#peter: that's rough buddy have you tried snackking about it

[itsybitsyparker]

@murdcck​  if i think about it,  i get angry.  and i don’t know where that anger stops.  so i’d rather not start at all.  ”

Ah, that anger. Peter knew that anger intimately. He felt it boiling beneath his skin every time he went down in a fight. Or failed to protect someone. Or thought too long about the wide-eyed look his uncle had given him right before he’d died. It was an anger that made Peter want to tear the world down brick by brick. 

He mostly tried not to think about it. He took a bite of his street taco, picking a piece of lettuce that managed to get stuck under where he’d rolled up his mask. 

“Well, buddy, I can offer you two solutions. We can find some crime to punch in the face, or you can eat a taco with me and see if that calms you down,” Peter thought for a second. “Or both. So I guess that’s three solutions.”

[ughseoks-main]

just you and i

peter parker x reader

summary: you and peter have had a rough year, but a late night ice cream trip can help relieve a bit of the pain.

based on the song “Just You and I” by Tom Walker 

warnings: major endgame spoilers! angst, but accompanied by some fluff

word count: 760

a/n: hehehehe i’m back baby! this is just a short blurb to ease myself back into my once-a-week writing schedule i used to have. get ready kiddos, cause this is unedited, just like the rest of my shit >:)

my masterlist

                ENDGAME SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!

It’d been a hard year.

You’d always known the risks of being a superhero, as had Peter. But somehow, you still couldn’t fathom what had happened, despite how much you’d tried to prepare yourself for a situation like just like it. No matter where you looked, his face haunted you. His absence made you feel more alone than ever.

But you weren’t alone.

You had Peter. Peter, who had lost his father figure, just like you. Peter, who caught you when you collapsed, holding you close as you both sobbed over the emptiness in your chests. Peter, who understood your pain like nobody else when his face showed up on television, being hailed as hero for saving humanity from Thanos. Peter, who never failed to show you that you weren’t alone, no matter how isolated you felt.

These are the thoughts that crossed your mind as you pressed your hands to your cheeks, glancing over at the clock on your nightstand. 3:47am.

“I need a snack,” you mumbled, the cold of the floorboards seeping into your toes as you rolled out of bed.

Walking down the hallway, you scrolled through your Snapchat, a soft smile gracing your face when you saw a new snap from Peter appear on the top of your screen.

“why are u still up, crazy?” he joked, a picture of him fake yawning in the background of the text.

Quickly posing, you snapped a reply with the caption “hmm. i could ask you the same question, buddy.”

Almost immediately, he responded, proposing a late night (or early morning, if you will) ice cream run.

Who says no to an ice cream run?

________

“So,” you took a moment to swallow the bite of ice cream you’d just taken, “What’s the reason behind this trip?”

“What, can a guy not go on an impromptu ice cream run with his girlfriend at 4am?” he joked, face sobering up at the disbelieving look on your face. You knew there was a reason he wanted to see you, even if he didn’t want to explain right away.

“Pete, come on,” you brushed a stray curl out of his face, “What’s up?”

“Well, uh,” he looked down at his cup, mushing the ice cream around lightly with his spoon, “I guess I was just thinking, ya know?”

“Thinking about what?”

“You,” he paused, “And him.”

“I was actually thinking about that too,” you revealed, picking at your nails, “Did something happen?”

“No, I just…. I just miss him a lot, that’s all,” his eyes were filled with grief, tears on the brink of spilling over the edge when he looked up at you as you began to reply.

“I miss him too,” you sighed, “We all do.”

“You and I more than most.”

“Yeah,” you sniffled, the burning of tears pressing against the back of your eyes.

Silence settled over the table for a while, the two of you finding comfort in each other’s presence. The soft buzzing of the neon light hung over your heads and swam around your ears, the odd car passing by every few minutes. It was nice; you found yourself the calmest when you were simply sitting with Peter.

“Hey Y/N?” he spoke up, uncrossing his legs from beneath the table so he could lean in, “Can I say something?” “Mhm,” you nodded, setting down your spoon so you could give him your full attention.

“I’m just really happy that I have you, ya know? Nobody else understands how I’m feeling right now, but you do. I can tell you anything at all, and you’ve never judged me; not even once. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he poured out, trying not to choke on his emotions, “Even when I’m in the darkest place, you light up like… like the sun. Nothing can make me forget the pain, but your brightness helps lessen it. Even when I feel like I’m all alone, I remember that I have you, and that makes it all a little better. Thank you.”

