#its not deep or riveting but we giggled together and because of it neither of us had any animosity over our queue positions

[thecubes]

actually my other piece of social advice is to be observant and not just listen. bring up something theyre wearing or mentioned and ask them about it no joke people love that shit they love being invited to talk about themselves. this is easier with young people but even if someone older has like. a dog print reusable bag. oh youre a dog person huh? do you have a dog? ohhh whats their name!! aww they sound great. of course the secret to this one is that secondary to talking about themselves, people also fucking love to talk about their pets

[jbbarnesandnoble]

Forever and Always: Part 4

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Series Summary: You and Bucky used to date, until someone got in between you two. After a year without seeing him, he pops up in your life again, and old feelings with him?Harsh words can never taken back, but can they be forgiven?

Chapter Summary: You go out for coffee with an old friend/Thanksgiving day

Word Count: 3,567 (wow, This is the most I’ve ever written for this fic)

Warnings: None really:)

A/N: I’m pretty happy with this part, not gonna lie. I did want to split it into two parts. Because I wanted Thanksgiving to be a by its self. But then I thought about it and was like ‘screw it’ I’ll just leave it as one. Also, the writing gets kinda messy/bad towards the end. I worked on most of this part today and found myself just wanting to be done with it. I hope you all like this part! Please leave some feed back. If you want me to tag you in this series please feel free to let me know!

Autumn has always been your favorite season. You love the way the trees turn from green to orange, yellow and brown. The way that everything smells like cinnamon, apples and pumpkin. It made you feel happy and warm inside.  

When you and Bucky were still together, every Fall he would ‘surprise’ you by taking you apple and pumpkin picking afterwards he would take you to get hot apple cider at your favorite coffee shop, to warm up from the brisk Autumn air. He did it every year, even before you started dating. It was little things like that, that made you fall so hard for him.

You glance at the calendar placed on the small desk in your room. Thanksgiving is only a week away. You used to love the Holiday, but now it only brings back bitter memories from a past you would much rather forget. 

You used to spend it with Bucky and all of your friends, laughing and having a good time. But last year you spent the day with Nat and Wanda. Peggy was with Steve and Bucky of course.I think she apologized for about a month after that.The thought makes you chuckle a bit. 

Everyone else either spent it with their family's or at Steve and Peggy’s apartment. As for your family, you didn't feel like hearing their complaints about you breaking things off with Bucky. They all loved him as soon as they met him. He has that kind of effect on people. Another thing that made you love him, is his charm.

Still feeling quite tired, so you decide to take a hot shower to wake yourself up. You're not sure how long you spend in there, letting the hot water soothe your sore muscles and your mind from the events of last night.

~~~~~~~~~

“It's your turn to cook dinner tonight.” you huff

“But I cooked last Saturday.” your feisty roommate crosses her arms. 

“Takeout doesn't count as making dinner.” she raises a perfect eyebrow at you.

“Fine, I'll make dinner.” you put your hands up, letting out a laugh.

While you cook Nat watches some crappy reality tv show. When your phone chimes “Hey, Y/N. Your phone!” Nat shouts from the living room. 

“Can you check it? I'm elbow deep in spaghetti sauce.” she shouts something back in response that you don't quite catch. You wait a while, but she still hasn't said anything else. 

“Nat?” sighing, you quickly rinse your hands. 

“I know how riveting those reality shows are, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore your best friend.” when you walk out your small living room you find Natasha staring at your phone, mouth slightly open.

“What's wrong.” you let out an awkward laugh, the one you use whenever you're nervous. She turns off your phone. 

“Here.” She holds out your phone. If she notices your nervousness she doesn’t show it. Which you appreciate, her calmness always manages to calm you down too. 

“You need to see for yourself.” you make your way over to her. Before quickly taking it out of her hands. You turn on your phone. 

“Why’re you so serious, it can't be that bad-” suddenly you fall silent. Frozen by the name on your screen. 

“It’s Bucky.” you say even though you know she already read the message from your ex. “He.” you start slowly, “Wants to meet up for coffee.”

~~~~~~~~~

When you finally get out of the shower, Nat is already awake and in the kitchen. 

“Morning.” she nods to you in response, a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. 

For as long as you have known Natasha Romanoff she has never been a morning person.

You don't feel like putting energy into making yourself breakfast this morning, you settle for cereal instead. 

Your redheaded roommate finishes her coffee in one big gulp before turning to face you. 

“Hey.” she starts slowly. 

“I was thinking, maybe this year we can spend Thanksgiving with everyone. You know, like how we used to.” Setting down the jug milk, you look up from your cereal and at Natasha, listening intently. 

“I just think it might be time, to finally make things right between you and Bucky and Thanksgiving might be a good place to start.” grabbing your bowl of Lucky Charms you settle next to Nat at the counter. 

“You know I really want to. But, I don't think Thanksgiving dinner -with all of our mutual friends there- Is the time or place for it.” Nat uses her spoon to steal a few colorful marshmallows from your bowl. 

