#my mom can find free pianos on the side of the road

[tj-crochets]

I would argue that at least some of your current super powers are useful and great, given the superhuman speed at which you create amazing crafts!! (I would kill to be able to sew/knit/crotchet so fast)

You know, I had not considered that a superpower, but maybe I should! Speed crafting! :D Thanks, nonny! I gotta say I like the speed crafting power a lot more than I like the "detect the presence of mint/coconut/lysol by wheezing" powers lol

[pouringmeout]

11/17/22

My Grandpa Shander and I used to visit alone without my mom and dad in the room, or brother and sister, usually Grandma Shander wasn't around either.  In the other room visiting my mom in the kitchen.

I was a loner and writing music and film stars on Instagram and making films and screenplays for YouTube and my hard drive.

Sending out materials and not getting much back.

Toby Kebbell had an agent or manager in London actually reply.  She said if you find a producer or backing we would love to read the screenplay you queried us for.

I never officially found the backers.

I wanted him to play Arc, or ARKMIN in my screenplay I finished in February of 2013, the year after I discovered the writings of the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.  A feature film to be my first movie director job for the cinema about the "Phenomenon of Psychedelics" and other drugs.  In the early drafts Arc had a cocaine problem and gets help.  I ended up changing that as a way to tell young people to not mess around with that stuff.  Cocaine is very bad in my opinion.

So back to what I was writing before about my Grandpa Shander....

Oh yeah, it was not an Anti-Drug movie, the way Full Metal Jacket was supposed to be not a Paths of Glory 2 or another Stanley Kubrick anti-war film.  He wanted to capture the "phenomenon of war," not be a repeat of the World War I Kirk Douglas picture.

So "Arc & Cyl In Skunk Zoo" was about Mushrooms, LSD, Weed, and booze, and going out with friends to a regular spot with free live music, not DJ's or just turntables, but bands who didn't make any money yet doing it.

My Grandpa told me all sorts of stuff when we visited in my early and middle 30's.

He liked seeing me, and everyone else in the family, did not visit as often as I.  My mom and dad were going down to the Heights to visit often.

Once a month or so.

So I recently put on the Irishman, directed by Martin Scorsese and photographed by Rodrigo Prieto, ASC AMC for Netflix.

The woman in the movie that I remembered was I thought "Shandolini" the "mob royalty wife, who was from the same town in Sicily as the Bufalinos, Came over on the Italian Mayflower,"

My great uncle supposedly married an Italian or maybe even a Sicilian mobster before our side of the family told them to go to hell.

We never met Al's side of the family as children, this falling out happened before my dad went to medical school at Loyola, (not University of Notre Dame like the rest of the family, mostly) married my mother and I was even a thought.  

They were angry at us.  My Grandma and Grandpa Shander received a sum of money from the will, earned at a Wood Shop Factory they owned in the Heights after my great Grandfather Otto Shander Junior died in the 80's.

No, I think my Grandpa Shander's (J.R. Otto Shander) brother, my great uncle Al Shander-died in the 80's and we got an old upright ancient piano.  It was dark wood like an off black and not even a dark brown looking thing.  I thought it wouldn't sound good, and I guess my mom said we got it tuned and fixed up.  And I played after lessons every two weeks or so on it.

One of my teachers was just down the road from here, two houses off Sunset Drive, no joke.

I played for my Grandpa when he came to visit from the South Side of Chicago and he sat right next to me. 

"Steven play something for me," he said.

I was like ok Grandpa, this one I don't even have to look at the notes, this one's called "Greensleeves."

I put up the book of songs, opened the page and it was like when I was showing off my free throws or my lay-ups in the driveway to the my neighbor's moms and dads taking out the trash in the 80s.

Hey Mr. Buchanan I can make a three pointer now, watch...

Ok Steve, good job, wow.

Megan home?

No, she's out at the gym.

Oh gymnastics, ok.

Wonder why they call it that Grandpa?  

What's Green-Sleeves?

All the other songs I had to read the notes, the sheet music in front of me, that one I could do without even having my eyes open.

Like I was an expert at this one song, but all the others were harder and needed attention to the dumb fucking treble and bass fucking clef, this shit... 

I was in first grade or second I think, maybe younger.

He was so impressed with my skills as a little boy at the dumb and ugly looking Shander inherited piano.

I don't remember him saying much, but the look on his face was so great, like he loved me, like he saw me doing something he was proud of.

I wasn't going on "His List" for that shit.  

No I was eating all my food off my plate and not wearing a ball-cap at the table, no elbows on table, no cuss words, I was kicking some first grade ass with that stupid fuckin' song!

Wonder what is means?  

Dad?!

Wow, when I fund out about that context, I was like What the Literal Fuck.

Made me shiver and I had the chills like the Boogey Man was back, and Freddie and Jason, the guy from Pet Cemetery 2 (in the window with that drill-bit in the tv preview) and Pinhead were shitting their pants all the fuck over again.

I hated going to piano lessons, but it was like Sunday school, I had to go, no choice, do it Steve, just do it little Shander boy!  

And thank you God I had to go, and thank mom and dad for making me go-you stricter than heck Jesus-Loving-Monkeys.  It really was a blessing in my life you guys-holy shit, thank you.

Usually he was grumpy and very strict and kind of mean, like a pissed off drafted NAVY guy who never got off the aircraft carrier, when the Bomb turned them around in the South Pacific in World War II.

Panama Canal?

Ok Grandpa, not all the stories are coming out today, but they should soon.

I miss you man.  You had your moments of mean comments, but this shit is insane man.  You weren't kidding when you you showed me with your hand and fingers-the width of the glass at Al Capone's apartment complex in your neighborhood as a little boy.  It was extra thick to prevent bullets from the street sweepers or other dangers to their outfit.

Chicago....

I learned music first on that piano.  I do not believe I know the truth about my family secrets for very serious and also very dangerous, reasons and/or details to my safety and literal human body's lifespan.

The family on the other side wanted the money for starting a business, they didn't want to go to get an education.  The will said on my Great Grandpa Shander's wishes, that it was money for school only, College or University, maybe even vocational stuff.

I could be hearing a load of bullshit on this one too.

I doubt that.

My Aunts and Uncles all went to fancy colleges or universities with the money from that will.

I found one of these cocksuckers online, Facebook.com, my family name, and he was a MAGA hat wearin' fool. 

So if my relatives on the Uncle Al Shander side are really all that I think they are, boy are they suspect in this fucking story. 

Maybe not, who knows? 

Mahalo Mother Fucker/ (thank you in Hay-Why, whoever you are...)

I do not fucking love you.

I love my family, my fans, my people on the pen pals service.

Keep your head up you guys, it's fucking cold as a mother fucker and we all don't clear the medical for the Frozen Tundra down there on the Ice, The South Pole Ice....

Means you don't get medically cleared to go there.

The Wilderness Left

[calypsoff2]

Eighty.

Holding my head in my hand just waiting for the song to be mixed, I was shocked to see that Drake wants to work with me, but I don’t want to be in the same studio as him. Looking over to Nury and laughing “you look tired” she said, sitting back on the couch “yeah, trying to finish this then I can go back home. Wife has demanded it, also I have stayed here longer than I should have but it’s been fun” Nury eyed me up “don’t you get sick of being told what to do? Imagine coming out of Jail and then having to deal with Rihanna straight from it, like a nagging woman, don’t you want to be free” I chuckled “fame, I think it changes you. She was so shy when I met her but then she got fame and changed, you know, but it’s life” I shrugged “but then really when you think about it, it’s not the woman you fell in love with if you say fame has changed her” Nury has a point but I adore my wife too much “I know but you never stepped out of marriage, isn’t that like boring? What if you find a better connection in someone else because look at us, we get on so well, do we not” I chuckled “we do but I told you, I ain’t ever going to upset my wife like that, I won’t. It isn’t worth breaking my family over” Nury nodded her head slowly “but you are thinking it?” clearing my throat “not exactly” I mumbled “then why have me around, we have done nothing but talk, I’ve been here. You laughing and smiling, I don’t know. You just giving confused vibes, I think you need to be real with yourself” I sighed out “you need to stop, when you start talking like this then I can’t fuck with you, I said we can be friends. You know the thing with India, Saweetie they fuck it up. They get loud, they don’t know their boundaries, I think you good people” Nury cut me off “but not good enough to fuck with huh?” she said “I never said that” Nury sniggered “so I am but yeah, ok I get it” women just don’t get it, yes we get on but let’s be friends “yeah, ok I get it” I mimicked her “you women be on something don’t y’all” she side eyed me “alright, just because I think you’re a funny guy I’ll just be quiet, I’ve never posted a picture of you so it’s good” maybe she’s not dumb like the rest after all.

“Girl, what is that noise in that room” looking behind me and laughed out “that is Tianna, she takes Piano lessons, she asked, and I said yes. And ok, she sounds terrible but she’s learning so stop” Jah is terrible, laughing at my daughter “mom, can I come to the meeting?” Rylee asked “no baby, not this meeting. Sorry, we need to really concentrate on this one, I’m sorry” she let out an oh “you really want to be in business don’t you” Jah said “I want to be like my mom, I want to be like her” Jah cooed out “well baby, you can’t be like her but better then her. Your forehead isn’t as big so you’re already on the road to that” shaking my head “so I can’t come to this meeting then mom?” Rylee asked again “not this time baby, sorry” entering the dining room “Jah has arrived and he called Tianna piano playing noise” Jen laughed out “I don’t expect anything from Jah” sitting down across from Jen “reminds me of when Rihanna went on stage hungover and she was spewing out noise” I gasped looking at him “now you’re attacking me” looking at Rylee “close the door, this is private. Go on now, please listen to me” she pouted her lips and shuffled out of the room “she really likes meetings, girl go and be nine. She’s a child” I shrugged “I just feel like she doesn’t like to make friends her own age, I don’t know what to do with her. So many times I’ve tried to do it but no, Tianna has friends. Even my baby Imani does, Rylee just wants to be an adult. She wants to run Fenty” I laughed “she’s really going to be an adult when she hits teenage” Jen said “I think it might switch up, I think when she get to high school she will get friends but then there may be fake ones but I think it’s part of the heart break, I think Rylee will get friends in high school. I hope she meets her Mel” I cooed out “awww yeah, that is so sweet. I hope she does. I worry about her, I don’t even want her to be like me, like she says that and I’m like I don’t want that for you baby, but what can I say. I inspire her” I grinned “hope your music ability doesn’t inspire Tianna, that noise” hitting Jah’ arm “mhmm heard your man song in the club, he’s erm. He’s good” Jen is laughing “well this meeting is for the man himself, isn’t it Tina. She’s the acting role in his PR” smiling at Tina “I’m doing it for Rih, because she doesn’t want someone from outside yet. So shall we get the meeting started then” nodding my head, this meeting is for him “this is why I didn’t want Rylee in this meeting, I’ve been staying away from things, but I need to know. I know it’s erm, some video girl” I sighed out “I stayed up late with this” Tina said, nodding my head, I feel a little nervous “I’ve been busy with my dad, like. Look, just yeah, I don’t want to think of him” I laughed shaking off the sadness.

Even though I have asked Chris to come home and he knows about my dad, my dad is still here but he hasn’t come home because he’s busy “you know that he is doing a song with Drake? He accepted it, you didn’t. He just said to Drake team he will do it, I asked Chris, and he said you did, and I said Rih didn’t. But then when speaking to Chris, he said that it will be a good thing to get his name out there” I shrugged “what can I say, maybe I made a mistake about this? Maybe I shouldn’t have let him be this singer because I don’t know, I know my husband. I do, I know him, and he has the urge to be friendly to females, a little too friendly” I drifted off “no, you did what you thought is right, you can’t control him being this whore can you? No Robyn, I am not having that. He can do things without being a whore, I don’t care. He does this every time, he loves entertaining girls, he really fucking does and it’s not on” Jah snapped “he can be fucking faithful, it’s not fucking hard! But then again, you hang with the likes of Diddy and his crew, they are all whores. What can we say, a man is just a man. You can’t actually stop them if they want to cheat Robyn, all it is you need to think if he is once again entertaining a girl, even if he isn’t sleeping with her are you going to deal with that? Are you going to say it’s ok Chris, I trust you. He is laughing at you Robyn, are you serious? That man is laughing at you, I am sorry. Too many girls he does it too, to me. This is passive cheating. He would want to fuck these girls but these bitches can’t keep quiet because they would holler, Rihanna’s husband? Yeah, I think we need to see the bigger picture” Jen put her head down, she didn’t say anything but put her down which to me, she agreed. I know her.

I swallowed hard “I love him” I just said it out loud “and sometimes love is blind because he can’t behave, like why can’t he just not entertain girls. I don’t get it, what is wrong with him. Like why can’t he just come home to his beautiful wife, his kids, this home. What does he want?” Jah is going to make me cry “men are never satisfied, I had issues” Jen said, I remember she did “I need to know Tina, what has happened since the video shoot” Tina hates this but I want this in house “from the photoshoot they went to the club and there was several pictures taken, the pictures to me makes it look like he was flirting with her but in the video that was taken around the club, he was just singing and having fun and she was there, he was looking at her. Here she held his wrist, they was then in the back of VIP talking, all look close” Tina turned her laptop around “I just opened a few” grabbing her laptop and bringing it over to me, Jah scooted over to me “he got the twinkle in his eye smiling here" Jah pointed, I turned my head away “I am done” I said, I don’t want to see it anymore “but I want to know the rest” Jah bought the laptop over to himself “then Chris was carried out the club, he was drunk, video again. It was G and Teyana that helped him to leave” nodding my head “so the night I called him about my dad, and he text me saying he can’t” I added “then these are pictures from a blog site, gossipcitytea and in the text it said Rihanna’s husband cosying up. I mean to me in the picture they were having breakfast and she was sat next to him, and they were talking, deep conversation, then another picture of her getting into her a SUV with the rest of them” putting my hand up “who is this girl again, name?” I asked “Nury” Tina answered “ok, thanks. And now there has been footage of Chris in the studio and this girl is always there, she is just there. She has taken pictures of herself in a studio” nodding my head, Tina is a good investigator.

Taking in a deep breath “thank you for searching all this for me” I said to her “anything for you, so in regards to the publicist part, what is being said? Blogs and whatever” I asked “is Chris straying away, are you both getting a divorce, Chris is being very free and a little careless I would say. I think like you need to talk to him, he needs to stop right now. This girl is on OnlyFans, she will destroy his marriage and it’s going to happen or it’s happening now, he has to stop Robyn” putting my head down “I am just so angry, I don’t know. I feel angry, hurt, upset. I mean myself but he shouldn’t need to go elsewhere, why? What do I not got?” I said “nothing, he is a fucking loser” Jah said “I really think you need to talk to him, now” shaking my head “I did that, I have been through India, Saweetie and now this? I mean what the fuck but this one, seems like she is staying. Like she is going to play a game and I am not going to say anything to her. She is a video girl, but the fact he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing is so fucking bad, I can’t even comprehend it” Jah put his arm around me “he needs to stop though, and now” Jah said, nodding my head “I don’t want to speak to him as of yet because we have the Savage thing and if he cared that much he would be back by now, he knew about my dad, you should see my dad. He looks so bad, but I get why but he could have just said it, he could have mentioned it. Like he has months to go, I don’t know maybe weeks. He decided to just let it happen. He said that the medication made him worse and then the doctors said they can’t do anything now, so he came here. Like I have all this money and I can’t do anything, and for him to come here. He said that he just wants to see some life, I just want him to be here. Nobody deserves that” a sob left my lips, but I stopped myself “mom” Rylee said outside the door “uncle Rorrey and Rajad is here!” they came “that’s ok baby, thank you for letting me know. Now go and be nice to them” rolling my eyes “busy but I will deal with it, eventually when he comes home. I think I want to get the Savage stuff out of the way first, even though my mind is not in it. I will get it over with. Once he is back, we will then go over the stuff I want to happen with that” looking up at Jen and Tina “and all this, what he’s doing?” nodding my head “that will be discussed when I find the energy within me to do it” what more can I say “treat him like the dog he is” Jah said, I breathed out “he will know I am weird with him” I won’t be the same with him.

Leaving the meeting I feel like shit, I have so much going on right now that my mind is racing “sis” Rorrey said “oh god” I said as I rushed over to my brother and hugged him “I want to help so bad Rorrey I do, oh my god. Please god, please tell what I can do” Rorrey held me so tight “I know Rih, I am all cried out thinking of everything. I told him to tell you to come Barbados, but he said no, he wanted to come here. Stubborn man, I am in denial about it all” moving back from the hug wiping my tears “I want to help him so bad, like it’s so useless. Money is useless, I want to just help him because no matter what, I don’t want this for him. He should have said, I would have come to him, he shouldn’t have come all the way here. Oh god, this is just a mess” my life is a mess right now “we want to take him back to Barbados because to me, dad is getting worse quick, mom told me to come here now and just get him to go back, he is being hard headed” nodding my head “I just can’t think right now” my mind is literally blank right now.

[girlboss-molina]

Be Who You Are (No Compromise)

A Julie and the Phantoms Modern Royalty AU

Chapter 8: Rules of Engagement

AO3 Link

Words: 8988

-----

Julie POV

…

Julie remembered the day they’d first announced the marriage. She, Ray, Carlos, and Reggie were visiting Tambor, before Queen Claire and King Xavier had sprung the question on them. Ray had vehemently disagreed, but they’d insisted that he raise it to the council. And when it passed, Julie remembered the exact green glow of the screens reflecting on her dad’s face, and she’d shaken her head, stormed out of the Tamborian royal office with Alex right behind her, angry tears streaming down her face as she’d ran back to her room.

She and Alex were pissed. They were angry, scared, sad, horrified, and betrayed. Alex especially. He’d never come out to his parents, but he’d still explained how horrible he felt, as if his parents were doing it to spite him.

There had been lots of not-so-royal language used that day, and today was no different.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?” Julie shouted, not caring if her walls weren’t soundproof. She’d stayed silent the whole walk back to her room with Alex and the brief passing of Reggie, who’d gotten the details from Alex. Now it was her time to freak out.

“I’m officially ready to fake my death, Lex,” she decided, fists by her sides. She hated this. Since when did they get to control her life? It was her life, for God’s sake! Princess or not, nobody should have to be in an arranged marriage.

Her voice choked.

“I’m not, really,” she admitted, “but I want to. If it means we get to run our own goddamn lives, I”ll do it.” She tore a hand through her hair and blinked back tears to no avail.

“I’m so sorry,” Julie finally said. “You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Neither do you.” Alex mussed his hair and sat on the end of her bed as she paced. “It’s majorly fucked up.”

“It really is! I didn’t choose to be Princess Julie Molina, Heiress to the throne of Dahlia.” She said her own long title in a faux posh voice, gagging at the sound and bile rising in her throat. She walked into her bathroom, fixing her hair to be natural and down, nothing braided or tied. Angrily scrubbing tears away, Julie stalked to her closet and changed into sweatpants and a big t-shirt, not bothering to pick up her suit off the floor.

“We have to raise major hell for the council members who voted for this,” Alex decided as she walked back out.

“As much as possible,” she agreed.

Worn out, she flopped next to him. He wrapped his arm around her and she squeezed him in a friendly hug, letting his head rest on her shoulder. She felt a tear soak through her shirt, but didn’t care. He needed this.

“Fucking hell,” he said.

“Amen to that.” That elicited a halfhearted laugh, and Julie smiled a bit.

“It’ll be okay,” she finally said.

“No, it won’t. But we’ll survive.”

“Yeah.”

…

“Ow, Mira!” Julie exclaimed, trying not to move as Mira quickly moved the pin by her side as she marked the fabric for the outline of her wedding dress. It was a very tedious process; Julie looked like she was wrapped in giant pieces of fabric and lace… because she pretty much was. Mira and two other tailors were taking exact measurements to make sure the dress fit perfectly, then they would sew it and make adjustments as needed.

Unfortunately, that meant Julie had to stand very, very still and hope she wouldn’t get stabbed by the needles.

She wasn’t having much luck.

If she’d counted correctly, Mira (and the other girls, Soleil and Jenna), had accidentally poked her twelve times, in varying places, but generally around the side, waist, and shoulders.

“Sorry!” Mira said through her teeth. “Just trying to get this fitted properly.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed, doing her best not to slouch. MIra’s hands fell.

“If you want to talk about it…”

“Thanks.” In all honesty, she did not- especially since she didn’t know Soleil or Jenna very well, and didn’t want to spill her guts about hating the wedding when they were around. Plus… talking about it just made it more real.

“Your highness, this dress is going to be stunning on you,” noted Soleil excitedly, further proving her point.

“I bet,” she said with as much faux enthusiasm as she could muster. “You guys are incredible.”

“Aww, thanks!” replied Jenna. Julie gave a smile, but it looked more like a grimace than anything else.

…

After the grueling process of getting legally stabbed by her best friend over and over with tiny blades for the purpose of creating a goddamn wedding dress, Julie changed into more comfortable clothes; a t- shirt and jeans.

There was going to be a storm blowing in tonight, so she figured she may as well go outside before she would end up soaked. But, who would she find sulking in the field but a certain snarky gay?

She stood for a moment, watching him pick at the grass, before finally sighing.

“Why don’t we go work on a song?” she suggested. “I can get Luke and Reggie, plus the rest of the group if you want, and we can work out some stress.” Alex shrugged. Julie waited for a few minutes, hating how depressed he was. She was too, of course, but what kind of friend would she be if she let one of her best friends sit alone and feel sorry for himself? Besides, she was aching to work on song.

“Alright,” he finally replied, and Julie smiled.

“Awesome.” She stuck her hands in her pockets

“Let’s go, drummer boy.”

…

Playing the piano had always been therapeutic for Julie, until her mom passed away. Then she’d hardly been able to listen to any music without being reminded of her. But she was back on her groove, and the keys were familiar in the way you could sink into your best friend’s arms and know you were home.

She played the opening chords and began to sing, closing her eyes and feeling like it was just her and the piano in a universe of music and colors.

When Luke, Reggie, and Alex jumped in at the chorus, she opened her eyes and jumped up with the mic, dancing around as she belted out each note with more conviction than before. She walked around the room as she sang, dancing with Reggie, Alex, and Luke. She wandered over to where the rest of the group was sitting and dancing along, and she gave Willie a high-five as she passed him.

Luke sang the second prechorus with her, and the smile on his face only grew. THey harmonized each note, voices melding together as the music rose and Alex jumped in with the drums as they went into the next chorus, singing an ode to hope and persistence.

During the bridge, Luke held her gaze the entire time, and her heart soared as she belted out the last bridge note, riffing as the others held the background vocals.

When the song ended, her hair was frizzy and heart pounding, but she felt alive and free. She fistbumped Reggie, grinning, and hugging Flynn, who told her over and over that they were incredible, and that she was assigning herself the role of band manager. Carrie had automatically volunteered to be the costume designer, and Mira had taken offense to that, because “I’m literally her lady-in-waiting, Wilson!”

Julie couldn’t help but laugh at her friends.

“Okay,” Flynn finally said, “girl time.” Julie laughed but agreed, waving to the guys as she wrapped her arms around Flynn’s and Mira’s shoulders, Carrie on Flynn’s other side.

They walked out of the studio and wandered all throughout the palace, chattering mindlessly about everything and nothing. Mira insisted that mint chocolate chip ice cream was the superior ice cream, to which Flynn retorted “totally! Like, are you ever eating chocolate and you think ‘hey, you know what would go great with this? Toothpaste!’” Carrie had promptly lost her shit, and Julie was the only one on team rocky road.

“Personally,” Carrie said, “I-”

“We know, you like neapolitan you fucking lesbian,” Flynn said with a grin. Carrie gasped in mock offense.

“Hypocrisy at its finest! You’re just as lesbian as they come.”

“I never claimed to not be a hypocrite,” Flynn defended. Carrie huffed and crossed her arms.

“I’m breaking up with you. We’re broken up now.”

“Fine, but I get custody of Julie!”

“Wait, since when am I your child?”

“Since we’re both older than you,” they told her in unison.

“Uh huh, yeah, by a couple weeks! I’m a legal adult, and neither of you get custody of me.”

“I’m disowning you,” Carrie declared.

“Me too,” agreed Flynn.

“Me three,” Mira chimed in.

“Oh for the love of-”

Their playful bickering continued for at least an hour, wandering the long halls of the palace, weaving in and out of corridors and dragging their hands along railings.

The wedding never crossed Julie’s mind once.

Despite the whole situation, they still managed to be lighthearted and have useless arguments, bicker and love each other all the same. Julie hugged them closer, relishing the warmth of having them close to her. Carrie’s strawberry shampoo was faintly there and she breathed it in, calming immediately. Flynn linked their pinkies together, and Mira kept her hand on Julie’s shoulder. Julie didn’t realize she was crying until Flynn asked if she was okay.

“Yeah,” she said, and it was strangely true. She wiped her eyes. “I’m not even upset right now, but I’m still crying. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I do,” Carrie informed her.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Absolutely nothing.”