And with that, he stopped, looking down at the table to recompose himself. Your heart was fluttering, a warmth blossoming in your chest as you soaked in all of his words.

“Can I say something?” you asked gently, continuing when he nodded yes, “I know it’s been a hard year, but we can handle it. It will get better, I know it will,” you interlaced your fingers with his, “Until then, let’s just take it one step at a time, yeah? Just you and I.”

“You’re right,” he echoed, “We’ll be okay. Just you and I.”

taglist;

@minnie-marvel @quxntumvandyne @imnotbitter-anna @cynicallystiles @laurfangirl424 @misslunala @secondsineternity @galaxy-parker @peterpcrker @signed-potato @lokiislowkeyhot @highlady-ofthe-summercourt @0captain-marvel0 @delicately-written @thefallenbibliophilequote @buck-ets @newtimewriter @thedaughterofdawn @lltrashll @paradoxparker @holland-haven @propertyofmarvel @sagebrandy-loves-pancakes @flaminghottaquito @marvel-galaxy  @laureharrier @futzingclint @lokiismischief @whycantwebefriendz @hedwigthelegend @yellowkenyon97 @casuallytumblingdownthestairs  @yelyahryan @em-aesthe  @smexylemony @watermelonfruitsalad @thewildheroine @s0cial-retard @awkwardfangirl2014 @nobelwarriorheroes

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@lostnliterature @lovely-dreamer @johnmulaneyslut @irxnspxder

[irondadheadcanons]

Peter has spider instincts and he can control them eighty percent of the time of course Peter hasn't told Tony of this Tony finds out when Peter comes back in to the compound kitchen covered in blood and a look of extreme satisfaction on his face (he ate a deer and fought a bear) and after Peter's shower they have a talk

(QUICK NOTE: We wrote this at 4:30 am. Just… just remember that, okay?)

–

(italics are kat/@losingmymindtonight and regular is shannon/@parkrstark) 

Okay… so… there’s a lot to unpack here.

First of all: why would a spider FIGHT A BEAR

Where did he FIND A BEAR in NYC??

Was he upstate already?

Did he kill the deer himself or did he steal the deerfrom a bear and that’s why he fought one?

Do spiders even eat deer?

I love how serious you’re going into this

This is IMPORTANT STUFF SHANNON

Listen. If Peter can control his spider instincts 80% ofthe time then that means that 20% of his life he CAN’T

Which means he spends about 73 days a year just… punchingbears and eating deer

I’m concerned

He should get that checked out

“Bruce… Bruce we’ve got a teenie little problem”

Okay okay so I looked into it and the biggest animal Ican find record of a spider eating is a bird or a rat so i’m not sure how wegot a deer here

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING THIS UP. YOUR BROWSER HISTORY IS ALREADYQUESTIONABLE FROM YOUR WHUMP RESEARCH

So Upstate New York’s black bear population is currentlyestimated at 6,000-8,000. That means that if Peter kills a black bear everytime he loses control of his “spider instincts,” it will take him about 83years to eradicate the entire population (assuming that the bears aren’treproducing)

Significantly less if he can knock out two each episode

What the fuck

Do you like my science Shannon?

#1 I think that’s math #2 I could be wrong about #1 becauseI always skipped science class #3 why are you like this

I imagine that Tony thought #3 too when Peter camewaltzing into the Compound covered in blood and deer guts

On that note: CAN YOU BELIEVE TONY LET HIM TAKE A SHOWERBEFORE TALKING ABOUT THIS

IM SORRY SHANNON

BUT IF YOU ROLLED INTO MY HOUSE COVERED IN BITS OF DEAD DEER

THE SHOWER CAN WAIT

WE HAVIN A TALK FIRST

I can assure you, I will never come to your house covered indead deer

And also

Why did he eat the deer but not the bear

SEE NOW YOU’RE GETTING INTO THE SPIRIT

Do deer taste better than bears?

Let me ask Google

I await a response with baited breath

Truly how did I live before knowing the answer to thisquestion

So apparently bear meat can taste pretty nasty if thebear has been eating a lot of salmon or carrion

So maybe it was just a really nasty bear

And Peter was like “nah. Let me get at that raw deer meatinstead”

So maybe Peter tracks the bear’s diet before attacking it

Do you think he kills the bear or does he just

Like

Roundhouse kick it in the jaw

I was wondering that

“I’M THE CAPTAIN NOW”

And the bear is just like “yessir”

Maybe he just knocks it out and then… calls it a day

Maybe he’s already full from the deer???

