#5 Best fitness bracelet

[bradshawsbaby]

Love in the Air

Pairing: Rooster x Female Reader

Summary: You weren't expecting anything interesting or exciting to happen on your flight from Virginia to San Diego. But what happens when you decide to shoot your shot with the handsome stranger sitting in front of you on the plane?

Word Count: 12.5k

Author’s Note: Thank you so much to my dear friend, @ryebecca for giving me the idea for this one! I've been mulling it over in my brain for a while now, and the super adorable Netflix movie Love at First Sight gave me some much-needed inspiration to finally see it through to completion. This story exists outside of the Mr. & Mrs. Bradshaw Universe, which is sort of a first for me, so I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Travel anxiety, some very mild angst, discussions of parental death, brief language, lots of fluff.

If you had to rank your preferred modes of transportation, flying would probably be at the bottom of the list, beat only perhaps by public bus or bicycle. It seemed that no matter how hard you tried to make it as smooth and easy a journey as possible, your experiences at the airport always turned into one catastrophe after another.

Your flight this morning was supposed to take off at 9:30am, which meant that you had scheduled the start of your day to ensure that you would be at the airport no later than 7:15, accounting for traffic and long lines at check-in and security. That, of course, meant that you had to leave your best friend, Katie’s house in Fredericksburg at 5:45 on the dot in order to make the sixty-one mile trip to Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, and that was being generous. If the two of you stopped for coffee—which Katie insisted was a must—that alone had the potential to derail your plans, which had you nervously fiddling with the bracelet you never took off, the one your dad had given you as a gift for your high school graduation.

“Relax,” Katie laughed, taking her eyes off the road for only a moment to reach out and squeeze your hands reassuringly, halting your anxious movements. “You’re going to get there with plenty of time to spare. There’s literally no one on earth who’s a more responsible flier than you. Have you ever even come close to missing a flight?”

“No,” you admitted sheepishly, taking a small sip of your hazelnut iced coffee. It did little to calm your nerves, but it was one of the best iced coffees you’d ever tasted.

“Of course you haven’t,” Katie smiled, her eyes back in front of her as she signaled to merge into another lane. “So just take a deep breath and enjoy all this gorgeous fall foliage. I’m going to get you there without incident, I promise.”

Katie knew better than pretty much anyone how much flying tended to stress you out. The two of you had been attached at the hip since the first day of kindergarten. Your friendship had survived all the ups and down of adolescence, boy drama, the separation of going to colleges hundreds of miles apart, heartache, loss, and so much more. She was truly the sister you never had, and you couldn’t be more grateful to have her in your life. Even now that you were living in San Diego, and Katie and her husband had moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia for Josh’s job, nothing could keep the two of you apart.

Using a little bit of the vacation time you’d accumulated at work, you’d taken a long weekend to fly out and surprise Katie for her and Josh’s housewarming party. It had been months since you had seen your best friend in person, and the two of you had spent the past few days acting like a couple of high schoolers, staying up all night eating junk food and keeping poor Josh awake with your loud and hysterical fits of laughter.

You hadn’t realized just how lonely you’d been, all by yourself in San Diego, until you’d witnessed up close how cozy and happy Katie’s life in Virginia was.

It wasn’t that you were jealous of Katie, not by any means. She and Josh had met in college, and you were thrilled that your best friend in the whole world had found her person, the one who was going to be there to hold her hand through life and love her through every up and every down. You had even shed a few happy tears when Katie had confided in you this past weekend that she and Josh were finally trying for a baby.

You weren’t jealous, but you desperately longed for what she had. While Katie and Josh had been happily in love since sophomore year, your love life had been decidedly marked by one failed relationship after another. The most painful of which had been your last boyfriend, Andrew. That breakup had been what had propelled you to accept the job offer that had taken you to San Diego almost a year ago.

“Screw Andrew!” Katie had told you as she’d helped you pack up your entire life into a few suitcases and boxes. “You’re headed to the Hottie Capital of America!”

“I must have missed that moniker on the travel brochures,” you responded dryly, although it was the first time you’d felt the urge to laugh in weeks.

“Um, hello, missy. It’s literally called ‘Fightertown USA,’” Katie said, stopping what she was doing to turn and face you, hands on her hips. “You’re going to end up with some sexy fighter pilot, and I am literally going to wither away with envy,” she giggled, winking at you.

“Yeah, right,” you smiled despite yourself, nudging her playfully.

“It’s true,” Katie sighed, feigning dramatics as she draped a hand across her forehead and swooned onto your bed. “I can see it now. You’re going to make the cutest little Marine or Navy wife.”

And yet, for all of Katie’s confidence, there you were, a whole year later, just as single as you had been when you’d first arrived in Fightertown.

It wasn’t to say you were completely on your own. You’d made some really good friends at work, and you got along with all of your neighbors. You’d even gone on a few dates with some guys from North Island. But none that ever went anywhere.

Spending the weekend with Katie and Josh, being reminded of just how in love the two of them were, made you wonder if it was ever going to be your turn.

“You okay?” Katie asked, breaking your silent reverie as she took the exit leading towards the airport in Charlottesville. It wasn’t necessarily the closest airport, but it was the only one for today that offered the flight you needed to get back home. “You seem so quiet.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” you nodded distractedly, smiling as you took another sip of your iced coffee. “Just a little tired, I guess.”

How could you possibly tell your best friend that seeing her happiness caused an ache inside your chest that hurt like nothing else you’d ever known? You couldn’t. It made you feel guilty enough just to admit it to yourself.

“Feeling a little nervous about your flight?” she pressed, reaching for her own iced coffee as the car came to a halt at a red light. “I know it’s long, and you hate connecting flights, but I stuck some Benadryl packets in your bag, if that helps at all. It sucks that you have such a hard time sleeping on planes.”

Smiling, you leaned over and pressed an affectionate kiss to her cheek. What had you ever done to deserve such a good friend? And there you were, lamenting about all the things she had that you didn’t.

“You’re the best,” you told her sincerely, giving her shoulder a small squeeze. “I’m so glad I was able to get down here this weekend.”

Katie beamed brightly, reaching up to squeeze your hand before placing hers back on the steering wheel. “You’re telling me. It was the best surprise ever. I’m just sad I can’t keep you here longer.”

“I’ll be back soon,” you promised, trying to mentally calculate when you might be able to get time off from work again.

“Maybe you can come down for Christmas this year?” Katie suggested hopefully, glancing over at you with her big green eyes.

“Maybe,” you nodded, twisting your bracelet once more as you saw the signs for the airport approaching. “Or maybe I can fly you and Josh out to San Diego.”

“Oh, yes! Christmas on the beach? Sounds perfect,” Katie grinned, looking out for the sign for departing flights.

All too soon, Katie was pulling up in front of the Delta terminal where your flight would be taking off in just a few hours.

“See? Only 7:11! I got you here ahead of your insane schedule, even with the stop for coffee,” your best friend teased, a twinkle in her eye as she indicated the time on the dashboard.

“Yeah, yeah,” you waved her off, laughing out loud as she swatted your hand jokingly.

The two of you climbed out of the car to grab your luggage from the trunk. You’d done your best to pack lightly, which was never an easy task for you, even just for a weekend trip. But somehow, you’d managed to squeeze everything you needed into a carry-on bag. Well, that and a giant duffel that you were claiming was a purse.

“Ugh, goodbyes make me crazy,” Katie shook her head, clearly trying to hide the tears that were brimming in her eyes, which caused tears to spring to your eyes as the two of you reached for each other.

“I love you so much,” you told her, squeezing her tightly as she rocked you back and forth in her arms. “I’ll call you when I land.”

“Text me when you get to your gate,” she said, pulling back and taking your hands in hers. “And let me know if there are any cuties on your flight,” she added with a grin, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“I doubt I’m going to bag any cuties looking like this,” you countered sarcastically, indicating the yoga pants and oversized sweatshirt you’d donned that morning, as well as the messy bun you’d thrown your hair into.

“Shut up, you’re gorgeous no matter what,” Katie scolded you, swatting you on the butt. “Now get going. We wouldn’t want you being late or anything like that,” she joked.

You laughed as well, though your heart ached a bit as you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and began turning towards the doors of the terminal.

“Love you! Talk to you soon!” Katie called out, waving and blowing kisses.

You threw one more wave your best friend’s way, then disappeared inside the terminal, which was already fairly crowded despite the early hour.

As expected, despite the fact that you’d taken pains to get there early and make sure you were on top of everything, the unlucky cloud that seemed to follow you whenever you flew made its appearance once again.

You of course ended up on the slowest moving line at security, only to be heavily questioned by the TSA agent who seemed to be under the impression that you looked nothing like the photo on your driver’s license. Then, when you finally got to the security scanners, you set off the metal detector and had to be publicly groped by another sour-faced TSA agent. As if that wasn’t bad enough, your suitcase was “randomly selected” for extra testing and security checks.

Katie may have loved to tease you about it, but this was precisely the reason why you always left as early as you did to get to the airport.

By the time you were finally rolling your suitcase towards your gate, you were feeling more frazzled than ever. Naturally, the gate had changed since your boarding pass had been printed, and now you had to trek halfway across the airport to find the new one.

You wondered what it felt like to be one of those lucky travelers whose gate was right at the center of the terminal, right near all the restaurants and shops. It had never been you. Without fail, no matter where or when you were flying, your gate always ended up being at the farthest corner of the terminal.

When you finally arrived, triple checking that the gate number matched your flight information, you let out a heavy sigh as you grabbed an open seat at the end of the row. To your surprise, you found that you were seated right next to an open outlet. You never got that lucky.

Turns out, you really did never get that lucky. When you plugged your phone in, you found that it wasn’t charging. Evidently, the outlet was open because it didn’t actually work.

Muttering under your breath, you unplugged your charger and threw it back into your duffel bag. At least your phone was still on 74%. You’d much prefer to have it fully charged, but this would do until you could charge it on the plane.

Glancing down, you realized that you had missed a text from Katie.

At the gate yet???

Rolling your shoulders back and getting more comfortable in your seat, you opened up the message so that you could send a quick response.

Just got here. You’d think I was on the No Fly List with how long it took me to get here.

Katie must have made good time getting home, because it wasn’t long before your phone was buzzing with another text.

😂😂😂 Get yourself a drink!

Katie, it’s not even 9am…

So? A mimosa then!

You laughed, shaking your head. A mimosa didn’t actually sound like such a bad idea right now. Neither did a large iced coffee. But now that you’d finally made it to your gate, you didn’t feel like dragging all your stuff with you across the terminal once again. And you didn’t feel comfortable leaving your things behind, unattended or even in the care of a stranger. Maybe you’d just order one on the plane.

When your phone buzzed again in your lap, you looked down and saw that it was another text from Katie.

Any cuties to share that mimosa with???

You were about to text her back that right now, the only cuties you could see were an adorable four-year-old and an elderly couple who must have been in their eighties when suddenly, the most gorgeous man you had ever seen in your life appeared, as if out of thin air. You were suddenly glad you didn’t have a mimosa or an iced coffee in hand, for you were certain that you would have spit it out in shock upon seeing this guy.

Jaw hanging open and eyes widening, your brain was too fuzzy from lack of sleep to remind you that it was wholly inappropriate and rude to stare.

He truly had to be the hottest man you had ever seen up close in real life. Tall, with broad, thick shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was a golden brown that looked like it was touched frequently by the sun—as did his skin, which was an amusing combination of both tan and pink, as though he should have applied just a pinch more sunscreen than he had. Most surprising of all was the mustache that made your stomach do a strange little flip. You usually weren’t all that attracted to facial hair of any sort, and most guys couldn’t pull off the mustaches they tried to sport, but this particular mustache was the sexiest thing you had ever seen. And somehow, despite not knowing this man from a hole in the wall, you couldn’t imagine him without it. It was like it was a part of his DNA.

Thankfully, he was still staring down at his boarding pass, so he hadn’t noticed your intense scrutiny. Coming to your senses, you closed your mouth and quickly averted your gaze, your cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. How mortifying. Imagine if he had looked over and caught you staring at him, gaping like a fish out of water?

Still, despite your self-consciousness at the thought of getting caught, you couldn’t help but steal another glance in his direction, this time out of the corner of your eye. He looked even taller this time around. It probably had something to do with the way he carried himself, an easy confidence pouring off him. This man knew he was hot stuff, of that you were sure. But there was also something unassuming about him, something quiet and almost humble. He was dressed in a pair of dark sweatpants and an old UVA T-shirt, nothing fancy or flashy. Somehow, however, he managed to pull it off even better than a three-piece suit.

You were startled out of your observations when your phone buzzed again. It was Katie, emphasizing her last message impatiently.

