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#that was years ago tho before i even got my nostril done
luvjunie · 10 months
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— broken promises
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pairing: earth 42 miles x fem!reader
summary: while earth 42 miles comes off a lot tougher than 1610’s based off his cold demeanor and his trauma induced apathy, somewhere under that hard shell, he’s still the sweet boy he used to be and wants love just like anyone else. miles is aged up to 17 in this, simply for the plot! wc: 2,640
contains: spoilers!!! angst to fluff
word bank: “mi vida” - my life, “mi amor” - my love
playing now: Wasted Love Freestyle by Jhene Aiko
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You and Miles have been dating for 7 months now, and lately he hasn’t been around as much as he’d like to, for obvious reasons. Well, not obvious to you. You still don’t know that Miles is the Prowler, and he’s intent on keeping it that way.
It’s the third time he’s flaked on plans he arranged himself this month, and he can tell you’re beyond tired of it with the way you just blew his phone up.
— Miles POV —
Miles’ phone buzzes in his pocket but he decides against checking it, marking it off as something unimportant. He’s already accepted a job from his Uncle and a distraction wouldn’t do him any good right now.
8:03 PM
Mi Vida: please don’t tell me you’re doing this again bro.
Mi Vida: this is a joke, right?
Mi Vida: hello?? you were supposed to be outside thirty minutes ago.
Mi Vida: Miles Gonzalo Morales I swear to GOD if I don’t hear your motorcycle revving outside in the next five minutes so help me.
*buzz buzz*
Ignored.
*buzz buzz*
*buzz buzz*
He kissed his teeth, lashes fluttering in aggravation and air puffing through his nostrils at the continuous buzzing against his leg. His shoulder fell to the side a bit as he reached down into his pocket to grab his phone while he climbed up the stairwell, following his uncle. Seeing your contact name on his lock screen, his brow raised as he read over the message, then they bunched together in the middle of his forehead incredulously, the tone of your texts causing his strides to falter.
Miles was genuinely confused for a moment, trying to think back on if he’d done anything to upset you, until the memory of him assuring you he wouldn’t do this again slapped him across the face harder than his mom did that one time he’d cursed at her on accident. The two of you had a date planned for tonight, and he swore to you he’d be there this time, fifteen minutes early at that, even though he knew there was a big chance he wouldn’t be able to make it all. It was selfish of him to promise something he couldn’t guarantee, knowing how demanding the other factors in his life were, but he was so tired of disappointing you, and how happy you looked when he told you you guys would finally get to spend some time together really had him thinking he could make it work this time.
Eyes falling shut for a beat, a heavy sigh leaves his lips, tongue darting out to dampen them as he quickly tries to think of something to respond with that won’t piss you off more than you already are.
He texts you back: sorry Mami, something came up yk how it is. i got you tomorrow tho fasho
Yeah. Real smooth.
*buzz buzz*
Mi Vida: yk what, just forget it, Miles.
Damn, she called me by my first name? I definitely fucked up this time. He thinks to himself.
Mi Vida: whoever you’re with is clearly more important to you than what we got goin on, so it’s cool. stay where you at, i’m done
Shit.
His heart beats a little faster in his chest, the sensation a semblance of something he hadn’t felt in years. Fear. He texts back as fast he can, head snapping up to see he’s fallen behind his Uncle, and he hurriedly jumps a few stairs before he comes to a stop again.
Miles: done??? the fuck you mean you done?
You don’t respond fast enough for his liking, so he double texts.
Miles: baby stop playin. you trippin it ain’t even like that at all
Mi Vida: i’m deadass. don’t call my phone.
He utters a string of curses under his breath, alerting his Uncle who had already noticed he was falling behind when he heard the inconsistency of his nephew’s footsteps. He’s ample steps above Miles, turning his head only slightly over his shoulder to address the distracted teenager.
“C’mon man, get off the phone. We got business to tend to. You in or you out?” Aaron asks. “You know I can’t have nobody holdin’ me back.” There’s a hint of something deeper playing within his words, and Miles knows he doesn’t have a choice.
He swallows hard as he looks up at the older man. Taking one last look down at his phone, his jaw clenches in contemplation before he’s shaking his head with a quiet sigh and shoving it back into his pocket. He’ll have to deal with this later.
“My fault. Yeah, I’m in.” He mumbles, doing a quick jog to catch up to the man.
His uncle’s lips quirk into a smirk, a heavy hand coming down to clap Miles’ back and squeeze his shoulder.
“My man. Aight, let’s roll.”
— Your POV —
8:05 PM
You: i’m deadass. don’t call my phone.
You watch closely as the three dots bubble at the bottom left corner of your screen, an indicator that he was typing. But instead, a quiet scoff slips from your mouth when they disappear, your shoulders slumping in disappointment at the word that appears below your last message.
Seen
You angrily toss your phone onto your bed, bottom lip quivering when you catch a glance at yourself in the mirror when you walk by. You’d gotten dressed up all nice just for him, because you knew the chance of him being free for a night to take you out was rare. You’d started your makeup early just to make sure he wouldn’t have to wait outside for you while you finished, and you’d even styled your hair the way you knew he liked. All for nothing.
You kicked your shoes off and dropped your purse to the ground, heading to your bathroom to undo all your work. You washed all the makeup off your face, the act feeling more humiliating than ever when you remembered why you’d even put it on in the first place. To feel pretty for someone who barely even showed up.
You closed your eyes and tried to calm down, hastily reaching back over to check your phone just one more time. Maybe he was thinking of what to say, and that’s why he’d left you on seen.
Seen 25 minutes ago
Maybe not.
You hated crying. And more than anything you were tired of doing it, especially when broken promises were the cause of your wasted tears. Your evening was basically wasted, and you weren’t in the mood to do anything else anyway, so you decided that you’d call it a night and head to bed early. You slipped on some comfy sleep shorts, tying your hair up for the night before grudgingly tugging a large t-shirt over your head. Your brow perked up at the scent that wafted past your nostrils, and pinching the shirt with your forefinger and thumb, you brought the fabric to your nose and immediately caught a whiff of Miles’ cologne. You then realized you’d put on a shirt you stole from him a while back, and the way your heart fluttered made you even more upset than you already were. You brushed it off to the best of your ability and crawled into bed, trying your hardest to keep your sniffling to a minimum as you pulled your blankets over your shoulder.
____
As soon as he’d gotten the job done and his Uncle gave him the okay to dip, Miles’ feet were moving at the speed of light down the stairwell. And while he had sort of rushed the plays he made with some of the city’s goons, he just had to pray that all his Uncle’s money was in the banded wad of cash he returned with, or it would be his ass.
Skipping a few steps he hopped down onto the platform before the next set, checking his phone for the time simultaneously.
10:15 PM
“Damn.” He groaned, pushing through the doors, cool wind hitting his face. Once he reached his motorcycle he shoved his helmet over his head, hopped on, and sped off with a “skrrrt”.
He sped through the streets carelessly, something you definitely would’ve scolded him for had you been riding on the back of his bike with him, with your arms tight around his waist to hold on like you always did. He bobbed and weaved through cars, lane splitting between a few of them and he may have even ran a red, but he wasn’t paying enough attention to remember. All he could focus on was that you said you were “done”, whatever the hell that meant, and he was adamant on making sure you weren’t.
____
You didn’t know when you’d dozed off, three steady knocks, a fourth one after a pause hitting against your window, resulting in your eyes snapping open at the disruption. You sat up on your mattress, the ball of your hand rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you peered across the room. Once they adjusted in the darkness and you recognized the familiar, lanky body of your boyfriend standing outside on the fire escape, the events of just two hours ago played over in your mind like a record.
With a roll of your eyes, you huffed and swung your legs over the side of your bed, pushing yourself onto your feet. Miles watched as you sleepily trudged over to the window, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, head slightly lowered and tilted to the side, as if he were already apologizing before you’d even made it to him.
Hooking your fingers underneath the edge of your window, with a quiet grunt you pulled it up, effectively lifting the barrier between your bodies. You instantly felt your yearning for him come back full force, and wanted nothing more than to throw yourself into his arms, but you restrained. Your eyes met his, the cool night air breezing into your room, and his heart clenched. Somehow he was able to feel the coolness in your demeanor, yet the cold weather hadn’t bothered him at all.
He was the first to speak.
“Hola, Mami.” He sized you up once, taking notice of your eyes that were slightly puffy from crying.
His voice was like silk to your ears, alluring and confident, almost hypnotizing, and it aggravated you that you felt yourself gravitating towards him off two simple words.
“Why are you here, Miles?” You sighed, arms slapping at your sides in exasperation.
He looked slightly taken aback, chin lifting a bit as if you’d asked something completely outlandish.
“What you mean why I’m here? You my girl, shit, this my crib too.” He shrugged, so nonchalant, as if nothing had happened. You wondered if it had even been him texting you earlier.
“You left me on seen, remember? Stood me up, too?” Your head cocked to the side to match the attitude in your tone, brows raising at him. What excuse would he use this time?
He dragged a hand down his face, exhaling heavily before he spoke up again.
“I was… busy. Look, my bad, okay? You gon’ let me in or what? Ian come all the way over here to stand outside.” He demanded with a gesture towards the opening, his hazel eyes glinting in the moonlight and thawing the ice that’d been temporarily encased around your heart. There was the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips, because he already knew the answer.
Your lips pursed and you stepped to the side, a laggard arm stretched out beside you, silently granting him access to your room.
He stepped through the window frame and you closed it after him, his hands folding around the collar then the hem of his jacket as he adjusted it and turned towards you.
“I can’t keep doing this with you, Miles. It isn’t fair.” You mumbled, hating the way your voice split your words.
His head dipped to the side a bit as he took in your solemn expression and the way your gaze was cast to the floor, as if you were trying to contain your tears. He wasn’t the best at this, he knew that, and showing affection effectively really wasn’t his strong suit. He usually made it up to you by bringing you a few hundreds he’d made from a deal, paired with some roses he’d picked up on the way to your house at the last second— but you both knew paper and flowers wouldn’t fix it this time.
“I’m sorry, I mean it.” He said, reaching for your hand to bring you close and grateful when your eyes finally lifted to lock onto his, although seeing them tear-filled wrapped him in a deep-seated emotion he didn’t even want to acknowledge.
Miles rarely said he was sorry. If ever. Did he apologize? Yes, but it was usually a ‘my bad’ or a ‘my fault’, or some other term that’d get the point across without him have to use too much emotion. Hearing the words ‘I’m sorry’ from him was an anomaly, it happened once in a blue moon, so this time you knew he really meant it. In your heart you knew he meant it, but that didn’t stop the tear you’d been trying to keep at bay from rolling down your cheek.
His thumb caught the tear almost instantly, swiping it from the soft of your skin. It didn’t belong there, and he hated to be the reason why you were crying in the first place.
“Where do you disappear to, Miles?” You sniffled.
He sighed, glancing back over at the window. He considered telling you the truth, but he knew he couldn’t.
“I’m just tryna keep you safe, ma.”
“You always say that!” You squeaked, making sure to keep your voice down, you had technically snuck him in. You ripped your hand from his grasp, turning your face away from him as another tear fell. “Do you not trust me or something? Is that it?”
“Of course I trust you,” His eyebrows knit together at your question and he stole your hand from your side again.
“So why can’t you tell me?” You pleaded, eyes big and glossy.
“I just-“ He paused. “I can’t let you get hurt. The shit I do…” You watched as he hesitated, like even speaking about the subject pained him. “It ain’t good.” He swallowed, a hand coming up to cup your cheek. “And I’ll be damned if I put you in the middle of my shit. I love you… okay?” He moved closer to you, and when you turned from him once again he brought your face right back to his, this time with both his hands. He wasn’t going to let you go, and while Miles was rough around the edges, and seemingly devoid of any emotion other than anger or resentment for the world—he always handled you with care.
“I love you, Y/n, I put that on everything. I’ll burn this whole world down for you, you hear me? Don’t think I won’t.” He stared into your eyes longingly, intent on making sure you didn’t just hear every word, but that you understood them, too.
You couldn’t help but lean into his hand, your own coming up to hold at his wrist as you inhaled shakily and gave him a bleak nod.
That wasn’t enough for him. He needed to hear you say it.
“Do you understand?” He articulated his words, bringing his head down slightly to match your height a bit more.
“I understand.” You said softly, looking up at him through your lashes before your gaze fell to his lips. He took that as his sign, leaning forward and bringing you into a kiss.
You melted into him immediately, like you always did, eyes fluttering closed as your lips moved against his, and as his hands fell to your hips to pull you in closer, like they always did.
You broke the kiss for air, your hand resting on his bicep and your lips ghosting his as you spoke, as you shared the same breath. “I love you too…” You breathed, standing on your toes.
“Good,” You felt him grin before he pulled away, his hand pinching your chin to make you look at him. “Cause you not leaving me, ever. I can’t let no one else have you, Mami, you know that.” He cooed.
You felt heat flush your cheeks, a smile you couldn’t hide finally spreading on your face.
“Yeah yeah, I know.” You answered, chewing at your bottom lip. “Can you stay?” You whispered, eyes shifting between his hopefully as you awaited his answer.
“Ah…” He rubbed at the back of his neck, piping up again before you could get disappointed. “What about your moms?”
“She sleeps in on the weekends, you just gotta be outta here by nine. Please, pa?” You whined, already reaching for his hands.
He chuckled to himself and shook his head slightly, having to look away from the adorable look on your face. He tried to remain in denial of the fact that he was so deep in love with you he could hardly think sometimes, let alone say no, but he was failing. Miserably.
“Of course I’ll stay, mi amor.”
Your expression lit up, a toothy smile brightening your features as he let you lead him to your bed.
He made sure to remove his shoes before he laid down, settling on his back. He extended his arm out to you as he tucked the other behind his head, motioning for you to join him with his fingers.
You crawled into his open embrace, getting comfortable on top of his chest and nuzzling your head under his chin. You began to feel drowsy the second he wrapped his arm around you, a yawn leading your eyes to water. His hand slowly moved from where it was resting on your back, dipping beneath the hem of your shirt, the warmth of his skin against yours comforting to you. His large hand rubbed up and down the expanse of your back, the tips of his fingers drawing lines along your spine— you always fell asleep easier when he did that. You listened to the steady beating of his heart, fingers idly toying with the gold chain he kept around his neck.
“I’m really sorry I ain’t make it tonight. I know you prolly got all pretty for me n’shit… and I wish I got to see it, but that’s on me.” He grumbled. He’d beat himself up over this for a while.
“S’okay.” You say it is, but he knows it’s not. He knows better. “I missed you.” Your quiet voice murmured from below him as you scooted in impossibly closer.
His jaw tensed as he stared up at your ceiling, a deep breath from his diaphragm raising you a little bit with his chest, and lowering you as he released it. “I know.” His response was hushed, and as sleep continued creeping in, you wondered if you’d imagined it.
But when you felt a long, drawn-out kiss press to the top of your head, his hand rubbing soothing circles between your shoulder blades, you knew it was real. The last thing you heard before you dozed off was his voice, mellow and gentle as he assured you.
“Ima do better, mama. I promise, for real this time.”
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rivaille-13 · 3 years
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Rêver Avec Un cœur Brisé
Chapter 20: WWFY
If this was the end of my poor life, huh...
The tiny echoes of liquid dripping was the only sound audible to Levi right now. He has his body in an ivory bath tub filled with hot water— now turned to cold, for who knows how long he has been pondering inside.
Hypothermia should be the case of the little chills touching every part of his near dead body.
Shouldn't take it long now...
Beside his ivory bath tub, stands a small brass side table in which he has his dead batt phone lays... In which he also had his pocket knife and a small pipe like paper rolled at the top of the side table. The brass side table, in which he got a few years ago, has one of the distinct features like having two sliding drawers at the mid bottom of the figure. He was not a fan of clutter and small things, so he had really no idea what to do or what to put in those drawers.
Not until Mikasa suggested Levi to place his emergency pistol in one of the drawers just in case a chaos would happen. He didn't like the idea at first, but somehow right now it seemed like the perfect idea.
Heh...
He drowned half of his face in the cold water. It was really cold though, his nape was numbing as he could feel the chill in his spine. Funny, he thought. The effect of the drugs didn't really seem to affect his demeanor. He still feels like fucking Levi all along the way.
When he only wished he could be high at a time when he was feeling so low like an earthen termite.
Tch.
He scoffed as he got up from the chilly bath tub, as he clothed his naked body with a pair of boxers and a crisp clean white shirt he got from Uniqlo. He drew the pipe like paper to his digit, holding it like it was a cigarette roll. Then he slid his hand on one of the drawers to pick up the discarded plastic that contains white like crystal. Heroin.
He tore it with full force, allowing the crystal to spill in the top of the brass side table, giving him an indication that the only thing that was left for him to do was to inhale it again using his pointed nose.
Shit, he muttered. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
Or unlucky. He doesn't give a shit about everything as he shovels the pipe like paper to his nostril, inhaling forcefully, letting the crystal Heroin rummage his olfactory nerves, never giving him a chance to hesitate his earlier actions.
He didn't know why he was doing all of these things. He didn't even understand why the hell was his phone beeping and buzzing endless times that it felt like it was fucking forever that caused his poor phone to die out of battery. He didn't know where his son was. He didn't know what the hell date and time was. He didn't know. He didn't really know.
And he didn't want to know those things anymore. So he leaned his back against the brass table as he aggressively banged his head causing it to have a loud banging sound.
As a force of habit, he swiftly ran his hand all along his raven hair.
The pale crimson color in his hand was the last thing he saw before he finally found himself dreaming.
-
"Levi, do you love me?"
He scoffed as he rolled his eyes. He thought that Mikasa surely sounds like a retarded rat who has finished dozing of a few illegal drugs in the lab. He always found Mikasa like that, full of questions about love and love and love.
He leaned in closer, only an inch away from her lips, before slightly opening his mouth for a reply. "I don't."
He didn't fail to notice the furrow in her brows as she pulled her face away from him. He was sure that he was about to get whipped with a snarky remark from Mikasa's unmistakably witty mouth when he took the chance to cut her off.
"But I do love everything about you," he paused as he reached for her ebony raven hair, "And I do know that you are everything that I want," as he cupped his free hand to her cheek, "You are everything that I need," he pulled her closer again leaving an inch open, "And you are what it takes for me to breath alive." He finished off his sentence with a kiss burning off with passion and devotion.
He pulled away after a moment, with hot breaths heavy, hand still calm, as his low voice mumbled which took Mikasa's mind. "You... You don't know how much I love you."
"Then why do you say you don't?"
"I don't know. I'm a complicated man, Mikasa. I might be insane, who knows."
"I know that, Levi."
He purred, slowly reaching to nimble her ears. He licked the lobe of her ears, enough to send her goosebumps in her whole body, as he spoke darkly, chills sending the axis of her spine. "Then you'll be the death of me."
Continue Chapter 20 at AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812225/chapters/67492301
One last chapter to go? Maybe an epilogue too... Thank you for enjoying and reading tho! Thank you for the supports. I promise to edit the cringe and shits of the story once it is done.
I am listening to Merry Go Round - Joe Hisiashi because it does felt right? LMAO
@dewipersikkk Hey! Thank you honey, here is your chapter 20. xx :)
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eyeslikefoxglove · 4 years
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Episode 8 - WangXian go on a date & DON’T BLINK
Hello there, welcome to another Untamed commentary. To put everyone in the mood, it is Friday evening, one of those grey rainy days interrupted briefly by by brilliant burst of sunlight. I’m having a snack (chopped mango with yoghurt and a homemade matcha latte with honey), I just washed my hair, I’ve exfoliated, masked and moisturised. And everyone in this household is doing their own thing (napping, watching tv shows, more napping), I’m in a very good mood, so let’s go ahead with episode 8.
I think I’ve never commented on the intro credits before, I’ve seen people say they prefer to skip them because they find them spoilery, which they undoubtedly are. However, besides the absolutely stunning cinematography what I feel they aimed for is confusion. You’ve got this guy who’s kind of dark, but he’s crying and playing the flute, then some people are trying to kill him in some scenes, but in others he’s fighting back to back with the same guys and then there’s black smoke everywhere... I feel that, if I saw the credits I’d be intrigued enough to actively look for the drama and find out what the deal with the guy with the flute is.
And let me repeat something from the previous episode:
BUNBUNS. LOOK AT THE BUNBUNS
HOW’S WWX CUTER THAN THE BUNBUNS. THEY’RE BUNBUNS.
DONT FUCKING DO IT. Oh but these three with the bunbuns just melt my heart. STAY WITH THE BUNBUNS FOREVER AND NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN.
JC: gentlemen’s don’t hold bunbuns.
JC: *proceeds to be soft and cute and gentle with the bunbun he’s holding*
Ok but stoic serious no-nonsense LWJ stopping to say goodbye to the bunbuns? That’s fucking adorable.
FR tho, people who are “tough/cold/unapproachable” being super soft with tiny creatures is my damn kryptonite. It’s like, Ben Solo, being a super-beefcake with a lightsaber, a terrible past, too much attitude... and a kitten on his shoulder, I would 100000% ignore the bit where he was a super effective killing machine and go “aww. you like cats!”
As a lover or thunderstorms at night when everything is still and quiet I would’ve stabbed WC up a nostril just on principle, so props to LXC for not murdering that clown. Never mind threatening his baby brother.
I LOVE SHIJIE’S UNWAVERING FAITH IN HER XIANXIAN.
Aaaaaand let’s have a moment to admire LWJ/Wang YiBo in blue.
Ok, done.
OH MY GOD. I’d forgotten this bit was in here. So you know when WWX has just caught up with LWJ and he throws him a loquat and complains about LWJ leaving him behind? I love the bit when he’s calling the Lans petty, and LWJ just goes “boring” and sweeps past him with this tiny sassy smirk and leaves WWX fucking processing for a second. I live for that kind of LWJ and that’s partly what my TimeTraveling!LWJ was based on.
WWX: *ties them with magic* isn’t this neat?
LWJ, internally: so he’s a genius dumbass, I’m fucked.
Ok now that we are a bit in I can safely say this is one of my favourite episodes. No, it is not because it is pretty much an episode-long WangXian date. How dare you.
LWJ’s internal monologue: I can’t believe in so in love with this dumbass. I’m moron-sexual the gods help me.
JC being a good bro and JYL being the fucking queen of the universe like she always is.
(Another moment to appreciate LWJ/Wang YiBo in blue)
I feel LWJ’s aversión to crowds on a spiritual level.
I also feel NHS excelling just in what he likes so much. I mean, I was never a terrible student, but looking back at just the last six years in Med School my marks skyrocketed from a passing grade in stuff like physics and biophysics to top marks in things like neurosurgery; just due to the fact that I find neurosurgery way more interesting than physics.
THE PETAL SHOWER SCENE IS STUNNING. Also, if you don’t think WWX already had a crush on LWJ (and I am talking in The Untamed/CQL verse, I know that in the books he still thought he was straight) I’m pretty sure this is filmed just so we’d have visual confirmation that he is indeed crushing so hard. And I still don’t know if NHS is wingmaning or third wheeling. (Both? Both? Both? Both is good.)
I mean, NHS goes onto his “LWJ is stunning” monologue, and then WWX gives him kind of a disbelieving look. BUT THEN, he glances at LWJ (again being showered in flowers bc he wasn’t gorgeous enough on his own) and his face turns considering, he makes a stupid joke, and he goes back to looking at LWJ with the softest smile. I will fight anyone that dares tell me CQL!WWX hasn’t been crushing on LWJ since the Cloud Recesses.
//Sidebar LWJ’s looks adorably in awe at the petal shower this whole time.
Aaaaaand plot happens.
Oooof! The contrast between all the colourful flowers before and the burned blackened garden now. Ooooof.
Ok but that shadow bird is fucking cool and I want one.
WC’s head piece (guan?) makes me think of the Disney designs for Pain and Panic.
I know is wishful thinking, but if I wonder how different things would’ve been if WQ had snapped and offed WC when he was taunting her with the safety of her family.
Can I take a moment to rave about how clever WQ is? I mean, she’s already worried and scared for her family, she had absolutely no warning before JC ran into her and yet she managed to pull off that ruse to warn him about WangXian and NHS being in trouble in what, a few minutes? She’s so cool.
Ok, full disclosure here, I can’t see elderly people being sad, scared or worried, it reminds me of my maternal grandparents whom I adored and I get super sad.
(My dad still has his parents but they are terrible to my mum, dad and me, so they get no sympathy)
Funny story: I almost fell backwards the first time I heard “grandmother” used as a respectful term to an elderly lady back when I was living in Bulgaria (I moved back to Spain like a week ago, I’m over the moon to be home y’all). You don’t do that in Spain, calling someone who’s not your grandma “grandma” is really fucking rude.
Aaaaaand none of these knuckleheads know how to speak with a person in shock. They get a pass because all teens are knuckleheads in some measure but...
But if I heard a terrified lady muttering about soul snatching I’d fuck right off that village tbh. I’d take my chances sleeping in the woods with the roaming serial killers.
[it just started storming, I love this!]
Sure! Let’s stay the night in a cave with a creepy anthropomorphic statue that’s supposed to snatch souls. I’m sure it’ll be ok.
NHS is the only one with a Braincell here. (NHS is my adorable Slytherin son and I love him)
Y’all might not have noticed but I have not I’m not going to comment on the quality of the CGI/special effects/monsters. I’m aware this is a tv show and it doesn’t have the same budget as idk, a Marvel movie. I’m ok with them not being that believable. Same with unbelievable sword moves, I know shit all about sword fighting and even less about xianxia. Y’all might even be lucky enough to avoid my “bodies don’t work that way” rants, because again, everyone has magic, why would medicine be any different.
[brief interlude here, I had to go cat-hunting because we couldn’t find one of the cats, she likes to make a break for it sometimes, it’s a full on thunderstorm outside, almost sundown and she’s solid black. We found her in the basement exploring. Two of the other ones are in the kitchen with my mum and my big scaredy boi is under my bed. Also, this storm just reminded me that my dad is fixing the attic so I can have a “loft” next year when I start my residency and I can’t wait to fall asleep to rain up there.]
NOT THE TIME TO FLIRT WWX. NOT THE FUCKING TIME.
What LWJ says: stay alert (in case the statue moves again)
What I hear: Don’t Blink!
Oh come on! Zombies now? Fuck right off, let them sleep!
And that was episode 8! Thank you for reading.
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wevonik · 4 years
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River flows in you part. 1
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Y/n's pov:
„Breathe in, and out... It's going to be okey... You can do this... You were going to the school befo-”
At that moment I realized how pathetic I have sounded and closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts. The last time I set my foot in school was almost two years ago. Of course in the meantime I had classes, but there were only a teacher and me in a small, hospital room. This situation really makes me anxious. I have no idea how many students know my story or at least heard about me . Due to this, my plan of coming back to my hometown and chasing for my dreams once again, doesn't sounds like a good idea anymore. But I have to do this. I promised this to myself. I promised this to them...
„Y/n breakfast is ready!”
„Okey I'm coming!” I responded, being now ripped from my thoughts. It's just a new school. What can possibly go wrong?
„Do you want me to drop you to school?” said a middle-aged lady while sipping her coffee. Her long, red, curly hair were now bounded in a messy bun. Only single strands of her hair appearing on her face.
„It's Okey auntie. I can go alone.” I said with an insignificant smile on my face. My aunt looked at me with sympathy. She could only imagine how hard it was for me after the accident. Of course my whole family was affected by this, but I was the one who suffered the most.
„You know you don't have to do this if you're not ready right?” she asked.
„I know, but I want to do this. It's my last chance to get there... ” I said. Juilliard - my timeless dream. My sight was now located on a small, black box laying by the door, waiting to be used again.
Taehyung's pov:
I don't even know what I am doing here...
Yeah of course school is much more pleasant than being at home but even though it's filled with idiots, who despite lacking in brain cells still managed to get here. My high school it's the most prestigious musical school in this state but it's easy to get here if your family is rich. That's probably the reason why this imbeciles are here. Not that I pay much attention to them. I have better activities than watching this dumbasses. But still they're annoying.
„Hey! Taetae!” Speaking of dumbasses... At least these ones are pretty much tolerable. Maybe because they're friends of mine.
„What's up guys?” I responded to them while taking my notebook from locker.
„Have you heard the news?”
„Come on Jungkook. Don't you know that Taetae is never up to date with gossips?” Said a much shorter boy while brushing his fingers through his hair.
„Just tell me what you want to say and let's go to class”
„Jimin maybe you will tell him?”
„Why me? You're better at this thin-”
„JUST SPIT IT OUT CRACKHEADS!” I interrupted them, being even more annoyed then minutes ago.
„Wow Taetae... There's no need to shout...”
I just rolled my eyes on this comment.
„Okey, so there will be a new girl in our class...” Said Jungkook
„And why should I care about that?”
„That's the best part. It's y/n. She got tons of letters form universities when she was only ten. She's super talented, famous... And hot” said Jungkook and looked at Jimin with significant smile.
„I'm done listening to your speech about some random chick who makes your hormones rage. I'm going.” I said leaving two boys behind. They quickly catched up and all of us went to class together.
Y/n's pov:
I stepped into unfamiliar building full of people. It must be a break now.
How the hell will I find anything here??
„You must be y/n”
I turned around just to see a short girl with a blonde hair and a big smile on her face.
„Hm, do you know me?” That was all I was able to spit out.
„You're the only one here who don't know what to do with yourself and I saw you on news many times before.” She said laughing softly. So it's really obvious that I'm new. Great... And of course she has to know me. Even greater...
„I'm Kate. President of class you will belong to. I'm responsible to show you around.” she said while extending her hand. I just gently shook it and we both slowly began to walk through the corridor.
---
„You've seen pretty much everything now. I just have to show you the practice room which you can book if there would be a need for that. After that you're free to go.” Said Kate. We were now standing in front of a big room, full of huge windows and instruments. Beautiful instruments. I saw guitars, speakers, drums, violins, flutes, saxophones, many, many others and piano... Of course I would never betray my beloved violin but this piano was simply stunning. And this melody which was coming out of it...
Wait a second. A melody? How is it possibl-
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At this very moment I spotted a person who was using the instrument. It was a guy. A very handsome one to be exact. His dark hair were gently falling on to his face. That face was really different from faces I used to see. I would wager that he was a foreigner. He was for sure Asian. Korean maybe? He was really different but... Beautiful. His face very symmetrical. His brows were thick and full. He had eyelashes anyone would be jealous of. Moles on his lower lip, above his right nostril, and under his right eyelid near his waterline. His upper lip was slightly longer and more rounded than his lower lip. His ears were sticking out a little. His facial expression was very serious and focused on playing. And those hands...
Y/n what are you thinking about? Are you crazy? Staring at some random guy? Really? What kind of thoughts are that? Snap yourself out of it girl! I shook my head in anger.
„It's Taehyung. He's one of the best students and musicians here. He's in our class, I would recommend you to stay away from him tho.” Kate broke a silence.
„Why?” I asked, quite intrigued.
„He doesn't belong to the most friendly people here. The only thing he cares about is this piano. Many girls were crying because of him.”
„Did he do something to them?”
„Nahh. Not really. He was just ghosting them. It's really entertaining to watch him, but only from distance.”
„I see...” I responded, not sure what to say more. Kate could be right. His whole face was screaming „I'm amazing but you can't have me.” Not that I would want to. I didn't came all the way here for boys but to practice and become a good old y/n again. I have to focus on subduing my inner demons and fears and no Teahyung or whatever his name was nor any other person will be able to distract me. Not now, not never.
