#yes i know that pumpkin is the size of a bus. what about it

[spearxwind]

Happy halloween everyone, make sure to give your eels a pumpkin for enrichment today <3

[ghost-thot69]

(I wrote this while very tired so it won’t be the best but the fanfic fingers don’t stop for anyone so I wrote some very cute rz Michael Myers and baby june fanfic after reading some fluffy fanfics of him)

Sunny Days (rz Michael Myers and June Marie Heisenberg-Myers)

TW: none. Nothing but sheer adorableness, proceed with caution ⚠️

The sun beamed down on Michael’s face. His long, unkempt, blond hair shining in the bright light as he waited outside of Westfield Elementary school. He stood as stiff as a board, except for his left foot, which he kept tapping repeatedly as he waited for June to come out of school.

He looked up at the giant clock on the outside of the school building, impatiently counting down the minutes, hell even the seconds till all the children came flooding out. A couple of parents would stare at him in intimidation. They, despite not knowing that he was a local mass murderer, we’re still very much afraid of him. I mean who wouldn’t be when a 6 foot 7 tall man who barely spoke a word to you or anybody else aside from his daughter, who had hair covering a majority of his chiseled face and had piercing blue eyes, was standing right next to you.

Michael wasn’t quite fond of having his face being shown either. He much preferred to have it hidden behind either one of his masks, however he can’t risk that chance of being caught. God knows what Dr Loomis and the cops would do to his kid if they arrested and/or killed him. And there was another reason why he kept his mask off in public. He loved seeing the cute little smile on June’s face when she saw him smile at her.

Michael’s mind began to wander on what he and June would do after school together. Would they go out for ice cream? Maybe play at the park? Whatever he had settled on, it was interrupted by the loud ringing of the school bell telling the kids it was time to go home.

Due to his height, he could easily see the kids coming out and was able to pick out June from the rest of them. However he wasn’t able to see her this time, it was hard to miss her with her long and wavy brown locks that came down to her ankles. Michael squinted his eyes to see if she was somewhere in the back amongst the crowd of little children running to their parents or the school bus, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Michael’s blood began to rush, worried that something might have happened to her that the school didn’t tell him about. He began to press forward towards the building before his ears picked up the little pitter-patter of tiny shoes on the ground.

“Papa!” A soft voice called out to him.

Michael looked up at the stairs, and rushing out the large doors came June, a piece of paper in her tiny hand. When she saw him, her face beamed happily, her taking a giant leap off the stairs and into the air.

Michael snapped out of his worried daze and held his arms out to catch her, the tiny girl landing in his large, muscular arms. June happily threw her arms around him in a hug, and nuzzled her face into his. “Papa! Papa!!” She cheered, covering his face in kisses.

Michael breathed out a sigh of relief before smiling at her, pushing the hair out her face. “Hello pumpkin.” He said softly. “How was school?”

June wiggled out of his arms and landed on the ground, jumping up and down happily. “It was good! Oh here here here!” She said, her handing him the paper she had in her hands.

Michael tried to grab it but she was so hyper that it shook before he really could get a hold of it. He chuckled before managing to grab it from her and looked at it. “What is it sweetheart?” He asked, tilting it to get a better look.

What was on the now slightly crumpled piece of paper was a drawing of what looked like him, Jason, herself and a very…very crudely drawn Freddy with the words “stinky pepperoni man” scribbled on it. Right next to them was their home and a couple of flowers, some grass, and the sun. In the corner was some sort of mysterious red stain.

“I drew this today! It's me, you and bubba Jason! Oh and Freddy’s there too I guess.” She murmured, her messing with her feet. “I’m mad at Stu, he got ketchup on it during lunch…”

Michael smiled. The drawing melted his heart, he looked on the back and saw that she had written “my family” on it. It made him happy that, even though she was adopted, and she knew that she was, that she sees them all as her family. He folded up the paper and put it in the pack pocket of his coveralls. He kneeled down to be at her height before taking her in a big hug, almost lifting her off the ground. “I love it,pumpkin. Thank you.”

June gasped out happily, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him back. Michael let her go and stood up, and grabbed her hand. They began to walk back to their home.

“So what are we going to do today papa?”

Michael hummed, looking up at the sky and then down at her. “Well I was thinking we can take the car and drive to the ice cream place?”

Ice cream? June love, love, LOVES ice cream. She frantically shook her head yes, clapping her hands in agreement. “Yes! Yes we gotta go!”

Michael laughed, swinging her arm as they walked. “Alright, let’s go eat then, you can get all the toppings you want.” He instantly regretted saying that. June is a hyper child and knowing her, she’d pile her ice cream in rainbow and chocolate sprinkles, gummy bears and whatever sweet treats that really shouldn’t be used as ice cream toppings, her little heart desires, but he couldn’t resist her. When she was left at his doorsteps as a baby, she changed his life for the better. He didn’t mind spoiling her, but not too much.

Hours later, Michael was laying down on the old, rundown, paisley yellow couch with June asleep on his chest, her snoring softly. The tv was on, playing whatever show she liked. He really couldn’t understand the concept of this young singer who hides her identity by just putting on a blonde wig and her and her friends' shenanigans and why this appealed to June, but it made her happy and that’s all that mattered to him.

Jason was off to the side, drinking a cup of hot chocolate through his mask, looking at the both of them all cheerfully, his energy radiating off the living room walls that, if you turned off the lights, Jason would be beaming head to toe like a lantern.

Freddy walked in, him groaning and rubbing his eye, him poking Jason in the shoulder. “Jason, stop it.” He grumbled, him walking to the couch that Michael and June were on and reached for the remote.

Michael slapped his hand away and shot a deathly glare up at him. “June’s show is on. Don’t you dare change that channel.”

Freddy hissed, shaking his hand which was now more red than it normally was. “What’s the big fuckin deal? She’s asleep and it’s just stupid ass Hannah Montana!”

Michael’s glare grew more intense, him slowly sitting up while holding a sleeping June closer to his chest so she wouldn’t fall. “I said, don’t. Touch. The God damn. Remote.” He hissed, violence backing up his words.

Freddy held his hands up in defense and scoffed, backing up. “Alright fine geez, I’ll watch tv in the kitchen then, good fuckin’ greif.” He muttered, making his way to the kitchen.

Michael rolled his eyes in annoyance and laid back down slowly so as to not wake up June. Lo and behold, she was miraculously still asleep, rubbing her eyes as she slept.

Michael flashed a warm smile down at her before leaning over and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Jason looked back over to the two before getting up and reaching into a small closet, digging through it before pulling out a small blue blanket. He waddled over as quietly as possible and laid the blanket over June and gave her a pat on her head, his hand ten times the size of her head.

Michael smiled and then turned his attention back to the tv. Before he had realized it the sun was down, and the Disney channel was playing whatever original movie that was causing a whole scene in her school. Teenagers, BLEGH! Dancing and singing about basketball, romance and whatever, He wasn’t paying attention. To be honest, he’d rather be watching the little mermaid, but the songs were catchy.

Michael let out a loud, very audible yawn before covering his mouth instantly and looked down at June, who again, was somehow still asleep through all the loud noise that went on. Jason was asleep on the couch behind him and using Freddy as some sort of teddy bear. Freddy was probably drunk off his ass to really care, but he was definitely going to feel his bones being crushed in the morning.

Michael huffed out and smiled at them all. He didn’t want to admit it to Freddy or Jason, but he was very glad that he had those two around him. The more he thought about the drawing June made for him of them as a family, the more he admitted that they were indeed a family. Originally, they were just there for hiding, though Freddy could go in and out of the dream realm as much as he pleases, he didn’t really need to hide, but I guess he stayed for whatever reason. Still, he needs to pay his rent. When June arrived, however, they did see themselves slowly becoming closer. They really were becoming a family.

June yawned, rolling over some, which snapped Michael out of his thoughts. He looked down at her and smiled, rubbing her cheek with his finger and moving her hair out of her face. He began to hum as he got up slowly from the couch and snuck past the other two and made his way up the stairs to June’s room. He began to navigate the room in the dark, making his way through stuffed toys and paper and crayons laid across the floor. He managed to find her bed, him pulling back the blanket and placing her in the sheets, laying her head on a pillow. He tucked her in blankets and laid under her arm a purple plush bunny.

June gently stirred about before a smile crept on her face in sleep.

Michael had leaned over and gave her a kiss on her head one last time before backing up and switching on a mushroom shaped night light that illuminated the room in a soft blue glow. “Goodnight Pumpkin. I love you.” He whispered, slowly closing the door behind him.

June rubbed her eyes, curling up in a ball under the blanket and held her bunny closer to her.

“I wuv..you too papa.”

[agayobsessedwithmurder]

Small town boy

runaway!mike au

inspired by @lilithisamess

The wheelers household, 1987

"Mom! it's Wills birthday! i have to go, dustin and lucas are busy this weekend and he can't be alone!" Mike yelled, standing up from his kitchen table.

"maybe you should have thought about that before joining that demonic cult." Ted argued.

Cult? are you serious dad?

"Mike, I know your bestfriend's and girlfriend's moving away really upset you but you can't keep acting out and expecting no punishment in return. Nancy's boyfriend moved away but shes still attending college, and not failing every class and skipping school." Karen scolded him.

Of course, bring up how nancy is better than me in every fucking way.

"You cannot talk about no punishment in return mom! i know what you did, or more like who you were doing!" Mike yelled catching everyone by surprise, but Ted was oblivious so just took a bite of the rotisserie chicken.

"Michael Wheeler! go to your room. NOW!" Karen screamed and made him flinch a little.

He started walking towards his room but hesitated to hear what they had to say.

"You should just tell him he shouldn't be seeing that boy, i never thought we would get rid of him. I tell ya he was changing mike, making him go through that phase." Ted said, not knowing mike was in hearing distance.

Thunder struck the outside of the house, just as Mike ran up his stairs. Once he got into his room he slammed the door shut and sat on his new queen sized bed in replace of his bunk bed he had whenever will would stay over.

Mike grabbed the binder of Wills drawings and opened up to a random one. He started flipping through the pages, tears falling down from his pale skin onto the artwork.

Shouldn't i be missing El alot more than Will? Shouldn't I still be mad at him for calling El st- no. i can't be mad at him. He's too precious, plus he was being ignored and it was the heat of the momment so i guess he had a reason to lash out.

I can't believe i can't see him on his birthday. hes going to be fifteen! Nancy can see Jonathan whenever she wants, it's not fair.

wait? Nancy seeing jonathan isn't like me seeing will right? because they are dating, me and will are just friends. yeah, friends. i need to stop overthinking my own thoughts.

I need to see him, but mom won't change her mind. Nancy wont drive me there.

wait. that bus stop! it goes to California!

Mike smiled, not bothering to wipe the tears that were stained on his cheeks and ran to his dresser. Mike grabbed a sweater that was always Wills favorite and grabbed some socks and converse shoes.

He put the socks and shoes on and grabbed his bookbag and put the binder in there, and a walkie talkie, and a red and orange colored wrapped present along with a picture on his nightstand.

a picture in two pieces held together by a piece of see through tape. a picture of the party on the Halloween mike told will they would go crazy together.

without really thinking he put the backpack on and opened up his window and felt the rain and cold air hit his face.

He held on tight to his window sill and moved his legs to the point were hes dangling from his window.

Mike jumped down onto the smaller roof and closed his window from there. Then he sat down, ignoring the rain pouring onto his body, and then jumped down onto the sidewalk.

He kind of was surprised it was that easy. He then walked to the garage and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. "Shit." He cursed but decided he didn't need his bike, he could walk.

He started running down the street until he got to a certain distance. He pulled out the walkie talkie and set it to a certain channel.

"Lucas, dustin? do you copy?"

static.

"Lucas and Dustin do you fucking copy?" Mike screamed as he kept walking.

"Oh my god what is it! im hanging out with max." Lucas said through the walkie talkie.

"Okay, I'm going to be gone for a little bit, tell dustin, and max i guess that im safe. make sure my parents know too, but do NOT tell the cops I'm calling you. I just need to see someone, but i promise im safe so don't let my family freak out too much, or atleast nancy. Okay thank you, bye!" Mike carefully explained and turned off the walkie talkie and put it back in his backpack.

And with that, mike started walking.

Mike finally reached the bus stop just as the bus was getting there.

literal, great timing.

The bus' doors opened and he walked in, the rain dripping onto the bus steps. He said nothing but continue walking and sat down in a seat across from this old, sweet looking woman.

Mike looked down at the bookbag he took off and put in his lap.

I wonder how Will is going to react when im there. Do you think he's going to hate me? who am i even talking to? oh god i hope he doesn't think im fucking crazy. i just, i haven't missed one of his birthdays yet. im not going to let that happen, ever. I know friends grow apart but, but Wills diffrent. Me and him, we are different. On August 27th we will have been friends for ten years. I can't, i can't lose him. I wonder if he was kidding when he said he would run away with me to California, or a warm state. We did promise to do that, anyway. But we promised alot of things. Like that we would never have girlfriends. But I can't talk, i do have a girlfriend. speaking of el, I haven't heard from her in weeks. I should probably talk to her.

His thoughts got cut off by that sweet old woman. She was wearing a green cardigan with mushrooms on the bottom and a long brown skirt and a heart necklace with a rose on it. She had white long hair captured in a low bun and a leather bag that was open that showed a knitted blanket and a book. The bag had a few buttons on it and a knitted heart on it. She had wrinkly skin with light freckles on her face, she wasn't the societys definition of beautiful but she definitely was beautiful to mike.

"Hello pumpkin, may i sit down?" She asked. Of course, he said yes and she took a seat next to him. "So where are you heading?" She asked him.

Mike recalled almost all of the memories he had with Will.

"Home." He smiled. He noticed that was extremely weird without context. "Oh uh, I'm going to see a friend." Mike said. "It's his birthday, or it's going to be in a day anyways." Mike smiled.

"Oh hunny, that's adorable. Tell me about him, and how you got all the way here." She asked, obviously worried about this cold, distressed, underage, alone boy.

Shouldn't I not be speaking to strangers?

"I-im sorry i don't even know you." He said in the nicest way possible so he wouldn't get killed.

"Oh, no. I'm not trying to attack you, or anything darling. I'm just worried, you seem young and there's bad people out there. I don't want you getting hurt." She said, and anyone listening would have known she was sincere.

"oh. well his name is Will, we have been best friends since kindergarten, and I was a total jerk to him this past summer. and I need to make it up to him, I care about him so so much and I can't have him being alone on his birthday. he deserves better than that. I got into a fight with my parents and they talked bad about him and wouldn't let me see him on his birthday, so I walked about one and a half miles to here, just so I can get on this bus. I can't leave him, he's my cleric, after all." Mike spilled out his heart.

"wow, you seem to really miss him." She chuckled. Mike takes some seconds to answer, but then does. "Yeah, i really do."

"just from what I know, be honest with him. you really care about this boy, and I know you said you were a jerk but, just talk to him. I'm sure he cares about you too. and your girlfriend will understand, she cares about you, and your happiness but you can't keep lying about and to her. You know she hates that, and Will, will love his present." She smiled.

"I will, thank you...and how do you know all this, you're really good at advice." He asked.

She laughed and pulled up her sleeve to see her arm that had a tattoo on it. '003'

"holy crap." Mike whispered.

"or because I'm going to visit my wife for fifty years." She chuckled.

Mike was stunned, shocked at the fact people could be married for fifty years.

I think i understand how they could have been together for fifty years, if you truly love someone, you wouldn't hate being in their presence. maybe that's why.... maybe that's why my parents aren't that close anymore. or why it's so awkward when I call El.

And if mike wasn't too busy thinking, he would notice the sign they just passed, he was leaving hawkins.

[rezdogsyonder]

Changing

Pairing: Peter Parker x Tall!Reader

Summary: Peter has found his soulmate but does she feel the same? Basically a soulmate au but different

Warnings: kidnapping, drugging,

A/N: Peter is aged up. Also I changed his powers just a tiny bit just one thing and the rest is the same.

This peice is unfinished and it will remain unfinished because I’m leaving tumblr and will not be returning. If you wish to continue this you may.

*********

Fuck. Not right now. Not today.

