#sometimes i'll stare at a para like what do i even do

[masonmyluv]

Photographer 📸

Pedri Gonzales x reader

One shot

Fluff

"You're staring"

"Am not"

"Take a picture, it'll last longer"

That was kind of ironic coming from your co-worker giving the fact that you were a photographer for FC Barcelona and that was your job: taking pictures of the players. "Actually that's what I'm going to do" you said, snapping some in the mean time of a certain player that always caught your eye: Pedro Gonzales. He looked adorable with that red tint on his cheeks after the game, and his smile when his teammates congratulated him for the 100th game in Barça's t-shirt and the winning goal he scored.

After the game ended and Pedri received his t-shirt, your co-worker, Luigi, was asked to take some pictures in the changing rooms because some of the players were looking indecent. You rolled you eyes, but waited until almost everyone was out so you could sneak in. You hoped Pedri wasn't indecent, but that wouldn't have been a problem. "Y/N? What are you doing here?" He asked confused. "Came to take some pictures with the man of the match" you said. "But Luigi—". "Shush. Pose for me" you said. "Alright" Pedri chuckled. "Perfecto" you whispered. "tú eres perfecto, no yo (you are perfect, not me)" he said. "I mean it, Y/N. You're so good in everything you do and you're so talented" he said when you opened your mouth to object. "Thanks Pedri. I should go, but congrats for the goal" you said. "Gracias". "Can I give you a hug?" You asked. "Sure, but you don't have to ask" he laughed. And just like that, you gave your crush a tight hug that lasted for about 5 seconds, but it will last forever in your memory.

—

"Nice pictures" You slightly jumped at the sound of that voice, a voice that caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach. "Gracias Pedri" you smiled. "Hopefully they'll post them" he said. You didn't realise how close he was until now: he slightly bent his head over your shoulder to take a better look at your laptop, his breath fanning over your neck. "That's PR. I'm just a simple photographer" you sighed. "The best photographer" he corrected. "¿Que esta pasando ahí? (What's happening here?" Pablo asked. "Pedro tratando de conseguir su amor para ser su novia (Pedro trying to get his crush to be his girlfriend)" Ansu answered. You looked a bit confused when Pedri told them to fuck off. "Sorry about that" he chuckled nervously. "It's okay... I need to finish editing these photos anyway" you said, closing your laptop and hurrying down the hall to your office. "Y/N... wait" he yelled, catching up with you. "Do you want to... maybe... watch a movie? Together?" He asked. "Are you asking me out, Pedro Gonzales?" You asked blushing. "It's just my cinema room. I don't really like cinemas" he said. "Then yes. Just text me your address" you said.

—

"Oh wow I..."

"Do I look that bad?" You asked.

"Not at all. It's just weird to not see you in Barça clothes" he said. "Oh wait till you see me at the gala" you laughed. "You're going to be there?" He asked. "Yep. Probably in a dress" you said. "No puedo esperar a verte (I can't wait to see you)" he mumbled. "Sorry?". "Third room on the left" he cleared his throat. "I'll bring snacks for us" he said. "Can I help you?". "No, it's fine. Feel like home" he smiled.

That was kinda ironic given the fact that his house was 10 times your apartment, but you didn't care about that now. You were too close to Pedri to even think about something straight. You sometimes looked at him, he was so fucking handsome, his brown eyes and his plump lips. "Hey... you okay?" He asked, his thumb brushing your cheek. "You drifted off" he clarified when you looked at him confused. "I think I'm tired. I should go" you said. "It's late. Why don't you stay here? I have a lot of spare bedrooms. And I can drive you to work in the morning" he suggested. "I don't know...". "Please?" He gave you the puppy eyes. "Okay... but tomorrow we have to stop at mine to get my camera" you said. "Of course" he said.

—

"You spent the night at Pedro's???" Luigi yelled shocked. "Shhhh!!! Yeah I did. We were having a movie night and it got too late to go home. So I stayed" you explained. "Did you two you know" he wiggled his eyebrows. "No, Luigi, we didn't. I stayed in one of his guest rooms and we met in the morning. Then he bought me a coffee on the way here" you said. "Awww". "And he asked the barista to draw some hearts on my cup" you blushed. "Oh my god! He likes you too!" He said. "Too? Who said I like him?" You asked. "It's clear you do. And you're gonna convinced yourself at the gala next month" he said.

—

"Oh wow..."

"cloae su boca. Usted podría babear (close your mouth, you might drool)" Gavi said just in time because you were making your way to the two boys in your red dress. "Hey guys! Ready for the big night?" You asked. "Claro" Gavi flexed his biceps. "And you, Pedri?". "I'm...good... yeah bueno" he shuttered. "Well, I'll see you around" you said. "dile que se ve hermosa (tell her she's beautiful)" Gavi whispered to his friend. "Y/n, you look beautiful" Pedri said. "Thanks. You look good too. Both of you" you said blushing. "ella se sonrojó (she blushed)" Gavi said. "estás viendo estrellas (you're seeing starts, Pablo)" Pedri argued with him. "Shush you two" Ferran said as the ceremony was about to start.

"And the prize for the best photo of the season... first let's see it"

"And the best photographer, all go to Y/N Y/l/n". Everyone started applauding as Luigi helped you on the stage. You claimed your award and luckily didn't have to say anything because you surely couldn't do it.

After the gala ended, it was a little after party, so you all went there. "May I have a dance with the winner?" Pedri asked, snapping you out of your daydreaming. "Sure. There you go" Luigi shoved you into him. "Congrats. I told you you're the best photographer" he smiled down at you. "I wouldn't have won it if it weren't for the person I photographed in the first place" you said. "Now, don't tell me you won because of me" he laughed. "No, but your charm helped" you shrugged. "You think I'm charming?" He smirked. "Umm... yeah" you blushed looking down at your shoes. "Y/n... I really like you" he whispered. "More than a friend" he added quickly. "Pedro—". "No, it's okay, it's your perfect night and I ruined it" he panicked. "Pedro, just listen to me" you chuckled, cupping his face into your hands. "I really like you too...and you could make this the best night of my life if you would just kiss me". He blinked twice before he registered what you just said. So, with your permission, he pressed his lips softly to yours, wrapping his arms around you in the meantime. "Te quiero, Y/n" he whispered.

"Finally!"

"Took you long enough" His teammates patted his back. "Now I won't have to listen to him saying how beautiful you look every day" Pablo whispered to you. "We were dancing here" Pedri said. "Mhm. More like making out" Pablo said. You blushed, hiding your face into Pedri's chest as he swung your bodies to the music.

Hope you like it ❤️

Feedback is always appreciated ☺️

[theneighborhoodwatch]

i am sooooo normal about music

and because i am so normal about music, my first instinct when i saw this ask was to look for translations to see if there was any Lyrical Significance. i only found like 3 english translations though, and all of them seemed to be a little rough around the edges - the most accurate one i could find was this one by jeremy maxwell. still, i was Very Intrigued by what i found.

my original plan was to see if i could cobble together a translation that flowed just a little better using my above rudimentary knowledge of spanish and my Extremely rudimentary knowledge of portuguese, BUT my lovely friend @kindestegg offered to put together a quick translation that was both more accurate and flowed a little better than the ones i found. i've included his translation under the cut, complete with footnotes Also written by him.

On Sunday I read your immense¹ letter telling me everything The first time I learned² what you thought, I learned of everything And I felt³ like someone who doesn't live in the world And thus my deep silence I felt that sadness would come and change It⁴ would take over my heart

Today I don't know what I think anymore I want what I search⁵ for I wanted so much to live my future with you⁶ But sometimes things like this happen They show up, seem to show up, to show up⁷

Today nothing is left but waiting⁸ To see something happen And for a new day to come⁹ And for the silence to end and a new day to come¹⁰

TN Footnotes:

¹ I think "immense" is an accurate word here, as well as i add the "me" there because it just helps understanding better, though that is less a direct translation and more implied.

² The verb "know" here isn't wrong, however the way soube is used here is more in the sense of an ongoing discovering, whereas I think "know" implies having full knowledge even previously somewhat.

³ It's hard to translate accurately "ficar" without fully changing the verb, as in brazilian portuguese that verb is often used to signifiy many different things, including a state of being. Therefore "staying" would not work.

⁴ "It" is implied here, referring to sadness.

⁵ The usage of "searching" would be inaccurate, the verb here does not indicate gerúndio, just a present tense in general.

⁶ Small rearrangement to keep understanding.

⁷ Here the singer exemplifies a play on words which is common for this type of national beat, but it is a little hard to translate over text. Essentially "para" here is acting not as in "to" as connected to the previous verb, but rather as its own standalone connective of finality. It doesn't serve the purpose of connecting to any verb, but instead emphasizing that when things "seem to show up", they do so to in fact "show up" in a concrete manner. Hope that isn't too confusing ^^''

⁸ I am confused by a translation I've seen adding "out there", that is not implied anywhere here? It may have gotten tangled with the word "além", but that one is connecting with "de" to create what can be translated as "but". It could be also translated as "aside from".

⁹ Added connectives to keep a better flow, sentence looks weird without them.

¹⁰ Ditto.

anyways. i don't know if any relevance to welcome home wrt the lyrics was like, intentional, but if you need me i'll still be kubrick staring into my bathroom mirror while thinking of this song.

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

spanish lessons.

Gif credits to the author.

FRANCISCO ‘CATFISH’ MORALES.

TRIPLE FRONTIER | USEFUL LINKS.

❝ words: about 900.

❝ request by @phoenixhalliwell: Hey pal 👋 Thank you for being a willing participant to the Frankie teaching the reader Spanish with a reward system HC. I cant wait to see you do with it 😊💛

❝ a / n: don’t forget to comment and reblog if you liked it, i’d really appreciate it!

Every time you see Frankie talking in Spanish, his face literally brightens as his eyes shine. It isn't common for him to find people who talk in his native language, so you have just heard him speaking to Santi.

Sometimes you've seen some movies and tv shows in that language —for you, unknown, although you know some words and simple sentences.

And you know he misses it, even if he left Chile many years ago.

You have searched to take a course, but they aren't really compatible with your work, so the only option you can see viable is using one of those apps where you can spend the time you want learning and improving, with no pressure.

Duolingo. Everybody talks about it.

Of course, you haven't said anything to your boyfriend, wanting to surprise him. It probably will take you a while, but you'd do anything to see that smile he draws when he speaks in Spanish.

Bit by bit, your vocabulary is more extensive, knowing to identify every single thing around you.

Verb tenses are another story. If when you were in elementary school you thought the English verbs were the most complicated thing in the world, it was because you didn't have Spanish lessons.

As it's normal, you understand it better than you can speak it, get into the habit of watching everything in his language whenever he leaves for a mission during a couple of days. And now, all your music is in Spanish too, which is helping you with pronunciation too.

But when you feel confident enough to say something in his language, you just don't think about it, letting go of the words from your mouth.

“¿Yo puedo tener más café?”

(Can I have more coffee?)

Frankie turns at you blinking confused, believing it has been just his imagination. Sitting at the island kitchen, you have your empty cup raised in your right hand towards him, some steps away from you. Your boyfriend is staring at you in complete silence and you're starting to panic. Have you said something out of place? Has he understood your accent?