A/n: I hope you liked this chapter. It's my first fanfic so please let me know what you think. I send you my love 🥺❤️❤️
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onigirishawn · 5 years
Text
the traveler (I)
a/n : hey ! this is my first au series. hope you guys like it! it’s a lil diff. I previously published an old version of this and then I deleted it ahahaha
summary : Taking place in the year 2250 in Heredon, Y/N is a historian with burning questions about what the past has to hold. In desperation for answers, she makes the risky decision to time travel to the past where she meets someone who might have the answers.
[a lil sci-fi? I’m an amateur tho] [1930s! shawn] [time travel au]
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“I never want to leave.”
“Then don’t.”
-
“Rise and shine Y/N. It’s 8 o’clock in the morning. You have exactly an hour to get ready for your appointment with Christian. I’ve set your-“
“I got it Xipha.” You cut your little digital Chrome off and groaned into your pillow. You turn your back against the sheets and stare at the glossy white ceiling.
“Shall I prepare breakfast for you in the meantime?” Xipha asks. “That would help.” You answer.
You stood up from your bed and stand in front of your window, taking in the breathtaking view of Heredon. Xipha had the blinds open and you could hear the coffee machine running in the kitchen. Xipha was your digital personal assistant and controlled all the appliances in your home based on perfect knowledge of your preferences, such as your toast. Even your toast was done perfectly. You lived a privileged life like this for years and it all wouldn’t have been like this without Christian, your caretaker since you were young. He found you abandoned on the outskirts of Heredon when you were a child and he took you in. Ever since then he raised you well and has always remained supportive of you.
You walk into your bathroom to take a hot shower and exit. You’re satisfied seeing your uniform perfectly prepared by your Chrome, Xipha in your wardrobe. You exit the bedroom with your form-fitting uniform and your sleek low bun. You walk out , heading over to the maglev elevator that brought you to Christian’s office.
Taking a deep breath, you wait outside his door that read, ‘Dr. Christian Creed’. The door analyses your identity, letting you enter shortly after.
You see Christian’s back facing you, he gazes at the view of Heredon from his glass window.
You fake a cough that earns his attention. He turns to you and a big smile curls in his lips. “Y/N, darling.” He opens his arms wide, allowing you to rush to him. He takes you into his arms and places a kiss on your head. “How are you?”
You slowly back away, initially wishing to let him know you were alright, but then it hit you.
“What is it darling?” He asks worryingly.
You sigh, looking away from his worried gaze , “I’ve been having those dreams again.”
He shakes his head , “Have you been taking the pills?”
You defensively answer , “Yes.. nothing seems to be working. I keep dreaming about this guy and-”
”New pills have new side effects. It won't last long though. Take it consistently and you’ll gradually stop having these dreams alright? You’re still recovering from that accident you had a few years ago.” Christian reassures you and your worry slowly starts to fade. You had almost forgotten that you were 22 when you got into an accident with Christian, costing you the memories you had before you were 22. Christian had told you countless times that your dreams were side effects of the accident. You trusted him and you simply nod, ”Alright.”
-
After your encounter with Christian, you settle into your own office. As you work on your computer, an incoming call is projected across your room.
“Accept.” You say and it digitally accepts.
“Hey Y/N, it’s Raven from Level 14, Tech department.” A familiar voice answers.
“Oh hey Raven. Yeah uh what’s the matter?” You ask while you continue analysing your research material.
“Can you come over to Level 14? We need your help. There’s this time device that we have trouble with. We’re hoping you could help us recheck if we’ve installed the eras correctly or something inside it.”
Time device?
“Uhh can you be more specific Raven? What’s the device?”
“It’s this time travel device. We’re supposed to have it done by today and have it sent out.”
Time travel? You’ve always heard about this incredible concept of time but you never thought you’d get to witness it first hand . You were more than ready to witness it. A part of you even wishes you could try it.
“I’ll be there.”
-
“So Y/N that just seems about it?” Raven asks, arms crossed.
“Yeah actually. As you can see here I’ve corrected the error on this era. You guys named it wrongly.” You inform while tapping a few changes on the device’s screen.
“Right. Thank you so much Y/N.” Raven says as you finally finish up. You take a step back to admire the marvellous device, it almost seemed like a kid who sees candy right in front of them. Curiosity was killing you and a part of you just couldn’t stop saying, “This could be the answer to all your questions.”
“Hey, I’ll call in all the others to have a look on it alright? You just stay here.” Raven says and walks out of the place. The door closes right after she leaves.
This was your chance.
“Y/N are you crazy” you whisper to yourself.
The temptation was taking over you, “This could be the answer to all my questions that I’ve had for years.” You tell yourself.
By the next minute you find yourself already on the platform, clearly unprepared and clearly going against all Heredon laws but you were ready for whatever the past has to holds and there was no turning back to what you already tapped on the control system of the device. Shutting your eyes tight and clenching your fists, you hope for the best.
Your eyes were still shut but a foreign sound of rustling sent the news to you that you have finally arrived. With enough courage, you slowly open your eyes. Your heart was relieved over the fact that the device actually worked.
You put your hands to your chest and let out big breaths of relief. A faint laugh escapes at the amazement of you successfully time travelling.
You were in front of a wide lake, enclosed by trees. The weather was chilly and you immediately tried to wrap your arms around your body to warm yourself up. The sun looked like it was about to set soon and you immediately try to figure out a way to get out of the woods that you were in. Dejavu hit you like a meteorite. It’s almost as if you knew this place from your dreams.
So this is 1935
You disembark yourself on a walk , hoping you’ll find a track out of the woods.
-
The sun was setting, darkness was engulfing the whole place now. You started to worry, you were still walking but you couldn’t find anything new. Exhaustion was taking over you, your legs endured some minor splinters and cuts from all the times you’ve fallen down on any fragments of branches on the ground. You just couldn’t take it anymore. You’ve been going about like this for hours without hydration. You felt like an idiot coming unprepared.
“M-must go further.��� You try to pant out with your dry lips. You find yourself on a slope. With your sore legs, you try to walk on further to the end of but you ultimately collapse, sending your body tumbling down the slope and hitting your head against a rock.
And that was all you could remember.
-
You woke to a strong scent of pine wood invading your nostrils. Your eyes slowly flutter open and you squint in an attempt to sharpen the blurred images. You glance around, unfamiliar to the deserted room that you’re in. How long have you been here? Where am I? Am I alone? You try to remember what exactly had happened and it hits you like a bang. The memories of your collapse in the woods occupy your mind.
Cool air hit your skin and your hair felt strangely relaxed. It didn’t take you long to finally realised you weren’t in your Heredon uniform or your sleek bun. Your body clad onto a silk nightgown and your hair was free from its bun and was in a heavenly mess of long curls. You raise the sheets you were under with one hand and find that all your cuts and splinters had been dressed in an unfamiliar manner. Who treated me?
Your curiosity was interrupted by the sound of a thump and footsteps on the wooden floor coming from outside the room. You could feel your heart racing and immediately retracted back to your sleeping position. You could hear the creak of the door as it opened, your heart was beating in fear and sweat was forming on your temples as the sound of the footsteps got closer and louder. Whoever it was, their eyes were clearly burning on you and you could feel it.
Anticipating for the worst, you hear a glass set down on the mahogany bedside table. Shortly after, you could hear the person walk back out of the room, closing the door as he leaves. Your eyes flutter open again, but this time you were freaking out. The thought of a stranger’s presence in this house engulfed you in fear. You are literally in the year 1935, all alone. What’s the worst that could happen? Probably you getting killed or something.
You throw the sheets off of you and jolt out of the bed. Looking around the room, you find that the stranger had laid down a glass of water beside you. You walk over to the window where the light shone through, informing you that it’s broad daylight now and you probably slept in the house through the night. You were still in the woods, except in this case you were in a cabin.
Trying to find a way out your hands reach over to a piece of metal on the window, turning it like a knob. You find that it enables the window to go wide open. Taking your chances, you swing your leg over and jump out. Without hesitation, you jolted out of the place.
Your heart was racing and you kept turning your head back as you ran, hoping you weren’t being chased or something. Looking back forward as you ran, you immediately stop in your tracks. Your breathing hitches and your eyes widen to the foreign being.
“What the fuck?” Is that a fucking bear?
It was huge and it definitely did not look friendly. There weren’t any bears in Heredon, in fact you don’t even know if they still exist. One thing for sure is that you have to run away from two things now.
You knew you were fucked when it looked back at you. You could’ve sworn you saw it spew saliva upon seeing you, its eyes darkened and it looked like he hasn’t eaten in days. Poor bear but there was no way you’re gonna let yourself be its next snack. The second it jolted to you, you ran on your bare feet, earning more and more splinters on your run out. “I’m fucked! I’m fucked!” You kept screaming.
As you ran you felt a strong force on your body pull you to the ground. A hand went on your mouth to muffle your screams. The more you screamed the stronger you were muffled. Even with both hands, you struggled to get rid of their grip on you.
“Shh, shh” the stranger muffling you said. The deep voice indicated he was definitely a man.
Your body was against his behind a large tree. With much struggle, you turn your head to face him and your eyes met with the most beautiful hazel eyes you’ve ever seen. Not forgetting his other charming features too. You could’ve sworn you might’ve forgotten that you were literally hiding from a deadly bear during that moment.
“Stay quiet and we’ll be safe.” He whispers. You simply nod, still taking in the view of the charming man. His grip on your body tightened and you weren’t quite sure if your heart was racing due to the extremely close contact you had with this man or the fact that there was a bear out to get you.
“Okay, the coast is clear.” He speaks again. You release his hand from your mouth, your back still against him. Realising that he’s a complete stranger, you escape from his grip and turn to him. Before he could say anything you raise your hand and place a hard slap across his face. A second later your hands come to cover mouth, shocked to what you have just done. He cups his own cheek in response, his blood rushing to his cheek, causing it to turn red.
“I-I’m so sorry. I-I-“ you tried to take it back. He puts a hand up to stop you, “It’s alright.” He winced to the pain and all you could do was stare and feel guilty.
“Come on , let’s get out of here.” He says and speed walks away from you, hand still on his cheek. You follow him back, and you’re back.
Obviously he was the man in the cabin who you tried to run away from. Your cheeks go red to the embarrassment. He had already saved you once and he had to save you again.
He followed him to the porch of his house and he frustratingly opens the door and leaves it open for you to follow in.
As you step in the house, you look over to see him in the kitchen, running water to clean his hands You make your way to the kitchen and stand at the doorway. You noticed his jacket from before was off which left him in a grey tank which showed off his prominent biceps. You bit on your lower lip, lowkey admiring the view of this stranger.
“How’d you find me?” You ask with your arms crossed. He turns to look at you, and now you’ve gotten a better view of him than before. The light that shone through the window illuminated every crevice of his body that looked like they were sculpted by a Greek god. His curls were a perfect mess and his face, oh God was he charming.
“You were unconscious in the woods. Your head hit a rock.” He explains and turns his back on you. Running the sink back on but this time he grabs two glasses and fills them up. He comes over to you and offers you a glass. You nod and accept his offer. A sense of relief in him starts gushing in because you’ve finally given into his offer.
“So you treated me last night? What happened to my clothes?” Disgust started to come to you, “How did I wear this?” You say and point at the nightgown you were wearing.
“I washed your clothes and about that ..” you notice his eyes downcast to the floor, a sly smile appearing on his face. You scoff, “Oh fuck you!” You slammed the glass on the table and leave the kitchen, heading back out to the porch. He follows you from behind, “Don’t be like that, please! I’m just kidding!”
You look back at him, “Look, I don’t even know you. I really have to get going. So I’ll appreciate it if you pass me back my clothes and let me go on my own from here. I’m thankful, really, you saved my ass twice and let me return the favour by not having you do it for the third time.”
He sighs, “Hey why not you calm down a bit and have a rest. You looked like you went through a lot. I’m just a random guy who saw you out there and I wanted to help.” He continues, “Also, it takes an hour to get out of this place with the correct route. If you wish to go out alone again then you might just die this time.”
You wanted to fight back but what else could you say. He was right. You were just startled but he looked like a man who genuinely cared. He knew this place. You don’t trust him wholeheartedly but you decided that the only way out of this place was him.
“I wish to leave. Can you get me out of this place?” You ask.
“I’ll be leaving for my weekly market run in three days. You can follow me by then to head straight to town. I also hunt and go to the other side lake for fishing daily. If you wish to leave at anytime then I’ll be glad to let you go but you’ll need to find your own route out of the place.” He informs, “Just not now. It’ll be dark soon by the time you wish to leave. Unless you wish to leave then sure.”
Despite how much you’ve kept your guard. He has been doing nothing but a favour for you. After sometime you finally answer, “Fine.”
You take out a hand for him, “I’m Y/N.”
“Shawn.”
-
Ahhhh so this is my first. I wrote this while I was really tired so I’m so sorry if there are any errors :P I’ll have it checked again later! Anyways hope u like the story, it gets more interesting later on hehe
I’m still figuring out what time setting should I put this in. Haha
IM NOT THE GREATEST WRITING IM SO SORRY AHHHH
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agreekdemigod · 5 years
Text
Coffee Whim
“Your designs are always so colorful.”
The brush traced a long curve in the canvas, lining in pastel colors the figure of a profile.
“Are you sure you don’t want any of them as your protagonist?”
The shadow must be done right, if he didn’t want it to look opaque. Light shades to enhance the curve of her cheeks and lips, curved in a peaceful smile.
“I wish I had such amazing ideas.”
Should he add a bit of orange at the tips of the petals? Or maybe at the base of the flowers. But then the colour would contrast with the blond of her hair and that just wouldn’t work.
The tips would be, then, but very slightly, as if the sunlight reflected in her curls.
“My eyes hurt a bit while watching it but it is indeed beautiful.”
Adding one last detail, Kaminari left the utensil in the table beside him, eyes fixed in his last piece of work, his breath uneasy as he watched nervously the face in front of him.
His brain hadn’t failed him this time. All the details were perfect, as if she was there in front of him, real and reachable.
The idea of calling his sister crossed his mind as the feeling of keeping it only for his eyes thickened in his chest.
Later, he would call later.
*
All his life, Kaminari has painted everything his mind provided.
His mother used to say she and his father had to run to stop him from painting the walls, at the time when “no’s” didn’t mean anything to him.
He was so small and still that didn't stop him from holding a crayon, even before he learnt how to walk without stumbling. And once his grandma bought him his first brush, he was unstoppable.
His sister only seemed to encourage him. Her bedroom walls were an explosion of colour, doodles of their garden, their family and just random stuff covering every inch from the base to where his tiny hand could reach. Their parents gave up soon after he decorated their own bedroom too.
They had another artist in the family, there was nothing else they could do to stop it. And in all truth, they didn’t want to.
The walls in the house were white but Denki brought them colour, just as he did with everything he touched and everyone he met.
His teachers said he had too much energy, that he was different. Some would tell his parents to find him activities to tire him up while others would state that he must learn to control himself, that everything could be solved with discipline.
The doctors gave his parents the name and a better way to deal with it and they accepted it as a part of the son they loved and cared about and heard attentively  the recommendations that would help their kid to integrate in a society not as comprensible as them.
They encouraged him and were with him with every step he took, ready to catch him everytime he fell.
Denki learnt how to play the guitar from his father himself, and went to his first art class thanks to his mother.
He learnt that drawing helped him with his ADHD and that listening to things was an easier way to memorize complicated stuff.
He learnt the tricks to control his anxiety and how to make his hands movements less obvious in public, specially after being hours sitting in a classroom with his mind flying miles away from the teacher's explanation.
It wasn’t perfect and most of the times he still got nagged by the adults for not staying steady more than ten minutes but he learnt to get used to that too, to shrug off the harsh words or stares, even when sometimes they hurt so much that he had the go to hide in his  mother's arms to find understanding
Things are inevitable in this world, she would say, pressing her cheek against his, her curls tickling Denki's skin.That close to her, he could smell her shampoo and the scent of coffee in her clothes. Things such as love and fate. And you, my dear, are one of those things. You are inevitable, Denki. Inevitable to love and impossible to forget and ignore. She would kiss his temple then and would caress his blonde hair with her nose as she whispered,
You are our star.
*
Denki loved coffee even before tasting it for the first time.
He loved the smell of it lingering on his house’s kitchen, the way his father seemed so happy while drinking it and the profundity of its colour, neither brown nor black and sometimes with a hint of gold.
And he loved its flavour, of course, the sweet and bitter taste of it against his tongue and the million ways it could be prepared and still taste so rich and contradictory.
He loved coffee and the way his mother would smile while preparing it, with the attentive stares of the three coffee addicts in the household on her, as they waited impatiently for it to be ready.
And he kept loving it, even after she wasn’t there to prepare it anymore.
*
“...now I have to find a new fucking job that isn’t a total waste of time and without a shitty pay.” Bakugou growled and Kaminari kicked a can in the middle of the street, doing it a couple of times more before picking it up, talking to the other end of the line as he did so.
“I mean, you could have let that old woman shout at you? I know it would have been shitty but at least that would have let you keep your job. It would be difficult to get hired at this time of the year.” The can clanked when he throw it in the trash bin, loud enough to rival Bakugo's rude scoff.
“And let that fucker continue her life without no one telling her how much she sucked? No way. I may have been fired but shit I don’t regret anything.”
Kaminari sighed but nodded nonetheless. He was right, this world sure needed more people that would face middle class woman to suck it up and stop acting as if everyone debt them something.
Bakugou started ranting again and Kaminari readjusted his grip on his backpack, heavy because of the new assignments and homework he didn't have the energy or motivation to do.
The second part of the semester had barely started and he could already feel the fatigue and stress of the upcoming final project.The fact that he should had started planning it weeks ago wasn't helping either.
And that's why he was there that day.
The tinkle of the doorbell of The Coffee Whim welcomed him as a feeling similar to homecoming replaced the anxiety on his chest and the warm and exquisite scent of the coffee filled his nostrils.
The place was rather small, with wooden floors and big picture windows towards the main street, sofas and rounded tables spread around in an organized disorder. The walls were surprisingly empty, though: only a poster of a porcelain cup and a cork board with coffee recipes hanging on the main wall.
“I'm saving the space for your works, dear.” The owner replied when Kaminari had mentioned it casually one afternoon. “Now, where is the promised portrait of my son?”
Denki had laughed before shrugging helplessly.
“He keeps running away everytime he sees me, how can I paint a kid like that?.”
Kaminari had known Mrs. Midoriya since the opening of the café. He had wandered there one night, back in his highschool days, in the middle of a sexuality crisis that had been eating him for the last year.
He must had been looking as pitiful as he felt because she had smiled kindly to his mumbling and added extra cream and chocolate chips to his order. Kaminari had loved her since then.
She wouldn't be there that time though, having getting married only a few days ago. Her honeymoon would probably last, at least, one more month, and Kaminari sure missed her as well as he was happy for her. (The premise was still open though which he was very thankful for)
The cafe was deserted that day, no sign of Mineta or any of the other baristas at the other side of the counter. They were probably in the kitchen, playing on their phones while enjoying the lazy day.
Instead, a black haired guy was behind the register, his black eyes looking uninterested at the numbers on the screen.
Kaminari stopped in his tracks when he got close enough to see his features. The guy wasn't someone he knew but there was something, like a sensation of deja vu in the back of his mind, that made him feel intrigued.
It had happened before, when he had met some of his friends, random people on the streets or even teachers.
Kirishima used to joke it was because they had met in another universe, maybe in a world of superheroes and villains( or in a medieval world depending on whatever Kirishima's mood that day was. They all had gotten use to his writer mumbling by that point.).
“Oi, are you still there, Denki?”
Bakugou’s voice brought him back, and the blond got suddenly aware of how strange he might look there, standing in the middle of the café while staring at an stranger.
“Just about to order some coffee before heading to the dorms, want me to get you something?”
“A macchiato.”
“Got it. See ya there.”
“Be quick.”
Kaminari put his phone on his hoodie's pocket, took a long breath and went right to the register where the guy hadn’t move an inch in the last minute.
The deja vu sensation stayed there, only increasing when the guy looked up and a pair of black eyes were directed at him.
Truth to be told, he looked miserable. That close, the blonde could see the bags under his eyes, the sick pale tone of his skin and a messy hair as if he hadn’t brushed it for three days straight. He also had one long strip hanging off his hoodie’s sleeve, for some reason.
And still, Kaminari could swear he felt like electricity, shivers of excitement going through his body, like the ones he had when inspiration strike him before painting a new work.
How strange.
*
“-do chai”
Sero stared at the yellow sun eyes for a long moment, his sleep deprived brain trying to focus on what the guy in front of him was saying, his senses still too numb to process  anything that wasn't the utter pain of his back, after a whole night sitting on his desk working on a groupal homework assigned a week ago.
The guy looked around his age, tho he was significantly shorter. He black highlights in his golden hair, a pair of very pretty eyes and a friendly smile, wavering with nervousness as Sero’s silence prolonged.
Oh right. Coffee.
God, he was such a mess.
“Ah, I’m sorry but could you please repeat your order?”
The guy's smile turned sympathetic, in that weird way a college student can recognise another of their kind and their suffering.
“A macchiato and a nevado chai, please.”
As Sero worked, his arms moving as if they had been programated, he could feel the guy's gaze on him. Golden eyes following his movements with careful attention. Evaluating.  
Had they met before? Sero couldn't tell, as tired as he was, but he was sure he would have remembered him. The guy was cute he couldn't deny that.
He was so going to regret not to try to start a conversation or getting his number, once he was wide awake again.
It would be for the best tho. It was too risky, he would probably said something that would ridicule himself, or even worse, something that could offend him.
So no hitting on that dude today.
Handling him his order, Sero looked at the names written in his messy calligraphy in both cups as they slid in the counter.
Denki. Katsuki.
Which one would be his name? The name Denki certainly fit him but who knows, maybe it was the other one. Guessing his name was probably the only thing he could do right now about this guy.
“It’s Denki” the guy said, and Sero blinked, realizing that he had been voicing his thoughts out loud for who knows how long. “Thanks for the coffee”
An small alarm voice started inside sero’s head as he watched the guy leave his cheeks itching in embarrassment.
Did he..?
No, he wouldn’t think about that right now. He just wouldn't,
Going to the kitchen to tell Mineta to get the fuck behind the counter (his break had finished five minutes ago), he noticed something by the corner of his eye, something long and white hanging of his right elbow, an strip of tape probably left by the twins before he got out of home that morning, as a reminder that he still had to fulfill his promise of playing with them that afternoon.
Shit.
His future self was going to regret so many things.
*
“...and he prepared the most amazing coffee, I swear. God, how can the same coffee taste so different? Kaminari's cheeks were flushed by the excitement as he moved his hands in big gestures, his sandwich longly  forgotten in the tray in front of him.
His friends listened in different levels of attention, torned between their own food and the blonde’s story. The college’s cafeteria wasn’t really full that day so they could eat without missing a detail of the story.
“Tastes better when the barista is hot” Mina said and Kirishima laughed immediately. Kaminari wasn't going to deny it. Only facts allowed here. And it was a fact that the dude had been very attractive, yes. Just like his coffee was really good.
“You say that because you haven’t try it, but I’m serious here. It is amazing.”
“I don't know it seems biased. What do you say, Bakugou?” Said Kirisha as he elbowed Bakugo's side, who had been hearing the conversation in silence. “You went there this morning, don't you?”
Kaminari felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. He didn’t know that. And he shared a room with the dude.
“The coffee was decent”
Decent. The group let out a choir of “oh”'s in appreciation. If Bakugou was saying that then it meant it had really been something else, in a good way.
“And the guy?” Insisted Kirishima, excited for an opportunity to gossip.
Katsuki shrugged.
“Rather plain”
Kaminari rolled his eyes as his friends giggled around him. “Sometimes I think you are made of stone or something”
“You told me he had a long line of tape hanging off his elbow.”
“And that only makes him cuter”
“Uh-huh.”
“Wait, why did he have a tape strip on his elbow?”
Denki shrugged.
“It was already there when I went. He looked pretty tired too, as if he hadn't slept more than a couple of hours. And I can tell because he looked exactly like Bakugou does right now, except for the frown of course, and more handsome.”
“Shut up, dunce face.”
“Why are you so meaaan”
As the conversation trailed to another topic, Kaminari turned his attention back to his sandwich, his stomach growling in annoyance for having ignored it for so long. Mina inclined a bit into him, her black eyes staring at him with interest. “You know, you never told us his name.”
Another shrugg. “He wasn’t wearing his name tag”  
Kirishima whistled, and suddenly all the attention was back at Kaminari. “The (still up to debate) handsome barista remains like a mystery” Bakugou barely blinked when everyone turned at him. “What nickname should we gave him?”
“Soy sauce”
“Rude. I suggest You-know-who.”
“And you call mine ‘rude’?”
“Tapey” Mina intervened, and everyone turned to look at her in silence before bursting again in complains.
“That is so lameee”
“And yikes.”
“Yeah, no cool at all.”
She had shrugged and gave them an small smile behind her smoothie.
“But it works better than yours, doesn’t it?”
They were willing to fight that. And they did.
*
Kaminari went to the café that same day once the classes were over. After the conversation with him friends at lunch, the mystery guy topic didn’t leave his brain for the rest of the day, his curiosity increasing as the hours passed.
The café was slightly less empty this time. Only three persons in line and two sit around at the tables. A friendly face was behind the register too.
 “What’s up, Shouji?” He said, once his turn came, not even five minutes later. Sometimes it was like the guy had six arms or something. He moved so fast, not that he was complaining.“Feeling better after your rest? How’s Tokoyami?”
 Shouji's eyes curved friendly, his mouth hidden behind a black mask with a toothy smile printed on it. ( It wasn't Shouji's style at all, too dark and edgy for that and Kaminari could bet that it was Tokoyami's, Shouji's best friend and roommate.)
 “I'm recovered but he insisted that I should use it in case there was some germ around.” he explained, pointing at the mask. “My own are dirty so he let me his, refusing to let me go out if i didn’t wear it.”
“Aw, you guys are cute.”
Shouji ignored his comment. “Anyways, what is you order today?”
 Kaminari smiled, trying to peek over Shouji’s shoulder to see if there was someone else behind the counter. It was impossible, the dude was huge.
 “Just a latte this time.”
 His friend nodded and gave him his change before going the kitchen’s entrance, his hands holding the door open as he peeked inside. “Hey Sero, we are almost out of milk, could you please take care of these orders while I go to the back and bring some?” Some incomprehensible words and Shouji nodded before disappearing inside.
 Kaminari's heart jumped inside his chest when he saw the tall black haired boy from the day before got out of the kitchen. He was yawning lazily as he tied his apron back to its place and his face shined with recognition when he saw the blonde there.
 Both guys blushed immediately. Their gazes trapped in each other for a few seconds before quickly looking away. It was an entertaining sight for the outsiders. And it would had been almost funny if it hadn’t been so lame.
 “Your name” said Kaminari, breaking the silence. It came softly, almost like a whisper but he would take it. Better that than a cracked voice. At the barista's confused expression, he explained “You weren’t wearing a name tag the last time.” Or today.  The realisation crossed the guy’s features once he looked down to his apron to see the empty space in the front of it.
 “I probably took it off before doing the laundry. My mind has been floating around these last days” Not the best choice of words. The guy’s blush got more intense. “It’s Hanta, by the way.”
 “Nice to meet you,” Kaminari said slowly, holding back a laugh at the guy distinct dorkiness, and trying to pronounce it carefully. “Hanta”
 Hanta nodded and went back to work and Kaminari allowed himself of taking a deep breath, fanning himself with his hands to soothe his blush, drawing on the fact he was opposed to him.
 Instead of going to any of the tables or sofas, Kaminari sit in one of the tabourets under the counter and waited for his coffee, trying not to stare too much at the barista and why he found him so fascinating.
He really didn't know why he was acting that way.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t had a real crush in years so his brain was overcoming it by making him act like a highschooler now that he finally has.  
Or maybe it wasn’t and Denki was just .
The twinkling sound of the porcelain cup interrupted his train of thoughts as it was left in front of him.
“Here it is, a classic latte.”  Hanta said, leaving as quickly as he came, ready to work on the next orders.
Kaminari didn’t pay much attention to it. He was still looking down at his coffee cup, where Sero had drawn a lighting in the foam.
Denki.
He waited until it dissolved before taking a sip.
*
As the bisexual disaster that he was, Kaminari took that as a sign to keep going to the café to talk more with the barista.
It started kinda awkward and timid, polite conversations made between breaks and orders as they both tested carefully the waters before taking an step.
Sero made a move first, asking for his number one night, just after Kaminari had finished his coffee and was ready to leave.
It was then when things started to move faster. Once they reached topics they were both interested in, all shyness was left behind.
Kaminari learnt Sero had his same age and that he was studying programming. He had three brothers, one older and two young ones, all boys.
 “I like to babysit the twins.” He said when Denki asked him about them.  “They are so different and at the same time so similar to each other. It just blows my mind.”
 Sero learnt that Kaminari had one older sister and that he lived with one of his best friends. He also learnt he was taking painting classes outside the university, in a total different academy, and that he had been doing it for fun since he was ten.
 “It is not like you stop once you know all the techniques” Kaminari had replied when he saw Sero's arched eyebrows. “You keep taking them because you just love them.”
 They both liked video games and anime, and despite not liking exactly the same genres of music, they were similar enough to enjoy it. And the same went with sense of humour.
“Obviously the pikashook meme wins over the galaxy brain one.”
“You say that because it is like the golden age for pikashook but once it is over you will forget it just like any other trendy meme. But the galaxy brain one is a classic. Totally superior.”  
 There were times where they prefered to be silent, though, not because they were tired of talking, but because they enjoyed each other’s company without interruptions.
 Kaminari used to observe him behind his coffee cup in those moments, taking mental notes of his features to sketch them later, without anyone to see it.
 His art teacher had peeked over his shoulder one morning, nodding in approval at his draft.
“A nice face, you should paint him next time.” Kaminari had nodded and excused himself to go right to his dorm, hype to tell Bakugou what a professional had said and that his opinions were invalid.
 At some point, it became a custom. Kaminari would stop by the café three or four time a week, (way more times he had visited the place in the last months) with the excuse of a coffee whim to tell Sero how his day went, the good and the bad anecdotes, brightening everytime he managed to get a laugh out of him and his heart expanding on his chest everytime he smiled at him.
So Kaminari kept ordering and Sero kept delivering,to the point that the coffee Denki had loved all his life became something even bigger for him. Something brighter.
*
Sero had watched Kaminari coming week after week for over a month now.
Sometimes in the morning, other times in the afternoon but thrice a week without fail, always carrying a backpack or a notebook. The days he wouldn’t they would chat until their phones ran out of battery or some of the blonde’s friend stole it because of the ‘bros before hoes’ rule (By Kaminari’s descriptions of them, they all sounded like awesome people.).
 There would be times where Kaminari would cross the doors looking like a normal college student, wearing a jean jacket, a hoodie or in flannel, and others where he would look like a total disaster, his ripped old jeans and simple shirt covered in paint and marker stains. (Sero would secretly prefer that one a lot, with his hair tied in a messy ponytail, paint stains on a side of his face and his eyes sparkling with excitement as he asked for the day’s special.)
 And he would always smile and Sero would be lying if he said he didn’t ask his grandma for more coffee tips so he could see more of that.
 “It is weird for you to ask me all of this in such a short period of time.”she had told him in one of their calls, just a pair of days ago. Sero had tried to respond but she interrupted him. “And it can’t be only for your job. Don’t they have their own recipes? It must be for a certain someone. And I don’t like the idea of my secret tips being shared with an stranger.”