Which came first: the deer or the bear

Does he just… get the urge to fight bears??? Or does heget the urge to eat deer and therefore fights bears for their deer carcasses???

Maybe the deer guts on him attracted the bear so he had tofight off the bear. He didn’t want to kill it, it was just self defense

Because even in spider instinct mode, Peter is still achill bro

I just googled “is there a bear-fighting spider”

There isn’t, but apparently there IS a sport known asspider fighting

Which is exactly what it sounds like

Spiders fighting each other?

Yep

For what purpose?

Is it like a game?? A mating ritual??

DIRECTLY FROM WIKIPEDIA: “In the United States, spider-fighting is also prevalentin prisons in Florida, where inmates catch them and keep them in boxes as pets.In 2002, a fight between three inmates over the theft of a pet spider resultedin life-threatening skull injuries to one inmate and additional charges to theother two.”

SHANNON I CANT BREATHE

Life gets rough in the big house

You have to rely on spider fights

“Life threatening skull injuries”

That must have been one hell of a spider, to warrant that

Also, the ambiguity of “they have a talk” is just………there’s so much option there

There is NO info about Tony’s reaction AT ALL

I’d hope his reaction involves some concern

“Comes back to the kitchen” also means that they were justchilling in the kitchen, probably talking about some cool suit upgrades, whenPeter was suddenly like, “hold on, fam, spider instincts, gotta eat a deer” andthen goes out and comes back after however long it takes him to do this

“Peter? What did you even DO?!”

“Oh, you know. Killed a deer, fought a bear.”

“You fought a WHAT NOW?!”

“Spider instincts”

“There is not a species of spider ALIVE that does thisshit, Peter. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WHAT THE FUCK”

“WAIT. DID YOU EAT RAW, UNPROCESSED DEER MEAT??? DEARGOD. BRUCE??? PETER NEEDS A RABIES SHOT ASAP”

“Some spiders hibernate, some eat deer.”

Listen. We as a society need to accept ALL types ofspiders, strange bear fighting habits and all

And this conversation happens after the shower… does Tonyask or does he just shove him right into the bathroom?

Does he think it’s human blood at first??????

“Do we need this hide a body??? PETER??? DO WE NEED TOHIDE A BODY???”

IMMEDIATE SUPPORT FROM IRONDAD

If he has a satisfied look on his face, does that meanthat Peter’s spider instincts are still going off or does the normal humanPeter just see…… no problem with this turn of events???

Is he satisfied with the taste of the deer or the outcome ofthe bear fight?????

Maybe he’s used to it and he’s just riding that spiderinstinct high for a little while longer

Does Peter’s bucket list just look like:

1. Meet Mark Hamill2. Build a Lego Death Star3. Go to Comic Con4. Fight a fucking bear5. Pet a Dalmation

Okay but the concept of the instincts being like a highis HELLA amusing to me

“Yeah hi my name is Peter and I get high off of DECKINGBEARS and MURDERING DEER with my BARE HANDS”

Does he always eat deer? Or is it this like steadyprogression of animals. Maybe he started small with like squirrels and slowlymoves his way up the animal kingdom

The endgame is a blue whale

“Mr. Stark, can we go on a cruise?”

“…… why?”

“No reason”

Just, for a sec, imagine Peter fighting a blue whale

How do you even fight something that big???

Does he nibble on it slowly and the whale doesn’t evenrealize it

Or does he fucking pick it up by the tail and bodyslam itback and forth

BOTH IMAGES ARE GLORIOUS

“Happy? Where’s the kid?”

“I thought you had him?”

“Ah shit. He’s trying to eat a damn whale again.”

IM CRYING

So now Tony knows the 20% of Peter’s life where he losescontrol…..what does he do??? Does he lock him in the Compound with some cookeddeer meat? Does he let him loose with a really long leash? Does he follow himaround spray bottle filled with water for when he tries going after the wronganimals?

Peter sees a squirrel and starts foaming at the mouth andTony just pulls out a spray bottle and sprays him in the face

“No! Bad Peter! Leave it!”

“If you’re good I’ve got some raw bison waiting at homewith your name on it”

“This time I won’t try hiding vegetables in the rottingcarcass.”