Slowly putting down your mug, you grab your phone turning around on your stool, giving him your back. Fastly, you look for the notes app on your phone to check if you have said it correctly. But, when you look up, you find him by your side and his eyes on the screen. You can't help but scream not expecting it, locking your phone before he can really read anything.

“Since when do you spe—? Are you learning español?”

“Uh…” You mumble clearing your throat. “¿Yo puedo tener más café…? ¿Por favor?”

You repeat then scratching your left eyebrow, trying to pretend that your cheeks aren't burning in shame whilst avoiding eye contact with an astounded Frankie. He doesn't reply, coming back to the corner where the coffee maker is, grabbing your mug to pour the drink inside.

“Gracias”.

(Thank you).

“You don't need to say yo at the beginning”.

“Uh?”

“It's enough sayin' puedo tener más café”. He explains offering you back the cup.

“Oh… Oh, okay. I'll write it down”.

Even so, you feel a little bummed because it hasn't had the intended effect. You have been working really hard for the last three months, but you haven't received the smile you were expecting. Puckering your lips in a slightly forced smirk, you take your phone to write his advice, not being capable of looking at Frankie coming closer to you again. He takes off the device from your fingers to leave it on the marble board, leaning forward to press his lips on yours.

This is much better. This is much better than a simple smile.

For some reason, Frankie has taken the habit to kiss you anytime you tell him something in Spanish. A word, an expression, the chorus of a song… He feels proud of you, of the small things you do to make him happy. And it's his way to demonstrate you.

Long conversations are his favorite. He's always looking for an interesting topic, letting you talk for hours and hours while he only hears you enraptured on how good your voice sounds in his language —being a little more honeyed, a little softer. Don't misunderstand him. Frankie loves every single tone of yours, but the Spanish one? That's a higher level.

And he thought that situation couldn't be perfect until he hears you speaking to Santi.

“Para ti, la cerveza más fresca”.

(For you, the coldest beer).

His eyes widen in surprise holding the drink, as you raise both eyebrows nodding with your chin. Until you realize it isn't correct at all.

“Fría. Fría, no fresca. La cerveza más fría”.

“¿Habla español?” He says turning at your boyfriend about to laugh glad of it. “¡Hablas español!”

(She speaks Spanish? You speak Spanish!)

Frankie can't help but kiss you in front of his brother shamelessly, cupping your cheeks on his palms and peppering your lips noisily.

“Espera, ¿qué es eso?” Santi asks frowning funnily.

(Wait, what is that for?)

“Me besa cada vez que digo una frase bien”.

(He kisses me any time I say something correctly).

“No Spanish in my presence”. He fastly demands, taking a sip from his beer while waving his free hand. “I feel like you're gonna have sex if we keep talkin'. And I'm too innocent for that”.

GENERAL TAG LIST: @mayans-sauce @peoniarose @destynelseclipsa @band-psycho @myakai13 @petlaufeyson @-im-fantastic- @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @rocketqueen @rosieposie0624 @ellyseveronica @Jessprins13 @diaryofkali @ravenmoore14 @starrynite7114 @kenbechillin @miahelen @monkeyluver4546 @sheeshgivemeabreak @jadesamhart @rawrlittlepanda-95 @megapeacelovemusic-blog @katsav17 @skits90s @wildsould1221 @littlekittymeow

TRIPLE FRONTIER: @phoenixhalliwell @goldielocks2004 @pedritomando @spideysimpossiblegirl @im-an-adult-ish

frankie morales: @agirllovespancakes

[ashchane]

Self Para: Homebound

The TV was on, ignored in the living room. Some hip political commentator was once again telling the people to unite and reject the rebellion. There really was not much else on lately, even exposés of the 126th Games were drowned out in favour of propaganda programs. Ash still tuned in most days, if only to keep up with whatever was going on, if only to stay informed. If only to maintain a semblance of control, when everything around her was spiralling out of it.

Not today, though. Not this afternoon. The TV was on, but it was ignored in the empty living room, because the two people in the oversized house were standing in the kitchen, whispering.

"But she's alright?"

"Yeah. She was this morning, anyway, when I saw her."

"Do you think he's alive?"

"I don't know, Ash," the young man sighed, obviously a little tired of hearing the same question over and over. "Nobody's seen him since he was carried into the house yesterday. He looked real bad, though, all I can say. And before you ask again, I don't know what happened and I don't know if he's involved. You told me yourself, I shouldn’t get mixed up with those rebel folks, right?"

"Right. Yeah."

"If you have a message or a package, or whatever, you know, I'll deliver. As always."

At times like these, it was wise to keep to oneself, to stay put and stay safe. This was especially true for victors of some renown, like herself. She knew it, understood it completely. But she also knew that some things she needed to see with her own eyes. "I might come down there," she said lightly. "Later."

"You sure?"

"Maybe. Anyway, here." Ash handed him the roll of money she was holding, enough to feed his family for at least a full month.

He looked down at it with a quirked brow. "This is too much, Ash. Didn't even get to do anything except wipe down your windows today."

"And you did a very good job at it. Go on, Per. Go home. Before it gets dark."

Ash watched as Perry Darkwood, her personal housekeeper--and messenger, and spy--of the past few years made his way out of the house. As soon as she heard the doors close, she stepped in front of her fridge and flung the door wide open, not to get anything, but only to breathe in the cold air. Cooling down helped, sometimes. As beads of sweat formed at the back of her neck, as her heart rate shot to the sky, cooling down was about the best she could try.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, her breathing began to return to normal. Immediately, she scoffed at herself, as soon as she was capable of scoffing at all. This was so stupid. What was she even panicking about?

She was only going to go see her mother.

------

The house was much nicer than the one she had grown up in. It looked a little larger, a lot cleaner, and significantly better-maintained. No doubt that her money had contributed well in its upkeep. The neighbourhood was not too bad, either, certainly far from the worst slums in the district. Ash knocked on the door as soon as it was within her arm’s reach, wanting to get this over with as quickly as she could.

When no answer came, she decided to call out and announce herself. “Ellery. It’s Ash.”

The door finally cracked open, and the eyes of Ellery Chane--no, Ellery Greenway--stared right back at her. The old woman was in one piece, standing. Definitely alive, though it looked like she had not slept in quite a while.

“What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you, too, mother. How long has it been since we last met? Three, four years? Yes, I’ve been well, thanks for asking.”

Ellery did not deign to respond. It seemed that she still had no time for her daughter’s behaviour, or just her daughter in general.

“Heard your husband got hurt in the factory explosion. Is he alright?”

No answer.

“Is he here or did you send him to the hospital?”

“What do you want?”

“Yeah, fuck you,” Ash snapped, losing a grip on her patience. “Ever heard of courtesy? I’m just making sure that my mother’s alive, thought I’d also check if she’s lost another husband, you know.”

Ellery spent some more time staring, silent as the night was. But just when Ash thought she would not be getting anything else out of her mother, something finally gave, and the old woman stepped out and closed the door behind her. “He’s inside, recovering,” she said. “I couldn’t risk sending him to the hospital, who knows if they’re going to bomb that place next.”

“So he’ll live.”

“Yes. A broken arm, a broken nose. Some cracked ribs." The old woman sighed, her eyes glassy, and maybe it was sympathy. "But he’ll be alright.”

“Was he involved, in any way?” Ash did not know Rowan Greenway very well at all, and the thought of her mother marrying a rebel was hilarious. But nothing was out of the realm of possibility these days.

No, are you crazy?” Ellery shook her head. “Absolutely not. He’s innocent.”

Ash shrugged. “You never know.”

“I know,” Ellery insisted. “I’ve been with him for over twelve years, you don’t think I know him?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re taking an interest in your current husband, you certainly never thought your daughters worthy of such a thing.” Ash fought to keep her voice level, nonchalant, all the while suppressing the anger and regret and everything in between. “Here’s your yearly--with a little extra, in case Rowan needs medicine.” She pulled a neatly stuffed envelope out of her jacket pocket and held it out for her mother to take.

Gently, and after a respectable few seconds, Ellery slipped the envelope out of Ash’s grasp and into her own pocket. “You usually have that Darkwood boy deliver it.”

“You’re welcome.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Ellery said, her gaze briefly flickering down onto the ground, as if genuinely ashamed. “Thank you, Ash. Really.”

Silence stretched, long and uncomfortable, but there was nothing else to be said. The purpose of her outing completed, Ash turned around and began walking away from her mother, from the house, from the neighbourhood, set on returning back to Victor’s Village as quickly as her legs could carry her. This had been a waste of time, she decided. She should have asked Perry to do it for her as usual.

Before she could get very far, however, Ellery called out her name, even stepped out onto the street to catch up with her. Ash stopped dead on her tracks and turned around to face her mother again, wondering what else the old hag could possibly want.

Ellery chewed on the inside of her cheek, seemingly having second thoughts about whatever it was that she wanted to say. “Is...” she trailed off, then tried again. “I-is Addy alright?”

The question almost made her laugh. It made her want to laugh and scream at the same time. Did Ellery really expect her to answer that? “Go back inside,” Ash said instead, as she turned back around and began walking away, for good. “It’s not safe to be out so late.  Don’t you know there’s a rebellion going on?”

Ash jogged her way back home, eager to forget the conversation with her mother, eager to forget her mother’s face, if only she could. Perhaps she would open another bottle of wine. Perhaps she should opt for something stronger--there was a gifted bottle of whiskey somewhere in her cabinets, if she remembered correctly. Perhaps she would pass out in Addy’s old room with Addy’s wooden ring between her fingers. Perhaps someone would set all of Victor’s Village on fire and she would mercifully die tonight.

She did end up passed out, but on the sofa in the living room, with half a bottle of whiskey left and the TV still on. Some hip political commentator was once again telling the people to unite and reject the rebellion. Ash still tuned in most days, but not tonight. Because tonight, she was deep in a dreamless state, the kind of which she would hope to never awake from. If she was conscious enough to hope. If she only knew how to.

[roswelldetails]

RNM 2x06 - Sex and Candy

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Maria’s (Heather Hemmens) investigation into her mother’s disappearance leads her and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) to the home of a mysterious boot maker named Travis (guest star David Anders). Meanwhile, on her journey of self-discovery, Isobel’s (Lily Cowles) night out leads her into the arms of someone unexpected. Finally, after making some major scientific strides, Liz (Jeanine Mason) is dealt a devastating blow. Geoff Shotz directed the episode written by Rick Montano & Vincent Ingrao (#206). Original airdate 4/20/2020.

DETAILS:

Max and Isobel's fight:

Lights start flickering when Max starts getting aggressive and then get brighter as he gets more worked up.

The first attempt to expel it seemed like he was causing an earthquake.  He blew out all the windows in the gym, knocked Isobel down, and there was shaking.  But it didn't seem to go beyond that room - no damage is seen when Michael arrives or around town.

Note, after the earthquake thingie the lights go out 

His hands are doing the electric power thingie and THEN he also grabs the lightning.

I think Isobel used her telekinesis to stop it and then push it away, which seemed to work...but if so then why couldn't Noah do that last season? 

Was it the sheer volume of electricity? There was definitely MORE than with Noah.

Michael uses his telekinesis to manually reset Max's heart.  This is very smart of him. Note that he's using his own heart/pulse to get it right.

They are using the antidote to Liz's serum to try to heal Max's mind. 

Michael says that they've been giving him antidote injections for three days (time jump).