 “I’m not gonna tell anyone, grandma, I will just prepare him the coffee.”
 “So there is someone!” He decided to end the call there before she managed to get more information out of him and decided to tell his mom.
 And just like that a month passed, with them talking over coffee cups and pastries, pretending it was something as casual as a friendship and ignoring the other's blush and secret stares, if only that bought them more time to not confess their feelings.
They would talk for hours until their voices got hoarse and his cheeks numb for how hard they had laughed, and once the night came Kaminari would say his goodbye and Sero would wave back, and they both will wait for the next time, looking forward for a conversation that hadn't happened yet, but they could imagine and replay in their head in such detail that it would be like a memory.
 *
And then Kaminari broke the chain.
 He had came one late afternoon, his hair even more messy and his shoulders dropped in surrender and Sero hadn't seen someone so miserable out of final exams season in such a long time.
 “Cure my sorrows and pain with your magical coffee, oh good sir.” The blonde had mumbled, with his face against the counter, in front of where Hanta had been drying a cup because of the lack of customers in line.
 Sero hadn’t said anything, he only stared at Denki for a few seconds before going to the coffee machine and return with a big plastic cup of a caramel coloured drink, with a lot of cream and syrup on top.
 “Drown them all.” He said as he waited patiently for Kaminari to gain enough strength to rise his head and take a sip.
 The impact was obvious. Denki's eyes opened in surprise as the mix of sugar and coffee exploded in his mouth and caressed his palate.
 “Jesus Christ, what is this?”
 Sero shrugged as if it wasn’t much, but the small curve of his lips betrayed his satisfaction.
 “Just an Arequipe.”
 The blonde shook slightly his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts, watching in astonishment the divine drink he was holding .“This is the first time I’ve tasted something like this”.
He could feel some remaining cream on the tip of his nose, but he couldn't care less. He would whip it later. “It is so sweet and cold. I’m about to cry.” He really felt tempted to, only to emphasize his point. “How did you know this?”
 “My grandma is colombian, and every good colombian knows their coffee.”
 “That’s awesome.” And then a question popped in his mind and he couldn't just not ask. “Can you talk in spanish then?”
 Sero had smiled before saying:
 “Un poquito.”
 It physically hurt Denki not to scream. Dear god. Could he get anymore perfect? He made a dramatic play of a heart clenching and Sero let out a muffled laugh, watching attentive how Kaminari enjoyed his coffee.
 “Back to your issue…” He said, after a long silence only interrupted by Denki's happy sighs.
 “Give me a second to put my thoughts in order. I can't even remember it right now. This has cured my everything” He took another long sip. “Wow. Okay, so humm, well okay, I will explain it all in detail so you can’t miss a thing.” licking the cream out of his lips, Kaminari took a long breath before starting.
 “I'm an animator student, and by the end of the semester we have this huge project where we write an script of a work of our own. It is not only an script tho, but a whole presentation of our story.” he explained, fidgening in his seat. “We write it all in a notebook, adding sketches of the places and the profiles and designs of the characters and it requires so many details and work to put it all together. It is like trying to put all your ideas in something real, in paper and ink.”
 Sero let out a long whistle. “Man, that sure sounds cool”
 “And it is! But it is also very frustrating because, what if i do it wrong? What if it ends up being the worst thing the teacher has ever read? I can't deal with this pressure, the ideas just don’t come.” Or not good ones, at least. “It is like I had lost the ability to create something that actually mattered.” Kaminari blushed, noticing how much he had said already. But the waterfall of words didn’t stop and they probably wouldn’t until he had said everything.
 “And everyone seems always so focused on my work, comparing themselves with me and I don't understand. I ve seen their works and they are all so lovely, so different to my own.” The blonde bit his lower lip, as his hands played with the now empty cup. “ And i thought i was okay with that, you know. With my style being so colorful and weird and unconventional.”
 The way he said it didn't make it sound like a compliment, despite that was everyone meant when they saw his works.
It never felt like it was one though, not even once,not for him.
 “Recently when I see my ideas I just-I just can't seem to find them to be anything else than that. I only see them as obnoxious and it is killing me.”
 Kaminari thought about his notebook of sketches, the art classes and the painting he kept in his apartment, hidden of the world’s eyes. “Because I do like drawing and creating. But now i wonder if that's enough. What can an artist do when they can’t create something that isn’t garbage?”
 And cut. Kaminari took a long breath as he tried to relax his fists, his fingers numb by how strong his grip had been.
Sero hummed, and the blonde gulped in anticipation. The black haired guy seemed to be thinking about his words, his gaze low as if he was lost in his thoughts.
“I certainly can't tell you if you are or not talented enough,” he admitted, “I haven’t really seen any of your works and to be honest I don’t know if my opinion has much importance when I barely know anything about art”
Kamina wanted to fight that. Because it would, at least for him.
“But,” he said, the tip of his tongue poking softly his upper lip, as he tried to find the correct words to express his point of view. “Sometimes what makes humans to create good things isn’t only our confidence or talent, because we could have any of them, or even both, and that wouldn’t garantize us to stop procrastinating and start doing things.”
“Without resolve, us, creators, are just nothing. Because we could have many ideas, the resources and abilities to make it happen, and it would still mean nothing if we just don’t get in front of the screen or paper and start working on it. Do you have the talent? That’s really good. Do you have ideas? That’s even better. You don’t need the approval of the rest to do what you love, then why would you need it while you are creating it?”
Opening tenderly Kaminari’s fisted hands, Sero traced with his fingers the marks the nails had digged in the soft skin, looking at the stains of graphite in Denki's fingertips as he spoke.
“Have confidence and resolve, and then you will immediately have the talent everyone always talks about.”
The blonde looked at his extended palms and Sero’s own placed gently on them. They were different. Sero's fingers were longer and paler, kinda bony even. His were smaller in comparison, with round nails and rough palms. The contrast was fun to look at.
“That's” said Denki, after a short pause,where he let go Hanta's hands so he could look right at his black eyes “...some pretty good advice.
He was met with a playful smile.
“Barakamon's wise words.”
“I really do need to read the manga.”
Sighing, Kaminari smiled, his eyes shining like liquid gold as he took Sero’s hands to hold them again, their palms facing each other above the wooden table. “Thank you.” he said and Sero nodded, looking at their intertwined fingers with an small smile on his lips.
“Always glad to help.”
*
“If you could change something about yourself, what would that be?”
“Like a possible change? Or something you aren't but you wish you were?”
Denki shrugged. “As long as it is a change”
It had been a few days after the last time they had seen each other. Since the night Kaminari had gone to vent about his studies, their interactions seemed to have changed. Not a lot, but definitely different from how it was before. There was a feeling of trust there now, as well as an slight vulnerability, than instead of scare them out, only made their bond stronger, knowing the other one wouldn’t use it for their advantage.  
They also touched a lot more too. they were starting to get more comfortable in getting into the other one’s personal space, as if the hand holding event had broke an unspoken restriction of physical contact.
And Kaminari had to admit, that he liked that.
Back to the present, Sero seemed to think a bit about the question before responding.
“My hairstyle, maybe? Mina keeps insisting that I should get an undercut asap.” (Yes, he knew Mina. Apparently they went to the same university. That’s why she had being so curious about his story when his description of Sero fit her friend’s looks. The world sure was small.)
Kaminari tried to picture him with an undercut and he found out that it was easier than he thought by how much it would suit him. His face would be more visible, changing his looks from relaxed fresh boy to mature and playful guy.
He would definitely look hot as fuck.
And people would start noticing it too, sadly.
“And why don't you do it?” he said, trying to sound unaffected.
“Because I'm scared of messing it up.”
Impossible.
“What about you?” asked Sero. “What would you change?”
Kaminari didn't hesitate. “I would like to have freckles.”
The blonde played with the spoon on his empty cup, his voice and smile going softer as if he was remembering something sweet, “My dad has them and so does my sister. I think I’m the only one that just wasn’t gifted with them.”
His mother had them too, around ten in every cheek. She had many more though, in the entirety of her shoulders upper arms. Like stardust.
A gentle poke on his face startled him.
“I think you have, though they are very tenuous.”Sero’s finger touched an small dot in Kaminari’s cheek, and then another one next to his ear. “More than freckles they look like tiny moles.”
There was one just above his upper lip too, just in the border of it and another one in the arc of his nose.
Hanta's finger caressed slightly the dots, following them all as if they lead somewhere, tracing an imaginary path in Denki's blushed skin.
The last one was next to Kaminaris right eye, that was widened in awe and embarrassment.
And alarm went off inside Sero’s head, too late as he registered his action and took off his hand out of Denki's freckled face. His own face flushing in an instant. “I’m sorry, I just-” He seemed as lost of words as the blonde himself.
Kaminari opened his mouth, his voice seemed to be failing him as his intense blush seemed to extend from his whole face to the tip of his ears.
“It is alright.” he finally managed to say, “It’s okay”
Kaminari tried to shrugged it off but the memory of Sero's eyes roaming over his features, his face so close to his that he felt his breath tickling his skin made him difficult to breath.
 It had been overwhelmingly private. And somehow, deleitable.
 Sero must have been thinking something similar because his face was getting redder as the minutes passed.
 “I think your coffee is getting cold.” he croaked and  Kaminari was suddenly aware of the few people who were also at the café and the messy notes and draws that he had left on the table, that were the main reason he had came today.
 Mumbling a quick thanks and a goodbye, Denki stuffed all of his things on his backpack, his mind reproducing the moment again and again, and thoughts about what would have happened if he had close the distance between them there.
 Yep, it was definitely time to go. He would tell him about his project next time he saw him.
 Or text him. That sounded a lot better.
*
“I think I’m falling hard” said Denki that night, after staring at the ceiling for two long hours. In the bed at the opposite side of the room, Bakugou muffled against the pillot.
 “For who? The plain dude from the café?”
“Okay first of all, he’s not plain. Have you seen those arms? Or that wide back? He has the most tender eyes too…-”
“I can see where your priorities are.”
“And secondly,” continued Kaminari “he makes the best coffee in town just so you know, so he's not just any dude from the café. He’s THE dude from the Café.”
Bakugou rolled his eyes and Kaminari sighed. That wasn’t even the point of all of this.
“I'm just saying, he's so nice and funny. And so considerate and he listens and…”
And he’s special.
Because he can give an amazing advice while referencing a shonen manga.
Because his laugh is so sincere and loud and joyful.
Because he makes this furrowed expression while he tries to decipher Mineta’s chicken scrawl and because he never really minds all the harsh complains some clients say unless it is something unfair or mean to his coworkers.
Because his jokes always make me laugh and because he gets all my vine references.
Because this is the first time I’ve feeling this strong about someone.
“I just don't feel like pretending we are only friends anymore.”
The sound of the sheats and the creaking of a bed made Kaminari turned his head, his golden eyes facing his friend’s red ones, both of their expressions neutrally serious as they looked at each other.
“I don’t fucking know. Have you tried asking Mina?
“I can’t, he’s her friend and she will embarrass me trying to organise a date or something”
Bakugou seemed to bite his tongue to hold back a biter reply. He closed his eyes before taking a short breath and said, his voice even and calm. “I thought you wanted to date him?” 
“I do!”
 “I understand no shit.”
 Kaminari blushed, playing to intertwined his fingers just as he always did everytime he was feeling shy or he talked about something too personal.  “But I want to ask him myself, you know. And also, I'm pretty scared. I haven't dated anyone since high school and you had seen how good things went back then.”
 Bakugou hummed in agreement and Kaminari waited for him to say something else, the knowledge that will solve all his problems, a new point of view he had myself that the genius Bakugou had sure catched.
 And then Katsuki said: “You are pretty fucked up.”
 Kaminari almost got up to kick him and demand a true answer. Only the love for his friend and his self-preservation stopped him.
 “Don’t you have anything else to say? I already know that.”
 Silence. Or Bakugo had fallen asleep or was actively ignoring him. And since it was pretty late and his friend hated to be woken up for littleness, it was probably the second one.
 But then Bakugo’s voice came very low, almost like a whisper, and Kaminari needed all his attention, to not miss a word.
 “If you really like that asshole as you say you do,” he started, his voice steady and calm despite the harshness of his words. “then why not risk it and just ask him out? I mean, wouldn't that be better than just staying around watching him without really having any right to do more? Only because you were too scared to risk it? If you have the opportunity to make a move, because you know it is mutual, then you should stop being a pussy and just do it.”
 They both remained still a few minutes, the words hanging above their heads in the silence of the room.
 He was right.
 And yes, Bakugo most of the time was but there was something now, not only in his voice but in his attitude, that made him look more mature, softer. Like if he talked from experience. Something had changed and Kaminari couldn’t tell what, how or when it had happened, but he sure liked it.
 “Thanks man” he said and Bakugou hummed again, followed by a long comfortable silence after, the one someone shares with a roommate before going to sleep.
 And then Kaminari interrupted it with “Hey, do you know that I have freckles”
 “I would say they are more like small moles.”
 “Yeah, he said that too!”
 Bakugo groaned against his pillow. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
 “I know right”
 “When the fuck did this become a fucking sleepover talk?”
 “The moment you gave me advice. You have exposed yourself, Katsuki. Now give me all those juicy gossips. I heard from Kirishima that there's this cute boy in your Ethics classe-”
 Throwing a pilow at him, his friend screamed and cursed, the mature and empathic Bakugo disappearing in a matter of seconds leaving the classic angry dandelion they all loved and appreciated, jumping out of the bed and ready to fight Denki to death.
 Kaminari’s giggles turned into peals of laughter once he saw his friend’s blushed face, and Bakugou started to curse even more colorful and louder.
They both ignored the protesting knocks on their door for the noise, as they played catch around the room as if they were kids, the atmosphere turning playful again.
 *
Unsurprisingly, Mina arranged a date even without Kaminari asking.
“I can’t keep watching you two dancing around each other any longer.” She had said, when Kaminari had sent her a fifteen seconds long audio of him screaming “WHYYYYYYYYY”
 “It is this sunday, 5.pm., in the east entry of the Amusement Park. And you better go or I will tell Jirou to kick your ass.”
 To be honest, she didn’t need to. Kaminari was definitely going.
 Sure, he was nervous and embarrassed as heck, but the idea of spending a whole afternoon with Sero, even if it was a fake date, made him shiver with excitement.do de
 An hour before the meeting, Kaminari looked at his outfit’s reflection in the mirror for the third time already. He had bought a new pair of ankle boots only for that and even managed to convince Mina to let him one of her furry coats, after many hours of begging and promises of taking care of it over his life.
 “Should I do something to my hair?” He asked Kirishima, who was laying on couch, watching lazily Kaminari’s efforts as he ate the last bag of potato chips in the apartment. Bakugou would probably kick his ass for that later but he didn’t seem to care much by his relaxed expression as he chew.
 “Nah, leave it like that. Makes you look kinda wild” Perfect, then.
 “Should I try cherry red or raspberry fuchsia lipstick?”
 “Go fuchsia, man”
 The make up were his sister’s, who had looked at him weird when he explained her why he needed it for. “Is it really necessary? It is only your first date with this guy.”
 Yes, it was. It was part of the deal.
 12:35: hey quick question, are we really doing that date this sunday
 12:37: Yeah why not, Mina was so kind in asking me out for you.
 12: 38: She said she was done. That we’ve been delaying it too much.
 12:42: The nerve of that girl
 12:43: Some people have never watch the teletubbies and learnt the important values of life and it shows.
 12:45: I can’t believe I got asked out through my friend who also asked out the other person in my name
 12:47: It is like a fanfic plot or something
 12.48: Where the dudes decide to fake date so their friends can let them in peace
 12:50:...and we were fake dating
 12:50: omg we were fake dating
 12: 55: what the heck does someone even does in a fake date
 12: 56: idk, act like they care? Or pretend that they do not care as much as they do, depending on the fanfic.
 12: 57: let's turn it into the next level then
 12:57: I’m listening
 12:58: Let’s care too much.
 It had been an hilarious idea, and they both had agreed on it,  but as Kaminari walked to their point of reunion he wondered if he hadn’t overdone it. Maybe the lennon sunglasses were just too much. 
 Act and look like if they were a pairing out of a cliche novel shouldn't be difficult but still, there was this tiny voice in his head that told him that maybe he had went too far, that he would scare Hanta away as all his other dates back then in high school.
 But Kaminari wasn’t backing away now. He knew Sero and they had made a deal. He would have to wait to see him to see if he was up to the challenge or if he did got scared.
 And he was not disappointed.
 Just as they had agreed, Sero had been waiting in front of the ice cream bus track that always parked in front of the Amusement Park, wearing a pair of ripped sky-blue jeans, a turtleneck without sleeves and a fedora to top it all. He was also wearing hipster glasses, the thick black frame positioned elegantly in the arch of his nose, as if they had been made for him. The blonde took a mental note about asking him about his outfit later. Because damn.
 The guy was good, Kaminari had to admit, but not enough to beat his raspberry fuchsia lipstick.
 “Sorry for the wait. Ready to go?”
 Sero turned, following the sound of his voice and Kaminari waited expectantly for a reaction, something in his face that told him that he liked the blonde's outfit.
 For a moment it looked like he was about to burst into laughs but Hanta composed himself quickly before smiling charmingly and extending right arm, offering it to the blonde to hold as they walked. Cheesy.
 “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
 *
The best thing about autumn was that there was a lot of breeze.
And not the cold winter breeze, that makes your cheeks itch and freezed your fingers, no. But the refreshing autumn breeze that carried leaves around and smelled fresh and clean.
 That afternoon though, the only thing Kaminari could smell was the snacks from the food stalls around them.
 Denki inhaled deeply as he watched intensely the cans he was supposed to knock down, at least two if he wanted a decent price.
The man running the booth coughed impatiently and the blonde put his best Bakugou resting bitch face while actively ignoring him.
He was about to win this game. The man could wait.
Sero smiled apologetically at the booth's owner before elbowing him softly between the ribs. “Do you know that we still have another games to try, don't you?”
 “After I get this one. I've almost done it”
 Kaminari closed his eyes, trying to gain all the concentration before he directed his throw at his targets, with the confidence of a winner.
The luck was on his side.
The two cans that he needed fell to the ground, one of them knocking the other one as it fell, and the blonde smiled to the sound of the bell announcing his victory as the man told him to choose his price.
 “A well earned plushie for you” Denki said to Sero, handling him the small stuffed animal of a fluffy grey chinchilla hanging from a keychain.
 Sero received it with a wide smile, before hanging it from one of his belt loops. “Just for now, so I don’t lost it.” he explained. “This little guy would look perfect in my backpack.”
 Humming happily, Kaminari scratched ‘win a plushie for him’ off his to-do-list, satisfaction filling him as he took Sero’s hand on his.
 Kaminari couldn’t deny it, he was excited. He kept looking around, searching for activities to do together, trying to complete all the things-to-do in the least time possible.
 His eyes sparkled when he saw another objective, Another point of their list that they still hadn’t achieve on sight.
 Holding Sero’s hand to make him stop, Kaminari pointed a photo booth some meters behind him, the shiny lights glowing brightly, as if telling them to come inside.
“We gotta immortalise this moment,” he explained, while dragging him inside. “you don’t know when you will have another opportunity of having a fake date”  
Hanta laughed as he watched Denki’s fingers roam over the buttons and options, choosing some before changing his mind and choosing again.
 “Just choose the one the corniest one.”
 “I'm trying to do that but I want them to match with my outfit.”Kaminari hummed before selecting one. “Okay this one is the one. May you do the honours?” He asked, pointing the button that would confirm it all and started taking the pictures.
 They decided to get three pictures each once it was over.
 “You can choose first.” Sero said, before pointing at the chinchilla hanging of the loop of his jeans. “You just won me this, it would be only fair”
 “You bought me cotton candy before. We are technically even”
 “Look at this little guy, and tell me he definitely isn't worth more than cotton candy.”
 Kaminari didn’t need to look at the small puff the chinchilla was, with its tiny ears and black eyes, and its long and fluffy tail to know that it was the cutest thing he had ever seen.
 “You made a damn good point.” He said before giving Sero the ones remaining and saving the other three in the pocket of his furry coat.
 “Now let’s get in the line for the rollercoaster again, the one who screams first buys the other one a hot dog.”
 “Deal.”
*
 “You know if this wasn't a fake date then we should probably  have gone and eaten something for dinner before the food stalls close up.” Sero said, once it started to get dark. Instead, Kaminari had looked at the red sky, orange and yellow mixing as the sun descended on the sea, and nodded his disagreement.
 They had time and there was something more important to do now.
 “This is a fake date” the blonde reminded him, pointing at the attraction in front of them with decision. “so, as the fake-dating-rules say, we shall get advantage of the sunset and go and watch it in the ferris wheel.”
 Sero had looked at the ferris wheel, its colorful lights  and the small line for it, before looking back to blonde, whose eyes were shining at the idea of getting up there, the excuse clear as water.
 “Everything just to follow the fake dating rules.”
 Kaminari smiled like a kid who had just received a candy.
 *
 To be fair, the fanfics had a point in using the ferris wheel for the climax of a date.
 Sero had to admit the view from the top was pretty breathtaking. All the attraction’s lights and the people gathered around them under the orange sky. He could have appreciate it more though, if Kaminari hadn't been poking him in the leg every time he saw an All Might through the car's window as they ascended more and more.
 “Have you notice how many kids are obsessed with All Might since the new season came out?” He had said earlier, when they had come across a group of children wearing the superhero costume. “It sure does bring back memories.”
 Sero’s thoughts got interrupted by another poke from Denki, his eyes not moving from the window as he searched for the distinct blonde hairstyle amongst the crowd.
 “Oh, there's another one.” Poke.
 Hanta guy looked at the boy's features. The sunlight illuminating his face, turning his eyelashes and hair pure gold. It was entrancing,
 He looked at the curve of his cheekbones, the small moles spread around the smooth skin and those raspberry colored lips that seemed to never stop smiling.
 Sero wondered when it had been the last time he had been that immersed in someone to notice such small details, and to like every one of them.
 Never, his brain responded, you’ve never fallen this hard.
 If he kissed Kaminari right now, just as when they had joked before getting in, would the boy react well? Would he freeze in surprise, his body stiffening as Sero inclined to hug him? Would he kiss him back? His pretty eyelids closing as his tongue dance with his own?
 He could. do it right now and find out. Less than thirty centimeters. He knew he wanted to, he had wanted it for a long time, but the idea of Kaminari rejecting him fueled his hesitation.
 Kaminari poked him again, pointing at the window with a wide smile.
 “Look there's a mini Eraserhead too!”
 Hanta sighed and saw the blonde's eyes sparkling like stars, just as every time he got excited by something.
 No, Sero wouldn’t do any move today and that wasn’t something bad
 After all, Denki always was a beautiful sight.
 *
 After that one attraction they decided they couldn't delay their hunger any longer. 
 Their stomachs complained loudly, as a reminder that they hadn't received any food since lunch and Kaminari told him he knew a shortcut to the nearest McDonalds.
 They got lost because who would have thought the same streets would look so different at night?
Apparently not Kaminari.
 *
 The cashier barely blinked when she saw them: two young boys dressed as vintage models, looking exhausted and ready to faint from starvation at any moment.
 Kaminari went to search for a table as Sero ordered, releasing himself of the boots once he spotted a free table near the corner.
 Checking his phone as he reclined his tired back against the cushions of the sofa, Kaminari unlocked his phone. It had stayed forgotten in his pocket the whole day. He had many messages from Mina(demanding him details about how the day went), a pair of Jirou and even one of his sister, who was asking him when he was free so they could have quality siblings time together.
 He didn’t have any intention of answering Mina’s (at least not right now), but he answered Jiro’s and his sister’s before putting it back to his pocket, where he felt the smooth texture of the paper against his fingers.
 Kaminari looked at the pictures they had taken on the photo cabin earlier that day, both of them smiling and doing silly poses and expressions. Each of them funny and completely unique.The last one was his favourite though. A picture of they laughing while looking at each other's eyes, totally lost in their own private joke.
 Sero appeared a pair of minutes later, carrying a tray with their orders.
 “So, a Macnificent, a Big Mac, two big portions of fries and one milkshake to share.”he said, holding two straws up so Kaminati could see them.
 The blonde smiled cheekily, an eyebrow playfully raising as he looked at the straws.
 “Damn it, boy, you really want to get in my pants, don’t you”
 Hanta laughed, his eyes shining with amusement behind his glasses.
 “Oh right I've been wanting to ask you, where did you get those glasses?
 “They are actually mine” Sero explained as he took a bite of his burger. “though I mostly use them at home.”
 “You wear contacts all the time?”
 Sero shrugged. “I used to play volleyball in high school, so I had to get use to them.” He quirked his nose as if remembering something painful. “Volleyball and glasses aren't a good match.”
 Kaminari cleaned his hands in the napkin before direct them to Sero’s glasses. He pulled them off and then on again, humming thoughtfully as he watched the other guy's face.
 “It is weird, no, not weird, but seeing you with glasses… I don't know it feels different.”
 “You know I'm nailing the Jeff Goldblum look”
 “Blasphemy.” Kaminari said before nodding appreciatively.  “But seriously, it isn't bad. think I actually like it.”
 “I can't believe you when you are wearing Barney's furr.”
 “Tell that right to Mina's face.”
 The guy arched an eyebrow before pointing at Kaminari’s mouth.
 “Is the lipstick also hers?”
 “My sister's. It was this one or cherry red. I look amazing in both either way.”
 “Woah you sure took your time to choose your outfit, huh”
 Denki rolled his eyes.
 “And you are telling me you didn’t? or is that turtleneck  yours?” He snatched playfully the hat, Sero's smirk turning wider as Kaminari put it over his own head “And the rest?”
 Sero snickered and sipped through his straw before nodding. “We may look extra but that isn't something bad” He looked so happy and relaxed there that Denki’s heart couldn’t help but flutter in his chest.
 Christ, this guy was too much for him.
 “We do, indeed.”
 *
 After that, they walked on silence to the bus stop, hearing the sounds of the street once the night was on its full.
 Kaminari had given up on the boots, not willing to put them on again after freeing his feet, so he was walking on his socks now.
 “At least until the bus arrives”, he explained to Sero’s exceptical look, “No way I’m walking bare feet on that cold metal.”
 That had been once they got out of the restaurant. They were in silence now, the knowledge that the date was close to its end hanging heavy in the air.
 “I had fun today” said Sero and Kaminari smiled back at him. He had smiled and laughed so much that day that only by doing that  his cheeks hurt. How cool was that?  A lot. A hella lot
 “Yeah me too, I gotta thank Mina later for this”
 He could already see Mina’s knowing-all smile, and her cheeky attitude once he told him how it all went. The worst part is that he really wanted to share it with her. She could be kinda nosy sometimes but she was always there when you need her. Kinda like a heroine.
 “What did she say to you to convince you?” Kaminari asked, not even trying to hide his curiosity at that point. The whole day had been a ride (both figurative and literally.) and he was too tired to pretend right now.
 “Isn’t being Mina enough?” Sero said and Kaminari nodded in an unspoken “Touché”  as the silence sunk between them again.
 At least until Sero asked suddenly. “Why do you think she had to convince me?”
 The world seemed to stop then.
 Kaminari gaped at him, his mind suddenly blank and his cheeks burning. His mouth moved automatically, the words leaving his tongue in an instant.
 “Let’s go on a date again.” Both of them blinked at each other and Denki explained quickly: “Not today, of course! I meant another day, you know, without all of this fake dating thing.” Biting his lip nervously he said: “As ourselves.”
 He could hear his heartbeats as he waited for an answer, playing with his fingers as he saw Sero’s mouth move in response.
 “Bold of you to think I haven't been myself the whole day.”
 Kaminari arched an eyebrow, then looked at Seros exposed arms and then back at his face. The guy snickered. He had been obviously kidding, the idiot. How dare he, didn’t he know how nervous he-
 “Alright.” Sero said, shutting any complain up inside Kaminari’s head. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
 Hanta’s hand reached for his own, playing gently with his fingers before intertwining them and his smile was blinding and beautiful and Kaminari wondered why it took him so much to ask him out, thanking Mina a million times in his head.
 “This time for real.” Sero said and Kaminari nodded. He couldn’t wait.
 *
 “Dude,” said Kirishima “this universe is so good.”
 Kaminari spinned even faster on his chair, the world turning a blur around him. He was feeling particularly anxious that afternoon, which wasn’t contributing to his creative mood. An that was the main reason he had stayed in his room that day, instead of going to the café as always. To finish the rough draft of his project.
 That had been the plan but...
  “They are not gonna end up together, aren't they?” Kirishima asked and Kaminari winced internally. No, he didn’t plan to. They were only friends, their romantic partners weren’t going to appear until a few more events later.
 “Please, tell me Elysia isn’t going to die.” She was already an orphan, no way he wasn’t giving her a happy ending.
 “Aren’t you asking too many questions?” Bakugo frowned in confusion, pointing with his chin at the rest of the papers gathered around the carpet. “Isn't it all draw and written there?”
 “Yes, but there’s parts that aren’t complete” Kirishima said as he handled the notes to Katsuki.“It is so good”
 “It is still a work in progress,”Kaminari explained, as he stand up to open the window. So many spins had made him feel nauseous and he needed some fresh air to calm down a bit. There was also another reason, but he tried to ignore it “Just some ideas written around. I don’t even have a main character yet.”
 “How is that possible? Dude, you have no idea how much I love it, I’d write a 34k fanfic about this, I’m dying to get to know more about this world.”
 The fact that it was Kirishima the one saying that just made Kaminari’s anxiety grow stronger on his chest.  He hadn’t been planning on showing it to his friends yet. Specially not Kirishima. They had just bursted in the middle of it, holding a bag with soda and snacks and declaring it a movie night.
 And he was happy to see them, he always was, but he felt like he needed some time for himself for now. To create and think. And definitely not dealing with the pressure of his work being examined by his talented and creative friend.
 “You don't have to compete with his ideas or do the same thing you know.” Mina said and Kaminari felt ashamed instantly, despite probably not being his fault at all. She was just too good at reading people.
 The girl was looking at him from her position in the bed, far enough so the other two couldn’t hear them. “He doesn't really realises how intimidated people can get just by hearing his opinions, despite them being always positive. He’s that dense about his talent.”
 Mina looked at the guys, to Bakugo’s thoughtful expression as he read the profiles of the characters and Kirishima’s excited chatter, showing the spiky blonde some of the landscapes Kaminari had draw.
 “But the same goes for you.” continued Mina and Kaminari looked back at those black eyes, which looked at him with sincerity. “Believe me when I say we all admire you as or even much more than you admire us. You create such pretty things, Denki. And you bring them all to live with only a pencil or a brush and it is amazing. Like, really amazing.”
 “We also know you had been having a creator’s block since some weeks ago.” Kaminari blinked at that, honestly surprised. He had tried to act like it hadn’t been bothering him but it seemed nothing went over his friends’ heads. Specially when you have someone as observant as Bakugou as your roommate. “Just don’t be scared in telling us your artistic problems, okay? We may not totally understand them but we want to be there for you. For everything.”
 “I will, I promise.”
 The pink haired girl smiled and layed totally down on his bed, pointing at the two other boys, who were still talking about the project. “You should try to add Sero to the squad you know”
 “Oh my god, Mina.”
 She shrugged. “If you won’t do it, I will.”
 And the worst thing was that Denki actually knew she would.
*
Sero looked at the board without looking, his fingers tapping softly against the desk, in an imaginary rhythm only he could hear. In the front of the classroom the teacher was explaining something that sure would come in the exam but he had given up on trying to pay attention long ago. (He would have to ask his friends to send him their notes later, the audio he was recording wouldn’t be enough.)
