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anglophiletraveler · 2 years

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In My Life

Chapter 5

Come Together

The theme song from Star Wars blasted through Ross’s mobile phone. It was the that Ross had set as his alarm. It normally only took once for Ross to get up, but this was the morning after a long flight back to London, so he just wasn’t feeling it and actually hit the snooze button which was something that Ross rarely ever did. It was quiet again. Then John Williams “Main Title” from Star Wars blasts out in the air once again and Ross growls “Fuck!” as he reached over and shut the alarm off again. It was 7:30 am. Normally about this time of day, he would be just about to step off the tube at the stop near his work, but since he wasn’t really expected at work today, he decided to sleep in a little. He really didn’t want to go in at all today, but he knew if he didn’t go in for at least half a day, Monday would be 10 times worse trying to get caught up on everything that happened in this office while he had been gone. A smile crept onto Ross’s face as he began to remember the events of the flight. Demelza! That put a spring in his step! Time to get up and start the day! Ross reached over and turned the alarm off and turned on some music that he had saved on his phone. Most people would be shocked that Ross had a secret love for 80’s music, but he couldn’t help himself and queued Dancing Queen by ABBA!! That immediately got him in the mood to strut over to the kitchen and get the coffee going. I wonder if Demelza likes ABBA? Meh, probably not since she’s a classical musician. He twirled and strutted his way over to the shower, music blaring.

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life.

Ooooooo see that girl

Watch that scene

Ross’s arms were swinging at his air guitar

Digging the dancing queen

Digging the dancing queen!!

Ross had to catch himself on the handle of the shower as he slipped!!!

Oh wow that would’ve been embarrassing to explain!! I wonder how Demelza is this morning. She’s probably still in bed.

*****

“Demelzaaaa time to wake up sleepy head.” Caroline was trying to entice Demelza with a cup of coffee.

“Leave me alone. You kept me up way too late talking. “

James, flat mate #2 popped his head in the door, “Hey if you two lovelies are going to putz about in here, I’m taking over the shower.”

“Oi! Don’t forget to rinse your whiskers down the sink this time!” Caroline yelled back at James.

“Caroline I don’t have to be up yet, why are you puttin me through this torture!”

“Don’t you have students this morning?”

“Nooooo! Wait, what day is this, where’s my mobile… shite I do. What time is it?”

“It’s almost 8:30.”

“Bloody hell! James, I need that shower!”

Caroline heard the shower running, “Too late love. What time is your first student?”

“Ten o’clock. Judas, why didn't I cancel them for today? I knew that I’d be dead to the world.”

“Well, you didn't, so you best get your arse out of bed. You can daydream about your Mr. Poldark on the way to the music store!”

“Oh yeah….”

*****

Ross walked into his office building with pride. He still got a little thrill out of walking in, knowing that he’s a junior partner of Falmouth, Pascoe & Tonkin. He was lucky to get a job there right out of university, of course it didn’t hurt that the founding members were old friends of his father’s. But he still worked hard at his job and didn’t want anyone to think that he was resting on his laurels. He checked his hair in the mirror in the lift before the doors opened to make sure it looked right. He had a little extra pep in his step this morning as he walked to his office.

Ross’s assistant, Jenny, spotted him, surprised to see him. “Good mornin Mr. Poldark. I wasn’t expecting you this morning.”

“Good morning Jenny. Actually it’s closer to noon isn’t it? I just decided to come in for a few hours to get a peek at what’s been going on in my absence. How have you been these last few weeks?”

“Oh y’ know, chuggin along. How was your trip to New York, Mr. Poldark?”

“Jenny, I’ve told you, it’s alright to call me Ross. We practically grew up together. Doesn’t seem right for you to call me Mr. Poldark. Mmm things went well. I think we accomplished what we intended to. Although, I was tired enough of American food by the end of my time there. I would kill for my mum’s steak and kidney pie!”

“You and your family were in my thoughts last week.”

Ross nodded solemnly at the thought of the anniversary of his brother’s death. “Yes, thank you Jenny.” He knew she meant well and that it was something that she would remember since her cousin Zacky was with him that night. When Ross needed an assistant, he immediately thought of Jenny Martin. Her family was always struggling financially, and a job like this would help immensely. “Do I have anything that I should look at first?”

“Just a few things Ross. I’ve put them on top of the pile on your desk. Can I get you anythin? Tea, coffee, or somethin to eat?”

“Maybe just a bottle of water for now. Thank you.” Ross chuckled to himself when he caught her Cornish accent. She was always trying to correct herself. That made him think of Demelza. He must text her later to make sure she hasn’t forgotten about him.

*****

Ross had been working on getting caught up on things for a couple of hours when Jenny walked into his office and set a plate and fork down on this desk.

“What’s this?”

“Well, it’s not your mum’s steak and kidney pie, but it’s my beef and veggie pie. I have extra and thought you might like it.”

“Jenny, you're an angel! Where’s yours?”

“It’s out on me desk.”

“Well go get it and bring it in. No need for both of us to eat alone.”

She came back in with her lunch. “So, you seem in a good mood t’day. You’ve been hummin away in here while at work.”

“I have not,” Ross smiled as he checked his phone for messages.

“Were to! Dona think I’ve ever heard Dancin Queen hummed in this office before!” Jenny was giggling by now.

“And you still haven’t if you know what’s good for you!” They both laughed at this. “That reminds me, I need to send a text to someone.”

“What’s her name?”

“What? Whose name? Jenny, I don't know what you’re talkin about.” Ross spilled his water while waving his hands. “Bloody hell Jenny, see what you’ve made me do. You’ve gotten me all flustered.” Jenny rushed over with some extra napkins.

“I’ve got you all flustered? All I asked was what’s her name. You’re the one who got all pie eyed and turned red.” She was laughing harder now. She was able to get all of the reports out of harm’s way from the spill. “You’ve got it bad mate!”

Ross growled at Jenny and rolled his eyes. “I do not have it bad! I’m just tired from the late flight, that’s all. I probably should’ve just stayed home today.” He checked his phone to make sure it didn’t get wet and then checked for any messages, then started rubbing his left temple over the scarred eyebrow. It was a nervous habit of Ross’s that Jenny recognized and could tell that he was really starting to come unglued, which wasn’t like him at all. She knew where the scar came from and was wondering if that was what was really eating at him.

“Is there anything else I can get you Ross? Some more water maybe?”

“No Jenny. Thank you. But yes, maybe another bottle of water. I think I’ll take something for a headache.” While Jenny left to get another bottle of water, he searched one of his desk drawers for a bottle of Paracetamol and removed a couple of tablets.

Jenny came back to the office with a bottle of water. “Do you need something to take? I have somethin in my purse.”

“No thank you Jenny I found some. And I’m sorry for …”

She interrupted him “Dona worry about it. Sorry I got you flustered. Just let me know if there’s anythin else I can do.” She noticed him checking his phone again and left him to it.

Ross took the Paracetamol and sat back in his chair and let out a big sigh. Maybe I really shouldn’t have come in today. My head is killing me, I can’t concentrate. He got up and shut his office door and closed the shade on the door. I just need to be alone with my thoughts. What do I want to say to Demelza? She's going to be expecting me to call or text her. Do I really want to do this? I mean where is this going to lead? And …. I don’t want to hurt her. She seems really sweet. I don’t want to start something and then end up hurting her. Then he started to think of Elizabeth and everything that happened with her and how she broke his heart. Why the fuck am I thinking of her!!! That was years ago. I hate this! He looked at his phone. Almost 2:00. Dwight might be home so he gave him a text.

Hey mate, are you home? I can come over and get Seamus if you’re not doing anything?

Hey! Sure come over. We’re just sitting here watching Beethoven together! Lol

Lol! Brill. I’ll be over in a few.

Ross took a look around his office. His desk was a mess. He knew that he really should stay but he couldn't concentrate. Jenny’s right. I’m a mess. I need to get my shit together. He straightened up his desk, picked up his briefcase and headed for the door.

“Jenny, I'm leaving for the day. Anything I should know about or worry about before I go?”

“No Ross. Nothin’s goin on. Kinda a slow day.”

“Sounds good. I’m sorry about earlier. I’m just not myself. Why don’t you take off early as well and start your weekend early.”

“Are you sure? That would be lovely. I’m headin down to me mum’s for the weekend.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure go. Go have a good time and tell her I said hiya.”

“Take care of yerself Ross. Y’know you can always talk to me if you need an ear.”

“Thank you Jenny. That means a lot.” He gave her a smile and a quick hug and headed for the lift.

*****

Bloody hell. Why didn’t I cancel these lessons!! Because you need the money you wanker! Oh my gosh, David is never going to get the coda right. Back to page four David. Ahhhhhh! I just want to scream! This kid is torturing me! My head is killing me. Demelza felt her breathing increase. She searched her large flower carpet bag for some Paracetamol. “YES!” Demelza screamed! Her student jumped and gave her a dirty look. “Oh I’m sorry David. I’ve an awful headache. My flight was so late last night. Just leme take these with some water and I’ll be good as new. Why don’t you start back at measure 34, just after the coda.” Demelza tried to give him a reassuring smile.

“Miss Carne, you talk funny sometimes.”

“Measure 34 David.” She gave him a tight smile.

He smiled and shook his head and started back on the same piano piece that he’d been working on for five months. He really did try hard, but he had a hard time putting the rhythm together with the fingering of the keys.

Fridays were the days that Demelza taught piano in a local music shop. It wasn’t her favourite thing to do but it helped pay the bills. Her piano students were either adults who were trying to step out of the box and add something new to their lives, or young students that had mothers pushing them to be the next child prodigy. David’s mother thought he fell into the latter category.

She grabbed a quick look at her phone. No messages. It’s 2:40. I probably won’t hear from him. Maybe it was just me thinking that we had a nice couple of chats last night. But he seemed to like me. Didn’t he? David’s done at 3, and then just 2 more students until I can escape this hell that I’m in.

*****

Ross had grabbed a cab and headed over to Dwight’s. He knew that he would feel better once he got there and could talk to Dwight and see Seamus, although his thoughts kept going back to all of the red flags that had popped up about Elizabeth that he ignored for years. It had been eight years since he broke it off with Elizabeth after he found her in bed with his cousin Francis. But the pain still lingered…

Elizabeth Chenowyth and Ross Poldark were the golden couple all through high school. He was the star of the football team and she was the beautiful girl on his arm. She had the perfect smile, the perfect hair that was always perfectly styled. They both came from well known families. Ross’s family had a long history of being mine owners, but the mines had closed long ago when Ross’s great-grandfather was still alive. Ross’s father, Joshua Poldark, made his fortune from the boating industry. They weren’t wealthy but lived comfortably. Joshua, his wife Grace and their boys lived in the smaller of the two Poldark family estates, Nampara. It wasn’t as grand as the Trenwith estate, where his Uncle Charles Poldark lived, but it was large enough to need a couple of caregivers. Uncle Charles had two children, Verity and Francis that he raised by himself after his wife died when they were young teenagers. Ross, Francis and Verity were very close when growing up. Francis was three years older than Ross, and Verity was just a year older than Ross. She always seemed more like an older sister than a cousin. And although Francis was older than Ross they hung out together along with Ross’s younger brother Claude when he was old enough to hang out with the big kids. The boys would pretend that they were the Three Musketeers with their makeshift swords, balancing on the cliffs of Cornwall, fighting off the band of bad guys, and always, always coming to the aid of Maiden Verity!! But of course things tend to change with age. As they all got older, Francis developed a jealous streak against Ross. Life just always seemed to come easier for Ross. He had a great relationship with his parents. He and his brother and father would go on camping trips together in the summertime. He always had an easy time with classes, was more athletic than Francis… he just had an easy going demeanour and charm about him that just drew people to Ross. And then there was Elizabeth. Francis and his friend George Warleggan were always infatuated with Elizabeth and were jealous that Elizabeth and Ross were always together the older they became.

Elizabeth’s family also had a long legacy as land owners, and were in society frequently. Her father was an esteemed lawyer in the county, and her mother kept herself busy with charitable functions and country club outings. Everyone thought that Ross and Elizabeth would get married, including Elizabeth’s parents. Ross’s parents had their misgivings about the relationship, but tried to hold their tongue whenever the subject came up. The plan had been for Ross to go to Cambridge and move back home and take over the family business so that his father could retire and travel with his mum. Francis was on his way to becoming a lawyer like his father and eventually become a partner in the firm. Verity was studying to become an architect despite her father’s objections. He thought that Verity should stay at home and become active in the local charities like Elizabeth’s mother. But Verity was able to stand her ground and went to uni.

Elizabeth decided that she didn’t need to go to uni if she was just going to get married and raise a family with Ross. They had their issues at times, but Ross always thought what couple doesn’t have issues. It never seemed to be something that they couldn’t work out. Elizabeth often called Ross crying because he was so far away and she was lonely and needed him. Ross tried to make up for it on the weekends when Elizabeth would drive up. They started to occasionally bring up the subject of marriage, and what it would be like and how many children they would have and where they would live.

Ross’s friends at Cambridge weren’t too keen on Elizabeth, but they put up with her for the sake of their friendship. Most of them came from lower income families, and were at Cambridge on scholarship. But they were great guys and down to earth and Ross loved hanging out with them. He couldn’t stand being with posh boys like Francis’s friend George Warleggan. George took the business route and had gone to Cambridge as well, much to Ross’s chagrin. The last thing he wanted was George around. A lot of Ross’s friends had girlfriends and on the weekends that Elizabeth came up they would all hang out at the local pub. Ross always had a good time and he thought Elizabeth did as well. He wanted his friends to get along with Elizabeth since they might be working together after uni. But what he didn’t know was the little jibes and snide remarks that Elizabeth would passively make to the other girlfriends. She tended to look down her nose at them because she felt that they were below her station. Once in a while Elizabeth would drop a hint with Ross that he should make new friends like the ones in George’s fraternity.

“Why on earth would I want to hang out with those egotistical wankers! Really, Elizabeth. I thought you knew me better than that.”

“Ross these so called friends of yours are a little bit beneath us. And I’m beginning to suspect that the only reason that they’re friends with you is to ride your coattails and be a part of your success in life.”

“Well gee thanks for your confidence in me. I love those lads, they’re really smart and would never do something like that. Besides, most of them are definitely smarter than I am and wouldn’t need to ride anyone’s coattails!”

Towards the end of third year at uni, Ross was thinking that it might be time to propose. Once in a while when Ross would mention to his friends about looking for a ring for Elizabeth, one of them would say something like “Are you sure you wanna marry her?” “She’s kinda posh.” Dwight would try to talk to him about it gently. The two of them could talk to each other about anything and had really become best mates.

“Ross, you really need to think about this. It’s for life, mate.”

“Look, I know it’s for life. And I know Elizabeth can be a little difficult sometimes. But I know how she is and we’ve been together for so long. I love her, man. I can’t see myself with anyone else.”

“She’s just so different from you, ya know?”

“Different how?”

“Well, it’s like someone said… she’s posh and materialistic. You might have come from a posh family, but you don’t act like it.”

“I am NOT posh.” Ross was remembering back to a conversation he had with Elizabeth about rings. He had it in his mind to ask his mum if he could propose with her engagement ring. It wasn’t big or flashy, but he always loved the understatedness and simplicity of it. “Ross I do hope that you aren’t hoping to use your mother’s ring to propose. The diamond is a little on the small side, and I think it would be too big for my hand anyway.”