Three days of antidote and no new memories for Max.

Isobel remembered her blackouts within a few hours of getting injected with the antidote in 1x10.

Note: Liz hesitated using the antidote this way in 1x10 because Isobel could still be dangerous and they didn't know about the 4th Alien yet.  There doesn't seem to be a similar hesitation with Max. Because Liz trusts him more? Because him forgetting her is more personal? It's not like there isn't a chance that Max is still dangerous…

Maria arranged a Mexican market in the Pony parking lot to subsidize her income.

Buffy the Beagle is Forrest's dog!

Maria comments that the meteor shower makes animals act strange. And humans too.

Forrest and Maria are organizing an open night mic at the Wild Pony.  Free drinks for performers.

Maria clearly approves of Forrest and Alex getting to know each other.  She smacks Alex for his awkward flirting.

The bootmaker's farm is about an hour outside of town.

The Science:

Kyle and Steph are watching a "surgical separation of craniopagus twins".

Craniopagus Twins = twins attached at the cranium/head. (Aka not a heart surgery).

"Did you know, ever since 1947, twin births in Roswell are higher than the national average? Maybe it's aliens."

Speaking of awkward flirting…. "You're just my favorite person I can't stand."

The Spanish:

Le cambio una bolsa de chiles para mi papá...for the free fries next time you come to the Crashdown.

Liz is bartering.  She says basically, I'll trade you a bag of chiles for my papa for free fries next time you come to the Crashdown. 

Note, the captions for this are wrong and use the Spanish word for grasshoppers instead, but you can clearly hear Liz say chiles. Thanks to @rosaortecho for pointing that out to me.

Max says:

I'm trying to eat clean. Uh, tiene carne seca sin como se dice, preservativos.

He's trying to say, basically, does the jerky have preservatives. 

Quiere carne a sin preservativos?

Basically, you want meat without condoms?

Lo siento. Uh, no lo entiendo.

I'm sorry, I don't get it.

Él quiere decir conservantes.

He means preservatives.

Gracias. Estoy embarazado.

Thank you. I'm pregnant.

Michael asks Max who he's texting. Max says everyone has been messaging him but Cameron is the only one who hasn't responded, which isn't like her.

Wildly curious who he was texting though.  It's not like he's a social butterfly. His mom? The sheriff? Who? As I pointed out to some friends the other day, he spent his 21st birthday getting trashed with his SISTER. This is not a trait of a guy with lots of close friends.

Just as another note, Michael says he ghosted her. When exactly was that? Yes, Max ran out on her in the middle of a handy in 1x03, but they addressed that the next day.  She "broke up" with him in 1x07, but they were still good right up until she left town. 

Isobel:

"Does he seem different to you?"

Alex and Maria playing "Never have I Ever" in the car. Good way to do background on characters.

Maria has never cheated on a boyfriend

Alex has never been in a real relationship. Not even "Kellie Sommer-something".

Alex says that whenever he was with a woman he was trying to disappear.  Except for Sophomore year after Battle of the Bands. Seven Minutes in Heaven in Haley Moore's hall closet. Alex and Maria kissed and it was Maria's first kiss (and boob graze).  She always thought she'd marry Alex. Had to come up with a new plan after he came out. 

Alex says "I did too."

"Kissing you in that closet was the first time in my life that I enjoyed touching someone."

Max picks up Liz for their first date…

Just as a note, Save Tonight was the opening song in the pilot of OG Roswell. During the "oh, Max Evans is staring at you again." exchange between Liz and Maria.  So, it might go well with new beginnings or something ;-)

The Science:

"Psychogenic amnesia limits retrieval of stored memories, but if we light up your limbic system and gustatory cortex with some familiar signals…"

"Your milkshake might bring all my memories to the yard?"

**Note, second reference to this song in the context of Liz bringing Max milkshakes. First was in 1x06 by Isobel. Hmm. 1x06 and 2x06… maybe they should crack this joke in 3x06 too.

"Sometimes when people wake up from comas they have different personalities, different tastes even…"

Everything you ever wanted to know about psychogenic amnesia:

But, my main takeaway is that it's a specific type of amnesia where there's abnormal memory function but no brain damage or other clear cause of it.

Limbic system:

Basically the part of your brain that stores emotion, behavior, and long term memory.

Gustatory cortex:

Basically the part of your brain that processes taste.

Maria compares Michael to Chad because he starts fights and lies.  Alex disagrees and lists ways that he was doing good things:

He lied to protect his family from Alex's family.

He shouldered the burden of a murder he didn't commit for ten years so that Isobel didn't have to.

He pushed Maria away to protect her - which might be a good thing too because of all his baggage. 

First Date:

Max went to Ranch camp one summer and dislocated his shoulder while trying to read Lord of the Rings on horseback. #nerd. 

Liz references the gala as not their first date, but there was also the desert in high school.  I guess she doesn't count that either. 

Side note: Cam and Liz talked about him peacocking in 2x03, but that kinda felt out of character at the time to the Max we knew.  This Max DOES seem like he's peacocking a bit. Got dressed up, taking Liz horseback riding. He admitted to trying to one up whatever they did together before. Just an interesting (to me) observation.

Liz looks panicky when Max suggests truth serum (because Science!Liz probably could make truth serum), but once she realizes he means whiskey she's like, "oh yes, that's fine." Oh Liz… 

Diego details:

They were engaged just last year

Liz left without saying goodbye

Bioengineer 

They were working together on the Denver study

They would come home and keep talking about work

He had ideas to help improve it

They both spoke The Science

He pushed her to get better at The Science

When the funding was cut she realized she loved the work more than him

Liz couldn't figure out how tell him that so she packed her things in the middle of the night, hit the road, changed her phone, and blocked him on Facebook.

**This is the first time LIZ has mentioned social media. Interesting given the crap Maria keeps giving her about it!

Travis and fresh warm milk. What is up with it??

"Nice ring. Does it keep you from burning up in the daylight?"

David Anders introduces himself as Travis.

Just as a point of interest, Maria researched enough to find the bootmaker, figure out where he lives, but she didn't get his name??? 

Vampire Diaries/Originals reference.

Travis says he can't help with car stuff.

The milk was from a cow named Jennifer.  He milked her for the last time today. (Creepy).

Weird contradictory statements from Travis:

"You're the best thing I've seen in a long time."....

"Mm, I'm sorry. So many customers and all their ugly faces get all sewn up and stitched together in my mind."

"Yeah, that's the woman that bought them boots. While back. Nice lady. She paid cash."

Second reference to animals behaving strangely during a meteor shower:

"Meteor shower's got my girls singing a bit off key tonight.  Jennifer, she likes a good lullaby."

"Okay this guy is going to turn us into skin suits." (OG reference? Or just general sci-fi?)

Meteorchella at Planet 7 (Coachella-style party during meteor shower?) with any excuse to add sparkles!

Kyle says he's at Planet 7 because he's trying not to hang out with people from high school.

Isobel says she's trying to have fun without feeling like prey.

Don't think the details of Kyle/Isobel dancing matters all that much, but as a point of amusement I'll share that in the panel on Tuesday night they shared that Lily whispered something different to Trevino on every take...And they got progressively dirtier to the point that she finally felt like she crossed a line and profusely apologized.  Also the lick was a Lily addition. 

Max's confession about killing the drifter:

Kind of an interesting thing, comparing the first version of the drifter story in 1x06 to the 2x06 version. 1x06 was more dramatic, but 2x06 was more personal, I think. 

1x06

"There are moments that define our lives, and there are moments that divide our lives. Incidents that separate us into two different people: who we were before and who we will be after. Forever…One day we were children and the next we were something else. I was a killer. Michael an accomplice.  And Isobel...Isobel was broken."

2x06

"I killed a man once, on a camping trip. This drifter came out of nowhere, attacked Isobel.  I wasn't even thinking. I killed him. With this. I arrest people who kill people. Most of them usually regret what they did. You know, you can just tell that they're forever broken. It's like a piece of them dies with their victims. So when I could feel that darkness, like I had to kill, I wanted Isobel to let me die. Because I couldn't risk hurting even one innocent person. Cause life just wouldn't be worth living."

Kind of an interesting narrative choice to confess to murder on a first date and then have the girl just brush it aside. 

"No, it just hit me why you're so happy and idealistic, and I feel like an idiot. You are that way because you don't remember me. It's a clean slate.  It's like when you got out of the pods with whatever memories you had erased it's probably for your own good."

"Last I heard you were the love of my life."

"Your cohorts, they left out some details. Cause if you had your memories I'm positive the worst thing that's ever happened to you is connected to me. And I can't bear the weight of making you remember that again."

**Note, second time this has been implied.  Last time was by Michael in 1x08 regarding the alien symbol.

"...it's gotta have some connection to us right? Maybe it was something we saw somewhere before the crash."

"Sorry, are you, Max Evans, acknowledging that we must have had lives before we hatched out of the pods? You never want to talk about home."

"Hey, Roswell is home. Look, I'm sorry man. You're right. I've spent a lot of time not talking about where we come from or why we're here.  Keep thinking I can pretend the past away and just be normal. But if Isobel's blackouts are some alien thing, then I need to know more. Okay, and this symbol? That's all I have to go on. I mean don't you think it's strange that we don't have any memories? I mean, no parents, no language. We weren't infants, man. We were seven."

"I just figured our memory faded. Over 50 years in those pods. Maybe it was just time. Or maybe whoever put us in those pods doesn't want us to remember."

Travis and Trevor's house...with added bonus of his ring that Alex comments on.

Leather ribbons/strips on the wall are for (from?) Hayley and Gertrude. More cows, I presume. 

There's also a framed Purple Heart on the wall next to a photo of Travis?

"War really messes with a man's mind.  Gets it all twisted up.

Timeline issue!! Alex says Mimi was missing for 3 weeks, but according to the clearly established timelines in 201-203 it was 4 weeks (or a month ish).  I wrote about this here:

Maria put her jacket on a scarecrow to trick Travis. And did she leave it there?

(Answer: yes. She doesn't wear it for the rest of the episode. Smart of her, actually).

Michael sees Trevor come out of the house and is about to shoot him. Maria immediate knew it wasn't Travis and threw herself in front of Michael's gun

Trevor shoots Travis.

A bullet from the Crashdown shooting falls out of Max's journal.  Does it look like it has blood on it? Or maybe just ketchup? If it's THE bullet it would make a lot of sense that he kept it hidden - evidence that Liz was shot. See this comparison between one of Wyatt's bullets in 1x02 and the one Max finds in 2x06

"Sorry about my twin here. He's had a rough go."

"Combat does not make you an axe murderer."

"No, it wasn't the combat. It was the R&D. If a paramilitary group ever asks you to take part in a study, you run the other way. He showed up a few weeks ago. Locked me up out back. Lucky y'all showed up when you did. Gave me a chance to escape."

R&D is a military acronym for Research and Development. (Aka...The Science.)

Priscilla - the cow Mimi's boots were made from.

This is literally the only direct information gained about the boots from this little sleuthing excursion. 

Well, and that Mimi paid cash, which isn't like her.

Side note - I didn't really know what Paramilitary meant, so just in case any of you are also not good with military stuff, Paramilitary groups are like private armies. Like, I dunno, the private security firm that Jesse and Cam discussed in episode 2x04. 👀

Male doctor operating on Steph clearly states:

"All right we're approaching an arterial junction."

