#30 day writing challenge

[blackwolfstabs]

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 26

SLEEPING IN

It's that time of the month again.

The clock passed 7:45 AM, and there was still no sign of Tara. Her class started at 8:35 AM, and it took her about 15 minutes to get there. Normally, she never got up past 7:30.

Today was different.

Sam gulped down the last of her medication and left the bathroom to make way to her sister’s room. The door was shut, no sound or any sign of activity coming from inside. So, instead of knocking, she went straight to turning the knob as quietly as she could and letting herself in. 

Tara was still under the covers, having them pulled all the way over her shoulders as she lay curled up. However, the notorious creak of the door opening made her peer up.

Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, not even open all the way as Sam observed them. “Hey,” she greeted softly, “You’re gonna be late, it’s past 7:45.” She approached the bedside.

But her little sister just shut her eyes again and buried half of her face into her pillow. “I don’t feel good, Sammy…” 

She sat down on the edge of the mattress and reached over to rub her back, softening her voice as she asked, “What’s going on?” She then moved her hand to tuck away the other’s messy, feathered bangs out of her face. “Do you feel sick?”

The younger Carpenter shook her head, still not opening her eyes. “My period…” she mumbled. “Cramps…”

“Mm.” She must’ve started it last night. Usually, they let each other know when the time-of-the-month starts, so they won’t accidentally snap and then erupt into a meaningless fight. “Did you start it last night?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Her older sister nodded and brushed her warm cheek with the back of her hand, before pulling the covers down a little. “I’ll go get you some medicine, and—”

She was cut off by a long, high-pitched whine that came from Tara, who yanked the blanket back up while stretching in a frustrated way. “Noooooo, I don’t wanna go to class, Sam!”

Sam had to bite back a laugh at how childish she looked turning over onto her stomach and twisting her face away—like if she was facing the other direction, then she wouldn’t be forced to go to school. “I didn’t say you had to go, Tara,” she chuckled, unable to hold it back. “I was just going to get you some medicine and the heating pad.”

Her sister huffed but seemed to drop the tantrum at this response. Her eyes opened a little to glance out of the corners. “You’re not going to make me go, even if I take medicine?” When they were kids, their mother would encourage them to take some medicine and push themselves to quote-unquote “get through the day,” when they didn’t feel well but didn’t have fever. She’d always hated that, and she knew Sam still lived by that, even though she had hated it too as a kid.

“Are you kidding? Even with medicine, period cramps suck,” the older replied. “I’m not gonna do you like Mom.” Her train-of-thought drew her to the same memories of when they were in their school-days. 

Tara actually managed a small smile at this, which made Sam return one before she stood up. “I’ll be right back. Do you need anything else?” 

A head-shake answered her and she dismissed herself to retrieve some Tylenol, a glass of water, and the heating pad. When she retreated to the bedroom, Tara had moved onto her back with one hand limp over her eyes and the other tucked beneath the covers, rubbing her lower abdomen. “Okay, Tara…” She set the cup and heating pad down on the bedside table, then brushed her little sister’s forehead softly. “Can you sit up for me to take this?”

Tara slid her hand off of her eyes and propped herself up on her forearms. She balanced her weight long enough to take the two pills, one at a time, and swallow them with a few gulps.

“Good girl,” Sam praised, before letting her lay down again. As she did so, she went to plug the cord of the heating pad into the wall, beneath the phone charger currently in place.

Tara was already grabbing the dark green pad to slip it beneath her blanket. Now, a little more awake from taking the medicine and navigating the topical remedy to her liking, she kept an eye on her big sister as she came around to situate the controlling section next to her. “Sam?”

She didn’t look up as she proceeded to set the temperature, “Mm-hmm?”

“Can you stay home with me?”

Sam’s dark eyes raised before her face did, a spark of concern flooding them faster than she could blink. But when the younger just blinked at her innocently, she decided it was her unstable hormones making her clingy side come out. “I’ve gotta go to work, baby,” she told her. When she saw her face drop into that small pout no one else could pull off, she caressed the side of her face, “I’ll call to check on you, okay? And you can text me whenever you want.” She brushed her thumb over her cheek, noting the disappointed sigh that came in response.

“‘Kay…”

Sam gave her a small smile and leaned down to place a loving kiss to her head. “Go back to sleep,” she whispered.

Tara nodded and closed her eyes, nuzzling herself into the comfort of her bed, while hugging the heating pad to her aching abdomen. Her sister’s footsteps then faded out of the room, which left her sighing again. It wasn’t that she needed Sam to be there with her. She was 21, she didn’t need a babysitter or someone to coddle her. It was just that she liked Sam’s attention, whenever she was sick or wasn’t feeling 100%. She liked to be held or hugged, or just to be near her. Call it a security or little-sister thing. That was just the way she was. Especially since they had mended what had been broken for so long back in Woodsboro. Here in New York, after defeating the last pair of Ghostfaces together, they had grown closer than ever and rarely, if ever, looked back on where they had been. 

Tara still remembered what it felt like when she realized Sam wasn’t coming home on her big sister’s 18th birthday, just like Sam remembered what it felt like to have her baby sister shout “Get the fuck out!” at her in that hospital room.

They never forgot any of it, but they did build a wall between then and now. And that’s what Tara relied on. Even in times like these, which were small and insignificant, considering she got her period every month. 

It was safe to say that there was a small crack in the wall they built that let the river that connected before-estranged, estranged, and never-again-estranged flow through, because their relationship tended to mirror what they had as kids more than it mirrored their growing-up-and-apart fate.

However, Tara’s hopes were unexpectedly lifted when she felt the bed shift behind her and a familiar, loving embrace wrap around her torso, overlaying the heating pad to hold it in place. She hadn’t heard Sam come back in the room, but she knew that touch better than anything. She felt her sister nuzzle the back of her head as she shifted closer with a content sigh. “Sam?”

“Hmm?”

For someone who was already up and about, Sam was warm against Tara, as if she’d been laying with her all along. “I thought you said you were going to work.”

Her big sister shrugged with a small scoff. “Fuck work,” she replied, “They don’t like me anyway…”

This made her chuckle and shuffle further under the covers. “What if they fire you?” 

“They won’t.” The smile that came across the other’s face was heard in her voice. “They may not like me, but they need me.”

The younger smiled too. “Well, look who’s so confident in herself,” she teased. 

Sam teased her back, “What? I mean, I can still go, if you’ve change your mind.” She began to pull her securing arm away. “Would you rather me leave?”

But her sister pinned it before it could leave her side. “No, no, stay,” she giggled, tugging her arm back to where it was. “I was just playing.”

“I know,” Samantha’s smile stuck around as she picked her head up to kiss her sibling’s and then settled back down again. “So was I.” She let her eyes close as Tara sighed happily and traced her small fingers over her hand that guarded the pad beneath the blankets. “Now, get some rest, my love. I may not be going to work, but I can’t stay here all day.”

Tara nodded. “Okay. But you go to sleep, too.”

“You first.”

She let her hand go limp over her older sister’s and sank into her pillow. “Thank you, Sammy. I love you.”

Sam brushed her nose into her hair, taking in her thick, calming scent that had already crowded her olfactory senses from being in her bed. “I love you too, Tara.”

happy thanksgiving everyone! i hope you all had a great time with your family, friends, or whoever you spent it with. i'm very thankful for all the things i have and are able to do, in these fearful times. thank you all for your support and love. i'm very thankful to have you and be apart of this community.

All my best! ♡ - parker

[illicitlamb]

𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈: 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 | 𝟑𝟎-𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄

SUMMARY | Wednesday and Enid have a "roomie" movie night.

The motion pictures of Edward Scissorhands flashed on the laptop screen, holding Wednesday’s attention as she laid propped against her bed’s headboard. With her left arm draped over her ribs, the right was bent to have her knuckles brushing her lips. The whole “roomie movie night” that Enid proposed was definitely not her cup of tea, but now she was involved with the movie and had no intention of pausing it to get some sleep.

It was the complete opposite for her werewolf girlfriend.

She was completely gung-ho about having a fun, relaxing night concerning only the two of them and was now heavily dozing off on the raven’s right.

Once Addams came up to the famous scene of Scissorhands sculpting an ice figure of his crush, Kim Boggs, she maintained a blank stare until Sinclair’s arm wrapped her waist in, what felt like, a subtle hug. Looking over at her captor, she found her crystal eyes closed and torso rising and falling with light breathing. Even if she was awake, the psychic probably still would have opted for letting the affectionate touch slide.

