#then almost ate adult crayons

[thegreatbuttoneer]

There are reasons I refer to myself as The Fool.

[richiejerimovichsblueeyes]

been loving your work recently... I think I need some richie angst to fluff in my life pleasee😆

Hey there anon! Thank you for your sweet words ♥️ I hope you enjoy this! I got kinda carried away with the fluff, lol.

I love you, Richard Lawrence Jerimovich!

Richie Jerimovich × female reader. Angst + Fluff

Warnings- some angst, but other than that nothing else. Brief mention of sex. But other wise just some tooth rotting fluff. There is a age gap between Richie and reader (didn’t specify age, only to keep it imersive for the reader). All my work is 18+, even if it's not smut. Although some of my work is SFW, I do still advise that minors do not interact, only because sex and other adult situations might be mentioned. I can't control what you read, but please be advised.

Author note- Richie's fluff makes me all mushy. This was so much fun to write <3

Word Count- 1,495

Request are open💕

“I have a feeling she is almost ten years younger than him.”

“I don’t know what women would date that loser.”

“I bet she’s just a rebound.”

“She won’t last another year with him”

Every cruel word from their bitchy mouths stung like a bee sting as I stood in line to pick up Eva. Did they think I was stupid? Or did they not care? Yes, I was younger than Richie. But it didn’t bother me until now. Tiff was always nice to me. I think she was happy Richie finally found someone who made him happy. I silently prayed for Eva’s class to let out so I wouldn’t be scrutinized by the snotty mom crew.

Small children burst out of the front door, all running towards their moms, dads, or whoever was waiting for them. Eva came bouncing toward me. She held up a drawing. “Y/N! I made you something” she beamed. I took the pink piece of construction paper. There were three stick people. There is a tall stick figure with brown hair, a shorter one with long hair and a triangle dress, and a short one with yellow hair drawn in with crayon. There was an attempt at a heart above the two adult stick people. My heart clenched in my throat. “It’s you and Dad, and then me.” She said with a smile. I felt tears prick my eyes. “Eva. I love this so much. Let’s go home and we’ll put it in the fridge for your Dad to see.” She grinned as I took my hand and walked her toward my car. 

As we walked to my car I felt the two of the bitchy moms eye me. 

“She’s so pathetic..thinking it’ll last between her and Eva’s dad. Poor girl.” Women A said. I hurried along with Eva, trying to get away from them as quickly as possible, hoping that Eva wouldn’t catch on to what was being said about me.

Eva hugged me before turning to her mom. “Thanks,” Tiff said with a smile as I handed her Eva’s school bag. I nodded trying to keep my expression at bay. The words from those women haunted me. What if I wasn’t meant for Richie? What if he didn’t love me? What if…what if.

“Eva, go run inside,” Tiff told Eva. The spunky kid ran inside as Tiff instructed. “Is everything ok?” She asked me once Eva was out of earshot. “Oh, I’m fine..just tired” I lied. “Hey, look. I know it’s probably weird for you being that I’m your boyfriend’s ex wife…what I want to say is that if you need anything you can talk to me. I know Richie can be a lot to handle with his temper, but I see that he cares a lot about you. And so does Eva.” I smiled at Tiff’s words. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” I felt nice that Tiff was on my side, but the insecure part of me was taunting me.

I held my tears together until I got home. Normally stuff like this didn’t get to me, but maybe the women at the school pickup line were right about me and Richie. Maybe we were destined to crash and burn. Maybe we’d end up with a sad story. Tears soaked my pillow as my thoughts ate me alive.

The door to my and Richies apartment swung open. He usually stopped to hang up his leather jacket, but today, he made his way to me, where I was a ball of emotions. “Hey, babe..are you ok? Tiff called and said you seemed upset while dropping Eva off.” Richie said softly while rubbing my arm. “I’m fine.” I lied. “No, you’re not; you’ve been crying. Come here.” I felt him gently lift me to make room for him to sit next to me on the couch. His arms pulled me in, making me even more emotional. I didn’t deserve him. “Talk to me, sweetheart.” He encouraged me. “It’s fine..” I said as I enjoyed the comfort of his embrace. “You’re not fine. Please tell me so I can fix it.” He said with sadness in his voice. I knew he hated seeing me like this, but I was afraid if I voiced my concerns he would realize that I wasn’t worth his time. “Richie..I swear I’m ok. I’m just really tired.” “I’m not buying that bullshit, Y/N.” His voice was a little more firm Indicating he was getting frustrated. “There’s no bullshit, Richie. Stop asking.” “Why won’t you let me in!? I’m your boyfriend for fuck sake. I’m supposed to help you. You’re shutting me out” He said with his voice raised. Tears fell from my eyes, my lip quivering to keep myself from crying harder.

“Hey, hey…” He soothed me while pulling me in tight to his warm body. He gently wiped the tears from my eyes with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sorry for not telling you why I was upset..” I said as I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I understand that maybe you’re not ready to open up about everything, and I get you need to process some emotions alone. But, it kills me to see you hurting.” He whispered into my hair. “The ladies at school pickup were talking shit behind my back when I was picking up Eva,” I admitted. I felt Richie stiffen. “What did they say?” He asked in a voice that was laced with anger. “Just stuff about how I’m too young for you. How we won’t last. That I’m just your rebound.” All those words they said were like a knife in my gut as I repeated them. “Fucking bitches! I’m gonna pick Eva up tomorrow and give them a piece of my mind. Nobody talks about my girl like that.” I felt his lips brush against my forehead. “babe..don’t cause a scene.” I warned. “I don’t care if they send their prick face husbands after me.” He kissed my forehead again. “Plus, baby..they are just jealous,” I laughed sarcastically. “Seriously sweetheart. Your so fucking beautiful, they’ve got nothing on you..” He declares as he brushes his lips against mine. “And…maybe they are just jealous because I’m so hot.” He teased. “oh, look who’s got a big ego.” I laughed as I gave him a playful swat. “You gave it to me, babe…telling me how good-looking I am all the time.” He winked. “They wish their husbands were as good-looking as you,” I said with a flirty smile and I straddled his lap to face him. He gently cupped my face bringing it close to his. A serious look washed over his face. “You know? I’d love to make you Mrs. Y/n Jerimovich.” The air escaped from my lungs. “You mean…that?” I asked breathlessly. “I’m serious. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately..want to buy you a ring, put it on your finger” he said with a boyish grin while he brought my ring finger up to his lips and placed a kiss on it. “What do you say, babe? Make me the happiest guy in the world?” I nodded as I was too emotional to speak. I hovered my lips over his and answered his question with a deep long kiss. The heat from our mouths mingled, sealing his question with a kiss. “Well, I take that as a yes.” He said with a husky voice as he separated his lips just a space from mine. “I love you, Richard Lawrence Jerimovich,” I whispered against his lips. He lets out a growl of approval. “I love the way my name sounds coming from that pretty mouth.” He pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms making me feel safe and protected. The steady beat of his heart against me. This is where I belonged, in his arms. Loved and protected. 

We lay in bed, a tangled mess of limbs and sheets basking in the afterglow of sex.  “I completely forgot. Eva drew me a picture at school.” I told Richie, my head lying on his chest. “Yeah? What did the little artist draw?” He asked. “A stick family. You, me, and Eva. She drew a heart above you and me.” I said while picturing the artwork in my head. Richie smirked, giving me an indication he had a secret. “Spill it!” I said while poking his side playfully. “Fine, fine before you tickle it out of me.” He laughed as he grabbed my hands and interlaced his fingers with mine. “I may have already bought a ring. Eva helped me. I’m shocked she kept it a secret this long.” I felt my heart pound with excitement, a smile forming on my lips. “Try and act surprised when I propose? Ok?” He teased me. “I fucking love you, Richie. So much!” I grinned as I attacked his face with kisses. 

[ashstar1111]

babysitting storytime?? not a good one tho lol

its kinda long so be aware. also, sorry for any spelling/grammer mistakes, english isnt my first language.

ok so BACKROUND: theres this couple + two daughters (7 and 5 y/o) who lives two floors below me & my family, and both the parents had to work and they needed someonw to watch their girls from 8am to almost 5pm (so about 9h). 

Usually my little sis babysits for them but she had plans + she didnt feel like shes ready to babysit for so long (its the first family shes babysitting for), so she offered me the job. and me, being me, took it without thinking twice (spoiler alart, BIG MISTAKE).

so i wake up in the morning and i feel really ill, i almost threw up a few times and my stomach really hurts, but i dont have much time to worry about it so i suck it up like a big kid, drink my coffe, take the dog for a walk, come home, finish my coffe, and go to their house. 

so, get to these girls apartment at 8am sharp, and everything is fine for the first few hours, they’re snacking some chips and drinking WAY to much chocolate milk, as well as watching wired youtubes on the tv, they were honestly very well behaved at the begining tbh, so i just let them be. 

at like 11:30am they started being hungry and they asked me for some fruites, so i was like “okay :)” and went to cut some fruites and stuff for them. i cut them a peach and washed them two different types of grapes, put it all on a plate and brought it to them.

then, they said they want corn schnitzel and i was like, “okay, well you can eat the fruites while i make u some” and went to the kitchen. what i didnt know was that they were starting to play with the fruits instead of eating them, so i came back to find the grapes, still uneaten, but covered in green liquid sope (???), and one (1) pice of peach was eaten. thats it. no girls.

at this point its about 12:45pm and they’re not in the living room where i left them. why? because APPARENTALLY, they decided that braking into their parents room (which was locked, btw, dont ask me how tf they got in) to steal some Mentos, was the best thing to do after murdering fruites.

i caught them right before they found the Mentos, and brought them to the dining table to eat the schnitzel they asked for. after they ate they decided to play a game called “trying to get into mom and dad’s room to steal stuff”, and i had to literally STAND AND GAURD THE DOOR TO MAKE SURE THEY WERENT STEALING SHIT. 

then, as they relized that I was the main problem, they decided to start trowing things at me. moestly shoes and crayons and markers and dolls. i asked them to stop multipul times and tryed to talk to them like big girls, until they decided to take it one step forwared, and throw a PAIR OF SCISSURES directly at me. 

it didnt hit me bc i moved, and then i yelled at them that they’re not supposed to be throwing sharp stuff like that, especially not at people. they didnt give TWO SHITS, and their way of showing me that was to throw the scissures at me AGAIN.

at that point i kinda gave up, maybe bc i was tired, maybe bc i was feeling kinda ill, maybe bc i was hungry, or maybe bc ive had enough stuff thrown at me a this point. fuck knows, the point is, i fucking had it.

i got away from the door and yelled at them that i hope they treat the next babysitter to watch them better than that (bc FUCK IT im not going back in there, especially not for enother 9 fucking houres.) and that ill be telling their mom everything. 

they obviusly were like “yeah we dont really care”. and when im telling u i was so close to snapping, i mean i was SO FUCKING CLOSE. so, i did what every reasonable adult would have done, and i sat on the couch in the living room and had a silent meltdown while the girls i was supposed to be watching were stealing cendy from their parents :).

after about 15 muinets (so it was about 2pm) of silently crying, they came to apologize to me, but i was so fucking angry (i still am and its 10pm) that all i did was telling them that i dont want their apology, and again, that i hope they would treat the next babysitter better, and then i got up and went to the kitchen floor to text heir mom.

long story short: their mom called me and scolded them that it wasnt ok and shit, but im still angry (both that they think they have the right to throw a pair of scissures at me, and that they actually made me scared. the rest of the babysitting they behaved and shit so i hid in the bathroom, bc i was shaking (im still a bit shaky for some reason) and honestly i didnt feel like i could face them).

[13uswntimagines]

Secret Santa (Alex Morgan x Reader)

Reader is in the military and surprises her wife and daughter (with a little help from Preath). Merry Christmas from @literaryhedgehog and Me!!!

“Little bit still hasn’t told you what she wants for Christmas yet?” Kelley asked, munching on some pretzels and hummus.  

Alex rolled her eyes sliding into a seat next to her. “No, she utterly convinced that it won’t come true if she tells anyone but Santa.” 

“Didn't she write a letter? Why didn’t you just take a peek?” Tobin interjected, sitting on Kelley’s other side. Her fiancé had been so excited to have her niece for the day. 

“She mailed it to god knows where with Christen before I could,” Alex sighed, shaking her head. She had been fine with the whole mailing letters thing (actually watching your four-year old try to write out something heartfelt in blue crayon was kinda adorable), but then Camren had insisted on mailing it herself. Alex felt a little bad for the person in Antarctica who was getting the random letter. 

“Damn,” Kelley huffed, blowing her cheeks out, trying to drum up ideas. 

“Yeah, apparently it’s a Press family tradition or whatever, and Chris did it because Y/n isn’t here to. If she was she at least could have curbed some of her enthusiasm long enough to take a picture of the letter.” Alex grumbled, chewing thoughtfully on a pretzel. Your big sister had been picking up a lot of slack while you were away with the SEALs, but it just wasn’t the same as having you there. 

“We hired a Santa, so just listen to whatever she tells him,” Tobin shrugged, a look that Alex didn’t recognize crossing her features. 

“And pray to god it gets here overnight,” Kelley snorted. Hopefully whatever Camren wanted could be found at a local Walmart. 

 *****

The holiday party was in full bustle. There were benefits to doing training in Florida, so while Camren still had her heart set on snow for christmas, the adults had strung the outdoor tent with string lights and decorated it with holly and mistletoe. Camren had promised to eat at least two bites of every food there -- even the healthy ones that looked weird (her words not Alex’s) -- before she ate too many of Emily’s double chocolate chunk brownies, and so Alex was feeling rather proud of herself. She and her daughter were both there, dressed up, and only 15 minutes late for the party-- not bad for single parenting skills. Maybe after Camren was done talking to Santa, Carlie or Lindsey could be persuaded to babysit for a bit so Alex could go introduce herself to that lovely bottle of merlot she saw hiding in the corner. 

Alex was surprised with how comfortable her daughter seemed on Santa’s lap. Camren was a bit nervous walking over, but it was nothing compared to her fear last year, when she had bawled until you eventually gave up and held her behind the poor man. Perhaps it had to do with how tenderly the poor suited person seemed to hold the small child, and the little glimmer in their eyes. . 

Santa’s eyes met Alex’s for a split second, and the sense of security the slight contact brought her was slightly alarming. They looked so familiar and sent warm tingles through her chest. 

“Did you get my letter?” The little girl asked, drawing the bearded one’s attention back to her. Alex bit her lip, there was no way this random stranger got the letter addressed to Rudolph at the North Pole. 

The Santa nodded, their features softening. “I did. It seems you were very concerned about your mama getting her gift?”

The little girl nodded rapidly. “How do you know where to take it, if she’s on top secret missions all da time?” Her brow furrowed, “what if she doesn’t have a chimney to hang her stocking on?”

“I just know. Remember I know if you’ve been good or bad, or if you move. I promise she’ll get everything she wants. Now back to you. What do you want for Christmas?” Santa tried to explain. 

The little girl thought for a moment, her finger tapping on her chin, before she leaned up to cup the person’s ear. She whispered a few words, leaned back to look the bearded person in the eye. The (very fake) white beard at the top of the red coat bobbed up and down in a nod, and Alex saw a sparkle in their eye as their lips twitched above it. 

“Well that’s quite the order.” 

“Pwease? Its not that tall, and It’s the only thing I really want,” Camren pouted, pulling the puppy dog eyes that never ceased to make her parents melt. This was important, and if she only got one real chance to talk to the person who could make it happen, she wanted them to know just how much she wanted it. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” the Santa said, nodding seriously and stroking the beard as Camren jumped up and ran back to Alex. 

“What did you ask for?” Alex whispered. Good grief, wasn’t the whole point of hiring a Santa to hear what the munchkin wanted?

“Can’t say. Want it to happen,” Camren whispered back, twirling slightly as she buried herself in the hem of her mom’s skirt. This was going to be the best Christmas ever. 

****

Alex smiled widely as the Santa pulled another wrapped present from the gaudy red bag. It was a nice spin on their usual tradition, and she just hoped Pino didn’t get her for a secret Santa. That woman forgot every year, and Alex’s name hadn’t come up yet and that bag looked suspiciously empty. No wait, there was one- nope, that was Beckey’s present from Alyssa. Maybe there was a gift card in there somewhere? Alex looked down at Camren, who despite practically nodding off in Sonnet’s arms an hour ago, had woken up during the secret santa exchange. She was now sitting on the ground playing with the toy horses, blind to her surroundings.

“Hey, um Kelley? Who was running the secret santa exchange again?” Alex whispered, grabbing her arm. “I think my person forgot to get me a present.”

