUI because the timing is now out of my hands but I’m also still far enough from testing that I don’t feel too much anxiety about it. I’ve tentatively decided I won’t test at two weeks but will just wait for my period to come or not come. I am going to try not to calendar watch—luckily my days are a lot busier now that liz is here, school is starting, and I’m doing choir and voice lessons, so I hope the time won’t drag as much as it did last winter/spring. I’m also going to try to eat really well and will make it a fun meal planning game.

here are my goals for the next two weeks:

walk for 45-60 minutes every day (I’ve been slipping a little as things have gotten busier but I want to carve out time for it again esp while the weather is still so gorgeous)

no (or minimal) processed sugar

eat leafy dark greens every day—the easiest way to do this is to sauté big handfuls of frozen spinach with garlic and red pepper flakes and eat it as a little snack. so I will do that (but will also try to incorporate greens into my cooking).

try making beetroot juice lol apparently it’s very good for implantation in IVF cycles so might as well try it

really focus on whole food plant-based eating (although I am also eating eggs and full-fat dairy at the moment so not vegan)

don’t snack at work—people are always bringing in candy or pizza or treats which is nice but I can really mindlessly graze if it’s easily accessible. I’ll try chewing gum and/or making tea instead

hmm ok what else what else. choir was fine and then I had a great voice lesson yesterday. my teacher is a little eccentric but what person in a music career isn’t lol. she focuses a lot on helping you understand and manipulate the actual bodily mechanics of singing/sound production and I’m finding it really fascinating, so much so that it might be my next research rabbithole. I feel like she’s also good at identifying places where I’ve formed a very fixed rigid idea about what my voice “is” or is capable of doing, then creating exercises that get me to do the thing I thought I couldn’t without realizing I’m doing it. I think what I like most about the bodily-mechanics approach is that it does away with the idea that good singing is just a thing some people can naturally do and others can’t. it’s much closer to being an athlete! you have to strengthen and condition certain tiny muscles, and then through carefully scaffolded drills you develop a fine-grained ability to manipulate certain muscles and ligaments to produce different effects, and you have to be careful about using good technique when you train and perform (because like in sports, people develop bad habits to compensate for real or perceived weaknesses, which can put them at higher risk for injury). I sang for almost two decades and had 10+ years of formal vocal training as a kid/teen and I don’t know if anyone ever presented it to me in that way… or maybe they did but it didn’t click for me back then because I hadn’t yet done all of this reading and thinking about how people learn/improve/gain expertise in their chosen skills or fields. anyway I was originally thinking I’d just do a handful of voice lessons to help me feel more confident in choir but my interest is PIQUED you know my intellect is ENGAGED I think I might want to add weekly voice lessons to my budget. and I want to read everything out there on the subject lol. there is no greater joy for me than working in a focused way on improving at a skill.

okay and now let’s think about the day… here are some things I want to get done:

order peel and stick wallpaper (I am trying to figure out how to fix

plan meals

grocery shop

put laundry away

do old navy + everlane returns

swing by home depot to pick up soil, two paintbrushes, and paint (bring swatches to color match)

hourlong walk maybe on the paved trail

hammock reading in the park??

[angeltreasure]

Cecilia here, a little bummed out. I've been getting over a cold (Pray for me please) and I got back response to visiting those sisters I told you about. Well, they can't have me back until the Fall retreat, which is all the way in November. I'm both elated and sad because I wanted to go sooner to visit in a more intimate setting but they don't have the availability, but I am glad they responded at all. Also the other retreat I was going to go to fell through that was supposed to be this weekend. I'm like, God, you want me to do this but you're putting these doors in my face, I keep knocking but it's not opening. Am I doing something wrong? I'm looking at other religious sisters and organizations to see if I match well and if they're near me, the archdioceses don't update too often, they haven't even listed anything for June or July, still dates from May that already came. I'm not worried that God's forgetting me or anything, just frustrated since things aren't moving once I finally do muster up the courage to do something or follow the voice inside. My mom is also getting on me about having grandkids, trying to pair me off with any single man who comes by the house. I just feel stuck in a holding pattern. What can I do? God Bless you sister!

