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s-and-n-writes · 4 years

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another long day

crimson and bluebell: part two

summary:

Marinette Rossi is tired of everything: from Lila’s constant berating and Madame Rossi’s preferential care of her ‘angel-like’ daughter, to how everyone at school (even Alya) seems to believe her evil stepsister over her.

It’s like she’s Cinderella, except without the fairy godmother and the happy ending. She doesn’t even have a prince.

Or so she thinks.

Between the appearance of a new boy who seems to have captured her heart, and a gala run by her fashion idol Gabriel Agreste, Marinette hopes for an escape the constant ignorance, workload, and bullying she endures, and get a blissful life of her own.

With the help of one tiny god and a meow-velous partner, she might finally get a chance, but not everything is that simple.

They say ladybugs are lucky, so will being the elusive Ladybug bring Marinette the luck she oh-so-desperately needs?

quick links:

< previous chapter | first chapter | next chapter >

| miraculous masterlist | series masterlist |

a/n: so hi again, it’s me, n! im so so so sorry that i didn’t post for a long time, school caught up with me and everything’s getting v stressful these days. regardless, my new year’s resolution is to post more of these, and i’ll actively make an effort to do that hehe, in the meantime, enjoy!

also i’m appalled at the fact that this was 15 pages long and took more than a month to write how are you doing

Marinette had thought that the whole coffee spill, glass breaking fiasco would be relatively easy to clean.

She was wrong.

It takes her all of 10 minutes to clean up the glass, and another 20 minutes to try and clean up the coffee.

Key word: try.

Marinette ends up at school 30 minutes late, the coffee-stained carpet rolled off to the side at home, effectively ruined. She hasn’t even thought about the cracked glass table yet, which she hid by placing a tissue over top of it after Lila left.

Needless to say, all of this puts a little bit of a damper on her day.

As Marinette walks up the staircase of Francois Dupont, the school she goes to, she spots Alya Cesaire inside. Alya is Marinette’s closest friend, and despite having moved to Paris only a year ago, it feels like Marinette has known her for their entire lives.

“Girl, girl, girl…” Alya sighs as Marinette walks through the doors. It’s a free period, and students litter the area. Marinette spots Lila walking with one of her friends on the other side of the school, and luckily, Lila doesn’t see her.

There’s one good thing about school that Marinette adores: she doesn’t have to see Lila. Lila’s always had Madame Mendeleev for homeroom, and Marinette’s had Madame Bustier. Because of this, their schedules never interact, which allows Marinette to avoid Lila for the duration of the school day.

“I’m so sorry!” Marinette pleads, running up to Alya and shrugging her backpack off her shoulder. “There was a coffee spill, and glass broke, and-OH GOD I MISSED THE MATH TEST!!!”

“Marinette, chill,” Alya laughs. “The math test got rescheduled, but Ms.Bustier is pretty mad about you being late,”

Marinette sighs. “That’s a relief,”

“But you still missed a lot of news~,” Alya says, singing the last word.

Alya aspires to be a journalist, so on the occasions that Marinette wasn’t late, Alya would give her anything and everything interesting she’d dug up that week.

"I know, I know," Marinette sighs, fingers loosely picking at her shirt again. The seams stay intact, but Marinette's mind doesn't. The coffee spill and the glass breaking is constantly on her mind; she's not sure what to do.

"Nice shirt, girl," Alya smiles, breaking Marinette away from her thoughts. Alya's good at that, and she notices when Marinette lets her mind wander, something that happens a little too often for her tastes. "Did you make it?"

Marinette bursts into a grin. "Yes! I used that gorgeous thread that Sabine bought last week for my birthday, you know, the one I kept talking about, and it was absolutely amazing! I had to make this! What do you think? Do you like it?"

The shirt is simple; a white base with flowers of varying sizes lining the edge. Marinette pairs it with her old, pink jeans (the fabric for the flowers on her shirt came from some leftover ones she had when making the jeans) and a dark-gray blazer that Lila used to own.

"It's beautiful," Alya smiles, "But hey, I’m more excited for you-know-who’s reaction,"

Marinette rolls her eyes, hiding her face as an involuntary blush rises to her face. "Alya! You know I don't like him like that!,"

Alya grins. "Just teasing,"

“Well, anyways, tell me what I missed during lunch, I’m off to the classroom, before Ms. Bustier comes looking for me,” Marinette smiles, turning and running up the stairs.

“Good luck, girl!” Alya says, waving goodbye and pulling out her phone.

The day passes quickly, and lunch comes sooner than Marinette expects.

She meets Alya outside of Francois Dupont, and they both head to Ville de Soirée, a cafe which isn’t nearly as expensive as the others in the area. They both order their usuals, and sit in one of the booths as they wait for their drinks.

Marinette sighs and leans back. “Ok, ok, tell me,”

Alya, who is most probably on the verge of exploding from her excitement, gears up. “Ok, so you know Nino, right?”

“You mean the boy you’ve been obsessing over since we met him?” Marinette teases. “Oh hey, I might have an inkling,”

Alya blushes, her cheeks tinting rouge. “Shut up,”

Marinette giggles. “Ok, go on,”

“Anyway, Nino texted me yesterday that his parents finally agreed, and he’ll be starting school starting Monday next week!”

“Ah! That’s so exciting! I’m so happy for you!” Marinette laughs. “Now you can actually make a move!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I’ll let you play matchmaker when the time comes,” Alya laughs, “there’s also something else, and this one I know you’ll be even happier about,”

The barista interrupts Alya, placing two steaming drinks in front of them. They both reach for their drinks, with Marinette holding the cup in her hand and Alya taking a sip. She grins.

“Nino’s friend, you know, Adrien Agreste, is also coming too,”

She pulls back, looking smug as she tries to read Marinette’s face.

The girl in question sighs, shaking her head. “Who even is Adrien, and why does everyone keep mentioning him to me?”

Alya facepalms, groaning.

“Girl, sometimes I swear you live under a rock,” Alya sighs, shaking her head. “How do you not know who Adrien Agreste is? His ads are literally everywhere!”

Marinette pouts. “Well maybe I just haven’t seen him,”

Alya rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Ohh no, there’s no way you’ve missed him ,”

She pulls up her phone and momentarily scrolls as Marinette waits.

“Here,” she says, “That’s him,”

The photo on Alya’s screen is from last February, Marinette recognizes. She remembers how Lila bought a copy of the magazine it came in, although she wasn’t allowed to see it.

But the boy is familiar. His face is similar to someone’s, but Marinette can’t pinpoint who it—

Oh.

He’s Gabriel Agreste’s son.

Marinette leans back.

“That’s Monsieur Agreste’s son! I should’ve known, how could I have missed it when Madame Rossi told us about him?”

Alya squints her eyes. “Wait what?”

“There’s a fashion show that Adrien’s dad is hosting, and the embassy’s holding a huge event to greet all the fashion officials that are coming. Madame Rossi got us all passes to go,” Marinette says.

“That’s the one my mom’s cooking for! It’s next weekend right? She would not stop talking about it all weekend. I can try and score a pass, to you know, keep you company?”

Marinette gasps suddenly, burying her face in her hands, “Ah! I forgot! I won’t be able to go, since Li— I mean I, spilled coffee all over our new carpet,”

Alya raises an eyebrow.

“Fine, fine, I cracked some glass too,” Marinette sighs, face growing redder. “Madame Rossi’s gonna ground me for sure!”

Alya shakes her head. “Somehow I can believe it. You are the clumsiest person I know,”

She nods thoughtfully, fingers closing around the fox necklace on her neck. “Well I can’t deal with the whole glass situation, but maybe I can help with the coffee stuff? Happens to my mom all the time,”

Marinette perks up. “Really? Would you? Oh thank you Alya!”

Alya laughs. “No problem girl, I’ll come by after your shift at the bakery,”

Marinette pauses. After work would be...when Lila comes home.

Alya has always been a fan of Lila, but despite knowing Marinette, she’s only admired Marinette’s less-than-wonderful sister from afar. This means that so far, Marinette has managed to keep Alya and Lila separate.

Does she really want to risk that?

Weighing in the situation, she sighs. Would she rather have a shot at attending a potentially life-changing event, or safely escape Alya meeting Lila?

Knowing the both of them, Marinette remembers, they’d be a deadly combo.

But Marinette really wants to go to the event so, maybe this time, she might just give in.

“Great!” Marinette says, happiness laced with fear. “That’s...great!

Alya nods, smiling, watching as Marinette giggles.

“Now about setting you up with Nino…”

Alya turns away, blushing, “Marinette!”

Today

Lie-la 😒: sup loser

Lie-la 😒: im going to the mall with my friends after school

Lie-la 😒: if my mom comes in early

Lie-la 😒: you know what to say

Lie-la 😒: type, maribrat. use those lousy fingers.

You: yea, sure lila.

Lie-la 😒: good.

Marinette sighs and pockets her phone. For today, she is safe.

And that’s all she has ever wanted.

Marinette’s day ends with her feeling happier than when it began. Alya’s coming over to wash out the coffee stain, Lila won’t be there when she gets home, and she’s heading to her shift at the bakery!

It’s normal for work to not be exciting to most people, but for Marinette, it always is. Heading to the Dupain-Cheng bakery is always the highlight of her day, and working there is even better. The owners, Sabine and Tom, are like the parents she never had, what with them spoiling her with all the food they give and teaching her how to bake. Customers even tell Marinette all the time that she looks strikingly similar to Sabine, but she doesn’t see it.

In truth, she’s only ever even thought about becoming a designer because of the Dupain-Chengs, and if it weren’t for their motivation, she’s sure that she would be in a much different place right now.

But that’s not what Marinette worries about right now. Despite school ending early and the bakery being right across the street from where she is, she still manages to be late.

She exchanges a quick goodbye with Alya, who chuckles at her frazzled state, and dashes off towards work.

“I’m here!” she shouts, running into the bakery, the familiar jingle of the store’s door’s bell ringing in her ears. “Sorry!

Sabine laughs as she hands a box of pastries to a customer, waving as they leave. “Just on time. Hello Marinette,”

Marinette winces as Sabine holds out her apron. “Sorry again, Sabine!”

Tom laughs from the kitchen behind the store, the sound booming through the bakery. “Marinette!”

“Tom!” Marinette says back, her lips curving into a smile.

Sabine eyes Marinette as she ties the apron behind her, quickly joining the older woman behind the counter.

“So?” she asks. “What’s new with you?”

Marinette sighs. “Not much, not much...oh! Madame Rossi has an embassy gathering to welcome a couple of famous people into France. And not just any people, people who work in the fashion industry!”

Sabine nods, smiling at Marinette’s delight. “And why exactly are these people coming?”

“It’s for the Gabriel event. I don’t know when it is, but apparently Gabriel Agreste is holding a huge gala, something about searching for a fashion assistant?,”

Sabine perks up at fashion assistant. “Marinette, you should enter!”

Marinette gasps. “I couldn’t! There’s no way! I mean, my designs are barely adequate, let alone Agreste worthy!”

Sabine shakes her head. “Everyone knows that isn’t true. Don’t put yourself down like that!”

Marinette blushes. “Thanks Sabine,”

The woman smiles. “Well, anyways, are you allowed to go to the embassy event? It’s a great opportunity, you wouldn’t want to miss it,”

“I mean, Madame Rossi did invite me and Lila, but Lila spilled a bunch of coffee on the carpet, and cracked the dining table this morning. It’s all a stunt, she did it on purpose. She’s blaming it on me, which means I’ll get grounded, and I won’t be able to go, and you know there’s nothing I can do about that,”

Sabine sighs, placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Oh dear. The next time I see Lila, I’ll tell Tom to get that girl and her mother arrested!”

Marinette laughs. “As much as I’d like that, where would I live?”

The rumble of the oven from behind the store dies down, and Tom walks into the main room. The room seems friendlier all at once, his large personality filling the space.

“Here, with us,” he declares proudly. “You’re like a daughter already,”

Marinette giggles, her cheeks growing red. “Alright guys, we’ll see,”

Sabine and Tom laugh as Marinette runs away to help a customer. Their afternoons with Marinette pass by quickly, and while they wish it was longer, you know what they say: time flies when you're having fun.

By the time Marinette gets off her shift, it’s 5:30 in the evening. Paris’s sky starts to fade from its normal cotton-candy blue to a marmalade orange. The hustle and bustle of the busy streets start to die down, and once she texts her address to Alya, Marinette makes her way to the bus stop.

While her time in the bakery is her favorite time of day, her time on the bus doesn’t prove to be too bad either. She likes the quiet silence, and enjoys her time away from the world around her.

The bus is probably her favorite mode of transportation (but her only one as well). When she volunteered to work at the bakery after school, Madame Rossi decided that ‘the streets were too dark at night for Marinette to walk alone’, and she was given a bus pass.

It was a small and random act of kindness that Marinette wouldn’t ever get again. It was also the only gift she ever got from her adopted mother, and despite not being too fond of Madame Rossi, she did treasure the gift.

Madame Rossi paid for her bus rides until Marinette was actually hired at the bakery. It was then that she decided to have Marinette pay her own bills, an action that most certainly helped Marinette for the future.

The sound of tires skidding against the pathway jolts Marinette out of her thoughts. She turns to see her normal bus waiting in front of her, and grabbing her bus pas, waits in line behind a couple others to get on.

That is, until she sees what’s about to happen.

Marinette watches as a man across the street tries to cross. He’s old, as his grayed hair and aged face tells, but his most identifiable quality is the red Hawaiian shirt he wears, embossed with a white hibiscus floral pattern.

Besides that, there’s also a car coming straight for him, and though it’s a little while away, there’s no doubt that he’ll get hit.

Marinette does the only thing she can think of. She runs.

The street is narrow, and Marinette manages to pull the man across the pathway before the car comes. She huffs, turning to the man to smile.

He has an odd look in his eyes, lips curved into a mysterious smile as Marinette quirks her eyebrow.

“Thank you, young lady,” he nods.

“You’re welcome!” she smiles, turning to look at the bus, which has started leaving. “Goodbye and stay safe, sir!”

The old man watches as Marinette just manages to catch the bus, stopping it and shouldering her backpack as she climbs on.

Marinette seats herself as the bus starts once more, and turns to her window to look for the old man.

But by the time she does, he’s gone.

Alya gets to Marinette's house at just the right time. When she reaches, Marinette has done a couple of her chores, cleaned up the living room, and put out the carpet in the first floor bathroom. Against the white rug, the coffee stain is obvious, and Marinette sighs as she inspects it.

How were they ever going to get it out?

There’s a knock at the front door, and Marinette knows it’s Alya. Smiling, the girl heads to the living room to open it.

Alya gasps as she sees the house. From the marble kitchen to the hickory-brown wood flooring, everything is pristine and clean, as if the Rossis live in a mansion.

(They don’t, but the house is still fairly big. Marinette sometimes has to clean it all as part of her chores, but luckily that hasn’t happened in a while.)

“Dang girl,” Alya sighs, “you rich or what?”

Marinette nervously laughs, cracking her knuckles. “Uh, I don’t know,”

“I’m joking,” Alya smiles. “But, random thing, where’s Lila?”

“She’s out. Doctor’s appointment for her, um, wrist,”

“Aw, that’s too bad. Tell her I said get better soon!”

Marinette sighs. She doesn’t like lying, but it’s far better than what would happen if she told the truth.

“Yea. Anyway, how are you getting the stain out? I tried all morning, but it was stuck,”

“Just watch me, girl,” Alya smirks. “Before we start though, you already blotted the stain,right?”

Marinette furrows her eyebrows. “Blotted? What do you mean?”

Alya demonstrates with her hands. “Like, did you take a paper towel and try to get as much of the stain out as you could?”

Marinette nods. “Yeah, that’s why I was late this morning,”

Alya nods. “Ok, so now we just have to make the cleaner,”

Marinette raises an eyebrow. “Make? This is getting a little crazy,”

“It’s really not,” Alya laughs, “I’ve done this a thousand times before. My sisters knock over my dad’s coffee way too much,”

Marinette laughs. “Alright then, show me what to do,”

Alya makes her way to the kitchen, filing through multiple cabinets. “Where’s your dish soap?”

“Bottom-left drawer next to the sink,” Marinette points.

“And your white vinegar?”

“Fridge. Anything else you need?”

“Just water,” Alya replies. “Warm, that is. And two cups of it,”

Marinette nods. “Got it,”

Alya takes out a steel bowl from one of the cabinets. “And can I use this?”

Marinette nods again. “Go ahead,”

“Great,” Alya says, pouring a spoon of dish soap followed by a spoon of vinegar. She waits for Marinette to get the water before adding that in as well, and then mixing. “That should do,”

“Work your magic then,” Marinette laughs.

“Just watch and see girl, I totally will,”

Alya finds a cleaning rag from a drawer in the island, and she runs over to the carpet. “Grab yourself a rag, Marinette, and let’s get started!”

Marinette laughs, and runs over to help. The time passes quickly, and by the time the coffee stain is gone and the carpet is dry, two hours have gone by. Their hands are sore and their legs are tired, but both can say that they had fun.

In the midst of it, Marinette almost doesn’t notice when Lila texts her.

Today

— 2 New Messages —

Lie-La 😒: open the back door

Lie-la 😒: im right by my house

Almost.

“Alya!” Marinette gasps, both sitting on the couch after the carpet was rolled back underneath the dining table. “It’s so late, don’t you have to go at 7?”

Alya tilts her head, confused. “No?”

“Oh well then I must have said it,” Marinette laughs nervously. “Yes that’s right! I’ve got work, haha. Bye!”

Marinette practically pushes Alya to the front door, while Alya looks lost and puzzled.

“Didn’t you already have work?” Alya asks.

“Yep, but gotta save up for uni right? Haha. Haha,”

Alya nods, squinting her eyes as she walks out the door.