“What?” Kelley, turned to her shocked. “I think maybe Tobin was in charge this year, we’ll ask her if someone wrote down who your person was.”

“Oh that’s not necessary,” Christen’s voice broke in. Alex and Kelley turned to look at her and Tobin, who were standing with a very confused Emily.  “I’m really sorry, we just didn’t get a chance to wrap your gift. You’ll get it at the end of the party.” 

“Isn’t it like against the rules for Christen to get Alex since they actually spend Christmas together every year?” Sonnett whined. If she couldn’t buy presents for Lindsey, and Sam couldn’t do it for Kristie then that totally wasn’t fair.Sister-in-law and fiance-of-sister-in-law definitely had an unfair advantage on the ”knowing what presents to buy” front. She had to buy Jullie’s gift, and had just settled on some tea-rex patterned socks and a starbucks gift card. 

Lindsey glared in her direction. “Can it disonny,” she wasn’t about to let her girlfriend mess up a surprise that had been 6 months in the making. 

“It’s fine Chris, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Alex smiled sadly. 

“I mean that would have been cruel since Camren has been campaigning pretty hard for your present,” Christen snorted. It was all your daughter could talk about. She had even harassed every Santa she saw while they went Christmas shopping, and wrote several letters (that she forwarded to you) about the issue. 

“She told you what she wants, and you didn’t tell me?” Alex asked exasperated. She had been fighting with your daughter for a month to know what she actually wanted. Why on earth would she tell her aunt but not her mom? She was going to have to have a conversation with Camren about how Santa had different rules from wishing on a star or a birthday candle. Namely that she should tell her mom what she wanted!

Christen shrugged, a smile pulling at her lips, though Alex didn’t know what she was so amused about. “Well, it was for you, so I get a pass,”

“I for one think that Christen’s present is totally on point, even if it’s wrapped in ugly, sweaty red velvet,” A new voice joined the conversation, just as arms wrapped snugly around Alex’s waist. 

Alex froze, her eyes going wide and her mouth opening and closing several times. 

You chucked from behind her, spinning her around so you were face to face for the first time in almost a year. 

“Hi love.”

“Holy shit,” Alex breathed. Her hands reached up to touch your cheeks, the sense of touch confirming what she couldn’t trust her eyes to see. 

“Surprise,” You mumbled, leaning in and finally connecting your lips. You sighed into the kiss, thoroughly enjoying the way they moved together, and the taste of your wife. She impatiently pulled down the beard when you paused to breathe, and your hands found her hips, pulling her closer, while her fingers tangled in that baby hairs at the base of your neck. “Let’s do that again,” you said, your breath fanning against her lips before she pulled you back in. You had an awful lot of time to make up for. 

“Why is mommy kissing Santa Claus,” Camren asked from somewhere below your feet. You were fairly certain you heard one of your wife’s teammates explaining in the background that Santa left a little while ago, and Mama had just dressed like him to surprise Mommy. You were a tad busy to explain anything right now.

[jessbakescakes]

“I’m fine with where I am now.” Thanks!!!

“I’m fine with where I am now.” from this post.

My fluffy tendencies are back, post-series on this one! (This one also got long, OH WELL.)

March 2012

It’s strangely quiet when Donna walks through the door. Depending on what time she comes home, there’s usually some combination of incessant chatter and TV background noise that fills the house. But she can’t hear anything tonight, even as she kicks off her heels and walks toward the living room.

It all makes sense when she finds Josh, asleep on the couch with Caroline tucked under his arm. There’s a stack of books on the coffee table, indicating that a request for more bedtime stories was likely granted. Donna kneels down next to the couch, moving Caroline’s stuffed unicorn out of the way, and presses a soft kiss to Josh’s forehead. 

He opens his eyes, stirring just a little, and grins at her as he stretches his free arm. “You’re home early,” he whispers.

“More like you two are up late,” Donna teases. “Well, one of you at least. It’s almost midnight.”

“It couldn’t have been any later than eight when we sat down,” Josh says, stifling a yawn.

“Nora go down okay?”

“Yeah, no problems,” Josh confirms. 

Donna gently extricates Caroline from under Josh’s arm, careful not to wake her. “I’ll go put her to bed,” she says, carefully standing and grabbing the unicorn on the way up. She walks Caroline to her room, expertly tucking her in without so much as stirring her. Donna turns around to find Josh leaning in the doorway, watching. She walks toward him and gently pats him on the chest in an attempt to get him to move out of the way so she can shut the door.

Josh leans forward and gives her a kiss, slow and sweet, before abandoning his post. “I had to do that first,” he says once the door is closed. “How was the thing?”

Donna rolls her eyes. “The usual. Spent too much time talking to people who weren’t going to give us what we wanted.”

“Did you try Parker and Sullivan?” He puts his hand at the small of her back and guides her toward the kitchen, pulling out a stool at the breakfast nook for her.

She nods, taking a seat. “You were right on Parker. She and I worked really well together. I can’t tell if Sullivan hates me, but... actually, I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

Josh laughs. “He hates everyone. He does, however, begrudgingly show respect when it is earned. And you, Donnatella Moss, will earn it. I made honey lemon chicken tonight, do you want some?”

“That sounds amazing,” Donna says. “I’m starving. They only had crappy appetizers and by the time I got to eat any, they were mostly picked over. The girls ate that?”

“They did. The vegetables were a bit of a negotiation, but I managed to get Caroline to agree to eat all of her carrots. Nora just picked at all of it.”

Donna listens as Josh recounts the events of the day, preparing some leftovers for Donna as he talks. Sometimes when she gets home he launches right into a recap of what went on while she was gone, presumably eager for adult conversation. It’s Donna’s favorite part of the day. She has always loved the political side of Josh, loved watching him deal with recalcitrant congressmen or rub elbows with heads of state. But it’s possible that she loves the domestic side of him just a little more, listening to him recall a funny conversation he had with Caroline or watching him put another piece of Nora's crayon scribble art on the fridge. 

Josh slides the plate over to her, then moves to fill a glass of water. “So I got a phone call today from Sally Doyle from the D-triple-C.”

“Yeah?” Donna asks, accepting the plate.

“She called to ask if I’d thought about getting back into the game. Wanted me to run for the open seat in the Massachusetts 7th.”

“That’s Boston, isn’t it?” Donna asks.

Josh nods. “She was telling me all of the NGOs you could work for if we moved. She’d found the best school districts and everything. She was surprisingly prepared for most objections I had.”

“I always got the impression that you weren’t interested in running for office,” Donna says before taking a bite of chicken.

“I’m not. I turned her down. Then she asked if I’d help them find a replacement.”

Donna takes a sip of water. “What did you tell her?”

Josh raises his eyebrows at her as if to indicate that the answer should have been obvious. “I told her no. I’m not getting back in it.”

“Josh,” Donna starts.

“No, seriously. I’m done, Donna. I like the adjunct gig, I like being home with the girls. I like seeing you every day. I’ll never say never, but for now, I’m done.”

Donna smiles. “If it was something you wanted, we would have made it work.”

“I know.”

“I’m not the only one with a career here,” she continues, waving the fork as she talks. “If you want to do something…”

“Donna,” Josh cuts her off with a laugh. “I’m fine with where I am now. Seriously.”

She looks at him, studying his expression for any hint of doubt or hesitation that he’s not sharing with her, but finds none. From what she’s able to tell, he’s completely sincere, and it makes her heart feel like it’s going to burst out of her chest. Josh Lyman -- the man who was sending her outside with his coat and a cell phone to bully a vote out of some Hartsfield's Landing residents around this time ten years ago, the man who once regularly sparred with senators to further President Bartlet’s agenda -- is satisfied with being a primary caregiver to their children and teaching one night class a week at Georgetown. 

“Come here,” she says, leaning across the counter for a kiss. Josh moves toward her, and she drops her fork to gently cup her hands on either side of his face, deepening the kiss just a little. 

When she pulls away, he’s grinning. “What was that for?” he asks.

“Everything,” she says. “All of it. What you said, what you’ve done, for me, for us, for our family. Sometimes I can’t believe this is our life, you know?”

He steals the fork she abandoned and takes the bite of food still on it. “I know,” he says with a mouthful of chicken and a smirk. He returns the fork and walks around her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder as he passes. “I’m going upstairs.”

“That an invitation?” Donna asks, turning around on the stool to watch him as he moves out of the kitchen.

“Finish your food and come find out,” he teases, heading up the stairs.

He’s asleep by the time she finishes eating and getting ready for bed, a few pillows propped behind his back in an attempt to keep him awake and upright. She turns off the lamp on his bedside table, then works to remove the pillows from behind his back. “Josh,” she whispers. “That can’t be comfortable. Get in bed.” 

He opens his mouth, presumably to either protest or to apologize, but she moves to her side of the bed and pulls back the covers, trying to yank them out from underneath him. “Get in,” she repeats, cutting him off before he can argue.

Josh does as he’s asked, lifting his arm so she can lay her head on his chest and curl up against him. He presses a kiss to her hair, and soon she hears him snoring softly.

[some-mad-lunge]

Seb Saves The Day... Again.

I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what this is. I blame @peoplediedrobert and all the talk of Seb getting his Dads back together after Robert leaves (sob). Anyway this is what happened and I had to get it out.

 Besides, who doesn’t think Seb can fix everything?

********************************

Seb is five. He likes when people ask how old he is because he can spread his fingers high to show them. Daddy Aaron always smacks their palms together when he answers the question, then does something mushy like rubs Seb’shair or squeezes him tight in a hug. Seb lets him though, cause Daddy Aaron needs lots of hugs.

Some days Nana picks him up from school and they go to the park with his uncle, which is funny because his uncle is three. Seb got him big Lego blocks for his party. Seb ate too much cake and got a tummy ache. He got to sleep in Daddy Aaron’s big bed that night because he was sick.

Anyway, he likes to tell people that his uncle is still a baby just to see the weird looks they give him. Adults are funny.

Sometimes it’s Aunt Vic and his cousin who show up at the school grounds. His cousin is also three and doesn’t do much other than grab at Seb and chase him around the swings. She also likes to kiss his cheek a lot, which is gross, but Aunt Vic coos everytime so he lets her drool on him. Seb likes to make his Aunt Vic happy.

His favourite is when Daddy Aaron is there when the bell rings. He usually has on his important flashy vest that all the other boys think is so cool (because it is) and he is always so happy to see Seb. Daddy Aaron’s smile makes all the bad things go away and he lifts Seb so high in the air.

“You’re the most important person in my world little man.” Daddy Aaron says it all the time.

“The whole wide world?” Seb loves this game, it makes him feel warm and safe.

“And beyond.” 

One thing never changes. Everytime they come home Seb has to hang his coat and backpack on his hook, put his shoes in his cubby and then go tell Daddy Robert about his day. The framed photo sits in the same spot on the shelf, always waiting for him. 

“Daddy Robert look what I made. It’s a car.” He holds the picture up to show him. He made the car blue, pressed hard on the crayon so it‘s nice and bright, it’s Daddy Robert’s favourite colour. “Daddy Aaron said we can put in on the fridge forever.”

Forever is a word Daddy Aaron says a lot. 

“You have to eat your greens kid so you can be big and strong and live forever.” But he only eats what Daddy Aaron makes him though, cause they’re gross.

“You can’t pout forever Seb, I’m sorry but the answer is no.” Seb hates no but Daddy Aaron doesn’t say it THAT often.

“Your Daddy Robert is always with you, forever and ever, watching you and loving you from far far away.” Daddy Aaron always whispers it, even when he doesn’t think Seb is awake. 

Seb likes forever, because it never ever ends. Aunt Liv once said that love is forever and not a lot of things are, so love is special. Seb wonders what other things are forever, but love seems good enough for now.

On the weekends there is no school or work and that’s Seb’s favourite. Sometimes they go swimming or have pajama days when they make forts out of sheets and couch cushions. Daddy Aaron makes pancakes and on special occasions puts chocolate in them. Seb loves chocolate.

“Sugar hound, just like your Daddy Robert.” 

Daddy Aaron always says Seb is just like Daddy Robert. They giggle the same, and snore the same. They hug the same. Seb likes being like Daddy Robert, though he wishes Daddy Aaron didn’t look sad about it sometimes.

One time Seb was annoyed at his video game, the bad guys were winning and that’s not fair. He huffed and crossed his arms, scowled. Daddy Aaron swooped him into a hug. He tried to hide that he was crying but Seb knew, he always does. He just squeezed Daddy Aaron tight, hugs fix a lot of things.

“You looked just like your Daddy Robert then, I forget sometimes that he’s not here.” Daddy Aaron hugged him tight. “Okay, try again and this time I’ll help you yeah.”

They beat the bad guys together and had ice cream to celebrate.

Seb listens a lot. He likes the sound of rain and when Daddy Aaron uses bad words when they drive somewhere. His favourite one is shite. Him and Isaac whisper it to each other and then giggle like lunatics. That’s what Cain calls them, lunatics. Seb knows it’s a good thing because Cain always gives them cookies when he says it.

Sometimes Seb listens when he’s not supposed to.

He didn’t mean to do the “ear dropping” but he was sitting behind the sofa at Nana’s house, hiding from Isaac (Seb always wins hide and seek but Isaac always wins tag) and he could hear Daddy Aaron crying.

“I know how long it’s been Mum, but I’m not ready.” 

“Luv, you’re never going to be ready. Robert’s gone. Forever. You need to accept that at some point.” Nana used her “wash your hands” voice and it made Seb shudder. You had to scrub good before tea, she always checks.

“You think I don’t know that? That I have to spend forever without my husband? Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

Seb scampered out of the room quickly after that because someone is in trouble when family uses their loud voices, which is a lot. Like all the time. Last time it was Marlon, the time before that Charity. Adults get in trouble more than kids do, which makes Seb want to stay a kid forever.

Daddy Aaron seemed sad after that day and Seb gave him lots of hugs. He even gave him Mr. Giraffe to snuggle. That always makes Seb feel better. Daddy Aaron just smiled and told him he loved Seb the most.

Daddy Aaron was still sad though. Seb always sees. He doesn’t smile like the other parents. Seb can’t explain it but Daddy Aaron’s smile isn’t always a real smile. Seb doesn’t know how to fix it but he wants to try.

Seb tells Daddy Robert everything, even things he never tells Daddy Aaron. He’ll take the photo off the shelf, hug it close and carry it up the stairs to his room. He’s always very careful and today is important, so he props Daddy Robert between his two best teddies on his bed. He walks around when he talks, adults always do that when it’s important.

“Daddy Robert, can you come back from far far away? I think you need to.” Seb has never asked Daddy Robert for anything before. He’s never needed anything before but Seb’s hugs just weren’t working this time. “I’ll be so good, I promise.” He slid onto his bed after that, just whispered how Daddy Aaron needed them both to take care of him. Seb was only five, and still just a kid, some things adults had to do. 

He must have fallen asleep because when he woke up he was under the covers, it was morning and Daddy Robert was sitting on the table beside his bed. Daddy Aaron never said anything but he made pancakes with lots of chocolate chips and let Seb stay home from school. They played video games and had pizza for tea, and he got lots of snuggles.

Seb started doing it everyday. He’d hang his coat and backpack, tuck away his shoes and tell Daddy Robert about what happened at school. Then he’d whisper really low, “Please come back,” and kiss the glass for good measure.

Seb never told anyone, not even Isaac, and he told Isaac everything. No, this was a secret just between them and Seb knew Daddy Robert wouldn’t let him down. Love is the most important thing, Daddy Aaron said so, and love is forever and ever. 

Sure, Daddy Robert was dead and that’s forever too, but love, that wins. Seb may only be five but he’s wise for his age, everyone says so.

He’s just patient and good, though he has a “smart mouth” and occasionally he gets sent to his room. Not for long though, and Daddy Aaron never stays mad at him. “I love you too much for your own good.” Daddy Aaron laughs when he says it. See, love beats everything.

Seb just waits and waits, and then waits some more. He knows it will happen but he never tells, whispers to Daddy Robert that he will give him the best hug when he comes home. He knows it will work. Seb gives the best hugs.

**********

It’s almost a bit of an Emmerdale legend by the time Seb is a teenager. Some people say it was a bright sunny day, some say it was overcast but others don’t mention the weather at all. Those that witnessed it talk mostly about how time seemed to stand still. Everything went quiet after Sebastian Sugden-Dingle leapt from his swing, shouted “Daddy Robert, I knew you’d come home!” and ran at breakneck speed towards the man that he hadn’t seen in the flesh since he was barely two years old. A man who was very much supposed to be dead.

They remembered how Robert kneeled down as he wrapped Seb in his arms, held on fiercely as tears ran down his face. They remembered how Aaron stood stock still, frozen in place. They remembered how Seb took Robert’s hand and pulled him towards Aaron, yammering away like it was no big deal. As if a man coming back from the dead happened everyday. As if he’d wished it into existence.