A female doctor replies and its less clear.  What I hear is...Blood gasses are back? Anyone else hear something that makes more sense than that?

He replied something like...the stint through here

She says something about pH levels.

Max admits that he didn't know what would happen when he decided to bring Rosa back.  He just wanted to fix the worst thing that ever happened to all of them.

"I can't believe we were Shyamalan'd by an evil twin."

I think Alex is referring to the twist ending? Or maybe just the insane axe murderer stuff.

M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed the Sixth Sense, Signs, Split, etc…

During this scene is the first time we see Michael's tattoo… it's on his arm. I struggled with getting a cap of it, but I know there are gifs going around.

I had every intention of detailing the dialogue in the trailer scene, but before I could get to it, Carina posted the script, so I didn't think it was a good use of my time. Here's the script:

The next morning, Alex calls the Sheriff from outside the trailer for an update.

The Sheriff tells him that Travis and Trevor burned their home and ran...weren't caught by the sheriff.  Which means we may not have seen the last of them.

The Spanish:

"Oh my God. Dios mio, Max. I took off your pants before I even said I love you. I'm some kind of zorra."

Dios mio basically is Oh My God! So Liz really was spiraling. She went, "Oh my God, Oh my God..."

Zorra - female version of Zorro. Basically a vixen, bitch, prostitute… the internet has all sorts of fun words that it translates into. 

"I call this one Visceral Werewolf Part 2, dedicated to my boy Chee Chee, may he rest in peace."

Can we have more Bert? Bert is the best. Also kudos to his goofy friend who is wayyy too excited about this.

Forrest's slam poem:

Locked up for days,

Time slipping away,

On my knees I would pray to break free from this cage.

But bargaining for keys, you forget hidden fees.

And wishing for what you’re missing ain’t the same as living the dream. 

And now I’m fighting to stay on this side of the cage.

Even though I know a part of me wishes I’d stayed. 

Ain’t no prophet or rebel or savior or devil

Could have predicted, fought, cheated or leveled. 

A life with potential that’s squandered, 

A comfortable cell is a question I ponder. 

Am I a free man or a prisoner wanderer?

Max's memory flash:

Young Max, chained to the ground as described in 2x03. 

Max looks scared.

He's dressed all in white like the 1947 aliens after the crash (As shown in 1x12 and 2x03).

He's in a cave or something like a cave. 

Holes in the wall are glowing an orangey red color.

The ceiling is like the alien ship material with the alien symbol in it.  

A figure approaches from behind him, bends down, and places a hand on his shoulder.

It mirrors the figure approaching Nora in 2x03 and touching her shoulder before burning the military men...probably the same person? Noah? The stowaway? Someone new?

After the figure touches Max, he looks at the hand, and then a red glow lights his face.

MUSIC:

1. Xocoyotzin Herrera "Esperanza"

2. Jose Luis Lepe "La Carreta"

3. Eagle Eye Cherry "Save Tonight"

4. Lousiana Red "I Done Woke Up"

5. Whissell "Magnetic"

6. Stop Dead "Alchemistress Dance"

7.  Orville Peck "Turn To Hate"

8. Kim Petras "Close Your Eyes"

9. Orville Peck "Queen Of The Rodeo"

10. Moontricks "The Fall"

11. Years & Years "Hypnotised"

12. Jordan Critz Feat. Birdtalker "Through Your Eyes"

This time I couldn't find the Whissell and Stop Dead tracks on spotify - however the Stop Dead track is referenced at being by Chelsea Dawn in the closed captions.  Which I did find. Trying to confirm this. Let me know if anyone else had better luck!

[spindleprick]

Hi Taryn! You definitely don't have to answer this but I was wondering if you could give any tips on filling out applications for an rp? I'll have such a good grasp on a character in my head but never know how to convey it in the application (which usually results in the role being given to someone else). I believe I get stuck on future plots and IC para samples.

hey! i’m more than happy to help in any way i can! c: i should say that i feel those are the portions of the application i end up struggling with, or at least worrying over, the most myself -- so you’re not alone! what helps for me in these areas overall is approaching the section or problem from a different angle, but i’ll try and get down a few suggestions specific to each portion you’re challenged by.

FUTURE PLOTS.

i definitely know what it’s like to get a feel or sense of the character, but struggle to manifest them for others to see. in these cases, what i find helps is getting compartmentalizing different aspects of the character and working on one little section at a time until it starts to form the big picture.

outline their motivation / driving forces, even if its just key words -- love vs. success, revenge vs. unity, etc. what are little actions or big schemes that line the path to achieving these things? or most importantly -- do you even see them achieving them at all? failure is just as valid and sometimes a more interesting plotline.

daydream. think cinematically. if your character was the star of their own movie, what would be the first act, second, third? how does their life differ in each portion? if a certain scenario comes to mind, jot down a few notes. come down to it later and flesh it out.

start from the end and work backwards! the middle parts will inevitably be trickier, but you might have a better sense of how you envision this character ending up. i would recommend looking at this from two different angles as well -- the interior (eg. mental/emotional state) and exterior (career/passions/ambitions/scores to settle).

try and think of similar characters from established media! what was their arc, and what were some memorable scenes from their book/movie/show? if you were to translate those actions to the universe of this character, what would it look like?

PARA SAMPLES.

do you struggle with finding the right Scene to expand upon, or portraying the character Within the scene? i find those would have different solutions!

the “think cinematically” bullet from the other section still stands -- take a break from staring at your google doc and just lay down for a second. find an instrumental playlist or a film soundtrack and just get weird. think dramatic, think kitschy. don’t criticize yourself on the stuff you picture. even if there’s 12 duds, the 13th might be gold!

these are probably things admins usually say anyway, but if there’s a biography for your character, comb over it for events -- they don’t even necessarily need to be hugely important or defining, so long as they spark muse.

headcanon!! constantly observe around you for a little moment that sparks “oh, that’s totally XYZ character.” you would be surprised by the amount of paragraph samples i come up with based on an offhand thought

for me personally, i would always recommend having at least a little bit of dialogue or person-to-person interaction. introspective pieces are certainly nice, but i find it’s really important to showcase how the character is going to be seen (read) and interacted with in-game.

if nothing else: just imagine up a starter! create an NPC in your head who responds to it, and create your sample writing both parts.

i think that’s what i have off the top of my head! also, if you just want someone to bounce ideas off of, you can always find me in my IMs or ask to add me on discord <3 happy writing, i hope you get the characters you want!!

[oldanatomical-heartt]

¿Te encanto?

Wrote this when I was fourteen, so it’s a little cringey. Forgive me for any Spanish errors, I was only in my second year of Spanish and I’ve been out of Spanish classes for too long to go back and correct it :(

(Translations are in parenthesis)

Peter glanced at the classroom behind him from his front row seat.  He'd been placed there, right next to the teacher's desk, after he was caught too many times watching YouTube instead of conjugating Spanish verbs.  As he looked at his classmates' faces, looking at their phones participating in the review game, he noticed one girl in the back wasn't.  He peered around the boy slightly blocking his sight to see her, (H/C) (hair type) hair, spilling over the arms she was resting her chin on.

"Peter!" Profe Rojas called, Peter snapping his head back towards the front.

"Yes, Profe?"

"You haven't answered the past three questions, if you need this review for the test, I suggest you participate," the teacher snapped.

"Yes, Profe," Peter said quietly, even though he knew he normally got a hundred percent on his exams.

Peter answered a few more questions before Profe Rojas passed out the test and the class began to complete it.

Half an hour later with his completed test turned in, Peter sat at his desk twiddling with his thumbs, thinking of what might happen today. Unfortunately, the bell interrupted his thoughts of Spider-Man's adventures.  As he quickly gathered his papers and things, Peter looked to see if the girl was there, but she had already left.  Peter sighed and was about to leave, when his teacher caught him on his way out.

"Peter," Profe Rojas said, making Peter turn.

"Yes?" Peter grimaced, afraid of the lecture he was about to receive.

"Lo siento, I forgot that even though you can sometimes be a delinquent, o un estudiante muy perezoso, you are very good at Spanish." (I'm sorry,  I forgot that even though you can sometimes be a delinquent, or a very lazy student, you are very good at Spanish)

"Oh, than-"

"-try again," he interrupted.

"Lo siento. Muchas gracias Profe, estudié mucho." (Sorry.  Thank you very much Profe, I studied a lot)

"Bueno, hasta mañana Peter." (Good, see you tomorrow Peter)

"Adiós!" Peter called over his shoulder as he jogged out of class.

Rushing back to his locker Peter shoved his homework into his backpack, before racing out of the school doors and into the streets of Queens. Turning down an alleyway Peter dug through his backpack to pull out the Spider-Man suit that was hidden underneath all his books. Quickly changing behind a dumpster and then webbing his backpack to a wall, Peter was off, making his daily rounds.

The rest of the day went by without anything of much interest, retrieving a stolen purse, catching underage teens drinking beer, playing some kickball with some first-graders. Exhausted, Peter came home and easily went through his homework, before sitting down with May for dinner and then going out for his uneventful nightly rounds, before returning home for bed.

The next day couldn't have gone by any slower for Peter, who upon entering school caught a glimpse of the girl from the back of Spanish class. He didn't know what it was about her, but something about her was drawing him in. Each class drudged along, Peter watching the clock until fourth period. Finally, when the bell rang Peter breezed by a confused Ned on his quick-paced route to the A rooms. Despite his attempt, Peter had just walked in the door when the bell rang and was quickly ushered into his seat.

"¡Buenas tardes mis amigos y amigas! ¡Hoy es viernes, viernes, viernes!" Profe Rojas enthusiastically announced to the class, stretching the e in buenas and repeating 'viernes' like a sports announcer. (Good afternoon my friends!  Today is Friday, Friday, Friday!)

The class collectively rolled their eyes at Profe Rojas's attempt to seem cool, this was not the first and definitely not his last attempt.

"I've graded your exams, and to the majority of the class, muy bueno!  Ellos  estudiaron, correcto?" Profe asked with a smile as he began handing back the tests row by row. ( I've graded your exams, and to the majority of the class, very good!  You all studied, right?) 

"Unfortunately, some of you did not do as well as I hoped you would.  If you have a note written on your exam, please see me after class," Profe said, looking directly at Peter.

Peter started to sweat, he thought he did good on the test, he knew almost every answer, but maybe he didn't. Anxious, he began twiddling his fingers as Profe finally reached his desk, the last row.  He almost ripped the test when he grabbed it from Profe's hands.  To his relief and confusion, on the top of the test next to the name slot was "100% Muy Bueno Peter ¡Congratulaciones!" (100% Very good Peter Congratulations!)   Peter leaned back and let out a sigh as all of his fears quickly hit the floor.  Peter glanced at the girl in the back and noticed she had her head in her hands with her hood over her head.

"(Y/N), no veo tu cabeza," Profe said, which made the girl look up. ((Y/N), I can't see your head) 

She looked like she was thinking, for a moment, when Profe tapped his head where her hood was.  She slowly nodded, removing the hood.

"Sorry," she said softly, so quiet Peter wouldn't have heard if he wasn't paying attention.

"En español por favor," Profe corrected. (In Spanish please)

"Oh, uh, lo siento." (Oh, uh, I'm sorry)

"Bueno!" Profe called, but Peter didn't hear him because all he could think about was how he now knew the girl's name. 

