alma-andrada

[alma-andrada]

Maybe you did die. Maybe we’re all dead and this is the afterlife.

[alma-andrada]

urdamage·:

               if there was anyone else who knew devastation and the looming thought of whether or not he should cancel the plans that he had with others because of that devastation , it was junior . of course , his situation and life experience was so vastly different to alma’s , but even despite that , and despite how put together he forced himself to present to others , he was a good shoulder to cry on as he understood how terrible life could be at times . he had no idea that alma was dealing with such an enormously difficult blow , or that she was thinking that she might have been better off cancelling their plans , but had junior known , he would have done everything that he could to help her through her hard emotions - and he would have been glad if he could have gotten himself by her side , believing that things were easier to go through when with others and their support , not that he had the most experience with having support or anyone on his side when going through something . 

he arrived at alma’s not expecting what he would come to find . he was a little tired from working late the night before , but other than that , he was in good spirits - particularly as this outing was the first he would be able to wear his new baby pink button up shirt ( a small win ) . he waited at the door , not thinking of much at all , but the second he was let inside , he knew that something was wrong . his entire demeanour changed ; he was concerned , curious , and completely focused on his friend . he wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening , and more importantly , he wanted to be able to help them . “ hey , ” his voice was quiet and full of concern . “ i’m here , yeah , whatever you need . ” he didn’t feel like he could do much to help yet , not knowing exactly what plagued his friend , but he immediately wanted to reassure them that he was there - no matter what . “ hey , ” he said again as they stepped towards him , speaking even more softly than the first time . “ don’t say sorry , you’ve nothing to say it for , ” junior immediately wrapped his arms around alma , one hand going to the back of her head while the other began to rub soothing circles on their back . “ i’ve got you , i’m here . i’ve got all the time in the world and right now it’s yours . ” he wanted to ask them what happened , what the matter was , but he was afraid of rushing them into an explanation ; for now , he settled with holding them tightly , and making sure that they knew he wouldn’t leave until they were feeling better . 

***

“no, no i am sorry, i’m going to ruin this really cute shirt,” they mumbled as they looked at it and laughed softly. “it looks really good on you,” they added, though it had felt nice to be held. especially by someone who they knew truly cared about them. in a lot of ways junior was the brother her own brother had never been. maybe in the early years when all he had to do was worry about school and sports. But even then they had always felt worlds apart, the only thing in common between them being their parents and that had only been a point of tension. “thank, you, really, i’ve..honestly i’ve been wanting to talk to you about it for a while but i just,” they paused and went to go get some tissues, blowing their nose a few times before finally pulling junior to settle with them on the couch. “i’ve just been going through a lot. barely sleeping, my mom and i got into a big fight last night because she’s just so...god she’s so terrible to me sometimes and she’s upset because i’m,” alma paused again and took a deep breath, knowing they could never go backwards from this moment 

“she’s mad at me because i still have a relationship with my dad. i don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but i never talk about him. sometimes people assume he’s dead and i just let them. it’s easier then explaining that your dad is in prison. even if i explain how he didn’t do anything wrong, how he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to make a living...he’s been gone for so long and recently he was supposed to go to the parole board but they put it off. he was so excited and so was i, the idea that he could finally come home? god that would be,” the idea got them choked up all over again before they sighed. “my mom gave up a long time ago. moved on even though they aren’t legally divorced. she got so mad at me about it the other day, just me being bummed, told me she told me so, i got upset and well it spiraled from there...” alma cleared their throat and blew their nose again before continuing. “i got see him every saturday. i take the bus. sometimes i’ll be on that bus for hours just to get there and find out they’re not allowing him visitors or he got beat up by some other guys and ended up in solitary. it’s just...fucking terrible. and he’s the best dad, junior, i swear. he’s a good man, kind and smart and he loves me. loves us even if my mom and brother have given up. i haven’t, i won’t give up on him, you know? but living here, being alone so much, it’s just...it’s got me all fucked up. i feel all fucked up. i didn’t show up for any of my shifts this week, i’m sure i’ve already lost at least one of the jobs by now.”

[alma-andrada]

"it's not that, it's just i don't know if i feel like talking about it. it might just make me more exhausted," alma admitted the more briar encouraged them. "my family, namely my mom is just...really stressing me out right now and i'm finding it hard to have my shit together." it was mostly the truth minus the part about her father but alma didn't want to get into that now, she didn't think she could without falling apart. and they wanted to get at least through one shift today without feeling like a total piece of shit. "i bet people are the fucking worst," they lamented, pushing their hands through their hair before dragging it over their face. "okay, are your pep talks as good as your listening because i think i need that more than anything right now."

