#and we have stations like hot food and cashiering that absolutely need two people to be on them at all times

[fingertipsmp3]

Looking at the rota app thinking well. Tomorrow is going to be fascinating

[marauder-exe]

AU list!

hi! These are a bunch of Au’s that i could write,and you could request! (reposting because it didnt work the first time)

General

Fake dating (My personal favourite)

Soulmates

Coffee shop

Modern Royalty

Rockstar

Running From The Police

Rebel Against The Goverment

High School

University

Law school

Delayed-Flights-And-Were-Stuck-In-The-Airport-And-Its-Like-2Am

Roommates

Road Trip

Arranged Marriage

Im-Arranged-To-Marry-Your-Brother-But-Were-In-Love

Amnesia

Tattoo-Artist-And-Coffee-Shop-Worker

Loved-Since-Childhood

Professor-Student (of age)

Met-On-Holiday

More detailed

21.You were singing/playing guitar/etc. in the park to protest the war and a policeman tried to dismiss you for 'disturbing the peace' but you argued that you were promoting peace and things got heated and next thing you know you're being arrested for assaulting an officer. You intrigue me, so I'm here to bail you out and maybe take you on a date?

22.the nice one who everybody loves with the grumpy and strict one that the students hate and the students wonder?????????how what the fuck

23.we just had a one-night stand but a massive storm hit so now we’re snowed in, hello awkward

24. i sit at the rental booth at our local ice rink and watch you teach children how to skate

25. alternatively, i watch kids teach you how to skate because you’re a terrible skater

26. i’m running late to an important interview/meeting and you accidentally spill your hot cocoa all over my outfit

27. you’re my hot ski instructor and i’m failing the bunny hill

28. i slip on some ice and you’re the stranger who catches me

29.  i gave my winter coat to a homeless person and come into your store to warm up

30. our friends rent a cabin to go skiing and we’re the only ones who stay inside

31. you’re the asshole of our group and we don’t get along, but then i find out you make soup for the local shelter

32.we’re waiting in line for the club when you complain that your roommate stole your gloves so let me warm your hands up with mine

33.my family invites you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and i’m so sorry

34.the power goes out in our apartment building, but i’m not prepared for this, and you come to check on me

35.i’m having a snowball fight with my friend in the park and i hit you instead

36.a storm is delaying our flight home and i’m afraid of thunder, please talk to me while we wait

37. we’re both in small claims court and i got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there

38. i drove two hours to the closest video rental store that’s still operating and you were checking out the only copy of the movie i was after

39. i hit you with my car but luckily you’re okay, but we should still exchange information i guess

40. i was worried about buying something off of someone creepy from craigslist but oh no you’re hot

41. my friend talked me into playing a drunken game of spin the bottle even though we’re all adults and now we have to make out

42. we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other

43. my date just made a scene in public and got arrested and now i’m stranded in a city without a ride home

44. sharing a cab together

45. you’re trying to get me to sign a petition and i have no idea what you’re talking about

46. you’re drunk at this festival and dancing on the table and when you eventually fell i caught you

47. we both play this stupid game online and you keep beating me every single goddamn time so i called you out and you are pretty cute but can you not

48. im a bartender and you just came in here without shoes sat down and ordered a chocolate volcano and idk what the fuck that is and im scared to ask

49. we are neighbours and every night at 3:14 am you start yodeling for no fucking reason??? why???? is that you yodeling??? its been 2 months???

50.im a pizza delivery person and i just delivered a pizza to someone in the middle of a satanic ritual and they gave me their number???

51. i woke up this morning to find you sitting in my living room with a goat in a poncho??? who are you??? why is the goat wearing a poncho??? how did you get the goat in here i live on the 12th floor???

52. we work out at the same gym and you always look super legit but i know you sing hannah montana in the shower and you know i know

53. im a cashier and i saw you stuffing you pants full of potatoes and i would stop you but you already have 27 and i want to see how many you can fit

54. its 4 am and im drunk as fuck in a mcdonalds and you have been watching my trying to eat this burger for 30 minutes

55. i was playing beer pong with a coin and i accidentally threw it right into your eye at a party

56. i’m at the beach and some kids thought it was funny to bury me in the sand when i dozed off can you please dig me out

57. it’s unbearably hot and we’re both fighting over the last handheld electrical fan at the shop at the amusement park

58. hey i just met you, and this is crazy, but i get sunburned really easily so can you please help me put sunscreen on my back?

59. thunderstorm after a menacing heatwave and we’re both getting weird looks for dancing in the rain

60.i have no idea who you are but you just fainted right in front of me holy shit dude you need to drink more in this heat

61. we both chased after the leaving ice cream van like ten-year-olds and now we’re both out of breath and a bit embarrassed

62.i clearly reserved this deck chair by putting a towel on it why on earth are you lying on it who the fuck do you think you are

63. My friends bet I wouldn’t buy these three weird and questionable items and you’re my cashier.

64.Once a week I go visit the pet store just to stare at the cute kittens and puppies and you’re the nice employee who always lets me hold them and wait I think I’m going to cry hold on.

65.You’re the DJ of the University’s radio station and every time you give an opinion on a current event I have to call and argue with you because could you seriously be anymore wrong?

66.We both wait tables at the same restaurant and you’re always mad at me by the end of the night because I make more in tips

67.We have the same class and once a week you wear this graphic shirt I don’t understand and I really want to ask you about it.

68.We both work at the same craft store that literally has no customers so we have nothing to do and I’m always reading at the register but you always have to criticize my book choice what the hell?

69.I’m working the concession stand for this week’s home game and this is the fifth time you’ve come back for snacks wait are you flirting with me?

70. we’re at a bookstore and you and I seem to have similar taste in books have you read this one? How about this one?

71. you look like you need help and I’m a professional roller/ice skater but I don’t want you to feel bad about how much you suck but wow you suck

72. You ordered your food before me and they gave you a drink you didn’t want so you gave it to me

73. We’re sitting at adjacent computers in the library and I’m taking extra care not to look at your screen out of respect but what the fuck do you keep laughing at

74. as a joke I yelled out “happy birthday to someone!” in this store and you called back “thank you!” who are you

75. You heard me talking about a TV show in class the other day and now you’re passionately yelling at me about how good it is we’ve never actually spoken before

76. It’s 10:30 at night and I left my glasses at home so I can’t read any of these labels and you’re one of the only people in the grocery store and GODDAMMIT DO YOU HAVE ANY TOMATO SAUCE WITHOUT CHUNKS

77. We go to the same support group; I have social anxiety and you’re a kleptomaniac who sorta stole my heart

78. You thought you were alone at the bus stop so early in the morning so you started passionately singing Fall Out Boy but your Patrick Stump impression could use some work and I’m not really afraid to point that out

79. I’m an artist and you have a really nice face so would you mind if I drew you?

80. We’re rival up-and-coming singers and every time one of us releases a new single the other does a cover to try to make it better; we’re always trying to top each other and out-cute each other, but half our fans aggressively ship us; our agents use this to their advantage and decide we should do a duet because it’ll be popular; unfortunately now that we’re in the same studio and I’ve seen what you’re like I really wanna know what your lips feel like

81.PLEASE I REALLY CANNOT FIND MY CAT AND I KNOW IT’S THREE A.M. BUT NEIL CATRICK HARRIS AND I WOULD BOTH APPRECIATE THE HELP

82. We were both stood up for dates at the same nice restaurant so we decide to eat together and split the check but I dunno you’re pretty interesting aside from your distractingly enormous eyebrows

83. We met at a mutual friend’s cheesy masquerade party and we agree that the only good thing about this party is the masks so you can’t judge a book by its cover only now that we’ve been talking I want to see your face but I don’t know how to ask

84. You used to date my friend who absolutely hates your guts after a messy breakup and now you’re flirting with me and I really shouldn’t be so interested in you but I am

85.We pass each other every day while we’re biking on the same path so we’ve started smiling at each other and one day you’re stopped because you’re having an asthma attack so I offer you my extra water bottle and now we’re talking and now I’M the one who’s breathless

86.I lost my little sibling in IKEA and I need your help finding them

87.I'm a private detective hired to follow you, but you're endearingly boring and mostly I just like watching you and oops, I sort of find you adorable.

88. You've been sketching me for half an hour now, and just shuffled up to hand me the finished product and it's TERRIBLE but you just wanted an excuse to talk to me.

89.  I'm at an art exhibit and I just badmouthed the art, because I don't get it, okay? And it turns out you're the artist. I'm so sorry, maybe I could get you coffee and you could explain what it was supposed to be?

90. We're the only two people who turned up to an underground gig and it should be awkward, but the band is amazing and you asked me to dance and hey, there's nobody watching but us.

91.  You live in the apartment next to me. We're not supposed to have pets, but I KNOW you have a cat. I'll make you a deal, I won't tell, if you let me pet it.

92.  I punched you because I thought you were insulting my friend, but it turns out you know each other and it was an inside joke and I'm so sorry, let me drive you to the hospital?

93. We both wanted to rent a bike for an hour but the only one they have is a tandem bike

94. I’m on a terrible date and you’re my waitor please help me

95.Our dick landlord just evicted us both

96.I’m your neighbor and I can hear you fucking someone who  shares my name

97. You’re sort of famous and we vaguely know each other through bumping into each other all the time but the media thinks we’re dating

98. Your roommate cheated on me and I just threw your laptop out the window thinking it was his

99. It’s 2am on the night of my 21st birthday and we gotta fix this fucking mess by morning or else we’re fucked

100.Fuck you and your bee farm I’ve had enough

Feel free to use any of these as your own! If you wanna request you could drop an inbox saying ‘ could you do ____ AU with this character’!

[demigodsanswer]

Once Upon a Pointe - Chapter 3

Story Summery:

“Annabeth, you’re with Percy,’ Chiron said. Annabeth. She looked like the figurine in a little girl’s music box had come to life to dance in City Ballet. Percy felt like every opportunity to dance with her was a privilege. Just don’t forget the choreography, Percy thought as he got into the right starting spot for the wedding pas de deux. Don’t forget the choreography, and don’t drop her.”

Percy, a soloist with the ballet company, and he is offered one chance to dance with Annabeth, one of their star principals. If he nails the choreography, he might just earn a chance to dance with her. And, if he’s really lucky, he might get a date out of it as well.

Chapter Title: Make it Blue 

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning

When Percy stepped into his favorite coffee shop before rehearsal, he spotted a familiar shade of blonde hair ordering in front of him. Even with her hair down under a winter hat he was sure it was her (her black dance bag with AEC monogramed on the side also helped him identify her). He stepped up to the counter to stand next to her, as he handed the barista his card.

“Hers is on me,” he said, before adding his own coffee order on.

“Oh no –“ she tried to protest, her cheeks pink from the cold weather.

“I insist,” Percy said, nodding to the cashier to run his card.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Annabeth said as they grabbed their coffees to head towards the studio.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Besides, what kind of Prince Charming would I be if I didn’t buy you coffee?”  

Annabeth laughed and sipped her drink. “I’ve never met a dancer so dedicated to method acting,”

To prove his point, Percy jogged up the stairs to the door of the studio and pulled it open for her before she could make it halfway up the stair. “After you, ma’am,” he said, going into a dramatic deep bow.

“Thank you, sir,” she said, curtseying just a little as the walked in.

~*~*~*~

Percy’s finger hovered over the ‘send’ button, trying to decide if sending Annabeth a YouTube video on why the Barbie Sawn Lake movie is the best movie of all time was a good idea. He didn’t even know if she had liked the Barbie movies as a kid.

If he had to guess, she was either the girl who had them all in a pristine Dream House, or the kid who cut their hair and drew on their faces. Either way, though, the video could work. And it wasn’t like he wanted to talk to her about Barbie, he just wanted to talk to her outside of the studio.

He had no idea where he stood with her. He was pretty sure they were becoming friends, or at least work friends. But their work required them to touch all the time, look lovingly into each other’s eyes, and kiss, which really blurred the lines between work-friend, just a friend, and friends who are flirting.

He had been following Beckendorf’s advice and not actively perusing anything with her. Buying her coffee had been a friendly one-time gesture and sending her a funny YouTube video was the kind of harmless thing that friends would do.

And they were friends, at least work friends. She smiled easily around him and laughed at his dumb jokes. She certainly did more than tolerate him. Annabeth didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who would fake being nice to someone she didn’t like; in fact, he had anecdotal proof that she wasn’t like that.

Still, they had never texted each other before, other than to confirm a rehearsal or check choreography.  

His resolve crumbled, and he deleted the text.

~*~*~*~

Percy was sore all over. He’d stopped being about to feel his legs somewhere around hour six, but they were coming to the end of hour eight now.

It was a good kind of sore. A kind of sore he only felt after a good, intense day of dancing. It was still the kind of sore that made him want to go home and take an ice bath and fall asleep listening to anything other than classical music. But a good sore.

When the music ended, he and Annabeth parted, both breathing heavily.

“Great job you guys,” Chiron said. Annabeth smiled wide at Percy. “Go home and get some rest. We still have some work to do before we move to dress rehearsals,”

Dress rehearsals. They moved to the theater in a week, which meant the show went up in two weeks. Percy’s heart began to race as he realized how little time there was left to go.

Before Percy got the chance to tell Annabeth how great she had done that day, Piper ran up between the two of them, throwing one arm over either of their shoulders.

“You guys looked so good up there!” She said. “Have you gotten to try on your costumes yet? Because I tried mine on yesterday and it is gawdy, and borderline camp, and everything I’d want in a fairy,"

Annabeth snuck her way out from under Piper’s arm. “I tried on my act one costume yesterday. It’s the big pink tutu with roses on it. I look like a storybook ballerina,”

As opposed to all the other days, Percy thought, when you’re just a regular beautiful woman in a tutu.

~*~*~*~

Percy took the risk of looking creepy as hell and waited for Annabeth to change before heading home. It had gotten dark hours ago, and he didn’t want her to walk to the subway alone if she didn’t have to.

“Hey,” she said when she saw him waiting, “what’s up?”

“It’s, uh, pretty dark out, and I wanted to see if you’d like me to walk you to the subway?” His face felt hot.

Annabeth just smiled and nodded. “Sure. I take the 1 train,”

“No shit, so do I,” Percy said as they walked out the door and into the cold New York City street. That was kind of a dumb thing to say, he realized. The closest subway station only ran the 1 and the 2. It wasn’t completely surprising that she’d take that train. But maybe she found absolute idiocy charming. He could hope so, at least. “Uptown or downtown?”

“Way down,” Annabeth said. “West fourth. You?”

He shrugged and smiled, “Uptown, west one-hundred and fourth,” he said. “How’d you end up so far downtown?”

Annabeth shrugged. “I liked the area, and … well Luke really wanted to get out of midtown,” she smiled. “I hope Portland is far enough for him,” she said that softly, like she was pretending that Percy wasn’t supposed to hear her.  

“So, you’re there alone now?” He hoped that didn’t sound creepy.

“Yup. It’s actually been pretty nice,” she paused before adding, “besides if I get lonely, I can just put on a podcast and pretend there are other people around,”

Percy began to smile as an idea formed in his head. “Well, if you want someone to hang out with or if you want a nice home cooked meal, you can come over to my place on Sunday. My mom and I are excellent chefs.” He bragged humbly, hoping she’d agree to the invite.  

“You live with you mom?” Annabeth asked.

Percy blushed, “Yeah, but not in like a weird Greek tragedy way or a sad way,” he clarified. “My mom and stepdad way undercharge for rent, and they are saving the rent money I give them to help save for my little sister’s college, and since my mom is one hell of a cook, … it works out for everyone,” Percy said a little too quickly. “Plus, my mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the entire world, so you need to come just for those.”

