#yesterday i woke up at 9am to take out the dog. then went back to sleep until 5pm. after getting a full night's sleep

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Gonna complain in the tags

[purplesurveys]

1605

What did you eat for lunch today? I’ve been eating nothing but New Year leftovers for the last two days - today, it was baked salmon and beef in truffle sauce. Would you rather vacation by a beach or a lake? Beach, only because I haven’t had many experiences with lakes and wouldn’t know what it’s like to live near one. But I like the sea anyway, so.

Have you watched any good horror/thriller movies lately? It’s not so ‘lately’ anymore but the last one I watched was Parasite, which I ended up loving a lot. The plot twist was impressively done.

How would you feel about traveling abroad alone? As exciting as it sounds it’s also a bit daunting, which is why I’ve always kind of backed out of doing it. I know that something will feel much less scary as soon as you try doing it, so idk why I haven’t done traveled by myself yet when I’ve wanted to do it for quite some time now – I even have too many bookmarks on my Airbnb at this point lol. I hope to finally try it at least once in 2023. What was the last thing you watched on TV? I’m currently half-watching the telepathy episode of Run BTS.

Do you know your blood type? Honestly, I keep forgetting what it is.

Yesterday, did you get up before 9am? Yes, I woke up at 7. I think my body clock is able to tell that I go back to work Wednesday lol.

How many times does the number ‘7’ occur in your phone number? It doesn’t.

What was your favorite board game as a child? I liked Scrabble (and Boggle even though I know it doesn’t count), but that’s it. I was never too big on board games.

Are you a coffee drinker? Yup, I always make a cup for work and I usually make it last the entire day; on weekends I have a cup both in the morning and evening.

When are you going on vacation again? This weekend we’re headed to Tanay for one last weekend trip before my dad has to leave again.

Who did you last have an alcoholic drink with? Just...me. I’m the only one in the family who drinks and I had some soju during NYE. But counting others, I had drinks with my aunts and uncles last Friday.

What are you going to do after this? I’ll be taking another one.

Who was the last person you were under the covers with? Does a platonic sleepover count? LOL Anj and I shared a blanket when I slept over a few months ago.

Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes? Not that I can remember; they’re not really a strong suit. My eyelashes though always get pointed out because of how naturally long they are.

What did you do today? Dreamt about Kimi and woke up crying, watched a ton of wrestling for the first time in a while (the whole day, actually), took a couple of naps, played with the dogs; now that I’m settled for the evening all I plan to do is watch some Run BTS, take surveys, and maybe get started on the book that Kat gave me.

How is your hair? Uh, fine, I guess. I just showered so it feels healthy and bouncy rn.

Do you like to cuddle? Not so much if it isn’t with a significant other. I only like to cuddle with my dogs.

Name something great that happened today? While watching Wrestlemania 38 this morning I realized that the match I was watching was being officiated by a female referee. Idk how long WWE has been doing this but it felt really good :) and it helped me get into the match more.

How many different people of the opposite sex have you really cried over? Like, because of love? None. I’ve only ever cried from loss-related situations, like when my grandpa died or as a kid whenever we had to bring my dad to the airport.

When was the last time you saw your father? Around half an hour ago when I told him goodnight.

Have you ever passed out on the bathroom floor? Once.

Do you like your life as of now? Sure! I think I can be maximizing more opportunities that come my way, but otherwise I’m satisfied.

Who was the last person you hung out one-on-one with? Angela when we went Christmas shopping + had late lunch together.

Would you cry if you found out you were pregnant? No, but I would be very confused.

Last thing you drank? Coffee.

Did you kiss or hug anyone today? Just the dogs.

Do you tend to make relationships complicated? No.

Could you go a day without eating? I can, but it would be very uncomfortable and I know it would make me very grouchy.

Ever kissed anyone whose name starts with a M? Nopes.

Where did your last kiss take place? I think it was by my car or somewhere outside my house idk, it was over two years ago and something I’d rather forget.

Have you ever met any bands/band members before? Nah.

--

Do you use online banking? Do you have an app on your phone? Yeah, I use online payments almost exclusively now and can’t even remember the last time I withdrew cash. The Philippines is still largely a cash-basis country though - especially in the provinces!!! - so the habit bites me back in the ass occasionally because I keep forgetting to withdraw for out-of-town trips lol. My friends have most definitely had to cover for me more than once.

How old were you when you started buying your own clothes? Towards the end of high school and start of college. I was a late bloomer as I wasn’t really given the avenues to express myself when I was younger, so it took me a while to find my footing and figure out what I genuinely wanted to wear.

Who does most of the chores in your house? My mom, only because she likes stuff done a certain way. 

What is your least favourite household chore? Folding clothes. It strains my back, but generally I also don’t like touching other people’s clothes even if at that point they’re all squeaky clean.

What was your first job? Did you like it? My first job is also my current one, although I’ve been promoted since then. As for liking it, I will say that I was definitely wide-eyed at first - as any fresh grad landing her first job would be - but I can’t be any more jaded at this point. It’s the people who make the job easier to stay in.

What was the last food you were craving? Did you get some? Baked sushi. Yup, I bought a party tray for media noche. 

Has anyone ever seen you naked? Sure.

How do you get around? Car, bike, public transport? Car.

How often do you see your parents? I live with them so I see them as frequently as it could possibly get; but if we’re being more particular, I see my mom everyday and my dad for a few weeks every 4-5 months.

Do you own your cell phone or is it on a plan? It’s on a plan but it’ll be fully-paid by next month.

Where do you get most of your clothes? Just online shops I see here and there.

Do you remember how old you were when you first started using computers? I was 3 when my dad first introduced me to a PC, but it wasn’t until I was 10 and we had wifi installed when I started regularly using a laptop.

What is the first video game you remember playing? I liked playing a Need For Speed game on my dad’s aforementioned PC because he got a steering wheel/pedal simulator for it.

Have you ever dated a Josh? Nope.

Does your family do reunion gatherings? Not really, only during the holidays. We did have one non-holiday family reunion on my dad’s side in like 2018 but that hasn’t been repeated since.

What would you order to drink if you were in a bar right now? My usual, Long Island iced tea.

How old were you when you started to wear a bra, if ever? I must have been around 10 or 11.

Do you have any long-lost loves? No.

When was the last time you had a first kiss? That would be my actual first kiss eight years ago.

How many homes have you ever lived in? That I can remember, three. I know my mom and dad moved a couple of times with me when I was a newborn, though.

When was the last time you moved? When we moved into our current home 15 years ago.

Have you ever donated money to charity? Yes, usually to organizations or shelters that take in stray animals.

What’s your favourite type of exercise? I hate exercising; it’s always felt like a chore for me no matter how long I try to do it in the hopes of growing into the routine.

How many jobs have you had? Just the one.

When was the last time you dined at your favourite restaurant? The closest to being my favorite is Yabu, and I haven’t dined in there since like the end of 2021. I prefer getting food delivered.

What do you keep in your bedside table? A bunch of chargers and my lamp.

Have you ever given your number to someone? Not in that way, but yeah I have.

Do you have an ensuite bathroom? No.

What shoes do you wear the most? My Onitsuka Tiger shoes.

--

How old were you when you learned how to drive? My dad started giving me lessons when I was 17 so that I could be all ready to apply for a license as soon as I turned 18.

Have you ever been to a baby shower? What was the baby's name? I’ve never been. They weren’t all that popular before, but we’ve since caught on with the Western world so I imagine my friends would be hosting their own in a few years should they have their own kids.

What mode of transport did you take to high school? We had privately-operated school ‘buses’ which were really just either Hi Aces or L300s that can house 10-15 kids.

Name a personality trait of yours that you like. I like to put the needs of others before my own, oftentimes to my own discomfort but I’ve never minded.

Name something about your physical attraction that you dislike. I have hair that’s thick and grows fast, so shaving is something I have to do twice, thrice as much as the next person.

What's in your purse right now? I don’t have a purse, just my wallet. Right now it has all my important cards and my ticket to Seonho’s fanmeet this 22nd.

Do you vote in your country's elections? Of course. I don’t take that right lightly.

What was your first kiss like? It felt as adorable and innocent as any teenage kiss would be. Braces were in the mix so it had a bit of awkwardness, but otherwise it gave the butterflies-in-stomach sensation you’d read in teenage/YA novels.

Shuffle your music and skip twice. What song is playing? Eh my phone is too far at the moment and I don’t feel like crawling out of my blanket to check.

Have you ever been a freelancer? Nope.

What mood were you in when you woke up today? Surprised, because I realized I fell asleep at like 10 PM the night before lol.

What storey is your bedroom on? It’s on the second floor, as are all the bedrooms.

What gifts do you usually receive at Easter? I don’t receive anything during Easter; not really a tradition here to give gifts.

Do you use a planner to keep track of your life? Nah, the most I have is a to-do list/planner for work.

Who was the last person you sent an email to? It was one of the restaurants I bought from for media noche; they needed me to send an email with my proof of payment so they could proceed to processing my order.

Are there any posters in your bedroom? Not at the moment; we had everything taken off the walls when we repainted and renovated the entire place but I imagine I’d be putting stuff back up again soon.

What was your favourite fairytale as a kid? Didn’t really have any.

Is there anything in your freezer that you really need to get rid of? As far as I know, no.

Have you ever played Second Life? No, I’m not sure I even know what that is.

What do you like about the town or city you live in? It has all the features/attractions/amenities of Metro Manila without having to actually be in Metro Manila.

What do you dislike about the town or city you live in? The traffic at night is awful.

Are your parents good cooks? Yep; my mom isn’t a cook per se but she tries, and to me that’s enough to call her good. I can’t even touch the stove without freaking out lmao.

What's the first thing you notice about a person? Body language.

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Did you like it? I haven’t.

What is your favourite museum? I’m biased towards social history so I find that I’ve enjoyed going through ancestral houses/museums the most.

Do you know anyone who is an actor? Not an actor, no; but I know a number of people working behind the camera in the film industry, mostly schoolmates because we have a film department in the college that I come from. They’ve worked as directors, assistant directors, producers, production assistants, cinematographers, DOPs, etc.

Have your wisdom teeth come through yet? I’ve since had two of them removed and I know at least one more is bound for extraction because my dentist already pointed it out lol.

How many weddings have you been to? A lot when I was younger; I can’t possibly count them all because I know I’d miss a few ones. I haven’t been to one since 2007 though.

Do you watch Youtube? What channels do you like? Yes. I watch so many BTS fan channels that make compilation videos of the boys; but I also enjoy informative ones like Vice Asia, Insider Business, National Geographic, and channels for entertainment like GMM, ODG, Try Guys, Jolly.

What's your alcohol of choice? Soju!

Have you ever used a public pay phone? I was born in the final leg of the era when they used to be prevalent, but I’ve never actually used one.

Which one item would you save from your burning house? Realistically, my phone.

Do you have a Twitter account? Yep.

What is your hair like right now? Kind of damp. Nothing else too significant about it.

How do you like your eggs cooked? Runny yolk plz.

What's the longest you've been without showering? Around 3 days during times when I’m feeling down in the dumps.

Name one of your guilty pleasure songs. I don’t think I have any. If I like a song I’m not usually the type to hide it lol.

Have you ever made an item of clothing? Nope.

What was the most expensive bill you paid within the last month? Not a bill but media noche dinner since I covered like 98% of the food we had.

[annieintheaair]

Things bloom whenever they've seen the rain

I woke up this morning and even though my phone was plugged in all night, said it was charging, and scheduled to finish at 7:30am, it was at 30% at 9am.

Do you ever feel like sometimes, no matter how hard or determined you are to get to 100% in life that you fall so short anyway? I feel like my personal battery is at 50% at best lately. My motivation to do anything is pretty much at 0. I have a list of things I "should" do but haven't gotten around to doing, not because I don't have time but because I just don't want to. I feel like I'm living in some sort of limbo.

I'm trying to figure out my next move but then waiting for my house to sell. I'll start packing things and I even got plenty of packing materials that I needed, but I'll pack like two things and then give up. I even posted things on Facebook Marketplace last week and specifically wrote that I'd ignore anyone who messaged asking if it was available since if it's posted, it's available. What have I gotten? Only messages asking if the items are available. It's super frustrating.

I keep thinking I'll feel better once I start to get rid of things. Once the house sells and I have no other choice but to pack things up, then I'll get around to doing it all. Maybe then I'll feel motivated. Either that or I'll be pressed for time and stressed out because I waited until the last minute. This week has felt incredibly long. It's almost like that week between Christmas and New Year's when you don't even know or care what day it is. There are no yoga classes I even want to go to today so it's after 10am and I'm still in my pajamas.

Yesterday morning, for Easter, since I already went to church on Saturday afternoon, I woke up and listened to Bobby Chandler's service from my bed. When it was over, I slowly got up and ready, FaceTimed with my brother and younger sister, loaded the dogs into the car, and went to my sister's house. For some reason, the dogs were not happy about being in the car, which made for a pretty miserable drive.

At my sister's house, her neighbors came over and we had lunch. I played a bunch of games with my nieces and by around 4:30pm, I was so tired and the dogs were hungry so I headed home.

I'm not really sure what I did from 5pm until 7pm but once I was finally showered and in my pajamas, I sat down on the couch to find something to watch on TV. I tried to put on Life or Something Like It because I hadn't seen it in so many years but the TV was acting up and not loading anything I selected. Eventually, I thought, even though I've seen it at least 100 times, there's no better time than now to rewatch How To Be Single.

After watching about 30 minutes of the movie, I did the opposite of the purpose of the movie and decided maybe it was time to get back on the dating apps. Within another 30 minutes, I had a bunch of likes and matches. I ended up finishing the movie and chatting with a few guys until I crawled into bed a little after 10pm.

It made me feel a little better to get back on the apps, even though I initially told myself I was going to take some time to myself. At first, it seemed to be going well, chatting with these new people, until one guy realized that we wanted different things -- he wanted kids and I didn't. Looking through my other matches, I thought about how hard it might actually be to find someone else who doesn't want kids or have kids of their own already. Is this my dating life now?