Returning her gaze, Wednesday shifted gently before relaxing once more against the mattress. A few moments later, the hold on her middle tightened followed by a soft, groggy voice.

“Wednesday…?”

She kept her orbs to the screen. “Hmm?”

“Can you cuddle with me?”

This had her glancing down at the blonde, brow hardening. “Cuddle?”

“Mm-hmm,” Enid sleepily replied.

“I don’t do cuddling,” Addams pushed back. Despite being in a relationship, it was still a complete turnoff when anything other than hugging and kissing was involved. As unusual as that was, she knew her limits and refused to fit into the stereotypical crowd of lovestruck couples. “You’re practically asking to be strangled.” But her waist was pulled on by the she-wolf.

“Please, Wednesday? Just this once?”

The young raven expressed a partially-annoyed sigh.

“For me?”

Several moments passed prior to a reluctant agreement falling from her lips. “Fine.” Shifting further down, she became pressed against her girlfriend’s body while a content sigh stung her ears. She did not engage much in return except for placing her hand on the other’s securing forearm.

On the right, the werewolf nestled close to her partner, taking in the mixed aroma of laundry detergent and the others soothing, natural scent. “For someone who doesn’t like to cuddle, you’re the perfect person to cuddle with,” she breathed.

Wednesday responded with nonchalance. “Why is that?”

“You’re warm…and easy to hug.”

“Flattering me is not going to make me like it anymore,” she muttered back. But Sinclair kept pulling at her.

“Can’t you just take the compliment?” Her weariness weighed more and more on her mind, making her rub her head against her pillow. “Instead of being so grumpy?”

“I’m not. You know affection is not my forte and neither is being possessed by hyperactive positivity.”

After exercising a yawn, a soft smile twisted the blonde’s lips. “We’ll work on that.” And with that word, she was bewitched by the sweet spell of slumber while her girlfriend was passing her a subtle glare.

Of course, Addams was opposed to such a proposal. She had made a promise to herself that she would never fall in that line – she would never fall in love and never fall out of her one-of-a-kind reputation. But every day she was with Enid, she was tested on keeping her vow more and more. She knew it, and sooner or later, her partner would know it too. She was pushing away while the other kept pulling at her nerves, her mind, and her heart. She would not dare to admit it, but the she-wolf was winning – she was being pulled into the suffocating clutches of love. Every word, every fight, every feeling, she was falling. It had to take someone of an extremely rare nature to get to her core, and she had finally crossed paths with her match.

Enid Sinclair was her match. It was shocking, but the blunt truth.

Resorting back to the movie as a distraction, the psychic stayed focused for a few more minutes. But before she could even realize, she was manipulatively beckoned to join the werewolf in a comfortable rest quicker than gasoline catching a burning flame. Caught in between the transition of asleep and awake, the last thing she did was move her hand to lay atop of her partners’.

How ironic it was that her move was made out of a natural force.

So maybe it was true – opposites do attract.

[deity-prompts]

February Writing Challenge 2023 theme: firsts

First time driving

First episode

First chance

First day

First meeting

First look

First attempt

First bite

First flight

First drink

First birthday

First job

First fight

First pet

First step

First post

First anniversary

First words

First home

First light

First born

First place

First choice

First dollar

First to apply

First photo

First kiss

First kill

Also see:

February Writing Challenge 2021

February Writing Challenge 2022

Writing Challenge Masterlist

Prompts Masterlist

[floralbuckleyswrites]

A Helping Hand

♡ Pairing: Buck/Reader ♡ Genre: Fluff ♡ Word Count: 1,101 ♡ Warnings: None ♡ Summary: When Buck needs some help with Jee-Yun he calls you over. ♡ Note: This is for a 30 day writing challenge I am doing. Day: 2 Parenting & Day 3: Everyone knows but them.

There were not many people you would get out of bed for in the middle of the night, especially after a ten hour shift, but Evan Buckley was one of them. So, when he had called at a quarter past two and begged for help, there was no choice but to leave your warm bed and oblige. Which was why you were currently standing in front of his apartment door, still in your pajamas, tired as hell.

“Uh, hey, Buck?” you said knocking, “it’s me.”

It took a few minutes, but he answered the door, his blue eyes frantic with distress and worry. When Buck had called you, he hadn’t explained why, but as your eyes landed on the crying baby clutched in his arms, you immediately understood.

“Oh thank god you’re here, please come in,” he rushed out, stepping to the side so you could come in.

“Is everything okay with Jee?” You asked, wincing a bit from the loudness.

Buck only sighed, walking past you to go sit down on the couch. He rocked her back and forth gently in his arms, clearly trying to comfort her and get her to calm down.

“She’s been crying non-stop since Maddie and Chimney dropped her off this morning. They'll be out of town for a few days getting some alone time. This is the first time I’ve had her overnight and I guess she’s just not used to it,” he explained over her crying. 

“I see and you called me over here because…?”

“Because I know she’s only met you once or twice, but she did so well with you each time. I just thought it might calm her down to see you and if not, maybe I just needed to see you.” Buck admitted, avoiding your gaze.

“Oh,” you mouthed, trying to process what he had just said.

You and Buck were just close friends and had been for a long time now, but you would be lying if you didn’t have feelings for him. How could you not? He was an amazing guy, impressive firefighter, and all around hunk. The two of you had been tight ever since you joined the 118, which was why you were willing to be here right now. 

Now, you had no idea how Buck felt about you, but sometimes the things he said gave you hope that he just might have feelings. What did he mean by he needed to see you? Why not call Hen or Eddie? They both had kids and could help with the situation. 

Pushing that thought aside, you walked over to him and Jee-Yun. What Buck said was true, each time you had seen her, she had taken to you well. All babies tended to, but it was really just because you knew how to handle them. As the oldest sibling in a single parent household, you had lots of experience raising your younger siblings.

“Let me see her,” you said softly, reaching out your hands. 

Buck gave her to you without hesitation, relief on his face as she easily went into your waiting arms.

“Come here mija, you’re going to be just fine,” you murmured, cradling Jee-Yun closely to you as you began pacing around the living room. 

She slowly started to relax a bit, her cries turning into low whimpers. You started to sing a soft melody to her like your mother used to and after a while she was drifting off to a sound sleep.

Buck watched in surprise and relief, thankful that you had been able to do what he hadn’t been all day. He knew he had made the right choice by calling you over here.

“Where can I lay her down?” you whispered, once you were sure she was ready.

Buck motioned for you to follow him, getting up and leading you into his bedroom where the crib was set up for her.

You laid her down gently, careful not to wake her up as you got her situated and covered her small body with her soft pink blanket. Then you and Buck hurried out, shutting the door quietly so as not to disturb her.

The two of you waited by the door for a moment to see if Jee-Yun would start fussing. Once a minute or two had passed and she was still quiet, you knew she would be down for awhile.

“You are a lifesaver, thank you so much,” Buck said, heading back into the living room with you following after. “If you hadn’t come, she would definitely still be crying.”

“No problem, you know I’d do anything for you,” you said easily. 

It was the truth, you hadn’t known what he needed help with before coming over and that hadn’t mattered. 

“Maybe you could let me do something for you to show my appreciation.” Buck suggested as he turned to you, looking directly in your eyes, a cheeky smile on his face.

You blinked curiously, tilting your head to the side. “Like what?”

“Let me take you out on a date this Saturday night? Maddie and Chimney will be back by then.” He said easily, as if his words weren’t causing your heart to beat faster.

Were you dreaming right now? There was no way Evan Buckley was asking you out on a date. Surely not.

“W…Why would you wanna do that?” You managed to get out after a moment.

“Isn’t it obvious? Maddie’s always telling me how obvious it is. I like you, Y/N. I have for a few months now. I’ve been putting off confessing because after my last relationship I’m a bit nervous,” he admitted with a sigh,” but I guess there’s something about dealing with a crying baby all day that gives you courage.”

You both laughed at that, the slight awkwardness in the air a little lighter.

Shit. A late night confession from Buck was the last thing you expected when you came over here, but you weren’t going to complain at all. Quite the opposite. 

“Um, well, yes. I’d love to go out on a date with you, Buck. If it helps, Chimney always says my feelings are obvious too.” 

Buck looked pleasantly surprised at that. “Really? Well I guess we were the last ones to know.”