-----

Reggie POV

…

Reggie sat in the studio, suit vest draped over an empty guitar stand as he sat on the piano bench, sleeves rolled to his elbows and hands on the keys, silent but arranging themselves in chords. He hummed to himself quietly, sighing and closing his eyes.

As he played the first chord, soulful and melancholy, he started to sing.

“We’re no strangers to the dark

Every time we find the light

But no matter how much it hurts

Glowsticks have to break before they shine.”

He closed his eyes, letting the chords play only from muscle memory. Normally, he didn’t do much songwriting on his own, but this song, Glowsticks, was one that he’d written for Julie after Rose’s passing. He’d never gotten around to giving it to her, though, because of how much her love for music was affected. For a year, she hadn’t played or sang a note, and he knew that it would’ve been too painful.

Eventually, he’d forgotten about it.

But when he’d seen the heartbroken look on her face the hour before, coming back from the royal office with dry eyes but hollow and chipped, the memory of the page he’d torn out of his journal and stuffed in a drawer came flooding back.

And now here he was, like it was only yesterday he’d written the chords, shaky with tears but determined. This time, his eyes were dry and his hands steady, but his heart ached for Julie, for Alex, for Luke, for Willie.

His voice started out lighter and airy, with a slight rasp as he played the soft melody along with the base, but as he reached the second chorus, his voice sank to his chest, belting out the lyrics and playing the piano strongly, chords echoing in the soundproof room, the acoustics bending his voice to all angles until he was wrapped in a song of tragedy and pain and strength and hope, earthy and rich but airy and light.

“So breathe

Just breathe

You're already shining

You can break

You’ll be okay

I'll keep you safe until you rise.”

His breath shook as he flipped the last word from a powerful chest voice to a soft, airy falsetto, sighing as he played the last, low chord.

Reggie left his eyes closed, slowly taking his hands off the keys, resting his elbows on his knees and turning, finally letting the light pierce his eyes.

…

“Your highness,” called a palace staff member. “If I could steal you for a few minutes, could you give your opinions on possible place settings for the wedding?”

“Yeah sure,” Reggie replied, standing from the large leather couch in the palace living room, doing his best to smile at the young man. He was tall, and muscularly built, but his freckles, wide brown eyes, and messy red hair were proof that he was probably the human embodiment of sunshine.

“We were thinking white with gold accents,” he said, swiping through a few photos on his tablet. Reggie did his best to pay attention; they were, admittedly, beautiful. Soft white tablecloths and napkins lined with plates, each plate with gold paint on the rim, the wine glasses clear cut crystal, the same golden lining as the plates.

“That’s beautiful,” Reggie agreed. “Julie and Alex would love that.”

“I’m glad you think so! My advisor was skeptical, but I think it’s a nice scheme.”

“I do too.” He looked away, hating that he was giving suggestions for his sister’s unwanted wedding.

“Your highness, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he assured him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Sure,” he said softly. “Did you have any thoughts for flowers?”

“Dahlias,” Reggie said after a moment. “They were our mom’s favorite, and they’re Julie’s favorite too. I think she’d like purple.”

“Purple dahlias,” the man repeated. He opened an interior design modeling app, dragging tables around the virtual room and adding glass vases with bouquets of dahlias, plus the occasional orchid scattered throughout. Reggie stared in awe; even though it was just a digital rendition of the ballroom, it was gorgeous. The crackled marble floors shone in the light of lanterns and string lights, adorned with pillars and tables arranged in neat rows. He felt like he was in the ballroom, getting a peek at the future.

And yet, his heart sank.

It seemed to do that a lot lately.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Reggie met the man’s eyes. “You seem pretty down.” He sighed.

“I am, but I’ll be okay.”

“Alright. I’m Elliot, by the way.”

“I’m Reggie! Nice to meet you.”

“You too!”

…

“Dad, are you sure there’s no way to stop the wedding?” Reggie had gone to see Ray in the royal office an hour ago, to discuss an assortment of things, but always returning to the wedding.

“I’m sure. I hate it as much as you do, believe me, but I’ve explored every option.” Reggie shook his head.

“There has to be something-”

“Mijo, you can look all you want, but there’s nothing we can safely do. Even though there are multiple ways to stop the wedding, it wouldn’t be safe. There would be tension between Dahlia and Tambor, maybe even Krypto. Best case scenario would be rumors and unrest in our own kingdom, but even with that, Julie and Alex would be the subject of a ton of scandal for the rest of their lives.”

“I just hate it.”

“Believe me, I do too. I’ve done everything in my power, but I can’t endanger millions of people.”

“I know. And Julie wouldn’t want you to, either.”

“Exactly.” Ray pulled him into a hug, and Reggie buried his head in his shoulder. “Mijo, I’m so sorry. You’re a good brother.”

“Thanks,” he whispered. Ray nodded.

Someone knocked on the door. Reggie pulled out of the hug and, when Ray nodded again, he opened the door to see a short woman with pale skin and straight, dark hair reaching her shoulders, and bangs brushing her eyebrows. Her wide eyes were behind round glasses, and she gave a bright smile.

“Ah, Prince Reginald, just who I wanted to see! I’m Esther Pearlridge of the Dahlian Times. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions regarding your sister’s upcoming wedding?” Reggie glanced at his dad, who didn’t object, but gave him a look that seemed to say, it’ll be okay.

“Sure.”

“Your majesty,” Esther said to Ray, “you’re welcome to come along.” He agreed, and Reggie was eternally grateful.

…

“Your highness-”

“Please, call me Reggie,” he told her. Esther smiled.

“Reggie, the news of the wedding’s date being moved up came as a pleasant surprise to everyone across Dahlia, and surely Tamborian citizens as well. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

“Well,” he began, clearing his throat. “It’s definitely a unique situation. And while it is exciting, what a lot of people don’t consider is how stressful it must be for Princess Julie and Prince Alex. I mean, Alex is my age, Julie about a year younger. Arranged marriages are already very fraught situations, but this one especially.”

Ray smiled from his position behind Esther, letting him know he’d played it well.

“Of course,” she replied sympathetically. “That is a perspective that not many people consider.”

“Yeah.”

“How do you feel about Prince Alexander?”

“Oh, Alex is great! He’s quickly become one of my closest friends. Although, his taste in Star Wars characters is questionable. Everyone knows Han Solo is the best, right Esther?”

“Obviously! Though, I was always partial to Leia, myself.”

“Valid,” Reggie agreed.

“Moving on to the next question, what do you think will come of Prince Alexander becoming the Dahlian Prince Consort as your sister, Princess Julie, ascends to the throne?”

“Well, Dahlia is currently doing amazing. Homelessness rates are at an all-time low and still dropping; at this rate, they’re projected to reach zero by next Summer. Wealth equality is stabilizing even more, and our education system is constantly being revised and reviewed by scientists and historians to make sure the content is correct and unbiased, as well as by child psychologists to make them good learning environments for students. And our environmental status is one of the best in the world, second to the Republic of Isala. Greenhouse gases in our region are extremely low, and the CO2 levels are dropping as our reforestation teams plant more and more trees along the grasslands.

“Knowing my sister, and Prince Alex, I have no doubt that they will lead our country further into the future. Especially Julie; she may be a princess, but take it from her brother: she’s stubborn as all hell, but always about the right things. She and Alex will face struggles, as all people do, but I’m positive they’ll do great things.”

“That’s so nice to hear. And from other people, we’ve heard that they expect Princess Julie to be the best, most connected ruler in Dahlian history. Do you think this is true?”

“I would expect it to be, yeah! Julie really tries to connect with people, and tries to see things through others’ points of view. She’s always done that. She doesn’t want to stay secluded in a palace; honestly, I doubt anyone could keep her here if they tried.”

Esther laughed. “If I may ask, how are preparations for the wedding going?” Reggie fought the rising sadness in his chest.

“They’re going great! Although I’m pretty sure Julie’s gotten stabbed a few hundred times by the needles her lady-in-waiting is using to fit her dress.” Esther laughed again.

“Well, that’s all the time we have. Thank you so much, your highness. Always a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Yeah, you too! Thanks.”

As Esther rushed away, laptop under her arm and a pencil over her ear, Ray gave Reggie a warm smile.

“You did perfect,” he told him. “Excellently played.”

“Thanks. I just wish I actually felt as optimistic as I sounded.”

“It’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”

-----

Willie POV

…

Willie’s phone buzzed with a text from Julie, with a request for their group to meet in her room, and if her tone was any indication, it wasn’t good. He ran to his quarters, doing his best to brush the flour Lilian had thrown at him after a witty remark out of his hair. Changing into a sweater and jeans, he made his way up the curving staircase and down the long hallway before knocking gently at Julie’s door.

“Come in.”

He walked in, heart sinking when he saw the upset look on Alex’s face.

“What happened?” Carrie asked from behind him, walking in with Flynn by her side. They were soon followed by Luke, Reggie, Erik, and MIra.

“They moved up the wedding,” Julie finally said, her fists curled. Willie’s heart dropped all the way to the ground, leaving his veins pumping blood made by nothing more than an organ beating rhythmically, called the heart but only doing what was necessary for physical survival. His actual heart, his emotions and love and memories, all froze, and he shook his head vigorously, forcing it to settle back in the center of his chest, taking a deep breath.

“Why?” he had to ask. Alex snorted.

“My parents gave an ultimatum disguised as helpful advice.” Each word was dripping with venom, but there was sadness behind it. Willie took his hand, feeling him clutch back as if he were the only thing holding him together.

“And there’s nothing you can do to stop it?” Flynn asked. “I mean, you and Jules are the Prince of Tambor and Princess of Dahlia. There has to be something you can do… right?” Julie shook her head.

“Nope. There’s been so much buildup and excitement that there might be riots and tension between our countries if we called it off so abruptly. We can’t risk anyone getting hurt.”

“Okay, but-”

“Mira, treason would definitely get people hurt.”

“Jules,” Mira said, “you have a good heart. It’s super annoying.” Willie cracked a grin at that, as did Alex.

“Even then, though,” Alex cut in, “my parents clearly want this. And they’re super influential. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they threatened trade routes but made it seem like it was for the ‘greater good.’”

“I hate to admit it,” Reggie said, “but he’s right. Sweet words can be even more dangerous than declarations of war. Especially if they twist the blame.”

…

After another hour of scheming, ranting, and trying to lighten the mood, Alex fell asleep near the wall in Julie’s room, curled up against a pillow. Willie watched him softly breathe, looking so much more peaceful in rest.

“We should let him rest,” Julie said. “It’s not like our group hasn’t done slumber parties before.”

“Yeah,” Carrie agreed. “He needs sleep.”

“All of us do,” Erik pointed out. Willie nodded, sitting next to Alex and putting his hand on his shoulder. Everyone found a spot and drifted off, and Willie had a feeling he was the last one awake. But, soon, he was able to curl up against Alex and find himself in a deep, dreamless sleep.

…

Willie had never been so grateful that he hadn’t been asked to bake.

He wasn’t sure if he could handle baking wedding cake samples for this situation. Any other time, sure, but not when the guy he was in love with was being forced to marry their other friend, neither of whom were interested.

He stared at the mirror, eyes blank. He hated the numbness overtaking him. He’d done his best to stay positive, to remember all the tips he’d picked up for focusing and not getting dragged under, and while they’d worked to some extent, he couldn’t deny the fracture in his heart. They were powerless; ironic, considering they were all either royal or close acquaintances of royals.

But, even with all of that supposed power at their fingertips, they couldn’t do the one thing they wanted to.

He wasn’t sure just how long he stared blankly at his reflection, but when his phone buzzed with a text from Julie, telling their group that they were going to practice in the studio, he made himself plaster on a smile and go join them. He hadn’t seen Alex play a full song before; this should be fun.

When Julie started the song, her powerful piano playing moved the whole room, voice strong and bright as she sang the first verse. Then, in the prechorus, she led into the big, adrenaline-pumping beat with a riff and belt,before finally going into the chorus. But all Willie could see wasAlex, whose face was a bit red from playing the drums, hair falling in his eyes,his pink t-shirt rather tight against his biceps. Willie was sure he was blushing, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

As Alex held the beat, Willie tapped his foot and grinned, letting the upbeat song envelop him despite their melancholy circumstances. Julie and Luke belted out the lyrics, harmonizing with such grace that Willie wasn’t convinced that soulmates didn’t exist; if they did, Julie and Luke fit the model. And Alex and Reggie sang the background vocals flawlessly, adding depth to the song with their steady music.

When the song ended, Willie’s heart was pounding. He clapped with the rest of the group, standing up, but unable to speak. God, Alex had such an insane effect on him. Normally he was smooth, able to recover and flip around. He’d thought it impossible to fluster him; but, then again, Alex had a rather annoying habit of making the impossible seem like child’s play.

Then, Alex ran his hand through his hair in an unfairly hot way - the inconsiderate bastard. Willie did his best to settle his blush, but to no avail. He giggled as Alex tried to brush off a compliment but finally accepted it.

He stammered through a compliment, hating how flustered he was. And then, because the universe had it out for him, Alex pulled him in and kissed his temple. If Willie hadn’t already melted, that would’ve been the tipping point.

Somehow, though, he found the ability to breathe again.

…

“Dude, I can’t say this enough,” Willie stressed, “that was amazing! You guys seriously need to go on tour.” Alex’s musical laugh filled the air.

“Flynn has already assigned herself band manager. With her ‘in charge,’ we’ll probably be playing gig after gig- well, you know, when Julie isn’t busy running a country.” WIllie laughed.

“Yeah, fair point. But still! Your guys’s song is going to be stuck in my head forever.”

“Forever?”

“I have ADHD, ‘Lex. Don’t underestimate the song sticking.” It was true; ADHD had its pros and cons, but one aspect that seemed to be both was his brain’s innate ability to have twenty-nine songs stuck all at once, and the strange fact that the How to Train your Dragon main theme, Kahoot music, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Roses by The Band CAMINO, and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) could all be combined to the same tempo- and the fact that it slapped.

As they walked through the long, windowed corridors, Willie got an idea. He grabbed Alex’s hand.

“Follow me!”

“What? Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!” They raced all the way to the west side of the palace, where Willie led him up a narrow flight of stairs, pushing open a door to reveal-

“Whoa,” Alex gasped in awe. “The roof?”

“The roof,” Willie agreed. “Cooler than you’d expect, huh?”

“Way.” Willie grinned; it was a beautiful view. The river curved and rushed around the bases of snow-capped mountains with forests decorating their slopes, and as he turned, the capital city of Dahlia was nestled between rolling hills, thousands of lights sparkling in houses, apartments, shops, restaurants, and offices. Headlights danced along the highways, and the striking comparison of the bright lights versus the dark, cloudy sky made for a dramatic view.

“Storm’s blowing in,” Willie observed as it began to pour, soaking his hair. Alex cracked up.

“You sure?” he asked. “This is the best weather this side of Constantinople.”

“Ah, but remember, now it’s Istanbul- not Constantinople.”

“Well, why did Constantinople get the works?” Willie giggled.

“That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.”

“You are such a dork,” Alex informed him, pulling him closer.

“I know!” He had to raise his voice over the rain, and Alex’s cheeks were flushed with the cold. Willie felt a calm rush of confidence wash over him with the falling rain, and he stood on his toes, reaching up to hold Alex’s jaw as he kissed him. Alex kissed back immediately, and sparks shot down Willie’s spine.

As he deepened the kiss, thunder rolled across the mountains. The clouds were practically black, but it gave a sort of calmness and confidence with it, like the soothing darkness of night cloaked with clouds of expectancy, waiting and hoping and understanding that love finds comfort in the dark, that there are risks in life, but that they had to be taken, because while the world might not have been made for them, they were made for the world. People, caught up in dreaming about what could be, lost sight of what is; so determined to be right and prove that someone else was wrong that they drive themselves mad.

“I’m gone on you,” Willie finally whispered, eyes closed and forehead against Alex’s. Alex didn’t respond, kissing him again. He sank into it, holding him close and letting the rain wash over them and combing his fingers through Alex’s hair.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he heard sizzling.

Without thinking, Willie jumped and tackled Alex, turning so he hit the ground and Alex landed safely on top of him. The rain blurred his eyes, but he heard crackling and felt the heat of the lightning striking the roof a hundred feet away from them.

“Son of a motherfuck what just happened?!” Alex asked. Willie could hear his heart pounding in his ears, but he couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips.

“I think you fell for me,” Willie joked. Alex rolled his eyes. He grinned; Alex was still laying on top of him, and Willie’s back was soaked by the puddle they’d landed in, but they’d avoided being struck by lightning, which was decidedly a good thing.

“That was too close,” Alex decided. “We should probably go inside before anything else happens.”

“Probably.” Neither of them moved for a moment, until Willie leaned up and pecked Alex on the nose, who immediately turned bright red, even visible in the darkness between the rising night and falling clouds.

-----

Alex POV

…

Alex had known his life was never his. If you’re born into royalty, unless you leave the royal family, you’re stuck there, and it influences your life forever.

He knew that.

And yet, until the wedding was moved up, it hadn’t really hit him.

His life wasn’t his, and it never would be.

He would be forced to be in the public eye, forced to marry a girl he wasn’t in love with, forced to live the rest of his life away from the person he was in love with, forced to watch the girl, one of his best friends, pretend to be okay as if she wasn’t also being separated from the person she loved. He would be forced to plaster on a smile, forced to live with this so that chaos wouldn’t erupt in Dahlia and Tambor.

So that he and the people he loved wouldn’t be exiled.

Alex was tired of being strong. He’d always been told by his friends that he was strong for dealing with this, strong for bearing the stresses of being put into politics so young, strong for hiding who he was from his parents because he knew it would only bring more pain, strong, strong strong. He wished he didn’t have to be.

“Hey, Alex?” Julie eventually asked, directing his attention away from his thoughts and his glazed eyes half-scrolling his Instagram. They’d been sitting for over an hour as the sun set outside Julie’s window, not speaking much aside from angry rants when they’d just gotten out of the royal office.

“Yeah?”

“Should we text the group chat to meet here so we can update all of them? Or would you rather not?” Alex sighed.

“We probably should. Not like we can hide from it.”

“Yeah.”

treason buddies

juju: Hey guys, some shit went down. Meet in my room?

flynnigan: oh fuck, do we even want to know?

juju: Probably not, but you should.

speed bump: i’ll be up in a sec, i’m trying to get flour out of my hair alkjdfskjldf

Me: skjlsdfkjlsdf lilian i assume

speed bump: yep, the bastard

rockstar mcsleeveless: i’ll be there in a sec. are you guys ok?

juju: Not really, but we’ll live

care bear: omw

short stack: same

personal stylist: i’ll be there in a minute

Alex clicked off his phone once the typing bubbles had all disappeared, blowing out a tired breath as he flopped backwards, half-hoping the fading sunset would let him dissolve with the growing twilight, let him become another fleck of light in a vast abyss that was somehow both cold and vast yet full of curiosity and glowing stars. What would it be like, floating in nothingness, waiting for someone to find you yet dreading the day your solitude ended?

Maybe he’d be part of a constellation. What one? Would he add to one that already existed, or would he be part of his very own? What would it look like? Maybe he’d be an owl, a drumstick, a wisp of a wish, floating in the air taking no shape at all, a shimmering question piquing the curiosity of anyone stargazing who happened upon his star, a gentle hope carried by a breeze, full of life and loss and wonder and apprehension.

Or maybe he’d be a shooting star, flying across the atmosphere in the blink of an eye, there, then gone in an instant, burning brighter as his fleeting life ended. Technically, they weren’t stars at all, they were tiny meteors the size of a grain of rice, only visible because of their dramatic, fiery demise. But maybe that was fitting. It wasn’t a star, and neither was Alex. He was more visible now than ever because of the marriage, bringing demise to his hopes like a burning scar, beautiful but painful to the individual.

It wasn’t a star, and neither was he. But shooting stars were meaningful, too. People wished on them; children, usually. But what a wonderful feeling it would be to have the hope of a child in your light.

The thought didn’t necessarily comfort him, but he didn’t feel as alone as before, didn’t feel quite as worthless.

…

After enduring the grueling process of venting and explaining the new situation to the rest of the group, trying to hold back one stubborn tear that kept fighting, Alex finally fell asleep. He wasn’t sure how “asleep” he actually was; he heard vague whispers of “we should let him rest,” and “all of us should.” But he couldn’t move, and he didn’t want to, either, so he left his weary eyes closed and slept, barely feeling someone’s hand on his shoulder and faint warmth next to him.

…

“Your highness,” a butler said, rushing up next to him with a tray, with tiny bites of cake arranged neatly across it. “Would you mind tasting these and telling me which three are your favorites?”

“Hm? Yeah, sure.” Ignoring the numbness fighting to grow in his chest, he tried each one, finally deciding on a few, and promising he’d sample the frostings later. Wedding cakes really weren’t something he wanted to be thinking about at the moment. He’d already had to stand still for hours while his suit was fitted, text Julie a million different pictures of flowers, to which she’d replied “just pick whichever one is poisonous so we can fake our deaths and leave it on our plates.”

He felt sick.

He did his best to avoid other people as he made his way out the back door of the palace, tearing a hand through his hair as he made his way to the field where he’d been with Willie, admiring (and despising) how much progress they’d made on the palace reconstruction. It was almost done, which was incredible, but horrible for him, since it meant they were almost done with the giant ballroom in which he would have to marry Julie.

All things considered, though it was beautiful; the creamy white pillars were identical to the ones on the other side of the palace, which had been repainted so it didn’t look patchy. Intricate flower beds were arranged at precise intervals, and the crystal-cut windows reflected sparkling mosaics of light onto the pathways. Lanterns hung on every pillar, unlit during the day but glowing with soft, gentle flames by night.

Alex sat in the middle of the field, picking at a stray blade of grass and relishing the warm sunlight on his neck, even though he was probably getting a crease on his crisp vest from how he was sitting, slouched as he sat on the hill, elbows on his knees.

After he’d sat and sulked for a considerable amount of time, Julie’s voice snapped him out of it.

“Why don’t we go work on a song?” she suggested. “I can get Luke and Reggie, plus the rest of the group if you want, and we can work out some stress.” Alex shrugged. He knew he was being immature, just sitting there and feeling sorry for himself, but it felt good to be immature. He should really do it more often.

But… there was a lump in the dirt that was giving his butt a bruise, and he didn’t feel like getting up just to sit back down, so he supposed he could go to the studio.

“Alright,” he finally said.

“Awesome.” the sadness in Julie’s voice was tangible, but she masked it well as she smiled and stuck her hands in the pockets of her baggy jeans, between the chain, and squared her shoulders.

“Let’s go, drummer boy.”

…

In the few days since he’d drummed, Alex had somehow forgotten just how therapeutic it was to bash a bunch of drums on a steady beat but still adding variety to spice things up. Julie had convinced him to let her invite the whole group- which, of course, included Willie, who was intently watching him play.

He bit his lip, breathing heavily, cheeks flushed as he kept going. A reluctant smile broke out on his face when Julie started singing the chorus and he jumped in with the toms and crash, flipping his hair out of his eyes and keeping the beat going. Reggie’s rhythmic bass playing combined perfectly with Luke’s chords and riffs, and Julie’s angelic voice tied it all together as if their music was a gift with a shiny bow.

When the bridge started, and Julie and Luke did their Thing™ (the whole dramatic, lovestruck staring-into-each-other’s-eyes move), Alex held the beat with a quiet, rhythmic tapping on the hi-hat. He and Reggie shared a look, and he swallowed the rising sadness in his throat, refusing to let some stupid marriage ruin this moment. They were in perfect harmony, bright with life and love. Then, when Julie went into the final belt, he came in strong with the drums, lip between his teeth and a huge smile begging to break free.

When it finally ended, Alex stood up excitedly, setting down his sticks and leaping across the kick drum to fistbump Luke.

“Alex, dude,” Luke said, “you were smoking.”

“Nah,” he deflected. “You guys-” he gestured to him, Reggie, and Julie “-were the ones on fire.”

“Dude.” Reggie lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Could you just own your awesomeness for once?” Alex rolled his eyes, but it was clear he wasn’t backing down.

“Alright, I was killing it.”

“Yeah,” Willie agreed from behind him. Alex whirled around, having forgotten he was there. He was sure his face was bright red, but hopefully he could blame that on the physical exertion that came with playing the drums. Willie, however, was blushing quite a bit, and Alex felt a bit of accomplishment bubbling up inside him.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said with a grin.

“Are you kidding? I loved it.”

“I’ll say,” Flynn stage-whispered to Carrie, and Alex decided once and for all that Flustered Willie was his favorite. Willie cleared his throat.

“Yeah, I, uh-” he cut himself off, and Alex bit back a laugh, pulling him in and kissing him on the temple.

Alex knew there was a bubble of numbness and depression fighting to take hold of him, but at least for now, it was under control. He was filled with adrenaline and had their song stuck in his head, the feeling of his arm on Willie’s shoulder anchoring him like a ship in a harsh storm, letting him drift but holding him close.

They would make this work. Somehow.

“Should we run through it again? I was a little shaky during the second verse,” Julie said. Alex nodded.

“I’m down.”