“I don’t think you want me eating too many cookies before we have to do all of these lifts,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” Percy promised, “all the food my mom makes has no calories.”

Annabeth laughed as they made their way down the subway stairs. “Well, how could I pass up a good meal with no calories?” She turned to face him. “That would be great though. I can’t cook for shit. Well, I mean, I could cook if I wanted to, I’m not an idiot. I just hate doing it.”

Percy’s heart did little flips in his chest as they pushed through the turnstiles, about to go in opposite directions. Annabeth was coming over for dinner, and he felt like he was walking on air.

Percy was hoping for a slow goodbye where he promised to text her, and then wished her goodnight. But as soon as they were through the gate, the downtown 1 train pulled in.

“Shit!” Annabeth yelled, taking off towards the stairs. “See you tomorrow!” she yelled, already out of sight.

See you tomorrow, Percy though, smiling, as he made his way down the stairs to the uptown side.

~*~*~*~

“So for your date tonight –“ his mom started.

“It’s not a date,” Percy protested. “It’s just Annabeth.”

“She’s coming all the way from downtown to meet you.”

“Well, yeah.”

“She’s staying for dinner.”

“Yeah.”

“You two are dancing together.”

“Mom!”

She held up her hands in surrender, before she asked him to pass him some spices.

“Seriously, though,” he said, “it’s not a date. If I had asked her out, our first date wouldn’t be in our apartment with you, Paul, and Stella around.” He stood at the counter, his back to her as he chopped the vegetables. “Besides, I don’t think she wants to be dating.”

“Well, I’ll still try not to embarrass you just in case,” she said.

“You know, it’d be great if you tried not to embarrass me at all ever,” he said.

She walked over and ruffled his hair. “I gave birth to you; I can embarrass you when and how I want. That’s the arrangement.”

“To be clear,” Percy said, “I did not ask to be born.”

~*~*~*~

Annabeth arrived about half an hour before dinner was ready. Percy buzzed her into the building, and then opened the door to his apartment for her.

“Hi,” she said, looking a little frazzled from the cold. She handed him a bottle of wine in a paper bag. “I brought a bottle of wine,” she said quickly, “because I didn’t know what else to bring, but, I don’t know about you, I don’t drink this close to shows, so I’m sorry if this is totally useless.”

Percy smiled at her nervousness and let her inside. “It’s fine. My parents will enjoy it, or we can save it until after the run of the show.” That seemed to relax her a bit. She slipped off her jacket and hat, which Percy quickly took from her, hanging them on the hook near the door. She was wearing a simple cream-colored sweater and a pair of jeans with her long blonde hair down around her shoulders. It was a simple look, but Percy so rarely saw her in street clothes or with her hair down that he almost forgot why she was in his apartment at all.

“Let me introduce you,” he said, ushering her into the kitchen and living room.

After introductions, which were thankfully free of embarrassment for Percy, the two sat on the couch. Annabeth fiddled with her hands and started straight forward. Percy had seen her dance in front of a crowd of thousands, balanced on two toes, without a single sign of nerves or anxiety, but something about Percy’s small family had made her uneasy.

“Are you okay?” Percy asked.

Annabeth nodded a little too quickly. “I just haven’t met new people or had dinner at someone’s house in, like, a year. And other people’s parents tend not to like me.”

“Don’t worry, I think my mom will like you just fine.” Annabeth sighed and shook her head, not saying anything. “Hey,” Percy took her hands, steadying them, “there’s nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “My mom is probably going to ask you polite questions about where you trained before New York and how you like the company, and all of that. My sister will probably ask you ask the costumes and the hair and the shoes. And my stepdad will probably make a bad pun and pretend to know what any of us are talking about.”

Annabeth smiled and nodded as her shoulders relaxed. Percy pulled his hands away when he realized he was still holding hers, trying not to blush.

~*~*~*~

They shared small talk, talking about company drama and recalling old stories, until Sally called them into the kitchen for dinner.

“Thank you, again, for having me,” Annabeth said as they sat down.

“It’s my pleasure, dear,” Sally told her. “Please, enjoy,” she said, handing her a bowl of food to scoop from.

“So,” Sally started once they were all served, “Annabeth, where are you from?”

Annabeth cleared her throat. “Well, my whole family is from Boston, but I grew up in Virginia, until I moved to New York for the ballet school when I was fourteen. I’ve lived here ever since.”

“And they took you into the company very early, didn’t they?” Sally asked.

Annabeth nodded. “I was sixteen. It was grueling,” she said. “I’m glad that dancers are being taken in later that I was, because it was hard. I still don’t think I was prepared for it, and I have no idea how I got through it.”

“What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you on stage?” Estelle asked. Sally frowned at her, but Annabeth laughed.

“I was dropped once.” Estelle’s eyes went wide, and Sally gasped. Percy laughed, remembering the story she was about to tell.

“When I was twenty,” Annabeth said, “I was Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and there is a scene at the end where Juliet has taken potion to make it look like she’s dead.” Annabeth explained to Estelle, who was looking at her with an extreme intensity. “And Romeo comes on stage, and he sees me laying on this tombstone, which was just this wooden slab on a platform three steps up. And Romeo has to pick up Juliet’s lifeless body and carry her down the stairs and do a pas de deux. But, of course, I’m dead, so I can’t help the guy. So, he’s just swinging me around like deadweight.” Percy and Paul laughed at this, but Sally kept on looking horrified. Percy wasn’t sure if his mom was still hung up on the fact that Annabeth had been dropped, or if she was uncomfortable with the choreography being described. Estelle, though, just looked fascinated with the story.

“One night, Charles Beckendorf, who’s one of the best partners in the business, is my Romeo, and climbs up the stairs, picks me up, and then, all the sudden, I am falling down the stairs.” Percy heard his mom whisper “oh my god,” as Annabeth continued. “And I have no idea what happened, because I’m dead, so my eyes are closed. Turns out, he had slipped at the top of the stairs, and we had both fallen down onto the stage. Thankfully, neither of us were hurt, but the orchestra was still going, so we had to keep dancing. But I’m still dead. So, he had to lift me, dead weight, off the stage and finish the dance.

“The worst part was that, at that point in the ballet, Romeo and Juliet don’t leave the stage until the show is over. So, for the next twenty minutes, we are both panicking thinking we’re going to get pulled from the ballet for the rest of the run or that we’re going to be fired.

“Curtain falls, ballet is over, we meet Chiron backstage who just nodded and said, ‘I liked it, leave it in.’” Percy laughed at Annabeth’s Chiron impression – a stiff nod, a frown, and a gruff voice offering compliments when you expected nothing but critique.

“Apparently,” Annabeth continued, “from the audience, it had looked planned, as if Romeo was so overcome with grief, he just couldn’t stay standing. Of course, one of the ballet mistresses heard about Chiron’s plan and told him it was too dangerous for me to be dropped down the stairs every night, so we never did end up doing it again.”

“Well,” Paul said, “hopefully Percy won’t drop you like that.”

“No,” Percy said, “this ballet is thankfully free of carrying her down stairs. Although,” he looked at Annabeth, “you are in a death-like sleep again.”  

Annabeth smiled. “As long as I never have to be a snowflake again, I’ll take all of the only-mostly-dead roles.”

~*~*~*~

Annabeth opened up after that, charming Sally and Estelle with her dance stories and compliments about Percy’s skills as a partner (which Percy didn’t mind either.) She tried to help Sally clear the table, but Sally refused to let her help, insisting that she and Percy relax in the living room. After a few minutes, she brought in a tray of blue cookies for them.

Annabeth’s eyes went wide when she saw them; she picked a big one off the top and held it in front of her face. “Blue?” she asked.

“It’s an inside joke between my mom and me,” Percy said, picking up a cookie of his own.

Annabeth eyes went wide and she smiled, “Oh! That’s why everything you own is blue!” She said, like she had solved some grand mystery. “Your bag, your foam roller, your water bottle.” Percy smiled and nodded, confirming her conclusions. “And see, I just thought you were super into that ‘blue for boys, pink for girls’ thing.”

Percy laughed, breaking off a piece of his cookie. “No, I think that’s kind of bogus.”

Before Annabeth could respond, Sally poked her head in. “We’re going to be in our room, but it was so nice to meet you Annabeth. Please, feel free to stay as long as you’d like. And take some of the cookies home with you!”

Annabeth waved them goodnight. “Goodnight and thank you again for having me. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime, honey,” Sally said, disappearing around the corner.

“See,” Percy said, “I told you they’d like you.”

Annabeth smiled. “Yeah, must just be my family that doesn’t like me, then.”

She said that nonchalantly like it was a joke, but it caught Percy off guard. “You’re not close with your family?” He asked her.

She shrugged. “No, not really.”

“That must have been hard,” Percy said.

She nodded. “I mean, I should be grateful for them,” she added. “They’ve supported me my entire career and paid for everything, you know? But mostly I think they were glad I found ballet. It kept me out of the house most of the time.” Annabeth laughed sadly as she nibbled on her cookie. “It was funny. There was this one time, right when I was about to turn seventeen and find out if I got my company contract, and I got a text from my step-mom that just said: ‘Your dad got a new job in San Francisco. We’re moving in a week.” She forced a laugh again, but when she saw that Percy didn’t find that funny, she let her guard down. “They’d all known for months, but none of them thought to tell me.” She finished in a voice much sadder than the one she had started with.

Percy rested a hand on her knee, which she took willingly. “I’m so sorry, that’s awful. Can I ask why they didn’t –”

She cut him off. “My mom left me and my dad in the middle of the night when I was a few weeks old, and we never heard from her again. I guess things were fine with just me and my dad for the first few years, but he got remarried when I was three. They started their ‘real’ family, and I was just wrench in the machine.” She shrugged. “But anyway,” she said, forcing herself to perk up, “it all worked out. I mean, I got this amazing dance career and an absolutely awful taste in men,” she joked, “and you didn’t invite me here just to talk about my problems. Tell me about you. We’ve been dancing together for years, and I feel like I barely know you.”

“Can I give you a hug?” Percy asked her.

She was taken aback. “What?”

“Can I give you a hug? You just seem kind of sad.”

Annabeth dropped her plucky attitude and nodded, opening her arms to him. He held her tightly, rubbing her back gently to let her know that he was there.

When she pulled away, there were some tears on her cheeks that she quickly blotted off with a napkin. “Jesus, look at me, I’m so sorry.”

“You’re fine,” Percy assured her. “And, seriously, if you ever need to talk, I’m here. I would really like to be your friend.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.”

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, before Annabeth said: “But, really, tell me about yourself. How did you get started in ballet?”

“Kind of like you did, I guess. I needed something to do after school to get me out of the house and away from my stepdad,” he said. “Not Paul,” he added, “the guy my mom was married to before him.” He ran his hand through his hair and relaxed back on the couch. “I didn’t start dancing until I was ten,” he told her.

Her eyes went wide. “Really?”

He nodded. “I started at the Y, really basic classes because I needed something to do.” He didn’t tell her it was because he’d gotten kicked off the rec basketball team for punching a kid who’d made fun of Tyson, Percy friend and teammate, for having down syndrome. Percy’s reasons for decking the kid didn’t matter to his coach, though, who’d just hung his head, exhausted constantly by Percy’s troublemaking. “Just go home, Percy,” his coach had told him. “Just go home.” When he’d gotten kicked off the team, he had known he’d have to find something else to do after school as soon as he could. He couldn’t stand the idea of spending hours alone with Gabe before his mom got home from the candy shop.

“Why’d you pick dance?” She asked.

“I wanted to play basketball,” he said, “but the season had already started. The only thing I could still sign up for was ballet.” Percy smiled. “It was funny, the week I had my first class was the week before my mom got paid, so I didn’t have ballet shoes yet. I tried to do the barre in my socks, but the instructor saw, and she came back with these girls ballet slippers. They were extras they had. They were too big and for girls, but they were better than nothing. I ended up wearing them for four months. My mom had to sew the canvas where my big toe had popped through.” Annabeth smiled at the detail, but Percy figured she’d never had to wear second-hand shoes.

“Why’d you stick with it?” She asked.

Percy took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It was a control thing, I think,” he said. “I …” he hesitated, but he decided to be honest with her, the way she had been with him. “I was a troubled kid. I have ADHD and dyslexia, so my grades were bad. I got into fights, my stepdad …” he decided to leave those details out. “Well, he’s not around anymore and that’s for the best.” Annabeth nodded, looking at him even as he kept his gaze forward.

“I understand that,” she mused as he continued.

“But when I got to ballet … well, it was this quiet room with piano music, and no one was talking to each other. We all just plie’d in peace, and it was just so nice,” he smiled, “and I felt in control there. I realized that if I put a lot into ballet, I’d get a lot out of it. So, I started to practice every night, and after six months, my teacher told my mom that I had to be in a better program if I wanted to be a better dancer, because she really believed that I could go the distance.”

He paused, smiling at the memory, but his eyes felt a little misty. He took a sip of water to avoid crying in front of her. “It was the first time a teacher had really believed in me,” he said. “She helped me find a school and scholarship money, and … that was all she wrote. I started dancing pretty much every day until I got into the academy at fifteen.” He smiled and looked back at her.

She was listening to him intently and had leaned closer to him. When he sat up straight, she had to readjust so that their bodies didn’t collide. He smiled when he saw that she was still listening to him. “You know, the year I started at the school was the year you got into the company?”

She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she placed her hands on his, the same way he had for her earlier. “You must have worked really hard.” She said.

Percy nodded. “So many people in the school and the company had done all of these summer intensives and had been in youth companies and all of that. And there I was, this ragamuffin kid who got his start as a pre-teen at the YMCA,”

Annabeth smiled uncomfortably. “I was in a youth company,”

Percy forced himself to laugh and assure her that he didn’t hate people who had been in youth companies or had been dancing since they were very young. He knew it wasn’t her fault that she had gotten lucky, he just always hated that sense of what-if: what if he had more money growing up? What if he had gotten started earlier? How much further in his career could he be if he had half the opportunities Annabeth had?  

“Besides, you haven’t had it easy either,” he said.

She nodded. “I actually spent the last few months back in Virginia at the youth company. I did some choreography, led some classes, and kept up with my own training. It was nice to get out of the city for a while.”

“I bet,” he said. He wanted to ask her what happened, but he figured she would have already told him, so he dodged it. “I’m lucky, my get-away is a lot closer than yours.”

“Oh yeah? Where do you escape to?”

“Montauk beach, out on Long Island.” He pointed vaguely towards the east.

“You know, I’ve lived in New York for twelve years, and I’ve never been to Long Island.”

Percy’s eyes went wide. “What do you do in the summer? Suffer here? Or do you jet off to Disney World or Hawaii?”

She bumped her shoulder into his. “Please, I don’t have that much money.” She said. “I go …” She paused, and the put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Oh my god, I don’t even want to tell you. I feel like you’ll stop being my friend forever.”

Percy smiled when she called him her friend. “Nothing you could say could change that. Come on, just tell me.”

She took a deep breath. “I go to Jersey,” she admitted.

Percy groaned and leaned back against the couch. “Oh my god!”

“It’s nice! They have nice beaches, good pizza –“

“Get out of my apartment!” Percy said while laughing and pointing at the door. Annabeth grabbed his hand and pulled it out of its pointing pose.

“It’s nice, I promise!”

“Please!” Percy said. “Long Island might not be the Bahamas, but it’s better than Jersey.”

“Have you ever been to New Jersey?” She asked.

“No,” he admitted, “but that’s by design.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it,” she said.

“Alright, tell you what,” Percy said. “This summer, I’ll take you to Long Island and you can take me to Jersey,” he couldn’t believe what he was saying, “and we’ll decide which was better.”

Annabeth held out her hand. Percy took it and they shook on it. “Deal.” She said.