There was only ten minutes left for the class to be over and still it felt like forever. Sero sighed as he unlocked his phone, not even bothering in going unnoticed.
 1:20: Hey, do you like sushi?
 1:23: is that where you are gonna take me today? ;)
 1:23: Yeah, I like it. Let's go for Bubble tea at some point too
 1:24: And pair it up with donuts :sparkle: :sparkle: :sparkle:
 1:25: you know me ;*
 “Who’s that?” Sero startled in the middle of his response and Satou hummed, peeking over his shoulder while trying to read what was on the screen.“Your girlfriend?”
In the seat on his left, Ojiro snickered.
“Don’t you know?” he said, reclining in his chair in the seat on his left as if he was telling them a secret. “He has a date today”
 His friends let out a choir of whistles that turned into laughs when they saw Sero’s irritated expression.
 “So that’s why you had been distracted the whole class, uh?” Hanta rolled his eyes despite the assumption being absolutely correct. But they didn’t need to know that.
 The bell rang and the teacher dismissed them all with a nod and Sero used the opportunity to fled off the classroom, not willing to give any more details to his friends that they will sure save for blackmail him later.
 The day was sunny, which was weird, being winter so close, but Sero enjoyed the warm sunlight as he walked to the meeting  point, his heart beating strongly in his chest with anticipation.
 Kaminari wasn’t there yet, which wasn’t a surprise. Sero had noticed that the blonde always seemed to be running to get on time to his meetings. He tended to get distracted very easily and once he realised how much time has passed, he was already late.
 Sero spotted Kaminari as he turned a corner, watching him waiting for the traffic light to turn red before crossing the road.
 No ankle boots, lennon glasses nor raspberry lipstick. Just the classic Denki, with his hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a jean jacket and a simple t-shirt, looking as excited and nervous as he felt.
 A date as ourselves.
 It wasn’t that unplanned tho. They would go for sushi and watch a movie. Hanta had already bought the tickets, two seats in the middle row (not too close, not too far) for the 10PM play.
 In the meantime they could do whatever they wanted.
 “Let’s go to the arcade,” Kaminari said, once they got out of the restaurant. They spent two hours there before getting bored and that’s when they started suggesting places to go, dismissing the ones that would take too much time for another occasion.
 No to the zoo, yes to the karaoke.
 Who would have known that Denki knew a respectable list of 70’s songs?
No to the ice skating parlor, yes to abandoned house near the park.
 It was all laughs and fun until they found a creepy doll. They ran their asses outta there.  
 “I feel like eating ice cream” said Kaminari, once they got near the beach, the colourful light of the Amusement Park shining in the distance. Sero was following some steps behind him, feeling the breeze against his skin and revolving his hair. He felt tempted to take his shoes off and submerge his feet on the sea, hearing the sound of the water splashing with every step he make.
 And then he looked up to find Denki doing exactly that. He was already calves in, his jeans rolled up so they didn’t get wet as he jumped around.
 “What are you waiting for?” He said and Sero shook his head to him, not even trying to hold back his smile. Because, of course, Denki had had the same impulse. Sero would never get tired of discovering the puzzle Kaminari Denki was.
 Leaving his converse next to Denki’s, Hanta ran to the sea, the cold water caressing his skin as he joined the blonde.
 *
Hours later, they were still on the beach, throwing rocks at the sea and competing to see who throw it the farthest. The conversation had died a while ago, both of them enjoying each other’s company under the starry sky.
Kaminari wasn’t paying much attention to the competition though, because right there, sitting that close to Sero on the sand, he could see every feature of his face, from the tip of his ear to the curve of his chin.
 Bakugou’s comment echoed inside his head. “Plain”.
 “Oh, shit our movie is starting in half an hour” Hanta said, when an alarm on his phone ran off. He didn’t rush Denki as he put his shoes on though, waiting patiently as the blonde shook the sand out of his jeans. “Do you think we have time to get some bubble tea on our way there?”
 Yeah, Denki still couldn’t see how an smile like that could have any of ordinary.
 “There’s always time for bubble tea.” He answered and the taller guy chuckled, holding his hand as he lead the way to the mall.
 *
Sero’s stupid jokes and Denki’s obnoxious laughs almost got them kicked out of the theater, almost an hour later. They didn’t care though, they were too busy eating the donuts they had hidden in their clothes, sugar powder falling falling on their jeans and covering their cheeks as if they were kids again. Indeed, a perfect date.
 *
Following the map on his phone, Sero took a moment to compare the address before entering into an small neighbourhood. White and beige houses were displayed in order with mailboxes with the family names written elegantly on them and Sero stopped in front of the only house that was breaking the silence, and that coincidentally matched the address that Mina had sent him.
 The sound of the drums was loud and probably the reason no one answered the doorbell, so Sero found himself following the tunes through the already open doors of the garage and hoping it didn't count as trespassing. And by the sight of the animal print backpack dropped in one of the wooden chairs of the garden, Sero knew he had found the right house.
 Mina had failed to mention that there would have been more people there too. (And it had been on purpose, Sero could tell, after spotting Denki in a corner of the garage, casually playing the guitar as he heard his friends yelling beside him.)
 “You gotta get the tempo right! Have in mind that they all will follow you, idiot.” screamed one of them, an ash blonde guy with a frightening scowl and angry red eyes.
 “I know!” The guy in the drums responded, a redhead with strong arms and a sprightly smile, that didn’t even flinched when the blonde slapped the back of his head, as if he was used to it.
 “Then why do you keep accelerating, you dumbass!” growling, the blonde turned to Denki, noticing Sero’s presence by the corner of his eye.
The sudden silence made the other two to look up to his direction, the spiky redhead barely raising an eyebrow as Denki’s eyes widen in stupefaction.
 “What are you doing here?” Denki asked when he approached him. He was smiling though, and Sero felt his body relax under his golden gaze.
 “Mina forgot his speaker and told me to get it for her since I was still at uni.” Sero hold the bright pink device up so Denki could see it. “What was all of that?”
 Denki smiled sheepishly, his gaze turning at his friends.
 “do you see the spiky redhead there? That’s Kirishima. He usually plays the bass but suddenly he decided he wanted to try the drums.” Hanta looked at the boys who were back at their bickering. “Bakugo’s been trying to teach him but he’s too impatient. Mina got tired of them so she went to the kitchen for snacks.” he explained. “Give me a second I will go for her”
 Sero felt the gazes turn at him once more after Denki disappeared behind a door. They didn’t say a thing though, they just stayed there evaluating him in terrifying silence while Hanta did his best in trying to ignore them. Denki used to look at him like, before they exchanged numbers and stories.Sometimes he still looked at him like that.
 “Sero!” exclaimed a feminine voice and Sero barely had time to blink before a body collided with his and hold him in a tight hug. Mina’s pink curls tickled his neck and Sero chuckled as she released him as fast as she had came. She had already taken the speaker out of his hands before he could say a word. (It wasn’t really a surprise to find out she was already friends with Denki. They both had the same chaotic energy, Sero was more surprised he didn’t take it for granted.)
 What happened after that was a blur in his memory. Sero had mentioned something about going back and suddenly Mina was shoving Denki by the wrist at him, saying something about their houses being in the same direction before pushing them both out of the garage and closing the door behind them with an slam.
 “Do you tend to do this a lot?” he asked, once he recovered. Denki’s guitar wouldn’t fit on his bicycle so Hanta was leading it as they walked, his eyes fixated on the pavement in front of his feet.
 “We are approaching finals so we wanted to release some stress making noise before starting again.”said the blonde “Sometimes when we are all free we give small concerts.”
 Hanta turned his head to him so fast he nearly strained his neck, his mouth falling open in shock. “You are kidding me”
 Denki tried to hold back his smile by biting his lower lip instead. He seemed kinda proud as he talked. “I’m seriously not. Kirishima’s uncle has an small bar and he lets us play there from time to time.” He turned in a corner and Hanta followed him. They had already passed the avenue that leaded to his own home but Hanta didn't care, he was enjoying the company. “We are trying to find someone that knows how to play the music keyboard so if you are interested, just tell me.” He winked, jokingly and Hanta seriously considered telling him that he actually knew the basics only to see his cheeks turning a cute shade of red.
 Denki stopped in front of an apartment building and suddenly the atmosphere was heavy again, crowded in unsaid questions.
 “We are here” the blonde said, and Hanta wanted to believe his hesitation was because he didn’t want to say goodbye either. Not yet. “is your house near?”
 “We may have passed it already.” Hanta confessed and since he was already doing that, he decided to risk it, trying to ignore his heart throbbing like crazy inside his chest. “I just wanted to expend some more time with you.”
 Denki gaped like a fish for a few seconds, his eyes not meeting his as he opened the door, the invitation clear in his tone as he said, “What about a movie then?” and before Sero could say something he was already inside, and the taller guy could swear he saw a hint of redness in his ears.
 The blonde’s apartment was on the second floor and it was bigger than Hanta expected, enough for two people to live there without feeling like trapped in a cage. It’s interior was red brick, with a white ceiling that matched the rug that covered the center of the wooden floor.
There were two beds, at the opposite wall of the entrance door, and two personal wardrobes next to each one. A white door was between them, probably the entrance of the bathroom, and windows in the sidewalls.
The small living room was formed by a green sofa, a beanbag and a desk in each sidewall, with two shelves above each of them.  
 The blonde had told him that he shared the place with Bakugou, so Hanta was expecting his side to be kinda rough, something that was a resemblance of his attitude.
Intead, Bakugo's side was impeccable, and it was Kaminari's side the one that looked chaotic, painting utensils, clothes, manga and papers were scattered everywhere, as if it was a tornado’s doing.
 But the most noticeable thing was the canvas that was displayed on the sofa, a painting of a woman with her eyes closed and flowers in her hair, her golden curls adorning a face covered in freckles.
 “She's my mom” Kaminari said and Hanta noticed that while he was there daydreaming, Denki had already picked everything up. “It is my best painting so far.”
 And he might not said it, but Hanta had the feeling that it was also the most important for him.
  “You look a lot like her.” Hanta said and Kaminari smiled, trying to ignore the ache he felt on his chest, a pain he felt every time he saw the painting.
It was a bittersweet feeling, of having someone you lost in front of you, so detailed and perfect and still, finding it lacking: no trace of the sound of her laugh, the shine of her eyes, the tinkle of her voice as she called him and his sister for dinner.
It was empty, and still, it managed to fool his eyes.
 “I get that a lot.” Denki responded. “It seems I took a lot after her and my sister after my dad. I don’t have the curls or freckles tho, as you can see.”
 In all honesty, Kaminari forgot the painting was there, he had gotten used to think it was inside his closet, hidden of the world and his own eyes. But his sister had com to visit the day before and he knew he couldn’t not tell her about it, between her visit, that lasted until midnight, and the early band practice from today, Denki had forgotten everything about the painting,that was there in the middle of his sofa for everyone to see.
 Sero hummed thoughtfully before asking,“And why the flowers?”
 The question shouldn’t have hurt so much.
 “They are lillies. She loved nature. Our whole house looked like a flower shop, we had so many plants there.” It still did. His father never stopped taking care of her plants, no matter how tired he was after a full day of work. His father, who had to raise two children alone and that drinked tea instead of coffee since she passed away. “She didn’t seem to have a favourite though, so I had to do my research on them to decide which one I should choose.”
 He didn’t dare to ask his father if she had a favourite plant. He was the man that lost his heart but kept living nevertheless.
The love story of their parents always amazed him. A college girl who met his future husband in a beach concert. A guy that played in a rock band  and that fell for the girl whose arms were covered in flower tattoos, petals and leaves decorating her skin.
 “Yellow lillies are beautiful and elegant.” explained Kaminari, brushing softly with his fingertips the painted  blossoms.“They also symbolize thankfulness and desire of enjoyment. There’s people who associates them with negative meanings, bad luck, falsity, as well as happiness or joy.” Kaminari wondered what kind of face he was making. Was it reflecting the homesickness he was feeling?  “I decided to stay with desire of enjoyment. Because my mom was like that, free and soft and extraordinary.”    
 Their mom told his sister that falling in love with their father was easy, that she felt so quickly that it was alarming. And that still, she felt no fear, because her love was bigger than it. A love like that. So big, so deep. So easy.
 It sounded like a fairy tale and still, he witnessed it, how they were around each other. As if they were about to burst into a musical at any moment,
 “Disgustingly in love”, would say his sister, always smiling.
 “She sounds like an amazing person.” Hanta said, and Denki blinked away the tears he didn’t know that were gathering in the corner of his eyes.
 “She was.” he agreed and then he added, “I still can’t decide which one of you makes a better coffee though.”
 *
 Sero looked at the calendar and counted again the days he had left until his deadline. Almost a month. Then he counted the days he would need to study for his other exams, the homework he still had to do and the courses that would probably leave him more. That leave him with two weeks more or less. Two weeks to finish the prototype of a videogame for the most important course of the semester.
 He should have started it already. Actually, he had but he didn't plan on using that first attempt as his final work. So he was behind the schedule, but it was alright, because he would rather sacrifice some nights of sleep now than later, he would the energy once exams arrive.
 It wasn’t a pleasant thought, tough.
 Maybe if he finished on time he could ask Denki out again, maybe this time to the zoo, or any of the other places they had agree to visit another time, in their latest date.
Sero knew it would be impossible. By the time he’d finish, exam's week would had already started, and Denki would be busy with his own exams as well. Hanta hoped he wasn't as stuck as he was with his project, because the blonde had been sending him his ideas for already three weeks and Sero thought that it would be a shame if he didn’t see the end of that story.
What was the advice he had told to Denki, around two months ago, about being a creator?
 “Have confidence and determination and then the talent would bloom” Hanta whispered to his ceiling. Or something amongst those lines.
Where did that come from? Definitely a moment of inspiration, Sero couldn’t imagine himself saying something like that again, not even in his best pep-talk.
 But he did, once, and Denki had believed him and the prove of it wa sthe pictures he had now of his phone, sketches and messy notes that created new worlds by themselves.
 Finish on time. Do it right.
He didn’t need to choose between them if he made other decision instead.
 Sighing, Hanta picked up and dialed the numbers of the Coffee Whim.
*
“It is finals week in our uni” Shouji said when Kaminari had asked him about Sero's absence. “He has taken the last two weeks off, though I wouldn't be surprised if he didnt come some days after. You know how tiring it can be”.
 Kaminari had nodded and thanked for the coffee before going back to his place on the sofa.
 He hasn't seeing Sero since that movie night, almost three weeks ago. They hadn’t text much either, between his classes and homeworks, the blonde’s energy focused on study to pass his exams, that were just about to start that week. And now, knowing that Sero was the busy one made it impossible.
 So the week passed, with the café empty and no sign of Sero, Kaminari coming everyday once the afternoon started and his exams were over, looking at the register and sitting on the table beside the window, drawing and writing, his story taking form in front of his eyes as the ink filled the white pages of the notebook. An story about a ordinary character, that by being surrounded by the unconvencional, was unique.
 *
 A knock on the door brought Sero back to the reality.
The door opened swiftly to show his mother, holding a tray with sandwiches and a big milkshake and the boy’s stomach growled loudly with hunger. “I brought some snacks.” she said and just then Sero realised he had been working non stop for seven hours. His fingers felt cramped and his back and neck felt as tense as a violin cord. The incomplete software was shining in his laptop screen, reminding him the time left he had to finish it and some parts of the story he still had to add. But those sandwiches looked good and so did the milkshake, and his mother had made them for him after arriving home after work so Sero decided to stop for a minute. He needed a break.
 His mom stayed in the room, sitting besides him in the bed as she watched him eat, her black eyes shining in relief and the slight hint of an smile in the curve of her lips. She was still wearing her work attire, a long tube skirt with a white blouse and a red handkerchief around her neck. She hadn’t even took his make up off and Sero felt a wave of love filling his chest despite the numb state his brain was at the moment. His mom sure was the best.
 “How was work?” he asked, once his stomach calmed enough to let his brain formulate words. There was only one sandwich left but Sero concentrated on the milkshake, enjoying the sweet flavour against his tongue.
 His mom shrugged. “Kinda boring.”
 “No interesting stories then?”
 “Oh no, there's always drama in the airport. Nothing really remarkable this time tho.” her long red nails brushed his hair from the front to the back, as she did when he was a kid. He must really look horrible if she was doing that. “What about you? Are you close to finish it?”
 Hanta didn’t look at her eyes.“Something like that.”
 “One of those days, uh” Sometimes she could read him too easily.
 Sero fidgeted in his chair, suddenly interested in the shelf in front of his bed, his figures way more interesting than his mother evaluating gaze.
 “Remember when your brother taught you how to ride a bike?” she said after a moment and Sero couldn’t help but raise a brow..
Teach was an overstatement.
“You mean when he just left me in the top of an slope and waited for me to do it by myself.”
 “Yes, I taught him that way too”
 Sero hold back a laugh. So that's why his brother never got grounded.
 “Also he told me you already knew the basics, it was time for him to let you go.”
 “Debatable.”
 She ignored him.
 “I've seen many parents helping their kids when they learn. And I did that too, at the beginning.”
 “Marco only did it like four or five times” Sero replied.
 “More than enough. I only did it tree times for him.”
 “Jesus, mom.”
 “Don’t be like that, it was a very small slope.” She said  “what i mean is that sometimes kids just need to prove the hardest thing, just to acquire something more important that succeed: experience. Oh, don't look at me like that, niño. Or are you gonna tell me that you didn’t enjoy the rush of adrenaline once your brain assimilated the fear and proceed to act? Overcoming it and try to do something. Anything! Because If you were going to fall, you would fall by your own terms.” Her soft hand cupped his cheek and Sero reclined in it.
 “Sometimes i feel like you have changed a little with your experiences, but that’s okay, because you are still turning out and you learn from your mistakes. Just remember that I will always be here to remind you that sometimes it is better to take a risk. In everything.”
 She kissed his forehead and Sero sighed, inevitably.
 “Don’t doubt and don’t be scared, because when you are already falling you have nothing to lose. And knee scraps almost never leave scars.”
 *
 He was late.
The teacher had had a problem with her car and the class representative had told them to wait for another hour until she arrived. They just couldn't leave their notebooks, she wanted to ask them about them, confirm that they were the right authors and to exploit every piece of information they had not noted.
So they needed to wait.
The hours seem to last eternities and Kaminari had never hated that his last name was one of the lasts in the list.
The traffic was a disaster too. Winter had came and with it the snow and half of the buses in the city were stuck in the traffic. More time passed as he waited for a bus that never seemed to came and Kaminari was late, so he decided to ran.
He ran through the cold streets, his breath creating puffs in the cold air as he ran all the way to the café.
He wished it didn’t close, that maybe Sero was still there, delaying it because someone told him that Denki had gone there everyday and that he planned to do the same that day too.
And Kaminari ran. And he wished.
 *
 Sero had closed the cafe late that day.
It had been a busy day. It was the last day of finals and the eve of a long vacation term and the college students felt like treating themselves with caffeine and sugar after having survived hell.
 Mineta was still mia (he would call him later, the dude always overdone it for finals) and Shouji had left early so he could go out with his (boy)friend. (Sero had to insist. He had been the only one working while the rest of them studied. He deserved the break.) He himself had finished his exams the day before, and he had never felt prouder of presenting a work on time. (He slept for fifteen hours after that, practically fainting on top of his bed with a victory smile.)
 Right then though, he took orders, prepared, served and even greeted some friends and familiar faces, compensating for the days of absence with even more energy while doing his tasks.
 “A vanilla cappuccino and a macchiato” a voice said and Sero looked up from the register to found himself in front of Denki’s roommate and friend, Bakugou, who was looking as exhausted and dead inside as everyone else.
 Hanta wondered if he should greet him or try to make an small conversation, after all he had been in the guy’s house, but Bakugou didn’t make any sign of recognising him. Instead, the blonde looked silently at the small box next to the register before picking up one of the chocolate chips cookies bags displayed in it, not willing to look at Sero at the eyes as he asked for the price.
 “I thought Denki would have been here” Bakugou said, while receiving his change. Hanta frowned in confusion.
 “I hadn’t seen him in weeks”
 “You must be blind then because he had come everyday in the last week”. Sero’s eyes widened in surprise and the blonde looked at him with curiosity before going back to his table, handling the cookie bag to the freckled guy that was waiting him there.
 Hanta repeated that part of the conversation in his head for the rest of the night, unaware of the passing of the time as he swept the floor and cleaned the tables.
 He didn’t notice the clock marking that it was already half an hour after closing time, or the clumsiness of his movements as tiredness started to affect him.
 And once he heard the footsteps and the doorbell as the doors opened, every sign of exhaustion vanished from his body, his heart stopping for a second at the sight of a messy blond, with his cheeks and hands pinks for the cold and his breath uneven as he gasped, “A coffee, please”
 Compared to outside, the Coffee Whim was cozy and warm and Kaminari’s muscles relaxed at the change of temperature.
Hanta had gone behind the counter, opening and closing cupboards before pouring the ingredients in the machine with ease.
Denki just observed, taking every detail of him in, trying to find small changes compared to the last time they had met. But aside from the bags under his eyes, practically hidden behind the frame of his glasses, he found none and he found it more comforting than he thought.
 An small cup was slid softly to his direction and Kaminari looked down to the smiley face Sero had draw on the foam, the sweet smell of the coffee filling his nostrils before taking it to his lips.  
 “This…” he whispered, after a long sip and Hanta’s smile made Kaminari’s heart made a somersault in his chest.
 “This time it is not a Nevado, it is too cold for that.” Sero explained, “ But I thought you might needed something sweet. This is the warm and original version: An Arequipe Latte.”
 Kaminari sighed happily, his body welcoming the hot drink as his tongue drowned in its sweet taste. A cozy feeling filling him from head to toes the more he drank it.“I'm gonna marry you one of these days.” he said and Sero huffed at his dramatism.
 Once he had finished it all, the blonde asked, “I see your finals are over. How did it go?”
 Hanta shrugged. “It was rough, not gonna lie, but it turned out fine at the end. Very good actually, I’m satisfied with the results.” He poked kindly Denki’s hand, positioned on top of the wooden table. “And yours?”
 “I won't know the results till monday but I'm positive.” Denki thought of his project, his explanation of it and the teacher's face as she checked the notebook. He closed his eyes at the memory of her asking him if she could keep it for a few days and the encouraging smile she gave to him before closing the door behind him. “I really want to nail this.”
 “I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure you are gonna kick some asses there.”
 Denki mirrored his smile and then there was silence between them again, a comfortable one, as they both lost in the comfort that being with each other was.
 At least until Kaminari’s phone rang, the pop song cutting the atmosphere like a knife.
 It wasn’t nothing important, only an old alarm he had forgotten to deactivate, but it reminded Denki how late it was, his muscles suddenly aching with the realization.
 “I think it is time to go home” he said, rather hesitantly, as he got up of the chair. He didn’t make any more move though, watching Hanta as he put his coat on and turning the last lights off before getting next to him to walk to the bus stop together.
 The snow had already started to accumulate in the streets by the time they spotted the bus stop from afar, and despite being a cold night, Kaminari found himself extending his arm to catch the snowflakes, even if they gave him goosebumps when they made contact with his skin. Carefully, Hanta took his hand on his own to put them both in his coat’s pocket, protecting them of the cold temperature, the warm of his palm transfering to his own.
 “You know, I tend to do stupid things when I’m tired.” said Sero, as they approached more and more their destination. Their steps had turned slower though, prolonging their time together as long as possible neither of them wanting to say goodbye.
 Hanta hadn’t let go his hand yet, and Denki felt his hand squeeze his as Sero turned his body to face him, so close, he could see through his glasses clearly.
 “Really? I do them all the time” said Kaminari, suddenly out of breath and his eyes roamed over Hanta’s features, searching for any sign that revealed a doubt, a rejection. There was none. Quite the contrary even, as Denki watched his lips quirk in a shy smile, the blush extending to his ears as Hanta looked back at him, at his lips. “It must be really annoying.”
 “It is,” Hanta said and then there was a hand caressing softly Denki’s cheek, raising his chin with cold fingers and touching lovingly the corner of his mouth, and the blonde felt a dejavu as he felt his breath against his skin, his heart stopping as Hanta whispered, “but I think I won’t call it a mistake this time.”
 The long awaited kiss was soft and tender, almost shy, and both guys closed his eyes as they hugged each other closer, their lips parting almost immediately with craving. It tasted sweet and slightly bitter and Denki stood on his tiptoes to get to taste more of it.
 Hanta and coffee, coffee and Hanta.
 He almost whined when they had to separate to breath, joining their foreheads together as Hanta chuckled against his mouth.
 “Suddenly I feel like drinking coffee again.” He said and Denki pulled him down by the collar of his coat because for the first time on his life, he did not. He found that he liked Hanta’s lips even more.
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scornedlove · 5 years
Text
Chapter Twenty One
ROBYN
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“Thanks for coming with me today.” Melanie beamed, showing her pearly whites as she arranged her photos on the display. Jermaine usually accompanied her during festival events she worked to keep her company, but since we were leaving for Barbados tomorrow, we made it a girl’s night. She was a vendor for “Jazz on the Lawn” this year, a cultural event for arts in the city. She brought sixteen photographs and sold half in the first hour we’ve been here, I felt like a proud big sister.
“Of course, you know this is my kind of shit; food, music, and art. It’s like we’re getting a head start for crop over, I wish Rayven would’ve came.” I frowned, thinking about how antisocial she’s been lately. She seemed to be back to herself, but different all together. She’s a lot quieter than before and a complete homebody. She doesn’t leave home, other than when we go to work. I never thought it was possible, but I’m starting to miss her smart mouth.
“She’ll get back to herself eventually, but I like the new Rayven a little better” she admitted with a shrug. "And this don’t compare to crop over, I can’t wait”
“True, but I swear this event is twice as big as it was the last time I came. When Chris and I used to come here together, I would lay out on a blanket and listen to the music while he sold his paintings, and it was never this many people” I reminisced aloud, while rocking along to the band currently playing.
“Un-un. You gotta stop doing that” she frowned, shaking her head.
“Doing what?” I asked confused. I was only doing a slight rock to the beat, if she was already embarrassed, she hadn’t seen nothing yet.
“Stop referencing him in every conversation” she criticized, before turning on her professional face and voice to approach a couple who was coming over to browse her photos. She talked as they browsed until they found one they both couldn’t walk away from.
“You gotta understand that it’s hard not to mention him, we were together for almost as long as I been here. He’s apart of damn near every memory I have, especially in the city” I explained, as soon as her customers were out of ear shot.
“I’m sorry sis, but it’s time to make some new memories. Have you talked to Dre recently?” she asked changing the subject. She swore he was the answer to my problems, but I begged to differ. He’s just as damaged as I am, only difference is he doesn’t even realize it.
“No. I’ve been so busy.  Working non-stop. We’ll be dropping the uh winter collection for River Island soon” I stammered while playing with my hair.
“Excuses, excuses” she rolled her eyes, giving me a dismissive wave. “That boy loves you. You need to give him a real chance”
“What makes you think he ‘loves’ me?” I scoffed, entertaining her assumptions.
“Do you not remember me giving Jermaine the same run around you’re giving Dre? Look at us now.” she smiled, glancing down at her ring finger.
“So , now that you’ve been married for five minutes, you’re the love expert” I chuckled and she flipped me off.
“No, I’m not an expert. I took good advice from my sister and now I couldn’t be happier”
“You’re just happy to be getting consistent dick after that long ass drought” I snickered . It was still unbelievable that my promiscuous best friend somehow ended up married before me, so it was hard to take her serious.
“Laugh all you want, but you’re right. I get consistent dick, massages, conversation, and love in general. Let that sink in” she winked, leaving me to tend to her growing crowd, as a few more people came over.
The smell of food filled my nostrils while I watched and waited. Mel was working, so I found myself wondering off to find something to eat. The closest thing I found was a taco truck and thankfully there was only a handful of people in line.
“Lots of hot sauce please.” I gave the friendliest smile I could, encouraging the worker to give extra after handing me our food. I was so excited about the extra hot sauce he gave me, that I didn’t notice I was being watched.
“Let me help you with that!” someone called out, stepping out of line to help me balance the drinks, food, and my wallet, as I was about to walk past.
“Chris? What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to keep my face platonic. I wasn’t his biggest fan right now. Somehow, I inadvertently befriended his girlfriend. “I didn’t realize you still participated in this event.”
“I don’t, but I know several artists that are. I’m here for support” he shrugged, before taking the drinks I was carrying.
“Who are you here with?” I asked, praying it wasn’t Tae. She came down to the boutique a few weeks ago. We went over some ideas, then tweaked them back and forth through email for a few days. Eventually, we came up with a design that she loved for their bridesmaid dresses. I'm over her existence in general. All she talked about was how ‘in love’ her and her man were, and there was no way Chris was that into her.
“I came with Trey. He’s out looking for the beer, while I get the food.” he replied, before asking me the same thing.
“I’m here with Mel” I revealed, nodding towards her as I began to walk in that direction. Her crowd had died down and she was grinning from ear to ear while texting. That is, until she looked up and spotted Chris following my lead.
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“Why am I not surprised?” she asked throwing her hands up and shaking her head at me.
"You're looking good too Mel" Chris nodded towards her, killing her with kindness. I knew he was still on her bad side, so I didn’t expect her to be nice or even hold her tongue around him.
"Yup" she retorted, folding her arms and refusing to look at him. He looked at me as if there was something I could say to change her attitude, but I stayed out of it.
“Trey’s wedding is soon, on the thirty-first. Are ya’ll going to make it?” he asked changing the subject while looking from her to me.
“Nope” Mel replied before taking her Coke from his hand and the plate of tacos from me, then dismissing herself.
"She'll come around ...I hope" I mumbled, frowning at her spitefulness.
"Speaking of coming around, T told me you came by the gallery last week. I wish you would've told me you were coming; we could've grabbed a bite to eat or something"
"Well I was in the neighborhood and it's been a minute so, I decided to see what you've been up to lately. By the way, I was not disappointed" I smiled, thinking of the piece I purchased. It was completely different from anything he’s ever done.
“Thanks. I’ve fallen in love with spray paint” he admitted, a broad smile spreading across his face revealed his dimples.
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“There you are. I called you several times bro!” Trey interjected, coming from behind Chris and slapping his shoulder. I jumped back a little, then grabbed my drink so they didn’t drop it with all their roughing around.
“My bad, I ran into Robyn and got sidetracked”
“Robyn?!” Trey exclaimed, finally noticing me. He pulled me into a bear hug then playfully spun me around, making my shirt twirl. “You’re looking good girl”
“You look good too” I gushed. “Congrats on everything. I’m sorry I won’t be able to make the wedding but I’m so happy for you and Lala”
“Thank you. Who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, noticing the diamond on my ring finger. Chris’ eyes widened as he struggled to look around Trey and get a glimpse of the ring himself.
“Oh nah, that’s not that kind of ring” I explained, pulling my hand back. I could’ve sworn I heard Chris sigh of relief and his posture relaxed.
“Did you find the beer or nah?” Chris interrupted, getting between us.
“No, but check this out” he grinned, pulling a clear plastic bag from his pocket and holding it up to Chris’ nose.
“That shit nasty. I got a stick in the car. You trying to blow right now?” he asked, ready to smoke.
“Yeah, let me see if I can find us a couple of coronas first, then I’ll meet you at the car. It was good seeing you Robyn” he added, before disappearing into the crowd.
