#i could do that normally with my wired headphones and my phone

[luna-spacedoodles]

ALL IS GOOD IN THE WORLD!!!! MY DAD FIXED HEADPHONES SO NOW I CAN WALK AROUND WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC!!!!!

[peterparkouryo]

fell from the sky into my lap | ⍣ ೋ

⍣ ೋ

prompt; You encounter a very charming boy on the train.

warning: fluff, fluff, and did i mention fluff?

word count: 1.5k

a/n: meet cute!! i missed writing <3 (also ignore the fact that i used this gif once b4, feel free to send me tom gifs for future fics 😭)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ taglist

You step out of Midtown High, the warm afternoon sun casting long shadows across the pavement. You had decided to stay after school, opting to have a small study session with a few of your friends for an upcoming test for the gruesome mathematics class, also known as calculus. The weight of your backpack pulls slightly at your shoulders as you make your way down the stairs of the school building, balmy wind blusters against your skin. Descending down the stairs finally, you keep your head down and walk across the football field, creating a safe distance between you and the ongoing practice taking place. 

What seemed forever, but in reality was maybe a good two to three minute walk off the school grounds, you head toward the train station. The familiar hum of chatter and the rhythmic clack of shoes on the sidewalk fill the air, blending into a comforting soundtrack of the end of the school day.

As you approach the station, the distant sound of a train horn echoes, signalling its arrival. Just in time, you thought to yourself. You quicken your pace, the excitement of heading home, mixed with the anticipation of the journey itself, propelling you forward. The station is a bustling hub of activity, with students, commuters, and travelers weaving in and out of the crowd.

You swipe your transit card at the turnstile, the beep granting you passage onto the platform. The cool, metallic scent of the train station mingles with the faint aroma of fresh coffee from the nearby café. You glance up at the electronic display board, noting the arrival time of your train. It's right on schedule.

The train glides into the station with a soft hiss of brakes and a rush of wind. The doors slide open, inviting you inside. You step onto the train, the cool air conditioning a welcome relief from the warmth outside. You find a seat by the window and settle in, reaching into your backpack and digging through to find your wired headphones, despite begging your parents for regular ones.

You open your phone, clicking the green app for music, scrolling through many playlists you've obsessively created for various different scenarios. Picking a playlist you don't remember creating, you let out a tired yawn and sit back, wandering your eyes to the left, and daydreaming  about your bed. 

The train ride was relatively quiet, aside from a crying baby (not that you could hear it, but breaking your daydream to observe your surroundings, you could see a crying baby), and the loud music blasting in your ears. 

For the next six minutes, the music from your headphones consumed your ears, guaranteed to worsen your hearing in the next twenty years or so. You were at an unusual ease you normally don't feel when you're alone on a train by yourself. It could do with the fact that there was maybe five or six people onboard, you weren't too sure.

You lay your head back against the seat and stare out the window, the passing buildings rapidly leaving your vision. A bored sigh leaves your lips, the spotify ad only adding onto the exhaustion you felt. 

The train stops, indicating people were either leaving or stepping on the train, and you tear your gaze away from the window out of curiosity, watching a couple people swipe their transit cards. You notice the last person, a boy with hair as brown as a bear, swipe his card more than once, and you can only assume something was wrong.

The more you watch the boy struggle, the more you feel bad because not only was the operator getting impatient, the passengers moan and groan as well. Slowly you dig into your pocket for your card, standing up and swiftly walking to the front of the train. Showing the boy a friendly smile, you glance at the operator, who's eyebrows were furrowed and a permanent frown carved onto his face.

"Um, he can use my card." You say unsurely, not entirely positive thats even how transit cards work.

The man narrows his eyes and stares between you and the boy for a good while before he exhales a huff.

"Go ahead, you're holding up my line." He mumbles and you furrow your eyebrows and glance behind you, seeing that it was only the boy and no one else, but you decide not to say anything about it.

You swipe the transit card, watching the red dot change to green, and the boy sighs in relief.

"Thank you." He says, watching your every move as you put your card back into your pocket.

You nod and your eyes drift to his face, studying him carefully, because boy, he was gorgeous. The boy had eyes just as brown as his hair, maybe even a little lighter with the golden specks straggling within them. If anyone was lucky (such as yourself) to stand so close to him, one might be able to see the small barely visible, but undeniably delightful freckles scattered across his nose.

Your eyes trail down to his lips, but not in a weird way, the small smile etched on his face captivated you and deep in your stomach, you swore you felt butterflies erupt. The smile was warm and inviting, and one of his most endearing features, capable of lighting up his entire face. It gave him a friendly, yet approachable demeanour. 

He was the kind of person who had the-boy-next-door kind of vibe, and you can't help but gaze longer than intended, making him uncomfortable in a way you had no intentions of doing.

So, you clear your throat, and quickly look at your shoes. 

"Its no problem." You mutter.

There's a standstill silence between the two of you, the murmur of passengers, the rustling of bags and the occasional ring of a phone not helping the awkwardness you felt whatsoever.

Eventually, the boy shows you yet another charming smile, walking past you to sit in a nearby seat. You return to yours and try your hardest not to stare at the boy diagonally across from you.

There's a standstill silence between the two of you, the murmur of passengers, the rustling of bags and the occasional ring of a phone not helping the awkwardness you felt whatsoever.

Eventually, the boy shows you yet another charming smile, walking past you to sit in a nearby seat. You return to yours and try your hardest not to stare at the boy diagonally across from you.

That challenge, however quickly crashes when you glance at him only to see him gazing back, in a way that wasn't entirely creepy, but cumbersome for the both of you. You do your best to show him a smile, cringing slightly when you realize its more of a nervous grimace than what you intended.

Though, he shows no signs of being weirded out by your so called "smile", he waves as you wave back. A rush of warmth and pleasantry overtakes you when he looks away. You'd think this is the first time any boy has ever showed you this much attention, no matter how little it might have been.

Minutes pass in a blur as the train carries you forward, each moment seamlessly blending into the next. Ultimately, you reach your stop and you gather your things, albeit a bit reluctantly. As you leave, you bite your lower lip and share a scrutiny when you walk past him, making your exit off the train.

While you step off the train, and make it your mission to ascend up the stairs, a hand purchases on your shoulder causing you to flinch fearfully, many thoughts running through your head as you make the stupid decision to turn around to face the culprit.

 All fears subside once you meet the familiar chestnut brown eyes of the boy from the train.

He realizes your initial fear and holds up your tangled headphones. "You left these on the train." He blinks.

"Thank you." You obligate, retrieving the headphones from his hand.

The boy nods and buries his hands in his pocket, unwieldy looking around.

You tilt your head as a thought comes about.

"Is this your stop?" You wonder.

He breaks his train of thought and stares right at you before laughing awkwardly. "Um, no my stop was actually three more blocks away." He informs and guilt fills you at that information.

"Oh, I'm sorry," You apologize, frowning.

He shakes his head quickly. 

"No, its fine I was just going to stop at Delmar's anyway." He reassures and smiles, holding out his hand.

"Also, I'm Peter by the way, Peter Parker." 

You return the smile and shake Peter's hand at his dorky introduction, speaking your name in greeting.

"I know, we share a gym class." Peter says.

You blink at the revelation, having no idea he even went to Midtown. Small world, you think.

"Anyway, is it okay if I walk you up the stairs, in a non weird way that seems creepy." Peter offers shyly, interrupting the barely there silence. There was something about his adorably dunce proposal that made you appreciate him despite only knowing the boy for ten minutes at most.

"Sure." You agree all too eagerly.

With new found courage, you and Peter make your way up the stairs of the train station and you're greeted with the bustling New York city, of what you can only describe as chaotic, honking cars and fellow civilians either on their arguing or arguing on their phones.

You felt excited to be walking next to Peter, no matter how small your interactions have been or how little you two new each other, you were grateful for his presence.

Grateful that you decided to take the train. Had you would've walked, only god knows what could've happened, the foreign feeling of butterflies in your stomach would not had been, that's for certain.

taglist: @victoriousskylar @imawhoreforu @myfangirlinessononeblog

shoutout to the divider account: @saradika-graphics

[pleaktale]

Please please- write a modern reader (spiderperson or not) explaining things like email, memes, and the internet. It is such a fun concept to me that Hobie is clueless on things like ai.

Personally, I see that as an oppurtunity to mess with him.

Anything you want! Drabble, headcannons. Just have fun if this tickles your fancy 🫶

I cackled with this one so much because I thought about all his reactions and that would be PRICELESS. Didn't enter much on the AI thing because we don't fw AI 🙅 Thank you for the request, lovie! Did a bit of both <3

Warnigs: none I guess?

Tags: Hobie x modern!gn!reader, headcanons

Enjoy ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

Hobie is a guy of techs, that is set in stone. But what does he know about memes? Spotify? What about watching videos in tiny screens?

He went to your world once. Guy was LOST in all the screened outdoors, cars moving by sustainable energy and without tires, the lack of humans in things such as supermarkets and pharmacies a little worrying to him;

Once you taught him how to open the door to your apartment, he asked you to dismantle that thing;

"What do ya mean this.. opens with your DNA!?" he asked with slumping shoulders, watching as you entered the apartment like it was just a normal occurrence. And it was.

Your laugh quieted down his mind a little. "It reads my irises through the capture, I already added yours also," you show him the screen of your phone, his name written in the 'allowed' list.

"When tha' happened!!?" Hobie scratched his head, watching over as you cackled your way to the couch.

Visiting each other's dimension was a regular thing, so seeing the old ass things in his world was kinda funny to you;

Sharing wired headphones with him was like living your great great grandparents lives, and watching his curious mind of a nerd in tech trying to figure out your bluetooth earbuds was perhaps the funniest thing in the world;

The first time he went in contact with the humor of your century, it was like explaining calculus to a toddler. But he got the hang of it;

Hobie is smart, that you can't deny. But watching him get used to touch screens was... curious, to say the least;

The first time you showed something AI-made to him, Hobie was taken aback just like you thought he would;

"Ya mean this hyper realistic video of the Eifell Tower burning until it's metals were curling 'n shit.. isn't real?" Hobie had squinted eyes at you.

"Basically, yeah," you replied with a sigh, "it's a little more in control now, we have tools to see if it's AI made or not, but I honestly wanted this gone."

"Bet a bunch of wankers had taken their shared advantage of that," Hobie sighed too, shaking his head in clear disagreement.

After that he always send you videos asking if they're real or not (you got him a phone so he could use TikTok, now it's like having your grandpa sending you skibidi toilet videos asking 'what the hell's this');

He absolutely loves the MP3 you gave him, it's such a tiny thing and still has all his songs plus your favorite ones, he likes to go patrolling with them;

You showed him spotify once, he called it a "damn trap of capitalism" for making you pay for songs that weren't even physical (he's not wrong though);

The concept of being formal over email didn't clicked to him;

"Write a letter, then!" Hobie pointed at the screen after reading your email you planned on sending over to Miguel.

"But that takes weeks to get somewhere, Hobie," you raised an eyebrow, looking at him while pressing the 'send' button. "See? Gone and in his email, if he's online he'll see it now."

"Online? Yeah, a'ight, whatever." His hands up in mock surrender got another set of laugh out of you.

I could go on for longer but maybe for a pt. 2 😅 I hope you enjoyed! Until next time <3

© pleaktale

[neo404]

Accidental Confession

Summary: you are friends with Matt, Nick and Chris; one night playing fortnite with Chris, you tell him about your crush, he asks you about them and discovers your crush is actually his older brother nick. you talked about wanting to ask him out on a date but being way too scared to ask him out, not knowing that nick was actually hanging out in Chris' room hearing all the conversation...

Warnings: swearing

Note: this is my first time publishing something pls be kinds, also english is NOT my first language, so excuse any mistakes ); pls

Your pov

"Dude, I can’t believe we fucking lost that round, that kid was insane". Chris sounds in my headphones as I stretch my arms a bit and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, it’s a bummer, I still wanna play a bit more, or are you tired?" I look at the clock in the corner of my monitor it reads12:36 it’s not that late but still I wanted to be sure.

"No, I’m fine, I can play for a while. So, how was your day?"

"Great, just the normal stuff" I say as the loading screen changes to the actual game. "I talked with my crush a bit, that was cool"

"What? wait, you have a crush?" Chris sounds between confused and exited.

"Yes? well, it’s more than that, I really like them."

"How come I didn’t know about this??" I grab my control when the game starts and play as I talk.

"I don’t know, I haven’t really told anyone, it’s kind of dumb really"

"Why would you say that? I mean, I’m sure your crush would like you back" I hear rustling in the other side of the line, a little thud like someone got up from a bed or a chair quickly and Chris mumbling.

"I just don’t think he likes me back, he’s so cool and handsome, also very popular, I’m sure he wouldn’t pay attention to me"

Nick’s pov

"Nick, shut up, imma play fortnite with y/n." I lower the volume on my phone and look at Chris' monitor, y/n's and Chris profile pictures filling the screen with the typical close call and add people settings at the bottom.

I look at y/n's photo and smile, it’s a good photo, I took it myself when we went out to the park a few weeks ago. I shake my head as I hear Chris scream something about winning all the round and doing a bet with y/n, I start scrolling again in my phone.

everything was normal until I hear Chris say "What? wait, you have a crush?" and I sit up in the bed, what is he talking about? is he talking about y/n? does he have a crush on someone?

"Who is it?" I whisper to Chris, concerned, nervous, what if it isn’t me? am I being overdramatic?

"Why would you say that? I mean, I’m sure your crush would like you back" Chris says and I can’t take it anymore, I stand up and almost trip with a wire that was laying across the room, and walk besides Chris I lean close to his headset so I can hear what they are talking about, this kid really needs to lower the volume of those things.

Your pov

"Maybe, I don’t know. we are just such good friends, also we have lots of friends in common, I don’t want to like ruin our friendship or anything" Chris just hums and I keep talking

"But sometimes he gives me mixed signal, like he grabs my hands or tells me I look handsome when I ask him to take pictures of me or gives me his hoodies when I’m cold and forget mine... but maybe he's just being friendly and I’m crazy" I let out a sigh as the screen displays the winning screen, we actually won a round tonight.

"But you'll never know unless you tell him"

"I have been thinking about it, I’m just too nervous to do it, also I want it to be perfect that’s why I wanted to talk to you about it" I start to get a little nervous, I know Chris could keep a secret, but this was different, it was about his brother, what if he doesn’t want me to date him? what if Nick already likes someone else?

I hear Chris chuckle "why? do I know him?"

"Yeah, really well, I mean, you grew up together"

"What? do you like-..." he doesn't get to finish the sentence, I cut him off.

"Nick. I like Nick..."

There is silence, I freak out a bit.

Nick’s pov

did I hear that right? y/n likes me? I look at Chris dumbfounded, the boy I have been annoying my brothers with how much I liked him and how perfect, handsome, smart and cute I thought he is likes me back.

"No way" I say out loud.

Chris tries to silence me but it’s too late, the microphone picked my voice up. I hear y/n freak out a bit, I can imagine him flustered and shocked, exactly how he gets when I compliment his outfits or his hair. I hear Chris apologizing and saying he didn’t mean to; he didn’t know it was me.

"I thing you two maybe... need to talk about this?" Chris laughs a bit, turns off his microphone and tells me to go to my room, I nod and rush to my room to open y/n's chat, I don’t know what to say, I type and erase everything. I don’t know if I should text him or if he will text me, I roll around in the bed restless waiting for a notification.

Your pov

"CHRIS WHAT THE FUCK??" I yell to the screen

"I’m sorry dude, I didn’t know, I mean, maybe I knew but I wasn’t with a bad intention, Nick was just here and I didn’t think he would listen"

"Shit, shit... it's okay... what do you mean you knew??"

"I mean, you two are like crazy for each other. no offence but it was getting stupidly crazy how you two are just blind, like the way you look at each other, talk, and fucking blush... insane."

"What? no, Nick doesn't... does he?" I cover my face with my hands and let out a groan, I’m so fucking stupid.

"I think Nick is waiting to talk with you, you guys should talk, it will be all right, I promise, he doesn’t stop talking about you. good night"

"Good night, Chris... thanks" I hung up the call and put my head set on the table, closing all the tabs in my computer and shutting it off. I throw myself into the bed, grab my phone and call Nick.

it rings once, he picks up, and doesn’t say anything.

"Hi..." I say quietly "I didn't know you were there; I understand if you don’t feel the same way..."

"don't fucking start with that bullshit y/n, I like you, you idiot" my face heats up, I let out a big sigh so relief.

"Oh my god, I was so scared... so, would you like to go out tomorrow?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Nick is smiling, I can’t tell from how his voice sounds

"Yes, of course I am, dinner and maybe movies at my place, whatever, I just want to see you"

"Yes, to everything."

"All right then, see you tomorrow then. I’ll go pick you up at 7:40"

"Sounds amazing, good night" he hangs up, I can’t stop smiling, I text Chris, he sends me a picture of Nick entering his room with a wide smile on his face and Matt behind him with a smirk.

I better sleep quickly to see him sooner.

I’m so lucky, he likes me back.