• open  starter  ;  ft.  briar sun. • location  ;  up to player. • @shrikestart ‣ beta editor.

“ whatever  it  is  that’s  plaguing  you,  i  promise  i  can  handle  it, ”  briar  told  them  sympathetically  between  sips  of  sweet  iced  coffee  that  she’d  gotten  from  double  shot.  she  was  prying,  prodding,  even.  but  she  did  genuinely  want  to  hear  what  was  bothering  them.  what  esle  was  she  supposed  to  do  with  her  spare  time  in  a  town  rampant  with  serial  killers ?  safety  in  numbers  or  whatever,  she  thought  to  herself.  “ at  come  what  may  you  have  to  have  thick  skin  to  make  it  out  of  a  single  shift.  you’d  be  surprised  at  how  many  people  think  the  store  is  an  open  invitation  to  be  a  total  fucking  creepozoid. ”  

[alma-andrada]

"hey you, i was kind of hoping i'd run into you here." alma's smile was easy, probably the easiest it had been in weeks as they spotted momoko in the aisles of a new chapter. they were wandering really, looking for more things to keep distracted with as they passed the time until their night time shift. but the sight of momo had brought them a kind of excitement they hadn't felt in a little while. "i feel like i haven't seen you in forever, is it okay if i bother you for a bit? i'll happily carry your books," they told her with a sweet smile and held out their arms for them. "find anything good?" @horrorbxby

[alma-andrada]

For about an hour before Junior arrived, Alma had gone back and forth on cancelling and telling him to come over another day. They were just going to hang out, cook, watch a movie but Alma was..a mess. A few weeks ago, during her visit with her father, he had let her know that he was finally going to get the chance to go to the parole board. Finally, a glimmer of hope. But then yesterday, she had gotten a call from him telling her that his lawyers had over anticipated and he’d have to wait at least five more months before the chance presented itself. She felt devastated and to add salt to the wound her mother had spent all night saying ‘i told you so’ and it had caused a fight that ended with Alma in a screaming match with their mother. 

Now, the house was empty, their mother at work but their head was pounding, their eyes were puffy and they just felt like shit. But still, they didn’t want to be alone and so when they heard the doorbell, they had just finished washing their face for the millionth time and opened the door to Junior in search of comfort. “Hey, come in,” they told him, ducking their head a bit so he wouldn’t look so hard. “I um, I had a rough night,” the admitted, leading him further into the house and towards the kitchen so she could get them something to drink. “I was actually gonna ask you not to come over but I kind of really need a friend right now,” they admitted, the words alone enough to make tears come to their eyes and they sniffled for a moment before eventually just walking towards Junior and hugging him so he could hug them back. “Sorry, I just really need this right now.” @urdamage​

[alma-andrada]

finaldarlings·:

“only  consider  it  if  you  want  to. either  way,  you  still  have  an  open  invitation  to  get  some  more  free  lessons  and  to  have  some  jam  sessions  with  me,  that  won’t  stop  no  matter  what  happens.”  xena  hoped  that  it  was  needless  to  say,  the  fact  that  their  friendship  would  remain  strong  whether  or  not  alma  decided  to  give  the  idea  of  a  band  a  shot. it  was  a  big  commitment,  so  definitely  not  something  xena  would  force  on  a  person. “i’ll  always  be  impressed  by  the  art  you  make. i  just  think  it’s  so  cool  that  you’re  talented  enough  to  make  something  and  generous  enough  to  gift  things  to  all  of  your  friends. it’s  super  cool. i  mean,  i  could  write  songs  for  people  i  guess,  but  it’s  not  really  the  same,  and  it’s  actually  kinda  awkward  to  present  a  song  to  a  person.”  she  laughed.

“no,  no  need  to  apologise. i  appreciate  the  realness.”  she  reassured  alma  before  she  continued  to  listen  to  her. xena  was  running  out  of  patience  when  it  came  to  being  told  that  things  will  go  back  to  how  they  used  to  be,  or  that  things  would  be  okay  again  in  the  future,  so  to  have  alma’s  reassurance  come  in  the  form  of  a  comforting  understanding  and  truth,  it  was  a  breath  of  fresh  air. “thanks,  i  really  appreciate  you  saying  all  that. and  i  guess  you’re  right,  as  hard  as  it  all  is.”  xena  took  a  deep  breath. “sorry,  to  dump  all  of  that  onto  you. i  appreciate  you  listening,  and  actually  taking  the  time  to  give  me  real  thoughts  rather  than  some  generic  nicety-  not  that  i  don’t  understand  that  it  can  be  hard  to  talk  to  someone  who’s  been  through  something. sometimes  it  all  just  builds  up,  you  know?  and  if  i  don’t  let  at  least  some  of  it  out  it  feels  like  i’m  going  to  explode.”

