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#so if they're only hiring part-time i guess i'll just have to work two jobs
stairset · 1 year
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Microdosing on having money by looking at virtual tours of apartments I can’t afford
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sekhithefops · 7 months
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Anyone who tells a queer person "Just Move to a Better State" doesn't get it.
So, as some of you know I've got an account on Bluesky, one of the social media websites that arose from the ashes after Elon Musk completely fucked up Twitter beyond how fucked it was even on it's worst day.
Recently I shared this article, hoping to spread some good news to my fellow members of the LGBTQA+ community:
And some smarmy jackass replied with this:
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Yeah... anyone who says this is an asshole who doesn't get the realities of these situations.
I grew up in Kentucky. Yes, the state where Mitch "the Lich" McConnell was spawned (we're trying to get rid of him but that asshole hid his phylactery really good okay?) As some of you might guess, my own home state has issues with people who try to push these sorts of laws.
I've been told by others, in the past, to just move to a better state.
I tried it once infact, I moved from the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area (I lived right on the border between Ohio and Kentucky at the time) to another city where I was going to live with a gay couple I met online who were friends with my, at the time, partner.
... you probably see where this is going already, but I'll continue.
The city definitely had a good LGBTQA+ presence, but here's the thing. I stayed there only six months before all but fleeing back to Kentucky.
Why?
Several reasons.
NOBODY wanted to hire "the new kid in town." I had a horrible time finding a job that would satisfy my roommate. They knew I had only worked retail in the past and, at the time, had no college under my belt at all. I tried getting jobs in multiple places. I tried getting hired on as a 911 operator, at several higher end stores, and such. You know where I wound up working? A shitty little Circle K station. It was the ONLY place that would hire me and paid a pittance. I could barely help with bills at all.
My roommate was a judgemental asshole. To quote Sir Terry Pratchett, "Just because someone is part of a minority doesn't mean they can't also be a small minded prick." One of my roommates judged me for EVERYTHING. Nothing I did was good enough, and if he found out something he didn't like he would hang it over my head and never stop giving me shit for it. I hated it. I hated it within weeks of arriving but I didn't want to leave because that would be 'admitting defeat' or some bullshit (it was ten years ago, I forget exactly how I justified it.)
I had to give up all the friends and family I had in the move. The part of the country I moved to was a place that I had never been before. I had no friends there, I had no family there. All I had to rely on was my two roommates. One of them clearly didn't want an extra roommate but went along with it because his boyfriend wanted it (I feel bad for him these days,) the other one... see item 2. This also leads into item four...
Because I had no friends and family there, I had no safety net. Asshole roommate constantly reminded me if I didn't get a 'better job' (and good luck to me on that given the circumstances) I'd be out on my ass, in a totally unfamiliar city. I had no help there besides them and he knew it, and he held that over me every chance he got.
Finally, after six months, I managed to move back in with my mother in Kentucky. This story does have a happy ending though. I wound up splitting up with my at the time partner (who in hindsight really wasn't a good match for me, though I hear they're doing much better these days,) and it was the wake up call I needed to get some college education. That didn't go great, but having even partial college on a resume helped me get a job that was far FAR better than retail work which I've held for over five years now.
I realized too that while Kentucky isn't great on progressiveness as a whole... the part of the state I'm from actually is. We're part of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area (which basically means "if it wasn't for state lines we'd just be part of Cincinnati") and there's actually a really big LGBTQA+ community around here. These days I see Pride bumper stickers everywhere, and there's several houses nearby with Pride flags as well.
In Kentucky. Yes, that Kentucky.
But my point is... even assuming a person CAN move, it doesn't mean that it'll fix everything. In my case those six months were absolutely hellish despite living with a queer couple in a major city. My life only improved AFTER I moved back to Deep-in-the-Red-State Kentucky. Because the part I'm in has a good community, I have friends and family who support me, I have a good job here, and I have a good life here in spite of what some idiot in the state capitol is up to.
In closing, I have this to say: If you hear someone talking about queer issues in their home state and your first instinct is to tell them to just move to California or New York or some other state... just shut the hell up.
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clevermrclandestine · 20 hours
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Well, it's been a while. Dips in mood do that. My bad.
FAMILY Honestly, haven't seen 'em much. Feels good. The few times I have seen them, though, were great! I saw my mom last week when I did my laundry at her house (she always says "Oh, don't forget to bring ALL of your laundry this time! That includes your bedding."). Thank you, Mom. I appreciate you sharing your resources with the needy. She works from home one day a week which gives us time to catch up. I usually don't have much to update her on (I live a nice, boring life), but I always love to hear how she's been and what she's been up to. All that jazz. Had dinner with my two older sisters and their families including my three nephews as well as my dad and his family. It was a nice time. The service at the restaurant was slow as fuck, though. Exceptionally so, in fact. My thought was, "Wow, they must not have wages high enough to ensure competent, reliable workers. Fuckin' management." Having worked in food service for a significant portion of my life, there is little the staff can do other than their best. Aside from that, it was awesome getting to see my nephews talking and interacting with everyone at the table. To me, kids are useless until they start developing sentience. Then things start to pay off. Oh, Nova (my cat) is doing great! Still shedding like crazy, but I'm still willing to look past that. I got here a cheap toy from a thrift store down the road and that mother fucker doesn't even play with it! Like, come on! I'm really tryin', here. Kidding aside, it's nice having something to take care of. But a potted plant would be a lot easier… we'll see.
JOB SEARCH I am taking my mom's advice and looking for a long-term, chemistry-related job. After all, I went to school for chemistry. Been coming up with a cover letter (my first, actually) for whatever places near me are hiring. So far, I have one that has openings listed. Maybe I should just call the other places and inquire directly. A part of me thinks they would appreciate the effort, but another part thinks they would think I am wasting their time. Either way, I will do whatever I need to… things gotta' change.
MENTAL HEALTH No updates, really. Except that I have been getting "brain zaps" again which is odd given that I haven't missed any doses of Paroxetine. They only occur with lateral eye movements (No idea why. Don't ask me.) on some days. Overall, it isn't much of a concern. It's just interesting. Need a blood draw for a lithium level per request of my psychiatrist. Actually, a PNP: they're cheaper. You get used to needles over time. It hurts to say, but I need to stop ingesting political content. It just stresses me out. Also, some good news: I have been drinking less. A lot less. Now, just kick the nicotine and I'll finally be free… but let's be realistic.
PHYSICAL HEALTH Been running a lot. My version of a lot, anyway: 5 days/wk for >3mi @ ~8.5-9min/mi Was really proud of myself the other day when I went for 5 miles, but, shit, I was exhausted. Gonna have to take a break from running, though; shin splints, such bullshit. I guess my stationary bike should suffice, and if I don't build up my core strength then I will never reach my goal of a comfortable 5mi @ <8.5mi/min. That is why God invented situp benches. I'm kidding. People invented those. They also invented gods, now that I think about it. My diet has been leaner the past few weeks. Thank christ that I am not baking anymore. It's for my own good: I always eat whatever I decide to bake. And yes, it is always sugary, salty, and fucking delicious. So carbs are a no go for me, right now. I'll celebrate with a cheat day once I get below 170lbs… just 5 more pounds, mother fucker.
HOBBIES N' SHIT As the first line in this post suggests, I really haven't done many things I enjoy. Sure, I jot down the random ideas I have throughout the day, reorganize my papers and files, and read about the things I like. But I haven't been doing them consistently. Doing them has taken too much effort the past few weeks. Hell, I'm surprised I've been running as much as I have. I feel proud of it, sure, but… I don't know.
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dmcoffee · 1 year
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Journal is packed away but I need brain clarity.
I think I am sitting pretty between panic and disassociation, so here's me whinging about the chaos to get it of my brain because I cannot find my journal atm.
So! RV's got hiccups. Some of this I expected. My range of solutions and subsequent picking of more mechanically minded individuals brains has netted me bumpkis atm. (Pretty sure there's an electrical issue. Alternator is my guess.) My tools are limited. My funds are limited at this precise moment. (And I have to make sure I'm careful about keeping gas money available so I can work.)
And I haven't been able to really get in there and so any work sealing up holes, because current elevation and lack of a ladder prevents me from monkeying all over it. Still missing two massive windows, rendering it unsafe to use for sleeping atm. And I cannot move it to work on it. I did run some primer on the inside and treated some of the wood pieces (I think I can get by on 1-2 small spackle cans here, the damage there is minor.)
Packing is slow and overwhelming. I think its emotional, but I'll bear it in mind next time I have to go see the doctor. Considering how much my other siblings are getting fascinating diagnosis's recently, there's a chance I too may be not as balanced as I could be with medication or some other accommodation.
Right now however, it's like pulling teeth. And I'm physically exhausted. Pretty sure I've managed to remember all the meals I need to eat. Have more going now because I felt hungry, so I'm trusting that. Also good way to get rid of perishables.
Technically I should be out tomorrow. IDK how the hell that's gonna look. There is still so. much. stuff. And only the van to put what I'm keeping into it.
This place needs to be cleaned too. I'm not sure I can let myself be petty enough to leave it as this guy's problem, even if he is a shit landlord.
I also think I might be getting sick. I'm hoping that this fatigue and that feeling in the back of my throat are all just from stress and allergies. I can't afford to get sick. (I'm an American, duh.)
The really crappy part is I might have to ask to stay at someone's for a while. With my cat...
I do not want to do that. Logically I know that even with it being a temporary thing, it's a big ask. And my friends have said that's a better alternative to me sleeping out of my car...I just feel incredibly frustrated and ashamed to have to reach out.
I've reviewed everything I know about what's happened, and aside from some minor tweaks, I don't think I could've avoided this outcome though...
The mental health had to be addressed. The meds were from my doctor. The side effects weren't caused by anything I did. And I physically could not keep up. My job hunt was long and difficult. I interviewed for the same position at the same store 3 times! And they're still "hiring.". (How???? The place was always packed with eager applicants too.) I wasn't being picky, I just picked whatever I could do that would cover my rent. Not enough.
I had 6 months put back for emergencies like this. It wasn't enough.
I partially paid the landlord and kept him in the loop. (Something he didn't do for me, I might add.)
And then when I looked into what to do once he gave me my two weeks, I lucked into the RV deal. Because rent's too high or with unknown roommates. (Bonus points for them being college guys. I'm don't want to room with guys I don't know. Did ask 1 person I knew, but we couldn't make that happen.)
All in all? It all makes sense. It all sucks. And at most I could've...applied more than just 10 apps per day? That's it, I think...
Yet I still feel guilty, like I didn't do enough, because that's how I was taught you're supposed to think of people. If you can't see them burning themselves out first, then they clearly aren't trying, and are probably just mooches and manipulators. (Ironically, I can't hold this opinion of others, but I sure as hell apply it to myself.)
Even though a few steps here and there might've forestalled worse consequences. (I guess I could've asked for help to pay rent until I found a job, but...I hate that. Intensely.)
So I'm starting to fizzle a bit and I'm going to have to ask, and I hate that. So I'm mad with my situation. Frustrated that I'm not an island and the cool self-sufficient adult I've heard about in grown-ups myths. Mostly I just feel like a very sad houseplant. IDK....
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johnsamericano · 3 years
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𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥
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Hi everyone! As promised, here’s one of the two most voted fic continuations. There will be more chapters to this story though I'm not sure how many yet. Thank you for reading!
warnings: sugar daddy jae, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language.
taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv
Sugar rush m.list.
The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?
The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?
The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?
The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?
The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?
Where did everything go wrong?
Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.
Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.
“Hello?” Your voice was raspy from not using it. There was no one to talk to in the quiet, hospital room but the nurses, who weren't especially keen on chatting.
“How’s your dad, sweetie?”
“They let him out of ICU, but he doesn't look good to me.” Your fingers traced the cuts in his chiseled cheeks that would soon turn into scars, ruining his perfect skin. Your eyes then diverted to his head, thoroughly covered in bandages to protect his damaged skull.
“Honey, I've got bad news...”
“They rejected the case, didn't they?”
“Not precisely.” She deeply inhaled before continuing. “It’s a tough case, almost impossible to win, nonetheless, they're willing to take it. But their fee is a little...”
“Expensive.”
“Yes.”
As expected from the best firm in town, they wouldn't take less than $8,000. Your bank account didn't have enough money to even cover half of it, and with your job at the convenience store, you'd only earn so much to cover your expenses.
“We can take the lawyer that the government provides us with, it would be free.”
“But then I'm sure we’d lose.” You groaned in frustration, using your free hand to rub your forehead. “Don’t worry, I'll find a way to get the money.”
“Why don't we just accept the compensation they're offering? It could pay for the hospital bills and you'd still have some left to pay for your tuition.”
“That would be like putting a price on my father's life. I don't want their money, I want them to make themselves responsible for what they've caused.” The sound of wheels approached the door of your father's room, signaling the nurse was outside with his meds. “It’s okay, Auntie, I'll take care of everything. You can go back home, I know my uncle isn't doing so well.”
“Are you sure, darling?” It was undeniable that she wanted to head back to her little ranch fat away from the hectic city life to take care of her sick husband, but still, her brother was laying down on a hospital bed, fighting for his life.
“Yes, I'm an adult, I'll find a way.”
“Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call me if you're having any difficulties. I'll be there in the blink of an eye.” She said before sending a kiss into the speaker, proceeding to hang up.
You sighed. It was never usual for you to ask for help, as you were an extremely prideful and independent person, and you doubted this time would be different.
“Don’t worry, dad. Everything will be alright.”
Three failed job interviews and one more to go. Your feet were killing you, the high heels covering them already worn out from walking to avoid taking the bus. Every penny counted, and as long as your legs worked, you weren't spending any more money than what was necessary.
You sat down in the waiting room of the company, massaging your neck to relieve some tension. College was becoming a burden. Maybe you'd take a semester off to focus on working, that is if someone wanted to hire an inexperienced student.
“Y/n, Y/l/n?”
“Here.” You darted up, gathering your belongings to enter the room on which your life almost literally depended.
You gave all the right answers, earning a polite ‘we’ll contact you’ in return. But you could see that they weren't convinced with your lack of experience, no company in their right mind would be.
As soon as you arrived at your apartment, you slid out of the uncomfortable pencil skirt, tucking yourself under the covers with your phone screen almost hitting your nose.
To take your mind off things, you decided to watch some videos. Halfway in, an ad popped up, interrupting the interior deco video you were watching.
A picture of a girl about your age hugging an older man was right in the middle of your screen. Written with fancy letters, the words ‘make your life simpler’ could be read, followed by what you guessed was the title of the app. Sugar rush.
Out of pure curiosity, your finger tapped at the small icon that led to the app store, absentmindedly clicking the download button. A few seconds later, an icon with the letters ‘SR’ was added to your home screen.