“I guess so,” you said shaking your head, “well I should probably go ahead and head out. Call me if you need any more help with her, okay?”

“I will. Thanks again Y/N.”

“Anytime.”

With that you left, the promise of Saturday lingering in the air causing you to smile the entire way home.

My Masterlist || My AO3 || Please leave feedback, helps motivate! :) Thank you for reading~

[aydann-runs]

“Can I ask you something hard?” Alex asks, lips brushing against the bare skin of Michael's shoulder in the dark.

Michael is still awake. Alex can feel it in the way Michael's body hasn't quite relaxed in his hold. It's a good time for hard conversations, they've learned, when they're close and connected, a little more unguarded than in the light of day.

“Yeah, ‘s long as I can change my mind if it's not somethin’ I wanna talk about.”

“Always,” Alex confirms.

That's the only ground rule they set for this, borrowed from sex, but useful here, too, that they both have to be okay with having the conversation. That there's no judgment if one of them changes their mind. It's happened a few times, where he or Michael has had to step away from a discussion.

Alex half expects his next question to be shut down from the start, but he asks it anyway. “Do you ever regret staying in Roswell after high school?”

He feels Michael tense, and Alex skims his palm across Michael’s belly, up his chest, and back down. Alex waits patiently, long enough he thinks Michael’s not going to answer. He’s just about to withdraw the question when Michael takes a deep breath and lets it out in a shaky exhale.

“There isn't a really great way to answer that,” Michael says, voice tinged with an old sadness. Alex squeezes him reassuringly but stays quiet. “I…everything was so fucked up then. I couldn’t get out, not after Rosa. Iz needed me, and Max sure as shit couldn't handle everything on his own.”

Alex hums in acknowledgement. It would be too easy to play Monday morning quarterback, but Michael doesn't deserve that. Besides, Alex doesn't know what he would have done at seventeen if he were in Michael's position, with the limited understanding he'd had at the time.

“After that summer, leaving wasn't an option anymore, even if I'd wanted to. I fucked up badly enough that UNM pulled my scholarships.”

Michael sighs and makes an aborted move to roll onto his stomach and bury his face in the pillow. Alex loosens his hold, but Michael shakes his head and presses back, renewing the close contact.

“I fucked up a lot of people's lives that summer. I hurt Liz and Arturo, Rosa. Isobel. I hurt you. There are a lot of things I regret, Alex, but staying was never one of them. I could never regret always being where you could find me.”

Alex tightens his grip on Michael as he falls silent, presses a kiss to the back of his shoulder. He waits until he's sure his voice will be steady to say, “When I first got back to town and told you I thought you'd be long gone, that was my biggest fear. It was so selfish of me. I wasn't in a good place, couldn't tell you how happy I was to see you. And god, I was sad that you'd been stuck here the whole time. I didn't understand then that this was where you'd needed to be.”

Alex buries his face in the curls at the nape of his husband's neck. He inhales the scent that's uniquely Michael, the first rainfall after a dry spell, a hint of motor oil that he can never fully wash away, a little bit of smoky bourbon.

Michael turns in his arms, brushes his nose against Alex's. “This is always where I've needed to be.”

[coklatjingga]

Satu sisi, sebagaimana manusia biasa, rasanya ingin sekali diberi keberlimpahan harta yang dengannya bisa membahagiakan orang tua, menolong sesama dan berbuat banyak untuk umat.

Sayang, di sisi satunya, sebagaimana manusia yang diujiankan nafsu mencintai dunia sedemekiaan rupa, rasanya enggan memiliki harta yang diperebutkan oleh ahli waris, diributkan sanak keluarga. Bahkan, ketika sadar itu tak lagi menjadi hak, masih saja getol mendapatkannya. Dan tak jarang menyebabkan pecah perang saudara.

Ternyata benar, mabuk dunia semenyeramkan itu.

Maka, Ya Allah, biarkan aku mabuk akhirat melalui harta duniaMu.

Batusangkar, 11122023

[bakuliwrites]

Made some writing/drawing prompts! I went with Nouns, Adjectives, and Scents. I thought it would be fun to use a random number generator on each of the three categories and write with what pops up :) But there's lots of other ways you could do this, so have fun!

[el-writes-things]

day four - messing around in an ikea

FIRST FENGQING PROMPT :]

the vibes seem very fengqing coded so ofc i chose them to write this for my 30 day writing challenge!

this was fun to write and also mildly stressful because... what if it's ooc.... i did my best and i'm kinda happy with the result :]

enjoy!

< day three day five >

“What did you say we needed again?” 

“You really weren’t listening, were you? I don’t need anything. I just really like IKEA.”

Feng Xin gaped at his boyfriend, who only shot him a smug little grin back. “Seriously? Didn’t you wake me up and tell me we had to get… some kind of… coffee table?”

He had, but only to coax Feng Xin out of bed. Besides, Mu Qing wasn’t about to admit to that. “Must’ve been your delusions. They’re getting worse, I see.”

“You…”

“Glorious, beautiful, amazing, lovely, kind boyfriend? The best in the world? I know. Let’s go!”

Feng Xin didn’t reply, but Mu Qing could see a hint of a smile on his lips. Wordlessly, he grabbed Mu Qing’s hand and let the other lead him into IKEA. 

The automatic doors slid open, allowing the two men into the most beautiful and perfect place in the world. At least, according to Mu Qing. 

He took a step away from Feng Xin, spreading his arms widely. “So, where to go first? Kitchen, or living room? Maybe bedroom? And we have to look around where the plants are before we go.”

“Naturally,” Feng Xin replied. He seemed to be weighing his options. “I vote… kitchen.”

“Excellent decision,” Mu Qing said and took hold of his hand again to begin his march up the stairs to where the kitchen display was. 

“You really didn’t say we needed anything?” Feng Xin questioned again as they climbed. 

“Why would I lie to you?” Mu Qing rolled his eyes before plastering on a fake frown. “That’s like kicking a puppy.”

Feng Xin made an adorably defeated sound. “You definitely lied.”

“Feng Xin. Are you insinuating that I would kick a puppy?”

“You’re changing the subject on purpose.”

“Oh, look! We’re here.”

Feng Xin poked his side and Mu Qing let out a laugh, walking into one of the kitchen layouts. 

“Rate this out of ten,” he told Feng Xin, gesturing to the dark wooden cabinets that served as part of the showroom.

“Why, will you buy them for me?” Feng Xin teased. He gave the cabinets a critical look. “Hmm… I’ll give them a seven. The ones we have are better.”

“How so?”

“Because I chose them,” was Feng Xin’s smug response. Mu Qing snorted. 

“Sure, okay. What do you rate the entire kitchen layout?” 

“Let’s see… maybe a five. Or a six.”

“Oh? Really? Explain.”

“Well. I think the way we set up our own is a lot better,” Feng Xin told him. 

“The right answer goes to… Feng Xin!” Mu Qing turned to survey their surroundings. “Okay, then. How should we fix this?”

“Fix? The IKEA kitchen layout?” 

Mu Qing raised his eyebrows and smiled. 

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

“Have you two never been inside an IKEA? You’re adults, you should know better!”

Mu Qing tried for his best innocent and apologetic face. “We’re so sorry! I just wanted to move some things around and see how it might look in our new apartment. I didn’t realize we weren’t allowed to, please don’t kick us out.”

Feng Xin gave the security guard a pleading look from his place standing behind Mu Qing. With his softer features and naturally kinder eyes, it seemed to be working a bit better than it was on his partner’s sharper face.

The security guard loosened up slightly, nodding at Feng Xin. “Mind yourselves, alright? I don’t want to have to come and warn you again. There is an appropriate way to act in public spaces,” she said sternly, directing most of her speech towards Mu Qing, apparently having decided that he was the mastermind. He tried not to let his expression slip into a smug smirk. 

“Thank you! I hope you have a good day,” Feng Xin told her warmly. She gave a curt nod, then turned to leave.

The moment she was out of sight, Mu Qing grabbed onto Feng Xin’s arm and buried his face in his chest, trying to muffle his laughter.

“That is so not funny. Do you know how humiliating it would’ve been to get kicked out of IKEA? Then where would we go when you wanted to shop for furniture?”

Mu Qing wiped a tear from his eye, gasping for breath as he straightened up. “It was at least a little bit funny. Oh, you’re just so cute when you’re taking a bullet for me. Did it hurt your pride to make that face? I’m gonna think about your expression forever. I’m a little mad that she only trusted you, though. You and your adorable trustworthy face.” 

