#how does party bus rental work

[katyswrites]

put on your records (and regret me)

PART 2 | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: asshole!Steve, rivals-to-lovers, swearing, HEAVY alcohol use, recreational weed use, getting drunk/blacking out, descriptions of puking/hangovers, no use of y/n

Wordcount: 3.7k

Playlist

You love WAMC-Hawkins, Indiana’s top college radio station. It’s your safe space, your niche. It’s where you’ve made your friends, your favorite place to be when the rest of the world gets to be just a bit too much. Well, with one exception.

Steve Harrington is a thorn in your side. And just as well - he thinks you’re a royal pain in the ass. But in your senior year, you’re both on the e-board, so you have to work together. You love to hate him. So why can’t you get him out of your head? And, why do you find yourself going to see his band, each and every weekend?

Underground basement concerts, spinning old records, and screaming matches in the vinyl library with the boy you love to hate. An enemies-to-lovers college radio station 90s AU.

TRACK 2

You don’t truly decide to go to Steve’s stupid party until the last possible moment. You already know that spending more time with him than necessary is a recipe for disaster. But, you reason, you probably should show your face. It actually does seem like nearly everyone from the campus’ music scene would be there - it would look bad if you didn’t show up. The radio station’s funding is always on the chopping block - half of your job is networking and being friendly with practically everyone on campus to keep it alive. 

Still, as you start getting ready, you consider backing out about 50 times. Is Steve actually expecting you to show up? Is it a pity invite? Or, a challenge?

Knowing him, it’s probably the latter.

Throughout the course of getting ready - which mostly involved throwing on some makeup while intermittently feeling like you had nothing to wear every time you looked in your closet full of clothes - you chugged a bottle of wine to help yourself relax. It had been on the door of the fridge, so God knows how long it had been there, but it’s good enough. Then you’re out the door and catching a bus downtown, shivering a bit in the crisp October evening air. You pull your jacket tighter around you as you hop on board, forever thankful that university students get to ride the city’s buses for free. 

It’s packed full of other college kids, mostly freshmen undoubtedly on their way to frat parties downtown. You had outgrown that phase after sophomore year, opting for friends’ house parties and going out to bars as you got older. You can’t help but look at them fondly - somehow, despite being peers in all the ways that matter, you feel so far removed from them; the girls in their mini dresses and crop tops, boys carrying six-packs and sporting unbuttoned flannel shirts, loudly packed onto the bus like sardines on their way downtown to make bad decisions.

Hamilton Street is in the heart of the downtown area, where a lot of students live. You hop off the bus with nearly everyone else, droves of kids filling the streets, chugging beers and smoking cigarettes as they make their way to various frat houses. You follow the groups, the other students slowly peeling away until it’s much quieter - it seems like Steve’s place is one of the last ones on the block.

You had purposely left late enough so that you could guarantee you wouldn’t be in the first wave of people to arrive - it was closer to 11 than 10 at this point. The autumn evening air was chilly enough that you’re walking briskly, jacket pulled tightly around your shoulders. You nearly turn around approximately six times between the bus stop and his house - yet, against all odds, you find yourself standing on his front porch.

Like most student rentals, the house is old and a bit rickety - you can hear the din of chatter and music inside. A good sign, you suppose - part of you had been worried he’d purposely given you the wrong address. You wouldn’t put it past him, not when it comes to you.

You take a deep breath, and open the door. The smell of beer, weed, and sweat hits you like a wave. The small living room is hazy with smoke, the house immediately a bit too warm from body heat. A few heads look up as you enter, followed by an uproar of greetings.

Look who decided to show up!

Hey babe!

Everyone hide, mom’s here!

You roll your eyes, laughing.

“I do have fun sometimes, guys.”

“Oh, I know,” a familiar voice says, Eddie lifting himself off of the couch to give you a big hug.

“I was there at that party freshman year when you nearly fell off of Mikayla Hodder’s roof-”

“Shut up,” you say, face flushed with embarrassment at the (fuzzy) memory.

“Can I get you a drink?” the shaggy-haired boy asks.

You nod, following him back through the house towards the kitchen. You shoulder your way through bodies, saying the occasional hello when someone you recognize catches your eye.

Eddie is rooting through the fridge, pulling out a beer and extending it to you. You accept it gratefully, pushing the fridge closed with your hip as he leans against the counter.

“So…I wasn’t expecting you to be here tonight,” Eddie remarks, popping his bottle cap off with an opener screwed into the wall. 

“And why’s that?” you ask casually.

“Well… I mean, please tell me you know whose house this is -”

“Of course I do,” you say quickly, taking a swig of beer. “Harrington invited me.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Really?”

You nod. “Is that so unbelievable?”

He just shrugs, staring down at his bottle.

“Dunno. I know he’s not exactly your favorite person -”

“Maybe so, but a lot of my friends are here, so… who's to stop me?”

Eddie grins, clinking his drink with yours.

“There you go - I was hoping you’d come out, to be honest. Sometimes I’m worried you don’t let yourself have fun anymore.”

You scoff.

“I - I have fun.”

“You used to. This year, though, you’d been so…”

“So what?” you ask defensively.

Eddie’s face starts to turn a bit red.

“Well - you know - I know you’re stressed and all, managing the station, but… you can be a little…uptight.”

You roll your eyes.

“I’m not uptight -”

“Look, trust me - I’m saying that with love, as your friend -”

“Yeah, whatever - I can be fun.”

“I know - I’ve been there with you through it all. Just… I’m glad you came. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.”

You don’t really respond, crossing your arms as you glance around the kitchen a bit.

“What are you looking for?” he asks.

“No one,” you respond absentmindedly.

Eddie smirks.

“Yeah - okay.”

Steve is nowhere to be found. Perhaps that’s a blessing - it’s busy enough here that you ma be able to avoid having a conversation all night.

It’s around then that Eddie’s bandmate Gareth is stumbling into the kitchen, stopping himself for a moment before breaking into a grin when he sets eyes on you and Eddie.

“Thank God - me and Jeff need someone for pong!”

That’s how you find yourself partnered with Eddie, letting yourself forget about Steve as you play beer pong. You’re a competitive person, and arguably more so when you’re drunk - that’s how you and Eddie kick ass two rounds in a row, leading a fed up Gareth to declare the game totally bogus before storming out to the back porch to smoke with Jeff.

You high-five Eddie on your way back to the kitchen to grab another drink. You’re properly tipsy now, probably on your fourth drink in less than 2 hours. Your tolerance did used to be better than this - maybe Eddie was right, about you not being as fun as you used to.

The kitchen is empty, which you’re thankful for - it’s tiny to begin with, so more than a handful of people makes it feel cramped. You’re a bit hot, working up enough of a sweat during the game that you had shed your jacket already. The refrigerator light is nearly blinding in the dimness of the room, but the cold gives enough of a relief that you bend over and lean into the fridge. You hang there for a moment, sighing. In the distance, you hear the sound of a glass breaking, followed by a series of aw, mans - you decide it’s not your problem to worry about, and stay there another moment. You then root through the fridge for a moment until you find a bottle of something you like. 

You slam the door shut and turn to head back towards the rest of the party, only to nearly jump out of your skin when you realize you’re not alone.

Steve Harrington leans against the doorframe, arms crossed and wearing a smirk.

“Jesus - you scared me. Why the fuck are you just standing there like that?”

He shrugs.

“Just enjoying the view, sweetheart.”

You scoff, popping the cap off of your bottle and heading right towards him, hoping he’d move out of the way to let you through. That, of course, is wishful thinking.

“Can I get through?” you ask, bristling as he blocks the doorway.

“You decided to come,” Steve says, looking down at you with a grin.

“Well, you did invite me.”

“I know - I’m glad you actually showed up, though.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you are,” you mutter sarcastically, shouldering past him and back towards the living room.

Eddie’s lounging on the couch, eyelids heavy as he passes a joint between himself and Argyle.

“Got enough to share?” you ask, plopping down next to him. He nods, passing it over to you. You take a long hit, letting the smoke settle into your lungs as you sink further into the couch.

“You good?” Eddie asks.

“Mm, yeah. Just want to chill here for a little bit.”

He nods, paying you no mind as he takes a deep inhale. Your eyes follow Steve as he crosses the room and heads out to the front porch with a girl you don’t recognize. You feel your brow furrow, your eyes trained on the front door. It’s not too long after that that you manage to help Eddie finish the joint. You chug your beer, starting to feel lightheaded, the world around you moving a bit more slowly.

You fall into a comfortable crossfaded lull there for a while, with Robin Buckley eventually placing a beer can in the middle of the table and calling for a game of Kings as she shuffles a deck of cards.

You open another beer as she does, sitting forward a bit to half-heartedly play the game. You find yourself getting stuck taking a drink quite a few times, your reflexes slow and your wits not quite about you. A few more people filter in, sitting criss-crossed around the coffee table and pulling cards from the deck and doing what it dictates. 

“Six is chicks!” Eddie cries out, flashing his six-of-spades card to the group. You roll your eyes as you take yet another drink, reaching to grab your own card as Eddie sticks his under the can’s pull tab.

You glance at it, and giggle.

“Jack - what’s Jack again?”

“Never Have I Ever,” Robin says, holding up three fingers. Everyone follows suit, and you think for a minute to start it off.

“Okay, um… never have I ever done a drug harder than weed.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Eddie asks.

“What do you think it means?”

“Alcohol is technically more powerful of a drug than pot,” Steve pipes up across the table - when did he get here?

“Shut up Harrington, you know what I mean -”

“Yeah, like acid and coke and shit,” Argyle adds.

“Well fuck,” Eddie concedes, putting a finger down. 

You laugh, expecting nothing less of him. It goes around the circle for a bit - things ranging from never have I ever broken a bone to never have I ever had a threesome, followed by a series of laughs or groans as people put down fingers and down drinks. You only have one finger left by the time it gets to Steve.

He thinks for a moment, humming to himself as he does - you can’t help but think that there isn’t much he hasn’t done. After a few more seconds pass, he smirks, and locks eyes with Robin.

“Never have I ever hooked up with someone in the vinyl closet at the station.”

“Not fair,” Robin exclaims, smacking Steve on the arm. He laughs as his friend lays into him. She’s blushing, and officially out of the game. She glares daggers at him as she takes a drink.

You can’t help but notice that Steve gets quite a few people with that - Eddie being one of them, caught in a cascade of groans and fingers getting put down. You feel your mouth fall open in disbelief.

“Whoa, wait - is everyone fucking around in the vinyl library?”

Robin stares at you for a moment, dumbfounded, then laughs.

“Wait, seriously? You didn’t know that?”

You feel your face flush with embarrassment, all eyes on you.

“Well - um, no, this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Eddie just grins, and gives you a playful pat on the back.

“You seriously don’t know your own radio station at all, huh?”

“I - I guess I’m not that surprised that someone has, but - all of you?”

“Not all,” Steve chimes in.

“Yeah, wait - how have you not?” Robin asks.

Steve just shrugs. “I don’t know… I have things like, I don’t know - a bed, in my own home, for starters.”

Robin rolls her eyes. You meet Steve’s eyes for a moment, and quickly look away.

You stick the Jack card in the pile under the beer can’s pull-tab - only to hear a pop followed by a hiss.

“Uh oh, Madame President broke the seal!” Eddie declares, pushing it towards you. “Looks like somebody’s got to shotgun it.”

You take it begrudgingly and stare at it for a moment.

“I need to borrow someone’s keys,” you finally say, earning some whoops and hollers from the group. The last thing you vividly remember is popping a hole in the can, and downing the whole beer in a manner of 30 seconds.

******

You blink awake groggily - enough sunlight permeates through the curtains that you know it must be morning. You groan, your mouth dry and tasting distinctly of alcohol. A turn over towards your bedside table makes your stomach feel all wobbly - fuck.

You reach for your alarm clock, squinting at it - nevermind. It’s not morning - more like the afternoon. Well into the afternoon.

A pit of dread settles into your gut - when did you get home? How long were you asleep? You never sleep this late, not even on weekends - a late lie-in for you is 11 AM. You’re definitely in your own bed, which is a positive - still in last night’s clothes, though. How? 

You don’t remember much after the game of Kings - though, you were definitely doing shots at some point… with who? You remember being in someone’s car - maybe. Or was it the bus again? If you actually managed getting the bus home while blackout drunk, you’re actually quite proud of yourself. But that somehow doesn’t seem too likely.

You pulled yourself to sit up, only to immediately regret it. Your stomach is now churning like a stormy sea, and your head is starting to throb. You’re an idiot. 

You hadn’t gotten drunk like that since your freshman year - it was a rookie mistake. You just hoped you didn’t make a complete idiot out of yourself in front of everyone.

After finally pulling yourself out of bed, you stumble over to your bedroom window and open the curtains. The bright afternoon sunlight hitting your face made you realize what a horrid mistake that was - you’re practically blinded by the light, and your head is properly pounding now. And now…

You barely make it to the bathroom in time, keeling over the toilet to puke up all of last night’s mistakes. The second your knees hit the cold tile floor, you begin coughing everything up, regretting anything and everything you’ve ever done to lead you to this moment. You don’t even hear Nancy approach behind you, not even aware of her presence until you’ve flushed and fall back against the wall, feeling disgusting.

“I was going to ask how you’re feeling, but it feels like a stupid question,” she says, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed. 

You glance up at your roommate, feeling so small.

“Ha ha,” you say sarcastically. She offers a hand to help you up, which you accept gratefully. She waits until you’re hunched over the sink, brushing your teeth and gargling water to clean the taste of sick out of your mouth, to speak again.

“So - it was a fun night?” she asks cautiously.

You laugh dryly. “Um, yeah, I guess the night was fun. Right now… not so much.”

“Aww, poor baby,” Nancy coos teasingly. “You’ll be alright - just chill out today, yeah?”

“Mm - yeah, that’s the plan. I think I’m going to take a shower… and lie down for a little.”

Nancy nods. “Yeah, good idea - maybe I can go down to Blockbuster, rent a couple of movies, get some snacks?”

You offer up a small smile. “That’s nice, but you really don’t have to -”

“No seriously, it’s fine, I think they have some new stuff I want to check out anyways. I don’t have plans anyway - let’s just do a girls’ day, maybe get takeout later -”

“Sounds great, Nance. Thanks. Maybe hold off on takeout, for a bit… let me see how all of this feels,” you say, gesturing to your stomach. 

“Yeah, okay. I’ll head out - take a nice, long shower, it always helps.”

“Sure thing - and hey, I don’t know who called you, but thanks for coming to get me last night.”

Nancy furrows her brow quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I - didn’t you bring me home last night?”

Nancy shakes her head.

“No - no, I was asleep. I think I heard the door open at some point, but I assumed that was just you coming home - you don’t remember?”

You shake your head, properly confused now.

“No - I don’t. I - think maybe I took the bus back then?”

“I thought they stop running those after like 2AM? I didn’t hear you get home until around 3, I think.”

She’s right - then how did you get back?

You bite your lip, thinking for a bit. 

“Maybe it was Eddie. I’ll call him and ask.”

Nancy nods. “Alright, yeah. Either way, you got back safe. Sorry about the hangover, though.”

You wave her off. “It’s my own fault - I went too hard last night. I’m just going to try to sleep it off, I guess.”

After Nancy leaves, you take a nice, long shower - you feel utterly disgusting, still in last night’s sweaty clothes and smudged makeup. You let last night’s bad decisions cascade down your skin and into the drain, sighing as the shower semi-revives you. 

By the time you’re out and drying off, your stomach has settled a bit more. The headache has only gotten a bit worse, though. You open the medicine cabinet, only to find the bottle of Ibuprofen missing. Did Nancy use it and forget to put it back? You don’t want to go rifling through her room, so you trudge back to your bedroom, praying she can find it when she gets back.

Pulling on a baggy t-shirt and pajama shorts, you reach for the phone on your bedside table - you punch in Eddie’s number, sitting on the edge of your bed as you twirl the cord with your finger. He picks up almost straight away.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Eddie - it’s me.”

“Whoa! She lives!” he cries out, laughing. You wince.

“Can you not yell, please?”

“Uh oh - are you feeling a little… delicate?”

“Fuck you,” you murmur, falling back onto your mattress. 

“I’m only teasing -”

“Yeah, whatever. Listen - did I make an idiot out of myself?”

“How much do you remember?”

“Uh - I remember playing Kings… and not a ton after that. I remember little things here and there, but… were we dancing?”

“You were dancing. On the kitchen table, if I remember.”

You groan, letting your head fall into your free hand.

“Oh God -”

“It’s all good, listen - people thought it was fun, I swear.”

“Yeah, if you say so… did I throw up?”

Silence on the other end.

“Oh fuck -”

“Only actually in the toilet, though - well, someone’s Solo cup at one point. Then it was all the bathroom after that, I swear. I really don’t think a lot of people saw that part though, the night was kind of winding down.”

“You swear?”

“Positive. Even I was leaving at that point. Don’t know if you got worse after that, though.”

You sit up suddenly, despite your body’s protests.

“You - what?”

“Listen, I didn’t want to leave you, but Argyle’s buddy Jonathan offered to drive us, and he didn’t want someone who might get sick in his car -”

“But wait, hold on - how did I get home? I thought you got me back -”

“Oh - you really don’t remember, huh?”

“Well - no.”

“Don’t get mad, but -”

“But what?”

“It was Steve. He drove you home.”

You pause, opening your mouth a few times to say something, but not finding the words.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, Harrington only had like, two beers all night, so he said he could take you back.”

“I - oh.”

What you wanted to say was, why the fuck would he do that?

“So… yeah. Sorry about that. But, I’m glad you made it back okay.”

“Yeah - mm hm…” you murmur absentmindedly. You hear a shrill beeping sound through the phone, making you wince.

“Sorry - fuck, Gareth set off the fucking fire alarm again. Sorry, I -”

“No, it’s okay. Go deal with that. I just… wanted to make sure you knew I’m alive.”

