#why are there baggage racks? why are there 2 person and 3 person seats only? where are the bike racks?

[natugood]

Denver light rail feel like heavy rail, like damn these trains are big

[frostedfaves]

Haunt (2)

Masterlist

Pairing: civilian!Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: Getting to know you brings a few ‘firsts’ for Wanda.

Warnings: brief alcohol mention, tiny bit of angst

A/N: click on the link at the end of the masterlist to add yourself to the taglist! and tell me what you think!

Previous part

-

“Honey, I’m home,” Pietro called loudly as he locked the front door behind himself, smiling as Wanda appeared from the kitchen. “There you are, rybka. Smells good in there.”

“As it always does,” Wanda playfully bragged as she pulled her brother into a hug, sniffing his shirt as he pulled away. “Why do you smell so good?”

“Because I had a date earlier. Don’t give me that look.”

“What? I didn’t give you any look,” she mumbled as she attempted to quickly bring a sense of nonchalance to her expression. “I just worry.”

“You don’t have to--”

“Pietro, your last girlfriend was a nightmare. I have a right to be worried.”

“Well, you can relax this time,” he assured her as he followed her into the kitchen to wash his hands. “Usually things don’t go so well with girls that have posters of me in their rooms, but I have a good feeling. She travels for work almost as much as I do, but she lives really close to here. I can visit you both on the same day if I need to.”

“Wait…” Wanda paused to think as Pietro grabbed two plates from the cabinet. “Does she have a roommate?”

“Yeah, her name is Y/N, I think. You know her?”

“I do now. We met about an hour ago.” A smile formed on her lips as she began plating the food she made, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. “Why are you giving me a look right now?”

“Nothing, just been awhile since I’ve seen my baby sister with a crush.”

“You’re only twelve minutes older than me,” she argued with a scowl and Pietro laughed.

“I see you’re not denying that crush, though.”

“You can enjoy someone’s presence without being attracted to them.”

“Maybe, but you definitely have a crush.” He caught her hand with a grin as it flew toward his chest. “Come on, rybka. Just admit it.”

“Fine, I think she’s gorgeous. Happy?”

“I will be when you start dating,” he teased as she pulled her hand away.

“There won’t be a date. I mean she’s coming here tomorrow to hang out, but I don’t think she sees me like that.”

“Then she sucks,” he affirmed, groaning when her elbow bumped his side harshly. “She’s not even your girlfriend yet and you’re already super overprotective.”

He ran back into the kitchen to grab the wine and glasses before she could hit him again, giving her a bit of time to fantasize about a world where you were her girlfriend. She’d never tell Pietro just how great that sounded to her.

-

Wanda gasped as the doorbell went off, nearly knocking over the 3-tier cooling rack full of cookies on her race to the front door. She paused in the hallway to fix any hairs that flew out of place in her rush and took a deep breath before opening the door with a smile. You were standing on her porch wearing a different hoodie from yesterday and jeans instead of sweatpants, but every bit of the face she’d been thinking of in the past 16 hours was the same, and she couldn’t help but think that nothing could’ve prepared her for being this close to you again.

“Are you going to let me in or just stare?” you teased with a slightly shaky laugh, and Wanda wasn’t sure if she was blushing because she was caught or because she was already so enchanted with every little action of yours.

“Sorry, sorry.” She stepped aside as you walked in and locked the door behind you. “I’m not usually this weird, I promise.”

“I’m sure you are, and that’s okay because I like it.”

Wanda was sure (if the tension surrounding her grinning mouth was any indication) that her face would split open at any moment. You hadn’t even been here more than a full minute and she felt a warmth growing inside her chest that hadn’t made an appearance in quite some time. She wondered if it was too soon to admit that to you, but Alexei tiptoed into the room before she could decide.

“Hey, it’s your cute dog!” You were on your knees in seconds greeting the corgi that happily trotted over to you.

“Yes, this is Alexei, which basically means ‘defender’.”

“I feel like you call him that ironically, but I think I can see this tiny baby taking out some bad guys,” you quipped as you glanced at her from the floor, turning back to Alexei as you scratched lightly along his jaw. “What do you think?”

Wanda joined you in giving her furry son some love for another minute or so before he grew tired of the attention and walked off, leaving the two of you alone again. A few seconds of awkward silence passed before she offered you a tour of her home. She led you through the living room into the dining room, showing you where the bathroom was and briefly gesturing toward her bedroom, trying her hardest not to make such a big deal of doing so. Once you made it back around to the kitchen, she took you through the back door to her yard.

“And this is my garden!”

“I’m surprised you don’t grow your own vegetables, too,” you told her as you checked out the variation of flowers growing in a line, quickly adding “You seemed to know so much about it yesterday.”

“There’s this market I go to sometimes, and the elderly woman that sells vegetables there is always sharing tips with me. I could take you one day, if you’d like,” Wanda offered as she cast a nervous look your way, relaxing a bit when you smiled and nodded.

“I would like that a lot.”

You made your way back inside and Wanda gave you the freedom to pick anything from her movie collection under the television while she set up a tray with cookies and bowls of popcorn and chips. She watched you slide a disc into the DVD player from the corner of her eye as she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“What’d you pick?”

“Tangled,” you answered simply as you grabbed the remote and took a seat. “It’s wholesome.”

You pressed play as Wanda returned with two glasses and a pitcher of water, and she sat at what she hoped was a respectable distance. The part of her that wanted to pretend that she hadn’t seen this movie thousands of times was quickly overpowered by the part that wanted to sing along, quietly at first during “When Will My Life Begin” and a little louder and more enthusiastic with “I’ve Got A Dream”.

“Am I that bad?” she joked when she noticed you watching her and you shook your head quickly.

“No, you’re not bad at all! You just have such a soothing voice. It’s kind of hard not to lose myself in it.”

“Oh...thank you.”

You faced the television again and Wanda took that as a cue to turn back to the movie too, but her focus was still on you. The last time she’d watched Tangled was with her ex-girlfriend, who complained every time she uttered a single note, but you almost seemed to encourage it with your attentive gaze. She found herself shaking her head a bit in an attempt to clear those thoughts, not wanting to compare you to someone else when she barely knew you.

“I’m sorry,” you quickly apologized as you paused the movie, causing Wanda to look at you as you faced her once more. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“No! No, I’m not uncomfortable, just surprised is all. You’re the first person to show appreciation of me singing during a movie...I mean, Pietro likes my singing, but he’s known me since birth, so the novelty’s kind of worn off.”

“Well, you sound incredible. The kids at your school are so lucky to--”

“Can I kiss you?” Her eyes widened as she scooted over a bit on the couch to give you more space. “I’m so sorry I said that! I’ve just been staring at your lips for the past minute and I swear I was listening, but I couldn’t stop thinking--”

“I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

The sight of your reassuring expression was all the encouragement Wanda needed to pull herself close enough that your thighs were touching, and her hand went for your jaw as she leaned in, internally cheering as you did the same. Your lips met in a gentle fashion, but Wanda couldn’t help her greed as she pressed herself into you more. She felt the tip of your tongue and opened her mouth without any thought, quickly losing herself in your touch as her hand slid toward the base of your neck while the other grabbed a fistful of your hoodie.

You yanked yourself out of her hold as she was about to slide her hand under the fabric covering your back, and Wanda jumped back in shock, torn between keeping her distance and placing a hand on your thigh to calm you when you began gasping for air a bit.

“Is everything okay? Did I go too far?”

“No, you didn’t. That was all me,” you assured her breathlessly. “I, um, just thought of something and kind of freaked myself out. Terrible timing, I know. I also know that was pretty weird so I can leave if you want.”

“I was just scared that I’d done something wrong.” Wanda placed her hands carefully over yours with a soft smile. “I think we’ve had our fair share of weirdness to the point of it not being a deal breaker anymore.”

“Okay.” You sighed and shifted your hands to grab yours. “I’m just worried that we’ll start something here that you won’t want to finish, and I know that can happen with anyone in any kind of situation, but I…Can you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that you’ll walk away the moment my baggage becomes too heavy. I don’t want you to try sticking it out for my sake and end up hating me.”

“I wouldn’t stay just for your sake--”

“I asked you to promise me something and you responded ‘anything’ with zero hesitation, and you’ve known me for only a day,” you quickly reminded her. “I have a right to be worried.”

Your words took her back to last night, which took her even further back to the reason she said the exact same thing to Pietro. She finds it incredibly easy to discover those red flags most people seem to hold, but always struggles to leave and ends up hating herself for it more than those that deserve it. So despite the lack of warning signs with you, she decides to give in.

“I promise.”

-

Tags: @littlegasps @peggycarter-steverogers @imnotasuperhero @natasha-danvers @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @trikruismybitch @cristin-rjd @slut-for-nat @honeyvenable @creepingwolfberry @stickystudentlightmug @choni-trimberly @thedragonzland @dylxn-lee @cordeliaswhore

[heyheshi]

The Lucky Car

2.3k words

written and uploaded: July 16, 2020

🦋 - fluff...? Kinda

🌙 - angst...? I think it's a cute angst

Please like and reblog! Also please don’t post my writings anywhere!

I dreamt about this a long long time ago and so I thought, why not write it? So here it is!

Masterlist

Part 2

Part 3

_________

Y/N

"Are you sure you're okay for me to use your car while you're gone?", you asked Nina, your cousin as you two are on your way to the airport to drop her off.

It's not like you're afraid to use it, it's quite the opposite actually, you're feeling so giddy to have your own ride for the upcoming months, it's just that it's a bloody RANGE ROVER, a black and shiny one at that!

You can afford your own car, with having your own bakery at that but you recently bought a house and not planning on spending a lot of money anytime soon.

