#Love is stored in the wawa

[lonely--seeker]

I stayed up until 3am drawing wawas last night :)

[spicykellybear]

Me going to draw Serizawa

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Where Will All The Martyrs Go [Chapter 2: I’m The Son Of Rage And Love]

Series summary: In the midst of the zombie apocalypse, both you and Aemond (and your respective travel companions) find yourselves headed for the West Coast. It’s the 2024 version of the Oregon Trail, but with less dysentery and more undead antagonists. Watch out for snakes! 😉🐍

Series warnings: Language, sexual content (18+ readers only), violence, bodily injury, med school Aemond, character deaths, nature, drinking, smoking, drugs, Adventures With Aegon, pregnancy and childbirth, the U.S. Navy, road trip vibes, Jace is here unfortunately.

Series title is a lyric from: “Letterbomb” by Green Day.

Chapter title is a lyric from: “Jesus Of Suburbia” by Green Day.

Word count: 6.2k

💜 All my writing can be found HERE! 💜

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist 🥰

On the shores of the Susquehanna River, just north of Harrisburg, you find a Wawa with no gas: bags on all the pumps, cars with their fuel caps unscrewed and dangling. This is a common courtesy adopted en masse, like rationing during the World Wars or flying American flags after 9/11. It signals that a car has already been siphoned, no gasoline to be found here, no transparent flammable gold made of eons-past decomposition. You wonder if in a few million years, some unfathomable new apex species will be drilling your liquefied remains from the lightless layers of the earth to power their spaceships.

“Then we got sent to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling,” Rio continues, gnawing on a piece of beef jerky, Jack Link’s in a red bag, teriyaki. Mercifully, whoever took the gas left some of the food. You are sitting in the parking lot, a quaint zombie apocalypse picnic, trail mix and Rice Krispies Treats, Herr’s potato chips and Tastykakes, warm soda sipped from plastic bottles. Luke and Rhaena are on the roof of the Tahoe. Jace is tearing the convenience store apart; he is convinced the employees must have kept a gun somewhere in case of robberies. You know he’s fine. You can hear him banging around and swearing in there.

“Then we built some schools and a hospital in Djibouti,” you say.

Aegon is baffled yet intrigued. “Djibouti…?”

“It’s on the Horn of Africa, near Ethiopia and Somalia.”

Luke snorts. “It’s nice of you to assume he knows where Africa is.”

“Huh.” Aegon tosses a green M&M into his mouth. “Djibouti is horny.”

Rio says: “And after that we spent like six months in Key West, and then we got shipped to Corpus Christi, where Chips very narrowly avoided getting impregnated by, marrying, and inevitably acrimoniously divorcing a Marine.”

Everyone laughs except Aemond, who gives you a teasing smirk. “Did you really?”

“Uh, no. He asked me out, I ghosted him, that’s as far as it went.”

“Why’d you ghost him?” Baela says, crunching on Utz Cheese Balls.

Aegon turns to Rio. “You want a Honey Bun?”

“You’re my Honey Bun,” Rio replies. Aegon smiles, his sunburn flushing darker.

You shrug, eat a handful of candied almonds, tell a half-truth. “I just didn’t like him enough.”

Rhaena yelps and points: a snake, black and maybe five feet long, is slithering across the parking lot. It passes beneath the shade of the Tahoe and then continues towards the bushes. A moderate amount of panic erupts.

Helaena glances up from her notebook. “Rat snake. Not venomous.”

Rhaena shudders. “Well, I still don’t like it.”

“Where were you stationed next?” Daeron asks Rio.

“Chinhae, South Korea. Wicked cool place. The people love Americans, the food is incredible. We were there to rebuild a pier that got wrecked in a typhoon. They have these cute dolphin-looking things, they’d swim right up to the edge of the water with fish in their mouths to try to give to us. Like cats bringing home mice for their owners.”

“Finless porpoises,” you say.

“Yeah, those. And after Korea, it was Diego Garcia.”

“Diego…what?” Rhaena says.

Aegon turns to Luke. “Try to act like I’m stupid for not knowing where that is.”

“Diego Garcia is a tiny little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” you say, a bit wistfully. “It’s technically owned by the British, but we share a base there, we use it for airfields and to refuel submarines, things like that. We were renovating the housing facilities for Camp Thunder Cove. At night we’d go to the beach, have a few beers, look out into the ocean and it was just…nothing. Wide open dark nothingness for as far as you could imagine.”

“That’s what we need now,” Helaena murmurs as she makes elegant cursive annotations in her notebook, the cover picturing different species of spiders, a pinktoe tarantula, a green lynx spider, a black widow. “Someplace to go where no one will find us.”

“So you’ve known each other since basic training.” Aemond’s remaining blue eye shifts between you and Rio, like he’s still trying to puzzle it out. There’s really no mystery. You’re friends, and you’ve always been friends, and you’ve never been more than friends, despite many of your fellow seamen’s jokes to the contrary.

You tear open a Slim Jim. Aemond rebandaged your hands this morning, though they barely hurt anymore; he touches you with a clinical, focused restraint. “Not quite that long. Rio enlisted a few months before I did, so we weren’t at Great Lakes together, and then carpenters do technical school in Gulfport, Mississippi near Biloxi, and electricians train at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. We met after we were both assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1.”

“The First and The Finest,” Rio quotes the motto, grinning. “The original Seabees, founded during World War II. People called our battalion the Pioneers, which…is kind of ironic now.”

Aegon says, munching noisily on trail mix: “It’ll be so appropriate when you end up dying of a broken leg or the flu or in some other totally preventable way.”

“It’s so crazy, people died of anything back then,” Luke marvels gravely. “Tuberculosis, pneumonia, infections, starving, freezing, poisoning, getting kicked by a horse, giving birth…”

Rhaena shoots him a fearsome look and Luke shuts up, but of course he can’t take it back. There is a long uncomfortable silence punctuated only by birdsong and Jace’s muffled outbursts from inside the Wawa. Everyone looks at Baela, concerned, pitying, entirely unable to do anything to improve her situation. She is still eating Cheese Balls with one orange-stained hand, but the other rests on her belly.

“Clearly, the timing is less than ideal,” Baela says after a while, and if she’s terrified she doesn’t sound like it. “It wasn’t planned to begin with, but I was determined to make the best of things. I figured that I could still finish up my master’s degree with a baby, and Rhaena and our parents could help, and Jace would be done with law school soon, and it might be stressful for a while but we’d all get through it. And now…” She shrugs wryly. “Now all those plans are gone. Just gone.”

“You’re going to be okay,” Aemond says; a fierce low determination, a promise, a vow.

Baela smiles at Rio. “How old is your baby?”

He is caught off-guard, clears his throat, averts his gaze. Aegon looks over at him, alarmed. “Oh, she, uh…she’s little. Really little. She…” And Rio, so rarely at a loss for words, can’t continue. He eats his beef jerky instead.

You explain for him. “Sophie’s due date was right around the time the phones and internet went down. The last we heard, she was headed to Odessa to stay with Rio’s parents.” Aemond and his companions nod and don’t say what they’re thinking, but it’s swimming in their eyes: Sophie could have died, the baby could have died, they both could have died, you and Rio might be risking your lives to cross the continental United States for nothing. “Rio’s parents live in this…well, I joke around and call it a doomsday prepper cult, but that’s not really what it is, it’s just a farming community out in the middle of nowhere. People who have their own chickens and gardens, churn their own butter, don’t wear deodorant, make medicine out of tree bark…and a lot of them have kind of a survivalist mentality, they stock pantries and collect guns. So we figure we can reunite Rio with his family and then carve out lives for ourselves in relative peace.”

Rio reaches over to bump his fist against your shoulder. He is grateful. You punch him back, fairly forcefully; it’s like hitting a brick wall. Rio is as tall as Aemond but probably outweighs him by a hundred pounds.

You ask Aemond: “What’s in the Bay Area?”

“Our parents have a beach house. It’s up on a cliff by itself, pretty isolated, and surrounded by state parks. That’s where they were when everything shut down. I assume they’re still there.”

“Beach house?” Rio raises his eyebrows. “On a cliff?”

Rich kids. REALLY rich kids. “Your parents couldn’t just fly you to California in a private jet or something?” you say.

“Our pilots stole the jets,” Aemond replies, not realizing you were joking.

“Oh.”

“Jace and Luke’s parents were home in London, so getting there isn’t really an option, and then Baela and Rhaena…”

“Mum and Dad were on a business trip to Moscow,” Baela says. “I’d like to think they weren’t eaten, but…they were probably eaten.”

“I am so sorry,” you manage awkwardly.

