#I’ll reorganize it later today

[milo-is-rambling]

Me vs outlining a perfect plan for my day in my head which I can be the only one allowed to change the schedule vs my mom asking me to do 2 simple tasks

[chelleztjs18]

Spiraling Thoughts (W.M)

Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader (Modern AU)

Summary: Wanda's spiraling thoughts get between both of you.

Warning: Hurt/Comfort angst, swearing words.

Requested: Yes

A/N: Hello! Another post, another angst from me. I didn't proof read this, sorry in advance for typos. More angsts are on their way :D Anyway, happy reading!

Main Masterlist

Happy and excited. That’s how you feel right now because today is the day you have been waiting for. You have been crossing the dates on the calendar to today’s date. A red “Moving day!” is written on the calendar.

You have packed all your belongings. Stacks of boxes are ready. Your brain tells you that you might need two trips to drive all of them with your car to Wanda’s place.

You have been dating Wanda for an amazing year and a half. Both of you are head over heels in love with each other. You have been giving hints for a few months that you are ready to move in together. Since then, it has been the talk you both have. A month ago, your girlfriend finally agreed to live together.

You are so thrilled and Wanda is happy if you are happy. She knows it from how much you talk about it.

Since then, Wanda has been reorganizing her place for your belongings to fit in. She loves simplicity, her place wasn’t the biggest but it was enough for her to live alone. Wanda tried to prepare everything for you when the day came. Being the overthinking she is, she even did some research on do’s and don'ts or tips for this relationship’s big change.

“I’ll be leaving soon. See you soon,babe!” you texted her. Wanda checks the time then puts her phone down disappointedly. You are late again. The only thing about you that she doesn’t like. Wanda is a punctual person, she hates being late. To watch you being late or waiting for someone who is late is torture to her. Every second slowly but surely irritates her even though she tries not to.

Wanda’s mind starts to spiral before she knows it. All other anxious thoughts force their way to re-exist.

She starts to think what if she has to deal more about being late because of this certain bad habit of yours. What if there are other untolerable habits or differences that show up after both of you living together for some time that might have a domino effect in her relationship with you? Or what if all of this is too soon? Is she actually ready for this? Or is she just doing this to make you happy? What happens if things don’t work out between both of you?

What if…? What if..? What if..? These two words are really pushing Wanda’s to the edge. Her heartbeat starts to double in speed. Her fingertips start to get colder and her hands seem to shake. It’s getting harder for her to breathe. Emotions slowly overfill her heart and mind.

Your Sokovian girlfriend is panicked and scared by now from her overthinking mind. Everything seems spinning. The ticking from the clock on the wall sounds louder gradually in her mind breaking the muffled sound around her. An hour later, the doorbell finally lets her get a break from everything she is experiencing.

Wanda rushes to the door even though her steps feel so heavy. She knows it must be you with all of your stuff, moving in with her. Oh dear, the closer she gets to the door, the heavier her heart feels. Thoughts flash in her mind for a second, the thoughts that you for sure don’t want to hear.

“Hi babe!.” You greet her followed by an apology as you give her a hug. An awkward smile curved on her face. Wanda tries to hold back her spiraling feelings, she is trying hard.

Wanda hugs you back but you know her pretty well, you notice even the slight difference but you try not to overthink. “Y/n, you are late again.” Flat yet irritated was her tone no matter how much she tried to hide it. Wanda glances at the boxes in your car to avoid your gaze whenever you try to look at her.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m working on my punctuality more, Wanda. I promise.” you apologized. You thought that being late was the reason why Wanda seems a little off.

“Well, that’s what you promised three months ago and still, nothing changed.” a snarky comment forced its way out of her lips and you got caught off guard by it. Your forehead creases your eyes while you mind quickly try to figure out what’s going on.

“I’m sorry, Wanda.”

The view of her shrugging her shoulders and her smile slides down to a frown as she turns around then walks away from you. “Wanda, what’s wrong?” you ask and follow her.

Wanda picks up her pace a little to be away from you. “Nothing.” That was all her answer to you. Again, her eyes avoid yours. Everytime you get closer to her, Wanda would move further from you. Walking around from one room to another, she cleans randomly as her steps shift from one spot to another.

“I don’t think we should bring your boxes in yet, detka.” Wanda suggests. Your stomach churns a little after hearing her idea. You love hearing her calling you with any pet names but this time, you are not a fan of it because of the tone.

“Why?” Your eyebrows furrowed. You are waiting for her answer anxiously, standing behind her.

“I’m still cleaning this house, Y/n. That’s why.” Wanda’s tone is slowly filled by such resentment. Her voice raises a little.

“Wanda, the house looks fine and very clean. I know you pretty well. You are cleaning randomly, moving around from one spot to another right now. You only do it when you are upset or something bothers you.”

“No, I’m fine. We can just keep your stuff in your car tonight until I’m done with this house.” Wanda’s tone gets colder.

“Wait, what? What did you mean? Keep them in my car overnight?” your forehead puckered in confusion. “You heard me.” she responds while continuing whatever she is doing with a pout that looks more and more obvious.

“What about my clothes and—” you try to get more clues on what’s going on but Wanda didn’t let you finish. “You can wear mine or borrow whatever you need..”

“But, you told me that everything’s ready. I even made sure with you yesterday about today and you said yes. Something is off, Wanda. Tell me, what’s wrong?” you rambled.

“Nothing..is wrong, y/n.” Wanda denied all your words. You noticed she looks way more unease. You follow her yet Wanda still avoids you from being too close to her.

“No, something is wrong Wanda. You smile differently. You–”

“Y/n..” she calls.

“You didn’t hug me the way you usually do. You–”

“What are you talking about?” Wanda tackled your assumption with the pretend confusion.

“Yeah, you know what I meant, Wanda. You clean randomly and—”

“Oh come on! What stupid theory was that? You should’ve known me, for crying out loud! I..love..to clean.” Wanda lets out her irritation and anger through the way she puts down things.

“You clean loudly. Sometimes you put things or close stuff loudly when you are upset.” you lined up more supportive examples. Wanda walks away from her bedroom to the living room, leaving you but you are determined to get the answer. “Fuck, y/n. Just please stop.” Despite the curse word, Wanda still tries to suppress her voice that’s raising up angrily as she starts to feel cornered.

You take a spot in front of her to block her path of avoidance.“No. No. I won’t stop until I get my answer. What’s going on? Why on earth that all of sudden I can't unload the boxes. I’m really confused right now. There’s–”

She didn’t let you finish once more. “I already told you why.” she gives you a second of death glance before she takes the sideway to walk away from you again.

“Yes, you did but it wasn’t the truth Wanda. You lied. Are you getting cold feet about us living together?” Just like that, your question instantly stopped Wanda and she snapped as she turned around to you.

“What if I am?!” Wanda can no longer keep herself together. She finally spilled the painful truth. meanwhile you are too shocked to respond to it. A soft gasp forced its way to be heard. You swallow hard and your heart drops in a millisecond before the brunette continues to pour her thoughts out.

“What if I’m freaking out right now? This whole thing is too soon, too early or whatever we can call it.” words after words and thoughts after thoughts flowed in such anger the more her mind thought about it.

“Too soon? Wanda, you agreed about this. We have been talking about us living together. We plan this. I thought you wanted it to happen as much as I wanted to?” you argue back with a pinch of genuine confusion.

“Do i, y/n? Or was I on board with it just because you keep giving me hints of what you want? You wanted the truth, right? There it is!” Wanda places both of her hands on her hips as she looks away just so you won’t catch her eyes slowly turning glossy from tears.

After a few seconds of pausing her words, she continued. “You were late coming here, it’s your habit. We both know that. What if you never change? What if there are other things, habits or — or — or differences that trigger us to argue? Imagine if we turn to that couple who fight constantly. What if it doesn’t work out for us?”

Your head hangs low, you look down somewhere random. Anywhere but her eyes. You shake your head slowly followed by a disbelief chuckle. “Wow, you talked like I WILL be or I am the cause that everything won’t work out between us in the future while you are actually the one that shattered the dream that we had. Oh I’m sorry, babe. Let me rephrase that, MY dream, not yours.” you lift up your head and look at her eyes mid sentence and let sarcasm end it.

Your heart aches. In your point of view, Wanda is being unfair to you and it provokes more words out of you. “So you changed your mind?”

Her voice fills the room before the deafening silence ate it all up. You can hear her take a harsh breath. “Y/n—”

“It’s a yes or no question, Wanda.” you demand her answer as you keep looking at her.

Wanda clenches her jaw in silence but it was an obvious shortcut to reach your conclusion. It was enough for you to dig out the answer.

“Y/n, can you just—” Wanda once more trying to avoid your question but you are not having it.

“Leave? Don’t worry, Wanda. I will. I’m gonna go home.” With that, you turn around and walk towards the door. You were hoping that she will try to stop you from leaving but a gut twisting fact shows that she doesn’t even try and just stands there, looking down in an expression that you can’t really decipher. You slammed the door as you walked out that made Wanda flinch a little.

What just happened? Is it over? Was I being selfish? What on earth is going on? Both of you are lost in your own thoughts and questions with no answers. Despite all the thoughts, Wanda stays where she is. She doesn’t know what she feels right now, everything is overwhelming for her even until right this second. She feels drained and tears slowly fill up to the brim of her eyes. Every beat of her heart hurt her. The room feels like an airtight box. Her knees laden. Without her control, the tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

Your brain is multitasking between thinking and focusing on driving. Your knuckles turn white from squeezing the steering wheel as you drive. The more you look at the boxes that are reflected on the back mirror of your car, the more heartache you feel. The day that was supposed to be one of the happiest days in your relationship with Wanda went downhill in a blur. It all happened so fast, too fast actually. Your mind is still processing everything that just happened on your whole way back to your place.

This was the first big fight ever in your relationship and Wanda.

_____

You and Wanda give each other space for two days. That one text she sent you and you didn't reply, Wanda took it as you needed your time alone.

While waiting in silence, Wanda starts to ponder, not just one but many things. Everything that happened that day kept playing in her head over and over again bringing her sense to the surface.

Wanda slowly admits to herself that she was too harsh on you and her anxiety got the best of her. Guilt starts to build up in her heart. Her mind has been filled up with everything about you. Without you, Wanda feels empty and she doesn’t like how it feels when you are not around her. Her heart is longing for your presence and affection. She misses the cheerful side of you that always breaks the silence around the house. All your jokes, laughs and your companion always make her days so meaningful

Wanda’s memory starts to remind her that you indeed have tried your best to fix the bad habits for her as much as she does for you. RIght now, she feels like a fool for forgetting about it.

A week has passed, the more she tries to give you the space and time you need, the harder it gets for her and the more she misses you. Her love for you finally conquered all of her overthinking thoughts. She knows she can’t live without you. Wanda loves you too much to lose you.

_____

With a heavy heart, you just started unpacking the first sealed box that you brought to Wanda's house.

You exhaled harshly right after you heard a knock on your apartment door. You are really not in the mood for having visitors but you get up anyway just in case it’s something important. You see Wanda through the peeping hole.

You stayed quiet behind the door and decided not to answer it. You hear another knock and Wanda softly talks. “Detka, it’s me. Please open the door for me.” You can’t deny that you miss her with every bit in you. As much as you want to let her in, you are still hurt with what happened.

“I know you are in there, y/n. It’s your day off today and I see your car too.” Wanda paused for a little bit and waited for your answer.

Your heart feels heavier from hearing her tone that sounds sadder second by second.

“Y/n, sweetheart, please. I need to tell you that I’m sorry, truly sorry. I miss you. Please let me talk with you.” Wanda’s voice turns shakier while trying to keep herself together from all the sadness and pain she is having from her guilt. You see her through the peeping hole one more time only to find her wiping her tears. It was just a little tear but you know it’s a lot for her.

Wanda heard you finally unlock the door and it’s slowly ajar. She sees you turn your back on her as she walks in. Sparky runs to you and you pet him for a little bit. Wanda waits for you to turn around and see her.

A smile instantly shows up at the same time with her emotional tears as soon as you turn around. “Hi, my love.” she pauses her words once more. The pet name she just called you with 

“Hi.. you–uh you lost your spare key?” you ask. You really want to hug Wanda, you don’t like seeing her green eyes get all teary but you hope your small sarcastic question will hide it.

“No, I still have it but I just didn’t want to just walk in here unannounced just in case you– you don’t want to see me.” Wanda slowly lets out her understanding answer. Her eyes search for yours.

You always love how Wanda is so thoughtful and respect your personal space too. It hits you too, some guilt slowly shows up.

Wanda notices the box that you were unpacking. Her lips slightly open in surprise.

“Are you unpacking the boxes?” she asked awkwardly.

“Yeah, I have to.” you start to make yourself look busy to avoid more eye contact with her. You unpack more boxes and walk around just like Wanda did.

Wanda’s reaction is different from yours. She quickly grabs your wrist gently but firm enough to catch your attention.

“Y/n, I have something to say. Can you look at me please?”

Her sad tone finally drags your eyes to her glossy green eyes. "Okay, Wanda. I'm all ears." you stated.

Wanda takes a deep breath slowly as she holds your hands before she starts her ramble. “I’m so sorry for how I was and what I said that day. My–my anxiety and overthinking got the best of me. I should’ve talked about it with you in a better way. I promise I will work on my overthinking and will talk about it together.” She pauses while her thumbs rub the back of your hands.

“Days without you really got me thinking. It’s so quiet without you, your voice, even your texts and I don’t like it. I miss us. I miss doing a lot of things with you, I miss your jokes and laugh. I even miss waiting for you to get ready while I’m worried that we are getting late.” Wanda lets out an awkward little chuckle at the end to distract you from noticing her being vulnerable.

You stand closer to her as she continues. “I’m sorry. Please give me another chance. I really don’t like my girlfriend being away from me too long. I promise I’ll work on my bad habits.” Wanda runs her perfect looking fingers through your hair gently. 

Your heart melts under her touches and who can say know to those gorgeous eyes? Not even you. 

“Apology accepted. I will always give you chances because you always do the same to me.” you giggle a little. You put both hands on her shoulders right away after she pulls you closer.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Wanda”

Both of you instantly tangle in a long soft kiss. You miss her sweet lips touching yours. You and Wanda let out relieved sighs in the kiss. She feels alive again having you so close to her. She doesn’t want to lose you anymore but you can feel that she stops the kiss. Wanda pulls her face away from you. She looks at you dearly.

“Did you notice Sparky’s new collar’s tag?” Wanda asked in a whisper.

“No, what is it?” you asked back but your curiosity doesn’t want to wait so you call him only to find him standing behind you.

You turn around to pick him up as you notice his new collar. "Aaw it's a key shape collar with I Love You engraved on it. That's so sweet. Ouh does it mean you want me to move in with you now?" You ask Wanda while giving Sparky some love and not paying attention to what your girlfriend is doing behind you. She chuckles nervously.

"Well, turn it around and check it out." Wanda gives you a clue and shortly after she hears you let out a surprised gasp.

Will you marry me?

It's engraved in the back of Sparky's collar. You quickly turn around only to find Wanda gets on one knee, holding an opened box with a ring in it.

"Malyshka, it has been a great year since you came to my life. Everything has turned so beautiful since then and when we were away that long, I felt devastated. I don't want us to be like that anymore. I promise we will communicate better to work on our bad habits, problems and solve them together. I just want us to grow better and grow old together. I promise I will be a better wife than I was as your girlfriend. Will you marry me, Y/n Y/l/n?" Her eyes twinkle with hope and love for you.

Bubbles of joy burst in you and spread the thrill all over you. Your eyes and Wanda’s get teary at the same time as she sees you smile from ear to ear. You are speechless.

“Is that a yes? Say something please, y/n? Should I take that as a yes?” Row of questions line up out of her. Her hands are a little shaky. Your heart beats faster. You know you blush so hard because you can feel the rush in you. You nod eagerly. “Yes! Of course Yes!”

Both of you start to laugh in tears of happiness and Wanda puts the ring on your finger. You pull her up to hug and kiss her shortly after. Sparky barks and wags his tails. Excitedly licks your cheeks and Wanda’s in turns in the warmest group hug that always feels like home to you.

“Let’s come home, detka.”

“You are my home.” you replied and Wanda sealed your lips with more short loving kisses. Both of you smile in the kisses.

A/N: Welp, that's all from me today. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Comments and reblogs are highly appreciated. Follow me for more.

Cheerio!

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[lavandermin]

busy. try again later | welt yang

pairing | welt yang x reader

wc | 2.6k

genre | fluff, implied secret relationships, lighthearted banter

warnings | suggestive but nothing explicit, pregnancy, written following the pov of Stelle around the express, welt is railing your stars on the down low

Idleness. Boredom. It left Stelle a little fidgety when there was a slight break from major tasks. The Astral Express was currently stationed near Jarilo VI for a quick visit. No major missions were queued up and if she counted all the visible stars outside the window of the main parlor car for the 44th time she would surely lose her mind.

‘I should go check with the others. Maybe there’s something I can do… or risk losing my mind like this.’ Stelle hops off the parlor car seat and heads toward the passenger cabin.

A soft knock to the first door. No answer.

“This is technically a public room on the Express. You don’t have to knock every time you stop by,” Dan Heng responds flatly without looking up from a few open books on the table.

“It's still your room,” Stelle counters with a shrug, eyes skimming the room curiously.

Dan Heng lets out a quiet sigh that ends in a chuckle. He turns to look at her fully, arms crossed over his chest. “Something on your mind?”

“Just checking in. Need any help?”

“No, I’m busy but it would take longer to explain than the task would take. Try March. She wanted to head into Belobog to restock on some supplies while we’re still here.”

With a nod Stelle turns to head out of the data bank. Dan Heng watches the door slide shut, letting out a quiet exhale before getting back to the various books he has to sort through for information.

Oddly enough, Stelle finds Himeko standing just outside March’s door speaking to the newest Astral Express member. They don’t seem to pay Stelle any mind as she walks over.

“Are you sure? It would make a lovely walk,” Himeko offers. You shake your head and offer an apologetic smile.

“No, no, I’ll be okay. I’m pretty busy today with some… errands,” you reason, hands tugging and fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. “I’ll go next time.”

Himeko relents and sends you on your way. You quickly disappear down the hall toward the passenger car over where your room is. “Stelle, would you like to join March and myself on a quick trip to Belobog?”

She nods with a small smile. “If you’re not heading out too soon I’ll join you.” There were still a few others Stelle wanted to check in with just in case. You said you had some errands to do today so maybe Stelle could help.

Understanding her current little task, Himeko assures Stelle that they’ll be heading out in about an hour so there’s not much of a rush. March has been known to take a little longer than most at getting ready if it’s just a casual outing. The soft music and humming coming from her door gave way to the fact that Himeko had been waiting for longer than originally planned. She stays for some idle chatter to help Himeko kill some time as she waits before continuing down the rooms.

