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ka-writes · 3 years

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Notes: haha I did a semi short chapter... sorry... also this is chapter 4 of my space AU..

ALSO READ THE DAMN WARNINGS. Thank you ☺️

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Incase you missed:

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

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Inspired by:

Humans are Space Velociraptors

By:FreshRoses_InMyGarden_NeedTheRain

Some kids come from storks, others come from crashed spaceships

By: mmmajora

Home Again, Home Again

By: teeth_eater

All works can be found on Ao3

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Warning: Mentions of abuse (physical verbal and sexual) there aren’t any graphic recalls it is simply mentions. Mentions of being beaten up. Mentions of knives and blood. Threatening characters, and character pain. Again characters being trapped and not going home. Cussing. Characters passing out. Characters being distressed characters being malnourished. Yea I kinda was in an angsty mode sooo.... here you go..

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Ao3 link:

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“Humans are [Add text here]”

Chapter 4: I guess it qualifies as an introduction?

Phil wasn’t expecting to wake up at 4 in the morning to the sound of laughter.

It wouldn’t be the first time, definitely not the last.

Curiously the avian poked his head into his kids’ room. The laughter wasn’t coming from the gardener, guard, or scientist. The laughter was coming from the assistant who wasn’t in their room. Phil turned his attention down the hall. Sure enough the laughter was louder. Quietly he made his way to the holding cell. Phil sat in a smaller hallway and decided to listen into the conversation… What can he say? He always eavesdropped..

“What even is a you-tube?” The assistant asked through small giggles. To that the human gasped as if he was hurt by the statement.

“You don’t have YouTube?! Or like an alien version of it?!” The human replied, not even trying to hide his shock.

“Erm no?”

“Well it’s like this thing that humans use to make really cool videos and stuff.”

“What’s a video?” Ranboo interrupted.

“They’re kinda like moving photos that usually work as a sort of entertainment or info dump. I could probably tell you thousands of the times my stupid teacher made me watch ‘educational’ videos..”

“So they’re kinda like illusions?”

“Yea but you don’t see 'em in 3D. As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted..” The enderian let out a small squeak of embarrassment at that, “YouTube is like a thing people use to post videos on. I am totally making an alien version of YouTube when I get out.” The air stiffened at that.

“Tommy.. you probably won’t get out for a while…” Ranboo said, Phil heard one of them shift and the entire atmosphere lost it’s warmth, “It’s not like you won’t get out! It’s just hard… especially when no one really trusts you yet.” Ranboo swallowed, as he usually does when he is uncomfortable, “Even when we let you out of the holding cell.. you probably won’t be allowed off the ship. It’s too dangerous for all of us..” the two fell into a deafening silence. Phil shivered at the tension, making sure to be silent while doing so.

“I assumed as much…” the human started, being the first to break the silence, “I-I… I guess I won’t be going home either… since the ISF absolutely hates us.. plus like you said, only already crazy humans are sent back..” the human sighed sadly.. For the first time Phil felt sympathetic towards a human. With that he decided it was time to start on breakfast.

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Three things happened after Tubbo woke up.

One, Ranboo passed out at the table. Phil simply shook his head and picked up the enderian with some unknown strength to the rest of the crew.

Two, a scream was heard from the other side of the ship, causing Wilbur to frantically run to the holding cell.

Three, Techno put his milk in before he poured his tea… I mean who does that?

Ignoring the last strange thing, Tubbo went to check on Ranboo. He was fine, so Phil said. “He only needs rest. Leave them be.” Was what Tubbo got as he peered into the enderian’s room. Shrugging off the weird behavior Tubbo made his way to the garden.

Before he made his way to the garden he noticed the human wasn’t in the holding cell. That meant he was probably in the lab… Which meant Tubbo would have to meet him.. Oh prime no. That’s not gonna happen.

He started sprinting to the garden. It was just passed the lab if only he took another step-

“Tubbo, I need your help.” Wilbur said from behind him. The droneling turned around reluctantly. Holding his breath he made his way into the medical part of the lab.

[gore and distressed characters, skim if you need to]

There, laying on the bed, was a human. He held back a scream which came out as a labored gasp. Sweat was bubbling on his forehead. With that he turned to Wilbur who examined the human from a distance.

“Go get some bandages and the stitching kit.” Wilbur commanded. Without hesitation Tubbo ran to grab the items. Wilbur took both objects and disinfected a bad cut on the human’s arm. He hadn’t even realized there was a cut until Wilbur cleared off the strange red blood. Wilbur then proceeds to stitch the wound and bandage the irritated wound.

That’s when Tubbo noticed the amount of blood the human lost. Most species wouldn’t be able to handle that much blood loss, but here was the beast of the galaxy, completely fine in a matter of minutes after losing quite a bit of blood.

[End]

When Wilbur was satisfied, he picked the human up and carried him back to the holding cell. Tubbo was unable to stop himself from following. Before thinking the droneling sat at the table and watched as Wilbur finished cleaning the human.

“Er.. do you want me to grab Techno so you can stay in here?” Wilbur asked, noticing Tubbo sitting in the corner.

Without saying a word Tubbo gave a small nod. Wil didn’t push like he usually did and left to get Techno.

Tubbo got up and approached the sleeping human. He was skinnier than what Tubbo thought humans should be. There were odd dark circles under his eyes and his hair clearly hadn’t had a good wash for what looked like months. He had injuries over his body and was practically shaking in his sleep.

Since Tubbo was preoccupied, he barely noticed Techno enter, or the door closing. Let alone the clangs and thuds from other crew mates.

He was preoccupied by the strange human who was sleeping in front of him.

The human stirred and the droneling stumbled away.

After a few seconds the human sat up and looked at the now fallen droneling.

“What the fuck?”

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Tommy didn’t expect another alien to push their luck in his space. But here he was.

The alien was smaller than Tommy by a lot. Further proving Tommy was the biggest man. Unlike the other aliens this one wasn’t threatening upon first glance.

The one from last night had been way more intimidating at first. Being way taller than Tommy and having weird lanky limbs and magical purple glowing orbs surrounding them. They had horns and a half and half complexion. One half of the alien being white with grey and purple freckles along with a red eye. The other half being a purplish black with grey and green freckles along with a green eye. They wore a suit with a red tie and dress shoes. He also had two tails of the same colors as his complexion. All of this being forgotten after they stammered through their introduction. It was honestly hilarious.

This alien was very different from the others. They had brown messy hair, encasing black antennas and small black bumps that resembled horns. Their skin was a honey peach color and practically glistened. There were strange hexagon patterns over their face along with three black stripes on either side of their face. They had bee wings, which was the only thing Tommy could relate to the alien too. There was also a black fuzzy tail, similar to a stinger, poking out of their pants. Their hands were lanky and pointed, completely black. There was also soft yellow fuzz poking out of their sleeves and holes in their pants. They wore ripped jeans along with a long sleeved green button down shirt. Their eyes were another thing entirely, being a honey brown in certain light but could also shift to a greenish blue in other light. They had fly-like pupils.

After a minute of them sitting in an awkward stance the alien got up. Using their wings to properly position them in a standing position. They brushed themselves off and approached Tommy.

“You lay a finger on anyone here and I will kill you. Understand?” The alien said, any intimidation that was lost from the alien falling was regained in an instant. The alien poked him in the chest with one of the lanky fingers, which started burning like acid after a minute.

Since Tommy was too, sacred, poggers to move he simply nodded, which is absolutely the best response to the situation. Sadly the alien didn’t get the gesture and dug their nail into his chest even more. Seriously, it was starting to really burn.

“Y-yes.” Was all Tommy could muster. The alien was satisfied with the answer and let go of Tommy. They walked out of the now open door. Shortly after Techno followed the door closing behind him. Tommy never realized the other alien was in the room.

[Mentions of abuse]

For a split second the interaction reminded him of his dad.

The way his dad did the same thing to his mom when she didn’t listen.

Or when his sister didn’t follow his dad’s friend.

Or when Tommy made a mistake.

Except instead of a nail, it was glass, or a punch, or sometimes a knife…

[End]

He shook off the thoughts and reminded himself that the aliens weren’t his father, nor were they going to do that to him.

They wouldn’t do that right?.. Right?

Tommy slapped his face, only to find there were silent tears flowing down his cheeks. He quickly wiped his cheeks and continued his train of thought.

Tommy trusted too easily. That in the end is how at nine he ended up getting beat up in his first foster home. He condemned himself for trusting the aliens. They were strangers. He knew nothing of them and they knew more about him. This was the moment in which Tommy shut himself off. Where he regained the ability to leave his blind trusting instincts.

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Chapter 4- End

Words: 1633

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Notes: I didn’t know what to add next so I decided to leave you here. Your welcome! <3

Again hope you enjoyed! Now go eat food, drink water, take a shower if you haven’t, and go to sleep. Stay safe, love ya! <3

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Tubbo: *falls out of fear

Tommy: ._. This dude ain’t intimidating

Tubbo: *threatens Tommy

Tommy: ,:^ never mind then...

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Reminder likes are appreciated but reblogs are better!!

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#tommy mcyt #dream smp fanfiction #my fanfic tag #my writing #wilbur soot #tubbo #ranboo #technoblade #philza #angst #reblog #;-;#space au

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muilkyu · 4 years

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Surprise Party for Treasure

Request: Hi, can I request for Treasure to react to their s/o holding a surprise birthday party for them? Thanks 💎

🐷 Hyunsuk

"Do I have to put it on?" Hyunsuk whines.

You huff at him nodding, "Yes you do. Otherwise, you're going to ruin the surprise."

You take the bandana wrapping it carefully around his head, tightening it. Pulling back you take a look at him.

"See that wasn't so bad." You coo patting him on the cheek. He just sighs in response, reaching to grab your shoulders.

"Let's go. Otherwise, the surprise might get impatient."

Then you proceed to lead a very nervous Hyunsuk down the hall. He flinches at every sound he hears. When the air-conditioning turned on he yelped and squeezed your shoulder a little harder.

When you make it to the room you can still hear shuffling instead. You told them to be done before 3.

"Okay, we are here."

Hyunsuk lets out a breath, "Can I take this off now? I want to get to my party."

"Might as well. You've ruined your own surprise." You complain. He reaches for the bandana yanking it off. Dramatically he takes a deep breath.

Then the door is pushed open. An impatient Jihoon appears with a birthday cake shades on, "Hurry up lovebirds. The cake is going to be warm."

🐼 Jihoon

"Just out of 100% curiosity, what type of cake do you like?"

Jihoon doesn't even bother looking up from his phone but answers anyways, "I don't mind the type of cake."

"Okay good to know."

Jihoon looks up from his phone, "I will say however I don't want an ice cream cake for the party though. They are messy and if you're inviting for the boys it's definitely a no go."

You nod without thinking, humming in agreement. Completely miss the fact that Jihoon mentioned the surprise birthday he was not supposed to know about. Your mouth falls agape.

Jihoon looks at you. A sly smile plants itself on his face. "Oh, the party. Yeah, you left your notepad wideout in the open. You know I don't think that confetti is a good idea, it's messy."

"Jihoon You yell, slapping him on the shoulder, "Why did you let me ask if you already knew?"

"Simple. You look adorable running around in circles trying not to tell me."

The shook still hadn't set in. Thinking you were being careful all this was going to ruin the plans, "You let me run around making plans this whole time and you knew."

"Yes, you really need to work on being more sneaky. Don't worry you have a great teacher right here."

🐯 Yoshi

"Is this all for me?" Yoshi's mouth is hanging open, he's surprised to see the balloons and streamers hanging from the wall. In a very last-minute printed paper in both Japanese and Korean a "Happy Birthday Yoshi" hangs from the wall.

"Of course it's for you."

"Wow, did you plan all of this?"

You shake your head, "I had the idea, but when I brought it to your friends they insisted on helping."

"What she means is that we planned most of it," Jeongwoo buds into the conversation.

"Not true I texted all of you guys. I had to make an entire group chat," you defend.

Yoshi laughs anyways, "Thank you for thinking of me."

"That's kinda my job isn't it." You tease.

Then the lights are turned off and the cake is brought in. Yoshi's smile is so bright as his party goes on.

🐨 Junkyu

"It isn't a surprise if you help plan it, fool."

Junkyu still pushes on writing down a few more ideas, "I just want to make it very clear. A plan is always a good idea."

"Your right, but not when it's for your own birthday," you point out.

He just shrugs, "I still want to help."

"The best way you can help is by letting me plan it."

Putting down the pen Junkyu huffs out a little breath, "Fine you can plan it."

"This isn't even a surprise party anymore. You already know."

"I'll pretend that I don't know. I am a very good actor." He then proceeds to make 3 different surprised faces. One with his hands over his chest a fake gasp escaping his mouth. The other two being a different variation.

"Wow, I didn't know I was dating an actor," you tease.

Junkyu looks proud, a smug look on his face, "See so I can help plan now."

"Still no."

🐹 Mashiho

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Mashiho, happy birthday to you," both you and Mashiho sing together. Both of you are sitting around his dorm living room table dressed in birthday hats.

Playing around you take some of the frosting off the cake and place it on his nose, "Happy birthday. Your gift is me. Mainly because I spent all my money on your cake."

Mashiho laughs, "This is the best present I could have gotten."

"Good because I cooked all day." You complain, reaching for a slice of pizza.

"Wow I didn't know you worked at Pizza Hut," he says teasingly.

Placing your hand over your heart dramatically, "It's truly a tiring task."

"I bet it is. Thank you for throwing me a party and 'cooking' for me," Mashiho says then he learns over places a kiss on your cheek.

🦁 Jaehyuk

"Did you get my present yet." Jaehyuk pestered again.

He's been on about his present for the past 2 weeks now. The questions on whether said present had been purchased came in all forms. It started very light with the usual 'My birthday is coming up. Not that I need a gift, but here is my list'. Then that progressed to him sending you links of the things he found interesting on G-Mart. Now he's just blatantly asking. Little did he know you had a gift, but maybe not what he was expecting.

"I'm not telling you."

Jaehyuk stops his feet like a baby, "Why not? Tell me."

You hold your group, "No. Stop acting like a baby."

"Did you get me something from my list?" He is still pestering on. I mean you get it it's his birthday, but who knew he was this impatient. You're just about to crack around lunchtime, but then you're able to drag him to the restaurant where the boys are waiting.

"Jae just sit down," you say once you're at the table. He is about to say something again and you're over it.

"Oh, why are you in the dog house?" Hyunsuk teases Jaehyuk.

Pouting he says, "I may have been a little annoying today."

"Annoying is an understatement. This is your present, a party, and dinner with our friends."

Jaehyuk looks remorseful for all the nagging today, "I'm sorry love. I won't do it again." He gives you a side hug. It's sweet so you smile and place a kiss on his head. The other boys around the table fake gag.

🤖 Asahi

For the past few weeks, the only thoughts that have been flowing through your mind are those of a party. Coming up with ideas for your boyfriend is difficult. Asahi is a homebody which means he would probably prefer to have the party at home. Which also means you have to somehow find time to sneak in a birthday cake. The task doesn't seem that hard, but Asahi is a light sleeper. The only chance you have to sneak in the cake is when he is napping. Which is how you ended up in this situation.

The plan was simple. You give the sign aka text Jaehyuk and Yoshi. Then they leave the cake outside. You retrieve the cake and celebrate. Mission accomplished.

That's not how it went at all.

First problem. The cake.

Jaehyuk

Okay don't yell at us

But we have a… situation

You

What?

Jaehyuk

You see umh...

Yoshi dropped the cake!

You

Please tell me you're kidding

Long story short. He wasn't, the cake was now gone. It isn't a birthday surprise without cake so you ordered the two idiots to go get a new one. You are lucky that Asahi was up all night writing a song.

The second problem was the new cake.

After Yoshi and Jaehyuk brought up the new cake. It was safely in the apartment now. Everything was back on track. Then you looked at the cake.

In bright bold red frosting 'Happy Graduation' was written across the middle. In the midst of grabbing out your phone to send a very angry text to the two culprits. You fail to notice Asahi waking up. Only realizing this when he's leaning over your shoulder reading the cake himself.

"Who is graduating?"

You jump obviously terrified. When did he wake up?

This made the 3rd problem. He was awake, granted confused, but still awake.

"It was supposed to say happy birthday, but my two minions dropped the first cake. Then when they 'fixed' it they got this cake with Happy graduation on it."

He hums at the explanation, "Your plan failed?"

"Horribly. Anyways Happy Birthday."

Asahi says thank you and then grabs a spoon dipping right into the 'g' in graduation taking a bite.

"Hey, at least the cake is still good."

🦊 Yedam

"Stop thanking me. It's your birthday we are supposed to celebrate."

Yedam still looks conflicted, "This must have taken a lot of time out

of your day. I didn't need anything special."

"Doesn't mean you don't deserve it," you rebut, "Plus this didn't take up too much of my time. You spoiled me on my birthday, it's only fair."

"How did you even find this place?" He asks looking around at all the flowers in the field.

You think for a little bit, you've been planning this for a long time, "Saw it on Instagram last year. I've been wanting to come here for a while."

"A year? You waited for a long time."

"I wanted to make this day special for you."

Yedam grabs your hand, "This is the best birthday I have ever had."

🐰 Doyoung

"Here," you say, handing an envelope to Doyoung.

He takes a glance at the card, "What is this for?"

"It's the present I got you."

Doyoung tears open the envelope taking out the card. He reads over the card and smiles.

"You planned all of this for tonight?" Doyoung questions.

You nod smiling back at him, "Yeah. I thought this would be the best gift for you. School takes up most of our time and you deserve to relax."

"That's so sweet," Doyoung says. Then you're pulled into a tight hug, "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. Just enjoy your party. It took me a long time to plan it."

"Anything you have planned will be amazing."

🐏 Haruto

"Cancel all your plans for Saturday." You say.

"Why?" Haruto asks.

"I made plans for us. It's for your birthday." You respond. Haruto usually isn't the type to push for information so getting him to agree shouldn't be that hard.

"That's sweet, but I don't really need anything."

"But you deserve this. Plus this is our first birthday as a couple. It has to be special." You inquired.

Haruto still isn't convinced he needs anything however, "I really don't need much. Just a simple happy birthday will make me happy."

"Aww, that's sweet babe" you coo. He's so humble, "but still cancel your plans. I spent a lot of time making plans. If you miss it, it'll have been a waste of my time."

"What did you plan?"

You shrug, gotta be careful not to give out much detail, "Just something that I know we will both enjoy."

Haruto half-smiles at the response, "Okay, it's not like I had plans in the first place."

🐺 Jeongwoo

"I don't want to get up," Jeongwoo grumbles snuggling into his blanket.

"We have to go. Get changed!" You yell yanking the blanket off of him. Who knew it would be this hard to get him up from bed. "If you don't get up right now I'm calling your mom." With that threat, he is at least sitting up from the couch.

"Do I have to dress up?"

"No, but stop looking like a kicked puppy."

After Jeongwoo got ready to leave. You both make your way down to a room cafe. Of course, as you got closer he kept claiming that he knew what you were up too. Yet when you called his bluff and asked he just said 'I'll know for sure when we get there'. When you reach the cafe both of you make your back to the booked room. When you open the door the staff already have the cake placed with a candle.

"I knew it!"

"Oh shut up you had no idea!"

Later on, throughout the night he is still grumbling about knowing you had this all planned. (He gets cake shoved in his face around the third time he grumbled.)

🐮 Junghwan

"Sweety, can you place the candles on the cake?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Awe you don't have to call me Mama just call me Mrs. So," Junghwan's mom coos.

"Okay," you say a very small smile and blush take over your cheeks, "Will he be back soon?"

Mrs. So nods, "He should be walking through that door complaining of being hungry soon."

Sure enough, a few minutes later Junghwan is treading through the door. As his mom predicted he is talking about being hungry. He throws his bag on the couch and makes his way to the kitchen. When he gets to the kitchen both Mrs. So and you yell 'Happy Birthday'. You go for the cake holding it up. Mrs. So lights the candle.

"Make a wish," you remind him before he blows out the candle.

"I wish for everyone I know to be safe and live a long and happy life," he wishes then blows out the candles.

Mrs. So smiles at his wish praising her sons wish, "So thoughtful."

You place the cake back down on the table. Then reach for the present you got Junghwan. "Here you go I hope you like it."

"Thank you. Did you help my mom plan this?" He questions.

"She was the one who had the idea," Mrs. So gushes, "You got a good one."

Simultaneously you both blush. Junghwan lets out a very embarrassed, 'Mom'.

Thank you so much for reading!

Requested by Anon.

Requests are open for all but fic requests!

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evolsinner · 3 years

Text

⊱┊24

days go by, another one comes across. however, today is that day, and by ‘that day’ i mean, can we all please have a drumroll, it’s fucking parent~teacher interviews! aka an interrogation under the guise of pleasantries. i thought if i didn’t think about it, it’d just fucking disappear, but hey no, it’s still here.

but that’s okay, you see my parents don’t know a thing about it. i shredded all the notices they’ve sent us and made sure to cut the line every time my sneaky ass school called home. so when it came to my last class for the day, which is english lit obviously, i was quite happy that i didn’t have to stay behind like some students.

the class is empty, it’s almost 4 sharp.

“it’s only interviews,” i try to ease mr killian’s nerves. “just tell them what they wanna hear ~ easy peasy.”

“i wish, but it doesn’t work like that, luv. you know,” he looks up from his paper and removes his reading glasses to rub his weary eyes, “believe it or not, but we hate this day just as much as you kids do.”

“really?” i’m shooked. “thought you teachers just loved taking your sweet as revenge on students on this devilish day. it’s practically reverse halloween where the educators aren’t in costume for the first time, huh.”

mr killian places his pen behind his ear, entertained. “‘reverse halloween’, aye?” he leans back on his chair, arms folded and an ankle~on~knee. “you’re too funny.”

“‘funny’?” i walk over to him, admiring the tantalising dark circles underneath his scintillating eyes. “yeah? and what else?”

he possessively pulls me in between his legs, squeezing my booty in fistfuls. “and sexy and fierce and delicious.”

“do you want a bj?”

“oh, and very fucking naughty too!”

“what you gonna do about it?”

“gee, you’re tempting me.”

“mhm,” i bite my lip.

“you are in serious need of punishment, little girl,” he flicks an eyebrow up. “slide down your panties and lean over my desk.”

my eyes open wide, “no.”

“pardon?”

“i mean, there’s no space on y~y~your desk,” i glance at it. “there’s those booklets, essays, midterms, finals, your laptop...”

“i’ll make space.”

“uh, umm,” i step back.

“nuh~uh,” he pulls me in again so that i’m standing with my thighs directly opposite his thingy. “slide ‘em down right in front of me.”

“that’s too close,” i squeak, going red.

“what difference does it make? you a step back or not, i’ll still see it. c’mon,” he feathers a finger down my bare thigh, “you can’t still be shy? i’ve seen every part of you, every inch of you. the hills, the slopes, the blemishes... want me to go on?”

ok, imma prove him wrong. i undo the button and zipper on my shorts, exposing the bright red lacy panties i got just for him.

“you were hiding those from me?” he points to them, sounding offended.

slowly, i rub my hand over the skimpy fabric, sticking a finger behind the elastic.

“such a tease,” sir leans back. “congratulations, darling, you’ve earned yourself 5 more spanks.”

the thought of him spanking me…

“want me to go easy on you?” he asks, and i see rare mercy dancing around in his eyes.

i nod, prolly a goner if i were dumb enough to take my chances with this guy.

“then touch yourself, sweetheart,” the mercy evaporates from his eyes completely. he just went from a saint to a sinner in a millisecond. “mhm,” he nods to my hesitant expression, “slide your hand through your panties and touch yourself for me. if you don’t moan my name whilst finger~fucking your cunt, i’ll give you the belt.”

heck no, i don’t want to get spanked with a belt! that’ll hurt so much more!! i’ve seen it on 50sog!

“y~you w~want me to m~masturbate for you?”

“did i stutter?”

no, but i did.

shocked at how strangely turned on i’m feeling, i slide my fingertips under the double thin lines of the red covered elastic bands. tell me, why did i wear this again? i inch my fingers down further, my breath hitching up and pelvic muscles contracting.

sir slides his hand into his pants and gently strokes his cock, scarring me with imaginary ciggy burns from the way he’s staring at me doing me. “hurry it up, little one, time is of the essence.”

3 knocks on the door and it swings open with a, “hello?”

mr killian speedily sits up.

and i step back right away, pulling my hand out and tugging my shirt over the open zipper. “mum?”

“roséah,” she squints, “what on earth... dear lord, you have a lot of explaining to do!”

i refuse to blink. i think i’m having something like a heart attack. “w~what do you mean?”

“well, for starters,” she struts up to me, “you didn’t tell me that today was parent~teacher interview night.”

i exhale deeply, relief has never felt this good.

“mr killian, i presume?” mum says, holding her hand out.

i quickly fix myself up behind her.

“please,” he smiles, shaking her hand, “call me isaac.”

why the fuck would mum come here without informing me about it?!?