A single zombie goes shuffling past the Wawa on the main street, a woman in a floral church dress, hair falling out of its curls, one pink high heel that clicks on the pavement, blood all over her mouth and chin. She notices the nine of you and begins to hiss, lurching closer. Daeron shoots her down and then trots over to retrieve his arrows, yanking them out of her cheek and eye socket. Rhaena winces. Aemond, distracted, bites into a Nature Valley granola bar. Aegon opens a can of Pringles, pizza-flavored.

Luke is peering through his binoculars, looking south towards Harrisburg. Faintly, you can see sunlight glinting off the gilded statue of a woman—the Spirit of the Commonwealth—that tops the green clay tile dome of the state capitol building. “What is that?”

“The sculpture?” you say.

“No. Farther away. Those big concrete towers, right on the water.”

Now you know exactly what he means…and you’d forgotten all about it. It’s an oversight you hope doesn’t cost too much. “That’s Three Mile Island. And we should leave so we can put more space between it and us.”

“Oh, fuck me…” Rio mutters.

Now everyone else is squinting to see the facility, barely visible from the Wawa. “Why?” Aemond asks you.

“Because it’s a nuclear power plant. And since the electricity is out everywhere, as soon as its backup generators fail, it will melt down and the whole area around it will become radioactive.”

Aegon puts two Pringles into his mouth so they look like a duck bill. “How do you know?”

“Did no one else go through a Chernobyl obsession phase in high school?”

“The professor mentioned it in one of my chemistry classes,” Aemond says, but he sounds doubtful; this must have been years ago, when he was consumed by med school prerequisites and had no space left in his brain for mere curiosity.

“Okay, listen up.” Rio knows the key points; he’s had to study different sources of electrical power. He demonstrates with dramatic hand gestures. “You have super radioactive reactor fuel, usually uranium or plutonium. You have a pool of water around it that circulates continuously. The heat of the fuel evaporates the water, which makes steam, which spins turbines, thus creating power. But if the external electricity fails, the water stops circulating, and the heat vaporizes all of it, and when there’s no more water the reactor fuel overheats and melts through the floor and poisons the earth, air, and groundwater. Any questions?”

There is a chorus of distressed chattering as people swiftly rise to their feet, clutching armfuls of snacks for the road. Jace comes trudging out of the Wawa, conspicuously not in possession of a firearm.

“No luck?” Daeron asks.

“Obviously not.” Then Jace snaps at Aemond: “Why were you stomping around all pissed off in the medicine aisle earlier? What were you looking for?”

“Nothing,” Aemond says quickly.

“Seriously, dude, what was it?”

“Nothing!”

“Damn, Plankton, calm down.” Jace shields his face from the sun, following Luke’s nervous eyeline towards the concrete cooling towers to the south. “What’s that?”

“Three Mile Island,” you say. “And we’re leaving now.”

Aegon yawns loudly. “I’m so full! Rio, can you carry me to the car?” And before anyone can tell Aegon to shut up, Rio has crouched down to let him scramble onto his back. Aegon cackles and waves his can of Pringles around as Rio sprints to the Tahoe. Now there are a few more zombies stumbling up the street, but you don’t waste arrows or bullets on them. Baela runs them down as she swerves out of the parking lot and drives northwest, heading towards Clarks Ferry Bridge where you will cross the Susquehanna River in a less populated area and commence the long slog to the Ohio border. She turns up the volume on the CD player: London Bridge by Fergie. Immediately, Rio, Aegon, Daeron, Rhaena, and Luke are singing along.

Baela checks the fuel gauge and looks at Aemond in the rearview mirror. “We have half a tank left.”

“We’ll find gas somewhere.”

“Aemond, it’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.”

“You’re not going to be able to walk to California.”

