#fun facts dogs probably see pink as beige

[cricketnationrise]

1:23 am

The White House

David The Beagle

(my ao3 is Themundanemudperson)

DAVID MY BELOVED BLESS YOU FOR THIS PROMPT

I hope you like it!

want your own ficlet? my followers can request their own using these guidelines through Jan 31, 2024

❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

1:23am, white house

David isn’t at home.

He keeps his eyes closed and pretends to still be asleep while he tries to figure out where he is. He knows His Henry took him somewhere because of the food laced with the hateful thing that makes him sleepy and the suitcases and his travel carrier. But it doesn’t smell like furniture polish and mothballs like when they go to Sandyham or Buckyham. (Perhaps most upsetting about those places is the lack of ham, despite the names. Or the fact that His Henry retreats into himself, left with nothing but a shell until they get home and David can burrow into His Henry’s chest again.) (But seriously, the dearth of ham is criminal.)

And obviously they aren’t at home because David knows home, with its stone and sprawling grounds and His Henry and ThankYouShaan and Aunty Bea and even Mr. Wobbles. There’s pockets of stuffiness at home, but His Henry’s room and the music room burst with laughter and kindness and something that David decides is family. (Sometimes His Henry’s Alex comes to visit and His Henry gets all happy and warm and smells like cinnamon and David gets thrice as many pets. David likes those days the best.)

So David doesn’t know where he is, but there is something comforting about the smells of this new place, despite the fact that this room is entirely decorated in shades of beige usually reserved for ThatOldHarpy’s twinsets. This new place doesn’t feel as old as home, but David can tell it's got its own long history. There’s a weight of tradition in the air that he recognizes. Maybe a historic hotel? He can smell laundry detergent and fabric softener and—

“David? You awake again?”

And David couldn’t ignore His Henry if he tried (and he doesn’t want to). His tail starts wagging and he opens his eyes to see His Henry crouched next to his travel bed.

“Good morning, sleepy!” His Henry coos, petting his head and rubbing that magic spot behind David’s ears that gets his back leg twitching in pleasure. “Should we get food?”

David’s up and by the door in a flash. Duh, they should get food. Now that he’s thinking about it properly, David is starving, can’t remember the last time he was fed, he’s going to waste away—

“Alright, stop whining, let's go to the kitchen. David, heel.”

David takes up his position on His Henry’s left and trots dutifully at his side down a couple unfamiliar hallways. The smell of cooking food grows stronger with each step and his tail wags harder. David doesn’t care where they are if it means he has a chance to steal some bacon.

They go through one more doorway and only David’s training keeps him calmly at His Henry’s side. His Henry’s Alex is here! And cooking bacon!

“Hello, love.”

His Henry’s Alex spins around from his position at the stove, a joyful smile taking over his face.

“Baby! You’re here—I thought you weren’t getting in until this afternoon!”

His Henry crosses the room, drawn inexorably into His Henry’s Alex’s orbit—just like anytime they’re in the same room. David ignores them smashing their faces together and their quiet conversation in favor of sniffing every corner of the kitchen. His Henry brought him here, which means that somewhere there is food for David—and he will find it. 

One full circuit of the room’s edge later and David is stumped. Maybe it’s stashed up high? His Henry will know, and he’s had more than enough time to say hello by now. David comes back over to where the humans’ legs are now tangled together and sits next to them, letting himself slump hard against them with a huff.

“Oh, sorry, David,” His Henry says. “Let me get you fed.”

His Henry’s Alex squats down to scratch at David’s chin while His Henry flutters around the kitchen pulling down dog food and a set of bowls.

“Hey, buddy! Sorry I distracted your dad for a bit there, I was just so glad to see him.” David pushes into His Henry’s Alex’s hands in agreement. He also misses His Henry when they can’t travel together. “I’m really glad he was able to bring you with him, little man. Don’t tell Henry, but I missed you even more than him.”

David pulls away to look up at His Henry’s Alex doubtfully. That statement would refute all previous evidence that David has collected. His Henry’s Alex tips his head back and laughs really hard.

“Oh my god, H—your dog is giving me the biggest bitch please face I’ve ever seen!”

“What were you telling him? He’s quite the discerning gentleman, so you must have been running your mouth.”

“But you like when I—”

“Save it for when we aren’t in a common space, dear.”

“Hen, it’s the middle of the night—”

“And yet I think you can wait twenty minutes for your depravity.”

His Henry puts food and water bowls in front of David and he promptly ignores His Henry and His Henry’s Alex fondly squabbling like children.

David still may not know precisely where he is, but His Henry is happy, His Henry’s Alex is here, and David has food, so specifics can wait.

[alanaswriting]

Two Of Us

Jonathan Byers x Reader

Request: Hey, please could I request a Jonathan Byers x reader imagine where Jonathan and y/n know each other from photography and y/n babysits all of the boys a lot and she's always really kind to Will and all of the other boys and Jonathan's literally been in love with her for years and Joyce can tell by the way he lights up whenever he sees her, but he doesn't know that she loves him back. Will keeps encouraging him to tell her, and one day in the dark room they both confess and kiss? Is this okay?💙

masterlist

Word Count: 4,700 ish

Warnings: shitty writing lmao

A/N: i love this request, it’s absolutely adorable and I’ve been looking forward to writing it! I’m sorry it took so long and that it kinda sucks. I got a little bit of writers block writing this so it’s a mess!

Please don’t steal, plagiarize or repost my writing. I work really hard on my writing as I imagine all writers do and it would suck to find out someone else is trying to claim it as theirs.

ー

*Click!*

“Jonathan!” You groan and cover your face embarrassingly.