That’s all you can think as you’re nearly late for your first day as an photographer. It isn’t the first place you wanted to work for but you need the money. Well probably not a “real” photographer. You’re not hired for the job on a regular basis, but for their front page photos of Spider-Man. It’s cool, Spider-Man won’t let anybody else take his photos.

Well, it’s not really your first day but it’s the first day that Jameson is actually considering you as his official Spider-Man photographer. Before you usually would email him asking if he needed more photos and now he is finally now telling you that you’re going to be the official photographer for the weekly Spider-Man pieces.

You have started a blog for the hero and hopefully it will gain traction and maybe you’ll get to make an income from it. But for now you have to sell your photos to the Daily Bugle.

The rent is due Friday and you get a check from the gas station you work at that day, it won’t be enough to cover it though. But with a check after each batch of photos you provide will put you way over the green this pay day.

You’re rushing about your medium sized 1 room apartment. This place was a gem, the only reason this place was as cheap as a studio is because a billboard was directly across from the extremely large windows. Lighting up your entire apartment. It didn’t bother you much, it saved on electricity from never having to turn on the lights and all you needed was blackout curtains in your room.

You are not changing shirts but you squeeze into a pair of black pants. The grey boyfriend cardigan getting tucked in the back, but it doesn’t deter you from running to the bathroom and vigorously brushing your teeth. You’ll have to forgo the entire makeup routine but you have time for foundation and mascara.

Rushing back into your bedroom you pull a pair of socks from the top drawer of your dresser and look at your alarm clock. 9:42. 18minutes till you’re late. Well you know in Jameson’s eyes you are already late but he screams at you no matter what.

Your second shoe is tied, you got your purse and it has your wallet, phone, and keys already. You run out of your room and in the hallway of the complex. Fuck, locking these doors seems to be the longest part of leaving. 3 locks, self installed with the extra long screws. Never needed this much security before but some blind asshole next door seems to always be getting into fights. Like what the fuck, how hard is it to not fight someone, and then he leads them here.

Once the doors are locked and you’re out of the building you look at your phone. 9:44. 16 minutes to go around 2 miles. Well broadway cuts across, so probably less, but anyways you gotta run it. Now you’re not the most fit person, but you are able to push yourself more than what others would think you’d be able to.

Dodging people and avoiding running into the road, you make it to the first turn. Basically a straight shot now, but it seems as though people are wanting to be in your way today. You would love a bike right about now. Though you’d have a really high chance of getting hit by a car. But it’s right about the same risk since you are not stopping at the do not walk signs.

One car almost did hit you, but it braked in time but not without you slapping the hood as you went by. Not on purpose but from loss of balance. Well you probably would have slapped it anyways. Your face burns from the run, and the heat, it is the end of summer but it is still pretty hot out.

Oh god, this is awful, you’re just a more than halfway and you nearly ran into an old man and his wife outside of m&m world.

“Sorry!” You shout back but it’s not very loud and sounds winded. You won’t stop though.

Just a couple more turns. Just two more turns. Just one more. You keep telling yourself that you’re almost there, legs straining the muscles from the over exertion.

You get into the building and run to the elevator. You know you probably look unprofessional right about now but you don’t care. You just need to catch your breath.

You press the right floor and dig through your purse. The small mirror being a lifesaver as of recently, since being late is seeming to become a common ovccurance. You pat your forehead with the sleeve of your cardigan. You don’t look too bad, but not the best. You check the time, 9:58. Not bad, you’ll be just 1 minute early. The elevator ride giving you just enough time to breath properly.

The elevator doors open to the busy floor, and you go over to Jameson’s assistant, not even reaching her desk before she points her pen behind her to his office.

“L/N!” He immediately shouts, “Where are those photos?” He is still looking out the window behind his desk.

“Right here sir,” you pull the envelope out of your purse holding it out for him to take it. Which he does, ripping the lip of the envelope and begins examining your photos.”

“850. Tell Betty on your way out.” He plops you’re photos on his desk.

“850? That’s not my rate, there are 12 photos there.”

“These just aren’t worth your usual rate. 850.” He argues back, you’ve seen this before, had you been any smaller or even sitting he would have put his hands on his desk and leaned towards you to seem intimidating, but right now he looks like a child with his hands balled at his side.

“65 per photo or I go to The Post.” You won’t back down. That’s nearly a thousand, and you don’t want to let it go, even if it is less than 200 more than what he offered but you need it.

He stares at you, he’s turning red now in the ears. You collect your photos calling his bluff.

“Fine,” he grumbles, he presses a button on the small speaker on his desk, “Betty, write out a check for L/N for 975.” He released the button and you put the photos down. “Get out of here, she’ll call when we have another piece.”

“You’re a peach,” you smiled as you back out of his office. “Hey Betty, how’re you doing this week?”

“Just fine, but his wife wants me to control his anger as soon as his meds are sorted. Not looking forward to that.” She finishes filling out the check on her computor, and with one last click that is so familiar to you now, you know she printed it.

“Jesus, I do not want to be here for that.” You step back four steps to the printer and rip off the receipt at the bottom that she needs to keep and hand it to her. “Good luck, because you will need it. Thanks, see you next week!” You wave bye as the doors close.

Letting out a sigh of relief, and tucking your check into your wallet. You’re glad you won’t have to worry anymore. With this check you’ll have four or five hundred more than you’ll need for rent, meaning you won’t have to scrape by for grocerys.

You better hurry though, you have an hour till your next shift at the gas station and you still need a shower.

**********

The hours are going by slowly, with few customers to keep you distracted. Just 4 more hours and you get to call it a night. It has already been 6 hours since you clocked in and there had only been a handful of customers, making the day uncharacteristically slow.

Your phone begins vibrating on the small fridge below the counter, the shift managers name on the display screen. Seeing as there’s no customers you think it is fine to answer.

“Hello? Debby?” You greet subconciously.

“Y/N I have some bad news.” She pauses, “the person who is supposed to relieve you is refusing to come in. She quit.”

“What am I supposed to do? I’ve been here since 11:30, I don’t think it’s allowed for me to work past 1. Wasn’t her shift supposed to last till 8?”

“Yes I know but you are legally allowed to work till 4:30, and that is when I’ll take over because I cannot find another person to cover her shift. It’s only alright because I’m switching your shift tomorrow with Alex and you’ll have the day off to recuperate. Then it’s your usual day off the next so I think that’s enough time to get back to normal.”

“So I’m leaving at 4:30?” Disbelief evident in your voice.

“Yes, I’m sorry, I would get there now but John doesn’t come home until late tonight because he took the graveyard shift at his job and I can’t leave J.C. alone.”

“Yeah I understand, family comes first.”

“Thank you, you’re the best. See ya later.”

“Yeah, see you.”

You put down your phone and mentally prepare yourself for another 11 hours.

**********

Three red bulls, and a seasonal pumpkin spice coffee from the dispenser and it was almost midnight.

Many more customers has came in after the call, the universe seemingly wanting to tire you out further. Then it began slowing down again after 9. The time you were supposed to be going home if Patricia didn’t fucking refuse to come in.

It was about that time that a young man came in, wearing a dark suit but without the blazer. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Light brown hair and pale skin, he looked breathtaking. He quickly rounds to the back grabbing three of the big bottles of water.

“Just these for me...” he trails off as he sniffs, then he looks up and makes eye contact with you.

You two are staring at each other for a few seconds, his stare becoming unbearable and you look away.

“Ok sir... that’ll be 5.97.” You still feel his gaze. Refusing to look up, you bag his things. You hear his card slide through the machine.

“Thank you sir, have a nice night.”

“Yeah... you too.” And with that he was gone. Leaving you to think about this stranger for the rest of your shift.

**********

As promised, Debbie came at 4:30. You left to walk home. It was nice living basically across the street from your work. A short walk, but you still felt a sense of unease.

Looking all around you, you don’t spot any suspicious people. Not even one heading in the same direction as you. You let out a small sigh as you cross the road. But it does nothing to calm your nerves.

You’re trying not to seem panicked as you try to get through the door to your building but it might be obvious with how you’re shaking.

Past the door you let go if your breath that you didn’t know you were holding. Finally able to calm down. You walked to apartment, using the elevator instead of the stairs.

Once at your door your heart beat seems to have gone back to normal, but before you even put your key in the door you feel the hairs at the back of your neck stand up. You don’t know what it is, maybe it’s just a chill.

Unlocking all the locks you go inside, greeted by the bright pink fluorescent lights. You shut the door behind you and drop your bag on the floor. Too tired to care. Moving to go into your room, knowing that you’re not going to change into pajamas either.

Well probably take of the pants. Yeah, jeans are never comfy.

Shoes kicked off, pants off, bra off with some difficulty from your long sleeves, blankets pulled back and you’re ready for bed. You’re getting in when you hear a creek in the living room, but you don’t see anyone so it’s maybe the upstairs neighbours.

You turn around once more to lay down and you feel a pinprick at your neck. You slump over and you feel hands at your shoulders, picking you up in their arms.

Eyes won’t open, and you are quickly losing consciousness.

“Shh, you’re safe with me.”

*********

Your head is pounding, that’s what wakes you up. You still feel groggy and it makes your eyelids feel incredibly heavy. You want to sleep for more but your eyes keep fighting to open.

Once they do you are met with a room that is not your own. Everything is white, except the headboard which is a light grey, matching the bedside table. You look around, about 6 feet from the foot of the bad is a back door and there’s a bathroom to the left of the bed with the door wide open.

You run to the closed door, you grasp the handle but you get a head rush and are unable to turn the handle for a good 5 seconds. It’s no use though, the door was locked, and it doesn’t seem like a regular lock. It seems more advanced, it’s a regular handle but it’s warm, and doesn’t have any keyhole. It’s also not as big as a hotel handle, like the ones with the scanners. Irrelevant, but your mind is running a million miles an hour and you’re trying really hard to not panic.

You realize that you aren’t wearing your pants but a pair of sweats were at the edge of the king bed. You quickly pull them on. Your kidnapper has already seen your ass, but it’s a little bit comforting. Your bladder is full and it is more apparent now than a couple minutes ago.

They aren’t here yet, better be quick. You half jog into the bathroom it has a large sink and a nice looking shower, but you don’t want to use it due to there being no lock on the bathroom door and the shower door is glass. Not even one of those blurred glass doors, it is crystal clear.

You had already peed and we’re washing your hands when you hear a small beep and the locks opening. You’re drying your hands when you hear a knock at the door. You don’t answer.

Another knock, you stared at the door, a low sigh is heard and the door swings open.

It was the man from last night, except now he was covering his eyes with his hand.

“I swear I’m not looking but please come out right now.”

“... alright.” You’re voice is a little rough and just above a whisper.

“Thank you.” He turned around leaving the door open and you follow.

“Come with me.” he waves his hand over the lock and the beep is heard again.

He leads you through the door into a long hallway, when he turned to the left so did you. There’s no point in running when he would catch you in less than 2 seconds.

You pass by 4 doors, one on your left and three on your right. The fifth door on the right you entered and it was an office.

“Sit.” And you did, he sat behind the large desk and leaned forward with his elbows on it. “I need to tell you something that would be hard to hear. Hell, hard to believe, but just know that everything I’m telling you is true.”

You nodded when he paused and looked at you. You felt so out of place and uncomfortable. Heart beating so fast and hard, it feels as though it’s bursting out of your chest. Your hands slightly shaking and feet tapping where you sat on the edge of this obviously expensive chair.

“I’m going to be frank with you alright? You are my soulmate.”

You freeze, “wait... what?” You didnt believe it, he was right. He’s crazy. Soulmates were a rare thing in this world. How would he know? He only knew you for 5 seconds so why does he know? Why would he take you?

“We are soulmates. I felt it when I first met eyes with you, I know that you did too. I took you here because, to put it simply, you would be safe. There are many people after me and if they learned of your existsence they would find you and use you against me.”

“H-how do I know your not lying?” You stare at the lines in the wood of his desk, refusing to look up. When you look him in the eyes you feel the same pull that you did back at the gas station. You hear rustling and you glance up for just a second, then you look back when you realize it’s just his arm that he wants you to look at.

He begins rolling his sleeves like the way you saw last night. Or was it even still the next day? You don’t know. Not seeing any clock or any windows since you were at your home.

Beautiful lines are spread across his forearm and you realize it wasn’t there before. “Can you look at your arm?” His voice is gentle, like he’s trying to be comforting.

You stare at his arm as you pull your sleeve up, then you look down at a blank arm. You pull up your other sleeve just as roughly and see the same tattoo that he has. You touch it gently as though it’ll smear if you are as rough as you were two seconds ago.

“Mine showed up a little after I stepped out of that store. I guess you didn’t notice yours.” You rub at yours and it won’t come off, and the skin isn’t raised as though you have a regular tattoo.

“What does this mean?”

“This means that you are now mine.” You feel tears welling in your eyes.

“So I can’t go home?”

“No, and some things are going to change.” You look at him wide eyed, fearful for the changes that he has in mind.

“So I’m sure you have heard of the powered people of New York, and I am telling you that I am one of them. Not only that, but I am a member of the avengers.” He pauses, you feel his eyes on you and you can only assume he is trying to gauge your reaction. “But I didn’t achieve my abilities through government testing or anything of the sort. I was bit by a mutant spider and I gained the spiders abilities.”

“You’re... Spider-Man?”

“That’s right. Now that you’re here, I will have to give you the same abilities I have so that we will be on equal grounds.”

“How are you going to do that?” You look up at his face.

“I will bite you of course.”

[argentdandelion]

The Harvest Day Hack

Summary: It’s Harvest Day, a day of feasting with family and thanks-giving for bountiful harvests. But Asriel still hasn’t shown up for the holiday…and Kris is helpless to their own soul’s whims.

----

“Hello.”

“Ah, is Asriel here already?”

“No.”

The two stood awkwardly at the doorway, Asgore hunching over. No matter how many scrapes collected at the lintel, Toriel never expanded the door. Not then…not now.

Asgore glanced past her. “Oh! Kris, would you mind letting your dad in?” he said with a smile. Kris nodded, and Toriel, still glaring, stepped aside.

Suddenly, Asgore engulfed Kris in his arms, wiggling them about as their legs dangled. But then he gasped, too soon, sheepishly set them down. “I…forgot if you like hugs like that.” Asgore said, Toriel still glaring.

But then Kris’ head butted into their father’s belly, their arms wrapping around him.Asgore knelt down and hugged Kris back. The embrace felt firm, a little too firm, as if their father feared….feared…

That pressure on their ribcage didn’t matter.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A tasteful orange tablecloth covered a table set with fancy glasses and proper silverware: the perfect Harvest Day tableau. The four chairs were arranged at the table, just as it should be.

"Asriel?” Toriel said, the phone tucked under her ear. “Asriel, dear, where are you? We’re all set up and waiting for you.” Asgore poured water into the four glasses, his mouth tight. Kris set out silverware by Asgore, their expression unreadable.

The minutes passed, and Toriel called again. Still no luck. She gazed over the table and grimaced. Everything was in place, from all the cutlery to the artfully-arranged foodstuffs. The three reluctantly sat down in two normal-sized chairs and one of the two small ones.

Something weighed heavily in Kris’s chest as they sat. They looked longingly at the other small chair: Asriel’s chair. The one that had long been_ too_ small for him…

Though he may be absent, the power of cooler older brothers still shines within you.

Kris gasped, a feeling of outright dread building up as their heart—no, their SOUL—pounded inside them. No. No no…

Just a couple times in, the words were starting to sound stale.

“Responsible? Responsible? You cannot even sell a single flower.”

The turkey was growing cold.

“I…I would rather not, it is so nice to receive flowers for free—”

The sweet potatoes were growing cold.

“How are you even in the flower-selling business? This foolishness has gone on long enough.”

Right on cue…right as before…the flames started.

Heavy was the head of the Flower King as he spoke. "I like flowers. And it is not foolish to be kind—”

“Kindness has nothing to do with it. It is nothing but wilful incompetence, Dreemurr.”

The turkey was perfect, but it still felt as if smoke coiled around the table. As much as they wanted to open their mouth…what would it matter if they could? They would still suffocate in the smoke coiling up from their mother’s mouth.

Their father’s face was shadowed. Distantly, Kris heard the chair shoved back from the table, and their father’s heavy footsteps….