They remembered the way Aaron touched Robert’s face, how his legs finally gave out and Robert caught him before he hit the ground. They remembered how everyone watched as Seb hugged himself between them, sitting on the grass, and made a face when the husbands kissed. (Seb still makes that face when his dad’s kiss, only now he adds an eye roll and an annoyed sigh.) 

There was a lot of drama that happened in the weeks and months that followed. Dingles yelling and Sugdens crying and eventually another wedding where Seb gave a speech that made everyone laugh. He took it all very seriously as he talked about love being forever and Nana cried a whole bunch. 

If you asked teenage Seb now about that day, he’ll tell you he doesn’t remember it too well. He just shrugs like it’s no big deal and keeps the secret from his dads, from his siblings and even from Isaac. But actually he remembers two things very clearly, ingrained in his memory, like snapshots that hang in his mind. 

First is the ice cream he ate covered in chocolate sauce with sprinkles as he swung his legs at the kitchen table, his dad’s holding hands beside him, crying and laughing. Seb didn’t know you could do both at the same time.

The second, and this was the most important one to Seb, the one he recalls as his proudest moment. Because the day one father came back from the dead was the day Seb saw the other father smile so wide it reached his eyes. It lit up his face like a Christmas tree, like the sun and stars in the sky. It was the first time Seb ever saw his Dad truly happy, and knew for a fact that love, the real kind, that never dies. All Seb had to do was ask.

But yeah, the ice cream was really good.

[eldritchsurveys]

822.

When was the last time you baked something for someone? >> I don’t remember the last time I baked something, period. Do you ever spend the night at random people’s houses? >> I’m trying to think of a situation where this would occur outside of being a traveller / transient type who couch-surfs... but even then, I feel like those people whose couches you’re surfing still aren’t random. What did you eat for dinner tonight? Was it any good at all? >> It’s still morning. What is the most annoying thing that your parents do? >> --- Would you be mad if your mom showed your boyfriend your baby pictures? >> ---

Would you say you’re someone who has good manners? >> I don’t know whether that’s true or not. I do my best to be respectful, and that’s that. When was the last time you went to an amusement park? Which one? >> Uh... does Luna Park at Coney Island count? That was like 6 years ago. Would you rather be kissed on the neck or on the lips? >> --- Do you completely trust the person you’re dating? >> I trust the person I’m married to about as much as it’s possible for me to trust someone (that isn’t an Inworlder), I guess. Has someone ever called you heartless before? Why is that? >> Probably. I say “probably” because I’ve definitely known myself to be callous about things, so it’s possible someone’s called me out for it. What color was the shirt you wore yesterday? >> Black. Have you ever completely given up on someone any time in life? >> Yeah. What is one thing you’re not looking forward to in the next week? >> I can’t think of anything that I even know is happening in the next week. Would you consider Christmas your favorite holiday? >> Yeah. Would you rather give someone presents or receive them? >> I don’t care either way. But honestly I’m selective about who I like receiving gifts from, because I suspect some people give gifts for reasons I don’t feel comfortable with. How many chances do you normally give someone before giving up on them? >> There is no set number. Did you parents know what gender you were before you were born? >> I don’t know. Are any of your really close friends pregnant right now? >> No. Are you for or against inter-racial relationships? >> *withering stare* Would you say you’re more of a pessimist or optimist? >> I wouldn’t say I’m either. I’d say that I have multiple lenses through which I perceive myself and the world, and some of those have darker tints than others, and some of them have lighter tints. Do you know what your true typing speed is? What is it? >> I don’t. That’s not even something that matters unless I was trying to get a data entry job or something. What would you say is the longest survey you’ve ever taken? >> I remember taking the 5000-question survey... what I don’t remember is if I ever finished it or not. Do you get bored by things really easily, or not so much? >> I get restless easily, and I also have a hard time... just not getting in my head about stuff. Like I’ll be interested in something I’m engaging with, and then this weird shit will start happening in my head to make me second-guess my interest level or become avoidant of the thing or whatever. Probably more shame-based bullshit, ruining my enjoyment of life once again. Do you hate it when people pronounce ‘potatoes’ as ‘taters?’ >> No. Have you ever been addicted to something unhealthy? >> No. Do you wear a lot of make-up on a daily basis? >> I wear no makeup on a daily basis. Who makes the best desserts in your entire family? >> --- When was the last time your received a hug? Who was this hug from? >> Earlier. Can Calah. Do you have good dreams or nightmares more? >> Most of my dreams are some level of neutral. I don’t remember the last time I had a particularly good dream. I do have bad ones on occasion. Would you rather color pictures with markers or crayons? >> Markers. I’ve never really liked crayons, even as a kid (I liked coloured pencils then, came around to markers as an adult). Do people come to you for advice a lot of the time? >> No. When the holidays come around, do you watch holiday movies? >> I have a few that I like to rewatch, but I actually don’t like most holiday movies (which is funny, since I love Christmas, but Christmas movies are just something else entirely). On the flip side, when I do find one I like, I really like it. Would you say you’re a friendly person or not so much? >> I wouldn’t say that I was a friendly person. I certainly do not feel like one. Have you ever / do you ever recycle? >> I don’t recycle. When was the last time you ate something from Burger King? >> I don’t remember the last time I was at a BK. It’s been a long time. When someone mentions a song, does it make you wanna listen to it? >> If it’s a song I like, sometimes. Do you usually talk more than you should about things? >> No. Who is the nosiest person you know? Do you like them anyways? >> I don’t know who that would be. When did you last talk to one of your teachers? >> --- How many class periods does your school have? What are the classes? >> --- Would you say you’re a faster or slow learner? >> I don’t know. I guess it depends on what I’m learning. I think some things I process more efficiently than others, and then there are things I almost just can’t process at all. Are you one of those people who like The Nightmare Before Christmas? >> I didn’t like that movie. Do you fully understand the concept of ‘love?’ >> I don’t think full comprehension of it is possible for one individual. I mean, that’s just my interpretation, who knows. Maybe full comprehension just isn’t possible for me, and everyone else is gliding along with lvl 100 knowledge about shit. Wouldn’t surprise me.

[solesurvivorkat]

Get to Know Me!/About Me/The Self Care Tag Game

Tagged by @the-dubstep-strawberry and @ja-crispea, thank you guys!  <3  :-)

(This is long, so I put it under a tag)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who were you named after?: My maternal aunt (Kathy), middle name from my other maternal aunt.

Last time you cried?: (snorts) ...Okay... there’s this book that my toddler son has, called ‘Love You Forever’ - and the damn thing always makes me cry and I HATE it, lol. It’s basically a mom that watches her son grow up from a baby to an adult, and she rocks him to sleep his whole life saying, “ "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living My baby you'll be." “. ...IT’S A MENACE. He asked me to read it to him the other day & I couldn’t say no, so my husband was kind of sympathetically laughing at me (not in a mean way) b/c I was definitely crying by the end. IT’S EVIL. 

Do you like your handwriting? Ehhh.... sometimes? When I CONCENTRATE on it, it’s fine. When I scribble something out in a hurry, I don’t love it so much (though it’s still a million more times legible than my husband’s ‘chicken-scratch’ handwriting, LOL).

What is your favorite lunch meat?: Roast beef. I don’t buy it often b/c it’s usually expensive, but a good roast beef deli meet? Oof.

Longest relationship?: The one I’m in w/ my husband. We’ve been together since 2008, married in 2011 (for those who hate math like me {lol}, that’s together for 12 years in August, married for 9 years in December).

Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

What is your favorite kind of cereal?: Don’t really have a favorite, but I like Lucky Charms (I know, I’m a stereotype, LOL), Captain Crunch, one of the Post ones w/ cranberries in it (forget what it’s called), Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Peanut Butter Crunch, and a bunch of others.

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?: Right now my sneakers are the slip-on kind (though I really need to buy new ones sometime), but I have to untie my boots when I wear them b/c they have roller skate laces in them and they stay put (don’t move around a lot, which is what they’re supposed to do), so if I didn’t untie them I’d never be able to get them on/off, lol.

Do you think you’re strong willed?: Oh my GOD, yes. ...Almost to a fault, lol.  *XD

Favorite Ice Cream?: Don’t really have a favorite, but I tend to go for either Oreo, Cookie Dough, or chocolate & peanut butter.

What is the first thing you notice about a person?: Usually their eyes. I think I mention eyes a lot in my writing (again, almost to a fault, lol), but it’s b/c eyes are so expressive. ‘Eyes are the window to the soul’, as they say.

Football or baseball?: Neither - I’m really not a sports person. But if I HAD to choose one, I’d say baseball (Red Sox!).

Favorite donut?: Chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles (...yes, I like the sprinkles on it, I ‘donut’ know why. HA!!! .....I’ll show myself out. LOL)

Last thing you ate?: Chocolate-frosted Pop-Tarts, & currently, gradually drinking water flavored w/ store-brand caffeinated fruity drink mix (need this at work to keep me going b/c I don’t like coffee).

What are you listening to?: Nothing right now - quiet at work (I love when it’s peaceful at work... I don’t really get peace at home often, lol)

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?: Cerulean. ...Shut up, I like that color. (lol)

What is your favorite smell?: Don’t have one favorite... I love the smell of cookies/brownies baking, woodsmoke, cedar, Old Spice (my husband wears it, and yes - my grandfather actually DID wear it, lol!), freshly mowed lawn, mulch (I know that might sound weird, but it smells nice to me - earthy!), that smell that happens before it’s about to start raining (...I’m weird, I know lol)

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?: Probably my husband... (thinks) ...well technically it was my boss, actually. He calls us every morning when we go in to work just to check-in (not in a condescending way, just to make sure we’re doing okay & to let us know if anything’s new).

Hair color?: Medium/honey blonde. (I’m not allowed to color it b/c of work, but I would love to try a funky color again, like pink or purple... or maybe rainbow! <3 )

Eye color?: Blue on the outside/edge, brownish-green on the inside/around the pupil (I have ‘central heterochromia’ - look it up, I’ve mentioned it on my blog before, lol) 

Favorite food to eat?: Don’t have one favorite, but I tend to go for pizza, Italian, or American food 

Scary movies or happy ending?: Happy ending. I know it’s lame of me, but if a movie doesn’t end happy it bother me.  

Last movie you watched in a theater?: I... honestly don’t remember, lol. I think it was ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’.

What color shirt are you wearing?: It’s a purple-y, mulberry kind of color.

Favorite holiday?: Christmas, hands down. Halloween is a close second. 

Beer or wine?: Neither (don’t like the taste - you’ll usually find me drinking Diet Pepsi, lol. I know, I’m a dork.)

Night owl or morning person?: Used to be a morning person when I was younger, but now I’m kind of a mid-day/twilight kind of person (I usually veg at night, lol).

Favorite day of the week?: Probably Friday or Saturday

Favorite animal?: LOVE Red Pandas, they’re so cute! I would totally get one for a pet if I could. I would also love a Husky/Shiba Inu/Klee Kai (dog), but I don’t have the time to devote to one right now, unfortunately.  :-(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rules: answer 17 questions and tag 17 people you’d like to know better!

Nickname: Kat, Sprocket, Kit-Kat

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 5′5″ (technically a hair under, but it’s 1/4″ or less so I round it up lol)

House: Hmm... either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, I think

Last thing I Googled: (thinks) Ugh, I just did something this morning, too... I totally forget what, though.  x__x*

Song in my head: Nothing, for now.

Followers and following: Currently followed by 259 awesome people, for which I am VERY grateful.  <3  Following 80 people.  (...I am NOT trying to insult people if I don’t follow you - I swear it’s nothing personal, I just don’t have time to catch up on the people that I’m following now.)

Amount of sleep: Usually anywhere between 6-8 hours

Lucky number: 4, 7, 13 (yup lol)

Dream job: Hmm... honestly not sure. As long as I get a paycheck & don’t hate/dislike my job, I’m usually pretty happy, lol.

Wearing: Slide-on sneakers, socks, black capri leggings, short-sleeved shirt, hair braided & clipped up

Fave songs: Don’t have a lot, though I always like ‘The Sound of Silence’ covered by Disturbed. I know there’s a bunch more that I like, but none are hugely standing out to me right now.

Instruments: Played the clarinet for a year in 5th grade, played the acoustic guitar in the 12th grade, don’t currently play any.

Random fact: One of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence, and there’s a town in NH named after him that I’ve never gotten to visit (heard that one before? Well I only have so many facts about me, lol)

Favorite Authors: Don’t really have one

Fave animal sounds: My chinchilla makes some cute noises, lol. I like hearing cats meow too, even if I’m more of a dog person. Ever hear a Husky ‘talk’? Hilarious. I love hearing guinea pigs ‘purr’ too, so cute!

Aesthetic: Woods, rustic, ‘comfy’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Favorite comfort food: Chocolate (shocker, I know), particularly Lindt brand

Favorite drink: Diet Pepsi

Favorite relaxing activity: Relaxing on my couch, surfing the ‘net

Favorite fluffy/feel good fic: 

Favorite calming scent: fresh laundry, the ocean, woodsmoke, mulch (I know, I know, mentioned above)

Favorite white noise: Maybe the sound of ocean waves or birds chirping in the woods

Favorite relaxing (or uplifting) song: ...Can’t think of one off the top of my head.

Favorite book to get lost in: Reading friends fanfics

Favorite TV show to chill-out: Don’t usually watch a lot of TV (usually put something on to entertain my toddler)... maybe Kitchen Nightmares, or anything w/ Gordon Ramsey - not that I really like cooking shows, I just find him fun to watch, lol. (Or Bar Rescue - John Taffer is fun to watch too lol)

The best advice you’ve ever had: Hmm... I guess just variations on being true to yourself. The people that matter the most will love you no matter what and will always be in your corner, even when you’re having a bad day. Don’t try to impress people that aren’t worth your time/don’t truly care about you - it’s not worth your time and energy. Find and be with people that make you happy, that accept you for who you truly are. Be the best person you can be, but also remember that everyone has ‘off’/bad days. You’re not perfect, you’re not meant to be perfect. Do what makes YOU happy (...assuming it doesn’t hurt anyone else, obviously, lol).

Tagging whoever would like to be tagged in!

[passedoverprotagonist]

SPOILERS Y’ALL

They watched Mr. Jenkins fly off for long soft minutes, E.B. wrapped up in her mother’s arms and Guy’s hand on Sam’s shoulder, until the last scrap of red disappeared into the night. The realization shivered through all four simultaneously: it was cold so high up, perched upon airport’s tip, and cold air balloon drafts didn’t help that one bit. Unanimously, they turned to the elevator.

It was a mixed mood of happy, bereft, and contemplative that accompanied the party on the long ride down to the base of the docking needle that topped the city. They passed back through security silently, sharing small smiles when they caught each others’ eyes, and came to an impasse once they stood on the concrete skybridge outside the entrance to the airport. The two pairs stood away from each other. The gap seemed to widen with every step.

Sam stole glances at Guy, who was looking at Michellee, whose eyes were down on the pavement. E.B. looked at her mom, then Guy, then her mom, then Sam, then Meepville, then her mom, then Guy and Sam, and burst out with, “I don’t want to split up!”

The adults jumped slightly, knocked out of their individual preoccupations. E.B. stepped into the no-man’s-land. Sam swallowed, then stepped forward as well. His fist smacked into his palm with determination.

“You’re right, E.B.! Tonight has been a rollercoaster, and I don’t think any of us is ready to get off yet.”

Michellee and Guy joined the forming huddle, shyly brushing their fingers together.

“You’re both right,” Guy said, “I’m not ready for this night to be over. It’s been truly… life-changing.” He smiled, sappy and unfocused.

“Yeah, you got arrested!” Sam said. “And you tried green eggs and ham for the first time. And your invention worked, and then it blew up a goat! And—“

Guy gently put his hand over Sam’s mouth.

“But what should we do?” Michellee asked, with a rueful twist. “Practically everything is closed this time of night, and I should really be getting E.B. to bed.”

“Aw, Mom. It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

“It’s a little late for everything, I’m afraid,” Michellee murmured, then noticed the stricken expressions of her companions. “Oh no, I mean literally, not emotionally. I can’t think of a single place we could go to that would still be open.”

“What about there?” Sam asked, pointing. They all turned to look.

It was an Irrepressibly All-Night Breakfast Palace that seemed to glow against the deep blue of the sky. Then the truck behind the restaurant finished driving by and the building was merely ordinarily welcoming, with tidy windows lit up yellow from inside.

“Yeah!” E.B. cheered. “Pancakes!”

Sam and Michellee’s stomachs rumbled in two-part harmony.