[its-tiamat]

can u pls do one of shigaraki w a s/o who is a huge music lover like jirou?? they love to collect cds, vinyls, and infodump on their fav album/singer?

|| WITH A S/O THAT LOVES MUSIC ||

Back at it I am! I was trying to find the time to write this one for so long, honestly. It's kinda longer than my usual works, but heh, I was inspired. Hope ya'll like it xoxoxo

Pairings: Tomura Shigaraki × reader

Tomura had never really cared about anyone's hobbies at the League as, you know, they were nothing more than chess pieces to him. Also, getting involved in the private life of any of the League members was an unnecessary exposure to the risks those weirdos liked to commit to. Generally, everyone sticked to the "I mind my business, you mind yours" rule.

But god, seeing you walk around always wearing your headphones had him dying to know what you were listening to.

It took him some time to work out the courage to ask you what kind of music you were into, he even tried to ask Twice and Dabi before, but they just shrugged at his question.

"Rap?" he asked you one day.

"What?" you asked back at him, removing one of your headphones.

"I, uh, you look like someone who listens to rap. That's all."

"Actually, right now it's more like rock," you chuckled, "but rap is fine too. I mean, it really depends on the mood you are in, right?"

"Uh-huh," nodded Shigaraki. You had never seen him this interested in something so trivial.

"D'you... wanna hear it?" The question came natural to you, though you weren't expecting him to nod as he tucked his hair behind his ears to wear your headphones better. He listened to the whole song before you dared to ask him whether he liked it or not, and he nodded again. "Really? I'm glad you do! It's actually one of my favorite albums, like, you gotta listen to it. I got the vinyl too if you want to! Tho I also listen to other genres and I can tell you, as I already said, it depends on the mood and-" You stopped, and Tomura gave you a puzzled look. It wasn't his usual, cold, inquiring glare, but more one of genuine curiosity.

"Am I talking too much?" You felt like you were monopolizing the conversation, and your boss wasn't usually one to sit on the edge of a conversation and listen to others' opinion.

To your surprise, he shook his head: "Wasn't I the one asking you about it after all?"

Shigaraki quickly brought his hands to his head to take off the headphones, but the blue plastic they were made of started turning into black ashes under the touch of his fingers.

"ohhh fuck!" You only had time to unplug them from your phone before the decay reached the end of the wire.

"Fuck!" The boy took a step back and patted off his sweater, as a small pile of dark ashes gathered on the ground.

"It wasn't on purpose, I was just taking them off. I'll bring you a new pair. Is your phone ok?" You huffed. "Yeah, it's fine. I have another pair in my room, so don't bother."

"No, really." Tomura reached for your hand, before pulling it back. He stared at his knees, then he looked back at you: "I'm bringing you a new pair." You gave him a small smile.

"How about the vinyl? Could we really listen to it? I promise I won't touch it."

"Shiggy babyyy," Toga's voice reached you from the other room: "Gotta raid an arm deposit in ten mins. You with us right?"

"I love how this sounds like a normal request to you," you joked to Tomura.

He chuckled and quickly walked out of the room "Gonna be back soon. With your headphones. Not gonna decay those ones."

masterlist

taglist: @liberace2 @whiteusagi   @help-idk-what-my-life-is @comehome2myheart @peachysuguru   @iam-mentally-unstable

tell me if you want to be added!

[1-800-bloop-12]

Algiophobia ┈┈┈┈․° 2

ˊˊ𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚..ˊˊ

.

🇲 🇴 🇳 🇩 🇦 🇾

ˊˊSchool sucks huh?.."

I looked up at the strange person, holding my book bag tight, weird thing to do, especially with a stranger. I don't know you..

ˊˊ Yeah.. Thankfully, we're done with exams and stuff.. Today's the last day.ˊˊ

ˊˊ Well, I'm glad you made it.ˊˊ

I looked up at them, blinking slowly while a smile spreading on my face, ˊˊ Thank you.ˊˊ I said. They only nodded, I guess it was a You're Welcome.

I looked down at my phone, seeing no notifications as usual. I huffed, looking back up a far waiting for the bus to at least some what come. ˊˊ They drive so slow..ˊˊ I groaned, looking back down at my phone, deciding to at least scroll on tiktok or Pinterest.

Maybe I should skip school today...

But that's very bad.

Very, very, very.. Bad-

ˊˊ But it'd be worth it..ˊˊ I stood up from the bench, picking up my book bag and putting it over my shoulder. I walked home, putting headphones on and turning on Beautiful Stranger, reminding me of last week. A smile formed on my face softly moving to music.

* Maybe we would have exchanged a few words.

ˊˊ A fairy tale moment could have occurredˊˊ Softly twirling the cord of the headphones, the people only do small glances before going back to what they're doing. I forgot to plan something.

What do I do today?

* But a beautiful stranger will have to remain.

My eyes glanced up at the birds on the wire, pretty normal, huh? Anyways, maybe I should go to the mall. My parents gave me money for it so I guess it would be nice.

* A stranger until I see him again.

I wanted to get a few things from hot topic, But I don't mind chilling at the food court it would make my nose pleased. I don't have a smell/food kink..

Is it weird that I had to say that? I guess so. Who would be thinking you would have that?

Taking out my house keys realizing I was near my house, opening my bottom book bag pocket, taking out my housekeys, and hearing the chains and keys make their usual noise.

I saw my cat, well.. A cat that I fed at my doorstep as if it was waiting for me, meowing as it rolled off its back and on its legs making their way to me, I crouched and petted the cat. ˊˊ Hey man..ˊˊ I coo'd feeling my heart tingle from the cuteness of the cat.

Why are cats so adorable?..

* See him again. 💞

I stood up, going back to my business, walking up the doorstep, hearing the soft paws on the ground and the cat purring. Unlocking my door, I looked down, making sure the cat didn't slip inside, but its adorable eyes looking at me made me wanna scream.

ˊˊ I'll feed you after I get dressed, okay buddy.ˊˊ

ˊˊ Meow!ˊˊ

Adorable..

The cat sat down by the door when I closed it, hearing its fading out purring through the door. Poor cat, why would its owner leave it behind? Now, it has to survive on its own. You could've given it to a neighbor.

Like me!

I place my bookbag next to the door, also taking my jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack. I walk up the stairs and straight to my bedroom, taking off my headphones, fixing my hair so it doesn't look weird.

Closing the door behind me, I look at my desk filled with papers with drawings and my scripts, taking off my shoes kicking them to the end of my bed.

Walking up to my desk and sitting on the spinny chair, looked down and realized something.

Where was my one of mini country balls?..

I remember there was a tiny Belarus here.. WHAT THE FLIP BRUV 😨

Anyways, I picked up one of my unfinished drawings, it was a reference of my dream. Sorry, it just sticked with me even though it's Been like...

2 W E E K S. . .

I groaned as I rubbed my eyes, placing the picture down, getting up from the chair so I can change into my jammies.

Uh.. After I changed, I realized I was supposed to feed the kitty Kat, walking out my room, being mad careful with having socks on and walking on wooden floors.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw my tiny Belarus on the counter, I stared at her.

Ma'am.

Who moved you-

I blinked slowly before turning away, ˊˊ Weird..ˊˊ I mumbled as I walked over to the lower cabinets, grabbing a can of tuna. Mumbling under my breath.

Grabbing an can opener, I positioned the can and start turning the handle. Watching the can opener doing its work. After that I took the loose top off and drained some of the juice out.

Walking to my front door I unlocked it, looking down to see the cat still there. Yeah, this cat loves me. It's meowing putting me back to reality as I shook my head a bit.

Placing the can down, i watched the cat go ravish on the tuna. I scratch their head before going back inside, locking the door as always.

Walking to the kitchen and looking at the counter. The lil Belarus ball was still there.. Just staring into the oblivion.

I'm still wondering who moved you missy-

Picking her up, being EXTRA GENTLE CUZ THIS IS MY BABY!!!! And placing her in my palm, it was adorable-

Walking up the stairs and to my room. I was just coo'ing and babying the little Belarus in my hand, I have an obsession with cute things especially if they're small..

Sitting down at my desk putting her down next to the tiny Poland ball she was originally with, yeah don't move like that ok girl-

I picked up my phone, looking at it with a massive bored face. I can either scroll through tiktok, go on character ai, draw or sleep.

Cuz I barely have any friends and they probably went to school so.. Yeah..

I groaned, placing the phone down. Getting up from my spinny chair and off to my bed, flopping down on it as I turned to my side. Getting all snuggly in blankets and pillows, my scrunched up face now into a calm one.

Why are beds so comfy.. They're the best creations on earth I swear.

My mind slowly started to go blank, only thinking of lil scenarios in my head. Things I could've been, imaging myself with my Comfort Character, or just my favorite fandom/show. It's infinite.

It's like your thoughts are a Void.

It never ends.

ˊˊI won't hurt you.. Just trust me ˊˊ

Fluttering my eyes open I seem too be in a flower field. I was wearing a white dress/Blouse with black pants (or shorts). I could see the shadow of a bow in my hair too, it's two ribbons flowing in the wind.

Standing up, my legs felt really weak as if it was glass on the brink of breaking. But I managed because I was strong 💪. I just looked around, it was sadly a blue hour vibe though..

The fog and the slight light as the sun was below the horizon. So it couldn't really give it's original golden orange color as it usually does. I just watched the Wheat and flowers flow in the wind.

There was a tree...

I started walking to the said tree, with the best of my ability. But I madE IT, yeah mama raised a warrior man. Sitting under the tree looking afar as I watched over the flower field. It's so peaceful.

Sadly it's just dream.. 'But who said it is.'

I know that voice- Looking beside me I saw him but his face was more clearer and less blurry than last time. It felt like I was going to cry.

'You missed me didn't you? Well I missed you too Schatz' He chuckled. I growled softly punched his arm as I felt tears stream down my face, his laugh made me feel comforted. 'You bastard! You left me like that for weeks!'

I hiccuped and sobbed, this was to much. The man I danced with and had me so motivated was Austria-Hungary?! This is so..stupid!

'I'm so sorry, but I was busy with all the meetings and my family to come back. I decided that I'll spend my few moments with you' His arms wrapped around me, softly pulling me into his chest. His warmth calming me down from the break down I had.

'Is life getting better for you Schatz?..' He asked. I shook my head slowly, fiddling with my fingers. 'Mom as been at work a lot, on her days off she goes out. My dad is living somewhere else..' I felt my eyes droop after that.

'Barely have friends either, I do but they barely talk to me..' Letting out a bumpy breath I can hear him hum at my answer to his question.

I can feel his hand petting my head in a comforting way. As if he was trying to bring my tension down. It was working either way..

'I just wonder why I can't stay here for ever.. It's not like I have a purpose..' I whispered, closing my eyes as I rested my head on his chest. He sighed. 'I know you want to, but it's hard because you want to live in your mind.'

'Somewhere you can be free, and do anything you want.' He said 'looking' at the leaves falling and the soon rising sun making the blue hour fade away.

'But you need to wait for me, Okay.. I'll help lead you.' he said. My instincts told me he was getting up so i moved. He stood up, wiping his pants as he looked down at me, who was still on their own knees.

Crouching down as he held my sad tired face. 'Ich liebe dich.' Was the last thing he said before fading away, leaving me once again. Golden hour as now arisen. Laying on the soft grass watching the leaves fall and flower field blow in the wind.

How peaceful.. 'It certainly is dear..'

ˊˊI'll protect you from all things I've seen.. ˊˊ

.

[yang4ever]

HIIII omg NO dont say sorry!!! lowk writing on tumblr nd getting a much of mentions sounds scary?? and having a blog on here??? u were the first person i sent an ask to and that was soo stressful idk how u write and respond to people omg

okayy

1: i like snacks!! yk like uhh chips cheezits nd stuff like that i think most desserts r js really sweet and leave a gross aftertaste in my mouth... do u like all desserts???

2: omf im so happy that my phone has a headphone jack bc your soo right theres NOWHERE to plug in wired things

3: no omg ever since i started watching reels my brainrot has gotten soo much worse i fear it be worse than those kids

4: help were like rhe opposite omg i got into wayv ans then i heard my first dream song and then i finally listened to 127

5: RIGHT?? like my entire twitter has js been filled of clips from their livestream... the comments are so mean to like??? what are they supposed to do... i really like their music andd them i hope they dont disband

ohh wait i thought i should ask how your day is!! or whenever ur replying to this

anywaysss making ur ask replies aestheric sounds so hard like how do ppl even manage to make their blogs pretty but i lovee ur long reply to me!! its so fun reading thru it!! AND I SHOULD B THE ONE SAYING SORRY BC I ALWAYS TYPE SO MUCH??

- (シ. .)シ

HI UR SO CUTE&NICE IM SO GLAD U STILL WANNA TALK TO ME

no honestly it was literally MY bad like. i sent a buncha people asks/comments saying that i liked their stuff and etc and it got hard to keep track of my notifications omg .. people r just so active on here also we are so matchy matchy bc u are my FIRST anon 🥺🥺💕💞💓💗💖💘💝

1. OK i see what ur saying. hersheys def leaves an icky aftertaste. i like savory too!! i like desserts so much but every time someone asks me "sweet vs savory" i will always say savory. umm i like cheetos and there was this time period where i was obsessed w cheddar + sour cream flavored ruffles

2. WHY DID I FORGET HEADPHONE JACKS EXIST dude my puppy ate my airpod the day u sent this ask. i fear.... i need a headphone jack soon bc of this...

3. lowkey reels is my favorite place LMFAOO it's just full of silly stuff tbh i like it better than tiktok, im never on tiktok anymore

4. wait that's so cool u got into wayv first !?!? i had been listening to nct dream for like a year before i found wayv but i never bothered to like learn the dreamies names or faces or anything.. confession time but i NEVER thought i would become an nctzen like literally i was like haha that fandom is so silly i could never but then i DID wtf LMFAOO

5. omg i know:( !! the hate being directed at them lowk stresses me out bc they must be having a hard enough time already. why cant people just be normal goddamn 😭😭 i was thinking too that if they disband, illit is going to be blamed a lot and have another massive hate train so tbh i feel bad for both groups rn

U R SOOO SWEET. my day was a MESS.

i won freaky bingo (heavy on freaky because the board spaces had insane shit like "el student debt" "la thigh gap" and "el twitter") while i was in the student union and i got to pick a prize. naturally i chose the remote control bumper cars (they are for 6 year olds) and i drove them around campus w friends n friends of friends for like 5 hours instead of doing my homework which is due in like 3 hours 😓😓HOW WAS UR DAY I NEED TO KNOW BAD.

also i put my thinking cap on and i realized that the long replies r necessary to have a good conversation so it is OK that we are both typing a lot and is in fact a good thing actually. like SAME i love ur long replies to me. it feels like i have an international pen pal. or that im the war waiting for mail call LMFAOO

[the-invisible-queer]

36-40 for the obscure ask meme?

36. Do you have any impulsive movements? (Ticks, twitches, flapping, etc)

I had an eye twitch that I picked from my college roommate that only happens now when I'm really stressed out

It's not a movement but when I feel a surge of energy I make sounds as a way to release it. And I will do it in public if I need to because it especially helps when I'm anxious.

37. What do you listen to music on?

Currently Spotify on my phone for convenience. My parents have the family premium plan and allow me on it. I do have some songs saved as MP3s on my phone that aren't on Spotify.

I have a record/CD player and tons of vinyls and CDs but I allowed a bitch to borrow it and she lost the fucking remote and it won't fucking turn on without the remote so I can't use it.

Somewhere I have a portable CD player that I used in middle school. Had an iPad shuffle ages ago and used my dad's iPod classic for a minute

Also had an mp3 player in 2006

38. Are you left-brained or right-brained?

According to a test I just took because I had no idea, I have a near harmony of both sides of my brain I guess - might take a different one later

0 is left, 100 is right according to their results explanation

I scored a 46

39. Earbuds or headphones?

OKAY! So I have an ear deformity on my right ear that I THOUGHT was to blame for me never being unable to wear earbuds comfortably. They'd never stay in my ears so I'd have to wrap the wire around my ear and have them dangle or hold them in my ear.

So as soon as I could choose my own I stick to headphones - plus the sounds is louder

TURNS OUT my ears are too fucking small for normal earbuds. My family never believed me about why I hated earbuds until New Year's my brother had me try our his new Raycons and they didn't fucking fit

But I also have issues with my ears - hearing loss, numerous ear infections, etc - so it's better not to put things in my ears

So headphones are my go to plus my current pair of headphones is like my security blanket. I never leave home without them

40. Do you like light blankets or heavy blankets?

Heavy! I can't sleep without the feeling if something covering me

For the past 3 years I've been sleeping with a weighted blanket my parents git me fir my anxiety and to sleep better and then 2 years ago they got me a heating blanket and I mostly sleep with those throughout the year

UNLESS it's too hot then I just sleep with the weighted blanket even if I'm dying in heat

[magnetictapedatastorage]

Okay but how do you 1) find a tape recorder that doesn't suck in this day and age? and 2) rip audio from digital sources?

Would an old, non wi-fi connected mp3 player do roughly the same thing in protecting you from being tracked?