…and then, the soft click of the door closing. A few moments of quiet.

Then again.

–

Asgore looked askance at Kris.

"Well, we could always try eating without Asriel. He will show up.”

The table was set with delicious foods, but Kris had no appetite. Their body said nothing.

“He deserves a proper Harvest Day, and we can all bear to a wait a little longer.” Toriel replied, her expression tense. The room’s warm orange light felt like a slowly-building house fire.

Talking. Yelling. Leaving.

Again.

–

Asgore looked askance at Kris.

“Well, we could always try eating without Asriel. He will show up.”

This time, Kris’s head nodded. And yet…still no appetite.

“Kris, dear…you would not like it if we started eating without you, would you?”

What did their father even eat? A single pickle, in that bare fridge? Nothing could wash out the taste of that unnamed, bitter blend of emotions in their mind.

Toriel stared blankly at Kris, her fingers twitching. “Fine. Fine.” The words shot out of her mouth like bullets, their target unknown. Kris would have flinched, if they could. What had their body done? Did it nod? What did Toriel mean?

Toriel lifted the carving knife with a look of disdain, and…

Again.

Kris’s throat felt tight. It was a horrible miracle they could choke down any food at all.

Then Asgore put on a big, fake smile. “I guess now it’s Kris eating you out of house and home! Hahaha!”

Toriel glared at him, stood up…

And threw the whole turkey at him!

….but it wasn’t funny.

Always, it started with them sitting awkwardly, quietly, at that table that somehow felt both empty and cramped. No matter what, someone would glance at that little chair, the one too small for Asriel, the one too uncomfortable. Then, inevitably, someone spoke, feebly trying to cut that suffocating silence. Then someone spoke back, and then Toriel started raising her voice, and then Asgore left. And then…the door clicked. And the world would reset that miserable script.

Kris found themselves at the table again, at that point where there were only subtle signs of tension: only a furrow in Toriel’s brow, and only a quirk on Asgore’s lips.

But there was no relief any more. And through it all…they could not move. They could not speak.

Could not even cry.

“Kris…”

The name didn’t really matter any more, did it? If only it could be someone else’s name… someone else’s body stolen from them…

“Kris, are you alright? You’re crying.” Toriel leaned over in concern. From the side of the table, Asgore looked at them with a frown and wide eyes. Kris reflexively wiped away a tear.

Kris stopped. They stared at one of their hands. That…that was by them. Their hand. Their movement. Their tears.

But how long would it last?

“Oh, Kris…”

Two burly arms embraced again, and suddenly…the tears came pouring out. Kris tilted their head, and their bangs draped over their eyes. With only a slight pause, Toriel walked around the table and leaned over, hugging Kris too.

Kris cried all the harder, sniffling.

Why? Why so much, why now?

“It’s okay, Kris.” Asgore said.

“Asriel will come eventually.” Toriel said.

Suddenly, Kris’s eyes went wide. They broke out of their parents’ grip, the chair scudding.

“Oh? Did you hear him at the door?” Asgore asked.

A manic grin split Kris’s face, and they started shaking. They tilted their gaze like a bull about to charge, their bangs drooping even more.

“It’s all right. You can greet him first, if you would like.” Toriel said.

“NO.”

The two monsters stared at Kris in shock. Kris’s breathing got faster and faster.

“Kris—”

Kris ran out.

Their footsteps beat a quick rhythm on the streets. Their path was lit only by the lights of their neighbors’ houses, and the autumn leaves crunched as they ran.

After an eternity and but an instant, they found themselves at the edge of town. Kris slowed down, walking aimlessly, their head bowed. Shadows stretched across the street from the sporadically-placed streetlights. A few paces away was the bus stop, now just a half-lit, rectangular blob.

Suddenly, Kris heard a sharp mechanical hiss. A bus. They looked up numbly to find pale fur shining inside it.The bus’s doors closed, and the figure said something, something drowned out by a diesel roar as the bus sped away.

Kris shivered, looking down again. “Kris!” the figure repeated, so much closer. Yes…that was the word hidden under the roar.

Though the bus’s lights faded into the distance, Kris could still tell who the figure was.

Not a lot of people were tall, white-furred horned monsters.

Kris’ hair slid back as they looked up. “Kris…I’m sorry. My phone ran out of charge, and it wouldn’t charge up again fast enough. And one of the buses I took to get here had some kind of freak accident…and since lots of people were using long-distance buses today, it took a while to get on another one.”

Tears glimmered at Kris’ eyes as Asriel hugged them. Their cooler older bro was so soft and comforting, just like a teddy monster. And although Asriel’s arms were scrawnier than their father’s, his hugs somehow felt so much better, and unburdened by emotions Kris couldn’t name.

“If I could have gotten here sooner, I would.

Let’s go home.”

“Oh, Asriel!”

Kris saw their mother make a genuine smile. How long had it been since she had smiled like that?

“I know, I’m late. One of the buses had a freak accident…”

“And you brought Kris, too! You know, Kris had run off earlier…I am glad you are here to bring them home.”

That tone _snapped _something inside Kris—their mouth clenched. Their muscles tensed. Their blood boiled.

“You always were the responsible one.”

Asriel looked over at Kris, startled. “Uh, Kris?” Asriel asked. “What’s wrong?”

Kris walked back to their room with their shoulders hunched, trying to hide an unsettling grin.

Mutter mutter mutter. “Asriel, you have been gone so long…”

How quickly their relief drained away, like a shower drain without any clogs of white fur.

Hey the trash can smells nice, does it?, this turkey is delicious Mom, did Kris get enough, they didn’t want to eat, I hope there are some leftovers because this is your best cooking yet wouldn’t want them to miss out…

Kris sat on their beige, undecorated bed, trying in vain to relax their closed fists. They tried to control their breathing. They failed.

Where’s Dad, he left early, do you think there’s enough for four people, if he wants to come over he can….

“Don’t forget—there’s still some pumpkin pie!” Toriel exclaimed sweetly, as if pie would fix anything. Kris gave up. They laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, their fists still clenched, their breathing still unsteady. The ebbs and flow of the two’s conversation soon degenerated from the chatter of strangers to nothing more than birdsong—meaningless. Or, at least, to those not of their own kind…

Eventually, the chatter ceased. Footsteps scuffled the carpet, and a door clicked. The silence roared in Kris’s ears, unopposed, inescapable.

Clang.

“Kris?”

They turned around to see Asriel silhouetted in the doorway. The red soul glowed like an unsettling nightlight.

“What…what are you doing?”

Kris frowned and covered the birdcage with a sheet.

“I…I know you’re quiet, Kris,” Asriel said softly. “But I got a feeling this has been bothering you for a long time. You gotta tell me what’s wrong.”

"I don’t want it.” Kris’s voice was hoarse, but firm.

“Huh?”

“My soul.”

Asriel stood back. “That doesn’t make sense. Your soul is you. The culmination of your being…and…how can you even throw it out like that?”

Kris stood silently with an unreadable expression.

“Oh…” Asriel’s frown deepened with concern. “You don’t…like being yourself?” Kris’s head tilted—not a no, not a yes. Asriel’s bed creaked as he sat down.

“But…you gotta keep your soul in your body…I think,” Asriel said. “It’s better to be on the safe side.” Kris looked back to the soul in the cage.

“So…you got any…” Asriel’s words trailed off. “Uh, any new stuff you want to talk about, since I was away? Happy stuff?” For a second, Kris’s head tilted and their lips twitched.

“I have friends.” Kris said suddenly.

“Oh!” Asriel leaned forward. “You…want to talk about it?”

Eating chalk. Standing in front of the dark doorway. Walking on a path of strewn papers… Four friends sitting down in a castle. Finally getting that cake.

“Kris?” Asriel stared at them in concern.

“Tomorrow. I will show you.”

“Show me what, Kris?”

“Tomorrow…let’s go to the Dark World.”

[angelsfalling16]

Unwanted Pumpkins

Part Seven of my Halloween Ficlets

Summary: You almost fainted with excitement when you saw my display of tiny pumpkins are you okay AU

Word Count: 2095

A/N: This will probably be the last fic that I post for this series. I want to use three of the other AUs for a different fic, but I’m not going to make it Halloween related, so this is the last one.

Read it on ao3

***

Baz

“Are you alright? You looked like you were about to faint.”

“You have tiny pumpkins,” the boy says excitedly, his eyes shining brightly.

“I do,” I say slowly, unsure what his point is.

“I thought they all would have been gone by now.”

“These are the ones that were left over after Halloween.”

“That’s so sad.” He says it quietly, a frown marring his beautiful features.

I’m not sure if he was talking to me or not, but I respond anyway.

“Why is that sad?”

“Because they’re unwanted.”

I simply frown at him. I don’t understand him at all.

“You can’t just throw away things that you don’t want.” It sounds like an accusation, but he’s glaring at the pumpkin display and not me. He looks like he’s taken this a little too personally.

“We’re not throwing them away,” I say, attempting to reassure him. “They’re actually 75% off if you want to buy one.”

“I’ll take all of them.” He says it with such forceful determination that it surprises me.

“I’m sorry?” He doesn’t respond to me, though. He’s murmuring to himself, something about a bus and someone not being happy if he brings them home and not having anyway to get them there. I watch him for a minute, curiously, before I speak up again.

“If you want, I could give you a ride.”

I don’t why I offer this. I don’t even know the guy. I’ve seen him in the grocery store, and I’ve noticed how attractive he is with those bronze curls and soft blue eyes, but this is the first time I’ have ever had a conversation with him.

He looks up sharply, a frown still evident on his face. “What?”

“My shift ends in an hour. I can give you a ride if you want.”

“Oh, no. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“You won’t be. I don’t mind at all.” Truthfully, I’m intrigued by him. (And his reaction to these tiny pumpkins.)

“Alright. I’ll take all of these.”

“I’ll go get you a cart.” I leave him alone for a moment, and when I come back, he’s cradling one of the pumpkins in his hands, inspecting it from every angle.

“A perfectly good pumpkin,” he murmurs. “I can’t believe no one wanted it.”

“Here you go,” I say, clearing my throat to grab his attention.

He gives me a small smile, and we load the cart together.

“Are you ready to check out?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, I still need to buy some groceries. I’ll be ready to go by the time you get off.”

“Great. I’ll wait for you by the door.”

“Thanks.” This time when he smiles, it feels genuine, like simply loading the pumpkins into the cart has lifted his mood.

“I’m Baz by the way,” I say quickly as he starts to turn away.

“Simon.” His smile appears to widen as he offers his hand to me. I reach out to shake it, and his grip is firm, his hand soft in mine.

He pulls back and turns away again, and I watch him walk away for far too long before I realize that I better get back to work before I get fired.

***

“So, what do you plan to do with all of the pumpkins?” I ask Simon as we drive to his apartment, him giving me directions as we go.

He shrugs, turning away from the window to look at me. “Paint them, use them as decorations, whatever else I can find to use them for.”

“That’s nice,” I say, unsure what the right response to that is. I don’t want to upset him again by saying the wrong thing, but I’m wondering what will happen when the pumpkins start to rot.

“Turn here,” he directs, and I see his apartment building up ahead on the right.

We don’t talk as I park or as we gather the bags from the back seat. I follow him quietly up the stairs and watch as he unlocks his door. I’m unsure whether I should follow him inside. He didn’t actually invite me over.

Apparently sensing my hesitation, he turns and nods his head. “Come on in.” He smiles at me again, and I feel my heart warm at the sight of it. He’s seriously adorable. I can’t believe I’ve never talked to him before.

I follow him inside, and I’m surprised by how many pumpkins are already placed throughout the rooms. There are a couple of big ones that have been carved with different faces, but there are numerous tiny ones everywhere. Most of them have been painted with different images on them, and it’s obvious just from glancing at them that Simon is pretty artistic.

“You can just set the bags on the table,” Simon says, and I realize that I’ve stopped moving.

I place the bags next to the others and then stand there awkwardly while Simon he puts away the groceries, unsure of whether I should leave now. When he’s finished, Simon turns to me, and he looks like he’s about to say something when the door to the apartment opens.

Simon shakes his head, deciding against saying whatever it was he was about to, and walks out to meet the girl who steps inside, and I quietly follow after.

“Did you get the groceries?” She asks, shrugging out of her jacket. She looks vaguely familiar. I’ve probably seen her at the grocery store before, but I don’t think I’ve ever talked to her.

“Yes.”

She looks up at Simon, and then her eyes immediately turn to meet mine. She stares at me quietly for a moment before turning back to Simon, looking at him suspiciously.

“Who’s this?” She asks, not unkindly.

“Baz. He gave me a ride home. This is my roommate, Penny,” he says to me.

She looks at me again and says, “You look familiar. Have we met before?”

“He works at the grocery store,” Simon says, answering for me.

“Oh. Why’d he give you a ride home?” She simply sounds curious, but she’s still looking at the two of us suspiciously, and I’m not quite sure what the look means.

“I got a few extra things, and I couldn’t take them on the bus with me.”

Her eyes narrow. “What else did you buy?”

“Umm.” Simon sounds nervous now, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Tiny pumpkins.”

She sighs. “I told you not to buy anymore.”

“They were on sale, and I couldn’t just leave them there. No one else wanted them.”

He appears to be pleading with her, and I know that if he were looking at me that way, I would immediately give in. (Because I’m weak.) Penny seems immune to it, though, probably having been the recipient of that look many times before. She shakes her head.

“I’m tired of looking at the pumpkins.”

“I’ll take them to my room then,” he says quickly. Then, he turns to me. “Baz, would you mind helping me?”

“Yeah, no problem.” I grab two of the bags of pumpkins, and he grabs the others before leading me down the hall to one of two bedrooms, shutting the door behind us.

A small, black cat darts between under my legs and under Simon’s bed when I stumble, trying not to step on it.

“That’s Pumpkin,” Simon says, dumping his bags onto his bed gracelessly. I set mine down a little more gently.

“You named your cat Pumpkin?” I ask, not as surprised as I should be.

He shrugs. “She showed up before Halloween, and I like pumpkins. I think it’s a nice.”

“It is,” I tell him. “It’s a cute name.”

“She showed up outside in the cold. Someone had abandoned her, and she was just as unwanted as these pumpkins.”

“Oh.” I’m not sure what else to say. He seems to be very passionate about things that have been abandoned. It makes me think that there’s more to it, but it’s not my place to pry. I barely know him.

He doesn’t say anything else and starts taking the pumpkins out one by one, and I take a moment to look around his room.

It’s messy but in a messily organized kind of way. There’s a table in one corner that appears to be where he does the painting of the pumpkins because it’s covered in paint splattered newspaper and various sized paintbrushes.

There’s another table under the window, more of a desk, but it looks clean, almost as if he doesn’t use it too often. I wonder if he’s in school or if he has a job somewhere. The rest of the room is pretty ordinary, a few pictures hanging on the wall, more drawings than photos, and his bed where we dumped the pumpkins is neatly made.

I watch him for a few minutes as he inspects all of the pumpkins, carrying some of them over to the art table and placing the others aside. I’m not sure how he’s choosing where to put them, but it’s interesting to watch him.

When he’s finished, he turns to me wearing a bashful smile.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“It’s fine.”

He takes a step closer to me and then another, stopping when he has to tilt his head up to keep eye contact with me. I want him to move closer so that I can see the freckles that spatter his face more clearly.

I’m trying to think of something to say to him that doesn’t sound lame, but I’m at a loss for words as my eyes flick down to his mouth. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Would his lips be warm or cold? Soft or rough?

I clear those thoughts away. It’s absurd to want to kiss someone who I just met. There’s something about him that makes me want to get to know him better, to befriend him and possibly take it further.

I still haven’t managed to think of something to say when Simon speaks again.

“I know that we just met, but would it be alright if I kissed you?” Simon asks, practically voicing my thoughts. I’m surprised by his forwardness, but I don’t mind it.

I don’t even need to think about it. “Yes.”

He closes the distance between us quickly, pressing his lips firmly to mine. I reach up to slide my fingers through his hair, and it’s softer than it looks, his curls flopping silkily around my hand.

He tilts his head and does this thing with his chin, and it feels perfect. I’ve only kissed one person before, and that felt forced and wrong. It made me think that maybe I didn’t like kissing, but this kiss is different. This kiss is warm and welcoming. It feels like the beginning of something, and I never want it to end.

