#(Shane ' They HAVE to at least have cereal ')

[everthewip]

A Stardew Valley fanfic I started some time ago & fully intend to continue. It's about Shane because I love him and also about how Stardew is actually kind of creepy deep down. This will be going on AO3 once I have a couple chapters done. Fully excerpt below the cut.

She arrived by bus late in the night, which is apparently a topic worthy of early morning gossip. Jas sits quietly at the table, finishing a bowl of cornflakes that Shane snuck a teaspoon of sugar into when Marnie wasn't looking. The woman in question is in the next room, chatting to Robin by the front door. Neither of them are quiet enough to be discreet, at least not until Marnie glances over and sees Jas peering at the older women. The girl gives a small, innocent wave and Marnie ushers Robin further away from the kitchen and out of earshot.

    Jas pouts.

    Shane takes a seat beside her, glancing warily at the oven clock.

    7:05 AM. He's going to be late again, but it's either deal with Morris or deal with Robin trying to make small talk. It's not hard to figure out which is preferable.

    “Ms. Penny said Vincent and I aren't allowed to play in the fields anymore,” Jas comments, stirring her cereal idly.

    “You shouldn't be playing up there anyway, it's wild and dangerous.”

For not the first time guilt weighs on his shoulders. He should be the one keeping an eye on Jas; he didn't even know she'd been up at the old farm.

    Jas exhales a big sigh.

    “I knooow, but we never went far!” She turns a little to look at him, eyes large and too full of lively wonder for 7:08 in the damn morning.

“There's a pond and Vincent tries to catch the frogs but they're too fast and one time he tripped over a rock and scratched his knee, but I TOLD him he was gonna get hurt and he didn't listen and --”

    “See,” Shane interrupts, head already pounding, though less from Jas' enthusiasm and more-so from his own hangover. “Vincent got hurt, it's too dangerous.”

    The girl slumps down in her chair with her pout and for a few minutes he's blessed with quiet.

    “Do you think we'll meet her?”

    Now it's Shane's turn to sigh, though his is far less dramatic and more weary than anything.

    “I dunno, probably.”

    He hopes not, truth be told. The new farmer is just one more person in this town who'll look down on him, remind him of how shit he is, how shit his life is, how much better Jas deserves, how -

    “I hope she's nice… And likes purple and dolls.”

    “Mm.” He glances at the clock.

    7:15.

    By some miracle the front door opens and shuts, and Shane quietly thanks his luck. He'll need to wait a bit longer, just to make sure Robin is far enough ahead that she won't notice him walking and try to chat. Marnie re-enters the kitchen soon-after, brow furrowed.

    “Hope it was good gossip for how late I'm gonna be.”

    His aunt shoots him an annoyed look, arms crossed. “You could have left any time, Shane.”

    And he has nothing to say to that because she's right. He could have used work as an excuse to not stick around and talk, but then he'd risk Robin offering to walk with him into town, and being late was still a better alternative than listening to her talk about carpenter shit. Either way, it's his own damn fault for waiting. It's always his own damn fault.

    “Robin was there to meet the new farmer when she arrived last night,” Marnie says, changing the subject before it can turn into an argument in front of Jas. “The bus was late getting her here, the poor girl.”

    Late, just like he’s going to be. Another glance at the clock only confirms it. He opens his mouth to say as much, but Marnie takes a seat and keeps talking.

    “It's the oddest thing, though.” Her brow furrows again, her gaze turning to the window. Shane and Jas watch her for a long, hushed moment.

  “What is, Aunt Marnie?” Jas perks up, eager to hear more about the new farmer and collect gossip of her own to share with Vincent.

    But the woman remains quiet, gaze fixed on the window, until Jas reaches over to poke her arm. Marnie jumps, lets out a chuckle, and reaches over to lightly poke Jas right back.

    “Oh nothin', just the bus being so late, that's all.”

    She's lying. Shane's seen her lie to Jas before, usually when it pertains to him and his drinking. Even hungover he can recognize the way her smile twitches, the weight of worry in her eyes.

    “You done with breakfast?” she asks and Jas nods. “Why don't you go change into some pants and boots so you can help me gather eggs in a bit.”

    It's enough to get the girl to hop down from her chair and hurry out of the kitchen, no doubt hoping to catch more chatter about the new farmer if she's quick enough. Shane watches her go until he feels Marnie's gaze on him.

    “You know,” she starts. “That old bus at the stop broke down decades ago.”

    “And?” He pushes his chair back, stands. He really doesn't have time for this.

    “Well, Robin says it was too dark to tell, but she only saw one bus out there last night, the one the farmer got off of.”

    He doesn't care about this new farmer or what Robin saw, but he lingers anyway. Marnie's gaze is distant, hard to read. He's not used to this look on her.

    “She went back this morning and, oddest thing, says that old broken down bus is still there.”

    “Well, she said herself, it was dark,” Shane offers. “She probably just missed it.”

    He doesn't know how one can miss a bus even in the dark… Granted, he doesn't know Robin that well, but she's probably not the type to pay much attention to anything but wood.

    “Hm, probably.” Marnie shrugs, glances to the clock, and utters a sharp gasp. “Shane, you're gonna be late!”

    “Yeah, no shit.”

    And he hurries out, ignoring Marnie's protests about his language.

    Her words stick with him, though. It's misty that spring morning and fortunately he doesn't run into anyone as he enters the town. His mind wanders, thinking about the bus stop to the north. He never goes up there, probably never will, and doesn't remember what the area even looks like, least of all that old bus. A newer bus from the city probably parked behind it and Robin just didn't notice. Whatever the case, the fact that he's running late because Robin and Marnie thought it worth gossiping about only sours his already shitty mood.

    To make it worse, he doesn't see the figure lurking outside of Pierre's until he's already too close to pick a new path; without making it obvious he's avoiding whoever it is.

    It has to be the new farmer, he thinks. Everyone knows what time the store opens. No one stands outside this early waiting for the doors to unlock. He keeps his head down, eyes on the ground, pretending not to notice her and hoping she catches the hint and ignores him.

    She doesn't.

    “Oh, morning!” she exclaims and Shane fancies a hint of relief in her tone. “Could you-”

    “No.”

    It's quick, rude, but to the point. He doesn't have time to talk, least of all to help this stranger out. It'll be bad enough when he gets an earful from Morris.

    “Oh, um. Okay then...”

    He can feel her eyes on him until he rounds the corner of the building, but he doesn't spare a single thought more for the new farmer. If he’s lucky, she won’t spare a single thought for him, either. 

[danwhobrowses]

My Highlights of Wrestlemania 39

The time for sign pointing is over yet again

It's time for the stars to seal themselves in Hollywood. Thanks to family arrangements and travel I am doing this as both days at once, and unfortunately that means some results I was already spoiled on, but let's see how the show went on the positives side

Spoilers for the PPV Days 1 AND 2

So I am gonna split them in Day 1 and 2 just so it's easier to follow, but like we did for EC and Battle in the Valley's joint fixture we'll keep the conclusion across both events.

Day 1

The stage looked great

Cena using his entrance to bring some Make a Wish kids on stage

Hollywood crowd still pulling out the 'Lets Go Cena/Cena Sucks' chants XD

At the very least you have to respect the hustle of Titus O'Neil, he always gets to show up for Wrestlemania

Valhalla's attire looked menacing

Gable hit a Chaos Theory on Strowman!

It's nice to see Otis return to a similar amount of over-ness he had back when he was in that Mandy storyline

Richochet's Springboard Shooting Star Press

I...Don't think I can quantify Seth's attire, at first it looked like Drag Queen Jafar, then ended up being Scarlet Witch's secret lovechild with Jeff Jarrett. I guess the pink could be Bret Hart too

At the least Logan Paul didn't win

Becky, Lita and Trish's comic book entrance at least had some 90s comic book aesthetic to it. Trish out with the classic cloak and cowboy hat too

Lita had a much better showing than last time, mainly thanks to Iyo Sky's selling

Trish did really well too, much less ring rust on her

The Mysterios promo package was great

Dom with the prison-style entrance, and the Halloween Havoc Mask. You can see that he at least tried to grow out a tache to match Eddie's too

Rey though coming out to Eddie's music with the Low-Rider, no Hydraulics though

The black tones of Rey's attire better blends against the McDonalds colors too, but the mask does look odd but I get that it's meant to be Muta-coded

Rey giving Dom the belt XD

Dom throwing Aaliyah's drink at her for the heeeeaaat

That counter with Rey facesmashing the bottom turnbuckle was meaty!

LWO at least arrived to help after being formed

Rey won! I'm glad he did because he's been overdue a win, shame it required minor interference a la Bad Bunny (which I'm sure will lead to a Backlash match) and was sponsored by a cereal, but I think we were all certain that Dom would win. Make no mistake Dom has improved resoundingly, he will bounce back, but that's a testament to how well feuding with Rey has elevated him

The DDT counter to the Riptide was clean

At least Rhea won

Starting the main event with Jey vs Sami

Olé chants for Zayn

Zayn kicking out of the 1D

I will say it's funny how WWE purists will lose their shit over consecutive finisher kickouts, just...funny, ain't it? Almost like another company did it and got criticized for it by these same people...

Sami and Owens at least won, because they had to win, even if it is a consolation prize

Day 2

At least Brock/Omos went first because Brock likes going home early

They also at least let Liv get a pop by entering first in the showcase

Probably should've known that Endeavor was buying WWE with Brock and Ronda winning back to back after barely doing anything

Man we talk about GUNTHER's chops but Drew had some bass in his too

The staredown after Drew broke Sheamus' pin was great, I mean he should've expected it but the look of betrayal

It was a really good finish to the match as well

I wonder if the other Kabuki dancers are NXT women

Bianca's gear is good too, always gotta give it props since she makes it herself

I'm not a huge fan of the host setup but Miz and Snoop did bounce off of each other really well

Props to Snoop and Miz for adlibbing as well after Shane's injury

Doing the Brood AND Metalingus was a good decision

Edge and Finn had colour-coded weapons XD

The microphones embedded in the turnbuckle posts have been detrimental for most of the event (since that's when the wrestlers try to whisper to one another) but the sound they picked up from around the Cell did at least pay off there

I saw the gash of the aftermath and yeah jayzus Finn. Probably shouldn't have kept going but still you are one tough bastard

Pyros working for Rey this time in his entrance, and really nice that he personally congratulated each of the other class members, the hug with Stacy as well because WCW familiarity

Mania in Philly is a good choice still, gotta build a Rocky-esque storyline there

Negative 1 is a faction leader, an AEW wrestler and has been in Wrestlemania XD

Cesaro even got a mention (sure it was the list of people Roman beat but still)

And hey it only took about 15 minutes from Cody's entrance to them locking up

Paul texting for the Usos clear as day to motion their arrival was smartly positioned not front and center but in view to be noticed

Gotta talk about the absolute idiocy of Cody Rhodes for a moment too, because it's fucking hilarious how he spent all this time getting Sami and Owens to work together so that he could eliminate the Usos as interferences but had nothing reserved for a the ref bump, Heyman or Solo Sikoa - the guy who cost Drew the title in Clash at the Castle - and it bit him in the ass not once, not twice, not even three times, but FIVE TIMES. He literally just had to watch every Reigns title match from the last year (all 5 of them) to see all this coming

The fucking rubber duck too XD That just sums it all up doesn't it?

Conclusion

Well it could've been a lot worse, sometimes you just have to laugh. Night 1 was much better than Night 2, much better wrestling across more matches, the choices of winners weren't all bad across the board (even I had Cody not leaving as champ, but I was thinking he'd win by DQ like Dusty did) I think really it's just the odd choice of the Street Profits since that'd be face v face for the tag titles, but yeah it was alright, had its ups and downs, but since this is more about the positives we'll just leave it at that.

Match of the Night(s): IC match was close but I think I gotta give it to the Night 1 Main Event, just because it was more storyline-charged Best Attire: Seth, it was ridiculous and loud but dammit that's the point Best Entrance: Dominik Mysterio, the presentation and the silliness befitting to his character made it perfect Best Performance: Sami Zayn, Rhea was close but again Sami had to carry the wrestling goods and the greater storyline Best Spot: Snoop Dogg's People's Elbow Ricochet's springboard Shooting Star Press to the Outside of the Ring

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Thursday,  13  July,  2023........... Warmup........Power Cleans...... 7  Rounder.......Curls.

Hazy hot and humid.  Herb declared it perfect baseball weather.

Warmup:

4  Rounds

10  Squats

10  Push-Ups

10  Leg Raises On Rings

Strength

Power Cleans:         5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2

Touch   &   Go          Build In Weight

Armando/Bernie/Robert*=205     Ed/Timmy=185     Nathan=165     Smoothie/Sammy=155     Herb=145     Coach=115     Alicia=105     Joe=85     Sue=80     Linda/Shannon=75     Kayla/Sandy=65     Elisa=55     Faith (The Kid)/Sheryl=22     Angel=did it      Shane=Tardy 

Met-Con

7  Rounds

  3  Power Cleans     (Use .7  to  .8  X  Best Weight Above)

12  Ab-Mat Sit-Ups

15  Back Raises 

Only Once At The End..........On The Clock.

Run 800m / Row-Ski 1000m / Bike 2000m.

Sammy=11:46     Robert=12:38     Sue=12:54     Shane=13:13     Nathan=14:23     Timmy=14:30     Kayla=14:38     Armando=14:40     Ed=14:52     Smoothie=15:05     Alicia=15:08     Herb=15:10      Bernie=15:39     Joe=17:32     Miss Linda=19:03     Coach=19:10     Shannon=19:50     Sandy=20:01     Faith (The Kid)=24:01          Sheryl/Elisa/Angel=PJ      

Cool-Down

Dumb Bell Curls        10/10         5  Rounds

Notes:

Much grumbling afterwards from several of the Gentlemen, claiming that NO GIRLS did the Cool-Down Curls.  From my observation, more girls did the Curls than Gentlemen.

Nearly everyone here today could have done (and did) RX for the WOD.  At least 4 others did SUPER RX, doing much heavier Power Cleans than required.

The Kid continues to amaze.  She is very coachable and learned Power Cleans faster than any adult.  As is her custom, she eschews working out with the Girls, preferring the Center-Stage platform under the roof with the Big Boys.  Her coaches today were Robert, Armando, and the suspected pedophile Sammy D.

The food offerings on the picnic table were their usual dinner-skipping quality & quantity.  Dips/chips/crackers/nuts/raw veggies/Mexican Street Corn/Pasta Casserole/nice mixed greens salad and a fancy dessert that was much more than that snap crackle & pop cereal.

Since Old Tom and his usual bag of superb wines were missing, there didn’t seem to be enough to get everyone stupefied.   There were a few mutinous  murmurings quietly suggesting a cellar raid, however since I had already brought 5 bottles,  I wasn’t inclined to produce more.  After-all, There was an abundance of  BEER(S).

Kayla’s mom Sheryl made a repeat appearance again today.  I was desirous of sitting close to her and after a few glasses, get her to give me the low-down on her daughter’s salacious past history.  However, several others had the same idea and I had to wait in a long line of suiters.  

We quit a little earlier than usual, and 20 minutes after I got into the house the clouds busted wide open and it seemed like we must have got 3 inches of rain in 30 minutes.  It rained like the Days of Noah.

Saturday at 0730 and 0930.  

[mycomfortblanket]

‘Cute Guy From Bar’

“I have no idea where I am and your name was ‘Cute Guy From Bar’ in my phone and I just moved here so you’re the only one I thought to call and wow drunk me was right you are kinda cute” - @theboywhocriedlupin

Toph takes another sip of her drink as she scrolls through her contacts, bored out of her mind. She had left her apartment in search of something to do since most of her stuff was still packed up in boxes and the thought of starting to unpack made her head hurt.

She had found herself at a bar a few blocks away, hoping to find someone to talk to but for a Friday night, the bar was surprisingly empty.

She comes across a name in her phone: Cute Guy From Bar. She has absolutely no idea who the “Cute Guy” was nor did she remember what he looked like. Clicking on his number, she sees that the area code is from a this city, so maybe he knew the area.

Toph locks her phone and sets it down in front of her. She throws back the remainder of her drink and flags down the bartender for another drink. When he sets the drink down, he knocks the glass against her phone which lights up again and catches her eye.

Chewing on her lip for a moment, Toph picks up the phone again and unlocks it. Staring at his contact for only a moment. She clicks the call button and brings the phone up to her ear.

-----------------------------------

Aang was slumped on his couch eating a bowl of Captain Crunch and was 2 hours into a binge fest of The Walking Dead when his phone began to vibrate beside him.

Not taking his eyes off the tv, he fumbles for the phone beside him and clicks the ‘Answer’ button and brings it up to his ear.

“Hello?” he says through a mouthful of Captain Crunch.

“Hey,” a semi-familiar voice says.

Aang wrinkles his brow for a moment. He pulls the phone away from his ear and sees that its a random number, not something he has logged into his phone.

Swallowing his food, he asks, “Uh, who is this?”

“It’s Toph.”

Toph? The name sounds familiar, but he can’t exactly place where he knows the name from.

“Uh, hi Toph.”

“What are you doing?” she asks conversationally, as if they are good friends.

Still slightly confused he replies, “I’m rewatching The Walking Dead.”

“Oh, I love that show. What episode are you on?” she asks. Aang can hear something in the background, music maybe? It’s just barely loud enough that when she stops speaking, he can almost make out the lyrics.

“I’m on the one where Rick kills Shane. Not to be rude or anything, but do I know you?”

“I don’t know. I’m at a bar and was scrolling through the contacts of my phone trying to find someone to talk to, and I found your number in there labeled ‘Cute Guy From Bar’. So I’m assuming we’ve met before?”

A smile comes onto his lips. That’s right, he remembers now. Toph. She had been at the hole in the wall bar by herself that was down the street from his apartment. Well, she said that she had come with another girl, but she had apparently ditched her for some guy she had met.

When they met, Toph was drunk, but still able to hold a conversation. She had repeatedly hit on Aang when he sat down next to her which was the only available seat at the bar. They had spent a few hours talking to each other before she decided she was tired and wanted to head home.

He had insisted on walking her home even though she refused several times saying that she could take care of herself and that she didn’t need a bodyguard.

“I’m not walking you home because I have to. I’m walking you home because I want to keep talking to you,” he had said when she had finally quieted down. It had shut her up for a moment while she gathered her coat and paid her tab.

Once she was ready, she made eye contact with him and nodded her head towards the exit and together they walked outside. They walked for a few moments in silence before he broke the awkwardness by starting a new topic of conversation.

It was so easy to talk to her that he barely noticed the chilly wind and the walk to her apartment only seemed like a few minutes.

When they got to her stoop, he walked her up two steps before he stopped and turned towards her, “I really enjoyed hanging out with you.”

“You don’t want to come inside?” she asked.

As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to take advantage of her while she was drunk. “No, not tonight. But, I’ll give you my number and you can call me.”

She had smiled and taken down his number. She had written his name as “Cute Guy From Bar” instead of Aang because it would ‘make it easier for her to remember him'. Obviously that wasn’t the case.

“Yeah, yeah. I remember now. My name is Aang, we met at some hole in the wall bar last week. I had walked you home. You took down my number and insisted on writing my name as “Cute Guy From Bar” because you claimed it would be easier to remember.” Aang said.