“Oh,” she said, “in all the excitement I completely forgot about about dinner. We were supposed to eat at the gala but, well.”

“Oh yeah, wow. I didn’t even notice!” Sam agreed.

“Then let’s go,” Guy said, leading the group into the flavourful bosom of the IANBP.

He almost led them right out again when he got inside and a wave of noise nearly bowled him over. But the thought of his hungry family behind him gave him the strength to continue. As the only person who’d had dinner that night, he felt a responsibility to make sure they all ate.

The group wound their way single-file through the surprisingly bustling restaurant to an empty booth in the back.

“I can’t believe we’re eating night breakfast in Meepville!” the inventors who’d been invited to the gala cried loudly. Guy grit his teeth and sat facing away from them.

The group made quiet conversation with each other while they waited. With so many customers, it took a little while for a server to make it to them, a purple young person with a spiked blue mohawk and cheek ruffs.

Michellee ordered an English muffin with hashbrowns and fruit. Sam ordered green eggs and ham. E.B. considered her mother, then cautiously ordered green eggs, hold the ham, and a shortstack of pancakes. Guy got a black coffee, decaf.

Sam gazed fondly at E.B., then registered that she’d declined the ham and grew concerned. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” he asked her. “Ham too heavy for you this time of night? If that’s your worry, then I can guarantee that green eggs and ham is really really good in the night. The ham practically floats down your throat.”

“Oh no, it’s not that,” E.B. said. “I just don’t eat ham. We’re Who-ish. Not that I usually eat eggs either, since Mom’s vegan. But just because she’s one way doesn’t mean I have to be. Right?”

“Right,” Michellee affirmed. “You can eat meat if you want to, sweetheart. Pork too, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s okay,” E.B. said, nose wrinkled, “I’ll stick to being vegetarian.”

Guy sipped his coffee and basked.

When it came time to pay, it became clear that Michellee was the only on with any money. The other three thanked her for dinner when she got up to settle their bill at the counter. E.B. pulled out crayons and started drawing on her paper placemat.

Guy reached up to fiddle with his hat and realized it wasn’t there, and hadn’t been since he’d lost it in the ocean during a high-stakes aerial battle with a bounty-hunting ungulate. He settled for running a hand through the tuft of hair on his head.

Sam observed them with a smile, which faded as he considered the future, both theirs and his. He stood abruptly; he’d always been more of a rip-the-bandage-off kinda guy.

“Welp, I guess I’d better go turn myself in.”

[part 2!]

[lucyhblack]

O sangue pesa suas opções e toma uma decisão.

Blood had left Flowey in his garden (that's how the Flower will describe him and he was going to take their word, after all it was they who were the specialist, not him) and promised that he would come back the next day (after assuring him that by taking out a mouse , some insects and a family of birds on a crab apple tree at the end of the garden (there were no more living beings in the house).

He had taken a taxi back to the hotel and passed out in bed without bothering to take off his shoes (or open that expected pack in the fridge). Apparently the twists of the day were enough to drain him enough to sleep as soon as he had dropped off in bed and only wake up with the sun coming in through the window (and through the hole in your skull).

The feeling of having a very strange dream (something with Toriel as a queen ordering an army of flowers to bring her a bloody heart for a pie, but they found none because Asgore had stolen them all for her own tea party) had left him even more disoriented and had done nothing to convince himself that everything was no longer a bizarre dream in his broken mind.

(between Toriel wanting hearts and a talking flower, he bet on Toriel like a crazy and bloody Queen. Only those who had seen the goat monster giving orders and seeing decorated monsters shivering like leaves over his eyes knew the fear she could inflict).

He then pulled out the list he had written on his cell phone to guide him in case he got too confused or forgotten. He grimaced when he realized he had skipped dinner and therefore could not skip breakfast either, even if he was not hungry at all (he had to get used to his body and mind that he was no longer living on rations and no longer needed to ration food or go hungry. For that he had to maintain a routine and could not skip meals).

Well, one thing at a time. He decided to start with food, then left the hotel to go to the cafeteria on the corner. It was almost lunchtime, but who cared? Whether it was a mug of coffee and a turkey sandwich or or a seven-course meal, it was food no matter what the name or the order, as long as him ate something, it would be okay.

He sat at a table in a corner overlooking the door and the lounge and drained the coffee almost without tasting it, but the caffeine kick worked miracles for his system and he was a little more himself (or what was left of himself) ) after that.

While eating (small bites, chew before swallowing, try to enjoy your meal...) he analyzed everything that had happened the day before.

Part of him wanted to dismiss everything as a dream or a delusion from his mind (it wouldn't be the first time) but the smell of grass on his coat (he should have changed it before he left, but who cared? At least it wasn't blood and dust) seemed enough proof that everything had been real (unless of course he had some sort of outbreak, he would wander around and roll around in some garden around. It could have been a possibility, but since he was not in prison or in a mental institution, he thought unlikely).

He finished his breakfast/lunch and pulled out his cell phone wondering if he should call Toriel or not. He should call her to give her feedback anyway, but what would he say?

“Hi Tori! Yes, the house is fine, nothing that a broom and a hand of paint can't solve except for a damn attic garden... Oh and sure, the little flower monster that your husband apparently adopted in secret and has been living alone in that abandoned house for years!”

Yeah, it wouldn't be a good start... Maybe probe if she knew if Asgore hadn't talked about some Flowey...

Honestly it seemed crazy that she didn't know about Flowey. After all Asgore always tried to find a reason to talk to her (and what better excuse than turning her attic into a garden and adopting a monster child whose type had never been heard of?).

Although the subject of children was kind of taboo for both of them... he couldn't imagine Asgore telling Toriel that he had adopted a child (let alone imagine that Toriel didn't have one or a thousand things to say about it to him). Much less that she would have abandoned him there alone for so long if she knew anything about him.

Okay, he was going to call and...

He remembered the room and the promise he had made to himself that she would never know about it... what if the room belonged to Flowey? But it was as dusty as the rest of the house... besides, those things there were for another type of monster (a little goat monster that would never play with stuffed animals, hang crayon drawings on the walls or wear boots of rain).

That room was definitely dedicated to his dead son Asriel and not Flowey, not to mention that he didn't even know if Flowey could leave the garden (and he didn't seem to need a bed, a lamp and much less a dresser).

He was sure that as soon as he told Toriel in the blink of an eye he would be there, comforting the kiddo, dealing with all this much better than he (obviously she would not make a blunder like breaking the news of a father's death as he did ), but if she came she could end up seeing the room (or taking the house back... and wasn't that what was really at the bottom of all this worry? That the boy could not leave and she decided to withdraw the offer and he would lose his best chance to start again... you disgusting piece of selfish shit!)

Ahhhh Damn!

Why hadn't Asgore talked about Flowey in the will?!

Okay, he could imagine why. Toriel would probably resurrect him just to be able to kill him and piss in his dust.

But it was impossible for anyone to not know about the child. Asgore could not be so irresponsible of abandoning a child without the care of an adult, flower or not (unless all of Toriel's accusations were true and Asgore was really responsible for Asriel's death).

But then who would he tell?

The old goat had left almost everything for Toriel, taking some donations to institutions and small things distributed among some close colleagues. The only other person to receive anything else was Undy...

A twinge in his skull almost made him fold in two, while his nonexistent stomach tightened. Not! He wasn't going to think about her. He would not think of the ex-new war commander.

So who?

Gerson the retired old General was more senile than a mummy with Alzheimer's. Apart from the turtle, he didn't have that many close friends (a problem when you're a Boss monster).

Ah! There was Alphys! The shy military scientist was in the care of old Fluffybuns. He used to have tea with her often (always trying to get it out of its shell), maybe he should call her...

And how was she going to help him?!

Alphys could barely take care of herself (how many times was she scolded for spending too much time on her projects without even sleeping or showering, and just feeding on ramen?), Imagine a child! Furthermore, even as distracted as she was, she would certainly have already informed someone of an abandoned child (she would, wouldn't she? Nor would she hesitate for so long before alerting someone).

So what would he do? The most certain thing would be to call Toriel and get it over with (Toriel was the best, if not the only person who should deal with it). But he still hesitated. It wasn't just the room (or half-perceived selfish motives), there was something that kept him from calling Toriel.

Why had Asgore hidden the child?

There was something there. Fluffybuns wouldn't have kept a child a secret, not when he was at the front, knowing full well that he could die at any moment. And that question made him doubt whether to call Toriel.

(And let's face it, the guy had a lot of flaws, but he was also a big monster. He was dead and a part of him, even seeing the full proof of one of his flaws, didn't want to further denigrate his image)

What to do then? He could stay at the hotel for a while (he had enough money for it), only the idea of living in a place surrounded by other strangers filled him with discomfort, but he couldn't just pretend that there isn't a child living in the attic (even if that attic was a garden and the child a flower).

Urgh! His head was hurting...

The answers were with the Flower. He had to talk to Flowey and find out what he could before making a decision.

Probably Asgore left instructions on what to do in his absence, or who to contact in an emergency (really any kind of instructions would be very welcome now).

Right! He would talk to Flowey and then look for Toriel, or whoever it was that would fix it.

[purplesurveys]

630

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

Sin 1: Lust 1. Who was the last person you checked out? Did they check you out too? Surprise surprise, it’s my girlfriend. Yeah she did - I think I’d start worrying if she didn’t, lmao.

2. Who was the last person you desired, but they didn’t feel the same? Gab, at one point. Other than her, I haven’t desired anybody else; but I was on the ‘didn’t feel the same’ side at least once, back when Mike used to like me.

3. Ever cheated on a significant other? If so, have you learned from it? No, I’ve never cheated.

4. Do you watch porn? Yes. I’d have phases where I’d view it 2-3 times a week, then I’d completely stop for months – kinda like how everyone plays The Sims lol. I don’t know why it works like that for me.

5. Do you masturbate? Sometimes.

6. Best physical features on your preferred sex? I don’t have a preferred sex, and my favored features differ per person.

7. Who are some celebrities that you think are totally hot? Kristen Stewart, if you don’t me already haha. Also Eugene Lee Yang from the Try Guys, Beyoncé, and Jennifer Aniston.

8. Did you ever lust after a best friend’s significant other? How did it turn out? Mmm nope, I never found myself attracted to Hans in any way. The fact that he has always been associated with Angela ever since high school also helps.

9. When was the last time you had sex? Like a week before Christmas, I think.

10. Ever pursued someone, even though they were taken? No, that’s a little awful.

Sin 2: Gluttony 1. When did you last eat at a restaurant? What restaurant was it? Last Monday – Gab and I went to Yabu to catch dinner. We had been entertaining my mom’s guests and their kid all day and thought we couldn’t leave the house cos it’s a bit impolite, but I had such a craving that I ended up asking permission if we can go to Yabu by 8:30 even though the mall closed by 9 lol. I realize I talk about Yabu an awful lot on here so for those who wanna know, it’s this local Japanese place that serves theeeee best katsu.

2. When did you last have fast food? Where did you get it? I don’t actually remember. If I’m not wrong, it was around two or three weeks ago, and we had KFC delivered to our house because we were too lazy to cook or go out. I had the Zinger Steak, which I hope they never phase out because it’s insanely good.

3. What was the biggest meal you had all day? I haven’t eaten yet, and it’s only 10:51 AM. 

4. Do you have too many clothes? How often do you go shopping? I wouldn’t say it’s overwhelmingly many, but I definitely own more clothes than the pieces I’d usually wear, and that’s because I don’t like throwing old stuff out just in case I’d need them in the future (definitely got my great-grandma’s hoarding tendencies). I go shopping once in a few months, which in itself is pretty seldom, but that’s because when I go shopping I usually already buy a shit-ton of new clothes, enough for me to be able to mix and match to come up with new outfits for the next few weeks.

5. What’s something you have a LOT of? Black clothing. I’ve made an effort to get more colored tops, but the blacks still overpower.

6. Do you eat a lot? I’m very takaw-tingin, which is a Filipino term used when you get a crapload of food either because you’re hungry or because you’re confident you can finish it – or both – then you never do. Takaw means greedy or glutton, tingin roughly means sight, so it literally means that you just kinda want to get everything because it looks like a lot. So to answer the question, I always feel like I can eat a lot, but at the end of the day I just end up with stomachaches and I never learn.

7. What was the last thing you splurged (spent a lot of money) on? If a bunch of stuff counts, then I splurged on Christmas presents for various people that I all bought in one go – I got massage oils, a garlic press, a frisbee, Marikina sandals, lipstick, and Instax film. If you’re talking about a single thing that I had to drop a ton of money on, it was for my dog’s blood test and some arthritis meds that the vet recommended.

8. What do you spend most of your money on (besides bills and anything necessary like that)? I only ever spend on necessities like gas, clothes, and food, honestly. Other than that... I spend on (and this is very seldom) whatever hobby I’m into at the moment. At one point I spent on slime because I got interested in them, and before that – and y’all know about this – I spent my Christmas savings on adult coloring books and pencils.

9. Last time you ate candy? What was it? A week or two ago; I had a Crunch bar.

10. Last thing you ate too much of? Eggs, I think. My mom makes it for breakfast so I have it almost every day.

Sin 3: Greed 1. Do you share things? How often? Yeah I can be pretty generous with my stuff. I know I’d appreciate it when other people lend me their belongings, so I try to do the same. I once lent my phone to Rita for over an hour just because she wanted to play Mario Kart, and I also lent a book that’s really important to me to an online friend I barely knew; it was with him for like two years, lol.

2. Someone asks you for a piece of your cookie. You break it in half, but the pieces aren’t equal. Who gets the bigger piece? Usually it would be me; but if the person who asked for it was Gab, or if that particular person likes the cookie I have, then they get the bigger piece.

3. When you see change on the ground, do you pick it up? Only if it’s a 10-peso coin, because I’m greedily picky like that lmao. Other people might need a peso or a 5-peso coin more, so I leave it be.

4. How often do you lend money to people? I don’t, and that’s one thing I wouldn’t tend to lend. My parents just give me allowance and it’s usually enough for necessities and for treating myself once or twice a week, so I wouldn’t be able to have some left for others. Besides, that’s my parents’ money and it would be pretty fuckin’ unfair to them if I just give it away to others lmao.

5. Do you loooove money? I hate what it’s done to society, how it’s divided the rich and the poor, and how the people with the most money also tend to be the most selfish coughcoughBILLIONAIREScoughcough. But I love spending for my own, hah.

6. If someone offers to pay for you, do you decline or readily accept? Oh no no no. Decline all the way. If they keep insisting then I’ll probably give in because it’s the polite thing to do, but if I can, I’ll keep declining.

7. Which of your friends is the wealthiest? Rita. Her grandpa is a former senator and she lives in literally the swankiest neighborhood in Metro Manila; I was a bit intimidated when she invited us to her place for the first time lol. She’s the simplest person I know, too; and that’s my favorite kind of rich.

8. Would you take a high-paying job that you didn’t really like just for the money and benefits? That’s definitely what I plan to do, lmao. At least this is how I know myself now: I have enough money to buy whatever I want, and I’m a happy camper. That may change in a few months or within the next year and I may eventually wanna search for a passion – but for now, it’s the mindset I’m going with when I go job-hunting soon. If I survived four years of college with a very burnt-out, emptied passion for journalism that I thought I had, I could probs do the same in the workplace.

9. Ever stole from anyone? What about stole from a store? What happened? I unknowingly stole a box of crayons from a store back when security equipment wasn’t that rigid yet lmao. I realized I ‘stole’ it because I had it in my hands and not in a paper bag when I walked out, so I immediately went back to pay for it. I’ve never stolen anything from anyone.

10. Do you ever have enough money? I don’t think anyone ever feels this way. Ever heard of billionaires?

Sin 4: Sloth 1. Last thing you procrastinated on? Washing the dishes last night.

2. When you’re at a strip mall and the next store you want to go to is at the other side, do you drive over there instead of take a short walk? It depends how far “the other side” is. <-- Yep pretty much. If it’s literally on the other side of a street, then obviously I’d go walk. But in places like my school which is super big and where ‘other side’ could mean 2 km away, a drive would be more convenient.

3. What’s a typical day off of school and/or work like for you? I’d normally spend the day lazing around on the couch with my dog beside me and lurking around social media.

4. What’s one talent you have that you don’t really work on, even though you have the ability to be good at it? Public speaking, or debating.

5. How many hours of television do you watch a day? I keep Friends as a background noise on Netflix nearly all day because I hate when it gets too quiet around me. As for watching on an actual television, I haven’t used one in years.

6. What about the amount of time you spend on the internet a day? The internet takes up my entire day it’s crazy lol. I kinda need it for everything now.