“Um, bye? See you at school, girl,” Alya nods, quietly laughing.

“Bye!” Marinette smiles. Once Alya is farther away and out of sight, Marinette runs to open the back door. She can faintly hear the sounds of Lila’s friend’s car pulling into the driveway, so she dashes back upstairs as fast as she can. The last thing she wants to do is talk to Lila, much less be alone in a room with her.

She hopes that Lila won’t try anything while she’s in her room.

Sighing, she smiles when she stops at the attic door, and heads inside.

Before Madame Rossi found her and decided to take her in (how she came to that conclusion, Marinette would never know), the attic was all set to be Lila’s playroom. The entire room was painted pink from head to toe (even the carpet was a light shade of pink). There was a wooden wardrobe for all of Lila’s toys, and a desk with markers, painting supplies, and coloring pencils galore.

But then Marinette came along.

For one reason or another, she was given the attic as her own room. Out went the ideas of toys and tents in the room, and in came Marinette.

Madame Rossi didn’t give her anything. From the age of 2 till the age of 4, she slept on the ground, the lack of a bed present to her each night.

Until Lila outgrew her bed of course, which was then given to Marinette.

It was simple. Since Marinette was smaller than Lila, and slower at growing, she was often given Lila’s old things. All the clothes that Lila didn’t want, Marinette had. From her bed to the old beanbag in her room (one of the only things Lila gave her as decoration) everything was a hand me down from Lila herself.

Marinette sighs, and then flops into the bed. She’s lucky that Lila doesn’t bother if Marinette doesn’t get on her nerves.

Hopefully, until she can get out of this place, she’ll manage without angering Lila too much.

Standing up, Marinette locks herself in the attic, a faint click of the door behind her, and gets out her phone. Opening up Spotify, she starts her playlist, and goes over to the desk.

For the next hour, she does homework and finishes a project, all while sketching out designs for new dresses.

And hey, if she’s lucky, she might just be able to make one for the gala.

Marinette shuffles through her desk drawers, pop music playing through her earbuds. It’s nearly 8 PM and she’s searching for the special gold thread she had bought a couple weeks ago. It cost nearly a month's pay, and she’s been saving it for a special occasion.

With the dress she was sketching, she wanted to know if it was now.

She’s still searching through the drawers on the left side of the desk when she finds a box.

One that she feels might not have been there before.

(Then again, she rarely looks through all her drawers, so there’s always a chance that it could’ve been.)

Marinette feels confused. The box is made of a dark brown wood, and shaped like an octagon. The top of the box is embossed with a red design. Glimmering red circles meet wavy, thin lines, but Marinette is preoccupied with figuring out what the box is for.

In the end, she decides to open it. There can’t be much inside, can there?

Turns out, Marinette is wrong.

The moment she opens it is a frightful one. In that second, there’s a bright flash of light. It swirls around her as Marinette gasps, dropping the box onto the carpet as two solid-black earrings fall out.

That’s not the amazing part of it all though. After a second, Marinette comes face to face with a spotted red creature.

Needless to say, she screams.

“Hi Marinette!” the spotted creature says. “My name is Tikki! It’s nice to meet you!”

“Mouse!” Marinette hollers, “Bug! Bug-mouse! Talking bug mouse!”

Marinette scooches back, her hand grabbing books and papers off her desk as she throws them at Tikki.

“I’m here to help!” Tikki says, dodging the objects. “I’m here to help you!”

“Liar!” Marinette calls, searching for more things to throw. “This must be Lila’s version of a joke ! I can’t believe her!”

She takes her water-bottle from her backpack, and quickly moves to trap Tikki in it.

“It’s ok Marinette, I won’t hurt you,” Tikki smiles. “But if this makes you feel better, then this is ok!”

There’s a pause, and then Marinette sighs and chooses not to answer, leaning back, and quickly grabbing her school tablet off her desk. She points it at Tikki, trying her best to look intimidating.

“Who are you?” Marinette asks, “and what do you want?”

“Like I said, my name’s Tikki! I’m a kwami!” the tiny bug says, (still trapped in the bottle but floating in midair, Marinette notes) “And I want to help you!”

Marinette sighs, lowering her weapon tablet. “Did Lila send you somehow?”

Tikki furrows her forehead in place of her eyebrows. “No? Who’s Lila?”

Marinette bitterly chuckles, standing and throwing her arms into the air. “This. This. This is why you can’t help me. No one can. Anyone who meets Lila thinks she’s an ‘absolute angel’, and no one else knows her. How is someone supposed to help me if no one knows that my problem exists?!”

“Marinette,” Tikki sighs, “I promise you, I can help, if you’ll listen to me. Please let me explain, and then you can decide if you want to trust me or not, ok?”

Marinette pauses, considering the situation, and sits a fair distance away from Tikki, keeping her tablet in her hands.

“Ok,” she responds, facing the little bug. “But you have 5 minutes,”

Tikki smiles again. "And that's all I need,"

quick links: < previous chapter | first chapter | next chapter >

a/n: i resolve to post the next chapter soon lmaoo, thanks for reading! have an absolutely amazing day, you deserve it!

taglist:

i’ll be tagging the people that i had tagged before, along with a couple others who liked the previous chapter for this series. if you don’t want to get tagged, i’m very sorry! just shoot me a private message, and i’ll take you off the tags. if you do want to get tagged, just tell me with a private message or an ask and i’ll add you to the taglist. thank you!

@reddragonofemeraldflame @nomiegnome @18markers @katbab @emmathedestroyer @bluesesameseed @cyborgcandy @karukofox21 @aestheticnpoetic c @magnificentcrapposts @miraculouslylee @lonestarfangirl2014 @lambdaarietis @miraculous-twilight @miraculous-twilight @silver-twilight @emmarosemary11 @whiterosequeen23 @whatschooldoesntteachyou @shaykaleen @itswelphereiamuniverse @seraphichana @ladynoirotphell @tinynuggetofterror @tinkabella256 @coopermaggie

#ml #mlb #fanfic #marinette-dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #adrien agreste #adrienette #adrinette #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #lila rossi #lila rossi bashing #lila #lila exposed #lila rossi tag #marinette tag #crimson and bluebell

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zombieratt · 4 years

Text

Alright so forewarning this is LONG as FUCK specifically because i came up with this idea in early high school and was just today POSESSEd By the Spirit Of Musical Theatre to put it to paper— er Tumblr.

So without further ado:

DEAR EVAN HANSEN BUT EVAN ISNT A TERRIBLE PERSON AND CONNOR LIVES.

the beginning is the same, canon diverges just after waving through a window.

*this ended up getting written is script format? i also just sorta ignore alana’s whole exsistance bc in this version of the play she’s unnecessary*

In the moments before he talks to Connor evan decides to omit Zoe from his letter, having resolved himself to move on from her. (instead of being a hella creep.)

Connor: “dear Evan Hansen,” what are you writing letters to yourself? *he laughs*

Evan: its, uh, its for my therapist. its just a stupid little assignment that she says is supposed to help me process my feelings or— uh or something

Connor: hm. here. * hands Evan the letter*

Connor: your cast. no one’s signed it.

Evan: uh no. no one has.

Connor: gotta sharpie?

Evan: huh?

Connor: gotta sharpie? im gonna sign it.

Evan: *handing the sharpie to Connor* w- whuh uh why?

Connor: *shrugs* feels right.

Evan: i wish i could do that

Connor: what?

Evan: UH, IMEAN—

Connor: no wait- dude.

Evan: i mean uh, i meant that i wish i could just be, y’know impulsive like that.

Connor: Why Cant you be?

Evan: i uh, my heads pretty messed up, and stuff like that just, makes it worse i guess.

Connor: well theres some thing we have in common— were both fucked up in the head.

*the bell rings*

Evan: oh shoot! i missed the bus—

Connor: i’ll give you a ride.

Evan: are you sure i mean i can walk its not far-

Connor: all the more reason, i probably have to pass it on my way home anyway, cmon.

——

they meet Zoe in the parking lot

Zoe: I have Late practice today

Connor: whatever, gotta passenger.

Zoe: who the fuck would be crazy enough to trust your ability to drive?

Evan *being Brave*: Me Apparently?

Zoe: Uh, Evan Right?

Evan: yeah, uh, yeah.

Zoe *holding her hand out to be shaken*: i’m Zoe, we’ve met though right?

Evan wipes his hand on his shirt and shakes it: yeah, uh, nice to formally meet you, Zoe.

Zoe: i’m off, don’t kill him stoner.

Connor: i wont Princess

Evan breathing heavy: that was,, an eventful ten minutes.

Connor: oh fuck— you cool? or—

Evan: Panic Attack.

Connor: Right, uh

Connor: can you get in the car?

Evan: yeah

*car nonsense*

Connor: Can i start driving or do you want me to wait

Evan: Distractions are good,, Can Uh, Can you Talk about Stuff?

Connor: What stuff!??

Evan: any Stuff!

Connor: Is Zoe okay??

Evan: Sure?!

Connor: Uhh we don’t get along as well as we used to?

we were really close as kids, shes a huge asshole now but *fully venting now*

i kind of miss it you know? having someone to talk to and care about— and i still care about her— but its scary and i always fuck it up! not to mention the fact that our parents hate me— make her see me as some alien and not just a fucked up kid who wants to talk and — (more ranting that i dont feel like writing, but its a whole monologue bro)

Evan: Connor

Connor snaps his mouf shut: yeah

Evan: thanks

Connor: oh that, uh actually helped?

Evan: yeah focusing on your voice and whats real and stuff— it makes a difference.

Neither of them noticed that Connor was just sort of Driving. they end up at the park where in canon Connor commits Sewer-slide.

Evan: i didn’t know there was a park here.

Connor: huh, oh, yeah i guess i just sorta auto piloted, i come here to think.

Evan: About stuff?

Connor: Yeah, Stuff.

*the convo lulls*

Connor: do you have a laptop?

Evan: no, i uh, i left it at home? why?

Connor: give me a second

Connor walks to the car and grabs his back pack out of the back seat

Evan watches Quizzically from the swing-set

Connor pulls out a Sketch Pad and Pen, flipping to a clean page.

Connor: So tell me how to write one of those letters of yours.

Evan: uh, well you start like any other letter- just addressing it to yourself

Connor writing: Dear Connor Murphy,

Evan: and uh, my first one was supposed to be about my ideal summer vacation? since i started in middle school- but you don’t have to—

Connor: thats perfect.

Connor starts to sing for forever,

eventually Evan joins in there is a minor gay moment where they’re holding hands face to face.

the song ends with Connor hugging Evan.

Evan: its- its pretty late.

Connor obviously crying: just— just a couple more minutes.

Evan lets go and grabs Connors sketch book of the ground, closing it and handing it off to him: then how about this, labor day weekend- we actually go.

Connor: what are you talking about?

Evan: being spontaneous?

Connor: o-okay.

and it cuts to black.

theres a small montage here, as the set changes to Connor and Evans bedrooms

sincerely, me is a lament in this context, Connor and Evan are duetting from their respective rooms, writing to themselves.

(the lyrics are completely different and i will not be writing them here because thats too much fucking effort.

but they’re duetting from their bedrooms about making a connection to another person, feeling seen, for the first time. what it felt like and how they really want to keep it up but are afraid of making a mistake and ruining it.

its got some themes of waving thru a window, and a little bit of for forever, but its still largely the same notes just in a different key.)

after wards, Zoe knocks on Connors door to tell him dinner is ready to find him peacefully asleep.

requiem is the same, Zoe sees Connor as Dead to Her instead of actually dead, so some of the wording changes, so and so about how a monster doesn’t deserve peaceful rest etcetera.

school day happens, Connor doesn’t die, but the hot goss is that everyone saw Connor and Evan go home together after school, jared makes a shitty homophobic joke to Evan and Evan kind of tells him off about it. they argue and it culminates in Evan saying “well god forbid I’m friends with someone who isn’t YOU!” or smth like tht and it hits jared right the fuck at home man.

Connor says from the side lines: damn that was pretty hard core dude.

Evan: you have, no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that.

Connor honest to god l a u g h s, theres a number of people who hear it and lose their shit, Zoe being one of them: i have a pretty good idea, wanna get some lunch?

Evan: yeah, sure.

this general routine continues until labor day weekend, when they plan to go on their little escape. theres a short scene of Connor leaving the house with his keys and a backpack.

Connors mom confronts Zoe about his oddly upbeat attitude and hows he’s seemed differently lately Zoe Shrugs but decides to investigate his room.

she finds the letters. the first one is for forever, the theme plays as she reads it frantically, and is signed “Sincerely me (connor murphy)” so she knows its him, i f i could tell her begins but its a real duet between Connor and Zoe and at the end she resolves to try harder to connect to him.

Evan sings disappear to Connor after breaking into a formerly public park, in this context its him confessing that he broke his arm attempting su!c!de. Connor records it, for personal reference.

jared hacks Connors phone and steals the video, posting it to yt, in an effort to ruin their friendship.

Evan and Connor get in a little fight about it, and in the meantime Evan is called to the school to give an assembly because hes a phenomenal speaker and Disappear got like 1000000 views over night.

Zoe and Connor bond a little bit in a short scene before the assembly

Zoe: wheres Evan what happened?

Connor: Kleinman Did!

Zoe: what?

Connor: Why Do you care?

Zoe: because! you look happy around him!

Connor: i, i do?

Zoe: yeah? he could tell the worst joke ever written and you’d crack up. i haven’t heard you laugh like that in years Connor, maybe ever.

Connor: oh.

Zoe: Come back inside?

Connor: y, Yeah.

they all perform You Will Be Found together.

end act 1.

(no more dialogue from here i got tired)

to break in a glove is Connor’s dad trying to reconnect with him, it goes mediocrely, but Connor feels like hes being seen by his dad for the first time in years. its said in metaphors, but this is Connors dads way of saying that if Connor is willing to put in the work, so is he. they hug at the end, things are looking up. some talk of therapy is sprinkiled in the dialogue as they walk of stage together.

Only Us is Evan and Connor saying that they saved each other. its loosely romantic, as its a love song, but they don’t out right say that they’re in love or anything, they don’t know if theyre ready for that. its a promise. the song ends with Connor finally apologizing for pushing Evan over at the beginning of the show.

good for you is sung by jared only, as a power ballad, about losing people you didn’t treasure. its his attempt at an apology, but it ultimately fails, since jared is unable to take responsibility for his own actions. this is where jared and Evan go their separate ways.

Evan’s mom comforts him, as he sings words fail, which is about specifically jared, and how their rocky friendship is ruined and Evan pegs himself as the cause, instead of parents or perfect girl he uses metaphors that apply to best friends— maybe more. and talks about how he didn’t try, he was happy so he ignored that jared was hurting, and how that was really shitty of him. but instead of it being a generally somber song the end is lighter, because Connor is there— waving through his front window.

Evans mom sings So Big/So Small as Evan steps out the front door to embrace Connor and they mime talking about jared, hug and take hands. the house moves off stage in preparation for the finale.

Connor and Evan open the finale saying each others names, and sing it together as the test of the cast (minus jared) joins in, Evans mom taking his hand and Zoe Taking Connors, Evans mom the Murphys and Zoe break off to the back where Evan and Connor finish the final “all i see is sky for forever” while looking into each others eyes, and finish the musical by embracing (maybe kissing if thats ur jam).

#dear evan hansen #deh #connor murphy #evan hansen #zoe murphy #musicals #broadway #deh rewrite i guess?#this is more like the outline of a fic i’ll never write #kd.txt #i was posessed to write this #tree bros

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, 3 (Branjie) (and background everyone else) - Ortega

a/n: hey fam!! we are over halfway through the rewrite so hopefully soon i can get a brand brand new chapter out to u soon, in the meantime enjoy chapter 3 all over again and see if u can spot the differences lmao?? idk but i hope u enjoy anyway!!

fic summary: Strictly Come Dancing enters its 18th series and its producers, after being goaded by a rival dance show on its inclusivity, commission it to be an all-female cast. Unlike Akeria who’s just here to bone her potential dance partner, dancer Vanessa is ready to act like a professional.

And then TV presenter Brooke Lynn walks into the rehearsal room.

***

28th September 2020

Vanessa has never been more excited in her life as she paces the rehearsal room, checks herself out for what is surely the millionth time in the mirrors and pulls a few strands of her dark hair out of her ponytail to frame her face. There’s a cameraman and a lighting person and a random producer set up in one corner too but Vanessa hardly acknowledges them, because it’s her first rehearsal with Brooke and in a moment she’s going to walk through those doors and they’ll get to start their journey together.

Saturday night had been a blur. They’d been rushed off to film their post-show reaction interview and Vanessa hardly remembers what she’d said. She supposes it couldn’t have been more incoherent than her immediate reaction. Or perhaps it had been. They’d swapped numbers excitedly, Vanessa’s heart dipping a little as Brooke insisted she couldn’t join for post-show drinks as she had to film early the next morning. With a pang of embarrassment, Vanessa remembers the text she’d sent to Brooke in the early hours of the morning as a result of Monique and Akeria’s shocking influence and way too much tequila:

V: iknow its 1am but im still so excited to be partnered wirg u and i cant wait for first rehearsal!!!!!!! x

It’s a miracle Brooke had still been up so her reply could come instantly and Vanessa didn’t have to wake up smelling of alcohol, kebab and regret the next day.

B: I’m excited too!! Have a good night, can’t wait for Monday x

It’s not like Vanessa has a crush- she’s just excited, as she keeps reminding herself, and Brooke is her first partner. It’s natural to look forward to seeing her as much as she is.

Vanessa inspects her reflection again, frowning and pulling out two more strands of hair from her ponytail to hang loose. She gives a cry of frustration as she realises she’s ruined it by pulling out way too much, so she bends over and hangs her head down between her knees to gather her hair up again.

She’s in this position when the door opens and she hears Brooke’s voice ringing into the echoey room.