“Glad to hear it,” he says, and you can practically what your friend’s grin through the phone. “Gotta go - drink water, eat some fries, bye -”

Click.

You sit there in silence for a few moments, brow furrowed - Steve? Did you really make a drunk fool of yourself in front of him? You groan - he’ll definitely find a way to use this as leverage. How did he even get you inside? Did you throw up in his car - Christ, you hope not.

Worst of all… now you owe Steve Harrington, of all people.

It’s as you’re making peace with this horrible realization that you finally spot the Ibuprofen - there it is, in plain sight, on your bedside table. The bottle is conveniently right there, somehow, with a glass of water. You hadn’t noticed it in your hungover stupor earlier - when you reach for it, you realize it’s sitting on top of a note with untidy scrawl that reads:

Take some of this - you’re going to need it, sweetheart. 

-Harrington

You stare at it dumbfoundedly, then scoff.

Motherfucker.

author's note: I'm back! I took a bit of a hiatus, but I'm back in the swing of writing. I wont lie though... this is barely proofread. So, please be kind. This is a slow burn, so don't expect real smut for a few more chapters. But, let me know your thoughts, and I hope you enjoyed!

[policydigit]

Secure Your Fleet with Policy Digit’s Bus Insurance

Introduction

In today’s dynamic world of transportation, buses play a critical role in connecting people, whether for public transit, school routes, or charter services. With their extensive usage and the potential risks involved, ensuring that your bus fleet is well-protected through comprehensive bus insurance is essential. This article delves into the significance of bus insurance, the types available, and how to choose the right coverage for your needs.

Why Bus Insurance is Essential

Bus insurance is crucial for several reasons:

Financial Protection: Buses are significant investments, and insurance protects against financial loss due to accidents, damages, or theft.

Legal Compliance: Most regions require buses to have insurance to operate legally. Having the right coverage ensures compliance with local regulations.

Safety and Liability Coverage: Insurance provides coverage for injuries or damages caused to passengers, other road users, or property, protecting you from legal and financial liabilities.

Peace of Mind: Knowing that your fleet is insured allows you to focus on operating your business without the constant worry of potential risks.

Types of Bus Insurance

Bus insurance can be tailored to various needs, and understanding the different types of coverage can help in selecting the most suitable policy:

Third-Party Liability Insurance: This is the minimum coverage required by law. It covers injuries or damages caused to third parties, including passengers and other road users, but does not cover damage to your own bus.

Comprehensive Insurance: Provides extensive coverage, including damage to your bus, theft, vandalism, and natural calamities. It also typically includes third-party liability, offering broader protection.

Passenger Insurance: Specifically designed for buses carrying passengers, this insurance covers injuries or fatalities sustained by passengers in the event of an accident.

Vehicle Damage Insurance: Covers repair costs or replacement of the bus in case of damage due to accidents, collisions, or other incidents.

Fleet Insurance: For businesses operating multiple buses, fleet insurance offers a cost-effective way to insure all vehicles under a single policy, simplifying management and potentially lowering premiums.

Key Features to Consider

When choosing a bus insurance policy, consider the following features:

Coverage Limits: Ensure that the policy offers adequate coverage limits for liability, vehicle damage, and passenger injuries, based on your specific needs.

Deductibles: Review the deductible amounts, which are the costs you will need to cover before the insurance kicks in. Higher deductibles may lower your premium but could increase out-of-pocket expenses in case of a claim.

Additional Benefits: Look for policies that offer additional benefits such as roadside assistance, rental reimbursement, or coverage for personal belongings.

Exclusions: Understand what is not covered by the policy to avoid surprises. Common exclusions include intentional damage or wear and tear.

How to Choose the Right Bus Insurance

Selecting the right bus insurance involves evaluating several factors:

Assess Your Needs: Determine the specific requirements of your bus operation, including the number of buses, their use (e.g., public transport, school, charter), and the typical risks involved.

Compare Policies: Obtain quotes from multiple insurance providers and compare coverage options, premiums, and terms to find the best fit for your needs.

Consult an Expert: Work with an insurance broker or agent who specializes in commercial vehicle insurance. They can provide valuable insights and help tailor a policy that meets your requirements.

Review and Update: Regularly review your insurance coverage to ensure it remains adequate as your fleet or business needs change.

Conclusion

Bus insurance is a vital component of managing a bus fleet, offering essential protection against financial loss, legal liabilities, and operational risks. By understanding the various types of coverage and carefully selecting a policy that meets your needs, you can ensure that your buses and passengers are well-protected on the road. Make informed decisions, stay compliant, and enjoy peace of mind knowing that your bus operation is safeguarded against unforeseen events.

[arjaandsimoni]

Bad Blood

The Peters Cartridge Company Building, Cincinnati Ohio

It had originally been an ammunition manufacturer founded in 1887 which supplied multiple countries with weaponry during both the first and second world war, but their fortunes had ended with the end of the second of those and the company folded. It fell into disrepair after 1968 but was soon put on the registry of historic buildings in the mid-80s. Today the building is home to a brewery and an apartment complex… at least on paper.

In private however, the old building is home to quite a bit more.

Nelen pulled up outside the building in the largest rental vehicle he could obtain on short notice… but the simple fact of the matter was not all of them could come. Drusilla would have taken up most of the back by herself, and then there would be the matter of Lupe and Natasha, as well as the changeling prince and princess, Tex, and their recently arrived Indian allies Arja and Simoni… so it was decided that Drusilla would have to remain behind to guard the Smith Household.

Tex stayed back as well, the only human of their party besides Nelen would have been an obvious target for their foes. Nicu and Lupe stayed as well, though Natasha had insisted on coming to see this prince who would encourage suicidal levels of exposure among the vampires herself.

As he found a secluded area to park in he looked behind him, Dawn sitting shotgun in the bus. “Alright, we all remember the plan? If we can expose Al for what he really is then its entirely possible the vampires will join us or run for the hills, either way that means we won’t have to deal with them.” he nodded firmly, the magus dressed in just a winter jacket over his jeans and teeshirt, with sturdy boots.

“Quite, few vampyr would be insane enough to willingly side with a being of Hell. Our souls are in a tenuous enough state as it is.” agreed Natasha. She had dressed as she often did, in gothic finery. Even going into a battle she would not demean herself by wearing different garb.

Stephy was dressed in the same outfit he wore to fight Clarence, the changeling princess checking their purse again. “Got a few nasty surprises. Some more of those sunflowers that I told you about, a few bellbomb peppers…” he nodded as Sammi checked the edge on his rapier.

“Well, we’ll just have to hope that this does not go against us Nelen…” murmured the princeling, “If all else fails I can open a path to the Hedge, but we will have to come out somewhere, and the Hedge around here is… well…” he looked around, “Lets just hope it is not needed...”

“We’ll take that chance when it comes… and Arja?” asked Nelen.

“Yuth?” she replied, her voice muffled.

Nelen frowned, “… aren’t you being just a bit melodramatic?”

Arja sat there bundled against the cold, the vanara girl wearing a sweater and a pair of jeans with long underwear under a jacket that was also under a winter coat, two scarves wrapped around her face, and a bobble hat pulled over her head, her hands covered in thick woolen mittens and her feet crammed into fur-lined snowboots.

“… nuh.” she replied, narrowing her eyes at the magus.

Sammi grinned, chuckling to himself, as the vanara glared at him. “Wut?” she growled.

“Oh, nothing… just remembering all those times when I commented on how unpleasant the weather was in New Orleans, or Texas, or India…” he whistled innocently as he sheathed his weapon.

Simoni sighed at her, the garuda girl wearing a pair of woolen leggings under a denim skirt and her own snowboots, along with a sleeveless green sweater under a thick winter coat. She had to find a good balance that would allow for talons and wings if needed and had taken Stephy’s advice on leggings. All her legs really did was change shape, and leggings had no feet, so they worked as far as her transformation went. “Arja, we’ll just have to deal as best we can… if we’re fighting against vampires they’ll need someone who can use fire.”

Finally however, the group had to get moving… Dawn went in first, scouting the way invisibly as Simoni and Stephy managed to talk Arja down into ditching the coat and mittens. As a vanara her fighting often relied on agility, and it would be extremely hard to be agile in such bulky winter-wear.

Dawn crept her way through the building, her yellow eyes occasionally shining in the gloom as she made her way further and further towards what Dusty had told them. There was a hidden basement, all she had to do was know where it was and she could teleport them all in at once… and after a bit her sensitive ears picked up the sound of a lot of voices below her.

The cheshire focused, then suddenly was a good fifty feet straight down, standing on the ceiling, and wincing in shock.

There were a LOT of people down there… at least a few dozen that she could see, and she could tell that not all of them were human. A good chunk of ghouls obviously, or just mortal cronies hoping to get in on their master’s good graces to get offered their blood… but on the stage…

She narrowed her eyes, hissing, “Gotcha… ‘Al.’” she frowned, teleporting back to the bus and appearing in the front passenger seat.

“He’s here, and I don’t see his backup dancers anywhere so far.” she nodded.

Nelen grinned, cracking his knuckles, “Alright kids, lets go.” he nodded, taking Dawn’s hand and holding his back towards the rest. The other five put their hands on his and in a swirl of magic they all vanished!

The Hidden Basement under the Cartridge Company Building

“Now… I hear there’s been some bitching about the new policies…” began Al, the vampire prince wearing the same suit as before, but now with several fancy rings on his fingers and a pendant around his neck. He wore a thick pair of sunglasses over his eyes and a fedora hat. The sunglasses he felt made him look impressive, and the hat went with the suit.

He’d found Archibald’s old jewelry box and had taken some choice items. His left hand had several solid gold rings set with large gemstones etched with the image of strange creatures on them. On his ring finger was one with a huge ruby showing a shape like some strange lizard, his middle finger had an emerald with a scorpion design, and so on. The pendant was a stylized dragon, a symbol of power among some circles of vampires. Even among the undead, some believed in the power of the ’Son of the Dragon,’ Vlad Dracul.

“… and I heard rumors that one of our big shots has been staked.” he added, “I checked with my advisors, and ain’t nobody fuckin’ told me that the Mill Creek Monster got taken out! So those rumors stop NOW!” he slammed his fist down. “The Rat can do what he fuckin’ wants! If he wants to go play hide ‘n seek I don’t give a shit.”

There were several murmurs among the crowd, including among one very confused coterie who had been sent to the old Paper Mill personally by Astaroth… he had lied to the Prince about Clarence’s death? They saw some pretty obvious proof that he was gone for good…

“But the main thing is there’s still little chicken shits out there who don’t want to live like TRUE vampires!” he snarled, “We ain’t human, so stop pretendin’ to be! We’re BETTER than human! They’re our goddamn FOOD! They’re LESS than us! They don’t fuckin’ MATTER anymore unless they prove they do!”

The ghouls in the crowd shared worried looks at that, as did their mortal counterparts… as if they were just now realizing that they were swimming with the proverbial sharks. They looked to the vampires they served, but the undead refused to meet their gaze.

“I got Walter out tonight, ‘n he’s dealing with another group that was planning to ice me… so if anyone gets any dumb ideas…” he began…

… and that’s when the door to the basement was blasted off its hinges.

Wood splinters and embers soared over the heads of the crowd as a cry of alarm went up among the assembled undead and their minions and into the room rushed Nelen, a silver tipped stake already in hand, alongside Dawn whose hat and glasses were gone to reveal her feline features.

Stephy and Sammi came next, the changeling princess generating a swirl of ice and snow around his hand as the prince drew his blade and held it ready. Alongside them strode Natasha, her cane already opened to reveal her own weapon should it be needed.

Finally Arja jumped over the group and landed before them in her vanara form, her tail thrashing behind her as flames flickered behind her monkey-like fangs. She hated how cold it was here and was quite eager to turn up the heat. Simoni landed next to her, the garuda shedding her wings and scales to return to her human form.

“That’s ENOUGH!” snapped Stephy, stepping forward as he reached into his purse, pulling out a fresh bellbomb pepper. “We know who you really are! Did we not beat you badly enough last year ‘Al?’”

The prince rose from behind the podium where he’d taken shelter when the door was blown apart, hearing the changeling’s declaration… though, his reaction may not be what Stephy expected.

“… the fuck are you talking about? Who the hell ARE you?” he asked.

Stephy glared back, “Don’t play dumb! I heard Astaroth say your name and there’s only one ‘Al’ we know who could cause this much trouble!” he retorted… until he felt Nelen’s hand on his shoulder.

“Stephy…” he frowned, raising his eyebrow at the prince. “… that’s… not Al.”

“What?!” asked Stephy as Sammi faltered, his sword lowering a bit as Dawn stared at him. Arja and Simoni looked over their shoulders as well. Even Natasha looked surprised at this, glancing between him and the prince.

“Uh… well, that is my name…” commented the Prince. He was able to hear them even in the back, the basement had very good acoustics, and vampires had excellent hearing. The crowd was stunned, not sure how to react yet at the sudden interruption by a gaggle of supernaturals.

Stephy shook his head, “That’s the new prince! That’s the one who took over! We saw him in Dusty’s vision! That’s gotta be Al!” he insisted.

Nelen sighed, “Yeah, well Cernunnos can sense demonic auras and he says this guy is just another bloodsucker… That’s NOT Al!”

“Yes he is!” insisted the changeling.

“Yes I am…” commented the increasingly confused prince.

Stephy looked at the prince, then back at Nelen, “But… But I heard Astaroth…” he started, Nelen held up a hand however.

“Stephy… Did this guy say ‘Al,’ or did he say ‘Agaliarept?’” asked the magus in a rather strained tone.

“… er… he said… ‘Al.’” replied the changeling, their cheeks coloring as they began to realize their error.

“Stephy… do you know how COMMON a name like that is?” grimaced Nelen, “He could have been talking about an Albert, or an Alan, or an Alberto, or… THERE’S A LOT OF DAMN NAMES THAT START WITH ‘A L!’”

Dawn coughed, looking around, “Well… this got awkward in a hurry…” she muttered, glancing back at Nelen, “So… uh… Nelen, should I just yoink us outta here or…”

However as soon as she said that there was an audible snapping sound.

The group looked up, as did the assembled undead and their minions.

The prince’s face was an enraged grimace, his hand gripping the podium so hard he’d broken a chunk of it away, crushing it in his hand with his vampiric strength. “What… did you say his name was?” he asked.

Nelen frowned, stepping forward and looking straight at the prince’s face. “Its Nelen Fullmoon. Whats it to you Dracula?” he asked.

The prince stepped down from the podium, grinning at them… and it was a very nasty grin indeed. “Oh this is TOO fucking perfect! I’ve been waiting years for this!” he snarled, taking off his glasses and tossing his hat to the side.

Nelen squinted at his face, then his eyes widened, “You…” he glared back, “YOU MURDEROUS SON OF A BITCH!” he spat in fury as the rest of the group looked at the prince.

“Wait, Nelen… YOU know him?!” asked Stephy in shock.

“Oh I fucking know THIS piece of shit!” he growled, “He’s the reason I wound up saddled with a demon for a fucking decade!”

The vampire prince slowed to a halt, flexing his hands, “The little fag had it coming Fullmoon.” he retorted.

“SHUT YOUR GODSDAMN MOUTH MURDER!” he snapped, striding forward as if he’d forgotten all about the other undead in the room. “He’d never done anything to you, you wouldn’t have even known his fucking name if you hadn’t heard about him coming out… and what did you do?!”

Simoni stared, the pieces clicking together in her head, “Oh shit…”

“You and your rich asshole friends CHAINED HIM TO THE BACK OF YOUR TRUCK AND DRAGGED HIM UNTIL HIS BODY FELL APART!” he spat, every line in his face showing nothing but blind fury. “Yeah, I know exactly who this fucker is…” he growled, “Alfred Ludsthorp… heir to one of the local political dynasties… and someone who should be trapped in the quarantine ward at St. Elizabeth for the rest of his pathetic life.”

There was silence all around. Nelen’s allies knew his story now, about how his friend had come out as gay in the days before it was even remotely safe to do so, how the wrong people had heard about it, and how he had been tortured to death by a group of their well-to-do classmates.

How, when one of them went to his father to protect them, he was able to get away without even so much as being arrested because his father put pressure on the police to ignore the crime. How this drove Nelen to seek revenge in the worst way possible. He could have simply beaten them to a pulp with his own inborn Fullmoon strength… but instead he’d gone with something much darker.

He wanted those who had tortured his friend to death to suffer for what they’d done… and he made a deal with something awful to do it.

Standing before them was the man who had committed the murder that had sent Nelen down the road that led to him making a pact with Merihim, Demon of the Court of Wrath.

One Year Ago…

Francis Ludsthorp was a broken man. He had spent every cent he had to try to cure his son, to no avail. Antibiotics were useless, gene therapy was a lost cause, they’d even tried experimental radiation therapy without success.

He was running out of money. His political career was in shambles. About four years after his son wound up hospitalized his personal financial records had been stolen and leaked onto the internet showing how he’d been embezzling funds from the local government to line his own pockets. How he’d been using them to pay off investigators… there were even videos of the more recent meetings (god only knew how! The video looked like it was recorded from the ceiling!) A recall vote came shortly after, and when the dust settled nobody would trust him to run a gas station nevermind hold public office.

Then, one day, he got a call from the hospital. That year, just near the tail end of February, his son’s disease had just… stopped. It’d just vanished, all trace of it in his body. The virus cells were just suddenly gone.

He’d almost called it a miracle, until the hospital told him the rest of the story. The virus was gone, but the damage had been done. His son’s body was a disaster. The disease was akin to leprosy with a nasty grudge against its host and ten times more destructive than any strain they’d ever seen. Alfred would likely never walk again, his arms were atrophied to the point of uselessness, he was almost totally blind, it was a miracle he was alive at all…

Desperation took him. He wanted something, ANYTHING, that could help his son… and after weeks of searching, he found his chance.