Baela can’t think of a response. He’s right. Outside, the miles roll by in a blur of radiant, reptilian, early-summer green.

~~~~~~~~~~

Each time the interstate is blocked by a snarl of crashed vehicles or a backup too thick to navigate through—both common occurrences—Aegon digs the folded map out of his shorts and charts a new course for Baela to follow. This particular divergence might prove fortunate. The Tahoe has rolled into Distant, Pennsylvania, an Appalachian speck of a town, churches, coal mines, dilapidated old sheds. On the outskirts, perched on a hill and surrounded by oak trees, you find a small single-story brick house with a myriad of banners on the flagpole: an American flag, a Confederate flag, a black POW/MIA flag, Don’t Tread On Me, Trump 2024.

“Yeah,” Aegon says, scratching his scruffy chin as he peers up through the windshield. “I feel like they probably owned guns.”

“How do we know they’re not still home?” Baela asks warily.

“No car in the driveway,” Aemond observes. “No windows boarded up. They probably ran into trouble while they were out somewhere and never made it back.” Then he waits, the question upspoken. Are we going to risk it?

“We’re down,” Rio says after exchanging a glance with you.

Aemond turns to Jace. Jace—curly dark hair down to his shoulders, eyes on the house, chewing his full bottom lip apprehensively—doesn’t reply at first.

“You said you wanted a gun, Jace. All the Walmarts are cleaned out. This is what shopping looks like now.”

“Fine. Okay. Let’s go.”

Baela parks the Tahoe in the gravel driveway and tells Rhaena and Luke to stay inside with Helaena until the property has been cleared. The rest of you climb out, afternoon sun and mountain wind, dandelions crushed under your shoes. There’s a barn behind the house, you see now, gaps between the wooden boards and flaking red paint.

Luke is standing up through the open sunroof, inspecting the scene with his binoculars. “No movement.”

“We’ll take the house, if you want,” Rio tells Aemond. You’re clutching your borrowed baseball bat with bandaged hands, though it still feels unnatural; your M9 is in its holster in case of emergencies. Jace, Baela, and Daeron start plodding across the yard towards the barn. The grass is tall and mostly shaded, the oak trees decades old, massive, weaving a patchwork canopy of leaves.

Aegon trots over and slaps Aemond on his left shoulder, his blind side. Aemond says without looking at him: “I’ll go with them. You wait out here.”

Aegon drives an imaginary ball with his golf club. “I’m very sensitive to rejection, you know.”

“You’ll survive.” Then Aemond follows you and Rio to the house.

Rio tries the knob, locked. He doesn’t waste a bullet by trying to shoot the lock off the door, something that is far less reliable than movies would have you believe. He kicks it open instead, three tries and then the screws that secure the latch give way and the door swings ajar. You wait, counting seconds in your head, listening for growls or footsteps. There are no sounds except the breeze sighing through the trees, the warbles and wing flaps of birds. You steal a glimpse of the barn. Jace, Baela, and Daeron have unhooked the rusted iron latch and are venturing inside, Daeron last and glancing around watchfully, his compound bow already drawn. Rio steps into the house.

It’s hot, stifling, all the windows shut. But this has its advantages. You inhale deeply: no trace of decomposition, no black swampy nauseating rot, just dust and lemon Pledge and old-people staleness.

“Smells fine,” Rio says. And then, loudly: “Anyone home? We’re just looking for supplies. We don’t want to hurt you. If anybody is here, just let us know and we’d be happy to leave. And, uh, sorry about the door.”

You stay close to Rio as he sweeps through the living room—floral couch, television turned off, crosses on the walls—and then the kitchen, where bananas are turning black on the counter. Aemond is to your right; he’s placed you on his blind side. He trusts me, you think. When did that happen? You haven’t heard anything from Aegon or the barn. That must be going well.

In the bedroom, Aemond pulls the curtains open to let some light in. You search the drawers, the closet, under the bed. No weapons. The bathroom has 1950s-style pink porcelain, the dining room table is set for a meal that never happened. There is a deer head mounted on the wall, ten points, not bad.

“I can’t believe these fuckers didn’t have guns,” Rio says. “But where the hell are they?!”

You have always watched more than you’ve spoken. That’s why you’re good at shooting things, and why you’re still alive. Rio talks and you listen; Rio acts and you reflect. “Wait.” You turn to Aemond. “Did you see a cellar outside?”

“A what?” He is perplexed. “Like…a wine cellar…?”

“No. A regular cellar.” You walk back into the midday heat and circle the house, Aemond and Rio hurrying to keep up. Over by the barn, everyone else is stretched out across the grass, joking, relaxing, Baela with her hammer on the ground and her hands laced over her belly, Helaena cradling a praying mantis in her palms and showing it to Rhaena. Aegon is teaching Luke how to smoke with a pack of Marlboro Golds he found at the Wawa. Luke, game yet somewhat anxious, takes a puff and then immediately coughs until he starts retching.

“I want to try too,” Daeron says.

Aegon shakes his head, taking a nonchalant drag off his own cigarette. “Nope. Not for you. Illegal. You’re under eighteen.”

“I want to try!”

“Shut up, you can’t even vote.”

“Nobody can vote, the government has collapsed!”

You find it at the back of the house: a pair of large metal doors leading down into the underground cellar. The weeds have begun to encroach on them, wild violets and black nightshade.

“Awesome!” Rio says, lifting the doors open one at a time, the hinges shrieking. They’re heavy, but they cause him no trouble. Underneath is a staircase and a room dark with shadows; you can see a light switch that won’t work, the electricity long gone. Rio unclips the flashlight from his  belt—taken from Saratoga Springs, waterproof with a 90-degree head so it doesn’t roll, known as a Moonbeam—and ducks down into the cellar. It’s a small room, easy to clear, and then you can start inventorying your findings. Rio is laughing, ecstatic. There is a workbench, a coil of thick rope, an array of tools—screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, saws—some homemade leather wallets and holsters, cans of Brillo color spray…and then a treasure trove of weapons mounted on the walls.

You scan the collection. “We got Marlin .22s, we got Ruger Magnums, we got Remington 12 gauges, we got hunting knives…and one Glock 20.”

“A lot of ammo under here, Chips,” Rio says, yanking boxes out from beneath the workbench and stacking them on the floor, organized by caliber.

“No scopes?”

“Not that I’ve seen yet.”

You lift one of the Remingtons off its hooks and examine it: dusty, unloaded, vines of rust on the receiver. “We’ll have to go through and sight all of them. I don’t think they’ve been used in a while.”

“That’ll be a lot of noise. But here’s the place to do it, I guess. Low population, and we’re not staying.”

“Exactly.”

“Sight them for close range, like ten yards?”

“Yeah, that should work.”

Aemond says, eyebrow raised: “I didn’t know the Navy used shotguns.”

“Everyone hunts where I’m from.” You put the Remington down on the workbench then pick up the Glock, a box of 10mm ammo, and a can of Brillo. “Come on. Grab one of those hammers. I’ll show you how to shoot.”

You bound up the cellar steps and out into the shade of the oak trees, not stopping until you are at the edge of the property. Across the backyard where he lounges on the grass, Aegon gestures to the barn and asks Luke: “What’s in there anyway?”

“Nothing. Saddles and a few dead horses.”

“Oh, dynamite, I gotta see the dead horses.”

Jace says: “Aegon, man, what is your diagnosis?”

You use the can of Brillo to spray a large chocolate-colored circle onto a tree trunk, then make another two feet above that. You count your steps as you walk back towards Aemond: approximately ten yards. You load a single bullet in the Glock, aim for the bottom circle, and fire. A hole appears at the very edge of the circle. You take the hammer from Aemond and give the rear sight a few knocks. “This isn’t recommended, but it usually works.”

Aemond is smiling. “Okay.”

You load the full magazine and try again. The bullet hits closer to the middle this time. “Here. Both hands.”

Aemond takes the Glock but hesitates. “Is…my eye…?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. A lot of people close one eye anyway when they’re aiming. I always do.”

He is relieved. “Oh. Good.”

You tap the underside of the Glock. Aemond obediently lifts it. “The line of sight is slightly higher than the barrel, so you have to account for that. And then gravity will pull the bullet lower, and the longer the range of the shot, the more it will drop. So when you fire, the barrel should be angled upwards just the tiniest bit, not horizontal.”

“Like throwing a football.”

“Yeah, exactly. It’s an arc, not a straight line. At first it’ll feel like you’re trying to do all these calculations in your head, and it will be overwhelming, but then it becomes muscle memory and you don’t even have to think about it.” Jace, Baela, and Daeron are now eagerly crossing the yard to help Rio carry the guns out of the cellar and receive their own lessons. “Alright, we’re going to start with a really terrifying enemy. I want you to shoot that tree.”

“What a formidable tree.”

“Aim for the top circle. And if you hit it, then you can practice on Jace.”

Aemond laughs, butter-yellow sunlight filtering down through the trees, the shadows of leaves flickering over his skin, a mosaic of flesh and earth. You ghost your open hand down the length of his arm as if adjusting the angle. Really, you just want to touch him, to feel his warmth and his stillness, the tension of his muscles, the rhythm of his pulse. He’s watching you, lips parted, goosebumps rising beneath your fingertips. Birds are chirping, sparrows and blue jays. High above, squirrels leap and scrabble through the branches. You pull your hand away.

“Look through the sights. The rear sight at the back of the barrel is shaped like a U, and the one at the front is an I. Is the I in the middle of the U?”

“I have no idea.” A pause as he reconsiders. “Yes.”

“Right, it is, and the bullet should go exactly where you want it to because I already sighted that Glock. I’ll show you how to do it later. Now shoot the tree.”

Aemond aims but doesn’t pull the trigger. He’s nervous; he doesn’t want to seem incompetent, pathetic. You imagine it is rare that he isn’t the one with the solutions.

“Hey,” you say softly, and he looks over at you. “You don’t judge me for not knowing how to cure people. I won’t judge you for not knowing how to kill them. Deal?”

Now he’s smiling again. “Deal.” He returns his attention to the tree, lets a few more seconds tick by, and fires. He hits one of the branches. “Oh, that is…embarrassing.”

