#// had a fancy frappuccino and an ice cream at the place!

[crescentmp3]

fell today. i am literally a 2cm tall little guy and i am being met with such hard challenges

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Persephone's Symphony | Day Two | Persephone

Hey my lovelies a month later here is the next installment! When I was planning my chapters out a month or so ago I wrote at the top of this one "Sunny day, go outside, FLUFFY" (exact words)-- I regret to inform you that this is almost pure angst LOL. I deviated from that but the next chapter should bring some much needed fluff. Thank you all for your patience and support-- it means the entire world to me. All my love, until next time <3

Synopsis: In which he is the bad one— the dangerous one, the clunky one, the one who only knows how to break things— and she is the good one— the fragile one, the soft one, the one who knows how to put things back together— and he has to keep her alive long enough for anyone else— anyone who can do more than kill— to save her like she deserves to be saved— to save her from him. There are no pomegranates, no three headed dogs, and no requirement to stay— that is, if they don’t count an assassin on the loose out for her neck. In that case, three days in a safe house doesn’t feel like a long time— just long enough for Persephone and Hades to remember why opposites attract.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader (third person)

Warnings: Mentions of death, anxiety, PTSD, nightmares, angst things, self-hatred, terrible Greek myth references, this ones big angst but necessary for the plot line

Word count: 5.2k

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Master List

He likes his coffee iced.

Black and iced.

She watches as Bucky lifts the glass— the one filled with more cubes than coffee— to his lips, wincing when his throat bobs. It’s seven in the morning. Sure, neither of them slept that much last night— something which makes her gut twist, knowing quite well that it’s her fault— but still. It can’t be as refreshing as he’s making it look. Iced coffee is meant for afternoons. And meant with as much sugar and cream as she can get her hands on. Never just straight dark roast. She clutches her own mug closer to her, taking a sip of the warm, sweet liquid. This is how it should be.

“Got something you wanna’ say, doll?” He takes another sip and she scrunches her nose, both trying to keep her eyes off his pink lips and trying not to force her own mug into his hands— she would be doing him a favor.

If the slight smirk— the millimeter tick in his cheek— is anything to go by then she would say he knows how hard this is for her. A sadist. His lips pull up a touch higher, as though reading her mind. A handsome sadist. Her face flushes under his gaze and she drags in a lungful of air through her nose, holding it for a moment— one, two, three moments— before blowing it back out her mouth.

She lets the hint of coffee leftover on her tongue carve a syrupy smile across her face. “Nope— nothing at all.”

He nods once, blue eyes creasing at the corners as he stares at her from over the glass. He knows. He lazily swirls the coffee, the ice cubes clinking together. Mocking her. She clenches her jaw, fighting the growing urge to snatch the bitter drink and dump it down the sink. The liquid is so dark that she almost gags, picturing what it must taste like. Bitter. Tangy. Vile. It’s the same color as his hair— brown but practically black. Unlike his hair, though, she doesn’t want to be anywhere near that coffee. He needs something warm. Something soft.

Something like her—

“You sure?” Bucky’s voice is mocking too but lacking the ice— the bitterness— his mocking is sweet.

He’s tilting his head now, his black and gold hand settling on the table between them, glinting in the dregs of sunlight starting to break past the curtain. To think yesterday she had been afraid to meet his gaze— afraid of her own feet creaking against the hardwood and of messing up his lunch. Now look at her, less than twenty-four hours later and she can’t look away from him. She doesn’t want to look away. Forget about being afraid to burn the grilled-cheese— she’s about to spartan kick the glass off the table if he takes one more sip.

“Oh I’m sure.” She simpers, fingers curling a touch tighter around her mug. “Why, is there something you would like to say, Bucky?”

His eyes sparkle, not backing down from the challenge. “Nothing at all.”

In that moment— in the one, two, three moments that it takes for his head to slope to the other side, still tilted but somehow more taunting— it’s almost impossible to hold in the scowl threatening her lips. “I see.”

She doesn’t know what she’s expecting but it certainly isn’t Bucky’s laugh— loud and raspy and rushing over her in a tidal wave of energy stronger than the caffeine on her tongue— as he throws his head back. He had laughed yesterday but it wasn’t like this. It wasn’t so pure. It’s all she can do to hold her breath as his eyes flutter closed, creasing at the corners, and wonder if she looks that wonderful when she laughs too. If she, too, looks like an angel falling from the sun, burning in the inkling of light the curtain allows. Does the kitchen haze halo around her hair as well? Does it make it look like her skin is gold— the same way he looks like a statue, sculpted and frozen from precious metal?

There’s just no way.

“You look like you wanna’ leap across the table—” his hand presses against his mouth, flesh fingers closed in a fist as his shoulders shake— “why— why do you look so determined? C’mon, fill me in please— I’m—” he has to pause, laugh turning silent from the force of it— “I’m dyin’ here.”

Her own laughs come in short huffs, airy and just barely making a noise. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep finally getting her— that would explain both of their laughs actually. She hasn’t felt giddy in months. It kind of hurts, how hard her stomach contracts upon seeing his eyes blinking at her, bright blue and glassy, swallowing his chuckles the same way she gasps for the breath needed to answer him.

She finally caves, finger pointing to the glass in front of him and a smile so wide on her lips that her cheeks hurt. “There’s just no way that tastes good.”

He glances down, looking at his offensive beverage, before looking back up, his eyes brighter than she’s yet to have seen them. “That’s what this is about? My coffee? I knew it.”

Nodding, she lifts her own mug, tilting it just enough for him to see the contents. “This is coffee— not that sludge. That cold sludge. Is there any sugar in there? Like, even one grain?”

“Quit bein’ dramatic—” he snorts— apparently the big bad bodyguard snorts— and it’s cuter than she would like to admit— “just because I don’t load my coffee with additives. S’there even any coffee in yours, doll? It looks more like milk if you ask me.”

Her face flushes hot and she doesn’t know if it’s from the nickname or the fact that he just called her out— so what if she likes sugar and cream?

She meets his smug gaze with her own, narrowed-eyed glance. “Sugar and cream aren’t additives, Bucky— they’re good.”

“But not good for you.” He counters, dark brows quirking.

She scoffs— scoff, swoon, same thing— “Not everything has to be a superfood to be healthy— at least mine isn’t iced.”

Bucky’s eyes glint upon hearing that, picking up his glass and swirling the ice cubes once more before taking a long sip. His eyes never leave hers as he peers over the rim, taking his sweet time to down the liquid. Does he know that even when he’s being arrogant he looks like an angel? Her hand curls tighter around her mug, testing the durability of the ceramic as his throat bobs again. Her palm stings in warning— a little hey maybe you should let go. She doesn’t— somehow shattering the mug seems like a better option than breaking her composure.

Her grip loosens a fraction when he finally sets his glass back down. “What’s wrong with iced coffee— isn’t it a California staple?”

“Not before eight it isn’t.”

“It’s refreshing.” He deadpans.

“It’s cold.” She deadpans back, fingers tapping against her mug— maybe she can hypnotize him into not wanting to finish it. “Californians don’t like the cold. At least not in So-Cal we don’t. Maybe Brooklyn’s different.”

Eyeing his drink, she contemplates the schematics of the mission at hand. It truly doesn’t seem that difficult. She could just reach over and grab it and he wouldn’t even see it coming. He’s already distracted, right? She stops tapping, casually— well, as casual as one can be when actually trying to be— laying her palm on the table. His eyes, thankfully, stay glued to her own, lips parting with a huff.

“New Yorkers just want coffee, no time for all that fancy stuff.”

“Oh yeah?” She drawls. “What does fancy stuff entail exactly?”

She can only hope that her voice sounds interested— her eyes are still locked on his but her attention is entirely elsewhere. She needs to keep him talking— to keep him distracted. His huffs as she crawls her fingers closer, drawing his focus to her shrug, making sure he never glances away. This is too easy.

“All that cappuccino, frappuccino, whatever the hell it’s called nowadays—”

This time she huffs. “Is that what you think we drink?”

She inches her palm even closer to his glass—

“I know it’s what you drin— Hey!” Bucky laughs again, tugging his glass towards him with a cheshire grin— okay so maybe he would see it coming— “keep your hands where I can see them—”

Whatever he says next falls deaf into the space between them, cut off by the sudden rushing of blood in her ears. It’s like his words hit a barrier between them, one hastily constructed of thin glass and terror. Every thought of coffee rushes out of her mind in an instant. She blinks, mouth going dry, heart stopping. A switch flips inside her— keep your hands where I can see them or what?

What did he hear?

He must have heard something.

Why can’t she hear him?

She can see him— see the way his lips form around his sentence, his smile starting to wane but still slightly holding in place— but she can’t hear him. She can see the way his laugh drops but she can’t hear the explosion of it hitting the table. She can only perceive the collision in the fall of his lips, echoed in the creasing of his brows. Her hands catch in mid air, hitting the glass as well— she can’t save it. Him. She’s trying— instinctively reaching for him— but she can’t pull the smile back up or smooth the lines on his forehead. She’s helpless— useless.

He knows— he must know.

What did she say last night?

Why can’t she break the glass?

The wall is too much.

She tries to tell Bucky— I’m so scared I can’t breathe— but when her gaze snaps to his none of the blue that she’s been memorizing for the last day is visible. There’s only blackness— blackness in the now dimming light of the bright room and blackness in his eyes, even the whites, and blackness in her own vision as she, too, drops. One minute she’s there, sitting at the table, watching the confusion pool into his features that were only seconds ago coated in mirth, and then next she’s back. She’s dreaming. She’s in the house that haunts her every night.

She’s not asleep but—

She’s in the coat closet of her parent’s home. It still smells the way she remembers— like sunscreen and lemon Pine-Sol. Her mother uses it to keep the wooden fixtures around the house oiled. Apparently that’s a thing. She’s never really understood why but at least it smells nice— like sunshine and laughter and her mother. Like her home. She doesn’t understand but, regardless, any other time she would be closing her eyes and drawing in as much of the citrus as possible, too content to be confused.

Not today, though— she’s too excited to do any such thing today.

She hasn’t told anyone that she’s coming home for the weekend; she wants it to be a surprise. Her brother always surprises her. His birthday is just around the corner and for once she wants to be the one to do the surprising. Hell, she even bought a cake with an inscription— the very same cake that’s nestled next to her feet as she rummages through the shelves. Happy 29th Birthday! She has a whole plan in place. Have Susan drop her off while her family is out and set up the celebration before they return. It isn’t a hard plan. It’s supposed to be simple— not hard and very simple.

And then the door opens.

Not the closet door but the front door. She hears the familiar tread of her family— her mother’s eco-friendly slip-ons and her fathers clunky, also eco-friendly, sandals, followed by the heavy thudding of her brother’s combat boots. Despite her mother’s pleading— and the fact that he hasn’t been deployed in over a year— he still wears them religiously. Still, her interest peaks— it doesn’t make sense. The only time he doesn’t wear them is when he goes to the beach and she could have sworn one of them had sent her a text earlier today asking if she had wanted to go with them—

“Keep your hands where I can see them, you hear me!”

She freezes, hands clamping around the towel in her grasp as she whirls around and squints through the grate in the closet door. She can’t make out everything in front of her but she can make out enough to know that something isn’t right. There are four people standing in the foyer. Not three— not just her mother, brother, and father— but four. She sees her mother shoved behind her father, his arm curled around her hip, and her brother, his hands held out in front of him towards the fourth person. His face, while slightly distorted from the grate, is terrified. Him— the man who’s faced the worst of the war— terrified.

Something is terribly wrong.

She pushes her gaze to the fourth figure, trying desperately to understand what’s happening. Dressed in all black, their back towards her, there isn’t much to go off of. Their stance is rigid, steps heavy as they slam the front door and lock it. Is her family being robbed? Is that what this is? She knows they’re well off— more than that. She knows her family is rich. But her neighbourhood is guarded— enclosed. She’s never heard of something like this happening—

She bites back a scream as the person shouts at her family, voice staticy as it crackles through what sounds like a modifier. “On your knees— now!”

Her mother’s cry rings through the air, piercing her chest like a bullet. She wants to scream too but something inside her catches the sound before she can. Maybe it’s common sense— her street smarts coming out to play for once in her life. Maybe it’s fear— the scream dissipating into a barely audible huff of air as she watches her brother sink wordlessly to the floor. Solidarity, perhaps. Maybe, though, it's the slab of iron in the person’s hand, pressed against her father’s head and winking at her in the bright foyer light.

A gun— whoever is in her home has a gun and is pointing it at her family.

“Please don’t hurt my family—” it’s her father this time, his hands in the air and voice deadly calm— how he manages that she has no idea— “I’ll give you whatever you want. Money, jewelry, whatever you want, it’s yours— just please don’t hurt them.”

It’s surreal— she’s heard that phrase in movies and shows— hell, she heard it in a theatre production one time— a macabre commentary about something she couldn’t remember if her life depended on it— does her life depend on it right now?— of course it doesn’t snap out of it y/n! She’s losing her mind, her throat is burning and her palms are starting to sting— the point is she never thought she would hear those words said aloud. She certainly never thought they would come from her own father as he covers her mother’s body with his own.

“I don’t want your money!” The intruder growls, their voice so low and grainy that she almost doesn’t understand.

What she does understand is the sharp click of the gun’s safety being released— she understands the way the muscles in her body tense all at once. In that moment the unthinkable happens—

She drops the towel.

It doesn’t make much of a sound at all, only a small thud as it falls, but it’s enough to make her jolt backwards, foot landing heavy in her brother’s cake. The heady scent of the cream-cheese icing melds with the Pine-Sol and she has to swallow the vomit that rises in her throat, not daring to lift her foot let alone move an inch as the hulking figure rises.

They spin around quickly, facing the closet with a covered face and squinted black eyes, and her heart stops dead in her chest. Can they see her? Do they know she’s in there? She had made a beeline for the closet when Susan dropped her off, not bothering to stop long enough to kick her shoes off until inside the small space. She hasn’t even turned the light on— there’s been enough pouring in through the grate to do without. Perhaps there’s a chance they don’t know she’s here.