“Same!” replied Luke and Reggie, and the rest of the group eagerly sat and watched. Alex grinned, raising his sticks.

“One, two, three, four!”

-----

Luke POV

…

“I’m so sorry,” Luke whispered. They’d moved up the wedding. The wedding that nobody wanted any part of, the wedding forcing the girl he was in love with to marry their friend, neither of whom were interested. They were already hurting so much, but there was nothing they could do anyways, then to add insult to injury, they’d moved up the wedding six weeks sooner. They didn’t even have two months, just a measly two weeks, and Luke could already feel them ticking away, feel his time with Julie ending, feel Alex’s heart breaking with each minute.

He reached up to hastily wipe away a traitorous tear rolling down his cheek, before wrapping Julie in a hug as she stood and walked to him. She buried her head in his chest, and his hand found her hair, combing through her thick curls.

…

At some point through the night, Alex had worn himself out venting and scheming plans to get out of the wedding and eventually fallen asleep. They’d considered waking him, but he was exhausted and really needed the rest. Luke still had his arm around Julie, leaning against the end of her bed sitting on a pile of pillows. Willie curled up next to Alex, and soon it had turned into another slumber party, but much more somber.

Julie’s soft breathing leveled, indicating that she’d fallen asleep as well. Luke smiled sadly; this was peaceful, but under horrible circumstances. But the gentle part of her lips as she breathed and the lack of a crease between her eyebrows made it worth it; she deserved any brief moment of peace she could get.

He traced soft circles on the shoulder of her t-shirt, running his finger over the hem rhythmically, a song playing in his head as he closed his eyes.

Golden specks flew around in the darkness as Luke whirled around, disoriented. A melodic voice in the background that he recognized but couldn’t place taunted his mind, flashes of brown eyes blinking by in an instant, a retreating curl of hair that might not have been there in the first place.

The ground solidified under his feet, metaphysical but firm for him to stand on. It was all black and glittered faintly in the soft light from stars that were somehow so close he could feel their heat, yet so far that they were like flecks of light in the endless black sky.

The packed black sand cracked beneath him with the sound of a woman’s gasp, sending him hurtling through the void, falling faster and faster as the sliver of light from the cracked ground above him faded until it was so small it wasn’t even visible anymore. The darkness was suffocating and hot as fire, yet thin and cool like a light sheet in the air, whispering silent nothings into his mind.

His back hit a new surface, knocking the wind out of him even though he couldn’t breathe at all. It was all black, the ground invisible, but a soft fog rolled across it, apprehensive but inviting and cool.

“You have to fight for what you want,” a voice whispered, and Luke was able to place it as the same voice as his mother when he was nervous for a competition in sixth grade.

“Things don’t always come easily,” another voice reminded him, the familiar sound of his father’s voice sending a shiver down his spine.

What was he supposed to fight for? There was nothing in this vast black expanse but him and these voices, plus a warm tingle to his right side that felt imaginary, but had a weight to it that he couldn’t help but relish.

The voices disappeared, even though they’d been silent, Luke could feel their absence. The smooth, invisible ground under his feet faded, leaving him floating as the fog disappeared, phasing into particles like stars that floated around him like fireflies as the world shifted to a regal, royal purple, swirling like a galaxy, the faint sound of a piano barely registering among the stars.

…

When Luke woke up, the warmth on his side made sense, because there was Julie, her head on his chest. He glanced over, seeing Willie and Alex sitting with their heads resting together, scrolling through their phones and occasionally showing their screens to the other and laughing quietly. Flynn was asleep on a chair, where Carrie was squished next to her reading a book. Reggie was scribbling something in a notebook and tapping his foot, with Mira leaning on his side weaving braids into Erik’s hair. Julie, meanwhile, was still asleep.

He gave half a smile to Alex, who returned it with a quick sign of “you okay?” He nodded, gently taking his hand off of Julie’s shoulder, who didn’t stir.

Yeah, I’m okay. You?

Pretty good, all things considered. Alex glanced up at Willie, who looked confused, and whispered an explanation as to why they were using sign language. Julie, Flynn, and Erik were asleep, and Luke didn’t want to move and get his phone.

What time is it? Luke signed, and Alex checked his phone, signing back that it was 08:12. Luke glanced back down at Julie, who was still fast asleep.

When did I fall asleep? Alex signed back to him with an inquisitive look on his face.

Around eleven. You were exhausted, and for a good reason.

Yeah. I’m still so angry. I just want to… he trailed off, thinking. Luke guessed he was trying to remember a sign word. In the end, he just mimed crushing something very violently. Luke stifled a laugh.

I’m right there with you. Neither of you deserve this. He glanced down to Julie as he said it.

Neither do you, Alex reminded him. Or Willie. His face turned forlorn as he added the last part.

Yeah. It just sucks. Alex rolled his eyes.

You can say that again.

…

Luke tapped his fingers on his knee, anxiety coursing through him, which was very strange. He had no idea how Alex handled it. Anxiety was not something he was used to; what was he supposed to do with the nervous energy rushing around him when he couldn’t do anything but wait?

In hindsight, the brief text he’d sent Julie to meet him in that one hidden corner of the gardens because he needed to talk to her probably wasn’t the best way for him to go about it, especially since now the grey clouds hung over the sky like death hovered in a cemetery.

He’d rehearsed what he was going to say a million times, but it hadn’t ever seemed perfect; not that it would have mattered, because when Julie walked towards him, a smile on her face, hair down with frizzy curls bouncing over her shoulders, all of his thoughts drifted away, never to be seen again.

“Hi,” he said pathetically. She gave a halfhearted laugh.

“Hi. Is… everything okay?” Luke nodded. Then, he shook his head. A stray raindrop hit his face, the storm slowly crying itself out.

“Julie, I…” he sighed. “This probably won’t be half comprehensible, but I just need to get it off my chest.

“I know that we can't be together. I know that life just wasn't on our side, and I hate it. but I love you.” his heart both lightened and sank with the confession. “I love you, and I want you to know that, no matter where either of us end up in life, with you as queen and me as some guard, you will always be in my heart. you will be my heart in its entirety, wholly and truly.

“I tried to come up with the perfect things to say, tried to articulate and rehearse my feelings, but I guess that’s the thing about emotions. They can’t be described in an accurate way; especially love and pain. I’m not even sure there’s a difference between the two; love hurts, but it’s exhilarating; pain burns, but it makes you feel alive. But they both demand to be felt. And they’re so intense, so beautiful and full of fire and fury in their own regard that I’m not sure they can be described at all. Only with comparisons, but it’s never the exact same, because while pain demands to be felt, love demands to be seen. It’s why it hurts so much to hide it; that hurt, that pain, it demands to be felt, like fire demands to burn and the ground demands to quake and the rain demands to fall.

“I don’t want you to have to feel that pain your entire life. I don’t want you to love me and have to hide it. One illusion of false love is hard enough; but having to mask another layer, for me or you, would be impossible. So I think it’s best you forget me.”

“Luke, what are you-”

“Julie, we’re a grenade. People will get caught in the crossfire, and we’ll be burned completely.”

Tears streamed down his face, but it was impossible to tell with the rain now pouring, serenading his misery with its torrential downpour.

“No,” Julie said, shaking her head back and forth. “No. Luke, you’re going out of your mind. I’m not just going to forget you. If you think I can do that, then you don’t know me at all. Besides, acting as if something never happened is just a form of mental editing, purposely erasing things you regret. Well, that’s not how it works. If you want to break up with me… then fine. But don’t expect me to forget you, because that won’t happen.”

“Julie, I don’t want to break up with you.”

“Then don’t.” Luke looked up and pressed his lips together, even though his tears would be indistinguishable with the rain.

“I’m not. But I don’t want to cause you more pain.”

“I don’t care! Sometimes you have to fight for what you love. And as much as I wish we could lay down our arms, we can’t. I won’t. Not if it means I have to lose you.”

You have to fight for what you want.

Things don’t always come easy.

Luke shook his head, shoving his parents’ dream voices out of his head. He’d tried and tried, but now it was too late. He needed to cut losses so people didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

“Julie, I-”

“No! Aren’t you the guy who says you have to ‘smash those stupid rules out of people’s brains?’” Luke looked away.

“This is different.”

“Is it? Because you’re the most stubborn, bone-headed, amazing guy I know. You’ve never given up on anything in your life, so don’t you dare start now. I’m not giving up on you, either. So are you going to keep trying to make me? Or are you going to make it worth it?”

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Well, news flash, people already have, and will continue to get hurt, because life isn’t all butterflies and glitter. So if you want to minimize the hurt, don’t deny your feelings. Don’t try to make me deny mine.”

“But that’s the point! People have already gotten hurt, and will continue to, because of this. Because of me. If people found out about us, there would be collateral. Probably our friends.”

“Don’t pretend you’re doing this for them,” she snapped. “Don’t try to act all heroic. Luke, you’re amazing and selfless and kind and strong, but you’re only doing this because you’re afraid. I’m afraid too. But this? This isn’t how we need to go about things.” Luke tore a hand through his hair.

“Don’t you get it, Jules? I love you. I love you, and I hate that I’m part of the reason you and Alex are going through all of this pain.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You didn’t suggest the arranged marriage. I know you just want people to be safe, I know you’re trying to protect me, but I don’t need to be protected. I can take care of myself, but I want you by my side.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know,” she said, “but we’ll figure it out. I’m not giving up.”

She stepped forward and laced her fingers with his, and his heart softened. He gently cupped her jaw and brushed a raindrop off of her cheekbone, and she leaned up to kiss him.

“Please… stay.”

Luke didn’t want to hurt her. He knew staying would only make things harder, more dangerous.

And yet, he closed his eyes and nodded.

“Okay.”

[thatsarcasticgemini]

Poltergeist boyfriend

Bill Denbrough x Stanley Uris

When his parents told him that they were moving, Bill expected a new house or a futuristic apartment, but instead he got an old and rusty house. So there he was, big box full of books in hands, looking the house up and down with a sour look in his usually bright eyes. He looked at the window of the left upstairs bedroom, where he saw a figure looking at him. He looked around to find hid mom, but the figure was gone when he looked back. Stupid old house, stupid long road, stupid heavy box. Georgie, on the other hand was more than happy to go inside, running around the porch and urging everyone to move faster. Bill went inside and asked his mom to see his bedroom. She pointed the medium one upstairs, the same room where he saw that figure.

The next day he went to his new highschool. There, he met Eddie, Richie, Ben and Bev. He hit it off with Bev, but there was never gonna be anything between them, as Bev was dating Ben and Bill was very gay. The school was ok: the teachers were kind, the halls were clean and bullying was taken very seriously. Plus it was only five minutes away from home, which meant that Bill could get there in time to say bye to his parents before they left for work. For lunch he had mashed potatoes with chiken, his favourite. While he was eating, he heard a loud thud coming from his bedroom. Licking his fingers of grease, he went upstairs, ready to yell at Georgie for going in his bedroom. But the bedroom was empty. The only thing out of place was the picture of him and Mike, his old friend for the other town. When he picked it up he could swear he saw the same figure behind him in the glass. Placing the picture back, he ran downstairs to finish his meal. Little did he know, that would be the first of many encounters with the supernatural being.

Things started getting weirder and weirder over the next a few weeks. Wednesdays were Alphabet Soup days for the Denbroughs, but they got strange for Bill. Everytime he'd pick a spoon of letters, they would always spell things like: youre cute, i like u, i love u. He'd come home to see drawings of him and a boy on his desk. He blamed Georgie at first, but the young boy denied everything. All the drawings showed Bill either hugging or kissing this curly haired boy. He even saw this boy in his dreams, either looking out the window or playing the piano in the living room. Whenever Bill would open his english notebook he'd be met by short love poems, always signed S.U. But the worse happened when he brought people over.

The first time someone came over, it was boy named Jake, who was Bill's project partner. He only stayed in Bill's bedroom for five minutes, while Bill was making tea, when he cursed loudly and ran out of the house calling Bill nuts. Bill chased after him, confused and hurt, but looking to his bedroom window from the front yard, he saw the curly haired boy dissapear behind the curtains. This happened to everyone who came over to Bill's. It even happened to Eddie. The boy left after 30 minutes, saying someone was watching him and throwing stuff at his head. Bill was desperate, to the point where he begged Beverly to help him. Bev was a witch, so she was more than happy to help him figure the problem out. Her best guess was that a spirit that was bound to the house had taken a liking in Bill and was trying to chase potential partners away.

The plan was for Bill to hold hands with Bev, pretend to be dating so the spirit would give her its worst. That was exactly what happened, but Bev stood her ground. She ignored the yelling in her ear, the things thrown at her and the very scray ghost following her. At some point, Bill saw the ghost and warned Beverly that it was a diffrent one. The usual ghost was a boy with light curly hair and kind brown eyes. Beverly said that this scary ghost was a shape the boy was taking to scare her away. After a couple hours, Bev pulled Bill into the living room.

"Bill, I have to leave. Here you go. Inside this box there’s a ouija board. You have to paly alone, so that the poltergeist will have to join you. I also wrote you instructions on a paper I taped on the back of the box. This being really really likes you, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just worried I might anger it by staying longer. You’ll be fine.” and with that she left. Bill took the board and the planchette to his bedroom. Sitting down he read the mantra Bev gave him outloud and looked around.

“I’m alone, supernatural being, so you have to join me. Please join me.” With that, Bill lifted his head to see the curtains move. He was a little freaked out, but he calmed himself down. The scary ghost emerged form the other side of the room, looking around with wild eyes. It passed Bill by, yelling and ran downstairs. Bill was thanking God that neither Bev, nor his parents or Georgie were home to see the scene unfold. The door behind him opened again and Bill saw the boy coming in the room and sitting on the floor, oposite of where he sat. The supernatural being was in its regular form, probably calming down after seeing Bev was gone. It put its hand on the planchette moving it around to spell “Hi Bill”. 

“Hi! Can you please tell me your name?”   

“Stanley Uris. My family lived here 45 years ago.”

“But you’re supposed to be alive today.”

“I am, but I was killed in an accident at school. Two kids locked me in the boiler room as a prank. A teacher found me dead 12 days later. I was burried in the back yard of this house.”

“Why do you harass my friends? Why do you give me poems and drawing?”

“Cause I like you and I dunno how to express it. I chase people away cause I’m afraid you’ll like them more cause they’re alive. Was that girl your girlfriend?”

“She is a friend, I’m gay. I did that to make you respond.”

“I would’ve responded either way. You have nice eyes. And I like your drawings. You’re cute when you are focused.”

“You’re cute now. Is there any way I can make you be alive, sort of. Like in Beetlejuice?”

“I am dead. What’s Beetlejuice?”

“A musical about a demon. If someone said his name three times, he could be touched and seen, it was almost like he was real again.”

“I am not a demon, but I get it. You can make me real, sort of real. By allowing me to come into your world at will. You need black salt and moon water. Your witch friend has them for sure. You also need a picture of me. You can find one in the attic. You can do it tomorrow. I’ll guide you.” and with that, Stan moved the planchette to goodbye and went back to the window, where he vanished. Bill instantly called Bev and asked her for black salt and moonwater. Bev was happy to help again.

     The next day, right after Georgie left to meet up with his friends, Bill dashed to the attic and looked in all the furniture until he found a picture of Stan. It was a picture of him playing the piano. Bill took it, ran to his room to get the board, took the salt and water from his backpack and ran to his bedroom. Stanley responded in less than a second.

“You got everything?”

“Yes, but you need to tell me what to do with them.”

“You need to go to the backyard and take 27 small steps from the back door forward. You’ll be somewhat above my body. You need to sprinkle salt around yourself in a circle, emerge the photo in moonwater and put it in front of your feet. Put some more salt on the picture and say this: I, Bill Denbrough, allow Stanley Uris to come back into this world at free will. I will be the only one to see him. He’ll step in the land of the living and come out of it whenever he wants. That should do it. I’ll be watching you.”

“Will I be able to touch you that way?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be able to leave the house?”

“Yes. I’ll also be able to return to land of the dead if I’ll feel like it.”

“Cool. Ok. Let’s do it.” And with that Bill went in the backyard and did exactly as Stanley had instructed him. At first it seemed like nothing happened, so Bill decided to go back inside. Once inside, he felt a hand on his shoulder while going up the stairs. Turning around he came face to face with Stanley.

“Hi, Bill! Wow you have soft skin. I have soft skin. Your clothes look nice. Mine are kinda old. Your hair is so soft as well. Mine is curlier then yours I don’t really like it that much. What do you think? Is my hair that bad?” Stanley started rambling. Bill just looked at him with wide eyes. He was real. Bill took a step forward, throwing himself in Stanley’s arms. Stanley didn’t respond at first, but hugged back in the end. It was going to be one hell of a ride, teaching Stanley how to be human again, how would his parent’s react, showing Stanley the modern world, but he was ready. After all, Bill would do anything for love.

Hello, Erica here! I just wanted to thank @bi-teen-angst for the headcannons posted their account. Sorry for the bad grammar and for the fact that I am 1 year late with this. I wish everyone the best.

[purplesurveys]

1277

Who are you most nervous about introducing potential significant others to?  Ooooh moving forward, probably Angela hahahaha I have no idea how I’d break it to her if ever I do start seeing somebody again. She’s well aware of all the shit that I let slide so she might get intense with the scrutineering.

What is the most exciting thing about your life right now?  Just the fact that I feel on top of the world these days. My days of being depressed and picking at my insecurities seem to be far behind me and the change has looked to be apparent coming from friends who’ve told me I seem happier, louder these days.

What was the most important non-academic thing you learned in high school?  To not be scared to fight harder for the things you believe in or what make up your identity, coming from having to hide a same-sex relationship during that period. That feeling of being constricted and having to hide to stay on some conservative seniors’ good graces really pissed me off so high school was really crucial in letting me discover just how much I’d be willing to fight and test the waters to be able to live as me.

Have you ever had a job that deeply affected your personal life? How so and do you still work there?  Hmm no, not really. If anything my job is one of the things that helped make me a lot livelier and happier.

Do you have a “one who got away”?  It felt that way at the start when my view was still skewed, but it didn’t take long until I realized she was not a loss at all.

If you were in a superhero movie, would you be the hero or the villain? Hero.

If you found a mouse in your house, would you be frightened?  Mice or rats are the literal worst fucking thing I could see in my house. I definitely see myself making a big deal out of it lmao, especially rats.

Have you ever tried to perform magic tricks?  Nobody ever taught me, so no.

Can you do more with a yo-yo than just "go up and down"? Nah, which kinda makes me feel ashamed because considering it was a Filipino who invented the modern yo-yo, I feel like it should be my responsibility to know a few tricks LOL.

What is one form of technology that you wouldn't be able to live without?  Instant messenger.

Did you get an allowance, growing up? Why or why not?  Starting high school. Before that I was living in our family’s duplex, so my grandma could make packed meals for all of us – not to mention the fact that my parents were also still on their way to establishing themselves at their respective workplaces so we weren’t all that well-off yet. 

When we moved into our own place, we started with my mom making our meals but eventually it just proved to be time-consuming and a lot of work considering she also had a job to go to. With that and the fact that both my parents at that point already got a couple of promotions, we switched to allowance.

Would you rather go to a water park or an amusement park? Why?  Amusement parks though I would only probably head to the safer rides and food stalls with all the deep-fried offerings haha. I cannot handle more intense rides. On the other hand, water parks have always sounded nasty to me.

What is one instrument you wouldn't mind learning how to play?  Piano.

What's the longest amount of time you've had to wait in line for something?  The stupid LTO, because you can never count on government agencies to be efficient. Technically my whole time in there took a couple of stages, but all in all I spent eight hours there.

What is something that you would like to learn more about?  Korean. I just graduated from my Basic Korean 1 class but I already have plans to enroll in the following course, since I seemed to do well and I want to keep the momentum going.

What is something that one of your family member collects?  Mom has a large collection of chef-themed figurines and other sorts of trinkets like a chef timer, shot glasses, etc - but mostly the figurines - that she has displayed in a glass case. I should keep that in mind for when I start Christmas shopping, actually...she hasn’t updated that collection in a long time. Thanks for the idea!

Have you ever moved to a new school before? If so, how did it feel?  No, not in the middle of the same period since I went to the same school from kinder to high school for 14 years. I only “moved” when I started college. Like I’ve said in previous surveys, it felt freeing to finally not under be the hands of an environment ran by...well, Catholics. It was a culture shock to see rallies everywhere, to find out I could wear short shorts or even go to school naked if I wanted to, and to see boys in my class (I went to an all-girls), but it was all the good kind of shock.

Have you ever legitimately forgotten to do homework?  Always, because I never wrote them down.

Do you enjoy autumn leaves or spring flowers more? Why?  I experience neither season.

Depending on where you live, why might a day of school get canceled? Typhoon.

If you could meet any fictional character from a book, who would it be? Melanie Hamilton from Gone with the World.

What are some common places that people tour when they come to your city?  I rarely see foreigners here since my area isn’t particularly known for tourism; most go to the island provinces like Cebu, Aklan, Palawan, etc. If I had to recommend spots here, I’d tell them to go for Pinto and maybe the rooftop bars that offer a view of Manila’s skyline. 

What's one food that you did not enjoy as a child, but do as an adult?  Chicken curry, which I used to dread.

Would you rather have a mermaid tail, a fairy's wings or a unicorn's horn? I guess the wings just because I feel like it’s the only practical one.

What is an animal that you'd like to have as a pet but it's not allowed?  I don’t think that way about animals I can’t keep as pets anyway.

What are some things that you do to make the world a better place?  I always clean up at restaurants (my mom doesn’t understand why I do it because “the servers are here for a reason, Robyn”) but I always see the relief on their faces when they see I’ve stacked up the plates and cups so I don’t see a reason to stop doing it. I keep the door open for people who happen to enter/exit a building the same time as me, share dog adoption posts, don’t make a fuss about or towards a shop staff who messes up...things like that. I hope it’s able to help, even if just in a small way.

Has the last person you had sex with ever had sex with someone besides you?  I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has already.

What’s your favorite store at your mall?  We have several malls within the vicinity but I like frequenting NCAT.

Have you ever done a workout DVD?  No but my mom is fond of those.

Who usually takes out the trash in your family?  Either of my parents.

What song are you currently obsessed with?  My Universe is soooooo good. It’s Coldplay’s classic sound but they somehow managed to perfectly blend in BTS’ style as well, so I love how it turned out.

When you go fishing, do you make someone else get the fish off the hook?  I've never gone fishing.

Do you take any prescription meds?  Nope.

What happens if you don’t take them?  Who was the last person you dreamt about?  My dad.

Do you prefer your tea sweetened or unsweetened?  Sweetened, though I don’t usually actively look for iced tea. I’d have it if it was served, but I don’t typically order it for myself.

How often do you honk your horn?  As long as I am annoyed, which gives my mom a mini heart attack every time because she insists I just let people have their way to avoid getting into fights. Sometimes when she’s driving and someone’s being stupid on the road I lurch forward to do the honking for her and it pisses her off soooooooooo much but it also gets the job done so *shrug*

Do you have any children? If so, names and ages? I don’t.

Have your parents ever witnessed you doing something inappropriate? What?  TMI but I almost got caught doing the m-word once but my reflexes were at lightning speed that day so when my door opened I was able to fix myself up and appear as though nothing was happening lol. My mom also saw a hickey on me once but I was able to veer the conversation away when she started inquiring.

Did you get babysat a lot as a kid?  No, I did the babysitting.

If you were the principal of a school, what would you do differently? Actually deal with teachers who mistreat or make issues towards their students. I had several teachers I know didn’t like me but I could never do anything about it because there was no way in hell the school was going to take my side.

Are you doing anything fun tomorrow?  Continued from yesterday. If I took this question yesterday to refer to today I would’ve answered yes because we actually have a really fun PR stunt scheduled for execution today, wherein we get to sponsor someone’s whole wedding from food to flowers to the host and fillm crew :D :D But tomorrow is just Monday so the real answer to this is no.

What is something you'd like to receive as a housewarming gift?  I dunno the usual housewarming gifts, but I would appreciate anything practical, or anything that you’ll need at the least expected times, like batteries or even like Sticky Tack.

How old were you when you first experienced the effects of puberty?  Oooh I was an early bird – I was 9 when I could first tell my first period was on its way; it came a month after I turned 10.

What is your least favorite holiday, and why?  I don’t dislike any holiday because they all mean a day off work lol.

What were some outdoor games you played as a child?  We usually played piko (hopscotch), our local version of freeze tag that we dubbed “Ice ice water” for whatever reason, and a garter game that we call 10-20. Dodgeball was a favorite during recess and lunch, too.

Did you accompany your parents on "Take Your Child to Work" Day? That’s not observed here, but my mom did use to take me and my siblings to her first workplace. Are cemeteries peaceful to you, or do they freak you out?  They’re actually more interesting to me than anything else. I like learning about the different lives of many different people, even if I only technically know them by their birthday and date of death. Sometimes the inscriptions would be more detailed and tell more about their life, sometimes I’d come across babies who only lived a few days...and it’s just interesting to have those glimpses into life.