~*~*~*~

They stayed up talking and enjoying a few too many cookies but not worrying about it, for two more hours. When Annabeth caught a flash of the time: 10:15p.m. She gasped.

“I had no idea how late it was getting,” she said, standing up. “I should head home and let you get some rest.”

“Do you want me to come with you on the subway?” Percy offered. “It’s getting late and you’ve got a long train ride.”

Annabeth shook her head. “No, thank you though, that’s sweet. I’ll just call an Uber,” she said, taking out her phone.

Percy nodded, picking up the tray of cookies. “Sounds good. I’m sending you home with at least half of these, though, or else my mom will kill me.”

Annabeth smiled. “If I don’t fit into my costume, I’m telling Silena that it’s your fault.”

Percy placed a few cookies in a zip-lock bag and handed it to her. “They have no calories remember,” he said.

She zipped up her coat and forced her hat onto her head. Before she could say goodbye, Percy slipped on his jacket and shoes. “Let me walk you out,” he said.

~*~*~*~

They stood on the curb waiting for her car as snow started to fall. Percy looked up at the sky and smiled, watching the flurries fall in the light of the streetlamps.

“Thank you, again, Percy, for such a great night,” she said.

“Anytime, seriously. My door is always open.” He was suddenly very aware of how close they were standing and how beautiful he thought she was. There were times where he thought his crush on her was maybe just the result of admiration for her dancing. He thought that, maybe if he got to know her, he wouldn’t like her as much outside of the studio. Tonight had disproven that theory.

Her Uber pulled up. “Annabeth?” the driver asked. Annabeth double checked the license plate number before confirming. She turned back to Percy to say a final goodbye.

That would have been the perfect moment to kiss her, as she stood under the snow, looking up at him, the yellow light of the streetlamp bouncing off her blonde hair. Sure, they had kissed before, but rehearsal kisses were different. They didn’t count. This would be an “I like you” kiss, a “let me take you out to dinner” kiss, it could be a wonderful, earth-shattering, life changing kiss.

But that kiss would ruin everything. Instead, he tried to memorize the way her eyes looked, and the way snow stuck to her eyelashes, and the way she waved goodbye to him from the window of her Uber.  

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Green Christmas (Luffa Annual 1)

Normal Brain: Write a Coffee Shop AU

Big Brain: With my own OC’s

Galaxy Brain: Set it in Japan to make it harder.

Cosmic Brain: Also, it’s a Christmas story.

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.   This story is set on a Monday.

[December 23, 2019.   Kiyosu, Japan.]

There was a very light drizzle outside.   It didn't snow often in Kiyosu, and when it did, it usually happened in February, not December.  

"It's a shame, y'know?   This is a romantic time of year.    Just once, it'd be nice to have a White Christmas without having to head out to Shirakawago or someplace up north."

Yamcha was a regular at the Emerald Eye Cafe.   He liked to chat while he paid for his order.   Every year around Christmas, he would wax poetic about the lack of snowfall in the Aichi Prefecture, and speak idly about someday taking a trip to a ski resort in Hokkaido.   Zatte didn't know if he would ever make the trip.    She only knew that he visited her store nearly every day, and she suspected that he enjoyed talking about snow and travel than the actual experience.      He had a large iced milk coffee and a potato salad sandwich, which came to 1260 yen.  

Zatte never minded the lack of snow.   It meant one less obstacle to the day-to-day routine.   She didn't know how people got along in snowy parts of the world, and she wasn't terribly interested in finding out.    Christmas was Christmas whether it snowed or not.    The sound system in the cafe was playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for the fourth time that day, and she had been selling Christmas cakes for the better part of the month.   Half of her customers spoke excitedly of their plans for the holiday, and the absence of snow didn't seem to discourage any of them.   And then there was her "favorite" tradition of the season.    

"... might call her up tonight and see if she wants to check out the lights downtown.   You know, keep it casual.    How about you?   You got any big plans for Christmas?"  

Zatte shook her head.    "Maybe," she said.   She had learned a long time ago that this was the best way to keep conversations short.    Yamcha might have had unlimited time to talk, but she needed to head back to the kitchen at some point.     Answering "no" only invited a polite argument.   "Come on... I'm sure a young lady like yourself must have something to do on Christmas!" and so on.    Answering "yes" was a lie, and it only invited the other person to press for details that didn't exist.    

"Maybe, huh?"   Yamcha replied.    He finally fished the money out of his wallet and laid it on the counter.    "Well, that's better than nothing, after all.    Hang in there."    

"Out of 1500 yen, 240 yen and your receipt," Zatte said, handing him a few coins and a slip of paper.    

"Radical.    Well, I'll get out of your hair," Yamcha said.   "Thanks!"

She relaxed a bit when he left the store.    Truthfully, he was one of the best customers--courteous, patient, and easy to please.   Outside of work, he was probably an okay person to hang out with, if you liked hanging out with middle-aged civil servants.       But in a customer service setting, life was all about getting the clients' orders filled and getting them on their way with as little fuss as possible.    Zatte didn't think of herself as an introvert, but working retail seemed to have a funny way of making her feel like one for a few hours.

She supposed that it would be kind of fun to be chummy with the regulars, but the fact was that she had too many responsibilities behind the counter.    She had to count the money later.   The tables would need to be wiped down.     Fresh muffins had to go on the display.    The cook would probably need help, sooner or later.    The customers saw this place as her home, and she was a hostess providing companionship in addition to food and a place to relax.    That was the business model, of course, but it was still a business.  

She chided herself for feeling grumpy, but decided that she had at least kept an even keel through the morning.  The key was to accept the bad moods when they came, so long as she put on a pleasant face for the customers.   They had their own lives and their own problems, after all.    It wasn't fair to them--or profitable for her-- to burden them with her own troubles.    

*******

Two hours later, she was reminded of one of those troubles.    

"You haven't seen Roshi at all today, have you?"  

A shiver ran down Zatte's spine at the name.   "Not today, why?"    

Krillin took his latte from her and shrugged slightly.    "Well, let's just say I need to talk to him about something," he said evenly.   Krillin was a police officer, which tended to inform statements like these, but he still felt a need to be as discreet as possible.    

"Did something happen?" Zatte asked.    

"Hey, you've gotten really good at making pictures with the foam," Krillin said.   He pointed at the surface of his drink.   "It looks just like that guy from One Piece."

"Thanks," Zatte said.   "I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but luckily he's not too tough to draw.   He's good practice."    

"I oughta watch that show sometime," Krillin said.    "Everyone at the station keeps saying I sound like the guy, but I don't even know anything about it.    What's his name?   'Luffa' or something.    No, hold on, that was the girl who used to be your cook, wasn't it?"  

"Uh, yeah," Zatte said.    She was sorely tempted to use "maybe", but that seemed kind of pointless here.    Luffa was something of a legend at the Emerald Eye.    Even if Krillin hadn't remembered her name, he would still know her reputation, so there was no point pretending she didn't exist.    

"Whatever happened to her, anyway?" Krillin asked.    He took a sip of his latte and added: "Nothing against the new guy, but she made the best danishes.   And that egg salad!    Boy, I could go for some of that right about now."  

"Would you like me to get you--?" Zatte started to ask, but Krillin shook his head.    

"Nah, it just wouldn't be the same," he said.    "Something about the spices.   Paprika, I think.    Better to live with the memories."    

"Understood," Zatte said, though she really didn't understand at all.  

"Anyway, I'll be around for a little while, but if you see Roshi later, let me know, all right?   And... don't tell him I said anything."  

"Of course," Zatte said.   As Krillin turned and went to his usual seat, Zatte wondered what sort of trouble that man had gotten into this time.    It was always something with him.   She wanted to believe that this time would be different, but somehow he always managed to get away with his bad behavior.    

Later, as luck would have it, Roshi did stumble into the cafe.   "Well hell-oooooooo, nurse!" he crooned as he staggered to the counter.    The stench of alcohol on his breath was unmistakable.    Public drinking was legal in Japan, though Roshi seemed to consider this license to make an ass of himself whenever he pleased.  

"Can I help you?" Zatte said, struggling to maintain her composure.  

"Well, you see," Roshi said with a mischievous grin, "It's my nose.    It's awfully cold this time of year, and I was hoping I could... heh-heh-heh... warm it up."

Zatte looked toward Krillin's seat, ready and eager to call out to him.    But it was empty.    Had he already left?  

"Now I know this is a coffee shop and all, but I don't think hot beverages will do the trick here.    No, sir.   I was thinking more along the lines of..." He held up his hands to pantomime the act of shoving his face into a pair of large breasts.   Then he started smiling, like he had just suggested the most brilliant idea, ever.

Zatte wasn't sure that what she felt for this man qualified as hate, or pity, or revulsion.    She only knew that he was a pathetic old man, who seemed to think his crudeness was quaint, or charming in some way.   He was sorely mistaken, and she wanted him out of the store, permanently.    Did that mean she wanted him dead?    The thought of this worried Zatte, more for her own sake than for his.    

"Sir, if you want something, you'll need to place an order," she said through clenched teeth.   Below the countertop, her right hand clenched into a fist.

"Oh, well in that case," Roshi said, "I'd like to buy a pair of... heh-heh-heh... panties please!   Used ones, of course!"    

Zatte wanted him dead.   If that reflected negatively on her character, then so be it.    If Roshi had a heart attack and died right in front of her, she was sure she would feel relieved instead of sad.   It wasn't even the harassment so much as the fact that he used the same five or six lines every time he came into the store.   He wants to "puff-puff", he wants someone's panties, he wants to have coffee in the ladies' restroom, he wants to take showers with any woman in the store, and so on.   Roshi embodied the absolute worst qualities of customers.   He seemed to thrive on the power of going into shops and forcing cashiers and waitstaff to listen to his crude and pointless jabber, precisely because they had little choice but to put up with it.  

And then, just as Roshi was telling the one about putting his grimy hands on someone's buttocks, Krillin stepped out of the men's room.    "Oh, there you are," he said as he noticed Roshi at the counter.    

"Eh?   Krillin?    What are you doing here?" Roshi asked.    His jovial tone was suddenly gone.  He almost sounded sober.    Almost.

"We got another complaint about you," Krillin said with a sigh.   "That maid cafe you keep messing around with."

"Th-that was just a joke!" Roshi protested.    "Can't an old man have a bit of harmless fun anymore?"

"That girl you were picking on didn't think it was so harmless," Krillin grumbled.   "Look, I have to take you down to the station."

"What?   You can't do that!"   He tried to run out the door, but Krillin caught up to him before he could get there.  

"Just settle down," Krillin said.     "Don't make this any more difficult than it already is."

This only made Roshi even more difficult than he already was.    Eventually, Krillin managed to get the handcuffs on him, and he frog-marched Roshi out the door.   By the time they left, everyone in the shop was staring.     With Krillin and Roshi now gone, that left them no one to look at but Zatte.    

"Uh, sorry for the disturbance," she said awkwardly.    She wasn't sure how to feel about what had just happened, but she hoped that this meant Roshi wouldn't be back for a long time.   That should have made her feel more at ease, but somehow she felt more tense than before.

*******

More than anything, Zatte just wanted some normal customers.    She was starting to miss Yamcha, but then Tien entered the store, and she felt a sense of relief.    Of all of her regulars, he was one of the easiest to deal with.    

"Hello," he said evenly.  

"How can I help you, sir?"  she asked pleasantly.    

He gestured to the smaller man who had followed him into the store.   Zatte had never seen a little person before, but she was pretty sure this man was small enough to qualify as one.    

"This is my brother, Chiaotzu," he explained.   "I've been showing him around while he's in town."  

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said with a slight bow.  

Chiaotzu did not move.    

"I get my coffee here after work," Tien said to him.    "Black, please.    No sugar."

"Of course," Zatte said.    "And for your brother?"

"Ice cream cafe au lait," Chiaotzu said after a pregnant pause.   He never blinked.   He just stared at Zatte as though gazing into her soul.    

"Certainly.   Your total is 1140 yen."

They paid and she brought the drinks to their table a few minutes later.    Zatte forgot about them after that, until she happened to look up while counting the money in the register.   Chiaotzu was still staring at her.   His expression was completely neutral.    

What made it even stranger was how normally Tien behaved by contrast.    He was facing away from Zatte, but he was moving his head and arms like anyone having a normal conversation.    If he even noticed Chiaotzu staring past him, he didn't seem to care.  

She tried to ignore him, but this proved more difficult than she imagined.    Every time she happened to glance in his direction, there he was, still staring, never moving.    The cup in front of him was already empty.    At some point he must have drank his au lait, but Zatte had no idea when that could have happened.    

What was it about his eyes?   Those bottomless, pitiless eyes?   Looking at them just made her realize how pale his complexion was, like one of those stories about a vampire secretly living among humans.   She was grateful for the next few customers who came in, as they gave her something else to think about, if only for a few minutes at a time.    

She turned away from the counter to tidy up her workspace, and when she looked around again, he was suddenly standing there, glaring at her through the display glass.  

"Orange cranberry muffins," Chiaotzu said.  

"Huh?" Zatte said, trying to hide how much he had startled her.  

He pressed his face up to the glass.   By this time of day, the display case was nearly empty, as the demand for baked goods was too low to justify making more.  "Do you still sell them?   Or did you just run out?"  Chiaotzu asked.    

"Um, we stopped selling them," Zatte said.    "We, uh, changed cooks a while ago.    So we changed the menu.   I'm sorry."

Chiaotzu never took his eyes off her, and after a long pause, he finally uttered: "Oh.   That's too bad."

"There you are," Tien said as he walked up to the counter.    "Come on, Chiaotzu, we need to get going."

Chiaotzu turned and followed him out the door, and Zatte was never so grateful to see the back of someone's head.    He was bald, so she half expected a second pair of eyes to be there waiting for her.   Instead, he turned back toward her, just as he stepped through the door.  

"Thanks for the coffee," he said, though his expression looked more like he should be accusing Zatte of desecrating his own empty grave.

When he was finally gone, she glanced down at the display case.    Luffa used to restock it herself, multiple times a day.    It was a welcome distraction from the rigors of the day, even though she only popped out of the kitchen for a minute or two.   She would have whispered something like "Get a load of that guy," to her, and they would have shared a quiet chuckle over it.  

But Luffa was gone, and the new cook was fine, even if he wasn't quite as good, or fast, or popular with the customers.    It made the workday slower, but Zatte was determined not to let that get in her way.    She considered herself a survivor, someone who could adapt and endure anything life threw at her.    All that mattered was getting through the day and closing up the shop, and then getting through tomorrow, and the day after, and so on.    She didn't need Luffa, or anyone else to do that.  

At least, that was what she told herself.  

*******

Keda usually got home from school by 3:45 P.M.   Today, she returned an hour early.    Zatte wanted to know why, but there were too many customers for her to ask, and Keda walked straight through the swinging gate at the counter, and into the door that led to the upstairs apartment where they lived.  

Ten minutes later, she came back down, having swapped her school uniform for a blue "Emerald Eye" apron.   Under that, she wore one of her collection of T-shirts commemorating various professional wrestlers.   This one said "NIGHTMARE ANGELS" in English, with the words "KNEE THE ELITE" in smaller text.    Zatte was grateful that the apron kept the customers from seeing the entire shirt, and she hoped most of them didn't know enough English to be able to read it and wonder what it meant.    She was pretty sure Keda would try to explain it if someone asked, but no one did, and Zatte was grateful for this as well.    

"Need some help?" Keda asked.  

"Why are you out of school so early?" Zatte asked as she finished handing someone their change.    

"They let us out early," Keda said.   "It's the Emperor's Birthday."  

"Not anymore," Zatte said.   "The Emperor abdicated, remember?   The new Emperor's birthday won't be until February."

