#(read as: would you buy a plane ticket and rent a hotel room)

[bettyrightnow]

need my dad to text me back

[writinginthesecrettrees]

So I was reading a thing about “what made you cut off a friend for good” and one stuck out to me:

This dude was upset that his long-time friend from out of state didn’t come to his wedding. Friend couldn’t afford it. Dude said “I told him I’d cover travel and hotel room” like that solved it.

It reminded me of when I lived in Portland and worked at Fred Meyer. My mom used to ask me to come visit back home all the time. She’d offer to get me plane tickets and stuff.

It took me telling her “I would need you to cover the hourly wage I’d be missing for the duration of the visit to be able to afford it” for her to understand that… yeah, I could afford my life there, but there wasn’t a lot left over. I was making $13.25/hour with a guaranteed 40-hour week because I was assistant manager in the deli. (My wage was $1/hr more than the highest rate for a plain employee.) 2 weeks, after taxes, covered a little over my rent. I liked to be able to buy food and gas. I had union dues. I had healthcare costs. Car insurance, renters insurance. Utilities and cell phone. Trying to have at least a bit of savings as a buffer in case I got sick. Frankly, I’m lucky I didn’t have credit card or student loan debt on top of it all.

Sometimes, the loss of wages from taking time off is not something a person can afford. There is so much more to travel than just “flights and hotel.”

[ceruleanchillin]

Honeymoon Headcanons: Mayans Edition

Characters: Angel, Coco, EZ x F!Reader

Miami (Angel)

It wasn’t difficult at all to decide where the two of you would take your honeymoon. When you weren’t gonna be naked, Angel wanted you in sundresses and bikinis. You wanted him in linen shirts, and to feel him up in a club. Couple that with you both wanting a tropical environment, and Miami it is.

Angel letting you handle the accommodations, because you seem to know more about what you wanna see/where you wanna go than he does. He only cares about a bed and shower for when he’s not taking you in the inappropriate places. He just hands over the cash, though he complains about his hurt wallet.

Angel hard as a rock when he sees your new name on your plane ticket.

The two of you nearly missing your flight because your husband needs to “show his wife he loves her”.

You babying him on the flight, because Angel has never flown anywhere before.

“Mami, it’s perfectly valid to feel like a flying toaster can’t safely get you anywhere but a casket. Which they can’t even put you in, because you’ll be everywhere!”

Cue you distracting him with kisses and dirty words in his ear, which gets you initiated into the Mile High Club

Barely making it into the cute little condo before the two of you are at it again, collapsing in the late hours to jet lag and mutual satisfaction.

Your first official day is spent dragging Angel around the humid streets. Knowing he stresses easily if you plan things too tightly, and wanting to wing it yourself. It’s surprising how well you to fit in, it almost feels like home.

Angel switching from being jealous, because your tiny cotton sundress is attracting more than just his attention, to him kissing all over your dewy skin because so much of it is visible.

You getting as jealous as Angel, because it seems like each place you drag him to has openly interested ladies. It’s the white linen shirt that he won’t fully button no matter how many times you try to make him.

Angel basking in the attention, and even playing it up to force you to be the one to initiate inappropriate public sex.

Smirking when you break after a woman pays for his (and unintentionally yours) order at a small cafe you stepped into and you snap and drag him to a hidden place.

“I only love you querida, mi alma.” he whispers in your ear when he bottoms out inside you.

You two are a beautiful couple. Photogenic as all hell. Alone, neither of you have a problem attracting interest, but together, you make people want to be seen around you. That’s why you have no problem club hopping to all the exclusive places.

Angel taking photos and videos of you dancing because he’s so enthralled. He can’t wait to show your kids one day when they ask why he fell for you, and he explains how full of life you are.

Getting enough liquor in Angel to get him dance somewhere away from the club, especially since he (lies) and says he can’t.

You and Angel competing to see who can get the most people to buy your drinks + the two of you losing track because you both get drunk.

A quickie in the coatroom is the prize, Angel fucking you to the hypnotic beat.

Spending a few hours apart the following day, only to still keep texting and FaceTiming each other until you met up, touch starved, at a small restaurant.

Deciding to spend the rest of the day at your Airbnb laid up under each other after Angel scores weed. Teasing Angel about his monetary complaints when you spend all night enjoying the small backyard pool.

Angel thanking God for getting an adventure loving woman as his soulmate when you wake him up the next afternoon to inform him you rented jet skis for the day.

You being impressed when, while jet skiing, Angel silver tongues your way into an invitation to a nearby yacht party out of the host.

FaceTiming Gilly to make him jealous that you two are doing Hookah and drinking Casamigos in a hot tub.

Angel ramping up the mockery when EZ and Coco appear on screen, attracted by Gilly’s whining. Everyone looking overworked and salty, while you and Angel are living your best non-sober lives.

Slipping away from the party to one of the rooms on the boat, because once again, you and Angel never know when to stop teasing each other before it ends up in sex.

Feeling bold enough to suggest that since Angel’s been documenting so much of the trip, that maybe he should film this too.

The aftermath being a surprisingly sweet series of kisses and confessions where the two of you express how thankful you are to have found each other. How you can’t wait to build a forever together.

Marfa + Roswell (Coco)

No one knew how you got Coco to agree to travel for your honeymoon until you finally revealed where you were going. Splitting a week between Marfa and Roswell.

You and Coco are that “weird” conspiracy, incense, and weed couple, so it makes sense.

Giving Coco an edible before you leave, because like Angel, he doesn’t fuck with air travel like that.

“They got me with that bullshit in the military, but that was out of my control. You askin’ a lot right now, you’re lucky you’re cute mujer.”

Coco getting progressively handsy during the flight as the edible hits. Eventually, you stop fake-fighting his neck kisses and forward touches.

Also like Angel in that he’s unafraid to become a member of the Mile High Club.

The ride from the El Paso airport, to the car rental place, to Marfa takes far longer than Coco would like.

He’s used to long stretches of trip on his bike, and when you notice him becoming antsy, you distract him with interesting facts about Marfa.

The entire time, Coco can’t help but think that you’re the perfect road trip co-pilot, only to realize he actually meant his life in general now.

Coco proud as hell when you fall in love with his accommodations choice like he did. The colorful airstream trailers of the El Cosmico hotel are the two of you through and through.

You both trying to be responsible adults and refresh after travel, but continuing to get lost in each other during the whole process.

Shower sex -> Making out while drying off -> Touching while searching through your bags for something to wear -> bed sex -> repeat

Looking thoroughly mauled when you finally manage to get Coco off of you and into the car in search of food the next afternoon.

Coco being happy you can’t cover up due to the heat, while you wonder what superpower he and his boys have that let them wear flannel and long sleeves in the heat.

Dragging Coco to a cute cafe you saw on instagram, and him knowing, by the hipster design of it, that his wallet is about to cry.

Stealing food from his plate, and laughing at him sucking his teeth and whining when he catches you.

“You’re stuck with me forever now Johnny sooo….get used to this.”

“Small price to pay for that I guess.”

Finding small shops to go to and being Siamese twins in every one. Coco showing he has good taste in a lot of things one might think he wouldn’t. Him opening up his wallet at everything you 'ooh' and 'aww' at. He can’t help it, he likes you happy, and your kisses and adoring looks are addicting.

For almost everything you get, Letty gets something too. Neither of you wants that tantrum when you get back.

You fighting yourself to avoid the art supply store, and Coco not having it.

“I have so many supplies already, it’s an addiction at this point.”

“So? Get some more. It’s our week, we shouldn’t stress about shit.”

Coco bragging on your talents and successes to the art shop cashier when you checkout.

“Cocoooo.” you murmur hiding your face in his shoulder, arms around his waist.

“Don’t be shy ma, you’re fucking amazing. I love your skills.”

Cue the cashier swooning at the two of you.

Finding unique liquor stores and getting tipsy on samples. It becomes twice as fun when locals, and other tourists alike, start discussing the Marfa lights with you, and you and Coco impress everyone with your ideas.

Being invited to a bonfire smoke session with the other El Cosmico guests when you get back.

Sketching Coco by the firelight, because he’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in that moment, and now he’s officially yours.

The sex being on another level of intimate that night, because all day you and Coco have been engaging in your respective love languages, and it culminates in mutual need for each other.

The drive to Roswell being more tolerable for Coco, but he still misses his bike. Your excitement about AlienFest is so palpable however, he quickly forgets.

Your hotel being more conventional, but the people you meet making up for it. Finally, you and Coco aren’t the weirdest ones in the room.

Taking the time before the festival starts to check in with friends and family and accumulate odd souvenirs for them. You believe Coco is intentionally getting them stuff they’ll hate.

“Taza won’t wear that baby, he has better taste in jewelry than UFO earrings.”

“Ok, but can he bitch about us not getting him anything? Plus, you can guilt anyone into anything.”

Doing cute edible pastries at the festival.

“You know Aliens are demons right? Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard were doing summoning rituals in the Mojave in 1946, and Roswell was the following year.”

“Word?…Shit. Tell me that again when we’re not rolling. I wanna read about it………you’re so smart mami.”

Coco realizing between every snack stop, every dance he shares with you, every trinket you pick up, and every little conspiracy tidbit you share, that you’re his wife now. That the peace he’s been feeling all week, that he thought he’d never have, is going to be his new normal.

New Orleans (EZ)

You and EZ both enjoy engaging with history and culture, and felt that your honeymoon should be built off of your shared interests. During your meticulous wedding planning, it was decided New Orleans would be the honeymoon destination. It didn’t hurt that you missed your southern roots too, even if you weren’t from New Orleans.

Traveling with EZ is a dream considering you’re both pretty organized, together people. He’s not afraid of flying, but you’re always a little nervous.

EZ being Best Husband™️ and soothing even the most minor of your stresses by turning your attention to the excitement of your trip and your new relationship status.

Teasing EZ in-flight won’t get you Mile High Club initiated, because he finds it much more entertaining to punish you by letting you work the both of you up, and making you stay that way for the duration of the flight. He’s got enough will power to suffer through it, because your soft whines make it worth it.

The airbnb is everything it was promised to be, and you’d appreciate that later, but all you can think of is your husband when you step through the door. That’s the other half of why EZ likes to leave you waiting. Your aggression and exclusive desire for him gets, and keeps, him hard.

It rains the following day, which is just as well, because neither of you are quite ready to stop physically expressing your love for each other. The day consists of ordering food, falling out of your clothes and onto each other, separating to read, falling back on each other, and quick naps.

Angel sending mocking texts in your Reyes group about how you’re trying to turn his brother bamma like you, only to stop when you threaten him with no souvenirs.

EZ and you taking responsibility for your own tour because let’s face it, you both know exactly what you want to see, and can plan a more satisfying tour for the both of you. You take turns deciding where to go next.

When it’s his turn, EZ picks an art museum, and can’t quit smiling about it. You think it’s because he picked a place he really wanted to go to.

“Babe, I have a surprise for you.”

“What?” your excitement always makes EZ’s heart race with his own.

He hands you the guide brochure he picked up at the door, folded to the section he wants you to look at.

“Faith Ringgold exhibit?!”

He hums and nods, grunting when you knock into him with a hug.

“Thank you for thinking of me. I love you.” you look up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears and he just kisses you, afraid he’ll cry if he says anything.

The two of you avoid the tourist trap spots for lunch and find a cute family owned cafe. You order for the both of you based on what you know about southern cuisine and both of your tastes.

You love watching EZ fall in love with the food as he keeps asking “Can you make this?” about everything he eats.

The two of you walking through the Garden District in the evening. Hands swinging between you with no plans but to admire the beautiful homes and foliage.

EZ noting how awestruck you are, and you describing what you love about the historic, towering homes.

He catches that when you describe what your dream home in the area would be, he and your future children are mentioned frequently, and it makes butterflies dance in his stomach. He can picture your family in the yards around him.

The two of you almost make it back to your Airbnb, but give into your baser urges after all the domestic conversation. EZ pulls you into an alley for a quickie, the two of you fighting to silence the other’s vocal expression.

You teasing EZ after that he’s more like his brother than he thinks. Him teasing back the two of you would’ve been caught and arrested if he was like Angel.

The following day is relaxed and less planned. The both of you getting thoughtful gifts for each member of your family, blood and otherwise. EZ scores major points for the gifts he suggests for your mom and dad, and you kind of want to jump him again.

EZ is glad you’re impressed, but it’s nothing to him. It all comes naturally because he loves you so much, and refuses to be anything other than the husband he knows you deserve.

AN:

I didn’t want to add this, cuz I wanted to end on a sweet note, but you just know Angel would accidentally send that vid to one of his boys.

Personally, I lose it for shit like this. Anything domestic in writings is my jam, so I decided to make these headcanons.

- Fun fact: Jet Ski is kind of like Bandaid in that it’s become the generic term for “personal water vehicles”, but it’s actually a specific brand’s name for their PWVs. I learned this while writing this enjoy💀.

[illfoandillfie]

Maybe a ben POV one? where bens off on a movie shoot and misses you and wants to fly you out to him but he’s worried it’s too much of a “romantic gesture” like in movies so he doesn’t want to weird you out but then on the phone you say how much you miss him too so he gathers the nerve to ask you and you’re like duh ofc I’ll come you dork (im envisioning this still kinda early in the qpr maybe right after platonically or smth)

Thank you so much babe!!

This is the second of the blurbs for my Platonically themed event! This one follows directly on from the one I posted yesterday so maybe read it first.

Words: 1,759

Warnings: just two idiots being dummies. Minor references to sex and probably some swearing but that's about it.

Reflecting on the situation, Ben had come to the conclusion that it was the perfect time to be in Greece. The run of beautiful weather they’d had over the course of the last month must have set some sort of record, he thought. Every day was blue skies, white fluffy clouds, and the sort of heat that was comfortable and not overly sticky. It made working a dream, especially when half the film seemed to take place on the beach. The sand was warm under his feet and the water clear and cool. They didn’t have much down time since the studio was pushing for it to be finished ASAP so they could release it at the optimal time, but the few days off they did get, Ben spent either fishing with some of the crew or else exploring the picturesque town they were in. There was just one downside. You weren’t with him.