Hi Cecilia! I hope you feel better soon, I’ll pray for you!! If it’s any extra help, I’m stuck in a holding period too. I’m making my first official visit to the desert area nuns this weekend, but I’m still waiting to hear back from active sisters when their Eucharistic Miracles tour will end in their diocese, and three other Orders never even responded back yet. I feel obsessed checking my email over and over. I think the best thing we can do at difficult times is don’t stop praying. It may sound silly, but it does work over time. Sometimes God will answer with a quick yes, sometimes it’s a yes but later, sometimes it’s a delayed no, and other times we get a firm no. We won’t know why in this life why He shuts doors on us that we personally think are good for us, but His ways are not our own. Perhaps if you would have joined that particular Order that kept postponing again and again you would have dreaded being there. That still may not satisfy us, but in the mean time while we have to wait for retreats and visits and answers, explore more. I’d also recommend setting extra time aside while you pray to put this all in God’s hands, to grab a notebook or big piece of paper. On the paper, write down everything you are thankful for in your life. Make it as big of a list as you can. So next time when any disappointment comes or a period of unease, you can take the list out as you pray and converse with God like, oh you know I’m sad about this or that but look at all that I am thankful for. You’ll be surprised how big that list will be and making that list a prayer of thanksgiving to God will cheer your spirits and give you hope. ☺️🤍 That’s something I saw a Jewish woman do on Instagram after going through a difficult time. It’s something I want to try. It really helped her.

#Cecilia #asks

[matthewbernard]

Investing in My Future

Today I met with a financial advisor. While this was something I have considered from time to time, it was not a meeting that I sought out. Basically I got a random phone call from an old friend two weeks ago, and the short version of the story is that he is getting into the finance game and he wanted to meet with me. Like I said, I have thought about this thing in the past, but with the upcoming crossroads, it is not necessarily the best time for it. Still, I agreed to the meeting out of respect for my friend, and I put it two weeks out since I had to be in Colorado for work last week.

So today was the day and I was quite anxious for the meeting, partially because I didn’t know what to expect, and partially because of what I assumed I should expect. I hate feeling like I am being given a sales pitch, and I have come to realize that in our capitalistic society, everyone is trying to sell you something. You’re forced to question everything. You take your kid for a consult with an orthodontist and they are most likely going to tell you that your kid needs braces. You want to believe that they are being honest, and that they are trying to help; that they have your best interest at heart. The truth is, however, that they are running a business and they need to make sales to keep that business going.

What’s worse is that since being a salesman was something I had to do at Lowe’s for many years, I can usually spot when they are selling me something, but I am not always good at resisting it. For that reason, I have developed a rule that I don’t say yes to anything at the first meeting. I will find some way to delay. With things related to the kids this is usually easy because I can tell them that all decisions have to be made jointly with their mother. It can be more difficult when I am making a decision for myself.

So I went to this meeting with plenty of anxiety, but also with a couple of exit strategies. At the very least I knew it would be good to see my friend; which it was. The meeting itself wasn’t so bad. There was another gentleman in the room with us as my friend is not fully licensed yet. There was definitely a lot going on that was certainly a sales pitch, and at one point I put it out there that I have a rule against saying yes to anything in the first meeting. They both said that they respected that, and that it wasn’t the plan anyway. This meeting was to gather some info so that they could present a plan to me at the next meeting. Which means that my rule will have to be amended in this instance to being that I don’t say yes at the second meeting.

The thing is that I could really use some help in the financial planning department. I’m good at budgeting and saving and all that stuff, but my investments are lacking. I definitely had some setbacks after the divorce and the various periods of unemployment in the last five years. For a time I could not afford to save much of anything, let alone for retirement. It is a regular source of anxiety whenever I think about it. So like I said, I could use some help, but at the same time, I have trained myself to be weary of these sorts of things. No one does anything for free, and the potential costs involved in it all is also a source of anxiety. The classic damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.

Truthfully, it likely doesn’t matter much right now because with the upcoming crossroads, I am not in a position to say yes to anything of this nature. I will need to wait until my path is set, and even then I may not be able to afford it. However, if I can, and this turns out to be as beneficial as it sounds, it would go a long way to bring some peace of mind to those aspects of my life. I have attempted to do this stuff on my own for many years now, and while I have had some success, I know that it is nowhere near the potential for success that is out there. I fucking hate capitalism, but it is not going away, so I need to do what I can to survive in it. I certainly don’t want to work for the rest of my life.

One last interesting thing from the meeting was the point that he asked me to picture myself in three years time and consider what I would need to feel happy and content. I told him that as a person with anxiety and depression, I found that incredibly difficult to picture, and that it was likely not possible. That being said, maybe this would help move the needle. For now, it requires more thought and reflection.