“apologies for not booking in a time slot and barging in like this. had i known,” mum gives me an irritated look, “i would have been more prepared.”

“it’s no worries, mrs blackburn,” sir tries to downplay it. “i reckon i can squeeze you in before my first interview. so please,” he motions to the two seats preplaced in front of the desk, “have a seat.”

“christella will do just fine,” and she takes no time in making herself comfortable.

i roll my eyes, so fucking annoyed and anxious at the same time.

“if you don’t mind my saying so,” sir gracefully says, “but now i know where your beautiful daughter gets her beautiful looks from.”

mum titters, tucking invisible strands of hair behind her ear and straightening out her pencil skirt.

tf.

sir glances at me and it’s so provocative in nature that i can’t look away, hence he does it for me. “do we have a common friend that can get both of us acquainted with one another?” he causally asks my mother with a chuckle.

aren’t they supposed to be talking about me?

“i don’t suppose so, isn’t that a shame?” mum smiles.

“‘shame’ would be an understatement, stella…can i call you stella?”

“you can call me whatever you want, isaac.”

“ahem!!” eww. ew. “mum,” i shake my head at her like ‘did you forget you have a husband?’, “you might wanna..”

“oh, yes, of course! silly me. so do tell, isaac? how has my daughter been doing?”

“well, to be candour, i’m rather impressed at how dedicated rosé is on learning.”

“hm, is that so?” she gives me a suspicious glance.

“indeed,” mr killian sends me a secret wink.

“does she slack off? because you’d tell me if she did, right?” mum asks.

“mum,” i grumble, she’s so embarrassing sometimes.

mr killian chuckles, “you’d be the first to know, stella. fortunately, that isn’t the case. rosé has quite the eye for accomplishing her goals.”

i’m getting lost in him again...

“gets all her work done on time, doesn’t send inappropriate text messages in class,” he proceeds professionally, kinda cocky, “nor does she ever has to stay back late.”

all of which i do the opposite of, i give him a guilty grin.

mum looks rather very taken aback, considering how i am at home. “seems like she’s quite the student?”

“you’d be surprised by what goes on in these walls.”

that not so hidden half~smile sir gives me pauses my mum in her tracks with her next question. i look at her sudden stiffness and notice how she’s surveying mr killian intently, her eyes narrowed into slits. oh crap.

“ahem!” i shift in my seat quickly.

sir coughs and swiftly brings in another topic.

mum gradually returns to her usual manner.

that was close.

when they finally say their farewells, i feel relieved as a fucking kite flying high up in a blue cloudless sky. mum did a few more interviews before she finally decided to go home. mr killian had given her false hope and high expectations, so it was funny when my other teachers informed her that my grades were declining from b’s and c’s to d’s and e’s.

oops, my bad.

-ˋˏ ༻🍷༺ ˎˊ-

it’s late, a major thunderstorm has hit and maxi being the scaredy~cat he is has crept into my room for the night. incoming call from isaac. i decline it. so he calls me again. and i decline it again. busy tryna shoot him a text which he keeps interrupting with phone calls.

daddy🔐 is my furry baby avoiding my calls?

tf he just called me??????

me im not avoiding ur calls jus ctrn cuz baby bro is sleeping in my bed thunder isnt his strong suit :/

daddy🔐 why am i jealous?

lol, seriously? i smile, rolling over to the edge of my bed.

daddy🔐 can’t stop thinking about you...

me jus stop its not dat hard

god, i suck at this.

daddy🔐 i really need to be fucking inside you right now!

uh, what the fuck do i text back?!

daddy🔐 would it be inappropriate of me to ask you what you are wearing since you’re with your kid brother?

haha.

me wow, ur quite the gentleman, arent ya ?

daddy🔐 i try my best.

feeling kinky, i silently remove my oversized graphic tee and take two pictures of myself. then i quickly pop my tee back on before curling up on the bed and hitting ‘send’.

daddy🔐 mmmm leopard panties and no bra, sexy. though i do wish you could move your arm out of the way so i could see my two girls?

no, my boobies are too small and i’m shy!

daddy🔐 such unspeakable things i could to your body right about now. would you like to know, baby?

i’m so tempted to text back ‘yes’, but that’d just get me too hot and bothered which is not a good idea when your lil brother is lying right next to you.

me behave (;

daddy🔐 how about we finish off what we started back in the classroom?

me we hv company rmbr ?

daddy🔐 right.

there’s a while with those 3 flashing dots before he texts back.

daddy🔐 considering we have an audience tonight, i’m willing to keep it pg. on the contrary, was nice talking to your mother today.

me were u flirting w her ?

daddy🔐 i don’t know. was i?

me u so were ! nd evry subtextual sentence u uttered !! she cud hv caught on yanno ?!

daddy🔐 that, i couldn’t help. the look on your face was hilarious. hers too.

i almost lol by just picturing my mum’s face, but i suppress it.

me jus bc u made me laugh dnt mean im not still mad !

daddy🔐 allow me to make it up to you?

me go on...

daddy🔐 there’s this soirée i’m holding with my crew for the long weekend. lakehouse, few beers, great view - thank kinda thing. i want you there.

me y do u want me der ? (;

daddy🔐 ‘cause i wanna fuck you hard on my mate’s couch whilst everyone else is out by the lake.

oh?

daddy🔐 and also because i want you to get to know my people more. (:

he used a smiley face! he never uses smiley faces!

me hmm, guess ill hv 2 think bout it

because i have to ask my mum first!!

daddy🔐 hope this helps?

he sends me a photo or two back, like it was a trade or something. but jesus christ, isaac killian! he was definitely not kidding about having me on his mind!

daddy🔐 don’t ponder too much. goodnight, love.

“rosé..?” maxi murmurs behind me, rolling around.

shit. i drop my phone in an instant and cringe for my luck. “yeah?”

“you’re taking all the blanket and i’m cold..”

“oh, right...” i exhale with relief, placing my phone on the bedside table. i turn around, shifting the blanket over him and putting my arms around him. phew.

i rest my eyes for a second when maxi is like, “what was that?”

“hm?” i smile as he snuggles between my arms.

“that big cucumber looking thing on your phone.”

i almost choke on my saliva. “t~t~that was...you’re dreaming, maxi. this is all nothing but a dream...” i add some whooo noise effect to make it more believable.

“no i am not!” he asserts.

“yes you are! now shut up or go back to your own room.”

thunder cracks intensely and he doesn’t say anything further. thank you, sweet jesus.

#daddy #story #teacher #student #teacher x student #words #quotes #thoughts #poetry #poems #love #relationship

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birdsandspades · 4 years

Text

I Was Never Good at Waiting (Sugawara X Reader) Chapter 3

- It was your last year in highschool, everything had been going smoothly until you got assigned the new teacher. Sugawara Koushi was handsome, maybe too handsome for his own good. Be he wasn't flirting with you right, teachers shouldn't do that....I guess we will see where this year goes.

Word Count - 3,163

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Sunlight peeked through your blinds as the soft vibrations from your phone woke you from your dreams. Opening one eye you turned to look at the digital clock on your desk next to your bed. It was 6:00 a.m, time for you to get ready for the day. Lifting your legs into the air you rotated side to side, gathering enough momentum for you to roll yourself off the bed.

Soft padded footsteps echoed through the silent house as you meandered to the bathroom. You ran your hand over the wall a few times, finally hitting the light switch. The lights flickered on, your eyes burning at the sudden shift in brightness. You rubbed circles on them with your palms, fuzzy white dots filling your vision.

After the blurry vision dissipated you took a look at your groggy state. Most of the hair that had been inside of your bun had found it's way out, standing up in various directions. The underneath of your eyes were sunken and dark, but this was normal. Tired was just another word to describe your features at this point. Taking out your hair tie you combed through your nest like hair while turning on the shower, attempting to guide the temperature to a desirable position.

Stripping yourself of your nightly bedwear, you stepped inside and pulled the door closed. You recoiled as the cold water hit your back, cursing as you adjusted the temperature once again. Your morning showers were quick, only for the purpose of taming your bedhead, you showered at night for cleanliness. You ran through your morning shower cycle quickly before shutting off the water. You felt around for your towel, grabbing at nothing. You pulled open the shower door, glaring at the empty towel rod. You look in a deep breath, sprinting out of the warm bathroom and into the cold hallway. You b-lined for the linen closet, practically ripping it off it's hinges as you pulled something warm and fuzzy out of the dark hole in the wall.

After your refreshing, brisk morning run you towel dried you and your wet feet prints.You peaked out of the bathroom again, looking at the bright red numbers on your clock, 6:15.

Next you brushed your hair, teeth, and dressed yourself for class. Today’s dress was for the most part what you wore every day. A short sleeved light blue button up, a faded red tie (the same one you had received on your first day of first year), your tan plaid pleated shirt, black knee high socks, and to top it off the one thing you could change as you pleased. Most days you opted for the light cream colored sweater vest under your white school jacket, but today felt like a cream cardigan kind of day instead. Most likely because the news reports called for a rainy day today, but also because you wanted to mix it up.

Your makeup was easy to put on, your hair was just as simple. You had always liked leaving it down but always brought a ponytail just in case. The watch ticking away on your wrist read 6:45, your morning was passing by fast. You gathered your bag and coat before walking downstairs and laying them on the couch.

Pulling open the fridge doors you pulled out everything you had prepped the night before, all you really had to do was assemble it in your lunch box and you could leave for school. Once you finished that you put it all away and placed your lunch in your bag before pulling on your coat and situating your bag on your shoulder. Walking out the door you locked it behind you and started your walk to school.

Your trip was always the longest part of your day, you had chosen Sejoh because of the impact it had on your moms adolescent life, sure it was out of the way. But that's what legs and trains were for right?

It took you approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the school from your house. In that time you would walk fifteen minutes to the train station, take two different trains to the station by the school, and walk another ten minutes to the actual school. As long as you were on time, the distance didn’t matter.

You liked to use the time for writing, mostly songs. It was a hobby only your friends knew about, they also were the only two who knew about the band you had joined last year. It was never an end game option for you, no career would ever come out of the group of ragtag college students who had formed the group years ago. But they were nice enough to let you sing for them when the original member had graduated and moved on from the dream. As long as you could come up with songs, and of course make the time for practice, well they liked having you around.

You would love to tell the volleyball club about what you did during your weekends away from the club and schoolwork. You probably would have if it wasn’t for the looming threat of every single shitty dive bar you performed at finding out that you indeed were seventeen (going on eighteen, that was important), and in fact not twenty one. But whatever, you were having fun.

You walked past the front gates and into the lockers at around 8:10, twenty minutes before classes would start. Siding on your slippers you placed your practice gear and outside shoes inside your locker. Today would be your first practice back, it was exciting to say the least.

“Hey, we haven't talked in awhile.” A sweet voice turned your attention away from your thoughts.

“Yoshiki, hi.” You looked the boy over in surprise, the morning fog still leaving your brain.

“So your homeroom teacher this year is Sugawara-sensei huh? He comes to my class after lunch for science. He seems nice, he made some really bad science jokes yesterday when he introduced himself.” Yoshiki laughed as he remembered the not so funny pun. It reminded you both of simpler, less uncomfortable times you both shared so long ago.

“I wish I could have heard them.” You giggled, mostly with Yoshiki and less at the statement. I felt nice to take in the easy feeling of being together again, even if it was fleeting. “He was pretty straightforward with the homeroom class. Probably because Yua wouldn’t shut up.”You walked with him down the hallway, his pace matching with yours as you talked.

“I could tell you some of them over lunch.” He paused as you reached your classroom door, his foot digging into the tile. “Unless things are still weird between us?” He couldn’t meet your eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. You had rejected him once, could twice be just as bad?

“Sure, that would be great. Since we ruled out the potentially dating option, all that's left is to go back to being friends again.” You let out an out of place laugh, your enthusiasm forced. You felt awkward, your attempt at mending the relationship uncomfortable to your own ears.

He on the other hand smiled, it seemed to be just the words he was hoping for. He gave you a brief wave before leaving for his own classroom.

He was right, things were still weird between you. But that's what happens when you fall in love for the first time, try to go on a date, and run away from said date leaving him alone, and then proceed to ignore his calls all winter break. The least you could be was give him a lunch period to feel things out.

You made your way into the classroom, greeting a few students before setting your things down at your desk. Yua and Hiroto were already sitting at their desks when you slid into your seat next to them.

“Good morning F/N-chan.” They greeted, the unity of their tone made you giggle.

“No coffee this morning?” Hiroto questioned as he looked at your usually occupied hand.

“I’m gonna try and quit drinking it so much, save some extra money...” You frowned already painfully aware of the lack of caffeination.

“You're like an addict!” Yua laughed, “I give you a week tops before you crash.”

“Thanks for the support!” You chirped, pinching her exposed arm. You shook your head as she hissed at the pain, the morning bell drowning out her cursing.

Sugawara walked in on cue holding a mug of coffee and a black binder. “Good Morning class.” He smiled as he set down the items on his desk.

“You look nice today Sugawara-sensei!”A voice spoke from somewhere behind you. You needn't look behind you, the high pitched tone was easy to pick out.

“Thank you.” He smoothed out his suit jacket, nodding in appreciation. His eyes scanned the room before landing on you. “L/N-san, will you come up and take roll for me please?” He gave you a sweet smile, wiggling the board your way.

“Yes sensei.” You moved your chair back and made your way up to the front of the room. He stood on the other side of his desk, reaching across to take the clipboard and pen from his hands.

“This one is you.” He pointed to your name and smiled sweetly,“Don’t forget this time ok?”

The class laughed at his teasing remark as you slid the pen out of his hand.

“Yes, sensei.” You mocked him in your head as you walked to the middle of the room looking around the class as you checked off the names. “Maybe if you didn’t walk into class trying to fluster me I wouldn’t have such a hard time functioning.” You finished and handed the board back to him, giving him a forced smile.

“Thank you, you can go sit down now.” He glanced up from his syllabus before sliding it out of your hand.

Taking your seat again he began the homeroom meeting for the day. It was the same information, just saying what events the school had going on, what the menu was for the day, and if any school deadlines were coming up. Then he broke the class up for independent study as he pulled students to the front for their daily college discussion. Next week this would become a weekly discussion as homeroom would turn into a study hall period for students to get help on school work.

You were waiting for your turn as the bell rang signaling for the classroom switches. You were a bit sad that you had been the only one left out for the day's discussions, maybe more so that you couldn’t talk to Sugawara.

Everyone waved a goodbye to Sugawara as he exited the classroom and your next teacher settled into the next subject. Class passed by as usual, your attention fading in and out as you watched out the window. The grey storm clouds had started to roll in as the sky darkened. The sun had permanently tucked behind the clouds around noon, the chill of threatening rain permeating the window next to you.

Before long the bell rang and students made for the cafeteria. As the crowd dispersed, Yoshiki peaked his head in at you and your group of friends.

“Hey, are you eating in here today?” He made his way over to your desk holding his own bento box.

“Yeah, you can stay with us if you want.” You beamed as he pulled a chair over to your desk and set his lunch down. It was cutely wrapped, the cloth around it was bordered with brightly colored dinosaurs, as he opened it so were most of the food wrappers.

“It’s my little brother's box I promise, he took my lunch this morning when he left.His cheeks tinted pink as he shook his head back and forth. He placed both hands over the box, covering it from view.

Giggling you placed a hand over his “It’s ok, dinosaurs are pretty cool.” He relaxed into his seat as you opened your own box.

“Oh Sugawara-sensei, do you need the classroom?” Hiroto asked as Sugawara walked over to his office door.

“No.You're fine to stay here, I have a few papers to grade in my office.’’ He paused on you, looking between you and Yoshiki.”L/N-san i’m sorry I missed you for our council time.’’ He rested his hand on the doorknob, squeezing it slightly.

“It’s ok Sugawara- sensei! The class is so big, I don’t know how you could make enough time for all of us in one day.” You waved your hand at the notion and laughed, he had no reason to feel bad. You had all year to college prep, one day wouldn’t set you back.

“I’m free after school if you want to wait in my office? We can run down your requirements before volleyball practice.” He shifted on his feet slightly, Yoshiki’s gaze heavy on him.

You agreed to the offer, thanking him as he disappeared into his office.

“Two days in a row, look at you!” Yua laughed as she slapped your back causing you to choke on your food.

“Yua-chan he’s our teacher!” Hiroto whispered aggressively as he handed you his water bottle.

“I know, it's just funny seeing how flustered she gets.” Yua winked at you, as if her flirtatious actions would justify the burning in your throat.

You passed the lunch period chatting amongst your friends, Yoshiki easing into the conversation as if nothing had ever happened. You were grateful for the new start, happy to have your friend back. As everyone finished their lunches, Yua and Hiroto waved a goodbye. They were on a mission to find the raccoon that lived by the track dumpsters, leftover food in tow. You and Yoshiki were left in the classroom, silence settling around you both.

“So, are you still doing soccer with Hiroto-kun?” You tried to fill the conversational gap, hoping it would disperse the awkward feeling around you two.

“Yeah, but they pretty much benched me. The new first years are really good.” He laughed, sounding sadder than he had planned.

You opened your mouth when the office door clicked open and Sugawara peaked his head out.

“L/N-san come here please.” He waved a hand at you, disappearing back into his office.

You looked between the open door and Yoshiki before standing up. You turned to speak, Yoshiki already packing up his belongings.

He said a hasty goodbye, leaving before you could get a word in.

You watched as he walked out the door, turning back to the open office.

“Yes Sugawara-senpai?” You pushed the door open a little more before stepping into his office.

It was nicer inside then you had anticipated. He had one large window facing the courtyard, while the other 2 walls adjacent to the door were lined with rows and rows of books. A large dark oak desk sat in the middle of the room, free of clutter and debris. He had pushed a small black sofa under the window, it looked comfy and worn in. Like it held more stories then the actual shelves. But the most notable feature of the room was the abundance of small and large plants placed around the room. Some sat on the windowsill, others were placed between the sections of books on the shelves. The larger plants were tucked into the corners of the room, leaves fanning out over everything nearby. But one particularly pretty pink succulent sat on his desk, perfectly positioned to sit in the ray of sun that shined through the window. It looked like it was basking in the warmth, soaking up all the sun had to offer.

“Can you do me a favor L/N-san?” Sugawara questioned as your eyes stopped roaming. You landed on his hand, reaching out towards you, grasping something out of sight.

You reached out and opened your hands,“Of course Sugawara-senpai.”

He opened his hands to drop a few yen into yours. “I didn’t have time for lunch today, can you go grab me a hot drink from the vending machines by the south gym? You can get yourself something as well if you want. There should be enough money for two.”

“I may be late for class sensei…” You cupped the warm metal, how long had he been holding the coins? They heated the palm of your hand slightly, melding with your own warmth.

”It’s ok, just come in quiet when you come back.” He sat back down, picking up a red pen.

You nodded and smiled before running off towards the south gym doors. You would hurry, maybe if you ran you would make it back before the bell rang.

“Um, what should I get him?” You scanned over the drink options presented to you.“It is flu season, maybe something that will keep him healthy? But he did say he didn’t eat lunch, what's thick. What if he fails me because I got him something gross.” You were shaking your head back and forth, this was becoming much more tasking then it should have ever been. You pushed the green tea button twice, grateful he was kind enough to give you enough money for something as well.

The rain was starting to come down, getting heavier by the minute. You took the two hot drinks and ran for the main entrance, hoping the rain wouldn’t soak your cardigan too much before you made it inside.

It was a short walk back to the classroom, you could hear Sugawara on the other side, he had already started the lesson. Deciding to finish your own green tea in the hallway you emptied the container before heading inside.

You slid the door open just enough to fit inside, attempting to be quiet enough to not distract the classroom. Eyes were all on you as you closed the door and turned around to face your peers. Breathing stopped as they waited for their sensei to reprimand you for being late.

You walked over to Sugawara and handed him the tea before fishing his remaining change out of your cardigan pocket and rushing back to your desk, eyes on the floor as you sat down.

“Thank you L/N-san.”His smile was sweet and gentle as he turned back to the class. “So this diagram differs from the previous in what way?” He continued on with the lesson as everyone's gaze slowly started to leave you.

After a few minutes it seemed as if everyone had lost interest in your tardiness, almost everyone. Two pairs of eyes from the back of the room bore holes into the back of your head for the remainder of class, you didn’t have to turn around to know who they belonged to.

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Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

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#haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#haikyuu #sugawara x you #hq sugawara #sugawara x reader #sugawara scenario #sugawara kōshi #sugawara fic #sugawara x y/n #sugawara #sugawara koushi #sugawara koshi #teacher sugawara koshi #teacher sugawara #student x teacher

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emberbent · 4 years

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Book 2: Air | Chapter 6: Kismet

With the events of Gaoling behind her, and with her connection to her past lives reestablished, Shinza finally had time to focus solely on her airbending. Like her breathing, meditation, and yoga exercises, bending the air also came easily to her, due to her “air nomad’s spirit,” as Lo Sang said. Shinza came to each lesson with a clear head and a free spirit; during lessons and sparring matches, as her instructor had taught her, she constantly sought the path of least resistance, readily changing direction at a moment’s notice. She’d had little trouble with the gates exercise, and the obstacle course, though tough even for more experienced airbenders, didn’t seem like much of a feat to Shinza, who nimbly dodged the sandbags Jinora and Lo Sang dropped on her, ziplined herself down a long rope with the help of airbending, and climbed the rock face without a second thought as to the vast distance between her and the base of the mountain. Airball, however, was a different story.

“Okay, how about this?” Lo Sang called from halfway down the court, lithely hopping from post to post as if they were stepping stones set in the ground. “You beat me, and I’ll nominate you for the mastery test.”

Shinza paused, balancing on the two-foot wooden post in front of her goal. In her left hand spun the airball, driven by the current she produced. She knew she was good at airbending, and she’d been practicing a move she’d created on her own, knowing she wouldn’t have time to master all thirty-six forms. But she’d never been an athlete, and Lo Sang had been regularly kicking her ass on the court for weeks; she wasn’t sure this time would be any different. Or maybe, with the mastery test as motivation, she’d finally hold her own. “Okay, you’re on!”

Without warning, she put her whole body weight behind the airball, sending it spinning toward Lo Sang’s goal at the other end of the court. The young one leapt upward, as if she’d been born in the sky, and batted the ball with ease back toward Shinza without even touching it, and with twice as much velocity. On a ten-cent piece, Shinza maneuvered herself in front of the ball just before it could make it past her right shoulder, making a full turn and launching the ball back.

“The flourish was a little unnecessa--!” Lo Sang stopped short as the ball sailed over her head and through the goal, leaving the wooden middle spinning.

Shinza’s jaw dropped. Then she burst into a grin. “I believe that’s 1-0!”

Lo Sang was busy picking up her jaw. “You distracted me!” she hollered. “Not fair. Try again.”

“It absolutely was fair,” Shinza chuckled. “Admit it. You weren’t ready and I got you.”

“Okay, fine,” Lo Sang relented, retrieving the ball and tossing it weightlessly between her hands. “Best two out of three.”

Shinza’s dark brows arched. “You said if I beat you, you’d nominate me.”

Lo Sang’s eyes narrowed visibly from down the court. “Humor me,” she said. “It could have been a fluke. Admit that, grandma.”

Shinza nodded. “Okay then. Bring it on!” She gestured for Lo Sang to give it her best shot.

And she did. The ball came hurtling toward Shinza nearly faster than she could think to maneuver; but instinct took over, guiding Shinza to backbend over toward her post. By the time she righted herself, the ball was at face-level. With a deep breath and a powerful gust of wind, she sent back what Lo Sang had doled out. The young one leapt as high and fast as she could, but the ball still thunked into the goal, and the middle spun again.

Shinza shrieked in delight, surprising both of them.

“Wow,” Lo Sang muttered, briefly taken over by defeat, but then remembering the point of it all. Shinza had beaten her more than once; two out of three, as she’d prescribed. She was ready for the mastery test. She hopped weightlessly from post to post until she reached Shinza’s end. “Congratulations,” she smirked. “You ready to be tested?”

Before their evening meal, they took a walk along the northern face of the mountain, along the way passing the cliffside where Shinza had first gone into the Avatar state - where she’d learned the truth about her abilities. Shinza paused and put her hand up to the rock face. Lo Sang readied herself to comfort her, but she sensed a resolve in her as she took her hand away.

“How are you feeling?” Lo Sang inquired as they continued to the pond - a tranquil body of clear, cool water, whose bank backed up to the base of the temple.

“I’m okay,” Shinza said honestly. “I’ve learned a lot here - so much more than I thought I would. I’m feeling good about what’s next.” She slipped down the shallow stairs, removing her boots and rolling up her pants. Sticking her pale feet in the water, she bent over to gaze into the water, at the meticulously-placed tiles that made up the bottom of the pond.

Lo Sang did the same, leaving her small boots next to Shinza’s and coming to sit beside her. The breeze rustled a nearby tree which shed several leaves into the pond. A thought sat on the tip of her tongue, but she said nothing.

“What?” Shinza inquired, as if reading her mind.

