#kindness or a nice treat from a shop or a pretty skyline. if that's all i'll ever get?

[rabbitenn]

Hi!

Could I request headcanons of TRIGGER (separately) with a baker s/o who loves making sweets and treats for them, especially when they do a good job?

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS.

Your treats are only surpassed in sweetness by your tender kisses.

ft. Yaotome Gaku, Kujo Tenn, Tsunashi Ryunosuke x gn! reader.

cw/genre: fluff.

This is such a cute request, nonnie ! Thank you so much <3 I’m sorry it took so long… I hope you still like it !

♡ YAOTOME GAKU

— Gaku is so in love. Not just because of the way you go out of your way to make something nice for him, but because you are just so… precious.

— Words of kindness and praise leave your lips with the same ease as powdered sugar coats his every time he eats the pastries you make.

— Steely eyes scan the kitchen, afternoon sunlight filtering in, seemingly threaded around you as you move about to prepare another batch of the sweet addiction.

— However, to your lover, watching you is sweet enough; akin to the first drops of nectar, leaving him longing for more, the rose-colored instants in which you lay between his arms.

— With a smile, you turn around, stealing a fleeting kiss from him, the taste of glazed sugar present from the treat you had a taste of (Gaku insisted, you had prepared them, after all).

— However, he wants more.

— So, putting down the confectionery he was eating, your boyfriend catches your wrist, pulling you over his lap.

— In sweet scented silence, a few seconds pass.

— Then, TRIGGER’s leader is leaning in. And powdered sugar merges with your lipgloss when he kisses you, an amalgamation of tenderness and hunger.

— And, well, who are you to resist?

— You kiss him back with just as much fervor, thinking you’ll bake extra treats for him if it means kisses this sweet.

— There are other times, you’re working up until the late hours of the evening, when your boyfriend shows up. The bell over the shop’s door announces his arrival just as the sun gives you two some privacy, as it dips behind the faraway skyline.

— In these instances, even if not many words are exchanged between you two, you feel at peace.

— The scent of baked goods lingers, as Gaku helps you arrange some boxes and materials you’ll need for tomorrow’s shift.

— And as always, you’ve saved your best piece for him.

— Today, the silver of the constellations peeking through the window mirrors in the decoration of the cupcake you’ve reserved for him.

— The glazing is in his image color, a moon motif decorating the sweet in swirling patterns.

— And, to Gaku, the sight of you holding the pretty treat for him to take is brighter than the stars outside he doesn’t bother looking at.

— What would be the use, when his dream come true is right in front of him, offering him minutes of borrowed dusk, coated in sugar?

♡ KUJO TENN

— Tenn gets that soft look in his eyes every time his shared apartment fills with the scent of just baked cookies.

— As much as he claims to work hard for the sake of his fans’ smiles, going back home to you is what really puts a smile on his angelic features, the warmth of sugary air wrapping around him as his childhood blankets did.

— He lets out a soft chuckle, as he hears you humming one of his group’s songs when he enters the kitchen.

— You’re so focused on preparing the ingredients you’ll be needing, you haven’t yet noticed your boyfriend’s presence.

— Only when familiar arms wrap around your middle, and the softness of his snowy hair brushes against your cheek, do you realize an angel has arrived at your doorstep.

— Your lover’s long lashes flutter closed, akin to the gentle caress of angel wings, as he says:

“Made some for me, my love?”

— A trail of kisses over the column of your neck is left in his wake, until his lips reach the shell of your ear, a whisper of “missed you” making your heart skip a beat.

— Tenn always loved watching from behind as you baked, even when you were still kids and you were just learning.

— You remember it as if it all happened yesterday, how he’d stop by your family’s bakery every day after school, those huge rose colored eyes of his curiously looking over your shoulder as you attempted to make donuts for the first time.

— The shape was a little crooked, but to nine year old Tenn, they looked a little like hearts.

— Like the ones in his eyes when he looks at you.

— “Of course I made some for you.” You tell him, turning around, as you feed him a pink cookie with strawberry topping. “Say aaah-“ You tease him, putting the sweet treat near his lips.

— However, charm and flustering you are your boyfriend’s specialty.

— So, clasping your hand in his, he takes the cookie from you with his teeth.

— “Sweet like you, my love.” Tenn whispers, leaving a fleeting kiss on your lips, before walking away to get changed, while you stand there, face burning, as the cookies in the oven almost do.

— On other occasions, when TRIGGER has live performances, you’re always there with Tenn in the green room, and naturally, you’ve made sure to prepare a special prize for him after the concert.

— A box wrapped in a pretty package waits for him backstage, topped with your loving hugs and sweet smiles.

— Soft kisses are exchanged between you and the angelic idol, as Ryu and Gaku give you some privacy, smiling knowingly.

— Both because they’re sure to tease their younger friend afterwards, and because you always made sure to bring sweets for them, after all.

♡ TSUNASHI RYUNOSUKE

— Ryu wants to bake with you every time he sees you working on a new or old recipe.

— He loves cooking! And would love to learn how to bake too, especially if it's with you teaching him.

— He flusters when you take his hands to guide him, the pretty pink of the strawberries prepared to decorate the small cakes tinting his cheeks.

— TRIGGER’s eldest can feel his heart racing, face flaring up in the same warmth of the naturally lit kitchen.

— You let out a soft laugh at his shy expressions, the sunlight streaming in, illuminating his eyes, akin to mirrors into the afternoon’s molten rays.

— Your lover especially enjoys moments like this in the quiet of your bakery, before opening hours.

— The cozy atmosphere inside the shop contrasts with the freeze of first dawn, the coppery accents and wooden decorations making for a comforting ambiance.

— That, paired with the lingering sugar in the air, is enough to make one believe they’ve stepped into a fairytale, sunrise capturing the small dust particles in midair.

— And to Ryu, that is exactly where he is; amidst a silent paradise, where your light and song are the foundations of his world.

— There is an inherent tenderness in these transient moments you spend together before the morning fully settles.

— You reach a hand towards your boyfriend’s sculpted jawline, brushing away some remnants of flour.

— He smiles, noses brushing together, as you lean in for a sweet kiss.

— Waking up early, just for these stolen dream-like states was so worth it.

— Although Ryu knows Tenn is going to scold him if he underperforms…

— And, even though the latter means well, you know of his… angry cat tendencies, so you always ensure Ryu has something sweet and energizing to eat on his way to work.

— He adores it, every single time.

— It is you and your pastries that always seem to come to his aid in trying times, after all.

— Like that time he had to perform alone, only blue lights coloring a stage he carried on his shoulders for his friends.

— Guilt hung over Ryu in ashen clouds, blaming himself for the downfall of his group.

— However, in that murky night, a sliver of moon seemed to smile at him from behind the clouds, in the form of your outstretched hand, that offered him a box of homemade cookies.

— Gazing up at the night sky from his balcony, the saccharine taste of the biscuits assuages his anguish, if only a little.

— When the moonlight illuminates the treats, shades of blue, pink and silver shine in the night.

— A sign for better days and immense success to come.

— Of course, with you by his side.

#idolish7 #idolish7 x reader #idolish7 imagines #ainana #ainana x reader #idolish7 hadcanons #kujo tenn #yaotome gaku #tsunashi ryunosuke #i7 #idolish7 fluff #idolish7 scenarios #kujo tenn x reader #tenn kujo #yaotome gaku x reader #gaku yaotome #tsunashi ryunosuke x reader #ryunosuke tsunashi #idolish7 x you #idolish7 x y/n #anime x reader #anime imagines

[scarletnakazato]

Hcs for taking the boys lingerie shopping? Would they tell you their favorite pieces on you, help you decide between sets, etc!

Initial D Headcanons: Lingerie Shopping

• All Initial D Male Characters • Word Count: 1,754. • Synopsis: In which the boys' help you pick out lingerie and give their inputs and reactions to the pieces and sets. • Note: Thank you for the idea Anon, this was a fun lil' snippet!

• Keisuke: Would be flustered at first when you both enter the store, even if it was his idea to take you. He’d shadow you at first, looking kind of shy and out of place as you look around at the sets and pieces. After a few minutes he’ll get more comfortable and glance around, his eyes no doubt landing on a yellow set and nudging your arm then pointing at it hanging on the wall. You’d giggle a bit, not being surprised he’d want you dressed the same as his beloved FD. After finding a few more pieces and sets for yourself, along with the few he’d bring you some of different colours and two more yellows, you’d try them on, pulling back the curtain to show it off with a spin and watch his reactions. Saying he loves you in all of them and can’t decide he’d shrug and tell you to just let him buy them all, but you weren’t having that; far too expensive. He’d sigh and end up narrowing it down to the top three, one colour and pattern loved by you, another you both agreed on, and obviously the first yellow one he set eyes on.

• Ryosuke: It’d be your idea to take him shopping but not tell him where it was you wanted to take him. However, he was pleasantly surprised at your choice, choosing to indulge himself in a rare time. The pieces and sets he’d look around for were more of a classical style, covering more yet still accentuating your form deliciously. He seemed to favour the colours of Black, blue and white, with the occasional red, no doubt taking on a similar style of his own clothes. Getting to watch you try on dozens of pieces, mix matching the colours to see what blend nicely, along with the few sets you both picked out was the highlight of his day. Unlike his brother, he was much more lenient, not taking no as answer from you, and buying the few you liked most along with a few of his own choices.

• Takumi: Oh, this boy is mad blushing. Obviously, it was your idea to walk into the store as you both wandered through a mall, dragging poor Takumi in by the arm. Once he realized what store he was in, he practically froze in place. You giggled, tugging on his arm and taking him to one of the walls to look around, as Takumi watched the floor, cheeks red and hands in his pockets to avoid touching anything. Once he heard you hum with mischief, he looked up, curiosity taking over as he saw you holding up two separate pieces, the top half white, and the bottoms black. “Yeah, I think this is it, how about you, Tak?” you’d ask and he’d instantly scratch the back of his head, looking at the ceiling. Knowing his unspoken answer, you took him to one of the changing rooms before showing it to him, the poor boy choking on his water from squeezing the bottle too hard once you yanked back the curtain.

• Takeshi: (#TedTalk incoming) Oh man where to start… I feel like it’d be his idea to take you if he’s feeling particularly bold or more in the mood than usual, but then your idea if you felt like spoiling him with an extra treat on yourself or to surprise him and watch him blush and stutter a bit. Obviously, he’d lean towards anything black or red. Black with red accents, even. He’d take longer than the other guys to look at the details and patterns, the shapes of the individual pieces and sets, imagining them on you to try and save you time from putting them all on. Takeshi was most definitely imagining those same sets and pieces on you while you sat all pretty on his Skyline. He was glad he decided to wear baggier pants than usual today, too. He’s also the kind of guy who wants the perfect outfit for his perfect girl, so he’d take this shopping trip seriously. You notice that if he’s staring at something for longer than a glance and then leaving to check other outfits out, you’d grab it without him noticing. In the end, you’d have dozens of sets and pieces to try on, but not minding the time it takes one bit due to the delicious reactions he’s giving you every time you pull back that curtain. Takeshi would nod approvingly to nearly everything you wore, leaving you to have to narrow it down so it wasn’t a financial crisis in the end. You’d also let him pick out the few he loved most as well, that being the main reason you and/or him walked into the store in the first place.

• Shingo: This man is straight reveling at the sight before him. You’d have to stop him from grabbing every single red set and piece he lays eyes on. His constant giggling and shit eating grins, going along with his dirty comments quickly driving you up a wall. It was quite literally like taking a sugar high and addicted child into a candy store. Telling him to calm down and stop grabbing everything, you limited it to three sets, or two pieces to make a set, is what you’d told him. Eventually, he’d tone it down, settling on a deep red set that was quite revealing, two pieces that were black and red on both top and bottom, you chose the top while he insisted on the bottom, and you picked out the last piece/set on your own, though he had no qualms, seeing you in anything was enough to turn him on.

• Itsuki: Uhhh, yeah, I don’t know, besties. I see it being his idea and him being all confident talking about it, but once he walks in and sees the vast options, the mannequins, the more revealing ones, etc. he’s having a severe nose bleed and has probably passed out by now. I guess that means no shopping if he isn’t awake to look at them, right?

• Iketani: Kinda the same as Itsuki, but he at least holds it together better, and lets you do the shopping. He feels that it should be you getting what you like best and what makes you feel confident and good looking, over what he wants. If you ask his opinions on some though, he’ll give you honest answers, most of them being positive and even saying he likes some of the ones you’ve picked out, where as his honesty for less positive comments would be more on the colours just not resonating with him, and maybe the patterns. Otherwise, he’s extremely supportive and just happy to be there and see you try stuff on!

• Kenji: Also, a nose bleed, but he stays awake. Like Iketani I see him being happy with whatever you want to get for yourself, just counting himself lucky to also see you in sexy outfits and getting to help you look around and find something you’d like. He was ecstatic when you loved the white one that he picked out, lowkey wanting to see you match his 180.

• Kenta: “Orange.” It was the first thing he told you when you both walked past the entrance to the shop. You looked at him with a confused “Huh?” and he repeated himself. “Orange. You’d look hot as hell in orange. And of course, whatever other colour you wanna get, y’know?” he’d scratch his cheek sheepishly, stuttering a bit. With a small eyeroll and smile you told him he could go look for some orange sets and pieces, to which he happily set off on his quest. He’d be pretty much happy with anything you got, not being able to wait to see how hot you’d look posing on his car.

• Kyoichi: Black for sure. Like every other guy in this list and the last few below him, his first choice is always the colour of his Evo. He’d also like a deep ruby red, and like Ryosuke, would try to help you find something with a regal, almost prestigious shape, pattern, and appearance. Something worthy of an Empress.

• Rin: I see Rin liking black, along with some purples, whether it’s completely purple or its an accent colour, or purple with black accents, he’s pretty satisfied. He’d also like to see you get what you feel great in, not being a picky guy so much with patterns and the shape of the pieces. If you manage to find a black one with little skull or chain patterns to match his belt chain, or darker Shinigami personality, he’d revel in the sight.

• Go: This man wants to see as much boob as he can, along with you being covered in red. In my other headcanon of the guys’ favourite body parts, I saw Go as a tits man and it still stands. The nice soft curve of the cleavage and top of your boobs all circular and smooth has this man praying on his knees, for real. If you were also specifically wanting a red set or pieces, he’d make it a mission to find the perfect ones and try to weasel himself into trying to help you put the pieces on in the dressing room, which wouldn’t work, of course.

• Wataru: I see him being a little shy about it, but inevitably liking the white and black piece mix match like Takumi, but would also try to find you maybe more earthy colours, like greens or blues? I feel he would have a thing for purples, like a violet or deep and vibrant shade of purple. The styles and colours he’d help pick out would be a refreshing variety, something to see what colour resonates with you best once you actually get to try them all on and see his reactions. He’d stand just across your changing room, hands on his hips casually or arms crossed only to drop them along with his jaw when you present yourself.

• Nobuhiko: This smart guy would pick up on how the few pieces you’ve gathered are the same colour as his glasses. You might even try to find some shades of silver close to his Altezza. Nobu, being a very respectful man, he’d lean more towards the sets and pieces that cover more, but have small gaps to show skin within the patterns so they can be seen more clear against your skintone.

#anime #initial d #initiald #fanfiction #fanfic #x reader #keisuke takahashi #takeshi nakazato #ryosuke takahashi #headcanon #headcannon #initial d x reader #initial d headcannon #initial d headcanon #takumi fujiwara #shingo shoji #takeuchi itsuki #takahashi brothers #kyoichi sudo #iketani (initial d) #kenta nakamura #kenji (initial d) #wataru akiyama #nobuhiko akiyama x reader #rin hojo #gou hojo

[iphoenixrising]

DickTimWeek2021 Day 2

** Day 2: Time Loop | Jealousy | Stray AU

Welp. Time to break some hearts.

They’re laughing like assholes as they climb through Timmy’s penthouse windows. 

“Did you see that thug punch himself in the face?”

“That’s the right way to get out of an ass beating by the Batman.”

Tim, still in Red Robin, doesn’t even bother, just lets his knees buckle so he can slide down to the floor and laugh until tears are rolling down the dominio still plastered on his face.

He’s riding the concussion train with 

(J)

Josephine and she’s not as bad as some of them are. 

Dick at least tosses the gloves and gauntlets before hauling Timmy’s bruised ass up off the floor, throwing the arm around his shoulders.

“C’mon, you butt. Really Timmy, just laying here in your suit? Alfred would be appalled.”

“S’why I don’t go to the Manor much anymore.”

“Ooh, I’m telling. You’re going to be in so much trouble,” as he gets Tim down the hallway to the bathroom.

“Y-You can’t! You’re the oldest! Dami’s supposed to be the tattle-tale!”

“Nu-uh. As the oldest, I can do whatever the hell I want.”

And does he tell on Timmy? You bet your ass he does.

It’s nice when Alfred can look at someone else in the family with extreme disappointment.

Tim comes by the Manor the day Alfred video chats him, shuffles down to the Cave behind the butler and absolutely sticks his tongue out at Dick’s smarmy grin.

**

His apartment is a literal mess and Dick can’t be bothered to do much more than flop on the overstuffed couch with a groan. 

Still in his uni from the day shift, he’s too bruised and battered and tired to even think of suiting up for the night. He’s been running himself ragged for two months, the day and night shifts blending together along with the usual bullshit of daily human life, and he desperately needs a night of terrible television, junk food, and snuggles.

Like he’d been reading the room, Timmy walks out of his bathroom, towel around his shoulder and hair just this side of damp.

“Hey, you made it home in one piece.” Tim’s long fingers in his hair literally pulls a noise out of Dick he can’t ever remember making.

“Yeah, I drove down because you looked like death warmed over when we talked last weekend. Luckily for you I went grocery shopping, did a few loads of your laundry, and cleaned up a little so you don’t have to worry about housework.”

“I love you. Have I told you that recently? Like, so, so much–” is muffled by the couch cushions, but he thinks Tim can probably still make it all out.

“Mmhm, I know,” and the gentle scratching against his scalp doesn’t stop, and Dick goes a little boneless with it. “I even brought my Roku so we can binge watch terrible television while you eat something more substantial than cereal. Alfred is going to be so proud of you.”

A pat to his head and Timmy is off, slinging his towel on the rack, turning on the shower again to make sure it’s nice and hot for all those bruises and contusions.

He’s no-nonsense about picking up his previous mentor and best friend, literally stripping him down and manhandling him in the shower after a low whistle at the span of blue/black across Dick’s chest and ribs, the scrapes across his back and shoulders. 

The first aid kit tackle box makes an appearance because Tim plans for literally everything ever, and Dick finds himself sitting on his sink wearily while his injuries are meticulously treated.

He knows he eats something super tasty with meat and vegetables, his belly full, before Tim pulls him down on the couch and lets Dick lay against his chest, between his legs to sleepily float while watching God-awful B-movies.

It’s the most relaxing weekend he’s had in a while.

**

Dami sneers at Tim, arms crossed over his chest, the expression on his face begging Tim to try to deny it.

The third Robin however, is looking over at Dick with horror that the big secret is finally out in the open.

“Th-that isn’t– it’s not–” Tim fumbles desperately, “he’s been my big brother forever, that’s it!”

“Tt. Grayson may be painfully oblivious, Drake, but the rest of us are detectives. Even Todd knows of your feelings and he rarely even comes to the Manor!”

Tim’s soul literally leaves his body.

Dick blinks, completely taken back, mouth open without anything coming out.

Damian raises his eyes skyward and prays for patients dealing with these two. “What I am saying,” he tries, he really is trying here, “is that you two must cease and desist this pointless–” vague hand wave– “pining for one another. It is getting to the point of absurdity. I demand you two either discuss your need for one another or take this ridiculous mooning elsewhere. The rooftops of Gotham is no place for this,” another hand wave, “utter nonsense.”

Tim’s mouth goes dry, subtly backing away to be closer to the Ducati’s waiting for tonight’s ride. He’s pretty sure he has enough energy left in his shaky knees to hop on one and be the fuck out of the Cave before his face literally bursts into flames.

But, well. Dick was Batman.

His strategic retreat is stomped into the ground by acrobatic leaps and a very well done joint lock to keep him from immediately taking off.

Dami scoffs at them on his way up the winding staircase. He stops Pennyworth on the way and turns the butler to return back into the Manor proper, citing those two needed time to figure themselves out.

**

After several weeks under deep cover, Nightwing wearily hacks into Titan’s Tower and makes his way through the maze of hallways until he hits a hidden panel. 

Tim is sleeping on his desk, only one empty coffee mug at his workstation. Even dead in his boots, Nightwing can take a second just to look, just to sigh, just to enjoy how much every inch of this boy is his.

He journeys down the hall, flips the bed covers up, carries his sleeping partner in and tucks the blankets around him, a quickly there kiss to the top of messy, too-long hair. A shower in Tim’s perch literally makes everything in life a little less awful and exhausting, not enough for him to do much more than crawl in bed against Tim’s warm body and snuggle up close.

He gets breakfast in bed and blue-violet eyes looking at him with fondness rather than awe, gets coffee flavored kisses and a slow-paced back rub that continues down to his thighs and calves and feet. Later, he gets a date night in a nice restaurant and a sweet San Fran club scene for dessert. He gets to let loose and hold Tim’s body against him, to play them both until the gazes are intense and the low key UST between them makes other people on the dance floor give them space.

**

Witty banter is a primary weapon against megalomaniacal bad guys of any flavor. For some former Robins, it’s an art form.

Over the years, they’ve cultivated their dip and distraction to bounce off one another like a well-oiled vigilante machine. 

It should have been a standard take-down because it’s not one of their more dangerous, deadly villains. It’s not one of the Rogue Gallery baddies. It’s not one of the mobster families, not one of the super powered groups come to call. It’s not someone with hordes of thugs and deadly science waiting to take them down.

It’s a simple B&E, just Nightwing talking it up to draw gunfire while Red Robin is creeping up from behind to get the last laugh.

It’s one of a thousand times they’ve done this. 

It’s a guaranteed win.

It’s the last hour of patrol before they get to go back to Red’s penthouse and snuggle together, eat and show, probably have some fantastic sex before passing out.

The .45 shell, however, cuts through the suit, between armored plates. 

Going after the running baddies is automatic, taking them down, zip ties, and viola. They’re ready for GCPD to pick-up, all kinds of gift-wrapped.

When N finally realizes Red isn’t with him, isn’t answering comms, isn’t waiting for him on the roof, he goes back inside. He hits up B for a ride in the big car in case he missed –

– anything.

The pool of blood around Red Robin is more than he can afford to lose, and Nightwing has been in the vigilante life for over twenty years, has been official with Red Robin for a little over two, has personal experience on how his Baby Bird can take a mostly-fatal beating and still keep moving. He’s seen Tim come close with the Clench, with horrifying injuries, with any of the many bad guys they fight holding him hostage.

Nightwing has seen him perform literal miracles.

And tells him so the entire time he’s got Red Robin up in his arms, carrying him through Gotham’s skyline to the waiting car, falling in with Red on his lap when the familiar hatch slides back, the tourniquet already applied before he even shot a grapple. The struggling pulse is enough of a concern to get it together.