I'm really really over the whole contributing to data collection by being online thing, so this intrigues me.

for the first:

tape recorders can be found on eBay, at garage sales, and in thrift stores. absolutely avoid anything that's less than 20 years old, or that looks like a boombox. you want a rectangle that's built like a brick shithouse. it will likely be heavy, and that means it's built with high quality solid metal components. I use a TANDY-CCR-81, but there are many similar ones that work just as well.

the reason to AVOID ANYTHING NEW is that due to a recent lack of competition as well as the difficulty of manufacturing such a machine, companies these days cut corners even Pythagoras didn't know about just to barely stay in business. new machines will record like shit, play like shit, fall apart, and screw you over.

now, your vintage tape recorder may require some maintenance before it starts sounding its best. it will likely be something extremely easy and cheap, like needing the record-head and play-head to be gently cleaned with the correct type of alcohol in whatever way the manufacturer recommends (DO NOT WING IT - LOOK UP A SERVICE MANUAL), or having to replace a single rubber band on the inside. this is a mechanical device, so any problems will be purely mechanical.

for the second:

simply use an audio cable (a cheap wire with a headphone jack on both ends) to connect your tape recorder into the headphone jack of whatever you want to record from (TV, phone, computer, game console, mp3 player, radio, ANYTHING with a headphone jack) and then press PLAY▶ and RECORD⏺ at the same time to begin recording. the sound will be sent to the tape, and depending on your tape recorder, a red light🔴 may light up to indicate it is receiving the sound.

remember: you do not have to download anything! if you can hear the music, you're ready to record! For example, you won't have to use "youtube to mp3" or anything like that. Just connect the tape recorder, hit ▶⏺ on the recorder, and press play on the video.

for the mp3 player question:

I don't know how to record "directly" to an mp3 player like this. I think that would require some kind of software, but it's not my specialty. If I understand the absolute basics of them, you should be able to almost "launder" music onto them by recording to tape, digitizing through a PC, then splicing and saving it as a set of MP3s. it would be a lot of steps, but it would mean there is an exactly ZERO percent chance of being "caught" for your "piracy".

bonus (my own question) How do I find good blank tapes?:

cheap tapes are thankfully perfectly available, as they are easier to manufacture than recorders. they mostly all sound the same. I prefer the 90 minute length, because each side can hold an entire 45 minute album. Usual prices are $1-2 per tape. If there are none being sold near you, check eBay or Cassette Comeback for good deals, you'll likely want "Type I" or "normal" blank tapes. the other kinds are more likely to be used by professionals who know how to squeeze every drop of bass (no pun intended) out of them.

bonus 2, analogue boogaloo:

ask older family members if they have advice or anecdotes. you might hear some interesting stuff. (my mother hated a local radio DJ, because he always talked over the start of songs, ruining her recorded copy!)

final bonus, because you commented on being tired of being tracked:

cassettes have a rich history of being used as a subversive medium to distribute illegal materials. ranging from rock music in the USSR to sermons in Iran. they are plainly impossible to trace. If I gave you a home-recorded cassette, you copied it, and gave me the original back, nobody could tell which of us was the "original source".

[juniorgman187]

The Boy Next Door (Spencer Reid Imagine)

gif credits @toyboxboy​ Summary: The boy next door falls in love with the girl next door. Need I say more? Category: Fluff, Angst Couple: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid  Content Warning: Death, unrequited love, heartbreak Word Count: 10.4k A/N: POV switches from Spencer to Reader indicated by “᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

Ground coffee, dates, and greek yogurt, all neatly encased in a brown paper bag. 

Those were the things I was holding the day I first met you.

(You should know that I wouldn’t tamper with any of the moments that I’ve been so fortunate to have with you - I’ve watched enough “Dr. Who” to know that tampering with the past, even changing the smallest thing, could drastically affect the future). But if I could, I would probably change the precarious position you found me in that day. 

When you exited your apartment, I had my knee hiked up embarrassingly high to support the weight of my groceries from underneath, leaving me to balance on one leg while the bag wobbled on my thigh as I ransacked my pocket for my keys. By the time you came out, I had been like this for the past few minutes, and if the task wasn’t already harder than it should’ve been to accomplish, you didn’t make it any better.

You walked out of the door in that wispy skirt and a denim jacket that swallowed your torso whole; your unwieldy boots clunked against the wood floors of our hallway. You even didn’t bother locking your door behind you after leaving - that’s how trusting you were. While I must admit, I found the action, or lack thereof, to be quite naive, it was endearing, too. 

I, for one, am a firm believer that actions are indicative of character and from what I gathered: you trust easily, and at times, in a misguided manner.

After several seconds of being in your gravity, I figured you earnestly hadn’t seen me, given the fact that not once had you looked up from your phone to acknowledge my presence. Not to mention, your headphones were buried in your ears, blocking out any noise I could’ve been making with my unsteady stance or seemingly unfindable keys that would’ve, otherwise, made you known of my existence. Your music was so loud I could hear it from where I stood, clear as day. 

Still don’t know how you haven’t gone deaf yet, (y/n). One of life’s greatest mysteries, I suppose. 

It would be a gross understatement to claim that I couldn’t take my eyes off you. It was more than that. I felt entranced by you, like I was under your spell. Your perfume was poison, wafting through the hallway as you walked past me to descend the flight of stairs. I was in raptures from the way your wired earbuds got tangled with your hair. Normally, I couldn’t bear the thought of sharing headphones with someone, but I’d do it in a heartbeat with you. 

I’d do a lot of things with you, actually.

I had to stop myself from trailing your movements when you reached a space in the hall directly behind me, and even then, my actions only ceased because my head couldn’t physically turn that far to watch you. 

It was then that I recalled owls and how they’ve evolved into creatures that can turn their head a complete 180 degrees. Of course, that’s a trait meant for survival, merely an adaptation that allows them to detect danger or predators, but I wasn’t watching a predator, and I suppose that’s precisely why I wasn’t given the ability to turn my head so far. Because it was you I was watching - the girl next door (literally and figuratively) - nothing remotely close to a threat. I’d never been jealous of owls before, but in that moment, I wished nothing more than to be one just so I could get another look at you. 

I forced myself to resume my unfinished task out of fear that you might finally notice me and become alarmed by my prolonged staring. Once more, I was sorting through the pocket of my pants for the key to unlock my door. Behind me, your foot was about to land on the next step of the stairwell, but instead, it quickly retreated at the sound of my groceries hitting the floor.

If there was ever a doubt in your head that you caused the collapse of my paper bag’s contents, there shouldn’t be.

It was you. It was all you.

I was too distracted by your poisonous scent and chunky boots to even notice my groceries struggling to balance on the precipice.

When I ascertained the mess I had made - the mess I knew you could hear even through your cacophonous music - I wanted nothing more than to find my keys and disappear into my apartment to mask the immediate shame I was feeling. My mind spun into a panic, my body incapacitated from the shock, and the first thing I could think to do was abandon my spilled groceries in the hall so you might not see me before I fled, but you were too quick. Your heart of gold made it impossible for that to be achieved.

“Oh my goodness, here! Let me help you.”

You knelt to the ground before I could even register your sudden presence and the lack of distance between us, let alone comprehend that your warm voice was speaking words meant for me.

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.”

If you thought I was pushing you away, you should know that those weren’t my intentions. I was only emphasizing my ability to do it alone so that you might leave me to my devices - a state of conditions where I could actually think. With you so close, I simply couldn’t do that. Even now, it’s still an uphill battle to talk to you with a clear head.

“No, please. I insist. I’ve got plenty of time.” You assured me, tucking back strands of your hair that got in the way of your sight. I wondered then what it’d be like to do that to you myself. The vision ended there. 

“A Teenager In Love” by Dion and the Belmonts cut into my thoughts. That’s the song that was playing on your headphones. And that’s exactly what I felt like.

A teenager in love.

It was also the song you paused to give your undivided attention to me.

“I’m (y/n), by the way. I live right next door. 3B.” You informed me, as if I hadn’t just come to that same conclusion when I observed you walk out of that door only moments ago. You extended your hand into the air between us for a handshake. I wasted no time returning it.

“Spencer.”

You batted your eyelashes and looked up at me with those unassuming doe eyes. 

God, were you doing that on purpose? Were you trying to kill me?

When our hands interlocked, I couldn’t help but notice how yours fit so perfectly in mine, like it was made-to-measure. It led me to the belief that my hands were specifically fashioned for the particular use of holding yours. The shake lingered for a second longer than necessary, and I saw it in the way your eyes flickered down to where our bodies met, wondering why it was taking me so long to pull away.

“It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.” 

I’ve never liked my name so much until I heard it on your tongue. It made me forget all about the mess and the shame and the fear of disturbing you. That is until I saw you sliding the last of my groceries back into the paper bag.

“I’ll see you later then?”

You had stood up before I could ask you not to go, wiping your knees of any dust they might’ve collected on the floor where you knelt in front of me.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later.” I dumbly answered back, watching you descend the stairs from a distance once more.

“Have a nice night, Spencer!” I heard you say before you disappeared below the ground that I stood on. You already had your headphones back in and were long gone before I could return the sentiment. I did want you to have a nice night, though. Even if I didn’t say it in time. 

Then again, I guess there was a lot I didn’t say in time - right, (y/n)?

Two days went by before I saw you again. 

You weren’t alone.

I was reading when I heard the sound of footsteps outside my door, unintentionally giving me full liberty to hear the conversation partaking as well.

“What’s his name?” Your friend asked you.

Originally, I was adamant about not purposefully eavesdropping - no matter how tempting it was or how amply I could hear. You deserved better than that ...  but how could I help myself when I heard you answer your friend, “Spencer.”

It was the sound of my own moniker that lured me to the door, where I pressed my ear against it.

“Is he cute?”

“Very.” You gushed to her, my own heart swelling two sizes too big for my poor chest to contain.

“Do you want to fuck him?” Your friend giggled. You hesitated to speak. “Oh my god, have you already fucked?”

“No!” You defensively screeched.

“But you’ve thought about it!”

“Will you lower your voice? He lives right there! What if he hears you?”

I peeked through the peephole to spy on this encounter, brainlessly ducking down when I saw you eyeing my door curiously. After I finally slowed down the cadence of my heart, the realization dawned on me that you couldn’t possibly have been able to see me from the outside view of my peephole, but it still felt like you had; your eyes pierced through my soul, bewitching my body and soul.

Luckily for you - unluckily for me, I suppose - you and your friend vanished into your apartment before I could hear the rest of that conversation. I didn’t need to, though. What I heard was enough to keep me up all night. Had I heard anything more, I’m not sure how many more hours of sleep I would’ve lost just thinking about you. 

Hours I could’ve spent reading. Hours I could’ve spent writing. Hours I could’ve spent, but time that I would never take back. Not for anything in the world.

Our next interaction took place the following week. 

It was 5 a.m and Hotch had called us all in early, so I was already out the door before the sun was up, but evidently, not before you were up. Because when I left my apartment, there you were, lingering in the doorway, leaning against - what I had to assume was - your very much unlocked front door. 

“Oh!” You flinched and gasped, while ripping the headphones out of your ears. “You scared me, Spencer.”

“Good morning to you, too, (y/n).” I quipped, puckering my lips slightly to reduce the immense size of my zealous smile before grinning back at you again, this time with a much smaller smile - one much less discouraging. 

You were exactly what I needed to see to make my morning better, and your hair in a ponytail and your black leggings only made the view that much sweeter.

“What are you doing up so early?” You had asked me inquisitively.

“I got called into work.”

“Oh.” 

You sounded so disappointed, and I couldn’t help but feel that I’d just let you down. The pout of your lips and deflation of your shoulders only solidified that.

It was then where I should’ve left you alone and gone to work, which I was already considerably late for, but I couldn’t help myself. I would’ve worried about you all day if I hadn’t asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” You tried to wave me away down the staircase, but I knew better than to leave. You understood my maintained foothold as a silent communication that I wouldn’t walk away unless you told me what was bothering you so you reluctantly gave in.

“Well, honestly, I’ve been standing out here since like 4:30, trying to convince myself to go on a run, but ... I’m actually kind of scared to. I just, I don’t know if I feel safe running alone in the dark.” 

You never met my eyes, they were only fixated on the earbud cord you were rolling between your fingers to make brief circles in the air. 

“You know what?”

From those words alone, you perked back up. 

“I’m already late, so I can ... I’ll run with you. If you want.”

In seven little words, I managed to gain all your trust. That’s all it took for you to never be ashamed of your feelings in front of me. You trusted me to always respond to your vulnerability like this, and I knew then, what the weight of having your trust felt like. I could never wish to break it.

Your joy was so uncontainable to the point where you were emboldened enough to show me your appreciation through a hug so big that I couldn’t understand how your petite body was capable of supporting something of its size. You wrapped your arms around my neck, pulling me down to your height despite already balancing on the tips of your toes. I had to remind myself not to indulge in your embrace too much, otherwise I might never have let you go.

Your hair smelled like a certain flower my mother used to put in a vase on our dining table. It’s the same flower that she grows in the garden of her assisted living home at present. It’s such a distinct scent - magnolias - I’ll never forget. But now whenever I pass those beloved magnolias during my visitations, the flowers from my childhood dining room won’t be what I associate it with anymore. 

You’ll be what I think of.

I was met with the cruel reminder of what I’d agreed to when you left my arms. There’s not much I dislike in this world as much as exercise, but for you - I’d run to the ends of the earth. I mean that.

“You’re my hero!” You exclaimed when we reached our apartments again after that treacherous run, which felt more like a marathon and a half to me.

I would’ve said something back, but I was still trying to catch my breath, even folding over my bent knees to stop myself from panting so hard. For a moment there, I was sincerely upset that you weren’t nearly as breathless as I was. Were you just that perfect in every conceivable way? Not even a semblance of windedness from the miles and miles we just ran? 

How unfair. Have pity on my poor soul.

“I had so much fun. We should do that again sometime.” You added.

Again, I would’ve responded to your exclamation, but I was still very much out of breath. You didn’t seem to mind, though. You even offered me a sip of your water. I politely declined, which I meant as no insult. I only refused because I would not have been able to handle the effects of tasting you on it.

Thankfully, I’d caught my breath before the next time we encountered each other. This time I could actually speak. 

It was two in the morning and I’d just come home from an exhausting case, feeling more ready to sink into the depths of my bed than ever. Almost the entire way up the stairs, I was lethargically dragging my feet up each step to get to my apartment ... until I saw you. 

“Hey, it’s you! 2B.” 

Like a siren singing to a ship of sailors, your voice called out to me from the top stair, shocking me when I came around the corner - a most welcome surprise. 

“Hey.” I cooed back softly.

Despite my mind firing impulses to run to you, my feet weren’t listening. I was stopped in my tracks by the mere sight of you.

It wasn’t lost on me that the bags under my eyes were probably heavier and darker than they ever had been before, and that my hair was in complete shambles from where I’d run my fingers through them in distress one too many times, and that my loosened tie that hung from the collar of my skirt looked disheveled, but you? You were still a radiant view to behold, even at 2 a.m. especially at 2 a.m. The sight of you shocked my onerous heart like a defibrillator on bare skin, reigniting my entire being. 

I could finally breathe again. 

My posture straightened, my head raised, and my smile returned. You looked just as excited to see me as I was to see you and it was such a warm feeling.

“So where have you been at this hour, young man? Your girlfriend’s?” 

I should’ve noticed then the way you slurred your words together, but I think I was blinded by the bliss of being able to see right through you for the first time. 

I could see that you were compensating. You wanted to look happy for me in the event that I did have a girlfriend, but underneath, you were morbidly curious, desperately hoping that I didn’t. For you, I chose the more merciful option - giving into your clandestine concern so as not to torture you any longer with the fear that I was in a relationship.

“I -” My own mirthless chuckle cut into my sentence. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

And I saw it - I saw the look of relief on your face.

“I was at work,” I honestly told you, my feet resuming their climb up the stairs. “So, why are you still up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

By the time you answered, I’d reached the top step where you were perched, wearing that big flannel. It devoured your figure, the collar of the shirt hanging off your shoulders, the cuffs of the sleeves stretching way past your hands, the hem of the shirt falling at your thighs. That’s all you were wearing for pajamas, just a big shirt, not even shoes or socks to cover your feet from the shiny Merbau floors. It took all of me not to fasten one more of the flannel’s buttons to protect your modesty, but really, who was I protecting you from? Guys just as perverse and impure as me? 

My jaw tensed as a reminder to myself not to wonder about what was underneath the flannel, or what wasn’t. 

You shifted from the middle of the stair to the side, making room for me to sit beside you. Our proximity enabled me to notice your usual scent of magnolias was replaced with something much less agreeable - a scent that didn’t suit you.

Liquor.

At the exact moment I looked down at your face to locate the signs of intoxication, you’d taken it upon yourself to rest your head on my shoulder, blocking my view. I knew it wasn’t your intention to hide your face from me, but it was hard to believe that you were doing this just to get closer to me. Was it the alcohol that stole your inhibitions and unearthed the confidence to touch me further? Was this what you had wanted to do all this time but couldn’t without liquid courage? And I wonder, even with a calmer disposition created by liquor, were you still feeling first time nerves? Or were you the luckier of the two of us, fortunately avoiding the agony of a racing heart?