Whenever the thought crossed his mind, whenever he really started to miss you, he’d remind himself that he loved his job, loved that it took him to exciting and beautiful places. And then he’d send you a quick message to check how everything was back home. He called too, mostly in the evenings after he got back to his hotel room. But the deeper into the project he got the more night shoots there were and the later he got back to his room. What brief conversations you had were good but not quite the same as if you’d been there with him. Of course, he’d try to remind himself that it wasn’t like he’d never been away from you before. But those times had all been before you got together, and the changed nature of the relationship made him feel your absence more. He never said that to you though. Mostly, when you could talk, Ben would ask how you were and talk about the exciting things he saw. He’d tell you about the beaches or the trinket shops and say how much you’d like them but he’d never tell you exactly how badly he wished you were with him. He didn’t want you to take it the wrong way and he didn’t trust himself to explain it properly. Whenever he tried to verbalise it (quietly, to his reflection or the dark hotel room he was staying in) he worried it came out too...well, romantic.

The truth was, he’d always been attached to you, since very early on in your relationship. You just got him. His sense of humour and his personality and the way he thought. It took him no time at all to start referring to you as one of his best friends and it was a title you’d held for years. But then he’d realised the way he liked you wasn’t strictly platonic, and it made him feel weird around you. More uncertain than he was used to. He found it hard to describe the relief he’d felt when you agreed to think about his QPR idea or how, when you’d accepted, it had alleviated the uncertainty and doubts that had been plaguing him. To you it would probably sound sappy and sentimental and tat all what you wanted to hear from him. Of course the QPR was really just an extension of your friendship. More or less the same, just a few new ways to show affection like kissing and getting you off (both things Ben greatly enjoyed), and a few new words that made it specific to the two of you. And maybe a new future too, depending on how things went. But again, while he might think those sorts of thoughts, he wouldn’t know how to begin saying any of them to you. Because he was starting to really want that future with you, and saying so might make it impossible to get there.

So Ben allowed himself to miss you quietly. Occasionally an idea of inviting you to join him would pop into his head. But he always let the thought go as quickly as it came. The weeks ticked by like that. Texting when you could between scenes and less and less frequent calls at night, which left Ben’s head swimming with lots of unsaid things. Progress was made on the movie too, most of the beach scenes wrapped and everyone moving to other parts of the script. Until everything came to a screeching halt. Ben wasn’t entirely sure what the problem was – something to do with scheduling conflicts or maybe special equipment that hadn’t arrived on time. All he was told was that things would be back up and running soon but it might take an extra few weeks to complete the project. He didn’t mind so much, it gave him a bit of extra free time after all, but it also meant he wouldn’t get to see you again for a while.

The possibility of flying you out to Greece to join him had been rattling around his brain since his third week on set. You could spend a couple of weeks, maybe a month, together. He could take you to that restaurant he’d sent you photos of and show you the handmade stationery shop he’d stumbled across that he knew you’d have fun exploring. And then there was the rest of the town, thin streets to get lost in together and beautiful views to look out over. Maybe you’d like to walk along the beach with him and collect seashells or rent a little dingy to take out on the waves. Once or twice he’d come close to actually asking you to join him but he always talked himself out of it, sure it would be crossing a line for you. Missing you was one thing but offering to buy you a plane ticket and whisk you off on a getaway to a gorgeous Greek island was surely too romantic. But the news of the delay made him consider it again.

That night he called you, smiling as soon as he heard your voice. At first the call was like any other. He listened to you talk about what had been going on since he last had a chance to call, getting caught up on your mutual friends and your work and whatever else came to mind. “But what about you?” you finally said, “You must be pretty busy since I haven’t had a call from you in a little while.” “Well I was busy except not so much right now,” “Oh?” “There’s some sort of delay, I don’t the details. But it looks like I’ll be here for another few weeks at least.” “Oh.” Ben was a little surprised by how disappointed you sounded. “I really miss you,” “I miss you too,” his voice got softer as he said it, “a lot.” “I really wish I could see you,” “Well,” he said sheepishly, hoping he wasn’t reading things wrong, “how would you feel about coming out here then? I can get you a plane ticket if you want.” “No shit! You can do that? You won’t like, get in trouble or anything?” Ben laughed, not quite understanding, “What are you talking about?” “I don’t know man, I’m not an actor. I just figured it’d be like a partner free zone. Like they wouldn’t want you getting distracted or whatever.” “You fucking dork,” his laughter threatened to obscure the words but he managed to make himself heard, “That’s not how it is at all. You being here wouldn’t be a problem, as long as I’m on set when they need me. Plus it looks like we’re about to have a whole lot of downtime anyway. So does that mean you wanna come?” “Ummm let me think abo- of course Ben!” “Well if I’d known you’d react like this I would have asked sooner,” The laughter had faded, leaving a grin on his face, though the embarrassment at his hesitancy was creeping up too. “Wish you had’ve. Why didn’t you?” “I just didn’t want you to take it the wrong way,” “And what way would that be?” “A romantic way? I don’t know! It’s just the sort of thing that’d happen in a romantic movie or whatever and I didn’t want to come across like that. It’s Greece man, it’s kind of a romantic place. Maybe not like Paris but it’s up there. Don’t laugh,” he groaned, “I’m just saying, white sands and clear seas and lots of pretty flowers in bloom, it’s definitely got romantic vibes.” “It didn’t even cross my mind that it might be that sort of thing. No offence to Greece, I’m sure it’s lovely.” Ben let himself chuckle at his idiocy, “I guess cause I’ve like, y’know, got feelings for you or whatever I saw the romantic side and assumed you would too. Feel silly for not just asking you but I’m glad we have that sorted now.” “I think it’s sweet, Ben. I love that you were conscious of how it might be perceived and I understand you didn’t want to hurt me. But yeah, dude, please get me that ticket, I miss you a stupid amount.” “Alright, I’m on it. When do you want to leave?”

Two days later and Ben was content, sitting and staring out at the waves on a quiet beach as you rubbed sunscreen into his back. He’d greeted you at the airport, feeling ridiculously excited to see you, squeezing you in a tight hug (which you later suggested had cracked one of your ribs). “Okay, all done, now let me do your front,” you shuffled around Ben on your knees, throwing a leg over his lap as he leaned back on his palms. “You’re such a perv,” Ben chuckled, subtly adjusting his posture to push his chest further towards you, “I bet you only suggested sunscreen so you could feel my boobs.” “Oh you caught me,” you squirted some more of the cream directly onto his chest, beginning to rub it in, “Definitely nothing to do with sun safety.” “No I get it, you don’t need to lie to me. You missed my pecks. It’s totally natural. But let me know when you’re done so I can show you the same courtesy.” "Think we might save that till we get back to the hotel, Benny,”  Ben laughed at your exasperated expression, raising one arm to pull you toward him for a kiss, barely noticing the cool of the cream still on your palm as you cupped his cheek and kissed him back.

[btsslowburnfic]

Series Summary: For Namjoon, the moment he set his sights on being the #1 rapper, he pushed the symbol to the side and hated it. Love should be chosen, not forced on you. He didn’t believe in fate and this mark on his wrist was a big “fuck you” to all that.

AN: a loooong update where we get YN to Korea Previous Chapter here

The three of you made it safe and sound to your new brownstone across the river in New Jersey. Joe has a job lined up, but at the moment you and Xavier are unemployed. On this particular day, you are in your room job hunting when you hear a knock on your bedroom door and then see Xavier gently push it open. “Fly your ass to Korea. Now. Here,” Xavier throws a book at you. “I bought you a Korean dictionary.”

You roll your eyes. “Namjoon speaks English. And I can’t read the characters or whatever so how will a dictionary help. And, I’m not going to Korea.”

Xavier crosses his arms in front of his body. “Girl. You are still in your twenties. You have no job. There is a hot man who is also your soulmate across the ocean. GO TO KOREA.” You pick your phone back up, ignoring him. You hear him let out a frustrated sigh and leave the room. You didn’t know what you wanted. You didn’t tell them that Namjoon had passed along his schedule to you and that he would be in Korea for 6 weeks starting in two weeks and that he had offered to buy you a plane ticket. You kept going back and forth. Fine. Fuck it.

YN: Hey! I’ve been thinking and I would like to come visit. As long as it’s not too much trouble and won’t interfere with your schedule

You let out a breath and put the phone down. One thing you have learned is that he keeps very strange hours and there is no way of knowing when he will be awake, when he will be performing, or even what country he is in. You are shocked when you receive a reply instantly.

NJ: It’s no problem. I will be working a lot of the time, but there is also some free time blocked out so make sure you’re ready to do some sightseeing as well on your own. I’ll rent a noona for you.

YN: I have no idea what that means but ok. Sounds exciting.

NJ: You can rent tour guides. An “older sister” to translate and show you around on some of the days.

YN: That would be amazing! Ok. Sounds great!!

NJ: I’ll book the flight and email you the information.

YN: Awesome ^_^ Thank you so much.

You try to keep your cool. You really do. But it doesn’t last long as you sit the phone down and walk out into the hallway. “Xavier!”

“What? Brat.” You hear him call from the living room.

“I’m going to Korea!” You say with a big smile on your face.

“Holy shit. You’re doing it!?! Really? When?” He sits up straight on the couch.

“I’m not sure. He’s booking the flight.”

“Oh my God. Oh my God. IT’S HAPPENING. Come. Sit here. Let’s watch some Kdramas. We need to prepare you.”

You roll your eyes but join him on the couch anyway.

--3 weeks later--

The flight isn’t too bad. When Namjoon booked your ticket you did secretly wonder if he would spring for an upgraded seat since you know...you guessed he was rich. You did not expect that he was going to pay for a first class seat though. The comfort of the seats and the fact that food was actually delicious helped to balance out the longest flight you had ever taken in your life. You managed to get some rest on the plane, but not very much since you were so excited and nervous. You had not seen each other for a while. And the last time you saw him you were both naked.

When you arrive you don’t have any bags to collect; you just brought your carry-on. You know you are going to do a lot of shopping while you are there and had decided you would just buy a suitcase there. You walk down to departures and scan the crowd looking for your name. This was so exciting. You had been the person in the crowd holding a name placard before, but you had never had it done for you. It helped that it was one of the few names written in English. You smile and walk over to a man in a suit.  After confirming each other’s identity, you follow him out to a black SUV with tinted windows. He takes your bag and you slide into the backseat. 

YN: Hey! I’m on my way to the hotel. When will I get to see you?

NJ: Yeah….about that. There is no way I would be able to just be going in and out of a hotel without anyone here noticing. This isn’t LA. We can’t really go out in public much here. The driver will be taking you to my apartment complex. Once you get here, you will let security know who you are. They will provide you with a key and directions.

You weren’t expecting this at all, but it made sense.

YN: Umm ok. Sounds like a plan.��

You hoped to God someone at the security office spoke English. Oh well. You typed some things into your translation app just in case and tried to enjoy the scenery. It was a city, but it seemed a lot cleaner than LA. Less sunny, and more modern. At least the parts you were driving through.

After a fifteen minute taxi ride that has brought you into a very fancy part of Seoul you try to keep your cool as your driver assures you that this is the location you are supposed to be at. It is fancy looking as fuck and has a giant ass gate around it. The driver pulls up and shows his credentials and then pulls up and rolls your window down.

The security officer stands there, looking at you. You pull out your passport and state your name. He looks over a sheet of paper and nods. Handing you an envelope that feels like it has a keyboard and some papers in it. You thank him in shitty Korean and the driver closes the window. You open the envelope.

“Hey. If you’re getting this, I wasn’t able to get off work in time to meet you. The driver knows which building to go to. Use this key to go to unit 4106. Text me when you get there. Sorry!

Namjoon”

The chauffeur drives between several of the buildings. The streets are lined with trees and there appeared to be several small gardens between the buildings. The car comes to a stop outside building 4. The driver gets out to open your door and hands you the bag. You thank him and head into the building.

The apartment building was a lot like a luxury hotel, you find yourself thinking. It was decorated similarly with gilded light fixtures and a marble floor. You scan your key card at the elevators and head up to the 10th floor. 

It becomes very obvious from the minute you walk in that this is Namjoon’s actual apartment. His giant shoes are all over the foyer.  You purse your lips and take out your phone.

YN: YOU DIDNT SAY IT WAS YOUR APARTMENT

NJ: Relax sweetheart, the guest bedroom is for you. I’m hardly ever there. Make yourself at home and I’ll see you later ;p

YN: THATS NOT THE POINT

NJ: You’re welcome. Stop being a brat and enjoy.

You pout a little bit. Fine. Fine. You’ve already slept with him so why does it matter if this is his apartment. Because it feels so much more intimate, you think. You enter into the space while texting Xavier.

YN: New chapter in the Kdrama series. 

You knew Xavier would normally be sleeping, but he was so excited and wanted to make sure you made it safely he was wide awake.

X: Oh no, what?

YN: he didn’t arrange for me to stay in a hotel IM AT HIS APARTMENT.

X: AHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT. Is it nice? Is there like a waterfall? Does it smell like rich people? Send pictures!

YN: I don’t think I should send pics since he’s famous, but there are no waterfalls that I can see. It smells normal. Actually no, it smells new, like people don’t really live here. Stay tuned for updates.

X: Has he dicked you yet?

YN: -_- he’s stuck at work. And I’ll be in the guest bedroom thankyouverymuch.

X: Yeah….ok…..suuuuuuure.

You put your phone back in your pocket and continue to wander around the apartment. It is the size of a house. There is a small terrace running  along the side of the unit and three open rooms that flow together. I guess rich people need more than one living room? You wonder. They are all furnished with couches and art. The floors are a beautiful Marble. Or Granite. Some expensive imported thing. You notice several plants on the wall as well as out on the terrace. Huh. I did not think he would be into plants, you find yourself thinking.

YN: Nice plants

NJ: My pride and joy

You smile and walk into the kitchen. It looks like a showroom. You doubt much cooking goes on here. If you could afford to eat out all the time you would too. You open the fridge and as predicted, it is mostly empty. There are a few bottles of water and some random condiments. Panic strikes you as you begin to wonder if there’s a coffee maker in this apartment. This could be a deal breaker; you might have to flee to the Marriott. There isn’t one sitting out. You frantically open cabinets. You make eye contact with a very fancy looking Espresso maker. Ok. You will learn how to use this beast. You sit it out on the counter and plug it in. Crisis averted for now. You continue through the rest of the house. You quickly find the master bedroom. Big bed. That’s all you take note of before closing the door. You don’t want to be nosy. You wander to the other end of the apartment and find an extra bedroom and an office. You don’t go to the office, but do take your stuff into the guest bedroom. You are feeling tired and starting to feel hungry.

YN: When will you be back? Is there a convenience store nearby? I need coffee and/or food.

NJ: Sorry. It will still be a while. Actually there are several stores on property. The closest one is in building 2. Here, download the app. I’ll send you the login info.

YN: Thanks.