“It’ll be fine Dwight. I know what I’m doing.”

“I sure hope so mate. Have you talked to her about where you want to work after uni?”

Ross looked down at the floor, “No. I haven’t. She’s still all that about living in Cornwall. ” Dwight walked over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’m so glad I’m not in your shoes. I just have to worry about med school. That’s starting to look a whole lot easier than marrying Elizabeth. Just sayin.”

Ross had really only talked to Dwight about the issue of where he really wanted to work after uni. The plan had always been for him to move back to Nampara and learn the family business from his father. But there was a growing knot in Ross’s belly ever since the death of his brother, Claude. It was an issue that he didn’t talk about with his father since Claude died. The tension was just so thick between them, that they had begun to avoid each other and it broke Grace’s heart. She knew deep down that Joshua blamed him for Claude’s death even though Joshua had never come out and actually said it, but had hinted at it in the many arguments that he and Ross had since Claude’s death. The fact was that Ross blamed himself for his death. He never should’ve taken Claude with him and Zachy, and the rest of the guys when they went out to celebrate Ross’s acceptance letter to Cambridge. Never mind the fact that Joshua had never properly sealed the mine that Claude fell through.

*****

The cab had pulled up in front of Dwight’s building. Ross paid the driver and tiredly made his way up the steps, already loosening his tie. He was leaning against the door frame, running his fingers through his hair when he rang the doorbell. He could hear Seamus barking which brought a grin to Ross’s face. Dwight opened the door and Seamus knocked Dwight over to get to Ross. It was a happy reunion between Seamus and his master!

Ross bent over. “There’s my good boy! Daddy missed you! Yes he did! Oh yes he did! Give me some kisses and luvins!” Seamus happily obliged by licking Ross all over his face, kisses only Ross could appreciate!

“Well now isn’t this a scene? You get your dog back and I end up on my arse!” Dwight ran his fingers through his light brown hair to get it out of his eyes. He noticed that Ross was in a suit. “Did you go to work today?”

“Uh yeah I attempted to work. Didn’t get much done. Do you have any drugs or anything? My head is killing me.”

Dwight chuckled. “So I’m your dealer now, eh? I have some Paracetamol. Help me off the floor and I’ll get it for you.” Ross extended a hand to help pull him up.

“Nah, I’ve taken some of that shite but it hasn’t done me any good. I need something stronger. How ‘bout whiskey?” He plopped onto Dwight’s sofa shrugging off his suit coat and tie with Seamus jumping all over him. Ross hugged him like he was his favourite blanket.

“Oh now we’re mixin alcohol with drugs! Innit a bit early for that?”

Ross raised an eyebrow at Dwight.

“Damn! The Poldark eyebrow. Now I’m really worried. What’s her name?” He poured both of them a couple of fingers of whiskey and handed one to Ross, and sat down in the only other seat in the living room.

Now he was really annoyed, “Why does everyone assume it’s a woman?”

“Well, is it a man? Because you know I won’t judge you.” Dwight was laughing now.

Ross threw a cushion at him, “Twat! No it’s not a man. Dick head! Are you on duty tonight? ” Dwight was an ER physician at a local hospital. The two had remained best friends since university and had both helped each other get through some tough times and were more like brothers. Dwight’s mum had died unexpectedly while Dwight was in med school and Ross was still grieving his brother’s death, and then there was Elizabeth.

“No I’m not, and lucky for you I don’t go back in until 7 tomorrow night, so cheers mate.”

“Cheers. How’s your da doin these days? Is he still working?”

“Well. He’s doing well. He’s still working. I’ve thought about getting a bigger place and asking him to move in with me. But I’m not sure I want to give up my privacy just yet, and I think he likes it where he’s at. His health is good, and he’s not that old.”

Ross drank the rest of his drink, “Yeah and who knows, he might find someone to fill his nights with!” He gave a chuckle at that.

“Sod off!! I do not need that picture in my mind!” They were both laughing as Dwight poured them both more whiskey. “So what’s got you all twisted today anyway?”

*****

Demelza had finally made it through all of the lessons that she had scheduled for the day. She checked her phone again, and still no messages from Ross. She was beginning to feel bummed so she decided to take the long walk home to keep her mind occupied and off the gorgeous man that she had met on the plane. It’s okay Demelza, you weren’t really looking for a relationship anyway. You’re a strong, fierce, independent woman and you don’t need a man in your life! You’re an accomplished musician and an intelligent woman and you don’t need a man in your life! Yeah, that’s right you don’t need a man in your life! Screw you Ross Poldark! There’s probably something really wrong with you anyway, like, like, you probably chew with your mouth open!! Or, or, or you wear Spiderman underwear! Yeah that’s it!! See Demelza he’s not perfect after all!! You don’t need a man in your life! … shit! Who am I trying to kid? …. I want a man in my life. Just then Demelza walked in front of a bicyclist when she tried to cross the street who yelled at her, “get your head outta your arse lady!” Demelza stopped in the middle of the street, then a car started beeping at her. Judas!! I just wanna get home!! So she decided to spring for a black cab so she could get home quicker and just get into bed.

She ran back up on the sidewalk and started looking for cabs. Just then a loud clap of thunder echoed through the streets and it started to rain! “Fuuuuuuck!!!! Of course it’s going to fucking rain! Why not!!!! Why the hell not!!!!” Demelza was beyond frustrated. She looked around for a coffee shop to run into since all of the cabs seemed to have disappeared. She started running down the block to a coffee shop that she remembered passing. She charged through the door of the coffee shop and everyone turned around and stared at what looked like a drowned red haired rat. There she stood with water dripping off of her everywhere. “Bloody hell.”

A kind young lady behind the counter came over to her with a couple of tea towels and helped Demelza dry her purse while Demelza attempted to dry her face and run the towel through her hair.

“Thank you so much. I guess I didn’t realise it was supposed to rain today.”

“Aw you poor thing. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring you a nice cuppa and get you all warmed up.”

“That would be lovely. Thank you so much.”

*****

Another clap of thunder and some lightning made Seamus jump on Ross’s lap. Ross and Dwight were laughing at what a big baby Seamus turns into during a storm.

“Oh my Seamus you are so ferocious aren’t you?” Ross was chuckling at the large dog as he got as close to Ross as he possibly could while whining at the same time. “I didn’t realise that it was supposed to storm or I would’ve brought over that vest I put on him to help calm him down during storms!”

“Here, try laying this blanket on him and see if that helps. And then you can tell me what’s got your knickers in a knot.”

Ross covered his furry friend up in hopes that it would help.

“Okay. So. I met a woman….”

“I knew it!”

Ross let out a big sigh. “Oi! Take it easy on me here! So yeah I met this woman on the plane on the way home. God, she’s bloody beautiful! Anyway, we sat across from each other. We both had the aisle seats and we kinda got to know one another during the flight. She has the most beautiful smile and blue eyes that I’ve ever seen. Her eyes remind me of the water in Nampara Cove. Oh!! Get this mate, she’s originally from Cornwall!!!! Can ya believe that!”

“Really? Aw I’d say that’s a sign mate!!” Dwight smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “ Where in Cornwall is she from?”

“Ilugan. She left home when she was really young. Sounds like it was a bad scene at home. She doesn’t speak to her father anymore. Oh and get this! Another thing… her mum died when she was really young! I mean that’s not a good thing, but it’s just another thing that we have in common.”

“Wow. That’s an awful thing to have in common Ross.”

“Yeah, yeah I know it is. It’s just a little weird. She has this gorgeous red hair and her eyes just sparkle like the water in Nampara Cove.”

Dwight chuckled. “Yes you’ve said that Ross. So does this beautiful woman have a name? I assume you did get her name.” Ross gave him a weird look. “Oh please tell me you got her name Ross!”

“You wanker! Yes, of course I got her name! Although …. I was pretty tongue-tied when I was talking to her. I was sooooo embarrassed! I had a hard time forming complete sentences!” Dwight was about rolling on the floor by now. “I’m serious! I couldn’t believe it. I mean, here I am a professional businessman, a Cambridge graduate, employed by one of the best investment firms in the city… and my tongue turned to one of Prudie’s jellies talking to this woman!”

“Ross what’s her fucking name!!”

“Demelza. Isn’t that like the most beautiful name you’ve ever heard? God, I can’t believe how fast my heart is beating just talking about her.”

“So did you manage to get this Demelza’s phone number?”

“Oh yeah, I did. She typed it into my mobile on the way to her flat.”

“Wait… you took her home? You didn’t tell me that!”

“Oh well, yes, I knew Frank was picking me up and I hated the thought of her trying to catch a tube or an uber hauling her luggage and her cello, so I offered to give her a ride. Plus that gave me more of a chance to talk to her. So in the car…”

“Hold on, you keep leaving parts out! She has a cello?”

“Oh yeah, yeah she plays the cello. Actually I saw her play at the museum before we met on the plane! She was amazing! They played some really cool stuff…”

“Okay I got it. So get back to the car and her flat.”

“Oh yeah, so she typed her info into my mobile. We chatted a bit. She was curious about why I had a driver and I told her it was a company car. I met one of her flatmates when we got to her place and I helped her carry in her stuff. Her flat mate looked kinda familiar. She was pretty as well, blonde, maybe eventually we can go on a double date or something.”

“Soooo have you called her?”

Ross frowned a little at this. “No I haven’t. I told her that she’d probably hear from me in a couple of days, but…”

“But what Ross? She sounds too good to be true. I wouldn’t wait too long on this one.” He was hoping that Ross wasn’t going to say what he thought he was going to say.

“I don’t know Dwight. You know I really don’t do relationships anymore.” He took a large gulp of his whiskey. “She just seems really sweet. I don’t wanna hurt her.” Ross got up and started to pace. “I don’t know what to do Dwight. Maybe I just got swept up in the moment. I don’t know what to do! Relationships just aren’t my thing anymore since Elizabeth. I don’t want to hurt her.”

Dwight stood up and went over to Ross. “And there it is.”

Ross looked puzzled, “what are you talking about?”

“The word Elizabeth. I was just waiting for it to come up.”

Ross rolled his eyes at Dwight. “C’mon Dwight give me a break…”

“No. I will not give you a break this time. Here you are, just beaming like a pair of headlamps while you’re talking about this woman. Ross, when are you going to stop letting Elizabeth rule your life. You broke up with her eight years ago, man. You just said that you didn’t want to hurt this Demelza, but I think that you’re the one that’s afraid of getting hurt. You can’t live like this for the rest of your life. I finally got you to stop having those dangerous one night stands. But now all you do is just avoid women altogether. Ross, I love you like a brother and I’ve been with you through all of this rubbish, so I think I know what I’m talking about. I hate to see you like this. Why not just give Demelza a chance. Just go out for coffee or lunch. Something safe and noncommittal.”

Ross poured himself another drink and sat down again. He thought about everything Dwight was saying and deep down he knew it was true. He rubbed his face with his hands. He could almost feel himself getting choked up as his mind drifted back to that day when he walked in on Francis and Elizabeth having sex. He closed his eyes as he felt the bile come up in his throat.

Dwight sat down next to Ross. “Ross. I know she really did a number on you, but not every woman is going to be an Elizabeth.” Ross just stared at the floor. “Look, the very least you could do is text her. Don’t be a twat and leave the poor girl hanging.” Ross looked up at him, “Yeah, you’re right about that.” He looked out the window watching the rain pelting against the windows. It gave him a shiver up his spine.

“Do you think I should call her or text?”

Dwight gave a quick laugh. “Considering how much you’ve had to drink, texting is probably your safest way to go.”

Ross smiled and reached for his phone.

Hey Demelza! How’s my favourite cello player?

Soaking wet to the bone right now. I got caught in this bloody storm. How is my favourite investment banker?

Oh gosh I’m sorry to hear that. Are you home now getting dry at least?

No, I’m sitting in a coffee shop waiting for the storm to clear so I can catch a cab home. Of course I couldn’t find one in the rain when I really needed one. The wankers!!

Why were you out in this weather to begin with?

Oh I had students this morning at the music store that I work half time. It wasn’t raining when I first went in.

Do you have your cello with you?

No, this morning I had piano students.

So I take it that you’re not carrying around a piano? lol

Lol no!

I’m not home right now, I’m at my mate’s house picking up Seamus. But I could borrow his car and pick you up and take you home. At least that way you don’t have to fight for a cab.

“Dwight, are you sober enough to drive?”

“What? I guess so, why?”

“Demelza got caught in this weather on her way home and is sitting in a coffee shop soaking wet. She couldn’t find a cab. Hang on.”

Oh Ross that’s sweet but I couldn’t ask you to come all the way over here just to pick me up and take me home.

“Where does she live? Are you sure you want to do this? Just a second ago you didn’t want to see her again. And you’ve been drinking. Aren’t you afraid you’ll say something totally bonkers to her?”

“That’s why I need you there. So that I don’t say something bonkers! C’mon she’s sitting there in a coffee shop all alone.”

“Alright what the hell!”

“Thanks Dwight!”

Demelza, what’s the name of the coffee shop that you’re in.

#aidan turner #six sentence sunday #poldarkfanfic demelzacarne rosspoldark modernpoldark au workinprogress #ModernPoldark #poldarkfanfic modernpoldark au demelzacarne rosspoldark workinprogress

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sgwrscrsh · 3 years

Text

ix. double mother's day

the scene in the kitchen is utterly adorable.

the tall man standing at the counter covered in ingredients and utensils was no foreign sight, but the two stools on either side of him were, just like his two little mini-me’s standing on top of them.

“ya see this part between yer finger ‘n yer thumb? after you scoop a little bit of the filling into the rice, roll it into a ball like this and then squeeze very gently into this part of yer hand to shape it.” the man explains to his sons as they try to imitate his practiced movements with clumsy hands.

the two boys pout at their messy products when their eyes fall on their dad’s perfect onigiri, one more vocal about their disappointment than the other.

“papa! s’not pretty like yours!” takumi cries while his brother nodded in agreement, big round eyes shining with unshed tears.

“wan’ mine pretty like mama,” warbles ryo, bottom lip wobbling as he holds in the sobs threatening to rack his tiny body.

osamu is quick to wipe his hands off on the kitchen towel slung over his shoulder and settle his warm palms on their backs. “hey, hey, shhh, s’okay.” squatting down to their level, he presses a chaste kiss to each of their cheeks, still plump with baby fat. “there’s plenty more for ya to practice, but i think these’re pretty ‘cause you made them. i bet your mama’s gonna love ‘em more than mine anyhow.”

sighing internally, the father is relieved to see two pairs of eyes blinking up at him, shining with hope and excitement instead of tears and disappointment.

“promise, papa?” the younger twin pipes up, echoed soon after by a softer, watery “promise?”

large frame still crouched down beside them, osamu presents his two little fingers for his two little chefs, “pinky promise.”

after attempting to wrap their much smaller fingers around their father’s, the younger miyas settle for taking their respective fingers into a firm handshake while osamu tries his damnedest to not laugh at how cute his sons are with their brows furrowed solemnly.

“okay, okay, let’s finish the onigiri and then work on mama’s cakes, yea?”