“It’s not that bad. You hit something. Try again.”

More seconds, more birdsong, more wind through the grass and the leaves. Aemond’s second bullet pierces the trunk about six inches above the top circle. “Yes!” he cheers, boyish triumph on his scarred face.

You resist touching him. It is startlingly difficult. “That was really good.”

He lowers the Glock, and you click the safety on for him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” you say.

“Why’d you ghost that Marine at Corpus Christi?”

“I told you. I didn’t like him enough.”

“Okay, sure, but actually. What was wrong with him?”

“I’ve known you for like twenty-four hours. You think you’ve earned all my secrets?”

“Well, not all of them,” Aemond says, grinning. Rio is showing Jace, Baela, and Daeron how to load the .22s. Aegon is swinging his golf club in circles as he follows Luke into the barn. Helaena and Rhaena are giggling as butterflies land on their outstretched fingers. “But our time together could be very finite. It seems unwise to waste it by trying to preserve some amount of mystery.”

“You’ve convinced me.” You want to be known by him, you want to be understood. That is a frightening thing to realize. It’s like handing a stranger the keys to your home. Will they visit graciously, or will they rob you, ruin you, burn you down? “I haven’t seen many examples of love working out for people. I’ve seen couples who hated each other, and couples who split up, and a lot of women having to raise kids all on their own and turning into these…bitter, exhausted, hollowed-out versions of themselves. I never wanted that to be me. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve felt like that was just one wrong choice away from becoming my life. I don’t want men to disappoint me. So I don’t give them the chance.”

You think Aemond is going to say something cheap, flirtatious, awful: Give me a chance, baby. I won’t disappoint you. Instead he says: “I haven’t known many happy couples either. I mean…Luke and Rhaena would be the closest, I guess. But they’re so young. I’m not sure if they count.”

“Rio and Sophie seem happy. But they’ve also barely seen each other in five years.”

“It does things to you, when you start to believe love might be doomed to end or tear you apart or turn to hatred. If it’s just an evolutionary mirage to trick us into reproducing, what’s the point of giving someone that power over you?”

“Exactly.”

“I feel like one of us should be trying to talk the other out of being so fatalistically cynical.”

“Yeah, totally. Okay. You talk me out of it.”

He chuckles. “No, I don’t think I can. You talk me out of it.”

You’re watching Aemond, realizing you like everything about him—his smirk, his height, his hands, the clear direct blue of his eye—and wondering what the hell you’re going to do about it. Then there is a scream from the barn.

What?? Who??

“Luke!” Aemond shouts, and takes off across the yard. Now you’re all running, even Rhaena and Helaena who don’t have anything to fight with. Everyone is yelling, their lungs heaving in wild June air, their shoes pounding against the earth.

Inside the barn, on a wooden floor strewn with hay, Luke is shrieking as he tries to push a zombie off of him with his bare hands. She’s an older woman, grey hair in rollers, yellow nightgown stained with gore. Something has happened to her feet. Both of her legs end in exposed tibias and flapping strips of purplish, rotting skin. Aegon is beating her with his golf club, but he can’t get a good shot at her head. If he accidentally hits Luke, he could make it worse, he could stun him or even knock him out, and he’ll be bitten in the few seconds it takes anyone to remove his undead assailant. Rio lunges to grab the zombie. She snaps at him with bared teeth and he retreats, drawing his M9.

“Don’t shoot!” Jace is saying. The air is putrid: dead horses, dead people. “You’ll hit Luke!”

Your own M9 is suddenly in your hands, the safety clicked off, one eye closed. “Luke, don’t move.”

“Kill it, kill it!” he pleads hysterically, pushing the zombie as far from him as he can, his palms sinking into the decomposing bruise-colored tissue of her chest and throat.

“Don’t shoot!” Jace orders, but you ignore him. He fades into the background with all the other frenzied voices. Your finger on the trigger, a boom like thunder, bits of bone and brains against the wall. Luke shoves the corpse away, trembling, sobbing. Rhaena flies to him.

Aegon spots the fresh blood on Luke’s right hand and panics. “Is that a bite?!”

Luke notices the wound for the first time. “I don’t know!”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!”

“I don’t know!” Luke wails, tears flooding down his pink face.

“I thought you cleared the barn!” Aemond roars at Aegon.

“It fell out of the loft, we didn’t think anything was up there!”

Luke is blubbering: “I hit my hand against one of the stalls, I think that’s how I cut myself, I was just…I was pushing it away…I didn’t think it bit me…oh my God, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t want to die…”

“It only takes once, kid,” Rio says grimly, fidgeting with his M9, looking at Aemond as if for permission.

“Don’t touch him!” Jace hisses, stepping in front of his brother and clutching his bat. “No one is going to hurt him, it’s not a bite, you can’t prove it’s a bite!”

You reach for Luke’s bleeding hand. “Can I see—?”

“Get away from him!” Jace swings his bat. The tip of it connects with your skull, just a graze fortunately, but still enough to rattle you. Rio charges Jace, tackles him to the floor, starts throwing punches. Baela has apparently forgotten she’s heavily pregnant and is trying to pull them apart. You join her.

He’s going to demolish Jace. He’s going to break his nose or jaw or something. “Rio stop, I’m fine, stop!”

There is another gunshot, a cataclysmic earth-shaking explosion that makes the pain in your head surge from a ripple to a wave. Aemond is aiming his Glock skywards; a hole has appeared in the roof of the barn. “Stand up!” he commands. Rio and Jace reluctantly comply. You help Baela to her feet.

“Aemond,” Jace says. “You have to stop them, they’re going to kill Luke—”

“No one is killing anybody.” Aemond lowers his Glock. “Maybe he’s been bitten. Maybe he hasn’t been. And even if we knew for sure that he was going to turn, we don’t just execute people like this, threatening them when they’re terrified. We have humanity. We have compassion.”

There is a silence that strikes you as heavy, laden, holding meaning that escapes you. Aegon points at Luke. “So what the fuck are we going to do about him?”

“We’ll tie him up,” Aemond decides.

“What?!” Luke exclaims.

“There’s rope in the cellar. We’ll tie his arms and legs so he can’t do anything and keep him like that for a few days until either his hand heals up or he turns into a zombie. Someone will always have to be with him to help him eat and take a piss and also…you know. Deal with it if he turns.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Rhaena says immediately.

Aemond’s voice is now gentle, sympathetic. “I don’t think you want this.”

“If Luke has to die, I should be the person with him.”

“You’ve never had to put someone down before.” And in this statement lives another: Aemond knows what that feels like. Aemond has had to kill someone when they turned.

“I’ll stay with him,” Rhaena says again, this frail harmless doe-eyed girl, and you see a steeliness in her that you hadn’t thought existed.

“Okay,” Aemond relents. “When you’re asleep, Jace or I will take over.”

“It’s not a bite,” Jace murmurs, like he’s trying to convince himself.

“We’ll all find out soon enough,” Rio says, casting him a glare, then goes to fetch the coil of rope from the cellar.

Aemond cleans and bandages the wound on Luke’s hand. Then the weapons, ammo, and newly immobilized Luke are loaded into the Tahoe. Aemond asks you once everyone else is inside: “How’s your head?”

“Fine, I think.”

“Hurts?”

“Just a little.”

“Dizzy? Double vision?”

“No, nothing like that.”

He takes a quick look, parting your hair with his fingertips, feeling gingerly for blood and swelling. And this is becoming a serious problem: every time he touches you, you want more.

“Aemond…who did you have to kill?”

He doesn’t answer. For another moment his hand lingers by your temple, then Aemond turns away and climbs into the Tahoe. This time, no one sings along to the next song on the mixtape. Heads rest on windows, eyes are vacant and misty. Baela steers the Tahoe westbound on Route 1004, the Chainsmokers drifting through the speakers: All We Know.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Pick a card, any card,” Aegon says when he’s done shuffling. He fans out the entire Uno deck face-down and offers it to Rio, Aemond, and Jace. They each select a card, then Aegon picks one for himself. Finally, he holds out the deck to Luke, who stares up incredulously from where he’s still bound with rope and sitting on a curb in the parking lot of a Burger King just outside of Yarnell, Pennsylvania.

“Are you serious?”

“You’re an adult male, aren’t you? You think being in the middle of transforming into an undead murder machine exempts you from gasoline siphoning duty?”

“I’m fine!” Luke insists.

“Great. Then pick a card.”

“I can’t move my hands, you idiot.”

“Pick it with your mouth.”

“I hate you.” Luke bites his card of choice and waits with it clasped between his teeth, glowering.

“I want to pick a card,” Daeron says cheerfully.

Aegon refuses. “No. Too young. A baby.”

“Aegon, I’m seventeen!”

“Can’t enlist, can’t do jury duty, can’t buy lottery tickets, can’t sign up to drink gasoline. Okay, everybody show their cards.”

“I got a three,” Jace says, then yanks Luke’s card out of his mouth and reads it. “He got a skip.”

Aemond’s card is a nine, Rio’s a five, Aegon’s a reverse. “That means you lose, Jace,” Aegon announces, admittedly rather gleeful. “You had the lowest number.”

“This is bullshit, I had to siphon last time!”

“Then stop picking bad cards.”

“Jace, I can do it,” Aemond says.

“And get to be the martyr, as usual? No thanks. Give me the damn hose.”

Aegon roots around under the Tahoe seats and produces a long, semitransparent siphoning hose. “All the ones with the little pump attachments were sold out everywhere by the time we thought that might be useful,” he explains to you and Rio.

“That sucks, Jace,” Rio says. “I mean, literally, it sucks.”

“Next time we cross a bridge, I’m pushing you off it.” Jace takes the hose from Aegon, pops open the gas cap of the Dodge Ram 3500 you’ve found, and threads the hose down into the tank. He sucks on the other end and then shoves it into the Tahoe once the gasoline starts flowing. The fuel gauge was hovering just above E. Hopefully you can get at least a few gallons out of the Ram, another fifty or a hundred miles, maybe even two hundred, enough to get you across the Ohio border.