“Good morning! Oh shit, am I interrupting something?“

Embarrassed, Vanessa flips her hair back and stands up straight, walking quickly over to Brooke as she dumps her gym bag at the door. “No, fuck, sorry, I was just fixing my hair! Hey!”

Brooke has her arms out ready to hug Vanessa and she accepts gladly. She smells all clean and of fabric softener. She probably uses in-wash scent boosters like an adult who has complete control of her life and more money than sense. They pull out of the hug and Vanessa fixes Brooke with a smile.

“So!” Vanessa starts, but there’s a noise from the other side of the room. One of the producers has stepped forward.

“Uh yeah, ladies, we can’t use that intro. We’re gonna have to film again.”

“How come?” Vanessa asked, realising too late that it’s because she was bent over with her hair hanging to the ground and that Brooke swore. The girls share a guilty laugh and Brooke retreats to the door. The good news is that they get to hug for a second time when they reshoot, and Vanessa gets another scent of Brooke’s detergent and the protected feeling of having the other girl’s strong arms around her.

“So, first rehearsal!” Vanessa chats cheerfully, leaning on the barre and tilting her head as she talks to Brooke. “How we feelin’?”

“Good! Excited. Ready. Positive adjectives,” Brooke says all at once, smiling at her. “How about you?”

“I’m happy. Kinda nervous, ‘cuz now I have to live up to your expectations.”

“And they are great expectations.”

Vanessa nods. “George Orwell style.”

Brooke pauses, fixing Vanessa with a funny look, then bursts out laughing. “Even Charles Dickens?”

Vanessa laughs, shrugging. “They both wrote books, I stay winning.”

She watches as Brooke doubles over clutching her stomach in hysteria, and feels a sense of pride at having made the girl laugh so much. Remembering the film crew in the corner, she smacks her hands together. “Right! For our first dance as a Strictly partnership, we are doin’ a…quickstep!”

Brooke raises her eyebrows and nods slowly. “Ballroom first, okay! I can do that. I guess I’m surprised we’re not doing Latin.”

Vanessa shrugs. “Ballroom ain’t my strong suit so I figured it’s better to get it out the way early while we got other, shittier girls we can hide behind.”

There’s a beat of silence as the two girls look at each other. They both speak at the same time. “…Farrah.”

“Reshoot!” the producer shouts over, Vanessa feeling herself roll her eyes like a teenager. Brooke snorts a laugh and Vanessa feels that little match spark up in her gut again. They reshoot, having the same conversation as before in so many words. It’s tricky remembering not to swear- Vanessa peppers fuck and shit into her daily language like she’s seasoning it, so it’s odd attempting to remove that from her vocabulary. She should probably be trying to give Brooke the impression of a mysterious and graceful woman who says gosh and darn but if she’s going to be working with her she’s going to be working with her, not a cookie-cutter picture perfect imitation.

“You wanna warm up?” Vanessa asks her, feeling a little bashful as Brooke rolls her neck slowly. She gives a small shake of her head as a long strip of her bare neck is exposed, her blonde ponytail falling over her shoulder. Vanessa feels like shaking her head herself, shaking all the thoughts that just entered her head out of it. Get a grip.

“Nah, I already did a bit before I came. We’ve got a gym at the flat, so it’s good for that kind of thing.”

Vanessa feels her eyebrows fly up her face. What kind of fancy-ass flat does she live in? “You wanna just do a bit of conditioning then? I saw you were good at it on the induction day, so you prolly don’t need to do much-”

“You had your eyes on me on induction day then?” Brooke interrupts, gives Vanessa a cheeky wink that makes her face hot. She thinks about making a jibe related to Brooke eyeing her up during squats, but she thinks it’s maybe a bit much. This is only the third time they’ve seen each other, after all. She doesn’t know why she’s acting like such a teenager.

“You wish, princess,” she sticks her tongue out. Brooke laughs and Vanessa joins her, trying not to think too much about where that princess appeared from out of nowhere.

Brooke shrugs in agreement and they do a bit of conditioning on the mats that are kept at the studio. They don’t really need to be doing too much- it’s a quickstep, it’s not exactly Cirque du Soleil- but Vanessa enjoys giving her muscles a proper stretch anyway. She doesn’t need to be the bendiest dancer in the world but she likes to feel as if her flexibility and strength are constantly improving. The film crew stay to catch some rehearsal shots but Vanessa feels as if it’s only her and Brooke in the room, their easy small-talk coming naturally as they stretch and chat over the chill R&B Vanessa’s stuck on in the background. Brooke’s been working that morning already, shooting for The Voice. They’ve moved filming to the morning so she can participate in the show. Vanessa says she hopes it’s not inconvenienced her too much and Brooke laughs and waves her apology away, saying it’s been her dream to get asked on the show ever since she rose to TV-presenter status.

Vanessa agrees, tells her about growing up watching the show with her Mom, how it inspired her when she began to compete all those years ago. She could get into other stuff, like the Summer when they couldn’t fly back to Puerto Rico because Vanessa had begged and pleaded with her Mom to spend the flight money on another term at dance school instead and it had caused a rift so huge it almost tore a hole in her family. But she doesn’t. As Vanessa reminds herself, it’s only their third meeting.

So why does she have to fight the compulsion to tell Brooke her damn life story?

Before Vanessa can blurt out any emotional moments from her upbringing (and she doesn’t exactly have a shortage of them), she slaps her thighs, stands up and rolls the mat away.

“Okay, let’s get started. Now obviously you’re good-”

“Oh, of course,” Brooke jokes. Vanessa’s heart gives a dip.

“- so I think we can maybe just start learning the full thing? If it’s too hard then we can just do some of the basics and go over lil’ techniques an’…stuff,” Vanessa clocks the cameras, changes the “shit” she was about to let out. “But the good news is we got two weeks to learn this one instead of one.”

“So there’s no excuse for it not to be perfect,” Brooke nods immediately. Vanessa freezes, taken aback. Brooke in turn looks almost as if she’s been caught out, and her face turns a little red. “Sorry. That probably seems way too keen, it’s just a fun dancing show-”

“Nah, keep that spirit. I’m a fan of that,” Vanessa smiles at her and Brooke, reassured, smiles back. The girl’s clearly a perfectionist. Vanessa adds that to her growing list of things she’s learning about her new partner. “Aight, I’m gonna show you how it’s gonna look. Lemme get my phone.”

Vanessa dashes over to her gym bag, scrambles about in it for a moment. She spent all of Sunday and stayed up all night finishing off the choreography with Crystal, who she’d also helped choreograph her first dance too, not that Crystal needed any help choreographing Latin. Or indeed ballroom. Or indeed any dance full stop. They’d brainstormed and drank gallons of water and chatted together excitedly the whole time. Being on the show with Crystal is nice because they practise their Spanish together so Vanessa doesn’t lose too much of it, and she understands what it’s like to be away from her huge extended family on days like Cinco di Mayo when the only real celebration of that in the UK is a display of Mexican party food in Tesco, and they moan together about the fact that neither of them have seen a single plantain on sale since arriving in the country. Finally finding her phone in her gym bag, Vanessa searches for the video she and Crystal took of the quickstep once it was all finished. Finding it, she plops down next to Brooke who’s sitting on the dusty floor and leaning against the mirrored wall. She hits play, holds her breath nervously and hopes Brooke will like what she’s come up with. Vanessa is relieved when a small smile grows on Brooke’s face.

“Are we actually doing it to Pon De Replay?”

“Damn right we are!” Vanessa replies proudly. She got her song request in early and the producers approved it on Sunday morning. She knows that she’s not as good at ballroom but she likes the fact that she can use songs she likes and twist the style to fit, making it more comfortable for her. The dance she’s created is clever, even if she does think so herself. First week is all about showcasing your celebrity and what they do, what kind of person they are, so Vanessa wants to give Brooke a challenge. The first half is a straightforward quickstep and the second is the same but everything mirrored and in reverse. There’s a silly bit at the start where Brooke’s going to pretend to be interviewing Vanessa to reflect her everyday career. It’s cheesy, but that’s Strictly.

The video comes to an end and Brooke is smiling from ear to ear. “Oh my God. I love it.”

“Ah! Amazing. I’m so glad,” Vanessa beams, happy and relieved all at once.

“I mean, it looks hard. But I didn’t think any of this would be easy.”

“It’ll get easier, though! Just needs practise. And remember, we’ve got two weeks!” Vanessa reminds her, standing up and shaking herself out. “So we’ve got ages. I mean. In between all the press and social media madness, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Brooke laughs, pushing herself up from the floor. “Right, come on then, teacher. What do we start with?”

Vanessa begins showing Brooke the routine, the complex and intricate little steps and hops of the quickstep taking Brooke a little bit of getting used to. But by lunchtime, they’ve gone through a little chunk of the dance already and they’ve run it without and with the music. Vanessa’s pleased with their progress and when they stop for their lunch break they’re both exhausted, sweaty, and smiling.

“You good?” Vanessa asks Brooke, who’s taking a long swig of her drink. Her eyes widen as she nods quickly.

“Yeah! Christ, it’s so tough. You’re a good teacher, though,” Brooke says, finally finishing her water. The praise makes Vanessa blush; she’s glad she’s already red from all the dancing so it doesn’t show as much.

“You’re doin’ great. Makin’ my job easy,” Vanessa smiles at her. She bites her lip before speaking again. “Hey, you wanna come have lunch with me?”

Brooke pulls a face and pouts. “Aw, that sounds amazing but I’ve got a meeting with my agent at quarter past. To make sure you’re not committing human rights violations against me or whatever.”

Vanessa snorts a laugh, tries not to look disappointed. They promise to meet back at the studio in half an hour, and Vanessa heads to the canteen where she knows some of the other girls will be having lunch too. The studios that a bunch of them have had the foresight to block-book are great and modern, and Vanessa feels bad for girls like Jan who’s having to rehearse in a draughty church hall near Jackie’s sleepy Hounslow suburb. Pushing open the double doors, she finds Phi Phi, Jaida, Monique, Crystal and Plastique already sitting at a table and eating lunch. Vanessa dashes over.

“Beep beep, hoes! Winner coming through,” she shouts over to them cheerfully, Monique laughing and rolling her eyes long-sufferingly as Jaida shakes her head at her.

“Take several seats, bitch.”

“One’s fine, thanks,” Vanessa flutters her lashes at her, causing the other girl to laugh.

“How did you even get in through the door with your head this big?” Monique scoffs, as Vanessa chucks her bag down and rakes through it for her lunch.

“Hey, you’d be crowin’ as well if you saw what my girl can do,” she points out, ignoring the way Monique’s eyebrows fly up her face at the my girl.

“It’s not about who’s got the best dancer from the start, it’s all about the potential,” Plastique shrugs at her. Vanessa gives a laugh.

“Aw, Scarlet’s got loads of that, right?” she jibes, the other girls laughing. Plastique rolls her eyes.

“We spent half an hour on a step-ball-change. Every object in the room slowly started to merge into implements with which I could kill both her and myself,” Plastique put her head in her hands. She’d ended up being partnered with the soap star and Monique, to her badly-suppressed delight, had been given singer Monet.

“At least she’s trying to work hard,” Phi Phi sighed, her face taking on a sour expression. “Willam is killing me. She keeps doing shit wrong and if I point it out she just makes a joke about it. And she keeps dashing next door to show shit to Courtney! What the hell is up with that? Courtney’s got Blair to worry about, she doesn’t need a damn goofball interrupting her rehearsal every two minutes to add to that.”

“Where is Courtney, anyway?” Vanessa asked, taking a big bite out of her chicken and rice. She knows Courtney shares their studios too and she’s notable by her absence.

Phi Phi pulls a face in response. “Let’s just say her and Blair have a lot of work to do.”

“Well, I can’t relate,” Monique smiles smugly. “Me an’ Monet have been doing amazing.”

“So’ve me and Gigi! She’s awesome,” Crystal pipes up excitedly. Vanessa swears she can see her pupils turn into little hearts as she speaks. “She’s so hardworking. We’ve done, like, half our dance already.”

“No you haven’t, stop lying,” Phi Phi nudges her under the table with her foot. Crystal rolls her eyes, resigned.

“Okay, not half, but maybe like a quarter. An eighth? A twelfth.”

The girls explode laughing and Vanessa actually has to wipe tears from her eyes. When she calms down, she asks Jaida how her rehearsals with Yvie are going so far.

“Alright, I guess. The girl’s really great, she’s got so much talent. But the bitch won’t stop filmin’ shit for her fuckin’ vlogs! I’d leap out the damn window but our room’s on the ground floor.”

Another roar flies up from the girls. It’s always funny to see how they all gel with their dance partners, and Vanessa has never got to experience it for herself until this year. She’s so happy she’s been paired with Brooke.

After the girls finish their lunch, Vanessa and Brooke continue to rehearse. The days pass like that easily with hours spent in hold, out of hold, stepping, hopping, watching Brooke tear her hands through her messy ponytail in frustration when she can’t immediately nail a particular move. Vanessa learns that Brooke’s hard on herself and, though she never snaps or yells, Vanessa knows it annoys her having to really properly work at the tricky bits. Truth be told, Vanessa gets annoyed at herself too. She curses herself whenever Brooke struggles with something, becomes convinced she should have made the dance a little easier for her. If Brooke doesn’t pick something up quickly Vanessa is irritated at her own teaching methods. She knows Brooke wants to be the best no matter how much she plays the competition off as simply a bit of fun, and she gets annoyed when it seems like she’s not doing enough to help her achieve that.

On the whole, though, Vanessa tries not to beat herself up too much. They do seem to be making really good progress in comparison to some of the other girls, and they’ve more or less learned the whole dance by the end of the first week. It bodes well for their next few weeks together, as they both know the two-week rehearsal process is a luxury that’s not going to be afforded to them for the rest of the series. Besides, next week is full of social media madness and promo filmings and they’ve got their It Takes Two interview with Cheryl on Friday. It’s going to be exhausting.

“It’s going to be exhausting,” Brooke smiles gently, contemplating the week ahead and rubbing her eyes at the end of their Saturday night rehearsal. It’s 10pm and probably far too late and Vanessa should’ve let Brooke get an early night but she got carried away polishing up little sections with her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept you so late tonight,” Vanessa laments, frowning. Brooke frowns back, her face full of concern.

“Don’t apologise! I’m willing to stay as long as it takes. However long you think I need,” Brooke gives a small laugh, and Vanessa concedes and joins her laughter. The thought hits her that they’ve not shared too much on social media yet. Some of the pairs are giving round-the-clock updates as if they’re News 24 (she doesn’t think Aja and Farrah have stopped going live on Instagram since they began rehearsing but that’s what you get with a reality TV star as a partner), and Vanessa feels a bit guilty. She knows she’s got fans- it never gets any less crazy to say but it’s true- and she knows they’re as excited about her Strictly journey as she is. So she takes her phone out of her bag and waves it a little at Brooke.

“Hey. I know it’s late, but we’ve been workin’ so hard we kinda forgot about all the fun shit. Wanna take a few post-rehearsal selfies for Insta?”

She pauses as Brooke lets out a small laugh, suddenly feels embarrassed. “You know. If that’s your sorta thing.”

“I’m a TV presenter, Vanessa, I’m not the Prime Minister. I’m allowed to have fun,” Brooke laughs, struts up to stand beside her and faces the mirrored wall. “Go on then, Naomi Campbell, start the damn photoshoot.”

Vanessa laughs and her heart gives a little flutter as Brooke locks her fingers and rests them on her shoulder, leaning down and resting her head on them. She pouts and in turn Vanessa throws up a peace sign and sticks her tongue out. She takes a burst of five photos that will all look identical but she knows she’ll be able to find a tiny, minute difference in them all. Brooke leans over her phone as she scrolls through the photos, and suddenly jabs a finger against her screen.

“That one. It’s cute.”

Vanessa obeys orders and puts it on her Instagram story along with a timestamp and a little gif of a teddy bear falling asleep.

“Now do a video!” Brooke bounces on her toes all excited, and Vanessa has to laugh at how much she’s getting into the swing of things. Vanessa points the camera at them both, begins recording.

“Hey guys, Vanjie here with my girl Brooke Lynn, so it is…” she forgets the time, appeals to Brooke. “10.05? 10.06?”

“Way-too-late-o’clock,” Brooke chimes in, pokes Vanessa’s face teasingly. Vanessa rolls her eyes.

“We’ll go with that. An’ we have just finished a run of our full dance, you’re gonna love it, I can’t wait to show off this girl, y’all are not ready.”

Vanessa feels her face grow ever-so-slightly flushed as Brooke turns to her and smiles. “Aww. That’s cute, thanks! Oh, can we tell them what the song is?”

Vanessa faces her and laughs. “No way! We gotta wait til Monday, that’s when they all get released.”

“Please?” Brooke actually pouts. It’s too adorable and her face is so close to Vanessa’s in her attempt to fit into frame that Vanessa could totally lean forward and give her the tiniest little kiss if she wanted.

She doesn’t want to. Why the fuck did that thought just appear in her head?

“No! They’ll find out on Monday. And the dance too! No special treatment.”

“Ugh. I’m so telling my agent, this is definitely illegal. Should’ve stayed on the damn One Show.”

Vanessa bursts out laughing at Brooke’s joke, shakes her head at the camera. “I have to work with this diva. Jeez. Well, see you guys later!”

“Yeah, see you all later! If she hasn’t murdered me by then.”

“If I haven’t murdered her by then. Bye, love ya!” Vanessa signs off and stops recording, posts the video to her story as Brooke laughs. “You’re a natural at all this social media shit. Right, go get some rest. See you Monday, girl.”

“See you Monday,” Brooke smiles. Vanessa doesn’t miss the way she sort of hovers, lingering with the smile still on her face before looking to the floor and then leaving the room. Vanessa wonders what she was thinking. It couldn’t have been that important.