You change out of your traveling clothes into real clothing and head to the market. The apartment complex’s layout is fairly easy to understand once you look at the app. You walk over to tower 2 and ride the elevator to the market level. It looks like the atrium of a cruise ship. There is a giant crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the lobby area as well as beautiful indoor trees, glass art bulbs, probably a peacock or two wandering around, and some light music playing in the background. Oh God. I should just starve. This is too fancy. I need to leave.  

You turned to leave when you heard a voice speaking politely in Korean. You ignore it, and then hear the same voice ask in English,  ���Excuse me, Miss. Can I help you?” A short man in his 50’s walked over. “I’m on the concierge staff here. You must be new.” 

“Ah yes. Thank you. Umm...Coffee please?”

“Of course. Take-away or beans?”

“Both please?” You ask, trying to keep it simple and very thankful for the English.

“Yes of course. If you just get me the unit number I can actually just have it sent there. Also there is an ordering and delivery app you can use next time if you would like to save yourself the walk.” The man explained while he typed some information into a tablet. 

“That’s very helpful. Thank you. For today, now please.” 

“Very well miss, please insert your chip or resident card here and sign,” he turned the tablet towards you. You inserted your debit card.  

“Thank you. Please wait.”

You take a seat in the fancy lobby area and get out your phone. You had some messages from Namjoon.

[NJ]: Oh, there is also an app you can download and order groceries to the apartment. 

[NJ]: I usually eat at work so I forget about it.

[NJ]: Sorry, you probably already hiked there.

A smirk crossed your face as you started to type a response.

[Y/N]: Sorry, I just saw these. And no worries. It’s a beautiful part of the complex. I was a little overwhelmed to be honest but the concierge was very helpful!  10/10 recommend.  

You take a picture of the lobby area and send it to him.

[NJ]: wow, yeah that’s beautiful. I haven’t actually been there myself.

The concierge returns, handing you a coffee and a bag of coffee beans.  You thank him profusely one more time.

“My pleasure. Take care.”

You sit the beans down and pose with your coffee cup, snapping a selfie to send to Namjoon.

[Y/N]: There, now all is right with the world ^_^

[NJ]: :) See you soon!

You travel back to the apartment and unpack your suitcase. You try your hardest to stay awake, but at this point you have been up for over 24 hours and you can feel the pull of sleep. You’ll just lay down for a nap. 

---------

It is dark outside by the time Namjoon gets off work. He feels bad he couldn’t meet you in the car at the airport, and even worse that he’s kept you waiting for hours. You haven’t answered any of his texts these past few hours either. He opens the door to his apartment. The lights are off. Did you leave? He wonders. He flips on the light and sees your shoes by the door which put a smile on his face. You must be sleeping. He hasn’t actually been in his apartment for about 2 months. It was mostly the same as he left it, except most of the time when he returned the apartment had a stale smell from having been left empty. This time it smelled like coffee and girl.

He enters the main living area and finds you laying in a small blanket nest on the couch with a laptop on the table; a coffee cup resting on a coaster next to it. He smiles and goes through to his bedroom to deposit his travel bag. He washes his face and changes clothes and then proceeds to nervously pace. Should he wake you up? You were probably tired, but at the same time, to prevent jet lag you shouldn’t sleep too much, and he wanted to hang out with you. He wrestles with this issue for a while and then decides he will try to wake you up.

He gently shakes your foot, “Hey sleepy. Wake up.” 

“Mmmmmmmmmmm…” you respond. What’s happening? You kick the thing bothering your foot. So annoying. You hear a deep voice laugh. Oh shit, where were you again? The shaking of your foot resumes and you crack open one of your eyes and see Namjoon sitting on the couch. “Heyyyy.”

“Hey there sweetheart. Nice seeing you in Korea.”

You feel your heart do a little flip flop at the way he’s talking to you but you want to play it cool. “Yeah. It’s good to be here.” You stretch out and move to sit up.

“How are your legs doing?” He asks.

“Good. They get stiff pretty easily and I still have to do my exercises everyday but they don’t hurt most of the time or anything. I get pretty bad headaches from time to time, but you already knew that. Sorry about that by the way.”

“It’s fine, I just carry aspirin around with me now.” He shrugs. “Did you get any food? Should I order something?”

“Yeah. Order some super Korean food.” You are fully awake now.

“Yeah? You serious? It’s not going to be like Koreatown food.” He teases

“Might as well jump in. If I don’t like it, there’s always rice, right?” You smile.

“That’s true,” he takes out his phone to order dinner.

“What did you do today?”

“Today was planning for the Festa. Even though it’s months away we have to make sure we have enough content planned just in case there are any unforeseen delays.”

“Cool.” You say. You had done your basic level ARMY research so you were somewhat familiar with their different activities.

“How was your flight? You should probably get up and stretch those legs around. Get up.” He pushes your shoulder playfully.

“Ughhh….fine. By the way. Nice apartment. Is rent like 20 grand a month?” You stand up groaning slightly like an old woman. Damn stiff legs.

“Uhh...I paid 6 million dollars for it up front so I don’t pay rent. Do you want anything to drink?”

It’s a good thing you weren’t drinking anything when he dropped that little factoid on you or you would have spit it out comic-book style. Jesus. That explained the security and Gucci grocery store. “Uh water please.” You walked over following him to the kitchen. “It’s good to see you by the way. Thanks for inviting me.” You slowly remember how to speak like a human again.

“Sure. I wish I had more free time to spend with you, but I’m glad you were able to make it.” He fills a glass with water for you. “Wait a minute! Before I forget,” he jogs out of the room and returns with a small box. “Here, this is for you. We were in Australia last month and I wanted to get something for you.”

You are surprised. It didn’t occur to you that he would think about you or buy you something. Until a few months ago you had considered yourself a nuisance. “Wow, thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that.” you say, taking the box, “I hope it’s a tiny KNOIFE or tiny koala or tiny kangaroo,” you open the box. It is an adorable mug with a Koala on it superimposed on the Australian Continent. It says in English, “Lucky Australian Koala.” You burst out laughing, cupping the mug with both your hands in front of your face. “This is perfection. Thank you so much for my authentic LUCKY AUSTRALIAN KOALA, I cannot wait to drink out of him tomorrow. Seriously. “ You sit the mug on the kitchen table. Fuck it. “Come here,” you gesture, and pull him in for a hug. His body feels solid against your and he gently wraps his arms around you. You give a firm squeeze. “Thank you for the mug and for flying me out here.”  You pull away and smile at him. 

He looks away almost shy, “It was nothing. I figure I still owe you a few for the pen incident.”

You take a drink of the water. “Yeah. You have had some dickish moments.” 

“Speaking of dickish behavior...do you want to talk about what happened with Ben or…?”

You shrug. “There’s not a lot to say. Ben apparently met his soulmate about 4 months before the car accident. He tried to stay away since we had already agreed that we didn't care about stuff like that. But he couldn't. I don't know when he started seeing Jessie behind my back. They were apparently banging all summer in the apartment and while I was in the hospital.” You take another gulp of water. Namjoon is surprised that he isn’t feeling much anger or sadness coming off of you. “After I got all my shit out of the apartment and had a chance to calm down, I couldn't be too mad about it you know? You and I had already slept together and most people aren't as stubborn as us. So really, how could they resist? I mean I was angry and sad at the time but at this point it seems like a lifetime ago. "

Namjoon had never asked about what had happened with Ben before, assuming that if you wanted to talk about it you would have brought it up. " Wow. "

"Yeah. I mean that's waaaay oversimplified but that's the gist of it. Anyways. Everything was a mess for me for a while. You know I stayed with Xavier and Joe and then  Xavier's husband got a really good job offer here so we all picked up and left LA."

“And now you’re in New York.” He finishes your thought

“Yeah. Well Jersey technically because rent is $1000 less a month. But I’m applying for jobs as assistant director at tv stations and theaters. I’m hopeful something will come up. I can’t really teach fitness classes anymore.”

Namjoon listens thoughtfully, feeling like a jackass for never asking about this stuff before. What kind of soulmate was he? 

“Well, let me know if you need a job reference.”

“Ahahahaha,” You laugh awkwardly. “No way. I don’t want people thinking I only got a job because I know someone famous.”

“Sweetheart, that’s how everyone gets jobs in the industry.” He leans against the counter.

“I don’t know, I’ll think about it.” You fidget

“You know I’ll just text Xavier and he’ll tell me the companies you applied for.” Namjoon flashes his dimples at you.

You scowl. “I didn’t realize you two were so chummy.”

“Hey, we bonded a lot in the hospital.” His phone let out a chirp. “The food is at the security office. I’ll be back in a few. Make yourself at home.” He heads over to the foyer to slip his shoes on. 

You decide to unpack and then wash your face and brush your teeth before returning to the main area where he has just returned. “That was fast”, you comment, meeting him near the door and taking a bag from his hands.

“I rode my bike over.” He replies, following you to the kitchen. 

“They let your clumsy ass ride a bike?” You tease, pulling food out.

He lets out a laugh, “Yeah. Just remember, only one of us has got hit by a car.”

“Touche. Touche. Alright. I don’t know what any of this is, so I’m going to go wait at the table like a lazy bitch.”

“Haha, fair enough. I’ll bring it over. “

You head over and have a seat at the dining table, placing your water down. This feels so weird. So intimate. He joins a few minutes later placing a bunch of food on the table along with a spoon and chopsticks.

“I’m sure there’s a fork around here somewhere if you need one.” He says as he opens the lids on the containers.

“I lived in LA where we ate sushi almost every day, I think I’ll be ok.” You sass back, ,looking over all of the delicious food. You start to dig in. He sits waiting to see what your reaction will be. You flash him a thumbs up as you chew. It’s definitely good. He smiles and begins to eat as well.

Dinner is relatively quiet. You had no idea how hungry you were until you started to eat. Some of the foods had a texture you didn’t quite care for, but overall you liked it all.

“Wow. That was delicious. Thank you so much.” You smile

“It was. You’re welcome.” He gets up and starts to clear the table and you join him. 

You continue to yawn involuntarily as the two of you straighten up the kitchen,

“Do you want some coffee or a nap?” he asks.

“I’m going to try and stay awake a little bit longer. What does the rest of the night look like?”

“Relaxing. I am exhausted from work. And you don’t look so fresh yourself. LEt’s watch a movie or something.” He says it so casually. Like this is a normal thing the two of you do. Like it hasn’t been months since the last time you saw each other and you left him naked and alone in a bed. You feel your heartbeat speed up.

“Hold on, I’m changing into some comfy clothes before I make this commitment.” you get up and head towards your room.

You come back in leggings and a shirt. Namjoon has re-positioned himself on the end of the couch. You sit next to him. “Ok, all set,” you grab your blanket. 

“You take your comfort quite seriously,” Namjoon laughs as he hits the play button. 

“Definitely,” you respond, yawning. After about half an hour, It’s dark outside, the night spilling into the living room. You are trying to keep your eyes open. You feel Namjoon put his large arm around you. You don’t resist, you nestle into it. You feel the warmth of his body radiating against you. It feels so nice.You try to stay awake but your eyelids grow heavy.  The next thing you know, you wake up slowly, not quite oriented to where you are. Your face is sweaty. You take stock of your surroundings. You are still in the living room. You must have fallen asleep while watching the movie. You move a bit and realize you are not alone. Namjoon is asleep as well. Underneath you. Oh god. You probably trapped him. Is that your drool on his shirt? You wonder. But you know that yes, it definitely is. Jesus [Y/N].Not making a great impression here.  Must sneak out so the drool will dry before he wakes up. You move as stealthy as possible off of him, which is very difficult since you found yourself laying between his legs. How did you even get like that? You had gone in for a light snuggle to see how it would be received and then apparently passed out dead. No more starting movies when you were tired. You knew it was your weakness. 

The poor man probably had to pee and was stuck, forced to lay underneath you until he fell asleep.    Is he snoring? Huh. Well ok. You drool and he snores. Very attractive individuals. You grab a blanket from your nest on the other side of the couch and put it on top of him. You sneak down the hallway to your bathroom, pee and sneak into your bedroom. You lay down and try to fall asleep, but your heart is beating fast as all you can think about it falling asleep on Namjoon. You feel your face grow warm. You are  a mix of turned on and embarrassed. You turn off your light and wonder if he will still want to go sightseeing with your drooly-ass tomorrow.  @calling-dips-on-j-hope​​  @ghostkat23​​ @cuteipat​​ @marianeamine​​@thisisval​​ @almonte12​​  @themisunderstoodblackswan​ @bobbyboops​  @betysotelo18​ @katerbees​

[violett-writes]

Monotone Donations

"Are you and Dream dating?" Your monotone slightly British text to talk reads off the $10 donation from alexiscarter3215.

You laugh, blushing slightly at the question as you continue to build your trusty restaurant on the Dream SMP server. You and Dream have been friends for about a year now. You had built a small friendship with George when he introduced the two of you, claiming you to be the 'woman version of Dream'. And it's just skyrocketed from there. You were introduced to Sapnap, who complained at being the last one introduced in the Dream Team. Then Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, Niki, and so many more people. It made your head spin, honestly. You jumped from being a semi-small streamer to having a solid fanbase.

"Thank you for the dono, alexiscarter3215." You smile at your facecam, holding up a little heart. The chat goes wild, whizzing past too fast to read but you're sure they're upset that you didn't answer their question.

You had to think about it for a second. You two sure acted like you were dating. Between the constant guest appearances on each other's streams, the twitter flirting, and the Minecraft beds next to each other on his server, you could see why others would be confused. But you weren't dating. You mean, you two did facetime every night and he did know all your secrets. But you don't even know what he looks like yet and....

Shit. You have a fat crush on Dream. The realization that you finally admitted it to yourself making you pause slightly before your phone buzzes, a notification from Twitter. You spot Dream's username and pause your game. "Let's find out what Dream tweeted folks." You tell your stream, planning on ending it soon anyways so this was the perfect segway to wrapping it up. You're thankful for the distraction as you weren't even sure what you were going to say next.

!TWITTER!

Dream @.Dream

proud to say i haven't lost no simp september 😤👏🏻 but can't say the same for @.nightmare

You read it aloud, blush covering your face and you thank your shitty camera quality for once. Hopefully your small face cam in the corner of the screen was too tiny for your viewers to see the pink tint to your cheeks.

"What do you think I should reply, guys?" You ask your stream, leaning in to see the chat. Most of the suggestions were either to profess your love for him or were to meme him. You chose the later, as you weren't 100% sure if he liked you back.