And even if they all gather to strip off the suit, and now it’s on to get vitals back to an acceptable range. Even if the Bats cry overhead, even if the equipment is top notch in the Cave, even if Dick is still talking the whole time, and Alfred is keeping a cool head and Bruce is gripping a hand and Damian is standing at the ready to hand implements and Cass is biting her thumbnail while she hovers and Steph is moving from empty space to empty space around the gurney –

The consistent beep of the flatline cuts through it all.

**

The Titans make it for the service. 

Each of them make a point to hug Dick for as long as possible, holding on tightly.

Bruce is silent and stoic, a little boy again when he has to watch someone else he loves being lowered into the cold, unforgiving ground. Another Robin taking a piece of his heart to the afterlife. 

Steph is red-eyed, a ghost moving around to individual circles, listening to stories she might not have known. 

Cass grips the coffin with bruised knuckles, her whole body wound tight as a string ready to snap. She doesn’t move the entire service, is already convinced leaving him to his own devices caused this whole thing. She doesn’t blame the thugs or Dick or Bruce. She blames the boy that never understood how much it all means.

Duke Thomas is back in Gotham, taking leave from the Outsiders to be here for the family that took him in after the Joker drove his parents insane. He hovers in the doorway to welcome mourners, direct them toward the book to sign-in, talks about Tim Drake with regular humans and other metas in disguise, accepts condolences with his throat tight and his eyes watery. He makes sure Dick has a bottle of water after the first hour, pats Damian’s shoulder, grips Bruce’s arm, weaves an arm around Cassandra’s back to give her a squeeze, obediently looks at the old pictures of Tim on Steph’s photo roll when she’s overcome and has to see that smile again.

In the back, Jason Todd wears dark shades and a clean black suit. Roy Harper is beside him, a hand on the broad back to keep him grounded, to keep the Pit rage at bay. If anyone knows how far Tim and Jason had come over the years, it’s the former Red Arrow. If anyone knows how much agony Jason is in at this moment, at another fallen brother, another Robin gone, if anyone had held the Red Hood while he screamed and cried and broke the utter fuck down, it’s Roy Harper.

Damian Wayne hovers right by Grayson’s side, silently supporting his first Batman, his first brother. Whenever Dick’s eyes start going hazy, glazing over, Damian gently grips a wrist to bring him back, allows fingers to lace through his own and tolerates the tight squeeze that obviously assists in grounding the oldest Robin. 

(Later when the night is crowding grief-stricken Wayne Manor, Damian will be the one to open Grayson’s bedroom door, lift the covers to crawl in behind him, to wind both arms tightly. He will be the one to take the onslaught of grief, to be soaked in tears and snot, to listen to the broken, hoarse voice, to make soothing hums that ultimately mean nothing.)

Alfred Pennyworth quietly talks with the funeral director about the arrangements. Of course Master Timothy would want to be laid to rest with his parents, and the family appreciates all the support and ease of process as the deceased was an important part of the Wayne family. 

When he gets a phone call, he firmly verifies the name on the tombstone is Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne Grayson.

**

Exactly four days after the service, the Flash is staring at him helplessly, gripping Nightwing’s arm tight, “please, please, Dick, don’t do this. You can’t think this is the answer!”

He can barely hear Wally with the absolute destruction going on around them, the machine they’d inadvertently stumbled upon (which is a lie, Nightwing had been looking for it and the Flash basically caught him red handed). 

“You know you aren’t going to be able to stop me.” Standing between the glowing portal and Wally, debris from overhead crashing down on them at intervals, Nightwing is at his peak stubborn, “no matter how fast you are.”

“You don’t understand what’s going to happen,” Wally yells desperately as the vacuum starts pulling at Nightwing’s other arm, pulling him into–

–the Speed Force.

“You don’t have the lightning, Dick, you won’t be able to get yourself out, and I won’t have any way of tracking you!”

The small smirk as the machine’s panel starts going haywire, lights blinking and readings off the charts, makes Wally’s heart clench hard in his chest, makes him try to dig in his heels, makes his stomach tremble.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve already done this, Wally. And I’ll do it as many times as it takes until I change everything.”

The pellet Nightwing palmed before the Flash grabbed his hand goes off the same time the machine hits the highest ratings and a low boom is followed up with an intense swirling suction, pulling the heroes closer to the portal’s surface.

The light grenade goes off without a hitch and the Flash has no choice but to let Nightwing go.

**

They’re laughing like assholes as they climb through Timmy’s penthouse windows. 

#dicktimweek2021 #dicktim #dick grayson #tim drake #sad times #time loop #winter writes #my ficlet

[bokutosworld]

destined encounters | hq boys as people you meet on your solo travel

characters: tsukishima, sugawara, akaashi, bokuto.

wc: 1.7k words of various fluffy scenarios. 

the situation: you were finally able to reward yourself with a much-awaited break. even for a just a few days, you wanted to run away from your mountain of responsibilities and your godawful reality. but what you didn't expect was to meet someone who'll make your vacation worthwhile. 

a/n: i miss traveling and seeing new sights and meeting new people </3 :c also i’d like to hide cos this got way too long than i expected omg the bias jumped out :c 

TSUKISHIMA KEI: The one who helps you when you're stuck in a pinch. He was on his way to the subway when he notices you struggling to communicate with an old lady. He watches as you keep glancing to your phone and figures that your translator app must have malfunctioned (you can never trust those apps, he thought). He really doesn't want to interfere but when he hears the vendor starting to curse you in a language you don't understand, he finds himself standing beside you. He feels you staring as he exchanges a few words with the lady, and when they come to an understanding, he takes your hand and guides you away from the crowd.

That was how the two of you met. Now three days after and Tsukishima can't get you away from his side. After that incident, you treated him to coffee as a thank you and during those minutes, you gained a friend and an unofficial tour guide in the tall blonde. You were joking when you asked him about accompanying you for the rest of your stay but to your surprise (and his) he agreed.

In a span of three days, he's brought you to the museums you've wanted to visit, the restaurants you've wanted to try, and accompanied you in shopping at the night markets. He wouldn't admit it to you but he's also enjoyed himself in those three days, and it was mostly due to your fun company. Now here you were on your last day, and Tsukishima can't help but hope that you didn't have to go home.

"I wish I didn't have to leave this city. I've fallen in love with everything in it," you sigh as you look at the city's skyline dreamily. You've honestly had the best time of your life and it was all thanks to your savior-turned-tour guide who helped you enjoy everything about Tokyo. You turned to him with a smile, only to find that he has been staring at you with intense gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?

It was an all-or-nothing moment, and Tsukishima wouldn't normally risk it, but that time he knew what he so desperately wanted and didn't want to let it slip from his grasp. "Stay." Your mind tuned out the noise for a minute and all you can focus on was his words. Just as you were about to say something, he holds your hand and continues,

"At least that's what I want ask of you. However, that's selfish and I know you have a life back where you are. But I just want to let you know that you have someone to return to in this country."

SUGAWARA KOUSHI: The one you end up in a scuffle with over the last piece of souvenir. You were so desperately searching for the last item in your shopping list, hopping from one store to another in the past hour. When your eyes land on the lone item on the shelf, you almost jump in happiness and run to grab it only to have your hands feel the warmth of another's. You turn to see who was challenging you and was met with the friendly smile of the prettiest stranger you have seen.

You and the stranger, whose name you've learned to be Sugawara Koushi (a beautiful name befitting of the pretty stranger, you thought), spent a good fifteen minutes quarreling about who saw it first and who grabbed it first. Thankfully, before it attracted even more attention, a kind store employee stepped in and mentioned that there was another stock in a different aisle.

Embarrassed, you hastily let go of the item and avoided the gaze of the stranger as you sprinted to the aisle. But the gods seemed to like playing a joke on you because when you lined up for the cashier, he was there waiting for you.

As you finished paying for your purchase, you walked out of the store, feeling the presence of someone following closely behind. He trails you even as you enter a coffee shop, and to your surprise, he settles himself down in the seat right across you.

"What do you want? It's not like I took the last souvenir from you," you snap. He laughs at your annoyance and he brings his face close to you, so close that anyone would've thought that you two knew each other.

"Well, it's not everyday that I meet someone like you. Someone so feisty yet charming," he leans back and puts a finger to his chin, as if he's thinking hard. "Is this what love at first sight is like?" He laughs again and this time, the sound is so delightful that you thought it was music to your ears. And until that moment, you thought that love at first sight was only in movies but with the way that this Sugawara Koushi was so friendly, charismatic, and reassuring, you didn't mind giving that idea a second thought. 

AKAASHI KEIJI: The other lone traveler that you meet in a group tour. You liked booking your trips and activities beforehand which was how you found yourself together with people from different countries headed towards the same destination. The tour guide was busy explaining the history of the tourist spot where you will be making a stop. But all the while, your mind was thinking of a strategy about how you would take photos for your Instagram story. Luckily, you looked to your side and saw another solo traveler and you hoped that he would be up to explore with you.

Though you thought he would immediately turned you down, the stranger was kind enough (even seemed enthusiastic) to accompany you throughout the tour. After exchanging names, the two of you walked together around the first tourist spot. To others, it would seem that you and Keiji (he insisted that you call him by his first name for reasons unknown) have always been close. But the way the both of you hit it off instantly was probably due to the fact that he was so accommodating and never let you feel uncomfortable even if it was your first time meeting.

Keiji has been traveling alone for a while and he had been craving interaction with another person. So your request was a welcome one and he was more than happy to take your photos, hold your things when you need help, and even lend an ear to your stories.

By the time that the group tour was nearing its end, you found yourself sitting by Keiji's side on the bus. You never thought anything of it but you felt sad knowing that you'd have to go separate ways once the bus reaches its stop. You looked at him as he leaned by the window, eyes closed as he was taking a nap. And it hit you then that he had the most beautiful profile that you have ever seen. How could someone like him, so attractive and so nice, be real? You wished you could stay in his presence more.

When you and Keiji exit the bus, you both stood still as if not wanting the day to end. You mentally prepared yourself for what you were about to ask but he surprised you as he took the words right from your mouth,

"Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

You smiled in relief and shook your head no. He lets out a breath and looks at you with eyes full of hope, "Great. Do you want to see the rest of the city together?"

BOKUTO KOUTAROU: The one who gives you a night to remember. If there was one thing you wanted to try but was always busy to do so, that was to go to a bar with your friends. You've longed for evenings where you will stay up late not for work but for drinking and dancing the night away. That's why here you were now, sitting at the bar of one of the most popular clubs in the city. You were holding your second drink of the night and though you were nowhere near tipsy yet, you can feel yourself getting excited as the adrenaline rushes through your veins. You were oblivious to the attention of one very attractive male who wanted nothing more than to dance with you.

He walks over to you and calls the attention of the bartender, asking for a drink of his own. Bokuto relishes in the way you look so free and happy, and he feels himself drawn to your energy. It didn't take long for you to notice him and when you do, you almost spill your drink on him in your surprise. His vibrant laugh brings you out of your drunken stupor and you apologize.

"It's fine, don't mind it," he waves you off and takes a sip from his glass. The two of you were now enjoying each other's company in silence, occasionally stealing his glances as you down the rest of your drink. When he notices you were finished, he turns to you, "Hey, want to dance with me?"

Normally, you would've turned a stranger down but you thought about when you will get another invitation like this. So you agreed and let loose as he dragged you to the dance floor, guiding the both of you to the addictive rhythm of the music.

Every moment that passed by, you found yourself getting more comfortable around the man who've learned to be Bokuto Koutarou. Talking with him felt easy, laughing with him felt as if you've known each other for a long time. He's managed to break through the walls you've put around yourself and left an impression that makes you wish he could be part of your life not just for one night.

He was now walking you back to your hotel, and you don't know what came over you (could be the alcohol) but you asked, "Want to go up to my room?" He looks shocked as if he didn't expect you to say something like that. You scoffed and hit his arm, "Not like that. Platonically. It's too late and dangerous for you to walk at night."

He chuckles, "If you wanted to spend more time with me, you should've just asked." He lets go of his hold on your arm and instead, he intertwines his fingers with yours. "I'd love to."

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff #haikyuucreations #tsukishima x reader #sugawara x reader #akaashi x reader #bokuto x reader #hq x reader #hq x you #haikyuu x you #haikyuu!!

[lockefanfic]

Business Trip - Part 2

 “You’re wrong! Cloud clearly felt stronger feelings towards Tifa.”

 “No, you’re the one that’s wrong. Did you know Aerith was the default choice for the date scene? And what about the fact that Cloud and Aerith are in Final Fantasy Tactics and Kingdom Hearts together? If you still think Cloud belonged with Tifa, you’re crazy.”

 As if to emphasize her point, Minatozaki Sana makes a cute pouty gesture with her lower lip before downing the rest of her glass of beer. It was relatively noisy in the busy izakaya you were both having dinner in, but Sana’s voice still had no problems drowning out all the other voices around you; apparently, the love lives of fictional characters was a passionate subject for her.

 “Okay, okay, you win. I guess maybe Cloud was meant to be with Aerith.”

 “That’s right!” she says in her charming, mildly accented English, “I can be very aggressive.”

 “Aggressive? You mean, persuasive.”

 “Yes, that’s the word. Persuasive. But I’m also aggressive.”

 “Really?” you ask, allowing a little flirtatiousness to your tone.

 “Really,” she replies, a small smile forming on the corners of her lips, returning the flirtation with some of her own. She lets the word linger in the silence between you for a second, before her smile widens, the cuteness returns with a giggle, and she reaches for another chicken yakitori.

It’s been quite the busy afternoon, and Sana has proven quite the capable tour guide, taking you to all the major tourist destinations in town as well as a few lesser known ones. You quite enjoyed the hours you spent in Akihabara, watching as Sana hunted down an apparently elusive figurine of a Final Fantasy character and picked up copies of her favorite mangas from three different bookstores.

 The afternoon with her made it obvious that most of her charm came from the innocent naivete that pervaded every part of her personality. Her accented English perhaps played a large part in that charm, but there was no denying that she was also ridiculously beautiful, with large, expressive eyes and a round face with cute, small features. She had a fit body to match - not quite as fit as Momo’s, mind you, as Sana’s was more shapely and feminine; however, it was mostly her innocence and that cute, sweet face that attracted you to her.

 But she also had a playful, flirtatious side - an innocent “accidental” touch or graze here or there, a soft pat on on the forearm whenever you made a joke, her suggestive jokes whenever you encountered something lewd or sexual in your journies throughout Tokyo (the incidences of which were surprisingly common).

 It was refreshing, in a way, to spend time with a woman who was in many ways the exact opposite of Hirai Momo. Where Momo was upfront about her intentions and confident in her sexuality, Sana was shy and playful; she liked to flirt, apparently, although she did so in a less overtly obvious way than Momo did.

 “So where else did you want to go this week?” Sana says as she chews on her yakitori stick, “Perhaps we should go to Ginza or Roppongi with Momo? I know a few nice izakayas there.”

 “Sure, that’d be nice,” you reply, “I’m getting kind of tired, though. It’s been a long day. My feet are killing me!” You enjoyed every minute of Sana’s whirlwind tour of Tokyo, but all the walking, not to mention your activities with Momo that morning, had worn you out.

 Sana giggles, her giggle a musical sound amidst the loudness of the izakaya, before nodding in understanding. A waitress happens to be passing by, and she flags her down to request the bill. You reach for the bill when the waitress returns with it, but Sana snatches it away.

 “This is my treat! Now you’re debted to me,” she says with a smile that is mostly cuteness on the outside, and a hint of suggestiveness. You smile back, both at the suggestiveness of her comment and at the fact that she used the phrase “debted to me” instead of something more casual, like “you owe me.” Either way, you found it charming.

 You both gather your things (consisting mainly of Sana’s shopping bags filled with geeky sundries) and head to the door. Once Sana has paid and you are both outside, you pull out your phone to map your way back to the hotel, only to find that the battery has died.

 “Dammit, my phone’s dead,” you say dejectedly, “can you tell me which stations I need to get to to get back to the hotel?”

 “Oh, darn,” she says, and you find her use of the word darn intensely endearing, “well, I have a battery pack at my apartment and it’s only three stops from here, if you want to borrow it?”

 The idea of getting lost in a foreign city without a working phone to guide you back to your hotel is daunting, so you decide to take her up on her offer.

 “Sure,” you say, “lead the way!” Sana smiles brightly at your response before you head towards the nearest subway station side by side.

 ---

 Apparently, being an interpreter for a large international business paid well enough to afford a pretty swanky apartment in downtown Tokyo. Sana’s residence was small, as most apartments in Tokyo tended to be, but it was modern, well-designed, and filled with a ton of geeky anime and video game related collectibles.

 You had expected her to dart into her apartment to pick up the battery pack while you waited at the door, but she insisted that you check out the view from her window, which apparently was spectacular - and it really was. Looking out over the bustling Shinjuku district, Tokyo appeared as a dazzling array of moving and blinking lights, stretching out over what seemed to be an impossibly long distance. Nightfall had just begun to creep over the city, and the last vestiges of the daylight began to disappear into the distant horizon.

 “Pretty, yes?” Sana asks as she stands next to you.

 “Definitely,” you agree, although much of your attention was devoted to admiring Sana’s reflection in the window, “it’s gorgeous.”

 You notice Sana’s smile grow wider in the window reflection.

 “I have a question,” she asks, her tone shy and demure.

 “Yes?.”

 “You and HIrai-san… or, Momo. Are you... sleeping together?”

 The question catches you off guard, but you nonetheless respond with a smile.

 “Was it that obvious?”

 “No,” Sana says, “but girls have ways of knowing.”

 “Are you disappointed?” You wonder if perhaps your relationship with Momo, as purely platonic as it was, had ruined any shot you had with Sana. Even worse, you wonder if perhaps she thought less of you for sleeping with a woman you weren’t in any sort of romantic relationship with.

 “No, no,” she replied, waving her hand in front of her in that cute gesture Japanese girls do, “Not at all. Hirai-san is very beautiful. I can see how you can be attracted to her.” You notice that she has has reverted to calling Momo “Hirai-san” - perhaps it is instinctual.

 “We’re just friends,” you say, eager to set the record straight, “nothing more. We just get lonely on business trips, I guess,” you add, in a lame attempt to justify yourself - the second the words leave your mouth you wonder if perhaps you shouldn’t have said them.

 “No, I understand, you don’t have to explain,” says the young woman next to you, “it happens.”

 A moment of silence passes between you, both pairs of eyes searching the Tokyo skyline for something to say, hoping to find some new conversation starter amongst the flashing lights and tall buildings.

 “Even though you’re just friends, do you have feelings for Hirai-san?”

 “No,” you answer, surprising yourself with how quickly the words came, “not right now, anyway. We’re just friends, and that’s all.”

 Sana nods.

 “Did you like what you’ve seen of Tokyo?” she asks.

 “Definitely,” you answer, “it was amazing. I can’t wait to see more of it.”

 “I’ll show you whatever you want to see.”

 As Sana says those words she turns to you with a bright smile. You are struck in that moment by how beautiful she looks, the neon blues and greens of Tokyo’s evening lights playing on one side of her face whilst her apartment’s lights paint the other side of it in warm yellow. It is almost surreal; her face looks like it was drawn by a painter.

 What she does next surprises you - swiftly, gracefully, she moves so that she is between you and the window, her back against the glass, your view suddenly filled with her warm, beautiful face. Her proximity makes you fully aware of everything about her - her gorgeous face, the way her one-piece sweater dress hugs the soft, feminine curves of her body, the slight hint of perfume she is wearing. You harbor strong, perhaps undefined feelings for Momo, but the young woman standing in front of you presents such a strong contrast to her. Both are wonderful young women that any man would be pleased to have any sort of relationship with; but each are wonderful in their own, different way.

 It dawns on you that her inquiries about Momo earlier were just to ensure that she wasn’t getting in the way of anything; now that she was sure you were merely friends, she could make her move. It was a small gesture, but one that you respected.

 She stands still for a moment, allowing you a moment to adjust to her sudden closeness. Then she looks up at you with those eyes - those large, round, impossibly deep eyes - and after holding your gaze for a moment she raises her head so that your noses touch. She lingers there for a split second - although it seemed like forever - and then suddenly you are both kissing, your lips crashing together as the romantic and sexual tension that has been building up all afternoon between you is finally released.

 Her arms wrap themselves around your neck and yours wrap around her slim waist, your arms fully aware of the relative thinness of her grey sweater dress, happy to find that she is likely not wearing anything aside from her underwear beneath it. As your hands wander around her back her tongue enters your mouth in a move you weren’t quite ready for. You remember her statement from earlier about how she could be aggressive - she certainly was.

 Minutes pass as you explore each others’ mouths, relishing the newfound intimacy with another human being that Sana has initiated. You are content to stand there, making out with her against the glass of her apartment window, but clearly that is not all she has in mind. You feel her fingers working your belt, and within seconds she has your pants loosened.

 You suddenly realize what that means - what she has in mind for the evening. The girl didn’t waste any time. She breaks the kiss and looks you straight in the eye.

 “Keep admiring the view,” she says, a devilish look in those eyes that seconds before you had thought were so innocent.

 With that, Sana lowers herself to her knees, hooking her fingers into your pants and dragging them down with her. From this position on her knees, she was below the windowsill, and thus no one looking into her apartment could know she was there. Sana tugs your pants down your legs and you kick them free.

 Seconds later your boxers follow suit, and before you knew it your manhood has sprung free. Sana wastes no time in grasping your mostly hard shaft with her soft, delicate fingers, while her nose - her cute, button nose - brushes up against its base. Then her small tongue darts out quickly, placing small, wet licks up your shaft until she reaches your tip - and at this point, you are hard as a rock. Satisfied that you are fully erect, she pumps your shaft a few times with her soft hand, before pulling it down slightly and taking it into her warm mouth.

 No straight male in the world could have possibly kept their eyes off that sight, and so despite her insistence that you keep admiring Tokyo’s skyline, your find yourself looking down at the young Japanese girl kneeling in front of you with your shaft in her mouth. Sana giggles softly as she looks up and sees that you have failed in the task she has given you.

 “You’ve failed the mission,” she says with a giggle.

 “Oh no. Do I get punished?”

 “No punishment,” she says, eyes still locked with yours, her hand giving you two quick strokes that send shivers of pleasure up your spine, “only pleasure.”

 With that, she takes your cock back into her mouth and continues her blowjob. As she takes your shaft in and out of her small, warm, wet mouth, you force yourself to stare out the window, and even you can’t help but be hit by the ridiculous naughtiness of the situation - there you were, standing at an apartment window in downtown Tokyo, getting a blowjob from a beautiful young woman you had met the day before (and someone you technically worked with, at that) - and no one looking up at you from the street could have known.

 Added to this was the fact that just minutes before, you had Sana pegged as an innocent, naive young woman - and now she was on her knees in front of you, taking your length in and out of her mouth.

 Momo gave amazing head, but Sana was no slouch either, using her grip on your shaft and working her fingers in a corkscrew motion as she pumped them up and down along your length, her mouth focused on taking only your head and the first inch or two into her mouth at a time, her tongue playing circular patterns on the very tip.

 Your gaze returns to watch Sana’s head bobbing up and down your cock, and while you were never one to turn down a blowjob (particularly one in such erotic circumstances as this), you also knew that she deserved just as much pleasure as you did.

 “Stop, Sana,” you say, bringing your hands to her cheeks and slowly easing her off your cock. She lets the head pop out of her mouth, and the look of her large, round eyes looking up at you in surprise arouses you to no end.