Before Vanessa begins to pack up she checks Instagram to see the reaction to the stuff she’s just dropped. There’s a few replies- she always gets them on her stories from fans and she tries to reply to most of them. One in particular catches her eye- a reply to the video which is peppered with heart-eye emojis and simply reads:

OHMYGOSH!!!!! You guys are SO cute together!!!

Vanessa doesn’t realise how long she’s been smiling until she’s left the studio and walking to the tube.

They both have a day off on Sunday- they all do. It’s been a long first week and they’ve all earned it. Vanessa has an ice bath because she’s forgotten how intense it is to be rehearsing all day every day with just one other person. It reminds her of the show she did that Summer with-

Well. It doesn’t matter now.

What matters now is Brooke, and Vanessa spends most of the daytime on Sunday sitting on the small sofa that’s squashed under the ceiling beam in her tiny narrow flat, curled up under a blanket and trying to figure out how to text her. She wants to make that connection with her partner, she wants her and Brooke to be close friends and to be able to go for lunch and talk about anything together and have their own little jokes and stuff like that. Lots of the dancers have that kind of connection with their girls already- Crystal and Gigi are averaging around two silly selfies a day on social media, Vanessa can hear Monique and Monet’s laughter ricocheting off the walls and down the stairs from their rehearsal room, and there is already some are-they-aren’t-they media speculation in the form of Jan and Jackie, who were papped going to get bagels in a break between rehearsals with their pinkies interlocked and small smiles on their faces. Vanessa’s not jealous of them, whatever it is they have. She’d asked Crystal about them, because she’s closer with Jan, and Crystal had laughed it off and said they’re just friends and they’re getting on very well. Vanessa has reason to doubt her, mind you. She knows chemistry when she sees it.

Vanessa finally decides to shoot Brooke a message at around six at night. She’s making a cheat meal of mac and cheese with a bunch of chorizo through it, because she damn well deserves a carb and some dairy and some oily meat. It’s when she realises that she’s made enough for a small village that she takes her phone out, messages Brooke before she can overthink it.

V: i’ve just made way too much mac and cheese, u wanna have a rehearsal room floor picnic tomorrow? x

The moment it’s sent she regrets how outrageously fucking pathetic she sounds. That is until she gets a reply around two minutes later, one that makes her face hurt with a smile.

B: No chance you’re offloading your failed masterchef attempts onto me. How do I know it’s edible? x

Her reply is flirtatious. Vanessa tries to explain it away but she can’t, so she positions her phone in front of the huge earthenware tray she’s just taken out of the oven, the breadcrumbs giving a satisfying crackle as she sticks a serving spoon into it and takes a boomerang of the strings of cheese and billows of steam that emerge as she pulls the spoon out and a golden slice of the baked pasta with it. She sends it off to Brooke without any written reply and for a moment she forgets about any potential response as hunger overtakes her. She grabs a white bowl with a small crack down its side and piles the pasta high into it, sitting back on the couch and pulling the purple blanket over her knees as she scans the channels for something to keep her company as she eats. She settles on a rerun of some 90s gameshow and as it eventually finishes, so does her dinner. It’s only then that Vanessa remembers her phone, and as she dashes back across to the kitchen counter her heart gives a giant thump of joy as she sees four messages from Brooke.

B: Omg I take it all back, I will never doubt your cooking skills again x

B: Is that chorizo???????? I’m so hungry x

B: Are you mad at me because I said it wouldn’t be edible?? I’m sorry!!!!!! x

B: Please bring some for lunch tomorrow! I’ll get us a dessert, call it an apology x

Vanessa looks at the little “x” after each one. She’s blushing before she even knows it and it’s almost like Brooke has planted real little kisses on both her cheeks.

V: i’d say it’s a date but i’m not gonna give u the satisfaction x

A reply from Brooke doesn’t come but somehow it doesn’t bother her.

They have their picnic on the floor of the rehearsal room the next day, just as had been promised. Brooke makes ridiculous noises as she takes her first bite of the mac and cheese and Vanessa pokes fun at her for buying the cakes and not baking them (but Galaxy cake bars are delicious, so she doesn’t complain too much). They make a silly video for Instagram- “Hey guys! We’ve stopped for lunch and I brought a picnic!” “Hey, I made cakes!” “Bought cakes. Bought.” - and they’re almost too full to practise afterwards but they do, until late into the night, and the day after that and the day after that. They squeeze in their photoshoot for the title sequence and an interview for the Radio Times and the days pass in a busy blur. Vanessa’s smile grows wider with each rehearsal as they become better and better at the dance and on Thursday night they run it through with no mistakes at all, Vanessa so happy that she jumps into Brooke’ arms and squeals with delight and Brooke squeezes her tight and does the same. Before they know it it’s Friday, they’re the last It Takes Two interview of the week, and the first show is a little over twenty-four hours away.

“You nervous?” Vanessa whispers to Brooke as they watch Cheryl interviewing one of the past contestants they’ve invited on to give their insight. The sister show of Strictly isn’t watched by a huge number of people but it is watched by the hardcore fans, and Vanessa is anxious to make a good impression.

“A little. I’m used to conducting the interviews, not giving them,” Brooke frowns a bit, sweeps her blonde hair over her shoulder. She turned up to the studios in a smart blue suit and orange heels and Vanessa is amazed that she hasn’t dissolved into liquid form under Brooke’s gaze.

Brooke is so beautiful, and Vanessa wonders if she’ll ever stop thinking that to herself.

Vanessa drops a shy hand to her side and takes Brooke’s, lacing their fingers together and giving them a squeeze. They hold hands and press their bodies together and look into each other’s eyes all the time as part of the dance so it��s not weird, it’s almost routine. When Brooke smiles at her, reassured and at ease, Vanessa relaxes by at least ninety percent.

They’re soon called out while a pre-recorded VT of their rehearsal footage plays and they whisper an excited hey to Cheryl in all her fake-tanned, white-toothed glory, the very vision of an Essex girl-turned-professional. Vanessa’s been interviewed by Cheryl before, last year when she was on the bench and all she had to do were some silly challenges and goof around with the other pros. This is different.

Vanessa takes a quick breath in and holds it while she smiles maniacally at the camera and Cheryl does their introduction. “Alright, now, joining us for the last interview of the week- it’s Brooke and Vanessa!”

A cheer goes up from the production crew as they both wave to the camera, and it makes Vanessa’s smile turn more goofy than she’d intended it to be. She leans into Brooke’s side as she laughs and she notices that Brooke’s got an arm resting on the headboard on the sofa behind her.

“Now, Brooke, you’ve had a fortnight of rehearsals and had to work around your busy taping schedule- what’s that been like?” Cheryl asks, leaning forward with interest. Vanessa has always liked Cheryl, mainly because an interview with her feels like a chat with an old friend and she always genuinely seems interested in what someone has to say.

“Ugh, you know what? It’s been amazing,” Brooke smiles, and Vanessa’s heart lights up in affirmation. She turns to look at Brooke and she’s already smiling at her. “Obviously it’s been tiring at times, I think I’ve had a combined total of about 10 hours of sleep this week-”

Vanessa snorts, laughs at how dramatic Brooke’s being.

“-but I wouldn’t change it. I’ve learned so much, and V’s such a good teacher. I really struck it lucky with her.”

The production team let out an “aww”, and Vanessa tries to bite back a grin and fails. Brooke’s arm goes from the headboard to rest around her shoulders and Vanessa is scared to move in case she scares her away like a butterfly.

“Now speaking of- Vanessa,” Cheryl’s face breaks into a smile as she turns to her, and Vanessa’s stomach flutters a little with nerves. “You obviously felt you struck it lucky with Brooke too, let’s remind everyone of your reaction to getting paired with her.”

Vanessa lets out a wail of protest and buries her face in her hands as the clip of their pairing is played, and she can hear Brooke creasing with laughter beside her. Her embarrassment is rewarded with Brooke squeezing her shoulder in reassurance, and Vanessa supposes it’s sort of worth it. The clip comes to an end and, as Vanessa takes her hands away from her face, she knows she’s blushing hard.

“Now, you were…I think you were a bit happy?” Cheryl teases sarcastically. Vanessa playfully glares at her, and Brooke squeezes her shoulder again. “Are you still as overjoyed with having Brooke as a partner now you’ve started to rehearse with her?”

“Aw, I’m still as happy as I was on launch night. Honestly,” Vanessa smiles at Cheryl, turns and smiles at Brooke too because she can’t help it. “She just makes it so easy because- she doesn’t stop smiling, so rehearsals are fun, and she is just the hardest-working girl…that even a word? Hardest-working…most hardworking..I don’t know, but she’s it, you know?”

Her praise is rewarded by Brooke dropping her hand down to her waist, and Vanessa’s heart gives a judder. It’s not like she’s not used to Brooke’s hands on her, but the context is different, and it throws her off ever so slightly in the best possible way.

“I think what’s nice is- I’ve wanted to be on this show for so long and it’s V’s first year with a partner, so we’re kind of doing this whole journey together, and it’s special,” Brooke smiles, and Vanessa nods in agreement, as if the movement of her head will stop the blood rushing to her cheeks in a blush.

“It is nice! Because I suppose, Brooke, you ain’t gotta compare yourself to anyone because there’s not been any partners before you,” Cheryl adds with a shrug. Vanessa smiles at her words and nods, turns to Brooke as she speaks.

“Yeah. You’re my favourite.”

Brooke’s eyes have a twinkle in them as she smiles back at her. “Aw, thanks.”

The interaction is so quick that Cheryl’s already on to her next question before she can pick up on it. “Now, Vanessa, you chose a quickstep for week one, why was that?”

Vanessa sighs a little as she thinks about it. She doesn’t want to come across too cocky, come out with because my girl’s the best and I knew she could do it in her sleep with her eyes shut, so she instead tries to come across as humble as she can. “I think because- it’s a fast dance, and it’s good to go right in at the deep end on your first week. I can see Brooke Lynn’s potential, and I know what she’s capable of, so we just sort of went for it and she’s coped so well. She’s thrived.”

“Not survived, but thrived! I love it!,” Cheryl laughs along with her. “Now, this pairing, I have heard…through the grapevine…this is a bit of a linguistically challenged pairing, am I right?”

Vanessa blinks at her. “What’s that even mean?”

Brooke howls with laughter beside her and Cheryl does the same opposite, and Vanessa pouts. She doesn’t like to look dumb, and the wounded part of her wants to remind them both that she’s the only one out of the three of them that speaks more than one language, but she lets it drop when Brooke explains it to her softly. “Like…words and stuff.”

“Oh right! Yeah, so Brooke’s got lil words for all the steps we’re doin’.”

“It just helps me remember the timing!” Brooke laughs, her turn to feel embarrassed as she covers her face with her hands.

“Yeah, so we go, like…step, hop, beans-on-toast!” Vanessa explains. Cheryl’s looking at Brooke as if she has two heads.

“What is beans on toast?!” she exclaims. Brooke shakes her head, gives Vanessa a look of admonishment.

“It’s just a little phrase, and it goes with the timing of the steps of the dance, and it helps me remember them…I won’t do it on the night, you won’t hear me say it!” Brooke laughs. She’s got the slightest hint of a blush hitting her cheeks, and part of Vanessa feels warm with the fact that the stage lights are too bright to pick up on it and it’s like a secret only she knows.

“Well, Vanessa, there’s also a revelation I’ve heard today that I’m a little bit shocked by…” Cheryl begins, and Vanessa feels nervous, as if Cheryl’s about to rip the butterflies out of her stomach and show them to Brooke as some sort of proof of any embarrassing little feelings she’s got for her. “…you’re a Strictly pro that can’t actually say the name of one of the dance moves?”

“Oh my God,” Vanessa lets out a groan. She knows instantly what Cheryl is referring to, and Brooke’s hand is wrenched from its position on her waist as she claps her hands with mirth.

“Can you say it now?” Brooke teases, and Vanessa rolls her eyes at her.

“Girl, you know I can’t!” she whines, prepares herself to try and say the offending word. “Sash-ay?”

“No!” Brooke laughs, the twinkle in her eye almost blinding.

“Sash-ay?” Vanessa hears herself, and shakes her head. “No, wait, I already said it like that.”

“It’s not like a sachet of sauce,” Cheryl supplies unhelpfully. Vanessa raises her eyebrows at her. She tries again.

“Chassé,” she finally comes out with, and a roar of satisfaction erupts from the crew behind the cameras. She laughs as she protests her lack of pronunciation. “Leave me alone, I got two languages to try an’ speak in!”

“And you can’t say chassé in either of them,” Brooke teases, sticking her tongue out at her. Vanessa finds it hard to rip her eyes away from her partner as Cheryl speaks again.

“Well, you two, you’ve been a joy to have with us today, good luck for Saturday night-”

“Thank you!”

“- Brooke and Vanessa, everybody!”

A cheer goes up from the crew, and Vanessa can’t help but giggle at the silliness that was the end of their interview. As Cheryl introduces another section of the show, Vanessa feels Brooke slip her hand into her own, squeezing it once. Vanessa squeezes back, and Brooke meets her eyes in a calm smile. It’s Friday evening, they’re off to rehearse as soon as this is over, and then it will be Saturday and their first live show as a couple. Vanessa is the best kind of nervous, and she finds herself shutting her eyes for a second as if to check she’s not dreaming.

Another squeeze of her hand from Brooke Lynn brings her back to earth with a bump, but she doesn’t mind.

#rpdr fanfiction #bet you look good on the dancefloor #ortega #strictly au #lesbian au #branjie #vanessa vanjie mateo #brooke lynn hytes #monique heart #jaida essence hall #crystal methyd #phi phi o'hara #plastique tiara #cheryl hole #background jankie #background momo #background crygi

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meggannn · 5 years

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several things have happened/are happening this month:

i hit a sale and got a bunch of nice new work clothes, including a pair of black boots that i really needed (though i want to put taps on them before i wear them anywhere and unfortunately the shoe shop across the street is closed till monday and ughhhh im super impatient to wear them)

my laptop graphics card sputtered its first dying breath last night, so i’ve decided to get a desktop to replace it and i will probably be building it with some friends’ help. in the meantime i can’t play any games (i’ve decided not to use the laptop from here on out except to save my files/games in preparation for the move) but it’s kind of neat to have plans to make a computer that will be and do exactly what i want. (and having a monitor might eventually lead to a ps4/ps5, but that will be a long ways down the road)

i decided to finally clean out my crap-infested room, this i decided before knowing i’d be getting a desktop but also in preparation for the space i’ll need for it, i’ve just got way too much stuff that has accumulated since i moved in 2 years ago and living in such a small space, any excess in stuff feels ridiculous to have. so i started donating and selling games and some books this weekend and hopefully many weekends to come. i’m gonna take some ‘before’ photos of my room in the hope the difference will be significant enough to be impressive lol

in the back of my mind i am coming up with a list of places to take my 2020 vacation... haven’t decided yet! does anyone have recommended trips? preferably outside the us. i would still like to go to egypt and greece eventually, but this year i was considering korea, nz, or maybe mexico, keeping in mind the realities of traveling as a single woman

#stuff

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writteriguess · 5 years

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Escape You | Part Four

Chapter Four:

The Sauna Test.

Steve Harrington x reader

summary: After Robin finds a useful map, a new individual joins you on your journey in finding the Evil Russians.

warnings: cursing

notes: sorry this is a chap is so late. School started for me and I’m still adjusting lol. Anyway hope y’all enjoy this chapter 🥰

(also sorry if there are mistakes, I didn’t really read it :/)

——————

You huffed as you opened the door to the roof of the StarCourt Mall. When you become in contact with the sun, you squint your eyes and pull your hand infront of your face.

“Yo! Henderson!” Dustin turns to face you, the binoculars still glued to his face. You stifle a laugh. “I got your note! What do you want?” You yelled to him. You held up the note he had left you that morning at your shop on the counter.

Meet me at the roof. Come alone - Dustin

“Shhh!” He shushes you quickly. You walk closer to him. He is kneeled on the floor. He pulls you to the floor by your forearm. You fall to the floor with a plop. You hiss at him.

“What the hell!?” You exclaim loudly. He shushes you again, pointing to something down below. You look. Evil Russian’s. “Oh” you whisper out, getting into a comfortable position on the ground. You lean closer to Dustin, “Why are we here?”

He shrugs innocently, “Spying on Evil Russian’s” You nod, moving away, “Right, Right.” It’s silent. You speak up again, “That still doesn’t explain why I’m here” You point to yourself.

Dustin sighs, removing the binoculars from his eyes and placing them on the floor next to him. “I have a bone to pick with you” he looks to you. You snicker, leaning over to grab the binoculars. He lets you, you’re suprised. You put them up to your face. “Yeah? Like what?” You laugh breathlessly.

“Do you like Steve?” His questing catches you off - guard. You peel your eyes away from the binoculars quickly. “What?” You ask.

You’re not really sure if you’d heard him correctly. You were positive that you were good at hiding your feelings but apparently not. First Sarah knew and now Dustin. God probably Steve knew himself! Maybe you can play it off. Say you didn’t like him.

“You heard me. Do you like Steve?” Dustin repeated himself. You scoffed, shaking your head. You put the binoculars up to your face agin. “Now why would you think that?” You chuckled wearily.

Dustin, clearly annoyed, snatched the binoculars from your grip, forcing you to look at him. “Don’t act dumb (y/n)! I saw how sad you looked when you saw him and Robin holding hands!”

You sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of your nose with your thumb and pointer finger. God, he saw that! You were in deep shit now. You didn’t know why but you felt the urge to tell Dustin the truth. You two had grown closer over the pass couple of days. He was probably one of the only people you could trust. So you did. You told him the truth.

“Ok! So what if I did?” You exclaimed. Dustin fist pumped the air, “Yes! I knew it!.” You rolled your eyes at him, putting your head in your hands. “It’s that freaking obvious, huh?” You mumbled in your palm.