"Well, we convinced the school that it wasn't fair," Keda said with a shrug.   "I mean, December 23rd is a good place for a holiday, isn't it?    Right before Christmas.    The new Emperor can't help being born in February, but it's not right that we don't have an Emperor's Birthday holiday in 2019.   It just seems disrespectful, doesn't it?   So the student council talked it over with the faculty, and we agreed to let out two hours early as a compromise."

"Why can't you just say you cut classes like all the other kids?" Zatte grumbled.  

"Because that's not what happened," Keda said.   "Can I help it if the President of the Student Council likes my ideas?    Can I help it if the faculty is really open to suggestions?"  

She picked up a small cup and put less than fifty milliliters of hazelnut coffee in it from the dispenser behind the cash register.   Keda smelled it, but decided it was too hot to drink.    This was part of her after-school ritual.  

"I wish you'd stop doing that," Zatte said.    

"Everyone says it's an acquired taste," Keda said.    "I'm almost twelve, Zatte.   In a few years, boys are gonna want to take me to coffee shops.    I mean, not this one, that'd be kind of awkward.   Getting waited on by your own sister.    But a coffee shop, and I need to be ready to drink coffee by then."  

"Now if only I could get you to put that kind of dedication into your schoolwork," Zatte said.    

"Oh, I've got that under control," Keda said.    "You see my grades, right?   I've got a high school picked out and everything.    But none of that matters if a boy buys me a coffee and I start gagging at the first sip."

As she said this, Keda decided her drink was cool enough, and she carefully raised it to her lips.    She winced, but managed to swallow it, though the face she made indicated that it was an unpleasant achievement.    "Ugh.   Okay... okay... I'm getting there."

"Why would you want to go on a coffee date anyway?" Zatte asked.   "Just tell a boy that you work at a cafe and you'd rather see a movie instead."  

"That's the beauty of it!" Keda explained.   "If he takes me to a coffee shop, it's like I'm on my own turf.    It gives me the advantage.   I can say all sorts of things during the date, like how they get the caffeine out of decaf, or how the cappuccino machine works.    They'll think I'm super-sophisticated that way.   If I'm at a movie I'm totally out of my element.   You really need to read more  Sun Tzu, Zatte."  

"Sun Tzu?"   Zatte asked, bewildered.   "Are you trying to date a boy or kill him?"

"Never mind me," Keda said.    "I'll bet you're excited today."  

"About what?" Zatte asked.  

"About Luffa, dummy," Keda said.  

"Luffa who?" Zatte grumbled.   "You mean our ex-cook who walked out on us and barely ever stops by?"

"Oh, come on," Keda said.    "You know how busy she is, and she's on the road constantly."    

"And now that she just happens to be in the area, I'm supposed to be giddy about it?"    Zatte asked.    "It's not like she's coming to see me, Keda.   You're her biggest fan."  

"Come on, you miss her too," Keda said.   "She's your best friend."

"No, she's not," Zatte said.   "I mean, of course she's my friend, but not like... Don't you have homework to do?"

"Nope," Keda said.    

"Then shouldn't you be watching your show?"   Zatte asked.    

"It doesn't start until five," Keda said.  

"All right then, go bus some tables," Zatte said, and then tossed a washcloth at her.   Keda nodded with a shrug and then headed off to begin her assignment.

*******

Exactly two hours and fifteen minutes later, Keda had vanished from the shop.    Zatte was never sure if she was doing a good job raising her little sister.   It often felt like Keda was raising herself, and acting out just enough to make Zatte feel like she was involved in the process.    The girl was extremely smart for her age, and she helped out with the cafe, so it seemed unfair to criticize her for being nosy or presumptuous.   It was hard to tell whether she was being too strict on Keda or not strict enough.  

No, Keda wasn't what had her on edge.    It was Luffa.  Zatte did miss her, but not in a way she particularly cared to admit to anyone else.   And with Luffa away from the cafe, essentially out of their lives, it seemed pointless to admit anything now.   Better to go on like it hadn't mattered.   Better to be strong and independent, and hope that everyone accepted the image of Zatte as an independent, responsible shopkeeper.   It wasn't always a satisfying life, but at least it was her own, and it couldn't be taken away by someone when they moved on to other things.  

As much as she appreciated the new cook, she had to suppress a certain resentment towards him.   It wasn't his fault that he didn't have the same level of culinary talent.    Or that he didn't have that same wild look in his eye.    Or that the apron didn't frame the small of his back the right way.   Or (let's face it) that he was a 'he.'   So Zatte was never sure if she was too hard on the guy, or if she was too easy on him because she was trying not to be too hard on him.   Now that she thought about it, she had the same trouble with Luffa back in the day, for completely opposite reasons.  

It was distracting and depressing, and she wasn't sure how she would feel about it, and she just wanted some work to do so she could think about something else.  

*******

Gradually, more customers came into the store as offices started to close for the evening.   It always struck Zatte as odd that people would want coffee so late in the day, but she supposed that they were all trying to fight off the tiredness from the workday, even if it cost them a few hours of sleep later in the night.  

By 8:00 P.M., Zatte had convinced herself that she had nearly forgotten about whats-her-name, and she had settled into a steady routine of taking orders, making change, and handing out drinks.    Then a middle-aged couple threw off the entire rhythm.  The wife had been very concise with her order, but her husband was holding up the line while he tried to decide what he wanted.  

"Now, lemme see here," he said as he looked at the menu and thoughtfully rubbed his chin with his thumb.   "Oh, you've got pork fillet cutlets?   I'll take two of them, and.... the egg sandwich... and... hmmm.   Wow, you've got chili dogs?   That's awesome!   Three chili dogs, please!"

"Um... will there be anything else?"   Zatte asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.   His wife seemed to feel the same way.  

"Goku, you'll never be able to eat all of that," she groaned.  

"Sure I will!" he insisted.   "I had a light lunch today, so..."

The look on his wife's face suggested that this was not even remotely true.     Zatte decided it was better to just ring them up and get their money before she could talk him out of it.  

"It will take some time to prepare all of this, you understand," Zatte said to Goku.  

"Aw, don't worry about that," Goku said.    "Take as long as you need.   Me 'n' Chi-Chi will be so busy playing with the rabbits that we probably won't even notice!"

"Rabbits?" Zatte asked.    

"Where do ya keep those guys, anyway?" Goku asked.    He began looking around in every direction, which made all of the cowlicks in his hair that much harder to ignore.   "Oh, crap, we forgot to order lettuce so we'd have somethin' to feed 'em!"

Chi-Chi's face began to turn red, and Zatte finally began to understand what he was talking about.

"Sir," Zatte said, "This isn't a rabbit cafe."

"It's not?" Goku asked.   "Well, you've at least got a cat or something, right?"

"No, we just serve coffee and food."

"Goku, we talked about this on the way here..." Chi-Chi grumbled.

Goku crossed his arms and lowered his head, and it was hard to tell if he was pouting or contemplating his predicament.   "Darn.   Well, you still got chili dogs.   I guess that'll just have to do."

"I... apologize for the inconvenience," Zatte said.   She had never meant that sentence less than she did in this moment.  

*******

Ten minutes later, Keda was downstairs in the shop again, sitting at one of the booths and scribbling notes while she read from a textbook.    When asked, she would insist that this wasn't homework that had been assigned, and she was simply working ahead in anticipation of future assignments.   Zatte was too exasperated with this explanation to dispute it.   By now, business had slowed down considerably, with only a few stragglers coming in for quick to-go orders.    At one of the tables, Goku was still finishing the feast he had ordered while his wife played a game on her phone and tried not to look too embarrassed.  Finally, the couple got up to leave, and as they did, the doors swung open, and someone else entered the shop.

"Luffa!" Keda shouted.    She practically jumped out of the booth and ran up to meet her.  

"Hey, kid!" Luffa replied.   She had been holding a gym bag, but dropped it so she could return Keda's embrace.    

Zatte had been unloading the dishwasher when Luffa entered, and she looked over to see her.   Luffa was wearing a pair of zubaz--baggy gym pants with a zebra-striped pattern--and a satin jacket with a steakhouse logo printed on the front.    There was a smear of green around her lips, and even her teeth had a green stain on them.    Once, Luffa had worn her hair long, but now it was cut very short and seemed to stand on end.    And she had colored it an unnatural shade of yellow, far more vivid than blonde.  

"You beat Ribrianne!"  Keda said excitedly.    "That puts your score up to 10 points!"

"Hey, don't sound so surprised," Luffa said.  

"I thought she had you near the end," Keda said.   "You looked like you were nearly out of it, and then you reversed that suplex into a head-scissors... how did you do that?"

Luffa puffed out her chest and jabbed her sternum with her thumb.    "What do you mean how?    I'm the Golden Ace, aren't I?"

"Well yeah," Keda said, "but you lost to Hop last week."

Luffa grimaced like she had accidentally swallowed a bug.   "She cheated.    That doesn't count."

"Well, the tournament rules say it does count, but now that you've got ten points, you've got a strong chance of winning.   There's still some tiebreaker scenarios to consider, but personally I like your chances."

"Ugh," Luffa said.   "I'm glad you can make sense of the scores.   You know, these round-robin tournaments are great, right until you have to figure out whether you're winning or losing.   Is Kale still in the running, or did she get eliminated?"

Keda pointed to a group of armchairs at one corner of the cafe.    "Come on," she said, "I'll walk you through the scenarios."  

Luffa followed her, waving to Zatte as she passed by.   As she did this, she nearly bumped into Goku as he and his wife were on their way to the door.   They exchanged a look, and for a split second, Zatte was worried that it might become awkward.   Luffa almost looked like she was sizing him up for a fight.    She couldn't read Goku at all, but she assumed he was mostly intrigued by her loud costume.    

For some reason, the sound system in the store was playing a metal cover of "Carol of the Bells".    Zatte didn't know how that had gotten added to the holiday playlist.  

"Cool hair!" Goku finally said.  

"Hey, thanks," Luffa said.    

And then they went their separate ways.    

The music system abruptly switched to "Here Comes Santa Claus," perhaps the most tension-free Christmas song of all.

"Now then," Luffa said to Keda as she collapsed into one of the armchairs.    "Let's get down to business."

Keda was tapping a notepad with a pen, looking more like Luffa's accountant than a young fan.    "Right, well, obviously, if you can win all of your next matches, you'll be a shoo-in to win the tournament.   But even if you lose two more, there's still a chance of squeaking by.    The only thing I'm worried about is you tying with Hop."

"She cheated," Luffa grumbled.    

"It doesn't matter," Keda said.  "If you both tie on points, she wins the tiebreaker, since she has a win over you.   But if Ribrianne beats her, that'll set up a possible four-way tie with Videl.   Then you'd win, because you'd have the best record among the four of you."

"Sounds like I should just win the rest of my matches," Luffa said after digesting what Keda had said.  

"Just promise me you'll stay in the ring when you face Sorrel," Keda pleaded.   "She always tricks her opponents into getting counted out, and I know how much you like to fight in the crowd."

"What I like," Luffa said with a sadistic grin, "is having the referee out of my way.    If Sorrel thinks a twenty-count will save her from me, then she's already lost."

"But if you get counted out, you could lose the tournament!" Keda protested.    "Then you won't get a shot at the All-Pacific Championship!"

"Hah!   If someone like Sorrel can beat me," Luffa said, "then I don't deserve the title.    It's that simple.   Besides, she's not the only one with a trick up her sleeve."   She pointed at her mouth, which had smears of green dye around it.    

"When are you gonna teach me how to do the poison mist?" Keda asked.  

"I keep telling you, kid," Luffa said, "it's a sacred technique.    I can't just teach it to anybody."

Zatte approached them and cleared her throat to get their attention.    "Sorry to interrupt this strategy conference, but I thought the 'Golden Ace' might be hungry."     She held up a chicken salad sandwich and a to-go cup of coffee, which Luffa accepted with relish.  

"You're a lifesaver," Luffa said with a smile.  "I haven't eaten since before the show started."

"You'd think SPARKING! could afford catering for their events," Zatte said.    

"They do," Luffa said as she unwrapped the sandwich.   "I just don't like to eat so close to bell time.     Makes me nervous.   Too many stories out there about guys pooping their pants during matches."  

"Ewwww!" Keda said.  "Really?"  

"I've never run into it myself," Luffa said, "but you hear about it.    I almost threw up during a match, so I believe it."

"Was it because you swallowed posion mist?" Keda asked.  

"Huh?  Oh, no way," Luffa said with her mouth full.    "I... well, I built up an immunity to that a long time ago."

Keda began scratching her chin thoughtfully.   "Immunity... so that's it."

"What do I owe you?" Luffa asked Zatte.    

"It's on the house," Zatte replied.    

"Oh, come on," Luffa said, "I'm making halfway decent money these days."  

Zatte pointed at Luffa's yellow-and-black striped pants.     "Then why are you dressed like you're doing your laundry?"  

"Hey, these are high fashion in my line of work," Luffa said with a smile.    She propped her black boots on the ottoman in front of the armchair.    There was an image of a playing card printed on the sides of each boot.     "Check it out," she said.    "They liked my match in Osaka so much that they paid me a little extra, and I used it to get these babies.    I can afford to live it up at the Emerald Eye Cafe."

"Don't worry about it.   Half my regulars keep asking if you'll ever come back to the kitchen," Zatte said.    "You did such a good job while you were here that I'm still making money off of it now."    

"How's the new guy working out?" Luffa asked, glancing toward the general direction of the kitchen.

"He's fine," Zatte said.   "He's not as good as you, but who could be?"

"You know, that's what I think about you," Luffa said as she took a swig of her coffee.    "I mean, there's a cafe near the dojo.   It's just not the same."

"Right."  

"Yeah."  

There was a long silence, and then Keda nudged Luffa in the arm.    "Hey, do you really think you can beat Kale next Saturday?" she asked.    

"Are you saying I can't?"   Luffa asked in a haughty tone.    

"I'm just saying you can't take her lightly," Keda said.    "That running knee she does is nothing to sneeze at."  

"Running knee," Luffa scoffed.   "Let me tell you what I'll do about that running knee..."

"I need to get back to the register," Zatte said, though she doubted anyone was listening.    

*******

Closing time at the Emerald Eye wasn't for another hour, but the kitchen shut down at nine.   The cook was saying his goodbyes to Zatte before leaving, when he happened to notice Luffa and Keda chatting.    

"Is she some kind of celebrity?" he asked.  

"Huh?  No, that's Luffa," Zatte said.    

"Oh.  What's with the hair?" he asked.    "She looks like a pop idol."

"She's a professional wrestler," Zatte explained.   "She quit working here to go work for the SPARKING! promotion.   They did a show tonight in Okazaki, so she came by to visit."

"Huh.   I thought she became a famous chef or something like that."

"No, as good a cook as she is, she only worked her to make ends meet until she could break into the business," Zatte said.   "And she's done pretty well.   I read on the internet that they're planning to make her the next All-Pacific Champion."

"I thought you have to win the championship in a match," he said.  

Zatte turned and gave him a dirty look.   "It's fake," she said.   "They decide who wins and loses ahead of time."

"Oh!   Right," he said.   "I guess it's like getting a promotion at an office job, then.   You must be happy for her."

"I don't know that it matters," Zatte said.    "This is the first time she's come back since she left.    If Keda wasn't such a big fan of this stuff, she probably wouldn't even bother.   She's moved on.   I heard she's dating some referee there.    She's got a whole new life on the road now."

"Well, I'd go over and pay my respects, but my parents are pretty upset that I haven't called home in a while, so..."  

Zatte nodded and waved.  "Yeah, sure.   See you tomorrow, Trunks."

Less than five seconds after he had walked out the door, a man walked in and asked for Christmas cake.    Zatte stifled a groan and explained that the kitchen was closed for the night.    This was spelled out on the cafe's front door, but no one ever really read that as they walked in.    