Joyce had invited you over to babysit the boys for a little while as she went out on date night with Bob, she said something about Jonathan being busy that night so he couldn’t. Jonathan wasn’t suppose to be home until around 9pm but he got home early and you’d already ordered a pizza and rented a few movies for you and the boys to watch that Friday night so you weren’t going home now. You were staying until you got your money’s worth of rented VHS tapes and overly priced pizzas worth. Plus you didn’t mind hanging out with Jonathan for a few.

You’d had a crush on the older Byer’s boy for quite some time now but you never acted upon it. You had that small fear in the back of your mind that he didn’t like you back and it was more than enough to keep you from doing anything about it. You couldn’t risk making things awkward or uncomfortable considering you babysat the boys often, saw Jonathan in school constantly, and bumped into him in the dark room a lot since you were both interested in photography. Plus you were friends, good friends in your opinion. Risking losing him just didn’t seem worth it.

Jonathan was currently taking a few photos testing out the new camera Nancy and Steve had gotten him to replace the one Steve smashed what felt like forever ago, unfortunately due to the fact you were the only one slightly willing to let him try it out Jonathan was testing it on you. He was having fun and despite you covering your face and telling him to stop you were too.

“Last one, I promise, just sit still.” Jonathan pleaded with puppy dog eyes and you decide to just let him take one more.

Your cheeks were red from the amount of blushing you’d done since you weren’t used to having your picture taken, if anything you were usually the one behind the camera, not in front, and honestly, you liked it that way. Your hair was a mess since you hadn’t really done much with it today, only expecting to babysit not become Jonathan’s one time model and you were pretty sure you looked a mess. The lighting in the living room was dim but Jonathan thought it illuminated your face perfectly. He loved the way the dim yellow light was hitting your features.

“There, I’m done.” He finally says making you look up from the few text books you had sprawled out across the couch to make sure.

You were working on some homework while Jonathan was taking pictures since the pizza wasn’t here yet, the boys were busy finishing up their game of dungeons and dragons, and you were hoping Jonathan would help you out a little with some of it, you’d probably need it once you hit algebra. You weren’t the best in school.

Fortunately enough for you Jonathan was a straight A student, impressive was a understatement for what you thought about his academics but he always brushed it off. He was definitely humble.

“Y/N!” You hear Will’s voice come from the kitchen distracting you from your thoughts about Jonathan before his small body appeared in the doorway to the living room.

You and Jonathan both turned towards him as you gave him a small smile. Will was a sweetheart, you’d known him since forever and you really tried not to pick favorites between all of the boys but if you had to Will would probably be your favorite. He was always kind and polite, just like his brother. The two of them were definitely the children you imagined every mom wanted. Joyce raised them right.

He began to walk towards the two of you before he was eventually standing by the side of the couch. His face held a small smile and he looked like he was in a good mood, he always looked like that around his friends though. You could tell that the type of friendship they all shared was something special and rare. You were happy that he had such a good group of friends.

“Do you want to watch the movies now?” He questions with a hopeful look on his face.

You glance towards Jonathan and then back at the books surrounding you, you still had quiet a bit of homework left but you knew Will had been excited to watch the movies you’d rented since you’d let him and the other boys pick some out. You even let them pick out one rated R movie, of course you told them not to tell their parents and that it was your guys secret. They all agreed and had been pretty enthusiastic about watching it tonight with you.

They’d picked out “The Shining” and although you hated horror films you’d decided to let them have their fun, besides, thankfully you had Jonathan now and although he didn’t seem like he could protect you and all the boys from a monster from some horror movie it made you feel better that you weren’t gonna have to watch it with them home alone. He definitely could protect you all from a random monster out of a horror movie though, not that you’d know that.

“Uh, sure, just let me put some of my stuff away so you can sit down.” You say beginning to grab your heavy textbooks.

You began pushing them into your beige backpack neatly trying to hurry so Will wouldn’t have to wait long but he ran off to get the other boys anyways so he’d probably be a few seconds. You were almost halfway done when Jonathan’s hand brushes yours handing you a small book you were reading for your English class. He had a faint smile on your face and it made your heart skip a beat. You anxiously grab the book from him and set it on top of everything in your bag before zipping the material shut.

Jonathan Byers never failed to make your heart race.

Will reentered the room with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas following close behind. They all had big smiles on their faces and although Dustin had his new front teeth for awhile you still weren’t used to the pearly whites in his smile. He looked cute with them, the type of cute you’d call a baby since technically he was a baby to you. You were quite a few years apart in age.

“Here, I’ll go get a extra chair-“ Jonathan was trying to suggest so that there would be more room for everyone on the couch but Will quickly interrupted him.

“No, we can all fit on the couch.” Will shrugs but you can tell he’s looking at Mike out of the corner of his eye to back him up.

Mike glances between you and Jonathan before nodding and moving towards the couch placing himself on the far end of it. He relaxes into the worn out couch cushions and tries to take up as much room as he can before Dustin does the same. Lucas takes the chair beside the couch though and Will shoots him a smile.

“Yeah, we can all fit.” Mike says and you can’t help but feel like they know something you don’t.

You brush it off though as Will places himself next to you. It’s a pretty tight squeeze with all of you on the couch but you don’t bring it up. Your arm was brushing against Jonathan’s and your legs were touching and you couldn’t help but notice that you were the only ones squished together, Mike and Will were taking up most of the couch by their awkward positions they were sitting in and Dustin was sitting quite comfortably in the middle of them.

Jonathan was glancing at you out of the corner of his eye and his cheeks were tinted a light pink due to the closeness of the two of you and the fact your skin was pressed against his. He knew what Will and the boys were doing, they were purposely trying to get you and Jonathan together since practically everyone knew how in love with you he’d been these past years, except you of course. You were oblivious.

Jonathan definitely thought it was smooth  move and it almost made him laugh at the boys attempt to bring you two together but he didn’t. He kept his laughter to himself and hoped that you wouldn’t notice what they were doing. Thankfully you didn’t, or at least he didn’t think you didn’t.