[lnsturnkey1]

5 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOUR PLUMBING SYSTEM NEEDS REPAIR

No one enjoys hearing a leaking faucet drip, drip, drip. It may appear to be a simple leak coming from under your kitchen sink at first glance. But did you know that a dripping faucet could indicate a more severe problem with your pipes that needs to be repaired?

Plumbing systems, once constructed, stay in such good conditions for a longer time, but they can last even longer with proper care and maintenance. When pipes corrode, they leak, causing a slew of issues for you and your home. Leaks can be as small as a drip, but they can also be much more damaging to your home and possessions.

Of course, every system eventually fails, whether due to a specific problem or the passage of time getting rusted. But the delay of the situation is in our hands. However, looking at the problem when it’s in its critical stage leads to a huge problem. But getting the plumbing repairs done as soon as possible to minimize damage and inconvenience is the best thing you should do once you feel the need for it. We’ll show you how to spot warning signs and what to do if you see them.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SUSPECT YOUR PLUMBING SYSTEM NEEDS REPAIR?

I. CHECK FOR THE CAUSE :

While you can quickly resolve many plumbing problems, there are times when the job is simply too large. You can undoubtedly handle minor issues independently, but when should you give up and hire a pro? Here are 7 indicators of the time you need to hire a plumbing repair service:

1. You Do Not Have Access To Water :

It’s a significant problem to have no water at all. You won’t know if you have a significant leak, clogged pipes, or frozen pipes until a professional plumber comes out to inspect them. Before calling for the plumbing services, first, check whether the cause of leakages is a major one or just a thought of mind. So, knowing the cause helps you better identify the problem.

2. There Isn’t Any Hot Water In Your House:

While not as bad as having no water at all, not having hot water is still a significant problem. It’s normal to run out of hot water after a few showers, but if it happens in a short period, you have a problem. A professional plumber can assist you in determining the root of the problem and advising you on how to resolve it.

3. The Water Pressure In Your Home Is Very Low:

A variety of issues, such as cracked or broken pipes, can cause low water pressure. It is recommended that you check out this with a professional emergency plumber.

4. Your House Has An Unpleasant Odor :

Your home may smell like sewage as a result of plumbing issues. It could be due to clogged pipes once again. Take a walk around your property to see if there’s anything you can spot right away. When your home has a foul odor like this, it’s critical to call a plumbing repair service.

5. Your Drains Are Clogged:

There is most likely you have a clogged pipe somewhere in your home if water is sitting in your tub or sinks. It isn’t a problem that the average homeowner can solve. Call a plumbing repair service to come out and inspect the clog to determine the best course of action for resolving your issue.

6. Check For Frozen Pipes :

If you notice signs of a frozen water supply line, such as a loss of water pressure or no water pressure at all, don’t try to unfreeze yourself and don’t wait for it to thaw on its own to see if it has burst. At the first sign of a frozen pipe, call an emergency plumber.

7. Check If A Raw Sewage Is Involved :

A sewage backup into your home, regardless of the day or time, should be handled by a qualified plumber because raw sewage is a biohazard and poses a toxic health threat that may require evacuation. The cleaner and disinfection process becomes more challenging as further extended sewage backup infiltrates your home.

II. DECIDE WHETHER IT’S AN EMERGENCY OR NOT?

Decide finally, is it a serious situation? Is it necessary right now? When your sleep is disrupted, a leaking faucet is getting damaged, and eventually, it disrupts everything then and there that keeps you awake at two a.m. can seem like an emergency. However, it may be in your best interests to take a step back and consider whether the minor issues can wait. But if you notice standing water in a part of your house or your basement, be concerned as it’s actually an emergency! A burst pipe or other plumbing issues in your home could be the cause of the standing water. Make sure to clear the flooded area and contact an emergency plumber right away!

III. DECIDE ON A PROFESSIONAL PLUMBING REPAIR SERVICE

Once you have decided to call for a plumbing repair service, it’s time to decide whom to call depending on the circumstances that it lasts the longest. So, how do you choose to hire the best :

1. Read Reviews And Consult With Friends

Talking to friends or family about companies they have used in the past is the quickest and most reliable way to find a trustworthy plumber. Doing some research online is another excellent way to find a renowned and certified plumbing service in Anaheim. There are a plethora of online plumbing directories that provide helpful information, such as plumbing licenses, customer reviews, and images.