"Okay, okay, we'll meme him." Your fingers expertly move across the screen before you press tweet. "Go blow it up guys." You set your phone down and make your facecam the only thing viewers can see on the stream.

"That'll be the end of my stream for today! Thank you all for joining and remember, don't you dare lose no simp september to block men!" You wave goodbye to your viewers, raiding Sapnap quickly before leaning back in your chair, sighing loudly. You hear another ding from your phone.

Dream @.Dream

proud to say i haven't lost no simp september 😤👏🏻 but can't say the same for @.nightmare

Night @.nightmare

no ❤️

Dream @.Dream

:(

You giggle at his tweet, liking it as a text from him quickly follows.

dweam

how dare you not simp for me?

night

I should say the same to you Big D

You giggle, stealing Tommy's nickname from him. You watched enough of Tommy to remember all the different names he has used for Dream.

dweam

okay, pls lose my number

night K.

You giggle, biting your nails slightly as you wait for his reply. Instead of a text, you get an incoming facetime from him. You decline his call, choosing to keep the bit going. After a few moments, you get a facetime from Sapnap. You answer it, confused as to why he would be calling you out of the blue.

"Answer Dream." Was all he said before hanging up. You laugh loudly, covering your mouth so as to not wake your housemates before deciding to take the bit to twitter.

!TWITTER!

Night @.nightmare

i hate men. dhmu. only the real ones know.

Dream facetimes you again and you pick up sniffling slightly.

"(Y/N)? Are you okay??? I didn't mean it. I saw your tweet, please... I didn't mean it." He says, concerned as he hides his face from the camera.

You finally break, laughing loudly as you put the camera down so you can hold your stomach, wheezing. "Dream, bud. I was just joking around." You hear him let out a sigh of relief.

"You should come to Florida." He suddenly states, making you choke on the sip of water you were drinking.

"Uh..." You pause for a moment.

"I mean if you're uncomfort-"

"Yes." You cut him off, smiling into the camera brightly. "Yes, I will come to Florida."

The next two weeks were a blur, Dream insisted on paying for your ticket to fly to Florida. And when the boys found out that you were visiting without asking them first, they were super jealous. So jealous, in fact, that they both booked flights that phone call. They were nice enough to give you two days alone with Dream, but only after an awkward amount of silence and a lot of text notifications where you're pretty sure Dream threatened to leave their ass at the airport if they didn't come later. Your knowledge of this only coming from the screenshots George sent you of Dream's threats.

The day of the flight, you were incredibly nervous. You had picked a soft plum colored sweatshirt with simple black leggings and converes. You wanted to dress up a little, but you also knew that you would be uncomfortable the whole flight if you did. Hopefully Dream didn't mind you dressing down for the first in person meeting with him.

night

leaving now for the airport. wish me luck

You send the text and shut your phone off as you enter the uber. A short 30 minute drive later and you're walking through the airport. You smile slightly, airports seem like they exist in a different dimension all together. You don't judge someone having a drink at 9 a.m. at an airport, because well... they're in an airport. You buy a water once you get past security, drinking it nervously as you wait for your flight to be called.

After a 30 minute wait, your flight is finally called. You finally reach your window seat and check your phone.

dweam

i hope u don't die.

night

how kind of u. we're leaving now :))) see u soon!!!!!

You smile and turn off your phone, leaning back and closing your eyes as you drift off.

The kind old lady seated next to you shakes you awake, telling you that you're landing soon. You flush red, not realizing that you slept through the whole flight. You probably looked ridiculous.

Once you land, you quickly pull out your phone and turn it on. You notice that you had 3 unread messages from Dream.

dweam

i'm so kind

but fr i hope u have a safe flight.

text me when u land. i got here a little early... guess i was just too excited

night

we just landed!!!

You blush at the connotation of his text. He was genuinely excited to see you? When everyone was finally able to leave their seats, you grab your overhead luggage and make your way off the plane. You make your way to the baggage claim and watch the bags intently, waiting for your polka dot bag to show itself.

You feel a tap on your shoulder and you turn around, coming face to face with a very tall blonde man.

"Oh- sorry, am in your way?" You mumble, moving over for them to grab their luggage.

"(Y/N)?" He asks you, his voice unsure and hesitant.

Your eyebrows raise in shock and you turn around again, looking at him closely. You cover your mouth in shock, "D-Dream?" You ask for a moment, unsure if this is real.

He nods, laughing and you throw yourself at him, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug. Tears start to come to your eyes as he hugs you back tightly. You pull back so that you could look up at his face, but still keeping your arms wrapped around him. "Dream!" You sniffle, your voice a little scratchy from holding back the tears.

"(Y/N)! Are you crying?" He asks, laughing. He is so much more attractive than you could have ever imagined. You sniffle, wiping your nose on your sleeve as you hit his chest lightly.

"Don't make fun of me. This is easily the best thing that has happened in my life." You giggle softly, looking back at the conveyer belt to see your bag. You quickly rush to grab it before it disappears on you.

You turn back to Dream, your bag trailing behind you as you pull it along. Dream grabs your carryon much to your complaints.

"I got it, (Y/N), don't worry." He chuckles, his deep voice making butterflies appear in your stomach. As the two of you walk to his car, chatting excitedly about what the plans are for the week, Dream grabs your free hand, linking your fingers together. Blush creeps up your neck as you pretend nothing is different. Once you reach his car, Dream grabs both of your luggage and puts them in the trunk as you get into the passenger side.

"So, I don't know if you rented a hotel room or something..."He trails off, tapping the steering wheel nervously.

Your eyes widen slightly, you didn't know he wanted you to. "Oh! I, uh, I totally forgot. I can book one right now, though. No biggie." You quickly pull out your phone, panicking a little as you search hotels near me.

Dream pushes your phone away, chuckling. "No, no. (Y/N), you don't have to. I didn't mean it like that. I just wasn't sure if you were comfortable staying at my apartment."

You let out a sigh of relief. "Of course I'm fine with that you dork." You punch his arm softly, "I thought for a second you didn't want me there!" You tease him.

Dream feigns being hurt by your punch before gently grabbing your hand again. "Of course I want you there." He mutters softly.

The words set your stomach aflame as your intestines tie themselves into a knot. He wanted you there.

[underhousearrestblog]

Not A Trophy Girlfriend | S.S.

(summary) You always wanted to be independent, and Sebastian respected that. But, even though he understood you not wanting him to spend his money on you, sometimes he couldn’t resist spoiling you. You think it’s sweet until you don’t.

(warnings) some swearing

(pairings) Sebastian Stan x reader

(genre) angst, fluff

(just a reminder) Y/N (your name), L/N (your last name), X (your dream job/ your real job/ your future career)

(also) written as if the reader has nephews and nieces, a big family. Don’t worry if you don’t – it doesn’t change the story.

HAPPY READING

You always felt bad accepting gifts, but usually they came from people whom you could offer similar presents, for example, your family and friends. They were never expensive, but thoughtful and heartwarming nevertheless.

It all changed when you got a nice-paying job as X. You could give your parents more expensive gifts, could offer your nieces and nephews things they always wanted. Still, they weren’t super expensive but still you felt good when you were able to help your parents with paying their rent sometimes and throwing your niece a nice birthday party.

Sebastian was the most perfect boyfriend you could’ve got. The simple, heartwarming, lovely things he did for you left you breathless. He would get you a simple bouquet of flowers when coming home after a long day at work. When you would have a long day at work, you always could rely on him cooking sometimes to eat. Simple things mattered.

First talk about money happened, when you both went to Paris to celebrate New Year’s Eve and you insisted on paying for all of your expenses, including plane ticket, hotel, food. He just smiled and was amused, thinking you were joking.

- Babe, I get it. You’re independent. I love that about you. But let me spoil you this time, - he smiled warmly and looked you in the eyes.

In those same eyes you saw joy and hope, and so much love. You knew he liked the fact that he could provide for you, if necessary. You hated the feeling of someone earning your money for you. You put on your happiest smile, while saying:

- I know, babe, but this was a good year. My boss gave me some bonuses, and the salary is great either way.

Seeing you not backing down, Sebastian put both of his hands on your shoulders. He loved seeing you stand up for yourself, but not when it was the matter of him showing his affection for you.

- Babygirl, I’m serious. The plane is leaving in half an hour, and there’s no way you’re getting on that plane by buying your own ticket. We planned this. We talked about this.

- We did talk about going to Paris. We never discussed you treating me like some gold digger.

Sebastian sharply exhaled and put his hands on his hips. His eyes wandered around the room carelessly, but you could practically hear gears turning in his head.

- Look, I just wanna buy myself a ticket plane. What’s the big deal? – you were furious but even more confused by how much you refusing his money has angered him.

- The big deal is that I said I am taking us to France this holiday. So I’m paying.

- Like hell you are! It’s just a freaking plane ticket.

You both were angry, and the tiring eight hour drive here put even more frustration on both of you.

- You’re not getting on that plane by buy…

- You know what? You’re right, - the slight hopeful change glint in his eyes made harder for you to say the following words. – I’m not getting on the plane.

With that you took your bags and left your boyfriend standing in the middle of the line.

That was months ago, and even though you never went to Paris for New Year’s Eve, in that same evening you made peace with each other, not wanting to lose each other.

But now, looking at the earrings in the small box in Seb’s hands, you tried to guess how much money he had spent on this gift. Were those the same earrings you called bautiful while shopping for a suit for him?

Your silence brought insecurity in him. Did you not like them? Were this a different pair? He could’ve sworn these were the same…

- Do you like them? – he looked hopeful, his grin big, but still insecure.

Maybe it was the wine, maybe the fact that you knew – if you refused the gift and started the ‘money talk’ again, this really nice date, the whole evening would be ruined.

So you put on a big, surprised smile, which wasn’t hard, considering that you really did like the earrings.

- I love them, Seb! Thank you, - you hugged him and brushed your fingers through his hair. You could hear a relieved exhale and thanked all the gods that the wine left you sober enough to not ruin the evening.

But the gift still haunted you, so you brought it up when both of you were freshly out of the shower and getting ready for sleep.

When you watched him shave in the bathroom, mirror, you caught the perfect oppurtunity to talk, knowing far too well he won’t leave until he’s done shaving.

- Seb? – you spoke quietly.

- Mhm, - his eyes were focused on the mirror, and you were pretty sure he won’t hear a damn thing.

- How much did the earrings cost? – you spoke softly, as if trying to keep the talking light.

His eyes caught yours in the mirror and his brows furrowed. He put the shaving razor down and turned to you.

- Look, I respect your decision to be completely independent, but you have to understand that that decision leaves no room for me to give you anything. And I want to give you the world.

You signed and opened your mouth, when he continued.

- And I do respect that. I do. But sometimes I wanna do something special for my best girl.

You rolled your eyes at the old-fashioned statement and smiled, but then got all serious all over again.

- How much, Seb? Honey? Please? I just wanna know.

He signed.

- Two hundred.

- TWO HUNDRED? For earrings?

He finally exited the bathroom, came over to you just to press a kiss on your forehead.

- Babe, you have to agree that two hundred dollars for real gold earrings is actually reasonable.

You did agree to that, but it didn’t change the fact that you didn’t like when he spend that much money on you.

You opened your mouth to speak, but he interrupted you once again.

- Sweetheart, please – just sleep on it. If in the morning you’ll decide that you don’t want my gift, we can return it. Deal?

Deal seemed legit, so you nodded. You could tell he didn’t like telling you how much money he spent on the gift, so you appreciated the gesture.

- Sure, babe.

He smiled and hugged you, convincing himself that there’s no way in hell he’ll let you return the piece of jewelry you liked so much.

The morning started as any Saturday morning did. Seb got up a little earlier so he made the breakfast, you did the dishes, then both of you planned on going grocery shopping a little later. You had some work to do, and Sebastian was reading some script until he got a call from his doctor about some appointment.

- Babe, can you please get my vallet from the bedroom? – he asked, looking up from the planner, as you walked in.

- Sure. Is everything okay?

- Yeah, just need my insurance number for the doctor.

Walking in your bedroom, you instantly knew where to look. Two years living together made you notice things. Like, for instance, that your boyfriend never put his vallet in one place, but always left it somewhere in his clothes

This time you found it in his leather jacket. While grabbing the thing, you accidentally pulled out a little piece of paper. It was a check.

- Dammit! – you whispered under your breath. – Two hundred dollars my ass!

When you walked back into the living room, you didn’t say a thing. This was not the time to start a scene when your boyfriend was speaking to his doctor. But then, when he ended the call, you still didn’t say anything.

The day passed. You’d had many chances to start the conversation but you let them slide, becoming quieter and quieter. By the end of Saturday, you realized you weren’t brave enough to start this fight, because you knew that’s what it will be – a fight.

So, as a person of great wisdom, you decided to take a bottle of wine, go to the roof, get a little drunk and gather enough courage to talk to Sebastian. When the bottle was half empty, the doors from the stairwell flew open, showing a very pissed off Sebastian, but the minute he saw you, his face turned from angry to relieved, and you understood that he was only worried.

- God dammit, Y/N! – he put his hands on his hips and looked down, while breathing heavily. – I was so worried. I thought something happened to you.

- I just came to get some fresh air, - you said, groggily standing up and almost falling down immediately.

Sebastian caught you in his arms just before you could’ve hit the ground. Maybe you were a little bit more drunk than planned.

- You could’ve left a note. A text. Anything, - he hugged you and hid his face in your hair that were now messy.

He was worried, and you got it. But then you remembered the reason why you wanted to come here in the first place, and confusion was quickly replaced by anger.

You put a hand on his chest and pushed him away. He blinked, not fully understanding why you would him to step back.

- Why did you lie? – you wanted you sound angry, but your voice ended up sounding like you wanted to cry.

Maybe you did.

He looked confused and reached his hand up to your cheek, but the moment he touched you, you took his hand off your face.

- Did something happened?

- Yeah, something did. You lied to me about the gift. It didn’t cost two hundred dollars.

He sharply breathed out, and you thought he looked a little… annoyed?

- I don’t wanna talk about money. You know that. I just want to be able to spoil you without you thinking I’m trying to bribe you or buy your love, our show off.

- I don’t wanna talk about money either. I wanna talk about the fact that you lied.

His features looked softer, when he realized he did, in fact, actually lied to you. That was the first time he ever had lied to you. And it broke his heart to realize doing so he had hurt you.

- I’m sorry. I knew you weren’t going to accept earrings that cost that much. I just wanted to show you I paid attention when you said you liked them in the store the other day. Nothing more, nothing less.