“No, you still have to eat them! You’re still a growingspider…boy…thing”

I love how we just assume that Tony would just look atthis situation and go “…this is fine”

Actual footage of Tony

Maybe he’s afraid he’ll be the next snack if he upsets Peter

Peter just starts gnawing on one of the receptionists andTony runs over with the spray bottle like “SPIT IT OUT”

…. we’re getting into dangerous territory now

“DAMNIT PETER. I CAN’T LOSE ANOTHER WORKER. NOT AGAIN.”

“NOT AGAIN”

Poor Jenny Carter came into work wearing her fox coat. Shewas never seen again.

You know what? Serves her right for supporting the peltindustry

Peter wears Jenna like a coat

Oh GOD

But only when he’s high on spider juices

Tony has an important business meeting and the other personkeeps staring down at Tony’s leg in concern. Peter is gnawing at his anklebecause that last deer just wasn’t enough.

Tony’s like “WHAT’S THE MATTER YOU NEVER SEEN A SPIDERFEEDING BEFORE”

Peter never actually hurts Tony because even as a highspider, the irondad bond is too strong. And Tony trusts him enough to let ithappen

…… are you making this cute right now

It seems I am

Tony keeps a bag full of dried strips of meat on him tolet Peter chew on during his “episodes”

Happy mistakes it for jerky one day

Poor Happy

HAPPY WOULD BE SO FUCKING DONE

*Peter is chewing on Tony’s shoulder*

“TONY THIS IS NOT NORMAL”

“But look how cute he is”

“TONY HE’S TRYING TO EAT YOU”

“He’s giving me kisses. What a good son”

“WHAT THE FUCK”

“THIS WAS NOT IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION TONY”

Happy is disrupting Peter’s peace so when he’s complainingto Tony, Peter gets really close and Happy flinches expecting to lose an armbut Peter just slaps him across the face with his dried meat strip

“Bad Happy”

Tony’s grinning. “That’s right, buddy. Bad Happy. Shameon you, Hap. Look at him. He’s an angel”

“Spray.”

“You’re right, kiddo. Bad Happy needs a spray.”

“Tony, don’t you.. I swear to god if you—”

TONY GETS SO USED TO USING THE SPRAY BOTTLE THAT ONE DAYIN A MEETING HE JUST BUSTS IT OUT WHEN ONE OF THE STOCKHOLDERS IS BEINGDIFFICULT AND SPRAYS HIM IN THE FACE

So what state does Peter revert to while he’s in this spiderkilling mode… what kind of state of mind does he have? Like he’s high? He’sdrunk? He’s a toddler? He’s a dog?

He seems like a mix between a toddler/a dog/and a dogaddict

*drug addict

I meant drug addict

Sorry, I was just projecting there

He’s addicted to petting puppies

And chewing on them…. There was that one reallyunfortunate incident at the animal shelter….

They don’t talk about that… Lucky gets by with three legsfine now.

Shannon do you realize this is the most elaborateheadcanon we’ve ever done

This may be my favorite one yet

… Shannon we can do crack now too

Crack, whump, and fluff: THE HOLY TRINITY

This is our legacy

[ryeimagines]

Touch - Derek imagine

For the anon who inspired the idea for this and which wouldn’t leave me alone until i finished it. Enjoy! Ps. The cookies are a little shoutout to one of my favourite authors who first came up with it and I have no accepted that as fact. Also, you cannot convince me Derek isn’t secretly a cuddle monster. 

Requested: Yes. Word count: 1838. 

It started off as an experiment after a random comment from Stiles, caught up in one of his usual rants about stuff random facts he stumbled upon during one of his deep dives into wikipedia. Pretty much like most everything that had happened to you, it was totally the energetic teenagers fault.

“Hey, did you know that hugs can actually reduce stress for weres?”He paused long enough to stuff some curly fries into his mouth.

“Really?” Scott questioned.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you read online.” Lydia commented, not lifting her gaze from the book she was reading. And that right there was pretty much like a dare. And if there was one thing you could always count on, was that the sheriff’s son would never back down from one.

“Okay, so let’s try it out.”Stiles stood up, gesturing for Scott to get up on his feet and pulled him in right there in the school cafeteria. “Hey there buddy.”

“Well, did it work?” Stiles prodded as the duo pulled apart.

”How are you feeling Scott?” Isaac spoke up, eyes flicking between the pair.

“Good. Really good.”

“Holy crap, that actually worked.”