*******

At 10 P.M. Zatte switched the sign in the window to "CLOSED", and began turning off several of the lights in the store, until only the section above the armchairs was illuminated.    The Christmas lights on the trees outside were easier to see this way, and they lent a pinkish, purplish tint to the inside of the cafe.    Finally, Zatte walked over to Luffa's chair and took a bottle of soda out of her apron.    She slung the apron over the chair opposite Luffa's, then collapsed into it with a heavy sigh.    

"Long day?" Luffa asked.   It wasn't until she saw her up close that Zatte noticed how tired Luffa looked.   Keda had gone to bed a half-hour earlier, leaving Luffa by herself.   She looked like she wanted to fall asleep in the chair, but was too excited from the day's events.

"I've had worse," Zatte said, "but that was back when I had you on the staff."    

"Well, I'm off for a few days," Luffa said.    "I could give you guys a hand."

"Tempting," Zatte said.   "Keda would be thrilled, but I couldn't impose on you like that.     You've probably got plans for Christmas Eve."

"Not really," Luffa said.   "That's why I came here.    I've been touring for so long that I'm not really sure what to do with this much free time."

There was a hiss as Zatte opened the bottle on her soda, and she raised an eyebrow at Luffa's words.    "I thought you and that referee..."

Luffa looked confused for a moment, then she threw back her head and laughed.    "No, no, no," she finally said.    "That was an angle.   Part of a storyline to make people think I had an unfair advantage.    It was kind of dumb, but sometimes you gotta do what the office wants to show 'em you're a team player."

"Oh," Zatte said, somewhat embarrassed.   "Well, it looked so convincing..."

"Well that's the idea," Luffa said.   "Wait, have you been watching my matches?   I thought you didn't go for that stuff."

"Well, Keda watches them all the time anyway," Zatte explained.    "And she's got that subscription to the on-demand service on the internet.    It's about the only time we get to see you anymore, you know?   Even if it's while you're spitting green stuff all over people."

"Keda asked me to teach her how to do the poison mist," Luffa said.   "I told her I couldn't, because the recipe for the poison is too dangerous.  Merry Christmas."

"Thanks," Zatte said.   She glanced around at the walls, imagining what they would look like with green food coloring on every surface.  "When are you gonna tell her the truth about all that stuff, anyway?"

"What, that it's fake?" Luffa asked with a smile.   "I dunno, she's still pretty young.   I'll tell her next year."

"That's what you said last year," Zatte said.   "I'd do it myself, but she wouldn't believe me.    She's a smart kid, you know.   Sooner or later, she'll figure it out on her own, and that might be kind of awkward for you."

Luffa settled back in her chair and looked down at the empty cup in her hands.    "I don't know, it's cool to have someone I know who believes it's all real," she said.   "I'll have to give that up eventually, but it's tough to let go.    You saw how excited she was when I came in."

"Yeah..." Zatte said.   She took a swig from her soda and propped her feet up on the ottoman that lay between their chairs, so that their ankles alternated in an orderly row across the cushion.

"So are you really winning the title?"  Zatte asked after a long pause.   In spite of Luffa's exhaustion, her eyes lit up at the question.

"Keep it under your hat," Luffa said, lowering her voice as though worried someone might overhear, "but maybe.    That show's six weeks out, and a lot could change before then.    If someone gets injured or something, they might have to call an audible and change the card around.    But they definitely want to put the title on me at some point."   She held up both hands and crossed her fingers for emphasis.

"That's great," Zatte said.   "I mean, it is, right?   If the matches are predetermined, does the championship even matter?"

"Oh, it's a big honor," Luffa said, visibly excited at the chance to explain it.  "I mean, it's a secondary belt, and SPARKING! isn't that big a promotion, but still.   It's kind of like an actor winning an award.    The people in charge are saying they think I'm good enough to deserve that spot on the show.    I mean, two years ago I was still helping the crew put the ring together.    I still can't believe it."

"I can," Zatte said.   "You always put everything you have into whatever you do.   I always saw it when you worked here, so it doesn't shock me that other people can see it in you now."

"I've missed this place,"  Luffa said wistfully.    "That's the only trouble with being on tour so much.    I don't get to cook as often.     I saw a place selling Christmas cakes on the way here and you've probably been selling them all month without me..."

"Well, if you really want to," Zatte said, "you could give us a hand in the kitchen tomorrow.   I mean, if you really didn't have any other plans for Christmas Eve..."

"Nope, I got nothing," Luffa said.    "What about you?   Keda and I could keep an eye on the place so you can leave early."  

"We're closing early anyway," Zatte said.   "Business usually drops off pretty sharply on Christmas Eve night, so we might as well.   Besides, I can't have you waiting tables with that crazy hair.    You'd scare the customers."

"Huh?   Oh, right," Luffa said.   "You know, I've been wearing it like this for so long I'd gotten used to it.    You don't like my look?"

"It's just... very bright," Zatte said.    "It's not so bad up close, when I can see your face better, but it almost doesn't look like real hair.    It looks rough, like hay."

"It's really not," Luffa said.   She tugged on some of it to demonstrate.   "I don't even put much stuff in it to make it stick up like it does.     Here, feel this."  

Zatte shrugged and moved to the seat beside Luffa's, where she reached for the same part of her hair that Luffa was holding.   Their fingers brushed against each other, and neither of them seemed entirely sure how to react to the sensation.  

"Huh..." Zatte said as she gently touched Luffa's head.    "That's not at all what I expected."  

"Yeah," Luffa said, somewhat awkwardly.   "It's not so different from that red streak you've got in your hair, I bet."

She reached out for the side of Zatte's bob, and rubbed a strand of it between her fingers.   "Why are you blushing?" Luffa asked.    

"Oh... uh, I probably stood up too quickly," Zatte said.    

"Oh..."

They heard someone outside walking past the storefront, and suddenly became very self-conscious of holding onto each other's hair, so they quickly let go, and looked away from each other.    

"So uh..." Luffa said.    "If you're not doing anything tomorrow night..."

"I mean, I've got a reservation at Kentucky Fried Chicken, but that's it, really," Zatte said.    "Keda talked me into it.    Said I ought to do something, even if I was alone.   But if you wanted to come along..."

"Sure," Luffa said.    "I haven't had KFC in ages.    And you know, it'd give me a chance to see the lights around town."    

"They've got a new thing at the mall," Zatte said.    "Well, not new new.   It was there last year, but you wouldn't have seen it then."

"That sounds fine," Luffa said.   "Yeah."

*******

Behind the front counter, Keda observed her sister and Luffa through the glass of the display case.    It wasn't an ideal vantage, and she could barely hear what they were saying, but it was enough for her to get the gist of things, and so far things looked promising.  

There were still a lot of things that could go wrong.   Long distance relationships were always a challenge, and the professional wrestling business wasn't exactly known for fidelity, but these were factors Keda couldn't control,  and at some point it would be up to the two of them to make things work as best they could.    It was enough that Keda had gotten them to this point-- studying Luffa's tour schedule, playing the eager fan, and providing Luffa a useful excuse to visit right before a romantic holiday.    Really, the only thing she had been worried about was that the two women would have seen through Keda's "wrestling-is-real" act, but they were grown-ups, and they didn't know an eleven-year-old from an seven-year-old, not when you really got down to it.

Keda noticed Zatte reaching for Luffa's hair a second time, and decided that was her cue to withdraw.   She was playing matchmaker, not spying on them, after all.     Besides, Keda would have to rest up for tomorrow so she could help out in the store tomorrow, in order to make sure neither of them were too tired for their date.    

Quietly, Keda made her way back to the door that led to their second-story apartment.     As she  ascended the stair, she imagined how great things would be next Christmas, with a SPARKING! All-Pacific Champion in the family.    Maybe then, finally, Luffa would teach her how to spit Poison Mist.

[THE END]  

[wildroseofarran]

Pit Stop || Quintane

Tane: "Wanna get snacks?" Tane asked as he stretched and leaned in through the window. "Tank's almost full." This was their first stop in hours, the sun just beginning to dip over the horizon. It felt good to be able to walk around for a bit.

Q: Q was attempting to kiss his knee as he stretched over the seats. He really should have taken Leslie up on yoga years ago. The idea just put him to sleep.

"I'd blow you for a Peace Tea."

Tane: He laughed. "I'll blow you and get you a Peace Tea. How's that sound?"

Q: "We blow each other?" he grinned.

Tane: "Even better. Want something to eat?"

Q: "If they have those artery-clogging hot dogs - I'll just come in with you."

Tane: He heard the click of the nozzle releasing. "Perfect timing. Come on, gorgeous." Tane finished up with the gas and led them inside the store. "This is such a nostalgic smell for me. The convenience store smell. They all have it, from Australia to here."

Q: "What's the memory?" he asked, arms over head in yet another stretch.

Tane: “Family road trips every summer, all of us packed into a van for hours, going for walks when we stopped for gas, stopping to camp sometimes.”

Q: "This in Australia?"

Tane: Tane nodded. “Yep, Hawaii too. Hotel was too expensive for two parents and four kids so we camped instead. At first only my dad did that, then my stepdad started, too.”

Q: "Wait, how many dads do you have?"

Tane: “Two dads, two moms, six siblings total.”

Q: "Fuckin' Christ," he laughed.

Tane: "That blended family life," Tane said with a grin. "I have eight sets of grandparents. Eight."

Q: "I never hear you on the phone with them."

Tane: "We have to schedule calls in advance because of the giant time differences. We have a group chat though. One for each set of siblings."

Q: "Do the mass not talk to each other at all?"

Tane: "Not as often but yeah, they do. I'm the bridge."

Q: "Our next trip should be there."

Tane: "Sydney or Honolulu?"

Q: "Wherever has the most family."

Tane: "That would be..." He thought for a second. "Honolulu."

Q: "Thought you were gonna saw Australia."

Tane: “My half siblings on my mom’s side are more spread out. Everyone on my dad’s side is still on Oahu.”

Q: "Christmas has to be a nightmare. Why are you always here? Should be there."

Tane: “It’s pure chaos,” he chuckled. “Been staying because of Logan. She stays because of Luke.”

Q: "Why not take her with you?"

Tane: “I’d have to take Luke’s whole family, too. Which I wouldn’t mind, but since he’s pulled away...”

Q: "I don't think you'd have to go that far for a week spent with your family. She needs that."

Tane: “Maybe I can talk her into it. She works so hard, she deserves the break.”

Q: "She American now? Are you American now?"

Tane: “I’ve been American. She is too now.”

Q: "When the fuck did you get your citizenship?"

Tane: “I was born in Hawaii,” he laughed. “Didn’t move to Australia until I was older.”

Q: "Oh! Goddammit your accent throws me the fuck off."

Tane: Another laugh as he led Q over to the artery-clogging hotdogs he desired. "We lived there just long enough for me to never sound American again."

Q: "I wouldn't change a thing. Hot dog?" His was quickly becoming overfilled with relish.

Tane: “Aww, thanks, gorgeous. And sure, might as well.” His own would be garnished with mustard and sauerkraut.

“I need coffee. And beef jerky. Are we driving through the night or stopping somewhere?”

Q: "We can take turns sleeping while the other drives, or a hotel. Either way." Now a disgusting amount of nacho cheese, hiding the tube of meat beneath.

"I need a Red Bull, too."

Tane: “Let’s see how long we can go before we get tired. I’ll grab your Red Bull.”

Q: "You should let me drive more," he called, piling their unhealthy goodies on the counter for the less-than-thrilled cashier.

Tane: "You can drive after we eat," Tane called back. "Want anything else?"

Q: "Annnnnn apple!"

Tane: "Such health!" He came to the counter with the drink, the apple, and a cupcake for them to share.

Q: A card was waiting for the go ahead before Tane could protest. The receipt was shoved in the nearest bag and a wave to the woman that seemed to hate every living person in the store.

"Ready?"

Tane: Tane thanked Q for the dinner with a kiss to his cheek. "Yep, ready. Have a nice night," he added to the cashier, chuckling as they stepped outside.

"How badly does she wish she was literally anywhere else?"

Q: "Don't they all? I had her job for five minutes. I wanted to kill myself."

Tane: "Bless her, she got stuck with the night shift, too."

Q: "What are we listening to, now?" Q was ready to move on from the subject. Not that she was depressing, (she was, but that was neither here nor there,) but their trip was much more interesting.

Tane: "Driver's choice, gorgeous. We eating here or you wanna find a nicer spot?"

Q: "Here's fine." The driver's seat was leaned back, his leg spilling out the window.

Tane: Tane stretched one more time before sliding into the passenger's seat. "All right, let's see how amazingly bad these hot dogs are." But first, a piece of jerky for each of them.

Q: Q made cheers with their snacks and stared out the window. He wondered what all those people were doing, where they were going and why. How many of them were horny. How many of them hadn't been laid in days, weeks, years.

"I wanna fuck you right now."

Tane: Tane smiled around a bite of hot dog. Every time he found himself watching Q and what he was thinking, Q came out with a gem like this. And it was never what Tane thought it would be.

"Having dinner at a gas station makes you wanna fuck me?"

Q: "I'll always have a reason to wanna fuck you, babe."

Tane: "That's so goddamn romantic I may swoon."

Q: "Kiss me with your hot dog lips." He laughed.

Tane: "Peak romance," said Tane, grinning as he leaned over for a kiss. He loved this man so much.

Q: The kiss was followed by a playful bite to Tane's cheek. As delicious as he was, his hot dog was a bit better.

"Wanna do a movie the next hundred miles?"

Tane: He chuckled at the bite, stealing another kiss the second he was able. "Sure, it'll help us stay awake. What should we watch/listen to?"

Q: "Something where I won't run us off the road trying to watch."

Tane: “‘Kay, so something we’ve seen before but don’t love enough to have to watch.”

Q: "Or podcasts. Or stand - do you like stand up? I forget."

Tane: “Yep, I do. Maybe that’s better than a movie? There’s a good Robin Williams one on Youtube.”

Q: "Sure." Q eyed the cupcake. "I'll take the icing."

Tane: “You got it, gorgeous. Do you just want icing or half the cake too?”

Q: "I just want the sweet. I'm full."

Tane: “Then sweet you shall have.” And by have, Tane meant he would feed Q icing with a spoon.

Q: "Should be on your dick. Just saying." And he took his bite.

Tane: He laughed. "We still got icing left if you wanna go park somewhere more private."

Q: Effeminate gasp. "Realllly?"

Tane: "Really really, gorgeous."

Q: Time to start the engine. "Hold the food."

Tane: Tane laughed again and held on to everything. "I was wrong before. Your sincere love of my dick is the true peak of romance."

Q: "It's the prettiest dick I ever did see."

Tane: "Now I really am going to swoon."

Q: "Look up the nearest park, or I'm gonna take us way off the map."

Tane: Tane already had his phone out. There wasn’t a park near them, but there was a scenic overlook that appeared to have some privacy. And it wasn’t out of their way at all.

Q: "So what you mean is, I should be lettin' you drive." Q waggled his eyebrows.

Tane: “Something tells me I’m about to not be able to drive,” Tane chuckled. “It’s just a few minutes up the road.”

Q: Q squeezed at the steering wheel and sighed. "That's not soon enough," he laughed.

Tane: “So impatient! I’ve clearly been neglecting you. We should exchange blowjobs every hundred miles.”

Q: "Don't say something like that unless you mean it."

Tane: “I absolutely mean it, gorgeous. We’ve got all the time in the world to get where we’re going.”

Q: "We're so gonna be arrested."

Tane: “Think positive. We’ll find a nice spot to park out of the way of any prying or arresting eyes.”

Q: "Are we doing a highway delight or the park, babe?"

Tane: “Let’s try the overlook first. If it’s too exposed we can go to the park.” He grinned. “If you can live without my dick that long.”