“Yea. The way you look at him, it makes me believe love is real” Dustin said. You looked up at him quickly, shaking your head with a laugh. “Woah, Woah, Woah” you let out a shaky laugh, “I don’t love him” you objected.

Dustin sighs again, bringing the binoculars back to his face. “Yea, whatever you say (y/n).” You laugh at him again. “Seriously I don’t.” Dustin doesn’t look at you, letting out an unsure hum and mumbling, “sure you don’t.”

It’s silent again. You pull your knees to your chest, and let out a stressful sigh. You look at Dustin again. “You know you can’t tell anyone about this, right?” Dustin, eyes still in the binoculars, nods. “And I mean anyone. Not your friends. Not Robin. And definitely not Steve”.

He finally takes the binoculars off. “I won’t, I won’t” You nod greatfully at him. Your pinkie raises in the air before him. “Pinkie Promise?” He looked to you in disbelief before scoffing, “Seriously (y/n)?.”

You shrugg innocently, pursing your lips. “Well if you meant it, you would pinkie promise” you start to pull your pinkie away. He groans in annoyance, “Fine! Fine!”

You smirk in victory. His pinkie twist around yours, and he stares you dead in the eyes. He holds up his other hand, showing his uncrossed fingers. “I swear, I will not tell a single soul.”

You smile pulling your pinkie away, “Good.”

In the two hours that follow, you and Dustin had made it to Scoops to tell Robin and Steve the stuff you say the Russians doing with the key cards.

“That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun.” Dustin explained, leaning against the wall. Steve and Robin stood across from each other at the small blue and white table. You stood next to Dustin, nodding along to what he explained.

“Whatever’s in this room, whatever’s in those boxes, they really don’t want anybody finding it” you concluded. Steve played with his white sailors hat by flipping it along his finger whilst Robin played with an ice cream scooper. “But there’s gotta be a way in” Robin sighed, leaning back in her seat in defeat.

Steve throws his hat on the table, “Well, you know...” he then leans his elbows on the table, eyeing all three of you. “I could just take him out” Steve shrugged.

Your eyes squinted and you almost scoffed. “Take who out?” Robin asked with wide eyes. Steve shrugged again, as if it was no big deal. “The Russian Gaurd. What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out and I take his keycard. It’s easy.”

“Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?” Dustin points out bluntly. You chuckle in your fist, looking between both boys humorously. Steve glanced to you before looking back to Dustin. “Yes, Dustin, I did” Steve spoke back in a ‘matter of fact tone’. “And that’s why I would be sneaking.” Steve moves his pointer and middle finger across the table, demonstrating a sneaking motion.

Dustin crosses his arms, “Well, please, tell me this, and be honest, have you ever actually...won a fight?” Dustin seemed to challenge. At that comment, you started laughing into your palm. Steve shot you a look again, but to his dismay you continued to laugh.

Steve butts in, “Okay, that was one time,” Dustin quickly cut him off, “twice. Johnathan. Year prior?”

Ah, you had remembered that day. You had heard that Johnathan Byers has beat the shit out of Steve Harrington’s face. It was amusing really. The geeky camera guy beating up the popular king of the school. Now that was one for the books. You had remembered being so proud of him, but you never had the chance to tell him.

“Listen, that doesn’t count” he begins but you tilt your head to the side letting out a sound of disagreement. “Why wouldn’t it count? Because it looks like he beat the shit out of you” Dustin cut in again. You chuckled into your palm again. Robin looked between the three of you in amusement. Suddenly, her eyes took gaze open a object in the far corner. Her face falls into a blank stare. She then smiled knowingly.

“That just might work” Robin mumbled. Suddenly she escaped through the back, walking to the front of the shop. Her hand dug in the tip jar, scooping the money from inside. You, Steve, and Dustin followed.

“Hey, Robin! What, what are you doing?” Steve asked. Robin turned around, slowly walking out of the ice cream parlor. “I need cash” she shrugged.

“Well, half of thats mine. Where you goin?” Steve projected back. “To find us a way into that room, a safe way. And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don’t get beat up. I’ll be back in a jiff” She salutes the three of you before bolting away.

You look to Dustin, who has one of the ice cream scooper’s in his mouth, eating ice cream from the top. Steve glances at him before snatching it away. “Oh, Dude!” He twirls the scooper before placing it in one of his apron pockets. “Come on man, not my scooper.”

You and Dustin stayed in the back of Scoops, waiting for Robin to return. Steve did as he was told, slinging ice cream in the front. You peeked at him through the glass of the sliding windows. A line was forming rapidly, and you watched as Steve frantically moved around, trying to get the orders out quickly.

“Should we help him?” You asked Dustin, who was pacing around the room. You were suprised you haven’t yelled at him to stop yet. He was also quiet, which wasn’t like him. “Not right now, (y/n). I’m sure Steve can handle it.”

You look at Steve again. While rushing to get the whip cream, you watch Steve spill an order of a strawberry milkshake. It falls to the floor, and he bends down to start cleaning it. You indistinctively hear him repeatedly apologizing to the customer.

You quickly ran to the other side of the room, grabbing a spare Scoops Ahoy sailer’s hat and an apron. You put the hat on your head, and tie the apron around your waist tightly.

Dustin furrows his eyebrows at you, “Uh, what are you doing?”. You see one of the blue Scoops Ahoy vests and put it on, covering your work maroon shirt. It wasn’t the complete Scoops Ahoy uniform, but it would have to do. “I’m gonna go out there!”

“Oooo, you gonna make your move?” Dustin wiggles his eyebrows to at you. You give him a dumbfounded look, “No, im gonna help with the shit ton of orders that are piling in”. You rush to the door, ready to open it. “Sure you are (y/n)” Dustin teased sarcastically. You give him a dirty look, before pushing the doors open.

Steve, who was still on his knees, cleaning up the splattered pink and red milkshake, turned back to look at you. He smiled instantly, the smile becoming bigger when he say you wearing some of Scoops uniform. “(y/n)? What, what are you doing?”

You smirked, “Helping your ass.” You then stepped over the mess, and towards the counter, where a line of costumers were waiting.

“Ahoy!” You greeted. “ What can I get you guys?” You asked enthusiastically, in the all to familiar Scoops Ahoy Sailor character. Steve grinned up at you from the ground ever so often. To his astonishisment, you in that uniform was doing something for him. When you two had officially met, you would talk to each other every so often, and Steve had started taking a liking to you, but only in a friendly way. But looking at you now, he’s not sure what he felt. All he knew was that you looked really cute in that sailors hat.

When Steve has finally finished cleaning the milkshake, you two moved around quickly, the orders going out quick and easy. And before you too knew it, the customers slowed down and then there was none left.

You leaned against the counter, your upper arm aching from scooping so much ice cream. Steve leaned next to you, whipping his hand with a blue washcloth. You winced, moving your arm in a circular motion. “God, I’ve never scooped so much ice cream in my life. My arm hurts like hell” you chuckled.

Steve chuckled too and it was like music to your ears. “Yea, I was like that the first week too. But, ya know? You get used to it” he shrugged. “However it’s definitely not worth the 3 dollars I get an hour.” You both laughed at his comment.

When the laughing died down, you hid your smile in your hand. Steve stared at you, the corners of his lips turned up slightly. His eyes trailed along your features. Every crease, every eyelash, every freckle. You were beautiful. Your cheeks wore a light shade of pink, and he wanted nothing more then to hold and kiss them. His eyes trailed to your hair. It was styled down, the hair going along your shoulder and back. It looked so soft and god did he want to touch it. Jesus, was he smitten.

You noticed his staring, removing your hand from your face. You narrowed your eyes and pursed your lips at him. “What?” You giggled out.

Steve chuckled awkwardly, he smiled brightly looking away. “Sorry” he played with his hands, a thing you often saw him do when he was nervous. His gaze was upon you again, “You just look so damn cute in the sailors hat.”

Your cheeks raged pink. Now it was your turn to look away. The corners of your mouth turned up and soon your pearly whites shown. Steve’s fingers reached out, grazing your’s that were rested comfortably along the table that you leaned on. He didn’t hold your hand, no, just his fingers lightly drawing patterns along the front and fingers. You wanted to hold his hand, and you could tell he did too.

Your eyes meet his again. He looked to your lips and then back to your eyes. Your breath seemed to get caught in your throat. Did he want to kiss you? No. He liked Robin. They were holding hands. He had to like her. But the way he looked at you. Could he like you?

Thoughts and possibilities flooded your mind. His face got closer, closer, so close.

“Guys! I got it!” A cheery voice broke you two apart. Steve jolted away quickly. and your head whipped around to the voice. It was Robin. She was holding, a map? She stopped though, watching both you and Steve’s flustered pink faces. Her eyebrows furrowed, “You two alright?”

Steve nodded frantically, running a hand along the back of his neck. “Yea, yea, we’re uh...fine” Steve looks to you. You give a convincing nod Robins way. “Yea, Great!” You agree with Steve.

“Okay...anyway” She holds up the map further, showing you two the map she had found. “I got it!” She repeated again. Steve’s eyes narrowed, “And what is that exactly?”

In the back of Scoops, Robin laid out the map on the table. You, Steve, and Dustin hovered over it. “It is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you at the County Recorders Office”. She flattens the map out, giving each of you her best grin, “StarCourt Mall. The complete blueprint’s”

Dustin smiles up at her, “Not bad.” You agree with him. The map seemed to show all of the Mall. You were impressed. “So, this is us, Scoops” Robin points to a small area near the bottom of the map. You all lean in closer to look. You smile as you see the store you worked at a short way from Scoops.

She points further up the map, “And this is where we want to get.” Your eyebrows furrow, your eyes trailing the map frantically. “How?” You ask breathlessly. Steve looks at you before nodding back down at the map. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t really see a way in” he shrugged his hunched shoulders.

“There’s not” Robin points out quickly. By this point, you and Steve are extremely confused. Suddenly Robin rips the map off, under it is another one. “If you’re talking exclusively about doors.”

Dustin gets it, “Air ducts” he says in astonishment. Robin smiles at the kid, “Exactly.” She rushes over to the whiteboard on the other side of the room. “Turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room.” The three of your eyes watch Robin as she grabs a marker from the whiteboard. “These air ducts” She circles one of the air ducts on the top with the red marker. “Lead all the way” she drags the marker downward. “Here” She goes down to the bottom, circling the air duct of Scoops.

You, Dustin and Steve look to the small vent. Robin closes the marker with a click.

You stand beside the ladder as Steve unscrews the vent, a screwdriver between his teeth. He hands it to you, to which you then place on the floor. “Flashlight” his voice mumbled against the tool. Dustin hands it to him. They trade, the screwdriver for the flashlight. You hold onto one of the legs of the ladder, making sure Steve doesn’t fall. You could already see that incident taking place.

He flashes the light into the dark vent, his eyes straining to see. You, Robin, and Dustin wait patiently down below. “Yeah, I don’t know, man. I don’t know if you could fit in here. It’s like...super tight” he refers to Dustin. “I’ll fit” Dustin convinces back. You mentally shake your head. There was nooo way Dustin would fit.

“Trust me. No collar bones, remember?” You and Robin look to each other eyes wide. “Uh, excuse me?” Robin asked quickly. Steve jumps down from the later. “Oh, he’s, uh yeah he’s got some disease. Chry, Uh...it’s chrydo, um... Something. Yea, I dunno”

You smile at his cute stuttering. “He’s missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo.” Your eyebrows furrow. Isn’t it Gumby? “You mean Gumby?” You ask through raised eyebrows. Steve looks to you, “I’m pretty sure it’s Gumbo.”

“Steve, just shut up and push me!” Dustin’s voice echoed due to the vent. “Okay” Steve drawls out, rolling his eyes before moving up the ladder. He grabs Dustin by the feet, lifting him off the ladder, before giving him a solid push into the vent. He doesn’t budge. “Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass” Dustin yells back angrily.

“What?” Steve says. “Touch my butt! I don’t care!” Dustin screams back. You stifle a laugh. And sure enough, Steve moves further up the ladder, and attempt’s to push Dustin in. “Come on! Harder! Push Harder!”

“I’m pushing!” Steve resorts back. “You’re playing with my legs.” “I’m not playing, I have terrible footing.” God, they sound like a old married couple. Robin looks to you, giving you a ‘what the hell is going on’ face. You giggle and shrug innocently.

“I’m gonna just shove you, ready?” Steve says. He starts counting, Dustin’s legs wrapped around the back of his neck for better support. “One, Two...”

He shoved him. Once again, Dustin doesn’t budge. “Shit!” He exclaims. “One more time” he says to Steve.

Suddenly, the sound of the customer bell rings from the front of Scoops. Robin turns, looking to an annoyed Erica Sinclair. She’s ringing the bell rapidly saying, “Ahoy, sailors! All hands on deck! Ahoy!”

Robin smiles mischievously, and you won’t even try to process the thoughts flowing in that girls head.

Robin leaves you and goes to the front. Your mouth is just forming her name when the swinging door swings back in your direction. You look back over to the boys to see Steve still trying to push Dustin inside the vent. You sigh, moving towards the ladder and nudging Steve’s leg. He looks down to you.

“Both of you come down. It’s clearly not gonna work.” With sighs of defeat Steve and Dustin touch the ground. “Where’s Robin?” Steve asks, looking around, not noticing her presence. You shrugg, “Who the hell knows anymore.”

Suddenly she retreats back with, Erica Sinclair? The little girls eyes widen when they see you. “(y/n)?” she questioned, eyebrows raised. “What are you doing hanging around with these nerds?”

You chuckle. You loved this kid. Steve steps in, “Uh, you two know eachother?” His hands move between you and Erica. “I babysat her for like three years” you shrugged. Steve nods.

Erica looks over to Robin. “What vent were you talking about?” She asks. Robin points to the small vent above them. “That one”

The four of you watch as Erica shines the flashlight into the vent. “Hmm” she hums unsurely. She hops down from the latter, facing the four of you who were leaning against the white and blue wall. “Yeah, I don’t know” Erica says.

“You don’t know if you could fit?” Dustin asks. Erica scoffs, “Oh, I can fit. I just don’t know if I want too.” “Are you claustrophobic?” Robin speaks up. Erica snickers, “I don’t have phobias.”

“Okay, well, what’s the problem?” Steve draws out, the annoyance in his voice increasing with every word. “The problem is, I still haven’t heard what’s in this for Erica.” She sasses back. Steve sucks in his teeth and looks to Robin, who raises her brows.

You watch as Steve moves a gigantic banana split before Erica’s eyes. She examines it before pushing it back to Steve. “More fudge, please.” When Steve doesn’t move, Erica flutters her hand in his direction, prompting him to move. “Go on.” You watch as Steve flashes her the fakiest smile you have ever seen and goes to get her more fudge.

“All right” Robin pulls out the map. “You see this?” She points to the line written in red marker. “This is the route you’re gonna take.” Robin then turns the map over, and points to a big area circled with the red line. “Then we just wait till the last delivery goes out tonight. Then you knock down the grate, jump down, open the door.” Robin explains it as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“Then you find out what’s in those boxes?” Erica scoops a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth from the remaining few on the table. “Exactly” Robin concludes. Erica makes an unsure sound again. “And you say this guard is armed.”

You and Dustin look at eachother. “Yes, but he won’t be there” you try to convince. Dustin seems to nod along to you for moral support. “And booby traps?” She asks further. Robin cuts in, “Booby traps?” She questions. “Lasers, spikes in the wall?” Erica explains.

Robin laughs at her, so does Dustin. “You know what this half-baked plan of yours sounds like to me?” Erica quirks an eyebrow at the three of you. Dustin makes a face at her. “Child endangerment” She draws out.

You frown quickly at the idea that Erica thought you were willingly trying to danger her. You babysat the kid for three freaking years. You lean up again. “We’ll be in radio contact with you the whole time” you try to persuade. “Ah, ah ah,” she points her finger at you. “Child endangerment” She draws out, once again. You huff, rolling your eyes, plopping back against the red booth.

“Erica? Hi. Uh, we think these Russians want to do harm to our country. Great harm. Don’t you love your country?” Dustin takes a new method in persuading. Erica thinks for a minute before smirking. “You can’t spell “America” without “Erica.”

You and Dustin look to eachother before both nodding your heads. “Uh, Yeah, Yeah” Dustin nods his head. “Oddly, that’s, uh, totally true.”

You lean in closer to her, “So, don’t do this for us. Do it for your country” you shrug at her before, leaning back into the booth. Dustin adds on, “Do it for your fellow man.”

Erica slurps harshly on one of the Scoops Ahoy milkshakes. The drink reminds you of what happened between you and Steve just one hour before. He did try to kiss you. You looked to Robin, who was nodding along to whatever else Dustin was saying to Erica. You knew she liked Steve. You could tell she enjoyed his company and he enjoyed her’s. They held hands. You felt guilty. Just seeming to barge into their friend group like this. And maybe whatever Steve and Robin had going on. You bit at your thumbnail.

Night fell, and it was time. “Erica, do you copy?” Robin spoke into the walkie talkie. Erica’s sassy voice resorts back, “Mm-hmm. I copy. You nerds in position or what?”

“Yeah, we’re in position” Robin says back. “It’s all quiet here, so you’ve got the green light” Robin assures. You stand between Steve and Dustin, and roll your eyes at Dustin’s binoculars, thinking of how those things almost had you all killed the other night. “Green light, roger that.” Her voice then continued, “Commence Operation Child Endangerment.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You grab the walkie talkie from Robins grip.

“Can we maybe not call it that?” You speak into the device. Erica ignores you, her voice coming in again, “See you on the other side, nerds.”