“Then you could always accept his offer from last night. Besides if you makeup now, it is just in time for Thanksgiving.” she smirks at you. You know deep down that she's right, no matter how badly you don't want to admit it. 

“Fine, I'll think about it.” smiling, she pats your back,

 “But before I agree to anything, let’s go do something.” hopping off the stool she was sitting on, Nat shoots you a weird look. 

“No no no, First. You have to agree to meet Bucky at One. You’ve been ignoring his text since last night.” rolling your eyes at her you take a bite of your breakfast. You let out a groan. 

  There isn’t much point in arguing with her. When Nat gets like this she doesn’t change her mind very easily.

“Ugh, Fine.” she hums happily -the way she always does when she gets what she wants- walking away.

‘12:55’ you check your watch for the tenth time since you have arrived at the small coffee shop you and Bucky used to always go to. You realize that you haven’t been back since before you broke up. 

You’re about to check your watch one more time when you see him walk in. He’s wearing his usual leather jacket, dark jeans and a light blue button down shirt that brings out his impossibly blue eyes. 

You only realize you’re staring when he waves at you, noticing your place by the window.

“Hey doll.” he says taking the chair next to you. Unexpectedly, you find yourself feeling a bit nervous. Letting out a quite ‘hi’ in return. 

Neither of you say anything at first, you’re both too unsure of what to say. Until Bucky breaks the slightly awkward silence. 

“Do you remember the last time we came here together? It was after you insisted that we go apple picking even though it was twenty degrees outside.” Bucky shakes his head at the memory 

“What?” you giggle 

“I didn't want to let the weather ruin a perfectly good tradition.” you defend yourself. He lets out a loud laugh 

“Yet you were the one who didn't bring a jacket.” you narrow your eyes at him 

“I brought a jacket!” that only makes him laugh more 

“Asking to borrow my jacket doesn't count as bringing your own.” that makes you both laugh this time. 

Falling back into a much more relaxed silence

“I assume reminiscing on old memories isn't the reason why you invited me here.” you take a sip of your coffee, the bitter and milky flavor wash over your taste buds, waking you up a bit. 

He doesn't answer you right away, he’s focusing intently on the busy world outside of the small cozy shop. 

“I want to make things right between us.” he finally says, looking at you. 

“I feel like I left things on a bad note with you… with us.” you have to bite the inside of your cheek to stifle a scoff. 

“If you left things on a bad note with us, I can’t even imagine how I left things.” he looks at you, a bit if shock evident on his face. 

“Look, I appreciate you reaching out. But you don't have to apologize for anything. I was so terrible to you when we broke up. The things I said-” your mind flashes to Bucky's hurt and betrayed face from the day you broke his kind heart. 

The memory makes you feel incredibly guilty. 

“I was horrible, yet here you are. Wanting to apologize to me. When I should be the one saying ‘sorry’ not you.” you can't look at him. You don't want to see what he's feeling. Instead you choose to look at your hands. 

“I was no angle during our relationship either, Y/N. I messed up so often, yet you always forgave me in the end. I don’t know how you put up with me for so long” he smiles sadly at you. 

“It’s because I loved you so much.” You murmur. Your mouth always seems to get ahead of you, just now being no different. You cover your hand with your mouth. 

“Sorry.” you force out. 

“It’s fine.” he smiles at you warmly. 

“I want to clear the air between us. I miss how we used to be, you know, before we started dating.”

No matter how much you both wanted to get back to that. The truth is, you know you can't. Not when you were both so in love, not when you're still so in love with him. 

You hoped that Bucky had the same thought, but you know him better than anyone. He doesn't think like that. Even though you know it's next to impossible to get back to where you were. 

You don't tell him that. You want to work things out too and saying how you feel isn't going to help anyone. 

“I want that too, Buck.” he smiles at you again, this time his smile is genuine, bright and happy. You offer him a small smile in return. 

“Thank you, doll.” Bucky lets out a sigh of relief.

You thought about telling Bucky the real reason behind your break up. But seeing how happy he is knowing that you're going to try to fix your friendship. You don't want to take that joy away from him. You don't want to hurt him by digging up old, painful, memories, and for what? To get rid of your own guilt?

The next week is slow, which you appreciate. Slow days mean you can finish up and head home early. You and Nat have been able to have a proper dinner together almost every night this week. Neither of you have been very busy the last few days with Thanksgiving tomorrow. 

“Hey, did you end up making that pumpkin pie that Sam loves? Wanda wants to know.” you yell to Natasha from your place on the couch. 

“How mad do you think she’ll be if I say no?” you laugh loudly at her question. 

“I don’t think she’ll ever be as mad as she was last year. Besides, at this point she probably expects this from us.” you somehow manage to get out in between laughs. Remembering the pie fiasco from last Thanksgiving. 

“Knowing Wanda, she has probably already made five different kinds of pie anyway.” Nat yells back. You can't help but smile. 