The more superstitious doctors had commented that this disease almost seemed more like being cursed than sick with how little effect medicine had on it… and why not replace one curse with another. He was in politics, he always knew that there were some extreme ways to get power in the Greater Cincinnati Area… well, maybe that could save his son.

Thus, in the dead of night, he brought his son to a secluded warehouse, and met a man he would only ever know as William.

He didn’t stay to watch the deed get done, he couldn’t stand to see such a thing happen. Once it was over he insisted on taking his son home with him, despite William's warnings not to.

That next evening he went into his son’s bedroom to find him sitting up in bed, looking straight at him.

Francis ran forward to embrace his boy… and found out why William had tried to convince him to leave his son with him instead.

When Alfred finished with his father, and facing the horror of what he had done, William was waiting for him… and that was where his life as a human being had ended.

The Cartridge Company Basement, Present Day

The room was deathly silent, Nelen and Alfred staring each other down… then suddenly there was a small snicker.

“Wait… his name was Alfred all this time?” asked Dawn, “Like… Batman’s butler?” she snorted as Sammi put a hand to his mouth, trying to hide his grin as he held his rapier ready. Even Arja had to let out a small chuckle at that.

The prince’s eye twitched, his vampiric hearing able to pick out several stifled chuckles from the crowd as a few others made the connection themselves.

Nelen ignored her though, “How the hells did a worthless sack of crap like you wind up as the Prince?” he demanded.

Alfred sneered, “Like I’d tell you Fullmoon… but you’re right, I am in charge here… EVERYONE!” he snapped his fingers, “This is an order from your Boss! KILL ‘EM!” he shouted!

Nelen blinked, then remembered he was surrounded by the prince’s allies. “Fuck.” he whispered, then an instant later he vanished and reappeared behind the others as Stephy and Simoni ran forward and tore the stems off a pair of bellbomb peppers.

“BOMBS AWAY!” shouted Simoni, throwing her’s to the right as Stephy threw his to the left, the plants landing amid the crowd of vampires and their minions.

“Hope you guys like it spicy!” laughed Stephy as the peppers exploded into a massive cloud of capuchin and glamour, cries of pain erupting from within the mob as Arja moved forward, took a deep breath, and exhaled a huge cone of flame directly at Alfred!

The prince’s eyes widened as he grimaced, a wall of fire racing directly towards him! “SHIT!” he cried out, covering his face with his hands, and the flames hit home, blasting out around his form and scorching anyone too close to flee in time!

Several ghouls and a couple vampires went down, the latter screaming in terror as the flames ate away at their undead flesh… and then the flames died to reveal the prince crouching defensively… but totally unhurt.

Alfred looked up, clearly every bit as surprised as Arja was, a strange glow fading from the ruby ring he wore. “… uh… yeah… totally knew that’d happen…” he coughed, standing up, “WELL? DON’T JUST STAND THERE! GET THEM DAMMIT!” he shouted.

At this point the mob was quite likely to agree with them, several of them half blind and in pain from the peppery goblin fruit, the others recognizing that whoever they were they were definitely their enemies! All around them they could hear the cock of handguns, the sound of knives being drawn from boots or belt sheathes, and see the vampires assembled readying their own attacks.

“Dammit! DAWN!” yelled Nelen, “PLAN FIFTY THREE!”

Dawn nodded, then the group huddled together as she focused, and with a loud thunderclap they vanished from the room.

Plan Fifty Three: RUN LIKE HELL!

The group reappeared on the ground level outside, next to where Nelen had hidden their vehicle. “GO GO GO! GET INSIDE NOW!” he shouted, running towards the driver’s side as he fumbled with the keys, the rest of the group frantically rushing into their seats and bracing themselves.

Nelen stomped the gas hard and the van lurched forward, then he spun it around and gunned the engine as hard as it would let him go as the doors to the building burst open and after a few minutes several cars raced out of the parking lot after them!

Dawn glanced at the mirror and let out a low whining meow, “Neleeeeeeeeen! They’re coming!” she warned.

“Yeah! I noticed!” snapped the magus, pushing the engine until it cried as he tried to gain distance… but this vehicle had been built for hauling, not speed! “Shit, can SOMEONE slow them down?!” he asked.

Simoni whined, looking outside, but trying to fly in that chill would be borderline impossible! She’d be an ice cube before they got halfway above them...

For Stephy however… “Dawn! Get me and Sammi onto the roof!” he nodded, shrugging off his jacket and kicking off his boots. The cheshire nodded and grabbed both their hands, then teleported them up ontop of the van before warping herself quickly back inside as Stephy transformed, spreading his wings and trying to hold onto the swerving vehicle with his talons as Nelen fought with the icy roads below.

Sammi took his sibling’s purse, then climbed atop his back and nodded to him, the changeling princess letting out a loud birdlike cry as they took to the air!

Stephy yelped in surprise as the cars shot past below them, then whistled up a sharp tailwind and shot forward after them as Sammi dug through his purse. “Moving too fast to freeze the roads under them… bellbombs are worthless, they’ll have the windows up… no… not this one either… AHA!” he nodded, pulling out what looked like a strange straw doll, but made from a thorny vine rather than straw. “Stephy! Get ahead of them if you can!” he nodded.

Stephy focused, then let out another cry as they shot forward, the princess glancing below, then Sammi nodded and took the doll, gritting his teeth as he intentionally drew a thorn over his finger. “A little red water to help you grow m’dear…” he whispered, then tossed it down infront of the cars. It missed the first two, landed right infront of a second pair, and by the time the two following them reached that spot the drivers found a rather nasty surprise! The road was suddenly covered with a huge mass of razor sharp, unnaturally strong, and four-inch-long thorns! There were several loud bangs and their cars spun out of control as their tires were shredded to ribbons!

“Nice throw!” grinned Stephy, then he shrieked as several loud bangs came from below them. Their pursuers had realized they had enemies above, and they’d come prepared for a fight! Bullets whizzed by them as Stephy flapped to slow down, narrowly dodging a hail of lead… but this meant the windows were open now.

“Sammi! Get ready!” he nodded, shooting forward in the sky and angling downwards. They drew nearly level with the ground as Sammi pulled a bellbomb pepper out of his purse, biting the stem off… and as soon as they got close enough to one of the cars he threw it in through the passenger window and Stephy immediately flapped as hard as he could to regain altitude!

They were close long enough to hear, ‘is that a fucking pepper?’ before there was a massive splattery sound and the windows were covered in pulp and spices, screams coming from inside as the car swerved out of control before crashing into a ditch!

The changeling princess yelped as another spray of bullets shot up from below… then they looked forward to see the backdoor of the van opening.

Dawn was there, holding onto a handle built into the back of the van, and she was holding something… She grinned, then opened a cardboard box and poured out what looked like a bunch of shining metal objects, and another car went spinning out of control before slamming headlong into a tree!

That still left two though, and they were close enough to get a clear shot now! Several gunshots rang out, but the shadows under the door suddenly stretched down and hardened, and the bullets bounced off the barrier of darkness it created!

Of course… all this chaos couldn’t go unnoticed forever… and Sammi looked out across the snowy landscape to see something else on a nearby road. Several vehicles were approaching at speed, with flashing red and blue lights. “Oh oak and ash… someone called the police!” he swore, “Stephy!”

“I know I know… dammit what are we gonna do…” he whined, looking around. It’d be foolish to assume that the local vampire courts wouldn’t have agents in law enforcement. They could easily arrange for an ‘accident’ to occur in custody, it happened often enough already!

Then they saw ahead of them, a large bridge, a covered bridge to be specific. “Sammi… I know its dangerous around here… but we don’t really have any other choice!”

Sammi frowned, “I fear you’re right… blast it all, we’ll just have to take the risk!” he nodded as the two focused on the archway the bridge made and drew upon their own connection to the Wyrd.

Inside the van Nelen’s knuckles were almost white as he raced towards the bridge, bullets whizzing past on both sides of the vehicle as Arja and Simoni held on for dear life.

Suddenly, the space infront of him seemed to distort, the magus frowning. “What the… OH SHIT!” he swore as he realized what he was seeing, the view of the bridge shifting to reveal a pathway of thorn covered trees in a moonlit forest. “KIDS! HANG ON TIGHT!” he shouted as the van barreled over the bridge, the two cars behind it swerving to a halt as they saw the strange display… just in time for Sammi and Stephy to shoot past above them through the gateway, the portal slamming shut as the bridge returned to normal.

“The fuck was that…” asked one of the drivers as they got out of the car, staring at where the van had disappeared.

“Man I got no damn clue… c’mon, lets head back.” replied the other as they got back in their cars.

Soon the police arrived and took stock of the carnage along the roadside and the four wrecked vehicles… but of the van there was no sign.

Somewhere else…

Nelen slumped over the steering wheel of the van, the front end totaled from where it’d hit one of the trees. He raised his head with a groan, then looked around…

He’d grown up around here, he knew most of the area, but this was well beyond the fields he knew.

Stephy and Sammi had saved them from their pursuers and local law enforcement by sending them into the depths of the Hedge.

Next Story

Previous Story

[busrentaldubaionline]

Rejoice Your Coach Bus Travel with a Little Alertness

Traveling in a luxurious bus rental is one of the most exciting and fun-filled experiences. But it becomes a nightmare when the bus rental service chosen is not up to the mark. Choosing a perfect bus rental provider in Dubai is not as easy as it sounds. Hence one needs to investigate properly regarding the bus rental service providers in Dubai before hiring them. But to do the investigations effectively one should be aware of the details of the bus rental services in Dubai.

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Before hiring a bus rental in Dubai, make sure that you have a list of the following details ready with you.

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Ask to know what happens if the bus service has a backup plan to reach the destination in time. you should find out whether the service has extra vehicles to move you quickly if there is an accident.

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Every party bus rental includes the services of an experienced driver. They are honest, background-checked, and licensed to drive the bus. Mostly, bus rental companies do not allow amateurs to drive the bus!

Endnotes Following such small yet important things before hiring a luxurious bus rental in Dubai can help you in getting a better travel experience. If you seek more help and assistance you can contact Wadi Swat Buses Rental today and get all your queries and doubts cleared.

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[princeescaluswords]

When Peter gets arrested, the agents or council inform Scott and Lydia they can both press charges (or however it might work in the werewolf society equivalent) and it gives Lydia in particular a bit of a surprise. They explain patiently that what he did to her was a disgusting violation.

I love this idea simply because it should remind your readers of a very salient fact: Peter Hale's (and Derek Hale's) behavior wasn't just damaging to Scott and Lydia (and his other victims), it was dangerous to all werewolves, everywhere.

The fandom makes an entire production of how terrible Scott was for even attempting to play lacrosse after he was bit, as if he should have been content to give up everything in his life to serve as a pawn in the drama of the Hale family. (It's always weird when I think of fandom's condemnation of Scott being stupid not to give up Allison and lacrosse the way the Hales want him to, when both Derek and Peter wanted him to give up Stiles as well.)

Remember what Derek said when he broke into Scott's house and assaulted him?

Derek: You shifted in front of them! If they find out what you are, they find out about me. About all of us. And then it's not just the hunters after us, it's everyone.

So, if there was a Werewolf Authority, what would they think of Peter Hale's murder spree? How many animal attacks happen in the middle of a video rental store? A school bus? At a high school during the Winter Formal? If Scott is to be punished for foolishly drawing attention to werewolves, what about Peter getting caught on camera?

The Werewolf Authority would wipe their brows and feel absolutely lucky that Lydia placed her own reputation first and didn't identify Peter Hale as her attacker to the police or that Stiles didn't tell his father everything after getting pissed off at Scott. They should be praising whichever wolf spirit they revere that Sheriff Stilinski holds his oaths in such contempt that he didn't think to expose the private war between werewolves and werewolf hunters to the national media!

How it went down would also depends on when the Werewolf Authority shows up. If they arrived in March rather than February, they'd have to deal with a second murder spree, as Derek Hale, Lord of Bad Decisions, bit a teenager he had pegged as an unstable narcissist and then abandoned him when he thought he was going to die, and his Beta killed nearly a dozen people. (You ever notice that Derek Apologists often fail to list Jackson the Murder Lizard among Derek's betas? I do.)

They would probably throw Scott McCall, Lydia Martin, and Stiles Stilinski a party for not going to the goddamn press. Especially Scott who could have picked up the phone and called Special Agent McCall and said "Dad, want to make it up to me that you abandoned me and mom? A stranger attacked me in the woods and is trying to make me join his murder cult!" How would the Werewolf Authority have handled that? Rafael might have been a shit dad, but he was a very good FBI agent.

Or Lydia might have realized she had an actionable case and sued Peter "Profoundly Disturbing Nightmares" Hale for $117 million dollars.

I would love to see a story where the Hales defend their behavior to the Werewolf Authority.

WA: You bit a teenager and just let him wander off?

Peter: I was out of my mind!

WA: Yet you were able to lure your sister across the entire United States and ambush an alpha werewolf without her being any wiser. That's pretty clever for someone who was out of his mind. You were also stable enough to teach a human nurse exactly what she needed to help you.

Derek: It was an accident. It happens.

WA: Oh, does it, Derek? So if it was an accident and Peter was simply a poor trauma victim, how come your eyes went freaking red? Are you confessing to murdering a helpless burn victim in order to gain power to attain your own vengeance by manipulating children.

Derek: I can if they're willing!

WA: I need a drink.

Some people may claim this as 'bad writing,' but we who have experienced the real world know that it is not. The world is filled with privileged white men who will take advantage of those weaker than themselves to get what they want. Derek and Peter used fear of exposure, shame, and raw power to force children into their service and then acted all hurt when those teenagers (and one teenager in particular) stood up and said: "No. I'm not going to play by your rules. You don't have the right to use us for your own wants."

The Hales are the Harvey Weinsteins of Werewolves. Yet there will always be defenders of predatory white men, always reasons why men like Peter and Derek get a free pass in order to hurt and damage others.

There wasn't a Werewolf authority in Teen Wolf. But there needed to be.

[beatricethecat2]

“I’m super bummed about the yurt,” Myka says.

“It is rather unfortunate," Helena says. "Perhaps internet rentals are unreliable?”

“That’s how everything’s done these days. And it’s not their fault, the pump died, and no water means it’s a no-go. But I still want that river view.”

“And the solitude. Plus the solar-powered generator.”

“You were super into that,” Myka says. “But this place…” She pushes at the cards scattered in front of her. “They just left stuff lying around. Such a dump.”

“It was rather last minute. Merely a stop-gap; a place to rest our weary heads after nights under the stars.”

“And backs on the hard ground,” Myka grumbles. “Where’d you find this?” She twirls a yellow flower between her thumb and forefinger.

“In the garden behind the shed. Though ‘garden’ and 'shed’ are generous terms.”

“Thanks for picking it. And thanks for being so upbeat about this,” Myka says, cracking a small smile.

“Thank you for humoring my curiosity.” Helena gathers the cards within her reach and piles them into a neat stack.

“It’s given us a destination, which we needed.” Myka pushes more cards towards Helena. “You’re sure none of the sites we saw are what you remember?”

“From the stereographs? No.” Helena fans the cards out and begins to arrange them in suits.

“Could you…could it be you don’t remember it as well as you thought?

"Stereographs were the virtual reality of my day. They immersed one in places inherently foreign to our own. The take-away memories were vivid. I was hoping…”

“Hoping what?” Myka says, scooting closer, joining in organizing the cards.

“That the physicality of the ruins would trigger an emotional response. I viewed the images at one of Charles’s parties not long before I was bronzed. My reaction was quite visceral; I’d felt life flowing through the structures, even though they were long abandoned.”

Helena stares at the card in her hand.

“Then again, I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. Perhaps it’s a ridiculous quest.” She lays the card, a joker, on the table.

“Hey, we’ll keep looking,” Myka says, laying her hand over Helena’s. “We’ll regroup in Vegas, then go north and hit Mesa Verde. It’s pretty magical.”

“You’ve been before?”

“Girl Scout trip. Long, miserable bus ride. But even as a kid, the cliff dwellings felt magical.”

“Perhaps they’re the site I’m looking for!” Helena says, perking up. “And, perhaps we met there in the past. Star-crossed lovers, throughout time and space.”

“Past lives? You believe in that?”

“Not in a grand sense,” Helena says, aligning the gazes of the queen of hearts and queen of spades to face each other. “But I do appreciate that these days, one can mention such trivial mythologies without repercussions.”

“What do you mean?”

“In my day, as a woman, there was little room for flippant musing. Christian values dictated our every move, while Spiritualism promoted the fanatic embrace of communing with the dead. Not to mention the base-level assumption women were of a lesser intellect.”

“So you’d never say it out loud.”

“Never. In fact, I’d blocked it out. Hard science was my escape but at the expense of my sanity.”

“I suppose we all need a sense that something out there's guiding us,” Myka says, plucking the two other queens from the spread and aligning them as Helena did. “It’s kind of romantic to think our connection’s lasted hundreds of years.”

“But you’re not sold.”

“Nah.” Myka slips the cards on top of each other and slides them back into the pile.

“Perhaps my bronzing was the universe’s way of aligning our presence.”

“Sounds like a story you might write. Or one you already did.”

“So pragmatic, Myka Bering.”

“You’re the romantic,” Myka says, bumping Helena’s shoulder.

“I’m a woman of science!” Helena quips playfully.

“Hm, yeah,” Myka mumbles, turning to look towards the other side of the trailer. “Come with me, 'woman of science.’ Let’s test out this awful looking bed.”

She grabs Helena’s hand and tugs her across the room. They tumble in tandem onto the full-size futon.

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

Bering and Wells On the Road ("Warehouse 13" Season 5 replacement) Season 1: Episode 5 Title: Las Vegas: Hopes, Dreams, and a Little Bit of Crazy

Summary: Myka and Helena travel across the expanse of Texas toward the arid Southwest, tracking down a memory. A last-minute cancellation leads to less-than-ideal accommodations and musings on the universe. A stop in Vegas turns into an artifact hunt after a few nights on the town. While there, a less than supernatural mystery garners honest talk, revealing a sticking point that, for better or worse, is left hanging to be resolved down the line.