One thing I can tell you I didn't miss is dating apps. If anyone finds them fun, I honestly think you're crazy. Dating apps have to be one of the most miserable things. It feels like such a waste of time to be swiping constantly. To try to avoid the apps, I even joined a "Fort Worth Singles Ready to Mingle" group, in hopes that maybe I could get myself out there and meet people in real life. The group is going dancing this week and even though I don't dance, I commented that I'd be interested in going, only to have someone comment on my comment wanting to meet up with me there.

I go back and forth -- between wanting to find someone so I'm not alone and thinking I should just be alone so I never have to risk having my heart broken again. In the movie last night, the main character's sister is so set on being single and being this independent person who doesn't need anyone. In the end, the sweetest guy makes her realize that even though she's so good at being single and she's capable of doing things on her own, she really doesn't want to do things alone. That's what it's really all about -- knowing that you can be alone and be fine on your own but choosing to be with someone anyway because you want to be with them. That's how I felt about Todd. I was fine without him before I met him but then I found that life was so much more fun with him.

I think, for now, I'm just not going to take the apps too seriously and not put too much time into them because I'm really ok on my own. If I happen to meet someone in the future, I'm going to be more careful about only adding someone to my life who makes it better.

xoxo

Annie

[poedameronloverx]

Close To Home

Life In Lockdown Masterlist

Pairing - Poe Dameron x F! Solo Reader

Warnings - Massive amounts of Covid talk in this chapter as it starts to effect our lovely little squad, so if that upsets you please don’t read, I don’t want anyone to be triggered or upset by this content <3

Month 2 – April 2020

As the weeks went on, you found yourself getting more and more used to remote working. Your boss had made a lunch time finish on a Friday a weekly thing and you were grateful for it. Poe was getting every Friday off, and Rose got to finish at 3pm on a Friday. You and Poe were working round each other better, you’d gotten used to his singing and he got used to you getting up to wander round the room and stretch every hour or so. The novelty of having people around all day had worn off for BeeBee, he would choose to spend an entire day with either Poe or you and lie by your feet for the day. Rose’s idea of doing something each evening had stuck and you had set up a weekly plan of things to do. Movie nights became a Friday night tradition. Rose had ordered relaxation colouring books for each of you and that became your Monday night routine. There was a YouTube marathon on Tuesdays, you’d all found a series to binge together on Wednesdays and you played board games on Thursdays. Poe was teaching you to cook, you could make basic things but he was much better than you were and you’d asked him to help you learn. Rose loved teasing your about how cute you both looked and how domestic it was. Things were still strange but everyone was getting used to it.

Rose and Finn occasionally took walks after work, just the two of them. Poe had just arrived back home with BeeBee. He wandered into the living room and found you sitting on the sofa crying your eyes out. He was by your side in an instant, pulling you into his arms and rubbing your back.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“My dad” you sobbed “He has the virus; he’s in the hospital on a ventilator”

“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry!” he pulled you tighter “He’ll be fine, I’ve never met a man as strong and stubborn as Han Solo!”

“Mum said he’s really ill, she’s not even allowed to go and see him”

“It’s not fair”

“I just want to go and see mum and hug her”

“I know sweetheart, I know”

Poe held you until you eventually cried yourself to sleep. He pulled you onto him, and grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over you. BeeBee jumped up onto the sofa and lay by your legs. Your body heat and the heat from the blanket lulled Poe to sleep. When Finn and Rose came back a little while later they eyed you suspiciously. The sound of Rose’s keys against the coffee table woke Poe.

“This looks romantic” Finn said

“Far from, I’ve just held her whilst she cried herself to sleep” Poe replied, glaring at his friend

“What’s wrong?” Rose asked

“Han’s got the virus; he’s in hospital on a ventilator”

“Oh my god, when did that happen, is he alright?”

“I don’t really know” Poe shrugged “She was really upset, I only got the basic information from her”

“I’ll phone Leia” Rose replied “To get more information but also to check on her”

Finn nodded “That's a good idea”

“I should text Ben.” Poe said “Then we need to work out what to do here. I don't want to put her to bed before dinner, I know she’s exhausted herself crying but she needs food in her system, as much as she probably won’t want it”

“We can make a start on dinner, wake her when it’s ready and make sure she eats at least a little then she can get some sleep” Finn said

Poe managed to lift you off him enough to move, he laid your head on a pillow and made sure the blanket still covered you. BeeBee got up and moved along the couch so he could snuggle against your stomach. Poe headed to the kitchen and made a start on dinner with Finn’s help. Rose sat on the bottom stair and called Leia. She was on the phone for 10 minutes before joining the guys in the kitchen.

“What did she say?” Finn asked

“He had a few symptoms so they called the doctor yesterday and he was told to go in and get checked out, they didn't want to worry Y/N and Ben so they just kept it between them at that point, the hospital got him tested and obviously he had it so they said he would get kept in overnight but he started to struggle to breathe so they put him on the machine. They don’t know when or if he’ll come back around”

“Oh god” Finn replied

“We just have to take care of her” Rose said “We know how close she is to her parents and not being able to be with them is going to be so hard for her”

“She has us” Poe replied “And we’ll be here for her day and night, no matter what time”

“Absolutely” Rose nodded “I’ll wake her for dinner”

The next week was difficult, you’d asked for some time away from work as you knew you would never be able to concentrate whilst your thoughts were all about your father. He hadn’t been getting better but he also hadn’t gotten any worse, which the doctors said was a really good thing. Poe and Rose had both taken a few days off to make sure someone was with you and helping keep your mind off things. You and Poe were on a walk with BeeBee one afternoon when your phone rang.

“It’s mum” you said to Poe before answering the phone. He gently took hold of your arm and led you over to a wall where you could sit. He could only hear your side of the conversation but the fact you hadn’t burst into tears yet made him feel more positive. “I’ll speak to you later mum, love you. Bye”

“How’s things?”

“Dad came off the ventilator this morning” you replied, happy tears appearing in your eyes “He’s breathing on his own and the doctors are really happy with his progress”

“That’s great news sweetheart. And it’ll be a load off your mind knowing he’s doing okay”

“Yeah, it really is” you replied “Thank you, you’ve helped keep me going this last week or so. I really appreciate it”

“I’m here for you anytime sweetheart” Poe replied

“I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. It's been so scary seeing all the stuff on the news, I guess I just didn't think it would end up so close to home”

Poe held his arms open and you fell into his hug gratefully. Poe gave the best hugs in the entire world. He hugged tightly and it made anyone he hugged feel secure and content.

Easter was very much a non event, the weather wasn't great so you were inside all day. Poe cooked a nice meal for everyone and you sat and watched a lot of TV whilst eating all of the Easter snacks you'd ordered in with the food shop. You were all happy to have a few days off work, Finn had a few weeks off whilst the schools were closed for the spring break. A few days after Easter, your father was released from the hospital. He still wasn't 100% back to his normal self but he was really glad to be back in his own home. You face-timed with him and your mother every day, just to check up on how they were both doing. You knew it wasn't easy on Leia either. She had to take care of Han plus do everything herself at home, whilst trying to work. Finn decided to take up gardening whilst he had free time, he ordered loads of plants and gardening tools online and got to work as soon as they arrived. Your garden had never really been full of plants because you and Rose were always too busy and neither of you were that into gardening. Finn cut down all the bushes, planted loads of flowers and painted the fences. The small fence that separated the patio from the grass was painted a sky blue and all of the surrounding fences were white. Poe helped Finn with the painting, whilst you and Rose cleaned up all the garden furniture. Once you were done, it looked like a whole new garden.

As the month went on, things with everyone's work got quieter. You were no longer working full days, Monday to Wednesday you only worked from 11am until 3pm, Thursday you worked 9am-12pm and Friday was a day off. Rose only had to work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Poe no longer had to do any work. He was luckily still getting paid but his work just didn't have anything else they could do remotely. They told him to keep checking his work emails just incase anything did come in. It took a while to adjust to all of the free time. Working from home had been strange anyway but only working for part of the time made it even weirder. Finn was still working his normal hours after the school break. Friday became a cooking day. Poe continued to teach you how to make meals, and sometimes the pair of you would bake.

Rose liked to come on walks with BeeBee when she had the spare time, the park was everyone's favourite place to go. It became a lifeline to everyone. The stay at home order still said you were only able to go out once a day for some exercise. You all began to look forward to walk time so you could get to your park. You could walk all the way round it twice before BeeBee got bored. You would always stop at the kiosk and get a coffee or an ice cream, whilst the dog ran after his ball.

“This is his dream” Poe chuckled as he watched Rose throwing the ball “He's getting to spend time with people he loves, he's getting much longer walks than normal and he gets to run after his ball a lot”

You smiled “Animals must be loving this lockdown thing, they get to spend so much time with their humans and don't have to stay home alone all day”

“Bee is loving living with you and Rose. He's always really happy when you guys come to visit us so all of us living together is great for him”

“I'm actually really enjoying it too, I had my reservations at first. Especially when Rose just mentioned Finn moving in. I didn't want to be the third wheel in my own home. And even when she said you were coming too, I wasn't sure we'd all manage to work around each other but thankfully we have and I couldn't be happier to be spending this lockdown with you guys. Especially with how much you helped me when my dad was ill”

“I'm glad we're all together too. It's made things feel so much better knowing that anytime I have a bad day I get to spend it with my best friends. Living with Finn is great but sometimes when him and Rose are all loved up it gets a bit annoying. I mean not that I'm not happy for them because I absolutely am, they're a great couple but yeah”

“No, I totally get that. Being the 3rd wheel isn't easy” you nodded “They're adorable, but sometimes it sucks to be left out so I'm glad we have each other during this lockdown”

“Me too, I think you're the only one that gets what it's like to be 3rd wheel to them” Poe chuckled

The final few days of the month were difficult, Rose fell ill with suspected Covid. She had all of the symptoms but she didn't feel overly ill. Finn moved into the spare room with Poe, he didn't want to get ill whilst he was still so busy with work. You looked after Rose, bringing her food and plenty of fluids to keep her going. You were glad that she didn't have a really bad case of it, but you worried for the rest of you.

So here’s the next part. I hope if you read this far that you enjoyed it and you’re still enjoying the series. Your comments would mean the world to me <3 Have a lovely weekend!

[nolanscheeks]

“Happy Birthday” BB

**

Hey guys! So I know Brock’s birthday was yesterday but I had a midterm this morning so I couldn’t write till today. As always, this is completely made up! I didn’t proof read, so be patient with me.**

Warnings: light mention of smut

** “Good morning, birthday boy” you more or less screech at Brock the moment you see his eyes blink open just after 9am. **

“Good morning” he yawned, rubbing his eyes. You sat down next to where he nestled under the covers and leaned down to give him a kiss.  You love birthdays, any reason to bake a cake, buy things, have a party and celebrate is right up your alley. Unfortunately, this year there would be no crazy night out in downtown Vancouver, but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to do everything you could to make your boyfriend’s day special. His team has a game tonight so you guys had made a plan to celebrate the next day, an off day, but you couldn’t resist celebrating on the actual day as well. You’d set an early alarm for morning, as a couple you guys were usually up on the early side, but you wanted to make sure you got up even earlier so you could bake Brock’s favourite chocolate chip banana bread and make him a coffee to surprise him with when he woke up. 

“I made you banana bread for your birthday breakfast” you whispered in his ear, gesturing towards the bedside table where you had placed a few slices of banana bread and two hot cups of coffee.

“I thought we were gonna do my birthday tomorrow.”

“Who said we can’t celebrate today, too?” You playfully tapped the tip of his nose. Brock shrugged and pushed up into a seated position, back resting on the headboard, so you could hand him a cup.

“Thank you, y/n” he said, taking a sip. You grabbed your coffee as well and adjusted yourself so you were sitting next to Brock, leaning back against the headboard as well.

“Ok so,” you inhaled, getting a breath so you could recite your birthday plans for him, “we’re going to eat, then let’s take the dogs out and get more coffee, then we can watch a movie or something before your nap and then I have something for you tonight” you winked at him. The something was a bodysuit you’d picked up at Victoria’s Secret while Brock was at practice yesterday. Brock wasn’t a guy that cared if you got dressed up for him or not, constantly insisting you were just as, if not more, beautiful naked or in PJs but you wanted to spice it up for him, especially on his birthday.

“What’s the surprise?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll see when you get home.”

“Is it a puppy?”

You laughed, “yes, Brock. I got you a puppy.” He grinned at you and rested his head on your shoulder. 

“We really don’t need another puppy” he gestured to Coolie and Milo, who were spread out on their huge beds that took up half the floor. 

“Milo is enough of a puppy.” Milo is a handful, always wanting to play, chewing the furniture, biting at Coolie, and whining at the door even after being outside multiple times. At his name, Milo jumped up and rested his face on the edge of the bed, tail wagging. 

“I guess that’s our queue” Brock chuckled, throwing his legs over the side of the best to get up. You hummed in agreement and got up as well, time for a dog walk. 

After a relaxing walk, well, as relaxing as Milo would allow, you and Brock settled on the couch with acai bowls for lunch and Gossip Girl, as per his request, on the TV.

“What time do you think you’ll be home tonight?” you ask around a bite of granola. Brock’s game day routine had been pretty standard the whole time you’d known him but with the protocols and new way of doing media he was getting home anywhere between 10 and 11:30pm after games. 

“Depends on how it goes and if I’m doing post-games” he shrugs, “got something you have to do?”

“No” you replied, smirking at him. 

“I’ll text you.”

“Perfect.” After finishing up lunch and a few too many episodes of Gossip Girl, Brock got up.

“Nap time” he held his hand out, “you should nap with me.” 

“Fine, but only because it’s your birthday” you conceded, taking the hand he offered and following him into the bedroom. You weren’t much for naps, sleeping in the middle of the day felt wrong and often let you groggy, but if he wanted to nap together today, you would do it.