“So what’s keeping you up?” My voice croaked, trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude to your otherwise intimidating actions.

“This stupid guy.”

At first, I was sure that you were talking about someone else, and I prepared my weary heart to listen to you pour your soul out about ‘this stupid guy’ to me, but then I got smarter and recalled the conversation that took place not too long ago, the one that kept me up all night.

Was I the ‘stupid guy?’

“Tell me about him.”

“He’s ... he’s so tall.” You had laughed. “And he’s got this great smile. He’s super nice, too. But he’s the kind of guy that you can’t really figure out, but you want to, you know what I mean?”

I trained my eyes to stay forward and not look at you so that your resting head might not be disturbed by the action, but I wanted to look at you. I wanted to see those micro-expressions and read your face. I needed to know if you were talking about me.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“If he were any other guy, I’d be upfront with him, but this guy ... he’s different. He scares me, and his rejection scares me even more,” You went quiet for longer than a second and this time I actually did have to move my head to check on you in case you’d suddenly passed out. But when I went to look down at you, I was met with the shocking view of those batted eyelashes and big doe eyes again.

“What do you think I should do, 2B?”

I knew it. Those eyes can’t lie to me.

You were talking about me.

“I think you should tell him how you feel. You might be surprised.”

“Yeah …” Your voice faded out when you replaced your head on my shoulder. “Maybe.”

“He might feel the same way.” I whispered.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

“How do you know?”

It took me a moment to gather the right answer, but even with as extensive a vocabulary as I was equipped with, every single word in it was failing me. Though ultimately unsatisfactory, the only thing I could manage to say that was honest and quaint was, “He’d be crazy if he didn’t.”

The air was still. Not a word from either of us. Not even a peep, until the sounds of your snores revealed the true cause of the silence - you’d fallen asleep, and most likely before I had found it in me to confess my feelings. I smiled still, though. At least you’d finally gone to sleep.

Without another thought, I slid my hand under your knees with the other hand at the small of your back to lift you off the stairwell and carry you back to your apartment. And no surprise to me when all I had to do was press my arm against the door to open it.

You never do lock that thing, do you?

As I entered your apartment, I did my best not to gape at the surroundings, for it felt like an invasion of privacy without your verbal consent willingly granting me the permission to do so. I quickly located the bedroom using only the profound knowledge of my own apartment’s configuration that, for obvious reasons, identically matched yours. I made sure to sit you upright against your pillows in the event that you choked on your vomit, but I held high hopes that you weren’t so inebriated as to have that come into fruition.

When it came time to leave you, I had to slip my hands out from under your body. I attempted to perform this action with the utmost caution, but I think the coarseness of my hands gliding against your velvet skin made it impossible not to feel. You shivered at my touch, waking ever so slightly. 

“Spencer?” You asked in your sleep. 

“Shh, it’s okay. Go back to sleep.” I spoke softly, stroking your hair so it might soothe you back to sleep. This alone felt like a pure moment, but it was much sweeter when your small hand wrapped around my wrist while you placed your other one on top of mine. You leaned your face into my palm and gently shut your eyes, trying to maximize your ability to feel my touch. I even saw a smile come upon your face. 

“Will you stay with me?” You whispered against my skin. 

I couldn’t say no, sweet girl. 

I stayed with you for two hours while you slept. I wanted to ensure that you were safe, but I knew that I shouldn’t stay the night. Not because I couldn’t trust myself, but because I was worried that you wouldn’t remember asking me to stay the night before. Honestly, I preferred that you woke up with no recollection of that night. Because while watching you sleep to fulfill your request, I was also experiencing the deepest regret of my life.

If I told you how I felt a second sooner, maybe you would’ve heard me and that night would’ve ended very differently.

I suppose that was our ‘missed chance #1.’

To be quite honest, that night did discourage me, and I made a conscious effort to avoid you in days to follow. I wish I could rationalize my behavior here, but I doubt that any explanation will suffice so I’ll settle for the truth.

I thought avoiding you would make the regret go away, and I hoped my feelings would leave with it. But if anything, the longing I felt to see you again, the urge for fate bring us back together, only made my infatuation greater.

As luck would have it, not even my most extravagant attempts to avoid you would work.

I had heard it from the first floor where I was getting my mail, a strangely familiar sound - the sound of knocking. It was growing more and more desperate with each step I took up the stairs and once I finally reached the top, I found the cause of this noise at last. It was you - knocking at my door.

“(Y/n)?”

You turned over your shoulder; your furrowed brows and disgruntled appearance faded at the sight of me.

“2B! I was wondering where you were. Where have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

It had only been 9 days, (y/n), but yes, I suppose it did feel like forever.

I responded with an answer I always seemed to give you, an answer you seemed to already anticipate. 

“Work.”

“Mmm, it always is work, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah …” I sheepishly agreed, looking down to avoid your scrutinizing gaze. It was easier to let you believe work is what kept me away from you, and not the insatiable craving to be with you, but I could feel you sensing my lie.

“Well, I hope you’re not busy on December 21st.”

“What’s December 21st?”

“My going away party.”

My stomach dropped; my heart stopped, and I think I could actually feel the lump in my throat solidify into a pit.

“Going away party?”

“Yeah, I’m going home for the holidays, back to Oregon so I can visit my dad for a while and um …” 

I saw the same look on your face that I saw all those days ago when you admitted you didn’t feel safe running alone. The fearful one, where you knew you had to gather the courage to be vulnerable. When you looked back up at me, I wish I would’ve seen those doe eyes, but no. Your eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears. 

“I think, I think it might be his last Christmas, so I, I got an open-ended ticket just so I can -”

I didn’t want you to explain any more to me if you couldn’t bear it. “Of course. That makes perfect sense.” 

“I’m not really sure when I’m coming back, so I wanted to have a little get together with my friends before I leave. And I was really hoping you’d be able to come. If you’re not busy with work, of course.”

How could I say no?

“I’ll be there.”

You sighed in relief and smiled at me in thanks. “Perfect. Thank you.”

You turned on your heels and vanished into your unlocked apartment before I could offer a hug, but I think even if I did have the chance, it wouldn’t have been enough to heal the hurt that penetrated deep within your soul. That was a pain, I couldn’t fix - no one could.

December 21st came faster than I imagined, and in no time at all, I was standing outside your unlocked door, trying to gather the confidence to enter.

I wore my best suit and tie specifically to impress you, but even if I was decorated with the finest silks, I still wouldn’t have looked as golden as you. Your neck, ears, and fingers were embellished with gold jewelry that sparkled ever so slightly under the pale yellow light of your apartment. You had styled your hair differently than I’d ever seen it, and I felt like I was seeing you for the first time all over again.

“You look …” Heavenly. Dazzling. Magnificent. “Breathtaking.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, 2B.” You drew closer, filling my senses with your poisonous perfume. 

“I especially like this tie.”

God help me when you walked your fingers up my tie. It took everything not to shudder at the sensation. I gulped to replenish my dry mouth while I stared into your eyes. Don’t ask me how I did it, but I found the willpower to break away from your hypnotizing gaze. 

“So,” I cleared my throat. “Where’s everyone else?” With these words, I walked away to catch my breath by your dining table, unintentionally abandoning you in the living room. In response, you sort of laughed, which made me concerned. 

“I actually asked you to come an hour earlier than everyone else.” To my quizzical brow, you answered, “I told my friends about you.”

You can imagine the butterflies in my stomach from the joy of you telling me that. “You did?”

“They had a bunch of questions for me, but I told them to save them for tonight since you were coming. I just thought we could have, like, a pre-party-run-through of what to say.”

“Got it.”

You were shocked at my willingness. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

The only person that I think is crazy, is the person that doesn’t admire you as deeply as I do, (y/n). 

In no time at all, we were sitting on your couch, facing each other, while playing a speed round of 21 questions. 

Here, we discovered our shared hobby of reading, you unearthed my job as a profiler (not without asking a million questions about it after), and I came to the realization of just how hopelessly devoted to you I was after a three-word question.

“Future baby names?” You casually asked. To say that that one caught me off guard would be the understatement of the year. 

“Future baby names?” I repeated; my cheeks flushed while I felt you anxiously waiting for an answer. Your eyes were expectant and the large gulp I took was just a means to stall time until I finally whispered, “Harper.”

You were silent for a second and I felt the need to explain myself. “I don’t know why, probably because of Harper Lee, but I just like the name.”

The biggest grin crept its way onto your face. “Shut up.” 

“What?”

“Shut up because that name is literally on my list!” You squealed delightfully. 

Truthfully, ever since that faithful first day I met you, I deliberately refused to let myself imagine a future with you, but after December 21st - that’s all I could do. All thanks to your “baby names” question. Would you believe that the first time we ever truly hung out, you were reading off all your favorite baby names and giving me a thorough description of why you liked each one? That seems like only a thing we’d do - after all almost every experience we had together was unconventional to some degree. 

That one hour of private bonding came and went, and soon enough, I was surrounded by the closest people in your life. And somehow, your boundless love made me feel like I was part of that close circle, too - like I always had been. 

First to greet me was April, your roommate in college. I recognized her voice instantly, recalling it as the one I heard outside my door all those nights ago. I tried not to smile at the memory of her crude question, “Do you wanna fuck him?” 

Arriving only seconds after her was Marty, short for Martin, and he’s Drew’s boyfriend. Drew worked with you at the grocery store, which was your first real job during college. 

After Drew and Marty, came Jillian and Janelle, twin sisters you met in your “Introduction to Psychology” class, a class you thought you would end up hating, but you actually ended up loving. 

“So, Spencer, what’s up with you and (y/n)?” 

I knew the question was bound to come up, and it came as no surprise to me that April was the one to be asking it. After the conversation I overheard weeks ago, I came to the discovery that she is someone who is all but forthright. Given the fact that this was the singular opportunity to catch me alone, since I was practically attached at your hip the entire night, April wasted no time in jumping at the opportunity to back me into a corner at my most vulnerable.

“We’re just friends.” I said through a cheeky smile that surely gave me away. The lie stung my tongue as it passed through my teeth, and I knew it was impossible to have fooled her.

“(Y/n) would kill me if she knew I told you this, but I’ve known her since she was 17, and I have never seen her light up the way she did when she was talking about you. Sometimes I catch her just smiling out of nowhere, and I have to think that you’re the reason why.” 

At the moment, my expressions were a completely separate entity from my mind because I could not control the grin that crept onto my face and I had no control over the minimization of it either. No matter how hard I tried to reduce it, it was impossible.

“Ever since her dad got sick, she’s been a different girl. But tonight, I think I finally have my old friend back again ... Thank you.” 

April’s pursed lip smile, in any other exigence, could be seen as insincere or facetious, but here, I knew it was a smile of gratitude and thanks. As April left my gravity, you were simultaneously entering it with a sly grin on your face. 

“What were you two talking about?” 

“You.” 

“Me?” Your voice heightened in pitch as you pretended to be shocked. “What about me?”

“Just about how much we both really like you.” 

“Oh, is that so?” 

“Indeed, it is so.” 

You came closer, wrapping your arms around my waist to draw me in nearer. You had your head cocked all the way up to look at me with those once again, batted eyelashes and doe eyes. 

“Well, I really like you too, 2B. And so do all of my friends.” 

A genuine laugh escaped me as I pushed you away from me and nudged you backward so we could integrate with the rest of the party again. It was all a charade to get you to look away from my visible joy. In the back of my mind lied the thought about what April said about your dad and how different you became following his diagnosis, but I knew better than to bring that up here, right now.

Once we immersed ourselves back into the group, I found you being even touchier with me. You would lock your arm around mine, or lie your head on my shoulder. Even while we were sitting on the couch, you were practically on my lap. I don’t think you were intentionally being so coquettish, but if you were - it was pure evil. Especially, when you left my lap to answer a call in the other room. 

I deliberately tried not to stare into the room you wandered in so that I could look as present in the moment with your friends as possible, for it would’ve been rude both to ignore them and to invade your privacy, but I could see your body language even in the poorly lit space. 

Something was wrong. 

In a one minute and fifty-three second phone call, December 21st went from the best night of my life, to the worst night of yours. 

I saw the way you came back into the living room with your eyes blankly staring into space. You were a walking ghost, a shell of a woman. 

“That was Adriana, my dad’s nurse,” You told us, commandeering the entire room’s attention. And somehow, we all knew what was to follow. 

“My dad just died.”

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

“I’ll take care of her, I promise.” I heard Spencer whisper to April as he walked her out. 

I felt terrible for letting him walk out all the guests I invited, while I simply sat on my couch staring into the nothingness. I should’ve said goodbye to them, but I was paralyzed even when he came back into the living room.

“I know this is a dumb question, but - you okay?” I could see the way his eyes ran over my face to examine me. Were you profiling me, Doctor?

“It’s weird,” I admitted. “It hasn’t hit me, yet. That he’s dead.” 

Even as the word left my mouth, my brain still couldn’t register it. 

“That’s not weird at all. Statistically speaking, after the death of a loved one, 32% of people reported that they stayed in the first stage of grief the longest.”

I wasn’t familiar with what he was referring to, which was something I’d have to get used to considering I was talking to a provable genius after all. “What’s the first stage of grief?”

“Denial.” 

And that was true, I was in denial. Even hours before my flight home, I was still in stage one. I was packing the last of my things when Spencer called to make sure I had everything I needed. 

“Wallet?” 

“Check.” 

“Passport?” 

“Check.”

“Ticket?” 

“Check.”

“Door?”

“Door?” I repeated. “What do you mean door?”

“Have you locked your door?”

“I never lock my door.” I scoffed, partially recognizing my own naiveté. 

“Yeah, I know you don’t. But will you please lock it for me when you leave?” 

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll lock it on my way out.” 

Following my own promise, I hauled my suitcase through my apartment and turned the doorknob to exit, but I quickly stopped when I saw Spencer standing right outside. 

“Spencer? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work.” Soon after my statement, I ended our phone call considering there was no need to be on the phone with Spencer since he was standing right there in front of me. 

“I, um, I needed you to lock your door after you left because I won’t be around to do it myself when you’re in Oregon.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m coming with you.”

All the anxiety and stress left my body at once and there was nothing for me to do but show him my deepest appreciation by engulfing him in a hug. 

“You’re coming with me?” I nearly cried. 

“I couldn’t let you do this alone. And April practically threatened that if I didn’t buy a ticket, she’d kill me.” 

I chuckled mirthlessly in recognition of April’s tendency to be harsh in pursuit of something she wanted. I was so pleased to hear she wanted him to be with me in Oregon as badly as I wanted him to come. Her approval meant the world to me, and to know that she brought us that much closer together, even under these circumstances, truly showed her support of us.

In the hug, my head was hanging over Spencer’s shoulder giving me the opportunity to see his hidden luggage that if I had noticed earlier, would’ve revealed this little surprise, but I was glad I was blind to it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt the sweetest relief imaginable, it would’ve only been a combination of diluted relief and satisfaction of confirmed suspicion - a mixture not half so rewarding. 

“Thank you.” I whispered.

. . . 

There’s something about driving through your hometown after years and years of being gone. It’s like listening to a song you used to play over and over again, after not hearing it for a while. Both are like little time capsules that simultaneously preserve those memories while also transporting you to them. Whether that was a good or bad thing was still undetermined. 

“Home sweet home.” I sighed, the weight of everything coming down on me the minute I stepped foot in the doorway. 

I could actually smell the interior of the house and it brought back so many memories. I lived here for so long and never once could I smell a scent so distinct as this one, but now, with how long I’ve been gone - I could distinguish it, as if it were just another person’s house, and not my own from childhood. 

“(Y/n), is that you?” Adriana’s voice wavered as she ran towards me, embracing me with a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you in so long. Lemme look at you.” Adriana pulled back to stare at me in my entirety, and there was something about the look on her face. It was full of pride and sorrow - pride to see me in my full transformation into a woman but sorrow to be seeing me for these reasons. 

“Your dad would’ve been so proud to see the woman you’ve grown up to be.” 

Her teary eyes only brought on my own flood of tears. I hadn’t cried yet, but that was probably only because I was so distant from everything, but now, here in my childhood home, I was right in the middle of it. 

Adriana inhaled sharply after realizing how long our hug had lingered and the fact that she hadn’t yet greeted Spencer. “Oh forgive me for being so rude, I’m Adriana. I was (y/n)’s father’s nurse.”

“Spencer Reid.” He kindly greeted. “How are you, Adriana?” He asked her, a question I realized I should’ve asked myself. Somehow I’d forgotten that this couldn’t have been easier for her either. 

Walking through even just the front of the house was enough to overwhelm me with a plethora of memories. I was far too busy gaping at how much it hadn’t changed over the years to insert myself into Spencer and Adriana’s conversation.

“Well, right now, I’m just working on cleaning up the house. For when it goes on sale.” I heard Adriana tell Spencer.

I turned quickly over my shoulder in shock. “On sale?” 

“Your father figured you would sell this house. He left it for you, but he didn’t think you’d want it.” 

I should note that: here is where the seed was planted. The seed of doubt. 

Should I keep the house and move back to Oregon?