“Hmph. I vaguely remember that happening,” Toph says, a small laugh coming from her.

“So, what are you doing at the bar?”

“Haha, well, I’m avoiding responsibilities. I still haven’t unpacked my stuff even though I moved in a month ago and the sight of the boxes was stressing me out.”

Aang sets down his bowl of cereal, “Are you there by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Aang frowns at this, “Do you want me to come pick you up? I can drop you off at your place.”

“Hell no. I don’t want to go back to that place and be stared down by those boxes.”

He only hesitates for a second before asking, “Well, do you want to come over here? We can watch The Walking Dead. I have Captain Crunch, too.”

“That sounds like a fucking awesome idea,” she says and he swears he can hear the smile in her voice.

-----------------------------------

Toph had gotten off the phone with ‘Aang’, and it occurred to her that when she was drunk, her standards did lower quite a bit. So if she wrote ‘Cute Guy From Bar’, it honestly could be anybody. But, he did have a nice voice, smooth and deep. He could definitely read a story to her to lull her to sleep if he wanted. So, maybe that counted for something.

She paid her tab and looked up at the tv in front of her, tapping her fingers on the bar. She was so invested in the rerun of ‘New Girl’ that she didn’t even hear the bell above the door ring or whenever a guy sat down next to her.

She only gave notice when he bumped her shoulder slightly in a friendly manner. She rips her eyes from the tv and looks over at the person who just bumped shoulders with her and her breath is instantly stolen.

The first thing she noticed about him is his eyes. His grey irises reflected the neon signs above them, giving them a little extra color, but are overall stunning. She takes in his bald head, which strangely fits him, something she didn’t think was ever attractive but seemed incredibly hot on him. He’s wearing a muted green hoodie and his arms are propped up on the bar next to hers, their elbows almost touching.

God, drunk her was wrong. He isn’t cute, he is fucking hot.

“Aang,” is all she can manage.

He laughs through his nose and nods slightly, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah. Yes. Uh, yeah, let’s go,” she says awkwardly, her words not coming out as smooth as she would have liked them to.

They stand up and Toph is automatically aware of how tall he is. He towers over her, has to be at least 6 feet tall, much taller compared to her 5’3. She pulls her jacket on, trying not to stare too much, and together they walk out the door. He holds it open for her and when she steps out into the cold night air, she doesn’t see any cars parked that weren't already there when she arrived earlier.

“Did you walk here?” Toph asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, my apartment is on the other side of the street,” he points out the building to her.

“You mean to tell me, you walked the four blocks to my apartment last time we met, just to walk all the way back to your apartment that was across the street?”

Aang laughs and she realizes that not only is his voice smoother than velvet, but his laugh is something she wouldn’t mind playing on repeat in her mind. “Yeah, I guess. It wasn’t that long of a walk, and like I said that night, I didn’t walk you home because I had to, but because I wanted to,” he says looking down at her, bumping her shoulder slightly.

Toph can’t fight the blush that comes up to her cheeks, “Oh. Well, if you live so close, how come I was able to get through half an episode of New Girl?”

“Damn, ungrateful!” he says, placing his hand over his heart, acting hurt and making her smile. “I had to clean up my apartment first and put on some pants. There was a few pizza boxes and dirty clothes laying around and I was definitely not about to have you come in there with it looking like that.”

“Well, aren’t you chivalrous,” Toph laughs.

-----------------------------------

He unlocks the door and opens it for her, letting her walk in first. He drops the keys onto the table next to the door while she walks further into the apartment. It was small but homey. The couch had two blankets on it and a few pillows. The rug on the floor was fluffy and looked soft to the touch and the tv was paused on ‘The Walking Dead’.

She only takes in his apartment for a moment before walking over to his couch and plopping down, making herself at home. She sits up a little and pulls off her jacket and throws it over the arm of the couch before sitting back into the couch and gets comfortable.

“You want something to drink?” he asks.

“Nah, but a bowl of that Captain Crunch you promised would be nice,” she says, looking over at him in the adjacent kitchen.

Aang smiles slightly to himself as he pours her a bowl. He walks over to her, stepping over her feet that are propped up on the coffee table and hands the bowl to her. He plops down next to her and scoops up the remote from the coffee table and hits play.

Even though the show is playing, they keep up a steady conversation as it plays, never taking their eyes off the tv. After a while, the “Are You Still Watching” comes up on the screen.

Toph turns to him and pulls her feet up onto the couch with them, her knees brushing against his thigh and hip. She rests her head against the back of the couch, her eyelids starting to droop.

“Are you tired? You can sleep in my bed if you want, I’ll sleep out here,” he speaks low to her.

“I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch in your own house. I can sleep here. I’ve slept in so much worse places. I promise you, I will be comfortable,” she says, her eyes now closed.

“Okay, well, you’re my guest, I’m not going to let you sleep on the couch.”

She just hums in acknowledgement before laying down, her head propped up on a pillow and places her feet in Aang’s lap, “Well, that sucks for you cause I’m sleeping right here. Gimme a blanket,” she reaches out her hand and grabs at the air until he places the blanket from the back of the couch in her hand.

Aang picks up her feet and gets up to go to his room. As he walks by her, she shoots out her hand to grab his, “No… stay with me,” she whines.

“Toph, there’s not enough room for both of us on the couch,” he says slightly laughing.

“Sure there is. Look.” She moves so that her back is against the couch and leaves a sliver of space in front of her.

Aang shakes his head and laughs through his nose but lays down in front of her. She instantly situates them so that he is laying on his back and she is laying mostly on top of him.

He goes instantly still as Toph gets comfortable on top of him, pulling her arm up to her chin and tucking the other underneath her, curled into his side. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he holds them up a little until she is finally still; he places one on his stomach and the other around her back.

Toph snuggles her head into his chest and inhales deeply, “You smell good,” her voice low. He just barely hears her, but it brings a smile to his face. Within seconds, her breathing is deep and even letting Aang know that she is asleep.

Still smiling, he rubs his hand on her back, “Goodnight, Toph.”

Find this story on my Archive Of Our Own

[welcometophu]

The Meaning of Home, Chapter 2

The Meaning of Home Chapter 2

Tags for all Welcome to PHU novels will be available at the PHU tag list on Pillowfort. This list is under construction as of Sept. 5, 2021.

[ Previous |  First | Next ]

Pawel spends much of Monday lounging around the house. He gets up to help get Conor and Emma on the bus, so his dad can leave on time for work. After meeting the bus in his pajamas, he walks back to Dad’s house and lies down on the couch. He doesn’t really need a blanket, but he pulls it up to his nose anyway for the comfort factor and spends the day dozing and streaming old movies on his dad’s TV.

He never makes it as far as thinking about cooking anything for dinner, so he treats Dad and Conor to a night out. It eats up more time than he’d like, and it means Conor needs to scramble to finish the last of his homework once they’re home, but it’s nice to spend an hour letting someone else do the cooking.

Later that evening, after Conor goes to bed, Pawel and Dad spend the next couple of hours finally talking through everything that’s happened. Pawel doesn’t want to leave things out, but there are a few things he avoids for Dad’s safety, like the government involvement, and one thing he just doesn’t know how to explain.

He hasn’t seen Chelsea in a while. She’s relearning how to work within the world without draining souls to stay alive. He highly doubts she’s planning on stopping by his father’s for a visit, and even if she did, Dad never got to meet her as anything other than one of Pawel’s friends a decade ago.

Yeah. That is a complicated mess that he has no desire to go into detail about.

They go to bed late, but Pawel still wakes early on Tuesday to get his own kid on the bus. He figures it’s the least he can do, letting Dad get to work on time on a regular basis again.

Alone in the house again, Pawel feels refreshed and awake.

And bored.

He puts the phone on speaker as he putters around the kitchen, pressing to dial the number for Pels. She picks up after two rings, her voice gravelly and low. “What? Did we burn your house down?”

“I’m assuming you would have called me, rather than the other way around, if you burned my house down. Since you’re the one staying there.” Pawel rifles through his father’s cabinets until he finds a slow cooker. It’s dusty, but he’s pretty sure it’ll be functional. There should be enough ingredients for chili around. 

He looks into a cabinet, and nearly bare shelves stare back at him.

Okay, maybe not.

“What?” Pels asks again. “You woke me up. Are you looking for my mom? I thought you had her number.”

Pawel finds tomatoes and beans, and starts emptying them into the slow cooker. “I do. I thought she’d be at work, so I called you instead.”

“It’s too early and—Dad, Dad, no, I’ll talk to him. Give me back my phone.”

“Hello, Ammon.” Pawel might not be able to hear Pels’s father, but he’s well aware by now that the ghost can hear him.

“He’s leaving, and I’m not putting this on speaker,” Pels mutters. “I thought he was going to start spending more time with Mom now, after the whole unbinding ceremony last weekend, but apparently she told him not to follow her to work.”

“Can she see him now?” That would be an interesting development. Pawel sets the empty can on the counter and reaches for a pad of sticky notes so he can scribble a reminder to himself to look into more detailed information about the ritual that the Burlington community performed for Pels and her mother in order to remove the bindings from their Talents.

“I think so. I mean, I’m pretty sure she can, but we’re not really talking about it. But seriously. Did you call for a reason? Cheyenne’s got these final projects to finish up since she left school a couple weeks early, so she’s not bothering me. Dad wasn’t bothering me. I was sleeping.” Pels grumbles under her breath.

“I just wanted to see how things were going.” Pawel peels off the sticky note and tapes it to the fridge, where he might see it later. Another search of the cabinets turns up chili powder and a few other seasonings. “Now that you’ve had a chance to settle into the house.”

“We’re fine. We’re figuring out how to be a family again without Peter.” Pels hesitates. “I’m learning how to see the world a whole different way now that I can see everything my Talent lets me see. Shane and Jess and I are talking a lot, and I’m going to figure this Mage thing out. So… thanks. For everything. Including letting us stay in your house while you’re gone.”

Pawel shakes some cocoa powder into the slow cooker, before adding a handful of dried onion. “Someone’s got to water the plants.”

“The plants were already dead when we got here.”

He laughs at Pels’s dry words. She’s not wrong. Pawel was gone for a month; everything went to hell, while his son went to stay with his dad.

Which, yeah. That brings him right back around to where he is now.

Pawel stares at the slow cooker. “If you need anything, you’ve got my number.”

“I’ll tell Mom to check in with you periodically. Oh and—” Pels hesitates before asking, “Cheyenne wants to know if it’s okay if she uses your backyard to practice flying?”

Pawel thinks of the time they used Alaric’s dragon to summon a Shadow in that same backyard. “That would not be the strangest thing the neighbors could have witnessed. But she should try not to break anything, including herself.”

“I think we can do that. Gotta go. Dad says there’s someone at the door.”

The line goes abruptly silent, and Pawel looks down at the screen of his phone as the connection is lost. “Okay, then.” He gives the vegetarian chili a quick stir, then puts the lid on, plugs it in, and switches the appliance on to cook on low. “That’s set, at least.”

He feels a little better, knowing that his home is in good hands, or at least, it’s not burning down. It sat empty for a month before; having someone live there for the summer should be better.

As long as none of the newly powered Mages set the place on fire.

Fire.

That reminds him.

Pawel checks one more time to ensure that the slow cooker is on and set to low, then heads back to the living room to dig out his laptop. He starts it up and finds the tab he’d left open for the outdoor music festivals, with a list of dates.

That’s what he thought: the festival that Rory and Thorne’s band, Phoenix Rising, is touring with will be in Buffalo this weekend.

Pawel buys four tickets. He figures Dad will come with them, and Conor will want to bring a friend. Probably Alan. And if Dad doesn’t want to go, Alan’s mom, Emily, might join them instead. He’s not worried if the tickets don’t all get used; he just wants options.

Conor will be pleased by the surprise, anyway.

He closes the laptop and looks back to the kitchen.

How the hell does his dad live like that, anyway? And what has Conor been eating?

No, he saw the answer to that this morning. Toaster pastries and cereal, and Pawel’s pretty sure that the last of the eggs were finished off as well.

Fine.

If Pawel’s going to be here all summer, squeezed into his dad’s small space, the least he can do is lay in supplies.

Pawel spends the day scouring the cabinets, making a long list of everything from prepared garlic and ginger for easy seasoning, to pantry staples like pasta, to critical items like various forms of protein for the freezer. His dad has a standing freezer in the garage, and even that seems woefully empty.

He loses time going through the sites online for each local grocery store, poring over the ads to determine which store will have the best value for this shopping trip. He types up the list to rearrange it by food type, so that as soon as Conor’s home they can head out and maybe they’ll be organized enough to get the trip done quickly.

“Dad!” The door bangs open. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving and something smells really good.”

“It’s not dinner time.” Pawel folds up the printout of the list and shoves it in his pocket. “We’re going shopping. Grab a snack.” His own stomach growls and he’s not sure how he made it from early morning to half past three without a meal. “I think I saw a box of granola bars.”

Conor lifts the lid to the slow cooker, inhaling deeply, while Pawel finds the last two granola bars. He tosses one to his son.

“Let’s get some food.”

“Can we get meat for the chili? That looked like it was all beans,” Conor grumbles. He buckles his belt, then directs Pawel to the grocery store. 

Pawel already knows how to get there, but he’s not going to tell Conor that. Not when Conor seems comfortable in this place and is enjoying showing off that comfort level. He stays silent while Conor points out the entrance to the parking lot, then finds them a space close to the door.

Conor grabs a cart from the corral and pushes it into the store. “Emma’s Papa picks her up after school, so she doesn’t have to take the bus. She said they’re doing stuff today, so she couldn’t come over. I thought we could work on our—Emma!!” 

Pawel catches the cart, stopping it from rolling when Conor takes off into the produce section. Emma’s answering shout is sharp and loud as Conor skids to a stop near a display laden with peaches. Pawel pushes the cart there, half an ear listening to the kids talking as if they weren’t together a half hour ago in school.

“Dad!” Conor waves at him, so Pawel picks up the pace.

He’s not sure who Emma is with. She stands next to an almost empty cart, except for a bag of peaches sitting in the seat. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of an adult.

“Emma’s shopping.”

Emma rolls her eyes, pushing braids back over her shoulder. “Obviously,” she says quietly. “Jennie had to pee. He’ll be back soon. She forgot to go before we left school.”

“Does your Papa have two carts? We can help you,” Conor offers. “You and me can do one cart, and Dad can do ours, and your Papa can do the other one.”

“You can call me Leo. I don’t think your dad would like it if you started calling me Papa like the rest of the kids.”

Pawel knows that voice.

He hasn’t heard the voice in a very long time, but there are certain phrases still etched in the deep recesses of his memory. 

He exhales, and very deliberately makes himself look at the man who has joined him.

He looks good. Older, yeah. It’s been more than ten years since Leo graduated and left town for college. Apparently he’s back now, and from the police uniform, this would be Emma’s foster father that works for Pawel’s dad.  He has the name ‘L. Papa’ embroidered on his uniform, just above the pocket, and his badge is still visible. Leo stands with one hand on the handle of the cart and reaches without looking to take a package of donuts out of the hands of the small girl sitting in the basket of the cart.

When he smiles, Pawel’s heart twists.

“I was glad to hear you reappeared,” Leo says quietly. His voice is a warm, low tenor, as careful and even as Pawel remembers.

“You’re fostering a Weather Witch.” It’s maybe not the best reply. Pawel refuses to wince when Conor snickers.

“I told you he’s single-minded sometimes,” Conor whispers loudly to Emma. “He’ll help find your parents. I know your Papa’s a police officer, but Dad’s a Mage.”

Emma’s brown eyes are furrowed and dark. Her lips purse, but she doesn’t say anything.

Leo takes two sheets of paper from his pocket, then hands one to Emma. “You know which cereals the boys like best. Pick one for yourself and Jennie that they won’t eat before you get a chance. Since you’re the one with me, you get to pick the pasta. I know it says twenty boxes of mac & cheese, but we only need ten. We’ll be shopping again next week.”

Emma takes the list and reads it over solemnly. “Nevaeh said we need more tuna, but it’s not on the list. I’ll get that, too. C’mon, Conor. There were some cookies on sale. Help me pick out ones that the boys won’t eat before we can.”

“Popcorn,” Conor replies. “Remember, we used the last of it last weekend? Did that get on your list?”

They roll away with the almost-empty cart before Pawel can protest.

The small girl in Leo’s cart has the box of donuts in her hands again. She opens the plastic carefully and takes one out.

“Jennie,” Leo says softly.

“I need sugar to sparkle,” she whispers around a mouthful of chocolate cream.

Speechless feels so strange. Pawel can’t remember the last time his tongue has been this tangled. “I—” He tries to break his own silence, and fails miserably.

“Things get chaotic with five kids in the house,” Leo says. When he smiles again, his pale green eyes crinkle around the corners with tiny lines that definitely weren’t there before. They match the faint hints of salt in his dark hair. “Conor’s got a lot of energy. He probably keeps you on your toes.”

“Dad says I’ve been cursed with a kid that’s just like I was,” Pawel says. He pushes his hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to recover his balance. “He didn’t tell me you were one of Emma’s foster fathers. Just that she had two of them. Foster fathers. And two missing parents.”

Meeting his ex-boyfriend shouldn’t be this unsettling.

Pawel blames it on the fact that he’s probably still in a sleep deficit—two weeks is not enough time to catch up on missing sleep for several months.

“There’s a local teacher who works with a group that finds placements for Talented kids who need Talented families to stay with.” Leo has the second page of his list in his hand, and he refers to it while picking out produce.

Right. Shopping.

Pawel looks at his own list and tries to focus on that to give himself a little distance and wrangle his brain back into working order. Salad. They definitely need things for salad. And fresh vegetables for roasting wouldn’t be bad.

“Alice asked Colt if he knew anyone who might be able to take on kids about four years ago, and when he said we would, she put us in touch with Lucy and Rowan, and that’s how we got Matt, our first foster kid.”

Leo’s voice rolls over Pawel, dropping tidbits of information that he struggles to grab onto.

“Matt’s not bad,” Jennie says around a mouthful of donut. “Sometimes.”

Pawel latches onto the names, his fingers closing around a broccoli crown and holding it a little too tightly. He fumbles with the plastic bag. “Lucy and Rowan? And… Colt?” He had to have heard those wrong.

He manages to get the bag open and shoves two broccoli crowns into it, dropping them in the basket of his cart.

Leo is silent.

When Pawel looks at him, Leo stands with his fingers wrapped around the handle of the cart, his grip tight. “Colt Harrison,” he says. “My husband. You—”

“Dated him in high school, yeah.” Pawel finishes Leo’s sentence for him.

That’s… too much information. Pawel is struggling to assimilate it.

“Dad did not mention that,” he mutters.

“This doesn’t have to be weird.” Leo grabs the container of donuts and moves it to another area of the cart. Jennie could still get to it, but she pouts instead, slouching down in one corner of the basket, her lower lip sticking out and flecked with chocolate. “Colt and I met when he was interning at the law office where he works now. We’ve been married about three years. We didn’t even know each other back in high school.”

“It doesn’t have to be weird,” Pawel echoes. He’s right, of course. It shouldn’t be weird. It’s not weird at all. People meet. They fall in love. They get married. They have kids. Sometimes there’s a small world effect and it turns out that they may have already been connected beforehand.