Shortly after that, you somehow became the unofficial pack plush toy, surrounded by cuddly monsters who craved your attention and touch. It was everything from a quick hug for Scott before his Chemistry test, to comforting Isaac after a nightmare. You didn’t know exactly when it happened, but somehow your room had turned into a hotel, wolves coming over for sleepovers. One time you ended up being pushed out of bed because there was too many people, after that you started putting mattresses on the floor instead so you could spread out and sleep in a pile. Another thing you never saw coming. Though you had to admit, it was nice how the bond grew stronger, as you got closer. Even Peter tried to get in on the action though you promptly shot him with Allison’s bow because hell no. The only one who didn’t partake was the younger Hale, not for lack of trying though. Stiles’ hugged Derek and got punched in the face, since that no one tried repeating it.

You could see right through that sulky facade and the furrowed eyebrows in annoyance. He was jealous, he wanted it just as much as the others but for some reason he was denying himself. It was with a pang you remembered that his last pack died years ago and no one had probably shown him any kind of affection since then. You had a bit of a breakdown after that one, resolving to fix this immediatly. You knew he would never ask for it, so you decided to do something about it because you couldn’t take it any longer. You waited for a while, biding your time to find a good moment before shutting that down realizing that was never gonna happen. So, instead, you struck one day after a particularly testy day fighting fae. Everyone was in a bad mood after that, so you did what you do best; cheering them up. You stuck around after the others had left the loft, cutting him off from whatever he was about to say, pouncing on him before he had a chance to react or move away. He promptly froze, though easing up after a little while of you refusing to let him go, you only squeezed harder. He was a werewolf, he could have pushed you off easily or picked you up and thrown you out the door but he didn’t. He just stood there, arms against his side, and let you cuddle him. Afterwards you left without a word, throwing him a soft smile over your shoulder as you left but that was that. He wasn’t much of a talker, and you didn’t want to force him into doing something he wasn’t ready for.

That was the catalyst, now adding the grumpy alpha to your list of strays showing up in your bedroom for some cuddles. Though with Derek it was different, you took things slower, not wanting to startle him and undo all the progress he’d been making. He would only ever come over when you were alone, he’d promptly left another time when Isaac and Scott showed up, and he would only stay for a little bit at first. You were used to your window being used more than your actual front door, so it didn’t surprise you anymore when someone showed up. At least Derek gave you a soft knock of warning before coming inside, most nights anyways. That first night he actually stayed over, he tumbled in, bloody and clothes torn with the most emotion you’d ever seen in those hazel eyes. You acted on instinct, pulling in into a firm hug, before cleaning him up and getting him some clothes and wrapping him up in blankets, laying down next to him, careful not to press against his wounds, but close enough for him to feel your body heat and picked up the book you were reading and gently ran your fingers through his dark hair with your free hand. His peaceful breathes helped calm your nerves and you fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. He was gone by the time you woke up, and avoiding you for a couple of days before you confronted him and told him he was an idiot and you were expecting him tomorrow night, no excuses.

If someone had told you a couple of months ago that you would be sharing a bed with Derek Hale, you’d have laughed in their face. You didn’t have much of a relationship at first, more like tentative allies than partners, but it had blossomed since you started spending time together without threat of imminent danger or saving each others lives. You would count him as a friend now, getting to know Derek the person and not Alpha Derek who’s angry and doesn’t know what he’s doing leading a pack of teenagers. You were talking a lot, about the pack and you tried helping him out the best you could, but also non-werewolf related things like books and movies. Or you’d just sit in silence, enjoying each other company reading or watching a show. You learned that Derek was not a microwave popcorn kind of person, they taste better in a pan, and he loves gingersnaps. Seriously, he ate a plate of them you’d made for a bake sale, managing to look guilty when you walked into the kitchen and caught him redhanded, crumbles on his shirt. 

He volunteered to help you make more. He’s now banned from the kitchen. 

Things were getting better though, in general, and with the pack. Since the others were able to smell Derek’s scent lingering on you, and after a serious talk, they started to include the sour wolf in things as well. Group hugs were now a mandatory thing after a successful day of kicking butts, or after a rough one. The pack had grown closer, and you could see the change in Derek as well, he seemed to be breathing a bit easier, more sure of himself and his place in the pack and as a leader. This wasn’t just a group of people forced together fighting, it was a pack. A family. The first time you saw him smile was after that group hug, it was half a smile but it was genuine, you could see it in his eyes. And it was beautiful, you wish you’d brought a camera so you could freeze that moment. Sadly it was promptly cut short by Chris Argent showing up.