Feng Xin turned a pleasing shade of scarlet and Mu Qing bit back another round of laughter. “Alright, I’m sorry! That was mostly my fault.” “Mostly?” Feng Xin sputtered. “This was your idea.”

“I know, and what a wonderful idea it was. Wanna go down to the bedroom section?” Mu Qing asked.

Feng Xin pretended to be annoyed for another few seconds, but it wasn’t long before he nodded. Mu Qing grinned and nudged Feng Xin in the direction of the displays. 

“So…”

“Oh, no.”

“Please! It’ll be so funny, I promise.”

Feng Xin shook his head. “Funny to who? You?”

“And you. You’ll laugh too, I swear.”

“Fine, fine. What is it?”

The pair reached their destination and Mu Qing threw a quick glance around their surroundings. “Okay, okay. Let’s go over there.”

He picked a bedroom at random and walked over. It was a pretty setup, clean and small, with the walls painted a soft lavender and the bed heaped with pastel pinks, greens, and purples. Feng Xin made a quiet, confused noise before following him. 

As they approached, Mu Qing began to raise his voice. “Seriously? Our son would hate these colors!”

A passerby gave him an odd look and walked by a little faster. It took all of his best effort not to laugh at the stranger’s expression.

Feng Xin still looked slightly confused, so Mu Qing raised his eyebrow and continued. “I mean, do you ever even spend time with the kid? This is really your first choice in bedroom setup?”

The other seemed to be catching on, clearing his throat before saying, “What are you talking about? Hong-er’s favorite color is purple. That’s what he told me!”

Hearing the childhood nickname of Hua Cheng startled Mu Qing, but not enough to make him crack. “Are you kidding? His favorite color is red. He must’ve just said that to appease you!” he retorted, turning his back to face the bookshelf. The mother and child in the bedroom display exchanged glances before hurrying out. 

“Appease me? Please! Why would he need to appease his favorite dad?! You’re just jealous that he likes me more than he likes you!” 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Wanna know what he told me? He said he only told you he likes purple because you kept telling him that it was okay for boys to like all kinds of colors, but his favorite really is red! You told him not to be shy, but you scared him!”

“Stop lying! You’re… you’re filling Hong-er’s head with lies and you’re breaking this whole family apart!” Feng Xin shouted. 

Mu Qing finally couldn’t take it, doubling over and laughing. A group of teenagers gawked at the pair, but he ignored them, wheezing and clutching his stomach. From behind him, he could hear Feng Xin’s own laughter. 

“Ah, shit! Let’s go, Mu Qing, run!” 

He barely had the time to say “huh?” before Feng Xin grabbed his hand and sprinted off. He caught a glimpse of the security guard from earlier rounding the corner, on the verge of spotting them, before he was spurred into motion.

They sprinted from bedroom to lighting, taking the shortcut through rugs and nearly running over a family in bathrooms. After a few more maneuvers, they ended up in the children’s section.

There, the couple came to a halt, trying not to scare the two kids and their tired-looking parents roaming around the section. Mu Qing steadied himself, planting his hands on the sides of a bin full of stuffed animals, simultaneously gasping for breath and wheezing with laughter. “I can’t believe you invoked the name ‘Hong-er’. Hua Cheng would kill you.”

Feng Xin gave him a lopsided grin. “As long as he never finds out, I’m safe.”

“I’ll totally tell him.”

“Then I’ll tell him that you said I scared him!” Feng Xin replied.

Mu Qing nearly fell over with his snorts. “Oh my god! ‘You’re breaking our family apart’... that was priceless!”

One of the two kids wandered over to stick their grubby hands in the pile of stuffed animals. Mu Qing lowered his voice and moved away to lean against a wall, still trying to catch his breath.

Feng Xin walked up to him, holding a small gray stuffed animal in his hands. “Look. It looks just like you.”

He studied the misshapen stuffed cat with its gray-black fur. “Cut the sh-” he started, then cast a glance at the child behind Feng Xin. “Cut your silliness. That looks nothing like me.”

His partner grinned at him, holding it up next to Mu Qing’s face. “Are you sure? It’s kind of cute. I’ll buy it for you.”

Mu Qing considered this, then nodded. “Deal. No take-backs.”

“Of course not. Now, come on. Let’s go get some frozen yogurt before that security guard catches up with us and banishes us from IKEAs all over the world.”

“I’d like to see them try.”

Mu Qing let Feng Xin place an arm around his shoulder, the fluff of the stuffed cat brushing against his cheek, wrapping his own arms around Feng Xin’s side. Together, they walked towards the food court, stomachs still clenched with laughter.

[jerzwriter]

Something New

Book:                   Open Heart (Post-Series)

Pairing:                Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee)

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Fluff

Summary:   Kaycee takes matters into her own hands when Ethan won't follow doctor's orders.

Words: 918

A/N: Day 8 of @creativepromptsforwriting 's 30-Day Writing Challenge: Write about finding a new hobby. Also participating in @choicesjanuarychallenge Day 7 - Hobby I didn't have time to edit - be kind ;)

Ethan x Kaycee Masterlist 30-Day Writing Challenge Masterlist

The early summer sun was beginning to set over Boston. Its pink and purple hues filled the condo with magical light, luring all those present to watch. Kaycee finished up the last dish in the sink and dried her hands as little Emma babbled in her highchair nearby.

“Abababaaba-gooooh!” she gurgled, earning a bright smile from her mom.

“Is that what you think?” Kaycee grinned. “I agree with you, Princess Emma. That is the most beautiful sky.”

Unstrapping the toddler, she lifted her to her hip and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

“Look,” she pointed. “Can you purple, Emma? Pur – ple.”

“Pupuhpuh, abababbaba-gooh!”

“Yeah, well, I understand,’ Kaycee laughed. “Abababbaba-gooh is such a cool word. I probably wouldn’t want to say any others for some time too!”

Kaycee looked at her watch and then shot an anxious look down the hallway. It was getting late, and Ethan should have been done by now.

“Ethan,” she beckoned. “Baby, why don’t you come out here. Emma and I have something we want to show you.”

“I’ll be out in one minute, hon,” he hollered in reply. But, twenty minutes later, Kaycee placed a sleepy Emma in her crib and walked to Ethan’s study.

His eyes lifted the moment she entered the room, a contrite expression on his face. 

“I was longer than a minute, wasn’t I?”

“By at least twenty,” she confirmed. “Ethan, you’re supposed to be relaxing. The doctor said….”

“The doctor exaggerates.”

“Really?” She admonished, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Dr. Reynolds is one of the best we have to offer! You know that. How would you feel if you knew one of our patients was home poo-poohing our advice like you’re doing now.”

“Poo-pooing?” Ethan chuckled.

“Don’t change the subject! I can’t help it if I’m picking up the old-lady language! How long have I been with you now?”

“Ouch!”

She headed for the door and motioned for him to follow. “Come on, Ethan. To the bedroom.”

“Well,” he hummed, pushing away from his desk. “Don’t mind if I do!”

“Relax, Romeo,” she teased. “It’s not for that.”

“No?” he frowned.

“No!” She chuckled with a glint in her eyes but soon backpedaled just a bit. “I mean, maybe later.”

“Better, much better,” he said, throwing an arm around her shoulders as they walked to their room.

“Now, sit!” she ordered, and he quickly complied, taking a seat in the easy chair next to the bed.

“Are you sure we’re not doing that?” he winked.

Kaycee shook her head with a smirk. “No. Not now. You’re here to make a decision.”

“A decision?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she hummed, placing three parcels on the bed before him. “You’re going to make a selection: box number 1, box number 2, or box number 3.”

“Can I at least know what’s in them first?”

“I suppose,” she said, proceeding to help him open each one. 

The first contained a moderate-grade camera with a sleek design. The second was a potters wheel; the last contained a box filled with assorted paints and brushes.

“Is it arts and crafts day at Emma’s daycare?” he asked.

“Sure, because these look like they were made by Crayola, dear,” she dismissed. “No. They’re for you. You’re going to pick one, and then we’ll get you more supplies because you need to take up a hobby.”

“Kaycee,” he groaned, “is this about….”

“Dr. Reynolds is worried about your stress level, and he said you need to pick up something relaxing, a new hobby. Since you weren’t taking any steps to do that, I needed to take action.”