She holds her breath as the figure steps forward, arms pressed tightly to her chest. Whoever it is get’s so close to the grate that for a moment she can’t see her family at all. It’s only a few seconds before they turn away— logically it can’t be more or else she’d be gasping for air— but it feels like a lifetime, her toes curling in the red-velvet and a steady bead of sweat rolling down the back of her neck. She prays the entire time— she doesn’t know to who— she doesn’t know if she’s being heard— but she prays.

And the figure turns around.

Her hands fly to her jeans immediately, frantically pressing against the material but coming away empty. Fuck— where the hell is her cellphone? She could have sworn it was in her pocket! She wracks her brain, trying to think of where it could be. She hadn’t brought her purse or a coat— why would she, she was only going home. She has both of those things in her bedroom upstairs. She had just slipped her debit card into her phone case and ran to meet Susan—

Fuck— no, no, no!

An image of Susan’s console jumps into her mind, her phone sitting in the cupholder, forgotten as she animatedly waves her hands around. She can’t even remember the story she’d been telling now. It was nothing important— now she knows that. Nothing important enough to warrant forgetting her phone. She never forgets her phone.

She sees movement from the corner of her eye and her gaze darts to her mother whose head is now turned towards the closet, her eyes— the very eyes she’s spent years wishing she could have inherited instead of her father’s because they’re just so lovely— locked on hers. They pierce through the thin opening, softening a fraction, and her heart jumps, restarting.

She sees her.

She knows— her mother knows that she’s there. She’s watching and she knows. It’s both relieving and terrifying, knowing that she isn’t alone but also what would happen if she’s caught. Y/n’s lips peel open instinctively and, ever her persistent mother, she shakes her head. It takes everything in her to not call out for her— to not burst through the closet doors and rush into her arms. But her mother’s instincts have always been better than her own.

So she doesn’t speak— doesn’t move— she just watches.

It all happens so fast— the time it would take someone to blink is the time it takes to watch everything she’s ever known crumble.

She watches as the intruder turns, deciding that the closet is empty and that there are more important matters. Matters meaning her family. Matters meaning the gun in their hand.

She watches as her brother lunges forward, his arms wrapping around the intruder and bringing them both to the ground with a thud that threatens to bring the entire house down around them. It all happens in slow motion— yet another thing she never thought she would experience off the big screen. They roll around for a moment, battling for control. For that moment her chest sags— he’s going to win. He’s a trained soldier and he’s strong and his birthday is in three days. He has to win.

But then a gunshot rings through the air and a cloud of smoke erupts from between their bodies.

And one of them slumps but it isn’t the one in the mask.

It smells like fireworks, the gunpowder. Like the fourth of July or labor day weekend. Like she should be celebrating with the neighborhood and not pressing her fist against her mouth, helpless as her brother’s body caves in on itself. She doesn’t even get time to process the crimson pooling from the corner of his mouth as his head slots towards her before the intruder is back on their feet.

She watches as the monster aims the gun again— matters being dealt with— and she watches as her mother nods ever so slightly, her mouth just barely forming one last ‘I love you’— different matters but she would later come to find that they were also being closed. Her mother has never been one to leave things unresolved.

The second gunshot doesn’t smell like fireworks— it smells like lemon Pine-Sol.

It smells like blood.

No, she’s not asleep but she’s definitely not awake.

In hindsight maybe she should have taken that breath. She would have, had she known. Hindsight is funny like that. No. Funny is the wrong word. Hindsight is cruel like that. Better. It makes her wish that she had just closed her eyes— that she smelled the lemon oil one last time before it mingled with the metal of her family’s death. In hindsight she wouldn’t have left her phone in Susan’s car. Or dropped the towel. Or said no to the beach. Or any other thing that led her to stand in the coat closet. And those are just the things she wouldn’t do.

She still can’t think about the things she would do— not without bile rushing into her mouth.

Bucky clears his throat and— like the towel— the mug almost slips from her fingers.

“You sure you don’t want to talk ‘bout it?” His voice is gentle— well, as gentle as she’s sure he can make it— and that’s all she needs to understand that he really has no idea as to what’s going on in her head.

Surely if he did then he wouldn’t be gazing at her with that look in his eyes.

Shrugging, she keeps her attention focused on her mug— the coffee doesn’t look nearly as appetizing as it had before. She raises it anyway, her lips sealing around the porcelain and pulling in another mouthful of the liquid. Somehow, despite the steam that had been rising from it only minutes ago, it’s ice cold now. She grimaces but swallows it anyway, if only to buy herself a few seconds to think of a suitable answer. Maybe that’s why Bucky drinks it too— as a distraction. As a guise.

The mug thunks off the table when she sets it down, her hand landing much heavier than she intends. Of course it does— gods can she ever do anything normally? She winces, passing him a look she hopes conveys that it was an accident. She doesn’t want him to think she’s angry with him. Not when it feels like he’s the only person she isn’t mad at. These days that’s hard to come by. Thankfully his blue eyes remain soft. Maybe he gets it.

“I, uh—” she twists her fingers together, dropping her gaze to his cheek— this isn’t the kind of thing you say while looking someone in the eye. Maybe she’s just a coward, though— “I had a dream. Erm— about that night. A memory. Kind of.”

Her voice cracks and she swallows, trailing off. She didn’t mean to say the last part but it’s like it forced itself past her lips, her psyche unable— unwilling— to withhold the truth from him. Well, not all of it at least.

It’s not the whole story. It’s not even close. What she doesn’t say is that it’s her fault. All of it. That if she had just acted— if she had done anything at all worth something then she would still have her parents. Her brother. That she may as well have killed them herself because she sure as hell didn’t do anything to stop it. She doesn’t tell him that she’s nothing but a scared, stupid girl who— when it came down to it— froze. A monster— The Queen of Death.

Aren’t queens supposed to save the people they care about?

“A memory?” He sounds confused but all she can see is the grain of the table, her eyes now refusing to look at even his skin.

It’s all she can do to play off the way her chin drops— the way the air gets sucked out of her lungs— as a nod. “Yeah.”

Bucky doesn’t say anything in return and she’s not about to pick her chin up from her chest to demand an answer. She likes him. She doesn’t exactly want him to know she’s a killer. Well, more so than he already does. He’s here, though, so it’s not like he doesn’t know that the people closest to her always end up dead. Mother, father, brother— dead, dead, dead. He just doesn’t know the extent of it— or that she’s the harbinger.

That there’s a little part of her that wonders if he’s going to end up dead too just for sitting across from her.

Would she save him or would she only watch from the closet as his body caved to the floor?

Bucky hums softly— reverently— and she remembers the way his skin had glowed only minutes ago— Icarus meeting the sun— and the way he had laughed— Icarus humming his praise to the sun— and she feels like she’s been submerged in ice.

Icarus falling.

What happens when Icarus hits the ocean? Will it smell like lemon Pine-Sol?

Nevermind, she doesn’t want to know the answer.

Bile pools over her tongue and she swallows it as a tapping sound catches her attention in the stillness, her eyes darting to the cause. Sparkling metal— his fingers. The gold gleams even more now that the sun has risen higher. It’s not raining today— was it raining the day Icarus fell? She can’t tear her gaze away from his metal digits as they thrum a beat against the table, the steady motion mesmerizing. It’s not raining but his fingers could fool her. It’s nothing dramatic— nothing harsh. Just the tap, tap, tap of his index and middle fingers, a little heavier than had it been his flesh hand.

It’s a normal motion— she misses normal.

Tap, tap, tap.

She misses the rain.

It hits her like a truck how much she longs for the grey haze of yesterday’s sky. The sun is too bright— her skin is too exposed. It feels like it’s beaming right through her hoodie, cutting through the heavy fabric and burning the flesh from her bones just to prove that they’re not the ivory they should be but rather charred and black. It feels like the sun is out for her blood— out to watch the citrus ichor drip from her veins through the veiled window. If her feet weren’t rooted to the floor, her toes digging painfully into the harwood, she’s sure she would be sinking below the table to escape the rays. She can’t breathe— her mouth tastes like acid. Like lemons.

She misses the rain.

Tap, tap, tap— it’s not the rain but surely it’s close enough, right?

Icarus would think it’s enough, right?

So why does it make her shoulders tense?

“A memory.” Bucky breaks the silence, repeating his words but this time they aren’t a question— not yet. “What d’you mea—” he stops, sentence dropping before picking up on a new, clearer note— “You were there?”

Maybe because it’s the sound of the puzzle pieces clicking together in his head.

It’s not an accusation— there’s no charge in his tone— but still she flinches, hands pressed together at the wrists, fingers tangled together, guilty. She’s yet to confess but she’s already been caught— she can feel it— red handed in red velvet and wondering if— when she glances past the table— she’ll see her foot still smeared in the cream cheese icing. She had stood in it for so long that she wouldn’t doubt it. It’s a part of her now.

She nods, not trusting her voice. Not trusting herself to not reveal more than she already has. She isn’t being accused but her heart is pounding so hard that she feels like she’s in the interrogation room again. She wiggles her toes— are they sticky or is she just imagining it? Her shoulders burn where the sun has managed to cut through the crack in the curtain. She misses the rain.

Tap, tap, ta— his fingers stop.

Her eyes dart back to his metal hand, the black and gold frozen mid tap.

“Holy shit—” there’s a pause, his fingers flex before straightening, flattening against the table before— “they didn’t tell me that.”

Bucky’s voice is so low that she almost doesn’t hear it— she probably wasn’t supposed to. She has to force herself to keep her gaze leveled below his, her voice steady despite the fact that she’s almost certain the sun has seared through her vocal cords. Her throat burns. Maybe he wasn’t so far off with the iced coffee after all. She wouldn’t mind it right now.

“I wasn’t sure if they would.” She croaks and then winces, swallowing before her throat can close on it’s own— she needs at least the semblance of control.

It’s the truth— she didn’t know. It would have made sense to tell him, though. It would have been polite, at the very least. She’s damaged, they should have told him. Watch out. They should have given him the papers— the records of the month she spent in a hospital bed. They should have told him. Maybe they were trying to help her— maybe they were trying to save him. But they should have warned him regardless.

She’s unstable; she’s liable to shut down in the worst moments.

She doesn’t sleep at night; she just screams and screams and screams.

She’s deadly; she won’t help you, Icarus.

His fingers start again but this time it sounds less like rain.

Tap, tap, tap. Mother, father, brother.

“They should have.” Bucky grinds out, voice thick— angry? “They should have told me.”

Is he angry with her? She squeezes her hands together tighter, her nails digging into her knuckles. Please no. She shouldn’t have said anything— she should have kept her mouth shut. Isn’t that supposed to be the one thing she’s good at? Not speaking out? Not talking? The thought of the dark haired man being angry at her is like poison in her blood. The tension rolls over her bones in a heavy wave, settling like a blanket, suffocating her.

She can’t breathe.

She needs to breathe.

“I know—” she pushes through her teeth, voice finally cracking— “I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t know who she’s apologizing to— Bucky already told her not to apologize to him. She can’t help it though, the words are always on her tongue. Always haunting her.

I’m sorry I didn’t go to the beach— I know I missed a lot of family trips last year.

I’m sorry I left my phone in Susan’s car— I know you’re always telling me how forgetful I am.

I’m sorry I missed your birthday— I just wanted it to be a surprise.

Her skin itches, toes curling against the hardwood and the icing. It hurts. Everything hurts. The sun— the Pine-Sol. The sticky tinge to her skin where the blood had spattered through the grate. She needs out.

Tap, tap, tap. Mother, father, brother. Dead, dead, de— if she doesn’t get out of here right now there’s a good chance she’s going to explode.

“Do— ah— do you think maybe it would be okay to get some fresh air?”

Tag List: @xhollycowx @remembered-license @dumble-daddy @hellotvshowtrash @thesummerbucky @elijahs-wife @cari1bunny @im-just-star-dust @motherofallthesmallthings​ @hazardoushallucination​ @em-august @nuttytani @brown-eyed-babes

[oddarin]

It is one of the most meaningless thing I’ve done in time - all least-to-most ranks and just characters’ fact answers (those that with no pictures) from oficial Ask Arcana gathered in one place. Have no idea what that information could be used for and if it even useful but it kept me occupied and distracted from some life shit for a while, so let it be.

who is most to least likely to enjoy the movie Frozen? Lucio, Portia, Julian, Asra, Muriel, Nadia

Out of the cast, who is the most to least likely to be the jealous type? Portia, Lucio, Muriel & Nadia (tied), Julian, Asra

would you like to rank the characters from who cries most to least ugly? like from sniveling to shoujo manga tears? Muriel, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Asra, Nadia

who is the most to least superstitious Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Muriel

most to least excited to be at a WWE event Portia, Lucio, Asra, Julian, Nadia, Muriel

From worst to best at handling children Nadia, Lucio, Muriel, Asra, Portia, Julian

From worst to best for alcohol tolerance Muriel, Asra, Lucio, Julian, Portia, Nadia

Character ranking from best at keeping secrets to loose-liped gossip? Asra, Muriel, Nadia, Lucio, Portia, Julian

best to worst dancers? Asra, Portia, Julian, Nadia, Lucio, Muriel

Most to Least likely to slap you for stealing a mcnugget Nadia, Lucio, Asra, Portia, Julian, Muriel

Least to most likely to eat something weird (read: probably shouldn't be eaten) because of a dare? Nadia, Julian, Muriel, Lucio, Portia, Asra and not even on a dare

how old are each of the revealed characters? everyone is old, but in order of least old to most old: Asra, Portia, Muriel, Julian, Lucio, Nadia

Who's the best kisser? Who's the worst? Best kisser: Faust (good snake smooches) Worst kissers: Mercedes and Melchior (too much cronch)