The thing about being a human running with wolves, you were a weakness and therefore also the target of everyone trying to hurt the pack, or just general assholes who got their kick out of hurting kids. Frankly, with the amount of hospital visits since you moved here, you should have earned a free one by now. Mrs McCall was not amused by that suggestion, muttering about idiots as she finished changing the dressing on your arm. This time was a close call, and you would have a constant reminder everyday you looked in the mirror. The big bad of the week had almost succeeded in removing your heart. Thankfully Scott came bursting through the door and saved the day and you passed out, supposedly being carried by Derek all the way to the hospital. Yeah, there was a conversation that you did not want to have, but it couldn’t be put off any longer. You were officially discharged and sent home, ordered to rest and not doing any strenuous activities.

Which is why you were in your pajamas at 3pm, hair up in a messy bun having a Netflix marathon and stuffing your face full of snacks when something crashed on to the floor, startling you. Looking up, your eyes locked with familiar pools. If looks could kill, he’d glare a hole in your head. Oh boy. He looks pissed. You had seen him angry before, but not like this, not at you. You jumped up, subconsciously moving back towards the door like he was a wild animal. Though, to be honest in that moment he was.

“Derek-”

“What the hell where you thinking? Are you actually insane? Do you have some sort of death wish?”

“I was thinking that he needed to be stopped before someone else got hurt.”

“Someone did.” Which, fair point. Then suddenly, he was moving towards you rapidly and something inside you told you to run. Derek Hale is finally going to tear my throat out. Shit.

“I’m sorry I-” Something crashed into you, if it weren’t for the arms around your waist holding you upright you’d be on the floor right now. It took you a moment to process what was happening, then it hit you. Oh. Derek’s hugging me. He had never initiated one before. Now, he was clinging to you like you would float away if he let go and you realized he wasn’t angry, he was scared. Scared for you. Before you made the choice, your arms found their way around, returning the hug and you burrowed your face into his neck, his scent filling your nostrils. 

You weren’t sure of how long you stayed like that, but when he finally took a step back and fixed you with a stare, you missed his touch already. 

“Don’t ever do that again. You’re pack. They need you.” I need you. 

“I promise to try my hardest not to die. Okay? You won’t get rid of me that easily.” I’m not going anywhere. He scoffed, shaking his head. 

“Why did it have to be teenagers?” He sighed. 

“Oh hush you big teddy bear, you know you love me.”

“I tolerate you.”

“Okay, whatever you say sour wolf. So, are you staying?”

“Yes.”

[kaynamiteineurope]