Q: A deep sigh. "I'll do my best. Where does she want me to go?"

Tane: He couldn’t stop grinning. “She wants you to go two miles and then turn right.”

Q: He could almost hear Leslie's little 'heard' from nowhere. Random thoughts were indeed random.

"Don't think about what I'm gonna do. I want you to get hard in my mouth."

Tane: "Then we better start talking about something mundane and distracting real quick because that train is about to leave the station."

Q: "Ummm... ugly nuns. Beer bellies. A plumber's ass crack."

Tane: Tane snorted. “I love that that’s where your brain went. Keep it coming.”

Q: "What?" He laughed with him.

Tane: “Nuns, beer bellies, and plumber cracks. Which I’ve never actually seen in real life. Only the plumbers on TV have their crack out.”

Q: "Seen it once. I'll never un-see it."

Tane: “Was it the stuff of nightmares?”

Q: "It was nothing but hair. I couldn't look away."

Tane: Another laugh. "When was this?"

Q: "I had to be about fifteen."

Tane: "Now that will scar you for life. Did he not feel his pants slipping? He must have."

Q: "He was just too fat. Maybe he just didn't care."

Tane: "Probably a combination of both. I imagine there's a certain level of done-ness that comes with being a plumber."

Q: "I'd say every job is like that, but how many of them unclog people's shit from pipes?"

Tane: "Just the one," he chuckled. "Wonder where he is now. Probably still fixing taps with his ass out."

Q: "Could still be alive. Coulda ate himself to death." Q grinned. "That keepin' down?"

Tane: "Shhh, don't speak of him, we'll wake him. Let's talk more about plumbing."

Q: "But maybe I'm getting into torture. This is great," laughed Q.

Tane: Tane chuckled. "You're the one that wanted to feel me get hard."

Q: "I will. All the way down my throat."

Tane: "Well then it's mundane conversation only, gorgeous. Gimme more random unsexy things off the top of your head."

Q: "Um... When Sash was little he would bite his toenails off."

Tane: "What, really?"

Q: "You know how people bite their fingernails when bored? That, but his feet. He's practically a contortionist."

Tane: "That's awesome," Tane laughed. "He should become a professional one."

Q: "He wanted to be a basketball player all his life. I dunno anymore."

Tane: "Did he play in school?"

Q: "Oh yeah. Since he was old enough to hold a ball."

Tane: "That something he still wants?"

Q: "I think he's changed directions since his hearing loss."

Tane: He nodded. "I'm sure he'll end up doing something that makes him happy."

Q: "He's becoming one of those internet celebrities. A hundred thousand subs now, I think."

Tane: "Damn. That's a lot. What does he do? Video games?"

Q: "Sometimes. A lot of vlogging. Sometimes teaching. Want his channel?"

Tane: Tane laughed. "I am way too old for that. Let him be the jack of all trades of YouTube."

Q: "Careful, you might be on his channel someday."

Tane: "Ah yeah, I can be the wizened old guy he and his viewers marvel at."

Q: "You'll be a fan favorite."

Tane: “I’ll leave the YouTube glory to him. The overlook should be up ahead on the left.”

Q: "Now I want fries. And a milkshake. And your dick. Can I have it all?"

Tane: "All that and more, gorgeous," he said with a grin, trying to see if there was any sort of cover for them to park.

Q: There was cover, if it could be so called. Little leaves too small to offer proper shade, but enough branches to create a filigree of shadow over the Tracker.

"Put that food down and get your dick out."

Tane: "What'd I tell you? Peak romance," Tane chuckled, gathering everything into the bag and placing it somewhere out of the way.

"Turn those headlights off."

Q: One last surveillance of their immediate surroundings. No houses, no headlights. Silent, save for the sound of the highway not even a mile away, but out of sight out of mind.

He killed the engine and turned in his seat, pulling his passenger to his lips.

Tane: Tane was ready for it, accepting Q’s kiss with eagerness and a one-armed embrace.

The other was being used to undo his jeans and free himself as carefully as he could. They’d made it this far; he couldn’t go making himself hard now.

Q: Q blindly reached between them, squeezing the soft head like a promise. A tingle of excitement danced in his stomach. Nearly three days without. A crime to be corrected.

"Lay back." A quick command before dipping his head and swallowing everything Tane had to offer.

Tane: He hummed in relieved approval. It had been a while, hadn’t it? For them anyway. They were usually jonesing for each other after just a few hours together, to spend days without touching each other was unheard of.

Probably why the seat wasn’t even halfway back when Q took him into his mouth, making Tane gasp and laugh in the same breath.

“Jesus. What happened to the icing?”

Q: "Mm." Tane was popped out of his mouth. "You'll make the icing. Buuut where did you put the cupcake?"

Tane: Another laugh. “And you say I’m cheesy. It’s just inside the bag in its little box.”

Q: "Want me to get it?"

Tane: “Nah, I got it,” he said, reaching for the bag. “You’re putting the icing on though.”

Q: "Goddamn right I am." Words breathed against his shaft. Making an obvious show of sliding down to his scrotum.

Tane: Q was rewarded with a sharp inhale. “You better get this icing on quick.” Already Tane could feel the beginnings of that tell-tale throb.

Q: Two sticky, icing-coated fingers rubbed over the tip of Tane's cock. He took his time returning for a taste. The sweet mixed with subtle salt of warm skin was absolutely decadent.

Tane: Tane relaxed back into the seat with a soft, content sigh, one hand automatically finding its way to Q's hair.

God, he'd missed this. Why did it always feel like ages passed between the moments he was with this man? He already knew the answer, but even so.

Tane hummed again. The sound was lower this time, more reminiscent of a moan than anything else. He could feel the heat pooling low in his stomach and his groin, the gradual increase in sensitivity and arousal and hardness. Q was getting exactly what he wanted.

And so was Tane.

"Mmm, feel so good, beautiful. This what you been waiting for?"

Q: Tane received a reverberating hum against his cock. Q in a state of bliss, in his element, and pleased beyond measure to give his best friend the same. His chest weighed heavy. This would not be enough. It was never enough, but it would suffice. The taste would last him a hundred miles.

"Your icing is better."

Tane: He smiled to himself, feeling the urge to pull Q into his arms. "I'm never gonna look at a cupcake the same way again."

Q: Q just laughed, sweeping his tongue over the tip. "Gonna cum for me?" He began massaging at his scrotum.

Tane: Tane groaned as he felt himself throb against Q's hand. "That eager for me, gorgeous?" he asked with a breathless chuckle.

Q: "It fuels me, baby. I need it."

Tane: "Well there's still icing on that cupcake. Why don't you finish it?"

Q: "You've still got icing." Which had begun to melt from the heat, slipping down to dirty his scrotum and clothes.

Tane: Tane looked down at himself and laughed. "This sugar/dick rush has to last you a hundred miles, go for it."

Q: A few strokes later, his mouth returned to purpose, taking his thickness to the back of his throat and beyond.

Tane: Fully aroused now, Tane's reaction wasn't the lazy contentment it had been just a few minutes ago. It was immediate and needy, all pulsing heat and exquisite sensitivity.

Q felt so goddamn good. So perfect. The more Tane let himself focus on that, the more he let himself fully sink into the moment and absorb every bit of sensation, the more aroused he became.

And the more aroused he became, the more his quickened breaths became moans. The more his hips stuttered and the hotter he felt. Everything was building, everything inside him racing.

Q felt too good and Tane had missed him too much to be bothered with holding back a second longer than his body needed to.

Q: Q practically purred when he was able to properly breathe. He was in his element. A task too vigorous to perform elegantly. His focus evolved around Tane and what he needed to fill his mouth. The bitter, poignant flavor coated his tongue. Q returned to the tip, softly gasping for air when satisfied.

"Does the body good," he grinned.

Tane: Soft, deep moans fell from Tane's lips with every breath, all the muscles below his waist contracting and turning to jelly as he spilled inside Q's eager mouth. Too fucking long they'd been without this. Too fucking long.

One final groan as Q released him, followed by a laugh. "Your body, gorgeous. Come up here and gimme those lips."

Q: A final taste. An excuse that he'd missed what wasn't actually there. Another hum, his world a haze surrounding Tane, he arched to close the gap between them. His tongue tasted of his deed, shamelessly.

Tane: His hands cupped Q's jaw and rested there as Tane tasted himself on his bartender's lips and tongue, tasted the remnants of the icing intertwined with Q himself.

"Perfect," he whispered. "Hop on over here and get in my lap, it misses you."

Q: Hopping over was more of a straddle, obeyed because he missed being in Big T's lap. He felt small in the safest way possible. Being rock hard could be dismissed, as being held took precedence.

Tane: "Mmm, there we go," Tane murmured, arms wrapping around Q's waist. Right where his bartender belonged; snuggled up safe in his arms and being kissed to within an inch of his life.

Q: Less than a minute into their making out and Q's hips swayed of their own accord.

"Either we're gonna fuck, or I gotta get back to driving," he laughed.

Tane: "You didn't think I was just gonna leave you like this, did you, gorgeous?" Tane's hands made their way down Q's torso and slipped into his waistband. "I've got plans for you."

Q: "You got plans for me?" The thought alone, Tane would feel a response in his hand.

Tane: "Mmhmmm." He undid Q's pants and slipped them as far down as he could. He wanted his hands on that beautiful ass and that beautiful cock.

Q: Q leaned forward to accommodate, doing his best to aid while also keeping his mouth firmly planted against that perfect mouth.

Tane: They probably should've stopped somewhere and done this somewhere with a little more room but fuck it. There'd be time for that later on when they were both too tired to drive.

In the meantime, he had more than enough room to massage Q's ass with one hand while the other began slowly stroking his shaft, paying extra attention to the head.

Q: Q allowed his mind to slip away with abandon. His body belonged to Tane, evident in the way he swayed and fucked his hands. Curses uttered under his breath between kisses, barely allowing either one of them to breathe.

Tane: That’s it, he thought, giving Q as much friction as possible. The teasing and savoring could wait for a while longer, right now Tane just wanted to feel Q fall apart in his hands.

“That’s it, baby,” he said when he finally got a moment to breathe. “You look so perfect for me. So beautiful. My beautiful bartender.”

Q: Q laughed breathlessly. "I like the way you talk. Mm. Like a uh," a moment to breathe, "like a novel."

Tane: Tane grinned and kissed the underside of Q's jaw. "A poetic novel or a real cheesy one?"

Q: Quick little breaths became desperate pants. "I dunno, just don't stop. M'gonna cum."

Tane: That was his cue to firm and speed his strokes just that last little bit to send Q over the edge. And to take that mouth again, of course. He wanted to consume every single little sound that Q made, every little sound he knew was coming.

Q: Q writhed in his arms. A grunting warm mess of noises and sucked breath as he finally spilled and stained Tane's clothes. He wasn't sorry in the least.

"Fuck." A word said into his lover's mouth on accident. He laughed.

Tane: Tane laughed with him. It was a warm, rumbling sound that Q would be able to feel as he was held close again. He couldn't care less about his clothes being stained; there was no one around to see him but Q.

"Gorgeous," he said with a grin, gently nipping Q's bottom lip.

Q: "I love...that ya think this is gorgeous." Gently, Q nipped and tugged at Tane's lip, humming and satiated and tempted for a nap. The car was a mess. They were a mess.

"We gotta change clothes."

Tane: His smile only got brighter. I love you so much. “You’re a sated mess in my lap. How could that be anything but gorgeous.”

He laughed and relaxed back in the seat, bringing Q with him. “We will in a bit. Let’s just catch our breath for a bit.”

Q: Noooo. Laying back only solidified his fate. He wanted to sleep, and sleep he would have if Tane didn't stop him.

"Fifteen minutes, unless there's a cop."

Tane: "I'll take it." He wasn't worried about a cop, or anyone else for that matter. They were well and truly alone.

He kissed and nuzzled Q's curls. "When we stop somewhere with an actual bed, you're all mine."

Q: "Have all my holes," he whispered. A groggy giggle followed, mussing a bit of hair by Tane's ear.

Tane: Tane laughed. "God, there's more of that top tier romance."

Q: "You should be in porn."

Tane: "I'm way too old for all that."

Q: "Not at all. You'd be a daddy."

Tane: "I've been on that boat for a long time, gorgeous."

Q: "Mhm. You'd have fanboys."

Tane: He chuckled. "Not to toot my own horn or anything but I've already got those."

Q: "Say whaaat?" Q adjusted in Tane's arms to better hear.

Tane: Another chuckle. "There's a group that comes in about once a week that kinda hovers near me and likes to stare and pretend they aren't."

Q: "All men? Where the fuck am I?"

Tane: "Like three of them, yeah. It's not a huge mob or anything." He nuzzled Q's hair. "Working, I guess. Not like it ever gets quiet enough for three people to stand out."

Q: "But I always see you." His sigh was that of content.

Tane: "Yeah?" Tane kissed Q's temple. "Even in the sea of people?"

Q: "I can feel you. I'd find you in the dark with your heat."

Tane: “The perks of being a human space heater.”

Q: "And your cock."

Tane: He laughed. "You can detect my cock in the darkness?"

Q: "I can smell it, feel it. Taste it."

Tane: "So what you're saying is, you have Spidey senses. Dick senses."

Q: "And pussy, but that gives you the heebie jeebies."

Tane: "I wouldn't go that far," he chuckled. "To each their own, but it just reminds me of a cowry shell which makes me think of the beach which makes me wanna go surfing. It makes my mind wander to more appealing things."

Q: The heap in his arms snorted. "That's the best description I've ever heard. In all fairness, we have worms between our legs."

Tane: "We do. Human anatomy is ridiculous and somehow still beautiful."

Q: "Delicious clams and worms," he giggled.

Tane: Tane's body shook with laughter. "The most unappealing description ever."

Q: "So, any of those fanboys appealing?"

Tane: "Not really. One of them makes me feel like I have to hide when he comes in. Gives off an aggressive vibe."

Q: "I can take him."

Tane: "You totally can, he's the twinkiest twink."

Q: "An aggressive twink. I'll keep an eye out."

Tane: "I'm betting he lived in LA at some point. He's got that look about him."

Q: "The fuck is he doing in NC?"

Reluctantly, Q slowly righted himself.

"Ready to go?"

Tane: "Much as I want to stay here and nap with you, yes. Let's get changed."

Q: Q climbed into the back seat for his duffle bag and haphazard assembly of clean clothes. Pale in comparison to his usual ritual for clients.

"You got me aching for a hotel."

Tane: "Don't you worry, gorgeous," Tane said as he eased out of his pants. "I'll have you back in my lap and aching for all kinds of reasons before you know it."

Q: "Look at me." And the hard-on those simple words had created, arguing with his new briefs.

Tane: Tane gave Q a wicked little grin. "Don't make me come over there and kiss it."

Q: "I double dog dare you," he grinned.

Tane: He grinned back and turned himself around, reaching for Q. "Well, I can't back out of a dare, now can I? C'mere."

Q: A quick glance was given over his shoulder, before lips crashed to his passenger with gusto. Tane wouldn't need to guess what he'd done; the very evidence throbbed against him.

Tane: They probably should've gotten back on the road, but he was only human, and this beautiful bartender of his was simply impossible to resist. It was all Tane could do not to drag Q back into his lap.

"Gorgeous," he murmured against Q's lips.

Q: Q was always ready for more, whether is body agreed or not. Whether circumstances permitted or not.

"The all of you is gorgeous." The dare had been for Tane's mouth between his legs, but all he wanted was the opposite.

Tane: Tane grinned and nuzzled Q’s cheek before taking his lips again. I love you so much.

“Tempted to say fuck it and just take us to a hotel now, hit the road again in the morning.”

Q: "What's more important, keeping a schedule or satisfied dicks?"