Lucas grabbed the plastic bag filled with the movies off the coffee table and grabbed the horror movie first before kneeling down on the floor beginning to set everything up. Lucas was pretty good with this stuff and probably knew more about how to get half this stuff working than you did.

It took him a few minutes of changing a few things on the TV and trying to get the VCR to play the movie before suddenly the dim TV screen came to life. Lucas smiled ear to ear in accomplishment before pushing himself back into the chair next to the couch after pressing play.

You felt Jonathan move his arm that was squished between the two of you trying to stretch it out a little. You tried to shift your position to give him more room but it only made things worse as your body was pressed more against Jonathan than it was before. Your hands were brushing against each other but neither of you had it in you to pull away from the subtle contact. Both of your cheeks were a dark red and your heart was beating out of your chest.

This was awkward.

Jonathan’s heart was racing just as fast as yours but of course you didn’t know that. He could feel the tension in the room as well but he tried his best to pretend everything was normal. That this wasn’t awkward for him. That it was just a movie and that you two were just sitting next to each other, that your every move wasn’t pressing your skin against his unintentionally and that it was driving him crazy.

Despite the closeness of you two you eventually begin to focus on the movie and for the most part it’s not as bad as you’d thought it’d be. You were honestly starting to enjoy it. At least that’s what you thought until twenty minutes in your practically jumped out of your skin at a few of the first jump scares.

“Are you good?” He whispers leaning towards your ear a little.

“I’m not really a fan of horror movies.” You respond earning a nod from Jonathan.

“Me either.” He admits with a soft smile trying to make you feel a little better.

The gesture was sweet and once again it just made your knees weak for him all over again. Thank god you weren’t standing up because you didn’t trust the jelly you called your knees to support you right now.

As the movie goes on your shoulders begin to loosen from their previous tenseness and your head starts to lean towards Jonathan slowly as time passes. Your head was resting on the back of the couch but your cheek was inches away from his shoulder dangerously close to resting there.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Jonathan either, it caused a spike in his heart rate and the nerves in his stomach intensified. He didn’t stop you or point it out though, part of him was hoping you’d rest your head on his shoulder and the other part of him was hoping something would ruin the moment so he could avoid the awkward interaction.

To both his relief and fear though eventually your head falls onto his shoulder after a few more minutes pass by. Your eyes were drooping shut due to your exhaustion and the fact you’d been working on homework and watching the boys all day. Eventually your eyes fully shut but you were still awake. You felt Jonathan shift underneath you moving his shoulder trying to make it more comfortable for you and if you weren’t so tired and out of it you probably would’ve smiled.

God, if he wasn’t the sweetest.

You fell asleep soon after that and it was just Jonathan and the boys for awhile. Time was passing quickly for everyone during your sleep. The pizza had arrived a few minutes ago, which Jonathan made Will get up and pay for so he wouldn’t wake you and the movie was almost over by now. The boys were beginning to get ready to head home since it was starting to get late and Jonathan was pretty sure Joyce was on her way home or at least would be soon.

“You should tell her.” Will says from the other side of the couch making Jonathan turn his head towards the boys.

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion even though he knew exactly what Will was talking about. He couldn’t, he didn’t have the guts. He’d thought about telling you so many times but he just couldn’t. He backed out every single time. You didn’t like him back and he knew it and it’d be selfish to ruin your friendship like that when he knew for a fact that you didn’t like him back.

“I can’t.” Jonathan sighs causing his chest to rise with a deep breath.

“You can, and you should. I don’t think you’re the only one head over heels here.” Dustin admits earning a nod from Mike in agreement.

The conversation ended there leaving Jonathan with his messy thoughts. Soon after that the boys all eventually left since the movie was over and their parents were expecting them to be home soon. Will was sitting on the couch next to you and Jonathan in silence trying to think of what to say. He wanted to convince Jonathan to tell you because he knew it’d work out perfectly, the only ones who didn’t know that were the two of you.

“I think she likes you.” Will says towards Jonathan.

The words make the corners of Jonathan’s mouth twitch upwards into a involuntary smile and he glances down at you. Your lips were parted and some of your y/c/h hair was falling in your face. The thin strands were covering your cheeks and even some of your eyes but you remained peacefully asleep regardless. You looked angelic, at least that’s what Jonathan thought.

“I don’t think so.” Jonathan responds as he keeps his gaze fixated on you.

“Maybe you’d know for sure if you told her.” Will commented quietly before pushing himself off the couch into a standing position.

Will stretches his arms and legs trying to get some relief from being crammed into the couch, he was wrong, there wasn’t enough room for all of you on that tiny couch but he felt pretty accomplished seeing you sleeping next to Jonathan so it was worth it in his eyes. He sighs before turning towards Jonathan one last time for the night.

“You’d be surprised what you’re not seeing. Goodnight.” Will mumbles grabbing a purple blanket off the couch he’d gotten halfway through the movie to cover up with.

He threw it over his shoulder and padded across the living room floor quietly towards the doorway. He glances back towards you and Jonathan with a small smile before making his way down the dark hallway trying to find his room in the dark night. He finally reached his door on the right side of the hall and begins getting ready for bed.

Jonathan still didn’t move in fear of waking you up so he just sat there with his thoughts for a little while. Should he tell you? He didn’t think he had the bravery but recently with all the encouragement his mom and Will were giving him he thought he might be able to find it in his gut to say the words. Still, did he really want to? Jonathan was never one for confrontation and he was rather shy, especially when it came to you but with you it was different, he was comfortable yet nervous all at once. He didn’t understand how that could be.