You dozed a little, but not really. It felt like days had passed when Brock’s phone went off and he untangled himself from you. You watched him get ready and then kissed him goodbye as he went off to the rink. After closing the door you got to work. You melted chocolate to dip strawberries into, baked a cake, had dinner, walked and fed the dogs, showered, and got into your new lingerie all while the Canucks game played on your TV. You lit candles in the bedroom, so they would be dripping when it was time and set up the chocolate fondue. By the time you had everything ready the game-ending buzzer sounded and you began to watch your phone for Brock’s promised post-game text. The game had been a bit of a bust, a three-nothing shutout in favour of the Oilers, but whatever, that would slip Brock’s mind the moment he got home.

You idly watched your phone, waiting for his text, but by 10:15 it still hadn’t come. Brock had probably forgotten he was supposed to text you which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, he was often guilty of forgetting small things. You’d been wearing nothing but lingerie, so you threw on a hoodie to keep you warm. Another five minutes passed by and then the front door opened and Brock entered. He shucked off his shoes and coat with a huff, greeting the dogs with a pat on the head instead of the usually enthusiastic hugs they were used to.

“Hey” you greeted, a little wary. He seemed pissed, probably an overflow from the game.

“Hey” he walked over to the fridge, grabbing a protein shake and popping it open.

“You forgot to text me” you teased. You had meant it as a joke, but at your words he tensed up. 

“Sorry” he snapped, “I was a little busy getting my ass hung up by the fucking Oilers.”

“I thought you played well” you tried to reassure him. You hadn’t watched the whole game, but what you had watched looked good.

“It doesn’t matter what you thought, we still got shutout.” He drained the last of his protein shake and the plastic bottle into the sink. Brock’s words stung a little bit. Of course your opinion doesn’t turn the loss into a win, but it wasn’t very nice of him to say your opinion didn’t matter. It also hurt that he had forgotten that you had promised a surprise. There was no point arguing though, he would cool-down and you’d get to have birthday sex, just maybe not tonight. You returned to where you’d been sitting on the couch and patted the seat beside you, beckoning one of the dogs to jump up. Sure enough, Coolie hopped up and cuddled into your side. 

“Your dad is in a mood” you informed Coolie, speaking as if he could understand you. You heard Brock scoff from the kitchen. You ignored him in favour of scratching Coolie behind the ears. 

“Baby” you were completely preoccupied with loving the dog when you heard Brock call out. “You did this?” He was obviously referring to your bedroom, set up like a scene from a romcom. You got up and joined him in the bedroom.

“Yeah” you admitted, “I thought we could have a little fun.”

“Fuck, I love it” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you, “and I love you.”

“Reach under my sweater” you instructed, wanting to guide him towards his surprise. He complied and you felt his arm snake up under the hoodie and grab hold of one of the straps connecting your bra and panties.

“Oh my god” he breathed.

“Happy birthday” you whispered, placing your lips on his.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it:)

[ohgodsalazarwhy]

So yesterday was... A Day.  I talked about it on twitter but not here.  I woke up at 5AM on Friday and as I was getting out of bed Natasha was there to greet me.  She rubbed up under my feet, being sweet.

Then we walked down the hallway together.  At 5am it’s still a bit dark in the house, and Natasha starts to hiss at me.  Not uncommon to be hissed at by her, so I ignore it.  Then at the end of the hallway, she’s a bit ahead of me, she turns and yowls.  I freeze.  That’s a danger sound.  I don’t know why she’s turning on me but I try to slowly back away towards the bedroom.  She’s had these weird moods in the past, but never attacked me... though I’ve been afraid of it.

This time I take one shuffle back and she lunges at me in a blind fury.  It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, she’s screaming and attacking and I’m kicking out trying to get her off my bare legs.  I then dart down and manage to pin her to the floor with two hands but now we’re at a stand off.  If I attempt to relax my grip she screams louder and makes a move towards me.

So here I am, 5AM, bare legs bleeding and with a crazy cat under my hands in the middle of the hallway.  Absolutely nothing to grab like a big blanket or a stick or something to get distance between us until I can get to the bedroom.  I’m next to the craft room door and my legs are starting to shake and I realize I don’t have a choice, if I kneel down she’ll go for my face.  So I take one hand off her to open the door.

Natasha scratches my wrist and palm, then twists and sinks her teeth into my right pointer finger.  Deep.  It happens in second and then I’m shoving her into the craft room and shutting the door.  I’m breathing hard, shaking... I wander vaguely into the living room, try to turn on my floor lamp but I’m shaking too much.  I give up and walk into the kitchen to deposit the medications I’d taken out of my bedroom.

I can feel blood dripping from my finger as I walk back to the bathroom and finally look at my wounds in the light.  The scratches are up and down both legs, I’ve got massive scratches on my left wrist... and the bite on my finger is bleeding everywhere.  I run it under cold water but start to feel sick and am forced to go back to bed before I pass out or throw up.  I’m covered in cold sweat.

I breathe through it, getting blood on my sheets and pillow.  Natasha is meowing loudly in the room next door.  I breathe through the feeling of illness and shock and get back into the bedroom to clean the wounds and get antibiotic ointment on them.  I put bandaids on the bite wound, bottom teeth sank into the side of my finger under the second knuckle while the upper teeth had sunk into the top of the finger above the second knuckle.

I spend the next several hours in and out of bed as the sickness washes over me when I do too much.  But I clean the blood off the floor, and Natasha had emptied her bowels in the hallway so I clean that too.  When I go to the door and speak softly to her she hisses and yowls, so I leave her in there.  I don’t understand why this is happening, this is completely out of character for her.

My parents show up around 9am, and I’ve moved to the couch to lay there.  We’re supposed to go 8 hours south for a family camping trip.  And I’ve REALLY been looking forward to it.  I had all my stuff in the hallway ready to go.  But my parents are very concerned about the bite, and mom says I need to go to urgent care.  The more I talk and move around the sicker I feel.  I’ve bled through the bandaids.  Mom wraps my finger in gauze.  Before I leave the house I open the door to the craft room and quickly exit, I don’t want Natasha trapped in one room for hours.

Dad drives my car and he’s driving... aggressively.  That doesn’t help how I feel, which I think makes him even more nervous about me.  The first urgent care we visit is closed.  The second has a 4 hour wait for walk-ins.  So we finally just go to the ER.  I’m able to find a soft bench to lay down on while we wait... probably at least an hour.  While we’re waiting dad is informing family members what’s going on.  My Aunt, who is an RN, is glad we went to the ER.  My little sister tells her friend what happens to me, her friend loves cats and works with feral cats.

Dad comes over and tells me that Amber’s friend offered to take Natasha while I recover and I nearly tear up and say I’d love that.  I haven’t cried once, but my throat closes up when I think about what happens next with Natasha.  I love her so much, but the damage she did can’t be repeated. 

We get into the ER around 10am, but we don’t get out until 2:30pm.  We were supposed to be on the road by now.

I got a tetanus shot, xray, and my bite cleaned and bandaged as well as an antibiotic prescription.  Horse pills twice a day for 10 days.  Dad drives me to the pharmacy closest to my house.  Across the street is a booth selling Spooners blueberries (Spooners is a famous local farm, renowned for their berries).  Dad says he’s going to zip across the street for blueberries while I fill my prescription.

I come out after filling to see him across the street with the hood of my car up and he’s on the phone.  Goddammit.... I get my pills and text him, asking what’s going on.  The battery, the BRAND NEW BATTERY, has died unexpectedly.  I sigh and walk to the other side of the street to join him.  The sweet person at the stand has called their dad and told him what had happened, and Dad had called my little sister.  We wait around in the sun to see who will show up first.  Sure, this might as well happen today too.  I’m fucking exhausted.  I just want to lay down.  I sit in the backseat because blueberries are in the front seat that my dad is snacking on.  He says they’re the best, and Spooners doesn’t spray them.  I have no appetite or I might snack too.

The Spooners employee’s dad arrives first, and he jumps my car.  We thank him very much but he says it’s not a problem. I call my sister and tell her to meet us at my house, no problem she states.  Finally we’re home, and I cross the street where mom has been with the dogs this entire time, walking them around the neighborhood and staying in the trailer attached to the truck.  The dogs are very happy to see me and I’m happy to see them too.

My pointer finger is splinted and bandaged up and Leela sniffs at it and I have to be careful she doesn’t lick it.  We move across the street into my lawn as Amber and her partner show up.  They’ve brought gloves so they can help my Dad catch Natasha and put her in the carrier.  I sit outside with mom and the dogs while they go in.  Natasha pees on my couch during the ensuing chase because she’s afraid, but they catch her and bring her outside in the carrier.  I’m just glad she’s okay, I’ve felt very guilty about kicking out at her when she attacked me.

Natasha is scared as we set her in the grass in the shade of the fence.  I sit down next to her carrier and she curls up as close to me as she can get.  I want to unzip the top just a little to reach in and comfort her but I’m still a little scared she’ll turn on me.  So then we all wait together in the front lawn for Amber’s friend to arrive, Leela desperately trying to belly crawl her way towards the carrier.  When she finally does Natasha hisses and spooks her so bad she tries to hide under my sister’s legs.  Rotties can be such cowards sometimes.

Amber’s friend arrives with a van and I thank her profusely, but she doesn’t mind doing this at all.  She says Natasha is going to be well taken care of, she even has falconer gloves with which to handle aggressive cats.  I tell her Natasha is normally not aggressive, just very scared.  But to watch out for the yowling, that’s the danger sign.

Natasha is set gently in the backseat and the door is shut, the air conditioning turned on.  We exchange numbers, I thank her again, I can’t thank her enough.  With Natasha taken care of my family goes to a nearby burger joint for food while I stay behind to watch the dogs.  I just want to lay down.  Amber buys me a burger with a gluten free bun.  My appetite is non existent but I know I need to eat.

When they come back my mom and dad leave while Amber and her partner linger to talk.  Her partner loves to talk, he talks all the time.  It used to drive me crazy but I don’t mind anymore, he’s a good person.  I’d had the urine cleaned up and before Amber leaves she puts my couch cushion back.  I give her a stack of books I think she’ll like about abandoned places and ossuaries.  I’m finally left alone. 

No camping trip this weekend, it’d simply be too much.  I don’t think anyone in my family is making it.  My brother and his wife had to back out, Amber and her partner had to back out because of his asthma and the air quality down south.  Mom and Dad would be driving a long way for a short stay, and I know I won’t feel up for such a taxing weekend after the Friday I’ve had.

Amazing how quickly everything can go horribly wrong.

[chaletnz]

Furano Trip

To make the most of my two days off I decided to drive to Furano after finishing work, to ensure I would be able to see the lavender first thing in the morning. I packed up the car and had a shower, then headed off. About 5 minutes after leaving home, I approached a cat sitting calmly in the middle of my lane, I screeched to a stop and the cat didn’t run so I rolled over the top and then it must’ve slunk away. It was enough to give me a fright, I drove a little slower from that point on since I was still in town. Well, after clearing Kutchan town I was on a country road on the way towards the mountains and the second cat was not as lucky... He darted out from a farmhouse and I saw his little ginger face in the split second before he bounced into the right front tyre. There was a bit of a thud but no bump. He ran off into the bushes. Very shakily I pulled over and went to investigate, there was a woman there who could speak English and she said she had seen him run down into the bushes surrounding the farm. I left with an eerie feeling that maybe I should go back home and drive tomorrow, like these cats were meant to be a sign. I drove on for about an hour, my lights on highbeam and my eyes on high alert – I was more concerned about deer now. I pulled over after another hour or so and sent a message to my mum just in case the universe was conspiring, and then the spookiest part... As I was sitting in the car recording my message, a third cat came running towards me! In the middle of nowhere! Very carefully I drove around it and back on to the road and that was thankfully the last cat I saw on the drive. After that it was smooth, I stopped for a late night McDonald’s at Chitose and then drove on until I found a nice big parking lot with a 24 hour toilet. There were bugs everywhere in the heat of a warm summer’s night, flying around the lights of the toilet building. I slept quite well all things considered.

The next morning I woke up around 6am when the heat in the car simply became too much to bear. It was gearing up to be at least 30 degrees today. Somehow the exact time I wanted to use the bathroom there was a cleaning crew surrounding it and I could just quickly brush my teeth and wash my face before leaving. I started by visiting a large campground park that I had intended on staying at last night but didn’t quite reach there, and luckily I hadn’t because it was a crowded carpark with a far worse toilet! I drove up to the first lavender field of the day, Choei Lavender Farm. There was a winding road up the back to reach a mountaintop viewpoint overlooking the lavender and the Kamifurano township. I battled to take some videos with my GoPro that seemed to be struggling in the heat already – by 8am it was already 28 degrees. Japan doesn’t do daylight savings so it means that sunrise is about 3am in summer so the hottest part of the day is earlier in the morning than you would expect. I parked down at the bottom of this farm and took a few more photos although it wasn’t possible to get a good angle of the word “Kamifurano” spelled out in Hiragana in large lettering filled with colourful flowers. I decided to get some gas because Kimbo was already thirsty again, and then arrived at Farm Tomita just before 9am. As Google maps directed me there, she made sure to inform me “this destination will be closed when you arrive” but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait for 10 minutes in the carpark. Well it seemed that the Japanese had the same idea! The main parking lot was already full and the parking attendant waved his lightsaber to guide me right down to the back lot. Furano has great flower fields but not much shade so poor Kimbo had to suffer in the sun while I went for a walk around. By now it was 30 degrees and humid. Japanese people carried umbrellas and wore full length sleeves in the heat. Many people were dressed up in their Sunday best to take family photos in the lavender with a bouquet purchased from the gift shop for 500 yen. Dogs were posed for photos and then taken back into the shade where they could lie down. I took my photos and walked around the perimeter but it was far too hot for me so I had to browse in one of the air conditioned gift shops to cool down. I tried to walk up the side of one of the more shady lavender fields but it was deceivingly steep and I struggled to get halfway! It was time for an ice cream break by 9.30am, and of course I had to try the lavender ice cream again. It was a soft purple colour, with a mild taste and started dripping immediately. Luckily there was a shady seat to sit and eat it and appreciate the views of Kamifurano and the mountains in the distance. In winter Furano is also a hugely popular ski resort that is often paired with Niseko for longer snowsports trips. To distract my thoughts, a child squeaked in with those annoying shoes that sound like you’re standing on a plush toy squeaker with every step. All heads turned to look at the child, who promptly trips up and starts scream-crying uncontrollably. And now my relaxing ice cream break was ruined. I walked around a little bit more and bought a few postcards and lavender things to send home then sat down for a drink and a potato croquette for an early lunch. I had been waiting around for a bit because I wanted to visit a café nearby that opened only at 12pm. It was relaxing anyway to sit and watch Japanese people enjoying the lavender and trying to get the best photos when the entirety of the scene is purple!