Day 12: A Successful Day of Looking at Art and Not Getting Smited Day 12 of our trip, the second Friday, we got to sleep in a bit later and meet up for the bus into the city at 10:30am. I struggled, as I usually do, and took a 10 minute shower and dried and put my hair up in a ponytail, choosing to wear my yellow dress for the Vatican (with my leggings rolled up underneath). At first, I thought I looked kind of cute. Then, I nearly immediately decided that I actually just looked rough. And whale-like. So that was a great way to start the day. We went down to breakfast a bit before 10 and ate some peach halves, pastries, and scrambled eggs before getting on the tour bus that was set to drop us off near Piazza Navona for the day. We started off looking at a shop near the center, 4 Rivers, fountain and picked up some great stuff--an ornament for Natasha and a magnet and gift for my mom for me and a keychain for Carolina--then we tried to find a dress shop we had remembered passing the night before on the walk to the bus. We didn't, however, end up finding it and instead walked around for an hour or so, ducking into other shops to no avail. After we gave up on that, we bought fruit cups for a snack and decided to head back over to the Trevi Fountain so Natasha could get a video of her throwing a coin into the fountain since mine had turned out so cute compared to the pictures we had already taken. By now, my sandal-ed feet (or tour director had recommended sandals for those whose feet were hurting in their shoes) were starting to itch and burn at the same time from all the walking, and the sun was pretty high in the sky, so my entire back was basically all sweat (sexy, right?). We wove our way through a massive amount of people on a couple main streets, before finally turning off to the smaller ones to reach the fountain. Right before the Trevi piazza, we passed a line of street artists and stopped to check out some of their work. Unlike Venice, where the mode of art was usually oil, Rome seemed to be a lot of watercolors--which is tough because watercolors, especially those on mattes, are very easy to do prints of and pass them off as originals (we saw another couple from our group who bought prints, though I'm not sure they knew it). So we had been very vigilant with our browsing to make sure what we were going to get was original work. We decided to circle back after the fountain because we were on a tight time-frame (we had to meet back up at Piazza Navona at 2 for the bus to the Vatican City). We fought our way through to the fountain, where I took an adorable video of Natasha throwing a second coin into the fountain, and then we took forever in the Trevi Bar (a place the nice couple from Indiana had recommended) for some gelato. There was a tour there of Asian tourists getting their gelato, and when one of them asked for pineapple and apple, the guy behind the counter started singing the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen song, so it's been stuck in my head ever since. Which is mega annoying. I got a small with raspberry and lemon (my favorite), and then I navigated us back toward the art. There was one guy with larger works that both of us really liked, but they were going to be 50 a piece, so we went over to a second artist who had smaller pieces for a lot less money. Natasha ended up getting a medium-sized piece and I got three wider-rectangle pieces (15 euro total!) that were of different historical sights in the city that I think will look awesome together in a collage. We got to the Piazza Navona just in time to meet up with the group, and then we walked a few blocks in the sun over to the public bus stop where we hopped onto a bus to the Vatican City. Do you know how amusing it is to watch a group of 44 people scrambling to pack into a bus? Or how subsequently amusing it is to watch the expression on other people's faces as they realize they're either trapped in their seats or won't actually be able to get on without sardining with us? Quite funny. Quite funny indeed. (Less funny for my aching feet, though, since we barely ever manage to get actual seats.) We took a small break on the steps directly across from the entrance to the Vatican--during which most people seemed to struggle against falling asleep--as we waited for Alexandra to meet up with our tour guide for the afternoon. Once we did, we started the process of going inside, walking through metal detectors and having our bags scanned. We made our way up onto the second floor where we picked up the Vatican-approved lime green and blue radios (the earbud was super big and my radio was extremely temperamental. The channel would change itself every 15 seconds and I kept having to fiddle with it the entire time just to hear our tour guide talk about the history of the city and its buildings). Then, we walked out into a courtyard area and sat down while she explained about different parts of the city we would be seeing. She explained a lot about the Pope and how even though the Pope is a lifetime gig, the current Pope was elected after the previous one resigned, which hasn't happened since the 12th century. She explained that since the only way a Pope is supposed to exit his position is through death, they still held a funeral ceremony for him and he was flown out of the city, and subsequently brought back in where he now lives on the grounds near the gardens in a private home that they renovated for him. She also said that on a tour two weeks ago, she actually saw the Pope himself walking around! In the Sistine Chapel, there aren't supposed to be photos (because it's copyrighted) and you're not allowed to talk. But she also explained that the Chapel is open to the people who live in the Palace. Michelangelo, the famous painter of the Sistine Chapel, originally wanted to be a sculptor, but while his first piece--of the Virgin Mary holding her dead child for the last time, a piece in St Peter's Basilica--was the piece that got him noticed for the first time, it was his painting that made him famous. He lived until he was 90 (whereas Raphael only lived until age 30). The Chapel itself was built in the 1400's, with Michelangelo decorating it with his masterpiece from 1508-1512, and the wall frescos were added in the 1530's (frescos are made when you have to transfer your design onto fresh plaster and then paint it to make the heat seal in the color, while is why the Chapel's art is so well preserved). The ceiling itself isn't very deep, but since painters have to lay on their backs on super tall scaffolds to paint it, Michelangelo