 “It’s your turn to look out the window,” you say, and you pull her up by her shoulders until she is standing up again. Before she has time to say anything, you have switched positions so that she is now facing out the window - and you are down on your knees in front of her.

 You waste no time - why should you, when she certainly didn’t? You quickly bring both of your hands up and draw the hem of her tight, short sweater dress up until it is bunched around her hips, revealing the simple pink thong she is wearing beneath. There is a small, pink bow on the front of the garment’s waistline, which you find cute - but even more alluring is the significant damp spot between her slightly spread thighs. You bring both of your hands to her warm, full ass cheeks, taking a moment to admire their firmness, before hooking your fingers into the waistband of her thong and pulling them down.

 The second her underwear hits the floor your mouth moves forward, and your tongue darts out, giving her a long, deep lick, burying your nose and mouth as far between her thighs as it would go given her standing position. Your reward is a loud, startling gasp of pleasure that escapes Sana’s lips, and as she takes a moment to compose herself, you savor her sweet, slightly tangy taste on your tongue. You look up to watch her quivering face as she struggles with every ounce of self control to keep her gaze outside her window, her beautiful features wracked with pleasure. Anyone glancing up at her window from the street would probably only notice her silhouette, not realizing there was a man pleasuring her at that very moment with his tongue.

 Before going in for a second lick, you bring the middle finger of your right hand up and drag it up her slit before digging slightly between her lips, playing around her entrance, her abundant juices lubricating your digit easily. As your finger teases her entrance you return your mouth to her crotch, your tongue darting out, spending long seconds teasing her, playing with her warm, wet flesh, before you find what you are looking for - that warm, hard, small nub that is the centre of her pleasure.

 When you find it, you immediately penetrate her simultaneously with your middle finger - and the effect is immediate, to say the least, as Sana’s hips quiver sharply and a wordless gasp of pleasure escapes her lips. You are merciless, and this time you don’t give her time to recover as you continue, your tongue weaving random circular patterns around her clit whilst your finger pumps in and out of her drenched slit, curving slightly to scratch that rough, wavy patch at the front of her pussy.

 “Fuck!” Sana gasps, the English swear word being the first recognizable word that you can make out amidst a stream of syllables that might have been Japanese, “Fuck! It feels so good!”

 You take that to mean that you’re doing it right, and after a couple of minutes of steadily increasing pressure, you take a moment to introduce a second finger into her pussy as your index finger joins the one already inside her body. Almost immediately Sana’s pussy tightens around your questing fingers, and in a moment of pure pleasure, she cums.

 “Oh! Fuck!!”

 Her hands find your head, and her nails dig almost painfully into your skull as she finds release, her body shaking and quivering as the waves of pleasure finally break and overwhelm the young woman, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. Your tongue darts out and continues to give her clit soft, wide licks, flattening your tongue against the part of her pussy that is left exposed, savoring the increase of delicious juice flowing from her body.

 Eventually the aftershocks cease. You look up at Sana to find her her round, beautiful face flushed with pleasure, her once tidy and neat hair now sweaty and unkempt, strands of black and purple hair plastered against her cheeks. You try to remove your fingers from her body, but her tightness won’t let you.

 “Let me go,” you say with a smile, and Sana giggles at the ridiculousness of your demand. The smile is still on her lips as you are finally able to remove your fingers from her body, your fingers drenched in her slick juices. She lowers herself until you are both sitting on the floor, your back up against the wall as she sits in your lap. She dives in for a kiss that is full of desire and lust, evidently uncaring that her juices are still in your mouth.

 “I’ll do whatever you want,” she says, tearing her lips from yours for a second before kissing a path to your left ear, “You can do whatever you want to me. Just fuck me.”

 The aggressiveness of this girl continues to surprise you, and you take a moment to draw the moment out, teasing her with feigned indecisiveness as she plants soft kisses on your neck and ear. You savor the moment - here you were, sitting on the floor of an apartment in downtown Tokyo, with a gorgeous young woman in your lap that was willing to do whatever you wanted, her dripping pussy rubbing your hard shaft even as her juices stained your lips and fingers.

 The possibilities cycle in a split-second across your mind, although you realize that there was no need to do anything too crazy - it was best to start with the basics.

 “Take your clothes off,” you tell her.

 Sana’s response is to reach down and grasp the hem of her sweater before pulling up and over her head, tossing it aside. She was not as well endowed as Momo was, but her round breasts are well shaped and perfectly proportioned to her body, held in place and pushed up deliciously by a simple pink bra that happened to have a pink bow at the front that matched her thong.

 Patience, apparently, was not a word that was in Minatozaki Sana’s vocabulary, and almost as immediately as she as able she reaches behind her to undo her bra clasp, before pulling it forward and throwing it away. Her soft breasts sway slightly, newly freed from their lace prison, and Sana leans forward, allowing you access to her chest.

 Her breasts are on the smaller side but no less alluring, and as the warm flesh dangles deliciously in front of your face, you bring both hands up, cupping them both from the side and allowing your thumbs to reach up and play with her quickly hardening nipples. Sana lets a soft moan escape her lips, and at that sound you lean your head forward and take her left nipple in your mouth, your tongue happy to taste another part of this young woman’s flesh, swirling around the hardened tip in random patterns. The Japanese girl leans her head back and moans as you continue to suckle her breast, your other hand taking her right nipple between a thumb and index finger and teasing it similarly. A deep, wordless growl of pleasure torn from Sana’s throat is your reward, and you are acutely aware of the wetness between her thighs pressing against your crotch, as she rubs and grinds herself onto your erect cock.

 Seconds, minutes, maybe hours pass while you play with Sana’s chest - you cared little for how much time passes while you enjoy a young woman’s body. But eventually you tear yourself away from her chest and look straight into her eyes.

 “Ride my dick,” you say, and Sana returns your statement with a look that is full of lust. Gone is the innocent; naive girl you thought she was - now there was only lust, and passion, and desire written all over her face and body.

 Reaching between your bodies - which are at this point hot and covered with a film of sweat - she takes your cock with gentle fingers and aims it for her entrance, still drenched with her sweet juices. She allows the head to penetrate her, rotating her hips whilst it is just inside her lips - the teasing is wonderful and sends soft pleasure radiating from your body, but as you have realized, when it came to sex, Minatozaki Sana had little patience when it came to sexual matters.

 All at once, she thrusts her hips down, taking you into her body. Both of you gasp loudly, and you find yourself realizing again that no possible other sensation on earth could possibly equal the pleasure of first penetration. Every woman you have ever entered has felt different, and Sana is no exception - she was ridiculously tight, the outer muscles of her pussy squeezing every inch of your cock deliciously as you enter her.

 Sana takes a brief moment with you fully impaled inside her, perhaps allowing herself to become accustomed to your size. Before long, she is raising her hips, drawing your cock out of her body, and as soon as only the head remains inside, she is sliding down your shaft again.

 Her pussy feels amazing around your cock, and while Momo’s was soft and wet, she was not nearly as tight as Sana, whose insides constantly felt like a hot vice of moist silk pressing against every bit of your shaft as it entered and exited her body. She was probably the tightest you had ever had.

 “Fuck!” Sana exclaims as she continues to bounce up and down, grinding herself against your crotch, “It feels so good… fuck… you’re so big! Ahhh!”

 You take a moment to savor the sight and feel of her body bouncing up and down on your lap, her soft breasts bouncing freely, her thin arms bracing her weight against your chest and shoulders. Momo’s body was in amazing shape, more like a supermodel or an athlete - Sana was no slouch and was also fit, but she was slightly softer, with more feminine curves and more meat on her bones in general. You found yourself admiring her round, full thighs and the way they slammed against yours as they flex up and down with effort, raising and lowering her body in an attempt to drive you as deep as she could inside her.

 Her long, graceful neck is extended as she throws her head back and allows a long moan to escape her lips, followed by a mixture of Japanese and English syllables as she continues to impale herself again and again on your shaft, every muscle in her body working towards the pursuit of pleasure. There was something intensely intoxicating about watching a young girl who was so demure, so feminine in public, become such a fiercely passionate woman in the throes of lust. She was not slutty, nor was she overly fierce or aggressive - she was merely a young woman who knew what she wanted with sex, and she wasted no time in getting it.

 “Fuck! Your cock… feels so good inside me. You like… you like my pussy?”

 “Fuck yes,” you answer, your brain barely able to form the words amidst all the pleasure. The way her accent tinges the words ‘fuck’ and ‘pussy’ makes them infinitely sexier.

 Her tightness is almost overwhelming, her pussy’s grip around your cock intoxicating. You want her to ride you until you cum, want to pull her hips down into yours and drive yourself as deep into her body as you can before you spill into her...but you also have another idea in mind - revenge.

 “Stop, Sana,” and again Sana’s flushed, pleasure wracked face is surprised at your command. You hesitantly, slowly push her off until your cock pops out of her grasping pussy with a pop that is accompanied with a sigh of dismay from the young woman. You take a moment while she is sitting on the floor to quickly pull your sweater up and over your head, so you are both finally fully naked.

 You bring yourself to your knees, then to your feet, and taking her hands, you pull her up as well so that she is standing - but then you turn her around, and push slightly on her back so that she is leaning her hands against the windowsill and bent over, her round ass in the air - then, wasting as little time as possible, you grasp your slick, wet cock with one hand and penetrate her from behind.

 “Fuck!” Sana says, the word almost a shout, as you begin to fuck her against the window, obvious for anyone to see were they to peer into the window of her apartment - not that either of you gave a damn about that aside from that fact that it added another layer of raunchiness to your fucking.

 “Tokyo… is… gorgeous,” you say between thrusts into her pussy, driving home the naughtiness of the situation and getting a little revenge for her earlier teasing.

 A stream of passionate, lustful sounds erupts from the young woman’s throat. Some of it sounded vaguely Japanese.

 “Shut up and fuck me,” she says - there was no misunderstanding that.

 She felt even tighter in this position, as if such a thing were possible. You watch as each thrust into her round ass rocks her body, sending a shock through her full thighs and through her slim, graceful back and her thin arms. She had a little more meat on her lower body than Momo did and you appreciated the sight of every thrust jiggling the soft flesh of her thighs and ass.

 “Fuck! Fuck me! Just like that… You’re so deep!”

 Sana throws her head back, sending strands of black and purple hair flying. You grip her waist tightly, pulling her back towards you as you thrust forward, in an attempt to somehow get deeper into her tight, willing, wet body, making every effort to fuck her even a fraction of an inch deeper than you already were, that delicious friction between your bodies overwhelming every part of your brain.

 The thrill of it all - the fact that you had each gone down on each other while facing the window, the fact that you were now straight up fucking this girl for anyone looking up at the window to see - it was starting to drive you towards that point of no return. The thrill, the audacity of the action is one thing, but there was no denying that Sana’s tight, grasping pussy was the main driving force towards your impending orgasm.

 Before it came, though, you had to make sure she was safe.

 “Fuck, I’m gonna cum, Sana. Where.. Can I...”

 “I’m… I’m gonna cum too,” she says, the words barely discernable amidst the stream of moans and soft noises of pleasure that are escaping her mouth, “I’m… I’m cumming!”

 Sana writhes suddenly in a way that she hasn’t before as the pleasure suddenly erupts in an orgasm that she would later tell you took her completely by surprise, her pussy contracting and releasing in pulses around your still thrusting shaft. It is almost unbearable, and whereas before you were merely close to orgasm, the feel of her pussy now meant you were mere moments away.

 “Sana… I’m so close. Where…”

 “Inside! I want it inside!” she says, her answer almost a shout, “Cum with me. Please! Cum inside me!”

 That was all you needed to know, and you willingly threw yourself into the pursuit of orgasm as you thrust deeper and deeper into Sana’s pussy, driving her quivering body forward against the window. Her hands search for something, anything to grasp, both of your bodies orgasming at near the same time, both of you reaching that wonderful plateau together.

 In a split second it hits you all at once - the fact that you were fucking her in front of an open window, the soft, wetness of her body, the moans of desire that spill unbidden from the young woman’s lips as you drive in and out of her wonderfully tight pussy as she is locked in the throes of orgasm - and you join her as you cum as well.

 You grip her hips tightly as with one last stroke you drive yourself as deep as you can go inside Minatozaki Sana’s body. Warm, hot semen erupts from your cock and into the welcoming depths of her pussy, and with each spurt you give short, quick thrusts to elongate and multiply the pleasure that flows outward from your crotch like a tidal wave.

 Time loses all meaning - you would have stayed there for a year if you could have, buried deep inside her body, but eventually your strength and hers gives out, and you both fall to your knees on the floor. Through some miracle (perhaps it is the tightness of her pussy not wanting to let you go), you maintain your connection, and as you both hit the floor you remain deep inside her.

 There are no words spoken, and every effort is given to heavy breathing and recovery from the intense session. You admire the sight of Sana bent over, one hand still gripping the edge of the windowsill above her head as though she were afraid to let go of it. The rest of her is slumped and bent over in front of you, her black and purple hair hiding her face. The most alluring sight of all is her back and full, round ass, between which your cock was still impaling her pussy, her lips tight around your softening shaft as though unwilling and unable to let it go.

 “Let me go,” you say finally between heavy breaths, and Sana giggles in response despite her fatigue. Eventually your cock softens enough that you are able to withdraw it, and seconds after you remove it you are delighted to see a thin stream of thick white liquid appear and begin to flow down her full, flushed thighs.

 “That was… that was…” Sana begins, and you could see that she is searching for the right English words in her head, “fucking amazing.”

 It’s your turn to let out a small laugh. Sana finally falls onto her side on the floor, and you join her, propping yourself up on your left arm so you are facing her, your right hand palming and massaging her butt. You brush her hair away from her sweaty brow to reveal the same cute, lovely face of the afternoon’s tour guide, but flushed and painted with the afterglow of sex.

 You lean down for a kiss that is less passionate, and more emotional. When you break your kiss you notice the soft smile on Sana’s lips.

 “I can’t believe we did that,” Sana says, “anyone could have seen you fucking me.”

 “I guess so,” you say with a shrug.

 “Whatever,” Sana says, “it was fucking hot.”

 You both share a smile.

 “Sana… this was… just sex, right?”

 “Of course,” she answers quickly, “it was just sex. Fucking amazing sex.”

 You are thankful that she sees it the same way - for a moment you are afraid that perhaps she had thought differently. She was a wonderful, gorgeous girl inside and out, but the fact of the matter was you had little to tie you together except for a single afternoon in a foreign land - and the fact that you technically worked for the same company.

 You cursed the fact that you lived on opposite sides of the planet, and wonder what would have happened had you met her on the sidewalk back home.

 But nonetheless you are happy your paths have crossed, if even for a day - and she did promise to see more of you in the five days you had left before you went back home. And at the very least, you had a new friend in Tokyo whenever your business trips led you there.

 “I should clean up,” Sana says, interrupting your reverie, “you were like a fire hydrant.”

 You laugh as Sana finally gets up on shaky legs, and admire her small, thin form as she gets up and walks towards the bathroom. When Momo did the same after your sessions in the morning you found your eyes glued to her ass - strangely, your eyes are only watching the back of her head as Sana walks away, cursing the fact that such a wonderful young woman lived so far away from you.

 ---

 “I guess this is what you came for,” Sana says as she presses the small battery pack into your hand. You smile as you plug your phone into it and slip both items into your jacket. You are at her apartment door, and about to head out back to the hotel.

 You had both spent a few minutes recovering, sitting on her kitchen table and sharing a random assortment of Japanese snacks she had lying around, even making a game of it where she would place a random snack in your mouth and you had to guess what the ingredients were. It was made even more difficult by the fact that Sana was wearing what was probably the most distracting t-shirt in the world, a pale blue, thin cotton shirt with a frog on it that was low-cut enough to reveal some delicious cleavage and barely, just barely covered her nether regions. If she were to lift her arms, it would raise the shirt and expose herself - she clearly knew what she was doing when she chose that shirt to put on.

 Alluring t-shirts aside, it was getting late, and as much as you would have gladly spent the night there, you knew it would probably be best if you headed back to the hotel.

 Sana is watching as you slip your shoes back on. You turn to her once you are ready to go.

 “So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 “Yes!” Sana says, her face bright with enthusiasm, “we can go see that giant Gundam. And we can go to Tokyo Skytree! The view from the top is amazing.”

 “I don’t think it would be as good as it is here,” you say suggestively.

 “Maybe we can make it better,” Sana retorts, a naughty, teasing look in her eyes. How was it possible for a girl to look so innocent and so racy at the same time?

 “Good night, Minatozaki Sana,” you say finally.

 “Oyasumi,” she answers, her voice soft and barely above a whisper.

 As she gives you a short bow, she lifts her head and looks straight into your eyes, and for the second time you find yourself cursing the fact that she lived thousands of miles away. You wonder what might have been had she, or you, simply been born in the same city.

 These thoughts give you a sort of sudden sadness, and you turn to make your way back to the hotel. As you step out the door, you feel her catch your upper arm with her hand. Before you can turn fully, she reaches up and plants a kiss on your cheek, before giving you a smile, her cheeks flushed red with emotion. You smile back at her sweet, lovely face, before you finally step out her door and take the first steps to the nearest subway station.

 Ten minutes later, you are sitting in the subway when your phone vibrates. Pulling it out of your jacket (along with Sana’s battery pack), you read the text you have received.

 MinatozakiSana says: Do you know what the Japanese phrase "3P" means?

 You take a moment to ponder the term, but it doesn’t ring any bells. You reply to Sana’s text and tell her that you are unfamiliar with it.

 MinatozakiSana says: Hehehe. ^^ Good night. <3

 You are puzzled by what it could possibly mean, and so you turn to your good friend Google for the answers. Your Google-fu is strong, and within minutes you know what 3P means - it is right there in front of you in black and white, on the screen of your phone:

 “3P is a popular Japanese term for a threesome.”

 You smile to yourself as you get off the subway and head towards your hotel. You hoped Momo were still awake, as you had much to discuss.

#kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #kpop smut #pov smut #reader insert #male reader #twice #sana #twice sana #minatozaki sana

[dreamlover31]

Love Will Find a Way: Chapter 26

The warm, sweet taste of caramel trickled down her throat from the Styrofoam mug locked between her lips; the ever-present odor of coffee grounds and the chatter of local patrons filtered throughout the small enclosure.

The flaky croissant laid aimlessly on top of the plate; her fingers picking at it like you would a scab that was trying to heal, she sat at a table that was parked towards the back; her eyes surveyed the surroundings and slowly made their way back to the window, where she watched bystanders pass her by without a second glance.

At that moment, she spotted an all too familiar face, the tall medium build man who attended her baby shower extended a small wave; to which she reciprocated. Her dark brown iris’ traced his movements, from when he entered the establishment to the point where he stood in front of her, after an exchange of nervous smiles, Sean pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Hey”

“Hey”

“Hope you didn’t wait too long”

“No…thanks”

“Listen, I’m glad you called…for a minute there I was worried that you’d written me off completely”

“No…I’ve been meaning to call, it’s just that…well things have been a little hectic lately”

“Hey, I get it. So, is Rafael going to be joining us?”

“Sorry, but he’s working on a pretty big case now…it takes up a lot of his time…” Alexa’s face saddened as she lost eye contact with Sean, the change in her demeanor caused a look of concern on Sean’s face; his hand slid across the table and landed on top of hers in a comforting gesture. Immediately, their eyes regained contact.

“Is everything ok? I mean, I know it’s none of my business but…”

“No, it’s ok…I can’t keep things bottled up, can I?”

Sean folded his arms on top of the table as he gave Alexa a reassuring nod, she took a moment to collect her thoughts, from there; the buildup of loneliness and frustration faltered with her telling’s of how Rafael seemed to focus on his job more than the responsibilities at home. The continuation of her account of events caused a few tears to form, at one point, she turned away from Sean and blinked to stop them from streaming down her cheeks; the same hand that held hers earlier made a place on Alexa’s shoulder in another gesture of comfort and sympathy.

“Hey…hey, it’s going to be ok”

“I mean, I know I should be more patient with him. His job asks a lot of him, but at the same time…I feel like I’m going through this pregnancy by myself”

Even though she wasn’t a part of his life anymore, there was something inside Sean that still cared for her, and it pained him dearly to see this strong, courageous woman reduced to a weeping mess. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an idea formed in his head.

“You know, Central Park’s not too far from here…maybe we could go for a walk, a little fresh air might do you some good”

Alexa nodded in agreement at his suggestion, one of the baristas walked by their table just as they were getting ready to leave, Sean signaled to the young woman and asked if she could fix a to go bag for the tea and croissant that Alexa had yet to finish.

The woman informed him that she’d be back with his request shortly, as soon as it was recieved, the contents of her meal were placed inside. Outside of the coffee shop, Sean whistled for a cab and instantly one drove up in front of them, upon entering the vehicle, instructions were given to the cabbie to deliver them to Central Park, a good 20 minutes passed just as they reached one of its prominent entrances.

Once he received his tip, Sean headed out first, then went around to the other passenger side door where he carefully lifted Alexa from the cab; the yellow vehicle drove off the moment they reached the sidewalk. During their stroll through the vast landscape with its picturesque scenery, a newfound sense of calmness and wellbeing overtook Alexa, then as if a spark had been lit; she began to converse with Sean about his new life, as well as his relationship with Sonny’s cousin.

Essentially, he became an open book with her, as he shared stories of the intimate and special occasions they’ve enjoyed as a couple; Alexa was reminiscent of the many times that Rafael treated her to romantic dinners or displayed small tokens of affection.

Their light-hearted laughs echoed along the trail, for the first time in a while, she felt the blissful tenderness associated with having someone to share her innermost thoughts and provide comfort/ reassurance. As the hours ticked away, daylight began to fade against the Manhattan skyline, Alexa noticed the dwindling sunlight and quickly glanced down at her watch, then gasped at the lateness of the hour.

“Oh, my god, I better get going, Rafael could be home any minute”

“Alright, I get you a cab”

The two of them returned to the entrance where they originally entered, Sean waved down an oncoming cab, after she was seated; Alexa relayed to the cabbie her intended destination. Before it could depart, Sean looked over at her, he expressed how much he enjoyed their time together and reiterated that he was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear; a smile of appreciation graced her face, then she offered that they should set up another time to meet.

“Yeah, that sounds great”

“Alright, I’ll call you with the details”

The cab drove away from the curb as Alexa and Sean waved good bye to each other, from that day forward, the former lovers became practically joined at the hip. Whenever Rafael worked late, Alexa invited Sean for days where they could sample some of the exotic cuisines at the numerous restaurants in Manhattan, enjoy the various theatrical productions on Broadway or gaze at the collection of art at one of the museums.

On one of the nights that she was left in the solitude of the brownstone, Alexa took it upon herself to allow Sean to come over, when he arrived; she smiled gleefully then gestured him inside. He scanned over the layout of the two adjoining rooms and became in awe at the overall design, and placement of every piece of furniture.

“Wow, this place is amazing, did you hire an interior decorator?”

Alexa laughed, “No, we did this all ourselves”

“Still, it’s pretty good”

“Wait until you see the upstairs”

Acting like an impromptu tour guide, she leads Sean up the stairs, the bathrooms and master bedroom were up to par in the sense that they were styled in a normal fashion, but as Alexa put it, the true masterpiece was the nursery.