Which ancient civilization would you be interested in learning more about?  Filipino, because Western colonization destroyed proof of most of it. 

Do you have better long-term memory or short-term memory?  Long.

What was the last situation that made you cry? Describe.  I cried this morning. Nothing bad or heavy, I just found myself thinking again about my mental state last year.

Which forest animal would you be most afraid to encounter?  Anything that wouldn’t hesitate to tear my limbs apart.

Do you believe in anything supernatural? (ie: spirits, etc)  No.

Has anyone close to you ever gone to war?  No. The closest link I have to the military, other than my dead great-grandfather, is Angela’s uncle who’s like a general or like a colonel or something, idk titles.

Have you ever experienced altitude sickness?  Yeah, occasionally. Pressure in the ear is a bigger nuisance to me, though.

Is there anything, any event, you wish you could remember more clearly?  The last time I saw my grandfather. My only clear memory of him that day was stepping out of the house to leave (my mom and I were visiting) and him sending me off with the message to always be kind and good. If I had known I would never see him again, I never would’ve left.

Have you ever rubbed anyone’s feet?  Hmm no, not that I can recall.

If you had to get advice from someone of the opposite sex, who would you go to?  I’d go to Hans for certain advice, but not for every single situation. He’s the only person that comes to mind.

What was the last new food/drink that you tried?  So last Wednesday I finally got to try this Instagram-based doughnut shop that I’ve been eyeing since August and it turned out to be even MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTEDDDDDD. Like yeah their photos were always mouthwatering but I didn’t expect it to taste as good as it looks, since most pretty food I’ve encountered usually end up just tasting meh. Anywho, I got two orders of their sampler box and they served me their specialty bacon doughnut, signature brown butter, and a bunch of their chocolate and peanut butter variants and I loved every single fucking thing.

Have you had a good day today or was yesterday better?  Oh it’s hard to tell, it’s only 9:05 AM. Both days might be uneventful, though.

Have you ever played Sudoku?  I don’t actually get how to play it hahaha. I feel like I’m too stupid for sudoku.

Do you ever take surveys for money?  I tried it last year when applying for jobs was still a bitch for me, but the thing is most of those surveys look for employed participants so there was rarely ever a survey that fit me anyway.

Do you like Barbie or Bratz better?  Bratz.

Do you prefer purple or green grapes?  I don’t like grapes.

Who was the last person that made you laugh?  Idk, probs one of the boys since I was watching videos of them earlier today.

Where does your best friend live?  A nearby city.

Who did you last confide in?  Angela.

Does your car have an alarm?  Sure.

Where was your mom born?  Somewhere in Metro Manila.

What can always make you feel better no matter what?  My dogs.

What is something you’ll never eat again? Why?  I don’t think there is anything. I feel like I’m always bound to retry things and that I would be open to doing so, even fruits. One thing I’m firm about never drinking again, though, is coconut water. Get that SHIT away from me.

What is currently happening that is scaring you?  I’m not feeling scared these days.

Have you ever found a stranger’s note somewhere? If so, what did it say?  Probably. But nothing sticks out.

[abusybuzzingbee]

Pilot | Supernatural Season 1 Episode 1 Rewrite | Dean x Reader

A/N:::: Hello!! I am a royal dumbass and just accidentally deleted my whole tumblr. I was trying to get rid of my main account and accidentally got rid of it all!! So, this is bee from @abusybuzzingbee coming back at you with reuploads of my supernatural rewrites. So sorry to all of my supporters for my tomfoolery.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Major Characters: Dean Winchester, Reader, Sam Winchester

Warnings: Canon violence, language, Dean and the reader being assholes to each other, this is going to be the slowest burn that ever did burn, so buckle up!

Word Count: 7,643

Summary: The reader is a lonely young hunter on the road to Jericho, California where she bumps into two boys on the search for their father.

Series Rewrite Masterlist

Season 1 Masterlist

It was an early morning yesterday

I was up before the dawn.’

‘Funny how the sun’s just rising,’ you thought.

‘And I really have enjoyed my stay

But I must be moving on.’

The sound of the familiar tune of “Goodbye Stranger” coming from the radio of your new hijacked wheels-- a 2002 Toyota Camry, to be exact-- put a smile on your face.

‘Like a king without a castle

Like a queen without a throne

I’m an early morning lover

And I must be moving on.’

As you drove along a remote highway on the way to Jericho, California, you threw a glance to the wind lightly rustling the leaves of the trees outside of your driver’s side mirror.

‘Now I believe in what you say

Is the undisputed truth.’

Scenes such as this have always calmed you. The first beams of light stretching up from over the horizon, the vivid colors of the tree leaves, the hum of the radio of your newest car, and the sound of your tires gliding over the pavement. 

‘But I have to have things my own way

To keep me in my youth.’

These road trips in between hunts were the only taste you had ever had of a normal life. Not that you wanted a normal life, you think you would be too bored in the suburbs. However, it is comforting to have a small break from monsters while driving from place to place to relax.

‘Like a ship without an anchor

Like a slave without a chain

Just a thought of those sweet ladies

Sends a shiver through my veins.’

The latest case you had picked up on was the disappearance of several men on Centennial Highway in Jericho. 

‘And I will go on shining

Shining like brand new

I’ll never look behind me

My troubles will be few.’

The last disappearance had been some kid named Troy. Poor bastard.

You had very little knowledge of what you were walking into. You decided that you would head to the scene of the crime to try and get a better idea of what you were dealing with.

‘Goodbye stranger

It’s been nice

Hope you find your paradise

Tried to see your point of view

Hope your dreams will all come true.’

Just a few more hours and you’d be there.

‘Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane--’

You turned the music up just a bit as you picked up your speed on the highway and thought about my last successful hunt in Alexandria, Louisiana. 

‘Will we ever meet again?’

You were proud of how you did on that hunt, but it was freeing to leave towns you had previously hunted in in your rearview mirror.

‘Feel no sorrow, feel no shame--’

It wasn’t a matter of feeling guilty about what you had done while you were in that town; you had nothing to feel guilty about. It just always hurt you to think of the sad faces of the people who had already lost family members before you got there to do your job.

‘Come tomorrow, feel no pain--’

There would always be that little bit of trauma that you carried with you because of all you had seen on hunts, but c’est la vie.

‘Sweet devotion (Goodbye, Mary)

It’s not for me (Goodbye, Jane).’

You let your mind go blank and get completely absorbed in the music as you continued to drive along.

‘Just give me motion (Will we ever)

To set me free (Meet again?)’

Music was the one constant in your life that kept you grounded. It was so powerful. Music could express so many feelings and bring those same emotions out of its listeners.

‘In the land and the ocean (Feel no sorrow)

Far away (Feel no shame)--’

You loved oldies music. From ‘70′s hippie music to ‘80′s rock, all the way back to Edith Piaf in the 1940′s. 

‘It’s the life I’ve chosen (Come tomorrow)

Every day (Feel no pain)’

You wished you had the time to sit down for long enough to learn to play an instrument. There was a whole list of things you wanted to learn to play including piano, guitar, ukelele, and drums. 

‘Maybe one day,’ you thought.

‘So goodbye, Mary (Goodbye, Mary)

Goodbye, Jane (Goodbye, Jane)

Will we ever (Will we ever)

Meet again? (Meet again?)’

**** 

A few hours later, you were parked on Sylvania Bridge in Jericho. You had stopped a few miles back at a gas station to change into an outfit that looked a little more professional than a pair of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt and opted for one of the many police uniforms you carried around with you. This one was a federal marshal suit. Included the khakis, shirt with a little police badge on the pocket, and a belt with your fake badge on it. It was your mom’s. She threw herself into the many roles she played on the job and made sure she had the costumes to fit the part. Once she passed, you just couldn’t let them go.

You hopped out of the car and walked over to the scene of the crime. You noticed two boys that looked about my age talking to one of the deputies on site. You watched them flash badges to the deputy, but neither was in uniform. 

‘Oh, boy.’

"You two are a little young for marshals, aren't you?” you heard the deputy remark as you walked up to them. 

“Thanks, that’s awfully kind of you,” the shorter guy laughed. 

'That’s my cue,’ you thought.

“Hiya, fellas,” you smiled brightly, glancing between the three of them.

The two guys turned back to look at you. The shorter one pointed at himself with a questioning look on his face directed at you. You eyed him, attempting to tell him to just go with it. 

“Why aren’t you two in uniform?” you asked, standing next to the taller boy and glancing between the two of them. You looked at the deputy. “Sorry to have them bothering you. New hires,” you lied, rolling your eyes. “I’m supposed to oversee how they handle this case.”

“Mm-hmm...” the deputy said, squinting at you. He was clearly suspicious.

I extended my right hand to the deputy and reached for my badge with the other. “I’m Agent Nicks, nice to meet you.” I showed him my badge.

“Deputy Jaffe.” He shook my hand and nodded at my badge.

“Man, you guys can’t catch a break. You just had another killing like this, right?” I nodded my head at Troy’s car at the center of the crime scene as I spoke. 

“Yeah, that's right. About a mile up the road. There've been others before that,” the deputy spoke as I walked over to the car, the two boys trailing behind me.

“So, this victim, you knew him?” The taller boy questioned.

The deputy nodded. “Town like this, everybody knows everybody.”

The shorter boy circled the car once and stopped between the taller boy and I. “Any connection between the victims, besides that they're all men?” he asked.

“No,” Jaffe answered, “Not so far as we can tell.”

“So what's the theory?” The taller guy asked.

“Honestly, we don't know. Serial murder? Kidnapping ring?”

“Well, that is exactly the kind of crack police work I'd expect out of you guys,” the shorter guy quipped.

Your eyes widened as you watched the deputy’s incredulous expression. You didn’t like this kid already. You bit back a snicker when the dude who was with him stomped on his foot.

“Thank you for your time. Gentlemen,” the tall guy nodded.

You turned to follow your two “colleagues” away from the crime scene. The shorter guy smacked the taller one on the back of the head.

“Ow! What was that for?” 

“Why'd you have to step on my foot?”

“Why do you have to talk to the police like that?”

The two men realized you were following them and turned to look at you.

“Uh, can we help you?” the shorter one asked.

“No,” you replied. “I’ll be out of your hair in a second. I just think it’d be a little weird if I left the scene of the crime without regrouping with my ‘proteges’ first.”

The taller one nodded. It became clear to you he was the sensible one of the two.

“About that--” the shorter one came back, implying that you should explain yourself.

“Yeah, sorry for stepping all over your hunt.”

The two seemed in disbelief that you had figured out their secret.

“Takes one to know one,” You snickered. “I had to get the same information you two did, and it’d look really weird if two rounds of federal marshals came through for one case. I’m (Y/N), by the way.” You stuck out your hand for the two of them to shake.

The taller one took it first. “I’m Sam,” he smiled, “that’s my brother, Dean.” 

You shook Dean’s hand after Sam’s.

“You shake hands?” Dean asked.

You shrugged with a tilt of your head to the side.

“Weird.”

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well,” you sighed, “I got this hunt under control if you boys wanna hit the road.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady,” Dean started, “We were here first.”

“Geez, sorry. I thought I was doing you guys a favor by letting you hit the road.”

“Sorry,” Sam spoke for his brother, “We’re looking for our dad. The only information we have on where he could be is here, so we’ve got this covered.”

You nodded. “I hope you find him soon. Good meeting you two.” You turned to leave.

“Wait,” Sam called after you. “Three heads are better than two. We could use your help.”

Dean was quick to cut in. “No, no we do not--”

“What?” you asked, smirking. “You don’t like me Dean-o?”

He opened his mouth to respond, obviously trying to think of something to say. He came up blank after a few seconds.

You chuckled. “I’m down to help.”

Sam smiled brightly at you. “Great!” 

You glanced over Sam’s shoulder and your jaw clenched. Sam turned to follow your gaze.

The sheriff was talking to two FBI agents. He looked at you three pointedly. “Can I help you kids?”

“No, sir, we were just leaving,” Dean told him. He then nodded at the FBI agents as they walked past your trio. “Agent Mulder. Agent Scully.”

The three of you headed past the sheriff, whose gaze you could feel piercing through your back.

You noticed the 1967 Impala parked a little farther back than your car, wondering how you could have missed it when you pulled up to the scene.

“Aw, cool!” you exclaimed, quickly walking over to it. “Sweet ride.”  You ran your hand over the hood.

“Hey,” Dean called, “Hands off my baby.”

“You dating a car, Grumpy?” you smirked. 

He rolled his eyes at you. 

“Those your wheels over there?” Sam asked. He nodded towards your Camry.

“Unfortunately. Had to jack that car a few states back,” you responded.

Sam nodded. “You can catch a ride back with us if you want.”

Dean tossed a look at his brother.

“Cool, thanks,” you answered, smiling. “Let me just pull it off the road into some trees or something.”

***

"Who are we looking for again?” you asked the boys as you strolled around town. You had ditched your federal marshal getup and left it along with the rest of your stuff in the back of Dean’s car. 

Dean scoffed at your question.

“Hey, you didn’t answer the first time I asked, so I had to do it again,” you threw back.

“Troy’s girlfriend,” Sam answered.

“Thank you, Sam.” You threw a pointed look at Dean. He just turned his face away from you.

A few paces down from your pack, a young girl with brown hair was putting missing posters up with Troy’s face on them. 

"I'll bet you that's her,” Dean pointed out.

“Yeah,” Sam affirmed.

Your group walked up to her as Dean spoke, “You must be Amy.”

“Yeah,” she answered plainly.

“Yeah, Troy told us about you. We're his uncles. I'm Dean, this is Sammy.”

“And who’s that?” Amy glanced at you.

“I’m (Y/N). A friend of theirs.”

Amy nodded, looking back to Sam and Dean. “He never mentioned you to me.” She began to walk away with her posters.

Dean was quick to follow her. “Well, that's Troy, I guess. We're not around much, we're up in Modesto.”

“So, we're looking for him too, and we're kinda asking around,” Sam continued for Dean.

A friend of Amy’s came up to her and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

Once Amy responded with a simple, “Yeah,” her friend stayed with her.

"You mind if we ask you a couple questions?” I asked Amy.

***

You, Amy’s friend, Rachel, and Amy were packed into one side of a diner booth while Sam and Dean sat opposite you.  

Amy spoke about what happened the night Troy went “missing.” “I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home. He said he would call me right back, and...he never did.”

“He didn't say anything strange, or out of the ordinary?” Sam asked.

Amy shook her head. “No. Nothing I can remember.”

You glanced at the pentagram pendant she was wearing. “I like your necklace.”

“Troy gave it to me. Mostly to scare my parents with all that devil stuff,” Amy laughed. 

You smiled. “Actually, it means just the opposite. A pentagram is protection against evil. Really powerful. I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing.” 

“Okay,” Dean cut in. “Thank you, Unsolved Mysteries.”

You rolled your eyes at him while he took his arm off of the back of Sam’s seat and leaned forward on his elbows. “Here's the deal, ladies. The way Troy disappeared, something's not right. So if you've heard anything...” he trailed off, waiting for them to answer.

Amy and Rachel glanced between each other. 

“What is it?” Dean asked.

“Well, it's just,” Rachel began, “I mean, with all these guys going missing, people talk."

“About?” You questioned turning a bit more inward to Rachel. 

“It's kind of this local legend. This one girl? She got murdered out on Centennial, like decades ago,” Rachel stated.

You watched Rachel attentively, nodding.

“Well, supposedly she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up? Well, they disappear forever.”

You glanced at the boys with a quirked eyebrow.

***

Dean typed away on the library computer on the archive search page for the Jericho Herald. He had the words “Female Murder Hitchhiking" typed into the search bar. When he pressed enter, nothing came up. Dean replaced “Hitchhiking” with “Centennial Highway,” and once again, crickets. 

“Wait a minute,” Sam started, “So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?”

“Yeah,” Dean replied as if it was obvious.

“Well, maybe it’s not murder,” Sam stated.

“Ohhh,” you started, “I’m pickin’ up what you’re puttin’ down.” You knew Sam was thinking suicide.

Sam smiled at you.

“Let me try,” Sam told Dean.

“I got it,” Dean came back.

Sam shoved Dean out of the chair and took over.

“Dude!” Dean hit Sam on the shoulder. “You're such a control freak.”

You laughed at their banter.

“Can it, (Y/N),” Dean told you.

“So, what I can’t laugh?”

“No, no, you can’t.”

“I literally just met you and I’ve had it up to here--” you flattened your hand and put it up by your eyebrow, “--with you already--”

“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart,” Dean cut you off. 

“You two wanna stop?” Sam asked. “Come look at this.”

Just as you thought, Sam had put “suicide” in place of “murder” in the search bar.

Sam snapped you out of your thoughts by saying, “This was 1981. Constance Welch, twenty-four years old, jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river.”

“Does it say why she did it?” Dean asked.

“Yeah,” you started, leaning over Sam’s shoulder to get a better look at the screen, “An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Apparently, her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute, and when she comes back, they aren't breathing. Both die.”

Something about the situation did not sit right with you; it sounded familiar. 

Sam continued reading. “‘ 'Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn't bear it,' said husband Joseph Welch.’”

“The bridge look familiar to you?” Dean pointed out, looking at a picture of a man-- presumably Constance’s husband-- crying standing next to Sylvania Bridge.

“Well, we know where we’re headed,” you commented, walking toward the exit of the library. You could feel Dean’s eyes on you as you left.

***

By the time you finally got to Sylvania Bridge, it was late at night. You and the boys had stopped for a bite to eat before going back to the bridge. Troy’s car had long since been removed, the crime scene completely cleared out. 

Dean looked out over the edge of the bridge, standing next to you and Sam. “So this is where Constance took the swan dive.”

“So you think Dad would have been here?” Sam looked over at his brother.

"Well, he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him.” Dean continued down the bridge, the taller boy trailing behind him.

“Okay, so now what?”

“Now we keep digging until we find him. Might take a while.”

Sam stopped. “Dean, I told you, I've gotta get back by Monday—”

The brunet stopped, turning around. “Monday. Right. The interview.” Aggravation was clear in his tone.

“Yeah.”

You thought it best to take a step back while they had this discussion.

"Yeah, I forgot. You're really serious about this, aren't you? You think you're just going to become some lawyer? Marry your girl?” Dean’s tone got a bit more of an edge to it.

“Maybe. Why not?” Sam pushed back.

“Does Jessica know the truth about you? I mean, does she know about the things you've done?”

Sam stepped closer to Dean. “No, and she's not ever going to know.”

The older boy did not back down. “Well, that's healthy. You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are.” He turned around and kept walking.

Sam followed him, his arms out in question. “And who's that?”

“You're one of us.” Dean gestured to himself and back to you staying several paces back,

Sam hurried to get in front of his brother. “No. I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life.”

“You have a responsibility to—”

“To Dad? And his crusade? If it weren't for pictures I wouldn't even know what Mom looks like. And what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, Mom's gone. And she isn't coming back.”

When Dean grabbed his brother by the collar and shoved him against the bridge, you jumped into action.

“Hey, knock it off, Dean.”

“(Y/N)--” Dean warned, giving you a sideways glare. He looked back at Sam. “Don't talk about her like that.” He let Sam go and walked away from him.

You hurried over to Sam. “You okay?” You put your hand on his shoulder and met his hazel eyes.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Guys,” Dean called.

You looked to Dean who stared down to the railing at the edge of the bridge.

“Constance,” you let out, coming to stand next to Dean.

Constance looked back at your group before stepping off of the railing.

The three of you ran to the railing. 

“Where'd she go?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know, wanna jump down there and find out?” you sassed.

Dean glared at you as the sound of the Impala’s engine roared behind you.

The older Winchester flipped around. “What the—” 

Sam wheeled around, too. “Who's driving your car?” 

Dean pulled the keys out of his pocket and jingled them, his green eyes never leaving the Impala.

The car jerked into motion, barrelling over the bridge straight toward you and the Winchesters.

“Go! Go!” you yelled, turning and sprinting away.

Dean and Sam sped ahead of you, and you noticed the car gaining on you. Your heart raced and your breathing was labored. The car was way too close for comfort and left you with just one option.

You threw yourself over the railing, just barely managing to hang onto the edge of the bridge.

You heard the car engine stop just as something-- or someone-- hit the water.

You pulled yourself back over the railing and noticed Sam sitting on the railing calling for Dean.

You rushed over to Sam, leaning over the railing to try to find Dean.

He popped up a second later, his usually spikey hair flattened to his head with mud. In fact, his whole body was covered in mud.

“You okay?” You called down to him.

Dean sarcastically held up a thumb and pursed his lips. 

“Hey, I’m just checking on you, don’t be an ass,” you yelled back, a small smile playing on your lips.

“Fuck off,” he grunted, annoyed.

Sam laughed and got back onto the bridge.

You headed over to the Impala and checked it over, grabbing a towel out of your bag.

Dean had managed to climb back onto the bridge and made his way over to his baby. He opened the car’s hood and poked around to see if Constance had damaged it at all. After a moment, he shut the hood and leaned on it.

“Your car all right?” you heard Sam ask are you walked over to Dean with the towel.

“Yeah, whatever she did to it, seems all right now. That Constance chick, what a bitch!” He yelled at the spirit. 

You put the towel on Dean’s head and started to dry his hair off when he jerked away from you.

“What are you doing?”

You were quick to put the towel back on his head. “Helping.”

The dirty blond ripped the towel out of your hands. “I got it.”

“Fine.” You raised your hands up in surrender. You leaned against the car next to Dean. “You know, I been thinkin’.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Shut up, Dean. I’m serious.” You paused, taking in a breath. “Constance is a woman in white.”

Sam pursed his lips, shrugging. “Makes sense. I mean, the dead kids, suicide, killing unfaithful men.”

“Maybe.” The older Winchester’s monotone voice was followed by silence. A silence that was broken a few moments later by Sam.

“You smell like a toilet.”

You scrunched up your nose and giggled. 

“Can it, (Y/N).”

***

“You guys having a reunion or something?” the clerk asked, looking at the credit card Dean had placed on the motel’s front desk.

Sam cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I had another guy, Burt Aframian. He came and bought out a room for the whole month.”

Dean looked over to his brother briefly and then turns his head back to the clerk. “What room’s he in?”

“Listen, kid, I can’t go around giving out people’s room numbers.”

Dean rolled his eyes.

You stepped out from behind the two boys. “Oh, please sir? He’s family, and we haven’t seen him in a while.” You gave him your best puppy dog eyes.

“Fine.”

***

“That how you get all the guys?”

“What?” you asked, not bothering to face Dean to answer his question. The two of you were stationed outside of John Winchester's room playing lookout while Sam picked the lock on the door.

“You know what I mean. I saw you makin’ eyes at the clerk.”

“Yeah, to get a room number.” You turned to face him, crossing your arms over your chest. “And it worked, didn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah. It worked real well.” He turned to face you.

“You know, you don’t have to be such a dick all the time. I met you yesterday and have given you no reason not to like me. What’s your deal?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, my plate is kind of full. I’m trying to figure out what the hell happened to my dad. I have no idea whether he’s alive, dead, or captured, and he’s the only parent I have left. And my little brother is solely concerned about getting back to fucking Stanford, and I’m not even sure he cares about what happened to our dad. And now, enter (Y/N) trying to take over a hunt that is the only tie I have to my dad.” Dean’s face was incredibly close to yours.

Sam had long since gone into the room and decided to leave the two of you alone to hash out your frustrations.

You held your ground, but your voice took on less of an angry tone. You were strictly playing defense at this point. “But I wasn’t trying to take it over to be mean, and as soon as you got so defensive about the hunt, I backed down and just offered to help--”

“Yeah, and I didn't want your help. Sam was the one who let you in, probably hoping that if you were here he could shag ass back to Stanford. So forgive me if I’m a little on edge.” He pulled his face away from yours, wheeling around to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“Well, I’m sorry for being such an inconvenience. Perhaps you’ve forgotten the fact that I’ve helped you guys more than I’ve hurt you. I pulled your asses out of a crack when you were talking to the police. I was the one who figured out what kind of a spook we’re dealing with here. I want you to find your dad. I really do. But I also want you to stop being so awful to me. And it’s just me specifically!” You threw your arms up in the air. At some point during the first part of your rant, Dean had looked back at you over his shoulder. “You’re so nice to Sam--I mean, about as nice as brothers are to each other-- and I can tell you care about him. I can tell you have a good heart. So why choose to be an ass?”

When Dean didn’t answer, you shook your head. “Whatever. I’m leaving.” You clutched your duffel bag strap on your shoulder tightly, your knuckles turning white.

“To go where?”

“Away. You win. Ya got what you wanted.”

“Wait, (Y/N)--”

“Tell Sam I said ‘bye.’”

***

The heat of midday had your baby hairs stuck to your head with sweat. You had been walking for a while now, just trying to find somewhere remote enough that you could steal a car without getting seen. 

You hiked along a highway surrounded by dense trees, the rustling sound of the green leaves filling your head. You took a deep breath, allowing peace to wash over you. You never had to see Dean Winchester again, although you would miss Sam. He was the closest thing to a friend you’ve had in a while. 