7. How many hours of sleep do you get a day? Do you sleep in late? It’s always different. I can go anywhere between 3 and 10 hours of sleep. I don’t sleep in often, though.

8. Do you drive to places that are less than three blocks away? I don’t know how big blocks are supposed to be since we don’t use that system here. But yes, I usually drive even though Point A to Point B is very much walkable hahaha. My friends make fun of me a lot for it but I don’t care, at least I don’t get to my destination all sweaty and smelling like the sun.

9. When was the last time you exercised? November, on my last PE class.

10. Ever copied and pasted your homework from a website on the internet? I never did this. My schools always emphasized the consequences of plagiarism so as someone who always stuck by the rules, I always made sure I at least paraphrased the content I see on the internet.

Sin 5: Wrath 1. If you could kill one person and get away with it, would you do it? I know it’s pretty dark to come from such a place, but I’ve always thought death is an easy way out for people who’ve done awful things. I could answer this question with a name of a corrupt politician, rapists, or animal abusers, but tbh they don’t deserve the sweet escape of death, even if it were from murder.

2. Is there anyone you honestly and truly can say that you hate? Anybody who has hurt cats and dogs.

3. Is there anyone you want revenge on, whether you want to get them back big-time or just play a little prank on them for hurting your feelings? Like I said, I’d daydream about getting revenge just to satiate my desire for it, but I think it’s pretty childish and downright cartoonish to actually go through with it. I’ve only ever seen people getting petty revenge in movies, but it seems a bit stupid in real life.

4. Are you fighting with any friends right now? Why? No. The most that’s happened was me kinda scolding Andrew for not letting me know beforehand that he submitted our thesis proposal to our prof through VIBER, which is incredibly unprofessional and I definitely let him know what I thought about it. I didn’t fight with him though.

5. Last time you were really angry? What happened? The aforementioned thesis prof letting me know we’re missing a part of our thesis on the last day for profs to submit their grades. That meant that however early we submitted a revision, she wouldn’t have been able to give it a mark anyway. That definitely pissed me off, especially considering that she was silent for two weeks and didn’t give back any comments which made us think we were good to go.

6. When you’re angry, what do you do to calm yourself down? I watch Friends or any one of my favorite YouTubers so I can have some relief. Other times, I’d force myself to sleep.

7. “Hate is just the fear of loving someone.” true or false? No. That makes no sense to me.

8. What’s the best revenge you ever got on someone? Never done this before.

9. Was there any hard feelings after your last break-up? On whose end was it on? There were definitely hard feelings in the beginning because she executed the breakup so poorly and I thought I didn’t deserve any of the treatment I was getting, and I was also mad that I wasted my time for that long only for her to break up with me in the end.

10. Ever been cheated on? How did that make you feel? No.

Sin 6: Envy 1. Is there anyone you’re jealous of? Name a person and tell us why. Envious is the better word, and I feel this way towards anybody who live with both parents. My dad’s worked overseas all my life, and as grateful as I am for his sacrifices, having a dad at home is more foreign sensation to me than the idea of having a dad who’s gone for 4-6 months a year.

2. List three physical features some other people have that you’re envious of (no need to get specific and name people; you can just say something like “brown eyes” or “having perfect eyebrows”). Straight teeth, fixed eyebrows, legs that don’t need much shaving.

3. List three personality features that other people have that you’re envious of. Confidence, independence... is privilege a personality trait lol?

4. Are you a jealous significant other? I can be. I don’t make a big deal about being jealous as much as I did two or three years ago anymore though.

5. Could you date someone who was really jealous? Gab can be a little jealous but for the most part it’s endearing because it’s never turned into abuse.

6. What celebrity’s looks do you envy the most? Audrey Hepburn.

7. Do you think anyone is envious of you? In your opinion, what characteristics (physical and mental) do you possess that you think someone might be envious of? Being in a long-term relationship, definitely. A lot of people my age want significant others so bad, and I know this because a good chunk of them post the same wish over and over on social media lol.

8. What are a few things you wish you were good at? Drawing, playing an instrument, dancing ballet, changing a car tire, COOKING.

9. Did you ever date someone, break up, and then see them dating someone very attractive a few days later? Were you jealous of that person? This has never happened to me.

10. When looking at a love interest’s exes, do you often find yourself jealous of their good-looking exes? I haven’t had to do this, because I was Gab’s first. I wouldn’t want to fixate on exes if I were in a different situation, though.

Sin 7: Pride 1. What’s something you brag about a lot (be honest–we all brag sometimes)? My school is easy bragging rights. Everybody wants to be in UP.

2. What physical features do you take the most pride in? My body figure in general. Also my fingers, legs, and jawline.

3. Are you satisfied with what you have? Yeah but as the above questions have made it clear, I can always use more money lol.

4. Be honest… when someone is telling you something, do you often change the subject so it’s about you and your accomplishments instead? NEVER. That’s one of the worst things anyone can do. I feel like I used to do this when I was younger, then it just hit me one day about how tasteless it can be so ever since then I’ve let other people hype themselves up and be excited about accomplishments or new things in their life as much as they want with me, as long as they aren’t being so conceited.

5. Do you like talking about your achievements? If I’m in a group and we started sharing our achievements then yeah I’d join in. But I wouldn’t bring it up if it wasn’t already being brought up. It’s better to let the accomplishments speak for themselves.

6. Do your parents tend to brag about how well you came out? My mom is definitely more ~braggier than my dad, but she’s never come off as an asshole about it. If she was, I’d pull her aside.

7. Do you strive to be better than others? Do you think competing with others is healthy? I keep a mindset of competing with others, but I keep it internal.

8. What do you do better than most people? See the little details. I’m always surprised at how most of the people I work with just look at the big picture – like how they don’t pay attention to the red squiggle under misspelled words on a group paper (or if they do see it, they don’t do anything about it), or how they don’t seem to care about proper spacing on a Powerpoint and proceed to just dump a bunch of text on one slide. Now this is something I can brag about too, cos a lot of people are just so not detail-oriented lol.

9. Do you believe in taking pride in things you can’t control (ex. being proud of your heritage, being proud of your skin color, being proud of your natural artistic ability)? I don’t see why that’s an issue.

10. Who are you competing with right now (it could be anything–classmates for a grade, co-workers for a position, other girl for a guy, etc.)? There’s no particular person, but like I said, I’m always in this perpetual mindset of wanting to compete with others just so I’m more motivated to perform well and get things done.

[thisnerdsadventures]

summer reflection

remarkable that 12 weeks have passed so fast. 10/10 would not recommend the whole time passing thing. Main reason is you end up sad because something that was fun is over because time passes, like what even

once again, cannot speak highly enough about my summer experience and the people i met. I feel like last year I met a lot of other interns, but this year I mostly got to know my team a lot more! Got a chance to read my post from last year, and I’m pretty sure I bothered my host even. more. this year with questions literally all the time!! so thats amazing

I definitely feel like last year was a lot of “oh my god what is happening WOW THIS IS ACTULALY HAPPENING wait what is happening OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING” but like for 11 weeks straight with little pause, and this year was a lot more "ah yes i feel more like a Full Time Adult” because I was more primarily hanging out with my team rather than other interns, and my project also felt like a much more complex thing that i had more ownership over. Which was cool! we stan personal growth

I would say that looking back, I think I should’ve set more clear goals for myself because having literally had like four days in between the start of my internship and the end of final exams, I didn’t really have any concrete mental preparation going in, and once I was there, it mostly just like “Ah. I’m here. What now,” especially since I had interned there last summer as well. But even on the first day, I knew that the summer had a lot of potential to be more involved than last, mostly because I was actually. sitting. with my. team. (a ConcEPt) and they seemed to talk to each other. at full volume. reMarkaBLE. Overall, I would say the whole experience was cool because part of it kinda gave off startup-y vibes (we had /basically/ our own half-floor/conference room/phone room, and there were only 20 Photos folks in our whole office), but still you felt like part of a larger larger org, like in conference calls and office-wide events and other infra stuff.

anyways, felt like this summer was more team-focused rather than company-focused, which was a different feel from last summer, but would rec! really could see myself coming back full time to the team, but got a couple more years to go first :D

cool stuff that happened in the last eight weeks of my internship (since my first post was the first four weeks)

went to some vegan food festival in cambridge

played basketball a bunch of times with some local alums

volunteered at a local org called Cradles to Crayons, who basically puts together care packages for underprivileged kids in the Boston area

filmed a vlog. or two

worked on a hammock

drank kombucha

the great california trip of 2019

went to a red sox game. we hit so many home runs!

went to canobie lake park for the CAM office outing 

met some youtubers! (gaby and allison, from just between us, or buzzfeed)

saw dear evan hansen. yes i cried a lot. but also before this we went to this great italian place in kendall called sulmona and had a delicious cheese board. i really do think this was a strong highlight of the summer

went to revere beach with a friend and got spring shabu shabu at 9:30pm at night

saw the farewell with some people from my team. continued to cry some more. we then ate ice cream and hot fudge we found in the office straight from the container

n e w y o r k

had 4 mock interviews. was slightly stressed

Theres no better place but here to mention the gochujang grilled cheese. some smart person decided it was a great idea to put gochujang in grilled cheese. this was an ingenious idea

Made a photobook filled with memes for my host. Shipped it to my dorm, but forgot that i was a) moving out of the dorm, likely before it would ship and b) very possibly leaving the country before it would arrive. continued to be slightly stressed

made dumplings at a team offsite. got flashbacks to when i was a child making dumplings and got shamed for not wrapping them well

formal friday! and cake

went on a boat cruise in the harbor! but not before our bus driver got lost and proceeded to drive 3 times around south station and then twice around the entire seaport before finally arriving 1.5 hours later when we had essentially traveled two miles

played board games. in the process might have scared the shit out of someone

my uncle/aunt/cousin came from taiwan to visit boston! we ate a lot of food

Moved dorms

got caught in an awk work situation where i almost got carded at the door during happy hour

presented my project twice. i cannot explain over text the level of memes i put in my slides, but it was good. very quality, if i say so myself. overall, was not a fool

went to gyukaku for end of internship lunch! and my manager’s manager’s manager gave me eggs from his chickens. played more board games to finish out my last day. fell out of a chair

wow that was actually quite a lot lol. anyways this summer was def a W, despite all the project challenges, MEng crises, and dealing with living by myself with most friends in other places for the first time in a hot sec. Because of the aforementioned, I think I was actually kind of stressed this summer, but I think the biggest W of this summer was definitely meeting my team, I’ve def never been in a work environment where in just 12 weeks, I was able to feel this comfortable being myself and to laugh and have fun. anyways, I’ll leave it at that, the next few posts will probably be “Why I decided to MEng”, “interior decorating to avoid responsibilities”, “top 10 recs to start out freshman year” and “semester 4.1 preview”!

[skullsandfairylights]

Writer’s Month 2019

Day 6: Word Prompt: kids 

Mark loved his son. Tim was his world. Especially after all the hassle he had gone through during the adoption process; there was the question of stability around Mark’s main source of income coming from his YouTube channel and as well as how he would deal with travelling when con-time came around due to him being a single parent. But in the end, the case went through and Mark found himself with the adorable little Timothy. Tim was only four years old when he came to live with Mark and, in the two years that they had been a family, both Tim and Mark had settled into a comfortable routine.

           Each morning, Mark would wake up early and go for a run or walk with Chica before he prepped for breakfast. Mark would then wake Tim who would pad through to the kitchen, clamber up onto his seat to eat and watch cartoons on the kitchen TV as he ate his breakfast. Mark would then drop his son off at school with money for his lunch in his pocket and his little rucksack on his back before he drove home to record some videos for the day.

           On the days when recording would take longer than planned, Mark relied on one of his friends to pick Tim up. Most of Mark’s friends didn’t mind picking up the now six-year-old as Tim had a way of charming everyone he met, especially his pseudo-aunts and uncles, who all adored the little boy.

           Then when all videos had been edited and uploaded to the channel, the little family would get together and eat dinner before spending quality time together; watching a movie or playing games until it was time for bed.

           Mark would then tuck Tim in and whisper a “Sleep tight, Little Biscuit.” followed by a kiss to Tim’s hairline before Mark left the room switching off the lights as he went.

           Life was good for the Fischbach’s.

 ~💕~

 “So, did you have a good time today?” Mark asked as he entered the dining room carrying two plates of chicken with mash potatoes and mixed vegetables. He placed one plate, with a slightly smaller portion pre-cut into mouthful-size pieces, in front of his son before he settled down in his seat opposite.

           “Yeah, Daddy! It was really cool! We went to the park! But it wasn’t Kyle’s mom or dad who took us, it was his big brother, Jason! He pushed us on the swings and he spun us on the roundabout! And we went super super super fast! It was awesome! Then we played hide and seek in the trees and bushes around the park! And I won because Jason helped me climb a tree and Kyle couldn’t find me for ages!” Mark smiled as he listened to his son’s tale. He expected there might be a small bit of exaggeration concerning how long it took Kyle to find the other boy but so long as he was happy.

           “Remember to eat your dinner before it gets cold.” The adult in the room pointed out when Tim took a pause for breath.

           “Yes, Daddy!” Tim exclaimed, suddenly gathering a large amount of chicken and potato onto his fork and trying to shove it all into his mouth.

           “Not so much, Tim. Just what you can chew. You can talk after.” Tim nodded his head and began to take smaller, more appropriate bites of food. After managing to eat a few mouthfuls, Tim made a show of swallowing before taking a deep breath to start talking again.

           “Then, Jason took us to McDonald’s and I got a chicken nugget Happy Meal! And then! And then! Then we went for ice cream at Scooby Doo’s!” Mark smiled at his son, knowing that ‘Scooby Doo’s’ was Tim’s way of saying ‘Scoopy Doo’, a little cafe and ice cream shop in town that sold homemade ice cream in a wide variety of flavours from the normal and expected to those unique to the cafe.

           “That sounds like fun,” The adult remarked as Tim shovelled another forkful of food into his mouth. “Did you get your favourite?”

           “Yup! I gots a large cone and a flake!” Mark knew all about the flake, when he had picked Tim up, the boy had flecks of chocolate smeared into his t-shirt along with the large ice cream drip stains. “Then we went back to Kyle’s house and we played in his garden all afternoon! We played pirates and guarded our treasures from the evil shark that wanted to steal it! It was so much fun! We pretended that the treehouse in Kyle’s garden was our ship and Rodger was the shark!” Rodger being the other family’s pet dog; a small, excitable beagle. “And then Jason came outside and played with us in the treehouse! He was Davey Jones! And he tried sink our ship by controlling the shark! But then! We fed the shark Davey Jones’ hand like Captain Hook in Peter Pan! And we won!”

           “Well, it sounds like you had a very exciting day.” Mark smiled fondly at his son as the boy scraped the last bites of food into his mouth. Tim then carefully put his fork and knife together in the centre of his plate, copying his father’s actions. “So, I guess that means that it’s an early night for a certain little boy?”

           The look on Tim’s face evolved from a big smile to a look of horror and he suddenly yelled in protest, “But it’s movie night! We always stay up and watch movies on deh weekends!”  

           “But surely you’re too tired from your long day of being a pirate?”

           “No!”

           “Alright, well how about we go and run you a bath, then once you’re in your PJs, we can put a movie in?” Tim quickly nodded and scurried from his chair as Mark stood up and carried both his plate and Tim’s plate over to the sink, to wash up as Tim took his bath.

           The running footsteps alerted Mark to Tim’s presence and when he turned around, he found his son donned in his bathrobe, hugging a clear plastic box to his chest. Mark led the way through to the bathroom, where he filled up the tub with warm water and helped Tim to get settled. He then gave Tim his bath crayons and dropped a couple of toys into the water before he said, “I’ll just be in the kitchen, so just shout if you need anything.” Tim nodded his head though he seemed to be already engrossed in creating his first piece of artwork on the tiled wall.

           For the next fifteen minutes, Mark washed up the dishes and wiped the countertops before he retreated to Tim’s bedroom to set out the boy’s pyjamas. Once Mark had completed the few tasks he needed to, he rejoined his son in the bathroom.

           Tim had been busy during the time Mark had been away. The white tiles on the walls now held a collage of colourful pictures. One was, Mark assumed, supposed to be Tim and Kyle on a pirate ship, with a strange beagle-shark hybrid cresting the spiky waves, jagged teeth gnashing. Another image, Mark guessed, was supposed to be Tim’s family; Tim in the centre with Mark next to him, and then gradually scattered all around was Mark’s close friends who had all begun to fulfill large roles in the young boy’s life. Then the other images seemed to be a collection of rainbow animals, though if you asked Mark to identify them, he certainly would have struggled to give any definite names or labels.