"Babes, I don't really want my car to be stuck for the next three months, plus I know you can drive. I have faith that you won't crash Bella!", your cousin replied, talking about her beloved car, "and you have a license, you're an excellent driver, and single!", Nina continued to tease you. You don't really mind, it's one of your favorite personalities of her and she's not wrong either!

"Shut up! But if you're really sure then hell yeah! Thank you!", you couldn't hide your excitement as you dance on your seat while holding the steering wheel, "but what the hell does this car have to do with me bein' single?!"

"Stop dancing and drive safely! And this car has a name! She's Bella!", Nina reached across the console to steady you to your seat and sigh, "Bella is a lucky car!"

"Yep! Sure!", you scoffed not looking at your cousin.

"She is! You know this is the car I used when I went to the bar where I met my now fiancé! And this is also the car we were in when he proposed to me!", she sounds happy talking about her love life yet annoyed at the same time, but who could really blame her, you haven't been in a serious relationship since after college!

You just chose not to reply to her. You're not bitter, you believe in love - it's just isn't for you and now that it's said, there's no reason to believe how this is a "lucky car".

See, you've only been into two serious relationships, one in high school that ended because of college, and one in college that ended because he needs to move across the world to be able to do his dream job.

You're happy for your exes though, none of it ended on bad terms. You understand it. The timing of both relationships was just wrong. Both ended up leaving to move away.

While your cousin, however, is the exact opposite, she's never been into a serious relationship until almost two years ago when she met her now soon - to - be - husband at her graduation party. Jacob, her fiancé is three years older than her but nobody minded, he's an architect and can support your cousin if he ever knocked her up.

You approved of Jacob, you can tell that his intentions are well and really loves your cousin. He also tried to set you up with his brother but it didn't work out - all is well though - it's was more of a friendly relationship type.

On that note, you love your cousin, she's like the sister you've never had and would hate it if Jacob ever hurt her. You two are really close, both at the same age, that's why sometimes you feel pressured to get in a relationship and get married at just the age of 23.

With that, you continue driving to the airport, the air not thick as you both listen to the playlist you share with your cousin.

---

Harry

It was really hot out when he left off the plane, quickly putting his sunglasses and hood up making him feel suffocated and hot but needing to do it in order not to get noticed.

He loves his fans, he really does but the main purpose of this trip is to relax and he wants it to be as peaceful as possible, not wanting anybody to know where he is so he would not be disturbed.

It's not like he wants to make it seems like he dropped off the face of the earth, he's just really conflicted and tired with his recent breakup and wants his privacy as much as possible. No one knew where he was aside from Jeff and his mum and sister.

He got a text from Jeff when the plane was landing. It was a forwarded email from the company where he booked his rented car for the next few weeks. Of course, being a celebrity has its perks as the forwarded message said that the car with the driver for the day is already waiting outside.

Harry didn't think twice before collecting his items of baggage and taking an exit from the airport, he couldn't wait to get his butt on a Range Rover, it's much more comfortable than his 1st class seat of the flight.

But of course, leaving a crowded airport is not easy especially if you're Harry Styles and can be noticed by anyone even with a disguise on.

He was already near the exit when someone shouted "IS THAT HARRY STYLES??!". His plan to get some privacy for the upcoming weeks seemed to have vanished in that exact second.

Harry didn't look back as he scrambled into his feet holding his multiple luggage with both hands and running outside the airport while people crammed near the exit to take a glance at him.

---

"Take care, Nina. I'll miss you!", you hugged your cousin one last time before she had to leave.

"Hush it! You won't! You know I'll be calling you every night asking for your opinion on the wedding!", your cousin just hugged you tighter either way, "take care of my car and put yourself out there please!"

"I'll try. Love you, see you in 3 months! Say hi to Jacob for me!", you kissed your cousin's cheek as she does with yours.

You helped her with her bags - she's not bringing much since she practically have a whole wardrobe at her fiancé's anyway!

With that she went inside the airport, leaving you with Bella.

"Well I guess I'm your mommy for the next few months while your mommy and future daddy plans for their wedding huh?", you asked the car, talking to it like it's a real person, you chuckled at the thought, you're really picking up on Nina's antics.

You rounded the car and went inside, buckling your seatbelt, getting ready to leave.

You just finished starting the car when someone opened the passenger seat, practically slamming the door shut.

You stared at the anonymous person on your cousin's car - bewildered.

"Drive!", the person said.

"Drive away!", the person repeated, not looking at you as he still scrambles to buckle his seatbelt with bags on his legs.

"I sai-"

"Y-yes, okay!", you drove off the airport shakily. You're scared, yes! You don't know who this man is and what he is doing in your cousin's car!

Nina told you not even 15 minutes ago to take care of her car but you think that the idea of it is absurd now! You're in a car with a complete stranger commanding you! Then you remembered that you were at the airport, the security cameras will know where you are when you ended up being missing and dead by tonight.

Then the color of your face drained, you just realized that there's a lot of security guards in there! You could have left the car and run for your life! But it's too late now!

"Oh my God, thank you!", you heard the man sigh as you felt him relax on the seat while you, on the other hand, is still as stiff as ever driving to somewhere you don't know! You're just driving straight with no intentions to stop, thinking that the police can find you easier and better this way!

"You okay? You look pale, Ma'am?", you heard the guy talk again and you can see from your peripheral vision that he's putting his bags on the backseat of the car.

"Miss...?", the guy asked again but you never dared to make a sound. Yes, he sounds normal but he's still a stranger and you couldn't risk anything!

He's removing his hoodie now and you can feel yourself become paler - if that's possible. He's gonna strangle you with his hoodie or something! You might be over-exaggerating but still! You felt that you needed to do something.

"Who the hell are you?!", you shouted at the man beside you while pulling on the side of the road.

"Wha-"

"Who are you and what are you doing to this car?", you finally faced the man with a scowl on your face.

"That's not the right way to g-"

"I don't care! I asked who are you and what are your intentions?!", you're fuming now. The man beside you put his hands in the air in a surrendering manner.

"Miss, please calm do-"

"Goddamn it! Don't tell me to calm down! I'm minutes away from being killed by you and I'm not go-"

"Killing you?!", he nameless man asked with an amused, voice hands still in the air.

"Yes! That's wh-"

"No! No no no!", the man is completely laughing now, hands covering his face while your mind is all over the place and the only thing you can think of is that if he's laughing then you got spare more minutes to live.

"I'm Harry, Ma'am.", the man finally introduced himself putting his right hand in front of you, "and I'm not going to kill you. I'm your customer. I'm sorry for busting in here that way and I'm really sorry for scaring you off. I was just running away from being mobbed."

You looked at the guy - Harry - confused. "Customer? I'm- I don't... what are you talking about?!"

"Miss I rented a car on yo-", Harry's voice got cut off by the loud ringing of a phone, his phone. He took his phone from his pocket, then looked at you signing one second.

You relaxed to your seat, finally. He looks decent - and familiar too! You couldn't help but eavesdrop on his conversation. He's practically sitting beside you! You can basically hear everything even though you could only hear his side and a few murmurs from his phone.

"What do you mean, Jeff?"

"What? No, I'm already here at the car..."

"Wait, so this is - yes, okay okay, I understand, I'll call you when I made it to the hotel."

"Just call the company and give the driver extra tips, please. Yes, okay. Bye!"

You heard Harry sigh so you looked at him. He was racking his hand to his hair then bringing both hands to rub his face, looking so tired.

"I'm so sorry about that - for everything I mean. I really thought that this was the car I rented for my stay. I didn't even think about how this might not be the car since I was running an-", he was rumbling and you felt bad. As much as you hated him the first time, you can tell he's really sorry for bothering you.

"It's alright, you're good.", you smiled at him then remembered you haven't introduced yourself yet. "I'm Y/N, I'm sorry for judging you and raising my voice at you earlier", you looked down feeling ashamed of your actions.

"Don't be, it was my fault", he chuckled. "I'm really sorry for bothering you and scaring you", he said smiling sheepishly.

"You didn't scare me!", you defended yourself - well at least you tried.

"You looked pale!"

"Don't think about it.", you dismissed him then laughed, "so where to, Harry?"

"You're not asking me to leave this car?", he asked stunned. If it were someone else, they would have probably made him leave the second he stepped into the car, but not with her.

"I'm not", you blushed as he's staring at you, "I'm not doing anything at all, might as well drop you off, you seemed pretty tired and stressed. And you don't look like a killer to me so...", you shrugged your shoulders trying so hard to hide your blush, he really is attractive. Everything you said is true but he's still a stranger.

"Um- oh well, didn't expect that", Harry laughed, "can you recommend a place to eat?", you smiled and nodded at his question.

"Of course! Uh, there's this small shop that sells bomb milkshakes and burgers! They also have lunches on their menu so if you haven't had lunch yet then it's a good place to eat!", you explained talking about one of your favorite places to eat in the area.

"Okay, there, please! We're going to eat there an-"

"We?", you asked.

"Yes, we... if you don't mind. I mean you told me you're not really doing anything today and I need to pay you back somehow for bothering you", he tried to woo you but you're not giving up easily.

"Oh, you don't have to, Harry, I'm fine! You're alright!", but it seems like your stomach isn't cooperating as you both heard it grumble. Thinking about your favorite resto makes you hungry!

"Well, your stomach disagrees!", Harry pointed out laughing silently.

"Fine!", you put your head on the steering wheel as Harry continued to laugh, there’s really no point in fighting with him.

"My treat!", he said and you just nodded making him cheer.

With that, you drive to the road again - to the resto - this time much more comfortable knowing deep inside that Harry means no harm, and he's really cute, you haven't been attracted to anyone in a long time!

Then you realized that damn, this car might be lucky, indeed.