I drove to Kamifurano town and parked at the post office as I couldn’t find any free parking lots near the Polar Coffee café, I withdrew some cash and then walked there as a loud alarm sounded through the city – presumably a test as no one seemed even mildly concerned. On Instagram yesterday I’d seen that my colleagues Tim and Nick had come to this café which is owned by a Taiwanese guy (they’re also Taiwanese) and it had a good vibe from their photos so I was determined to try! It was even better than expected, I ordered a flat white and it was not only very Instagrammable but also cheaper than anywhere in Niseko. Cooling down in the air conditioned café was also a highlight. After my coffee I made the long drive to Asahikawa to see a rice field. But not just any rice field, one planted very carefully with different varieties of rice that had coloured shoots. The reason I made this long drive just for a rice field is because the second half of July is the perfect time to view such rice fields - the rice shoots have grown in and are brightly coloured at this time. I was very proud of myself as I directed myself to the field. Although a lot of people online said it was so hard to find, I had no trouble at all. Actually my Google map would have led me exactly there but I followed some signposts instead that said “tanbo art” on them in Japanese, and the reason I was so proud – I could actually read what it said! I was the only person there so I parked where I pleased and climbed up the viewing platform to see the art. Unfortunately the field was so wide that it was hard to take a photo of the entire thing, even with panorama! The design changes each year and this time it was a couple of anime characters, there was also something written way off to the left that wasn’t really visible from the platform and I could only see “2021” and some squashed Japanese characters from the ground. Anyhow, it was a very unique attraction and I was glad I had made the trip to see it. My next destination was the Ningle Terrace; a series of log cabin-esque boutique shops arranged along a wooden walkway in the forest. If my phone wasn’t so terrible with capturing greenery then it would’ve been another Instagram-worthy place to see but other than a cool photos the souvenirs were quite expensive and many of the shops were closed anyway. I took a long drive from Furano to Obihiro for tomorrow’s adventure and stopped at a mall for a KFC dinner. Usually Japanese KFC is great, but this one had unfriendly staff and they gave me a half frozen burger which I had to send back for a fresh one. I bought a few supermarket supplies and then drove towards the small Obihiro airport once it was dark to find a suitable parking space for the night. I passed the airport parking lot as it there were too many floodlights which would make it hard to sleep, further up the road there was a small shoulder so I stayed there in the pitch black instead, with a nice forest on either side. I got out of the car to change into my shorts to sleep but I heard rustling in the bushes and freaked out! Instead I changed inside with the doors locked. I felt a little uneasy falling asleep as there had been searchlights beaming around the sky that I’d assumed were to find intruders sneaking into the abandoned Gluck Kingdom theme park and I worried someone would knock on my car window and tell me to move on. Of course I didn’t want to get caught on my urban exploring but I thought “you would have to be absolutely insane to venture in there at night”. As it turned out though, the lights were for the airport perimeter security and nothing to do with the theme park coincidentally located about a kilometre opposite.

[ksj-com]

Request #3

Missed Calls

- Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

- Genre: Long Distance!AU, fluff, light angst

- Warnings/Tags: anxious reader, kissing, cuddling, bad cook Yoongi, cuteness overload, pure fluff

- Word Count: 3,391

- Summary: You and Yoongi have been long distance dating for about a year now ever since you moved. You had to admit that it took some getting used to. But something is off today when he isn’t answering your texts or calls all day.

     Your eyes peel open, the sunlight burning into your retinas. Placing your hand over your eyes to shield the sad truth that it’s time to get up. The phone sitting next to you was off, meaning the FaceTime with you and Yoongi must’ve ended during the night. He probably just ended it this morning when he woke up, you thought to yourself.

     Almost every night you and Yoongi called to fill in on each others’ days and just talk about random things. After all, it was the closest thing you two had to spending time with each other now.

     It has been almost a year since you guys have been apart from each other. Before, you both were together for a couple years throughout high school. You both have been through thick and thin together, but it was definitely the hardest obstacle when reality and the real world hit you both— growing up and living past high school. Everyone going their separate ways, people spreading their wings to colleges that are in places they’ve never been. It was just how it went for everyone— including you and Yoongi. Yoongi decided it was best for him to stay in Illinois for college, meanwhile you wanted to venture out to Minnesota. Not too far, but far enough for space from your family and your original home.

     Even though there was distance between you and Yoongi, the relationship you had still remained. It’s definitely something you both had to get used to, but it works nonetheless. Calls every night and sweet texts throughout the day is what kept you both connected. You were grateful to not live on campus with a roommate because you’re sure they would’ve wanted to rip your hair out by now. All the long nights you two had talking to each other would drive anyone crazy. Working your ass off and saving money for your own little condo really pays off. 

     After rubbing the sleep off your eyes, you rolled over to your phone once again. Sliding your fingers across your screen you send a text to Yoongi:

Good morning babe ☼

     And with that, one last stretch finally brought you to your feet. It was Saturday morning and you thought about the lack of things you had planned unlike other people. Having nothing to do made you even happier than going to parties, so your empty schedule didn’t really bother you. Other than a few groceries you needed to get, you looked forward to sitting in front of your TV and doing nothing.

     To wake yourself up, you freshened up yourself with a quick shower. The warm water hitting your face made you want to crawl back in your bed and sleep the rest of the day away. Not having the motivation to put together an outfit, you slip on your comfy clothes. Your comfy clothes consisted of a slightly purplish grey cropped fuzzy sweater that slid past your shoulders and white sweatpants. The waistband of the sweatpants was folded down once, making you stomach visible. You pulled a thick pink cloth headband over your head to cover your forehead which looked a little big when your overgrown bleach blonde hair was placed into a ponytail. To finish your lazy look, you slipped on a pair of white canvas tennis shoes. 

     It was 10am when you glanced at your phone, wondering if Yoongi ever texted back. The screen showed an empty screen, but you shrugged it off— it was only an hour. Maybe he’s busy today. 

     Just as you were about to leave, you pour some food in a dog bowl and give your dog a praise before stepping out the door. Keys spun around your finger as you waited for the condo’s elevator to take you to the ground floor. Your phone addiction took control again causing you to check your phone again— still nothing.

     As soon as you made it to your car, you blared some tunes. ‘Stuck With Me’ by The Neighborhood played as you backed out of your parking space and ventured out into the street. You tapped and sang along while driving until Starbucks caught your eye.

     Thoughts of a Frappuccino and a cake pop made your stomach grumble from the lack of breakfast you had this morning. Starbucks’ drive thru was always slow, causing you to flip through a couple of your socials on your phone. Seeing that Yoongi still hasn’t even read your message, you decide to text him again:

Have anything planned for today?

Who knows? Maybe he simply missed the first text notification and he’ll see the second one. You sigh and toss your phone on the passenger seat.

     The cash register takes your card and hands you your strawberry cake pop and caramel mocha Frappuccino. Devouring the cake pop in one bite, you were left sipping your drink on your way to the grocery store. 

     You shoved your hands in your pockets when you scanned the aisles of goods. Already having your necessities in your shopping cart, you found yourself in the snack aisle. Pulling out some popcorn and sweet Hostess boxes, you were satisfied with your cart.

     Once you were back home, you were placing eggs in your fridge when you felt a buzz in your pocket. Hoping it was from Yoongi, you pulled out your phone— a stupid Twitter notification.

     Noon. You sat in front of your TV with a grilled cheese in your hand. Clouds covered the sky in a dark grey blanket, and it wasn’t long before it started to storm outside. The perfect atmosphere to watch scary movies. You randomly picked out The Meg to watch seeing how it was one of the only scary movies on Netflix you haven’t seen yet. Blankets wrapped around you as you munch on food while your dog, Ollie, sat beside you.

     “You’re just so cute,” you coo as you throw him a piece of bread crust. Since you lived alone, you needed the company of something. That’s when you decided to get Ollie. He was still a puppy, but he was growing into his full size. He was a Samoyed, meaning he had long fluffy white fur and a black button nose. He was your own big teddy bear when you missed cuddles from Yoongi.

     You hugged a pillow to your chest and laid down next to Ollie, trying to push your worries away. After a couple minutes, you drifted off to sleep. 

     The brightness of the sun shining through the overcast weather woke up you up with a overdramatic stretch. During your nap, you headband flew off and your phone screen reflection showed that your face now had indentations where the pillow creased against your face. Clicking on your phone to illuminate the screen revealed that it was now 3pm and there was still no text back from Yoongi. Annoyance started to trickle within yourself. 

     He never did this. Whenever he was busy, he would let you know beforehand so you wouldn’t worry. Maybe he was hurt? You decided to try to call him. Your foot tapped the floor as you heard the rings turn into a voicemail.

     “If it’s important enough, just leave a message and I’ll get back to you,” Yoongi’s voice said on the automated message. You roll your eyes and hang up the call before it went to voicemail. Stop overthinking this. 

     Scrolling through social media, you notice that he hasn’t been active since yesterday. He hasn’t picked up his phone at all today? 

     To get your mind off things, you pull out Ollie’s leash. He immediately gets the hint that you’re taking him for a walk as his tail whips back and forth. It wasn’t raining anymore and you had nothing else to do.

     He pulls you out your door all the way outside where the chilly air hits your face. You walk past one of the older ladies in your building whose grown to be a best friend and mother figure to you while living here.

     “Hello (Y/N)! How are you doing today, love?” she smiles warmly. 

     You slow Ollie down and pull him to sit at your sit while you talk. “Well...not so good. Yoongi hasn’t been answering my texts or calls all day and I’m kinda worried. I don’t know if I’m being too clingy or not.” 

     “I mean, you guys live states away. It’s natural for you to feel worry. What exactly are you worrying over?” she asks.

     “A lot of things. I trust him but that thought in the back of my head still lingers that he might be doing something he shouldn’t. He could be hurt or in trouble. Maybe I’m just overthinking and he’s busy,” you hug your arms to your chest. It’s chillier than you thought it would be.

     “Don’t assume, dear. It makes the waiting and worrying intensify. You’ll just have to wait and see. Best of luck to you!” she nods. You knew she was right, but it wasn’t easy. 

     “Thank you. I’ll see you later,” you wave goodbye. You let Ollie tug his own path until you couldn’t handle the cold anymore.

      When you got back home, you plopped back onto the couch. Staring at the conversation between you and Yoongi, you couldn’t help but feel irritated. The first text you sent him was at 9am and it was now 4pm. Being so accustomed to texting him all day to make up for the fact you both couldn’t see each other, made the lack of texting bothersome and worrying. Just when you were thinking the worst, your phone dings.

Yoongi: Hey sorry. I was busy today. I made it up to you and delivered you something. Should be there any minute 😘

     You were in the middle of typing a thousand questions, but the doorbell buzzed before you could click send. You opened the door expecting a box sitting at your door, but instead, it was Yoongi with a smile planted on his face. He held a bouquet of pastel pink and white roses in his hand. Before you could thank him and grab the flowers, you jumped into his arms. It’s been months since the last time you both saw each other due to work schedules and linking times.

     You kiss him passionately as he twirls you around while you’re hugged into his chest. His lips press softly against yours as he holds you tightly to his chest. The moment you both let go, you were smiling ear to ear. He gestures the flowers for you to take.

     “Found these on the way and they reminded me of you. Sorry about not texting. I was driving all day and I wanted it to be a surprise,” he smiles.

     You brush it off, not wanting to bring up the fuss you would’ve made if he never ended up surprising you like this. As you placed your new flowers in a vase, he slid off his jacket. Thankfully, you weren’t the only one wearing your comfy clothes today. He wore a baggy white shirt with black sweatpants along with black slides and a pair of white headphones draped along his neck.

     Once you set your flowers on your dining table, you go over to hug Yoongi again. This time he was able to hug you back completely, swaying back and fourth. You breath in his fresh cologne smell, the smell that he always wore.

     “I’ve missed you so much,” you say into his chest.

    “I’ve missed you too, baby.” He presses his lips against your forehead. “What do you say about us spending the rest of tonight binging netflix and eating snacks and tomorrow I take you somewhere special?” he says, cocking his head down to look at you. 

     “Ooo somewhere special? Like what?” you question.

     “I did my research on this area and let’s say it’s another surprise” he kisses your nose.

    You both end up ordering pizza, tossing Ollie a few pieces of crust when finishing a slice. American Horror Story played on the TV. It was getting close to Halloween, so it was time to binge watch scary movies all night. Once the pizza was devoured, you both laid down together. He laid behind you on the couch, arms wrapped around your waist as you faced the TV. His grasp pulled you in close enough that both of your bodies were pressed up against one another.

     “It’s the little things like this that I miss the most,” he kisses your temple. His words made you melt into him— you felt the same way. You turn around to face him and cup your hands around his face. Brushing your thumbs across his cheeks, his eyes lit up as he looked at you. He looked so god damn adorable that you couldn’t help but kiss him.

     “Eventually, when we’re both done with school, distance won’t be a problem anymore. That’s all I have to keep telling myself. I love you so much and I can’t wait for the future with you by my side,” you gush.

     He takes one of your hands to interlace his fingers within. “How’d I get so lucky?” He could tell you were growing tired by the way your eyes drooped every now and again, so he shut off the TV to scoop you up in his arms. He lays you down on the bed where you pull the covers over yourself, him joining soon after. 

     Cuddling up to his chest, you feel him sigh contently before closing his eyes. “Goodnight (Y/N)...I love you.”

     “Goodnight babe. PS this is way better than a FaceTime call,” you cause him to chuckle. His fingers traced lines up and down your arm before you both fall asleep. 

     Yoongi woke up before you, like usual. Tucking your hair behind your ear before waking you up. “Good morning sunshine. Let’s get ready for the day I have planned.”