Of course, it does end after a few more moments. Simon smiles at me, and I return it warmly.

“Thank you for the ride,” is what he says when he steps back, and I nearly laugh at the strangeness of it.

“No problem.” I’m grinning now. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop.

“Thanks for the kiss, too.”

And now I’m blushing. Simon manages to affect me so easily, but I don’t mind it. “Anytime,” I tell him.

He’s grinning, too, and I think it must be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

“I have to get going,” I say regretfully, “but I don’t have work on Saturday if you want to hang out.”

He nods. “That’d be nice.” Then he surprises me by leaning forward and kissing me again, chastely, and I’m embarrassed to find myself leaning after him.

“See you later, Simon.”

“Bye.”

I run into Penny on the way out, stupid grin still in place, and no matter hard I try, I can’t stop smiling, even as she says, “If you hurt him, I’ll make you regret it,” in a tone that is much more serious than I would have expected from her.

“I won’t hurt him,” I promise her.

She stares at me for a moment longer before nodding and stepping aside to let me pass by her. I smile all the way home, and I realize too late that I forgot to get Simon’s number. Well, at least I know where he lives. I’ll just have to drop by and surprise him on Saturday. Maybe I’ll bring him flowers or chocolate. Or maybe a tiny pumpkin.

***

A/N: Thank you all for reading this fics. I really hope you liked them! :)

[fereality-indy]

Gravity Falls Valor Force Rangers Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Friday June 10th, 2016

Gravity Falls

The One That Got Cafe

“Thompson?”, Tambry called from where the gang was sitting at the counter.

“I was wondering how long it would take you guys,” the guy who ordered espresso said as he stood. While the facial features were similar, the rest of him had changed. He appeared to have grown another six or seven inches and had shed a lot of weight.

“What in the world happened to you man?”, Nate asked as Thompson made it over to the counter.

“Well, shortly after the first semester started I met this great girl. We really hit it off and she started hitting the gym, so I joined her.”, Thompson explained as he waved a hand to show off his physique, “And as you can see it worked out, even if she and I didn't.”

“크래커에 거룩한 쓰레기, 그는 뜨거워. 나는 기꺼이 그녀를 대신 할 것이다.”*, Candy said as she finally got a good look at Thompson. She recognized him sitting down, but standing up she finally saw the difference and she was openly staring.

“고마워요 캔디, 나는 영광 스럽다.”**, Thompson said as he turned towards the startled teen waitress.

The gang all looked between the two not knowing what was going on. Thompson just stood there with a small smile as he watched Candy's reaction.

Candy suddenly got flustered and blushing profusely. She turned away muttering, “What, how? 너는 나를 이해하기로되어 있지 않았다.”***

“What was that?”, Nate asked as he, along with everyone else, tried to figure out what the two were saying.

“Oh she was just congratulating me on the weight loss and I thanked her. Before you ask the ex was from Korea so I got a copy of Behistun Inscription for Korean and nearly blew my Economics course working on it.”, Thompson said as he finally sat down.

“That was sweet, I bet she loved it man.”, Lee said as he handed Thompson his espresso.

“Unfortunately no, by the time I was able to hold conversations with a couple of the others who speak Korean at school something happened.”, Thompson said before he took a sip of his drink, “I went to see her one day and heard a male voice coming out of her dorm room. In Korean he was talking about the idiotic white boy and she told him she was just stringing him on as a way to get a visa.”

“Oh man, I'm so sorry.”, Tambry said as she put a hand across his.

“What's her name, man?”, Wendy asked as she envisioned egging the girl who messed with her friend's heart.

“Not saying,” Thompson replied as he saw the malevolent smirk on her ginger haired friend. Looking at the rest of the group he changed the subject, “So what were you guys talking about before you finally recognized me?”

“Oh just whether or not Wendy and Dipper are finally gonna hook up,” Lee said as he made a french vanilla latte for a customer of Grenda's.

“So I still have a chance to win?', Thompson said with a smirk as Wendy started blushing anew.

Out In The Abandoned Mines Outside Of Town

Lord Tulka and Lady Vane are exploring the caverns, examining the work they put into the lair over the last few days. There were countless black artist mannequin looking humanoids moving about cleaning, setting up furniture, etc.  When the pair enter the large inner chamber they see several oddities had been installed. There was a large bowl that seemed to be connected to a frame contain a blank canvas, a pile of knick-knacks (which included the old Questiony the Question Mark costume, an old postal box, several bear traps (most of which were pried of the legs of the black figures),  and other non essential items the black figures had gathered during there investigations of the modern world.

On the other side of the room there sat a raised dais that held a single white wooden chair that had come from the fenced in pond the drones had found during their searches. It was here that Lord Tulka stopped his explorations and sat, his spear now resting in the slot that once held the umbrella.  Pleased with the way the lair was shaping up he gestured for his companion to come forward.

“Lady Vane, are our troops ready to test this world and see if it is to be found fit?”, the hirsute Lord Tulka called as she approached.

“My lord, I have been creating Cryptizones,” she replied as she swept her hands towards the black wooden figures, “from the local flora and our forces have been collecting artifacts for me to study. Soon I'll be able to help create more servants for your command. But until then we should send an advance squad in to gauge the strength of our enemies.”

“Tomorrow we shall send out Vodak, he will give us a decent idea on the town's strength.”, Lord Tulka said before he took another look around the chamber, “Where is he? That cone headed buffoon is never here when I want him.”

In the chamber there were several of the Cryptizones working on a mural along one wall depicting Lord Tulka holding the world in his arms. From the hall to the right of the mural in walks what on first glance looks like a six foot tall Gnome. But on the second glance you can tell that nothing that he is not a normal Gnome. The first issue (besides his size) is the gray leathery look of his skin and the brownish-green tint of his hair. Then there was his beard, while the same color as his hair was cut in a van dyke instead of the full beard. Next is his state of dress, while the overalls and shirt were the norm for Gravity Falls Gnomes the colors weren't. The overalls were as dirty black and ripped in several places while the light brown shirt had had the sleeves ripped off. And his hat (which if he took it off would leave him standing at just five feet tall) was a deep brown and as dirty as the rest of him. Sleeved up his right arm there appeared to be some sort of forearm guard that covered from his elbow to his wrist.      

“There you are, Vodak!”, Lord Tulka called as the giant Gnome came into his line of sight, “And just where have you been?”

“My liege, I was out procuring food as you had commanded.”, Vodak said holding up several cloth bags that appeared to have at one time been bedsheets, “I was able to gather some fresh venison and I was able to abscond a supply of human for for the two of you to try.”

He handed off the sacks that held the venison to a Cryptizone who took them off to the kitchen chamber. He sat the other two down on a table in the chamber and began pulling items out to show his 'master' and his true mistress. He pulled out boxes of cereal, a wheel of cheese, a couple bags of jerky, a six pack of Tubby Tusk Root Beer in bottles and one of Pitt Cola, and a stack of granola bars. The jerky and the soda he bought forth to Lord Tulka.    

“An offering to you my liege, cured meats and beverages to wash it down.”, Vodak said as he offered the snacks to Lord Tulka. He then turned and walked towards Lady Vane and as he passed the table he reached into the smaller sack and pulled out a box of chocolate bonbons, “and for the lady I offer sweet for the sweet.”

As she took the offered candies they heard a loud pop and turned to see Lord Tulka drinking from the neck of the bottle of soda as it appeared that he bit the cap off and swallowed it.  

“Buuurrrrppp!”, Lord Tulka belched as he released the pressure of the carbonated drink. Turning towards Vodak he said, “Tomorrow you shall take a squad of Cryptizones into the town and find a large gathering to test the worthiness of the town.”

“Yes Lord Tulka,” Vodak replied. As he headed to take the remaining snack items to the kitchen chamber a malicious thought came to him, 'And I know just where to attack, those brats that always gave Geoff problems are returning tomorrow and while I was procuring these supplies I remember one of the townsfolk mention a party at the old tourist trap where they used to live. I can kill two birds with one stone, test the troops an show up Geoff by getting rid of those brats.'

Saturday June 11th, 2016 12:15 PM  

Gravity Falls Bus Terminal

As the Speedy Beaver bus pulled up to the terminal the small group of people that appear to be waiting for it stretch out a sign that reads, 'Welcome Back, Dipper & Mabel!!!' Among those holding the sign was Stan, Ford, Wendy, Candy, Grenda, & Pacifica. Soos and Melody stayed at the Shack to finish the last minute preparations for the party. The bus hadn't even started to stop before they heard a familiar voice yelling, “They're here, they're here. I told you Dip Dop.”

When the door to the bus finally opened a sixteen year old Mabel Pines practically flew out of the bus and stage dived into her friends and family. After all of the hugs were finished she pulled back and everyone got a chance to actually see her for the first time since the end of the previous summer. At five foot ten inches she hadn't grown any taller, but she had cut her hair in a pageboy style and a light blue sweater was tied around her waist. She had on midnight blue leggings that were speckled with stars, a black tiered skirt, and a gray camisole with a picture of Jasper the Genial Specter doing a backstroke on the front of it.

“You're looking good pumpkin,” Stan said as he pulled her into a hug, “We're gonna have to keep the boys away by force this year.”

“I do have some new stun gloves I need to test out,” For added as he took his turn hugging her.

“You guys,” Mabel giggled as she swatted the two elder twins. She then headed towards her friends.

“You know Mabel, you could have helped me.”, a somewhat familiar voice called from the door of the bus.

Most heads turned towards the voice as Mabel called out, “Hey you lost the bet fair and square mister!”

While they saw Wendy's old hat, it didn't seem to be on a person they recognized. The last year had been good to Dipper it seems. When the twins left last year he was still a good two inches shorter than Mabel, but he now appeared to be towering a good four inches over her. He also had lost the last of the baby fat he had had when they left. With a jaw line not quite a square as his Grunkles, it was still decently defined and had the start of a soul patch just below his lip. And while he was still somewhat skinny, there was some noticeable start of definition in his arms and calves. Like his sister his look had evolved some also. He had on a pair of denim cargo shorts, a black A-shirt, and a short sleeved green flannel. He was pulling along two rolling suitcases and had a backpack hanging off each shoulder. While he walked over to the crowd, the driver had gotten off and was unloading four more suitcases.

“Well guys, we're back for the summer!”, he exclaimed as he dropped the two backpacks and let go of the suitcases.      

“Who are you and what did you do to my nibbling of a nephew?”, Stan asked with a chuckle in his voice that said he was joking.

“It's good to see you Dipper,” Ford said as he held out a hand.

“Aw come here you two fogeys,” Dipper said as he pulled his two Grunkles into a hug. As he pulled back he felt his hat being lifted off of the top of his head.

“Well Dip, time for this bad boy to come back where it belongs.”, Wendy said as she held up the trappers cap.

Dipper reached out to take either the trapper's cap or his old pinetree hat and Wendy attempted to keep both hats away from him as she has done the previous three years. But unlike the previous years he was now as tall as her, so he reached out and grabbed the pinetree hat which he placed back on his head.

“Hey there Wendy,” he said as he pulled her into a hug. He held this hug longer than any other hugs than have been exchanged so far.

“Alright you two break it up, we need to get to the shack. Soos and Melody are waiting for us,” Stan said as he smirked at the two teens.

Fifteen Minutes Later At The Shack

“Alright Doods, let's get the party started.”, Soos called out from the DJ booth as he worked the sound system.

As Dipper watched, couples gathered out on the dance floor. Blubs and Durland, Robbie and Tambry, Nate and the girl from the pizza joint at the mall, even Mabel and her girls were all out there dancing. Actually it seemed that Mabel, Candy, and Grenda were dancing in a circle around Pacifica who was laughing along with their antics. He also saw several others from around town there on the floor. Lee and Thompson, man he thought he had changed a lot over the school year but Thompson was almost a new man, were seated on the sofa against the other wall.

“Same ol Dip, huh.” he heard a familiar voice ask from his side. When he turned his head he saw that Wendy had snuck up beside him while he was watching the crowd.

“Wha, what do you mean?”, he asked the his long time friend.

“Well the party is out there and yet here you are hugging the wall,” she said as she leaned back against the wall with him.

“Oh well you know, parties really aren't my thing.”, he said as he bobbed his head along with the music.

“Sure, with the way you filled out I'm betting you're having to beat the girls off with a stick. They're probably are trying to get you out to dances all the time man.”

“Eh, I've had a couple ask, but they weren't y...”, Dipper was saying as he looked over at the beautiful red head at his side, when he caught a strange sight out of the corner of his eye. Walking into the dance room was a giant gray Gnome and he was heading straight for the girls.

Realizing something was off for once Blubs and Durland interposed themselves between the coming creature and the girls.

“Just what do you think you're doing here mister?”, the off duty sheriff asked before the hulking Gnome backhanded him sending him flying across the room. Durland called out for his husband as he abandoned his defense of the girls to rush to his side.

“Stand behind me girls,” Grenda called out as she pulled her friends behind her. At five foot eleven inches she was easily the tallest and she still carried her bulky muscular frame.

Dipper looked around for his Grunkles as he and Wendy moved away from the wall and headed towards the creature. He remembered Ford had begged off of the party shortly after they arrived and as he looked he saw Stan on the ground outside the door the Gnome came in. as they moved he saw Thompson had also gotten up and was heading towards the aggressor. They got there in time to see Grenda slump to the floor with Candy rushing to her side. By now most of the other party goers had escaped out through the gift shop exit, though a few had stayed around long enough to get pictures of the creature. Soos and Melody had even made it back around to the other side to check on Stan. Once they had made he was ok they carefully got him to safety.

Looking over at Candy, Thompson called out. “Get her out of here, we'll cover your exit.”

Wendy looked over at Pacifica and Mabel and added, “You two should probably get out of here also.”

“No way!”, Pacifica declared as she dropped into a wide stance, “I've been studying martial arts since I was eight and now I get a chance to use them. Besides this guy hurt my friends, I'm staying.”

“Yeah, broseph there isn't the only one who's been training at our godfather's gym back home.”, Mabel pointed out as she started cracking her knuckles, “And this way we outnumber him five to one.”

“Oh, oh cute. You all think I'm alone,” Vodak chided with a chuckle. Behind him a dozen black painter's mannequins suddenly appeared. In what appeared to be both fluid and jerky in their movements, they all slowly moved out from behind him.

As the creatures came forward and worked their way around the five friends as to surround them.

“CRYPTIZONES, ATTACK!”, Vodak ordered and as one the black mannequins charged towards Wendy, Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, & Thompson.

===============================

Well all here is the second chapter of the Valor Force Rangers. First we find out some of Thompson's back story and why his appearance has changed over the last two years. Then we get a look into the villains HQ and get a small look at their motives. Next the Twins are finally back in town. And finally Vodak interrupts the Welcome back party.

From Korean thanks to Google Translate

* Holy crap on a cracker, he's gotten hot. I will gladly take her place.

** Thank you Candy, I'm flattered.

*** You were not supposed to understand me.

Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works here:

Gravity Heroes, A Superhero AU. A few months after the Mystery Twins head home from Gravity Falls Mabel gets a call from Soos telling her that Dipper was found turned to stone out in the woods. The problem is Dipper is standing right next to her. This leads them off to a new adventure.

Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren’t necessarily required to read the main story-line. It’s essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents.

Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region, My take on the Pokemon AU. Follow the adventures of the potential Pokemon Master Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel, Pokemon Coordinator extraordinaire, while they travel through the Gravity Falls Region.

The Curse, thanks to a misunderstanding Wendy is targeted by a fairy curse. This is a short story following what happens afterwards.

I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If you do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I’m happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the Gravity Heroes AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I’ll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up.

Again I’d like to give a shout out to dusk4224, EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven’t already.

Please review. I’m always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you’re gonna troll please move on.

[awkwarddezzy]

Ignite

Pairing: Dan x Phil

Genre: friendship, romance, slight angst

TW: swearing, mentions of alcohol

Word count: 7,494

Summary: Hawaii: the state everyone knows as paradise. For Dan Howell, the label is far from what his life is truly like. When Phil transfers to Dan’s high school from Manchester, the two boys instantly become friends. But will the revelation of Dan’s hidden past affect their budding friendship? Phan HS AU.