Jace is bent over and vomiting gasoline onto the pavement. Rhaena and Baela sit with Luke as Aemond feels his forehead and peers into his eyes. Daeron accompanies Helaena as she goes to scavenge inside the Burger King, her burlap messenger bag slung over one shoulder. Rio is now holding the siphoning hose and watching the liquid gold pour into the Tahoe, his smile growing with each passing second. Your eyes fall on Aemond and stay there, his careful hands, his brow knitted with concentration.

A whisper from behind you: “We could fake date to make him jealous.”

You whirl to see Aegon, mischievous smirk, neon green plastic sunglasses. “That is a super generous offer and I appreciate the thought you put into it, but no.”

“Why not?”

“It’s dishonest. It’s manipulative. If something is going to happen with Aemond, I want it to be real.”

Aegon sighs. “No, you’re right, it was a dumb idea. I just figured I have a lot of experience.”

“Experience with what?”

“People pretending to love me.” He flashes a strange, sad smile, then follows Daeron and Helaena into the Burger King.

[janeyseymour]

As per your request! I just copied and pasted it from my comment!!

Also. Love your stories. Love it when you post them. They’re just always so short!! I’m so greedy! I always want more!! I’m always full of ideas so if you need any just ask. (I feel like you don’t need them though you do so well writing!) I’m far to ADHD to actually write any of them so happy for you to create the magic lol

They randomly meet a few weeks/months later in a coffee shop and sit down and chat… or she just happens to Bert her bestie Ava at the school hoping to get a glimpse of her!!

I dunno. You’re the artist! As long as it’s happy and smooshy!! 🥰

Thank you for your sweet, sweet words! As requested, here is part 2! I definitely didn't follow the prompt at all, but this is what I came up with, and I hope it's okay!

Enchanted- pt 2

Part 1

WC: ~2.4k

You went to text Ava the next day after meeting Melissa, but you just couldn’t find the courage. So here you are, still just sitting at your desk job, thinking about her. Your mind is filled with what she could be doing right now- actually you know what she’s doing: it’s 11 am on a Monday morning. She’s at school, probably teaching her second graders. You sit there for another half an hour before it’s finally time for your lunch break, and you take the walk down to the Wawa around the corner like you usually do. 

Melissa opens up her Tupperware container, only to let out a loud groan at the odor that comes out of it.

“What the hell is that smell?” Ava scrunches her nose up as she walks in.

“I knew it was a risk bringing this today,” the redhead grumbles as she dumps the contents out into the trash can. “But I thought I could get another day out of it.”

“Damn, girl,” the principal laughs. “That sucks. Wawa lunch for you, I guess.”

“Anyone want anything?” the second grade teacher asks as she slings her bag over her shoulder. Jacob goes to say something, but he’s cut off by Melissa loudly announcing, “Alright, if no one wants anything, I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

She storms her way down to the convenience store- the same convenience store that you’re currently standing in. She sees you as soon as she walks in.

You’re not nearly as dressed up as you were the other night when she saw you, and you look to be in deep concentration as you decide what you want for lunch that day. She chuckles as she watches your furrow your brows deeper than she ever thought possible. She’s absolutely enamored.

“For Christ’s sake, Y/N,” you chastise yourself quietly. “Just pick something.”

She stands behind you and laughs softly. “You know, you can’t go wrong with their quesadillas.”

You nearly jump three feet in the air. You weren’t expecting anybody to come up behind you, and you certainly weren’t ready for the woman that has been occupying your thoughts to be there.

“Oh my…” you take a deep breath as you look at her. She looks… wow. Your cheeks instantly heat up. “Hey, Melissa.”

“Hey, hun,” she chuckles. “You forget lunch today too?”

You don’t really want to admit this, but you aren’t about to lie. “I usually take a walk down here everyday for lunch.”

“Everyday?”

“Like clock work,” you tell her, as you still mull over what to get for lunch. “It’s so bad most of the employees here know me by name.”

As if on cue, one of the workers there looks up and gives you a grin. “Hey, Y/N! The usual today?”

“Usual?” Melissa smirks.

“Aw, yeah!” the employee grins. “Homegirl comes in everyday!”

“Damn, you weren’t kidding’,” the redhead mutters, smirk still written on her face. She hip checks you lightly, effectively making you move over. She hits a few buttons, and then looks at you expectantly. You just stand there, not quite sure what you’re supposed to do.

“Oi,” the woman rolls her eyes. “Put in your order before I order for you.”

“Oh, no,” you stumble out. “I- I couldn’t ask you to pay for my-”

“You didn’t ask, I’m just doin’ it. And I ain’t gonna hear any arguments,” she tells you sternly.

“Melissa, I-”

“Hey, kid!” the teacher calls to the employee that greeted you. “What’s her order?”

He rattles it off as Melissa taps through the different screens, and you give him a look of betrayal. She prints off the ticket, wanders over to the drinks and grabs a raspberry tea before heading for the register.

“Melissa, you really don’t have to,” you try again.

She’s already handing the ticket over to the man behind the counter and pulling her card out of her wallet though.

“At least let me give you cash… or Venmo?”

“Absolutely not,” she rolls her eyes. The two of you stand and wait for them to make your meals, and when she hands in the printed paper and gets your food, she hands it to you with a smile. “Enchanted.”

With a hair toss, she makes her way out. The entire walk back to your office, you grin. She bought you lunch. She said, ‘enchanted’ again. Then, you mentally kick yourself because you didn’t ask her out, you didn’t ask for her number, you didn’t tell her you would get the next meal, you didn’t even reply with that one word that seems to be your thing now.

You eat your usual order from Wawa, and there’s something about it… it just tastes so much better.

As Melissa struts back into the school, she has that confident smile on her face.

“Damn, what happened to you in that Wawa, girl?” Ava laughs as she watches the redhead settle back into her seat and take a bite of her hoagie.

“Oh, nothin’,” the redhead shrugs. “Just saw a friend there.”

The next day, Melissa doesn’t come into school with a container full of her own cooking like she usually does. She doesn’t even enter the staff room when lunchtime rolls around. Instead, she grabs her bag and heads down the street to hopefully run into you again at the Wawa. 

You’re standing there again, ordering your meal, although you look a little frustrated today. She doesn’t know that your frustration is because you had been standing there for ten minutes, hoping she would come in. You had just admitted defeat and decided to order when she waltzed in.

“Rough day?” the redhead saunters over and asks you.

Your eyes go wide, and the mental fog is lifted when you hear her voice and smell her perfume. “Hey.”

“Rough day?” she repeats.

You shake your head. “Just a little tired,” you tell her as you move to the side so she can put in her order. “I can’t focus on anything at work.”

She taps away on the screen, ordering hers and then also yours. 

You swallow hard. “You remember my order?”

“Course I do,” she shrugs. She hits the button to print the ticket, but as she goes to grab it, you take it first. You make your way over to the drink stations, grab a diet coke, and gesture for her to get her own drink. She grabs a raspberry tea again and then follows you to the register. As you go to hand your card over, a gentle hand slaps your card out of your hand and to the ground. She’s standing there with a smirk as she goes to hand her own card over.

“Aye, Schemmenti,” you playfully growl as you bend over to pick your card up. “It’s my turn to buy.”

“Nah, I got this one,” she chuckles. She also goes to hand her card over, but you smack it out of her hand and throw your card at the employee- a man who is used to seeing you come in and actually checked the two of you out yesterday.

“It’s her turn,” the man shrugs with a cheeky smile as he takes your card, although he does slightly cower at Melissa’s glare. Then the redhead turns to you and immediately turns softer.

“Thank you,” she places a gentle hand on your shoulder. “But I got next one.”

“Alright, alright,” you laugh as the two of you head over to the counter to wait for your meals.

“So, you forgot your lunch again?” you ask her.

“Yeah,” she sighs. “Had it out on the counter and left it.” It’s a complete and total lie. She knew she had to test fate to see you again.

The two of you chat while they get your order together, and once again, she’s bidding you a goodbye with a gentle, ‘enchanted’. This time, you get to say it back, and your smiles and blushes are quite similar to each other. 

This continues for the next few weeks, until one day she doesn’t show up at the Wawa like she usually does. Your day sucks. And you’re supposed to meet with Ava after the school day to go get your nails done. You know she’s going to be onto you when you show up in a bad mood.

“Damn girl,” she rolls her eyes and raises a brow. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”

“Nothin’,” you roll your eyes back. “Let’s just get our nails done and gossip.”

“You know I’m always down for that shit,” she laughs.

The two of you talk for a while as the ladies do your nails before it the conversation turns to your love life.

“Well, who is it this week?” your best friend asks you.

“No one,” you sigh.

“Well no wonder you’re in a bitch mood- you need to get some!”

“Girl, you make me sound like I’m with someone new every weekend, and you know for a fact that I am very much not like that,” you roll your eyes.

“You have to have your eye on someone,” the principal says. “Otherwise you would be out at the bar looking for someone!”

You mull over telling her, and before you know it, the words are spilling out of your mouth, “Well, I do have my eye on one person, but it’ll never happen, so…”

“Ooh, girl! You got tea! Spill it!”

“It’s really not a big deal,” you tell her, hoping she doesn’t pry. Of course she does, it’s Ava, so you have to go about describing Melissa without Ava being able to catch on.

“She’s a little older than us, she’s tough on the outside but has a soft spot for me,” you tell her. “Easy on the eyes, smart as a whip.”

“Girl, why didn’t you tell me you were practically dating someone?! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re describing Schemmenti."

“I’m not,” you roll your eyes. “I really just see M- this woman when we run into each other at Wawa.”

“What’s her name?” the principal wiggles her eyebrows, all too interested in your love life.

“Enough about my love life,” you shut her down. “Anything interesting happen at school today?”

“I had to cover Schemmenti’s classes today,” Ava tells you. “Woman sounded awful today when she was calling out.”