“Oh and before I forget,” Adriana tapped her pockets until she found what she was looking for. “He wanted me to give you this. He wrote it for you a couple days before he ...” She couldn’t even bring herself to say, ‘died’.

It was an envelope with what appeared to be a letter inside of it. I never knew my father to be a writer, so I opened it with such passionate fervor that I nearly gave myself a paper cut. Adriana and Spencer must’ve recognized my overwhelming eagerness to read it because they disappeared into the kitchen to give me the privacy to do so. 

To my dearest (y/n), 

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I was getting worse. 

But what I’m not sorry about is not asking you to come home. I made a lotta mistakes when you were growing up, but I think the smartest thing I ever did was not ask you to come back home, because ever since I was diagnosed four years ago, you were ready to run home at the drop of a hat and rush back here in no time at all. That’s no way to live. You can’t just put your life on hold for my imminent death - and that’s certainly not what I want you to do when I actually am dead. 

I want you to live your life, (y/n). 

Never press pause. Keep going. 

Live a long and happy life ... for me, alright, kiddo?

Love,  your old man

All at once, I departed from the first stage of grief and straight into the second. 

Anger.

I hurled the note with as much force as I could, screaming at the top of my lungs with an earsplitting shrill. After seeing the letter fall onto the entryway table, I took my outer arm and swept every single thing on the table off of it out of anger that his letter didn’t go far enough. I could still read the words - I could still hear his voice. I watched in dignity as I let the decor, lamp, and picture frames fall where they may. The lamp landed on its side, clattering beside fallen decor and the picture frames’ glass split in two. I saw the remnants of the mess I created, and I was even angrier at myself. I only created more destruction for me to fix later. My face felt fiery hot and my skin was burning. I was fuming with rage when I finally looked into the mirror and saw the person I hated the most. 

Myself.

I was consumed by a deep loathing of the woman staring back at my in the reflection. 

How could she? How could she not visit dad until now? How could she let Adriana take care of him instead of taking care of him herself? How could she not check in every day? How could she spend years away from him?

How could she not know he was going to die? 

“I hate you!”

The anger took over my body and in one swift motion, my fist collided with the glass, shattering the dead center of the mirror. I cried out in immediate anguish as I felt my wrist go limp and a shooting pain going up and down my arm. Horror must’ve filled my eyes when I saw tiny shards of glass piercing my fist. I think I might’ve actually blacked out from the pain because all I could remember next was waking up in a hospital bed with my arm in a cast that extended all the way to my elbow. I blinked slowly to readjust to the glare, but thankfully, Spencer’s hovering face shielded my eyes from the bright florescent light.

“You know, for someone so small, you pack a pretty good punch,” Spencer chuckled mirthlessly. “You managed to dislocate your wrist, shatter a bone in your forearm, and fracture your elbow. Remind me to never get into a fist fight with you.” He kidded, making the joke just to see me smile, which it did, but he wouldn’t stop there. He had to actually see me laugh again. 

“Well, I think it’s safe to say you’re in the second stage of grief now, huh?” 

A soft giggle escaped me, and he knew his plan had worked. 

“But seriously, how are you feeling?” 

His question was accompanied with the delicate stroking of my hair out of my face, and I was transported to all those nights ago when I asked him to stay the night. I couldn’t remember much from that night either, but I could remember this feeling. The feeling of his touch. 

I felt so loved.

I shut my eyes in an effort to hide the tears that were glossing them, but that only made them stream down my cheeks. 

“Oh, (y/n),” Spencer frowned, replacing his stroking hand to the back of my head to bring my forehead closer to his lips where he would place a chaste kiss on it. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re feeling right now, but I am going to be right there for you - through every single emotion.”

His warm words only made me sob harder. I didn’t deserve his good heart. 

“If I could take your pain away and experience it myself, I would. In a heartbeat.” 

Only his words I could trust wholeheartedly. 

I was discharged from the hospital several hours later, the loopiness I was experiencing from the anesthesia just barely wearing off, and I was forced to face the consequences of my previous actions in the form of a shower. 

Yes, you heard that correctly - a shower. 

“How do I even shower with a cast on?” I asked out loud to myself after turning the water on. My question was quickly followed with two knocks on the door and a, “Need any help in there?” from Spencer. 

There was a quick moment of contemplation which ultimately led to a bashful, “Yes, I do.”

My timidity fell away shortly after seeing Spencer fumble into the bathroom with his hand over his eyes. 

“I won’t look, I promise.” 

My laughter erupted in the room at the sheer amusement I got from his sinless actions. “I’m not naked! You don’t have to cover your eyes.” 

He made a gap between his middle and ring finger for his eyes to peek through just enough to register if I was really telling the truth and upon the discovery that I was, he removed his hand from his face. Afterwards, he left me with careful instructions to not wet my cast and carry on with the rest of my shower routine as normal. 

My shower, though mildly inconvenient because of my cast, was just like any other - ending in me shuffling from the bathroom to my bedroom with just a towel to cover me and collect the water from my sopping body. It was after I shut my bedroom door behind me I was met with yet another daunting task - putting on clothes. 

Unfortunately, my short temper didn’t bode well with my struggle to put pants on followed by my complete inability to find a shirt that had sleeves big enough to fit my cast through without excessively stretching the fabric. This resulted in the downright termination of the act after minutes of trying. I’d been rummaging through my luggage for minutes, but it wasn’t like I was planning to end up in a cast, so naturally - I didn’t bring clothes fit for such an occasion. And anything that was left in my closet were clothes that hadn’t fit me since high school. 

“(Y/n)?” I heard Spencer knock gently then saw him opening the door with painfully slow caution.

“Down here.”

His eyes followed as my words told him, and there he found me, lying on the floor with my towel still wrapped around my upper body.

“What are you doing down there?”

I should add that, along with his playfully spoken question, he got down on the floor to further lie on his back, too. It was a simple thing really, but it meant more to me than he knew. He wanted to join me as I rested on the carpet; he didn’t want to be standing above me, talking down to me. He saw me as his equal and he was going to lie with me on the floor, too - no hesitation whatsoever. He was more than content to follow along with my peculiar schemes, to humor my weirdness.

How many people in your life can you say that about? There’s not very many in mine who will go along with whatever I do or say just to make me happy, and for that, I thanked my lucky stars for giving me Spencer.

“I’ve been trying to put on a shirt, but none of them would fit around my cast and I just got frustrated and gave up.” I bluntly told him. 

“I can see that.” He jestingly noted, his eyes skimming over the mess in the room that I created trying to find a shirt that would fit. I could see the gears in his head turning for a solution to my problem. 

“What if I give you mine? Do you think it’ll fit?” 

He disappeared out of my bedroom and in less than a minute, he came back into the room with a worn Caltech shirt, and of course, it was a perfect fit. Almost made-to-measure.

After my content finding of a proper shirt, we resumed our position on the floor, lying side by side.

“I really like your room, by the way. I especially like your stars.” He pointed at my ceiling that was spotted with glow-in-the-dark stickers in the shape of stars and planets that I’d put up there as a child. 

I tried not to laugh as to not insult his admiration of them, but I couldn’t contain the slight giggle that left me from the amusement of his childlike wonder.

“Why?” I had to ask.

“I dunno, it’s just nice to look at. It’s kinda like we’re stargazing.”

“Hmm, I guess we kinda are.”

“Oh look!” He quickly motioned to a different sticker than the one he’d pointed to before. “There’s a shooting star! Make a wish.”

“Shut up!” I childishly giggled, reaching across my body to shove him with my good arm.

“Come on it’s a shooting star - you have to make a wish!”

In the same way that he humored my silly antics, I knew I had to indulge his. 

“Alright, I wish -”

“No, you have to close your eyes!” He insisted. “Your wish won’t come true unless you close your eyes.” To my furrowed brows and deadpan stare, he responded, “I don’t make the rules! You just have to!” 

I played along and shut my eyes all while inhaling deeply in preparation to make a wish. 

In that same breath, Spencer leaned over me, letting his face hang above mine for just a second to look at me. Even though I couldn’t look at him back, he didn’t mind.

“I wish . . .”

I parted my mouth to say something in addition, but my words were cut short when he placed his lips on mine.

The stars were aligning.

It was a shy kiss, just as I always dreamt it would be. He didn’t move his lips; he only puckered them against mine, and I could feel him begin to pull away. Before he could, I raised my head to follow his mouth, drawing him in closer with my one good hand on his cheek.

That was the only thing stopping him from kissing me harder before. He needed to know that I wanted it just as much as he did. And I did. I really did.

Now with more encouragement, he snaked his hand under my neck, supporting the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my still-damp hair. He cocked his head to the side, sharply inhaling so my own mouth would be forced to open, too, creating an entryway just big enough for his tongue to slip in.

I started seeing stars, and not the ones on my ceiling.

The moment was too quick and ended before I wanted it to, like all moments I had with him. He placed one small chaste kiss to give me solace, our lips clinging together briefly, bouncing back into place when ours faces were fully apart, making a small pop noise from the moist separation.

“Your hair smells like magnolias.” He drawled, seemingly in a daze when his eyes fluttered open.

It sent me into a fit of giggles - a sound he couldn’t resist. I noticed him eyeing me as I laughed and I tried not to let it get to my head, but God, if looks could kill. I wish I could see me the way he saw me. He looked at me like I was a galaxy full of stars, even if I felt like a dark abyss that would swallow him whole.

“I can’t believe it.” He dreamily whispered in awe.

“You can’t believe what?”

“When I first met you, I couldn’t get over how beautiful you were. And now, I’m smelling your shampoo while you’re wearing my clothes, kissing me under the stars?”

I’d never seen someone look so grateful. It was the purest vision.

I never did finish saying my wish, but if I had, it would’ve been to stay in this moment forever. But like all our moments together, this one, too, was gone in the blink of an eye. 

Soon enough, all this would just be a memory of the past. Another moment locked in time, never to occur again.

. . .

The week later we buried my father. 

I’d somehow skipped stage three and four - bargaining and depression - and was well on my way to stage five - acceptance. But it wasn’t really the acceptance of his death, more so the acceptance of what I had to do in the wake of it. 

I heeded my father’s words of not pressing pause on my life, but what I did next wasn’t really pressing pause, just rewinding a bit. 

I did say that whether coming to my hometown after years of not being here was a good thing or bad thing was still undetermined, and I think this was me realizing that it still is undetermined, and I wouldn’t be able to figure it out if I left. And really, I couldn’t leave. Not again. Not when Adriana needed me most to upkeep the house. Not after I’d purposefully bought an open-ended ticket to stay here for longer. 

I was meant to stay here, and consequently, I knew what that meant for me and Spencer.

We were on our way home from the funeral when Spencer parked the car in the driveway and shut it off. The rain was pelting the windshield as the window wipers robotically swept from side to side. We’d been listening to the sound of rain and automated windshield wipers for the entire duration of the time we sat there. He was waiting for me to say what he already knew. 

I wasn’t coming back to Virginia. 

The loud silence was broken with my words, “I’ve never felt this way for anyone before.” 

It almost seemed like he didn’t hear me because of the way he kept looking straightforward instead of at me, but I feel that it might’ve been so I wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. 

“Spencer, I love you.” I honestly confessed, the simultaneous feeling of weight being lifted off my shoulders and a new weight being placed onto them coming over me. 

For the first time, he swiveled his head to the side, giving me full view of his crestfallen expression. I almost wish he hadn’t. 

“I love you, too.” His voice croaked. 

“But it wouldn’t be fair to start a relationship with you like this.”

“That’s what I was afraid you would say.” He whimpered. 

I needed to take care of Adriana, look after the house, and recover from my dad’s death, and it would be so easy to escape all that if I went back to Virginia. But if I honestly wanted to grow from this, I had to accept the responsibilities I had waiting for me here. Nothing needed me in Virginia - nothing but Spencer.

And if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he would understand that I couldn’t come back just yet. 

And he wouldn’t ask me to. 

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

It’s been five months now, and somewhere around month two I got the sneaking suspicion that you were lying when you said you loved me. Because why wouldn’t you fight for us if you really did? 

But you knew if you told me that a long-distance relationship was too much to handle on top of everything else you had going on, I would’ve offered to move to Oregon with you, but you didn’t want that. You didn’t want me to uproot my life for you, and you knew that’s exactly what I would’ve done. 

So after three more months of that thought brewing, I’ve come to the realization that you weren’t lying. No, you loved me too much. Too much to make me choose between you and my life in Virginia, but I’m telling you right now - if you asked me to, I’d choose you. Over and over and over again. 

I’d choose you. 

But that’s just it - you wouldn’t let me choose you, and you didn’t. That’s why you didn’t ask. I’m mad you never gave me the option, but I know that you only did that out of love. 

And I guess if that’s your way of saying “I love you,” then this letter is mine. 

I only wrote this instead of telling you it in person, because I think, for the first time, I want to trust the world as much as you trust the world. 

I want to have as much blind faith in something as you have in that unlocked door of yours. 

I want to trust that when you come back to Virginia and find this letter, whenever that may be, we’ll be different people, and that maybe then we’ll be better for each other. But until that time comes - until that faithful day when you return from Oregon, I will wait. 

I will wait, and I will not forget you - I promise that. 

It’s quite hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember. 

At this time, you and I haven’t spoken a word to each other since the funeral, so I have virtually no idea what your current state of affairs are, but I should let you know that by this time next week, I will be living in a real house, which also means I am moving out of this apartment at the end of the week. I'm quite disoriented from this to say the least, but I’ve never been more ready or excited to start a new chapter of my life. 

As for us - this isn’t our last chapter. I know it. There’s more for us. 

I have faith. 

And if there’s one last thing I wanted you to know, it’s that:

You have given me a lifetime of happiness, 3B.

Sincerely yours, 2B

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

[thedeathdeelers]

Word prompt for fic: headphones

ok first of all i am so sorry for how long it’s taken me to get back to you with this but. yes

here’s a little juke fluff based on the word headphones (i apologise in advance for how basic this is)

without any further ado

—

study break (AO3)

“Hey Jules, what’s up?”

Julie was sat on the couch in the living room, trying to get through the massive pile of homework her teachers had decided to throw at them throughout the last week. She had spent the whole morning trying hard to focus on the task at hand, and ignore the very strong pull that led straight to the studio.

“Hey, Luke.” She looks up at her band mate as she pulls out one of her old wire earphones from her ear. She foregoes pausing the music, hoping that by doing so, it might help keep this interruption brief. She can’t get distracted, and unfortunately, she is very aware of the fact that just by having Luke in the same room as her, she was already fighting a losing battle.

“I’m just trying to get through this,” she gestures vaguely to the scattered mess of books and notes and pens and highlighters littering the overpopulated coffee table. “Teachers are throwing work at us faster than we can keep up.” Julie hunches forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she rubs her face with the palms of her hands, hoping to wipe away the headache she can feel coming on.

She feels the sofa dip to her right, suddenly very aware of the teenage boy (ghost) sitting next to her.

“You don’t look too good Jules. Maybe you should take a small break? Doesn’t matter how much work you try to get through in this state - if you burn yourself out too quickly, you won’t be able to finish.”

With her head still resting in the palms of her hands, Julie turns her head, her eyes peeking through the strands of curls falling between them. He’s looking at her in earnest, and she’s finding it exceedingly hard to say no (even though she knows she really, really should).

As she continues debating with herself internally, Luke reaches over with his hand, something purple and glittering in it, pushes her curls out of her face, and pins them back.

“Where did you get that?”

Luke looks at her sheepishly even as his hand lingers on hers cradling her face for a second before he pulls away.

“I- uh, I found one lying around the studio the other day. I guess I kept it in my pocket in case of emergencies.” He shrugs, trying to brush it off with a quiet, albeit awkward, chuckle.

“Emergencies?” Julie was finding it hard to control the smile quickly taking over her face at Luke’s reddening cheeks.

“Ya, you know,” He clears his throat, scratching at his hair as he tries to look nonchalant. “In case you hair got in the way and I suddenly couldn’t see your face anymore.” Wink.

Even as she felt her own cheeks start to redden in turn, Julie stood her ground.

“Really?” She deadpanned.

“Cross my heart and hope to die!”

She smacks his shoulder, trying hard not to giggle. “Not funny!”

He nudges her with his shoulder, an easy grin on his face.

“Come on, you know it was.”

She shakes her head at him, as her attention is brought back to the music still playing in her ear. She pulls her phone to her with the earphones wire, and starts scrolling through her playlist, trying to find a song that might motivate her to focus back on the work at hand.

“What’re you listening to?” Luke leans over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the song names passing by on her large screen.

“Uh, I’m just trying to find something to listen to on my study playlist. These songs usually help me focus...although I’m definitely finding it hard to do that right now.” She shoots him a pointed stare, as he curls a strand of her hair around his digit.

“Whatever do you mean?” He asks, a picture of perfect innocence.

She just stares back at him, unimpressed.

“Come on Jules! I told you, you need to take a break. You’ve been cooped up in here for like 4 and a half hours now.”

“You’ve been keeping track?”

“Of course. What else do you think I do when you’re not around?”