That’s all Pawel is in this; an ancient history connection.

“Your dad talks about you all the time,” Leo says. He pulls a napkin from his pocket and cleans Jennie’s fingers. “Try not to touch anything else,” he admonishes gently before tucking the dirty napkin back in his pocket. 

He’s so careful with her. Pawel remembers when Leo used to take care of his younger siblings. It only makes sense that he’d be good with kids now. As big and scruffy and rough looking as he is, he’s gentle, too.

“I need to—” Pawel holds up the list, showing just how long it is. “Dad’s cupboards are empty. I’m not sure what he and Conor have been eating, and I get the feeling that it’s takeout so I really don’t want to know. I need to stock up.”

“So do we. Matt’s eleven and Clan, and Duke’s fourteen. We go through a lot of food in our house.” Leo heads toward the back of the store. “Come on. We’ll catch up with the kids if we get moving.”

Pawel exhales and trails behind Leo. Jennie peeks around him, her thumb in her mouth as she looks at Pawel. Small brown brows furrow deeply before she turns away and curls up.

Her snores are adorable little rasps of sound. He can’t think how she’s sleeping through the rattle and squeak of the cart she rides in. Still, she’s silent as they work their way through the aisles, collecting items from their respective lists.

They turn down one aisle and spot Conor and Emma from a distance. Conor has sparks around his hand while Emma reaches for something falling from the shelves.

Pawel coughs, and Conor turns to give him an innocent look.

Wait. That reminds him.

“You’re taking in Talented kids,” Pawel says slowly. “So you or Colt must be—”

“We both are,” Leo says, glancing at him sideways. “I grew up Clan. Colt’s Emergent, but that’s his story to tell. I heard about you being a Mage from your dad. He’s proud of everything you’ve done at PHU.”

Pawel waves that away. “Youngest dean. Newest department. Only real expert on Talent as a whole because I’m the only person who’s bothered to go down the rabbit hole far enough to study it formally.”

“It’s still impressive.” Leo huffs.

“I just… I never knew.” Pawel thinks back and tries to catalog Leo’s family based on what he knows of Clan. He didn’t interview them for his thesis; they weren’t on his radar as a large Clan community. They grew up as a part of the town.

“You weren’t meant to.” Leo dips into his pocket and hands the napkin back to Jennie, who has somehow woken from her nap and polished off a second donut while they weren’t paying attention. “That was before the Emergence. We took a lot of care to be able to live here without anyone knowing.”

“But your community—”

“Widespread and buried within this town and the surrounding ones. We never really wanted to withdraw from the rest of the world. Which is what makes us good candidates for fostering. We don’t have those same prejudices that some might have.” Leo drops a hand to the top of Jennie’s head, and she looks up at him, smiling brightly.

There are, indeed, sparkles all around her, the air shimmering with her contentment and happiness.

“Conor wants me to help find Emma’s parents,” Pawel says quietly. “At the same time, I’m not sure if he really wants me to get involved, after everything that happened this last year. What do you—”

“I think they’re dead,” Leo says quietly. His hand still rests atop Jennie’s head, but his gaze is fixed on Emma. “I can tell you what little we know, but everything points to them being dead. The question is what happened to their bodies.”

Unfortunately, Pawel’s had experience with issues like that and can think of at least one scenario.

Which might mean they’re not dead.

They also might not be prepared to be parents anymore, either.

Leo pitches his voice louder. “You should come over for dinner some night.”

Both Conor and Emma turn to look at them. Emma grips the side of the cart, stepping up and holding on while Conor gives it a good push before jumping up himself. It sends them racing towards Leo and Pawel, until Pawel puts up a hand, throwing out a gentle cushion of magic to stop them before they crash.

“Yes!” Conor yells. “Dinner!”

“You could come over and meet everyone. If you want to.” Emma’s gaze drifts away, like she really doesn’t care about the answer.

“They’re like my second family. Third, maybe, because of Alan, but my second one here,” Conor insists. “And Emma’s dads are really nice.”

“They aren’t my dads.”

“I’m sure Colt would love to see you, too,” Leo adds.

Thanks for the gut punch.

“He says yes,” Conor says quickly. “Right dad? You say yes.”

What else is he supposed to do?

“Yes.” Pawel fishes out his phone, unlocking it and staring down. He doesn’t resist when Leo slips it from his fingers, opening up his text app and sending something.

Leo places the phone back in Pawel’s hands. “The first number is mine, the second is Colt’s. In case you don’t still have them.”

“I fried my phone and lost everything,” Pawel admits. “Back when I Emerged. So. Thank you.”

“It’s good to see you.” Leo’s touch is heavy and warm where he claps his hand against Pawel’s shoulder, then squeezes. 

Pawel could hug him, but he thinks that might be awkward. He’s never had this situation. He has three exes—two of them he hasn’t seen since they broke up, and the other one is Chelsea. Which is just complicated.

“Yeah, you too.” He watches as Leo walks away, Emma pushing the second cart beside him. Pawel wonders just how distracted Leo must feel since Jennie looks like she’s grabbing her third donut.

Or maybe that’s just how it is. Maybe he spoils his kids with plenty of sugar.

It’s not like Pawel knows anything about how Leo’s life is now.

Conor tugs sharply at Pawel’s shirt. “Dad. When are we going to dinner over at Emma’s house?”

Pawel looks down at his phone, at the new conversation sitting there. All it says is, this is Pawel.

He locks his phone and shoves it in his pocket. “I don’t know yet, but not tonight. Let’s go find that meat you wanted for the chili. Chicken might be good. We could sauté it up quickly and add it so it’ll get a couple hours in the slow cooker with the rest. Or we could cook it up with spices and add it afterwards.”

“You’re just saying that because chicken is healthy,” Conor grumbles. “I got more toaster pastries. Dziadziu lets me eat them.”

“I let you eat them, too, just possibly not in the same quantities,” Pawel protests. It’s not an argument he’s going to have right now, anyway.

He’s going to focus on finishing up the shopping, and finishing cooking dinner.

He’s going to focus on anything other than the fact that somehow both of the boys he dated in high school grew up to meet each other and end up married.

Yeah, he’s going to do his damnedest to focus on anything but that.

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[somedew-fictions]

Apology starters/ 3 - with Marnie to Shane after a fight about taking care of Jas

#3 “Sorry...”

Marnie enters the kitchen, a look on her face as if she just tasted something nasty. She spots Shane sitting at the dining table with a bowl of cereal accompanied by a beer. 

“I just got finished putting Jas asleep,” Marnie mentions, moving towards the sink. “Where have you been? We had dinner here, you know.”

“Saloon; where else?” Shane shrugs, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

Marnie hums in response, biting the inside of her cheek. She knows better than to start an argument with her nephew, but as she runs the sink to start washing the dishes she can hear the clack of his spoon on the bottom of the bowl and for some reason, it sets her off.

She turns off the sink and swings back around. “You know, you could be here to put your own kid to bed,” she spats in a innocent tone.

Shane drops his spoon into his bowl and looks at her with an eyebrow raised. He finishes chewing before he replies. “You do know what time it is, right? Can’t we do this tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Marnie asks, letting out a soft giggle. “Shane, you have been living here for what? Two years? I think you are out of ‘tomorrow’ cards.”

“Marnie, seriously...” Shane groans, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. 

“I am very serious, Shane. You are the legal guardian of that girl and you do nothing. I am getting tired of this routine you’ve set yourself into; you can’t even join us for dinner! You just walk in and eat Jas’s breakfast cereal when the work is already done.”

“You know I am no good with kids,” Shane protests.

“And I never had any of my own! If I wanted to take care of little girls, I would have had my own.”

“I didn’t have any of my own either!” Shane stands up, Marnie having pressed the wrong button. “I never signed up for any of this. I was supposed to just be a babysitter from time to time!”

“So was I! But it doesn’t matter, she is your responsibility now,” Marnie and Shane keep their distance from each other, the kitchen having an invisible wall up that keeps them from approaching one another. “Take ownership of what is yours, Shane. You could at least help me around here!”

“I can’t even help myself, Marnie!” Shane yells, throwing his arms out in desperation. They stare at each other for a moment, listening carefully to hear if Jas had woken up. When they are sure they don’t hear anything, they both let out a deep sigh.

“Sorry...” Shane drops his chin to his chest in defeat, raising his hands to rub his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“It’s alright, Shane,” Marnie whispers, crossing the invisible barrier they both put up across the kitchen. She cups his face in her palms, forcing him to lift his head and look at her. “You have been doing better; I’ve been watching you grow,” she smiles sweetly, making Shane want to cry. “I don’t mind taking care of Jas, really. I love her... But you forget she loves you more than anything. You are everything she has left and I can’t replace your presence.”

Shane frowns before he nods, holding his own head up so Marnie can drop her hands from his face. “I know... I’m sorry. It just is weird, yanno? Looking at her. She looks just like him when she smiles...”

“I know,” Marnie sighs. “Baby steps, okay?”

“Okay,” he nods in agreement. “I’ll go check on her now.” He goes to move past her put Marnie grabs his arm, giving him a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Shane. I am proud of you,” she says softly, and he manages a small smile back.

[farming-for-affection]

Cooking Headcanons: Shane

Single: Shane’s never really been one to enjoy the process of cooking. The effort of selecting a recipe, purchasing ingredients, and finally preparing the meal was such a daunting task, he could never actually enjoy it. He would often plan a meal, but when the time came to actually prepare it, he had lost all motivation. Consuming food, however, was always on his mind. Sometimes eating a good burger and fries was the highlight of his day. No matter what bullshit life threw at him, there was always a burrito or pizza to escape into... for a little while, at least.

After marriage: While he still struggles with the motivation of cooking, having an understanding and flexible partner makes putting food on the table less daunting. Sometimes he needs your help on his bad days, but routine and patience make it easier. His favorite foods are covered in cheese and tomatoes, but he finds ways to incorporate green vegetables, too. Even so, he still enjoys going to the Saloon for Gus’s cooking. Shane will often bring him fresh produce from the farm, and Gus will teach him what he can make from it. He has over a dozen recipes for hot pepper dressings, all of varying flavors and heat. 

Breakfast: A few fresh eggs, preferably scrambled and topped with his homemade hot sauce.

Lunch: Leftovers from the night before, or sometimes cold cereal.

Snacks: He has a weakness for flamin’ hot cheese doodles.

Dinner: He prefers quick and easy dinners, specifically pizza night. He often makes breakfast burritos when motivation eludes him. 

Desert: While desserts aren’t his favorite thing, he does appreciate the texture and versatility of cheesecake.

Specialty: Years of raising Jas has made him an excellent negotiator with picky children. Need cauliflower shaped like a dinosaur? He’ll find a way. 

[lovemesomesurveys]

Have you ever tried a colorful macaroon? No, the kind I’ve had were plain looking but super delicious. They were Fruity Pebble flavored. Do you say macaroon or macaron? Both are a thing, they’re different types. Do you know what a macaroon is? Yeah. Would you rather go to Paris or London? That’s tough. I’d like to go to both. Which national flag do you like the best? US and Sweden.

Name 3 celebrities people say you look like. Ha, no one says I look like any celebrity. ^Do you agree? Do you know anyone who looks like Taylor Swift? No. Have you ever been betrayed by a best friend? Yes. What color is the sweatshirt that you wear the most? Black. Do you have a mirror in your room? Yeah. What was the last thing you painted? I don’t paint. Do you correct grammatical errors online? In my head. If they’re in a survey question, I’ll maybe correct it in my answer. I don’t mess with the question itself. What’s the last thing you made out of clay? I have no idea. Do you go for days without washing your hair? 2-3 days. When is the last time you had scrambled eggs and bacon? I had scrambled eggs this morning. I don’t like bacon. Do you like bacon bits on your salad? No. What is your favorite salad dressing? Ranch. What is your favorite kind of soup? Broccoli cheddar. Do you eat a lot of soup? I eat a lot of Ramen. Do you collect Mason jars to use for crafts? No. What’s a trend that you never caught on to? There’s been many. What’s a trend that you haven’t caught on to yet, but you want to? I don’t know. Do you type fast? Yeah. Did you learn to type through a computer program for kids? Yeah, I played typing games as a kid. I also took a typing class my freshman year of high school. Really; though, it’s just from several years of experience. How many years were you homeschooled? I wasn’t home schooled, per se, but in 6th and 8th grade I had to miss a few months of school due to surgical procedures and had to do independent study. For the time I had to do that in 6th grade, my teacher actually came to my house for about an hour. If applicable, what’s a youtuber you would love to collab with? Uhhh. Shane Dawson. Do you think you’re successful in life? I don’t feel successful at all. Don’t let the dusty degree on my shelf fool you. What color is the tree outside your window? Green. What color is your rug, if you have one? (not carpet, rug) I don’t have one in my room. There’s a brown one in the living room, though. What do you take for pain? Vicodin. Which pharmacy do you use? CVS. Do you reapply nail polish when it starts to chip? I usually just would chip the rest off. What is this month’s calendar picture? I don’t have a calendar for this year so far. What was the last thing you ate? A chicken sandwich and fries from Burger King. What are your favorite things to put in tea? A packet of sugar. Do you wish the Unicorn Frappuccino was a regular drink at Starbucks? I never tried it. Is there a coffee shop in your town that’s better than Starbucks? Yeah. Do you frequent any coffee shops? Just Starbucks, honestly. I do like it, but it’s also a matter of convenience because it’s close and it has a drive-thru. What’s your favorite Lisa Frank character? I didn’t have a favorite character that I can recall, but I did like Lisa Frank stuff in general. Which Disney character looks the most like you? None. Did you go to Disney World or Disneyland as a kid? Disneyland. Do you live with a demon? Mental illness sure feels like a monster. Who has the best personality on youtube? There’s a lot of great YouTubers. What are some of your goals for this year? I need to really focus on doing certain things health wise. Does it feel like spring yet? Yeah. It’s been getting warmer, but also we have rainy days like today. What do you do to celebrate Earth Day? Nothing. How do you celebrate Easter? We have Easter dinner. Have you ridden your bike yet this year? I don’t ride bikes. What does your bike look like? What is your favorite place that you’ve lived? I don’t have a favorite. Do you shop at Aeropostale? I used to. What’s the last thing you wore from Aeropostale? Probably a hoodie. Have you ever been to a church that just wanted your money? No. Who is someone you are struggling to forgive, if applicable? Myself. Have you ever had someone try to intentionally bully you to suicide? No. What’s your favorite type of cereal? The sugary delicious kinds, ha. Who are your favorite kids that you’ve babysat? I only ever babysat my little brother and a couple of my cousins. Who is your favorite cousin? I don’t have a favorite cousin. Does one side of your family live in another state? My grandparents and my uncle on my dad’s side live in different states. What states did your parents grow up in? My mom has been in this state, including the city, all her life. My dad mostly grew up in this state, but in a different city. Do you want kids? If yes, how many? No. What’s a craft that you’ve seen online that you don’t think will work? I don’t know. What, if anything, are you severely allergic to? Tangerines. Have you ever had an allergic reaction to an insect? Just the kind we all get when we get bug bites. How do you react to bee stings? I’ve never been stung by a bee, thankfully. Is there a good hospital where you live? Yeah. What’s your favorite kind of tea to drink in the spring? I’m not really a tea drinker, like it’s pretty rare for me. I’m a hot coffee kind of gal all year round. What are your favorite biblical names for girls? Sarah is one. …for boys? Joseph, What color nail polish do you usually wear in the spring? I haven’t worn nail polish in years. What’s your favorite color that you’ve dyed your hair? Red.

Do you ever eat ice cream in the winter? I have. How often do you wash your sheets? Like every couple weeks. What was the name of the biggest bully in your high school? No one that I knew of. Not to say there weren’t bullies, but I wasn’t aware of any. High school isn’t like how it’s portrayed in movies where there’s the one person or clique that runs the school. At least it wasn’t at mine. ^Did everyone hate her/him? ^Were you his/her target?

[twdeadfanfic]

Life at the end of the world: Pt.4

Summary: Your life as a zombie apocalypse survivor. It starts with the Reader settling into the camp at the quarry, before s1 and then follows the show events and storyline, more or less, but with the Reader in it.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Warnings: Slow burn, violence, language.

Author’s note: Fourth part of my first twd fanfic, I’ve been itching to write something like this for a long while and I write it for fun, I don’t claim to be a writer so if you find you dislike this fic, please be kind and just stop reading. English’s not my first language so maybe there’re some mistakes, I apologize in advance. For the same reason, I can’t write character’s accents and things like that. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it. There’d be several parts to this.

"There you go.”

You smiled to Sophia, trying to hide how worried you were, as you passed her a half-empty box of cereal bars you had taken from the CDC. It brought you memories from the first time you met the girl and shared your chocolate bars with her.

“Thank you, Y/N.” She took one of the bars and gave the other one to Carl.

Carol smiled to you gratefully and passed you a can of beans she was dining in. Food was scarce and you all were sharing a couple of cans with each other.

“We should have taken all the food that asshole had,” Daryl said grumpily. “Now it’s ashes.”

“It’s not like we had much time...” You had taken the box of cereal bars, the closer food item you saw when Rick had told you to grab your things before Dr. Jenner closed the doors. Wherever you went, you were sure to be short of food.

You were hiding in a rather small warehouse at the outside of Atlanta. It had been almost clean of walkers and seemed the only more or less safe hiding place you had seen since driving out the CDC earlier that day. You had chained the door but still, you were taking turns keeping watch. In this world, you couldn’t be too careful.

There had been some talk about what to do, although most of you were feeling so down and hopeless you didn’t care much. Shane’s idea of going to Fort Benning seemed the only chance you still might have, although after the CDC you didn’t feel very hopeful about it.

“We must have hope...” Rick had tried to lift the group spirits and you had to admire him for it.

It had been decided that you’d go to Fort Benning at first light. You didn’t have much gas so you’d take the fewer vehicles possible, splitting the remaining fuel. You were almost sure that you’d have to say goodbye to your tiny, old, second-handed car. Not the most practical for traveling, even back before the world ended.

After securing the warehouse, Glenn, Rick, and Daryl had gone on a run, trying to find supplies for your travel. You all worried sick watching them go but it had to be done. You couldn’t go to Fort Benning or wherever you ended without any food. They had come back with some cans of food and bottles of water but they hadn’t managed to find any fuel as they had hoped, hence they had taken the decision of splitting the fuel you already had.

After dinning on the canned beans you went to the door to keep watch, letting T-Dog who was currently there have some rest. You saw the others starting to spread their sleeping bags here and there, standing close to each other.

“Y/N.” You looked up when you heard your name and saw Daryl standing next to you. “I’d forgotten I found this but Sophia said they are your favorite.” He passed you some chocolate bars of your favorite brand.

“Thank you!” You were taken aback, having thought you’d never eat one of those anymore. Sure, canned beans were more useful and nutritious, but your mouth was watering at the chocolate. Still, you bit your lip thinking about the kids and how much they loved them too. “You know what, give them to Sophia and Carl, but tell them not to eat them all in one go.”

Daryl took them back but threw one of the bars to you anyway. You smiled at him, opened the bar and split it in half, giving one part to Daryl. He frowned as if confused but took it. You took a bite of chocolate and closed your eyes, smiling in delight.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate how lucky we are to have cans of food, but this...,” you said, mouth full. “This is another level.”