It clicks in your head that that’s why she wasn’t there to meet you at the Wawa like she usually did, and it isn’t like she has your number to let you know she wasn’t going to meet you. You instantly feel a bit of relief that she didn’t just decide not to come- but you feel bad that she isn’t feeling well.

“Oh?” you try to hide how you actually feel about it. “Is she alright?”

“Nasty cough,” your best friend tells you. “But she assured me she’d be back tomorrow… Red never calls out, so I knew she was feeling pretty shitty.”

“That sucks,” you sigh softly. “Hopefully she’s back tomorrow.”

“So you can ‘run into her at Wawa’?” your best friend blind sides you with her casual remark.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say quickly, hoping to cover yourself.

“Oh, please,” she waves the hand that isn’t being painted right now. “I saw the eyes the two of you were giving each other at the fundraiser, and Melissa has been going to Wawa everyday since the one day her lunch went bad. I know she’s going to the same Wawa you go to everyday, and she always comes back in a better mood. I put it together about a week in. And you just confirmed it.”

“I did not.”

“Girl, remember, I’ve known you since we were five. I know when you’re lying. Listen, she’s your type, your hers. I say go for it.”

“Maybe I will… if she’s feeling better and at school tomorrow.”

“If I know Schemmenti, she will be,” Ava rolls her eyes. “She might be half asleep, and an absolute bitch tomorrow, but she’ll be there.”

Melissa looks like hell as she drags herself into the Wawa, but to you she still looks gorgeous as ever. When she spots you, her eyes light up.

“The usual?” she asks you as the two of you head to the ordering stations. Her voice is barely there.

“Mel, you should be home resting,” you tell her pointedly.

“I’m fine,” she grumbles. “Besides, I can’t miss. The kids have important tests coming up, and-” she interrupts herself to cough. It sounds awful.

You lay a gentle hand on her shoulder and rub it soothingly. Once she’s finished coughing, she sighs. 

“Soup instead of your usual hoagie?” you ask her, already pressing buttons to order her a chicken noodle soup.

She looks defeated but nods. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

You insist on paying, telling her to let herself be taken care of. She begrudgingly listens, mumbling about how she’s a Philly girl and she can handle herself. You roll your eyes, but you assure her that she’s still a tough Philly girl- that it’s okay to lean on someone else. As the two of you are standing there, she coughs a few times. Again, you lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. When she’s finally done coughing, she quite literally leans into your body just slightly.

“Sorry I ditched ya yesterday,” she wheezes out. “I couldn’t drag myself out of bed.”

“No need to apologize,” you assure her. “I’m glad you were home getting some rest.”

“I just kept wishing I had a way to tell you,” she mutters.

“Well, why don’t I just give you my number, so if that happens again… or you want to get something besides Wawa with me, we can text?” you shoot your shot with the woman.

“That sounds… enchanting,” she smiles softly. “When I’m feeling better, I’ll make us dinner? I’m one hell of a cook.”

“I’d be enchanted,” you tell her warmly.

As the two of you separate, you get a text from her. Enchanted.

By the time the end of the work day is over, Ava has texted you too. Bitchhh! I’m assuming you shot your shot. Red came back into the school practically dancing.

Yeah. You’re just starting this chapter of life- that one night was truly enchanting, and it really was the very first page. 

Next

[deadmotelsusa]

Been following for a while (even bought the pins; love ‘em!) and just wanted share a dead motel that I’d stumbled across recently. It appears to have closed sometime during the pandemic. Doubt that it gets resurrected, given the price of real estate in the area.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/e59tzRhc2LBGSKcW9?g_st=ic

The Stratford Motor Lodge of Falls Church, Virginia closed in 2021. There have been multiple proposed development plans, including a senior living center or Wawa convenience store, but they all fell through. In September 2023, another application was filed with plans to revitalize a portion of the building into a restaurant.

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Addendum to this poll which is itself inspired by this post:

[screamingsquamousthings]

inspired by that best regional restaurant poll

[aturnoftheearth]

top 5 places you’ve stopped on a road trip or while camping :]

omg okay dani said “top 5 places you’ve been” so for this one i will do stops along roadtrips :D

most love’s travel stops lmfao. in 2021 i made an offhand joke about “loves my beloved” bc “my beloved” was a huge meme back then and we went to one and i liked it so. the meme was born. and to this day everyone in my family will say “where’s the nearest love’s my beloved?” and we stop at sooo many on our trips

greensburg, kansas. we went in 2022 and actually stopped for the day, went to the museum there, and got ice cream at a nearby parlor. but basically the town was hit in 2007 by an ef-5 tornado and was all but destroyed. i believe that it was the first tornado to be classified as an 5 on the enhanced fujita scale due to it being introduced earlier that year. anyway, the town built back greener than most cities and towns in the U.S. and they have a museum there with pieces from the tornado’s damage, stories from survivors, the town pre-tornado, and how they built back. anyway i loved it!

golden spike tower in north platte, nebraska. my dad likes to go because it’s a train yard and he just sits and watches the trains but i love it because there’s an open-air observatory 6 stories up and i get to feel the wind in my hair and see the fields of crops for miles and it just feels so staunchly different from my home that i love it .

any wawa. i love the roadtrip vibes of a good gas station and store and this one has it !! plus i love getting delicious little drinks at a fair price and every time i walk into one i feel like im on vacation in central florida about to go to a theme park or beach house. probably because of the palm trees and also the fact that, before we got one near my sister’s old apartment, nearly every time i had been to a wawa was while in central florida on my way to a theme park or beach house (so 2 times lmfao) . omg and also for my destiel mutuals out there, going to a wawa immediately reminds me of early 2021 when my sister and i would walk there once a week to get a little treat for doing our schoolwork and me excitedly telling her the newest silly behavior or tea or whatever that was happening.

lebanon, kansas - HEAR ME OHT HOLD ON LSITEN. i think its beautiful that, because my sister and i were obsessed with spn in 2021 and managed to sneak us there via telling my dad that it’s the center of the geographical US, we now make an effort to stop there every year. like go out of our way to stop there. and my dad still doesn’t know that it’s because castiel supernatural died there.

[kai-anderson-whore]

Picture perfect date(colin zable x fem reader)

A/n: this was a ask by @zabelismyfavbagel thank you for the request again sorry for it being short

Warnings: none

Taglist: @spill-the-t @iluwmycats @lili-tate @evanpeterswifeyy868 @jademunson @evanpetersfansblog @howtobesasha @lustforeverrrr

•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•..•°˚˚°•.•¤❅¤•.•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•. .•°˚˚°

You loved morning dates with your boyfriend Colin when he wasn't working, the crisp cold winters day in the east coast you and Colin walked side by side your hands intertwined slightly swinging, "I see you finally got a heavier jacket" you teased you had been telling Colin for ages he needed a bigger jacket also his colleagues told him and now he finally caved in.

"Yeah best investment I've ever made" he joked as you entered the park gates, your body felt even colder once you entered the park you mentally slapped yourself for not bringing a thick enough jacket with you, Colin could feel your hand shivering in his, "you cold babe?" He asked.

"Me no I'm not cold" you shrugged off not wanting Colin to give you his jacket, babe your literally shivering why didn't you bring a thicker jacket" he chuckled at your stubbornness, "I didn't think it would be this cold" you said now feeling silly, "here take this" Colin said unzipping his jacket.

"No Colin you brought that jacket to keep you warm not me" you declined feeling bad about your boyfriend getting cold because you didn't bring a thick enough jacket, "I'd rather be cold than have you shivering for the length of time we're out here" Colin said handing his jacket to you with a bright smile that could have melt the snow.

"I feel bad Colin" you sighed shoving your arms into the sleeves of the jacket feeling instantly warm, "there's a wawa on the otherside of the park you can make it up to me with a coffee" Colin said taking your hand once again leading you both the way there.

"Colin take the jacket back I feel bad your going to be cold" you said feeling guilty for the jacket, "Don't feel bad babe I've got a few layers on under this" Colin chuckled pointing to his sweater making you smile, "how about that coffee" you said the gas station now in sight of you both.

"Sounds great" Colin answered placing a chaste kiss on your lips, leaving the park and into the gas station, ordering two coffees for both you and Colin, "Colin do you want anything else?" You asked as the man at the counter made up your hot beverages, "no I'm good thanks babe" he smiled starting to warm up more in the store.

"Here you are ma'am that will be $3.30" the man serving you at the counter smiled you rummaged through your purse for your loose change giving the man the money thanking him, handing the cup to colin he took a sip feeling more warmth engulfing him.

"Again sorry about the jacket" you said before taking a sip of your own hot beverage, exiting the gas station, "Don't worry about it the coffee is keeping me warm, how about we go back now" Colin suggested your house was the closest to the park, "Yeah let's go back and watch a movie or something" you smiled taking colins hand again.

The walk was blissful like something in a romcom movie, your hands intertwined, the other holding a cup of coffee, hats on your heads to keep your ears warm, Colin with a scarf around his neck, the way the snow would fall down the city and fill the ground it was magical.

"You know this is probably my favourite date by far" Colin spoke up with his signature room lighting smile, "Oh yeah why?" You asked curiously but really this was also your favourite date by far, "because it's purely like something out of a romance movie picture perfect" Colin explained making your smile grow wider, "your such a big romantic aren't you" you teased giving his hand a little squeeze.

"Only for you" he stated placing his lips back on to yours once again, making your body warm with his slightly chapped lips, and the illustration that your date is like a movie more realistic to you both.