Wanda has always likes to be prepared. Her readiness has saved your butt more times than you care to admit, and tomorrow will most likely be no different.

----------

You and Natasha arrive at Steve and Peggy's apartment at exactly 12:00 am the next day. It feels like forever since you've seen everyone -aside from Peggy, Steve and Wanda of course- Nat is helping Peggy and Sam in the kitchen. 

They said that they have everything under control so you make your way over to the living area where Steve, Tony, Wanda, and Clint are gathered around the tv. The boys are in a heated argument about something football related. You take a seat on the couch next to Wanda. Tony is the first to acknowledge your presence.

“Hey, Y/N. I'm glad you decided to join us this year. It just wasn't the same without you last year.” Tony smiles brightly at you. 

“Me too, last year was so weird for me.” you let out a small happy sigh, 

“I missed you guys.” he pats your back firmly 

“We missed you too kid.” that’s when you notice that Tony's wife is nowhere to be seen. 

“Where's Pepper?” you and Pepper were never the best of friends, but you always enjoyed her company every once in a while. She was kind of like the big sister you never had. Even though she's only a few years older than you are. 

“She's with her family today, they had some issues that need to be sorted out and I didn't see it fit that I go.” you roll your eyes at him, 

“Admit it, you just didn't want to get in the middle of their problems.” you poke your index finger into his shoulder. 

“No… I just want them to work out their differences.” he puts his hands up in weak defense. 

“Mhhm, and raccoons can talk.”

Just then Bucky walks into the apartment. Looking as handsome as always. As soon as he steps inside Steve is already making his way towards his best friend. He greets him Steve with a huge smile. The one you that made you fall so hard for him. 

“Did you know he was coming?” Wanda asks, breaking you out of your trance. 

“Oh... yeah. I did. It’s just that seeing him is still kind of weird for me.” Wanda takes your hand in hers and gives it a small but reassuring squeeze. You turn to pay attention to the conversation, though you find it hard to concentrate when your ex-boyfriend of three long, wonderful years is standing behind you laughing. 

“Hey Y/N. Get your lazy butt over here.” Nat yells from the kitchen. You sigh, 

“Her Royal Highness beckons.” you stand up walking over towards the kitchen. 

That makes Tony, Wanda and Clint snicker. You can’t help but smirk at their reaction.

You make your way over to the kitchen. When you notice Bucky and Steve standing in the hallway by the door talking. 

“She’s visiting her family today, she told me to tell you and Peg hi.” You catch part of their conversation as you pass by. Bucky must be talking about his girlfriend. As you walk by, Bucky meets your eyes. 

“Hey doll.” He waves at you. You whisper a hi in response. Before Nat suddenly drags you into the kitchen. 

“What do you need help with Nat?” she looks at you a bit concerned. 

“I don’t.” she admits. 

“I just wanted check in, how’re you doing with Bucky?” you can’t help but smile at her concern. 

“Are you, Natasha Romanoff, worried about me?” you chuckle, she lightly hits your arm. 

“I’ll just assume you’re fine then.” you laugh as she walks off shaking her head.

Since no one needs your help you decide to get some fresh air on the balcony. It’s a bit cold out, the Autumn breeze making you shiver a bit. The sky looks engulfed in flames from the orange and red sunset with hints of pink and purple. 

“Hey.” you look behind you to see Bucky walking over to the railing, resting his elbows on the cold metal. 

“Here, I figured you might be thirsty.” he says handing you a beer. You look at him a bit shocked by the kind gesture. Smiling you happily take the cold bottle from his hand. 

“What are you doing out here? It’s cold.” you sigh, matching his position. 

“I think it’s refreshing. Besides, it’s a bit loud in there. What about you?” He looks at you, noticing your slight shivering.

“You’re cold.” he reaches to take his jacket off, you put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m fine, really.” he sighs putting his jacket back on. 

“If you’re sure. I thought you might want some company. For as long as I have known you, you never liked being alone. And you’re right, it is really loud in there.” he laughs. 

“I missed this.” you finally say, 

“I missed hanging out with everyone.” he looks off towards the crimson sky. 

“Me too.” he closes his eyes. You can’t help but stare at him. The way the sunset lights up his handsome face, the way his nose is the slightest bit pink from the chilly fall air. The way he smells of beer and cologne. It makes you heart flutter, he makes your heart flutter. 

You aren’t quite sure why, but in this moment you suddenly felt like you want tell Bucky that you still love him, that you never wanted to break up with him. But that his mom blackmailed you into it. Even if it mean losing him forever. 

“Hey Buck.” He looks at you again with his amazing blue eyes. 

“What is it doll?” You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for what you’re about to tell him. 

“I know we just worked everything out. But there’s something you need to know-” but you don’t get the chance to finish. 

“Hey Bucky, we need you in here.” Clint shouts from inside. He looks at you clearly annoyed. 

