#I actually have a box somewhere of a bunch of hand written compliments I got when I was in school

[rosicheeks]

🌸🦖🌿?

-🌸

🌸 Best compliment you ever received?

I feel like it had to be something about my personality. Personality compliments are always top tier for me and then singing compliments are probably next 🩷

🦖 Favorite extinct animal?

Dinosaurs???? I’m sorry I’m awful lol

🌿 Describe your favorite outfit.

Right now I don’t think I have a *favorite* outfit. My go to outfit when I want to look cute is usually a skirt and a top that is either a crop top or I crop myself 😂

[ghost-in-between]

More Than Enough - Christmas Truce 2020

Merry Late Christmas @dailudannos! I’m sorry again that this is extremely late. Kinda funny thought that we had each other :D Hope you enjoy this sall piece. (I don’t think I’ve written Technus or Skulker ever for more than 2 lines, so I hope it’s still fun to read.)

Headaches were different for ghosts. Or maybe it was a weird personal thing for Technus. He hadn't asked. All he did know is that headaches sucked and being a ghost sucked and Christmas sucked.

Almost on autopilot, he was decorating the tree in the living room, putting ornaments too close together or too far apart. It wasn't his living room, or his tree, or his ornaments. The only reason he cared enough to put up with this was because Skulker had so nicely asked him to. Why he'd want to spend his time with Technus, he had no idea.

There wasn't much about him, really. He was the kind of person that was so lame that they try too hard to be cool. Skulker was the kind of person that was just cool without trying at all. Technus didn't know when they had started hanging out or how, but he still wasn't sure how much longer Skulker would want this. Neither was he sure how many more ornaments fit on this tree. Was this an appropriate amount yet? Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Are you sure that's enough yet?"

Turning around, he was greeted by a smug grin, framed in metal. Unsure, he glanced at the tree, counting the ornaments silently, until he was interrupted by a chuckle.

"I was teasing you. It's more than enough.

Letting the air escape his lungs and coughing to hide his embarrassment, he closed the box of tree decorations. "I know that," he grumbled. A sudden increase in pain made his grip on the box loosen, but he managed not to drop it. Headaches always left a lingering wave of pressure rolling through his entire body. It was as though the pain didn't know to stay in one area.

Skulker grabbed the box from his hands and set it down by the table. "You good?" he asked, lightly masking his concern behind a grin.

Technus nodded, forcing a grin onto his face as well, dropping it the second the other turned away. Pretending to be cheerful for one holiday should really not be this hard. Music started playing from an old-timey record player, the tunes crackling gently as a Christmas song filled the air. "Oh, really? Is this necessary?" Technus wondered, less irritated about the song choice than the technology.

"Yes," Skulker confirmed, winking at him. Technus didn't have a response. "Be glad I didn't sign us up for the choir."

Oh god, the choir. Technus remembered hearing other ghosts talk about it. It might have also been in the weird newspaper that Ghost Writer has been sending out. He didn't care much for it. All it did was give him more headaches. "Yeah," he agreed, sinking into the couch. "I wouldn't have joined if you'd signed us up though."

Picking up some green and red lights, Skulker chuckled. "You think I would have given you a choice?"

"I would have simply not done it." Technus shrugged, watching the other finish up the decorations, by hand, no ghost powers.

"That's what you think." Skulker fiddled with the lights, getting them tangled up. "But-" He tugged on them. "In reality-" They got even more tangled. "You would have- ugh." He threw the lights on the ground in frustration. "Stupid lights."

"Here let me." Technus got up and swiftly pulled them apart, handing one end over to Skulker so they could hang it up together. He didn't get a thank you, but the fact that Skulker quietly accepted his help told him enough. The hunter was tough but he never failed to remind Technus of his soft side. It made him feel special. But it also scared him.

"I think that's all the lights I had left. I put some outside. Remind me to take them down again as soon as Christmas passed."

Technus nodded as he returned to his position on the couch. Couldn't have anyone see Skulker being a sucker for Christmas decorations of course. Another spike of pain made him screw his eyes shut, pushing himself into the cushions. Why did he have to be plagued by headaches, all the time? Part of him felt like he knew what caused them, but it was buried somewhere in his mind and he didn't have the energy to dig it out.

"What's wrong?"

Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Skulker, looking at him suspiciously.

"Nothing." He forced himself to loosen his shoulders and shake off the pain. "The record player is just painful to look at." Skulker rolled his eyes at the comment. "Shouldn't you like all technology?"

Technus crossed his arms. "I have standards."

"So do I, that's why you're here."

Taken aback by the compliment – flirt? – Technus blinked and shook his head. Skulker did love to tease him. "Because I have standards and won't spend Christmas Eve without anyone to admire by epic power and wit?"

Skulker pushed him lightly, or at least lightly for him. "Me? Admire your power and wit? Dream on."

He know it was a joke, a tease. But then why did it feel like a jab between his ribs? "Ah, of course," he said, intending to make it sounds confident and like he was playing along to the joke. Instead it came out sounding bland and disappointing.

Skulker looked the tiniest bit horrified, uncomfortable, like he didn't expect this response and now had to think really hard on how to react. "I mean, you-" He cut himself off. Had he realized it was the truth?

The headache was a constant pounding by now, shaking his limbs. This was beyond stupid. He was letting his own thoughts get him down, on Christmas Eve, a day that was supposed to be cozy and nice, apparently. He didn't get the hype, really. A knock on the door interrupted the awkward situation and Technus quickly got up to check the door. Only on Christmas would he ever witness anyone actually knocking before entering. Swinging the door open, he was met by the sight of Ember and a bunch of other ghosts, wearing Christmas hats. Before he could say anything they took a deep inhale and started singing.

"Oh, please no."

Skulker came up behind him, looking torn between being amused and irritated. "Guess you couldn't escape them fully, after all."

Technus felt him look at him from the side, hoping his expression wasn't betraying how tired he felt and how much he regretted not saying no to today. It was silly, maybe. One day wasn't so bad, one song from a choir of people that wouldn't have stopped by his lair anyway. Not that he would have wanted that. Of course not.

Suddenly he was being pushed back inside, before Skulker said "Thanks, Merry Christmas!" and shut the door on the other ghosts.

"What-" Technus looked at Skulker, at the door, then back at Skulker. "Why did you do that? I thought you enjoyed it?"

"But you weren't."

Taken aback, Technus focused his gaze on the wall behind to Skulker, unsure what to say. The pain in his head felt loud. As a ghost, he didn't need to sleep, yet he felt so, so tired.

"Why did you come?"

"What?"

Skulker was mustering him, like he was trying to analyze his thoughts. He was glad that telepathy was an uncommon ghost power. "You don't like Christmas, so why did you come here today."

He thought about it, thought about his feelings for the holiday, about his feelings for Skulker, about the constant ache in his body that reminded him that he was different from the technology he controlled. "I don't know," he admitted.

Nodding, Skulker sat back down on the couch, patting the space next to him. Afraid of what was going through the other's head, Technus hesitantly complied. He opened his mouth to say something, apologize, maybe, but Skulker was faster.

"It's okay. I think I need to apologize."

Wait, what? Technus was so surprised even his head seemed to clear for a moment of confusion.

"Don't give me that look. Listen-" Skulker looked directly at him, unafraid. "I think I've been taking you for granted."

"What, no-"

"Please. Let me finish, alright?"

Technus nodded.

"I've been taking you for granted because I assumed if I enjoy hanging out with you, then so do you." Technus felt the movement on the couch as Skulker shifted. "And not just that. I've been assuming that if you tell me you're fine, you are fine. But you're not like that, are you?"

Looking away, Technus shrugged. He wasn't the tough one. It didn't really matter, did it?

"Hey, I know I'm the one wearing a metal suit, but you're the one that makes himself untouchable. You can tell me when something is wrong, you know?"

It sounded so foreign to him, yet the concept seemed familiar. He was untouchable when he encased himself in hardware or when he turned intangible, but was he untouchable as a person? Was he even still a person? As if in response, an invisible knife plunged into his head, making him stop the habit of pulling hair in through his nose. Yes, it seemed to say. Just because he died, he wasn't not a person anymore. He still felt pain, just a little differently.

Glancing at Skulker, who looked so genuine that it was hard to imagine him on the hunt, he sighed. It was Christmas, he was here, the lights on the tree shining on them and mixing with their own glow. Would a bit of honesty, a bit of showing weakness even be able to ruin this?

"I just," he closed his eyes for a moment. "I just have a terrible headache." Skulker seemed surprised, whether it was at the fact that he was troubled by a headache or that his words had gotten through to him somehow, he didn't know. "And I'm tired," Technus continued. "And I don't like Christmas." Before Skulker could reply, he smiled at him. "But," The headache was still pounding in his head, but he felt like he was letting himself be wrapped in a blanket. "I guess I'd still rather be tired here with you, than alone. So if you still like me when I'm weak and lame-"

Skulker took his head , effectively making him shut his mouth. "I like you how you are, strong and interesting and right here."