Hey ya’ll! This is technically my first fanfic posting of 2017, although I already had this written back in 2016. I mentioned a handful of times in tags for my shitposting that I wrote a Phan-inspired story as part of my short story portfolio for my creative writing class last semester. I submitted said story for possible publication at my college’s local journal, so cross your fingers with me that it’ll make the cut. I mean, can you imagine a phanfic legitimately bring published?

My professor absolutely loved the story. Even though it was over the word limit (she set it as 4,000), she told me she didn’t mind the word count as long as the plot was good. Needless to say, I got an A on it. Hell, when we had to type an analysis about our stories, I specifically mentioned being inspired by Dan and Phil and how homogenous relationships are often undermined in young adult literature.

I’m proud of this baby. Aside from character names (because I didn’t wanna plagiarize), this is nearly word for word of that story. I guarantee this is different than any phanfics ever to exist. One, because the setting is in Hawaii (our professor gave us extra credit if we tied our story to Hawaii in some way since I do go to a community college in Oahu). Two, to make it personal, I made my Dan-inspired character Filipino (because I’m Filipino myself) and kept my Phil-inspired character British. In short, this is my story using the YouTubers I had in mind while writing the story. It’s basically a high school AU, which I’m used to writing when it comes to AU’s.

I finally got around to posting this in light of Phil’s birthday. I CAN’T BELIEVE OUR BELOVED ANGEL BEAN IS FINALLY 30. *screams* He’s getting old. We’re getting old. Jesus Christ, Phil’s finally reached the age of parenthood. It’s only a matter of time when we see Phil Jr’s walking around England lol.

Now on with the story!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

When people use fire as a metaphor for love, I roll my eyes and silently think these people are delirious. They think love is a burning passion they allow themselves to consume them completely. Or they think love is a spontaneous combustion when two pairs of eyes are caught in a lingering stare for the first time. But those are the fools talking. Those people are blind to what fire really means.

Fire is despising the source of its ignition.

Fire is a glow you believed had completely faded, yet still remained raging within you.

Fire is a curse and a traitor, yet also a blessing and a helping hand.

Fire is what makes me fluctuate between being a dreamer and a realist.

~:~

He’s a needle in a haystack with his raven hair, cerulean eyes, and pale skin. The cafeteria is swarming with incoherent conversations between students coming in and out of the stuffy building. I stand stock still, lunch tray in hand, debating whether or not I should go talk to him.

My feet move toward the boy with no hesitation. He stares intently at me when I place my lunch tray on the table’s wooden surface and sit on the benched seat across from him.

We remain silent for several seconds before I blurt out, “I like your shirt.” He’s wearing a white t-shirt embedded with lyrics from a Panic at the Disco song.

“You like PATD?” His voice carries a heavy British accent.

“One of my favorite bands.”

A corner of his mouth curves slightly upward. “What other bands are you into?”

“Ummm… Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, Breaking Benjamin, Muse-”

“Whoa there. What are you, some Asian clone of me?”

I chuckle. “No, but that would be pretty epic.”

He grins. “You’re the first person I’ve ever met who know Muse.”

Warmth seeps to my cheeks. “They’re one of the first bands I got into. I have a soft spot for their Origins of Symmetry album.”

“No way! That’s my favorite album too.”

I beam. Going to meet up with my friends doesn’t seem like a priority anymore. “So how come I’ve never seen you around?”

He picks up a carrot stick, dipping it into the blob of ranch dressing on the top right corner of his lunch tray, then taking a bite out of it. “I moved here from Manchester a couple weeks ago. You know, for a place where everyone want to vacation, it’s way different when you’re actually living there.”

“That’s paradise for ya. Tourists get beaches, fine accommodations, and hot hula girls. Locals get Pidgin, spam musubi, and a complex bus system.”

“I’m out of my element here.”

“You’ll learn to adjust.”

He finishes the rest of the carrot stick. “I’m Phillip by the way, but you can call me Phil.”

“Phil… got it.”

“Uh-huh. My entire first name makes me sound like a grandpa.”

I laugh. “You’re gonna be a grandpa someday anyway.”

“Hey, I’m still young! Lemme enjoy my teen years while I can.”

“Sure, Phillip.”

He sticks his tongue out to me playfully. “And what should I call you, Phil 2.0?”

“Well Mr. PATD, you can call me Dan. It’s short for Daniel.”

“Dan.” My name rolls off his lips in a way that sounds as if he has known me for years rather than a few minutes. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Perhaps the school year won’t be as boring as I thought it would be.

~:~

Sam, Louise, and PJ bombard Phil with questions when I introduce him to them after school that same day.

“What’s England like?”

“How do you like Oahu so far?”

“Have you tried a malasada yet?”

“What do you think about our school?”

“Why did you move here?”

“Have you ever met Emma Watson?”

“Guys! Geez, calm your tits.” I look toward Phil apologetically. “Sorry. We don’t get to meet a lot of new students who come from outside the island.”

“It’s okay.” Phil smiles shyly at my friends. “No one’s really tried to talk to me for more than two minutes till Dan approached me. I was afraid I’d be a loner for the entire year.”

PJ whistles. “Damn, Daniel. What happened to being antisocial?”

“I prefer the term introvert,” I retort.

“You haven’t made the first move in anything since you told Sam how you felt about her,” Louise says.

Phil glances between Sam and me. “You two are boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Sam loops her arm around my elbow, pressing her chest against the side of my body. “As of a couple weeks ago, yes.”

“I didn’t know that,” Phil says, giving me a scrutinizing gaze.

I rub the back of my head. “I thought it wasn’t important to mention until you got to meet my friends in person.”

“Ah.” He nods in understanding, but I detect a hint of a different emotion in his eyes. Disappointment? Disapproval? I internally shake my head. It’s probably my usual paranoia of students’ judgments whenever they see Sam and I together. Even though Sam has been my best friend for years, anyone outside my circle of friends haven’t fully comprehend why Sam prefers to be around PJ, Louise, and I. Her near flawless looks makes her more fitting for the popular crowd rather than the nerdy emo’s.

“Well then,” Louise chimes in, shoving my momentary doubts out of my head. “Who want to go to Starbucks?”

~:~

Phil gives me a tour of his house the weekend following the first week back to school. The moment I step inside the Lester residence, I’m astonished by how lively his home is compared to mine. There are houseplants in practically every corner of the house. Polaroid photos of his family are tacked to the walls of the living room. Upstairs, in Phil’s bedroom, he has various plushies littering the floor, a full-length poster of Sarah Michelle Geller on the wall behind his bed, and even a tiny cactus displayed on his bedside drawer. His twin-sized bed is covered with a green, blue, and purple checkered bedsheet, shades I think is fitting to his colorful personality.

“Sorry it’s a little messy in here,” Phil says. “I have a lot of stuff and my new room’s not as big as my old one in Manchester.”

“It’s fine. My room’s a bit messy too.”

He smiles, picking up a Totoro plushie and dropping it on his bed. “So what’s your flat like?”

“Flat?”

“Apartment.”

“Oh.” Reminder: start learning some British slang. “Not as great as yours. Roaches creeping on the floor at night. Shitty air conditioning. Noisy ass neighbors. At least my mom makes enough as a nurse to keep a roof over my head.”

“What about your dad?”

“He’s… gone.”

He frowns. “Sorry to hear that.”

I respond with a curt nod. “But you’re free to come over next weekend if you want.”

His frown disappears, morphing back to the smile that he wore earlier. “That’ll be great.”

If only you knew just how much I miss him, I think. And hate him at the same time.

~:~

There’s a paper bag from Bath and Body Works on Phil’s bedroom floor when I stay over at the Lesters on a Saturday night in mid-October. I’ve been spending most of the weekend so far doing homework and catching up with episodes of Attack on Titan and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Sam and Louise are busy rehearsing for a PowerPoint presentation for their Modern Hawaiian History class and PJ is helping his family prepare for his cousin’s debutante, so I’ve been spending the time outside of my apartment hanging out with Phil.

“What’s with the bag?” I ask.

“Oh this?” He picks up the paper bag and empties its contents, revealing three candles and a bottle of lotion. “Mum went to Pearlridge today, so I asked her to buy these for me.”

I scan over the candle labels: Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie, and Marshmallow Fireside. “Never pegged you for a candle person.”

“It’s a thing that runs in my family.” He picks up one of the candles. “In their uni years, my dad confessed his feelings for my mum by spelling out ‘I love you’ with candles at a beach in Liverpool. Mum loved the gesture so much, and since then, Dad’s been getting her candles on every anniversary.”

“Your dad sounds like a complete romantic.”

He nods, placing the candle on his bed. “I think candles are an excellent representation of my parents’ marriage. Their love is a candle with a flame that’ll never die.”

“They must be really happy together.”

“Twenty years and still going strong.”

Bittersweet memories of my mom, dad, my 10-year-old brother Adrian, and me surface in my mind. Thanksgivings when my dad splurged on the turkey special from Golden Coin. Christmases when we woke up at 7 AM to open gifts while watching the Macy’s Christmas Day parade. Birthdays celebrated with dinners at Max’s Restaurant. Those days are a lifetime ago, days when I still looked forward to Sundays when Dad was off from work and gave me guitar lessons.

“Yeah…” Those days are a thing of the past. On the bright side, having an absent father taught me not to be naïve and fueled my appreciation for rock music.

As if sensing my distress, Phil says, “So… wanna play some Smash Bros?”

I grin. Crushing him in one of my video games is a healthy distraction I need from my vortex of childhood memories. “I’d be stupid not to.”

~:~

When Sam suggests for me to perform for the winter pep rally, the fears I buried when I started dating her crash through my mind like a wrecking ball.

“You’re kidding,” I say in a monotone voice. We’re on my bed, Sam laying down with her dyed dirty blonde hair fanned across my Pikachu pillow and me sitting cross-legged with my guitar settled on my lap. I was in the middle of playing “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol when Sam casually brought up the question.

“I’m not.” She moves into an upright position. “Think about it. Five minutes on stage with hundreds of students cheering your name. Phil, Peej, and Lou know how talented you are. Don’t you think it’s about time to let the entire school know too?”

“No.”

She sighs. “It’s your dad, isn’t it? Danny, just because your dad was a musician doesn’t mean you’ll make the same choices he did. Besides, if being at the center of attention isn’t for you, then the pep rally can be a one-time thing. Don’t let your potential go to waste.”

I bite the inside of my mouth. A part of me is itching to live out my dream of capturing people’s souls while I perform, but the other part of me is trembling at the thought of being in my dad’s shoes. Going through with this could open up a possibility of Sam and me splitting apart.

I can’t lose Sam. Even if she isn’t my girlfriend, I can’t imagine a future without her. The Earth can be a cruel planet; I can’t navigate through it without having someone who’s equally as confused about the world as I am by my side.

She curls her arms around my neck. “I know you’re scared, but can you do it for me? For one day, can I pretend to be your rock star girlfriend sitting in the audience as you play a song dedicated to me?”

“What song do you have in mind?”

“Hmmm… a song probably everyone knows, but still fits your style.”

“So… something from Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, or Bruno Mars?”

“Yeah!” She stares at me with her puppy-dog eyes. “So will you do it?”

One pep rally won’t be the death of you. “I’ll… give it a shot.”

She squeals, peppering the side of my face with kisses. “Thank you thank you thank you! You’re gonna be great, Danny. Show those Mariah Carey wannabees that serenading isn’t dead yet.”

I laugh. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

~:~

Nerves rattle through my body when the student announcers call my name. The audience claps as I make my way onto the platform of the makeshift stage. Standing in front of the microphone stand with the Velcro strap holding my guitar against my abdomen, I position my fingers above the instrument’s strings. Looking out into the crowd, I spot Sam, Phil, PJ, and Louise grinning enthusiastically at me.

You’ll be fine. They’ll be proud of me no matter what happens.

I strum the opening notes of “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran. When I start to sing, my pre-performance jitters dissipates. I let my hands do the playing and the lyrics do the talking. I lose myself to the symphonious tune of the song, my heart beating rhythmically like a pendulum. Thoughts about my dad are knocked out of my head, replaced with a surge of joy as I think, Why didn’t I answer to the spotlight’s call sooner?

The gym fills with applause once my performance ends. My friends are on their feet, along with dozens of other juniors, upperclassmen, and even underclassmen.

I beam from ear to ear.

I’ve never felt so alive.

~:~

Hip-hop music pulsates across the spacious area of Chris Kendall’s house. Bodies grind on the open area of the living room where furniture was shoved aside to make room for a dance floor. Parties are definitely never on my agenda. I’m only here at Chris’s graduation party because PJ wanted to go for fun (it was an open invite), Sam and Louise wanted to go to have the full high school experience, and Phil wanted to see if a high school party in Hawaii is any different than the few he went to when he lived in England. Before my performance during the winter pep rally, I was someone that no one spared a second glance. Five months later and two more performances from the spring pep rally and junior prom under my belt, I get hellos from random students in-between class periods and invites to parties from popular students. So here I am, a red plastic cup filled with Pepsi in my hand (I have my values and know better than to take one sip of alcohol) while watching my friends dancing, breathing through my mouth to avoid sniffing the sickly scent of weed and cigarettes.

“Dan!” Phil stumbles out of the kitchen holding an empty Heineken bottle.

“Hey… Phil.” I finish the rest of my drink and toss the cup into one of the trash bags lying around next to the snack table. “You look like you’re having fun.”

“I am! Aren’t you?”

“If by watching people shamelessly doing things they might regret in the morning, sure.”

“Aw. Lighten up, mate!” His palm slaps the back of my shoulder. “Want me to get you a bottle?”

“I’ll pass… wait, how much have you had to drink?”

“Eh, couple bottles I think. Might go for a third.”

“No you aren’t.” I grab his wrist and drag him to the front door. When we’re outside, I lead him to the backyard. I don’t want to haul an intoxicated Phil back to his house. Perhaps some fresh air can sober him up.

I lay him down on his back on the grass, then sit down next to him. His mouth forms into a lazy smile.

“You look pretty, Dan.”

I laugh. “I’m not a girl, dude.”

“What a shame. You’d be my perfect Buffy.”

“You and your Buffy obsession.”

“Yeah… but I love you more than Buffy.”

My blood goes cold. He isn’t saying what I think he’s saying, is he?

Phil takes my silence as a sign for him to continue. “Why did I meet a perfect guy who’s taken? You’re so smart and talented and so good at video games. I had so much hope the first time we met that we could someday be something more, then I find out you have a girlfriend and I had to learn how to just be friends with an impossible dream.” He sighs. “Why did it have to be you I fell in love with?”

Suddenly, he takes a fistful of my shirt and yanks me down onto him. I fall on top of him, my face inches away from his.

“I… love you,” he mumbles before his eyelids flutter close.

I roll myself off from his body, then scramble to sit up and scoot away from him. Heat rushes to my face, my own body quivering from his words.

“Holy shit,” I whisper.

I touch my lips. He may not have kissed me, but his words feel like he did.

~:~ One week has passed since Chris’s party.

There’s no one I can tell about Phil’s drunk confession. He has no recollection of what he told me, and I have no clue if what he said is true. There’s a likelihood it isn’t. People can say all sorts of unpredictable things when they’re shitfaced drunk and not mean any of it.

Yeah right. No one says “I love you” to me without being serious.

“Fancy playing Mario Kart while we wait for the others?” Phil asks. We’re sitting on the sofa in my living room, waiting for Sam, Louise, and PJ to arrive. The five of us aren’t in the mood of going out today, so we planned a casual indoor hangout in my apartment.

“Sure,” I reply. “I’ll go get us some drinks.”

“Grab me an iced tea, yeah?”

I smile. After living in Oahu for nearly a year, Phil gradually got himself addicted to Hawaiian Sun drinks. “You’re in luck. Mom bought a fresh stock just for you.”

I leave Phil to peruse my video game collection under the TV stand and head to the kitchen. I open the refrigerator door and grab two cans of Hawaiian Sun: an Iced Tea for Phil and a Lilikoi for me. Carrying the cans back into the living room, I’m putting the two drinks on the coffee table when I hear three knocks on the door.

That bus ride was quick. I dash to the front door. Upon unlocking it, the face that greets me is one I least expect to see.