“You should go.” you take a sip of your drink. 

“Are you sure? You wanted to tell me something-” You cut him off, realizing the huge mistake you almost made 

“It can wait. Go, it looks like they need you for…” you stop, looking inside to see them playing an intense game of charades. You can’t help but laugh. 

“A very important game matter.” he laughs at your sarcasm. 

“We’ll talk later, I promise.” he says before stepping inside.

Not long after he leaves, Peggy steps outside. 

“How are you doing with that?” she points her chin towards Bucky. 

“Better than I thought honestly. Does it still hurt? Of course, he was… is, my first love. But as much as I miss him, I miss our friendship more.” you don’t want to lie to Peg, but you don’t feel like being lectured. She puts her arm around your shoulders. 

“I’m proud of you.” you lean your head on her shoulder. 

“I’ve been hearing that a lot recently.” you joke. 

“What did you two talk about just now?” she rubs your arm 

“Nothing really.” you feel bad lying to one of your best friends. But no matter how hard you try, you can never keep a secret from her. 

“I wanted to tell him everything, Peg.” she looks at you, a bit of shock and confusion on her face. 

“His mom, my feelings for him, everything... and I almost did.” Before she can answer, Steve comes out. 

“Hey, you two okay?” you both snap your heads towards him 

“Yep, all good out here.” you laugh awkwardly. 

“I just came to let you know that dinner is ready.” he nods his head inside towards the smell of delicious, mouth watering food. 

“If we don’t go now Sam’s probably gonna start complaining about not getting his pie.” you say walking past Steve and into the warm apartment.  

After dinner everyone heads home. Except for You, Nat, Sam and Bucky. You decide to help Peggy clean up. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also an excuse to avoid Bucky, after your talk earlier this evening you having been avoiding him like the plague. 

“Oi, Y/N. can I ask you a question?” Sam rests his elbows on the counter top. 

“I don’t know Sam, can you?” he laughs sarcastically at your dry joke. 

“Do you think Bucky is as good at poker? He says he’s amazing at it, but I’ve played with the man before. He sucks.” you turn around to face him, putting your hands on your hips. 

“If you consider him losing to me every week for a month, then yeah, he is amazing at it.” you try hard to stifle a laugh 

“I don't think I made dinner for two months after that.” to no avail, you and Sam both burst out laughing. 

“He sucks at poker.” you say pointing a finger towards Bucky. 

“Hey! I thought you would be on my side.” you have to put a hand on the counter from laughing so hard. 

“Sorry Buck, I’m with Sammy on this one. You have a terrible poker face.” Steve walks into the kitchen with a stack of dirty plates, 

“They’re right Bud, you suck.” all he can do is shake his head in defeat. 

“While we’re on the subject of poker, we should play a round.” Sam says casually. 

“I don’t think we can, grandma over here says she has work in the morning.” Natasha points a finger in your direction. 

“Boo, why are you even going in? You are literally your own boss. You can do whatever you want.” Sam complains. You and Sam start bickering about work. Before he can have another try at convincing you to stay for poker night, Bucky interrupts. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably get home too.” he walks over to Peggy and Steve to say bye. 

“You’re just running away, you don’t want to prove to us that you actually are terrible at poker.” Sam jokes. 

“Whatever you say, Sammy.” Bucky loves to tease Sam with the nickname I gave him back in college. 

“You know I'm right, James.” Sam fires back at him. 

“We should get going too.” Nat winks at you. 

“Bye guys.” You and Nat both yell before heading out the door. 

“Bye doll.” Bucky quietly says as you walk past him. 

“Bye Buck.”

Part 5

@justreadingfics @soopranatural @invisibleanonymousmonsters @bloodyproudpotterhead @marvelsbangtan @void-imaginations

[texanredrose]

Did You Know?

-Today, 0317- (214) 13-170-9: Did you know that "hamburger" is two words combined, but it's not "ham" and "burger", but "hamburg" and "er"? No idea what "er" means, though. Or “Hamburg” really. English is weird. You: Who are you and how did you get this number? (214) 13-170-9: Shit, is this not Blake? You: No. I am not Blake. (214) 13-170-9: Ah fuck, sorry, must've fat fingered the number! You: It's four in the morning here. (214) 13-170-9: Oh, cool, same timezone. Still, sorry about that. You: It's fine. You: And, for the record, -er is an Atlesian suffix that roughly means "from" and Hamburg is a city in Atlas. "Hamburger" means, quite literally, "from Hamburg". You: I grew up not too far from there. (214) 13-170-9: Oh, that's so cool! My name's Yang! You: Noted. Now, may I return to slumber or do you have any other useless trivia to impart upon me? (214) 13-170-9: Right, sorry! Again! (214) 13-170-9: Night! Sweet dreams!