****

xena’s sincerity was enough to make alma blush. it was nice to feel wanted in any capacity but definitely in one that meant wanting to be in their company more often. at least that was how alma saw it as much as it was a belief in their talents. “okay, i will definitely give it thought!” they pressed their hands to their cheeks for a moment. “you’re gonna keep making me blush but for the record i would be very happy if you ever presented me with a song that you wrote about me. i mean is there anything more swoon worthy? i think not.” and that was probably an understatement. if xena had ever presented them with a song they’d probably be beaming so hard they would actually turn into the sun. 

“you didn’t dump anything on me, that’s what friends are for. to help through the shitty parts too, you know? i’d much rather listen to you than watch you explode anyway. i don’t think i’d recover from that,” they added with a wink before leaning over to press a light kiss to xena’s cheek. “like i said, if i’m always here to listen and if you ever want to have a distraction i’ll just tell you all the stories from my jobs across the day and that should be enough. might also put you to sleep too but a nap never really hurt anyone, right? i mean i guess it could...” alma trailed off as they got caught up in their own words and thoughts and laughed. “sorry, anyway, i’m glad you told me. i really care about you, you know? always will. you can count on that.”

[alma-andrada]

withncmercy·:

“exactly!” sonnet bounces up onto the balls of her feet with excitement as she speaks so enthusiastically. “you have all of the control, but it’s such a freeing process, no rules or restrictions, nothing dictating what you should or shouldn’t do with this control and power.” that is, nothing outside of the morals and values that she has in her everyday life that would prevent her from taking her art and her creativity and any other form of handy work in a direction that would be considered bad to her, for example, if it were to harm anyone. she doesn’t go ahead to say that, however, as she believes it’s implied. “let’s just say that we both have beautiful names.” she smiles, and she loves alma’s kindness. “in the stars!” her enthusiasm comes back as she believes alma’s way of speech to be endearing. “i’m not super busy! i don’t have my own stall today, i’m just bouncing from one person’s to another. i have a lot of family working, a lot of the commune are around, and while i love to help where it’s needed it’s not often needed.” her explanation comes with happy laughter. “and all of that is to say that i would love to sit with you, of course. thank you very much for the offer.” 

**

alma’s eyes widened when sonnet mentioned the commune if only because alma was legitimately jealous. it sounded like a dream to be around so many people, to live in community like that and if sonnet’s family was anything like sonnet then alma was sure they were all as lovely. “that must be really nice, having so many people. it sounds so...full,” they admitted, their life an exact opposite of that in so many ways. it hadn’t always been that way, when her father was around and able to walk around on his own free will. maybe alma romanticized it but the way she remembered, life was just...better than. more full. now it felt as empty as was possible, even with as often as she visited her father. “of course, sit, sit,” alma told her and pulled up the seat before taking her own to look back out at the market. “do you usually help out every weekend? what kinds of things do you like to do for fun? i ask as if i’m always out having fun and am not always working,” they joked. it wasn’t the total truth but it was part of it. they had three jobs and none of them really allowed time for a lot of vacation or personal time. which wasn’t terrible considering how often alma liked to be distracted. 

[alma-andrada]

finaldarlings·:

they  laughed  at  alma’s  teasing  words. “in  a  roundabout  way,  yes,  i  think  that’s  what  i’m  saying.”  they  smiled. veronica  was  an  intense  person  who  was  often  told  that  she  came  on  far  too  strong;  she  believed  her  and  alma  to  be  friends,  but  she  tried  her  hand  at  humour  to  disguise  the  eagerness  in  case  it  would  only  lead  her  to  drive  someone  else  away. “they  don’t  call  me  the  employee  of  the  month  here  for  nothing!”  veronica  boasted  after  hearing  that  she  had  lifted  alma’s  spirits. “they  actually  don’t  call  me  the  employee  of  the  month  at  all,  but  all  i’m  really  saying  is  that  i’m  good  at  my  job.”  she  was  really  only  referencing  the  part  of  the  job  that  was  a  stereotype  in  movies  and  television,  however,  the  bartender  that  was  only  there  to  wipe  down  the  same  beer  glass  the  entire  time  while  they  gave  the  customer  some  heart  to  heart  and  decent  advice. “mm,  you’re  right  actually. i  never  used  to  be  able  to  do  boring,  but  in  recent  months,  i’ve  really  began  to  appreciate  boring,”  she  admitted. “a  peaceful  day  with  my  friend  alma,  count  me  in.”  they  were  sure  to  exaggerate  the  use  of  the  word  friend  in  a  joking  manner,  even  though  they  really  did  consider  alma  a  friend,  and  thought  that  alma  would  easily  be  able  to  figure  as  such. “i  also  do  know  what  you  mean. but  i  think  we  could  find  a  peaceful  corner  somewhere,  even  in  shrike  heights.”