“Log in?” You murmured out loud, squinting your eyes to adjust your eyes to the bright, white homepage.
Just as you were about to click out, the phrase from the ad reappeared, stopping your finger from moving any further.
You could always delete your account if something went wrong, right? Nonetheless, you decided to use a false name, and that's how Melanie Kim’s profile was created. You left the circle of your profile picture empty for now, only filling the spaces that asked about your likes, dislikes, age, and all that stuff that people care about so much.
You knew what the app was for, but that didn't stop you from being surprised when a list of men and women of different ages greeted you. Right then, a small rectangle obstructed your sight, two buttons offering opposite things.
‘Pick the role you'd like to develop.’
Sugar daddy/mommy / Sugar baby.
Clearly, you didn’t have nor the money or the years to be the first, so you clicked the opposite button without giving it more thought.
‘Welcome. You've been registered as a sugar baby at Sugar rush. Meet thousands of men and women willing to finance you for free!’
You hummed.
‘As we're always looking to make our users’ experience better, we've developed Sugar Rush premium, a membership to meet the richest and hottest people in your surroundings. Get the premium version for only $5.95 a month. Click here to get Sugar Rush premium.’
Your finger pad was dangerously close to the blue button, almost grazing the screen of the phone. It was then when you were pulled out of your trance, blinking as if just then you'd realized what you were doing.
“I must be crazy.” You turned off your phone, not bothering to turn on an alarm for the next day. You had no interviews left. You had nowhere to go.
Waking up was getting harder with every passing day. Not being able to call your dad to go out for breakfast or even sending a simple good morning message hurt you deeply. You missed him. But seeing him laying down on a hospital bed, unable to do anything by himself, was even worse.
Ding
A notification filled the silence in your room.
‘Come back, you haven't finished setting up your account yet!’
You scoffed at your past self. What were you even thinking when you downloaded the app?
You simply turned off the phone before standing up to take a relaxing shower. As the water soaked up your tense body, your mind started wandering off back to the app. A million what-ifs filled your head, nonetheless, there was one that remained the most persistent.
‘What if this can pay for a lawyer?’
Your part-time job surely couldn't, and you had no one to assist you financially speaking. The whole idea of paying that ridiculous membership seemed more tempting as your fingers started getting wrinkly under the showerhead.
You decided to take some time to consider it, after all, you still had a week to give the lawyers an answer.
Hot soup seemed like a good option to comfort you, and thankfully, there was a store right in front of your place that claimed to sell the best soups in town.
It wasn't bad, but not nearly as good as the one your dad cooked when you were a kid. You sighed, wondering if you'd ever be able to eat it again. Just then, a woman about your age came into the shop, carrying a couple of bags where names of popular brands could be read. A pinch of jealousy made your heart stir as you glanced at yourself through the reflection in the glass at your side. You looked devastated, your skin pale and your cheekbones slightly sunken, a sign of the lack of rest and food you'd been getting.
Out of pure impulse, you pulled out your phone, clicked on the app you'd recently downloaded, and finally accepted the charges for a premium membership.
‘Welcome, new member of our wide community, click ok to get started!’
Well, no turning back now.
Right after pressing the blue letters with your thumb, you were presented with a list of potential prospects, some of them including pictures, some of them only including name and a brief description of what they were looking for. The minority included their ages, but most left the space blank.
A bunch of old men looking for a youthful, pretty woman to be by their sides, some of them even went as far as writing the weight and height their ideal partner should have. Of course, there were also some women in the look for young meat, but the number of men overpassed them.
About to exit the app in defeat, a profile caught your eye. His pale pink hair was parted, allowing his thick eyebrows to stand out. His high cheekbones made him look like a statue, the details in his face almost too perfect for a mere human. He must be the incarnation of a Greek God, you thought.
‘Jung Yoonoh. 41 years old. Owner of N & C.’
“Should I...?” You asked yourself in a voice lower than a whisper.
He has probably gotten hundreds of messages, so what would be the point of sending one yourself? Your eyes scanned the picture over and over again as the remains of your soup started getting cold.
He was probably the only acceptable man in the whole app, so why not give it a try?
You already spent five whole dollars on it, might as well make it worth the money.
‘Hi.’ Sent.
“Holy crap.” You breathed out, regretting every single action that led you to take such a stupid decision. “Ah!” You squeaked as three small dots appeared beside his profile picture, signaling he was writing a reply.
What if he rejected you right from the beginning? God, that would be so humiliating. His message stopped your train of thought.
‘Hi!’
Followed by:
‘How are you?’
Sweating like a pig, thank you for asking.
‘Fine. You?’ Read.
‘Thrilled. No one had messaged me since I created my account two weeks ago.’
‘How is that possible?’ You imprinted your thoughts on a message.
‘It’s hard to trust people nowadays. I guess people might think either my picture is photoshopped or I'm lying about my job.’
‘Their loss, ig.’ Read.
He was taking some time to answer. Had you said something inappropriate?
‘Hahaha.’
The conversation stopped there, as you didn't know how exactly to answer his message. But a few minutes later, another text from him popped up at your chat.
‘If you're okay with it, we can start talking about a possible arrangement.’
Already? You've known each other for like five minutes. But then again, arrangements were the whole purpose of the app.
‘Sure.’
‘May I ask your reasons for joining the app?’
‘I need urgent money, but my job doesn't pay nearly enough.’ You omitted the part of your agonizing father, he didn't need to know that. ‘And you?’
‘I need someone to be my partner at public spaces.’
‘Alright.’ Read.
‘Do you happen to have some free time tomorrow at lunchtime? I think it’d be better to meet first before making any decisions.’
‘Yeah, I'm free.’
‘Great, I’ll send you the address.’
You thought a day would be enough to prepare yourself, but time passed by quicker than usual, and soon enough, it was time to get ready for your meeting with Mr. Jung. He was only a few years younger than your father, and calling him by his first name wouldn't feel right.
Unsure if you should wear something formal, you threw on a beige (the color you'd agreed on wearing so it’d be easier to recognize each other) summer dress, pairing it with the gold hoops you'd inherited from your grandma to make it look more elegant.
The hardest part of your routine was makeup. Your sunken cheeks couldn't be covered, and only after a few layers of blush and highlighter, you could bring your skin back to life.
On your way to the cafe, you went through the things you'd say when you met him. It was your chance to get your father what he needed.
You stood at the entrance with wide, scared eyes, shyly scanning through the place to look for your date.
“Melanie?” A hand on your shoulder had you jolting. “I’m Jung Yoonoh, nice to meet you.”
What you saw after turning around was breathtaking. A handsome, healthy man, with the most beautiful pair of dimples.
“Nice to meet you.” You managed to blurt out without stuttering, extending your hand to make the greeting more formal. The fake name didn’t seem necessary anymore. “It’s actually y/n, I didn't want to use my real name.”
“I understand. Let’s take a seat.” He offered with a kind smile.
He left you seating at the terrace while he made your order, a latte, and a chocolate cookie. Your fingers played with your hoops anxiously, trying to regulate your breath.
“They’ll bring our food in just a sec.” He offered a warm smile. “Your dress is pretty.” Yoonoh said out of nowhere.
“Thank you.”
“I see you're not a chatty person.” You were about to object, but he started speaking again. “It's not a bad thing! I usually talk a lot, so it’s a nice way to balance things.”
You nodded, seemingly uncomfortable with the man sitting in front of you.
“So, uhm, this is my first time doing this, so I'm not really sure where to begin.” He pulled out a folded paper from the front pocket of his dressing pants. “It’s a bit creased, but I can always print another one. I brought it so you could take a look and let me know if you wanted to change anything. I don't mean to pressure you, but you said it was urgent, so...”
You read the paper under his attentive gaze, making sure not to miss a single word. Everything seemed correct, except...
“Six months?”
“Is that too much?” A small wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, a sign of deep concentration. “Okay, so let's do this instead.”
He took back the contract, pulling out a pen from the pocket in his dressing shirt to correct the original stipulations.
“Four months, and if by the end of them you don't absolutely hate me, we can extend the time. Deal?”
“Just one more thing.”
You cleared your throat, conscious that your following words might jeopardize the whole arrangement.
“Are you sure you want to make it official already?” You had to stop for a moment as the waiter left your orders on top of the wooden table. “I mean, it's not that I have a problem with it, but it's your money and maybe you'd like to give it a better thought.” You resumed.
“The fact that you're concerned about me proves I'm making the right choice. Now, tell me, how much would you like to receive as a weekly allowance?”
Would it be too reckless to ask him straight up for the $8,000?
“H-how much are you willing to give me?” You felt dirty, accepting a stranger’s money like that.
“Whatever you need.” His hand suddenly reached forward to yours, causing every ounce of blood in your body to rush to your face. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, I'm here to help you.” His voice tone dropped, acquiring an almost soothing feeling.
“I need eight thousand by Thursday, next week.” His eyes were wide open, mouth having difficulties remaining closed. “I-I know it's too much, but...”
“I can find a way to give you that money, but I'd like to know the reason why you need it. Just to make sure it's nothing illegal.”
You puffed your cheeks, trying to find an excuse good enough to justify the amount of money you were asking for.
“It isn’t illegal, is it?”
“No!” You retrieved your hand from below his, now embarrassed at the possibility of him having a bad image of you. “I need it for my father.”
“I suppose you don't want to talk about it.” He started at his palm, lips pressed in a thin life. “But when it comes to arrangements like this, we need to trust each other, alright?” You barely knew each other, yet, he demanded to know a very personal detail of your life. Not that he didn't have a good reason for wanting to know, it wasn't a particularly small amount of money.
“He had an accident at work...” You started, fearful of looking up to find pity in his eyes. “I need a lawyer to make his company legally responsible. They intend to throw it under the rug and pay a somewhat decent amount of money to make it go away. The firm I intend to hire is supposedly the best in town, probably my only chance of getting justice.”
“And why don't you just accept it? There's no guarantee that your lawyer will win the case.” You fisted the delicate fabric of your dress, eyes watering as you tried to hold back your anger.
“My father’s life is priceless, and if you think what I'm doing is a waste of money, then fine, we can both look for someone else to help us.” It sounded more aggressive than you'd first intended, but you meant every word that came out of your mouth.
Before you could even stand up, his slim fingers had already wrapped themselves around your wrist.
“I never said that.” He whispered with an almost sad tone. “Come on, sit down.”
He tugged at your arm the slightest, showing off his charming dimples once again.
“I’ll give you the money on one condition...” He raised one of his thick eyebrows. “I’ll go with you to see the lawyer.”
“Why...?”
“That’s my condition, take it or leave it.”
“Okay.”
The days before your meeting with your potential lawyer were nerve-wracking. You'd seen Yoonoh another time to sign the contract, which finally made your arrangement official.
You’d visit your father every day, always hoping he'd be sitting with his arms wide open, ready to hug you. But nothing had changed ever since he first came into that room.
“I’m here to see Mr. Kim.” The secretary's gaze lingered on Jaehyun a few seconds before he finally snapped out of it. “Y/n Y/l/n.”
“Just a second.” He opened his agenda and quickly found your appointment. With a warm smile, he guided you through the corridors of the building, all the way to the elevator. “It’s the only office on the last floor, I'll be at my desk if you need anything.”
Once again, he shot Jae an uneasy glance before the metal doors slid close.
“What was all that?” To be honest, you couldn't care less. But a small chat might calm your nerves and prevent you from throwing up all over the place.
“What do you mean?” He grinned, pressing the button to the top floor.
“You know what I mean.” You scoffed, annoyed at his evasive behavior.
“We just happen to know each other, nothing special.” Before the conversation could continue, a loud ding resonated through the metal cubicle. “Let’s go.” His hand found its place at the small of your back, pushing you towards the glass door. Through it, you could see a black-haired man reading a pile of documents, occasionally raising a photo to examine it with his gold-rimmed glasses supported at the bridge of his elegant nose.
Jaehyun extended his arm over your shoulder to knock on the door, earning an almost annoyed ‘come in’ from the man inside.
“Let’s go.” Once again invading your personal space, he reached for the doorknob with you trapped between his arms.
As soon as the door opened, the man raised his eyes from the documents he was checking.
“What are you doing here, Jung?”
“I knew something was off...” You murmured, loud enough for the man at your side to chuckle.
“I brought you a client, you should be happy.”
“Miss y/n, I suppose. Have a seat.” His demeanor completely changed while speaking directly to you. “I spoke with your aunt last week, she explained the details of the lawsuit, but I must say, it isn't an easy case.”
“I know that, but I've been told you're the best firm in town, I know I'll have more possibilities of winning if you're my lawyer.”
“Best firm in town my ass.”
“Be silent or I’ll kick you out of the building.”
That was enough for Yoonoh to zip his mouth. For a while at least.
“I suppose she also told you about our fee.” He pushed his glasses up using his thumb. “We’d also keep 25% of the lawsuit money assuming we win the case, is that okay with you?”
“Yes-”
“Okay, stop.”
“I’ll call security, Jung.”
“Look at me, y/n.” He squeezed your arms. “This clown is trying to scam you...” He pointed his finger at the lawyer without breaking eye contact. “You’d be spending loads of money for someone who isn't even confident in his abilities. It isn't worth it.”
“And I suppose you'd do better than me, then.” The black-haired man scoffed. “If that's the case, then you can both leave. I'm quite busy at the moment.” With a turn of his wrist, he signaled you to leave the room.
You were fuming, stomping out of the building with Jaehyun right behind you.
“I found a great restaurant nearby, we can go there and-”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Calm down-”
“Don’t tell me to calm down when you just fucked up my only chance to give those bastards what they deserve.” The sun was starting to set, yellow light casting shadows over his tender cheeks.
“Can you listen to me for a second?”
“Are you laughing right now?” You bit your lip, hard, trying to hold back the tsunami of tears threatening to come out of your eyes. “Asshole.”
“Ouch.” He furrowed his eyebrows mockingly. Oh, how close you were to punch that pretty face of his. “Can I explain now?”
You remained silent, staring at the ground with the smallest frown between your eyebrows.
“How do you think I know Kim Doyoung?” Before even giving you a chance to answer, he continued. “That son of a bitch has been stealing my clients for ages.”
“Your clients...?”
“He isn't even that good of a lawyer compared to me.” He scoffed with fake arrogance.
“You're a lawyer?!” You slammed your palms into your face, whining at the newly acquired information. “Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?”
“Just wanted to swing by and annoy him a bit. Don't worry, I wasn't gonna let you accept his deal.” He winked playfully.
The sun was now hidden, the sky darkening as the moon rose to take its shift.
“Though I gotta say, I'm kinda offended I wasn't even an option. I'm a pretty great lawyer, you know?”
“Sorry.”