A familiar engine roar overpowered the sound of the rustling you had been hearing. The car pulled off of the highway just behind you, coming to a stop. 

You took your bottom lip in your mouth under your top one, closing your eyes and stopping your walk.

You heard the opening and closing of the car’s door as you turned around, a small smile on your lips.

“You know,” Sam started, walking toward you, “It’s kind of rude to leave without saying ‘goodbye.’“ 

You let out a laugh. “Hey, Sam.”

He pulled you into a quick hug. “Hey. I heard what happened.”

You looked down at the mixture of grass and gravel below your combat boots. “Yeah.”

“And I know you probably never wanna see Dean’s face again, but we need your help. I do, and he does, whether he wants to admit it or not. We can all get out of here a lot quicker if we work together. You can get away from Dean, I can get back to Stanford, and Dean can find our dad.”

“Where is Dean?”

“Arrested.”

“Oh,” you said quietly, nodding.  “Okay.” You put on a smile. “What now?”

***

Much later in the day, after going to visit Joseph Welch, you and Sam were sitting in a diner grabbing a bite to eat. The both of you were brainstorming what to do to get Dean out of jail and what to do about that Constance bitch. The conversation had shifted from those two topics once you had a solid plan to simply small talk between friends.

“So what’s your story?” you asked, taking a bite out of one of your fries.

“What?”

“I picked up from conversations between you and Dean over the past two days and the very loud conversation I had with your brother earlier that you left hunting to go to Stanford. What happened there?”

Sam chuckled, looking down. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. I crossed a line,” you told him sincerely. You stared at your ketchup. 

“No, no,” he responded. He took in a sharp breath. “My dad and I had a big blowout fight before I left for college. He told me if I left for college to never come back. Haven’t talked to him in two years.” He took a bite of his salad after he finished talking.

“Oh,” you said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

You decided to change the subject. “Alright, we’ve let Dean rot long enough. I’m gonna go call the police.”

Sam laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll get the check.” 

You walked outside of the diner, heading to the payphone you spotted at the entrance of the parking lot. You picked it up and dialed ‘9-1-1.’

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

You made your voice frantic, forcing tears to well up in your eyes. “My-My husband! He’s been shot!”

“Ma’am, calm down for me, okay? Where are you?”

You screamed. “He- He just shot another guy! Oh, my god!”

“Ma’am, where are you?”

“I’m on Whiteford Road,” you said. “Please, please, please hurry!”

“Okay, okay, um, w-we’re sending a unit out to you now. Can you stay on the line for me?”

“No, no! Please!” you cried. “Plea--” You cut yourself off and hung up the phone. 

You noticed Sam standing next to you using one of his forearms to hold the door open as he leaned on the door frame. 

“What?”

“That was damn good acting,” he noted.

“Thanks,” you chuckled. “I actually wanted to be an actress growing up.”

“Hunting got in the way,” Sam figured.

“Exactly. But, acting is kind of part of the job. Gotta be real good at lying and pretending to be feds,” you shrugged, making light of the situation.

A comfortable silence blanketed you and Sam as you lamented over what life could’ve been for you. You sucked in a breath and said, “We better get going. To Constance!”

***

Sam’s phone ringing pulled the two of you out of a conversation about his girlfriend, Jess, and his life at Stanford. 

Sam looked at the caller ID, shrugging at you when he didn’t recognize it.

“Fake 911 phone call? Sammy, I don't know, that's pretty illegal,” you could hear Dean jest through the phone.

The brunet grinned. “It was (Y/N), actually.”

He paused. “(Y/N)? She’s with you?”

You took Sam’s phone out of his hands and said, “Yup. Hi, Dean,” into the receiver. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

You gave the phone back to Sam. 

The older Winchester changed the topic from you to something else. “Listen, we gotta talk.” 

“Tell me about it,” Sam jumped in. “So the husband was unfaithful. We are dealing with a woman in white. And she's buried behind her old house, so that should have been Dad's next stop--”

His brother tried to cut him off. “Sammy, would you shut up for a second?”

“--I just can't figure out why Dad hasn't destroyed the corpse yet.”

“Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's gone. Dad left Jericho.”

Sam threw a look to you before glancing back to the road. “What? How do you know?”

“I've got his journal,” you heard the dirty blond explain.

“He doesn't go anywhere without that thing.”

“Yeah, well, he did this time.”

“What's it say?”

“Ah, the same old ex-Marine crap, when he wants to let us know where he's going.”

‘Ex-Marine crap?’ you thought to yourself.

Sam noticed your puzzled expression and directed toward you, “Coordinates.” He spoke his following words to Dean. “Where to?”

“I'm not sure yet.”

You propped your head up on your elbow on the passenger’s side door, legs tossed in an ‘L’ shape on the seat beside you. You stared out of the window into the dark night, taking in the gloomy appearance of the dead trees and fallen leaves. 

The younger Winchester shook his head. “I don't understand. I mean, what could be so important that Dad would just skip out in the middle of a job?”

A figure in the road caught your eye, causing you to squint and look out the windshield. 

Sam was still rambling to his brother. “Dean, what the hell is going on?”

You registered that Constance was in the road. “Sam, look out!” you shrieked.

Sam looked up, dropping the phone and slamming the brakes hard. You had to brace yourself on the dashboard in front of you, your body jerking forward and backward in your seat. 

Constance was gone, and you and Sam tried to catch your breaths. 

“Sam? Sam!” Dean’s voice came through the phone.

You picked up the phone from under the glove box. Dean had hung up before you got the chance to tell him Sam was alright.

You turned to the brunet, who swallowed hard and looked into the backseat through the rearview mirror.

You whirled around to look in the backseat, and there Constance was. “Take me home,” she ordered. She looked directly at you. “Take me home!”

“No,” you stated firmly, holding her gaze. 

Constance glared back at you as you heard the doors of the car lock. You wheel around in your seat and try to reopen them. Suddenly, your body was thrust back into the seat as the car began to drive. 

“Sam?” you yelled over the roar of the engine.

“That’s not me!” He tried to grab the steering wheel to drive, but Constance wouldn’t let him. 

You continued to struggle with the doors until the two-- well, three, counting Constance-- of you pulled up to an abandoned house, presumably the Welches’ old house. The windows on both of the two floors had been covered with boards, the paint was peeling off of the wood slats, and the screen door had been ripped. The house looked like it was falling apart more and more with every passing day. It had the stereotypical appearance of a horror movie house.

The engine of the Impala shut off.

“Don't do this,” the younger Winchester pleaded.

Constance flickered in the backseat. “I can never go home,” she moaned, her voice sad.

As if a switch had been flipped in your brain, your face shifted from scared to enlightened. “You're scared to go home.” You turned to look in the back seat, but Constance was gone. As soon as you turned back around, you noticed Constance in between you and Sam on the leather bench seat. 

You jumped, back pressed against the passenger’s side door. Constance climbed on Sam’s lap, shoving him back against the seat hard enough to tilt it backward. 

You tried to lunge for Constance, but she shoved you against the Impala’s door hard enough with a flick of her wrist to send the door flying open and you sailing through the air.

“(Y/N)!” You heard Sam yell.

You skidded to a halt on the rocky gravel surrounding the house, feeling your arms and legs get cut up. The wind was knocked out of you, and your head bounced against the small rocks. 

“Ow,” you groaned, trying to get up. You saw Constance had closed the passenger’s side door once more, and through the window could see her kissing Sam as he reached for the keys.

Another thing you saw was a figure appearing on the other side of the car through the driver’s side window. You hoped to god it was Dean.

You heard whoever it was fire a shot as Sam screamed in what seemed to be pain, so you immediately ducked. A few more shots were fired and you felt safe enough to raise your head.

You scrambled to your feet when you saw the Impala go careening through the porch and into the old Welch house. You ran into the house, being as careful as you could to avoid any of the broken pieces of wood and furniture the car had left in its path.

Dean was quick to follow you, calling out to his younger brother. “You okay?”

Sam groaned. “I think...”

“Can you move?” you asked, leaning through the passenger’s window. You looked him over for serious injury.

“Yeah,” he told you. He reached a hand out to his brother. “Help me?”

You stepped to the side as Dean pulled Sam out through the rolled-down window. 

You noticed Constance picking up a picture frame of her and her children that had fallen to the ground. 

She turned her attention from the picture to you and met your eyes.

She pinned you and the boys against the Impala with a bureau. It hit the boys in their pelvis but nailed you right in the stomach. You groaned in pain, desperately trying to push it off of you. 

You stopped your struggle when a sound caught your ear. It sounded like liquid trickling and watched as a stream of water just thick enough to cover each step cascaded to the ground.  You followed the stream to the top of the stairs to see the dark silhouettes of a little girl and a little boy holding hands.

“You've come home to us, Mommy,” they spoke in chorus.

Constance looked distraught as she got closer to the stairs. They were suddenly gone from the stairs and appeared behind her, hugging her and looking up at her with warm yet slightly disturbing smiles. 

Constance screamed, and she and her children melted to the floor flickering between apparitions of skinless and skeletal forms of humans. They melted into a puddle of an electric purple goo that seeped through the floorboards as the ringing in your ears from Constance’s shrieks subsided. 

You and the Winchesters shoved the bureau over, and you dusted off your hands as Dean spoke.

“So this is where she drowned her kids.”

“That's why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them,” Sam told you and his brother.

“You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy.” Dean slapped him on the chest where holes had been burned through his shirt that you were assumed were the products of Constance. Sam groaned out in pain but laughed nonetheless.

“Actually, it was all (Y/N). I’m just the jackass who drove your car through the side of a house,” Sam smiled, jutting his thumb back at you.

Dean hummed as he continued to walk away, clearly disinterested but making an effort to sound impressed. He leaned on the open window of the passenger’s side door, looking over his baby. “Speaking of that, if you screwed up my car--” he paused, looking back at Sam, “--I’ll kill you.”

“Aw, shame,” you cut in, “Sam’s my favorite Winchester.”

Dean glared at you. “Can it, (Y/N).”

***

You lip-synced the words to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” which boomed through the speakers of the Impala. You were sat in the backseat, leaning on the front seat between the two Winchesters with your forearms atop their bench seat. You looked over Sam’s shoulder as he opened up a giant map and opened his dad’s journal. He went to tuck a flashlight under his chin so he could actually see what he was doing, but you stopped him.

“I can hold that for you.”

“Thanks,” was his short reply as he handed off the flashlight to you, his eyes never leaving the things on his lap. You clicked the flashlight on and held it over his shoulder as he scanned the map for the coordinates “35-111″ as was written in his dad’s journal.

Sam tapped the spot on the map once he found it. “Okay, here's where Dad went. It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado.”

“Charming,” you quipped.

“How far?” came Dean’s question.

“About six hundred miles,” the younger Winchester told his brother.

“Hey, if we shag ass after we drop (Y/N) off in the next town over we could make it by morning,” Dean suggested, looking over at Sam. 

‘This guy is so ready to get rid of me,’ you thought, shaking your head.

Sam cocked his head to the side and looked to his brother. “Dean--”

Dean stared back to the road, his pitch dropping lower and his disappointment apparent. “You're not going.”

“The interview's in like, ten hours. I gotta be there,” Sam reminded him.

“Yeah. Yeah, whatever. I'll take you home.”

You clicked the flashlight off, sinking back into the backseat. 

‘Awkward.’

***

Dean’s face was still set in a frown as the Impala pulled up to Sam’s apartment complex. You jumped out of the car as Sam did, pulling him into a tight hug. 

“I’m gonna miss you,” you told him, squeezing him harder with your eyes shut. You were genuinely disappointed. Sam was so nice and the two of you had become great friends very quickly.

“Hey, you have my number. Call me.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same.” You pulled away from him. “Say ‘hi’ to Jess for me.”

The brunet chuckled. “I will.” He leaned down into the open window of Dean’s car. “Call me if you find him?”

Dean nodded. 

“And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?”

“Yeah, all right.”

Sam clearly did not know how to end the conversation from there, so he simply patted the inside of the car door twice and turned away. Dean leaned toward the passenger door, calling out to Sam in one last attempt to get him to come with him. “You know, we made a hell of a team back there.” 

“Yeah,” Sam nodded, which was clearly not the reaction Dean was expecting. He just sighed and waited for you to get back in the car. You had barely shut the door before Dean shoved off. 

You jerked around in your seat. “Easy, tiger. Jesus.” You slumped down in your seat after getting no response from Dean. You crossed your arms and looked out of your window. 

The familiar smells of coconut and tobacco filled your nose, and you immediately straightened up. 

“Turn around,” you told Dean, your eyes wide.

“What? No,” he snorted. “Why?”

“Just do it!”

Your exclamation caught Dean off guard. “Jesus, fine.”

He put the car in reverse and headed back up the street. 

Dean hadn’t even stopped in front of Sam’s apartment complex before you threw the car door open and sprinted toward the apartment as fast as you could.

“Whoa, crazy lady, where are you going?” Dean caught up to you and grabbed your arm, spinning you around. 

“Sam’s apartment. Which one is it?!” You asked in a panic. 

“Uh--” He glanced away from you, still puzzled as to why you were a basketcase at the present moment.

“Dean!”

He looked back at you, shaking his head, but he ran up the stairs and led you to Sam and Jess’s shared apartment. 

He stopped in front of the door, turning back to face you. “Now, why--”

Before he could finish his statement, you used all your might to kick the wooden door in, yelling Sam’s name in concern.

“No!” you heard him yell from another room.

Dean jumped into action, sprinting through the apartment with you hot on his heels. The two of you got to the younger Winchester’s bedroom just in time to see a woman in a white nightgown stained red at her belly from bleeding with blonde hair on the ceiling burst into flames. 

“Jess!” Sam yelled, paralyzed on his bed in shock. He quickly moved one arm to shield his face as the flames got closer to him. “No!”

‘Oh, shit. His girlfriend...’

You shook your thoughts away from you and helped Dean lug a screaming Sam out of the door and out of the apartment complex. You fished through your bag in Dean’s car for your phone and called the fire department as Dean tried to hold Sam back from going back in for his charred girlfriend.

***

Flashes of red and blue broke through the black of night, emanating from police cars and firetrucks all around you. You walked through the chaotic scene of police and firemen holding back onlookers and firemen dousing the remaining embers of the fire in water. Black, charred wood stuck out from the turquoise exterior of the complex, and you could see into the apartment through giant holes that had been burnt out of the wall. 

You walked back over to the boys who stood by the Impala. Sam was fooling with weapons concealed within the hollowed-out bottom of the trunk, and Dean stood next to him, watching his brother’s face. As you got to them, you put a hand on Sam’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He looked up at you, his normally soft and cheery expression suppressed by a look of both desperation and anger. He shut the trunk with a hard slam.

“We got work to do.”

Tags are open and feedback is always appreciated!

Series Rewrite Tags:

@rach5ive​ @ppeachygemss​

[shuuos]

tag game!!!

i got tagged by @fandomfishbish !!!!!! :D :D :D

tag game rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better !!!

here are the questions and answers !!!

Name/Nickname: bo !!! i may snatch the name kiki too idk it’s cute tho

Gender: fuck uh good question. idk like it’s related to feminity in the way a dog is related to a wolf but that’s abt it

Star sign: pisces hell yeah!!! i looked up my star chart and immediately forgot so pls don’t ask!!!!!!

Height: 5’3″ and fuck all my friends who are taller than me /j

Time: uhhh mountain standard time if i remember right?

Birthday: march 17!!!

Favorite bands: suddenly i have forgotten every band except for fall out boy ngkcsnkl

Favorite solo artist: JUST ONE?? god uhhhh cavetown maybe?? dodie??? idk man there’s too many good artists out there!!!!!

Song stuck in my head: rät by penelope scott sdncfdkn the animatic vibes are too immaculate

Last movie: god wait i remember give me a second uhhhh GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 I THINK

Last show: the umbrella academy bc my sister and i are still trying to binge watch it (and failing to get past the third episode orz we’re too sleeby)

When did I create this blog: ok let’s see i was in 7th grade i think so like.... sometime in late 2014-early 2015 i think?? idk i just know i was in middle school

What do I post: sometimes art, sometimes music, sometimes shitposts or other extremely good posts!!!

Last thing I googled: ancient girl names bc i’ve made yet another oc rip

Do I get asks: no :(

Why I chose my url: uhhh back when i was on deviantart i wanted a ~cool~ username, and i could have sworn i saw this on a username list but i can’t find it anymore so i guess i just made it up!!!!

How many blogs do I follow: 3599 holy shit

How many followers I have: 375 which is actually a lot more than i expected tbh

Average hours of sleep: about 12 hours on a good day, 4 on a bad one, i’d say?? usually i get 6-8 tho

Lucky number: 3, i guess?? that’s always what i’ve defaulted to anyway!!!

Instruments: i can play the ukulele and technically the piano but only by ear,,

What am I wearing: uhhhh shorts and the big star wars shirt my 8th grade homeroom teacher gave me for field day (i don’t watch star wars but we wanted a team uniform and her husband was a geek so she had a lot of shirts to spare sngckjfd)

Dream job: i’ve always imagined that being a freelance artist would be nice!! i don’t think i’m rlly made for capitalism tho i’d rather just run off into the woods and look at clouds

Dream trip: uhhh europe maybe?? i wanna see my friends over there,, or maybe a cross-country road trip????? idk i’ve never really thought abt this?

Last book I read: ,,,,,,, the angel experiment bc i needed to do research for some ocs

Favorite food: mmmmmmmm i’m gonna have to go with pan de dulce bc fuck yeah. sweets and bread.

Nationality: uhhh mexican-american on my mom’s side and venezuelan on my dad’s!!!

Favorite song: wh. why would you ask me this. i’m just gonna pick a song out of my spotify playlist and go: absolutely smitten by dodie HELL YEAH THAT’S A GOOD ONE!!!

Top three fictional universes: hmmm these aren’t in order at all but i’m gonna go with: maximum ride bc winge and also the pseudoscience is just vague enough where u can go buckwild with worldbuilding and i love it, revue starlight bc GOD the uniforms the stage girls wear are so fucking cool and i would kill to own one, and animal crossing bc it’s chill heart emoji

What is something you like about yourself?: if we’re talking physically, my hair is very soft and fluffy and it’s very nice, but if u mean like personality-wise, i am the funniest bitch in this house /lh

ok tag time!!!! unfortunately i have eggs eye and tea so i’m mostly gonna tag my friends and people i’ve generally talked to before:

@homotankki @aviandalek @maxtothemax @no1fan15 @procrastinatorkimberlygrey @autisticfang oh god i don’t talk to that many people uhhh if u see this feel free to use me as an excuse to answer these questions??? if u want???? there’s probably more people i wanted to tag but i have bad memory and Cannot remember

[choiceenvironment]

Shorty’s Fight

Shorty is so deserving of the proper surgery to save her leg.  I feel horrible that I can not afford to provide her with it. With so many people struggling, I hate to ask for this kind of financial help, but I have no choice.  I have to try for her sake. Our local small town community has already sponsored the costs to saving her, with help from the wonderful (Strathmore Veterinarian).  The donations gave the vet enough to amputate her tail and cast her arm from a broken Radial bone. Including an anonymous donor that paid her intake. I believe it is because the town knows her, she has gone into stores, got the mail with me and all my clients love her. Since then (2 weeks ago) something has gone wrong and the Ulnar bone which had a hairline fracture has now broken fully, the only option now is amputate her front left arm for $2000 or Surgery for $4500 to save the arm. She is in a lot of pain, this breaks my heart for her and she does not deserve to suffer. I have been told by some that she is just a cat, That I should just do what ever is cheapest and/or put her down. But she is not just a regular cat, her personality captures anyone who meets her but not in the cuddly way most would think. This is my story of the most unique cat I have ever known. "Sam Shorty" 2 years ago I was looking for a small companion cat that I could bring to work at my newly opened print shop. I thought it would be great to keep the mice away, I was lonely as I worked alone and I had some struggles coping with stress. My store was opened in 2017, Since then my entire store was flooded and I lost all my inventory with no help from insurance because it was "overland flooding" - Jerks! They didn't help at all.  But my community did! Since then I lost my father, 2 brothers and covid took away my events which used to pay for my store rent.  I hosted, cooking and paint classes for kids when they were off school.  I also trained people who struggle to learn computer skills and building their own resume. I honestly needed to find a daily companion and furry friend.  My first thought was to catch or coax one of the Ferrell cats around town because I would be "giving them a better life".  So I thought. ha ha ha But the stray cats around town are pretty happy just eating the field mice and being wild and free.  No worries, just play, eat and sleep, I am almost jealous except in winter time. ha ha ha So after weeks of desperately trying to make friends with the Ferrell's I gave up and realized that all I was doing was creating Night Fights from all the food I kept leaving out. The neighbors must have loved that. ha ha ha They did keep all the outside mice away, but funny...I seemed to end up with more mice inside the store. ha ha ha Moving forward I checked online for any cats needing a home and oddly at that time frame there was none?  People even tried catching their own farm Ferrell's to no avail.  Well I was determined so I planned to go on the weekend to buy one SOMEWHERE lol, didn't know where but I was determined. Saturday morning we planned for a Sunday trip to the city.  But I was feeling really down so I prayed.  I honestly prayed to God and asked for help in sending me a cat that needs the most help. See, Although I want a companion for my sake I also want to return the favor to my friend, I want to be doing something good. 2 hours later I was cleaning up some things in the shed and my husband says "I think there is something behind the quad" Sure as shit there was a kitten!  So we ran and told my daughter to grab a can of tuna and after a few attempts I was able to quickly grab her scruff and pull her into my scarf. She fought hard but only for a few seconds, then she tucked her head into my hair and didn't move. I walked around with her for a bit and she seemed to like it.  Eventually I set her on my bed and she just stared at all of us like she was in shock.  Pretty sure she was freaking out. ha ha ha Her eyes were full of gunk, she was so badly filled with worms and she pooped all over my bedroom, my bed, but I could care less. Funny story - she even gave me worms which is very rare! The first night she was so afraid that she would only lay on the window sill.  Shorty was so stunted and small that we called her shorty.  Also because her tail was the smallest tail we had ever seen. While she was going from the window to the liter box and back up to the window sill, her litter was getting stuck to her feet and a small amount kept dropping into my bedside drinking glass. Lets not get into details, but I drank a lot of water that night. ha ha ha - I still laugh at this cause she was worth it. It took a long time to get her back to health, we thought she was dead a few times when she would not move for hours. We eventually got her fixed and with consistent food she began to grow :) and although small she is one tough kitty. I had her on a leash when we would go for walks, camping or to work.  But eventually I just felt like she missed the wild. When we were camping it poured rain one year so bad, but she did not want to leave the brush beside the fire and I realized she was hunting mice! She would be soaking wet and I would try to take her inside with me but she would get so mad, growl and kick her back paws on me.  So in return for her friendship I sat in the rain with her for hours so she could listen to the wilderness and hunt mice.  She even caught one that year but her excitement caused her to lose it and it ran away. She would stand on her back feet and sway her head like a crazy person filled with glee, she looked like a playful bear. Shorty would finally want to go to bed around 11 pm, but at the crack of dawn she would be sitting on her leash staring at me and using her "mind powers" to wake me up.  She is very polite and tries not to disturb me while I sleep.  So sweet. I decided that if I truly love her I would have to let her have her own freedom and if she loved me too, she would return home. At first when I took her off her leash, Shorty would stay with me as I gardened or worked in the yard.  But eventually she left the yard for a day and night. But she returned and before the incident she would come and go on the hour. Shorty could be dead asleep on the piano ( her favorite spot) and she would know if another cat stepped on her property.   So would we, because all of a sudden she would run upstairs to the bedroom windows, then down to the basement windows. Sometimes she would "Scobie Doo"  around the corners then race to be let out the back door. All the neighborhood cats are free out here and go as they please.  They are also bigger than her! But she puff's up, spits and kicks her back feet like she is the toughest little girl in the world. Climbing is her favorite and she always has to show me.  She will run up the tree and if I am not watching her Shorty meows at me and scratches harder on the tree. She loves to run and show off how fast she is, her favorite game with my daughters is what we call "the chase game" That's where the kids will get a foot from her and she will run to the other side of the yard and lay down.  Then she rolls and shows her tummy, so the girls walk up to pet her and when they are a foot from her she runs back to the other side. She loves it. Shorty does not cuddle, wont let strangers touch her and only comes to me "Mom" Now the sad part -  We rescued a Pitbull and have spent month retraining her as she was abused and left to freeze in the cold.  Her name is Calypso. She cowers to many things and we thought we were getting her back to normal. Her prey drive was bad, but the cat and her were beginning to play and we began lowering our guard. I never left them in a room alone together, I still always supervised just encase. But 2 weeks ago I was in court awaiting a verdict on a local exploitation of a minor case.  The judge called guilty, we cried with relief and became overwhelmed as it had been a year long uncertain battle.  By the system prevailed! AS we celebrated on the way home I got a call from my daughter, the dog had got upstairs and the cat was bleeding. I tried to keep my daughter calm and a Neighbour ran to my house to see how bad it was. When I got there, the floor had a trail of blood and a pool of blood behind the couch. But it is not the dogs fault, she is a sweet sweet dog that just wants to be loved.  The dog took to me the moment we met and her jealousy took her over along with her natural instinct. Just as the cat needs to hunt mice, the dog wants to hunt too.  It part of them and I hold no fault to either of them. We called the nearest vet who responded with "we are booked unless you want to just bring her in and put her down?" Yah we hung up on them. Then we called Strathmore Vet and while bawling I explained that I had absolutely no money, I had no idea how to get any money but I would do anything to save her. The vet worked tirelessly through the night and all the next day.  Shorty had her tail amputated, and a second time from the damage.   Luckily she had enough blood to rebuild and just a fractured radial bone.  They tried there best to cast the arm but gave me a 50/50 chance of keeping it. The last two weeks of healing, Shorty has been such a trooper.  We have been trapped in my room since but I think she knows its only so she can heal.  I have not gone to work or left her side. I thought she was getting depressed the last few days but yesterday we found out its pain, from the second bone finally giving out. Shorty deserves to keep her leg and she deserves proper care.  The feeling of not being able to provide this to her is horrible. I cant even afford the amputation. With amputation I wonder if I will ever let her back outside? There is 2 jerks on our street that always speed and with her only having 3 legs I would be too worried that someone would run her over. Most people in our town will actually stop and let a cat cross the road, we are always watching for children and the speed is basically 30 klm/hr over the entire hamlet or Carseland. This is my last resort. I have tried to phone Pet Card to get approve for a pet loan but I don't make enough.  I actually don't make anything since covid and have been operating my print shop at a loss for 6 months. My customers have been hit hard, they don't have the money to pay anymore.  Its not their fault and I have stayed close with all my clients because I truly understand what they are going through. I tried selling all my game consoles i have collected since I was 12, that didn't pan out. The stress of everything gave me shingles, so I have 4 bags of bottles to take in and I am now better so I can actually take them in, but that's not going to help her today. So I am here asking for help because Shorty deserves better and I am okay with putting myself out there for her. She really deserves a chance to keep her freedom and live the happy life she had before. Thank you so much for reading, sharing or considering helping my little girl. My love to you all Jennifer