(Y/N).

Class went as usual, now learning demonstratives.  All throughout the lesson, Peter kept glancing back at (Y/N), as she seemed in a daze as she followed the lesson (much like Peter).  The bell ringing startled Peter, as it suddenly seemed to do that a lot recently.   Peter didn't know what he was going to say, but he knew that he wanted to introduce himself to (Y/N), as she had not left yet.  Furiously stuffing his backpack Peter was about to make his way over to her when Profe Rojas called him over yet again.  Peter sighed frustratedly as he tried to appear neutral to his teacher.

"Peter! Hablé con tu tía and she approved my proposal." (Peter!  I talked with your aunt and she approved my proposal)

Peter shifted from one leg to the other in discomfort as Profe Rojas continued.

"You see, some students are having a bit of trouble in class, no comprende los lecciones, y necesita asistencia para aprender".  (You see, some students are having a bit of trouble in class, they don't understand the lessons, and need help to learn.)

"Okay, I don't understand, I have an A in this class..." Peter said.

"Sí, sí. Estas correcto.  Your aunt told me you'd be available to tutor those students who aren't doing so well, and she thinks it'll be a better use of your time than what she says you already do."

Peter shifted again, slightly nervous about his 'mysterious whereabouts' with Aunt May.

"Then I don't have much of a choice, do I."

Profe laughed slightly at Peter's reply, "Not really, no."

"Alright then, who will I be tutoring?"

"Me."

Peter whirled around to see (Y/N) there, glancing from the floor to Peter and to the floor again. She awkwardly clung to the straps of her backpack and slighting rolling on the balls of her feet.

"(Y/N), isn't doing so well, I was hoping you'd be able to help her understand the lessons better," Profe said.

"Yeah yeah, sure, uh, when would this start?" Peter asked, suddenly anxious.

"You free today? Like right after school?" (Y/N) asked, staring at Peter's shoes.

"Uh..." Peter thought for a moment.

He wanted to make his daily rounds right after school, but he also wanted to meet with (Y/N).

"Yes, I am," Peter stated.

"¡Excelente!" Profe cheered, "Escribo permisos para ustedes".  (Excellent!  I'll write passes for you both)

Peter and (Y/N) stood next to each other, awkwardly waiting for Profe Rojas to fill out the passes, one for the library after school and one for them to get to their next class on time, as the passing period was almost over and students were already filling the previously empty desks.  They kept stealing glances at each other, quickly looking away once they made accidental eye contact.

"Bueno!  Now hurry to class, don't misuse those passes," Profe said, and as Peter and (Y/N) exited the classroom they could hear a faint "Excelente! Buenas tardes mis amigos y amigas! Hoy es vierrrrrrrrrrrrnes!"  (Great! Now hurry to class, don't misuse those passes//Excellent!  Good afternoon my friends!  Today is Fridaaaaaaaaaaay!)

"Sorry about this," (Y/N) said, motioning to everything with her hands.

"It's er- totally cool," Peter replied, trying to figure out what to do with his arms.

"You sure?  I mean my failing grade is now a burden to you, and your probably secret girlfriend," (Y/N) said casually.

"My- my what?" Peter stammered, caught off guard by (Y/N)'s statement.

"Your aunt thinks tutoring will be a better use of your time, and you're not in any sports, and a dorky guy like you probably doesn't have much of a social life, no offense, of course, so probably no scandalous parties or the like.  Which means you're probably sneaking off to do stuff, which means you have a girlfriend that you're hiding from your aunt, or y'know you could secretly be that Spider-Man dude or something," (Y/N) said, laughing at her joke, which received an awkward forced laugh from Peter.

"You caught me, I'm sneaking off, but I don't have a girlfriend."

"Really?" (Y/N) responded, genuinely surprised.

"Yes really, why is that so shocking?" Peter questioned, secretly hoping (Y/N) didn't have to turn down a hallway to get to her next class soon.

"I didn't think you swung that way," (Y/N) replied, Peter turning embarrassingly red.

"I'm not gay I swear, Ned's my best friend that's it!"

"Woah there, didn't mean to touch a nerve," (Y/N) taunted slightly smirking, "Anyways, c'mon dude, you're pretty much at the top of every class, and I wouldn't be surprised if at least one person found you cute or something, hopefully a girl for your sake," she said breaking into a grin at her humor.

Peter blushed when she said someone could find him cute, but calmed himself down.

"No, still no girlfriend, but there is one girl I've got my eye on," Peter said, mind wandering to Liz.

"Ooooooooh, spill," (Y/N) said, elbowing him in the ribs.

"D-don't you think that's kind of personal? I mean no offense but I barely know you," Peter said, clutching his backpack straps, leaning away from (Y/N)'s elbowing with a red face.

"Isn't that the point of strangers, we spill our secrets to them because they can't mock us since they'll never see us again," (Y/N) replied, eyebrows raised.

"Maybe, but I'm seeing you again, today, exactly."

"Fair point," (Y/N) said, retreating.

They walked a few more feet in a comfortable silence for (Y/N), but an awkward one for Peter.

"What class you heading to?" Peter asked, attempting to fill the silence of the empty hallways, save for their footsteps.

"Honors chem, but I might drop it.  Not willingly, of course.  My Spanish grade is making my parents think I should take regular classes until I'm back on track," (Y/N) answered shrugging.

"How bad is it anyway, to know what I'm getting myself into?"

"D+, 68% exactly.  I studied so hard for that test, I don't even know what I did wrong," (Y/N) responded, retracting into herself and frowning at the floor.

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you," Peter said with concern.

(Y/N) sighed, "It's fine, I had to bring it up eventually.  Anyways, sorry to cut this short but Mrs. Hahn's room is this way," she said pointing up the staircase.

"Alright, my class is down that hall over there.  See you later, right?"

"Yeah, nice talking to you Peter," (Y/N) said smiling sweetly.

"You too," Peter said, waving before watching (Y/N) flip up her hood and begin walking up the stairs and then he walked his own way.  (Y/N) smiled to herself as she walked up that stairs, very content with herself for holding a pleasant conversation for that long with Peter.  Peter himself now couldn't wait for the end of the day more than usual, unable to wipe the grin from his face.

"What's got you so happy?" Ned asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

"What do you mean?" Peter answering Ned's question with a question.

"You haven't mentioned Liz's haircut all lunch, what're you thinking about?"

"Apparently I'm tutoring some girl from my Spanish class after school," Peter said casually.

"A girl!  Peter you ladies man!" Ned exclaimed, slapping Peter on the back, "give me details!"

"It's nothing big, she's got a D+ in Spanish and Aunt May told my teacher I'd be more useful tutoring than running around for uh-" Peter glanced around, "for the 'Stark internship.'"

"What's her name?  What's she look like?  How'd it happen?  Have you guys talked yet? Is she cute?"

Peter blushed at Ned's last question and shrugged him off.

"Her name is (Y/N) and Profe introduced us to each other and then we walked to class."

"Oh my GOD she's cute, isn't she?  (Y/N)?  (Y/N) who?  Has she said anything to you yet?  What kind of girl is she, like a nerd, athlete, goth, skater, emo?"

"Ned I would love to answer your questions but all I know is that her name is (Y/N) and we had a nice conversation on our way to our next classes."

"Gimme the rundown, what was the conversation about?"

"Well, I think it started with her apologizing for being a burden and 'taking me away from my secret girlfriend.'  Then I guess she complimented me?  And then it was a bi-"

"Wait, what?  Dude, did she ask you if you had a girlfriend?"

"Well, not directly, she was-"

"Did she?!"

"I guess kind of?"

"Dude!  She totally likes you!"

"Ned please, that's- that's not true."

"She was trying to see if you were available!"

"No, no way."

"He's right," Michelle spoke up from down the table.

The boys snapped their heads towards the unexpected input.

"This- this is a private conversation!" Peter sputtered.

"I know," Michelle stated before picking up her tray and walking to throw away her trash.

"Duuuuuuuuude," Ned said, eyes wide and smiling from ear to ear.

Peter rolled his eyes, nonchalantly checking his watch every two minutes.

When the bell rang at the end of the day Peter all but walked to the library, only to find (Y/N) already standing outside the doors, pass in hand, looking in the glass walls.  She heard Peter's footsteps and turned around, face visibly brightening at the sight of Peter.

"Hey, I thought it'd be best to go in together," (Y/N) said smiling.

"Yeah, good thinking," Peter replied, with the same smile on his face as well.

The duo walked into the library, handing the lady working the desk their passes to be in the library after school hours. She signed them and sent them to a "study room" which was really just a table in between three bookshelves to create makeshift walls.

"So, what do you need the most help with?" Peter asked, setting his bag down in a chair before sitting in the one next to it.

"Everything," (Y/N) sighed, before sitting in the chair next to Peter and pulling it closer to him while hooking her backpack strap over the back of her chair.

Peter tensed when she moved her chair, Ned's words from lunch echoed in his ears as he told himself Ned was wrong.

"Could- could I look at your test from today?" Peter asked, his voice an octave higher.

"Yeah sure," (Y/N) replied, pulling the slightly dog-eared packet out of her backpack.

(Y/N) handed the test to Peter, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with how much (Y/N) didn't understand.  She'd missed nearly every question, but some of it was just unfair grading, like she'd missed an entire question for having an unnecessary accent.

"I'm not stupid," (Y/N) said from her chair, peering over the edge of the paper reading Peter's reaction, "Just so you know."

Peter immediately put down the paper, "No, no, I didn't say I think you are!"

"I know, but I got a 31% on this test, you're bound to think I'm a little... slow, I guess."

"You're not slow, it just seems- do you pay attention in class?" Peter asked, afraid she'd take offense to his question.

"I mean I try," (Y/N) said, shaking her head, "but Profe talks so fast and mostly in Spanish and everything just goes over my head."

"So you have issues understanding the words?"

"I guess so..."

"Well, let's start there then.  We'll start with you learning the vocabulary, and then how to construct sentences.  They won't have to be correct and all in Spanish, but it will help you start to understand how to use the words and article adjectives and the conjugation and stuff."

"Alright, okay.  You sure this doesn't make me sound dumb?"

"I'm sure, besides, it's okay to be smart in most classes but not understand other classes."

"Psssh, says you, Mr. Perfect!" (Y/N) snickered, lightly pushing Peter's arm.

Thoughts ran through Peter's mind, is (Y/N) flirting?  She just called me perfect...  She's still laughing.... (Y/N) has a nice laugh... Peter cleared his mind and laughed along with her.

"Hey, I'm not perfect, I mess up on things, big things," Peter said, remembering heroic acts gone wrong he'd done.

"Like what?" (Y/N) was staring at Peter, sincerely interested in what he'd thought he'd messed up on.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" Peter asked, wanting to divert the conversation.

"Aren't you supposed to be tutoring me?" (Y/N) replied, smirking before letting out a hearty laugh.

It was just a simple laugh, but that didn't stop Peter's breath from catching in his throat and his cheeks to turn a shade redder. His grin doubled in size as he pulled his binder out of his backpack ready to begin.

"Touché," he said, unclipping his vocab packet from the binder rings, "Alright, I'm just going to go down the list and see what you already know. If you don't know it, we'll highlight it, okay?"