You all look to eachother before taking a comfortable position on the ground, waiting for Erica to open the door. Without even noticing, you lean your head on Steve’s shoulder. He tilts his head over, smiling into your hair. Robin doesn’t notice, keeping her gaze mostly on the door. Dustin eyes the both of you, a small grin ghosting his lips. When you realize what your doing, you try to hold back a smile. Steve was warm against you. It was summer, but the night was cool, prompting a chill to seize your skin every so often. Steve noticed, wrapping his arm around your shoulder before resting his palm against your lower arm. His hands trailed up and down, trying to create a warm friction between the two of you. In a few seconds you stopped shaking.

Before any of you could say something, Erica’s voice comes through the walkie talkie that rested in your palm. “All right, nerds.”

You jolt your head off of Steve’s shoulder, Robin, Steve and Dustin crowding around you. “I’m there.” You all smile at eachother. Robin leans over, “Do you see anything?”

“Yeah, I see those boring boxes you’re so excited about.” You chuckle, putting the communication device to your mouth, “Any guards?” You ask. “Negative” Erica answers back. You sigh in relief. Robin cuts in again, “Booby traps?” She smirks.

“If I could see them, they’d be pretty shit traps, wouldn’t they?” Erica pipes back. You and Dustin look at eachother before nodding. Steve rolled his eyes. “Thank you for that.” Robin depressed a chuckle.

You all hear a yell and then a bang before her voice comes through again. “I’m in” she confirms. Steve untenses from next to you, running his hand through his voluminous hair, before muttering out a “oh god” in relief. You all look to the door anxiously.

The doors open and Erica walks out in all her glory. She puts a hand on her hip, “Free ice cream...for life.” She points at Robin and Steve. The four of you walk down the stairs to the road below.

Once inside, the five of you spent no time to see what’s in those boxes. Steve opens one of the Imperial Panda boxes with a box cutter. He opens the box, you and Robin helping with the sides. It’s...a smaller box?

Your eyebrows furrow. It’s a small beige box with a small metal handle on top. Steve grabs the handle before twisting it open. Air hisses from the action. He gently pulls the lid off. The five of you lean over, looking inside. Before your eyes lay four other small steel handles. “That’s definitely not Chinese food.” Steve jokes. Yup, definitely not.

“Uh, maybe you guys should, you know, stand back.” Steve motions for the four of you to stand back. You, Robin, and Erica do so. Dustin doesn’t move. “No” he protest, moving closer. Steve pushes him away by the chest, “Just step back, okay?”

Dustin moves forward again, “No.” “Step back. Seriously.” Steve warns. “No! No! If you die, I die.” Dustin proclaims. You smile softly. It was sweet, but a little weird. Steve shrugs, “Okay.” The next thing you know, his hand is reaching into the box.

Steve slowly twist one of the handles. It makes a clicking noise before that same air hissing noise from before. He pulls it out. It’s a small container with a green liquid inside. You all stare at eachother in shock.

“What the hell?” Steve whispered breathlessly. “What is that?” Robin asked after him. Suddenly the floor rumbled slightly beneath you. You all look around in panic. What the hell was that?

Dustin’s scarred voice comes next, “Was that just me, or did the room move?” You shook your head, swallowing thickly. “Nope. The room definitely just moved.” You answered. “Booby traps” Erica whispers out from next to you.

The room shakes again, a mechanical whirring being heard from off the walls. “You know what? Let’s just grab that and go” Robin steps forward in panic, grabbing the strange green container. Dustin moves over to the bottons on the wall. He presses the blue botton with the words ‘Door Open’ displayed on the front. The door doesn’t open.

“Which one do I press, Erica?” Dustin shouts, his voice yelling the word panic. “Just press the damn button, nerd” Erica sassed. “Which one? I’m pressing the button, okay?”

“Press ‘open door’!” Erica yelled. Dustin huffs, “I’m pressing ‘open door’.” You move forward, ready to put their bickering to rest. “Maybe try pressing the other button” you say sarcastically. You start pressing all the buttons now, but none of them work. Steve makes his way next you, slightly shoving you away. “Maybe try this one” he presses the glowing green button in the middle.

Another door above slams down before you. It’s silent for a moment. All of you waiting for what was next. However, this one you didn’t expect. The room rattled before then rapidly plunging to the floor.Erica and Robin scream, grabbing onto shelf’s and boxes. You grab onto Steve. He looks to the wall, before letting out an “Oh shit.” You look to the wall too, to see a whole bunch of lights flashing before your eyes. Like floors. Then it hit you.

It wasn’t a room. It was a goddamn elevator.

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absollnk · 5 years

Text

Censored and Slightly Refined version of “Three makes a fucking Burrito” I’m using for school (to clarify this is 2k words of agent 24 fluff)

Censor count (excluding minor swears): 8

Three's apartment was divided into four main sections: Bedroom, Bathroom, Living Room, and Kitchen. All of them had their own set of odors, but the Kitchen had the most by far. While the others wouldn't have more than a couple, the Kitchen's got butter, burnt microwave pizza, garbage, burnt cheese, vanilla air freshener, burnt tortilla, T h e S i n k… That's all Three can remember off the top of her head. It's an omnipresent reminder of the fact that she isn't physically capable of actual cooking, or baking, or anything else of the sort. And that's a problem, because she wanted to surprise Eight with a nice, homemade dinner at least once before one of them kicked the bucket. And why not today, she thought. It would only be harder as she got older.

Homemade. That's it. The thing that Three can't do. Her skillset is limited to cereal, kool-aid, and stuff with instructions on the package. Anything else never happened, and that's a problem because yada yada Eight, yada yada surprise.

Damnit, now Three's procrastinating.

Three snapped back to reality and was staring right at her tiny electric stove. It had only two panels for pots or whatever they're called, and only one of them has she ever used. It had a huge black burn mark that's been building up over time that Three hides with a pan whenever the landlord visits. It was probably mostly cheese and ramen juice.

Who was Three kidding. There was no way she could cook anything even remotely fancy for Eight. Not without help from the Bastard™.

Three sat herself on the counter, pulled her phone out of her pocket, and almost called Four before messaging her instead. It would be harder for her to ask questions.

Three: Hey

Four: This is already suspicious

Three: I need your help with something

Four: I'm honored, what do you want grumpy

Three: Im going to ignore that

Three: I need help with cooking something

Four: Hmm

Four: Is it for Eight?

Hmph.

Three: No

Four: I know you aren't cooking for yourself, you sad little swamp monster

Four: And there's no way you're doing it for anyone else

Hmph.

Three: Well played

Three: Help me or I remove a corner of your head with a brick

Four: Fine

Four: I'm only helping because I know you love me :)

Three: I love you like a sister

Three: >10% of the time

Four: :}

Three: Help me

Four: First of all, what do you even want to make for her?

Oh, that's another thing. Three doesn't know what Eight likes. All she had for most of her life was basically nutritious sawdust, so nearly everything up on the surface is fantastic to her. It's hard to tell what she likes more than other things.

Three: No clue, she likes everything

Four: Well, then what does she like more than average?

Four: Gee whiz, Three. Use your head!!! Do you have any more brain cells than your name implies?

Three: Listen

Three: If I knew, I would've told you, twat. It's hard to tell what she likes extra

Three: Wait just had an idea

Three: I should make her something she's never had before

Four: That might be difficult

Four: Didn't Eight gain like ten pounds right after she escaped because Off the Hook took her to so many food joints?

Three: Yeah but

Three: Im like 84% sure she's never had a burrito

Four: Gourmét

Three: Shut the hell up

Three: You know just as well as I do that her first burrito better be a damn good one

Four: True

Four: So a burrito it is?

Three: Yeah

Four: Ok that's not that hard

Four: What do you think she would like in a burrito?

Three: Probably just bean and cheese or something

Three: Maybe a little bit of hot sauce

Four: Do you have those things?

Three: Damnit

Three: Hold on I'm gonna go get those real quick

Four: Are you serious

Three: Yeah give me like ten minutes

Four: Good luck

Three checked the time as she dashed to the door. 6:03 P.M. She had exactly twenty-seven minutes to have a perfect bean n' cheese ready before Eight finished clothes shopping with Off the Hook.

Three was fully aware of how illegal it was to super jump anywhere in Inkopolis that wasn't currently being used for recreation (turfing/ranked/league). She was also fully aware of how unenforced that law was. Every other day or so, you would get to see some random idiot land on the rooftop of some random building because they're in a rush. It was Three's turn to be that idiot. Again.

Three ran up her apartment complex's stairwell until she reached the door to the roof. It was covered in mechanical nonsense that she didn't recognize but found familiar after being seen so many times. Three was very confident in her super jump accuracy. Working for the NSS is the reason, no doubt. All those launchpads every other minute… Ever since Three chewed up and spat out and on Octavio, she hadn't missed a single jump. Except for the time she was in a panic and almost got flattened to the road.

Three aligned herself with the closest grocery store, shifted into a squid, and took off. She soared through the air and landed right on the roof of a MakoMart. Not the one modified for turfing.

She dropped off the side and jog-ran around to the front entrance. The automatic doors slid open and Three dashed inside.

It wasn't too busy, being Thursday. It looked to be mostly filled with Jellies and older Inklings. Three was very familiar with the store. She's bought food almost exclusively from here since moving into her apartment 3 years back. She still had almost no idea where anything was because she only buys six or seven things over and over again.

She snatched a basket and walked along the outsides of the aisles, scanning the signs for the things she needed. She knew cheese was at the back with the other refrigerated stuff, she'd get that last.

Three saw "tortillas" on a sign along with other bread and bread-like items above an aisle near the center of the store. Unlike most MakoMarts, this one carried almost exclusively food and a few other essentials. It didn't have to be so disgustingly large like the rest of its locations.

It occurred to Three that she had no knowledge on the difference between the two types of tortillas. She knew that one was good and that the other should be reserved only for the residents of Extra-Hell, but she didn't know which was which. She had no choice. Time was running slim already, it's 6:06. Only 24 minutes left. It's time to call.

Four picked up on the first ring. "Sup?"

"I don't remember which tortillas don't taste like garbage."

"Just get the name brand ones."

Three dropped a pack into her basket and instantly had second thoughts. It was like one of those scenes in cheesy horror movies when Protagonist picks up the object that just happens to be cursed.

"Are you sure? I think they hate me."

"Were they more expensive?"

"Yes."

"Then you're good. Now go get some canned microwaveable beans. You don't have the time or equipment to make anything better." Four hung up.

After Three found all that she needed, she speed-walked back to the front of the store. The place's only downside was the lack of self checkout; talking to a cashier was necessary.

On the contrary, the amount of open lanes was usually more than the amount of customers, so that was a plus.

Three found an empty lane and threw the ingredients onto the conveyor. She started fumbling with her watch before anything even reached the dude about to scan her stuff.

He seemed to notice Three's hurried state and tried to work quickly to match it. Because Three only bought three things (tortillas, bag of shredded cheese, mild hot sauce), the cashier had her total in under 15 seconds.

"927 g, please." Three held out her wrist and he scanned her watch, taking the needed money. "See you again on Friday," he dismissed her. Three gave a thumbs-up and dashed out the automatic doors.

Three ran back around into the alley and super jumped back to the roof of her apartment building from there. She took the stairwell back to her floor and ran to her apartment and kicked the door open. She left it unlocked because:

A. she would only be gone for a short time, and

B. no one would want her stuff anyway.

Three dumped the food onto the counter and called Four. She answered on the fifth ring.

"Hot sauce," she said immediately.

"I'm back," Three replied.

"What.. the hell? You were only gone for, like, 6 minutes."

"Yeah, and Eight gets back in 22."

"Okay, you need to slow down," said Four. "Making a burrito takes less than five minutes and you know her moms are always late. In fact, I'd recommend just waiting for a bit so Eight doesn't have to eat cold burrito."

"I.. fine, you're right. What should I do in the meantime? Should I turn on the stove early? What pan should I- nevermind I only have one. I should rewash it to make sure it's clean..."

"Girl, chill out," said Four. "You have so much time right now. Your pan is clean. Put the cheese in the fridge and wait like twenty minutes before you start doing anything. Then call me back."

Three took a deep breath. "Ok. Talk to you then."

"Now you're getting it. Bye." Four hung up.

Three spent the next twenty minutes mentally preparing for 6:28 p.m. and the events that would follow. It was like preparing for a hard boss fight, except losing wouldn't just mean wasting a few hours. It would mean disappointing her. Gorl. Eight.

And that can't happen.

Finally, Three watched as the timer on her phone hit zero. It was time. She called Four yet again and she answered on the first ring.

"I was expecting you," Four said.

"It's been twenty minutes," Three replied.

"You're an absolute child," Four said. "Turn on the burner."

So that's what it's called. Burner.

"How high?" Three asked.

"It literally doesn't matter. Just remove the tortilla once it gets nice tan spots on both sides."

After a hectic five minutes of preparing a burrito, four more of starting over, and Four's patience being worn thin, Three had something she was satisfied with. She had to admit to herself, it looked good. She wrapped it in tinfoil to preserve the heat.

No more than 24 seconds later did Three hear a knock on the door. "I'm hanging up," Three told Four matter-of-factly.

"Oh, come on!" She complained. "I worked hard to get you here. I'm going to see.. hear the payoff."

"Fine, but shut up."

There was another knock. "Hello? It's Eight."

“And us,” Marina shouted.

"Be there in a sec!" Three turned to her phone. "I said shut up."

"I didn't say anything!"

Three opened the door and Eight was there, flanked by Pearl and Marina. "Hi," Three said.

"Why are you smiling so unnaturally wide?" asked Marina.

"No," responded Three.

"That doesn't even make sense," said Pearl. "What's burning?"

"No I'm not," said Three. Eight snickered.

"You know, you're lucky," said Marina. "Any other time I would do a full-scale search of your apartment, but we have to announce a Splatfest tomorrow."

"She'd also interrogate you detective-style," said Pearl.

"Ah" was all Three could generate as a response. It's not like what they said deserved a better one.

"We'll be fine," Eight told them.

"Well, alright then. See you soon," concluded Marina.

"Be safe," added Pearl as the two ran off.

"Three?" Eight called after a few seconds. "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry," Three said. "Those two know how to get into my head."

"Everyone does," Eight pointed out.

"Soooooo, I, uh, made you a burrito."

"Ooohh! Is that what's on fire?"

"No! That's just what my stove smells like. Here." Three lead Eight to the section of her counter that functioned as a table.

"Tada," said Three with minimal enthusiasm.

"Uh, eating metal doesn't really.. work. I've tried."

"Oh, l need to take off the foil… now tada."

"Ooooooohhhh!" Eight oohed. "That's what that is! I've seen them in commercials and stuff but I didn't know what they were called. They looked good."

Eight took a moment to figure out how to hold the burrito and took a bite as Three watched in anticipation. It felt like one of those cooking shows but completely not at all at the same time.

"It's good!" Eight said after swallowing her bite.

"That's all?" asked Three, slightly disappointed.

"Well, it's warm and it tastes good and it's a little spicy, which I really like, but the crust is kinda weird."

"Crust? The tortilla?" Three asked. And then it clicked. She took another from the bag to make sure. She took a bite out of the tortilla and gagged.

"Haha, got ‘em," said Four through Three's phone.

Three threw the phone into the dishwasher, slammed it shut, and started it.

#absols write #agent 24 #oc ivy #oc maya #my eight

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inkskinned · 6 years

Text

literally just a dumb unorganized list of school tips

source: im a grad student. i’ve had a lot of school. also i’m adhd & mentally ill and require +8 organization. this is mostly directed @ college students, but maybe high school students can use it too, fuck, idk, it’s been forever since i was stuck in that hell hole

just say “professor” either ur using the correct title for a person (will make them feel good) or you’re giving them a bigger title on the assumption they deserve it (which will make them feel good) and also prevents having to ever i mean ever use their names

talk at least 1 time a week in each class, aim for 1 time a day. even lecture classes. i fucking hate talking in front of more than 5 people, so what i would do is prepare a question about the hw/etc (even if i didn’t need it answered) to ask the professor after class so they saw me and got used to me and saw i was invested in their class. about 89% of teachers - if they see you try, they will pass you. i mean it’s literally that easy. i know people who went from like a c- but because they legit tried, their grade got bumped up to a b-.

if u have to bring a laptop, pre-download the required material/screenshot it, and then turn off your wifi. it’s too easy to not listen.

physical writing will always give you more information recall over typing.

nobody cares about stupid shit anymore trust me they don’t remember that you were accidentally locked in a towel out of your room bc they have their own dumb shit that happened.... in college all the “cringe culture” turns into “god i wish that were me” culture ... wear ur onesie to a party trust me you make +800 friends and 799 of them will be girls telling you you’re adorable and they’d die for you

about locking urself out.... if ur like me and can breeze past post-it notes placed in obvious areas, don’t be a dumb bitch and rely on post-it-notes. while most schools offer 1 free lockout, dont rely on it - it once took 2 hours before someone could get to me. i was in a towel, which meant no phone. so like. anyway, what i do now is i put something on the handle of the door i have to open/unlock. i can’t just open the door w/out the thing falling down and making a loud “you dumb bitch unlock the door before u shower” sound.

this works for all important don’t-forget it things. other obstacles i’ve used to remind myself to do something include: putting a chair with my wholeass posterboard in front of the door, an entire printer with a single piece of paper that just read “for the love of god check to be sure you have that essay”, and a recycling bin i kept forgetting to empty. guess what bitch finally emptied the bin once it was between me and a swift exit!

no offense and like the whole “it’s the best years of your life!” thing is great but in reality everything goes better scholastically when you treat it as “i came here to win, not to make friends.” i still did make friends, went to parties every weekend, was popular enough i’d be invited to several on one night - but i came there to win. when i put my scholastic life and my mental health first, i went from a 2.0 to a 3.98. yes you can, bitch.

you’re spending the money. don’t squander it. trust me when i say i know plenty of people who breeze through, bc you often can. but like. don’t. challenge yourself bc like. talk about an investment.