Previously: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4

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

***BONUS SCENE***

“What’s this?” Myka asks, holding a piece of paper found while tidying the room before checkout.

Helena turns from packing and squints at the page.

“It appears to be an advertisement for burlesque.”

“It’s a strip club.”

“There’s a distinction?”

“You’ve watched enough cop shows to know.”

“Touché,” Helena says with a smirk. “Were you considering attending?”

“It’s from your pocket! The stuff you took out to dry clean your coat after it got gooed.”

“I don’t recall saving that piece of ephemera.”

“Maybe you recall this?” Myka flips the paper over.

Helena steps closer and squints again.

“Do you need glasses?”

“I haven’t had proper tea yet,” Helena grumbles. “It appears to be writing.”

“It’s a name. And a number. Who's Giselle?”

“Ah…” A light bulb goes off behind Helena’s eyes. “The tall, blonde you were ogling at the bar.”

“Me? What blonde? Oh…” A dimmer bulb goes off behind Myka’s eyes. “I thought I recognized her from that show we saw, Zumanity.”

“And I’d thought she’d reminded you of a tall blonde from your past.”

“Sam was a man.”

“Gender is a construct–”

“I know! I don’t need another lecture–”

“–designed to control the masses, just like– ”

“Capitalism, religion, television….who knows what else,” Myka gruffs. “No more podcasts in the car for a while, OK?" 

Helena crosses her arms over her chest and grunts dismissively. Myka's face pinches as she holds her ground.

"So you, what, went up to this woman when I took that call from the Warehouse?”

“As it happens, she spoke with me,” Helena says, puffing up like a bird on the defense.

“She came to our table?”

“I’d gone to the bar. I needed a top-up as you’d been gone for an immeasurable amount of time.”

“And she just happened to be there?”

“Coincidentally.”

“Coincidentally? And she 'coincidentally’ gave you her number?”

“We had a lovely conversation about the mechanics from the show. The hanging armatures, the chains, the silks, the water tank. And the athleticism that went into their provocative stunts.”

“Uh-huh. But she gave you her number. Why?”

“I believe there was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Must you parrot me so?” Helena plants her hands on her hips.

“If you’d tell me what really happened, I wouldn’t have to.” Myka mirrors Helena’s pose.

“Fine. You seemed so enamored, I thought to ask questions–”

“I thought I recognized her, that’s all!”

“She was quite stunning. Did I mention statuesque?”

“Helena, why?” Myka waves the page in Helena’s direction.

“She offered us a backstage tour.”

“Us, or you?”

“I’d pointedly mentioned you, so us.”

“Oh.” Myka’s shoulders slump. “What does 'backstage tour’ mean?”

“I believe a peek behind the production.”

“Because you said there was a misunderstanding.”

“Due to her somewhat pointed overtures.”

“I knew it! She was hitting on you.” Myka smacks the desk with her hand. 

Helena grimaces. “I believe she was 'fishing’”

“Do you even know what that is?”

“I do, as per the aforementioned police procedurals. In fact, it was….refreshing, being courted by a woman." 

"I’m a woman!”

“Yes, but….in the wild, so to speak.”

“Did you…” Myka starts, then glances at the paper again. She sits on the edge of the bed and looks up at Helena. “Did you want to go out with her?" 

"Again, I’d pointedly pointed out I was taken.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because we rushed off New York, New York the minute your call from the Warehouse finished.” Helena throws her hands in the air. “We then spent the majority of yesterday chasing an elusive King Kong around that scale model of the city.”

“We did. Stupid antiques convention.”

“I swear we spend more time on Warehouse business than our own.”

“Like once a month.”

“Every week.”

“Every other week. When they call us. Us getting whammied doesn’t count.”

“Mine was New Orleans. Yours Austin. But the others…”

Myka tallies missions on fingers until she hits ten. “You’re right. We’ve spent a lot of time on Warehouse stuff. I’m sorry.”

Helena shakes her head while breathing out a heavy sigh. She sits next to Myka and lays a hand on her thigh. “To answer your question, we’re off today anyway, so there was no point in mentioning it.”

Myka slips her hand over Helena’s. “I bet you actually wanted to see the mechanics backstage. That’s something people do on vacation.”

“Quite an improvement from Trouble Wit,” Helena says.

“I don’t know that that is.”

“Illusions with pleated paper. Parlor tricks, but they delighted Christina so.”

“See, I like hearing that stuff,” Myka says, squeezing Helena’s hand. “Would you have told me any of this if I hadn’t found the flyer cleaning up?’ She hands the paper to Helena.

"Why would it matter?” Helena crumples the paper and lobs it towards the garbage can. It bounces off and onto the floor. 

“Because for this to work we need to talk to each other, tell each other how we feel.” Myka looks Helena in the eye. “I can’t read your mind.”

“Then, perhaps we were not destined to meet throughout time and space.”

“Hey, you can’t take it back. I like that idea now.” Myka threads her fingers through Helena's and flips their hands over. “You’re really annoyed about the work stuff?”

“I was hoping to have you all to myself.”

“You do.” Myka squeezes Helena’s hand again and lifts it up, kissing its back. “How much time do we have before checkout?”

Helena glances at her wristwatch. “Not nearly enough.”

“But it could be.” Myka threads a lock of hair behind Helena’s ear and guides their lips together. Their kiss leads to more-than-kissing in record time.

Next Scene: Running late to checkout…

-TBC-

NOTES: The quote, “Las Vegas is a city built on hopes, dreams and a little bit of crazy,” is by Eleanor Goggin. If you haven’t seen a well-shot stereograph in a viewer, you are missing out. Their mock-3D spaces from bygone eras can be mind-blowing.Myka with the flyer is from a season four episode where she and Pete go to Las Vegas. The show Zumanity is a racy offshoot of Cirque du Soleil and just closed after a seventeen-year run in Vegas. I started reading a fascinating dissertation about why middle- and upper-class Victorian women embraced Spiritualism. In a nutshell, it gave them autonomy and a sense of power within the rigid confines of what was expected of them as women while they remained safe within the construct of home. H.G. would have bristled at that, because she wanted more. But I’m certain she would have been fascinated by Hilma af Klint’s amazing drawings and paintings, even though they were based in Spiritualism and Theosophy. Oh and here's on of the stereographs. (H.G. would have seen it later than 1898.) Also, the title font/design is from the first edition of the book you are thinking of but the content is not related.

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

My (incomplete) Notes on The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson, at 12 years old, is miserable

Percy is trying very hard to be good

Percy reacts violently when his friends are threatened

“I’m going to kill her” 

I wish I’d decked her right there

Percy turns red when he gets called on 

Percy knows a lot about both Greek and Roman gods

Percy has an “I’ll-kill-you-later” stare

Percy gives “safe” answers to authority figures

Percy sells an illegal candy stash out of his dorm room

Percy knows about shrooms and thinks that he was drugged on the field trip

Percy has nightmares about the teacher (Kindly One) that he killed

Percy has to get summer jobs

Grover is a very bad liar

Percy almost cries in class when his favorite teacher tells him that he’s different

Percy gets into fights to protect Grover from bullies

Percy sees the Fates snipping the thread and knows he’s going to die

Grover mentions that it’s always 6th graders who are killed

Percy ditches Grover at the bus stop

Grover’s bladder acts up when he gets nervous

Sally Jackson took night classes to get her GED

She wanted to be a novelist

Gabe Ugliano is Percy’s stepdad

His cigars make Percy nauseous 

He drinks beer and leaves a mess everywhere

He takes money from Percy and uses it to fund his gambling and calls it their “guy secret.”

If Percy tells Sally, he’ll “punch Percy’s lights out”

Gabe takes over Percy’s room while Percy is at school

Gabe makes fun of Percy’s grades

Sally works at a candy shop and brings Percy blue candy

She runs her hands through his hair and asks him how he’s doing

She never raises her voice or says anything unkind to anyone

Percy wants to punch Gabe

Percy wants to kick Gabe in the balls and “make him sing soprano for week” 

Gabe blamed Percy for things that aren’t his fault

Percy makes a hand gesture that Grover did, but at Gabe, and the screen door slammed shut 

They have a rental cabin on the beach that is “half hidden in the dunes, full of sand and spiders”

Percy and his mom eat blue foods because Gabe said there’s no such thing as blue food. It’s an act of rebellion. 

Percy thinks that his mom doesn’t want him around

Percy is mad at Poseidon for leaving him and his mom

In preschool, Percy is put to sleep in a crib at school. The crib had a snake in it and Percy strangled the snake to death. 

Percy has a dream that a horse (Poseidon) and an eagle (Zeus) are fighting to the death

“O Zeu kai alloi theoi” means “Oh Zeus and other gods!” 

Percy experiences panic when he realizes that his teacher was a monster trying to kill him

Lightning hits the camaro and blasts off the roof

Percy’s got good instincts; the hair frequently raises on the back of his neck when he’s in danger

Sally gets killed by the minotaur 

She’s actually stolen by Hades

Percy rips off the minotaur’s horn and impales it into his side

Percy is crying, weak, trembling with grief and he literally carries Grover and drops onto a porch

Annabeth tries to get Percy to talk while she’s spoon-feeding Percy ambrosia 

Percy has been unconscious for two days after his fight with the minotaur

Percy would rather live on the streets than live with Gabe

He considers lying about his age and joining the army

Percy is very good at telling when adults have been drinking

Grover is nervous about Mr. D

But he still manages to ask for the diet coke can to eat

  The farm house is four stories tall, sky blue and white trim

The camp grows strawberries and the campers pick them

Grover is 28 years old but satyrs mature at half the rate that humans do

The Poseidon cabin walls glow like abalone. There are six empty beds with silk sheets. It smells salty. 

Chiron gets horribly depressed about training heroes

Luke is very handsome except for a thick white scar that runs from his right eye to his jaw.

He’s the son of Hermes and the counselor 

Luke is 19

He’s in cabin 11

Monsters will always reform because they don’t have souls

The bathrooms are cinder block buildings with a line of toilets and a line of showers; there’s a girls and a boys

Percy feels a tug in the pit of his stomach when he uses his powers

Annabeth just watched Clarisse drag Percy into the bathroom to give him a swirly 

Luke steals Percy some toiletries from the camp store. 

Percy is not good at archery, foot racing, or wrestling

The only thing that Percy is good at is canoeing 

Percy can’t find a blade that fits right in his hand. 

Luke has been the best swordsman in 300 years

Percy bests him after pouring ice water on his head (son of Poseidon) 

Hades doesn’t have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood or a throne on Olympus. They say that it would be bad if there was a cabin for Hades. 

Sixty years ago, after World War 2, the big three gods made an oath not to have more kids.

Two of them broke it; Zeus with Jason and Thalia, Poseidon with Percy.

When Hades found out, he let out all three Kindly Ones and a pack of Hellhounds

Thalia wound up becoming a tree. 

Grover was the satyr assigned to bring only Thalia in. Thalia had befriended Annabeth and Luke, and she wouldn’t leave them behind. 

Percy thinks that Luke’s scar makes him look almost evil

Clarisse has an electric spear

It makes Percy go numb wherever she touches him with it

One of the boys in Cabin 5 (Ares) cuts Percy across the arm

Once Percy gets into the water, he’s very good at fighting

Luke wins capture the flag

Annabeth has a Yankee's cap that makes her invisible. It was a gift from her mother. 

Annabeth is the first person to figure out that Poseidon is Percy’s father.

No wait, Grover was first and then Chiron. Well, they knew he was one of the Big Three’s son.

As soon as Percy steps out of the water, he is exhausted and in pain.

When Hellhounds die, they melt into shadow and soak into the ground.

Hellhounds are from the fields of punishment.

When Poseidon claims Percy, everyone kneels.

“Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”

Percy is miserable being alone in Cabin Three and being so isolated. He would rather get into fights every day than be ignored. People are steering clear of Percy. 

Except for Luke, who gives Percy one-on-one sword training. 

Annabeth teaches Percy Greek but she’s distracted.

Gabe tells the press that Percy is violent and a troubled kid. The newspapers say that Percy may be involved in his mother’s disappearance. 

Gabe also tells the press that Percy has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Percy has more dreams of Zeus and Poseidon fighting. He hears Kronos’ voice calling to him. 

It doesn’t rain in Camp Half-Blood (or even get overcast) unless they want it to. 

Dionysus wants to kill Percy. 

Percy gets embarrassed when he knows something someone doesn’t want or expect him to. 

Percy has a nervous laugh. 

Illegal copies can be made of the Gods Symbols of Power.

Percy has tried to steal pizza from Gabe’s poker parties and got busted for it.

Percy is furious that the camp is being punished for his existence. He thinks he’s responsible for the gods' fight. 

The Big House attic is four flights up. It’s full of mementos from old demigod fights. 

Percy is scared of the oracle. 

Percy’s fists clench at the very sight of Gabe. 

Percy doesn’t have many friends. 

Percy isn’t afraid of Hades; he wants to get revenge and take Hades on. 

Gods can’t encroach on each other’s territories but demigods can. Gods can’t be held responsible for heroes actions. 

Percy describes his emotions as rolling glass in a kaleidoscope. 

Percy is so relieved that Grover is coming with him that he wants to cry. 

Annabeth volunteered to go on the Quest. Percy is not surprised. 

Previously, Luke told Percy that Annabeth has been harassing Chiron for a prophecy and that she’s been hanging onto all of the new campers until she’s sure they aren’t the chosen one. 

Annabeth says that Percy will mess up this quest without her even though he’s been more than adequate at handling everything that’s been thrown his way. 

The camp store loans Percy $100.00 and 20 golden drachmas. 

He’s also given a canteen of nectar and a ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares.

The ambrosia and nectar is only to be used in emergencies; it will kill a mortal and demigods will literally burn up if they overdose. 

Annabeth’s cap was given to her on her twelfth birthday by her mom, Athena. 

Luke actually runs up the hill to give them the basketball shoes. They’re the flying shoes he got from his dad for his quest when he was seventeen. 

Luke gives the shoes directly to Percy. 

Percy is worried that Luke would have been jealous of the attention he’s been getting.

Percy blushes because Luke gave him the magic gift. 

Luke seems uncomfortable talking to Percy. He trails off three times and uses “um.” And then there’s an [awkward] handshake. 

Luke pats Grover between the horns and gives Annabeth a hug.

Annabeth’s crush on Luke has been brought up three times so far. 

Percy figures out by this one interaction that Annabeth let Luke capture the flag instead of her. 

Percy thinks that he’s a brat for wanting a magical gift from his father. 

Riptide (Anaklusmos) is a gift from Poseidon that Chiron has been holding onto for the next child of Poseidon. 

Riptide is forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, and cooled in the River Lethe. 

Mortals aren’t important enough for the blade to kill but it will kill demigods and anything from the Underworld. 

Percy thinks that the real world feels like a fantasy after spending two weeks at Half-Blood Hill. 

Percy thinks that Annabeth hates him. 

Annabeth thinks they have to be rivals because their parents are. 

Annabeth was also mean to him before she knew who his dad was.

Even after two weeks away from Gabe, Grover can still smell him on Percy.

This makes Percy immediately want a shower.

Grover says that Percy should be thankful Sally was with someone who smelled so repulsively human because it kept the monsters away and that Sally must have loved Percy a lot to put up with that guy.

This does not make Percy feel better but he hides his feelings; or hopes he does since satyrs can sense emotions with or without an empathy link. 

Percy is on the quest because he wants to save his mom.

He is not on the quest to retrieve Zeus’s lightning bolt

Or to save the world 

Or to help his dad out of trouble. Percy is actually really, really angry with Poseidon for never visiting or helping Sally. 

Annabeth and Percy are good at playing hacky sack. 

The three Furies are considered the worst monsters in the Underworld. 

Percy had a chance to escape on the bus and didn’t take it. 

Alecto threatens to kill Percy (again)

Percy can speak Latin

Percy knows that the Greek Gods (Zeus and Hades in particular) are being assholes to him. 

The food at Camp Half-Blood is grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. 

“Your head is full of kelp.”

In Aunty Em’s emporium, Percy says that the smell of her cooking makes everything else go away, however he still has the sense of mind to notice Grover whimpering, the statues’ eyes following them, and Auntie Em locking the door. 

Percy’s neck tingles when he’s in danger. 

Percy is annoyed that Annabeth is being rude to a woman who just fed them for free. 

[pixieposts]

Dice Prompt

Today I was rudely woken up at 4am so I decided to use the extra time to write.

I rolled a 10!  Our prompt is: “Can we please stop running?  I think I am dying”  Enjoy!

AO3  

Fjord sighed as he watched the bartender walk back over with his beer, muttering a quiet thank you as he took it.  He hated being the first one to arrive when the Nine met up, especially when it involved a bar that he had never been to.  But it had been another week from hell at school, with mid-terms coming up and extra holiday shifts at the garage... he was wiped out.  A night out with friends was exactly what he needed.  

“Fjord!  Fuckin’ bus was late again”  

He smiled as he heard Beau’s voice ring out behind him, only to have the smile disappear immediately when he heard another join her

“Fjord?”  

He turned on his barstool, disbelief filling his mind as he caught sight of not only Beau, but the person who had walked in with her.  Slim, with long ginger hair tied loosely back, dressed in worn-out jeans and a dark grey cardigan... It couldn’t be him.  

“Fjord Stone?”  

It was definitely him.  

Fjord had never heard anyone else say his name the way he did.    

“Caleb Widogast” he breathed, trying to change his shocked expression for a smile and failing miserably.

Big blue eyes stared at him, blinking in matching disbelief before turning to Beau with a pointed look.  

“This is why you wanted me to come out so badly?  You could have just said--”  

“It’s more fun if it’s a surprise dude!”