           “Hey, Squishy, ready to wash your hair?” Tim turned his attention away from his latest drawing, something that used a lot of green, and nodded to his dad, dropping the crayon into the plastic box. Mark reached out for the children’s shampoo and set about washing his son’s hair for him. “Ready to get out now, or do you want to play some more?” Mark asked once Tim had finished rinsing the product from his hair.

           “Play more!” Tim exclaimed, enthusiastically, suddenly thrusting a shark toy into his dad’s hands, “You’re the shark, Daddy!”

           Mark laughed, glad he was already wearing short sleeves as he plunged his hands into the water to make the shark swim. “Okay, ten more minutes then we’ll get you ready for bed before we watch a movie.” Tim nodded and grabbed the boat toy, talking as though he were the pirates aboard the boat.

 By the time the Fischbach’s were ready to settle down and put on a movie, it was almost eight thirty. Tim had been changed into his Spiderman-themed pyjamas, had brushed his teeth and was hugging his favourite teddy bear; handmade with black button eyes and a little pink moustache, dressed in a little red-and-white striped jacket. Mark had similarly changed into his pyjama pants and a comfy t-shirt and was happily curled up under a blanket with his son under one arm and Chica under the other. The movie played in the quiet of the living room, the only other sound being the rhythmic thudding of Chica’s tail as it wagged happily against the fabric of the sofa.

           It wasn’t even half an hour into the film when Tim was out cold, snoring lightly. Mark sat in place for a while, ensuring that the boy was fully asleep before he carefully untangled himself from the blanket and lifted Tim into his arms. Chica padded behind the man, happy to follow along behind as Mark made his way to Tim’s bedroom. Carefully, he balanced the small boy against his chest with one arm as he pulled back the duvet to tuck Tim in.

           Tim stirred for a moment but showed no sign of waking. Mark smiled and bent down to kiss Tim’s forehead, whispering a good night into the boy’s hair. He turned back towards the door to see Chica staring at him, head tilted to one side. She sat at the end of the bed and lightly pet at the floor with her front paws.

           “Come on, Chica, out. Maybe when he’s older.” Mark whispered, gently urging the dog out the door. “Okay, bed, Chica.” Chica seemed reluctant but eventually she padded out the door, followed by Mark after he had switched on the night light on the chest of drawers.

           Mark then walked with Chica to the sliding door leading out to the patio and back garden and let the dog outside. He flicked on the outside lights and left Chica to her business as he set to work cleaning the bathroom.

           Half an hour later found Mark locking all the doors and checking the windows. Chica was back inside and likely to be upstairs in Mark’s bedroom, curled up on the dog pillow. On his way to his bedroom, he peeked his head into Tim’s room to check on his son and smiled as he saw the small lump shuffle. Mark smiled softly, pulling the door mostly shut but leaving it slightly ajar.

           Mark brushed his teeth and did his night time routine in the en suite of the Master bedroom. Chica raised her head to look at him as he made his way over to the bed. The dog bed was positioned at the end of the double bed, pressed up right against the side. Mark pet the dog’s head lovingly as he passed, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the dog’s nose. “’Night pupper.”

           Climbing under the covers, Mark got himself comfortable before running through tomorrow’s plan. Tim was back at school. He’d gotten his homework done on the Saturday – Tim had sat with Mark as he edited some videos in the home office, working through the sheet of symmetrical shapes and looking for real-world examples - and his backpack was all ready to go by the front door. Mark had already planned out which videos he would be recording and which games he would play, he usually aimed to try and get two or three filmed, even if they weren’t all edited straight away.

           It didn’t take Mark long to fall asleep, listening to the slow huffs from Chica.

[kumeko]

Memoriae

Character/Pairing: Annabeth, Thalia, Luke

A/N: I love the tragic friendship of these three. Written for the Riordan Verse Zine.

Summary: History was just a little too close in this room, a little too real. It was too easy to look and wonder about the what-ifs.

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“It’s really musty in here.” Thalia coughed as she pushed cobwebs out of the way in the dark room. Taking a cue from her, Annabeth covered her mouth with a hand before groping the grimy wall for a light switch.  It wasn’t long before she heard a soft click nearby and the room was bathed in a pale yellow light.

She wasn’t sure if that made the room more or less claustrophobic. It was a small area, with a few cardboard boxes and just enough space for three to lie down. Back when they were preteens, it might have been roomy, but now…Annabeth wasn’t the tallest adult but even she could touch the roof if she wanted to.

Yet it had been home and she found herself smiling as she scanned the room.

“It’s been ages since we we’ve been here.” Ages since anyone had been here. Judging by the dust on the floor, it had been untouched since they left it. “I can’t believe no one’s found it yet.”

“Well, you were always good at finding hiding spots.” Standing her tiptoes, Thalia rubbed Annabeth’s head affectionately. “It’s that big brain of yours.”

“You know I’m older than you now, right.” Annabeth glowered but made no move to swat Thalia’s hand away. It made her feel childlike, reminiscent of when she actually had lived here. “By several years.”

“Right, right. That’s going to take some time to get used to…” Thalia rubbed the back of her neck, considering it all.

 There were times when Annabeth wondered what it would be like to have joined the hunters, to have gained immortality and the ability to see the world change. However, it seemed she would have lost more than she gained—her growth, Percy, the ability to change. “It’s going to only get worse with each year.”

 “True but with each year, I feel you’ll probably have it more difficult than me. Grey hairs, wrinkles—” With a guffaw, she dodged Annabeth’s punch. “Anyways, Luke was always good at locking things, it would have been hard for anyone else to open the door.”

 She gave her friend a last glare before moving on. “That’s true, though he never liked using his powers,” Annabeth chuckled, remembering the face he would make when they asked him. With a grimace, a pout, and then an imploring do I have to, he’d grumpily get to it.

“The face he’d make!” Thalia rolled her eyes, shoulders still shaking from laughter. “It was like he ate something sour.”

“Remember that time he had to eat those ripe peaches?” Annabeth grinned. “I swear he would have preferred drinking spoiled milk again. Even if that meant he’d spend three days on the toilet.”

“I think he went beyond hate when it came to peaches,” the huntress guffawed, wheezing as she remembered.  “And you used to love them, so he had to keep finding them.”

“And with a smile each time.”

Sobering up quickly, Thalia frowned. “He was always good at hiding things. Except for his anger at the gods. We should have realized it sooner.”

“After he failed his quest, he was never the same. I should have noticed it.” Annabeth bit her lip, remembering just how dark his expression had been back then. Like the constellations, there were so many signs and she had ignored each one until it was too late. If she had noticed earlier, if she had left with him back in San Francisco, would he be alive now?

It was a question without an answer—it was far too late for what-ifs. There was only the present, only now, and this meant a timeline where Luke was dead.

 Scanning the floor, Annabeth crouched down to pick up a small toy. Turning over the plastic figure in her hands, she gave a fond smile. “Now this is something I didn’t expect to see again. I thought I lost it when we had to leave.”

“Leave? Chased out, more like,” Thalia scoffed before peering around her friend curiously. “What’s that?”

“One of those happy meal toys.” Holding up the Hercules toy, Annabeth snorted. “The Disney movie was pretty inaccurate. He was nothing like this.”

“No, definitely not.” Thalia gingerly took the toy. The paint was chipped in places and it was missing an arm. Years of abandonment had not improved its condition. “We wouldn’t have half of our issues if he was anything like the movie.”

Taking back the toy, Annabeth pitched her voice lower and moved its arms. “Hello, sister. Nice seeing you again.”

“You’re spending too much time with Percy.” Thalia shook her head. However, with her cracking a grin, it was hard to gauge how serious she was. “When’d we get it? I don’t think we ever bought a happy meal.”

“We didn’t.” Annabeth turned the toy over, lifting the discoloured cape. Scrawled in red ink was the name Luke. “Luke gave it to me. It used to be his.”

“That’s unusual.” Thalia’s expression softened before she turned away. “I thought he didn’t take anything with him. And considering how much he hated Hermes…”

“Maybe.” Annabeth set the toy on a cardboard box. Unbalanced, it fell over immediately. “Maybe it gave him hope.”

“Hope.” Thalia returned to searching, opening up one of the smaller cardboard boxes. “I guess if you don’t know his personality, he is kinda…hopeful.” Pulling out a bottle from the box, she turned to Annabeth. “There’s some nectar here, along with bandages.”

“Wow.” Annabeth wiped her eyes quickly and pulled out a checklist. “We left these places pretty stocked considering how little we had.”

“Yeah, I dunno how, but we always managed to find just enough.” Thalia shrugged, closing the box once more. “Makes it easier now at least.”

“Well, satyrs have more hiding spots now.” Annabeth checked off their location on the list. “Just two more places to look at then.”

“Just two?” Thalia groaned, slumping forward. Looking haggard, she gave Annabeth the stink eye. “We’ve been at it for days now.”

It was strange. Maybe it was because Thalia was eternally a teenager or maybe it was because Annabeth hadn’t been one in so long, but she felt a bit like a parent. Gods, she hoped none of her kids were this rebellious. Forcing some cheer she didn’t entirely feel, she pumped her fist. “We’re almost done!”

“You said that last time.” Thalia grimaced, shooting daggers at her. Irritated, she sat down and leaned against a wall. “I’m taking a break.”

“…fine.” Annabeth rolled her eyes before joining Thalia. While she also wanted a breather, she questioned taking one in this dusty room. She could feel the years of grime settling on her like a second skin. They’d have to send a clean-up crew in before anyone used it.

Looking up, she spotted crayon marks on the wall, a long line labelled with their names. Luke had wanted to keep track of their heights. They had spent the longest time in this hideout and it wasn’t very hard to remember what it used to be like here. Thalia would be sitting near a door, ready to pounce. Luke would be carefully organizing their goods, dividing up their supplies so they had an emergency stock if needed. And she’d be sitting next to him, watching with adoring eyes because Luke could do no wrong back then.

He had been a father, a brother, a crush. He turned into a traitor, an enemy, a destroyer.

And now—now Annabeth had no idea what hat to give him, where to place this complicated, selfish, selfless man. Maybe they could have talked more; his ideas weren’t wrong, just his methods. If she had asked, if she had known…

“Do you think.” Annabeth leaned against Thalia. Sitting like this, she felt like a child again, nestled between her two favourite people. “Do you think we could have stopped him? Saved him?”

“They said it was fate, destiny, but!” Thalia ground her teeth, an angry grunt escaping her lips as her fist hit the ground. “I hate those words. Like we couldn’t do anything, like we can’t escape—I…” Her voice trailed off, her words almost too soft for Annabeth to hear. “I know we could have. If we had more time or if I hadn’t been a stupid tree, I know we could have helped him.”

“Yeah.” Annabeth gripped Thalia’s hand.

Do you love me? Luke had asked, his voice no more than strangled whisper. The light in his eyes had already started fading and she hadn’t been sure if he could see her, let alone hear her. Even the warmth of his hands, the warmth that had saved her a thousand times over, had already disappeared.

I do, she had answered, I always did, you’re family. He should have known the answer, he should have always known the answer. Maybe she should have said it louder, said it clearer. Had he forgotten it? There were so many reasons he had turned away from her, from them, and maybe that was one of them.

“You know,” Annabeth mumbled, closing her eyes. “I hate him. Just a little.”

Thalia snorted. “There’s no little for me. He should have known better.  I should have been around to punch his idiotic face before he thought of that moronic plan.”

Laughing, Annabeth shook her head. “As long as you didn’t break his nose.”

“Hmmm…” Thalia considered it. “Well, he did have a good nose. I suppose I’d keep it to his jaw or something.”

She wasn’t sure how long reincarnation took. Was there already a baby Luke somewhere, reborn and ready to try for the Isle of the Blessed? He would make it, she was sure.  “Maybe I’ll aim for it.” Annabeth stared up at the ceiling. It would take years but she had always been an overachiever too. “The Isle of the Blessed. If I get there, I can punch him for you.”

“Yeah.” Thalia grimaced. Immortality really did have some disadvantages. “I guess I can’t really aim for it.”

“That’s true.”  Annabeth hugged Thalia, snuggling in a bit closer. “You could always guide our reincarnations.”

“If I did that, I might as well punch him myself,” she grumbled, not quite rejecting the idea.  “But this means I have to deal with more Percy.”

“Percy?”

“Like he’d let you aim for the Isle without him.” Thalia gave her a look, as though she were an idiot. And maybe she was, because she couldn’t really argue against that. “It was such a pain convincing him to not come.”

“That’s…probably true.” Annabeth shrugged but she couldn’t stop the soft smile tugging at her lips. “I guess we’re just not going to leave you alone for a while then.”

“Not for a long time,” Thalia agreed, her arms sliding around Annabeth. “And all of your lives had better be long ones. Even Luke’s lives.”

Annabeth pressed her face in her friend’s shirt, not quite trusting her voice. Thalia said nothing, stroking her hair softly as they sat there.

Before they left, Annabeth pocketed the inaccurate Hercules. We’re a family, he had said when he gave it to her, his smile infectious. Her eyes had been the size of drachmas as she examined the toy, the only one she had seen after leaving her father. He had laughed, light and carefree, his hand ruffling her hair as she had thanked him.

We’re a family. Those words rang true, even now. In the end, despite what Kronus did, Luke never forgot that. Maybe it was his destiny to fall, to betray, to die. Maybe he couldn’t fight fate.

But there were small rebellions, things that even prophecies couldn’t touch.  The power of love, of family, the promise he had made so long ago. He died as himself, remembering just what, just who he had been fighting for.

“Coming?” Thalia asked, standing at the door.

“Yeah.” Annabeth hurried after her. In two lifetimes, when she’ll meet him again on the Isle of the Blessed, he’d probably accept her slug with an accepting smile.

They were family, after all.

[xx-thedarklord-xx]

Sharing is a Myth

 Fluffy fluff 5.5k word piece that will hopefully make you melt. You can read it here or on Ao3 

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          Draco listened to Miss McGonagall with his eyes thoughtful and nose scrunched up. ‘Sharing is caring’. He had heard that a few times before, but why was it caring? How could giving away your own stuff be fun? It was his to begin with. Shouldn’t it stay that way?

            Throughout the rest of the lesson Draco watched the other students and wondered if sharing would make them want to be his friend. Normally, his father bought him whatever he wanted—but Draco was beginning to think that wouldn’t work with a friend. He was going to be six soon and he was pretty sure a friend should have happened by now.

            “Can I use your blue crayon?”

            Draco shook his head before he looked up at Seamus. “No.” Seamus broke everything, and he even lit a paper on fire outside once that spread to the grass. There was no way Draco was going to share with him.

            When Seamus kicked him in the shin, Draco realized that perhaps he really should start learning how to share.

            How does one do that?

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            Draco walked around the grounds and watched the other children play. It was close to lunchtime and he had taken a biscuit out of his box. This was it, this was the day that Draco was going to learn how to share with others.

            He just had to find someone worthy of that first.

            Draco quickly walked past Seamus, not bothering to give him any thought. Dean was Seamus’ best friend so that was a no as well. When he saw Pansy, he debated about sharing his biscuit with her, but then he saw her lick the dirt. Ew. No, if he was going to share, it would be with someone who was smarter than that.

            Just when he was going to give up, because none of his classmates were good enough, Draco saw Harry playing by himself.

            Harry was quiet and didn’t talk much, but that was okay because Draco knew he was smart. Definitely smart enough to not lick dirt. He didn’t know much about Harry other than that the teacher liked him more. That was okay, his father always said people don’t like those who are superior. Whatever that meant.

            As Draco got closer to the patch of dirt Harry was sitting on, he began to get nervous. It wasn’t until kind green eyes peered up at him that he panicked and blurted, “Would you like to have my biscuit? I’m learning to share.”

            When Harry tilted his head to the side, Draco almost let out a little laugh. “Only if you have half too. Sharing goes both ways.”

            Draco gasped, no one had ever shared with him before! Was this how it was supposed to go? “Thank you!”

            Harry laughed before slowly taking the biscuit from Draco’s fingers and breaking it in half. “Silly! I should be saying that, not you.”

            The statement had Draco biting his lip. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to argue that, but this was the moment that Draco knew Harry was unlike anyone he had ever met.

            Sharing was caring.

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            Sharing was not caring. Draco huffed when Ernie never gave back his markers. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. How come when he shared things with Harry it went well? Why wasn’t it the same with other people?

            Draco had waited for other people to begin sharing with him now that he fully understood the concept, but when that didn’t happen, he felt his lip tremble.

            Why didn’t anyone like him? He learned to share!

            The sound of the Miss McGonagall dismissing them for the day had Draco running out of the room and not stopping till he reached the staircase leading into the school. He collapsed down before his control snapped and he began crying.