The light switch flipped on to showcase the oak finished dresser that sat next to the doorway, the changing table planted at the far corner, the antique rocking chair that stood by the window and the crib; with the same oak finish as the dresser, propped up against the wall on the right side of the room. The walls were covered in a coat of light purple and soft blue palettes, Alexa sauntered over to the crib where her fingers grazed along its wooden texture, a soft smile stretched across her face while memories of the day that she and Rafael built the frame of the bed that their daughter would lay came into fruition.

A small toolbox sat beside him as they held up one of the bars, with a small screwdriver in hand, every piece was inserted and screwed into the right slot; while at the same time, his body shifted from one position to another; his posterior became an immediate source of attention to the mother to be, Alexa ogled at him like a horny teenager.

The event that followed the completion of their daughter’s crib involved a lot of tender kisses and the sensuous, passionate exploration of their bodies. Gradually, her mind made it back to the present, she finished showing Sean around before they retired to the living room; they sat on opposite ends of the couch but remained at a close distance.

“I got to tell Lex, you have a good thing going here”

“I know…hey, listen…I want to thank you for everything, I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you and I appreciate you letting me bitch about my problems”

Sean chuckled, “It’s no trouble believe me, I know this isn’t easy for you…but I’m always here if you need me”

“You know it’s funny, I can’t even remember the last time Rafael and I sat down and talked about anything…or even the last time we held each other, every time he comes home…he just passes out on the bed”

The look of sadness that haunted her that day at the coffee shop returned, but Sean moved in and cupped his finger under her chin, he tilted Alexa’s head so that it was facing his.

“Things are going to get better, I promise”

The kindness and sincerity of his words allowed a bright smile to form on Alexa’s face, then as if her body had a mind of its own, her arms wrapped around Sean in a hug. The warmth of another person’s body caused a sensation of closeness and security, as they slowly released from their embrace, Alexa met Sean eyes.

The energy that was coming from his dark blue orbs pulled her into a deep trance, all that she felt was the attentiveness and warm hearted tenderness that had long been forgotten, suddenly, her lips ghosted his. In a split second, Alexa pressed her soft, gentle lips on to Sean’s; an image of Rafael flashed through her closed eyelids and at that moment, Alexa pushed herself away from him.

“Oh, my god, what am I doing?”

“I’m sorry…I should have…”

“No, I’m the one that needs to apologize…you’ve been really nice to me and I’m feeling very vulnerable right now…her voice trailed off, but right then, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her as a small shiver ran down her spine; Alexa felt like she was being watched. She turned to face the entryway of the living room where a tall figure wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a briefcase stood, the expression on her face was one of pure horror when it became apparent that it was Rafael. The look in his eyes culminated into one of pain and murderous rage.

“Rafi!”

“What the hell is this?!”

Alexa and Sean leapt from the couch in a manner that two teenagers would if their parents walked in on them making out, she held up her hands to convey to him that he needed to calm down, meanwhile, Sean positioned himself behind Rafael while Alexa kept the focus of his rage on her.

“I know this looks bad, but right now I need you to take a breath and not do anything stupid”

“Why the hell is Carisi’s cousin’s boyfriend in my living room kissing my pregnant girlfriend?!”

Alexa’s eyes welled up, she struggled to explain to him that this minor discretion was the result of her being overwhelmed with loneliness and despair and that Sean was blameless in all of it, but then he intervened.

“Look, this isn’t her fault…I took advantage of a vulnerable, young pregnant woman…right at that moment, Rafael’s fist connected with Sean’s face, as he fell to the ground; Alexa screamed. In a daze, Sean tried to regain his footing while he was nursing his throbbing jaw, meanwhile, Rafael reestablished eye contact with Alexa, his face contorted into one of pain and hurt.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Nothing has been going on…we’ve just been hanging out…and he was there for me when you couldn’t be. Rafi…please believe me when I tell you that I love you and only you” she cradled his face in her hands, eyes pleading with him to listen and believe her words; but alas, Rafael took his hands into hers and pushed them away. In that same instant, he stormed upstairs and into their bedroom, but not before he slammed the door; tears began to stream down Alexa’s face just as Sean was about to approach her.

“Don’t…just don’t”

It was then that Rafael reappeared with a suitcase in his hand, without so much as a cursory glance, his hand grabbed the doorknob; he was halfway out the door when Alexa begged:

“Please don’t leave, I’m sorry…I’m really sorry”

He said nothing.

“Rafi, please say something…just talk to me”

“I’m sorry…I can’t even look at you…I…I have to go”

The door closed behind him, Alexa broke down and started sobbing, Sean attempted to offer to go after Rafael, but was shut down. He insisted that she shouldn’t be left alone but once again, Alexa didn’t waiver; after Sean’s departure, she crept upstairs and curled up on the bed. Throughout the rest of the night, Alexa cried harder than she ever had in her entire life; her pillow drenched in tears…what have I done?

Tagging: @madpanda75 @laceybellerain @southern-magnolia @tropes-and-tales @itsjustmyfantasyroom @karens-imagined-world @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @madamsnape921 @skittle479

#rafael barba #raul esparza #love will find a way

[haddonfieldproject]

1.1.2 HALLOWEEN NIGHT, SAME TIME

<<PREVIOUS ⏺ <<CONTENTS>>

2️⃣

Haddonfield, Illinois

Chelsea Keane heard a noise downstairs. She was pretty sure it was a door slam, although it was so far away in this big huge house that it was hard to tell. She took one more long pull off of the joint and stubbed out the roach in the ashtray that sat on the little wicker table in front of her. Beside the little ceramic disc decorated in scenes of Tijuana—now covered in soot, and the remains of her joint, sat her purse. It was a bag really, one of those reusable shopping bags from McNary’s Supermarket, covered in floral prints and little orange and yellow suns, birds, and bees, and little green leafy vines that formed letters which read: Earth Day 2014.

Chelsea rummaged in the bag, around tampons and makeup cases, the occasional lipstick, chapstick, selfie-stick, and ladies speedstick and found what she was looking for. A stick of Wrigley’s Gum. She unwrapped the foil, popped the piece in her mouth, balled the wrapper up between her fingers into a nice neat silver ball, and flicked it across the space in front of her where it landed between a hot water heater and the Centra-Vac system.

She returned to her purse, retrieving a small glass cylinder bottle of Dimension, the new perfume by Jennifer Love Hewitt, and bathing herself in the baby powdery aroma, thinking to herself of a Halloween, perhaps almost twenty years previous, when she had sat on this very couch and watched the actress run screaming across a square-shaped television screen while being stalked by a hooded man with a hook for an arm. Chelsea brought a DVD case out of her purse/bag. Ripe Blood. She turned it over and looked at the screenshots on the back…and the rating. Rated R for Graphic Violence.

Haven’t come much far sense my VHS copy of I Know What You Did Last Summer, she thought. Well, at least the picture quality would be better.

Hell..it’d be a lot better.

Ellen had her own theater.

Complete with a fifteen foot by nine foot screen, reclining seats, surround sound, and even a little kitchenette to nuke some popcorn and retrieve a few ice cold pops.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous, she mused.

Well, definitely rich, but only famous if you’re into watching people have sex on camera.

And there were plenty of people who were, and they paid good money for it.

What can you say? Sex sells.

And didn’t Chelsea know it too. Hell, if she hadn’t let Zeke Yates knock her up in the VIP room almost eighteen years ago, she’d probably be doing just as good as Ellen.

Well…probably not.

Chelsea tossed the DVD case back in her purse/bag and stepped toward the door at the far end of the room, careful to stay on the plywood flooring that designated Ellen’s “Smoking Loft” from the rest of the attic.

Ellen had been the smartest girl Chelsea had ever known. Chelsea presumed she would have ended up like her older sister Deborah, who also got her start in life as a dancer at the Rabbit-in-Red, although, perhaps not quite like Deborah. She didn’t see her son turning into a psychopath anytime soon and she didn’t see herself blowing her head off in the forseeable future either. Like her sister Deborah however, who was actually her half-sister, and nearly twenty years older than her, she had commited the Cardinal Sin of the biz.

“Don’t lapse on your birth control,” Deborah had told the young Chelsea and Ellen as they stood behind her on their first day at work, watching her attach fake lashes in the dingy mirror in the back haunts of the Rabbit-in-Red. “Better yet..don’t fuck the customers at all. VIP is for dancing, not fucking.”

She had pointed a picture of her kids, taped to the mirror then. “See those.”

The girls had nodded nervously.

“That’s what I got for fucking a customer.”

Chelsea had made the mistake, which hadn’t been such a big mistake afterall. She of course was quite fond of her son Joshua, but it was safe to say that the nine and a half pound baby had tanked her stripping career and any possibility of moving into the Adult Film Industry. Chelsea had packed on over a hundred pounds during her pregnancy, and post-baby had only been able to shake twenty of it. So she had settled down with Josh’s father, gotten married, enrolled in Illinois Central College, and got her bachelors degree in Communications.

Lou Martini, the owner of Rabbit-in-Red industries had hired her back—as an editor. That, combined with the few bucks her husband Whitey made around town doing the odd handyman job here and there had afforded them a decent life, with a decent house, another child, a beautiful daughter, and an overall pretty damn fine life for herself.

Chelsea stepped out unto the landing and pulled the door shut to the attic behind her and then descended the stairs toward the common room on the third floor. There was a white leather couch and a coffee table. A mini bar sat in the corner of the room with liquor that probably hadn’t been touched in years and a few pieces of modern art on skimpy end tables that probably hadn’t been properly looked at or analyzed in the same amount of time. The room was just for show, just like a giant, lifesize poster on the wall behind a thirty inch flatscreen VIZIO. Ellen in a bikini too small for her surgically enhanced breasts, sprawled on some exotic beach, sand on her knees and elbows.

Ellen was smart.

🎃

“So who is this person?” Penny Cornell asked, popping her bubble gum loudly before she spoke.

Josh looked at her in the soft light of the poolhouse. She was dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo, and he had gone as Fred, only they hadn’t bothered to get wigs or color their hair, so she ended up being a blonde Velma and he ended up being a Fred with black hair, which, in actuality totally ruined the ensemble and had in fact led to many of their peers on the streets that night during their Trick-Or-Treating run to ask, “So..what are you guys again?”

While Josh searched the cabinets in the pool house kitchenette for a proper shot glass for the Captain Morgan he had stowed away, from a mini bar that saw quite a bit more action than the one on the third floor of the main house, Penny circled the Pool Table, the stained glass lamp casting bright and blazing hues on the side of her face as she looked at the pictures on the walls.

Plenty of pictures of a certain blonde woman in lingerie. Some in a bathing suit. Some wearing nothing at all but a properly placed palm frond, or towel, in one, the handlebars of a motorcycle. Many had the blonde woman with various celebrities. Kid Rock, holding her by the waist, holding a cigar and smiling. There was one with Charlie Sheen, another with Myley Cyrus, and an older one, faded a little, starting to yellow, with future President of the United States Donald Trump. Penny’s face as she beheld these pictures was expressionless, her unassuming eyes taking it all in like a pediatrician examining the X-Ray of a kid who just broke his arm in two places.

“She’s known as Misty Dawn.” Josh said, finding a suitable shotglass, this one featuring the skyline of Charlotte, North Carolina. “She works for Rabbit-in-Red Industries. She’s a model.”

“I can see that,” Penny said, popping her gum again. Her eyes didn’t deviate from the pictures.

“She’s been in some movies too.” Josh added, unscrewing the top of the rum, “X-rated movies. Also done some webcam and stuff.”

Penny sighed and leaned against the pool table. “I see.” She said yawning, her pink wad of bubble gum visible in the corner of her mouth. “Porn must pay pretty well to have all this.” She said, waving her hand across the room to indicate that by “this” she meant this particular poolhouse as well as the mansion and the grounds beyond.

Josh poured a shot and held it out to her. “She’s kind of a star.”

Penny grunted and took the shot glass. She downed it, winced, coughed, and held it back to him. “And your mom knows her from work?”

Josh took the glass and poured another shot. “She and my mom grew up together. They were best friends in high school. Her real name is Ellen.”

Josh took the shot. He also winced and coughed.

The sound of heavy metal filled the room.

It was Josh’s ringtone for his cellphone. He pulled it from his pocket, looked at it, and then looked at Penny frowning. “It’s my mom.” He said and hit the green button on the screen.

“Yeah?”

Penny pulled her own phone out to look at it. Josh replaced the cap on the Captain Morgan and went about replacing the bottle into the minibar and the shotglass into the cabinet from whence it came.

“We are back mom,” Josh was saying, “Penny and I are outside. You probably heard Maddie, Dylan, and Cammie come in.”

Josh rounded the bar and took his girlfriend’s hand, pulling her toward the sliding glass door that led to the pool deck.

“Yeah mom, we’re coming right now.”

He hung up the phone and slid the door shut behind them. Penny was looking at the pool and the adjacent spa.

“I wanna get in that hot tub.”

Josh put a hand on her butt. “I wanna get in there with you.” He smiled wryly.

“Shoot, it’s hot enough to get in the regular pool.” She said as they started toward the main house.

“You’re telling the truth.” Josh replied.

🔪

“You’re gonna fall and bust your head if you don’t stop running around with that sword!” Cammie Cornell, age eight, dressed like a bumble-bee, complete with clip on wings, said, standing cross armed on the hearth.

Dylan Rawls, age thirteen and dressed like a ninja, was chasing little Maddie Keane, age five, dressed as Princess Elsa from the animated Disney film Frozen. Dylan had a plastic sword and was waving it at Maddie as she ran away from him in a circle, laughing and screaming and all the while making motions with her hands in an effort to use her “powers” to freeze Dylan in ice like her character would have been able to do in the movies.

Dylan, despite having already started puberty, was not a very mature boy. This could have been due to a lack of attention given to him by his mother, or as some psuedo-scientists would have suggested, it could have been due to a diet high in processed foods and high fructose corn syrup. His mother had never had him tested for mental defficiencies, mostly due to a nagging worry that he would fail the thing. Dylan wasn’t mentally challenged, that wasn’t quite right. He had been tested for and diagnosed as ADHD by the time he was seven, but then again so many kids were and his mother hadn’t really believed in it or the medication that was supposed to, and probably would have, helped her son. Dylan was in ways a very bright child, better at all the household electronic devices than his own mother, but in other was he was just plain immature. Chasing around a five year old in a living room with a plastic sword dressed as a Ninja after acne was beginning to pop out on his face and sprouts of hair was beginning to pop out on his balls was just case in point.

Dylan stopped and glared at Cammie, about to display another example of his immaturity.

“Don’t tell me what to do, this is my house.” He said between panting breaths.

Maddie stopped and collapsed into the brown leather sofa that faced the fireplace. Her face was red and her breath was heavy, but the smile didn’t leave her little face, nor the brightness in her little brown eyes.

“Aren’t you a little old to be playing like that?” Cammie shot back.

Dylan was about to reply when they all heard a voice from behind them.

“Cammie! Get down from there.”

It was Chelsea, she was descending the stairs holding her cellphone in her hand.

“Maddie, off the furniture please.” She said.

“Yeah Cammie, get down!” Dylan added.

Cammie jumped down from the hearth and stuck her tongue out at Dylan. He returned the gesture.

“Where is all your candy?” Chelsea asked.

“We put it on the stove.” Dylan said, pointing toward the open kitchen with his sword.

“I see.” Chelsea said, her eyes beholding the three large hulking pillowcases.

“They got quite the big haul didn’t they.”

It was the voice of Josh. He and Penny entered the room from the opposite side.

“They certainly look like they made out.” Chelsea said, placing her cellphone in her pocket. She reached into her purse/bag and took out the DVD case and held it out for her son.

Josh snatched it up. “No way! Ripe Blood!? It hasn’t even stopped running in the theaters yet.”

Chelsea smiled, “The Rabbit uses the same packaging and distribution company as the company who made the film..Danger—something or other..”

“Dangertainment.” Josh corrected and passed the case to Penny who looked interested.

“Right,” Chelsea said, putting her purse/bag on the stove next to the three pillowcases full of candy. “Well they give all their clients some freebees as promotional items. That arrived this morning.”

“Are we gonna watch it?” Josh asked, eyes wide and bright.

“You better your ass we are,” Chelsea answered.

“In the theater upstairs?” Josh asked.

“Um…yeah.” answered Chelsea.

“I’m scared.” Penny frowned.

“You can’t be afraid of scary movies if you’re gonna date my son,” Chelsea said, “Joshua loves a good horror flick. He gets it from his mom.”

Josh hugged his mother. The sentiment surprised her, but she appreciated it.

“Can I watch it?” Dylan asked.

Chelsea shook her head. “It’s too scary for the younger kids Dylan. Why don’t you go upstairs and play with Maddie and Penny’s sister…” she looked to Penny, mind scrambling to remember the girl in the bee costume’s name.

“Cammie,” Penny corrected.

“That’s right, Cammie,” Chelsea continued, “until it’s time to go to bed.”

“You guys wanna see my playroom?” Dylan asked. “I have an Nintendo WiiU, a ballpit, a bouncy house, even some laser tag!”

“Yeah!” Maddie and Cammie replied in unison. The kids began to ascend the stairs.

Penny and Josh read the back of the DVD case together while Chelsea opened the fridge, looking over their snack options in regard to their theatre experience.

As Dylan, Maddie, and Cammie reached the top of the stairs, Maddie asked him.

“Can I take a turn at your Wii Dylan?”

Dylan looked back and smiled. “You can, but Cammie can’t!”

“Why not?” Cammie whined.

“I don’t let fat girls play!” Dylan replied, in another epic display of immaturity.

With their eyes on the DVD case, and her head in the fridge, Penny, Chelsea, and Josh didn’t notice or hear Cammie descend the stairs fighting back her tears and exit the front door of the home

NEXT>>

#halloween #halloween franchise #michael myers #horror #horror writing #haddonfield #horror film #fan fiction #fan writing #spooky

[bandblogging]

They don't know about us Pt. 7 (Calum Hood Imagine)

🎄BANDBLOGGING’S BLURBY ADVENT CALENDAR 🎁

Day 8

Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader

Words: 1.8k

Requested: This was requested by @caswinchester2000

Summary: Calum takes you on a trip to New York City to propose to you.

A/N: Never been to New York City so this is a whole lot of guess work also the ending is kinda shit but I had to rush it sorry

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

___

The weather in New York was cold and sunny, a welcome change from the way too warm "winter" you were used to in Los Angeles. Calum had taken you with him on the press tour for the newest single of theirs. Thankfully there were a couple of off days planned into it and two of them happened to be in New York City. You had been there once before but sadly didn't get the chance to see much of the city. Calum wanted to change this and so your first day was full of sightseeing, all the notable buildings and places to see. Even in your hotel room you couldn't escape it, having an amazing view over the city skyline. All day Calum had been treating you especially well, opening doors, giving more compliments and just being really affectionate. Not that he wasn't romantic otherwise, he really was but with how hectic both of your lives had become there simply wasn't enough time for it.

Your long day of sightseeing ended finally in the hotel, your feet were kind of sore and you were glad to be sitting down. "Thank you Cal", you grinned at him with a tired smile as you took off your shoes. "For what?", he asked and sat down next to you. "For taking me around the city and showing me everything", you placed your hand on his thigh and leaned in, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Nothing to thank me for Y/N", he turned a little and kissed you back.

You finished the day by having room service and cuddling up in bed while watching a movie. Well Calum watched a movie, you fell asleep pretty quickly, waking up just before the end credits rolled over the screen.

The next day started lazy, breakfast in bed and a late start to the day. Calum wanted to take this day slower, going shopping and in the evening going out with the others for dinner. At least that was what he had told you.

When you stopped for lunch in the early afternoon you had already hit up many of the big shopping spots, both of you carrying a few bags with you. You had saved up for this trip for a while now and had planned on spoiling yourself. That might have been easier said than done because Calum pulled out his wallet at every chance he got, once you even wrestled him lightly until he let you use your own card.

You grabbed a quick lunch at one of the many food places that New York City had to offer and took a short break of shopping. "Just a few more places to go right?", Calum asked and pointed to his bags, "I don't think I can carry much more". You had already bought a few new dresses, shirts and pants. There were only a couple more things you'd wanted to buy, mostly accessories and a new handbag. "Yeah just a few more".

The last stop for the afternoon was a small lingerie boutique a friend had told you about. Calum's eyes widened for a second, a cheeky grin following. "You can wait there Cal, this is a surprise", you pointed to the small seating area next to the register. "No, that's not fair", he complained while walking into the shop with you. "You'll get to see it at some point", you winked at him and started cruising through the rows of underwear. "Y/N", he whined but sat down in one of the chairs, looking around at the racks for a moment before taking out his phone. Calum had been treating you like a princess for the last days and you wanted to repay him a little bit. You knew him well enough to know that this would make him very happy.

You had picked out a few sets and with the help of one of the lovely assistants you narrowed your choices down to two. Calum only looked back up from his phone when you kicked his foot lightly. "I'm done", you grinned, pointing at the small bag you were holding. "I wanted to see it", he was still pouting but you could tell that his mind was somewhere else completely. "Maybe later, maybe tomorrow who knows", you winked at him again and grabbed the rest of your bags from his lap.

The dinner with the other guys wasn't for a few more hours and so you decided to go back to the hotel. Glad to get rid of all the bags on your arm and take a short nap. When you placed everything down next to your suitcases you began to worry how to get everything back home, hoping that you had left enough space for it all. "Might be a tight fit", Calum laughed looking at his own amount of clothes that were now supposed to fit into his suitcase. "Well there was this really cute suitcase just down the street", you said as a joke but kept the store in the back of your mind just in case.

Dinner was set for 8.30pm but even before six Calum started to urge you to get ready. It was true, sometimes you could take your time but certainly not that long. "Fine what should I wear?", you asked and gave into his rushing. "I don't know, something nice but not too nice. You look good in everything", Calum muttered flustered and began searching through his own clothes. You stood there for a moment going through everything you had brought and bought in your head. There were a few nice things that you had bought just this afternoon and even though you would usually wash clothes before wearing them this was an exception. So you grabbed a couple of your bags and your makeup before heading into the bathroom.

Half an hour later you returned with your makeup done for the evening and an outfit that perfectly went with the new shoes and bag you had bought. It was quite formal but nothing way too fancy. "Is this okay?", you asked Calum and posed for him a bit. "You look fantastic", Calum grinned and quickly closed the distance between you. You wrapped your arms around his neck for a moment, "You don't look so bad either." Calum was wearing a casual suit in a dark grey, fitting in all the right places. You pulled him a little closer to you, kissing him softly. "I guess we do make a pretty good couple", he joked before kissing you back.

There was still plenty of time before the dinner but Calum was already urging you out of the hotel. You didn't know why but just went with it, arguing wouldn't have done anything good. No matter how long you knew him there were just a few times where you couldn't understand him. "I thought we could take a walk to the restaurant, it's quite a nice route there", he suggested when you left the hotel. "Sure", you sounded a bit confused but still followed him down the street. The part of town your hotel was located in was just as pretty at night as it was in the daylight. Calum and you had walked for a while through the streets, for a hot moment you even thought he had accidentally gotten you lost because of how stressed he seemed. "Are you OK Cal?", you nudged his side and stopped him for a second. "Yeah sure why?", he asked back and smiled at you. "You seem a bit off tonight", you raised an eyebrow and let him continue walking . "It's just I wasn't quite sure with the directions but this is the right way now", he explained and grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers. You didn't quite believe him but left it at that.