_____

[bastardnev]

That Guy Next Door -- Ch. 6

hey it’s friday again, that was Fast

tagging: @tylerblacks​ @joonhobi​ @rivela​ @aliciasfox @sailor-slam-dunk​ @kidvoodoo​ @smolsammichu​ @simulated-heat​ @douglas-leon-michael​ @1dluver13xx (lemme kno if you wanna be added to my tag list!!)

Prev.: Ch. 1 ♡ Ch. 2 ♡ Ch. 3 ♡ Ch. 4 ♡ Ch. 5 ♡

“I was like a fucking schoolgirl.”

Neville was pacing back and forth in the living room, the girls fast asleep in bed and Wade, bored and desperate for entertainment, sitting on the couch. “He kissed me on the cheek, and all I could say was ‘‘kay’. What am I, twelve?”

“Were you supposed to say something else?” Wade interrupted, putting his feet up on the coffee table for a moment before Neville abruptly shoved them off, much to his annoyance.

“I don’t know! In all my past relationships, I’ve always been the one doing the cheek kissing. I’m not usually on the receiving end. It feels… different.”

“I personally think you’re making way too big a deal out of this. It was only a kiss on the cheek.”

“But it was the first time he’s kissed me on the cheek! And I acted like a nervous kid.”

“If there was something weird about what you did, he wouldn’t have texted you asking about your next date a little while ago, would he?”

“Well, no…” Wade had a point -- it was almost immediately after dinner had concluded that Mustafa had sent him a text about when their next date would be. Likewise, it was almost immediately that Neville had responded that he was free the following weekend.

“So what are you so worried about? You’re freaking out over nothing. Everything will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right…”

“I know I’m right.”

Neville sat down on the arm of the couch, staring down at his feet. “Thanks for listening to me vent about this stuff, by the way. I just… worry so much about relationships.”

Wade shifted over so that he was closer to Neville, looking up at him with a furrowed brow. “I don’t understand why. You’re two guys who are both clearly into each other. You’ve already made plans for your second date, and it hasn’t even been a day since you had your first one!”

“Yeah, but… I wonder if he’s only just doing this because he pities me.”

“And why would you say that?”

“Because when I accepted the date, I’d just finished telling him everything about my divorce. I can’t help but worry that he’s only going out with me to help me feel better, not because he actually likes me, y’know?”

Wade took in a deep breath through his nose, pursing his lips. “I can see why you’d be concerned, but Mustafa doesn’t seem like that kinda guy. He asked you out before you told him everything, didn’t he? He had no reason to pity you then.”

“True, but what if he pities me now ?” He bit at his thumbnail. “What if he wanted a casual relationship before, but now that I’ve told him the truth he’s mostly in it to help me feel better?” Neville unloaded all of his baggage onto Mustafa out of absolutely nowhere -- was it truly that far-fetched to think that Mustafa feels like he has to be with him now?

“Has he even done anything to make you think that he pities you?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Nev, I love you, but you’re reaching.” Wade put a hand on his knee. “I get that you’re a bit wary, but you’re overthinking this. It was you guys’ first date today, you’re worn out and not thinking straight. See how your next date with him goes, and if you get the feeling that he’s pitying you for whatever reason, then talk to him about it. If you want this relationship to work, then you’re going to have to be able to speak with him when you need to.” Wade quirked his eyebrows up. “Huh, that was actually pretty good advice. I’m a dating expert.”

“You’re definitely something, alright…” Neville joked, but he knew that Wade once again had a point. It had been a long day -- he only felt this way because he was so tired. There was no reason for him to worry.

If there was anything that he should be worried about, it was the fact that he still didn’t have any casual clothes to wear on their next date.

It was yet another busy Friday. Neville was sitting at the kitchen table, typing away and counting down the minutes until his shift ended. Only one more hour to go… He told himself as he clicked the send button. I can do anything for an hour .

As he scrolled through the rest of the messages in his inbox, Jen walked into the room, wordlessly sitting down at the kitchen table. Neville didn’t turn to look at her right away, and when he did he noticed that she was looking at him with a narrowed gaze -- one that made him feel like he was in trouble. “Heya, kiddo,” he finally said. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“I have a question, Daddy,” she said simply, putting her hands together on the table. She looked serious, like a business owner at the head of the table at a meeting. More specifically, a business owner that looked like they were about to deliver some important news. Neville couldn’t help but get the feeling that he was about to be interrogated.

“What’s up?”

“Where were you last Saturday?” Jen was direct and to the point.

Neville’s eyes widened. “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Just curious.” She began to drum her fingers on the table. “I received some top secret info that you were doing something secret that day. Something that you didn’t want me or Daisy to know about for some reason. I wanna know.”

“Well, what do you think I was doing, hmm? Go on, take a guess.”

Jen suddenly went quiet, mouth forming into a line, like she didn’t expect to have the tables turned on her. “I, uh… I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you, after all!”

Neville couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fair point. Who even told you that I was up to something, anyway?”

“Daisy.”

“And where did she here that from?”

“I’ll never tell!” Daisy’s voice rang out from the hallway, and she poked her head in the room, her curls wild on her head. I could have sworn I braided it for her earlier. “It’s a secret ,” she hissed before vanishing out into the hall again.

Wade. It was Wade. “Okay, so let me ask this,” Neville started. “How do you know for sure that I wasn’t, say, buying some gifts for a certain girl I know that’s turning ten years old soon, hmm? Of course I’m not going to tell you that.”

Daisy suddenly came running into the room. Her hands were behind her back. “I know!” She yelled. “I really do!”

“Do you? Go ahead then, girlie. Let’s see your proof.”

“It’s this!” Daisy put her right hand out in front of her and showed Neville what she had been hiding -- a little white coffee mug keychain.

“What’s that have to do with anything?” Neville asked, blinking down at the trinket.

“Wade gave it to me. He says he found it in the mailbox and wanted me to give it to you. And there’s a note to go with it!” She showed Neville what was in her left hand -- a crumpled up sticky note. Somewhat hesitantly, Neville took the note from her, smoothing it out on the table.

Saw this in the store and thought of you. Maybe I should look for a milk one to go with it. ;) -Moose

Son of a bitch .

Jen was reading the note as well, her jaw on the floor. “You had this the whole time?!” She asked Daisy, furiously, jumping out of her seat. Daisy, on the other hand, looked smug, like she expected this reaction. “That’s cheating! Daddy, Daisy’s cheating!”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“Yes you did! You made a bet you knew you couldn’t lose!”

“You two actually made a bet over what I was doing last weekend?” Neville interrupted their little argument. What in the world went on in that house when he wasn’t around?

“Daisy said that you and Mr. Moose were hanging out together. She knew she couldn’t be wrong…” Jen continued to grumble angrily to herself as she dug around in her pocket, pulling out a lollipop -- green apple, one of her favorites -- and giving it to her sister.

“I’m starting to think you girls are hanging out with Wade too often… But fine, you win. I’ll tell you exactly what I was doing last weekend.”

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“Tell me !” Daisy forced her way in front of Jen, the latter now looking irritated again.

“I asked first!”

“How about I tell both of you?” Neville suggested. “The truth is, I was with Mr. Moose-- er, Mustafa. We hung out together.”

“What’d you guys do?” Jen asked as she sat back down, looking more attentive now than she probably ever was during class.

“Just went out to get coffee and talk. Nothing crazy. We’re planning to meet up again this weekend.”

“Are you gonna get married?” Daisy asked, eyes wide.

“Hey, let’s slow down a little, yeah?” Neville said, laughing a little nervously. “We’ve only gone out once, Daze. People don’t typically get married after one date.”

“Don’t they?” She seemed genuinely confused.

“That’s not what Wade told her.” Jen shrugged.

Neville rubbed his temples, shaking his head. Of course he planted that idea in her mind. “...Remind me to have a word with him later.”

Mustafa had offhandedly mentioned during their first date that he would take Neville out to buy some more casual clothes. Little did Neville realize that that was exactly what he had planned for their next date.

Neville felt a little out of his element standing in a clothing outlet in the mall -- it had been far too long since he’d gone clothes shopping. He’d been wearing more-or-less the same things for years, working taking up most of his time and making it difficult for him to go out and buy new things. Though he now not only had the chance, but he also had Mustafa with him, he still wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

“You realize that you’re the only person that can get me to the mall on a weekend, don’t you? I would have said no to anyone else,” he pointed out, grimacing as another overplayed song started to play over the store’s speakers.

Mustafa was looking at some of the shirts on one of the racks, and he looked to Neville and smiled, looking oddly proud of himself. “I can be very persuasive when I need to be, Nev.” He crossed his arms. “So, anything catching your eye?”

“Not really,” Neville admitted, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Well, what kinda stuff are you interested in? Besides polos and button-down shirts.”

“Those kinds of shirts are the only ones I’ve known for the last decade. I’m not sure how good I would look in anything else.” “I’m sure you’d look great! You just gotta give it a try. Take a look around and see if you can find anything.”

“Alright…” Neville wandered away from Mustafa to look at some of the other racks, frowning at everything he saw. Do people actually wear this stuff? Neville thought as he looked at a sweatshirt. This could work… He looked at the tag to check the price. Never mind. “Moose, my wallet is begging for mercy and I haven’t even chosen anything yet.”

“Don’t give up yet!”

Neville eventually found himself in the men’s graphic t-shirt section, and he stopped. Isn’t this the kinda stuff Jen’s been wearing lately? He picked up a shirt with Pikachu on it, checking to see that it was Jen’s size. She had recently begun showing a disinterest in the tees that were offered in the girls’ section and had opted for what could be found in the boys’, which Neville couldn’t exactly fault her for. The less brightly colored shirts with overrated boy bands on them that he had to wash, the better.

“...Y’know, Nev, I know you’re on the smaller side, but I think that might be a little bit too small on you.” Mustafa’s voice sounded close, and Neville realized that he was now behind him, looking at the shirt from over his shoulder. He was holding some more shirts, presumably for himself.