“Daniel.” The way he speaks my name has the familiar tenderness that would gravitate me into his arms when I was in elementary school. But hearing his voice now is a thousand needles stabbing at my heart all at once. My lungs shrivel at the pain scorching my chest.

I can’t breathe. My vision is blurring from months of pent-up resentment. Not knowing what to do, I back away and rush to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I collapse on the floor and bury my fingers in my hair. This cannot be happening to me.

A few minutes later, I hear the door swing open.

“Mate!” Phil kneels down in front of me, his face contorted into a concerned expression. “You look like rubbish.”

“No shit.”

“That guy at the door told me he’s your father. Is it true?”

I remove my hands from my head. How he could be staying so goddamn calm? He should be furious at me for lying to him, not composed and acting like I didn’t drop a bomb on him.

“He is,” I whisper.

“You said he was gone.” “He was, but he may as well be dead to me.”

“Why? What did he do to you?”

I swallow my anger threatening to rise again. “He left me, alright? He left my family for some woman named Erica he met on the streets while we were on vacation for the summer in the Philippines when I was nine. They were contacting each other behind our backs after we left and Mom caught ‘em together at Ala Moana a year later when Erica came to visit him. Mom and Dad ended up getting divorced the summer before I was in 7th grade, just shy of my 12th birthday. He left for the Philippines afterward and he’s been living there with Erica since.”

Phil doesn’t immediately respond, just staring at me in shock. I use his silence to continue my rant.

“Music is important to me because of my dad. He played all sorts of gigs when he was my age, but gave up his musician dream so he could support my mom when she was pregnant with me. He taught me how to play a guitar and got me into rock music when he told me rock is music in its rawest form.” I direct my attention to the vinyl cover of Muse’s Origins of Symmetry album nailed next to the window. “Dad’s the reason why I love that album. He bought it for me on my 7th birthday. I listened to that record on repeat after the divorce and was what got me through the first few year without him.”

“And you hadn’t seen him since the divorce,” Phil concludes.

I shake my head. “He came once during the holidays when I was in 9th grade. I pretty much avoided talking to him the whole time.”

The wake of a wildfire is outside of my bedroom. He’s the cause of why my family is a mess. He chose another woman over us. How can I forgive the man who destroyed my picture-perfect family? How can I let go of the hurt I’m still feeling four years later?

“I don’t blame you for not telling me,” Phil says.

I turn my head to look at Phil, vulnerability running through my veins. “I’m a horrible person. I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I kept it a secret because I didn’t want you to know how crappy my life really is.”

“Again, not blaming you.” He drapes his arm across my shoulders. “I get that you felt betrayed by your dad, and nothing can erase the pain you still feel. But he’s out there right now. He flew whatever miles it is from the Philippines to Hawaii to see you. Nothing’s hunky-dory between you two, but you can still fix things with him. I saw how crushed he looked when you ran off on him like that. He wants to make things right. I’m not saying you should outright forgive him, but I think you should give him a second chance. Let him be a father to you while he still has healthy lungs and isn’t in a wheelchair.”

I look into his eyes, his blue orbs looking back at me with a softness that douses my anger away. As tension rolls off my shoulders, the memory of his drunk confession flashes through my mind.

“Why did it have to be you I fell in love with?”

Did Dad or Erica ever speak the exact same sentence to each other at one point in their relationship? What was it about Erica that drew my dad to him? How did Dad know he loved Erica more than my mom? I don’t know the answer to those questions. I don’t know why Mom didn’t fight for her right to remain as Dad’s wife. I don’t know how Erica’s family reacted when they learned about her relationship with a married man. I don’t know much about their relationship, other than how they met and how they loved each other to a point of sacrificing their family’s trust to be with each other.

The clarity hits me like a curveball.

Love is an emotion that can’t be tamed. It can blind us, be an intense slap to the face, hurt us in any way possible, but it can never leave us completely empty. It’s why I’m still affected by my dad’s choices. It’s why I still prefer rock over any other genre of music, even when it was Dad’s preferred music style. It’s why there’s still fire raging inside me whenever I think about Dad. I still love him amidst the ache he imprinted in my heart. It’s why, as I gaze into Phil’s vibrant eyes that always seem to contain a gentleness I usually don’t see in males, I finally understand what I’ve been fearing all along. I wasn’t afraid of thinking about the past and making the same wrong choices as my dad; I was afraid of listening to the other side of a story and discovering things that may have been right in front of me all along.

“Go talk to him,” he murmurs, drawing his arm away from me. The loss of his friendly touch leaves a dull ache in my chest.

It’s time to face the music.

“Mind if you come with me?”

“Of course. Did you think I was planning to let you face him alone?”

Fireflies stir in my stomach. Once I deal with the person outside this room, I’ll think about what these fireflies mean. I don’t know why the fireflies popped up unexpectedly, but I sort of like it.

Phil helps me stand, staying close to me as I open the door. We walk into the living room, where I find Dad sitting on the sofa. I take a deep breath, my hand taking purchase on Phil’s arm. His presence is my gravity, helping me to control negativity in my emotions. If I’m going to make an effort to patch things up, I can’t go berserk if I feel the slightest agitation.

“Dad?”

I hear his breath hitch when he turns his head to the direction of my voice. Same dark chocolate eyes. Same unruly brunette hair. Same mole marked on the ridge of his nose. I’m looking at an older version of myself, albeit as someone wiser that has seen more of the world. That, and I can’t stand my natural messy hair. I can’t leave the house without using my hair straightener.

“Anak,” he says softly.

The fireflies glow for a brief second.

“It’s okay,” Phil whispers. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

Dad glances toward Phil. “This is your friend, right?”

Phil gives an awkward wave at Dad. “Hi. Sorry I didn’t properly introduce myself earlier. I’m Phillip, Phil for short.”

“Phil … it’s nice to meet you.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Howell.”

I can’t help the low chuckle that escapes my lips. “This isn’t Pride and Prejudice, dude.”

Phil laughs. “What? This is a momentous occasion, Dan. This is more nerve-wracking than making a first impression to my girlfriend’s parents.”

“You never even had a girlfriend.”

“I will one day.”

For some reason, I’m a bit upset by his response. So did his drunk confession mean nothing? Or is he making an Oscar-worthy ruse to cover up his feelings? My effort to analyze his emotions is only confusing me further.

Dad clears his throat. Right. Dad first, Phil later.

“Anyway-” I say, “Dad, what are you doing here all of a sudden? If you’re looking for Mom, she won’t be home from work till around six.”

“I’m aware of that. I actually wanted to talk to you first, if it’s okay,” Dad replies.

“Fine, but Phil stays with us.”

“I see no problem with that.”

Phil and I make our way over to the sofa, my hand still on Phil’s arm. Dad moves to give us room, leaving me to sit in the middle so Dad is to my left and Phil is to my right.

“Where’s Erica?” I begin.

Dad shakes his head. “I asked her to come, but she thought it would be best for me to be here alone.”

“How long will you stay?”

“A week, two weeks at the most.”

“Dad…” I move my hand from Phil’s arm to his jean-covered thigh. “Ummm… this might sound out of the blue, but how did you know you were in love with Erica?”

“Oh… to be honest, Jessica was the reason why,” he tells me sheepishly.

“Mom?” I say incredulously. “But… how?”

He smiles, leaning back on the sofa. “In many ways, Erica is a lot like your mother. She put her studies first, cared about her family more than anything else, and worked hard to give herself a good future. She became an attorney to provide for her family, and she cherishes her job so much, though she told me more than once she felt she was missing something from her life. She didn’t know what it was until she reunited with her childhood friend.”

“Who was that?”

“Your mother.”

“Wait… what? I thought Mom and Erica were strangers until you got together with Erica.”

“Your mother and I only said that because we thought you weren’t ready for the truth.”

“Dad! I was 11! I watched enough episodes of Maalala Mo Kaya to know what reality is about.”

He looks at me forlornly. “I know that now, anak. I’m sorry.”

I sigh. “I’m turning 17 next week. Whatever secret you’re keeping from me, I wanna hear it.”

He nods. The story he tells me drastically alters my perspective of Dad.

Mom and Erica knew each other because they were best friends when they were kids and lost touch with each other after Mom immigrated from Cebu to Honolulu when she was eight.

Dad courted Erica in high school. When he got accepted into an exchange program for the University of Hawaii in Manoa, he made a promise with Erica to go on a date with her once he graduated from college and moved back home.

During his third year at UH Manoa, he met Mom during an open mic night at a bar in Waikiki. Mom was in UH Manoa’s nursing program and skipped a night of studying to hang out with her friends at the bar that Dad had his gig at.

Mom and Dad became friends, which gradually turned into love.

Dad was guilty about breaking his promise to Erica, but Erica understood and she wished the best for him and Mom.

Parenthood treated Mom and Dad well when they had me and Adrian.

Then came the Philippine vacation.

Dad hadn’t communicated with Erica since he told her about his relationship with Mom, so he was surprised when he bumped into her at a Chow King restaurant while buying lunch for Mom, Adrian, and me. They exchanged phone numbers and used long-distance phone-lines for communication over the course of a year, where they found themselves revisiting their past and falling in love with each other all over again.

During winter break of my 5th grade year, Erica lied to her parents about wanting to spend Christmas and New Years with a friend in America so she could see Dad, even if it was just for a few days and a majority of her time would be spent cooped up in her hotel room at Ala Moana Hotel. On that fateful day when Mom saw Dad and Erica together, she was at Ala Moana Shopping Center to do some last-minute shopping while she supposedly thought Dad was helping my Tito Kevin pick out a gift for my Aunt Elizabeth. As soon as Mom exited from Macy’s, she witnessed Dad and Erica holding hands while sitting at one of the tables outside the neighboring Starbucks. Erica saw Mom and that was when all hell broke loose. Mom tried not to cause a scene at Ala Moana, but she had a crying fit when she learned that Dad’s mistress and her childhood friend, Erica Bautista, were the same woman.

That night, when I overheard my parents arguing but Mom told us she and Dad were disagreeing on something about bills, it was really about Mom’s reaction to finding out about the affair.

For months, they kept the issue a secret from Adrian and me. Mom swallowed her pride, staying in the sidelines as she encouraged Dad to go after his true love. The issue loomed like a raincloud over their heads once Dad chose Erica over Mom, and that raincloud lingered until Mom and Dad finally told me about Erica and their mutual decision to file for divorce.

Unfortunately, that raincloud only transferred over me, towering over my own head and remaining there to this day.

“Damn” is all I can say when Dad finishes speaking.

The pieces are coming together.

It was never supposed to be Mom and Dad.

If Dad never met Mom, it would have been Dad and Erica.

It’s a classic case of how wrong timing can affect even the strongest of relationships.

“Fucking hell,” Phil breathes. Hearing him swear surprises me. He rarely swears, and when he does, it’s when he’s incredibly emotional about something.

“I didn’t tell you this because I thought you might dislike Erica more if I told you the truth,” Dad tells me.

Everything coming out of Dad’s mouth sheds more authenticity to the entire situation. All this time, Dad was never at fault. It wasn’t his fault that Mom was an intervention who prevented him from keeping his promise to Erica. It wasn’t his fault for reaching a point where he had to choose between his wife and kids over a woman his heart subconsciously still yearned for. It wasn’t his fault for allowing his heart to direct him down a path that led him to hurt those he cared about. Everything happens for a reason, and it’s the reason why I’m existing in the first place. If his life went according to plan, I wouldn’t have ever taken my first breath in this world.

Love isn’t always kind. It isn’t an easy stroll through the park or a cookie to steal from a cookie jar. It’s having to pay 75 cents for a gumball from one of those machines in supermarkets or trying to find parking during Black Friday at any mall. Love always comes with a price. For Dad, the price for his happiness with one woman is the trust he has from those he loves the most.

“That was a possibility,” I say. “Or I could’ve appreciated her role in your life. We’ll never know. Either way, it wouldn’t have changed how much you love Erica.”

Dad nods in agreement. “Erica hasn’t changed how much I love you, Adrian, and your Mom. It was wrong of me to leave you how I did, but I’m here to right my wrong.”

The fire in my chest blazes more furiously than it ever has before. Flames send the fireflies in my stomach glimmering in a flurry of excitement, sending my emotions in a tailspin.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been a good father ever since I moved to the Philippines,” Dad continues. “It wasn’t my intention for you to think I didn’t care about you anymore, but it was my way to give you space. You were angry at me, and I believed distance was the solution to ease your anger. When you refused to speak to me when I spent Christmas with you on your first year of high school, I realized the distance led you to resent me more. I don’t want to hurt you anymore, anak. I’m tired of being away from you. My life may be in the Philippines, but my heart belongs here with our family.”

My insides melt. These are the words I longed to hear Dad say. I’d be a fool if I ignored my subconscious whispering how I should stop being hostile and allow my dad to make up for lost time.

“Did you steal that line from a Justin Bieber song?” I joke.

Hope swims in Dad’s eyes. “So you forgive me?”

“Not… exactly,” I answer hesitantly. “But we have two weeks. We can go around the island like we used to.”

I’m not looking at the enemy anymore. For the first time in years, I’m looking at my idol, the man who rooted my dedication to music, the greatest hero I’ve ever known.

A smile cracks on Dad’s face. “Your old man is looking forward to that.”

~:~

Summers brings goodbyes, hope, and refreshing starts. Four years ago, summer was bidding a reluctant farewell to the perfect family I had. One year ago, summer was sharing my first kiss with a girl who meant more to me than my best friend. This summer, a new chapter with a man I granted a second shot at redemption opened up, and an opportunity to follow my heart like every protagonist in a cheesy YA novel is ushering in a wave of anticipation of what the vast unknown will bring.

The sky is enveloped by a murky blanket of gleaming stars and a moon illuminating the night. Sitting cross-legged on the rooftop of my apartment complex, I fish out another roll of Smarties from my jacket pocket. I unravel the plastic packaging and shove pieces of the colorful candy into my mouth, savoring its sweet, tangy mixture. Aside from the occasional car zooming along the streets at midnight, I relish the relative silence. My mind is still reeling over all the things that occurred since Dad showed up at the front door of my apartment.

The two weeks that Dad was here was a hodgepodge of family beach trips and father-son visits to various music stores around the island. He shared tales of his life with Erica in Manila, and in return, I shared my memories about Sam and my friends over the last four years. Those two weeks were us being mismatched pieces slowly fusing together to create the complete puzzle, with several holes that are yet to be filled. By the time he flew back to the Philippines, I was closer to the point of one hundred percent forgiving him. It’ll take me months before I can truly move on from the past, but I’m getting there. Time will tell when that day will come.

After Dad left, I took the time to figure out my feelings for Sam and Phil. Before I met Phil, I thought Sam was my endgame. I saw a future with her after high school. I visualized the two of us moving in together, having a beachside wedding, honeymooning in Paris, and raising our kids with our brown or black hair and brown eyes. But after Chris’s party and the long conversation I had with Dad, I questioned where my heart belonged. Sam was everything a boy could ever want for a girlfriend, someone who Mom was ecstatic about someday watching me say “I do” to, someone who filled that empty void when Dad left. Phil, on the other hand, was everything I never knew existed as an option for me, someone who enamored me since day one and opened up parts of me that I never showed to anyone aside from Sam, PJ, and Louise, someone who was the reason why I willingly mended my relationship with Dad.

I was confused. Do I choose safety with the anchor that has always kept me grounded, or do I choose happiness with the candle who sparked an incandescence within me that not even Sam or my friends were able to light up?

A few hours ago, on a park bench with the sun dipping down in the horizon, I broke up with Sam. It was a difficult choice that I nearly backed down from doing, but it was one Dad would be proud of me for doing. Being in a position of dumping my girlfriend made me understand why it was hard for Dad to divorce Mom. True love isn’t measured by years or the number of people that approve of the relationship; true love is the person who makes your heartbeat stutter and makes you smile to any love song that plays on the radio, no matter how cliché the lyrics are. Love is the fire that ignites your soul and what makes you the best person you can be.

Despite the tears that were shed, Sam understood. In fact, she had a hunch that Phil harbored feelings for me. She knew it was a matter of time before I caught on and braced herself for the feasible day where I could return his feelings. Following a friendly hug, we left the park knowing that even though we aren’t a couple anymore, our friendship will never fade. We’ve always been there for each other; we won’t let our breakup drive a wedge between us.