Do you have some kind of magic powers that I was unaware of to make hotties appear out of nowhere? Right when you texted me, the hottest guy I’ve ever seen walked up to my gate.

‼️‼️ GO TALK TO HIM!!! ‼️‼️

At the mere suggestion of going to talk to that guy, your stomach erupted into butterflies. Looking up once again, you saw that he had evidently confirmed he was at the right gate, and had settled down in a seat a couple rows over, facing away from you. God, even the back of his head was handsome.

Are you crazy? This guy is seriously the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. I look like a homeless lady that wandered in off the street. I am NOT talking to him!

Your phone buzzed angrily a moment later.

Will you shut up before I drive back there to hit you upside the head?! YOU are gorgeous!!! Who cares if you have no make-up on and your hair’s in a messy bun? It’s called airplane chic! You’re still completely stunning. He would be LUCKY to have a girl as hot as you want to talk to him!

Chewing your bottom lip, you looked up again, trying not to be obvious as your eyes slowly wandered over the people at your gate, until they landed on him once more. He was on the phone this time, having an animated conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line. Occasionally, he would turn slightly in your direction and you could catch a glimpse of his side profile.

Damn, this man was seriously perfect from every angle.

“Alright, Mav, I’ll see you when I land,” you heard him say—not that you were trying to eavesdrop—before he hung up the phone and dropped it back onto his lap.

It was then that you noticed his phone was plugged into the outlet next to his seat.

Maybe this could be your opportunity? You could casually walk over and see if there were any other open outlets near his. Perhaps you could even make a joke about how it was just your luck that the outlet near your seat wasn’t working. Maybe he’d laugh and tell you some horror story from his travel experiences and the two of you would end up talking until you exchanged numbers. Maybe there was some tiny, infinitesimal chance that this stunning man would actually be charmed by you and possibly even the teensiest bit interested.

Or maybe you would just remain rooted to your seat, terrified to move as you stared at the back of his head.

You were already anticipating the text from Katie when your phone buzzed once again.

The reason you’re not answering me better be because you’re in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Hottie from your gate!!!

Biting down on your lip, you turned your phone over, not knowing how to tell your best friend that you were too much of a chicken to get out of your seat and approach this guy.

At that moment, however, you were suddenly saved, at least somewhat, when a member of the flight crew announced that they were about to begin boarding. Forgetting about Katie’s texts and the hot guy sitting several feet away from you for a moment, you began gathering together all your belongings, making sure you hadn’t forgotten anything.

When your boarding group was called, you did one final sweep around your seat, securing the strap of your duffel bag up on your shoulder and wrapping one hand around the handle of your carry-on before making your way to the line extending from the counter.

As you stepped up behind the elderly couple you’d noticed earlier, your boarding pass slipped out of your hand, floating through the air despite your best attempt to reach for it, and landing somewhere behind you.

Turning to find it, you nearly collided with the tall wall of man behind you, who was bending at the same time to grab it off the floor.

“Oh!” you gasped, startled to find that Mr. Hottie, as Katie had dubbed him, was not only standing behind you in line, but was also holding your boarding pass in his hand, glancing down at it.

“San Diego with a layover in Atlanta, huh?” he grinned, glancing from the boarding pass up to your face. Unsurprisingly, he had a beautiful set of whiskey-colored eyes that made your stomach do the same strange little flip that his mustache had induced. Oh, and up close, the mustache was even sexier.

“Oh, um, yeah,” you nodded dumbly, your tongue suddenly feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds as your brain short-circuited and couldn’t come up with a single worthwhile thing to say.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one,” Mr. Hottie went on, holding your boarding pass out to you. “Looks like we’ve got a long day of flying ahead of us.”

Mouth hanging open, you slowly reached out and took the boarding pass from him, trying frantically to think of something—anything—to say. He was flying to San Diego, too? You were on the same exact flight? Including the same layover?

“I—I—”

“Hey, the line's moving!” someone from the back called out, sounding annoyed.

Turning back over your shoulder, you were mortified to see that the elderly couple in front of you had disappeared and you were, in fact, holding up the line.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” you mumbled, ducking your head as you clutched your boarding pass and reached out for your carry-on. “Thanks again for grabbing this for me,” you told Mr. Hottie, waving your boarding pass slightly before turning and practically running towards the counter.

With his long stride, he caught up to you in no time, his smile friendly and warm as the two of you joined the line of people waiting to board the airplane.

“You weren’t holding anyone up,” he whispered down to you, as if it was some special secret the two of you were sharing. “I don’t know what that guy was in such a rush for. To move from that line to this one? We’re all getting out of here at the same time.”

You smiled at his words, feeling comforted by his reassurance. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Some people are just always in a hurry.”

The two of you were quiet after that, and you wondered if that would be the end of the conversation. You were casting around for anything else you could talk about when he suddenly asked you, “So are you leaving home or heading home?”

Your heart fluttered at his question. If he didn’t want to keep talking, he wouldn’t have asked that, right?

“Heading home,” you told him, fiddling shyly with your bracelet. You laughed softly. “It’s still kind of weird saying that. I’ve only been in San Diego for about eleven months.”

He raised his eyebrow, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smile. “Yeah? Well, I know I’m a little late, but welcome to Fightertown. I hope it’s been treating you well.”

“Oh, it has been,” you nodded, making sure to pay attention to when the people in front of you began moving forward. “I take it you’re heading home then, too?”

“I am,” he grinned, shouldering the backpack he was carrying with him. “Well, actually, I’m kind of leaving home and heading home,” he amended. At your curious look, he explained, “I’m from Virginia originally, but I live in San Diego now. I guess you could say I’m a transplant, just like you,” he added with a chuckle. “Are you from Virginia, too?”

“New York, actually,” you told him, as the two of you followed the flow of people towards the plane. “But my best friend and her husband moved to Fredericksburg recently, so I was spending the weekend with them.”

“Ah, that’s a nice area,” he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced down at you with a smile. At your unspoken question, he said, “I was actually down for a reunion weekend at my school. I went to UVA.”

“I gathered,” you replied teasingly, indicating his T-shirt.

Glancing downward, he shook his head and laughed. “Almost forgot I threw this on when I woke up. Trying to get to the airport on time is a real pain, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely,” you agreed with a laugh, adjusting your hold on your duffel bag. “Flying is definitely one of my least favorite modes of transportation.”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I’d say that,” he said in reply, an amused look on his face.

Before you could ask him what was so funny, however, you were being welcomed aboard the plane by the stewardesses, who were all smiling and indicating that they expected you to keep moving down the aisle.

Your heart dropped slightly at the abrupt end to your conversation. Now the two of you were going to go to your separate seats, and he’d probably forget all about you. It was one thing to make idle conversation with a stranger while on line, but you doubted he had any real interest in continuing the conversation beyond that.

Sighing softly, you rolled your suitcase down the aisle, pausing every now and then as the people in front of you put their bags in the overhead bins and got themselves sorted. When you finally reached Row 22, you stopped and looked back at Mr. Hottie with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, this is me. I’ll just be a minute,” you told him, pushing down the handle of your carry-on.

“No worries, this is me,” he grinned, indicating Row 21. “I even snagged the window seat,” he added with a wink.

Your mouth went dry. He had the window seat of Row 21. You had the window seat of Row 22. He was sitting directly in front of you.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for your carry-on bag and easily hefting it above his head, sliding it into the overhead bin for you. “Do you need me to put this one up there, too?” he asked, pointing towards your duffel bag.

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” you shook your head, holding onto the strap of your bag. “I’m going to keep this one with me. Thanks a lot,” you smiled, not even noticing the line of disgruntled people that was beginning to form behind the two of you.

“No problem,” he smiled, starting to slide into his row with his backpack still on his back. “Have a great flight.”

“You, too,” you replied, a little sadly, as you crawled into your row, doing your best to ignore the annoyed looks some people were throwing your way.

Needless to say, it was just your luck that the impatient man from the boarding line ended up sitting right beside you. You tried to smile at him, but he just grunted and put his headphones on, completely ignoring you.

Fine by you. Pulling your phone out, you found that you had a whole new series of texts from Katie, demanding to know exactly what was happening.

On the plane now. We should be taking off soon. I talked a little bit to Mr. Hottie. Are you happy?

It didn’t take long at all for her to respond. You could imagine that she had been sitting by her phone, waiting eagerly for your message.

Eeeee, yes, very! What did you guys talk about? Are you sitting near each other on the plane? Did you exchange numbers??? Send me a picture!!!

You laughed softly to yourself as you tried your best to answer all the questions your excited friend had asked you.

Just small talk. He’s actually flying home to San Diego, too. He went to UVA and was there for a reunion weekend. We did not exchange numbers and I’m not going to be a creepy stalker and take a picture of him, but he actually is sitting in the seat right in front of me.

OMG, IT’S FATE!!! So he has the same layover and everything??? And he’s FROM San Diego?! Babe, this is the guy for you!!! You’ve got to keep talking to him!

How would you suggest I do that? Just tap him on the shoulder and whisper into his ear the whole time?

It’s only a couple hours to Atlanta, and then you’ll have the layover, and then another four and half hours to San Diego. You could practically be engaged by the time you land! Just slip him a little note or something. Give him your number!

Your stomach was doing somersaults at the mere thought. Between the two of you, Katie had always been the more outgoing one. She would have no problem slipping a note with her phone number on it to a complete stranger, putting herself out there for the possibility of rejection and utter humiliation. You, on the other hand, preferred to play it safe. It was much more comfortable that way. And sure, maybe you’d never met your Josh the way Katie had, but at least you’d never been hurt too badly, right?

Unbidden, you thought of Andrew and felt bile rise in your throat.

Luckily, you were saved from having to answer Katie right away when the cabin crew made the announcement that it was time to shut down all electronics. Switching your phone onto airplane mode, you slipped it into the front pocket of your duffel bag and took a deep breath, buckling your seatbelt and closing your eyes.

Takeoff was your least favorite part of any flight. When you were a little girl, your parents used to make funny faces and sing silly songs to distract you from your terror. Even now as an adult who was flying all on her own, you still tried to remember the sound of their voices as the plane began its ascent.

It didn’t take too long before you were finally cruising at 18,000 feet and the captain turned off the seatbelt sign. Since you were a Delta SkyMiles member, you got free Wi-Fi on all your flights, so you immediately reached to turn your phone back on to let Katie know you had taken off safely.

As soon as your phone connected with the Wi-Fi, it was instantly flooded with a slew of text messages. A couple were from some of your friends back in San Diego, wishing you a safe and easy flight, but most were from your crazy best friend.

Don’t think you can use being on a plane as an excuse not to answer my texts!

I know you’re a SkyMiles member and you can see these messages!

You better answer me!!!

Shaking your head, you quickly tapped out a quick message in response.

Took off safely. Thinking of watching a movie before we land in Atlanta. You’re crazy and I am not slipping him a note.

Your phone was blessedly quiet for the next several minutes, and part of you hoped that Katie had given up this ridiculous notion. Knowing her as long as you had, however, you should have figured that wouldn’t be the case.

What’s the worst that could happen? He doesn’t answer you? The two of you never talk again? You’ve never seen this guy before in your life, and the chances are good that you’ll never see him again after this. So if you put yourself out there and it doesn’t work out, who cares? At least you tried. And sure, it might be a little embarrassing at first, but like I said, you’ll never have to see him again. But what if you thought about it the other way around? What if it DOES work out? What if this could be the start of something great? Would you really just want to walk away, wondering what could have been and regretting that you didn’t take a chance? You deserve to be loved so, so, SO much! And I know that you have so much love to give! This guy would be lucky if you chose him. Just give it a try, will you? For me? Please! You can’t see it, but I’m giving my best puppy dog face right now. And sending you all the best vibes! You can do this! I love you! ♥️

You groaned at your best friend’s heartfelt message. How could you possibly say no to that? You knew Katie just wanted the best for you, and she wanted you to be happy. You wanted to be happy, too. What if she was right? What if this was your chance? Would you be a fool to just walk away from it without even trying? Like Katie said, at least if you tried, you could say you’d done all you could. And if it didn’t work, then Mr. Hottie just wasn’t the one for you. No harm, no foul.

You were starting to feel like you might need to make use of the vomit bag tucked securely in the seat pocket in front of you when the stewardess stopped at your row to offer you all snacks and beverages. You gratefully accepted a can of ginger ale and a packet of pretzels, nibbling on them slowly in an attempt to settle your roiling stomach.

You were being an idiot. There was no reason to be so dramatic about all this. You could write a quick note and pass it up to him, then pretend it had never happened. Seriously, what was the worst that was going to happen? He was going to get up and make an announcement over the loudspeaker that the girl sitting in 22A was a pathetic, lonely loser? You doubted that very much.