“More fun for you maybe”

Fjord watched them argue until his heartrate had slowed back to normal, then cleared his throat.  They both looked over sheepishly, seeming to realize that they had all but forgotten he was there.  Honestly, it was kind of cute.  

“You mad?” Beau asked, going for her usual nonchalance but giving herself away with a nervous frown “I thought it would be fun”  

“I just don’t understand how... what?” he turned to Caleb “I thought you were still in Xhorhas training with that Essek guy?”

“I... I decided I wanted to branch out a bit”  

Beau tugged Caleb over, all but shoving him onto one of the stools next to Fjord before taking one herself.  She waved down the bartender and ordered two beers before turning back to them.

“I can explain this one” she thanked the bartender, handing a beer to Caleb with a nod “Cay here is in a couple of my classes, we’ve been hanging out and working together since last year” she took a sip “he starts telling me about this guy, this old friend that he hadn’t been able to get in touch with right?  And I’m like thinkin’, y’know, the city is huge so that makes sense”  

Fjord nodded along, despite having no idea where this was going.  

“And then like... two months-ish ago you” she pointed at Fjord with her beer bottle “mentioned the same thing.  Old friend, couldn’t find him online, hadn’t seen him in years yadda-yadda" she waved a hand dismissively “so I start doing a little poking around right?  Looking at old year books and talking to my connections at the Xhorhas Soul... and what do I find?”  

She reached into her jackets inner pocket and whipped out a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn directly out of a book.  Caleb glared at her, grumbling under his breath about damaging books that weren’t your own.  She shushed him, laying the paper out and smiling brightly when they both leaned in.  Fjord felt warmth bloom in his chest when he realized what he was looking at, it wasn’t just some scrap of paper, it was a photo (albeit a photo she had definitely ripped out of a yearbook).  In it were young Caleb and Fjord, dressed in outdated clothes with Fjord’s arm wrapped around Caleb’s skinny shoulders.  Fjord was beaming at the photographer while Caleb looked up at him, a fond smile on his face that sent Fjord’s stomach into summersaults.  Caleb looked nearly the same, but without the scruff and with his hair cut to just above his shoulders.  Fjord could just barely see the tips of his still blunted tusks poking out in the smile... so they had to be nearly graduated.  He hadn’t stopped filing them until around then.  Caleb had convinced him to stop, now that he thought about it...

“So, I find this, and it just confirmed what I was already pretty sure about” she tapped the photo triumphantly “you’re welcome, assholes”  

Fjord tore his eyes from the old photo, looking up just in time to see Caleb do the same.  For all the other ways that age had changed them... his eyes were just the same.  Deep ocean blue and far too clever for his own good, and Fjord couldn’t help but smile.  

“Thank you, Beauregard” Caleb said quietly, without looking away “this was very kind of you”

“Yeah, thanks Beau”  

In his peripheral he could see Beau looking between them with her eyes narrowed in the way that he knew meant she was making note of something.  The growing sense of joy in his chest distracted him enough that he really didn’t care at the moment.  

“Are you two about to get all gross and sappy?”  

“I cannot make any promises to the contrary” Caleb shrugged, still smiling as he took a sip of his beer

“Nope” Fjord said with an exaggerated pop “I can’t either.  We got a lot of years to catch up on”  

“Ugh, this was a mistake”

“Are you sure?  I have many stories about high school Fjord that I know you would enjoy”  

Fjord shot him a glare without any real menace behind it.

“Two can play at that game, should I tell her about the time you blew up the chem lab?”

“Only if you want her to know about the time you flooded the entire gym”  

Beau was smirking now, looking from one to the other mischievously.

“Okay, I take it back, this was a great idea and I’m a fucking genius”  

They spent the next thirty minutes going back and forth with stories of their high school years, and all the ridiculous teenage stuff they had gotten up to.  By then the others had arrived, and Fjord was shocked to see that none of them were confused by Caleb’s presence.  Somehow, through the last two years, Caleb had managed to make friends with all of Fjords friends... and they had never run into each other.  He supposed it wasn't THAT strange, Caleb had never been one for parties and had always put more of his focus into school than socializing... but still.  Once the whole group was here, the conversations shifted to more general topics, like mid-terms and work and petty grievances (those were mostly Molly, admittedly).  Caleb and Beau swapped seats at one point, so the Beau could flirt more directly with Yasha and Jester, and Caleb turned to him with a small smile.  His cheeks had started to colour from the beers, giving him an endearing blush.  

“Hallo again”

“Hey” Fjord smiled back, fondness softening his expression

“You have grown out your tusks” Caleb mused; head tilted slightly “they suit you”  

“Same with your hair” Fjord reached out, tugging lightly on a loose strand before tucking it behind Caleb’s ear “you look good Cay, happy”

“I am” he laid a hand over Fjord’s on the bar “I am happy, things have been good I just...” he paused, and the tips of his ears went pink too “I have missed you.  Very much.”

“You’re not an easy man to find” Fjord turned his hand over, pressing the scars of their long-ago pact together “but I’ve missed you too, the city’s felt weird without you around”

“I have been around”

“Apparently, still can’t believe we haven't run into each other before this”  

“It certainly seems strange does it not?”  

They sat that way for the rest of the night, catching up at first, talking about what they had done in the 5 years since they had graduated high school.  Caleb told him about Xhorhas, how fascinating the country was, how strange it felt to be one of the very few humans on the school's campus there.  He had learned Undercommon out of necessity but ended up loving the language itself very quickly.  In return Fjord told him about the garage where he had met Yasha, and her convincing him to apply for school.  About meeting Caduceus not long after and his shift into following the Wildmother.  Caleb had never been religious, but he beamed and gave Fjords hand a squeeze when he talked about the peace she had brought into his life.  

Eventually, they were pulled back into conversation with the others, but Fjord's heart swelled when he realized that Caleb wasn’t pulling his hand away.  They stayed that way the rest of the night, Caleb interlocking their fingers when they all got up to stumble towards the bus stop.  Caleb leaned heavily on him as they waited, the others were trying to decide who’s place to head to for the rest of the night.  Fjord tugged him in close, leaning his head on Caleb's when it landed against his shoulder as the others settled on Molly and Yasha’s place.  The ground started to walk, since the little rental house was off campus and the weather was still reasonable.  

There was something so wonderful about how easily they had slipped back into physical touch.  It had taken Fjord years to break down Caleb’s walls enough the first time, and part of him had worried (however briefly) that it would be like starting over.  

Instead, it felt like nothing had changed between them, like the last five years hadn’t happened at all.  

“Last one there has to clean the dishes tomorrow!” Jester shrieked, starting to sprint off in the direction of the house.

“Fuck that!” “No fucking way!”  

Fjord smirked down at Caleb, tightening his grip on the other man's hand before he gave chase along with the others.  Beau had taken an obvious lead but had slowed down slightly to stay close to Jester and Yasha.  Molly and Jester were cheering and swearing and laughing interchangeably into the night as they ran, and Fjord found himself laughing along.  After a few blocks, when his heart had really started to pound and he was beginning to regret that last beer, Caleb tugged his hand.

“Can we please stop running?” he panted as Fjord slowed “I think I am dying”  

Fjord chuckled as he slowed more to a walk, then stopped completely, watching Caleb press a hand to his chest.

“I am dying, definitely”

“No, you’re not” Fjord chuckled, joy and adrenaline making him brave as the sounds of the others faded into the night “c’mere, look”  

He moved in close, pressing the tips of his fingers to Caleb’s neck and feeling the thundering pulse under his skin.

“See?  Perfectly fine, very much alive”  

Caleb looked up at him now, cheeks flushed dark with exertion and hair a wild mess... Fjord wondered when the tie had come loose.  

“Are you sure?” Caleb's free hand came up to rest on top of his “I am not convinced”  

Fjord's cheeks heated up past the point of the run as Caleb slid their hands down from his neck to rest on his chest instead.  Fjord could feel his heart pounding in time with Caleb’s as his voice dropped nearly to a whisper.

“I missed you very much Fjord” his tongue darted across his bottom lip and Fjord’s eye followed the motion “I always... There were so many things I never managed to tell you; I have regretted it ever since”

“Tell me now then Cay, it’s just us”

“It has always been us Fjord” he took a deep breath “It has always been you for me, all this time away I—it was always you”  

“Caleb--” Fjord's heart leapt “Fuck, all these years and we’re just now...” he trailed off with a smile, bringing his hand from Caleb's chest up to cup his jaw lightly “Can I kiss you?”

“Gods yes”  

“Finally.” Fjord teased, leaning down to lock their lips together.  

Caleb sighed happily into the kiss, tilting his head to get a better angle as Fjord walked them off the sidewalk and pressed Caleb’s back to a large tree.  How long they stayed that way, trading kisses and whispered words of endearment, he couldn’t say but eventually (far too soon) the sounds of their friends had completely faded and they knew they ought to continue on their way.  If they didn’t someone was sure to come looking, and they would never hear the end of it.  The others wore knowing looks when they finally got back to the house, hands locked and faces flushed.  Beau handed Caleb a new hair tie and a drink, but nothing was said about it for the moment, and Fjord was grateful.  The evening wore on, with more drinks and stories and games, and with Caleb curled up against Fjord’s side.  

Come morning, tired but content, they stood shoulder to shoulder at the sink, and Fjord couldn’t help but feel like the evening had definitely been worth the wait... and doing the dishes.  

[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’!

[notatallinterestingstuff]

With Love, She.

Clang! Blaam! Boom! The echoing sounds of the utensils falling down startled her from her trance. ‘Ughhhh, he’s going to be furious again!’, she thought to herself, picking up the plates in a hurry. It was not the best of days for her. Lunch was not yet ready; the maid has not yet come and Nirav has once again spilled rice on the floor. Arun was about to come home and he would not be pleased with this work. And yet another load on her growing and immeasurable life. She cursed her father under her breath and began trotting the 3-way road again. ‘Hey, you! I am working so hard to maintain the house and you keep a petty fight for some rice? Today, it ends! You are going to clean up the mess!’, she exclaimed with suppressed anger. But then Nirav looked back at her, gave her a mischievous grin and ran out of the house in a flurry. ‘One day, that boy is going to get it from me. But what can I do? My heart doesn’t allow it.”, she told to herself. Exhausted, she returned to her usual chores with a half-hearted attitude. Cleaning the house, doing the dishes, is that my life? Don’t I have dreams? Shouldn’t I too reach failure and then work hard to rise? As she fell into the ever-growing abyss of her thoughts, her mind reached out and grabbed a memory. ‘Daddy, when will we go to the museum?’, the little girl cried at the top of her voice. Her father, in an ever-calming voice replied,’ Don’t you worry child! As long as this elephant is with you, he will ride you to the museum, with free lollipops!”, The girl was now laughing and calm with the help of the tickles from her daddy. On the rickshaw, she asked her father, “Daddy, yesterday I heard the 5th class girls cry about life in the corridor instead of studying. Humph, what cry-babies!”. The father burst out into laughter, responding with a question,” What do you thing life is sweetie?”. “Life is when Ms. Rose doesn’t give us homework and gives us ice-cream!”, she exclaimed in an innocent voice.” But what is life daddy?”, she repeated herself, her innocent and childlike mind wanting to know everything and being restless. Her father, now in a graver voice, replied,” Look at those puppies running frantically behind their mother with utmost love and hope that she will feed them. She does feed them, but without herself eating, knowing that her children come first, even more than her life. That’s life. It is the cruelest thing in the world, but when accompanied with a certain something it makes your life meaningful.’ “Ice cream?”, she answered the question diligently. “Haha-ha! No, my precious darling! Its love!”, he told her. “And remember, no matter what life gives you, remember that love always makes it what it is, and you get to decide what’s life and what’s love”. “Then I love love so much!”, she proclaimed to everyone. She continued to lick her lollipop joyously, unbeknownst to her what life was going to make her do. TTRRRRRRIINNNGGGG! The loud ringing of the doorbell startled her, causing her to cut her own finger a little on the skin. She grimaced in pain as she ran to answer the door. “Hey, sweetheart! Today was so stressful and boring! Could I get a cup of water please? And why is rice lying on the floor? Has Ritesh done this? How can he so irresponsible? Why have you not controlled him yet?”, came in the questions as Arun stormed inside the house from work. “I’ll take care of it, I’m sorry, had a lot of work today.”, she replied trying to stop the bleeding simultaneously. “Did you just cut yourself? How can you be so careless, huh? Sometimes I feel like life is so cruel, always doing this to me!”, Arun castigated her. All she could do was give back a fake smile as Arun brought the bandages. She felt a little comfort even though the wound was stinging a lot. “Let me go buy today’s dinner from outside, you take some rest.”, Arun convinced her. As soon as Arun was gone, she was back to cleaning the dishes, wiping an invisible tear off her eye. Damn you, dad! Why did you have to leave me so early? If it wasn’t for that rickshaw accident that

day, you would have been still here, with me, not lying in a hospital bed for 20 long years, she cursed under her breath. She turned off the tap, wound still stinging, and proceeded to clean the mess on the floor. She knew her life wouldn’t be same after that accident, the sounds of the crash still ringing in her ear, even after 20 long years. She had dreamt to be an IAS officer, make a difference to her nation, but that obstacle set her back at least by a lifetime. Her mother, influenced by relatives and peer pressure, got her married off to Arun Apparkumari, a GM at an MNC. He is a good man, but sometimes doesn’t feel the way that she feels. And, 2 children later, here she is, a grown independent woman by society, but a shattered yet dreaming little girl by heart. She did what she only could do about her miserable life, weep, sometimes for long times alone, as she kept on her apparent duty of daily chores. Just a few footsteps away, a door closed, listening to the unheard sorrows. The next day early morning, she boarded the bus to meet her in-laws, for whom she was the only caretaker. As she took a seat near the window, a wave of fresh air flew through her face. This was the only part she liked about the bus ride. She could see the everchanging world in its glow, nature and man working together to create a sustainable and luxurious life. Cars swept past the bus, metros riding over, people in a hurry to do something important, most importantly women rushing to work, trying to bring about a change in the society. Her thoughts were interrupted by a girl, dressed up fashionista style, on a motorbike and smoking a cigarette speeding through the roads, hurling obscenities at other drivers. That brought back a fond memory from her twenties. It was nostalgic time again. ‘Hey Sathya! Come fast! If Mom finds out about this, they’ll throw me out of the house for sure!”, she shouted in excitement as her friend Sathya came running towards her. “Its fine da! Anyways it’s our last day meeting. Who knows what will happen after you get married and sent off? Start cleaning vessels now itself! You will have practice!”, she laughed hysterically looking at a sulking face. “Come on fast! We have no time to lose!”, she shouted as they both started on a rental bike. As the wind rushed through her face, and her skin feeling the true touch of mother nature, she rode the bike as far as the road took her. It was the happiest she had been in a while. Since her father’s accident, her whole house was in chaos as her gullible mother ignored her pleas and, with the advice of the so-called relatives, fixed her marriage. The only way to spend all her pent-up anger was today. She wouldn’t do anything to miss today’s thrill. That day lived up to its name. Playing with Sathya on the beach, teasing and laughing about the men following them, fun with the waves and finally icecream on the rocks witnessing the grandest and splendor sunset. “What is life da?”, she asked her friend, repeating the question for as long as she had known Sathya relishing her ice-cream. “According to me, it would be travelling the world with my love and enjoy doing what I do. What about you? What’s your thoughts?”, Sathya replied relishing her ice-cream too, not knowing the ripples it caused. She began to wonder about her life after marriage. She was in a deep abyss now, with no way out or no one to help her. When will I get this feeling again? What will happen to me? What about my dreams? “Hello, snap out of it! You’ve gone and dropped the ice cream, now you’ve made me go crazy!”, Sathya said sarcastically. But she ignored that and asked her, “But why only roaming around the world? Why not follow your dreams and pursue your passions? Isn’t that supposed to make you happy? Sathya with a calm mind answered her question,” My dear friend. You have confused yourself with life. Life is not always cruel. When I meant the world trip, I was not going to obviously enjoy the trip. It was the person I love that I’m going to enjoy with. That’s what makes

us all happy. Life doesn’t give us obstacles; it gives us the stairs. Now whether you run on it or trod is your choice.” That sentence was stuck in my mind for a long time. “Madam! Please wake up, the stop has arrived”, said the bus conductor carrying out his duty. Back to the stairs once again, she thought as she got off the bus. Back at home, Arun was waiting. To make a difference. She reached home early. In spite of all the things that she did for her in-laws, they never quite respected her and treated her the way she should. But, she did it for her satisfaction, the way her father told her. Anyways she got to eat some ice-cream on her own! As she opened the door, out came a deafening yell. “SURPRISE!!!!”, screamed Arun, Nirav and Ritesh at the top of their voices. “Happy life celebration day, you idiot!”, Arun screamed sarcastically. “What took you so long? Do you know how much time Nirav spent baking that cake? Even with his girlfriend he doesn’t talk this much time with!”, he joked. “DAAAAAD! IM JUST 11!”, Nirav screamed blushing, a pink color slowly rising on his cheeks. “What’s all this going on?”, she asked with genuine astonishment. “I’ll tell you later, but first have this ice-cream cake. And that too your favorite! Pan masala flavor!”, Arun exclaimed. “Papa, I was busy writing the card. That’s why I gave him the wrong flavor. Don tease me!”, Ritesh shouted feeling guilty. And then, that day, she had a blast. Singing songs, going through old photos, charades with the family and a surprise visit from mom. It was the happiest she had been in days. She wiped out the pains of the last few weeks and embraced the day with full hands. “So now that the kids have gone to sleep, tell what does this life celebration day means, Mr. Party planner?” she asked Arun as they sat near the balcony. “Before I say that, I want to say thanks!”, he replied. “For what?”. “For everything. For the days you had to go to raise those 2 kids to keeping up with my atrocities and my mood swings, taking care of the relatives, and for facing everything that life gave you. It’s going to change from now”, he replied staring at the night sky. “I still don’t get it. What are you trying to thank me for now? It’s not even my birthday!”, she replied still in shock. “It’s even more special! Its Mother’s Day. See, when life doesn’t exactly give what you want, it is up to us to make sure that we squeeze the best out of it. And mothers always do it. They have to. And they always. It’s hard, people won’t get the pain, the losses and the challenges that come with it. But what they also miss is the small tiny happy moments that comes along with it”, he replied calmly to her. And that’s when it hit her. It hit her hard. What her father said. What Sathya meant. What she was missing most of her life. Life is not the true pleasure. It is love. Her love towards her family. Her love that keeps her going every single day, making her strive to just see the smile on her children’s face, to always love her husband no matter what. Its love that makes us feel alive, not life. “Nirav heard you weeping that day. And I almost felt the pain when he said it to me. So, as a family we are going to give you the greatest gift we can think of. Or at least to us accordingly. I can’t afford a necklace or something….”. “Just say it Arun”, she laughed. “Our love and support. From now no matter what you do, when you do or how you do it, its going to be your way. Let it be opening a restaurant or trying for a job or even being lazy like me, no matter what the society or any bloody person says, we will support you. Its your life, you apply the love to it, it will reward you back. That is what today’s life celebration day was. From now, you are not just a hardworking woman. For the society, you are the mother”, he said her, meaning each and every word from his heart. And that day she made a decision. It is going to be love that will lead her, not life. That day she understood what the world tried to express to her in different ways. That day, she

understood love. That day, she became her. With all the love from the multiverse, Ragav

[colbybrocksmolder]

Arizona – Colby Brock x Reader PART 1/3

“Y/n!” Mike yelled into the car’s speaker. His phone was connected via Bluetooth.