     You groan as you roll out of bed to get ready while Yoongi brings his suitcase of clothes up from his car. You wanted to actually try with your appearance today unlike yesterday. Pulling on a white knit sweater with the middle tucked into semi high waisted jeans with a hole slit on each knee. Pairing that with brown ankle boots and the same colored brimmed hat on top of your loosely curled hair.

     “Ready,” you step out to see Yoongi wearing a grey sweatshirt, green jacket, and ripped jeans. His eyes crinkle together as he smiled brightly.

     “You look perfect,” he takes your hand in his while you both walk down to his car to his first destination: a coffee shop.

     “I thought it would be good to start off our day with some breakfast and I know how much you like your coffee,” he parks his car and you both walk in. The smell of coffee beans and sweets fill the room. He orders a breakfast wrap for himself while you order yourself a hot coffee and a cheese danish.

     While you sipped your coffee and looked out the window, you heard Yoongi take a picture. Your eyes snap back to meet his and you tilt your head questioning him.

     “I needed a new screensaver and you looked so picture perfect just now. I couldn’t resist,” he shrugs.

     You couldn’t help but smile. He knew what his sweet words did to you every time he said them, yet he could never grow old of your gorgeous smile.

     Thankfully, Yoongi advised you take your hot coffee to go because the next activity he had in store was apple picking. He always thought the idea of ‘perfect fall dates’ were cheesy, but he knew how much of a sucker you were for them. 

     You occasionally sipped your coffee to heat your body up on the chilly day, but once you were finished, Yoongi ran through the tree aisles with you on his back. You wrapped your arms around his neck while bouncing all over his back as he sprinted as fast as he could, drawing laughs out of both of you. When he finally let you down, you managed to find a few good looking apples to place into your basket. Of course, you both had to point out the rotten stepped on apples and say ‘that’s you.’

     “Come here,” Yoongi whispered as he stood behind a tree. You followed him, not sure if he was going to point out another apple or something else.

     He takes off your hat before connecting his lips with yours as he held the hat up to cover your faces from the cool wind. In that moment, everything felt in place for you two. Being together and so happy to be able to physically touch one another again made you both so grateful for this moment.

     After picking out a few more apples, you both decided it was time to go back home and warm back up by cooking some apple pie. On the way back home you both jammed out to your favorite songs as his hand rested firmly on your thigh—something little that you’ve adored for the longest time.

•••

     “It says to mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl,” Yoongi reads off of a cookbook ‘Baking for Dummies.’ Flour was already powdered on both of your clothes and the counters. It was safe to say that you both were terrible cooks and bakers.

     Yoongi grabs the bowl and mixed everything with his hands since you couldn’t find a whisk for the life of you. You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him trying so hard, yet looking so clueless. 

     “What are you laughing at, huh?” he smacks your ass, leaving a flour hand print on your jeans. You laugh, dipping your hands in the dry mixture and leaving hand prints on his sweatshirt. The kitchen was a mess, but it was a job for later.

     Yoongi dipped his hands in again and grabbed your cheeks, pulling you into a kiss. You wrapped your hands around his wrists as your lips tangled together. The string of kisses stop from Yoongi’s laughs.

     “This apple pie thing kind of failed,” he taps a circle of flour on the tip of your nose.

     “I would have to agree with that,” you say as you look around to the powder mess scattered across the kitchen.

     “I’ll make it up to you. Let’s change into some clean clothes and I’ll take you out to dinner and desert for tonight,” he smacks your other cheek to leave one last handprint. 

     After debating on where to go, you both decided that it would be a nice treat to go to The Cheesecake Factory. The chicken samosas you ordered were delicious, and just enough to still have room for desert. You and Yoongi decided to share a pineapple upside-down cheesecake.

     “Thank you so much for today and coming to visit, Yoongs. You’re the best seriously,” you shove a spoonful of cake in your mouth.

     “It’s not over yet. I have one last thing for you,” he pulls out a little box and flips the top open to see a skinny golden band with little diamonds in it. “Don’t worry, it’s a promise ring.”

     You felt tears build up in your eyes as he slid the ring on your finger. He kissed your hand before you placed your hand out to admire the sparkle emitting from the ring.

     “I figured that it was long overdue that I promise myself to you. I love you so much (Y/N) and I want you to know that, even if I may suck at answering your texts throughout the day, I still think about you every second. Now, when you miss me, you’ll have a piece of me with you at all times,” he holds both of your hands in his.

     “I love you so much,” you reach over and lock lips over the table. A tear of joy falls from your cheek. The love you had for each other will always keep you together, no matter the distance between.

Requested by: I lost the usernames from the rest of my requests, so I’m sorry :(

[soysaucevictim]

Week 2 & the 2020 DARETREE Event is done and dusted...

-

Dec. 5

I woke up after 1PM.

After some chatting and doing some dishes, I did my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 20 pike push-ups with EC. Tough and a bit sloppy, but good enough for me.

Second, Day 5 of the ‘20ACC. 3x5 tricep extensions, one super-set. Definitely tougher to manage after those push-ups.

Third, Day 7 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. Lotsa kicking. Aerobic and worked up quite a sweat! I enjoyed myself and mixed up letting foot drop and doing balanced variations there of. Lunge+crosses weren’t quite as fun - because lunges. But overall, good experience!

Last, Day 5 of the FCP. Core Control Day. Level 3, no rest. Pretty breezy work, all told.

After updating my fit log and doing some browsing, I made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Corn & poblano chowder.It was pretty tasty - I mostly like the bulk and thick consistency to it. That part was comforting to eat. Don’t know how I feel about Old Bay seasoning blend, but there’s bits I appreciate from it (might be just the fact I’m not a huge fan of celery, especially if it’s too intense a note in a dish.)

Did some dishes and chatted a bit before writing up a timeline for the iZ!AU.

I went to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Dec. 6

I woke up before 11AM.

Spent time chatting and  sharing a timeline of iZ!AU with friend.

Got my exercise squared away early too.

First, today’s DD. 50 shoulder taps with EC. Doable.

Second, Day 6 of the ‘20ACC. 3x6 jumping lunges, one super-set. Again, debated on breaking it up, but chose not to. Pretty aerobic and high impact. But I dod my best to be mindful of how I was executing it.

Third, Day 8 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. For exercise transitions - I did plank walk-out/ins instead of jumps. Did maintain the plank for the shoulder taps > push-ups > raised leg push-ups. Push-ups were a bit sloppy and I did feel a bit of built up fatigue, but I’m happy it was just 5 sets of that.

Last, Day 6 of the FCP. 50 squats, done in one go. Pretty manageable work, definitely well within my condition.

Spent some time chatting and watching the third Back Too The Future movie . Then spent rest of night on the usual fair.

I went to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Dec. 7

I woke up after noon.

Spent a bit of time writing an e-mail about my jury summons and then browsing a bit before today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ tricep dip hold with EC. Watching DWIT was helpful. Did note back pressing against chair increasingly after the first minute. But I did my best to keep the position for the full duration. Intense exercise.

Second, Day 7 of the ‘20ACC. 3x7 push-ups, one super-set. I thought about breaking it up as directed, more just to put more emphasis on my form. But then I just wanted to get it done fairly quickly & knew I could knock out 21 in one pop pretty easily (if somewhat sloppy, but what else is new).

Third, Day 9 of the FhP. Ab Day. Level 3, 1‘ rest. I feel like I could’ve shortened the rest periods a bit more than that - but ah well. It was overall very manageable and fun. I do so love sit-up punches! =w=

Fourth, Day 7 of the FCP. Endurance Day. Managed Level 3 by the skin of my teeth. Had some doubts I could go for whole 12 minutes keeping the arms up and moving. They did droop from fatigue and my pace had to slow to be able to sustain things. Watching DWIT/SaSi is always a great distraction for brutal endurance work. My arms = dead. :,D

Last, I started getting in reps for my ornament on the DARETREE, this year. After some debate, I chose to work toward an emerald one. That involved 1k jumping jacks. In less than an hour, I did half of it in 5 sets of 100. Was pretty blissed afterwards - despite my calves complaining a bit about the load.

Made dinner and spent rest of night on the usual.

I went to bed obscenely late, Didn’t anticipate a mistake I made would mean  i was not going to have much sleep to work with tomorrow.

-

Dec. 8

I woke up a bit after 11AM, to the sound of a car honking outside.

I quickly realized I miss-scheduled a trip reservation this week - it was supposed to be for Wednesday (though I would have to cancel that because I had a jury summons on my lap.) Anyways - decided to just go with the driver’s intended route. Spent some time to go grab some convenience store snacks and waited to get returned home.

Pretty much once I got back home, I did my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ raised leg hold with EC (supine). Deep breathing was helpful. But neck strain happened predictably enough - not so fun.

Second, Day 8 of the ‘20ACC. 3x8 lunges, one super-set. Manageable.

Third, Day 10 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. It was pretty funny rewatching FWSA as background noise - chuckled a bit while I was doing my punches/kicks/strikes. Definitely made that much more fun (and combat work is already fun.)

Fourth, Day 8 of the FCP. Cardio Day. Level 3, no rest. Nice low impact work. Energy levels were also happy with the relative chillness of this workout.

Last, I finished getting in reps for my ornament on the DARETREE, this year. I wound up approaching it the same way/pace as yesterday. Definitely a lot harder, given how exhausted I was getting. (I was watching POF again during this part of things.)

Chatted a bit before doing some dishes, taking a shower, and organizing stuff (bills/etc..I basically had to drag myself to get through all that - I was so exhausted. (Learning that my brother had a person in his circle test positive for COVID was also peachy. Brother scheduled for a test for himself later this week.)

I managed to get to bed in the green zone, tonight. I just hit my wall at that point.

-

Dec. 9

I woke up after 9AM.

I was pretty agitated on Twitter and in my chatting this morning over the Jury summons. Once at the courthouse though, I learned that I was no longer needed to be present. That was a relief.

First, today’s DD. 40 bridge taps with EC. This was pretty manageable, just happy the jury summons issue appears to be resolved. Mostly.

Second, Day 9 of the ‘20ACC. 3x9 calf raises, one super-set. Fairly breezy work. Calves were pretty okay after all those jumping jacks. Achilles and knee needed a bit of TLC, but doable.

Third, Day 11 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. No plank jump-ins/outs. My sore delts made things a bit more challenging to get through. Still doable, might’ve gotten away with shortening the rest periods a bit more, but I just decided to commit to that.

Last, Day 9 of the FCP. 3′ wall-sit, managed it in one go. I decided to rewatch Embarrassing Phases to distract myself from my thighs screaming at me.

After chatting and whatnot, I made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Tex-Mex beef & poblano enchiladas. I thought it was just okay. Lack of saucy consistency/binding in the filling gave things a dryness (especially on reheat in the cases of dad and brother’s portions - they ate later than me.)

After some more of the usual - I felt inspired again to get more writing done (iZ!Prinxiety stuff, friggin’ dorks.)

Back to getting to bed in the red zone...

-

Dec. 10

I woke up after 10AM.

After a bit of the usual, did today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 lunge step-ups with EC (20/20). Manageable work.

Second, Day 10 of the ‘20ACC. 3x10 wide legged squats, one super-set. Did contemplate on breaking it up, but eh, this was very

Third, Day 12 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. Back and core work - bridges were more fun than the planks, but doable. Did think i could’ve extended my counts a bit more. But nevertheless, reasonably challenging!

Last, Day 10 of the FCP. Agility Day. Level 3, no rest. I do so enjoy bouncing/hopping stuff  and it was fun shifting into each exercise with continued momentum. I only stopped in between sets long enough to markdown completed sets.

Spent rest of night chatting, browsing, and making soup for dinner. I did also get some writing done too.

I got to bed around the same time as yesterday.

-

Dec. 11

I woke up after 11AM.

After a bit of browsing, listening to music, dog grooming, and getting dishes taken care of - I did today’‘s exercises.

First, today’s DD. 1′ chest squeeze with EC. Arms definitely got to trembling throughout this hold. Did try to mind how much recruitment was happening so I wouldn’t pull something. Mission successful.

Second, Day 11 of the ‘20ACC. 3x11 up/down dogs, 30″ rest. Finally met a day of this challenge that I couldn’t get through in one superset - this pacing//load was tough enough as it is. Got pretty bushed.

Last, Day 11 of the FCP. Tendon Strengthening Day. No sets. Just about manageable, took a bit of digging though.

I spent rest of night updating my logs, chatting, configuring computer stuff, browsing stuff.... and binge-watching Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy. (I enjoyed it!)

Went to bed obscenely late because of that.

[ktrivia]

All Men Dream

Bucky x Reader

Summary:

Reader is enhanced with the powers to enter dreams. She originally entered Captain America's dreams just to see if she could, but kept returning to them because she loved spending time in the 1940s ease of life in his idyllic versions of the time. But what happens when the good Captain figures out something is amiss?

Author’s Notes:

If you would like to be tagged in this story (I’m so excited that people actually want to read this) please send me a message!

Also let me know what you think of this chapter! I always love getting comments, suggestions, and theories!

Chapter 3

Bucky’s POV

               What woke me up was not another nightmare, but the sun. I blinked awake with squinted eyes as sunlight poured through the gap in the drapes that I never closed. There was no reason to close them, I woke up before sun rise everyday anyway. Slight confusion filled me as I pondered having slept all night, but it was overridden by the feeling of restfulness. Stretching my arms above my head, I enjoyed the sensation of being well-rested, but I still couldn’t figure out why.

               I tried to remember what I dreamed about, and Central Park filled my head. I had looked at ponds full of lily pads, walked around in awe of the greenery, eating a hot dog from a food stand, briefly looked for Y/N-

               My thoughts cut of as Y/N reached my consciousness and the nightmare from before the park rushed me. Why was she there? Why had she helped me? Or at least what I could only assume was helping. As much as Steve believed this woman had evil intentions, something in me was disagreeing with his assessment. While I still didn’t like the idea of someone entering my mind, there was something else to this story than I knew. All I knew was that I needed to talk to her.