[hobimysun-shine]

bts as billie eilish songs

I love both artist so much because they are so diverse, so driven and in love with their art, so here’s what my mind created at 2am when i actually gotta study for an exam, but anyhow, enjoy

Jeon Jungkook - Ocean eyes 

“Can't stop thinking of your diamond mind Careful creature Made friends with time”

- color scheme: Venice lavender; purple rain; valor blue 

- grey clouds, quiet ocean, salty air, cold sand, bare feet, long sweater, careful wind, watery eyes, 

- angelic, naive, trusting, incapable of stopping emotions

- a feel of uncertainty for the future, because you still have so much to experience in life, it’s hard to know who to trust, where to go and what your tears mean, who you should give them to 

- young love, pain

- it basically speaks of someone who is impressed by another human - love based on instinct and intuition, when you’re young you just feel things, even if you don’t know where these emotions come from (jungkook-namjoon relationship) ; 

- trusting someone by the feeling you get around them, without being able to trust your common sense,

- have you seen jungkook’s beautiful, ocean, doe eyes ?? (if not, then wth you doin’ with your life))

Park Jimin - idontwannabeyouanymore

“I just wish you could feel what you say Show, never tell But I know you too well Got a mood that you wish you could sell

Tell the mirror what you know she's heard before I don't wanna be you anymore”

- color scheme: pale smoke; scotch mist; apple blossom 

- cold air, morning dew, raindrops at the bottom of your window, the fabric softener your mom uses to wash your sheets, soft breathing on the side of your neck, white mirrors 

-  self-persuasion, self-critique, inner conflict, serenity, content, libra’s aesthetic approach

- if you have listened to lie and looked at the lyrics, you know why i chose this song for jimin 

- you basically get the feeling that the person is speaking to himself in this song, trying to find an answer, as to why he puts himself through all these hardships, when he could break free from this vacuum of perfectionism he created for himself

- let’s be real, we all know what jimin had to go through and maybe is still going through with being too harsh on himself, with his body image and his appearance on stage, i hope he is doing well now and is content with himself, cause he is a 100/10 and we all love him so much 

Kim Taehyung - hostage; my boy 

“I wanna be alone Alone with you - does that make sense? I wanna steal your soul”

“ My boy's an ugly crier but he's such a pretty liar”

- color scheme: concord purple; red wine; aurum gold

- big windows, night sky, city view, studio apartment, dark walls, smell of acrylic paint, ripped jeans with that paint splattered on them, acoustic guitars on the walls, quiet jazz music, film paper smoke, deep laughter, strong arms around your waist

- artistic freedom, no fear of judgement, mutual understanding, chest butterflies, assurance, hope, soulmates, in tune with your emotions, who cares if the world doesn’t get us, we get us

- hostage just reminds me of two people, who connect on a soul level so much, that what happens is their love turns into mutual engagement, similar to keeping each other as hostages in their hearts, however i wanted to turn the meaning of that song less toxic for taehyung,, 

- i believe that if there’s a member that would want to connect with people in such level as the song suggests, it would be taehyung

- as for my boy, idk it just gives me a similar base line as in singularity, and i don’t know it’s just probably my fave song of billie and i feel like it is just taehyung’s vibe when i listen to it 

Jung Hoseok - bellyache

“ Everything I do the way I wear my noose Like a necklace I wanna make 'em scared like I could be anywhere Like I'm wreck-less

I lost my mind I don't mind “

- color scheme: marigold yellow; apricot orange; candy red

- summer heat, tan skin, blushed cheeks, endless roads, loose shirts, scratched knees, rich kids away from home, one backpack and a shiny red ford convertible from your bf’s dad’s garage, loud music, lips, swollen from kissing, night fireworks

- fed up with everything, escape from reality, that one summer you will never forget, vibrant love, point of no return, rhythm, gut intuition, boldness 

- i don’t know exactly either, it’s just these are the connections i make when i hear this song, and all of that screams hobi to me (aries moon) 

- also am i the only one who imagines he would make a killer dance routine to that song (but again he could probably dance to a water drops going down a pipe, so,,)

Namjoon - bury a friend; copycat 

“What do you want from me? Why don't you run from me? What are you wondering? What do you know? Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me? When we all fall asleep, where do we go? “

“ Perfect murder, take your aim I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name”

- color scheme: pearl river; silver fox, steel wood

- empty stage, burning projectors slowly being turned off, microphone heavy in your hand, as the words that went though it start to make sense, sweaty hair, footsteps echoing in the vast space, feeling of falling down, unexpected, but comforting hug, security, the calming scent of someone you know in this new environment, tears of fear and excitement at the same time, new life, new beginning

-  words said out loud, revenge, mixed feeling of content and fast approaching emptiness, always racing thoughts, insomnia, trying to fill a void, searching for an overall meaning, 

- so bury a friend is just has all these questions man. they remind me of rm’s mind. i feel like all of them are things he had already asked himself, or themes he implies in his songs too 

- copycat is for namjoon swiftly leading a group that got a ton of criticism in the beginning and is still getting hate, but regardless he manages to stay on top, write what he feels, be a real artist and throw everything people said about bts failing back at their faces 

Min Yoongi - lovely ; you should see me in a crown 

“Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here Even if it takes all night or a hundred years Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear”

“ You should see me in a crown I'm gonna run this nothing town Watch me make 'em bow One by one by, one”

- color scheme: marble white; smoke ember; royal silver;  

- dark room, cold hands, shaky breath, unable to look at each other’s eyes, fear of the outside and the inside, pocket money, long fingers pressing the out-of-tune piano keys, weary smiles, small steps

                                          (....)

 steady hands, marble walls, scent of freshly printed documents, looking through a box of old photo albums your mom sent, turning the pages a larger hand stops you from flipping the next page, two teenagers than look awfully like you two are staring back fearfully, low chuckles, eyes full of love  

- strong minds, growth, stability, strength, control, prosperity, hard work, passion, ambition

- lovely is in here because i feel like it portrays struggles with mental health and depression very well. you feel trapped and you feel like there is no one else who understands your personal hell and you are the only one who has to find a way for yourself to get out of that place. yoongi has been in such places before as we’ve heard from him and his lyrics, so i though lovely represents his struggles when he was younger

- you should see me in a crown. literally that’s all i can say, he worked for his success and he got it and he deserves it and he is killing it right now

- yall don’t know the amount of respect i got for this man and everything he has been through and i feel like these two songs portray his lowest and his highest in life and take account every struggle along the way and how he truly deserves everything he has right now 

Kim Seokjin - when the party’s over

“ Don't you know I'm no good for you I've learned to lose you, can't afford to

Don't you know too much already I'll only hurt you if you let me

Quiet when I'm coming home and I'm on my own I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that”

- color scheme: night snow, onyx black, muddy grey

- smell of liquor, messy steps, blurred vision, flood of thoughts, the darkest time of the night, dried streams of tears on your cheeks, your boyfriend’s hand quietly holding yours, but them you have to split ways, walking alone on the dead street, cold wind air hitting your face, but you find comfort in it, you reach home, but you can’t seem to go in; so you sit on the sidewalk, looking down; you hear distant steps; he sits down in the snow next to you; the sky slowly, but surely becomes lighter 

- quiet sadness, deeper understanding of the world, human relationships seem harder, yet simpler, timeless feeling, a sense of maturity

- this song is just a masterpiece. hear me out, i don’t think i would understand this song as well as i do now, if i have listened to it a few years back. I would have been like “oh yeah it’s sad”

-But like. no. It’s not just sad. It’s a song that shows so much maturity and experience with life that first of all, idk how billie is so young and is able to create music like that. Second of all i don’t think anyone else of bts would fit better to it, than jin 

- people tend to overlook his deeper emotions because he tends to distract from them, he always acts “silly” and tells jokes, but i feel like in songs like epiphany and awake we can see that jin really sees the world and his abilities from a much more mature point of view than other members. And i get the same vibe from billie’s song, so i feel like it would fit best for jin. 

So actually this was way longer than i planned, but yeah, this is just strictly my opinion and it was just an idea i had at 3am now, as i said, hope it’s fun to read :))

im off to bed, because i’m so sleep deprived i will start hearing colors soon 

[levihauser]

十月の三週間

25 October, 2019

Sorry I have taken so long to write another blog entry! I have been a little busy with stuff here in Japan, so this entry should be filled with interesting events from the past three weeks.

On the fifth, my host niece and nephew, Yuria and Shuudai, came over for lunch. We had pasta (with thousands of tiny fish eggs mixed in-yum!) and crabs. My host mom said that the crabs were small, but they were larger than any I had ever seen. I was told to scrape the meat out of the legs and eat that, as well as the eggs for that. After having had eggs for breakfast, it was a pretty egg-cellent day. There. I hadn’t made a pun yet on this blog, but now you get to put up with one of the most cliché bad puns of all time. I went to our neighbor’s (Mrs. Takamatsu, I think I mentioned her in the most recent post) house to stay the night. I just learned a few days ago that her husband runs one of the 5 most profitable businesses in the prefecture.

The next day, I read in the morning and finished the last book that I had brought with me from the US. We had curry rice for breakfast, then I went with Mrs. Takamatsu to a temple for a Buddhist festival. It was quite a big temple, and very new. The festival was also interesting-everyone just sat in a central room and watched a recording of the same festival happening in a central temple in Tokyo, occasionally chanting, bowing, or clapping along to it. We left early to pick up her husband at the train station. He had just come back from Chicago (a few days later, actually, Mrs. Takamatsu left for Chicago. They have a daughter there, so they visit there a lot). I had my first Japanese-style pizza for lunch. It was very thin-crusted and crunchy, almost like a big cracker. I returned home, then my host parents and I went out for dinner at a nearby specialty restaurant called Nishide. I think they know the people there, and the like eating there, but it is expensive so they don’t do it too often.

The entire next week was midterms for the students at my school (their school year starts in April), so the school days ended at around 11 AM. I couldn’t take the tests, not understanding the language, so I was sent to the library to read and study Japanese.

On the tenth, I had a Rotary meeting. I have started taking Japanese lessons every Thursday at the Matto Cultural Hall near my school, so I have to go straight to the Rotary meeting without going home to change out of my school uniform. This one was in Kanazawa at a special restaurant. We had good food after a short meeting, and played host to a Rotary club that had come to visit all the way from Lake Biwa.

On National P.E. and Sports Day here in Japan (the same day as Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day in the US), I had no school, so my host mom and dad suggested that I take the train to Kanazawa. I have never ridden the train before, even in the US (unless you count subways and old-fashioned railroads where you pay a lot of money to sit in leather seats and get your ticket punched with an actual ticket puncher), so I was a little worried. I had no problem buying the tickets-the ticket machines have an option to use English-but I accidentally got in the wrong line (I am still not sure what it was for and I haven’t seen one like it since then) and wasted about 40 minutes there without moving before I asked someone and they pointed me in the right direction. I successfully got to Kanazawa Station. One of my classmates was on the same train by coincidence, so I followed them to find my way to the exit. I actually went out the one that my tiny tourist map didn’t cover at first, so I had to go around to the other side. It was raining and windy, so I had some difficulty reading the map and holding my umbrella at the same time. I eventually made my way to Oyama Jinja, a famous shrine just outside of Kanazawa Castle and near Kenrokuen Garden (which is a famous Japanese garden, for those of you who haven’t heard of it). I admired the shrine for a bit and bought a few good luck charms that were for sale there, then returned to the station and went home, since I had to be home before 5 PM. The round trip only cost ¥400.

On the 18th, my school festival began. My school’s festival is a small one, or so I’ve heard, but the Japanese certainly know how to throw one (no offense to anybody back at home, but PHS should take some advice from Matto High School. Those 2-hour pep rallies and shouting contests just don’t cut it). The first day was not at the school, but at the nearby Matto Cultural Hall, since they have an auditorium and the school doesn’t. There were several student presentations and performances, including brass band (I mentioned this earlier. It has won regional awards and is very impressive. They play music that sounds just like the original recordings. They did a specially arranged version of the alma mater as well as the Jurassic Park theme and a few other songs), choir (it is made up of only 7 members, but has beautiful harmonies and keeps in tune perfectly, while creating a huge amount of sound without microphones. They did a song from Sister Act and a few others), taiko (I performed in this one! We borrowed some drums from the Asano Taiko Company, the largest taiko company in the world. The owner and CEO is a member of my host Rotary Club and my school is the only one in the prefecture with a taiko club), and dance (it was very well rehearsed. There were only five members, but I think they created their own routine and it was fun to watch), as well as a short, corny play put on by the teachers in which one of the gym teachers, Mr. Higashi, had to go on a funny adventure to rescue Miss Matto High School 2019 from her kidnappers (either a gang or a group of devils, it was hard to tell without understanding the language) headed by the other gym teacher, Ms. Sawada (everyone loves Ms. Sawada and they were a little disappointed to see her defeated in the end). We returned to the school after the performances finished, then finished preparing and decorating for the next day (I say finished because we had been preparing for this after school for weeks, making paper chains, posters, placemats, paper flowers, etc.), before being dismissed. The next day was a Saturday, but the festivities continued. It was in the school, and was pretty much the “buy stuff” day. We had tickets that cost from ¥50-400 that payed for things ranging from waffles to games of bingo to weird, confined-space bowling to tea ceremony. It took up seven hours, in which I explored, ate lots of food, and went to various events including what they called a 4DX movie, which was essentially an English horror film translated into Japanese and played through tiny speakers while a few students made weird sound effects and threw things (e.g. whacking rulers on desks, throwing foam at backs, and spritzing water from spray cans) to make it “more realistic.” With all of the stuff going on and the voices, I really didn’t pay attention to the movie and instead collected as many of the little foam pieces as I could.

On the twentieth I had my favorite Japanese food for breakfast-hooray, inarizushi! I went to Kanazawa alone by train again and spent about 5 hours wandering about and seeing new things, but forgetting to eat lunch and getting kind of hungry. I returned home at around 4, and was almost immediately told that I was shortly going to a concert with a Rotarian, Ms. Ikemoto (I think she is going to be my third host mom too, but I am not sure). We went to an old, elaborate temple and watched an out-of-place-seeming amateur old folk and country music concert with a couple of English songs and one entirely about curry rice. The musicians were very talented. We went to an udon shop for dinner afterwards and stayed very late because Ms. Ikemoto didn’t want to leave until the match of the Rugby World Cup between Japan and South Africa had finished.

I had the 22nd off of school because of the enthronement of the new emperor of Japan. My host Rotary club counselor, Ms. Nagase, took me to Kanazawa (by train, because the roads were too crowded due to the holiday). She spent 3 years in England a while back, so she speaks fairly good English, which is good for smoothing out misunderstandings. She is a bit of an anglophile and is constantly asking me how to say things in British English. We briefly stopped in at the 21st Century Museum of Modern Art, but it was crowded as usual and we had to leave soon. There was a Moomin exhibition which I would love to have gone to, but the Japanese love Moomin and the entire floor it was on was packed (Moomin is 20th Century art, so how does that fit into the museum?). Next we went to the D.T. Suzuki Museum, which is a small, modern museum celebrating the famous Kanazawa-born philosopher that is its namesake. There were not many people and it was very peaceful. It was even free admission because of the Enthronement Day (upon seeing the sign, Ms. Nagase got very excited and took several pictures-apparently it is very rare at this museum). We went to a fancy sashimi restaurant near the train station for lunch-it was great food, and we got our own special compartment with sliding doors! After lunch, we went to a concert hall right next to Kanazawa Station for a piano concert. The Kanazawa orchestra has a weird mascot named Gargantua that is sort of like a caricature of a conductor. The orchestra was conducted by Keita Matsui, and the three piano concertos were Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, performed by Yukari Yamada, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, performed by Rikono Takeda, and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, performed by Marie Kiyone. The performance was all very high-quality, and it was open-seating so we got second-row seats in the perfect spot to watch the pianists’ hands. At the end, all three pianists returned and played a piano trio all on the same piano, which must have been difficult. They were all wearing dresses that I would think would hinder playing (forgive me if I went a little overboard in description there, I am very interested in anything related to piano playing). Ms. Nagase and I returned to Hakusan City by train, then went to her house. Half of it is a 30-year-old addition to the other half, which is 200 years old and barely touched. She has a beautiful yard (a rarity in Japan) and back garden. She showed me around briefly, then we went to walk her dog. After we returned, her husband got home from work. Both of them are very friendly and kind. Ms. Oribe, another Rotarian, had been invited for dinner and arrived shortly, then we walked to a nearby restaurant and had tempura.

There was also no school the next day, to make up for the Saturday that we had come to school for the festival. I studied Japanese for a little while, then on a snap decision decided I wanted to go to Fukui, a city in the neighboring prefecture. I obtained permission, then left. It was only ¥1,100 for each way, and the train ride was an hour and ten minutes on the small trains that stop at every station. I arrived and got some maps at the tourist information center, then set out exploring the city. I walked past some animatronic dinosaurs (that seems to be Fukui’s big tourist attraction, as the prefecture is a paleontological hotspot) and the ruins of the castle (which is now the prefectural government office-what a great workplace! You get to drive across a moat every day). I eventually reached a beautiful mountain in the middle of the city that had been turned into a forested park. It was the closest I have gotten to nature since I have come to Japan. I stopped at a shrine and explored a little more before descending. I continued wandering some more in search of restaurants and candy stores, but the food map I had was either outdated or misleading, and I couldn’t find any of the shops I searched for. At about 4 PM, I settled for some rice balls and ice cream from a convenience store for lunch instead, then returned home. The sun sets so early here, it is difficult to stay much longer and still have a good time.

Yesterday was my school’s P.E. festival. I was told to study Japanese in the school library instead of participating, but all of the other students went to a big park and participated in races and other mandatory events for gym class. I had my Japanese lesson and watched a tea ceremony with a lady who was visiting from Germany who happened to be at the Cultural Hall at the same time before going to the Rotary meeting. This week, a delegation from Hakusan’s sister city, Columbia, Missouri was visiting, so they came to the Rotary meeting and presented in the first half before leaving for some other obligation.

Today has been a fairly normal day so far. I had an average school day followed by an average afternoon, as far as I am allowed to use the word average, being an exchange student to Japan. I have been studying my Kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese) quite a bit lately and seem to be making some headway. I am looking forward to being literate! I feel like it’s about time, now that I have officially passed the two month mark. Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this long-delayed entry.

Oyama Jinja Shrine:

Kanazawa Station:

I would add more pictures, but it keeps telling me there is an upload error, so I will try again later.

[bangbangchanie]

Thankful For you~ Han Jisung

Summary: Were your parents and family met Jisung on Thanksgiving

Pairing: Han Jisung × Reader

Warning: cute fluff with slight angst? Kinda? Also long.

"Okay, but are you sure they'll like me? I can bearly keep up with English sometimes an-and I showed up a day later than planned...babe stop laughing!" Jisung whined in the passenger seat of your car, your eyes were watching the road as you peeled out of the airport traffic onto the freeway.

"Baby, they'll love you. You've technically met them before, you know face time?" You said as you switched land, your eyes glancing over at the Ash-blonde boy you fell in love with over a year ago. He was visiting America for some trip for school when he literally ran right into you. After that the rest was pretty much history, skype calls and snapchats were your life. You had met his parents six months after dating, traveling halfway across the world to jump into his arms. Then awkwardly wave at his mom and dad who watched the whole tear and laughter filled hug.

That was the trip he told you about the boys, he spoke of training with them and how they all clicked. He spoke of the show they were gonna do, to prove to JYP they could do anything. Now a year later here he was, dyed hair, earrings, and a nervous mind rushing in the thought of your parents hate him.

"But that doesn't count, it was nearly five minutes and you pushed them out. I was also not an idol yet, I'm..I'm just a bit nervous." His voice drifted into a whisper making you smile as you took one hand off the wheel and placed it onto his thigh, giving it a small squeeze you looked over and gave him a smile before your eyes trailed back to the light traffic of the road.

"They'll love you, I know they will babe." You said making him huff as he grabbed you hand off of his thigh and laced his fingers into yours. His eyes looked at your interlocked hand with a large smile spreading across his face. How he had missed you, several months after debut, promotion, and comebacks had to lead up to the ache in his heart. Short and sweet skype calls, where'd he only see your face for what felt like five seconds, late-night phone calls where one of you always fell asleep halfway through. It was short to no reply messages on his end, and it killed him not speeding as much time as he did before debut talking and loving you.

"I missed you." He blurted out making you blush as you squeezed his hand that was locked with yours as you turned off of the freeway, the houses slowly filling the empty space. Your eyes look over to him as you stop st a red light.

"I've missed you too, do you know how much I missed the simple act of you holding my hand?" Your words made him chuckle as he curled slightly into himself, his cheek dusting a light pink making you smile as you quickly lean over and press your lips the burning skin.

"The lights green!" He jolted out making you chuckle as you press on the gas and turn. "So what..what is Thanksgiving? Like I kinds know but I don't at the same time."

"Its a celebration of the programs and Native Americans had when the Native helped them, showed them how to grow crops and use the land productively. It was shown thanks between the tribe and Colony. Now its a day where we Americans go into a food coma, Turkey, stuffing, potato and so much more. We eat till we fill like well pass out." You Chile turning down your road, "Its a day to be thankful, thankful for the roof over your head, the food on your plate and the people in your life. A day for family and friends to come together eat some food and tell stories. Aunt judge and uncle drink beers. It crazy, and different for every family." You finish off as you pull into your driveway. "Now, look at me real fast baby." You mumble turning in your seat. His brown eyes were wide, the cars of the family outside your home making him slightly panic as you reached over and grabbed his hand.

"I'm I that nervous looking?" He whispered, finally slipping into his English. You chuckle as you reach over and cup his cheek making him closing his eyes as he took a deep breath.

"So the first level, my mom and dad." You say making him nod as his eyes snap open, you'll walk in with your bags and wave. My mom will most likely come over and greet you with a high, my dad will wait till you bags are in my room. Which took me a month to convince them to let you sleep in there, door open at all times." Your words had him laugh as he grabbed the hand on his cheek a played with your fingers. "My dad probably won't say hi, or hold a conversation with you. It doesn't mean he doesn't like you. He watches body language, he watches you interact with his girls, he watches before he speaks. But still say hi, he believes in respect." Your word made him nod as you pause, letting his brain process your words, you lean forward and press a small kiss to his lips.

"Okay, so say hi put my stuff in your room, and say hi again?"

"Yep, exactly."

"Okay, I can do that."

"Okay next, my Great gran, she will pinch your cheeks and hold your hand while the two of you talk. She's the easiest person in the family to get to, shell loves you as soon as I introduce you as my boyfriend...but then there my Grandma. She will be a bit harsh, you'll question how my mom is hers. But shes just protective. My aunts and uncles will be a bit gossipy, they'll whisper about you. But ignore them, they're options to me don't matter, just mom, dad, Gan and Grandma matter. And all the cousins will see you as a new jungle gym."