“yea! gon’ make pretty onigiwi for mama!”

“wanna mix, please, papa?”

“sure, ryo. you can mix the cake batter.”

“me too! me too! wanna mix!”

a gentle smile tugs at the corner of osamu’s lips, knowing that he’d have to finish the rice balls on his own once he got his boys set up and situated.

“good thing i have two whisks then,” he says to himself, bustling about, opening and shutting cabinets, and gathering the ingredients to make two mini sponge cakes.

as ryo and takumi watch their father measure and scoop out of various containers and cartons, they bounce on the balls of their feet, eager to receive the cups he hands to them and dump them into the identical bowls on the counter in front of them.

by the time the cakes were cooled, decorated and left in the fridge, a few more onigiri were sitting in the container next to the two, smaller, messier ones, and two little miyas were snoozing away on their snoring papa’s broad chest as they wait for you to come home.

“okay, kiddos,” atsumu chimes as he plops a storage container full of art supplies on the living room floor. “what’re ya gonna make for mommy?”

“wanna give mommy flower!” his princess cheers. “fitting,” he thinks with a smile. “should be easy enough.”

“no flower! dinosaur for mommy! rawr!” accompanied by the pitter-patter of tiny feet on the hardwood, the input signals ryuki’s disinterest in the stuffed animals he was playing with, eager to make a gift for his mother.

however, this makes hana pout and stomp her feet, albeit adorably. “dinosaur not pretty! flower pretty like mommy!”

quick to deescalate the situation, atsumu pulls out a few sheets of paper and two sets of crayons. “princess, ya can make mommy the prettiest flower she’s ever seen, but if yer brother wants to make a dinosaur, that’s okay, too! mommy likes flowers and dinosaurs, mkay?” getting a couple of head nods and quiet “okay, daddy”s, he gives them a bright smile and the supplies he drew from the storage container. “now how about you both draw what you wanna make so i can help you once you’re done, yea?”

excited that they both get to make what they want, the two tots get to work, diligently turning colorful scribbles into the likenesses of… a rose? and a t-rex? atsumu is impressed by his kids’ artistic abilities as he grabs a pair of scissors, sheets of felt, cardboard, and bottles of glue from the box beside him. “definitely didn’t get those genes from me.”

“daddy, daddy! m’done!” hana exclaims triumphantly, holding up her drawing proudly. “see flower?”

“i do see, princess. it’s very pretty,” the father nods solemnly. “ya want the same color for the petals?” her head bobs vigorously, making atsumu chuckle as he singles out a sheet of white felt. “‘kay, m’gonna cut ‘em out for ya to glue ‘em on. can ya squeeze the glue on the cardboard for me first?”

as hana sets out to do just that, ryuki pops up with his creation in hand, “done now, daddy!”

“good job, my handsome boy! such a cool dinosaur,” atsumu gently ruffles his son’s hair, large hand dwarfing his small head. “do what your sister’s doing and i’ll cut out your pieces, too.”

a couple moments pass in silence as the three miyas accomplish their individual tasks. once the glue is drizzled over the cardboard, atsumu lets his kids pick out a sheet of felt in whatever color their little hearts desired. with pink felt laid upon hana’s board and blue on ryuki’s, the father then instructs them to put dabs of glue where each piece of felt would go.

“here ya go, this one goes right here like this,” he says, guiding their hands to orient the felt scraps in their respective places. “and then ya put a little glue here an’ then this piece goes there.” soon enough, despite the scraps of felt littering the floor and sticky hands getting glue everywhere, twin gazes gleam proudly as they take in their finished products.

“let’s go wash our hands,” atsumu tells them, unfolding himself from where he sat between his children and stretching his arms high above his head. “and then it’s snack time. how’s that sound?”

“yay! snacks!” the smaller miyas hoot, little legs carrying them to the bathroom as fast as they could. tsumu cleans up the mess left behind and hides their crafts on the top shelf of the hallway closet to dry before sauntering into the kitchen with a firm resolve to recreate the onigiri his brother taught him without burning the rice or forgetting to season anything this time.

viii. || mlist || x.

☁️a/n☁️ more blurbs that aren’t rly blurbs. sometimes i wonder if you guys get tired of the burnt rice bit. also i lied, i don’t have the chapters queued up like i wanted to. ig i’m doing em week by week but hnnnnngh exams. anyhow, i love thinking abt these six foot men doing domestic things with tiny lil babies. makes brain go brrrr

taglist: @lovemeafterhrs @sachirou-senpai-taglist @honey-makki @kenmaki @inarizakied @aruhappy @goodpop9 @tris-does-stuff @its-the-aerieljeane @callmekda @navymacaroons @tinystarks @luckypartyranchmug @chibichab @bjbex @heauxzenji @anejuuuuoy @semig0th (again, check ur settings pls bb)

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impaladolan · 4 years

Text

Capture - Grayson Dolan [3/-]

summary: everything has started to whirlwind around Y/N as she realizes what predicament she’s in, but is consoled by her captor.. her nameless captor..

warnings: smut & slight fluff :/

a/n: hey, this is part THREE of this little series! if you haven’t, check out part one and two before reading this, or you might be a little confused :) enjoy!

"Don't you make one fucking sound.."

To his hoarse words, your teeth instantly clamped shut around your bottom lip and you closed your eyes in anticipation. You expected to be ruthlessly grabbed and shoved into by his cock, but the slowness of your panties being pulled down your legs and the ever so soft touches of his long fingers against your inner thighs brought you a surprise. And suddenly, the world began spinning around you the moment you felt his thick, and warm tongue glide against your soaked folds. The pit of your stomach shuttered in the overwhelming pressure he had against your extremely sensitive nub, something you have been day-dreaming about ever since you first saw him.

He was slow— almost passionate with the way he moved his pleasureful tongue around your pussy, slurping your arousal like it was a glass of ice water on a hot day. Your hips slowly rolled against his mouth, unintentionally, and your head fell back against the soft mattress beneath you. Your hot breaths filled the absence of sound, as well as his lapping and frustrated groans from underneath you. It seemed purely magical when he creeped one of his thumbs to your bundle of nerves, swiftly rubbing it in small circles. It made your breath become caught within your throat and had your own fingers running through his heavenly soft hair. The way his gruff groans and grunts vibrated through your core and up your spine made it excruciatingly difficult to keep your sounds to yourself.

You had had it when his only free hand crept up through your gown and wrapped itself around your breast, caressing the tenderness and softness. When your hips began to buck a bit more violently and the small, quick intakes of breaths that had queued your soon dispatching, he stopped.

He lifted his head from you and licked his lips, flashing a grin your way. "Such a pretty girl, already fucked out and you've barely been touched." He chuckles as he turns back to his little pile of clothes on the floor, snatching them and leaving the room in a hurry.

You were infuriated.

So much so, that you led your own little hand down there and began to rub at yourself, trying to finish off whatever he had started before he could notice anything. You just circled your clit quickly until your high came, and went, before slipping into your comforting bedding, yet again regretting your day's decisions and falling into a deep and useless slumber.

When you first wake, you quickly notice the weakness between your legs, like it was missing something, but soon after you feel the stretching of your esophagus. And then you're hit with the reoccurrence of the night before. Again, you had let this unknown man take full control of you and liked it.

How disgusting were you? To enjoy something superbly disturbing? What would your mother think?

You shook your head to your own thoughts, sitting up against the pillows and reaching for the newly placed water bottle on the nightstand. You unscrewed the cap and chugged the liquid until there was no more to be gained from it. It at least soothes the aching you felt in your throat, but nothing could stunt the aching and needing pains that your pussy was currently throbbing with.

You didn't feel an ounce of drowsiness at the beginning of the day, like you had the days prior. You felt fully regenerated and well awake. Maybe now you'd be in touch with your morals and mature senses. It has become terribly boring in this room, staring at the walls and ceiling for what seems like hours doesn't help the fact. You would've gotten up and explored your confinement space, but you were terrified he'd make an appearance the moment you step on the ground.

You actually haven't seen him at all today.

You didn't really have a source of time, but by the way the sun was sat in the sky, you had gone a whole entire day without a thing to eat or drink, which angered you. He should at least have enough courtesy to provide meals for your famished self if he's gonna keep you hidden in this place for so long. But then again, you were forcefully kidnapped from a bench only days ago, and could be kept in much worst conditions than you are now. With that simple thought, a tear had formed, watering and blurring your eyesight. Without any consent from your own self, tear after tear began to trail down your frozen cheeks, staining them a darker red. You didn’t even realize you were crying until an explosion of hiccups began to sound from your mouth and send you into a sobbing mess. Your throat began to burn as well as your eyes and your stomach began to lurch within its self, while your head became pained with all the activity that’s happening. You grab one of the pillows laying behind you and squeeze it against you roughly, trying to soothe the discomfort and agony of your new coming realizations. The flow of your tears and whimpers only strengthened, like your body was combusting with the amount of held back frustration you had. The streams of tears began to pool at the bottom of your chin and roll down your neck in thick waves.

You weren’t too sure why you were crying, but it made you feel a little better.

Your sobbing hadn’t come to a stop when the door soundlessly opened and closed. You didn’t even hear him enter, let alone sit beside you. When his large and warm arms wrapped around your small, shuttering frame, you helplessly fell into them. You let go of the pillow and snuck your arms around his muscular torso, squeezing him tighter than you did the pillow as you uncontrollably cry in the crook of his neck. “Why? Why’d you trap me here?” You hardly whispered, but his heart sank deep in his chest the moment you acknowledged him.

He didn’t have an answer. He just swayed the two of you back and forth, easing you into a peaceful sleep that you truly didn’t want, or need. You weren’t awakened when he had easily lifted you up, and carried you away from your enclosed space, leading the two of you down the hallway until he was at the threshold of his own door. He didn’t need to think twice before quietly opening it and settling you on his much more comfortable bed, leaving the lights off and classical music on in the background. He understood your saddened questioning, but he just couldn’t do anything about it quite yet..

You awoke for what seemed like the fiftieth time in a place you didn’t recognize. Instead of the boring grey walls and the one gold-trimmed painting, you were surrounded by pristine white walls with a few different posters of musicians you didn’t really know, except Tame Impala. Your heart almost skipped a beat as your eyes scanned the poster that had tour dates and the songs from the 2015 Currents album.

What a coincidence?

You drew your eyes away from it and settled them on the man sitting in the chair in the corner. Again, your heart leaped out of your chest from slight terror. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he seemed harmlessly asleep. Though his presence slightly angered you, he really did look peaceful and almost cute, snoozing away in the little recliner. A smart person would’ve ran to the door and exited the house as quick as possible and make it to freedom, but your head really wasn’t in the right place for the moment. You just sat there, silently interrogating the nameless man snoring in the corner.

He hasn’t been anything but nice to you, except for the lack of food and water. You faintly remember him saying something about knowing you, but everything’s truly a fog and you can’t tell whether anything is a dream or real life, since you’ve been sleeping entirely too much. Hell, you can’t even recall how you were placed in this room, or why.

But you liked it a lot better than the original room you were in. It’s not freezing cold in this bedroom, it’s comfortably warm and soothing with some sort of autumn smelling candle. Even the few little Halloween decorations around the room, which are slightly early, made this place feel a lot more homely than it should. Because honestly, you shouldn’t be “enjoying” being kidnapped/stolen by some nameless hot guy.

Speaking of, what the hell is his name?

Suddenly, the so-called nameless man begins to shift in his seat, his eyes slowly opening and widening as they adjust to the small light surrounding him. The only light within the room was the window, which displayed the day’s dark overcast from the soon-coming rain. Once he’s familiar with his own room, his eyes land on yours, a sheepish smile covering his lips compared to your stern one. “Good morning, sweetheart.” He firstly says before stretching his arms above his head and letting in a deep yawn.

“Cut the shit, sweetheart. I want to know why I’m here and when I’m allowed to leave, now.” You mock with a darkened voice, just to get your serious point across. He exhaled a large breath and stands to his feet, shuffling over to his dresser, probably finding a shirt since he feels the need to be shirtless all the time..

“Listen, I want details. I’m tired of fucking waking up and falling asleep in a strangers home. So if you could politely drop me off at my own house within the next hour, I won’t press charges. Fair and simple.” You almost plead as he takes his time looking through the drawers of his dresser. His silence and slowness was beginning to get in your nerves. It’s a large pet peeve of yours when you aren’t directly answered.

“Love to, but can’t.” He just simply answers with that, throwing a white shirt over his head and fitting it upon the rest of his body. You internally groan to his statement, shifting your eyes to the doorknob that looked very much enticing. Your head began forming a plan b, if bribing him doesn’t go too well.

“Please..?” You surprised yourself with the stupidly seductive voice you used, something you do to get what you want with men, and it most generally works. “Maybe.” He shrugs, carelessly. He seemed so disinterested and distracted to care about any of the words you were uttering. He strides over to his connecting bathroom, slightly closing the door to piss and brush his teeth.

I guess we’re going straight to plan b, huh?

You hobble out of bed and quietly walk towards the door, successfully letting yourself out without notice. Holy shit. You sprint down the somewhat familiar hallway, around a corner and through the kitchen and what seems to be a living room, until you see a front door looking exit. You immediately scram towards it and unlock the handle and the two deadbolts, successfully pulling it open and letting the outside air smack you right in the face.

Freedom at last.

You run outside, not even caring to close the door, and sprint straight towards the tall fence, the eerie tree-covered surroundings offsetting you slightly. Nevertheless, you ran as fast as possible to the nearest fence sticking your foot in one of the holes to begin your climb. “Hey, get back here!” His low, demanding voice rang through your ears, but you didn’t stop there. You kept climbing, as fast as possible, nearing the top of the fence. You didn’t have the heart to look back and see where he was, you just kept climbing to what would hopefully be safety. The moment you make it to the top to swing your other leg over the fence—

You feel a hand attach to your bare foot..

(masterlist)

#dolan twins #dolan twins smut #dt #grayson dolan #grayson dolan gifs #ily #dtfan10m #grayson smut #dolans #grayson bailey dolan #grayson dolan smut #grayson dolan fanfic #grayson x reader #graysonbailey #grayson fluff

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prettyinlimegreenboots · 3 years

Note

we were going to go walking around the neighborhood to see all the pretty lights but you woke up feeling a bit under the weather and not up to being outside in the snow so i snuck out early this morning and made a video of them all for you so you didn’t have to miss out

Cursing included

December 2019

The afternoon had been quiet in the DaSilva-Cortes household. One of the occupants was snoozing the afternoon away on the couch while the other was preparing dinner for that evening. They had plans to go look at Christmas lights throughout the city that evening with some friends. Meanwhile, their living room looked like a winter wonderland, complete with an 8 foot tree in the corner decorated with a hodge podge mix of their ornaments. Stockings were hung on the mantle with care. Christmas was 11 days away and they were both eager for the holiday.

He heard the hacking cough come from the couch as he finished cleaning up the kitchen. “Albie, you okay?”

“No, dammit I’m dying, Finchie. I can see the pearly gates callin’ my name.” Finch shook his head, rounding the island to put a hand on Albert’s forehead. He frowned, noting that he was under three different blankets with a hoodie pulled up over his head. “I’m freezing. Is the heat on?”