The door all the way at the end of the hall— Welt Yang’s room. Stelle gives a firm few knocks.

Silence.

She tries the door but, as always, it oddly doesn’t even budge an inch. He might be elsewhere on the train or engrossed in a new book so much he didn’t hear her knock. Well, it’s not like he usually needs help. More often than not Welt is the one offering help to those that approach him. Best to leave it at that for now. There was an attempt at least and that sat okay with her conscience.

Onto the cart over, your room is the only one in use save for the guest room just next to yours that will occasionally house a visitor. Stelle approaches and knocks.

There’s muffled shuffling on the other side and a hasty, ‘Just a minute!’ The hand that was reaching for the door handle pauses and instead Stelle waits patiently for you to answer.

The door slides open just enough for your breathless face to come into view. “Sorry I was, uhm, reorganizing my room a bit. It’s a mess,” you chuckle apologetically.

Stelle quirks a brow at your slightly disheveled appearance when you step outside into the hall and shut the door behind you softly.

“If you’re moving furniture I can help. Don’t hurt yourself,” Stelle offers with a kind smile. As much as you appreciate the offer you quickly shake your head.

“No, no, I’m fine. Almost done putting stuff away. Thank you for the offer anyway. If you’re looking for something to do, Pom-Pom might need help now that I think about it.” You quickly divert the conversation. “He was looking a little troubled the past couple of days.”

That being said, the conductor always has something troubling them. Pom-Pom was a busy bee every day keeping the Express in top condition and takes pride in doing so. Still, it didn’t hurt to check on him before heading out with Himeko and March.

You wave your brief thank you and goodbye, a polite yet nervous smile on your expression. Stelle subconsciously makes note of the way you don’t head back into your room until she leaves. Everyone on this train has secrets and with you being the newest member of a few months, she couldn’t fault you for being a little more reserved as you got adjusted.

And just as you said, Stelle comes across the train’s conductor who is uneasily sweeping around the parlor car to keep busy. Even the slight tap of the conductor's hat to get their attention makes him yelp before realizing it’s just Stelle and not whatever terrifying end Pom-Pom thought was finally catching up to him.

“Stelle…” Pom-Pom clearly looks uneasy and distressed.

“Something on your mind?” Stelle asks.

Pom-Pom glances around, looks behind some chairs, under a table, and hobbles back over to Stelle. The little conductor’s face scrunches in thought.

“Lately, Pom-Pom can’t help but feel that there’s something that changed on the Express. Like there’s another faint presence at times.” A look of fear crosses his face and Pom-Pom gulps down a few stray scary thoughts. “Stelle, do you think a ghost could have followed you onboard in your travels?”

She looks around. One end of the cabin is empty save for Dan Heng who heads out of the Express alone. The other end is just as desolate— not a single movement.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Stelle notes. “Are you sure it was a presence you felt? Have you been sleeping well?”

The conductor stomps his little foot down angrily. “H-Hey! Pom-Pom knows what he felt! Sleep is not the issue,” the little rabbit argues with a huff. “But, please go take a look around the Express and make sure a stray animal or something didn’t get on board accidentally.”

It really was strange if what Pom-Pom is saying is true. Generally, Stelle is quick to pick up on something amiss but nothing has seemed out of the ordinary lately. Still, to give Pom-Pom the ease of mind she takes another more thorough look around the parlor car. Nothing under the seats, hands swatted away from Pom-Pom’s plant, not a sound or sight out of place.

Stelle turns to the conductor who has started trailing behind with concerned eyes that shift around the room. “Pom-Pom, do you feel this presence right now?”

He takes a moment and scans the room, then shakes his head. “Well, no… But what if it’s hiding? Waiting for an opportunity to eat a tasty conductor?”

“Like a giant space rat?” Stelle quips with a laugh.

Pom-Pom lets out a whimper. “Hey! Stop trying to scare Pom-Pom!”

She puts up her hands defensively with a chuckle. “Alright, if you don’t sense it here maybe we should look around the other cars to figure it out,” Stelle suggests.

Though uneasy, Pom-Pom agrees. “Okay, but if something attacks it’s your job to protect and save Pom-Pom!”

Stelle agrees if only to calm down the fidgety conductor.

In the first passenger cart Himeko and March are now chatting among themselves about their plan for the outing. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Stelle takes another look around with Pom-Pom in tow.

“Any presence here?”

The little rabbit shakes his head. “N-No… But Pom-Pom swears it’s somewhere!”

“Did you lose a button again, Pom-Pom?” March asks curiously as the two look around the cart.

Stelle shakes her head, quickly explaining the situation to save the conductor some stress. At this point he’s practically glued to Stelle’s leg, eyes shifting to and fro.

March forces out a shaky laugh that only gives way to her nerves. “Oh, haha… A space rat wouldn’t be on the Express… I hope.”

And maybe everything at once was a little too much for the little conductor. So much that he momentarily snaps. Which isn’t too extreme given Pom-Pom’s stature. “Stop, stop! Pom-Pom did not sense a space rat!”

It’s lighthearted banter at best between March and Pom-Pom. Just enough to at least alleviate some tension from this little unsolved train mystery. Stelle is in the middle of brainstorming any other possible reasons when the other passenger car door opens down the hall.

Your head peeks out to assess the situation, clearly on alert due to the loud bickering. As soon as you see the group down the hall you let out a little sigh of relief and head over.

“What’s all the commotion?” you ask Himeko.

She offers a shrug and a hand gesture that indicates it’s nothing too big of a deal. And it would seem that way, that is until Pom-Pom lets out a shriek.

“Th-There it is!” he yells, jumping behind March and Stelle. “The presence came in with Y/n!”

All eyes are on you and you’re hopelessly teetering between confused and dreading the next moments.

“The presence came in with Y/n,” Himeko muses calmly. She lets out a sly little chuckle, one that knows too much while keeping a perfect poker face. “Pom-Pom, do you think perhaps the presence is with Y/n?”

The conductor finally peeks from where he hides, uncovering his eyes. “O-Oh. Pom-Pom didn’t think of that… Passenger Y/n,” the rabbit starts as he cautiously waddles over to you. “Please hold still.”

Oh no.

Oh no. Oh no.

You don’t even get a word in. The tiny robot that Pom-Pom uses is quicker than you can register as it gives a brief scan of your form. The conductor is silent as his eyes quickly scan the data displayed on its tiny screen. The little gasp he lets out only further forms a cold sweat down your neck.

“Passenger Y/n… you’re carrying a tiny being,” Pom-Pom finally announces with a look of awe and confusion.

“Please don’t call it that,” you interject with a nervous laugh. “It’s just a baby Pom-Pom.”

March is the first to snap out of the momentary shock, her jaw dropped. “What?! You’re pregnant?! A baby?! Since when?!”

“Calculated to be an approximate nine or ten weeks of development so far,” Pom-Pom clarifies, eyes glued to the data.

“And there you have it,” Himeko concludes. “Our little mystery is solved for the presence Pom-Pom felt. I’d say that’s excellent teamwork as always from our Astral Express family.”

And it seems to be a satisfying enough conclusion for Pom-Pom thankfully.

“Well if there’s no real danger to the Express, Pom-Pom will be leaving. There’s much to do!” And with that the little conductor scurries off to the main parlor car.

The passenger car door shuts and March is immediately an explosive flurry of questions. Her insatiable curiosity leaves her speaking faster than she can really stop to properly think through. She’s next to you in less than a second, her hand gently on your stomach as she looks from your barely-noticeable bump to your uneasy expression. The questions are nonstop and practically all in one breath, one after another.

Did you know? When did you find out? Are you dizzy? Eating enough? Any pain? Have you contacted Natasha yet for a checkup? Any names? There’s an audible gasp as March pauses with a new train of thought, or maybe to take in air after the barrage of questions.

“Who’s the father? Don’t tell me it’s someone on the Express,” she interrogates further. Your nervous smile and avoidance of eye-contact is all the body language she needs to confirm her suspicion.

You push her away gently, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed by all the questions. “March, p-please. You don’t have to worr–“

Amidst the chaos of the new shocking revelation, Dan Heng returns from his unannounced outing. March is quick to snap her gaze at him. It only takes a split second for her to put two and two together in her mind.

“Dan Heng… you jerk!” March lunges at him, shaking his shoulders wildly. “Not using protection?! Are you serious right now?! Are you even supporting her at such a crucial point in her life?! You better not run off and ditch her because I’ll find you and drag you back frozen if I have to!”

It’s comedic, despite the chaos, how expressionless but uncomfortable Dan Heng looks right now. He just lets March give him an earful before prying her hands off of him.

“March. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just got back,” he explains calmly.

The tears of passion and frustration are brimming on March’s eyes. You can only watch the scene unfold with mild unease, a hand protectively on your belly.

March huffs with a pout, hands on her hips. “Y/n is around nine weeks pregnant and you are hardly any help.”

“Wait, March—“ You try to stop her, face warm with embarrassment, but she’s too caught up in her passionate berating to listen.

March and Dan Heng are bickering back and forth without end when the door to the second passenger car opens soundlessly.

“It’s not me. And it’s not my problem if you don’t believe me.”

March lets out an exasperated groan. “If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t that many guys on the Express. I just don’t see how–“

“Is there trouble?” Welt interrupts as he comes up behind you and Himeko. He looks to the latter for explanation but she can only let out an amused chuckle. The knowing glint in her eye has you swallowing a whimper.

“March,” you start, face growing warmer by the second as you try to stop her to no avail. But everyone notices it— the way your body instinctively turns toward Welt.

March halts, voice growing smaller by the second as the words come out. “If it’s not… Dan Heng…”

Everyone watches as March reassesses her thoughts in real time now that Welt is there. Slowly the truth unfolds and you watch as her eyes grow wider by the second, jaw dropped.

“Mr. Yang?!”

The older man seems taken aback by her sudden exclamation. He looks to you for further explanation but you’re too flustered to speak. Your silence and averted gaze only further confirms March’s new theory that you two were sleeping together… and for quite some time now.

“Will someone care to explain what’s going on?” Welt asks with a sigh and pinch to the bridge of his nose.

There’s a chuckle that comes from beside him as Himeko interjects. “It seems our crew just found out about the result of your many little… escapades. But,” she continues, “We’re all adults here. Everyone’s private matters are to be respected. And we will all receive the future little addition to the Astral Express Family warmly.” She shoots a meaningful look at March, Stelle and Dan Heng.

They all nod solemnly.

“Oh,” Stelle begins with a look of realization. “So that’s what you two were doing when I stopped by her room.”

[artiststarme]

I always see fics about Eddie hurting Steve but I never see any about Steve hurting Eddie. So here you go! I hope you guys like it and please leave your thoughts in the comments.

~*~*~*~

Eddie knew that Steve had good intentions and he knew that he was blowing things out of proportion. However, he was so sick of not having control over anything in his life that things were bound to blow up at some point. Between not graduating high school with the rest of his year, being put on house arrest for several months while waiting for his name to clear, and dealing with his life-altering injuries, Eddie was a miniscule way away from breaking down entirely. 

Unfortunately, Steve was the last crack that it took for his whole facade to shatter. 

Eddie didn’t have control over anything. He couldn’t make the townspeople believe his side of things or in his innocence. He couldn’t walk across the stage to pick up his diploma like he’d dreamed of doing for years. He couldn’t even breathe too deeply some days in fear of awakening a flare of chronic pain. 

What he could do though was keep a tidy trailer. He��d taken to organizing the fridge and cabinets in the kitchen in a way that only made sense to him. He’d color-coded his DnD notebooks and tapes in his room. Hell, he’d even organized Wayne’s remaining mug collection in order from most to least flattering colors. He had a system now in his home and it was quite literally the only thing keeping him together. 

So when Wayne dropped him off at home after a particularly grueling physical therapy session and found the kitchen reorganized, he might have lost it a little bit. And when he opened the fridge to find his travel cup of coffee missing, what other option did he have than to cry? He burst into loud, ugly sobs and melted to the floor. It wouldn’t help the pain in his scars when he tried to get back up but he needed to feel close to gravity again. 

Steve came running out of Eddie’s bedroom at the first cry and sunk to his knees beside him desperately. “Eddie, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Can you answer me?”

“Where’s my coffee? I had it on the door of the fridge but now it’s gone. Where is it?” He asked frantically. 

Steve just shook his head, “Eds, it was almost empty and it’s been there for days so I threw it away.”

There went his last shred of sanity. “I made it today! It was fine, you had no right to throw it away! That was the only thing I’ve been looking forward to! Fuck!”

“Eds, relax. There’s another coffee in there and you shouldn’t be drinking so much coffee anyways. The kitchen was really disorganized so I cleaned it up for you, I thought you’d be happy,” Steve said. 

Eddie just shook his head in response, tears still dripping from his face. “I’m the one that organized it! I have a fucking system, Steve! This is the one thing that I can control and you took it away! I asked you not to mess with anything, but you did it anyway.”

Steve just looked at him in confusion, “I just wanted to help-”

“Please leave, I can’t do this right now.” He needed to sob his emotions out in peace and then take a long, grieving nap. 

“Are we breaking up?” Steve whispered.

“No, I’m mad at you because you threw my coffee away and fucked up my system. I’ll call you later just… please leave for now. Please,” Eddie begged him. 

Steve shrugged, picked up his keys, and walked out the door. Then, Eddie was alone with a disastrously organized kitchen and a lack of coffee. They would talk this out later and establish boundaries so this never happened again. But for now, Eddie was alone with his depression, pain, and angst. With little else to do, he tucked his face into his knees and cried. 

Permanent tag list: @doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @pyrohonk @straight4joekeery @trippypancakes @conversesweetheart @estrellami-1 @suddenlyinlove @yikes-a-bee @swimmingbirdrunningrock @perseus-notjackson @anaibis @merricatty @maya-custodios-dionach @grtwdsmwhr @manda-panda-monium @lumoschild @goodolefashionedloverboi @mentallyundone @awkwardgravity1

[meenatranslates]

[SSR] Taichi | Demon of Hell

"Welcome to Hell. What sin have you committed to come here? Well, whatever it is, you're going to atone for it." Related event: Hell's Hot Springs Village

__________________________

To Remove the Demon's Horns - Part 1

__________________________

*Director's default name as Izumi

―Taichi’s House (Day)―

Taichi: Look at these~! They’re photos of the hot springs that we went to for our training camp!

Mirai: Wow, so many pretty hot springs!

Masato: I wanna go too!

Taichi: We should visit there with the whole family next~.

Masato: Huh? You’re wearing a weird outfit here.

Taichi: Oh, we had a play while we were there, and I performed wearing that. I played a demon role so there are horns on my head!

Masato: You’re right! They look cool...!

Mirai: You look really good with them, Oniichan! Both the horns and outfit!

Taichi: Hehe, thank you!

Mirai: All the people who watched your play must be lucky~. I wanted to see this cool-looking Oniichan acting.

Masato: Me too!

Taichi: Aww, that makes me so happy...!

I’ll make sure to show you if there’s another chance then.

―Lounge―

Sakyo: Alright, I guess that’s all the work for today.

Izumi: Seems so! Thanks for the hard work, Sakyo-san! Should I brew some tea?

Sakyo: Sorry, but I have plans that I must attend to after this.

Izumi: Is that so.

...Ah, I think I’m going to reorganize the storage room. It seems like we’ve got more stuff in there before I know it.

Sakyo: Just let Matsukawa do that.

That guy’s always come up with excuses to get out of cleaning the storage room.

Izumi: That’s not true. I’ll have you know that he helped me out the other day.

Sakyo: Even so, it’s always you who do it every time.

Izumi: Well, I just think that those who can when they can, should do it. I have some time after this, so it should be fine...

Taichi: Ah, Director-sensei and Sakyo-nii! Oh no, did I interrupt your work!?

Sorry! I’ll leave right away after I grab a drink!

Sakyo: Hold on, Nanao. Are you free right now?

Taichi: Eh? Uhh, well, I am... Why do you ask?

Sakyo: She’s planning to reorganize the storage room. Help her out if you’re free.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t lend a hand since I have something to do later on.

Taichi: Sure, I can do that!

Izumi: Oh, you don’t need to! I’ll be fine on my own...

Taichi: But won’t it be tough if you need to carry something heavy? I’ve got some time anyway, so let me help you!

Izumi: Well, thanks, I appreciate that. I’ll count on you then, Taichi-kun!

__________________________

To Remove the Demon's Horns - Part 2

__________________________

―Storage Room―

Taichi: Should I put the box here?

Izumi: That’s a pretty old-looking box. What’s inside?

Taichi: Let’s see... Looks like some assorted props. They’re all stuff that I’ve never seen before.

Ah, I spotted some demon’s horns! They look like the ones I wore at the training camp!

Izumi: They really do! But I wonder when these were used...?

Taichi: Hmm... They look pretty worn out, so maybe the first generation used them?

Izumi: That’s plausible...

Taichi: Speaking of horns, I showed the photo of me as a demon during our training camp to my younger siblings.

They both said they wanted to see it with their own eyes! I was so happy at that time~.

Izumi: Fufu, I hope they can one day.

Taichi: Yeah! Ma-kun especially likes the horns.

I know! How about I send him a picture of me wearing these?

Izumi: Haha, that’d be nice! I hope he’ll be happy with that.

Taichi: I hope so! Now then...

Equipped~!

...Hm? Hmm??

Izumi: What’s wrong?

Taichi: I had a weird feeling just now... Like, it kinda feels like they penetrate into my head somehow...?

Izumi: What?? How about you try taking them off?

Taichi: Right. ...Wait, huh? HUH!?

I- I can’t get them off...!

Izumi: That can’t be...! Can I try pulling them?

Taichi: Please do!

Izumi: Here I go... Hngh-!

Taichi: Ow, ow, ow! That hurts~!

Izumi: Does this mean... they’re stuck to your head...?

Taichi: Uueeh, I think so... But normally, it’s not possible for this to happen, right...?

Izumi: Hmm...

―Lounge (Night)―

Banri: ...So, you tried putting on the horns at the storage room, and then suddenly you couldn’t get them off at all.

Taichi: Huhuu, it’s like they’re part of my head now~! I’m not gonna be stuck looking like this forever, am I?!

Omi: Hmm, there must be a way we can fix this.

Izumi: If only we could know the cause, or at least the reason...

Taichi: Me and Director-sensei have been thinking, but we couldn’t come up anything...

Sakyo: You sure about that? Maybe you did something bad, and that’s your punishment for it.

Taichi: Ehh!? That can’t be it! I’m sure that-!

......

Azami: Sounds like you know something.

Taichi: Urk-!

Uhh, you see... I accidentally dropped a bundle of receipts from the table...

I hurriedly put them back in date order before Sakyo-nii came back, but I somehow got them all wrong...!