“I’ll forgive you if you join me for dinner. What do you say?”
As you walked into the darkness of the streets, his shoulder occasionally bumping yours, you wondered if meeting him was a casualty. Maybe the world was finally smiling at you.
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Text
NEVER NOT | AFTER YEARS . . .
❃ PAIRING tom holland x fem!reader
❃ DISCLAIMER i do not own the artists (and the reader) that are going to portray the characters, but i do own some of the their names. the plot of the story is inspired to the book and movie 'to all the boys i've loved before' but with changes. the gifs and photos used in this series are edited by me but i get credits to the originals. also, this series is first posted in wattpad by me. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST IT SOMEWHERE ELSE !
❃ WORD COUNT 2.8k words
❃ AUTHOR'S NOTES you have reached the final chapter of my tom holland series, never not! for those who have reached this part, i would like to say thank you so much for taking your time to read this cliche story that i wrote originally on wattpad, and hopefully, you enjoyed and loved it. thank you also for the constant reblogs and likes for each chapter in this series. i truly appreciate every reblog and like you gave. i also hope that you are satisfied with the ending of this series. with lots of love, lei <3
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NEVER NOT MASTERPOST | LEI'S LIBRARY
"All love stories are tales of beginnings. When we talk about falling in love, we go to the beginning, to pinpoint the moment of freefall." - Meghan O'Rourke
*:・゚✧*:・゚✧
"ONE MORE POSE FOR ME!"
Flash.
"And another one!"
Flash.
"Alright!" Y/N exclaimed and removed her Canon 90D DSLR camera from her right eye. "That's it for today, guys! Great job everyone!" shouted once more and looked at the photos that she took from the monitor of the computer.
She was doing a photoshoot for one of the famous magazine companies, The Hollywood Reporter. She was one of the photographers for the magazine company for almost a year already. She surely was so happy to receive a call way back a year ago before that she was hired. And, she surely was so happy to pursue what she dreamed of.
"Great shots, Y/N. Great as always." Someone said from behind her and Y/N could just smile at the compliment.
"Thank you, Millie." She said and looked at Camille. Camille became a fashion designer like how she always wanted to be. She worked alongside Y/N in several photoshoots just this year, coincidentally.
"Want to grab some coffee on the way home?" Camille asked as she prepared her purse and placed it on her shoulder.
"Sure," Y/N said and got the hard drive that was plugged into the computer since all of the photos were there. Not only was she a photographer but also one of the editors for the magazines. "But after that, I gotta go somewhere."
"Are you gonna go to that place again?" Camille asked and Y/N looked at her and nodded as an answer. They walked out together as they were the only people left there.
"I'll probably call Erika after you go. Just gonna remind her about the reunion that our family had planned for this weekend." Camille said while walking beside Y/N.
"But she'll probably be with Harrison right now," Y/N said.
"They're still together all these years? Never knew she was a relationship person honestly." Camille said.
"Me either. But, she's happy so I'm happy for her." Y/N said.
They entered the coffeehouse that was packed with busy people. The scent of coffee went to their noses as soon as they got in.
"I totally forgot that it's still Friday today," Camille said. "So many people."
They lined up in the long line since there was only one cashier available.
"By the way, have you seen the latest movie?" Camille asked Y/N and she gave a confused look.
"Which one?" Y/N asked back.
"I think it was the— erm— The latest Spiderman movie. I don't know the full title but I heard they just released a new one this month." Camille said. "Tom is in it right?"
Tom.
That name that Y/N will never forget.
Y/N smiled under her breath before answering her. "Yeah, I guess."
After that, they just waited for the line to be shorter and shorter until they were the next one to order. After they ordered, they stood in the corner waiting for their coffee to be made.
"One cappuccino and latte for Y/N!"
"I'll get it," Camille said and walked fast to get their orders. She mouthed thank you to the lady and went to Y/N's side again. "Here's your cappuccino," Camille said and handed Y/N her drink as they made their way out of the coffeehouse.
"So, I'll see you on Monday at work?" Camille asked.
"Always." That was what Y/N answered. "Take care!" She added before waving goodbye to Camille and went in the opposite direction as her with her drink in her hand.
*:・゚✧*:・゚✧
Y/N parked her car on the side of the empty road. After how many months, almost a year, of driving lessons, she could finally drive for herself.
Before she got out, she got her drink and her other things first and removed her coat. She got out of the car with her things and shut the door and locked it.
The wind suddenly blew her hair and she smiled at this great feeling. As she walked towards the sand, she took off her shoes and placed them in the same spot that she would sit on. Luckily, no one was in the place other than herself.
The sun was almost setting and the waves were still moving in the ocean. She had come to this place almost every day or at least most of the time. The light of the sun reflected on the sun symbol on her bracelet that he gave her a few years back. She sighed at the thought of him.
She had lost contact with him just almost a year ago because of his busy schedule but Harrison would be the one to tell her how Tom was doing and all. Well, not really lost contact but they rarely contacted each other for the past few months due to their work.
Although those had happened, she never stopped going back to this place that Tom wanted her to always go. This was the place that kept her alive and stress-free.
Their relationship had its ups and downs.
Tom became one of the most famous celebrities in the world ever since he got the role of being Spiderman. After that, he had more upcoming movies for the past years later on.
Although there may have been rumors about him being in a relationship with one of his co-stars, Zendaya, because of their roles in Spider-Man, her trust for him remain. Although at some point, it hurt her but that just passed away.
Overall, she was happy for him and for what he has achieved. She was so proud of what he had become. It didn't stop her from visiting his family's house and spending time with them.
"I wish you were here right now." She whispered to herself as the wind could not stop making her hair fly.
"And I'm here." A voice said from a distance but loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes widen at this very familiar voice and her eyes began to water.
She slowly looked in the direction of the voice that she heard and there stood the person that she has been waiting for.
He gave her the same smile that she would never forget. He still looked the same as before but he was more muscular now. He looked better in person than on the big screen or in his interviews. His brown hair is now shorter but still had curls on.
"Tom?" She whispered and he could just easily read her lips calling his name. He opened his arms widely for her. She then ran up to his open arms and did not think twice about wrapping her arms around him. He spun her around as soon as he closed his arms around her.
Her tears fell from her eyes while hugging him. When Tom heard her sob, he placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "I'm home, love." He whispered to her.
She pulled away for a while and admired him. His face features, his hair. Everything about him. She suddenly pinched his cheeks with both of her hands that surprised Tom.
"Ow! What was that for?" He asked as he felt the slight pain from the pinch. His voice is deeper than before and his British accent is kind of mixed with an American accent.
"You are real," Y/N said that made Tom chuckle.
She was still as adorable as always. Tom thought
"Of course I am. You thought you're hallucinating?" Tom asked her and she nodded.
"It's been so long to finally see you personally," Y/N said and she slapped him on the chest. "You kept me waiting you know!"
"I'm sorry, love." Tom apologized and kissed her forehead. "Four years, huh?"
"And three months," Y/N added while looking at him and grinned.
"You have been counting," Tom said that made Y/N nod. "I missed you so much." He said and pulled her for a hug again. "God, I do miss you."
"I missed you too, Thomas." She replied and noticed the scrunchie that was on his wrist. The same scrunchie that she gave him before. "You kept it." She said and held to his wrist where the scrunchie was and smiled at him.
"Of course. It really reminded me of you." He answered.
They decided to sit down and talked about each other's new life. Tom was surprised about Y/N's career since he never thought she would be into photography like his brother, Harry.
"Your mom really influenced me to go to that," Y/N said. "That's why I'm so grateful for her."
"I had a photoshoot in that company actually," Tom said and that made her eyes widen. "Really?" She asked.
"Yeah, but that was like two thousand seventeen or something." He answered.
"Your American accent is really showing up," Y/N said and smiled at him.
"Well, most of my roles required this accent which I'm good at, surprisingly." He answered.
"How long have you been here already?" She asked him, curiously.
"Just today. I told my family first and Harrison that I was coming back for a week's vacation. And, I wanted to surprise you." He answered and placed his arms around her shoulders. She placed her head on his shoulder and gave a relieved sigh. Her happiness cannot be measured right now.
"You wanna go to the water?" Tom said and Y/N suddenly ran away from him and giggled.
"If you could catch me first!" Y/N said and ran which made Tom scoffed a laugh.
"I will!" Tom said and chased after her. After a few seconds of running, Tom was a few inches away from her and scooped her legs and carried her bridal style and he walked towards the water.
"No! Put me down! The water is gonna be so cold!" Y/N said but Tom ignored her and laughed. Then, Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and forcefully pushed both of them down together to the water.
"Holy shit, the water is so cold," Y/N said as she raised her head up from the water as well as Tom. "Damn you, Holland!"
"You're gonna pay for that," Tom said and splashed her with water and Y/N did the same. Basically, the couple had a water fight. They kept laughing and splashing on the water to each other even as they stood up.
Tom then grabbed Y/N's arm and pulled her closer to him. They both wrapped their arms around each other and Y/N just gave a light laugh.
*:・゚✧*:・゚✧
"Do you have a towel in your car?" Tom asked as they got out of the water, their bodies and clothes soaking wet as they stayed there a while ago to watch the sunset.
"Yep. It's on the back. I came prepared." Y/N said as she gave Tom the keys and walked towards her car. Tom could just laugh.
Tom got the towel and wrapped it around Y/N's body and continued to hug her from behind. They decided to stay on the beach a little longer until they dried up. After a few minutes, they then went inside the car with Tom as a driver although Y/N insisted that she would drive.
They went directly to Y/N's apartment that she rented ever since she got her work. Tom parked in the basement of the building. As soon as they got out, Tom locked the cars and gave Y/N back her keys. They walked together and got to an elevator going to her apartment.
"How's your dad and Aria?" Tom asked as Y/N shoved the key on the doorknob.
"They are doing great actually," Y/N answered. "Aria got a job in New Zealand in tourism. And, will you believe that my dad actually got married a year ago?" Y/N said happily and opened the door.
"Really? I never heard of that." Tom said.
"Because we made it a private wedding so it's only our relatives and Mom Trina's family too," Y/N explained to Tom. "Mom Trina is an amazing woman and I'm glad they got to meet each other."
"Your mom will be happy that your dad is happy," Tom said and Y/N could only smile.
She placed her things down the counter table. "This is my home." She said to Tom who was looking everywhere in the apartment. "It's not that bad." He said.
"Yep. In my room, I get to see the city and the sunset and sunrise too." While Y/N was talking. Tom just kept staring at her, admiring her. He couldn't explain how happy he felt when he finally saw her again. He walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. This startled Y/N a bit but she held his arms and leaned her back to his chest.
"How did I get so lucky to have you?" Tom whispered and moved her hair away and gave a peck on her neck.
"Destiny, I guess." She answered and turned around to face him. She saw him looked at her lips and decided to close the gap between them by pressing her lips to his. Tom responded to the kiss and pulled her closer to him. As soon as the kiss became heated, she jumped and wrapped her legs around Tom's waist and he was carrying her. He then walked towards her room and shut the room by kicking his foot at the door while kissing and carrying her.
*:・゚✧*:・゚✧
The ray of light hit Y/N's eyes as soon as she woke up. She felt strong arms around her bare waist and she smiled. She yawned and stretched her legs before she tried to move Tom's arm around her. She could still hear his soft snores beside her. His curls are really showing off when his head was on the pillow. She tried to get up but was stopped when she felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to the bed. Strong arms wrapped around her again but this time tighter.
"Tom!" She exclaimed.
"Don't leave me here," Tom mumbled while his eyes were still closed and snuggled his head to her neck which tickled a little.
"Alright, baby," Y/N said and snuggled back at him. "But I have to cook breakfast. It's like almost lunch already."
"That was a long long night." Tom teased and Y/N felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered what happened last night. She slapped Tom's arm playfully who just laughed at her. "Let's do it again," Tom whispered in her ear with a husky voice and attempted to kiss her again but Y/N covered his mouth with her hand.
"Nope, nope. Not happening." Y/N said as she shoved his arms away from her and stood up with the blanket wrapped around her. "You better go and shower, Holland!" She exclaimed as she exited her room.
"Join me, then!"
"Shut it, Thomas!"
*:・゚✧*:・゚✧
"Alright, we're on our way now, mum," Tom said through his phone as he drove in the road. "Love you too. Bye." He ended the call and placed his phone down. His eyes focusing on the road.
"What did she say?" Y/N asked.
"Harrison and Erika are already there and there done preparing." He answered and she just nodded as an answer. He glanced at her and smiled, taking her nearest hand and intertwining their fingers together. Y/N looked at him and smiled back. Tom decided to stop driving for a while which made Y/N confused. He parked the car on the side of the road.
"What's wrong?" Y/N asked, concerned.
"I just..." Tom paused for a while. "I'm just so happy that I got to see you again," Tom said and looked at her deep in her eyes.
Y/N placed a hand on his cheek and smiled. "Me too, Tom." She said.
"I'll take you with me once my vacation is over," Tom said and her eyes widen.
"But I have work—"
"I already talked to your manager and he's fine with it. He's gonna give you a break for a while." Tom said.
"How is that even possible?" She asked and giggled.
"Secret," Tom said and grinned. "I want you to see my work and some of the co-stars want to meet you."
"Seriously?" Y/N asked. "You talked about me to them?"
"Yep." Tom answered, emphasizing the 'p'. "Even the Avenger cast wants to meet you."
"Alright, then. I'll get to see celebrities." Y/N squealed and smiled at him. "At least I get to see my boyfriend work. This is exciting."
Tom placed a hand on her nape and pulled her head closer for him to kiss your forehead and lips.
"I love you, my love." He said. "You are my world and my everything."
Oh, how lucky they were for each other.
"I love you, too, Tom."
Always.
Forever.
Fin.
❝ WE WERE SO BEAUTIFUL
WE WERE SO TRAGIC
NO OTHER MAGIC
COULD EVER COMPARE ❞
❃ ANOTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE to add, feel free to also comment or reblog how this series was. i would lovre to read your thoughts and feelings about this series. once again, thank you for reading NEVER NOT, by yours truly 🦋
❃ TAGLIST @allthisfortommy @kait4073 @lovebittenbyevans @l0ve-0f-my-life @spiitfiires @robertpattinson-th @jackiehollanderr @butterflies-glitter
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castielific · 4 years
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Title: Fancy and the tramp
Story status: Complete, 8 chapters
Rating: Explicit
Tags: Dean/Castiel, Alternate Universe, Fake boyfriends, pretend relationship, homeless!Dean, rich!Cas, family, angst with a happy ending, temporary breakup, getting back together, coming out, past!homophobia, self esteem issues, Dean Winchester has a sexuality crisis, first time, homelessness, bed sharing, pining
Sex tags: anal sex, switching, bottom!Cas, bottom!Dean, first time, frottage, marking, blowjob, fingering, barebacking
Special warning: Contrary to what the title may presage, there are no spaghettis in this story. 