“I have hobbies, Kaycee.”

“Your work is not a hobby.”

“I also have….”

“Writing your next book is not a hobby.”

“Well, there is also you,” he leered.

“Trying to be cute and insinuating that fooling around with me is a hobby will not get you out of this. Now, pick one!”

“Why these things?” he asked.

“Well, you’ve mentioned wanting to learn to take better pictures. You love visiting that pottery shop down on the Cape, and last time we were at the beach house, you said you wished you could have painted the sunset. Like the one you just missed watching with Emma and me because you couldn’t tare yourself away from work. So… pick one, Ramsey!”

“I love it when you’re bossy,” he growled.

“Ethan!”

“OK, OK! I guess I’ll try….” He pointed to the paints. “Those.”

“Oh, OK.”

“You seem disappointed?”

“Of course not! It’s got to be your choice.”

“But?”

“But… I was sort of hoping for the potter's wheel. I thought it would be, you know… kinda sexy.”

“Sexy? Rookie, you’ve watched Ghost one too many times.”

“I have,” she giggled, sitting on his lap in the chair. “But honestly, the idea of you at an easel, well, I’ve got to admit, that’s got me a little hot and bothered too.”

“Oh, does it now,” he breathed, nuzzling his nose against her neck. “The idea of the photos I could take of you with that camera is sort of doing things to me, as well.”

“Are you saying you’re going to pick up more than one hobby now, Ethan?” she laughed.

“Maybe,” he said, lifting her as he stood and placing her gently on the bed. “But for now, I’m only picking you up. Is Emma asleep?”

“Sure is,” Kaycee grinned, and a devilish look came over her husband’s face.

“Good. You get the camera out, and I’ll lock the door.”

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[mizu-writes-kumo]

She's a girl with the best intentions, He's a man of his own invention - Chapter 13 - 16

Chapter 13: Family - Gen, Edmund POV

The Moonstone took everything from him His kingdom. His people. His friends. His family.

Chapter 14: Work - New Dream

Eugene stared at himself in the mirror. Sometimes he really didn’t believe how his life turned out. He went from a kid with hardly anything to his name, to a man with almost everything he could think to ask for just a question away.  From a kid who was told he wouldn’t amount to much of anything repeatedly, to a man of great respect and responsibility with countless people who thought highly of him. He smiled to himself.

Chapter 15: Age - New Dream

Eugene didn’t like thinking about age. It was basically a simple number that told him how long someone had been around.  It meant some things, sure, but at some point it was little more than a number. Just kind of milestones that don’t really change a person all that much. He perhaps cared about it once.   But that was a long time ago. In his defense though, he was hundreds of years old.  

Chapter 16: Music - New Dream

Rapunzel strummed her guitar lightly. Easily producing a soft melody of her own design. Eugene was lying beside her, loosely curled up on his side.  Napping in the afternoon sun like a cat. 

Read Here from Day 1 here on AO3

[blackwolfstabs]

30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 14

JUST BREATHE

Ever since a week ago, when the 2023 Ghostface murders ended, Tara's been having nightmares, but tonight she's hit with twice the panic.

Warning!! contains panic, anxiety, and asthma attacks - mentions PTSD - (just to be safe)

Based on true events experienced by the author... (Tara's POV)

It had been just over a week since Sam killed Quinn and Wayne, Tara killed Ethan, and Mindy and Chad had been hung up in the hospital recovering from stab wounds. The sisters’ apartment hadn’t been cleared for them to return yet, after the attack that had happened there, so Tara had agreed to share Chad’s apartment with him and Mindy, while Sam stayed with Danny. The twins had decided to stay in the same apartment to watch over each other, plus they were still on-edge about everything, so being alone wasn’t ideal.

But Tara hated nighttime. That’s when everything changed.

For the first 2 days, sleep came easy for her, given she was exhausted from the 3-day streak of being alert and on-the-run. However, the 3rd night onward brought on the most vivid nightmares she had ever experienced. They were all about what had happened but threw her 2022 trauma in with it. Sometimes she was helpless in a wheelchair. Sometimes she was back at her home in Woodsboro. Sometimes she watched everyone she loved die. Sometimes it was her that died. Her body was so worn out that her mind wasn’t able to distinguish that the nightmare was a nightmare and that she was only dreaming, which led her waking up in a panic, sweating, and sucking the life out of her inhaler.

It had gotten so bad that by the time 5:00 PM came around, she’d already start to get anxious, knowing what was waiting for her in the dead of night. When the sun went down and the lights went out, when there was no activity to keep her distracted and no one awake to talk her out of it, Tara was in a constant tailspin on what was to come when she fell asleep. Sure, she, Chad, Mindy, and Sam had made it clear that communication between them was open, so no matter what time of day or night it was, they would be there for each other, if needed. But Tara hated to be an inconvenience. She already felt that she was the weakest because of her size and asthma, and that she was the most emotionally unstable because of her being the youngest, even if it was only by a difference in months between the Meeks-Martin twins.

But trauma had its ways of getting even, if not outdoing anything she could attempt to keep inside. And she was about to learn that the hard way.

—

2:34 AM

Tara awoke with a jump, heart pounding and entire body shaking uncontrollably. The only thing she could register was that it was dark and she was much more aware of the physical feelings that came from the night terror she had just been ripped from. Heat flooded through her, followed by a chill. The back of her neck felt waxy as her hair clung to it. Her mouth was dry, though she still managed to swallow through her gasping. 

And then she noticed something new… something that hadn’t happened before.

There was a pain in her chest. A violent one. It felt like there was a brick on top of it and a fist squeezing it on the inside. The more she gasped to catch her breath, the more she realized she couldn’t. She couldn’t get enough air, and that just drove her panicking to its top tier. Afraid to move too much, she rolled her head to the left and grabbed her inhaler off the bedside table.

She pushed her elbows down into the mattress to push herself up, wincing at the healing wound on the left side of her upper back. Now leaning against the headboard, she attempted to deliver a dose of medication to her airways. She took in one, quicker than she should’ve, but desperate for relief. When she breathed out, she was starting to wheeze, and the pain in her chest sharpened, which made her cry out and clutch it with her other hand.

She took to her inhaler again. She knew she shouldn’t, but she wasn’t thinking clearly. Once again, the pain teased her. A feeble whimper came through her wheezing as she forced herself to lie back down, noticing it wasn’t as bad when she did so. She tried to rub the area that felt the tightest, while the other hand squeezed her inhaler, praying that she would settle down.

“It was just a dream…” she tried to assure herself, breathlessly, on her deep exhales. “It was… just a dream…” Tears flooded into her eyes, when she stared at the ceiling. “You’re okay…” But she couldn’t shake the feeling. She still couldn’t breathe well, and her chest couldn’t break free of the suffocating discomfort.

What if this was more than a nocturnal asthma attack? What if something else was wrong? What if she passed out from the lack of proper oxygen? What if she was having a heart attack? What if she went to get help and they called 911? What if they took her to the hospital? What if she had to stay in the hospital? What if she was left alone again?

A thousand thoughts spiraled in Tara’s head, making everything worse. She was beginning to hyperventilate, her airways still feeling inflamed and constricted, even though she had medicated herself. She couldn’t go to the hospital. That would just make it worse. She’d never step foot in another hospital room, with a gown and nasal cannula, as long as she should live. There was too much trauma carried in those hollow walls and too much blood spilt on those sterile floors to relive it all again.

But she knew she was working herself up into a violent asthma attack that she wasn’t sure she could stop, and she knew she didn’t want to be alone. There was only one person she wanted. One person she knew would make her feel safe and hold her until it passed. It was Hell, these asthma attacks, but that one person made her believe there was an end to it that only they could encourage.

She grabbed her phone and opened her text messages.

2:41 AM: ‘Sam are you awake?’

She stared at the bottom of the screen, hoping and praying to see three blinking dots show up to know that her sister was awake and would be there. However, a minute went by. And then another minute. Her eyes started to burn, and she bit her lip, trying not to cry as she released a desperate whine.

2:43 AM: ‘I need you’ 

She was still trembling, having kicked down her blankets from her body not being able to decide if she was hot or cold. It wasn’t the feverish kind of shaking though. She was in the middle of what happened when an asthma attack and panic attack collided to wreak havoc on their host. And because Sam wasn’t responding, she went to her second-best bet, which was her only back up. She made a group chat with Chad and Mindy.

2:44 AM: ‘are either of you awake?’