            “Hey,” A voice had Draco jumping in fright as he looked up into kind eyes. “Are you alright?”

            “No!” Draco cried out, wishing that life wasn’t so hard.

            “I think that’s Narcissa’s kid,” a new voice whispered, but Draco was too distracted by kind brown eyes looking at him in a way that no other adult ever had. Was this how parents were supposed to look too?

            “What’s the problem?” The kind man asked as he knelt on the ground in front of Draco.

            Draco sniffed before wiping his nose on his sleeve—something his mother would be upset at. “Miss McGonagall says sharing is caring, but it’s a lie!”

            When the kind man’s friend snorted, Draco decided that he wasn’t going to like him.

            “I shared with Ernie and he never gave me my stuff back! I tried to share with Zacharias, but he laughed at me! No one shares with me back, and I don’t get it. If sharing is supposed to be caring, then how come no one else cares?”

            He watched the two adults trade looks before the mean one also kneeled down. “Listen kid, what you got to understand is that the world is full of jerks.”

            “Sirius!” The kind man scolded, arms crossing over his chest. “What kind of lesson is that?”

            Sirius shook his head firmly. “Remus, I’ve got this.” The man slowly reached out a hand and wiped Draco’s tears. “The thing with sharing, is that not everyone will be as nice as you. Not everyone is going to want to share back.”

            Draco frowned as he threw his hands into the air. “But that’s not fair!” When they both chuckled, he slumped down in defeat.

            “It takes time to learn who you want to share with.” When Draco opened his mouth, Sirius shushed him. “But sharing can be caring if done properly. If people aren’t sharing with you back, then that’s not something you are doing wrong. That’s on them. Don’t let a few rude people stop you from being kind to others.”

            Draco bit his lip as he thought it over. Maybe Sirius was right.

            Remus cleared his throat. “Sometimes, you will find yourself sharing with others and not wanting anything in return. Just because you give someone something, doesn’t mean that they owe you anything.”

            Draco didn’t like the sound of that. If he was going to share, then shouldn’t it automatically mean that they will share with him too?

            “There’s got to be a time when sharing worked for you,” Sirius continued, eyes just as kind as Remus. Perhaps Sirius wasn’t as mean as he looked.

            A smile formed on Draco’s face and he looked down at his hands. “I shared my biscuit with Harry, but he wouldn’t take it unless we ate it together.”

            “I think I’m going to cry,” Sirius gasped out, hand clutching his chest dramatically. “Hear that Remus? Our boy is growing up.”

            Draco wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but he was beginning to like them.

            “That just means we raised Harry right.”

            Before Draco could ask if that meant they were Harry’s parents, he could hear his name being yelled.

            Draco stood up as thundering feet could be heard. He only had a few seconds to see Harry’s messy hair before the other boy jumped at him.

            “Draco!” Harry laughed in Draco’s ear when they almost fell over. “I heard about Ernie and Zacharias. Miss McGonagall said she will get your markers back, but until then, you can have mine.”

            That had Draco closing his eyes and holding on to Harry tightly. “Only if we can share them.”

            Harry squeezed him back. “Oh! I also made you something.”

            It took a few moments of Harry digging into his bag before his friend pulled out a piece of paper.

            Draco smiled when he could see his name above a yellow stick figure. The ‘a’ in his name was backward and he wasn’t too sure he really looked like the stick figure, but it was a gift and Draco loved it.

            “But I didn’t get you anything,” Draco worried as he bit his lip.

            Harry shrugged, smiling in a way that Draco knew was his new favorite thing to see. “I know. You don’t have to get me anything.”

            Draco peered up at Remus and wondered if this is what the man meant. When Remus sighed happily and nodded his head, Draco realized that sharing was a lot more complicated than he originally believed.

            “Thank you, Harry.”

            When Harry hugged him tightly again, Draco decided that he was going to share everything with Harry one day. Everything.

            “Now I might cry,” Remus whispered, clutching Sirius’ hand.

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            As the years passed, Draco never really did like sharing with people. At least those who weren’t Harry. Despite the selfish ways of others, Draco couldn’t help but remember Remus and Sirius’ advice.

            Sharing with Harry was easy. It was never a hardship giving Harry anything. They were best friends, and no one understood Draco like Harry did.

            “What do you guys want from the diner?” Sirius asked Harry and Draco as he pulled on his jacket. “If I go now, I will avoid the early dinner rush.”

            “I want my usual,” Draco called as he began working on his homework. “But extra pickles.”

            Sirius paused before shooting Remus a look of confusion. “Kid, you don’t like pickles.”

            Draco rolled his eyes at the nickname. He wasn’t a kid, he was ten, thank you very much. “I know that, but Harry likes them.”

            Harry grinned goofily before turning to Sirius. “I want the same thing, but without pickles.” When Sirius lifted his hands in a silent demand for an explanation, Harry shrugged. “We are sharing.”

            It took a moment before Sirius understood. “Why not just order it how you usually do, and then no one will need to share anything? That’s the whole point of having your own separate meals.”

            “Sirius,” Remus chided firmly, mouth curled in amusement. “Let them share in peace.”

            “Whatever,” sighed Sirius heavily. “Our children are fucking weird.”

            “Language!” Harry and Draco yelled before bursting into laughter at the deadpan expression on Sirius’ face.

            Draco felt his cheeks pink up at Sirius’ words. It was nice being considered a part of the family. It was a shame his own parents weren’t as welcoming.

            “Hey, Draco,” Harry whispered, eyeing Remus kiss Sirius goodbye. “Want to play the new game I just got? It’s only single player, but we can share—” he paused to peer back at Remus. “We can always finish our homework later.”

            Draco smiled, forever thankful that Harry was his best friend.  

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            “What are you wearing?” The sneer that was palpable in his father’s voice had Draco clenching his fists tightly.

            Draco looked down at the Star Wars shirt and grinned. “It’s Harry’s favorite shirt. He’s sharing it with me.” He supposed it could be seen as a gift, but he had given Harry his own favorite shirt and this to him was just how they shared things.

            “Give it back, burn it, throw it away, I don’t care what you do, just don’t wear it.”

            “No.”

            There was a silence as his father put down the newspaper and glared at him over the breakfast table. “What do you mean no?”

            “It’s an exclamation, usually used to give a negative answer.” When his father clenched the newspaper so tightly that it ripped the pages, Draco knew he was pushing it. “I’m keeping it.” It was Harry’s and that meant more to him than whatever stupid notion his father had in his head.

            As Draco made his way towards his bedroom, he heard his father call out angrily, “Stop giving your clothes to your charity case.”

            In spite, Draco stormed to his closet and grabbed every expensive piece of clothing and bundled it into his school bag.

            He waited until he could hear the sound of his father going into the study for the day before he jumped out his window and made his way towards Harry’s house.

            As Draco approached the Lupin-Black house, he pulled out the key Remus gave him last year for his 14th birthday.

            “I’m home!” He called out, smiling when he could hear Harry running down the stairs to greet him. A passing glance of messy hair was his only warning before he his arms were full of his best friend. The bag hit the floor, causing Remus and Sirius to come investigate.

            “Are you moving in?” Sirius wondered as he opened up the bag without asking for any kind of permission.

            Draco held on to Harry when his friend stepped away to leave. He wasn’t ready to let go just yet. “I brought you dishrags.”

            Sirius arched his brows as he pulled out the jumble of silk shirts. “I always wanted sheer dishrags. Expensive ones to boot. Remus, cancel my birthday, I already got my gift.”

            Draco allowed Harry to pull away before he walked to Sirius and hugged him as well. Sirius was never one to pry and that was something Draco loved about the man.

            Remus pushed Sirius out of the way to hug Draco too. “You always have a home here, with us. We might not be Harry, but we know how to share as well. This house is yours too.”

            The reminder had tears stinging Draco’s eyes, but he nodded his head and held on tightly.

            “I think I’m going to cry,” Harry squeaked before he hugged Draco too, causing Sirius to join in on the family group hug.

  ------------------------------------

            It took many screaming matches to keep his parents from hiring a private tutor and restricting Draco to the house. He wanted to finish school with Harry and nothing his parents thought was going to change his mind.

            “He’s just one insignificant child, Draco.” His mother admonished, not bothering to look up from her fourth glass of wine. “You will find far better friends if you will just cease being stubborn and go abroad.”

            Draco stood up rapidly, not caring that it upturned his dinner plate. They had never understood him, never bothered to even try. “Harry isn’t insignificant! He’s my best friend, my—” He bit his lip to stop from saying more than that. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what they would say, it wasn’t as if they could be more ashamed than they already were. Draco had long ago given up hope of having their approval, let alone love.

            The problem was his own feelings. Harry had been his best friend since the day they shared a biscuit together. Somewhere along the way—and Draco refused to believe it was instantaneous—Harry had come to mean so much more than that.

            Draco didn’t bother continuing his argument, just gave up completely and stormed away.

            As he laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, he wondered if it was a mistake to share your heart. That wasn’t something that could be replaced.

            Whether Draco liked it or not, Harry held a piece of him. A piece that Draco was reluctant to give. If he didn’t open himself up, then there was no chance of getting hurt. For the first time in a long time, Draco didn’t want to share.

  ------------------------------------

            It got harder and harder to hide his emotions. Draco wished that Harry wasn’t so charming. Everything his best friend did had his own heart beating faster and his palms sweating nervously.

            “Hey,” Harry called, causing Draco to jump a little as he approached the school entrance. Despite graduation looming around the corner, and their futures undecided, Draco couldn’t help but treasure every single moment with Harry.

            “I got you this,” Harry mumbled, shoving a bag with Draco’s favorite bakery on it. “Knew you got up late by the way you didn’t message me, which means you missed breakfast.”

            Draco’s heart skipped several beats and he knew that he could no longer lie to himself. He was in love. Utterly in love with his best friend. His dorky friend that could quote every line of Star Wars and name every constellation in the sky.

            To distract himself from the horrible revelation, Draco pulled out two scones and offered Harry one. “Want to share?”

            Harry’s smile was still his favorite thing to see, only now, it caused his stomach to jolt and his heart to race.

            “I’d love to.”

  ------------------------------------

            Draco entered the house and walked straight to Remus. His mind was a mess and he just hoped that Remus could help.

            “Harry isn’t here. He has a math club meeting and will be late,” Remus informed him, not looking up from a book that was no doubt boring.

            “Yeah, because he’s a nerd,” Sirius yelled from the kitchen, causing Draco to snicker.

            When Draco didn’t say anything, Remus glanced up. “You know his schedule better than we do, what’s going on?”

            Draco fidgeted nervously, before sighing deeply. If he couldn’t tell them, then there was no way he was going to be able to tell Harry.

            “How do you share something, but keep it guarded at the same time?”

            He watched Remus’ brows furrow. “Depends on what you are sharing. Is it tangible enough to hold?”

            Draco shook his head. “But it’s just as real.”

            Remus pulled Draco forward until he could wrap his arms around him. “Love is rewarding and beautiful to share—especially when it’s returned.”

            It wasn’t a surprise that Remus knew what he had meant. “But it’s easily breakable.”

            Remus sighed before running his fingers through Draco’s hair, ignoring the way Draco tried moving his head in disapproval. “You have to find the right person to share it with, that’s all.”

            “Biscuits and hearts are two different things,” Draco whispered in the only way he could own up to anything.

            Remus tightened his hold on Draco. “The sentiment and faith behind both are the same.”

            Draco just hoped that was true.

  ------------------------------------

            “Did you hear the theme for this year’s dance?” Draco asked as they headed towards their last class of the day. His nerves were high, because he was going to do it. He was going to ask Harry to the dance later in the week. All he needed was a stupidly cheesy way to do it, that was the norm, wasn’t it? Social events weren’t really his thing.

            Harry snorted as he gestured to the posters that were tacked up every few feet. “Yule ball. It’s supposed to be fun, at least Lockhart says so.”

            Draco rolled his eyes. “He only says that because he organizes the bloody thing every year.” He took a deep breath, pausing outside of their advanced chemistry class. “Were you thinking of going?”

            When Harry rubbed the back of his neck, Draco was beginning to wonder what would be making his friend so nervous.

            “Actually, Luna asked me to go with her.”

            Draco’s breath caught as his heart began to shatter. “Lovegood?” They weren’t even friends, not really. He knew that Harry sometimes partnered with her in a few classes, but he didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t as if Harry ever talked about her much.

            “Yeah, she was talking about how she has never been to a dance before and how it would be cool if we went as—”

            Draco backed away, not bothering to finish the conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snape pause at his desk, but Draco ignored him and Harry as he made his way down the hall and out of the school altogether.

            It was stupid leaving so early. If he was caught, he could get an infraction towards graduation, but Draco’s mind wasn’t focused on that.

            Draco took off running, the only destination in mind was one he knew would be welcome. It wasn’t as if he could go the manor and hash it out with his parents.

            It wasn’t too clear how he had managed to make it in one piece as his eyes filled, causing the scenery to become blurry.

            Draco knocked on the door repeatedly and harshly, not stopping to find his key anywhere.

            When Sirius opened the door, anger visibly melting at the sight of him, Draco pushed past and entered the kitchen.

            “Kid, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in—”

            Draco ignored Sirius in favor of seeing Remus.

            “You lied,” Draco choked out, tears spilling. “You said if I shared it with the right person, then it would be okay.”

            Remus closed his eyes briefly before pulling Draco into a bone-crushing hug.

            “How do I get it back?” Draco croaked. “I don’t want to share anymore. I don’t want this. I need my heart back.” He wanted to murder the person who said that sharing was caring. It was a bloody myth.

            Before Remus or Sirius could say anything, the sound of someone running had Draco tensing.

            “Draco,” Harry panted, clearly having run after him. If Draco wasn’t so upset, he would be touched that Harry faced the wrath of Snape by leaving.

            When Remus took a step back, Draco felt betrayed. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. None of this. Harry was always the only one he could share everything with, it hadn’t crossed his mind how devastating it would be when that would stop.

            “I don’t know what I did,” Harry whispered, pain so tangible that Draco turned around to look at him.            

            Harry’s face crumpled at the sight of Draco’s tears. “I’m sorry! I wish I could understand. You know I would never intentionally hurt you.”

            The apology was heartfelt, but Draco couldn’t let Harry say it, not when he hadn’t done anything wrong. “You don’t owe me anything, Harry.” He recalled Remus’ advice when he had been a child. “Just because I love you, doesn’t mean that you have to return the sentiment.” He looked down at his hands as the tears formed again.

            “You love me?” The wonder in Harry’s voice had Draco wishing his eyes weren’t blurring, it was hard to read his best friend’s face.

            Denying it would be pointless. Draco nodded his head, wishing it wasn’t so pitiful. Unrequited love was for losers.

            “Sirius, let’s give them some space.” Remus tried pulling Sirius out of the room, but the man shook his head.

            “You are crazy if you think I am missing this, it’s just getting good.”

            Draco tuned out the sound of Remus forcibly removing Sirius out of the kitchen—he was too busy wishing he was anywhere but here. Hell, even the company of his father would be preferable.

            “Draco,” Harry breathed, stepping forward. “I have been in love with you since the moment you offered me your biscuit when we were five.”

            Draco snapped his head up, breath rattling in his chest. “What?” He himself hadn’t realized his feelings till a few years ago.

            “Or maybe it was when you snuck out of your house when we were nine and you declared that you would use your inheritance to buy me the world.” Draco felt his ears heat up and he wished Harry would stop.

            Harry took a step closer. “Perhaps it was when I gave you my dirty old jacket and you smiled so beautifully that I slipped and fell.”

            “I just thought you were clumsy,” Draco whispered, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, not daring to really believe what was being said.

            “Or when Carrow and his sister bullied me, you hacked into your father’s legal cases and threatened to blackmail their parents if they didn’t stop.”

            Draco shrugged, face long ago succumbing to embarrassment. “It worked, didn’t it?”

            Harry moved until he was a few inches away. “I have loved you for so long, Draco.”

            The truth shining in green eyes had Draco launching at Harry, arms wrapping around his neck. “But what about Lovegood?”

            “Luna?” Harry whispered, confusion evident. “She’s just a friend. That’s what I was telling you. Luna has never been to a school dance before, and she wanted to go as friends.”

            Draco was thankful his face was hidden in Harry’s chest, otherwise he would have been embarrassed even further. “Oh.”

            Harry laughed in realization. “You thought I liked Luna? I don’t really know her.”

            That had been the argument Draco had tried to point out to himself, but his heart had been too bruised.

            “I can always cancel and go with you, if you’d like?”

            Draco was an arse most days, but he wasn’t that cruel. “No, I’ll find a friend too.” He pulled away to peer into Harry’s eyes. “We can have our own dance later.”