Sakyo: I did think it was weird that the dates were all over the place when they weren’t a few moments ago... So it was your doing.

Taichi: Wahhh, I’m sorry~! I didn’t mean to~!

Juza: He tried puttin' them right again, so can’t say that’d be the cause.

Taichi: Juza-san...!

Omi: Still, this reminds me of the Jiangshi incident. (1)

Taichi: Oh, the one when I got possessed by a Jiangshi ghost...

Banri: Well, this time’s better than that.

Azami: How‘d you resolve it back then?

Izumi: If I recall correctly, Muku-kun used the amulet that he made on Taichi-kun, and then he was back to normal again.

Juza: Yeah. Try askin’ for his help again this time.

Taichi: You’re right! Okay, I’m heading to his room now!

Izumi: (Everyone is so calm and composed... I guess since bizarre occurrences happen a lot in this dorm, they’ve become immune to them...)

=====NOTES=====

[1] Referring to Taichi's SSR "What's Wrong with Being a Ghost"

__________________________

To Remove the Demon's Horns - Part 3

__________________________

―Room 202 (Night)―

Muku: Your horns look really cool...!

Taichi: Hehe, you think so?

...Wait, no! That’s not what I came here for! Mucchan, can you think of any solutions for these?

Muku: Horns that won’t come off... Hmm...

Taichi: Maybe I’m cursed or something...

Muku: Ah...! If it really is a curse, then I think I figured out how to dispel it!

Though it’s just based on a manga I’ve read...

Taichi: You serious?! I don’t care if it’s from a manga, please tell me...!

Muku: Okay, so... There’s a chapter in which the main protagonist got a bit carried away and thus they were inflicted with a cursed tail that couldn’t be removed no matter how hard they tried.

Taichi: No way, that’s like how I am right now...! So what happened next?!

Muku: The protagonist did some research and found that they needed to accumulate good deeds to break the curse.

And so, they did many acts of kindness for other people. In the end, the curse was lifted, and they finally got the tail removed!

Taichi: For other people... Kindness... I get it now!

Muku: Well, it’s still just a manga after all, so I don’t know if it would have any effect on your horns or not...

Taichi: It’s more than enough! Thanks, Mucchan!

I’ve got no other clues anyway, so I’ll try out the methods that you told me just now~!

―Lounge (Evening)―

Izumi: (I messed up at work today...)

(They told me not to worry about it, but I might not be able to assist other theatre companies like this...)

Hahh...

Taichi: Oh, you’re back! Welcome home, Director-sensei!

Izumi: I’m home... Your horns are still on your head, I see.

Taichi: They are~. I tried following Mucchan’s advice and did lots of good deeds...

For the whole day, I’ve been helping other members, picking up trash, and many other things. But they don’t seem to work at all~...

Izumi: Is that so...

Taichi: ? ...Director-sensei, did something happen to you today?

Izumi: Eh...?

Taichi: I mean, it’s fine if nothing happened!

I just thought that you look less cheerful than you usually do...!

Izumi: Oh... It’s written all over my face, isn’t it. That’s a bit embarrassing.

Taichi: So I was right then. You don’t need to tell me about it if you don’t wanna.

Izumi: ...Thank you. I actually made a mistake while I was helping out with other theatre company and that made me feel a bit upset.

I mean, I did think of reflecting on it and improving myself since it’s true that I slipped up, so...

Taichi: Hm~... You’re bound to feel down if you made a mistake, be it big or small...

But! I think you’re amazing!

Izumi: Eh?

Taichi: Cuz like, you’re not just feeling upset about it, you actually tried to reflect on it and improve yourself.

That part of you makes me think you’re super cool! I respect you a lot for that!

Izumi: Thank you, Taichi-kun. I’m kinda embarrassed hearing you have that much respect for me, which I think is a bit exaggerated, but... I do feel happy.

Taichi: No, no, I’m not exaggerating-.

Izumi: ...Hm!? Oh my gosh, Taichi-kun! You don’t have the horns anymore!

Taichi: Wait, really!?

You’re right, it’s not there...! Does that mean they’ve disappeared...?

Izumi: I-I guess...? It vanished when I looked away for a second...

Taichi: Why suddenly though...?

Izumi: Hmm...

Maybe it’s because you accumulated good deeds for helping others all day today...

And what triggered it to disappear was when you encouraged me. ...I genuinely felt happy with your words earlier.

Taichi: Hehe, I’m glad I was of help to you!

🌸 Choice 1:　I feel better!

Izumi: Not only that, but I’m feeling better more than I usually am! Taichi: Really? That makes me happy too! I’ll do all I can to cheer you up, so if you ever feel down again, just call me! I’ll rush over to you, anytime and anywhere~! Izumi: I think I’ll do that. I’ll be counting on you when that time comes!

🌸 Choice 2:　Was I of help?

Izumi: If the horns disappear because you cheered me up, would that mean I was a bit helpful to you? Taichi: It’s “not a bit” for me! I’m sure it’s all thanks to you that they’re gone now! Izumi: Then maybe it was a good thing that I got upset from a mistake I did at work today. No wait, making a mistake is really not a good thing...! Taichi: Director-sensei...! Such a great positive thinking! Honestly, I’ve got nothing other than respect for your thoughts and actions! Izumi: Haha, you’re praising me too much. But still, thank you.

Taichi: Anyway, I’m glad I’m free from the horns now~!

I seriously thought I’d never get to take them off ever again... I’m gonna have the other Autumn Troupe members to take a look at me later.

Izumi: Haha, I agree. It seems like they’re gone now, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Taichi: Yeah! Well, besides that, I’ve asked them for help with the horns, so I wanna give them a status update.

Muku also helped me once again, so I gotta buy lots of chocolate as thanks for him!

Story Clear!

[eqan]

trainer came again today and we are working through some things with dew that i’ll talk about at a later date. but what i wanna bring up right now is just how high this dogs prey drive is. his drive in general. i think that’s why ive had such a hard time adjusting to this little monster — he’s not just a herding breed, but one with such a high drive that his pupils were literally dilated our entire session lol the trainer mentioned that dewey in particular is very sensitive to sound and especially to movement (normal herdy things) and imo this is probably why he gets over threshold/overaroused so fast. i’m gonna take a step back for a while and focus on dewey’s ability to relax in different environments. i think im even gonna pull him from puppy classes for the time being. this isn’t something the behaviorist said i should do, just something i’m gathering intuitively that i think my dog needs. this trainer works mostly with herding breeds (and a lot with corgis) and even she was pretty awestruck at dewey’s sheer drive and energy, and that said to me that dewey may just need to be kept well under threshold (moreso than another dog of his breed) for a while in order to reorganize his system, so to speak.

[thankskenpenders]

Holy shit you guys

I’ve mentioned before how my childhood Archie Sonic comics were lost the last time we moved. They were in a long box in the garage, and in the chaos of trying to find a new place and move within the month suddenly allotted to us by our old landlord right before Christmas (thanks asshole), they just got left behind. I thought all of them were gone, and had made peace with this. Most of them probably weren’t in good condition anyway since I didn’t take the best care of my comics as an elementary schooler, and if I wanted to I could just start collecting them again as an adult. Most of them aren’t super rare. We’re talking about ‘00s Archie Sonic here, not Detective Comics #1

But then, today, while doing some reorganizing... my mom found these

I can’t believe I still have these, but I’m so glad I do. These are treasure. The main series issues are actually later than the point where I thought I’d stopped, too! There were definitely a few issues I missed in the first year of Ian’s run due to moving and not knowing where to find a comic shop for a while, but I had completely forgotten reading these three issues

Some classic moments are contained within these pages, too. Well, two classic moments, and one that’s just a Bunnie scene I’ve always liked

There was some more personal treasure in there too, like a printout of the extremely bad first sprite comic I ever made and some equally bad old forum signatures and a bunch of art. What a find. This was really a treat. I’ll have to make sure these issues stay safe. May very well have to bag and board them

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 24

A/N: Guess who’s back! Thank you for sticking with me. It’s been a rough several months and I think things are finally getting to a point where I can focus on my hobbies again. As always, feedback is appreciated and Character Q&As are open. Much Love -Em

I had finished the last book on my To Read shelf by mid-May. Hopping off my bed, I went over to my bookshelf. There was only one shelf of space left. The stack to shelve had gotten a tad out of hand. Sighing to myself, I sat down to start reorganizing. I pulled the books from H to Z down to fit the new additions to my collection in. My dad poked his head in when the stack fell over.

“Everything okay in here?” I was surrounded by books. Dad tried not to laugh as he took the scene in. Grabbing books, I turned back to the shelf.

“Perfect. Totally meant to sit in a sea of books this afternoon.”

“Sure. You have fun with that. I have to head into the office for a while. Tell your mother I probably won’t be home for dinner.”

“Will do.” I nodded, not turning my attention back to him.

Monty texted me shortly after I had finished the M’s. What are you up to today?

Organizing my bookshelf. I finished my TBR so now they go in the permanent collection.

Only my girlfriend would make a permanent book collection and a separate section for books that aren’t done.

Hey! Lots of people do this.

Yes honey.

What are you up to today?

Trying to study for my last History test. It’s very boring.

I’m sure it is. If you’re free Saturday, how about a get out of studying free card?

Oh? What did you have in mind Doll? I rolled my eyes and grinned. Of course he thought I meant something dirty.

Cool your jets Monty. I was going to see if you wanted to go to the bookstore with me?

I can make that happen. What time?

I think Clay and I are getting lunch to go over our study guide for the Math final. I could do like 1?

Sounds good. Do you want me to meet you at the bookstore?

Sure. I go to the B&N at the Everglade.

It’s a date.

I smiled and went back to my books.

When it was done, I snapped a picture and sent it to Justin. I finished my TBR! You know what that means?

Oh no. More books?

More books!

Do I have to come with you?

No. The parents gave me a limit of 10 books this time.

Only 10?

I have points saved up. And 10 is a perfectly reasonable amount of new books.

For you? Yes. For normal people? No.

Oh shhh, or I’ll make you come with me.

Okay, okay. It’s reasonable lol. I texted Monty a picture of my bookshelf too. He responded with a laughing emoji.

Teachers were beginning to wrap up final units and hand out study guides for finals. Justin was still mad about summer school so he kept up his not giving a shit attitude. I rolled my eyes whenever he sighed or complained about finals. And I stopped offering to help him. If he wanted to do more work in summer school, that was fine by me. It gave me more time to spend with Monty.

On Saturday, I met Clay at Rosie’s and we both got milkshakes. I wasn’t very hungry, and I didn’t want burger breath later. “So Clay, how’s Hannah doing?”

“I don’t know. We have hung out a few times, and I see her at work, but I don’t think we have hung out hung out.”

“You still haven’t asked her out?”

“I mean, we went to Jeff’s place not together, but we were both there, and I feel like maybe we connected?”

“Connected?”

“Well, we were doing… stuff… and we talked.” My eyes widened.

“Clay Jensen did you do drugs in Jeff’s basement?”

“Maybe?” I was stunned.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Clay Jensen, having fun. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Ha ha.” He joked.

“I’m kidding! But seriously. Take the risk Clay.”

“I’ll think about it. Can we look at this study guide now?” I sighed and pulled it out of my bag. We both shuddered. This is not going to be a pretty exam.

By the time Clay and I called it an afternoon, it was 12:30. That gave me just enough time to get to the city. We packed our notes and headed outside. “Man, I really need a car.” Clay sighed, unlocking his bike.

“Your parents said no?”

“I have a bike.” He waved towards the bike.

“That you do. I would offer you a ride, but I’m headed into the city for the afternoon.”

“No worries, Addy.” He smiled. We waved goodbye and I watched as he biked down the street. I started my car and texted Monty. Leaving Rosie’s now. Might be a little late. Drive safe.

Sounds good, drive safe Doll.

I stopped at Starbucks when I got to the mall and got an iced coffee to sip while I browse and a coffee for Montgomery. He was waiting outside Barnes & Noble for me. “Hey handsome. Fancy seeing you here.” I winked as I walked up to him.

“Hey gorgeous. What can I say, thought it would be a good way to find a girl. You know what they say about the readers.”

“I have a feeling I do.” I laughed and handed him his coffee. “Something to do with being high strung, overachievers with daddy issues?”

“Somethin’ like that.” Monty took my hand and let me lead him into the bookstore. I decided I would keep my ten-book limit to myself. I knew how many points I had, and I still had birthday money left from last year.

He chuckled as I practically dragged him towards the YA section. I didn’t stop to look at the romance displays or the cookbooks or the journals. I was on a mission. There were books to buy. I sipped my coffee as I browsed. As usual, I made my way up and down the aisles quickly once to see if anything immediately caught my eye. A couple of books did, so I grabbed them to look over after I was done my power walk. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you move that fast.”

“Ass.” I laughed as I read over the synopsizes of the two books. Neither of them was my cup of tea in the end, so I decided to put them back. I could feel Montgomery watching me as I looked at the shelves. “What?” I asked as I pulled a book down and skimmed the back.

“Nothin’. You’re just cute is all.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And those shorts are very nice.” I blushed and smiled softly.

“Thanks.” I handed him the book.

“Oh, I see. You needed someone to carry the books.”

“Well, who else would I have asked, when I have my strong, athletic boyfriend to follow me around the store?” He only laughed in response. I grabbed a few more books as I sipped at my coffee. Once in a while, I would notice him watching me and turn to smile at him.

There were six books in Monty’s hands before he finished his coffee. “I’m going to throw this out. Try to leave some books for the next person, okay Bookworm?”

“I’ll try. No promises though.” I mused. By the time he came back, I had three more books. I looked up when I heard him laugh. I grinned at him and held out the books. He took them, tucked them under his arm, and stepped towards me. My brow furrowed and he reached to tuck my hair behind my ear, trailing his hand down to cup the back of my neck, and pull me towards him to kiss me. I kissed him back softly. It was nice to be able to kiss in public. I liked our little bubble. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. He pulled away first.

We continued to peruse the store for a while and stole kisses and glances along the way. Monty slid his hand in my back pocket as we walked. I grabbed another couple of books and sighed. “What’s up?”

“I guess that’s enough books for a little while.”

“For a little while? Addison. There’s like,” he paused to count, “sixteen books here.”

“Yeah. And that isn’t even all of what is on my TBR still. And it’s buy one get one half off all books.” I shrugged.

“Jesus. Crazy woman.” He muttered softly and kissed the side of my head. I sighed and turned to head for the till. After discounts, points, and birthday money, my total was twenty-five dollars.

“Now to figure out how to sneak the extra six books into the house.” I muttered as we left.

“The extra what whats?”

“Uh… nothing.” I smiled sheepishly. He shook his head playfully. “Oh, hey. Pretzels. Split one?”

“Nice change of subject. Sure. Pretzel sounds good.” He rubbed my hand as he held it. This is nice.

In late June, just as finals week was hitting its peak, tragedy struck our little group of jocks. The boys were at Bryce’s trying to blow off some steam. I was trying to be nice to him and make an effort for Justin, so I tagged along. The way his family approached and flaunted their money always took me by surprise. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew my family had more money than most. More than I liked to consider or admit. But it was never flashed around the way it was with the Walkers. I came from old money on my dad’s side, like his mom. But unlike him, I wasn’t exposed to it on a daily basis. The concept of a twice a week maid was enough to widen my eyes. The only time my family had a maid come was when Gran was coming to stay with us, or we were hosting Christmas back when all my grandparents lived state-side, so a very deep clean was needed. The fact that they had a chef come in once a week to meal prep for them was… almost incomprehensible. The only time I met a chef was when I found a hair in my food when my family went out one night.

I had been to his house before of course. I was friends with Justin. We shared custody of him most weeks. Even still, I found myself hanging back and watching the boys socialize. Or I was trying to at least. Bryce thrusting a bottle of water in my hand startled me. I jumped slightly. “Thanks.” I muttered.

“Don’t mention it.” He chuckled. He settled himself next to me and leaned back against the counter.

“Hi.”

“Hi. You know that they will talk to you, right? They know you.”

“I know.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you then.” Great. Just what I want.

“Sure Bryce.”

“How are finals treating you?”

“I cried before my honours English final yesterday.”

“I almost forgot about my math final.”

“So, we are basically in the same boat.”

“Basically. You had bio and history today?”

“Yeah.”

“How were they?”

“I think I did fairly okay. Can you imagine what my mum would do if I bombed the history final?” He stared off into space with me and shivered.

“I would say something nice about you at your funeral.”

“Thanks Walker. Killing me does seem like a lot of hassle for that though. Like it seems like it would just inconvenience them. Maybe locked in my room to study until I’m forty?”

“True. I would text you news updates. Keep you updated in all things Bryce and the boys.”

“Prefect. Make isolation at least a little bit bearable.” He was actually kind of nice sometimes. Maybe. If I squinted.

“Yeah. My dad would have freaked if I missed my math final.”

“How could you take over the family business if you fail tenth grade math Bryce?”

“No idea. Not like he doesn’t pay someone to do all that math for him. Speaking of, he wanted me to ask you if your dad is taking on any new clients now that tax season is winding down?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he is, but I can get him to email your dad.” I don’t think he’s going to take your dad on.

“I’ll let him know.”

“Where are you off to this summer?”

“I think we are summering in Fiji?”

“Because California isn’t summer-y enough?”

“Mom thinks the sun feels different. More sunny. I tan better in tropical environments.”

“Sure, you do.”

“What are your family’s plans?”

“We have our annual family trip to Boston at the end of July into the first week of August. Dad pushed his vacation time this year.”

“Doesn’t he own the company?”

“Yeah. But his associate wanted to take vacation in mid-July. She’s taking her kids to Disney World.”

“Again, doesn’t he own the company?”

“Again, yes. Why?”

“Shouldn’t he get first pick?”

“Well, our vacation basically costs us airfare, food, and spending money. Hers and everyone else’s costs a lot more. And requires more planning. So, he lets them have first pick and takes whatever’s left for the most part. Because of that, people are more willing to pick fairly.”

“Interesting.”

“Are you two going to come outside or not?” Justin called from the back yard. Bryce and I looked up and found the house empty. All the boys had moved to the back. We shrugged and joined them. I needed to pass the sniff test so I didn’t dare go in the pool house. Anders and Dylan were in the pool house enjoying Bryce’s stash. It was already nearing eighty degrees in the daytime. We were in for a hot summer. Justin pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and jumped in the pool. Shaking my head, I followed Bryce outside.

I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped my feet in the water. Monty was trying to be discreet and swim backwards towards me. He stopped just shy of me and shared a look with Zach. I pretended not to notice. It looked like I was busy watching Justin goof off with Bryce and Garrison. I was watching my boyfriend out of the corner of my eye though. I felt a wave close to my foot. “Montgomery. If you touch my foot, I’m not responsible for what happens to your face.” His hand stopped and his eyes widened. Justin laughed and called from across the pool.