“Ha ha.” Neville rolled his eyes. “This isn’t for me. It’s for Jen.”

“I figured.”

“Her birthday’s coming up in a few months. I’ve been thinking about what I should get her. She’s into this kinda stuff, so this is an option.”

“Ah, she’s reached the age where she gets clothes as a birthday gift, huh?” Mustafa clicked his tongue. “Poor girl.”

“She’s not there quite yet, trust me. She’s been dropping not-so subtle hints about toys she wants.” Neville involuntarily shuddered at the thought of the sheer length of her Christmas list. “I’m a softie, though. Can’t say no to her.”

“That’s so cute! I love your relationship with her so much. And Daisy, too.”

“They’re good girls. They fight a lot, but they’re good.”

“All siblings fight. Especially when they’re close in age like your girls are.” Mustafa shrugged.

“You’ve got a point.” It was right as Neville was about to put the shirt back that he caught Mustafa giving him a strange look. “...What?”

“I was just thinking…” He looked through the rest of the Pikachu shirts until he found one in a larger size. He held it up in front of Neville’s torso, pursing his lips. “Hm…”

“Oh, God, don’t tell me…”

“This is just my opinion, but … I think you’d look pretty good in this…”

“Mustafa, with all due respect, you know I’m a thirty-one year old man, right?”

“Of course I do! There’s no age limit on this kinda stuff. Hell, I’ve seen some fathers who are older than you who pick their kids up wearing graphic tees like this. Come on, you’d look great!”

“Where am I even going to wear this to?”

“Uh, on a date?” Mustafa said this as if it were the most obvious thing ever. “So long as we’re not going any place fancy, I can’t see why you can’t wear this when we’re together. Can you at least give it a try?” He stuck out his lower lip. “For me?”

“I…” Neville huffed. He knew there was no point in arguing. Not when Mustafa was making that face. “Fine. I’ll try it on.”

“Great!” Mustafa looked overjoyed. He grabbed Neville by the arm, dragging him towards the changing room.

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this…” Neville sighed.

“Because you wanna make me happy.” Mustafa ushered him towards an empty dressing room. “Show me when you’re done!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Neville grumbled as he locked the door, leaning back against it and staring at himself in the dressing room mirror. Now that Mustafa figured out that he was a softie, Lord only knows what he’s going to convince him to do next…

Not wanting to delay the process any further, Neville took off his shirt, looking over the one he was about to try on for a moment with a look of shame before slipping it over his head. He frowned as he looked himself over in the mirror. He supposed it looked alright, but it was admittedly a little tight around the chest. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he chose this size on purpose. He joked to himself.

...He didn’t choose this size on purpose, did he? The more that he thought it over, the more likely it seemed. There were definitely some larger sizes available, yet Mustafa just so happened to choose a size that showed off Neville’s body. It’s a coincidence, isn’t it? Neville tried to convince himself, nipping his lower lip. This was only their second date. There’s no way Mustafa would pull a stunt like this this early on in their relationship, right?

“Nev?” Mustafa’s voice and a knock on the door snapped him back to reality. “You pass out or something in there? ‘S the shirt that bad?”

Neville quickly shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his head. You’re overthinking this… He told himself as he opened the door, spreading his arms and showing off the shirt. “Here,” he said. “You happy now?”

Mustafa wore a big smile, his expression almost childlike. “I love this! You look fantastic.”

“I do not . You’re lying through your teeth.”

“No I’m not! I’m being sincere. You look really good.”

“Hm…” Neville looked down towards the floor, those compliments making him feel far too happy. “Can I get out of it now?”

“Sure. I already saw everything I needed to see.” He winked.

This son of a bitch. Neville quickly retreated back into the changing room, putting his original shirt back on and carrying the other one out of the room with him. “So, how else are you going to torture me on this trip?”

“Hmm…” Mustafa thought it over. “Well, if memory serves there’s a whole other section of graphic tees we haven’t had a chance to look at yet…”

“Don’t you have some clothes of your own that you’d like to try on first?”

“Stop trying to stall!” He grabbed Neville by the arm again. “We can do that later. For now, it’s time for you to suffer again!”

“Oh, boy…” Neville complained, though he allowed himself to be pulled along. Just pick something out in my size this time…

[katrinawritesthings]

Jinki/Tae; Week Two (Part 3/3): PG

still tw for less gender problems but more anxiety and self-esteem problems

Jinki watches Jonghyun walk away, then turns to find Choi heading to their own car a few spots down. He guesses they’re gonna park it next to the van, now that there’s space. Turning again, he hesitates when Tae is the next person that he sees, leaning up against the front of the van, very close to where he is.

Tae looks away quickly when he catches Jinki’s eye. He stares at the ground, bottom lip between his teeth, fingers twisting with each other. Jinki grimaces, glances at the back of the van, at Choi’s car slowly putting over the asphalt. They did this on purpose. Jonghyun unlocking the doors for him was just a ruse.

Moving Day: 1-2-3-4

Week Two: 1-2-3

Extra Baggage: 1

The entire walk down to the arcade is Ace struggling to unwrap a case of headphones, Choi watching him with the most amused grin, and Jinki trying to figure out when exactly it was that he became important.

Important enough to want to keep a name for him, holy shit. Jinki still can’t believe it. He racks his brain, watching his feet take their steps in puzzled silence. It can’t have been anything he’d done today. Ace had that name ready and easily available to tell him. He must have decided before. Sometime during the week? But, no, that doesn’t make sense either. All they’d texted about this week was memes and shitty puns. Their goodbye at the diner last week? Was a fucking mess. Scratch that. And spending the night with him doesn’t count either, because technically they all spent the night together.

He supposes, actually going and getting Taemin from his parents’ house, helping him move and supporting him, and that whole reassuring hug they had before they left the house for good might have been worth something. Jinki still can’t see it though. That was a jumble of him not knowing what the fuck to say and just doing what any decent person would do. The other three did way more than him that weekend. His actions alone weren’t worthy of wanting to share something so important and personal legally for the rest of his life.

He’s so caught up in thinking about it that he almost walks right passed the arcade and doesn’t notice until Ace’s hand clasps around his wrist and tugs him to a stop.

“Hmm--what? Oh,” he says, blinking up at the colors. “Whoops,” he says, grinning sheepishly when Choi and Ace both roll their eyes at him. He follows them inside, checking his wallet for small bills to exchange for tokens. He decides to see how many extra the other two have gotten for themselves first and winds his way to the back of the arcade. As he expected, Jonghyun and Key are in front of the same zombie shooter game that they’re always at. He shares a fond yet exasperated look with Choi over Ace’s head.

“They’ve had the high score on that thing for years,” he mumbles to Ace. Ace heads forward curiously at that to peep at the screen. Jinki walks up to stand behind them as well. They’re on the roller coaster of death part, right before the giant roller car train boss. Neither of them even flinch from their focused shooting as Ace slips an arm around both of their waists.

“Hi,” he says.

“Hey,” Key hums back. Jonghyun hums just a single noise and blasts a clown bat out of the sky. Ace slides to stand fully behind him, wraps his arms around his waist, nuzzles his whole face into his neck, and presses a little kiss to his skin.

“Mwah,” he says, voice tiny, and Jinki has to fight down too big of a smile. What the fuck. That’s so cute. Apparently Jonghyun thinks so too, because he actually turns his head a fraction to peck the corner of Ace’s mouth.

“My fantastic and marvelous little ace trainer,” he mumbles. His eyes don’t leave the screen but Ace smiles anyway and drifts from him to Key.

“I thought you were scared of clowns,” he says as Jinki takes the opportunity to slip his arm around Jonghyun’s waist and rest his head on his shoulder. “And rollercoasters. And zombies.”

“Yeah, so now I’m facing my fears by murdering them all with ruthless efficiency,” Key replies. Jinki snorts and Choi shakes their head as they step up on Jonghyun’s other side. Their arm settles on top of Jinki’s around his waist and their chin drops onto Jonghyun’s head. Jonghyun doesn’t even bat an eye and Choi’s smug grin about that makes Jinki chuckle softly. They’re good. They’re all good, just by existing in the ways that they do.

They stay there at the shooter for a good fifteen more minutes until Jonghyun and Key finish with satisfied smiles. By that time Ace had already found the closed up bag of popcorn from earlier and piled half of it down his throat. Neither Jonghyun nor Key have noticed and Jinki watches them just replace one of their old high score slots with a new one with a fond shake of the head. Seven out of ten spots on the list just say J&K. He doesn’t know why he ever expected them to bond over something normal.

When they finally put the guns back into their holsters and turn around, Key fluffs up Ace’s hair and fixes his shirt, asks about his ears and pulls out the little kit Amber gave them earlier to clean around the piercings. Jonghyun turns to Jinki and Choi and throws an arm around each of their necks, smiling little kissies against their skin and being entirely too adorable for the world.

“How was your lunch?” he asks, slipping his hands around Jinki fully. He rubs his lower back in slow little circles, something that makes Jinki sigh and rest his head on Jonghyun’s shoulder instead of answering. This is. So nice. Jonghyun hums an interested little noise after a moment which Jinki assumes is a reply to whatever Choi signed behind him. Jinki agrees with it, whatever it was. “Come on,” Jonghyun says then. “Let’s go win some tickets.”

He stops his little massage on Jinki’s back, which Jinki pouts at, but he tugs Jinki gently over to the little ticket area with everyone else. Pushing him to sit on one of the spare stools next to the skee-ball machines, he presses a kiss to his cheek and squeezes his hand.

“I’ll win you something nice,” he says, winking and then crouching down to feed some coins into the machine. Jinki smiles tiredly and leans his head against the side of it. Jonghyun says that every time and every time he just proves himself to have atrocious aim and then whines at Choi to get tickets for him.