You shift in your sleep causing Jonathan to stop dead in his tracks. You pressed your body into his further and his heart began to race for what felt like the millionth time again tonight. If it kept up he for sure thought his heart would give out by the morning. He wasn’t a heart doctor but he had no doubt about it.

The affect you had on Jonathan was unbelievable.

Jonathan continued thinking about his thoughts and worries until his eyes soon felt droopy too and it was getting harder and harder to keep them open. A few yawns escaped his lips until his head rested on top of yours and he fell into a peaceful sleep as well. The position his neck was in wasn’t the most comfortable but it benefitted you and it kept you comfortable so Jonathan didn’t care about it all too much. The kink in his neck tomorrow morning would be worth it.

The two of you stayed asleep for quite some time until the jiggling of keys coming from outside the front door began to stir Jonathan a little bit. He didn’t wake up though, just shifted and turned in his spot a bit. He was just as exhausted as you were and although he was a light sleeper he couldn’t find it in him to open his eyes to investigate the noise, he didn’t care enough to.

The front door opened slowly revealing Joyce wrapped up in a winter coat carrying a small brown purse on her arm. She didn’t notice the both of you laying on the couch at first until she stepped inside and shut the door behind her as quietly as she possibly could, she assumed from the lack of noise everyone was sleep but she didn’t know for sure until she turned around to see you and her son curled up together on one side of the couch comfortably.

Her heart warmed at the sight and she couldn’t help but feel happy for the both of you. She always thought the two of you would be cute together and you had her full acceptance and approval when it came to just about everything. She adored you. She hoped Jonathan would gather the courage to confess his feelings soon because the way he looked at you in a crowded room or listened to you talk was something that gave away how much he cared for you. Joyce knew he loved you, she just wished you knew sometimes too.

Joyce set her purse down on the table beside the door and took her heavy winter coat off along with the shoes that had been practically killing her all night, it felt good to take them off and finally she felt some relief. She tried to remain as quiet as possible to avoid waking the two of you up and thankfully succeeded.

Soon after that she made her way to the empty chair Lucas was previously sitting in during the movie grabbing the blanket hanging off the back of it. She carefully walks over towards you and Jonathan gently tossing the thin blue material over you both to keep you warm and comfortable throughout the night. This wouldn’t be the first time you accidentally slept over at the Byers.

She shut off all the lights and turned the static filled TV off before making her way out of the living room into her own room to call it a night, but not before giving you and Jonathan a adored glance.

ー

“I thought you’d be here.” Your voice startles Jonathan as he stops what he’s doing immediately and turns towards you.

The dark room wasn’t giving off much light so he could barely see your features in the dim red lighting. The outline of your silhouette was standing by the doorway of the room and you had a few school books in your arms and a green backpack slung on your shoulder loosely. Your hair was pulled up into a ponytail that had began to get messy as the day went on that you didn’t bother to fix. Your soft smile might not have been as noticeable as usual in the dark lighting but it still made Jonathan’s heart skip multiple beats.

You had been searching for Jonathan for a little while to see if he could help you with some of your homework since he always offered to and you were a little lost in a few subjects. You hadn’t had to look very far to find him though since you knew where he’d mostly likely be which was here, in the dark room developing pictures he’d taken. This was like his second home at this point.

You step towards Jonathan and start walking across the picture covered room to see what he’s developing. Jonathan took so many pictures a day you didn’t really have much of an idea of which ones they could be. You assumed they’d be some of his family or maybe even strangers, maybe scenery if you were lucky. You loved his scenery shots. There was nothing else like those photos.

You were surprised to see your face in the Byers living room sprawled across the multiple pictures Jonathan was developing as you stepped closer. Some of them were done but he was still in the middle of developing a few so you knew this wasn’t all of them. There were a few of Will and Joyce in there too but it was mostly pictures of you that Friday night.

Jonathan’s cheeks were a deep red as your eyes were focused on the pictures of yourself. You couldn’t help but notice how good the pictures really were, he had captured all the right angles and lighting, you looked happy in the photos, genuinely happy. Your smile was spread across your cheeks and your eyes were a little crinkled as the heavy textbooks were resting on your lap. Your lips were parted and your hair was falling perfectly and you couldn’t help but stare in awe.

These photos were beautiful.

“Jonathan, not to sound vain but these are wonderful.” You admit only causing his cheeks to redden even more.

“It’s not really the photos as much as the person in them.” He responds as you continue to stare at the photographs.

Jonathan’s words have more meaning behind them than you really think about since you brushed off the compliment. Your eyes were staring at the pictures in awe distracted by the world surrounding you. You always knew Jonathan was talented but wow, the photos were so mesmerizing, the photos of Will and Joyce were captured at perfect moments along with the rest and you just loved them all.

Jonathan stared at you in the exact way you were staring at the photos and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. His hands were numb from nervousness as he thought about confessing his feelings to you right then and there. Will’s words echoed through his head about you liking him and he had to do this.

It was now or never.

“Y/N?” Jonathan asks causing you to turn your head a little barely breaking your attention from his photographs.

You notice his serious expression and you tilt your head to the side slightly confused. Your mind wondered on if you’d caught him at a bad time or if he just didn’t appreciate the interruption your company brought while he was trying to develop his photos. You hadn’t even noticed the shaky hands or pale look on his face.

He parted his lips to speak but you watched him fumble with his words trying to figure out what he wanted to say. He looked nervous and you could tell by the way he was avoiding eye contact with you that he felt awkward. You knew Jonathan a little too well for him to hide his emotions from you.

“You can tell me anything, you know that right?” You try to reassure him while putting a hand on his arm gently.

You felt nervous at his loss of words and anxious to find out what he had to say. Jonathan was always the shy type but he’d never hesitated so much to say something to you and it wasn’t reassuring. Your mind was conjuring up a bunch of things that could be wrong and absolutely none of them were positives.