-------------------------------------------------

If the main 6 played MTG what color decks would they play? Asra: Blue Nadia: White Julian: Black (Portia made his for him) Portia: White/Green Muriel: Green Lucio: Red

How did cast look as babies? Nadia: The best baby, perfect in form and function Asra: A cute baby, always looking around Julian: Not the most handsome baby, a little gangly Portia: Round, squealing delightful baby Lucio: Red-faced screaming awful baby Muriel: Sturdy and well insulated for the long winter

Of the main six characters, which ones are capable of juggling and which ones would absolutely love doing needlepoint? capable of juggling: Portia, Asra, Muriel absolutely love doing needlepoint: Nadia, Julian incapable of juggling/ absolutely hate doing needlepoint: Lucio

what would the cast choose as their job in the mmo final Fantasy XIV? Julian: Dragoon Asra: Astrologian Lucio: Ninja, but he messes up the mudras Nadia: Machinist Portia: Summoner Muriel: Paladin

What would be the favorite attractions/rides of the cast at Disney? Julian: Pirates of the Caribbean Asra: Astro Orbiter Lucio: Tower of Terror (RIP) Muriel: Matterhorn Portia: California Screamin' Nadia: Carousel of Progress

What do the rest of the cast smell like? Nadia: Les Larmes Sacree Du Thebes by Baccarat Asra: Lord of Misrule Lush Shower Cream Julian: Leather seats in a rental car Portia: Cocoa butter and laundry soap Lucio: Fireball, Axe body spray & ass Muriel: myrrh

What board game would The Arcana gang be? Nadia: Clue Asra: Twister Julian: Sorry! Portia: Mouse Trap Lucio: Monopoly Muriel: Guess Who

Who do all the cast main in over watch? Nadia: Ana Asra: Sombra Julian: Reaper Portia: Zarya Muriel: Bastion Lucio: Genji

If everyone participated in a Winter Olympic sport, which one would they be in? Nadia: figure skate (singles) Asra: snowboarding Julian: alpine ski Portia: freestyle ski Muriel: luge Lucio: ice hockey

Main casts Starbucks orders? Julian: Black coffee and he flirts with the barista until it’s ready. Nadia: London Fog Latte. She comes in at exactly 8 every morning. Asra: Matcha latte unless there’s a new radioactive-looking Frappuccino flavor and then he gets that. Muriel: Waiting outside in the car, asks Asra to get him a water. Asra comes back with a hot chocolate and a cake pop. Muriel grumbles but accepts them every time. Lucio: Salted Caramel Mocha extra whip extra sprinkles nonfat no foam soy upside down actually coconut milk instead and then he yells at you if you get it wrong. Portia: Pink Drink and all the baristas get excited when she walks in because they love her and she always tips.

The cast as Kanye songs Nadia: Power Lucio: No Church in the Wild Asra: Love Lockdown Julian: Heartless Portia: Paranoid Muriel: Coldest Winter

Which characters would be in the fire, water, earth, and air nations? Slightly different from what you asked, but: Asra - waterbender Nadia - airbender Julian & Portia - non-benders Muriel - Earthbender Lucio - Firebender

What kind of parents are the cast at their child’s soccer game? Nadia: standing on the sidelines in sunglasses and heels biting her thumbnail and watching every move on the field because she doesnt trust the ref Asra: cheers whenever anything happens, takes as many kids as can fit in the car out for ice cream but doesn’t check with the parents Julian: chats up the other parents relentlessly and isn’t watching when his kid gets hit in the face with the ball Portia: “cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon cmon AW WHAT WAS THAT” Muriel: watching from the parking lot inside the car Lucio: yelling on the phone the whole time, spills all 24 oz of his salted caramel mocha on the bench and doesn’t do anything about it

Which Disney movie is the favorite of each of the cast? Nadia: Fantasia 2000 Asra: The Emperor’s New Groove Julian: Muppet Treasure Island Portia: Muppet Treasure Island Muriel: The Fox and the Hound Lucio: Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True

what kind of youtube channel would each character have (letsplay, cooking, craft, etc)? Asra: very unstructured mostly-cooking channel that also features videos of him just eating weird things, and videos of Faust existing and being cute Nadia: beauty guru with very polished high-end editing Julian: doesn’t know how to use youtube but Portia made an account for him and uploads her shaky/blurry phone videos of his jazz performances Portia: likes and comments on all of Nadia’s videos while occasionally posting cute cat vids Muriel: does not have an internet connection Lucio: extremely loud letsplayer, mostly FPS

What would the cast be as animal crossing villagers? Muriel: Cranky Bear Julian: Smug Eagle Portia: Uchi Cat Nadia: Snooty Ostrich Asra: Lazy Wolf Lucio: Jock Goat

What Fire Emblem Fates' classes would each character be? Asra - Diviner Nadia - Priestess Julian - Adventurer Portia - Maid Muriel - Wolfskin Lucio - Berserker

if the arcana cast were naruto characters, which ones would they be Portia: Naruto Muriel: Gaara Lucio: Orochimaru Julian: Itachi Asra: Kakashi Nadia: Fancy Shikamaru

If the characters of arcana watched rupaul's drag race who would be their faves? Nadia: bebe, raja, peppermint Asra: yara, aja, adore Julian: nina bo’nina, sasha, raven Portia: chichi, bob, ginger Lucio: willam, kimora, mimi imfurst Muriel: Latrice Royale

WHAT ARE THE CHARAS PREFERRED FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM? Nadia: Lavender Lemon Asra: Rainbow Sorbet Julian: Pistachio Portia: Cookie Dough Muriel: Rocky Road Lucio: Red Velvet

Please please arcana cast as mcr songs Lucio: It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish Julian: Thank You For The Venom Asra: Welcome To The Black Parade Muriel: House of Wolves Nadia: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison Portia: Give Em Hell Kid

What are the characters going to be for Halloween? Asra - glow-in-the-dark mermaid Nadia - [elegant ballgown interpretation of] a swan Julian - tortured vampire/werewolf hybrid Muriel - sheet ghost Portia - ninja turtle Lucio - slutty angel Faust - a very long hot dog

If you had to assign the characters from the Arcana to characters from Labyrinth who would they be? Nadia: Jareth Asra: Sara Julian: Sir Didymus Portia: Hoggle Muriel: Ludo Lucio: The Chilly Down birds

What's each character's favourite fruits? Nadia: Concord Grape Asra: Blue Raspberry Julian: Fig Portia: Banana Muriel: Lemon Lucio: Pomegranate

what's everyone's favorite season? Asra - spring Nadia - summer Julian - autumn Muriel - winter Portia - spring Lucio - summer

Who would the Arcana cast be in a cliche Noir Film? Nadia: boss with kinetic ball bearing desk ornament and brandy in the drawer Asra: first love turned old flame that you run into halfway around the world Julian: haggard scientist with an unbuttoned shirt scribbling on the walls Portia: wisecracking secretary who takes a bus a train and a ferry to work Muriel: ominous farmer that lets people use the phone after a car breaks down Lucio: raging starlet shattering a vase after being blacklisted by every studio

The Arcana cast as Michael Jackson songs? Nadia: Man in the Mirror Asra: You Are Not Alone Julian: Smooth Criminal Portia: Will You Be There Muriel: Ben Lucio: Bad

What would each character be in cats? This probably wasn’t supposed to be Cats the musical but if you think i’m gonna pass this up Nadia: None they’re all awful/ Munkustrap Asra: Mister Mistoffelees Julian: Macavity Portia: Jennyanydots Lucio: Rum Tum Tugger Muriel: Grizabella

what would their favorite emojis be? Asra: 🌚 Nadia: 🍷 Julian: 🎷 Portia: 👀 Muriel: 👁 Lucio: 💃💸😏👑

What panic at the disco songs describe each character best? Julian: Death of a Bachelor Asra: I Write Sins Not Tragedies Portia: She’s a Handsome Woman Nadia: Northern Downpour Lucio: Victorious Muriel: From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins

What stereotypes for a super cliché highschool do the characters fall into? Nadia: Valedictorian who has been doing independent study and hasn’t set foot in the building for the past two years Asra: Shows up late every class with loud ass Sunchips, does homework in glow in the dark gel pen Julian: Eats lunch with his teacher so they can keep talking about mitochondria Portia: Gets really hype about dances, always ends up fighting at dances Muriel: Puts away all the folding chairs that everyone left behind Lucio: Gets on the intercom to talk shit about the teacher who gave him a D+ on his plagiarized essay

What sports would the characters play? And would they be any good at those sports? Muriel: Any solitary sport. He likes track and shotput. Nadia: Swimming. She isn’t on a team, she just likes the water. Portia: Wrestling. She’s got a few championship belts. Julian: Grandma Devorak forced him to take One Sport in high school, and he chose long-distance running. Asra: Beach volleyball and snowboarding. He’s just there to have a good time. Lucio: Ice hockey, but he spends it mostly punching other players.

what dragons from books/movies/games match each character best, would you say? As for dragons, one of our writers plays Flight Rising obsessively so here’s every character as a Flight Rising breed. Asra: Fae Nadia: Imperial Lucio: Wildclaw Muriel: Guardian Julian: Skydancer Portia: Snapper

What is each character most likely to do with the mc when they're feeling 'unusually affectionate'? Nadia: feed them champagne grapes and engage them in conversation so she can watch them try to talk with their mouth full Asra: stare at them and stop acknowledging anyone or anything else Julian: preen and spoil them to the point of being a public embarrassment Portia: constant cuddly contact Muriel: follow them at a respectable distance Lucio: belt out an aria at the sight of them

What's everyone favorite manga if they read any in this world? Nadia: Rose of Versailles Asra: Yugioh Julian: Blackjack Portia: Ranma ½ Muriel: Hunter x Hunter Lucio: Berserk

how much does faust like all the characters? like, who does she like the most/least? does she like the main character at all? Faust adores the main character almost as much as she loves Asra. But if she had to choose from the rest: Most good smelling: Nadia Most fun to squeeze: Julian Most too big to eat: Muriel Most hard to hide from: Portia Most attackable: Lucio

what kind of drunk is everybody? Nadia: capable, professional drunk on the move. Never in the same room twice Asra: touchy-feely but won’t leave the couch, still somehow manages to catch on fire Julian: morphs into The Storyteller, everyone in earshot ends up caught in a dramatic reenactment of his life story waiting for him to take a breath but he never does Portia: makes 6 new friends in the bathroom line Muriel: moody, talks to no one, keeps taking everybody’s empty bottles out to the trash Lucio: the loudest, the drama, the legend, the first to dip out when the cops show up

Of the Characters: Who tells a dirty joke? Who doesn't understand it? Who is disgusted? Who laughs? Who hides a smile? Who gets annoyed? Lucio: tells a dirty joke Muriel: doesn’t understand it Julian: is disgusted Asra: laughs Portia: hides a smile Nadia: gets annoyed

What are the characters usual reactions when subbing their toes? Nadia: It Does Not Happen Asra: hops it off Julian: hissing, closes his eyes while he savors the pain Portia: (string of curses) “ok………. i’m fine” Muriel: doesn’t notice because his toes are too far away Lucio: shrieks, revenge kicks the wall, shrieks harder

what you think everyones deadly sin would be? the deadly cliches: Nadia - Pride Asra - Lust Julian - Wrath Portia - Envy Muriel - Sloth Lucio - Gluttony

On a scale of good to bad, who sings karaoke? Nadia has a silky voice with impeccable vibrato. But she only sings karaoke alone in the bath. Asra has an airy, intimate voice. He’s the worst at karaoke because he doesn’t even get up off the couch. Julian has very limited singing ability, but he will talk sing the whole way through if he has to. He’s great at duets, somehow. Portia has a throaty, powerful voice. She brings the house down with Heart and Bonnie Tyler ballads, even if she squeaks on the high notes. Muriel has a gravelly grumble that he is convinced is useless for singing and if you hand him the microphone he’ll drop it and go stand in the corner. Lucio has an overdone musical theater voice but he is tone deaf. He will shout out the high notes and power through the rest and if you try to skip his song there will be hell to pay

which social media platform which each character Prefer™ ? Asra - twitter (RTs a lot of memes and shitposts, posts incomprehensible dril-like tweets at 3am) Nadia - instagram (flawless makeup and aesthetic™) Julian - yahoo answers Portia - snapchat Muriel - what is social media Lucio - LinkedIn (you will NEVER stop getting email notifications from him)

what dnd classes would the cast be (like mage, assassin, cleric etc)? Nadia: Paladin Asra: Warlock Julian: Rogue Portia: Bard Muriel: Fighter Lucio: Barbarian

what would each characters spice girl name be Asra: Mystery Spice Nadia: Boss Spice Julian: Suffering Spice Portia: Sassy Spice Muriel: Surly Spice Lucio: Spicy Spice

how complicated is each character's personal hygiene routine? Nadia’s personal hygiene routine: an exact science and takes a practiced team of servants to execute. Julian’s personal hygiene routine: splashing his face 5-7 times and gargling with his famous mint vodka peroxide formula Asra’s personal hygiene routine: sticking his head underwater until he’s awake Portia’s personal hygiene routine: putting her hair in a bun and scrubbing herself with a cloth and bucket down by the frog pond Lucio’s personal hygiene routine: milk and caviar bath every 13 hours Muriel’s personal hygiene routine: standing in the pouring rain

What's everyone's favorite alcoholic drinks? Asra - St Germain, tequila, blue curaçao,  lime juice, hibiscus syrup (serve in a champagne flute or martini glass, garnished with a wildflower or tiny umbrella) Julian - whiskey, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, lemon juice (serve in a highball glass) Nadia - Chambord, white wine, seltzer (serve in a wine glass, chilled or on the rocks) Portia - beer & apple cider with a shot of rum (serve in a lowball glass) Muriel - Baileys, butterscotch schnapps, hot chocolate (serve warm, in your coziest mug) Lucio - Jägermeister & Goldschläger topped with overproof rum (serve as a flaming shot)

what would be each of the characters' favorite genre of music? Asra: Bossa Nova and EDM Nadia: Obscure Opera and Calming beach sounds Julian: 20 minute tracks of Quality Jazz Portia: Reggae and dad rock Muriel: New wave and white noise Lucio: Top 40 and Dark Funky Disco

who would the arcana characters be from mean girls?? Asra: the guy who asked what day it was Nadia: cady Julian: gretchen weiners Portia: janis Lucio: regina george Muriel: damian