Some ten minutes later, after Jonghyun has huffed at the machine and whined at Choi to win tickets for him, he presents Jinki with a lovely pair of fuzzy pink dice and a little alien friend finger puppet. Jinki boops his tum with it and follows him easily to the air hockey table. That little sit gave him enough rest to be able to stand and hunch over for long enough to wreck Key like usual. After that Ace wants to play. With a pair of shutter shades and glow-in-the-dark clip on piercings at the tops of his ears, he’s so good at the game that it catches Jinki off guard. He almost doesn’t switch from “easy mode” to “actually trying” in time and when the game does end, he’d only won by one point.

“Bruh,” he says, raising his eyebrows. He’s impressed. No one’s ever scored more than four points against him. Ace smirks and drops his handle onto the table like it’s a mic.

“Guess what game the only friend I was ever allowed to see had in their basement,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows so much that his shutter shades almost fall off his face. Jinki laughs, shoulders deflating with the breath that leaves him. Holy shit. He’s way too proud, and it’s not helped at all by the way Jonghyun clings to him and presses a congratulatory kiss to his cheek. “Also,” Ace adds, “can you not call me ‘bruh’?”

“Oh,” Jinki says. Whoops. “Yeah, sorry.” He gives Ace a finger pistol; Ace gives him two back. Nice. “Here,” he says next, turning to give his handle to Choi. “I’m gonna go sit down.” His few minutes of back relief are ending and he really doesn’t want to keep standing right now, or at all anymore. Choi pats his shoulder sympathetically, then turns to sign “bring it on” to Ace. Key drifts from behind Ace to stand on the side of the table so he can support both of them and Jonghyun drifts away entirely to follow Jinki.

“Four?” he asks quietly, running his palms up Jinki’s shoulderblades.

“Fiveish,” Jinki mumbles back, and then, “hey, it’s fine,” when Jonghyun makes a stern worried noise. “It’s not bad until, like, a six.”

“Jinki,” Jonghyun sighs, but Jinki turns and shushes him with a gentle boop to the cheek.

“My back,” he says.

“Your decisions,” Jonghyun grumbles back. Jinki gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek this time.

“I’m fine if I’m sitting down,” he says, and then immediately sits down in one of the racecar games seats. “So sit with me,” he says, raising his eyebrow in a challenge. Jonghyun hesitates, but Jinki can tell that the temptation is too strong for him. They do this every week.

“Guh,” Jonghyun says, and sits down heavily in the second chair. “But I’m driving us home,” he says as he hands Jinki a token. Jinki shrugs. He was going to ask anyway.

“Not before I drive you off the road,” he grins. He picks out his favorite car and slams the start button. Jonghyun gasps loudly and does the same and the next few minutes are filled by intense driving and heavy curses from Jonghyun.

When Jonghyun loses the first time he demands a rematch immediately; by the fourth time, he sighs and slumps down in his chair.

“You know you could could let me win once,” he grumbles. Jinki smirks back and fluffs up his hair.

“I could, yeah,” he agrees. He looks around the rest of the arcade while Jonghyun keeps up his grumbling. If he leans just right, he can see the other three. They’ve left their air hockey table and are now at the basketball hoops. Choi is rhythmically scoring goals as tickets flow out of the slot. Key is leaning against the wall next to it and Ace is leaning back against their chest. His head is on their shoulder and their arms are around his waist, and they’re sharing what looks like serious words. As Jinki watches, Choi pauses just long enough to boop Ace’s nose. Ace smiles, looking immediately comforted and relieved. It’s so effortless, the way they can make him smile.

“You okay, bun?”

“Hmm?” Jinki turns to face Jonghyun’s questioning look. “Yeah, fine,” he says. As fine as he can be, anyway. “Why?”

“Mmm, you just seemed kind of… suddenly troubled,” Jonghyun says. He reaches out and picks some fuzz off of Jinki’s shirt with a knowing look.

“Ahh,” Jinki says. “I mean.” He contemplates actually lying for a moment but it’s not like Jonghyun didn’t already catch on. He goes for the obviously fake lie instead. “Yeah, it’s nothing.” he says. “Just my back.” He shrugs; Jonghyun cocks a brow at him, amused.

“Alright, well, if we’re not gonna talk about it,” he says, and grins even wider when Jinki grumbles at being so blatantly called out like that. “C’mere,” Jonghyun says. He tugs Jinki up gently, picks up a spare stool by a fighting game, and carries both to a pokemon claw machine. “I wanna get a Rowlet,” he mumbles, setting the stool down for Jinki to sit. Jinki shakes his head fondly as he eases himself onto it and scoots back so he can rest straight against the wall.

“You’ve literally never gotten anything from this,” he says.

“Not yet,” Jonghyun says back. He winks and jams a token into the slot. Jinki sighs in vague disapproval as he watches Jonghyun meticulously line up the claw. He hits the button and it goes down, closes feebly around a pokémon’s leg, lets it slip through, and returns to the starting position. Jonghyun frowns at it, looking personally offended, and puts another token in.

“Your two dollar limit, remember,” Jinki says after Jonghyun’s fourth try.

“Uh huh,” Jonghyun says back. He doesn’t take his eyes off of his target, but Jinki does. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees someone winding through the machines and towards them.

Ace smiles at Jinki as he comes up. He holds up a plastic flower crown from the prize counter and places it gently upon Jonghyun’s head, leaning around to press a kiss to his neck. Then he steps in front of Jinki and gives him a flower crown too, though he skips the neck kiss. Jinki can’t say that he’s disappointed.

“Hi,” he says, putting his hand on Jonghyun’s shoulder to get his attention. “Call me Tae from now on?” he asks, looking between both of them.

“Of course,” Jonghyun hums, lifting Tae’s hand to kiss it and going back to his claw.

“No problem, Tae,” Jinki says. He guesses he’s found out what the other three were talking about before. A smile grows on Tae’s lips that’s even wider than before, and he gives Jinki two cute flower bracelets with a meaningful nod at Jonghyun. Jinki nods easily, wiggling one on and holding the other to give to him when he’s done. Tae touches Jonghyun’s butt, then steps back with a smirk after he squeaks.

“Alright, bye again,” he says, and leaves them both to slink back to Choi and Key.

“God, I love him so--gnngh, fuck--so much,” Jonghyun breathes. He growls at the claw machine and bangs his fist on the counter halfway through that confession. Jinki barely notices the sad defeat jingle it plays, nor what Jonghyun says after that. He watches Tae walk away, rubbing a plastic flower petal between his fingers, more confused than he’s been all day. “Jinki?” Jonghyun asks, and even that feels distant and muffled--but it’s enough to snap him into speaking.

“Why does he think I’m so important?” he asks loudly, quickly, heavily. It all leaves him in a distressed whoosh, a thick swallow, a plastic flower bracelet accidentally squished in his hand. Across the arcade Tae is bouncing lightly in front of a fighter game that Choi is effortlessly beating him at. He doesn’t understand.

“Dude,” Jonghyun says flatly. When Jinki tears his eyes away to look at him, he’s giving Jinki this extremely judgemental look with a cocked hip and brow.

“What?” Jinki asks. Whines, more like, not that he’d admit it. Jonghyun looks at him for another second before rolling his eyes and turning back to the claw machine. A fond smile tugs up his lips that Jinki can’t seem to enjoy.

“Because you are a golden gem of a human being,” he says matter-of-factly as he maneuvers the claw around. He lowers the claw, bites his lip, sighs, and rests his forehead against the glass. “I’m so bad at this,” he mumbles. Jinki frowns.

“I’m being serious, Jonghyun,” he says. “I don’t--”

“So am I,” Jonghyun says firmly. He faces Jinki fully, more serious this time. “Just because your super humble insecure ass downplays yourself as much as possible literally all the time, it doesn’t mean that everyone else does.”

“I can’t downplay things I’ve never done in the first place,” Jinki huffs. He can barely talk to Tae alone without making it awkward. Jonghyun just looks at him, rolls his eyes, and puts another token into the claw machine.

“Okay, let’s see,” he says. “You support him, you comfort him, you care about him.” He taps next to the claw button with every thing he lists and Jinki huffs again.

“I mean, obviously, but--”

“You respect his identity and help him figure it out.”

“Well, yeah, why would I not--”

“You helped him through a panic attack like, an hour ago.”

“I barely knew what I was doing though?”

“Literally the first time you ever met him in person you told him you would lay yourself down in between him and his parents if they tried to get to him--”

“Okay, you know that was a joke.”

“And it made him feel safe.” Jonghyun says that last word heavily but Jinki doesn’t know if it was for emphasis or because he just lost again. He drops another coin in immediately and this time Jinki can’t tell if his frown is because of the machine or because of him. “You dropped everything at a moment’s notice last week--”

“Yeah, but so did--”

“--to drive ever an hour to help him escape his house--”

“Jonghyun, that’s not--”

“--which was something that can potentially get you arrested if his parents are assholeish enough about it, and--”

“I’m not the only one that did that,” Jinki says loudly. Jonghyun shoots him a confused and annoyed frown at the interruption and Jinki sighs, a short huff. “All of that is just being, like, a good person,” he says. The others all do that shit too and Jinki doesn’t see Tae wanting to share a name with them. “What have I done extra?” he asks.

“Extra?” Jonghyun asks incredulously. “What do you mean, extra?” When he leans against the claw machine to frown at Jinki with his hand on his hip, his other hand presses the descend button. He doesn’t even look at its journey and Jinki sighs.

“I mean,” he says, “like. You’re his boyfriend, and Key is dating him too, and Choi fucking lives with him--what have I done extra?” He gestures at himself for emphasis. “What have I done extra that’s not something everyone else has done?”