Jonathan took a cautious step towards you and you watched with curiosity what he was doing. He visibly swallowed the lump in his throat and stared down at you due to the height difference between the two of you. Jonathan wasn’t incredibly tall but neither were you.

“Jonathan you’re kind of starting to make me ner-“ Your words were cut off in the middle of your sentence by his shaky voice.

“I think I’m in love with you.” He confesses and you feel your heart stop in your chest.

The two of you went silent and the only sound that could be heard throughout the whole room was your guys’ breathing. Your heart was beating about a million miles a minute and you couldn’t stop it or slow it down. Your mind was trying to comprehend what Jonathan just told you but it wasn’t sinking in. You almost thought you didn’t hear him correctly. That was until he spoke up once again.

“I shouldn’t have done that I’m sorry.” He tries to take his words back but it’s too late.

Jonathan loved you? Jonathan loved you. Jonathan was in love with you.

The thoughts kept echoing through your head and your mind was a mess inside your head. You soon realized you hadn’t responded by the way Jonathan’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern and his face was full of fear. You lazily set your books on one of the empty tables beside the two of you without breaking eye contact. You let your heavy backpack slip off your shoulder loosely and it hit the floor with a small thud.

You move your now free hands to Jonathan’s cheeks and press yourself onto your tip toes to reach Jonathan’s height. Your face was extremely close to his and you could feel his shaky breathes hitting your lips. It made you smile a little since you knew you weren’t the only one nervous here before you let your eyes flutter shut.

You lean forward and press your lips against his and his arms immediately wrap themselves around your waist. It was like instinct, everything felt right. It felt like this was how it was suppose to be. You were certain from this moment on that you and Jonathan were always gonna be more than friends, you couldn’t go back now.

His lips tasted like vanilla chapstick and mint which is exactly what you always imagined. His hands were gripping your waist loosely as the two of you moved in sync with each other. He was slow and careful, like he was afraid he was going to make the wrong move or like you were made of glass.

Jonathan tried to pull you closer to him after a few seconds but there wasn’t any space left between the two of you. The kiss was everything you’d imagined, it was like every day dream you’d ever had about it. It was perfect, the butterflies filling your stomach proved that.

Unfortunately after some time you had to pull away to catch your breath. You both parted from each other before Jonathan rested his forehead against yours. He brought one of his hands up to your cheek brushing some of the stray strands of hair behind your ear innocently.

His smile was bright and full of relief, just like yours. Your expressions were mirroring each other and you’d never felt so at peace before.

“I guess that makes two of us.” You reply to his previous words only to earn a chuckle from him in response.

Finally.

[sweetimagines]

Keeper of my Soul

Part 1 | Part 2

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Jughead Jones

Description: Based on Sweet Pea - Amos Lee.

Warnings: Lovers' quarrel.

Word Count: 2652

A/N: I know song fics are supposed to be named after the song, but I can’t name a Sweet Pea fic Sweet Pea... 

Shout out to my lovely wife @kaylaarann she’s my muse, my queen and my dialogue goddess. I’m changing my clumped writing style and it was HARD, so thank you, Kayla, for all the help <3 She also writes the most amazing AU Bughead fic so be sure to head over to Fanfiction.net and check her out!

Anon asked for more Sweethead, here it is :) next part will probably be smut :O

Tag: @southsidejuggie​ @serpent-squad (Let me know if you want to be tagged)

The school transfer is undeniably a great - if not, the best - thing to happen to the young Serpents, and other students of Southside High. However, for Sweet Pea personally, it comes with a little anxiety. 

Walking the halls of Southside High hand-in-hand with his boyfriend is easy when half the school is either afraid of him or on his side. However, Riverdale High is new territory, with few allies and multitudes of enemies.

If that wasn’t enough to stress him out, Jughead’s ex-GIRLFRIED also goes there. That triggers all of SP’s insecurities, but he bottles it up and focuses on the good that will come of it. 

Sweets wakes up to Jughead shuffling in the bed next to him. He snuggles closer, inhaling the musky scent of the previous night’s sin. He has never felt as at peace as he does when he’s laying down with his boyfriend. ‘Boyfriend’ The word still gives him butterflies.

SP knows better than to wake Juggie up. Instead, he simply places a soft kiss on the boy’s cheek before getting up - in only his dog tags and rings - to take a shower.

The warm water relaxes his muscles and clears his mind of the Serpent business he has to take care of in order to focus on school work.

Three loud knocks on the door cause him to end his shower quicker than he would have wished. He knows exactly who’s at the door.

Sweet Pea wraps a towel around his waist and answers the door, wincing at the strong sun light that streams into his dark trailer.

Toni was used to just walking into the trailer - since SP never remembers to lock the damn thing - but after walking in on Jug and him ‘showing their affection’ she started knocking.

“’Morning, Sunshine.” she teases, entering just as Juggie is heading over to the bathroom.

From the living room, SP hears the sound of water running, making him wish he had waited to take his shower. 

“Good thing you’re already obligated to wear a turtle neck.” Toni breaks his naughty chain of thought, pointing at a spot on her own neck, eying his and gesturing to it with a nod. 

SP grabs one of the many mirrors from the pink-haired girl’s makeup bag and checks his neck, a massive bruise sits right under his Serpents’ tattoo. A proud smirk pulls at his lips and a mischievous glint takes over his features. Toni chuckles, imagining the amount of fun they've been having. 

“What can I say? We’re in lo…” He was going to say it but choked nervously on his words. Toni picks up on it but doesn't pressure him on the subject.

It’s not because he doesn't feel it, more that he’s scared Jug is not on the same page. In fact, this is the exact moment he realizes that he even feels it. 

Pea excuses himself to put on some clothes and Topaz helps herself to some cereal while she brews fresh coffee. 