“So, Mama’s grilling on Labor Day this year” Chris stated, turning his attention back to me. “I told her about running into you and she wanted me to invite you.” he revealed, pulling off his cap and running his hands across the top of his head.
“Why doesn’t she invite your current girlfriend?” I probed, wondering what Ms. Joyce was up to.
“She did, but she won’t be able to make it. She has something going on with her family”
“I don’t know if I’ll be in the city then, but I’ll let you know.” I replied with a half shrug. “I’m trying to hit that blunt with ya’ll tho”
“Since when do you smoke?” he asked, raising his brows.
“Since I’m grown and do what I want” I snapped, throwing my hands on my hips. 
“Damn, my bad. I didn’t mean to offend you. I never imagined you smoking weed” he grinned, biting his bottom lip.  
“Well I’m not the Robyn you used to know.”
“That’s perfect, because I’m not the Chris you used to know” he replied, before leading the way to the parking lot.
We hot boxed two blunts of some of the strongest weed I’d ever had in Trey’s car and my high ass couldn’t stop giggling. No matter how corny their jokes were, Chris and Trey had me in the back seat in tears for twenty minutes straight.
“If I would’ve known you get like this after smoking, we would’ve been doing it together.” Chris confessed when Trey stepped out of the car to take a phone call.
“I'm not usually this giggly. Actually, smoking usually makes me horny” I replied when I finally caught my breath.
“We’re not even going to go there”
“Why not? We can’t talk about sex if we aren’t having it?”
“Hell nah, talk about that shit with Mel. I don’t want to hear shit about you fucking anybody else.”
“Who says I’m fucking anybody else?” I smirked, enjoying the jealousy on his face.
“So, you’re gonna sit here and tell me you haven’t had sex since we’ve been together?” he quizzed, tilting his head to the side.
“That’s not what I said. I’m not fucking anyone currently, but I’ve been with one person since you.” I admitted unapologetically, before opening the door and putting the blunt out on the ground.
“I’ve had my share” he agreed with a nod, refusing to give an exact number.
“Well, I bet none of em got nothing on me” I smirked, noticing the bulge in his pants.
“You sound pretty confident”
"Because you're happy to see me” I grinned, nodding towards his erection.
“My bad. It's not you- I mean, not like you don't look good, because you do." He stammered with bright red cheeks while adjusting himself. "It’s been awhile”
“Oh, your girlfriend got you on punishment? I’m sure you deserve it” I teased with a giggle. “What you do?”
“It’s not even like that” he paused, then sighed when he saw me waiting for him to continue. “she’s celibate”
“So ya’ll haven’t even...?” I gasped and he quickly replied with a shake of the head.
“Damn, you went from having your cookie and eating it too, to having a drought!" I laughed loudly as my phone started to ring.
It was Mel cursing me for leaving her for so long. I started to argue that she was being dramatic, but then I noticed we had been gone for almost an hour.  I hung up with her and promised Chris we'd hang out again soon before we parted ways.
Surprisingly, Mel didn’t complain or have one negative thing to say when I came back. She sold everything she’d brought so we hung out for another hour before calling it a night.
Early the next morning, Rayven claimed she wasn’t feeling good and decided to sit out on crop over. I would’ve made a big deal about it, but I remembered the last encounter she had with her mom. That had to be the real reason she was avoiding BIM.
“The holidays will be here in no time; I’ll go then.” she groaned with her face in her pillow as I stood there with my hands on my hips. “Fine, I guess you can stay with Ollie and Pepe” I shrugged without a fight. I was glad I wouldn’t have to board my babies, and it’s not like I could force her to go anyway.
An hour later, Mel and I boarded the plane with so much excitement. We had fun people watching and talking shit, but it wasn’t long before she passed out and I was on my own. I wish I had that gift, but I was no longer taking the anxiety medicines that could help with that. I hadn’t even noticed I was taking less the past couple of months. Only, I was also smoking more and that usually did the trick a lot faster.
Instead of sleeping, I found myself catching up on some work. Fashion week was creeping up and there were a couple pieces that didn’t feel complete. I was being indecisive on some finishing touches.
I was also working on an event of my own. Last year, I was so depressed that I didn’t even celebrate the first anniversary of Robyn’s. This year, we’re going to begin an annual fashion show and I was keen to the idea of my very own catwalk. It meant more work, but I was more motivated than I’ve been in awhile and I wanted to milk this feeling as much as I can.
We were close to landing when I completed my plan and I felt accomplished. So much that I couldn’t wait to get back to put my ideas into effect.  The moment we arrived, that changed. Work slipped my mind as the smell of the ocean filled me up and a satisfied feeling crept over me, we were home.
We spent the night at moms catching up with the family and getting ready for carnival. I talk to my family several times a week, but I never notice how much things are changing until I see them.
Rorrey was working on music at the studio. He and Lele were still going strong. They were three years in and so in love with each other. They had an innocent puppy love, but could still teach grown folk a thing or two.
Rajad finally had his first girlfriend so he was at her place. I had yet to meet her, but he sent me some pictures of them. She was beautiful and I've never saw my brother smile so big, so I knew she was good for him.
Mom and dad were also bit by the damn love bug. They kept stealing kisses, so I assumed they were on good terms. It bugged me, but I kept my opinion to myself.
Gran looked happy, but was frailer than the last time I saw her. I noticed Bravo being extra careful with her, as if she were a china doll. Nothing or no one could stop her from wukking up with us girls. She danced as island music blasted through the house until her feet hurt. Mel, Lele, and I wined and gave ourselves a warm up for tomorrow until the sun started to creep up.
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Carnival was a blast as always. It came and went so fast. All I remember is wining on whoever was close enough and drinking with Lele as if our lives depended on it. I could always count on her to be my turn up partner. Today was no different and after barfing for the second time since we got to the beach, I had finally taken the edge off.
“See Rob? What I tell ya bout mixin that shit?” Lele cackled. I flipped her off and rolled my eyes at the same time. She hiccuped loud as hell, then threw her head back in laughter. She was laughing so hard, she almost dropped the cup she was holding.
While the waves crashed behind us, Mel, Ella, Le, Nita, and I were all huddled around a bonfire. We were smoking and vibing to Rorrey's latest music, while recuperating from today’s festivities.
“You know I gotta ask you Mel” Nita began with a smirk, after passing up on the blunt. “How’s it feel for ya pokey to be back in business?” 
“It feels fuckin fantastic” Mel exclaimed as she proceeded to explain to us that her husband has a magic dick. 
“But the best part isn’t even about the sex, Jermaine is a rare breed. He’s so attentive and supportive, things I didn’t even know I wanted in a man, I find in him.”
“Blasted, I need to be celibate” Nita thought aloud.
“That’s what all the hoes are doing now days” I teased, before falling into a laughing fit. 
“What dat mean?” Mel asked, tilting her head in confusion. 
“I found out yesterday that Chris and Tae are celibate.” 
“Wait, you’re back on speaking terms with Chris?” Ella chimed in, finally taking her eyes from her phone since we got here.
“What the fuck? When did this happen and why?” Lele snapped, demanding answers. I gave them the quick version of how we got back in good graces, but Lele still wasn’t buying it.
“Look bitch, I know ya got history with him and all, but don’t you wanna try something new? Someone that ain’t horning when you ain’-”
“Chill! We’re friends”
“Don’t listen to dem Robbie, and don’t explain yourself. You can’t help who you love. If you think he’s changed and ya’ll wanna try again, do it . Fuck everybody’s opinions” Ella condoned. 
“But watch it from dey” Nita yelled. “You just now gettin back to yourself, be careful. 
“Everything ‘bout that situation woke my ass up from lala land. Ya’ll don’t have to worry about me. I will never be that dumb or naïve again. ” I reassured them, and I meant it. Lele was still skeptical, and even though Mel kept quiet, I knew she was too. 
Still, I meant what I said. After all I’ve been through, I’ll always be on my toes and I refuse to tolerate any bullshit. My happiness is priority and any man that doesn’t agree and put forth the effort to prove it, isn’t worth my time.
As we sat in silence passing the blunt, my mind couldn’t help but wonder. I wondered if hanging out with Chris was a mistake. I knew where I wanted it to lead, but what if he were playing games with me once again. He agreed to be celibate for another woman, but couldn’t keep it in his pants for me. The thought of that made me jealous, but I can’t deny that I’m happy to see growth in him all at the same time.
“Don’t think about it too much” Mel uttered, pulling me out of my own mind. “Let it go. Don’t fight it, don’t stress. Whatever happens, happens.”
"I needed to hear that" I nodded in agreement, realizing she was right. 
"I got ya back" she stated, throwing her arm around my shoulders.It wasn’t long before Lele followed suit, then the other girls. Before I knew it, we were all huddled on the ground in laughter with sand in our hair and clothes. We were in our happy place.  
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T&L part 9: Desire
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Warnings: drinking, blood
Word count: 2653
Part 8
Everyone else isnt you. It turns out thats a huge problem for me.
- Clementine von Radics, Things I Do When I Cannot Hold You
Two weeks have passed since that day on the parking lot.
Paul spent every night sleeping under Arya's window and every day trying to either get his mind off her or to get her to talk to him.
Apparently telling Sam about her working with a vampire started a brother/sister fight that Arya blamed Paul for and got even angrier at him, refusing to even acknowledge his existence.
Their dispute was bringing pain, both mental and physical to not only them, but the pack as well. In hopes of mending their bond and ridding themselves of their constant whining, the pack decided to throw a beach party.
While Paul had been growing distant from Rachel, Arya grew even closer to Embry. She didn't view him in a romantic sense, more like a best friend she never had, however Paul wasn't happy with her fondness of the younger wolf.
Paul's temper was worse then ever. Every little thing ticked him off which caused a lot of impromptu shifts, one even inside his house. 
On the other hand, Arya was eerily calm after her initial fight with Sam two weeks ago. Sam broke out his big brother card and forbade her to return to work which caused a rift between the siblings. It would be safe to say Sam wasn't in her good graces either. Emily played a mediator a few times, but each time it would end up in a screaming match.
'I am a grown woman Sam, you will not tell me what to do!' she yelled only for Sam to respond 'I promised you I'd protect you and this is ME protecting YOU! He's a vampire Arya, what do you think would happen if he lost control even for a second? Huh?! You'd be dead and it wouldn't be just your demise!'
Even after the pack explained to her everything about vampires: their cold, pale, flawless, hard as concrete skin, their immortality, the red eyes which she immediately connected to those that often plagued her dreams, but also the amber eyes of the entire Cullen clan that was apparently tied to their diet, she still insisted Carlisle was not a danger to her.
'Not all monsters do monstrous things Sam. All of you are monsters in a way, the bad guys in any fairy tale I've ever read, and yet you're not running around ripping people apart. They aren't either. I doubt they chose that lifestyle anymore than you did. The Cullen's are using their actions to prove that just because nature made you a predator you don't have to be a killer. That matters. Their choice of food matters. Why can't you guys understand that?!'
But each and every time that would end up with a room full of shaking boys running outside shifting soon after. It hurt her that not only were they so close-minded but that they also didn't trust her judgement. Seth seemed to be the only one who actually trusted her as he often sided with her, while she stopped talking about it with Embry completely, all in order to preserve their friendship.
As she got ready for the beach party, putting on shorts because it was strangely warm outside for this time of year, grabbing a 'Slytherin pride' jumper she walked outside to meet Embry.
„Hey Ems!“ she greeted him with a hug he eagerly returned. Some would maybe mistaken this action for a romantic gesture but neither truly felt more than a strong, almost brotherly connection. When he laid his eyes on her face he saw deep, dark circles under her eyes informing him of her long, sleepless nights. She was pale and her mood sullen, but she did a really good job covering it with a small fake smile she put on for the world to see hoping to avoid any questions. But she couldn't fool him for he already knew her better than that.
Embry could tell her fight with both Sam, her brother, and Paul, her soulmate was taking it's toll on her. Unfortunately he was forbidden to tell her about Paul imprinting on her or divulge anything directly about the recent Seattle situation that was going to soon involve them as well, but he needed to do something to help his friends finally find common ground.
Walking to the beach with their pinkies hooked together he noticed Sam and Emily were already by the grill making sure no one would starve today. Seth and Leah were playing volleyball, Quil was with Jacob and Bella on a log while Paul was sitting with Rachel a bit away from the crowd. Embry could see he was staring blankly at the crashing waves before him while Rachel went on and on about something Paul probably didn't give a damn about. He felt his friend tense next to him as she saw the couple as well, her lip quivered slightly as she turned to him.
„Please tell me there is alcohol here?“
Embry raised an eyebrow as a smirk grew on his face „have you ever had any alcohol before?“
„No, but it seems like a good day to start drinking“, she quickly replied with a strained smile.
He grabbed a few beers and watched her take a sip. Just as she took her first sip she choked up and started coughing which drew the attention of the pack as well.
„Wow. Didn't expect it to taste like that.“
„What did you expect it would taste like then?“ he looked at her with amusement. Truth be told he only ever had one beer a year ago and he grabbed it at a party he crashed with Quil and Jacob.
„I don't know, but not like...that!“ she points at the beer with a genuine smile spreading across her face. Regardless of her previous complaint she continued to down the beverage, finding she rather enjoyed the cool burn spreading down her throat to the stomach.
Embry guided her to Bella as he challenged the guys to play soccer with an agenda of his own.
The pack was running around, laughing and clearly having some well deserved fun while Arya and Bella conversed about the Cullens. They quickly bonded over their mutual understanding and beliefs regarding the family. Bella told her of Esme's nurturing side, about Emmet being a gentle giant, Rosalie's hard exterior, Alice and her visions and mad fashion skills, Jasper with the mood control abilities and finally her own soulmate Edward, the mind reading virtuoso. They were so engrossed in the conversation they barely noticed when Embry collided into Paul causing the latter to fall straight onto a big rock ending with a big, nasty cut. Rachel screamed and it drew the girls attention to the beach. Noticing a hurt Paul on the floor Arya broke into a sprint showing up seconds later. Dropping to her knees she inspected the injury while asking the boys what happened. The injury was deep and needed stitches, but her bag was back in the house.
„We need to get him to the house, I have my suture-kit in a bag with sterile gauze and bandages.“ She urged.
„Don't worry, I'll heal, it's not a big deal“, he responded as she looked at him, already getting red in the face, but this time it was from anger not embarrassment. One look from her was enough to know she wasn't joking around and it shut him up instantly. For weeks he longed for a moment alone with her to plead his case and now he would finally get it. She put a beach towel on his cut to absorb some of the blood and to put a bit of pressure on the wound.
She helped him up and offered herself as a crutch of sorts for him to lean on.
„I'm coming with you“, Rachel stated before they even made a step.
Paul mentally groaned but thankfully Embry stepped in, „Rach, he's in good hands, she's a trauma specialist. Besides you faint at anything more than drawing blood.“
Rachel walked away, but everyone could see how pissed she was. Jacob tried talking to her but it only angered her more. She could feel Paul slipping through her fingers. He'd been distant from the day that girl walked into their lives. She often asked him if there was something going on between them or if he imprinted, but he denied everything. She knew better tho'. Paul never looked at her the way he looks at Arya and it hurt her deeply. There was always hope that one day he'd feel just as strongly for her as she did for him, but from the looks of it, those dreams were dead and gone.
Meanwhile, Arya was walking with Paul, since the house was not that far away from the beach. Paul leaned on her just enough to make her believe she was really helping him walk, but he knew if he truly leaned on her they'd both fall straight to the ground.
Finally getting to the house Arya sat him on the couch and quickly disappeared upstairs only to come down not a minute later.
„First I'll have to clean the cut and it might sting a little.“ She said with her eyes concentrating on his leg, her gentle hands already in white gloves holding a dark brown bottle in one and a gauze in the other hand. She started cleaning the cut making him wince in pain.
She looked up to him with a smile playing on her lips „sorry tough guy, told you it might sting.“
God, he knew he'd take any amount of pain just to be near her as long as possible. Her lilac perfume filled his nostrils and helped him relax. Oh, how much he'd give to be able to nuzzle into her neck, to kiss her lips, play with strands of her wavy hair.
„I'm gonna give you an anesthetic to numb the area before I do the stitches. Werewolf or not, that will hurt.“
„I'm sorry“, he said suddenly.
„If you're apologizing because I'm about to go near your leg with a needle and a thread then you'll need a better apology then that“, she said with a cool and almost amused tone as she injected the anesthetic into the wound.
„No, I mean I really am sorry. I'm sorry about your car“, he continued while she looked at him with wide eyes, „about that fight, about getting Sam on your case too and about anything I might have done to hurt you. Hurting you was never my intention.“
He saw the shock register on her face before she could hide it. A small smile played on his lips, but it wasn't what he said though, his words were like pudding, sweet in an ordinary sort of way, it was the richness of his tones; luxurious and warm that drew her to him in way no one else could.
Before she could say anything he continued, „Don't get me wrong, I am still very much against you going near those leeches and there is no way in hell I'm letting you get hurt by them, but I am sorry about the way I went behind your back to tell Sam and the rest of the pack.“
She nodded and started sewing the cut shut. Her fingers worked fast and delicately. It was easy to see why she was a prodigy in her field, her talent clearly showing. After she was done with the stitches, she used another dark bottle with a darker, brownish liquid to drench a gauze she put over the stitches and a long white bandage to secure it. Just as she finished Rachel walked in with Embry following close behind. She ran up to Paul and hugged him in an excessive way that Arya couldn't help but roll her eyes at.
„Oh baby, you're okay“ she repeated during the hug which only irritated Arya more causing her to grab her things and leave the room.
She walked back to the beach with Embry next to her, grabbed the first beer she could find and downed it in seconds. Finishing the beer she grimaced, grabbed Embry's hand and plopped them both down on the sand.
It was already sunset and the romantic setting made her heart yearn for a certain wolf she swore to never think of again.
As the sun disappeared on the horizon she saw the fire was already lit, music was playing in the background and more importantly Paul was back with Rachel. She snorted grabbing her third beer of the day, already feeling slightly tipsy and Embry looked in the same direction.
„You okay?“ he asked.
„I’m drinking a cocktail of depression, anxiety, and insecurities“, she replied, not aware of a certain hothead listening in.
„You know, he doesn't love her“, he stated making her look at him with furrowed eyebrows.
„Before the shift, he was the biggest flirt in school, a player. Every week he'd date a different girl. He was short-tempered and got into fights and was a big ass to everyone. It all changed when he shifted. He had to control his anger better because one mistake could mean someone's life was done. That's why Sam gave us all orders not to talk to people outside the pack unless they were family or an imprint... So a player finds himself unable to talk to all the girls throwing themselves at him and a girl that knows of us rolls into town, what does he do?“ She looked at him confused and he shook his head in fake disappointment.
„He's with her because she is the only girl in on the secret that isn't a) related to him or b) someone else's imprint and c) because he's a stubborn ass.“
„Doesn't change the fact she's there rubbing herself on him.“ she spat out.
„Perhaps, but I know he's an idiot, because you're a catch.“
„Thanks Ems.“ She replies resting her head on his shoulder.
„Why must you call me Ems, it's damaging to my manhood“ he states with a light tone in his voice.
„Because your other nickname would be Bry, I'd be happy to change it if you want to“, she replied with fake innocence.
„Oh, you cruel woman“ he said dramatically.
„If you think that's bad, just remember I call Seth Puppy“, she claimed making him laugh.
„I'm good with Em and Ems......pun intended“ they both burst into fits of laughter.
A little further away Paul stood watching his imprint drinking and laughing with a different man. Rachel was practically rubbing herself on him, trying to kiss him a few times but what she didn't understand was how her touch was making him physically sick. He wanted Arya to touch him, not in a sexual way, , never anywhere other than his face, his hands, his hair. His warmth would seep into her being and he would comfort her without ever opening his mouth. She'd melt into him like ice-cream on a warm porcelain bowl, because she belonged next to him just as he belonged next to her. And each time before they parted the aching to be in his arms would begin anew.
He knew this wasn't working anymore. He long lost the fight, not with the bond, but with her. Her kindness, intelligence, laughter, innocence and many many other things called to him. He longed for her in every sense of the word. He knew what he had to do. Sparing one last look to the one that captured his heart and soul, he took Rachel's hand and guided her away from the crowd.
„Rachel, we need to talk.“
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fordarkisthesuede · 6 years
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At the Brink of Midnight - Chapter 9
*Arrives two days late with Starbucks* ‘Sup, guys! σ( ▼∀▼)σ These past 96 hours have somehow filled me with a weird chaotic energy, and I pumped out the longest roller-coaster of a chapter I’ve ever done in such a short amount of time!!! Thank you, whoever sent all the writing vibes my way!!!! ★>d(,,・ε´-,,)⌒☆ I’m sending out strong vibes to everybody in return! *May you get hit by the writing bug and have the opportunity and energy to completely translate your ideas to printed words!*
Buuut a big note before we get to the good stuff:  I realized too late that the original events of S2 take place in Spring. Like…April. I was writing all of this with the thought that S2 took place in fall; I mean, the characters can wear a leather jacket or a couple of layers comfortably, so I thought “yeah that sounds like early autumn”. Nope! So that means that for this story’s timeline, everything gets shifted into where it should be. On the downside, that means I had to go through and edit all the bits where it said “it was totally spring, you guys”. On the upside… IT’S NOW OCTOBER!!!!! THE SPOOKY SEASON THAT COMPLETELY FITS WITH WHAT’S GOING ON!!! And coincidentally, it’s my favorite time of the year, so I love writing about it even more! I get to add in a thing here and there about the spookiest time of the year, so I’ll have a nice list of what those little changes are uploaded here soon if you don’t feel like re-reading the whole thing. A re-read isn't necessary though, just keep in mind that the humid air of rainy spring in the city is replaced with chilling fronts and even more cloud cover than usual. Why am I bothering with this? Because I’m a stickler for keeping with canon as much as possible and I feel like an absolute fool for not remembering what goddamn time of year it was to begin with. (I mean, I went so far as to download all of TeamFourStar’s play-through because I watched it so often, you think I'd remember to go back and watch the very beginning once in a while…)
Anywho, thank you all again for your continuously loving support!!! 
♡~(ɔ ˘3˘)˘⌣˘ c)
Important Spoiler Tags: drugs (mentioned), swearing, canon-typical violence, electric shocks (mentioned), torture of flowers, flirting, almost an excessive use of emoji, crying, romantic dirty thoughts
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Read on Ao3 or continue below:
Chapter 9:  Grapevines
Bruce Wayne couldn’t remember the last time he’d conducted a meeting from his home office. It wasn’t as if he didn’t use it – the desk surface had hardly any dust settled on it and two empty coffee mugs he’d forgotten about on two different occasions just happened to be stacked behind the monitor – but it felt strange, like a lot of things did lately.
He knew part of the reason for that was watching houses down in the Batcave right now. Knowing he wasn’t alone in the house was comforting, but knowing there were two cops outside the Manor’s front door just waiting for a chance to grab his best friend-cum-houseguest was not, and knowing that they were both close to being thrown in hot water was even less so.
He figured the other reason he felt strange was because he was slipping back into his old habit as if it had never been shelved in the first place. He had time to kill before the video meeting started, so he’d been scouring for information on “Pam”, Jonathan Crane’s ‘old friend’.
There were a few Pamela’s in Gotham, but only one fit within Crane’s age-range and attended Gotham University at about the same time:  Pamela Isley, a forty-four-year-old former botanist with a record that ran the length of his arm. Theft, assault, threats, and attempted poisonings all done in the name of extreme environmentalism and social activism were sprinkled in her history before and after her days as a researcher, and according to GCPD records, she was now suspected of running her own drug-ring under the moniker of ‘Poison Ivy’. (Bruce found several recorded instances of people claiming to be Poison Ivy, most of whom were already arrested.)
Bruce would’ve wondered why on Earth she hadn’t been thrown in prison when she made a bomb-threat at a wealthy businessman several states away nearly a decade ago if he hadn’t seen her mug-shot from back then. At thirty-five, she looked every bit as beautiful as a top-billed Hollywood star, with natural orange-red curls cascading over her pale shoulders and ample bust in chemically-tamed waves, flashing the camera a come-hither stare that made it look like she was trying for a part in a high-budget porn flick rather than standing in front of a height chart for her criminal record. Pamela’s charges were mysteriously swept under the rug.
The latest photo he found of her reminded him a bit of those ‘cougar’ dating ads he’d seen – the older Pamela was blowing a kiss to the camera with a mocking look in her dark green eyes. Bruce glared at it. There was little doubt she was using people to cover for her constantly, and when she was in trouble, she managed to wriggle out of it with her looks.
Not this time. She was friends with Dr. Jonathan Crane, and that meant she wasn’t going to get out of this unharmed. The second his virtual meeting was over, Bruce was heading towards Toxic Acres, and hopefully the wounded Crane would still be there to see Batman’s fist hit his –
Bruce snapped out of his thoughts at the buzz of his phone. A message from the BatComputer…?
I’m bored :/
Bruce blinked down at the screen. John had found the emergency messaging system. Of course he had. He was just grateful that the encryption software on his phone was still up to date. Just what else did John poke his nose into down there…? (There was the chance that John would see files he shouldn’t, but Bruce kept those under a thumbprint encryption. He shouldn’t even entertain the thought.)
Stake-outs are usually pretty boring.
It wouldn’t be so bad if you were down here tho! :)
Bruce hovered his thumb over the keyboard, unsure of what to say. The feeling was kind of mutual, if he was being honest; having another person around on a stakeout would at least keep his mind wandering into the worsts of what-ifs and double-checking every last security issue…
No movement on either houses btw. Been reading Crane’s docs in the meantime but it’s DREADFUL!!! I feel like I’m reading a sleeping pill… =_=
You finish your WE stuff yet?
Meeting’s not for another 20 minutes. Been looking up stuff on Crane’s “friend”.
Oh??? :o Do tell!!!!
Bruce couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm.
Pamela Isley, former botanist w/ criminal rec., mostly extreme protest kind of stuff. Good chance she’s the head of a drug-ring that moved here a couple months ago; their leader goes by “Poison Ivy”.
They went to college together, but Pamela moved back here recently.
hMmMmm…. That means no burning the place down if we’re stuck! Bad fumes everywhere xP
Bruce focused on the word “we’re”. He hadn’t been planning on bringing John along. He wanted him safe, at home, where no one had a chance of seeing him and he wasn’t put in harm’s way…
Oh!!! You’ve got a bunch of sticky electro-shockers around - do you mind if I tinker with them? :3c pleeeeaaasssee?
What are you thinking of doing with them?
Making one BIIIIIG shock-bomb, of course! ;D I can wire them together so the shock spreads evenly in the space while it’s discharging.
Bruce reconsidered bringing John. He was still learning to curb his impulses, so being outside in a fighting environment would be a serious gamble, but... Maybe that could be their advantage, too. Bruce made a mental note to go dig out the spare bullet-proof vest from his closet’s secret panel.
You can do that?
I played around with making something like it before, but……well, you know.
Time + supplies for that project were low att. I figured I could always go back to it later anyway.
Bruce felt like his heart had deflated and swelled in such a short time that it hurt.
I mean I’m fine with throwing knives around too but I figured that would be less discrete ¯\_(ツ )_/¯
He’d been thinking of different methods of entering the “house”. Most of them featured a silent slip-in and as little combat as possible, but he knew that there would likely be some muscle around to stop any would-be intruders, and getting a quieter jump on them would certainly be helpful. He would certainly be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed that John had thought that far ahead even back then.
If you think you can get it done within 1.5 hours, then yes.
Ha ha ha with these supplies I can get it done in like 40 mins! >:3 just you watch!!!
Btw have you seen the news?
Not yet. Why?
I was on the morning edition! At least they used a good pic ;D
But also saw a guy getting fished out of the harbor. Your handy-dandy invasion software said he’s a registered Ryde driver.
I told you not to fiddle with that.
Sorry, but I only used it the once! Promise!!!
Bruce sighed through his nostrils.
Besides I thought you’d want to know. Think Crane stole his ride and dumped him by the docks? :v
Probably. I can get the plate from up here to verify. DO NOT TOUCH THAT PROGRAM AGAIN.
Yes sir ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Bruce wasn’t sure if that message was supposed to be flirtatious or mocking.
The incoming call from Iman Avesta stopped him from responding. He figured it had to do with John’s escape and the extra security added at Wayne Tower this morning, but why was she calling him now, rather than several hours ago?
“Iman?”
“Hey, Bruce. Hold on a sec – there we go, now we can both -”
“Bruce, what the fuck?” Tiffany asked over the line. “Are you at home right now?”
Bruce almost sighed at the attitude. “Yes, Tiffany, I’m at home, in my office.”
“Uh-huh. I keep getting alerts that your basement’s messaging system is being used. Care to explain that?”
Oh. Of course. He’d forgotten Tiffany had linked her phone to that, too. It’d just…been too long, he supposed. (She couldn’t read them, though, could she? He was fairly sure it didn’t give out mass-texts unless prompted.) “…where are you right now?”
Iman responded instead. “We’re in your second office.”
“…the line’s secure?”
“Of course.” Iman paused, and Bruce knew his new CSO was choosing her words carefully. “I’m guessing you have John Doe in the Batcave?”
“Yes.”
“Bruce, did you fucking break him out?” Tiffany asked with no shortness of impatience.
“I rescued him,” Bruce said firmly. “I know what you’re thinking, and I have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to say, but listen:  I had no choice but to take him with me. One of the doctors working at Arkham has gone rogue – he’d been doing experiments on patients, and I have a feeling he’s going to continue them on civilians. I need to find him before then, and John has been helping me.”
“Helping…? You’re not bringing him in the field with you?” Tiffany said disbelievingly. “After that psychopath almost killed us?”
Bruce could still see Joker running at Tiffany, knife in hand, his psychotic breakdown in full force. He could still see him being smacked against the railing, sheer madness played over his long, bloody face as he desperately fought to stab what was his hero.
But John and Joker were as much the same as Bruce and Batman were, and they were constantly changing.
The Joker in the Batcave wasn’t the same one from Ace Chemicals.  
“I know what John did,” he answered, trying to breathe even as something wanted to hitch in his throat, “and I know how far he’s come since then. I know you both regret-”
“No, I’m not listening to this right now,” Tiffany scowled, her voice fading in the middle her sentence like she was leaving the room. “Talk some sense into him.”
Bruce heard Iman’s voice call after her, and then nothing for a beat.
Iman sighed. “I’ll talk to her. But Bruce,” she started seriously, “Tiffany isn’t the only one worrying about you. Six months can’t possibly cure everything wrong with a man whose spent his life in an asylum.” He could practically hear her chew over her phrasing. “I need to know… If John goes too far – if he shows signs of regressing…or just becoming more volatile – I need to know you’re going to put your foot down.”
“I’m more than capable of handling him, Iman.”
“Please, Bruce, I’d rather not have to pull you off another broken pipe lodged in your kidney.” She paused, and Bruce let her continue, feeling the scar in his side twinge at the painful memory. “I know you care a lot about him,” she resumed in a softer tone, “and I know you trust him. But if you doubt him at any time, you need you to step back and re-evaluate your choices. I don’t want him to regress back into the Joker.”
That was a different Joker, Bruce wanted to say. He knew that wouldn’t sound the way it should. “I promise I won’t let that happen.”
“Good to know,” Iman replied, sounding somewhat relieved. “This doctor you’re hunting – is there anything we can do to help?”
Bruce shot a look at the clock in the corner of his monitor. He didn’t have as much time left as he would’ve liked before his virtual meeting started. “Tiffany can fill you in a bit, I had her help searching Arkham’s records before. Can you run a plate for me? I think Dr. Crane is running with a stolen car; I’ll send you the details in a bit.”