"Yep, sounds good," her smile faltered for a moment before continuing, "But y'know I'm not very good at it."

"That's alright, you have to start somewhere. Ready?"

(Y/N) gave a weak smile, "Ready."

"Okay, aburir," Peter said.

"Uh- to bore."

"Correct!"

"I only remember it because when we went over the definitions I said 'me.'"

"Doesn't matter, still correct. Aprender."

"To learn."

"Asistir."

"To assist?"

"Kind of? That's a translation but the one we're using in class is to attend."

"That's so misleading."

"Yeah, I guess. Okay, asistir is highlighted. What about bucear?"

"No clue."

"To scuba dive."

"When- when would I ever use that?" She asked in pure confusion.

"Obviously when you're going scuba diving."

The sentence wasn't meant to be a joke, but it wasn't to make fun of (Y/N) either. Neither of it mattered, because (Y/N) giggled at it anyway. Peter's hands fidgeted and then he kept going down the list of verbs. Moments turned to minutes which turned to hours and before they knew it two and a half hours had gone by and (Y/N) and Peter were still working. They had moved on from translations and moved to conjugation, which Peter found (Y/N) completely understood and was even quicker at conjugations than he was. Now Peter was asking (Y/N) questions in Spanish and (Y/N) was replying in complete sentences using as little English words as possible.

"Okay okay, quién es tu tutor de español?" (Okay, okay, who is your Spanish tutor?)

(Y/N) smiled, "Tu, Peter es mi tutor de español." (You, Peter is my Spanish tutor)

"Muy bueno, qué color es la camiseta de tu?" (Very good, what color is your shirt?)

"Uh- colors colors colors... la camiseta de mi es... the feminine form of red?" (Uh- colors colors colors... my shirt is... the feminine form of red?)

"It starts with an r," Peter hinted.

"Rrrrrr-red?" (Y/N) said, giving him a lopsided smile.

Peter laughed, "R-O."

"Roja!  I knew that!"

"Good job," Peter snickered.

The pair had become very comfortable with one another in the past hours, not afraid to crack a joke or say something dumb. Peter's confidence was growing, as was (Y/N)'s. However, Peter took notice that (Y/N) laughed at all his jokes no matter how dumb, and again Ned's words echoed through his head. Peter was starting to get this major crush on (Y/N), but he didn't know if she felt the same.

"What are you staring at, Peter?" (Y/N) asked, noticing he'd been looking at her a while.

"S-sorry, you just have an eyelash," he lied.

"Oh, where?" She asked, rubbing her fingers under her eyes.

"Here let- let me get it," Peter said, a faint blush on his cheeks as he leaned forward and cupped your cheek as he ran his thumb under your eye.

He pretended to brush it on the ground removing his hand from your face before murmuring, "Got it."

"Thanks, Peter," you smiled at him, cheeks the faintest shade of pink.

"So- uh- more questions then?" Peter squeaked.

"Yeah."

"Quien te gusta?" (Who do you like?)

(Y/N) hesitated a moment before answering, "Me gustan mi familia y my amiga mejor." (I like my family and my best friend)

"Quien te encanta?" (Who do you like (romanically)?)

Peter held his breath.  (Y/N) looked at Peter in his eyes, unable to read his expression.

"Me- me encantan mi familia y mis amigos." (I- I love my family and friends)

"No tienes un novio o una novia?" (You don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend?)

"N-no, no lo tengo." (N-no, I don't have one)

(Y/N)'s heart was beating rapidly and Peter was taking shaky breaths.

"Quieres un novio?" (Do you want a boyfriend?)

"Lo depen- depende." (It depen- depends)

"Quieres a mi estoy te novio?" (Do you want me to be your boyfriend?)

Peter bit his lips with the sudden rush of anxiety.  (Y/N) just stared at him, increasing the feeling of knots in his stomach.  After what seemed like an eternity of the two just staring at each other, (Y/N)'s voice, soft and barely a whisper, made itself clear.

"S-sí."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," (Y/N) began nodding her head quickly while grinning ear to ear.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh okay, um, when are you free? I'm pretty busy myself, but I'm sure I can clear some stuff. Not that I'm trying to make it sound like you don't deserve my time, because you totally do, I just, with all these AP and honors classes I'm pretty booked, not to mention my internship, which is draining as well, but-"

"I'm free Friday, if that works for you. Pick me up at seven? There's this new spy movie I wanna go see, if that works for you," (Y/N) interrupted.

"Yes, yes that- that works out perfectly, yes."

"Great," (Y/N) smiled, picking up her stuff.

"Well, I was supposed to leave an hour ago but if I tell my mom the tutoring ran late I won't be in any trouble. See you tomorrow, Peter."

"Yeah, see you," Peter replied, giving a small wave.

He watched her as she walked out the doors of the library, then the doors of the school which we across the hall before returning to his own stuff and picking it up. He couldn't believe it. He had a date with the cute girl from his Spanish class!

[rarestnicole]

Everything I Didn't Say

Happy birthday, Mommy Maits.

Dear Mommy, happy birthday. I love you, next to God but above anyone else. Both of us love music, so I'm using the lyrics of songs that I find fit to everything that I wanted to tell you whenever I hear them.

You are my world.

🎶 There's so many things I wanna say. I will always love you, I would never leave you alone. 🎶

Hindi ako madalas mag-message sa'yo ng ganito, but I always want to talk to you. Remember how I always tell you everything that I do, everyone that I know, and all the things that run into my mind whenever we talk through the phone and in person? LOL. I always think that it's nice to tell you every thing that happens in my life kasi you're not just my Mom, you're also my best friend and my safe haven. Napapanatag ako kapag sinasabi ko sa'yo ang lahat. Yes, I want you to see how obedient and honest I am for you to trust me enough when it comes to my decisions. But also, I want you to feel that I love you. That I love you that much to tell you the truth even when I know that you won't like some of it. Kahit po alam ko na mapapagalitan o mapagsasabihan mo ako sa ibang pinaggagagawa ko o sinasamahan ko, I'd still tell you honestly how and why I did it because I love you to the point where I can't seem to lie to you. You don't deserve my lies. You never will. So I'm assuring you always that I'll be honest. I am even telling you who my crush is. LOL, medyo big deal siya but hey, you're my Mom. What's wrong with telling you who makes me blush whenever I see him, right? Haha! Just don't think that I'll be having a boyfriend soon 'cause I don't think that I'd have one this year. Ask me again in 2019. I don't tell you that I love you because we weren't really that sweet to each other, but I am making ways to make you feel it. Hahaha. Could you tell whenever I'm trying to? I hope so. I'll never leave you, Mommy. How could someone live if she'll leave her world? She'd probably die or be miserable until death.

🎶 Sometimes I just forget, say things I might regret. 🎶

I'm sorry if I make you upset, Mommy. Sorry po kasi pinapairal ko ang katigasan ng ulo ko at ginagawa lang ang gusto ko. Sorry kung nagtatampo ako sa'yo kapag hindi mo ako pinapayagan sa ibang gusto kong puntahan. Sorry kasi dumadagdag pa po ako sa mga nagpapasakit ng ulo mo when I should be comforting you kasi ang dami mo na ngang inaasikaso at iniisip. Please know that even when I'm being a brat, at the end of the day, magsisisi pa rin ako kasi I don't feel good kapag hindi tayo bati. :3

🎶 It breaks my heart to see you crying. 🎶

I'll never get used to see you crying and I don't even want to try. I don't even want to see you crying, more so, hear you sob because I always want you to be happy and comfortable. I have seen you cry more than the times that you allowed me to see. I also heard you cry and that's the most horrible sound that I have ever heard. I cried with you silently without you knowing. Alam ko po na hindi ko mapipigilan ang mga pag-iyak mo, that's normal. Tao ka na napapagod, nasasaktan at nalulungkot kaya hindi maiiwasang umiyak. Ang gusto ko lang po gawin ay damayan ka kapag dumating ang oras na iiyak ka. Even when I'm far from you, I want to comfort you and tell you how you mean to me even when you're flawed, even when you failed and even when you're broken beyond repair. I'd love you still. How could I not love the person who showed me how to love? You are the best example of a loving daughter and you inspired me to be one. After all, the best mother deserves the best daughter, so here I am!

🎶 I don't wanna lose you, I could never make it alone. 🎶

Natatandaan ko pa po ang sinabi mo noon na "Kapag ako namatay, kakagatin mo ang siko mo." Alam mo po bang simula noon, sinubukan kong kagatin ang siko ko? Hahaha. It's not because I want you gone, I just wanted to know kung kakayanin ko ba kapag namatay ka na. I'd probably be miserable my whole life. I can't imagine my life without you, I'd be lost forever. Here's a little secret; when I was young, nasa mga prayer ko ang mauna sana akong mamatay sa inyo ni Daddy kasi hindi ko kaya kapag iniwan ninyo ako. Haha. Pero nung iniwan naman ako ni Daddy, kaya ko naman pala, hindi naman kasi kami ganun ka-close at mas kailangan naman kasi kita at mas mahal. I dunno pero kahit mas spoiled ako kay Daddy and kahit you were always strict, I'd always choose you over Daddy. Strange. Strange kasi he's my blood and I thought that it'll always be thicker than water. Hmm. Maybe because you're the best among the rest of them. Kaya siguro hindi ko magawang sumama noon kay Daddy kahit mas sweet siya. HAHAHA. Alam ko po siguro deep inside me na mas mahal mo ako, mas ramdam ko siguro kahit hindi ko naririnig. I could never make it without you, Mommy. Don't leave me, ha? I'm a bit scared kapag naiisip ko po na magbi-birthday ka kasi tumatanda ka po. Thankful naman ako kay Lord kasi may isang taon kami ulit na kasama ka but still, it's freaking scary to think about you getting older. Hindi ko pa rin po kayang kagatin ang siko ko up 'til now and I probably won't be able to, kaya don't leave me, Mmy, ha?

🎶 You keep me standing tall, you helped me through it all. 🎶

When I'm insecure about myself, you'd always tell me that I could do it, except dancing. Sabi mo sa akin lagi, "Sus, kayang kaya mo 'yan." And I'd believe that I could do anything kasi kasasabi mo lang po eh. But when it comes to dancing, wala yata talaga kasi sinabi mo rin po eh. Haha. Whenever I'm having a hard time, you'd be there to guide me and tell me what to do. I appreciate all of that po.

🎶 I have always needed you, I could never make it alone. 🎶

I'll always need you kahit saan po ako mapunta kaya please be there for me always. I'll always be with you, too. I'll be your best friend and your daughter. I'll take care of you and I'll love you more because you deserve to be taken care of and to be loved more than you think you do. You're precious, Mommy.

You are my light.

🎶 Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart, it's the end of the world in my mind. 🎶

When I was a younger, I usually think that this world is better off without me because I shouldn't be here in the first place. I always thought that I was Mama and Papa's mistake, do tou know that Mommy? I thought that I ruined their lives but I never wanted any of this. I blamed them for being irresponsible and almost held a grudge against them for that. I always thought that I wasn't enough for anyone to stay just because Dad chose to leave me... He left us. Whatever, it's his loss.