“She isn’t wrong dude. She kicked me in the face when I was trying to bug her one time.”

“I wasn’t going to….” Monty trailed off.

“Sure, you weren’t.” I shook my head and moved to stand up. I pulled my tank top over my head. The shorts I was wearing were fine to go in the water.

Seeing as we had to keep up appearances, I couldn’t very well ask Monty to tighten the tie on my bikini top. That would be too much. The boys would question that. Joking around and talking to each other in a group was okay. Touching was not. “Hey Justin, do you mind?” I gestured to my back, not looking at the pool.

“He’s a little busy.” Bryce said. I could hear splashing behind me.

“Zach?”

“Sure.” He climbed out of the pool and untied the bottom strings. He pulled them tighter in a knot and doubled the bow. “Good?”

“Yeah.” I turned around. “Thanks.” Bryce whistled. Gross.

“Why are you keeping her all to yourself again?” He asked Justin. I flipped him off. Why am I being nice to you again?

“I’m not. It’s Addison. Even if I was, I don’t share Bryce.” He seemed to shut the conversation down. Only I could pick up on the stern undertone in his voice. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, and they were back to goofing off again.

I slipped in the pool and noticing Justin was distracted, I swam over to him and jumped on his back. I may have accidentally splashed Monty in my jumping. I snuck a peek at him and he was rolling his eyes and laughing. “Chicken?” Justin asked. His hands went to my thighs unconsciously.

“No. You dropped me last time. Though it would be entertaining trying to watch the rest of you lift each other.”

“We’re strong.” The boys around me protested. They all made a show of flexing.

“Yes, yes. You’re all strong and hot. With superior athletic abilities. Go you.” I laughed.

“Ha! I told you she thinks I’m hot.” Bryce pointed at Justin.

“It doesn’t count if you’re objectively attractive Walker. I also think the blond guy from the Percy Jackson movie is hot. Because he is objectively attractive.”

“Objectively attractive?”

“You’re lucky you’re rich.” I muttered. Justin choked. “You’re a very pretty man Bryce Walker.”

“Do we get called pretty too Addison?” Monty asked.

“If you don’t call me by my full name again then sure Monty. You are also pretty. Foley, I swear if you drop me, you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.” His hand tightened around my thigh.

The group of us hung out for a while. At some point Scott joined us. Even though we weren’t friends per say, he was still nice to me when I was around. He swam over to my corner of the pool. “I’m supposed to ask you if you think I’m pretty?”

“Scott. If you don’t know you’re pretty, I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Alright then. Why was I supposed to ask?”

“I acknowledged Bryce is objectively attractive and the children felt left out.”

“I see. Why are you hiding in a corner?”

“Hiding from Justin. He’s trying to get me to play chicken. But I don’t feel like getting dropped again.”

“And why does he think you’d get to play with anyone else?”

“I think the attempt would be very entertaining actually.” There was a ringing over by the table.

“Someone’s phone is ringing.” I called. The ringing stopped and started again immediately. Zach looked up. It was his phone.

“It’s probably his mommy calling to tell him he has to come home before it gets dark.” Bryce teased. The boys laughed. I even chuckled a little to myself. Oh, how bad I would feel about that chuckle in a few hours. Zach splashed him. By the time the phone began its second round of ringing again, Zach was out of the pool and grabbing it. He was smiling when he answered it.

“Hey Mom. I’m com-.” It was quiet. “Yeah, I’ll be right home.” He hung up and quickly pulled on his pants, over his wet swim trucks. He threw on his shirt and practically sprinted back in the house. He didn’t say a word to any of us as he left.

“What’s going on with him?” Bryce said. We all stared after him.

A few hours after I got home, I got a text from Bryce. Justin got the same text. Zach’s dad died. Justin and I sat and looked at each other at the table, shocked. We sat there for a solid ten minutes, trying to absorb the information we had been given. I was sure our friends were in the same position. How did you respond to something like that? None of us had ever lost a parent. Sure, I had lost a couple of grandparents. I probably wasn’t the only one. But they’re sort of expected to die. They’re old. They’ve lived. Our parents weren’t old. Not old enough to die yet anyway. I picked my phone back up and texted Zach the only thing I could think to say. He would hear the words a lot in the next few months. I am so sorry. I knew he wouldn’t answer.

Zach wasn’t at school for the rest of the week. Not that he should have been. He had been excused from all of his other exams. Because of course he should have been. I didn’t see him until I was walking home from a date with Monty over the weekend. He was just… walking around town. He didn’t see me at first. When he noticed me standing up the street, he waved a little. I waved back and slowly walked over to him. Even though Zach Dempsey and I weren’t really friends, we were friendly. That’s why it didn’t feel weird when the only thing my brain said to do, was hug him. He didn’t cry. He didn’t say anything. He just hugged me back. We didn’t talk about that random, silent hug on the street again. Not for a long time at least. We simply nodded as we parted ways. He walked one way and I walked the other.

July changed a lot of things. Bryce left town with his family a few days after Zach’s dad’s funeral. Seth was back in town too. That meant Justin spent most of the first couple of weeks of July at my house. He was right. My parents were not happy about him doing summer school. As his not-mom my mum had a strict ‘no fun until homework is done and checked’ rule. At first, I spent my time with Monty during school hours. We weren’t really sure what the summer meant for our relationship. Those first few dates, we mostly talked about that.

“Well, I don’t want to not see you.” Monty said, between kisses in the backseat of my car. We had parked at a secluded clearing overlooking the river.

“I don’t want to not see you either. It’s going to be hard though.”

“Don’t talk about hard right now Doll. Please.” I pulled away and looked at him wide-eyed. “You don’t strike me as a public sex kind of girl. And I don’t want to get a public indecency charge.”

“Yeah. I’m not.” I sat up. “Justin being at my place complicates things.”

“Oh, I know.” He ground out as he adjusted his jeans. I could tell my cheeks were flushed.

“We knew we couldn’t see each other every day.”

“But it’s not easy not seeing you.”

“I know it’s not.”

“Why does this have to be so hard?” He sat back.

“I don’t know.” Neither of us were ready nor willing to have the ‘tell other people’ talk. Even though it had been almost a year. And probably needed to happen.

“Seeing each other while school is in, isn’t such a bad thing, is it?”

“No.”

“And I do have other friends. I could say I’m going to the city with Alex or something. Give us some more time?”

“That’s true.”

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “I could take you to the bookstore.” He blinked at me. “What?”

“The bookstore?”

“It’s air conditioned.” I shrugged and climbed into his lap. His hands instinctively found their way to my hips.

“You just need someone to carry your books again.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I smirked.

There was something different about Justin since he started summer school. I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was… distracted. I noticed he spent more time on his phone after homework than paying attention to what we were doing. Which was fine when it was show re-runs or my mom’s pick for movie night. But when you’re trying to play Ticket to Ride with a guy, it’s much easier when they are paying attention. “Hey. Earth to Justin. Hello?”

“Huh?” He looked up from his phone.

“It’s been your turn for the past five minutes.”

“Shit, sorry.” He looked at his cards and the map. Picking up a red and a pink from the pile, he settled back in his chair. Interesting. I frowned at the board, trying to figure out what he was doing. I came back with nothing. His phone buzzed again. I glanced at it. So did he. Then my phone buzzed. He glanced at it. So, did I. It was like we were waiting to see who would grab their phone first. After a few beats, his hand went to his phone. He smirked a little and put it down. I didn’t check mine.

I came home from a date with Monty a little late on Thursday. It was nearing five when I walked in the door, after I fixed my hair. I dropped my purse and stopped dead in my tracks. Justin had company. Company in the form of Jessica Davis. Who was currently sitting in his lap. On my couch. Making out with him. On my couch. They had their hands up each other’s shirts. On my couch. I cleared my throat. Jessica pulled away and turned towards me. “Oh, hey Addy.” She greeted, like this was normal.

“Hey Addy. You’re… just getting home?” His speech was slowed. Are you shitting me?

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“Your parents said I could have a friend over after class.”

“Okay.” I blinked. She was still perched in his lap. I glanced at the clock. “I suggest you fix your shirts because they should be home soon. And I don’t think they want to see, uh, this.” I motioned in their general direction. Jessica laughed and climbed off Justin.

“Oh, don’t be such a priss, Addison.”

“I’m not being a priss. I just wasn’t expecting to come home to people making out on my couch.” She rolled her eyes. “Great to see you too. Hey, Justin. Can I steal you for a sec?” I waved upstairs. “There’s snacks in the cupboard, Jess.”

Justin followed me upstairs, trying not to giggle at, assumingly, the fact that he didn’t get caught by my parents. I shut the door when we got to my room. “What the fuck Justin?”

“What?” He shrugged.

“What do you mean what?”

“What?”

“Making out with a girl on our couch?” He was trying to avoid eye contact. My parents are going to kill him.

“No one was home. It’s not a big deal.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know, a couple weeks?” I blinked at him. He was still trying to look away from me. I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

“Are you fucking high right now?”

“No? What? Why would you ask that?” His eyes were bloodshot. He was acting very much like Justin when Justin has been indulging in Bryce’s stash.

“Don’t lie to me Justin Foley. You know my parent’s rules. Do you want them to freak out?”

“Oh, come on Addison. It was a little weed. It’s not that big of a deal.” I sighed heavily.

“You know what, whatever. You obviously don’t care. So, I suggest you tell your girlfriend to leave or figure out a way to sober up before they get home. And if that fails, tell her to leave, and come hide in here until you’re sober enough to face them.” I grabbed a book off my shelf and went back downstairs. I nodded at Jessica, who had made herself some crackers and dip. Sitting at the table, I texted Monty.

Justin and Jessica? Did you know about this? He responded a couple of minutes later.

No? Actually?

Yeah. They were making out on my couch when I got home. And to make things even more awkward and complicated, they’re both high.

I mean, to be fair, weed isn’t really that bad.

Yeah. I know. But that’s not the point. My parents are going to freak. Now is really not the time to be pissing them off.

Oh crap. You guys leave for Boston soon, don’t you?

Next week. And if Justin can’t keep his shit together… I left the unspoken implication hang in cyberspace. Are you really just going to ignore the fact that they were on the couch?

I was hoping to just ignore that fact.

Our make out spots are becoming fewer and further between.

We could just stay in your bed, Doll.

But the couch has the TV. So we can not watch a movie without worrying about my laptop falling.

“Who you texting so much?” Jessica asked, trying to peer at my phone.

“Friend from Boston.” I said, locking my phone.

“Oh, friend from Boston, you say? Is he cute?”

“I guess? His girlfriend probably thinks so.”

“Oh. Not a secret long distance lover then?”

“No. And we grew up together. It would be weird.” I slipped my phone in my pocket and grabbed some cereal. We both looked up when my parents got home. I took that as my cue to go get Justin. I practically kicked him downstairs so he could go entertain his girlfriend with my parents and I could have some time to process how I missed it. Probably the same way he has missed me having a boyfriend for… almost a year.

The day before we left for Boston, Justin and I were running around like mad men. I had plans with Monty and Justin had plans with Jessica tonight, so I didn’t want to be too long packing. Unfortunately, neither of us could find anything we wanted to bring. It was going to be nice so I wanted to bring some dresses. We had a few things planned, but like with our other trips, there would be plenty of time to lounge around the house.

“Have you seen my pink and green dress?”

“The one with the stripes? No. Have you seen my blue shirt?”

“I think mum put it in the wash.”

“Okay.” Justin went down the hall to the bathroom. “Has anyone seen my shampoo?” He called.

“It’s in here.” My dad called from their room. I was busy ripping apart my closet. I groaned in frustration.

“You know, it’s just Boston. We go every year.”

“I know Justin. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“Yeah. Wait… are you trying to impress Adrian?” Justin laughed. I turned and he was leaning against the doorframe.

“No. Absolutely not. Besides, he has a girlfriend.” A girlfriend I happen to like.

“If you say so.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off as he went back to packing his bag. I gave up on my closet and decided to tackle our toiletries. I wasn’t too concerned with travel sizes because it was all going in my checked luggage.

“Decide what book you’re taking with you Addy?”

“Don’t you mean books, plural? It is a 6-hour flight after all.” He laughed.

“Okay, okay. Books?”

“I’m happy you asked.” I grinned as I pulled out the Barnes & Noble bag from under my bed. His jaw dropped. I shrugged.

“Your parents are going to freak.”

“They know I went book shopping.”

After a very long day of packing, Justin left to go meet Jessica. I texted Monty to let him know I would be leaving in about fifteen minutes. “I’m going to hang out with Alex and Clay for a bit.” I told my parents.

“Just remember we leave early tomorrow for the airport Addison.” My dad said, not looking up from his list. My mom was emptying the fridge.

“I will.”

When I got to the cliffside where we agreed to meet, Monty was waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself. I ran and held onto him like it was the last time I would ever see him. “You’re only leaving for two weeks Addison.” He grunted at the impact.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” He kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for a few more minutes before finally separating. I took his hand and led him up the trail. It was good for both of us to be walking the trails. He was starting summer training with the boys while we were gone, and I was going to be sitting for around 8 hours straight tomorrow. Provided our flight wasn’t delayed, of course. It was just starting to get dark, and I stopped along the way to take in the town’s skyline in the evening dusk. Monty rested his chin on top of my head, and I sighed, leaning back into him. It was so peaceful. I looked up and him and noticed a small bruise forming on his jaw. Not wanting to start a fight right before I left for two weeks, I pretended I hadn’t seen it. I smiled sadly to myself still. I wish he would just talk to me about it.

After a few hours, wandering around and soaking in the last time we would have for a couple of weeks, which feels like an eternity when you’re 16, we knew it was time to say goodbye. When we got to the parking lot, he made me turn around at his Jeep. I furrowed my brow. Before I could ask, he twirled his finger in the air. I clamped my mouth closed and turned. He rummaged around for a minute. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see. Just wait a minute.” I huffed. He chuckled. “Ah.” He muttered. He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned. He held out a small Barnes and Noble bag. I was taken aback. I wasn’t expecting anything. I pointed at the bag and then at me.

“F-for me?”

“It’s not much so don’t start.” He smiled, shyly.

“Okay.” I took the bag.

“I can’t wrap stuff worth shit, so the bag is as good as you’re going to get.” I laughed and shrugged. It was a fair enough explanation. I opened the bag and pulled out a spiralbound notebook. The cover was pink with the titles of all the classics on it. I smiled. “You won’t be here for your birthday, and I know your notebook is getting full so….” Monty trailed off.

“Thank you. This is really sweet.” I flipped it open and gasped. On the first page, he had drawn a book like on the cover, and titled it The Next Classic and written Hawthorne at the bottom where the author’s last name sometimes appears.

“Happy birthday, Addison.”