***

“well they should call you the employee of the month, i’ll write a very strong worded letter in support of you.” it was easy to talk to veronica, at least alma thought so and not just because she was behind the bar. but because her energy had welcomed alma in and alma was all too eager to have a friend. even with the ones they had, they couldn’t shake the loneliness that crept up in them daily. moments like these, it was easy to help that settle and just enjoy a moment with someone who truly considered them a friend. “ah look at you, you said friend and you didn’t even choke on your words, don’t you feel proud of yourself? i’m proud. not employee of the month proud but still definitely proud.” the mention of finding a peaceful corner together in shrike made alma feel excited and at ease all the same, already finding herself looking forward to it. “i’m sure we can. it sounds like a dream right now but i believe in us. i can get a lot done when i put my head to it.” they held up their glass before taking some healthy sips and letting out an exaggerated ‘ahh.’ “Okay so now I’m the listener, what’s the most annoying customer experience you’ve had? my final question and then i have to actually go catch my ride.”

[alma-andrada]

Alma tried not to laugh at him as he struggled with the sneakers but one snuck out as the one box fell and she clapped as he finally stabilized it. "It almost got you but you made it work. I believe in you, don't let the sneakers get you," she teased, finding it all especially endearing. "Designed for performance kind of sounds sexual," she said softly, "But fanny pack and maybe some tailgating stuff sounds good. I hate the idea of getting her stuff for a team she may not actually like. Again, I do not give a shit what she thinks about me, I'm just trying to not be an asshole to her," she admitted, feeling guilty for it but it was the truth. It wasn't like the woman had been very nice to her either.

"I do think guru is sexy, it's wisdom, it's guidance, it's very powerful. It means you're trusted and I think trust is probably the sexiest thing there is," she said with a decisive nod and she meant it. The list of people Alma actually trusted was very short, mostly because she had trust issues but also because sometimes people just made it really hard. Her father's situation had taught her a lot about people betraying trust and because of it she tended to keep things pretty close to her chest. It was important for her to protect herself however she could. "But what questions do you have? And have you ever actually been to a tailgating? That's what you called it, right?"

TJ flushed at the light teasing she directed at him, shaking his head before answering. “We’re making it through,” he replied, bringing his hand down on top of one of the stacks he was working with. Of course, one of them was balanced too precariously, and the force of his hand made the whole tower shake. He quickly moved to stabilize it, only losing one pair to gravity in the process. His flush deepened. “Maybe we’re not doing as well as I thought.” He laughed once they’d settled. This was just further confirmation he needed a break, he figured.

At the mention of football, TJ nodded. “Football, we can work with.” He confirmed, starting to walk backwards out of the section. “You could get her some, like, fan gear if she’s got a team she likes. We’ve got a ton of Broncos stuff. Or if she likes to go to games, you could get her some tailgating gear – we’ve got, like, coolers and stadium seats and stuff like that.” He stopped his spiel and moved to walk beside her as they walked away from his mountain of shoes. “For running, we’ve got these new fanny packs that are supposed to be ‘designed for performance,’” he explained, sounding like an announcer in a hyped-up commercial before laughing and tacking on at the end, “Whatever that means.”

As she wiggled her eyebrows, TJ let out a loud, sharp laugh, drawing the attention of a few nearby patrons. He shook his head, settling into a chuckle. His flush still wouldn’t go away. “You think 'guru’ sounds sexy?” He raised an eyebrow at her, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Now I’ve just got more questions.”