Which Hogwarts house would each of the Main Cast belong in? Asra & Julian - Ravenclaw Nadia - Slytherin Portia & Muriel - Hufflepuff Lucio - Gryffindor

What would the characters modern!au job/career of choice be? Lucio owns and manages several nightclubs and has a trashy daytime talk show Asra does really low-budget magic shows at kids’ birthday parties by day, and DJs at one of Lucio’s clubs at night Nadia is the city mayor, an international chess champion, and concert pianist Portia works at Home Depot (used to be a waitress at Red Lobster but the tips were terrible), but she wants to be a zookeeper Julian is a doctor at an underfunded hospital with lots of drama Muriel lives off the grid in a broken-down van in the woods

Just due to mild curiosity what would be the casts favorite musicals? Asra - Legally Blonde: The Musical Nadia - Chicago Julian - Les Mis Muriel - Wicked Portia - Cats! Lucio - Phantom of the Opera / Kinky Boots (it’s a tie)

what cryptid is every character Asra = Chupacabra Julian = Mothman Nadia = Nessie Portia = Loveland Frog Muriel = Bigfoot Lucio = Jersey Devil

how would the game's characters celebrate the MC's birthday with them?? Asra would take them on a long journey without telling them where they were going (but would keep them entertained with riddles) to a scenic oasis, where he would pretend to drown so MC has to dive into the water and at the bottom is a magic flute that can summon a swarm of bees (their favorite!) Nadia would throw a tastefully brief festival in their honor. MC would be lavished with pampering (by professional pamperers) from dawn to dusk and when the clock struck midnight, they would be presented with seven bejeweled eagles (one for every day of the week) Julian would meet them for dinner in a shady tavern, bring them heaping plates of food and offer unsolicited advice for the coming year. About halfway through the meal he would have to scramble out the back door because law enforcement arrived on the scene but he’d put it an order in the kitchen to bring them something for dessert Lucio would declare the day a holiday and call it Day of the Beloved One of Lucio. They would have to sit uncomfortably still while a master artiste painted their portrait and a mile-long line of peasants laid gifts at their feet. Muriel doesn’t celebrate birthdays because time is a human construct Portia would throw a big loud party with a barbecue :D

Since it is soon, what would the characters do for Valentines day with us (the MC)? Nadia would take you on an elegant river cruise stocked with 130 varieties of tiny cake and a private crooner hired to serenade you but she would end up throwing them overboard for not hitting the high notes Asra would take you to the mall and splurge on all the stuff you both can’t afford but wait way too long to get lunch so you get into a fight and he proposes in the food court Julian would show up on the 15th after with all the candy he scored at 75% off, pretend it was on purpose that he got the day wrong, and wake you up at 3 am to come clean because the guilt was eating him alive Muriel would light some scented candles, cook up a sensual meal and throw a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace for you to enjoy alone while he escapes into the woods Portia would pack a picnic of chicken and tortilla chips, take you to the beach where you could splash around until the sun goes down and lull you to sleep on the sandy blanket with her acoustic guitar Lucio would have servants fill your room with floor to ceiling flowers while you sleep and wait impatiently for you to wake up like

Would you roommate with any of the characters? it’s hard to decide, so here are some pros and cons Asra - pro: never home / con: leaves dishes in the sink for weeks Nadia - pro: your home will be spotless / con: it’s spotless because she orders you to clean it for her Julian - pro: medical professional / con: half of your apartment is now this

rate the characters on how #extra they are Muriel: 4/10 Lucio: 13/10 Everyone else: 10/10

Which character could be best described as "tender"?? "Spicy"??? “tender”: Muriel “tender”/“Spicy”: Asra, Portia “Spicy”/”tender”: Julian, Nadia “Spicy”: Lucio

what the favorite Pokemon of all the characters were. Asra - Ekans, Delphox, Espeon Nadia - Noctowl, Gardevoir, Musharna Julian - Absol, Bisharp, Murkrow Portia - Chansey, Politoed, Hoothoot Muriel - Pangoro, Aggron, Wigglytuff Lucio - Houndoom, Pyroar, Skarmory

[moonstruckholland]

so i'm a sagittarius right, and some fanfic trope came up: coffee shop au. where this time, tom is the barista. and reader is a regular customer. how do you think it would entail? (thank youuuuu, darling💞)

A/N: Ahh! I’ve always wanted to do a coffeeshop au! I’m not super sure if it did this right, I hope you like it, honey! 💕 I kinda went a bit overboard 😅

Despite contrary belief, not every college student liked coffee

Well, at least you didn’t

Maybe you were a total weirdo but something about it just didn’t float your boat, preferring the taste of literally every other drink

Yet, somehow, you found yourself waiting in line at the Starbucks on your campus

Your favorite spot in the library was taken and seemingly so was just about every hang out place around

So, remembering how your friend had raved over a vanilla bean frappuccino, you figured it’d be a good day to try something new

You spent the few minutes waiting going over the weird names for the drink sizes, wondering who the hell decided to refer to a small drink as “tall”

You felt prepared when it was finally time for to order, until you saw the barista taking your order, all coherent thoughts leaving your brain

He had to be the prettiest guy you’d ever seen, brown curls just gently falling over his face, his chocolate colored eyes seemed to shine and gosh, his smile literally lit up the room

“What can I get for you, darling?”

Darling. One sentence and you practically in love with him already

“Um,” you blinked, trying to clear your head, “Could I get a small-I mean, tall? That’s the right one, right? I’m sorry, this is my first time coming here.”

The blood was rushing to your face as you stammered, sure you were making a fool out of yourself

“It’s alright, love, take your time,” he gave you a reassuring smile that brought butterflies to your stomach

“Okay, uh, can I get a tall vanilla bean frappuccino?”

“No problem, darling, and your name?”

“Oh, um, it’s y/n.”

He wrote your name down on the little plastic cup while you paid, handing you the receipt with another heart stopping smile.

When you got your drink about 10 minutes later (it was really crowded on this particular day) you weren’t sure if you liked which you liked more, the liquid vanilla ice cream or the cute boy who made it for you, but you did know you’d be back.

A few weeks later and Starbucks had become a huge part of your routine

What started off as once or twice a week became an almost daily occurrence

You’d get your vanilla bean and if you were lucky, see the pretty barista, who’s name you learned to be Tom, with the voice that made your knees weak

You couldn’t tell if he was just being polite, but as you showed up more and more, the more he talked to you

He would ask you about your day, make little jokes about you ordering the same thing everyday, if he was wiping down the tables around you he would ask about whatever assignment you were doing

You would happily respond and ask him questions back

That’s how you found out he was a theatre major with a soft spot for reading, despite never actually doing it and he had a deep hatred for math, specifically stats and anything related to it

Your conversations with him never went beyond the coffeeshop, you never asked for his social and he never asked for yours, but you didn’t mind, talking to him had become your favorite part of your day

If he ever wasn’t there, you’d be disappointed and in a slightly less cheery mood, though you’d always chalk it up to nothing, pretending Tom didn’t have as much as an effect on he actually did

Today happened to be one of those days

You were already upset after learning you failed the stats test you spent forever studying your ass off for, and all you wanted was to see his soft brown eyes and warm smile

When you didn’t see him there you almost left, considering leaving campus all together and just doing your studying at home

You decided against it and got your usual, hoping the sweet drink could lift your spirits

It did, just barely, a sigh escaping your lips as you sat at your usual table

You pushed away the thought of homework and pulled out the current book you were reading, figuring you deserved to treat yourself today

You were only a couple of pages in when you saw someone approach your table and heard a familiar voice shortly after

“Fancy seeing you here, darling.”

You’d be lying if you said your heart didn’t skip a beat

You looked up from your book, seeing Tom in front of you, his usual Starbucks apron replaced with a white t-shirt and a loose blue flannel on top, a one of the coffeeshop’s sandwich bags in his hand and his bookbag on his shoulder

“Oh, yeah, it’s not like I’m here everyday,” you smiled, feeling giddy.

“Everyday, huh? I don’t recall seeing you yesterday.”

You had to keep yourself from smiling at the fact he noticed you hadn’t come by

“I spent the day at the library with my head stuck in my stats book.”

“I have to admit, I was a little upset, I look forward to your visits.”

The breath was literally knocked out of you for a moment, your blood rushing to your face

“Well, um, you could join me right now if you’d like,” you stammered, motioning towards the chair in front of yours.

Tom smiled, taking a seat, “I’d love to.”

You were worried with it being the first time you could talk for more than 5 minutes, it would be awkward, but you found it easy talking to Tom

You ranted to him about your horrible test and listened to him describe his theatre classes, taking note of the way his eyes seemed to shine as he talked about the topic with such passion

You found out how funny he was, making you laugh probably more than anyone had before

Before you knew it, a little over an hour had passed and Tom checked his phone for the time with a frown

“I have to go, love, got class in 10 minutes.”

You wished more than anything he could stay, loving the extra time with him

You tried not to look sad as you smiled at him, telling him you hoped he had a good class

He stood up, picking up his bag with him, “I was thinking, maybe we could do this again sometime? Maybe on Friday night, around 7?”

If Tom wasn’t standing in front of you, you would’ve pinched yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming

Tom, the cutest guy in the world, was asking you out

You reached into your bag, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil, quickly writing your number on it

You handed it to him with a bright smile, practically glowing with excitement, “It’s a date.”

[sevensav--d-archived]

50 Headcanon Challenge

Itoshi lived in New York City for one year, from age eight to nine.  When he returned to Japan, he was accelerated a grade.

Itoshi’s favorite color is #5E3A75

The little streak in his hair is genetic.  His father has it and his grandmother had it.

His birthday is May 5th.

Itoshi is a little weary of dogs because he’s afraid to be seen as a massive dog toy.

That being said, he does have a squeaker toy sewn into his face so when he gets punched it does like a squeaky dog toy.

Hates really rich, fancy foods.  Seriously just give him some junk food and he’ll be way happier.

At any given time, he has sewing needles, pins, and a measuring tape somewhere on or in his person.  Like, tucked into his arms or something.  

Among his modifications he’s given himself for heroism are a spool of thread in his head so he can pull thread out of his hair, a small blade in the web of his right thumb and index finger for cutting said thread, and magnets are in his hands and feet to weigh him down and make it easy to get needles and shit out of his body

He literally can take his head off and walk around with it, as long as his head is connected to some other part of his body, like his hand.  He usually only does this for Halloween, since it’s kind of hard to do and hard to put back on.

Itoshi’s clothes that he wears outside of school are all handmade by him.  These vary in looking like they were factory made or made by a six year old.  This is entirely intentional. 

He has multiple trophies for playing competitive gaming.  He has one with him at school that he got for playing Mortal Kombat really good.

His gamer tag on all services, as well as his twitter @ is Ragtag55

He’s played the Piano since he was 3.  He is very good.

His home is located in Ginza.  His house is very large and very modern and avant garde.  Itoshi hates it, and plans to live in a small, modest home when he’s out of school.  Even if he’s wealthy.

Itoshi’s face stitches are exaggerated.  they’re all real, but he embroiders along the seam to for the aesthetic.  If he took them out the scar would only be on his nose and above his eye.

His room at UA is the designated comfy room.  It’s 1/3 bed.  There are so many pillows and blankets in there.  He hosts game nights and sleepovers and all sorts of stuff in there.

Itoshi can do a nearly perfect vocal impersonation of Best Jeanist (this is bc his voice claim is the same actor who plays him)

During the USJ attack he got sent to the same area as Ojiro and ended up burning one of his legs off, horrifying his classmates.  He was totally fine, though.

Itoshi is particular about being called by his first name, not his last name.  He did not initially respond to it.  He’ll take some nicknames, but not all.  Ragdoll, Pillowboy, or anything with the word “Doll” in it honestly usually passes the test.

He has a collection of Anpanman merch that he’s very proud of.

His favorite sweets are Cosmic Brownies from America.

His favorite ice cream is Coolish, which is a soft serve ice cream that comes in a little pouch.

Itoshi has never had pets as far as he knows.  He vaguely remembers the presence of a bird in his childhood but he isn’t sure if it was real or not.

He’s favorite genre of music is video game soundtracks and chiptunes.

He gets really embarrassed when he gives gifts to people, so he often will just hide them for people to find so he doesn’t have to face it.  He’s not sure why he’s like this, he just is.

Itoshi survives on about 3 hours of sleep a night.  He’s an insomniac and rather than trying to fix it or seek treatment, he’s just adapted to not having a lot of sleep.  He usually is up late playing video games online or working on some fabric craft.

Due to having no bones or regular muscles, he is extremely flexible.  He can literally tie his own arms in a knot.

He sleeps with a teddy bear that he’s had since he was four or five.

He owns ‘dress limbs’ which are basically just extra arms and legs he can use for social events where he needs to look professional.  They don’t have any extra seams or patches on them.  He also has a set of legs that’s made with floral velvet.  Why?  Just because.

His voice cracks when he yells.  He doesn’t yell much, his yeller doesn’t work too good.

He can often be found dying fabric in the bathrooms.  He gets in a lot of trouble for this.

He has a history with self ‘injury’.  As a child he used to make cuts in his body so his parents would fix them for him.  This was one of the only ways to get their attention.  They never figured it out.

If anyone ever wants to get a rebellious piercing, he’ll hook you up if you buy him lunch at that convenience store down the street.

He has a tiktok account and he has like 80k followers at the moment.  He has a side account that’s pretty anonymous about his fashion stuff and it has over 500k followers.

Has a really nice singing voice!!!  Let him sing for you!!!