“Hey, hey, hey, little brother. You guys actually make it out of LA before noon?” you asked, putting your phone on speaker. You were currently putting away all of the groceries you had purchased for Mike and his friends.

“We’re actually pulling into phoenix right now.” He answered, the rest of the boys in the car cheering. “With traffic, we’re right under an hour away.”

“Wow, and everyone sounds awake.” You laughed. “Are you guys coming straight here or are you going out? If you want, I can have some bomb ass Mexican food waiting for you.”

“Don’t make me drool in the rental.” Aryia said.

“We’ll head straight there.” Mike answered. “Just make sure to make some super white boy shit for Colby. He can’t handle spice.”

“Hey! My momma taught me better than that.” Colby reached forward to smack Mike. “I’ll eat whatever you want to cook for us.” He assured you.

“Oooo the new kid sounds like he has some country manners.” You laughed. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t make all of it spicy.”

“Thank you.” Colby said, Aryia poking and teasing him for his blushy cheeks.

“We’ll see you soon.” Mike said, hanging up the phone.

A few years ago, you’d bought a huge house just outside the city and for the most part, you lived alone. More often than not, someone was crashing at your house, though. It’s how you liked it. Whether it was your friends, family, or your family’s friends…you liked having a place for the people you cared about to escape to. Mike made this trip a few times a year. Sometimes he’d come alone and sometimes he brought a few friends. The last few times he had dragged Kevin and Aryia along, but for the first time in a while he was bringing a new friend.

You heard the car horn in the driveway when Mike and his friends pulled up. You pulled the plates out and got everything set up for them to eat. When the door opened you ran to hug your little brother. “Put me down!” you laughed, Mike letting your feet dangle for a few more seconds.

“I don’t wanna. I missed you.” Mike pouted.

“It smells like heaven in here.” Kevin said, pulling you in for a hug when Mike finally let you go.

“Foods ready.” You said, moving to hug Aryia. “There’s even beer in the fridge.”

“You always spoil us.” Aryia said.

“And you must be Colby.” You said, moving to pull him into a hug.

“I am. It’s very nice to meet you.” Colby said, hugging you back. “And it does smell delicious in here.”

“Same to you! And thanks. Living out here, you get spoiled with good Mexican food.” You laughed, leading the boys back to the kitchen.

“I’m from Kansas.” Colby laughed. “I don’t even know what to look for in authentic Mexican food.”

“So you ARE a country boy.” You said, grabbing Coronas for everyone while they made their plates.

“Guilty as charged.” He chuckled.

“Mike, don’t put that on his plate.” You scolded him. He had put spicy serrano sauce on Colby’s food. “The last time YOU ate that, you cried and jumped in the pool.”

“Oh shit, I forgot about that.” Kevin busted out laughing. “I think I actually have that recorded on my old phone.”

You grabbed Colby’s plate and set it down on the counter, making him a new one with food you knew he’d enjoy. Colby laughed. “I need to see that video.”

“Here.” You handed him the new plate. “Nothing on there should be THAT spicy.”

“Thank you.” He smiled at you, grabbing a beer and heading to the living room where everyone else was sat eating.

After getting everyone settled in their rooms, the guys decided to go out and hit a few clubs. They spent the next two days doing pretty much the same thing. Hanging out at the house, drinking, relaxing, hitting up some clubs and bringing whoever they met back with them. On the third night they showed back up at the house at around 1 am. There were a handful of girls and a few of Mike’s local friends with them. Like usual, you were giving them their space. The boys had tried to drag you into their parties in the past, but you rarely joined them. You had another building in your back yard that you’d turned into an art space. You had all sorts of supplies. You could make jewelry. You could paint or draw. There was even a computer set up. Just your little escape.

You’d left the door and the windows open, letting the night’s breeze blow through. “Whoa” you heard from behind you.

“Hey!” you greeted Colby, turning back to work on the necklace you were making for Mike.

“This place is rad.” He said, walking around and looking at all of the obscure finished pieces and supplies. He had a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.

“I’m glad you like it.” You laughed. “Why aren’t you in there relaxing on your vacation?” you asked, tying the final knot in the necklace.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” He stumbled towards the door.

“Colby.” You called, smiling over at the tipsy boy. “You aren’t a bother. Come sit.”

He hesitated at the door for a second. “You sure?”

“You’ll learn pretty quickly that I say what I mean.” You stood to hang the newly finished necklace up on a peg and sat back down. “Give me some of that.” You pointed towards the bottle.

Colby nodded, sitting down on the bench next to you and handing you the bottle. “Whiskey?”

“It’s my favorite.” You smiled, taking a decent swig from the bottle and handing it back. “Now are you going to answer my question?”

Colby just sighed.

“Here.” You started sorting through crystal pendants in a small box. “What is your favorite color?”

“hmmm.” Colby took another drink from the bottle. “Blue. And black.”

You grabbed a grey quartz pendant and strung it on a black suede cord. “This blue or this blue?” you asked, grabbing another container of stone beads.

“This kind.” He picked a light smoky blue.

“Perfect.” You said, starting to construct him a necklace of his own. “Now talk. What’s on your mind, country boy.”

He watched you work for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts. “I’m just different.” He sighed. “Mike is hands down one of the best friends I’ve made in LA, but all of them…they just.” He couldn’t find the right word.

“They cope differently than you?” you offered, looking into his soft blue eyes.

“That’s a good way of putting it.” He nodded, setting the bottle down.

You took another swig of whiskey, picking a few black beads to accent the stone ones he had chosen. “I’ve heard you’re quite the party boy yourself, though.”

“Can be.” He nodded, agreeing. “Sometimes it’s better than being alone. Sometimes it’s worse.”

“I feel that.” You agreed.

“They all came down here to hook up with girls and get blackout drunk.” Colby said, looking through a little box of things you had recently made.

“I saw you with that redhead last night. You seemed pretty interested in hooking up with girls and getting blackout drunk too.” You teased.

Colby blushed. “I uh…I didn’t sleep with her.”

“Colby, I wasn’t judging you.” You nudged him with your shoulder. “I was just teasing you.”

“She kind of invited herself to come back with us.” He said, turning to watch you work on his necklace.

“Well, we’re right next to a college town. There’s some wild kids living around here.” You held up two different beads to have him pick.

“I like those ones.” He pointed towards little black stones. “Don’t get me wrong, I do plenty of ‘socializing’” he laughed, using air quotes. “I just usually vibe with the person I’m taking to my bed. I haven’t really felt that with anyone in a while.”

“Well, I live alone for a reason.” You said. “I like people, I like company…Hell you guys are welcome here literally any time you want to come…but I feel you. I haven’t found anyone worth keeping around in a long time.”

“Mike said I’m jaded.” Colby laughed, taking another swig from the bottle.

“Mike just wants to cheer you up.” You smiled over at him. “He doesn’t like when people aren’t having as much fun as he is.”

“That’s true.” He nodded. “Your brother is a good dude. I’m glad he’s finally getting recognition with his music and stuff. He totally deserves it.”

“Well from what I hear, a big reason that is happening is you.” You said.

“Nah, it’s all him.” Colby shook his head.

“That’s not what he thinks.” You argued. “So, if you didn’t come down to the desert to party, what did you want to do down here?”

“Get the fuck out of LA.” He laughed. “A lot of amazing shit has happened for my friend Sam and I, but so many little shitty things have been just picking away at me.”

“Like?” you encouraged him to continue.

He sighed. “Everyone in LA wants to be your ‘friend’” he used the air quotes again, reaching for the bottle of Jack. “But the problem with that is you end up having more acquaintances than friends and if you let one of them in you take the risk of them completely fucking you over.”

“I could see that.” You agreed.

“Some people that I would have just sworn on anything that they’d be good people proved me wrong in the worst possible ways.” He sat, watching you work on the necklace. “Like, I had a friend…” he laughed, shaking his head and taking a swig from the bottle. “I shouldn’t use the word friend. I had someone spend two whole years telling me they appreciated me and that I was one of the only people in LA not to fuck them over…and the second they got a girlfriend they just switched. They started telling people things that I had told them in confidence. Shit that he knew I didn’t trust anyone with. His girl went and started talking shit about our whole friend group. Causing drama and treating fans poorly. And because we have a lot of the same fans, I can’t just call him out, you know? I can’t make a rant video telling people what a backstabber he is because then I look like the shitty person. I don’t even WANT to be the kind of person that throws him under the bus, I just wish he didn’t end up being a dick.” Colby sighed, letting his head fall back. “I just…I rarely get what I give. And it gets fucking old.”

“I can see why you and my brother get along so well.” You said, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig. “We’ve both been there. I think it’s just a little stickier for you because you have so many people watching you. If I want to tell someone to fuck off, I don’t have to worry that it’s going to be recorded or turned into a drama series on someone else’s channel.” You laughed. “And that isn’t really fair.”

“I don’t want to give up on people. It takes a lot for me to cut people out.” Colby said, leaning his head on your shoulder. “My mom keeps telling me not to entertain fools. I wish it was that simple.”

“I can already tell I’d love your mom.” You laughed. “First, that’s great advice and second, she’s raised a great son.” You messed up his hair with one of your hands. “But I agree. Nothing is ever that black and white.”

“Holy shit.” He said, lifting his head and looking down at his finished necklace. “That’s amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it.” You laughed. “Here” you slipped it over his head.

“Wait, this is mine?” he asked, turning the crystal in his hands.

“Duh.” You said, adjusting the length to fit him better. “I think it suits you.”

“Dude, how much do I owe you?” he asked, still in awe that you had just thrown it together.

“You don’t owe me anything.” You said. “Just try to get out of your head and have fun while you’re down here.”

He looked over at you with a soft expression. “Thank you.” He leaned in and gently kissed your cheek.

“No problem.” You smiled. “Let’s go inside.”

“You’re finally going to join the frat boy shenanigans happening in your house?” he gave you a smirk.

“That depends. How’s your beer pong game?” you laughed.

“I already spanked your brother and Aryia like 4 times.” He bragged, grabbing the bottle and standing up.

“Then I vote we aim for a 5th. Maybe even a 6th.” You stood, turning off the studio lights and heading inside.

“Y/N!” Aryia cheered, stumbling into Mike.

“You guys really aimed for ‘white girl wasted’ this trip, didn’t you?” you laughed, reaching for a Corona and sitting on the counter next to Aryia.

Mike walked up to Colby. “I wondered where you disappeared to.” He said, playing with the necklace that hung against Colby’s chest.

Colby blushed. “Is that a problem?” he shyly asked.

Mike shook his head. “I’m keeping an eye on you, though.” He laughed, walking back over to Kevin and a group of girls.

Aryia was telling you some wild story about a girl that tried to get naked in their Uber earlier when you turned and saw a girl hanging all over Colby. When she went to touch his necklace, he snatched it into his hand first. “I’ll be back.” He said to her, hurrying away and walking towards you and Aryia.

“You looked scared of that tiny drunk college girl.” You laughed, watching him take another swig of Jack and hop up on the counter next to you.

“She said she always wanted to sleep with a youtuber and then asked to wear this.” He adjusted the pendant to lay back against his chest.

“Oooo, big party fail. She’s probably too drunk to realize how trashy that sounded.” You laughed.

“Nope.” Aryia laughed. “She said the same thing to Kevin earlier and she was completely sober.”

The three of you started laughing, beer dribbling out your nose as you had just taken a drink. You started fanning your face, laughing even harder. “Paper towel!” you yelled.

Colby reached behind him grabbing the roll. “Here.” He laughed, ripping a few paper towels off and handing them to you.

“Thanks.” You tried to clean the beer out of your nose and off of your face.

“Mike!” Colby yelled. “Wanna see if your sister and I can beat you and Aryia at beer pong?” he asked, lifting his hands to challenge them.

“No fair! She hasn’t been drinking!” Mike whined.

“She’s had about half of this.” He said, raising the bottle of Jack.

“Wooooow, you trying to get my sister drunk?” Mike teased him, shooting him a fake glare.

You grabbed it out of Colby’s hand and took another swig. “You afraid, baby brother?” you asked, hopping off the counter and handing the bottle back to him.

“You kick my ass every time.” Mike laughed, moving to set up another game of beer pong.

Watching Colby relax and laugh while you absolutely destroyed the other two boys in beer pong made you happy you decided to join the party. “That’s three games in a row.” You teased them, turning to high-five Colby.

He threw his arm around your shoulders, giving Mike and Aryia a smug look. “You guys want to go another round?”

One of the girls that had been watching rolled their eyes. “You should let someone else play.”

“Grab a partner.” You said. “I bet you guys will beat them too.”

“I want to be on Colby’s team!” she quickly replied, trying to squeeze between you two.

“Nah, I’ve already got my partner.” He said, pulling you back from the table with him.

She rolled her eyes again. “I don’t know why you’re hanging all over THAT bitch.” She said under her breath.

“What?” Colby asked, knowing exactly what she had said.

“Colby!” Mike called, shaking his head no. Mike knew you could handle yourself.

“But she just…” he started, stopping when he felt you step away from him.

“Sweetie, listen here.” You said, staring the girl in the eyes with a smile on your face. “First, women being shitty to other women because they’re jealous of them is ugly. It’s not a good look. And honestly, it just lets the skeezy men that find it attractive off easy because they get to pick which disparate girl they want so they can hit it and quit it. You deserve better than the attention you’re attracting.” The girl’s face had gone ghost white. “SECOND, this is my fucking house. Everyone gets two chances. You just lost one. I suggest you grab a beer, find a friend, and have a good time because if your intentions were anything other than having a good time, I can order you an Uber.”

She had dropped her head and was staring at her feet. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

“Thank you.” You replied. “Now would you like to help me kick my brother’s ass in beer pong?”

Her eyes shot up to yours. “Really?” she asked with a skeptical look on her face. “You aren’t mad?”

“Oh, honey. You really are new around here.” You laughed, handing her a ping pong ball.

When you had spanked Mike and Aryia in beer pong for the 4th time, you left the girl and Kevin to play the next round. You walked back into the kitchen to grab a cold Corona from the fridge. “That was impressive” you heard behind you.

Colby had hopped back up on the counter, bottle of Jack still in his hand. “Making that sorority girl nearly piss herself or single handedly winning that round of beer pong?” you laughed.

“Well, both.” He chuckled, dropping down to stand in front of you. “But mostly the part where you turned that girl’s night around.” He pointed over at her. She was laughing, trying to chug the cup of beer Mike had just landed a ping pong ball in. Kevin was cheering her on. “She’s been a bitch all night and now look at her.”

You shrugged, taking a sip of the beer you had just opened. “I have my ways.”

“I saw that.” He moved a bit closer to you. “I really want to kiss you.” He said, smiling down at you.

“Yeah?” you asked.

“Yeah.” He stood there, refusing to make the first move.

“Well, you’ve got some choices to make, Kansas. Some things to consider.” You put on a pondering expression. “I live about 5 hours away from you, I’m quite a bit older than you, I’m stubborn, and my brother is currently staring at us.”

Colby tilted his head back and forth like he was considering everything you had said. “Yeah, it’s worth it.” He said, catching you off guard by smashing his lips against yours.

“Cooooooolllllbyyyyyyyyyyyy” Mike growled, trying to squeeze through the crowd that was watching them play beer pong.

“I’d run.” You laughed, pushing him away from you.

“SHIT!” He yelled, running around the kitchen island trying to dodge Mike.

“I told you I’d be watching you.” Mike said, not actually angry. This was more the ‘I’m a protective brother and I’ll beat anyone’s ass who messes with my sister’ formality.

“I know. And I’m probably going to get my ass kicked.” Colby squealed, running into the dining room when Mike lunged over the island. “But it was worth it.”

They were stood on either side of the table. “You sure about that?” Mike asked, moving to run around the table.

“YES!” Colby yelled, running out the back door of the house and around the pool, kicking his shoes off and chucking his phone in the grass knowing he’d eventually end up in the water.

You were laughing your ass off the whole time, Aryia and Kevin following them with you. “Why is Mike chasing Colby?” Aryia asked, not having witnessed it like Mike and Kevin.

“Colby kissed me.” You laughed, watching Mike tackle Colby into the pool.