“Uh, not count the hours spent apart? Write music? Do ghost things?” She shakes her head at him, not really sure whether to laugh or cry. “You know, normal stuff?”

“Where’s the fun in that.” He moves in a little closer, eyes fixed on her playlist. “There’s not much ghost stuff to do that’s super exciting, plus I write better when we’re working together. You know that.”

She’s not sure what to say to that, so she turns her head and continues scrolling.

“I’ll make you a deal. You take a half hour break - we can literally just sit here and listen to some music - of your choosing of course - and then I swear I’ll leave you alone.”

Julie moves her head slightly to her right, trying to get a better look at her band mate.

“Half an hour? And then I can go back to work? No interruptions, no distractions?”

Luke’s chin dips slightly as he nods, his eyes trained on hers. He then grins at her, tacking on a last minute term. “For another 4 hours.”

Julie rolls her eyes at him, a small smile playing on her lips. Alright then, she can do that. And it’s not like she hasn’t been counting down the hours until she could finally spend some time with her boys (read: Luke). So she nods, her eyes already moving back to her phone screen.

“Alright, fine. But only half hour.” She reached over and grabs the left earphone, passing it on to Luke.

“I hear better with my right ear.”

She looks at him for a second, confused. He stares at her, then looks pointedly at the L earbud in her hand.

“....Luke, you’re a ghost.”

“So?”

“You don’t- never mind. Fine then..Move, we’ll need to switch sides.”

“I don’t see why that’s necessary. This is perfectly fine.”

“You’re on my right, yet you want the right earpiece. I hate using the wrong earphone for the wrong ear, so no. Switch.”

“We don’t have to use the wrong ones, just pass me the right one.”

“These are wired earphones..They’re not long enough for this.”

“Sure they are.” He reaches over as he snatches the Right earphone from her fingers, pops it in his ear and waits for her to do the same. Julie purses her lips at the ridiculousness of this situation, but grabs the dangling Left earbud and puts it in.

They’re now much closer to each other, his head nearly resting on her shoulder, his cheek brushing against hers. And Julie is starting to think that this was Luke’s plan all along.

“Hm, actually you’re right. This isn’t working.”

She’s about to retort, the words ‘I told you so’ on the tip of her tongue, when she suddenly feels hands grabbing her waist and hoisting her up. She squeals, arms flailing a little until she’s settled back down. Onto Luke’s lap.

His arms snake their way around her, coming to rest on her stomach.

“Okay- this works.”

He rests his head on her shoulder, pressing his cheek against hers more firmly. She can even feel the tips of his hair tickling her temple.

“Was this your plan all along?”

“Ah, but a magician never reveals his secrets.”

“Wh- Luke what are you talking about? There was absolutely no magic trick involved in any of this.”

“But it’s always magic when I’m with you.”

“...No.”

“Come on, that was cute.”

“No.”

But neither one could miss the large smile taking over Julie’s face as she leaned back against Luke’s chest, eyes glued on her phone screen, ready to enjoy her well deserved half hour break.

FIN

[jobean12-blog]

Head Over Heels

Pairing: Bucky x reader (beefy!bucky)

Word Count: 1,348

Summary: You like Bucky. Really like him, but being around him always has embarrassing yourself until an awkward mistake fixes everything. 

Author’s Note: This is for the continuation of the HBC’s @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ drunk drabbles and this awesome prompt for beefy bucky. You know how much I love to write him. This was lots of fun and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the request and thanks to everyone for reading! Sending love! ❤❤❤

Warnings: teasing, flirting, awkward flirting, Bucky being beefy and hot, fluff, sweetness :)

Standing on the edge of the stool you reached up, stretching as far as you could but still unable to get high enough to unscrew the lightbulb. With one last disgruntled push you lean forward just a bit too much and the next thing you know gravity takes over. The floor rushes toward you as you brace yourself for the fall, but before it happens, strong arms wrap around your middle and you land against Bucky’s broad chest.

“Oof.” You’re momentarily stunned but as soon the distinct smell of Bucky hits your nose you immediately begin flailing. “Woah, doll, you ok? That could have been bad, good thing I was here.” His voice caresses your ear and your body shivers, “I, uh, well, I was just trying to change the lightbulb, but I can’t reach.”

Bucky gently sets you down and turns you to face him, “I saw that, need some help?” You smile, hoping your face isn’t the same color as his red Henley, “sure, thanks Buck.” He moves the stool out of the way and stands on his tippy toes, easily unscrewing the old bulb. You watch intently as his shirt rides up and the waistband of his boxers peek out from under his jeans.

“I like Calvin Klein,” you blurt out, quickly following it with a gasp and covering your mouth. Bucky gives you a knowing grin, “yea, me too.” You let out a loud sigh, “I just meant, I saw your boxers and they say Calvin Klein, so you know…” you trail off, your cheeks on fire.

“I gotcha doll. Well you’re about to get another show, gimme that lightbulb.” Your eyes widen at his remark, grabbing the new bulb and handing it to him. “Thanks,” he says, reaching up once again and screwing it in. You know you shouldn’t look but you can’t help it.

You focus on the small trail of hair that disappears under the front of his jeans and the way his abs flex as he moves. Clearing your throat, you finally find your voice, “thanks, Buck, I appreciate the help.” He gives you a wide smile, moving around to the light switch and flicking it on, “all set!”

You stand in awkward silence for a moment trying to think of what to say next. “What color are your Calvin’s? I have a few pairs too, they are comfy.” You inwardly cringe, berating yourself for being so bad at this. You squeeze your eyes shut hoping when you open them Bucky will be gone, and you can go scream in your pillow.

Instead, you find him staring at you with a slight pink tinge to his cheeks and hands in his pockets as he shifts from foot to foot. “Um, these? I think they are black. And yea, they are comfy, that’s why I like this brand the best.”

“Black is good, always a good color and yea me too.” You feel the sweat collecting under your armpits and make an audible swallow, trying to think of any way to save this. Luckily, Steve jogs by your open door and pops his head in, “hey guys! Buck, I was looking for you, I need you down in the gym.”

“Hey Steve,” you croak out with a small voice and a forced smile. Bucky turns to you, “don’t try to change any more lightbulbs without me, doll, just call next time.” Your smile turns genuine at his endearment and you reply, “ok, will do, thanks again.” With a smirk he gives you a kiss on the cheek and walks out the door. Steve winks in your direction before bolting down the hall after Bucky.

“OMG,” you scream, running to grab your phone. Scrolling through your messages you quickly search for Nat’s name, fingers flying over your screen. “Nat. NAT! You need to come here right now. I totally embarrassed myself in front of Bucky. Again. BAD. I made comments about his CALVIN KLEINS! Why can’t I just tell him that I’m head over heels like a normal person! HELP!” You hit send with a trembling hand hoping she gets here fast and brings you a stiff drink. You stare at your screen waiting for a reply. When you don’t get one you decide to just go to her room.

You look out your door, checking both ways to make sure no one is in sight and dash down the hallway to Nat’s room. Knocking frantically, you hear her annoyed response from the other side. Bursting through you slam the door shut and rush over to her, “didn’t you get my text?!?!”

She gives you a confused look, grabbing her phone off the counter in front of her, “no text, y/n, look.” You stare blankly at her screen, seeing that the last text you sent her was from last night. “Then who did I send that to?!” you screech as you lunge for your own phone.

Checking through your messages you land on Bucky’s name, opening it up and seeing your message to Nat typed clear as day. Dropping your phone, you scream, sliding down to the floor and burying your face in your knees.

“I sent it to him by accident,” you whisper weakly. Nat leans down next to you, picking up your phone and checking, “yea. You did.” She gently rubs your back, “listen, you said you wanted to tell him, so now he knows.” You look up with watery eyes, “not like this Nat, I’m even more mortified now, what do I do?”

She gives you a sympathetic look, “well, you can just play dumb and see how it goes, this way if he says nothing you can just eat it and move on but if he does then you’re all set.” Burying your face in your hands you mumble, “oh god! This is gonna give me grays. Maybe I can just try to avoid him forever.”

Nat giggles and you let out a huff, “you can try,” she says, helping you off the floor, “or you can be your awesome self and go about your business, never mind about Bucky.” You give her your best death glare, “easy for you to say!”

Walking out of Nat’s in defeat you head back to your room to change for a run. The exercise will help clear your head; it always does. You head down to the gym, completely forgetting that Steve had called Bucky down to train not long ago.

It’s too late to go back once you turn the corner and lock eyes with Bucky. You stare as he spots Steve, his carved chest on display, slick with sweat and his shorts hung low on his hips. Your eyes roam over every inch of him as your tongue darts out to wet your lips.

Steve racks the bar and sits up, looking from you to Bucky several times before a sly smile crosses his lips, “hey y/n! I was just leaving; Peggy is expecting me for lunch.” He darts off without another word leaving you alone with Bucky.

“Hey, doll.” Bucky moves from around the bench and comes to stand in front of you. “You know what Buck, I just realized I forgot my headphones, I’m gonna go grab ‘em.” You make to turn and run but he gently grasps your upper arm, dragging you back into his chest. “They are around your neck, y/n,” he states, tracing the length of the wire down your neck to your cleavage.

Your body gives everything away as you tremble under his touch. “So, head over heels, huh.” His voice is low as tilts your head up to meet his eyes, “I wish I would have known sooner; I’ve been dying to get my mouth on you.”

Before you can respond his lips press to yours and one large hand cups your jaw while his metal fingers dig into the soft skin of your hip. You melt into him, forgetting all your previous embarrassment as your hands travel up the bulge of his biceps and snake around his neck, pulling him closer.

@book-dragon-13​ @chuuulip​ @eurynome827​ @hiddles-rose​ @jewels2876​ @jewelofwinter​ @loricameback​ @littledarlinhavefaithinme​ @littleredstarfish​ @marvelgirl7​ @mushyjellybeans​ @ikaris-whore​ @itsunclebucky​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines​ @randomfandompenguin​ @sallycanwait68​ @softpeachbarnes​ @sebastiansloserclub​ @lollypop-lam​ @when-the-hell-is-bucky​

[staysaneathome]

That Day (Afternoon)

(I made another part of that Entity swap WIP, this time with 90% more Melanie King and 30% more Basira Hussain, enjoy) Jon initially had no inkling that this day was going to be substantially different from any other.

Admittedly, there were some differences from his usual day-to-day roamings, but none that hadn’t been true of other days. He was a whole year older, as the Watcher informed him three weeks after his twelfth birthday, but that was ages ago now and he really didn’t feel any different between twelve and eleven.

The Collection was back in town, but he’d managed to avoid them so far, sometimes by the skin of his teeth. Somehow he continued to escape The Man’s prying gaze and the searchers who roamed the streets, some cognizant, some…not. He wondered if the Watcher allowed him to roam free because his status as The Recorder meant it liked him more than the Man, somehow.

Martin hadn’t been at the park for the past fortnight or so, though he’s promised to visit again as soon as he could the last time he was there.  So he could be forgiven of thinking that this day would be no more significant than the last.

And then he spots an eight-year-old girl toddling after one of the searchers.

She’s tall in the way that suggests she’ll be small later in life, with sparkly hair bobbles and the kind of clothes that come from Marks & Spencer or John Lewis or the other too big, too clean stores where the shop people glare at Jon as he goes past.

She’s asking questions of the searcher (who used to be known as Diana, but has lost what made a lot of her her in the flux and flow of information that The Man commands her to find). Questions like, “what do you know about the ghosts I saw on my holiday” and “why is everything so annoying now” and “why are you holding my hand so tight, it hurts” and “are you sure my daddy won’t mind, because he said he was only going to be gone for five minutes” and “hey, are you even listeningto me, you said you’d listen to me?!”

She’s only little, and she hasn’t lived that long, hasn’t got as many stories in her yet. But she’s had an Encounter with one of the Fourteen, and that called the searcher to her like moths to a flame.  Now the searcher’s taking the little girl back to The Collection, where The Man will Ask her about it.  And that will be the End of her.

Jon should turn around and walk away.  It’s sad, but this has happened millions of times, to millions of other people other than this one girl Jon had the misfortune of seeing. He’s so very incredibly lucky he hasn’t been found and dragged back yet, it’d be stupid to give it all up now. He can’t compromise his own safety for someone he doesn’t even know. He needs to turn around and walk away, see if Martin’s waiting at the park for him.

He’s going to turn around. Right now. Right now. Right. Now. Now. Now.

Now!

Jon has never been the largest child. Even when living with his grandmother and getting three square meals a day plus snacks, he’s always remained small and birdlike and bony. He’s not like Martin, who looks like he’d be soft and huggable, or Tommy, who was solid and square when he pushed Jon and stole his books.

But somehow he manages to barrel into the searcher’s arm and rip the little girl up and away with all the strength in his small body.

Of course, that’s when the girl begins trying to claw his eyes out.

“LET ME GO!!” She screams, wriggling so hard Jon almost drops her as he’s trying to run back across the busy road, car horns blaring around them. “WHO ARE—WHAT ARE—PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW OR I'LL BITE YOUR NOSE OFF, I SWEAR, I SWEAR I WILL!!”

”Stop MOVING!” He yells back at her once he’s safely hit pavement. “The searcher’s going to catch us both otherwise! I’m saving your life!!”

“I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO, YOU STUPID UGLY HEAD!!” The little girl shrieks back.

Jon considers dropping her and booking it himself for a single moment.

But the searcher’s coming for them, and now she’s seen him too, her pace quickening as the knowledge of how much the Man wants his prized Recorder back resonating in her skull until it overrides even basic instincts of pain and survival.

So Jon grits his teeth as the little girl in his arms tears into his shoulder with her sharp little nails and hauls her with him down the street as fast as he can go.

The Watcher tells him the bus pulling up to the station in front of them has a camera that’s faulty on the second level. There are two family groups that are going from sniping at each other to outright exchanging verbal blows over who deserves to get on first, the parents going red in the face with spittle flying from their mouths and the children pulling faces and calling names as the overworked and underpaid bus driver tries to keep order.

It’s easy for Jon to duck through them and drag the girl up the bus stairs with him, as the conflict below devolves into an outright brawl that masks the eight-year-old’s protests.  The bus doors slam shut, and the bus pulls away amidst the yelling and fighting outside.

Jon sags down in the seat on the relatively empty second level. The only other person seems to be a teenager slumped down across the very back seats far away from them, eyes shut and white headphone wires trailing out from under their hijab.

He stares out of the window at the searcher, whose figure is quickly vanishing as the bus picks up speed and merges into the London traffic.

”Okay.” He exhales, loosening his grip on the little girl’s collar. “I think we’re safe.”

The little girl whirls around.  Her teeth snap shut an inch away from his nose.

Jon presses himself against the window. “What is wrong wi—hey! Stop it!!”

“No!” The girl yells back. “That lady was gonna tell me why everything is being so annoying, all the time now and how to make it stop, so I can be happy again, and you, you went and ruined it!!” She’s still flailing, still trying furiously to claw him open, but there’s a frustrated edge to her voice and tears brimming in her eyes.

”I did not!” Jon protests vehemently, trying to keep a grip on her so she doesn’t give him anymore scratches like the one trickling blood down his arm. “She didn’t want to help you! She just wanted to take you back and make you tell your story so the Collection could eat up your life!”

”Liar! How would you know?!” The girl accuses, one of her sparkly hair-bobbles coming undone.

”Because that’s what they tried to do to me.” Jon hisses. “But they didn’t eat all of me, just…just made me into something like them. A monster that eats stories.”

The girl actually pauses for a moment to digest this.

“Are you going to try to eat me, then?” She asks, warily, arms tensing again. “If you’re a monster like that lady.”

”Of course not!” Jon scoffs, then adds, “Eating someone yucky like you would make me sick.”

The little girl goes bug-eyed and she tears her arms out of his grip to cross them over her chest ”I would not! You take that back!”

”No.” Jon says gleefully, then immediately regrets it when the little girl kicks him in the shin. “Ow! Stop that!”

”You started it.” The girl replies moodily, shifting to sit down in the seat properly and swing her legs.

Jon finally turns away to inspect the damage he’s sustained, pulling his shirt away from his arm and hissing as it makes his shoulder burn with pain. The Watcher tells him he needs to disinfect the cuts and maybe have a few stitches if he wants it to not get worse, but he can’t exactly get those easily where he is right now.

”If you’re a monster, why do you bleed like a normal person?” The girl pipes up behind him. Her eyebrows are furrowed.

”Why do you care?” He mutters, shooting her a dirty look.

The girl puffs out her chest, which looks a little odd, given that she’s now sitting on her hands. “I’m gonna be a ghost hunter when I’m grown up. Like in that one movie, but I’ll be even cooler and have a magic sword instead of a weird gun, and I’ll beat up all the ghosts and monsters on my own, except the nice ones, because they’ll be my friends. I’m Melanie, by the way. What’s your name? Do monsters have names?”

”Yes.” Jon replies. He enjoys the silence for a moment.

Melanie’s cheeks puff out like a pufferfish as she glares at him. “Okaay, so what’s your name?”

”Jon.” Jon says curtly.

”That’s not a very good name for a monster.” Melanie informs him.

”I wasn’t always a monster.” Jon tells her sourly. “Just like you.” The little girl doesn’t ask him many more questions for a long time after that.