complained a lot in his letters that it hurt his back a lot to paint the Chapel ceiling (which I totally get!). While Michelangelo was originally from Florence, he vowed he never wanted to "go back to the city that disappointed him." Unfortunately, his body was stolen from Rome and is now housed in Florence, which would have been his biggest nightmare. After all of that, and a ton more information, we walked through the Vatican's museum. A lot of it was statues and sculptures, with a pair of coffins, a giant marble bathtub, and plenty of vases. They also had painted maps, more fresco walls and ceilings, and giant tapestries. The entire thing was really interesting and fun to go through (more fun if my feet hadn't been screaming), but, of course, it was the Sistine Chapel everyone was waiting for. By the time we wound our way through the museum, and down the stairs to the chapel, there were a ton of people inside. The Chapel was smaller than I expected--especially after seeing Saint Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace in Venice--but every inch of it was covered in Michelangelo's masterpiece. Each of the people were shadowed in a way I'm not sure I'd ever be able to figure out, and they were massively impressive. Weirdly enough, my first thought was "Ooooh, this is so cool! It's even got the gated off section near the back that they had in the Da Vinci Code!" ...Yup. After our ten minutes in the Chapel, we headed out and over to Saint Peter's Basilica. Saint Peter's is the largest Catholic Church in the world. According to our tour guide, all other Catholic Churches actually have an agreement with the Vatican that they can't construct a church bigger than that of Saint Peter's. It was massively impressive. And, thankfully, we were allowed to take pictures here. They were even starting the evening rosary because services started at 6 and we were there just before it at like 5:45pm, which I'm sure my grandma would have loved. Afterward, we headed outside and our guide pointed out where the Pope lived, and that the guards who stand by the gate to his house have intricate uniforms that cost about 1,500 euro (where as the ornate Pope shoes are 5,000!). Then we walked a million miles down the street toward the store where we could purchase Vatican souvenirs which would have the opportunity to be blessed by the Pope's priests. I picked out a beautiful pearl-y looking one that has a bit of Vatican holy water in it, and had them bless it, and then our group split into two for the night. One group went off to the hotel and the rest of us took a bus back near Piazza Navona to have our 35 euro (originally 55) 5-course, 6-wine Italian dinner. It was held at a place called Buddy's and it was delish! We had a veggie plate, bruschetta, a meats and cheeses plate with the best bread I've had in Italy, then they brought out a traditional tomato pasta, pork slices, and then a dessert of these little shortbread sticks. I ate until I was full and drank a bit too much, so I was a little giggly and introduced myself to one of the guys on the trip, Gus, who I hadn't talked to until that day. He told me about how he's nicknamed "Vanilla Gorilla" and I talked about how I needed a cool nickname like that (yeah, I know. I was quite tipsy though, so it's fine). We walked a while to get to our tour bus and then our tour guide spent the entire drive back drunkenly talking on the mic about how we all needed to get together at the hotel and keep drinking. Then she started passing around the mic to the other girls of whom she actually knows the names of, joking and laughing with them. Then they used a girl's phone and put it up to the mic to play music. Our. Poor. Bus. Driver. Not only were we 40 minutes late from the time he thought he was picking us all up, but then he had to deal with a bunch of drunken college kids and an even more far gone tour director. That man deserves a raise. So we got back to the hotel and she told us to meet back in the lobby in 10 minutes and that she would buy wine and treat us all to a last drink in Italy. Natasha and I decided since we'd pretty much opted out of all of the longer nights that we'd join and get to know people. So I changed into a PJ top and touched up my make-up (though it didn't really help) and then we headed back down, where they had already broken into the wine. Alexandra finally noticed we were there, told us to get a glass of wine, and then told Natasha she loved her ancient Grecian dress and that she loved how put-together and pretty I looked with my winged eyeliner. She said "I love you guys," and then held my hand for a bit and then promptly forgot we were there. So we got kicked out of the lobby for being too loud, so we went outside and set up there. Here we drank some more wine and Alexandra had us go around the group and say what we thought would happen on the trip and what actually has happened. A lot of the girls talked about how they thought they wouldn't get along with anyone (bull) and how it hadn't been the case at all and how much they loved "literally everyone here" and that they got "along with everyone" (also bull). Natasha and I headed back up to the room around midnight and once we were back, we realized that we had both had the same thoughts. They didn't mean it. They didn't even know all of us. Barely any of them had tried to get to know us, let alone Carolina. The quieter, culture-driven girls were pushed off to the side. We weren't there for the wine and the partying or the boys (though it wouldn't hurt to get a guy along the way!). We were there for the architecture and the mythology, the culture and the experience. It was just a huge shift. And Alexandra said how we were our favorite group and she loved each and every one of us and how we were so wonderful, but she doesn't know Natasha or my name--only those of the girls who were loud and drank a lot. The entire thing was just a sort of shift in the trip. I drank too much wine (I'm sure any of you could have called that--those of you who know my minuscule drinking habits), so I spent the next hour propped up in bed thinking about how nauseous I was. I fell asleep and then from 1:30-2am, I sat in the bathroom hoping I would just puke and get it over with. But when that seemed like it wouldn't ever happen, I went back to bed and slept through the night. ...Or at least until my alarm went off at 5:50am and then it was time for GREECE! And, of course, the ESCAPE FROM THE INSECT ROOMS OF DOOM! FINALLY!!!! Ciao, Horrible "Club House Hotel" of Doom! I shall never return and absolutely never miss you!