Tane: “The world is our oyster. But that might be my dick talking.”

Q: "I think that's our dicks talking," he laughed.

Tane: Tane chuckled and nuzzled some more. “What do you wanna do, my beautiful? Hotel or driving?”

Q: "You're tempting me with a night of fucking. You know my answer will be fucking."

Tane: “It’s gonna happen either way,” he chuckled. “Just a matter of when.”

Q: "Let's make it sooner, then. I can't drive with this bitch sticking out."

Tane: "Well you can," Tane said with a grin, "but a cop would definitely pull us over if you did. Take us to a hotel, gorgeous."

Q: Only after a kiss. "Find me one while I drive, navigator."

Tane: Have all the kisses you want. Forget one, have three.

"One nearby, non-sketchy hotel coming right up."

Q: "Hotel, yes. Not motel. Not bed and breakfast, not a cozy little inn."

Tane: "That goes without saying. Bed and breakfasts freak me out."

Q: Q started the engine and turned to stare. "There's a story behind that, huh?"

Tane: Tane shook his head. "No, surprisingly. The whole idea of going into someone's house and having to share a bathroom with strangers and not having any real privacy and being forced to mingle with those same strangers just does not do it for me."

Q: "What if they were, like, a hot Spaniard with long black hair and a tan, wearing all white and he makes excellent sangria?"

Tane: "They never are," he chuckled. "That man is at a hotel with an infinity pool and a view. Middle-aged married couples are all bed and breakfasts have."

Q: "I wanna make a bet with you there's at least one. For some fucking reason there is one."

Tane: "You wanna try staying at a bunch of B&B's in hopes of finding a single attractive man in one of them?"

Q: "It's the technological age! We don't have to go anywhere. Unless you wanna play blind."

Tane: Tane laughed and shook his head. "You wanna find an attractive man at a B&B online?"

Q: "How else would we do it?"

Tane: "All right then, what do you wanna bet?"

Q: "My cock in your ass."

Tane: "You know you don't need a bet to get that, gorgeous. All you gotta do is ask."

Q: "I bet we go to Australia."

Tane: "Now that's a bet. And if we don't find one?"

Q: "What do you want?"

Tane: “Hmmmm.....” Tane made a show of thinking something up while he scrolled through hotels on his phone.

“One single kiss.”

Q: "Fuck right off and pick something," he laughed.

Tane: Tane laughed along with him. “Fine, fine. A weekend some place with an infinity pool and a view.”

Q: "Fuck yeah. You're on, Big T."

Tane: “Either way we get a treat out of it. For right now, do you want a hotel with a jacuzzi?”

Q: "Goddamn do it up, baby. Lemme spoil you with room service in - where the fuck are we?"

Tane: “We just left The Middle of Nowhere and are heading near a city called Royal.”

Q: "You fucking with me?"

Tane: “Nope. It’s actually called Royal. Add that to the list of unusual town names we’ve come across.”

Q: "Paris, Think, and Stewart. We need a Paradise - there's one in New Orleans I gotta take you to."

Tane: “I think Stewart was my favorite. Just...Stewart.” It made him smile and he had no idea why.

“Oh yeah? What kinda paradise?”

Q: "The kind with skin for miles."

Tane: Skin for miles.... “Strip club?”

Q: "Friend works there. One of those once in a lifetime friends."

Tane: “A friend in a strip club called Paradise. Well we definitely have to go.”

Q: "Ya really don't care about anything, do you?"

Tane: "Only the important things, gorgeous. Where someone works or what they do or who they associate with is their deal and I don't judge."

Q: "You've never been jealous?"

Tane: Tane nodded. "I have, yeah. When I was a spring chicken."

Q: "So yesterday?"

Tane: "Pfft, if only. It's been a loooong time since I was a spring chicken. This was when I was a teenager."

Q: "What happened?"

Tane: "Logan's dad started dating her mum. Who would be her mum I should say."

Q: "That was the last of your jealousy? Did you ever act on it?"

Tane: "No," he said with a shake of his head. "There wouldn't have been a point. Even if Logan was somehow magically bisexual, he was head over heels for Kelly and she was for him. They were perfect for each other and I saw that eventually."

Q: "You talk like a romantic."

Tane: "I do like a bit of romance. I've gotten good at it over my many, many years."

Q: Everyone wants romance. "How many men you left with broken hearts?"

Tane: "Now that I couldn't say. Not many, I hope. That would make me sad."

Q: "Big T," he laughed. "Big T, breaker of hearts. Homewrecker and lover."

Tane: "Noooo, that's so sad! I try to leave all the hearts I encounter in decent shape, or at least better than how I found them."

Q: "People will disappoint you. Fall in love when you tell them not to. Blame you even after you've warned them."

Tane: "Oh, I've been blamed all right. I think I've told you about my shitty ex that just wanted me as a bank. Or Santa."

Q: "Mhm. But that wasn't love."

Tane: "I thought it was in the beginning, and probably too far into the middle. Probably not on his end but who knows. Maybe there was something there for him too at some point."

Q: "Security. People can be in love with anything. I promise you that."

Tane: "Well, if there's any justice in the world, he'll have been forced to be his own Santa."

Q: "Probably a career househusband. Which turn is it?"

Tane: "He would disparage the good name of househusbands everywhere. I'll tell you when, still a few streets away."

Q: A hand came to firmly rest on Tane's knee. You should go, find a good man to be with. Somewhere in Australia, New Zealand. Take Logan with you. Both of you heal someplace else. She won't ever heal here. Like picking at a scab every day.

"I'm gonna suck your dick five times before we check out."

Tane: Tane looked up from his phone and turned quizzically to Q, only for his face to break into a grin once more.

"And you say I'm a romantic," he chuckled. "Gonna wake up exhausted tomorrow, aren't I?"

Q: "Who said we'll get sleep? This hotel isn't for sleep." Of course they'd get sleep. After an ungodly amount of hedonistic sex.

Tane: “You’re right. It’s for eating room service whipped cream and chocolate sauce off of each other and then having tub sex in the jacuzzi tub.”

Q: "Was it chocolate last time? I thought it was caramel. I remember being sticky as fuck."

Tane: "It was," said Tane, humming contentedly at the memory. "And yes you were. Sticky and delicious and so fun to clean off."

Q: "Your tongue is not soap, baby, no matter how hard you try."

Tane: He smiled to himself. “Not for lack of trying. But that just means I get to feel you up in the shower.”

Q: "We have to take turns worshipping. If we both do, we won't get outta bed."

Tane: “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Tane chuckled. “You’re right though, it’s your turn.”

Q: "Gonna let me?"

Tane: "Mhmm. You can worship as much as you like, gorgeous."

Q: Q nodded out the window. "That the place?"

Tane: Tane turned and nodded. "Yep, that's it. 54th Street Hotel, simple and to the point."

Q: "And it’s got a jacuzzi or?"

Tane: "Yep, one of those ones that's built into a corner and are big enough for giants like me."

Q: Now, to get Tane naked in a jacuzzi. On his bucket list of a hundred places for his virtual album.

Q pulled into the nearest parking spot and killed the engine. If he could just keep his hands to himself long enough to rent a room, he would consider the effort a victory. But no. A hand found Tane's lower back the moment he was within reach.

Tane: Tane didn't mind one bit, but he still made sure to whisper, "Behave yourself," as they walked into the lobby, fully aware of what it did to Q. He took his time booking their room, smiling and exchanging pleasantries with the desk attendant like there was no rush whatsoever.

Q: A whisper more promising and sexual than anything overt. Sending a shiver over Q's spine and a smile tacked to his features. A joke was tossed into the banter. He had the patience of a saint! For the next five minutes. Two fingers began walking up Tane's ribs as their keys were exchanged for the final signature.

Tane: Five minutes! That had to be some sort of record, and a very impressive one at that. He would have to find a way to reward Q for being so patient while he finished checking them in.

Even if he was having a hard time not grinning or fidgeting. The touch of those two little fingers shouldn't have been as electric as it was.

"Thank you," he said as he accepted the keys and led Q over toward the elevators. The second the doors closed those lips were as good as his.

Q: Bags were dropped. Long legs wrapped themselves around Tane's thighs. Kisses to suck every trace of breath from his lungs, as though his only source. Zero awareness of how his skin had begun to heat.

Tane: If Tane had had any breath left, he would've laughed in pure happiness at Q's enthusiasm. He was just lucky there was a wall to help hold up his bartender because Tane wasn't entirely sure he would've had the presence of mind to hold Q up himself. The weightlessness of the ride and his own lust packed a powerful punch.

Whoever was monitoring the camera in the elevator was getting quite the show.

He barely registered the ding when they arrived on their floor, finally pulling away to breathe. "And you call me a sunspot," he chuckled. "Gotta get our bags, gorgeous."

Q: That laugh was worth more than a dollar amount. Almost as fulfilling as an orgasm. Hearing and feeling Tane's brief struggle for breath pulled him from immersion. Not the first time that had happened, but he thought nothing of it.

Q licked his lips. Took a breath of his own. "Want me to hold on, or drop?"

Tane: Tane grinned and kissed that beautiful mouth. "Cling like a koala." He carried Q around all the time, had even done pushups with him on his back a few times; it was no trouble at all for Tane to hold onto Q as he bent to retrieve their bags and found their room.

Q: Q would do as he was told. This was exactly what he wanted and was spoiled enough to cling to his heart's content. He would help with the door, however, and kick it shut as soon as it was behind them.

Tane: Once that door closed, Tane took the briefest of moments to locate the bed before laying Q down and fusing their lips together again.

The bags were tossed in a random direction, the lights disregarded entirely. Tane craved Q with his whole being and they finally had the privacy and space for him to take his fill.

Q: Their lovemaking would fill the room and the walls on either side. The stereotypical hotel nuisances. Complete with banging of the headboard against the wall, filthy encouragement, and laughter. Their thighs were strong but quivering, and their lungs empty and aching. A typical day in their addictive company, and which would be repeated many times before returning home.

[pxrxllel]

Talking to the Moon LXV (02/01/18)

Wow, this is the first entry for 2018. I can already feel that this is going to be a big year for me, professionally at least. I hope it’ll be a big year for my personal growth too, as always, and above all I hope I can keep my depression at bay and not let it stop me from achieving the things I want to and need to. I’ve got some big plans for the year and I’m going to try to be more assertive and really craft an image to throw out there and develop my self-confidence. 

So... What’d I get up to for New Years? Nicole and I rung in the New Year in Central Park last year and I got lost in the throngs of people and my cellphone reception was barely working and I remember us stumbling our way back to the subway station after midnight to go home and drink in the apartment. It was pretty memorable, so we thought we’d try again to have another memorable New Years together. I love Nicole so fucking much that it gives me chills, I swear.

So we planned a beach trip! We were originally planning to go to Waihi but Nicole messed up and booked a beach house in the middle of nowhere near Raglan. This obviously threw a spanner in the works but since we’d paid around $1000 and it was only half refundable, we had to roll with it. The house was a big property that was allegedly worth $1.5m, overlooking Raglan township. It had a generously sized deck, hot tub, BBQ, pizza oven, pool table, and get this... a PRIVATE BEACH! There was a slide and a staircase leading from the back of the house down to a private strip of beach with sand and pebbles. The owner, Mark, was pretty iffy about renting it out to a bunch of young people and strongly advised us to not throw a raging party, but we managed to qualm his fears and I promised I’d be sober enough to act responsibly and encouraged everyone else to do the same. 

Sam picked me up at 12:04pm. I lovingly ripped on him for being 4 minutes late. It was a bit awkward because my dad insisted on bringing my bag to the car and I knew Sam was a bit scared of him on account of my stories about him, but they shook hands and it was OK and as we drove off Sam said it was all good. We picked up Rish and Nicole on the way, made a supermarket stop (I mistakenly revealed to the cashier that Rish didn’t have his ID on him when we were trying to buy alcohol) and drove out to Raglan to the soundtrack of the Top 40. I’d invited Rish because I knew he’d been bored over the holidays and it was his first major holiday in NZ after arriving here in July, so I thought he’d enjoy it.

When we got to Raglan we tried to go kayaking, but the kayaks were all hired out and the man said they’d be back in about two hours. So we spent that time walking around the town and eating food and finding Rish some vegetarian options, which was a bit difficult. After we’d eaten, we lay back down on the park next to the beach sunbathing and waiting for Tara and Jono to show up, which they did about half an hour before we went out kayaking.

Kayaking was a lot of fun! I hadn’t done it since I was about 10 so I was pretty excited. We all hopped into doubles and Sam and I paddled out. He’s a lot stronger than me though so he ended up doing most of the work. All of us went out and did a big loop to the shore across the bay (where our beach house was located, funnily enough) and got out and walked on the squishiest sand ever. There were lots of limestone rocks with horizontal ridges on the other side, which looked really cool. I wish I’d taken my phone with me; I’d left it in the dry boxes on the other side. We mucked around on the other beach for a little while before heading back. It was pretty funny on the way back; we linked up all the kayaks and paddled around in circles for a little bit. Sam and I also missed the buoys and got beached a couple of times, which was also pretty funny. 

After kayaking, Mark texted and said he wanted us to check in early, so we rushed to the supermarket and grabbed a couple things for dinner. I also made a stop at the liquor store and then we headed off back to the cars to grab our luggage and make our way to the wharf, where Mark picked us up in his boat. The property was boat-accessible only, hence the tight check in window. Once we all got in, I gave a health and safety briefing  to everyone based off a cue card Mark had given me and then I started on the BBQ while everyone settled in or hopped in the hot tub. I finished up all the sausages, plonked them all on a plate and then had my turn in the hot tub for a loooong time while I drank and got pretty tipsy. 

Apparently it’s not a good idea to drink in the tub?! Alcohol is dehydrating and apparently so is the hot water. I remember being pretty dizzy and funny after just 3 drinks, and I hadn’t had a lot to eat either. I remember I spent the rest of the time singing really loudly and making sure everyone was behaving themselves and giving Tara shit about her boyfriend and then cuddling with them and complimenting him and running between the tub and the bathroom. There were lights in the tub too which made everything so much cooler. I must have at least looked pretty drunk because apparently Nicole and Sam were taking turns looking out for me all night, even though they both ended up drinking quite a bit. Nicole at least got pretty drunk and I nearly kissed her I think, but Sam was a bit less of a lightweight. He was at least mostly sober by midnight, because we went down to the private beach for crossing over into the new year. 

We’d all planned to head down to the beach for midnight but it ended up just being Sam and I. I mentioned that there was a staircase down (as well as a slide, but the tide was too low and going down the slide would mean crash landing on a bed of rocks and pebbles.. ouch). The staircase wound all the way down the cliff, which was pretty treacherous, and Mark had warned that falling off the staircase would likely result in injury. I knew I definitely wanted to go down for midnight, so I made sure I had stopped drinking by 11pm so I had enough time to sober up. By the time I started going down I’d say I was at least half sober. This ended up being a bad idea because I somehow managed to let go of Sam’s hand and roll down four steps into the bushes, after which the branches caught me and I stood back up and continued down the stairs as if I hadn’t just evaded death. Afterwards Sam mentioned that he was mindblown at how I did that because as far as he was concerned, I was meant to be dead. I woke up the next day with some cuts and bruises on my arms and legs but relatively unscathed, so that’s a way to start off my New Year. 

So we made it down to the beach at 11:55 and then Sam and I sat down on the ground and then he realised it was wet so we debated him running back up the stairs to get his sweater for us to sit on. Amazingly, he made it back down at 11:59. Apparently everyone else was too drunk to come down the stairs to the beach, which kinda sucked.

But also didn’t suck, because at 12am the fireworks across the bay went off and I saw it through my slightly drunk eyes and I turned to him and yelled HAPPY NEW YEAR IT’S 2018 and he looked at me and kissed me and said he’d been wanting to do it for a long time. 