Before you could lose your nerve, you reached into the front pocket of your duffel bag and pulled out the pen you always kept there. Turns out, it really did come in handy. Mercifully, the grumpy man beside you was already snoring, so you could write your note in peace without being worried about him seeing what you were doing.

Hand shaking slightly, you penned a quick letter to the handsome, charming man in 21A.

Hi there. I realized in all our talking that I never caught your name. But it might be good to know, seeing how we’re layover buddies and all. Hope you’re enjoying the flight so far.

You signed your name at the bottom, and then took a deep breath, reading over what you had written on the back of your Delta napkin. It sounded impossibly stupid, but you’d come this far and you weren’t going to turn back now. What was it that people on the internet were always saying? Something about shooting your shot?

Breathing through your nose to avoid getting sick, you reached out a trembling finger and lightly tapped the broad shoulder that you saw peeking out from the seat in front of you. You suddenly realized that he may have been asleep and panicked at the thought of waking him up, but he shifted immediately at your touch and you could tell that he was turning towards you.

Not wanting to meet his eye, you immediately thrust your napkin into the small open space between your seats and the windows, silently praying that he would take it from you instead of laughing in your face.

A second later, you felt his large fingers brush against yours as he took your little note, shifting in his seat once more so that he was facing front again.

What had you just done? Oh, God, there was still another hour left to go on this flight, then a layover, and another four and half hours to San Diego. True, you would never have to see him again after you landed in California, but that was still a lot of time left to have to be in proximity to him if all of this blew up in your face.

You were just about ready to launch yourself out of one of the emergency exits when you suddenly looked up and realized that there was a small white napkin hovering above your head.

Mr. Hottie in 21A was reaching back with your note in hand. Your stomach plummeted and your face and neck grew warm with shame at the thought of him returning the letter you’d written him, until you noticed the red ink on the back of it. 

You’d written your note in black ink.

Slowly reaching out, you took the napkin from his hand, your fingers brushing against each other once more. His were large and warm and calloused and made goosebumps rise on your arm.

Pulse beating rapidly, you turned over the napkin to see the response he had written on the back. His handwriting was a bit messy, more of a scrawl than anything, but it made you smile to look at it.

What was I thinking, not properly introducing myself to my layover buddy? Hope you can forgive me. My name is Bradley. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ve got some Wi-Fi on this flight, do you? If you do, feel free to text me. We seem to be dangerously low on napkins.

At the bottom, he’d written his cell phone number.

Pressing a hand over your mouth, it took everything in you to swallow back the squeal of delight that rose up your throat. It worked! Katie’s silly plan had actually worked! Oh, she was going to gloat about this forever when you told her.

Beaming brightly, you pulled out your cell phone. As much as you loved her, Katie could wait right now. You had an extremely gorgeous layover buddy to get in touch with.

Typing his number into your cell phone, you opened up a new message and contemplated what to say for a moment.

Layover buddies who both just so happen to have some inflight Wi-Fi? Clearly it’s meant to be.

You hoped the message came across as cute and flirty instead of desperate and weird as you hit send, anxiously waiting to see if he would reply.

It took only a moment before your phone buzzed, Bradley’s name lighting up your screen.

Layover buddies who both just so happen have some inflight Wi-Fi AND spring for the window seats? Obviously it’s meant to be!

You smiled and were about to think up a reply when another message suddenly came though.

Oh, and to answer your note—I’m enjoying the flight a lot more now.

The butterflies went crazy in your stomach as you wrote back to him.

Me, too. And that’s saying a lot, considering the four-year-old behind me hasn’t stopped kicking my seat since we boarded.

Bradley only took seconds to reply.

Oof, that’s rough. If I could switch seats with you, I would. But I have to admit that I’m very happy that you’re not kicking my seat.

Wouldn’t be too sure about that, you sent back teasingly before lightly nudging his seat with your foot.

Hey! I thought we were friends!

We’ll see 😉

You and Bradley went back and forth like that for the entire remainder of your flight to Atlanta, the banter light and easy as you teased and joked with each other. You even ended up playing a game of 20 Questions, in which you learned, among other things, that Bradley’s favorite color was red, he once broke his arm when he was seven years old, and he absolutely despised peas.

As the captain announced that you would soon begin preparing for your final descent, you shot off a quick message to Katie, who you had woefully neglected during your conversation with Bradley.

I owe you one. The pep talk and the plan actually worked—I’m texting Mr. Hottie as we speak! Update you soon. We’re about to land in Atlanta.

Just as you sent the message off to your friend, another text from Bradley arrived.

Looks like we’re going to have to turn off our phones, layover buddy. I’ll see you when we land. Food? I’m starving.

Grinning, you had to pinch yourself to check that this wasn’t some sort of elaborate dream.

Same. I’ll race you for some french fries.

You’re on.

When the plane finally landed and the captain turned off the seatbelt sign, everyone practically jumped out of their seats in a mad dash to see who could be the first to get their belongings out of the overhead bins. Since you and Bradley were in the window seats, you took your time, knowing you weren’t getting off the plane anytime soon.

You were surprised, however, when he suddenly popped his head over the back of his seat, grinning down at you. “Good thing our next flight doesn’t leave for a couple hours yet,” he said, indicating the crowd with a good-natured grin that made your heart melt.

You had almost been starting to think you’d exaggerated just how good-looking he was, but nope. He really was that hot.

“Plenty of time to grab those fries,” you laughed, smiling up at him.

When you and Bradley were finally able to step out into the aisle, he opened the bin above your head and reached for your suitcase.

“Let me take care of this for you,” he said, lowering it to the ground and lifting the handle so that he could wheel it up the aisle.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” you insisted, not wanting him to think that you expected him to carry your things for you.

“Hey, what are layover buddies for?” he winked, leading the way off the plane.

Once the two of you were standing face to face in the middle of the airport terminal, you began to feel a little shy and self-conscious again. It had been easy to talk to Bradley via text, but now that you were gazing up at his handsome face again, you suddenly found yourself getting just as tongue-tied as before.

Bradley seemed to sense your nerves because he smiled warmly at you, his demeanor just as open and friendly as it had been the entire time you’d known him.

“How about we hunt down those fries?” he suggested, waiting until you smiled and nodded before turning and guiding you towards the main concourse.

The two of you ended up finding a quick and easy little fast food counter, where you ordered a couple burgers, a large order of fries, and some vanilla milkshakes with whipped cream and cherries. As soon as it became clear that Bradley was going to pay for both your meals, you tried to argue and insist on paying your share, but he wouldn’t hear it.

“My mom raised a gentleman, and she would kill me if she thought I was even thinking of letting my layover buddy pay for her lunch,” he told you, winking playfully as he handed his credit card to the employee behind the counter.

You took your suitcase from Bradley as he balanced the tray with your food in his hands, leading you to an empty table towards the end of the concourse.

“Your mom must be very proud of you, I’m sure,” you grinned, reaching eagerly for a fry and popping it into your mouth. “Did you get to see her while you were in Virginia?”

Bradley smiled, though his eyes suddenly looked a little sad. “Yeah. Yeah, you could say that.”

Deciding not to press the matter, you instead turned the attention to his college reunion. That led to the two of you happily swapping stories about your time in college, which landed you on the subject of what you do now.

“A naval aviator? Really? And a TOPGUN graduate? That’s very impressive,” you gushed, mentally picturing him in a flight suit. You’d gone on a couple dates with some naval aviators from North Island, but none as handsome or as charming as Bradley. You suddenly groaned and covered your face with your hand when you remembered what you’d said to him right before boarding the plane. “So that’s what you meant when I was saying that flying isn’t my favorite mode of transportation,” you murmured, feeling a little embarrassed.

Bradley threw his head back and laughed at that, looking genuinely amused. “Hey, I get it. Flying isn’t for everybody. Trust me, some days I wish I had just opted for a desk job,” he grinned, his muscles flexing as he stretched in his seat. “But there’s nothing quite like it, when you’re the one doing the flying. Maybe one day I can take you up in the air and change your mind.”

He looked across the table at you and held your gaze, and you felt sure in that moment that you would have promised him anything he asked.

“So what’s your call sign then?” you asked with a smile, resting your cheek in your hand as you looked into his eyes.

“Oh, you know about that, huh?” he chuckled, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Well, uh, they call me Rooster.”

You had a feeling he expected you to laugh—maybe other girls in the past had—but you just grinned brightly in response. “I like it,” you said simply. “It suits you.”

He let out a small breath and smiled in return. “Thank you. My dad’s call sign was Goose. So I guess it runs in the family.”

“Your dad is in the Navy, too?” you asked curiously, lifting your milkshake and taking a sip.

Bradley cleared his throat slightly, looking down at his lap. “He was. He died in a training accident at TOPGUN when I was two.”

You sucked in a breath at your own carelessness and looked across at Bradley with empathy glowing in your eyes. “Oh, Bradley,” you murmured softly, reaching out and resting a hand over his. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he replied gently, a small smile on his face as he placed his other hand over yours. “But thank you.” He was quiet for a moment before he went on. “It was just me and my mom for a while, back home in Virginia. But she got sick when I was in high school, and she passed away my senior year.”

“Bradley,” you breathed out sadly, your heart breaking for him. You winced when you thought of what he’d said before, about seeing his mom while he was in Virginia.

“She and my dad are buried in my hometown, where I grew up. I go to see them at the cemetery whenever I’m back in town,” he explained, as if reading your thoughts.

“I’m sure that means a lot to them, and that they’re smiling down on you always,” you told him sincerely, squeezing his hand lightly.

He smiled up at you, the sadness in his expression lifting slightly. “I like to think so. I think they’d like you a lot,” he added, then looked away. He suddenly seemed embarrassed.

The two of you sat back, disentangling your hands as you sat in mildly awkward silence for a moment or two.

“What about your parents?” Bradley asked, clearly looking for a way to change the subject. “Do they still live in New York?”

It was your turn to look sad now. “Well, we actually have a lot in common, Bradley. Only I guess my story is sort of in reverse. My mom passed away when I was six years old. She got in a car accident on her way home from work. And my dad passed when I was a freshman in college. Lung cancer.”

“Shit,” Bradley muttered, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay,” you cut him off, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “You couldn’t have known. And it feels kind of nice talking about it with someone who I know understands. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Bradley nodded, his expression serious as his dark eyes rested on your face. “Yeah, I do.”

You and Bradley sat in companionable silence as you finished your meals, then checked to see how much time you had before your connecting flight.

“I guess we should start making our way over to the gate,” you suggested, glancing at the time on your phone. You had about ten text messages from Katie, but you were too embarrassed to open them anywhere near Bradley.

Bradley nodded in agreement, wordlessly taking the handle of your suitcase and leading you back across the concourse.

“Hey, we got so distracted talking about my job that I never even asked what you do,” he suddenly realized once the two of you were seated at your gate, both your phones charging in a nearby outlet.

“Oh, yeah,” you smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair that had escaped your bun behind your ear. “Funny enough, I actually work for the Midway Museum,” you told him, glancing up at him, only to find that he was already gazing down at you.

“No way! Guess we’re both stuck aboard aircraft carriers for work then,” he chuckled. “What do you do?”

“Well, my official title is digital content specialist,” you said, biting down on your lower lip. You felt like it always sounded a bit pretentious. “Basically, I help run the museum’s digital accounts—social media, their website, email blasts, things like that. My degree is in marketing and communications, so that’s basically what I do.”

“That’s amazing,” Bradley said, and you could tell that he genuinely meant it. Some guys just pretended to be interested in your job as a pretense for trying to get into your pants, but you could tell that Bradley actually cared about what you had to say. He was actually listening. “Is that what brought you out to San Diego?”

“It is, actually. I had been applying to a few different places, and when I got word from the Midway that they were interested in hiring me, I thought that maybe it was the fresh start I needed,” you confessed.

“Has it been?” Bradley asked quietly.

“I think so,” you nodded slowly, absent-mindedly twisting your bracelet around your wrist. “It’s hard sometimes, being so far away from my best friend, Katie—the one I was visiting. She’s pretty much the only family I’ve got left. But I like the life that I’m building in San Diego.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it,” Bradley smiled, his hand lightly brushing against yours as he shifted in his seat. He looked like he was about to say more when the flight crew called your boarding group.

“Looks like we’re going to be sitting near each other again, 21A,” you teased, glancing down at his boarding pass as the two of you rose and grabbed your phones.

“Glad to hear it, 22A,” he joked in return, holding up his phone and waving it back and forth. “And now my phone is fully charged for our trip back to San Diego, so let the texting commence.”