And Technus believed him.

[jouska-the-deer]

A Bit Much, Part 2

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Here’s part 2, and part 3 should be posted very soon. 

Part 1: Amy helps Shadow decorate his house for Valentine’s Day.

Part 2: Sonic spends the afternoon with Amy.

Part 3: Sonic spends the evening with Shadow.

With a delighted squee, Amy ran up to her door, answering the knock she just heard. She swung the door open, revealing Sonic standing on the other side.

Before any conversation was made, Sonic got a look at Amy’s outfit for the day. She wore a long frilly red dress with matching high heels, a red headband similar to her usual one only this one was decorated with fake roses, and long white gloves instead of her usual short ones.

“Woah. You look really good.”

“Thank you!”

Sonic blushed, handing her a bouquet of handpicked flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Amy.”

“Thank you so much! And, Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Sonic.”

They leaned down, sharing a brief kiss before Amy stepped back into her house.

“One moment. I have to put these down and grab something.”

“No problem.”

With that, Amy rushed into her house, arriving back in seconds. She expectantly held a card out for Sonic to grab, her heart racing as he took it from her.

“I made it myself- well, I bought a blank card and decorated it- but still. I hope you love it!”

Just glancing at the card showed the time and effort that went into making it look beautiful. The most noticeable thing on the front was the huge red heart in the center, with golden colored cursive spelling out “Happy Valentine’s Day, Sonic”. Looking a little closer revealed all the small details in the background, including a bunch of little hearts and roses drawn in patterns that made up larger hearts. Intricate patterns of hearts made up the edges of the card, giving it an almost professional feel.

As Sonic opened the card, he noticed that the pattern of hearts around the border of the card were the same on the inside. There wasn’t a bunch of hearts and roses drawn in the background though. Instead, there was a neatly written poem spanning both sides of the card interior. Sonic began to read it, knowing that Amy definitely worked hard on it and wanted him to.

Thank you for the unending love

You make me feel each day

Even if you’re not next to me

I feel it anyway

The past was often filled with me

Trying to be your bride

You never could evade my hugs

No matter how you tried

Today I know it was unkind

To stick to you like glue

But after decent time and space

You let me close to you

And then before I knew

You came to love me too

Sonic couldn’t help but blush bright red as he read the poem. He was only halfway through it, and he could already feel his heart pounding.

Thank you for all the time you spent

Making my life so fun

The adventures you’ve given me

Beat any vacation

There were some days I doubted that

You’d come back in one piece

As time passed and we got closer

Those worries didn’t cease.

But here you are still by my side

Despite all that you fight

Smiling the way you always do

Ridding me of most fright

Each day and every night

Keeping my spirits bright

Helping me feel alright

When Sonic looked up from the card, he noticed Amy blushing as well. She was looking away bashfully, but once she glanced at Sonic and saw he was done reading, she gave him a hopeful smile.

“Do you… like it?”

Sonic returned the smile.

“I loved it.” He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Amy and pulling her into a hug. “And, I love you.”

Amy hugged him back, sighing happily. “I love you too.”

They held each other for a brief moment, enjoying the contact a few more seconds before stepping back.

Sonic glanced down at the poem in his hand again.

“This is even better than the one you wrote last year.”

“I hoped so. I’ve been practicing so that the poems I give you are even better.”

“I can tell.”

“Thank you.”

For a second, Amy giggled happily at the compliment, before jumping at something she was forgetting about.

“Wait! I’ve got stuff for us to do today!” Immediately, Amy grabbed Sonic’s free can and began pulling him somewhere. “Come on!”

Sonic chuckled, putting the card safely into his hammerspace.

“I’ve got a better idea.” With one quick movement, Sonic scooped Amy into his arms and held her bridal style. “Just tell me where to go and we’ll get there in no time.”

Blushing deeply, it took Amy a moment before she could reply.

“O-Okay.”

“This is it. Just stop over there.”

Sonic slowed to a halt in front of a pleasant little cafe that appeared well decorated for the holiday. Valentine’s Day balloons were tied to the outdoor tables and chairs, and each table had a bouquet of fake roses in the center. Carefully, Sonic set Amy down.

“This place looks pretty nice,” Sonic commented.

“Yep! Perfect for a romantic date with the person you love~”

Once again, Sonic couldn’t help but blush, scratching his quills as Amy lead him forward. Quickly, Sonic jogged in front of her, holding the door open.

“Aww. Thank you.”

“No problem, Amy.”

It wasn’t long before they were seated at a table for two near the front windows, with each of them ordering a drink before their waiter walked off to help the other customers.

The meals they each had were well presented and tasted nice, well worth the small amount of time they had to wait for their food to be finished. While they were eating, Sonic couldn’t help but notice how Amy kept looking at him dreamily, but he didn’t appear to mind. He continued to eat his food happily while Amy did the same.

Wit their meals now finished, Amy nervously looked at Sonic.

“Hey, Sonic?”

“Yeah?”

She looked away, her cheeks turning bright red.

“Um, would you like to…” After a few breaths, she forced herself to look at him. “...Share a milkshake with me?”

Sonic blushed just as hard, clearing his throat as his heart raced.

“Well, uh, okay- I mean, sure- I mean, I’d be cool with it. Uh, yeah.”

Amy squeed loudly in excitement before covering her mouth, letting out a more contained giggle of joy after. Sonic smiled as Amy grabbed the dessert menu.

When the milkshake was finally delivered to the table, it was about what Sonic was expecting when he heard Amy order the “Endless Love, Valentine’s Day Milkshake Special.” It was definitely a strawberry flavored shake, and he could see chocolate stripes running down the sides of the glass it came in. The milkshake was topped with plenty of whipped cream, and covered in tiny heart-shaped sprinkles. Two straws were sticking out of the top, one facing Sonic and the other facing Amy.

Amy leaned in to sip the milkshake, giving Sonic a look that told him she really wanted him to do so as well. He too leaned forward, taking a sip of the shake as she did.

For a brief moment, Sonic thought about how good the milkshake actually tasted, before his nose bumped into Amy’s and he was pulled out of his thoughts. They both blushed. Amy backed up and looked away while Sonic sat up rigidly in his chair. Sonic then noticed Amy starting to giggle, facing him after a moment.

“I love you.”

Sonic relaxed a little bit, giving Amy a smile.

“I love you too.”

A short moment later, they both went back to sipping the milkshake together. Their noses touched for a second time, but only Amy backed away that time. She smiled bashfully with her lips hovering near the staw, her eyes drifting away. Her attention was caught when Sonic leaned forward more, purposely bumping his nose against hers. Amy couldn’t help but giggle, nuzzling her nose against Sonic’s. Shortly after, he nuzzled back, causing Amy to feel even happier. They continued to share their milkshake.

Sonic set Amy down again, looking up at the building she led him to.

“A movie theater, huh? So, what’re we seeing?”

Both him and Amy began walking in.

“The Violet Nightgown. It’s a captivating love story about an adventurous pilot who crash lands in a small farm town after getting caught in a dangerous storm. As she repairs her plane, she falls in love with a beautiful farmer who warns her of a curse on the town. Everyone who stays there for more than a week is forced to stay there forever. As her days there get closer to seven, she’s forced to choose between staying with the woman she’s grown to love, or flying away and continuing her life of adventure.”

Sonic smirked. “It sounds like you’re quoting the trailer or something.”

They both stopped at the ticket counter.

“That’s because I am.” Amy then turned to the person behind the counter. “Two for The Violet Nightgown, please.”

Once they got their tickets, food, and beverages, they walked into the theatre and found a good place to sit. It was a good thing that they managed to arrive pretty early because it wasn’t long before many other couples walked into the theater as well. After sitting through a seemingly endless barrage of commercials and trailers, the movie finally started.

Not too long into watching the movie, Sonic noticed that he kinda related to the protagonist, a thin white snowshoe hare named Cirrus. She was cool, adventurous, and loved flying around in her plane. It didn’t have a cool name like ‘The Tornado’ or anything, but that didn’t really matter too much. He watched the opening shot of her flying through the air enjoying the wind, until a weird storm starts and a bolt of lightning hits her plane, causing it to crash into a farm town. A little bit later, a strong yellow silkie chicken helps her out of the wreckage, introducing herself as Fennel and asking Cirrus if she was alright. The look they gave each other made it very obvious that they were already falling in love, and Sonic reacted by awkwardly looking away from the cheesy moment of them staring into each other's eyes. He glanced at Amy, who seemed to be eating the moment up. Slowly, Sonic turned his attention back to the screen.