“Yes, the heat is on.” Finch pulled his hand back. “You’ve got a fever. Have you taken anything?”

Whining, Albert buried himself back in his blankets. “Aspirin earlier.”

“What time?” Finch looked at the clock, before looking sadly at his husband.

Albert groaned. “Earlier this morning when I got up.”

“It’s 4 Albert.” Finch shook his head, walking into the bathroom to grab some aspirin before going to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

Returning he got Albert to sit up before handing him the aspirin and the bottle of water. Taking a seat in the oversized chair, Finch sighed, pulling out his cellphone. He quickly sent out a text to the group of friends letting them know that Albert was sick and they wouldn’t be joining. “What are you doing?”

“Letting the group know we’re not going to be able to join them tonight.” Finch watched him bury himself back in his cocoon.

A pitiful whine came from the blankets. “I’ll be fine tonight going to see the lights.”

“Really Albert?” Finch sighed, giving him a look. “You can barely get off the couch and you’ve got a fever. The only place you’re going tonight is our bed to sleep.”

A groan escaped the blankets, Finch grinning at his husband, dramatic little shit. “Why do the sickness gods hate me so?”

“Quit being so dramatic.” Finch shook his head. “Sit up and I’ll get you some soup that’ll help.”

Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed a bowl, pouring some of the homemade chicken noodle soup into the bowl. He grabbed some saltines before making his way back into the living room. “Sit up, please.”

Albert pushed himself into a seated position with a group, giving Finch a pitiful look. “I hurt.”

“Eat up, this will help you not feel so horrible.” Finch gave him the bowl, sitting on the end of the couch. “After you’re done, you can go take a shower then we’ll get you into bed, so you can sleep it away.”

Albert slurped at the soup, giving his husband a cheesy grin. “You’re so good to me. I’m sorry I’m such a whiny shit.”

“I’d have you no other way, babe.” Finch pointed to the soup. “Now eat.”

The living room was quiet, only sounds were Albert slurping at the soup. The clanking of the bowl being put on the coffee table was heard as Albert tried to push himself off the couch, groaning. “Let me help you.”

Offering him a hand, Finch hauled him to his feet before walking him to the bathroom. “I’m going to leave the door cracked open - holler if you need anything.”

As Albert took a shower, Finch dragged his phone out and sent a text message to the group. They enthusiastically replied back, agreeing to his suggestion. Pocketing his phone, he hauled himself off the couch, going to the bathroom door. “You alive in there?”

“Barely.” Came the muttered response, Finch chuckling in response.

Ducking into the room, he grabbed Albie’s favorite PJ Pants and shirt, sneaking back into the bathroom. “I put some clean clothes on the counter for you. Put those on and I’ll help you get into bed.”

“Can we cuddle?” Albert asked with a sniffle and a cough before throwing back the curtain. Finch shook his head, even when he was sick with a cold, his husband was smokin’ hot. “Stop ogling the goods . . . I don’t feel up to doing anything but sleeping.”

“Can’t help it babe. And yes we can cuddle.” Finch grinned, helping Albie dry off before putting the clothes on him.

Once he was dressed, Albie was leaning heavily against Finch and looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Carry me to bed?”

Picking him up bridal style, Finch kicked the bathroom door open with his foot before walking into their bedroom. Laying him gently on the bed, Finch gave Albert a look. “Do you want anything before we cuddle?”

“Maybe some water?”

Finch nodded, walking back out into the living room, turning off lights as he went before filling up a water bottle. Walking back into the bedroom, he smiled seeing Albert cuddled up in blankets, quiet whisps escaping from his lips as he slept. Finch took a quick photo, before getting into bed and running his hand through Albert’s hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

He waited 20 minutes, to ensure Albert was sound asleep, before slipping out of the bed. He grabbed a hoodie and his winter coat before shoving his feet into his winter boots. Making sure he had everything, he grabbed the car keys before slipping out of the house. What Albert didn’t know, wouldn’t kill him.

The Next Morning

He felt a kiss on his cheek before opening his eyes slowly, the sunshine slipping between the half-opened shades he forgot to shut the previous night. Groaning, he stretched, peaking open an eye to see Albert looking much better. “Feeling better?”

“I think my fever went away.” His voice was groggy as if he had just woken up himself. Finch looked over and saw that it was just 8am.

Pulling his hand from the covers, he reached over to Albert’s forehead and nodded in agreement. “You’re not as warm as you were last night. How about I get you some aspirin and some water?”

“Wanna cuddle for a bit.” The whine was still in his voice as he still wasn’t feeling the best.

Finch couldn’t argue with that, pulling Albert closer to him, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “I have a surprise for you later.”

Albert pulled back, giving him a look. “What kind of surprise?”

“The kind we curl up on the couch, cuddling, and watching it.” Finch grinned, watching Al’s eyes go wide at the prospect. “Our friends are kinda amazing, by the way.”

Tilting his head, Albie gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see later when I show you. Now get over here and cuddle me.” Albert laid his head back on Finch’s chest, sighing in contentment.

Several hours passed before they pulled themselves from the bed - Albie claiming hunger pains. Finch made him some toast, not wanting to push his good feeling before they settled down on the couch. “Can I have my surprise now?”

Finch grinned, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. With their smart TV, he was able to pull up a video. “So, since you couldn’t go see the lights last night, we brought the lights to you.”

Albie snuggled up to Finch’s chest, as he pushed play. Jack’s face front and center on the video. “Hey Al! Heard you weren’t feeling so hot so we are bringing you along as we go see the lights!”

He grinned, seeing all of their friends crowded around the camera. True to his statement, Jack held the camera and everyone pitched in their own commentary as they made their way down the sidewalk. The “oohs” and “ahhs” of their friends caused Albie to laugh as Finch’s heart soared at how amazing their friends were.

“Hope you feel better soon Al!” All their friends yelled after the 20 minute video stopped playing. Finch looked down at Al, and grew concerned at the tears down his husband’s face. “What’s wrong, peaches?”

“Our friends are amazing.” Albert cleared his throat. “That was so sweet that they did that.”

Finch loved Albert’s soft side, though he didn’t show it very often, reserving it for his nieces and nephew. “They were upset you weren’t feeling so great last night. They wanted to cheer you up.”

“And they did. I’ll send them a note later.” Reaching up to press a kiss to Finch’s cheek, he sighed. “I know you had a hand in it, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome but there’s one other video to show you.” Finch queued the next one up and Albert’s eyes’ lit up as it started to play. “I went over to our favorite neighborhood and drove through it taking the video of the lights.”

Albert’s smile was all the thanks Finch needed. They watched as Finch gave commentary about the many displays of lights and all the creativity that went into each lawn. As the video came to an end, Albert sat up, giving Finch a look. “How did I get so lucky with you? Thank you for doing that - it was the best surprise ever.”

“I just wanted to make you feel a bit better.” Finch admitted, giving his husband a grin.

Albert laid back down with a happy sigh. “You did that. I love you Finchie.”

“Love you too Albie.” Settling back on the couch, he let his hand trail Al’s arm, as they both relaxed at the quietness that enveloped them. Soon, they were both asleep, comforted by the soft wisps coming from the other.

#newsies #newsies fan fiction #writing #ask #redfinch #albert newsies #finch cortez #Christmas Drabble #drabble prompts #newsies drabble

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dravenxivuk · 3 years

Text

Today I am aching all over and fatigued, my throat hurts and my glands are up, my head hurts and I'm nauseous. Is it POTS? Is it EDS? Is it the weather changes from Storm Darcy messing with all of my chronic illnesses at once? (Probably)

I've spent most of my day doing nothing, being horizontal and occasionally snoozing. It's frustrating.

I hoped to spend the time planning rp replies (even if I can't write them because looking at lots of text is a no right now) or planning my last piece of art for OC Kiss Week, but my brain just isn't up to speed.

On OC Kiss Week, the art I finished at around 1 a.m. this morning that's queued to be posted on the 13th is my favourite so far, not just for the event but that I've done in a while.

I'm just rambling. I might go put music and just accept I'm going to nap some more. I have audio books, but if I fall asleep it's a pain to work out where I was. And knitting is hard while horizontal, plus my hands ache.

#chronically ill #chronic fatigue #chronic illness #pots #eds #I'm very bored in case that wasn't clear #and trying not to be irritated about it

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swervestrickland · 4 years

Note

I love them quite a bit as well. Ive got two of them snoozing next to me in my bed while i work on queuing things up on my aew blog.

that’s adorable! what are their personalities like? 👀

#emi replies #hangmanchuckiet

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blackandblueandstars · 4 years

Text

It's Okay Pt17

TRIGGER WARNING: Discusses mental, emotional, physical, sexual abuse. Especially sensitive for LGBT readers.

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4 Pt5 Pt6 Pt7 Pt8 Pt9 Pt10 Pt11 Pt12 Pt13 Pt14 Pt15 Pt16

"Okay," Erin said as everyone settled back in. "Kamilah, now is your turn."

Kamilah looked at her, then at Amy and Sam. She swallowed hard.

"Okay," she said, shakily. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say. I don't want to say or do the wrong thing..."

Erin interrupted. "There is no wrong thing, Kamilah. Just be honest about you feel."

She nodded uncomfortably. "Alright. I feel devastated that you both experienced such terrible things." She looked at Amy and Sam. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to protect you. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. And I'm sorry that I'll never truly understand what you went through. I'm sorry you had to go through it at all. And...I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, now. That I can't take away the pain or the nightmares or the trauma. I'm sorry I can't make it better for you. I wish I could. I wish I could take this from both of you. I don't like feeling so helpless, so out of control, and I can only imagine how hard it is for you."

Amy had tears streaming down her face. Sam looked at her hands.

"Good," said Erin. "Amy, Sam? Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

Amy took Kamilah's hands. "I...I'm sorry I've shut you out," she said. "I felt so embarrassed, after everything. I know that I shouldn't, but I felt like I failed you, like I cheated on you somehow, let you down. It's hard to get past, but I'm working on it."

"Darling," Kamilah said, taking her face in her hand. "I need you to hear me now. I love you. You did not betray me, you did nothing wrong. And I am okay to do things at your pace. Both you and Sam. I just need you both to know that I am here for you. Whatever you need, anytime."

"Thank you," said Amy.

"Sam," said Erin. "You've been pretty quiet. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Sam burst into tears. She sobbed, struggling to breathe. Amy turned, hugging her. Kamilah held her hand.

"Easy," Erin cooed. "Focus on your breathing, in and out." Sam slowly calmed down, able to breathe again.

"Sam, can you tell us what you're feeling right now?" asked Erin.

Slowly, Sam began to speak. "I'm just...I'm so overwhelmed," she said. "I've been able to deal with what happened to me, with what they did to me in the camp. It hurts, and I still have a lot I need to work through. But I know that wasn't my fault."

She was quiet for a moment.

"But...but my parents, they sent me there. They were okay with that happening to me. And I just...I feel like that must be because of me. Because of who I am, or something I did. So, as good as it feels to have you two love me, care for me, want to protect me...it's hard. Because my parents loved me. And then they didn't. And I can't help but feel like...like I'm going to mess this up too. Like something inside of me doesn't deserve love."

"Oh Sam," said Amy. She pulled her into her arms, both of them crying. Kamilah sat beside them, rubbing Sam's arm soothingly.

"I know that was hard," said Erin. "And Sam, you are worthy of love. Amy and Kamilah are proof of that. I know you don't believe me yet, and we'll work on that, but it needs to be said."

Sam nodded, all cried out. "Okay."

"Well," said Erin. "I think this was a really good, really productive session. I'm really proud of you guys. Thank you for being open with me and with each other."

The three of them stood, exiting Erin's office.

They walked to the car. Kamilah looked at them both. "Thank you," she said, "for asking me to come, and for sharing with me. I really feel honored that you trust me enough to share with me."

They both smiled at Kamilah.

"What do you say we go get some ice cream?" asked Kamilah with a smile.

"I think that sounds amazing," said Amy. "Sam?"

"Yea," she said smiling.

Kamilah drove them to the ice cream shop where they got the biggest, unhealthiest ice cream treat on the menu.

They laughed as they shared the ice cream, topped with every treat imagineable.

"This is so good!" squealed Amy.

"Yea," said Sam. "This might be the best ice cream I've ever had."

Kamilah smiled. "It's a little sweet for me," she lied. "Why don't you two finish it off?"

They dove in, happiness lighting their faces. Kamilah loved these little moments. Her girls laughing, smiling, happy. She'd give anything for this.

"Let's go home," Amy said after they'd finished the ice cream.

They walked back out to the car, driving back to the apartment.

"I don't know about you guys," said Amy, "but I'm wiped."

"Me too," said Sam. "Too much emotion for one day."

Kamilah smiled. "Sounds like a movies on the couch kind of night," she said.

"Yes!" shouted Amy. "Sam, you pick the movie."

She laughed. "Okay."

They changed into pajamas and cuddled into the couch, popcorn in hand.

Sam queued up the movie she picked.

"So, what'd you settle on?" asked Kamilah.

Sam smiled. "Twilight," she said. "It's about vampires."

Kamilah willed herself not to roll her eyes.

"Oh?" asked Amy. "Do you like vampires?"

"I dunno," shrugged Sam. "The supernatural is pretty cool."

"Hm," said Amy, glancing at Kamilah. "Good to know."

They settled in, watching the movie. Amy and Kamilah snuggled close while Sam texted her friends and watched the movie. It wasn't long before Sam and Amy both were snoozing.

Kamilah stood gently, walking to Sam and lifting her, placing her in her bed. She returned for Amy, but she had roused from her sleep.

"Bed, darling?" she asked.

Amy nodded, walking down the hall. They stopped in front of Sam's bedroom, watching her sleep peacefully.

"We should tell her," said Amy seriously.

"Yea," Kamilah sighed. "Tomorrow."

She took Amy's hand, leading her to bed.

Part 18

Author's Note: I had the idea to write this after watching a segment about a conversion camp. This has been particularly hard for me to write, but it feels necessary to me to explore the horrors that people exactly like myself have experienced. I wanted to add some resources where people share real stories of their experiences and survivors can go to find help:

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Love is a Rainbow

Article from The Cut

Tag list: @h-doodles @scarlet-letter-a0114 @idkbutkamilah @lightning-fury @galaxyside-0 @blogsupitssam @ilovetaylor13m @la-guera-69 @adrianrainesworld @iam-the-fuckin-queen @itsroseelise

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mamoretta · 4 years

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Autumn in Japan❤

In November 2019, I went on a full week trip to Japan with my two lovely cousins, Teh Epi and Teh Ami. The trip was on my bucketlist, but when we first planned this trip, we were reckless and kinda impulsive but I don’t regret it any single second. Luckily, we bought the ticket 9 months before departure, so we had enough time to prepare everything (money especially). Little did you know that Japan is the farthest I’ve ever been from home (for now), so I was extra excited and the fact that I can afford this trip alone (in +-9 months of saving!) was a proud moment for me.