[alma-andrada]

Skate Kitchen (Crystal Moselle, 2018)

[alma-andrada]

finaldarlings​:

“i  mean,  i’ll  never  make  an  argument  about  why  someone  has  to  join  a  band,  i’ll  never  try  to  be  overly  persuasive  because  their  heart  has  to  be  properly  in  it,  you  know?  all  i’ll  say  is  that  the  mental  image  of  you  up  there  on  stage  with  us  is  definitely  a  good  one,  you  are  reliable  and  fun  -  without  a  doubt  -  and  i  honestly  do  think  that  you  have  a  natural  talent.”  xena  was  a  truthful  person  by  default  -  even  when  that  wasn’t  such  a  good  thing  -  so  alma  could  trust  that  she  wasn’t  just  playing  around  when  she  spoke. “so  no  pressure,  no  rush,  just  something  to  think  about  if  you’re  ever  interested  in  having  a  real  conversation  about  it.”  xena  knew  a  band  was  a  commitment,  and  much  like  taking  on  a  whole  other  job,  so  there  was  extra  reason  to  not  pressure  alma  in  to  thinking  that  the  offer  had  to  be  thought  about  -  let  alone  accepted  or  denied  -  right  now. “i  don’t  really  care  too  much  for  cauliflower  either,  don’t  worry,  i  won’t  make  you  sit  at  the  dinner  table  until  you’ve  finished  all  of  your  vegetables.”  she  chuckled.

in  all  honesty,  it  felt  good  to  vent,  to  just  get  so  many  of  her  thoughts  out,  particularly  the  harder  ones  that  she  had  kept  from  her  usual  company  such  as  hedwig  since  their  attack  had  taken  place. she  would  have  felt  a  little  better  even  if  they  had  just  moved  on  after  xena  had  gotten  it  all  out,  but  alma’s  reassurance  brought  a  whole  new  level  of  comfort  to  xena,  and  the  comfort  was  appreciated  after  being  so  vulnerable  and  open  with  her  friend. she  took  deep  breaths,  guided  by  alma,  and  she  took  a  moment,  trying  to  find  her  composure  once  again  after  completely  succumbing  to  the  intensity  of  all  of  her  thoughts. “thanks,  alma. realistically  i  know  that,  that  i  have  people  there  for  me. i  don’t  know  why  it’s  just  so  hard  to  believe  it  in  the  moment,  or  rather,  i  don’t  know  why  i  can’t  shake  the  feeling  that  i’ll  just… hit  the  ground,  as  if  i  have  no  one  to  catch  me. it’s  hard  to  explain  but…”  she  didn’t  know  how  to  finish  her  sentence,  so  she  punctuated  with  a  shrug  of  her  shoulders. “i  don’t  even  know  what  i  want,  what  would  be  beneficial  to  me. it’s  strange. i’ve  been  through  shit  before,  you  know?  nothing  as  intense  as  this,  but  still,  shit  nonetheless. i  always  thought  i  would  be  stronger,  when  made  to  face  something  like  this,  but  i’m  not,  and  it’s  a  really  odd  sensation,  to  feel  so  utterly  powerless. defenceless.”

***

alma smiled to herself, if only because she loved how honest and sweet xena was. “i will give it some actual thought, promise. i think i could use something like that to put my time into and the idea of sharing that space with people is really nice. the only other thing i have a really deep passion about is my art. which, by the way, i do have something for you that i made, don’t let me forget it later. but yeah, i’ll give it some thought and i’ll let you know. and also practice a little bit more,” they told her honestly, appreciating xena’s faith in her more than she could describe. “phew! i was really worried for me there for a second.”

alma nodded again as xena spoke, actually knowing a lot of how she felt but for completely different reasons. when it came to the situation with her father, she always struggled to find an easy place to land. maintaining her relationship with him had always somehow meant sacrificing the one with her mother and brother and it always left her feeling helpless. as if no matter what she did she was somehow doing the wrong thing. “i think some things just take time and then there are some things that just stick with us, become our new normal, you know? sorry, that’s probably not very comforting but i’m not gonna blow smoke up your ass. nothing can prepare you for dealing with shit like this so it’s just kind of taking it day by day, winging it and listening to yourself. and you know moments like this, talking it out. and you know, sometimes you have to just...let yourself fall apart. even if it feels like you won’t come back from it. sometimes it’s the only way to prove you will. and i mean even if you don’t, that’s okay to. basically what i’m getting at here is anything you feel is a perfectly okay way to feel.”