Sweets hates the way the uniform looks on him. He’d much rather be in his flannel and jacket. Still, he doesn't blame Jug. Even if he IS the main reason the Serpents are being forced to conform to uniforms. He would much rather blame Reggie and kick his ass for it. 

Pea slides his rings off and sets them on the bedside table. He keeps the chain with the dog tags safely tucked under his beige turtle neck. 

Juggie steps out of the shower, hair dripping onto his chest, the water droplets running all the way down his abdomen to the edge of his towel. It makes Sweets want to ditch school and repeat the previous night over and over. However, he settles for a kiss before heading out of the bedroom once more. 

Toni is waiting with hot cups of coffee and concealer in hand - since Principal Weatherbee insists on all tattoos being covered. She works her magic on his thumb, as she had done every morning of that week so far. He couldn't wait for the dust to blow over and for people to forget about the damn dress code.

SP sips the much-needed caffeine, waiting for Jug to get ready for school. He would also wear a uniform, since he convinced Weatherbee to have a Serpents club. Pea was still impressed by how he managed to do that. 

When Jughead finally steps out, beanie-clad and with his own set of hickeys. SP thinks there must be something wrong with his own uniform, because Jug looks gorgeous in his. Pea certainly likes it better in a pile on the floor, though. 

“I have to go get my Chem’ notebook, then I’ll go wake up Fangs. Meet you back here in 10?” Jug says, kissing his boyfriend goodbye. Toni bites her lip to keep from sighing at how adorable they look when they act like that. 

“See you in ten.” Pea agrees. He doesn't even make an effort not to stare at his boyfriend’s butt when he walks out.

Topaz playfully slaps his arm. “I raised you better.” She jokes, finishing her coffee and sitting down on the couch to wait for the boys. 

Fifteen minutes later, Jug shows up with a grumpy Fangs, whose mood lightens up after a grilled sandwich. Jug had four and SP finds his boyfriend’s appetite extremely cute, specifically since it boosts his ego on the mornings after the extreme ‘workouts’ they’ve been having. 

A few other Serpents join them on the walk to Riverdale High. Riding their bikes there would just create another uncomfortable situation and there’s already enough mayhem around the Southside Serpents as it is. 

Sweet’s hands intertwine with Jughead’s, earning a grin from the boy. He tries to squeeze in as much contact as he can, while he’s still able to do so.

The uniforms blow over. SP suspects it’s because the Principal finally came to his senses that the graffiti was not done by the Serpents. He is more than glad to get back to his usual color scheme: black and whatever other color Toni got for him on her latest trip to the thrift shop. Although relieved to never have to see those damn khaki’s anymore, they are still not allowed to wear their jackets, but that’s the least of his worries.

Jug is back writing for the school paper. To his - jealous - boyfriend’s gratitude, unlike before, he doesn't spend as much time at the Blue and Gold’s office. Instead, doing all his articles at home - sometimes on Sweets lap, while he does his homework. 

That gets SP thinking he should also find an extracurricular activity. Now that he’s actually studying at a good school, he sees a decent shot at college. 

However, even as he improves his grades, he knows his track record from Southside High is stained with low grades. The next logical thing that can help him get a scholarship is sports. Luckily, Sweets is rather skilled at basketball and tryouts are just around the corner. 

The coach doesn't seem to care if anyone’s from the South or North, what matters to him is if you play a good game, and Sweets does. 

That’s not his favorite part about making the team, though. Constantly outshining Reggie is. That always puts a smirk on SP’s face.

Not to mention the way his boyfriend stares at his crotch in those gym shorts, making Sweets have a hard time hiding his boners - but a great time when they’re back at the trailer. 

They both agreed on keeping a low profile regarding their relationship, which leads to countless make-out sessions under the bleachers or inside closets. Jug knows all the good places from when he’d roam around school at night. 

However, if Pea is completely honest with himself, the thrill of secrecy is losing the appeal quickly. All he wants is to walk up to his boyfriend’s locker, press him against it with heated kisses and have his arm around Juggie’s shoulders as they walk to their next class. 

There is another factor, actually the biggest one, that doesn’t exactly help him be at peace with keeping their relationship under wraps, which is Betty hinting she wants to get back with Jug.

Sweet Pea takes a quick shower after basketball practice, ensuring he smells good before meeting Jug at the Blue and Gold office - like he’s done every time they stay late - so they can walk back to Sunnyside together. 

Since there’s not many students still in school after the last period, they can let go of their self-control and just freely enjoy each other’s company. 

Unlike the previous times, he hears chattering coming from the room. As SP approaches quietly, he recognizes the soft voice of Betty Cooper. It’s not exactly surprising that she’s there, since she’s the editor, but what’s coming out of her mouth glues Pea to the spot, just outside the door. 

“I miss you, Juggie.” It’s almost a whisper, that makes Sweets inch closer, but instantly regret it as he gets a peek at the blonde slithering her palms behind his boyfriend’s neck and inching closer to him. 

His heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest and he doesn't think he can bear to watch what’s about to happen. 

Pea walks away silently, the sound of his heart shattering echoes in his ears. He’s wishing he had his Harley parked outside because more than anything he wants to get far away, as fast as possible.

Without even realizing, he starts running, with no specific destination in mind. But, obviously, in a moment like this, his mind unconsciously leads him to the Whyte Wyrm. 

Jughead apprehensively walks into the Serpents’ bar and, after a quick look around, he breathes a sigh of relief when he spots Sweets playing on the Mortal Kombat arcade game. Now that he knows his boyfriend is safe, rage finds its way under his skin, angry that his boyfriend had made him worry and had stood him up. 

“What the hell, Sweet Pea?” He drops his bag on the table, walking closer to the arcade game that SP just keeps on playing. “We were supposed to walk back together.”