A bit further into the movie, Cirrus was walking around outside at night, despite the warnings that Fennel gave to her earlier. She was investigating some weird noises she heard and saw a bunch of ghosts roaming around the town. Cirrus then noticed one ghost that looked a little different from the others. Instead of a mostly featureless ghost, it was clearly the ghost of a middle-aged mouse woman who wore a violet nightgown. Sonic figured she must be important to the story if what she was wearing was the title of the movie. The ghost ended up chasing after Cirrus, but she managed to escape and run into Fennel’s house where she was staying. This led Fennel romantically comforting Cirrus, which made Sonic awkwardly look away again. Amy still appeared to be enjoying the movie though, which made Sonic smile.

An idea then popped into his head. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around Amy’s shoulders, briefly getting her attention. Despite the low light, Sonic could tell Amy was blushing, but the smile she wore showed him how happy she was about the situation. She leaned against him, letting out a sigh of content as they continued to watch the movie.

Sonic could feel the end of the movie getting closer. Cirrus and Fennel were speaking to an old townsperson, who was telling the story about the woman in the violet nightgown. It turns out that her name was Alison, and she lived in the town before the curse was cast. She was childhood friends with the mayor’s son, a red rooster named Rhubarb, until he left the town in his adulthood to follow his dreams. Alison would have followed Rhubarb, but she had children she had to take care of in the town. Many years later after her children grew up, he came back to spend some time with his father, also spending time with Alison again. At the end of the week though, Alison learned he’d only be there a week and chased after him on the last day at night still in her nightgown. She was too late and he was already way out of town. The old townsperson then said that everyone suspects she cursed the town, because, after that, she screamed about not letting anyone else leave and locked herself in her basement, never to be seen alive again. After hearing that, Fennel informed Cirrus that she knows where Alison’s old house is, and Cirrus says they should check it out. It was very obvious that Sonic was more invested, as he was listening more carefully to what was going on.

A catchy pop song played as the credits rolled, prompting everyone to get out of their seats. As Amy and Sonic walked out of the theater, Amy started a conversation.

“So, what did you think?”

“I thought it was pretty good. How about you?”

“I loved it! You could really feel how much Cirrus and Fennel loved each other throughout the entire movie!”

“Uh… yeah…”

“What was your favorite part?”

Sonic took a brief second to think about it.

“Probably the part where Fennel breaks down the basement door to get to Alison.”

“Really? I think my favorite part was when Cirrus took Fennel on the plane ride out of town at the end. It was so romantic!”

Sonic and Amy threw their empty drinks and food containers in the trash and stepped out of the theater. They both stopped just outside the theater out of the way of the entry doors. An idea came to Sonic as he thought about what Amy said.

“Hmm… How would you like it if I took you for a ride in the Tornado?” Sonic looked off into the distance while thinking out loud. “It’s at Tails’ place right now so we’d have to pick it up, and we wouldn’t have too much time in the air before I’d have to land and bring you home so I can go off to Shadow’s place… uh…”

He glanced back at Amy, her eyes shimmering with excitement and smile one of the brightest he’s ever seen. “So… is that a ‘yes’?”

Amy let out a squeal of delight and rushed toward Sonic, hugging him tightly. Sonic hugged her back with a smile, letting out a small chuckle.

“Alright.” For the third time that day, Sonic scooped her up in his arms. “Let’s go!” He rushed forward, hearing Amy giggle helplessly as he went to pick up the Tornado.

“So how’s this for a romantic Valentine’s Day experience?”

Amy giggled, leaning forward from her seat in the back of the Tornado and giving Sonic a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s perfect.”

“Sweet!”

Sitting back down properly, Amy enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through her quills, as did Sonic. He looked around, enjoying the sea of green below him and the sound of air rushing by. He sighed contently, quietly saying to himself, “this is more like it.”

“What?” Amy sounded concerned.

“Huh?”

Sonic jumped, trying to keep his composure in the pilot's seat.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing!” Sonic was already terrible at lying, but the thought of making Amy upset at that moment didn’t help.

“It sounded like-”

“It doesn’t matter! Alright?” he interrupted desperately. “Just uh, keep having fun up here.”

“Sonic…”

He let out a whine, knowing that he wasn’t getting out of this.

“It sounded like you said, ‘this is more like it.’ Did you?”

Sonic sighed. “Uh, yeah…”

“So… you didn’t enjoy everything we did today?” There was a clear amount of sadness in her voice.

“No! No. It’s just…” Sonic ears folded back as he hunched down a little in his seat. “I’m just… not really into super romantic stuff…”

“Oh… I just thought that, you know, since you looked all happy while we did romantic stuff together in the past, that you liked it.”

“Well, I like kissing and holding hands and stuff like that, but… romantic movies, poems, and meals… just aren’t really my thing.”

“Oh…”

“Hey uh, I still had fun today. Don’t think that I didn’t.”

“But… how could you? You said you didn’t like that stuff?”

“Well, I don’t really. But, seeing you enjoy yourself, it makes me really happy.”

“Still, you really should’ve told me sooner. I wouldn’t have dragged you into everything if I knew you wouldn’t really like it.”

“Hey, I did like some of it. The poem was sweet, and the food tasted good, and the movie was pretty cool… when it wasn’t being cheesy. I’m glad we did all that stuff. I still had fun, even if I wouldn’t normally like that kind of stuff. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, though.”

“It’s okay.”

“Let’s just enjoy the rest of the time we have together, alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for all the fun today, Amy.”

“It was my pleasure, Sonic. And, thank you for the plane ride.”

“No problem.”

Sonic stood with Amy in the entryway to her house, holding hands with her as they smiled together. Gently, Sonic reached to Amy’s waist as she reached to his back, drawing each other closer until only a small gap was between them. Their eyes drifted shut, slowly leaning forward and closing the gap, letting their lips connect in a soft kiss. Sonic released a soft breath through his nose, melting against Amy’s loving touch and pulling her closer. After their lips parted, they continued to hold each other in a calm embrace, enjoying the last few moments they had together that day.

“You know,” Amy spoke softly, “I wouldn’t mind doing stuff like this next Valentine’s Day.” She sighed contently. “It may not be a huge celebration, but, it’s still really nice.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

They gave each other a gentle squeeze before letting go, smiling as their eyes met again.

“See you later.”

“Bye, Sonic.”

With that, Sonic gave Amy one last kiss and ran off to Shadow’s house.

Amy closed the door slowly, hearing it click shut. As she turned around and began walking toward her living room, a weird feeling kept gnawing at her, like she was forgetting something important. She sat down on her couch, trying to figure out what was wrong. The realization hit her like a truck.

“Shadow!”

She immediately got up, pacing around her house in a panic.

“I made him do a bunch of super romantic stuff for Sonic, and neither of them are going to enjoy any of it!”

She quickly pulled out her phone, planning to call Shadow before Sonic got there and rectify the situation. As she got to the contacts page, she remembered something else.

“I FORGOT TO ASK FOR HIS NUMBER AGAIN!”

[riyuyami]

I found another fanfic for you guys, looks like I made an attempt at a cliche coffee shop au.

It’s actually kinda cute, if I do say so myself.

But anyway, here, enjoy The Great House Coffee Shop!

--

“Mutou.”

You look up from the file you're editing, staring up at the cold stare of your boss. You tense for a moment but relax a second later when you realize that Kaiba isn't mad or anything, he just always has a cold look in his eyes. You've known him for years and it still catches you off-guard. “Yes, sir?”

“Isono is absent today due to an emergency at home, I need you to do the coffee run today.” Kaiba says, handing you a small slip of paper. Written on it are a bunch of different orders, looks like it's for him and the board of directors, the Big Five as they like to call themselves. “Do you know where we usually get our coffee?”

“Uhh... it's that little shop that's on this street, yes? Just a few buildings down?”

Kaiba gives you a nod. “Yes, get these orders for us. Here, use this to pay.” He gives you a few bills, more than enough for the coffee, you'll have change after you make the purchase. A little part of you wonders if you can keep it.

“Get yourself something to drink, or keep the change, I don't care.” Oh, that answers that then.

You nod, standing up. “Yes, sir. Shall I go now?” He gives you a nod in return, turning away to head back to his office. You watch the other walk off and you let out a little sigh.

Your name is Mutou Yugi, and you're an employee of Kaiba Corp. You work in game development and design, but sometimes you are a bit of a lackey for Kaiba when his right-hand man is too busy to do whatever minimal task that needs to be done.

So, yeah, like right now, you get stuck with doing these small things.

It’s not a bad thing, you don’t mind doing things for your boss/sorta-friend, mostly cause you’re usually just sitting at your desk, playing online games.

Pocketing the note and the money, you make your way to the elevator and go down to the lobby. You hope this won't take long, you're working on a new board game design and you really want to get back to drawing out the designs for it. But coffee must be bought, and if that means it's coming from out of the building, Kaiba is going into a meeting.

He drinks the usual office coffee when he's not going to be dealing with bullshit, just... one of those little quirks the brunet has. And since it's outside coffee, that means that this meeting will be full of bullshit, considering that it involves the Big Five.