Daryl snorted quietly with laughter but nodded, eating the other half of the bar and leaving you to keep watch.

You huddled in the blanket Carol had given you more for comfort than for cold, the evening was warm, and got ready for the long, lonely hours until your turn finished.

Halfway through the night, Shane got up to take your post so you could have some sleep before the sun went up. You got up and turned your back without a word but he stopped you.

“Ey, Y/N, wait.” Shane went to grab your arm but stopped when he saw you were turning to face him. “I...um...I’m sorry I was like that at the CDC. I was too drunk.”

You nodded, accepting his apologies but said nothing, heading towards your sleeping bag. You weren’t upset anymore about how he had been with you but you felt uneasy thinking what might have happened between him and Lori. Still, Shane’d been one of your first friends in the group and you felt strange being strained with him, but you couldn’t help it. You hoped things would get better eventually, though.

Next morning you weren’t the only one saying goodbye to their car in order to save gasoline. Actually, the only car your group took was Carol’s Cherokee, Rick, Lori, Carol and the kids all going on it. Daryl left his pickup in favor of his brother’s bike, which needed less gas.

“You don’t think it’s dangerous to go like that?” You asked him, genuinely worried at the lack of helmet or anything between his body and the walkers you might find on your way. You weren’t even that safe inside cars.

Daryl scoffed at you. “I’ve been riding since forever, it’s fine.”

“At least you’ll be less cramped than the rest of us.” You pointed at Carol’s car, already full and then made your way into the RV.

There was no discussion about taking Dale’s old RV, no matter the risk of it breaking down. You needed the space and it had room for all your things, not to mention a bathroom and a real, big bed. Dale, Glenn, T-Dog, Shane, Andrea and you were all in it and it felt a bit too cramped but you weren’t going to complain.

  _______________________________________________________

You weren’t sure of how long you’d been travelling, you thought you weren’t even halfway but it was feeling eternal. The mood wasn’t the best, all mourning Jacquie, worried about what you’d discovered in the CDC and afraid of what you might find next.

You were bored out of your mind listening to Andrea and Shane’s talk about guns, you knew the basics already. You borrowed a book Glenn was reading but you weren’t even five pages into it when your group ran into trouble.

The road seemed to be blocked by cars and cars, but you didn’t have enough fuel to find a detour so Daryl zigzagged through the cars trying to find a way through. You watched him worriedly, hoping that there weren’t any walker inside a car that could grab him but as the RV followed him you only saw people really dead, seeming to have been like that for a long while, and you looked away quickly.

On top of everything, the RV decided to break down in such a moment, groaning as it halted into a stop, smoke rising from his hood.

“I said it, didn’t I say it...” Dale complained before starting to work on it.

The group decided to take advantage of such an eventful situation and you all went from car to car trying to scavenge something useful. Food, water, supplies, anything that you may need. You were short of everything.

The corpses inside the cars turned your stomach but you forced yourself to keep going, to be brave. By now you knew you needed it if you wanted to survive this world. You followed Carol and Lori, hand on the holster of your gun, scooping from car through car.

“Ed didn’t let me wear anything like this...” Carol said as she took a cute tank top from one of the cars. “We’re going to need clothes.” She excused herself when she saw the look Lori was giving her.

You felt a bit annoyed by Lori since you started your search she had been complaining about it. None of you wanted to do this but you had to, did she wanted you to go without food? And Carol was right, you barely had any spare clothes.

“It’ll look perfect on you, Carol, take it.” You gave her the brightest smile you could muster.

You all kept scavenging silently, finding some food items. Boxes of cereal bars and biscuits, cans and all the usual things like that, and you collected them next to the RV.

The gloomy mood of your group lifted a little when Shane found a truck full of big water containers.

“Were we short on water?” He announced before opening one and letting the water fall over his head.

You ran to the truck, laughing, and did the same, letting the fresh water pour over your hair and shaking your head, sending droplets everywhere.

“You look like a dog,” Shane told you, laughing.

You were smiling at him brightly before you knew what you were doing. You smiled faltered for a second but then returned to your face. You were glad the tension between you two was slowly ebbing away.

Of course, whenever something good happened to your group, something bad seemed to always have to happen too and Rick jumped off the RV roof to tell you walkers were getting close. You had barely any time to hide and you tried not to panic, not knowing what to do. You followed Rick and hid under a car, barely making it on time before walkers started to walk around.

You saw Carol and Lori under another and also Carl and Sophia, but you couldn’t see anyone else. You saw the legs of the walkers as they passed, more than you had ever seen together, like a true herd. Your heart was pounding so hard you were afraid the monsters were going to hear it, they were so close and you felt so exposed you felt you could just start crying, you were so scared...

Rick seemed to notice your panic because he gave you an encouraging look, nodding his head as if trying to say you everything was going to be alright. You nodded and closed your eyes, trying to breathe deep.

After what felt like an eternity the growls of the walkers seemed to go away, his footsteps walking away. You opened your eyes and looked around, you couldn’t see any rotten leg, it seemed all they had gone away but Rick held up his hand, telling you to wait.

Suddenly a walker appeared out of nowhere and you watched, terrified and helpless, as it fell down to the floor next to the car under which Sophia was hiding. The little girl cried out and tried to move away but the monsters crept under the car too.

Sophia got up and ran away from the car before any of you could do anything to help her, the monster being too close. You rolled out of under the car along with Rick in time to see her running towards the woods chased by two walkers, Rick jumping out off the road and running behind her, trying to get the walkers before they get her, all disappearing into the woods.

Carol tried to follow them, panicking but Lori held her in place exhorting her to wait for Rick to come back with Sophia.

“Ey, some help here!”

You heard Daryl’s voice and you turned around to see him making his way towards the RV, holding T-Dog’s forearm, which seemed to be bleeding.

“What happened?” You asked, walking to them and watching as Andrea and Glenn began cleaning T-Dog’s arm.

“Cut my forearm while trying to hide...” T-Dog grumbled weakly, grimacing.

“Ey, what’s going on?” Daryl frowned taking in your panicked face and seeing Carol crying at the side of the road, staring at the woods.

“Some walkers found Sophia and she ran to the woods.” You explained, following him as he quickly made his way towards where Carol and Lori were standing. “Rick had gone after them.”

“Shit...” He murmured.

“Rick’ll bring her back, we have to wait.” You said when he didn’t stop walking, afraid he was going to disappear into the woods too.

Daryl looked from the woods to you, then back to the woods, then to Carol and nodded, stopping, but soon he was anxiously pacing around. You were in anguish too but focused on comforting Carol.

When Rick came back Sophia wasn’t with him.

Carol began sobbing again, panic rushing through her but Rick began talking fast, trying to ease her fears. He had led the walkers away from Sophia and had let her hidden, telling her to ran back to the camp if he wasn’t back. If Sophia wasn’t there, then she must be still hidden.

This time, when Rick went back to look for Sophia, Daryl, Shane, and Glenn went with him, leaving you all there waiting anxiously. Shane and Glenn came back not much later, without Sophia.

“It’s fine, it’s fine people,” Shane told you before you started panicking. “Daryl and Rick can find Sophia without us so Glenn and I decided it was better to come back and start getting everything ready so we can leave as soon as they are back. Right, Glenn?”

Glenn nodded quickly but he seemed out of sorts and rushed towards the RV.

You knew Shane, knew he was trying to keep you busy so you wouldn’t panic about Sophia, so things wouldn’t get out of hand. Still, you welcomed the distraction and were eager to feel useful.

“Alright people, I want you to put together all the supplies we have found and try to see if you can find anything else,” Shane commanded. “Andrea, Y/N, I want you with me, we’re going to push those cars that have blocked the road.”

After you managed to unblock the road you went to check on Carol but heard Dale and Andrea having a heated argument. Apparently, Dale was refusing to give Andrea her gun back and when Andrea complained about it to Shane he agreed with Dale, taking you aback.

“I’m going to have to take yours too, Y/N.”

You gaped at him. You understood he didn’t want anyone without training to carry a gun, they could shoot in a bad moment and bring walkers to you when they heard the sound or they could even hurt one of your own, but you’d already proven you knew how to shoot. Maybe you couldn’t run and shoot at the same time, alright, but you’d shot down walkers back when they attacked the quarry!

Shane was begging you with his eyes not to cause a scene though, so you took the gun he had lent you, already feeling vulnerable and helpless and gave it to him harshly.

“Okay, it’s your anyway.” You grumbled, walking away, ignoring Shane when he called after you.

The sun was getting down when Rick and Daryl came back, once again without Sophia. Your heart was in your throat and you couldn’t imagine how Carol must be feeling, sobbing as she saw them approach without her daughter.

Rick explained that Sophia wasn’t where he left her but that they’d keep looking for her at first light, all you, trying to calm you all down without much success. Carol began panicking at the idea of Sophia staying the night alone in the woods. She was finding hard to breath and you held her, trying to help her stand up.

“There was no blood, lots of people get lost and they get back,” Daryl said, looking at Carol worriedly and trying to comfort her but Carol just began panicking more when she noticed the blood on his trousers.

None of you felt better when Rick and Daryl explained the blood was from a walker they cut open, making sure he hadn’t eaten Sophia. Your stomach turned but you tried your best to stay strong for Carol.

“How could just leave her out there to began with, how could you leave her.” Carol sobbed, blaming Rick. “She’s just a child...”

She ignored all Rick’s explanations and you couldn’t blame her. She was in shock, scared to death for her little girl who was alone in the woods at night, maybe with walkers out there. But still, you felt bad for Rick. He had done his best, had tried, was still trying, and you pat his shoulder when you walked past him as you all made your way back into the cars for the night.

There wasn’t much space to sleep inside the vehicles, so you were lucky you got to share the RV bed with Carol and Andrea.

Before getting into the RV you saw Daryl perched up on top of it, having taken the first turn of watch duty, and you made your way up.

“Ey...you really think Sophia is okay?” You asked as quietly as possible so the others wouldn’t hear you. “Please, be honest.” You begged, even though you were afraid of what he might say.

“Course she’s okay.” Daryl looked at you in disbelieve, seeming a bit annoyed. “Told Carol already, lots of people get lost and they get back.”

“Yeah...but the walkers...” You bit your lip hard, feeling dangerously close to tears.

“I saw no walkers but the one I cut open. The little girl is fine, we’ll find her.” Daryl insisted and he almost made you have hope. Maybe Sophia was alright, hidden somewhere. Maybe you’d find her tomorrow.

“Okay...okay, thanks.” You gave him a weak smile. “I’m gonna check on Carol.”

“Take care of her,” Dary whispered quietly, a worried frown on his face. You could see how much he actually cared about her and her little girl, more than you could have thought. It made you feel a bit better, somehow. Daryl would found Sophia.

“Yeah, she’s strong though, you told me right?” You replied, thinking he might be in need of some comfort too, even though for now he seemed to be the only one keeping the spirits high about the situation.

Once in bed, Carol kept crying and crying, unable to sleep and when Andrea got up, saying she needed some air, you saw she was crying too.

You stayed there though, you couldn’t get yourself to leave Carol like that, no matter how much her tears hurt you, how much it made you think about all the horrible things that could happen to Sophia, no matter Daryl’s words. You cuddled with Carol, letting her sob into your shoulder until she passed out, exhausted, a couple of hours before dawn, you falling asleep too almost immediately after her.

Next morning, while Daryl explained to the group the plan and route to follow in your search for Sophia, Shane gave you all weapons. No guns though. You got a decent sized knife, it wasn’t bad but you much preferred your gun. Still, it seemed Shane wasn’t going to give it to you back and if he did it’d probably just upset Andrea more.

She was still complaining about them having taken her gun and you could understand her but you didn’t want to start an argument about it, not now when you had a way more important task to focus on, so you took the knife without complaining.

All you were going to look for Sophia, besides Dale who stayed to repair the RV and T-Dog, whose wounded arm was being hard to heal and had left him weak.

Daryl guided you into the woods, at the head of your line and you all looked around anxiously, waiting for any trace of Sophia or any danger to show up.

For a while you found nothing but then you saw a tent standing a bit further ahead of the path. Getting closer, Carol called quietly for Sophia, but nothing happened. You all watched anxiously while Daryl got into the tent, but he exited it after less than a minute to announce there wasn’t any threat inside, neither any trace of Sophia. Only the corpse of someone who had ‘opted out’.

Suddenly the sound of bells filled the air and you all ran towards it until you reached a church. Shane pointed out the church didn’t have any steeple so the sound couldn’t come from it but Rick ignored him, running towards it, and you all followed him.

When you reached it, Rick opened the door of the building and you carefully stepped inside, discovering three walkers which were sitting down on the benches. They turned their evil faces towards you and got up, stumbling towards you, but Rick, Shane, and Daryl made quick work of them.

“Sophia! Sophia!” Rick called for her, refusing to accept she wasn’t there, but the little girl didn’t come.

“Ey, J.C” You heard Daryl murmur to the statue on the cross. “You taking requests?

You patted his arm in what you hoped was a reassuring gesture, trying not to show how disappointed you were at Sophia not been there, trying not to lose hope, and Daryl looked at you as if startled before relaxing and giving you a nod.

Shane was trying to explain to Rick again that the sound of the bells couldn’t come from there when suddenly the bells started ringing again. You all rushed outside, finding out that the sound came from some speakers and Glenn stopped it ripping off the wires.

It had been just a recording...

Carol went back inside the church, tears falling down her cheeks, the hope of Sophia having found refuge in the church gone.

“There can’t be many walkers out here, they’d have come following the sound,” Daryl told you before getting inside the church.

“That’s good...” You said weakly, following him inside.

No walkers had shown up so maybe there weren’t many around, maybe Sophia was safe and sound, hiding somewhere. You had to keep hoping.

You couldn’t help your tears hearing Carol talking quietly, blaming herself and begging god to get Sophia back to her safe.

“We have to find her...” You whispered to Daryl and he nodded quietly, chewing on his thumb.

Once outside the church, Shane and Rick seemed to be discussing something and Shane announced they had decided it was best to split, him and Rick, and also Carl who insisted on going with them, would keep searching for Sophia while you retreated, looking for her in the woods and then Daryl would lead you back to the road.

Rick felt uneasy about leaving Lori without a gun so he tried to give her his but she refused, not wanting to leave him defenseless, and you blinked in surprise when Daryl offered his own gun to Lori immediately.

Andrea scoffed and sure, it was not fair Lori had a gun and you couldn’t have yours but still, you were moved by Daryl gesture, it was something you hadn’t expected from the redneck you’d met at the quarry.

He seemed to be changing somehow since leaving that camp or maybe he was just starting to show his true self. You’d already caught glimpses of it in your talks, in his insistence on the search for Sophia, in how he cared for Carol and her little girl. Now you saw another as he selflessly lent his gun so Rick would stop worrying that much.

You followed Daryl as he guided you through the woods, looking for Sophia but finding nothing.

“So this is it, this is the whole thing...” Carol complained and you didn’t know what to say, how to comfort her. You understood he was frustrated and worried sick, but you were doing everything you could.

You let out a frustrated sigh when Andrea and Lori started to argue, you couldn’t lose time in things like that. Lori called Andrea out, offering the gun, saying she was tired of her dirty looks and then confronted Carol too, exhorting her to stop blaming Rick for everything when he was doing his best to find Sophia.

You understood both parts so you stepped away, not wanting to be caught in the middle of the argument. To your relief, they seemed to sort everything out quickly.

“Come on people,” Daryl rolled his eyes. “We still have a lot of ground to cover.”

You hadn’t gone far when you heard a gunshot and you all looked around startled, but it came from far away, from where Rick, Shane, and Carl had gone. Worry was clear in Loris’ eyes, it had been a single shot and they wouldn’t shot at a walker unless they had problems, but Daryl insisted you had to keep moving.

You walked behind Daryl but he stopped when he heard Andrea trying to comfort Carol.

“We’re all hoping with you, for all it’s worth.” The blonde was saying kindly to Carol.

“I tell you what’s worth, not a damn thing. It’s just a waste of time to be hoping and praying” Daryl interfered harshly. “We’re gonna locate that girl and she’s gonna be just fine. I’m the only one zen around here? Good lord.” He ended his rant, making you snort a laugh.

You all kept following him, trying to not lose hope as you kept finding no trace of the little girl.

“Let’s head back,” Lori said when the sun started to get down.

“We’ll pick it up again tomorrow?” Carol asked, eyes begging sadly.

“We’ll find her tomorrow.” Lori tried to reassure her.

You were so tired and so focused trying not to trip over any root or bump in the path that you didn’t notice Andrea had gone out of the path until you heard her screams. You all ran towards the screams, horrified when you find her struggling against a walker.

Daryl aimed his crossbow but before any of you could do anything a young woman in a horse appeared out of nowhere, knocking down the monster with a bat.

“Lori, Lori Grimes?” The woman asked, eyeing your group.

“I’m Lori.” Lori walked to her, looking as confused as all of you. Who was that girl, where did she come from, how did she knew Lori’s name?

“Rick sent me, you gotta come with me now!” The girl explained quickly.“There’s been an accident, Carl’s been shot. He’s still alive but you gotta come now!”

You gasped in horror and Lori went pale, rushing to the horse.

“Whoa, whoa, we don’t know this girl you can’t get on that horse!” Daryl exclaimed, trying to stop her but Lori ignored him and the two women rushed away on the horse before the young woman told you where to find her family farm.

You all stood there, too shocked to do anything for a moment but then Daryl rushed to help Andrea onto her feet.

“Shut up.” He growled at the walker, who was getting up again, shooting an arrow into his head.

As soon as you reached the road Dale rushed to you, bombarding you with questions and looking more and more shocked as Glenn told him about the girl who took Lori on her horse, saying Carl had been shot.

“And you let her?” Dale asked Daryl and you rolled your eyes. Daryl was your tracker and your leader on the search, nor your babysitter, Lori had taken her own decisions and besides, Daryl had tried to stop her.

“Get off my ass, old man.” He answered annoyed. “Rick sent her, she knew Lori’s name and Carl’s.”

You saw there was still palpable tension between Andrea and Dale as she ignored him while he asked her if it was her who he had heard screaming in the woods and getting flustered when Glenn explained she took down a walker.

“Andrea? You alright?” Dale insisted but she kept ignoring him, getting into the RV.

You sat down next to Carol and she rested her head on your shoulders, tears falling down her cheeks silently. Daryl looked at you both, frowning and biting his lip but said nothing. You were at loss of words too, not knowing how to comfort Carol, so you just rested your head against hers, trying to offer some silent comfort for a moment until you were forced to get up and make plans.

There was much to talk about and decisions to make.

@momc95 @jodiereedus22 @osweetdevilo @sapphire1727 @coffeebooksandfandom 

I never thought anyone’d like to be tag in any of my stories so thank you! It means the world! <3

I hope you like this new chapter.

[ghoulboyboos]

Could you do some pinning Shane in his point of view please? (P.s love your work!)

Okay nonny, I’m gonna assume you meant “pining” Shane because that’s my jam. If you for some reason asked for Shane pinning down Ryan, please let me know! (Also Sara is Shane’s BFF here.)

Shanesits back in his chair and sighs, rubbing at his eyes. He has beenediting Ruining History for over three hours now and his eyes arestarting to feel like boiled eggs. Something about it drains him andShane technically knows what it is, but he doesn’t like to thinkabout it.