“Oh.” I smiled. My eyes had started to tear up. This was the sweetest gift anyone had ever given me. I closed the gap between us and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him and I deepened the kiss just a little. Not too much, just enough to make him remember me while I was gone.I had finished the last book on my To Read shelf by mid-May. Hopping off my bed, I went over to my bookshelf. There was only one shelf of space left. The stack to shelve had gotten a tad out of hand. Sighing to myself, I sat down to start reorganizing. I pulled the books from H to Z down to fit the new additions to my collection in. My dad poked his head in when the stack fell over. “Everything okay in here?” I was surrounded by books. Dad tried not to laugh as he took the scene in. Grabbing books, I turned back to the shelf.“Perfect. Totally meant to sit in a sea of books this afternoon.” “Sure. You have fun with that. I have to head into the office for a while. Tell your mother I probably won’t be home for dinner.” “Will do.” I nodded, not turning my attention back to him. Monty texted me shortly after I had finished the M’s. What are you up to today? Organizing my bookshelf. I finished my TBR so now they go in the permanent collection. Only my girlfriend would make a permanent book collection and a separate section for books that aren’t done. Hey! Lots of people do this. Yes honey. What are you up to today? Trying to study for my last History test. It’s very boring. I’m sure it is. If you’re free Saturday, how about a get out of studying free card? Oh? What did you have in mind Doll? I rolled my eyes and grinned. Of course he thought I meant something dirty. Cool your jets Monty. I was going to see if you wanted to go to the bookstore with me?I can make that happen. What time? I think Clay and I are getting lunch to go over our study guide for the Math final. I could do like 1?Sounds good. Do you want me to meet you at the bookstore? Sure. I go to the B&N at the Everglade. It’s a date. I smiled and went back to my books. When it was done, I snapped a picture and sent it to Justin. I finished my TBR! You know what that means?Oh no. More books? More books! Do I have to come with you?No. The parents gave me a limit of 10 books this time. Only 10?I have points saved up. And 10 is a perfectly reasonable amount of new books. For you? Yes. For normal people? No. Oh shhh, or I’ll make you come with me. Okay, okay. It’s reasonable lol. I texted Monty a picture of my bookshelf too. He responded with a laughing emoji. Teachers were beginning to wrap up final units and hand out study guides for finals. Justin was still mad about summer school so he kept up his not giving a shit attitude. I rolled my eyes whenever he sighed or complained about finals. And I stopped offering to help him. If he wanted to do more work in summer school, that was fine by me. It gave me more time to spend with Monty. On Saturday, I met Clay at Rosie’s and we both got milkshakes. I wasn’t very hungry, and I didn’t want burger breath later. “So Clay, how’s Hannah doing?” “I don’t know. We have hung out a few times, and I see her at work, but I don’t think we have hung out hung out.” “You still haven’t asked her out?” “I mean, we went to Jeff’s place not together, but we were both there, and I feel like maybe we connected?” “Connected?” “Well, we were doing… stuff… and we talked.” My eyes widened. “Clay Jensen did you do drugs in Jeff’s basement?” “Maybe?” I was stunned. “Well, I’ll be damned. Clay Jensen, having fun. I never thought I’d see the day.”“Ha ha.” He joked. “I’m kidding! But seriously. Take the risk Clay.” “I’ll think about it. Can we look at this study guide now?” I sighed and pulled it out of my bag. We both shuddered. This is not going to be a pretty exam.By the time Clay and I called it an afternoon, it was 12:30. That gave me just enough time to get to the city. We packed our notes and headed outside. “Man, I really need a car.” Clay sighed, unlocking his bike. “Your parents said no?” “I have a bike.” He waved towards the bike. “That you do. I would offer you a ride, but I’m headed into the city for the afternoon.” “No worries, Addy.” He smiled. We waved goodbye and I watched as he biked down the street. I started my car and texted Monty. Leaving Rosie’s now. Might be a little late. Drive safe. Sounds good, drive safe Doll. I stopped at Starbucks when I got to the mall and got an iced coffee to sip while I browse and a coffee for Montgomery. He was waiting outside Barnes & Noble for me. “Hey handsome. Fancy seeing you here.” I winked as I walked up to him.“Hey gorgeous. What can I say, thought it would be a good way to find a girl. You know what they say about the readers.” “I have a feeling I do.” I laughed and handed him his coffee. “Something to do with being high strung, overachievers with daddy issues?” “Somethin’ like that.” Monty took my hand and let me lead him into the bookstore. I decided I would keep my ten-book limit to myself. I knew how many points I had, and I still had birthday money left from last year. He chuckled as I practically dragged him towards the YA section. I didn’t stop to look at the romance displays or the cookbooks or the journals. I was on a mission. There were books to buy. I sipped my coffee as I browsed. As usual, I made my way up and down the aisles quickly once to see if anything immediately caught my eye. A couple of books did, so I grabbed them to look over after I was done my power walk. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you move that fast.” “Ass.” I laughed as I read over the synopsizes of the two books. Neither of them was my cup of tea in the end, so I decided to put them back. I could feel Montgomery watching me as I looked at the shelves. “What?” I asked as I pulled a book down and skimmed the back. “Nothin’. You’re just cute is all.” “Oh?” “Yeah. And those shorts are very nice.” I blushed and smiled softly. “Thanks.” I handed him the book. “Oh, I see. You needed someone to carry the books.”“Well, who else would I have asked, when I have my strong, athletic boyfriend to follow me around the store?” He only laughed in response. I grabbed a few more books as I sipped at my coffee. Once in a while, I would notice him watching me and turn to smile at him. There were six books in Monty’s hands before he finished his coffee. “I’m going to throw this out. Try to leave some books for the next person, okay Bookworm?” “I’ll try. No promises though.” I mused. By the time he came back, I had three more books. I looked up when I heard him laugh. I grinned at him and held out the books. He took them, tucked them under his arm, and stepped towards me. My brow furrowed and he reached to tuck my hair behind my ear, trailing his hand down to cup the back of my neck, and pull me towards him to kiss me. I kissed him back softly. It was nice to be able to kiss in public. I liked our little bubble. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. He pulled away first. We continued to peruse the store for a while and stole kisses and glances along the way. Monty slid his hand in my back pocket as we walked. I grabbed another couple of books and sighed. “What’s up?” “I guess that’s enough books for a little while.” “For a little while? Addison. There’s like,” he paused to count, “sixteen books here.” “Yeah. And that isn’t even all of what is on my TBR still. And it’s buy one get one half off all books.” I shrugged. “Jesus. Crazy woman.” He muttered softly and kissed the side of my head. I sighed and turned to head for the till. After discounts, points, and birthday money, my total was twenty-five dollars. “Now to figure out how to sneak the extra six books into the house.” I muttered as we left. “The extra what whats?” “Uh… nothing.” I smiled sheepishly. He shook his head playfully. “Oh, hey. Pretzels. Split one?” “Nice change of subject. Sure. Pretzel sounds good.” He rubbed my hand as he held it. This is nice. In late June, just as finals week was hitting its peak, tragedy struck our little group of jocks. The boys were at Bryce’s trying to blow off some steam. I was trying to be nice to him and make an effort for Justin, so I tagged along. The way his family approached and flaunted their money always took me by surprise. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew my family had more money than most. More than I liked to consider or admit. But it was never flashed around the way it was with the Walkers. I came from old money on my dad’s side, like his mom. But unlike him, I wasn’t exposed to it on a daily basis. The concept of a twice a week maid was enough to widen my eyes. The only time my family had a maid come was when Gran was coming to stay with us, or we were hosting Christmas back when all my grandparents lived state-side, so a very deep clean was needed. The fact that they had a chef come in once a week to meal prep for them was… almost incomprehensible. The only time I met a chef was when I found a hair in my food when my family went out one night. I had been to his house before of course. I was friends with Justin. We shared custody of him most weeks. Even still, I found myself hanging back and watching the boys socialize. Or I was trying to at least. Bryce thrusting a bottle of water in my hand startled me. I jumped slightly. “Thanks.” I muttered. “Don’t mention it.” He chuckled. He settled himself next to me and leaned back against the counter. “Hi.” “Hi. You know that they will talk to you, right? They know you.” “I know.” “Okay. I’ll talk to you then.” Great. Just what I want. “Sure Bryce.” “How are finals treating you?” “I cried before my honours English final yesterday.” “I almost forgot about my math final.” “So, we are basically in the same boat.” “Basically. You had bio and history today?” “Yeah.” “How were they?” “I think I did fairly okay. Can you imagine what my mum would do if I bombed the history final?” He stared off into space with me and shivered. “I would say something nice about you at your funeral.” “Thanks Walker. Killing me does seem like a lot of hassle for that though. Like it seems like it would just inconvenience them. Maybe locked in my room to study until I’m forty?” “True. I would text you news updates. Keep you updated in all things Bryce and the boys.” “Prefect. Make isolation at least a little bit bearable.” He was actually kind of nice sometimes. Maybe. If I squinted.“Yeah. My dad would have freaked if I missed my math final.” “How could you take over the family business if you fail tenth grade math Bryce?” “No idea. Not like he doesn’t pay someone to do all that math for him. Speaking of, he wanted me to ask you if your dad is taking on any new clients now that tax season is winding down?” “I don’t know. I don’t think he is, but I can get him to email your dad.” I don’t think he’s going to take your dad on. “I’ll let him know.” “Where are you off to this summer?” “I think we are summering in Fiji?” “Because California isn’t summer-y enough?” “Mom thinks the sun feels different. More sunny. I tan better in tropical environments.” “Sure, you do.”“What are your family’s plans?” “We have our annual family trip to Boston at the end of July into the first week of August. Dad pushed his vacation time this year.” “Doesn’t he own the company?” “Yeah. But his associate wanted to take vacation in mid-July. She’s taking her kids to Disney World.” “Again, doesn’t he own the company?”“Again, yes. Why?” “Shouldn’t he get first pick?” “Well, our vacation basically costs us airfare, food, and spending money. Hers and everyone else’s costs a lot more. And requires more planning. So, he lets them have first pick and takes whatever’s left for the most part. Because of that, people are more willing to pick fairly.” “Interesting.”“Are you two going to come outside or not?” Justin called from the back yard. Bryce and I looked up and found the house empty. All the boys had moved to the back. We shrugged and joined them. I needed to pass the sniff test so I didn’t dare go in the pool house. Anders and Dylan were in the pool house enjoying Bryce’s stash. It was already nearing eighty degrees in the daytime. We were in for a hot summer. Justin pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and jumped in the pool. Shaking my head, I followed Bryce outside. I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped my feet in the water. Monty was trying to be discreet and swim backwards towards me. He stopped just shy of me and shared a look with Zach. I pretended not to notice. It looked like I was busy watching Justin goof off with Bryce and Garrison. I was watching my boyfriend out of the corner of my eye though. I felt a wave close to my foot. “Montgomery. If you touch my foot, I’m not responsible for what happens to your face.” His hand stopped and his eyes widened. Justin laughed and called from across the pool. “She isn’t wrong dude. She kicked me in the face when I was trying to bug her one time.” “I wasn’t going to….” Monty trailed off. “Sure, you weren’t.” I shook my head and moved to stand up. I pulled my tank top over my head. The shorts I was wearing were fine to go in the water. Seeing as we had to keep up appearances, I couldn’t very well ask Monty to tighten the tie on my bikini top. That would be too much. The boys would question that. Joking around and talking to each other in a group was okay. Touching was not. “Hey Justin, do you mind?” I gestured to my back, not looking at the pool. “He’s a little busy.” Bryce said. I could hear splashing behind me. “Zach?” “Sure.” He climbed out of the pool and untied the bottom strings. He pulled them tighter in a knot and doubled the bow. “Good?” “Yeah.” I turned around. “Thanks.” Bryce whistled. Gross.“Why are you keeping her all to yourself again?” He asked Justin. I flipped him off. Why am I being nice to you again? “I’m not. It’s Addison. Even if I was, I don’t share Bryce.” He seemed to shut the conversation down. Only I could pick up on the stern undertone in his voice. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, and they were back to goofing off again. I slipped in the pool and noticing Justin was distracted, I swam over to him and jumped on his back. I may have accidentally splashed Monty in my jumping. I snuck a peek at him and he was rolling his eyes and laughing. “Chicken?” Justin asked. His hands went to my thighs unconsciously. “No. You dropped me last time. Though it would be entertaining trying to watch the rest of you lift each other.” “We’re strong.” The boys around me protested. They all made a show of flexing. “Yes, yes. You’re all strong and hot. With superior athletic abilities. Go you.” I laughed. “Ha! I told you she thinks I’m hot.” Bryce pointed at Justin. “It doesn’t count if you’re objectively attractive Walker. I also think the blond guy from the Percy Jackson movie is hot. Because he is objectively attractive.” “Objectively attractive?” “You’re lucky you’re rich.” I muttered. Justin choked. “You’re a very pretty man Bryce Walker.” “Do we get called pretty too Addison?” Monty asked.“If you don’t call me by my full name again then sure Monty. You are also pretty. Foley, I swear if you drop me, you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.” His hand tightened around my thigh. The group of us hung out for a while. At some point Scott joined us. Even though we weren’t friends per say, he was still nice to me when I was around. He swam over to my corner of the pool. “I’m supposed to ask you if you think I’m pretty?” “Scott. If you don’t know you’re pretty, I don’t know what to say to you.” “Alright then. Why was I supposed to ask?” “I acknowledged Bryce is objectively attractive and the children felt left out.” “I see. Why are you hiding in a corner?” “Hiding from Justin. He’s trying to get me to play chicken. But I don’t feel like getting dropped again.” “And why does he think you’d get to play with anyone else?” “I think the attempt would be very entertaining actually.” There was a ringing over by the table. “Someone’s phone is ringing.” I called. The ringing stopped and started again immediately. Zach looked up. It was his phone. “It’s probably his mommy calling to tell him he has to come home before it gets dark.” Bryce teased. The boys laughed. I even chuckled a little to myself. Oh, how bad I would feel about that chuckle in a few hours. Zach splashed him. By the time the phone began its second round of ringing again, Zach was out of the pool and grabbing it. He was smiling when he answered it. “Hey Mom. I’m com-.” It was quiet. “Yeah, I’ll be right home.” He hung up and quickly pulled on his pants, over his wet swim trucks. He threw on his shirt and practically sprinted back in the house. He didn’t say a word to any of us as he left.“What’s going on with him?” Bryce said. We all stared after him. A few hours after I got home, I got a text from Bryce. Justin got the same text. Zach’s dad died. Justin and I sat and looked at each other at the table, shocked. We sat there for a solid ten minutes, trying to absorb the information we had been given. I was sure our friends were in the same position. How did you respond to something like that? None of us had ever lost a parent. Sure, I had lost a couple of grandparents. I probably wasn’t the only one. But they’re sort of expected to die. They’re old. They’ve lived. Our parents weren’t old. Not old enough to die yet anyway. I picked my phone back up and texted Zach the only thing I could think to say. He would hear the words a lot in the next few months. I am so sorry. I knew he wouldn’t answer. Zach wasn’t at school for the rest of the week. Not that he should have been. He had been excused from all of his other exams. Because of course he should have been. I didn’t see him until I was walking home from a date with Monty over the weekend. He was just… walking around town. He didn’t see me at first. When he noticed me standing up the street, he waved a little. I waved back and slowly walked over to him. Even though Zach Dempsey and I weren’t really friends, we were friendly. That’s why it didn’t feel weird when the only thing my brain said to do, was hug him. He didn’t cry. He didn’t say anything. He just hugged me back. We didn’t talk about that random, silent hug on the street again. Not for a long time at least. We simply nodded as we parted ways. He walked one way and I walked the other. July changed a lot of things. Bryce left town with his family a few days after Zach’s dad’s funeral. Seth was back in town too. That meant Justin spent most of the first couple of weeks of July at my house. He was right. My parents were not happy about him doing summer school. As his not-mom my mum had a strict ‘no fun until homework is done and checked’ rule. At first, I spent my time with Monty during school hours. We weren’t really sure what the summer meant for our relationship. Those first few dates, we mostly talked about that. “Well, I don’t want to not see you.” Monty said, between kisses in the backseat of my car. We had parked at a secluded clearing overlooking the river. “I don’t want to not see you either. It’s going to be hard though.” “Don’t talk about hard right now Doll. Please.” I pulled away and looked at him wide-eyed. “You don’t strike me as a public sex kind of girl. And I don’t want to get a public indecency charge.” “Yeah. I’m not.” I sat up. “Justin being at my place complicates things.” “Oh, I know.” He ground out as he adjusted his jeans. I could tell my cheeks were flushed. “We knew we couldn’t see each other every day.” “But it’s not easy not seeing you.” “I know it’s not.” “Why does this have to be so hard?” He sat back. “I don’t know.” Neither of us were ready nor willing to have the ‘tell other people’ talk. Even though it had been almost a year. And probably needed to happen. “Seeing each other while school is in, isn’t such a bad thing, is it?” “No.” “And I do have other friends. I could say I’m going to the city with Alex or something. Give us some more time?” “That’s true.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “I could take you to the bookstore.” He blinked at me. “What?” “The bookstore?” “It’s air conditioned.” I shrugged and climbed into his lap. His hands instinctively found their way to my hips. “You just need someone to carry your books again.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I smirked. There was something different about Justin since he started summer school. I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was… distracted. I noticed he spent more time on his phone after homework than paying attention to what we were doing. Which was fine when it was show re-runs or my mom’s pick for movie night. But when you’re trying to play Ticket to Ride with a guy, it’s much easier when they are paying attention. “Hey. Earth to Justin. Hello?”“Huh?” He looked up from his phone. “It’s been your turn for the past five minutes.” “Shit, sorry.” He looked at his cards and the map. Picking up a red and a pink from the pile, he settled back in his chair. Interesting. I frowned at the board, trying to figure out what he was doing. I came back with nothing. His phone buzzed again. I glanced at it. So did he. Then my phone buzzed. He glanced at it. So, did I. It was like we were waiting to see who would grab their phone first. After a few beats, his hand went to his phone. He smirked a little and put it down. I didn’t check mine. I came home from a date with Monty a little late on Thursday. It was nearing five when I walked in the door, after I fixed my hair. I dropped my purse and stopped dead in my tracks. Justin had company. Company in the form of Jessica Davis. Who was currently sitting in his lap. On my couch. Making out with him. On my couch. They had their hands up each other’s shirts. On my couch. I cleared my throat. Jessica pulled away and turned towards me. “Oh, hey Addy.” She greeted, like this was normal. “Hey Addy. You’re… just getting home?” His speech was slowed. Are you shitting me? “Yeah. What’s going on?” “Your parents said I could have a friend over after class.” “Okay.” I blinked. She was still perched in his lap. I glanced at the clock. “I suggest you fix your shirts because they should be home soon. And I don’t think they want to see, uh, this.” I motioned in their general direction. Jessica laughed and climbed off Justin. “Oh, don’t be such a priss, Addison.” “I’m not being a priss. I just wasn’t expecting to come home to people making out on my couch.” She rolled her eyes. “Great to see you too. Hey, Justin. Can I steal you for a sec?” I waved upstairs. “There’s snacks in the cupboard, Jess.” Justin followed me upstairs, trying not to giggle at, assumingly, the fact that he didn’t get caught by my parents. I shut the door when we got to my room. “What the fuck Justin?” “What?” He shrugged. “What do you mean what?” “What?” “Making out with a girl on our couch?” He was trying to avoid eye contact. My parents are going to kill him. “No one was home. It’s not a big deal.” “How long has this been going on?” “I don’t know, a couple weeks?” I blinked at him. He was still trying to look away from me. I grabbed his face and made him look at me. “Are you fucking high right now?” “No? What? Why would you ask that?” His eyes were bloodshot. He was acting very much like Justin when Justin has been indulging in Bryce’s stash. “Don’t lie to me Justin Foley. You know my parent’s rules. Do you want them to freak out?” “Oh, come on Addison. It was a little weed. It’s not that big of a deal.” I sighed heavily. “You know what, whatever. You obviously don’t care. So, I suggest you tell your girlfriend to leave or figure out a way to sober up before they get home. And if that fails, tell her to leave, and come hide in here until you’re sober enough to face them.” I grabbed a book off my shelf and went back downstairs. I nodded at Jessica, who had made herself some crackers and dip. Sitting at the table, I texted Monty. Justin and Jessica? Did you know about this? He responded a couple of minutes later. No? Actually?Yeah. They were making out on my couch when I got home. And to make things even more awkward and complicated, they’re both high. I mean, to be fair, weed isn’t really that bad. Yeah. I know. But that’s not the point. My parents are going to freak. Now is really not the time to be pissing them off. Oh crap. You guys leave for Boston soon, don’t you? Next week. And if Justin can’t keep his shit together… I left the unspoken implication hang in cyberspace. Are you really just going to ignore the fact that they were on the couch?I was hoping to just ignore that fact. Our make out spots are becoming fewer and further between. We could just stay in your bed, Doll. But the couch has the TV. So we can not watch a movie without worrying about my laptop falling. “Who you texting so much?” Jessica asked, trying to peer at my phone. “Friend from Boston.” I said, locking my phone. “Oh, friend from Boston, you say? Is he cute?”“I guess? His girlfriend probably thinks so.” “Oh. Not a secret long distance lover then?”“No. And we grew up together. It would be weird.” I slipped my phone in my pocket and grabbed some cereal. We both looked up when my parents got home. I took that as my cue to go get Justin. I practically kicked him downstairs so he could go entertain his girlfriend with my parents and I could have some time to process how I missed it. Probably the same way he has missed me having a boyfriend for… almost a year. The day before we left for Boston, Justin and I were running around like mad men. I had plans with Monty and Justin had plans with Jessica tonight, so I didn’t want to be too long packing. Unfortunately, neither of us could find anything we wanted to bring. It was going to be nice so I wanted to bring some dresses. We had a few things planned, but like with our other trips, there would be plenty of time to lounge around the house. “Have you seen my pink and green dress?” “The one with the stripes? No. Have you seen my blue shirt?”“I think mum put it in the wash.” “Okay.” Justin went down the hall to the bathroom. “Has anyone seen my shampoo?” He called. “It’s in here.” My dad called from their room. I was busy ripping apart my closet. I groaned in frustration. “You know, it’s just Boston. We go every year.” “I know Justin. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.” “Yeah. Wait… are you trying to impress Adrian?” Justin laughed. I turned and he was leaning against the doorframe. “No. Absolutely not. Besides, he has a girlfriend.” A girlfriend I happen to like. “If you say so.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off as he went back to packing his bag. I gave up on my closet and decided to tackle our toiletries. I wasn’t too concerned with travel sizes because it was all going in my checked luggage. “Decide what book you’re taking with you Addy?” “Don’t you mean books, plural? It is a 6-hour flight after all.” He laughed. “Okay, okay. Books?” “I’m happy you asked.” I grinned as I pulled out the Barnes & Noble bag from under my bed. His jaw dropped. I shrugged. “Your parents are going to freak.” “They know I went book shopping.” After a very long day of packing, Justin left to go meet Jessica. I texted Monty to let him know I would be leaving in about fifteen minutes. “I’m going to hang out with Alex and Clay for a bit.” I told my parents. “Just remember we leave early tomorrow for the airport Addison.” My dad said, not looking up from his list. My mom was emptying the fridge. “I will.” When I got to the cliffside where we agreed to meet, Monty was waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself. I ran and held onto him like it was the last time I would ever see him. “You’re only leaving for two weeks Addison.” He grunted at the impact. “I’m going to miss you.” “I’ll miss you too.” He kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for a few more minutes before finally separating. I took his hand and led him up the trail. It was good for both of us to be walking the trails. He was starting summer training with the boys while we were gone, and I was going to be sitting for around 8 hours straight tomorrow. Provided our flight wasn’t delayed, of course. It was just starting to get dark, and I stopped along the way to take in the town’s skyline in the evening dusk. Monty rested his chin on top of my head, and I sighed, leaning back into him. It was so peaceful. I looked up and him and noticed a small bruise forming on his jaw. Not wanting to start a fight right before I left for two weeks, I pretended I hadn’t seen it. I smiled sadly to myself still. I wish he would just talk to me about it. After a few hours, wandering around and soaking in the last time we would have for a couple of weeks, which feels like an eternity when you’re 16, we knew it was time to say goodbye. When we got to the parking lot, he made me turn around at his Jeep. I furrowed my brow. Before I could ask, he twirled his finger in the air. I clamped my mouth closed and turned. He rummaged around for a minute. “What are you doing?” “You’ll see. Just wait a minute.” I huffed. He chuckled. “Ah.” He muttered. He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned. He held out a small Barnes and Noble bag. I was taken aback. I wasn’t expecting anything. I pointed at the bag and then at me. “F-for me?” “It’s not much so don’t start.” He smiled, shyly. “Okay.” I took the bag. “I can’t wrap stuff worth shit, so the bag is as good as you’re going to get.” I laughed and shrugged. It was a fair enough explanation. I opened the bag and pulled out a spiralbound notebook. The cover was pink with the titles of all the classics on it. I smiled. “You won’t be here for your birthday, and I know your notebook is getting full so….” Monty trailed off. “Thank you. This is really sweet.” I flipped it open and gasped. On the first page, he had drawn a book like on the cover, and titled it The Next Classic and written Hawthorne at the bottom where the author’s last name sometimes appears. “Happy birthday, Addison.” “Oh.” I smiled. My eyes had started to tear up. This was the sweetest gift anyone had ever given me. I closed the gap between us and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him and I deepened the kiss just a little. Not too much, just enough to make him remember me while I was gone. 