Once you get to the lobby, you walk right out the front doors after giving the front desk lady a little wave, and you're out on the streets. It's mid-morning, just around ten, but it's still sort of busy. Quietly, you walk down the street, looking for the cafe that Isono usually goes to, a tiny part of you wish you had brought your music player with you, just to have as you walked.

“Ah crap...” You wince. You just found the shop, but it's closed. There's a sign on the inside of the door that has a cute message written in blue.

Sorry everyone! We're doing renovations on the inside, so no coffee for at least a month!

With a sigh, you think it might just be best to go to a Starbucks or something, but you know Kaiba won't like that... and also, the nearest Starbucks is about a ten-minute ride on your bike. Like hell you're gonna ride back to work while trying not to spill six or seven coffees!

Maybe... there was another café nearby?

You take out your phone, opening the maps app to check if there were. You see a few locations pop up, but the closest to you are this one and another one just around the corner, some place called Great House. Well, maybe you can get your orders from there. Pocketing your phone, you quickly walk to the end of the sidewalk, then round the corner.

Five buildings down, you come to a brick building, the first floor is obviously a shop, the other three look to be possible-apartments. The door to the café is painted a deep red, 'Great House' is written on the door in gold, but you take note to the hieroglyphics painted under it.

“Per-a’ah...” You read out loud, heh, you know that word, that's where the word 'pharaoh' came from! And it means 'Great House', so that might explain all of that.

Hm, guess this place has an Egyptian theme to it, you bet Grandpa would love that. Oh hell, who are you kidding, you love it too.

The large window, which took up a good portion of the first floor's front, looked into the café. You glance through the glass, seeing that there was no one else in there, or at least no customers, but the sign on the window said 'OPEN'. With a shrug, you step inside, hearing a bell ring overhead.

“I'll be right there!” Someone called out from somewhere in the shop.

You take a moment to glance around while you wait, seeing how the inside was decorated. The walls are painted a soft sandstone color, with the borders of the wall the same rich red as the door. The tables are cherry wood, as are the chairs. The walls have images framed on them, seems they really do have an ancient Egyptian theme to this place, since the images show scenes of everyday life from ancient Egypt and the Book of the Dead.

There are two shelves on two of the walls, covered in little Egyptian statues. You recognize them to be gods. There were plants scattered about for decorations, and a TV was sitting on a stand attached to the wall, it was playing some morning news show, but the sound was off, subtitles were on the screen.

As you look around, you hear a door open, turning your attention to the counter. A man came out from a door, leading to the back. The man walks to the counter and looks up at you, the two of you are a bit surprised to see one another.

He is lean, but muscular from what you can see with that tight, short sleeved black shirt he’s wearing. He appears to be, judging by the theme of this place, Egyptian, reminds you of your grandmother’s side of the family! 

What surprises you about him is his hair, it's a lot like your own! Except where yours is lighter blond in the bangs, and a plum and black mix for the choppy hair you have in the back, his hair is a darker blond in the front, which some of it branches up into the thick, frizzy crimson and black spikes he had in the back.

He stares at you with crimson eyes before he smiles. “Welcome to the Great House Coffee Shop!” He greats in that deep voice you heard moments before. “What can I do for you?”

“O-oh, uh...” You dig into your pocket, pulling out the list. You approach the counter, holding it out. “I would like to order these, please.”

The man reaches out, taking the list, looking it over. You stare at his chest, rather than at his eyes, noting the necklace he wore, reading the images on it. “Atemu?”

“Huh? How did...” The man blinks, before looking at his necklace. “Ah! Clever boy, you can read hieroglyphics?” He asks, looking excited.

You give a nod. “Yeah, my grandpa is an archaeologist, he taught me a few things. Your shop is very... Egyptian themed. I'm guessing you have an interest in it? Or that you are Egyptian yourself?”

“Both.” Atemu replies with a smirk. “My father is, my mother is Japanese, but I grew up in Egypt for most of my life, I love the... what is the word... aesthetic? Yes, the aesthetic of the ancient culture, I love the colors and designs. I thought, hey, why not express my love for it here in Domino while I serve people coffee and pastries, yes?”

You let out a small laugh at that and he chuckles. “Well, anyway, I can make these orders for you, though I suspect that none of them are for you.”

“They're for my boss and his board of directors, they have a meeting coming up and need coffee.”

“Oh?” He turned to start making the drinks. “And where do you work, young one?”

“Kaiba Corp, surprisingly. And please, call me Yugi, since I know your name now. That is your name, yes?”

Atemu gave a nod as he got a machine working. “Yes, Atemu is my name. And Yugi? That's your name?” You wince, thinking he was going to make fun of you for it like so many others have. “I love it! Such an unusual name, but I think it sounds great! Yugi... it is 'game', right? Sorry, my Japanese is not as perfect as my Arabic. Better than my English though, haha!”

You laugh a little as well. “You’re doing great, and yes, it means ‘game’. My grandfather owns a game shop and loves all sorts of them, as do I. I actually work as a game designer for Kaiba Corp!”

He looks over his shoulder at you, eyes wide. “T-that is amazing! To work for Kaiba Corp… heh, I doubt I could ever get a job at such a place, not with Kaiba running it.”

“Why is that? He’s actually not a bad guy.”

“Oh, I know, he and I just do not see eye to eye.” Atemu shrugs as he sets down one finished coffee.

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Have you met him before?”

“We’ve crossed paths, and have dueled.” Atemu replies as he sets down another cup. He turns and flashes you a curious smile. “Do you duel?”

“Uhh… duh! Hehe, I use to be the King of Games when I was in high school! But I’m retired, working on games is my calling, but it doesn’t stop me from still pulling out my deck and playing.” You smirk, patting your hip, where your deck box sits on your belt.

Atemu chuckles. “I will have to test your skills one day, oh King of Games.”

The two of you quietly chat while he prepares each of the six coffees, it’s mainly over the Egyptian statues and images on the walls. He’s impressed by your knowledge and though you feel rather embarrassed about it, you appreciate the compliments he gives you. “Alright, here is the last one.” He says as he sets down the final coffee before looking at you. “And what would you like, Yugi?”

You blink. “What?”

“I’m sure you would like a drink as well. What would you like? Or would you rather be surprised?”

You look at him, seeing that sweet smile on his face as he waits for your answer. You can’t help the smile that crosses your own face. “Surprise me.”

“Excellent!” He grins and turns to make you something. “I hope you do not mind a frappe, I’ve got something great in mind for you to enjoy!”

All you can do is nod as you get your money ready, though you do try to see what flavors he’s put in, but he won’t let you, he’s blocking your view, his back facing you. You pout a little, though… you have to admit, you don’t mind seeing his backside in those tight jeans he’s wearing…

“Here you go!” He announces and you suddenly snap back to reality, flushed in the face. He sets the drink down in front of you with a smile. “Try it?”

“Oh, uh…” You look at his cute face and pick up the cold drink, taking a sip. You taste… white chocolate, but there’s also a sudden kick to it! Oh, w-wait, you know this…! It’s a chili! He put a chili pepper flavoring to it! “How did you know I like sweet and spicy together?”

“I didn’t, I honestly just guessed. You said to surprise you and sweet and spicy is an excellent surprise.”

You laugh at this and take another drink, it’s actually pretty good, you like it! “How much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house.” Atemu says. “Think of it as a… thank you gift of sorts, yes?”

You’re confused by that, but when you pay, he gives you your change and the money for the drink, telling you that it is a gift. You just nod your head and accept it. “Come again soon, Yugi!” He calls out, giving you a wave.

“Hehe, I will, see you later, Atemu.” You happily call back as you walk out the door, drink trays in hand. You’re flushed in the face when you catch a happy, pleased smile cross his lips when he winks at you before the door closes.

You walk back to work with the taste of white chocolate and chili pepper on your tongue.

TBC?

--

The cafe is sort of based on this one place I went to right before I moved from Germany, it had an Egyptian theme, the owners gave me a free Fanta, and it smelled like strawberries. I wonder if it still exists.

[itbeajen]

Longing | Semi Eita

You blinked once, then twice, and you glanced back up. "You have the wrong person." You made a move to go around the abnormally tall red head and he immediately side steps in your direction. "I'm telling you [F/N]-chan! It's for you!" He wiggled his eyebrows and you raised yours in response, "Oh really?" "Mhm," he hummed happily. He extended the letter to you again, and you look down at it. Indeed, your name was written neatly on the pale lilac envelope and you sighed, "Okay, but seriously, who?" "That I can't say." "Satori." He flinched at the way you said his name. It wasn't a hiss, nor was there anger, but you dropped the honorifics. And he sighed, "[F/N]-chan, I actually don't know. They left it in my locker. I'm just being the nice friend I am and delivering it to you." You frowned, "Your shoe box is the very top one on the corner. Mine's not even on the same side as yours." Tendou shrugged, "Who knows!" With yet another sigh, you accept the letter and Tendou stares at you intently. You sharply glanced at him and you said, "It's mine right?" Tendou tilts his head, and then nods eagerly, and you smirked, "Then that means only for my eyes to see. Thanks for the delivery, Sa-to-ri!" You sung out his syllables as you walked away, slipping the envelope into your uniform pocket, and immediately he pouted and whined, "Not fair!"