“Dan?”

I turn around. Phil stands behind me, his ruffled raven hair reflected under the moonlight and his blue irises flickering with uncertainty. We’re heading back to school next week, so my friends and I are spending our last few days of summer break with a weekend-long sleepover in my apartment.

“Yo.”

“Mind if I sit with you?”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He nods, then moves to sit directly across from me, mirroring my sitting position.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asks.

I chew the remaining chunks of Smarties in my mouth and swallow. “How can I? We’re seniors. We have one more year in high school before we’re thrust into adulthood and we’re little fishes trying to swim away from huge-ass sharks. Not that I’m ready to grow up, but my teen years are moving way too quick and I need time to slow down just a bit.”

He chuckles. “True. I’m not ready for senioritis to bite me in the bum yet. But I think that’s not what you’re really worried about.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You have a few candy wrappers next to you. You don’t binge-eat sweets unless you’re thinking really hard about something.”

He’s right. My sweet tooth is my version of stress-eating.

“You’re not wrong,” I say. “Truth is, you’re kinda the reason why I’m this close to getting a cavity.”

“How come?”

“Well… how else do you cope with realizing you love someone who’s so close yet so far beyond your grasp?”

“What? Dan, what Shojo anime have you been watching lately?”

“None. I just… God, I’ll just say it. I like you, Phil. I really, really like you and I might even love you, but I don’t know if I do yet ‘cause it’s too soon to tell.” I bend my legs so my knees are curled to my chest and my chin is on my kneecaps. “Fate is so screwed up. I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but I do. You’re strangely interesting and you get me so well. You’re the ying to my yang. You complete me, and I can’t live with the idea of seeing you with someone else. It’s so selfish of me since I already had Sam, but there’s something about you that wants you more than a friend. And… yeah.”

He blinks. “Whoa.”

“I know. Now let me down easy so we can forget I said any of that and I can start dealing with rejection.”

“Rejection? Dan, what are you, blind? I’ve loved you the moment you approached me and said, and I quote ‘I like your shirt.’”

“You still remember that?”

“How can I? It was love at first sight.”

“Love at first sight? This isn’t the 19th century.”

“Not according to the swiping on Tinder.”

I laugh. Being with Phil is easy. He’s carefree and doesn’t mind my wit. Even Sam has her occasions of being offended by my snark.

“I’m serious though. I do love you.” He leans closer, his hand reaching out to rest on top of mine. “I love how you can speak like a wise old philosopher. I don’t know how I went most of my life without you, because you’re what I was missing out on all this time. You came into my life with a purpose. I don’t know what I did to deserve you as a friend, but whatever it is, having you around made my life so much better.”

I look down at our entwined fingers. Holding his hand is comforting, a gesture that should be so wrong yet feels so right. This is what tadhana is. Destiny works in mysterious ways. As our fingers entwine, I’m reminded by how touching him soothed me when I spoke to Dad. He was my gravity then, and he’s my gravity now. The gravity is a force that’s much more powerful than I foresaw.

“Are you sure about this?” I murmur. “I’ve already hurt Sam. I don’t want to hurt you too if this doesn’t work out.”

“It will.” His eyes sharpen with conviction. “I won’t let anyone ruin what we have. Even if the universe hates what we are, I won’t ever hate you.” He releases my hands and maneuvers them to caress my cheeks. “I love you, Dan.”

I nod. Someday, I’ll be able to repeat those three words back to him.

Because when our lips meet and my stomach is churning with gentle waves, I’m certain that what Phil and I have is a fire that’ll never be extinguished.

What we have is real and here to stay.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

For any of you that read any of my former phanfics, I used a few lines from The Story of Us and Don’t You Wonder. I couldn’t resist using my one-liners while I wrote this.

Anak means “my son/daughter” and tadhana means “destiny.” I can’t speak Filipino fluently, but I do understand some of the language.

Maalala Mo Kaya is an ongoing Filipino TV series that showcases real-life stories of celebrities and average people like us. Dan’s family background was highly inspired by numerous eps I watched of MMK involving broken families.

Hope ya’ll enjoyed this! I had fun incorporating aspects of the “local” life in Hawaii, especially since the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon. If you haven’t tried a malasada, you should. There’s a reason why Hau loves ‘em. Don’t give spam such a hard time, because I eat spam musubi’s often and they’re delicious. And the bus system? Trust me, if you aren’t sure familiar with public transportation involving the bus system, you’re easily gonna get lost. Heaven knows how many tourists I witnessed questioning what bus to catch. Hell, even a local like me sometimes has to consult Google Maps to figure out what bus to ride.

Originally, I approached this story with a love triangle angle, but it was my professor who recommended I should try focusing on a father-son relationship instead. Best decision ever, because writing the story that way felt way more real.

~ AA

[fmrcheerios]

1 to 100. ALL QUESTIONS

Hi gurlll! Thanks for doing this! xD  Unusual Asks

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? Spotify, SoundCloud and 8tracks. I am not familiar with Pandora though. Maybe I am going to check it out someday =). 

is your room messy or clean?At the moment clean, but most of the time messy. But I don’t mind =). 

what color are your eyes?Brown. 

do you like your name? why?I like that my real name (Flora) is the queen of plants and that my name that everybody knows (Floor) is a normal Dutch name and has another definition in English. 

what is your relationship status? Complicated. 

describe your personality in 3 words or lessSmileyface, foodlover and dork. 

what color hair do you have?Brown/black. Sometimes chestnut. 

what kind of car do you drive? color?I drive in the car of my parents which is a red Hyundai Atos. 

where do you shop?For clothes mostly H&M, Bershka and sometimes a vintage store. For supplies at my own store (Kruidvat) or Flying Tiger which I love the most!

how would you describe your style?I would call myself a parttime hipster. I combinate old clothes (mostly from my grandma and mother) with fashion at the moment. Most of time I don’t like the trends of now but when the trend is out I like it and wear it. Such as high waisted jeans. I love to wear that!

favorite social media accountTumblr and Instagram. 

what size bed do you have? Double bed.

any siblings?Yes, one brother. 

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why?In the rice fields or the mountains. I like the nature and atomsphere. 

favorite snapchat filter?  The face swap! I always like it to swap faces with @cosmoderus​ and @fieldhouses​ xD! 

favorite makeup brand(s)I like Rimmel and Maybeline lipstick and mascara. 

how many times a week do you shower?Every day. 

favorite tv show?At the moment Jane the Virgin and Broad City of course

shoe size?38, 39 or 40. 

how tall are you?I am 1.68. 

sandals or sneakers? Depends but most of the time sneakers. 

do you go to the gym? No, I just run once or twice a week. 

describe your dream dateWe go for a nice dinner (where we don’t mind that you eat like a beast haha), jamming and dancing like monkeys. That would be nice

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment?Ten cent. 

what color socks are you wearing? White with grey. 

how many pillows do you sleep with?Two. 

do you have a job? what do you do? I work parttime in a drugstore. 

how many friends do you have? A few. 

whats the worst thing you have ever done? Racing with my grandmother in the wheelchair and she accidentally fell.This happened when I was eight or something… 

whats your favorite candle scent? Pumpkin. 

3 favorite boy names Joey, Andy and Melvin. 

3 favorite girl namesJoan, Ike and Marcella. 

favorite actor? Tom Hiddleston. 

favorite actress? Bridget Regan. 

who is your celebrity crush?I had a major crush on Daniel Radcliffe (and lately is slightly back because I re-watched Harry Potter). 

favorite movie?Run Fatboy, run! 

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? Sometimes. I like the books of Roald Dahl. 

money or brains?If he is funny, kind and knows what he wants, I am happy. 

do you have a nickname? what is it? Yes. Floozie, Flo, Florrowaps, Flora, Sjenkie, Jut and dude. 

how many times have you been to the hospital?None. 

top 10 favorite songs* Say my name - Odesza * September - Earth Wind and Fire* African Mailman - The Rebel Remix* Hear my train coming - Jimi Hendrix * Heard it through the grapevine - Marvin Gaye* Stole the show - Kygo * Oh Happy Days - Aretha Franklin * This Girl - Kungs * Alright - Kaytranada edit * Happy - Pharell Williams 

do you take any medications daily? Nope. 

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc)Dry. 

what is your biggest fear?Afraid of losing myself. 

how many kids do you want? I always said four but two are also good enough for me. 

whats your go to hair style?Loose or a bun. 

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) Normal terraced house. 

who is your role model? My parents. 

what was the last compliment you received?You remind me of myself. Full of joy. - Josje van Zanden (vocal therapist). 

what was the last text you sent?“Girl, I am coming home.I am sitting in the bus. ”  

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?Is santa not real??! 

what is your dream car? CAMPER/VAN!!!

opinion on smoking?Everyone should do what they want. Just not smoke in my face. 

do you go to college? Yep. Still 1,5 year to go (If everything goes well). 

what is your dream job? Vocal and musician coach. 

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Both will be nice. As long as I am happy and do what I want. 

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? I think so. My mother always took the shampoo and conditioners back in tha days. 

do you have freckles? Nope, but I would love to have them. 

do you smile for pictures?Yes, always. 

how many pictures do you have on your phone? 2.000 (+). 

have you ever peed in the woods? Hahaha yes near the water… 

do you still watch cartoons? Yes of course! 

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds?I never ate at Wendy’s because we don’t have that here in The Netherlands. I just like chicken nuggets in general. 

Favorite dipping sauce? Garlic sauce!

what do you wear to bed? Comfy pyjamas but lately my owl onesie. 

have you ever won a spelling bee?Nope. 

what are your hobbies?Playing and discovering music, running, cooking, drawing and chilling. 

can you draw? Yes, can you? 

do you play an instrument?Yes I play the piano I also learning to play the ukulela and the guitar. 

what was the last concert you saw? In November 2016 I went to Mura Masa and Nao. @oldvictoria​ thanks for the question lady! 

tea or coffee?Both. 

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?We don’t have a Dunkin Donuts yet! But I love donutssss! DONUTSSS

do you want to get married?Of course. 

what is your crush’s first and last initial?C.W. 

are you going to change your last name when you get married? I think so. 

what color looks best on you? Red, grey, black and wine-red. 

do you miss anyone right now? My beloved ones. 

do you sleep with your door open or closed?Door closed. 

do you believe in ghosts?Sometimes. 

what is your biggest pet peeve? When they are whining about food in the morning when I just am awake. 

last person you called`My assistant manager. 

favorite ice cream flavor? Strawberry. 

regular oreos or golden oreos? Regular. 

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? Both. 

what shirt are you wearing? My selfmade ‘Yas Queen’ shirt! 

what is your phone background?A picture of my nephew and me together. 

are you outgoing or shy?Sometimes shy but mostly outgoing. 

do you like it when people play with your hair?Yes. 

do you like your neighbors? Yes and no. One couple I like the other one not that much. 

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning?I wash my face every morning and sometimes in the night. 

have you ever been high? Yes. 

have you ever been drunk? Yes. 

last thing you ate? Pasta with spinach made by @cosmoderus​ 

favorite lyrics right now‘Shall we danceOr keep on mopin’?Shall we danceAnd walk on air?Shall we give in to despair?Or shall we dance with never a care?Life is shortWe’re growing olderDon’t you be an also-ranYou’d better dance, little ladyDance, little manDance whenever you can’ - Ella Fitzgerald 

summer or winter? Winter. 

day or night? Both. 

dark, milk, or white chocolate?Milk chocolate with hazelnuts. 

favorite month?September. 

what is your zodiac signVirgo. 

who was the last person you cried in front of? My parents. 

THANKS GURL! Lobbiessss

[alifeenrouteblog]

Japan Trip: Part 2

Kusama Museum

On day two in Tokyo, I went to the Yayoi Kusama museum. The museum is much smaller than I expected. It’s designed in five parts, or five floors. The first is for ticketing, and the four floors above are for her work.

Expecting it to be a lot like Infinity Mirrors, I was pleasantly surprised on the second floor and see a lot of her canvas work, of which you were not allowed to take photos of but I had to sneak one in. Or two. Because her canvas art reminded me so much of my friend Butt Coffin’s work that I had to show him. Excuse the photo quality (i.e. not straight at all), I had to be sneaky.

The other floors were similar to Infinity Mirrors, not for lack of originality, but because lights and experiential art is kind of Kusama’s thing. And she’s brilliant at it.

The top floor, a rooftop, had a few signature pumpkins, with a stunning view of Tokyo.

Overall, the museum was a cool experience. I did it very quickly, like less than 15 minutes, but it’s a short experience regardless. I think there was only three or four rooms/floors with art. So it’s not the type of museum you spend all day at, but the tickets only cost about $10, so it was well worth it.

Getting to Hayama

I was so nervous the day I was supposed to leave for Hayama. I studied the different routes I could take for an hour. I decided on the one with the least transfers. I stared at the google maps, I wrote it down in my notebook, and I memorized it. At 12:30 that day, I set out for the beach.

I took the JR (Japanese Rail), for two trains until I got to the Zushi station in Kamakura.

Then I had to take a bus, which got really tricky. I didn’t know how to pay for the bus. I asked a station attendant if I could pay with cash on the bus and she said yes, no problem. So, I followed the group of people filing in the back door of the bus and had an internal meltdown when I saw everyone tapping their pass on a machine – no one was paying cash. After a few minutes of sitting on the bus freaking out about how to pay, I started googling how to pay for a bus in Japan. And I will be explaining this all in a separate post, how to use public transportation in Japan, but after a few humiliating minutes of trying to get off the bus, trying to pay, I made it off – one stop late.

My walk to the Airbnb was originally like 12 minutes, but because I missed my stop, I had a daunting 20 minute walk ahead of me, which included HUGE hills. The whole time I was carrying a heavy backpack and my suitcase, sweating my ass off. When I thought I made it, I got to the wrong Airbnb and had to walk another 10 minutes. OMG it was rough. But I was really proud of myself after and wrote a very long emotional Instagram post about it.

Hayama

My Airbnb was about a less than 10 minute walk to the beach. I went there right away to check it out, which happened to be sunset, and it was beautiful. On my way home, I stopped at the store to get food and wine and had myself a lovely evening getting wine drunk on my balcony.

The town of Hayama, was super cute! It reminded me of a Californian beach town. Obviously, the vibe was way more relaxed than Tokyo. The people were casually dressed and of course very kind. And bonus – the stores all took credit cards! The small-ish town even had a Starbucks, which was nice to have some feeling of home and familiarity while I was there.

My Airbnb host was super nice and sent me a message to check-in on me the next day, and sent recommendations of where to eat and what to do. He recommended Isshiki beach, which was about a 20 minute walk from the apartment. I set out to do that, and it ended up being a very long walk, but it was worth it. It was really beautiful and much more lively than the little beach next to the apartment. Although, no one was wearing bathing suits at either beach. This could be because it was early April, the water was cold, and locals don’t bathe in the sun for fun.

Overall, this mini trip was exactly what I needed and I wanted to stay longer. With all of the big changes in my life, I was already feeling high strung and the Tokyo vibe wasn’t really helping. But after four days/three nights, I headed back into the city.

New Airbnb

For Tokyo part deux, I had a new Airbnb, which was in a much cooler part of town – Shinjuku. I was so happy to get in the place and realize that there was a balcony on the fifth floor with gorgeous views of the city. The place was nice, but had a bathroom the size of an airplane bathroom, with a shower. Very uncomfortable. But the balcony + views = 100.

Bumble Date

While in Hayama, I turned on my Bumble and started swiping. Surprising even me, I even started messaging guys on there. I started talking to 2-3 guys. One of whom, was very cute and pretty fun to talk to. He asked me out when I got back to the city and we went out the first night I was back.

He is an English Teacher at a Japanese university; actually, he’s been teaching English in Asia (Vietnam and Korea) for eight years. We had a lot in common, but it was really fun to hang out and talk to someone who was the same age as me but had such a different post grad experience, virtually living in Asia the entire time.

We had a great time. He was a nice guy. And I’m glad I completed my first Bumble date abroad.