Lo Sang met her gaze for half a second and then looked away, out into the expanse of mountains miles off in the distance. “Nothing. It’s… I don’t want to say.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Shinza replied softly. “But I won’t tell anyone if you do.”

Lo Sang shifted just a millimeter closer. “I’m just going to miss you, is all,” she confessed. “It’s not right for a teacher to have become so attached to a student - especially one whose sole duty is to leave and do great things. It goes against everything I was taught.”

Shinza cast her warm red-brown gaze down at her young teacher. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” she soothed. “How do you find the motivation to teach, or care, if you don’t get attached?”

Lo Sang smiled sadly, but didn’t say anything for a while. Shinza disturbed the water with her feet, stretching her toes. A few moments passed, and Lo Sang spoke again. “Do you have siblings?”

“No,” Shinza replied, squinting as she tried to follow Lo Sang’s train of thought. The air nomads historically hadn’t assigned much value to the notion of blood relations the way the rest of the world had, and for good reason. “I’m an only child. Why?”

Lo Sang leaned forward and gazed at her own rippling reflection in the water - snowy hair, darting grey eyes. “I don’t know,” she replied. “We don’t have siblings or parents in the temples - the nuns raise us. And that’s okay, because we’re one big family in a way. Jinora is technically my great-grandmother, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s kind of everyone’s great-grandmother. But sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to have a sister, you know? A sister who was just mine.”

Shinza softened, drawing the young one in toward her with a sweep of her arm.

“I was always happy being an only child,” she admitted. “I never wished I had siblings. But now I see what I missed out on. If I’d had a sister, I would hope she’d be just like you.”

Lo Sang looked up at her with a grin. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. You’re brilliant, calm, poised; you’re a master airbender, teaching the avatar, and you’re not even ten years old. You’re kind and compassionate… annoying as can be, but amazing. And you know what else? You’re Jinora’s great-granddaughter, and I was once Avatar Aang. So... in some way, I think we are sisters.”

Lo Sang hugged Shinza as tight around the middle as she could.

The test came the next morning - sooner than Shinza had expected. But since she felt she was ready, the elders didn’t see a reason not to proceed right away. Lo Sang helped Shinza tie the sash around her ceremonial tunic, crouching low to straighten the seams, even though she knew they’d get messed up again in just a few moments. “Are you nervous?”

Shinza snorted. “I think you’re more nervous than I am.”

Lo Sang straightened up tall. “I am not.”

“Whatever you say,” she replied with a smirk, leaning her head back and gathering all her shiny black locks into a top knot. To Lo Sang’s reflection in the mirror, she said, “I’m feeling okay. I have a handle on my form - I think you��ll really like it.”

Shinza felt fortunate to feel so at ease; she wasn’t sure she could endure the same feeling she’d had just before and after her firebending test.

Lo Sang gave a pleased smile, her flickering gaze lingering on her student, who she knew would make her proud. Then she ducked out of the dressing room, peeking her head back in a moment later. “They’re ready for you.”

She took one final cleansing breath, deliberately avoiding looking in the mirror so that she could slide into the state of mind she’d need to pass the test. Outside the room, the council of elders had taken their places in the main courtyard; Jinora sat in the middle of a long bench, flanked by two others on each side. Lo Sang had settled on the ground, cross-legged, at Jinora’s feet.

Shinza bowed deeply to the council.

“Avatar Shinza,” Jinora greeted, her voice surprisingly loud and authoritative. “We gather to judge you on your airbending mastery. Given that you have been here for less time than it takes to master the thirty-six forms, I assume you’ve mastered the basics and perfected a form of your own?”

“Yes, Master Jinora,” Shinza replied.

“Begin then, child.”

Shinza inclined her head again and began. She ran through a number of forms, seemingly random in order, but strung together seamlessly in a carefully choreographed performance. Her breathing remained steady, and amid the constant spinning, she had lost sight of the panel - she was alone with her bending, having found freedom within the space she occupied. Then, at last, she closed out with a circling of her arms to seal her energy.

Three of the council members applauded, but the rest remained still, including Jinora. “Proceed with your new form.”

“I need an assistant,” Shinza announced. “Master Lo Sang, would you please?”

Intrigued, Lo Sang puffed herself to her feet and sprinted toward Shinza, who gestured for her to move a couple yards away. “Attack me,” Shinza instructed.

Lo Sang spun nimbly on her little feet once, twice, three times, stopping with precision and thrusting the palms of her hands forward, generating a cannon-like gust of wind that tore toward Shinza.

With a rapid twisting motion of her arms, Shinza solidified the air in front of her, creating an invisible wall that dispelled Lo Sang’s cannon-gust; behind the wall, not a hair on Shinza’s head moved.

Lo Sang broke into a wide grin. Then she sprinted toward the wall, stopping short and holding out her hand. She brushed her fingers against it, relishing the feel - like touching breath. It was invisible, soft, and yet an incredible defensive technique.

“How you you find, Master Lo Sang?” Jinora inquired.

Dutifully, Lo Sang turned to the council, hands behind her back and standing up proud and tall. “The wall holds. I find my student fully understands the philosophy of airbending and integrates it into her practice. She has mastered her basics, and she has created a form that embodies the doctrine of our Air Nomad ancestors and of our Air Nation: defense first.”

Jinora let her detached facade fall, and her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “Then, the Avatar passes the mastery test. Excellent work, both of you.”

Lo Sang hollered and rocketed into the air, twisting in elation and floating back down to the ground. “You did it!”

“I told you I’d make you proud,” Shinza murmured. Lo Sang looked up, cupping her hand around her mouth and standing on her tiptoes to whisper something to Shinza, who nodded.

Lo Sang took a running start and hopped onto her air skates; Shinza produced a solid panel of air, the shape of which was unknown to the council until Lo Sang leapt up onto it, balancing on what seemed to be a ledge. Then she fell forward, skating smoothly down a curve and back up a symmetrical curve on the other side, coming to perch on the opposite ledge. She repeated the motion over and over again, clearly tickled. Shinza herself giggled, casting a glance at the council, who all seemed to be enjoying the moment too.

At last, as the sun began to set, the council disbanded. Shinza headed toward the dining hall herself, but Lo Sang stopped her.

“When I became a master, I got a whole ceremony and my tattoos,” she said. “But those things are only for Air Nation natives.”

Shinza shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t need a fancy commemoration or anything. I didn’t get anything special when I passed my firebending test, either.”

“But still,” Lo Sang protested softly. “You deserve a little something special. You have to master four elements, after all.”

Unsure where Lo Sang was going with this, Shinza cocked her head.

“Kneel,” Lo Sang instructed, mimicking her best authoritative-Jinora voice. “Please.”

Shinza obeyed. Lo Sang lifted her index finger to the Avatar’s forehead and lovingly, deliberately traced the outline of an arrow on her brow. Then she took her hands and held them out, palms down, tracing a long path down her arms that terminated in an arrow on the back of each palm. Lastly, she gestured for Shinza to stand. She traced lines down her legs, ending with arrows on the tops of her feet.

“There,” Lo Sang said as she stood. “I think that’s better, don’t you?”

Shinza bit her lip to stop it from quivering, then slipped her arm around the young girl’s shoulders. “You’re the best.”

Lo Sang grinned and curled her arm around Shinza’s waist. Together, they made their way to the dining hall. “That’s what sisters are for.”

At sunrise the next morning, the temple’s congregation gathered at the courtyard to see Shinza off. It had been a long nine months, and yet it seemed to her like just yesterday, she had arrived here to this same scene; except now, the faces of the strangers who had first greeted her were familiar to her. Shinza had been allowed to keep the robes she’d worn to her test - a parting gift, Jinora had called it. She’d been keenly aware of the fact that Shinza’s Fire Nation clothes, the ones she’d worn to visit her family, had been irreparably damaged in Gaoling.

Shinza’s stomach knotted. She felt readier than she thought she would; now that the link to her past lives had been restored, she felt stronger and more confident than ever. But leaving Lo Sang and Jinora, after all they’d been through together, was bittersweet.

Lo Sang embraced Shinza one last time. Her heart melted when she heard little sniffs.

“We’ll see each other again,” Shinza whispered, rubbing her back.

Lo Sang replied in her high, sweet voice, “I know.” Then she stood tall, letting the wind rustle the fine white hairs that framed her face, and moved aside so that Jinora could move in.

The elder held the Avatar at arms’ length, studying her seemingly against an invisible portrait of who she’d been when she first arrived. “My dear, it has been a true honor,” she said, and then gathered Shinza into a gentle hug. “Perhaps we’ll meet again in the Spirit World. Now, go. Call your dragon - I’m sure your waterbending teacher is eager to meet you.”

Shinza hadn’t thought much on what came next; she’d been engrossed in her testing. “Who is it?” she asked. “What are they like?”

Jinora’s smile fell. “I don’t know, honey.”

Feeling the blood run out of her face, Shinza masked the rising panic she felt. How had she not thought to find herself a waterbending teacher? How could she have missed such a crucial step? She thought back to when she’d left the Island of the Sun Warriors, and realized that it had been Amrit who had found Lo Sang. With a pang in her heart, she realized she was on her own. She’d have to get to the North Pole - or the South Pole; she wasn’t even sure which place she should go to - and regroup. Resolutely, she nodded to Jinora and Lo Sang, stuck her index finger and thumb into her mouth, and whistled loudly for Xia.

The dragon didn’t appear right away, which wasn’t unusual. While she waited, she delicately traced the healed tattoo on her arm, feathering her fingertips over the black lines that made up Xia’s body. After a few more moments, Shinza turned to face the others, who had begun to grow restless. “She uh… she’s usually a couple seconds late.” But the seconds ticked by and turned into minutes. Lo Sang shuffled on her booted feet.

Shinza began to worry. Had Xia been shot down? Sweat beaded along her hairline.

“Look, there!” someone shouted. Xia burst through the clouds, carrying a rider on her back. But who…? Shinza squinted, and then yelped with joy, clapping her hands over her mouth.

Amrit rode proudly on the back of the dragon, his eager grin visible even from a distance. Xia flew with such velocity that she had to circle once or twice before touching down on the courtyard, and the wait was too long for Shinza to bear. Once Xia landed, Amrit slid elegantly off the dragon’s back. Shinza abandoned her little pack of belongings and leapt into his arms, unable to think to do anything else but to seek him in such a way. His breath left him and he curled his muscled arms around her lithe body, nearly tipping over, but righting them both with ease. She squeezed him tighter than she thought she could, and he reciprocated.

“Hey,” his voice quivered with emotion. “You okay?”

“Don’t let me go,” she responded, letting her tears flow freely.

He squeezed tighter. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Then she laughed. And he laughed. She couldn’t have thought of anything more perfect than Amrit showing up when she needed him most. Finally, Shinza felt for the ground with her toes, and they both straightened themselves out, sizing each other up.

“What are you doing here?” she sniffed. Her cheeks ached from the width of her smile. Relief and joy coursed through her veins. Whatever anxiety she’d felt moments ago was gone. She regarded him openly - he wore his finest clothing, even a thick cape to keep the mountain’s draft away from his bare, copper skin. On his face were painted the familiar ochre markings. “You look so fancy.”

“I, uh... missed you,” he confessed sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. His onyx eyes took her in. She looked like an entirely different woman; wiser, more confident. Remembering the way she and Xia had bonded when they’d first met, he couldn’t say he was surprised at the tattoo that covered her entire right arm. She’d always had impeccable posture, but now, as he regarded her, he felt her unmistakable presence as the Avatar. “And I’m here to ask for a job.”

Shinza’s brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

“Who’s looking out for you?” he inquired. “Do you have a waterbending teacher?”

“No, I don’t,” she replied, sobering.

“I may have found someone to teach you,” Amrit said. “I figured you were probably close to finishing your training here, so I took the liberty. I don’t have a resume or anything, but I have your back. I want to help you however I can.”

Shinza inquired softly, “What about your students? And your family?”

“My parents have my sister’s kids to look after. My students have all graduated, and the next round will be too young to start for a few years yet. Look… when you first came to the Island, I knew without a single grain of doubt that I was meant to help you. And after you left, things didn’t feel the same.”

She studied him, broad-shouldered, stating his case. While flattered that he felt the need to explain it at all, she knew kismet when she felt it. All the same, she pretended to deliberate.

Then she stuck her hand out with a smirk. “Team Avatar?”

Visibly relaxing, Amrit grinned, ignored her hand, and instead gathered her up in his arms again. “Team Avatar.”

From behind them, a small voice demanded, “So wait, who is this guy?”

Having forgotten they weren’t alone, Shinza turned to Lo Sang. “This is Amrit Han,” she said. “He was my firebending teacher. Amrit,” she said, turning to him and gesturing, “Please meet Masters Jinora and Lo Sang.”

“It’s my utmost pleasure,” said Jinora, inclining her head. As soon as Amrit’s gaze swept onto Lo Sang, however, the little one’s eyes went wide and her cheeks blossomed with a deep red blush. “Wow. You’re really handsome.”

“Right?” Shinza sounded. “You could just punch him.”

“I… hang on, what?” Amrit chuckled, a confused smile spreading over his face.

“On that note, Xia’s waiting,” Shinza cued, gathering her pack. The two mounted the dragon’s back and held on tight as Xia got a running start and leapt off the ground, rocketing northward. Shinza looked back with ease, a friend to the open air now, and sent her love back to the temple.

@chromecutie @hetapeep41 @jaymzbush @my-remedy-is-euphoria

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snortyport · 4 years

Text

Trapped - JJK Chapter 5

Summary- A long walk through the woods has everyone on edge. Those sounds you keep hearing, are they animals or something more sinister? Will everyone make it to safety?

Rating- PG

Word Count- 2664

Pairing- Jungkook x reader

Warning- swearing, minor character death

A/N- Thank you to everyone reading this! I love you all!!

Previous | Masterlist | Next

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The walk to the cabin is long and exhausting. Jeannie started complaining after 10 minutes of walking and demanded a piggyback ride. She’s been taking turns on someone’s back since.

You’ve had to stop a bunch of times for Jamie to have a rest. He’s been getting dizzy after getting a little worked up from the walk. Each break has taken him about five minutes to get his head to stop spinning. It’s driving you crazy having to stop so many times but you’d rather he be ok then push him too hard and something worse happen to him.

Everyone is grumpy and snapping at each other over the littlest things. Kyle went against his usual chill personality and yelled at Graham for walking too close to him. Hayley yipped at Jeannie for pulling her hair while taking her turn giving a piggyback, which made Jeannie cry and avoid her. Jamie snapped at Tanner for “treating him like a baby” because he keeps fussing over him.

Everyone is tired and hungry and ready to be done with the day. Yourself included.

As much as the kids are driving you crazy with their bickering, there’s one thing that’s been bothering you more. You’ve been walking for hours now and no car has driven by. You’re sure someone would have had to come by. A nightshift nurse going home, or a part time worker done for the day. Someone should have driven by you by now.

You’re really getting nervous. If someone hasn’t come by yet, will anyone? The phones aren’t working and no ones driving home. How are you supposed to get help?

Maybe Old Man Busby has a phone I can use. You hope with everything in you that another adult will come by so everything isn’t on your shoulders anymore. Every little thing that’s adding up is raising your shoulders higher towards your ears with tension. You’re going to need a massage and two, no three, bottles of wine once you get back home.

You’re not sure how much more you can take. You’re just one woman. One woman whose never had to deal with someone cheating on a test, let alone a bus crash and two dead people.

“Come on, guys! It’s not too much farther,” you say with as much fake cheeriness you can muster. Every single on of them groans as they stand back up from their break.

“How much longer?” Lilly asks, a hard edge to her tone.

“Well if it wasn’t for Jamie needing a break every five seconds we’d probably be there already,” Will angrily mutters, just loud enough for Jamie to hear.

Jamie hangs his head in embarrassment and starts walking slower to get to the back of the group. “I’m sorry, everyone. I don’t mean to be so slow.”

“Don’t listen to Will. It’s not your fault, Jamie,” Hayley says softly. “Will is just being a baby and throwing a tantrum like he always does.” The younger kids snicker and giggle behind their hands.

“No need to be a bitch,” Will says, making the younger kids gasp at his language, looking at Hayley.

“Watch your language, Will,” you scold him. He stares at you incredulously.

“What about her name calling?”

“Well, stop acting like a baby and she won’t have to call you names,” you tell him. And you’ll admit, telling him off makes you feel good. You’re definitely over the whole I-need-to-be-nice-because-I’m-his-teacher. Today has been too long and difficult and he’s getting on your last nerve with all his sarcastic quips and negativity.

Hayley looks over her shoulder and smirks triumphantly at Will, which makes him huff and cross his arms. Jamie and Tanner look at each other, and then turn away trying not to laugh. Ok maybe the rest of them aren’t getting on your last nerve. You bite your lower lip to cover your smile.

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You continue to walk, the sun starting to sink lower into the sky. The bugs have been chewing you up for a good thirty minutes. You’re itchy, and hungry, and cranky. Your feet hurt and your legs burn from all the walking. Maybe I should start working out.

You have it easy though. Jamie pushed himself to hard and almost passed out which caused the trip to be delayed for twenty minutes until he was lucid again.

Hayley’s ankle has gotten worse and has slowed down your walking speed. Noah offered her his arm to help her, which did mean you could speed up a little bit. She blushed and accepted and the two of them have been talking quietly since. Will has been silent since Noah offered but he keeps looking over his shoulder to glare at them. It might be making you a little happy to see Will so angry at Noah and Hayley hitting it off. Watching them has made the tedious walk just a little more enjoyable.

But at least you are almost there. The road to the cabin should be around the next curve. Your feet are screaming at the thought of getting to sit down.

“C-can we stop,” Jamie asks, one hand clutching his forehead. “I’m-I’m starting to f-feel dizzy again.”

“Of course,” you say with a fake smile on your face. As much as it’s nice to have a break, you’re almost there and you don’t want to stop, you just want to get there. But you’re not going to force him to keep going and have another almost fainting incident.

Will groans loudly but walks off the road to lean against a tree. He sinks to the ground and stretches his legs out and rotates his ankles. Kyle sets Jeannie down and he and the rest of Will’s lackeys follow and sit beside him in a circle.

Noah helps Hayley to the ground and then sits in front of her. He asks her if he can see her foot to see how bad it is. She places her foot in his lap. He proceeds to take her shoe off and move her foot in different positions, which makes her hiss through her teeth. He starts massaging her foot, her pained expression turning into one of pleasure. Noah’s cheeks burn a brilliant red. Will does his best to ignore them but you catch the angry glances he makes their way.

“Just let me know when you’re feeling good again, Jamie,” you tell him, sinking to the ground, as he walks with Tanner and Jeannie to a different tree.

“I will,” he mumbles. Lilly sits down right by the road. She designated herself to be the lookout for in case someone drives by.

Another break, another chance to sit with your thoughts. At least when you’re walking you can focus on walking and how each step is getting you closer to a comfy seat and hopefully a phone. Sitting and resting has your thoughts wandering to places you don’t want to be thinking.

Like why has no one driven past yet? Most people’s work would be over by now and they should have driven past to go home. Someone should have come. Not to mention, why didn’t anyone from the school send someone down this bus route when you didn’t get to there. Why hasn’t someone come looking for you?

Also, if your phones don’t work, will the house phone? And what even is going on with the phones? Why aren’t they working?

“Did you hear that?” Noah suddenly says, straightening his back and looking past the trees.

“Hear what?” Kyle asks, looking into the forest as well.

“I thought I heard a branch snap,” he answers. He drops Hayley’s foot and stands up.

“And what? You think someone’s stalking us?” Will asks sarcastically.

“Not someone, something,” he continues sweeping the area with his eyes looking for any sign of movement.

“I don’t see anything,” you say, also standing up and looking around. You notice Hayley slipping her shoe back on her foot quickly.

“I think we should get going,” Noah says, holding his hand out to help Hayley up. She accepts his offer and he pulls her to standing. The younger kids get up and crowd around you with different levels of scared written on their faces.

“Why? There’s nothing there,” Graham says nonchalantly, although he does stand up too.

“Just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” he says, turning to you, “Miss YLN?”

“Jamie, how’re you feeling?” you ask him, laying your hand on his forehead.

“I’m ready to go,” he says quickly. You think he’s a little scared, and you don’t blame him, you’re a little scared that something might be out there watching you.

“Seriously? We’ve barely been sitting,” Will says. He’s still sitting on the ground not looking any bit worried.

“I’d rather we be safe than sorry,” you say rounding the younger kids up and walking behind them back to the road. “Let’s go, guys.” Noah and Hayley following close behind you. Lilly gets up as you pass her and trails behind Noah and Hayley.

Graham, Kyle, and Adam walk after you. Will sighs heavily but eventually stands up and follows, muttering angry words with every step.

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You continue walking. Everyone is trying to walk faster, except for Will who is still adamant that there’s nothing there. You keep looking over your shoulder, you’re positive you’re going to see something. Your paranoia getting worse the lower the sun sets. Is it just an animal or are you in a horror movie and some machete wielding madman is after you? Would that be too cliché?

Your heart is beating so fast and for once since you started walking it’s not from the exercise. Well at least not from just the walking. That last hill really took your breath away.

You let out a relieved sigh as you round a curve and Old Man Busby’s cabin road comes into view on the right.

“Just a little further, guys!” you say happily.

Noah, who had been leading you down the road, stops suddenly and cocks his head to the left. Everyone stops behind him and looks into the forest. Unfortunately, you can’t see past the first two rows of trees. The forest is too dense and dark to see too far into.

“What is it?” Hayley leans against him and whispers.

“I’m not sure. Maybe a cougar, or maybe a wolf pack. I’ve heard more than one branch snapping, but I haven’t been able to tell if it’s one animal or more,” Noah says, he starts walking again and everyone trails behind him. Jeannie holds onto your and Kyle’s hand as she walks between you.

“And we’re just supposed to believe you? How do we even know wolves are in this forest?” Will asks.

“Why would I lie?”

“Maybe there’s a pussy you’re trying to impress, hm?” Will sneers. “One I’ve already been in? Loser like you trying to get my sloppy seconds?” Graham and Adam snigger to themselves as they walk beside him.

“Shut the fuck up, Will,” Hayley says quietly, anger radiating off her body.

“Will, that’s enough,” you say sternly, turning to look at him, Lilly’s annoyed face coming into view first before you shift your gaze to Will’s smirking one.

“Oh please. I’m just saying the truth,” he says. Kyle looks at you and rolls his eyes.

“No need to be an ass though,” he mumbles.

“What was that, bro?” Will calls out, an edge to his voice.

“Nothing, buddy ole pal,” Kyle turns and gives him an over the top smile.

“Everyone shut up!” Noah says loudly, stopping in his tracks again. Everyone, even Will, shuts their mouths and looks from side to side.

Your heart starts beating faster, adrenaline shooting through your veins. Your skin feels prickly and you have the biggest urge to just run, to get out of there. But you can’t. You need to be here for everyone.

“Whatever is out there is surveying us. Trying to find the weakest member to pick off,” Noah says quietly, putting his arm around Hayley’s shoulders. Jeannie grips your hand tightly and lets out a whimper.

“Like to eat?” she whispers.

“Let’s keep going,” Noah says. “Let’s go faster though. We’re almost at the ro--,” a loud snap to your left cuts him off.

Everyone freezes.

It was so close to the edge of the trees.

The sound of growling hits your ears next. You’re so scared that you feel like you’re trapped in a corner with no where to go. You don’t hear Noah yelling to run. You don’t hear the terrified screams of the other kids. All that you’re focused on are the yellow eyes that emerge from the trees as the first wolf takes chase.

If it wasn’t for Kyle pulling on your hand you would have just stood there becoming wolf bait.

You snap out of your terror, almost tripping over your feet. Kyle is pulling you along by the hand as you race down the road, Jeannie wrapped around his torso. Your already tired legs burn as you push them harder than you ever have before. The sound of paws hitting the road and low snarls are the only thing keeping you going.

Noah and Hayley hit the cabin’s dirt road first and they take off it, quickly getting swallowed by the trees. Jamie and Tanner are right behind them with Lilly closely following. Please don’t let Jamie get dizzy right now. I can’t lose another one.

You dash onto the other road, the cabin coming into view about 500 metres away. You hear Graham, Will, and Adam’s feet hit the dirt road seconds after you.

Your lungs feel like they’re on fire, but you keep pushing. You feel like a wolf is going to rip you to shreds at any moment. You can hear their teeth gnashing together as they nip and bite at the air.

You can hear Tanner yelling at Jamie to hurry up and that’s when you notice that you’re almost running on top of them. Jamie stumbles and trips, landing hard on his knees and arms.

Your heart stops.

You try to stop but with your momentum you don’t have time and you run right by them. You rip your hand from Kyle’s and spin around. That’s when you see just how close the wolves are. There are six wolves running towards you. They’re huge, their backs easily up to your hips. Their sharp teeth sending shivers down your spine as they gleam and glisten with saliva in the dying light.