Summary: 
"Okay, let's be clear on one thing from the start. This is not a lifetime movie and I'm straight, so no falling in love, get it?"
"I get it, Dean," Castiel nods.
Well, that's it then, apparently Dean is going to a fancy engagement party with his new fake boyfriend. What a weird day. 
Link to AO3
Chapter 1 under the cut:
************
"Come on Ricky, you owe me that money!" Dean says on his phone, taking a step forward when the line of the coffee shop shortens. 
"I don't owe you shit, Dean. You still owe me the last three months of your rent," his ex landlord says on the phone.
"And I'll pay you, you know I will. But to get the money, I need a job, and to get that job I need some new clothes and-"
"Yeah yeah, I know the deal. You think no one has told me that one before? No bueno, man, I'm keeping your deposit," Ricky grumbles. 
Dean groans in frustration. "Come on, all I need is fifty dollars so I can buy a pair of pants without any holes in it. You give me fifty, I get the job and I pay you back, how does that sound?" he tries to negotiate. 
"Like a fucking lie," Ricky spits just before hanging up.
"No Ric-fuck!" 
The woman in front of him in line sends him a dark look. Dean rolls his eyes at her. Like she hasn't heard worse before. 
Ricky was his last shot. It was a long one, he really does owe that bastard some serious money. Guess he can kiss the job interview at two goodbye. It's some kind of assistant job. It sounds easy enough, buying coffee and picking dry cleaning and stuff. It was still a long shot anyway. Dean's only real job experience is being a bagger boy when he was seventeen and it lasted about two months before his dad decided to move them further east. 
So far, he'd always managed to get by doing repairs or cleaning at gas stops and motels. The older he gets and the harder it gets to find that kind of random job. People are more willing to give a few bucks in exchange for manual tasks to a kid than they are to a nearly thirty years old guy. Now they just tell him to fuck off. 
And since it's always been casual and off the book, the only official work experience he has is the bagger thing. He doesn't even have a high school diploma because he dropped out long before that. Not exactly a stellar resume. Which explains why he hasn't found work in eight month and is currently living in his car. Thank God he has Baby. 
He had been too ambitious thinking he could get his own place. It could only pay rent for about five months before he went broke. He's never had a home before, and had no idea that having an apartment cost so much. In motels, you don't exactly have to pay for water or heat or utilities. There was a bunch of stuff he hadn't planned for that ate up the last of his meagre savings. Ricky threw him out after three months when Dean couldn't scrape up enough money to pay rent anymore, putting a violent stop to Dean's pipe dream of living a normal life. He hoped it would be simpler to get a job if he had an actual address, had even thought about scrapping up enough to maybe get his GED. He's not sure what he's going to do now. 
He's always wanted to be a mechanic. If his dad ever taught him anything, it was how to take care of the Impala. John taught him all the basics and Dean got the knack of it. As a teen, he spent days reading car magazines and working on the Impala, trying to learn as much as he could about how cars worked and how to repair the different parts. He knows enough by now that he could easily work in a garage, but he's got no diploma, and hasn't found anyone willing to hire him on faith alone. 
The line of the coffee shop shortens again, the barista asking her order to the goody-two-shoes in front of him. Dean looks regretfully at the display of sandwiches. He searches his pockets and only comes up with three dollars. Of course, the cheapest piece of food cost four dollars. Dean sighs. Guess just a coffee will have to do today. 
He won't have another choice but to go to the soup kitchen tonight. He hates it there. The food is crap and he wants to punch the prancy people serving it. They always try to give him some Jesus bullshit with his food, like Jesus is ever gonna put a roof over his head and find him a decent job. Neither Jesus nor God nor whatever gives a crap about him. Not that he blames them. Hell, if they exist they're probably not big fans of the guy that used to slip into church as a kid to pick the lock of the donation box
"Just an americano, please," Dean says regretfully when the barista asks for his order. At least it will keep him warm and fill his stomach for a short while.
Halloween just went by and the weather is becoming really cold. He should use the last of Baby's tank to go as far south as he can before winter really hits. He probably won't get farther than Wichita though, and the thought makes him shiver. No one wants to get stuck for a winter in Wichita. Maybe he could go and see if he can make a few bucks at the nearest motel, that kind of place always needs a handyman's help. He hasn't tried the one on Corn Street yet. He's noticed only two lights are still working on their sign, he could offer to help with that. If he makes fifty bucks, he might be able to reach Austin. 
Dean stops on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop, pondering if he should walk to the bar a few streets down or the motel. Sometimes Benny, the owner of the bar, lets him use the sink in the back to wash up. If he's lucky, he'll even get some leftovers from last night. It's generally just some stale pretzels, cold fries on good days, but it's still better than nothing. He's got two cans of beans and a car with an near empty tank to his name right now, so he's not picky. 
Dean takes a look at his watch. It's eleven thirty already, the leftovers are probably already in the trash at Benny's. The motel is probably his best bet. 
"I'll give you a hundred dollars if you pretend to be my boyfriend." comes a hoarse voice, way too close to his ear. 
Dean jumps, nearly spilling his coffee on himself. He spins to the right to face the man who just talked and is met with a pair of clear blue eyes. Way too close again. He waits a second for the man to take a step back as he realises as close Dean turning brought them, but the guy just continues to stare at him, head slightly tilted to the side. He's wearing an oversized trench coat over a dark blue suit that looks expensive. He's so close a gust of wind makes the bottom of his coat brushes Dean's shin. 
"Dude, personal space," Dean reproaches, taking a step back. "And fuck off, I don't swing that way," he adds, not meanly. It's not the first time he's getting hit on by a dude. Sadly, not even the weirdest. He's strictly into chicks though, so no dice.
"Two hundred bucks," the man insists. He looks ready to fall on his knees and beg, eyes going wider and wider as he throws a panicked look to the right of Dean's shoulder. "It won't take more than ten minutes and all you have to do is nod along," he begs, making Dean wonders if he's in danger somehow. Maybe he has a stalker or an abusive ex? 
Dean follows his eyes to a woman coming closer. She's very elegant in a grey pantsuit and a long white fur coat as she walks straight toward them. He can feel her eyes judging him even from thirty feet away, looking at him from head to toes. If he wasn't already self-aware of the number of holes in his jeans, he would definitely be under that gaze. 
"Five hundred dollars," the other man whispers just as the blond woman reaches them. 
"Castiel, dear, you should have told me we would have company, I would have notified the restaurant," the woman says, sending a clearly disapproving look toward Dean as she deposits a kiss on the other man's - (Castiel, apparently, what kind of name is that??) - cheek. 
"Mother, let me introduce you to my boyfriend," Castiel says, looking ill at ease. He's obviously not a very good liar. 
Dean blinks a few times as their attention turns toward him. Castiel seems to be trying to communicate something with his eyes, and Dean frowns in incomprehension for a moment before he gets the hint. 
"Huh. Dean. Winchester," he finally says. "Ma'am," he adds when she just continues to stare at him like he has grease smeared all over his face. He's pretty sure that she wouldn't want to touch his hand if he were to offer it to shake, so he doesn't. 
"Naomi Novak," she introduces herself. "What a delight to finally meet Castiel's new companion," Naomi says, her deadpan tone contradicting her words. "Of course, I would have preferred not to be ambushed by such an announcement. Castiel, you know, that Le Délice hates it when we change our reservation last minute. Who knows if they will even have a table for three," she declares, already composing a number on her phone. 
"It's okay, mother, Dean won't be joining us for lunch."
"Oh, is it because your attire isn't appropriate?" Castiel's mother asks, looking at the holes in Dean's jeans and the big leather jacket that used to be his dad's. "I assure you they won't say a word about it if you're with us," she reassures. 
Dean squirms a little, wondering what the hell is even happening. Ten minutes ago he was buying a coffee and going at his day like a perfectly normal person (well, albeit a homeless and jobless one). Now, his fashion sense is being criticized by the mother of a man who is pretending to be his boyfriend. Did a piano fall on his head or something? Has he finally lost his mind?
He looks to the man beside him. He's scratching the side of his neck in nervousness. The move makes his coat fall a little over his wrist, revealing a freaking Rolex watch. Dean looks back to the woman, eyes sliding on her diamond earrings and the huge rock around her neck. 
You know what? That's not okay. His stomach has been crying for food since last morning, and he's what? Supposed to help this stranger by saying no to free lunch at one of the most prestigious restaurants in town? Fuck no. He's gonna eat like a king and make a few hundred bucks off the back of those rich assholes. 
"In that case, it would be my pleasure to join you," Dean announces with his most charming smile. 
"What?" Castiel can't help but bark. "But y-your work thing?" he tries, sweating. The round panic eyes are back. Dean sends him his best shit eating grin. They both know he now either has to invite this stranger to lunch or reveal the lie to his mother. The guy is trapped and may as well continue to play along.
"It's not as important as a chance to finally get to know your mother, honey," Dean answers. "He's told me so many nice things about you, Naomi. Can I call you Naomi?"
"Of course, dear," Naomi says. She looks a little wide eyed too, probably thrown by Dean turning on the charm to the max.
"Perfect! We shall go now, we don't want to miss your reservation. I do hope it won't be too much of a bother for them to add a chair to your table," Dean says. He should probably tone it down with the pompous tone, because he nearly added an English accent here. 
Naomi leads the way, and Dean is going to follow when a hand grabbing his arm makes him fall a few steps behind. 
"What the hell are you doing?" Castiel hisses.
"Acting as your boyfriend?" Dean says innocently. By Castiel's glare, he's not fooled. 
"I asked you to nod silently for ten minutes, not to do method acting for a whole meal," he reproaches. Naomi sends a look behind her shoulder and Castiel smiles at her like there is no worries, indicating for her to lead the way, 
Dean shrugs. "I had some free time."
"I'm not giving you more money than planned, if that's your goal," Castiel says with a suspicious squint. 
"I'm fine with the five hundred as long as you're also paying for lunch," Dean says, wiggling his eyebrows as they walk toward the restaurant. Something passes on Castiel's face that Dean can't quite identify. The other man stares at him for so long that it's a wonder he doesn't trip. He finally relents with a long suffering sigh as they enter 'Le Délice'. 
Apparently, Naomi Novak is prominent enough that they don't mind changing her reservation after all. They're seated at a table near a legit indoor fountain. Dean is looking around, trying not to let show how impressed he is by the place. The walls are made of stone and covered in frescos that he always thought you couldn't see outside of a church or castle. A waiter gives him a leather covered menu and Dean opens it eagerly. After a few niceties to Naomi, they're asked what they want to drink. Dean has an inkling that he probably shouldn't ask for a beer in an establishment like this. 
"Same for me, please," he says after Castiel ordered some wine with a name Dean can't pronounce. At least, he hopes that's wine. Who knows. Hell, in this place the bottles of water are probably more expensive than his usual brand of beer. 
Dean starts to second guess his decision when he realizes that the menu is in french. What is it with rich people and France? He just wants a damn steak, how do you say that in french? Is there even steaks here or is it just frog legs and snails? Oh god, he hopes not. 
"I think I'll take the duck today," Naomi notes. "Nobody cooks it better than chef Francis. How about you Dean? Have you ever come here before?" There is a mean glint in her eyes that says she knows perfectly well he hasn't. Hell, from the side eyes he got from everyone as they crossed the room, everyone here knows he's not from their world. There are three holes in his jeans, threads hanging from the bottom and his dad's leather jacket probably should have ended up in the trash about three years ago. Even now, it's still too big for him and the sleeves are so scruffed that they're nearly paper thin. The original dark brown color has turned to a light beige in most places from wear. His scruff is just the bad side of too long now, and he hasn't had a haircut since April, strands starting to fall into his eyes. At least, he's wearing his best plaid shirt and managed to wash up last night, so he's not smelling too rank. Why would Castiel pick him out of all the people in the street at that moment to play his boyfriend? It makes no sense at all. From the guy's obvious discomfort as he hides behind his menu, he probably realizes it. 
"Actually, Naomi, duck sounds like a delicious idea," Dean says, voluntarily ignoring her question. To be honest, he’s never even eaten duck before, but it's poultry so it probably taste like chicken. You can't go wrong with chicken, right? His stomach certainly likes the idea, gurgling so loudly that he has to hide it behind a cough. 
Castiel ends up ordering some fish and soon their drinks arrive. Dean barely has time to sip at his red wine before Naomi pounces. 
"So, tell me everything, how did you two meet?"
Dean nearly chokes on his drink. Castiel seems to gulp down his whole glass. 
"We met at a coffee shop. Dean was in line in front of me and we started to talk," Castiel explains, not quite meeting anyone's eyes.
"How quaint!" Naomi exclaims, clasping her hands in delight. "I'm just sorry that you didn't tell me about it sooner, Castiel. How long have you been keeping this charming man a secret?"
"Not-," Castiel clears his throat, "-not long."
"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Dean. I sure wish this luncheon will give me the chance to learn everything about you."
Luncheon? Who even talks like that outside of Downton Abbey?
"I do hope I'll get to keep some mystery, we wouldn't want this guy to lose interest," Dean says with a wink. He pats Castiel's hand on the table. Should he hold it or something? How open on PDA are gay people those days? Not that he knows more about how heterosexual couple act in public anyway, especially in those crowds. It's probably safer to keep the PDA to a minimum here. 
"You have to at least tell me some things. For one, what career path are you on?" She looks like a shark circling her prey. 
"I'm a mechanic," he lies. He'd rather stay as close to the truth as possible. It's a little unfair that Castiel is letting him do all the talking when his initial demand was that he stayed silent, especially since it's his skin that Dean is apparently saving, but the guy looks like he's swallowed a potato whole. 
"Oh, that's...interesting," Naomi says in that insincere tone of hers. She looks like he told her he was fucking children’s corpses every full moon. He's two seconds away from telling her that he's actually jobless, penniless, and homeless, just to see her face, when Castiel intervenes. 
"How is Anna's engagement party coming on?" 
Thankfully, this seems to be a subject Naomi loves because she tells them about every aspect of the future party all the way through their meal. 
Duck, as it turns out, is actually very good. It's more like red meat than chicken, which is a great surprise. Although, Dean isn't a fan of the way rich people put tiny quantities of food in very large plates. He eats all the dinner rolls and scrapes every single bit of sauce out of his plate, yet he's still hungry by the end of it. He nearly starts crying when the waiter asks them if they'll take dessert and Naomi declines. He's starting to wonder if that little piece of duck was worth sitting through lunch with her. 
"That sounds like you're turning this into a wonderful event, mother, Anna must be delighted," Castiel compliments. 