You felt yourself calming down when he looked this vulnerable. It’s not that he tried to buy your love or affection. Little gifts here and there weren’t the only way he showed you his love.

- I’m sorry too for not telling you right after I found out, but postponing this conversation for as long as possible.

You tiptoed to kiss him. He was like a breath of fresh air to you. You were like a breath of fresh air to each other.

- But from now on no lying, deal?

- Deal.

[wondersofdreaming]

Fear

Characters: Henry Cavill x female reader

Word count: 1.110

Warnings: Family drama. Fright. Trauma. Bad parenting. Loving husband.

Author’s note: This is part of my emotion flash fiction/short story series. I am using Robert Plutchik’s eight primary emotions, where ‘fear’ is the second on my list. Stay tuned for the other six emotions. Each flash fiction/short story can be read as a standalone.

I do not own any of the characters in this short story besides the reader, her father, and the caretaker, who are figments of my imagination.

Definition [fear]: “An unpleasant emotion or thought that you have when you are frightened or worried something dangerous, painful, or bad that is happening or might happen.” - Cambridge Dictionary

The other emotions: [Anger] [Joy] [Disgust] [Anticipation] [Surprise] [Trust] [Sadness]

Tag: @littlefreya 

MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

Whatever you were feeling right at that moment you stepped into the nursing home, well that wasn’t calm or serenity, nor was it happy or elated. You counted to ten as you stood in front of another door, a bright red one with a name that sent chills down your spine.

You were afraid, scared, frightened, alarmed, dreadful, fearful, on the verge of having a panic attack, if you didn’t get away from that door within the next few seconds.

Henry, your darling husband, squeezed your hand in his. His brow pushed together in concern.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He told you. You looked up into his blue eyes. They were soft and showing you that you were in charge of whatever was going to happen.

“How did I get so lucky to have you as my husband?” You asked him teasingly.

“Well, I relentlessly pursued you for months before you finally agreed on a date. Then I wooed you for many more dates until you submitted that you love me as much as I love you.” He teased right back, making you relax a little. He pulled you into his embrace, holding you tightly, squashing all your anxiety out of your body.

“Thank you, Henry.” You mumbled into his deep blue jumper. “For coming with me here. For being there for me.”

“Always and forever. That was what I promised you on our wedding day, remember?”

“Always and forever.”

You took a deep breath and knocked on the red door. A short elderly woman opened with a soft smile.

“Come in. He’s in the living room, watching some TV. You want some coffee?” She asked.

“Coffee sounds great, thank you.” You answered. All the muscles in your body were tensing up. The small flat looked like a bachelor pad. There was nothing on the walls, no plants, pictures, or whatsoever to indicate that the man living there had lived a long and adventurous life. The sound from the TV reached you in the hallway. You could hear that it was a handball match going on, Denmark versus France.

“Ready?” Henry asked. You nodded. Walking into the living room was a lot harder than you had imagined.

You hadn’t seen the man in years. He might have fathered you, raised you, kept a roof over your head, your belly full, but he was not a man you wanted to call ‘father’. The last time you had seen him was 13 years earlier, when he beat you black and blue in the driveway of his house. You had told him that you were moving out, that you had been accepted at a university in England, that you had come to collect your things. He had been furious that you didn’t want to stay with him. After everything he had sacrificed for you. According to him, you should stay with him forever, so you could take care of him like some kind of live-in-maid.

Your father was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the small living room. It had a TV, a dining table with four chairs, and a small coffee table next to his armchair, where he kept the newspapers, magazines, and books he was reading at the moment. The living room was the same as the hallway, void of pictures or anything sentimental. He didn’t look up as you entered.

“Hello, father.” You said. He left out a grumpy sound, still not looking away from the TV.

Henry stood in the background, letting you take the lead, but still close enough to intervene if you needed him. Your father had never shown him any interest, nor did he approve of you marrying an Englishman.

“I’m only here for a few days. So, I thought I should come and see how you were doing.”

Another gruff sound was huffed out from him. He didn’t move. He just sat there. You moved closer to him.

His caretaker, the sweet woman who had opened the door, had called you a few months earlier. Your father had a blood clot in his brain. It had hit the memory bank, so his short-term memory had been affected. Your aunts and uncles had moved him into a secure nursing home, where he had his own little apartment.

“I brought my husband with me.” You continued. That got his attention. He looked away from the TV and directly into your eyes. His old blue-turned-grey eyes became full of scorn and hatred. He raised himself from the armchair and got his walker. He moved past you into his bedroom. You were holding your breath the entire time but let it all out as he disappeared.

Your heart rate had gone up a few notches. Your breathing was shallow, close to non-existing. Your muscles were tense, especially the ones in your stomach area.

You felt your father behind you before you heard him. He walked over to stand in front of you. Disappointment, anger, hurt, and sadness all showing in his eyes and weak posture. He raised his left arm, which made you duck and take so many steps back that your back hit the wall. Henry was in front of you in an instant, concern showing on his chiselled face. You moved into his open arms. Your whole body was shaking from the panicked moment. You thought he was going to hit you. The trauma having never left you.

“We’re leaving,” Henry said in a determined tone, dragging you with him past the caretaker, who was holding four cups of coffee. You gave her an apologetic look but kept moving away from the flat, the nursing home. Henry didn’t stop walking until you were sitting in the rented car and drove far away.

Your muscles started relaxing as the building disappeared from the rear-view mirror. You could breathe again. Your shoulders moving back down from having been hunched around your ears. And lastly, you stopped trembling.

Fear was a factor that would haunt you, whenever you thought of him. You would never be able to shake it off, but at least you were strong enough to walk away. And it didn’t hurt that your husband was a hulking sized man, who could snap the old man in half if he wanted to.

Not that Henry would ever do that, only if you asked. He would do anything for you.

You opted for a cuddle back at the hotel, talked about what had happened, and buying plane tickets home for the next morning.

“Always and forever, my love.” He whispered in your ear right before you fell asleep that night.

[nowhereboundd]

Travelling on a Budget - Tips & Tricks!

Hi again!! Hope you’re all wellll. In this post I’m going to share some travel tips that I’ve learned during my adventures and how to budget/save money while travelling!

First offff, my first tip would be to travel with friends. This way you can split a lot of costs! Food, hotels, taxis/ubers, renting a car, gas - you get the idea!

If you’re planning on travelling alone, HOSTELS will be your best friend. Hostels are a fantastic way to meet new like-minded people and make some friends! A lot of hostels also have “common areas” where you can relax and chill. This is also a great place to meet people from all around the world!

Hostels are similar to hotels, except you generally pay for 1 bed in a shared room. A lot of hostels have “female” and “male” rooms, but its usually cheaper if you stay in a “mixed” room. I get that the idea is sketchy at first, but I’ve stayed in many hostels and I haven’t had any issues. Everyone is there for the same reason. Usually all backpackers on a budget. A lot of hostels also have lockers, so BRING A LOCK! (Tip #2) You really never know when a lock is going to come in handy. For our 1 month Europe trip, I travelled with Alex and Jordan, so thankfully we were able to stay in a lot of hotels and split the cost 3 ways. It ended up being cheaper than a hostel and generally just more comfortable and spacious. Because we were on a really fast paced trip we wanted somewhere quiet to sleep because we didn’t have a lot of time to do that :)

My favourite website for booking hotels/hostels is hotels.com. For every 10 nights you book, you get one free, which is nice because you’re saving already on your nightly costs AND getting rewarded from it. If you’re planning a long trip getting a couple nights free here and there can really come in handy! They also always have some sort of PROMO CODES floating around for some sort of discount. Right before paying for my booking I literally do a google search for “hotels.com promo codes.” You usually have to try a couple before you find one that works, but spending an extra 2-3 minutes could save you some money!

This leads me into my next tip. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS! I know they can be annoying, but they can be worth it! I have a separate folder in my email where all my “important” junk mail goes. I’m subscribed to a bunch of airlines, hotels.com, getyourguide.com (which I’ve mentioned in a previous post and will touch on more in this post, restaurants and so on. Whenever I’m about to book a flight, or a hotel, I also check this folder to see if they’ve emailed me any deals or promo codes. When looking for somewhere to eat, I again, check this folder to see if any chain restaurants are having any promos. Websites also sometimes give you a “new customer” discount when you subscribe, so if you are booking multiple things, subscribe with multiple emails! :)

My next tip/ money saver is to book through budget airlines. Most of these airlines are NOT boujee, but if you’re flying through Europe its likely that your flight won’t be any longer than 2 hours anyway. My favourite way (and the most effective way I’ve found after trying many different sites) to find the cheapest flights is good ol’ google. The thing that I love about finding flights through google is that there’s no extra “fees.” It takes you directly to the flight website and lets you book your flight as you normally would.

Just type into google: destination A to destination B flights. Then adjust the settings (how many people, round or one way trip) then it will show you when that flight is the cheapest and if that price is normal/ going to change before your date of travel.

In my opiniom, this next tip is one of the most important ones. ONLY BRING A CARRY ON! This one is so important to me for a couple different reasons. Firstly, MOST budget airlines allow you to bring a carry on for free (Ryanair does not.) and secondly, you don’t have to waste time waiting for your luggage to come out on that carousel thing. If you’re on a fast paced trip like I was, every second counts! Instead of spending 20 minutes waiting for your luggage you could already be checked in to your hotel or hostel!

I know it might seem a little intimidating trying to fit enough stuff for a long trip into such a small suitcase, which brings me to my next tip! FIND A LAUNDROMAT/ DO LAUNDRY! As I mentioned in my previous tip, there are so many positives to only bringing a carry on with you on your trip. If you’re going on a longer trip, laundromats will be your best friend. That being said, this usually is a pay per use service, BUT it will end up saving you a lot of money in the long run. A lot of hotels/hostels provide a laundry service, but if you’re staying at one that doesn’t, there is most likely a laundromat somewhere around you.

Another packing tip I have is to buy reusable toiletry bottles! You can find these at the dollar store and they are so handy. You can only bring liquids in bottles up to 100ml in your carry on, so buying the empty bottles and filling them up with shampoo/ body wash that you already have is going to save you a few dollars! What I did on my trip, is I bought a cheap bottle of shampoo (about halfway through the trip) when I was staying somewhere for 3+ days. I refilled my 100ml bottle and used the larger bottle until I had to get on a plane again. (If you’re travelling with friends this is a good opportunity to split on a bottle of shampoo and refill all your 100ml bottles!) Shampoo was actually the only thing I ended up running out of, but there are cheap pharmacies all over Europe where you can find pretty much anything you need!

I’ve mentioned this website in a previous post, but getyourguide.com is an amazing place to do a ton of tourist stuff for huge savings!! For example, entry tickets at Auschwitz were $30. Not including the 2 hour ride there and back. For $31 on getyourguide.com, I got an entry ticket, AND transportation there and back. I’ve used this website in Canada, the UK and Europe and I’ve never had any issues (except the one from my previous post, BUT their customer service is amazing and I ended up getting a full refund.)

My final tip for this post is all about USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!!! Almost 99% of the time, public transportation will save you money! Rather than renting a car or taking a taxi, download some train/bus apps and look into buying day passes whenever possible. Google maps is also super good when it comes to travel planning with public transportation. By utilizing public transportation, you get to dive deeper into the everyday lives of the locals, so in my opinion it makes the experience that much more authentic. We visited Santorini, Greece during the “off season” so there were literally no busses running at the time. We ended up renting a car (you do need an international license to drive in Greece) for super cheap, and split the cost 3 ways. For 3 full days we paid around $50/$60. So if you do find yourslef in a situation where you have to rent a car in order to experience everything that place has to offer, I recommend researching all of your options to get the best bang for your buck! Another alternative to taking a taxi is to WALK!!! You see soooo much when you just walk around. Things you wouldn’t normally “go out of your way to see” - might end up being the coolest part of your trip!!

Alright guys, well that pretty much sums up everything! If I think of anything else, I’ll add it in another post :)

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in my next post!!

↞ to travel is to live ↠

xxoo chels

[broadwaycantdie]

Disneyland / Part 1...The Journey! - Newsies (Pride) Month . Day 9

( all ) + ( modern ) + ( hc story )

a/n: oh my do i love a good road trip // also sorry this is split up, i just ran out of time but i wanted to give y’all something

( this is part one but imma post the second part soon, so this is the journey and the next part is them actually at disneyland )

warnings: mentions of intimacy // minor cussing

background: Every year the newsies all get together and go on their annual Disneyland trip. They drive from Manhattan to Anaheim because it’s cheaper than buying 20+ plane tickets. They also have a collective jar in the lodging house that everyone puts money into to help pay. Davey plans the whole thing for months and somehow things still go wrong. It’s never not a wild ride with their family. But every year they still enjoy it.