“WHAT?!” Aryia practically shrieked.

“Mike said you two would hit it off.” Kevin laughed, taking another drink of whatever was in his cup.

“Really?” you gave him a weird look.

“Yup. He told me that before he even invited Colby.” He nodded at you.

“Don’t drown the boy!” you called out, seeing Mike pull Colby back under the water.

“Save me!” Colby laughed, reaching out for you.

Aryia took this opportunity to push you into the pool with the two boys. “Oh, you’re dead when I get out.” You threatened when you surfaced. “Mike!” you yelled, laughing.

Colby swam to hide behind you, his arms circling your waist. Mike was looking back and forth, staring at the both of you. “I don’t know if I like this.”

“Mike.” You laughed, swimming to hug your brother. “There’s not even a ‘this’ not to like.”

“He kissed you!” Mike chuckled.

“And? You’ve banged like 6 girls in my spare bedroom this year alone.” You laughed, kissing his cheek and swimming back to Colby.

“I’ll still kick your ass if you do anything stupid.” Mike pointed at Colby.

“Dude, your sister is way scarier than you are.” He laughed.

“Hey!” you smacked him.

“You may have chosen to be nice to that girl earlier, but you looked like you could have destroyed her.” He laughed, pulling you against him.

“My jeans are making it hard to swim.” You laughed, reaching for the edge of the pool to pull yourself out.

“Don’t leave me!” Colby pulled you back to him. “Oh, shit! I got this wet!” he said, pulling his necklace off.

“It’s fine.” You laughed, grabbing it from him. “It won’t ruin it. Kevin!” you called, handing the necklace to him when he walked to the pool’s edge. “Can you sit this on the table in there.” You pointed towards your art studio. You realized quite a few people had joined you in the pool. “I should go change into my suit.”

“Nah.” Colby smirked, his hands moving to unbutton your jeans.

“Wow, what happened to your country manners.” You laughed, batting his hands away and slipping your sopping wet jeans off.

“Jack Daniels happened.” He laughed, pulling his own shirt off and throwing it on the ground outside the pool.

“I’ll have to thank Mr. Daniels one of these days.” You quipped, pulling your own shirt off to join Colby’s.

Colby pulled you into a much softer kiss than your first one. “Do you come up to LA much?” he asked, as your hands were unbuttoning his own jeans.

“On occasion.” You smiled against his lips. “You’re gonna sink if you don’t ditch the denim.”

“I’m sure.” Colby said sarcastically. “That’s totally why I should take my pants off. It doesn’t have anything to do with you wanting to get me naked. Not at all.”

“What if it does?” you asked with a straight face, seeing Colby glance over at Mike while he stripped out of his black skinny jeans.

“I’d ask you if there was a lock on your bedroom door because I’m pretty sure Mike is going to try to suffocate me in my sleep.” Colby answered, looking back at you with wide eyes.

“He won’t.” you laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “And yes, there’s a lock on my door.”

“Mike said he’s coming back down here for a family thing in like a month.” Colby said, trying not to look directly into your eyes.

“You should definitely tag along.” You said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Yeah?” he asked, a bit breathless.

“definitely.” You smiled into the kiss.

When the boys were all packed up and getting ready to head back to California, you made sure to pack them a bag of snacks and force a few water bottles into their hands. “Drive safe, please?” you asked, Mike picking you up and spinning you around in another hug.

“We always do.” He answered, kissing your forehead. He looked over at the group of boys standing by the SUV. “You know, I really hope that works out.”

“What works out?” you asked.

“You and Colby.” He smiled. “I had a hunch you two would be good together.”

“Well, thank you for introducing us, then.” You laughed. “And yeah. I hope it works out too.”

“COLBY!” Mike called. “Don’t leave a girl hangin’.”

You shoved him, waiting for Colby to come say bye. “Don’t look so sad, Kansas.” You said, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“But I am sad.” He sighed, resting his forehead against yours.

“You can visit anytime you want.” You said, kissing him. “And I’ll come visit you guys before your next trip down, so it’s only going to be like two weeks before I see you again.”

“Really?!” he said, pulling you into a slightly rougher kiss. “Thank God.”

“Aww, it’s like you’re gonna miss me or something.” You teased, grabbing his hand and walking with him towards the other boys. “Between this one thinking my boring ass is cute” you said lifting your joined hands, “and Aryia barely coming up for air with that Charlotte girl all week…I think you guys are going to have to come down here a bit more often.”

“I agree.” Mike said, tossing the keys in the air and catching them. “Alright. We’ve have to head out.” He said, walking towards the driver side door.

“It’s always good to see you.” Kevin pulled you into a hug.

“You too.” You smiled, kissing his cheek.

“Charlotte lives in a dorm, so I may be crashing on your couch a lot.” Aryia laughed, pulling you into a hug.

“You don’t have to sleep on the couch, dork. There’s like 4 bedrooms you can claim.” You laughed, kissing his cheek as well.

“I’ll call you when we get there safe. Mike said he always forgets to.” Colby said, leaning down to kiss you one last time.

“Thanks.” You smiled up at him, fiddling with the necklace that was back around his neck. “I’ll see you soon, Kansas.” You said, turning to walk towards your front door.

PART 2

[haloud]

take a chance and don’t ever look back

ao3

Alex Manes is going to prom with Martin Ness.

The news spreads like a wildfire, the way only a rumor in a high school can. It hits the hallways first, where Alex cocks his hip and touches up his eyeliner in his locker mirror; it spreads through shouts and giggles in the cafeteria and the quad and the locker rooms and even trickles down to the  field where all the other Manes men had held court in their time.

Under the stairwell, squashed between a bank of lockers and a support beam, Michael bounces his knee and chews his thumbnail to the quick.

It was a stupid idea. It was always a—it’s not like they know each other, after all, not really, just kind of-sort of through Max by way of Liz and by way of this town isn’t big enough for everyone forced to spend most of their waking hours in proximity not to know each other. And they had biology together last year.

He made the old dubiously safe safety goggles look cute. How is that even possible?

But it’s not like they know each other. What was he going to do, just walk up and ask him and expect him to say yes? He’s an alien, but he’s not completely out of touch with fuckin’ reality. Michael might be able to afford tickets to the dance, but a tux? Out of the question. Even rentals don’t come cheap. Isobel would be all to happy to help him figure something out, but then she’d want to know why, and—

And that’s another thing. Alex is out, and Michael is—Michael doesn’t know what he is. He just knows that one day their fingers brushed on the pages of a textbook, and every single atom of his being sat up and took notice. Light flooded his soul, and his only thought was…oh. There you are.

He’s been trying to figure out what that moment meant and how to make it happen again ever since. He’d thought prom might be a good way…everyone goes, after all, everyone’s expected to have a date. For all that Isobel scoffs and says “only total wannabes go to junior prom. I mean, come on,” she’s had her dress picked out for two months. So prom could have been a good way to jump in with both feet. A way to spend some time together. He’d just needed some time to work out the logistics, to plan, and to work up his courage because every time he thinks about dancing with Alex Manes he feels like bursting into flames.

Turns out he waited a little too long.

It’s okay, though. It’ll be okay. Michael tips his head back to rest against the cold white cinder brick. Lunch is almost over, but he hasn’t been hungry all morning anyway. And if he crawled out of his hiding place and ran into Alex, he might say something stupid or burst into tears and then he’d have to go and die because Alex would never look at him again.

Michael isn’t Max, with his dorky charm and love of words and his brain-library full of swoon-worthy quotes. All Michael’s got is himself, and a lot of thoughts about the stars and how they move, and a truck old man Sanders says he can have if he can get it running again.

Alex makes music. Michael’s gotta find a way to be worthy of that.

Ness is in the orchestra too. That’s probably how they met.

Michael’s—Michael’s not going to think about that. Michael’s gonna get to pre-calc before the bell rings. Pity party over.

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

Isobel kidnaps her brothers to the dance. She’s got a date with a cute guy in her wood shop class, and she’s got to get ready, but she still wakes Max up with a tie and a ticket and meets Michael at the bus stop the same way. No is never a good enough answer for Hurricane Isobel, so Michael spends an hour poking at his unruly curls and trying not to panic.

It’ll be okay. He’ll dance with his sister and anyone who’s there alone. It’ll make Isobel happy, it’ll get him out of the house for a night, and hey, it might even be fun. If he sees Alex and Ness together, he’ll. He’ll deal. He won’t let his disappointment get in the way of someone else’s good time. It’ll even be nice to see Alex having a good time. At school he’s always hard-edged and sharp and Michael likes it, he does, he likes the wit and the pride and the strength. But Alex has a really nice mouth, and it’s even nicer when he smiles.

Michael takes a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks and releasing it on a huge sigh. The suit Isobel got him doesn’t really fit right, but it’s not hideous. His hair is the same as always. One curl refuses to lie flat and bounces rebelliously right over his left eye. But it’s not like there’s anyone he’s trying to impress tonight.

The current fosters barely ever comment on Michael’s existence, and they don’t break pattern to notice he’s dressed up as he slips downstairs and out the door. Isobel’s car idles across the street, and Michael jogs over and climbs into the backseat.

“I thought it’d just be Max. What happened to wood shop guy?” He asks, clinging on to the front seats to steady himself as she hits the gas.

“Turns out wood shop guy pre-agreed that they’d both go to Kate Long’s afterparty,” Max replies, wiggling his eyebrows at Michael as if to say the audacity of some people.

Isobel hunches her shoulders, and she does even that elegantly. Clenching her hands on the steering wheel, she snaps, “I told him weeks ago that I didn’t want to go to that bitch’s party. Everyone’s just going to get high, and her shithead brother will 100% be there. No thank you. Boys are stupid. That’s why I have you two.”

Michael laughs at that, and he and his brother chorus, “We love you too, Iz.”

Clearly an attempt was made to transform the gymnasium, but it only achieved mixed results. The walls are hung with fabric and colored lights; the effect is a little dreamy, but it’s not enough to overcome the sound of dress shoes on a linoleum gym floor. Isobel disperses immediately into a cluster of girls on the dance floor; Max hovers a little longer before patting Michael on the shoulder and disappearing as well. Liz Ortecho isn’t here tonight, so he’s probably going to find a quiet corner to compose some poetry in or something.

While Max may be ridiculous, quiet doesn’t sound so bad. They’ve only been here fifteen minutes and already the pulsingly loud music is rattling his nerves. He’s not the biggest fan of loud noise or crowds, and this venue proudly boasts both. The corners of the gym are dark, so he risks using a bit of his ability to boost himself up on top of the folded bleachers where he can survey the rest of the room. He’ll dance a little later, maybe, after he’s acclimated.

He’s just gotten settled when he finally lays eyes on him.

Michael can’t tell if Alex has just arrived or if he’s always been here, standing alone and looking beautiful and maybe looking for a dance partner too. Michael doesn’t know where Ness went, but he’s nowhere to be seen and that means Michael has a chance.

Okay. Okay. He missed one chance to be brave and make this happen. If he embarrasses himself, or, or Alex touches him and he doesn’t feel that frisson of rightness melting into every pore, no matter what happens, it’s not like they know each other. Tomorrow, they can pretend like none of this ever happened—or maybe this can be a start of something? Giddy on a hundred possibilities, Michael forgets how he got up to his perch, and also that he’s a telekinetic alien, and scrambles down the side of the bleachers like it’s a ladder. He misses the bottom step and goes stumbling.

Popping up and righting himself with a blush on his face, Michael shoulders his way through the crowd to where Alex was standing just a minute ago. No one’s there now; Michael spins on his heel to see if he can see Alex walking away. He spots spiky dark hair silhouetted against shifting green light and follows it, not caring how many feet he steps on as he goes. He loses sight of Alex again just past the refreshment table and, frustrated, he elbows his way off the dance floor.

There he is. Heart in his throat, Michael sees where Alex ended up. He’s seated, lounging on the dais at the foot of the DJ booth, eyes closed and head tipped back so Michael can see every inch of his graceful neck, dyed purple, then golden as the lights shift all around them.

Michael can’t do it. He can’t. Alex looks too peaceful, too perfect, over there surrounded by the music where he’s most at home and where Michael will have to shout to be heard as he stumbles over the words that will make Alex notice him.

Michael scrambles for the doors and for fresh air to calm his racing pulse.

Next year. He’ll be braver next year.

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

Later that night, Alex lays in bed with his arms behind his head and sighs, loud and dramatic and just a little bit laughing at himself. The dance was fine, but…is he too naïve for having hoped that some handsome guy would swoop in and sweep him off his feet? He didn’t even get one dance with Martin, who snuck off immediately to kiss his secret boyfriend behind the building. They’d only gone together to prove they could, as the only two guys out in their year, but still. Rude.

Funny thing is, Alex would swear he saw Michael Guerin a few times, watching him with this adorably nervous look on his face, his hair tumbling sweetly around his face. Alex wonders what that was all about and…maybe he should have gone up and asked. Maybe he missed out, just a little bit.

Guerin did look really cute, after all. And despite what everyone else seems to think, Alex knows that he can be weirdly shy, considering how much he went blushing and tongue tied when they were lab partners.

Alex rolls over onto his side, a slow grin spreading over his face.

Who cares about junior prom? Hey, maybe he’ll get his chance next year.

[wee-chlo]

Like, I know this isn’t realistic or a very popular idea, but I sort of low-key like the image of Eddie and Myra parting on amicable terms.

It doesn’t start off as an amicable marriage. They both default to bad habits, Myra especially but also Eddie for the brief period that his friends don’t realize what’s going on, and they offer him their full support. Myra clings and clings and undermines and wheedles and pushes every button she knows how to push and sometimes it almost works but it’s always over the phone, with Richie or Bev or Bill or Ben or Mike there to talk Eddie back up.

Until finally Myra convinces him to go to couples therapy with her and this Eddie can’t exactly disagree with. Like, on the one hand doing everything he can on paper to show that he did his best to repair the marriage will help him during divorce proceedings but also...

She was his wife for years. It wasn’t always like this. They were friends. They wanted to have kids together. 

The counseling session is probably more than that councilor ever thought they were gonna get but Eddie and Myra are both very forceful personalities and with a (admittedly off-guard) neutral third party, they’re able to maneuver into calm enough waters for an actual conversation.

Eddie admits that he thinks he’s gay. Like, 99.999% sure he’s gay. Not that he never loved Myra, he did, and he thinks he still does, but he can’t be he kind of husband she needs and he won’t be he kind of husband she wants. 

Myra admits that she knew their relationship was bad for a long time but didn’t want to say anything or do anything about it because Eddie was so nice and smart and funny and handsome and just.... who else would ever marry her? Who else would want her? Eddie admits that after years of his mother insisting no one would love him the way she did, he latched onto someone who reminded him of her because who else? No one else, apparently.

She’s got underlying mental health issues, her brain goes down rabbit holes and prior to Eddie’s trip to Derry all they did was feed off of each other’s anxiety. For Myra, it felt like someone was finally taking her worries seriously. For Eddie, it was reaffirming all the stuff his mother had ever said to him and pulling him back into a cycle of failing to take himself seriously.

They walk out of the session pretty sure they’re getting a divorce.

“I always hated your mother,” Myra says abruptly on the way back to the car. Eddie snorts. 

“Really? She loved you.”

“God, she was... Like, no disrespect to the dead obviously, but nothing was ever good enough for that woman. ‘Are you sure that’s healthy for my Eddie-weddie? He’s not like you; he’s so delicate, if he gained any weight it might affect his bones.’“

“Yeah, that sounds like her...” Eddie says quietly. It’s dusk now, in late autumn so it’s not that late but the sky is all reds and golds and oranges against a streak of dark blue, cloudy horizon. Probably a storm, but Eddie didn’t mind those much.

He looks at Myra and thinks that even if, as all of his friends have said again and again, she looks a deadringer for his mother that she’s still very pretty. Put together, hair done up and makeup expertly applied. Her clothes always suited her. His mother was always sallow, always looked ready to collapse but Myra never had. Even if she was overweight, she’d never struck Eddie as unhealthy.

“Jesus, can you imagine if we’d had kids?” Eddie whispers, and Myra chokes on a watery laugh. “They would have been so good-looking and so fucked.”

“Bubble children,” Myra agrees with a nod. “Just wrap ‘em up in bubble wrap and roll ‘em down to the bus stop.”

They laugh and that’s the only sound in the nearly-empty parking lot. It’s close enough to winter that there aren’t insects and the counselors’ office is tucked away from prying eyes, so there’s not even the gentle hum of cars on the road to break up the brown, dry, chill stillness.

“We’ll still be friends, right?” Eddie asks, because this is the Myra he married, the one who might have been a little fussy and anxious but still funny and smart and seemingly capable of anything. Myra stops, thinks about it, and Eddie honestly appreciates that. 

“I think so,” she says slowly. “But... maybe we take a break for a little bit.” Eddie nods fervently.

“Yeah, yeah, for sure.” They continue walking to Eddie’s car, a rental. Myra stares at it as Eddie fishes in his pockets for his keys.

“You can... Do you want me to send you your stuff or do you want to come pick it up or...” She shifts uncomfortably. “How are we doing this?”

“I can get it. You don’t have to go to the trouble,” Eddie assures her. She looks at him oddly for a moment.

“Your friends’ll help, huh?” She asks, without any of the bitterness or sarcasm that had saturated those sorts of questions early on in this battle of wills. Eddie nods without hesitation.

“Yeah, it’s no problem.” Myra nods once, twice, then stares at the back driver’s side wheel. Eddie expects to hear something about the tread and upcoming snow and a vivid description of his mangled body in a ditch, but instead he gets, “That guy with the glasses is pretty cute.”

“Richie?” Eddie asks, too stunned to laugh.

“That’s his name?” Myra glances up at him and then back down to the tire. “Yeah, Richie. He’s... he seems nice.”