Giggling, you nodded as the two of you walked down the rampway side by side and made your way onto the plane and to your seats without incident. When you got there, however, you saw that there had been some confusion with a young family that looked to have four children under the age of eight. It seemed as though their tickets had gotten split up so that they weren’t all sitting next to each other, and the mother was frantic.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Bradley asked, quickly taking stock of the situation. When the woman looked up at him, clearly stressed out and worried he was going to yell at her, he smiled comfortingly. “I was just going to say that, if you’d like, you can have my seat. I’d be happy to take yours since it looks like it’s next to my friend here anyway. That way, we can all be comfortable and sit with the people we want to sit with.”

“Oh, thank you!” the young mother exclaimed, looking ready to hug Bradley. “Thank you!”

She and her husband quickly got their children settled, thanking Bradley a few more times for good measure, while he took your carry-on and set it in the overhead bin.

Once you had settled in your window seat, Bradley took the seat beside you, grinning impishly.

“Look at that. Now we don’t even need to waste the Wi-Fi,” he murmured, nudging you playfully.

“Things just have a way of working out for us today, don’t they?” you laughed, settling your duffel bag at your feet. “I’m just going to send a quick message to Katie, to let her know I made it onto my connecting flight,” you told him, reaching for your phone and quickly opening Katie’s messages so that Bradley wouldn’t see them.

“Good idea, I should text Mav,” Bradley said, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. At your confused look, he explained, “My godfather. He’s also in the Navy, and he also just so happens to be stationed out in San Diego. He’s going to pick me up at the airport.”

Nodding, you sent a brief text to your best friend, promising you would call her as soon as you got home, then settled in for the flight and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

As soon as you felt the plane jolt to life and begin taxing towards the runway, your chest grew tight and your grip on yours and Bradley’s shared armrest started to turn your knuckles white.

“Hey,” Bradley said softly, genuine concern in his voice as he glanced over and noticed how on edge you suddenly appeared. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” you lied, keeping your gaze fixed straight ahead on the screen in front of you, which was currently playing some Delta commercial that your brain could scarcely register.

“I think your death grip on our armrest would suggest otherwise,” he pressed gently, his tone remaining light and good-humored. “You trying to take that thing with you?”

Startled, your nervous trance was broken and you glanced down to see what Bradley was talking about. Sure enough, your nails were digging into the armrest so intensely that you wouldn’t have been surprised if they left little crescent-shaped marks in their wake.

Letting out a shaky laugh, you looked up at the man beside you ruefully. “Okay, truth be told, I get a little anxious during takeoff,” you confessed, biting your lip in embarrassment. He would probably think that was silly. He was a fighter pilot, after all. His day job involved flying multi-million dollar aircrafts for the military. And here you were, acting like a scaredy cat over a commercial Delta flight.

Bradley’s eyes crinkled in a way that you found devastatingly charming as he smiled over at you. The look on his face was kind, without a single trace of mocking humor.

“Want to know a secret?” he whispered, leaning in closer to you so that his nose was nearly pressed against your cheek and you could feel his breath on your skin. “So do I.”

“You’re kidding,” you scoffed, shooting him a skeptical look. He was probably just trying to be nice. “But you’re a naval aviator!”

“Yeah, but I’m not the one flying this plane, am I?” he retorted with a lopsided grin. “It’s hard to put the reins in someone else’s hands. So I understand being nervous. Hell, I still get a little nervous sometimes when I’m flying an F-18. Just don’t tell anyone I said that,” he added, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

“Oh, of course not,” you giggled, smiling over at him. Glancing out the window, you realized that his conversation had distracted you so much, you hadn’t even noticed that the plane had finished its approach towards the runway and was officially waiting for takeoff.

Some of your nerves returned, and you gripped the armrest once more, but this time, you felt Bradley’s large, yet gentle fingers close over yours. Surprised, you turned your head sharply and instantly met his gaze. It was direct and disconcertingly open as he looked deeply into your eyes.

“It’s okay,” he assured you in a low voice, squeezing your fingers comfortingly. “We’re going to be okay.”

“My parents used to sing to me during takeoff,” you found yourself blurting out suddenly, your cheeks growing warm at the admission. “I can remember my mom doing it when I was a little girl, and my dad used to do it for me even when I was in high school,” you explained shyly, lowering your eyes to your lap.

At that moment, your stomach dropped as the plane suddenly began hurtling forward, seeking enough momentum to become airborne.

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to recall the sound of your parents’ voices in order to calm your racing heart. But a new voice suddenly entered the mix as you felt your newfound flying buddy lean across the armrest, his warm body pressing against your side as he sang quietly in your ear.

“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain…”

Wait a second. You knew that song. Where did you know that song from?

“Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill…”

Yes, you definitely knew that song. It was on one of the records your parents used to play when you were a little girl. Was it Jerry Lee Lewis?

Gasping in recognition, you whisper-sang the next lyric in harmony with Bradley—“Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!”

He laughed in delight when you began singing along, squeezing your hand with an affectionate grin. “And would you look at that,” he said, nodding towards the window. “We’re airborne. Wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Shocked, you followed his line of vision and were taken aback to see that you were already ascending into the clouds, leaving the city of Atlanta far behind. That had been one of the smoothest takeoff experiences you’d had in—well, you couldn’t even remember how long.

“I barely even noticed!” you exclaimed, focusing your attention back on Bradley. You smiled gratefully, your heart melting at the adorable puppy dog look on his face. “Thank you, Bradley.”

You noticed at that moment that he still hadn’t let go of your hand, and your pulse began to quicken, but this time for entirely different reasons.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured in response, his voice low and suddenly husky. It did something to you, that deep, raspy voice of his. “Happy to do it.” He squeezed your hand gently once more, then slowly—almost hesitantly—let it go.

“I haven’t heard that song in the longest time,” you told him, resting back against your seat. “My parents used to listen to it.”

Bradley smiled slightly. “It’s the one song I can actually remember my dad singing. He loved to sing and play the piano. My mom had tons of home videos of him doing it. But that song—that song I can actually remember hearing him sing, you know? I was so young when he—well—I can remember that one. And that’s why it’s my favorite to sing and play.”

“You play the piano, too?” you asked, impressed. “Wow, a man of many talents.” You nudged him playfully, a big smile on your face.

“I’ll have to show you what I can do,” Bradley replied, winking.

Your stomach fluttered at the implication that he might actually want to see you again after today.

“I’d like that,” you admitted, ducking your head shyly. You suddenly felt much more aware of everything around you, particularly every inch of your muscular seatmate. Goodness, he really was huge, wasn’t he? Chewing nervously on your bottom lip, you began fidgeting with your bracelet, tugging at it absent-mindedly.

“That’s a pretty bracelet,” Bradley commented, pointing at it as he watched you twist it back and forth around your wrist. “A gift?” he asked lightly, his tone almost a little too casual.

“Mhm,” you nodded, smiling fondly as you gazed down at it. You could still remember the day you opened it. “My dad bought it for me as a present when I graduated high school. I never take it off.”

“Ah,” Bradley nodded, appearing surprisingly relieved. He was quiet for a moment or two, looking like he was mulling over something. Then he turned towards you and asked, “So, um, is there anybody waiting for you in San Diego? Anyone, uh, special, I mean?” he asked, his cheeks and his ears turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck.

You felt your own skin grow warm in response. Was Bradley asking if you had a boyfriend? And was he embarrassed about it? Just when you thought this man couldn’t possibly charm you any more than he already had.

“Not unless you count my neighbor, Mrs. Flores. She really appreciates it when I walk her dog on the weekends,” you told him, your lips twitching as you tried to maintain a straight face.

Caught off guard by your response, Bradley let out a loud laugh, covering his mouth with one hand as he glanced down at you, eyes twinkling.

“I’m sure Mrs. Flores will be very happy to see you back again,” he nodded, tapping his fingers on his tray table.

The two of you sat in silence for a couple minutes until you finally glanced up and said, “I had actually just gotten out of a long-term relationship right before I moved to San Diego. It was kind of the catalyst for why I decided to take the job at the Midway Museum.”

“Oh, really?” Bradley asked, eyebrows shooting up. Then he cleared his throat, shaking his head. “I mean, I’m sorry to hear that. If it’s too personal, we don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, it’s okay,” you sighed, twirling your bracelet a few times as you thought back on your last failed relationship. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as it normally did. Maybe time really did heal all wounds. You took a deep breath before you elaborated. “Andrew and I were together for four years. For a long time, I really thought he was the one. Katie was convinced that he was going to propose on our trip to Greece. It was a dream vacation for me. I had the whole thing planned out for months and months. And I really started to let myself believe that it was going to happen.”

Bradley sat quietly, watching you carefully as he attentively took in every word you uttered.

“We were in Athens, and I had the whole day planned—all these tours and museums. But Andrew insisted that he was too tired since we had just traveled from Rhodes, and he begged me to let him stay behind at the hotel. Being the idiot that I am, I thought that maybe he wanted to put the finishing touches on his big proposal. So I went on the tours by myself. But the last tour ended early, so I came back to our hotel room a little sooner than expected.”

Your throat began to tighten as the story continued, the pain of what had happened next eclipsed only by your embarrassment that Bradley would soon know how pitifully your last relationship had ended. Why had you brought all this up?

“I’ll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, I found Andrew in bed with one of the cocktail waitresses from the hotel bar. And to no one’s surprise, there was no ring and he never had any intention of proposing. So I flew home from Greece minus a boyfriend and with very little remaining of my dignity. Leaving everything behind and starting fresh in San Diego seemed like a really good idea, so when the Midway contacted me, I jumped at the offer. And here I am,” you finished with a self-conscious laugh, shrugging your shoulders awkwardly.

Bradley didn’t say anything at first, just continued to stare at you in a way that had you feeling distinctly exposed. Your fingers immediately went to your bracelet once again, nervously fidgeting and waiting for him to say something.

Reaching out, he placed his hand over yours and stilled your movements gently. “First of all,” he began slowly, looking directly into your eyes. It seemed as though he was peering directly into your soul. “Andrew is a complete and total loser. If he didn’t know what he had in you, then he never deserved you to begin with. It’s his loss, and trust me, he’ll be regretting it for the rest of his life if he has even an ounce of sense.” His thumb brushed lightly against your knuckles, making your legs suddenly feel like Jell-O. “Second of all, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that, and I hope you know that the way that idiot treated you in no way says anything about you. I’ve only known you for a few hours, but I can see that that guy never deserved you to begin with.”

Feeling bashful, you lowered your head, trying to escape the intensity of Bradley’s dark eyes. It didn’t matter though—you could still feel his gaze.

“You don’t have to say that,” you murmured, not wanting him to think you had just unloaded all of this on him for sympathy points.

“I’m not just saying it,” he insisted, his voice serious. “You’re a special girl, and you deserve to be with someone who treats you that way.”

Someone like you?

The thought sprang unbidden to your mind, causing you to grow flustered. “Th–thank you,” you stammered, worried for half a second that Bradley could actually read your mind.

You were saved from having to make any further comment in that moment when the stewardess suddenly appeared with the food cart, asking you if you wanted any snacks or beverages.

You opted for a Diet Coke and popcorn, while Bradley took a Sprite and a bag of potato chips.

“What do you say? A little toast to my new flight buddy?” Bradley suggested teasingly, holding his can of soda out towards you.

You couldn’t help but smile, lightly tapping your can against his. “Cheers to us,” you laughed, taking a small sip.

“To us,” Bradley grinned. “You know,” he went on, after taking a gulp of his Sprite, “if you ever want to think about getting your pilot’s license, I’d be happy to have you as my wingman—er, woman.”

You laughed aloud at the notion, shaking your head. “Um, did you already forget about how well I handled takeoff? I’m not so sure anyone would trust me behind the controls of a plane.”

“I could teach you,” he shot back, waggling his eyebrows until you laughed again. “Or at the very least, take you up for a little joyride. I’d make sure to keep you safe.”

Your heart warmed at his words, and you found yourself wondering what it would be like to walk through life with this man, to have him be the one you came home to every day.

To have him be the one to make you feel like the most special girl in the world.

“I would like that,” you confessed, pushing your self-consciousness to the side as you looked into his eyes. “I would like that a lot.”

“So would I,” Bradley replied, his expression earnest.

For the next hour or two, you and Bradley shared some of the snacks you’d packed in your duffel bag and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. You had never felt so instantly at ease with someone who had been a complete and total stranger just a few hours earlier. The fact that he had been in San Diego all this time, right under your nose, and that it had taken a flight home all the way from Virginia for you two to actually meet felt like more than just a coincidence. It felt like this was exactly where you were supposed to be.