“Sure. We can check traffic cams for it, too, if you’d like.”
“If you would. And the second I have anything concrete on Dr. Crane, I’m sending Tiffany the details – I need her pull as Oracle to get the word out to the GCPD before anything happens. They’ll listen to their number-one informant more than a vigilante coming out of retirement.”
“…you’re…?”
He could almost see the shock in her face. They’d had a short discussion about his alter-ego when he decided to quit the first time; she’d been incredibly understanding about the whole thing. It was almost as if she’d seen it coming.
“Are you sure?”
He was as sure. She didn’t know about the instincts broiling underneath his surface every day. She didn’t know he never really stopped being half of himself. She wouldn’t know or really understand that he just shoved it all down and aside like he did so much else just to get through things. “I don’t have any other options at this point.”
“…you know you can count on us if you need the help.”
“Of course I do.”
“Right. Well, in the meantime we’ll keep the fort over here running as smoothly as possible.”
“Thank you. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good luck.”
The line went silent, and Bruce pulled his phone away, catching a glimpse of three unread messages.
Sorry, buddy, I was just kidding around, you know? Ha ha
Bruce???
Hello???????
Sorry, had a phone call and couldn’t reply. It’s fine.
Seconds ticked by, and Bruce began changing out of his black t-shirt and into his button-down. It wouldn’t do to appear as a CEO in anything less than a proper suit. He could leave the jeans on, at least.
“Oh! Uh…sorry, Bruce…”
He felt his heart stop for a second. That was definitely John’s voice, even though it crackled slightly from the speakers. The monitor didn’t show anything out of the ordinary. John must have been using the spy-camera feature on the Batcomputer; it was linked to most the devices in the house, and Bruce’s webcam was no exception. He’d almost forgotten it had a loudspeaker function, too.
“I didn’t realize you were…um, changing.”
Bruce glared at the webcam’s lens. “John, what did I tell you about fiddling with the Batcomputer?”
“…sorry. I was worried when you didn’t answer me.”
He sounded genuine, at least. Bruce could easily picture him running upstairs to find him, if there wasn’t a chance he would’ve been seen. “I answered you a minute ago. I was on a call with Iman,” he stated plainly, fixing the buttons on his sleeves.
“…oh, ha ha, there it is! Uh, I guess I’ll just…go, then…”
Bruce almost questioned why John was sounding nervous and distracted, but it wasn’t until he saw the webcam light wink off again that he realized his shirt was wide open, the scars littering his torso half on display from the waist up.
Thankfully, no one was around to see Bruce bury his face in the palm of his hand for a moment, feeling like his face was on fire from first and second-hand embarrassment.
It didn’t last long. Bruce took a few deep breaths as he fixed himself up, and dialed into the meeting with a fixed expression of calm, firmly ignoring the heat that had settled in his stomach that threatened to go lower at the thought that John was bound not to forget any of that.
Driving the Batmobile in full gear again was certainly something else. Bruce felt the weight of the Kevlar body armor press against his limbs as he sped down Gotham’s twisting alley streets, no one any the wiser that the Wayne’s red sports car was hiding Batman behind it. The city’s CCTV signal was scrambled with the flick of a switch as he came into driving distance of the alley’s camera, making him almost untraceable.
He’d given the Honda Accord a head-start; it couldn’t go nearly as fast as the Batmobile, and Bruce had to find a spot to safely change before going to go pick John up from his drop-off point, and the post-working-hours traffic had already gotten its usual early start. It was a slower drive than he’d like it to be, even with Bruce’s shortcuts.
The setting sun was completely obscured by a dark overcast. It made the orange streetlamps glowing over the decorations sitting here and there in windows and doors even more energetic, like every corner of Gotham was slowly growing with the energy of Halloween.
Bruce clicked the communicator in his cowl. “John, are you there yet?”
Silence for a few seconds, and then a rustling noise. “Sorry, I had to take this off for a bit. What?”
“Are you there yet?”
John giggled slightly. “Oh, yeah, I’m here. Just waiting on you, pal.”
He was already at the meeting point? How did he get there so fast? “You put everything back where it was supposed to be?”
“No, I stripped the seats and threw everything into the garbage,” John grumbled with dripping sarcasm. “Of course I did, it’d be rude not to put Jerry’s stuff back. What do you take me for?”
“…I’m just making sure you didn’t forget anything.”
“I didn’t.” There was a loud slurping noise, like the last of a liquid being sucked from a straw.
“John, where are you right now?”
“In the alley, waiting for you.”
“Did you make a stop?”
John giggled, a little louder, but not at all nervous. He was enjoying himself. “What can I say? Going out on the town with you like this makes me thirsty,” he said with a strange purr. “Besides, no one bats an eye at me when I look like this anyway.” He paused. “Well, no, I’ve gotten some eyes on me, but, uh, I think they’re more the appreciative type. I guess ZZ Top was kinda right about the sharp-dresser thing.”
Bruce felt his brows knit together. “You’ve always looked sharp,” he said truthfully, turning down a narrow alley.
“Yeah, but not thousand-dollar-suit sharp. There’s a difference! Plus I think this bullet-proof vest makes me look a little bulkier than I actually am.”
Bruce spotted him leaning against the graffiti-covered wall, a Burger Lord cup in one hand and a plastic orange bag in another. Just how much time did Bruce lose while he was changing?
John tossed the drink in the dumpster and practically jumped into the car, shoving the orange bag behind the driver seat and slamming the door shut as Bruce switched off the communicator. He took one look at Bruce’s questioning glower and gave a nervous sort of grin. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, there’s something in there for you, too.”
Bruce almost asked what, but decided that a lecture on keeping a low profile and not taking money from his house’s various hiding spots would have to wait. (Though he supposed whatever John got wasn’t expensive. He was quite frugal, and it wasn’t as if Bruce couldn’t afford to buy John whatever he wanted anyway.) He concentrated instead on heading down the twisting path towards Toxic Acres. At least the traffic over there was a hell of a lot lighter.
“Hey, when you drove me to the Batcave, did you go in fourth gear, or third?”
He wasn’t sure why he asked, but he honestly couldn’t remember. He just recalled putting his foot to the floor and keeping his eyes on the road, occasionally reaching over to check John’s pulse. “I wasn’t really paying attention to that; I concentrating more on driving as fast as possible.”
“Oh – so you didn’t know you could punch the shift down into third whenever you wanted? It was so fun! I can say I literally punched it out of the Batcave!” He laughed. “I’m guessing you can’t do that in this car?”
“…I’ve got paddle shifters.” They were starting to travel into the more deserted road leading into Toxic Acres. Bruce took a sharp turn onto the hill with the broken Do Not Enter sign, and checking that no one was behind him, flipped the switch to shift the car into armored plates and pressed the wheel-paddle for a lower gear.
They flew down the road with a whirring whine of the engine, John’s notorious excited laugh mixing with it, and Bruce allowed himself to smile a little at it, knowing his own little joyful thrill wouldn’t last very long.
John was soon tapping his fingers together in some kind of rhythm as they passed by more empty houses, Bruce moving a little slower to keep his eyes out for trouble. Sitting close to the river on the outskirts of the city, they were originally meant to be a long neighborhood for the middle and upper class to build their lives, but as the unemployment and crime rates rose, the place became abandoned. It didn’t help that the piping structure to carry water there had been faulty, making either lead poisoning or unfiltered dirty water a prominent problem and giving the section of Gotham its nickname.
“How do we know which place is the botanist’s?” John asked, his green eyes scouring the houses in front of them.
“I sent out another drone earlier for some aerial shots. There’s a place with camouflaged green-houses in the back on Aster Place.”
“Wow, you did that before I left? That was fast…”
“It was a quick job. I’m not picking up the other drone until later.”
They turned the corner onto Aster Place; the road would dead-end in a while, but Bruce knew the house wouldn’t be situated at the end.
“Oh, there’s the spot Jackie got shot at!” John pointed ahead. “I wonder if there’s a bloodstain left…!”
Bruce tightened his grip on the wheel. “We’re close.”
It was oddly quiet out there. There was no other sign of life in what was a hot-spot of criminal hide-outs. Bruce turned on the thermal vision in his cowl; a lot of the houses were actually empty for once.
Except for one. 1801 Aster Place. There were a group of people scattered around on the bottom floor and what appeared to be a lot of heat-lamps running on the top floor. If one of the people in the group wasn’t Pamela Isley, then she might have been holding up in the basement…
They left the Batmobile out of sight down the road, and Bruce and John moved swiftly behind the backs of the houses in the chilly night air, the taser bomb safely in John’s coat pocket; John was surprisingly quiet, only humming a familiar tune here and there. (Wasn’t it the theme from that old spy-thriller…?) Bruce managed to quiet him with a look, and John mimed locking his mouth shut and throwing the key away.
Two unknown people were standing in what used to be a kitchen; three more people were up in the front room of the house. There were no security cameras to be seen.  
“Stick close to me,” Bruce whispered, the modifier in his cowl deepening his voice. “We go in through the back window, take out the two in the kitchen quietly and throw the bomb up front so we can cuff the lot. If none of them are Ms. Isley, we find the basement.”
John gave him a thumbs up, pulling out the riot baton he had hidden away. (Bruce had still not remembered when he or Alfred bought that, but vaguely remembered stashing it in the towel cupboard with some other emergency gear. He wasn’t surprised John found it.)
The bathroom window’s locks weren’t difficult to break. They looked like they had been broken several times already. Bruce slid the insect screen up and slipped in through the thin opening feet-first, twisting his limbs just right to softly land on the floor. He had to help pull John through the rest of the way after he smacked his head on the bottom of the window; thankfully he hadn’t made any noise, but he did give Bruce a strange look as brushed himself off where Bruce had gripped his sides.
Bruce didn’t have time to think about it.
The two people in the kitchen stood in semi-darkness, watching through the patio windows with rifles leaning against the wall. There wasn’t so much a bare bulb to give off light. Bruce figured their eyes might have adjusted to the dark, and signaled John to follow as he crept up behind the two goons.
“I dunno, with all the hype surrounding episode four, you just know those guys are going to mess up somewhere. Remember when they decided to let Celestyne drop to his death back in season one?” The one with dreadlocks asked.
“Oh, come on, that was just to test the game’s limits. Besides, Celestyne couldn’t die; I don’t think Jane can, either,” the second person responded in a higher voice with a casual shrug.
“Dude, you know the game’s gonna make her a villain in the end, though, right? She might die…”
Bruce was ready. John was gripping the baton with a widening grin…
“Are you kidding me? They have her affection meter up so high I’m surprised the game doesn’t have a dating opt-”
Bruce slammed dreadlocked goon’s head into the wall just as the baton crashed down on the other goon’s skull, little smears of blood marking the plaster and paint with a satisfying crack.
John clutched the collar of the goon he’d struck, gripping the slightly bloody baton a little harder in his other hand. He seemed to be thinking.
Bruce took a zip-tie out and cuffed the goon’s hands behind their back, and wondered just what John was staring at until he’d turned the person around and caught a glimpse of them in the light of the window.
They were both women with little tattoos of vines creeping along the back of their necks.
If Bruce guessed right, those were ivy leaves on the vine. Poison Ivy had a loyal gang.
John zip-tied the wrists of the woman he’d struck and patted the part of her head that wasn’t wounded. “Sorry,” he whispered as if she would hear it. “Lauren’s ex,” John mumbled, gesturing to the woman on the floor as if he knew Bruce had raised his eyebrow at him.
Bruce simply swept onward, spying the door for the basement. There was a light on in the front room, and three women who looked like they could be professional boxers of different weight categories were sitting in different areas. One was sharpening a knife at the table, and another was cleaning a semi-automatic rifle as the third kept watch over a monitor showing security camera footage; three looked to be by the greenhouses (Bruce recognized the Foxglove variety growing in one under an opening in the glass, sitting next to something that looked primeval), and two were watching over the plants upstairs (marijuana, by the looks of it) and in the basement.
There was a figure in the last screen, working over a row of potted plants with low lamps. A zoom-in with Bruce’s lenses showed long red hair.
Bruce felt a hand on his shoulder, and John crept ahead him, the taser-bomb in hand: it looked like a mass of the sticky-bombs grouped together, colorful wiring connecting them all like some kind of net, and before Bruce could do or say anything, John threw it into the living room, where it tumbled into the middle of the floor.
The group began to shoot out of their seats in a second, and in the next the ball seemed to expand like a geometric toy, the wired tasers being thrown in the air with a flash before smacking people and surfaces alike as they discharged. All three people fell to the floor in trembling heaps, and John dashed out and started to cuff them, Bruce close behind.
The electric bombs were safe to touch now that they had fully discharged, so Bruce had no qualm about stomping on the lightly-burning sections of carpet underneath some of them to prevent any spread of fire as he pushed them aside. The bulkiest goon wasn’t quite down for the count; she was still conscious.
She yanked John off her fallen comrade by his shoulder and threw him into the table’s edge. Bruce threw a Batarang at her arm just as she was about to punch, and John gave a swift knee to her stomach as she flinched.
She fell to the floor with a louder crash and a grunt, pulling the Batarang out from her arm and letting it drop to the floor. “You fucker…” She said, glaring up at John before looking over at Bruce, her eyes widening as he approached with more Batarangs at the ready. “B-Batman…?”
“Yup! He’s real,” John said playfully before smacking the side of her head with the baton. “And so am I,” he added with a growl. He decided to tie her wrists behind the nearest table leg. “I hate not being able to call myself Joker like this… Really sells it better.”
Bruce felt his heart twitch at the name. “You can call yourself that, if it helps,” Bruce said gently, tying the monitoring-station woman’s wrists together, “Just not to people’s faces.”
“Kinda defeats the point,” John grumbled.
Bruce shot a look at the security monitor – Pamela Isley didn’t seem to have heard anything. Still, precaution should be used. “Let’s go,” he said plainly, sweeping out of the room with a swish of his cape.
John tucked a hand into his pocket and followed.
The basement stairs were carpeted and quiet, but Bruce was careful to walk on the outsides rather than the middle. Spiders had clearly made themselves right at home in the damp corners of the walls, and he had to duck to avoid getting the tips of his cowl’s ears stuck in one of their webs. A soft sort of click was heard behind his back, and Bruce figured John had gotten out his grappling gun.
Pamela Isley was bent over a row of exotic-looking orchids posed under heat lamps, dabbing something into the center of a blue orchid’s petals. Bruce saw several troughs full of hallucinogenic mushrooms sitting on the other side of the wall.
“There you go, my darling,” she cooed in a honeyed voice, acting like she was carefully painting the center of the flower, “You’ll soon be the belle of the ball…”
Bruce eyed the electrical box on the other side of the room. It wouldn’t do to drown the place in darkness; he’d be able to see, but John wouldn’t. The best bet was to tackle and restrain her.
Or…
Bruce took out his own grappling gun, and aimed it at Isley’s collar. One click, and it snagged her shirt with practiced ease.
“What the-?!”
Pamela Isley was suddenly dragged yelping through the air at an angle, smacking hard into one of the tables and spilling several unusual potted flowers to the floor.
Bruce grabbed her and threw her to the concrete floor, standing over her with several Batarangs in his hand as John cackled beside him.
“Jonathan Crane,” Bruce growled out, “Where is he?”
Pamela Isley sat up, shock written all over her face as she processed exactly what happened – it quickly morphed to a steely stare. “Batman,” she said slowly in a sweet voice, “I thought you were an urban legend,” she continued, wiping the corner of her mouth where a dribble of blood leaked out. “Do you always treat a lady this way?”
Bruce dragged her up by her collar and threw her against the wall, keeping her at arm’s length. “I know he bought plants from you today. Tell me where he is.”
“Or what?” She taunted, smirking widely at him. “You think I haven’t been knocked around by men before? I’ve been in whole worlds of hurt, honey.”
There was the distinct sound of the grappling wire rushing through the air, and then an enormous crash – John had taken out one of the mushroom tables, the fungi now breaking and bouncing against the floor it the scattered in the dirt.
“Whoopsie,” John hummed, a wide unnerving grin on his face, “butter-fingers.”
Isley looked rather taken aback, but the expression quickly warped into a mocking glare. “You think destroying my inventory is going to intimidate me?”
John shrugged, leaning back against a table and knocking over a several small tropical plants with a slide of his hand, shattering the clay pots and sending the plants scattering to the hard floor.
That definitely got her attention; her face paled slightly and there was tremble in her. “Stop that!”
Bruce glared at her, mentally thanking John for his quick thinking. “Tell me where Crane is and I’ll consider stopping him from tearing this place apart.”
Her dark green eyes glared at him with a slow-boiling dislike. “Let me go first.”
Bruce did a very quick once-over; she didn’t seem to have a gun holster on her, and she was definitely a lighter build than the rest of her gang. Knives were still a possibility. He decided to let go, keeping a Batarang between his fingers just in case as he stepped just out of her reach.
Pamela dusted off her green turtleneck. “I don’t know where he is, and I don’t care. He bought a few of my flowers and left,” she said, crossing her arms.
John laughed, fingering the leaves of the blue orchid she’d been attending. “With a hole in his shoulder? You didn’t even offer a band-aid for that?”
Pamela was closely eyeing the plant in John’s hand. “What if I did?”
“I know he’s a friend of yours, Isley,” Bruce growled. “You’re the only one who could know what he’s planning.”
“I told you, I don’t know,” she stated, “and I don’t care. I’m not his mother.”
“I can see why you were paying such close attention to this one,” John hummed, fingering the petals with a gloved hand. “It’s so pretty. You put a lot of effort into keeping all these, huh?” He grinned at her, almost looking like his usual self. “It’s not just some financial scheme for you, is it?”
“Of course it is,” Pamela stared at him, trying to keep her voice level; Bruce noticed her eyes kept flicking slightly downward, like she was watching the plant. “I breed and sell rare plants to collectors on the side.”
“Oh good! So this won’t bother you!”
In a swift move, John cut the blossom off the stem with the bowie knife one of the group upstairs had been sharpening.
The blossom fell to the table, and Pamela Isley looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
John picked up the blossom. “Let’s see – she’s honest,” he said playfully, plucking a petal from the stem, “she’s not!” He pulled another.
“STOP IT!” Pamela shrieked, making to rush at him – Bruce pulled her back and pointed the tip of the Batarang at her face. She glanced at it fearfully, but then looked back at the flower being torn apart in John’s hand, and it looked like she was watching a child die before her eyes.
“Stop that,” Bruce instructed; John hummed and held it still. “Talk, or my partner and I crush every plant in this place.”
Isley stared at the flower in John’s hand. “I… I don’t know what he’s planning,” she said quietly, her voice cracking slightly. John only touched the tip of a petal before she spoke again – “But-! But I know… He’s building something. He didn’t say what, but he asked for some muscle - I hooked him up with some of Maroni’s old boys.” She shut her eyes and took a breath before glaring at John like he was a complete monster. “I hope the lot of them tears you limb from limb.”
Bruce forced Isley’s hands behind her back and zip-tied them. “Down on the ground,” he growled, pushing down on the top of her head. John pointed the grappling gun in her face with a smirk; a good insurance if she decided to try and elbow Bruce in the face.
Pamela shot them both a hateful glare as she knelt down, and it didn’t waver as her ankles were tied, too. “I won’t forget this,” she spat.
Bruce sent off a message to Tiffany regarding the coordinates of “Poison Ivy”’s headquarters from his gauntlet. He knew she’d get the word out before he could even get back in the car. “Tell it to the judge,” he taunted, leading the way out of the basement, not missing the sparkle in John’s eyes as he followed, the severed, torn orchid blossom having been carelessly thrown at Pamela Isley’s feet.
John gathered up the sticky bomb device before they hustled back to the Batmobile, and it wasn’t until the doors closed that he spoke, and when he did it was in a tone Bruce would almost call revered.
“So, what do we do now, partner?” He asked, a definite glow on his face.
“We go look at some of the Maroni gang’s old haunts and see if we can find anyone recently hired,” Bruce said, the voice modifier in his cowl now disabled. He glanced at his recent text messages:  one from Tiffany giving the ok on Poison Ivy, and another from Iman with the last known location of the stolen Ryde car. “After we look into the motels in the red-light district. Crane might’ve stayed there.”
John laughed to himself, but for once he didn’t share the joke; instead, he pulled out a packet of jerky from the plastic bag he’d brought along. “I knew this would be a long night,” he said cheerfully, as if he was really looking forward to the whole thing.
It was well past one in the morning when Bruce arrived back home through the front gate, the Batsuit stowed away and the plates flipped back to red. The two patrol officers were only somewhat surprised to see him arrive back. Naturally, they reported nothing new, since John had been dropped off in the Batcave first.
Sore muscles were nothing new to Bruce. The old strained climb back up to his bed was just as annoying as ever. He honestly didn’t feel like he wanted to sleep, but after following several empty leads over the city and bruising a few heads alongside John, he did admit that he was physically exhausted. He knew lying down was better than nothing, and he still had to go to work in several hours like he didn’t have a double life. At least he wasn't starving, thanks to John thinking ahead and buying him protein-and-carb-filled snacks.
He forced himself to go through his usual nightly routine, despite the temptation to just flop into bed and lay there. He looked at the bruises on his back and ribs from where John had struggled against him under the influence of Crane’s drug, and decided not to bother putting the bruise-away cream on them, nor on the new ones forming on his shoulder from where one of the former mobsters had hit him.
When he did finally collapse onto the master bed in nothing but his boxer-briefs, his brain still decided to chat away at him.
There were no leads as to who exactly Isley had hired for Crane. Bruce cursed himself for not trying to work the specifics out of her. At least he knew she was arrested for drug possession and manufacturing, as well as smuggling illegal fauna.
There was no word on the whereabouts of Jackie Lant. Her car was missing, and she’d called into work sick. Her apartment hadn’t been visited in the entire time Bruce had his drone’s eye on it, and neither Tiffany nor Iman had seen anything when they looked into Jackie’s friends’ places, either. All Bruce knew was that she hadn’t called an ambulance to fetch her from Toxic Acres, that she hadn’t been admitted to a hospital, and that there was no sign of her body either in the Acres or in the Gotham River.
She was alive, somewhere, and Bruce didn’t know what she was going to do next. He hoped she was just going to lie low until he caught Crane.
Jonathan Crane was nowhere to be found. His house was still empty. He didn’t seem to be staying at any of the motels – or hotels – around the red-light district or its surrounding streets, and nothing had come of a quick credit-card check. The Ryde driver the GCPD fished out of the River that morning had been shot in the head, and his car was so common that if Crane could’ve switched the license plate with anything and been completely invisible. They’d done a quick search of the warehouse district and found no sign of him there, either.
Bruce had the nagging feeling that he wasn’t going to find Crane until the doctor reared his head.
The billionaire rolled onto his stomach, shoving the anxious thought away as he pressed his cheek further into the plush black jersey pillowcase. There were a couple more places he could check tomorrow…
The bedroom door creaked, and Bruce’s eyes shot open, a second away from grabbing the billy-club under his pillow – he could see John’s messy hair in his dark silhouette.
“Bruce? You awake?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled.
“…can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Bruce noticed he closed the door behind him. Like he was planning to stay there.
That definitely put a new light onto the situation. A tense thrill was building in his shoulders as John deigned to sit on the edge of the mattress, his back to Bruce.
John was only wearing his Arkham-regulated pants, and the pale white of his bare skin almost shone in the light streaming in from the window. Bruce saw several bruises forming, one of which was from where he’d gotten grabbed by the shoulder by a Poison Ivy goon, and several more where he’d gotten knocked into.
“…I don’t think I can sleep in that guest room,” John sighed. “I mean, I tried my usual methods of sleep induction, but… It’s too big…and empty. I’m really not used to that.” His voice came out quieter and more contemplative. “I know it’s weird, but do you mind if I sleep in here?” He asked, turning halfway to look right at Bruce.
He felt trapped. If he said no, at the worst John would sulk, and at the best John wouldn’t get any sleep, and that was definitely worse for his mental health. John had mentioned before about how regular sleep cycles were supposed to help with that.
If he said yes, though, he’d know he was sleeping next to John, and there was the tiny worry in the back of his head that John might…try something. Or at least roll over too much.
“I promise I’ll stay over on my side,” John muttered, not tearing his eyes away.
“Alright.”
A sweet smile stretched on his face. “Thanks, Bruce. You won’t regret this.”
“If you keep talking, I might.”
John giggled as he slid beneath the covers on the far side of the bed, flopping one of the extra pillows down between them. “There – a no-roll barrier,” he said as if he had to explain the concept to Bruce.
It did not escape Bruce’s attention that John had decided to lie facing him and rest his arm on top of the pillow. John had pulled the covers up to just underneath his armpits; Bruce could see John's sharp collarbone and the lean wiry muscle of his chest. (Bruce made sure not to look for more than a moment's curiosity would allow.)
God, John’s face was actually his for the first time that whole night. Bruce had gotten used to seeing it in the natural makeup, but it was almost a relief to see it in its normal borderline-luminescent white. He looked like the man Bruce knew.
Acid-green eyes stared at him, flicking slightly and growing soft. “I…did want to talk to you about something, though. If it’s okay.”
“I suppose I’m still awake,” Bruce said in an attempt to lighten the tension in his arms. “Sure.”
“Do you ever…look back on something, and think about the worst thing that could’ve happened in that situation?”
He didn’t like to admit it, but he had. Usually in his worst moods, he’d think about how everything could’ve gone wrong. He’d usually think about everything he could’ve done better, too. “I try not to, but…sometimes, yeah.”
“I’ve been thinking about our fight a lot, lately,” John confessed, “At Ace. I used to think about it a lot when I got recommitted, but… You started visiting me,” he said softly, a light smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You remember when I told you I thought I’d messed things up for us?”
“Yeah.” It was Bruce’s first visit to John. He never forgot the sheer hopeful joy on John’s face upon seeing him. It was practically engraved in his memory.
“Ever since I started sessions with Crane, I kept going back to that night. He always tried to weasel my worst secrets out of me,” he said with a low scowl, “but when he started using that…toxin on me… I kept…thinking about what could have happened back there. I… I know I almost killed you.”
The sheer pain reading in John’s eyes was enough to make Bruce want to wrap his arms around him. It was beautiful and raw and honest, and Bruce found himself holding stock still, almost captivated by the expression.
“I kept seeing it. Over and over – it was like I could see myself throwing you over the railing or-or stabbing you, or...” Bruce saw tears welling up as John clenched the pillow between them. “I don’t want to come close to that again, Bruce,” he managed to say, his voice starting to hitch. “I don’t… I don’t want to kill you.”
Bruce threw his pride away and grabbed John’s hand in his. “You won’t.”
“You…you don’t know that,” John said with a light sob. “If…if I…go back to how I was… If I mess up...”
Bruce squeezed his hand, feeling the soft skin twitch under his fingertips. “I won’t pretend you’re perfect,” he said, honesty seeping through every word, “but I know you, John. I know you’re not going after Crane out of revenge, like you did with Waller. You reached out to me for help – but you were already trying to find a way to stop him without resorting to just stabbing him with the nearest shiv.”
John sniffed, a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth like he was almost smiling. “Yeah…”
“So you’re not the same person you were then, are you?” He soothed with a supportive smile. “Even if you feel you are going backward, I know it won’t be to that same point.”
“Maybe…” he said with another sniff, looking more serious. “But Bruce, you know there are things I can’t ever really stop, right? The auditory psychosis is pretty much going to stay with me the rest of my life,” he started, clutching Bruce’s hand back, “and I’m not going to lie here and pretend my pulse wasn’t pounding a mile a minute when we were fighting those mobsters out there.” He sported a small knowing grin at him. “You know what that’s like, though, don’t you…”
(Yes, he did.)
“…you know what’s funny? I used to think one bad day could turn a person completely upside down.” John managed to stroke his thumb against Bruce’s knuckle, sending a little shiver over the skin, and Bruce wondered if John knew how incredibly intimate that gesture felt as he stared softly at him from the pillow. “Especially after Waller came to town… But…I never really thought things could go back up after it. I guess it just…takes a while.”
Bruce knew there was something right in John’s line of thinking. It only took one day to turn his life on its head, and he felt he knew, despite John having no memory of his life before Arkham, that something similar had happened to him. “Well…they say time heals all wounds.”
“How much passed before yours started to heal?”
He almost didn’t want to answer. The truth was that he wasn’t sure at all if he was ever going to fully heal, despite knowing what his parent’s really were. Maybe it was because he knew the terrible truth about them that they wouldn’t ever heal right. Maybe he’d always have that miserable note in the background of his life.
“…I’m still healing.”
“I didn’t say you stopped, buddy,” John chuckled with a knowing look. “Still…got good days and bad days, huh?”
“Feels like it, yeah.” Today…was definitely more of a mixed day. Looking at John across from him, though, all honest and open, and thinking back to how it felt to fight alongside him again, and investigate with him, with that warmth and instant familiar comfort between that never faded away, he almost felt like he wanted to call it a good day. “Today might have tilted things right-side up.”
John laughed, a genuine, humored one that was almost infectious. “Now I know I’m rubbing off on you; that sounds like something I’d say!”
John slipped his hand away and turned to lie on his back, still chuckling to himself. The warmth still burned in Bruce’s palm, and he found himself reluctant to pull his hand away at all.
John turned to him once more, an all-too-familiar affection shimmering brightly in the green depths. It pulled Bruce in and made him feel like he should inch close enough to feel the warmth and security it promised. “’Night, Bruce.”
“Goodnight, John.”
John turned over, leaving Bruce to stare at the bruises forming on his shoulders. There was the terrible temptation in his hands to shove the pillow between them aside and wrap his arm around the man’s middle so he could lean into that pale, battered back and bury his face in a head of soft, green hair.
There was a worse urge, one so vivid it almost made Bruce’s head spin – he could just reach out and touch the bruises, feather-light, and trail his fingertips down the curve of spine until it arched with a pleased shudder, and Bruce could follow that trail with his mouth as far as John would let him.
Bruce turned his head away, the memory of John’s lips on his coming to the front of his mind, and he shut out the mental image of repeating that kiss right then and there, telling himself that he really shouldn’t feel that way towards someone who desperately needed support, nor to his best friend who he’d left scarred in more ways than one, and certainly not someone who was both.
It had been a long time since Bruce shared a bed with someone, and far, far longer when he shared one with someone he didn’t have sex with.
He hoped that was all it was. Just the bed’s memory getting to him, and nothing else…
Notes:  Super-sexy-plant-person-in-her-late-twenties Ivy is OUT. Cougar-aged-mobster-botanist Ivy is IN! >:) 
I really wanted a different Ivy. I’m tired of the young, uber-sexy walking plant-human-hybrid that’s immune to all toxins and diseases; plants get diseases, too, and she’s so plant-like she should have some kind of physical humanizing weakness! It’s much more interesting to have a human who’s just built up an immunity and uses her babies for weapons and business; I kept her serious environmentalist trait, though, because while I dislike the anti-hero thing she’s got going on lately and would love to see her as a straight-up villain again, we do have to relate to her somehow, and her love of nature is always going to be a good part of her. Since Harley’s older, too, I figured it would be alright if they had a ten-year gap between them, so when Pam eventually goes to Black Gate one day, they’ll be pals. ;)
And Bruce you complete fool!!!! You should’ve kissed him!!!  Why do you do this to yourseellllfff? D:
I'm sorry it took so long, but as you can tell, I had a lot to work on, and I’m doing my best to write the next chapter as quickly as I can while this nutty energy in my brain is still fresh. I’m trying to keep with my weekly schedule, but I hope you guys are okay with having a gap day, as appears to be the habit now. ( ._. ) I mean, no one yells at me or anything for being late, but I aim to please with my work, and part of that is being consistent. 