Here is where my trip starts to get boring. At this point, I had been traveling for like 8+ days – I was exhausted. And my love affair with Tokyo was wearing off. I was getting really anxious about all of the rules, which is 100% my problem and not that of a country and culture. But feeling anxious every time I went out to do something was not how I wanted to spend this very big (and expensive) adventure. Deciding to indulge in some self-care, I spent a big part of a day or two in my Airbnb working on Tall Hair Creative stuff. I did have a lot to catch up on, so it wasn’t that bad, but I felt really guilty not doing more. I was just tired and anxious and needed to do what was best for me.

Yes, I should’ve gone to eat at more restaurants and drink at more bars, and met more people, and saw more things, but I didn’t. I took care of my needs and had a great time. Oh and I also took an Uber to/from a Shake Shack one night. Yes, I’m a garbage American.

My flight didn’t leave until 6pm on my last day, so I had the day to figure out how to get to the hotel I needed to be at to catch my Limo Bus. I also had tickets to the Team Lab Borderless exhibit for the morning. After I dropped my luggage off at the hotel, I boarded the subway to the museum, which was about 45+ minutes away. But holy shit. Taking public transportation in Tokyo during rush hour, which I guess goes until at least past 10:00am, is no joke. The train was so packed. I saw more than one man pressed up against the windows, facing out, with his arm raised above his head like he was being squished by a truck behind him.

When I got on my train, it was so uncomfortable. I lived in Chicago for eight years, with no car and pre Uber, and I think I had only seen a train like that maybe once before. I ended up getting on the train going on in the opposite direction. By the time I got off to course correct, I decided that I would skip the Team Lab and just head back to the area my hotel.

Again, I felt really guilty. And this ultimately what traveling solo is for me. I get nervous and anxious and don’t do enough and then feel guilty about not doing enough. I don’t have someone there with me to help me figure it out or to push me out of my comfort zone when I need them to. Even having someone to hang out with would help in all of this. This is something I’ve gotten better at with time, especially in Europe. I was fortunate enough to go to Lisbon and Brussels in November 2017 and then went back to Europe in May 2018 for two weeks. I noticed a big difference the second time. I was much more comfortable and confident. I think Japan was just so different from anything I’ve experienced, combined with my lack of planning, that I wasn’t as comfortable and confident for the second half of the trip.

But I did go back to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, where I did my photoshoot. I wanted to experience it without a photoshoot; I wanted to be present. Photos below.

After I got out of the world’s most packed train, I explored Shinjuku more. I was about 20-30 minutes from where I was staying, so this was all new to me. The area is actually called Nishi-Shinjuku, nicknamed the skyscraper district.

There’s a lot of skyscrapers and a lot of shopping there. I explored this big shopping area, that was like half outside/market, half regular stores. I can’t fully explain it. There were a lot of restaurants, shops, and these arcades that only had Claw Machines. Seriously, 100s of them, where you can get anything from stuffed animals to tablets to weird looking robot girls.

[0225pm]

unfiltered photos bc i’m too tired to edit them at this moment but i still wanna post something today before i ko!!!!

sOOoo from the photos you may have probably guessed where we went today!! hehe yes we went to gardens by the bay – i actually wanted to go to the autumn festival thingy (i think that’s what it was called??) the one with the pumpkins and other cool foliages, but apparently you have to pay to go in the observatory and even though i like the aesthetics and how beautiful all these flowers and plants look, tbvh i wasn’t ready to fork out $12-20 to look at them in person. i prolly sound like some stupid hipster poser person who only “likes” flowers bc it’s the trend and shit.

////////

han came over to my place to fetch me since our initial plan was to head over to tampines for lunch – the nasi lemak shop that has duck, lobsters, prawns and other idk what as their sides instead of the usual chicken/fish. but they close at 2pm, and by the time i left my house it was already 1pm. considering that we won’t be able to make it in time to the place, we decided to have our lunch elsewhere.

by this time, han was already cranky hahahaha one, it was so fucking humid today. two, i made him wait. three, his plan to eat at the nasi lemak shop fell through.

after much consideration, we took the bus to tampines hub because i told him there’s a thai food shop there and maybe we can have our lunch there instead. he just shrugged and agreed (lmao cus he don’t have a choice alr hahahaha he asked me to choose and plan). then on the bus i told him about all my cravings HAHAHAHA like how i felt like eating some 4fingers and then he said we can have kfc since i mentioned (a tweet on twitter) that any fried chicken is fine and i was like noooo i want the sticky rice that comes with it????? and then he asked me if i’m pregnant or something bc i’m craving for so many things and i just looked at him like (-_-;)

upon reaching the hub, at this time he was already whining about how hungry he was loooolllll so we walked towards the food area and then realized that the hawker center actually serves malay food also!!! and while walking around to survey the different menus, i spotted claypot chicken rice!!!! which i really wanted to get but han said they only serve that around 6pm and it was only around 2+pm daheck. so i was like okkkkk nvmmmmm and went to look for other food to eat. i saw a few people eating pasta and it made me feel like having pasta too so i asked han to help me order a plate of cabonara but wah it sucks man. like tbvvvvh it’s wayyy too salty for my liking. i barely even ate it, and felt so bad for wasting so much food. even with the grass jelly drink han got me, the saltiness still lingers uGhhh. oh and han got chicken rice for himself!!!! the moment he came back to the seat he was complaining about how long it was and i was like ah maybe cus it’s lunch now so it’s more crowded and he was like,

han: no??? there isn’t even a line but the person preparing the food i ordered took so long *frowns* i’m damn hungry sia then still must wait so long me: o mannnn han: then i realized the drink stall here also open but i went all the way to the other side to buy *points to his milk tea*

HAHAHAHAHAHA

oh and the weather was so erratic today too. it was sunny one time then started pouring for awhile, and then sunny again, then drizzled again.

since it was sunny again, i told han to follow with the same plan uh – which was to head over to gardens by the bay (at this point of time i didn’t know that the observatory isn’t free HAHA)

oh and smth rly cute!! i casually mentioned that i wanted some ice cream and he was raised his voice and went like “what you want la!!” and i was like????? and then he said “make up ur mind la u want this la that la u know i want to buy everything for you right” and i was just *puts hand on chest where the heart is* happy bc han wants to feed me hahahahahahahaha but no la we ended up not getting ice cream hehe

then we took the train to marina bay pier??? i think idk but it’s the pier la cus han said “follow the map and we won’t go wrong” BUT OH BOY WERE WE SO WRONG LMAOooOo. apparently as listed on the website, we’re supposed to go to bayfront mrt since it’s way nearer from there so i told him “hey let’s just walk back to the mrt and take the train to bayfront” but he was like “no la we’re already here we just take the bus then will reach alr” and i was like??????? okkkkk if u say so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

so while waiting for the bus my whole body was screaming at me to stop torturing it with the stupid heat and in turn, i literally became a monster and went on a rampage about how i rly hate the sun and how it should go away (pls don’t. i rly like the sun but omg pls lower your heat) and han was just being all patient with me and trying to make me feel better about things hahaha he knows how much of a bitch i can be when i’m overheated and im so thankful that he’s at least the sane and calm one bc i was definitely going insane from the heat at that time.

and then the bus came!!! BUT LOL ITS GOING TO DOWNTOWN??? and we weren’t sure if it was going to the bayfront area so we decided to just dropped off at the second stop and take the train instead. from there then we just followed the signs and TADA!!!! we’ve arrived!!!!!!!

at this point i thought the heat was quite bearable maybe since it was quite shady bc of all the plants and trees idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and then we just decided to randomly walk around (it’s my first time there!!! and his second time today) and then bc han can’t stand the heat anymore, he asked me if i wanted to go in the gift shop for the aircon hahaahahah to which i obviously said yes to 😂 and while we were on our way out, i saw this really cute lip gloss that apparently has real flowers in it!!! i wanted to get it but han was like “takmo la mahal la kata nak save duit” hahaahahhahahahahahahaha taik but ya i didn’t get it in the end. i haven’t even finish using my current lip stuff soOoOoo

then we continued walking and that’s when we realized that to go and see the pumpkins, we would have to go in the observatory :( and then han was like “do u wanna go??” and i was like….. “nah it’s fine” and then he was like “if u wanna go i can pay…… for u only la haahhaha” and i just looked at him like r u mad why would i go in alone without u???????

so i asked him if he wanna go anywhere else if not we can head back to the mrt and maybe idk walk around or smth and he was like hmmm ok then.

on the way back, i pulled him towards the power plants thingy??? idk what its called tbh but it’s in the pictures!!!!! they use solar energy and shit it’s cool. then we snapped some photos together and wah y'all the lighting rly damn daebak la hahaha makes my skin look damn good even though it’s like shit and even though i was perspiring as heck and my hair was all just sticking to my forehead i was like u know what i can’t miss this good ass lighting i gotta take some photos man and that’s how we spent i think close to about an hour just sitting there taking photos both on my phone and the instax i bought along hahahahah

by the time we walked back, it started drizzling a little so we quickly rushed towards the elevator to the mrt bc um hello who wanna get drench? definitely not me hahaha. thennnn from the mrt we decided to walk around the shoppes since han haven’t rly been there before. he kept saying how there’s prolly not much sale bc the goods are expensive as heck $$$$$. and i told him that’s the power of brand names!!!!! like people pay for branding and i guess quality comes after la hahaha

and then after awhile i asked him if he still wanted to walk around and he was like “no ah for what there’s nothing to see alr all the same” and i was like hahahaha ok then so we walked back to the mrt and take the train all the way to paya lebar. from there we changed lines and took the train to bedok. i told him i wanna grab some food for dinner (also bc i was feeling quite hungry already since i didn’t finish my lunch). han ended up getting his usual pizza fix from pezzo and i got some sushi and a couple stick of fried goodness from ock.

oh and i bought two bras today since it was on sale!!!!! i hope it fucking fits bc it’s supposed to be a lifting bra and i got a cup smaller since i read online that you’re supposed to get a size small for lifting/push-up bras ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

and thennnnnn we decided to head home. han sent me home as usual hHahahaah and then we ate our dinner together before he fell asleep. i honestly dunno how he can sleep on smth so hard but i guess he must have been pretty worn out (bc he didn’t sleep a wink) from the whole adventure we had today.

it was a good day!!! if i say this i have a feeling han won’t give it to me often anymore (him and his lame ass too much of a good thing can be bad theory) but i super love when he gives me cheek kisses wtf like i know it’s such a simple action but the way he does it makes me go all jelly for realz i rly love it la don’t ever stop!!!!!!!!

[anewfieabroad-blog]

The Mekong Delta and the trip home

While our boat and bus rides went as well as could be hoped, that could not be said for finding a hotel. It was the 47th anniversary of the end of the fighting of the "American War". We were in the city of Can Tho and everyone had left the big city to go home to visit family. All of the affordable hotels in the downtown region were taken. There were rooms outside of town available but as we were only there to take a river tour it seemed counter productive to go away from the river. Then kathy found and booked a home stay that seemed to fix everyth. It was a short cad ride across the river and would allow us to do whatbwe came to do. Perfect yes? Well..... No. First, the cab ride cost us mor then we expected. Second, the cabbie stopped at the end of a trail and says get out here its a 2km walk down the trail. "WHAT, Im not walking 2km. That's why I got a cab." Said kathy. Repeatedly I showed the map to the cab driver where, to me it looked like there was another way in. He kept repeating the same thing over and over in Vietnamese, which helped us a lot as we only understand thankyou in Vietnamese. Eventually we left that ass behind and started to walk into the unknown carrying more weight then kathys bad ancle should be. We walked 1.5km in and started to as the locals if they knew of this home stay, but most didn't understand or just wouldn't talk to us. Eventually we found a man than gestured us to follow him. So we did. We crossed a small bridge weaved through a small village and at the end of the path came to our home stay. She didn't even know we were coming. He guy that helped us out hung around staring at us with his hand out. I offered him some money and he refused. So I tried to ask him and our host what he wanted but no one understood. I pointed at the pricelist painted on the wall and asked him which of the amounts he wanted. Nothing. Then he started to get angry at me for some unknown reason. Bad Fallon his part. Finally I spoke up loudly saying "I have no idea what you want and your not even trying to help so fuckoff". Funny how he understood that. Then he points at one of the prices on the wall. Dick. I gave him the money and he was off. The home stay was in a great little village secluded yet close to the city. We would have stayed longer but we really wanted to do a river tour and couldn't really converse with our host, at least until her 10yr old grandson showed up. Once again we were talking through a child translator. This worked out we quickly found out that his mother was at the market getting something for supper and breakfast. After eating a simple yet good meal kathy and went to bed. After breakfast they arranged two motorbikes to take us out to the road where a taxi would take us to our next hotel. As we had two bags each this had to be done in two trips. Kathy went first, Then they came back for me. Kathy was sitting on her backpack in the shade when I got there and within 10 min a taxi showed up. As we were loading the bags into the taxi I saw that there was a 3" dark brown spider on Kathy's bag and tried to get the point across to the driver. The three of looked all over the bags and the back of the taxi, but no spider could be found. The driver mocked me the whole way back to town. When we got to our destination I quickly threw our bags on the sidewalk so they could be inspected. I paid the driver and he left laughing at us. I wish I could have seen his face when he inevitable found the palm sized arachnid. We laughed at the thought of that. We found a hotel much easier his time around. We booked the river tour for the following mourning. The tour price included two meals, snacks and beverages. We were asked what we wanted to drink first thing in the morning. Kathy said coffee, and I jokingly said beer. I told her I only drink beer or water. No coffee please. When we went downstairs at 515am to meet our guide we were surprised to see her holding a freshly opened ice cold beer. Woops, I keep forgetting that they don't understand scarcasm. But I drank the without any issue. We walked to the end of the alley where a taxi was waiting. We drove about 2km walked through another smaller alley and we were at the river. Our boat pulled up and to our surprise it was a private boat. It was just the driver, our guide and us. Awesome. Our guide spoke great English and asked and answered many questions. We went to the biggest floating market in the region. First stopped coffee. We pulled up along side the coffee boat, where a lady had everything she needed layed out for a lengthy coffee service. Kathy got a coffee and I got orange pop, as she had neither water or beer. We then slowly made our way through the organized chaos of boats selling produce. We came to a crowd of boats surrounding and old lady in a tiny boat. She was the breakfast boat. That magician must have produced at least 40 bowls of delishious soup in 10 min. Once we received our bouls of soup we were off again. Surprised that we were leaving with the bowls and all. We passee boats selling pineapple, pumpkin, squash, watermelon and even boats converted into convience stores and gas stations. There must have been a thousand boats. We noticed that every boat that was selling something had a representation of whatever they were selling atop a long bamboo pole. After making our way around and through the market we continued along the river. 15-20 min later we came upon a much smaller marker where our driver bartered for pineapples and watermelon, then we continued down river again. Our guide carved a pineapple into a decrative spriaral of sweetness. A little while later we turned into a small canal. The canal was immediately another world. A lost world of traditional styled homes and lifestyles. We got out of the boat and walked through a village. Our guide pointed out all the different fruit and answered our many questions. On the other side of the village we got back in the boat for another hour of canals then the hour long cruise back up the river. We got out of the boat and followed our guide to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch she brought us to a point close to the hotel and said goodbye. What an amazing experience. The next morning we we're on a bus headed for Ho Chi Minh. Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 2am and we thought it was a waste to pay for a hotel, so we went straight to grants hotel. Grants flight from Phu Quoc (pronounced fu wok) didn't land until 6pm but we arrived there at noon. Our plan was only to drop our backpacks there and wander around until he arrived. But somehow in talking to the receptionist ended up with keys to his room without I'd or anything. We took a nap, had lunch then after a couple beer he arrived. We had supper at a local strip mall american fast food place. Then back to the room for beer. At midnight Kathy and I walked up to the airport, as grants hotel was very close, and checked in only to find out that our flight was delayed an extra hour. Not to worry its only an hour. We had a six hour layover in Shanghai anyway. But we also had a one hour delay leaving Shanghai as well. That layover however became two then three before boarding. Then once boarded we had to wait for the luggage of another passenger, who wasn't coming anymore, to be found and removed. Then mercifully we took off. We landed in Vancouver 4 hrs late and were greater by Kathy's older sister. Finally back in Canada and to our wonderment the worst winter on record was over. The only snow to be found was atop the mountains far off in the distance, making for a dramatic and beautifully typical Canadian landscape.