At some point, you must have finally succumbed to your exhaustion and fallen asleep because when the captain announced that you were making your final descent into San Diego International Airport, you were lifting your head off Bradley’s shoulder and blinking in confusion.

“Hello there, sleepyhead,” Bradley grinned, wiping a hand down his face and rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.

“How long was I asleep?” you asked, stretching your arms over your head. “I never sleep on planes.”

“Well you definitely slept on this one. I’d say you were probably out for at least an hour and a half,” he told you, running a hand through his hair, which made his sunkissed curls stand on end. “I nodded out, too. Guess we both needed it, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so,” you nodded, smiling at him.

By the time you finally deplaned—after Bradley, of course, had insisted on taking down your carry-on suitcase from the overhead bin and rolling it through the airport for you—you were growing both eager and anxious with anticipation of what the end of your journey would look like.

You and Bradley technically already had each other’s phone numbers, so should you say something about getting together? Would that seem too brazen? Should you just text him tomorrow and hope that whatever spark had been ignited during your travels today wouldn’t be extinguished by the time you both got home?

All of those thoughts and more were running through your head as you and Bradley took the escalator down to baggage claim and the terminal exit.

“Do you, um, do you have somebody picking you up?” Bradley asked as the two of you stepped off the escalator. He stepped to the side to avoid the flow of the crowd, and you stepped with him. “Mrs. Flores perhaps?” he added with a teasing spark in his eye.

“No,” you giggled, shaking your head. “I was just planning to call an Uber.”

“No need,” he said, his chest puffing out ever so slightly. “Mav and I will give you a ride home. He should actually be here already,” he mumbled, almost to himself, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his messages.

“Oh, you guys don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want you going out of your way,” you hurried to tell him, noticing that Bradley still had his hand on the handle of your suitcase.

“Who says it would be going out of our way?” Bradley retorted with that impossibly charming smile of his. “Unless, of course, you’re more comfortable taking an Uber. I don’t want to make you feel like—”

“No, no, you’re not,” you interrupted, wanting to make it clear to him that you appreciated the offer.

Seemingly at an impasse, the two of you just looked at each other and started laughing.

“I would love a ride, thank you. If it’s not too much trouble,” you told him.

“Never,” Bradley insisted. “Besides, you put up with me all day. I owe you.”

“I could say the same thing,” you grinned, reaching into the front pocket of your duffel bag and pulling out your cell phone. “In the meantime, I should text Katie and let her know I landed safely and that you haven’t abducted me or anything,” you teased jokingly.

Too late, you realized your mistake.

“Ah, so you told Katie about me, huh?” Bradley smirked, looking just a tad too pleased with himself. “What did you say?”

“Oh, um, nothing, just that I made a friend while traveling,” you stammered in humiliation, your cheeks feeling like they were on fire. “I’m just, um, I’m going to step over there while you get your bag.”

“Sure, sure,” he laughed, winking at you as he hurried over to the baggage carousel to search for his suitcase.

“Oh my God, how stupid are you?” you muttered to yourself, mentally kicking yourself for your careless words as you sent off a quick message to your best friend to let her know you were alive.

A moment later, she texted you back.

YOU BETTER CALL ME THE MINUTE YOU GET HOME!!! I WANT EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL!!!

Smiling, you dropped your phone back into your bag and looked up to see Bradley walking towards you, his suitcase in hand.

“Ready to head out?” he asked with a smile, watching as you grabbed the handle of your carry-on and did one quick scan to make sure you hadn’t dropped anything.

“Ready,” you nodded, following him outside to where a slew of Ubers and other cars were waiting to pick up their passengers.

“There’s Mav,” Bradley told you, pointing with his free hand towards the end of the pick-up line, where a handsome older man with dark hair and an easy smile was waving at you.

“Your godfather drives a Porsche?” you asked, your eyes nearly bugging out of your head at the sight of the vintage car. It was in pristine condition and you were certain it must have cost a small fortune.

“Technically, it’s his fiancée, Penny’s car, but she lets him drive it when he’s been good,” Bradley joked, resting a gentle hand on your back as he guided you through the crowd.

Bradley was quick to embrace his godfather when the two of you finally reached the Porsche, slapping him on the back before stepping back and holding out a hand to you. “Mav, I’d like you to meet my new travel buddy,” he grinned, introducing you by name.

Mav, as Bradley kept calling him, offered you one of those easy smiles as he held out his hand, which you took with a smile of your own.

“Ah, so this is the girl from the plane I’ve been hearing so much about,” Mav smirked, shooting a pointed look in his godson’s direction.

“Mav!” Bradley hissed through gritted teeth, his complexion instantly turning pink, even in the shade.

“Ah,” you smirked, feeling vindicated from your earlier blunder. “So you told Mav about me, huh?” you asked, nudging his side. “What did you say?” you teased, tossing back his question from before.

“Oh, he said plenty,” Mav jumped in, clearly enjoying watching Bradley squirm as he opened the passenger side door for you.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s crazy. All those Gs he’s always pulling have finally gone to his head,” Bradley protested, although he was smiling as he said it.

“Oh, I think I’m going to enjoy this car ride very much,” you giggled, winking at Bradley as you slid into your seat.

“Promise you’ll still like me by the time we get home?” Bradley whispered, leaning in close as he climbed in beside you.

You grinned up at him, thinking about how, for the first time in a long time, you didn’t feel so alone. San Diego suddenly felt much more like home than it ever had.

“Promise.”

[deathbxnny]

omg bxnny I saw that your requests are open!!

I love your writing and I've been WAITING to request something (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

so I'm a sucker for platonic pairings, and was wondering if you could do something like Aventurine having a child sibling (fem if possible) and she's like his lucky charm and stuck to his side 24/7. Literally, he goes playing poker? they're sitting beside him and he ALWAYS wins with her there and things like that (and obviously he spoils her absolutely rotten and everyone who is willing to listen to him for more than 5 minutes knows about his baby sister), I hope it's not too detailed! 🩷🩷

love you and take care!!

Hey there, dear moot!! Thank you so much for the cute request!! I'm sick rn, so I hope this is okay and coherent lmao-

Content: Vague gambling, the IPC is it's own warning, angst, fluff, sfw

Reader is afab!

((Not proofread))

His little sister is his most important person in the world, and he makes that crystal clear to everyone and especially her, for that matter. He doesn't take any slight against her lightly in any way and protects her with his life. He would stop at nothing for her to be happy, which is why he works so hard to free her from the IPC one day, even if he has to take the fall in the process. She is all he has left after all.

He wears a golden necklace of her initials around his neck and even proudly displays the brightly colored bracelets she made him on his wrists, despite them not fitting his lavish attire at all. He let's her play with his hair, apply makeup on his face even if it looks silly, and also definitely has grand tea parties with her that he takes very seriously.

With that said, as his little sister, she's absolutely spoiled rotten. She couldn't ask for more if she tried, and even if she did, he'd try even harder for her. It's a way to compensate for all they went through together, and whilst he knows it may never repair the mental damage she went through, he hopes it can distract her from the reality she's living for just a little longer.

His baby sister being his "lucky charm" is definitely something everyone knows about. He'd have her sitting on his lap or next to him whilst he plays, slyly showing her his cards with a knowing grin. He never lost a singular bet with her around and knows that his final plan would only succeed through the light of motivation she shone down on him every day.

Whenever he has moments of self-doubt and guilt, he reminds himself of what he's still living for, and it's her. His sister deserves a good life, one free from all troubles, and he's glad that she is still young enough to have a chance at it. And as much as it hurts, that future would be one without him once his plans proceed. He hopes that she can live on and remember him through the freedom he gave her, even when she one day inevitably forgets his face, voice, and name.

Alright... I hope this was okay!! I'm not feeling the best at the moment, so writing is a real struggle. But either way, thank you again for the request!!<33

[leclsrc]

congrats on 2k!! so happy to see such a talented writer get the recognition they deserve🤍🤍

can i request 5 gifts w/ charles?? ty and congrats again!

presents – cl16

genre: flufff, bit of angst, 2k celebration

Thank God for expensive cars—they barely make noise when they pull into the driveway of the house.

On nights where the bed’s emptiness is just a bit too painful to bear, your ears grow attuned to the silence so they can hear the car better. Because from then you can judge the rest of Charles’ synchronized routine—his shit parking, turning the key into the lock, heavy footsteps through the foyer and up the stairs, deliberate turning of the doorknob so he doesn’t wake you.

But he never does, because you’re never asleep. “Did I wake you?”

“Mmm, no,” you assure him, sitting up a little. He sports evidence of training, a bruise on his arm, extra stubble, a tighter fitting tee. He climbs into bed beside you holding a tiny box, rattles it so you can hear the chain shake inside. 

“Good. I have a gift for you.”

“Can it wait?” You ask throatily. “I miss you.”

He looks perfect like this, you think, pretty and handsome and tired and yours. He is rarely yours in these triple headers, season peaks where neither of your schedules give. So you envelop him into a hug, the box is laid on the bedside table, and they’re both gone by the time you wake up to the sun.

—

You were never one to accept presents, especially if they looked like they cost a month’s rent. Charles had given you a bracelet to commemorate your first year together, one that matched his.

“We agreed small gifts,” you’d said, jaw to the floor at the shiny object.

“It is… small.” He responded dumbly.

“Small, like…” you pull out your paper maché cat, which you painted to look like a Sauber driver. “Like this.”

So he’d kept the bracelet because you insisted, with all the love in the world, that you simply could not bear to wear it. Then he posted six pictures of your gift, claiming it was the best he’d ever gotten, pressing kisses all over your face.

—

“Would you like a message on the card, Sir?”

“Oui, oui. Can you write, uh…”

Charles rifles through his journal, onto which he’s written every detail of his life. There are race stats, strategy comparisons, crude venn diagrams of plans, tic-tac-toe games on slow meetings with Carlos, long-winded spiels on life that evolve from French to Italian to English, dinner date reminders, interview scripts.

But none of those is what he’s looking for. He seeks something else, a line he’d written on the day you fell asleep hugging him, comforted by his arrival. He had to leave early that day, so he enjoyed your presence and spent time writing. 

He spends a minute too long searching for it, but finds it eventually, sandwiched in between a doodle of Fred and Antonio. For all his trying, however, he later learns he miscalculated your checkout time, and the flowers never arrived on time for you to see them. He pictures the lilies, wilting alone, pictures the card you never got to unfold and read.

Thinking of you. I fall in love with you every time you walk into a room. Charles

—

You meet his eyes across the table, and narrow yours in silent challenge.

“Woah!” He laughs, amused, pointing an accusatory finger in your direction. “What was that—” He mimics your challenging expression, eyes briefly flitting down to where he holds his Uno cards. The rest of the room watch idly as the game comes to an intense close.

“It was me telling you I have great cards,” you proclaim with a giggle. “Aaaand uno.” 

The intense close is won by you, much to your opponent’s chagrin. It was an easy win, you state, I had a plus four and he handed it right to me. He finds you by the kitchen of the mansion chewing on a potato chip and extends a bottle of beer toward you, in a truce of sorts.

“Winners deserve a drink, no?” He grins, his eyes crinkling. “Consider it a gift. From me.”

“No, thanks. You already gifted me a win.”

“I just let you win,” he teases. “It was easy.”

“Was it?” You raise an eyebrow, and you both laugh. “All this talk, and I don’t even know my nemesis’ name.”

“Right, how rude,” he tsks, shaking your hand. It stays a bit too long, steals your words. “It’s Charles.”

—

In the end, your relationship befell the same fate as the collection of gifts he’d never been able to get you to receive: it just didn’t work out. 

But sometimes Charles revisits his piles of storage, picks out the florist’s business card or the winning Uno number he’d folded up and kept. He checks and rechecks boxes, wrappers, of gifts ungiven. And he goes to his trophy shelf, full of shiny metal and hard edges, and sees there, in front of them all, the Sauber driver paper maché cat.

And you sometimes go through pictures of the both of you, stare at your empty wrist and wonder what it would look like with a bracelet looped around it. You think of waiting, of the empty bed that’s now become the norm, the phone call from your hotel receptionist who asked if you wanted to return for the flowers that were sent late. 

Both of you remember. Both of you look for the other.

But perhaps most of all, both of you hope there’s a life where gifts were received and love worked. Charles passes the freeway exit that leads to your house and wonders, for a second, if he should turn into it. You lay in bed, ears attuned, wondering if you’ll hear the sound of his car.