               Turning over, I looked at the clock next to my bed and saw it was 9am. I jumped up and bolted from my room, knowing Steve and Natasha were probably already in the interrogation room. As I turned down the hallway to the kitchen, I spotted them at the table talking and eating breakfast. Slowing my stride, I contemplated what to tell them as I approached. The two noticed me about the same time. Steve had a small smile on his face as he placed the newspaper he’d been skimming down.

               “Wow, this must be a new record for you sleep wise. Came to get you for our run this morning and you were still out. Did you just wake up?” Steve asked.

               “Uh yeah. I had a good dream for once.” I explained as I went to the kitchen to get my normal cereal.

               “What’d you dream about Barnes?” Natasha questioned in between bites of bacon.

               “Central Park from the 40s,” I replied while looking at Steve for a reaction to the setting of the dream. His face scrunched a little.

               “Huh. I had a dream about that a week ago. Ate a mean hot dog from a guy selling them there.” He responded. So, Y/N had really taken me to a setting from one of Steve’s dreams. That confirmed she had gone into both of our heads, but not didn’t answer the question of why. I sat down at the table with my bowl of cereal and began eating. Cereal had gotten so much better since I was a kid. Artificial flavoring was a damn godsend. After taking a couple bites I spoke.

               “So, what’s the plan with dream girl?”

               “That’s what we were just talking about,” Natasha said. “Got any ideas?”

               “Yeah. Let me talk to her.” I replied calmly. Steve’s expression immediately switched to one of surprise and even Natasha reacted by raising an eyebrow at my declaration.

               “Buck, are you sure that’s a good idea? She goes into people’s minds every night without their permission.” Steve asked softly.

               “I’m not asleep and so far, I’m the only one who has been any semblance of ‘nice’ to her,” I explained while using finger quotes around the word nice. “She’ll be expecting the two of you to walk in, but I’ll be a surprise and hopefully catch her off guard.” And hopefully get her to tell me the real reason she’d been in my dream. Nat and Steve looked at each other and had another one of their stupid telepathic conversations. I didn’t know when they became able to have these silent conversations, but they annoyed the hell out of me.

               “Ok,” Steve said before added a quick addition to it. “But we have to be in the viewing room at all times that you’re in there.” I huffed at the overprotectiveness but knew why he was treating the situation this way. If I had told him Y/N had been in my dream, he would have her sent to The Raft immediately with some horrific way to keep her from entering anyone’s dreams. I wasn’t sure if she deserved that treatment yet, but if she did, I’d be the first one to sign the paperwork.

________________________________________________________________

Reader’s POV

               The night, or at least what I assumed was the night, dragged on. After I woke up from Bucky’s dream I hadn’t been able to fall asleep again. Most of the reason for that was my fear of accidentally jumping into another Avenger’s dream. Bucky in his near catatonic state may be slightly forgiving if he remembered his dream when he woke up, but others probably would not be. My shoulders had begun to hurt hours ago from being bound to the chair and my legs kept falling asleep from the lack of movement. My ass hurt too which was just the icing on the cake. My throat had dried out hours ago and swallowing became a struggle. Stomach rumblings had been the only sound for a while but they stopped a couple hours ago.

               I considered who would even realize I was missing. My parents didn’t call often, and we had spoken a few days prior, so they wouldn’t be trying to contact me. My few friends were out of town to avoid the hot New York summer. Maybe my boss would notice, but he’d probably just fire me before questioning where I was. Really the only living thing concerned about where I was would be Meatball, but that was probably just because he was hungry. Shit. I really hope that brown ball of fluff breaks the rules and eats something on the counter.

               I jumped in the chair when the door swung open. Moving so suddenly caused my aching muscles to scream as they performed any bit of motion. A groan escaped me as I tried to relax in the chair slightly. In the doorway stood Bucky Barnes. A blank expression covered his face, and while I could read others well, I couldn’t figure out what the man was thinking. He shut the door behind him and made his way to stand in front of me, then crouch down to my eye level.

               “I’ve disabled the microphones in here, but it won’t take long for the others to figure out how to fix them, so answer quick. Why were you in my head last night?” He questioned in a softer than usual voice. The slight kindness from yesterday was gone, and I feared my actions from the night before were not being perceived well. On the other hand, I wondered why he didn’t tell the others about me being in his head.

               “It’s like I told you. I fell asleep last night, and I must have been thinking about you right before, so I accidentally ended up in your dream. It wasn’t on purpose I swear.” I explained again.

               “Why were you thinking about me?”

               “I’m locked in this room alone. I was running through everyone I’d met, and you were the nicest, so it must have left a decent enough imprint to send me to your dream.” I tried to explain. Blue eyes changed slightly into what I could only interpret as a contemplative expression.

               “Why did you change the nightmare? Why not let it continue and just jump out of the dream when you could?”

               “You were scared. Really, really terrified. I hate seeing anyone look that way. So, when you agreed to let me untie you from that chair, I knew I had to do something to make it better.” I paused for a moment before speaking again. “We all have to deal with enough horrors in our waking lives. We shouldn’t have to experience them in our dreams too.”

               Bucky stayed silent for what felt like hours, but really could only have been minutes. He opened his mouth to ask another question but shut it quickly.

               “Hey Buck, the microphones were off for a minute there. You ok?” Steve’s voice asked while echoing through the room.

               “All good,” Bucky replied. With a quick warning glance to me, he started a new line of questioning.

               “Who do you work for?”

               “No one. At least no super villains. I literally work, as in a nine to five job, for a dick named Greg, but that’s marketing work and he doesn’t even pay me enough for that.” I snapped my mouth shut when I realized I had begun rambling. Bucky’s lips quirked a little before he continued.

               “Why were you in Steve’s dreams?”

               “The 40s, at least the way they were in his dreams, were really fun. I liked going to eat at an ice cream parlor or go dancing. It was a completely different world than the one I experience every day and I wanted to see it more. It’s like a Disney movie in his head.” Bucky let out a quiet laugh before composing himself again.

               “He does like Disney movies a lot but that’s a different conversation,” He explained while looked pointedly at the glass like he was looking at Steve. “Why did you go into his dream in the first place?”

               “I had been in some famous people’s dreams before, so I knew distance didn’t matter, but I didn’t know if him being a super person would keep me from being there. Originally, it was just a personal test to see if I could get in there, but I liked them, and I kept going back.”

               “And you realize if we find out you’re lying, there will be hell to pay?” He questioned with a cold look.

               “Yes,” I replied immediately. “I promise I’m not lying. I don’t know how to prove that but I’m not.” Bucky was silent again as he seemed to ponder something.

               “Can you bring someone with you when you dream walk, as you call it?” His question took me aback and it was a moment before I spoke again.

               “I’ve never tried it. I don’t think I could bring someone with me, but I could possibly enter two people’s consciousnesses at once.” My mind began racing with the possibilities of being in two people’s minds. Would they enter a joint dream space? Or would it form a strain on me as I existed in two different minds? Bucky asked another question, interrupting my train of thought.

               “Does the person have to be literally sleeping or will just unconscious work?”

               “Uh, they can be just unconscious,” I answered while still focusing on his previous question.

               “Why do you know they can be unconscious and not sleeping in the normal way?” Bucky asked. His voice had taken on a sharper tone and I realized my answer came off with nefarious connotations.

               “It wasn’t a bad reason! My brother was in the hospital after he got hit by a car when we were kids. Thy had him sedated for a couple days to help him heal and I would go hang out in his head to keep him company.”

               “Does your family know about this ability?”

               “No. My brother and parents wrote his dreams off as a side effect of the concussion he had.”

               Bucky nodded once, stood there for a moment longer, and then left the room. As the door shut behind him, my hope of going home after this ordeal quickly drained. I didn’t know what decision he’d made, but I was worried. After ten minutes of tense silence, the door opened again. Bucky stood there, and I could see Steve behind him with a strained expression.

               “You’re going to go into my head, but someone else is coming with me.”

Tag list (Please message me if you would like to be added to it):

@paradisiacalsparks @cals-cigarette @searchingforbucky @mavelfanatic @some-person-somewhere @marvel-th @unfortunately-im-awake @jessicakimba @fandom-addict-aesthetics @simplysaying @spnsquirrel @bxrnsfeyson @magnolialikes @buckyinantarctica @fluffymadamina 

[mcrmadness]

I am very much overstimulated right now. Just writing here in case it will ease it. Anyway, my whole sleeping schedule has been so upside down lately. Clearly 9am-7pm as not my ideal one, my body gets really tired in the morning so I guess my natural circadian rhythm still is to go to sleep somewhere around 3-4am and to wake up around 9am-1pm. Yesterday I slept...idek anymore, from 10am to 7pm? And today from 7am to noon. And woke up first around 9am because I had a nightmare.

I have been running around the whole day - took the dog to the vet, went back to parents’ house, went for a walk with the dog, watched Oingo Boingo lives from youtube with my dad meanwhile brushing the dog and oh my god there was so. much. fur. everywhere............... Then I went back home around 7pm, feeling already so so tired and ready to go to sleep sooner or later. Then my mom texts me after 10pm if I have energy to go and pick her up from somewhere and take her home. Sure I can do that so I change my clothes again and go pick her up and stop at their house for a while. And now I’m finally at home again, it’s past midnight, I’m REALLY tired and overstimulated from everything that has been happening today. I really want to go to sleep and I will try that asap but I’m just... not the biggest fan over the combination that is overstimulation + over-tiredness. That often makes it really hard for me to sleep because my whole body is like... so tensed and I cannot relax it and it easily affects my sleep and dreams too and I easily wake up tired because my mind keeps being hyperactive even in my sleep.

I have to wake up very early tomorrow because I need to take my sister to the city tomorrow. The pros and cons of being the only one with a driver’s license and car in the family and living in a city where the public transportation sucks. Okay, she could use busses just fine but she has Asperger’s and even tho she could do these alone too (she’s an adult already), she still feels safer when someone’s going with her and we all also feel safer when we know that there’s someone who can help her in case she becomes nonverbal just because she can’t figure out how something works. And I have always been that emotional-support-older-sibling to her anyway so I often ask her myself if she wants me to come with her, mainly because I usually can sense or see from her when she’s unsure if she can handle something on her own or not.

Alright. I think I’ll brush my teeth now and go and try sleeping. I just remembered that a new Finnish humour podcast/radio play was uploaded to internet a few days ago and I could actually try listening to that, maybe it will help me relax and easen the overstimulation.

[aggimaginary]

The Grinch 2: Happy New Year Chapter 1-Prologue

53 years of his life, the Grinch hated Christmas because the Whos celebrated this special holiday together, and he was all alone with no friends or family to celebrate with. The only companion he had is his dog, Max, who was been loyal to him for years. Because of his jealousy towards the Whos for being excited every Christmas, the Grinch planned to steal Christmas by taking their decorations, presents and stuffs from them to fix the sadness he had for years, but he realized it can't ever since a little girl name Cindy Lou Who taught him the true meaning of Christmas. When he returned the stuff he took from the Whos, the Grinch confessed and apologized, and moved back to his home at Mt. Crumpit, which he decided to celebrate with Max. To his surprise, Cindy Lou invited him to their Christmas dinner. At the dinner table, the Grinch confessed it wasn't Christmas he hated, it was being alone. From that on, he was never alone anymore, thanks to Cindy Lou, who changed his life. The Grinch kept himself socialized with the Whos to start the beginning of his new life.

Technically, his new life hasn't started just yet.

One morning, the day after Christmas, the Grinch woke up from his slumber with a smile on his face. He doesn't remember what happened last night for a moment, until the memories came back to him, and it was the happiest time yet. He finally got what he always wanted; being with the Whos to celebrate Christmas and not being alone anymore. He just remembered that he destroyed his own alarm clock days ago and he can't tell what time is it, much to his dismay. Believing that it may be early morning, the Grinch got off of bed and went downstairs, straight to the kitchen.

When he arrived there, he took a peek behind the curtain of his dog's bed where he saw him sleeping well. The Grinch smiled as he decided to make breakfast for him and for his dog this time, just for a change, if only he could remember how to work the coffee maker that only his dog can operate it. Successfully, he made coffee in his mug just for him, and another coffee in a dog bowl for his dog.

Max woke up from his sleep as he yawned and shook his head to keep himself awake. To his surprise, he saw his master in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. The dog barked to get his master's attention.

The Grinch heard that bark and turned to see his dog awake on his doggy bed, "Oh, good morning, Max! Glad you finally awake. I made breakfast." He saw his dog staring at him in confusion. "Umm, I just thought that we can make a few changes in this house from now on. So, I'm making breakfast today. Enjoy your morning off," He put the dog bowl in front of the dog.

Max jumped and barked happily as he licked the coffee from his bowl. He enjoyed it.

The Grinch chuckled and enjoyed watching his dog liking the coffee he made for him. When he took a sip of the coffee from his mug, he almost spat it out when he heard someone knocking on his door, "Now, who could that be?"

He walked towards the door and looked through the window to see who was outside. There was now one there, until he noticed two blonde ponytails with red ribbons around them. He recognized those ponytails before as he quickly opened the door to find little Cindy Lou in front of his door.

"Good morning, Mr. Grinch," Cindy Lou greeted.

"Good morning, Cindy Lou," The Grinch replied, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I hope I didn't interrupt your morning, but I came here to check on you to see if you're not so… well, grinchy," Cindy Lou laughed, as so was the Grinch. "Oh, my mom made you waffles and I brought different flavors of syrup. I don't know which one you like, so I brought all of them."

"Why, thank you. Come inside. Let's eat breakfast together," The Grinch opened the door wide and moved aside to let the little girl in.

"Okay," Cindy Lou rushed inside and the Grinch closed the door.

As Cindy Lou rushed to the kitchen, Max noticed her, rushed off from his doggy bed, and licked her happily.

"Whoa, hi Max," She said as she took out a waffle and two bacon strips from her bag and placed them on Max's doggy plate. "Here, bon appetite!"

The dog ate the bacons happily. It's one of his favorite food.

When Cindy Lou found a chair for her to sit in the dining table, the chair is too high and can't reach it, even if she tried to jump up to it.

"Here, let me help you," the Grinch picked her up and placed her on the chair.