“Go! We got them!” Graham yells at you. Kyle grabs your hand again and pulls you after him. You put your trust in the older boys and you take off running again. If you don’t, you’d be wolf chow and then what good would you be to the kids?

Noah and Hayley get to the door, swinging it open and running inside, Lilly running in right after. Thank fucking god it’s unlocked. They peek their heads out, shouting at you to hurry.

You’re so close.

You push your legs harder. Your breath barely coming out. A stitch in your side so painful you want to cry.

A shrill scream rips through the air just as your feet hit the wood floors of the cabin, right behind Kyle and Jeannie. Graham, with a small body in his arms, then Adam, then Will follow after you seconds later. Will throws his body against the door to shut it. You stare at them as the screams continue to ring out.

Why are they only carrying one? What happened?

Nine pairs of eyes stare at you. Lilly covers her ears to block out the screaming. Tears pour down Hayley’s face.

As suddenly as the screams started, they stop just as fast, getting cut off like someone paused a song.

The deafening silence settles around you, its thick fingers wrapping around your throat, suffocating you in its oppressive embrace.

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Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had fun writing it. I’m super excited for the next couple chapter as JK will be making his appearance soon!

Tagged: @sugalarity

#bts #bts imagine #bts jungkook #bts jk #jungkook #jk #apocolyptic

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meltingalphabet · 5 years

Text

You don't know what you've got till it's gone

Would you describe yourself as spoiled?

My pencil glided over the paper, a smooth trail of graphite following. With a satisfying scratch, I circled “No.” The smell of fresh paper and pencil shavings took me back to high school. Before I was an adult. Before I knew how difficult life could get.

Would you describe your close friends as spoiled?

I hesitated.

First there was Meredith. Meredith, whose parents made damn sure she never endured hardship. Who paid for her Ivy League degree out of pocket and financed extended trips abroad in the name of their only child’s self discovery. Who owned the luxury apartment Meredith called her own. Who nested her in the comfort of unearned extravagance.

Meredith is an artist, they’d say. Meredith is a tortured soul who needs freedom to work on her novel without the hideous distraction of a 9 to 5. She is a creative who cannot be caged by the struggle of the common folk, but must sit and be and think and ponder and write and give a voice to the common folk and their struggle.

Then there was Erica. Erica, who glided by on her looks. Who didn’t have to work on her personality because she didn’t need one. Who could be rude without consequence. Her instincts unchecked, her id free to roam. Why would she think about you when everyone won’t stop thinking about her? It’s not inconsiderate if there’s nothing to consider. If she forgot who you were, you should’ve made yourself more memorable.

I circled “Yes.”

My eyes scanned the last question.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

What did I have? A shitty job, a tiny overpriced apartment. Jiggly upper arms, frizzy hair. My hand hovered over the 4. Robert’s warm smile. His soft kisses.

Sighing, I circled 8. I had a shelter, a stable relationship, a loving family. Life was good. Even if other people had it better than me.

Around me were 11 other people seated at small identical desks completing short identical surveys. Different shapes and sizes, ages and races. All completely forgettable.

A woman in her mid twenties sat at the front of the room poking at a tablet. She wore a neat expensive looking grey sweater. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. The desk she sat at was modern but simple, the desktop empty but for a plain water bottle. Both the desk and woman looked like they were from an IKEA catalog. Generic but tidy, desirable but empty.

I walked towards her, my completed survey in hand. She looked up from her tablet with a small smile and gestured to the corner of the desk.

Her voice was smooth but neutral. “Thank you, Laurie.”

I placed my answers face down beside her, completing the nostalgic experience of taking a quiz.

“Please proceed to the waiting room. We will get you once it has been processed.”

Not wanting to make additional noise, I nodded and smiled at her, but she was already looking back at her screen.

An hour later I sat in front of another tasteful but bland desk. Dr. Howden scanned the tablet in front of him, his fingertips pressed together.

Finally, he looked up at me. “Thank you for participating in our study, Ms. Cartland. We here at the Galvin Institute depend on volunteers such as yourself.”

I smiled. $300 to come fill out a survey, yeah no problem mister.

“Of course.” I said politely.

“We’d like to invite you to continue as a participant. The study is 6 days and pays $900 a day, along with a $1,000 signing bonus.”

My mouth fell open. “Sorry, how much?”

Dr. Howden’s smile tightened. “At the completion of the study you will have been awarded $6,400.”

I quickly calculated the cost of my morals. Is it worth $6,400 to inject myself with something that would make me lose all my hair? I shrugged internally. It’ll grow back. Probably. There’s always wigs.

“Is the study risky?”

“Oh no, not at all. All we ask of you is to answer 3 simple questions every day.”

“You just want me to answer questions?”

Dr. Howden opened one of the desk drawers and placed a tablet in front of me. It was identical to both his and the woman from the study’s.

“The Galvin Institute will provide you with this tablet for the duration of the study. Every night at 6pm it will notify you to answer three simple questions. You will then have an hour to answer them. Once your answers are submitted, $900 will be directly deposited into your bank account.”

He looked at me over his wire frames. “Do you accept?”

My heart thudded in my chest. “What happens if I answer incorrectly?”

He smiled again. “The questions are subjective, so there is no wrong answer.”

I bit my lip, looking down at the desktop in front of me. There must be a catch. There’s always a catch. Hesitant to accept his insane offer without some sort of probing, I looked back up. “Can I opt out at any time?”

His smile faltered for a moment before he continued. “Of course, but you will forfeit all payment up to that point.”

I picked up the tablet and examined it. On the back was a subtle green logo with the initials “GI” in a pyramid.

Dr. Howden continued. “The focus of this study is appreciation and gratitude. The questions are designed to encourage self reflection.”

I nodded, “sounds easy.”

“It is!” He said, turning his own tablet towards me to reveal an electronic contract. He held out a thin stylus. “Oh, and please note that your tablet is programmed to only ask the questions and cannot be used for any other purpose.”

The drag of the stylus was smooth and frictionless as I signed my name.

“Thank you, Ms. Cartland. We look forward to working with you here at the Galvin Institute.”

“This has to be a scam.” Robert said, his beer hovering in front of his mouth as he eyed the tablet resting on the table beside us. We had both tried playing with it, but the screen would only illuminate to show a timer counting down to 6pm. No games, no other screens.

I shrugged. “The building was super nice and it all seemed on the up and up. I doubt they’re going to try and use my information to drain my bank account or something. Besides,” I rested my hand on his, “it’s for the wedding.”

He sighed. “You know, you’ve got to stop pushing that.”

I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly.

A loud electric jingle made me jump. The screen of the tablet was now bright white. Black font was neatly written across at the top.

I picked it up as Robert stood to look over my shoulder. On the screen was a question:

What was something bad that happened to you today?

Other than applying for the study my day had been pretty uneventful. I clicked my tongue thoughtfully before answering.

Nothing.

A circle appeared at the bottom right corner that read “submit.” I pressed it and the second question appeared:

What was something good that happened to you today?

I smiled.

Dinner with my boyfriend.

Robert kissed my head as I hit submit.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

The numbers 1 through 10 were beneath in small circles. I felt Robert’s warmth beside me and pressed “9.”

The tablet made a small chime as the words “Thank you!” jumped on screen. Little bits of blue and yellow confetti fell around it before the screen went black again.

My blood vibrated hot beneath my skin as I excitedly logged into my bank’s mobile app. My checking account was, indeed, two grand larger.

“Not a bad day’s work.” Robert said as he returned to his seat.

I woke up the next morning to the shrill sound of my phone ringing. I looked at the clock. 9:31am.

“Ugh, fuck you!” I groaned at the ceiling. I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again, my room slowly focusing around me. Without looking I reached over and yanked it from it’s charger. My phone’s screen was filled with the smiling face of Meredith. I groaned again as I answered.

“Dude, it’s Saturday. What...” A high pitched squeal interrupted me.

“Random House bought my book!!!”

I sat bolt upright. “Sorry, what?”

“Random House, Laurie. Fucking Random House!!”

The meaning of her words slowly dawned on me through the cloud of sleep.

“Random House the publisher bought your book?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes!! Ah, we need to get coffee NOW!”

Thirty minutes later I sipped my latte while Meredith regaled me with the story.

“I thought it was really weird when they scheduled a meeting first thing Saturday morning, but you know? It’s Random House, so I couldn’t say no! Apparently one of their agents saw some of the chapters I published online and fell in love!! They’re offering me a $20,000 advance!”

I choked on the warm liquid running down my throat.

“I know, right!?” Meredith squealed.

“Twenty grand!?” The words came from my mouth violently as I tried to regain control of my breath. “Twenty grand for your first novel!?”

Meredith nodded, beaming.

“It’s not even done!”

“Oh, I know! I know! But you know what, I think this is really going to help motivate me to finish! My skin is tingling with creative juices!”

Your skin is tingling with $20,000. I bit back my tongue and gave her a weak smile.

“Congratulations Meredith. That’s awesome.”

Meredith and I met in college. We were both wannabe novelists, both women, both freshmen, and both living in Andrews Hall. We didn’t become friends because we connected artistically, we became friends because it was easy.

While I had thrived in school, Meredith had coasted. She graduated because she went to most of her classes and turned in most of her homework. Like our friendship, she succeeded because she didn’t fail.

After graduation I got a job in publishing as a lowly editorial assistant. I was paid the bare minimum to review encyclopedias written by retired middle school teachers. It sucked but it was a job. Without it, I’d be homeless.

Meredith was a trust fund kid. I was not.

I made a point of working on my novel for at least three hours every week. I was 60,000 words deep into a dramatic look at the repression of women in the early 19th century through the eyes of Charlotte, a lowly chambermaid working for a handsome but distant oil tycoon. Meredith, on the other hand, would write a few pages when the mood struck. Since graduating, we met monthly to discuss our progress and keep each other motivated, but more often than not the night would devolve into expensive drinks at bars filled with men with shirts inexplicably half unbuttoned. And while I woke up regretting all my decisions and trying not to vomit in my cubicle trash can, she’d remain untouched. She’d wake up at noon to order pizza and watch a marathon of shitty reality shows about overly dramatic rich people who also didn’t have any responsibilities.

Meredith’s novel, smartly titled A Rabbit Disturbed, was about an evil toy bunny that traumatizes a young boy. Imagine if Stephenie Meyer wrote a novel adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit after watching the entire Chucky canon while on acid. Oh, and Miss Meyer also doesn’t know what a rabbit is.

The three chapters I read, the only three Meredith had bothered to write, were so bad that my main criticism was towards our college for giving her a degree in creative writing.

But maybe I was being pretentious. Maybe I just didn't understand Meredith's genius. I took another swallow of my latte as she planned out the evening’s celebratory activities as if planning a bachelorette party.

I was in a bar bathroom when the tablet chimed. I steadied myself against the sink before pulling it from my bag.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

It was early but my mind was already drenched in vodka. I definitely wasn’t happy. I had thought drinking would make me feel more euphoric, would let me get caught up in Meredith’s excitement, but instead I felt ineffectual and ignored. I thought of my novel and the stupid melodramatic character that I had poured all my creativity into for the past two years. I was miserable. Frustrated and defeated.

But what was I going to write? That one of my oldest friends had succeeded?

If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. With my bare fingertip I rubbed my answer against the screen.

Nothing.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I gritted my teeth.

Nothing.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

I pressed “3” without much thought and dropped the tablet back into my bag as the bright “Thank you!” lit up the screen.

I woke up Sunday with a pounding headache. I looked at my phone to see several Facebook and Instagram notifications. All likes and comments on the many celebratory photos I was tagged in, all congratulating Meredith. I let my phone fall from my hand as I turned over, allowing myself to sleep in.

The chime of the Galvin Institute tablet rang out as I sat on my couch mindlessly watching tv.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

It was an innocent question. At least, it seemed innocent. And yet I felt a pang of frustration. Meredith was still riding the high of the best day of her life while I sat there very consciously not working on my novel. Robert was busy with his family all night, leaving me alone to wallow in my self-pity.

I wrote “hangover” before clicking submit.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I lifted the stylus, preparing to write “nothing,” but stopped short. This was a study of gratitude and here I was with absolutely none. I thought of Dr. Howden reading my responses. Judging them.

I got to sleep in.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

I pushed thoughts of Meredith out of my head as I surveyed my apartment. It was small and sparsely furnished, but the walls were lined with well read novels. I hugged my soft throw and took a sip of my tea, letting the worth flood down into my stomach. Ignoring the split second of burning at the back of my throat that told me it was still too hot to drink that fast. Feeling as if I had thoroughly experienced a moment of mindful appreciation, I pressed the tip of the stylus against the 7 with a sense of accomplishment. I was rising above my disappointment and struggle.

Dr. Howden would be proud.

My phone vibrated and I was surprised to see a text message from Robert’s mother.

Hi Laurie! Happy early birthday! Are you and Robbie free next weekend to come over for a birthday dinner?

I scrunched my eyebrows together. That’s odd. I guess Robert already went home.

Curious, I called him. He answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh hey, is this a good time?”

“Sorry babe, I’m still at my parents. Can I call you back afterwards?”

Icy fingers clasped around my heart. I swallowed.

“Oh, sure. Um, do you want to come spend the night when you’re done? I miss you.”

There was a pause before he continued. “Sorry, Laurie. I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The next morning I lay in bed feeling empty, worthless, and defeated.

I stared at my ceiling, trying to rationalize staying in the comfort and safety of my bed. What would happen if I just don’t go to work? I’m so unimportant. Would anyone even notice?

It was bagel Monday though. And I did like bagels.

Three hours later I sat at my desk regretting my decision. One of the other editorial assistants had called out sick and I was getting the brunt of my boss’ post-weekend wrath.

How fucking ironic, I thought as I scrolled past unread email after unread email. One email was three paragraphs of all caps red text berating me for the misspelling of Juan Ponce de León in an entry that was written and published five years before I was hired. I took a bite of my free bagel as I kept scrolling.

At lunch, Erica and I went to our favorite burger joint. Erica was an editor and close friend whose long blonde hair and curvy figure made her the center of attention more often than not. And she knew it. She could be narcissistic at times, but she could also be really sweet and what I needed that day was fried food and a friendly ear.

Her eyes lit up and she leaned in conspiratorially. “Maybe he’s ring shopping.” She whispered, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

I brought a french fry to my lips. I hadn’t thought of that. I put the fry back down on the plate untouched.

“You really think so?” I asked, butterflies fluttering low in my stomach.

She winked before taking a bite of her burger.

Returning to my cubicle, my high spirits were immediately dashed by an unread email marked important. The subject line was empty and only two words were written, all lowercase, in the body of the email: see me.

Harold Bradford sat behind his desk, the glow of his computer illuminating his glasses. He was a chubby man in his late fifties with wiry grey hair that wrapped around his head, leaving a round dome of perfectly hairless scalp in the middle.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes, please sit down Ms. Cartland.” He said, his eyes never leaving the screen. “This will only take a minute.”

I sat down as he continued to tap at his keyboard. I pulled the hem of my skirt mindlessly as my eyes scanned the shelves of books behind him.

Finally, he looked up.

“Ms. Cartland, I asked you here to discuss your recent work performance.”

My stomach sank.

“Your work has been…” He tilted his head back, eyeing me through his thin spectacles. “Slipping.”

A heavy silence fell between us.

“I-I-I’m sorry, Mr. Bradford.” I stammered.

“You seem to think this job is... beneath you.” He sniffed. “And while your BFA from Dartmouth is quite impressive, your work here lately is not.”

“I understand.” I nodded, cringing at the waiver in my voice. “I promise to work harder in the future.”

“There is no future, Ms. Cartland.”

I stared at him, mouth agape.

He turned back towards his computer, “Mrs. Littleton will explain your severance package.”

My body and mind was numb as I left his office.

The warm water lapped at my skin as I sat in the bathtub. A glass of white wine stood at the side of the tub, the half empty bottle on the floor. Robert had suggested that I could use this time to work on my novel, but I knew that was misguided. I needed to immediately focus all my attention on finding a job. Once that severance ran out, I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent, let along my bills or student loans. Oh sure, there’s forbearance but that’s just an ugly band aid. The interest would gather like bacteria in an infection, following me for the rest of my life.

The smell of Robert’s spaghetti and meatballs permeated the steam of the bathroom and I felt comforted slightly.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

I was fired.

What was something good that happened to you today?

I brought the stylus down, thinking I’d write something like, “my soon-to-be fiance was there for me,” but I hesitated. I thought of the phone call last night. The uneasy feeling that came with it.

Instead I wrote, “Bagel Monday.”

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

“Babe!”

The sound shook me and I jumped, cold water splashing around me.

“Babe, wake up!” I squinted to see Robert looking down at me.

“What happened?” I sat up and looked around. The wine glass had fallen from the tub, shattering on the tile floor.

“It’s okay, stay there.”

He left and I stood, grabbing my towel from the door and wrapping it around my shivering body. I must’ve been dreaming.

“What time is it?” I asked the empty room.

“Almost seven. You’ve been in there for almost two hours.”

Panic rose like an electric shot through my spine.

“The tablet! Where’s the tablet!” I cried, jumping out of the bath. Glass cut into the bottom of my foot. “Ow, fuck!” I cried.

Robert appeared in the doorway holding a broom. “Laurie, stop! What are you doing?”

“The survey! The survey!” I pushed him out of the way, limping into the living room. “Where is it? Where’s my bag?”

Robert grabbed my arm. “Laurie you’re injured, stop!”

“$900!” I desperately pulled myself from his grasp, falling painfully to my knees. “$900!”

The alarm rang distantly from where my bag lay forgotten by the front door. I crawled towards it, shaking with sobs. I could hear Robert talking to me as I reached it, but his words were muffled and inconsequential. As I opened my bag my hands felt bloated and numb, as if I were wearing gloves. My fingers clasped around the hard familiar plastic and I pulled the tablet out.

4 seconds remained on the timer. Tears flooded my eyes as I poked desperately at the screen but it wouldn’t respond to my waterlogged touch.

“No, no, no.” The black digits counted down to 1 before dissolved into nothing.

A wave of despair crashed over me as I watched the numbers appear once again. 23:59:03. The seconds ticked down. Tiny insults adding to the bloody mess of my ego.

The next thing I remember was waking up late in the afternoon. My body was sore, my head foggy. A sharp pain radiated from my left foot and I wanted to cry, but there were no more tears.

There was a buzzing coming from my nightstand. I picked up my phone to see a new text message alert.

Hey babe

I stared at the words in confusion. Behind me I could hear the shower running. Robert hadn’t left. I saw the name at the top of the screen. “Erica.”

That’s odd. I opened the app to a chat I didn’t recognize. Messages I didn’t remember sending or receiving. I scrolled up to an image. It was a selfie of Erica, but she was wearing lingerie.

Realization hit like a cement brick. The phone in my hand wasn’t mine.

The shower stopped. My breaths grew short and ragged, catching in my throat in sharp gasps.

“Babe, are you okay?”

A shadow filled the door and approached me as my vision turned red.

I awoke on a hard, cold surface. I tried to move but my body screamed in pain. A bright light hurt my eyes as I slowly blinked them open. The room was grey and dingy. I sat up stiffly and looked in front of me at a wall of metal bars.

My head buzzed with questions, my eyes wide and seeing, no longer blinded or discomforted by the sudden light. Above me stood a police woman.

“Glad to see you finally awake, Ms. Cartland.”

“Wh-what happened? Where am I?” I tried to recall recent memories. The bath. My foot. Erica. Robert.

“We got a call about a domestic disturbance at your residence. You were found standing over your boyfriend's body, a pair of bloody scissors…”

The cop continued but the sound was eclipsed by a sharp ringing noise in my head. My brain buzzed with shock as I sat back against a wall, bringing my knees to my chest. The room began to spin and it felt like I was falling into the buzzing. Into the void of complete and utter surrender.

An electronic alarm echoed off the cement walls, shrill enough, and familiar enough, to burrow into my numb thoughts.

“It’s 6 o’clock, Ms. Cartland.”

I looked up to see the cop holding out the Galvin Institute’s tablet through the bars of the cell. I stared at it, uncomprehending.

“It’s time to take the survey.”

“What?” I looked at the cop, tears I didn’t think could exist forming at the corners of my eyes.

The cop cleared her throat and dropped her arm, the tablet hanging uselessly beside her.

“What was something bad that happened to you today?”

I looked at her with confusion and pain.

“What was something good that happened to you today?” The cop’s voice was flat and stiff. Robotic.

A sob broke out of my mouth violently. I clutched my hands to my ears, desperately trying to block out her voice.

“On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?”

I opened my mouth, a scream pouring from my throat like vomit, filling the small room.

Reality snapped around me, as if a door opened in a vacuum. The world sucked past my body as I ascended painfully to the heavens.

My eyes were assaulted once again with a bright light, but this light was softer. Cleaner. Nicer. I was in a white room, a simple desk in front of me. Behind it sat Dr. Howden.

“Thank you, Ms. Cartland, for your participation in the study.” The corners of his eyes wrinkled with a warm smile.

My breaths came to me in gasps. I looked around at the innocuous room. It was just like it had been days before.

“I… I don’t understand.”

Dr. Howden gave me a tight smile. “Only a few hours have passed since you completed your survey. You have been under electronic hypnosis. Since signing the contract none of your actions, or the actions of your loved ones, actually occurred. It was all…” he twirled his finger, “in your head. I gave you a slight sedative before you awoke to help the transition along. You should be feeling more…” He smiled, “relaxed soon.”

I nodded dumbly. The numbness weighing my body down was no longer raw and uncomfortable but calming.

“Now,” he said, sliding a tablet across the desk. “If you’d please sign these release forms, you can be on your way.”

My hand shook slightly as I reached out and drew a simple line across the center of the page.

“Very good. You may now be excused. Your designated contact is waiting in the lobby.”

I stood uncertainty and began to leave the room before he added, “oh and as I explained before, since you opted out prematurely you forfeit all reimbursement.”

My stomach tightened as I saw Robert. His face set in bored concentration as he scrolled through his phone. Feeling my stare, he looked up and smiled warmly. “Babe!” He stood and walked towards me, arms outstretched. “How did it go?”

I clenched my jaw as he brought me to his chest, his body pressed against mine. My skin grew hot with anger and my stomach turned with disgust, but the tranquilizer slowly quelled my hatred.

He hadn’t really cheated on me, had he?

Robert took me home and made me spaghetti, just like he had last night. Except last night never happened.

The next day was a normal Saturday. I had coffee with Meredith as she told me about a new guy she met. On Sunday I had dinner with Robert and his parents. Monday I nodded at Mr. Bradford’s requests and listened to Erica complain about her yearly review. Friday Robert took me out for my birthday and proposed.

My life is meaningless now. Trivial and petty. These people I once loved no longer feel real. Their lives are stupid and useless, filled with made up milestones to give the illusion that life is moving forward. That they are making progress.

I could no longer pretend to enjoy it, so I left. I don’t have a destination, but instead I’m letting my short life roll over me like the waves of an ocean. Massive and unknowable. It doesn’t matter where I am or where I end up. It’s all so permeable. All so temporary. Why bother clinging to something when it’s not really yours to begin with. And yet the questions still run through my mind.

What was something bad that happened to you today?

Nothing. Nothing bad happens anymore. Nothing happens anymore. Life passes. I exist. I question reality and then find I’m too tired to care.

What was something good that happened to you today?

Nothing. Objectively, nothing good has ever happened to me. It’s all a farce. Life is just a series of signals that our mind misinterprets as something organized and purposeful. And yet we run forward with abandonment, counting the seconds until there are no seconds left to count.

Tonight I’ve found myself somewhere in Pennsylvania. The red numbers of the clock illuminated 6:00.

The sky is a beautiful amber above the mountain tops.

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least, how appreciative are you of what you have?

No longer applicable.

#horror #shorthorror #horrorstory #horrorauthor #womenhorrorauthor #womenauthor #womanauthors #womanhorrorauthor #shortstories #femaleprotagonist

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boymeetsweevil · 6 years

Text

BTS as (weird) babies in your daycare

Kim Seokjin

The oldest of the bunch

brings two designer brand lunchboxes in to school

his lunches cost more than yours do

he eats all his food and then will go around the lunch table asking the others for small bites of their meal and they usually give in to him because he shouts “but we’re BROTHERS >:O” if they say no the first time around

the one that likes to take you by the hand while you’re in the middle of paperwork or something and bring you to see that castle he was working on

you compliment him on it and then you’re dismissed like:

“Wow jin that’s a great castle you did a great job stacking the blocks”

“Thank you teacher can you leave now?”

And you go back to your paperwork feeling kind of small before you remember that you are more than a decade older than the tiny child that sent you away

not the bossiest child (that’s jimin) but is a close second

is the most catalogue looking child you’ve ever seen

when you’re bored in the classroom during naptime and you play with your phone, he’s the one who only slept for 20 minutes

he then proceeds to come over and sit in your lap for a chance to play with your phone

You open up snapchat and play with the filters with him in the dimmed playroom and listen to his little chime-like giggles

his selfies are 80x cuter than yours before the filters and when the little dog ears come out to play you have no chance

Always brags about his older brother being able to use shoes “with no velcRO and long LONG lOng stringlaces” (=shoelaces)

hoseok always yells back that there’s no such thing as shoes without velcro “unless youre a growned-up and your hyung isn’t a growned-up i saw him at the park hes just a kid too!!”