Because my last vacation was a solo trip, the first thing I noticed about this trip was the differencies between when you go alone and when you go grouping. In my opinion, solo traveling is much closer to your heart, like there’s always that touching moment when you feel you can conquer anything (I wonder what would happened if I go to Japan alone!!). While group traveling is more refreshing, fun, and thrilling, but it really depends on whom you travel with. I think you have to go with someone that you really vibed with if you want to fully enjoy the trip with less drama. Lucky me, I have two wonderful companions that made my trip to Japan couldn’t been any better. Although there wasn’t always rainbow in Japan (literally), but t’was full of laugh and positivity. Super big love and thanks to Ami-chan and Epi-chan❤

The Trip

I only visited Osaka and Kyoto due to my short time and budget-friendly trip but it was all worth it.

Day-0: Depart & Transit

We flew to Japan with Singapore Airlines (the service and the food was superb! Plus they have Gentle Bones’ song on their entertainment board :p), so we had transit in Changi for a night long, yes 9-hour long. We landed in Changi at 23.00 and we wanted to visit Jewel for the sake of their indoor waterfall although the waterfall only operated until 23.30! We managed to lined up in immigration and jogged to Jewel but too bad the waterfall already turned off (we knew from the beginning we wouldn’t make it but at least we tried). We snapped some obscure photos as evidence that we were there. Then we went back to T2 Changi and strolled around finding a nice spot to spend the night, the snooze area and the long sofas was packed we ended up in some single sofas in front of the children playground, it was warm but we barely slept.

Day-1: Landed in Osaka

We had breakfast in-between airplane watching at Changi before our flight at 7 am, we bought butter toast and teh O’. The teh O was uniquely delicious, it was teh tarik with melted butter, warm sweet and savory at the same time. The teh O is worth a flight to Changi (hiperbolic but it was that great). Then we found an empty foot massage machine and tempted to try one because our (already) sore calf, and it was one our biggest mistake... the machine was badly stink (imagine million people from around the world using that same machine :)) and the stink sticked to our socks, then we putted the smelly socks into our shoes... imagine the rest. (In case you wondering, yes our shoes was smelly troughout our trip in Japan T_T). In the evening, finally we safely landed in KIX, we was welcomed with the beautiful autumn foliage outside the airport. It was our first time witnessing autumn foliage with our own eyes, we were so happy >_<

Then we rushed to ICOCA vending machine to bought our transportation card for our trip and looked for our train to our hotel in Osaka while carrying the heavy luggage. The first time we tried Japan train line was confusing... we entered the same train back and forth because we were not sure that was the right train and there was no one to asked. The cold air and strong wind started to stabbed me who only wore 2 thin layers of clothes. Freezing. Luckily we arrived at our hotel just in time, rested for a minute, then we went to Dotonbori to get dinner. During this trip, we stayed in Ookini Hotel Dotonbori, just 700 m walk from the buzzing Dotonbori. In Dotonbori, we had Kukuru Takoyaki, ¥800 for 10 pieces of the tastiest takoyaki I’ve ever tasted. Then we lined up for the famous Ichiran Ramen(!!!). Twisted part, later we realised that the Ichiran Ramen we visited was not the ‘no pork’ Ichiran branch we intended to visit... didn’t know if we were too hungry or too careless T_T anyway here’s the pic of the pork broth:

Day-2: Kyoto Part 1

We had breakfast at the nearest Family Mart to our hotel (it was like a little heaven for me, all the food, drinks, snack, and dessert were cheaply delicious). Then we headed to Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto by express train. To reach the temple, we had to walk about 20-30 mins but the walk was so pleasing because there were many cute cafe and souvenir shops along the walk. After we spent enough time and took enough memories at Kiyomizudera, we walked to Gion through Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka Street. The street was packed with tourist and full of vibrant touristy shops. We stopped by at Studio Ghibli Shop(!!!) and enjoyed a cup of gingerbread latte at the unique tatami-style Starbucks cafe, there’s a beautiful zen garden and all things beautiful <3 Before we arrived at the modern side of Gion, we passed through an old-style-long-charming alley, every path we took there was beautiful and reminded me so much to anime sceneries. Even when we arrived to the busy Gion, I feel like I was living in anime world.

Then we walked to Nishiki Market. It’s time for FOOD! The best part: super fresh seafood sashimi! I got to ate uni for the first time in my life and I tasted the most delicious salmon sashimi in the world. I cried. We lost count on the money we spent in this market because all things was very tempting. I wish I could go back to Nishiki Market. Then we had Ayam-ya Halal Ramen for dinner (finally real halal food here) and snacked on donuts and hojicha at Koe Donuts. We went back to Osaka and we stopped at the station a bit far away from our hotel to saw the illumination fulfilled the road, it was magical ✨ We walked far enough to made our stomach felt empty again, then we decided to had supper at 24-hour all ¥100 Kura Sushi. All the staffs spoke japanese and didn’t understand our english and all the instructions is in japanese, we waited 1 hour for our queue number to be called (also in japanese x_X), then a waitress came to us offering us (in japanese) the english menu (thank God).

Day-3: Universal Studio Japan

It is the happiest day in my life!!!!!!!! One day in USJ is never enough, but we already planned a strategy to fully maximized our time in USJ, so after a full day of adrenaline and happiness, we walked out from USJ (with very sore legs) feeling contented. The first ride we headed to was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. They said this is the most wanted ride so the queue must be very long. But lucky us, we queued only about 30 mins long and there is one funny story. In the middle of the ride (we thought it was the middle because we hadn’t finished the ride yet), the machine stopped but we didn’t know any single thing about what happened because all we hear was japanese. Three of us were panicked at that 4-seated train, so we tried to ask what happened to one okasan beside me *me pulled out all my sumimasen-arigatou skill*. But all we got was silence and a blank stare from her that made us even more scared *laugh ih japanese*. Shortly afterward the ride was running again but when we reached the end of the ride, the train didn’t stop and we had 2 full rounds instead... okay the first round was anticlimax because of that technical problem and the second round was enough to made us had nausea 😂 nonetheless, the ride was amazing and very nostalgic (because it’s Harry Potter!!!).

My second favorite ride is Hollywood Dream. The track is terrific and every single seat has its own monitor and speaker to let us choose the song we want to hear during the ride. I chose Happy - Pharell Williams (by sentimental reason) and I was superrrr happy and carried away by the whoosh. And the most *EPIC* ride goes to THE FLYING DINOSAUR!!! I was speechlessly astonished by the ride, the ride continuously gave me palpitations. I felt like I was literally flying as a flying dinosaur. Last but not least, though it wasn’t a ride, the highest appreciation goes to Hogwarts Castle Light Show. There are no words can describe how magical it was. My jaw dropped throughout the show. I love itttt.

Day-4: Kyoto Part 2

And this is my favorite day in Japan afterall. We went to Fushimi Inari by train and the comute was somewhat confusing because we should’ve had transit in 2 stations, we ended up getting off in the wrong station, 2 times, like a donkey. We arrived at Fushimi Inari a bit late, then we took some photos and bought some food from the local market near the gate. I got one big skewer of beef wagyu for only ¥500 and I still remember how delicious it was. We also bought some souvenirs there, argh all the souvenir shops in Japan are very cute and tempting. Then we headed to Arashiyama Bambo Forest. The bamboo forest was so-so, but I was impressed by the neighborhood around Arashiyama. Though it is tourist area, but the environment was very soothing and authentic, the momiji just enhanced the warm atmosphere, and the people was sooooo nice i could’ve hugged all of them. There are one road full of nice souvenir shops (still), no car passed by, just a few traditional rickshaw called jinrikisha pulled passionately by local man. Then we strolled around and ended in the popular Arabica coffee shop in Kyoto. The coffee shop was packed and it located by the lake. After we got our latte, we enjoyed it while comtemplating by the lake surrounded with momiji under the beautiful sky. The latte was so good itself and I was covered in joy. We had spare time at Kyoto so we decided to went back to Gion area just because we love it a lot. Last thing I knew, I already left my heart in Kyoto.

Day-5: Osaka

We spent full day at Osaka. This is basically our last day we have because tomorrow morning we already had to leave and it was the most freezing and stormy day we had in Japan. Even Japan was sad because we were about to go home :( Anyway we had so much fun and impressed by all Osaka has to offer. We had Matsuya for breakfast and dinner because we wanted to try all the menu and it was very cheap but also delicious haha and I tried natto for the first time! In the morning we decided to went to Don Quijote first to bought some (no, a lot) of souvenirs, then we went back to hotel to dropped the purchases and continued the itinerary. We went shopping at Shinsaibashi, strolled around Amerikamura, went to Umeda for the ferris wheel but too bad the ferris wheel was closed (yes our bad didn’t check the schedule) but Umeda is nice so we walked around Umeda. The day was getting dark, we were a bit confused where to go next, and we decided to go to Osaka Castle with zero expectation because it was dark and the museum was already closed. Turned out Osaka Castle remains beautiful in the dark, and we still mesmerized by the castle and its surroundings. We felt like we were living in kingdom era. Then our last destination is Shinsekai. It’s an old district built in 1912 with New York and Paris as the model, then neglected in decades afterwards. We just strolled around the neighborhood, it was full of restaurant, bar, spa, and other nightlife. Little did we know that Shinsekai is the most seedy and dangerous area in Osaka lol. Gratefully we arrived at our hotel safe and sound.

Day-6 & 7: Back to reality

NOOO i didn’t want this to be over, but life goes on and we had to leave Japan. But first thing first, we had breakfast at Matsuya for countless times haha. We also spent all our coins we had. Bought the things that hadn’t been bought yet in the last minute. What else to say... we headed to KIX and said our hardest goodbye to Japan. Still we had a good time in KIX, Changi, and in the airplane before we had to face the reality. The saddest part is, right after we landed safely in CGK and activated our phone, I received message from my family told me that my grandpa passed away that morning. Oops I’m sorry for ruining the ending :p All in all, this whole trip was a blast worth a lifetime.

What I love about Japan:

The food! It was all beyond my tongue could expect.

The people was all friendly, kind, and *very* polite!!! *bowing sharply 90 degrees*

The vending machine you can find anything anywhere and the konbini store.

The technologies, facilities, transportation, cleanliness, they’re the best.

The balance coherence between the old and modern culture.

There are so many things Japan has to make you in love, but they say you don’t need a reason to love something (cringe).

Throughout my entire trip in Japan, it seemed like there was a balance between old and modern maintained by a strong appreciation of tradition from the times gone by. It’s something we’d never experienced in another country and made us instantly fall in love with Japan. It’s amazing to see two such extremes coexisting effortlessly and perfectly side by side. I was happy, delighted, amazed, surprised, and just plain impressed. I hope I can go back to Japan.

#Japan Osaka Kyoto

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evilback-wards · 6 years

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Christmas Caroling [18+ 2DOC]

Word count: 1731

Rating: 18+

Pair: 2D x Murdoc

Setting: December 22nd, 2016. Murdocs’ bedroom. Early Afternoon.

So, I guess I got myself in a mess. Holidays didn’t treat Murdoc well—compounded with the stress we used to undergo to do traveling or culturing Noodle on holiday etiquette, he could easily burst into a rant or two about any day starting November. After years of managing his stress with him as a band, we had constructed a system. Two of us would do what we pleased during the holidays while the unlucky 3rd oversaw Murdoc to ensure he hadn’t been thrown in a jailhouse. Murdoc did not have a desire to see his relatives either, writing it off as “unnecessary” and that “he would only be tempted to chase his pops to the grave”. Noodle and Russel said that it was my turn to take care of Murdoc for the holidays—though I wasn’t expecting these events to pan out this way. This was certainly enough in the grey area that calling the other two would only complicate things. Pain like this was a familiar face—a misty ghost that liked to phase through my entire body until I was a shaking mess. Pain from Murdoc was a particular touch by the ghost—leaving me in shivers and deep contemplation of my own life. In earlier years, this pain was routine and had an evident root. I spoke too loudly—I said something snide—I was growing too big for my britches—and, the worst offense of all, disproving Murdoc of something or another. That’s where today became the strangest outlier possible. I prepared a mix of Murdocs’ favorite drinks, queued his favorite shows on the telly, and prepared myself for his grazing critiques of my mannerisms.

But that last one didn’t happen. What happened was spur of the moment and difficult to exactly pinpoint. One moment we were chatting about the new album as Murdoc threw back shots. The next I was being pinned down on his bed, a bottle of whisky poured over my figure. Think the eyes were the worst, burning terribly, my screams a force of habit as I tried to rub the alcohol out of my eyes. Think it was around that time I missed my chance to hop off and close Murdoc off from me while I recomposed myself. I felt Murdocs’ weight leave the bed, temporarily, coming back and pressing me against his bed.

A damp towel proceeded to tap the alcohol off my eyes, then face, then ears, then neck, then chest…and then I was stuck. Above me is a familiar drunkard, belching from the pits of his stomach—smells like the Chinese we had a few hours ago. Now that my eyes have settled down from burning, looking at his figure, his face…he seemed calm. What could be going on in that head of his?

I was about to ask something, lips half-opened as I was processing a question, but lips came crashing into mine. As my head launched itself deep into the fabric of Murdocs’ bed, I felt awfully confused. Did I do something—anything—to deserve this behavior? After all, Murdoc did call me his usual slew of insults earlier. Was this the alcohol? If it was, why hadn’t he acted out like this since we reunited months ago?

Murdoc removed his lips, his long tongue trailing the outline of my face. Something with his breathe and the usual tone felt off. Murdoc was going on about something about Paris and his parents and his previous “disgusting arrangements with the assholes that forced themselves.”

I replied with suggestions (though mostly just echoes from my past therapy appointments) and some fingers through his hair. I managed to pry the whisky from his hands, placing it beside the bed. I did other smaller accomplishments as well, though Murdoc refused to let me leave from underneath him.

I guess this is where things get a little mucky and a little…sexy. I never thought I’d be the one to place the word sexy anywhere near happenings involving Murdoc. But, as life has shown me in my later years, nothing is completely impossible. Just probably not worth pursuing. I’m still trying to figure out if this was worth it or not, but, for now I think retelling it my head will help.

Murdoc gradually transitioned back to his snarky self, asking if we could sing carols. I hadn’t been too familiar with them as I had stopped singing them in my teen years. It was then when things began to blur from a dream-like state to a haunting realization of reality. Murdoc suggested a game of the sorts. Taking the bait, I asked what the stakes were. Each time, according to Murdoc, I miss a song lyric I would have to take off a piece of clothing. It would’ve been easier to subscribe to if we were at a party, but with just the two of us, it felt a bit too…intimate? Revealing? Risqué? I only agreed half heartily, figuring Murdoc would have his usual blackout sooner rather than later.

Of course, we had to start off with some sort of obscure song from who knows where. I can’t even recall the words. I just remember starting each word, messing up, pulling off a piece of my clothes, until I had been entirely nude underneath him.

And then, like most things, Murdoc contradicts his entire point of the game—as if he was trying to get us both naked. Murdoc starts messing up the easiest carol—Silent Night—dropping nonsense words in place of the lyrics. Even a forgetful joe like me remembers that one. And it wasn’t like Murdoc was wearing much beside his usual getup; black shirt, reverse cross, jeans, belt, trousers, and socks. All of them were gone before the first verse. And now—both of us were naked—awkward I know—but…something. Something was about to happen. A blush was skittering across my face when I saw Murdocs’ naked figure tower over me. His cheeks were not as red as they were before, breath becoming more of his usual sour sorted smell.