"Oh, you know your sister," Naomi waves it off. "It sure feels like a nice opportunity to introduce your new beau to everyone."
Dean frowns. What's a beau? Is that him? That's not him, right?
"I wouldn't dare take any attention away from Anna," Castiel tries to refuse. 
"Don't be daft, you know your sister won't care. Everyone will be so happy that you've finally found-" she passes a long look, over Dean, like she's doubting anyone would actually approve of him. She certainly doesn't seem to, "-someone," she finishes lamely. 
"Oh shoot, I don't think I'm available that night," Dean tries to play off. 
"I'm not sure I've told you the date of it yet."
"Cas did," he says. The other man perks up at the surname, but whatever, 'Castiel' is a mouthful. "And I have this huh work thing, you know? Bummer," Dean says with a fake pout. 
"What kind of 'work thing' can a mechanic possibly have on a Saturday evening?"
Dean tenses up, pursing his lips. "One he can't get out of?"
"Nonsense, you're coming," Naomi brushes off. And that is that apparently. Shit. There is a vein about to pop on Castiel's forehead. "Castiel, dear, you look a little white. Was the fish okay?"
"I-Yeah-I-Actually, do you think we could possibly cut our lunch short? I am indeed feeling quite unwell."
"Of course, my dear," Naomi says, leaning forward until her hand touches his forehead. "You're as clammy as a fish. I should come home with you, and make sure you're okay," she announces, taking her napkin off her lap and deposing it on the table, ready to stand up. 
"No!" Castiel stops her, a little too brusquely. "I-Dean will take good care of me, don't worry," he says, getting up and grabbing Dean's arm so he does so too. Dean follows his lead, all too happy to get out of here. "Stay and enjoy your tea, mother."
"If you say so," Naomi says, sending an unsure look at Dean, obviously upset at being brushed off in his favor. "Call me this evening, or I'll worry all night."
"Of course, mother," Castiel acquiesces, kissing her cheek. Dean hovers behind him. Is he supposed to kiss her too? Wave hello? Shake her hand? 
"Dean," she says as what is apparently a sufficient goodbye. Thank God. "I'll be sure to see you on Saturday," she reminds just as they're walking away. 
Cas turns on him as soon as they're outside the restaurant. 
"What was that?!" he asks, not quite yelling. He starts pacing, rubbing a hand through his already pretty ruffled hair. 
"You owing me five hundred bucks? Dude, you're lucky I don't charge you more for the fresh hell I just lived through."
"You went through hell? You?!" his pacing gets faster and Dean has an idea that if he stops pacing he might punch him in the face. 
"That's what you get for asking this kind of stuff from a perfect stranger," Dean shrugs, pushing a pebble with the point of his shoe. His red sock is peeking out from a tiny hole near his big toe. It's such a contrast to how grand everything and everyone looked in there. It's making him feel like shit. He's maybe feeling a tiny bit guilty for trapping Castiel like that too. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, albeit one with a psycho mom.
Cas turns on him, eyes glaring and mouth open in what will probably be a flow of reproaches. He stops himself before he says anything though, seeming to deflate. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breathe instead, shoulders falling. "I'm sorry. You're right. I should be thanking you. I have no right to make you any reproach when I brought this on myself."
"It wasn't so bad, though, was it? I mean, I think I sold it?" Dean asks, a little hesitant. He even used pedantic talk and everything. 
"You did as well as could be expected."
"That's not much of a compliment…". 
"I shouldn't take more of your time," Cas apologizes, taking his wallet out. Dean goggles at the amount of cash in there. 
"You really shouldn't have that much cash on you, that's, like, asking for trouble."
Castiel squints at him like he's wondering if that means Dean is gonna rob him for a moment, before he hands him a wad of cash. 
Dean's eyes bulge out, "That's way more than five hundred dollars."
"There's also an advance in there to buy some clothes for the engagement party."
"The what now?" Dean blinks dumbly for a second until his brain catches up to what is happening. "Dude, no, I'm done!" 
"You were the one to push it so far in the first place," Castiel reminds. Accuses, really. 
"I just wanted to eat fancy food, okay! Not, like, go steady."
"There will be lots of food at my sister's engagement party," Castiel tries to persuade. Badly. 
Dean gives him a nonplussed look. The cash feels heavy in his hand. He's never had so much before. This could help him get a new start. What's a night of playing Downton Abbey compared to the many many nights he might not have to freeze his ass off in the backseat of his car thanks to it?
"Why are you even doing this anyway? And why would you choose me? Do I look that desperate for cash?"
"No," Cas says after what's definitely a too long pause. Dean scowls. "You were in front of me in the coffee shop line. I heard you talking on the phone. You said you needed some cash to buy a new outfit for a job interview. Begged, really."
"Where the fuck do you get on listening in on other people’s conversation?" 
"I didn't listen, I just heard."
"You know, what? Fuck you," Dean spits, "I don't need that bullshit in my life right now." He has enough cash to get to Austin and replenish his stock of food, even buy some new clothes. At least this way he can keep his dignity rather than being insulted by a bunch of rich assh-
"Please," Castiel begs, following him as Dean storms away. "You don't understand…"
"Oh I understand perfectly," Dean says, stopping and turning around so brusquely that they nearly bump into each other. "You think you can shit on other people from your high horse and that they'll still do your deed for a few hundred bucks. Well, I'm not your freaking puppet, man."
"I have never shitted on any-" he stops himself with a frustrated groan, before turning on the puppy dog eyes. "Dean, please. Listen to what I have to say at least?"
"I know what you're gonna say. I've seen that movie before, Cas. You're going to bring me to that party, so you can parade me around like I'm some earned price or some shit. Meanwhile you get to appease mommy dearest and the clan of hyenas putting pressure on you to find a husband, while still having the satisfaction of giving them a huge fuck you by bringing a guy like me instead of the golden boy they're dreaming of."
"I-" Castiel stops himself, pursing his lips. "That's actually not that far from the reality."
"Of course it isn't. Told you, I've seen that trope before. Except this is real life and your plan sucks, so you can keep your money and I'll keep my dignity. Just grow a pair and tell them all to fuck off, will ya?"
"You sure do like saying that to people," Castiel sulks. "Are you sure you can't do it for me?" 
"Oh believe me I would love to tell your mom to fuck off, but I like my balls attached to my body, so that's a hard pass."
Castiel laughs slightly at that and Dean can feel his own anger start to abate at the sound. "Good self-preservation instinct on your part," Cas mumbles. The puppy look is still there, except now it's making him feel like he's kicked the puppy.  
"You know, we're in the 21st century, right? You shouldn't feel pressured to the point of inventing a boyfriend. Who gives a shit about that nowadays?"
"My family does," Castiel answers in a long sigh. "You don't get it, how could you... I have three brothers, Dean," Castiel explains. "Two sisters. My little sister, who is just nineteen, just got engaged. I was already seen as the irremediably unwed one and now I…," he pauses, sending a nervous look at Dean, looking ashamed.
"Oh come on. How hard can it be? You're rich, objectively good looking. Do you have weird kinks or something?"
 "I-I wouldn't know. I've never even been in a relationship before," he confesses, looking at the ground.
"When you say 'relationship', you don't mean you've never…" Dean inquires. Cas' cheeks redden, and Dean blows like he just got punched. "Wow. That sucks."
"Yes, it's very pathetic."
"What? Eh no, it's not pathetic. Surprising, yeah. But, to each their own, you know?"
Cas inclines his head like he's not sure he does know. 
"I'm sorry I tried to drag you in all of this. You seem like a good man. You don't deserve-"
"-to be served on a platter to your family?" Dean asks, searching Castiel's gaze until they exchange a smile. 
"Yes. That." The man is still looking dejected. The money is still in Dean's hand. That duck really was good. Damn it.
"The food better be freaking awesome," Dean relents with a frustrated grunt. Castiel seems instantly relieved. "And you're not pretty woman-ing me," he warns, pointing a finger at the other man. "I'm choosing my own clothes and I don't give a shit if I don't know which fork to use for fish."
Castiel's head is tilted and he's blinking owlishly, like he doesn't understand a word that Dean is saying. Figures. He's not sure how he could convince anyone that he's this dork's boyfriend, honestly. Naomi certainly looked like she wasn't fooled. 
"I'm sorry for the way my mother behaved toward you. I assure you, being yourself will be amply sufficient to the task."
"Dude, the way y'all talk, where do you come from, Victorian England?"
"I-I don't think I have English ancestry, no. Why?"
They blink at each other for some time. 
"I must be a freaking masochist."
Cas' face scrunches up even more in incomprehension. 
"Okay, let's be clear on one thing from the start. This is not a lifetime movie and I'm straight, so: no falling in love, get it?"
"I get it, Dean," Castiel nods. 
Well, that's it then, apparently Dean is going to a fancy engagement party with his new boyfriend. What a weird day... 
You can read the rest on AO3
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Kindred Outsiders: Pt. 1
Pairings: Billy Hargrove x OC
Warnings: Cursing
Word Count: 2374
A/N: Hello! This story was originally posted on my fanfiction.com account but I decided to bring it to tumblr as well :) Anyhow, this story is going to take place in the beginning of summer & will later lead up to the events starting in the beginning of season 3. Gif used isn’t mine. Enjoy!
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Indiana is…different.
I moved out here merely two weeks ago from Los Angeles, California. My father died from a plane crash over a month ago. He was on his way home from a business trip. My mother, on the other hand, isn't in the picture because she passed away from cancer 5 years ago. I was 15 years old at the time.
I couldn't stand being alone in my father's mansion any longer. It just wasn't the same without him. It caused me nothing but pain having to enter a home where I am not greeted a simple 'hello' from my father. Dinners were always lonely so I ended up resorting to going out with friends almost every night for dinner, followed by drinking at home from my father's in-home bar.
When it came around to bedtime, I felt a pit in my stomach whenever I passed my father's office and didn't see the light shining under the crack of the door. He always worked in his office late.
One day I made a bold move by giving my aunt Joyce a call and moved in with her in Indiana a month after the incident. Aunt Joyce is my father's sister.
Her small house is nothing compared to mine and lacked the useless amenities I was used to. But I didn't care. Living here so far with her, Will and Jonathan was much better than living back in California all alone. Sure, I had friends but it doesn't compare to family.
Since I am an only child of my parents, I inherited all of their money. I also made a selfless decision and paid off my aunt's mortgage. When I told her the news, I was thanked with a slap across the face followed by a tight hug. She never wanted any handouts from my parents in the past and still doesn't til this day.
It is 1pm and I just clocked out for my short shift at this clothing store in the starcourt mall. Yes, I have a great amount of money in my bank account, but I still wanted to keep myself occupied by working a part time job. I didn't want to just sit on my ass all day. Especially since I still don't know what I want to do for my career. I am 20 years old and time is ticking, but I don't want to waste my time and money on schooling when I don't know what the hell I want to do yet.
After every shift I've been stopping by the ice cream shop, Scoops Ahoy and I always see the same duo, Steve and Robin. I've become quite acquainted with them and I learned so far that they're fresh out of high school.
"Let me guess, rocky road?" Steve said with a grin.
"You know me too well, Steve." I replied with a smile, stretching my arm out to hand him cash.
"God Steve. Just ask her out already." Robin added, rolling her eyes playfully and crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the back counter.
"Can you not?" Steve snapped his head at Robin, cheeks flushed red.
"Very funny, Robin." I let out a chuckle and waved goodbye to the duo as I licked my delicious ice cream on my way out.
As usual, I took my time walking through the mall. I wanted to make sure I finished my ice cream before I arrived to my car and headed home. A variety of families, couples and friends seemed to be enjoying their shopping trips. Though word on the news is that many local business owners are enraged about the mall being built due to losing business.
A familiar female voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Hi Victoria!" Aria, my eccentric coworker greeted me, her shoulder-length blonde hair bouncing as she kept up to my steps.
"Hey Aria, I thought you're off today?" I asked, still enjoying my ice cream.
"Yeah I was just shopping around for a gift for my mom's birthday next week." She briefly lifted the shopping bag in her hand. "Did you just get off or are you on lunch?"
"Um, I just got off."
"Yay! I'm going to the pool after this. Join me so I'm not alone!" She suggested. "There's also this hot hot hot lifeguard they hired last week. I went to school with him!"
"Okay sure. But I'm not really into that."
"Come on, Victoria." Aria groaned. "I know you don't have any plans today."
"No I meant the hot lifeguard or whatever. Not into that." I gave a dismissive wave of my hand before taking a generous lick of my ice cream.
"Oh. You're into girls? So sorry. I didn't know."
I snorted in amusement, but internally I was rolling my eyes at her. She's always been quick to make assumptions.
"No no no. I like boys." I made known. "I just don't care to drool over a piece of meat. But I'm down to take a dip in the pool."
"Oh! Okay. Sorry. Sorry again."
"It's fine Aria," I dragged. "I'm gonna go home and change out of this and I'll meet you there."
"Yay! Okay bye!" Aria shouted with glee before going our separate ways. She sure can be annoyingly hyper sometimes, but she's the only real girlfriend I've made here so far. Robin is always working and when she is off, she's always busy doing god knows what.
Like clockwork, my ice cream was finished off before I made it outside to my car. Or should I say my late father's black 1984 Porsche 911. It's quite showy for someone who now lives in Indiana, but this car was my father's baby. I'm never letting go of this.
The Rubberband Man by The Spinners blasted on my stereo as I drove to Aunt Joyce's house. Music from the 70s has always stuck with me. On my face are my favorite pair of black aviator sunglasses.
After a moment of driving down the familiar roads, I pull into the front of my aunt's house. I take the keys out of the ignition, remove my aviators, hop out of my car and enter the non vacant home. "Hey Jonathan." I greeted my cousin who is watching television on the couch with a full plate and fork in his hands.
"Hey there, Vic. You're home early." He said with a full mouth. I hummed in response before scurrying to my bedroom.
I searched through my dresser drawers until I found the perfect bikini for my mood, which is a two piece. I paired my black cheeky bottoms with a neon green strapless top. After quickly peeling off my work attire and slipping into my bikini, I made sure to at least cover up my ass cheeks with denim shorts before throwing on a pair of sandals.
Now I am out the door, tossing my bag of pool essentials in the passenger seat and making sure not to forget my aviators. The sun is at its peak and I am ready to cool off.
Minutes later I pull into the parking lot of the community pool for the first time since moving down here. I've driven past it plenty of times but never had the need to go yet until Aria randomly invited me.
Exiting my car with my bag under my arm and my aviators on, I hear various sounds at a short distance of people enjoying themselves in the water.
The sun is beaming down at me as I'm making my way through the gate, glancing around until I find Aria. "Victoria! Hey!" She shouted with glee, waving her hand. I found her lying on the pool lounger.