"Okay..okay I see...shall we go in?" He mumbled making you nod as you open your car door. His body following, grabbing his duffle and backpack he grabbed his two suitcases. The next two months' worth of close trapped between the fabric. "I'm scared." He whispers as you move to the open front door, unlocked screen door trapping the wagging dog that heard your car.

"Don't be, this is Mags." You say as the two of you walk into your warm house, the smell of Thanksgiving surrounding the two of you as you hear loud laughter and children giggling. "Mom, dad!" You called out leading Jisung through the house to the kitchen, the family talking as your mother chopped up some carrots. Her eyes looked up, seeing you standing there, a shy boy somewhat hiding behind you.

"Y/n, Jisung-Dude your daughter's boyfriends here." Your mom said, her hand slapping his arm. As your father head turned, you could feel Jisung grow tight ss you saw his hand wave. Your father just looks at him a grunt out a hello and goes back laughing with your uncle. "Oh, that man." Your mother says walking over and pulling your boyfriend into a hug.

"I'm thankful your flight was safe, I'm sorry it was canceled yesterday must've been a really bad rainstorm." She said making him nodding as he scratched at the back his head. You could see his gears in his head turning as his mouth moved.

"Yeah, the lighting was bad." She gave him a smile as she pulls back and rubs his arms. "Well go get your stuff to her room, and settle in before you throw yourself to the wolves." Her analogy made you groan as you shook your head and gave her a glare as you nodded for Jisung to walk to the hall.

"Don't scare him."

"You're lucky he wasn't free during Halloween. He would've been pumbled with pumpkin guts." You chuckle as you follow after the ash-blonde you hand leading him to the open door of your room. Pacing his bags down you kick your shoes off and fall into a lounge chair you had in your room.

"Welcome to the magical place!" You giggle, photos of Jisung and you pressed into a poster broad, as well as their first-ever Group photo, and any cute photos you could find of him online. He smiles at the small support as he saw their mini albums you had bought on your desk. His hand traced the wall, where your parents aloud you to draw. There a large oak tree, with Winnie the Pooh and Piglet at the base were a jar of honey in Pooh's hands. It made your boyfriend chuckle as he took his shoes off.

"I like it, very... you." You chuckle and nod as he's moving to sit on the arm of the chairman "I see you clearly like my bad."

"Day6 is way better." You mumble peeking up from the screen of your phone you were on. You say his jaw go slack as he slowly turned his head to glare at you.

"Oh really?"

"Yep, amazing. Iconic and so different. I love Jae and Wonpil." You laugh as he jumps you slightly his hands gripping your sides as you let out a loud laugh. His future ger pricing against the flesh under your shirt. "Ji-jisung!" you laughed he pulled away and pressed a quick kiss to your lips.

"Okay, I'm ready." He mumbled making you nod, as the two of you stood up, your hand lacing with his as you ran down the hall the attempted to slid into the kitchen.

"Hello family, this is Jisung, my boyfriend!" At the mention of your boyfriend, you Grest Gram gasps and clapped her hands.

"Let me see him!" You laugh you see JIsung cheeks grow red. "Come to her boy, let me look at you." He left you hand and walked to the sitting woman, he grabs a free chair and sat next to her. Her wrinkled shakey hand moved to his cheeks and gave him a look over as you moved to the counter reaching over to steal an olive as you listened in on the conversation.

"Hello Ma'am." He mumbled making her laugh as she pinched at the chubby cheek of your boyfriend making him slight wince as she parted it afterward.

"Handsome, just like I thought. I hear you sing? I would love maybe after dinner to play piano and you sing for us." Her words made her boyfriend pink cheeks turn scarlet as he looked down at his hands.

"Id... I'd love to." She smiled as she grabbed his hand and nodded.

"You're English is good, I know it's not easy. I didn't go to school half my life so mine sucks and all come from that little girl shoving olives into her cheeks." Her words made you look up and playful glare as Jisung chuckles.

"You..you didn't go to school?"

"Nope, I left in the being of my eighth-grade year, when my dad fell ill. My brothers, sister and I helped run the farm, we all left school at a young age. We lived in Iowa, Stormlake. I remember the days where I longed to go to school, but life doesn't always work out like that. You do what you have to. You do what you need to do for your family, that family is what matters you know? Cause sometimes it all you got." He gives him nods, taking in her words as you moved over. Your body slipping into his lap as you wrap your arms around his neck.

"Tell him about the corn ." You say, as she smiles, Jisung swears he saw the memory of her life flash in her eyes as she presses her hands to her lips.

"Oh, that cornfield! Wed pull pounds of corn every year and take the best pick for ourselves, wed spend a week shucking corn, cutting and taking it off the cob. We made out own popcorn so we, of course, had to dry it out. God, it was a system. You know back then you couldn't just have one kid, you had to have a cluster, five to seven. It kept the house running." For the next house, Jisung and you listened to your Great Grans stories, how she lived at your age. How her life had changed and how she misses her farm, her childhood home and her family of course.

"Hey, guys time for dinner!" Your father says making you stand up as your Grandmother helps your gran move to the other table. As you walked out, you father called to Jisung making you freeze as you swear you watch the boy pale. "Have you ever craved a Turkey?" He asks making the boy shake his head, your father smiles and waved him over. "Let me show you, kid." A smile lifting on your lips as you let go of his hand and walked to the table.

"Dad get ahold of him?" Your mother asked making you nod.

"I knew he would."

"He liked the way he listens to Gran. You know most of your aunts won't even spend time talking or listening to her. They act like she a child, and not a women." She said making you nod and you look to said people, clearly gossiping about the boy in your kitchen. "You know, their option doesn't matter." Your mother whispers making you nod as the two of you help set up the children's table.

"I know."

Soon Jisung and your dad walked into the dining room the final piece of the table setting down on two plates, his body moved quickly to sit next to you. A large smile on his face as he grabbed your hand and kissed it.

"I love you." His words caught you off, not the two of you haven't said. No, it was how fast he said with without context, something new.

"I love you too."

"I approve." Your father said moving behind you to sit next to your mother. Soon you said you thanks and began to eat, chatter spreading in your house.

"So Jisung. What exactly do you do?" One of your aunts asked taking a sip of wine.

"Oh um, I'm a rat of a kpop group, as a band? Um I rap and sing. I help compose the music, and produce, we work very hard and I love doing it." He said, as if he had practiced it off a scrip, his eyes look to you then to her as you squeeze his hand. Your aunt nodded and look to the other making him tighten his grip in your hand.

"Do you have a problem with that?" You snap, as they begin to whisper and laugh, Jisung head slightly falling as he picks at your food. Your aunt's eyes widen as she looks at you, surprise written across her face.

"Well, it just...just doesn't seem practical. Like he's what 18, my dream when I was 18 never happe-"

"So you do have a problem with it?"

"Wel-"

"Cause if you do, keep it to yourself. I don't see you chasing your dreams, hell you didn't when you were his age. He did and he made it. They won rookies of the year, which mean the big people noticed them. They went to K-kon New York, all nine can somewhat speak two to three languages and are spreading about honest things that youth suffer from, that idols suffer from in the industry. You don't know him. You don't know how passionate he and his members are, you don't know his job. And until you do, you shouldn't be able to judge him on it." You finish with a nod as you take a sip of the soda next to your plate. You give her a fake smile and turn to a smiling Jisung his head turns to face you as you peck him on the lips. "I'm thankful for you." You mumble looking at him, his eyes gleam as he looks back down at the ever filling plate in front of him.

"I'm thankful for you too."

[rainbows-fanfics]

My New Reason (Chapter 13)

Chapter 1 |   Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |  Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 14

Summary:  Louis is falling for someone he really shouldn’t be, and the same is happening to Clementine.  Lousentine/Clouis 

Louis' P.O.V.

Babysitting duty was now  my favorite pastime. What with Clementine so preoccupied with the rescue  plan, plus the constant scavenging trips and walker watch-out, A.J. was  sort of left alone. He lingered over Clem while she did practically anything.  He was offered, many times now, to go and bond with Tenn or Willy while  she was busy, but he refused to leave her side. I got the feeling that  having a pair of eyes watching over you could be a little  stress-inducing, so, naturally, I decided to take   matters into my own hands.

"Why don't you spend the day with me, little buddy?"

 A.J. must've perked up at the sound of my voice, because he turned on his  heel in an instant. I was standing right behind him  and Clementine, acting as if I just casually strolled in even though I  had been eavesdropping for the past half-hour. All I got was many  stressful sighs from Clem and the constant questioning from A.J.

"With you?" He repeated. I noticed his eyes darting back over to his maternal figure.

"Yeah,  of course. It'll be fun. We're 'Team Fun', remember?" I motioned over  to Clem. "One of our members here is busy, of course, so it'll just be you and me."

I  could hear the relief in her voice as Clementine turned around. "That sounds  like a great idea, A.J. Why don't you go with Louis while I look these  over?"

"But don't you need my help?"

I waved it off. "The last thing the mighty-Clementine needs is help. Believe me, I've offered."

"I guess...if that's what you want, Clem."

"Believe me, kiddo, if I could spend the whole  day with you, I would. But these plans really need a look-over, just in  case I missed anything. It's important if we want to get the others back."

I watched as she leaned down and grabbed both sides of his  shoulders, shaking him a little. He laughed, but frowned once he  realized what she was asking him to do. I tried to give the most  encouraging smile from behind, holding two thumbs up in hopes it would  ease him down. He accepted reluctantly.

"Okay. Good luck, Clem."

"Thank you, goofball." She stopped to lay a kiss on his forehead. "Make sure Louis doesn't get you in trouble, okay?"

"-Hey! I'll have you know that I am a very responsible-"

"I will."

I  felt a mix of heartbreak and betrayal as A.J. nodded, but that  vanished when he looked at me and winked. I winked back with a grin. This kid was going to be a lot of fun today, wasn't he? I  watched as Clementine finally let go of him and turned to me. I prepared  myself for her usual 'watch-my-kid-carefully-and-if-anything-happens-to-him-i-will-kill-you' lecture, but instead, she leaned up and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank  you. I'll pay you back later, alright? Try not to keep him past his  bedtime. If he starts acting up, just come and get me."  

"No need. My babysitting duties are free-of-charge. But, I do accept kisses."

She  blushed slightly. "Okay, Prince Charming. Here's some for the road." She  pecked my lips three times. "I'll give you the rest later."

Holy shit!

I  was grinning madly as she pulled away and went back to the  papers. I must've been standing there like the awestruck idiot I was,  because I felt A.J. having to tug me out of the room. He was dragging me  by the corner of my trench coat. I regained my composure and nudged it  out of his hand.

"Ready for a day of fun, little man?"

"Yeah. But what are we going to do?"

By  this point we were already heading outside. I held the door open for  him and bit my lip in thought. I guess it would be irresponsible of me  if I admitted to having no clue. I really should've mapped our day out  if I was even going to offer watching him. I closed the door with a  shrug.

"I think today will be your day. Anything you want,  it'll happen. With limits, of course." I stopped and put my hands on my  hips. "So, what do you want to do?"

He took the question   seriously and thought about it. "Well...I'm kind of tired of drawing, no  offense to Tenn. I've already made Clem a lot of drawings. So, I don't  think I want to do that."

"Probably for the best. My drawing skills are as good as a rock. And by that, I mean a rock can draw better than I can."

"Rocks can't draw."

"I'm well aware."

"How about we go to the music room? There's lots of fun stuff there."

A  good suggestion! I was secretly hoping we'd find our way there. I  didn't even have to agree because A.J took off before I could. I chased  after him and found he was holding the door open for me. I thanked him  with finger guns and he returned them. I laughed as we turned the corner  and headed into my most favorite room in the whole boarding school.

When  we opened the doors, everything was in its glory. The tuned-out, aged  piano, the worn-and-torn books, the portraits covered in the finest  graffiti...the list could go on, really. A.J. walked past me and  pointed promptly to my favorite instrument.

"Can you play that thing again?"

"I sure will! What do you want to hear?"

I  seated myself at the piano. The tot followed suit, sitting right beside  me. He looked at the keys and  thought of what to request. I realized it was a difficult question, but  he was taking a little while to answer it. I noticed his eyes kept glancing  about the piano, fixated on something in particular.

"What's that?"

He  pointed to the carving Clementine and I made. I couldn't help but smile  at the memory. It was nice to still see it there. Not like a carving  made in wood was going anywhere, that is - but that the memory was still  holding in a place very dear to me. Just looking at it gave me warm goosebumps.

"It's a mark for a very special occasion," I informed.

"That's a...a C! And that's an L. And that's a small t."

"Not a t. That's a plus sign."

"Oh, wait, I get it. They're...initials. For names." He squinted his eyes. "Who's C and L?"

"Louis and Clementine."

His  eyes went so wide that I thought they'd pop out of his sockets. He  looked between me and the carving over and over again. I crossed my arms  and stifled a laugh. I didn't know what was so groundbreaking about it.  As far as I knew, or at least what I assumed, A.J. knew I was with Clem. I just haven't really...talked about it with him.

"Ohh, that makes sense, too. You carved the heart."

"No, that was her."

He looked at me apprehensively. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah. I was there."

"So, I guess that means she loves you...And you love her?"

"That's right."

"How much do you love her?" He pushed.

I  was taken aback a little at the question, but replied with as much  confidence as I could. "-Let's just say I love her more than this old  thing. And I've been playing it for years."

I patted the  top of the piano for effect. A.J. watched me with wide eyes. I noticed a  layer of dust came off of it and brushed my palm on the side of my  trench coat.

"That must be a lot." He gawked.

"Believe me, it is."

"I love her a lot, too. But...not the way you do." He shrugged. "I love her like...like the way I like you."

"The feeling is mutual." My fingertips were burning by the time I laid them on the cold ivories. "How's about a song?"

He  didn't protest, so I started playing what first came to my mind. The  melody was so natural to me that I was able to think while I played. I  knew what A.J. was implying...he loved Clem like she was his mom, right?  Which would mean he loved me like I was his...parental figure.

The  smile I was wearing widened. I've never had this experience before. You  get used to being around certain kids that you're familiar with their  habits. But A.J. was an entire different package to unpack. He was  different than Willy or Tenn, but I liked him just the same. Still...as  much as I tried to be a good figure to kids(I mean, they're our future,  right?), I still couldn't imagine being appreciated like...like a dad.

"Is that the song you wrote for Clem?"

I stopped playing in surprise. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I forgot what I was playing.

"She told you?" I asked.

"Well...it might've slipped. I don't think she meant to tell me."

I laughed. I wonder how that  played out. I didn't mind A.J. knowing; I wouldn't have played the song  in front of him if I did(even if I started to out of habit). I decided  to play the rest of the song and ended it by holding the final note. I  heard him scoot closer to my side by the time it was done.

"Can you write me one? Like you did for her?"

"Depends if you're patient, little man. It can take a lot of time to write one."

"Then I'll be pat....pa...pare-"

"Pa-tient." I repeated, the smile tugging at my lips.

"Pa...tient... He pronounced slowly, then grinned. "I'll be, um, that. Whatever it is..."

"It means you have to wait, without complaining. That's the important part."

"I  can do that." His eyes crossed over me a few times. "And-and when you  write it, you can name it something cool! Like, uh...Louis!"

"A good suggestion! And the best  one, if you ask me...but I think I know something cooler..."  I casually turned back to the piano  and pretended to muse over some ideas. "How about A.J.? It's short,  awesome, and cool. Just like you."

"You think I'm...cool?" The disbelief in his tone almost made me frown. I managed to keep my composure, as with my smile.

"No, little dude. You're NOT cool." His smile dropped. "-You're the coolEST."

His smile came back, but he looked clueless. "What's the difference?"

"It means you're cooler than me. Cooler than anybody, actually."

"Cooler than Clem?"

"I'd  say yes, but I have a feeling she'd stab me in my sleep." I grit my  teeth at that image. "Anyway, I'll have your song done soon, buddy. We  got more important things to do right now."

"Like what?"

"Have you ever made a paper airplane?"

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

Our  paper-airplane contest lasted a solid hour. Since there were plenty of  books lying around(like the headmaster's diary, which I had a kick tearing apart), A.J. and I dove right in and made them with whatever we could find. Whether  that was from the papers on the floor or ripping them out of useless  books about trigonometry, they were still considerably impressive paper  airplanes.

Turns out the kid didn't know how to make  one, so I showed him a few methods. I used to make some back before the  apocalypse. Marlon and I would throw them across the classroom while the teacher was lecturing and we'd blame it on whatever unfortunate kid was nearby.  I can remember the shit-eating grins we had. They were a lot similar to what A.J. and I were wearing   now.

We  flew the ones we made to see whichever would go the farthest. A.J. had  some, but I had the majority. It kept him busy regardless, and our  session was stopped when Tennessee found us. He offered A.J. some time  to draw. I must've put him in a good mood because he accepted. Not only  that, but he insisted I'd join him and Tenn.

I proved to him that a rock could  actually draw better than me. A few decent stick figures and lines that  were supposed to represent a tree were thrown right away in the trash.

We  sat around the campfire and I told him a few stories after that. I can't remember  most of them, but I think I talked about my baseball days. A.J. shared some decent stories  with me, too(where he enlightened me that Clem would sometimes sing him a  lullaby to sleep. Such juicy information). And then we talked about Disco Broccoli, where I was more than happy to share my memories about the show.

It  was in the middle of our conversation that I noticed it was night.  I had to cut our chat short and stand up, trying to act happy despite that  our day has officially come to an end. I felt even more attached to this  kid now - if that was possible. The last thing I wanted was to end our  day of fun. But Clem would kill me if I kept him up any further.

"We should pack it in, bud."

"What!?" He sounded disappointed. "But I wasn't finished with my story..."

"I think we should check on Clem. She's been working all day. And if there's any time left, you can tell me the rest of your story." I offered. "Let's make sure she's doing okay, first."

"Okay."

A.J.  grabbed my hand coming inside the dorms. I clutched his as we walked  down the hallway, mentally preparing myself for the long 'talk' I'd get  if it was as late as I was assuming. I hoped for the best as I gently  knocked on the door, only opening it when I heard her small voice grant  us permission to come in.

I didn't wait to see her face as I  casually leaned on the dresser. "Well, time sure slipped past Team Fun!  We were having such a good time that the moon wanted to join us! Isn't  that right, A.J.?"

Before the kid could respond, Clementine stepped in front of me. To my surprise, she wasn't upset. She actually looked relieved.

"Thanks  for keeping him busy. I got some great progress on the plans." She  gestured to the desk. "Everything should be good now."

"That's  great! And don't worry about it." I assured her softly. "The kid's a lot  of fun. I can totally do this again if you need it."

She went  forward and pecked me a few more times on the lips. I wasn't prepared  for the first three, but I kissed back for the last two. When she pulled  away, I saw she had a smug smile on her lips. I practically melted when  she placed her hand on her hip.

"You did keep him up to 10:30, though."

"Hey, you should be thanking me! I tired him out. See?"

I  pointed behind her. The kid was already fast asleep on the mattress, in  his usual fetal position without either of us by his side. Clem took off her hat to  run her hands through her hair. She let out a long sigh.

"Just as well. I'm tired, too. I'm guessing you are?"

"A little. He's a talker once you get him going." I chuckled.

"He's just excited. He doesn't share much with anyone besides me. You should be flattered, Lou."

She  was just feeding into my ego and she knew it. I noticed Clementine was  getting situated in the bed. She looked at me and motioned forward. I  took the cue to join her side and spoon   her from behind, discarding my  coat to the side so I can wrap my arms around her figure. I could feel  A.J. in her grasp and smiled hearing him snore lightly.

"What did you two do today, anyway?" She yawned.

I  recalled the moment he saw our initials on the piano, the time we spent  on those paper airplanes, our drawings, and all the stories we shared together. I remembered every time he'd smile, and how tightly he'd hold my hand. The  memories I made with A.J. today, especially - ones that would not be forgotten. I combed my fingers through her hair and rested my  chin on top of her head, shrugging softly.

"Oh, you know, just babysitting stuff."  

[scullyy]

Two Sides Of The Same Street

Title: Two Sides of the Same Street / Chapter One

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 1750

Summary: Louis is getting tired of working at the music store on the corner until a cute girl starts to work in the antique shop across the street.

A/N: I love Au's with people working in set shops :) enjoy

-

He tapped his fingers against the wooden counter, staring at the traffic outside. Louis started to count every red car (19) then every white car (28). Working in a music store was nothing like he had anticipated, to be blunt it was so incredibly boring. What he would give to be able to play one of the pianos, but his boss would reprimand him. It would play in his head like a mantra, “The instruments are not there for your free time!”

There was always Marlon, Louis glanced into the storeroom and saw his friend organising records into their appropriate crates. He was more diligent than Louis was, something their boss liked to remind him of. He slammed his head against the counter, praying for something interesting to happen.

The ringing of the bell at the front door multiplied the weight in Louis’s shoulders, probably just another soccer mom wanting to buy their reluctant child something. Slowly he lifted his head back up “Can I help you with any-”

His breath got caught in the back of his throat, she was certainly no soccer mom. “-Thing?”

She noticed his faltering words, giving him a puzzled look. “Hi...I’m just here to look at guitars.”

Louis immediately ran a hand through his hair, trying to recompose himself. She was very, very pretty. She had short curly hair in messy pigtails that somehow framed her small face perfectly. He mentally slapped himself, a cute girl in his presence and he wasn’t being theatrical? What kind of world…

“Well, you have walked into the right place,” Louis clasped his hands together. “We mainly provide guitars with nylon-strings.”

She turned to look at the ever-so-impressive wall of guitars, all calling out to her. “That’s cool, I’m looking for a classical guitar. Can I uh, pick one up?”

Louis could hear his boss screaming in his head. “When people touch instruments they break them! Only staff can lift them.”

“Of course!”

The girl slowly reached for a cedar guitar, giving Louis immediate hints on what type of sound she was hunting for. She held it close to her body, fingers morphing into an odd shape around the chords. “You play for fun or are you in a band?”

She smiled to herself as she strummed the guitar, it somehow sounded so much better than any other guitarist Louis had heard, maybe he was just being biased towards the pretty girl. “Just for fun. You play anything?”

Louis motioned to the keyboards on the other side of the store. “The piano is my muse, but not electrical. I prefer the classic piano, with strings. I find it sounds better. I have a Perzina - I call it Perry - it sounds so...I sound so dorky.” He laughed to drown out his embarrassment.

This mysterious girl knew what he was talking about. Electronic instruments could never compete with the history of the classic ones, in her mind's eye at least. “My dad played the guitar when I was a kid, it could be heard from everywhere in the house. He taught me the basics.”

She spoke with such grace Louis hoped she never left the store just so he could hear her more. “Does he still play?”

Her face instantly fell, eyes wandering to the shiny floor. “No, he doesn’t.”

There was something more to the tale but Louis didn’t press it. “Well, you interested in the one you’re...grasping very tightly?”

The girl eyed the guitar up and down, examining everything it offered. “Yeah, I think I am.” She loosened her grip on the neck and gave Louis a reassuring smile. He guided her over to the front counter, sadness started to slowly grow in him as he realised their beautiful little meeting was coming to a close, so Louis may or may not have punched in the barcode slower than usual.

“I haven’t seen you in the market before, are you a newcomer or simply a hermit? No judgment here.”

She rolled her eyes at such a dumb joke but her smile said otherwise. “I’m not a hermit, I just moved here all the way from Savannah.”

“That’s pretty far. What made you decide to move?” His fingers grazed the register, delaying time just to hear more about her life story.

“Just...thought maybe a fresh start would allow me to find the thing I’ve been looking for,” She sounded so hopeful and sure of herself, it was admiring. She pulled her wallet out of her little backpack and paid for the guitar. “I’ll see you around, Perzina guy.”

She strutted out the store with a fiery gaze, definitely on a march for something. Louis watched her walk until she turned out of sight, immediately missing her. She was so strange; mysterious and yet aloof. Some small part of him hoped he’d see her again, another part knew he would.

-

“You been to that new Antique store across the road?”

Louis looked out the window and saw what Marlon was talking about, the once abandoned space had been refurbished into a store filled with antiques of all kinds. “Not yet, looks a little dull,” History certainly interested him, but what’s so interesting about old artefacts? “It’ll certainly beat tuning these damn guitars.”

These damn guitars that reminded him of the girl he hadn’t seen for a few days, but Marlon didn’t need to know that.

“Gimme a few minutes, I’m taking my break early.” Louis yanked off his lanyard and threw it at Marlon’s face.

“Hey! You can’t leave me to do all the work you asshole!” He yelled after his supposed best friend, a title he’d have to reconsider.

Louis strutted across the empty street, no one shops on a Tuesday morning. It was just one of those days. Out front the little store were small tables carrying an assortment of items; from teacups to clocks to figurines. He slowly walked into the quiet space, immediately being surprised by how much stuff there was. Who the hell had time to collect this?

“Hey there,” Louis looked ahead and saw a tall man holding a box marked FRAGILE. “If you spot anything you like give us a call, just don’t break anything or you will pay for it.” He gave Louis an affirming nod before walking into the storeroom. Some of the antiques were quite charming, maybe it wasn’t so dull after all. Louis started wandering around the store, fingers gently brushing over some of the porcelain items.