if you hate your major, change it. don’t make your life something you can’t stand. on that note, do NOT agree 100% to a track until you have at least some experience in the field. i cannot tell u how many ppl i know who got their whole masters/phd program done, walked into their new profession, and were like, Oh Fuck, I Can’t Live Like This.

college literally offers so many free things and if you’re not taking advantage of them whenever possible i get it but like. try to take advantage of them. this is everything from your gym (which probably has free classes dude) to clubs to like. sober events. these sober events are so ... fuckin good dude i’ve made mason jars with little plants in em... bee aviaries... candles.... go to the free stuff

oh ps on free stuff i wanna say about 4 of 5 days there’s free food on campus just look for things like job fairs, presentations, or discussion groups. also while you’re there at the job fair like. u know, go to the job fair in earnest

i took off 2 years to work and also to just. recover from my bullshit. and it took me 6 years and 3 schools to get my bachelor’s. it wasn’t easy but bitch i lived. there’s no such thing as “too long” to graduate if that’s truly what you want to do.

if on the meal plan, eat as clean as you can the first week. then introduce each part of the cafeteria’s possibly-food-poisoning-creating foods one at a time. give @ least 2 days between each experiment so you know for sure if you get sick what caused it. i literally never eat meat at school but you can still get sick off of unwashed lettuce/salad dressing that hasn’t been refrigerated properly/weirdass things you won’t even think of. this prevents like. dying in a public bathroom.

white loaf bread can be gross & boring. discount bakery section for your slightly chewy artisianal bread needs. if overstale, either toast it or dunk it into water and microwave it (unless u got an oven. use the oven if u can)

steal as many apples from the dining hall/events/etc as physically possible just do it they keep FOREVER and @ some point you’ll be like. fUCK i need a nutrition. ps if you’re keeping them in ur backpack (i wouldn’t keep more than 2) make sure to wrap w/a few paper towels so if you drop your bag you don’t get apple mush

write it all down bitch. “i’ll remember it” no you won’t. unless you are capable of remembering every idea on this list and in order, you won’t remember it. in general, if you write something 3 times, you will recall it correctly at least 80% of the time. i also read it out loud to myself, bc, you know, auditory recall

DO NOT just put your assignment at the top of your notes, unless you’re 100% sure that will work for you. in most cases, it’s much better to have a planner/agenda/place you expect to look for assignments. +7 points if you lie to yourself about deadlines and move them all up.

like not to sound too much like a DARE ad but like. if you don’t like it/don’t want it, don’t fuckin do it. the idea that “there’s nothing to do if you don’t party” is such bullshit. like i promise if you’re like “i am a grouch and want to stay in and binge netflix” about 45 ppl will show up in pjs like “bitch fullscreen it, im a grouch too.” there’s also like. the chance to just.... not overindulge. on wednesdays i have “wine wednesdays” where we sit around and drink a glass of wine while we do our hw. it’s chill and friendly instead of like. drink until u vomit. don’t feel like you either gotta slam the breaks or the gas pedal, is what i mean.

PLEASE know the signs of alcohol poisoning/overdose. most schools have a “Safety Always Matters Most” policy, which means that you can call for help w/out getting into trouble. if you think someone is in danger, act. this also goes for making sure ppl get home safe even if they’re just incapacitated, not poisoned. step in, dudes.

also just. notice when ur starting to rely on stuff too much. i’m super easily addicted to things, so i keep a healthy distance from liquor. i don’t let myself “drink to feel better” bc that’s a scary, scary thing to link to feeling better. if you or somebody u know starts drinking all the time/gets anxious if they don’t drink/drinks in the daytime .... get help. schools have counselling services for a reason.

you’re gonna get a cold/flu of some sort in the first 2 months just brace for it. in the meantime, drink vitamin c, try not to touch too many handles, and when people say “there’s something going around” believe them.

watch kaplan nike just do it

if you can teach it, you know the material. a super good way of knowing if you studied the right way is to try and teach the material to a stuffed animal/imaginary class.

“i don’t know how to study” bitch me too the fuck. this is usually bc we’ve been taught that studying is just sitting down and staring @ ur notes. it’s not. it’s different for everyone, and you need to understand it’s 99% preventative care. if you don’t go to the class or do the homework, studying is going to fucking suck, bc you’re learning the material all at once for the first time. the place you should consider “studying” is “i’m confident in 70-90% of the material, but need to review.” do not let yourself fall behind .... just go to office hours and ask questions if ur not getting something. studying should feel like you’re remembering what you already knew but kinda forgot, not like you’ve been blindsided.

the whole “writing it down in ur own words” while u have been told this 700 times it really helps bc it means u gotta translate it through your own understanding. if you can’t, and it’s not bc the material seems too obvious to you to state in another way - ask yourself if you don’t understand the material. chances are u are missing a bit of info.

i know it’s like A Thing that Some People do but i never had the mental health points for it but i know some people just take 15 minutes after every class to review their notes. since i’m 100% early to every class ever, obnoxiously so, i try to do it before class. having the last class’s notes up in my head super helps. like. put down the phone i know you’re socially anxious me too but review those notes. chances are if u start flipping through pages other ppl will too. this is also fun bc as soon as you start this whole thing, at least one person will be like “is there a test?” no bitch there’s no test but im gonna be ready when there is!

literally so much of success is fucking posturing i could link about 800 peer-edited studies that show that when a student is expected to do well (and knows they are), they do well. like i literally didn’t change my appearance at all, never bothered to look nice (once winter hits i wear 67 layers all the time), but when i showed up after my 2 years off from school, i presented myself with the whole “i came here to win” vibe and people... really respected me? i mean in hs i remember ppl saying shit like “yeah, well, you aren’t gonna have the homework”. by the time i was in college i had an honest-to-god conversation which included someone being like “so tell me what you’re overachieving at right now” like they just expected it from me. wild.

i live by “bite off more than you can chew, and then CHEW IT” but it’s probably unhealthy. the truth is that i have a lot of energy all the time (lmao adhd!!!) and i used to get told i was “trying too hard” and for a long time (still???) i didn’t (i don’t?) know what that was, you know, bc i had a D average, clearly i wasn’t trying. it turns out i was just. putting all my energy into stuff that wasn’t making me happy like toxic friendships etc. when i decided “nope, all this energy is for me and my schoolwork”..... uhhhhh suddenly i was a golden child and everyone praised my try-hardness ... it’s a fuckt up system tbh

take at least 1 class just for fun. i try to do that every semester. it helps break up all the requirements. if you’re like an engineer and got no time or credits left to spend, try to audit your fun course.

make ur advisor love you i don’t care what it takes make them cupcakes show up to thank them i dONT CARE just do it

the library isn’t always the best place. if i start getting anxious bc i pavlovian train myself that library=work, i find a new place to go to do hw. try to go outside if you can!!! not like where i live bc like it’s snow all the time but try. a little green really really really helps depression.

if you’ve been in the same “Studying” place for 1 hour and haven’t done anything the chances are Something Isn’t Right. first, look @ ur body. are you not focusing bc of some pressing physical need? sometimes just taking a shower and coming back helps. are you uncomfy? are you too comfy and going to sleep? if body okay, look @ the material. do you not understand it? do you just need to switch to a new topic for a little bit? can you find a youtube video that will help you better understand it? make notes on what you don’t get so you can ask in the next class. if it’s not the material, it’s not ur bod, check the Actual Space. sometimes just getting up, going for a short walk to a new place, and trying it there actually? really works? if none of this is working.... try ur brain next. hardest to reset bc like, what, turn it on and off again? i use things like caffeine, a short workout, a nap, or a podcast all to just... give me a little boost.

don’t be afraid to leave. i mean this about class, friend groups, and the college ur at. just get up on outta there if ur not feelin it. i cannot recommend “drop the class” enough. even if it’s a required course see if u can switch the times if u hate the professor day 3 it’s not gonna get better just get the fuCK out

don’t nap in the same position u go to sleep in, nap upside down w/ur head away from ur pillow. don’t ask me why but it works to 1. fall asleep faster 2. make sure u sleep okay at night and 3. wake up less annoyed

on that note don’t ever do anything in ur bed in a sleeping position unless it’s genuinely sleeping in it. body will get confused. just sit up, lazybones.

when/if the library has those therapy dogs during finals week.... just go pet them make the time for it

ask before hugging people, but don’t expect a “yes”

get a backpack that fits and doesn’t hurt ur back u fuckin hippie idc how cool it is to wear ur backpack super low just don’t do it it’s not worth it

the tutoring center is a fucking goldmine.... free essay edits my dudes

bring a fan dorms are always hotter than u expect

switch dorms if u can if u realize ur in the wrong room/wrong roomate like just don’t bother with nonsense

when in doubt, follow preschool rules. tell ppl when they did something cool, just ask when u need help, and be confident even in your mistakes, because at least u tried

#anyway

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windstrike · 8 years

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( hey guys! i know i haven’t been active like, at all (aside from lurking), but i just wanted to make this an official semi-hiatus. i’m moving in a couple of weeks so i’ve been more focused on that, & i just wanted to let y’all know that my activity will be 100% back to normal once i’m settled in at the new place. i’m sorry i’ve been so mia lately but Real Life is a priority.

once i’ve finished with all of these moving shenanigans, i’ll be on your dashes way more often since that’s probably the biggest source of my stress/inability to focus atm. if you wanna be sure to be able to stay in contact with me, feel free to follow my twitter. thank you so much for being patient with me. ♥

edit: semi-hiatus will be extended until at least march 6th, now. i’m sorry! )

#｡°∘➶❮OUT OF THE QUIVER.❯#( MOVING IS SO STRESSFUL......... im dying #i havent moved since like.. junior year of high school... i forgot how hectic it was #ive been trying to write but its a bit hard to focus LOL #so if i finish anything ill post it but! this is just so yall know where tf ive been :0 )#( im also gonna!! probably clean up some stuff in the meantime #like certain parts of my blog & such... & when i'm Actually Back i'll clean up my following list & such too #bc once im more active i wanna be more on the ball w/ keepin stuff in order...#i gotta be harder on myself with that ;_; )

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transenbyhollis · 6 years

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idk if my relationship with the ex roommate was abusive or not but im just gonna put down a bunch of stuff here. this is probably gonna be long so putting it under a readmore

ok so im beginning to realize that this all probably sounds pretty bad for him but KEEP IN MIND that his anger is a response to abuse and breakdowns are sometimes used to manipulate people. also every story has two sides and i dont know what he would say about all this. also for the first couple years or so he was really nice most of the time. super supportive. feel free to skim through this if you wanna know whats gonna on but dont want to read the entire lengthy tale.

so it started nearly five years ago. i met him my first year of college, we were in the same hall. i thought he was really cool. we didnt talk much that first year but we were friends i guess.

second year a lot of shit happened during the first term. the important thing is that it cemented our friendship. after that term we were rock solid. we spent all of our time together.

during the next term he briefly dated a girl we were friends with. idk if it was even dating really. the whole thing was a trainwreck. at one point i felt like i was losing him and i had a breakdown. it was then that he said he never wanted to make anyone more important than me. things went bad between them and then i noticed something was wrong. i wont go into everything that happened, but suffice to say he kept getting angry for reasons i still dont understand, she was frustrated and very stressed, and i was terrified and miserable.

after this, we were still pretty close. it was around this time that he told me we were in a queerplatonic relationship. now i was genuinely considering spending the rest of my life with this guy.

sometime around the same time the first red flag went up. he told me that he had gone through my phone, found my tumblr among other things, and read several months worth of my personal thoughts. i was kind of in shock when i heard this, so i didnt say much about it. this was also when he told me he had been sexually abused.

not too long after this is when a relationship began to grow between him and another friend of ours. i started to feel a distance growing between us, and this is when he really started to show his angry side. sometimes he would get angry and i would break down crying. this became a regular occurance.

there were some instances of him insistently trying to get me to come out to people. this was mostly in reference to a trans group that was beginning to form at this time. i did eventually give in, although at least once i had a breakdown and left crying because he got upset about it. also i sometimes i didnt feel good about leaving because once he made a comment about how i always run away when im upset so i basically begged for permission to leave.

there was also something that happened a couple times where he and his partner decided that i wasnt allowed to be alone and i physically attacked them and screamed at them before they would let me be alone in the bathroom for a few minutes. the second time this happened i was so angry i smashed a bunch of my belongings and then afterwards i apologized frantically and said some bs about being upset for religion related reasons.

after this, we had a conversation where i said i needed to be alone sometimes, and if they literally said i was not allowed to be alone i wouldnt ask, i would kick and scream until they agreed to let me be alone. he got upset because i made an analogy about a cliff and kept getting mad about that. i insisted that if they refused to let me be alone i would make them hate me.

there was a argument i had with him that ended with him essentially saying our friendship was over. i did not realize he was being sarcastic here. i went to the bathroom to cry. i asked his partner to come and told them that i was feeling very suicidal. they calmed me down a little and went to go arrange for all three of us to have a talk. i took several melatonin and tried to take a nap in the meantime, although that didnt work. later we met at the library. we had an argument about them being controlling and some other things. i remember he started to throw a chair. i broke down and went to the bathroom where i cried a lot. i texted him and apologized for wrecking our friendship. he said that he was the broken one and i said i thought we both were.

it was around this time i started medication. i told the doctor i was having problems with mood swings and so they put me on abilify.

at the end of this school year i moved in with them. towards the beginning there were some arguments about them being controlling and needing to know where i was all the time. we made a compromise where i would have some kind of board or something that i would uodate to say if i was feeling good, not so good, or bad. that never ended up being implemented tho. at some point the roommate who didnt totally suck told me they didnt want me to tell them when i felt like self harming and if i did they would call the police.

the angry outbursts and my terrified breakdowns continued. it escalated to the point where sometimes he was straight up screaming his head off at me for no discernible reason. sometimes i would break down if he so much as snapped at someone.

there was an incodent where i started crying when he was angry, and he told me essentially he didnt see why i would break down so easily and he was jealous of me for having such a good childhood. i told him that i was still suicidal and he started yelling at the other roommate to call the police. i kept asking why he was doing this and what he was trying to accomplish and he didnt respond. the police came, we talked a little, i said i would take a walk and calm down, and they left. i went to my room and had a panic attack. my roommates wanted to call the police again and i begged them not to. at some point one of them said something about me having a sheltered childhood.

a few weeks later we were grocery shopping and he got mad at me for not helping put the groceries in the car. at this point i decided to stop being friends with them because i couldnt handle it. later when we were at home someone asked me if anything was wrong or something like that and i said i decided earlier that i couldnt be friends with them. they told me to calm down and we talked about it. they asked me if there was anything else i wanted to tell them and i said there was something they had said that had made me uncomfortable some time ago. the rest of this was all dragged out of me, slowly and painstakingly. i told them that i didnt like when they said a sheltered childhood. they confirmed that sheltered basically said i hadnt had any problems. they asked me what problems id had and i said i felt that my relationship with my sister and with religion was somewhat abusive. they then dissected all the problems id had in my life to see if any of them were really that bad.

there were also a couple of other incidents, like that time he screamed his head off at me, smashed a bowl, and then apologized to his partner while i cleaned up the bowl. and the time he screamed at me for rescheduling an appointment. a lot of other shit happened but im not gonna talk about all of it.

a few weeks before i moved out, i told his partner that basically i couldnt handle his temper and screw him.

i am now going to mention again that breakdowns cam be manipulative, and his anger im fairly certain was a response to abuse, and for the first couple years at least he was very nice and supportive most of the time.