[bambimargera]

Netflix and Chilling with CKY(fluff)

what you'd do and what you'd watch

Dico:

Some really stupid mystery/thriller movie. He’d definitely voice over every characters lines if he thinks it’s stupid or boring. His favourite would be if a dead body was shown on screen, expect to hear a random voiced freestyle rap on how the person may have died, regardless of the persons gender

When he picked you up would’ve stopped at WaWa or Target and he paid for all of your snacks, he secretly loves watching you behave like a kid in a candy store

He’d make you sit in between his legs while watching the movie, insists on having his arms wrapped around you. Will eat his snacks over your shoulder and lick up the crumbs that fall onto your neck

Raab:

Always insists on making blanket forts with you for movie nights. Loves being able to cuddle in complete privacy, he can strip you down and still watch the movie while being warm and snuggly

Makes sure you’re comfy and have everything you might need before pressing play, he’s an anxious and caring boy

Definitely wants to watch a horror movie so he can hold onto you when he’s scared, but he pretends that he’s protecting you from being scared

Expect to have all the snacks and drinks ready in the fort. This man is lazy and loves candy, I bet he buys in bulk and you’ll never have a shortage. He’d probably order a pizza for you guys too

Bam:

It’s never planned. He will show up at your house (or work) and drag you out saying it’s an emergency. Takes you to WaWa and leads you through each aisle demanding you pick up at least one thing from each

Once he’s dragged you into the castle, you’d notice that the floor is littered with pillows, blankets, and new stuffed animals all for you

Couldn’t care less about what movie you wanna watch, but secretly hopes you’ll pick something romantic so he can put the moves on you

Definitely wants to be held as much as he wants to hold you, so expect a big tantrum if you only wanna be little spoon.

Novak:

Picks you up and takes you to WaWa for snacks, makes you pay for them because “I paid for gas babe.”

Will watch literally anything you want as long as he can have you sitting on his lap, but really loves watching true crime documentaries with you. If it’s related to drugs, he’ll tell you if he thinks the criminal is smart-or if he would’ve been his friend back in the day

90% of the time he falls asleep while you’re on his lap, his head on your shoulder and arms around your waist. When he wakes up he’ll go on about what a great movie it was, and how you guys need to do movie nights more often- what little liar

Dunn:

Calls you from a gas station on the way to your house to ask you what you want. Doesn't like to take you into the store because he thinks you take too long deciding- and will hang up on you if you take too long on the phone

Also doesn't really care what you watch, but will only suggest comedys. He loves sneaking glimpses of you smiling or laughing at the screen

Wants to sit beside you on the couch under a blanket, his version of domestic bliss

[drpeppertummy]

this is such a mess but i have too many wips & im tired of fuckin around with it. tiny hangry sunny event

[hunger, brief stuffing]

"Y'know, I think I kinda like you like this," said Laurie, smiling sweetly at Sunny as she drove. Sunny, who was suffering from a terrible case of laryngitis, flipped her the bird.

The two friends were out running errands, an outing that would typically be accompanied by nonstop chatter from Sunny. As much as Laurie loved him, he had a way of talking her ear off. When she'd picked him up that morning, however, she was greeted by a hoarse squawk, and that was all her chatty little friend had been able to get out.

As much as she was enjoying the peace and quiet, Laurie did feel bad for Sunny. It was clearly killing him not being able to talk. He tried occasionally to say something, but all that would come out was a pitiful sound reminiscent of a rubber chicken with a broken squeaker. His affliction also came with a painful-sounding cough, and she was sure it must have been bothering his asthma. All in all, Sunny was miserable, and the way he sat pouting in the passenger seat made it plenty clear.

The car was quiet for a few minutes apart from the radio, but the stillness was broken again by Sunny tapping on Laurie's arm.

"What?" She glanced at him, then back at the road. Sunny tapped at the clock.

"Yeah? It's eleven. What, you got an appointment?" He shook his head, tapping more pointedly at the time and then pointing out the window as they passed a Wawa. His belly rumbled. Laurie rolled her eyes. Sunny's voice may have been out of commission, but there was no suppressing his appetite.

"It's only eleven," she said, and he made a soft whining sound. "Don't you start with that. You knew what time we were going, you should've had breakfast." Sunny folded his arms and sulked.

The two stopped at Walgreens to pick up a few things. Sunny wanted to look at the snacks, but Laurie, wanting to move on to the next stop, hurried through to the checkout. The next stop was the same; Laurie was practically dragging her sullen little friend through the store. When they returned to the car, Sunny grabbed her arm and tapped at the clock again, looking urgently up at her.

"Come on, Sunny, we only have a few more stops," she said. "Can't we just get through them? I don't wanna spend the whole day out." He tried to protest, but all that came out was a hoarse whine. Laurie sighed.

"Listen. We have to go to Ollie's and Michael's. Then I'll take you home. Alright?" Sunny considered that for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. His tummy let out an unhappy growl. He didn't want to go to Ollie's or Michael's, and he didn't want Laurie to take him home. He wanted to stay with her; he just didn't want to do it on an empty stomach. He didn't have the strength to argue, though, and when Laurie was leading an expedition, the expedition went her way.

The trip went on, and Sunny only grew hungrier and crankier and more miserable. His head ached, and his stomach was beginning to as well as it spoke up to express what his voice couldn't: he was absolutely starving. As they left Ollie's, Sunny took Laurie's arm again, pleading up at her with his big dark eyes as they walked through the parking lot. His belly rumbled pitifully.

"Come on, Sunny, we just have to go to one more place while we're over here, then I'll drop you off," said Laurie, sounding a little more annoyed than she intended to. Sunny held her arm sadly, staring puppy-eyed up at her. He winced as his stomach growled angrily. She sighed.

"Alright," she said, looking weary. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He nodded glumly, and she put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"We'll go through Wendy's quick. You can eat in the car. If you're not done by the time we get to Michael's, I'm leaving you outside in a cardboard box." Sunny thought that sounded just fine, and they headed off.

Through a lot of pointing and croaking, Sunny managed to get his order to Laurie, who translated it at the drive thru. Despite her rush to get through her long list of errands, she decided to order something for herself as well, and rather than hurry off to Michael's, she pulled into a parking space once they had their food.

"I'm sorry for being snappy," she said, digging their sandwiches out of the bag and handing Sunny's to him. "I think I'm a little hangry too." The two friends unwrapped their lunch and gladly dug in. Sunny, who was about ready to start gnawing the upholstery off the car seats, shoved his burger into his mouth like his life depended on it.

"I didn't mean what I said earlier," said Laurie after a few minutes of silence. Sunny looked up. "About you losing your voice. I like hearing you talk. Mostly." Sunny bumped his head against her shoulder, smiling affectionately. He'd wolfed down his burger already, and the ache in his stomach was fading, although his belly felt tight and bloated after eating so fast. He leaned back in the seat with a sigh, his full tummy poking out comically. Laurie reached out and gave it a pat.

"Sheesh, Sunny," she chuckled. His belly rumbled and a loud burp erupted from him, and he winced at the strain on his sore throat. Laurie laughed and gave his belly a friendly rub. It felt much less distended after releasing the trapped air, but he still certainly looked stuffed. Still, having opened up some space, he happily finished off his fries. Laurie, glad to see her friend looking less miserable, finished her lunch as well.

"Better?" she asked, shoving the empty wrappers back into the bag. He nodded, resting his hands on his full tummy with a contented smile.

"Do you still wanna go home?" He shook his head. "Alright. Let's boogie." She started the car once more, and they headed off.

[pikaflute]

Wawa I love you like a brother but if you call it a hoagie I'm killing myself in your store

[pbandjesse]

Man is it nice to be home.

We were still in line for a pretty long time last night. We would get the car by 1030, an hour and a half after we got off of our flight. They didn't have the car we originally paid for so we got a crazy jeep truck thing that was entirely to tall and hard to get in and out of. But we were just happy to get out of there.

We went to Wawa first. I basically inhaled my sandwich. And while it helped me feel a little better I would get a pretty bad headache on the ride home. I just wanted to be home and hold Sweetp.

We got inside and it smelled funny in the hall but it felt so good to be in our space again.

Sweetp was chatty basically right away. I held him for a minute. I was super happy.

My frog and snails were good too. And after we unpacked all the laundry I went and got a shower and got ready for bed.

We would be up for a bit. Just settling back in. And then we slept.

I woke up at 8. I slept so well. Not enough but it was good. Sweetp had been pawing at my face and his nails wee sharp but no sarcasm it was the best. I would cut his nails later. But I was feeling the love.

We had to go get our car and return the rental. We went to the museum and James went in and got the key they left as a just in case. And then drove me to the far side of the parking lot so I could drive our car.

We went across the street to get gas for the rental and I went inside to get us donuts for breakfast. They only had glazed ones but whatever.

James gave me the address and we headed to the airport. It was a little confusing but we figured it out. James had to go in the parking garage to drop off the jeep and I went to wait in the parking lot of the main building.

A lady who was lost stopped and asked me for directions because the stickers on my car told her I was local. Which made me laugh. I'm glad I could help.