-Today, 1034- You: Now that it’s a somewhat respectable hour, I’d like to apologize for being curt last night.  (214) 13-170-9: Hey, I get it! I’d be a little cranky if someone woke me up, too. (214) 13-170-9: Really, no harm, no foul. (214) 13-170-9: But if you’re ever in need of useless trivia, I’m here! You: That was... harsh of me. (214) 13-170-9: I mean, you’re not exactly wrong. Most of this stuff isn’t really that useful. But it can be food for thought or even a little funny! Like, did you know the electric chair was invented by a dentist? Sounds weirdly appropriate, doesn’t it? (214) 13-170-9: Guess he got his patients confused with chickens; THOSE are the ones where you pull out all the white things and THEN fry ‘em. You: That was dark. You: I’ll admit it made me laugh out loud, but still dark. (214) 13-170-9: Okay, look, I work with what material’s available to me, and that was the first one that popped into my head. (214) 13-170-9: Also, did you really type out ‘laugh out loud’? lol, really? You: What do you have against properly spelling out words? (214) 13-170-9: Okay, you know what, in hindsight, you’re right. It just caught me off guard. Most people use abbreviations. (214) 13-170-9: Or emojis. You: I honestly hate the sight of that stupid word. You: Also, I spend all day trapped in an alphabet soup hell. I don’t need more abbreviations, thank you. (214) 13-170-9: But they make things so much quicker! btw, ofc I could spell it all out, but rn I’m using one hand, other’s occupied. (214) 13-170-9: I swear that’s not as dirty as it sounds. You: At EOD, I meet with my POC for a SITREP, then CM to the DFAC. (214) 13-170-9: I respectfully withdraw my argument, have a good day.

-Today, 1425- (214) 13-170-9: Um. I might be overstepping here and maybe you’re busy but either way I hope I didn’t upset you or insult you earlier. You: You said “have a good day”; I assumed that was the end of the conversation. (214) 13-170-9: Do you even meme?! You: I realize I implied and now am outright stating that English isn’t my primary language but you don’t have to make up words. (214) 13-170-9: Oml have you never seen a meme before? Hold on. (214) 13-170-9: [MyHairIsABird.jpeg][open][save] You: What.The. Fuck. (214) 13-170-9: You’ve never seen that before? You: I have and am now wondering why I allowed myself to be teleported back a decade. You: At least. It’s probably closer to two at this point. (214) 13-170-9: That’s a meme. It’s short for mimetic mutation I think? Where a joke gets so far removed from the source that it loses all connection but it’s still somehow funny? You: No. (214) 13-170-9: Look, I’ve never had to explain a meme before! You: I’m not saying “no” to your explanation; I’m saying “no” to that meme, as you call it. (214) 13-170-9: That’s what it’s called! You: Of course it is. (214) 13-170-9: Okay, fine, how about this one? (214) 13-170-9: [loss.jpeg][open][save] You: Now you’re tormenting me. You: Wait. I recognize this format. You: This is the stupid joke the idiots I call my subordinates are giggling about like school children? You: It’s not even a joke. This is a serious matter. (214) 13-170-9: I mean, I agree, I’m not sure how it became a joke but it did? (214) 13-170-9: I swear I’m not as dark as I’ve been sounding. (214) 13-170-9: Like, this whole conversation is kinda atypical for me, I swear. You: You’re putting in a lot of effort to convince a stranger that you’re not exactly as you’ve been acting. (214) 13-170-9: Well, you got me there. Sorry.