“You don’t need to do anything extra,” Jonghyun tells him. He looks more confused and upset than he usually is when he’s arguing with Jinki over how good or bad he is. “If Minjunggie didn’t live in that house, would they not be important?”

“What?” Jinki asks, appalled. “No, what the fuck?” Of course they’re important.

“Jinki. If they didn’t literally live with Tae, they would have less interaction with him than you do.” Jonghyun taps his hand on the counter of the machine for emphasis. He pauses; picking up the quarter under his hand, he glances at the coin slot and then shakes his head. “That would, by your definition, make them less important than you,” he says, looking back at Jinki. Jinki opens his mouth, takes a breath, lets it out with an inarticulate noise.

“That’s--different,” he says.

“How?” Jonghyun asks flatly.

“It’s--just--” Jinki huffs loudly, pushing his fingers through his hair. “He’s not gonna change his last name for me,” he says. He can see Jonghyun’s face fall from sternness into understanding, some kind of sympathy, and shakes his head. “I don’t get it,” he says quietly.

“Jinki…,” Jonghyun says softly. He steps forward and puts his hand on Jinki’s knee, squeezing gently. He moves so he can lean his shoulder against the wall next to him and nuzzle his arm. “You could’ve just said that’s what this was about from the beginning,” he says. Jinki shakes his head with a sigh. He could have, yeah, but that wasn’t really the root of the issue. He turns to lean against the claw machine instead and lets Jonghyun stand between his legs, close enough to hold his waist. “Look,” Jonghyun says, and taps Jinki’s chin up to make him look. “I know that’s big, but I don’t think it’s as big as you think it is,” he says. “His first name is the one he’s worried about, not his last.”

“No, Jonghyun, it is, like.” It’s exactly as big as he thinks it is. Jonghyun leans up to give him a soft kiss, one of the ones he puts all of his comfort into, but Jinki pushes him away gently. He doesn’t need to be distracted and calmed down right now. He’s upset and he can speak loudly if he wants to. “He is literally terrified,” Jinki says, “of his parents finding him.” He waves a hand when Jonghyun opens his mouth to get him to stop. “We spent all last weekend wiping fingerprints off of things so they couldn’t DNA track us down. He’s changing everything, his his number, his appearance, his name--he’s changing his name legally and applying for what’s basically a watered-down witness protection thing so they can’t find him. So he can be completely hidden and never have to worry about it.

“And he still? Fugking worries about it, Jonghyun, you know he will. It’ll be ten years from now and he’ll still be worrying about it. And fuck, even mentioning anyone’s parents can trigger a panic attack, let alone his, and--and suddenly, none of that fucking matters because of me?” Jonghyun’s hand reaches for his cheek but he stops it, holds it and squeezes it instead. “Suddenly wants to keep his parents’ name, the one that can literally trigger him, the one that can be used to track him down and ruin his life, just because it’s the same as mine?

“I don’t--get it, Jonghyun, I don’t fucking understand--what have I done to deserve that?” The question comes out louder than he meant it to but he couldn’t help it. He’s too emotional right now and whenever he gets too emotional he starts falling apart. He squeezes Jonghyun’s hand in apology for making him wince but doesn’t let go of him or the question. “There’s no--” he starts, and then falters when Jonghyun suddenly looks away from him with wide eyes. He blinks, confused, and turns to the rest of the arcade as well. “What--oh.”

Tae’s eyes meet his, as serious as Jinki is guilty. Choi and Key are still on the other side of the arcade, leaning on the counter and turning in more tickets. They have no idea, just as Jinki had no idea that Tae was here, listening. He slowly looks back to Tae, who hasn’t moved his gaze. He opens his mouth to try to speak, to say anything, but he can’t think of anything to put into words. Another long moment pases after he gives up before Tae takes a breath.

“You’re,” he says. “All my life, just. And--but now I can.” He falters, fingers twisting with each other. “I-it’s just--” He stops and sucks in a breath, gritting his teeth and huffing at the ground. “I don’t…,” he mumbles. “I’ll change it if it bothers you.” The shake in his voice makes Jinki’s heart sink. He tries to say something again, and this time actually gets a word on his tongue, but Tae speaks over him without noticing. “Jonghyun,” he says. His breathing is picking up and Jinki’s heart plummets even lower into his stomach. “Kibummie said--said that it was getting late. And that we usually l-leave soon.” He lifts a shaky hand to run through his hair. Jonghyun steps forward to do that for him, but Tae steps back just as quickly. “I’ll--take your time,” he says, glances at Jinki, and turns and walks away quickly.

Jinki watches Jonghyun’s hand close on nothing in midair. He watches Tae walk all the way back to Key and sink into their arms. He watches Choi and Key both look over at him with confused expressions and he watches the back of Jonghyun’s head as he lifts a hand to rub his palm over his eyes. He closes his eyes, letting his head fall against the wall.

“God, I’m garbage,” he breathes.

“You’re not.” Jonghyun’s voice is small and thick, the kind it gets when he’s trying not to cry. Jinki sighs slowly. Guh.

“I am, though,” he says. “I gave him a panic attack and I made you cry and I ruined today and--”

“Stop, Jinki, fucking--” Jonghyun faces him with an annoyed huff. His eyes are watery but his frown is stern. “You didn’t, and I’m not even crying, I’m just. Almost crying. Because I’m tired and hungry and... emotional.” He sucks his hand into his sleeve to soak up a tear from his waterline before it falls.

“You’re gonna cry, though,” Jinki says. “Because you always need to once you start.”

“I know,” Jonghyun grumbles. He comes forward to stand in front of Jinki and bury his face in his chest. “So, just, shut up and let me cry on you for a minute.” His arms come around Jinki’s waist next and Jinki sighs, lifting his arms over Jonghyun’s shoulders. He gives him gentle back pats as he sniffles into his shirt.

“Just because you say I didn’t fuck up it doesn’t make it true,” he mumbles.

“I said shh,” Jonghyun replies. He squeezes Jinki closer; it intensifies the pain in his back and makes Jinki hiss and squirm. “Shit--sorry,” Jonghyun says quickly. His grip turns soft again immediately. He wiggles up to press his teary face into Jinki’s neck and kiss his skin. “I love you,” he whispers.

“Nnngh,” Jinki groans. He can never handle romance when he’s like this and the shiver and twist of unease in his stomach it gives him proves that. “Not right now,” he says.

“I platonically admire your many good qualities then,” Jonghyun mumbles. His voice carries a note of petulance before he sniffles and nuzzles closer. Jinki snorts, an empty noise of amusement. He pats Jonghyun’s back comfortingly and closes his eyes. Ugh. Now Tae thinks he’s some kind of asshole. And honestly, he’s right.

He doesn’t keep track of how long Jonghyun weeps on him, but it’s not as long as he usually takes. Only a minute or two of deep breaths and countless sniffles pass before Jonghyun pulls himself away. He swallows thickly, rummages in his bag for his jumbo travel pack of tissues, and wipes his face. Jinki reaches out to fix his bangs with a tired hand until Jonghyun pushes it away.

“You’re not garbage,” he says. His voice is quiet but firm as he looks Jinki in the eye. “You’re just… confused. And insecure. And have bad luck at timing.” He shakes his head and stuffs his tissue into his back pocket. “And you need to talk to him,” he adds. “Don’t--give me that look, Jinki,” he says when Jinki starts trying to protest. He can’t talk to Tae. Not today, at least. He’ll just fuck it up more because that’s what he’s been doing this whole time. “You can’t make it any worse than it already is,” Jonghyun tells him. Jinki puffs up his lips, thrown off by how Jonghyun just knew what he was thinking. He knows everyone too well.

“I don’t,” he starts, and then sighs. He can’t even come up with a good excuse that doesn’t make him sound like an asshole. “I’ve already… upset him… enough,” he tries. The attempt wilts before he even finishes under Jonghyun’s gaze.

“He’ll be even more upset if you just leave like this.”

“Ugh,” Jinki sighs. He scrunches up his face and lets his head thunk back against the claw machine. “You’re right,” he grumbles. Leaving would probably be the only way he could actually make it worse. “Fine,” he says. He doesn’t know how the fuck he’s going to go about it, but fine. Jonghyun leans in to nuzzle his neck and take a deep breath.

“How are they doing over there?” he asks. His hand squeezes Jinki’s leg gently, but Jinki shakes his head.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t want to be the one to look.” He doesn’t want to get caught and have it look like he was staring. He doesn’t need anything to feel any more awkward than it already does. Jonghyun snorts and looks himself; after a moment, he signs something that Jinki doesn’t catch because of the angle. Something about the car, he thinks. Bluh.

“Come on,” Jonghyun says then. He tugs Jinki gently until he gingerly slides off of the stool. Jinki grimaces at the dull ache in his back as he stretches his shoulders. Of course this stress has made it worse. “Do you want a patch?” Jonghyun asks. He rustles in his bag and pulls out the corner of an Icy Hot patch, but Jinki shakes his head. The walk to the car isn’t more than five minutes from here.

“On the way home,” he says. Jonghyun nods and tucks it back away.

“Okay then,” he says, and tugs Jinki across the arcade. At the counter, Tae has his eyes closed with his head on Key’s shoulder, but when they approach he looks up. His eyes fall on Jonghyun and a smile ugs up his lips. When he switches to Jinki it falters, twitches back up, and is replaced by a bitten lip as he looks away. Jinki looks away awkwardly too. Fuck.

“Okay, well, anyway,” Key says. Even for someone as practised at sounding casual as they are it seems forced, but they push on anyway. “I’m ready to get home. No one else is forgetting anything?” they ask. They clap their hands in some weak show of authority with a peppy smile and it actually brings the tiniest smile to Jinki’s lips. They’re trying so hard.