[alma-andrada]

horrorbxby​:

zero  rolled  her eyes  playfully.  despite  their  breakup,  zero  did  still  care.  for  the  most  part,  when  a  breakup  didn’t  end  terribly,  they  never  did  stop  caring.  just  because  they  no  longer  had  feelings  for  someone,  it  didn’t  mean  that  they  stopped  being  important  to  them.  unfortunately,  zero  was  usually  always  the  problem.  so  regardless  of  the  way  she  felt,  they  often  didn’t  feel  so  kindly  towards  her.  “ yes,  of  course  i’m  worried.  but  then  again,  if  you  can’t  drive  then  how  are  you  supposed  to  get  around ?  i  can’t  imagine  the  busses  are  much  safer.  doesn’t  seem  like  anywhere  is  safe  anymore. ”  perhaps  that  was  why  she  was  walking  home  alone  –  to  her  it  was  just  as  safe  as  any  other  option  right  now.  they  were  somewhat  of  a  bleeding  heart,  however.  the  moment  they  heard  alma  mention  going  home  to  an  empty  house,  they  couldn’t  help  but  offer  them  a  place  to  stay  for  the  night.  “ you  can  stay  at  mine  if  you  want  to.  i  have  a  perfectly  good  sofa  you  can  crash  on  until  someone  gets  home.  if  you  want.  don’t  feel  obligated  to, ”  they  said  with  a  little  shrug  of  their  shoulders.  “ i have  had  dinner.  if  three  cups  of  coffee  counts, ”  the  last  bit  was  said  under  her  breath.

***

“god, dying on a bus would be so depressing, don’t you think? i’ve been thinking about that a lot since getting killed by some psycho is kind of the norm lately it’s kind of lost it’s luster,” they said with a soft laugh as they thought about it. “if i’m gonna get killed i at least hope it’s kind of even more dramatic, you know? but whatever, not like any of us have a choice in that.” alma raised an eyebrow as zero offered their couch. they knew it was just her being nice and that it didn’t mean anything in terms of the two of them but still, they had to bit down on their lip a bit to stop themselves from offering an eager yes. the idea of not having to spend the night alone, even if zero was in another room was kind of nice. “your sofa is pretty comfy...” alma paused for another moment before putting her turn single to turn in the direction of zero’s place. “okay,” they said finally and nodded, “i’d actually really appreciate that. and not because i feel obligated. also,” they glanced at zero for a moment, “i’m making you dinner. three cups of coffee? yeah you’re basically running on fumes right now.  do you have anything useful in your fridge right now?”

[alma-andrada]

TJ had spent the better part of an hour trying to arrange the display of sneakers in a way that wasn’t a nightmare to look at. There were just so many of them, and he kept getting the boxes of Air Maxes, Air Flows, and Air Stabs confused. Honestly, why’d they have to name them all so similarly? And why did the boxes all have to look the same except for the fine print he couldn’t be bothered to read? He’d spent an hour on this, and the slow progress was exhausting.

So he was grateful to hear a familiar, friendly voice behind him, not only for the distraction but for who that distraction was. Instantly, his face broke into a smile, as he turned around to Alma, setting the shoes to the side. “I’m glad you think so. I had a hard time picking between this green and the exact same other shirt this morning.” He joked, leaning against the table. He listened as Alma explained the situation, and honestly, he didn’t get why you would buy a present for someone you don’t like, but he wasn’t about to question her.

“You’ve come to the right place, then. And guy.” He agreed. He pushed the cart of shoes off to the side, out of the way, and walked over to her. “Though, I’m gonna need more info. There’s a lot of sports, y'know.” He smiled. “Do you know what she does to work out? Running? Weights? Power-lifting?”

***

It was easy to smile when TJ’s smile was so sweet the moment he saw her. “I’m sure it’s a hard job to get ready for in the morning. But someone has to do it. You and that tower of sneakers doing okay?” Alma puffed out her cheeks as she thought about it. “Oof, great question. I don’t think it’s power lifting or maybe that’s an assumption I’m making but I think it’s a safe one. “But I think running is definitely her lane. She also seems to really love football. Meanwhile I haven’t been to a football game since high school. Something tells me she’s going to try to convince me to go to some sporting events with her so I’ll have to come to you again so you can be my sports tutor. Or sports guru. That sounds sexier.” Alma wiggled her eyebrows before giving TJ a mock salute. “Okay guru, where shall we head first? Mind you, my budget is not grand but I think i can swing something that doesn’t look cheap.”

[alma-andrada]

urdamage​:

               “ i think you could , legitimately . business is too difficult for me , i would hate to run a business or anything even close to it , but you could actually do it if you were ever interested in something like that . ” he was speaking from personal experience , having grown up being groomed to take over his father’s business - something that would definitely not be happening anymore . “ but then again , maybe i’m just a pushover , maybe you’re just good at bossing me around . ” he added , only joking , despite feeling as though there was definitely half truths in the humour . “ but then again , again , maybe that’d be a good thing , because then it meant you could definitely run a business with me as your employee . ” he laughed a little louder this time , keeping the conversation light-hearted despite genuinely believing that alma was capable of the most incredible things . 