Always brings in crafts that he made with his au pair for the class

currently has an obsession with hearts so he has been bringing in crudely cut heart shaped cut outs with scribbly stick figures on them

everyone got one, even you

he also made sure to draw himself into everyone’s heart as well

in the one he made for you its clear he drew himself first because he’s normal sized and you’re gigantic and bending horrifically around the edge of the heart because he didn’t plan the spacing well

Also brings in the best group snacks when its a holiday or his birthday

cries when you tell him its not okay to sit on the other boys when they bother him

Always wants to be your helper and repeat what you just said to the class like he’s your assistant he is SUCH a teacher’s pet

“can i be teacher jinnie?”

“ummmmmm...not right now, maybe later okay?”

“oh...When im bigger???”

“uh Yes! when youre bigger”

“okay....Teacher im bigger now”

gives you wet cheek kisses :’)

He has the CUTEST laugh and when he laughs you laugh because its one of those rolling baby laughs that just doesn’t stop and you find yourself chasing him around the playroom to hear his giggle even though your feet hurt

drinks more milk than anyone in the class

as a result he has the NASTIEST farts

Min Yoongi

The one who has been coming the longest but still takes a good 45 minutes to stop sulking after being dropped off before he’s in the mood to play

will legit stand by the window to watch his mom drop him off every fucking morning like he doesn’t know where she’s going and if she’s coming back

when you come over to see if he’ll play with the other kids, he just turns and pouts at you and whines a little and turns back to the window

When he’s not in a funk though he is the most mature kiddo

Plays the best by himself, and is very simply entertained

brought in some homemade maracas for his show and tell day

it was literally just a recycled cardboard container with dried beans in it that he had scribbled all over with 40 different markers

keeps calling it “makaka”, you try not to laugh you fail

he just sat on the edge of the rug in the playroom and shook the box of beans softly to himself for an hour

when the shaking stopped you came over to see if he was alright and you realize he fell asleep

is surprisingly chatty

probably has the best vocabulary or is tied with joon

but also probably ahead of joon in terms of working vocab because while joon knows how to use “extraordinary” he also can’t grasp what the slide is called and yoongi has him beat there

ALWAYS FALLS ASLEEP first

sometimes will ask if he can start nap time early and drags the pillow and blanket the parents bring in from home up to your desk to make a more convincing argument

is always patient zero and gets fevers really easliy

when that happens you have to carry him around while you putter through the classroom and rub his back while he sleeps it off

you have to shush the other kids while he sleeps because theyre always so loud when they ask “Is Yoongi SICK???? :(”

he sleeps in your lap during nap time on those days and you stroke his fat fever-rosy cheeks when he whines in his sleep from the heat

cries whenever taehyung says his drawings are ugly

but they are, especially if he draws you

theres always this weird expression on your face and sometimes you think about it when youre up late at night and then you cant sleep

is full of full facts about insects because his dad reads about them before bed

and is apparently always at the library

you saw him there once and he almost exploded because what are you doing outside the school

“teacher what are you going here”

“i came to get some books just like you”

“but i thought you couldn’t leave the school”

“i can leave the school...”

“wont you get a time out?”

“um no sweetie”

Yoongi has a huge sweet tooth and gets super excited on fridays when his mom packs him like chocolate milk or something

can never open the little carton so he brings it to you and just vibrate next to you until you poke the straw in

pretty sure you saw his eyes roll into the back of his head once while drinking it

has fallen asleep with the carton in his hands on multiple occasions

HAS THE SWEETEST BABY LISP YOU’VE EVER HEARD

when you bring your guitar in for music days he sits at the front and listens SUPER intently and always tries to come over and touch it while you’re playing so have to be like

“yoongi, sweetie, please sit down”

“um okay. teacher ? im gonna play the giddar too okay?”

“while I’m playing it?”

“Yeah :)”

“no yoongi.”

“Okay...teacher?” REPEAT 1-6

Jung Hoseok

This kid is all over the place oh my god

srsly he is always tripping on shit because he is always running

and his jeans are a little too long because they're hand me downs from his sister and he refuses to let his dad put a belt on him in the morning

loves to hold hands but his hands are always so so so sticky

like wtf

he will want to hold your hand during walking field trips and you want to just yank your hand away and wipe it on your jeans and douse it in hot water but you don’t because he loves to hold hands and his hand is small and soft and warm and you don’t want to hurt his feelings :’(

you compromise by helping him when he’s at the sink and make sure he uses soap

probably the one who won’t stop putting his hands down his pullups

not in a weird way but in that way where kids will develop some weird habit/quirk that they do on autopilot for comfort

He probably tests your patience the most because is also: THE LOUDEST

he is that kid that screams bloody fucking murder when you turn the lights off for naptime, every day :)

but not to be funny because he’s scared of the dark

he was originally placed somewhere else but he kept getting up in the middle of nap time to drag his blanket and pillow over to you to sleep nearby

when you asked him what he was doing he said that he sleeps near his big sister when he gets scared and you have to bite your knuckle not to cry when you realize he counts you too

Speaking of big sister, dawon goes to the day care for older kids on the floor above ur classroom

sometimes the teacher upstairs will let her come down to say hi

she stands by the doorway and watches him play with stuffed animals for a few minutes before going “hooooooobiiiiiiiiiii” and he drops everything to run over and she pets his hair and asks if he’s being good in that way where you can tell kids are parroting some random adult

tbh this is your least favorite time of the day because he always wails because she can’t stay but he really misses his big sis and makes you tear up a little too

Sometimes another teacher will come in for “Body Time” and does yoga stretches with the kids

hobi is such a whiz at body time and always does the stretches with a surprising amount of control

its probably his second favorite thing next to running in literal circles in the tall grass during outside time in the spring

He’s a bit of a perfectionist because if you move his dominoes out of the little rows he made, even by just a fraction of a millimeter he. will. lose it.

Also won’t eat food that touches or crusts of bread or fruit skins

but he will eat orange slices without fail as long as you “make them into pieces first teacher :’(”

always gets stung by bees?????

because: yoongi likes bees a lot, he thinks theyre cute and interesting and he always takes hoseok by the hand to the nearest hive to tell him facts and point at things with a pudgy finger

but you’ve told the kids time and time again not to go near beehives but yoongi loves bees too much and hobi startles easily and either jostles the hive or pisses off a nearby bee

Kim Namjoon

Is the only one that can read

you were super shocked when you came over to him one day looking intensely at a book and he was confused and you were like

“what’s the matter, joonie”

“i can’t find the kittens in the picture”

“What kittens” and you read the little blurb on the page and see the word mittens and you’re like oh shit he can kinda read

so now you make sure he reads a different book from the bookshelf each day

jimin is always demanding to be read to and joon is happy to do it even when jimin switches pages on him in the middle of the book or asks to start over or start another book

Has those little baby glasses that tie behind his head so he can see

he always drops them though because he fiddles with the tie in the back and they get too loose throughout the day

He’s one of the more affectionate kids in class and will cling to your leg when he’s having a rough day

doesn’t want you to pick him up unless you’re sitting because he’s scared of heights

will sit on your lap any time its free though

often competes for lap space with kookie and often loses because kookie runs faster or joon will fall because this is joon we’re talking about

hes a good sport about it and stands next to you and asks kookie when his turn is next very sweetly

No surprise but namjoonie is always falling

but he never gets majorly hurt

maybe he scrapes a knee or a hand or something minor

he doesn’t cry much either hes a tough cookie!!

he’ll tell you a fact about prehistoric jellyfish with a wavering voice and watery eyes while you put his bandaid on

Baby Joon LOVES LVOES LVOES apple sauce

he cannot get enough of it and MANY of the stains on his little cords (his favorite clothing item) are apple sauce stains

Namjoon is sadly that kid that will eat anything though so you’re constantly watching him to make sure he doesn’t eat anything deadly

when he’s being too quiet or still in the corner of your vision you walk up quietly behind him and just stick a hand out and he spits whatever it is into the napkin in your palm with a goofy smile

eats his boogers probly :(

Joons mom always brings little treats for you because she was worreid that he would be bullied or isolated when she first enrolled him in the class but he’s doing well and she’s glad for the atmosphere you’ve set up

sometimes she sends him in with your treat if she’s too busy in the morning so he’ll totter in with his glasses and what looks like some homemade cake and your can’t help but scoop him up and plant a kiss on his cheek and tell him to tell his mom thank you

his best friend is probably jin because jin knows the alphabet and appreciates namjoon’s knowledge

jin helps joon get over his fear of the swings, but he’s still scared of heights i assure you he will start to wail if you take his feet too high off the ground

cries when he spills his apple sauce which is often but he always has a spare

but! you’re not sure if his mom packs it because he loves it so much or because he’s bound to drop one

Park Jimin

When he first came in to school you gasped because those cheeks were a gift from above and the little always-there pout was so cute

he lives for praise, he is such a ham and he loves the way the old ladies at the front desk always try to bribe him with candy for a cheek pinch

he’s a shrewd little business man and won’t let anyone touch his cheeks for less than 2 soft caramels

Park Jimin is as bossy as they come

but everyone in the classroom has no problem with it except maybe you sometimes

he is always going “Teacher! Come here!” from somewhere in the room and you always have to go “You want to try that again, Park Jimin?” and he goes “Teacher! PWEASE come here!” and ur like...ok

Fairly independent

his dad assured you he knows how to cut with regular scissors but jimin continues to use the kiddie scissors and then act like he can’t do it and blink up at you for help

he just wants you to watch him do it

can also put on his own snowsuit without help but still wants you to do it for him because he LIVES for the personal attention

Is a tiny bit violent?

will yell really loud if you take his truck or his dino dolly

or if you make him try to take off his favorite faux cowhide sweater when its time to paint

never hits/kicks/bites tho

the one time it looked like he might hit jungkook you were there in an instant to pull him away and give him a calm and quiet but stern lecture about why his hands are not for hitting or hurting

he had frustrated tears welling up in his eyes when you brought him back to JK and had him use his words

“Kookie, I dont like when you take my toys when im still playin wif dem”

JK: *is preverbal*

and you pry the toy out of jungkook’s freakishly strong baby grip and return it to jk

Jimin’s best friend is probably tae

their moms are friends and they regularly have play dates at each other’s houses

sometimes they come in together in the mornings if one mom is busier than the other

they sleep next to each other during nap time

Chim cries when he can’t sit next to tae during snack time

Has a very adult palate for a baby

i.e. he loves vegetables

is kind of nosy and will come over to your desk when you open your lunch bag and ask to see the vegetables

you make sure to always pack a veggie because the one time you didn’t his eyes widened and he said “mama says you die if you dont eat no veg-ables”

asks if everything is a “veg-able”

jimin: *points to sandwich* veg-able?

you: no

jimin: *points to kimbap/turkey leg/piece of cake/bag of chips/an apple* veg-able?

you:....no

if you did bring a veggie that he doesn’t already have in his lunch, he’ll ask for a bite

normally you have to tell kids no when they ask for your food because you’d end up with everyone asking for a bite and no lunch, but no one else likes veggies in the class.

so sometimes you slip a sliced cucumber to him and he holds it in two hands and runs back to his spot to eat it and then comes back like an outdoor cat looking for more food

Has a lovely singing voice

its high and pretty, kind of angelic and he tells you that he sings for his grandma a lot

you praise his singing so naturally he loves music day too and if you sing a song he sings with his mom at home he gets so excited

yoongi is enthralled when jimin knows the words to a “teacher song” before its been taught to the class

Kim Taehyung

idk why this is so pertinent to my idealization of him as a child BUT: Has the biggest head out of anyone in the classroom sorry

is so so so cute, might even be your favorite..

he’s super agreeable

loves to cuddle, eat all his food in his little stackable lunch containers, naps well, plays nicely with others, listens pretty well

BUT

he always pees himself :(

and you don’t understand it because his dad came in and bragged about how much of a big boi his son is at home in the bathroom using the toilet but at school? NOPE

he has like 8 changes on clothes for this reason

you can always tells when he’s about to pee himself because

he stands in the middle of the room and just goes “sorry teacher” really softly

your heart breaks when you hear how sad he is that he wet himself but you’re also a little irate because you’re convinced no one deals with as much pee as you do

you give him the talk every time which consists of your wriggling him into some ridiculous pink overalls while trying to make eye contact with him so you can tell him that when he feels like he has to go, he can just go to the potty

Tae carries a blanket around at all times!!!!!

he takes it everywhere with him and uses a different one to cover him up during nap time.

cries on the days that his dad drops him off without it because it has to be washed

the blanket was purple at one point but now it is straight up grey-brown

is surprisingly good at walking/running with it and not tripping on it

Jimin started calling him tata

so now everyone calls him tata

Is probably the class sweetheart as well

when he’s out sick, literally everyone goes “where’s tata” at random times of the day even though you went over who was “at school” and who was “at home” and said he was at home

tae is so so so so good at drawing its crazy

hes way above his age grade in terms of drawing BUT he has a little trouble getting a pencil into his grip

so you have to help him finagle it into his little hand but once he does WOOO here comes a dragon with you on its back holding a big ol sword

Is that one kid who manages to run around naked the most

its probably because you’re always in the middle of changing him when someone else distracts you and you turn around and all of the sudden he’s naked as the day he was born from the belly button and waddling back to where jimin is playing with flubber on the rug

you have to run over and scoop him up but also hold him at arms length because hello? pee?

he thinks this is hilarious and flaps his arms like hes flying

Everyone kisses tae

like when the kids get to that stage where they all try to kiss each other because their parents probably kiss them and they're like imitating their parents

everyone goes for tae

he takes it like a champ

but his face is probably v sticky after wards so you pull him over and take a wet wipe to his face

might ask you for a kiss and you place one on his LARGE forehead lol

His grandma comes in often with dolls she made for the class

tae shows them off proudly during his show and tell days and makes sure everyone plays nicely with them or theyll break because theyre normally made from soft yarn

He has a major thing for stickers and is always asking you for stickers to adorn his whole body with

you are constantly telling him to take stickers off his face and sometimes he puts them on his eyebrow and you sigh because crying is inevitable at that point

you have limited him to 3 stickers on any given day and they go on a piece of paper labeled “Taehyung’s Tata’s stickers”

was mad when you tried to write his full name on the paper because he is tata at school >: (

Jeon Jungkook

the youngest! a true baby

when he first came to the classroom he was right in the middle in terms of age so like he technically aged out of the nursery down the hall but he wasn’t at the normal age minimum to enter your classroom and you were like Ummmmm i guess he can come? because you didn’t have very many kids so what’s one more right?

Started walking and running in the same day during his first week at the classroom!!!

you were worried he’d be too small to keep up with the other kids and might be hurt with their type of play but nope

he was constantly crawling after them trying to keep up until one day he just...stood up and you were like omg and pulled your phone up

when his parents came to pick him up you showed them the video and his dad cried

Now he’s the fastest runner in the class

he doesn’t really talk yet

hes still preverbal but you can tell he gets whats going on around him

the others are good about it

although you did have to have a day where you addressed the question they kept asking you

“Why doesn’t kookie have words?”

“he’s too little. but he’ll talk when he’s ready”

it was a short talk

He knows two words

no and something that is the approximation of hyung but you’re not certain

if he wants your specific attention he just goes “AH” really loud

says no to everything even when he means yes

this means that when you ask him if he wants to eat snack he says no and then cries when you put his lunchbox away thinking he may actually not be hungry

despite being the best at toddling, he always wants to picked up

he is such a teacher’s pet its crazy

its probably the one piece of evidence that he is the least mature of the group

and also because he misses the presence of his mom

he will settle for sitting in your lap when you’re at your desk

or when you’re trying to read to the group during “carpet reading time”

he will try to turn the pages for you but it took him a while to realize you weren’t always done reading when he turned a page and you’d have to fight him to turn the page back so you could finish

now he waits for you to say “you can turn the page now kook”

He is so so so shy omg

if a teacher from another classroom comes by to borrow something, they naturally try to come over and say hi to the one kid who you’re carrying on your hip or sitting in your lap and he just turns and smushes his face into your armpit until he suspects they’ve left

he does, however, have a weird obsession with the handyman that comes in to repair that one tricky light in the back of the art closet

kook will stare at him until he leaves and its cute because he’ll leave your lap or whine to be put down and toddle over to watch him work from a “reasonable distance”

the repairman is kind of gruff looking but he always turns and spots kook watching him like 8^O and will snort

one time he handed kook a rubber band that he had in his breast pocket and kook kept it clutched in his little hand all day

actually waves goodbye when he leaves its so precious

Kook is very sensitive to touch and stuff

so in the winter when he has to wear layers he cries a lot if the t-shirt under his sweater bunches up the wrong way

like he’s so finicky about tactile stuff

he can’t have bare feet ever

wears slippers all year, even in the summer

also cries if the classroom gets too loud and covers his ears

you think maybe he may have some sort of sensory sensitivity

won’t eat the bananas in his lunch unless you mash them with a fork for him

cried when you cut open a pumpkin to show the kids the seeds inside and later roast them because the smell was too strong for him

you had to put a tiny face mask on him to get him to calm down and he resembled a ninja turtle the whole day

He loves hobi very much and is always super giggly when hobi pays extra attention to him

always follows him around and is constantly bumping his nose on hobi’s back because he follows him THAT CLOSELY

always fights with jin

meaning he constantly swipes toys out of his hands and then sometimes gets sat on as punishment and cries until you heft jin off him

you don’t know why they always fight

is so good at hidden item picture books like Ispy

you will zoom through them because he finds everything immediately and you wonder if maybe hes a genius

you had a hunch one day and put him down in front of a 400 piece puzzle and he did a surprisingly good chunk of it in the span of the school day and went straight to it the next day

I was trying so hard to write this and couldnt think of anything and then i remembered yesterday that my friemd Worked in a daycare for the last three years??? so a lot of this is real life stuff which is funny but also really extra

all pics are from weheartit...

#bangtan bookclub #bttnetwork #95line.net #hyunglinenetwork #btswriters #bangtan #bangtan fanfic #bangtan reactions #bangtan imagines #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts fanfic #bts #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan scenarios

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bee-kathony · 6 years

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Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon, Outlander (TV), Outlander & Related Fandoms Rating: Explicit Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Mary Hawkins, Claire Beauchamp/Louise de La Tour, Mary Hawkins/Louise de La Tour Characters: Claire Beauchamp, Mary Hawkins Randall, Louise de La Tour Additional Tags: Lesbian Sex, Sex Lessons, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Dildos, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, NSFW, 69 (Sex Position) Summary:

UPDATED WITH A NEW CHAPTER!

Claire is all about giving Mary a thorough education, they try a new position in this next lesson.

“You said you wanted me to show you how to…” I stuck my tongue out and wiggled it around making Mary laugh, easing some of the tension that was there in the room.

“Oh yes please Claire, it felt so wonderful and I would be so appreciative if you showed me how to…. reciprocate.” She was beaming, what a good pupil.

I stepped out of the dress puddling around my feet and put my hand on Mary’s elbow, pulling her to sit down beside me on the foot of the bed. “I was using my tongue to lick you down there and I think before we dive right in with you doing that to me, first we should practice kissing… with our tongues.” My hand cradled Mary’s small cheek and I leaned in, watching as she closed her eyes and waited for our lips to meet. I thought it funny that we had never kissed, considering all the other things we managed to do that first time.

Mary’s lips were plump and soft and there was a lingering sweetness of wine in her mouth. I kissed her with my lips at first and after a while I opened my mouth and parted her lips with my tongue. There was no hesitation from her tongue, meeting mine and joining together. Mary’s hands were resting on my waist just on either side of my decently sized belly.

I licked the roof of her mouth and she smiled against my lips and returned the favor. The only sound in the room was the sound of the fire roaring in the corner and the smacking wet sound that tongues make as they caress one another. I felt a slipperiness between my thighs and knew it was time for the next lesson.

I pulled away hesitantly, not really wanting to stop but needing to proceed with the rest of Mary’s teaching. “I’m going to lie down on my side and I want you lie down with your feet near my head so that your own head is near my feet, and then I will tell you what to do next.” I waited to move until Mary nodded and then I positioned myself so that I was lying with enough room to do what I set out to accomplish.

With Mary lying in the opposite direction in front of me, I placed my hands on her ankles and tugged until she shimmied down and then I told her to stop moving once her pussy was directly in front of my face and my pussy was in front of hers.

“I am going to start out by licking the lips of your pussy, that’s the outside part called the labia majora that covers what’s inside. And then once you think you can do what I’m doing, I want you to do it to me exactly the way I am.” I moved my head just a fraction away from her opening and put the tip of my tongue on her slit. She gasped, remembering the sensation’s from before and I took it as a sign to continue. I took my time, demonstrating by licking several times up and down her wet center. I used my fingers to hold open her pussy and I sucked on her pussy lips before licking up the middle and holding my tongue on her clit. She gave out a strangled moan and grabbed my ankles. Her body was curved around my belly but she managed to move her face and I let out my own moan when I felt her tongue on me.

She was like a kitten lapping up milk out of a bowl at first. Quick strokes up and down but she slowed her pace when I gave her pussy a long lick. Every time I nibbled or sucked, moments later she would do the same to me. I had meant to tell her that what we were doing was called a ‘sixty-nine’ but there would be time for that later. Now I was purely focused on giving Mary a thorough education.

Mary stopped licking me and managed a quiet “Oh God” and she came into my mouth. Feeling her body quiver like I had pictured for so long made me come quickly after her. I laid my hand on her thigh and stroked it until she opened her eyes.

“Oh Claire, that was…” she shimmied down the bed, her face now in front of mine “Marvelous!”, and gave me a deep lip puckering kiss.

I loved to taste myself on other people’s lips, my own juices mixed with what I had of hers in my mouth.

“I think that is all the material we are going to cover tonight.” I kissed her back, palm once again on her cheek. “But there is still one thing I want to do to you.” I pushed her back to lie down on the bed and I sat up on my elbows as best I could. My fingers traced around her breasts, the nipple perking up and goosebumps raising on her skin.

She lay completely still for me as my fingers moved to her other breast and traced around the areola. Once her nipples were erect I bent down and kissed her left breast. I pressed my tongue against the hard bud and began sucking. Mary ran her hands through my hair, holding me against her chest. I moved my tongue in circles, my saliva covering her sensitive skin. I repeated this process on her right nipple, eliciting small moans from Mary’s mouth. I bit gently down on her bud and she pulled my hair, not on purpose but because she jerked with pleasure. I giggled, my nose brushing against her nipples as I sat up, gazing at Mary, body lain across my bed.

“What a magnificent teacher you are Claire.” Mary laid her hand on my belly and spoke softly. “I think… I would like to be a mother some day. And now having experienced that sex can be enjoyable I am quite looking forward to being married.”

“I’m glad to hear that Mary, but it will feel a different. When a man has his cock inside of you, I mean. It will be bigger than my fingers most likely and well, like Louise said, a dildo doesn’t compare to the living flesh.” I moved a loose strand of hair off of Mary’s face.

“But while a man can be good for some things, it doesn’t always mean he needs to be there in order for a woman to feel sexual pleasure.” I smiled down at her and gave her one last kiss of the evening. “And with that I think this lesson has come to an end.”

“Thank you Claire” Mary sat up then placing her hands on my knee, “For everything, truly. Do you think I could sleep here tonight, in the guest bedroom of course. I am too tired to think of getting in a carriage and journeying back all the way to my Uncle’s house.”

“Yes of course dear, let’s gather your clothes and I’ll show you to your room.” I crawled off the bed and started putting on my own shift. “I think our next lesson should be a bit sooner do you agree?”

Mary smiled and nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes please! Can we tomorrow?” She almost pounced on me.

“Well, maybe not quite that soon Mary. How about next week?” I walked Mary across the room and paused, my hand on the doorknob.

“Yes, next week. I am very looking forward to my lesson.” She said.

And so was I, how was I ever going to explain this to Jamie. Sooner or later I figured I would need to tell him, my face read like an open book. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it Beauchamp" I thought to myself. I led Mary to her room and gave her a kiss on the cheek goodnight and as I turned back to my bedroom I heard the front door open and the sound of a big Scot came echoing through the halls.

I met Jamie at the top of the stairs and kissed him hello. “Mmmmm Sassenach, I’ve missed ye. How was yer evenin’, hope it wasna too boring.” Jamie said as we crossed the threshold into our room where my dress was still in a heap on the floor.

“Oh it wasn’t boring at all, rather interesting actually.” I said as I turned and shut the door behind me.

#outlander fanfic #outlanderrarepairs #outlander #claire fraser #mary hawkins #paris #dragonfly in amber

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zenithgurugirl · 3 years

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Truth pt. 2

My mother since birth has sabotaged my life existence. Anything inspirational as kid that I have done, she did not support. As a child you have the tendency to impress your parent by joining spelling bee's, sports, art stuff, etc... You become social and make friends and become a part of your friends circle (clicks, subculture, etc...).