"Thank you," Cindy Lou took out four waffles and five flavors of syrup (chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and plain) from her bag. She placed two waffles on the Grinch's plate, and the other two on her plate. She handed the Grinch's plate to him, "Here you go, Mr. Grinch."

"Thank you," The Grinch nodded. When he was about to take a syrup, he can't choose one of them. It's hard to decided a flavor for waffles.

"You can choose any flavor you want," Cindy Lou said.

The Grinch just shrugged as he chose the chocolate syrup, poured it on the waffle, and took a bit with a fork. "Mmm, this waffle is so good."

"It's my favorite breakfast…, and my friends' favorite too. My mom makes great waffles," She complimented.

"She really does," He agreed.

"That reminds me. I also came here to tell you that, well…, are you busy today?"

"Why do you asked?"

"Well, since Christmas is over, Mom is heading to work again, and no one is going to watch me, Bean and Buster today. Our previous babysitter is occupied and my mom has no one else to ask. So, she asked you to babysit us."

The Grinch was speechless. No one has ever asked him to watch over children before. Of course he finally interact nicely to the Whos, but why it happened so fast? Cindy Lou's mother, Donna Lou, asked him to watch over her children? Why she trusted him? They just met yesterday.

Cindy Lou noticed the Grinch just froze right there, even !ax noticed, "Umm, Mr. Grinch, is everything okay?" She asked.

The Grinch snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality, "Wha-What?"

"It's okay that if you don't want to. I'll just tell mom that you can't watch us today," the girl frowned.

"Oh no! I never say that!" The Grinch protested. "I was just thinking about it, and… sure. I'll babysit you today."

"Really?!" Cindy Lou gasped excitingly.

"Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway."

Cindy Lou left her seat as quickly rushed to the Grinch and jumped to hug him, much to his surprise, "Thank you so much, Mr. Grinch. I knew you can do everything for my mom."

The Grinch slowly returned the hug, "Sure, of course."

Cindy Lou broke the hug and hopped off on the floor, "Well, I better go." She took her bag from the chair, "I'll just leave the syrups with you. I brought those for you anyway. Just go to our place later. 9am. Don't be late!" The little girl rushed at the door and closed it.

Max stared back at his master if what he said earlier is true. The dog barked if he was asking if they're going to town to look after Cindy Lou and her brothers for Donna Lou.

"Well, Max," the Grinch spoke. "We're going to have busy day today."

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

Later, after getting ready for the day, taking a bath, cleaned himself, and wore the right clothes (which all clothes match his whole body) with a scarf, the Grinch and Max traveled all the way down from Mt. Crumpit to Whoville. It was almost a long walk, but never got tired. When he reached town, everyone in Whoville greeted him with 'Good morning's and 'How are you?'s. He did greet and reply them, but he's still nervous and guilty for stealing their Christmas. Since they already forgave him and forgot all about what happened, he tried to forget it too. It's almost hard to forget sometimes.

When they reached Cindy Lou's house, the Grinch fixed his scarf and cleared his throat. Before he could ring the bell, the door was already opened by Donna Lou while carrying her two infant sons with a arrow plunger in her handand wore her nurse uniform.

"Oh, Mr. Grinch, I'm so happy that you finally came," She said surprisingly.

"Umm, thank you," The Grinch replied nervously.

"I hope you don't really mind watching the kids for me while I'm working today."

"I don't mind at all, but why did you ask me?"

"Because, first, the last babysitter I asked was quite irresponsible and left the sink back up, and secondly, Cindy Lou trusted you the most. I can't ask anyone better than you, Mr. Grinch," Donna Lou smiled.

The Grinch felt blushing and rubbed the back of his neck, "That's… very kind of you to say something like that to me."

Donna Lou chuckled, "Oh, please, sure there's someone else who was kind to you before. Like an old friend?"

"Not exactly." Then, the Grinch smelled something, like a smoke, "Do I smell something burning?"

"Mom, the toast!" Cindy Lou yelled.

"I got it, sweetie!" She responded. "Could you hold them for me for a moment?" Donna Lou handed the twins to the Grinch, who almost hesitated to hold them, but they were already in his arms. Donna Lou threw the arrow plunger at the toaster to eject the two toasted bread in the air.

"Mom, catch!" Cindy Lou threw two plates and a bottle of strawberry jam in the air.

Donna Lou caught them in the nick of time, the toast fell onto the plates, she squeezed the bottle of jam on them, and threw it back on the table with a mess.

The Grinch watched the whole scene of what the mother and daughter were doing as he was really impressed, "Wow, very impressive. It's like you two are a team."

"Thanks. Cindy Lou helps me a lot in the house since her dad died," Donna Lou replied sadly.

The Grinch frowned when Donna Lou mentioned her deceased husband, and he hated it when she saw her sad, "Oh. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine," Then, she realized the twins are still in the Grinch's arm. "And I'm sorry about them."

"It's okay. They're quite peaceful for a moment," The Grinch said.

The single mother checked her watched, and began to panic, "Oh no, I'm late! I better go!" She turned now to her daughter, "Cindy Lou, sweetie, come over here!" When Cindy Lou came close to her mother, Donna Lou kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tonight." Then, she kissed the twins' cheeks before heading out of the door. "Be nice to Mr. Grinch!"

"We will, Mom! I love you!" Cindy Lou waved goodbye at her mother.

"I love you, too, sweetie!" Donna Lou waved one last time and rushed towards the bust stop.

The Grinch smiled when he watched Donna Lou run off, and entered inside the house with Max, Cindy Lou, and the twins, who were still in his arms.

"So, should we go out to town, Mr. Grinch," The little girl asked.

"What? Why?" The Grinch asked.

"Because it's almost New Year, and we have to buy something so Mom won't buy them by herself," Cindy Lou explained. "Are you excited for New Year's Eve?"

"I wish I could," He answered. "It's just that I never celebrate New Year with anyone before, except for Max." It's true though. The Grinch always locked himself in his cave with Max, and only watched the fireworks burst above Whoville every New Year.

"Well, I hope you would join us for New Year's Eve. But we have to buy some fireworks and stuffs first."

"Sure. Besides, I think I need to buy a new alarm clock since I kinda destroyed it few days ago, but how can I carry these two mischievous beasts?"

Cindy Lou laughed when the Grinch described her brothers as 'mischievous beasts', and she rushed to a closet to take out a baby stroller for twin infants, "Here, it's very helpful to carry Bean and Buster."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" The Grinch smiled.

Working together, the Grinch, Cindy Lou and Max bathed the twins, changing their diapers, dressed them up with their winter clothes, and buckled them up on their baby stroller. When they are all ready, Cindy Lou rushed out of the door excitingly while Max followed her and the Grinch locked the door with the keys.

"Slow down there, Kid. Don't get too far," He warned as he pushed the baby stroller with the twins on them.

When the five reached the market place, the stores are now filled with New Year stuffs, like fireworks and candle. Ever since Christmas is over, the Whos started to sell things for New year. They are all really excited for that holiday.

"So, where can we find some fireworks around here?" The Grinch whispered to Cindy Lou.

"Oh, look, there's my friend, Groopert!" She pointed her friend as she rushed to meet him, and the Grinch and Max followed her.

Groopert sat on his own stall, selling snow balls, "Here you go." He said to his costumer.

"Hey, Groopert, how's business?" Cindy Lou asked her friend.

"Good. When I can't sell, I can always eat," Groopert unflipped the sign that covering the 'ball' from the sign 'snowballs', and replaced with 'cones', and squeezed the bottle of grape syrup on the snow ball.

"You do realized you got the snow ball from the ground, right?" The Grinch reminded the boy.

"Yeah, I know. But I cleaned them up," Groopert put the purple snow ball on a cone, and offered it to the Grinch, "Here you go, Mr. Grinch. It's in the house… just now, if you like it."

The Grinch hesitated since he doesn't want to eat snow from the ground, but he can't reject the little boy's off, "Well, okay then. Thank you," He only took the cone, but couldn't eat the snow ball.

"So, what are you doing here this early?" Groopert asked Cindy Lou.

"Oh, we're just looking for fireworks for my mom," Cindy Lou replied.

Groopert then leaned a little closer to his friend, "Just asking, alright? Is Mr. Grinch gonna be your new dad?"

"WHAT?!" Cindy Lou screamed.

"What?!" The Grinch almost dropped the snow cone, "No! I was just babysitting for Ms. Who. We're just friends."

"Yeah. That's too soon, Groopert," Cindy Lou glared at him.

"What? I was just asking," The boy smirked.

"Okay! I think we're done here! Come on. Let's get some fireworks and then my alarm clock," the Grinch turned to the other direction and kept moving to search for fireworks as Max followed him.

"I'll see you later, Groopert," Cindy Lou waved before catching up with the Grinch.

"All right, bye," Groopert waved back, then murmured, "He is definitely gonna be her new dad." Just then, a big snow ball hit him on the face.

"I heard that!" the Grinch shouted from afar,

[ijustfeelokay]

Entry February 27 2022

I had so much fun today. I was about to go to bed but then I realized how eventful today was that I don’t want to forget it. I slept in and woke up at around 9am but I was adamant to still sticking to my original schedule, and still doing my morning routine. I woke up, stretched, did the usual morning routine and went on my usual jog. I noticed I was able to go a lot faster but my lungs gave out earlier. I ran about 4.5k at around 5:30 mins per k, which is a pretty decent improvement considering it was only my third time back running for 2022. I came back, showered, oh, and first thing in the morning before I did anything I made sure I started with laundry. I came back to one finished load and I put it in the dryer. Before I hopped in the shower I started the second load of laundry. Then I was just doing laundry for a bit, I had breakfast which was hotdogs, chocolate almond milk, an apple, and an avocado. Damn I keep forgetting to take my multivitamins but my diet right now is so healthy that I probably don’t even need it. Before I left, I knocked on Ankita’s door and had the chance to quickly talk. I informed her about the party tonight and she said to not worry because she was going out to another birthday party of her friend’s. And I texted Laila, who got back to me saying she wasn’t going to be home tonight. I commuted home to visit the parents, wondering how much food they had for me. They didn’t have much and it was quite eery going home and looking at where my room used to be. It was also akward trying to figure out how to make myself look busy considering I didn’t have my room to go to anymore and my computer isn’t in there. Dad had a couple questions to ask how the new place was doing and my mom made me a smoothie plus lunch and herbal tea. I didn’t eat breakfast too long ago so I was really full after. Dad also bought a big box of spam and asked for 10 dollars for it. I found out yesterday actually that my older sister is going to have her wedding in April. When my mom was giving me the extra eggs and various other foods I was getting concerned that she was giving me all her reusable bags and Tupperware so I’m making sure I keep track of it so I return it next time I visit home. I’m also wondering what’s going to happen when she finally runs out of things to give me from the fridge and freezer. And also for some reason she still had leftover food (with meat) to make for me, for lunch. I wonder how future visits are gonna go once I truly exhaust everything from the fridge and freezer that’s meat related. I’m really concerned that my mom’s going to start preemptively cooking and freezing it just for the days I come over. I guess that’s not a bad thing but I just imagine a hypothetical mom just toiling away for a kid that’s not coming home for the next very long while. Doing things out of habit even though there’s no one to do it for. Like a dog still waiting at the front door even though the owner has passed. My dad drove me back to the subway station and when I got home I made quick work to pack all of the things away into the fridge and I finished up the rest of the laundry. My older brother was supposed to come visit me in the afternoon and take a look at the loose kitchen faucet but he ended up having to take care of his child because my sister in law was also working that day. Oh, right the main reason I went and visited the parents was to finally return the power tool after having it for two weeks after I moved in. I folded all my laundry and put it away, then I put out all the garbage and recycling. I think at this point I was pretty much done cleaning everything except the washroom. I was also finishing up the final batch of laundry which was the bed sheets and the pillows. I had to leave to go to food basics to get some paper plates and the coke drinks (which they didn’t even drink lol but I’m glad they made way with water). I was worried people would get here before me but it was only SH and MC. And I arrived just two minutes after them. The trip to food basics ended up being like 35 minutes, and I

tried to be as quick as possible. The walk around the station and to get to the station is longer than I thought, especially when you’re just trying to do a quick grocery run. Maybe I’ll check how long it takes, and then compare it with how long it takes to get to the bayview village. Anyway I got there, and the two just chilled in my room while I finished up the laundry completely and finished making my bed with clean but wrinkly sheets. Then the rest came along and we child in my room until my roommate finished working from home at 8pm. I was glad that the other two roomates weren’t even home. The turnout for my birthday party today ended up being perfect because everyone was able to fit in my room as well as the living room. And Thankfully Kelen had the two extra chairs. It ended up being the perfect amount of chairs as well. Basically the exact number of people appropriately cancelled/of the people invited, the appropriate amount could not come. At first I was thinking I invited too many but it ended up being I invited the right amount. It was a good group today and I hope everyone had fun. I had a lot of fun today. It was great. I was missing some of my friends but it’s okay we can always hang out in the future.