In the safety of your dorm room, you place the lilac envelope gently on your desk. Your fingers trace over the neat handwriting of your name. It was unfamiliar, perhaps from someone not in your class. You drum your fingers against your desk, before making up your mind and opening it. Your finger gently slides underneath the flap and separates them from each other. Upon lifting it, a pale pink folded paper is revealed to you. As you slide it out, something falls out and your eyes widened to see a laminated watercolor painting of a flower. Your sweetness and purity brings to me a peace of mind and smile to my lips. I can only hope that this can convey even a portion of how much you mean to me. - 2/1 "A gardenia..." you closed your eyes momentarily, and find yourself gently admiring flower. It looks so real. You can still see where the water had run off the paper, but you can see how much care and effort was put into the painted flower, for it was cut and laminated so that there were no sharp edges or bumps, and it was shaped like a small tag, as though you could loop twine through the small circle located at the top and dangle it somewhere, to be shown off and proudly displayed. You turn on your computer, ready to tell Yukio about what happened, but an unread message on the app catches your attention as the name is one you rarely get to see outside of exam seasons. "Eita-kun?" Mother Eita: Tendou wants a study session with all the third years, figured I'd invite you. It'll be some time after Valentine's though, in case you were wondering. Mother Eita: You don't have to come if you don't want to though, it's just that Tendou is probably going to force you, and I just thought this was better. You blinked and you find a small smile on your lips and you quickly typed back. Swan Flower: Sure sure! Hehe. (*´▽`*) You're the best Eita-kun~ You feel the small grin now turn into a full out smile and you sighed. It'd be nice if this year's Valentine's goes nicely too.

And so you did, now attached to your book bag was the laminated gardenia, and you gently played with the new charm and smiled as you walked towards the gym. The ever familiar squeaking of shoes on the wooden floors reminded you of the intense games that you've happily witnessed. You pop your head in, and send Coach Washijo a smile. He waves and his lips turn up into a smile and he asked, "Here to make sure Satori gets to class on time, eh?" "As always," you chirped. You turned to glance at the boys as they continued practice, none of them actually paying much mind to you as your presence is now a common occurrence to them. Your gaze falls upon the main players on the team, and no matter how many times you watch, you'll probably never get sick of the wonderful way in which they play. "Stray ball!!!" The shout doesn't take anyone by surprise, but immediately everyone is alert. Your eyes dart about quickly and upon seeing it heading your way, there's a thud as your book bag hits the floor and you neatly position yourself to receive it. The ball ricochets off your arms and back towards the court. "Thanks [L/N]-senpai!" You give them a small wave and smile and Washijo chuckled, "Your form is very good. They could learn a thing or two from you." You sheepishly pick up your bag and responded, "Well, I learned from the best." Your gaze immediately goes to Tendou and the coach nods, "Yes, Satori is talented." Tendou's head perks up and he smiled widely, "Did Coach Washijo just compliment me?!" "No, your ears malfunctioned, go back to practice," you joked around. Tendou laughed and he said, "Don't wait for me today [F/N]-chan, I have clean up duty for the gym." "Is that so?" you hummed and then shrugged, "Okay then. Don't be late to class Satori-kun!" "Yes ma'am!" Tendou mock salutes you, but he drops it as soon as he sees another volleyball coming his way. The serve was hard and he flinches on impact and then whistled, "Your serves are as strong as ever Semi-Semi!" The previous setter says nothing, but he nods and Tendou glances over to find him staring out the door where you just walked out. The red head tilted his head, a small frown on his lips. But it was a fleeting moment, and Semi was back at it again, practicing his serves and Tendou shrugged. It must have been his imagination.

You opened your locker, and your eyes widened upon opening the door to it. Multiple letters flutter out and you crouch down, quickly grabbing them. Your eyes merely scan over them, reading your name that's written in various different hand writing styles, but not one stands out to you. You gently place them into your book bag, but as you reach for your shoes, your hand feels yet another letter and you look up into your locker, only to come face to face with a familiar lilac envelope with the same neat handwriting from yesterday. Surprisingly, you felt something stir within you, perhaps your heart skipped a beat, you weren't sure. But you find yourself smiling at the envelope and you gently place it with your agenda, where you know you won't forget about it like the others. Your mood was significantly lifted, and there was a small but cheerful smile on your lips as you made your way to your classroom. "Oh? You're not with Tendou-kun today?" You turn to your left and you laughed, "Not today Yukio-chan." "I would have thought you would be, considering how he's practically glued to you," Yukio teased. The girl glances at your bag, the stack of white envelopes sticking out and she raises an eyebrow, "Looks like the day you hate the most is coming up soon." "Look, I don't hate it, it's just a tad bit annoying," you sighed, "Everyone turns so materialistic and," you paused, "I know this is inconsiderate of me to say, but I get sick of chocolates getting shoved down my throat." "Yet you don't mind helping other girls making stuff," Yukio drawled, and you pout. She smirked, "Plus, you even help guys choose the correct flower arrangements and get them sent here from your family's flower shop. What an adorable daughter." "Stop it," you whined as Yukio teased you relentlessly. She laughed and points a finger at the letters, "So." "I don't know, I'm just going to read them, but honestly if all of them say 'meet me at x on such day' I'm probably going to run into trouble." "Just pretend you have a date with someone on the volleyball team." You rolled your eyes and Yukio shrugged, "I mean, if you say you're going out with one of them, people will leave you alone. A lot of people used to until you and Tendou confirmed that you guys were just childhood friends." "Okay, but it's true? That's all we are!" You responded, and Yukio shook her head, "Okay, but seriously, either you get a fake date and get rid of people, or you deal with those." "Can I just pretend I didn't see them?" "You don't have the heart to do that, [F/N]-chan."

"Ah! Another one!" You gently picked up the laminated flower and smiled. This secret admirer is quite knowledgeable. You strive for perfection, yet you also lift others with you on your path there. You have many traits that others can only wish they could have. And with all the hard work you put in, even your efforts will be repaid. - 2/8 "A camellia." So.. admiration, huh? You smiled as you followed suit, adding the laminated flower onto your bag. You looked at the two of them side by side and you shook your head fondly. Whoever they are, they've got me curious. You were about to go off on a daze when you felt your phone vibrate, and a small smile graces your lips. "Hello?" "Hey," his voice was soft and you can hear him clear his throat, "Tendou said you've been receiving love letters." "Oh gods," you laughed, and he's taken aback, and you apologized, "Sorry for laughing, but yeah. I have. Why?" "Nothing, he just told me and I found it surprising he mentioned it, don't you get them every year?" "Mm, yeah, but it's because of-" you paused, when you hear knocking on your door and you quickly said, "Ah, I'll be back Eita-kun! Someone's at the door!" You dropped the phone on the desk, but when you open the door, you find nothing except for a small bunch of acacia blossoms. A gasp escapes your lips and you slowly lean down to pick them up. You glance back and forth, but there was no note, no letter, and no person in sight. A small sigh escapes your lips as you pick up the phone. "Did something happen?" Semi asked, and a small giggle leaves your lips, "Nope." Nothing at all.

"Another one?" Tendou loomed over your shoulder as you pulled out yet another lilac envelope, completely disregarding the rest. Unable to wait until later today, you gently and carefully open the familiar envelope. By now you've reread the neat handwriting over and over again to have familiarized yourself with it, but you've yet to figure out who it's from. "'As much as I want to be there for you, I can't. But please know that you are not alone in your endeavors, and many will support you no matter the circumstances. - 2/12'" Tendou read the letter and immediately received a hard slap to his left arm from you. The blush on your cheeks was new to him, but from the way you were clutching the letter close to you made him raise an eyebrow and he smirked, "Ololo?" "No, Satori, don't you dare start this here." He glances about, and upon realizing the situation he takes a step back and bows, "After you [F/N]-chan." You gently pat his head, flattening his normally spiky hair and you sighed, "You're such a pain." "I know."