It’sRyan.

Heskips through the different camera shots and stops at a shot of Ryanlaughing. His face is lit up with that brilliant smile and Shaneremembers exactly when it was. He is editing the Alesia episode andRyan is smiling at the camera because Shane put a sports referencein. Just for him. Ryan picked up on it and so did Sara. Sara whoimmediately “awww”-ed because she knows of Shane’s crush. Shanecould smack himself with his own keyboard because it’s too obviouswhat he is doing. Instead, he looks up. Ryan is smiling right at thecamera as he mentions how sweet Shane is being and Shane stares inthose deep, brown eyes and allows himself to imagine that Ryan couldlook at him just like that. Surprised and happy and kind. Shanesighs.

Part ofhim wants to reach out and touch the screen, imagine being able totouch Ryan’s face for real. But that would be a little too cliché,so he doesn’t. Instead, he saves his work and closes the program.He’s already too blunt sometimes. He remembers grabbing at Ryanwhen they were at Knott’s Berry Farm and holding onto his shoulder.He remembers every time Ryan gives him a hug, which sadly isn’tvery often and how hard it is to let him go. Shane remembers that onenight where they hung out at the Tiki Bar and had a couple of drinks,laughing about something he doesn’t remember.

Ryanhad dropped against his shoulder because he couldn’t sit uprightwith how hard he was laughing and Shane had looked down, fully awarethat his cheeks were flushed and Ryan had looked up at him andgrinned. With the alcohol numbing his inhibitions, Shane had reachedout and cupped Ryan’s chin to tilt up his face. He barely remembersRyan’s reaction, except for those deep brown eyes widening. Shanehad barely leaned in when somewhere across the bar, a tray of glasseshad fallen and smashed on the ground and both of them had shot upfrom where they sat and checked in to see if anyone was hurt. Ryannever brought it up again and Shane is grateful. Sure, the memorymakes him feel warm and excited, but the idea of scaring Ryan off andmaking him uncomfortable is too much to bear. He is glad that Ryanapparently decided to ignore it. Or maybe he had been too drunk andjust forgotten about it.

Shanestares at his dark screen and sighs.

He hasbecome so dependent on Ryan. The man is his best friend and Shanewill always hit him up when there is something social going on. Shaneis not the most outgoing or social person ever, he prefers outingswith one or two friends. Going to the movies with Ryan means beingclose to him and indulging in the fantasy that somehow, they could bemore. But he usually drags Sara along so there is someone to keep aneye on him and make sure he doesn’t mess up.

Saraalways wanted him to tell Ryan the truth and Shane agrees. Ryandeserves the truth. But Shane is just so damn afraid.

Onenight he is lying in bed, listening to the radio and “Please Don’tLeave Me” by P!nk comes on and without any warning, he startscrying. He has no idea why the hell the song even has an impact onhim, but he guesses it’s the title alone that scares the fuck outof him. Shane grabs a pillow and pulls it close, crying into it likehe is a teenager with a crush and he just begs and hopes and prays towhoever or whatever is listening, that one day Ryan might entertainthe idea of loving him back.

A bunchof their friends are getting married and announce that they are goingto have kids and Shane would be a bad best friend if he didn’tnotice Ryan’s soft, sad expressions whenever something like thatwas announced. Ryan was everyone’s biggest supporter, the type togive you a way-too-expensive wedding gift or the one who is the firstto notice that someone is pregnant.

Shaneknows why. Above all, Ryan wants a family and Shane hopes dearly thathe will have that some day. Despite his infatuation, he wants Ryan tobe happy his way. So insteadof focusing on his crush, he sometimes dreams about Ryan finding “theone”, a beautiful and kind woman that matches his personality andmakes him happy. Someone to raise kids with, someone to grow oldwith. Shane’s heart breaks at the thought but at least the image ofRyan hugging his kids and smiling soothes the pain. Maybe, one day,after everything has died down a little, Shane would be able to tellhim.

-

Lifenever goes the way he planned.

Theyare out one night. Sara is nursing a cold so she told them shewouldn’t be able to come last minute and there is nobody to keepShane in line when they’re watching a movie. He is gripping thearmrests of his seat tightly, as if they are watching a horror movie,because he doesn’t trust himself that he won’t reach out to Ryanand breach a barrier he’s not allowed to break down.

Atone point, Ryan puts his arm on the space between them and his handlands on Shane’s and Shane gasps and pulls back.

“Sorry.”He whispers. “Didn’t mean to hog it all.”

Inthe flickering of the film projector he can see Ryan’s white teethand his friend is grinning.

“Noworries, man. It’s all good.”

Shaneswallows. If Ryan only knew. Thing were not good at all.

It’sRyan’s idea to go for karaoke afterwards and Shane loves karaoke,but he is also terrified.

Theyhave a lot of fun drinking and singing songs. It always takes them abit to get buzzed enough to feel comfortable to sing, but at somepoint they usually get too drunk to keep singing.

Agirl stumbles on the stage and the familiar “dadadada dadadada”comes on and Shane swallows. She doesn’t quite have P!nk’s lungs,but she doesn’t sound bad. Ryan next to him moves his head slightlyin the beat, but when the singer croons “Please, don’t leaveme...” Shane feels tears well up behind his eyes. He drops his headand chokes on a sob and when Ryan puts a hand on his shoulder, hebreaks down into sobs.

Hedoesn’t remember much of the night, there are only quick and shortimpressions. Ryan’s worried face, the seat of an Uber car, hisfront door, his bed.

Shanewakes up to a series of text messages from Ryan explaining that hehad made sure Shane got home safe and that he hopes he’s fine and areminder that they are best friends and that Shane can come to himwith anything.

Shaneswallows hard and types a single message back.

“Ican’t tell you this one. You would hate me.”

Themessage is read almost immediately afterwards, but he doesn’t get aresponse. There is not even a notification that Ryan is typing, soShane drops his phone in his bed and forces himself out of hisbedroom to take a shower. He stands in the middle of his kitchen,chewing on cereal and contemplating his life when the doorbell rings.

It’sRyan.

Shane’sheart beats hard enough to make him feel nauseous as he counts theseconds Ryan will need to call the elevator and ride it up. There isa knock on his door and Shane takes a deep breath before he opens it.

Ryanlooks amazing for someone who had been out drinking until three inthe morning. He seizes Shane up and looks at him like he isn’t surewhat to say.

“CanI come in?” He finally says.

Shanesteps to the side and lets him.

Theysit on Shane’s couch, each of them nursing a coffee. Finally, Ryanis talking.

“Listen…Shane. I know I’m not good at relationships myself, but if you needany advice or support… or even an open ear… You know I’m herefor you, right?”

Shanecloses his eyes. He wants to laugh and cry at the same time, but morethan everything he wants to hug Ryan.

“Iknow.”

“And…I mean, you’re entitled to your opinion but I have to say it kindahurt to hear that you think I would hate you for you being in lovewith someone. I mean, hey, even if I didn’t like them, if they makeyou happy? That’s a great reason for me to support you.”

Shanepresses a hand to his mouth and tries to keep his breathing even.

“Shane.You can tell me anything. I really mean it.”

Shanetakes a deep breath and steels himself.

“Iwas afraid for multiple reasons…. It’s not because of you, notjust. In general. You see...”

Hesighs and places his mug on the table, leaning back to stare at hisempty hands.

“It’sa guy.”

Heglances up and sees Ryan’s eyes transfixed on him as he puts hiscup away as well.

“Okay?Is that… Shane, I would never judge you for that. I really- I meanit sounds stupid saying that but I have no problem with people whoaren’t straight.”

“Iknow.” Shane sighs. “The thing is, you know him, very well.”

“Okay?”Shane can see that Ryan is mentally going through a list of theirmale friends. “So, why is it a problem? Is he married?”

Shaneswallows. “No.”

“Inany sort of relationship?”

Shaneshakes his head.

“So…are you afraid that he’s straight?”

Shanethinks for a moment.

“That’snot it… He wants a family. He wants children. Even if he were to…indulge me… I’m scared of taking that life away from him.”

Shaneexpects Ryan to nod in understanding, instead his friend scoffs.

“Thatdoesn’t have to mean anything! There are many ways to have childrenand a family when you’re a same sex couple or when you can’t haveyour own kids.” He glances over at Shane. “Don’t let that…you never know! If he makes you happy, you probably make him happytoo! I know you make me happy.”

Hesmiles up at Shane and Shane feels his breath stop.

“Youdon’t mean that.” He says, trying to fight the pain in histhroat. “You mean it differently...”

Ryanblinks. Then he blinks again. Then, his eyes widen.

“Oh…Shane...”

“Please.”Shane wrenches his eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I… I won’t make youuncomfortable, I promise, I just want to be your friend, okay? Pleasedon’t-”

Hecan’t say it, but in his head he is shouting “Please, pleasedon’t leave me. Please, Ryan, any way you want me to be yourfriend, I will be that-”

Ryancups Shane’s face in his hands and smiles up at him.

“Isthat it? Is that what was on your mind the last couple of weeks…months?”

Shanewrenches his eyes shut and nods.

“OhShane…”

“I’msorry...”

“No,Shane. I’m sorry. You’ve gone through so much pain… do you…do you hate me now?”

Shanelaughs. It’s dry and painful. He finally opens his eyes to look atRyan.

“Icould never hate you. I was so afraid you would leave.”

“OhShane...”

Ryanshakes his head and then he pulls his legs up on the couch and pushesup on his knees. His hands still cradle Shane’s face and then hepulls the stunned man into a soft kiss.

“Whydidn’t you tell me? I saw you back off and I thought you didn’twant this… I thought…”

Ryanshakes his head and Shane can only stare at him, stunned.

“Oh.”He finally says. “You’re not leaving?”

Ryanchuckles and kisses his cheek.

“I’mnot going anywhere.”

Shaneslowly brings his arms up to wrap them around Ryan’s form. He’ssolid and real and not a dream.

-

Theygo on their first date the following evening. Shane can hold Ryan’shand while they are watching the movie and when Ryan drops him off athis apartment, Ryan pulls Shane down and gives him a soft kiss on themouth.

Shanemelts into Ryan and when he falls asleep later, he dreams of hangingwith Ryan in their flat and he can take his hand without problem andthere is the vague memory of planning a family and everything isokay.

[imperio-peeta]

11 Questions

RULES

1. always post the rules

2. answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

3. write 11 questions of your own

4. tag 11 people you want to get to know better (or however many you want)

-

1. Favorite cereal? Peanut Butter Cheerios

2. Do you want kids? ok... tbh I’m scared of having kids just because I’d feel bad if they inherited a health condition from me because that would break my heart. I also feel like my body is stupid and weak so I’d be scared to be pregnant and go through labor. (wow shit sure got dark)

3. What’s your opinion on weed?  Don’t wanna do it, don’t wanna be around it, but i don’t care if you do it.

4. Do you a favorite childhood movie?  i was obsessed with the Land Before Time movies. I also loved Bambi and A Bug’s Life (fight me, i will never pick one favourite)

5. Coke or Pepsi? COKE

6. Are you satisfied with life? tbh not really but i really shouldn’t be unsatisfied

7. What’s your comfort food? probably mac and cheese. definitely mac and cheese.

8. Would you like fries with that? h*ck yeah

9. Do you think the world is changing for the better? i hope it is but i can’t really tell.

10. Who are your favorite youtubers? The Try Guys, Jenna Marbles, Shane Dawson, Cody Ko

11. What’s your clothing style like? It’s like i wanna be a hipster but i’m too scared to pull off some of the looks... i like jeans that are slightly high waisted, slightly cropped shirts (could never show too much skin, #insecure), or leggings and wool sweaters. I like watches and nail polish too.

-

My questions:

1. How seriously do you take other peoples’ advice?

2. Are you afraid of being alone?

3. Would you prefer listening to a thunderstorm or wind blowing through leaves on trees?

4. What’s you biggest pet peeve?

5. Do you expect people to trust you, even if you do not trust them?

6. What is the best way to get over a cold?

7. What’s your favourite fridge magnet?

8. What’s your least favourite time of the day, and why?

9. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be?

10. Do you tell someone if they have something stuck in their teeth/something on their face?

11. Are you a morning person?

-

Thank you @smolboogara for tagging me! This was fun :)

I tag @booksorbust, @born-in-olympus, @foreverlarke, @sammy-themoose, and any lil cutie who wants to do this :)

[kaytebeans]

The Seasons of Woods Chpt. 1

Stardew Valley fanfic

Ships: Harvey x Female Farmer

Angst, past abuse, OC has a secret, slow burn, friends to lovers, main character with depression.

Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in the future.

Summary: Chloe Woods is running from a past life that's far darker than she lets on.  While it is only spring in Stardew Valley, Chloe is facing the winter of her life.  Chloe faces challenges of farm life during the year's seasons.  All the while, she meets new people and becomes close to the town's doctor. You don’t have to have played Stardew Valley to read, but you should man.  It’s a good game.

Welcome to Stardew

The smell of earth surrounded Chloe Woods and she could only partially listen in on Lewis and Robin’s conversation.  It would have been a peaceful moment if she couldn’t smell those damn wild onions. Her belly rumbled and she salivated at the aroma.  She would give anything for access to an all-you-can-eat buffet, instead, she chewed on her lip and planned her next meal.

Robin’s laughter snapped Chloe back to reality and she smiled half-heartedly at the woman.  If they could see where she used to call home, they wouldn’t be joking about the condition of the cabin.  A cabin that was Chloe’s salvation.

It was surreal gazing upon her grandfather’s old home.  Woods’ Farm was carved into ornate letters above the door’s frame.  The wooden porch still looked fairly sturdy, with firewood resting at the side of the cabin. Old, rotten, and useless probably.  Thankfully it was spring and she’d have plenty of time to worry about managing the fireplace. The cabin’s red door was in need of a fresh coat of paint, but Chloe hardly cared how pretty the door was as long as it could shut behind her and shield her from the rest of the world. 

She thanked the two before starting up the steps with her suitcase in hand.

“Oh- let me help ya there, Miss Chloe.”  Lewis chimed in.

Before Chloe could even think to protest, the bag was gently taken from her hands.  The old Mayor opened her door then nodded. Chloe supposed that meant, ‘ladies first.’  Not really a concept she’d ever been privy to in the city.

“Thank you, Lewis.”  Chloe smiled and raked dull, oily brown hair out of her face.  She chewed on the raw skin of her bottom lip and took in her surroundings.

“Pierre’s is open today- well every day except Wednesdays.  Ya might visit if you need anything before the rest of your stuff gets in.”  Lewis eyed the single bag and looked back at her with a friendly grin.

“That’d be good.  Thank you,” Chloe lied.  The bag was it. All of it.  The only belongings she had in the world.  That and whatever was inside of the old house.  She was certain that included critters if tiny droppings by the rusty fridge were to indicate anything.

Chloe gave another rigid smile as Lewis made his way to the exit.  When the door opened, there was that smell again, crashing into her and bringing with it another reminder of her stomach’s emptiness.  

Before Chloe could say ‘goodbye’, Lewis turned back to her, snapping his finger.  “Shoot, almost forgot.” He pulled a crumpled envelope from his pocket. “Here’s something to help get you started.  Parsnips. They’re pretty easy to grow from what I understand.”

Chloe’s brow furrowed for a moment before she realized he was handing her seeds, and she was, supposedly, a farmer.  “Oh- oh! Yes, uh- thank you. I appreciate it.” She extended her hand and took the seeds from him.

After saying their goodbyes, Chloe watched out the window as Lewis’ form got smaller and smaller.  When she was sure he wouldn’t return, she took a deep breath and sighed. Throwing the parsnip seeds on the kitchen counter, she hurried to the sink and turned on the water.  The faucet gurgled until brown water finally gushed into the sink and down the drain.

“Shit.”  Chloe hissed.  Should have known.

She left the water running while she searched the contents of her suitcase.  Chloe shuffled through her clothing until she found it, an envelope stuffed full of cash.  She stared hard at the money, hating herself for how she’d acquired it. It didn’t matter now though.  It was there. It was there and she was hungry. No, she was starving.

Chloe’s eyes wandered back to the running water.  It was clearer now. Not perfect, but it didn’t look like swamp water anymore at least.  Her tired sea green eyes turned back to the dirty money, much dirtier than the water running in her kitchen sink.  For a moment she felt a vice grip tighten, pinching her chest so hard she couldn’t breathe.

Suck it up, you dumbass.  

She shook her head, grabbed the money, and turned the water off all before going back outside again.  And there was that damned smell.

-

Joja Mart, at its best, was a place of convenience.  Food was affordable and it had about anything you could think to buy.  At its worst? Well, Chloe was a testament to Joja Mart at its worst.

Until the day before traveling to Stardew Valley, Chloe had been a hard-working employee.  She always at work on time, and always doing as she was told. In return, Joja Mart provided her barely enough money for shelter and food.  Emergencies were off the table, and living paycheck to paycheck wasn’t exactly living.

That’s why stepping into the damned store for food was like a slap in the face.  But she was sure there was no way she could afford anything from Pierre's. Local shops weren’t exactly ‘poor friendly’.  

Chloe maneuvered her buggy through the aisles, tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and belly growling.  Cereal, bread, milk…  Her mental checklist was cut short when her cart crashed into something.  When she snapped her head forward she was mortified to see she’d run straight into a Joja Mart worker.  He gave her an irritated look, and she couldn’t say she blamed him.

“I’m so, so sorry.”  Chloe shrunk in on herself.

The worker, ‘Shane’ according to his name tag, simply huffed and turned back to his work stocking the shelf.  

The rest of her grocery shopping was done in haste.  

-

The walk back to her new home was the longest she’d ever made.  Her hunger was now more than just an annoying ache, but a sharp pain.  She longed for her stomach to be sufficiently filled, and let her hand rest on her belly.  The way she’d taken was supposedly a short-cut, but now she was beginning to wonder. It didn’t help that she was expending all of her energy walking up a steep hill.  

Her quiet walk came to a halt as she came face to face with an old man who looked as though he’d come from the wild.  The man was foraging berries, stuffing the ripened fruit into an old tattered Joja Mart bag, one of those cloth bags from when it was trendy to bring your own bag to the store.  Trendy, but not quite convenient enough for shoppers who soon abandoned the fad.

Chloe’s eyes darted away from him before she realized it was rude.  Slowly looking back, she nodded at the white haired man and made her way on up the hill.  His home finally came into view. A tent. Chloe sighed, at least he has berries.  

She grit her teeth and walked on, not daring to look back his way.  If she looked back, she’d give up her only food.

-

Finally, back in the security of her home, Chloe didn’t even wait to put up the food before opening up a package of hotdogs and scarfing a couple down.  After at least something was in her belly, she put away the rest of her food, rinsed off a dusty plate and pulled out a couple more hotdogs.  Chloe inspected the brown microwave, truly a blast from the past. She turned its knobs and held her breath. By some miracle, the ancient device worked. Chloe placed the hotdogs on grandpa’s apple print plate to heat up the rest of her meal.  

She turned back to the kitchen sink and let the water run yet again.  Still not crystal clear, but it would have to do. Her lips touched the stream of water and she gulped as hard as she could.  Chloe’s throat thanked her, finally feeling soothed. Her chapped lips, on the other hand, stung at first contact. She drank without a thought and only pulled up when she heard a dissonant buzzing that indicated her hotdogs were sufficiently nuked.  