[copperbadge]

This morning’s cleaning was actually all about laundry and storage, but those aren’t very dynamic photos, so instead I’m posting photos of the process of making homemade Italian Beef. 

[ID: Four images; the first two are of the beef in the slow-cooker, first raw and then cooked, coated in seasoning; the third image is a massive bowl of golden jus, and the final image is thin-sliced beef, packed in jus in a tupperware.]

The Italian Beef sandwich is a Chicago delicacy, rarely made at home and usually pre-purchased as a kit with cooked and sliced beef when it is. But I happened to stumble over a recipe that called for sirloin tip roast, and I got sirloin tip roast in my last farm share, so I thought I’d try it. I put three cups of beef broth in the slow cooker, seasoned the cuts with Penzey’s Chicago Steak seasoning, and slow-cooked them on low for four hours. I pulled the beef out, let it stand, and then popped it in the fridge to firm up while I boiled and strained the jus. I sliced the meat as thin as I possibly could and packed it with jus poured over it, storing the extra jus in its own container. 

Meanwhile....I’m in the process of reorganizing my storage boxes, which are mostly soft goods. Because of a now-resolved moth issue, I’m still finding stuff that needs to either be thoroughly washed or thrown out. So I did seven loads of laundry -- shirts, underwear and socks, trousers, musty winter clothing, two “moth” loads, and then a re-wash of the worst of the two moth loads. Over the next...probably 2-3 days, I’ll be sorting through a lot of clothing, repacking or packaging it up for donation, and packaging other soft goods into vacuum bags. I will probably be writing more on this later, because I think this particular project really illustrates how even fairly even-keeled people like myself can get a little panicked and overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning. 

Podcasts today were “Show Me The Money” by The Journal, “China’s Rare Earth Monopoly” by The Indicator, “The Harvey’s Casino Bombing of 1980″ by Stuff You Should Know, and “The Princess of Monte Carlo” by Noble Blood. Roughly two hours, though slightly less because I always run Noble Blood at 1.25 speed. 

[letsgofoletsgo]

My part of an art trade for @canon-can-fight-me

~

As the moon rose over New York, the energy of the daytime receded to the nightlife. A different aura awakened, cloaked under blaring neon lights and shadows. The night offered a leeway for the rowdier side of the city to awaken.

Egon Spengler was not the one for such a scene. He never found himself comfortable with large, loud, drunken crowds, much less under strobing lights and deafening music. The only time he’d even think of staying up late was if he was chasing a groundbreaking scientific pursuit. 

Numbers, calculations, logic, that all made sense to him. Most of the time, people didn’t. He was fine with that.

Or, that was, until he met Kaiyo. 

For once in his life, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Sure, she took an interest in his scientific work, listened to him ramble, and gave him space when he needed it, but there was something more that made her feel so special. Something about her that sparked a want to be near her, where he felt like he could truly be himself. It was foreign to him, but he wasn’t complaining. 

Egon found himself deep in these thoughts one night. In his lab under the firehouse, his own little sanctuary within the buzzing metropolis. Even with the specimens in front of him, his mind wandered to Kaiyo. He’d never before found himself so preoccupied with something that wasn’t his current project, so the enigma further eluded him. Just what was it about her-

“Sup professor!” A voice chimed behind him. 

Egon jumped, vials audibly clinking as his hands jerked. “K-Kaiyo! Warn me before you burst into the lab like that!” 

“Heh, sorry. Still wired from training, Ray kept me on my toes today.”

Observing the grin on her face, Egon couldn’t find it in himself to stay mad at her. “I see.” 

Kaiyo tilted her head to watch him as he reorganized the vials. “What’re you working on?”

“Just running some tests. I want to see what chemicals these plasm specimens react with so I can narrow down what they’re made of.” 

“Nice. How long have you been at it?”

“A couple hours. This sort of procedure is mostly trial and error, it should take me a few days to get anything definitive.” 

“Gotcha.” 

Kaiyo eyed the specimens, lips then curving into a small smile. “That purple stuff reminds me of my first bust. You remember that?” 

“I do.” 

She giggled. “I mean, I’m glad we caught the thing, but it didn’t have to explode all over me.” 

“It’s something of an occupational hazard unfortunately. With how unpredictable ghosts can be, you were lucky it wasn’t corrosive.” 

“Well, it's a hazard I’ll take. A bit of slime won’t stop me from being a Ghostbuster, its a pretty bang up job.” She chided, voice then lowering. “Besides, I get to work with you. Not everyone gets to work with the best scientist in New York City.” 

Egon couldn’t deny the blush on his face at that. “W-Well, thank you… The feeling is mutual.” 

Kaiyo smiled warmly. “Hey, when you’re done with the samples, how about we watch a movie together? I think they’re playing some oldies on 85.” 

“Sure. I’d like that.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” She turned,  then looked back at him. “See ya later.” 

“See you.” 

With that, Kaiyo left the lab, and Egon with his thoughts once again. The question in his mind remained, asking it to himself as the specimens were nearly forgotten. Sure, he could never exactly place why he felt the way he did about Kaiyo. But as long as he was with her, maybe he didn’t need an answer; at least not strictly.  

[poohsources]

WE DID IT!   honestly, when i first started this blog, this was basically just me doing something on a whim. i liked making memes and spent a lot of time just playing around in photoshop and figured that maybe i could use this to give some more resources to the rpc. after all, i’ve been part of this community since 2017 and decided now would be a good time to use some of the things i’ve learned during that time ( because rping is what actually got me more into photoshop ). i did not think it would take off like it did nor that i would still be here one year later. but alas, here i am thanks to all of you. i can’t thank you all enough for the support you give me ― in whatever way it may be ― and i am so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you here. so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

now, as i mentioned in a post i made a while ago, i did have a few things planned for this blog’s anniversary. unfortunately life got in the way, and to top it all off i unexpectedly got called into work this weekend so i lost some precious time i wanted to use to work on some more stuff for today but it’ll come in due time. in the meantime, there are some announcements i wanted to make about my plans here for the next year(s). 

i’m gonna start doing commissions ! i’m still working out some of the details on this one ( and convincing myself i am actually ready for this because let me tell you, perfectionism and very low self-esteem is an absolutely terrible combo when it comes to any kind of content creation ) but i will make a seperate post about this once i’ve figured it all out. might not be tomorrow or even next week but i promise you it will come this year still.

i wanna involve you more. now, you may be asking how i wanna do that and if i’m being honest, i don’t fully know that. all i know is that i want to make more stuff you actually want to see ― whether it is creations following a specific theme / aesthetic, things made specifically to fit one show / movie / character, whatever. i mean it’s fun to do random stuff and things i personally want to make, and i’m gonna continue to do this as well, but i also want you to have more input on the things i create.

i’ll try to be more communicative. i’m always ( but especially over the last few weeks ) very bad when it comes to any social interaction probably a result of social anxiety and my dendency to get distracted pretty easily and i’ve been trying to get better at it but it’s honestly still a constant up and down. nevertheless, i will be trying to respond to messages and asks more on time. on that note, i am still gonna reply to most of the asks i have ― i’m just not sure when.

i’m gonna reorganize this blog a bit. these will probably only be some minor changes, updating my tags, changing some aesthetic things, etc. just cleaning everything up a little.

anyway, that’s all i have for you for now. again thank you all for being here, and for supporting what i do. 🧡

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

tell me you have any updates today, it's the best part of my day and I need to distract myself

I don't know if I'll have any updates today BUT I did write a new Remadora one shot!

Maybe I can offer something else, too? Sometimes I write scenes that never see the light of day - I guess you could call them deleted scenes. Here's one that I wrote for Cariad (would've been in the next update, but you won't see it in the official chapter). It's just a fluffy scene, didn't really advance the plot, so I cut it out. (Oh and edited to add that the Babybolt idea came from @artemisia-black’s fabulous fic The Dog and Deer Detective Agency!)

Enjoy! (Scene under the cut)

“I cannot wait for these bloody elections to be over!”

Tonks threw herself onto the sofa and growled into a pillow.  

“Another long day?” 

Tonks opened her left eye and found Remus standing over her, with a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a plateful of biscuits in the other.

“You should eat.”

With an exaggerated groan, Tonks propped herself up on the sofa and snatched a biscuit from the plate. 

“The kids are asleep, aren’t they?”

“Teddy tired himself out on the Kidsweep and Hope followed him around on her Babybolt. They won’t be up till morning.”

Tonks nibbled on the ginger biscuit, her stomach gurgling loudly from hunger. She glanced at the clock – it was only nine, but it felt later to her.

“The big Potter bash is happening tomorrow,” Remus reminded her. He took a seat on the sofa and kissed her temple. “I’ll get the kids ready so you can sleep in.”

Tonks mumbled a thank you to him and took another bite of her biscuit. With the Wizengamot elections coming up in the next week and all the seats available, the DMLE had worked overtime for months to pick up the slack. Though they couldn’t write laws, judge criminals, or sentence them, they were tasked with enforcing the laws that currently existed. Moreover, they were adjusting to the new duties brought upon them by the reorganization of the DRCMC. 

It meant long days of endless paperwork, managing criminals who couldn’t be sent to Azkaban or freed yet, and fixing the mess of prejudiced procedures left by the old DRCMC.

“Did you fly with them too?”

“Only a little,” Remus answered. “The Comet’s too fast for me.”

“The Cleansweep 3000 is even faster.” Tonks grinned, seeing the two new, sleek broomsticks hanging on the wall next to the garden door. “If only I had more time to ride it.” She stared at it longingly, wanting to feel the wind on her face and the freedom of an open sky.

“Why don’t you? It’s cool enough now that it’s dark out.”

“Come with me.” Tonks stood and took Remus’s hand. “Ten minutes. The kids’ll be okay.”

Remus waved his wand in an arc in the direction of the children’s bedrooms, murmuring additional enchantments on them. Though their home had nearly every magical protection on it, extra charms couldn’t hurt.

Tonks grabbed her new Cleansweep – a gift from Quality Quidditch Supplies – and kicked off the ground. She soared higher and higher in the air until she felt the edges of their boundaries.

Remus was less sure on his broomstick and ascended slowly from the garden. Tonks sat in the air, watching his cautious approach, while feeling the gentle August breeze on her face and in her hair. 

Just as he came close, she took a nosedive, curved down within feet of the earth, and rushed back up to meet his bewildered stare.

“I don’t know how you can do that.”

“It’s fun. You should try it sometime.”

“I’ve always seen flying as means to an end,” Remus mused aloud. He gripped his broomstick hard, looking down every few seconds. 

Tonks laughed at him, earning an exasperated glare in return. “We can give the broom away, you know. I’m sure Denys or Wally would love it.”

“I did think of Wally—he’s desperate to play Quidditch for Ravenclaw—but Lottie wants him to focus on his studies for another year.”

“He’s not doing poorly, is he?”

“Not at all. He’s one of the best students in his year, but he’s going into his second year. He’s still young.” 

Tonks felt the broomstick shiver under her touch; it wasn’t meant to stay stationary for so long. She winked at Remus and sped away on the Cleansweep, letting it take her on a wild, curving path over the tree line near their home.��

A rustling sound arrived on her right-hand side a minute later. Remus, white-knuckled and focused, had joined her. She looked back, grinning at him, and made them take a sharp right turn. He yelped, but followed, staying with her as she tested the limits of what the broomstick could do. Though he didn’t mirror all her moves, he tried his best. From the snatches between her daredevil twists and turns, she saw the mischief and joy in his eyes. 

[dasher85]

featuring our Inexpressible duo

Kamisato Ayato X Reader | you | y/n

Little happenings 3 (before Part 6)

[’To think that I desire more when I can’t even give back the equivalent amount... is just upsetting’

A note, written in Ayato’s notebook. ]

A snippet:

"Y/n?" he quickly brings his face closer to yours, concern laced his voice.

You on the other hand, swift covered your face with both hands, blocking him from seeing your face any further.

"I hope you know that I'll be always here for you, y/n"

"Why do you have to say that?" your voice muffled as you talked behind your hand.

You tried so hard to surpass your emotions inside but this man literally just said a few words and now your tears are starting to fall out.

"Just tell me, y/n... Please tell me what is troubling you?"

At that moment, you couldn't speak anymore. Your hand was already wet with tears. You were unable to control it, the overwhelming emotions has taken over your rational mind.

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

The sun has long risen and yet you're still under the cover. Not awake but not completely asleep either. Perhaps you've long lost anticipation towards the day even before it started.

After an hour later you huffed a sigh, before finally sitting up, flipping the cover to the side. It was such an exaggerated action, unlike how you would usually wake up with a calmer manner. However, today just felt a bit different, you felt like expressing things more freely.

You get yourself prepared for the day, tie the curtains, sweep the floor, reorganize the books and check the food supplies. These were one of the routines you'd usually do apart from writing.

"So bored... I want to eat something delicious" you complained with what ingredients you have left in your kitchen. Truthfully you could cook for 3 more weeks of food but you're just being overly picky.

A basket in hand, and your purse, you swiftly walked to the main door. However, opening the door only to be greeted by a person.

His fist was just about to knock on the door with a nonchalant expression. You reflexively tilt your head up but then finally recognized that it was just him. Let's just say it’s your regular visitor.

He smiled and you casually looked away.

"Rest or estate? I'm out" Only a few words escaped your mouth. You didn't even bother to explain in full sentence.

"Accompany you"

The only reply from you was a slight nod as you step out and locked the door.

He on the other hand didn't question much, only observing you from behind. Trying to prove if he'd only been imagining the slight difference in your behavior. Usually, you'd make a lot of excuses before agreeing to anything that he’d say.

"Ayato"

"What's the matter?" He quickly took a few steps to catch up with you, taking your left side. You rarely called out his name, that somehow made him feel alarmed.

"Since you're a pure Inazuman descendant, suggest me a delicious delicacy"

"Nigirizushi, yakisoba,..." he tries to name some food that came in mind. Although it was quite a casual question, he can't help but put serious thought into it.

"How about the easiest one to prepare? I want to buy the ingredients." 

"Well, that... I'm not too familiar with it"

"Failure"

You walked into the local store, leaving him standing in disbelief. However, it seems he was fast to recover as he still managed to join you.

"Alright, I'll tell you a recipe I know"

"What's that?" You raised a brow, unconvinced.

He confidently flashed a grin and showed you all the ingredients needed. You both walked along the racks of items.

"Aren't these just for miso soup?"

He nods, "How about I cook it for you? Have a taste of my special dish” 

You casually nodded and continue walking towards the shopkeeper. Unlike any other day, you didn't complain and approvingly accepted his suggestion. It was such a simple matter but he who constantly need to give decent reasoning to you was filled with much joy in his heart. 

"That's all 8000 mora" 

"That's 1000 mora more expensive than the actual price" you exclaimed. You've already calculated everything earlier. Your calculation was not bad, it's almost impossible to get it wrong. 

"Maybe you calculated it wrong" the shopkeeper informed you with a frown, unsatisfied with your reaction.

You sighed, too lazy to start an argument with the shopkeeper. It wasn't your fault to state out facts to begin with.

"As a servant, you should do your job properly" the shopkeeper rudely added to your face.

For a slight moment you only stare at the shopkeeper, shocked, and yet you still manage to think of the many remarks that swirls inside your head. But in the end, you just casually pulled Ayato's sleeve before he can say a word. 

"Never mind" you told him and walked back to the racks section as you returned all the items back to their original place. Perhaps still having the rational side in your mind. 

"This isn't the place I always bought my groceries, so I thought it would be nice to try out new shops once in a while." You calmly explained.

While you were still placing the few last items, Ayato finally returned his gaze back to you. 

"I'm sorry about that y/n" he apologized. Although you knew it wasn't his fault in any way, but the reason behind the shopkeeper's initial rudeness was still because he was the Commissioner.

"Do I look like a servant and have no mora?" You placed the last item that was on the lower side of the rack and finally stood up facing Ayato.

"Of course, I don't think servants are bad at their job, they're quite excellent at what they do-" you quickly add before started walking to exit the shop.

"Don't worry about it, you're not. It's just that some people just like to mindlessly assume things. It's in their nature." He quickly cuts through your words and placed an arm around your shoulder, casually bringing you along with him.