——————————————————————————

it’s damn near impossible to squeeze everyone in one car unless they rented out a bus which didn’t fit into budget

but

they also couldn’t afford another car

so they just piled everyone into one van

that’s right

29 people in one van

davey bought a van a few years back that could fit everyone semi-comfortably before they had so many people

it was a big van, made for seating 18 people technically

but new people kept coming and they made a vow to never turn down someone in need

they also added partners and siblings and whoever else

so it was tough fitting 11 more people in an already packed van, but they did it

was it safe? no.

was it comfy? no.

did it work? sure.

they had curtains on the windows so police wouldn’t see in

and blankets and pillows on the floor for everyone sitting and laying and sleeping

they also put up a sheet across the back of the first 3 seats to create a wall between the adults and the children

also cause Jack is paranoid of the police finding out

but they keep it up high enough to slide snacks under the gap whenever people asked

Darcy drives most of the time since he is the best driver

Bill and Davey sit next to him in the two front seats and give directions

Jack sits on the floor between Davey’s legs and guards the snacks

they don’t stop at hotels

cause dear god that’d be a whole other budget they can’t deal with

so they just switch between the four people in the front driving and go continuously

occasionally stopping at rest stops, food places, etc.

the back is where it got crazy

the first row consisted of Crutchie against the window, Buttons in the isle seat, and Kenny on the floor next to them

behind them was Katherine against the window, Sarah in the isle, Smalls and Sniper in the gap, and Finch in the single seat on the other side

the third row was Specs against the window with Romeo in the isle, Henry in the gap on the floor, and Jojo and Tommy Boy sitting on each other’s lap sharing the single seat

behind them was Albert against the window and Elmer in the isle, with Bart and Myron in the gap, and Mush and Kid Blink sharing the single seat

then the back row

oh my the back row

Spot sat against the window behind the single seats with Race on his lap, Hotshot sat on the opposite side with Mike halfway on and halfway off his lap, and they stuck poor Ike in the middle

bless his soul

and Les just randomly found spots on the floor wherever he could fit himself

the ride was eventful, to say the least

there were a lot of games played

the people on the floor played uno, go fish, and other card games

while the people in the seats played i spy, the alphabet game, word association, would you rather, 21 questions, never have i ever, and the oh so popular “shut the fuck up, i’m trying to sleep”

they played punch-buggy for a bit but that had to stop on account of everyone getting hurt and Davey yelling at them

Davey also counted his lucky stars he set up that sheet because everyone’s favorite game is padiddle

everyone played—except for les cause he was too young, also if you were asleep you automatically didn’t count cause that’s only fair—and it was insanity

the people on the floor would fly up as soon as they had a chance to make sure they were safe

it was their only continuous game throughout the entire trip

the worst time of all was during hour 22 when everyone was going crazy and they all started singing

the look in Davey’s eyes was priceless

he didn’t even know how to react

he’s just glad he didn’t have to be back there

god bless his ability to drive

in the front—while Darcy was driving—Bill would rest his head on Darcy’s shoulder or place a soft hand on his leg

nothing too distracting

they couldn’t risk an accident

Jack could fit his whole body in front of Davey’s seat

for how packed it was, it was a pretty spacious van

but when Jack got tired of laying he would sit up and rest his head on Davey’s seat between his legs

and Davey would pet his hair and hold the side of his face

or he would sit upright, leaning his back against the seat and have Davey play with his hair or lean his head back far enough for Davey to place a kiss on his lips

none of them even wanted to think about what was happening in the back

Specs read almost the entire time

Romeo would cuddle up on his lap and beg for attention but Specs would just pet his hair and continue on

they exchanged kisses every time Specs finished a chapter

both Mush and Kid Blink as well as Jojo and Tommy Boy periodically switched who was on whose lap for comfortablilty

they also sometimes just sat on the floor or hovered above the tiny gap between the wall and the seat for extra space

every time Elmer slept he’d curled his legs up on the seat and place his head in Albert’s lap

Albert just rested his head against the window and put his arms around Elmer, holding him

at one point they forgot other people were around and during one of Elmer’s special dreams he starting rubbing up on Albert’s thighs until he woke up to do more and saw Myron’s disappointing glare

Sarah and Katherine held each other a lot

Mush and Kid Blink exchanged more than a few kisses but what’s new

Jojo and Tommy Boy were saints to be next to because they just wrapped their arms around each other and kept to themselves

everyone was pretty tame with their relationships in the van

except for the back row

that’s why they got put in the back, so no one had to look at them

Hotshot and Mike were actually the tame ones

only in comparison to Spot and Race

Mike sat mostly on top of Hotshot

they were always touching

most of the time they just held each other

but other times they wanted more

they would makeout and grab around but nothing too crazy

they kinda knew the time and place

whenever they started doing anything Ike would just slide down to the floor and play cards with Bart and Myron

but Spot and Race

oh god

Race sat on Spot’s lap pretty much the entire time, only adjusting to sit more comfortably or sleep

sometimes Race would drop down to the floor and wrap himself around Spot’s legs

there were certain times when everyone was asleep

with the exception of whoevers turn it was to drive

usually the entire van slept at night cause they didn’t want to ruin their sleep schedules that bad

though they did take naps throughout the day

but there was one time when everyone was asleep except for Spot and Race

so they did what any dumbasses would do

suck dick in the back seat

yup

race ‘dumbass’ higgins dropped himself on the floor and tested how quiet they could be

no one woke up and they didn’t dare tell anyone

when they finished, Race wrapped himself in Spot’s arms like nothing happened and went to sleep with the rest of them

they stopped at so many mcdonald’s, 7/11’s, diners, and random rest stops

the first stop—hour 4—they found a rest stop and a few people had to pee so some people got out and stretched while others slept inside

they got back on the van and left

it took 18 minutes for them to realize they left Crutchie

“Buttons! How could you not notice your seat partner was missing!”

“that is not my job, I was asleep”

they turned around and picked him up

after that Davey made an alphabetized list of everyone and took role before they left any stop after that

it also became a joke within the group

after what felt like the car ride of a lifetime, they finally made it

at 10 o’clock at night

and seeing the disneyland sign was like arriving at heaven’s gates

when they got out so many boys flipped and jumped and ran around

just because they were so happy and they finally didn’t have to sit in a car waiting anymore

they were like children

they are children, but still

they got to the hotel, checked in, got their rooms, and slept for the night

but the next day was when the real fun was going to happen

part two of them actually at disneyland coming soon

[emiwrites3reads]

Truthful Pt. 1

Description: Reader is an investigative journalist following a story of two fbis, Sam and Dean. She gets thrown into the world of supernatural on her trip.

Characters: Dean, Cas, Sam, Jack, eventually Lucifer x reader.

A/N: this is my first fic. I hope you guys enjoy it. Tell me if you want to be tagged in the next part!

——————————————————————————

You’ve been reading up on these two detectives investigating odd cases, same people but different names. You know there is something sketchy going on. Whenever they do, the bad stops. You wonder if they are part of some weird mafia. Either way, it definitely sparks your interest.

You first role of business is too find a case they would be at. You looked at past places they were seen, the cases around that time, and what level of oddness. After searching the web for some time, you narrow it done some. Then you narrow it down to three towns.

You decided to ask the current cops if anyone matching their description showed up there. Sure enough, they showed up to one in Kansas. You’ll need to take a plane there, it’s too far from the east coast. You’ll also definitely need to bring your dog, you don’t know how long you’ll be gone.

You order the ticket and the extra for your dog. You probably wouldn’t go anywhere without him even if it was a short trip. He’s a sweetheart and helps protect you from anything that comes with your job. He’s a German Shepard. He’s not aggressive at all unles he gets provoked. The only time he has was when one of your clients, you like to call them tried to go after you.

The day of the flight comes. You get packed and leave the house. The flight seems long, but compared driving it would’ve been short. Once the planes land, you rent a car and leave with your dog Mars.

You check into a decent hotel and get some shut eye. Tomorrow awaits a big day.

“Hi! Sheriff Lincoln! We talked on the phone” I say walking over to the crime scene. The man is maybe in his 50’s, not the tallest but not short either. His hair is a mix of grey and white, his blue eyes showing a lot of wisdom. He seems like a man to respect.

“Ahh, Ms. y/l/n, it’s a pleasure to see you in person, please follow me” He says. You are fortunate enough that he allowed you to do this. He said on the phone he never trusts the feds anyway.

You can see the agents eyeing the body, there’s two of them. One of them is fairly tall, the other is like a giant. They both are pretty good looking, like something out of a tv show. “Mind if I talk to them?” You ask politely.

“I don’t mind at all, go on dear” the sheriff says. You walk over and stay a distance away, far but close enough to hear. You want to know if they are actually feds or not. Maybe you’ll find out here.

“Look, Sammy, I’m trapping myself in that box wether you like it or not, now let’s just get in with this hunt” the short one says.

“But dean....you know what fine”

“What do you think killed these people?” You don’t know what to think. One says something about trapping himself in a box, the other says ‘what’. You decided you’ll try to spark some conversation.

“Hi! My name is y/n y/l/n, I’m a freelance reporter and I saw you two were feds, I’d like to interview you later on if you don’t mind” you say with as much kindness as possible, but not too much to the point you scare them away.

“Oh, uh hey...did Sheriff Lincoln let you back here?” The tall one says. I give him and soft smile. He gives his partner a look, they suspect something. Code red, this is bad. I need to say something quick.

“Sorry if I’m in your way or anything, I’m new to this and I’m in need for a story, so I was like ‘why not ask some feds’” you say. You hope to god they buy it. They still don’t seem to buy it, but a little more than the first time you spoke to them.

“Uh yeah, um let’s meet at the McDonald’s on south street, around 8pm tonight?” The tall one says. Short one gives him a look, questioning his life choices. Yiu thank them and quickly leave.

Soon enough, that time came. You decided to leave Mars at the room, you doubted you could bring him to McDonald’s. Once you got there, you are disappointed to see they are there. You are also late. It’s 8:15. You find a spot by the window, In hopes of waiting for them. “They are probably just busy, for caughbt up” you say things yourself. Your gut doesn’t quite agree.

After waiting 20 more minutes, the short one shows up with a different guy. They aren’t in their suits either. Short guy is now tall compared to his new friend in a trench coat. You really need to find out their names. “Hey, I forgot to give you my name back at the scene, I’m Dean, that’s my friend Cas” he says sitting on the other side of the booth, cas, his friend seems to study you.

“No worries, um so what kind of cases do you guys get assigned” you ask them. You’d rather get started right away, socializing isn’t your thing, your the worst at it and awkward to make matters worse.

“We try to go for the odd balls” Dean says with a smile that make you believe there’s more to it.

“This case your working on now, I read some of the details, do you know exactly how the killer did that? Burned the victim’s eyes out and melted their insides?” You ask.

“We don’t know for sure, we have some ideas” cas says. You know from that, you won’t get much more. You feel like you need to bring up what your actually came here for, they keep hiding things. Something tells you to wait.

“What are some of the ideas” you try to prod.

“We prefer not to say” Dean says. You bite your tongue. This is going no where.

“Errr um, what are some intriguing cases you’ve been on?”

“All of them are interesting” cas says sharply.

“I guess that’s really all, thanks for meeting here” you say. Dean and cas nod and leave. That was the most awkward interview you’ve every had. They seemed so stiff.

You walk back to your hotel. On the way some guy stops you.

“Hey gurly” you roll your eyes and you try to walk away, but you bump into another dude. You turn around to meet a third. You pull out a pocket knife, which only makes the men laugh. “Darling, that won’t work”

You try to stab them but it’s like they don’t feel any pain. They grab you by your arms and next thing you know, you in a completely different area. In a empty factory. You look for an exit, but your arms are still being held back. You try to get out of their grib, but it’s iron strong. You don’t have any hope of getting out of here.

If only you had two agents to help you.

[dynamoe]

129 Ways to Get A Husband (according to McCall’s,  Jan 1958)

Get a dog and walk it.

Have your car break down at strategic places.

Attend night school – take courses men like.

Join a hiking club.

Look in the census reports for places with the most single men. Nevada has 125 males for every 100 females.

Read the obituaries to find eligible widowers.

Take up golf and go to different golf courses.

Take several short vacations at different places rather than one long one at one place.

Sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons.

Take a bicycle trip through Europe.

Get a job in medical, dental, or law school.

Become a nurse or an air-line stewardess – they have very high marriage rates.

Ask your friends’ husbands who the eligible men are in their offices.

Be nice to everybody – they may have an eligible brother or son.

Get a government job overseas.

Volunteer for jury duty.

Be friendly to ugly men – handsome is as handsome does.

Tell your friends that you are interested in getting married. Don’t keep it a secret.

Get lost at football games.

Don’t take a job in a company run largely by women.

Get a job demonstrating fishing tackle in a sporting goods store.

On a plane, train, or bus, don’t sit next to a woman – sit next to a man.

Go to all reunions of your high school or college class. There may be widowers there.

Don’t be afraid to associate with more attractive girls; they may have some leftovers.

Go back to your home town for a visit – the wild kid next door may have become a very eligible bachelor while you were away.

Don’t room with a girl who is a sad sack and let her pull you down to her level.

Get a part-time job in a convention bureau.

Change apartments from time to time.

When traveling, stay at small hotels where it is easier to meet strangers.

Learn to paint. Set up easel outside engineering school.

Stumble when you walk into a room that he’s in.

Forget discretion every once in a while and call him up.

Carry a hatbox.

Wear a Band-Aid. People always ask what happened.

Make a lot of money.

Learn several funny stories and learn to tell them well – but make sure you don’t tell them to him more than once.

Walk up to him and tell him you need some advice.

Dropping the handkerchief still works.

Have your father buy some theater tickets that have to be got rid of.

Stand in the corner and cry softly. Changes are good that he’ll come over to find out what’s wrong.

Don’t let him fish for your name the next time you meet. None of this “guess who” stuff.

If you’re at a resort, have the bellboy page you.

Buy a convertible. Men like to ride in them.

Learn how to bake tasty apple pies. Bring one in to the office and let the eligible bachelors taste it.

Laugh at his jokes.

If there’s a wallflower among the men you know, why not cultivate him? For all you know, he may be a diamond in the rough.

“Accidentally” have your purse fly open, scattering its contents all over the street.

Men like to think they’re authorities on perfume. Ask his advice on what kind you should wear.

Get better-looking glasses – men still make passes at girls who wear glasses – or try contact lenses.

Practice your drinking with your women friends first.

If you dye your hair, pick a shade and stick to it.

Wear high heels most of the time – they’re sexier!

Unless he happens to be shorter than you are!

Tell him he’s handsome.

Take good care of your health. Men don’t like girls who are ill.

If you look good in sweaters, wear one on every third date.

Dress differently from the other girls in the office.

Get a sunburn.

Watch your vocabulary.

Go on a diet if you need to.

When you are with him, order your steak rare.

Don’t tell him about your allergies.

European women use their eyes to good advantage. Practice in front of a mirror.

Buy a full-length mirror and take a good look before you go to greet him.

Change the shade of your stockings and be sure to keep the seams straight.

Get that fresh-scrubbed look by scrubbing!

If he has bought you any trinket or accessory, wear it.

Use the ashtray; don’t crush out cigarettes in coffee cups!

Polish up on making introductions; learn to do them gracefully.

Don’t be too fussy.

Stick to your moral standards.

Don’t whine – girls who whine stay on the vine!

Show him you can have fun on a cheap date – but don’t overdo it!

Don’t let your parents treat him like a potential husband.

Ask your parents to disappear when you’re entertaining!

Double-date with a gay, happily married couple – let him see what it’s like!

Tell his friends nice things about him.

Send his mother a birthday card.

Ask his mother for her recipes.

Talk to his father about business and agree that taxes are too high!

Buy his sister’s children an occasional present.

On the first date, tell him you aren’t thinking of getting married!

Don’t talk about how many children you want.

If he’s a fisherman, learn to scale and clean fish.

Don’t tell him everything about yourself at the start. Hold something in reserve.

When you’re out strolling with him, don’t insist on stopping at every shop window.

Don’t tell him how much your clothes cost.

Learn to sew and wear something you have made yourself.

Don’t gossip about him.

Never let him know he’s the only one, even if you have to stay at home one or two nights a week!

Don’t be a pushover when he’s trying to make a date.

Very early in your dating, why not get a favorite song that you both regard as your own?

Find out about the girls he hasn’t married. Don’t repeat the mistakes they made.