Chloe stood up and liquid sloshed in her full belly.  She felt the rolling in her stomach and groaned. “I’m such an idiot.”  She felt as though she actually needed to hear the words, or else she might repeat such a mistake.   Not that it’d been her first mistake, and it certainly wouldn’t be her last.

Her first night at Woods’ Farm wasn’t a red letter one, but she was full, and she was warm, and she had a door.  It was enough.

[buzzfeedwheeze]

The New Teacher - Shyan fanfic

Ugh

Sorry it took me so long to post the new chapter. I didn't know what to do with the fic (I blame the new Star Wars movie and the WiFi at my beach house), but I think I found my way again!

Hope you enjoy.

You can find it at AO3

Two months passed really fast and Shane got into a new routine. One that he actually enjoyed. Apart from having to give his son up two weeks a month, he was actually quite content. He would wake up earlier than what he used to, just so that he could have breakfast with his kid, generally milk and cereal because it was the fastest option and they were both lazy suckers. Then Shane would drop Andrew at school, go to work, banter with Ryan Bergara on Twitter and sometimes prepare a nice meal for Andrew and his boyfriend Steven. Yeah, somehow the new teacher became a part of his life, whether it was a conscious or unconscious decision of his. Usually at the lunch break he would find himself engaging of multiple discussions with Bergara about aliens, ghosts, movies and one time they even had a passionate debate about popcorn.

After one week of smiling like a teen after he received a new notification of @ryansbergara, he was forced to admit that there was more than simply bantering going on. Their fights didn’t feel real, or maybe they never were. When he took Andrew to school or went to pick him up he would wait to see Bergara arrive and then would tease him on twitter about how he looked ridiculous with his weird love for yellow clothes, especially one vest that he wore a lot. Ryan would always reply with a “stalker :)” and Shane would grin from ear to ear.

Now, he found it kind of hard to look at the man, that being the reason why he adopted the method of avoiding at all costs to get out the car near school grounds. Andrew reacted to this novelty with curiosity at first but now all he did was smirk when he got to the car, always making sure to mention the damn teacher. But although he wanted to avoid Bergara he couldn’t help but show up at the exact time he knew the teacher was about to arrive at school. He didn’t want to confront his feelings, but hey, he could still appreciate a nice body, with a great face, fantastic humor, amazing knowledge, sweet eyes... Ryan Bergara was the closest thing, for Shane, to proof of the existence of supernatural beings. Of course, he had flaws, Shane knew there was no such thing as perfection, but that man was pretty damn close to it.

But today was saturday.

Meaning no Bergara and no need to confront what was going on between them. The only thing planned for the day was a draft of a new cartoon he had to present for his superior on Monday and a dinner at the new restaurant that opened near his apartment. He was going to take Andrew and Steven and they were going to order enough food to make themselves ashamed on the next day.

A great plan. He had a cocky smile in place as he skimmed through the newspaper.

“Why are you smiling like that?” he looked up to find a very sleepy Andrew exiting his room. “It’s kinda creepy since you’re reading the Sports” the boy then rubbed his eyes.

Shane rolled his eyes. “Keep that attitude young boy and you won’t be having any pancakes today”

Andrew frowned. “You wouldn’t dare…” then his dad wiggled one eyebrow. “YOU WOULD! YOU SICK BASTARD!” Such a drama queen… I taught him so well. Shane smiled fondly as his son threw his hands in the air as he grunted on his way to the kitchen.

Shane got up quickly and took over his position on the stove. Andrew had already set up the table and was now resting his face on his hands as he watched his dad. Shane prepared the dough and after a few minutes, full of flips and a lot of cursing, the pancakes were ready.  Before placing them on the table he turned to Andrew.“Want me to cut them on Disney characters shapes?”

“What is the point of eating pancakes if they are not Disney themed pancakes?” he raised an eyebrow.

Shane had to blink a few times because he wasn’t seeing big grown up Andrew, there, right in front of him, was little Andrew with chubby cheeks and small hands. He quickly turned and focused on the task of cutting the pancakes into various shapes to make Andrew’s new favorite character from ‘Disney’. The sound of nervous fingers tapping on a screen and the rhythmically sound of the knife hitting the board helped Shane concentrate and suppress the treacherous tears. It was hard to get around the idea of Andrew no longer being his little boy. I’m becoming one of those dads.

Soon he placed an almost perfect, considering that it was made with pancake, BB-8 right in front of his son. Andrew gasped and stared at the plate he like used to do when he was a kid. “I was going to do a Kylo Ren. But since you are probably going to post it on Instagram, and I know you are not ready to share your obsession with Kylo, I thought it was better to play it safe. A good ol’ bot for ya.”

Andrew reached over the table and hugged his dad. “You are the best”. He snapped a photo and munched on his BB unit quite happily. Shane just ate his regular stacked pancakes but his heart was so warn that he felt like they were made of pure gold.

They ate in silence and after breakfast Andrew washed the dishes and left to meet Steven and head out to Matt’s place. Some other friends were going to be there as well, their friend Adam, Ashley and a girl called Jen. Apparently they were going to have a Harry Potter marathon and survive out of popcorn the whole day. They were living the dream. Shane tried to tag along and Andrew said that even though he was cool there was no chance he was going since he had a project to begin. Boo hoo adult life sucks.

Shane got all his stuff and found a comfortable spot on their dining table. Put on his ‘Thinking Cap ON” playlist and started to take notes of some ideas he had on the past few days. But as he jotted them down he felt like they weren’t exactly very creative or even original. No one would ever bother to invest on a cartoon like that. So he decided to start by designing the main character. It wasn’t how he normally worked but he had a deadline and he needed to present something to his boss. Anything. He opened his memos and found some notes from the briefing he had had last week about the new cartoon. The notes were kind of confusing but at least he managed to get some of the things his boss wanted.

“Supernatural. Two main characters. Diversity. Funny. Not too scary. A bit of sarcasm.” Shane wanted to throw his phone on the street so a car could smash it. “I’m so fucked right now.”

The hours flew by like minutes and he only had the sketches of the main characters done. He opted for two girls. One was blond with a big nose and thick glasses. He decided that she was going to be a bucket full of sarcasm and bad jokes. The other one was smaller, a mix of Asia and Latin America on her features. He didn’t know what to do with her. He stared at the page in front of him and tried to see what was behind those big beady eyes he drew. Maybe she was going to be more like a sidekick, always scared and hiding. Shane was about to to write that, but something stopped him. That wasn’t right. There was more to those characters and without a plot he couldn’t fully comprehend them. Especially the tiny girl. Shane shut the sketch book and decided to prepare his lunch.

After having lunch, Shane did no progress at all. All he had was two sketched and barely filled profile about the characters. He had longed abandoned the notion of having a plot or even having ideas for one. So until Andrew and Steven called for him to go pick them up, all he did was complain, play Disney Crossy Road and watch old episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine on TV. Their call would be a true blessing. He would finally be free of his responsibility and be able to go out and enjoy his weekend. Or at least his saturday night since he needed the damn project ready.

Then as if by magic his phone screen lit up. Shane turned his attention from the TV to the now vibrating phone. It wasn’t a phone call but a series of text messages from Andrew asking his dad if it was ok to pick them up an hour earlier and that he didn’t want to disturb him now that he was focused on a new project. Shane replied quickly with ‘im already on the car’ and a ‘FREEDOM’ followed by a series of gifs to illustrate his state of mind. He got up, collected the car keys and soon he was driving on his way to Matt’s house.

The traffic wasn’t that bad so he managed to arrive in less than 15 minutes at the fancy neighborhood that Andrew’s friend lived. The house was at the end of Capt. Hugo Vega Street, it was a huge modern mansion that even had some bushes cut in the shape of animals. There was a fucking crab and a flamingo, for fucks sake. Shane pulled over in front of the house and was about to honk when he saw that Andrew was waiting outside. He waved at him and watched as he began to tow Steven by his hand. Andrew sat by his side while Steven took the backseat. Shane watched through the mirror Steven laying down on the seat and chuckled. “So how wa...”

“Dad please drive!” Andrew interrupted him. “If we stay here longer I might have to go inside and kill Matt with my bare hands. Do you want me to go to jail?!” he looked exhausted.

“Let me guess.”

“You wouldn’t be able…”

“Matt’s idea of eating solemnly popcorn was a disaster and you had to deal with a very hungry Steven Lim complaining.” Andrew gasped and stared at him with wide eyes. “I had to travel with you two to a festival when you were little and I know some things don’t change.” with that he drove to the restaurant as fast as he was allowed to.

Steven practically ran inside the place when he smelled the aroma of hot meals being served. They checked their reservation and, thank god, got a great table. Soon a waiter with a fake smile kept on for pure obligation asked for their orders. Eyeing the kids barely keeping it together, staring at the basket of bread as if it was some sort of rare item, Shane picked up the menu and ordered an absurd amount of food. Lots of chicken wings dipped on spicy sauce, french fries with olive oil and herbs, one small pepperoni pizza, medium portion of quesadilla and a basket with a mix of different nacho flavors. It will do. When he finished listing almost all of the items on the menu one very scared, or maybe impressed, waiter left to go deliver his order to the kitchen.

“Food will get here soon, kids, don’t worry.” he looked at them reassuringly.

Steven looked up and his tired expression was replaced by a huge smile, which left Shane feeling pretty smug. He was capable of making those kids feel the joy of life again. Then he noticed Steven poking Andrew on the forehead, which only made the other one glare at him. But it was all he need, pointing at something behind them he whispered something for Andrew. Andrew perked up on his seat and managed a small smile when he saw whatever Steven asked him to look. Shane couldn’t hear what they were saying so he turned to look for whatever got them all so happy. You gotta be fucking kidding me.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Ryan Bergara was there at the hall gesticulating like a maniac while talking with the maître. Shane of course still felt the urge to fight Bergara, but watching the other man arguing with someone, that wasn’t him, made some weird protection instinct kick in. It was almost like it was his duty to protect Ryan Bergara from all evil in the world. I’m so pathetic.

Deciding to ignore the situation was the best option for him, so he turned to look at the boys and noticed that Andrew wasn’t at his place anymore. Steven just shrugged and nodded his head in the direction of the teacher. I raised a snake. Shane thought bitterly as he watched Andrew talking with his teacher at the hall. Bergara was blushing and Andrew looked at him with one of his, perfected through the years, puppy eyes look and Shane rolled his eyes. Surely he was inviting Bergara to sit with them. There was one spare chair and Shane considered throwing it across the room for a second or maybe throwing himself across the room. Lost on his thoughts and still watching the chair squinting his eyes, Shane didn’t notice when Andrew got back to the table with the teacher.

“Hi, Shane… I mean Mr. Madej.” Bergara was blushing and stuttering and all of his previous thoughts of destroying the chair vanished. Boy, he was a handsome man.

“Hi. You can call me Shane Madej.” Stupid mouth. “I mean, Shane. Call me Shane” Shane got up awkwardly, bumping on the table and almost knocking down everything. He shaked Bergara’s extended hand vigorously. Then Shane helped Ryan sit, which obviously made things worse. Internally he was a mess, an eternal replay on his mind of Gordon Ramsay calling him an idiot sandwich.

Steven and Andrew were sat on VIP places to watch the show unroll in front of them. They kept snickering and whispering thing to each other, which left Shane no option but to make small talk with Ryan Fucking Bergara as they waited for the food. When the meal arrived he kicked Andrew on his shins and got the boys to talk with the teacher, who seemed to relax and appreciate better his meal.

After they ordered the dessert and were waiting for it to arrive, Shane noticed Andrew leaning in on Steven’s direction to whisper something then he got up abruptly and announced he was going to the bathroom. But before he left he winked to his dad, and Shane knew this was no teenage hook-up-on-the-bathroom plan. No. It was a masterplan to leave him alone with Begara. And his suspicions were soon confirmed when Steven giving him an apologetic smile left to go to the bathroom too.

When they left Ryan began to laugh which caused Shane to look at him with an arched eyebrow. “What?” he managed between giggles. “It’s just that no matter how many years have passed teenagers will always try the bathroom excuse to go make out.”

“Yeah. The ol’ bathroom excuse to make out” he said through gritted teeth.

“They even try that at school!” Ryan wheezed. “I just look at them with one raised eyebrow and say ‘really? I’ll tell you kid, I invented this excuse. Go back to your work’.”

Shane’s annoyance left just as soon as it arrived. He looked at Ryan with glinting eyes and in a malicious tone asked. “You’re telling me, you skipped class to make out with girls in the bathroom, Bergara? The shame”

Ryan gulped and stared at Shane mortified. And stuttering a bit he managed to spit out the words. “I-I supp-suppose at the time they were girls.” he sipped his cranberry lemonade and eyeing Shane by the corner of his eye said in a much clearer voice. “You can call me Ryan, you know.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed. It’s rude.” Shane’s heart was beating so fast that he felt like it was going to escape his chest. “Considering that people always assume I’m heterosexual or just deny my bisexuality, I should’ve known better.” he didn’t want to look at the man sat by his side. He knew the look of disgust people generally had on their faces when he admitted his sexuality.

“Bisexual? That’s nice.” Ryan’s voice was so sweet that Shane had to look up. He was looking at him with those gleaming eyes and soft mouth curved into a beautiful smile. Shane smiled back.

“I guess it is.”

Ryan sipped his drink again. Coughed a few times then turned to Shane. “So, Andrew was telling me some other day after class, that you work at Disney?” then after stealing one of his fries added. “Your son really loves you, he’s always talking about you.”

“Yeah, I do. I work at the animations studio.” he was torn between hugging Andrew and cutting his allowance. He’s basically selling me to his teacher as if I’m a cow.

“That’s so cool! I love Disney!” he now was turning his whole body on Shane’s direction. “You see, I have this friend, Helen, and we go every year to Disney together. It was where our friendship sort of began.”

“That’s really sweet. I, too, love Disney. Otherwise I wouldn’t work for them.” he also tuned his body. Their legs were touching.

Ryan looked at their legs, coughed a bit and blushing continued to make small talk. “Yeah, you don’t strike me as the type of man who would work at a place you hated.” his eyes followed Shane’s movements as he sipped on his green tea. Ryan shook his head. “Hmm… Working on any new projects? The new Moana maybe?”

Shane didn’t listen the question since he was too focused on studying those full lips moving. Quickly, he reached for his tea. When he noticed Ryan waiting for something, he apologized and asked him to repeat the question. Questions about his new projects always got him excited. He would feel like a secret agent when he asked for secrecy and judging by Ryan’s expression, he was probably into it. Shane and Ryan leaned on the direction of each other, and Ryan’s legs were now between Shane’s. They were whispering but sometimes, one of them would laugh too loud (Ryan) and other would smile like a stupid RomCom guy (Shane).

The kids got back to the table at some point, but the two of them barely acknowledged them. Their desserts were left untouched in front of their places. Shane had to admit that maybe Ryan had some great ideas. Well, and some not so great. “What if they are like the ghostbusters?! But they hunt sea creatures instead of ghosts.”

“Are you insane?” The boys would chuckle and Shane would just keep shooting questions at Ryan.

“You said you wanted two girls, right? What about two girls that investigate allegedly haunted locations around the world. The skeptic one could be a ghost that came back to have some fun at the cost of the other girl. Always pulling pranks and ordering other spirits to scare the believer who is obsessed with finding proof of ghosts existence.”

“Ryan Bergara, you are basically telling me to make a genderbent version of yourself.” Shane chuckled.

“Shut up, Shane. There’s more” he rolled his eyes. “The skeptic girl liked to scare the other girl at the beginning. But then they started to go to more dangerous places and she began to protect her and grew fond of the tiny scared, yet brave sometimes, human. I’m not saying there needs to be a romantic relationship, since they are teens, but they can be really good friends.”

“I like this. A lot. Even the romantic part.” then smirking a bit he added. “Now it definitely doesn’t seem like you are trying to be the smaller girl.”

“Well, for me it does sound like genderbent fanfiction of you two” Steven mumbled to Andrew

“What did you say, Steven?” Shane nervously asked as he eyed Ryan. I guess he didn’t hear it. But he’s blushing a bit.

“Nothing.” Andrew replied while glaring daggers at his sleepy boyfriend. “He just ate too much cake.”

“I guess we should be going.” Shane said as he started to look for the waiter to ask for their check.

“Yeah, it’s probably better. I need to take the bus home. We need to see how much I…” Ryan began but was cut off by Shane.

“No need. This dinner is on me. Would like a ride home?” Bergara shook his head. “Then I guess you should be going.” Shane added a bit off.

Ryan got up and said his goodbyes. Shane watched him walking out of the restaurant and something ached on his chest. He left his credit card for Andrew. “Meet me outside kiddo”. Just after he got out of the restaurant there was no sign of the man nearby, then Shane saw a small bus stop in the distance and a small figure walking in the direction of it. Shane ran.

The bus stop was close when he felt a hand touching his shoulder which startled him “Fuck, sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” a familiar voice made him relax and Ryan turned to stare at its owner.

“Hi. Again.”

“Yeah, I could’ve asked you on twitter, but I guess my brain thought it was a better idea to ran after you in the dark.” Shane was rambling. “And you have no clue of what I’m talking about and…” a small hand slapped his arm and Shane looked at Ryan half surprised and half in pain. “What…”

“Just spit it out, Shane”

He looked at Ryan and gaining back his non-justified confidence ‘spat it out’. “I was wondering if you you would like to meet me tomorrow at a coffee shop. It’s a small place, very intimate. We talk about my new cartoon and maybe other stuff.” I can’t believe I’m asking my son’s teacher on a date.

“Like a date?” Ryan’s voice was hopeful.

“No” Yes. “I mean, maybe.”

Ryan smirked and added before making a signal for the bus approaching the stop. “Then DM me the details for our date of Schrodinger, Madej”

[banjofeed]

ok so ryan gets REALLY scared after one of the cases shane notices it and invites him to his house without making a big deal about it and ryan is so touched by this gesture in the morning he tries to fix breakfast but he can't cook so he just takes a box of cereal when shane wakes up he looks for ryan and ryan explains what happened and shane actually laughs and why is he looking at ryan like he's the best thing he's ever seen?

osidfjaosf it took me like ten years to write this it felt like…. it ended up a little bit longer than i thought it would lmao

“It’s okay, there’s no one here, everything is fine…” Ryan mumbled like a chant to himself as he took tentative steps forward through the house.

Shane looked over at his friend; Ryan often got spooked when they went to these places, but something felt a little different tonight. Ryan never liked demons, and this house was supposed to have an infestation. Shane was even refraining from trying to scare Ryan, cause while this was all bullshit to him, Ryan was terrified of the demon nest he thought was below them.

“You okay, Ry?” he asked softly, so he wouldn’t scare him.

Ryan blinked and looked over at him and tried to act tough.

“Yeah, yeah, dude, I’m fine.”

Ten minutes later, he broke after he heard loud banging from the basement. Even Shane had to admit that it had startled him, and they saw no source of the noises when they went down to investigate. Ryan swore he heard a voice saying his name right before a lamp fell from a shelf and shattered across the room. Ryan was out of there within seconds, and Shane was a little unsettled as the banging continued.