Your thoughts were actually still filled with much anger but because he was there, it's better to just take it easy. Since Ayato has dragged you along with him, it didn't give you a chance to take a last glance to the shopkeeper. A glance of warning of course...

However, it didn't occur to you that the shopkeeper was already trembling in fear while standing behind the counter. Perhaps someone's threatening glare has already spooked him to the bone before you could do it yourself.

You both walked towards the shop on the other side of the area. Some passers-by would occasionally glance at you or perhaps the person beside you but this time it didn't bother you the slightest.

"Hopefully this shop owner wouldn't ask more mora from you" your lips slightly curved, somehow feeling a bit better after the incident.

It was noticeable that the shopkeeper was just trying to extort mora from Ayato, as he assumed you were just one of his servants. It would be impossible for you to complain about the price as a servant because Ayato was the person who's going to pay it anyways. However, it wasn't much like that in your case.

"Perhaps I should just announce things clearly, wouldn't that be convenient?" He looked to the side towards you.

If the shopkeeper knew of your so called more than friends relationship with Ayato, perhaps it wouldn't turned out that way.

"Alright" you unexpectedly agreed, a wider smile spread across your face.

"But just to this shopkeeper" you added, specifically telling him not to do more than that. He chuckled knowingly with a nod.

You both entered the shop, the shop was also selling fresh groceries.

"Miss Y/n" the middle-aged woman greets you with a genuine smile. She seems to recognize you from being a regular.

"Good morning" you greeted back.

Her eye sight wasn't really good so it took her awhile to notice that someone was standing behind you.

"Young man, are you sure you're buying at the right place?" the shopkeeper squinted her eyes, seemingly acknowledging the expensive outfit he was wearing but didn't recognize who he was... Perhaps a little skeptical of his overall appearance and identity.

Calmly and slowly, you tried to walk away to escape from the scene and continue with buying the groceries.

He swiftly took a hold of your hand preventing you from escaping, clearing his throat before pulling you closer to his side.

"Greetings, I'm Ayato. I'm accompanying my sweetheart here" he looked at you, seemingly thinking if he said it right.

The middle-aged woman smiled, perhaps feeling rather happy to see such awkwardness but also filled with sincerity emitting between this couple standing before her. Eventually the woman nodded and gestures you both to enjoy buying groceries.

As you both were in the rack sections, you finally start talking. 

"It's good to know that she's on my side" you smiled, while taking some items you've taken before, still remembering the items he has previously showed you.

"I don't think you're going to get any price offer because of this" he chuckles, also helping you out to take the items you haven't take.

He knew you actually want to get price offer if the shopkeeper knew of your relationship with a commissioner. However, this time not only she didn't know him but she also appears to dislike the identity he could've have. 

"No matter, I'll gladly add more mora for her" you exclaimed.

You took a few more items and so did he. "Have you got it all?" He suddenly asked you while looking at the items on your arms.

You nodded, "Got it all"

After the customer before you exited the shop, you both placed down the items on the counter.

"That'll be 5000 mora" surprisingly it was less expensive than the previous shop.

You nodded and paid the items.

Before she took the mora, she actually glanced at Ayato who was silently standing behind you. Only after both of you exited the shop, did he finally spoke.

"You should definitely buy groceries here, she likes you a lot"

"Did you get the 'why didn't you pay up for her young man?' look?" you knowingly guessed the situation he was in.

He chuckled, "You know too much"

You laughed and casually hands him the grocery bag as you walked towards the stall that was displaying fresh flowers. 

"I'd like to buy a bouquet of the Dendrobium flowers" you prepared the amount of mora that was written on the price board.

"Here you go" the owner hands you the neatly arranged bouquet of flowers as you exchanged the mora with the shopkeeper.

The bouquet of flower was in between your left arm, then you casually reached a hand towards the grocery bag that was already carried by Ayato.

"I'll help you" he insisted on carrying the grocery bag instead of giving it back to you.

You stared back at him, literally thinking of an excuse to not trouble him with that but ended up letting him anyways.

The walk back to your residence was not that eventful. The quick strides you took even made Ayato having second thoughts. He thought, perhaps he should've just let you carry the groceries... or maybe you were just eager to get back home? Either way he didn't know for sure.

"What's the matter y/n?" He finally questions you. 

"The food needs to be done before this afternoon. I don't want to eat at home" you finally revealed your plans upon being asked. It wasn’t even late in the morning yet but you were still rushing through the path. 

"Where do you want to eat?" He slightly paused from his tracks.

"The place where I wrote volume 4, I want a nice seashore breeze. You don't have to-" 

"I'm coming with you" he already has guessed what you'll say next.

You looked at him to the side, "I don't want to cause you any trouble, especially with your work schedule. I'll just pack a separate bento for you"

"Y/n you-"

"Alright, just come with me if you want" just seeing his face expression, you gave up. Although it's still possible to reason with him, you just didn't want too anymore, at least not today.

Shortly after, you were back at your resident with your self-proclaimed chef. "Do whatever you want, just don't burn my kitchen".

"Why do I feel like I'm under immense pressure?" he chuckles, directly informing you about his troubles.

"Indeed, you are" you didn't even try to make him feel any better while continuing to arrange the ingredients on the table out from the bag.

"Well then, I'd better impress my sweetheart" he swiftly placed his coat over your shoulder before taking off his gloves and taking an ingredient from the table.

"Sure..." you then proceed to hand him a few kitchen utensils, ignoring the sleeves from his coat to dangle on the floor. Not that your kitchen floor was anywhere near dusty, so it wasn't a problem.

"Ayato-" you haven't finished your words and he has already replied with a question.

"What's the matter y/n?" He almost dropped the plate he was holding, seemingly startled yet again.

"I should probably cook some side dishes" 

He only nodded with a smile, seemingly liking the idea of cooking with you.

"Your coat, where do you want me to put it instead?" You could've just put it somewhere else without asking him but perhaps it does feel like a responsibility given to you. It is the commissioner's coat after all, you didn't want to cause any trouble for yourself.  

He blinked at you, seemingly trying to figure out the reason behind your question. It was just a fabric and not anything that of importance to him.

"It won't easily get wrinkles, just place it anywhere convenient"

He quickly spun around, facing the side counter, acting busy with cutting the vegetables. Unbeknown to you, a small smile spread across his lips, as he tries to surpass the thoughts he has been thinking about. 

"I'm not used to sharing my kitchen with anyone, especially when cooking. So-" you returned shortly, as he snapped back from his thoughts.

"Right, I won't talk" Ayato obviously knew of this typical attitude of yours. Although you never exactly explain why, he has already guessed it.

The cooking session went on for an hour or two but it all went well. You have already finished yours way earlier than Ayato, so you continued to pack your dishes inside a handmade woven basket.

"Y/n" he was holding out a spoonful of warm soup to you, seemingly excited for you to try it, blowing it before gesturing you to taste it. 

"That's too salty for me" you quickly gulped down a glass of water to remove the saltiness in your mouth. You slightly frown, feeling worried about what has he been doing with the Miso soup.

"Sorry". His eagerness was now changed into a frown, seemingly troubled by his own skills.

"It's alright, you just need to add a few glasses of water." you tried to encourage him, as you helped him to pour an amount of water into the mixture. Although even you didn’t know if the mixture was savable. 

"I do feel helpless whenever I'm with you" he suddenly admits, sighing.

"Really? I thought your confidence know no limits" you laughed and he only smiled while stirring the mixture of soup.

You have no idea how difficult it was for him to maintain the position he was in right now. Ayato who almost never practiced the art of cooking, has to muster up with whatever knowledge he has in that particular dish. He has no knowledge if it's going to taste good and yet making it perfect was the only choice he holds in mind. Other than that, was indeed the word of 'failure'. That one word that has been repeating inside his head.

Anyone could tell him that similar word and he knew he could easily prove them wrong... However, this time it was you. He knew he has to prove it too but... it seems like he wasn't able to.

"There's no need to feel disheartened. You'll get better with much practice" you noticed the change of emotions in his face as his smile slowly disappear. 

"At least I know my sweetheart won’t leave me for this matter" he suddenly beamed a smile. You helplessly sighed but add no further reply, knowing that you knew he was feeling much better. Although you’re not agreeing but also not denying to him of that regard.

After a few minutes of preparing and filling the basket with whatever necessary items aside from the food, you were prepared to head out. The basket was placed beside vase. It was usually empty but now it's filled with the bouquet of Dendrobium flowers.

"Do you often change the flowers?" Ayato asked before picking up the basket.

"Not really, I just think it looks beautiful" you replied while handing the coat back to its owner.

However, he acts like he didn't see it and continued to head towards the front door. Your mouth opened to call out to him but you end up neatly carrying his coat along, draping it on your left arm.

"Ayato, your coat" once you were outside, you couldn't help but give the coat back to him. 

"Just carry it for a while" he casually leads the path, seemingly purposefully refusing to take it.

Although you did notice the subtle difference in his demeanor you decided to just agree with him. It wasn't too much of a task to carry the Commissioner's coat after all.

'It'll be easy, I just need to be careful with handling this' you thought. Due to its white color, you couldn't help but stress over the idea of getting even slight dust on it. 

Truthfully the owner never actually cared if his coat was just to be taken lightly by you, he didn't mind even if you'd just wear it while the sleeves drag on the dusty path. The moment he has placed it over your shoulder, it was already decided that it was at your disposal.

Nonetheless, it wasn't possible for him to expose of such matter. He has long known of your true nature. Rather than telling you that, he'd prefer you to at least keep it a while longer. After all, chances don’t come knocking twice.

A few minutes of walking, you both arrived to the area. Nothing has changed, the scenery was still the same, the wind was calm as it always was and perhaps only the tree changed in color due to the change in season.

You breath in the fresh air, feeling relieved and nostalgic. 

"I do wonder how did you end up walking to this place?" You question him while looking up to the Sakura tree, placing your right palm on its rough trunk. It wasn't blossom season, so there wasn't anything spectacular of a view.

He placed down the basket, joining you along. "Hmmm..." He seems to drag the expression way too long as if debating on answering your question.

You looked at him, calmly waiting if he'd actually spoke of an answer.

"That's a secret" His gaze slowly averts towards you, as a confident grin spread across his face.

"You're up to no good since the beginning, aren't you?"

"That's a harsh accusation" he acts hurt.

You laughed at how ridiculous the conversation has become when you've initially only asked him a decent question.

"Never mind, let's eat lunch first" you swiftly approach him closer, standing, facing him. He quietly stared back at you, seemingly stuck on his feet. His previous act has disappeared. 

'Do I look angry or am I just??' you questioned your own appearance upon seeing his uncommon reaction. It was subtle but you did notice that he was beyond calm. His emotions were out of place and yet managed to perfectly kept hidden.

Eventually, you didn't think much about it and took a hold of his hand as you draped the coat back to him. Let's just say you just forcefully returned the coat back to his owner.

Not that you dislike it but you didn't think it was convenient to work with the plates and food while carrying the coat along.

"Ayato-" you haven't finished the question and he has already returned a reply.

"What's wrong?" 

"Aren't you going to eat? Why are you just standing there?" You have already finished taking out and serve the food into the smaller bowl and plates on the woven mat and yet he’s still standing there.

He shook his head, finally joining you, taking a plate in hand.

"What are you thinking? Work? You're free to go right now, if-" you directly informed him of your thoughts.

"No, it's not that..." He paused, seemingly unable to directly say it to you.

"Right" you didn't bother to pry any further and continued eating the food. Perhaps enjoying the food was better than staying curious about his unknown thoughts.

Minutes after, you both finally arranged the used plates and bowls back into the basket. Nothing was left uneaten, and only the mat was left unfold. You both was still using it so it wasn't the time to fold it yet.

The warm sea breeze would occasionally blow one's hair. The distant blue ocean view displayed over the horizon. You still enjoyed the view as if it's the first day you've arrived to this place. However, even you still couldn't admit that not only you've found this place close to your heart because you've written a whole volume of story here but also because of your unprecedented encounter with him.

"I wonder if-" his sentence was stopped midway when you suddenly rest your head on his lap. You were on your side, facing the ocean view. He could only see your side profile. Although he often does this to you, he was beyond stupefied himself.

"Wonder about what?" You nonchalantly asked him to finish his previous sentence. 

"Wonder if since back then you never actually have interest in me?" he knew that question wasn't even necessary when you're literally in an unguarded position with him.

"Your question is more terrible than the one I've asked you before" you laughed reminding him of the question that he didn't want to answer.

"I know" he chuckles.

His faith in his own choices has always been definite. Even when he is unable to convince certain parties to agree with his suggestions during formal meetings, in the end of the day, he'd still managed to flawlessly force them to willingly step into the matter.

However, when it comes to this, he wasn't able to properly utilize the same tactics against this certain someone. Even if he wanted to, it could only bring consequences that he couldn't fix.

The only solution he has prepared for his dire soul that was becoming eager for more is just to quietly devour all of these small gestures. Perhaps staying like this a little while longer was the best option.

"Ayato..." You paused, seemingly debating if you should ask about it.

"Hmm?" a soft smile spread across his face. Listening to your calm voice instantly revert his heart, dragging him back to his usual calm self, not anymore troubled by his questionable desires.

How can one be a trigger but also a remedy? Perhaps this question alone was something he could never reveal to you. 

"I know Hydro vision user can manipulate water, would it be doable to see blue cherry blossoms?"

He didn't instantly reply back but if you were to see his face at that moment, you'd probably take back that request. That confident grin was now plastered on his face. Since he wasn't satisfied with his own performance when it comes to cooking, this was perhaps his chance to finally impress you.

"How is it?" without much effort, the area was now decorated with falling blue cherry blossom.

"Admirable" you smiled, as you reached out a fallen petal. The moment it lands on your hand, the cherry blossom form stays in shape for a few seconds before it dissipated.

"This reminds me of snowflakes" you randomly spoke of a distant memory. 

"Do you want so see snowflakes?" he suggested before swiftly covering your body with his coat, keeping you warm.

You only slightly shook your head to the side, disagreeing to the suggestion.

He seems to sigh knowingly, "I still lack the reasons behind it, but it is impossible for you to conceal that troubled heart from me." He gently strokes your hair.

Even you didn't want to admit of this sadness that was lingering inside your heart. You've been trying to escape from it the whole day by doing the things that you wouldn't usually do.

"How so?"

"There were many things, but the obvious one was when you ate the Miso soup I cooked. Even I hated how it taste, but since you finished your portion without complain, how could I not do the same"

"Can't I be nice once in a while?" 

"Correct, you would usually won't let things go that easily. You're missing that bright spark"

"Oh... right" you didn't want to agree with him but it seems like it was pointless to even reason out about the matter either.

That nonchalant reply from you, has only made him worried. He knew you didn't want to talk about it any further but this type of concern can't be forced either.

"Usually when I'm unable to take out the emotions, I practice with my katana" he suddenly adds after a long silent, perhaps suggesting you yet again to find your own way to get out from that state of emotion.

"That's interesting, the last time I practiced with my sword was days before I lost my vision"

"I'm sorry to bring that up" he quickly apologized thinking he's not making things any better. Reminding you of your previous troubles was the last thing he wants.

"It's alright, that was years ago. Losing a vision is nothing compared to seeing people lost their lives" you solemnly spoke of your past experiences.

He quietly strokes your hair, viewing your side profile while intently listening. You seldom talk about yourself but he also knew that your past doesn't make any difference to the person you are now.

"The past does not trouble me anymore, truthfully I just want to receive a letter from my homeland today but-" your voice progressingly quiets down.

 "Forget it" your voice almost unnoticeably shaking. However, Ayato effortlessly noticed such changes.

"Y/n?" he quickly brings his face closer to yours, concern laced his voice.

You on the other hand, swift covered your face with both hands, blocking him from seeing your face any further.

"I hope you know that I'll be always here for you, y/n"

"Why do you have to say that?" your voice muffled as you talked behind your hand.

You tried so hard to surpass your emotions inside but this man literally just said a few words and now your tears are starting to fall out. 

"Just tell me, y/n... Please tell me what is troubling you?"

At that moment, you couldn't speak anymore. Your hand was already wet with tears. You were unable to control it, the overwhelming emotions has taken over your rational mind.

He effortlessly carried half of your body, his left arm surrounding your shoulder as his right arm spun you to face him. He then gently wraps you in his arms, keeping you closer to his heart.

"You will always have me"

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A/N: The highlighted songs I listened to while writing this; 

Fever - Enhypen | Down - Jay Sean | Black and white - San Holo

[insomniacwriter17]

Saved from the Flames - Chapter Fourteen

“When you’re born in a burning house, you think the whole world is on fire. But it’s not.” –Richard Kadrey

Billy Hargrove is 9 years old. He tries his best to be the son his father wants him to be - quiet, respectful, and obedient. But Neil just pushes harder and harder, all in the name of raising a “strong man”. When Billy is removed from his father’s custody and placed in foster care, it takes some time for him to realize his world is no longer burning around him. New experiences, new people, new opportunities all make Billy realize there’s a whole lot more to life than respect and responsibility.

AKA: The story of how Bob Newby became a real life superhero for one little boy who needed saving.

Inspired by this post I saw from @connordax

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven | chapter eight | chapter nine | chapter ten | chapter eleven | chapter twelve | chapter thirteen

read on ao3

Just as quickly as Billy had come out of his shell, he retreated right back in. For days following the trainwreck of a visit, Billy was back to being timid, afraid of his own shadow, and unsure of himself. 

The only difference was that instead of keeping his distance from Bob, Billy was always in close proximity to the man whenever he could be. He did his homework on the floor of Bob’s office while the man worked after school; Billy quietly played with his Mr. Potato Head at the kitchen table while Bob made dinner. If Billy wasn’t asleep or at school, he was right where Bob was. 

Bob had caught on rather quickly to Billy’s newest behavior, and his first instinct had been to call Gabby. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” the social worker had told him. “Actually, I think it’s good. I think it means he feels safe around you.”

The worst part was telling Billy that there wouldn’t be any visits for quite some time. Despite the horrible outcome of the visit, Billy kept asking when he could go back. Gabby and Bob told him that Neil needed to do some more work before Billy could see him again, and Billy just kept asking when. 

It was Sunday night when Billy pulled the calendar off his bathroom mirror and threw it away. He stopped asking after that. Bob hated to say that he was relieved. That night, Billy curled up against Bob’s side with his teddy bear and they watched Where the Wild Things Are. 

By Monday morning, small bits of Billy’s personality were returning.  Instead of jumping right out of bed with no argument, Billy whined sleepily when he climbed out of bed for school, stumbling to the bathroom. As they sat at the table to eat breakfast, Billy reminded Bob it was music class day. And instead of putting all his toys away in the toybox before they left for the day, Billy left his teddy bear on the couch and patted the top of its head, saying, “I’ll be back later, okay?” 