Murdoc, like some sort of twilight zone moment, asked for something. Yup; asked. Nothing short from strange as it was a direct contrast from his usual, demanding demeaning nature. I was caught off guard by such an innocent question that I had forgotten who was above me. Who was asking to…penetrate me? I was frozen for a bit, stiffened in more ways than one. Murdoc peered down and saw me, smirking. Immediately looking back up to me, he gestured to me below. I consented in a whisper. Murdoc asked what. I consented again, trying my best to elevate my voice. Murdoc must’ve had something in his ears or was out of it himself, asking again to hear me consent. I kept going and saying yes and yeah and it was okay and to not to tell the others. Murdoc laughed his usual chuckle, pulling at a few nearby cabinets.

The next minutes consisted of Murdoc asking questions, seeing if I had been allergic to latex (later retracting the question, figuring “I wouldn’t remember anyway”), my favorite scents, and a long string of questions I had often asked on top of the girls in the tour bus. Considerate as it may have been, I had been wary for any shadows fading around me or waking up in a cold sweat in my own room. But no; it was just Murdoc, myself, and the sounds of lube squirting onto myself.

I think I felt more beautiful than usual for the next seven minutes of foreplay and two minutes of actual sex. Murdoc cupped my body, leaning overhead and muttering “beautiful” with each stroke of my body he had with his hands. I laid underneath, ankles crossing each time Murdoc surprised me with a tug or two. My hands felt a bit unoccupied, so I would loosely wrap them around Murdocs’ waist. Murdoc didn’t quite like it though. Murdoc kept shaking them off, saying something like “this being more about me than him”. I didn’t believe that much though, since he was the one that wanted to pound me into his mattress. I managed to sneak in a few kisses, even a nuzzle to his neck before that tensed up too much to protrude my head through.

It wasn’t until Murdoc was thrusting into me, shaking the bed wildly, that his intentions of pleasing me were ringing clear. And, in the heat of the moment, as I felt myself getting closer to being satisfied, Murdoc made another ask. Another strange word that I wouldn’t have pictured being referred to in the presence of Murdoc Niccals.

“Sing for me?”

“N-Now? R-R-Right now?”

“Yes…Silent Night. Please…”

Now, that’s the word; please. The word that got me to do almost anything for anyone else. And the word I had only heard Murdoc utter in rare and sporadic occasions. Given the state of high tension I was in, I ended up belting out the verses sloppily, my tone kept rising in falling at awkward intervals, and worst of all I felt my face looked quite awful from an above view. This entire sequence felt embarrassing yet relieving at the same time…what would my parents say to me now, screaming out a Christmas carol while underneath the man that ran me over so many years ago? This’ll be something I may have to take to the grave.

“Mmm…that’s right, let the neighborhood hear your carol, 2D. Louder.”

I consented, getting louder and louder while Murdoc continued to push into me with so much strength I was starting to get fearful I’d get off first. But that wouldn’t happen, it couldn’t: I was sure Murdoc would explode into his condom, roll over, and promptly snooze into the morning. I was proven wrong yet again.

I let out the final verse slowly, letting my tempo lower as released myself. I felt sheepish, tired—slightly overwhelmed that anyone living nearby heard me belt out the most sacred carol while getting stuffed by my band member.

Murdoc let himself out soon after, shifting a bit before clutching himself to my body. It was at this point where I wrapped my hands around him, hoping he’d accept a hug for once. Murdoc didn’t move; could’ve sworn I heard a purr of the sorts.

“Hey, faceache.”

“What?”

“You did good.”

#2doc #2d #stuart pot #murdoc niccals #murdoc #18+#smut #happy holidays everyone haha #hope you enjoy #pre phase 4 #post phase 3 #so like sometime in late 2016 #after humanz had been recorded #enjooooy

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sagelakehq · 3 years

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queued. while i’m snoozing away, please feel free to lurk about. i will be back in the morning to answer any of your questions, concerns, or apps.

#appless rp #pairs rp #oc rp #town rp

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thesouthkoreayears · 4 years

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Wednesday, June 17

Woke up at 6am, got everything packed up and left the Pension by 7:28 (goal was 7:30). Went to a place that advertised coffee and donuts (it did NOT have donuts) and got two iced hazelnut americanos. Checked into the terminal at 7:50 for our tickets and we played outside in the shade until 8:30 when there was an announcement to board.

Went inside, queued up with everyone and got on board in our row of four seats. Everyone one was settled in when we departed at 8:50am. The ferry was enclosed only and it went too fast to go outside on the top deck area.

I won’t regale you with the tale but suffice it to say, I was very very ill. I knew the ferry would do a number on me (I’ve had bad motion sickness my entire life and it only seems to get worse with age) but holy hell. I was so sick. Writing this at 8pm, I still don’t feel 100% and I’m not looking forward to the ride back tomorrow. The kids did okay on the ride over, Moses slept for most of it and Max watched Kiki’s Delivery Service and snoozed on Julian at the end.

We arrived on Ulleungdo just before noon - what a sight! The sky is so clear and the water is so clean and the fresh air felt amazing, especially after being on the boat for three hours. The island is quite small (less than 11,000 inhabitants) so it felt untouched and very undeveloped. We hopped in a taxi and took an insanely winding and rural road 45 minutes north to Nari Basin (나리분지) for lunch. The ride was incredible - so many huge rocks sticking out of the water, lush greenery everywhere, endless skies. We ate at 산마을 “Mountain Village” bibimbap restaurant. The food blew my mind! Everything is grown there in the basin and they have the freshest side dishes I’ve ever eaten. The spread was incredible and we ate our hearts out. Afterwards we walked around the basin a little bit to see our surroundings. Nari Basin is a caldera, a large volcanic depression, caused by collapse or explosion. It’s the largest flat area on Ulleungdo Island, and it’s not very big! The land here is well drained and composed of fertile volcanic ash soil. Most of the people living in the basin earn a high income by producing medicinal plants. Max was excited and nervous about the fact that we were at the top of the old volcano and he had a lot of questions for me about it. Wildflowers bloomed all over the simple road and it was so quaint and quiet.

When we decided to head to Gwanuemdo (an adjacent, pedestrian-only island accessed by a small bridge) we were met with a few issues. First, it turned out the island was closed because it was too windy to walk across the bridge. Secondly, our taxi driver had left and there were no other taxis to get down from the basin! A few kind people on a tour bus helped us translate and the owner of the restaurant we ate at called the taxi driver (apparently she knew him personally) and had us come back to pick us up. We rested in the shade while we waited for him to return. Since the pedestrian island was closed, we decided to take Max to a cable car (since he was still saddened by the closure of the one from yesterday) and he was thrilled. Although it was 3pm, the cable car area was mostly empty and we were able to get right on board. It was only 8,000 won for all of us, round trip! From above, we could see the area of Dodong (the biggest “city” on the island) and on a clear day, you can see Dokdo Island too! Sadly, it wasn’t visible today (even though the air seemed clear) but we were more than happy to enjoy a 붕어 (fish shaped ice cream treat) from the top.

We made it back down and decided to walk through Dodong to find a place to stay. The options online were very limited so I thought it would be in our best interest to wait and see what was available when we arrived. We walked around for a bit and found some cute shops with handmade items from juniper trees, handmade amigurumi (tiny crocheted animals) and flower shops galore. One shop owner welcomed us into her place and the kids loved looking at all the precious things she had for sale. Her husband was outside, carving vases out of the volcanic rock for succulents. It was such a cute place!

In time, we found a little hotel in the main part of town and settled in and dropped our suitcase off. Then we set off in search of dinner! Julian spotted a place with fresh vegetables and seafood and we ate our hearts out. They also had pumpkin makgeolli (a rice wine) which was absolutely delicious. They had little turtles in a big ceramic bowl and the boys loved seeing them swim around and stare at them.

By 7pm, we were stuffed. But not too stuffed to walk back to a pumpkin hotteok (pancake) place we had seen earlier in the evening when we were wandering around. We ordered two cream cheese pumpkin pancakes and one original and they were SO. DAMN. GOOD. Best hotteok I’ve ever had. A man came over from the restaurant next door and paid for our pancakes! He gave us such a warm welcome to the island and took a picture of all of us together. We climbed up on a ledge overlooking the street and watched the cars and buses and people go by while we enjoyed our hotteok. We were so wiped out by the day that we came back to the hotel and everyone was asleep by 8:30. It was quite a day.

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jestdrabbles · 7 years

Text

Every Hurdle, Every Chasm - Chapter 02

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia Warnings: none Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Asui Tsuyu, Todoroki Shouto, Ochako’s parents Relationships: Dekusquad friendship | Pining Tododeku & Tsuchako Other info: Dekusquad Roadtrip AU ; Fun times ahead but also some tough emotional times so I should definitely warn about that!; MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS.

Words: ~8,000 | Chapter: 02/14 | Language: English

Not much to say other than this was written much quicker than the last two. I’m not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing, but I hope it’s okay!

Day 02: Braids [December 25]

A bit past midnight, Shouto hears their collective phones buzz in alert of an oncoming message, but he’s the only one who still has it in his hand. As to not disturb Tenya snoozing beside him in the bed, he turns on his side to put his back toward him and unlocks his screen to see Ochako’s text.

After some excited gratitude for their help with her mission, she invites the four of them to their apartment for dinner because her parents want to express their own thanks to the group. He stares at the screen for a while and hovers his thumb through a myriad of possible hand signs until he settles on locking his screen and saving it for morning. Something in his chest feels a little too tight to continue lying comfortably, so he sits up with the sheet draped over his lap.

He glances over to the other bed where Izuku and Tsuyu are practically cocooned beneath all three layers of sheets, blanket, and duvet. Fluffy hair is held back by an elastic band, but he can see how some strays still fight back against the tug. If it weren’t for his sleeping aid, he might worry a little more about the sound his own bed makes when it creaks in his departure. He knows it isn’t his business to pry, but he wonders when Izuku started relying on medication to sleep so solidly.

Shouto slips his phone from the mattress into his palm, and he closes himself off in the bathroom to scroll through articles from earlier in the day on the tiled floor. His fingers comb through his hair to tug it back on his right side, and he curls them to grip the tufts in place as he reads. As expected, nothing of note in this area.

It’s a relief for his vacation, but it’s inconvenient for everything else.

His thumb freezes when he reads his father’s alias, and the article praises him for yet another arrest in the continuous stream of villain incidents. Nothing out of the ordinary, so his back slides against the bathtub to get a bit more comfortable as he continues digesting the daily feed beneath fluorescent light.

By the time his clock reads half-past two, he’s rubbing his eyes a bit more frequently and finding it difficult to focus on some of the longer reports. He pulls himself up from the floor, stretches his back, and decides to try for sleep. This time, he doesn’t entertain opening his eyes even if he lies in wake for the next hour.

At least knowing others are in the room keeps his thoughts in check.

Tenya wakes first with the sunrise as if competing with who could rise the quickest. Thanks to the curtains drawn, he can claim the victory without having any proof to dispute otherwise, so he reaches for his glasses at the nightstand and peels the nasal strip from his skin. Beside him, the covers pull over messied red and white hairs, and he decides to keep himself silent and careful in his tip-toeing toward his luggage to collect his attire for the day.

A zipper sounds so much louder when he’s the only one awake in a room of three slumbering seniors.

His eyes widen as he watches them and tugs on the zipper pull excruciatingly slowly, each sound emitting louder than the last. In the end, he decides to risk it and tugs it in one swift motion with his heart suspended until he can breathe a sigh of relief with no clear movement coming from the beds. He retrieves what he needs and hurries off to the bathroom to change and wash up, then he dismisses himself from the room to grab some breakfast from the hotel’s small dining area.

Meanwhile, Tsuyu lies in bed with her body curled in on itself debating whether or not to follow Tenya in morning rituals or doze off again. She reaches for her phone to check the time and sees the message from Ochako, and she replies first while she holds off her decision. She loves the idea of spending time together in the Uraraka household, especially if it makes Ochako happy. She can see her now, introducing her friends and family and breaking the ice between them quicker than Tenya greets dawn.

The top of her phone rests against her lips after she agrees to the plan, and she wonders if the others would mind going into town with her to find something to bring for the family. Even if she cannot cook or bake for them this time, she feels wrong showing up empty handed.

She sets her phone down near her pillow and turns over to Izuku’s backside, and she decides to scoot closer in spaced out increments until she’s only one small hop away. Part of her wants to wake him up in a playful bop of her forehead to his shoulder, but it isn’t long until a phone on the nightstand starts buzzing in patterns and his hand practically slams atop it to grab and shut it up.

Tsuyu pulls back to give him space to fumble around with the alarm, his voice muttering curses until it silences, and she can tell he’s looking across to the other bed before turning around to face her wide eyes staring back at him. Izuku’s face lights up like a torch, and he parts his lips to silently shout as he pushes back and away in shock. Perhaps she got a little too close for an already anxious morning.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologizes in a whisper. “Did I wake you up?”

“I was already waking up,” she reassures him and offers her own apology in return for scaring him. “Do you usually get up around this time?”

“Yeah, I go for morning jogs,” he tugs the elastic from his hair and readjusts it to catch all the strays. “I guess I forgot to disable the alarm before we left.”

As they make small-talk about their respective work-out routines on their way toward their bags, they hear shuffling from the other side of the room and watch as the pile of Shouto Todoroki beneath the blankets turns over and grumbles some incoherent request. They turn to each other and stifle their snickers, and Tsuyu reminds Izuku to check his phone for Ochako’s message.

When he opens his messages, he’s quick to respond to her in eagerness for dinner, but a message from his mother warrants his attention quickly. Attached are three pictures: one of All Might in the sweater she’d made, another of the two of them smiling wide and waving their hands, and a third that fills his lungs so swiftly that he’s already to his feet.

He leaps onto Tenya and Shouto’s bed eagerly, landing right beside the latter’s pile, and he pats at the sleepy cocoon excitedly. It takes a few knocks to get a drowsy sound out of him, but soon enough, the blankets come down to reveal a heavy, mismatched glare. Izuku refuses to let the threat deter him, so he reassures him that it’s worth it, trust me. A sigh follows, then he rubs his eyes with his wrist and sits up with his red and white hairs disheveled.

Izuku presses their shoulders together as he lifts his phone to show Shouto the screen, but Shouto is already slumping his chin on his shoulder as he watches lazily. Almost dropping his phone then and there, he pushes past the fluttering that closeness brings and sets the picture to full screen. He can see from the corner of his eye how Shouto’s widen, and his left hand moves to take hold of the phone so he can get a better look.

On the screen is Mrs. Todoroki, standing between Inko Midoriya and Toshinori Yagi.

All three have nondescript paper cups, presumably courtesy of the hospital staff, and he can’t help but linger on his mother’s smile. He doesn’t recall ever having told All Might that his mother stayed in a separate ward of the same hospital, but he supposes Izuku may have mentioned it at some point when they visited together. He wants to worry, ask for details, call his mother then and there, but he knows she doesn’t have a phone. Instead, he keeps his stare on it and quietly asks Izuku if he could send the picture to him.

After completing the request, Izuku sets the picture of his mother and All might as his wallpaper. He chuckles as he adjusts the positioning and notices how the thick red-and-green wool practically swallows his gangly mentor.

“Did you tell them to visit her?” Shouto asks once he’s received it, still in the process of waking up fully but still not moving away from Izuku’s arm.