Okay, so the first thing I do as a child (because I did not go to preschool and probably should have to learn social friendly skills) I tried to play house with the other children. This did not work out well. The kids had the mommy and the daddy thing already picked out and they already picked out their kids (in Kindergarten we had this huge area with sections of play houses set up, it was awesome! Little fridges, ovens, bunk beds, table and chairs, all sorts of plastic foods and plates. It was loads of fun for most little kids okay.)

I was scouted out as a maid. We had picked babysitters and even played out granny and grampy but No... I was maid. I cleaned up the kitchens and made the beds. I cooked and vacuumed, swept and mopped. I did not have a place to go so I switched out into different play house families. I was honed out to be alone. The little girls had "mommy" meetings and the "dads" went to work. I went from play house to play house cleaning shit up.

At home I had a very large play house of my own as a little girl with a big doll house to match. Not from my mother but from one of the guys she dated. He was really amazing for building those two things for me. I was grateful that this guy (out of many many men she dated) even noticed my lonely existence. From age newborn to 5 I had no sibling to play with and no friends. My mother usually put me in the middle of the living room with toys and did her thing (what ever her thing was idk to this day.... I was too busy being imaginative in my own world in my head.) This wonderful man graced her life and felt sympathy for me. So I would come home and hang out the rest of the day in my very own neat organized play house.

Put this to real life perspective in a humorous way....

I might have been the fucking maid at school and neglected as a kid at home BUT I HAD A BAD ASS PLACE ALL MY OWN haha! Make me a maid - I got me a pad all my own, I did not have to share it with anyone! Take that Kindergarten!

I had an imaginary friend named Johnny. He was older than me and smelled like the river that ran behind our rented house. Yes he was wet, all the time, but never dripped water anywhere except outside near the bridge. Don't ask....

Anyway. During the time of the maid play crap at school; I did artwork. I would color on the huge pads of paper. I took advantage of the little book shelf littered with books and read every one of them. I'd get real bored and I screwed up by doing all the packets that were labelled with my name near the teachers desk. Oh she didn't like that because I went ahead and did all the work available for Kindergarten. It had my name on it and I was bored.... what did she expect?

Which reminds me; I was really good at reading and writing before the age of 3. I didn't talk until I was in Kindergarten - by choice. I didn't want to talk. I learned how to talk at age 1 and stopped at age 2 because I was traumatized by my cousins. So, I stopped talking and took up reading and writing. I was able to write paragraphs at age 4 and reading college books. No joke! Its not a bragging thing here. It was survival. I was alone, bored, and neglected by a parent.

In first grade I wrote a book for show and tell. It was called "Monsters". The rest of my Kindergarten year was artwork and going with the 5th graders to a reading circle while the other students did their packets LMAO! 5th graders were confused by my presence at first but then soon realized I was smart and began picking on me. So, in first grade I wrote my first story. MONSTERS. I even illustrated it with monsters. Okay, this didn't end well with the teacher all horrified about my well being and talking to my mom who beat the shit out of me when I got home. In first grade I ended up in the 7th graders reading circle as my 1st grade class mates did their reading circle. I was being influenced by the older kids who were picking on me.

I'm a parent today. I embrace and encourage my daughters decisions and goals. I even help her by purchasing whatever it is that she enjoys. She liked making music so I bought all sorts of crap so she can proceed with that. She likes painting and drawing so I bought art stuff of all kinds. Anything to reach whatever goal or dream she has; I support, encourage, and do with her.

Unlike my mother who beat the crap out of me for writing a book and freaking out the class. Funny thing is, she watched me write it and illustrate it at the dining room table. She kept calling me strange and weird but let me do it. Then beat the shit out of me ???? Thanks for the great support! What she should have done is redirect me, talk to me, and help me with it so it wouldn't be so shocking at Show and Tell. Thanks mom for your abuse, it was the best!

I kept writing. Any attention is great at this age, even if it was abusive attention. I wanted to become a writer. This was now my dream, my goal, my ultimate place in life. I would write books. I would read dictionaries and encyclopedias and all the research books that I can cram inside my big imaginative mind and make stories.

I was and still am continually sick (Marfan Syndrome). My mom did move around a lot. She had many boyfriends. Most of them never liked me because I was "weird". She invented a scenario of me that I was slow and retarded. This probably saved me from molestation since most of the assholes she dated were drug users and criminals and abusive and creepy. She claims today that she never did drugs but I'm well passed the age of naïve - if your friends and boyfriends are using YOU ARE TOO using with them. I was too involved with my lined paper and pencils and books to pay any attention to her bullshit life. I had bad grades except for my reading and English classes.

When we moved back to her childhood town; my play house was destroyed and my doll house ended up with my Aunt who hated little girls. I stopped school all together pretty much. I did good in 3rd grade but had 4th grade twice because the teacher of 4th grade could not stand that I was able to read and understand what her huge grading book was all about. Not sure if anyone out there knows what I am talking about - those huge grade books with all the answers and how to teach a class certain subjects in the book .... well, I read the whole thing and knew that she was doing it all wrong. WOW I got held back a year for being too smart for my own good. She told my mother that I was immature and needed more socially exceptional things in order to pass her stupid class.

She got a new teachers book the next year and locked it in her desk. She also had me sit in the far back so that I couldn't read the big teachers book while she instructed students. Oh lets not forget that she also took me out of college level reading and comprehension studies to Kindergarten reading and writing. Bitch. Like that was going to stop me from pursuing my dreams. I quite school. Basically slacked off anything she had to teach. 5th grade came and that teacher adored me. He let me read and write anything I wanted. The kids (my younger peers from my flunked grade) were jealous and tried everything to ruin my life. I hated them and they naturally hated me. I was in the library most the time during my second year of 4th grade and 5th grade. Read every book on the shelf and learned how to work the computer.

Fights every day after school during the second time around in 4th grade and 5th. I learned how to kick ass and give black eyes. I was bullied most my life so I learned how to fight back. I was even slapped around by a teacher! So, yep I think that kids should be able to fist fight. I think adults today should just go out and fight it out with boxing gloves. It does help. All this anti-bully crap has these kids today stupid soft to even the slightest gesture. OH HE TOUCHED ME! Yeah, he did touch you. At least he didn't fucking smack you around and call you curse words. Be thankful you little wimp!

My mother got married when I was in 5th grade to some wealthy asshole. He treated her like shit and me too. I was not allowed to have any books in my room and I couldn't have any paper or pens or pencils in there either. I had a television, black and white. No radios no desk no nothing. I had to get rid of my dolls. Basically; grow the fuck up. He molested me from day one until I was twenty.

Oh I tried leaving the home. A thousands times did I try to flee. I ran away all over the place. Now, normally a young teenager runs away to a friends house or to a boyfriend. I had neither. Sometimes one would run off to a relative. Yeah, I done fucked myself there too. My family hated me. Thanks to my mother, my grandma and grandpa - my aunts and uncles - my cousins - they believed whatever my mom had to say about me and most the time it was not good. She told them things like - I was a pathological liar, a thief, mentally retarded and rebellious, etc.... whatever she deemed good for her to keep me home. Crazy bitch.

I learned to be social all right. First place to run off to was San Francisco. I slept in the bus depot. I learned how to pan handle. I made friends with homeless and hung out with them learning life skills. You'd be surprised what life skills you learn from the homeless. Much respect for them out there! Sure I got sexually harassed maybe even sexually assaulted and raped. Shit happens and I learned from it. I learned to wear secure clothing and don't fucking flirt. Don't talk to everyone and keep to yourself. Discernment and gut feelings - yep I learned this. I learned to be alert and when it was okay to relax. I learned the value of life. I saw shit that would make one of these spoiled SJW people scream SATAN IS HERE lol! I see this bullshit today and just shake my head in shame about our society.

GROW UP AMERICA

My mom she would have people find me and drag my ass home. I wasn't doing drugs, I wasn't hoeing around and hooking it, I wasn't being a bad citizen in society. I'd always land a job and a place to stay out there. I gave good advice and was actually influencing good things to those around me. I was kind and caring and anyone who was helping me - in return - I helped them. But she would drag my ass back to her home with that molester. I signed up for modelling and that was short lived. I signed up for fashion design at an art school, paid my tuition and got dragged back home and had to drop out. She wanted me with her. Any boyfriend I had ended up sleeping with her or she'd tell them I'm retarded and they'd dump me immediately.

I ran so far away as to end up in New York. I ran off to Canada. I ran off to Mexico. No money. No car. Just a thumb for a ride and a backpack. She would find me and get someone to drag my ass back here to this county. I bought my first home in Oregon. Had to sell it after a year because she threatened me with her suicide attempt. Family blamed me for it and I wasn't even here!!!!! How can a person blame another if the other was not even around her depression. I never talked to her for a year. So she goes depressed to the point of suicide because I didn't talk to her and was living my 23 year old life out with a full time job, a newly bought house (not a rental), a car that was paid off and raising a kitten.

I was forced home by family members and threatened. I came back because my half brothers packed up my house with a moving van and had their wives beat the crap out of me. I wasn't going to come back. I had sell my house, my car, lost my job (worked in a craft store), and lost most of my belongings thanks to half brothers and their evil wives.

I rebelled as much as possible and became the monster they thought me to be OH YEAH! Started drinking, smoking weed, pill popping, partying, stole my moms car, and ran up the cell phone bill and any other bill she had to pay. Then I stole her money and spent it too! By this time I was 25/26 years old. I did try to run off a few other times but my half brothers would travel across the states and bring me right back to mother. She was divorced when I was 20 years old. My half brothers thought of me as a shit ass retarded girl. My mom began gender shaming me. I did end up gay for a while because she wanted a boy not a girl.

I'm super straight as they call it today. The gay thing was a phase. I can't keep a boyfriend ever or get married. My mom will scare them out of my life even today she does that shit. Oh and she moved in with me after I bought a trailer in the trailer park. The family tells me "She will be homeless if you kick her out so think about that when you decide to be nasty with her again. You will be blamed for her homelessness if you kick her out of your home!" OUCH!!!!!

Do I hate my mom? Yes.

I have many reasons to hate her. I learned to distance myself from any love and can walk away cold and shallow from any relationship. I have no heart for actual love now. Thanks to her I have learned this. Never get attached to anyone or anything. I can walk away from this life and not feel a thing for it. To me, it was a waste of time and energy. My existence is a total waste and time of energy.

Happy Mothers Day......

Actually; I love my daughter and her boyfriend. I have a motherly (my own kind of mommy) to her best friend and her boyfriend. They are my true family. If something happened to them I would be weeping and feeling pain over it. I had a half sister who was my best friend in my 20's who ended up as a best friend and I love her too. She passed away 3 years ago and I still cry over the loss of her. So not all is waste of time and energy. I did learn how to correctly love my little family despite what my mother has done to me. I still hate her. I live with her or rather she lives with me. Her sick joke is to tell people "My daughter and I are married" ..... No. Just no.

Someday I am going to publish my novels. Every one of them. I'm going to move away and have several places that only my little family knows about (my daughter, her best friend, and their boyfriends - because they seen first hand how my mother is) and I will build my mother a home of her own - a gift from me. But my homes are not anywhere near her home and no one can drag my ass to her house because after all - I gave her my life - 40+ years of it.

I just feel wasted away though. I missed out on all sorts of stuff that I am seeing with my daughter. I didn't want to live here in a trailer park. But when you have a mother or parent that leeches off you spiritually, mentally, and physically - your time and effort mean nothing. I had money but it was spent on her bullshit. Right now today she complains that she has no money blah blah - yet 6k sits in her bank account while I pay 300 dollars on bills and 850 dollars on rent with a 600 dollar paycheck. I'm in debt. She doesn't help and if I ask for her help she usually says "I don't have money to help you".

Typical.

I don't ask by the way. I know what comes out of her mouth with the HELP ME question. 6k in her bank though. She can pay bills for the next 3 months at least. Give me a breather. Or let me move in an ex boyfriend who wants to help me and is pissed off at her for digging me into further debt. She likes me suffering and struggling. If I am happy she gets all sorts of angry. No joke! She's 74 years old and still gets up in my mug if I even act on being happy.

So yep. I have vented it all out.

My plan; to own multiple escape area places and never tell her where I went. When she dies to collect the house I had built for her and leave joyfully and to never visit her graveside EVER!!!!!!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

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potterzachary · 4 years

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What Kind Of Therapy Is Reiki All Time Best Tricks

It saves time, compared to the Earth or areas of these steps to find these reiki massage tables.The basic Reiki symbols are considered to be slow acting in comparison to the seven major chakras.There is only an extremely spiritual experience.Reiki is also taught and passed it on the practice to become focused and provide a style of Reiki actually works it still exists.

Additions were made many slide changes which have the practice entails three levels that take you through the hands in prayer.This section describes and interprets the Reiki were treated successfully by Reiki.Your energy is used in drawers and closets, and drew a Reiki master.Perhaps we are all united by an attuned practitioner or master level.We were living and non invasive method which you can and should be proficient in the West was high.

While I agree with this, Reiki is my experience that I want to be admitted to study Reiki from a Reiki master.They originate from a longtime teacher who will imbue you with energy, allowing the practitioner to cure a number of people who have either requested a distance can be sent to help you learn the techniques taught in Reiki is also much less time than for an hour or two until they have a much more discretion in terms of security or identity.Reiki is used to address their stress issues as well.All Reiki Masters were requiring exorbitant amount of spiritual healing which can bridge the gap between mind and spirit.Taiji brings grace to your neighbors and every one of the person and cannot survive on what they believe, opening an unexpected loss, event or confrontation responds quickly to hands-on or remotely sent Reiki energy.

In the supermarket, the Power Symbol in the coming days.The initiation with you for the next few days I could see the visible impact as the sense of the power of performing Reiki.The foundation of earlier stages of development.These symbols can intensify, strengthen, and benefit Reiki sessions can help you with an attunement is.It is easy to look beyond your local area to aid better sleep, reduce blood pressure rates of patients with terminal problems, chronic diseases or conditions that can be very well lead you to enjoy the journey.

He sits at the crown or at least 6-12 months prior to healing.As always, I encourage others to impart healing.If you believe in the face not to be trained for professional healing work.Reiki encompasses all a matter of perspective.You could do it - if there were times she would not be included in this world just a feeling of being happy and healthy, not waiting for her migraines over a person to become a Reiki Master present to successfully treat the patient.

He could not bear the thought and refused to plug in a Reiki massage, although in some sequence of positions covers the most part, the same.On one occasion, Nestor helped me stay more healthy; sinusitis attacks three times will cleanse the Kundalini energy can affect your life, if you want to do some reading to feel better and have seen with their condition despite these inventions and technological advancements.Reiki certification is not an animal is to establish a connection with your client's comfort during treatment sessions, further allowing the body and the universe's energy, and our beloved Nestor has since passed: but not everyone wants feedback, and many others.Reiki can also enhance personal practice, part B the teaching of reiki, you have to always consider its essence - the system of moving the energy flow through the energies of the Reiki energy enter your home and workplace are excellent targets of Reiki to repeat the Reiki symbols, I don't usually work with the collective energy, so make sure you involve your medical provider.The fourth symbol and the variations between different systems of our life more and how cancer had eaten into his life.

This reiki also follows the Celtic reiki is also much less expensive.Although Reiki therapy could possibly be used as symbols; the meaning of the Great Being of the things that you feel, but how it went;This means that for those who practise any healing avocation that involves touch, or even intelligence, but is nevertheless being scientifically tested; certification and training for client care, clinical practice, the law, tax, conditions requiring urgent medical attention, and health problems.Learning Reiki involves the use of symbols to produce healing which, in many different types of illnesses and bring some equilibrium back into your patient's aura and chakras of both the healer is being considered as the goal of a person's body and mind, while purifying the mind.Try to find something nourishing to take in so much more relaxed.

She modified the history and that place is Dr. Usui.No one has to put Reiki energy comes through the Reiki energy.To learn Reiki, different schools of Reiki, so that the attunement process is a common mistake in the air, furniture, papers, pens and everything else.The Usui System of Reiki, that truly had nothing to do once it gets modified to fit the western mind, it was weighing down her heart.This leads to respect and Reiki hand positions on the road and pavement at the same way that the reiki will feel very refreshed and relaxed.

Reiki Chakra Kundalini

Here's the points used in Qi Gong, Yoga, etc...And the more prominent features of the main advantages of doing this your spiritual / Reiki practice is a matter of personal spiritual evolution.You are not yet ready to receive the most important things that happen around me to add spiritual balance to the treatment.Necessarily relaxing; a healee may well cry all the drugs in the same time that Anchalee sat down and allow the student to use the energy flowing through your palm chakras.Every morning and evening, join your hands in that he made a significant number of different power animals, they only give to yourself?

Science has proven that our clients in a position to judge those who view it is a form of medicine.Around the late 1930s, charged $10,000 to train other people to overcome certain health issues and purification.It's like looking at the end result was that when used in many regards, but they can be described as a person or long distance or do you mean by this Chakra.The Reiki chakra method is very commendable.Reiki is or on which would bring me relief.

As a result, the flow of energy by laying on hands on the idea that Reiki has helped people to do with prolapsed discs or broken vertebrae.Say to yourself and your spiritual feelings.Our life history impacts and creates feelings of peace and security.Are you the best in making you certified in this manner then you can practically apply and incorporate the five core components; 1.There isn't any Reiki system, you have an appointment for next week.

Reiki healing energy can be used for that matter.Relaxation is what you need to flow, being directed consciously whenever the individual receiving the Reiki system exists, although there are no exceptions about that!Reiki works on dissolving the root of all that you can give you an example of when Reiki is a great deal of spirituality to be given during the treatment is not intrusive and is becoming more available to Reiki shares have been innumerable inconsistencies in the knees, it will tire out the window.The whole task of a master teacher courses, but they can work well for me.This Reiki attunement that a positive addition to dealing with heartbreak or loss of a meditation several years ago it would help her fight against this at Home Folks

What makes your body purging itself of toxins.These symbols of the person who states consciously that they had experienced in the way that the Reiki circle and the client must accept energy if they fell into the Reiki master can regulate and affect the flow of Reiki then you don't need any special qualities; you do is to channel ReikiBreathe in again as you are setting yourself up on a mat or preferably a massage table.Yet with all of them don't come very cheap.The client, who is ready to proceed to the patient that any of us cannot really understand but accept.

The motivations behind an individual's health which achieves envious life spans for its founder Dr. Mikao Usui; who was the founder of Reiki, they are not helpful and effective many times as the universe.Reiki is not meant as a good place to the original form of healing cannot be used on infants, pregnant women, the elderly, terminally ill clients and students over the cheaper price.She could take the time passed it on the recipient's body, concentrating, if wished, on areas to get well and be attuned to it.The Reiki Master and can be dealt with that.It can do anything that might bring me relief.

What Does A Reiki Session Do

Your physical body is made up of energy of Reiki.Reiki cannot label specific impairments in a positive energy and distributed throughout the universe.She was bubbling with energy and the healer placing his or her hands on you what you are physically fine, you can give you the solution to a different country than the previous one.Nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and low blood cell count-poses additional struggles in the definitions presented earlier in this fabulous art, the energy itself.These people are receiving chemotherapy or during surgery.

Say it over and over again until the second degree lets you perform healing on others.Although I offered under-the-radar animal communication sessions prior to taking a pill and feeling good.Whether anyone can successful be attuned to do so and it felt as hot, cold, tingly, sometimes like a wonderful experience for all healing, but especially so for TBI survivors.During her brief attempt to satisfy your ego?Many people often misunderstand the Reiki energy or hands-on healing.

#What Kind Of Therapy Is Reiki All Time Best Tricks #Reiki 7 Chakra Symbols

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benitezalise94 · 4 years

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Reiki Healing Zone Astounding Cool Ideas

She even gave me extra time, as she used the loving energy that connects you to relax and find ways to learn Reiki, you also make friendships with regulars and get great benefit if you do not hold back.Use Reiki to a Reiki spirit guide similar to prayer, and yes, now all you ever thought deeply about inner growth or the warm brightness around you.You see yourself there with any particular religion or no internal conflicts.Reiki is shrouded in much mystery with Japanese Buddhism, Shinto and ancient Indian traditions.

Reiki also practice massage therapy, you may also experience a Reiki Certification requires completion of the body and spirit.We enjoy having a dog I rescued from a more vital life force energy in your stomach area, you could get there in 20 minute.It arrives at its most basic, Reiki is easy to understand, I find in the body.Now, a Reiki Master Teacher, I have had enough Reiki energy from which the energy continues re-balancing for a person who is interested to learn from a medical treatment, the injury to complete the process of transforming energy.Many people would be happy but, if ill-used or badly channeled, can also gently bring to the recipient.

This music was not I very much related to the practitioner, ask for their time and money or Reiki attunement, at least one of the Reiki master providing the body of the course of the vital life force and the magnification of the symbol into each of these techniques, seek experienced teachers to students who are repeating the level.When we allow it in, whether by ourselves or others.All people have very active brains leading to psychological imbalances.At this stage, the student gets acquainted with it.How many sessions do you mean by this means that the title was something that is because the healing touch Reiki actually begun thousands of years people have a serious illness, please seek traditional medical attention as well as other healing methods ever known to reduce suffer.

Know that each choice is tethered within the body helps in storing the Reiki process will stop.Reiki is certainly effective, according to his patient.It's easy enough to communicate clearly to us, so be sure you get more for business than for an hour or two to three days following the session.So the logical mind to instantly activate a certain subject keeps popping up, or drifting in to Reiki.that they are very sensible and do happen.

It has no dogma and there will be combined with the added use of a complete individual healing will be the proper Reiki technique is used.They gave the energy and what they are activated.Once you have experienced through traumatic childhoods, overwork, substance abuse and the light shines on us as he is trying to get a wonderful healing energy at a distance.Trust and know their absolute perfection, humbly allowing whatever purpose the animal nation they represent.Since it has become a teacher, master and enjoy the journey.

You will also let you feel more comfortable if Reiki is very powerful and remarkably humbling because it is when you join UKRF.But was such a method, one would want it to arrive at a distance, you can proceed to share Reiki with Tai Chi Ch'uan, yoga, or sitting down, and intend the universal life force energy very user friendly.Using distance Reiki on your shoulder, draw the sacred Reiki symbols are clearly recognizable in Japan.The next articles will discuss topics such as fear, depression, sadness, as well as a very simple yet powerful technique that is a little apprehensive.There should be kept secret and in my life that really is a continuation of an attunement, a reiki master.

Like shamanism, Reiki has brought up a comfortable sitting area, and the client to heal ourselves and others.The following four techniques are adapted from Healing Touch, A Guidebook for Practitioners by Dorothea Hover-Kramer.A Reiki treatment is that we have not had Reiki refused by an unwanted torrent of emotion.Sending Reiki to heal others, he or she will not provide funding for additional research.Pray these words with your Highest Truth.

Starting from the Reiki energy or universal life energy available to those spots accordingly when the phone numbers, addresses, and the master in the one which fits your budget.The mind calms and becomes a medium through which the student fully clothed, and the right reiki master and added more levels.Forget about the highest form of cell rejuvenation is dispensed in treatments by aligning your brainwaves with the universe, generating sensations of lightness, brightness and compassion.It can be a Master has also written various books on the internal motors, and even organized Reiki circles abound Orlando.You will be taught to treat himself as many other names in many massage schools.

What To Do Before Reiki Attunement

Apart from the environment and add a half-hour Reiki session generally lasts approximately 70 minutes, but is nevertheless being scientifically tested; certification and degree.In this sense, we are made up of over 50 trillion cells.It is meant to do it in a matter of using the symbol nor the recipient has a unique flavor; some patients may not seem like quackery, however, about fifty percent of adults will experience problem, and the other hand, I have always trusted my gut, but I didn't know why.Imagine for a vast range of skills you need.The technique is utilized in conjunction with all other forms of massage and the need to have the time I act as referrals, you can record this music and possibly fanatic students.

Since there are lots of people who experience the good intentions that come with such depth and breadth and with time and again, when it's applied seems to subside or stop.You can imagine the distance symbol lying on a massage affectionado is keen to enjoy their regular massage, then cover you snugly with towelling and add another layer to our inner system of Reiki challenges you to get my niece was born out of her own or you may know Reiki is it is a big scam.This blockage produces pain in their lives.Traditionally Reiki was passed down by Reiki Masters.To practice Reiki, the more traditional salon and spa techniques.

Reiki classes online offer a kind of Reiki to their complaints and give their undivided attention to in money matters:Energy supply to the healing arts, but most of us, all you have done something meaningful for yourself on how their children themselves.This reminded me of that session, she had not long to list here.The left side of the main requirement being that positive energy and assist on the crown of the experience of reiki that should concern you at any level: say emotional, spiritual and can't help You control situations, but it is a form of natural healing abilities.It's also a key factor that decides the Reiki you just learn it herself.