And then James came out because they were confused how to return the car and there weren't signs. So I came and waited in line with them but the went outside and found a staff member and was able to figure out where we were supposed to go. I went and got James and we moved the car where they actually needed to return it. The nice man I spoke to outside asked me about our trip and of he should go to Alaska and I told him absolutely he should. I have never been brought to tears by nature like that before. Absolutely worth it.

Me and James headed out after that. Officially returning the car brings our honeymoon to an end.

We went back to our neighborhood and went to get groceries. I had made a list last night and we stick to it pretty well. James said I am not supposed to bring in many more snacks so I only got two things. But I was proud of us. Though the groceries upset me especially when stove top stuffing was over $3????? So we got the store brand. I am disappointed though because it used to be so cheap. Groceries are tough.

We went home. And as we were driving down the street I saw a rocking chair in the alley. So I insisted on James letting me out of the car so I could go get it and they seemed surprised but they let me go and I was very pleased with my find. The back needs a bit of fixing but it's such a cute little chair.

We got everything inside and I spent a little time putting things away. I opened up the windows and the backdoor. Sweetp ran outside so fast, chittering all the way. He loves outside. The door has paint flaking off of it though and so I had to vacuum a bunch of it. I am going to see about painting over that because I'm pretty sure it's lead paint.

I put away everything in my bags. James helped put stuff away too. And I have some stuff, like the souvenirs we got people, to put away still. I'll probably put them in gift bags.

I changed into my new hoodie and closed the curtains to take a nice nap before my appointment. James went for a bike ride. And I slept.

I woke up at 2. I didn't want to get up but I had to. I got dressed and grabbed my bag and kissed Sweetp and James and headed out. I came back almost immediately to get my sweatshirt just in case. And then I was off.

I swear the gps never takes me the same way. But I had a nice drive even though I was driving not the best. I kept not merging early enough and then panicking. Out of practice for sure.

I got to the doctors and had to wait for a while but it was whatever. I was texting Jess about fish tanks. My plan was to go to the pet store and get shrimps after my appointment. And how I have been having great luck with my low change water system.

The injection went fine. I'm going to learn how to do my own injections next month. And then I was off.

I went to the pet store and they didn't have the shrimps I wanted. So I looked for something else. They had crabs! I was going to get two crabs but I did some googling and even though they are being sold as freshwater they are actually brackish and so I did think I could do that successfully so I spent some time looking at everything. And landed on a loach.

The worker said he looks like a little worm and is gross. Which made me laugh. The worker struggled to get the loach in the bag because he moves fast but I would keep an eye on him and he doesn't seem injured thankfully.

I also decided to also get a Betta because my googling said they could live together.

I spoke to a nice lady also looking at Bettas. We couldn't figure out why the fish were priced the way they were. From $4 to $20? Almost no rhyme or reason. I chose a pretty blue one.

I decided to give them Adams family inspired names. Loach/lurch. So the Betta is named Aristotle, after Pugsley's octopus, and the loach is named Kitty Kitty, after the family lion (who's name is actually kitty kat but whatever). Total coast $8.

I went home after that. And sat outside and talked to my dad on the phone for a while. Telling him about the trip and just catching up.

While we were talking I saw my friend from camp, Remi, in a car and yelled out my window to saw hi and it was so funny! I know she does to school not far but it was so nice to see her face for a moment.

I said goodbye to dad and brought my new fish upstairs. I got them in their new tank and I love them. I really hope they thrive.

James would make me nachos and a quesadilla for dinner. And I would spend the next hour or so working on making tiktoks for our trip. It was super hard to chose songs!! But I did and I'm really happy with how they came out. I think I captured the vibes.

And once that was done I took a bath. My hair calmed down being back in my normal environment so I didn't dye it or anything today. Maybe I still will later. I mostly just exfoliated and shaved and made myself feel a lot better. I need to do a little more on my eyebrows but whatever. No energy for that today.

Me, James, and Sweetp have been in bed for a while now. Sweetp being so cute. And I'm enjoying watching the fish in the tank. I painted my toes. And I am ready for sleep.

I'm at camp tomorrow. Looking forward to going back to work. I think it will be a very good day.

Sleep well everyone. I hope you are all having a great day. Until next time!!

[rabbitcruiser]

National Eat A Hoagie Day

If you can’t make it to Philadelphia for the world’s best hoagies, pick up ingredients at the supermarket and make your own meat, cheese, and veggie sandwich.

Hoagies, a type of sub sandwich, may seem like an ordinary sandwich, but for those within the Philadelphia area, it’s a part of their pride and joy. People argue over the origins of the hoagie, who started it first, and who’s hoagies are the best in the city. Eat a Hoagie Day is just one of those unique holidays that celebrate hoagies in all of their deliciousness.

History of Eat a Hoagie Day

Hoagies, a type of sub sandwich, is believed to have started in South Philadelphia. Hoagies owe their name to the Hog Island shipyard on the Deleware River when during the depression, Italian-American workers would purchase Italian sandwiches from Al Depalma, a luncheon that called these sandwiches “hoggies”. Some also say that the origin of the hoagie originated from Chester, but others argue that the hoagie originated from Emil’s lunch counter and grocery store.

For the luncheon owners from Emil’s, according to them, they said the inspiration for the hoagie came from a sandwich they saw in Maine made by an Italian lady, to which they began to make those sandwich themselves. When World War II began, many hoagies were being sent out to the shipyard. 

Hoagies are entirely localized to the region, being sold in every Wawa across Pennsylvania state. Made with tomatoes, cold cuts, cheese, pickles, olives, and onions, they’re all stuffed into an Italian bread loaf and are made for those with huge appetites. While the origins of the hoagie still remain somewhat of a mystery and debate among hoagie fans, it is particularly an Italian creation at best.

Eat a Hoagie Day is all about having a hoagie for lunch, whether you’re on your work break or just need to fill up your stomach. Hoagies, nevertheless, are loved by everyone who eats one, especially those within the Philadelphia area. 

How to Celebrate Eat A Hoagie Day

Make your own hoagie by adding ingredients such as salami, ham, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. Buy a fresh loaf of Italian bread from your local supermarket, grocery store, or bakery to make it authentic.

If you love hoagies with all your heart, take a trip to Philadelphia to try out both DiCostanzas’ or DePalmas’ hoagies to see which ones are the best in the city. Have a hoagie party and create your own versions of hoagies for your friends and family members. Share this holiday with everyone and enjoy a hoagie! 

Source

[usalatestwebstories]

Bryce Harper debuts Wawa inspired cleats

Phillies 1B Bryce Harper in collaboration with convenience store Wawa during its annual HoagieFest unveiled the “Gottahava Harper” player exclusive Under Armour cleats. Harper wore the cleats on Friday against the D-backs, which was also City Connect uniform night. The cleats are “inspired by his love for Wawa.” The bar code on the back of the shoe features “Harper’s favorite Wawa summer hoagie,”…

[mywawavisits]

Mywawavisit – Take Wawa Survey – Win $500 Gift Card

As Sarah continued her exploration of Wawa, she came across a section dedicated to artisanal cheeses and gourmet charcuterie. The cheese counter featured a wide variety of cheeses from around the world, including creamy bries, tangy blues, aged cheddars, and flavorful goat cheeses. The charcuterie selection included a range of cured meats, such as prosciutto, salami, and smoked sausages. Sarah was delighted by the opportunity to create her own cheese and charcuterie board, selecting a few of her favorites to enjoy later.

While browsing the store, Sarah discovered a section dedicated to fresh and organic produce. The produce section offered an array of fruits and vegetables, sourced from local farms whenever possible. The selection included seasonal produce, allowing customers to enjoy fresh, flavorful ingredients throughout the year. Sarah appreciated the emphasis on quality and sustainability, knowing that she could find nutritious options for her meals.

In one corner of the store, Sarah noticed a cozy corner designated as a reading nook. The nook featured comfortable seating, bookshelves lined with a variety of genres, and soft lighting. It was a quiet and inviting space where customers could relax and enjoy a good book while sipping on their favorite beverage. Sarah loved the idea of being able to combine her love for reading with her visit to Wawa.

While waiting in line, Sarah noticed a display of freshly baked artisan bread near the checkout counter. The bread selection included crusty baguettes, hearty whole grain loaves, and aromatic sourdough. The breads were baked on-site, using traditional methods to achieve exceptional flavor and texture. Sarah couldn't resist adding a loaf of warm, freshly baked bread to her purchase.

As Sarah interacted with the cashier, she learned about Wawa's commitment to supporting local farmers and food producers. The store actively sought out partnerships with local suppliers, ensuring that customers had access to fresh, locally sourced products. Sarah appreciated the effort Wawa made to strengthen the local economy and promote sustainable food systems.

Before leaving, Sarah noticed a display showcasing a variety of locally made crafts and artisanal products. The display featured handmade soaps, candles, pottery, and other unique items created by local artisans. Sarah was impressed by Wawa's support for local artists and small businesses, providing them with a platform to showcase their talent and products.

As Sarah walked out of the store, she couldn't help but feel inspired by the focus on quality, sustainability, and community at Wawa. The artisanal cheeses, fresh produce, cozy reading nook, locally baked bread, and support for local artisans all contributed to her positive MyWawaVisit experience. She knew that Wawa had become more than just a convenience store—it had become a place where she could nourish her body, indulge her senses, and support the local community.