"Hey Aria." I greeted, placing my bag on the ground.
"Go on in the pool if you want. I'm waiting for him to show up for his shift. It should be any moment now!"
"Really?" Sitting down at the foot of the empty pool lounger, I shook my head at Aria in disapproval.
She scoffed. "Oh don't give me that look, Victoria." I shook my head at her, dropping my shorts and tossing it in my bag.
Aria let out a gasp out of the blue, sitting up straight. "Speaking of Billy. There he is!"
"Where?" I asked, casually pulling a flask out of my bag. I'm not an alcoholic and I don't plan to get plastered, but a little buzz is well deserved.
Aria doesn't respond. Instead, I scan my surroundings until I spotted the only male lifeguard walking the grounds to my left. He is tastefully shirtless, wearing red swim shorts, a whistle necklace and brown aviator shades. His dirty blonde hair is styled into a mullet, which surprisingly fits his face perfectly.
Billy's head snapped my direction as I'm taking a swig out of my whiskey filled flask. I couldn't tell if he was directly looking at me due to the shades masking his eyes, but all of the women's eyes were on him. And by the swagger of his steps, I can tell he's reveling in it.
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"Eh." I shrugged my shoulders, once Billy passed me and sat comfortably in the lifeguard chair. "He's alright." I lied.
From his perfectly tanned skin to his flawlessly sculpted muscles, it's as if his body was made by angels. Even from a distance, I could see that his plump lips could lose any woman in his kiss. But no, I had to feign being unimpressed because a man that looks like that is bad news for me.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" She briskly pulled her sunglasses off, shooting me a look of disgust.
"Are your sunglasses blinding you?"
I snorted. "Nope. I can see perfectly clear."
"Ugh! If you think that Billy Hargrove is just alright, then I don't even want to know what kind of men you consider perfect." Aria mentioned seriously to me as she laid back and placed her sunglasses back on.
"Don't care. I'm going for a dip." I threw my flask back inside my bag before rising to my feet towards the pool to swim a few laps.
Stroking through the water, there is no one alive who can stop me. It's a moment like this that makes me miss the beaches in California. But I close my eyes and lose myself, pretending that's exactly where I am.
Unaware how long I've been swimming to and fro, I do one more lap before I take a break and reward myself with another sip of whiskey.
As I am motioning out of the water and my feet are planted onto the cement, a deep, male voice captures my attention. "Here."
I look and it is the stud himself, Billy Hargrove handing me a towel. "Oh thanks." I accepted with a soft smile, almost hesitant because I have a towel in my bag but I didn't want to seem rude.
I begin pat drying my long, black hair with the towel and begin sauntering towards my designated pool lounger, but Billy halts me, "Hey sweetheart." I spun around to face him with furrowed brows. "What's your name?" He asked, removing his glasses to reveal his annoyingly beautiful, blue eyes.
"Victoria. And you?" I asked even though I already know.
"The name's Billy." He said, randomly placing a piece of gum in his mouth which caused me to catch a glance at his lips, then to his abs and back to his eyes. I swear I saw the corner of his lip quirk up when he caught me. "Nice to meet ya Victoria."
"You too Billy." The sun was so hot that I didn't even need to dry off my body anymore. Instead, I threw the towel over my shoulder.
"Am I mistaken or is this your first time here?" He asked, smacking his gum as he's indiscreetly giving me an elevator look.
"No you're right." Before Billy had the chance to speak any further, I pointed behind him towards the pool. "Hey, I think there's a kid drowning over there."
Just as I predicted, he cautiously looked over his shoulder and that's when I made a beeline towards my pool lounger next to Aria.
"You. Dumb. Bitch." Aria remarked with obvious displeasure as I'm searching for my flask. "I can't be friends with you anymore."
"What now, Aria?"
"Billy the hottie was obviously into you and you blew it! Ugh, the things I'd do to be in your shoes right now."
"Oh please. He's just another pretty boy that wants one thing." I implied before taking a sip. "Go over there and talk to him yourself then." Flickering my eyes, I am now seeing that Billy's back on his lifeguard chair.
"Um no. If Billy wants somebody, Billy always makes the first move. Do I look like I want to embarrass myself right now?"
"If you say so." I said, readjusting the pool lounger so that it was flat and I lied on my stomach, using my arms as a makeshift pillow. "Can you rub sunscreen on me and wake me up in 30. I'm taking a nap."
Being the good friend that she is, Aria stole the sunscreen from my bag and did as I asked. She knows I'd do the same for her.
"I know you can't see right now," she started after a minute of no words exchanged, "but he's looking over here. Probably at your ass." She paused. "I wouldn't blame him though."
She's right. I do have a nice ass.
"Billy can stare all he wants. What do I care?" I uttered lazily, eyes closed and ready to sleep.
"You're insane! If I can't have him, then can you have him for me? And tell me if it is big!" She whisper shouted, rubbing the last bit of sunscreen needed on me.
"Im not having sex with anyone, Aria. Especially not him. I'm taking my nap now."
Billy is just another handsome face with a Calvin Klein body which doesn't impress me because it seems like he's used to getting any woman he wants. But I'm not any other woman, so he can use that charm on the next one for all I care.
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⭐ Berry Berry Benny!! ⭐
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Here is my late review and opinion of Kurenai Yuzuru's last dinner show in August. I had a hard time to assimilate everything that happened these last months, beware of it's length and I hope you love Hoshigumi. Good reading! 💖 I'm sorry if it comes up to you completely, I don't know how the tumblr editing works. 😰 (I'm not sure the songs listing is entirely accurate.)
It was an emotional evening I must say, I deeply love Kurenai Yuzuru and it was overwhelming. I must admit that I'm not entirely sure of the rightness of my timeline, since quite some time passed. I attended the event in Osaka on shonichi, and everyone was very nervous including myself. The dinner show was held at the International Hankyu Hotel with approximately 500 attendees. The ladies at my table were very lovely, we chatted a bit and of course the easiest subject to talk about was Kurenai Yuzuru! Beni's parents were also in the audience closer to the stage.
🥂 DINNER 🥂
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The dinner itself was very nice, and was a four course meal inspired by French cuisine. The Menu was written in French and Japanese, a very cute touch. Most of the sentences made sens, but there's still some work to be done, my proposition is that Hankyu should stop using Google translate and hire me instead. As hilarious as it is, we wouldn't want another "Nouvelle / Chinois " to happen.
Dinner was served in that order; Hors d'oeuvres was raw Bream with veggies and carpaccio. L'Entrée was a piece of lightly fried tilefish with a celery and chestnuts buttery sauce. Oddly the taste remembered me of my mother's cuisine, so it's good. The main course was red meat topped with mushrooms and a light sauce, it was accompanied by asparagus, cabbage and potatoes. My only concern was the bread they served with it, if you ate Japanese bread before you might know what I'm talking about. I highly despise the baguettes there because it tastes like cheap Subway bread, that was my very Taurus rant. Finally, the dessert was a red Opéra cake decorated with a Kurenai 5 colored coulis, fruits and a star chocolate. It was ADORABLE.
For the drinks, there was a wide variety offered, one of my favorite was the Asahi 紅 beer. The servers kept generously filling my wine glass, which I can't complain about. I preferred being a little bit tipsy because I didn't know how it was going to go.
🌌 SET 🌌
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The stage was a very shiny deep blue tone and was adorned with some glossy columns. A very galaxy note! (Or metaphor because Beni's the God of Stars) The room was giant and pretty cozy at the same time, maybe I'm highly biased because I love Hoshigumi fans aura. The last time I was in a room that luxurious was for a wedding, which Takarazuka events always remember me of, weddings. One could say that, I'm easily impressed by gigantic crystals chandeliers and very elegant tables settings.
There were two rows of chairs at the back of the room, and just before the show started a few Hoshigumi seito sneaked there before it went dark. After a quick glance I remember seeing Arisa Hitomi, Asamizu Ryou and Amaki Homare. There were many more of them that I didn't manage to get a good glance at.
✨ SHOW ✨
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As the room went dark and the lights started to flashes toward the stage, the audience deeply anticipated Kurenai's arrival. I started to envy the others closer to the stage, that would have a better view and I regretted to not have brought my opera glasses with me. However she didn't appear right away, and took quite some time to make the audience more excited. Guess what? She bursted of the door right behind me in a beautiful red suit, startling everyone while running and singing. I almost had an heart attack and didn't regret petty things anymore. Thus began Berry Berry BENNY!!
The "supporting" cast was composed of Tenju Mitsuki, Kisaragi Ren, Kizaki Reo and Shirotae Natsu. Everyone jumped out of the stage as Sayumi made her arrival and the first song was Berry Berry Benny. Which by that point my table mates and I were quite shaken by everything that happened. Truly only Beni can pull something like that over and over again and still surprise me. ( Throwback to Stella Rossa) After the song, the cast proceeded to introduce themselves and chit chat a bit. Kurenai asked if they were in Tokyo, Mikki corrected her and she kept laughing. (She NEEDS vacations.)
The second song was Ai no rengoku from Anna Karenina, performed by Beni alone. A very dramatic start I must say, Mr.Karenin left a deep impression on her. Her interpretation was very venurable, and truly delightful if you love her non comical side.
Special talk segment 1: Two chairs were set up for Sayumi and a guest plus a life sized shiny cardboard of Beni. However it was not the regular Kurenai Yuzuru who came on stage, but Beniko in one of the most horrible costumes I've seen on her. Renta was the first guest of the Beniko show, they spoke teasingly of other Hoshigumi seito about how everyone was crying so hard on raku. Both of them were diabolically laughing. As the time went out, the Kurenai cardboard would illuminate and menacing threats would come on. Naachan interview was sweeter and shorter than Renta, she admitted that she cried on raku unlike someone else. Beniko, Renta and Naachan proceeded to sing Raimei. I wasn't ready for the absurdity of the situation, and I must admit I haven't laugh that hard in so many years.
To leave time for Beni to quick change costume, Ren and Natsu sang Yume Butai [ À bientôt ]. Their voice sounded really great as a duet! ♡ I was especially excited for this because it meant Renta had an extra special moment before her retirement. Nacchan and her are really positive people and you can feel this vibe as they perform. Furthermore, an upperclassmen musumeyaku is a delight to see highlighted.
Beni-chan no usomitaina honto no hanashi: A magical story of Beni's life. She narrates/sing the whole thing with highlights of her life and her love for Takarazuka. From what I remember; Mikki was child Beni, Renta as the creepy Butler from Meichan, Natsu as what I suppose was Beniko and Reo was André. (I might be mistaken, I'll correct it if that's the case. I have a goldfish memory.) Cute anecdote: Her dream was to be André in the RoV shinko, but she was appointed as the Grand Chamberlain and was very sad about it. They also made passive-aggressive jokes about Koike sensei, it made me crack.
LUCKY STAR ! Or a cute reminder of where she started, I was very happy she included that song and I felt like a mother hen. It was a nice transition with her earlier storytime, it's joyful, energetic and very her. ♡ She gave us a very explosive and all over the place performance.
Surprise drum rolls, what you wanted to know for so long and the answer is YES. The glorious Kurenai 5 made the comeback we were all waiting for, or more so the Kurenai 3. Beni, Renta and Mikki were in their old matching T-shirt and nostalgia hit me hard. I almost missed the mullet Beni used to have. Then entered the missing members life sized cardboard, both Reo and Naachan made their respective member dance through the song. No one was expecting this, the whole room was filled with laughter. They then talked about the origins of Kurenai 5 and what fun experiences they had in the past. They pointed out that the band would officially not work anymore, as it would be just 1. Beni proceeded to tease Mikki quite a lot. Both Ichijou Azusa and Miya Rurika had recorded a message for their dear leader, in which Beni was delighted to hear. Renta and Mikki then proceeded to slam their microphone to the cardboards during the intervention. It was hilarious! Both Miyaruri and Shiiran were at the raku in Tokyo, so if the DVD is that recording we'll have the delight to physically see them. Sayumi thought Shiiran sounded very ladylike and that Miya sounded very sleepy, like she should go to sleep.
Your favorite song by Benny was a segment where she proposed us three different songs that she could sing for us. After the vote she discarded the audience opinion and did the one she wanted, Smile from Meichan's Butler. (Very her to do that) Unlike the other times she walked through the audience as she sang, and I started to get nervous again when she headed toward the back of the room. She was taking the time to look at everyone very carefully and lovingly. Then she was in front of me and the world fell down. It was THE BEST two seconds of my entire life. I was very much horrendously blushing , but hey Kurenai Yuzuru and I shared a glance while she sang the creepy Butler song? Very shoujo like situation, a part of me fell in love with her all over again. Otokoyaku are very convincing at their job, they don't need to do much to amaze me.
Special talk segment 2 with Mikki and Reo.
Beniko came back with an even more horrendous outfit than the first one; another awful red gown orned with lines of gold and silver sequins. Oversized trumpet sleeves with feathers on the end, a wig worthy of a Ghibli old witch and topped with numerous fans of herself.
Mikki's interview was the longest, and the one to which Beni's cardboard was the most aggressive. Both her and Reo talked about the whole taidan situation, the troupe loves so much BeniAiri. They're as emotional if not more than fans about this. Mikki and Reo came back on stage and joined Beniko to sing Killer Rouge. Another absurd situation, where Beni's gaze was her cool otokoyaku look but she was dressed similar to the old ladies she always mocks about.
Hoshi wo tsugumono was MikkiReo's duet. What a very dangerous duo they make, both their voices are pretty warm and l had a few butterflies in my stomach. I'm sorry for betraying you Sayumi!
Random selection ;
I believe it's a free for all section and that must choose a song according to their mood. That night the ensemble sang Om Shanti Om as Sayumi went off stage to get a quick change. Boi do Hoshigumi loves that production, their enthusiasm really shows while singing this particular song. They went through the public and did a few handtouch. Renta stole the fan of an audience member right in front of me and decided to refresh herself with it. Reo was having her usual bright sunshine energy, Mikki was being an Ikkemen far away from me competing with Natsu. The bright wave of Hoshigumi energy was filling the room, and you could feel the love.
Kurenai came back on stage, dressed entirely in white and we all knew what that meant. The final song was A piece of courage, from Scarlet Pimpernel. God does she LOVES that show most ardently. It was her only lead shinko role and her first Grand theater show as a Top Star, she always seemed to live her best life as Percy. She always look so hopeful when she sings this song, it is VERY touching. Special metion to Aachan who sang it as well at her music salon, if it's not being soulmate I don't know what is.
She got a curtain callback and sang Goodbye from Catch me if you can. Yes, she did that again. As if it wasn't enough from the sayonara show and every other opportunity given to her to sing this. I can honestly say a cried a river again and that I'm in a love hate relationship with that song.