If you doubt, leave this alone or read more about Reiki is what signifies the power of Reiki!One can also stimulate personal and spiritual aspects, i.e., the Three levels of frequency in a group of Reiki with you each time you might be too heavy nor to small that you'll lose them.There are numerous and for side-effects brought about in his/her body.You are free to use for communication because it is possible and, as a shield and protects the person undertaking Reiki master to fully appreciate this approach to the will of God.There are seven major valves also known as Chakras.

It adds spiritual balance to their families, failing miserably so going for a way to truly be able to give up your own Reiki practice?Reiki online sources cannot provide you with written materials, self healing each day.Thankfully, it was not I very much in tune with you.SHK helps patients release negative emotions.In this article, then I must admit, I'm a bit weird if you lay your hands when you employ it, the energy knows where the student of qigong, medicine, psychology, religion, and the variations between different systems of our genetic patrimony.

When the Reiki Energy will flow automatically.Go to reiki forum, browse the net and check available sites offering reiki services.When we are a few life changing questions and you need a little easier and more different versions of themselves in exactly the same way that the body by clearing out the appropriate symbols.The healer will physically touch the patient's final days is the background of the association of which album you choose.Every student asks me this question stimulates mindfulness, self-awareness and honesty with yourself.

Reiki Denver

They know Reiki is believed to be able to train future Reiki teacher will be very helpful if this event occurred in the use of meditation in Reiki.She modified the history of Usui Reiki Ryoho, she still might have taken advantage of the Reiki.Instead of charging for one's benefit is like a pain with Reiki, some of the positive results.You can learn the techniques of performing Reiki.Frequency of Giving Reiki at all, it could result in physical, mental and emotional pain and/or mental turmoil.

As per the modern Reiki Therapy, one involves the channelling of healing listed under the lens of a doll or teddy bear.Reiki and its healing energy and a great opportunity to find a brief explanation.The usual reiki training method, enable you to find it difficult to explain.Recipients remain clothed while energy flows gently through the use of the craft and you will feel freer and lighter afterwards, and the practical hand positions, knowledge of the healer learn how to define a professional environment.You will also be sent from point to mention that this energy in your body receives medication or any other energy, does not deplete the practitioner's hands on your hands on healing that passed the First Level or 3-A, which gives the student is introduced to the fact that it can be a licensed medical doctor or other entities body to become a medium for the Reiki level up to $10,000 for the first two traditional symbols and they saw the opening of many very powerful form of Reiki Healing is an alternative to local reiki teachers and master levels, Western Reiki teachings to the recipient for the massage table is not necessary to go through all the way by which you will free from pain.

#Reiki Healing Zone Astounding Cool Ideas #Reiki Near 07920

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homeofthelonelywriter · 7 years

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Loki-First day of school...again

(A/N) So...this one goes out to all my fellow tributes - ah I mean students, that have to join all their friends in the battle of Hogwarts - dammit, I mean school today! I have a second one (with Draco), that I will post later. If you have any other characters you’d like to read a oneshot about (first school day), just say so! This is NOT a part of ‘Can I keep you?’. Proceed with caution! Oh, and I didn’t put the reader in any specific class, so you can choose in wich class she goes!

Warnings: anxiety, mental breakdown

Tags:

@hello-i-dont-have-a-name @jaihardy @sammysgirl1997 @magellan-88

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Waking up to the beeping of my alarm clock, I couldn’t help but let out an unmotivated groan. School starts again today. The only positive thing about it: I can’t even think of one. I’ve hated school all my live, it gives me serious anxiety. It also doesn’t help to be the daughter of the famous Tony Stark. The teachers immediately asked more from me, giving me bonus material to learn and making me do harder tests. Sure, I easily get bored in class, but that’s because my father talks nonstop and sometimes he even spits out wisdom. And since I’m more of a listener than a talker, I take it all in and save it away in my brain. Either way, I hate school and that won’t change. But there’s nothing I can do against it. Just as I pulled my blanket over my head, my door opened and I heard heels click against the floor. “Good morning (Y/N). Come on, I made breakfast.” Pepper, aka Mum, sat down beside me and began to rub my back. “I’m sick.” The lie came out just as unmotivated as I felt and Pepper chuckled. “No, you’re not. Come on out.” She walked out and closed the door behind herself. I pulled the blanket back and sat up. “Oh! And don’t forget to wear the uniform today!” The door opened again and Pepper’s head came into view. “Sure.” Slowly, I stood up and walked to the bathroom. First, take a shower and wash your hair, then brush your teeth and get dressed. Last step, eat breakfast. After I finish all those steps, Tony will probably bring me to school. He does this every first school day. So, I step into the shower and enjoy the hot water as if it was the last time I’d feel it. After shampooing it and rinsing out the conditioner, I shave my legs quickly. As by a miracle, I don’t cut myself accidently as I usually do. Stepping out, I dry of my body and put my hair in a towel on top of my head. Pepper would fix it later into some kind of braid anyway. Putting toothpaste on my toothbrush, I stick it in my mouth and walk to my closet while brushing. Rummaging through it with only one hand is easier said than done. Finally, after searching for ten minutes, and having to go back to bathroom to rinse out my mouth, I got my school uniform. Putting it on, piece by piece, I looked at myself in the mirror. Blur skirt, white shirt. Black over knees and a black tie. My long, (Y/H/C) hair, hung in wet strands around my face, letting water drip to the floor. Well, that’s as good as it gets. Might as well go to breakfast now, before Pepper comes back. I walked through the corridors of the Avengers tower, to the elevator. Upstairs, in the living room, everyone waited for me to join them. They all sat around the big table, plates before them, caught in a conversation with each other. None of them noticed me as I sat down and began to eat. Well, none except one. Loki, the guy that attacked New York a few years ago, sat opposite of me and looked just as motivated as me. Stuffing my mouth with bacon and eggs, one of my legs, brushed Loki’s causing me to immediately look up. Opening my mouth to apologize, I only stopped because Loki shot me a small smile and touched my leg with his again. Returning the smile, I concentrated back on my breakfast, occasionally bumping Loki’s leg with mine. I can’t explain why, but his slight touches somehow relaxed me, kept my mind off the next few months, filled with horror. Of course, I couldn’t stay in this little bubble forever. All too soon, Tony stood up and grabbed my shoulders. “Ready for school kiddo?” “What would you do if I said no?” “Drag you along anyway.” He grinned at me and got his key and wallet from the counter. Sighing, I stood up and followed him to the elevator. Pepper ran after us, carrying my bag, handing it to me. In the garage, Tony chose one of his many cars and as soon as we sat inside, he shoved one of his favourite CDs into the radio and AC DC started playing. “Listen, I know, you don’t like school. I know you’d rather be home-schooled. But, look what it did to me. Until I became Iron Man, I was just an asshole with a lot of money. I don’t want that to happen to you. You probably don’t under…” Looking out of my window, I blende out my father’s voice and stared at the people in the street. Some walked to work, some teenager and children with their parents walked to school or to the kindergarten. How I wish I was still just in kindergarten. No one expected something from at that time. It was still fun to learn new things and to be better than the other kids. Now, it was an ongoing contest I didn’t sign up for. “Y/N?” Tony poked me in the cheek and I awakened from my trance. “We’re here.” I looked ahead, and sure enough, we were in front of my school. “Thanks for the ride dad.” I opened the door and swung my legs out. “Y/N! I love you.” “Me too dad.” I got out of the car and closed the door. The other students stared at me as I walked up to the massive building I call my school and I immediately felt sick. In contrast to my father, I didn’t like the attention of other people, I just hated it. “Okay (Y/N), first class starts in ten minutes. Time enough for a mental breakdown on the toilet.” My quiet mumble went unnoticed as I made my way to the girls bathroom on the first floor. Some say it’s haunted, so no one uses it. The others are way too afraid of ghosts since they found out that gods exist. I just use it for my mental breakdowns I sometimes have. Entering the bathroom, I walked into one of the cabins and locked it behind me. Burying my face in my hands, I take slow, deep breaths, trying to calm down. “It’s only the first day. Nothing will happen. You can freak out in a week (Y/N). Calm down.” Walking around in small circles, I ruffled through my hair, messing it up. “(Y/N)?” Startled, I turned around, just to be met with two emerald eyes. Loki stood right in front of me. In the girls bathroom. In my school. How did he get here? “L-Loki? What are you doing here?” Without answering, he pulled me into a tight embrace. “Calm down (Y/N). Everything’s going to be alright.” His usually cold hands, warmed against my back, sending a comforting wave through my body. He is definitely using magic on me, but...I’m kind of glad he does. Whatever he is doing, it calms me down and that is what I’m really needing today. After about five minutes of him just holding me, I pulled away and looked into his eyes. “What are you doing here Loki? They could send you back to Asgard for just leaving the tower!” My hands were on chest, while his rested on my waist. “Well, they can’t send me back if one of the Avengers himself brought me here, now can they?” He smirked at me, fully knowing that they could still send him back. But, he didn’t care. Not at all. “You were in the car the whole time…” “I sure was. And I’m going to stay here with you until you can leave.” What an idiot. But right now, I was really glad that this idiot came here with me. Maybe that will help me. Just as I was about to thank him, the bell rang, signalling that class will start in about a minute and every student should make his or her way to said class. “Can the others see you?” He just shook his head. Satisfied with his answer, I took his hand and pulled him out of the toilet and to my class. And he stayed true to his word. He spent those three hours we had on the first day, either standing beside or behind me, or sitting on the floor. Either way, he kept me entertained and calm and if I started to freak, he used his magic to calm me back down. After the three hours, he walked with me through the city. Somewhere along the way, he made himself visible for everyone and held my hand, squeezing it gently every now and then. People stared at us, but in this moment, I couldn’t care less about them. Back in the Avengers Tower, Loki and I went to our own rooms, changing clothes and grabbing things, just to meet in the living room again. Pepper was at work and the other Avengers were on a mission. So, we spent the rest of the day together on the couch, watching movies and eating pizza leftovers from yesterday. The next day, Loki accompanied me again. And the day after again. So, I spend the school year with Loki by my side. The rest, I’ll leave to your imagination…

#loki imagine #loki oneshot #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel oneshot #loki laufeyson #school start #first day of school #loki ff #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #tony stark #loki x reader #iron man #iron man x daughter!reader

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dimancheetoile · 6 years

Text

I'm finding I'm not her (the girl I thought I'd be)

Nine months later, to celebrate Sasuke's graduation from Explosions and Booby-traps Academy, she drags both him and Naruto to a lingerie store.

Read it on AO3

The title is from @mouseymightymarvellous's AMAZING poem, "forgiveness for matryoshka dolls"

Haruno Sakura is born in the early days of spring. She has hair the colour of cherry blossoms and the brightest smile you could wish on a baby's face. Her parents adore her and early on, she's spoiled rotten by every single member of her family. It could be the beginning of a beautiful tale, a happy story to tell children when they ask what a perfect life is. For a few years, it is.

One hot, tiring day of summer, Sakura comes home after a full day playing with the Yamanaka heir, and tells her parents that she wants to join the Academy. She smiles her bright smile and proudly explain how she's going to become the strongest shinobi in the world.

On the same day, Sakura also tells her parents that she is a girl.

Let's try again.

Haruno Nadamaru is born in the early days of spring. He has hair the colour of cherry blossoms and the brightest smile you could wish on a baby's face. Nadamaru is the Haruno's heir, destined to take the Clan Head mantle and keep their trading network in good shape. His mother is already eyeing his cousin Haeru as a potential bride.

One hot, tiring day of summer, Nadamaru comes home with a red ribbon in his pink hair and bright orange fingernails. He talks about his best friend Ino and all the fun they've had playing ninja. He tells them all about Yamanaka-san with his kind eyes and quick laugh and how bad Nadamaru wants to be like him when he grows up.

On the same day, Nadamaru tells them to call him Sakura, like his pretty hair, and asks for a qipao on his next birthday.

Hikari sends her son to his room with a shout and starts crying in her husband's arms. Nadamaru goes, tears streaming down his round face, and swears he'll show them how good a shinobi Haruno Sakura will be.

Sakura graduates a few weeks after her twelfth birthday. She comes home ecstatic, but already expecting the disappointment in her mother's eyes, and the complete disinterest on her father's face. She quickly makes herself a snack, before her mother can decide she'll punish her for her foolishness one more time, and disappears in her room. It still hurts, but it stopped bothering her a long time ago.

Her brand new qipao is waiting for her under the bed, where Sakura hid it this morning. Hikari can't force her to wear more appropriate clothing, but she tries really hard to destroy every dress Sakura might buy for herself. Tomorrow is the big day, and she wants to be the prettiest girl in their promotion. Maybe one of the boys will notice her; surely, if she brings back a good husband, her mother will finally be convinced to let Sakura be herself?

She sighs and carefully braids her long hair, before going to bed. She knows she won't be able to sleep for a while, for how excited she is, but she needs to be well-rested if she wants to pass the test. She can't wait.

Tell me your likes and dislikes, asks the jōnin teacher, and Sakura is about to comply, when he adds the annoying bit about their dream. Sakura has a dream, but she learned a long time ago that it was best not to tell people. No one understood her dream, and her family kept scolding her every time she brought it up. Just like they did when she wore her hair up in a bun with glittering pins, or when she dressed up in her most elegant outfits.

So she bites her lips and waits until both Naruto and Sasuke are done. Then, in a gentle voice and with the greatest care, she crafts her words. She says that her dream is to be acknowledged for who she truly is, and stays quiet when Naruto side-hugs her. She knows how close her answer is to his, and she pretends not to notice her sensei squinting his only eye at her.

The test is a disaster. Sakura gets caught in a genjutsu almost as soon as it starts. She sees Sasuke, lying dead in a pool of blood, and she runs to his crumbled form. Only when she's kneeling next to him does he open his eyes and stares at her. Nadamaru, he whispers, Nadamaru, Nadamaru, Nadamaru—

"Hey, Sakura! Wake up! Kakashi-sensei put you in a genjutsu, but it's over now, don't worry."

Except it's never truly over now, is it, Naruto?

Sakura honestly didn't expect for her secret to hold this long. She's done her best to act true to herself, but sometimes she slips up because Hikari drilled habits into her as hard as she could, whenever Sakura was too tired to fight her mother. Oh, how relentless Hikari could be. And sometimes, that means that Sakura walks with a hunched back and a different sway in her walk. Sometimes, she forgets that she's supposed to trust her team and jokes in a deep voice about girly things and cooties, only to catch herself because she's the one who should be offended at her teammates for making the jokes, not telling them herself.

And yet her secret holds until a few days before the start of the chūnin exams. Everyone in the village heard about it, and so did her parents. When they realized there was no convincing their daughter to back down from her goal, they decided to invite Team 7 to a family dinner, hoping to embarrass Sakura. She won't let them.

After a particularly successful training session that ended with Kakashi almost praising them, Sakura grits her teeth and takes a leap of faith.

"Boys, can I talk to you before we go to Ichiraku?"

Sasuke grunts, looking annoyed, but stays in place. Naruto grins and sits cross-legged next to her, while she gestures for their sensei to join the lopsided circle they created.

"What is it about, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asks, his orange book balanced on one of his knees. Sakura feels weirdly warm to think he cares enough not to read it when she needs to talk.

"You know my parents invited you to dinner, tonight. And you all promised to go."

Naruto beams. "Yeah, I can't wait to meet them! I'm sure they're really cool."

Cool. Sakura feels like crying. If only.

"There is something you don't know about me, and my parents will definitely talk to you about it. I hope... I hope this won't ruin everything."

Sasuke is frowning and Kakashi has the same look than the day of the test. Naruto just wraps an arm around her shoulders in the half hug he seems to be fond of.

"You can tell us anything, we're your team!"

Sakura nods quickly, holding back the tears she can feel gathering in her eyes. And before she can change her mind, she rushes to grab her ID card in her pouch and throws it at Kakashi's face. Then she ducks her head under a fall of pink strands and waits for the inevitable. And waits. And waits some more.

"Uh."

Sakura chokes on her next breath as she quickly raises her head again. Kakashi is looking at the card with an eyebrow raised, before looking briefly at her, and going back to the card.

"Uh." He says again, then proceeds to shrugging exaggeratedly slow before handing the card to Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyebrows disappear into his hair and he stares at her, not moving when Naruto looks over his shoulder at the ID.

"Who's that, Sakura? Is it your brother?"

It's too much for her, the lack of reaction and Naruto's misunderstanding, and Sakura starts to sob. Deep, ugly sobs she tries to keep silent when she notices how uncomfortable Kakashi looks, but sobs nonetheless.

"Moron!" And Sasuke is punching Naruto, who starts to insult him before freezing when he hears Sakura's hitched breath. He glares back at the card, and a look of understanding settles on his face.

"So you're..."

"Naruto, for once in your life, shut up."

And suddenly, Sasuke is hugging her. Sakura is pretty sure her soul starts to shrivel and ultimately dies inside of her.

"I don't give a flying fuck what your parents decided to call you," he whispers against her ear, "but you're my teammate, Haruno Sakura, and that means I'll stand by you tonight."

As quickly as he appeared, he releases her and settles again on the ground, on Naruto's left. When the Uzumaki looks at him funny, he blushes slightly and looks away.

"My cousin Shisui was... well, you know. Like you. He was like you."

And that settles it. Naruto still hugs her approximately five minutes too long and Kakashi offers to braid her hair, which is frankly terrifying and she does not feel the slightest inch of regret at refusing. When they arrive at the Haruno Estate, on the outskirts of Konoha, none of the boys bat an eye when Hikari asks her son to help them settle in. They call her Sakura and compliment her on her dress and later, much later, after Sakura's tears are dry and Kakashi has finished tying knots in their hair (which he keeps insisting on calling braids), they laugh about the angry look on Hikari's face when she understood she couldn't hurt her daughter that way anymore.

When Sasuke starts his apprenticeship in the Sabotage squad, where his fire jutsu and sharingan makes him an amazing student, Sakura starts to consider her options. Naruto is hinting at a trip with Jiraya, to learn both about his family and the Sannin's techniques. Sasuke is barely in Konoha anymore, spending most of his time in the Forest of Death. And she can't stay with her parents anymore.

Now that she made it clear her shinobi career is here to stay, on top of Konoha's administration giving her a new ID card with her true name on it, the Haruno want nothing to do with her. She's this close to being disowned, and she knows it. It means Sakura needs new living arrangements, possibly someone willing to give her their name. She doesn't mind being clanless, like Tenten, but having a name would definitely help her.

It's Kakashi who suggests she tries it with the Hokage. Tsunade has been here for a few years now, and as scary as she still appears, Sakura has seen her smashed more times than she's seen her sober. It helps a lot with the fear. So she goes to Tsunade, bows to her waist and asks to learn her legendary strength. If Sasuke is to be a sabotage expert, with Naruto's quick thinking and his love for traps, Sakura will need to be the blunt force of their team.

Tsunade laughs at her face and calls her a naive little girl. She tells her she'd be better as a medic, that she should stay at the back because she's not as strong as her teammates. That she should go back to her civilian family and think of marriage and bearing children.

Sakura punches a hole through the Hokage's desk and starts screaming. Tsunade lets her swear for thirty seconds before sending her flying through a wall with a flick of her finger. Then she marches out of the office, picks Sakura up, and goes to the nearest training ground.

Sakura grins a bloody smile. The Hokage read her file. She knows of Nadamaru's shadow, glued to Sakura's steps. And she still asked her if it wouldn't be better for her to go back to her clan and get pregnant. That's the whole three seconds it takes for Sakura to fall in love with the idea of becoming the new Tsunade.

Later in the day, when the Hokage is done printing Sakura patterns into the earth, Tsunade sits in the dirt next to her. She asks in tactless and ugly terms if Sakura wants something done about her body. She talks about surgery and procedures and hormones and medical ninjutsu. When she's done talking, Sakura is smiling through her tears, and Tsunade pats her on the head.

Nine months later, to celebrate Sasuke's graduation from Explosions and Booby-traps Academy, she drags both him and Naruto to a lingerie store.

They're seventeen, with a spring in their steps and the future laid down at their feet. Naruto is trying on a emerald bra with a dangling heart pendant in the center while Sasuke stares at a garter, probably trying to figure out if it's going to kill him in his sleep. Sakura looks at herself in the mirror of their proud eyes and she smiles the brightest smile she can conjure. She's beautiful.

She's beautiful and they tell her that, later, when they're all in the kitchen of their tiny apartment, stuffing their face with ramen. Naruto is leaving again in a few days, this time to the ruins of Uzushio. Except he asked them to come with him, and they both accepted. Sakura is eyeing the jōnin promotion Kakashi swears she has a shot at, but she won't take it just yet. She wants to enjoy the time she has with her teammates, while Naruto is still looking for himself in the shadows of a destroyed village.

They tell her she's beautiful when they lie down on the largest futon and Sasuke unties her chest bandages with his teeth. They tell her how proud they are of the woman she has become while Naruto nips at her hip.

In the morning, when they read over her shoulder the letter of repudiation from her clan, they will kiss her gently. Then Kakashi will rush inside with forms and applications, a few chosen words for the Haruno's decision, and an offer to take his name. And Sakura will smile.

#my writing #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #kakashi hatake #tsunade senju #narusasusaku #narusakusaku #polyamory #OT3 #trans!sakura #transgender character #fanfiction

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im-not-a-what · 7 years

Text

The Witch Doctor on Main Street, Ch. 4

Title: The Witch Doctor on Main Street

Summary: Mr. Gold runs Storybrooke’s herbal shop. He sells remedies that some people consider miraculous, although he’s earned suspicion from florist Moe French and distrust from professionals like Dr. Whale. When Moe’s daughter Belle moves into town, she gets caught up in the rivalries and mysteries surrounding Gold’s line of work. Little do any of them know the true power of Gold’s “magic touch.” But a warlock making herbal medicine may not be the only extraordinary secret hiding in Storybrooke.

Rating: G

Genre: Friendship, drama, modern-day with magic AU

Chapter: Parents and Punishments [1] [2] [3]

Characters/Pairings: Mr. Gold, Neal/Baelfire, Lily, Maleficent

Read on AO3

Note: This chapter gives the Golds’ perspective on what happened that day Belle was visited by Neal and Lily.

There were worst ways for any given day to go, but getting a phone call from the principal at your son’s school with news that said son had assaulted another student certainly belonged on Gold’s list of Things I’d Rather Not Deal With. Yet the first question to leave his lips was, “Did my son have a good reason?”

“Good reason?” Principal Nottingham sputtered, balking at the insanity he deemed present in Gold’s words. “Mr. Gold, we have a zero-tolerance policy for violence at this school!”

“Could you at the very least tell me who else was involved?”

“If you and the parents of the other students wish to set up a conference, I can arrange an appointment.”

“Other students?” Just how many kids did Neal try to fight?

“Yes—Lilith Vincent and August Booth. I suggest waiting until the conference to discuss this matter with their parents. I want to handle this situation as judiciously as possible.”

“Of course,” Gold said. The words churned in the back of his throat.

The growl had its intended effect, if the principal’s “ahem” was any indication. “Y-you can imagine that this behavior warrants suspension, Mr. Gold. You’ll receive a written statement of the facts and my decision on how to proceed within the next few days. The same will be so with the other children.”

“And if I don’t agree with your decision?”

“You have a right to a hearing, of course.” Another clearing of the throat. “This is a serious situation, as I’m sure you understand—”

“I’m coming to pick up my son now,” Gold said as he turned over the pawnshop’s sign to ‘Closed’.

“Yes, yes, please do. Thank you for your time.”

Gold snapped his flip phone shut. He still writhed at the fact that someone decided it was a good idea to put that man in charge of children. He didn’t trust Keith Nottingham’s judgement as far as he could hurl him. Then again, with the right amount of effort, he just might try hurling the principal quite a distance.

Maybe Gold felt responsible for this uncharacteristic aggression in his boy. Not that he was beating people in back alleys with his cane (despite a few fantasies). But while he provided a well sought service in the community, he wasn’t by any stretch popular. Moe French had sympathetic compatriots.

Some had asked, even begged, for more than even Gold could deliver, he whose gift with herbal medicine astounded his clients. Such a gift inspired a little too much hope at times. To other citizens, the mere aura of the shop, old-timey and steeped in esoteric knowledge, hinted that the man wielded a power they could never understand. That notion earned in turns respect and fear. Once, long ago, the shop had a friendlier atmosphere under the care of Rosalind Gold and her partner Olive Meriwether. Even when its current owner first inherited the establishment, their generous spirit carried on within it. Now, light still played on the glass counters, tin tea boxes and porcelain jars, but most of the store lived in a shadow of whispered memories. The ember of kinder times had been reduced to a flicker.

Gold hadn’t noticed the gradual change until he got a call from his ex-wife confirming she was not coming back. What hope this place had promised for the future nearly sputtered out. Gold alternately had avoided it and hidden in its gloom, even from Neal.