Don’t discuss your former boyfriends.

If you are widowed or divorced, don’t constantly discuss your former husband.

Be flexible. If he decides to skip the dance and go rowing on the lake, go – even if you are wearing your best evening gown.

Hide your Phi Beta Kappa key if you own one – later on, junior can play with it.

Turn wolves into husband material by assuming they have honor.

Resist the urge to make him over – before marriage, that is!

Learn where to draw the line – but do it gracefully.

Remain innocent but not ignorant.

Make your home comfortable when he calls – large ashtrays, comfortable chairs.

Learn to play poker.

If he’s rich, tell him you like his money – the honesty will intrigue him!

Never let him believe your career is more important to you than marriage.

Buy him an amusing or particularly appropriate present every once in a while. But don’t make it too expensive.

Clip and mail him some funny cartoon that means something to both of you.

Don’t tell dirty stories.

Stop being a mama’s girl – don’t let him think he’ll have in-law trouble, even if you know he will!

Point out to him that the death rate of single men is twice that of married men.

Go to Yale.

Get a hunting license.

If your mother is fat, tell him you take after your father. If he’s fat too, tell him you’re adopted!

Stow away on a battleship.

Rent a billboard and post your picture and telephone number on it.

Paint your name and number on roof and say, “Give me a buzz, pilots.”

Start a whispering campaign on how sought-after you are.

Sink at a fashionable beach at high noon!

Ride the airport bus back and forth from the airport.

Bribe Ferris-wheel operator to get you stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel.

Stand on a busy street corner with a lasso.

Carry a camera and ask strange, handsome men if they would mind snapping your picture.

Ask your mother to take in male boarders.

Make and sell toupees – bald men are easy catches!

Advertise for male co-owner of a boat.

If you see a man with a flat, offer to fix it.

Carry a tow chain in the trunk of your automobile.

Let it be known in your office that you have a button box and will sew on bachelors’ loose buttons.

Don’t marry him if he has too many loose buttons!

[neijayah]

Seoul, day 1 - Arrival

So to make this journey possible, I had to save up most of my years vacation days plus apply for educational vacation at my company, which was thankfully approved. A lot of preparation had to be made. Not just communication with the company that organized this educational travel, but also making sure my cats are cared for. But I admit, they're like my children. 😅😇

As I would be staying for about a month, I had to pack quite a bit, as I didn't know, where exactly I would be staying until 2 weeks before arriving, and if the residence has a laundry or not. Thankfully the hotel I'm staying at, has both a washing machine and a dryer, though in the cellar, for every resident to use. So it meant I could at least keep clothing limited.

EF offers to arrange flights from Germany to Korea. Unfortunately, only from two airports in Germany, and non of them near my parents. So it would have meant either traveling by plane, train or rental car to these airports, or organizing the flights myself. The advantage was, that I could decide which flight company I would take and how long stay-overs would be. Taking into account, that most flights - at least in Europe - nowadays are delayed, I didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere due to the incompetence of others.

I decided for Turkish Airways. Though the German-Turkish relationship is a bit strained right now, Turkish Airways has a good reputation and statistics in crashes. This shouldn't be your concern, but I just watched "Mayday - Air Desaster" way to often. 😅 I could have taken a connection flight with a stay over for 1,5 h. But, as I wasn't sure, if the plane would start on time and how big/complicated the Istanbul airport is, I decided for a 6 h stay-over. Enough time for delays and finding your gate and even eat something valuable.

Only negative point using Turkish Airways and therefore having to use Istanbul as transfer airport is, I have to say, the security check in Turkey. It was hasty and not really thorough. In today's time, not the best decision.

Both flights were eventless. It bit shaky from time to time, that eating your meals and drinking was a bit challenging. My seating neighbor even spilled her water over me. Thankfully, it wasn't the red wine she also had ordered. Unfortunately, Turkish Airways didn't offer any food from the destination country. Usually, flight companies offer two menus, one of the company's origin country and one for the destination. Same for the entertainment. Though I was lucky to even listen to BTS' latest Japanese album.

Immigration in Korea is pretty easy, like most things in Korea. Thanks to Korean technology, when your passport was scanned, they tell you to put your fingers on the scanner in your own language. On the plane they hand out the registration cards for immigration and for "importing goods" if you have packed anything, that isn't allowed in Korea. You don't need to fill these out on the plane right away. There are several points on the way to the immigration desks to fill them out, or get new ones. Pens are provided at these desks as well. Everything worked pretty fine, until I took my suitcase from the treadmill. My lock has been opened and not properly closed again. So I was running around with a extra bag for the commute, that I actually wanted to store in that suit case. Not so nice for a 1h 45 min. travel with some changing and trying to find your hotel. The latter one being the bigger problem. I will come to this problem and how to solve it a bit later.

Before I arrived in Korea I had to think about how to stay in contact with my home country, family and friends. If it was wiser to get a second SIM card or just make sure that I have cheap internet connection. I decided for the internet connection. I don't take phone calls when I'm home. Sure as hell, won't do it in Korea. Several Korean telecommunication companies offer so called Wifi eggs, a mobil internet router. Perfect for shorter vacations. If you're staying longer, like for a few months, and love to talk with home, a second SIM card might be smarter. The SIM card can be obtained at the airport directly. Sources say, it's cheaper there, than in Seoul itself. So inform yourself, where to get everything. SK Telecom offers rented mobil phones, SIM cards and Wifi eggs. Ordering/renting can be done online beforehand, either on their website or on distributors like trazy.com. The pick-up was very easy as well and the prices reasonable. KT Telecom offers the same service. It can also be ordered and found on the trazy website. SK and KT Telecom both have Wifi router in every metro train, as far as I know. So if you buy/rent a SIM or even mobile phone, you're save with these two companies.

EF offers their students to take a taxi with the help of an EF employee. But as I was fine with traveling with public transportation, I chose to take the metro. Pretty easy progress, if you know where you have to go to. Taking public transportation tickets are a necessity. When staying more than a few days, the T-Money card is the best choice. Offering diverse pictures on the front, they all work the same. At the clerks desk at any convenient store (like CS), where you buy the card, you can load it right away with an amount of your choice. 20,000 Won (approx. $20) is a good start. If you don't use all of it, it stays on the card for several years. I used my one about 4 years ago. Nothing got lost.

If you're just staying for a day or two, there a special tourist T-Money cards, with benefits for sightseeing entrances. I had one at my first travel, but it didn't work for the N Seoul Tower. So you might have to be prepared, that it isn't always excepted.

You have several options getting into the city: either taxi, bus, by express train or underground. Train takes less time, but might take you further into the city than needed and may cost more. The underground/metro takes longer, as it is an all-stop train, but you can get off, when needed. Be careful with taxis, as you better have the address written down, preferably in Korean or speak clear Korean without an accent. They might take you to the other side of town, to where you actually wanted to be. And you might get stuck in traffic like every car. The bus is a good option as well, depending on your time of arrival and how strong your stomach is. Be aware, that rush hour times here are around 5 to 8 p.m. You don't want to get stuck in traffic there. Don't know about the early rush hour times. Though, in some areas of town, buses have their own lane. With these airport busses you'll have to name your exit station, so the bus driver can insert the right charge into the T-Money card reader. Baggage is stored in special compartments at the busses belly. You'll get a receipt for your luggage, so you get the right one out at your arrival. If you choose the metro, follow the signs stating "all-stop".

Commuting with the underground is pretty easy, as everything is signed out. Even if you are actually on the right track, before you even step into the metro. Just know the next station for your direction. But it's wiser to know beforehand which bigger metro station is on that track, as most of the times, while changing from one line to another, they only show bigger transfer stations, that might connect you to another line. So better you have a plan at hand to look after which stop are on your direction.

After getting your T-Money card and have it charged with your money, just follow the signs with trains stated. It takes a bit of walking but nothing compared to finding the right bus or getting the taxi driver to understand clearly where you want to go. Before getting to the tracks you will have to scan your T-Money card to get in. Always be sure to scan them again, when leaving the train station (and bus) and sometimes even when changing the trains. This way the right amount of money will be discounted.

You will find that there are glass fronts all along the train track at the station. A way to prevent suicides or like in Germany getting pushed onto the tracks by some stranger.

Something you should prepare in advance as well, is to figure out, where exactly you have to leave your train station. Not just the right station but also the right exit. There are usually around 6 to 8 exits and more, which can be quite far away from each other as whole shopping areas are located at those stations. Your hotel or bigger sightseeing attractions will usually tell you which exit is the best to leave the station. And by the way, you actually don't need to speak/read Korean when visiting Seoul. Almost everyone speaks at least a little bit of English, more so the younger generations. And every street, metro or other signs are written in Latin/Roman writings. Just smaller shops go with Korean writing. But some necessary words are easy to learn beforehand.

It took me quite long, though to find my hotel. It was a little hidden in a side road. And Google Maps isn't really helpful, as you cannot just give in the address. Naver or Kakao Maps might give you better options and fresher cards. Both also help you taking the right train.

The hotel I'm staying at offers breakfast for an extra charge, which is pretty good. But I decided to get the food for myself. You find most stuff, somewhere around. Still have to find a decent supermarket, though, that isn't into luxury. But basic food, snacks and ready made food can be bought in nearly all convenient stores. And you usually find like 3 and more right around the next corner. And the choice in Ramyeon is beyond expectation.

I stayed at the Urban Place, a nice hotel with good equipments. There are other possibilities to stay, which are usually not more than a few square meters with a toilet/shower cabin, if at all. So if you don't want to spend a huge amount of money, don't expect luxury in all four corners. My room is equipped with a small fridge (really small), a small cooking area with the minimum of kitchen equipment. Shower and toilet are separated and TV and Wifi are included. TV also offers a few British programs and Arirang, a Korean TV station in English.

This was probably more than enough information on arriving and what to do, to get around.

[peacefullypersonable]

a callback to then

reading this now almost seems silly. as though i was naive to our true nature. reading this now makes me a bit testy-eyed. reading this now makes me miss you even more. i never thought that we would get along as well as we did. the connection isn’t lost either, as we talk every monday and catch each other up. it’s just difficult. it was difficult to watch you go, because of the sudden growth spurt we had. you are one of the only people i can be myself with. yet shortly after i discovered that, we had to say goodbye. well, not goodbye. see you later. eighteen months. we could do that. and we have managed well enough throughout it all. you’re just finishing up your seventh month, and that seems like it has gone by so fast. yet not one day goes by without my heart aching a bit for you. many times i have thought about the process i would need to go through in order to see you. buy a plane ticket, rent a hotel room, and wander around until i hopefully see a pair of guys. wander until i see a tall, wavy-haired. glasses-wearing missionary. until i see you. but of course, that’s simply too much for me to do. if you were here, that’s what you would tell me. you’re on a mission, which is something i don’t think i could ever do. we discussed our religious differences before your departure and understood. i discussed my desires of what should happen if i were to marry a member of the lds church. you agreed. that night, i told you i would wait for you to an extent. i will still be hopefully single by the time you return. we will attempt to pursue our relationship again, this time giving us a longer duration. i’m not sure how it will go, but it’s worth a shot. your return is something that i’ve been looking forward to since the moment you walked away from my door. my entire graduation ceremony was deprived of me crying. that was, until i realized you weren’t there. i missed you so much, and tearfully made my way to the orchestra room for the last time. i saw your brother that night, but not the rest of your family. not you. i miss you so much and i can’t wait for you to come back.

j. f. - the boy in first chair.

in the viola section, there are only four of us. although we are completely outnumbered by every other instrument, we compensate for it in skill and volume.

at the beginning of the year, i noticed our lack of members, and instantly knew that i just had to get close to these people. i have sat with all three of the other members and gotten to know them. we now have a group message, and text frequently.

but one individual caught my eye particularly. he was tall, and looked absolutely dashing in a suit (needed for our concerts). he had dark brown eyes, and his matching hue of hair formed gentle waves, like a lazy lake.

his hands were articulate in everything they did, whether it be placing fingers down on the neck of the instrument, or flipping a page. he was first chair, which wasn’t surprising. he played loudly, and he played well.

now, his voice is truly unique. it had a different type of personality to it, contrary to his. it was raspy, brooding, almost. i loved it. i could hear him talk for hours. on our long phone conversations i couldn’t get sick of it.

he has an insanely humorous way of words. nearly everything that comes out of his mouth could make you laugh. getting to know him is probably one of the best decisions i have made this school year.

from admiring him from the distance to asking him to the school’s sadie’s dance, we have definitely come a long way from being complete strangers.

[42h-0-blog]

𝖃𝖊𝖓𝖔 / ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

“Stella!” a woman called

Stella gazed up from the novel she was reading and called to her name, “YES?”

“We’re leaving, honey!”

Stella hesitated to fold her book’s page corner, but quickly conceded. This was an emergency she’ll forgive herself for later. She folded the page’s corner delicately and dropped her book down on her bed, springing up and dashing downstairs from her room to meet her parents. 

“Here’s the debit card.” Stella’s mom said sternly while handing her a valuable rectangular piece of plastic. “Don’t drive the cars… not that you could without keys, but still, don’t even dream of it.”

“I know, Mom,” Stella groaned.

“Ut-ut-ut, I’m not done--” her mom said in her infamous cocky-tone, and with her chin up high, “NO unnecessary spending on this card or you’ll starve. Your budget is $20 a day. If you don’t spend anything all week, you’ll have $140 per week for grocery--”

“Don’t you have a flight to catch???” Stella interrupted, clearly becoming agitated. 

Her mother’s face softened and she opened her arms. She almost looked sad to go.

“I know, I’m stalling. Give me a hug, honey.” 

Stella embraced her mom and was more ‘being hugged’ than ‘hugging’. Her mom hugged her tightly for what felt like forever.

BEEEEEP! A car honk came from outside. Stella’s mom broke the hug first and quickly kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Make sure you answer our Skype calls!”, she shouted while gathering her keys and purse. “We’ll be back in 2 weeks!” 

Stella followed her mother to the door and waved to her father who had already began backing out the driveway. Her mother jogged skillfully in her high heel pumps to the passenger door, and seconds before the car sped off, she was in her seat and buckled. Stella felt a strange anxiety in her chest as she waved after the car until it disappeared into a spec. 

Stella peered down at the debit card while shuffling back into the house. She tossed the card on the counter and dragged her feet back upstairs into her room where she collapsed into her bed and curled under her sheets. Her sister should be coming home from high school soon. In just a few minutes, Stella had fallen asleep. 