He checks his pockets, his bag, Jonghyun’s bag when he can’t find some of his prizes from before, and confirms that everything he has is accounted for. Everyone else does the same and with some of the loudest bravado Jinki has ever seen, Key leads them all out of the arcade and back onto the sidewalk.

For all the way they marched outside with their arms linked with Tae and Jonghyun, it all fizzles back into just feeling weird after five steps. Jonghyun slips his arm away from Key, moves to their other side to press a soft kiss to Tae’s cheek, and then falls back a few steps to fit himself between Jinki and Choi instead. He links his arms with both of them and spends the whole time biting his lip, pouting at the back of Tae’s head and digging worried fingers into Jinki’s wrist. Jinki looks over his head to try a friendly smile at Choi; they catch his eye, give him half of a little smile in return, and look away with their own troubled frown. Jinki sighs. Everyone thinks he’s an asshole now.

Needless to say, the walk back to the parking lot is the most awkward five minutes of his life. Once he reaches his minivan he doesn’t know what to do; he wants to get in and recline the seat all the way back and lie there for the rest of eternity, but something tells him that that would be frowned upon. Jonghyun takes his arm away and gets up on his tiptoes to nuzzle his cheek.

“I’m gonna help Gwi get Tae’s stuff out of the back,” he says. “Gimme your keys?” He holds his hand out and Jinki nods, digging in his pocket for them. “Thanks,” Jonghyun says, grabbing them. “I’ll unlock the doors for you too.” He smiles softly as he boops the unlock button before walking to the trunk. Jinki watches him, then turns to find Choi heading to their own car a few spots down. He guesses they’re gonna park it next to the van, now that there’s space. Turning again, he hesitates when Tae is the next person that he sees, leaning up against the front of the van, very close to where he is.

Tae looks away quickly when he catches Jinki’s eye. He stares at the ground, bottom lip between his teeth, fingers twisting with each other. Jinki grimaces, glances at the back of the van, at Choi’s car slowly putting over the asphalt. They did this on purpose. Jonghyun unlocking the doors for him was just a ruse.

“Hey, um,” he says quietly, stepping closer to lean on the hood of his car as well.

“I’m sorry,” Tae says quickly. He looks up and his eyes are wide, guilty, sincere. “I didn’t--I didn’t think it would bother you,” he says. “I should have asked, or--”

“No, no, it didn’t… bother me,” Jinki says. The glance Tae gives him is extremely skeptical and Jinki winces. He can see why. “It just,” he says. “Confused me.” It still does.

“Yeah, um, about that,” Tae says. “When I. I overheard, um.” He waves his hand to mean what happened in the arcade and Jinki nods. He doesn’t think he’ll ever forget that. “I, uh, figured out what I wanted to say that I couldn’t figure out how to say. Then.” He looks up and then back down quickly with a hand clenched at his side. Jinki looks down at his own hands for lack of a real reply.

“Um,” he says after a long silence. “Do you… wanna... tell me about it?” he asks. He looks up to see Tae still studying the ground, but he’s also taking deep breaths like he’s steadying himself for something. He waits, as patiently as he can when his whole body is dying for an explanation, until Tae finally looks up. His gaze is determined and his voice barely has any shake in it when he speaks.

“My whole life,” he says, “‘Lee’ has been something that belonged to my parents. Every time I wrote down ‘Lee Taemin’ on a paper it was like I was writing their Lee Taemin. Their kid, legally and inescapably. They would use it against me and tell me I had to love them because we were family. Because--” He hesitates, closes his eyes, shivers and shakes his head. Jinki plays with his fingers while Tae takes a few slow breaths before he speaks again. “Because they owned me,” he says quietly. “But with you.” These words come out as a breath, a sigh of relief, a glimmer of freedom in his eyes.

“With you, it’s Lee Jinki. Lee Jinki and Lee Taeyeon. It’s ‘ha ha, there go those Lees again.’ It’s ‘wow, those two are pretty alike, just like their names.’ It’s sharing a name with someone that wants me to be happy. It’s something positive. It’s that for the first time, in my whole life, something that’s haunted me is able to make me smile instead.” Tae lifts his hands, like he wants to reach out, then clenches his fists and clasps them together instead, looking down. “With you, being a Lee is something that I want to be,” he says. He looks up and holds Jinki’s gaze for a long, slow second before looking away with a shrug. “Yeah,” he mumbles.

“I… oh,” Jinki says. It comes out of him in a whoosh of breath that he didn’t even know he was holding in. That was… a lot. “Um,” he says. He still doesn’t… get it. “I’m not,” he says. “I don’t…. Why… do you think.… Is it really so important to you that you’re… willing… to risk… making it that much easier to find you?” He understands that he’s comforting somehow, he understands the reclamation angle, he understands how it can feel nice; he doesn’t understand how any of that measures up to staying safe.

“Listen, Jinki,” Tae sighs. “I don’t know you enough to know what to say to reassure your insecurities or whatever.” He rubs his nose awkwardly as Jinki blinks. Yeah. That is also true, also a very good point. They do barely know each other. “But,” Tae says. “I know you enough to know that I want to risk the danger just so I can share the name.”

“But why?” Jinki hisses. This has been his question the whole time and he’s still yet to find a real answer. Tae’s reply shocks him; instead of more hesitant explanations, another quiet confession, he just laughs softly. A weak but fond laugh, accompanied by a shake of the head.

“Whether you think you deserve it or not,” he says, “you have a space in my crusty little heart too. And it’s just as important as everyone else.” He lifts his hand and taps his chest once, then immediately blushes and just scratches his shoulder to try to play it off. Jinki goes with it because he’d rather not encourage the cliché heart touching play. “You’re…, Tae says. “Good. And secure. And comforting... and… one of my saviors.”

“And,” he adds, when Jinki opens his mouth to ask how that makes him special at all. He gives Jinki this look that says he knows Jinki was about to ask again and isn't going to have any of it. “I don’t think… it matters, if you personally don’t think you’re worth it,” he says. Jinki opens his mouth, then hesitates, confused.

“What?” he asks. That seems… off. Tae shrugs, leaning his elbow on the hood of the car.

“Whatever it is that you think about yourself doesn’t affect the way I think of you,” he says. “No matter what you think, I’m still going to think you’re one of the most important people in my life. Like, it’s fact. Even if you think it’s bad judgement.”

“So…,” Tae mumbles. He looks up at Jinki and bites his lip. “I think that means that it’s either… you doubting both yourself and me, or you only doubting yourself but trusting me.”

“I mean, of course I trust you,” Jinki says immediately. Of course he does. There’s no reason not to. Tae smiles a little wider at his reply.

“So trust that you’re important to me,” he says simply. “Whether you believe it or not.”

“That’s…,” Jinki says slowly. That seems simple and straightforward, yeah, but it’s not that easy at all. But still, when he looks into Taemin’s eyes, tried and sincere and open, he finds that it’s hard to not trust him.”I’ll… try,” he says.

“I can take that,” Tae says. This time, looking at his relaxed, easy expression, Jinki feels the tiniest smile coming up on his lips as well. That was good. A good talk. He thinks. He hopes? The silence stretches on between them and he wishes he knew what to do now that neither of them seem to have nothing to say.

“Hug him,” a voice hisses loudly. It’s followed by a snap and a “shh” and Jinki turns with a start to see Choi and Jonghyun quickly turning Key away. He watches the three of them try to act like they haven’t been eavesdropping with a snort. Wow. Turning back to Tae, he sees him shaking his head with his own fond little smile.

“I think maybe we should hug, for some reason,” he says casually. Tae laughs softly and gives him the most amused look, and with that, it’s like they’re almost back to normal. Almost; their hug isn’t really one of the best.

“Ooh--less tight,” Jinki hisses, wincing at the sharp reminder of his back pain. Tae hisses too, lets go, and stammers out a quick apology before stepping forward again. The second time it’s nicer, and Jinki finds himself kind of melting into it. This is nice, his arms around Tae’s shoulders and Tae’s around his waist. He never was much of a meaningful hug kind of person but he could get into this.

Until an uncomfortable amount of time passes and neither of them have let go yet. He pats Tae’s back awkwardly, not sure of when they should break apart. He doesn’t want to interrupt Tae if he’s having a super intimate bonding moment, but this is kind of starting to get weird.

“Um,” he says. Immediately he feels Tae stiffen and then he’s straightening up, just leaving his hands on Jinki’s waist with a small smile.

“Uh, yeah,” he says.

“Yeah,” Jinki says back.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah….”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun whispers, and Jinki turns to see him creeping around the car to get to them. He sidesteps Jinki to wrap Tae up in his own hug, one that looks warm and comfortable and perfectly executed by the way Tae smiles and hums into his neck. “Time to go,” Jonghyun says when he pulls back. Jinki blinks. Ahh. Yes. Of course. That’s what they were doing before that whole conversation started. Tae makes a noise that’s half realization and half pout and Jonghyun shushes him with a gentle kiss. “Next week,” he says, smiling it against Tae’s lips.

“Mmm, yeah, okay,” Tae says. He kisses Jonghyun again and then reaches for Jinki’s hand to give it a quick squeeze. “Next week,” he says.

“Next week,” Jinki confirms. Next week will definitely be better.

“Shoo,” Jonghyun says gently, patting Tae’s butt towards Choi’s car. Jinki watches fondly as he wiggles himself into the backseat. He gives Key a quick goodbye hug too, murmuring goodbyes and accepting their smug “I told you you two needed to hang out more” with a snort. He knows. They’re working on it.

Choi sighs him a genuine “nice job” before he waves goodbye, which Jinki accepts fondly. That whole thing did go better than expected. Jonghyun slips up to link their arms together as Choi starts their car, waving sadly as they drive away like usual. And also like usual, he turns to nuzzle Jinki, except this time, not like usual, he tugs Jinki’s head down for a slow kiss.