His starbucks order is a venti espresso frappuccino blended coffee, extra whip.  It has a lot of caffeine in it.  It doesn’t seem to do much to him.  

When Itoshi graduates and has to learn to drive, he can’t.  He can’t do it.  He’s so bad at it, please don’t let him drive.  

Itoshi is highly flammable so going against opponents like Todoroki, Bakugou, and Kaminari can be very dangerous for him.  Despite this, he trusts them to not kill him.

Sometimes when a hand or arm gets really dirty he’s take it off and throw it in the washing machine/dryer in the dorms.  This often horrifies people.

Itoshi almost certainly needs glasses but will not get them because they’ll make him look like his dad.  Just watch him the next time he reads something, he has to put his face about two inches away from the material. (See HC 37)

He is actually pretty good at drawing!  His artworks is very reminiscent of fashion illustration.  He usually has a sketchbook on him.

Sometimes in the winter Itoshi will sew those little warming pockets into hi body and welcomes people to snuggle him for warmth.

He hates being angry or sad.  He will suppress that shit and bury it under another layer of lackadaisical chill vibes.  

Itoshi sees Nomiko and Fukumi almost like sisterly figures so if either of them get partners he’s jokingly gives them the big brother talk.

Itoshi is a very good kisser, that’s all I will say.

He doesn’t have fingernails but sometimes he will put fake ones on.  He had them when he was little but he’s lost all of his fingers or hands at so many times over.  When he did have them, they were naturally a silver color.

Itoshi is that guy who doesn’t study for tests and almost always gets 100s.

Itoshi can speak English fluently with a near perfect accent that places him in the east coast.  This came from his year in New York and maintaining friendships with Americans over the internet.

Itoshi uses laundry detergent and fabric softener instead of soap and shampoo and he has to use a very strong blow dryer.

[another-rogue-trevelyan]

50 Questions You Have Never Been Asked

I got tagged by @elgar-somniari Thanks for the opportunity to share!

1. What is the color of your hairbrush?

Greenish Blue

2. A food you never eat?

Shellfish - I’m allergic

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold?

My bff from college calls me “Lizard Person” because the only way I can be warm is laying in direct sunlight like a reptile

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

Checking in on my animal crossing island 

5. What is your favorite candy bar?

I love Kit Kats with my whole being

6. Have you ever been to a professional sporting event?

I’m not super into sports, but I go to the ballet a few times per year which is as close as I get

7. What was the last thing you said out loud?

"We should change that” (Just realized we have two of the same picture hanging on the same wall in my apartment, should probably replace one)

8. What is your favorite ice cream?

Mint Cookie Crumble

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Water. I live on water and G2

10. Do you like your wallet?

People make fun of me for it because it looks “manly” but I know that wallets don’t have genders and also it has three ID slots so I can keep two forms of ID and a picture visible at all times which is why I liked it in the first place

11. What was the last thing you ate?

Pizza

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

I ordered a pair of brown lace up boots specifically because they look like RPG heroine boots and I can’t wait until they get here

13. The last sporting event you watched?

Do the Orzammar Provings count?

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

There’s a store in my town that only sells fancy olive oil so I like to make plain popcorn but then salt it and pour the butter infused olive oil on it

15. Who was the last person you sent a text message to?

The SO

16. Ever go camping?

I have! It’s not my favorite but I’ll go once in a while

17. Do you take vitamins?

I’m a teacher so I take air shield when school is in session

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?

I am not religious 

19. Do you have a tan?

I just burn so I coat myself in obscene amounts of sunscreen and then maybe I’ll somehow end up tan

20. Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza?

Right now I’m gonna say Chinese because I have eaten a lot of pizza lately and I miss Chinese

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?

I only drink soda once in a while at a restaurant and even then I usually order iced tea. But, when I get soda at a restaurant, they usually give me a straw, so yes

22. What color socks do you usually wear?

Mickey Mouse, bright colors, usually don’t match

23. Ever drive above the speed limit?

Maybe 3 MPH above maximum on a highway and everyone still flies past me

24. What terrifies you?

Straight drops. I like rollercoasters, but anything with a 90 degree drop is a no go from me

25. Look to your left what do you see?

A poster from a musical I was in

26. What core do you hate?

I’m assuming this was supposed to say “chore”, so dishes. On the off-chance it was core as in subject matter, math

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent?

I don’t hear them often, but I just think of Australia and things I associate with it. Like kangaroos and sunshine

28. What is your favorite soda?

Diet Coke (no, I don’t think it’s healthy, regular coke is just too sweet for my taste)

29. Do you go into a fast food place or just hit the drive through?

Drive though usually 

30. Who was the last person you talked to?

My mom 

31. Favorite cut of beef?

Whatever cut somebody else cooked because I’m terrible at it and beggars can’t be choosers

32. Last song you listened to?

I’m Still Standing - Elton John

33. Last book you read?

I’m halfway though Voyager, which is in the Outlander series

34. Favorite day of the week?

Saturday. Stereotypical, but I like sleeping in and knowing I don’t have to wake up early the next day either

35. Can you say the alphabet backwards?

Absolutely not

36. How do you like your coffee?

I’m a tea girl, which I drink as is, occasionally with a little sugar, honey, or lemon, but not always. Coffee I will only drink in frappuccino form if it tastes so much like chocolate that I can barely taste the coffee

37. Favorite pair of shoes?

Boots. I have a couple pairs that I rotate and then get sad in the summer that I can’t wear them

38. At what time do you usually go to bed?

Normally like 9:30-10:00 (I have to get up early for work) but lately it’s been more like midnight

39. At what time do you normally get up?

6:30 if I’m working, ordinarily 8:30 if I wake up on my own, lately its been 9:30-10:00 since I have no schedule

40. What do you prefer - sunrises or sunsets?

I like them both but I’m not a morning person so I rarely see a sunrise

41. How many blankets are on your bed?

Summer - Sheet only

Winter - Sheet, smaller blanket, comforter

Spring/Fall - Sheet, comforter 

42. Describe your kitchen plates?

Round, purple 

43. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage?

I don’t drink a lot but if I do it has to be fruity 

44. Do you play cards?

Blackjack is about it. I’d like to learn more though! Not cards, but I just finally taught myself to play chess

45. What color is your car?

Gray

46. Can you change a tire?

No

47. What is your favorite province?

I live in the US, so I’ll go with a state - New York, where I live (not the city)

48. Favorite job you ever had?

I worked in a local small business through college that I loved, but I just got hired for my first teaching job so I’m excited to finally work in my field!

49. How did you get your biggest scar?

The scar in question is not longer there (took YEARS to fade) but I don’t have any others so when I was a kid I walked too close to my dad’s motorcycle and I didn’t know he had just gotten home and the exhaust pipe was still hot and my calf touched it and left a HUGE burn on the side of my leg. That shit HURT

50. What did you do today that made someone happy?

Talked and joked with the SO

I tag @elffyness, @lakecalenhadlookslikeabunny, @its-dragonage-trash @noire-pandora 

Sorry if you were already tagged, and anyone else who wasn’t tagged but wants to, go for it!

[shinjekinootp]

The Angry Coffee Shop

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationship: Levi/Eren Yeager Tags: Platonic Hange Zoë & Levi, Based on a Tumblr Post, Drunk Sleepy cute Levi, Domestic Fluff, Mainly focused on Drunk Brootp Levihan, With some cute Ereri in the background Summary:  Eren comes back late from work to an unusual scene. Levi passed out on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles, spilled chips, and a notebook reading: Flat white: Fuck you 

*based on the Angry Coffe Shop meme from Tumblr*

You can read it here or on AO3

“Ugh, I’m so thirsty.”

Levi rolls his eyes “You’re literally in a coffee shop, just get yourself something to drink.”

“Not that kind of thirst dummy. I’m thirsty for booze. Customers have been complete assholes today. I need to get shitface. For my mental health.”

“That does sounds pretty good,” he says, giving a final sweep to the counter. “Your place or my place?” Hanji doesn’t get the chance to reply before Levi is speaking again. “Let’s go to mine. The shithole you dare to call an apartment is dirty enough when you expect me to come over.”

Forty-five minutes later, they are sitting on Levi’s couch, a glass of red wine in their hands, the coffee table crawling under various snacks.

“Sometimes I wonder how we make it through the day without murdering anyone,” Hanji begins. “How hard can it be to order a drink without being a pain in the ass? You wait in line for your turn, order something from the board, pay, and wait patiently for it to be ready.”

“Erwin doesn’t pay us nearly enough to deal with those shit head all days,” Levi agrees. He empties his glass and pours himself a new one. He makes the red liquid swirl and takes a sip of it. He savors the bitter taste, as Hanji digs into a bag of chips.

I swear to god, if I found any crumble on my floor-”

“Yea I know, you’ll make me lick it until it’s clean again,” they dismiss him, taking a handful of doritos.

“And clean it with bleach right after. Spit is gross.”

Hanji laughter fills the room. “Where’s pretty boy uh? I thought he’d be here.”

“I don’t know. Probably still at work” He looks at his phone, and sure enough there is a text from Eren informing him he’s staying overtime and not to wait for him.

“Let’s play a game!” Hanji suddenly screams.

Levi frowns “No strip poker this time. I don’t think I can take the sight of you wearing nothing but your glasses one more time. Plus I had to get rid of my rug after you dirty  butt sat on it.”

“I will let you know my butt is very clean. Petra can vouch.”

A giggle escapes Levi’s lips. Under normal circumstances he would be concerned by that. But with the alcohol running through his veins, his clouded mind doesn't care.

“So the game is simple. We both tell a story about a bitchy customer we had, and the one who has encountered the biggest prick wins.”

Levi tilts his head to the side.“Isn’t that basically complaining, though? We’re already doing it all the time. That’s hardly a game.”

Hanji is thoughtful for a moment before they clap their hand victoriously “I know! Each time one of us wins a round; they have to take a shot. That should spice things up.”

“Alright” Levi says, slumping to the ground and reaching for the bottle, a smirk on his lips “Game on then.”

Hanji laughter echoes through the room as they struggle to form words. “This- This is priceless, how come you’ve never told me about it before?”

“Didn’t want to risk Erwin hearing about it,” he downs his shot in one swift motion, barely grimacing as the liquid burn his throat.“It’s not like I’m actually the manager.”

Hanji rolls on their back, as a new fit of laughter shakes their body. “I would give anything, to see the lady’s face when you’ve spun around.”

“It was quite the sight to behold,” he refills his glass, while Hanji straightens up their glasses threatening to fall of their nose.

“Once I had this lady coming in, she kept stressing out how important it was that her drink was dairy free -and I get it, lactose intolerance is a pain in the ass- she was watching my every move like a hawk. When I handed her her drink, she freaking asked me why I didn’t put whipped cream on top of it. I had to explain her that yes, whipped cream contains dairy, but she would not believe me. I ended up putting a shit ton on top of her damn frappuccino and I hope she got diarrhea from it.”

“What a bitch” Levi snorts.

“Alright your turn, what do you have in stock?”

He hums thoughtfully, distractingly playing with a the edge of a pillow.

“They were this one time, when a girl went batchit crazy on me for drawing a heart in her latte. She screamed at me that she had a boyfriend, and that she was so fed up with men hitting on her.”

“Did you? Drew a heart in her latte I mean.”

“No, I did draw something, but it was not a heart. Not from my perspective that is.”Levi smirks amusement glinting into his eyes.

Hanji seems confused for a split second before they exclaim.“Oh my god Levi! Did you draw an ass in that girl drink?”

“I most certainly did,” he replies with a toothy grin. “It was the day when Eren came back from his family trip. All I could think about was that glorious ass of his.”

“You’re the worst.”

Levi shrugs and slides a shot towards them before pouring one for himself. “That’s a draw,” he solemnly declares.

They empty their glasses and sigh contentedly almost in perfect synchronization.

“You know what really is the worst kind of customer ?” Hanji hiccups.

He raises a thin eyebrow at them.

“Those who are unable to remember the name of the drinks. If they got their orders wrong, it’s not my problem. Learn to fucking read you moron!”

“I couldn’t remember the name of the drink when I began,” Levi giggles.“Eren had to help me study the menu. He even made cards and all that shit.”

They shake their head “You’re a lucky idiot you know that?”

Levi nods. He does know how lucky he is to have a boyfriend like him.

“In my defense,” he begins“the name of the drinks makes zero sense. Why did Erwin have to go for the fancy hipster shit name? ‘large black’ that’s easy to remember. But Americano? Frappuccino? Freaking Macchiato? It gives zero clue about what the drink actually is.”

“That’s how they’re called,” Hanji looks at him skeptically  “That’s pretty standard actually.”

“Well, the standard sucks.” Levi says, slamming his fist on the table.

“What would you call them then?” They ask, eyes glinting in amusement.

“I dunno,” Levi frowns.“Something meaningful.”

They tilt their head to the side.“Like what? It’s not like you could describe the recipe of the drink. That would be way too long.”

He reaches for the bag of chips, and munches slowly. Hanji observes him pulling his eyebrows together, creating small line between them. He’s so deep in thoughts he doesn’t notice them snatching a picture of what they consider to be an ‘Accidentally cute Levi.’

“Hangover,” he blurts out.

“We certainly will be tomorrow, but don’t worry we still have time.”

“No,” he throws the bag of chips out of his lap, spilling it on the ground.“The name of the drink, it should be Hungover.”

“Lemme guess, a strong black coffee?”

“Triple espresso of the less bitter coffee we have,” He grins.

They smile cheerfully.“What else do you have?”

“I’m Studying For My Finals. Double espresso with a dash of vanilla. Because you both need energy and comfort.”

“Why not make it a triple, though?”

Levi shakes his head.“Because when studying for their final, student drink coffee all day. With a double they can still get that energy shot multiples time a day without intoxicating themselves. Also, it’s refillable.”

“This is good!” Hanji shouts excitedly. They scramble up to their feet and run to their bag, pulling out a notebook. “Alright keeps going, we gotta keep track of this.”