2:44 AM: ‘Chad idk if u still have ur phone on’

She forced down a swallow, pinching the middle of her bra to hold it away from her chest, hoping that might bring a little relief. But no. So, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her fingers curled into the sheets beneath as she tried to keep her back straight to prevent excess weight settling on her chest. The pressure seemed deep, swirling like a thick smog that built a wall to prevent fresh air from getting in. She anxiously waited for a reply from someone—preferably Sam—silently begging for her to wake up if she truly wasn’t already awake. “Mmm…” she groaned as she tried to rub her chest again. “Please, Sammy…”

She sent a 3rd text.

2:47 AM: ‘Please’

The girl shut her eyes, unable to distract herself from the feeling of not being able to breathe and her chest aching. It had never hurt like this before. She went to the twins.

2:48 AM: ‘Please’

And as if on cue, the pain in her chest erupted into a sharp stabbing feeling in the middle of her sternum. That was it. She wasn’t going to wait anymore. Tara held her phone to her chest, while the other grabbed her inhaler, and she carefully moved herself off of the bed. She wheezed, a small cough finding its way out in an attempt to push the obstructing feeling out of oxygen’s way. But it wasn’t that easy, just made her chest feel even more pressured.

She felt weak as she walked towards the door, her back slightly hunched in her shaky steps. Tears started to fall from her eyes, winning the emotional battle to clog her trachea further. She tried to clear her throat and dry her eyes, knowing it would only get worse if the drainage were to catch up with her.

She made it to Chad’s room, where she staggered up to his bedside. “C-Chad?” she called out to him, knowing that he, Mindy, Sam, and herself had a tendency to lash out when touched while asleep, due to their PTSD. However, Chad didn’t move, so she moved closer and tried to speak a bit louder. “Chad.” Another bout of agony pierced her chest, and she was forced to swallow, which made her realize just how constricted her bronchial muscles were. She reached out and shook his shoulder lightly, “Chad!”

To her surprise, he didn’t wake in alarm, just stirred into consciousness. He lifted his head and blinked at her, still dazed from sleep.

Tara didn’t wait for him to say anything, the realization of waking someone up and having to explain what the reason was making everything all-the-more real. She whimpered. “M-my chest really hurts…” Her tears started to fall again, voice cracking as she started to crumble under the pressure of anxiety. Her breathing picked up, wheezes replacing her whimpers.

The sound of her voice and progression into hyperventilation made Chad’s gaze clear as he got up. “Okay. It’s okay, Tara. Easy,” he soothed, bringing a hand up to her back to gently rub it. “Is it an asthma attack?”

She nodded, her face creasing to cry as she shook her inhaler and used it. As she lowered it from her lips, she pressed against her chest. “I… I c-can’t… breathe,” she choked out around her wheezing and small coughs. She didn’t look up at him, just stood there shaking and shuddering at the sobs that were trying to come up her throat.

“Shhh,” her boyfriend shushed, “It’s alright, Tara, it’ll pass. You can breathe, just calm down.”

But she didn’t know how to. “I want… I wanna go get Sam…” Just saying her sister’s name made her want her even more. She was already thinking 10 steps ahead, thinking of herself being rushed to Urgent Care and ending up in a room, where she’d be cornered by nurses and doctors, touched and handled in ways she didn’t know if she could take after all of the nightmares. But if that’s what was meant to be, she wanted Sam with her the whole time. “Can you… go get Sam, please?” She rubbed her chest uncomfortably, squeezing her eyes shut as the agony tormented her. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until she let it go in an exasperated sigh, which led to another bout of hyperactive breathing.

Meeks-Martin nodded, “Yeah. I’ll get her.” He kept his hand on her back as she nodded, seeing the stream of tears staining her cheeks. He wiped them, “Just try to stay calm, babe. If you cry, it’s gonna make it worse.”

He guided her to the living room and sat her down on the couch, then knelt down to her level. “Are you gonna be okay on your own? Do you want me to go get Mindy?”

Tara shook her head, still holding her chest like her heart was going to break out of it at any moment. Her wheezing was starting to be consistent with anxious moaning. “M’ fine…” Her leg was going a mile a minute as it bounced in its nervous way. “... Just want Sam.” She could barely get those words out before she hiccupped in a suppressed sob and gasped for breath again.

The other didn’t waste another moment, “Okay.” He stood up, gave a quick kiss to her head, then headed for the front door. He snatched the copied key to Danny’s apartment off of the key rack and looked back at her. “Just keep taking deep breaths, Tara.” And he was gone.

As calm as he had seemed around his girlfriend, his heart was gunning. He hadn’t experienced one of her asthma attacks like this before. It was almost like her body was here and she knew what she wanted, but her mind was somewhere else… fading with the lack of oxygen she was receiving. He didn’t know how long she’d been like that before she went to wake him. The way she shook so badly, the way fear and panic made her eyes crystals in the lowlights, the way she clawed at her chest, and the way she couldn’t settle down even with her inhaler. He feared returning with Sam to find her passed out, nearly lifeless. He hadn’t grown up with her asthma attacks, so he didn’t know what could happen. But PTSD from the close calls of losing her automatically assumed the worst.

He made it to his destination and let himself in, forcing himself to remain calm and not continue running, because the person he sought out was like a guard dog. A guard dog that had out-trained all bark warnings and went straight to biting.

Panting from the race over there, Chad slipped into the spare bedroom, immediately thanking his lucky stars when he found Sam sleeping in there rather than with Danny. The more people that got involved, the more stressed Tara might become. He stalked to the bedside and disregarded the no-contact boundary as he shook her shoulder. “Sam. Sam, wake up.”

Her eyes snapped open, and she picked her head up to find Chad stepping back and pulling his hand away. “What’s wrong?” A week out and she was still on high alert for anything, especially when someone who didn’t start out in this apartment ended up in it in the middle of the night.

“Tara’s having a bad asthma attack, and she wants you,” he told her.

As if she hadn’t been sleeping at all, Sam threw off the covers and got up, grabbing her phone off the bedside table and starting for the door. When she checked the time, she saw the 3 text messages Tara had sent her, and immediately her heart dropped in remorse. She hadn’t been there. She hadn’t noticed. “How bad?” She led the way out of the room, finding her way easily through the dark thanks to adrenaline.

“She’s shaking violently, gasping, wheezing, and sometimes, she starts coughing. Her inhaler doesn’t seem to be helping,” Chad informed, following close behind, “I don’t know how long it’s been going on, she literally woke me up right before I came to get you.”

Sam sighed, cursing under her breath, “Fuck…” As soon as she passed the front door, she hit the hall running.

Together, they seemed to get back faster than Chad had made the initial journey. However, Samantha completely changed her demeanor and was calm as she went in, performing for her little sister’s sake. She was good at that.

And she spoke to her in a comforting voice the minute she saw her. “What’s going on, Tara?”

Tara had seemed to get a handle on her emotions while she had been left alone, but once she saw her savior coming toward her, she burst into tears. “My chest hurts really bad, Sam…” she cried, tempted to get up and meet her halfway to feel her touch sooner.

All of the sudden, her breath caught in her throat as sobs tried to get out, while what little air that could filter into her lungs was trying to get in. She choked on it, erupting into a coughing fit that made her hyperventilating so severe in between coughs that a sharp, hoarse wheezing sound emitted from her vocal cords.

Her older sister was at her side in an instant, giving her back a pressured rub, while her other hand pushed against her chest to keep her from leaning forward too much. “It’s okay, Tara, it’s okay,” she eased in response to seeing the way her sibling’s nails dug deep into her knees. “I’m right here.”

Tara convulsed, ragged groans that sounded similar to retching coming through in her effort to stop coughing. One of her hands left her kneecap to hold the healing wound in her abdomen, the exertion putting strain on it.

“Let it happen,” Sam instructed, knowing coughing would help clear the accumulated mucus, “Come on.”

Those words seemed to control her as she let go and coughed some more. The pressure in her chest, the violent heaving of her lungs, the pain clawing her stomach—all of it had her starting to feel lightheaded and nauseous. “It hurts!” she managed to speak around another hack, clutching her scar.

“I know,” her big sister still spoke calmly and softly, letting the hand on her chest begin the same rotation as the one on her back, “I know, baby, but it’s gonna pass. Just get it out.” She glanced over as Chad came up beside her and held out a large plastic bowl, which she knew was in case Tara were to throw up or cough up some of the mucus. She mouthed ‘thank you’ to him and set the bowl on the edge of the coffee table in front of Tara.