“I had no idea they were going to do that! I mean, okay, I’ve told mom and All Might that we go together, so it kinda came up that your mom is there,” he confesses and carefully studies Shouto’s face to make sure that’s okay. There’s no hostility to be found thankfully; only tinged cheeks masking his eye bags.

“Izuku’s mom is unstoppable,” Tsuyu comments with her stack of clothes in her hands, and he can’t help but snort and agree. She decides to take the bathroom and change first since the other two seem preoccupied. For today, she decides to tie her hair up in a bun with enough left to style a bow at its base.

When she leaves the bathroom, she expects to find Izuku still frozen solid with Shouto fighting sleep against his shoulder, but he’s alone on the bed staring at his own phone now, and Izuku is queued for his turn in the bathroom, still fighting off a blush. As she passes him, she pats his arm and tells him it’s all his.

Tenya returns to the room by the time Izuku is still occupying the bathroom, and it takes the three of them to convince Shouto to start the morning properly. He wants to argue that they’re on vacation for once, but at their expectations, he forfeits his stubbornness and squints as he drags himself to change. Out of all of them, he’s the only one that actually locks the bathroom door once he takes it from Izuku.

It’s about a quarter until eight by the time they’re ready, and Tenya laments grabbing breakfast without everyone since they’re awake sooner than he expected. After checking their map for nearby cafes, they decide to take the walk a few blocks away and settle down in the common chain. They figure to ask Ochako later if she has any recommendations for local spots, but first, they order their drinks and pull out their phones for any additional texts as they wait.

By now, she’s awake and sharing excited emotes over everyone’s positive responses to dinner plans, and she adds to the invite by telling them they can stay the night. The four debate the offer, weighing the pros of saving money but the cons of being a nuisance to her family; they agree that the Urarakas wouldn’t have invited them unless they were sure.

“If that’s the case, then we’ll need to check out of the hotel before noon,” Tenya informs the rest once the waitress comes with their drinks and pastries, and Tsuyu nods as she finishes off a sip of her tea.

“I was going to ask if we could find a market and do a little shopping beforehand,” she catches Izuku with a little whipped cream on his cheek and taps her own to let him know. “I want to get a dessert or something to thank them for their hospitality.”

“What did you have in mind?” Izuku asks.

“Maybe a cake?” she thinks over other ideas as she takes another drink. “I know Ochako likes mochi, but that seems-- Todoroki, why are you making a face?”

“This is just my face,” he answers and fixes himself into a sip from his coffee. She hums in disbelief.

“Do you not like mochi?”

“That’s,” he sets the cup down and shakes his head. “Sorry, it was ruined.”

“Is there a story behind that?” Tenya inquires, and Shouto levels his eyes and relaxes his stare before turning his attention back to his drink. “Well, in any case, I think that’s a wonderful idea. We should ask if there’s anything they need from the store, as well.”

“On it,” Izuku lets his drink cool off while he handles the texting. Ochako wastes no time getting back to him, so he lifts his head quickly. “Okay so, she says they’re doing hotpot and have the veggies, noodles, fish, and beef, but if we want anything else, we can bring it.” As he speaks, another text comes through, and he relays it. “Also, are we all okay with spicy broth?”

“How spicy?” Tenya asks as if inputting the request through Izuku, and he types it out to wait for a reply. Judging by his face, it isn’t much to worry about.

“Don’t worry, we’re not trying to kill you guys,” he repeats her answer word-for-word. After a few more exchanges on the flavors and sauces, they decide to pick up some pork and tofu while they’re out shopping for dessert.

“So until then, is there anything we want to do?” Tsuyu scans the table to see everyone thankfully taking their time with breakfast for once.

“We have the whole day if we head back and pack after this,” Tenya comments, and this time Shouto types out a text to Ochako with his free hand while his other holds his half-eaten cornet. He finishes chewing to avoid talking with his mouth full, sets his phone down on the table, and wipes the cream from his lip with his thumb.

“Uraraka says there’s some interesting shops out toward the shrine,” he must not have put the conversation in the group chat since no one else receives the message, but they all nod in agreement at the idea of walking around to do some window-shopping. Shouto glances down at his phone then looks back up to the other three. “I’d like to see the shrine, if no one minds the extra walking… I want to take a few pictures for my mom.”

“Yeah, we can do that!” Izuku offers his energy, and the other two smile in their nodding.

“One condition,” Tsuyu raises her long finger and points it at him, “you have to be in at least one of them.” He sighs.

“Fair enough.”

They finish up their breakfast at a comfortable pace and head back toward the hotel to relax a little after packing everything up. Izuku passes the time by playing some puzzle game on his Vita, Tsuyu sits close to him so she can watch and work together, and Tenya catches up on some reading from one of the complex books he’d brought. Shouto lies awake on his back, checking his phone every now and then, but he rests his eyes for the most part.

Once Izuku and Tsuyu clear the level, they check out and hit the road again.

“Oh wow, there are a lot more people than I thought there would be,” Izuku presses on his toes to look beyond the horizon of the crowded street. Either something here is popular this time of year, or they haven’t quite registered the touristic value. Tenya speculates it may be a combination of both, but they join the natural flow of foot traffic soon enough.

Passing a second-hand shop, they follow Tsuyu’s lead as she navigates toward the hanging kimono. Visible stains, tears, and wear attribute to the price-down, but Izuku chimes in with an offer to patch up whatever one may need some fixing.

“You know how to sew, Izuku?” she asks with red and orange fabric between her hand, and he nods.

“I figured it was practical since I kept tearing my costume,” he admits, then scratches his cheek bashfully. “Courtesy of Mom’s less-than-subtle encouragement.”

“You’ve mentioned she made your first costume.”

“Yeah, she modeled it off an old drawing I did when I was younger,” he brightens with appreciation for the memory of her support. Even now, he doesn’t allow the design team to change its base. Tsuyu reaches across to ruffle his fluffy, green hair.

“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

She decides to hold off on picking out anything in favor of waiting until she has an opportunity to compare and contrast with Ochako. Not that she doesn’t trust her own taste, but she likes to think that it would be fun to pick out different patterns for each other.

They regroup to find Todoroki adorning a pair of plastic sunglasses in the shape of snowflakes, flat expression as always. Tsuyu decides that she’ll take Ochako’s job in her stead and snaps a picture before he puts them back in the ¥100 bin, much to everyone’s dismay.

Deeper into the heart of the street, they notice how the crowds keep close to the confectionery shops and booths, and they decide to spare their appetites for dinner. Tenya asks if they can stop in the book shop with a gray cat nestled atop a stack in the window. They were already going to agree, but they decide the cat is a huge selling point.

Tenya holds pleasant conversation with the old woman tending to the shop, and Tsuyu occupies her attention with a display of discounted poetry books. Shouto walks past the cat as if to play off his desire to pet it, looking back to it curiously, then walking in the opposite direction. Izuku catches on to his avoidance and decides to see how long it takes for him to finally give in to his desires while he buries his nose in a classic hero anthology.

Four passes. It takes four obvious passes for Shouto to finally pet the cat.

The cat eagerly accepts his right hand as it presses its cheek into the gentle scratches, soaking up that extra warmth until Tenya makes his purchase and thanks the saleswoman. Tsuyu and Izuku put down their books where they’d found them and head outward to the next shop.

Out of aesthetic intrigue, they enter a textile shop and admire the handiwork of the cloths and tapestries. While the boys talk amongst themselves in their own tastes, perhaps those of their families as well, Tsuyu uses the opportunity to look over the accessories until a saleswoman greets her kindly. After exchanging a few words, Tsuyu’s eyes catch a display of tightly woven braids in various colors. Highly saturated tones burn almost too brilliantly for her, but she’s eager to see the cooler colors plentiful in quantity.

She takes a look behind her to the boys still preoccupied with a new topic, and she decides to make her purchase before one of them decides to ask her what she’s looking at. The saleswoman seems to catch on to her secrecy, and she places her finger over her lip to play along with the quiet exchange.

Tsuyu slips the cloth bag containing the bands in her tote and join the others to continue walking down the rest of the street.

They bypass the last few snack stands and wander further down the path, noting how the crowds dilute in the serene vibe coming from the shrine ahead. Of course, they have to climb a good amount of steps to reach their destination, and they almost want to make a race of it until they agree it may be a bit disrespectful. Besides, they all know Tsuyu would reach the top in only a few long hops.

The breeze picks up the higher they climb, and at the summit of the shrine, Shouto has to readjust and tie his scarf again. Thankfully, it settles back down, so he splits from everyone to start studying the scene on his own with his phone ready to take pictures of the various structures.

Only problem: his pictures fail to do the scenery justice since he zooms in on arbitrary details rather than capture it in full.

The other three watch as he crouches near the pond to take a picture of the iced-over water, and Tsuyu takes it upon herself to join his side. They exchange a few words, and soon enough, she’s accepting the phone from his hands and hopping back to take a picture as he turns back toward it. His fingertips ghost the surface, light frost dusting over the solid ice in new, flaked patterns.

Izuku doesn’t know why he never thought about it, but he could probably create his own snowflakes.

She returns his phone, and Tenya decides to approach the two of them and shares his idea to snap a picture of her with the pond since the composition would be nice, and she adores the idea. Tsuyu follows his modeling instructions with her best efforts not to chuckle with his passion playing so fervently. Not a passion for photography, but a passion for putting his all into everything he does.

He assumes the role of photographer and enjoys his time mimicking poses for them to model until he realizes that Shouto ends up looking a little too stiff and decides to let him be himself. Izuku and Tsuyu entertain themselves with dramatic poses and faces, but Tenya captures their genuine calm and smiles between. They don’t allow him to be the only one behind the camera, however. Tsuyu swears she’ll climb on Izuku’s shoulders if she must to take aesthetic pictures of Tenya, and he dismisses the offer and leaves it to Izuku’s capable, gloved hands.

Shouto takes a seat on the steps toward the altar after a while, watching them wind down from their photoshoot and read some of the history of the shrine. Tenya notices him sitting quietly by himself and decides to leave the two to their history lessons and join him.

“So your mother likes things like this?” he smiles as he starts some conversation on his way down.

“Maybe,” he shrugs and turns his head to hold eye contact. “I thought someplace peaceful would be nice for her.”

“Forgive me if I’m over-speculating, but,” Tenya begins with a softness in his voice, “the impression I have of her is that she’ll be happy with anything you show her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, for starters, you become far less rigid when you mention her,” he nudges him. As opposed to when Endeavor’s name arises, but he saves the thought for himself. “You’re a bright and diligent student, Todoroki, but you’re also a bit of a rebel, you know.”

Shouto snorts at that.

“Hey! What are you guys talking about?” Izuku and Tsuyu approach them after they’ve finished up their own conversation. Tenya and Shouto share a glance and shake their heads.

“Just talking about how I’ve got my hands full with all of you,” Tenya teases.

“Watchman Iida.”

“Todoroki, please.”

Izuku laughs at the memory, and they decide to play it safe and head back to the car.

“Come in, come in!” Ochako Uraraka swings open the door clad in a red and white striped sweater. She eyes the cake in Tsuyu’s hands as soon as she sees her, and they swear that her eyes sparkle at the sight. She steps aside to let them through into the warm apartment, and Mrs. Uraraka calls from the living room.

“Ochako, go ahead and let ‘em put their belongings in your room for now!”

“Okay!” she calls back and leads her group of friends to her very plainly decorated bedroom. Even if she hasn’t lived in it for three years, her parents never substituted it for a storage room-- the bed still has some basic bedding, and they can see some posters and pictures still out on display even if they don’t have time to study them in full. She takes the grocery bags from Shouto and the cake from Tsuyu, and she has them follow her to the living room where a fold-out table connects to their normal wooden one, and the chairs follow a similar pattern.

At the center, they see the large pot over its burner and hold back their growing appetites. Plates keep the meat, mushrooms, vegetables, and noodles organized, and Ochako dismisses herself to the kitchen to plate the new additions. Mr. and Mrs. Uraraka greet their guests with bright smiles and extend their welcome with their warm tones.

“Feel free to sit anywhere you like,” her mother offers, but the boys take the three fold-out chairs without even discussing prior. She chuckles at their eager politeness and turns her attention to Tsuyu. “Looks like you get to sit closer to us, Asui!”

She blushes a little at being addressed, and she ribbits a thank-you. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“You’ve already helped plenty by bringing us that dessert,” Mr. Uraraka takes his seat beside Tenya as Ochako returns with the new plates to set down. Her mother takes the one beside him and begins pouring their drinks from the tea kettle. “And by making Ochako smile like this.” He indicates his beaming daughter’s face, now flaring in its flush as she shoves at her dad’s shoulder in an embarrassed flurry.

“A-Anyway!” she holds out the seat beside Izuku and gestures Tsuyu to take it before her father can tease her anymore. He behaves, and she takes her seat beside her. “Tell me what all I missed today!”

And they do. While they boil the noodles and add ingredients, they take turns telling her about their day out shopping. She and her parents can envision exactly where they were and ask if they were able to see some monuments that the group must have missed; they brush it off with next time, next time! and continue on toward light teasing at Shouto’s expense for his poor photography skills.

In his defense, he looked the best in candid shots.

Izuku just so happens to take his tea at that moment, and both Tsuyu and Ochako grin at one another. Tenya, who proved to be the best photographer when Ochako isn’t around, shows them the photos from their visit. She nearly spits out her soul and demands that he scroll back to a shot of Izuku in the distance flexing and Tsuyu closer to the camera and seemingly holding him in her palm.

“Send me that right now.”

Tenya complies, but he also adds a separate shot of Tsuyu posing near the iced-over pond, and when she receives both, he can see her cheeks darken. She shoots him a look of victorious gratitude, exchanging the silent thumbs up and locking her screen before any curious eyes could question.

The Urarakas insist that the four of them take first pick, so everyone does what they can to snatch up some scraps as quickly as possible as to not keep them waiting. Izuku is the first to declare his fondness for the flavors, and the family grins to themselves in a job well done.

“It’s so nice to finally see all of you in person,” Mrs. Uraraka speaks after clearing a good half of her plate. “We always watch the sports fest of course, and we’ll catch you in the news, but it’s good to see you kids relaxing.”

“To be honest, I think we’re still having trouble adjusting to it,” Tsuyu admits. “We all started the morning early-- well, most of us, anyway.”

“Yeah, I got up early to do some stretches, too!” Ochako pumps her fists. “It’s like… I know we’re on break, but you know how it is. The grind never stops!” She does her best Kirishima impression, and the others know exactly what she means. They continue on with lively chatter and add food to the pot as they desire.

Sitting around the Urarakas’ table is a phenomenon foreign to Todoroki Shouto as he occupies his awkwardness with his meal, listening to the cheerful conversations of those more familiar with a family’s dinner. While he’s grown accustomed to eating with friends, there’s something about the way Ochako and her father smile to one another as they speak excitedly in their natural tongue that escapes him until Tenya finds a way to steer the topic into something more inclusive to the rest.

Whether it’s a thought of gratitude or a silent curse, Shoto flushes the rest of his noodles down with the last of his tea and returns to his degree of social capability. Having noticed the empty cup, Uraraka’s mother raises the kettle from the table and weightlessly carries herself back to the kitchen, presumably to prepare more for everyone.