🎶 Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call. I've been looking for the answers somewhere. I couldn't see that it was right there. 🎶

Whenever I feel worthless, I think of you and I feel useful. I always wanted to be useful for you. Gusto ko po makatulong lagi sa'yo para hindi ka po masyadong mahirapan, I think that's the reason why I was born. I think I was born for you to become the best mother. If that was actually it, then I'm glad to be Mama and Papa's mistake just to be your ray of sunshine. I hope that I'm one of your rays of sunshine or even just the color orange in the rainbow of your life.

🎶 But now I know what I didn't know: because you live and breathe, because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help. 🎶

You're my one-man cheering squad. Your happiness is also my happiness. My success is invalid without you because all of it is because of you. Dearest Mommy, if some days I'll turn again into your bratty daughter, please know that at the end of those days, I am regretting it wholeheartedly but I'm just too shy to say sorry. Even when I'm shy to say sorry, I'd always try to make it up to you. I'll always appreciate how you defend me and how you take my side when you know that I'm right but please don't do that often because it makes me cry. Hahahaha. Just tell me how I'm tough to ge through it and just be there for me always, like forever. Haha!

🎶 Because you live, Mom, my world has twice as many stars in the sky. 🎶

I put so much into this letter for you because you deserve it. I'll leave all the tears and emotions that passed through me here, in this very letter, and hope that you'll feel how much you are loved by a person you named Anne Nicole. You make my world even brighter, Mommy. You make anyone's world brighter. Your love is so precious to the point that some people are scared of it because they know that it's too much for them to deserve.

Cheers to another 50 years ahead!

[ryvxn]

⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⌜ 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐀𝑆𝑈𝑀𝐴𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐀 ⌟

⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ — #𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐦 ; personal inscription.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐪𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲 — 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟖

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. murder, sexual implication

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

& so what—if my feathers

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ are burning. I

never asked for flight.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ only to feel

this fully, this

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ entire, the only way snow

touches bare skin—& is,

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ suddenly, snow

no longer.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

the circus arrived without warning. no announcements preceded it. it was simply there when yesterday it was not. within the black-and-white striped canvas, tents were an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. it was called le cirque des reves, and it was only open at night. — and jang yeongrae, the obscure magician worked there. centre of rumours and curious eyes, the boy with nothing but sweet lies on his tongue. liars did make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional.

yeongrae never wished to be easily defined. he would rather float over other people's minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable. more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person. that was why he was a well-established magician, feeding the people with their desired wanderlust and always getting his payment in return. — a heart, an eye and sometimes the soul of life.

“ did you do it again, yeongrae? ”

by the time yeongrae lied the lifeless vessel of his sacrifice on a sunflower meadow and walked back to the circus tent, da xia was already there, well aware of his intentions. her jaw clenched and her eyes reflected the dark ocean of enviousness, as she scoped him out — searching for the fragments of sin on his flesh. and he knew very well that she did not do it out of worry or curiosity, she just happened to follow her heart. in which the seed of admiration grew ever since elders thought they would make a great pair. one line made her claim him as first love, and made him claim her as his nemesis.

“ you shouldn't waste your time with the questions that you know the answers to. ”

he took a step aside to leave, only to be stopped by her. hand holding his arm in a tight grasp, she looked at him with teary eyes — and yeongrae hated her more for that. oh, how he hated those that thought they could love him. she held him the way thirst held water. so sincerely, so obsessed. and his hatred towards her continued to grow as he bent slightly to whisper to her ear: “ should i just tear your heart out now? ”

her eyes widened upon hearing him and he looked at her with emptiness in his eyes. that was something she told him when both of them were children. that the human eye was god's loneliest creation. how so much of the world passed through the pupil and still it held nothing. the eye, alone in its socket, did not even know there was another one, just like it, an inch away, just as hungry, as empty.

“ 心肝 , are you scared to show me there is no heart in you for me to tear? ”

da xia swallowed hard and looked away, hating the weakness of her spirit. she was more than her current self, a wilting flower. she was stronger than what she showed. yet, he always found a way to hurt her. his words hurt because he was the man responsible for making her burn. for making her feel like a woman. it hurt because it had been a trick. an illusion of magic he created with the corner of his fingertips — for his audience and for his chosen sacrifice he adorned under sheets. and it hurt most of all because he did not see her, the woman she was.

“ you are a monster. ”

he smirked at her insult. what was wrong with being a monster? it just meant he was both a shelter and warning at once. — and not only in that life but many times before.

“ that, i am. ”

and the pair avoided each other for the rest of the day. until the lanterns of the circus were on and tale listeners filled the tent.

yeongrae was a talented magician. he told a tale that took up residence in someone's soul, became their blood and self and purpose. the tale of his magic moved his audience and drove them and people did anything because of his words. that was his role, his gift. and he used his gift to seduce, to drown himself in flesh and empty vessels that could replace the nightmares of his past.

“ how dare a lowly circus girl like you tear my dress. do you even know who i am? ”

at the end of his performance, yeongrae heard a maiden raise her voice over a small tear on her attire. her face flushed, she waved her arms in a discordant rhythm to scold one of the circus workers, da xia. he heard someone whisper how the woman did a mistake but unfairly blamed the other but instead of stepping up and protecting the one that promised him future, yeongrae just watched. he waited for her to stand up for herself, to say anything to not carry coals. yet, she just stood there, eyes blurred by the tears that refused to fall.

— and he once again, hated her for that.

“ aren't you going to help her? she is your lover — ” the old lady of the circus said as she appeared out of nowhere. she did not really have any responsibility on the stage, her crystal ball and divination skills brought income out of the circus tent.

“ she isn't my lover. elders fooled her to believe that because of you — ” yeongrae responded, well aware that the woman beside him was more than what met to eyes. she was a witch and was well aware of his damned soul.

“ you need an innocent soul to balance your damned one, ” the other calmly responded, only for yeongrae to laugh at her in disbelief. tone harsh and challenging, he shook his head before returning his gaze to the scene that happened in front of him.

“ do you want me to thank you for choosing a sacrifice for me, old lady? ” his dark orbs reflected the cold waves of the ocean. “ i won't do whatever you want to. i won't love a soul that grow flowers in her eyes, ” he argued before his gaze focused on the maiden that caused to scene. “ i will choose my own sacrifice. ”

“ be careful, child, ” the witched warned. “ you need redemption to save your soul but you keep colouring your hands with the sinful shade of scarlet. ”

— there she was again and her riddles.

“ i'm death's favourite for that reason, aren't i? don't worry yourself for me. you said i'll die in the hands of the child emperor, not in the bed of a young maiden. ”

that was true. he would not die under the fragile hands of the maiden that caused a scene in front of the circus. he would...

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ —

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

acrimonious fingertips brushed the nocturnal silk that lacked the glints of starlight. the silence of the room ushered the symphony of life's mien, like a tempered chaperon. the rush of helplessness, the sinking yielding, the surging tide of warmth. soft lips against the bite of liquor on their tongue. she knew the more they stayed in silence, the more she would miss herself in the unknown gaze of the forbidden magician. once she wed her unutterable vision to his perishable breath, her mind would never romp again like the mind of a goddess. — and that was what he was after. his kisses were talking, warning her for the last time about the approaching malignancy. yet, blinded by lust, she neither noticed the phlegmatic veil over his orbs nor the tenuous spicule he slowly injected into her cerebellum. a quiet falter, wide-open eyes that stared at him. and his plump lips that whispered against hers:

“ 心肝 , do you believe in magic? ”

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀ ⠀

disclaimer. consists of references from the night circus and ocean vuong books. it is the messiest self-para i had ever written but please bear with it.

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

PLAY SMART

Che “Taza” Romero x Reader

Word count: 3.1k

Thanks to my lovely beta reader @chibsytelford 💘

Author comments: Another crazy idea. I hope you all enjoy. Gif isn't mine, credits to the author.

Tag list: @starrynite7114 ​ @chibsytelford ​ @dazzledamazon ​ @mara-mpou ​ @sammskellington ​ @gemini0410 ​ @1-800-imagines ​ @briana-mishell24 ​@sassymox @whyisgmora @aquamento @sadeyesgf @viviansafizada @samcrobae @jade770 @witchy-wish @rebel-without-cause-x @arveeee ✨ (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)

Adjusting the green shirt to your chest, you go out of the clubhouse followed by Creeper drinking a coffee on a cardboard cup. You’re walking faster with your gaze on the front, directly to the car scrapping. It supposed that you should start in one hour, but if you arrive earlier, you can also leave earlier. You don’t want to see Taza after what happened last day, when his ex-wife came to the workshop because her car was having problems with the engine. She talked you as if you were a servant, or something like that, so you couldn't shut up and spoke to her in a sarcastic tone that she didn't like. Of course, she told Taza. At first, you didn’t care, until you saw how they said goodbye, with so much love and affection. Gilly told you that they have been married for almost fifteen years and that she was back to town indefinitely. It was like a shoot straight to your heart.

You aren’t nothing, but for the last months there has been a flirt environment installed between both, always pulling and loosening. But with his ex-wife in Santo Padre and by the way she had of touching him constantly, you know that what you wanted so bad it’s not going to happen. So you’re trying to not match with him. And that hurts. The only thing you can do it’s work and go home. No Mayans parties, no more nights at the clubhouse and no more rides back home on Taza’s bike. You can’t fight with a woman who knows him since ever and who was married with him for too many years. You didn’t know that something like that could happen, he didn’t talk you about her and it seems like it was a surprise for him too.

“Dammit, mama, you look like shet’”. Angel’s confused voice pushes you back to reality, making you shake your head for an instant.

“I didn’t sleep last night”. You shrug your shoulders and arms.

Messed bump, eye bags, no makeup and the shoelaces untied. You sigh after having a look of yourself, leaning down to tie them. The sun seems to disappear, raising your gaze surprised till you find your boss’ eyes, crossing his arms over his chest covered by leather. You swallow quietly, licking your inner lip before continuing with your task. 

“Everything ok?” You ask playing fool, hiding your nervous voice for a while.

“I don’ know, everything ok?”

“Yea’, I just… start earlier ‘cause I need to go to Santa Madre”.

“Sure. Why you didn’t come to the ranch last night?”

“Last night? What hap— Oh! Oh!”

Taza raises both eyebrows, while you still playing the innocent one palming your forehead.

“Shit, I forgot the Mayan dinner...” Clicking your tongue, you snort heavy.

“Let me tell you something, (Y/N)”. Facing you with hardly two inches between both, he leans above your ear provoking you some chills. “Soy un perro muy viejo, para que un cachorro me intente engañar”. (I'm a very old dog, and a puppy can't lie to me”.

“I forgot it”. You insist. “I was tired and I fell asleep on the sofa”.

“Look at your face”. The man says without changing his position. “Not everything is what it seems”.

“Ok, boss. I get it”. 

Taza doesn't say anything else, hitting his shoulder against yours to pass you away. Rubbing it you turn to the oldest rolling your eyes. Creeper and Angel are staring at you, trying to understand what is happening, but you don't wanna talk about it. Work and go home, that's all you want. The Reyes, putting an arm on your shoulders, shake his head disappointed 'cause he's starting to know what's going on having all the clues on the table.

Going upstairs to the office, you hug Chuckie as soon as you see him, asking for the hours signature quadrant. Your turn is already finished and completed and you also have the afternoon free, so you could rest the time you didn't last night thinking about the things that it's not going to happen, driving you crazy. Leaving the car scrapping' shirt in your hanger, you grab the helmet next to your bag, ready to leave. 