”What are you looking at?” Melanie says suddenly as the bus is slowing to its fourth stop since they got on.

Jon twists away from the window. “I’m just trying to see if the searcher’s followed us—”

”Not you.” Melanie replies impatiently. “You. What are you looking at?”

The back of Jon’s neck goes cold. He twists around slowly.

The teenager in the hijab isn’t slumped across the seats. She’s half-way to standing, and staring right at them. Her eyes are cold and intent.

They stay like that, frozen for a moment.

”Melanie, run!!” He screams.

Melanie throws herself towards the stairs as the teenager explodes into motion behind them. Jon can feel her fingers try to snag on the back of his shirt as he thunders down the stairs, only narrowly missing him as he half-falls the rest of the way down and pelts out the bus doors to the sound of the driver yelling indignantly.

One of Melanie’s sparkly bobbles has fallen out and her hair is drooping down as she turns to grab onto Jon’s hand while they run.

”Stop!” The teenager yells. “Hey!” She’s gaining on them.

Jon tries to Know where they can go to lose her, how they can escape, but the Watcher just gives him useless tidbits instead; that man with the skateboard there has undiagnosed intermittent explosive disorder, this lady jogging over up ahead served two tours as a nurse in her youth to pay for her medical degree, that young person with the pins on their bag here is coordinating a flash mob on his phone to protest—

“Go away already!” Melanie complains on a furious exhale, and kicks a discarded can in her path hard.

It rockets away from her, bounces off a rubbish bin, and somehow jams in between the wheels of the man’s skateboard. He yelps as he falls, but roars when the teenager chasing them runs directly into him without slowing down, rising to block her path. The lady jogging furrows her brow with alarm, and races forwards to put herself between what she sees as a hostile and a young civilian in need of her protection, inadvertently preventing the teenager from advancing in her attempts to diffuse the situation and keep the man from lashing out at her physically. The person on their phone looks up and sets their jaw, switching it to video record the conflict and grabbing the teenager back even further, acting as a shield and spit inflammatory accusations that do more to raise tempers and attract attention than to resolve anything.

Jon watches all this with rapt eyes, drinking it in until his hand is jerked hard and he almost falls over.

”C’mon!” Melanie yells, irritated and scared and guilty and angry, the mark of the Slaughter almost an audible note to her voice, her footsteps. “We need to get away from those creepy ladies, find somewhere to hide, where do we go?!”

To hide.  Jon tightens his grip on Melanie’s hand and changes their course slightly, heading towards a place he frequents regularly.

”Follow me,” He gasps, trying to ignore the stitch in his side. “I have a friend.”

[icedthoma]

congrats on 2000 followers! 7h + todoroki please?

of the heart

Pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Reader

7h. Sharing earbuds + “This is a terrible idea. I’m in.” + a bonus musician au

Notes: I missed writing for my boy shouto :( anyways this prompt took a while to brainstorm for, hope y’all enjoy! 

There’s a song stuck in his head. 

...upon further reflection, Todoroki’s not really sure if it could be classified as a song, anyway. Despite the abstractness of it all, there’s an underlying something there, something he can’t quite put his finger on. What he does know is it’s in the certain, unique rhythm you knock at his door that lets him know it’s you there on a surprise visit before you have to shout your presence. (You could text him instead. But you don’t.) It’s in the cadence of your laughter as you enthusiastically tell him hilarious (well, to you. But sometimes they really are) stories of what had happened during your day. He laughs with you anyway, because if you’re happy, he’s happy, and does he really need any reason more? 

Either way, his heart sings your name, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. 

“What did you think of this one?” 

He hums thoughtfully, eyes glancing from your expectant face to the phone in your hand, then to the white wire of your earbuds branching from it to him, and then you once again. The words he wants to say are barely escaping him, just on the tip of his tongue. In his silence, you fidget around on your spot beside him on the couch. Your shoulder accidentally brushes against his. 

It’s a fleeting moment, really, but the beginnings of whatever barely coherent sentence he had managed to come up with are immediately lost to the rapid fluttering of his heart over so small a gesture. His face flushes, his hands tighten--

“It was nice.”

You chuckle at his blurted response, “I guess my taste in music isn’t that exciting to a professional music major such as you, huh? Hmm, I’m sure to find something in here that you think slaps...hold on...”

Scrolling through your many, many, playlists (you really do have one for every occasion), you let out a triumphant cry as you enthusiastically hit the play button on your phone. “Aha!” Settling back with contentment as the beginnings of a simple piano melody play in the earbuds you share, you sigh dreamily and lean against his side, resting your head on his shoulder, much to his surprise. 

He hopes you don’t notice how he had stiffened up for a brief moment, though he’s quick to lean into your touch soon after. He’s so, so tempted to reach his arm behind you and hold you closer to him. But part of him is afraid if he does so, he might not ever want to let you go. 

(...He quite enjoys this song.)

Todoroki can’t resist the small smile that turns up the corners of his mouth as that song comes up next on his phone, its familiar opening seeming to play more in him than just conveyed to his ears by his wireless headphones. 

It’s been months, and he still doesn’t know how to tell you.

Occasionally, during the quieter parts of the song, he can hear the faint chords you’re lazily strumming on your guitar from where you are across the room, both of you seated on the floor of your living room. Every so often, your shoulders drop in exasperation, and you set your instrument to the side to type furiously on the laptop in front of you, nodding once or twice before you pick up your guitar and go at it again. 

The song playing in his headphones begins to come to a close, and he presses the pause button prematurely, unusually choosing not to listen to the song all the way through like he normally does. He puts his headphones back in their case, painfully aware of how clammy his hands have suddenly become. 

“This is a terrible idea,” Shouto says before he can stop himself, swallowing hard as you halt the vibrations of your guitar strings with your palm to look up at him. “But do you want to write a song with me?”

You pause, and in that single second the world around him seems to stop. Then you smile, rest your hand on your chin as you lean forward. He’s able to breathe again.

“I’m in.” 

2k event masterlist

g. tag list: @lambotski @akaashirin @animatedarchives @wompwomphq

send an ask to be added/removed/etc. 

[wendystales]

Memories -lrh (Chapter Two)

Memories (also on Wattpad)

Chapter One ※※※※※ Chapter Three

I open my eyes having my vision blur for a little. I blink a few times, getting a better look at the room I was in. Room? It was very bright, I look at the window and guess it must be around seven in the morning.

I glance around the room, seeing my mother lying on a two-seater sofa. I see my broken arm and the heart monitor wires attached to my chest.

“What the...?” I let the confusion in my voice die, for my dry throat. I see no cell phone near me to confirm the time or date, how long have I slept? I carefully seat down on the bed, so as not to hurt my arm, and call my mother, who doesn't hear me at first, making me raise my voice more, scratching my throat.

She gets up startled and, as soon as she sees me awake, comes quickly to my side. Her hands quickly grasp my face and she distributes several kisses across my cheeks.

“Thank God, you're awake! How are you? Do you need anything?” the bombardment of questions leaves me lost. “ I'll call the nurse.” she leaves the room before I can say anything.

God, I just wanted a glass of water and to understand what happened.

She returned with a nurse who came in smiling sympathetically. My mother held my hand, reassuring and comforting me.

“Hello, Miss McGonagall. I'm glad you're awake. How are you feeling?” she asks as she writes something down on her clipboard.

“Thirsty.” I announce, desperate for a glass of water.

“Oh, of course!” my mother takes a bottle of water from the small table next to the sofa and helps me to take a sip. Finally.

I turn my attention back to the nurse, now more relieved by the water.

“I am fine. A little sleepy and confused. And my arm is sore.”

“That's normal.” she continues writing down some things and fiddling with the equipment. I decide to end the mystery.

“I suffered a car accident, didn't I?” I ask, alternating my gaze between my mother and the nurse, who both look relieved.

“Yes, a drunk driver drove through the traffic light and crashed into your car. You only broke your arm and twisted your foot, besides some bruises.” the nurse explains, killing my curiosity.

Car accident. I remember being in the car, stopped at the light, but I don't remember the impact. Thank God I had survived and without many sequels.

“We thought that you might also have suffered a lost of memory, but that apparently wasn't the case.” my mother had a huge smile on her face.

“Still, we need to ask you some questions.” I turn my attention back to the nurse. “What is your full name?”

“Marnie Elizabeth McGonagall.” I answer immediately.

“Your birthday date?”

“October 17th, 1996.” I answer after thinking for a few seconds. Their smiles widen with each answer.

“How old are you then?”

“Twenty years old.” that's when the smile disappeared, but they didn't say anything.

“You slept for two days. What day is it today?” she asked attentively.

“Two days... I think today is day six.”

“What month and what year, dear?” This time, my mother asks the question.

“March 2017.” I arch my eyebrows, as if it were obvious. But from the look on their faces, I was wrong. I stare at my mother, seeing her with teary eyes.

“Mrs. Williams, please wait outside. I will pass the information to the doctor so that you can talk.”

I see my mother leave crying and get desperate. What is happening?

“Did I lose my memory?” I ask fearfully.

“We don't know yet. You just woke up, we need to take some time and see what happens. You will probably be going through some tests in a few minutes, so you need to be fasting still. After that I'll call a nurse to help you take a shower.”

She leaves and I find myself alone. Now more awake and aware, I notice near the window some vases of flowers, cards, and two happy-face balloons. I smile, feeling comforted by the affection.

A few minutes later, a nurse came in, taking me to the examination. It would be an MRI scan to see which areas of my brain were affected. I feel completely sick; what if I really had lost my memory? How many years have I lost?

However, before the examination, I would take a blood sample. So I went into a room and they sat me down in a very comfortable armchair. I hate blood test, just the sight of the needle makes me want to throw up. When this torturous part was over, they asked me if I preferred to go through the procedure sedated and I said no, I may not like to be in closed places, but to be pierced again is just too much.

I lay down on the gurney and they fixed me up with headphones so the noise wouldn't bother me, a blanket because it was so cold, and they put something like a mask over my head, only taller, like a cap, but hollowed out. At the same moment that the stretcher starts going into that hole, I close my eyes.

The procedure lasted about 30 minutes, and during this time I tried to stay calm and remember as many things as possible. Soon after, I was taken back to the room, finding my mother there with a nurse who would help me take a shower, it was what I wanted most.

I open my eyes and feel my body freeze when I see my image in the mirror. Not only because of the scratches, but also because my hair was short and lighter at the ends, I looked like a different person.

Another surprise, was when I saw a tattoo in the middle of my chest, taking the valley of my breasts and going all the way down to the bottom of them.

“Did you let me do this?” I ask my mother, while the nurse washes my hair.

“Marnie, you don't live with me anymore, you are an adult who pays your own bills and has your own life. You don't ask my permission for nothing else.” she laughs at my shocked face. I don't remember my job, or my apartment, I must have forgotten it for many years.

Her cell phone rings and she leaves the bathroom. The nurse continues to teach me how to take care of the cast. I take advantage of the moment alone and investigate my time in the hospital.

“Have many people come to visit me?” I ask as she begins to comb my hair.

“A lot!” she smiles sympathetically. “Yours friends came at all visiting hours and brought lots of balloons and teddy bears. The head nurse sent them home with half of them.” she recalls laughing. I didn't know I had so many friends besides Bethany.

“Did my boyfriend come?” I ask anxiously, after all, I was on my way to see him.

“It was hard to get him to leave. He spent the first 24 hours here, slept in the hallway and everything. You're a lucky girl.” she blinks at me. I feel my heart race. I just want to see him!

Again, I go back to the room and this time I stay. A breakfast arrived and I was starving.

“Porridge?” I ask disappointedly as I see the tray.

“You've been unconscious for two days, you can't want to eat a mountain of pancakes, you have to start slowly.” mom warns.

We’re both in the room, and it’s an awkward, tense silence. I could see a look of relief on my mother's face to see me awake, but deep inside, there was a glint of discomfort. I conclude that this is why she is avoiding looking at me. I finished my coffee against my will and straightened up, in order to get some answers.

“Have I really lost my memory?” I ask in a clear and direct manner. She looks at me with a mixture of indecision and weariness.

“I don't know, dear.” she moves closer to the bed, caressing my face. “You have a wrong date in your head, but the chance of it being temporary is huge, so stay calm and let's wait for the test results. Now, get some rest.” she gives me a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.

I end up falling asleep after a few minutes of watching TV. I wake up to another nurse calling me, my results are out, and the doctor wanted to talk. She passes me to a wheelchair and takes me to the doctor's office. When the door opens, I see my mother with her eyes red, the doctor with a gentle smile and Luke Hemmings looking at me in affliction.

I don't hide my confusion. Luke Hemmings?! What a famous guy is doing here?!

“Is he the one who hit my car?” I ask readily, I wouldn't be surprised, these famous people drink and think the world is theirs.

Luke clenched his jaw and his gaze seemed lifeless, he was completely uncomfortable. I bet he didn't like the truth. I ignore his unnecessary presence and turn my attention back to the doctor.

“No, Miss McGonagall. I believe Mr. Hemmings is a very close friend.” I can see that the doctor is careful with his words.

Close?

When I look back at him, I see him hugging my mother on the side, who is struggling to hold back her tears.

“What?” I let out in a whisper, alternating my gaze between them and the doctor.

“Miss McGonagall, you suffered a car accident two days ago.” he begins.

“Yes, I suffered it.” I state.

“And as sequels, you broke an arm, twisted a foot, and, unfortunately, lost part of your memory.”

It was like a bomb falling on me. I had no protection or counterattack. The suspicion had evolved into truth, and now, I had nothing to do but feel angry and out of control of my own life.

“But I talked about it being a car accident, before anyone told me. I remember being in the car, I don't remember the impact, but I remember being in the car.” I try to find a way out.

“What were you going to do?” he asks curiously. I force my mind and remember.

“I was going to see my boyfriend.” before the doctor could say anything, a different hopeful voice steals my attention and I see Luke letting go of my mother, approaching both of us.

“ It's true!” He looks at the doctor. How does he know it's true? He doesn't even know me! “We were supposed to meet for lunch.”

What?! Where did this guy come from and how does he have the courage to say something like that? I look behind my mother for help, but she is focused on Luke and the doctor.

“We? I don't know you.” My voice comes out desperate, I was already losing patience with him.

“Marnie, what's your boyfriend's name?” Luke leans one hand on the table and one on my chair, and asks me in a desperate tone, as if his life depends on my answer.

I look deep into his blue eyes, annoyed that he is getting in the middle of my life. I fill my mouth and reply.

“Stephen Maynard! My boyfriend's name is Stephen Maynard.” I raise my eyebrows as if to say ‘happy?’

His jaw locked again, and his eyes watered. He bit his lower lip and left the room, slamming the door.

“What is his problem?” I'll ask my mother and the doctor.

“ I'll go see if he's all right.” mom leaves the room and I stay with the doctor, who doesn't seem to care much about everything that has happened.

“Miss McGonagall, you suffered a car accident two days ago and were unconscious during that time. I know it may be difficult to accept that you have lost some of your memory, but unfortunately that is what happened. Your brain deleted the last three years and maybe even an older part, we have no way of knowing yet. The point is that this amnesia can be momentary and perhaps today you will remember everything, or it can last longer.” he explains calmly.

“Could it last forever?” I ask fearfully.

It was strange to think that I don't remember three years of my life, no matter how hard I try, nothing comes to my mind. I became agonized and curious to know what I was forgetting. I didn't want to do any tests, I wanted to talk to my mom and dad, see Bethany, my best friend and gossip, I wanted to see Stephen, where is he when I need him? The nurse said he didn't leave my side.

The door opens and my mom walks in again, her eyes are still red, but she seems a little more calm. She sits down next to me and holds my hand.

“Yes, it can be permanent, so you shouldn't force anything. After discharge you will go back to your normal routine and maybe something will be a point to remember everything, or at least half of it. These amnesias are often just traumatic and take you back to other traumatic times, like they want to spare you from something.”

“These last three years have been a lot of change for you, dear, that makes total sense. You said you were going to see Stephen, remember for what?” she asks curiously.

“Our anniversary. I was going to drop off his present and celebrate. Where is he anyway? The nurse said he hasn't left my side. Even an annoying celebrity is here!”

“ I'll let you two talk for a while, I think we owe it to Miss McGonagall.” the doctor interrupts before my mother replies. “But, remember, miss, without forcing anything, you'll have plenty of time to find out everything. Excuse me.” he leaves the room, leaving us alone.

“Well?” I ask my mother, who looked totally uncomfortable.

“Honey, on that day that you remember, that last memory, you found Stephen with Bethany, how can I put it? In a not good situation. You broke up.”

I always knew that my parents didn't like Stephen, thought he was a bad influence, but to say that he cheated on me with my best friend bordered on the ridiculous.

“Mom…”

“I swear it's true, I know it hurts, and it really hurt to see you go through this. But honey, you overcame it, you overcame everything and you found a wonderful man who loves you, appreciates you, respects you and cares for you.”

“Such an amazing man who is not here.” I raise my free arm, supporting my argument, showing that only the two of us are in the room.