“Babe?” Eren calls upon entering the apartment. Despite the late hour, he knows Levi isn’t asleep. He goes in the living room, expecting him to be sitting on the couch, tucked into a blanket, enjoying a his tea. But instead he’s met with what looks like a warzone. Two empty bottles of wine, one who has rolled up to the ground, another bottle of what looks like tequila, empty for the most part, chips, chips everywhere, on the table, on the carpet, on the couch, and finally Levi, sleeping peacefully on the ground, crumbs all over his hair.

“What the fuck,” Eren whispers to himself. He walks up to Levi and picks the notebook next to him. It reads:

Large Americano: Not A Morning Person

Tea: The Only Valid Drink

Flat White: Fuck You

Vanilla soy latte no foam extra shot: I’d Like To Speak To The Manager

Double espresso with vanilla sirup: Studying For My Final

Iced coffee: Hoe Never Gets Cold

Pumpkin spice latte: Spooky Season

Latte, extra shot: Stayed Up Too Late Looking At Memes

Peppermint latte: Basic Bitch

“Hey Eren!”

The cheery voice of Hanji interrupts his reading.

“Hey,” he tentatively greets them.“What’s going on ? And what is this?” He asks shaking the notebook in his hand.

“Just a thing for a work,” they say, wiggling their eyebrows mysteriously.

“So, you’re telling me, this was a work meeting?”

“Guess you could put it like that,” They chuckle.“I was just about to clean up. Would you take care of sleepy-head over here?” They point at Levi with their chin.

It’s Eren’s turn to laugh. “You cleaning, and Levi passing out. That’s a first.”

He bends down and gently dusts the crumbs off Levi’s hair, before carrying him to their bedroom.

“They don’t know what's awaiting them,” Levi mumbles, as he undresses him.

“Hum what was that? What’s awaiting who?”

“Karen, Margaret, Susan and all the other.”

“Alright babe,” he chuckles.“Go get them.”

He makes sure Levi is well tuck in, and not at risk at falling off bed. He makes a move to leave, but a hand on his forearm stops him.

Levi cracks a lid open “Stay.”

“Are you sure it’s safe to leave Hanji alone in the living room?”

“Hmph, what are they gonna do? It’s already a mess anyway,” he tucks on his arm, nearly yanking him off his feets.

“Alright, alright,” Eren surrenders. He quickly takes off his shoes and clothes, throwing them in a corner of the room. As soon as he lies down, Levi rolls to his sides, resting his head on his chest. He’s already drifting back to sleep, soothed by the hand gently stroking his hair.

“Good morning! What can I get you?”

“Flat white. Large. Quickly, I’m in a hurry.”

“Fuck you,” Hanji says, a shit eating grin on their face.

“Excuse you?” The woman says, outrage evident in her voice. “What did you just say to me?”

“Fuck You,” They repeat, their smile growing impossibly wide. “That’s the name of the drink you’ve order.”

A displease frown appears on the woman face. “I’d like to speak to the manager.”

“Sure thing, Coming right up!” They grab a cup. “May I have a name?” The woman stares at her, confusion written all over her face. “I bet it’s Sharon,” they say writing it down. “You look like a Sharon.”

Hanji turns around, and quickly prepares the drink. The woman said she was in a rush after all.

“Here you go! That’ll be $5 please.”

“What is this?”

“What you’ve order Ma’am. A Vanilla soy latte with  no foam and extra shot.” They answer with a mischievous smile.

“I didn’t order this,” she nearly shouts. “Are you deaf? I said that I’d like to speak to the manager!”

“Yea… that’s the name of the drink Ma’am.” They point at the board above their head.

Her face reddens as she opens her mouth, but Hanji cuts her off before she has the chance to speak.

“You better go now, Sharon. You’re holding the line.”

The woman furiously slaps a $5 bill on the counter, and stalks away.

Levi blinks, mouth hanging agape.“That was amazing,” he fights the urge to claps.

“Thank you, thank you. But you nearly deserve all the credit. You’re the one that came up with this idea.”

“How did you get Erwin’s approval?” he asks incredulity in his voice.

“Eh, well, I didn’t,” they answer, rubbing the back of their neck. “I just came in early and re-write the boards.”

Levi shakes his head, chuckling. Of course Hanji would do that without their boss permission. “Guess I’ll have a new co-worker by the end of the week then.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that short-stuff.” A devilish smile on their face Hanji takes out their phone. “See one of the ‘soccer moms’ I’ve served this morning wasn’t too happy with our new menu. So she took the whole story to twitter and even made a petition to close up the place.” They slide their phone on the counter.“And it blew up! But not in the way she expected. Everyone is loving the idea. The so-called ‘angry coffee shop’ is the new place to be! We’ve been packed with customers all day.”

“Speaking of which, some help would be much appreciated Hanji!” A panicked voice calls from behind them.

“Don’t worry Moblit. You got this!” They say waving their hand dismissively at him. They focus back on Levi and frown. “What’s wrong Levi? I thought you would be happy.”

He raises his head from his hand and whispers, eyes wide “We’re gonna have to deal with even more customers.”

[the-literalist]

Spare Me Some Time (11)

Pairing: USUK

Word Count: 4526

Summary: Alfred Jones is as poor as they get, living homeless on the streets. He is the type of man that high-paid businessman Arthur Kirkland would never spare a passing glance, but that’s about to change.

Link to the full story on AO3

Alfred hadn’t been to a Starbucks in forever. He thought that the coffee was pretty decent, but it was way too expensive and so he tended not to splurge on a drink he could get somewhere else for half the cost. They did offer some pretty interesting flavors though, all equally sweet and delicious, and Alfred felt his mouth watering just roaming his eyes over the menu posted on the wall.

He finally decided on a decadent chocolate Frappuccino, piled high with whipped cream and syrup drizzled over the top. Oh man, he was going to enjoy this to the very last drop. When was the last time he had a treat like this? He almost couldn’t believe that Arthur actually proposed to come here, it seemed like the man had never set foot in a Starbucks before.

Alfred watched Arthur with humored interest; the shorter man had spent a great deal of time racking his eyes over the menu only to grow more and more irritated (no doubt because he couldn’t find his desired tea as an option).

“Excuse me,” Arthur called out to the barista who had been waiting for him to pick something and pay. “Where is your tea selection? I don’t want a chai latte tazo whatever-the-hell! I just want a normal tea, hot – as it should be. None of that iced crap!” 

The barista stared at him, unimpressed, and blinked slowly. “We have plenty of choices,” she stated while bringing up a box full of different brands. “Green, black, white, herbal – take your pick.”

Arthur murmured a “that’s more like it” under his breath before taking the box from her and rummaging through it.

Alfred stood off to the side with his drink already made, watching the line gradually get longer and longer behind Arthur. He knew by now that Arthur was a no-shame kind of guy, he probably didn’t care that people were waiting. Unfortunately, the barista did.

“Sir, have you decided yet?” she asked with a rushed inclination, gesturing vaguely to the box in Arthur’s hands.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “This is a very delicate procedure. If I pick the wrong tea, it could completely ruin the rest of my day. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” He picked up two different tea bags and studied them closely.

Alfred had to bite his lip from chuckling at the barista’s reaction, she looked like she was ready to explode.

“Sir,” she tried, “please pick one!”

“Fine, you inconsiderate slag. I’ll take this herbal one then,” he said while thrusting the tea bag in front of her. Alfred’s eyebrows shot up, damn Arthur was nasty sometimes!

She took it in a huff and then got a cup from the side. “Name?”

“Beg your pardon?”

Alfred leaned in close to Arthur, “She needs your name to write on the cup.”

The Englishman hummed in reply, “It’s Arthur.”

The barista looked at him, “Author?”

He frowned. “No. Arthur.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I can’t understand your accent. Can you repeat that again?” Alfred covered his mouth to hide his giggles. The barista was totally fucking with him and he couldn’t say that Arthur didn’t deserve it. That’s what happens when you treat workers in New York City rudely.

And Arthur looked more pissed then ever. “My accent is perfectly understandable thank you! You need to get your hearing checked. And you know what, make that Mr. Kirklandto you.”

The barista looked at him with an unreadable expression. “Of course, Mr. Kirkland,” she said with false innocence while scribbling the name on the cup.

After paying for the two drinks and finally allowing the next couple in line to order, Alfred and Arthur moved to the side.

“So it’s your first time in a Starbucks?” Alfred asked, already knowing the answer. “Yes, and my last! I suggested going here because I always hear how obsessed Americans are with the place. God only knows why...I just thought you’d prefer this to other cafes.” He pointed down to the giant Frappuccino in Alfred’s hands, “and I doubt you’d be able to find that monstrosity elsewhere. It looks disgusting by the way.” Alfred pouted, “Hey! Don’t judge! This shit is delicious, you gotta try it.” He held it out to Arthur who put his hand up in disgust.

“No thanks, I’ll wait for my tea while you subject your body to diabetes.”

“Rude,” Alfred stuck his tongue out at him.

Finally a different barista placed a ready-made hot tea on the counter and called out, “Mr. Cockland? Tea for Mr. Cockland?”

Alfred’s face scrunched up before he burst out laughing. Arthur on the other hand turned bright red. Then he whirled his head around to the register where the first barista was. She looked at him and gave the sweetest smile before turning back to the client she was helping.

Arthur’s eye twitched. He grabbed his drink off the counter and then grabbed Alfred’s shirt to drag him out of the coffee shop.

When they were safely outside and Alfred’s laughter died down, he took a moment to appreciate just how angry the other man looked. “C’mon, you have to admit that was funny.”

“No it was not! It was inappropriate, and uncalled for I might add. She’s lucky I don’t report her,” he tapped his foot irately.

Alfred rolled his eyes, “Yeah but you were kind of a douchebag.”

“What are you saying? That I deserved it?” Arthur narrowed his piercing green eyes at him, and it reminded Alfred so much of a few days earlier when Arthur had yelled at him for trying to return his money.

He tried to hide the sudden stab of dejection. “I’m just saying you should be nicer to people, especially when their job is to serve you. You shouldn’t act like you’re better than them, that’s all. Everyone deserves respect…servers, waiters…even the homeless,” he tacked on.

The other man started to fidget uncomfortably, mulling over Alfred’s words. He turned the cup over in his hands to look at the name ‘Mr. Cockland’ written across it in big black letters. Finally he let out a heavy sigh and raked a hand through his hair. “You’re right. I…need to work on that don’t I?”

Alfred gave him a small smile and stated encouragingly, “Don’t worry, I can help you.”

“You think you can reverse three decades of mistrust and egotism thrust on me by my family and friends?”

Alfred beamed at him, undaunted. “Of course!”

His positivity must have been infectious because Arthur smiled back at him. “Okay then. Before we start training,” he started jokingly, “why don’t we sit and enjoy our drinks?” He motioned to the outdoor seating area, where there was an empty table with two chairs.

“Sure,” Alfred affirmed as they made their way over and sat down.

Arthur snorted, “So is this what Americans do to pass time? Buy overpriced coffee and talk aimlessly for hours?”

The younger man tapped his chin in fake thought, “Hmmmm well yeah, mostly the chicks though. Or people on dates.” Shit, he did not mean to say that last part. He didn’t let Arthur ponder his words before asking quickly, “Why, what do British people do?”

“Go to a pub of course, I must say I’d fancy a pint after that interaction with the barista…” He put his elbow on the table and held his chin in his hand.

“Hahaha! It’s too early to drink!”

Arthur looked at him incredulously before asserting, “It’s nevertoo early to drink.”

Alfred couldn’t tell if he was kidding but it seemed like he wasn’t. He mentally added ‘heavy drinker’ to his steadily-growing list of things he knew about the Englishman.

“You Brits must really like your liquor,” he said amusingly.

“Oh you don’t know the half of it. I could drink anyone under the table in my hometown,” Arthur stated confidently with a smirk on his face.

Alfred smirked back at him. “Impressive. I’m not a huge drinker though, I’ll leave that to you.” He threw in a wink for good measure.

“Well that’s a shame… so you don’t know of any good pubs around here then?”

“Um no not really, I’ve never really been to a pub actually, I prefer clubs so I can dance. Pubs just make me think of tiny, dimly lit bars that serve fish and chips with beer. Not really my thing.”

Arthur did not look happy. And he was definitely pouting. “That’s not all that pubs have to offer! Especially in England! I don’t know what kind of crap goes on here but there has to be an authentic English pub somewhere in this godforsaken city.”

Alfred laughed. “You’re probably right. We’ll just have to do a bar crawl one night to find the best English pub!”

The Englishman contemplated this before nodding in agreement.

They went on to discuss other topics, from their alcoholic drinks of choice to their college experiences, to favorite subjects in school, and Alfred even got Arthur to open up about his childhood a bit!

An hour and a half had gone by before Alfred started thinking more and more about how much it felt like a date. The two of them, sitting outside enjoying the sunny weather talking and laughing and generally enjoying each others’ company. It was exciting of course, but he also didn’t know if his companion felt the same attraction. He still didn’t even know if the man swung that way! Alfred had let his sexuality slip the night before, but Arthur hadn’t alluded to his own preferences, and Alfred wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

It was also weird that Arthur was paying for everything. Alfred felt bad about it, of course, but it wasn’t like he had any money anyway and Arthur clearly had the funds and had no qualms with spending it. The guy was seriously loaded. And Alfred was only a little bit jealous.

If he had that kind of money he was be donating it to charities to give back to the community. Of course he had nothing against the Englishman about spending his own money however he wanted… it was just interesting seeing the contrast between their two upbringings and lifestyles. Alfred had never been on a date with someone posh, or ‘bougie’, or whatever. He tended to go for the tamer, quieter, and laid back men – the ones who had a few part time jobs and preferred to play video games rather than go to work.