“You need a hand?”

He looked over his shoulder and almost fell onto his ass, and judging by her face she almost did too.

“Hey, it’s Perzina guy,” It was her, the mystery girl.  “Didn’t expect to see you in here so soon.”

Louis straightened out his jacket in an attempt to look somewhat cool. “Well, I do work across the street, gotta check out the competition.”

“Seriously? We’re automatically competing?” She started flipping the pen in her hand between her fingers with ease, intimidating Louis just a fraction.

“You know that people love music more than ancient history,” He folded his arms, somehow their conversation was turning into a battle of wits. “Like what’s so interesting about...this damn spoon?” Louis gestured to a set of tarnished silver cutlery sitting on a small desk.

She raised an eyebrow at his uncertainty, raising the spoon in front of him. “How much would you sell this for?”

He shrugged. “Fifty cents.”

“Antique silverware is often pretty valuable, especially flatware that’s actually silver, real silver will typically look tarnished. Authentic silver will also make a ringing sound if you tap it,” She did so and caused that very ringing. “This is Gorham silver, first made in 1899, this Buttercup spoon was one of the most popular sterling silverware patterns. With this set of four, it’s worth up to a six-hundred dollars if sold to the right person. If you want the biggest bang for your buck, you need to know what your shit is worth.”

She wished she had a camera to capture the dumb-struck look on his face, it’s the same one her little brother used to make when she caught his nose. She gently set the spoon back down with the others. “Everything in this shop has a story, worth a hell of a lot more than just fifty cents.” She breezed by him and started to take stock again, leaving him in a perpetual state of astonishment.

“Hey, wait up,,” He broke out of his state of mind when he noticed she was no longer standing across from him. “What’s your name?”

“Clementine, what’s yours?”

A pretty name for a pretty face.

“Louis,”

And a charming name for a charming boy.

“So Clem, what made you decide to work in an antique store?”

“It’s kind of a no-brainer, but it’s fascinating for me. The journey these items took to still be around today is a story in itself,” Her eyes glowed as she stared at the fine detail on a wooden clock, she was so passionate about these little items, it made Louis’s heart go crazy. “Sorry for my enthusiasm.”

Louis bumped her hip with his own. “I like your enthusiasm.”

Clementine couldn’t help but stare at him with such admiration, most of the people she rambled to about her passion would give her an odd glance, but this boy somehow understood everything without having a single clue about antiques. It was then she noticed how his deep brown eyes matched so much of the old furniture she admires. The historian in her wanted to dive in and uncover his story...

A deep cough forced them to break eye contact, Clementine turned to the sound and saw her boss eyeing them down. “You finished taking stock, Clem?”

“Almost done Lee!” She hollered, rewarding a head nod from the guy. “I should get back to work, thanks for stopping by.”

“Anytime - well - not anytime, I do have to work...shit I have to work!” Panic started to spread as Louis remembered his blonde friend having to tune guitars alone, what’s a man to do without his musically inclined friend?  “I gotta go, it was great talking to you Clementine, and for the record, my store will win!” He called out as he bolted out the wire door, missing Clem’s breathy chuckle.

She tried to finish her stocktake but her mind kept wandering back to Louis, even her eyes would occasionally flicker over to the store across the street, wishing that he would come back and entertain her more. Clementine set down the stocktake sheet on the counter, wondering if she had found the very thing she was looking for.

[darling-i-read-it]

Promise

The Kid x reader

Word Count: 2119

Warnings: None?

Author’s Note: I got very tired of saying ‘The Kid’ so I started saying Bill (due to it being Bill Skarsgard ofc) so I hope that doesn’t get in the way of your reading! Another thing is that I didn’t go along with the latest episodes in his identity, so this is placed somewhere just after the kid got out of Shawshank. Also, I will probably be writing more about him being (SPOILERS) Henry so PLEASE REQUEST THAT IM BEGGING YOU I LOVE HIM and I’m posting just after the latest episode because I feel like we need this out there

Request: By @lxnathelxciddreamer , Can I get some fluff with The Kid from castle rock (it’s ok if you don’t wanna do it)

Summary: Henry drops of The Kid for the night so that he can get some stuff done and The Kid ends up really liking his hostess.

Genre: fluff

Song: Innocent by Taylor Swift

(not my gif)

When Henry Deaver knocked on your door at 11 at night after not speaking in 10 or so years you were a tad surprised. Rightfully so.

He apologized out front and you asked him to come in because if Henry is back in town he must be here for a good reason. He shook his head and glanced back at the car parked on the side of the road, probably his.

“What do you need Henry?” you asked. He and you had been amazing friends even after he went missing for a few days. It didn’t really matter that it had been so long, you would still probably do anything for him. You weren’t like Molly Strand who you had seen around school sometimes but not much after Henry’s disappearance, who had a major sort of crush on him. You and Henry had really just been really good friends. He took a deep breath.

“I’m about to ask something of you that you do not have to do because it’s a huge favor okay? Hi by the way,” he muttered. You smiled.

“Hello Henry. I ask again, what do you need?” He took another deep breath.

“You’ve heard about the man in Shawshank? They found down there?” you nodded.

“Oh my god Henry did you get him out?” you whispered.

“Sorta. They just kinda let him go? Listen that’s not the point. I can’t have him near my mom and Molly can’t have him with her. I was wondering if you could..I don’t know-”

“Sure. Can I meet him first?” Henry was surprised that you jumped on top of it. He nodded quickly and turned to the car. You waited by the door as Henry leaned into the car window and then opened the door. A very tall man came out. He was tall and looked lean but strong and he seemed incredibly, horribly lost. You met them halfway down the driveway and went to introduce yourself a kind smile on your face.

“Y/N, this is him.” You nodded at Henry and smiled once more back up at the tall nameless man.

“Come inside please. It’s a pleasure to meet you sir,” you told him and gestured for the two of them to come inside. The man walked past you and inside, hestient at the door and then careful on the floor boards. You turned to Henry.

“I have to go back to my mom. You’re gonna be alright?” he asked. You nodded with a grin as you glanced back at the man.

“What’s his name Henry?” you asked. He sighed.

“He hasn’t said. I don’t think he remembers. He doesn’t talk a ton so don’t get discouraged. I’ll come see him tomorrow,” he said. You nodded.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Say hi to Mrs.Deaver for me?” you asked. He nodded as he got back in the car. You turned on your heels to the house and saw the kid standing there, watching Henry go. “He’ll be back tomorrow, no worries. Come on I’ll show you where you can sleep.” You walked toward where you held your guest bedroom but the kid didn’t follow you. He was still looking around the house. You turned back to him with a confused look.

“Your house?” he asked quietly. You nodded.

“Yep. Been my house since the first grade,” you said fondly. He nodded and followed you through to upstairs. When you entered the guest room you let him go in first. “This is where you can sleep tonight and however long you’re staying. Theres food downstairs and some clothes that will probably fit you in the drawer here.” You pointed everything out as you said it and he followed your gaze. When he didn’t say anything you turned to leave.

“Y/N?” he whispered. You turned around with a smile. He was looking over the piano that was in the corner of the room.

“That was my brothers he played a bit. The piano if that’s what you-” But that was what he meant. He was hovering his fingers over the keys and started to click a few. It hadn’t been tuned in a while so the notes sounded a little flat but he placed both hands down and managed to crank out a beautiful melody. You stood, mezmorized. When he finished he looked back up at you expectantly. “That was amazing,” you told him. He smiled at you and it was a eerie smile but you seemed to remember that he hadn’t smiled at you before so you took it.

“What’s your name? I mean Henry said that you don’t remember what it is but I mean if you could remember? I mean what do I call you?” you asked, your words jumbled into sentences to convey your thoughts. The kid looked at you with blank eyes and you decided he probably wasn’t gonna say anything. He probably didn’t remember. “Can I call you something or would that bother you?” you asked softly. He eyed you carefully. You sat on the bed, finger on your chin as you hummed and tried to think of a name.

“Hum...how about George?” you asked. He shook his head violently. He sat down on the bed beside you. “Ben?” He shook his head again. “Eddie?” you asked. He shook his head again. You sighed. “Bill?” He nodded carefully.

“Bill,” he decided. You smiled and got up.

“I’ll see you in the morning Bill. My rooms just down the hall, first door on the right. K?” He nodded. You smiled at him and turned to walk to your room.

It was pretty late and you were already pretty tired so you decided to go lights out and crawled into your bed, closing your eyes again. Your mind wandered to the man just a few doors down from you and where he had come from. Maybe he really was just lost. Maybe, he knew exactly what was going on in this town.

That’s it.

You fell asleep.

---

When you woke up you were suddenly very aware of a presence in the room. When you saw the tall figure you screamed, scared out of your mind for a moment until you realized who it was.

“Bill, it’s-” You glanced at the clock by your bed that lit up a shining green time “3:30 hon, what do you need?” you asked, wiping the sleep from your eyes. He pointed out the room and you squinted at him in confusion.

“The door,” he whispered. You got up, throwing your bed covers off you and hissed at the coldness of your hardwood floor. You walked past him and to the door. Someone was knocking on it. At 3:30am. You turned back to Bill who was just behind you, following you closer than your shadow. You tried to look through the peephole and saw nothing, the darkness of the world masking whoever was out there. The knock came back, harder and faster this time and you jumped back, bumping into Bill who caught you by the shoulder before you could knock the both of you over. You mouthed thank you and turned back to the door, hand shaking on the knob. When you twisted it and swung the door open you took a deep breath, grabbing Bill’s arm tightly in fear. The door opened and a women stood there. She looked past you and at Bill, seemingly relieved to find him here. She was older than anyone you knew personally.

“I’m gonna have to take him with me miss,” she said. No hello, no how are you, just stating she needed to take this grown man with her. Bill didn’t protest really but he didn’t move your hand off his arm.

“Who are you?” you asked defensively. She sighed, not expecting you to ask her a question.

“Theresa Porter.” The new warden up at Shawshank, your mind told you. You stepped in front of Bill.

“He was released from that place which you wrongly held him in in the first place, so unless you plan on charging him for something he’s not going anywhere,” you protested. She wasn’t the police she couldn’t charge him for anything but you never know. Bill eyed you suspiciously, you could feel it on you but you didn’t look over at him. Theresa Porter sighed.

“Can I speak with you alone Miss.Y/L/N?” she asked. You glanced at Bill who shook his head softly.

“Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of the man we’re discussing,” you argued. She sighed.

“He doesn’t know anyone Miss.Y/L/N. He’s better under our care up there,” she spoke. Bill watched her.

“He knows me. And Henry Deaver and Molly Strand. He isn’t alone up here Miss. Please just leave him alone,” you reasoned. She sighed and looked at you with soft eyes. She didn’t seem to want to fight you about this and in a way she looked almost, sorry for you?

“Okay. Here’s my card. We’ll take him when you want to get rid of him,” she said, handing you a small plastic card. You took it and shut the door, throwing the card on the table as you turned around.

“Won’t be needing that. You okay? Do you know why she wanted you?” Bill shook his head carefully but was still eyeing you.

“Why?” he asked softly. You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Why what?”

“Why keep me?” he asked. You laughed a little.

“You’re a human being Bill. You don’t get to be ‘kept’. You get to be free and if you wanna be kept then you ask a girl k? Don’t worry about it she’s a creep anyway.” Bill smiled at you and you smiled right back. You then yawned and rubbed your eyes. You were so tired. So so tired.

“Go to sleep,” Bill whispered. You shook your head and sat on the living room couch.

“Not yet I have to make sure she leaves. You never know with the workers up there..” you trailed off. Bill sat beside you, stiff and lanky.

“Sleep is good for you,” he protested. You rolled your eyes but then yawned, only adding to his idea of sleep. You sighed and grabbed the blanket that Bill was handing you. He smiled lightly at you as he watched your eyes shut. As he turned to leave you, you groaned. He turned and you smiled at him shyly.

“Maybe you should stay with me? You never know what those Shawshank guards will do to get you back. I think it’ll be safer,” you told him, trying to be convincing. He smiled again and walked up to you, sitting down by your legs. You watched him as he sat and you pulled up your coffee table so that he could level his legs and you put your head on his lap. He put up his legs and placed a hand on your head, rubbing your temples.

Let’s just say you fell asleep pretty fast after that.

You woke up suddenly when you heard a loud and rather violent knock on your door. You rubbed your eyes and stood, letting Bill stand up beside you. You opened the door, blanket still drawn around you to Henry.

“Hey Y/N, how’s The Kid?” he asked, slight worry in his voice. Bill walked up behind you.

“I like Y/N,” Bill told Henry. Henry grew wide wide eyed and looked at you who just shrugged, sleep still overtaking you.

“We gotta go,” Henry said, still staring at you. You shrugged and turned to Bill, a faint smile on your face.

“Do I have to?” Bill asked. You hugged Bill around his waist, to short to reach his top half.

“I’ll see you later,” you mumbled against his chest. He hugged you back.

“Promise?” he asked. You nodded and let him go.

“Promise.”

@swanky-batman

[serenitysilverfantasyworld]

The PenPal

Sorry it’s been so long since the last chapter. Here is the next chapter of The PenPal!

New beginnings

A few days later

*back to Ikuto

               “Iku! Letter!” Shigure said excitedly running from the mailbox outside and into the bed and breakfast.

               “Thanks buddy.” Ikuto said scratching his mess of blonde hair before he bounded off to play with Akane. After Ikuto finished what he was doing he took a small break and rested on a lawn chair outside. “I hope she’s feeling better today.” He muttered to himself as he opened the envelope.

Dear Ikuto,

       I took a tumble down the side of a mountain is all, the doctors just want to make sure that I am perfectly healthy before they let me go. My eyes were severely damaged… so time will tell if I get my sight back. If my sight doesn’t return my dream will remain a dream…

               Ikuto wiped the tears that were streaming down his face as he heard Tsuki’s voice in the distance.

              “Ikuto-kun, you okay?” Tsuki asked her head poking out of a nearby window in the bed and breakfast.

              “I’m fine Tsuki.” He smiled wiping his tears quickly. “What do you need?” He asked.

              “You just look like you need a hug, so,” She grunted climbing over the windowsill and jumping onto the grass before bounding over to where he sat, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “Feel better?” She asked her bright blue eyes gazing up at him.

              “Much better.” He smiled touching her nose playfully. “Now run off and play cutie.” He chuckled as she bounded off into the distance. Once she was gone he read the rest of the letter.

         It sounds like your parents have their hands full, and I’m sure your siblings like having you around. When I was Shigure’s age I ran around the yard looking for all the bugs and critters I could find to show my dad. He was never happy to see me on those days, but I guess all I wanted him to notice me. That’s another story all together, I don’t want to bore you with that story.  

       That’s a smart idea, you taking online classes especially if you work a lot. I have been so busy with high school and my college courses that I haven’t gotten myself a part time job.

          You write music, that’s really cool I’m kind of jealous I can sing well enough, but can’t write a single cord without it sounding like a dying whale. What genre of music do you write, I’d love to hear it sometime. I don’t doubt that you will be an amazing musician. When you make it big I’ll be sure to buy your first album alright? I’m finally feeling better; the flu has finally bit the dust and I’m on the road to full recover and hopefully out of this sanitary prison they call a hospital. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

~Kyoko

          “Ikuto!” His dad shouted from the back door. “Can you cover the front desk while your mom and I go shopping?”

           “Sure thing dad.” Ikuto said as he slid the letter into his back pocket. “I’ll reply when I have some spare time.”

            A few weeks go by and Kyoko’s letter was still on his desk, waiting a reply. His parents surprised him that night when they came home from their shopping trip. Telling him that they were going to go on a vacation to Kyoto for their twenty-fifth anniversary, so that left Ikuto to take care of his siblings and run the bed and breakfast by himself. Luckily they did have several part time employees that helped take care of the patron’s needs and meals, but they were all still pretty new to the job so Ikuto was there most of the day supervising when he wasn’t otherwise chasing his siblings. With his finals coming up in online school courses he spent most every night after closing up the bed and breakfast studying and waking up to Akame’s nightmares.

            Every morning started with a large cup of coffee just to wake himself up before the chaos of the day. The moment his parents returned from their trip he went to his room for a much-needed nap. After waking up the next morning he finally replied to Kyoko’s letter she sent three weeks ago. “I’m so sorry Kyoko, please forgive me.”

Three days later

*back to Kyoko

               After her confrontation with her father Misaki demanded over and over for Kyoko to be released from the hospital to avoid further injury from him. The staff declined, because they didn’t want to get fired for disobeying Dr. Ootori’s direct orders to keep his daughter here until she is ‘fully recovered’ after a thorough examination by himself. Which everyone knew that he had some really high standards, so Misaki resigned herself to getting the permission to stay the night every night until Kyoko was recovered enough for a release.

               For the past few weeks every day that Misaki came back from the store with no letter Kyoko’s spirits dropped. Every day was a rollercoaster of emotions when she heard Misaki come in her hopes would rise and then quickly plummet, until at long last Misaki rushed in excitedly. “Ikuto finally replied Kyoko!”

               “Great.” Kyoko said gloomily with a hint of sarcasm.

               “Don’t you want to hear what he wrote?” She asked as she set the groceries she bought into the mini-fridge they had in the hospital room.

               “Whatever.” She said.

               “Just give him a chance, I’m sure he has a good reason for not writing you for so long.” Misaki said sitting in the chair on the balcony next to Kyoko.

               “Doesn’t matter.” Kyoko shrugged as Misaki ripped open the envelope.

Dear Kyoko,

         I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to your letter, my parents went on a surprise vacation for three weeks, so I had to hold down the fort at home and the bed and breakfast while they were away. It was quite tiring.

         I’m so sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you can recover fully soon. Especially your eyes, those are needed to do most everything.

         I’m flattered to hear that you want to hear my music, but I have to say I’m not that good. My mom may call me her little superstar, but I still have a long way to go before I’m star material. I can play any genre on the piano and guitar. With my original songs I tend to lean towards calm and soothing melodies, my teacher calls it smooth pop. Sometimes I use my guitar and sing some big country hits just to mix things up at the bed and breakfast. If you want to hear my music maybe we could video chat sometime, but wait do they allow laptops in the hospital? Or when you are released you can always come over to the bed and breakfast, but we can figure that out later I guess.

         I’m sorry again that it took so long to write back to you, I was just so busy lately, please forgive me.

~Ikuto

               After Misaki read the letter Kyoko sat their silently, sighing heavily.

               “You know we could go…” Misaki started.

               “No.” Kyoko argued. “I can’t….” She said pointing at her face, the scars across her eyes that she’s felt so many times she knew there is no way that the whole world wouldn’t notice them the second she stepped outside.

               “You look beautiful as always, and your dad will understand or at least accept your condition one day… we hope.” Misaki said as she walked to the microwave, placing some instant noodles inside. “On another note, I got a call from the service dog agency like you asked me to do, they have a dog that is ready for you to start going through the training with.”

               “Great.” Kyoko said, knowing at least in her situation having a new set of eyes to help her avoid obstacles would be helpful. “When?”

               “I told them to bring the dog here tomorrow as soon as they can.” Misaki said as she grabbed her noodles from the microwave. “This should hopefully help you get some of your independence back.”

               “Yea...” Kyoko sighed heavily. “Dad’s not going to like this.”

               “We can only hope he’ll come to his senses.” Misaki replied. “Hopefully before school starts.”

               “Yea.” Kyoko sighed, desperate to change the topic from her overbearing father.

               “Let’s eat, then we’ll write the letter.” Misaki said as she handed Kyoko her cup of noodles.

               “Ok.” Kyoko replied as Misaki placed a cup of noodles into her hands, handing her a fork since chopsticks are difficult for her.

                After the garbage was thrown away, Misaki pulled out her notepad and pen. “Ready when you are.”    

                Once the letter was written Misaki was so happy to hear from Kyoko’s tone of voice that she was starting to feel just a little bit cheerful. Since finding out what the accident did to her eyesight she barely spoke a word for that whole three weeks. She was still not her normal perky self but she’s at least been less snippy than she was when she first got the news from the doctors. Misaki was filled with hope for the future that Kyoko could have with her new friend that she couldn’t keep tears from flowing.

               “What’s wrong?” Kyoko asked, hearing Misaki sniffle a couple of times.

               “I’m just happy Kyoko.” Misaki said as she slid the notebook and letter into her bag. “Your mom would be so happy for you.” Misaki said.

                 “I hope...” Kyoko smiled gazing softly towards Misaki.

A week later

*back to Ikuto

               He had finally finished off his online classes for the summer semester and was ready to enjoy the rest of the summer writing songs and working when he was needed at the bed and breakfast. He went back to the song he wrote a few weeks ago that was inspired by Kyoko, trying to put lyrics to the tune. He racked his brain for several days whenever he had free time, but no lyrics came to him. As he scrubbed the dishes from dinner one day the mail carrier walked in and set the mail on the bar, seeing Ikuto at the sink behind it.

               “Thank you very much.” Ikuto said drying his hands off as the mail carrier walked back outside. He flipped through the pile of letters until he found one from Kyoko. He smiled as he slid the letter into his pocket, going back to his chores. “I’m hope she isn’t mad at my late response.” He sighed in relief.

               That night after closing up the bed and breakfast he went to his room to read Kyoko’s letter.

Dear Ikuto,

       I was so happy to get your letter, I was worried that you forgot about me…. My friends haven’t visited me this whole two months I’ve been here. On top of that my boyfriend dumped me before I was even out of surgery shortly after my accident, and now he’s married to my best friend. He’s the heir to a large company so the marriage was all over the news so if you have a television you probably saw it…. They both graduated at the end of this school year in May and now… I thought what we had was something special, he told me he would wait until I graduated to propose so my studies wouldn’t be hindered. I guess he only really loved me for my family’s money after all.

My family’s business is Ootori Medical Inc. My father is the CEO of the whole company, which is I guess one reason I’m stuck in this hospital, even though all my injuries have healed.

I’m sorry, didn’t mean to rant about something so trivial, but it’s nice to get it off my chest… I…haven’t really spoken much to anyone lately… The only one that I’ve really spoken to has been Misaki, she’s been like a mother to me since I was born. She’s been my scribe for my letters until my eyes heal.

       Misaki has told me time and again that singing was one of my mom’s favorite things to do. There was a rumor of my mom getting a record deal but was forced to give it up when she married my dad. When I would walk to school I would often sing to my favorite songs, I guess in a way it made me feel closer to the mother I never knew….

I’m sorry, this ended up being a letter of venting, I’ll try to avoid that next time it’s just been a rough three weeks…

Were you able to get any sleep while holding the fort down? If not you should take all the time you need to sleep, I’m sure you’ve earned it. You mother should be giving birth soon shouldn’t she?

I would love to visit the bed and breakfast sometime, I’m sick of this prison of a hospital my dad has forced me to stay in.  

~Kyoko

           After reading Kyoko’s letter he sat there, unsure what to think or how to respond. He looked over at the clock by his bed and saw it was already midnight. When did it get so late? He thought to himself as he quickly undressed and went to bed, leaving the letter on his nightstand.

               A few days go by and Ikuto finally had a few minutes to sit down to respond to Kyoko’s letter.  

               “You writing to Kyoko?” His mother asked as Ikuto sealed the envelope, she sat down slowly on the couch next to Ikuto.

               “Yea,” Ikuto smiled as he set the envelope on the table. “Do you think it’s too early to ask her to meet in person?” He asked looking over at his mother.

               “Well you have only known her a couple of months so it’s hard to say, does she want to meet you?” she asked.

               “I’m not sure, she mentioned that it would be nice to get out of the hospital so maybe…?”

               “What is she in the hospital for?” She asked.

               “Well, I don’t know the details, but she was in an accident of some sort and her eyes were severely damaged, they aren’t sure if she’ll see once her eyes are recovered. I should ask her if her eyes are better.” He said as he jotted that down on his notepad.

               “Oh the poor thing…” She sighed.

               “Yea… she seems to be dealing with it in her own way, but I can imagine it’s really hard for her, she wants to be a doctor so she needs to be able to see.”

               “Yea she certainly does, I hope all is well. Any sort of serious injury is hard to deal with at first. Especially if you were in perfect health before.”

               “What should I do?” Ikuto asked.

               “Let me read.” She replied as Ikuto handed her the letter. After reading it she set it down, her hand rubbing the end of her chin in thought. “It sounds like she is in need of a friend Ikuto, her life has just been flipped upside down.”

               “Alright, thanks mom.” Ikuto smiled.

               “Maybe you should wait to ask her to visit till she’s able to.”

               “Alright.” He sighed. “I just don’t want to hurt her, it sounds like she’s been through a lot.”

               “You’re so cute when you worry Ikuto.” His mother chuckled.

               Ikuto’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, she was only partially right. He was worried about her, but it felt different than anything he had ever felt before. From his previous rejection he wasn’t ready to admit that this could be the beginnings of love that he was feeling. “I just care for her as a friend.” His blush deepened.

               “Whatever you say Ikuto.” She winked as he left to put the letter in the mailbox.