And she's there again. You can see her from the top of the stairs, hugging your boss and kissing his cheek as you used to do it. You're going downstairs slow, concentrated on not looking like you're jealous. Yes, you two were nothing, but you feel some kind of things that you would like not to feel right now. Taking off your phone of the pocket, you dissemble when he catches you looking at them, walking towards your motorbike to put the helmet on. 

“Wait a second”. You hear some meters away, while your sitting on your bike. “Eh, (Y/N)!”

You want to make that you didn't listen his call, but it would be too evident, so Taza waits for you to reversing and stop again. 

“I'm sorry for the hit”.

“Yeah, it was rude”.

“Are you hurry?”

“Yeah, a little”.

“When will you back at home, ah?”

“I don't kn... Why it feels like I'm talking to my father?”

“Because you're so fuckin' annoyin'”.

“Great, thanks. Another bullshit, Taza?”

“You know what? Fuck off”.

“Yeah, pretty one”. Rolling your eyes, containing the tears in them, you turn the engine to run away from the front yard.

Bishop texted you about four pm to tell you that Yuma and Stockton charters were coming to Santo Padre by night, so they're having a party and he needs you along with EZ to attend the bar. That's precisely what you were avoiding to do, be at the clubhouse more time than necessary. But guessing that you should work just for two or three hours accompanied doesn't seems a big trouble to deal with. So you're in.

Driving you car, 'cause it's gonna be easy to come back home after the party, you reach the car scrapping parking there so your Camaro will be safe in case that anyone decided to start a friendly fight. They usually do, for no reason. Last time, your motorbike suffered the consequences, even if they took care of the fixed. Walking betwixt a lot of crap mountains, your steps go straight to the green main door with mayans symbols finding the crowded yard. Stockton are already there, mixed with the Santo Padre' ones. EZ whistles you, claiming for your attention with that charming smile he always have on his face. You greet the guys raising your chin for a second, whilst going close to the prospect.

“Take the Jose Cuervo in the warehouse, I'm on my way for beers”.

“Okay”. You nod then, turning to the right and guiding your legs to the huge metallic structure by a side of the clubhouse. 

Grabbing the trolley at the entrance, you walk towards the end of the warehouse to leave it there, so you can place five boxes on it. Bishop calls to the door, even if it's opened asking you for come in without words. He walks in, closing it and resting his body against a shelving.

“You ok, kid?”

“Yea', just a bad night, prez”. You nod showing a soft and fleeting smile, presing the low rod of the trolley leaning to you and putting im by the two wheels.

“You didn' came to the dinner”.

“I'm sorry, I forgot it”.

“Did you?”

Leaving a sigh on air, you don't know what to say, pursing your lips as you place your gaze in nowhere.

“I saw you… kinda arguing with Taza this morning. Twice”.

“I—”.

“You know you can talk to me, rai'?” He sounds serious, crossing his arms.

“I just… made some illusions. The kind that fuck you down, when you realize that they're… just that. Illusions”.

“I know what you're talkin'bout. Play smart, kid. You're not stupid”.

Might be the best advice someone could give you, and you know you should. But sometimes, you can't simply do it. After leaving you there, you continue your walk to the clubhouse, going upstairs carefully with the tequila boxes. Opening the door with a push of your back, EZ notices you ready to help you. When everything is placed, the prospect offers you a shirt with the Mayans logo to change it for yours. Like somekind of uniform.

Once you're wearing it, you walk outside to receive the Yuma charter, hugging Canche as soon as he sees you.

“What's up, chamaca?”

“Not much, just another party working, not enjoying”.

“When you finish, make a place fo' me in your busy schedule. I need some help with my bike”. He says placing a hand on your shoulders, so you can follow him to his men to greet them too.

“Sure! I'll let you know when I'm done”.

A car coming calls your attention, turning under Canche's grip, to find the owner.

“What the hell…? Isn't that Taza's ex-wife?”

“Yep”.

“What she doin'ere?” The president asks you confused.

“Don' know. Ask her ex-husband”. You answer with a singing voice and both eyebrows raised.

“That bitch fucked him up”.

“Did she…?”

“Yea', I heard something 'bout a one-night-stand with a Vato. Oscar told us”.

“But they seems so close”.

“Taza is a good man, you know him”.

“Yea'...”

Pursing your lips at the man, you shrugs before start with your tasks of serve beers and tequila shot for everyone there, with EZ help. You can't help but thinking about that woman who came from nowhere with some kind of clear intentions, and now you're understanding was what Bishop trying to tell you. “Play smart”. So you will. Grabbing the coldest beers and putting them on a tray, you carry them to the first picnic table outside, where the main members of your charter are sitting. Leaving there, one for each one, you sit close to the Padrino who puts an arm around your waist.

“You look good in that shirt, kid”. He says proud, having a look from top to down. Since you started to work there, he has been the most gentle man on earth with you and it's something to be thankful for. “How's your week goin'? Didn' see you last night”.

“Tired week, need to rest, padrino”.

“You look like. Are they treating you good, or taking advantage that you're so helpful, ah?”

“To be that ‘helpful’ you have to show some respect first”. You hear that irritating feminine voice behind your back, before she appears in front of your eyes with a hand on Taza's left shoulder.

“Take off that Vato's dick of your mouth, before talking about my kid”. Padrino's voice is calm and peaceful, surprising you about it, and creating an uncomfortable silence on the table. 

You're fucking done. Done in a good mood, 'cause well, no one piss off padrino's kid. Palming his back, you get up of your seat to grab the tray and go back to work, as soon as Oscar claims your attention to ask for some beers. At least, now you know what happened, even if you're trying to figure what's she doing here. Not for you, but for Taza. Because she doesn't deserve someone like him, not after what she did. Double disloyalty. And that's screwing you more than you thought.

Even if it's something that it's in your head all the time, you make sure that doesn't influence in your work, letting it for later. And when you're already finished with it, leaving EZ with the rest, you go straight to Canche. As soon as you're done with him too, you can be close to Taza to make it up to him because of your paranoia. And so you do, sharing the same table with a beer in your hand. You don't know why his ex-wife continue there, but you don't care. Not anymore. Sitting in front of him, again by padrino's side and Bishop at the other, you try to get in the conversation. Easy task 'cause they're talking about a travel coming soon, and they need your help to check the motorcycles before leaving.

“Okay, I can do it tomorrow evening. Just leave me the keys at the office”. You say then supporting both forearms on the table, nodding for a while. “So, gas, oil and pressure… Yeah, it's fast to do'et”.

“Can you check my bike's direction? I think it's a little bit turned to the left”. Taza says then, and you know that's only a excuse to talk with you. Like, right now.

“Is it?” You hesitate, raising an eyebrow before having a sip of your drink, getting up of your bench.

“Yea', and the brake is a little hard. I think EZ squeezed too much”. He's getting up too, letting go the uncomfortable grip of his ex-wife.

“Okay, let's see”.

He walks next to you, offering you the keys so you can turn on his bike. Pressing softly the gas, to do the same with the brake. It's not. But seems like he wants to leave the yard, at least, for some minutes.

“I have the tools in my car”. You say then, turning of the engine to push the handlebar so you can make it moves. 

Going down the alley, with the Vicepresidente behind your back smoking a cigar, you reach the Camaro. You don't have any tools on it, but you really want to hear what he wants to tell you. So you simply leave the motorbike parked, next to your car, and resting your body sitting on it giving him the keys.

“She asked me to stay at the ranch”. He says then, keeping them inside one of his pockets. Sounds like you should reply something, but you'll not. It's his house, not yours. “I don' know what she doin'ere. But I don' even care”.

“Good for you, Taza”. You shrug with pursed lips.

“Let's be clear, kid. We're nothing”.

“Okay, I'm done with this bullshit”. You laugh loud getting up from his bike, and shaking your hands, trying to hide the bitterness and looking for the control remote of your car.

“Listen, listen”. Catching you by your left wrist, he stops your moves.

“It's fuckin' okay, Taza. You don' have to give me any explanation. I'm not your... fuckin' wife, nor your fuckin' girl. I get it. But let me tell you something. It's fucking grievous seeing a woman how fucked you up with a fuckin' Vato, trying to get back what she lost. And you, let her doin'et. You deserve good things, and you should love and respect yourself a little more”.

“Well, than'ya' for your kindly words. But I'm not letting her doin' nothen'. And I also talk her 'bout you”.

“Seems like she doesn' give a f— You did what?” Narrowing your eyes and letting you go, you cross your arms on the chest.

“We're nothing, but I would like to be something”. He clarifies you. “I asked her to leave and just came to pay what we fixed in her car. She stayed for a beer”.

“Yes, close of his ex-husband”.

“Focus on the fact I wan'to be with you, and not with her. Think about'e”.

Taza leaves you there, alone, carrying his bike when seems like you don't know what to reply at this words. Sitting on the hood of your car and lighting a cigar between your lips, you have a long smoke that rips your throat and also your tongue. You're somewhat jealous, you can't help but trying to see the point of playing smart to mark somekind of territory without looking like he's a piece of meat. But with that kind of women, it's all you can do. 

Putting well your shirt on, after throwing away the cigar, you walk towards the front yard with hands in your pockets. Some ideas are dancing in your head, trying to choose the best way to deal with it. But when you see her, sitting again by his side, and trying to hug him… Good lord, you can't help but losing your modals and your gentle mood. 

“Che, take me home”. You just say, stopping in front of the crew.

“Haven't you a car, ah?” She asks raising her chin somewhat proudly, grabbing the Vice's arm between hers.

“Haven't you a Vato's dick to suck, instead of annoying everyone around you?”

God, those words come from the depths of your soul. Making the guys chuckle as she gets up full of rage.

“Watch your mouth, niña. You don' know who I am”. Pointing your chest with a finger once and again.

“Yea', looks like I don' give a shit that I don' even know your name”. You face her, not afraid. “Southern border is close, come back to your hole, whore. You don' have anything to do here”.

“Did you ju—”.

“Shit, yes, I did”. You roll your eyes, being fast enough to avoid the slap straight to your face.

El padrino takes you back, as Bishop and Angel go to her before she can try it again.

“You heard her, go back to southern border”. Taza says placing himself between both, turning then to hold your forearm and leave the front yard.

You don't say anything into your way to his motorbike, putting on the helmet as he turns it on. Grabbing his waist with your hands, he runs out of the clubhouse. You know he's mad. You can feel the tension on his body, driving the road he knows by heart to your house, taking his time as he looks like he's thoughtful.

When he stations the bike in front of your house, so you can jump off of it, you keep his gaze.

“'You gonna leave?” You ask him a little bit nervous, taking off the helmet to supporting it against your abdomen.

“'Don' know. What you want?”

Hesitating for a second, you take a step closer placing a hand on his nape, to press your lips on his. It's the first time you two kiss, after some weeks wanting it. He pulls you away, thinking that you screwed it up, until you see him getting up to leave behind his back the motorbike. Cupping your cheeks on his huge hands, Taza kisses you again. Tangling your fingers in the flannel shirt to push him closer, your lips move alone on his. It's better than you could imagine, tasting the tequila in his saliva and beer in yours. A perfect mix. 

“So, are you gonna stay?” You almost beg between short and dearly kisses, finding yourself walking to your house, giving your back at it.

“Fuck, yes, baby”. He nods lifting you up, so you can surround his body with your legs.