I shall continue to try my hardest! (*`へ´*) 彡3 See you next weekend!!!
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br0ther-theloops · 7 years
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a “should we know us a little better” tag 🌸
RULES: you must answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people (i’m not going to tag twenty people are you insane)
Tagged by @hobisol​ thank you so much for tagging me!! 💕 💕
THE LAST:
1. Drink: water because we have nothing else in my apartment...
2. Phone call: UMMMMM my mom i think???
3. Text message: a group chat between @bangtanboysboo, @lol-hobi, @vrlskaserket, @bubblegumlookinass, and myself and it’s just me talking to myself rn UPDATE: we’re talking about teens making out in a line at cedar point lmao
4. Song you listened to: blackpink’s NEW SONG BECAUSE I FFHUEIWKFHWEukhjgwK
5. Time you cried: i answered this in an ask yesterday but i remember now that the last time i cried was like monday and it was because i was looking up pictures of corgi pups 
6. Dated someone twice: nope~
7. Kissed someone and regretted it: oh yeah, for sure, it’s what i would like to call, my first year of college 😬😬😬
8. Been cheated on: lmao yeah
9. Lost someone special: yep
10. Been depressed: 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃
11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: yeah the first and only real time was the saturday right before finals and my friends tucked me in and let me sleep on the bathroom floor 👌👌
LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:
12-14: mint green/tiffany blue, pale pink, and either burnt orange or dark magenta 
IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends: yes yes yes~~~ i made some of my best friends this past year ❤️💞💘💝💖💜
16. Fallen out of love: oh yeah
17. Laughed until you cried: yeah probably
18. Found out someone was talking about you: ....have i really not?? well damn, either people really like me or im just great at being completely oblivious
19. Met someone who changed you: definitely!
20. Found out who your friends are: i mean, everyone’s my friend. i get the context and meaning of this question, but it’s okay to have friends who you’re not super close with that’s fine.
21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: i mean yeah
GENERAL:
22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: i don’t give out my facebook to people i don’t know irl because it’s used for school and family.
23. Do you have any pets: i don’t have any pets and it makes me so sad ☹️
24. Do you want to change your name: it has taken me a really long time to like my name, so no
25. What did you do for your last Birthday: i got lunch with my family and my boyfriend at the time and then i had practice and did homework because my last birthday was on a sunday
26. What time did you wake up: around 10 but i didn’t get out of bed until almost 11 so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
27. What were you doing at midnight last night: what was i doing uhhhhh reading i think
28. Name something you can’t wait for: my life to finally seem put together lmao
29. When was the last time you saw your mom: my biological mom; it’s been almost a year in a half i believe? and then i saw my step mom a couple weekends ago lol
30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: i want people to be loved for who they are and how they choose to present themselves and not be afraid of being harmed because of that. on a more personal level, i want to be better at saving money lol ooo or to love myself more
31. What are you listening right now: the ac unit in my wall. i rarely have music on as background noise when i’m writing or typing something up
32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: yeah when i was like seventeen or smth
33. Something that is getting on your nerves: uhhhhhhh the fact that it’s so humid in my apartment and the one ac unit is in the wall in my kitchen, which is closed in so the only place getting cooler in my apartment is the kitchen
34. Most visited Website: tumblr lmao rip
35. Mole/s: i have only one mole and it’s on my thigh kind of near my butt! it’s in the shape of an upside down heart!
36. Mark/s: listen, i have a lot of scars because i’m a delicate baby that accidentally hurts themself a lot, but as of what i know i have right off the top of my head: three scars on my forehead, one on my right knee, one of my left shin, one on my right thumb that looks like a crescent moon, two on my left arm which were the result of my clothing hating me, and i think that’s it? oh! and i have a bruise on my side that i’ve had since i ran into a dresser when i was younger.
37. Childhood dream: i wanted to be a singer!🎤 
38. Hair color: right now, a brownish, reddish, dirty blonde, but naturally, dark red!
39. Long or short hair: long. it’s down to my nipples. i haven’t had hair this long since high school.
40. Do you have a crush on someone: not really anymore i don’t think ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
41. What do you like about yourself: i like...my eyes and my ability to not take myself seriously all the time. i also like that i usually see and understand both sides of a situation!
42. Piercings: three on my nose 
43. Bloodtype: O
44. Nickname: most people just call me ashley, but sometimes people refer to me as ash (but like, please ask me first because i do like being called ashley and being called ash without permission makes me super uncomfortable. also ashley is p gender neutral!). my mom calls me ash ketchum, and my family calls me ashley lynn. 
45. Relationship status: 😬  no one likes me so lol
46. Zodiac: libra and i’m three days younger than jimin!
47. Pronouns: they/them/she/her. i don’t mind either!
48. Favorite TV Show: UMMMM i don’t really watch tv but i like steven universe and gravity falls and chopped and anything on the food network tbhhhhhh also stuff like hoarders and my strange addiction hold my attention like no one’s business
49. Tattoos: i have one!
50. Right or left hand: right handed 
51. Surgery: ummm i had two teeth removed and a root canal so do those count? i also had to get stitches twice for cut because i was young and an idiot
52. Piercings: two on my left nostril, and one on my right 
53. Sports: the only sports i have ever done is track and that was for like two years. i dance for fun and perform dance covers with my club!
55. Vacation: i haven’t been on an actual vacation since i was sixteen. 
56. Pair of trainers: like the shoes? um, i have one pair of adidas.
MORE GENERAL:
57. Eating: i was just chewing some gum, but hard boiled eggs?
58. Drinking: water
59. I’m about to: probably make dinner or write, who knows.
61. Waiting for: my ask-kimdaily stuff to come in the mail ;;;;
62. Want: pizza, but a lot of things
63. Get married: idk if i really want to get married, i just want to live with a partner for a while and be domestic and shit because that stuff 👌👌👌
64. Career: a writer or smth who knows
WHICH IS BETTER?:
65. Hugs or kisses: both?
66. Lips or eyes: i really like looking into people’s eyes, but i also have a slight eye phobia so 
67. Shorter or taller: both? it’s not that hard to be taller than me, though
68. Older or younger: a majority of my friends are younger than me, but both is fine
70. Nice arms or nice stomach: both??
71. Sensitive or loud: you can be both tho i’m so confused
72. Hook up or relationship: i mean both have their ups and downs
73. Troublemaker or hesitant: what is this even asking fam
HAVE YOU EVER:
74. Kissed a stranger: surprisingly, no
75. Drank hard liquor: i’m an actual adult and a college student not to make generalizations but like yeah.
76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: i lose my glasses every day of my life hekwjfhwilukgjr
77. Turned someone down: yeah a few times
78. Sex in the first date: yes
79. Broken someones heart: yeahhhhh....
80. Had your heart broken: lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
81. Been arrested: nope but i have been frisked by a cop when i was 13 because someone thought i stole smth and i cried 
82. Cried when someone died: yep
83. Fallen for a friend: lmaoooooooooooooo rip me
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
84. Yourself: is this some naruto stuff or what
85. Miracles: sure
86. Love at first sight: i mean, it was love at first sight when i saw min yoonji so i guess you could say so
87. Santa Claus: not any more. i don’t think i was ever told he wasn’t real, but i just had a realize and was okay with it
88. Kiss in the first date: fam i’ve slept with someone of the first date i think we know what i think--you should only do something, like kiss someone, or even have sex with someone, when you are completely comfortable with the situation and are able to give full consent and are okay with it. 
89. Angels: i think so? i’m not sure lmao
OTHER:
90. Current best friends name: names lmao bethany, becca, erin, julia
91. Eyecolor: hazel/green blue/sometimes they look gray
92. Favorite movie: this is constantly changing but spirited away, moana, phantom of the opera, ooo zootopia, harry potter and the chamber of secrets, and more!
do not feel obligated to do this, this took a long time even with minimal distractions but i tag: @minminyoongi @ahoneyyboy @nochucametru @otpvmin @giveemhelllex @1995winemom @blushguk @chocoulat @lqhani
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Chapter 1 of my thing for brofessor andy (tw there's sui and death and shit)
[put under a cut for length, feedback below] [very awesome tho def worth looking at if ur into spoopy shit]
  Same old, same old. I sit down at the desk and get to work, typing up the data collected today. My colleague comes in, “Do you think they’ll ever let us out of here?”
    I nearly rip my hair out. “How many times do I have to tell you? Never. They put us in here and they’ll never let us out for fear of spreading the virus.”
    “Maybe after the war,” he says, shifting from foot to foot.
    “They don’t tell us anything, the war could’ve ended years ago for all we know. And doesn’t it ever bother you?” My words are muffled by the hum of the cleaning robots sliding up the wall, disinfecting as they go. My voice turns to a shout to compensate. “The fact that we’re trapped in here for the rest of our lives. Sometimes the self destruct button is tempting …”
    “You’d use the nuclear place to blow us all up? My son and me are here as well. If you want to off yourself, go ahead. But don’t bring me into it.”
    “Not a bad idea,” I say, heading to the bathroom.
No pills, no rope. Nothing. The building’s too secure, no roof to jump off of. My hand goes to my chin to think, and my stubble triggers an idea. I grab my razor and sit on the edge of the bath tub and close my eyes. I take a deep breath. The scent of disinfectant fills and burns my nostrils. I lift the razor and bring it towards my arm.
    Bang. Bang. Bang.
    It sounds like bombs are going off all around me, even inside my head. Everything fades to black.
    My eyes open and the lights are so bright. The walls are practically made of light. Something hard presses into the back of my head. “If you do not cooperate, you will be shot.” A guy in uniform says. I say nothing. “Are you aware of what your research is being used for?”
    “No.”
    “What were you doing when we bombed the lab?”
    “About to kill myself.”
    “Why?”
    “They don’t tell me anything. They didn’t plan releasing me. I was nothing more than a number in their equations.”
    “If you work with us, and give you your research, we can promise you freedom and citizenship here, though you will be a traitor to Russia.”
    “Deal.”
    I sit behind the counter of my dad’s record store, scrolling through the news on my phone as a record on the counter spins and Tom Petty drones on about free fallin’. Something about a new disease, World War III is still going on, a new Avengers movie is coming out. There’s no customers; there’s usually not at this time so I consider leaving earlier. The bell on the door dings, announcing that I’m trapped here for another hour. The man says he doesn’t need any help and heads up to the record loft. My attention returns to my phone before the bell dings again.
    A woman walks in, and her face makes my stomach twist. There’s boils and pieces of missing skin. Her eyes have a glassy look. “Miss, are you okay?” I ask. Her mouth goes through the motions, but no words come out. I begin the chew on the inside of my cheek, a nervous tic I developed as a kid as the woman ascends the stairs. A few minutes pass and I hear a scream. I get up on the counter and slide over and make a beeline for the stairs. I head up, taking two steps at a time. The man is laying on the ground dead, bits of his skin missing. The woman’s face is covered with blood and the skin of the man and she lunges at me. I grab a record off the shelf and start hitting her with it, but it does nothing.
    I use the record to shield my skin from her attacks as I walk backwards down the steps. I’m down and I run to the counter. The monster of a woman bumbles and trips her way down the stairs  and should take twice as long to get anywhere. I go over to the record player and rip the stick with the needle off and start hitting her with it. She lets out a scream, but it’s muffled and distorted and sounds almost alien. The warmth of adrenaline courses through me as I hit her again and again, somehow being able to avoid her attacks. She falls to the ground after several minutes. I stomp on her head until I’m sure she won’t be a threat anymore. The effects of the adrenaline wore off, and I now realized the fact that I got attacked by a monster. It’s fucking insane.
    I exit the store and hop into my car. I drive home much faster than usual. My eyes dart around, looking everywhere to see if there’s any more of those monster things in or beside the road. I’m too busy looking for them that I run a red light. Sighing, I slow down and keep my eyes on the road. They play tricks on me and several times I swear I see something out of the corner of my eye. Finally I arrive home, any later and I’m pretty sure I would have gone crazy. It’s late and everyone else is asleep so I immediately head up to my room. I shut and lock my door. I bulldoze the messy pile of video game and band shirts off my bed and into a laundry basket and crawl under the covers.
    Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
    Damn. I’m going to die.
    I glance at my alarm clock. Midnight, and there’s scratching at my door. The thing that tried to kill me earlier used its nails to attack. And there’s scratching at my door. I’m going to die. Logic tells me I should get up and find some kind of weapon. My instincts have me paralyzed out of fear. Breathe.  Gradually I move my arm. Down to the floor. My fingers make contact with the tennis racket under my bed and grasp it, preparing to fight off the intruder.
Meow.
    It’s not even an intruder. It’s my dang cat. I get up and open the door and pet him. After this scare, there’s no way I’m getting back to sleep so I get dressed and head downstairs. I did my hair and makeup much fancier than usual, if I’m losing sleep I can at least look good.
    About an hour before the bus arrives I sit at the kitchen table eating cereal and watching the news. “Due to an outbreak of a new disease, all schools in the district will remain closed,” So I’m all dolled up for nothing. “Experts say the disease is contained to the state and airports are closing in an effort to keep it that way. It’s recommended you stay indoors and avoid crowded places to protect yourself from the illness. If you develop an itchy red rash, seek medical attention immediately as that’s the first sign of the disease. Now onto the weather.” Somehow the peppy newscaster is able to make even a deadly disease sound alright.
    I decide to not waste the day like I normally would. I go over by the front door and grab the leash and harness that are hanging up by my coat. I pick up my tennis racket and some balls and make kissing noises. My cat comes running and I put on his harness. He’s all black and could easily be mistaken for a dog. He’s huge. 30 pounds of cat, no fat. We head out to the backyard and decide to take the leash off. He could get over the fence, but I don’t think he wants to. I ready my racket and pitch a serve to the wall, the ball bounces back and I hit it again. This time I catch it instead of hitting it again because I feel an itch and need to scratch my back. My nails dig into the soft skin of my arm and it feels delightful.
    “Hey, Lulu!” someone calls from behind the fence I just served a ball at. It’s my friend, Jakob. He scales over the wall like he’s done many times and his eyes travel up and down my body. “Skank,” he snickers, referring to my short tennis skirt. I roll my eyes and throw a ball at him. “Jesus. I’m not here to look at your ass, I’m here to talk about the fact that there’s a fucking zombie apocalypse happening.”
“No, there’s not. You’re so gullible. It’s just a disease making people crazy or something-” I’m interrupted by a scream.
“Welp, I’m out.” Jakob says before going back into his house.
    A waterfall of purple leaves drooping from the willow tree in the yard block view of the neighbor’s yard. There’s nothing on any of the other sides, just forest. I pull back the ropes of leaves to look. My neighbor lies unconscious on the ground. I quickly put Salem back inside and jump the fence. The elderly woman has a huge boil on her face. I nearly throw up. It’s filled with some kind of liquid and I can see something small wiggling inside of it. I forget how to move for a minute, and then my body catches up to my brain and I dial 911. I reach down feel her pulse. She’s dead.
    The paramedics come, ask me my name and if I know anything about her. I don’t. They put her into the back of the ambulance, and as the door close I see the boil pop, and she bolts up, her eyes glaze over.
Then, a guy who can’t be much older than me comes up. Despite his young age, he has some kind of uniform decorated with tons of badges. “What do you know about that lady?” he asks.
“Nothing.”
“Do you know anything about the ‘outbreak’?” The way he says outbreak sends chills up my spine.
“I was in a fight with one of the infected people.”
“Any rashes, itches?” I shake my head no. “Fever?”
“No, I’ve been totally fine.” He grabs my arm and yanks me away.
I slap him. “I don’t care where you’re taking me,but Jakob’s coming.” He’s completely unfazed by the slap and nods his head.
my dude, my bro, this is excellent, i love the way u add detailed description that one can picture easily without running on too long & also how u use subtle things like the narrators possessions to add character. i esp love the bit with the neighbor its such a quick thing but v nasty it sticks with u 10/10
the only thing thats bugging me is the inconsistency with indentation at the beginning of paragraphs/dialogue but idk if thats just something tumblr did? either way very awesome super cool concept u got going here & v easy to read too w/o being overly simple (not that theres anything wrong with simplicity) 
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polkadotsockz · 7 years
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I don't know why, but I've always liked these.
100 Things About Me 
1. What is your full name? Kimberly 
2. How old are you? 23 
3. When is your birthday? 12/12 
4. What is your zodiac sign? The charming and witty, Sagittarius 
5. What is your favorite color? Blacker than my soul 
6. What’s your lucky number? 12 (look at my birthday!) 
7. Do you have any pets? Two wonderful cats, Fuu (Fuu Kitty) and Archer (Archie) 
8. Where are you from? Connecticut 
9. How tall are you? 5′8" 
10. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Like 10, but I wear 3-4 of them regularly 
11. What did you last have for breakfast? Scrambled eggs and cold brew coffee
12. What was your last dream about? The last one I remember having was one in which I was in my high school cafeteria. For some reason everyone in my high school was invited to this wedding (don't know whose), and we all decided to get dressed at school. Now mind you, this took place in my high school but in the present day, meaning we were all adults. When I looked around, guys and girls were putting on their outfits, doing their hair, and doing their makeup. All the parents were there getting ready too. I remember getting upset because my parents brought the wrong dress for me. They brought the dress I wore to my cousin's wedding a few years ago, which is a beautiful dark blue gown. I was upset because I was afraid the dress would rip because of all the weight I've gained. (The dress actually did rip in real life when I wore it to my step-aunt's wedding a couple of months ago; causing me to have to borrow someone’s dress for the rest of the night). So after some complaining, I convinced them to stop back at home so I could get a different dress, and that's when I woke up. 
 13. What is the best thing about you? I always try to see the best in everyone, even if they've done me wrong. 
 14. Put shuffle on your iPod, what were the first 5 songs? 
      1. Part II - Paramore 
      2. ARTPOP - Lady Gaga 
      3. Dancing in Circles - Lady Gaga (really?! 2 in a row?) 
      4. But It's Better if You Do - Panic! At the Disco 
      5. Comedy of Errors- Alesana 
15. Favorite song? It typically depends on my mood, but the one that is most constant is “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. It’s pretty much the perfect song because a. it’s fun to sing along to, b. it’s fun to dance to, c. it has beautiful lyrics with a powerful message about self-love and self-acceptance, especially for the LGBT community.
16. Favorite TV show? Game of Thrones, by fucking far!
17. Favorite movie? the Harry Potter series
18. Do you miss anyone right now? I miss my Sammy and I miss my friends who I don’t see nearly enough
19. Do you want children? I think so, but I have promised myself that I won’t have kids unless and until I work out my anxiety issues because I don’t want to pass this along to yet another generation in my family.
20. Do you want a church wedding? Nah, I’d probably burst into flames up at the altar.
21. Are you religious? Nah, I like Satan jokes too much.
22. Have you ever been to the hospital? The last time I remember going was when I was 6 and needed 10 stitches on my head.
23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Sadly, no. I hold out hope that I’ll meet Lady Gaga. 
24. Baths or showers? Both! I only really like baths when I have a bath bomb/bubble bar, though!
25. What color socks are you wearing? None. 
26. Have you ever been famous? Nah, I don’t have the charisma or personality to handle that much attention.
27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Nah, I like my privacy tbh.
28. What type of music do you like? Lady Gaga, Paramore, emo/screamo that I’ve been listening to since middle/high school, occasional radio hits
29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No :/ I totally should have when I was home alone when I lived at my parents’.
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two! My favorite is when I can lay my head on one, and hug the other one.
31. What position do you usually sleep in? I usually sleep on my side (fetal position)
32. How big is your house? Our apartment is a decently sized one-bedroom
33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Eggs or rolled oats with fruit
34. Have you ever fired a gun? Nope!
35. Have you ever tried archery? No, but it sounds cool
36. Who is your celebrity crush? Lady Gaga cuz she’s actually perfect
37. Who do you look up to? Lady Gaga, because she isn’t afraid to be who she is and inspires others love and accept themselves. She is an extremely talented and accomplished musician, but retains such a humility and love for her fans. So basically, as I said before, she’s perfect.
 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 22 hours. When I was a high school senior, I got hooked on World of Warcraft, and I would do raids until 2 am (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), and then wake up for school at 5 am. Thursdays were the worst. 
39. Do you have any scars? On my forehead from the 10 stitches I got as a child, and a few on my face from the chicken pox.
40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? I don’t believe so.
41. Are you a good liar? I’m good at white lies (“I love that new haircut!”) but suck at lying about things that actually matter because I’m really bad at hiding my feelings.
42. Are you a good judge of character? For the most part. 
43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I like to pretend I can do a British accent, but it’s not all that.
44. Do you have a strong accent? Nah lol, just standard New England.
45. What is your favorite accent? British, Irish, Australian
46. Name all the countries you’ve been to? Not as many as I’d like! I have only been to Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and I took a cruise as a kid that stopped in Aruba, St. Martin, and St. Thomas. So basically, I’ve been around the Carribean.
47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? I don’t know, haha. I’m too broke for expensive clothes, I’m a grad student.
 48. Can you curl your tongue? Kind of.
49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie!
50. Left or right handed? Right, my left hand is useless
51. Are you scared of spiders? Yes, I hate all of them.
52. Favorite food? You can never go wrong with pizza
53. Favorite foreign food? Thai food is heaven.
54. Are you a clean or messy person? I can be messy with clothes, but for the most part, I’m a neat freak. I get anxiety if things are too dirty around the house.
55. Most used phrase?  “I’m too tired for life......”
56. Most used word? “Fuck”
 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Probably like 30-45 minutes on average. I varies depending on how long my shower is, how much make up I’m trying to wear, what I’m doing to my hair, and if shaving my legs is part of the process. 
58. Do you have much of an ego? Most of the time I tend to be very hard on myself, so I’m gonna say no.
59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Don’t eat many lollipops nowadays, but suck!
60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time! I’m a great conversationalist.
61. Do you sing to yourself? All the time! Every car ride is a concert just for me.
62. Are you a good singer? I’m not too shabby. 
63. Biggest Fear? Failure, rejection, judgement.
64. Are you a gossip? I can be. I enjoy talking about others, but many times it’s not in a negative way. For example, if I’m worried about someone who isn’t really saying much to me, I may ask another friend what’s going on with them because I’m concerned...not cuz I’m trying to talk shit. I guess I should get better at direct communication, tho.
 65. Favorite character in anything? Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, ASOIAF
66. Do you like long or short hair? I like both, but I’m digging my ultra long hair right now cuz I had short hair for so long!
67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Probably, just don’t ask me where they all are on the map.
 68. Favorite school subject? English/literature all the way!
69. Extrovert or Introvert? Too introverted to handle.
70. Favorite hobbies? Reading, writing, watching movies/shows, make-up, spending time with my boyfriend and friends
71. What makes you nervous? Everything social, judgement, presenting in front of people, making decisions.
72. Are you scared of the dark? I used to be, but now I like it. 
 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Not really. I used to correct peoples’ grammar/spelling mistakes, but then I realized what an ass I was being. I only really point out mistakes if I think the mistakes will negatively impact the person.
74. Are you ticklish? Yes, extremely and everywhere.
75. Have you ever started a rumor? I don’t think so.
 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? I guess I’m in a position of power/authority in my career. I never know what to do with that power, though.
77. Have you ever drank underage? Of course. 
78. Have you ever done drugs? I’ve dabbled in a few things. Weed is the only consistent one, and it’s hardly a “drug.” I’ve never done anything seriously addictive/dangerous like heroine or meth or something.
79. Who was your first real crush? This kid in my second grade class. He didn’t like me though cuz he was popular, and I was very unpopular.
80. How many piercings do you have? 5 - lobes, industrial bar, nostril, and navel. I want so so so many more though.
81. Can you roll your Rs? Spanish is my second language, so claro que sí!
82. How fast can you type? Pretty damn fast, actually.
83. How fast can you run? Fast if it’s for a very short distance. I have very little endurance, though.
84. What color is your hair? Naturally, I’m a milk chocolate brown. Right now, I’ve got about 2-3 inches my roots grown out, and the rest is a fading purple.
85. What color are your eyes? Dark brown.
86. What are you allergic to? Just pollen.
87. Do you keep a journal? I’ve always been bad at keeping up with journals. I wish I could find some old ones with my poetry.
88. What do your parents do? Dad: owns a little grocery store, Mom: works at a bank, Stepdad: works at an investment bank (stocks and such)
 89. Do you like your age? It’s okay. I’m getting old, though.
90. What makes you angry? Ignorance/ hatred: racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, etc. It honestly makes no sense to me how people can’t just love and accept one another and mind their own damn business.
91. Do you like your own name? I think it’s a nice name.
92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? I’ve had many thoughts throughout the years. I’ve always been partial to gender neutral names like Alex, Riley, Andy, etc.
93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? One of each would work.
94. If you had to have someone narrate the story of your life to you when you died, who would it be? This is an odd question, honestly, I’m not sure.
 95. What’s the best thing you’ve ever won? I don’t really win things.
96. How did you get your name? My mom and dad were thinking “Nelly” but then my grandma’s best friend talked them into “Kimberly.” I feel that this is more fitting. 
97. Out of the original 151 which is your favorite Pokémon? I didn’t watch Pokemon.
98. What browser do you use? Safari cuz I’m a Mac.
99. Color of your bedspread? I think it’s purple right now.
100. Color of your room? White cuz I rent and can’t paint the walls
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ssteezyy · 5 years
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Ask the Cat Doc: Urine Marking, Cardiomyopathy, Chirping Noise, and More
This post contains affiliate links*
Welcome to our regular “Ask the Cat Doc With Dr. Lynn Bahr” segment! Once a month, Dr. Bahr answers as many of your questions as she can, and you can leave new questions for her in a comment.
Dr. Bahr graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. Unlike most veterinarians, she did not grow up knowing that she would become a veterinarian. “It was a cat who got me interested in the practice and I am forever grateful to him,” said Dr. Bahr. Over the course of her veterinary career, Dr. Bahr found that the lifestyle of cats has changed dramatically. As the lifestyle of cats has changed, so did Dr. Bahr’s client education. In addition to finding medical solutions, she also encourages owners to enrich their home environments so that their cats can live long, happy, and healthy lives.
This new understanding led Dr. Bahr to combine her passion for strengthening the human-animal bond with her veterinary background and knowledge of what animals need and want to start her own solution-based cat product company, Dezi & Roo, inspired by two cats of the same names.
For more information about Dezi & Roo and their unique and innovative cat toys, please visit Dezi and Roo on Etsy.
Cat pees over the side of the box
My 7 yr od spayed female Maine Coon mix rescue cat has developed an odd behavior for some time while voiding. She always goes in the box but when facing a certain direction she often (not always) raises her back end mid-stream and ends up voiding on the floor. My vet said she doesn’t know what could be causing it. I have a 4 yr old neutured male too, and there have been no changes to speak of in a long while. She is healthy. Do you have any ideas what could be causing her odd behavior? – Kathleen May
Hi Kathleen, I am so glad to hear that your Maine Coon mix is a healthy girl and that you discussed this issue with your veterinarian first. If her urinalysis was normal, and the likelihood of suffering from cystitis has been ruled out, another medical issue I would consider is the whether or not arthritis is an issue that would cause her to adjust her position while urinating.
However, it sounds more likely to me that she is exhibiting the normal behavior of urine marking. Cats communicate with each other in many ways like scratching, bunting, and urinating. There is a lot of information they garner from from the smell and position of urine and your girl might just be talking to you and the other members of her household. In order to better deal with the urine landing outside of the box I have some suggestions for you. Make sure the litterbox she is using is big enough to accommodate her appropriately, that it is placed in a quiet location, is always kept clean, and that there is more than one litterbox for her to choose from. There are some options for high sided, large boxes, that you can either purchase or fashion yourself from plastic bins.
As long as arthritis is not the issue, we are happy to hear that your girl is otherwise normal and healthy. You may simply need a different style litterbox to help remedy the current situation.
Itchy cat
Hello! I have a rescue cat who is about 6 (no one is exactly sure) who at one point was someone’s pet. Her person died, the family cleared out the house but left pets behind to fend for themselves. Dory, my cat, survived on her own until a kind neighbor called the rescue organization that saved her. She was bloody in the field behind the house. Her face and back of neck raw open wounds. They think a flea collar bridled in her mouth and caused a burn reaction on her pretty face. She now has what I joke are “joker lines” at the sides of her mouth that caused permanent scars up to the apples of her cheeks. The back of her neck has a spot where fur no longer grows but it’s healed and is now healthy skin. I’ve had her for a couple years now; she’s happy and seems healthy overall. We’ve had laser treatment on the skin where the hot spots are, we’ve done steroids, we’ve narrowed food down to cool protein foods feeding only dehydrated food with no byproducts or allergens. She’s had skin biopsy done and everything comes back with no issues to note. The issue is she still scratches, and often. We keep a cone on her most of the time to save her little face. She is inside only, an only cat.
I’m at a loss. I’d like to not pump her full of Prozac or other drugs but fear it’s the only option to stop the phantom pains she seems to feel. Any further suggestion is helpful. – Mandy
Hi Mandy, bless you for giving Dory a loving home. She is a lucky cat. It appears that she has been thoroughly worked up for her issue of scratching but that an answer for the root cause has not been found. How unfortunate for both you and her.
Without the benefit of actually examining her firsthand, it is difficult for me to adequately guide you in this situation. However, going off your description, some of my thoughts involve the possibility of pain from scar tissue similar to what you mentioned about phantom pain. It is well documented in human medicine that scar tissue can cause excruciating and debilitating pain. With this in mind, I would be more apt to prescribe medications specifically for pain, as opposed to medications that alter behavior. I would recommend you seek a pain specialist who will know the best treatment options available for addressing this type of discomfort in your sweet girl. I hope you are able to find the right practitioner who will offer you a treatment plan aimed at alleviating the discomfort of her scar tissue without trying to change her personality. Best of luck to you.
Feeding a feral cat
Dr. Bahr I am feeding a feral cat every morning with 9 lives pate Ocean Whitefish and Bar S Bologna with Chicken and Pork will it hurt her she eats 2-3 slices a day. Thank You – John Wissinger
Hi John, I am so grateful to you for making sure your feral cat is fed every day. I typically recommend feeding a variety of flavors and brands and rotating foods regularly. Your girl is luckier than most by having the benefit of a meal certain every day and what you are doing to make sure she does not go hungry is wonderful. As long as the bologna is not the only nutrition she is receiving, I wouldn’t suggest you change your routine. She is used to it and as long as she appears to be healthy and thriving, I would continue with your regular practice. Has she been spayed? If not, I would encourage you to pursue getting that done asap. That way you won’t have the problem of having to feed more mouths than hers and she will live a longer life.
Chirping noise while purring
Hello Dr. Bahr! We got a new kitty a month ago, she’s a 4 month old british shorthair, everything is ok except for a weird little noise she makes when purring. Its high sound is separate from the purring, it sounds a bit like a bird chirping. I showed my vet an audio of her purring and he listened to her lungs and throat, he suspects the sound comes from the nose. I suspect it too because I can hear the high-pitch noise coming from it. She doesn’t always do it, actually she hasn’t done it as much as she did before, just wondering if you had any more insight or if you think there’s something we should check or worry about. I check her breathing and it seems fine, but I’m very intrigued as to why she’s making that noise! Hope you’re well and thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! – Lucia Faria
Hi Lucia, congratulations on your new bundle of joy! There is nothing better than filling your house with the love of a cat and I wish you both years of happiness together. I am happy to hear that her breathing is fine and that your veterinarian has given her a thorough exam. Since you both suspect the unusual noise is coming from her nose, there could be several possibilities that would cause it. Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome is a medical term given to various upper airway problems found in short-nosed, flat-faced cat breeds. Does your kitty have an unusually short nose or are her nostrils smaller than normal? Stenotic nares and other physical defects like an elongated soft palate or enlarged tonsils would be some things that I would want to make sure are not causing the high-pitched noise. However, with that being said, it appears that your baby is outgrowing her problem because you mentioned that you are hearing it less often. Paws crossed, it totally resolves with age or that it is just something benign and unique to her. Enjoy your special baby and let me know if you have any other concerns.