[thedappleddragon]

how's about 4 days worth of logs because I kept getting too sleepy ok go

Today I fucked around made a lot of pasta spent too much time outside with my cat cut some more paw pattern pieces hand sewed the fingers as much as I could started makin the lining but gave up took a shower and did some much needed moisturizing did dishes ate candy and drew caras oc and started Anna’s final render but I need to do some cleanups

I woke up from a dream that my mom got the dog she signed up for but it was like a golden retriever that actually turn into a fat copy of my cat with bad eyes. Had a bagel for breakfast and saw my dad got chive and onion cream cheese :) Igot ready for the dmv and realized I should probably do laundry soon and put away clothes I’ve let pile up. Left for dmv after a while, went around the area a little bit, it started raining, waited inside dmv, a little nervous but not much, talked to same lady as last time (she was very nice and funny :) ) we had to sprint outside to the car because it was POURING OUTSIDE during the first half of the test and suddenly cleared up the second half. Ran over a big puddle. HOORAY I PASSED! Picked up subway, at half at home, went to grandparents house to look at old photos and read my moms old diary from her last family vacation before marrying my dad, stayed for entirely too long, came home, finished subway, laid down, drew and finished the princess lineup, now it’s only 1 am butn sleepy good night. Perhaps I will remember to post the past 2 days in the morning. Yesterday made 2 pastas and resin-Ed old new leaf charm

Writing the days summary through text for the 3rd day in a row because I am sleepy

I woke up pretty damn early, before 9am. Went outside with my cat, played webkinz, snacked. Then mom asked me to pick up her city barbecue which was my first time driving truly all by myself. I trusted myself to know how to get there but I was one street over and then going from the wrong direction and had to turn around, it was a mess. But I got the food just fine and got home safely and without problem. I wanted to drive a little more, so I went to the park, walked a lap around the perimeter, and came back home, sitting in the driveway for a little bit. I hung out for a bit, played stardew valley, quit because I accidentally died in the volcano, fucked around, idk. My friends ex tried snapping me but I didn’t answer and instead texted shit about him with the groupchat. Then we started talking about lgbt labels which tbh made me a little mad and overwhelmed and frustrated, and people were talking faster than I could type, and we talked about asexuality and lack thereof and everyone got uncomfy and fuckin. AAAAAAAH. I got mad and got a headache from hitting myself stimming and decided to try calming down by washing my hair in the dark. I like showing in total darkness occasionally. There’s nothing I need to see anyway lmao. I found myself not even noticing it was dark if that makes sense. Then my dad scared me by opening the door which I didn’t realize I hadn’t locked and telling me dinner was ready. I ate and we talked a little bit about job applications until I went back to bed and got in a weird board mood, and a mint chocolate chip Klondike bar, and now I’m going to sleep I guess. Lily is better at eating and existing on the floor like an animal after I put her food on the floor

today was very rainy and nice. I went with my sister to drive around and pick up food for mom. we dropped it off at home and went to go get our own food. Emily got a gyro and I got 5 guys. the gyro place had a little store attached off to the side with very cramped isles and kinder eggs, which was interesting because I thought they were still banned in America. 5 guys was very overwhelming because of how busy it was. after getting our food we drove to the top of the parking garage and ate there, looking over the main roads and stores and everything, watching the rain. we ate and watched tiktoks and hung out until we decided to go to mcdonlds for water. 2 large waters was only 54 cents so I paid in coins lmao. we sat in the target parking lot for a moment before shopping around. Emily got some shorts and a face wash, and I got a succulent in a bunny shaped pot. I'm 80% sure there's not any dirt in there, and the succulent is glued in, so I got it mostly for the pot. it looks like the bunny is holding the plant, so I think I'll use it for holding pens when the plant dies. right now it’s sitting on my window, looking very cute. after driving home I sat in the car for a bit watching tiktoks until my sister called me and my phone died. apparently my cat was looking for me and even jumped up onto my sister’s bed. so I spent some time in bed just hanging out with her, playing Webkinz and hopping onto animal jam for th first time in months. theyve added some stuff which is cool I guess. I'm not gonna try to log in every day like I did when I was hyper fixated on animal jam, feral, waking, and Webkinz Next all at the same time. that was A Time. maybe I'll jump onto feral tomorrow to see what’s up there. it’s a very pretty game, and the few mini games they have are fun. I just wish there were easier ways to get new avatars, or at least have more than one design for one species. bleh. anyways my friend sent a tiktok she made about our friend group so I spent the next several hours drawing it but as our royal bloodshed au sonas. saving all the frames to my camera roll filled up my phone and I had to delete Tumblr. its fine because I haven been able to use it on mobile for over a year now I think. my phone is so stupidly fulll because I don't delete messages or pictures x-x I just need to upload them all to a drive and delete them all or something. im proud of the animatic but I've only gotten one response in the grouch so far, probably because everyone’s asleep lmao. now it’s midnight and I'm just gonna take a Tylenol and hang out until I fall asleep.

[blog-ask-april-o-neil]

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM DANIE AND I !!! 🎉 BONNE ANNÉE 🎉🎉🎉

We played society games with Danie’s sisters, we cooked a bit (we tried to) we did a beer pong but with disgusting stuff instead of beer because we weren’t allowed to drink alcohol and we don’t like that X) After we ate pizza while watching vines, try not laugh or “dad’s jokes” then we played with the dogs, we got out with kigurumis on us (Danie as Simba and me as Batman) we went to my house without telling anyone we were coming, we played a little there, wished an happy new year and went back to Danie’s to got out with confetti canons ! We watched the fireworks we went back inside totally tired since we ran in the streets while singing, we watched TV till 3am then Danie’s familly came back home, Danie, her little sister and I talked till 4:30am (we cried too XD) and this morning when we woke up at 9am we made pour breakfast, talked a bit and then watched Star Wars and i went back home ^^

(Danie and I wore the same sweater this morning so we did a pic with them XD 😂 Can you guess which i am ? Stilinski or Lahey ? 😂😂)

((Also i hurted myself pretty Bad since yesterday XD my head because i jumped on the bed and my head hit it hard on the side XD my knee because I jumped, ran and walked on it without taking care of the fact it’s already hurt, my back because i carried Danie outside and i tried to ran with her there XD m'y eyes because i slept with her chihuahua and i did an allergic réaction in my sleep x) ) Hope you had a lot of fun ! Have an awesome year full of joy and love 💕 and like we say here for the new year :

“Bonne année Bonne santé Ouvrez les portes monnaies Donnez les gros billets” 😂😂

Sounds like you had lots of fun! Happy New Year to you both!

[evenifyoudontfic]

Even If You Don’t: Chapter 25

Previous chapter

Mari’s POV; 9am

I woke up the next morning the sun shining directly on my face. I groaned quietly, rolling onto my other side, opening my eyes to find Kaylynn watching TV.

“Morning, sunshine,” she giggled at my less-than-amused expression.

“Tell the sunshine to go away,” I whined, burying half of my face in the pillow.

“I don’t think I can do that, sorry,” she smiled, getting up and going to the window, “But I can close the curtain.”

“I’m already awake,” I sighed, “I might as well just pack.”

“Already done,” Kaylynn informed me, “Your sweats are on the bathroom counter with your toiletry bag, so all you have to pack is that and your pajamas.” I smiled slightly.

“Thanks, Kay,” I murmured, dragging myself out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

I brushed my teeth, changed into my other clothes, and went back into the room. Kaylynn had turned the TV off and made both of our beds, ready to go get Kenzie and Vanessa to go to the boys’ house.

“You sure you still want to go?” Kaylynn asked, “We can just hang around here until we have to head to the airport.

“I’m sure,” I nodded, “I still have to kick Mikey’s ass in GTA one more time.”

“That’s my girl,” she beamed, holding her hand up for a high-five.

I grinned lightly again and we met the other two girls in the hallway after making sure we had everything we’d brought with us. Kaylynn had called Bryan after I went into the bathroom, so he was already waiting for us when we got outside.

Once we made it to the boys’ house, we didn’t even get to knock on the door before Ashton was pulling it open.

“Hey, guys!” he smiled brightly – way too chipper for 9:30am in my opinion, but hey, that was Ashton for you. “Come in!” he ushered us inside, “Guys! They’re here!”

“Wow,” Kaylynn nodded as she looked around, “It’s cleaner this time around.”

“Yeah, well, Ash made us clean when we got back from shows all week,” Luke said, coming into the room with Calum following behind him like a lost puppy. We made eye contact for a brief moment, but quickly looked away when the blonde started talking again. “Mike’s waiting for you downstairs, Mari,” he looked at me, “Said he’s looking forward to kicking your ass in GTA.”

“In his dreams,” I rolled my eyes. I tightly gripped the hoodie in my hands, holding it out to Calum. “Here, Cal...” I said softly, “Figured you’d want this back.” He barely nodded, taking it from me before I hurried downstairs.

I trotted to the main room of the basement where Michael was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, already playing Grand Theft Auto V. He had propped himself up against the couch, a second controller sitting beside him.

“Hi, Mikey,” I said softly, going around the back of the couch so I didn’t walk in front of him.

“Mari!” he beamed, pausing the game and waiting for me to sit down so he could hug me tightly. Michael ended his current game and switched to multiplayer so I could join in.

~

About 30 minutes of in-game horseplay and Michael's terrible jokes later, he apparently decided to get serious.

“We know what happened last night, kitten,” Michael told me as we continued playing the game. I let out a breathy laugh.

“I should have known Kay was gonna tell you,” I replied.

“How do you know Cal didn’t?”

“Because I know him,” I murmured.

“It’s okay to be upset about it, you know?” he said thoughtfully, “It was a really shitty reason to end it.”

“I know, but if he couldn’t handle the distance, I don’t want to make him stay with me,” I shrugged, “Maybe we just weren’t meant to be.”

“Like you believe that,” he nudged me. I laughed lightly again, laying my head on his shoulder.

“I don’t,” I confirmed, “But I’ll get over it. I don’t want to talk about that anyway. I’d rather talk about how many times I’m gonna kick your ass in the next six hours.”

“Oh, I love talking about dreams!” he sighed dramatically. I elbowed his side, picking my head up to look at him.

“Alright then, what do you say we make this a little more interesting, Clifford?” I proposed.

“How so, Duncan?” he returned with a small smirk.

“We turn away from the TV and try to kill each other without looking,” I said, “Whoever loses buys pizza for everyone for lunch.”

“Oh, you are so on,” he snickered. We put our characters in the same room and switched weapons to only our fists, then spun around so we were no longer facing the TV just as everyone else was coming down the stairs.

“What are you guys doing?” Kenzie asked with a small giggle.

“Mari’s buying lunch!” Michael chirped.

“Loser’s buying lunch,” I reminded him, rolling my eyes.

“Isn’t that what I said?” he smirked again, earning himself a shove.

“Here’s how it’s gonna work, Mikey,” I announced, “This is gonna be a clean game – that means no one will tell us where our characters are, no weapons except for hands, and if you put any one of your fingers near my controller, I’m gonna snap it in half.”

Michael gasped dramatically, “I can’t believe you don’t trust me, kitten.”

“I’d trust you with my life, Mikey,” I stated, “I just don’t trust you when we’re playing video games.”

He paused for a moment before nodding, “Fair enough. You ready for this, Duncan?”

“Born ready, Clifford,” I grinned slyly, “Okay, someone count us down.” Vanessa happily took initiative.

“3... 2... 1... Go!” she squeaked.

It was only about 7 minutes later that a winner was declared. Everyone started cheering as Michael and I snapped our heads back to the TV, finding the ‘WASTED’ screen over his character.

“Yeah!” I shouted happily, throwing my arms up.

Michael threw his arms around my waist and tackled me to the ground, lying on top of me. He started tickling my sides to make me laugh, but I didn’t mind, honestly; I knew I needed a good laugh after what had happened yesterday.

Calum’s POV

Since I was standing behind everyone, I got lucky in that no one noticed how tight my jaw was getting. Mari and Michael had been best friends pretty much since the moment we all met, but the way her face scrunched up in the same way that it did when she was with me made me jealous beyond all reason.

I knew it was my fault – and boy, did I hate myself for it – but that was the thing about me; No matter how badly I wanted to fix things, I was incredibly stubborn. And no matter how jealous I was now was going to make me admit to anyone else that I was wrong.

~

Mari’s POV; 10:30pm

Calum wouldn’t stop staring at me the entire time we were waiting in the airport terminal and I found myself desperate for our plane to start boarding so I didn’t have to deal with it anymore. His gaze made me feel so self-conscious and small that I just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

Finally, like God was speaking down from the heavens himself, the woman over the airport intercom announced that our flight to London was finally boarding.

I let out a small sigh of relief, quickly grabbing the peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks that Michael insisted to buy for me off the table as we all stood up. After making sure we all had our carry-ons, the boys followed us to the gate entrance, all of them except for Calum having prominent pouts on their faces.

“Don’t be strangers, okay?” Michael hugged the other girls, “If you’re ever back in Sydney, we’ll take care of you.”

“My mum’s dog would take better care of me than you would,” Kaylynn shot him a glare, shoving his shoulder. I let out a breath as I giggled softly, keeping my head down but still knowing everyone had looked at me.

“I think I could out-care a dog, Kaylynn,” he scoffed, turning his attention back to the bassist.

“Don’t be so sure, Mike,” Vanessa chirped, “Cal was a search and rescue dog for half of her life.”

“Cal?” he raised his eyebrows.

“Cal,” Kaylynn interrupted, her tone menacing, “Short for Callie. I would argue it really is a great nickname for a bitch though, wouldn’t you?” Calum swallowed thickly when she looked at him. “Oh, right!” she exclaimed plainly, “Cal is your nickname too! I totally forgot! What are the cha-“

“Kay,” I whispered, making everyone look at me again, “It’s not worth it; Let’s just forget it and go home.” The girls agreed and began walking toward the gate while I remained in my spot. Luke and Ashton hugged me tightly before Michael took his turn.

“Stay in touch, okay?” he mumbled into my ear, “I’m gonna miss playing video games and causing trouble with you.” I let out a genuine laugh that time.

“You've got my gamer tag, Mikey – just text me whenever you wanna play,” I squeezed him lightly before letting go, “And if you’re ever back in London, I don’t mind sharing a bed with you.” I stole a glance at Calum, taking note of how his jaw had tightened, before looking at the other boys. “Thanks for bringing us on tour, guys. It’s a shame it had to come to an end,” I said, my eyes trained on Calum. I stood there for a moment before bending down to pick up my carry-on bag and turning around, walking toward the gate.

“Duncan!” I heard Michael call out. I turned, now walking backwards slowly. “Call me when you get back, yeah?” he told me, “Wanna know you got home safe.” The corner of my mouth twitched into a half-smile.

“Anything for my favorite person, Clifford,” I told him, noticing Calum shift uncomfortably.

“Hey!” Luke pouted, “I was your favorite person three hours ago!”

“Better start being more careful about talking with your hands then, Hemmo,” I shot back, pulling on the bottom of the shirt he had given me to replace mine when he spilled his drink on me at dinner.

He sighed, “I’m not getting that back, am I?”

“Nope,” I smirked, winking at him before turning around again and hurrying to the gate before I missed my flight.

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