[reimenaashelyee]

Plans for the God of Arepo brick award

Not to go too far ahead in case the "God of Arepo becomes award-winning Tumblr folklore" campaign doesn't succeed - we will find out this weekend - , but I've been ruminating about how to divide the brick for the 5 of us creators if this becomes a Thing. I've been holding onto this vision that the honours might be stamped onto the brick. In which case I will probably hire someone to cut it evenly. Then it can be like a friendship bracelet thing where the brick only becomes 1 if the 5 of us ever meet up irl. Very thematically appropriate for the work.

However, there IS a possibility (in fact, it's 80%) that the brick award won't have a stamp aka it's just a normal plain brick. Maybe my friend with the stamped brick is an exceptional circumstance because they are overseas. I don't know if it's a thing they only did for everyone for one year and never again. (I'm arranging to get my brick for Alexander Comic from last year delivered to my house in Malaysia rn, so we'll find out if stamping is a special service for overseas winners) Still I shouldn't depend on that 20% chance for the God of Arepo. I am going to have think about what to do with a plain brick.

In which case, I will go with the original plan of smashing it. It's pretty much a joke-traditional thing among us comics creators to smash the Ignatz Award into pieces to distribute between our collaborators (it's been done twice: for the Nib and Iron Circus when they each won Outstanding Anthology). The brick pieces end up becoming part of a larger installation with a plaque attached - which to me is way better than a plain brick.

I am probably going to hire Shing Yin - fellow comics creator and assigned brick smasher and handyperson - to break the brick and design the final outcome. One design idea I have is to stack the smallest brick pieces into a cairn (like the original temple Arepo built) and make it into a centerpiece for a terrarium. See below for an example.

Stones and some fake greenery (fake because idk what export rules are for plants in the US, also I definitely can't receive plants from overseas).

I don't know what form this pseudo-terrarium would take. A cloche? A jar? A glass pillar with a cork lid? A glasshouse? So many vessels for a god.

I am really into this idea because converting the brick award into a stack-of-stones-inside-a-terrarium award is very aesthetically on-point and the best fit for everyone.

So now I guess we will wait and see if this wild scheme works out. Again I don't know what will happen. I am a cautious person so I don't wanna get everyone too hyped for something that may not happen yet, but I also want to plan ahead just in case. ????

[3rddimension]

fun question: do you have a favorite part in the shourtney stream compilation? if so, which one? personally i love part 18 and part 25 <3

Here's my quick fav list! (In no particular order tho)

Part 5: Halloween Karaoke. This is around super early relationship and they're being soft as hell when Court ask Shayne when they want to sit on the sofa together but there's a baby doll hanging around them. Also the general vibe of that stream is super fun and they're cheering each other on their turn to sing.

Part 18: Donner Dinner Party. The origami saga start around this time and they're teasing each other in the level that we've never seen before.

Part 24: Star Wars Day. It's basically double date live stream. LMFAO

Part 26: SSSS Revival. Probably one of the first big clue pop up around this time. The morning breakfast talk and the way both of them caring for each other the whole stream. Espcially around the end when Shayne bracelet is not working and Court with pouty face went to him with the replacement one. It's super cute.

Part 31: Stan vs Internet Summer Fun Edition & Wii Bowling Night 2. The start of broken ankle saga. Court basically admit that she can't go to the gym (because she need to taking care of Shayne) also the boba slip up. She's also trying to get attention from him the whole time on both stream.

Part 33: Ring Fit one. The instant iconic & classic smoothie incident. Enough said tbh.

Part 36: The whole video especially God Hates Charades part. This is after they went back from visiting Shayne's family in Colorado. So you get a big slip up when they were playing charade and Court let out that it's remind of Shayne's dad with a significant details about his dad history.

Part 41: That soft voice to tell Court to put goggles on is basically why this one is on the list. The best moment out of all imo.

Part 42: What are Those Gamer Gear. I loveddddd the part when Shayne accident hit her face. lmfao

[emprysza]

translation!!

1. making trollsonas for trolls with explanations

2. branch is teal because he is the squarest troll alive and does everything by the book, he also sued creek once. vest is olive because lets pretend floyd is an oliveblood and since trolls don't have families they are platonic moyrals and branch is wearing his quadrants color and its very common in troll culture. branch is also already teal in movies.

3. cobaltblooded trolls usually have some kind of business, because they are mid aristocracy and guy is kinda rich judging by "glamping" episode in bgo series, he also made a lot of stuff to sell so he fits the stereotype. i thought about making him indigo because hes a big fan of drama (it's similar to loving art which is indigo stereotype) but it fits cobalt too.

his sign is a G mixed with diamond symbol..because he is..Guy....diamond

I also chose cobalt because guy has a lot of blue colors in his palette already (blue eyebrows blue eyes blue glitter undertone) and also cobalt trolls are usually very moraly controversial...SO ARE GUY'S HUMOR like... it's not high comedy for sure, his character is funny like a cobalt type of funny too.

4. in smidge's wiki it's written that she is a teaspoon troll so i made her horns look like teaspoons

SMIDGE IS AN OBVIOUS INDIGO firstly she is the strongest troll or something?? secondly she is queen's right hand so she should be violet OR AT LEAST indigo. also little indigo trolls are canon since there is amisia in hiveswap

smidge's dress can be fuchsia because umm they're best friends with poppy so like platonic moiral again and it means she uses her quadrant colors

5.poppy is fuchsia..because she is a queen..and she is also very pink, so it suits her. i think every queen and king of trolls are fuchsia because they are different tribes so it's ok to have more than one fuchsia.

SHE HAS A LOT OF TEAL THINGIES BECAUSE BRANCH IS TEAL AND THEY ARE MATESPRITSS

also i think poppy is wearing not only her quadrants colors but also every best friend color. she has it on her dress and on her bracelets. she is also not limited with black and white colors since she is a queen.

her horns are flowers bc idk

5. sinth is violetblood because he is ambassador of techno trolls, a big shot, violetbloods are aristocracy so it fits, plus he can wear whatever due to status of aristocracy. he is also a fish and violetbloods are fishes, everything is perfectly fitting

[shurislover]

A Look into Letitias Spam ll

- i really love making these lol

- enjoy and thank you so much for showing love on the first one. i really appreciate it

- part 1

tishspams

liked by therealyn and 389 others

tishspams on a date kinda nervous ( drinks kinda nasty )

therealyn you’re such a wimp , those drinks were so good

jojovandalkidd @/therealyn bracelets are fire ! link please

therealyn i made them boo, i’ll make you some and bring it to you when i see you

jojovandalkidd this why you’re my absolute favorite love you 4 life

tishspams

liked by dominiquethorne and 596 others

tishspams CAUGHT 🤪

dominiquethorne get a room 😒

kosarali__ that’s what i’m saying

 therealyn dom baby if you wanna kiss just say that

dominiquethorne i’m ready when you are

jojovandalkidd pic snapped by me 😤

tishspams

liked by therealyn and 632 others

tishspams happy birthday to the love of my life, my princess , my baby , my future wife , my kids future mother , my overall everything. you guys truly don’t understand how much this woman means to me, she was one of the main people who pulled me out of this dark hole after losing my brother. she checked up on me constantly , she made sure i ate , made sure i took care of myself. she made me the woman i am today and i’m forever grateful. i love you so damn much , and i cant wait to celebrate tonight with you sexy ! the big 2 6 baby. cheers to more years ! tish and y/n forever and always , locked in 4L 🔒❤️

therealyn mi amor 🥺 love you forever and always , got me crying rn. you know i got you always.

jojovandalkidd can’t wait to celebrate with the kid . happy birthday y/n

dominiquethorne the big 26 !! cant wait to see y’all tonight

michaeldapaah lil one growing up

shionat my baby growing up 😭

1dessdior my girl y/nnnnnn you got yourself a special one , happy birthday boo

haydmclean celebrating big tonight

tishspams

liked by jojovandalkidd and 900 others

tishspams y/n on this, just know my baby cool where she’s at

haydmclean not people out here trying to break y’all up

therealyn they should know better, i don’t play bout mine 😤

jojovandalkidd let em know

therealyn you already know what’s the vibes

tishspams and therealyn

liked by dominiquethorne and 13,587 others

therealyn i’m about to get real sappy on this. it’s the big 30 for my big baby 🥺. y’all when i say this woman means everything to me i fucking mean it. she has stuck by my side through everything, supports me in every single way and i just love her for that. i honestly thank God for you everytime i wake up and everytime i go to sleep. I am so grateful for all the amazing times we spend together, the happiness you bring into my life. Keep doing big things my love, keeping inspiring not only me , not only yourself but all the black girls and boys out there. I love you forever and always mi amor. LETS LIVE IT UP IN GREECE BABYYYYYYYYYYYY

tishspams love you 5 ever baby

therealyn 😘😘

jojovandalkidd Greece ain’t ready for us

therealyn NOT at all

daishamonee DIRTY 30!

tishspams

liked by daishamonee and 456 others

tishspams why she caught me slipping in her bonnet 😒

dominiquethorne bonnet for ???

jojovandalkidd right ?

winstonduke them little 3 milimeters of hair don’t need a bonnet

therealyn not too much on my baby. she got inches don’t play 😒

tishspams

liked by therealyn and 874 others

tishspams she wanna be me so bad

therealyn AND DO !

daishamonee i mean who wouldn’t

jojovandalkidd exactly! bro acting like the whole internet isn’t in love with her , she got a fly ass gf and living her best life ? come on now !

kosarali__ let it be known

winstonduke how you let your gf outshine you in your own fit ??

therealyn you’re so real ! she’s never getting this suit back.

tishspams

liked by dominiquethorne and 690 others

tishspams she thought the view was pretty…. but i thought she was prettier 🤭

daishamonee did google help you with this caption ?

tishspams sure did

dominiquethorne y’all so damn cheesy

haydmclean when y’all getting married ?? i’m ready for wedding season ?

tishspams soon come !

tishspams

liked by haydmclean and 567 others

tishspams y/n on this ! bae sleep rn but look what i found lollll ( shes gonna jump me when she sees this )

winstonduke good luck to you when she wakes up

jojovandalkidd nah the auntie hairstyle is crazy

haydmclean this shit has me so weak i’m keeping this

dominiquethorne my new favorite picture

kosarali__ you’re definitely getting cussed out lol

therealyn y’all this picture has legit tears coming out my eyes

jojovandalkidd i’m gonna need you to text me in the morning to make sure you’re alive

haydmclean me too lmao good luck y/n

tishspams

liked by therealyn and 20,678 others

tishspams kept this a secret for a while , so i could bask up my excitement in private with my FIANCÉ 🤭 you guys SHE PROPOSED ! IM A WHOLE FIANCÉ ! A WIFE TO BE !

daishamonee WHAT ?

haydmclean shout out to @/therealyn for choosing me to help pick the ring. happy for you bro

dominiquethorne BIG CONGRATS !!

ayoedebiri WOAH ! happy for you letitia

ramlaali BRING ON THE WEDDING SEASON

officialsheiks been waiting for this moment

prada this a big one 🔥

s11mone so happy for you sis

littlesimz NO WAY !

shionat you deserve this so much

michaeldapaah BIG TINGZ

thewrightnikki I KNOW THATS RIGHT

————————-

was supposed to post this for her birthday

[stargazerbibi]

🌷💖 1ST SEMESTER GOALS AND PLANS 💖🌷

a new semester is about to start and with it another fight for survival! xD

from the 1st day of classes to the last possible day of exams, it totals at 145 days. i'll be taking 4 classes specific to my course, 1 required humanities class in another faculty and i'll be redoing 1 class i failed last year.

since the 100 days of productivity challenge worked so well for me last year, i'm going to extend it to fit the whole semester and hope for the best. i think it'll be much harder than it was because the 1st semester is always 1000x more difficult than the 2nd for some reason 😮‍💨 but i don't really have an option at this point soo... yeah

there's a bunch of stuff i'd like to implement and a bunch of stuff i'd like to do so i'm going to begin the juggling act and see what can survive the harshness of my existence at uni :)

🌺💕 GOALS 💕🌺

-> pass all my classes: 6/6 ✅

-> keep my duolingo streak alive ✅

-> learn how to do friendship bracelets and wall-hangings with cute patterns ❌

-> complete my goodreads challenge ✅ + jan books: 27/30 (last book read: The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller) ❌

🌊🪩 PLANS 🪩🌊

-> college volleyball tryouts ✅

-> visit orchid market

-> repot my succulent

-> study at a new library ✅

-> see the private art collection at the museum ✅

-> visit dad ✅✅✅

🐚🤍 COUNTERS 🤍🐚

-> all-nighters: 8 (goal: 0)

-> created something: 5 (goal: 👀)

-> hang out with friends: 19 (goal: 14+)

-> A1c: 9.3% (goal: 8.5%)

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Dear @catwingsathena,

Thank you for sending in an application to be matched with one of our service dragons! Your needs and preferences suggest that a slightly older dragon would probably suit you best. A juvenile is easier to train for specific tasks, but a little less predictable and would also be more work for you. Right now we have two dragons in our training program that might be a good match:

Philly, a very steady, flightless dragon that weighs about 5 kilo's. She ended up in our shelter because her wings are no longer able to support her and we started training her when we noticed how clever and social she is. We are confident that she will be able to give all the assistance you need, including guarding the showers while you are in it. But while she is also very cuddly, she's not really playful. She's rather serious for a dragon and tends to ignore other animals.