The route took you through a little park, close to the Hudson River and you had to stop a few times to look at all the lights. In the distance a little clearing was coming up and you could see some lights shining in it. The closer you got the prettier is looked, the railing next to the river bank had lights strung around it and a few metal benches were set up for people to look out onto the river. You stood next to the railing for a second when you heard some noises coming from the bushes, you turned around to it. There was nothing to see, probably just a squirrel or a racoon, you had seen a few of those in New York City so far.

When you turned back around to Calum he was down on one knee in front of you. He was holding a little jewelry box, exposing a beautiful ring that shimmered in the lights. You felt tears shoot into your eyes immediately and your vision became blurry. "Y/N, the last three years with you have been the happiest in my life. When I met you ten years ago I couldn't have guessed how happy you would make me. I am glad to share so many of my best memories with you, so will you do me the honor and share memories with me for the rest of my life.", he took a deep breath and held up the little box a little higher."Y/N will you marry me?", he finally asked you. The tears started falling down your cheeks, happy tears and you started nodding furiously. "Of course, yes yes I want to marry you", you replied in lightning speed and felt Calum's arms wrap around you. A happy sob came out of you and you started to shake. Calum hugged you for a moment before stepping back and finally sliding the ring on your finger. You looked at it in awe for a second before pulling Calum close and kissing him passionately. "I love you Calum", you had placed your hands on his jaw and couldn't stop kissing him. "I love you too Y/N", he whispered and couldn't stop smiling.

You stood there, wrapped tight in each other's arms for a while before finally parting. "I can't believe it", you grinned and watched the ring sparkle in the lights. "You better believe it, I'm not letting you go now", Cal said and pulled you closer again. "Yeah and we also have proof", the voice behind you made you jump and a high pitched scream escaped you. "Sorry", Andy stepped into the light, holding not one but two of his cameras. "God", you exclaimed and placed your hand over your racing heart. A part of you was sad that this wasn't just the very intimate thing between you and Calum but after seeing some of the pictures you were glad he was there.

#Calum hood #Calum hood imagine #Calum hood x reader #5sos imagine #5sos #5sos x reader #5 seconds of summer #5 Seconds of Summer imagine #Michael Clifford #Luke hemmings #Ashton irwin #Imagine #Writing #Bandblogging #Bandblogging's blurby advent calendar

[melmac78]

Virgil’s story for FABFiveFeb

This is based off a Whumptober story I wrote, “A different perspective of ‘I Can’t Walk’,” but this one from Virgil’s point of view regarding Gordon’s surprise prank on Virgil. You don’t have to read it though to enjoy this story. The names of the locations are current.

Virgil prompts: “I’m trying,” shimmer, duck, hard.

***********************

Virgil smiled as he finished the last few strokes of his charcoal sketch. It had been hard to get that detail of the AutoZone Park’s Christmas tree in proportion, but he had to admit it was nice to sketch one in front of the Minor League baseball stadium in Tennessee.

Hard for him to believe it had been just four and a half hours earlier he had finished his 10K race with his brother Alan.

Scott had completed the full marathon and was likely still finishing up his deep tissue massage in The Peabody’s Spa.

The artist himself had taken a nice long hot shower and was now in his robe and boxers, drawing.

Gordon and John and finished the half marathon about two hours ago, and were doing their own recovering.

Virgil chortled at the last part: Gordon had bet John about whether or not he could complete the half marathon - and lost.

The look on Gordon’s face losing still made him smile, especially with John finishing it with an injured ankle falling into a pothole…

“Speaking of which,” he muttered, and got the mediscan out. John was napping in his room in the suite.

The astronaut said his ankle wasn’t bothering him anymore, but if there was one thing Virgil learned from his brothers, it was adrenaline was going to come into play. He was already going to feel the pains from lactic acid walking 13.1 miles, but if his ankle was hurt worse…

Virgil shook his head at the image of John grumbling as he was being carried, and quietly walked into the room.

John was still resting on top of the bed, pretty much dead to the world as he slept from the long walk. The medic was proud of his middle brother, especially all the training he’d done to win the bet.

But at the same time, he winced at the fact John was still in his astronaut themed sweats, which could be a sign his ankle hurt.

Virgil then gently turned on the scanner, letting the blue light scan over the younger man’s right ankle.

“Virg… you’ve got to stop doing that,” muttered a voice.

The older man looked up and saw that John was wide awake, glaring at him. “That’s the fourth time you’ve scanned my ankle since the race was over,” the ginger headed man said, annoyed.

“I just want to be sure there’s nothing torn in your ankle,” said Virgil, who finished the scan and looked at it. “It was a pretty hard fall you took.”

John sighed and stood up. “Yes, I know, but I feel better,” he said, gently leading his brother out.

Virgil frowned. “You’re limping,” he pointed out, unconsciously starting to do a sing-song voice.

“And I said I’m fine,” responded John as he pushed the man out, complete with a swift, and hard kick in the backside with his injured ankle.

Virgil turned around shocked by the fact his normally quiet, calm brother just put his size 12 grey and silver running shoes to a different use.

“See, perfectly fine,” said John cheekily as he walked a bit like a penguin across the room. “Look, I’m going to go look around the hotel lobby. EOS wanted me to show her the gingerbread village. You can come if you’d like, just don’t bring the scanner. Don’t want to send you home the hard way...”

Virgil waved the man off saying he’d join them later.

He watched as John left, and when the door closed, rubbed his backside…. “I’ll show the Astronaut the way home to Five the hard way,” he muttered.

A lighter snort filtered through his ears, making the man groan. “Gordon… if you say one word…”

The aquanaut choked back a laugh. “I won’t - it would be fun to see you try it, would keep me from having to pay up that bet,” said Gordon. He sobered up. “But John is OK, right? I’d hate he hurt himself worse over a wager.”

The medic looked at the scan and then smiled. “Yeah, he is. Just a twisted ankle, so I don’t need to do any more scans,” he said.

“Good thing - I think John is to the point he’d use the Vulcan Nerve Pinch to keep you from scanning his ankle,” said Gordon, smirking.

Virgil glared at the man. “No thank you… he’d probably succeed in knocking me out,” he said, walking back over to his sketch.

Gordon looked at what was being drawn, then smiled. “Looks nice. Going to keep working on your sketch?” he asked.

“Yes, why?”

“No reason. I’m going to go down to the lobby and chat with John,” said Gordon.

“You mean try to get him to let you welch out of your bet?” said Virgil with a smirk.

The aquanaut shrugged. “Maybe… but even then, I want to tell him how proud I am of him,” he said with a smile. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Yeah, see you in a little while. We’re still eating at Huey’s right?” said the older man as he started to sketch the skyline around the stadium. He loved the restaurant’s burgers and onion straws.

“Oh yes… don’t forget to dress up,” said Gordon, who then laughed.

Virgil rolled his eyes, but nodded and watched his brother head out. The door closed, leaving Virgil surrounded in the soothing pale Tiffany blue shaded walls and duck themed decorations.

He sketched for a while, finessing the details in his drawing, which now included his brothers. Each of them had worn unique outfits for their race… well except Scott, who preferred the event’s race tank and then fairly short running shorts. “At least he has the kind with the running bloomers,” Virgil thought with a chuckle.

The artist was so engrossed in his work he at first didn’t hear the knock at the door. When a louder one finally drew his attention, Virgil put aside his drawing and then opened the door.

Outside was a Peabody bellhop with a package. “Mr. Virgil Tracy,” he asked kindly, and Virgil nodded before he was handed the bundle. “You have been selected to be an honorary Duckmaster this evening. You need to wear this and come down about a quarter before 6 p.m.”

Virgil quirked an eyebrow, but then chortled. “OK, I’m honored. Thank you,” he said, and after giving the bellhop a generous tip, he brought the box to his room.

He then laughed. “Honorary Duckmaster? I don’t believe it,” repeated the artist as he looked at the card. Sure enough, someone had bought him the honor, something he admitted he wanted to do when he was younger.

Earlier on the trip in Memphis, the brothers had gone to the top floor to look at the Duck Hotel, as well as view the skyline. Virgil alone had several photos of the city as well as the hotel he was going to use for future artworks.

Duckmaster was something different however. had always pictured himself in the sharp red jacket, complete with epaulets, cords and black trousers, leading the ducks around with his Duckmaster cane and taking them up and down the elevator every single day.

Probably explained why he wished Gordon would refer to Thunderbird Two as a duck and not a frog.

Today, he thought as he opened up the package, he was going to get to wear that outfit, and…

His mouth dropped open when he saw what was inside.

“GORDON!”

8888888

Well, it was either do this or go down in his boxers and robe. Gordon had taken every piece of clothing he could from Virgil’s suitcases, but at least let him have the pair of underwear he brought into the bathroom.

He admitted he considered the alternative, but really, Virgil wasn’t going to do that.

Grandma Tracy loved coming to the historic hotel and eating their Banana Oreo Cheesecake, and he enjoyed his cup of coffee sweetened with just a bit of Tennessee honey he only found there.

It was a pair of treats for both and he wasn’t going to risk them getting banned due to a prank.

So, “swallow my pride, step out of the elevator and meet up with the Duckmaster” became his mantra as he entered the main lobby.

The Duckmaster, a kind man with dark hair and brown eyes, looked at Virgil a bit in surprise, then mellowed into a smile. “I see you’re very much the duck enthusiast,” he said kindly, but with a soft chuckle at the sight.

Virgil snorted, which made some of the ducks on his Hawaiian shirt shimmer as the metallic threads hit the light. “Oh yes, my brother knew I had dreamed of being a Duckmaster… I just didn’t expect my outfit to be a kilt and Hawaiian shirt,” he said. “Especially with the ducks having their own shimmering shirts…”

“The slippers are a nice touch,” said the older man with a twinkle in his eyes. He wouldn’t admit it to the slightly embarrassed man, but in his 20 years as the Duckmaster, he had seen a few unusual outfits.

Virgil’s duck overloaded outfit surprisingly was a bit tame to several. If anything the top, if longer sleeved, would fit in the Lansky Bros. Store, one of the hotel’s shops.

“I’m trying to figure out how Gordon managed to find character bedroom slippers in my size,” said Virgil as he took a step, watching the fabric mallard heads bob up and down.

“Not here… though I bet the gift store would like to know,” quipped the Duckmaster, who then smiled. “You look great though, and we’ll make the ceremony even more fun. So ready?”

Virgil saw the sincerity in the man’s eyes, and smiled. “Yes, ready,” he said, as they walked to the fountain. Nearby, Virgil caught the tri-colored blue, yellow and orange shirt that belonged to their favorite human fish - Gordon. Predictably, the aquanaut was already laughing, though Virgil admitted he couldn’t tell if it was from the sight or the Long Island Tea the aquanaut was drinking.

“Seriously… he knows better than to drink even a beer after a half marathon,” Virgil muttered, but seeing the man had also purchased what appeared to be a sandwich from the Peabody Deli, sighed in some relief Gordon was being a bit more cautious.

Next to him was John, who had snuck back to change out of the sweatpants but still wore the NASA patch shirt. The astronaut had a shy smile, enjoying the prank Gordon set up but still sympathetic. He did however roll his right ankle to show yes, it was doing well.

Looking up, Scott and Alan were found in the gallery above, having an excellent view of the scene. Alan was cackling at the sight, and while Scott cuffed his younger brother gently over the head, his eyes sparkled in merriment.

He had to admit, the silly outfit was worth wearing for his brothers’ reactions.

“Yeah, I’m ready… let’s show them how Duckmasters do this,” said Virgil with a chuckle.

The elder man clapped a hand on his shoulder with his own laugh, and started the presentation.

Weird outfit and all however - especially the shimmery top, being an honorary Duckmaster was worth every cent for Virgil as it was for Gordon to prank him.

8888888

About a half an hour later, Virgil sat in the lobby with his brothers, enjoying a cup of hot Earl Grey tea before he dug into his Equinox dessert. He relished the taste of hazelnuts, chocolate cake, and ganache.

He first looked at the Duckmaster cane and special rubber duck he received as part of the package, then looked at Gordon.

“Why a duck kilt Gordo?” he said. Of the three items, he was most embarrassed about the kilt. The shirt at least got him a phone number of one girl who found it hot on him, and the slippers were actually quite comfortable. He just wished they didn’t have the knitted cuffs at the ankles.

The aquanaut shrugged as he took a bite of his chocolate Peabody Duck. “You needed to match: I have a squid kilt, Alan a rocket kilt…”

“But Gordon, Scott and I don’t have one,” said John, who hiccupped slightly. “You know better than to not get me one…”

Scott rolled his eyes. “And you know better than to have more than one Old Dominick,” said the eldest, gesturing at the glass of bourbon. He was enjoying a cup of coffee and a chocolate dome, having to refrain from alcohol. It was nice of John to make Gordon pay for a plated dessert for all of them as part of the bet forfeit, but he still had to fly them home tomorrow.

“I only had two,” said John, who hiccupped again. “Though yes, maybe one would’ve been enough.”

Virgil chuckled. “Thankfully, we’re going to still go to Huey’s, so you can get a burger and soak it up,” he said gently. John nodded, admittedly confused they’d eat dessert first, but thankful they were wise enough to still eat something more substantial.

Gordon laughed. “Rate he’s going he’ll forget the ice cream tomorrow,” he said. “I can welch a bit…”

Scott shook his head. “No Gordo… you promised, and I’ll make sure of it,” he said.

“Even if he eats it on the airplane?”

“Oh no, that isn’t happening…” said Scott, who seeing Gordon nearly cheer in victory continued. “Not until all five of us eat a cone. I want to try that Equinox ice cream.”

“That's what I’m getting,” said John with a slightly brighter laugh, which the others joined in.

Scott, seeing the slight shimmer in John’s eyes, smiled. Poor guy was OK but he didn’t want to risk the twisted ankle become a sprain walking the one block over.

“I do think right now we go back to the suite and rest. Huey’s should be a bit less busy in an hour,” the eldest said. “And I for one want to eat their famous onion straws.”

The others nodded, and after paying their tab, went to the elevators.

Alan, Gordon and John took the first elevator, while Virgil and Scott took the next one.

The eldest looked at Virgil. “You do realize - phone number or not - you look ridiculous,” he said, chuckling. “Gordon got you good.”

Virgil gave a half smile and nodded. “Yeah, he did. But you know they say revenge is a dish best served cold right?”

Scott nodded, and frowned. “Virgil, you know he’s not embarrassed to wear anything weird,” he said, then tilted his head. “Or about not wearing anything at all…”

The second eldest smiled. “No, I won’t do that to him. I love Grandma too much to get us banned from The Peabody. Plus I like that honey in my coffee here,” he said. “I’ve got something better. An invasion.”

The eldest quirked an eyebrow, but then seeing Virgil pull out one of the two items he received as Duckmaster, smiled. “Oh no… you didn’t…”

“Oh yeah, tomorrow he’s about to go ‘quackers’,” said Virgil, who laughed when he saw his older brother do a facepalm at the bad joke.

“I’m going to need earplugs…” was all scott muttered.

8888888

That next morning, the sound of quacks filled the suite the Tracy’s were using..

Well, quacks made more of squeakers.

Gordon woke up to find his bed was nearly covered in rubber ducks, all from The Peabody.

They were also on the floor, bathtub, and toilet.

There was even a silver dollar sized duck someone managed to sneak into his reusable water bottle.

Some had shimmery tops on their body.

One was the Duckmaster duck - staring right at him when he awoke.

“Well played Virg,” said Gordon, with a smile.

He conceded defeat this time.

Now, there were only two things Gordon could do:

First, donate all but one or two of the ducks to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, now working to end even more diseases as they had most childhood cancers.

Second, find a way to pay back Virgil for the prank.

8888888

Reference of the Duckmaster ceremony (by me a few years ago). This is an honorary Duckmaster ceremony, and any age can do this:

#thunderbirds are go fanfic #virgil tracy #FABFiveFeb2020 #fabfivefeb

[fuzzydemolitionsquad]

The tractor part two

Zeb cruised down the main street of Snag Toe, a not-so-bustling metropolis that was only a skip and a hop away from the Trodd family farm. Puggles lay back in his reclined seat, picking his nose and flicking his findings into the wind.

“I told you to STOP DOING THAT!” Zeb popped his cousin across the chops with the back of his hand. “If one of those gets on me I’m gonna choke you out!”

Puggles cackled. He sat up in his seat and watched a jumble-shrub blow across the road. There were no vehicles hovering by the curbs or krauntaun mounts tugging at their hitching posts. Everything was quiet. A lone drifter clad in beaten leather fueled his speeder bike at a dark fuel station. He turned onto the street without looking in the opposite direction and headed for Transitway Nineteen East. A solitary bantha in a paddock across the road lowed plaintively  as she watched him go, her long tongue stretched out in his direction of travel. All the shops–including Gurvis’s Tractor and Farm Supply– were closed. The windows of the shops  were concealed by plate-metal shades, like the eyelids  of sleeping lasats.

“Welp, looks like evrry’thang is closed.”

“It’s only an hour and a half to mid-sun!” Zeb said.

Puggles scratched his hairy chin. “Wunner if this has sumthin to do wit the elly-mentry school carnival? Old Gurvis volunteers fer the milk bottle toss erry year, an Mizz Clapp, y’ know, the sundry shop owner, sells tickets. Yup, pract’ly the whole damn town gets involved.”

Zeb palmed his face. “ WHY didn’t you mention this BEFORE?”

“I unno. Jus’ slipped m’ mind.  Oh well. Guess we has to go back home.”

“No. No, I promised pa I’d help him fix the tractor today.”

Puggles sighed. He lit a cigarette and took a drag. “Well if you insist. We kin turn left at thee stop and head on over to Needlesap. They got a tractor parts store there too.”

Zeb thought for a moment.

“Nuh-uh.  Needlesap  has all those crazies  who were released from the mental hospital. Oh. Heh. Sorry Puggles, no offense. Besides, it’s where all the Lunxx boys hang out. I don’t feel like saving your scrawny tail today.”

“Save mah tail? Shheeeoot. . . I kin hold my own with them blinked-milk-suckin’ moon-calfs.”

Zeb laughed. “Whatever you say, Puggles.” The big purple lasat stretched his arms over the steering yoke and rest his head on them. His ear twitched.

“What iz yew doin’? Gettin’ sum shut-eye’?”

“No. I’m thinking, and. . . I think I have an idea. How long has it been since you’ve visited the capital?”

“Amethyst City?”

“No. The other capital.” Duh.”  “Of course Amethyst City!”

Puggles’ brown face twisted. “I’d rather suck on the business end of a lightsaber! Or scrawl m’ name acrost a Mandy-lorry-an’s helm! Hells, I’d rather go skinny-dippin’ wid a love-sick dianoga than go to thee blasted capital!”

“So you really don’t wanna go?”

“No!” Why would I? Place is fulla ijits. Dandy lads an’ snooty gals and polly-tish-ans and such.”

“There’s lots of nice lasats too.”

I heard there wuz  staurmtroopers there. An’ guards all  a’suited in red.”

“Well, yes, but that was over two dust seasons ago.” Zeb said, a  small crease forming over his brow. “The Empire wants fealty.That’s why the Emperor has sent envoys over the last couple years. Same thing happened when the Separatists and the Republic were vying for our  support. Lasan isn’t interested in any political affiliation other than its own.”

“White and red. Bone and blood.” Puggles intoned.”That’s what Mossy said. Bone and blood.”

Zeb rolled his eyes. “ I think Mossy’s been eating too many toadstools.”

“Mebbe so. But he’s a witch’s son. Sometimes he has the mindsight. You member that.”

Zeb’s eyes shifted to the floorboard of the speeder. He looked at his feet. His prehensile toes kneaded the warm, plastoid-sheathed metal. Puggles’ worries were his as well, though he would never admit it.

“Capital’s two hours away. We better get going. I want to get pa’s tractor up and running today so he can get an early start tomorrow morning.”

“Land a’ muddlin’. Fine. Let’s git a move on.”

The big city filled Puggles with a combination of loathing and excitement.

There was nary a field nor hollow nor tree to be seen, save the topiary monstrosities growing from large bronzium planter boxes lining the streets.

Massive domes and tall conical buildings competed with one another for space, corrupting the natural skyline of purple mountains beyond. Sheer crystal sidewalks tinged lavender and green fronted a myriad of shops for blocks and blocks on end. Lasats in colorful attire bustled about like bees in a hive, their servant droids walking behind them, shopping wagons in tow..

Zeb entered a round-about on one busy street. In the middle was a statue of a heroic-looking female. Her quadranium arm was raised, a large bo-rifle in her grip. The sun glinted off her tattered uniform and one bared breast.

Puggles' eyes widened three sizes. “Did yew see that? Her tiddy is showin’! Whoo-wee. . . and it’s a nice un’!

“Be respectful, Puggles. That’s Shaddis Rrochious. She was a highly-skilled warrior and martyr who perished in the barbarian wars.”

“A warrior huh? Sheeeoot, she could shock me wid that ‘lectric rifle any time.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her spirit that when I’m in temple. Oh, and by the way, there’s a great statue of Firuz in front of the Warrior Council building. We should bring Jenni next time. I’m sure she would admire the bulge in his-

“All right all right. Point taken.” Puggles turned and looked back. “I’m sorry Miss Shaddis! Please ‘cept a Southern boy’s humble ‘pology!” 

They continued on down the street. Colorful, high-definition holograms flashed in the fancier shop windows, advertising the wares inside. The colors danced across the hood of Zeb’s speeder. Puggles’ whistled through his teeth.

“I ain’t been here since I wuz a lil’ sapling. Don't ‘member any of this crap.”

“Are you sure you could see over the dashboard?” Zeb threw back his head and laughed.

“Go fuck yerself.”

“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” The big lasat covered his mouth with his hand and snickered.

Puggles hmmmf’ed. “I’ve been off planet and I never seen a sinners paradise like dis.”

“You keep on bounty hunting and I’m sure you will. Maybe you’ll get lucky and be offered a job in Coruscant.”

“ Lucky. Oh yeah, sure. Thee lower levels of Coruscant iz a killers’ paradise.”

Puggles changed the subject.“Where is we going t’ git the doodad for pa’s tractor?”

Zeb smiled proudly. “Just so happens I have access to the parts depot near the guards barracks.”

Puggles went silent, as if he was in a trance. He blinked his eyes. A wicked smile unfurled across his face.

“That means yew has access t’ the munitions depot too. Don’t yew?”

Zeb’s hands shifted nervously on the steering yoke.

“N-no. Of course not. I’m not authorized to go in there.”

“Yew iz lying cuzz. I kin always tell. Yer nose gits all pink and twitchy. Course It don’t happen much, since yew is such an honest soul.”

“As opposed to you.”

“Yep, as ‘posed t’ me.” Puggles raised and lowered his brows in quick succession. Goading his younger cousin.

Zeb stopped at a signal. Three attractive older females with fantastically coiffed hair crossed the street in front of him. All three were walking tiny, white-furred  oorvarks  with gemstone encrusted collars.They waved and lowered their eyelids in a flirtatious manner. When they were out of ear-shot Zeb turned to face Puggles and grabbed up the front of his shirt.