"Semi-kun, there's a girl looking for you," one of Semi's classmates called him out. The former setter looks up in surprise and Reon does too. They exchange a glance, and the classmate clarifies, "I believe she's Tendou-kun's friend." "Tendou's?" Reon parroted, and Semi's eyes widened, "Ah, it must be [F/N]-san." Your head pops up at the door way and you give him a small smile, "Sorry, did I come at a bad time?" He attempts to not frantically shake his head and he wills himself to respond with a simple no, but he's not sure if he managed to do so properly. But from the brilliant smile that blossomed on your face, he can tell he didn't. Your step has a spring to it and you asked, "Could you help me study again?" He blinked, and was about to nod, but he hesitates and muttered, "Volleyball practice ends late." "That's fine!" you chirped, and then you give him a soft smile, "I can wait. You did the same for me whenever I had practice." He sighs in relief, and with a grateful smile, he nods, "Okay, every other day like usual?" "Mhm!" you skip out of the classroom, and send both Reon and Semi a cheerful wave, "Have a good lunch!" As soon as you were out of sight, but not yet out of mind, Reon turns to Semi with a rather sly grin resembling much of their bright loud red-head and asked, "So, you and [F/N]-chan." "It's not what you think it is," Semi muttered. "It's pretty obvious to everyone," Reon commented, and then quickly added, "Except for Tendou, Ushijima and her, of course."

"Oh? No letter?" Tendou asked. You scoffed. There were certainly letters, but not the signature lilac envelope you were looking for. You couldn't help but deflate slightly. It was finally Valentine's day and yet the one letter you were looking forward to the most wasn't there. Tendou noticed and gently patted your head, "It's okay." "I wanted to meet them," you mumbled the admittance as though you were embarrassed. You sighed and closed your locker after pulling out your shoes, and continued, "They clearly know who I am, and we've obviously talked before. They know of my dreams, my aspirations, and even about my family and friends. And you know I don't go around telling people that kind of stuff about me!" There was a pout on your lips, and Tendou doesn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. A part of him felt relief, but another part didn't and he shakes his head and asked, "Maybe they're just shy." He hears you huff and then you shook your head, "Whatever. It was nice while it lasted."

"[F/N]-san." You looked up from the practice problems you were working on and turn, only to find yourself with Semi. You give him a small smile as he sits down in front of you, "Were you waiting long?" "Nope! Please teach me well again, Eita-kun!" You laughed as he pulls out his notebook. The two of you have been meeting up every other day after his volleyball practices in the dorm study rooms, and he smiles politely at you as you wait. "You seem more focused today, did something good happen?" You hum, as though mulling over a response and shook your head. "Not something good, but I guess you can say that I'm relieved I wasn't drowned in flowers and chocolates like I was last year." "Aren't you popular?" You rolled your eyes, and you laughed, "Please, not as much as you." You lightly tap the bags at the edge of the table with your foot. "I see how admired you are, Eita-kun." Semi flushes, and you find yourself heating up as well. Stop it, Heart. Don't you dare go there. "Ah well," he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, "I can't refuse them all.. you know?" "That's kind, but misleading." "I know, but-" "You can hurt someone in the process if you're not direct enough, Eita-kun. And even someone as kind as you wouldn't want to do that to someone, right?" you finished, and then the pencil you were holding freezes and you quickly muttered an apology. Ah, what was I thinking saying something like that to him? We're good friends, but- "Yeah, you're right," he sighed. He props his head against his hand and asked, "So, what happened to your flower boy, I see you only have 13 out of 14." You tense, as though you were going to recoil, and instead, you deflate, a long sigh escaping your lips, "I didn't get one." "No?" "No," you answered, and then you sighed, "Honestly, I really wanted to know who he was. I know this is haughty of me, but I'm really just... done with the typical, 'I like you a lot, please go out with me' kind of thing that most confessions are. I mean, even stories and animations make them like that, and I just want something like, 'Oh I kind of fell in love with my best friend' kind of thing." "So Tendou?" Semi almost laughs at the distorted and disgusted expression on your face and you vehemently shook your head, "No, no, no. Not Tendou, he's basically my brother." You sighed, "I don't know, maybe I got my hopes up thinking Flower Boy was different." "Is that so...?" "Yeah," you sighed, and he diverts the topic and asked, "Do you want anything to drink? Eat?" "A drink would be nice, just water or tea is fine." He gets up, and you sighed as soon as he exits the room. Your head drops to the table ungracefully and you whined, "Why am I getting so bothered by this, it's just another Valentine's Day."

"Reon!" "Here," Reon looks over Semi and asked, "You're going to do it just like that?" "Huh?" "Like, just wearing your casual clothes?" Reon asked, and Semi laughed. He adjusted the single flower and he sighed, "I think she'll appreciate it, as it is." "Oh and here, the tea you wanted too," Reon handed it over, and Semi stifles a chuckle and Reon smiled, "Tendou found out, but he said, 'It's better that it's Semi-Semi instead of some stranger!' So go for it." Semi rolled his eyes, "I wasn't looking for Tendou's permission anyways."

"Sorry I-" Semi pauses upon seeing you asleep on the desk. The watercolor paintings of the flowers were spread out before you and he smiled as he remembered how much time and effort he put into each one. He places the flower on his chair, and gently places the tea on the table before tapping your shoulder. You're startled awake, and you frantically scramble to sit up and you look over at him. "Oh gods, was I asleep?" "Yeah, but don't worry, nothing happened," Semi chuckled and your cheeks are tinged pink and he looks down at the flowers, "Thinking of them?" "Yeah, I can't help it. They seem to know all of the meanings behind each one, and most people don't you know?" Semi nods and he asked, "What do you think the last flower would have been?" "Hmm, well, with the way things are progressing... maybe a rose, it's the only one that's missing." Semi hummed, and then he deftly grabs the rose, and hides it behind his back without you noticing. And he asked, "What would you do if you met them?" You looked over to him, away from the lovely paintings and you said, "I'd probably thank them, and... hm, I don't know actually. Why are you so curious Eita-kun?" Semi hesitated, and then sighed, and gently slid over the single red rose, and he muttered, "Uhm." He glances up, only to see that you're covering your mouth behind your hands and he softly mumbled, "Uh, yeah, I just...  Sorry, I was planning on confessing to you after school today, but things happened and-" "I'm so glad it's you." Semi looked up in surprise and you laughed, "Gods, I can't believe my luck, I just- I had a feeling it was you." "How?" "Your writing," you gently pull up his notebook and then inside your agenda, you pull out the letters you kept with you. "See?" "Ah," Semi blushed and he mumbled, "I guess it was a bit too-" "No, I enjoyed it. It was fun, trying to figure it out and everything," you gently picked up the rose and you asked, "So, love at first sight?" Semi turned away, and he muttered, "Don't tease." Your giggling makes him glance back and you gently stand up until you're standing next to him. Your hand reaches out for his and he slowly entwines your fingers with his and you smiled, "I like you too, quite a lot." He sighed, and then he asked, "So, will you be my girlfriend?" There were no words needed, not when you tucked the rose behind his ear, indicating your answer.

[masksandtruths]

Bless Your Heart-Part 1

A/N: This was written for @deanjensengirlmaggie’s strange pairings challenge. It’s my first attempt at fan fiction, and it got a little out of control, but I was having so much fun that I just decided to roll with it. Since I have to break it into two parts, I decided to steal another quote from her list of prompt choices and use one in each half. I really hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: Language and some explicit content (sexy but not full blown smutty)

“Dude, what the hell are we doing here? I’m gonna to get carried off by these pterodactyls,” Dean complained as he doused himself in another layer of Off Deep Woods.

“Man, quit being a whimp. I can’t believe you are even complaining. We are somewhere tropical for a change. It’s not cold. It’s not the end of the world. Just a regular case in a beautiful country. If a few mosquitoes are the worst we have to deal with, I’ll take it,” Sam countered.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that shit. I get it, Sammy. Still don’t want to get Zika though.” Dean glanced around at his immediate surroundings and he had to admit, though he’d never say it out loud, Sam had a point. Belize was something else. Better than their normal gig, that was for sure. Waves beat against the reef that stretched under the crystal-clear water right off the coast of Ambergris Caye and a nice breeze carried the smell of salt right to the boys’ noses and almost made them forget why they even came. Maybe they could spend a few days and eat some salbutes, catch a few fish, and throw back a few beers with Eliazar and a couple other locals. 

 “Tell me again what E said about these missing fellas on the island,” Dean said at about the same time a tourist in a neon pink golf cart nearly plowed him down in the middle of Front Street.

“Hey watch it dickhead!” Sam shouted as he grabbed his stunned older brother by the elbow and dragged him the rest of the way across the road. “Okay, all E told me is that several men on the island have gone missing in the last week or so. They believe they found the remains of one of the guys but they don’t have the results back from the lab yet.”

“Well I mean, couldn’t a shark or a crocodile or something have eaten them? Are we sure that this is our thing? There’s a lot of shit on this island that could take a hunk out of a man’s ass. I’d much rather swig some local rum, and …” Dean’s voice trailed off as he got distracted by a bikini clad group of twenty somethings drunkenly strutting their way. Sam followed Dean’s gaze and slapped him in the chest with the back of his hand. “What?! I’m appreciating the scenery man!”

With a roll of his eyes, Sam answered, “Yeah well if you are done, I’ll answer your original question. It’s our thing, trust me. It’s Lobster Fest time. A lot of the vics are tourists. Bad for business, and E is worried. He said the one body they found had hundreds of holes all the way through it and looked like it had been something’s appetizer.”