Bagel, a rare crossbreed between what we guess must have been a common pocket dragon and a freshwater dragon. She adores water and is very curious and affectionate, also towards other pets. None of your requirements should give her any trouble, but we do think you might need to give her her own bracelet to hoard for herself, or she might try to keep yours.

If either or both of those sound like a good fit to you, we'd love for you to come to the shelter some day soon to meet them. It's a cliché, but the dragon really does pick the owner, and it's hard to tell what personality suits you best until you're face to shout with them!

~ The Domestic Dragon Trust

PS. We have enclosed your application form below.

Service Dragon Application Form

Size: I would prefer a dragon on the larger side of the pocket dragon size range—large enough to cuddle properly and be a pleasant weight on my lap (if I’m sitting up) or chest (if I’m lying down), but not so heavy that walking around with them in a cross-body messenger bag would be cumbersome or hard on my shoulders. Maybe roughly rabbit-sized?

Skills: the primary supports I would need from a service dragon are self-care reminders and light assistance, primarily with meals, meds, and showers. I struggle enough with showers that it might be useful for me to have a dragon who enjoys playing in water enough to want to get in the shower with me, but if that’s not possible, hanging out just outside the curtain and making reassuring sounds would be more than satisfactory. It would also be very helpful if my dragon could bring my migraine rescue meds when needed, encourage me to get up and stretch my legs if I’ve been at the computer too long, and/or pester me into eating and drinking water if I haven’t in a while. I don’t have nightmares terribly often (maybe twice a month on average, these days), but when I do I would greatly appreciate it if my dragon could wake me up. I’d also appreciate if they could grab my medical ID bracelet if I leave it on my bed or try to leave the house without it.

Personality: as I mentioned before, a cuddly dragon is a must. An ability to tolerate or even enjoyment of water would be helpful, for both shower purposes and because I live in an area with a lot of rain and like to go walking in it. Still, while playfulness is nice and an interest in finding things would be very helpful, I think I would do better with a fairly calm, laid-back dragon. My sleep schedule is very erratic (not because of when I go to bed or get up, just insomnia), so I would need a dragon who won’t be bothered by me being awake for hours in the middle of the night and getting up or turning on lights—the ability to nap when an opportunity presents itself might help, and I’d like it if they could sometimes hang out on my bed with me while I’m writing or resting (preferably without interfering with my typing too much).

Living Situation: I go back and forth between two houses approximately every other week. Both houses have at least one cat, and one of the houses also has a small dog (who is never allowed in my room, where I spend most of my indoor time). I spend long stretches of time walking around the block or going on the swingset at the park, and I love being outside in the rain. I also spend a lot of time sitting in my bed—it’s where I do most of my reading and writing, as well as resting. I have a part-time job to which I probably couldn’t bring my dragon for a variety of reasons, but my shifts are 4 hours, so I won’t be away too long.

[gojocumdumpster]

The Girl in the White Dress.

Warnings: None for now??

Idk I just thought of this.

Type of story: sfw

Female reader

Desc: Every year only once, there was held a Ball only to people who got invited. But who would give you this invite? Your not royal..?

You examined the invitation, looking closely at every single word they said. "Congratulations you've been invited to The Grand Masquerade Ball. You may be curious on how you got this letter but don't fret! The theme is White, Elegant and fancy. We would appreciate it if you followed the Theme/dress code. Please take note that YOU have been invited and we would love if you took this seriously and look your best. Doors open at 8PM and start's at 8:20PM. We Hope to see you soon Y/n L/n." Your eyebrows clenched in confusion wondering how and why you got this? They even know your address. You think to yourself about how this could be a set up...

"Weird...let's just search this up to see if this is even real"

*Click* *Click* *Click* *Click* *Click* *Click*

Before you could even type in the half of the word there was a website that popped up in the recommended searches saying "TheMasqueradeBall.com" "Now what the fuck." Clicking on the link there's pictures of this Fancy ball with just descriptions and other dumb stuff. But the thing is, the letter wasn't the only thing that was given to you. There was this White dress, heels, mask and Jewlery. And a card saying, "Presented with anonymous appreciation and affection." Who could it be? This better be clean and not already used. Are these heels even in my size-?" And they were.

"Okay... this is getting weird." making a weird face. You grab your phone checking what time it was. "Oh fuck- it's 6:30. What Have I been doing? Sitting my ass down looking at this letter??" you grab the box and storm off to your bedroom tossing the box on your bed. Taking the dress out of the box and that dress was gorgeous. It fit into the dress code, and it stood out so much.

A white elegant dress opulently adorned with sparkling diamonds, creating a dazzling and resplendent display of luxury and glamour. It was Beautiful. The mask glistens with intricate sparkles adorned with delicate feathers that gracefully fan out. The elegant heels are a perfect match for the opulent dress and gala mask. With a slender stiletto heel and a graceful white satin finish, they exude sophistication and style. Adorned with shimmering rhinestones and intricate beadwork, Completing the ensemble is a stunning array of jewelry, each piece carefully selected to enhance the opulence of the outfit.

A dazzling diamond necklace drapes gracefully around the neck, its sparkling brilliance echoing the twinkling of the dress and mask. Delicate diamond earrings hang from the ears, catching the light with every movement, adding a touch of glamour and sophistication. A shimmering diamond bracelet adorns the wrist, completing the look of luxurious elegance.

It was perfect.

Quickly you put everything on including hair and makeup. "This person got me looking sexy as hell." You take some pictures before heading out. The place was far it looked kind of sketchy at first but the more you got closer it was huge. Freshly cut round bushes and a roundabout filled with Limousine's and fancy cars. There was a lot of traffic, cars filled behind you quickly, honks hear there but luckily you made it but that parking lot was HUGE. 4 parking garages with 5 levels and it was a fancy once. It was filled but if you looked carefully you would find a parking spot.

As you were looking for a parking spot you see girls in there fancy dress and men in there suits. You parked your car and did some quick touches before hopping out, "I look like I'm getting married.." you mutter. You picked your dress up walking carefully to the elevator waiting for your turn. "This mask is so sweaty." Luckily you were the only on the elevator, the dress is to big to fit anyone else in here.

*Ding*

The elevators open and you see people walking to the entrance of the Gala, as you walked out people were turning there heads, complimenting the dress as you said your dress stood out a lot. But there this one specific stare that kept bothering you but you couldn't find out who it was. But you shrugged your shoulders walking off to the steps. You took your time going up each step, there was a man with a suit greeting everyone at the door. And you walk inside as you glide across the ballroom floor, all eyes turn to you, captivated by your beauty and grace. You are the epitome of sophistication, a vision of luxury and glamour.

Tonight, you aren't just attending the gala YOU are the belle of the ball, a radiant presence that leaves an indelible impression on all who are fortunate enough to witness your splendor. Your gown, a vision of opulence, is a long, white masterpiece adorned with sparkling diamonds and intricate beadwork. The dress hugs your figure in all the right places, its luxurious fabric flowing elegantly with every step. You made it on time! It's beautiful the gala has a dazzling display of luxury and extravagance. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a warm golden glow across the room with tables draped in white lined scattered throughout the room! Your table was number 45. Dinner was at 9. A regular dance was going on in a couple of minutes.

But that stare was still there. You chat with people as they gave you nice feedback of your dress and overall just chatting with you. The Regular dance was going on right now but you had no one to dance with. You walked to the bar and order yourself a water. You were on your phone until you felt a tap on your shoulder. "The dress I sent you looks amazing on you."

[demigirlravenqueen]

Historically ever after part 5

Darling Charming 2 New And Improved!

I wanted to do an updated version of this post because, it was really just my second attempt at doing something like this so it's not really the best and I've learned quite a bit more about 18th century fashion since then and I'm not really satisfied with that post anymore. Darling was the fist character that I decided to make these posts on because everybody kind of knows that her design was 18th century inspired. I think that it's just one of the recognisable historical styles .

Starting with the dress, it has an open front showing another layer underneath like most styles of dresses from the Georgian period which usually had a petticoat underneath as well as a matching stomacher if one was worn. The robe robe a la francaise is, I think the most iconic for this look. The robe a la francaise also featured large box pleats at the back and were commonly worn over side hoops which gave the iconic wide hip look.

1 2

I think that darlings dress more closely resembles an English gown or robe a l’anglaise which is more fitted and less often worn with side hops therefore usually having a more round skirt shape.

Either way it doesn't really matter as I doubt that the people designing these outfits really had this in mind. But I'll leave this article by the American Duchess which dose a good job explaining the different styles of 18th century gowns if you're interested.

We also have those lovely elbow length frilled sleeves which were common on fashionable gowns.

The print on her dress really resembles some of the floral patterns common during this period, such as these ones I found in the Met's online collections.

1 2 3

the underlayer's pattern is more subtle and and resembles these silk woven fabrics.

1 2

Her hair is swept back and curled in a way that's meant to reference the large fancy hair styles iconic to the period, mostly around the mid 18th century. Feathers, ribbons and jewellery were all pretty common hair pieces.

Her hair is also verry light which is again a reference to white powdered hair.

While were talking about hair I'd also like to mention that we plenty of primary sources indicating the use of blue and pink hair powder during this time. I don't know a lot about that (or just historical hair in general I'm trying my best), but Abbey Cox did a great video the history of coloured hair, and after watching that I was able to find portraits showing it. It's such a niche fun fact that I don't think that it was intentional and they probably just chose blue to go with the colour scheme they already had but it's still cool.

Her jewellery was interesting to look into, full disclosure I don't know much about jewellery outside of the Victorian era and even then my knowledge is pretty limited so I was mainly digging through the V&A archives and comparing them.

Her necklaces are I think the most similar. You got the jewels arranged in a circle around another jewel and the elaborate patterns.

1 2

I think her bracelet is more armour inspired I'm not really able to get a good enough look at it to notice much detail.

dangly earrings sort of like hers I've seen a lot of but rather different.

With her flower shaped ring I was either expecting to either find nothing or something similar but smaller which they made more bulky for doll production. I didn't find a similar ring, most were verry simple in shape, but I did find this broch and gasped verry loudly when I did because it was so similar.

I might do another one on her dragon games outfit, but I don't really think there's anything there, and this post is getting long, nothing compared with what I have in the works for Lizzie but... I have homework to do and this has already taken up enough of my time.

As always, feel free to add on or correct me.

Part 0.5 Part 1 (original darling post) Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[acheronist]

top 5 most lesbian sergei pictures. go

this is the best thing to ask me i just launched off the couch to get my laptop because I already have them saved to my fucking harddrive

as a wee closeted baby dyke... she plays hockey in the winter and softball in the summer and doesn't understand why she doesn't quite fit in with other gorls

growing up a bit & learning more about himself when he isn't a cog in the red army hockey machine...... growing his hair out because he likes it and it's different... being confident + more settled & like he belongs

this picture quite literally described by notable LGBT ally darren mccarty as "good for you bitch! yknow, you've got the hair and the glasses and the whole look! go for it!"

bitterly scorned ex wife dyke who frequents the gay bars and sends glasses of champagne to the femmes at the bar while strapped up under her mid 2000s low rise jeans

vitamin D deficient and notoriously cold russian bitch dyke who loves his wife, wears plastic bead friendship bracelets that his daughter makes to work, and could have retired a couple years ago but gets antsy without having a job so he's still working anyways. And also always is saying "Remember, I was sexy. I was a real heartthrob. No, No, it's true! I have polaroids of how I looked back then somewhere."

[devilsrecreation]

Outlander Incorrect Quotes pt 3

Janja: *mocking Jasiri* Miss me, miss me, now you gotta ki- *pauses*

Jasiri: Now, I gotta what? 😏

Janja: Nothing, forget it-

Jasiri: No no no, now I gotta what? 😏

Some hater: Listen to me, I don’t like you!

Shupavu: Do we give a fuck?

Njano: No, not one.

Shupavu: How many fucks do we give?

Njano: Zero.

Shupavu: Exactly. Therefore, your comment is

Both: ✨Irrelevant✨

Reirei: My husband is wearing a fucking suit to his autism diagnosis appointment

Goigoi: It’s a special event :D

Reirei: Shut up-

Janja: I don’t see any beautiful girls

Reirei: Just turn around~

Janja: Reirei please, only one of us can hallucinate at a time

Goigoi: Who’s the toughest animal you know?