Arthur wasn’t like that at all. He was hot-headed, quick-witted, and devoted to the painstaking time and effort to do good work. Alfred could tell the man was a force to be reckoned with. And, for some reason, he really liked it. He liked that Arthur was sarcastic and honest and spoke his mind even when he probably shouldn’t. He liked that the man acted all tough and fierce one second but the next turned all wide-eyed and adorable the next second.

Speaking of his eyes, they were just gorgeous. Green eyes were rare in general but Arthur’s were absolutely mesmerizing. The way the light was reflected in the little gold flecks of his irises captivated Alfred and he couldn’t stop staring, watching Arthur talk animatedly until he paused and gave Alfred a weird look.

“Well?”

Alfred shook his head to redirect his attention; he had completely zoned out. “Huh? Sorry, what’d you say?”

“I asked if you wanted to move on to the suit shopping?”

“Aw but I was having so much fun here!”

“You weren’t even listening to me while I was speaking!” Arthur shouted, scowling at him.

“I sorta was,” he giggled, shrugging his shoulders and radiating innocence.

“My arse you were,” was the response. He abruptly stood up, grabbing the long-finished cups off the table and tossing them in the garbage. “Are you coming or not?”

“Yeah yeah hold your horses,” Alfred replied whilst standing and stretching his arms up to the sky.

They weaved their way through the people sitting and chatting and started down the street. Arthur was using the GPS on his phone in order to find the ‘perfect’ place to buy nicely tailored suits and Alfred followed his lead.

After only walking a few blocks, Arthur came to a halt in front of a store with a name that Alfred couldn’t pronounce. There were luxurious tuxedos on perfectly posed mannequins in the window and even the tiny light bulbs in the display case looked expensive. Alfred’s stomach dropped. This was the kind of store he wouldn’t spare a passing glance; he didn’t belong here!

Arthur held the door open and when he noticed that Alfred was not inching any closer, he dragged him inside whispering “it’ll be fine”.

The place was a lot bigger than it looked. Tons of suits lined the walls, sorted by color and style. There was a section for wedding suits, professional suits, everyday suits – what the heck was an everyday suit?? It was very overwhelming, and Alfred couldn’t help but feel extremely out of place surrounded by such affluent clothing.

A clerk spotted the two men and approached them. “How can I help you two today?”

Arthur took the lead. “Well, we were hoping to find a classic suit for him,” he gestured to Alfred with a nod.

The clerk responded, “Very well, follow me please.” He brought them to a long line of suits toward the back of the shop, a varying array of blues and blacks poking out from the rack.

Alfred gulped. They all looked exactly the same! How was he supposed to pick one?

Thank god Arthur seemed to know the “ins and outs” of suit shopping. After pulling a bunch of suits from the rack and discussing with the clerk which would be the most appropriate for a typical work setting, he ushered Alfred along to the changing room to try them on.

He stared at himself in the big mirrors lining all sides of his dressing room, feeling caged and uncomfortable. In the brightness of the contained space he could see his body so clearly. Like the bags under his eyes and the gauntness of his face. He removed his shirt and examined the way his ribs bulged out. He had never looked so ugly, he decided. The lackluster eyes and pale skin was nothing reminiscent of how he used to look. Something had to change; he couldn’t go on looking like hallowed version of himself.

“Everything okay in there?” he heard Arthur ask from the other side of the closed door.

“Uh huh, hold on,” Alfred took the first suit off the hanger and quickly began to change, praying it wouldn’t look overly baggy on his emaciated figure.

He carefully stepped out of the changing room in a dark blue jacket and matching dress pants, awaiting a reaction from the Englishman.

Arthur looked pensive, with a hand on his chin in thought as he assessed Alfred’s outfit.

It was making him kinda nervous.

“Sooo, what do you think?”

Arthur came forward to button the first button on the jacket, and to hike up the pants so they weren’t hanging so low off Alfred’s hips. Alfred managed to not overtly blush at the manhandling, just letting Arthur tweak and correct any imperfections he saw.

At last he sighed and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid that look just doesn’t quite work for you. Let’s try the next.”

Alfred let out a sigh of his own, he had been secretly hoping for the ‘one and done’ kind of shopping trip but alas, the universe was not on his side today. He begrudgingly returned to the dressing room to try on the next suit, which turned into the next suit, which turned into the next…like seriously, Arthur was so picky! It wasn’t Alfred’s fault that he couldn’t rock the professional look like his British companion could.

When he finally emerged with one of the only remaining suits left to try on, he was expecting Arthur to turn it away like all the others, but instead Arthur’s eyes widened and he leaned forward.

“Ah! That one! It exudes classiness and sensibility. It’s bloody perfect. Finally, my god I thought we were never going to find one.” He smiled so beautifully at Alfred then that the taller man’s heart skipped a beat.

“Y-you really think so?” Alfred asked. Curse his stammering.

“Yes! It fits you exceptionally well,” he turned to a clerk in a nearby aisle. “Excuse me sir, we would like some advice on this suit that he has on. Do you think it needs to be hemmed at all?”

The dark-haired clerk came over to them before stopping abruptly.

“Alfred…is that really you?”

Oh shit. It was his old coworker and good friend, Kiku! What the hell was he doing working in this store?

He couldn’t keep that question to himself apparently. “Kiku oh my god! Long time no see! What are you doing here??” He put his hand out which Kiku took as the two shared a friendly handshake.

“Ah, I work here now. I stopped working at the videogame company only a little bit after you left. You were right about that place – so hostile and unpleasant.”

“I know right! I guess it’s a good thing you weren’t there for much longer after I got the boot, I bet you were hella bored,” he laughed merrily.

Kiku smiled tight and warm in response and then changed the subject. “I am surprised you are here in a suit, Alfred. This must be a very special occasion. Are you going to an event with your boyfriend?”

Alfred blushed from ear to ear as he looked to Arthur frantically. “Ohh no no hahaha he’s not- this is just my friend, Arthur! Sorry I totally forgot to introduce you guys.”

The Japanese man looked embarrassed as well. “Oh I’m very sorry, I should not have assumed anything,” he turned to Arthur and bowed slightly. “It is nice to meet you.”

Arthur lowered his head a bit as a show of courtesy. “Pleasure to meet you, Kiku.”

The blue-eyed man looked between the two, thrilled that one of his best friends and his newest friend were getting along nicely, albeit a tad awkward at the ‘boyfriend’ mention.

“The suit isn’t for an event of any kind, by the way. We were looking for something he could wear in a professional setting,” Arthur began, steering the conversation back to the reason they were in the store in the first place. “How do you think it fits him?”

Kiku approached Alfred to measure the lengths of the sleeves and pant legs against his body, and Alfred didn’t miss the frown at his Japanese friend’s lips. Suddenly nervous, he pulled absentmindedly at the lapels of the jacket. “Well? Do I look good or what?” He laughed anxiously.

“I believe it is a good fit for you. If the pants feel too long, I will recommend getting a little trimmed at the bottom, but I do not think it is necessary. With the proper shoes, I think this suit is a good match.”

Alfred looked to Arthur for his approval as well so he could finally get this damn thing off and into the regular comfortable clothes that were beckoning him from inside the changing room.

At last he was permitted to change and when he emerged, he carried the pristine suit over his arm, trying his best not to wrinkle or tamper it, lest he incur the Englishman’s wrath (and perhaps his Japanese friend’s wrath as well, though that was much rarer).

The two men had been engaging in small talk but stopped once Alfred was in front of them.

“Shall I get this paid for then?” Arthur questioned as he took the suit from Alfred’s arm.

“How expensive is it?” Whoops, didn’t mean to let that one slide out.

Arthur fished the price tag out of the fold and glanced down. “Not too bad, especially for this label, definitely worth it.” With that, he turned on his heel and headed to the register.

Alfred narrowed his eyes before he turned to Kiku. “How much is that suit?” He knew his friend wouldn’t lie to him, and now he had to know.

The shorter man looked uncomfortable. “It is around five hundred and fifty dollars.”

Blue eyes widened to abnormal proportions. “F-fi…five HUNDRED? Oh my god… That is literally insane. I can’t believe he’s doing this,” he murmured the last part mostly to himself but Kiku heard it anyway.

“Your friend is buying that for you? He is very generous,” there was a question of ‘why’ hanging in the air between his words but Alfred wasn’t going to indulge his curiosity, not now at least.

“Yeah he is. He’s a great guy,” Alfred said truthfully.

“Alfred, can I ask you a question? It is unrelated.”

“Yeah of course.”

“You look very different from the last time I saw you. Much more thin, and tired. Are you okay?”

Alfred gulped and rubbed the back of his neck, feigning ignorance. “Yeah dude I’m okay, I just lost some weight is all.”

His friend studied him for a moment before replying, “I know you better than that, I think. You seem to be lying.”

Okay but did Kiku really have to call him out like that? Couldn’t they all pretend everything was fine and dandy? He had never known his friend to be so direct with him before, apparently Alfred wasn’t the only person that had changed since they last saw each other.

He was trying to formulate his response when he saw Arthur making his way over to them with the newly purchased suit in tow.

This wasn’t the kind of conversation he wanted to have in general, least of all in front of Arthur. He definitely missed Kiku and wouldn’t mind hanging out again in the future, and maybe by then he would be able to open up about the struggles he had faced over the last half-year, but now just wasn’t the right time.

“Kiku, it was really great seeing you, but I think we’re going to head out now.” He tried to smile without giving away his discomfort as he turned away toward the door.

Arthur stopped him, “Oh we’re in no rush. If you’d like to stay and chat with him, it’s no issue.”

The dark-eyed man kept glancing between the two of them, no doubt evaluating the situation and trying to come to a reasonable conclusion for why Alfred was acting so weird. Alfred didn’t blame him for wanting more information, but this was just so freakin’ awkward!

At last Kiku opened his mouth again. “I should help other clients again anyway, so I do not mind if you need to leave. But first I want to invite you to my apartment next week, I am having friends over for a videogame party. We will try out all these new games I got recently. Do you want to come?”

It wasn’t often that Alfred was left speechless, but this was one of those times. He had no idea what to say.

“Uhhh, I– uhhhh,” he sputtered gracefully.

“You do not need to give me an answer now!” Kiku supplied urgently, “You can always text me when you decide.”

Alfred nodded dumbly in response.

“Do you still have my phone number? I have tried texting you multiple times the last few months but you didn’t answer. I was unsure if you lost your phone, or if you got a new number.”

Sweat was starting to drip down Alfred’s temple, and his hands were clenching and unclenching at their own accord. He thought back to the crappy phone with a cracked screen he hadn’t been able to use in months, that was currently stuffed in his tote bag at Arthur’s place. He hadn’t used it since the battery died after he had been forced out of his apartment, and he obviously couldn’t pay his phone bill so it wasn’t like he could use it for anything other than the stupid game apps he had installed to stave off boredom. Suddenly he thought about how many calls he had missed, how many texts had gone unanswered. Looking down, he hadn’t realized his eyes started to water.

So, so much shame.

Arthur’s worried hand was on him in an instant and he heard Kiku start to frantically reconcile for damage that he didn’t cause.

“Alfred, forgive me, I did not mean to make you upset. You do not need to answer about the party or the phone. I only asked because I miss your company.”

And if that just about made Alfred burst into tears right there…

“N-no it’s okay. Sorry, I just-” he wiped at his face desperately, hoping that the other patrons weren’t looking in their direction witnessing him cascade into a state of panic. He took a couple of deep breaths as Arthur continued to squeeze his shoulder soothingly.

“Kiku, I-” he tried and failed to even his voice out.

“It’s okay, you’re okay. You don’t need to speak right now,” said Arthur gently. Alfred took another deep breath, feeling himself calm immensely from the Englishman’s pacifying voice and comforting touch.

This time when he wiped at his face, the tears didn’t reappear. And when he felt prepared, he lifted his head to look at the two worried men in front of him.

“Thank you. I just…Kiku I want to tell you everything that happened since I got fired from that shithole of a company, but I’m not ready yet. Just know that I haven’t been able to use my phone in months, so honestly I don’t know how I can contact you.” He shook his head sadly.

“Do you havea phone?” Arthur asked him, seemingly perplexed at the notion.

“Yeah, I do. It’s long-dead though. Not sure if it’ll turn on when I charge it but I can try. And I’m not gonna have service or anything since I don’t have a phone plan anymore.”

At this, Arthur perked up. “Oh don’t worry yourself with that! We’ll get you set up with a new plan and everything, not a trouble at all.”

Alfred stared at him, debating whether or not to fight the offer, but already knowing how it would play out. How quickly they had developed a pattern of behavior.

He smiled at him, “Thanks dude, you’re the best. Seriously.”

Arthur blushed slightly, “Nonsense.” Then he faced Kiku before taking out his own phone. “I can take down your information just in case the data was lost and we need to get him a new one.”

Kiku smiled and exchanged information with Arthur whilst the tallest of the group watched on.

At last they all said their goodbyes (and Kiku was blessed with a tight hug from Alfred) before the two blondes exited the store. They had only made it a couple of paces on the sidewalk before Arthur turned to him and stated, “You have good taste in friends.”

Alfred couldn’t help but agree.

[readyfreddy]

some questions

1. do u prefer typing or handwriting? whats ur fave font? and ur fave type of pen?

2. what are ur fave things to get from timmies? do u like timmies or do u prefer a different coffee/tea place?

3. have u heard the new songs on red??? thoughts?

I like handwriting better, even though it's pretty much illegible, but it's relaxing. I've been writing my notes for school. I really these Crayola gel ball points that they had in a bunch of colours at Dollarama, also those fancy art felt tip pens (Sakura micron fineliners, but the Michael's knock offs are pretty good too). I'm boring and like arial font, as it's simple and nobody hates it. I had my bio, Chem, and physics teachers in highschool is comic Sans for hand out notes and I absolutely cannot stand it.

I really like Tim's iced coffee, even though it tastes like it giving me ulcers, I gets me through my shifts at work. Also their apple pie dough nut is very good, but is likely dreadful in terms of nutrition. What do you think of their collab with Bieber?