Buzzzz--Ring, ring...Buzzzz--Ring, ring…Buzzzzz--Ring, ring… 

Stella raised her head from a textbook and glanced around the room. When did I sit at my desk? She wondered.

Buzzzz--Ring, ring… Stella glanced at the cellphone on her desk buzzing and swiped to accept. It was her mother.

“Honey, I forgot a suitcase, I’m on my way home. Come open the door for me, and fetch my suitcase from my room, please. HURRY! *click*”

Stella stuffed her phone into her pants pocket and scurried to her parent’s room. She saw the big, black suitcase laying on its back by the bedside, and she quickly stood it up, heffed it downstairs, unlocked the front door and kicked it down the porch stairs. Like clockwork, Stella’s sister dragged her feet onto the lawn and up the porch as the black Hyondai rental her parents rented swung into the driveway. Their dad stumbled out the car and whisked the suitcase up, “GIRLS! Want to come for the trip?” 

Stella opened her mouth incredulously, but before she could speak, Melody, her sister, chimed, “YES”, and grabbed Stella’s hand to drag her into the backseat of the car. Their dad tossed the suitcase into the trunk and locked the front door up.

Melody bounced in her seat, asking“What about clothes and stuff?”

“Your father and I will just buy you both new outfits there, but we figured 2 weeks was too long of a trip, and since we’re both gone, it would just be better to take you with us. Melody won’t miss too much since it’s the end of the school year, are you okay with it, Stella?”

Stella grunted. She didn’t have on real shoes. She didn’t even have her headphones on. This was actually stupid in her opinion. 

They got to the airport quickly, and Stella felt like an eyesore in a black hoodie, black sweatpants, and Homer Simpson house slippers. They bought new tickets, and surprisingly, they were able to find 2 seats near their parents. They checked in their luggage and while waiting for their flight, they bought Stella some new shoes. After grabbing some quick food, their plane called for boarding. 

Melody seemed the most excited. “I can’t believe we’re going to San Diego! This is a dream come true! Mom, can I get a bikini?” She said this to mom, but was glancing at their Dad. 

Their Dad blushed and glanced out the huge windows of the airport at the planes taking off. “Our girls are growing up so fast, huh, Maria?”

Maria. It was strange hearing their Dad call their mother Maria. He always said honey or sweety. Stella didn’t feel right. The anxiety in her was unbelievable by this point, and she dreaded stepping foot on the plane as she handed over the ticket to be checked and returned to her. Melody held Mom and Dad’s hand, and Mom reached to hold Stella’s hand. Startled, Stella looked down at the hand, then up at her mom. Unsure of this strange anxiety in her, she held her mom’s hand for comfort. She had never been in an airplane before, and neither had Melody. They found their seats and in about 30 minutes, and a few moments after that the flight attendant started the announcements. Melody and her Dad sat behind Stella and her mom. 

Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of our captain and the rest of the crew, I’d like to welcome you aboard Dolta Flight 303, with nonstop service to San Diego, California. Our flight time will be approximately three hours and thirty-three minutes, and we look forward to ensuring that your journey with us today is as pleasant and carefree as possible.

Stella listened keenly to the flight attendant, and squinted at another flight attendant giving some demonstration a few seats above.

Once the announcements were done and everyone was fastened in, the airplane engine began to growl to life, and then they were moving. Melody poked me from behind, “Are you readyyy, Stella?” She giggled. Stella’s anxiety didn’t subside. 

They began to move faster, and the images through her mother’s window sped past them. They heard a loud rev of another engine, and soon enough, Stella’s ears began to pop as the plane took flight. Chatting murmured throughout the cabin of the plane, and after about 15 minutes, the flight attendant spoke again to let everyone know they can walk around the plane. The seat belt light turned off, and everyone unbuckled themselves. Melody was the first to pop up and lean over the back of Stella’s seat. “Mom, what kind of hotel are we staying in?” 

“You’ll see, dear. Your father booked us a great little spot. While we’re working, you both will have plenty to do in the hotel--” DING!

The seat belt sign turned on again. The flight attendant spoke, “The captain has requested that we take our seats and fasten our seat belts, we’ll be experiencing some turbulence.”

Everyone groaned as they clicked their seat belts all throughout the cabin.

BOOM! 

The airplane shook violently. Stella’s head swiveled around to look at her father behind them. He looked weary, but smiled at Stella’s expression and mouthed, “It’s okay..” 

“What’s going on?” Melody asked alarmed. 

The plane began to rock and suddenly, the propeller next to Stella’s mother’s window exploded. The plane dipped sharply to the left, and they heard shrill screaming from all angles. Oxygen masks fell from above each seat, seat belts unbuckled everywhere, and safety jackets were already being yanked on. Stella’s mother, in a panic, pulled Stella’s oxygen mask from above her and pulled it over her face. She pulled her own over her face next. The flight attendant was talking as calmly as she could to calm the panicking crowd already pushing and shoving through the isles towards the emergency exits.

It suddenly felt hot. Very hot. Stella’s vision began to blur. She felt herself being shaken, but she couldn’t bring her thoughts together.

We’re going to die, was all Stella could think over and over.

She thought she heard a whistle. It wouldn’t stop. The whistle was screaming over her thoughts. She looked at the blurred silhouette of her mother shaking her. And suddenly, a bright light accompanied by a deafening boom shocked Stella.

Her eyes burst open and Stella stared at her room ceiling, panting. She gather her bed sheets around her neck and tried to slow down her beating heart by breathing slow, steady breaths. What the hell was that? 

She tried to remember as much of the dream as possible before reaching into her pocket for her phone to check the time. She was only asleep for an hour and a half. 

She hoisted herself out of bed and dragged herself to the kitchen to drink a glass of water, chasing away the images of her nightmare. 

Stella heard the front door shut and her sister appeared in the kitchen,

“You look like shit.” She chirped cheerfully. 

Stella grumbled, “you smell like shit,” before turning away to head back to her room.

“Mom and Dad left?” Melody asked while scanning the fridge.

“Yeah…” 

Images of Stella’s nightmare flashed in her memory again and she felt her agitation with her sister increase.

“Sweet, I’m going to have some friends over, okay?” Melody called to Stella who was now halfway up the stairs.

Stella grunted back, but she didn’t think Melody heard nor did she care. She slammed and locked her room door behind her, found her book and began to read.

About 8 hours later, the doorbell rang. Stella ignored it.

“Stella?” Melody called from downstairs.

Stella ignored her.

“STELLA, COME!” Melody called more alarmed now. Anxiety flooded Stella and she slammed her book shut, not bookmarking the page. She hurried downstairs to the front door. There on the sofa were Melody’s 2 friends from school, Jade and Thomas, but at the front door stood Melody and a strange, tall woman with a poker face in business attire. 

“Are you Stella Mane?” The woman asked.

“Yeah--” Stella peeped. She could feel everyone staring between her and the strange woman.

“May I speak to you both in private?” She asked, waving over Melody’s company.

Melody flinched and nodded to both her friends. They headed upstairs and although you heard a door shut, it was certain that they were eavesdropping.

“Melody Mane, Stella Mane, are you the children of John Mane and Maria Mane?”

The young girls gulped and nodded. Stella felt dread fill her entire being and tears began to gather quickly in her eyes.

The strange woman’s face softened for a brief moment before hardening again,

“Dolta Flight 303 headed to San Diego, CA from Philadelphia, PA experienced a technical issue during the flight. The aircraft unfortunately never made it to its destination.”

Stella’s tears spilled over, stinging her cheeks. They wouldn’t stop. She stared speechless as the woman confirmed her nightmare.

“The aircraft crashed in Ohio. No bodies have been recovered as of yet.”

𝕋𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕦𝕖𝕕...

𝙷𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢?

𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔!

₋４２Ｈ

[travelinglight10-blog]

Thai Adventures With Bubba

Bubba had been telling me for months that he was coming to visit me in Thailand, even before I left last year we talked about it. He had to work to make it happen, starting with getting a passport. After that he just needed to save up enough money for a plane ticket and a little extra to spend while here. After a while it seemed like he wasn’t going to make it, but I kept my hopes up and prepared for him to visit by saving up my allotted vacation days. Bubba does things in his own way and in his own time and I was trusting that he would figure out a way to come visit me. At the end of June, he sent me a picture of a receipt for an expedited passport and finally, in July he bought a ticket to Bangkok. I was so excited.

The trip started off with his flight being delayed, which meant he would be landing in Bangkok sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I live about an hour from Bangkok International Airport, so originally, I was going to pick him up and take a cab home that night. Which meant, I would be able to make it to work the next morning. However, as Thailand has graciously taught me, plans often go awry. Instead, I booked a last-minute hotel near the airport and called in sick to work the next day. Because his flight was delayed, he missed his connecting flight, so I had no idea when he would be arriving. I fell asleep, not knowing when he would be landing, but figured he would be able to call me when he arrived. Turns out, the international plan he signed up for was for texting and calling only, and the plan I have here, is for data only, so our phones both worked, but they didn’t speak the same language. Around 5 am I received a call on Whatsapp, from my mom, telling me that Bubba had landed, so I told her to convey to him the instructions to get a cab to the hotel I was staying at. Shortly thereafter, there was a knock on my door and my brother was there! It was so good to see a familiar face. After such a long journey, he was eager to shower off the grime of travel. Showers are a bit different in Thailand, but I assumed he would figure it out. I was wrong. To my amusement, he told me how he has used the little hose that hung near the toilet to shower. What he thought was the shower, was actually the bidet or what some refer to it as, the bum gun. I wonder if anyone else has ever made that mistake before…

We started our adventure together in Krabi Province, in the South of Thailand, where we stayed on an island, spending most of our time lounging on the beach and meeting fellow travelers and Thai’s, alike. Because August is considered low season, especially for the islands, I scored a cheap room in a nice hotel on the island. Normally, I stay in hostels or share cheap bungalows with friends, so it was quite the treat. Our first night on the island we decided to grab dinner at an Indian restaurant. In order to get to the restaurant, we had to go to the other side of the island. There are three ways to do this: 1) a 45-minute trek through the jungle, 2) a 15-minute hike through the mountains/jungle that is sometimes blocked off when the tide is high, 3) walking along the shore when the tide is low, around the mountains/jungle. To go to dinner, we took the second route. We ate dinner and ended up going to a bar on that side of the island, where we played a few games of Jenga and filled each other in on what we’ve been doing over the last 10 months. Soon after, were both ready to crawl into those cozy hotel beds and pass out for the night, but mother nature had a different idea. When we went back to the shore, we realized the tide had risen so high that we couldn’t get to the entrance of the path to get back to the other side of the island. We were essentially stranded, at least until the tide went back out. We asked a local when the tide would be low enough for us to get to the path and he said around 1 or 2 a.m. So, we headed back to the bars. On our way back, we passed a couple playing music together on the beach. Bubba said we should join them, but I told him I didn’t want to intrude. We ended up at a reggae bar and 5 minutes later, the couple from the beach came and sat down right next to us. We ended up talking and we all decided we should go back to the beach to jam, but after 5 minutes, it began to pour. We sprinted to the nearest shelter, which was a little restaurant that was closing up for the night. We stayed there for about an hour, adding our voices to the sound of the rain pounding on the roof above us, until we were kicked out. At that point, the rain was still coming down in buckets and the tide was still too high to cross over to our side of the island. The lovely German couple we were with, took pity on our predicament and offered to let us sleep on the balcony of their hotel room. They even pulled the cushions off the couch in their room, so we could sleep on them. If it wasn’t for their kindness, we would’ve been stranded on the beach in the rain all night. After a few hours of sleep and 50 bug bites later, we quietly left their room to attempt to get back to our beds. It was around 4 am by the time we left and the tide was finally low enough for us to cross over. We grudgingly trekked our way along the shore, up into the jungle and back to our hotel. We slept in late that day and when we woke up we went to a cute little teahouse, where a kind elderly woman made us fresh ginger tea with lime. We spent the majority of our time in a bar on the island, where we chatted with the owner and other backpackers, played ping-pong, and listened to music. The rest of the time we spent on the beach, taking in the scenic views. We were fortunate to be on the islands during the full moon and lunar eclipse. That night, I stood staring up at the sky, basking in the glory of the moon and the beauty of nature.

After a few lazy days on Tonsai, we flew up north, to Chiang Mai. After checking into our hostel that night, we went to the night Bazaar, a huge night market. Bubba got some dinner, we did some window shopping, and then found a bar with live music, where we ordered some hot tea.

At our hostel, we met a guy from Turkey and ended up spending a lot of time with him. We rented a motorbike for a few days and drove into the mountains to explore with our new friend. The first day with the bikes, the three of us went to Doi Suthep, a temple with a beautiful view of the city. Then we drove further into the mountains and found a little coffee shop, where we for stopped a pot of tea (Bubba and I both have an affinity for tea) and watched storm clouds roll through the mountains in the distance.

��We continued our journey and found a village higher up in the mountains. There we found a beautiful flower garden and a waterfall. 

The next morning, we woke up early for a cooking class on a little organic farm. We were picked up and brought to a local market, where we sampled a few different Thai fruits and bought a few ingredients we would need for our dishes. When we got to the farm, we picked the rest of the ingredients ourselves and then made 5 traditional Thai dishes. Needless to say, we were very full by the end of the class! 

That night, we went to North Gate Jazz Club with a few other people we met at our hostel. The following day, we drove into the mountains again with another friend, a girl from Austria. As we were driving, it started to rain, so we decided to pull our bikes over. Luckily, we happen to stop at a waterfall, where there was a gazebo and benches to stay dry. While we waited for the rain to stop, we ended up doing some spontaneous yoga poses, meditation, and even “omed” together. As always, Chiang Mai treated me well. I’m so happy I was able to share the charm of such a wonderful city with my brother.

A few days in Chiang Mai and then we were off the Pai, a hippy, mountain town, about 3 hours from Chiang Mai. This time, I was prepared and took motion sickness pills before getting into the van. In Pai, we shared a cute little bungalow surrounded by rice fields.

We went on a hike and found a few temples and a huge white Buddha. 

There was an amazing vegan restaurant down the street from where we were staying. They had buy 2 get 1 free kombucha, vegan waffles and ice cream, an array of vegan desserts, and some of the most delicious food ever. We were happy campers (:

I don’t know what it is about Pai, but it has a powerful energy. There’s magic in the air there. Those few days there were transformative.

After a truly wonderful two weeks, it was time to fly back to Bangkok to send Bubba back to the states. I was sad to see him go, but knew I would see him again soon, along with the rest of my beautiful family!

If you’re reading this familia, I LOVE YOU!