I was still a tiny bit drunk (he thought I was sober though because I kept talking about how sober I was) but we spent another hour on the beach cuddled up, retreating into the space of the slide when it started raining. I don’t remember a lot of what was said, but it was intimate and sweet and absolutely the best way to kick off 2018. And it was my first actual New Years’ kiss!

We ended up back at the house at nearly 2am I think, and I took a quick shower and cuddled back up to him in bed. I think we spent a couple hours in bed just talking and kissing. I think it was actually a pretty good conversation as well, about people and life and goals and shit, but I don’t remember too much of it. We tried to go to sleep a number of times but couldn’t and 5:30 rolled around and I got up to sit outside the house by myself to watch the sunrise and have a bit of alone time for reflection. 

It was really cloudy so we didn’t get a beautiful coloured sunrise, which was a little bit disappointing. I spent half an hour outside in the cold and there was a light sprinkle of rain, and then I climbed back into bed with Sam and accidentally woke him up. But we managed to doze off after that and I ended up with 3 hours. 

We got up at around 10:30 and Nicole had made breakfast, which was handy. We then cleaned up the house because we wanted to impress Mark and sat around the table playing Cards Against Humanity. We had hoped the rain would stop and the tide was high so we could go down the slide to the beach (all of us this time), but it didn’t. So after we made sure the house was spick and span, we just settled down and packed up and got ready to leave. I was really impressed with how much everyone pitched in to help and I think Mark ended up being really stoked as well. He said the neighbours heard us singing Frozen really loudly during the night and got a good chuckle out of that.

It was raining lightly all morning so we left the house at 3 and made a quick stop at the best fish and chips place I’ve ever been to, and then headed home. 

..And that’s the story of another epic New Years, done and dusted.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #80

oh wow, sorry for the inactivity ya’ll.  been busy with moving and no internet...

is your hair damaged?   no, it's very healthy, actually.  people love my hair, makes me feel amazing tbh ;;u;; who was the last person you threw out of your life?    um idk really.  i rarely throw people out... i believe in fixing relationships.  most, realistically, are salvageable. how many hours did you sleep last night?   like... none. e_e has someone disappointed you recently?   yes.  a friend was acting rather immature last night. do you prefer hot or cold weather?   COLD COLD COLD are you afraid of roller coasters?   yup. are you shy?   VERY!!! do you hate it when you go over to someone’s house and do absolutely nothing?   no, so long i have my phone or laptop. what color is the hair of the last person you kissed?   black does the last person you kissed wear glasses?   nope you’re on your way home from a night out, and you’re sure someone is following you. what do you do?   drive to the nearest police station. what colors of mascara have you worn on your lashes?   only black what color ARE your lashes?   black what font do you usually use?   a small version of arial or garamond. do you put gel or mousse in your hair?   i do not. ever used to have an imaginary friend?   no actually. ever used a dreamcatcher? if so, did it work?   nope. ever took ballet, jazz, or tap dancing classes?   jazz, hip hop, clogging, modern... wear a specific necklace every day?   i do not. are you an affectionate person?   very. what is something you are proud of?   graduating in the highest tier of my graduating class. time of day you were born?   11:20 A.M., i think. are you a boy or girl?   girl how do you want to die?   idk, really.  some pretty painless way. ever made out in the bathroom?   no. are you scared of spiders?   most. do you have piercings? how many?   yes, two in each earlobe.  i've HAD many more, buuut... long story. want any more?   yep.  labret on lip, snake eyes on tongue, right side of nose, more on my ears... have you ever been on a horse?   i have. have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?   i have, much to my dismay. do you believe your most recent ex thinks about you?   doubt it. ever been to alaska?   i wish! what’s your zodiac sign?   aquarius do you like subway?   ye what is your least favorite color?   brown or like, puke green. do you like to read?   not anymore, no. what’s something you’re really passionate about?   m e e r k a t s ! ! ! ever been bitten by a snake?   nope a spider?   not to my knowledge ever had a job? if so, what and for how long?   two, yes.  gamestop sales clerk for like a month.  dollar general cashier for legit four days lmao. ever won yourself a stuffed animal?   sure ever had someone else win you a stuffed animal?   i think. do you like lollipops or suckers?   yeah, sure. favorite fruit?   strawberries favorite vegetable?   broccoli favorite meat?   chicken do you drink energy drinks?   nope. ever used crest white strip?   no, but i'd like to. do you want to cut your hair?    i need it trimmed. do you have any scars?   shin and chin is your profile private?   my facebook one?  yes. what artist do you have the most songs for in your itunes/music library?   ozzy osbourne or metallica what’s your blood type?   a- do people ever say your name wrong? how do they say it?   no.  it's such a common name, so. which do you like better, biographies or autobiographies?   autobiographies, imo. do you think that your parents give you a lot of freedom?   even at 21, no. which do think is classier, black clothes or white clothes?   black have you ever seen a ghost? explain:   idk.  i KNOW i've seen some inhuman entity walking on all fours once before, but idk if it was truly a "ghost" do you like oatmeal?   eh, i'm picky.  can't have too much milk, i'll tell ya that for sure. are any of your friends in a band?   no. what is the worst food experience you’ve had?   eating brussel sprouts omg never again do you know how to tap dance?   i know how to clog.  same thing, just different shoes for a different sound effect. what’s your favorite flavor of skittles?   RED OMG when was the last time you used oil pastels?   high school art class do you know who edward gein is?   hmmmm... wasn't he some serial killer or even a satanist, something along those lines?  name sounds familiar.  think there's a character in the silent hill franchise in his name. if pot was finally legalized, what would you do?   idk if it's legal in nc, but anyway, i still wouldn't do it. do you like sitting on the inside or outside of a restaurant booth?   inside do you prefer an automatic or a manual transmission?   automatic who is your favorite disney character?   not sure, maybe mufasa. if you’re staying home all day, do you bother getting changed or do you just stay in your pajamas?   stay in pajamas. if you don’t drive - how come? if you do - how old were you when you got your license?   i have my permit, but i don't drive much because of anxiety.  i am a nervous wreck, and i'm not comfortable endangering other's lives. have you ever caught a tadpole?   ye. (: what kind of dog would you get if you could choose any breed?   right now, a chow chow. how often do you listen to rap?   like never. do you have the boobs to work at hooters?   boobs, maybe, but not the body.  granted, i'm only a d because of my weight.  when i wasn't overweight, i was a c. are you wearing a ring, if so who gave it to you?   yes, and my mama. if someone of importance checked your profile, would you be embarrassed?   what profile, my facebook?  not really. has anyone ever told you “forever”?   AND YET HE'S NOT HEEEEEREEEEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :D which is harder - walking in the snow or sand?   sand, omg. do you like sour candy?   YEAH in one word, how would you describe your best friend?   honest. is there a song that reminds you of your best friend?   "friends" by... i think it's blake shelton?  she's established that's "our song," which i think is so cute. ;w; what's annoying you right now? even just a little bit counts.   okay so a friend from high school was talking to me via facebook last night, and he just... did something that REALLY got under my skin.  first let my say that in high school, he admitted to liking me.  i liked him as a friend; i hadn't known him long enough to really establish an "i like-like you" attitude yet.  well, we drifted apart, not that there was ever anything much holding us together.  anyway, he and i were messaging each other for a very short period of time when he asked me if i was seeing anybody, said no, then he asked if i liked him, and i was just like... uhhhh... no???  bc i haven't seen him since high school???  sooo tell me how i would have any valid feelings???  and more importantly, tell me how he'd have valid feelings for ME after so long???  idk, it just honestly pissed me off because it made me feel like he was after an easy piece of meat with no emotional connection.  he hasn't messaged me back yet, and i, frankly, don't care if he does or doesn't. have you ever painted a car?   no are you gonna buy lottery tickets when you’re old enough?   no.  the worth isn't there, imo. have you ever been into a real cave?   oh, i wish!! have you ever posted mean comments on youtube?   oh i can say with certainty i have as a pre-teen.  i was an obnoxious lil shit when i first started actively using the internet. what was the main subject of your last telephone conversation?   i was telling mom i was throwing up, so my anxiety was bad. have you ever kissed someone who has previously kissed someone you hated?   yup. what exactly did you drink the last time you were intoxicated?   mike's hard, i think. do you think the next person you kiss will be a better kisser than the last person you kissed?   impossible. is your all-time favorite television show still on air?   i wish, but no. are looks important in a relationship?   very!!  very!!  slightly!!!!  i believe emotional chemistry is incalcuably more important, but simultaneously, having a physical attraction to your partner is something that increases your connection.  i used to not believe this and you probably don't either, but ponder over it for a while.  it does hold slight weight. do you believe in love at first sight?   absolutely not, it's rubbish to believe you can "love" somebody just by fucking looking at them.  the idea is laughable. do you ever want to get married?   i do. do you shower every day?   no, that's horrible for your skin.  i shower every two days. have you ever experienced unrequited love?   yes and tbh i'd rather die have you ever written a song or poem for someone?   poems, yes. what’s the most superficial characteristic you look for?   i don't actively look for it, but hmmm... i'd say decent/healthy teeth. who are five people you find attractive?   1.) link neal is actually daddy; 2.) jason/my ex; 3.) adam levine ain't bad; 4.) chris hemsworth; 5.) oh my actual god i almost forgot mark fischbach/markiplier what's your profile picture?   i'mma cover for... almost everywhere.  this tumblr: me; main tumblr: link neal; facebook: me; km rpg: rhett mclaughlin laughing; deviantart: my oc what's your dad's name?   kenneth, but everyone just calls him "ken" do you still have feelings for an ex?   very strong ones do you like the rain?  ye!! what is your favorite fruit flavor?   strawberry which two friends can you see together as a couple?  idk, i don't really "ship" my friends what was the happiest moment in your life?   dancing to "stairway to heaven" with jason on prom night, in my front yard, in the headlights of his old truck. would you be brave enough to spend an entire hour alone in a cemetery?   yeah. got a phobia you want to share?  whale sharks.  lmao. how many places have you traveled to? name them.   new york, michigan, florida, ohio, tennessee, virginia... who are the 3 greatest living musicians?  oh god.  errr ozzy osbourne, otep shamaya, james hetfield. what’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?   michigan do you feel like a leader or a follower?   i'm a follower, usually. if you had to live in a different state, what would it be?   utah would you rather win an olympic medal, an academy award or the nobel peace prize?   nobel peace prize what is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?  "the rite" scared me ONLY bc i am horrified by the idea of being raped by a demon, nevermind satan what is your favorite thing about the beach?   the shells and starfish! what’s the worst thing you did as a kid?   i hit my little sister multiple times would you ever donate blood?   i have before, but idk if i would again.  it was so stress-inducing. do you wear hats?   no. have you ever seen your best friend cry?   i have. have you ever been a vegetarian?   nope. do you find lube pointless for regular old intercourse (not anal)?   yeah, honestly.  if you're technically turned on, your body pretty much takes care of it? which sex position would you find more awkward: anal or some really crazy vaginal intercourse position (check wikipedia if you can’t think of any crazy ones)?   anal will always be weirder to me. do you ever wear temporary tattoos as an accessory?    no. when was the last time you had a panic attack?   two nights ago what’s your favorite color to wear?   black.  it's a flattering color. clay, crayons, markers, pastels, charcoal, or paint?   pastels have you ever broken anything because you were mad?   no are you ticklish?   yup. why were you last hospitalized?   i tried to kill myself. do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes?   baked.  mashed is gross. do you like bread sticks?   omg you have no idea what state were you born in?   north carolina have you ever been to an art gallery?   sure. do you have the same political views as your parents?   most, yes. what are you listening to?   a jim gaffigan stand-up if you could make your lips bigger, would you?   IF i could just snap my fingers and it's be that way, maybe.  i'd have to look in the mirror again lol are you one to sneak food into movie theaters?   sure am. what’s the funniest commercial?   omg the sexy mr. clean one bc i CRY do you own any form of a gameboy?   we have three.  i think two are broken, though. what’s your favorite store in the mall?   hottopic. have you ever seen a cat with blue eyes?   ... yes? would you be embarrassed to buy pads/tampons/condoms? which one more?   never bought condoms before, so i can't really say, but pads/tampons, nah man.  periods are just a totally natural part of life for a woman, nothing to be embarrassed about. if you were looking for a new pair of shoes where would you go?   hot topic is preferable what color is the computer/laptop you’re on? did you buy it yourself?   it's black, but it has a pink zebraprint cover on it.  and no, it's my older sister's technically, but now it's mom's. do you have a second home?   not anymore. does the smell of cigarettes, weed and beer repulse you?   all of them.  the worst is weed though, oh my GOD it stinks. was the last person you kissed younger or older than you?   two years older. how often do you drink monster?   never.  it's nasty. have you ever made totally pointless videos with your friends?   you forgot to mention cringey.  oh, the pre-teen years. do you own a nightgown?   no. have you ever worn fishnets?   for dance, probably.  i'm not sure. is someone in your family affected by asperger’s?   no. would you rather go out to eat or be eaten out?   *CHOKES ON DRINK* do you always wear your seat belt?   always! are there any diseases/health problems that run in your family?   welp.  here goes.  high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, depression, bipolarity, cancer is in question, and i can guarantee i'm forgetting some... do you have asthma?   no.  my mother and grandmother do, though. last person to take off your pants, besides you?   jason might you enjoy hanging out in the woods for day or two?   so long i can bring my camera! do you have a bull ring through your nose?   no.  thought about it, though. do you and your dad get along?   yep. can you see your purse right now?   indeed. when you get colds, do you use nasal spray to help get your nose unstuffy?   yes.  i have allergies, so i sometimes use it even when i don't have a cold. do you actually like sneezing?   ... does anyone? do you wear skirts a lot?   i haven't worn a skirt in years. how many pairs of jeans do you think you have?   i have no jeans.  just yoga pants and sweatpants... are you one of those people who claim to live with no regrets?   hell no. do you love your computer?   yes ;-; do you shop mostly with your parents, your friends, or by yourself?   with mom. do you like zombie movies?   no particular opinion. what’s the grossest/worst thing you’ve ever seen in a public restroom?   saw an old lady puke on the floor once when i was little.  scarred me for life. x-what’s the worst relationship advice you’ve ever seen?   this was never told to me, but to my mother: let your husband be your head/be very submissive to everything he wants.  fuck that. have you ever volunteered in a hospital? if not, would you ever want to?   no no no no no no no. have you ever had to give a pet away?   cats, yes. did you play pretend a lot as a child? were there any recurring plots or themes?   oh definitely.  and i don't think so... has a teacher ever tried to teach you something that was undeniably wrong?   oh, you mean like evolution? have you ever meditated? if so, did it do anything for you?   not the whole "ooohhhmmm" deal, but yeah.  it only stressed me out. are any of your favorite bands broken up or on hiatus right now?   ozzy osbourne- probably metallica- no otep- no marilyn manson- i don't believe so rammstein- no cradle of filth- don't know a day to remember- no what kind of wild animals do you see most frequently where you live?   besides birds, squirrels.  occasionally a possum at night. do you have any physical photo albums?   sure do. do your parents and grandparents get along with each other?   dad loves his dad, mom loves her mom, but she pisses her off and offends her a lot. do you have a favorite hoodie?   the one i'm wearing now!  it's dark gray with pikachu sleeping on it and it says "current mood." :3 do you have a twitter?   it exists, but i never, ever use it. is anyone in your family artistic?   besides me, my cousin is. what do you want to do after high school?   after high school, i went to a community college very briefly.  quit.  took a break.  went to a university.  quit. are you emo/gothic/punk?   eh. would you date someone 20 years older than you?   definitely not.