“My love, he is here, he has been here all the time, he only left last night because everyone insisted.” the look she gives me, wanting me to put all the pieces together makes my stomach turn.

“No!” I laugh, unbelieving what I was imagining, "Luke can't be my boyfriend.”

“Why not?” my mother's displeased tone surprises me, does she approve of him?

“I don't even know him. He's famous and I'm not. Where would we meet?” the pieces just don't fit together.

“Your life has changed a lot, dear, to the point that you meet him and his friends. To the point that you could afford this hospital.” really, my family couldn't afford a private room and all the tests that I would have to do. “Marnie, you have become a model.” I can imagine a bomb exploding in my head.

“That's a lot of information!”I cover my face, trying to take it all in.

“I'm sorry, honey, if I could only pass this whole situation to myself and let you off the hook.” she squeezes my thigh.

“I know, it's just so agonizing not remembering. I mean, did I yell at my 'boyfriend' and tell him I was with another guy? Another who in my mind is still my current one and who I still have feelings for?” I let out a desperate breath. I dry my tears, angry with myself and with the drunk who hit my car.

“Honey, it is only the first hours, calmly, we will tell you everything and you will get used to it, who knows, maybe remembering until everything is in place or close to it? It's not your fault, it's just a consequence! Everything will be fine, I promise you.” she hugs me and I allow myself to cry, her hand caressing my hair, giving me peace. “What matters is that you are alive.”

“What day is it today?” I ask after a few seconds.

“June 13th, 2020.” I feel the second bomb explode, it's very weird.

“Do you and dad like him?” I ask, curious.

“Very much, it was your best choice.” she smiles.

“And Dad, where is he?” her expression becomes distressed.

“Hm, he had to take a trip right on the day of the accident, but he is already trying to get back.”

Three years! That's what I had lost. Apparently my boyfriend, or rather ex-boyfriend, had cheated on me and I was with a world-famous and beloved guy, of whom I knew nothing but his name and that he was in a band, which had the underpants song.

I went back to the room and spent much of the afternoon trying to assimilate everything. I needed more information, to talk to more people. Deep down, I wanted to believe that this was a big theater, but I know that it is impossible. Unfortunately, I have lost my memory and my hands are tied trying to fit everything in and remember something.

The door opened and unlike what I had imagined, Luke came in holding a bouquet of gerberas and a box with a purple bow. He didn't expect me to be awake, and I didn't expect to be alone with him so soon.

“Sorry, I didn't know you were awake.” he says clumsily and a little lost, not knowing what to do with the box and the flowers.

“No problem, you can pretend I'm asleep, I don't want to disturb you.” he nods and I watch his movements.

I watch him exchange the yellow roses in the vase for the gerberas, my favorite flowers, and notice him collecting the cards and giving them in my direction.

“I believe you are very curious to read them.” he won't come close and I feel bad for that, he must hate me.

“Thank you.” I give my best smile, trying to smooth things over. Luke continues to hold the box, not knowing what to do.

“Hm, this... this little box, it's for you!” he extends the box, still away from the bed. ”Your old cell phone broke in the accident, and I bought this new one. Leah and I have already backed it up, it has all the information from the old one.”

“Leah?” I can' t help but question, as I open the little box and look at the brand new cell phone.

“Uh, yes, your best friend, the current one!” He is standing at the foot of the bed and avoids looking at me.

“I don't know the password.” I say as the screen lights up.

Luke approaches, still hesitant, and positions himself beside me. He unlocks the screen and starts to show me where everything is, pictures, videos, messages and contacts. I stop for a moment and pay attention to him, while he is still talking.

With his face very close, I smell his perfume and I like the smell. I notice his long, very light hair, a beard showing signs all over his chin and jaw. Luke is handsome, I'm not impressed that I had a crush on him, but why did he have a crush on me?

I notice that he notices me staring at him, and, before he turns around, I turn my gaze to the cell phone. I feel him analyzing me, maybe trying to find the girl he loved inside me.

I take courage and stare back at him, my heart racing and my stomach churning, but not from happiness or anxiety of wanting something to happen, but from wanting nothing to happen. Even though he was a handsome and caring guy, I couldn't feel something for Luke, at least not before I worked things out with Stephen.

“Sorry about earlier today.” I whisper, not amused by my behavior.

“No need to apologize. You're just going through a very big shock.” He reassures me.

“Still, I want you to know that I'm not like that.” Luke looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “But you already know, of course.” I cover my eyes, wanting to die. Luke lets out a laugh that makes me laugh along with him.

“I know it will be difficult, but I don't mind hearing you tell me all about you again.” I can't sustain the look, it intimidates me. “By the way…” he turns away and goes to a backpack on the sofa and pulls out a book. “I brought it so you would have something to read. You read it last year and said it was so good you wish you could forget to read it again.” as soon as Luke finishes speaking, I can't stand his choice of words and start laughing and he seems to notice, becoming embarrassed.

“That's fine, thank you very much.” I oblige and allow myself to lift my body, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He turns more red and sits down on the couch, leaving me with my presents. I glance over the novel, reading the synopsis that catches my attention, ‘When It Happens’. I grab my cell phone and go into my social medias, startling myself by seeing my insta full of pictures in Italy, clothing campaigns and some pictures with him. I look up to Luke, who is wearing glasses and reading a book.

It’s strange not to be attracted to him, but to feel peace, as if everything is right. I’m sorry that I don't remember him, since he seemed like such an amazing guy and so kind to me. My mind comes up with a huge list of questions I want to ask him. How did we meet? How long have we been together? Do we fight a lot? But at the same time that I am insanely curious to talk to my boyfriend, his presence intimidates me; after all, he is a famous guy. Faced with this, I keep quiet.

I turn my attention to the thousands of cards on my lap, reading one by one. Many texts wishing me better, saying that if I woke up some would cut the hair, or change the color, among other promises. Leah, Calum, Ashton, Kyleen, Noah, Michael; so many names, but none that I feel familiar with. I need to see Stephen.

“Could you check with the nurse for something I can eat?” I ask timidly, not wanting to get in his way. However, Luke quickly gets up and provides my order.

I take advantage of the moment alone and dial the number I still remembered, after three rings Stephen's voice comes on and for the first time in hours, I feel in control of the situation.

“Hi, it's Marnie!” I feel my heart racing so fast I think about the possibility that I'm going to throw up.

“Wow, this is a call I never thought I would get again.” I don't answer because I feel bad, apparently the ending wasn't good at all. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Hm.” I clear my throat. “I need to see you, to talk, actually. I don't know if you know, but I was in an accident recently.”

“Yes, I read about it.”

“So, the problem is that I lost part of my memory and, well, the last thing I remember is that I was on my way to your house, to celebrate our anniversary.”

“What anniversary?” his voice is curious and cautious.

“The one in 2017.” the line becomes dead silent and I don't wait for an answer. “Look, I am really lost and I need to talk to you and understand everything.”

“Are you sure your parents and your amazing boyfriend haven't already told you everything?” the mocking tone annoys me a little.

“Honestly? I didn't really believe what my mom told me. Would you mind coming to the hospital early tomorrow morning? I'll probably be discharged in the afternoon and well, I know some people won't be happy to see you here.”

“No problem, it would be an honor to tell you the truth. See you tomorrow, Lizzie.”

The affectionate nickname he always used for me makes my stomach turn. Stephen never liked my name and the fact that he didn't know how to make a nickname out of it, so he called me Lizzie.

I don't know if I did the right thing by calling Stephen, but I need answers and to understand everything that had happened between us, until I came into Luke's arms.

Luke...

Where did we bump into each other and intertwine? He is a famous guy, has great friends, could date any famous girl, a fan, someone who knows him well and wants him, why me? The thoughts drown me as I look at another picture of us on his profile.

“Sorry for the long delay, my mom called, she wanted to hear from you.” Luke's cheeks are flushed and the glasses that used to occupy his face are now hanging from the collar of his shirt. “The nurse will bring some soup in a moment.” I wrinkle my nose and mouth. I don’t like soup. “I know, but that's what the doctor ordered.”

It scares me how he knows me and how I know nothing about him, other than that he sings the underwear song and that he sang with One Direction.

[eleventhdoctorsangel]

How can we rewrite the stars

Summary: I always thought that life in Arcadia was ordinary. But it just happened that I was wrong. Arcadia was no longer the normal town. Now I came to find out that there's trolls when living below the town. Just when found out about the trolls three people not from earth has come to Arcadia looking for something to save their home planet.

I was doing my morning run through Arcadia when I saw Eli looking up towards the sky not watching where he was going. Of course he didn’t see the fire hydrant that he crashed into flying off his bike also knocking me to the ground. I let out a groan. “Sorry Y/n.” Eli said as he quickly got off me. “It fine Eli. Are you okay?” I asked as I got up from the ground and dusted myself off. “I’m fine. But did you see the space ship too?” Eli asked me. “Sorry but I didn’t see any ship.” I said. “What? How could you have missed it?” Eli said. “Well I kinda was busy. Anyways I have to get back home and washed up before school. I’ll see you later Eli.” I said waving before I finished my run back home.

Once I got back home I quickly took a shower and got dress for school. I got on some skinny jeans with a black tank top. I grabbed a red flannel and tied it around my waist. I grabbed my backpack along with my phone. I put headphone in and made my way to school. Thank goodness that summer was almost here. Once I got to school I went to put my books back into my locker before I had to go to math. I really did hate having math so early in the morning. I walked into Ms. Janeth class and sat down in my normal seat. Everyone filed into the class right as the bell rang. Not even a minute after the bell rang Senor Uhl walked in with two kids that I’ve never seen before. I brought one leg up to where my foot was resting on the seat and my elbow was resting on my knee. “Ms. Janeth and class please help welcoming Aja and Krel Tarron to Arcadia Oaks. They join us from Cantaloupia. Now Y/n would you show them around our school and make sure they don’t get lost.” Senor Uhl said. Both Aja and Krel looked around the room probably trying to figure which one was me. “You got it bossman.” I said giving him a two finger salute. That was when they both looked at me giving me a small smile. I gave them one in return. “You two can take your seat now please I would like to go on with my lesson.” Ms. Janeth said as she motioned to two empty seats as Senor Uhl walked out of the room. The two of them walked to the empty seats. Krel sat down in the one that was across from me and Aja seat in the seat behind him. As Ms. Janeth turned around and started to write on the board kids start to fall asleep. “The formula of the area of a triangle is one half.” Ms. Janeth said. But Krel started to talk to Aja which made me start to space off. I could hear a kid start to snore. “I have a question.” Krel said out loud instead of rising his hand. “Then rise your hand.” Ms. Janeth said turning around. “Uh which one?” Krel asked as he looked at his hands. “Either will do.” Ms. Janeth said. Krel laughed as his raised both of his hands. “Back home I have four of them.” Krel said. I looked over confused at him. “Do you have a question Mr. Tarron?” Ms. Janeth asked as she walked over to him. “Do you have a Daxial Array?” Krel asked. “We are talking about triangles.” Ms. Janeth said. “Hardly. You forgot to account for the triangle’s area when applied to the fourth dimension. The fluctuations of the hypotenuse alter the triangle’s shape.” Krel said as he got up from his seat taking the marker from Ms. Janeth. This seemed to get everyone attention. Even the ones who fell asleep were now awake watching this unfold. Krel walked up to the board and started to solve the problem that Ms. Janeth had on the board. Everyone watched in disbelief has Krel had no trouble in solving it. Krel looked so proud of himself as he turn back around. I looked over at Aja who looked proud of her brother as she started to clap. I decided to join her see how no one else had. “Now strange woman can you lead us to a Daxial Array?” Krel asked as he threw the marker back at Ms. Janeth.

The rest of math class was really awkward. Ms. Janeth kinda let us do whatever for the rest of class as she checked Krel work. But she couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The bell rang not long after. Everyone quickly rushed out of the room. I put my stuff in my backpack. Aja and Krel had walked up to my desk as I was putting my stuff away. “Oh hey guys. Ready to go.” I said as I got up from my desk. “Can you lead us to the Daxial Array?” Krel asked as he stepped closer to me. I put my hand on his chest to stop him from coming closer to me. “Easy there. There’s a tech shop in town I’m sure they might have what you’re looking for if they don’t I’m sure they could order it for you. Now come on you two we have a gym class to get to.” I said. “What is a gym class?” Aja said. I took my hand off of Krel’s chest.  “Come on you guys. Don’t want to be late or Coach will be mad.” I said. The three of us walked out of Ms. Janeth class and to the locker rooms. Krel tried to follow Aja and I into the girls lock room but I stopped him. I pointed to where the boys locker room was. Aja and I walked into the girls locker room and got changed. By the time we walked out of the locker room Krel was waiting outside of the door for us. WE walked into the guy and waited on Coach. “New kids you’ve gotta take the rope challenge.” Coach said as he walked up to us. “I’m not taking anything. I keep telling you people this.” Krel said as he started to walk up to coach but Aja stopped him. “I love challenges.” Aja said excitedly. “Every kid here should be able to climb that rope and ring that bell.” Coach said pointing at the ropes. “For what purpose?” Krel asked. “Cause I said so.”  Coach said. Then I heard a bell ring. I look and saw that Aja had already climbed the rope and was ringing the bell.

“Next challenge please.” Aja said. “What? I’ve never seen anybody do it that fast before.” Coach said in disbelief. “Well there’s always a first time for everything coach.” I said.  “I thought you said every kid could do this.” Krel said. “Ugh! That was in theory! You two are messing with my head.” Coach said as Aja started to swing from rope to rope.

As the rest of the day went by I noticed that both Aja and Krel didn’t act like everyone else. I just found it strange but then I remember that Senor Uhl said that they were form some place called Cantaloupia. I just brushed it aside thinking that was it. It was close to the end of the day and I was outside with Krel and Aja. I was sitting on top of one of the tables while Aja was leaning against the bicycle rack. Krel was still trying to find the Daxial Array. No one knoew what he was talking about they kept on thinking he was talking about a band. He snapped and let out a frustrated scream. “A Daxial Array is not a band! It is a critical piece of technology. How was she the only to know it was not a band.” Krel said as he motioned over to me. “Okay bro. Chill.” A fellow student told Krel. “Look if it’s tech maybe the science lab will have it.” Another student said putting a hand on Krel’s shoulder. Eli was just happening to walk by when Krel grabbed him. “Oh okay don’t hurt him.” I said as I quickly got up and went over and stood in between them. “You will take me to the leader of the science lab now!” Krel said. “Alright we can take you the science lab just please Krel let Eli go.” I said. Krel looked over at me then let Eli go. “Come on Eli let’s show them where the science lab is.” I said. Eli gave me an unsure look before nodded.

We lead them to the science lab but once we got there no teacher was there. I knew that we weren’t supposed to be in here if there was no teacher. “Just be careful guys okay. We’re not really supposed to be in here since there’s no teacher.” I said as I leaned against the doorway. “Don’t worry Y/n we will be careful.” Aja said as she and Krel wondered around the science lab. “What type of country is Cantalupia anyway? Are you guys adopted?” Eli asked as he followed them inside. “Eli.” I said. “No.” Aja simply said. “Then why do you look um different?” Eli asked. “Different? What do you mean? Mother made sure we look just like you.” Aja said as she sat on the counter. Then I heard a bang. I looked and saw that Krel was mess with something. “Hey I don’t think you should be messing with that.” I said as I walked over to him. “Your technology is beyond primitive.” Krel said as he started to look at the wires. “What do you mean your technology?” Eli asked as he came over to where Krel and I were. “Do you always ask this many question human?” Aja asked as she looked at a skeleton. “Only when I’m suspicious.” Eli said pushing up his glasses. “Que pasa? What’s going on here?” Senor uhl asked as he walked into the room. Eli had let out a surprised yelp. “That one is interrogating us.” Aja said as she pointed at Eli. “And I’m trying to locate a Daxial Array which is not a band of any kind.” Krel said as he started to mess around with the wires. “You’re not supposed to be here unsupervised.” Senor Uhl said. “No we’re just not supposed to get caught.” Aja said crossing her arm infront of her chest. “Students are not supposed.” Senor Uhl said as he let out a groan. He looked like he was about to lose it. “I want to speak with your parents. Tonight six o’clock sharp. I want to meet them. Both parents. No excuses.” Senor Uhl said and left the room. “We that could have gone better.” Eli said. “Not the time Eli.” I said. I looked over at the clock. “Well would you look at that school’s over for the day. Do you guys want someone to walk home with you?” I asked. “That is very kind of you Y/n but my brother and I can handle it from here. Thank you for showing us around.” Aja said as she started to push Krel out of the room. “Alright I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I said waving at them. They both left quickly. “They seem odd.” Eli said. “Come on Eli give them a chance okay.” I said as I walked towards the door. “What if they have something to do with the space ship I saw this morning.” Eli said as he rushed after me. “Come on Eli again with this.” I said. “But Y/n.” Eli said as I heard my phone ding. “But nothing Eli.” I said as I got my phone out of my pocket. I saw that was Claire asking if I was my way to training. I sent her a texted her back saying I was on my way. “Sorry Eli but I have to go.” I said. “Alright I’ll see you later.” Eli said. I rushed out of the Science lad and out of the school.

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