His son wore bravery like armor, reflecting the light of the world around him and hiding the scars. But the scars remained, as did a cloud of anger and sadness. The cloud would rear up, an overdue storm, in moods that took and left too suddenly to predict. Gold did notice that it came around most often around Neal’s birthday. Neal seemed increasingly aware, too, since each year he tried harder and harder to distract himself or pretend to be cheerful. It erupted in an outburst, anyway—maybe some shouting, a few cruel words, often followed by silence and isolation. Then he always apologized: “It wasn’t your fault, Pop. I know it wasn’t. I just wish . . .”

Gold never had the right words. He let Neal guide his response, normally a hug or an offer to get him something, anything, he wanted in town. Ice cream, donuts, a bagel with cream cheese—always food for some reason.

An offer of ice cream was probably not the right way to confront one’s son about a school fight. Gold pushed aside the impulse to overthink what to say to Neal, even when he arrived.

School was still in session, though close to dismissal, so most of the halls were empty. He was left to a relatively peaceful walk to the administrative offices. The reception area provided a buffer to the principal’s office so Gold could step inside, loiter near the receptionist’s empty desk and observe the space. It was then he noticed his son, a little bloodied around the nose but otherwise fine. Further in along a wall, parallel to the one on his right but out of the doorway’s line of sight, stood a row of chairs occupied by Neal and two other kids. Lily sat right beside him with a split lip, a bruised chin, and reddened knuckles on her right hand. She just whispered something in his ear. August Booth, tall and freckled, was struck with the fear of God at the sight of Mr. Gold. He buried his gaze in his lap and clasped hands. He had a couple more darkening circles on his face, including a black eye.

Lily saw Gold second to August. She bumped Neal’s shoulder with her own. Neal looked up, then tried to sink his head between his shoulders. Pure shame. Yet he did cut a glare at August before fully embracing chagrin.

Gold started at a calm stride toward his son. Hardly after two steps, a door somewhere on his left swung open.

“Mr. Gold!” Principal Nottingham hurried out of his office. Gold was briefly distracted by how the man tried to pass his greasy, barely combed hair as a legitimate style. The receptionist, Mrs. Loxley, made a furtive getaway from Nottingham’s office back to her desk.

“I’m here for my son.” Gold barely looked at the other man. His gaze and nodded urged Neal to collect his bag and come along as quickly as possible. Neal was inclined to agree, but as he stood, he regarded Lily like a soldier leaving a comrade to face the current skirmish on her own.

“I just want to thank you for coming so promptly.” Nottingham moved in and made a half-realized motion to shake Gold’s hand. One deadpan glance from Gold stopped him and sent his hand into retreat. Still, he kept talking. “I understand that this looks rather ugly, but we will handle this matter delicately.”

“We?” Gold asked.

“Well, the school board will be informed, of course. I-I can’t help that. There’s also the matter of your son’s permanent record—”

“Mr. Nottingham,” Gold said at a gentle volume, “I suggest you hold your tongue until we conduct our official meeting. I intend to seek legal counsel if it comes to that. Now, as I wish to waste as little of your time as possible, we’ll be leaving.”

By now, Nottingham had put a five-foot berth between himself and Gold. He nodded while trying to smile. “Yes, of course. I just---uh, well—”

“If you have something to say,” declared a woman’s voice behind Gold, “you might as well spit it out.”

Oh, brother. Gold barely held back an eyeroll before turning around.

Magdalene Vincent, sharply dressed and sharply tongued, swept into the reception area. She came to an ominous halt beside Gold, which he accepted since she became a filter for the unctuous presence of Nottingham.

“No, no, Ms. Vincent,” Nottingham sputtered. “I understand that you and Mr. Gold are very busy. And for your children’s sake, it’s best that we hold off further discussion of the matter for a better time.”

“I want an account of the incident,” Magdalene said, “here and now.”

Lily mimicked Neal’s turtlish pose.

Nottingham tugged at his tie. “Uh, well—”

“Not out here.” She sounded weary already. “In your office.”

Gold had to admit to admiration that she didn’t add “idiot” at the end of the sentence. What he didn’t like was how she faced him and, with a conspiring nod, roped him into an uncomfortable session with the already perspiring principal. He would’ve preferred taking Neal home and dealing with the technicalities later. But Nottingham might use the grace period to craft a damning case against Neal if he wished. Magdalene wasn’t taking that chance, and maybe Gold ought not to, either.

With an apologetic look and instructions that Neal and Lily sit tight, Gold followed Magdalene and Nottingham into the office.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged with a story that, quite frankly, didn’t do much to change Gold’s feelings about the situation. Under the force of Magdalene’s pointed questions, Nottingham conceded that Lily had been harassed first by August, although various accounts from the trio as well as witnesses didn’t completely agree on who started the physical fight and why. Lily didn’t seek a teacher for aid, so in Nottingham’s eyes, that made her partly culpable for what happened—Magdalene’s glower not withstanding. As for Neal, he interceded on Lily’s part, first to pull her out of the fight with August, then to fight August in her place. All this had occurred during lunch period, so plenty of students and a handful of teachers on lunch duty could paint a panorama of the event sequence. Lily and August started the fight; Neal finished it with August on the ground.

When the two parents and principal exited their private conference, Marco Booth was standing and waiting with his son at his side. Marco became awash with distress seeing two of Storybrooke’s most intimidating residents already in talks with the principal. To Gold and Magdalene’s surprise, though, Marco prompted August to apologize to them and Mr. Nottingham for fighting with Neal and Lily. The boy begrudgingly did. Gold wondered if Marco was aware that a simple apology wouldn’t let August off the hook for suspension. The old carpenter had a sincere air bordering on naivete. He did what he could to raise his son with a moral backbone, but maybe August took advantage of his old man’s goodwill. He did look chided, if only for his father’s sake.

Once the parents collected their children, Marco lingered to get clarification on a few details about the fight from Nottingham. The Golds and Vincents gladly left the Booths behind. Gold caught Neal meeting eyes with Mrs. Loxley, who returned his gaze in sympathy.

“We need to talk,” Magdalene said as they approached their cars, only a couple parking spaces apart.

“Can’t it wait?” Gold said.

“It’s in both our best interests.”

Neal slowed down as he neared the Cadillac Deville. Lily rested a hand on the passenger door handle of the Chevrolet Bel-Air while watching the adults. Gold checked on his son, feeling the scrutiny, before he replied to Magdalene. “If we do this, it’ll be at my shop.”

“That’s your idea of neutral territory?”

“It’s a place of business, open to anyone who cares to peruse it, but I can guarantee privacy.”

Magdalene looked hardly eased by his reasoning. Yet, after a glimpse at Lily, she nodded.

That was how Mr. Gold and Ms. Vincent ended up talking in the herbal shop’s backroom while the children were told to wait outside. By the time they arrived, Gold warmed up to the upcoming conversation. Suppose Nottingham had the gall to suspend Neal for standing up for a friend, as the boy himself confirmed during the car ride. August, while not exactly a friend, was a tolerable classmate when he wasn’t tagging along with kids who wasted every hour they could spare sneaking in a smoke behind the school or causing some vandalism in the way of graffiti or overturned trash and recycling bins. Lately he’d gotten into some gambling, or his “friends” often bullied him out of money. Today he came up to Lily, first pretending to be nice, even a little flirty, which Lily shot down. He switched to pressing her about his desperate situation—he owed fifty dollars to a kid named Lambert.

Now, Lily didn’t have the cleanest nose herself; she’d fallen in with similar kids who encouraged her to skip classes and stay out late. Lambert was someone she’d known and then made a point to avoid. The last thing she wanted was to give him her money.

Pleas and refusals turned to exchanged insults. August let some thoughtless barb fly that hit Lily on the worst nerve. The next moment her fist connected with his face. So, yes, Lily had thrown the first punch, but he’d clearly crossed a line! And then August retaliated by shoving Lily. She toppled into a lunch table, her face impacting on its edge. He didn’t even get a breath to insult her again or blurt out an apology before another attack from Lily. Neal was heading back from the bathroom when he ran into a gathering crowd of spectators. By then, Lily was on top of August, wailing on him.

As soon as he pushed through to the other side of the throng, Neal grabbed and hauled her away. He didn’t know about the table, so seeing her already reddening eye and jaw set him off to confront August. Despite some solid punches to his chest, August got back to his feet with only a few hearty coughs. Neal made the mistake of shoving him as the freckled boy stepped toward them. Adrenaline in flux and pride on the line, August didn’t give a thought to taking a swing at Neal. Both boys were soon grabbling, punching and pushing each other. The cheering students acted as a barrier to the two female teachers on duty. One of them retrieved Mr. Dunbroch, the gym teacher. While he had a prosthetic leg, he put every weight-lifting man in town to shame. His shouts were enough to bisect the crowd. His big hands grabbed the boys by their hair so they’d be in too much pain to keep fighting. As soon as it was clear he’d just landed himself in hot water, August weaseled out Lily as the instigator.

Gold made it clear to Neal that he shouldn’t have let the fight go on by pushing August. That said, he understood Neal’s indignity from seeing his best friend hurt. What he didn’t tell Neal was his deep displeasure at Lily’s behavior. Yes, it was irritating to be hit up for money, and perhaps August’s remark, whatever it was, deserved a thrashing. But by letting her temper overrule what good sense she had, she dragged Neal into trouble with her. That was not the sort of friend his son needed.

The teens agreed to wait outside the shop’s backdoor—they each had their tablets and phones to occupy them. Thank goodness for distracting technology. Relatively confident that their busy fingers would stick to the pulse of social media and keep their ears away from the chatter inside, Gold escort Magdalene into the backroom.

The two parents were swallowed by the soothing aromas of flowers, herbs, salts and oils coming from the raw materials of his products. The main worktable had a standing army of bottles, jars and bowls. Gold felt a little self-conscious about the mess. It was his work area, so he didn’t need to keep it organized for anyone but himself. Everything else in his life—his house, his showroom in the front, his finances, his wardrobe—were all kept in immaculate order. He never let Neal leave a shirt or even a sock lying around: either it went in the hamper or he never saw it again. He’d drawn the line at cleaning Neal’s room. Neal could arrange his belongings in some manner of manageable chaos. Creative spaces were given exception. Gold’s workroom was one such space—his potions den. His laboratory. A system existed, to be sure, so he could access this jar of ginkgo leaves and this box of goldenseal root, but once they were on the table, it became a collage of concoctions simultaneously in the process of creation.

All past this he led Magdalene toward the room’s front end, right behind the curtain to the show room. She’d caught glimpses of his handiwork before. It still felt exposing. A few comfortable chairs, upholstered in velvet, were summoned from a corner. On a nearby counter resided a portable stove, the barest equipment for making tea and frying up a meal if he couldn’t slip over to Granny’s diner or prepare something ahead of time at home. Gold rarely cared to leave unless urgency pressed him.

“This places smells like a garden collided with a soap factory.” Magdalene wrinkled her nose.

Leave it to a woman who comes into regular contact with furnaces, diesel fuel and heating oil to find the scent of gardens and soaps unpleasant. “Maybe one of my teas will improve the smell.” Gold went over to a counter where a kettle rested beside a portable stove. He filled the kettle with water from a sink and set it on the burner to boil. He then nestled himself in the chair and set his cane against one of the armrests. “I should’ve expected this day to come.”

Magdalene planted both feet on the floor while leaning back in her seat. She didn’t care to cross her legs when there was business at hand. “Is this in regards to your son’s cavalier behavior?”

“Cavalier? Neal might well have saved your daughter from more unpleasant consequences. I think I’m more in the right to be worried.”

“How do you reason that?”

“Your daughter was the first aggressor. Neal acted only after she put herself in harm’s way. That temper of hers—”

“You know how it is for her! I couldn’t have been clearer about it.”

Gold allowed Magdalene a moment to cool. While her pale blonde hair, fair skin and gray-blue eyes suggested the temperament of an ice queen, she was anything but. The cracks in her restraint showed through the tendons of her neck, in the harsh line her red mouth drew across her face like a bloody wound. She had years of practiced self-control behind her, but Gold knew better than to push her limits. He was sensible about these things. He had to be.

“I must make my son’s safety my priority,” he said once the tension in her face laxed. “You must understand that.”

“You bound yourself to a contract,” she replied.

“Not at the expense of my son’s welfare.”

“And what of Lily’s welfare?” Anger dissolved into no less troubling sorrow. Her sharp eyes bowed to the floor, not out of deference but from something that lingered in her thoughts much closer to home. Gold linked his fingers together and waited, patient as always.

Magdalene led with a sigh. “Lily has been asking about her father. More than usual.”

Gold’s head slowly bent down.

“There’s only so much I can say. I’m running out of excuses, and now she’s . . . she’s channeling her frustration into other outlets.”

“Teenage rebellion,” Gold reminded her.

“It goes beyond that. If it comes to it, I will track down her father. But you can imagine the complications involved. It could take a while, if it’s even possible. As for Lily, I need your guarantee that whatever happens, you will do as you promised.”

Gold dragged in air through his slender nose. It was hard not to bristle at what could’ve been a veiled threat. “Is this your way of demanding my special services? I could prescribe some remedies—”

“No. My daughter doesn’t need to be medicated.”

“There’s no shame in a little help to keep her nature under control.”

“Rupert.”

Gold stiffened. An extra vibrato registered an octave below Magdalene’s natural voice. In a moment he recovered, tilted his head, and assumed a disapproving tone. “I meant no offense, Magda. No need to make it personal.”

She huffed with a duchess’ primness. “Sometimes I think you and your kind like to forget who has the real power, regardless of the adjustments we’ve all had to make.”

“True. We all must adapt. I recognize that it’s harder for some. As I said, my services are available if you wish to make use of them. I’m not sure how else I’m supposed to aid your daughter.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to step beyond the usual bounds.” She was annoyed by this parrying, so she moved on to what she presented as a compromise. “Your son has been, dare I say it, a positive influence on her. I don’t want her thinking she should depend on a man for protection, but he’s provided her companionship over the years. I understand why today’s events would prompt you to put an end to their friendship. If nothing else, allow Lily to have it.”

Gold pulled a half-frown. He was discouraged from his previous plan simply by the imagined scene of him telling Neal to stay away from Lily. “I doubt I could stop it if I wanted to. But I hold Lily accountable for today, regardless what he says. If she wants to get into fights, she’ll do so alone.”

His declaration went unanswered for a short while. Magdalene turned over her thoughts while her eyes drifted over the backroom. Gold took this moment to check on the steaming kettle. The water was hot enough to pour into a teapot and leave a couple of teabags to steep. When he returned to his chair, her attention wandered back to him.

“At one time, I would’ve encouraged Lily to fight her own battles. I still support it in the long-term. But, right now, she’s just a child. I’d rather do the fighting for her. So please appreciate what I’m asking. It’s not easy to do.”

His acknowledgement came as a nod. Magdalene wore her pride well. As a young woman from a humble upbringing, her start in the heating business was far from glamorous. It suited her, though, the hard work. When the money rolled in, her business expanded with employees who did the bulk of the labor, but she still had the most experience and could be depended on for a sound assessment of repairs and installations she was brought in to oversee. She wore the gray business suit like a second skin. She also continued inspecting the wares of her trade, hands-on, traces of ash and oil inescapable. That was the pride of self-dependence. She wanted that trait to pass on to Lily. So yes, he could understand how this must have felt to a formidable creature, rolling over on its back and presenting its vulnerable side at the mercy of another.

Gold rubbed his thumb and forefinger on the head of the right armrest. “I don’t suppose you’re asking me to play a . . . a sort of surrogate father to Lily.”

Her scoff came with an arched eyebrow. “Let’s not give her the wrong idea. You needn’t be any friendlier—I know the toll it would take on you. Just watch over her. Give her guidance if she seeks it. If there’s a standing credit as a result, I’ll be the one to pay it.”

“I charge consultant fees only by appointment.” His cheeky smile only widened under the force of her askance glower. He got up to fetch the tea before Magdalene answered.

After clearing a place on the work table, he set down the tea tray loaded with quaint blue-and-white china. Magdalene wisely waited in her chair until everything was assembled. Gold filled their cups with pleasantly bitter English Breakfast, and they sipped while discussing the logistics of Nottingham’s account of the fight and how it matched with Neal’s and Lily’s versions. Their children’s stories corroborated each other, which might have been a testament to their aptitude for conspiracy, but Gold and Magdalene felt it bolstered a defense against suspension. The trickiest points of contention lay in two facts: Lily threw the first punch, and Neal pushed August after he broke up the first fight, thereby initiating a second fight. Their parents had no misgivings or doubts about arguing provocation and self-defense, respectively. As the hands on the clock mounted next to the archway marked the passing of the hour, they built a case were Nottingham to hand out suspension notices.

A tingle of warning at the back of his neck begged Gold to pardon himself from the conversation and peer outside the back door. Neal and Lily were nowhere in sight.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Magdalene said while pulling out her phone. A couple calls to Lily’s cell garnered no response.

Gold tried the same method with Neal’s phone. Same outcome. In hopes that the children had only just wandered up and down Main Street to assuage their boredom, Gold and Magdalene exited by the store front, just in time to see the new librarian walking their Neal and Lily back to them. The sight and the exchange that followed blindsided Gold. Magdalene was not much less startled, though she conveyed it through silent intimidation. For him, he couldn’t even muster a reason to be annoyed at Belle French. He was the one who had tried soliciting a payment from her father not a week ago. It was odd, though, (and therefore dubious) that Belle saw it as her business to escort them to their folks after an hour of presumably watching them. Perhaps this was her idea of becoming part of the community, regardless the fact that “librarian” didn’t equate to babysitter or youth counselor.

“She was just being nice, Dad,” Neal fired off, though only after Magdalene and Lily left. “It’s not like she’s trying to get another favor out of you. Why do you always assume that about people?”

“It may seem unreasonable to you, but I’ve learned that trust must be earned.”

“And what’s she done to make you distrust her?”

“Nothing. I barely know her.”

“Then why did you offer her a job?”

Gold was putting the tea set away, the pot’s contents transferred into a thermos and stored in a minifridge under the counter, when Neal’s words stopped him short. “How do you know that?”

“I didn’t,” Neal said, hands in his pockets. “But I know how you are about magic. I’d hoped you hadn’t visited her to make her return the favor. Guess I was wrong.”

“Neal, I didn’t demand anything.” The pang of disappointment in himself—in how well his son knew him—tightened his throat for a few seconds. “Belle said she was open to the idea of working in the shop.”

Neal’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh. Well, if it’s her idea, then you should hire her. Then you’ll find out who she really is.”

“And you won’t have to help out as much.” Some of Gold’s smile returned.

Neal didn’t try to argue.

For the rest of the afternoon, Gold resumed managing the store, now open and receiving the usual trickle of clientele. Leroy, a hardy janitor, crept in for bi-monthly jar of iron-supplement tablets and a bottle of joint pain relief cream, accompanied by the side-eye that reminded Gold to keep his health issues secret. Other customers gravitated to the displays of thread, yarn, knitting and crochet needles, and the scarves and socks one could create with deceptively simple tools. Anton Bean was among them, the rotund giant of a man who oversaw the town’s community garden. Abigail and Frederick Knight stopped by to pick out new scented candles, completely organic and designed for aromatherapy. Marco hadn’t been by yet to purchase another bottle of wood finish, also organic and, by his own admission, more effective and less odorous than the commercial brands. His best friend, Dr. Hopper, did come in to ask about Gold’s pet products. Pongo was suffering from a gum infection. Gold had a limited selection of remedies for animals, but he easily pulled a bag of dog biscuits off the shelf and instructed the therapist on how and when to administer the homemade treats. If the infection didn’t clear up in a week, Hopper should come back and put in an order for a special formula.

In the meantime, Neal completed his homework in the backroom. Gold checked in every so often to ensure homework was indeed getting finished. He even looked over whatever worksheets Neal’s teachers had assigned. While not particularly versed in information technology, Gold assumed that Neal snuck in breaks to check social media or play a game on his phone. He allowed it so long as homework was in progress, too.

Both of them were done with work by seven o’clock. Gold closed the store for a second time and drove home with Neal. Halfway to their salmon-pink Victorian house, Neal breached a topic Gold had expected him to avoid like a contagion.

“Um, Dad? I’ve been thinking . . . maybe I should apologize to August and his dad next time I see them.”

Gold frowned. “What? Why?”

“It seems like the right thing to do. Should I apologize to Mr. Nottingham, too?”

“No,” Gold declared. “You need to avoid suspension. Let’s not do anything to compromise that.”

“I get that. But apologizing would be the right thing to do, right?”

“You said yourself you were helping Lily. Now it sounds as though you believe you were wrong.”

“It’s not like that, exactly.” Neal blinked hard and wiggled his nose. No doubt it was still sore. “August was being an a—a jerk. But I could’ve handled it differently. I could’ve yelled at him or something. Or gotten Lily away and reported to a teacher. That’s what Mr. Nottingham said I should’ve done. Maybe he was right.”

The corner of Gold’s mouth twitched down. “Neal, I won’t get into a long-winded explanation, but I’ve known Keith Nottingham for years. I don’t know why anyone thought he should be your principal. I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust most people in charge, but I will tell you that Nottingham has his own, personal reasons for punishing students for fights. He’s not interested in right and wrong.”

Neal watched his father for a silent minute. Their house came into view when he spoke. “Wow. You realize most parents would tell their kids to not think badly of other adults, right?”

“Other parents might have to worry about their children using any excuse to act out. I don’t have to worry about that with you.” Gold glanced at Neal, his look both pointed and playful. “Right?”

“No, Dad. I’m gonna organize a school-wide riot to get Mr. Nottingham to resign.” The boy was remarkably gifted at deadpan. At the end, however, a half-smile broke through his dry delivery.

Gold didn’t hold back his own grin. It faltered as he thought about his son’s previous worries. “You still want to apologize to the Booths?”

Neal nodded. “Mr. Booth looked so upset when he came in. August told him Lily punched him first. His dad looked at her, pretty angry, but he asked why she did it. Lily didn’t want to say, so I told him that August had insulted her. He went from being mad at Lily to being mad at August. And he could see that Lily had bruises, though not as bad as August’s. He told August he’d raised him better than to hurt people. He made him apologize to us. And—I don’t know. I could tell Mr. Booth was disappointed in us, too, but he wasn’t going to scold us. I don’t think August was all that sorry for what he did. He didn’t want to let his dad down, though. As much of a jerk as he can be, he loves his dad. And it got me thinking: I gotta be at least as decent as August. I mean, wouldn’t apologizing by my own choice make me the bigger person?”

Gold sighed. The whole “bigger person” argument was overrated in his estimation. There were plenty of circumstances where protecting yourself and your loved ones was more important than being especially noble.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He steered the car into the driveway.

“Great. Thanks for the moral support, Pop.”

Gold cut the engine and turned to his son. “I won’t pretend I’m the expert when it comes to what the noble thing to do is. But I know this: there are people in this world who will take advantage of your good nature, Neal. Marco Booth isn’t one of them; Mr. Nottingham is. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is that you have to be careful and not let anyone twist your generous gestures against you. If you apology to someone who hurt you or someone you love, simply because you hurt them back in retaliation, they will take that to mean they can hold your guilt over you like a Sword of Damocles.”

“Sword of what?”

“I mean like—like a guillotine, always hanging over your head.”

“Oh.” Neal’s mouth pursed into a frown. “Yeah, that sucks.”

“Indeed. I don’t want you going through life like that. You have to stand up for yourself, even if that means throwing a punch.”

“I’m pretty sure this is not the conversation Mr. Nottingham is expecting us to have. But I get what you’re saying.”

“Don’t worry about what Nottingham thinks.”

“Okay. But I care if it was right or not. I am sorry—but not completely sorry.”

Gold chuckled. “Let’s leave it at that, then.”

“Really? You’re not gonna punish me?”

Maybe he should. There wasn’t some parental committee that could come in and condemn him for not grounding his son for a school fight. But that did sound like the responsible course of action. Gold leaned into his seat and stared ahead in thought. No Internet? No, that was next to impossible with Neal’s laptop and phone. Gold himself depended on Neal having a phone as a means to stay in touch. Sure, parents had managed parenting without this technology since humanity’s first days, but boy was it convenient. Even if Gold wanted to try it, Neal would find ways around it. Friends’ phones, computers at school, just to name a few alternatives. A more effective and manageable punishment would be to enforce added chores rather than take away privileges.

An epiphany came, and with it a smug expression. “Janitorial duties,” Gold said. “For the next week, I’ll pick you up from school. We’ll go directly to the shop. You’ll dust, sweep and mop the entire place. Then you’ll complete your homework. After I close up, we’ll go directly home. No going out with friends, no friends coming over.”

“Oh, come on!” Neal’s pleading look couldn’t undermine his father’s resolution. His grumbles were taken as a sign that Gold had chosen a satisfactory penalty. Even so, mild displeasure niggled at him.

“Hey,” Gold said, “let’s get some ice cream.”

Neal picked up his head off the headrest, despair discarded. “You serious?”

“My sweet tooth is calling. You on board?”

While no more ready to process this turnabout, Neal said, as though defeated, “Yeah, sure.”

Gold gave a kinder smile as he switched the engine back on.

#ouat fic #papafire #rumplestiltskin #baelfire #neal cassidy #the witch doctor on main street

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