Pea chuckles humorlessly, making Juggie even more confused. “Seemed like you found someone else to walk with.” Sweet pea spits with venom in his voice. 

“Why are you getting mad? I was the one standing outside school for thirty minutes!” Jug retorts, taking off his beanie in frustration and throwing it on the table beside with his bag.

“Maybe if you weren't so busy making out with Betty, I would've stuck around.” Sweet Pea fires back, an eerily calm fury seeping from his tone – one they may have been lost on anyone else, but Jughead picked up on it. Jughead is taken aback by his boyfriend’s words. He didn't think SP had seen that, though it seems he did. Clearly, he just saw a part of it. 

“I…” He’s cut off before being able to explain.

“I knew you were just having some fun with me…” Sweet pea scoffs. “Just until Betty would have you back.” Pea tries his best to not look affected, but his grip on the joystick tightens. “Did you want me to see it? Was that just a sick, sadistic way of breaking up with me?” Sweets says, looking at Jug for the first time since he walked into the Wyrm. Jughead can see immense pain in his gaze, a pain that pulls at something intangible in Jughead’s chest.

“Damn it, Sweet Pea. No!” Juggie inhales deeply before slowly huffing out the breath in attempt to calm his anger down. He wants to explain the situation from a caring place and with a clear head, not out of indignation.

“I pushed her away, told her I’m with someone.” Jughead speaks as softly as he possibly can, unable to hide the slight edge to his voice. 

“Fuck…” Pea mutters under his breath and slams his fist onto the control panel, causing it to shake with his frustration. 

“Why are you overreacting? I just told you, nothing happened.”, Jug questions, annoyed. 

“Because, I’m… I’m in love with you!” Sweets shouts. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes what he’s just admitted. He can’t take the words back… and he doesn't really want to - he means them - that’s just not the way he wanted them to come out.

Now he’s frustrated both at Jughead and himself. Jughead’s expression was clear of any emotion, taken aback by Sweet Pea’s words. Sweet Pea has no idea what to do, feeling overwhelmed. He just needs to get out of there. 

He pushes past Jughead and storms out of the bar, ashamed. Juggie is frozen in place, trying to process what has just happened.

That night feels colder than usual for SP. He had grown accustomed to Jug’s warmth right next to him and now his bed felt wrongfully empty.

He lies awake, replaying everything in his mind, torturing himself over every word spoken. 

Jughead’s night is also restless, though not for the same reasons. 

He didn't really have time to react to Sweets confession earlier, barely had time to take in what his boyfriend said. 

Jug slips on a shirt Pea left at his dad’s trailer and lays awake on the couch. The aroma of him still strong, it fills his nostrils with a desperate longing.  

He’s missing the feeling of his fingers tangled in Sweet Pea’s hair, the low grunt that escapes his boyfriend’s mouth every time he sucks on his bottom lip.

Jug knows he has to do something meaningful to show SP that he feels the same way, that HE is the one for him. He wastes no time in preparing his grand gesture.  

Sweets considered skipping school but he’s not going to jeopardize his chances at college over an argument, even if he’s terribly ashamed of it. Though it may be Toni insisting that he HAS to go to school - to the point of annoyance - that really makes him leave the trailer.

He keeps his head down until he reaches his locker, in which Jughead is leaning against, reading a book. Toni gives Sweet Pea a knowing look and encourages him with a nod before heading to her locker. 

Pea allows himself a second to enjoy the quiet before the storm - at least that’s what he’s expecting: for Jug to officially break up with him because they’re moving too fast.

“Hey…” Sweet can’t seem to form a coherent sentence. He wants to apologize and beg Juggie to give him another chance.

Jughead puts his book back in his bag and smiles shyly at his boyfriend. Pea looks more confused than ever. 

“I think you’ll like my shirt.” Jughead says as he starts unbuttoning his sherpa jacket, revealing the shirt underneath.

‘The hotheaded giant is my boyfriend’ stamped on it. For a moment, Sweets can’t believe his eyes. A blatant expression of their relationship on Jughead’s chest for the whole world to see.

“I love you too, Sweet Pea.” His boyfriend’s words are the sweetest he’s ever heard. 

SP cups Jug’s cheeks and clashes their lips in a heated kiss, pinning him against the metal locker doors. 

He pays no attention to the whistles and stares they’re attracting. All he cares about is that they love each other. 

“I love you, Jughead Jones. Sorry I’m such an idiot.” He pulls his boyfriend closer to him by the waist, resting his forehead on Juggie’s. 

Jug closes the short distance between them with another kiss, this one soft and tender, conveying the full extent of his feelings. Jughead pulls back, lips brushing against Pea’s as he says, “Yes, but you’re MY idiot.”

[kansascityhappenings]

Céline Dion launches gender-neutral clothing line for children

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Five-time Grammy winning singer Céline Dion wants children to have comfortable clothes that fit in neutral colors with simple prints. She said she aims to change the dialogue on clothes with her new collection CELINUNUNU. The fashion-line name kind of looks like a jumble of letters — the name comes from Céline + the fashion company Nununu.

The new clothes feature 70 stereotype-free styles for kids aged 0 to 14. Nununu specializes in unisex designs and is based in Israel.

“I’ve always loved Nununu and what they represent,” Dion wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “Partnering with [founders Iris Adler and Tali Milchberg] to encourage a dialogue of equality and possibility makes so much sense.”

Dion said she has tried to stay away from gender stereotypes while raising her 8-year-old twins, Eddy and Nelson, and 17-year-old son, René-Charles.

As for the CELINUNUNU line itself, Dion said, “The message I’m trying to get across is you raise your children the way you want to raise your children. You have to decide what’s right for them. We’re just proposing another way to take away the stereotype.”

Below we will cover how people feel about the new fashion line from all angles, those in support and critics included.