-Today, 1832- You: You’ve gone quiet. I suppose both of your hands were required? (214) 13-170-9: I just figured you probably had a point and I should just stop digging a bigger hole for myself. You: You don’t have any more trivia? (214) 13-170-9: Did you know a shark’s top speed is 96 km/h? You: Which species? (214) 13-170-9: Uh, Mako shark, I think. You: You are correct. I have a certain affinity for sharks.  You: They aren’t as terrible as people make them out to be, you know. Yang: Actually, more people die from being struck on the head with a coconut than from shark attacks every year. They’re mostly fine if you leave them alone. Unprovoked attacks aren’t as common as people think, I mean. It’s mostly just one species responsible for them, too, but people lump all sharks together. You: They do. Sharks are dangerous, yes, but most creatures are. Sharks just get a bad reputation for essentially no reason. Yang: Actually, the movie Jaws spawned a lot of the social stigma around sharks. Yang: Do you have a favorite shark? You: The catshark. There’s several species all over Remnant; they’re deep sea creatures, living below what most people fish at, but they’re occasionally spotted by research vessels. They have beautiful skins with wonderful patterns but very little is known about them, and each subspecies is unique in its own way. You: They’re truly fascinating creatures. Yang: They sound really cool! You: I have a question for you. Yang: Shoot. You: You’ve given me your name yet you haven’t ask me mine. Why? Yang: Well, let’s start from the top. Yang: I messaged you in the middle of the night on accident, which you weren’t very happy about. Then when you apologized, I made a bad joke and you took it literally. THEN, I apologized again, and we talked about memes, and that entire discussion didn’t go anywhere good, I think we’re on the same page on that one. Yang: So, from my perspective, I really don’t have any right to ask your name. I gave you mine so you’d know who to specifically curse if you’re religiously inclined. Yang: Or, like, you just want the satisfaction of specifically cursing me, because like, mood. You: How thoughtful. You: It’s Winter. Yang: I’m pretty sure it’s spring? You: You boob. My name is Winter. Yang: OH Yang: IT’S A GOOD NAME You: ... really? Yang: Absolutely! It’s a beautiful name! You: That wasn’t me looking for reassurance; that was me being... surprised by your response. Yang: It makes me think of Atlas, kinda, cause it’s so cold up there. Yang: Oh. Yang: I am just a series of “open mouth, insert foot” examples today. You: Are you on something? Alcohol? Weed? Nicotine? Yang: NO! You: Admittedly, that last one wouldn’t lead to such a lapse in judgement as you’ve currently displayed. You: Are you lying to me? Yang: FUCKING NO, I’M NOT ON ANYTHING! Yang: I just haven’t been sleeping well recently and my head’s a little fuzzy. That’s all. You: That would explain the middle-of-the-night trivia session. Yang: I said I was sorry about that. You: I believe you but I also believe that a good night’s rest in fundamentally important. You: Tonight, you’re going to sleep at a reasonable hour. Yang: You can’t just command me to go to sleep! You: I just did. Yang: Wait a minute, the acronyms, the orders, “subordinates”- you’re military, aren’t you? You: Yes. Yang: That’s awesome! I’m just a mechanic. I like working on engines. You: Riveting, truly, but those are topics for tomorrow. Tonight, you sleep. Yang: lmao, nice pun! You: I didn’t make a pun. Yang: I said I’m a mechanic, you said “riveting”, how was that not a pun? You: You’re deflecting. Yang: My shields are up. You: I’m not engaging in a pun war when you should be going to bed. Yang: I’m not going to bed, so I guess we’re at a stalemate. You: Fine. Here’s the deal. Make me a promise. Yang: Wow, we’re hardly on first name basis and now we’re making promises? You move fast. You: Promise me you’ll text me whatever piece of trivia comes to mind whenever you’re having trouble sleeping. Yang: I don’t get it. I’d be waking you up at all hours. You: Exactly. You seem like the sort of person to care very much about others so I doubt you’d compromise my sleep intentionally. Now that you have a clear purpose of going to sleep to help someone else sleep, you’ll have an easier time accomplishing the task. Yang: What are you, some kinda quack psychologist? Yang: You’re playing dirty. You: I’m military. What did you honestly expect? Yang: Touche. Yang: Fine. I’ll try to sleep tonight. But just know! I have a whole bunch of factoids for ya! Get ready cause neither of us is sleeping tonight! You: Usually, I’d insist someone buy me dinner first. Yang: Now you’re flirting. You: I’m merely stating fact. You: How about one more “factoid” before bed? Yang: Did you know a shark’s teeth are literally hard as steel? You: Playing to my interests, I see. Yang: I have my moments of brilliance. You: Indeed you do. Now, good night, Yang. Get some sleep. Yang: Good night Winter. Sweet dreams. You: And to you the same.

-Today, 0947- Yang: I hate you. You: Care to elaborate? Yang: Somehow, it worked, and I just woke up from the sleep of the dead. My body feels like mush sloshing around a hollow lead cylinder. You: What you’re feeling is the side effects of your body getting both too little and too much rest at the same time. If you establish a better sleep schedule, you’ll avoid this feeling in the future. Yang: Thank you, Doctor Winter. Do I get a lollipop? You: Continue being this cheeky; I assure you it’s doing nothing but improving my perception of you. Yang: Harsh. You: That was teasing. Yang: Oh. You really should add, like, an lol or something when you're joking. I'm not awake enough to find context clues. You: Aside from the lethargy, how are you feeling? Yang: Hungry. I finally dragged myself out of bed to cook breakfast and it turns out my sister already made me some. I’ve taught her well. You: Older or younger? Yang: I’m older by two years. Sometimes, it feels longer than that, though; I practically raised her. You: Interesting. I’m glad she made some food for you. Yang: Yeah. Now that I think about it, probably worried her pretty bad the last few weeks. You: Is that how long you’ve been having trouble sleeping?” Yang: About that. Yang: These pancakes taste fucking delicious btw. Yang: Did you know that, for most people, their right lung takes in more air than their left? You: We need to have a talk about priorities because I highly doubt you’ve inhaled your food that quickly. Yang: Sorry, my sis had to leave, so it’s a quiet breakfast over here. You: I don’t see that as something that needs to be corrected. You: However, I find myself wondering if you know the reason behind the lung trivia. Yang: I do! It’s because, for most people, your heart is just to the left of the center of your chest. So, since the heart takes up space, there’s only two sacs in your left lung, as opposed to three in your right. Yang: *sacks? Idek You: Idek? Yang: I Don’t Even Know- not sure what the difference between “sacs” and “sacks” is. You: This is why acronyms and abbreviations are more trouble than they’re worth. Yang: Okay, so basically, a sac is biological and a sack is manufactured. Like, sacs are things naturally occurring that fill with air or liquid, either in the body or outside it. Sacks are made for carrying things like groceries. Yang: Meanwhile, “sack” as a verb means either getting hit or getting laid off. Or maybe both, I guess, depending on your job. You: You went and looked it up? Yang: What, you think I was born with all these random things preprogrammed? Yang: I have a really good retention rate and I'm curious a lot. Yang: Google is my friend. You: Obviously. I suppose the appropriate follow-up question would be: you kept highlighting “most people”. Why? Yang: Well, there are a lot of medical reasons that makes it not applicable to everyone. Dextrocardia, for instance, in its mildest form causes the heart to face the opposite way, so the lungs usually fill differently because of that. More severe cases mean that more visceral organs are mirrored, too. You: Okay, so, language, sharks, the electric chair, and now medical trivia. The breadth of your subjects of interest is impressive. Yang: Thanks! Yang: Did you know that the cracking sound made by a whip is caused by the tip breaking the sound barrier? Yang: I’m pretty sure this counts as physics. You: I’ll add physics to the list. You: Now finish your breakfast and do something small. Take a nap in a few hours or whenever you feel tired. Yang: Do you have any siblings? Yang: You don't have to answer right away! Yang: Or at all. Yang: Guess you're busy? Eating breakfast maybe?