He nodded, then stalked around to the other side of his girlfriend, where he crouched down and brushed her fallen hair back behind her shoulders. 

Thankfully, the youngest weaned off of the coughing fit and was able to regain control, but not without pulling the bowl into her lap and holding the edges with a death grip. Her coughs were replaced with moans and subtle sobs as tears still slid down her face.

“There ya go,” Chad praised her, wiping her tears, before kissing her shoulder. “That’s my girl. A fighter.”

While her coughing had faded, she was still gasping for breath. It wasn’t as hyper as it had been before, but it was still enough for it to be a concern. 

“You’re doing good, Tara.” Sam grabbed the inhaler off the coffee table and shook it, before putting it up to her sister’s lips. “Let’s try again,” she suggested and delivered the medication when her sibling leaned in for it. 

This time, her recovering exhale seemed a little more controlled, which led Chad to ask. “Is it a little easier now?”

She managed a nod but was still trembling, wheezing and fidgety with panic. “Mm… M-my chest still hurts… and…” she paused to swallow, “my stomach’s upset…”

Shit. Tara hated throwing up. She was terrified of it, because it felt the same way an asthma attack did—with being unable to get enough air—but also the feeling of drowning was added to it. Being nauseous would no-doubt make her work herself up again.

“That’s just because of the coughing,” her older sister assured, “It’ll go away soon.” She then looked away from Tara to grab Chad’s attention. “Chad, do you have any ginger tea?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Make some for her, please. That’ll help dilate her airways and ease her nausea.”

“Sure,” he jumped up to retreat to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Tara rubbed her queasy stomach and began to produce breathy moans on her exhales, anxiously sitting on the edge of the sofa cushion. 

“Relax, Tara,” Samantha told her, still rubbing her back. “You’re okay. Why don’t you lean back, so you can settle down?”

But Tara shook her head, “Mm.. no…” Instead, she scooted a little closer to the edge. She could feel that it was a little easier to breathe now, but she was still attacked with random bouts of violent shaking that came from deep within her chest. It made her entire body tense up and her lungs feel like they were being squeezed into one.

However, Sam was thinking clearly and knew that was what she needed. So, she pushed herself farther back onto the couch and situated herself accordingly, before going forward to gently guide Tara to lean back against her. “Come on…” 

And her baby sister obeyed. She found herself leaning into what would’ve been a comfortable slouch against her sibling’s torso, if it weren’t for her churning innards. She whimpered a little bit, but was shushed by Sam and felt her comb her hair back softly. It felt like home.

“Just breathe, my love,” her big sister instructed, feeling the aggressive shivering against her chest. “You’re safe. I’m right here, I’ve got you.” She slipped her hand beneath Tara’s to take over the therapeutic massage on her abdomen. “Just breathe…”

The other kept her hand on Sam’s wrist, applying only light pressure as she scratched her skin. If she was completely still, it felt like those moments in the movies where all noise stops right before a jump-scare happens. In other words, if she wasn’t moving in some way, she was sure something bad was going to happen. She swallowed some thick mucus with a groan and felt her stomach fizz and a rumbling noise come from it that made her squirm a little. “My stomach, Sammy…” she whimpered and mindlessly made the instinctive effort to sit up.

But Sam held her there, continuing to soothe her physically and verbally. “It’s fine. Your stomach is fine, I promise… But it can’t settle down until you do.” She kissed her head, when an uncomfortable whine answered her. 

Tara went back to minutes ago, when all she wanted was Sam, how she thought everything would be okay as long as Sam was there with her. To touch her, hold her, talk to her. She had to go back to that moment. She had to remember why it was important that her sister was there and why she wanted her there. It was because nothing could hurt her when Sam was near.

“Take a deep breath.”

She did.

“Let it out slowly.”

She did.

“Again.”

She did.

“Just keep breathing.”

She did.

Eventually, she noticed that she had stopped shaking, and her nausea had started to fizzle out.

“How’s your chest?”

“Still feels tight,” she replied, “but it’s getting a little easier to breathe.”

Samantha pressed another loving kiss to her little sister’s temple, her relief projected in her voice, “Good girl. And your stomach?”

Tara sighed in another deep breath. “It’s better…” At this response, she felt the hand tending to the area stop its caressing, which made her speak out. “No, keep going,” she ordered, her voice pitching in the way it always did when she wanted something. She was worried that if Sam stopped, there would be nothing to soothe her formal queasiness. It had happened before, and after this mess of an attack, she was not about to take any chances.

Her older sister bit back a chuckle at how normal her objection sounded, in respects to the way her typical personality was when she wasn’t anxious and just being her daily self, “Okay.” She carried on.

Tara closed her eyes and rubbed her head on Sam’s collarbone with a comforted hum, her breathing much more controlled with only a light wheeze. “Thank you for coming, Sam,” her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Of course,” came the reply, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t awake when you texted me.” 

The younger felt a kiss on her hairline, which made her shake her head, “It’s fine. I know you’re tired.”

“That’s no excuse, Tara…”

“You’re here now,” she insisted, pausing to take another deep breath. She let it out. “That’s all that matters.”

Chad came around with a steaming mug of ginger tea in his hand and sat down next to them. “Are you ready to drink some tea, Tara?” He glanced away from the look of his now-relaxed girlfriend, who was much calmer than the last time he’d seen her, to Sam. They exchanged a soft smile with each other, finding the peace that things had settled for the night.

Tara opened her eyes and slowly sat up, allowing her sibling to free her hand of its duty while she took the cup from him. She placed it into her lap. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” she glanced over to him, almost ashamedly.

But he turned that around real quick. “Hey, don’t be sorry. That’s what family’s for,” he assured with a smile. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

She rehearsed another deep breath and looked down at the calm surface of the ginger tea. The kind of calm that she should be. “Me too.”

i'm so mad, i was so close to posting 3 days straight, but i finished this at 12:30 at night last night and knew i should wait until morning rip. 💀

p.s. just for the record (for anyone who read my pre-notes), i don't have asthma, but i do experience nocturnal panic attacks. This fic was based on one i had a couple of weeks ago. i was sick at the time and woke up in the middle of the night with a lot of chest pain and tightness. the text messages Tara sent were the exact texts and times I had sent to my mom and siblings, bc i was too scared to leave my room. turns out that experience allowed me to create a good one-shot for this prompt :)

All my best ♡ - parker

[illicitlamb]

𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐈: 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐓 | 𝟑𝟎-𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄

SUMMARY | Enid creates a group chat for her friends to keep in touch over the break.

Enid: Hey guys! Making this group chat 4 all of us 2 connect over the break. Miss u all already! 💕

Yoko: dope.

Divina: Thx Enid!

Bianca: Cool. I’m going to need somewhere to vent about my mother and her Morning Song bs 😜

Enid: Most def! We all have mom issues so we all get it 😁

Wednesday [Read at 10:17]

Yoko: imma name the gc real quick.

Enid: Go 4 it!

Yoko has renamed the group chat to “bitchy sissies”

Divina: LMAO!!

Yoko: do we like it? yah or nah?

Enid: OMG totally lol!! 😂😂😂

Divina: Yah all the way XD

Bianca: “bitchy sissies” – masterstroke of genius 

Yoko: cool cool.

Wednesday [Read at 10:19]

Enid: So this is like a catch up, ask questions, bitchfest kinda thing so feel free 2 put literally anything in here. We’re all friends and all girls which means gossip is a MUST 😉

Divina: I like it! It’s always fun when the tea is HOT XDDDD

Yoko: speaking of tea – rumor has it that the next principal is going to be male. people are saying that a man needs to run nevermore cuz women won’t do what is needed for the school.

Divina: What the hell?! That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard!

Bianca: I swear men are so full of themselves, it’s nauseating. Like God, why does everyone think men are so high and mighty? They’re exhausting and don’t know a thing about common sense

Enid: Right?! What the actual crap r they thinking?? Principal Weems was THE BEST as our principal, no doubt – she knew the school and everything it needed. She was well-organized and always knew what 2 do in tough times 😔

Divina: Truth. No one can replace her…

Yoko: i know – rip p.w.

Bianca: Yoko, where did you hear that?

Yoko: my dad told me but i didn’t ask him where he heard it from.

Divina: Damn…

Bianca liked “my dad told me but i didn’t ask him where he heard it from.”