“Thank you,” he says quietly when he pulls back. Jinki blinks, shrugs, looks away. He didn’t do anything that wasn’t… decent. He accepts Jonghyun’s praise anyway with a thankful smile.

When Jonghyun turns him gently around so he can put the heating patch on under his shirt before they leave, Jinki closes his eyes and thinks.

“Lee Taeyeon” kind of has a nice ring to it.

[touristguidebuzz]

How Alaska Airlines Has Racked Up So Many Industry Accolades Lately

Customers who experience lengthy delays will always get some type of compensatory gesture from Alaska Airlines to lessen the pain. Maggie Hallahan / Bloomberg

Skift Take: So far this year, Alaska Airlines has been recognized by SmarterTravel, the Points Guy, FlyerTalk, and U.S. News & World Report as either being the best U.S. airline of 2017 or having the best rewards program. This article makes a persuasive case why.

— Sean O'Neill

It practically goes without saying: American airlines have a public-relations crisis on their hands.

Almost every week since a passenger was bloodied and dragged off a United Airlines Inc. flight in early April, another outrage has swept the internet. Families kicked off planes because of birthday cake. Girls in leggings denied boarding. Heated confrontations about strollers. All-out brawls amid tighter-than-ever seats.

But in what feels like a parallel universe, one airline is racking up nearly every industry accolade. So far this year, Alaska Airlines has been recognized by SmarterTravel, the Points Guy, and FlyerTalk—three authoritative aviation websites—along with U.S. News & World Report, as either being the best U.S. airline of 2017 or having the best rewards program. In some cases it claimed both titles. It has the No. 1 on-time performance record seven years running, according to FlightStats. And this month it earned J.D. Power’s highest customer satisfaction rating among traditional (nonbudget) airlines in North America—for the 10th year in a row.

To those who frequent the airline, Alaska’s success is no surprise. In the Pacific Northwest, where the company is based, Alaska Airlines is considered a homegrown hero of sorts; locals are as loyal to the airline as they are to the record-breaking star quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson, who happens to be Alaska’s celebrity spokesman. (His official title is “Alaska Airlines chief football officer.”)

To everyone else, Alaska can sneak up like a sleeper hit from the indie film festival circuit—one nobody had heard about until Oscar season. But that will change: Parent company Alaska Air Group Inc. recently acquired Virgin America Inc. and is engaged in aggressive cross-country expansion. It’s not just for West Coast-based commuters anymore.

Compared with Delta Air Lines Inc., which operates more than 15,000 daily flights across its network, Alaska is still small-scale, with 1,200 flights per day. But it’s the only major U.S. carrier that’s seen an uptick in mainline passenger revenue (from nonpartner flights) in the last full year, and in 2015 the airline experienced a net income surge of 40 percent. Carrying capacity is growing 20 percent year-over-year (not including the Virgin America acquisition), and in 2017, Alaska and Virgin America will jointly launch in more than 40 new markets.

Why It’s So Great

The J.D. Power survey for airlines ranks carriers according to several factors: Costs and fees, in-flight services, and aircraft quality are the most significant. Then come less-weighted factors such as boarding, deplaning, and baggage handling; flight crew; check-in experience; and user-friendliness in the booking process.

According to Michael Taylor, travel practice lead at J.D. Power, Alaska performs well—or wins—in every category. In-flight services are one exception: Alaska keeps up with aircraft models and onboard technology but doesn’t push these envelopes. (This is expected to change as the carrier inherits Virgin America’s tricked-out fleet.) But cost is a selling point. Flight crew get praise. And the airline wins by its widest margins in the boarding, deplaning, and baggage handling category.

“This [category] represents access,” explains Taylor. “The courtesy of the gate staff, timely flight information, and the time it takes to get on and off the plane.” In his mind, how you’re treated and how quickly you board are related: It takes smart, intuitive crew members, both behind the scenes and in the front of the house, to make the process seamless. It’s about making customers feel less like cattle, he says, and more like individuals. How does Alaska do that? “It’s not a mystery at all,” says Taylor. “They’re just very people-oriented. They empower their employees.”

A Loyalty Program That’s Still Worthwhile

One selling point not covered by the J.D. Power survey is Alaska’s standout loyalty program. While competitors are devaluing their frequent-flier programs, Alaska’s keeps getting better. “Alaska is one of the only holdouts awarding miles based on how far you fly, no matter what you pay for the ticket,” says Brian Kelly, founder of the Points Guy. This makes it far easier for customers to climb the ranks—and score the perks—of a loyalty program.

What’s more, the carrier is what Kelly calls a “free agent,” thanks to its partnerships with multiple airlines, from American to Emirates to Fiji, and most recently, Finnair. That means you’re not stuck redeeming Alaska miles; you can use them to fly all over the world, with top-tier international airlines.

Even though Kelly flies the airline only a few times a year—mostly to TED events in Vancouver—he puts serious stock in his Alaska miles. They’re often redeemed at more valuable rates than those of other airlines, he says, to the point that booking an Emirates flight is often cheaper with Alaska miles than with Emirates miles. The carrier also sells miles cheaply, for less than 2¢ apiece. (Other carriers sell them for 3¢ or 4¢.) “All this makes it one of the most valuable programs out there,” Kelly says.

Maintaining reward status is also easier with Alaska than with other airlines. “Even in a down year, Alaska will grandfather you into your normal level of status,” says David Fowler, chief privacy officer for an online marketing company. That was an informal perk until recently: Earlier this month the airline launched a “parental leave” policy that lets new parents (or others with significant life changes) put their loyalty status on hold for a year.

For Amy Daly-Donovan, an organization development consultant, little things like upgrade reliability, free cocktails, and end-of-year thank-you gifts (like tins of cookies) allow Alaska to stand out. “They truly seem appreciative of their highest-level frequent fliers and have the best frequent perks—no change fees!” she says.

Corporate Culture Is Everything

In conversations I had with more than a dozen Alaska Airlines frequent fliers, employees, and aviation experts, the notion of “empowered employees” was a recurring theme. That’s no accident. The airline’s president and chief operating officer, Ben Minicucci, makes employee empowerment a pillar of his corporate strategy.

“Airlines are bound by government regulations and federal regulations and all these policies,” Minicucci told Bloomberg. “It’s easy to become bound to them.” He recognizes, however, that most airlines’ tendencies to follow rules to the letter are what get them in hot water. Cue the dragged-off doctor on United: His flight attendants were blindly following protocol at every turn. “You do need strong structure and policies in the airline business, but you also need to blend it with empowerment,” according to Minicucci. “We double down on that.”

Cushioning the Blows of Airline Travel

Every employee at Alaska—from flight crew to baggage handlers to customer service reps—is given an “empowerment toolkit” as part of training. It includes a series of incentives that employees can dole out to resolve customer complaints: miles, money, restaurant vouchers, fee waivers, and so on. It’s up to employees to “find the story and create a personal connection” with customers, and then decide—based on a series of loose guidelines—the appropriate reparation strategy.

A delay of two hours or more, for instance, almost always warrants a $50 voucher for airport restaurants. Longer delays may also be counterbalanced with free Wi-Fi pass codes or waived flight-change fees. And it doesn’t take complaints to trigger these rewards, either: A flight attendant who notices a couple of passengers are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary is equally empowered to offer them a round of cocktails on the house, no questions asked. “Do what you think is right,” Minicucci tells his employees. “We trust you. You’ll never get in trouble for making a decision. And we don’t want you to call the supervisor.”

In fact, Alaska maintains a generous per-passenger comp budget and mobile technology platform so that employees can always respond to passengers’ needs on the spot. Then the airline collects stories of its employees “doing the right thing” and hands out monthly and annual bonuses accordingly.

J.D. Power’s Taylor agrees that this is a secret formula for success. Investing in empowerment, he says, simultaneously builds good morale and strong customer loyalty. “We see this in top-performing companies across industries, be it hotels or utilities or telephone companies,” he says. “If you want to win friends and influence people, you have to treat them right.”

Empowered Employees

Michael, a customer service representative with the airline who offered only his first name so he could speak candidly about his employer, told me he has more tools at his direct disposal to help customers than he had at other businesses where he’s worked. “Alaska empowers the agents to take care of problems then and there, whereas in my previous jobs, you give customers a website to file a complaint or request a refund.” He says other airlines are very “black and white” in a way that makes both customers and employees go home angry.

Plus, Michael says, “I never received any incentives or acknowledgement at my previous job,” which was at a legacy U.S. airline. At Alaska, he says, he has a stock purchase plan that gets him directly invested in the company’s success—which may be a factor in the airline’s excellent on-time performance and baggage handling records. Benefits are better overall, he says. “The morale at Alaska is significantly higher than other airlines where I’ve worked before.”

The difference is palpable. On a 10-point scale, Michael says, working at Alaska is a 9 or 9.5; the other major carrier he worked at would score a 6.5 or 7 “at best.”

A Happy Face

This comes across to consumers. Chris Corry, a top-tier Alaska frequent flier who spends two weeks on the road each month as an audit manager at an insurance company, says, “I’ve never heard [Alaska’s] employees complain about their jobs, whereas Delta employees are always complaining about routing or unions or other things.” On his last Alaska flight home from Chicago, he “got thanked by name by four employees.”

Corry’s company policy requires him to purchase the most affordable fares, but experiences like this—along with service reps who waived change fees twice in one trip after a family emergency—inspire him to prioritize Alaska, even if he has to pay the difference out of pocket.

Points Guy Kelly agrees: “A lot of companies say, ‘We’re one big happy family,’ but they mean it [at Alaska]. Their employees feel connected to the brand and to management. And it comes through in the way that they treat their customers with respect.”

Often, laments Kelly, “airlines just make it hard for you to love them.” Alaska, it seems, makes it pretty easy.

This article was written by Nikki Ekstein from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.