“ hey , what’s wrong with laughing ? ” he defended himself , though he wasn’t ever really offended . he wasn’t sure that alma ever could offend him , even despite being someone who he would consider to be fragile and sensitive . “ you’ll have to show me some examples , for me to tell the difference . we’ll have to go sweater shopping some time soon . you might not realise just how much i care for my appearance considering how quick i am to take any excuse to dress up like one of my favourite comic book characters , but i really do worry about you trying to put an ugly christmas sweater on me . ” he laughed . he did truly care for his appearance a lot , he deeply cared to always look his best , to always look put together and pretty , but he wasn’t actually worried about anything concerning alma’s influence on his style . he had far more pressing issues to worry about right now , he was positive that they all did . 

the sincere offer to spend the holidays with alma and her family really hit hard for junior ; though he had no relationship with his family anymore , family was a big core value for him , and while he had been living with found family being of great importance for quite a while now , he still often found himself alone for the holidays , or for big occasions in his life . he couldn’t express how much it meant to him , to have alma in his life , but he hoped that with time she’d learn . “ i’d love to come , then . thank you . ” he nodded his head , no humour or silly comments surrounding the acceptance of the invitation , only genuine appreciation and a big smile that showed her his dimples one more time .

as they began to drive , junior easily zoned out , too . he had always found driving to be a great comfort , and even though he preferred to be behind the wheel - specifically behind the wheel of his own , very flash car - it was still a comfortable experience with someone else taking them to their destination . alma didn’t have to worry about justifying the silence , or the zoning out that was still done safely - junior understood . “ i’m good , but thanks . i always run hot , i’m toasty . ” he chuckled . “ i also get it , ” he told them . “ i think the only real love i’ll experience in this lifetime is with my car . ” it was kind of sad , and kind of true , but only said in a light-hearted manner . junior didn’t even disclose his sexuality to people , so of course there was no romantic love happening for him , but he still knew how to poke fun of his lack of a love life .

***

“too difficult for you? i really admire the faith you have in my patience.” though alma knew their patience for life in general was high and they were capable of giving almost anyone a great amount of grace. “please, i would never make you work for me. you’d get to much of an attitude,” she teased and nudged him lightly but then immediately gave his shoulder a squeeze. it meant a lot that he believed in her that way. he said it all in a way that made her actually believe it and that was a welcome feeling. alma wasn’t quite there but she would like to be someone who believed that she had the power to really change their own life. “i’ll think about it. though the only thing i’d ever really like to run is my own art store. or like pottery shack. now that’s a business i’d actually be able to get behind and spend all my time on. speaking of, remind me to give you the tray i made you. something to keep your watches and bracelets on and things. or you know, change and receipts when you empty your pockets.”

“oh you’re worried about how i would mess up your style, mr. model? i love how you’re sooner to put on a pair of tights and a cape instead of an ugly sweater. but if sweater shopping is what we must do then that’s what we’ll do. and i will make sure to get a picture of you in the ugliest sweater possible. i’ll rent a camera just for the occasion.” alma’s voice was full of sarcasm and she resisted the urge to reach over and ruffle his hair just to mess with him. “for the record though, you do always look quite handsome so there’s nothing to worry about, casanova.” she stuck out her tongue at him for extra measure to be annoying. “perfect! then it’s settled. you’ll be there right next to me chowing down.” she reached over and pinched his cheek before actually leaning over to kiss his cheek softly. really, he had no idea how much he was saving her by being there for the holidays. she might actually keep a percentage of his sanity with him there. 

“oh my god, with your car? junior, come on,” she said and broke out into laughter. “that’s so sad. i mean your car is beautiful and reliable so i get it but come on, you’re too cute and fun to just be alone with your car for the rest of your life. plus if we’re both still single in like our 40s or something we’ll just get married, duh. so you know you always have a backup plan. just saying. but i get it, it’s hard out here. that’s why i keep it light and breezy. crush on like a billion people but never actually try to make a move because i’m a coward and actually doing that is even riskier,” she admitted, having no issue being honest with junior about it. “the key is to set up super unrealistic crushes and then you stay in the safe zone cause no way are they gonna crush on you back. but you? i’m sure tons of people have a crush on you and your jawline.” 

[alma-andrada]

​“Thank you.” She smiled brightly at her compliment. She liked her own designs, but she always felt a little bit unsure of what other people could think. “Huh? Oh yes…” She felt a little bit nervous. Usually Noah was here to make everything less awkward, but now it was just her model and herself. “Um…” She was hesitating between two dresses. She took her measurements a while ago and since she was such a perfectionist she created multiple options, but she truly just needed to give one finale look to her teacher. She could always use the others for her portfolio.