-Today, 1036- You: Actually, I was in formation. It's usually at 0930 but there were... complications this morning, so they pushed it back half an hour. Yang: Huh. For some reason, I always thought the military would be, like, SUPER punctual. You: And I have a younger sister and a younger brother, in that order. You: I'm going to tell you a secret: the military is always late. We just never admit it. Yang: So, you're like a bunch of cats? You: Given what constitutes my workday, yes, I would say that's accurate. "Herding cats" is the most accurate description of my job title. Yang: lmao, that's wild. Your siblings here in Vale too? Or back home in Atlas? You: My sister is here; she moved here to study at Beacon and then decided to stay. I suspect her girlfriend might factor into that decision but she's remaining tight lipped about it. My brother is at home, in Atlas. You: Now explain “lmao”. Yang: Laughing My As Off Yang: You really don’t know any chat abbreviations? You: Has it occurred to you that abbreviations is a very long word to describe the shortening of words and is, in itself, evidence that it’s all very silly? Yang: I know this is going to sound very grade school but you’re kinda cute when you’re annoyed. You: You’re right; that does sound very grade school. You: And you only say that because you can’t see me. Yang: Oh, so you don’t go all broody, kinda constipated, pursed lips when you’re annoyed by something? You: I understand those words individually but, combined, I’m lost. What would that even look like? Yang: Here. Yang: [photo][open][save] You: First, I want to assure you that you’re a very beautiful individual. You: Next, you look absolutely ridiculous. Yang: Hey, that’s how I think you look when you’re annoyed! You: I do not. Yang: Okay, I’ll take your word for it! You: [photo][open][save] Yang: Oh Yang: Wow You: That is what I look like when annoyed. You: And, not to wound your ego, but that annoyance isn’t inspired by you. A subordinate just asked me for fucking grid squares. You: At this point, one would think that joke’s too tired to work, but one would be wrong. Yang: Did you know that the winter of 392 was so cold, all of Beacon Falls froze over? You: Back to trivia? Yang: It’s my default response when higher brain function shuts down. You: I’ll admit, this is the first time in a long while I’ve felt flattery to be entirely sincere. Yang: This isn’t flattery; this is cold, hard facts. You: I see. Yang: Hey, I, uh, just realized the time, I gotta get to work. Yang: See if I still have a job, at any rate. You: I understand. Good luck. Yang: Thanks! Hope your work day gets better!

-Today, 1236- You: I assume the radio silence to be a good sign.

-Today, 1428- Yang: Yeah! Turns out, the shop kept a spot for me. My boss is being really understanding. Yang: Kinda... babying me, too, but... I’m getting used to it. Yang: At least he fired the idiot that started this whole mess. You: Am I permitted to inquire as to what happened? Yang: I don’t wanna go into details. You: That’s understandable. You: I’m glad they kept a spot for you. Are you going to return to work full time or ease into it? Yang: Give me a minute. You: Very well.