Cat won’t adjust to harness
My Loki is a Maine Coon cat. He didn’t like being picked up until I bribed him with treats. Now he tolerates being picked up. which is more than I hoped for. He’s a grumpy old man, even tho he’s only 5 years old. He has shown a lot of interest in the outside world. Sometimes I think he’s bored. I bought a Kitty Holster and a leash, and I introduced the harness to him over a period of two weeks. I sprinkled catnip over the harness. I also used the clicker, clicked it and gave Loki a treat every time he came near the harness. He would lie down on the harness, and he didn’t seem bothered by it until I put it on him. Then he cried and refused to move.
I thought that was normal, so after 20 minutes I took the harness off. I’ve put him in the harness several times since then, and the result has been the same. Once I put the Kitty Holster on him and then fed him. He hid for 20 minutes, then he came out and took his usual seat in the window. He roamed around the apartment but he panicked when it was time for me to take the harness off. Each time I talk to him and give him treats but he’s not thrilled with this at all. Afterwards he sometimes acts skittish around me, as though he thinks I’m going to grab him.
I don’t want to torment him. I realize that Loki might not ever adjust to the harness, but I would like to give this a fair try. Do you have any suggestions for me? – Serbella McGee
Hi Serbella, I appreciate you writing in with a common question other readers would like to know more about. Indoor cats certainly do get bored easily and it is hard to keep them active, engaged, and entertained. I commend you for recognizing the problem and trying to give your Loki more activity by attempting to leash train him. However, many cats like him don’t take to harnesses well or appreciate your attempts to get them outdoors safely. It really takes a special personality for a cat to acclimate to a being leash walked and it sounds like Loki is not a fan of it. Because of that, I would not push the issue as it could harm your relationship with him.
Instead, I would attempt to alleviate his boredom in other ways. Open the windows daily and let him smell the outside. Play for 5-10 minutes at a time at least 2-3 times daily. Continue to clicker train him to perform many different acts like getting into his carrier, giving you a high-five, etc. You may explore the option of a kitty backpack or safe stroller to take him outdoors in. I have written several blogs on how to bring the outdoors in and how to make an indoor hunting playground and new ways to eliminate kitty boredom that will help you with creative ideas on ways to keep cats like Loki entertained indoors. It does take effort but is well worth it.
Believe it or not, Loki is exhibiting normal behavior with his displeasure of being picked up. Did you know that most cats view being picked up as something that is dangerous? In the wild, the only time (other than when they were first born) that all four legs would be off the ground at one time is if they were being carried away by a predator. Being picked up equates to being eaten and is a reason to be fearful. Like Loki, many cats learn to tolerate it, but most don’t like it at all. Unless they have been habituated to being picked up from a young age, I recommend people let them sit on their laps or beside them instead. It feels safer and more comfortable from a cat’s point of view.
I hope you feel better knowing that Loki is normal in his response to the harness and I again thank you for bringing this subject up. Getting cats accustomed to leash walking is best accomplished when they are young and more and more owners are attempting this with their kittens. For cats who are well acclimated to it, safely going outside is a wonderful way to add enrichment to their lives and allows them to enjoy fresh air, sunshine and the ability to explore.
Do you have a question for Dr. Bahr? Leave it in a comment!
*FTC Disclosure: The Conscious Cat is a participant in Etsy’s affiliate program. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.
The post Ask the Cat Doc: Urine Marking, Cardiomyopathy, Chirping Noise, and More appeared first on The Conscious Cat.
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BTS-When You Move/Take His Stuff
I was in the shower and was thinking what would happen if like my stuff had been switched and I would cry and then it developed into this so.... enjoy! It’s not my best tho.........
unedited tho
Pretty fluffy although some has strong sexual hints (COUGH BLANTENT MENTIONS COUGH)
okay but WHY ARE THEY SO PRETTY I LOVE LOOKING AT BTS OMG
S E O K J I N
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“Jagiyaaaaaaaaaa,” Jin called from the kitchen. “Where are the chips?”
Your eyes widened, and you swallowed, “What chips?”
“You know, my favorite cheddar ones! I only bought them yesterday!” You could hear JIn rummaging around the pantry, opening and shutting cabinets, and even the fridge. You could listen to his loud sigh and his heavy footsteps leaving the kitchen towards the living room where you sat with a book ... and Jin’s chips in your lap.
Quickly, you rolled up the bag and stuffed it under the couch while wiping the crumbs from your fingers. Holding your book to make it seem like you hadn’t done anything wrong.
A pouting Seokjin moped into the room and threw himself at the couch cushion next to you. “I was really craving chips.” He rotated to lay his head on your lap, moving your book to the side, his long legs hanging over the armrest.
He looked so sad that you couldn’t help but lean down and give him a quick kiss, forgetting about the cheddar dust on your lips.
“JAGIYA! HOW COULD YOU!”
“IM SORRY I DIDN’T KNOW!”
“Y/N, I love you but I don’t think I can continue this relationship if you plan to continue betraying me this way.” You giggled at Jin’s over-dramaticness, pulling out the bag of chips and leaning in to kiss him again.
Soon enough, your book lay long forgotten.
Y O O N G I
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“Y/N? Do you know where the CD I had laying on the dresser went to?” Yoongi asked, poking his head in the room, looking a little flustered.
“Uh, the one in the purple case that’s been collecting dust for weeks?” You looked up from your book.
“That’s the one. Where is it?”
“Oh um, well it was just sitting there so I thought it wasn’t very important...” You trailed off.
Yoongi walked towards you, slightly concerned. “Babe... What did you do with it?”
“Nothing bad! I just brought it out to my car to listen to it. I was hoping it would be a bunch of the songs you’ve been working so hard on.” You smiled nervously, knowing what was actually on the CD.
Yoongi sighed, “Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now. Hold on, I’ll be back in a sec.” He walked towards the bathroom.
The CD that you thought would be full of finished or demo BTS songs, was actually full of Yoongi’s personal love songs that, in the very last song, he had dedicated to you.
Yoongi came back, holding a hand behind his back. “See, I had planned on taking you for a drive coincidentally and playing you each track and then for the last songs there would be signs on the road with the lyrics. Specifically the last few lines.”
He bent in front of you, not really the kneeling type and casually handed you the box. It was so perfectly Yoongi that you wouldn’t have minded either way.
In a soft tone, he began carefully rapping the last few lines of your favorite song from the CD, “Y/N, my perfect suit to a T, wanna marry me?”
H O S E O K
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“TAEHYUNG!" A loud holler came from the back of the boy’s shared apartment. “IM GOING TO KICK YOU!” Which was then followed by a loud, puppy-like squeal and a scared Tae running from an angry Hobi.
Tae, the smart little thing he is, ran and hid next to you, knowing that you’d protect him from your scary boyfriend. You quickly went up to Hoseok and put your arms around him.
“Babe, what’s going on?” You asked softly.
“He stole my favorite shirt again!” Hoseok whined, burrowing his face into your neck. You stiffened, glad you had put a hoodie on over the same shirt Taehyung was being accused of stealing.
“Hyung! This time it wasn’t me! I bet it was Kookie. He’s got those beady eyes, perfect for a life of crime!” An innocent Tae pleaded towards your boyfriend.
“Taehyung, do not blame poor Kookie for your ‘crimes’!” Namjoon hollered from his seat on the next couch over. Tae harumphed and crossed his arms over his chest, still standing behind you.
“Hon, maybe Tae didn’t steal your shirt. Maybe it’s still in the laundry or something. But even if he did steal it, or anyone for that matter, you should forgive them and just be ... happy!” You soothed, hoping Hoseok listened to you well. You heard a soft Thank you, Noona from the beagle behind you.
Hobi sighed, “Fine, sorry Tae. I guess you probably didn’t steal it. Y/N is right.” Hoseok snuggled his face deeper into your neck, accidentally shifting your hoodie and revealing the shirt that had caused so much controversy.
Hoseok pulled back sharply. “Jagiya.”
“Yes?” You squeaked.
“Run!”
N A M J O O N
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You stepped out of the shower, fuzzy blanket wrapped around your body. Namjoon stood up from his seat on top of the bathroom countertops.
“Nope, no, not happening. Joonie I just got clean.” You lightly pushed his bare chest away from you, ignoring his protests. “Take your shower. I’m going to get dressed and make breakfast.”
“Jagiyaaaa, our shower is big enough for two, so we should take this opportunity, right?” You just looked at his puppy face with a stoic face. Internally, you were about to break, but Namjoon didn’t need to know that. “Alright fine. I’ll join your clean club.”
“Good boy! Who’s a good boy! Aw, look at my wittle baaaby!” Namjoon gave you an unimpressed stare, quickly glancing downwards with an eyebrow raised as if to say Am I really that little? Wink wonk and promptly turned towards the shower.
You left the bathroom with a grin on your face. The bed was still frumpled and messy from all of last night’s - and this morning’s - activities. You sighed because you know that Namjoon would just skip away from the mess, leaving you to clean it up. Stalking into the ‘her’ closet, you pulled on a random pair of sweatpants that really belong in the ‘his’ and a plain white t. (I’M ROLLING: HEY THERE DELILAH WHAT’S IT LIKE IN NAMJOONS BED??) You grabbed your ring, threw the covers on the bed back up haphazardly and left towards the kitchen.
It was then that you heard Namjoon’s screams of terror. You ran back into the bathroom, heart pounding in your ears. “Namjoon! What is it?”
You heard a loud sigh from the other side of the curtains.
“You moved the body wash again, Jagi. Now I have sugar scrub in my hair and when I realized, I spun too fast to look at the bottle that I knocked your shaver and it cut my arm.” Namjoon whined, poking his head out from behind the curtains. You couldn’t help but let out a large cackle, finding your fiancé’s misfortune hilarious. 
“Maybe I should join you and kiss you better. My razor can be a bitch.” You smirked to yourself.
“I think that’s your best idea yet, Jagi!” His face was an adorable mix of his smile and his smirk. You stripped quickly, carefully setting your ring on the bathroom counter thinking how lucky you are that Namjoon’s razor was gonna prick you hard.
J I M I N
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“Jimin.” “Jimin.”
“JiMIN!”
“Y/N, shut up. I’m trying to sleep.”
“But Jiminie, you stole all the covers and I’m freezing.” You complained, shivering on the other side of Jimin’s bed.
“There’s blankets in the closet over there,” He pointed very vaguely towards the hallway? Or maybe the closet? You couldn’t tell.
“Jimin, please share your covers with me?” You tried once again. Your childhood best friend was so annoying. He even forced you to stay at his new apartment after helping him unpack because he wanted to celebrate, but you had a feeling he was just a little scared.
You got no response. “Okay, Jimin. I’m gonna call Namjoon to pick me up, then.” That made him react.
He sat up - slowly but progress is progress - and looked at you with a pointed glare. “Y/N. No. I’m your best friend. You don’t need to be with him all the time. I’ll go get you a blanket. I’ll even get you that fancy heated one that your mom gave me.” He clambered out of his bed, making his way into the hallway.
You smirked. “He is my boyfriend, ya know?”
He grumbled quietly to himself, stretching up to the top of the closet for the blanket. “Yeah, I know.” He finally grabbed it and made his way back to his room where he found you curled up with his blanket, passed out. 
“At least she’s in my bed tonight,” Jimin mumbled bitterly, throwing an arm over you and snuggling into the person he’s been in love with for 18 years. The person who will never love him back.
T A E H Y U N G
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“Baaaabe! Please talk to me!” You pleaded toward Taehyung who was stubbornly refusing to even look at you after he found you curled up in his chair.
See, when you had forced Taehyung to go shopping with you a week and a half ago to replace your old, dingy furnature in your shared living room, he had fallen in love with a creme colored leather rocking recliner. It came with swing out cup holders and even a phone charging port.
When he sat down in the chair at the store, he not only shed a tear, but woldn’t let you sit in it so that you “wouldn’t feel heaven and therefore would never steal his chair from him.” You groaned at him before flagging down a salesperson to show you to the more practical, cuddle-able couches.
Instead, Taehyung asked them for a brand-new, never sat in chair to be sent to your house.
“You were teasing me Tae! I couldn’t not know what it felt like after you’ve been pushing your feelings for this chair down my throat for an entire week!”
Taehyung flared his nostrils at you before picking you up and dramatically tossing you on the couch. “You picked yours and I picked mine, Noona.” He sunk into the cool leather. “Oof, the seat is warm from you.”
“Good! Embrace my body heat. I’ll sit on the couch all alone and stretch out, and even though this couch is perfect for two people to lay on, it’s even better for just one.” You said loudly, trying to guilt trip the man.
Two days later, a distraught Taehyung, and a trip back to the furniture store, you and the oversized manchild sat on an even newer brand new couch. One that was basically two creme colored rocking recliners with slide out drink holders and phone plugins but they were connected. Perfect for cuddling and sharing body heat.
J U N G K O O K
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“I thought you loved me. I thought wrong.” Jungkook said before he turned tail and walked right back out of the kitchen where you had been eating cereal with his special golden spoon.
“Ya! You used all of the other silverware and I was hungry!” You chased after him, abandoning your bowl. You found him looking out of the window dramatically.
You giggled a little to yourself before swallowing Jungkook in a backhug.
“Y/N, you have your own spoon so why did you have to use mine?” He asked very sternly. He was referring to the two sets of silverware you bought when you first moved in together. All of yours were pink and whle you tried to beg him to get the blue ones to match, he chose the golden ones. Of course, you had regular silver sets as well.
“My spoon was dirty,” You answered simply.
“And what about the guest spoons?”
“You used the last one yesterday so right now they’re in the dishwasher.”
“Why didn’t you use a fork? I know there’s plenty of those.”
You rolled your eyes against his back, “I can’t exactly eat cereal with a fork, can I?”
“I’m sure it’s possible.” You gripped him tighter and pressed a few short kisses to the back of his neck.
“Kook, what can I do to make it up to you?” His breathing started to get heavier from the kisses paired with the tone of your voice. Your breathing followed suit.
He turned in your arms to face you, “You can buy me a new spoon. That one’s ruined now.” He lightly pushed you away and walked off towards your room.
“Kookie!
Wow okay I’m thinking of making Jimin’s into a mini-series. Thoughts?
Thanks for reading guys! Hope you enjoyed! Oof
Masterlist
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hopelesslylovesick · 7 years
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I knew I’d go back eventually
05/20/17 || 3:59 am
I picked up another gram, and I don’t know how many lines I’ve done, but definitely over 10. I feel like I’m probably going to end up finishing the gram.
Lately I’ve just been getting the urge to want  to tell her about my feelings. I don’t think they’re the same as what they initially were, but not necessarily in a bad way. Only problem is that I’m too scared too, there’s too many ways it can go wrong, and all can easily happen.
Oh yeah, they also broke up about 3-4 days ago. I sort of was leaning towards one side, but at this point I really don’t know if they will get back together, I’m at an even 50/50. 
He has so much going on in his life. She has so much going in hers. But I was always glad they had at least each other to rely on. They’re still talking, which for any other broken up couple would probably be fucked up, and it is for them too, but they’re different. Or rather, she is. 
It’s so fucking hard lately to stay neutral, to play good cop, bad cop, to pretend like I don’t know anything about one to the other.
4:06 am
I just wrote all of the above at once, and stopped to make a line and do it just now while I was typing the paragraph right before this, just felt like I needed it.
I feel like I really do have a problems, but whether it’s because I’ve gotten so good at just not giving a fuck about stuff that makes me uncomfortable, or I haven’t acknowledged it as a problem, I just don’t have much that comes to mind. If I had to think of a list, it probably be this:
-Substance Abuse
-Lingering Depression
-Passive Suicidal Thoughts
-Excessive Empathy (?)
-Lack of Motivation
-Lack of Responsibility for self
That’s all I can really think of off the top of my head right now, and honestly, a lot, if not all of those, are the same things I had a couple months ago. I don’t know if I actually ever truly got better, I think I had the same thing happen to me that she mentioned earlier today. I just learned to cope with it better. But...what now? I just digressed, destroyed all and any progress if there was even. What now? 
 4:11 am
Just discovered the bold function by guessing ctrl +b, dkm.
Debating whether or not to set up a line, but who am I kidding, like who am I lying to at this point.
I never thought this seemingly harmless looking white powder would have such a significant impact on my life. While it’s terribly destructive and toxic, I can’t say that it hasn’t had it’s good points as well. Other then the whole high and wired aspect of it, it also lets me think clearly about whatever I want and pour out all my thoughts in a way I would never be able to do with anything else, or even sober for that matter. 
My throat slightly stings, probably because of the end part of my cold along with the drip. 
4:25 am
God, going downstairs to get two water bottles felt so much harder then it had to be.
Also, I know the time isn’t bolded, too lazy to care
4:30 am
I’m debating if I do a line to just get rid of it all, and possibly numb my throat for at least a little, or just stop. 
4:36 am
Man, I must actually be fucked or retarded or something. Just set up 2 lines and did the smaller one of them. Oh well. Man....I just felt really lonely all of a sudden, or would abandoned be a better word....
Fuck the stinging feeling in my throat isn’t going away...maybe I did too little to numb out, which I think actually might be it.
Also, I’m on her tumblr, I don’t know if she even uses it anymore. Just wanted to read her posts, her old posts were interesting...sort of sad that she deleted them. But then again, she did it for a good reason so good for her.
4:44 am
Her posts gave me a lot to think about, a lot of things that I can relate to right now. I don’t know what I was expecting, I’ve read it all before... I haven’t read the one she wrote during the summer yet, going to right after I do a line, which is now.....
Just did it, time to read the post.
Wow...I can’t believe how long it’s been since the time she wrote that. It’s strangely surreal, feels like yesterday yet it’s been what, 8? 10? months. 
My thoughts just all scattered all of a sudden, I’m going to sit back and relax, maybe they’ll come back. Might set up a line too.
4:51 am
It didn’t look like I had a lot left so I decided fuck it and poured it all out, but there was actually a bit more then I thought. I got 4 lines out of it, not that long, but fairly tall, in addition to the fact that all of it looks pretty much grinded into powder. Going to do one now I guess.
Oh, I was about to say the stinging in my throat was gone but it sort of came back after I did the line, rip.
I think it’s time for adele now.
Switched to Lay Me Down by sam smith, I feel like I should listen to adele later.
There’s an acoustic version of latch and lay me down, how did I only find this now, I already know this is going to be good.
Frank Ocean’s live performance of Thinkin Bout You is so great.
5:00 am
Probably going to do a line soon, withing the next minute or two.
That one felt weird while I was snorting, almost like it got stuck in my nostril and din’t go all the way through. I know it did now for sure though because I made sure to sniff.
Just switched to streetcar, I don’t know why but I just felt like I should. I might switch to something else, I’ll see how I feel first I guess.
Holy shit I didn’t know this was a cover of one of Kanye’s songs, god bless comment section for educating me LOL.
Switched halfway through to PMJ’s cover of Creep.
Oh yeah, I totally forgot I was going to read my old posts on my main tumblr, guess I’ll do that now.
Wow, my very first post I talk about how complicated love is, the irony is real.
Switched to  ziont’s two melodies, creep was just a bit too much rn, needed something more chill in the background, hopefully this works.
5:10 am
I’m probably going to do a line soon, sort of feel uncomfortable rn tho for whatever reason, so might wait a little bit before I do.
I read the part in one my posts about how I was listening to i’m not the only one at the time. Think I will now too, it’s perfect.
5:12 am
Time to do the line, I just started the song.
It’s interesting, gives me a weird feeling that I can’t describe when I read the one thought post I made in the morning. It wasn’t an occasion or anything, nothing special happened that day, but I just remember being happy, remember all the little details of that day that I normally wouldn’t. Unless I’m remembering wrong, but I’m fairly confident I’m not.
Switched to Pink+White once the last song was over because I got reminded it from the “happy” post.
I find the fact that a lot of what I wrote a long time ago, all last year on top of that, is perfectly applicable to what’s happening now...
5:19 am
Time for someone like you.
5:21 am
Probably going to the line in a minute. Last one.
Just did it. I don’t know if it’s just all in my head, but it felt different then all the other ones, maybe because it’s the last? No idea.
5:23 am
I did another full fucking gram. The most messed up part isn’t even how much I did, it’s the fact that I was very nonchalant about it, it didn’t really bother me. What’s going to end up happening to me, am I going to end up buying coke again? Fucking hell. What the fuck am I doing lol. I feel like I have more to say but I just can’t seem to put my thoughts into cohesive sentences, my mind is a mess right now. I think this is it for today. Probably going to listen to music a little bit more or something and then attempt to crash.
5:26 am
I don’t know if I should tell her or not, she knows I did coke tonight, but I don’t know how she’ll react when I tell her how much I did...
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lifebooksloves · 7 years
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SEXIEST DAD ALIVE by M. Clarke!
Life, Books, & Loves Presents: SEXIEST DAD ALIVE by M. Clarke
The decisions I’ll have to make won’t be easy. No matter what I choose, my heart will break…
Find out what Josh Bennett needs to do to get his own happily ever after in the world of Knight Fashion with SEXIEST DAD ALIVE by M.Clarke…
About SEXIEST DAD ALIVE
Josh Bennett
It was a simple offer.
I invited Isla to rent a room in my five thousand square foot home. Plenty of rooms and plenty of space. But the second she moved in, I knew I was in trouble. I could handle wanting her when there was distance between us, but once we started to play house, all my pent up desire started knocking down walls.
That was my first mistake of many.
The private investigator I hired to track down my ex found her not far from where I live. I should have locked my past behind me, but something urged me to find her. I’m glad I did. But our union left me with a situation to be reckoned with.
When a new fire is lit and old flames rekindle, one will have to burn out. The decisions I’ll have to make won’t be easy. No matter what I choose, my heart will break.
On Sale in Digital: February 27, 2017
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Amazon AU | iBooks | Amazon CA | Kobo
Add SEXIEST DAD ALIVE to your TBR pile on Goodreads!
REVIEW by Monique:
Is heart ready for unexpected emotions and explosive off the chart sexual chemistry! With all the emotions running its course through your body with a tailspin of physical feelings, there is a dilemma to solve – search for the d@mn tissues and hope we all find our happiness?
“ Life isn’t a fairytale. Sometimes you have to fight for happily ever after. And sometimes you just have to let go.“
FIVE-STARS! This was my first time reading a novel from Author M. Clarke, so what better novel to ‘p0p my cherry’ with – SEXIEST DAD ALIVE! SEXIEST DAD ALIVE is the third novel on the Knight Fashion Magazine series, a New Adult romance story of three different people from different places drawn together by! Especially since author gives us not an adorable baby too! When I begin reading the novel, I never stopped until I read the entire novel and read it again a few days later!
Josh Bennett, sexy hot model, rented a room to Isla and instantly felt a connection with her quickly becoming the best of friends. Josh also had a past where he felt the need to hire a private detective to find his ex, but was finding her a mistake.
When Josh’s past comes back in life and exposes him, he begins to feel his new life is starting to unravel. Can Josh balance his past with his present or will all be lost trying to have it all – ‘One-Click’ today!
Excerpt:
Since Isla moved in, I’d been eating better. Of course I gave in return by taking her out to eat. I wasn’t a selfish bastard, and I wasn’t about to take advantage of her. For a while, I suspected Isla had feelings for me, and I for her, but both of us kept the feeling locked away. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship if things went wrong. But I realized there was a great chance of something happening, even between friends, when you play house. Isla and I often said things husbands and wives would say to each other: Goodnight, dear. Honey, I’m home. Love you. Don’t forget to pick up milk. The words flew naturally and we laughed it off, but deep in the recesses of my mind, I wondered what it could be like if we did date. But … but … but … we had crossed the line. I might have started to cross over first, but Isla encouraged it. And damn, she felt and tasted amazing. Fuck! I was going to want more of her. Control yourself, Josh. I had been doing well so far. I just had to continue, especially since I had to find out if Shelly’s baby was mine. And if so, Isla may not want anything to do with me. Regret rippled through me. I shouldn’t have kissed her, but when her bright green eyes filled with lust, and she lowered her gaze to my lips as she licked hers, I gave in to temptation. I’d forgotten about Shelly until it was over. Then reality flooded back. I had to get my life straightened out before I even attempted to have a relationship with Isla. She deserved the best of me, not the worst. After I took a freezing shower, I got ready for bed and debated whether to say something to Isla. We’d agreed to pretend nothing happened, and if I didn’t say goodnight to her like I did every night, she would feel like shit. I knew I would. So I opened the door and shot my eyes open wide. “Isla. I was just about to come see you.” Her raised fist, ready to knock on the door, dropped while her eyes lingered on my bare chest. “Josh. I—I—you were about to come see me?” She smoothly changed the subject. When I raked my hair back, her eyes landed on my biceps. Her longing-filled eyes had me so close to giving in to my desire and taking her in my room. Closing my eyes to contain my lust, I inhaled a deep breath to shut out my thoughts and my dick wanting what it shouldn’t. What I couldn’t have. But shit, Isla. Did she have to look so damn hot in her night outfit—shorts and a T-shirt? She crossed her arms, to hide her nipples no doubt. But that didn’t stop me from envisioning the beautiful breasts I saw, touched, and tasted. Oh hell, I imagined my mouth on them as she stood before me. Her disheveled auburn hair—wild and full—contrasted with her face, looking innocent with no makeup. I arched my eyebrows, loosening up, trying to get us back to the way we were. “Yes, I was, but why don’t you tell me why you’re here first?” I gave her my goofy grin—lips twisted, tongue slightly poking out, and eyes crossed. She smacked my arm and let out a delicious, contagious laugh. When her laughter died, my heart died a little too because I couldn’t have her, at least not yet. “I came to say goodnight. Since we’re starting over, I thought we keep things … you know … normal,” she said hesitantly, eyes darting to the door, to my bare chest again, swallowing, and then to her perfect, manicured feet. “I’m glad you came.” Her eyes shot to mine. “You are?” “Of course I am. I was on my way to your room to say goodnight.” “Oh. Okay. That’s good. Thanks. I mean. Goodnight.” She stumbled over her words. Oh hell. I made it that way. She didn’t sound like my friend Isla, but rather a broken and confused Isla. “Goodnight, honey.” I played along. “Do I get a hug?” I thought to ease the tension between us, but as soon as she wrapped her arms around me, I tightened with the tension of unfulfilled pleasure. Isla’s touch burned through my skin, and her body molding to mine unraveled me. Her lavender shampoo filled my nostrils, and I wanted to take her to bed and make love to her all night. We stayed entangled longer than we should have, frozen in time and space. Then Isla pulled away, leaving me cold and empty. Running her hands through her auburn locks, she didn’t notice she had exposed her T-shirt when she backed away. Oh fuck me! Her T-shirt framed her breast, teasing what I could no longer touch or taste. She gasped and crossed her arms again when my dirty eyes reminded her. “Anyway. I’m going to see my brother tomorrow, and I’m going to spend the weekend with his family, so I’ll see you whenever.” Why did that feel like a punch to my gut? It shouldn’t. She had done that two weekends before. “Sure. Have fun.” “You got any plans?” Her long eyelashes fluttered, curious. “I’m having dinner with Nathan tomorrow, but not much.” She nodded and took several steps back. “Okay. Have a great weekend.” Then she turned and walked away. “You too.” I stared at her fine ass and her long legs until she disappeared out of my sight. Inhaling a deep breath, I got back to bed with my laptop to distract me.
See what people are saying about the Knight Fashion series:
“Sexiest Couple Alive is a spectacularly exhilarating and breathlessly sensual story that shows us that scars can be beautiful and mistakes can lead you to the best things in life. ” –Amber from The Wonderings of One Person
“Sexiest Man Alive has it all; heartbreak, drama and excitement! M.Clarke has once again completely blown me away, she had me at the edge of my seat and left me wanting for more.” –Lady Amber’s Reviews & PR
“5 Stars!!! Yes 5 stars baby!!! Wow!!! OMG I am at a loss for words!!! This book was HOT, Sexy and suspense! I can’t believe the ending and WAIT for book 2!!!! Nathan Cross is EVER women’s dream ….ALPHA male, Model and yet a sweet warm hearted guy! And Olivia she is a CONFIDENT, sexy and knows what she wants! She triumphs and struggles which makes her relatable and lovable as a character Grab this today you won’t be disappointed and make sure you get ready to be hooked on a new series.” –FMR Book Grind, Stacey
“I am already anxious for the next book as I can’t wait to find out what happens next! I have been a huge fan of M. Clarke’s since first reading her work a few years ago, and I really love her Something Great series. Nathan is a character that I felt really connected to right away though, and I could not put this book down.” – Ramblings From This Chick
Check out the other books in the Knight Fashion series!
**Feb 27 – Mar 3 – SEXIEST MAN ALIVE is on SALE for $0.99!**
About SEXIEST MAN ALIVE (Knight Fashion Book 1)
WATCH THE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/loLaqma2-kgT Nathan Cross is a struggling actor waiting tables at a local restaurant to make ends meet while he attends endless auditions. Though his hopeful career moves at a slow pace, Olivia is the strength and sunshine in his life… until she leaves him. One day, he is offered a contract with a modeling agent, leading him to work for Knight Fashion Magazine—a dream job he never imagined would become a reality.
Olivia swore she would always put her career first and that’s precisely what she did when she left Nathan. Having a deadbeat dad and watching her mom work two jobs to make ends meet have been her driving force. When she is offered a modeling career, she drops everything—even the love of her life—and moves to New York. Though Nathan and Olivia try to steer clear of one another, working for the same fashion magazine causes their paths to cross again and old emotions are awakened.
Can Nathan forgive Olivia or will he take the next step with the woman he is currently dating? Will Olivia do everything she can to break them apart? Or will she choose her career over her heart… again?
Order this title at these online retailers:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU |Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Books | Kobo
SEXIEST COUPLE ALIVE (Knight Fashion Book 1)
Nathan Cross is living his dream. Not only is he modeling for Knight Fashion Magazine, recently voted “sexiest man alive,” but he is dating a beautiful photographer who could be his new future. When he unexpectedly reunites with his past love, his world crashes around him. Two loves. The past or the future: which one will he choose?
Olivia’s past choices come back to haunt her and could ruin everything she has worked so hard to build. Troy has the power to destroy any hope of happiness. She will do everything to keep that from happening, even if it means giving up her second chance with Nathan. Lies. Revenge. Scandal. Olivia could lose it all.
Order this title at these online retailers:
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Amazon AU | iBooks | Amazon CA |  Kobo
Author Bio:
International Bestselling, Award-Winning, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great.
Connect with Mary: 
Facebook | Twitter | Website | Amazon | Newsletter |
Instagram | Pintrest | Goodreads
CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!
1 Grand Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card 3 Runner-Ups: Each will receive a digital backlist copy of any M. Clarke or Mary Ting book.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway Link: http://ift.tt/2m2gn2e?
Disclosure: This information was provided by Barclay Publicity and M. Clarke. This is NOT a compensated post.
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