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unproduciblesmackdown · 6 years

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✨how did you get into MK? what position do u usually sleep in? How often do you spend on a piece of art that you take from sketch to colored? What are your favorite snack foods? Do you get your hair cut every 6 weeks and do you stick with the same look?✨

hmm mk is a bit of an anomaly for sure….even tho ive been sifting around webcomics for abt a decade now, i really only ever am keeping up w a handful and rarely actually pick up any new ones. i’m the same way w like, all other forms of media, like shows and music and stuff…its not like even me being all too critically picky, coz i can hardly ever convince myself to check out shit i know i do/will like. but anyways i suppose it was a couple yrs ago and me freezing my ass off in a barely-insulated terrible expensive apartment while dying of depression & it was the middle of the night & i wasnt tired, and sometimes i reread a comic coz i realize ive completely lost track of the plot or characters or something…so i was doing that and there was a guest comic by the artist for mk & i was like, well you know, thats cute and funny and i like how they draw, i’ll just put this in a separate tab and maybe come back to look at their comic for once in my life b/c its not like i hve anything better to do at like 4am. so i finished my reread and figured i’d check out at least a bit of mk & when it drops kip on you right off it took me like 2.5 pgs to he like “well so………he’s gay right? and a nerd?” and so then i was like, obviously i have to follow through on this Gay Lead. b/c i mean, you never really go into anything assuming that anybody will actually get to be Not Straight, no matter how obvious it seems b/c you can’t trust anyone. so even though its right there and makes no sense for him to be straight i was still like going along trying to keep my hopes down even tho there’s no other interpretation….even when the surprise came that he has a beautiful Ex Boyf & i had like a heart attack b/c that far along i was already like “woops i also love him” i was still like trying to come at it from some other angle like…… Maybe This Is Just… Um….. i dont remember but i was like ok but seriously this Has to be an ex right? i mean my god. anyway by that point i was also deeply invested in the fact that kip is v….v much many Char Types i love and xtreme relatable plus he’s flawless and deserves the best despite being doomed for the worst……. so anyways at that point it was like 7am & i was thrilled and yelling a bit about that sweet rare vindication of This Is All Gay Right and like gosh hope he gets kissed by like everybody…… and thats about how that went

oh god…… trying to find a sleeping position can be the worst a lot of the time. like, it changes up and i have to do the tossing and turning bit… sometimes its all huddled up and other times my body wants to be stretched out… im sabotaged by the whims of my body re its comfort tbh. like i’ll be fine in any position and then suddenly my limbs or hips or whatever decide they’re uncomfortable. the other week it was only sleeping on my stomach that was tolerable. i guess on avg i sleep on my side but theres no real standard position, i wish there was

phew i…honestly can rarely draw anything in a matter of less than hours. under 2 hours is shockingly rare. it depends on the day for sure, sometimes drawing comes more naturally, sometimes my focus is less terrible…. for a guess at whats average though, for like a usual drawing that i also add color to, i’d put it at maybe, 5-7 hrs? i’m awful at paying attention to when i start/stop something. and i have a lot of pauses in there b/c of the terrible focus bit. but usually i don’t do coloring thats too fancy so it only tends to add on a couple of hours to the lineart, which is helped along if i’m doing it digitally w how easy it is to erase stuff and not worry abt the sketch being too messy to clean up or whatever. sometimes i wish i could spend another eon on the coloring also, but you can spend just as much time on colors as the lineart and i like to do everything in one go too much for that really… plus just that i’m bad w colors and dont expect to ever be as good at them as with the lineart element of things. anyways tldr all you need to know is…i’m really slow :(

oh god snacks…. i love to eat anything really. i’ll make anything a snack or a meal or whatever. i like stuff like corn chips or just dry crackers… i like to eat cereal just plain… i’ll eat a box of corn chex any day. or a box of oreos probably in like one go. i am a fan of cookies and ice cream and everything. pretzel sticks are great too. fruit snacks are great… a few times ive just been in the mood to cut some like orange bell peppers into strips and eat that…carrots are amazing too… theres this cucumber/cream cheese dip that is…fantastic with chips. idk i like to eat most things

i actually used to tend to wait too long to get my haircut and put it off till it’d been like two months and was getting too long in the back and i hated it lol….. i know we’ve talked abt the Homophobia In The Salon how you have to try to wrangle the stylist into accepting that yes, you really want it that short, and keep them from trying to take it in their own direction. and i’m nervous enough w social stuff like that where i cant know what to say beforehand, and doubly nervous b/c of it being really stressful and exhausting for me to try to just like stick to what you actually want and explain this very simple cut to ppl who sometimes will act like they have no idea what you mean…and it would be triply difficult b/c back in the day i’d catch all this shit over having my hair as short as i wanted b/c my mom was having a whole internal shitstorm about me being a wholeass queer and so of course she was gonna flip out about how i look as if that will solve things for her. i always forget that i Was in fact abused for the ol “not seeming properly cishet” business. so the nervousness abt the haircut experience lingered!! but it helps that sometimes i’d find a really nice stylist who would be friendly and remember the general idea of the cut i liked, and i could stick with them and that was helpful. but for the past year i’ve really just been giving myself a continuous haircut myself w the occasional aid of a bathroom mirror, i’m not fancy. my Ideal Cut gradually got shorter and shorter over the years, w it now being maybe an inch and a half on top and shorter on the sides in that General Undercut format. i rly dont like much length on the back of the neck or by the ears lol…plus it doesnt help having glasses when your hair is getting too long. maybe it would be nice if i could someday dye it my favorite kind of blue, right. but in the meantime, as long as its short enough i’m good

#long post xoxo

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the-innocent-papyrus · 8 years

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Gyftmas, Part 12

((Sleepy kid is sleepy. Leftovers are divided up and Spade convinces Undyne to make fish puns.))

((Muses:

Roan and Orion, from here

Dread and WD, from @the-dread-papyrus

Undyne, from @the-hcroine-appears

Zax, @holdusfast

CB and Slob, @coolskeletonsdontcry and @slobbyseconds

Ace, Spade, and Delta, @acetheskeleton, @spadetheskeleton, and @deltagaster

Lazy, @sans-nyan))

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 WELL!!! I'D SAY THIS WHOLE PARTY HAS BEEN A ROUSING SUCCESS!!!

Zax 👽 [Returned to his half asleep state.]

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 I'M GLAD YOU ALL CAME!!! IT'S BEEN GREAT SEEING YOU ALL!!!

CB & s 🐝 THANKS FOR HAVING US OVER!! IT WAS FUN!!

🐽 even if we were kinda last minute an' late, heh.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 NYEH HEH HEH, THAT'S OKAY!!! I'M GLAD I FINALLY GOT TO MEET YOU!!!

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 "yeah, was a really nice little party here. fun, gave us somethin' to do. even if spade didn't do much."

He huffed, shooting a glance at Spade.

🍹 Spade was still stood in his spot by his drinks, having gone through quite a few bottles by now. He blinked at Ace and rolled his eyes, shrugging.

🍵 "I am. Also quite glad I was able to attend, as well! I really do appreciate It, um. You allowing me to come over, I mean. Thank you."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 WELL, IT'S BEEN GREAT HAVING YOU. EVEN IF SOME OF YOU DIDN'T DO MUCH, NYEH HEH. YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME BACK HERE!!!

lazy 😺 "same. it's been neat actually meeting-- most of you, actually."

CB & s 🐽 yeah, nice meetin' you when i'm my normal self, hehheh.

lazy 😺 [LITTLE GRIN.] i've been pretty excited about meeting you when it's just you, so to speak. you and bones were sweet as bob.

CB & s 🐽 hehheh, bein' bob was pretty fun, not gonna lie. also not gonna lie about how it's kinda funny i still got, like, an inch or two on you, heh.(edited)

lazy 😺 well, to be fair, it's hard not to be taller than me.

CB & s 🐽 pff, i mean. i can say the same? i only know, like, three other sanses shorter 'an me.

🐝 [Meanwhile, CB knows zero Papyruses shorter than him. And only a couple that are the same height.]

Zax 👽 [Maybe someday I'll be taller than the skeleton that taught me the word fuck]

lazy 😺 true. i guess i only know-- one, i think? there's a sans i think i'm friends with who's four foot even. and i've heard rumours of a sans who is like... two feet tall? but i don't believe it. i don't want to believe it. 😺 WAIT. NO. THERE'S CARMEN. carmen's four foot five, i bought him heels so he'd be taller than me.

Zax 👽 [He's up. Shuffling over to Lazy. Looking up at him with those big eyes... He opens his arms. He's going to go to bed but, perhaps, a goodbye hug first?]

CB & s 🐽 oh damn? i didn't think he was shorter 'an me, too, heh. i'll have to pat 'im on the head, if i ever hang out with him.

lazy 😺 [oh cute... he bends down to hug zax.]

Zax 👽 [Purr. Little small nuzzling. Happy alien] 👽 [Shift back. Peering up at Slob with the same expression.... Will you also hug this alien?]

lazy 😺 i'm like, running off of some old info. but i'm pretty sure he's a little shorter. ...i think he and i are dating, but-- i'm like, not totally sure. it's a weird limbo. but yknow.

CB & s 🐽 [Oh god he gets hugs, too? What the heck did he do to make this kid like him? Slob goes ahead and holds his arms out. Yes he'll hug this alien.]

Zax 👽 [Content alien purring. Yes, very good] "Good night.... Thanking you for come ta my mamas party."

CB & s 🐽 [Happy little squint.]

🐽 heh, sleep tight, kiddo.

Zax 👽 [Smile!!]

[Waves and heads over to Orion. Bedtime story and he's sleeping in your room tonight.]

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne ⭐️ [Orion wipes his face off and holds his arms out to the kid. Would he appreciate being carried upstairs?]

Zax 👽 [!!!]

[He latches on pretty much instantly. Being carried is the best.]

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne ⭐️ [Up he goes, and off to Orion's room they go for story and bedtime.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace watches the kid get carried upstairs with a little chuckle, that's cute. He messed with his scarf and took out his phone to check the time, humming softly. Yeah, things were really starting to wind down. He should probably nab himself some sweets before he and Spade actually left, though. Definitely.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne [There are still plenty of sweets left. They're going to be having cookies for dinner for days to come.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace smiled a little and got up, stretching. Yeah, he'd probably go and do that real quick, maybe help Roan clean up some what too. Was the least he could do. He went off to the table and got a plate, piling it with what sweets and such that he could before going off and making Spade carry it. Not like he was doing anything else anyways.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 😬 [Roan and Dread start cleaning up as well, gathering up discarded wrappers and putting them in the trash.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace gives them a smile as he starts to help out too, picking up whatever trash and such he can. As well as all of Spade's bottles, there are seven empty one's and he's drinking yet another beer. Geez.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 [Undyne glances over and realizes just how many beers Spade has gone through.]

🐟 "Geez, dude, you planning on finishing off that entire pack or something?"

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade blinked at her and grinned, shrugging.

🍹 "was plannin' on it, but. took it slow tonight, what with it bein' a gyftmas party n' all."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 [Undyne laughs.]

🐟 "Geez, that's your definition of slow?? I'd hate to see how fast you usually go, then!"

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade laughed a little at that, taking a drink.

🍹 "yeahhh, well. y'probably really wouldn't wanna see that. sides this is just beer, i've drank a heck of a lot more of all the stronger stuff. and y'know. a lot of pretty much all drinks in general."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 "Heh, what, you some kind of alcohol connoisseur or something?"

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Another chuckle, then Spade just shook his head.

🍹 "nnnope, just an alcoholic. which, i guess could be considered some sorta fuckin' connoissure of alcohol, but. y'know. i drink ta drink, don't care if it tastes good. that's just a bonus."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 "Ha, fair enough! Though personally, if I'm gonna drink I'd rather it taste good, y'know? May as well make the actual experience of drinking halfway decent."

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Another shrug, another drink.

🍹 "well, i do aim ta drink stuff that tastes decent. i mean. if it tastes like actual shit, that just ain't fun. depends on where i am i guess, how lazy m' feeling at the time. cause like. i can't be bothered to go to the bar every time i need drinks so i settle for what's around n' the house, an. ace brings weird tastin' drinks back home sometimes."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 "Well, guess you can only hope he brings back something that happens to fall on the palatable side of weird, huh?"

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade shrugged with a nod.

🍹 "yeah and i mean, a majority of the drinks ain't bad, but as you can tell, i drink stuff fast. so sometimes y'just get left with the weird stuff and you ain't got no choice but ta drink it. so y'know, it's kinda somethin' that's inevitable, heh."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 "Ha! Yeah, I can see that. I'd make a joke about you drinking like a fish, if I weren't actually a fish and knew better, ha ha."

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade laughed a little at that, shaking his head.

🍹 "oh c'mon, you're a fish! if anythin' you've got more of a right ta make that joke than i would, heh."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 "True, true! Though I think if I start in with the fish puns, our gracious host will murder me."

🌹 I WOULDN'T GO THAT FAR! I MEAN. AT WORST YOU'D JUST SIMPLY BE LEAVING THROUGH THE WINDOW.

🐟 [Undyne laughs.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade laughed a little more at that, taking another drink.

🍹 "heh, you should totally start up with fish puns. that would be actually great."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 DON'T.

🐟 "Ah c'mon, you don't reely mean that, Paps!"

🌹 [Roan lets out an exaggerated groan and rolls his eyes.]

🌹 THAT ONE ONLY REALLY WORKS IN A WRITTEN FORMAT. IT DOESN'T WORK AS WELL VERBALLY!

🐟 "Okay, okay, I'll give you that one. I'm shore I can come up with betta ones, though."

CB & s 🐝 [There's a GROAN from over here, as well. He's been trying to help pick things up with the others.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍹 Spade actually snorted a little as he laughed more, covering his mouth with his hand a little.

🍹 "hehh, man this is great."

🍯 Ace was chuckling a little himself, but gave CB a sympathetic look. He shook his head and looked over to Roan.

🍯 "y'wanna start puttin' the food up in the fridge, or do you wanna leave it out a little longer?"

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 [Roan taps his chin thoughtfully, pondering the question.]

🌹 I THINK I'D LIKE TO LEAVE THE CEREAL OUT. IT'LL MAKE IT EASIER TO GET BREAKFAST TOGETHER IN THE MORNING. THE REST CAN GO IN THE FRIDGE, IF WE CAN GET IT ALL TO FIT.

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace smiled with a nod, throwing away the trash he had in his hand.

🍯 "well, i'm gonna go grab myself some cookies from the fridge too before we do that. just give me a sec."

Then he's off to the kitchen for the meantime.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 FEEL FREE! IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GOING TO BE RUNNING OUT ANYTIME SOON.

🌹 [A thought occurs to Roan and he turns to Dread.]

🌹 HEY DREAD, DO YOU AND WD WANT TO BRING SOME COOKIES HOME WITH YOU?

😬 THAT'S OKAY WITH ME. ANY OBJECTIONS, BROTHER?

📖 [WD gives a thumbs up with one of his summoned hands.]

CB & s 🐽 could always take some of the other stuff off your hands, too, if there still a space issue, heh.

🐝 SLOB, DON'T BE RUDE!

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 IF YOU WANT SOME, FEEL FREE TO HELP YOURSELVES!

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace hums as he returns with about five cookies and sets them on the plate that Spade is still holding. He's got one to much on for the time being though, looking over to Roan and Slob.

🍯 "y'can just tell me whatcha wanna take n' i'll leave it here."

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🌹 [As he speaks, Roan grabs a handful of cookies for himself. He hasn't really had much of an opportunity to partake, after all.]

CB & s 🐽 aw, but i'm supposed to be the lazy on- oh wait you're an orange, too. heh, shit, almost forgot.

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace rolled his eyes and shrugged, chuckling.

🍯 "m'lazy when i wanna be, heh. so c'mon, whadda wanna take?"

CB & s 🐽 little bits of everythin'? heh...

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 🐟 🌹 [Undyne snickers, Roan rolls his eyes. Of course he takes the lazy way out.]

Ace/Spade/Delta 🍯 Ace blinked and rolled his eyes again, laughing a little more.

🍯 "well fine, heh, i'll getcha a little bit of everything. anyone else gonna wanna grab somethin' before it's all put up? might wanna do that now."

He grabs a plate and starts putting on some of everything on it and, yeah. He's probably gonna need more than one plate honestly.

🍹 Spade watched him and chuckled himself. Oh look at him, goin' out of his way like that for Slob and Ace's 'not-boyfriend-quite-yet' CB. Nerd.

Roan/Orion/Dread/WD/Undyne 😬 📖 [Dread grabs a plate himself and starts shoveling stuff onto it for him and WD. The two of them somehow fall into a mostly signing conversation, mainly just discussing what they want to bring back and how much.]

CB & s 🐝 HONESTLY, SLOB! YOU COULD AT LEAST GET UP AND GET SOME, YOURSELF!

🐽 aw, but then ace'd have no one else to pile a plate up for, hehheh.

🐝 THAT'S THE IDEA!

#!papyrus talks to people #!sans talks to people #!the brothers together #!off tumblr rp logs #!long post #!it's beginning to look a lot like gyftmas

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princess-of-embarrassment · 4 years

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little update...or longer update idk.. same as usual... spelling mistakes and all.

moved into my new temp room for a while and i’m not sure how i feel yet. It is not home but it will have to be home for the next 12 weeks. maybe i’ll keep track of those weeks on here. not too sure yet. my room is absolutely freezing constantly which i love but i’m a little extra cold at night and don’t have my big blanket so i may have to get it at some point. the house would not be a place if be proud to bring someone into. it’s not in the best shape and the girls i live with say they are “clean” but they definitely are not. In the meantime i will be designing my future home that i’m moving into on august 12th. Tomorrow im waking up at 7:30 so i can get a head start. it’s gonna suck. but it will be necessary.

It’s been so hard to try to explain to my mom that i got this and its always been like that when something new happens. Now i have to try to get myself together so i can get a car (unemployment pull through.) I know what i want and need but it’s scary not having a stable job because who knows if i can keep up with the payments or not. Ideally yes, but covid really wrecked my chances. I am going to apply to all of the different offices next to me while i try to freelance. I know i will end up in corporate solely for the purposes of climbing the ranks and making grown men cry and breaking the patriarchal threads or corporate America. I now realize after typing these few sentences that i just have to do it. I cant keep asking for permission. the main reason i do is because i always had to ask permission from him to do anything and was always told off. its so weird to think because i am literally still so scared of going to the store and buying things i need or things i want or like. i cant even figure out what kind of bread to get because i am scared if i get the wrong one all hell will break lose even though its just me now and i am no longer in danger. what an ordeal. not knowing what you like and dont like because you were never allowed to have an opinion. didnt really realize this until now. I always denied that he controlled what we thought, what we were supposed to like or not like, etc. but now it makes sense. I literally looked at a wall of peanut butter today and wanted to pick out the one with reduced oil with no chunks because that is what i like better but then all i heard in my head was “no you like the crunchy one it’s better you dont like that” LIKE!!!!????!?!??? WHAT??!?!?! i dont like crunchy peanut butter i almost bought it because i was supposed to like it. HUH???? i got the one i wanted btw :’)

dont get me wrong. i have learned to make my own choices for a while now. specially because ive been independent for so long and made big choices but its the little things. its the most mundane things that are super difficult for me which is probably why i push those things off the most. Like replying to texts, or emails, or any of that sort of stuff. I dont want to because it feels like its going to be bad. it feels like its going to be used against me. what a moment of realization. thanks again blog. you have helped me clear my mind once again. it’s been 6 years since i left home and im thankful i did but sometimes i really miss my family. the one that remains. but sometimes i know they forget about us too.

again. i dont mean for these posts to be angsty as fuck or for whoever is reading to pity me. i hate pity. im not anyone’s charity case. I just write what’s on my mind so i can move on with my day.

also, i have started working on my media brand under my alias. i trust yall enough to know for now. maybe you’ll meet her soon but that would risk my identity. hahaha anyways im going to bed bc i have to wake up early fuck hahahahaha no :(

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colorfulsuitdestiny-blog · 6 years

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