-Today, 1513- Yang: A few months ago, there was an accident at the shop. We do body work too and this guy tried using a machine he had no business using. Freaked out, caused a scene, I tried going over to help, ended up with my right arm caught in the damn thing. Mangled it pretty bad. So bad the docs had to take it. I got fitted for a prosthetic and I’m just trying to find normal again. Yang: I know I said I didn’t wanna go into the details but I’m actually shit at lying. Yang: Except in, like, weirdly specific circumstances. You: Thank you. Yang: Ok. Gotta admit. Not the response I expected. You: It must be very difficult to discuss and think about the accident. You didn’t have to go into it, yet you did, and I thank you for trusting me with that. You: That being said, is this a contributing factor to your insomnia? Yang: It’s not insomnia. I’m just not sleeping well. Yang: But yeah, idk, maybe it’s related. I liked sleeping on my right side and I can’t anymore. Anchor digs into my ribs. You: Establishing a new routine can be tricky at first. Everything is just a painful reminder of the incident. Yang: Sounds like you have experience with this. You: A bit. A superior of mine whom I respect greatly lost most of his body a few years back. He speaks very frankly about the challenges he faced when returning to the line. Yang: Wait, you mean General Ironwood? You: You know him? Yang: Who in Remnant doesn’t? He’s basically a celebrity. I mean, not just for the prosthetic body thing; he’s also the youngest commanding General of the Atlesian military. Yang: Which... tbh, is kinda weird. Isn’t he pushing fifty? You: Age takes on a whole new concept in the military. Yang: I’d say. Yang: They talked about him when I started my physical therapy. Supposed to inspire me, I guess. You: For what it’s worth, he actually dislikes when people do that. He says that each individual case is a war all unto itself. Comparisons are detrimental to the individual’s recovery. Yang: I like him better already. I’ve been over here trying to just “suck it up” I mean, not like I lost anything more than an arm, what do I have to complain about? You: Hold that thought. Yang: Okay?

-Today, 1558- You: Miss Yang? This is General Ironwood. Yang: Look, I’m all for practical jokes, but this isn’t a good one. You: [photo][open][save] Yang: This is not a joke. You: No, it is not.  You: Miss Yang, I’d like to extend my deepest, sincerest sympathies to you for your loss. Having your life upended in such a way can be extremely disorienting. However, the measure of your strength does not come from what you can or can’t do in comparison to before. It comes from your desire to continue fighting, to find a new balance to your life. Asymmetry is a measure of beauty, strength, and courage in its own right. Yang: Thank you, sir. Yang: *Sir. You: I’d like to extend an invitation to a support group I host. It’s mostly military members from all over Remnant but, if you don’t mind a bit of morbidly crass humor- a habit I’m attempting to break the lot of them from, with limited results- we’d be honored with your presence. Yang: No offense, but I doubt a bunch of soldiers would be “honored” by a mechanic. You: The first thing I teach is to see similarities instead of differences. You saw something dangerous and, rather than run away, you ran towards it. All of us share that experience. You: Except Carl. Yang: What happened to him? You: I apologize; it’s a military specific meme. Winter mentioned you’re rather fond of memes. Yang: Oh, so you know what a meme is, but she doesn’t? You: Don’t tell her I said so- she’s a very good soldier- but she’s always had a stick up her ass. She could use more memes in her life. Yang: Should I take that as an order? You: Absolutely. Yang: Can do. And, uh, sure. About the support group. You: Excellent! I’ll give Winter the details so she can pass them onto you. It was wonderful taking to you, Miss Yang. Yang: Yeah, you too, Sir. You: It’s Winter again. I hope that helped. Yang: Did you literally walk into the office of the commanding General of Atlas’ military, just to hand him your scroll and say ‘talk to this bitch’? You: I didn’t use those words; I told him I had a friend who recently attended physical therapy post amputation and I thought some words of encouragement from him would be a good idea. You: Wait, did he literally say I have a stick up my ass? Yang: WOOOW, meme savvy he might be, but apparently he doesn’t know how to delete a text message. You: I can’t believe he’d say that. You: I most certainly do not have a stick lodged in my posterior, figurative or otherwise. Yang: I’d offer to check but that’s a bit too fast too soon, so I’ll just say you seem alright to me. You: Thank you, Yang. Yang: Cranky when I wake you up at the asscrack of dawn, though. That might be when ass and stick are firm friends. You: Do not make me take it back. Yang: I’m just kidding! Yang: Seriously, though, thanks. You didn’t have to do that. You: You’re welcome.

-Today, 0233- Yang: Did you know it takes the average person seven minutes to fall asleep? You: I sincerely thought you’d be asleep by now. Yang: I did. Woke up. Yang: Sorry. You: Do you know what a contact truck is? Yang: Uh, no, no idea. You: It’s the military vehicle utilized by mechanics, outfitted with tools, so they can drive out and repair other vehicles. Do you know why it’s called that? Yang: Hit me with it. You: That was an actual question. Yang: Huh? You: I’ve been asking for as long as I’ve been in. Not even General Ironwood knows why it’s called that. It just is. Yang: omg that’s hilarious You: It’s that, too. Also incredibly vexing. You: I just want to know why it’s called that. Yang: Heh. If I find out, I’ll let you know. You: Go back to sleep, Yang. Yang: I’ll try. Night. You: And sweet dream. Yang: lol, same to you.