Starbucks is pretty good, I like their iced apple crisp macchiato,pumpkin spice cold brew, and strawberry frappuccino (it tastes like strawberry ice cream, my coworkers chirp me endlessly. They don't understand what they're missing out on).

I've never been a huge Taylor Swift fan, I really liked willow from her previous album, but all my friends who are Swift fans are in love with her new album. I have it download on Spotify, but I've been listening to the same 20 songs in my playlist, maybe I'll branch out my music taste a little bit.

[arachnexdragoon]

℧

Send me ℧ for me to generate a scenario for our muses

Prompt: Aranea is a barista at Gladiolus’s favoritecoffee shop. 

“Hey, handsome. Fancy meeting you here.”

The smile she had on her face could bedescribed as polite only – but the mischievous twinkle in her eyes added adifferent meaning to it; it was her favorite joke, really. Gladiolus(alternatively: Gladio, Gladdy, Gla-daddy-o when she was feeling particularlywicked) always dropped by before heading to work and she worked most morningshifts just around the corner of the gym where he taught an impressive range ofclasses.

Not that she was a student there – she onlyworked out by herself, but a lot of students (mostly of the female variety)came to the coffee shop after their classes for refreshers and iced coffees andspoke highly of their bulky, manly and tattooed instructor. And Aranea waspretty sure only one person fit that description.

“Yeah, I keep coming back because I like theservice.”

The pale-haired barista chuckled, quicklyworking on the register; she knew his favorite combinations by heart now;sometimes he’d ask for a surprise so Aranea got to pick the flavor – and you’dthink a big, strong guy liked that would steer away from disgustingly sweet,cream filled frappuccinos, but Gladiolus secretly loved them. After all, theman did enough to burn all these calories and then some. She added moresyrup than necessary and gave him some extra biscuits when he ordered blackcoffee; good thing the manager wasn’t usually around when she was on her shift.

“I thought you liked the clever names on thecup,” she replied, finishing the order and handing him the receipt; thistime it was a double espresso and she added a brownie (fresh from the oven,really yummy – she tried it herself). He smiled at her while pocketing thereceipt and adding a generous tip to the tip jar – all the more reason for thegirls working there loving it when Gladiolus showed up.

“I like these too. My sister feels she mighthave a worthy opponent in you,” that earned him a second smirk from Aranea, whomoved to actually prepare the drink. She had her back to the gym instructor,but even she noise of the kitchen didn’t prevent her from listening to his nextquestion, “So you think I need a double espresso today? Do I look that tired?”

“Not at all. You’ll just need the energy for a longday,” she explained while the coffee was finished, placing the lid on the cupand then adding the brownie, pushing the small tray towards him over thecounter with a smirk, “I’m taking you up on that night out offer. I get out atsix. You know where to pick me up.”

[bay42o]

1. What is your middle name?

Jo

2. Do you have any nicknames that aren’t derived from your actual name?

My dad used to call me slugger

2. Do you have any allergies?

Yes. Latex

4. What is the longest your hair has ever been?

Almost to my butt

5. How well can you write in cursive?

Pretty well

6. Name one item on your bucket list.

I want to visit Greece

7. Have you ever been on a blind date?

No

8. What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear and how old is it?

A middle school shirt and yes

9. How often do you eat out at a fancy restaurant?

Not often

10. How grammatically correct are you when you text?

I think I do pretty good

11. Can you drive stick?

I tried once and it didn’t go well

12. What foreign country would you most like to visit and why?

Greece or the Bahamas

13. Nutella or peanut butter?

Peanut butter

14. At what age did you have your first kiss?

I was like 6

15. DC or Marvel?

Marvel

16. Have you ever hosted a wild party?

Nope

17. Name/author of the last book you read cover to cover. Do you recommend it?

Glass by Ellen Hopkins and I recommend if you’re into those sort of books

18. How many of your Facebook friends do you actually hang with?

I really don’t hang with anyone anymore

19. Have you ever donated blood?

I tried but I wasn’t allowed

20. From 1-10, how much do you like decorating for holidays?

8

21. Coffee or tea?

Coffee

22. What is your go-to Starbucks drink?

Carmel Frappuccino with a shot of espresso add java chips

23. Last show you binge watched?

CSI Miami

24. Dogs or cats?

Dogs

25. Favorite animated Disney character?

Ariel

26. Have you ever cooked a big family meal by yourself?

Yes. Lately a lot

27. Favorite winter activity?

Bonfires

28. Have you ever butt dialed anyone?

The cops

29. Can you blow a bubble gum bubble?

Oh yes

30. How early in the year do you start celebrating Christmas?

The day after thanksgiving 😂

31. What emoji best describes your life right now?

😐💪

32. Are you fluent in more than one language?

No I wish

33. What is the longest you’ve ever kept a New Year’s resolution?

Like a month

34. Have you ever successfully been on a diet? Did you gain any of the weight back?

Yes and yes

35. Are any of your grandparents still alive?

My dads father

36. How good are you at communicating through facial expressions?

Pretty good

37. Have you ever gotten a commercial jingle stuck in your head?

“It’s my money and I want it now”

38. Have you ever left a movie theater before the movie was over?

Yes I left during Benjamin Button. Too damn long.

39. Do you consider rapping singing?

To an extent

40. Does your home have a fireplace?

It does

41. Favorite non-chocolate candy?

Sour sweet tarts

42. If you could have only one superpower, what would you want and why?

To be able to fly.

43. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

Yes I have

44. Do you listen to any religious music?

I actually do

45. Do you drink soda? If so, which one is your favorite?

Dr Pepper of Coke

46. What was your ACT score?

Idk didn’t do it

47. Rice or quinoa?

Rice

48. From 1-10, how good of a driver do you consider yourself?

8

49. Do you like horror movies?

Not really

50. How easily do you cry?

Pretty easy honestly

51. Do you have any tattoos? If so, of what and where?

19 and they’re randomly places

52. You are hanging with your closest friends. What are you most likely doing?

Watching a movie

53. Can you handle spicy foods? What is your spice limit?

Not really

54. Can you play any musical instruments? If so, which ones?

Piano

55. Are you more introverted or extroverted?

Introverted

56. Last CD you bought?

TLC crazy sexy cool

57. Do you like roller coasters?

No

58. What day of the week is laundry day for you?

Like everyday

59. Have you ever played spin the bottle?

Yes

60. How long have you known your best friend?

Like 16 years

61. Can you eat using chopsticks?

No

62. Do you have any stickers on your laptop computer? If so, what are they of?

They cover my laptop

63. How often do you say y'all?

A lot

64. Favorite flavor of ice cream?

Butter pecan

65. How long was your longest relationship? Are you still with that person?

Over 4 years on and off and idk what’s going on anymore tbh

66. Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Wars

67. How good are you at math?

Pretty good

68. Have you ever acted in a play or a musical?

I have

69. How often do you read/pay attention to your horoscope?

Like everyday almost

70. What is the shortest your hair has ever been?

A little longer than my ears 😂

71. Have you ever broken any bones?

Toes, fingers and my elbow

72. Do you like to go fishing?

Love it

73. Do you believe in evolution?

Not really

74. Favorite costume you wore for Hallowen? How old were you?

Poison Ivy and I was like 23

75. Real or fake Christmas trees?

Fake

76. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Like 4

77. Do you live in an apartment or a house?

House I guess

78. How many of your friends are of the opposite gender?

Not many

79. Have you ever had a near-death experience?

A couple

80. How long have you been at your current job?

Almost 3 years

81. What kind of car do you drive (year, brand, model, color)?

Black 2012 Kia Optima ex gdi

82. How flexible are you?

Not very

83. Have you ever ended a romantic relationship?

Yes

84. Phrase you say the most?

True that

85. Have you ever kissed anyone of the same gender? If so, did you like it?

Love it

86. Do you own any homemade clothing?

I actually do

87. Do you like fast food?

I do

88. Have you ever given anyone CPR?

A doll

89. Have you ever learned to do anything from a how-to video on YouTube?

Yes I have

90. Describe your sense of humor.

Great

92. Favorite cereal?

Captain crunch

93. Have you ever auditioned for a reality competition show?

No

94. Have you ever gotten a TV theme song stuck in your head?

Reading rainbow

95. Do you believe in ghosts?

I do

96. Do you think there is life on other planets?

I do

97. Have you ever given money to a street performer?

Yes

98. Your deepest fear?

Dying probably

99. Pancakes or waffles?

Pancakes

100. Are you still friends with anyone from high school?

I am

101. From 1-10, how good of a dancer do you consider yourself?

2

102. How much of a patient person are you?

Very impatient

103. Do you know your IQ?

Nope

104. Do you eat meat at all?

I do

105. Do you own any clothes from a garage sale or a thrift store?

Plenty

106. Have you ever bought anything from a flea market?

Yes I have

107. Have you ever quit a job?

I have

108. Have you ever gotten a song you dislike stuck in your head?

Yes

109. Any movie(s) you can watch over and over and over again and enjoy just as much each time?

Waterworld

110. Do you or have you ever worn glasses?

Yes I need new ones

111. Have you ever skinny dipped?

I have

112. Are your birth parents still together?

My dad died but they would still be together

113. Have you ever been in the audience for the taping of a TV show?

No

114. Favorite type of cookie?

Chocolate chip

115. Have you ever been broken up with?

I have

116. How often do you smile when getting your picture taken?

Not often

117. Have you ever accidentally dialed 911?

Yes

118. Oldest memory?

My brother running me over with a go cart

119. Have you ever been the victim of a nasty prank?

I have

120. How often do you snort when you laugh?

Too often

121. From 1-10, how good of a singer do you consider yourself?

3

122. Favorite Disney song?

Fly to your heart by Selena Gomez

123. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Happy

124. What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?

Huh

125. Have you ever had a fortune cookie fortune come true?

I have

126. Name one thing you wish people would stop posting on social media.

Animal abuse!

[babbletop]

Here's a list of 10 McDonald's Foods You Need to Try While Traveling The World. McDonald's worldwide menu has taken over, these are 10 McDonald's foods you need to try while traveling the world. ➡️ Subscribe to BabbleTop: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg?sub_confirmation=1 While traveling the world, odds are, you’ll find yourself at a McDonald's at least once during your travels. And if you do, you won’t have to resort to ordering the same old meal you order from the McD’s in your hometown. Instead, you can eat local with one of these 10 McDonald's foods you need to try while traveling the world. If you enjoyed this list of 10 McDonald's foods you need to try while traveling the world, then comment: #McDonalds #WorldwideMenu #Top10 TIMESTAMPS: 0:23 Pineapple Oreo McFlurry 1:24 Shrimp Beef Burger 2:34 Apricot Sundae 3:34 Bacon, Macaroni and Cheese Toastie 4:47 Guacamole Burger 6:18 Bacon Roll 7:25 Bubble Gum Squash McFlurry 8:53 Chicha Purple Temptation 10:05 McLobster 11:21 Spinach and Parmesan Nuggets SUMMARIES: - You really can’t go wrong with a McFlurry. Since the dessert is so popular, it’s no surprise that McDonald's has tried to expand their market by experimenting with new flavors. - Surf and turf, anyone? Although this isn’t quite your traditional steak and lobster meal... In a surprising twist, Korean McDonald's have decided to put out a burger that contains not only a beef patty, but a shrimp patty as well! - This is another fresh take on a classic dessert. Don’t be fooled by its appearance; this ice cream may look like just another caramel sundae, but it’s actually topped with apricot sauce, along with tiny chunks of the fruit. - This dish takes the trifecta of foods that are bad for your health but good for your heart and combines them into one glorious sandwich. It’s essentially grilled cheese meets macaroni and cheese meets bacon. - This one is for all you millennials out there. While it’s not as fancy as avocado toast, this McDonald’s Mexico burger will still allow you to get in your daily avocado. Inside the Guacamole Burger you’ll find... - There’s something to be said for keeping things simple, but the Bacon Roll takes it to the extreme. If you find yourself in a McDonald's in the United Kingdom and take notice of an item on the menu called the Bacon Roll, you may think that the name is lacking in description. - Unlike the Spinach and Parmesan Nuggets, this food item doesn’t actually contain any vegetables. So, there’s no butternut or spaghetti squash to be found in this drink. No, instead of being comparable to everyone’s favorite gourd, the Bubble Gum Squash McFlurry is actually far more reminiscent of the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino - This Peruvian dessert feels extremely out of place on the McDonald’s menu. When you think of McDonald’s desserts, it’s usually ice cream, be it a McFlurry or a sundae, that comes to mind. - The McLobster is, at its core, a glorified lobster roll. The massive hotdog bun is stuffed with Atlantic lobster, shredded lettuce and a special “lobster sauce.” It’s available at McDonald's locations in Atlantic Canada and New England in the US. - Spinach and Parmesan Nuggets joins the ranks of the McLobster and the Chicha Purple Temptation in the category of “sounds amazing, but what’s it doing on the McDonald’s menu?” ➡️ SUBSCRIBE to BabbleTop! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg?sub_confirmation=1 🥳 JOIN and become a BabbleTop member! https://www.youtube.com/babbletop/join 👕 Check out our MERCH! https://ift.tt/2xcFumO 🔥 Our Most Popular VIDEOS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOvb3ZRIwh0&list=UUX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg Top 10 Saddest McDonald's Happy Meal Toys Ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXjSIxWR9Jo&list=UUX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg&index=63 Top 10 Most Popular Secret Menu Fast Food Items https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEDoWmFKBWI&list=PL2AXIR2uRsIlSkW5W0YF4gcw66jKxXUCy&index=13 Top 10 Candy Bars America Wished They Had https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiVIx10iBgc&list=UUX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg&index=40 10 Coca-Cola Drinks That Embarrassed The Company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEqcMBAbur4&list=UUX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg&index=15 10 McDonald’s Items That Would Make America Great Again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UksU5Ki0SW4&list=UUX--mGSg0UwDjl7MDL8H5Jg&index=9 All clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).