The air they’ve offered is warm, hospitable, and everything to give his left the break it’s so desperately needed. It’s a charming whistle in the wind, listening to the tones in their voices practically harmonize, but the underlying sound grows and grows and grows until his muscles tense from the screeching.

How many years has it been now?

And how many times must he react so shamefully to something as mundane as a tea kettle’s whistle?

Thankfully, he catches himself, and the only one at the table who would even think to put any loose pieces together is turned toward Tsuyu, plucking the fish balls from the pot and plopping them on her plate. He almost wants to sigh in relief, but he keeps his breath to himself.

Shoto feels less relaxed, yet his obedience to uphold etiquette prevails as he speaks lowly in his gratitude once Uraraka’s mother returns to pour them a new serving of tea. He hasn’t spoken much unless addressed, so he continues on with condensed responses. Perhaps the others would attribute it to his natural awkwardness, but the way Izuku’s eyes slowly make their way to his hands, then his face, tells him he isn’t as subtle as he hopes.

Concern, a mouth reading Are you ok?, takes hold of his features, and Shoto nods tight lipped. Izuku knows better than to make a scene by pushing further, but he makes a mental note to check in on him later. For now, he’s returning to his conversation with Uraraka and her parents about her improvement over the years.

Any and all excuse to gush over his friends and fellow heroes-to-be.

Shouto loves that about him, loves that his rambling helps himself and those around him relax, but he thinks maybe he’s the only one who feels that way when she tries to shush them.

“Come on, you’re embarrassing me,” Ochako pouts to her parents and her best friend singing her praises, and Tsuyu adds a slice of pork to her plate to atone for the spotlight-flattery. She leans into her in approval as thanks. In her parents’ defense, they can’t help it; seeing their daughter surrounded by friends who love and admire all the qualities they do releases every instinct to dote on her for a willing audience.

Dinner carries on in good nature with topics continuously sprouting and branching out until all the dishes are empty and the broth’s boil comes to an end. The Urarakas refuse help in the clean-up, so the four do their best to at least stack the dishes and wipe the table down with their napkins.

Once everything is clear, Ochako returns with the cake Tsuyu had bought, carrying it with her pinkies out and her smile eager as ever. Following suit are her parents with the plates and forks, and they let their daughter do the honors of cutting everyone’s slices. She twirls the knife in her hand before carving into it, cutting the pieces thin to start with since most are still full from dinner. She serves Tsuyu first, giving her a piece with a little icing flower.

“Oh my,” her mother swoons beneath her breath, and Ochako stiffens with a quick glance to mentally tell her not to. Thankfully, no one else pays it any mind, so she passes around the servings to everyone else and takes her seat again. They dig in at a much slower pace compared to dinner, save for Shouto who may as well be a bottomless pit.

“So you kids have an early morning?” Mr. Uraraka takes a break halfway through his slice.

“Yeah, we wanna hit the road early since it’s gonna be a while ‘til we reach Hokkaido,” Ochako answers before she swallows.

“We wanted to allow room in case there are any stops we want to take on the way,” Tenya explains as he builds a road between his flattened hands. Izuku mimics his motions across the table and sways his own road as it connects at their fingertips.

“It’s like we have a schedule to maintain, but it’s flexible.”

“Sounds exciting,” Mrs. Uraraka smiles. “Just remember to check in with us every now and then so we know you’re safe, sweetheart.”

“I will, Mama!” Ochako reassures her, and they all finish up dessert with light talk descending into slower speech. The Urarakas are the first to dismiss themselves, but they remind their daughter to wake them before they leave if they manage to head out first. She hugs them both goodnight and turns back to her friends.

“How’re we feelin’?” she rests her hands on her hips. “Are we up for a movie?”

“Which one?” Izuku asks, fully interested in the plan. Before they delve further into cinematic debate, Tsuyu excuses herself to retrieve something from her belongings back in Ochako’s room. The four hold off any solid decision as they sit in a circle near the television until she returns with a small gift bag and loosens the draw-string.

“Before it gets too late, I want to give these to everyone,” she pokes her fingers inside and tugs them out to reveal a tightly pulled braid in a cool gray hue, nearly disguising itself as desaturated lavender. “While we were out today, I thought that I’d get one for each of us because…” Tsuyu casts her eyes down to the braid and pinches both ends of it, “well, it’s Christmas, but more than that, I consider you all some of my closest friends.”

The others are taken aback: not because they don’t share the sentiment, but because they don’t know how to properly respond when their emotions clutter within their chests. Tsuyu turns to Ochako and asks for her wrist, and she begins tying the braid into a bracelet to adjust for her more comfortable size. “I’m not sure if there’s already a meaning for these, but I want to think that we’ll be able to stay together if we all have the same threads around us,” she tightens the knot and ribbits.

“Like a string of fate,” Ochako holds up her wrist and fixates on the braid, smile soft as her heart swells in accepting Tsuyu’s gift. She holds her other hand over it and brings it to her forehead as if soaking up its gentle energy, and she pulls Tsuyu in for a hug. A thousand words line in her throat, but all she can muster is a soft breath as she squeezes slightly in their hold. She pulls back and wipes her eye, the two of them giggling to one another sweetly.

“Is it okay if I tie one on the rest of you? Don’t worry, you can untie them when you want,” she assures. Izuku, eyes already watering, tugs up his sleeve on his right arm. For him, there’s nothing but pride for the scars serving as reminders of those he’d saved; he can’t think of a better medal to wrap around his right wrist than a friendship binding him to the rest. She ties it carefully and meets his eyes with a cheerful smile of her own.

Next, she hops short toward Tenya, and he chooses his left, and his right rises to her shoulder to show his appreciation for her gift. She ribbits and presses into his touch, then continues carefully wrapping the thread around and fastening it. The nerves have left him gradually over the years; however, he wants his resolve as a hero to strengthen those as a friend.

When she reaches Shouto, he hesitates. Her large hands holding the braid lower as her shoulders slump, and she prepares to set it back in the bag should he refuse. “Are you sure?” he asks and brings his bi-colored eyes to hers. She flattens her lips and holds contact.

“Todoroki, I wouldn’t have bought one for you too if I wasn’t sure,” she tilts her head, and he nods his own. Raising his right hand, he pulls back his sleeve and lets her tie it around his cooler half. Years ago, he would say it further denied his father of any pleasant associations; however, now he wants to be responsible. This way, the fires won’t tear it to ashes. He thanks her with a hushed tone slipping between pulled lips. She smiles in return and scoots back to her spot beside Ochako.

“Can I tie yours, Tsuyu?” she extends her hand to accept the last braid, and she places it in her palm carefully. As Tsuyu makes her decision, she eyes the braid on Ochako’s right and decides to even out the variation by matching Tenya. She knows well the risk that all of these will be destroyed in the near future due to villains, accidents, quirks, and work, but she believes their ties to one another transcend any physical gift. Over the last three years, they’ve endured so much and taken each other’s hands regardless of their reach.

Tsuyu Asui wants to make this last forever, if she can.

So as the gray braid adorns her wrist, she holds it up and smiles to them.

“I love you guys,” she ribbits, and Izuku, Tenya, and Ochako practically throw their arms around her in a near-toppling embrace. Shouto watches them in a moment of confusion, then sighs into a smile as he lifts himself from the floor and moves closer to them, joining into the bundle with one of his arms draping across.

They all pull away and tease one another for getting so emotional, then proceed to defend their emotions to the grave, and return to the original dilemma of what movie they want to watch. After narrowing it down, Ochako makes the final call and pops in an old video tape of Clue since her home still has a combination VCR and DVD player.

Ochako, Tsuyu, and Izuku take the sofa while Shouto and Tenya lean against it from the floor. The three above end up leaning against one another to get more comfortable, and they all find themselves having to help each other figure out the dialogue between blurry subtitles. English class helped for some of the gaps, but speaking, reading, and writing in a controlled classroom is very different from trying to follow rushed speech.

They enjoy a challenge, and at least this isn’t anything too serious between all the over-acting and comedic bits. To their surprise, it ends with not just one but three conclusion scenarios-- the third being the “True Ending.” Shouto deadpans that he called it, but everyone corrects him because he suspected every single character as soon as they appeared on screen. He extends his hand to the screen after having watched Ending C, and they still don’t count it as his victory. Ochako drops a pillow on him and bounces off the sofa to free them of the bright blue display post-credits.

“Okay, so you guys can sleep out here. I’ll get some extra blankets, don’t worry,” she turns off the television after ejecting the tape and turns back to them. “Tsuyu, we can take my room!”

They all follow to Ochako’s room so they can get their clothes and other nightly necessities, and Izuku grabs his sleeping bag to bring out to the den (along with the quilt and extra throw blankets Ochako piles on him). Since it’s only the three of them out in the den, Izuku and Tenya don’t mind changing in front of each other since school desensitized them to it; however, Shouto still takes himself to the bathroom and returns in his sweats and T-shirt.

He sees Izuku ready to settle into the All Might sleeping bag, and he crouches beside it.

“Midoriya, I’ll sleep on the floor,” he states rather than offers.

“What? No, I’m already here!” he laughs, then regrets missing an opportunity to imitate the hero.

“Iida and I are both too tall to share it comfortably,” he explains. “Besides, I usually sleep on a futon anyway.”

Hard to debate when his first argument is right, so he concedes and slips out of the sleeping bag and cozies next to Tenya’s legs, just above where it is laid out. He watches as Shouto worms into the sleeping bag and it stops just at his shoulders. Izuku laughs a little and tugs one of the extra blankets from the floor to cover his entire upper half, and all he hears is a muffled oh as his arms make no effort to uncover himself. Tenya glances over and shakes his head as he grins to his friends’ foolishness, and he rests his head against the armrest and bids them both goodnight.

“I still can’t believe you did this,” Ochako toys with her bracelet after changing into her pajamas. Tsuyu is already in her sleepwear and working to untie her bun, and she turns with the hair tie caught between her teeth. Letting her hair fall down with her hands, she tugs the elastic down from her mouth and holds it around her finger. “I grew up here, and I never even thought about these bands like you did.”

“That may be because I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Tsuyu admits and starts detangling the knots from her hair with her fingers.

“Can I?” Ochako asks with a retrieved brush in hand, and once she’s gotten approval, she pats the bedside for Tsuyu to sit comfortably and continue her train of thought while she brushes carefully through her long, black hair.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to graduate,” she begins with the croak tensing her throat. She clears it and continues. “I just… I guess I’ve had so much fun with everyone that I haven’t thought about us going our separate ways until recently. I know things haven’t been perfect since we’ve been students at U.A., but I’ve had all of you.”

“We’ve had you, too,” Ochako softly combs through a knot and feels her heart pounding. Thankfully, with Tsuyu’s back to her, she doesn’t have to worry about the warmth in her face as she recalls late nights in the common room or sleepovers after a rough day.

“I know it’s unrealistic to think we’ll see each other every day like we do at school and the dorms, but maybe this will remind us to keep in touch. And maybe we’ll all be a little more careful if we--” she stops, and so does Ochako’s brushing. She feels the slight tremble in her shoulders, then listens as her breath leaves her in a sigh. “No, I shouldn’t think like that.”

“I know,” Ochako resumes to try and comfort her. “I know what you mean. There’ve been way too many close calls, but thankfully we’ve gained lots of experience to prepare us. We’ll be okay.”

“That’s true,” she nods and eases her tense muscles. “You know, Ochako? I like how you sound when you talk to your parents.” Suddenly, the brunette loses her speech function and short circuits in the fluster. Tsuyu giggles at her little noise, “I mean it! You sound so carefree that I think everyone else picked up on it.”

“It’s embarrassing,” she finishes up brushing and moves onto occupying her fingers with styling her long hair into something comfortable to sleep in. She settles on starting some pigtail braids.

“It suits you,” she ribbits.

“So you’re saying I’m embarrassing?” Ochako gives a playful tug, and Tsuyu’s voice jolts.

“I’m saying that you’re cute,” she clarifies, and powers that be, Ochako doesn’t know how much more of this she can take. Her heart is sure to erupt, and suddenly she feels guilty for teasing Deku so much when she’s got it this bad. Unlike him, however, she takes pride in having a goal in mind with her feelings.

Still, rushing toward the goal and planning it practically are two different things.

“You can’t say that when you just bought us all friendship bracelets, you sap,” she compromises with teasing, and Tsuyu sticks out her tongue.

“We can both be cute, Ochako.”

Damn, she got me there.

“I guess that makes us unbeatable,” she restores some confidence in her voice, certain she’ll survive this banter without making a further fool of herself.

“Isn’t that what they call a power couple?” Tsuyu’s own cuts at the last word as if a hand hurried and shushed her, but Ochako’s heart has already suffered so much in this conversation that all she can do now is drop her forehead to the back of Tsuyu’s parted hair and stifle snickers.

“You’re too much, you know that?”

They share in another chortle and settle down enough to finally face each other. Ochako decides that it’s mitten-time, so she settles the accessories over her hands and lets Tsuyu crawl under the covers first before she catches the light and joins her. They turn toward one another in quiet smiles and wish each other goodnight, knowing full well that they’re likely to end up wrapped around each other in their sleep.

At least that’s sleeping-Ochako’s problem to deal with.

After Tenya’s drifted to sleep, Izuku keeps an eye on his phone’s clock to dictate when he takes his sleeping pill. Once he’s taken care of that, he nestles back on the sofa and watches Shouto scroll through his phone. He knows better than to look at a screen too long while taking the medication, so he focuses on red and white hairs until he decides to poke where they mingle together.

“Don’t stay up too late.”

Shouto lowers his phone on his chest and tilts his head back toward Izuku.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah. Sorry if I was acting odd.”

“It’s okay man,” he shakes his head. “I know it’s probably a lot.”

“It’s nice,” he admits quietly. “By the way, I want to thank your mom. And All Might, too.”

Izuku blinks as he tries to understand what he means, then sees how his fingertip taps the back of his phone. The dots connect, and he nods when he covers his mouth to yawn. “I can call them tomorrow if you want?” Izuku sees his lips shift uncomfortably, and he mutes his laughter to a breath. “Okay, okay, what would be better?”

“I was thinking more of a souvenir,” he absentmindedly trails his fingertips over the bracelet around his wrist. For someone like Shouto who struggles with sharing his emotions, Izuku can imagine it’s easier for him to convey his feelings through actions or gifts. “Could you help me pick something out?”

“Yeah, of course,” he nods deeper into his pillow. Shouto settles his head back against his own and stares at the ceiling a moment longer as Izuku begins dozing off. The next thing he knows, he sees the taller boy sitting up and quietly pulling himself out of the sleeping bag. “Where’re going?” he mumbles.

“Bathroom.”

“Mmkay,” he lets it go and turns over despite the fact that Tenya’s feet now accompany his face.

With the living room shrouded in shadows and slumbers, he eases into sleep far smoother than the night before. Perhaps due to a full meal, or maybe it’s the natural cheery warmth of the Uraraka household, but he softens against the cushions without a second care.

His head empties and pulls him down into a voided dream.

#slipping in some of the headcanons here #sorry again for formatting and repetition i'm still trying to get back into writing #while also accepting that it's not going to be up to standard y'know how it goes #long post /#bs fifth tag /#bnha

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