“Let’s get one thing straight. . . CUZZ. This isn’t a fireworks buying expedition. There’ll be no bombs, no thermal detonators,  no percussion grenades, no flares, no flash-bangers , no detonite, and no rocket launchers! NOTHING!”

Puggles pulled back and brushed off the front of his old flannel shirt.

“ Of all thee in-dig-nitties! I swear Zebediah, military life has made yew as ornery as a croaker eel!! I just wanted a little sooveneer.”

“I’ll buy you a tee-shirt.”

Puggles mumbled under his breath. How dare his little cousin treat him like some kind of infant cub! He had half a mind to throw a fit, one that would embarrass Zeb to his core.

The speeder approached a busy establishment named the Tooth and Claw. It looked warm and inviting with its polished wood balistrades and stairs. A brawny male wearing the same type of skin-suit that Zeb wore had another male in a tight headlock out front. The trapped male didn’t seem distressed in any way. He laughed as he went to his knees and flipped his assailant over his shoulder. Both lasats stood up and patted each other on the back then lifted their huge ale mugs from a small table to the side of the stairs. Puggles clapped his hands and licked his parched lips.

“It’s a bar Zeb! Pull over! I could really use a beer!”

“Oh, I don’t know Puggles. You’ve been drinking a lot lately.”

“What iz yew, mah ma?”

“No. I just worry about you that’s all. Besides, we don’t have time.”

“We have time fer one beer!”

Zeb knew if he didn’t give in, his cousin would continue to harp about the weapons depot. He listened to the crowd inside the establishment.  Clinking glass and raucous  laughter spilled out the doorway. The laughing turned to cheering. It was the toeball finals, and Zeb knew that some of his mates were inside. He looked at Puggles who was practically salivating.

“Okay. First of all, here in the Capital, it’s called a pub. Second, ONE beer. Then we leave. I think I should warn you. There are some first-year honor guards in there. Like me. They get pretty rowdy. Especially when they’re watching sports.”

“I hate sports.”

“Yeeeah, maybe don’t mention that.”

Zeb parked the speeder around back. He and Puggles stretched their legs and headed for the front door. As soon as they entered the pub, a whole table of green skin-suited males jumped up, whooping and hollering.

“Hey it’s good old Orrelios! ”

“The Zebster!”

“What’s up Zebby?”

“Come over here mate! The Shocktown Royals are knocking the stripes off the Burrndock Howlers!!”

Zeb waved. Puggles was off like a rocket before his cousin could make introductions. He jumped up onto the bar’s foot-rail–squeezing between two big graybeards smoking their pipes–and banged on the wood planked bar.

“ Anyone here? Someone pour me a cold one! No foam now, ye hear?”

The tender stepped out of the shadow. She was almost eight feet tall and as wide as the two graybeards combined. Her hair was an enormous blue bush and her chin was as square as a box.  A dark mole stood out on her right lower cheek like a bullet wound. The cobalt stripes on her impressive biceps were as wide as one of Puggles’ legs. A fat cigar dangled from her lower lip.

“Didja say something, love?” She said in a surprisingly pleasant voice.

Puggles stared up at her boulder-sized breasts and lava-hued eyes and let out a gasp of genuine admiration. He fluffed out his jaw fringes.

“Great Bearded One! If yew ain’t the most stunning creature of thee female sex I’ve seen in this blasted city! Howz about yew pour me a cold one an we kin step out back for a spell.”

Panicking, Zeb and two of his mates rushed the bar. ‘Tiny Teeks’ the bartender picked up a heavy glass mug. She looked like she was planning to smash Puggles’ in the mouth.

“I don’t like blokes funnin’ with me, Short-shanks!” She said.

“I ain’t funnin’ you Big Blue! I likes what I sees!”

The square-jawed female looked at Zeb, who had a pleading look in his eyes. She put down the mug. “Orrelios, ye came in with this little squirt. Is he for real?”

“Unfortunately he is. He fancies himself a ladies-male. He’s my uhh. . well you see, he ah..that is, me and him are. . .

“Cousins, Teeks!” One of Zeb’s squadmates–a few-years older male named Gron– shouted. “That’s Zebby’s hill-trekker cousin! The one he’s always talking about.”

“Well I’ll be a korsa’s dewlap.” Teeks said with a snicker. “Don't see the family resemblance.”

“Hit cain’t be seen on thee outside gorgeous. Our fam’ly’ semblance iz our love-makin' talents.  Iddent that right, Zebadiah? Us Trodds iz natural born kit-magnets!”

“Oh Gods and Ancestors . . .” Zeb blushed while his friends fell on the floor laughing. He wanted nothing more than to shrink down to the size of a flea and disappear into a crack in the wall.

“Puggles, would you shut your-

Zeb didn’t finish his sentence. Horns blared from the holovid player speaker. They were proceeded by the roars of a couple thousand spectators. Lasats in the pub went wild. Teeks jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “GOOOOAAAAAAALLL!!! Oi, did ya see it boyos? Xaniboor’s ball flew into the net faster than a mynock flying out of th’ inferno! GO ROYALS!!”

Teeks picked up Puggles like a rag doll and kissed him on the lips. Then she dropped him and poured him a beer. “There’s more where that came from, love! No no, put away your credits! I’m buying. I don’t know about your special talents, but you sure as dust are a good luck charm!”

“What about me, Teeks?” A dark-faced, yellow-furred guard asked in a whining tone. “I’m your best customer!”

The big female frowned. “Squints, I wouldn’t piss in ye pocket if ye was dying’ of thirst. I heard what y’ said about me! That me arse is bigger than any of the arses in the Capital Zoo.”

“That wasn’t me! It was Bear.”

“Sure, sure. And I’m th’  bleedin’ Queen!”

Puggles puffed out his chest and walked jauntily toward the table where Zeb had re-seated himself. Noticing that there was no chair available for him, he dragged one from the next table over and shoved it between Zeb and another young male. The  soldiers were talking–more like gossiping–about what seemed like a very serious incident.

“. . .so she snuck out, again, and met Lorrbskr  in the priest’s gardens.”

“I don’t believe that.” Zeb said, shaking his head. “Lorrbskr’s got a good career ahead of him. His whole family is military. He could be General some day.”

Squints made a funny sound with his nose.“You know how the Princess is. Always flirting. Always sneaking out. Getting blokes into trouble is a sport for her.”

“But, her guards. How does she keep giving them the slip?”

“She’s as slick as snot, that one.”

“ Lorrbskr's going before a review committee. Karabast, I wouldn’t want to be in his shin guards.”

Zeb sat back and took a drink of his ale. He burped against his fist.

“You guys are jumping to conclusions. He was probably at the temple to pray for his sick mother. The Princess saw him from her window, climbed out and comforted him. You gotta admit her life has to be pretty boring. She’s not allowed to have a suitor, can’t go anywhere without a chaperone. Hells, the Queen probably picks out her wardrobe and food and everything.”

Puggles rolled his eyes.

“Yew fellers iz thee most borin’ stiffs I’ve ever met. Gossiping like a flock a’ hens. I’m gonna go play spinner darts.”

“You do that.” Zeb growled.

The little lasat ditched his chair and padded up to the bar. Teeks had a cold one waiting for him.

“Ye really should have some of the stout. It’ll hit ye in a most pleasant way.” She said, winking one orange eye.

“Darlin’, if beer was meant t’ be warm ittid be served in a soup bowl.”

                                                                             ~

Zeb watched Squints shuffle a nudie sabbacc deck.

“You in?” The yellow and brown lasat grinned.

“Sorry, no. We can only stay for a little while. Gotta get a part for my adoptive father’s tractor then drive back to Needlesap County before it gets dark.”

“No pressure mate. Hey uh, Zebby, me and the boys were meaning to ask you something.”

The other young guards turned away from the toeball game and stared at Zeb.

“What?”

“You know Captain Zanku is going to retire soon. Do you think you might try to claim his position?”

The purple lasat widened his eyes. He visibly swallowed. “ Me? Captain? I dunno. I mean I’ve thought about it. Maybe years down the road.”

“Come on. You'd make a great one! Right boys? That would be wiz! You as our Captain!”

Everyone nodded in excited agreement.

“Mnnn. The trials though. I’d have to get in top shape. Physically and mentally.”

“What are you talking about?  You’re already there!  Strong as a gnapstrup and sharp as a dirk. You passed your first trials with flying colors. Hells, you know more about military history than Zanku himself.”

Zeb put his hand behind his head and rubbed his neck. “Yeah. He made me regret correcting him on the dates of The Battle of Kisgothi.”

“Latrine duty sucks nodge-gobs doesn’t it?”

“Sure as shit does!”

The two lasats laughed until tears came to their eyes.

Gron slapped Zeb on the shoulder. “You got my vote, Orrelios. Karabast, you’ve got all our votes.” He raised his mug and the others at the table did the same.

Everyone in the pub clapped their hands over their ears when an ear-splitting shriek sounded high above the din. A surge of ugly, gray-green smoke boiled out of the back room. Puggles Trodd bolted through the smoke, his ears flat and his eyes enormous.

“Zeb! Let’s go!!” He screeched as he bounded across table-tops.

“Puggles? Is- is that one of your smoke screamers?”

“Stop wid thee questions and run!” Puggles shouted drunkenly.

“Why?”

“Y’ know a big dude wid a gray cape and a green bo-rifle?

“Yeah. That’s our Captain.”

“Well, I hit him in thee forehead wit a dart. Right smack tween th’ eyes. Don’ worry, he’s still kickin’.’”

Zeb’s eye twitched. As his friends ran for the door, he grabbed Puggles, threw him over his shoulder and sprinted outside. He tossed the little lasat into his speeder’s passenger seat and leapt into his own. The engines roared to life. Zeb floored the accelerator, fishtailing, then careening out into the street. He banged on the steering yoke.

“I knew it. I knew something like this would happen!” He turned in his seat and watched pub patrons spill out onto the sidewalk, coughing and clutching their pained ears. He hoped beyond hope that his friends would keep Puggles’ identity a secret.

“That’s it. We’re getting the part and we’re out of here! I am never taking you to the Capital again as long as I live!”

Puggles crossed his arms and grumped.

“Suits me jus’ fine. I nebber wanted t’ come here in the first place. Stupid dart. Spinner must’a been warped.”

“The only thing that’s warped is you!” Zeb snarled, so venomously it made Puggles start.

“How much did you have to drink back there? Hmm? Five, six?”

“ Seven. I din’ pay for them if that’s what’s eatin’ ya. I still has all my money.”

“Karabast! I don’t care about the blasted money!”

Puggles slammed his small fist on the dash. “Honestly Zeb, I cain’t fer the life a’ me figger  you out. Why is yew is so bowed up?”

Zeb chewed his lip. His anger swelled anew.

“ Because you’re a disgusting alcoholic and you refuse to see it!”

There came an uncomfortable silence. The gentle thrum of the speeder’s engine sounded like a roar in Zeb’s ears.

Shocked and hurt, Puggles turned over in his seat. His body was slumped against the door and his ears were drooping. A minute went by before he spoke. His voice was devoid of emotion.

“Yew jus’ keep on beein’ perfect Zeb. Show us pathetic losers what it’s like t’ be a livin’ god.”

Yeeeah, hopefully it will take me less than sixteen weeks to put up part three. 

#Zeb Orrelios fan story #Puggles trodd #slice of life #star wars rebels related-ish #lasat #honor guards

[petri808]

Diatri’s Tales

Kind of an insider fun story thing.  How to describe this story...  Think Pet’s movie lol, talking animals.  Two cats find themselves stuck in a house together and they eventually run away to start a new adventure, meeting many friends along the way :) follow the link for Cat language definitions. @diabl0o co-author  @kuroshironekoserver contributors   4k+ words, will be a mini-series.

Chapter 1:  How It All Started

She looks at the ticking machine on the wall flashing 5:00 and stretches one more time, rocking backward until she feels her spine crack and muscles loosen.  Petri yawns giving the carpet a few good kneads… and sharpens her claws for good measure on the shag before circling into a ball.  It wouldn’t be long till the two-legged creatures, the ones that called themselves her owners would be back.  They usually came back around the darkness time.

It’s been a perfect life.  Many seasons have passed in the comfort of this home.  Home, is what they had called it the day they brought her here.  This is your new home Petri!  Whatever, she had thought back then, it’s warm, dry, with three meals a day, it was luxurious.  And the best part, no other animals.  Ugh, the days at that stupid, noisy pet shop surrounded by other cats and puppies and rodents and birds were a memory she happily forgot all about.  Thank goodness, she began to purr to herself, a pretty little white kitten had been too cute to pass up.

They were good owners to her.  She’d hated the name the pet shop had given her, but these creatures changed it to Petri.  It was cute enough, she guessed.  Played with her when she wanted it, left her alone when she wasn’t in the mood.  She gave them affection as she saw fit and that seemed to be enough to keep these creatures happy.  The treats could be a little more frequent but hey, a girl does need to watch her figure.

Soon enough Petri heard the familiar jangle of metal and popped open an eye.  ‘Perfect timing, I was just getting hungry.’  She rises to her feet slowly as the door opens ready to put on the act.  “Moow mow…” Petri pauses, what is that scent?

“Guess what Petri,” the female owner walks over and begins to pet her with a big smile plastered on its face.  “We have a surprise for you and we think you’re gonna love it!”

Based on the smell, Petri was already starting to think of what she could destroy of theirs.  How dare these creatures bring home a…

“It’s a new playmate!” the male creature places a black bundle of fur on the floor in front of her.  “His name is Bob and he’s just the most adorable kitty!”

Petri cocks her head slightly, Bob?  What a stupid sounding name.  “Moow moow mow!”              

“What’s that Petri?  You like Bob already?” the creature’s grin at each other, “see I told you she’d be fine with a kitten,” the female owner pokes the male in the arm.

She glares at the other cat.  “Mew!”  Oh, this is some bullshit!  But Bob, just sits there quietly with his head tilted slightly, the innocent little angel.  Petri narrows her eyes at it, this kitten had the cutesy act all figured out!

“I bet you guys are hungry,” the female owner starts walking towards the kitchen.  After grabbing a second bowl, it pours food into both bowls.  “Come on guys,” it motions to the two cats, “come eat.”  

Bob happily starts to walk over to the bowl, but Petri races there first.  “Hissss!”

“Petri be nice,” the female owner moves the bowls a little further away from each other.  “You each have your own bowl.”  It then picks Bob up and places him in front of the new bowl.  “There ya go little guy.”  As it pets Bob, he begins to purr and happily eat his food.  

This little punk!  ‘Fine!’  It’s obvious to Petri she’ll have to wait until these owners weren’t around to do something to him.  So, she walks cautiously over to her bowl and begins to eat, all the while still keeping Bob in her periphery.  

As soon as the owner walks away, she can see his ear tracking the sound of its footsteps, and when they hear a door open and close, Petri hisses low, “I so don’t want you here!”  

Bob stops eating and looks at her.  “Well hello to you too.  It’s not like I had a choice miss kitty.  And by the way, names Diablo not Bob.”

“Tch, well, Diablo, let’s get one thing straight, I’m the queen of this house,” she points a paw at him, “so don’t you be thinking about any funny business or messing with my things!”  

“But I’m just an innocent little pus pus,” he curls his ears down, widening his eyes into a cute, and well performed expression.

But Petri wasn’t buying it.  She narrows her eyes and flattens her ears, “that works with those two-legged creatures, but not with me.”

“Fine.” Diablo sits up, cocking his head to the side, his tail flicking back and forth in a mindless manner.  “So, you figured me all out have ya?” He cracks open his mouth in a grin like manner, letting a fang show through.  “I doubt that Princess.  Better get used to me, cause I’m here to stay.”

“We’ll see about that.”  Petri’s own tail flicks at a faster pace as her annoyance grows.  This cocky little kitten!  How dare he come in here and start telling her what’s the deal!  “It was nice and quiet without you, and I intend for it to stay that way.”  She rises to her feet, snobbing the other cat and raising her tail straight up to it, “just don’t get in my way Diablo,” then walks away in a hiss.

“Bitch.” he swears under his breath.

“I heard that!”

Oh he’d made sure she would hear him.  This Petri chick didn’t even know him and assumed he’d be a problem!  Well truthfully, he could be a hellcat, but hey, she didn’t know that yet!  Ugh!  Diablo walks over to the living room, leaping up to a window sill, and sits down, staring out over the city skyline.  This was a nice place, he had to admit, and those things that brought him here seem nice.  Guess he couldn’t blame Petri for being territorial.  “Mew…” he shouldn’t blame her.  Diablo lays down.  Maybe he should try playing nice.  It would suck to get sent back to the pound.  ‘I’ll turn on the charm,’ he grins to himself and closes his eyes, ‘That’ll win her to my side!’

She tracked him from behind the recliner, watching as he moved to the window sill.  “Mew!”  When she’d first been brought here, she’d been so nervous at the new surroundings, and yet this cat sure had a lot of confidence.  ‘Look at him, getting all comfortable already!’  Truthfully, Petri wished she could do the same.  Being the only cat in the house meant she hadn’t needed to deal with such anxieties, but now…  ugh!  Okay, so maybe she could have been nicer to him, it’s not like he did anything to upset her, except with his presence.  Her ears lower in shame, “Mooow…”  ‘I’ll apologize in the morning.’

“Petri!  Bob!  Breakfast!”  The call of the creatures coupled with the sounds of dry cat food clinking into their food bowls, rouses the two cats awake.  

Knowing the routine, Petri is the first to arrive, giving the creatures her customary rubs against their legs to send them on their way.  “Meow, Mow Mow, Prrr.”  

“Be good now Petri,” the female owner, gives her a couple of under chin scratches.  “And be nice to Bob, he’s here to keep you company.”

‘Yeah, yeah…’  “Nyaa.”  

The female gives her a few last scratches, “awww!”  Just then Diablo comes walking up, still yawning.  “Bob, come eat breakfast,” the female owner taps his bowl.          

He saunters up, gaining a customary pat on the head from the female, before rubbing along her leg as a morning hello, “Meow.”

Both cats sit and wait next to their bowls, watching as the owners grab their things and leave for the day, ears tracking the sounds of them leaving.  As soon as they could no longer hear footsteps, they both chime up at the same moment.  

“Hey, look…”

“I just wanted…”

Petri turns her head away, “look I just wanted to say sorry.  I was mean to you just for being here and that wasn’t nice.”

Oh ho!  She was apologizing!  Diablo muses to himself, this was going to be even easier than he’d expected!  “Prrr,” he slinks up, rubbing against her, “we started off wrong, let’s start over.”

At first she flinches at the contact, but eases up when he doesn’t relent and rubs against her a couple more times.  “Nyaa,” Petri dips her head, “I agree we should.”  

“Moow.”  Satisfied that he now had the upper hand, Diablo moves over to his dish to eat, with Petri following suit right after.  She must have been sheltered for most of her life, he wonders at the ease of changing her tune.  ‘Or something,’ he couldn’t yet tell.  She was on the smaller side, maybe the runt of the litter?  Those can start off life struggling, often pushed to the side.  These creatures saving her and bringing her here probably saved her life.  ‘Or I’m being melodramatic.’  But he doubted she’d tell him anything right now, so he tucks that question away for a future date.

As Petri watched the black ball of hyper energy chasing after the laser beam, she couldn’t help but chuckle.  Their owners were having a grand old time sending Diablo skittering across the carpet or even up a couple of walls, and he seemed happy to oblige.  He was rarely one to play along if it wasn’t his own decision, but the laser beam turned out to be his Achilles' heel.  They’d keep him going for so long, he’d pant, wide-mouthed and heavy for several minutes trying to calm his heart again.  But the best part was the catnip treats afterwards.  Petri suspected it was a sneaky ploy to keep the kitten from being too active overnight.  Wind him up, then zonk him out.  It was amusing as hell!   If only those two-legged creatures knew, Diablo wasn’t much of a night kitty like she had been at his age.

“How ya feelin’ Di?”  Petri stands over Diablo who was currently belly up, paws curled in the air, with constricted pupils and a loopy expression on his face.  Her face was upside down and counter to his; a bright but bemused look to her.  

He cocks his head to the side.  “Petri that you?  Why yous upside-down?”

She laughs and bops him on the nose with her paw, “silly, you’re the one upside-down!”  

“Nas not, whoa…” his eyes refocus, staring straight up at her.  “Prrr… this is so cool!”

“Weirdo, that cat nip sure does a number on ya.”  But as he continues to stare at her, she starts to feel a little uncomfortable.  “Why,” Petri takes a step away, “do you keep staring at me like that?”

After a brief pause, he nods his head for seemingly no reason as a seriously dangerous look crosses his face.  “Prrr...  I’m gonna take your soul.”

Petri blinks.  “That’s the catnip talking, Di just go to sleep,” she laughs.

“Mew.  Nay is truth.  I don’ lie.”

“Okay,” she chuckles nervously, “I believe you demon cat,” petting his head, “now just close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“Prrr…  Meow mow Petri.”

“Meow mow Diablo.”  

Once she was certain he’d finally fallen asleep, Petri curled up next to him.  Barely a month and this damn little cat really was working his way into her heart.  Maybe it wasn’t so bad having another cat here after all.  He did liven the place up.  With their owners gone most of the day on many days, she wasn’t alone as much.  She couldn’t lie that sometimes she misses the peace and quiet but, he was growing on her.  

She was almost asleep when a tail to the face and added weight roused her.  Diablo had rolled over to his side from his upside-down position, partially on top of her.  ‘Ugh,’ and just when she was starting to get comfortable!  She tries to push him off, but he just rolls right back like a dead weight, inflatable bopper doll.  Unable to move him, and too lazy to move away, she pins his tail and foot from moving, using them as a cushion.  ‘I’m gonna bite him if he complains tomorrow!’                

Things settled into a comfortable routine for the two cats.  Much of their days spent lounging about as typical felines will do.  When birds would come by the windows, they’d taunt them.  The occasional bug would die by one or both of their paws.  Sometimes Diablo would even get Petri to play with the toys with him, fighting over a particular soft, catnip infused mouse.  Their owners really should get more than one of these damn things!  Did they forget that there's two of them in the house now?  

He’d even grown bigger since arriving at the house, most likely to his adult size, almost able to place his head atop hers when standing beside each other.  Not the biggest cat she’d ever seen, but what he lacked in size, he definitely made up for in sheer muscle compared to her.  Diablo was much more active than she ever was and that had to add to his weight.  ‘Tch, that’s why he tends to win when we play.’  If he really wanted to win a toy, he’d simply get her pinned and steal it from her.  Most of the time Petri let him win anyways, too lazy to keep going.        

“Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to live out there?” Diablo asked her one day as they both lay on the window sill.  It was a beautiful one at that, blue skies with scattered white clouds and a nice breeze coming through the screen.  On days like these, he dreamed of living on the outside, unattached to these two-legged creatures, in the wild, maybe even a forest or something.  He remembered seeing one behind the adoption place his owners found him at.  At least he assumed it was a forest according to the stuff he saw on the picture screen they sometimes watched, filled with lots of trees and other animals.  Water would be nice too.  He hated baths, but he loved water.

“I’ve never thought about it,” Petri responds.  “Being inside is all I’ve ever known.”  She looks at him, “why do you ask?”      

“Just being a curious pus pus,” was all he said before turning back to the window.  