It was barely past midnight when Ryan started freaking out.

“Shane, I can’t do this, I can’t stay here, I can’t-” Ryan burst out, his breath heavy and shaky.

Shane shushed him softly, pulling Ryan close and rubbing his back comfortingly.

“Okay, we can go. We can finish the video later,” Shane said softly. “Come on, get your stuff, let’s get you out of here.”

Ryan seemed trying to fight back tears as he gathered his stuff quickly, and Shane didn’t say anything as he collected the cameras. Ryan had driven them there, but Shane took the keys from Ryan and made him sit in the passenger’s seat. They apologized to the camera for not staying the whole night, then shut it off. Shane didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes on the road.

“I’m sorry…” Ryan mumbled, his voice still shaking. “You probably think I’m such a wuss.”

“Well, I already thought that.” Shane said teasingly before being serious again. “Honestly though, I didn’t very much like that house either.”

“Really?” Ryan asked incredulously.

“Yeah… I’m not saying ghosts and demons are real, but the banging was unsettling.” Shane clarified before Ryan’s ego inflated.

Ryan giggled, “Are you sure, cause what I’m hearing is “ghosts are real”, Shane…”

Shane rolled his eyes, “Whatever, dummy.”

Ryan giggled again, and Shane couldn’t help but smile as well.

After about 20 minutes of driving in silence, Shane glanced over to see that Ryan was fast asleep, his head against the window. He felt a warmth in his chest at the sight, and looked back to the road with a soft smile on his lips.

It was nearly 2 AM when Shane finally parked Ryan’s car in front of his apartment complex. He softly shook Ryan’s shoulder.

“Hey, bud. I took you to my place, hope you don’t mind.”

Ryan reached up and rubbed his eyes, “No that’s fine, thanks. You could have just taken me home though.”

“I figured you could sleep here tonight so you wouldn’t be alone. I mean, I can if you want me to.” Shane said, preparing to start the car again.

“NO! Uh.. I mean, no, that’s okay. Thanks…” Ryan said, almost sounding shy.

Shane smiled, letting his hand fall back to his lap with his car key.

They got out of the car slowly, stretching out their legs from the traveling. Shane grabbed the camera equipment, not wanting to leave it in the car, just in case. Ryan grabbed his duffel bag while Shane shouldered his on, holding out the house keys for Ryan to take since he wasn’t carrying as much.

Ryan took them and lead the way to Shane’s doorstep while the other man made sure the car was locked. Ryan fumbled with the key for a few seconds before Shane came up behind him and informed him that he was holding it upside down.

“I tried it that way first!” Ryan said, disgruntled, as he opened and walked through the door.

“Sure you did, Ryan,” Shane said in mild sarcasm, too tired to really mess with him.  

“Dick…” Ryan muttered as he set him stuff down. “So am I on.. the couch or…”

Shane noticed that Ryan didn’t seem very comfortable with sleeping in the living room, which was understandable considering the place they had just fled from.

“Nah, you can have the bed. I’m fine with sleeping on the couch, I just gotta get a blanket.” Shane replied, setting the equipment down carefully before showing Ryan to his room with nothing more than a head nod to signal to follow.

Ryan was quieter than normal, but Shane just attributed it to exhaustion from the long and crazy night. So he didn’t think much of it as Ryan padded behind him to his bedroom.

“Sorry it’s a little messy, I didn’t think I’d have company over.” Shane said sheepishly as he kicked a dirty t-shirt out from in front of the door.

“No, it’s fine,” Ryan mumbled, stepping into the room behind him.

Shane stepped towards the closet, grabbing an extra blanket from the top as he said, “Well, make yourself comfortable, I’ll just grab this blanket and be-”

“Can you stay.”

Shane paused, lowering the blanket down a little. It was less of a question and more of a loud, frantic demand, and Ryan looked mortified as Shane met his gaze.

“Sorry, that was stupid- I’ll just… I, uh..” Ryan stuttered, his face turning beet red in the dim light from Shane’s bedside lamp, looking anywhere but at the slightly bewildered man in front of him.

Shane slowly put the blanket back up into the closet and stepped out, shutting it behind him. He bit his lip for a moment before looking back at Ryan, who had quieted himself down out of embarrassment and was looking at the ground as if it would tell him what to say next.

“Get in the bed, ya doofus. Let me lock the front door and turn out the lights and then we can have a little slumber party. Just like at all the spooky, supposedly haunted houses! Except this time, it’s not haunted!” Shane said in his usual joking manner, heading for the door before pausing and turning back to Ryan with a look. “Or is it?”

“Shut up Shane, you’re a dick!” Ryan laughed, his awkwardness subsiding now that all seemed to be normal.

Shane went to the front door and made sure it was locked, turned out the lights on his way back to his room, and closed the bedroom door behind him. Ryan was sitting on the edge of the bed, not sure exactly where to put himself without Shane being there.

“I don’t know why you’re so awkward about us sharing a bed, we do it all the time for videos,” Shane remarked as he climbed into bed without a second thought, leaving room for the other man on his, admittedly small, bed.

“Well yeah but… I don’t know. That house really shook me up I guess…” Ryan mumbled as he climbed under the covers.

Ryan bit his lip as he realized there was no way for them to have their usual pillow between them, and his heart was already pounding faster at the slight contact. Shane seemed to notice his discomfort as he settled in after turned off the lamp.

“You okay, Ry?” he asked softly, nudging Ryan’s arm with his.

Ryan jumped slightly, startled. “Yeah, I… Sorry, I… I guess I didn’t want to be alone after that…”

Shane was quiet for a moment, and Ryan wondered if he’d maybe fallen asleep. Then suddenly the bed shifted, and Ryan felt one of Shane’s arms go under his pillow, the other wrapping gently around his chest.

“Is this okay?” Shane’s soft voice whispered.

Ryan’s heart was pounding so fast he was surprised that Shane wasn’t calling him out for it. He stuttered out a noise of confirmation, biting back a surprised yelp as Shane pulled him closer.

Ryan was now pressed against Shane’s chest, and he could hear Shane’s steady heartbeat as one of Shane’s hands gently rubbed his back.

“I could tell that this case really got to you… I, uh… I’m not very good at comforting people… but I guess this is something I can do. So just relax… If any ghosts or demons want to get you, they’ll have to go through me first.” Shane said softly, his breath ghosting along Ryan’s hair.

Ryan bit his lip for a moment, feeling tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Shane’s hand continued to graze soothingly over Ryan’s back, and Ryan shifted to make himself comfortable in this position, his head fully pressed to Shane’s chest.

“Thank you,” he choked out before the room went quiet.

Shane just sighed in response, and Ryan closed his eyes, feeling safe in Shane’s arms. His heartbeat was like a lullaby, and if Ryan wasn’t in love with Shane before… how could he not be now?

It was the sun that woke Ryan. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. Shane was on his back, one hand hanging off the bed, the other around Ryan’s waist. Their legs were tangled together and Ryan had been using Shane’s chest as a pillow. Ryan felt his face heat up a little upon realizing this, and he slowly made his way out of Shane’s bed, careful not to wake him. He looked at the sleeping man for a moment, lost in the moment with a small grin of disbelief. He blinked, snapping himself out of it. He carefully walked to the other side of the room and opened the door, shutting it behind him quietly. He padded to the kitchen in his socks, wanting to repay Shane by making him breakfast. It was the least he could do. He looked around the kitchen for a moment, trying to think of what Shane might want… or what he was even able to make. He opened the fridge and looked inside. Milk, eggs, butter, leftover Thai food, a few beer cans. He closed the fridge and started looking through the cabinets. Plates and bowls, cups, chips, other snacks, cereal, canned beans, a loaf of bread.

‘Eggs and toast?’, Ryan thought to himself before a memory of the fire alarm going off and Helen having to put out a small fire while he panicked came to him. ‘… Maybe not…’

He went back to the cabinet and pulled out the box of Captain Crunch from the shelf. He looked at it for a moment. Was this really the best he could do? He sighed as he admitted that yes, this was the best he could do.

He had just put the milk back in the fridge when Shane emerged from his cave, his hair disheveled and his eyes still a little bleary. Ryan smiled sheepishly at him as he walked into the kitchen.

“I, uh…. I wanted to say thanks for last night… It- um… It meant a lot to me. And I wanted to make you breakfast to repay you but uh…. Then I realized that I have no cooking skills whatsoever, and all I could make was a bowl of cereal,” Ryan said, trying not to laugh from the slight embarrassment.

Shane broke into a smile, giggling a little as he took the bowl from Ryan. “Thanks.”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh as Shane took a bite and nodded approvingly and overdramatically.

“Wow Ryan, I’m- I’m impressed! How did you manage to get the flavors of the cereal and the milk to mix so wonderfully? It’s incredible!”

“Shut up, you dick,” Ryan wheezed.

“I’m- I’m serious Ryan, you could travel the world with your amazing talents!” Shane shouted with dramatic flair, ending in a fit of giggles.

“You’re such a douche,” Ryan said, although the fondness and humor in his voice said otherwise.

“Do you really not know how to cook though? Like.. Nothing?” Shane asked once he calmed himself a bit.

“No, otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here embarrassing myself by giving you a god damn bowl of Captain Crunch,” Ryan deadpanned with a look at Shane.

“I could teach you how to cook,” Shane offered nonchalantly as he scooped another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

“Wait, what? Really? You can cook?” Ryan asked in surprise.

“Well, you don’t need to sound so shocked,” Shane said in a nearly offended tone before explaining, “I used to cook with my mom all the time, and she taught me a few things so that I would be able to live on my own. Honestly, how do you not? How have you been feeding yourself all these years?”

“Chipotle. And ramen. Occasionally Taco Bell,” Ryan listed.

“Jesus Christ, how are you alive? That settles it, you are going to learn how to cook, Ryan Bergara. Every Saturday.” Shane stated, not leaving any room for argument.

Ryan shook his head, letting out a small breath of laughter as Shane tipped the bowl back like a cup, drinking the remaining milk. After last night, he thought that maybe it would be different, probably more awkward, between them. But everything seemed normal and natural now. Ryan didn’t want to imagine what stupid things he might say during the cooking lessons, but that would be a problem for future and probably in gay-panic mode Ryan. But for now, he was happy to crack jokes with his best friend in the kitchen, just enjoying each other’s company.

[artificialqueens]

Never Too Old Chapter 8 (Biadore) - China

AN: Sorry it took a while to post, I had to work on the other chapters, but I decided to post this one already so others don’t have to wait anymore. Well anyway, just a clarification, I only change the names and pronouns if the characters are in drag. So I’m sorry if this is badly written and that it’s confusing. But I do hope you guys still enjoy this story. There’s more to come.

Also, I added a scene without Roy and Danny, I couldn’t resist.

December 15, 2016 7:43 AM

Morning finally came, Danny woke up from the small sounds coming from his phone. He rubbed his eyes and turned around; he was hoping to see Roy’s sleeping face and plant kisses on him to wake up. But he immediately sat up to see that Roy was gone.

His heart started to beat fast, feeling a bit scared. He was trying to convince himself that maybe he’s just overthinking or maybe Roy went out to buy something. But it felt hopeless for Danny to be rational towards himself, his feelings took over again. He was surprised with how fast it shrouded his mind.

This wasn’t the first time this happened to him, his mind started flash back all the times he woke up alone in his bed feeling cheap from the night before. It hurt even more when the person he sleeps with immediately leaves right after sex. Danny hasn’t really cuddled up to anyone the morning after, and he wished that Roy would be there when he wakes up.

He felt his lips shake and tears started to fall from his eyes. His breathing got faster, almost at the point of panicking. Before he could step out of the bed, he saw the door open. He saw Roy slowly entering the door carefully holding a breakfast tray, he paused when he saw Danny sitting up. Roy saw how flushed and scared his expression was, he immediately placed the tray on the counter and climbed on the bed to hug Danny.

“Hey? What happened?” Roy softly said, caressing his back. He wiped the tears away from Danny’s eyes and showered his forehead with kisses. Danny dug his head on Roy’s chest and started crying, he clenched on Roy’s shirt and let his tears fall.

His heart was overflowing with emotions, this was his Achilles foot in life; letting his heart and emotions win. He wishes that he could stop being like that, he gets worried his friends have a hard time dealing with it, especially with Roy. He’s lucky enough that at least his mom is starting to understand his situation better. His brothers and sisters were always the ones to condition him to be better with his attitude and feelings. In times like this and if he still had the strength to think, he would replay the words from his brother, Ernie:

“You have the right to feel what you wanna feel. They’re your feelings and you’re just feeling. But always pick yourself after and keep moving forward.”

He took a deep breath and wiped his tears away, he gently pulled away from Roy and looked up at him. “I’m sorry.” He said, smiling at Roy. “I thought you ran off or something.”

“Ran off? Why would I do that?” Roy asked, his eyebrows scrunched up, a bit confused with what Danny said. He wouldn’t do that to Danny, Roy understands that he would get scared of that and he knows about the times Danny got ditched by the guys he sleeps with. Roy knows he would never do that to Danny and he knows he’s not that much of a jerk. He grabbed Danny’s face and made him look straight into his eyes. “I’m always gonna be here, Danny.” Without hesitation, he pressed his lips on Danny’s.

Danny blushed at what Roy said and kissed him back, he was relieved that he was still there and that the way Roy was feeling for him was the same. Danny was scared that Roy changed his mind already about being with him and left. It was the usual feelings he gets when it comes to having sex with someone for the first time.

He was telling himself to stop feeling so much again, and maybe have more faith in the situation. Having sex with Roy the night before, meant everything to him. So it would have crushed him if Roy would just leave right after that.

Sometimes Danny wishes he could stop being like this; too emotional for his own good. He was diagnosed with depression back in his teenage years from trauma with his dad but as the years pass by he felt himself get better with it. He does admit that it’s still there and that he can’t really escape from it. But the way his emotions are, they take the best of him.

Danny could still feel Roy’s lips, they were still soft as ever, it made his heart melt under the touch. His hands slowly held Roy’s neck and they deepened the kiss.

“Roy, do you know where the— oh shit.” Shane said as he swung the door open and stopped himself when he saw the both of them kissing and discovering that Danny was naked. Both of them pulled away from each other and Danny immediately pulled the blanket to cover himself.

“What the hell, Shane?! Don’t you know how to knock?!” Roy scolded the blonde while sitting on the ledge of the bed. Shane couldn’t help but crack a big smile on his face. Within seconds he’s already figured out what has happened which led to this situation, his cheek-to-cheek smile wouldn’t fade away as he slowly moved towards the bed. Danny dropped his face on his hands and smiled as well but he couldn’t help but feel so embarrassed.

“You two already know what I’m gonna say, but congratulations! You finally had sex!” Shane almost screamed, knowing Dan was gonna hear it from outside the living room. Shane jumped into bed with his two friends and hugged both of them.

Roy gave a face to Shane and scoffed. “Why are you so happy? Were you waiting for it to happen or something?”

“Well… yes. Ever since you two have been sharing rooms during our first Pride parade after our season. Remember? In Toronto?” Shane stated, still hugging Danny.

“You really seem happy about it.” Roy added, shaking his head.

Danny couldn’t help but hug Shane back, he giggled at the two arguing. Shane knew that Danny has been wanting to get Roy to sleep with him, even before they got together. So he gets why Shane is really happy. These are the moments where Danny would feel so much love for Shane, he was always the best person to go to when he felt lost with his life or with his feelings about Roy.

Shane pulled away from the younger man and smiled again at the two. “Well, I see that Roy was romantic enough to bring you after sex breakfast, so I’ll leave you two love birds to that.” He said cheerfully while getting off the bed.

“Wait, what was your question? You were asking something when you barged in the room” Roy remembered. Shane turned around again and gently slapped his palm on his forehead.

“Right right, by any chance do you know where the spices are? You were cooking this morning and I can’t find them.”

“Really? I placed them in the cupboard above the microwave.” Roy said flatly, close to deadpan. He already wanted Shane to leave.

“Oh alright, I’ll go check it out.” He said opening the bedroom door. “Enjoy your morning.” He said giving them a two thumbs up and a wink to Roy.

The two watch the door close, Roy let out a sigh of relief that they were both alone again. He looked over at Danny, and this time he wasn’t sad, he was looking at Roy with a gentle smile. Roy felt his heart shoot up to his throat when he saw how the light from the snowy morning beamed perfectly on Danny. It felt like a dream for Roy, Danny was beautiful and he could feel himself melt in this presence.

“So you cooked me breakfast?” Danny softly said, breaking the silence and his hand finding Roy’s.

Roy couldn’t help but blush, he looked down at their hands and gently caressed Danny’s and smiled. “Yeah I did. I’m not much of a cook though. But I know you only eat cereal for breakfast so I decided to make you something different.”

Danny chuckled at the fact that Roy was right. The sound of Danny’s laugh was endearing for Roy. It was his favorite sound at that moment, Roy thought that he was a comedian and wondered why he wasn’t using his skills to make Danny smile and laugh more often.

“That’s true. But I love my Froot Loops.” Danny said smiling at his partner. Roy smiled back and finally took the breakfast tray and placed it gently on Danny’s lap. It was a presentable dish, a fluffy omelet with two pieces of toast and a side of fresh tomatoes. Danny was amazed on how perfect the toast looked, it was the actual golden brown he’s seen on television.

He picked up the toast and grazed the fork on it, hearing the perfect crunchy sound. “This is some Gordon Ramsey shit, Roy. How did you do it?” Danny said taking a bite from the toast. It tasted better than how it looked.

Roy enjoyed the sight of Danny happily munching on the toast. “Well, I just know how to use a toaster.” He chuckled, he leaned forward to kiss Danny on his forehead. “Plus I have the same toaster back in my apartment, so I know how to use it.”

Danny smiled at Roy, his mouth full of food. Roy loved these moments; he loved seeing Danny indulge in his own world and just enjoy without caring about anything else. It was a beautiful thing for him, it seemed really ordinary but it felt so much more to him. He watched Danny shove another spoonful in his mouth and trying to talk with his mouth full. Danny would offer a spoon to Roy, and he would accept the offer and get fed by Danny.

Between both of them, Roy was more afraid of what is gonna come from the relationship they have. But after the events from this morning, he realized they were both scared but for different reasons. Danny was scared to lose Roy, he knew that. But Roy was scared about the future, he isn’t getting any younger and he wasn’t sure if he was the right person to be with Danny.

He looks at Danny, his sweet smile radiating the mood and the tone of his voice was completely different, it sent a warmth to Roy’s heart. There has been many instances where Roy would question his romantic feelings towards the younger one but he always shrugged it off. Now that they started something new, shared their first kiss and made love, Roy’s vision on it was clearer and it was a shock to him. Every time he heard Danny giggle or smile or even say his name, Roy’s heart would skip a beat.

He grabbed Danny’s hand, held it close to his chest and leaned in for another kiss. Danny, a bit surprised by the gesture, happily responded. Their lips were connected again, the spark was always there, flowing back and forth through their bodies. Roy gently pulled away and caressed his thumb on Danny’s scruffy cheek. At that moment, Roy felt himself falling for Danny.

———————————————————————————————————

December 19, 2016 4:55 AM

It was their last day in Colorado, they already brought their bags to the car and Roy made sure the apartment was clean as ever before they leave. He even bought new plants for Jerick’s sister as a thanks for letting them stay, luckily he brought some of his Bianca del Rio merchandise and left it for her as another gift.