Dogo: Mom.

Goigoi: …….Who’s the toughest male animal you know?

Dogo: You’re the toughest male animal I know!

Human AU

Nduli/Hodari: I made you a friendship bracelet!

Kiburi/Makuu: I’m not really a jewelry person

Nduli/Hodari: You don’t have to wear it

Kiburi/Makuu: No, I’m gonna wear it. Forever. Back off

Some female jackal: What’s your type?

Goigoi: I have a mate

Jackal: So what’s your type then?

Goigoi: …My mate

Jackal: What does she look like?

Goigoi: She looks like my mate

Jackal: So what would you rate me out of ten?

Goigoi: I can’t do that

Jackal: You can’t rate me at all?

Goigoi: Nope

Jackal: Then what would you rate your girlfriend out of ten?

Goigoi: She broke my scale cuz she’s so beautiful

Jasiri: You guys kidnapped Queen Dhahabu?! That's illegal!!!

Cheezi: But Jasiri, what's more illegal? Briefly inconveniencing Dhahabu or destroying the Outlands?

Jasiri: Kidnapping Queen Dhahabu, Cheezi!

Janja: Jasiri. Listen. Whatever I may think of you right now, these guys are counting on you. You inspire them!

Jasiri: What? T-To kidnap animals?

Janja: To work together!

Jasiri: TO KIDNAP ANIMALS?!?

Chungu: Prime Minister Jasiri, we all agreed a celebrity is not an animal

Sumu: I scare people a lot because I walk very softly and they don't hear me enter rooms. So when they turn around, I'm just kind of there and their fear fuels me

Sumu: Kenge, I’m begging you to go to a healer

Kenge: Sorry, is this OUR stab wound?! Stay out of it!

Sumu: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Kenge’s been raging in the bathroom for an hour. We can’t get him out...

Kenge: Must be hard not being able to laugh

Sumu: I do have a sense of humor you know

Kenge: I’ve never heard you laugh before

Sumu: I’ve never heard you say anything funny

Kenge: You kill animals for food?!

Sumu: I can explain!

Kenge: And all this time I’ve been doing it for free like a chump!

After he accidentally said ‘little’ in front of Kenge:

Janja: Top 30 reasons why we’re sorry…Number 5 will surprise you!

Kenge: Top 30 anime deaths. Number 1:YOUR FUCKING TAIL RIGHT NOW

Nduli: What’s the height of stupidity?

Kiburi: *turning to Tamka* How tall are you?

Janja, driving his crew: So how was your day?

Cheezi: We almost got surprise adopted!

Chungu: Yeah!

Janja: What?

Nne: We almost got kidnapped.

Janja: Oh, okay.

Janja: *slams on the breaks* WAIT WHAT?!

Store Worker: Would a Mx. Kiburi please come to the front desk?

Kiburi, arriving at the desk: Hello, is there a problem?

Store Worker: points to Tamka and Nduli

Store Worker: I believe they belong to you?

Tamka and Nduli, simultaneously: We got lost :(

Kiburi: I didn’t even bring you guys here with me-

Ushari: How's the lovliest animal here~?

Shupavu: I don't know, how are they~?

Ushari, flustered: I-

Njano, from across the room: I'm doing great, thanks!

Tamka: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Kiburi?

Kiburi: … No.

Nduli: I do!

Kiburi: I know, Nduli.

Nduli: I’m sad!

Kiburi: I know, Nduli.

Jasiri: I really like this whole ‘good guy, bad guy’ thing you guys have going on.

Shupavu: It’s not an act, it’s just that I’m mean and Njano isn’t

Human AU

Tamka: Who thinks I can fit 15 marshmallows in my mouth?

Kiburi: You’re a hazard to society

Nduli: And a coward. DO TWENTY.

Kiburi: Heh. Look at those guys using that cliff as a slide

Janja: *chuckles* What furbrains!

Kiburi: Idiots.

Janja and Kiburi: *realizes it’s Chungu, Cheezi, Tamka, and Nduli*

Janja: Wait a minute…

Both: *simultaneously* THOSE ARE OUR FURBRAINS/IDIOTS

[fractiflos]

Please, 5 heacanons for an Anastasia AU where Emperor All for One has been looking for his long-missing little brother. Second and Third are a pair of poor conmen who find an amnesiac orphan named Yoichi and decide to turn him into a fake prince. Except when they actually meet All for One they start to have serious doubts about letting Yoichi go.

Sorry, this took so long, it's been so long since I've seen this, I had to rewatch it. But it was fun! Sorry it got so long though.

Note: I made up a fake country for the emperor to rule. I find this fitting as we all know AFO only becomes an emperor in his imagination.

The Shigaraki family rules the country of Ronea, when their exiled advisor, Garaki, comes and tries to take over, cursing them. Then a revolution happens and they're overthrown. Every one of them is killed except for two. Hisashi (who's 18), who stays behind to fight off the revolutionaries with his own magic, and Yoichi (8) who escaped with the help of two servant boys (Second and Third). He meant to come back, but was knocked down and hit his head. He would end up at an orphanage with no memory of his previous life. Oh, and Hisashi killed Garaki and took all the magic for himself, managing to uncurse them.

10 years later and AFO, after fighting off the revolutionaries and taking his place as emperor, has placed a high bounty for the safe return of his brother, who everyone assumes is dead, but no one's going to tell the emperor he's delusional. Meanwhile, Second and his best friend Third, have become conmen after being unable to continue work as servants in the palace, as they got really tired of being forced to care for the emperor's Demon King dolls action figures. They decide to try and turn in a fake prince. Sure, others have tried it, but they have insider knowledge, so obviously they would succeed.

Meanwhile, Yoichi has been tossed from home to home, finally escaping the system at age 18. He has only one relic from his previous life, a silver bracelet with "My Little Brother" inscribed. Not super helpful, but whatever, he's given up any hope of family and is off to Paris to pursue his dream of becoming an author, with the corgi he finds on the way there, which he names Tomura. Sadly, AFO isn't letting anyone leave the country, just in case they happen to be his brother. The only way out is to be smuggled out, and so, he's directed to find The Number Duo.

Shocked by his resemblance to the prince and his coincidental matching name, they convince him to pretend to be Prince Yoichi. After all, surely the prince will have the time to write a book and the money to move to Paris. He agrees; Cue the prince training montage with all the kind of flirting and stuff.

Of course, they don't have to go on a big journey here, as they're all in the same country, they just have to say they found the prince and they'll be let in. AFO never gave up on seeing his brother again, no matter how many fakes he had to go through. (He kills them, but not many people know that little detail)

Yoichi starts to remember more and more of his old life as they walk through the palace, and is able to ace the test AFO gives him, including details he was never even taught. Like how he managed to escape...

In order to celebrate, AFO invites them all to a party he's throwing in honor of his brother's return, but the number duo can't help but feel that something's not right with the man. Something about the look in his eye doesn't seem quite right. Their suspicions are confirmed when AFO's new advisor, Toshinori Yagi tells them about how AFO has used the souls of the fakes he killed to power up a new spell. One that will keep Yoichi from ever having to leave him again.

Meanwhile, Yoichi can't help the uneasiness he feels around his brother, but ignores it. They're family after all. (The bracelet feels heavy around his wrist.) Tomura the corgi runs off just as the party starts and ends up in the gardens, right into AFO's arms. There, Yoichi finds out just what he's planning through AFO's monologue, which triggers a few more flashbacks.

You see, AFO and Garaki had been best friends, and learned dark magic together, eventually selling their souls for the opportunity to carry out their plans. AFO becoming emperor and the rest of his family (sans Yoichi) getting killed was planned, but Garaki trying to take the throne for himself, was not, so he got killed. Yoichi was the only family AFO had loved as the rest all made fun of him, so he wanted to keep him around forever. He gave Yoichi the bracelet (which he had sold his soul for) saying to always wear it, as it would protect him in times of need. That was a lie, the bracelet was enchanted, but it needed to be activated first. The enchantment made it so that Yoichi's soul would leave his body and be forever bound to his brother, unable to leave him again.

Second & Third arrive on the scene and it turns into a battle, where Tomura manages to bite the bracelet off, but that only buys him time. Then there's a game of keep-away with the bracelet, and eventually Yoichi manages to break the bracelet, causing AFO to turn into dust.

AFO dies, and Yoichi becomes king of Ronea, marrying Second & Third. Tomura gets to live a spoiled life with some corgi friends he made, Mon-chan and Hana. Nana Shimura is the royal dogsitter. The Trioholders had their honeymoon in Paris and Yoichi got to write several books. The end.

This was a lot more than what I was expecting to write, but I really love this movie.

In my original version (what I came up with before I rewatched the movie), AFO was the evil advisor and brainwashed everyone into thinking Yoichi was his little brother who went tragically missing when some evil revolutionaries (AKA Yoichi's real family) stormed the palace. Those revolutionaries were the Aoyama family. He was Yoichi Aoyama. That one was so different I thought I'd mention it here.

Anyway, I hope you liked this :)

[swampgallows]

hi lovelies. ive been a candy kid since 2004, but unfortunately i haven't been able to go to a rave since feb 2020, as i'm at high risk of severe disability or death if i were to catch the 'vid. in my 3+ years of isolation i've been churning out kandi but have no means of trading it. as you can see my chain of trades is practically full, now weighing almost 5 lbs.

if any of you are up to it, i would really, really love to trade via mail! back in the days of forums, mail trading was pretty common (kanditrade.net comes to mind), but it's been years since i last heard of anyone doing it, so im taking matters into my own hands!!

rules:

you must interact with me in some capacity (im not giving my info to a rando, sorry)

provide some kandi preferences! colors, animals, shapes, themes, etc.

you must be willing to give me a mailing address in the continental US to ship to (i might extend to non-USA if i wuv you lots n lots). please be sure this is a secure address that you regularly access; im not responsible for the package once it leaves my hands.

you must mail me kandi (or other creation) in return. this is a trade, not a giveaway.

when i send my half of the trade, you must send me your half of the trade within 30 days.

other info under cut ⤵

Q: what will i receive in my trade?

anywhere from 1-3 pieces of kandi, glowsticks, and maybe some other goodies (candy/cookies [dietary restrictions permitting], stickers, toys, mix CDs, etc.). your package will be shipped from california and comes from a non-smoking, drug-free home with a short-haired dog.

Q: what can i give you to trade?

kandi, of course! but if you don't make kandi then anything else you have created is welcomed. if you make music/mixes, please at least burn a cd!

kandi i like: singles! halloween colors (black/orange/purple/green), especially bright green. my raver name is rabbit, so i have a lot of kandi with bunnies on it. i also like monsters, stars, suns/moons, glow in the dark, food/fruits, and big chunky shapes.

kandi i do not like: cuffs/"epic"s, perler creations. these are very impressive, but as someone who wears kandi daily i will not be able to wear large pieces like these. also please no drug references or anything sexual.

no, only handmade items please. part of the importance of kandi is that it is a physical object that travels from my hands to yours: this is symbolized by the bridge of linked hands during a trade.

Q: can my half of the trade be digital/online instead?

Q: i can't get to the post office. how do i mail it?

the best way to mail something if you can't get to the post office is:

make an account at usps.com. it is free.

order small flat rate *padded* envelopes or boxes from usps. they are free. i suggest getting the small boxes as they're slightly cheaper to ship than the padded envelopes and you can fit bulkier items inside.

pay for your postage online via usps (click-n-ship). the flat rate boxes have set prices per size, so you wont need to weigh anything. all flat rate pricing is Priority Mail, meaning it comes with free package pickup, tracking, and 1-3 day delivery. if you don't have a printer, they will print you a label and mail it to you for $1.25.

arrange for the package to be picked up with your regular mail delivery. it is free. you will get pickup confirmation and tracking sent to your email.

Q: i want to trade! how do i contact you?

contact me through tumblr messages, discord (if you have me added), or send an email to my url at gmail. if you email me please be sure to include something about kandi in the subject line as well as your tumblr url!

Q. wtf is kandi?

raver friendship bracelets, basically. i've written a primer on kandi here!

[bekkathyst]

Munich Gem Show Finds Sale (October 28, ‘23) Item #2

$46 each - Free EU & US shipping on orders over $60

High quality, chunky garnet stretch bracelets. The beads are large and have great color. These fit a bit looser on me than our usual bracelets, I’d say they best fit 6.5” - 7” wrists.

One will be randomly selected for you.

*Only 5 pieces available*

To claim items and order, please read and follow the system I have set up. You can read the rules here!