“I’m not setting you up with Richie,” Eddie laughs, the idea making his heart and stomach do stupid, weird things. “Christ, you’d strangle each other before-”

“Oh my god, Edward, that is so not what I meant.” Myra says, flushing too much for the weather to explain. Eddie frowns.

“So... what?” Myra stares at him for a long moment before biting her lip and shaking her head.

“You’re hopeless, Eddie-bear,” she says, but fondly rather than patronizingly, cheerfully rather than sadly. “Give it a minute. You’ll figure it out.” She pats him on the scarred cheek and smiles. “The tough guy look is good on you, Ed. You should crack out the tattoos. They’ll go with the scar real nice.”

“You hate my tattoos,” Eddie retorts, utterly baffled. Myra laughs.

“Yeah, but still.” She shrugs. “I don’t think Richie will.”

[jeffxwittek]

Love At First Beer | Todd X Reader

A/N: This is my first Todd imagine and I hope you guys like it...idk what else to say besides let me know what you think!! Request: being friends w natalie and she introduces you to the vlog squad at coachella and you end up hooking up w todd -anonymous Summary: You meet Todd during Coachella weekend and the two of you hit it off. Warnings: drinking, sex (implied)

—————

You feel like you’ve been driving forever as you pull up to the house the rest of Natalie’s friends were staying at. You had known Natalie for a while, yet never had a chance to meet her friends. She thought Coachella weekend would be a perfect time for everyone to meet you. You reluctantly agreed and now you’re finding yourself nervously shaking while getting out of your car. You send Natalie a quick just parked text and make your way to the front door.

Before you have a chance to knock, Natalie swings the door open. “Y/N! You’re here!” She has a beer in hand, a sight you don’t usually see.

“Hey, Nat! Sorry I’m late. Work was a bitch with letting me leave early.” You step into the house and throw your bag into the corner.

“C’mon. Let me introduce you to everyone!” Natalie grabs your hand and drags you through the house to the backyard where people are jumping into the pool, running with water guns, and playing beer pong. Not the surrounding you usually see Natalie in. She’s always calm and reserved when you two are together.

She takes you over to the lawn where you see a shaggy haired boy in all black, camera in hand, filming two other guys chugging Coronas. “This is David, Todd, and Zane.”

“Hey. I’m Y/N.” You say as David turns around and points the camera in your face.

“Hi! Wanna join?” David asks enthusiastically.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Why not.” You grab a beer off the table next to you and pop it open stepping in front of the camera next to the two other boys.

“1, 2, 3, GO!” David yells as you all start chugging the beers as fast as possible.

You’re the first to finish and drop your bottle to the grass and look over to the others finishing up the last of their beers.

Zane looks at you with shocked eyes. “Woah! How’d you do that? I’m supposed to be the beer champ.”

“Beginners luck?” You shrug your shoulders as Todd flips his hair and makes eye contact with you for the first time. Maybe it was the fact you just chugged a beer on an empty stomach, spent God knows how long in the car, or it could be that you were just completely in awe of the beauty standing in front of you, but you suddenly became speechless as Todd smiles at you.

“Beginners luck looks good on you,” Todd says reaching his hand out to you. “I’m Todd.”

You reach to shake his hand and open your mouth, but no words come out. Natalie jumps behind you putting her hands on your shoulder. “She’s Y/N and she’s just a little shy.”

“DAVE! COME LOOK AT THIS!” You hear someone yell as the boys run off together.

You turn around to Natalie with flushed cheeks. “Oh. My. God. He’s beautiful.” You turn over your shoulder and see Todd leaning against David looking at his camera.

“Todd?” Natalie perks up with a smile. “I knew it!”

“Knew what?!”

“That you would like him!”

“Like him? I don’t know him!” You get slightly defensive. “I just think he’s attractive,” you say calmly.

Natalie rolls her eyes and loops her arm with yours. “Whatever. Let’s just get you another drink.” — A couple hours later a party bus pulls up in front of the house and David calls for everyone to get in. “COME ON GUYS! Jack said SeatGeek has a VIP tent and we need to go!” Camera in hand again, David films everyone climbing into the bus while you’re putting your shoes on and checking you have everything in your bag.

Natalie pops her head through the door. “You coming?”

You look up and give her a half smile. “Be right out.” You pick up your stuff and make your way to the bus and find yourself looking around for a place to sit. You see Natalie is already sitting with Joe and Jason.

“Y/N!” You look over to see Todd with his hand up. “Over here.”

You walk over to Todd and sit down next to him. “Hey.”

“You chugged that beer like a pro earlier by the way. I’ve never seen a girl take back a drink like that.” He says looking at you impressed.

“Thank you for the kudos. I guess going to a party school for college had its perks.” You open your bag. “Speaking of party schools,” you say pulling a flask out. “The one thing I learned from college was to never leave home without one of these.”

“Ah. My kind of girl. May I?” He says gestures towards the flask.

You hand it to him happily. “Go ahead.” You watch him take a sip and laugh when he gags.

“Okay. I did not peg you for a vodka girl at first sight,” he scoffs handing the flask back to you.

“You mean Natalie didn’t tell you I was full of surprises?” You joke putting the flask back in your bag.

“She mentioned looks, brains, and wit but seemed to have left that small detail,” he jokes.

You can’t help but blush over his comment and look over to Natalie who is smiling at the two of you connecting. You two talk for the rest of the the ride not realizing that you’ve pulled up to the venue.

You suddenly see a hand come and smack Todd against the head. “What the fuck, Scott?” Todd touches the side of his head. “I was having a conversation.”

“Let’s go liquor up,” Scott says walking off the bus.“I guess we’ll finish this later?” Todd asks.

“Sounds like a plan,” you smile at him getting off the bus to find Natalie and tell her about talking with Todd. “Girl. Why didn’t you tell me about him sooner? He’s amazing!”

“Todd? Amazing? Yea, he’s good looking. But amazing? Might be a stretch,” Natalie laughs.

“No, Nat. He’s smart and funny and he even laughed at my lame jokes that you don’t even laugh at. Like genuinely laughed at them.”

“Even you’re whale joke?”

“Yes. Even my whale joke.” You roll your eyes. “Let’s just go to the tent.” — Later in the tent you’re walking by yourself and see Todd talking with David, Jeff, and Jason. You stop and sit quietly at a nearby table and listen in on if he says anything about you while you pretend to be on your phone.

“Guys, really. She even has this little toy whale in her bag and has this bit where she pretends to to look for something and then pulls it out and says ‘whale, whale, what do we have here?’” He laughs at the thought of the bit you did earlier on the party bus.

Jeff hits him on the arm. “C’mon, dude. You’re saying all this over a toy whale?”

“Give it a rest, Jeff. Todd’s in loooooooove,” David mocks Todd.

“Oh shut up, losers. I’m not in love. She’s just kind of cool,” Todd says pushing his friends playfully.

You can’t help but blush to yourself as you listen in on their conversation.

Hours pass and you find yourself alone again sitting on a bench outside the tent hoping you magically find cell service. You see someone sit beside you and look up to see Todd holding two beers. “Two beers?” You question. “Someone is getting alcohol happy.”

He hands one to you. “Ones for you. Thought you could use a refreshment.”

“Thank you, Todd.” You grab the beer from his hand. “Cheers.”

“Cheers to what?”

“To—,” you think for a moment. “New friends.”

“To new friends,” Todd repeats as you clink bottles and start drinking. — Drinks later, you find yourself stumbling back into the rental house with your arms wrapped around Todd. You can’t remember seeing anyone perform at the festival, but you remember a lot of drinks and little food being put into your body. Todd walks you down the hall into his bedroom and lays you down on the bed.

“You wanna sleep in here tonight, Y/N?” He asks helping you take your shoes off.

You prop up leaning back on your arms and look at him through glossy alcohol eyes. “If you want me to.”

He sits down next to you on the bed and pushes some hair behind your ear. “I’d like that. We can talk more.”

It’s silent for a couple seconds before your drunken thoughts become vocal. “Kiss me.”

“What?” Todd looks taken aback by those words.

“Kiss me.” You sit up straighter. “We’ve been hanging out and talking all day. We wouldn’t have done that if there wasn’t some connection here.” You shrug your shoulders. “I may be drunk, but I’m not so drunk that I’m blind to what’s happening here. Even Natalie caught onto something on the bus earlier. If I’m wrong then tell me so I can leave and not waste my—”

Todd’s lips crash into yours mid-rant and you can taste the mixture of beer, tequila, and the vodka from your flask mix together in passionate kiss.

Todd pulls away and whispers, “Wanna know a secret?”

“Sure.”

“I wasn’t going to come this weekend, but Natalie told me that you were coming and showed me a picture. I knew I had to meet you.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to come.” You lean in to give Todd another kiss and he wraps his hands around your waist pulling you close to him.

“I’m glad I came too.” He kisses your neck and you let out a light sigh. “Oh, you like neck kisses?”

“I mean, I don’t hate them,” you joke.

“Then, what about this?” He starts kissing your jaw and makes his way down your neck to your collar bone.

You let out a laugh and pull away. “As much as I do enjoy that, I can’t. Natalie obviously wanted us to meet, but I don’t think she wants this to happen.”

“Look,” Todd sighs and let’s go of you. “Y/N. If you really don’t want to do this, that’s fine. But please don’t let Natalie be the person to stop you from doing something. Like you said, she wanted us to meet. She’s probably expecting this to happen.”

You roll your eyes knowing that Todd is right. “Fine. Let’s do this.” You pull your shirt off and look at Todd’s shocked face. “What? You wanted to do this.”

“I just—,” Todd rubs his eyes. “You’re beautiful, Y/N. From the moment I saw a picture I’ve thought so and now you’re here.”

“You’re right. I am here. So let’s get to know each other more.” You move to sit on his lap and start kissing him. He moves back on the bed and lays down pulling you on top of him. You tug his shirt off and he does the same with your skirt. Soon enough clothes are strewn around the room and you and Todd are laying in bed both staring at the ceiling.

“Wow,” is the only word that has come out of Todd’s mouth.

“Good wow or bad wow?” you turn your head to look at him.

“Great wow. An amazing wow,” he says looking at you.

You let out a laugh and crawl out of the bed to go check your phone to see if you have a text from Natalie.

Girl! We can all hear you!

You turn to look at Todd. “Well, I guess they know what we just did.”

Todd grabs the pillow from behind his head and holds it over his face. “Fuck. They’re gonna mock me for the rest of the weekend.”

You jump back onto the bed and pull the pillow away from Todd. “That’s okay. Natalie will mock me too.” You give Todd a kiss and grab his hand pulling him up. “Now let’s get out there and deal with the mockery together. Deal?”

Todd sighs and looks at you with bright eyes. “Fine. Deal.” He points a finger at you. “But if Natalie doesn’t make fun of you I’m coming back in here to hide.”

You laugh and get up to grab the clothes from around the room throwing Todd’s at him. “Fine. But that’s the only reason you’re coming back in here. Let’s go!”

[ojamies]

European Itinerary Tips by Rick Steves

Transportation inside Europe (i.e. traveling from city to metropolis) can make up a large percentage of your journey price range, but additionally it is very exhausting to predict how much you’ll spend. There are so many elements that go into how a lot every type of transportation (practice, aircraft, bus, car, and so on.) will price that I can’t actually give a super correct estimate. However, I may give you some general tips and point you to more in-depth articles. There are loads of cheap (and crappy) hotels all throughout Europe — just don’t anticipate much at the finances traveler’s worth range.

But typically price shouldn’t be the only figuring out factor in your trip. If you wish to expertise the sights and sounds of the area people and eat and drink because the locals do, going with a non-all-inclusive possibility is a greater bet.

Two a long time ago, you’d piece collectively a visit based mostly on which cities could be related by helpful train journeys (or, at most, in a single day trains). But today, it’s comparatively low cost and simple to mix, say, Portugal, Poland, and Palermo on a single itinerary. Turning a want list right into a day-by-day itinerary in your European trip isn’t simply smart, it’s enjoyable. Filling in the blanks between the flight out and the flight home is among the extra pleasurable elements of trip planning. It’s armchair travel that turns into actual journey.

To be trustworthy, outside of the capital, there are fairly a number of of the most cost effective cities in Europe which might be based mostly in the Czech Republic. Just make sure to do your homework and go to extra regional cities. Airfare, after all, is dependent upon your origin, destination, and season of journey.

Sounds like your a seasoned travelled who has put lots of thought into planning the proper trip. You realise how a lot effort it takes to assemble the proper journey and how many steps are involved whenever you put all of it collectively like this. Great tip to plan in your nightlife and e-book tickets upfront based on how in style the activity is more likely to be.

How can I visit Europe in 10 days?

For many of us the answer is money. From high prices to strong currencies, Western Europe is one of the most expensive destinations on a U.S. traveler's roster. In fact, with just a little bit of knowhow you can see the continent for less than $100 per day.

All you have to do is ahead your journey affirmation emails to the service, and the app instantly creates a journey schedule for you. No extra having to piece issues together yourself. It’ll inform you exactly when you should be at your flight gate, when the automobile is ready to pick up from the rental place, and when you’re good to check in at your resort. It even retains on prime of your restaurant reservations. ,” Ed Perkins writes, “An agent is a giant help if you value your time.

For me, the enjoyment of an upcoming trip starts the moment I begin researching and planning for the trip. Planning our trips nicely does assist make the most of the money and time during the vacation. I hadn’t recognized about Get Your Guide until I read your post – will examine their website when we plan our subsequent getaway. Because I journey so much and I am used to the flow of placing collectively an itinerary, when somebody writes a publish like this, you then realise just how a lot goes into planning a visit. Great that you're also providing a planning guide for download.

As a special note, you don’t need to add any lettering or doodles! Just thought these had been fun to share for the holidays.

This doesn't essentially cost you more – commissions are usually taken from the whole value to you not as well as. Accordingly, if you use a travel agent, you are always in danger for there being one thing that might have been higher for you had you spent the time trying yourself. Sometimes the difference between a good vacation and a GREAT vacation is found within the little particulars. A travel agent does not really “know” you when creating a vacation itinerary. You shall be proud of a holiday itinerary and resorts that may not be excellent for you but hopefully, shut enough.

For those of you excited to start planning your next holiday immediately, please obtain your individual free pdf copy of my Planning Guide with an important steps highlighted. I always define a tough plan before I finalize something. This is essential for a few reasons.

Ibiza has now discovered a stunning steadiness for those looking to dance til daybreak and households on the lookout for a calming out summer season break. The big superclubs in Ibiza Old Town and San Antonio like Amnesia and Pacha are huge attracts for the youthful crowd. Or search for packages to Playa d’En Bossa for some nice beaches and bars. For households, attempt the waterpark Aguamar or hire some bikes from San Antonio if you want a break from the beach. If you wish to get away from it all, take a day journey by Ferry from Ibiza Town to tiny Formentera.

There might be resort charges, local taxes, or administrative prices, as well as costs for using a secure in your room or choosing premium liquor. Some resorts even carry an added insurance value for unescorted visitors younger than a sure age. You’ll want all those particulars hammered out earlier than booking.

Turning a wish listing into a day-by-day itinerary for your European vacation isn’t just sensible, it’s fun.

State Department travel advisories, and at present has none (that means a trip here is technically safer than visiting France as of 2019).

If you want parties, hit as many festivals, national holidays, and arts seasons as you can (or, when you hate crowds, learn the dates to keep away from).

The good news is that there are times of the yr—and even days of the week—when flying costs much less. Take advantage of online tools and apps which let you browse locations, map itineraries, and even get recommendation from friends or fellow travelers. Be certain crucial sights are open the day you’ll be in town. Remember that most cities shut a lot of their main vacationer points of interest for one day in the course of the week (normally Monday). It could be a shame to be in Paris only on a Tuesday, when the Louvre is fermé.

Days in Europe: 10 Amazing Itineraries

They can be extremely reasonably priced in many cities. My go-to web site for locating rental flats is Airbnb. Rental flats are an particularly good worth if you’re traveling with a number of individuals. There is a wide range of lodging options in Europe — from tremendous low-cost to tremendous expensive.

Hotel Riu Palace Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Circle your destinations on a map, then work out a logical geographical order and size for your trip. Pin down any places that you have to be on a sure date (and ask yourself if it’s actually value stifling your flexibility). Once you’ve settled on a list, be happy along with your environment friendly plan, and focus any more research and preparation solely on locations that fall along your proposed route.

We do have a guide to finding cheap flights to Europethat will help you get the most effective deal attainable. Most folks select to convey a backpack to Europe. We’ve compiled a listing of our favourite travel backpacksand created a guide on how to choose the right backpack. If you’re on a budget, ask your folks if they've an old backpack or consider buying used.

How do I plan a cheap vacation?

The Holiday Plan are a rock band from Hackney and Islington, London that split up in May 2005, but reformed in June 2006 (performing under a host of different names) Consisting of a bassist/vocalist Matt Rider, as well as two guitarists (Gary Jenkins and Blue Quinn) and drummer (Daniel Bodie), The Holiday Plan play

As you’ve probably realized, hurricanes are a menace here, so think about the time of yr that you simply’re planning on visiting for climate-related considerations. Don’t schedule your self too tightly (a typical tendency). Everyday chores, small business matters, transportation problems, constipation, and planning errors deserve about at some point of slack per week in your itinerary. If your journey is a protracted one, schedule a “trip from your vacation” in the middle of it.

Most journey agents are paid a commission from resorts, airlines or tour operators after they guide a client with them. Some resorts or tour operators pay more fee than others.

The north east is peaceful, with classic sleepy locations like Agni and Agios Stefanos. If you’re eager to get together in your summer season trip then in fact there’s the southern get together city of Kavos.

Of course, train the conventional precautions you'd when touring anywhere, though you’ll probably have no issues here. If you’re in search of a trip that’s free of the devastating potential of hurricanes, is extremely person friendly, and safe, look no additional than Aruba. It additionally has broad enchantment, drawing solo traveler, couples, households, and retirees.