            Harry furrowed his brows. “I didn’t know you had any friends besides me.”

            “Oi! I will have you know—” Draco paused when he realized that Harry was right. “Shut it,” he commanded when Harry threw his head back and laughed loudly. He just didn’t like people, could never get along with others well.

            Sirius opened the door a crack, peering in. “Laughter, does that mean you have announced your impending marriage?”

            Harry and Draco looked away from each other, suddenly shy.

            “Sirius, leave them be.” Remus pushed Sirius through the door—smiling widely at the way they still had their arms around each other.

            “You decided to share after all,” Remus told Draco, pride evident on his features.

            Draco looked to Harry, ignoring his confused expression to cup his cheek.  

             “Yeah, I did.” He smiled softly. “You were right all along.”

            Sharing his heart was just as easy as sharing the biscuit, but also held far more consequences. Draco knew that Harry would keep it safe and would even give his heart in return.

  ------------------------------------

            Draco sighed in frustration as he passed several students. It couldn’t be this hard to find a friend to take to the yule ball.  

            When Ernie came into view, Draco shook his head in disgust—he still hadn’t forgiven him for never returning his markers when they were five. Grudges were something Draco was rather good at.

            The sight of Pansy always brought back the memory of her licking dirt. She wouldn’t do.

            It was pitiful how little he could actually tolerate people. If it wasn’t for his friendship with Harry, Draco probably would have let his parents send him abroad. Just when Draco was going to give up and go to the stupid thing stag, he took in the sight of the new transfer student.

            “Longbottom!” Draco jogged forward, ignoring the way Longbottom’s eyes widened to something that looked a lot like fear.

            Normally, he would have started a conversation, but Draco didn’t care for things like that when it was strangers. “Would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?” When Longbottom gaped, Draco snorted. “As… acquaintances that is.” Friends wasn’t the right descriptor here.

            The sheer relief on Longbottom’s face was actually insulting. Draco knew damn well that he was a catch—Longbottom was lucky he was even asking.

            “What would the night entail?” Longbottom asked, adjusting the strap of his bag nervously.

            Draco nodded his head once in approval. That was actually wise to get the information up front. “I might dance with you, depends on my mood. A good portion of my time will be spent ogling my boyfriend from afar and up close, and I will definitely be spiking Filch’s punch.”

            Longbottom tilted his head to the side, regarding Draco closely. “Can I help with the punch?”

            Draco smirked before throwing his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “We might just leave this dance as friends, Longbottom.”

  ------------------------------------

            It wasn’t until halfway through the night that Draco really got to dance with Harry. It had surprised him when no one seemed to be shocked about the two of them as a couple. Pansy had assumed they had been together for years, and Dean told him that he thought they were going to get married right out of school. It was interesting that everyone could see what neither of them had.

            “How’s your night going?” Draco whispered, laying his head on Harry’s shoulder, not bothering to care that they were slow dancing to an upbeat song. “Did you decide to elope with Lovegood and leave me with Longbottom?”

            The harsh snort Harry released had Draco hiding a smile in his boyfriend’s neck. “Hardly. She’s a good friend, and I do believe Luna is having fun.”

            “But?” Draco prompted, tightening his hold on Harry.

            “But she’s not you. I would have loved to have gone with you.”

            Draco grinned before raising his head to peer into Harry’s eyes. “You utter sap.” His grin widened when he could tell that Harry was embarrassed. “Well, you have me for however long you like. Plenty of time for other opportunities.”

            When Harry bit his lip and looked away, Draco cupped his cheek and made sure to maintain eye contact. “What?”

            “What if I want to keep you forever?”

            Despite the school rules for public displays of attention, Draco captured Harry’s lips in a searing kiss. A few noises of interest could be heard, but he tuned them out when Harry’s tongue touched his bottom lip.

            A pointed cough drew them apart and Draco smirked at the flustered substitute teacher assigned to chaperone them. “I’d apologize Mister Weasley, but as soon as you leave, I’ll do it again.”

            Harry’s laughter was worth the threat of detention come Monday morning.

            Draco kissed Harry’s cheek before taking a step back when he caught sight of Lovegood. “Your date is returning.”

            “I’ll see you at home?” Harry asked, eyes already begging.

            The question had Draco’s heart filling with love. The Lupin-Black household had always been his home, but Draco was beginning to think that home was wherever Harry was.

            “Always,” Draco returned, nodding once to Lovegood.

            “Careful,” warned Lovegood as her eyes traveled across the dance floor. “I do believe someone spiked the punch.” It was whispered as if it were a secret.

            Draco looked towards Longbottom and smirked when the boy lifted his fingers in an okay sign. “How deplorable. Can’t trust anyone these days.”

            The sound of Harry’s laughter filled his ears all the way back to his own date. As Draco spent time getting to know Longbottom, he realized that he could share more of his life with others that weren’t Harry. It would be difficult, since he wasn’t one to trust easily. But Neville was different, someone that could be a good friend if given the chance.

            At least Neville had never taken someone else’s markers.

  ------------------------------------

            The sound of arguing had Harry and Draco pausing by the front door as they slowly closed it. It was their first surprise visit from Uni and they had been hoping to surprise Sirius and Remus.

            “Come on!” Sirius cried out in frustration. “Just one bite, that’s all I’m asking for.”

            Remus snorted derisively. “Go get your own, you lazy wanker.”

            “Yours tastes better.” Even from where they stood, Draco knew that Sirius was pouting.

            When Remus didn’t say anything, the sounds of Sirius stomping through the house could be heard. “How is that Harry and Draco can share everything, but you are so stingy with your chocolate?” Muffled complaints of ‘just one bite’ could be heard as Sirius rummaged through the cabinets.  

            Harry let out a muffled laugh before wrapping his arms around Draco. “That’s because Draco and I are mature.”

            There was a crash from the kitchen before Sirius came running out with a wide smile on his face. Remus wasn’t too far behind.

            They were both pulled into a group hug. “What are doing home? Narcissa said you weren’t coming home until the end of next semester.”

            Draco winced at the fact Sirius had talked to his mother. “I just didn’t want to see my parents.” They hadn’t been supportive of his decision to move in with Harry at all.

            “Well,” Remus began, clearing his throat. “We are happy to see you. We’ve missed you both.”

            “I didn’t,” argued Sirius, still clutching them tightly.

            “Lie,” Harry and Draco countered in unison, matching grins lighting up their faces.

            Draco stepped away and began moving their bags further into the house. “I imagine he cried when we left. Please make my day and tell me Sirius sobbed.”

            Sirius narrowed his eyes before turning to Remus. “If you say anything, I will hide all the Halloween candy I stashed around the house.”

            That had Remus laughing before he pulled his husband into his arms. “That’s not very nice. Sharing is caring, didn’t you know that?”

            Harry and Draco laughed so loud that it had Remus and Sirius sharing a grin.

            “We raised them right,” Remus whispered, nuzzling Sirius’ cheek.

            “I think I might cry,” came Sirius’ exclamation as he looked up to where Harry and Draco had left the room.

            “Knew it!” Draco yelled from Harry’s bedroom.

  ------------------------------------

            No matter how old Draco got, he still had problems sharing. Whether it was with strangers, friends or even family. Harry tended to be the exception. So much of their life had been spent together and things became blurred along the way as to what belonged to who.

            But when Harry asked Draco to share the rest of his life with him, Draco’s shout of affirmation had been his easiest decision yet.

            As they declared to always love each other, in sickness and in health, everyone cried—especially Sirius.

            A few guests had furrowed brows when sharing was added into the vows, but to Harry and Draco, it only made sense.

            Their friendship began with sharing, their youth had continued the lesson and their adulthood had embraced it.

            Most days, Draco would stick to the belief that sharing was a myth, but one look at Harry and he knew that Miss McGonagall had been right.

            Sharing is caring.

------------------------------------

This is the byproduct of writer’s block and I hope it melted you as it did to me! 

Thank you @rieraclaelin​ and @staganddragon​ for letting me kind of talk about this. And @rmh8402​ for helping as always. <3

[remeny-writes]

Merry Christmas-ish Part 3

So this is for the @rpdrficexchange. I got matched up with @honeyedcurves and I really hope you like it. If you don't, I can write something different.

TW hospitals

“So I was thinking…”

“Always a dangerous activity.”

“Oh shut up!” Katya laughed then grew serious, “we should move our Christmas up to November 5th.”

Trixie could run one of two ways with this, he could tell Katya that a heart would come or he could crack a joke. He chose the latter, “you just want your present earlier, ya big ol’ baby!”

Katya elbowed him in the shoulder. “Why do you know me so well? You're so mean! But seriously can we?”

Trixie’s mouth hitched up on one side in a lopsided grin, “ok fine!”

He gave in just like Katya knew he would, playing perfectly into his plan.

They got the call on their special Christmas Eve, they were curled up watching a movie and eating lasagne, well more precisely Trixie was eating and Katya was pushing the food around on his plate before pushing the plate away all together and grumbling about not being hungry. He had been getting worse lately and had been hospitalized twice in the past 2 weeks.

Katy answered the phone with shaking hands, automatically putting it on speaker and setting it on his chest since he found it too taxing to hold the phone up without losing circulation in his hand.

“Brian, we have a heart for you.” Dr Gilmour announced, the excitement in her voice was almost palpable. “It’s in the air now, it's been double and triple checked so we won't have a problem like last time.”

“Ok, we’re on our way.” Katya said in a monotone before hanging up. He refused to get excited this time, the last time felt like his trashy heart was being crushed to smithereens.

Trixie squealed and hugged him gently before grabbing Katya’s portable oxygen tank and yanking the fully packed hospital bag out of the front closet and throwing their phones and laptop and their various cords in. It had been carefully packed for months in preparation for this moment. Trixie had found the list on Pinterest. It had the basics like toiletries, lip balm and lotion, magazines they hadn't read yet, ear plugs and sleep mask, slippers and loose clothing. Then it had things they would have never thought of, 2 empty refillable water bottles, snacks for Trixie to stress eat while waiting, a battery powered fan for white noise since Kat couldn't stand the beeping on his previous hospital stays and a stuffed Tenderheart Care-bear from Ginger. An adult colouring book and pencil crayons were suggested for the pre-surgery waiting jitters by a fellow heart patient whom they met on one of Kat’s hospital stays in the last 10 months.

Katya labouriously sat up in bed, switching to the shorter oxygen tubing to his portable tank, it was only 5:15pm but he was as exhausted as if it were 3am and he’d been working out for 10 days straight. He had to stop 5 times on the way to the car, breathing heavily and being supported by Trixie who had offered to carry him. He bristled and declined, it was totally emasculating to be offered to be carried like a child, even if it was by someone who loved him as much as he knew Trix loved him.

There were no jokes even though Trixie drove like a madman again. He was grinning madly, he couldn't help it. Katya felt hope ignite in his stomach, he tried to suppress it but soon there was a small grin on his pale blue lips too.

Trixie pulled up to the front door, “wait a sec.” He ran into the hospital and returned pushing a wheelchair which he almost careened in the side of his Jeep in his haste. Katya opened his mouth to protest but closed it with a warning look from Trixie. Trixie brought him into the lobby, pressing Kat’s phone into his hand, “call your Mum while I park the car.”

Trixie rushed away, practically skipping and humming to himself. Katya looked at his phone for a minute before tucking it into his pocket. He had to make sure this was real, he couldn't bear being any more of a disappointment to her. He was back to being numb, he had apparently successfully squashed that pesky flicker of hope.

“Hi Brian! You made it!” Dr Gilmour rushed over and hugged him, picking up his wrist to check his pulse as if by habit while she looked around. “Let’s get this show on the road, like I said the heart is in the air, should be here in 45 minutes. Where’s Firkus? You ready? How do you feel? When was the last time you ate and how much?” Her questions toppled out in her excitement, she had gotten attached to “the Brians" as she called them, she practically bounced in excitement. They were such a lovely couple and she had fought hard on behalf of Katya. He was a talented man that made a mistake and it shouldn't cost him his life.

“He’s parking the car, one bite of lasagne about an hour ago because Firkus was giving me his puppy dog eyes and before that a boiled egg, ½ a piece of toast and ensure this morning at around 10. Haven’t had much appetite. So there’s really a heart?”

She put a hand on her cocked hip as she rolled her eyes and quipped sarcastically, “no, there’s no heart. This is all an elaborate ruse Brian.” She then did an uncanny impression of the soup guy from Seinfeld, “no heart for you!”

Katya let out a giggle, “aha! I thought so!” Trixie rushed up to them, pulling Katya’s hand into his and swinging them slightly.

“Ok Firkus is here, let’s go get you a new heart Brian!”

“One second, I just have to call my Mum.”

Trixie let out an exasperated sigh, “you didn't believe it was really happening, did you?”

“He didn't. Sceptical, sceptical man!” She tsked with a wink and then checked her beeping cellphone and let out a very nonDoctor-like squeal, “it’ll be here early, in 30 minutes! Let’s goooooo!” She tapped her fingers on the counter until Katya hung up with his Mum and then she grabbed the wheelchair handles and they were off.

-------

“Daddy, why do we celebrate two Christmases?” A tiny girl in a scarlet velvet gown crawled into Trixie’s lap. He chuckled at her and put his guitar down as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

“Well, 6 years ago and 2 years ago, miracles happened on November 4th.”

“Oh really? What?” She bounced on his knee in her excitement, this story never got old to her.

“Well 6 years ago, a man in Florida unfortunately died, but he gave the ultimate gift by signing an organ donor card. Your Papa was really, really sick.”

“It was his heart, right?” She said seriously, her brown eyes wide. She pointed one chubby finger to the center of her chest. A wide pink scar was barely visible, peeking out of the top of her dress.

“Mmhmm, exactly right Barbara.”

“So Papa got a new heart right?”

“You know that the answer is yes.”

“What happened 2 years ago?” She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Oh it was very exciting! We got a new houseplant! That fern over there!” He laughed at her look of indignation.

“Daddyyyy!” Barbara whined and pouted, “tell the story right!”

“Oh ok! If I must,” he sighed in mock exasperation and then continued, “your Papa was feeling sick, his new heart was being grumpy so doctor Gilmour,”

“God-mommy Olive?”

He nodded into her hair and kissed the top of her head, “Yes God-mommy Olive, do you want to tell the story?”

“Noooo! I’ll be good, I promise!” She said seriously then squealed when Katya picked her up and tossed her in the air once before putting her down between them, she climbed up and he cradled her on his lap, Trixie scooched closer and put an arm around him.

“The Christmas-ish story? Again?”

“Mmhmm.”

“So I was sick,” Katya continued, “anddoctor Olive decided I should be in the hospital for a few days for some medicine. We were at the heart institute and when I was feeling a bit better, we went for a walk around the hall and noticed a teeny little 4 year old girl.”

“Me right?”

“Yes you! You were so small.”

“You were pretty sick,” Trixie took over the story like he did every night, “we found out later that you had been in and out of the hospital a lot and we felt sad that you were all alone. We didn't know where your Mommy and Dad were so we’d sneak in and sit with you and talk to you, sometimes I would sing to you. Then we found out that your Mommy and Dad were very young when they had you and too afraid to hurt you because they loved you so much so we snuck in in the night and stole you and ran fast!”

“Silly Daddy!! Then doctor Mark fixed up my heart and you adopted me, right?” She let out a huge yawn and snuggled in deeper, blinking up at them sleepily. She didn't need them to nod, she knew the story and had asked to hear it millions of times. “I’m glad,” she muttered as her long-lashed eyes fluttered shut.

Katya leaned over to Trixie and gave him a kiss, “Merry Christmas-ish dear.”

“Merry Christmas-ish honey, oh honey.” Trixie said with a giggle.

Katya sighed happily and thought ‘we started new traditions and we’ve made our own family because of it’ his newish-to-him heart filled with gratefulness and relief as he looked down at Barbara adoringly, 'I didn't destroy anyone.’

(hope the end wasn't to floofy!)

Dear beloved reader,

Thanks for reading my story! I hope you liked it and it just broke your heart a tiny bit but the ending glued it back together. Whether you liked it or hated it and want me to die in a fiery plane crash, feel free to send me feedback! Please?

On a serious note, please consider becoming an Organ Donor, it can even be put on your licence (or health card in Canada) if you think your family would disagree. It really is the ultimate gift and you can't take it with you. I, myself, am a tissue donor recipient, I am very grateful that it was an available option for my parents. (I was like 4 when we started to age 7)

Organ donation is also close to my heart as my Godbrother and very best friend, Jeremy, died when I was 12 while waiting for a heart. He was only 8.

I know it's a hard decision and I know some religions prohibit it, I would just be glad if this makes at least one person think about it.

Love and Glitter,

Remény