Wednesday [Read at 10:23]

Divina: Wednesday, are you going to say something or just read the chat??

Bianca: She probably doesn’t know how to work her phone lol

Divina: lmao I wouldn’t put it past her XD

Enid: She’s not that modern technology-deprived, she has worked my phone b4 😆

Wednesday [Read at 10:24]

Divina: Ok, someone needs to say something that will make her talk

Bianca: Wednesday, do something other than read the chat. Prove that you can use a phone correctly

Yoko: i also heard that xavier and wednesday are together – like in a relationship-together.

Wednesday has left the group chat

Enid: What?? WEDNESDAY!!!

Divina: LMFAO no way, for real??!! The tea is BOILING O.O

Yoko: at least she knows how to leave a chat lol.

Bianca: Bitch

[deity-prompts]

Creak

Slipping on something wet

Over-eager

“Please don’t give me another book.”

Scripted

“Injured again?”

Catching a cold

Bunny

Shade matching

Synchronising

“I could go on forever.” “Then do.”

“The one thing I asked for was a dress.”

Behind the scenes

Violet

“That’s it? That’s how it ends?”

Two-faced neighbours

Hoop

Blatant

Physical touch

Showered

“I know the way like the back of my hand, okay? Trust me.”

Voyeurism

Poster child

Kleptomania

Fashion show

“It’s subliminal messaging. They’re in your head.”

Mascara tears

“What are you not telling me?”

Stumbling at the finish line

Stomach ache

Blunder

Also see:

2021 December writing challenge

Writing challenge masterlist

Prompts masterlist

[floralbuckleyswrites]

Fight To Get Back To You

┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈

♡ Pairing: Eddie/Reader ♡ Genre: General ♡ Word Count: 620 ♡ Warnings: mentions of deaths related to forest fire ♡ Note: This is for a 30 day writing challenge I am doing to get me inspired about writing again. They'll mostly all be tiny drabbles. This is Day 1: Emotional Reunion.

┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ 

It was nearly three in the morning in the city of Los Angeles. You should be asleep as you have an early shift tomorrow, but you haven't been able to sleep a wink. Instead you were up, pacing around your living room as you waited for your boyfriend, Eddie to walk through the door. He had been gone for a week, having left with the 118 to go assist with a massive forest fire that was raging down south.

This wasn’t the first time he had left to go assist another state with a fire, but you had been watching the news about it and there had been multiple casualties. You couldn’t help but worry that with each day gone, he, himself might become one of them. Christopher had been worried too, yet surprisingly calm about the situation. You assumed he had simply adjusted to dealing with all the worrying about his father. Eddie had been a firefighter for many years, but the two of you had only been together for half a year.

Your relationship was going amazingly, though. The two of you having found a love in each other that was very special. Christopher had accepted you, too – and together the three of you had become a budding family. This was why you were staying with Christopher while Eddie was gone; something you were very thankful for as he truly made you feel everything would be okay.

Eddie had called this afternoon to let you know the 118 would be in late tonight, but was on their way back. He had told you not to wait up, that he would wake you when he got in, but you couldn’t help it. You needed to see the man you loved after worrying about him being out there in that massive fire every single day for the past week. 

But, as the hours ticked on and on without him returning, the sleepier you were getting. You were about to give up and crawl into bed, when you heard the familiar sound of the front door unlocking. 

You looked over in surprise as Eddie walked through the front door quietly, still in his uniform and carrying a duffle bag. He looked exhausted, his shoulders hunched and his eyes downcast. It took him a moment before he even noticed that you were there.

“Baby, what are you doing up?” Eddie asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything alright?” 

You didn’t say a word, only moving towards him and embracing him in a tight hug. 

“You’re home. I’m just so glad you came home to us,” you whispered.

“Mi amor, of course I came back. I told you I would,” he replied, wrapping his arms around you in return. “Have you been worrying? You're shaking like a leaf.”

“I’ve just been so scared, I saw other firefighters getting lost in the blaze and I just kept thinking that could be you and… I just couldn’t bear that.”

“Shh, shh, baby, I’m here now and I love you,” he whispered before placing a gentle kiss atop your head. “I will always fight to come back to you and Christopher. Always.”

“You promise?” you whispered, head pressed to his broad chest as he rubbed his hand up and down your back soothingly.

Ever so gently, he brought his thumb up to your chin, prompting you to look him directly in the eyes, “I promise you, darling. Now, how about we get to bed? I want to be up in the morning to make breakfast for Chris before school.”

“Okay,’ you said with a smile, feeling reassured and happy at the thought of the three of you being together again. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

My Masterlist || My AO3 || Please leave feedback, helps motivate! :) Thank you for reading~

[aydann-runs]

Michael steps through the door to the Crashdown, removing his hat and scanning the cafe for Alex. He was supposed to meet him half an hour ago, but a challenging repair kept him late, and now Michael’s hungry on top of being frustrated. It’s a bad combination that’s not improved when he catches sight of Isobel, who–if body language is any indication–appears to be in the midst of an argument with Alex. He’s not even sure what Isobel, and Valenti, too, are doing here, since he’d only expected his husband.

Alex and Iz are leaning across the table of the corner booth, practically in each other’s faces, while Valenti plays on his phone. He’s very obviously staying out of the middle of whatever this is, and Michael’s more than half-tempted to follow his lead and just sit at the counter. Instead, he sighs and heads for the corner where two of the most important people in his life are currently at odds.

“...not going to change my mind,” Isobel is saying as Michael approaches the table. She gestures in Alex’s face with a french fry, and Michael rocks back on his heels in surprise when Alex snatches it out of her hand. With his teeth.

Isobel laughs, and Michael knows his sister, can tell it’s her delighted to be sparring with an equal laugh, and he relaxes for the first time since he left work. If Alex is feeling playful, and Isobel is amused, then whatever they’re arguing about can’t be serious.

“Hey, perfect timing!” Alex says as Michael slides in beside him. “Tell Isobel that dipping your fries in your milkshake is a game changer and she’s missing out.”

“It’s disgusting, Alex, and I can’t believe you still do it,” Isobel retorts.

“Wait, hold on,” Michael interjects. “This is what you were fighting about?”

“We weren’t fighting, Michael,” Isobel disagrees.

“Yeah, it was more of a debate,” Alex adds. “Isobel refuses to even try it, even though the saltiness of the fries actually enhances the sweetness of the milkshake. It’s food science, you explain it.”

Michael looks at Valenti, who’s just now coming out from hiding behind his phone. “A little help, bro?”

“Nope, I know better than to get between my girlfriend and my best friend,” Kyle says with a grin.

And that is really good advice. Michael’s pretty sure he’d be the biggest loser if he chose sides between Alex and Iz.

“Hey, you like what you like,” he equivocates, eating a few fries off Isobel’s plate and washing them down with a swig of Alex’s milkshake.

He doesn’t miss the triumphant smile his husband gives his sister, or her answering glare.

[coklatjingga]

JALAN PULANG ITU BERNAMA RAMADAN

Ramadan datang membuka pintu-pintu kebaikan dan ketaatan. Pintu yang mungkin selama ini jarang kita ketuk, apalagi memasukinya. Sebagaimana kita berbahagia menyambut bulan ramadan, mungkin begitu juga dengan Allah Yang Maha Menyaksikan. Gegap gempita semangat beribadah terasa nyata di bulan ini. Jiwa-jiwa yang telah lama kerontang akhirnya mendapat kesejukan dengan siraman keberkahan yang Allah turunkan. Dan jalan pulang terasa lebih terang menujuNya.

Jalan pulang yang selama ini seakan hilang dari pandangan. Tertutupi kabut angan-angan akan dunia yang melenakan. Sedang Allah selalu menunggu kita kembali, meniti jalan yang telah disediakan dalam petunjuk kehidupan. Bahkan Allah terang-terangan menyampaikan dalam surat cintaNya, betapa Allah menyukai orang-orang yang berusaha menemukan jalan pulang dan memperbaiki segala perkara yang selama ini ternyata menjauhkan dariNya.

Maka, bulan ini kita bergerak menuju jalan yang sama, jalan keridoan dan ampunan Allah semata. Ketika kita dengan sadar mematuhi perintahNya untuk menahan diri dan memperbanyak ketaatan agar meraih kemenangan.

Bukankah sangat indah kebersamaan kita di bulan ini?

Batusangkar, 12032024