She took a pastel green dress from her couch and put it front of Alma, smiling, satisfied with the image she had in her mind. “Try this one! It would look perfect on you. You can try it now.” She said, almost staring at her, waiting, until she realized how it looked like. “In the bathroom I think!” Why was she acting like such a weirdo?

***

“Perfect for me? Well with praise like that. I do love a green and pastel? Even better.” Honestly even if she didn’t like it, Alma would have a hard time not being encouraging. Alma almost laughed at themselves because when Rosita started staring she almost did get undressed right there and then remembered herself. “Bathroom, right, right, I can’t say I’d give much of a strip tease,” they joked with a louder laugh than intended. Alma finally got to the bathroom and tried to be quick in their changing without breaking into a sweat. Which was a harder task than one would think. 

“Okay...ta-da! Alma stepped out with their normal clothes tucked under their arm, smiling wide as they presented themselves. “What do you think? I kind of feel like the hottest scoop of mint ice cream but that’s just me,” they said, almost rolling their eyes at their own joke but it was kind of funny and they meant it as a compliment. To themselves and to Rosita’s design. 

[alma-andrada]

finaldarlings​:

veronica  easily  earned  themself  a  bad  reputation,  but  the  truth  was  that  most  of  their  antics  came  from  passion,  and  they  were  such  a  passionate  person  as  they  had  one  of  the  biggest  hearts. they  didn’t  often  go  telling  other  people  about  it,  not  finding  themself  eager  to  brag,  but  they  liked  to  believe  that  it  was  easily  found  out  with  enough  observation. veronica  didn’t  have  to  think  twice  about  pouring  alma  a  free  drink,  and  even  though  their  big  heart  was  surely  costing  julio’s,  they  knew  their  boss  as  someone  with  a  heart  that  resembled  their  own. “hey,  it’s  no  worries. it’s  in  the  job  description.”  they  joked,  laughing,  though  they  then  quickly  followed  up  their  own  words. “i’m  a  good  listener,  though,  i’d  do  it  even  if  it  wasn’t  part  of  the  job.”  they  paused  before  once  again  coming  in  with  something  more  to  say. “it’s  also  not  really  part  of  the  job,  actually. some  of  the  guys  here  would  never  be  so  considerate.”  they  finally  finished  with  a  smile  on  their  face. “absolutely. you’ve  survived  every  bad  day  you’ve  ever  had  so  far,  so  what’s  stopping  you  from  getting  through  this  one,  too. or  at  least,  that’s  something  i  tell  myself.”  they  admitted. “eh,  in  all  honesty  my  day’s  been  pretty  boring. i’ve  just  worked  all  day,  morning  to  now. unfortunately  not  even  shifts  that  come  with  interesting  stories,  it’s  been  your  pretty  regular  day.”  they  pouted,  upset  that  they  couldn’t  entertain  alma  better. “suppose  regular  is  better  than  some  of  these  days  we’ve  been  having  in  shrike  lately,  though.”

***

alma put a hand to her chest and let out a soft gasp. “veronica, are you saying you’re my friend? because i think that’s what you’re saying. and if you’re not saying that well then it’s what you’re saying now,” they teased, their smile growing at they looked at veronica, finding their explanation endearing. “well you should try your hand at motivational speaking some time because you’re totally crushing it right now. my mood? lifted.” alma laughed at veronica’s pout and nodded in agreement. “regular is still good. great even. sometimes things are so chaotic it’s kind of nice to have a boring day, you know? i think i’d like to have a boring day. just coast for a bit,” she admitted with a shrug as she thought about it. “but hey you know since we are friends,” they said and batted their eyelashes before grinning, “if you ever want to have a boring day together we can do that. though i’d hardly describe us spending time together as boring so how about peaceful? if that even exists anymore but you know what i mean.” 

[alma-andrada]

“You know, I think that Dick’s green suits you,” Alma teased as she finally spotted TJ in the store. She had been wandering around for a while, not entirely sure what she was looking for. “I need your help. In this case you are the only person who can help me with all of your sports knowledge. My brother’s girlfriend is like superrrr into sports and I’m at a loss. Not that it matters, she kind of sucks but he’s bringing her over again and I want to have something nice to her. She’s like into sports but also very athletic, loves working out,” she went on before he could even get a word in and then took a breath. “So...help me? Please?” @enshrikes​