Dean considered that info for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and said, “Okay, so where do we start?”

“The usual. Visit the morgue, talk to the police, see if he had any traveling buddies. We will have to start in the morning though. Everything is closed for the day,” Sam replied.

“Okay cool, then I’m fixing to go to town on one of these bacon wrapped hot dogs.”

“I mention dead, hole riddled bodies and you think of bacon?! You’ve got problems man.”

“No Sammy, you’ve got problems if you can smell that deliciousness and your mouth doesn’t water.” Dean held up two fingers to the lady behind the table, and she started preparing his meal as he looked on with pure happiness.

Sam shook his head and sat on one of the brightly colored concrete benches in the local park, knowing better than to come between his brother and whatever food he was fixing to shove down his throat. He watched as a few local kids played on a giant sculpture of a sea turtle in the middle of the area with the ocean rolling in the background and got so lost in thought that he jumped when a girl approached him to ask if he would take her picture with her friends. It took him a moment to realize they were the girls Dean had been eyeballing a few minutes earlier. “Sure thing. Glad to,” Sam answered as he took her phone and stood.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it. We’ve been laying out today and those dirty monkeys really got to us,” the tall, busty, short haired brunette replied. “It’s hard enough to get a good picture when you are sober, but it’s just too pretty here to not take the opportunity to document it, you know?”

“Yeah I do. Alright, just tell me when y’all are ready.” The girls shifted into position and nodded. “One, two…”

“Oh my god man you have to try this shit. This is the best damn hot dog I’ve ever put in my mouth,” Dean practically moaned as he approached with his mouth full of food. When he looked away from his food long enough to notice the girls, he quickly swallowed and attempted to recover some semblance of his cool guy attitude.

“Yeah well you should try a nasty monkey!” shouted the same girl that approached Sam about the picture.

“Umm, excuse me?” Dean asked as he looked toward Sam. Sam looked as confused as Dean knew he was and just shrugged his shoulders.

Another voice piped up then. “Good lord child, it’s a dirty banana. Not nasty monkey or dirty monkey…dirty banana…got it? I don’t know how many times we have to tell you.”

The first girl looked at the second and just blinked. Then she suddenly yelled, “Oh and don’t forget about panty rippers!” and thrust her fruity drink in the air.

Dean sidled up next to Sam and whispered, “Where the hell do they come up with these names? Panty ripper…really? If that doesn’t put all sorts of images in your head, I don’t know what will.”

“And you tell me I’m the one that doesn’t know how to have a good time. Now you are bitching about what the locals call their drinks?”

Dean put his hands up. “Nope, nope, not at all. Simply making an observation.”

“Damn it, Shel,” a third female voice swore laughingly. “You spilled your fucking panty ripper all over me, you hooker. Can we just take the stupid ass picture and leave these poor guys alone?”

“Oh yeah the picture! Definitely. Taylor, Y/N, come here!” the girl named “Shel” shouted. Dean finally got a good look at the third girl, the one with the sailor’s mouth, and when she smiled for the picture, he found himself smiling too. What the hell? He wiped his hand down his face to clear off the dumb ass look he knew must be on it. A freaking smitten horny teenager. In two seconds and with the flash of a smile, he was hooked. She was shorter than him by a good six inches, maybe more. Tan skin. Dark hair. Big brown eyes and dark long lashes. She was very fit but soft and curvy in all the right places and filling out that bikini top and those denim jeans shorts exactly the way he liked. Based on her build, accent, and ability to make her wonderfully colorful language still sound proper and sweet, he assumed she had to be from Texas or some other southern state.

Sam finished taking the picture and the girls walked over to approve of the photo. Once it earned their unanimous consent, Shel officially introduced herself and her friends to the boys. “I’m Shelby. This is Taylor and our chaperone here is Y/N. Are y’all just getting here? Don’t look too burnt yet.”

“Yeah. I’m Sam and this is my brother Dean. We are here for work actually but don’t start until the morning. We decided to do tourist thing for now.”

When Dean took Y/N’s hand in his, a buzz of excitement immediately ran through him. It was like electricity or some shit equally as corny. Her eyes widened slightly, his only hint there was a chance that she noticed too.

“Well lucky us. You came at the perfect time.“ Shelby took another pull off her Pantyripper. "Want us to show you some of the best bars on the island?”

Sam looked at Dean, who nodded, and then smiled and said a quick yes.

“Yay, okay we will hit Fido’s first.” Shelby grabbed his arm and they were off, Taylor following closely behind. Y/N was clearly the soberest of the bunch and paused and took a deep breath before loyalty and concern for her friends pushed her feet into motion.

Dean fell into step beside her and started the awkward small talk. “So where are yall from, Y/N?”

“Texas, can’t you tell?” she joked in an exaggerated southern drawl.

“I knew it. I knew you were from the south the instant you insulted your friend and made it sound like a compliment.”

Y/N laughed in agreement. “Yeah one of our specialties. Shel and I just give each other a hard time every chance we get. Hooker is a term of endearment to us.  If you are interested, I can teach you…show you my ways.”

Dean thought of all HIS ways he’d like to teach HER, but opted for a simple answer instead. “Well I never really cared much about concealing my insults, but sure, teach away, Miyagi.”

“You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s so true. Just say ‘bless your heart’ after it. ‘Like she’s dumber than a box of rocks, bless her heart’ or ‘he only lasted about 15 seconds in bed, bless his heart’. Works like a charm.”

Dean threw his head back and laughed, enjoying that she was already comfortable enough to joke with him like this. “I call bullshit. There’s no way you can insult a man’s stamina and make it sound good. Guess I’m glad I never have to worry about that one.” He winked at her then and saw a faint blush creep up her tan cheeks. To her credit, she never missed a beat.

Y/N just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Oh geez Louise.  You are one of those guys.” Her voiced dripped with sarcasm and exaggerated disappointment. “I expected better from a country boy.“

“Alright fair enough. Forgive me darlin.” He clasped his hands together as he pleaded with her. She looked at him, making a show of considering her options and smiled and she huffed out an “I guess”. “Okay, for real, what makes you say I’m a country boy?”

She stopped and looked him up and down. “What? You mean besides the tan arms and pasty white legs?” Dean gave her an unamused look and she chuckled and continued, “Well you have a little drawl yourself. You say shit like ‘darlin’. You have bow legs. You have calluses on your hands. You are tall and look fairly…” She glanced over as she emphasized the word with a knowing smile, “fit. Plus, you do seem to have at least a few manners. Call it a lucky guess.”

“Ha well look who has me all figured out. I’m from Kansas actually. Work for the FBI so forgive me if I don’t get a whole lot of time to soak up any rays. I happen to think my pasty legs are sexy as hell though, just saying.”

Y/N glanced down before sighing as she said, “Awwww. Poor fella. You must be delusional, bless your heart.” He quickly shot her the bird, and she swatted at his upraised middle finger. He grabbed her wrist as she swung, and her laughter died as the air thickened with tension. He looked down at her and pulled her a step closer, acting on the connection he felt the moment he laid eyes on her. He could see her chest rising and falling more quickly now as she looked back into his green eyes. God, he’d wanted to do this since the second he saw her. He ran his other hand through her hair, tilting her head back slightly as he leaned down towards her waiting lips. He paused to make sure she was okay with what was about to happen.

”Kiss me,“ she whispered. And he obliged. As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt her relax into him. He was right; she felt it too. He let go of her wrist and cradled the side of her face in his large hand as he deepened the kiss. Shit, he was in over his head and he knew it the instant she slipped her tongue into his mouth. If her mouth tasted like this, he could only imagine how sweet other parts of her would taste.  She stepped into him even further and wrapped her arms around his back giving him chills as she ran her nails down his spine. She made a whining noise when he pulled away to catch his breath, but it turned into an excited squeal as he yanked her into the shadows of the alley they were passing and pinned her against the wall. She quickly stood on her tiptoes, threw her arms around the back of his neck and planted another searing kiss on his lips. As he dipped his tongue into her mouth this time she let out the sexiest moan he’d ever heard and caught himself damn near growling in response. And when she fisted her fingers in his short hair and nipped his bottom lip, his control finally snapped. He reached under the back of her muscular legs and lifted her, pushing her back against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed his damn near painfully hard erection between her legs and resumed his onslaught on her mouth.

“Fuck,” he growled, barely able to force himself to pull away from the kiss, “I’d give anything for us to be back at my room. I want to be inside you so bad it hurts.” He kissed her neck then. “Take care of you. Make you come every way I possibly can.” He kissed down to her collarbone. “Make you say my name over and over again until you are screaming it.” He moved one hand from underneath her leg long enough to pull down the left side of her bikini top and immediately suck her hardened nipple into his mouth.