Benefits of new clothesline

Not everyone loves the idea of clothing without a gender designation, but it can actually help some kids be safer, particularly girls. Some of the fashion for girls today can be really over the top, and parents have complained that shorts for girls are often too short or other items are too mature. It can be unsettling to compare shorts length for girls and boys and wonder why less material is given to girls. Pulling back on gender stereotypes might actually let girls be girls — instead of pressuring them into items more appropriate for adults.

The intent of several non-gender clothing lines is in part to stop sexualizing kids. Simple t-shirts and jeans can be a life saver, and can take pressure off kids who feel like they have to be fashionistas. Céline Dion wants children to feel comfortable in their own clothes without feeling that pressure, and kids can decide for themselves whether they love pink, want flowery prints, or bows and pearls. Nununu does have some more frilly items, but none of its clothes are remotely suggestive.

Marketing firm Mintel found that 20 percent of parents with children under age 12 who had bought kids’ clothing in the past year support gender-neutral clothing options.

Prices can vary widely in gender marketing

Some of the gendered marketing can spike prices — compare men’s shampoo and women’s shampoo, or men’s razors and women’s razors. Some hygiene products have nothing to do with gender, and often the items marketed toward women cost more, so it’s smart to shop around and see how marketing companies could be stereotyping you in an effort to get money off you. It might make more sense to buy the men’s razor and get your money’s worth.

Kids toys can have the same problem: LEGOs, action figures, playing cards, board games, and other items have over the past 20 years been marketed more toward gender. Do LEGOs need to have certain colors to appeal more to boys or girls, or do kids just like playing with blocks? It’s an important question that marketing experts believe they have solved, but perhaps kids just like to play with toys.

History behind colors and marketing

Fun fact: pink hasn’t always been the color of choice for girls. A Ladies’ Home Journal article in June 1918 said, “The generally accepted rule is pink for boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” The article with this quote has been saved at the Smithsonian.

At the end of the day, neither pink nor blue are seen universally to denote a boy or a girl. Across the world different cultures use colors in different ways: in South Korea pink is common in male fashion, blue is the number one favorite color for people across the globe, but in some cultures blue is a barely recognized color. For a long time, the Egyptians were the only culture that could produce blue dyes. In some parts of the world today, blue isn’t considered common. A research team worked with the Himba tribe from Namibia and found there is no word for blue nor real distinction between blue and green.

If we go back just a hundred years, children’s clothing has largely changed — mostly for the better. For centuries, it was standard practice for children in the West to wear white dresses until age six, which sounds more like trying to project an unappealing ghost-gender, but the clothing choice was out of practicality.

The baby boomers were the first generation to wear gender-specific clothing according to the Smithsonian. In the mid-1800s, pastel colors, including pink and blue, were linked to baby clothes but not directly to gender. Several guides before the 1940s suggested clothing color should be based on hair color or eye color.

“What was once a matter of practicality — you dress your baby in white dresses and diapers; white cotton can be bleached — became a matter of ‘Oh my God, if I dress my baby in the wrong thing, they’ll grow up perverted,’” Jo B. Paoletti, author of Pink and Blue: Telling the Girls From the Boys in America, told Smithsonian in 2011.

For Nununu founders Iris Adler and Tali Milchberg of Tel Aviv, Israel, the effort to change conventions in children’s fashion started a decade ago. The company offers clothes in neutral color palettes. The designers said children’s fashion doesn’t have to be silly, fussy, or frilly. If you look on the company website, a pale almost-beige-pink is used in some items.

The styles from the company may be better described as down to earth and comfort-as-a-priority.

The clothes can be found at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other retailers, as well as from the Nununu website. According to the designers, the word “Nununu” is what Israeli parents say to naughty children.

Critics unhappy with non-gender specific kids clothes

Not everyone agrees with Dion’s decision to partner with Nununu. Thousands of fans tweeted they lost respect for her. Critics have dogged Nununu for focusing on changing clothing concepts. There is concern that the clothes cause kids to lose their identity or make them feel confused.

For Adler and Milchberg, implying gender norms with kids clothing didn’t sit well with them. Mitchberg said she didn’t want children growing up thinking they had to either play football or play with Barbie dolls. She said these are things kids should play with only if they want to play with them.

When Adler and Milchberg told their friends they wanted to start a unisex kids clothesline, they faced ridicule.

“When we started, friends and people we know said, ‘What? Are you guys out of your minds — unisex clothes for kids?’” Milchberg said in an interview with Vox. “‘You will lose your money and your career.’ But we felt strongly about it,” said Milchberg.

Dion first bought clothes from Nununu fives years ago for her children. She reached out to the company to start a clothing line last year. The ad for the campaign was uploaded to YouTube in November and has garnered more than 412,000 views. The commercial features police confronting Dion when she goes into a baby ward. The advertisement could be a little misleading (or dramatic) for viewers — so to really get an idea of what is in the fashion line, here are some pictures.

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

Courtesy CELINUNUNU

So is the fashion line for everyone? Probably not. It does have a limited amount of items and some of them are pricey. Some of the coats are more than $100, and something similar could probably be found at Walmart or Target. The designs are also limited and might not really fit with every child. A whole wardrobe based off the one line or company would be impractical, but some items from it might help expand a kid’s wardrobe and give them more options. Some of it looks great for pajamas.

Most of the clothes are for comfort, not for formal outings. If you head to the main Nununu website, it has far more options — including tutus. You might be able to get a better idea of their company through their Instagram page.

If your kids are into Tim Burton movies, if they like skulls, or if they like things that are simple-not-complicated — then these clothes probably fit their style. It can be a little edgy.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2018/11/18/celine-dion-launches-gender-neutral-clothing-line-for-children/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/11/19/celine-dion-launches-gender-neutral-clothing-line-for-children/