Petri simply chalked it up as one of his incessant questions.  Sometimes Diablo would get into these moments, curious about anything and everything.  He was the first cat she’d ever seen watch the picture screen along with the two-legged creatures.  Well, then again, he was the only other cat outside of the pet store she’d ever met, but still, it seemed a bit odd to her.      

A couple of seasons come and go, the hot yucky season finally letting up into the cooler times where the colors of the leaves start to change.  She loved this time of year.  They were lucky in that the street next to the apartment was lined with trees that had such leaves, it was like watching magic!  Petri could sit there all day watching it happen.  Diablo seemed to enjoy the scenery as well, though lately he’d seemed a little more distracted than most days.  For her watching the outside world was just an amusement, but for him, it was as if he was daydreaming.  She wasn’t exactly sure what he was thinking, but assumed if he wanted to tell her, he felt like it.          

“Moow mow,” Diablo siddles up next to where Petri is sleeping along the couch’s headrest area, taking a seat below her, paws kneading the plush cushion to expend energy.  “Petriiiii!” He whines, “I’m bored.”

She cracks open one eye and sees him looking up at her with expectancy.  “That’s what the toys are for Di.”  Petri closes her eyes trying to ignore him.  Really?  He’s been here long enough to know that she hated being woken up in the early morning!  

“But Petriiii, I don’t wanna play with the toys.  I rather bug ya!”

Oh for the love of!  “Mew!”  

“Aww come on Petri don’t say no,” the whine intensifying from the black fur ball, “I’ve got a lot of energy but the toys are getting boring!”

“Not my fault you’re a morning cat!” she hisses back.  “The sun ain’t even up yet.”

“Mooow,” he cries, “it’s not just that.”  Diablo jumps up and sits in front of her.  “All we do here is eat, sleep, play, do it again.  I stare out the window and keeping thinking about what it might be like to live outside.  Even all the cool looking stuff on the picture thing the creatures sit in front of has all those cool looking stuff about animals.  There’s so much we don’t know about being stuck in here.”

His quiet tirade brings Petri to life.  She sits up, tilting her head curiously.  “So, what are you saying Di?  You don’t like it here anymore?”

“Mew.  Well, I don’t hate being here, it’s mostly cause I’m bored.”

“Mooow.  Y-you’d leave me here to be alone again?”  Petri cringes away.  She was so used to having him around now, that she almost couldn’t remember what it was like before, and what she did, brought out suppressed feelings of loneliness.  Her ears lower in sorrow.  “Mooow.”

“Aww,” Diablo gets up and brushes against her body, “prrr,” bumping his head under hers.  “Mooow mow, have I charmed you that much Petri, you’ll be sad if I go?”

“Tch,” she pushes him off a little flustered.  Even though he had done just as he was accusing, she didn’t need to admit it.  “I’ll just get lonely, that’s why I’ll be sad.  You made me realize it was boring being by myself in this place.”  

“Then come with me,” he retorts.  “You don’t have to stay stuck here.”

“Oh, and how are you gonna get out?”  

“See that screen,” Diablo points with his paw at one of the living room windows, “it’s loose, I can push it out.”

He really was serious!  “I don’t know…  How would we eat, where would we sleep?  There’s dogs and those big moving metal things out there, and…”

“Hey,” he moves in closer, placing a paw on her head, “we’ll be fine, we can totally do this Petri.”

“I need to think about it,” she moves away hesitantly, “I trust you, but I don’t know if I could handle it.”  Her nerves were already fraying at the seams from just the thought of being out of her comfort zone.  Here in the apartment, she knew every nook and cranny, every creature’s routine for better or for worse, but out there was a total unknown.    

Diablo sighs, “well, I’m leaving before the creatures wake up.”  After rising to his feet, he rubs against her one more time to tease.  “You think about it Petri, and if you ever decide to leave, maybe we’ll run into each other again.”  He jumps over to the window, hitting the screen hard, twice before finally popping out the edge.  “Mow mow!” he waves a paw, and heads out into the still dark morning hours.  

Petri quickly jumps over to the window, watching his fleeting shadow slowly fade into the darkness.  He was really gone, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the overwhelming sense of stillness that permeated the apartment began to creep into her bones.  ‘Is this how quiet it used to be?’ She wonders to herself.  Faint sounds of the outside world were all that broke the dead calm of a sleeping apartment.  Her ears curl down and she plants herself next to the window, replaying his words.  ‘Could we really do it?  Start over fresh in a new environment?’  Shivers run along her skin at the idea.  Diablo had a knack for making her leave her comfort zones, but this would be the biggest leap she’d made in her short life.  Was she willing to risk so much for a cat she’s only known for less than a year over owners that have sheltered her for much longer?  A big part of her wanted to jump at the opportunity to follow him.  He was her kind after all, and isn’t it better to stick with your own?  “Mooow!”  Petri didn’t know what to do.

By the time the first noises came from the creatures room to indicate they were waking up, Petri still hadn’t stirred from her roost.  She stayed put as they moved about the apartment in their normal routines, sounds and smells of the coffee maker bubbling, gathering of stuff they take with them when they leave, she could be blinded and still know exactly what was going on.  ‘Is this what he meant?’  The same old thing over and over…  She guessed it made sense why Diablo found this all so boring.  They were things she’d never really paid attention to, but in her defense, she could be a little airy.  

“Petri!  Bob!  Breakfast!” clinking of their food into the bowl, but she stays her post.  

A few minutes pass.

“Petri!  Bob!  It’s food time!”  Again she hears her owners call, and again she makes no effort to move.  “Hun, have you seen the cats?”  Petri hears the female creature ask the male who responded with a ‘no.’

A couple more minutes pass before she hears the sounds of movement behind her, as her owner starts searching the apartment.  “Petri, Bob, where are you guys?”  It’s not a very big apartment, so it doesn’t take long for the female creature to find Petri next to the window.  “Petri, there you…” it sees the open screen.  “Oh no!  Steve come quick!  I think Bob got out!”

“Mooow!”

“I know, I know Petri,” the female rubs Petri’s head, “you must be so sad that your friend ran away.”  Then the female pops the screen back into place and rushes away to find the male creature, leaving Petri alone again.  

“Mooow!”

Petri can hear the owners arguing.  

“I told you this was gonna be a problem Merida,” the male snaps at the female creature, “the pound said that black cat was a problem, but noooooo, you thought he was so cute, you just had to have him.”

“He’s been fine this whole time,” the female retorts.  “This is probably just an accident.”

“The accident, is adopting that stupid fur ball and bringing him home.  We already had one good cat who didn’t cause any problems and now look at her, she’s seems devastated that her friend is gone!”

“You know what Steve, I don’t have time for your I told you so’s!  I’ll be late for work if I don’t leave now, but we will look for him after work!”

“Keh!  You can look for him after work.  I’m not gonna waste my time.”

Petri couldn’t believe her ears!  This male creature was calling Diablo stupid!  How dare that thing call her friend stupid!  “Moow moow mow!”  Diablo wasn’t a bad cat, he was just tired of being cooped up in this apartment.  Ugh!  Suddenly, the walls seemed to shrink inward, making Petri feel even worse and confused.  On one hand the anxiety of following Diablo into the uncharted world outside licked at her psyche, but on the other, the overwhelming anger of knowing what an asshole of a creature her owner could be, made her stomach turn.  It was too late to turn back the hands of time, what’s done is done, and now Petri wondered if she’d ever feel the same if she stayed in this apartment.  She sure as hell wouldn’t be able to be friendly towards the male creature, but she would also break the females heart if she left too.  This was such a hard decision!  

She spent the next couple of days tossing the options back and forth, go, stay…  Merely sticking to a basic routine of eating and staring out of the window.  The female wasn’t coming home until later than usual, probably out looking for Diablo.  The male would come home at his usual time, but didn’t really pay her any attention, and frankly, Petri was starting to realize, it was always like that.  The female was the one who took care of them most of the time, not the male.  Had this whole life been a lie?!  This place was supposed to make her happy for the rest of her days but now, she was seeing it’s true colors.

Another night comes and goes, the early dawn set to approach in a few hours.  Petri jumps back to the same window.  These creature were still stupid enough to leave it open.  She tests the screen with her paw, noticing a give to it.  Maybe it was defective or damaged from Diablo pushing it out once before, but she was sure she could do the same.  With one deep breath, Petri pounds against the screen with her body, popping it out.

She did it!

With one last look of goodbye, Petri steps out onto the metal balcony and breathes in the night air, willing herself the determination she would need to face the world.  She had no idea where Diablo may have gone to.  Was he close or far away by now?  Petri turns her nose to the breeze the moment she hits the hard ground below, scenting for her friend.  It was faint, but she swore she could smell some of his scent around.  Either that or she was imagining it.  

“Diablo!”  Petri called out every few yards as she raced through the dead night.  “Diablo!”  

One block away, his scent grew stronger.  “Diablo!” Petri heads in that direction.  He had to be somewhere nearby!  Ignoring her surroundings, she tracks the scent until it leads her to a dead end alley.  Petri plops down to catch her breath.  Where was he?!  She hangs her head, well she shouldn’t have expected to find him so easily.  

Till she hears a familiar snicker behind her.  “Congratulations Petri, you’re free now.”  She turns her head and sees the black cat sauntering up, tail raised high.  “Are ya ready for our next adventure?”

#faux characters #talking animal characters #oc #original fic #original fiction #diatri tales #kuroshironeko server #insider story #fiction #chapter 1 #mini series #reality turned fantasy #fanciful fiction #how it all started

[brianc521]

Not Doing Okay

Literally cried while writing this, it’s way too close to home. But I had to get my feelings out somehow.

She was slowly starting to feel comfortable by herself. The way things were going at the moment were not what she was expecting at all, but she was adjusting.

The move to Canada was a lot, and it was hard on her. The thought alone of moving so far away from her family and friends scared her. But if it meant getting to live her life with the one she loves the most then it was no question, of course she was going to take the first opportunity to do so.

So when Shawn asked if she wanted to move in with him she packed up and moved. His condo was huge and cold when she moved in, the essence of someone never being around to live in it still hung in the corners but she knew that would change quickly.

She went downtown and found a cute little clothing store that was looking for a sales associate to work the day shifts with one of the owners. She was hired almost immediately and quickly became close with one of the girls at the shop.

She worked during the days while Shawn was at the studio, and spent the nights with him. It was going so well. Until Shawn started off on his promo runs again.

Currently he was in LA, and she was in Canada. It got so hard when he left. He was her sense of home, and when he wasn’t there she felt out of place. To be honest she felt out of place to begin with.

Her friends from home were living their lives, going out, going to the city, being with each other, posting about it all. Her close friends texting at the start of the night and then slowly never responding. She was okay with that, until Shawn started doing the same.

He’d text her all morning and she’d send something he’d read and never respond to. It made her feel awful, at first worried that she did something or said something wrong, and then she’d just feel so alone.

Besides being at work she couldn’t remember the last time she actually spoke to someone not through text.

She wasn’t close with Shawn’s family, she didn’t know them much and they didn’t know her. Her and Shawn have only been dating for a year, and most of that time was spent in the states when he was on tour. She was only able to make it out to Canada for two gatherings, and the Mendes family didn’t seem to give off the happiest vibes when they did see her.

She worried they didn’t like her, or that they thought she was using Shawn. Which was not the case at all.

She was deep in her feelings when she reached for her phone to call him, hoping he’d make her feel better.

“Hey,” He answered quickly. “What’s up? I’m in the middle of a studio session.

“Oh, sorry,” She sniffed, rubbing her nose with the cuff of her sweatshirt.

“What is it?”

“I just, needed you.” She whispered, feeling her eyes sting with tears.

He sighed, “Can I call you in an hour?”

“It’s okay,”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Have a nice night,” A tear dropped as she hung up on him.

She felt bad for calling, knowing she was dampering on his good time.

**

She kind of stopped trying. It felt useless to reach out anymore. Everyone was living their best lives while she kind of felt stuck in one place. It was work in the morning and netflix in the evening. There was nothing much else she could afford to do, or wanted to do.

Branching out alone is a scary thing, and in a new place such as Toronto without someone there with you seemed so overwhelming that she stuck to her three routes; work, bookstore, Shawn’s condo.

Her phone was ringing in her purse as she walked out of the boutique.

“Hello?” She answered, not really looking to see who called, more in shock that someone actually did call her.

“Hey Babe,” Shawn’s voice filled the speaker. “I’m home, where are you?”

“I just got off.” She says walking to her car.

“Okay, well do you want to pick up dinner on your way home and we can have a night in?” He asked.

“Oh, well I have a crockpot of soup on the counter. I didn’t know you were coming home.”

“What? I told you,”

“No you didn’t,” She shook her head, shutting the door closed.

“Yeah I did, last week when I found out.”

“Shawn, if you would’ve told me you were coming home I’d be more prepared for your arrival.”

“Then who did I tell?”

“I don’t know but it wasn’t me.” She huffs, starting the car to get the heat going.

“Oh, sorry then. Actually you know it sounds like the team wants to meet up for dinner.”

“Then go do that and I’ll have my soup.”

“No you’re coming. Haven’t seen you in three weeks and you don’t even want to have dinner with me on my first night back?”

“I do, but I just worked all day Shawn, I have something to tell you about that, it’s pretty excit-”

“BABE! Did you see that I was number one on the 21 under 21? How fucking cool is that?”

She stops, slumping down a bit and biting her lip. “I’m on my way home, I just have to get something to wear for tonight.”

“What why?” He asked.

“I don’t have anything to wear to a fancy dinner.”

“Yes you do.”

“Nothing worthy enough to be seen sitting next to you in.”

He goes to speak up but is interrupted. “I’ll just get something from the store. Bye.”

**

“Iz, thank you so much for this.” She says as she slips the black dress on.

“It’s no problem.”

“I’ll keep the tag on and return it tomorrow, I just need it for the dinner.”

“Y/n, keep it.”

“I can’t afford it, but thanks. I won’t get anything on it or anything. It’ll be as good as new.”

With that she hugged Iz one more time and rushed home to meet Shawn.

“‘Bout time? You ready?” He asked the second you walked in the door.

“Can I do my hair real quick?”

“We’re already late.” He said tugging his jacket on over his white button up shirt, black slacks looking immaculate.

“Oh okay.” She said following him out to his Jeep.

She climbs up, careful of the dress, hissing when the tag cuts into her back.

She messes with her hair as Shawn drives them to the restaurant where the team is already waiting. They walk to the table, smiling at everyone as they take their seats and order wine to drink.

“Y/n how are you?” Josiah asks from across the table.

She looks up at him with wide eyes, “You remember my name?”

Josiah looks around as everyone talks to Shawn about a memory from tour. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“Mike just asked how long I’ve known Shawn.” She murmurs quietly.

“Well these boys are stupid, but I wanna know, how are you? How’s Canadian life treated you?”

“Um well, it’s been rou-”

“It’s been good huh Babe?” Shawn interrupts. She gives him a tight lipped smile.

“And work? You work at Sally’s Boutique right?” Josiah continues.

“I do, it’s going really well. I just was offered a promo-”

“Josiah, did you see this picture I took this morning. Check out the skyline.” Shawn says shoving his phone into Josiah’s face.

Josiah scrunches his eyebrows at Shawn, appalled that he’s just interrupted her twice.

At this point she’s decided to shut up, knowing that she’s just going to keep getting spoken over, and that no one was really listening to begin with.

“Y/n you were saying?” Josiah says once Shawn’s done showing off his picture.

“It doesn’t matter,” She mutters.

Dinner is served and she hopes no one notices how she asked the waitress for just a side salad instead of the 17 dollar big dinner salad. She can barely afford the side salad.

She eats in small bites that way it looks like she’s eating at the same pace as everyone else who has big plates full of food.

She moves around and that tag cuts into her skin again and she yelps a bit.

“What?”

“Just an itch on my neck.” She answers Shawn’s question, as his eyes look at the back of her neck.

“It’s because you have a tag, here,” He says leaning over reaching.

“No Shawn wait!” She says quickly but still too late, as he rips the tag off and tucks it into his pant pocket.

“There.” He shrugs.

“No!” She whines, and quickly stops herself.

She knows she can just reattach the tag tomorrow and will have to apologize profusely to Iz about the issue.

Later on in the evening she’s daydreaming about what her life might look like if she was still home and doing what everyone thinks she should be doing.

“Shit,” Shawn curses beside her as he hits his wine glass with the back of his hand, throwing his wine all over her dress.

She jumps up in shock, looking at the mess on the front of her dress.

“Oh my god!” She says, eyes closing in horror.

“Sorry Babe,” He chuckles.

“This isn’t funny Shawn,” She tears up a bit, how was she supposed to buy this dress now.

“I know, I’m sorry. But it’s just a dress, you have others.”

She gets up and rushes to the bathroom, hoping there was a way to fix it, but when she looks in the mirror all she can see is what she’s not.

She’s not enough for this life, and as much as she can try to be it wasn’t working out for her. She walks back out to the table grabbing her purse and her phone, pushing her chair in and looking around for the waitress to pay for her salad.

“Y/n, are you leaving?” Josiah asks as he comes back from the bathroom himself.

“Yeah,” She says as she tries to hide the tears in her eyes.

Shawn’s head whips over when he hears her response. His eyes go wide as he sees her wiping a tear. “Baby? What’s wrong?” He asks.

“Everything, I’d like to go back to your condo now.”

It’s like a knife to the heart when she calls the condo his, it’s theirs now.

“Our condo,” He corrects, “Home.”

“Your condo,” She shakes her head. “Your home.”

He stands with wide eyes as she flags the waitress down. “What are you doing?” He asks.

“Can I get you something ma’am?” The waitress asks.

“The check for my meal,” She says softly.

“Okay, and you had the side salad right?”

“And a glass of wine.” She nods.

Shawn’s eyes furrow as he looks to the table, noticing the small empty bowl sitting at her spot.

“Okay, just give me a moment.” The waitress smiles and walks to her station.

“Hold on a minute,” Shawn says grabbing her hand to turn her towards him. “What are you doing right now?”

“Paying for my meal,”

“Why?”

“Because I ate it?” She asks confused.

“Babe, did you seriously think I wasn’t going to pay for you?”

“I don’t want you to have to pay for me, it’s not your responsibility.”

“I know that, but as your boyfriend I’d like to treat you to a nice meal out with friends.”

“I’m sorry Shawn, but I can’t say I’m having a meal with friends right now.”

Shawn’s eyes narrow, “What?”

“Josiah is the only one who remembered my name, let alone who I was. He would be the only I’d consider a friend at this dinner, but I wouldn’t want to subject him to being my friend.”

Josiah looks up from his wine when she says that. “Y/n I’d love to be your friend.”

“Thank you, but you don’t have to. It’s okay.” She says, handing the girl her card as the waitress returns.

“Babe,”

“Also congrats on the 21 under 21, and for all the awards you won this week, and for however many albums now you’ve sold with the new album.”

He stares at her confused, “You’re life is so fantastic, and mines not so I’m gonna go before I ruin yours.”

His eyes go wide as the waitress returns with her card. She walks away, tears falling down her face as Shawn stands shocked.

“Shawn!” Josiah says standing as well. “Go after her.”

Shawn starts to chase after her as she calls for an uber. He grabs her phone cancelling it.

“If you want to go home then I’ll take you home, or anywhere else for that matter.”

“It’s okay Shawn, I’ve gotten used to being on the back burner. Just stay with your friends and I’ll just go back to your condo and I’ll see you later.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Being on the back burner?” He asks in shock.

“I’d like to go back please.” She says through her tears.

“Okay,” He nods, still trying to digest what she just said.

**

He sits in the condo, on the couch with his head in his hands as he tries to wrap his mind around the fact that she feels so alone.

“Shawn,” She speaks up from the doorway.

He looks up at her, eyes going wide at the suitcase at her feet.

“What are you doing? What is that?”

“I’d like to go home.” She says softly.

“You are home.” He protests.

“I’d like to go to my home.”

His heart is breaking, this pain in his chest won’t go away, and he feels like he can’t breathe.

“Don’t do this, don’t leave me like this.” He begs.

“I’m not leaving you, I just need to go home. I need to feel safe for a second.”

“You don’t feel safe?” He says incredulously. “Baby, talk to me about this.”

“My flight leaves in the morning, I just have to stop by the store to let Iz know.”

“No please talk to me.”

“I just need a second to gather my thoughts, I thought I was doing okay but I’m not.”

**//**

There will be a part two.

#shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes request #shawnmendes imagine #shawnmendes fluff #shawnmendes blurb #shawnmendes fic #shawnmendes request #shawn imagine #shawn fluff #shawn fic #shawn blurb #shawn request #shawn mendes #shawnmendes

[asterinjapan]

Lucky day

Good evening again!

Jetlag is still there, but slightly improving. Dinner is proving to be a bit of an obstacle, but apparently nausea is very common with jetlags, so I’ll just grin and bear it then.

Anyway, today was quite a bit busier than I’d planned, even though I got a late start. As it turns out, shops open a lot later in Tokyo than I’m used to. This combined with the fact I’m staying in Tokyo and don’t have to leave super early to be somewhere at a reasonable time means that I can probably get up a bit later tomorrow, hmm.

My initial plan was visiting Nakano Broadway, but most of the shops there open around 12 o’clock, while I was ready to go out by 10. Oops. I just went to Ikebukuro station and decided to pay the Parco building a visit, only to find that the queue in front of the Pokémon Let’s Go pop up café was non-existent today. For reference, yesterday the queue ran down the stairs for two floors and I spotted an estimated waiting time of an hour and a half. What a difference a day makes! (Or, well, it being a week day instead of weekend helped I suppose.)

Since I had some time to kill anyway, I killed some time looking around in the merchandise shop before entering the queue of 2 whole other people.

They put a lot of effort in this café considering it’s only up for like, 3 months? At most? I got an ice latte with Eevee and a glass parfait with Snorlax. The latter was served with a spoon with a picture of a flute attached, and the waitress actually played the appropriate song in order to wake Snorlax up, haha. Like said, they sure put in effort.

I had kind of overestimated how much I could eat again and couldn’t completely finish it, but I felt bad enough anyway about eating such an adorable treat, yikes. I got two super cute stickers as commemoration of my visit here and then went my merry way to the JR part of the station.

Going to Nakano meant a transfer at Shinjuku station, my absolutely favouritest station in the whole of Tokyo! Nay, the whole of Japan! (Yeah, typo intended, I’m being sarcastic. I do not like Shinjuku station. Not at all.) Sigh. Anyway, on my way there I noticed the weather was actually very bright – the forecast had said rain for most of today, but that was clearly not true. And so I decided to stay in Shinjuku for a bit and walk to the Metropolitan Government Building (Tocho).

You see, there’s an observatory on top free of charge, and I kinda wanted to go up this week anyway to see if the view had improved over summer. And indeed it had! Once at the top, I was almost immediately treated to a view of the ever elusive Mount Fuji  looming over Tokyo. Combined with the haze over the city and the clouds just below the summit, it made for a surreal scenery. I immediately whipped out my fancy lens and I called my own photos ‘obviously fake’ as I took them, haha. It really kind of looks like I just pasted two photos on top of each other.