“Holy shit, Dean,” she cried as she threw her head back in pleasure. “Just fuck me here please,” she begged. He looked up at her, his pupils blown wide with lust, his perfect mouth wrapped around that swollen bud, and gently nipped it in response. She moaned louder and squeezed him even tighter with her strong legs, but somehow he forced himself to stop. He brushed his lips across hers again and then pulled away just enough to break the connection and pant, “That’s the most tempting offer I’ve had in a good, long time sweetheart, but I’m gonna turn you down. I can already tell you that you deserve better than this. I want to take my time with you. Kiss…lick…taste every inch of your body before I bury myself in you. Sound like a deal?”

She was still breathing heavily as she replied, “Well hell yeah, it’s a deal. I mean as long as you guarantee to live up to your promise to last longer than fifteen seconds.” Y/N unlocked her legs from his hips, slid down his body and attempted to put herself back together after the hottest make-session of her life.

“Hell I don’t know. That was just the warmup, and I’m about ready to blow. This is going to be the worst case of blue balls in the history of blue balls,” he admitted as he resituated himself.

She chuckled and took a few steps back towards the street before looking over her shoulder at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Bless your little pea picking heart,” she called mockingly before she took off into the night towards Fido’s.

“Yeah you go ahead and bless it, darlin',” he grumbled to himself before starting after her. “It’s already fucking yours anyway.”  

@ilostmyshoe-79 @kittenofdoomage @deanwinchester-smut @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @melissaj616 @winchesterprincessbride @unadulteratedstorycollector

Dearest tagged queens of spn fanfiction: I am sorry to tag you in my sad first attempt at the craft you have already mastered, but I have read y'all’s stories and know your talents and am here to learn. It would be great if it was from some of the best.  I would be thrilled if you read this and found it remotely interesting, but I’d also love any feedback or suggestions. Thank you!

PS: I will gladly untag you if it isn’t your thing and apologize in advance.

[frankwallace]

My Roots as a Composer | necessity and education

A couple of years ago, a young guitarist from Vanguard University wrote to say that he is a fan. He was preparing a presentation on me as a living composer/guitarist, and asked if I would help with some background info. Here’s the result.

Hello, My name is Javier Castillo. I performed in a Masterclass where Mr. Wallace was the speaker back in Fall 2011 at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California (I performed one of his pieces, “Sand And Sky” for him that day). I’m currently going to Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California and in my Guitar Literature class I chose Frank Wallace for my research report on 20th Century/Modern classical guitar players. I was wondering if I can possibly get some information on Mr. Wallace? Information on his early career would be great, especially some background as a composer. Who and where did he study composition? Who were his influences? .

I’m a very big fan of Mr. Wallace’s music and I figure since I’m one of the few people in my class who is presenting/researching on a composer/guitarist who is thankfully still alive, I can try and reach out to him.

Thank you for your time, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Starting easy

http://www.frankwallace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/04-Etude-7.mp3

In brief – I started composing out of two events: 1) desperation to get a particularly difficult college student to actually learn something; 2) subsequently, turning to teach children. Both inspired me to write short studies to teach what I wanted to teach. For example, my Single String Studies are quite unique as far as I know. They combine my interest in singing with the concept of a medieval drone (as accompaniment to melody) and my desire as a teacher of guitar to have simple material that presents upper positions and shifting at an earlier stage of development in students.

Secondly, my wife loved these little pieces, as did I, so she challenged me to do a concert of them. I said, “that’s ridiculous, they are too simple for a professional concert.” But the seed was planted. One day a new little blues piece for a student suddenly took on life and developed into Sweet Ladyslipper, a 6 movement concert suite. Here’s the Prelude, as recorded on my first CD of my works.

http://www.frankwallace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-Prelude-Sweet-Ladyslipper.mp3

Two composer lessons

After a few years, I had my first actual composition lesson with Dick Winslow, a neighbor and retired professor of music from Wesleyan (who happened to be David Leisner’s comp teacher in college). Dick took a look at some of my works then we sat down to talk. He asked, “What do you want to know?” I said I was self-conscious that I don’t really hear music in my head, not precisely and clearly. His response astonished me, “So what? Do you like the music you write? It doesn’t matter what the process is as long as you like the result.” “Frankly, I love my music,” was my sure response.

A couple of years later I visited Herman Weiss, former head of the theory and composition department at Longy School in Cambridge MA who studied with Messiaen on a Fulbright. I asked, “Do you think I should get a Masters in composition?” Again the response surprised and delighted me, “That would be the worst thing you could do!”

Herman said I already have a distinctive voice as a composer and school would only force me into someone else’s style. So my style and skill came from my own resources and experience. I learned simply to trust myself as a composer. That’s the biggest accomplishment I have ever made, and somehow it came fairly naturally and painlessly to me.

In terms of influences: I frequently say Dowland, Schubert, Britten – they all wrote great solo music as well as songs. But I am firmly rooted in the guitar classics as well: Sor, Tárrega, Villa-Lobos, etc. They are the ones who taught me how to create sonority on the guitar, and that is extremely important to me.

The interview | Where did it all begin?

[Javier] Hello Frank, thank you for answering my letter and for helping me with my research report. Great responses! They certainly give great insight into your background as a composer and musical style. It’s always fascinating to read about the humble beginnings of creative people. As someone who occasionally composes his own musical ideas, it is definitely inspiring.

I have one big question, and this one is about you as a musician. Where did it all begin for you? How old were you when you decided to pursue classical guitar? Who were your instructors? And what interests you about the Lute and Vihuela De Mano? And also, since you’re also a composer, and I see that you’ve written pieces with violin and flute, did you happen to learn any other instruments to help give you a better understanding of them for when you compose?

[Frank] My family was not particularly musical. My mother and two older sisters played a little piano, my older brother trumpet. No one was great or very serious, but I grew up hearing them practice and I would sit down and bang the keys or spit into the trumpet. My father always got compliments for his voice in church, but refused to join the choir. He was very proud of his Harmon Kardon stereo system and listened to musicals fairly regularly – no classical music that I recall.

Apparently my grandfather played piano by ear, but I don’t remember it. The inspiration that got me going was the Lawrence Welk TV show that we watched when my grandparents visited from Texas. The accordion player on the Welk show, Myron Floren, really impressed me – how dorky is that!? The Beatles were hitting the scene and I wanted to take accordion lessons at age 10! We found a teacher and after a couple of years, he brought me an electric guitar, saying any musician should play at least two instruments. My cynical side thinks he just needed to make a few extra bucks that week. I began doing my own arrangements of Jobim songs and other jazz – got into Charlie Byrd as well as Wes Montgomery, etc., but no rock!

Classical guitar enters the scene

Somewhere in there my parents bought me a Romeros boxed set of flamenco music. Serendipity! That was followed with Bream, Parkening and Segovia. Then I found the Carcassi Method at a local store, along with a flamenco guitar, and started teaching myself. It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I found Ed Bishop, my first classical teacher. He was very enthusiastic about my potential and immediately got me playing stuff I shouldn’t have – Bach, Britten, Albéniz. I feel I never had a truly proper education – it was quite eclectic from the beginning. Now I am grateful for that, I think it feeds my creative spirit, and steered me away from being a typical player with typical repertoire.

http://www.frankwallace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/02-Una-sañosa-porfia-singelkerk2.wav

Una Sañosa Porfia by Juan del Encina, as recorded by Trio LiveOak on Star Shining on the Mountain, 1980, Mnemosyne Records, at the Groton Chapel in Groton MA

My interest in early music began in college by chance. The choir director was into it and one or two semesters we had a rep class with Robert Strizich who had us learn tablature. He also substituted for my busy teacher Michael Lorimer when Michael was on the road. Of course, Lorimer also played lute at the time and was heavily into Bach. That might have led nowhere if I hadn’t stumbled into the Quadrivium in Boston. This was a vibrant scene of instrumentalists and singers dedicated to Medieval and Renaissance music in the Boston area led by charismatic and brilliant teacher Marleen Montgomery. I moved to Boston after college just for the adventure and met these folks, including my wife to be, Nancy Knowles, within days.

It was an incredible scene that encouraged wide exploration of the repertoire, but we constantly arranged works to be adapted to the particular forces at hand [Una Sañosa Porfia as example]. I think this was one of the many factors that led to my compositional abilities, including, as you ask, how to write for different instruments. On that front, I’m not as well trained as I would like to be, but it’s pretty instinctual for me and I do consult with †he players I am writing fo® or do other research. I’d love to write a symphony, but that feels outside my realm of experience and training. I have played saxophone, piano, recorder, viola da gamba, chalumeau, vihuelas and lutes of many different sizes and a bunch of medieval and ethnic instruments – so I’m rather fearless. When I wrote a lot of mandolin music a few years ago, I borrowed an instrument and worked closely with German virtuoso Annika Hinsche and a few other players.

Please consider a donation to my GoFundMe. They are greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference in my healing process!

My Roots as a Composer | necessity and education was originally published on FRANK WALLACE