This woman doesn't know what to say to her audience, even thought we made her come back twice. She just told us to go home and that it was over in her lovely kansaiben, I love it. ♡
The show was really fun and I'm really happy I got to go, I hope I didn't forget anything. They rehearsed after having to do one if not two performance a day , and only came out late at the night. They've all worked very hard in such a short amount of time, and the result was GREAT. Kurenai Yuzuru is a real entertainer, a star and she adores it. She puts so much love and energy in her work, it's truly admirable. I'm delighted to have been able to follow her career until now and I'm very glad I focused my attention to the wobbly Mercutio many years ago. She made me cry, laugh and dream. I love her SO much.
My final words are going to be her motto:
Never give up!! ☆
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cashtonwoah-blog · 6 years
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Better Man // Part 1
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Hey guys! It's been a while since I wrote any stuff on here, so apologies! This is a new Ashton Irwin Series, enjoy!
Warnings : Swearing, light smut.
Side note--this is a very different series to what I normally write. It's a long one!
"Do you have Fanta Lemon or Orange?" I hear the old man say at the pool bar desk.
"Both! Which will it be?" I politely ask the customer. He agrees on one of each. I smile, walking over to the machine to pour a drink. I give the man his drinks, complete with ice and a lemon slice in the Fanta Lemon.
"Thanks" he says, adding a creepy wink at the end, shoving a crumpled €5 in to the tip jar on the work surface. I weakely smile, thanking him for his tip.
It's March, and it's currently 21 degrees in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and I'm working for a 6th day in a row. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. It was only meant to be a summer job, working in a restaurant bar at a five star hotel for 3 months during my university holidays. I had it all figured out, work during the summer abroad to save money for my 2nd year at university, however life took a different path. I ended up failing my last essay, meaning that I would have to retake the whole year, so I decided to drop out of university all together. My Dad ended up marrying this blonde women I'd met appropriately 5 times in 6 months, so I decided to move out. In the end, staying in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a better plan, no family, no university, just my friends out here and work, and that's all that mattered.
"Y/N, go have your break" I hear my boss, Andre shout from the store cupboard. I take my apron off, grab a glass of water and head to the break room. I open the door to find my best mates, Camila and Ed, already sat in there, probably gossiping about someone.
"Y/N! Come join us, we're bitching about Margot again" Ed laughed, pushing a chair towards me.
"Let me guess, she left the cups in the dryer again?!" I sighed.
Ed and Camila hated the new girl, Margot, who had just started working shifts on the bar. It would be unfair to say she was bad at her job, she is awful. From spilling drinks to over customers to making basically poisonous drinks, she couldn't get the hang of it.
"She left me to do all the washing up again today, it's pissing me off" Camila moaned.
I rolled my eyes.
"Maybe mention it to Andre, maybe she needs more training".
Camila laughed.
"Nope, she needs to leave. She isn't cut out for this job" she replies, high fiving Ed. I rolled my eyes again.
"Anyway, what's up with you? Any new guys on the scene?" Ed winked at me, resting his hands on his face, like he was waiting for some big story.
"Oh please, next question" I scoffed, taking a mouthful of drink to clear my dry throat. Since moving to Santa Cruz de Tenerife permanently, I'd become best friends with Ed and Camila through work. We were a smiliar age, but very different people. Camila had been seeing a guy, Pete, for 8 months when I first met her, and Ed was in an on-off thing with the lifeguard at the pool, Mateo. Where as me, I'd been single for a good 2 years. My last relationship was with a guy back in England, which didn't end so nicely. I decided that my move to Santa Cruz de Tenerife would maybe bring some new love into my life, and a year later after moving here, I was still single.
"Well what about Matias?" Camila sighed.
"Not my type, too chatty" I laughed.
"Ben?"
"Not funny enough"
"Mateo is nice" Ed laughed.
"Yeah, before I realised he only went out with me because he fancied you!" I laughed.
"Seriously though Y/N, where are you gonna find someone and stop being so fussy?" Camila asked.
"When the time is right Cami, just not now I guess!" I jokingly snapped at her. I loved my friends, but do wish that they'd get off my case about finding someone. I wasn't really in the mood for dating at the moment.
"Anyway... Moving on... What you got planned for this weekend?" I asked my friends.
"Well, there's fuck all to do here, so we could head into town, have a night out?" Ed suggested.
"Sounds good, and, maybe I could ask Pete to bring a mate..." Camila winked at me. I groaned.
"I better get back to work, see you later!" I got up and walked away before she could finish what she was going to say.
"Okay girl, think about it!" she laughs, seeing how annoyed I was getting. Ed nudges her playfully.
****
It's 12am, and my shift is coming to an end. I close up the outdoor bar, pack away the glasses that Margot didn't do from earlier. I hang my apron up, and head to the main reception desk of the hotel to sign out. I see a few regular hotel guests and say goodnight to them. Just as I get the staff sign out book, I hear a slam of a door behind me. It startles me so much that I drop the book onto the floor. I groan, bending down to pick the book up. As I go to pick it up, a set of hands also reaches for the book and helps me to pick it up. I look up, and see a man with messy curly hair, wearing a polka dot shirt and skinny black jeans. He gives me a warm smile, as he gives the book back to me.
"Gracias" I thank the boy in Spanish.
"No worries" he chuckles in English, with an Aussie twang. He warmly smiles, before reaching to his Jean back pocket, getting his mobile phone out to answer a call.
"Sorry" is all the boy says, before walking off.
I stand there, all confused for a second, before then realising that I need to sign out of work. I sign my name, and head for the exit of the hotel.
My drive home is a quiet one, thinking about the curly haired boy in the reception area. Yeah he was cute, and smartly dressed. I chuckled to myself, hoping to see him the next day around the hotel.
***
"Two beers coming up" I smile at the young couple on their holiday. Its a busy down round the pool today, lots of new arrivals, after all it is the school holidays. I place the young couple their drinks on their table before heading back to the bar to clean some drinks. The curly haired boy has been on my mind all morning. Yes it was a brief encounter. Yes I thought he was cute. And yes, I wanted to see him again.
"Y/N, can you go to reception? There's an early check in" Andre asks.
I head to reception, and I'm greeted by a young women with black hair, and a tall blonde haired boy. They look very young, but cute together. As I approach them, I greet them.
"Welcome to the Hotel La Flora, my name is Y/N" I smile. I see Ed across the counter, checking the young couple in.
"Thanks Y/N, I'm Sierra and this is my boyfriend Luke". She smiled, her boyfriend Luke offering a hand for me to shake. Polite, I thought. Once they're all checked in, I carry their bags to the room on the top floor, our penthouse deluxe room. Normally only wealthy businessmen or celebrities hire this room. I open the door, set the cases on the beds and open the French doors to show the young couple the huge balcony. The view fell the balcony is beautiful.
"You've got a beautiful view here, perfect view of the beach" I smile, handing them their keys.
"Would you like any help unpacking?" I ask.
"No thank you Y/N, thanks again" the boyfriend Luke smiles, handing me a €20 tip. I widely smile at this very generous tip, making note of the generous offer.
"Thank you that's very kind". I smile, placing the money into my pocket. I walk around the rest of the apartment, opening the other doors to show the couple around, including the 2nd bedroom.
"Ah, Ashton and Kay will be just fine here I hope" I hear the girlfriend, Sierra say to her boyfriend.
"Yeah, I'm not sure about Kay though" Luke mutters. I hear a deep sigh from the girl.
"I'll leave you guys to it, I hope you enjoy your stay. " I smile, thanking them again for the tip, before shutting the door to give them time to unpack. I run down to reception, to gloat at Ed for the huge tip.
"Comeon that's not fair, I checked them in!" he moans, trying to take the money off me.
"Well maybe next time you carry your own bags!" I scoff at him, playfully sticking my tongue out at him, before skipping back off to the bar.
****
It's 3pm, and things have gotten a lot quieter around the pool bar. People are starting to head inside for evening plans. I grab a book, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and read a few pages, before spotting a girl heading towards the bar. I set my book down, and greet the girl with a warm smile.
"Hello what can I get you today?"
"Tap water, make sure it's cold" she snaps, not even looking at me. I pore the girl a tap water, noting her tone. Rude, I thought.
"Thanks, sorry if I snapped at you, just been one of those day, you know" she sighs, looking at her phone still.
"I get it, it's OK" I say, not wanting to be nosy and ask what's happened. Before I can say anything else, she calls someone.
"I'm here, where are you?" she snaps to the person on her phone, before walking towards the door to the entrance of the bar. As she walks towards the door, a familiar face walks in, wearing a red t-shirt with skinny Jean shorts and Ray Ban sunglasses. I sigh, it's the curly haired boy from last night with the sign out book.
"Kay, you're early" he says, hugging the girl.
"Well I wanted to see you, is that so much of a problem?" she snaps.
"Not here, please" he requests, looking at me, before looking at the floor. He gently grabs her arms and they walk off. Dramatic, I thought. I continue to read my book.
Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said.
"Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway".
That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway."
I deeply sighed at the quote in the book, before taking a sip of my ice tea.
"Are you Okay?" I hear a voice say. The voice startles me, as I spit out my drink over the counter. I can feel my face going bright red from sheer embarrassment.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry Sir" I say, running around to the back to get a cloth and wipe up the mess. I come back and see the curly haired boy looking at me and laughing.
"It's okay, I shouldn't have disturbed you during your book reading" he laughs, looking at my book. I continue to politely ignore him, clearing up my mess. I noted that my book was now covered in ice tea.
"Damn, guess I'll be needing a new book" I laugh, looking at the boy.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry Sir, it was very unprofessional of me to-" I apologise.
"No need... Um.... Y/N" he interrupts, looking closely at my name badge.
"Thank you." I awkwardly chuckle. There's a pause before either of us say anything.
"So.. Can I get you anything sir?" I ask, resuming my duty.
"Gin and tonic please" he responds. I head to the bar, and pour the man a drink. As I head back to the bar I note that he's taken a seat in front of my work station. Odd, I thought.
"There you go" I politely say, placing the drink in front of the boy. He smiled, taking a huge gulp of the drink. He sits there in silence, so I decide to make light conversation while cleaning a few glasses.
"So, everything okay?" I ask. For a few seconds he doesn't respond, he just stares into his glass.
"Yeah, just one of those days, y'know?" he says, scoffing under his breath, before finishing the rest of his drink. He lightly taps the top of the glass, indicating that he would like another, I head to the liquor counter and make him another one.
"I get what you mean, do you wanna talk about it? You wouldn't believe the stories I've heard working here" I softly reply.
"Maybe after a few of these ill open up" he cutely laughs. I hand him his second drink, to which he finishes all in one.
"Woah okay, take it easy yeah?" I say, slightly concerned.
"Nah its okay, I'm good with my drink. I remember having a drinking contest with Mike and Calum in LA after a gig... Good times." he reasurres me, asking for another drink. I make him another one, but deliberately put less alcohol in it, just in case.
"Oh so you're in a band?" I ask.
"Yeah, been together for quite a few years. Been touring for a few months so it's nice to have a break... Or so I thought" he mutters the last part.
"That's cool. What sort of music do you play?" I ask, continuing to clean glasses.
The boy pauses, looks confused into my eyes. I can't tell if he's mad at my comment or going to pass out.
"Oh, so you don't know who I am?" he asks confused.
I pause for a second. Shit, I've offended him.
"I'm sorry, just that music out here is a mixture and-" I panic.
"Hey no its okay! To be honest it's quite nice to not be well known" he smiles at me, taking a sip of his drink.
****
3 hours later, and the boy is still sat in front of me, drinking his millionth G&T, and I've joined him, having one or two won't hurt at work. He tells me his life story, the more drunk he gets. Turns out him and his band are quite well known globally. He tells me the awards they've won over the years, and tour stories. He tells me about the time one of the Jenner-Kardashian crew didn't get their band name right at an awards ceremony. He seems incredibly proud when talking about his band mates, who are also his best friends.
"So you've never really heard of us? " he slurrs a little.
I giggle. "I don't think so. Hum me one of your songs" I reply.
All of a sudden, he gets up on the bar stool and starts singing.
"Sometimes I’m feeling like I’m going insane
My neighbor told me that I got bad brains"
He is screaming at the top of his voice, standing on a bar stool in an empty bar. I'm crying with laughing at this, amazed at how he hasn't fallen off the bar stool. He says two lines of a song, that freezes, and hums.
"I-I can't remember how the rest goes" he laughs, climbing off the stool.
"That's okay" I laugh, wiping tears from my eyes.
"Did you enjoy that?" he laugh, shooting me a playful wink.
"I did actually, I'll keep an eye out for it in the charts" I laugh back. Suddenly his phone rings in his pocket. He groans, answering the call.
"Luke! Yeah I'm good, just in the bar. Yeah ill be up in a minute." he states bluntly, before hanging up. He stares at his phone, looking somewhat sad.
"Everything okay rockstar?" I chuckle.
He awkwardly chuckles back. "Yeah I guess just women stuff".
"Wanna talk about it? Funnily enough I'm quite knowledgeable in that area" I smile.
"Just my girlfri-ex girlfriend." he scoffs.
"Oh, wanna talk about it still?".
"She's here, on holiday wit-with me and my best mate and his girlfriend and I honestly don't know what. We're done, like done-done months ago, y'know?" he slightly slurrs.
"Yeah I get you" I sigh, remembering not so long ago I went through the same thing back in England.
"Why is sh-she here? She said she wanted to be mates and I agreed, but then she wants to acted all like a couple in public, but hates me when it's just me and her" he says. Im sympathetic towards this guy.
"Maybe talk to her while you're here, a little bit of sun and a different sight might work things out" I suggest, trying to cheer him up.
"Yeah, you're right. We're definitely done, I just want her to leave me alone basically" he scoffs.
"Sounds awful, but I don't want a relationship right now you know? I just wanna explore the world with my band, but also have something on the side, y'know?" he says. I stare at the harshness in his voice, yet I understand what he means.
I sigh. "um, yeah, I know exactly what you mean".
Just as the boy starts to speak again, the blonde hair boy from earlier walks in. He kicks his heals on the wooden floor, like in an inpatient manner.
"Ash, are you okay?" he asks.
The curly haired boy sighs. "Yeah I'm alright man, just needed a break. I just want her to go".
"Well Sierra is talking to her now, I think she's gonna head off so you can have a break" Luke replies. Luke notes my presence.
"Sorry, he hasn't been a pain has he?" Luke sarcastically asked.
I laugh. "I can reassure you sir I've had much worse."
The curly haired boy stands up from his bar stool slowly, trying to not stumble.
"Comeon, let's go have a nap" Luke says, putting his arm and shoulder under the curly haired boys armpit to support him.
"Do you need any help?" I ask.