Anyway, I was so mesmerized by the Fuji I almost forgot to take my obligatory pictures of the Skytree and Tokyo Tower, so I quickly fixed that and wandered around the shops here for a bit. After a break, a stroll past the windows at a little past 2 revealed that Fuji had gone back into hiding again, meaning I got super lucky having seen it at all. After all, it was indeed rainy for most of the morning, so Fuji can’t have been in sight for more than a couple of hours.

 Happy with my photos, I strolled back to the station and hopped over to Nakano station, a couple of minutes removed. Right outside the station is the Nakano Sunmall shopping street, all decked out in illuminations, leading right into Nakano Broadway. Nakano Broadway is basically a 5 story shopping complex for nerds, haha. They sell a ton of comics and related merchandise, including quite some stores specializing in retro series. So if you ever considered going to Akihabara for the merchandise, definitely consider Nakano Broadway as well. There’s also a ton of gachapon – those machines that you can throw a couple of coins in to get a random 1 out of 5 or 6 different figurine or whatever. They sure have interesting stuff – Christmas hat for your cat, anyone? I ended up with a pug in a cup, haha. It’s actually a solid statue, I thought it’d be plastic but no, feels like rock. (I’d aimed for a French bulldog in that set, but meh, a pug is cute too.)

Anyway, I had a lot of fun browsing and tried to contain myself, ending up with just 2 art books. One came out so long ago I’d forgotten I ever wanted it, and the other one I’d given up years ago because it was already impossible to find then. So safe to say, I’m very pleased!

I went to a café for some matcha latte and a piece of cake before going back to Shinjuku station and hop on the Yamanote line there. Next stop, Shimbashi!

You see, most of Tokyo is decked out in Christmas/winter illuminations, but some places put in more effort than others. Near Shimbashi station is Caretta Shiodome, which has quite a spectacular layout, made even more spectacular by the shows they start putting on every 15 minutes after 5 PM. They have two, both themed after Disney movies: this week is Frozen, and within a couple of days, they switch back to Tangled. Basically, music from the movie is played (in the case of Frozen it’s obviously Let It Go, followed by For the First Time in Forever), and the lights start flickering and changing colour in time with the music. I recorded the full thing twice and made some animated gifs out of it, but I’m afraid you have to see the video to really appreciate it. Fingers crossed I can manage to upload that on tumblr, or else I’ll owe you one!

Anyway, that was pretty amazing and I’ll definitely be back later this week for the Tangled version.

It was getting pretty late now, but I still had one more thing to do. I got off at Nippori station on my way back to Ikebukuro and went to the Keisei section of the station. I almost forgot I have a plane back to the Netherlands next week, and I kind of wanted to be sure I had a seat in the Skyliner train to make it to the airport… Anyway, ticket secured, I finally boarded the train again, this time all the way to Ikebukuro. I made the full Yamanote line circle today, haha. (It’s a loop line.)

I got started on my convenience store dinner way too late, oops. My stomach doesn’t really like this salad, but at least I also had some chicken nuggets and eggs, so I’m not completely without food. Shame, though. I’d hoped my stomach was doing better today, but although I can feel improvement, I don’t feel confident enough to go out for lunch or dinner yet.

Oh well. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. At any rate, the weather should definitely be nice tomorrow, so I’ll go for some outdoors sightseeing.

Good night!

#report #report: tokyo 2018 #tokyo 2018

[theblondegoesabroad]

Update from New Zealand 16

Wednesday 22nd January 2020

So, in light of last week’s reasonably relaxing week at home with the family, this week has been anything but. I’ve been busy living it up large for my last week in New Zealand! It has been a hectic time trying to fit everything in, but I have really been enjoying spending time with my friends. It is great to have such a cool group of people in my life that have just pulled together whilst I am here, I am truly going to miss them when I’m gone. On Sunday, the family headed out for a Sunday drive and walk. It was a lovely wee bushwalk in Patamahohe. We also spent a while driving around the new subdivisions in the area which was crazy. The development in our area is excessive! Then I spent the day with Josie in Maraetai, her parents bought a house there in the middle of last year, right near the water. Maraetai is lovely, you really get the feel you are in a secluded spot, with views of Waiheke, Rangitoto and the city skyline, it doesn’t really get much better! It is a gorgeous spot and we spent the day relaxing in the sunshine, listening to music and catching up. Ever since we were in highschool Josie and I have been able to chat for hours and that definitely hasn’t changed!

On Monday I went to work for a little bit, got a few things done, and another job done which I wasn’t expecting to do but was grateful for the work, so that was good. Mum and I left work after lunch, did some grocery shopping and then I headed into town for dinner! Cathy and I went to Waiheke Tuesday so staying in town was the best option. We went to a bar called the Caretaker. Which is probably the coolest bar I have ever been to! In terms of decor, it's not that exciting, it kind of looks like a gentleman's club, with big leather chairs, low lighting and dark wooden tables. You walk downstairs into a basement, open the door and wow there it is. Very secret and the experience is incredible. You sit down and are promptly told there is no menu, the bartenders just ask you a few questions, what you feel like, what you don't like, anything in particular that you want to taste etc and then they go away and come back with a drink that they have made for you based on your answers. It's pretty incredible and as soon as I tasted my drink I was like wow, this is exactly what I wanted! We then headed to Cafe Hanoi which is a Vietnamese style restaurant and had delicious Asian inspired cuisine! Then home for ice cream and sleep!

Tuesday was the most incredible day. I don’t think I have ever felt fancier, nor eaten out so frequently. I met Cathy at Britomart around 8am and we headed to Melba for breakfast. I attempted to get something light but I ended up getting a rather large salmon and potato mash for breakfast. Cathy had avos on toast which was rather fitting for our day of being Aucklanders. We then got on the ferry and headed to Waiheke! We arrived at around 10.30ish and then after a bit of looking at travel brochures we got on the bus and headed to Stonyridge Vineyard for our lunch reservation. We got there a bit early so spent a bit of time walking round. It is a lovely area which views over the vines to the hills. The weather was sooo hot so we kept walking to a minimum and staying ‘hydrated’ - the purpose of our trip - to a maximum! We started off with a beer brewed on Waiheke before choosing our mains. I got the most delicious market fish with kale and a kurma waffle and Cathy got the salmon. The food was divine and the wine was even better! After an hour or so at Stonyridge we headed to Wild on Waiheke, which is just next door. Cathy had a desire to do some archery and because today was the day of treating ourselves, we did some archery. Whilst we were waiting we had a Gin and Tonic from Four Pillars - which is a small Australian distillery. I was excited to see it on the menu so we gave the Shiraz Gin a try and it was delicious! We were then ready for archery! We had about an half hour shooting arrows and a lot of laughs, it was great fun and definitely something I would want to do again, it was very satisfying. I feel like we both would have been better though if we had had less to drink! Next stop was Poderi Crisci. A vineyard recommended to us by one of Cathy's friends, it was a bit off the beaten track so we had to get a taxi there but wow was it worth it! It was described as a slice of Tuscany on Waiheke, and that it was. All the waiters were Italian, all the menu items were Italian and it was just wow. Very idyllic and very fancy. The wine there was rather incredible. We had a few glasses of there white selection with tiramisu for dessert. Before we knew it, our taxi was there to pick us up again and we headed back to the ferry. We made it just in time for the boat and rewarded ourselves.. with another wine! By the time we got back to Auckland, Cathys mum who was picking us up had car troubles, so we were going to be waiting a while. We made the most of it and I took Cathy to the Caretaker. She loved it as much as I did, so it was a lot of fun! Cathys Mum then arrived and dropped a rather buzzed me off at my cousins 13th birthday party! Jasper turned 13, officially in the teens and it was fun to spend a dinner with him. We went to the Thai Secret Garden in Otahuhu which is a super cool restaurant and had some great laughs, although I probably didn’t need to keep drinking! It was a great day but bed was very inviting that night!!! 

Wednesday. I woke up sleepy, but after a shower, I was soon ready to go. I did a bit of work and then Josie picked me up for the day. I offered to show Josie around uni and do a practice of getting into uni on the ferry etc. So we headed off to uni and pretended to be first years again! It was nice to be able to show her around where I spent so much of my life for the last four years. I know I would have loved someone to show me around those first few days so I am glad that I was able to help her out. We had a good day exploring and hopefully she can find her way a bit easier now! We had a delicious lunch while we were waiting for the ferry... and waiting we were as we missed the ferry we were supposed to catch! Not entirely our fault as there is mass construction going on in the city so the timetables were wrong but not the most successful ferry catching on our behalf! We met up with David and Cathy for dinner at the Franklin, a restaurant near Josie's house, which was rather cool and had some incredible cocktails. It was nice to introduce my friends so that was also fun. I said goodbye to Josie and David, big hugs all round and invited them both to come to see me in Europe! Josie might be coming over in June/July so fingers crossed for that!

Overall, an incredible few days! I could have written so much more, but I need to get up and you don’t want to be reading forever so I will let the photos do their job! Love Kate xxxxx

[abiteofnat]

OUT IN THE WILD, WILD WEST LOOP...

THERE’S A LOT OF GOLD TO BE FOUND. In the form of pizza, pasta, tacos, booze, and everything good that’s bad for you. The Randolph Street area west of the highway that runs next to Chicago is becoming ~the~ place for dinner plans and Friday night dates as it’s being transformed from warehouse valley to an up-and-coming Broadway of food, which is great news for the whole city. 

While I’m fairly certain not even the most extreme foodie has been able to eat at every single place in Chicago, it’s easy to find your favorites and settle into choosing from them versus really exploring a new section of the city. West Randolph has created a whole new division of restaurants and bars to float around and honestly they’re all hits; no where on this street is a flop and it’s such an aesthetically pretty area to be day or night. There’s the view of the entire skyline on one side, and then old, gorgeous brick building refurbished and repainted lining both sides of the street. Since this used to be a heavy factory/ storage area, there are still a lot of untouched lots which adds an old-Chicago vibe that O’Leary’s cow could probably fit right into, but with all the patios and twinkly lights spilling onto the sidewalks the restaurants really nailed the shabby-chic look. 

Over the past eight months or so I’ve eaten my way through Randolph Street because every restaurant looks better than the last, and I can honestly say I love nothing more than dressing up a little and getting an early dinner somewhere new and cute to sit in for hours, and if I’m with my best friends or my family?!? OVER THE MOON. A good 6 p.m. dinner followed by wandering around the city in search of a night cap or a verrryyyy chocolaty dessert? PAST THE MOON AND TO JUPITER. My life philosophy is that the best moments are spent around food and loved ones, and that happiness really is that simple... which is why every weekend I go home to my family where we all love to eat out in Evanston and then get ice cream anywhere because we don’t keep treats in the house (since we all entirely lack self control) and dessert is a nightly “congrats” for getting through the day. But sometimes they want to come into the city and that’s when it’s my turn to find the top-notch noshes! 

Should you need a date night idea or somewhere to bring your best friend/family for a birthday dinner, here are some golden nuggets along West Randy. 

1. Formento’s 

I came across Formento’s on Instagram one million times before ever making it there as they are one of the restaurants that caught onto the “cacio e pepe” pasta trend before the rest of the city did, and the boomerangs of a soft egg yolk breaking over thick, peppery noodles haunted my dreams for weeks. When my girl Luzi asked where we wanted to get dinner one night over the summer when it was a perfect, breezy evening I didn’t even hesitate to suggest Formento’s- with a beautiful and lush patio and a menu packed with drool-worthy food, and she was like “Yes, duh”, so off we went! The waiter was a quirky gal full of suggestions and more than willing to walk us through the menu which is somewhat tapas style and an “encouraged to share” type thing, which always makes me a little anxious but all my brain could think was “cacio e pepe cacio e pepe cacio e pepe” so somehow along the way we also ordered olives and a kale salad but I barely remember those. The olives were marinated and served slightly warm, and they brought us bread thick with rosemary and garlic and wowie it was good enough to be a meal on it’s own. I would love to go back and try the burrata and the lump crab toast, but this place is more of a treat-yourself night out place than a drop in for a casual $50 dinner place so I’m biding my time for an event to celebrate there! 

The pasta finally arrived after we had to move inside post surprise thunderstorm, and in the glow of candles and dim, sexytime lighting I met my love. A perfect swirl of al dente bucatini tossed in a light cream & cheese sauce spotted with freshly cracked pepper, and then an egg yolk perfectly contained and sitting on top like a fucking queen was almost too much to handle. I cracked the yolk and damn, this was one of those moments I wish my eyeballs had a camera built in because I was too engrossed in it to capture it on video. 

This pasta was exactly as good as I wanted it to be and how Instagram made it look, and we all know Instagram is a catfish playground and with all the fuckin gross food going viral because of it you can never quite trust it... but this was good, tried & true. I’m thinking graduation round 2 dinner might be here in the spring... hmmmm.

Oh and the wine menu is dope as well, any nice red would pair well with the spicy + flavorful appetizers and the freshness of the pasta selection. 

2. De Cero (slash) Hello Tacos! 

Ok so the name of this restaurant still confuses me as it used to be De Cero and then they changed it to Hello Tacos! but both show up if you Google it... I promise it’s the same place. This was sooo the shocker of my summer because I was taken against my will to get tacos with my family after a nine hour bus ride from Nashville back to Chicago, and I wanted to shower and curl up in a clean, controlled environment for like five hours before entering the world again but the parents were hungry. And they were kind enough to drive downtown to pick me up, so to turn down a nice dinner out would have just been rude and extremely stupid. So off we went in search of something tasty and my dad suggested De Cero, which we walked into and instantly fell in love with. Even though I smelled like an actual dumpster (the Megabus is not a glamorous way of transit, but I love it) I was instantly coated by the scent of fresh tortilla chips, smoky spices, and freshly sliced lime. We sat down in a cozy wooden booth under a wall of beautiful quilts and were immediately offered a drink (their flavored margaritas are DELICIOUS) and told to pick 3 (!!!) salsas from their list of options. As someone who believes in coating everything I eat in like sixteen sauces, getting to pick three salsas and receiving huge bowls of them was absolute heaven.  We got the Warm Chipotle which is for sure my favorite, imagine just a heavy, garlicky red salsa that’s delightfully toasty, the Tomatillo Lime Verde, and the Pico de Gallo. Later when I came back with a friend (legitimately one week later), I changed out the Pico for the Mango Habanero and it was incredible. I hate mango with every inch of my body, but in the way they marinated and treated the salsa it looses the tropical zing and is just really moist and sweet. All of these salsas? BOMB.COM. Exceptionally flavorful, and more than enough to bring home with you after. 

For dinner, my dad and I got the Grilled Mahi Mahi tacos and HOLY GUACAMOLE THEY WERE FAB. The most succulent, meaty fish fillets dripping with marinate and then topped with an asparagus compote and then doused in avocado puree, all in a corn tortilla that can barely support the weight. These tacos were some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever had, and when I went back with my friend I tested my “was it good or was I starving” test by getting the exact same thing, and loved them all over again. Go check this place out, it’s cozy and adorable and offers epic Mexican cuisine!! 

3. Bar Siena 

This might be my favorite spot on the street so far, but it also has the most options and isn’t too crazily priced so that could be a big factor! Bar Siena sits on a corner a little further down Randolph and is the perfect mix of upscale-bar and classy Italian, with a giant light-up tree in the middle growing up through the second floor that offers scenic seating of the skyline and the rest of Randy. With a menu bursting with wood fired pizza, pasta, antipasta, cheeses, and OF COURSE some fancy as heck cocktails, it’s really really really hard to decide what you want for dinner. Yet, because I’m me, both times I’ve been there I’ve ordered the same entree. Some highlights on the menu (a mix of mine and those I’ve dined with who eat meat) include: 

- Roasted Meatballs: IF I COULD EAT THESE, I WOULD. They come in a little dish of sauces, cheese, and with garlic bread on the side. Oh hellll yes. 

- Burrata: This is the best burrata I’ve ever had. On crispy toast with thick, creamy burrata and apricot jam, topped with sea salt and some crunchy nuts, it’s a 10/10 combo. Get it.

- Kale & Granny Smith Salad: It’s a good, simple salad that’s light and refreshing with so much hearty food. 

- The Prosciutto-Fig Pizza: IF I WAS A PIZZA, THIS WOULD BE ME. Even without the meat the spiced pistachio, truffle honey, and cheese on top of a perfectly baked white pizza is indulgently delicious. If I ever became a stripper, my name would be Truffle Honey in honor of this pizza. 

- Wild Mushroom & Garlic Pizza: Lots of mushrooms, lots of cream and cheese, very good. 

- SWEET CORN RAVIOLI: THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE PASTA OF MY DREAMS. CORN RAV STUFFED WITH MORE CORN, SAUCE, TRUFFLE BUTTER, MUSHROOMS, AND GOD’S LOVE. 

AND THE WINE LIST IS GREAT TOO. 

Y’all don’t skimp on dessert either; Bar Siena is attached to Bombo Bar, the small coffee shop and donut seller on the side with a walk-up window. They have the famed hot chocolate and matcha topped with a coordinating donut, biscotti or cookie, whipped cream, and sprinkles and toppings out the wazoo. They are absolutely crazy but soooo delicious and the hot coco is perfect for a cold winter day when you just want to get out of the house for a small adventure! 

Some other hits along this strip are Soho House, Kaiser Tiger, and Maude’s. Soho House is an ~elite~ club that’s in an ancient, elegant building tucked off on a side street that has a cafe and breakfast nook on the first floor which offers delicious coffee and perfect vibes for writing, reading, and girl’s talk on a rainy afternoon. Kaiser Tiger is a warehouse turned bar that’s open, loud, inviting, and has a unique menu of bratwurst and cheese plates. It’s great for a drink or to grab a nicer bite before heading to the United Center for a game! And Maude’s is somewhere that’s on my wish list- I am DYING to go get a drink in this blue & white dream! The outside is cute as a button and I imagine the inside is even better. I love having places I can’t wait to try out, it keeps this city so fresh! 

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie 

#foodblog #food #Chicago #eater #brunch #lunch #dinner #coffee #drinks #happy hour #wine #Italian #Mexican #bar food #night out #date night

[warehousestevesworld]

Waiheke Island

This trip was our ‘Treat Weekend’ and also my birthday getaway, a couple of nights of relaxation, spend some time together on beautiful Waiheke. The idea was to just spend that time eating good food and drinking wine...and we were spoilt for choice on both counts. 

We packed our bags and set off towards the ferry terminal in Auckland centre. We happened to just miss one ferry but there are many leaving to the island every 30 minutes or so, so we didn’t have to wait long for the next one. When we finally boarded the ferry there was a hoard of people in the line, it was packed, obliviously a very popular place to spend a weekend anytime of the year for the lucky people of Auckland. 

As we left the city behind the skyline was looking pretty special, beautiful blue skies and the never ending trail of white water slowly turning the view into picture postcard status. As the journey went on there were many different views of the mainland from all angles, many beaches that you rarely see in everyday city life, tiny bays, lush green fields mixed in with the rocky shoreline created such an amazing range of colours and styles to the landscape around us. On our way we passed the mighty Rangitoto volcanic Island which dominates the skyline all around Auckland. 

You could tell when we started to come into the Waiheke area as many boats, big and small started to appear. Without doubt one of many popular places to stop over when cruising Auckland’s Huraki Gulf. We were welcomed by surreal turquoise waters, calm as a pond, and the colours all around were beautiful.

Once off the boat we had to catch a bus into the nearby town of Oneroa where we were staying. We were staying at a placed called ‘The Punga Lodge,’ a nice little bed and breakfast set in lush native bush with only the sounds of the wildlife to keep you company..oh and the owners dog. Our check in went super smoothly, the owner was slightly eccentric but really helpful. We got settled into our room which was basic but more the enough for the two of us. We had the afternoon tea to look forward to which we expected to be just a cup of tea and a few biscuits at the most. The owner brought it through to us on a large tray and when she put it in front of us we couldn’t believe how much we were getting, i felt like a kid at the candy shop and could not wait to get stuck into it. A large pot of tea, cafetiere, three separate cakes ( Homemade ), all delicious...a perfect start to our stay. 

The terrace where we were staying was so relaxing, and like i said previously the only sound you could really hear was the sound of the surrounding nature, great place to spend time to ourselves. We set off for a stroll into the town to see what was going on. Amazing views all around meant that i was stopping all the time to take photos. We eventually stopped off at a bar for a much needed glass of wine. The Brass Monkey bar offered stunning views across one of the many bays on Waiheke and was definitely a place we could have stayed all evening. 

After this brief pit stop it was time to head to one of the many wineries, the main reason why we came here in the first place. Our first destination would be the Alibi brewing company for a look around, a drink and some food set amongst the surrounding vineyards. The area was stunning, farmland and vineyards all around and we were in total relaxation mode. I got a beer tasting selection, and we’d ordered some food which when it came looked amazing. The highlight of the food was the cheesy, truffle oil fries which Ria fell in love with, they were so good. 

We went inside the pub to spend some time as it was a cosy little place with exposed brickwork decor and an open fire which would be amazing in the winter time. Overall this place was a treat, the food was amazing, beer as always hit the spot and the surroundings were just what we came here for. We would definitely be back again to do the wine tasting here. 

The next day it was all about the wine tasting. We set off from our accommodation fairly early and went back to the same area where the Alibi Brewery was, but to a nearby winery called Te Motu. Here we sat down with the wine menu and ordered a tasting, along with some delicious cheese to go with it. Ria was well and truly in her happy place right now. Again the surroundings were amazing, very tuscan style rolling hills and vineyard views all around, and the weather was being very kind to us and making the day even better. 

After the Te Motu was done with we walked to the Alibi winery to sample some of their produce! We did our tasting at the bar, a little rushed though as they were stopping the tastings soon due to a large wedding they were hosting, but we didn’t mind. 

We started to head home after we had finished as i wanted to catch the afternoon tea back at our room, i couldn’t be missing out on all them homemade cakes! Whilst waiting for the bus we saw a helicopter land across the road at the Alibi Vineyard and a couple jump out who we assumed were making their great entrance for their wedding day, and to shock or surprise their patiently waiting guests....the money that must have been floating around that wedding.

Later that afternoon we headed out for a meal in the evening at the Mudbrick Vineyard. This is the one i was looking forward to the most because of the look of it, it really was in such a beautiful setting. We started off with the wine tasting which went down a treat, although i thought the guy who served us was pretty stuck up and miserable, but ignoring him we enjoyed it regardless. After this we left for the restaurant, just in time as it happened as the heavens opened, it absolutely hammered it down....for a LONG time, and got heavier and heavier. This didn’t matter to us as we were inside the stunning restaurant, enjoying some unbelievable food. It definitely wasn’t cheap but was genuinely some of the best food I've ever eaten, a great ending to another special day.

We called it a day after our food, with full stomachs we reluctantly left the restaurant and jumped into our taxi, braving the torrential downpour on the way. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying some more wine and some tv in the room. 

Our final afternoon was spent at the Cable Bay Vineyard. We checked out of our bed and breakfast, took our bags and left in search of some more wine and cheese! After a fairly long, arduous walk up a long winding road, we reached the vineyard. We did the tasting, then sat down in the restaurant, which like most on the island offered more panoramic views over the bay. This time we sent for a pizza, red wine and another amazing cheese plate...safe to say we left absolutely stuffed, but very satisfied, yet another superb meal. 

Once we were done we went for our ferry back to the mainland, we left broke, bursting at the seams, but so happy with our experience on the island..well worth the trip.