2. Get in Touch With A Variety Of Plumbing Companies.

Calling a plumber to determine whether you should hire them or not is the best way to do so. We recommend asking about their plumbing license and insurance while you’re on the phone. You should also request a list of testimonials and pricing information from your local plumber. We recommend choosing a plumber with the highest qualifications after gathering information from various plumbing companies.

3. Check For Experience

We recommend visiting a licensed plumber’s website to learn more about the company’s history before making a hiring decision. A reputed plumbing company will offer comprehensive services at affordable rates. Look for a company bio to see if they have any plumbing experience. Looking for insurance and licensing information is also a good idea.

IV. BE READY BEFORE THE PLUMBER KNOCKS

You may feel incapable of stopping the water from gushing up from your toilet or rushing into your basement from a burst pipe. There are, however, often critical steps you can take to provide temporary relief until an emergency plumber arrives. Before calling an emergency plumber in Anaheim, try the following steps before they reach.

1. Turn Off The Water Supply

Stopping the flow of water should be your first step if you’re experiencing flooding. If you don’t know where your home’s main water valve is, now is the time to find out. Turning off the water will prevent flooding until the issue is resolved, reducing the amount of water damage to your home.

2. Close Valves Near The Problem

In addition to the main valve, other valves allow you to stop the flow of water locally. There are two valves under your sink that control the flow of hot and cold water. A valve is also located behind your toilet. Closing the valves is a temporary solution if either of these is leaking or overflowing until the emergency plumber or a plumbing repair service reaches.

3. Children And Pets Must Be Kept Out Of The Area

If you smell or even suspect sewage contamination in the water, this is especially important. If ingested or absorbed through cuts on the skin, sewage can cause serious health problems. Until emergency services arrive, keep your family protected and restrict their entry to the contaminated areas.

4. Ensure The Work Area Is Clean

Preparing the areas that your plumber will need to access can help him spend less time in your home. If the plumber has to remove a slew of sponges, paper towels, and cleaning supplies from under each sink, this can add valuable minutes to the time he’s billing you for. Before the plumber arrives, make sure all areas he needs to access are clear.

5. Know The Basics Of Your House

Is there anything that every homeowner should know about plumbing? Where is the leading plumbing shutoff valve? This way, you can quickly stop a leak and wait for the plumber to fix the source, causing the bigger problem.

6. Expect An Estimate Rather Than A Perfect Cost

Everyone wants to know what they’re getting into before hiring a plumber, but they can’t give you a specific quote based on your description of the problem. Even inspecting a situation in person yields only the best guess until the plumber can look behind the walls. If the final cost is higher than the estimate, inquire why; this usually indicates a more significant problem to solve than anticipated.

V. HIRE AND WAIT FOR THE SERVICES

When it comes to hiring, hire the plumbers who are licensed, bonded, and insured. It’s all too easy to hire an unlicensed handyperson to fix your drains, plumbing, or other household systems. After all, aren’t they less expensive? That depends on how much you’re willing to put your money on the line to save a few dollars. A professional plumber assumes the risk of something going wrong. They frequently come with warranties and will usually correct any errors for free. If something catastrophic occurs, their insurance will cover the costs.

However, all the risk will transfer to you if something goes wrong with your house by an unlicensed, unbonded, and uninsured plumber, including if the handyman gets hurt on your property. There is no insurance payout other than your own if something goes wrong. Plus, you’ll almost certainly have to pay a professional plumber to come out and fix it again by trying to spoil something which you don’t know. “Don’t pay twice to fix something that a professional could have done the first time correctly.”

IN A NUTSHELL!

Before calling plumbing repair services, make sure you’ve considered the risks and problems. Never try attempting to do it yourself, as it shall lead to more costs than savings. Also, you can lead to further future hassles.

Try contacting a licensed plumbing service in Anaheim and seek advice on what they think is right, what will be done, and what’s necessary. But before hiring, check all details! However, never hire an unlicensed plumber or handyman, and don’t rely solely on the internet. Check-in with your close friends and go for the ones with the best customer support as they will be the ones to have your back and help you immediately when any urgency arises. Finally, remember that paying for it once is less expensive than paying for it twice along with all inconveniences.

Goal of L&S Turkey is to provide our customers with a reliable plumber and contractor who can help them at all steps of the process. You won’t need to go anywhere else, our experienced and friendly staff can take care of everything, even the insurance billing. While plumbing problems aren’t fun to experience, it is good to have an experienced company on your side. Contact us.

Source - https://www.lnsturnkey.com/things-to-do-when-plumbing-system-needs-repair/