"It's okay, he just needs a nap" Luke laughs.
"Thanks Y/N, see ya around!" the curly haired boy laughs. Luke walks off basically carrying the curly haired boy back to his room.
"She's kinda cute, right?" I hear Ashton attempting to whisper to his friend. I quietly giggle at this.
"Shh drunk boy" Luke laughs, helping his mate. They both leave the bar together, leaving just myself around an empty desolate bar, surrounding with 7 empty G&T glasses. I laugh to myself, thinking about the last 4 hours of chat we've had, hoping to have more with the curly haired boy sometime soon.
****
Part 2//
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Bit of an update on my situation I guess.
I was applying for jobs nonstop for two weeks, I had three interviews, I spectacularly failed the first one because I didn't practice interviewing at all and have been socially isolated for years, so I needed days of practice, I did okay at my 2nd interview but they ghosted me, then I got my third interview at Jack-in-the-Box, who had me back for a 2nd interview, and as of the 18th, I was told I would be hired by Jack-in-the-Box. I'm getting nervous about that though since I got an e-mail yesterday telling me to come in the day before I got the e-mail, but it didn't have a time I was meant to come in, and I had to fil out some forms first. I called the number in the e-mail for clarification, but the manager wasn't there. The guy working said "she just sent those e-mails out today, i'll have her call you but she'll probably have you come in on monday", well I've not been called back nor have I gotten any E-mail, i'm checking my spam folder religiously.
My phone was shut off so i'm using a temporary solution that requires wi-fi to make and receive calls and texts, and it's only semi-reliable. So I hope I'm not missing these calls or something. Hopefully I just get the call tomorrow.
Anyway, i'm very proud to have gotten a job at all, but nervous about how i'll even perform. I foolishly decided to ignore some calls from wal-mart for interviews and now my application for them is no longer in consideration, when they probably would have paid better, I'm just of the mind that right now I need to take the absolute first thing that I get in order to help put a roof on my head, and I can worry about finding a better job after all that.
We're still no closer to understanding where we are going or when or even how. My brother said he'd be using his days off to go talk to people who run affordable housing programs but I've only seen him wasting his time at home these last two days... a friend of mine has made me a very generous offer to move in with his family for up to three months, and possibly permanently if I continue trying to improve myself and pay some rent. But as much as I love my friends, I want that to be my absolute last resort, because I'd feel like a really low pile of dirt abandoning my mother and my nephews when they probably need the extra help, and as of right now, my housemates are the only close family I have left, and I have big regrets about letting myself become distant with the rest of my family.
I had a very bad day last week... Before all this crisis began I had set a goal for myself to learn how to drive, and if my mom would teach me, I'd help pay for a butt load of things that her car needed to be legal to drive on the road, including renewing her driver's license. She agrees but strings me along for months, I later find out she didn't really want to do it because she didn't want me spending my money, which......okay...fine... I get your good intentions, but the result was really fucked up. But anyway, we come to find out her car's Catalytic converter is fucked, and it's too great of an expense for me to pay for... on top of that, I was unable to get one of those free phones because we couldn't prove our residency due to having a PO box. So two of my biggest goals got shot down big time and I started having a panic attack. My aunt is coming down a week from now, supposedly giving us her car and taking ours so her husband can fix it. I worry they're going to flake on us though and it sucks that once again, someone else is bailing us out, we need it right now but being bailed out so often is part of what this mess is even about.
Being hired, and having a safety net offered by my friends makes things feel a lot better but things still look very bleak and uncertain for my family and it feels like i'm the only one taking much action when 60 days ( I think it's more like 50-ish at this point? ) is not a good time limit for all the stuff that needs to be done ( throwing out trash and junk we don't wan to take with us, packing, rehousing the excessive number of pets my brother takes in to impress his boss at the animal shelter, finding out where we're going to live in the first place, applying to live there, so on and so forth ) Like, i'm not above living in less than ideal conditions temporarily until we can get a 4 bedroom place, or hell, I'm not above living in a Garage either. My current bedroom is actually a Garage that was converted into a game room by my father before I was born..... this is what stings so much, this is a house my father grew up in, that I visited many times as a child, and was promised it would be my safety net...
Anyway... this got a lot longer than I intended to, suffice to say I will hopefully be working very soon. I would still appreciate Ko-Fi donations in the meantime, as we will have moving expenses, I needed to buy work and hygiene supplies, i'm still trying to get my mom's license renewed and I want to get my learners permit so I can start driving myself... maybe I can be a delivery driver someday, that's what I wanted to do in the first place because truthfully? I miss my paperboy job, but those don't exist anymore. I'm rambling again. Here's my Ko Fi:
Somebody has also started a Gofundme for my brother. He doesn't believe in hand outs, he's not refusing it, but he's also not advertising it anywhere. He's just being too stubborn for a guy who's down on his luck and has two kids he needs to think about. I'm crossing my fingers that whatever he plans, our mother and myself will be included in those plans, but he's made it clear that if it's only him and his kids that he can afford to live with, then the choice is obvious. And that's fair. I'm not applying for jobs so I can blow all my money on nerd shit though, and my mom, bless her heart, is trying to find ways to work too, but frankly, I worry about her physical condition. She's entering her sixties soon and is in very bad shape... Anyway, if you want to give to my Brother, that's an option too, but I don't know how Gofundme works.
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clockworkfromspace · 4 years
Conversation
The Book v2 chapter 2
*Andrè begins to walk about the halls toward the door*
Chris was in there even though he was an Ultrabeings
Jea: Hi Chris!
He waves
Any teachers?
No? Good.
Mr. Taio: Okay everyone. Welcome to Ultra Study. If you took this class with me before, you should know that I am one of the seven most capable people equipped to teach this class.
*Andrè runs outside*
FREEEEEEEEDOMMMM
...
Freedom feels the same as being imprisoned
After school
Jea and Jenifer get on their bus
Josh goes to the car rider exit
*The next day*
Chris was already there
-Josh waits outside the bus ramp for the twins-
-their bus originally shows up-
Chris walks to the bus ramp but sees Josh and walks away
*Andrè shows up to school with a knife on his belt*
Morning
Chris was walking back needing to talk to jea
-the twins walk off the bus but Jea dresses like Jenifer so it's harder to tell them apart-
"Uuhh....jea?...."
-Jenifer subtlety points at Jea-
He looks at jea "Can I talk to you privately please?..."
Jea gasps
"How'd you know it was me? Do wolves have one sort of 6th sense or something?"
"No not really but this is important..."
Weird humans
Imma go inside
Jea: What do you need?
"Something happened yesterday and I need your help...."
Jea: Go on
"Can I talk to you without people around? Please"
Jenifer: I got where she goes
"Fine i-i'm...homeless my abusive brother threw me out yesterday"
Live in a tent-like I do
"So...the reason I wanted to talk to jea is that I trust her..."
Jenny: Need me to pound on your big bro? -she cracks her knuckles-
Need a hit?
Jea: No more fighting! You promised Jenny.
Just stole a night vision scope yesterday
Jenny: I promised I'd fight less.
Well I'm a free spirit
No parents
No relatives
No love or compassion
Jenifer: You dude, who are you anyway?
Andrè
I'm a hitman
Sorta
If someone would hire me
Jenifer: I have a few enemies.
Jea: Jennyyyyy
Jenifer: Kidding! -she mouths- "Sort of"
Heh
So
Who are you, people
Jea looks at both of them
"I'm not leaving the two of you alone. Now back to Chris"
Jea: I'm Jea and this is my sister Jenny. That's all there really is to us.
"Really...."
So Chris
"Hm?"
Tents are 15 bucks at Walmart
"I am not living in no tent!"
Man up
I live in one
"And I have no money my brother has it all"
Get a job
Jea: No one should have to live in a tent.
Jenifer: I agree but it's not like there's a variety of options
Jea frowns
Welp
My mom left and my dads dead soooooo
Jea: Oh! I know. He can live with us
Jenifer: Dad would never let that slide
Jea: You're right
Jenifer: Though, they don't really need to know...
If they found out
I don't think they'd appreciate having enough bombs in their basement to cause world war 3
Jenifer: Then I'll take the heat.
Jea: Jenny no.
Jenifer: Were not debating this.
Well
It's nicer than waking up to 3 wolf spiders
Jea: By the way, you weren't serious about the bombs right?
Ummm
Maybe
But I do have sniper rifles and assault rifles
Jenifer: Dude, as cool as it sounds, no heavy artillery in the house. Maybe a few handguns. Something easy to hide.
Where the hell am I supposed to keep my mini-nuke?
I'm joking
Jea: Thank god
But where am I supposed to, keep my guns
Jea: How about you keep all of your things that could be used to incriminate you in your tent.
Jea: and OUT OF OUR HOUSE
Jenifer: Also, where are we going to keep them? Andre and Chris I mean.
Jea: no one uses the attic.
Jenifer: Too many webs to clean.
Jenifer: though, if they're willing to clean it out.
Meh
Can't be that bad
Jea turns to Chris
"What do you say?"
He smiles and nods
-later that day, at the end of school-
So
Jea: Our dad shouldn't be home but just in case, well sneak you through the back door
"And your mom?"
Jea: Dead.
"Oh.....i'm sorry for asking...."
Jea: Its fine.
Jenifer: Come on, our bus is this way
He nods and follows
*Andrè follows*
They get to the house-
-Jenifer leads them to the attic-
"thank you again"
Jea: Anything for a new friend.
Thanks
I only have my micro smg and my 2 revolvers
That's it
Jea: NO GUNS!
Jenifer: Chill out sis
"Dang.."
Hm?
Jea: what's wrong Chris
"N-nothing..."
Jea: Why'd you say dang?
Hello strange human
"Forget i said anything"
hello
my name’s jeff
Jea: What are you doing in our house?
idk i just popped into existence
so who are all of you?
Jea: I'm Jea, this is my twin sister Jenny, this our friend Chris, and some random guy named Andre
I'm a psychotic motherfucker with guns
-You all hear the front door-
Great combination
Chris turns into a puppy and hides
dude that is awesome
Jenifer: Quickly, get into the attic
Jea: And you, mystery guy, sorry but you've got to go
me?
Jenifer: Yeah you
ok *dissappears and reappears in the attic*
Mr. Kon: Girls I'm home!
-Jea walks to the living room- "Hi daddy"
Jenifer: Andre hurry up while Jea distracts him
*wonders why I had to go into the attic*
*Andrè sneaks to the attic*
*whispers*oh hey.
*whispers* why are we in here?
We're not supposed to be here
oh ok
-Jenifer closes it-
wanna see something cool andrè?
Sure
watch this... *morphs into a pit viper and slithers around andrè*
Cool
I would shoot you but that would compromise us
*morphs back into a human*
That would*
don’t shoot me
Mr. Kon notices Christ's tail
Mr. Kon: Jea, did you bring home another stray?
I’m an animagus. I can transfigure into a snake at will
Jenifer whispers: go with it
He yelps scared and runs off
Jea: Yeah. But don't be upset.
don’t laugh at me... *disappears and reappears behind André*
behind*
I can teleport too
Jenifer: I told her not to but look at his eyes.
Mr. Kon: I can't he keeps running off.
so whatcha wanna do why we’re stuck up here
Chris sits down in front of Mr. Kon and looks at him with sad eyes
Jea: Can we pleaaaase keep him?
-Mr. Kon notices a lack of man parts- "I think you mean her and..... Sure."
Jenifer: She meant him. Meet the world's first transgender dog.
Mr. Kon: The fuck?
Jea: SWEAR JAR!
The dog smiles at jenny
Mr. Kon: Are you kidding me?
Jea: Nope!
His tail wags a lot
He jumps on Mr. Kon
Mr. Kon: Ah
-the next day-
Chris wakes up
He gets ready and heads to the bus stop without being seen
*Andrè sneaks out the house and walks to school
Out*
*teleports from the attic to the first block*
Chris was in his first block
ooh hey. I remember you. u were that puppy!
He blushes "y-ya...."
*teleports behind Chris* I can transfigure into a snake
Chris stabs jeff before he spoke not knowing who it was
*writhes in pain* ow-owwww
"Oh god...... I'm so sorry" he bandages it up
i-it’s fine
I heal fairly fast too
*wound stops bleeding*
"So your not human either?"
no
idk what I am
I’m a teleporting animagus
and I have fairly fast healing abilities
"Which is not human"
yeah
"And you already know I'm not human but anyway what's your name I forgot to ask"
it’s jeff
yours?
"Chris"
well nice to meet you, Chris! *sticks hand out to shake Chris's hand*
Chris shakes his hand
so, who were the other people?
"Idk their classes...."
well, who were they?
"Jea and jenny"
*time skip to lunch*
Jea, Jenifer, and Josh show up
Together
Chris walks up to them he looks at jea and jenny "please don't be mad at me because of yesterday"
Jea: Mad about what?
*walks into the cafeteria and over to Chris*
hey guys
"About your dad seeing me... And hey"
*whispers to Chris* do other people at the school know about us having abilities or do we have to keep that hidden?
Jea: That wasn't your fault
Jenifer: It was a little. He could have stayed calm and rushed to the attic instead of running off as a puppy.
"Keep them hidden"
Jenifer: Though things worked out for the better
"Y-ya...."
damn... that means I gotta walk places
Jenifer: It's better to have him disguised as a puppy then hiding him like Andre
you guys must me Jea and Jenifer. I’m jeff
Jea: We already met
oh yeah
Jea: You popped into our house
still don’t know how I got there
"Ya"
thanks
I wanna pull a prank *smirks*
"On who?"
I don’t know
we gotta find a group of preppy girls
Jea: That would be mean.
I know
Jenifer: Yet funny.
but hella funny
Jenifer: I'm in.
Jea: Jennyyyyy.
ayy... i like your attitude *smiles and looks at jenifer* u seem pretty cool.
well chris can turn into a puppy, correct?
Jea: You're a bad influence -she glares at Jeff-
i know *smirks*
Jenifer: Not really, sweety. I was born this way. He has nothing to do with it
Jea: Yeah but he came up with the prank idea.
"Ya jeff i can.."
Jea: Besides, you've already been written up 11 times and it's only the third day of school.
Jea: Make that 15
Jea: CHRIS NOT YOU TOO
so the plan is, you’re gonna lure them over to you with the adorable puppy eyes
Josh: Can I help?
Jenifer: ew, no way.
"Oh no...."
and then i’m gonna be in snake form and i’m going to teleportin between them and you
teleport in between*
it’ll be great.
Jenifer: More of a jump scare than a prank.
and sure josh i guess you and jenifer can point chris out
yeah but still funny as hell
so you guys in?
"Yes!"
Jea turns around and crosses her arms
Jenifer: Hell yeah
Josh: Yep
-jenifer pushes Josh aside-
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