Bob walked him to class, just like he always did, waving to Ms. MacDonald from the doorway. “Don’t forget to give Ms. MacDonald your lunch ticket,” Bob reminded Billy before the boy could run inside. It was chicken nugget day, so Bob hadn’t needed to pack a lunch for Billy today. 

“I won’t!” Billy smiled, stepping into the room. Then he paused and looked over his shoulder at Bob. “You’re picking me up today, right?” he confirmed. Just like everyday, Bob nodded. 

“3:45, right on the dot,” the man confirmed. “Have a good day, Billy!” 

“You too, Mr. Bob,” Billy replied immediately, a grin on his face as he headed for his cubby. Bob watched until Billy had put his things away and headed to the Lego table, where he and Eddie met every morning. Eddie wasn’t there yet, Bob noted, but Billy seemed content to build on his own while he waited for his friend. 

It was a normal Monday for the most part, Bob spending the morning restocking and reorganizing the store floor. Just after lunchtime, Matthew came back to the stockroom with the phone in his hand. “Hey, Bob? You’ve got a call from Gabby.” 

Bob looked up from the radio he was unpacking, reaching immediately for the phone. “Thanks, Matthew.” He put the phone to his ear and moved toward his office, greeting Gabby quietly. 

“Hey, Bob. I just wanted to check in and see how everything was going. Did the weekend give you two a chance to settle down a bit?” she wondered. 

Bob sat at his desk and filled Gabby in on the weekend, how subdued Billy had been, but that he was starting to warm back up a little bit. “I figure another night or two of really trying to reassure him will do the trick. If the weather holds out tonight, we’ll have a picnic outside for dinner. He seems to love that.”

“Good!” was Gabby’s quick reply. “Listen, I wanted to pass on a phone number for that counselor we spoke about last week. He’s taking on new clients and said he’s got pretty open availability this week to start seeing Billy.” 

“Oh, awesome! Let me get some paper, I’ll call him now,” Bob replied, relief evident in his voice. “I think Billy having a professional to talk to will do him a world of good.” He quickly jotted the number down as Gabby read it off to him, and it was just a few minutes later that Bob was on the phone with the receptionist scheduling an appointment. 

Bob knew springing an appointment on Billy was a bad idea, so he scheduled an appointment for Wednesday – that seemed like enough time to get Billy used to the idea without it being so far out that it would give the boy time to get nervous. 

Like most days, Bob got to the pickup line a little bit early, just so he could be at the front of the line and Billy didn’t have to wonder if Bob was there to pick him up. Ms. MacDonald walked Billy to the car and helped him get settled in the back. Bob turned in his seat to smile at Billy, asking, “Hey, bud! How was your day?” 

“It was good!” Billy replied cheerily. “Eddie and I got to play on a xigerphone today!” 

Mrs. MacDonald chuckled from where she was waiting to close the backdoor. “Xylophone, Billy,” she corrected sweetly. “You guys played the xylophone.” 

Billy turned to look at her after buckling his seatbelt, cocking his head to the side. “Xylophone,” he repeated slowly. “We played a xylophone!” he told Bob with a grin. 

“Sounds like a lot of fun for a Monday,” Bob chuckled, waving his thanks to Ms. MacDonald as she closed the door. “Everything else go okay? How were your chicken nuggets?” 

Billy rambled on about his lunch and then the subsequent recess activities until he noticed that Bob had turned a different direction than normal. “Where are we going?” he asked skeptically, and Bob looked in the rearview mirror at him. 

“I thought we could go to the store and pick out stuff for a picnic tonight for dinner. What do you think about that?” Bob watched as Billy’s face lit up and the boy nodded excitedly. “Awesome! Then we’ll go visit Ms. Joyce, remember her? From the day we bought your toys?”

“Yeah!” Billy grinned. “She was nice.” 

“She is, isn’t she?” Bob agreed. It didn’t take too long for them to get to Melvald’s, and after a quick catchup session with Joyce, Bob led the way through the grocery aisles. He let Billy pick out the chips they’d have with their dinner (he chose Doritos), as well as a dessert (he chose Chips Ahoy). Bob even let him pick out a soda to drink with their dinner! He carried his Mountain Dew to the front counter, giving Joyce a big toothy grin. 

“Well hello there!” she greeted again, taking the soda so she could scan it. “What’s all this for?” 

“We’re having a picnic!” Billy replied excitedly, bouncing on his toes. “We’re going to eat our dinner outside,” he giggled. 

“Oh my goodness, that sounds like so much fun!” Joyce gasped, looking up at Bob. “We should try to get the boys together soon to play,” she commented. 

“We should!” Bob replied before looking down at Billy. “You know Jonathan Byers, right? From your class?” 

“Yeah,” Billy nodded slowly, looking back at Joyce. “He gets to sit by the fish tank,” he told Bob, a hint of jealousy in his voice. Bob couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his face before Billy continued. “Are you Jonthan’s mommy?”

“I am!” Joyce replied with a smile. “I’ve also got another little boy named Will. He’s a few years younger than you.” She handed Billy his Mountain Dew and then scanned the rest of their groceries and bagged them up. “Maybe we’ll do something this weekend?” she offered. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Bob agreed as he handed Joyce some cash. “We’ll brainstorm some stuff to do, won’t we, Billy?”

Billy nodded. “We can talk about it at our picnic!” he grinned. He looked at the bag of groceries in Bob’s hand and then asked, “Are we ready to go?” 

Bob laughed. “Yes, we are,” he agreed before saying a quick goodbye to Joyce. Billy echoed Bob’s goodbye, and Joyce waved at the duo as they left. It didn’t take long for Bob to get them home, and Billy ran off to change out of his school clothes while Bob started assembling their dinner. 

Before too long, Billy and Bob were sitting at the table on the back patio, and Billy had also brought his teddy bear with him. The toy was squished between Billy’s leg and the side of the chair, and Bob nodded to the toy. “Have you named him yet?” he wondered, biting into his sandwich. 

Billy looked down at the toy, a Dorito in his hand. “Kinda,” he admitted, nibbling on the chip. Bob watched as Billy’s cheeks reddened a little bit before he told Bob, “His name is Winslow.”

“What’s the kinda for?” Bob wondered. “That sounds like a great name for your bear!”

Billy giggled. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just never said it out loud, I guess.” He looked back down at the toy, then grinned at Bob. “His name is Winslow,” he repeated, sounding much more sure of himself.

Bob made a big show of leaning over to shake Winslow’s paw, dramatically gasping, “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Winslow! Welcome to the Newby household!” The theatrics left Billy laughing in his chair, and pride blossomed in Bob’s chest at the sound. “Is Winslow going to hang out with us and the Byers on Saturday?” Bob asked Billy. 

“Dunno, what are we going to do?” Billy wondered, looking down at the bear. He’d love for his new friend to come along, but all this time Billy had been leaving him home in fear of losing him or getting him dirty. The last thing he wanted to do was to disrespect the toy Bob had spent money on. 

“We have all kinds of options,” Bob told Billy. “We could go to the park, or go see a movie, or go play mini golf, even! And even if none of that sounds fun, we can think of something else.”

But Billy had straightened in his chair, sandwich forgotten in his hands. “We have mini golf?” he asked softly, intrigued. He’d seen commercials for it on the television a few times, but every time he asked his dad about it, he’d said it was too far away.

“We do!” Bob nodded. “Just a little ways out of town. It’d be a fun day to head out there, grab some lunch, then we could play a few rounds of golf.” Billy nodded quickly. 

“Please?” a hopeful smile graced Billy’s features. “I’ve always wanted to play mini golf!” 

In that moment, Bob swore that Billy could’ve asked for anything and Bob would’ve given it. “Of course we can. I’ll talk to Joyce tomorrow and work out a plan.” The way Billy grinned and bounced excitedly in his seat had Bob just as excited for the weekend. 

Billy started counting something off on his fingers, then smiled up at Bob. “Four days!” he exclaimed. “Until we go golfing!”

“Four days,” Bob echoed. He let the conversation settle for a few minutes, Billy looking content to eat his dinner and look around the slowly darkening backyard. “So, pal, I do have one more thing I want to talk with you about before we go inside,” Bob finally offered, leaning against the table. 

Billy cocked his head to the side curiously. “What?” He popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth while he waited for Bob’s answer. 

“Well, Ms. Gabby called me today, and she wants you to start seeing a counselor for therapy. Do you know what that is?” the man asked. 

“Like Ms. Diana at school?” Billy questioned. Bob thought for a moment and then shrugged. 

“Sort of. But instead of talking with you at school, you would see Dr. Marcus at his office after school. Ms. Gabby says he has all kinds of toys, coloring books, and all sorts of stuff.” Billy still seemed skeptical, so Bob kept talking. “And you don’t even have to talk, you can just play if you want!”

Billy shifted in his seat, a bit nervous at the idea of going to a counselor. The last time he’d talked to a counselor, that’s when Ms. Gabby came and took him away from his dad. What if he said the wrong thing again and he got taken away from Mr. Bob?

He looked down at his lap, picking up Winslow and hugging the bear to his chest. A question burned in his chest, but he couldn’t say it outloud. But just as Billy resigned himself to silence, he remembered Bob’s words from the doctor’s office. If there’s something you need, you tell us so we can help you. Even if it seems silly, if there’s something that will help you feel better, you tell one of us what it is.

“Can you and Winslow come with me?” Billy finally managed to ask, the words shaky in his throat. The look on Bob’s face was unfamiliar, but Billy thought he looked happy that Billy had asked. 

“Of course we can, buddy,” Bob smiled. “Winslow and I can pick you up from school and we can all go together.” Bob was so proud of Billy for asking the question, for requesting what he needed. “How would you feel if we try it Wednesday after school?” 

One, two, three seconds of silence stretched into more, and Bob was beginning to worry that Billy would back out. But to his surprise, Billy hummed an agreement and snuggled Winslow closer to his chest. 

“Therapy in two days, mini golf in four days,” Billy mused, looking around the backyard. “Okay,” he relented. “But only if you and Winslow stay the whole time, you promise?” 

Bob couldn’t help the proud smile that spread across his face. “Pinky promise!” he exclaimed, holding out his pinky to Billy. The blonde child giggled loudly before he locked his pinky with Bob’s. “And if you want, we’ll go find you another calendar afterwards, so you can keep track of all the fun stuff we’re doing.” 

Billy nodded and sunk back into his chair, his chin resting on the top of Winslow’s head as he thought to himself for a second. “I’m sorry I threw the other one away,” he whispered. 

“It’s okay!” Bob insisted quickly, shaking his head. “That one was a boring grown-up one anyway. We can find you a cool one. You can choose what pictures you want on it.”

Billy brightened at that, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair. “You think they have animal ones?” 

“Oh, I know they do,” Bob replied dramatically. “All kinds of animals.” Just like that, Billy was rambling about which animal he’d choose – maybe sea animals, or raccoons, or maybe puppies!

Bob was content to sit back and listen to Billy talk – it was refreshing to have the boy back to normal. He was glad to see that the idea of therapy hadn’t been completely dismissed, partially because it wasn’t really an option. Gabby and the Department wanted him to have it, so that was that. But also, Bob thought it really would help Billy begin to better understand what was happening around him. 

It was becoming painfully obvious that Billy was used to being in the dark, blindly following the instructions of a man that had only his own interests in mind. Bob was hopeful that with patience, time, and a little bit of luck, he could change Billy’s outlook. 

[sunshineandfreshviscera]

Hello!

Putting this out as my birthday is in a few days, specifically August 3rd!

I don’t expect much to come from this, and I hate that I’ve gotten to this point, but I’ll be real with you all, I am trans, queer, disabled man who is currently unemployed due to these things! (Not that I haven’t tried, I’ve applied to well over 30 jobs in my area, but have not gotten anything back despite my efforts.) I have no stable income, and am currently relying on my partner to pay for my meds that aren’t covered by my insurance. What I’m looking to get is a pair of forearm crutches, a new tens unit, and more knee braces and sleeves to help deal with chronic pain/ehlers-danlos, as money right now is tight, and my condition is getting worse, to the point where my current cane isnt cutting it. Dropping an Amazon list that has some of those things, plus some others that would just be nice to have, as well as other ways for monetary donations. I can’t do much, but if it helps, I can make things like custom playlists, mood boards, and I can attempt to draw again. I also make things like patches and recycled bottle tab bracelets, but those will be a bit harder to get out as I don’t have money to cover shipping even. Also if you’d like more information about me or my situation, feel free to dm this blog or my main blog @mostlyvoidpartiallystars1312 , or even if it’s just to talk tbh- If you can donate/get stuff from the list then wonderful! If not I completely understand and reblogs are appreciated greatly! Only donate if you have the funds and resources to do so! Anyway, thank you all for everything.

Ca$h@pp: $mostlyvoid13

P@yp@l: mostlyvoid3

V3nmo: MostlyVoid

Update: added a few things to the list, and put explanations and priority levels for them. The current highest priorities are the forearm crutches (plus padding and a small bag for them), the knee sleeves and braces, a fan (as we have no AC, and only one small table top fan, the heat is starting to take a toll), and the tens unit. Other things on the list include clothes and binders, reading material, and just some other fun things, those again aren’t medical priorities, but they are nice to have and it would be nice to get some, but only after the high priority items have been taken care of! Thank you all once more.

(I’ll probably reorganize this later, I’m just trying to get this out there and circulating hopefully. Today has been a rough day with the heat considering we have no AC and it’s a bit tough to get my thoughts together. Honestly might even delete it later, because of how awkward this feels. My apologies.)

[just-a-space-rabbit]

Black Baccara Rose Part 2

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(Hero/Civilian x Henchman & Hero x Supervillain) TW: Kidnapping

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Things seem to finally calm down at the flower shop, as the sky outside slowly turned more and more yellow. In the moment of silence Hero had turned on the radio to check today’s news, as they usually do, while trying to plan out their night.

The sound of the Broadcaster talking could be heard all over the small shop. “The mayor does still not understand what happen today, however the police and superhero are hard at work solving the mystery…” broadcaster reported.

Mayor sounded really upset about something, but if Superhero is on it then it’s better to not get involved unless asked.

Broadcaster continued “The conflict is still high in Foreign Country…”

Wish I could help, but that is far out of my league.

“Another day, another drama as Celebrity released their 3rd apology vid…”

Nope! Nope! Nope! Why is this even in the news?

“And now sports! Over to you Jerold!” Click! The radio was turned off, returning the silence to the shop.

“Seems like I’m on patrol duty again” they said, so silently it was barely a whisper. They did not mind patrolling, there was some excitement in not knowing what they could meet. But it had been over three months since they caught Villain, and after that they had been without a major mission, just jumping from one small crime scene to the next.

They looked up at the clock, 15 minutes left, they began prepping for closing before a man suddenly walked into the store. “Good evening, Civilian!” the man uttered, making Hero jolt at the sudden appearance, and almost dropping the large vase they had picked up.

“Dad! You scared the life off me!” Hero exclaimed.

“Sorry bud, didn’t mean to” Hero’s Dad said while smiling, and not looking sorry at all, “So, how is my little florist doing? Everything going alright in the shop?” he said while starting to help clean.

“I’m starting to get a hang of it, still a bit weird without you” Hero replied smiling.

“Well,” He chuckled “you won’t learn how to run a flower shop if you got my help all the time.”

Hero did not answer, and just kept reorganizing some of the plants. They liked the flower shop; it was the perfect break from being a hero, and sometimes it was nice running things on their own. But having complete ownership over it would be too much work while also being a hero. If it came down to the shop or their cape, they know that choice they would make, and their father would not approve. As being a hero was something they simply could not live without.

“Hey Dad, um…” they said after some time, “just wondering, could you cover for me this Saturday?”

Their dad turned to look at them with a puzzled expression “Em… no? You're supposed to run the store for 3 months alone, remember?”

Hero’s shoulders slump down a bit “I know dad, But I’m already two and a half months in, and it’s just… well… I kind of got a… um… date”

The room fell into silence for a moment, “a date? Who?” it was all that he got out. “Um… Henchman…”

“Henchman! That scary looking fella, that comes here all the time? And just lurking about!”

Hero made a jump at their father's sudden outburst “um… yeah?”

He then looked right into Hero’s eyes before asking calmly “Are they nice to you?”

Hero was a bit surprised by all the changes in their dads' mood but answered truthfully “they are an absolute sweetheart”

He kept looking at them for a moment as to trying to prove their bluff “All right… I trust your instinct, and I’ll cover for you this Saturday, but you better work it in later!”

Hero gave a big smile, “of course I will, thanks dad!”

...

Later on, just as the sun was setting, Hero entered into their apartment, there were so many plants all over the place, it could have been mistaken for a jungle. Taking one look at the cramped living room, no one would have believed that the fire powered hero would live here.

They placed some of yesterday’s stew on the stove to reheat as they went to change.

Opening a secret compartment in their closet revealed their costume, it was a deep red with Yellow and dark gray detailing. It was not as tight sitting as the other heroes, nor was it as protective, and had way fewer gadgets. But it was Hero’s and that is what mattered. Checking themselves in the mirror it was quite the contrast to their Civilian self, but equally their true identity.

Then, just as they were about to go check on the stew, there was a loud crack! Followed by a slam! as Supervillains Goons broke in through both the window and the front door.

Before hero knew it, they were cornered. “What? What the bloody hell!” Hero yelled as they took a fighting stance.

“Now, now! Hero! No need for bad language, you know it doesn’t suit you” Right hand said smugly.

“Right hand! What do you want!” They were not sure if they were more confused or mad. Hero have had battles with Supervillain and Right hand before, but never alone. The only time the two of them had fought before, was the few times Superhero asked for help. Hero had been warned to stay away from them and let Superhero take care of it. So why were they here… and how did they find my home. The last thought hit their stomach like a brick, their identity must have been revealed.

“Well, Hero I would love to tell you all the juicy details on how we found you, and why we are taking you. But I know that Supervillain would kill me if I spoiled it.” They were closing in, forcing hero further back. “Now, would you so kindly make this easy and come along without a fight. As that would be greatly appreciated”

Hero glanced over the gang of goons behind Right Hand. They were cornered, and the goons were many, but they are not many enough, they could take them. “I wouldn’t fight if I were you!” Right hand crossed their arms, seem they knew what Hero had been thinking. “I mean it would be a shame if something were to happen to your parents and that little flower shop of yours, now wouldn’t it”

They were right, Right Hand were right, and Hero knew that. But that did not make it any easier, their own body was starting to fight itself not wanting to go willingly, to do something, fight one of them, yell, kick, scream, anything! Their stomach felt like it twisted itself; their lungs refusing air, it hurt, all to stop Hero from surrender.

“Fine, I’ll come along, I won’t fight”

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Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Part 5 : Part 6 : Part 7 : Part 8 : End

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