Shane and Danny went out to buy some snacks for their drive to Las Vegas. Shane decided that they would spend one night in Utah and continue the next day. But Roy insisted they would drive straight to Las Vegas, him and Danny agreed to take turns half way through the travel. Roy just needed a cup of coffee before they leave.

Dan was fixing the bags inside the trunk of the car again, Roy just exited the building and headed towards the tall friend.

“Did we leave anything?” Dan said to Roy as he finished aligning the suitcases. Roy reached for his pocket and showed him a small box.

“I’m pretty sure this is yours ‘cause I’ve already finished mine.” Roy said handing him the box of condoms. “I rather not waste that, condoms are fucking expensive.”

Dan felt slightly embarrassed that Roy had to return the condoms, but he just laughed and kept them in his coat pocket. He paused a bit and looked at Roy, feeling like it was the best time he would open this up to Roy.

“Hey, can I ask a question?” Dan leaned on the car, waiting for Roy’s response.

“You already asked one. But go ahead.” Roy quickly said. He finished a text to Danny and when he hit send he looked up at Dan and kept his phone in his pocket. Dan simply chuckled at how fast Roy responded, he fixed his position and took a deep breath. Roy raised an eyebrow, sensing that this question was serious.

“Do you think Shane takes me seriously?” He finally asked. Roy was a bit caught off-guard with this question, Shane has never made men stay long enough to ask this question. Roy’s mind started rushing for an answer, which is pretty obvious for him.

“Well if you ask me, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t bother inviting you to this road trip, Dan.” Roy answered, he looked at Dan noticing that the tall man was really concerned with the topic. “I mean, if you were just another guy, then he wouldn’t have invited you and had sex with different men already. One for each stop over.” Roy managed to make a joke, he laughed at himself but when he looked at Dan still giving the same face and his smile immediately faded. Roy knows that Dan has gotten out of a long term relationship way before getting with Shane and comparing him to Shane, Dan knows how to be in a serious relationship. Maybe he wanted to be in one with Shane.

Dan kept quiet and stared up to the sky, it started snowing and the breeze got colder by the seconds. Roy immediately placed his hands inside his jacket and watched his breath wafting in the cold air. He takes another look at Dan, he doesn’t really know what Dan wants from this relationship.

“You know…” Roy started. “Shane is the kind of person who wouldn’t want to tie himself down. He has been in a long term relationship before but it didn’t work out for him so it made him want to see men casually, nothing serious.” Roy leaned on the car next to Dan. he stared at the sidewalk for a moment to think about what else to say. He looked up again at Dan and smiled. “You’re lucky, Dan.”

“I am?” Dan said back. “I mean, sometimes I feel like it’s not really that convincing since Shane has that history and mine makes it seem like I’m still hung over my ex.”

“Well, the past shouldn’t matter.”

“I guess I’m not used to this. I mean, I want us to be official but I don’t want to scare him off with commitment.”

Roy had to pause a bit, realizing that maybe what Dan wanted is also something that Danny wanted also. It did scare Roy, it still has but now it seems a bit different. He wants to be with Danny, but he didn’t want to think that Danny was scaring him with commitment. Roy looked back at Dan and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Do you love Shane?” He asked, thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned it since it’s too soon. Dan looked down at the snow covering his shoes and played with them.

“I do. I’m in love with Shane.” Dan said in a shaky voice. He gave Roy a half-hearted smile and looked back down at his feet. “I even told him. But he hasn’t said anything yet.”

Roy felt like he choked on his own saliva. He hasn’t heard anything from Shane about it, but maybe he’s already telling Danny right now. Roy took his hand down and placed it back in his pocket, the breeze was getting colder.

“Is Shane avoiding you?” Roy said, breaking the silence between the two. Dan nodded his head sideways, supposedly to be relieved he isn’t but it didn’t seem like a good thing for Dan.

Dan finally broke into a smile, something that Roy was waiting since the conversation started. “It’s alright, I mean, that’s what love is. You should be patient.” He finally said, looking straight at Roy. “At least I know that Shane is yet to answer me.”

Roy swallowed hard, his mind was running faster than a while ago. At that point, he was trying his best to think about Shane but what was so dominant was Danny. Roy’s heart was beating fast, like it was beating against his chest about to explode. He loves Danny. Roy is in love with Danny. It was something that hit him so hard, harder than the day he admitted it to himself. He couldn’t stop the feeling, he started blinking fast and felt his mouth run dry.

“Dan!” a familiar voice called from afar. Roy and Dan turned around to see Shane running towards them. Shane wrapped his arms around Dan’s neck and hugged him tight. Roy was looking at how happy the two are as they share a kiss. Roy turned his head again and everything seemed to stop. It was those moments when time would stop for Roy and the world was on pause. He saw Danny walking towards him, giving him the most beautiful smile Roy has ever seen. Moments ago, Roy’s heart was beating so fast but when he laid eyes on Danny, the beating became slower, and he could feel everything.

Roy knew he couldn’t breathe when Danny approached him and laid a hand on his cheek. “You okay, baby?” Danny softly asked. Roy didn’t know what to do or say but there was one thing he could only think about. He pressed his lips on Danny the moment he laid his eyes on them, Danny was starting to like it when Roy would kiss him out of nowhere. Danny gently pulled away, his hand was resting on Roy’s chest. He felt a bit shy kissing in front of Shane and Dan but when Danny turned to see where they were, they were at the other side of the car making out.

Danny and Roy were a bit surprised that they were already doing that, Danny chuckled and looked back at Roy. He gently pulled Roy’s face closer to lay a soft kiss on his cheek. Roy could feel himself blush at the contact, he looked back at Danny and smiled. He wanted to kiss Danny again but he didn’t want to join Shane and Dan.

“I’m sure Dan talked to you about it, huh?” Danny said, happily looking at Shane and Dan.

“Yep. But I’m gonna assume that Shane talked to you about it and figured it out on his own.” Roy smirked, he realized that Danny was holding a plastic bag of snacks and grabbed it from Danny. He opened the passenger’s side of the car and placed the bag on the seat and closed it. The impact made Shane and Dan stop kissing and giggled at each other. They didn’t say anything, Dan opened the door for Shane and they hopped in the back of the car.

Roy stepped in the driver’s seat and waited till Danny settled down inside. He started the ignition and started driving out to the highway. It was gonna be a long drive for them, and they might arrive in the evening. Danny found out there is a drag show in Vegas, Joey and Michael Steck was gonna be the main event so the four agreed to attend. Luckily the show was going to be on the following night, so they have one night to rest from the travel.

Roy didn’t realize he’s been driving for a while now. The three were asleep already, Roy had to stop a few times to pay the toll fee and continued driving. He could already see the sky turn into morning, the silence was deafening for him even with Danny’s music playing in the background. Roy had to depend on his thoughts for now, which was a risky thing for him.

When it came to love, Roy had his heart locked for most of the time. He was always protective over it, even when he was with Jason. When he thinks of his situation with Danny, it seemed like Danny has already been picking his wall down already and all that Roy had to do was to acknowledge his presence. There was something about Danny that Roy had a soft side for and it was a bizarre thing for him.

He glanced at Danny a couple of times, realizing that he’s already gone far with him and it was a good thing for Roy. He didn’t want to look back, but the fear was still there. Roy despised himself for always reminding himself about it; the future of their relationship. It hasn’t been long but he’s already tired of it, over thinking and doubting the situation. There was something holding him back and at this point, he can’t figure out what it is or how to stop it and he wanted it to stop.

———————————————————————————————————

December 19, 2016 8:09 PM

The four finally arrived in Spring Valley, Las Vegas, Shane decided they would stay at The Orleans Hotel and Casino. Shane looked at Roy and asked him if it felt like home which made him very annoyed. Shane and Dan were already inside their hotel room, Danny and Roy said good night and went on with their evening alone.

Shane was fixing his clothes by the bed, thinking of what to wear for the drag show they were going on the following night. Dan just got off the shower and entered the room, he looked at Shane and smiled. He approached the blonde and hugged him from behind. Shane immediately turned around and kissed him, his hands gently resting on Dan’s face.

They both pulled away and smiled at each other. Dan couldn’t feel anything but love for him. His eyes changed mood, worried if Shane felt the same for him.

Shane picked up a shirt and handed it to Dan, he accepted and immediately wore it. Dan hopped onto the bed and Shane followed after he placed the suitcase on the floor.

He cuddled up to Dan and looked up at him. “I’m slightly worried about the both of them.” He softly said.

Dan looked at Shane and combed his hand through his blonde hair. “Why? I thought they were going strong?”

“Well… it may seem like that but I know they both are having problems about it.”

“Danny told you?”

“Kind of.” Shane fell quiet for a bit thinking about it. “Danny is so in love with Roy but he doesn’t know if Roy does as well. He wants to be with him badly but his personal problems are still there and he doesn’t want Roy to get tired of him because of that.”

“Okay, go on.” Dan said as he sat up and looked at Shane.

“Roy on the other hand, is scared of hurting Danny.” Shane sat up as well and scratched his head. “He’s still worried that he’s too old for him and that he might not be the right person for Danny.”

“I thought Roy was in love with Danny?”

“Is he?”

Dan shrugged, he knows he can’t give a sure answer since he’s not close to either Danny or Roy. He looked at his partner and gave his usual assuring smiles. “Don’t stress out so much about it, babe.”

“I’m just worried this will end badly.” Shane replied looking down. Dan can tell he really is worried, he knows how much Danny and Roy meant to him. So he would know it would really hurt Shane if something bad would happen.

“Just let them sort things out on their own, it’s their relationship anyway. I know they will find clarity.” Dan was right, it really is their endeavor. Shane finally smiled at Dan and gave him another kiss.

Shane pulled away and held Dan’s face, his thumbs caressing the scruffy cheek. “Thank you.” He whispered. He looked at the lazy gaze of Dan’s eyes and smiled. “I love you.”

Dan’s eyes went wide and before he could say anything Shane placed a finger on his lips and kissed him again. The two fell on the bed and absorbed themselves in the new love that blossomed. It took a while for Shane to think about it, he hasn’t been in love in a long while but things are different with Dan. He felt things he hasn’t felt in a while and even if the sex is perfect, he feels safe and taken care with Dan. It makes Shane excited for what this has to bring and he does see something long term with Dan, he knows he’s made the right decision.

———————————————————————————————————

December 21, 2016 3:04 AM

The nightlife of Las Vegas seem like it was timeless, it was one of Roy’s favorite places to go to, but he only strongly agrees with that when he’s really drunk. The four ended up in a bar with Tatianna and Pandora Boxx after the show, they were both in drag but Tatianna decided to get out of drag before going home.

Shane and Dan went to get the car and drive Pandora back to her hotel since they got her really drunk. Danny and Roy decided to stay with Joey while he rubs the last of Tatianna from his face. Joey grabs his bags on the floor and headed towards the couple.

“Why don’t I bring you two love birds back to your hotel?” Joey said standing next to them. Danny looked at Roy and asked for his confirmation. Roy nodded to the both of them and the three headed towards Joey’s car that was parked beside the bar.

Roy hopped in the front seat with Joey while Danny crashed at the back seat, his head flat on the leather seats. Roy just smiled at the sight and looked back at Joey.

As the car started and Joey drove out of the parking lot, Danny immediately fell asleep and started snoring. It was a long drive back to their hotel, Joey’s hotel was just a few blocks away from theirs so he didn’t mind taking them.

“I’m honestly surprised you and Danny are a thing now.” Joey started, eyes still on the road. Roy chuckled and smiled to himself.

“I am too. But in a good way.” Roy replied, being honest with himself.

“How has he been though? Like after All Stars.” Joey finally said, he’s been wanting to ask that from someone else for a while. Even if Danny said it himself that he’s been fine but he hasn’t really been himself after that and Joey has noticed it.

Roy paused for a bit, deciding on whether he should tell him the truth or not. “Well… he still has his breakdowns. But lately, he’s been better.” Roy said, thinking that’s a safe answer. It feels uncomfortable for him to be the one to say it instead of Danny.

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Joey said. Roy wasn’t sure what to say after that and Joey didn’t seem to say anything else after that. Joey gave out a long and deep sigh and looked at Roy and smiled. “I’m gonna tell you this, Roy. You are fucking lucky to have him.”

Roy was a bit surprised with what he said, not sure where this was coming from.

“I hate to be straightforward with you and I honestly blame the shots we had but I really want to say this.” He gave a look at Roy when they stopped at a traffic light. “Adore is fucking crazy, with the whole making out with fans and free love and all that. But Danny, he is something. He has such a big heart and he has been hurt a lot and I know you know that. So if he shows affection to you and if he kisses you and only you, that means you mean a lot to him.”

Joey placed the car on drive again the moment the light turned green and took a right turn, they were already near the hotel. “But it’s good you took care of him after All Stars.”

Roy glanced at him, feeling a bit confused with what he said. Joey smiled, eyes still on the road. “I know he ran to you, Roy. He told me. So I know for a fact you are someone so special to him. I don’t know, take a chance at whatever you two have, you might regret it.”

Roy felt his throat run dry as Joey said these words, it was like he knew the entire situation of their relationship. He couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt from the things he’s saying because he doesn’t know and he’s not in their position. But he does appreciate Joey a lot, he is very straightforward with his opinions and he’s not the type to backstab anyone.

Joey entered the parking lot and stopped somewhere near the entrance. Roy looked at Joey and gave him a smile.

“I know he is. He’s important to me as well.” Roy said softly, looking at Danny sleeping and smiled weakly. “I may be a cold hearted bitch, but this guy really fucked me up and I’m glad he did.”

He felt Joey’s hand on his and they both looked at each other and smiled. They shared a brief hug and stepped out of the car. They woke up Danny, who was a bit upset that he had to get up and insisted that he’d sleep inside Joey’s car. Luckily Roy persuaded him to go up their room and before they parted, Danny gave a lazy hug to Joey and watched Joey drive off.

Danny was walking close to Roy, still a bit sleepy. “I really fell asleep the whole ride?” Danny asked, scratching his eyes. They entered the hotel lobby and headed straight towards the elevator. Roy chuckled and pressed the button, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

“Yeah you did. Flopped and knocked out.” Roy held Danny’s hand and gently led him inside the elevator when the doors opened. He pressed a few more buttons and they were both waiting to reach their floor. Danny leaned his head on Roy’s shoulder, and Roy couldn’t help but smile at him. Their hands intertwined again and Roy laid soft kisses on Danny’s head. They immediately stepped out once the doors opened to their floor.

The moment they opened the door to their room and Danny stepped inside, Roy closed the door and held Danny’s hand making him pause and look back at him. “What’s up?” Danny asked.

“Nothing…” Roy said, still holding his hand. He pulled Danny closer to him and placed his hand gently on his cheek. “I just want to let you know I’m always here for you.” Danny was a bit put off-guard with what Roy said, since nothing really bad happened. Roy caressed his thumb on Danny’s cheek and his lips, staring deep at his green eyes. “And that you make me really happy, Danny.”

“You make me really happy, Danny.” It was the only thing ringing in Danny’s head at that moment. His heart was beating fast and he couldn’t help but feel pulled into Roy’s eyes.

Danny felt his legs go weak, he could feel something with Roy’s stare. The eyes were the windows of the soul and it would betray both of them all the time. Even if Roy shows off this strong and impenetrable persona, but sometimes looking deep into his eyes would show you the truth behind it. It was the same with Danny, he would say he’s fine but Roy could just see right through him.

So much could be said with a stare, Danny was crossing his fingers in his mind hoping that Roy would feel the same way he felt. As if he wants Roy to immediately read his thoughts through his eyes. Danny has said this so many times to himself, but Roy has the most beautiful brown eyes he’s ever seen. The chocolate colored eyes that just make him feel like a high schooler again; all giddy inside.

He could still feel Roy’s hand on his cheek, and it was sending chills down his spine. Roy’s touch was really something else for Danny, he gets more excited by the contact because of how in love he is with Roy. The way Roy was looking at him was already enough to make him fall in love again, even without any hugs or kisses or any extra romantic words. It was just with a look and it made Danny’s heart sink all over again. It was driving him crazy at some point on how in love he is already, but he isn’t scared or he isn’t regretting it.

He grabs Roy’s face and finally kisses him. He doesn’t need to tell Roy any words at that moment, he just wanted to show it to him and he wasn’t gonna waste any time.

[theghostiedyke]

my sister @kiokushitaka tagged me in this ask meme ts kinda long so adding a readmore

1. Are you named after someone? idk, there are other ppl in my family with my birth name but thats probably because it was common??

2. When was the last time you cried? earlier today while watching rupaul’s drag race allstars season 2

3. Do you like your handwriting? sure i guess

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? ham or roast beef

5. Do you have kids? nah

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? ???????? who knows

7. Do you use sarcasm? no /never/

8. Do you still have your tonsils? ???????yeah probably idk what they are

9. Would you bungee jump? no i like living

10. What is your favorite kind of cereal? cocoa pebbles

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? ????????? who does this, i only do this is there is not other way the show is coming off my foot

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? well i guess i do have a decent pain tolerance with my love of tattoos but uh... i also call myself a crybaby so????

13. What is your favorite ice cream? dulce de leche (this just reminded me i have some in the freezer brb)

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? hair, if they have identifiable features to begin with

15. What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? i guess my tits on the days i wish i didn’t have them?? and how often i get headaches

16. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? black deadpool lounge pants (this is what my sister wrote but... im wearing black.grey deadpool pants probably the same ones as her cause both bought them lol) no shoes

17. What are you listening to right now? the a/c/heater

18. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? is there a holographic crayon? if not... i guess one of those cool metallic glittery crayolas that named after some space object

19. Favorite smell? my viva la juicy perfume which i have nearly none left of :/

20. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? i think my mom or maybe my sister isabel (if texting counts then my friend shane)

21. Favorite sport to watch? rupaul’s drag race.... this is definitely a sport what r u talking about

22. Hair color? mostly blue and some natural v dark brown where my undercut is

23. Eye color? dark brown

24. Do you wear contacts? no

25. Favorite food to eat? pizza and garlic bread! 26. Scary movies or comedy? depends... if its gay or has poc im down

27. Last movie you watched? get out and it was in theaters which i usually never go to cause $$$, so v great exp, great movie also

28. What color of shirt are you wearing? green sleep shirt

29. Summer or winter? summer cause i prefer heat to cold and my birthday!

30. Hugs or kisses? hugs and kisses only from close friends/family and like dogs

31. What book are you currently reading? voltron fic and this apocalypse book that has an autistic queer black girl as the main character

32. Who do you miss right now? idk

33. What is on your mouse pad? i have a trackpad/laptop

34. What is the last TV program you watched? rupaul’s drag race allstars season 2

35. What is the best sound? puppy snores?? when u make ur friends laughs??, dog feet doing the pitter patter??,gay pop music??

36. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? im not yt lol

37. What is the furthest you have ever traveled? to europe (france/spain)

38. Do you have a special talent? ???bein gay and artsy

39. Where were you born? georgia Im tagging from my recent(ish) actvity so @bckstrms @sirdorkalot @bb-scream @literal-pile-of-trash @marceline-abaqueer and @ghostly-harmless feel free to not do