#I am so close to just steal to good stiff from my grandma

[ray935sworld]

One day I'm writing a pain based rpf. Idk who but someone (probably Marc) will get my chronic pain and someone else will have to deal with it (Vale or Bez)

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Won’t You Stay (Part 11)

Summary: The reader has a very long day but knowing Jensen is there for her helps her through it...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x Director!reader

Word Count: 5,000ish

Warnings: language, angst, implied past domestic abuse, implied body issues

A/N: Please enjoy!

_____

You hated to admit it but you felt better with a few more hours of sleep in you and Jensen drove the two of you into work, everything already going from the looks of it.

“Y/N,” said Mark as you walked onto the lot with Jensen. “Morning Jensen. Hey so we got your dad’s call. We pushed everything back an hour and cut the budget meeting. How’s your grandpa doing?”

“Uh, better,” you said, forcing a smile.

“Ethan said there was a family emergency and you were trying to come in. Family comes first kid, remember that,” said Mark. “We’ll work an hour late today. It’s not a big deal.”

“I will remember that,” you said, Jensen shrugging as he headed towards his trailer. “How are we doing on set up?”

“Almost done. Your dad said he should be here soon,” he said. “I did debrief this morning with the crew so we’re pretty close to being ready to film, maybe thirty minutes so the boys can do a quick wardrobe change and eat breakfast in the hair and make up chairs.”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you on set in a few,” you said. You grabbed some coffee from craft services and a quick plate of eggs, finding yourself on the sound stage and fixing a few things before you were getting tapped on the shoulder.

“Playing hooky this morning?” teased your dad quietly. You shook your head. “Yeah, that’s what Jensen said. Here.”

He held out a small card to you and you shut your eyes.

“Dad-”

“Talk to someone about Logan. Jensen is concerned even if he doesn’t know what it’s about and I have a feeling you’ll give in to him one way or the other,” he said.

“I can’t go to your therapist,” you mumbled.

“It’s a whole practice. Dr. Miller has a son who is practicing now. Maybe you’d want to talk to him. Just go once. Maybe once is all you need. Trust me. It’s not as hard if you get some guidance,” he said.

“I’ll think about it,” you said. “I’m not promising to go.”

“It’s all I ask. Also, I may round up Logan with Jensen and we can beat the shit out of him together. I really like the new boyfriend by the way,” he said.

“Dad. I don’t need anyone to defend my honor. Also, grandpa’s alright, right?” you asked.

“Of course. I learned that one from him. Don’t tell grandma. Or mom,” he said. You smiled and nodded. “Alright boss. Put us to work.”

“Jensen, could you try that again with a little more…” you said a few hours later, resting your cheek in your palm. “What’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Menacing?” he asked.

“Yeah. Scare the shit out of Molly. You okay with trying that Bri?” you asked.

“Yeah, sure thing,” she said, giving a thumbs up. It was her first day on the set and you could tell she was nervous. More than nervous. You’d had to give her a pep talk to even get out in front of the camera.

“She’s a bit fresh,” mumbled AJ, your first AD. “We don’t even have anything usable.”

“Give her a chance,” you said.

“I could do a better job,” he mumbled. “And I haven’t acted since third grade. She only had the job because she was dating that Gil guy.”

“Dude. I get it,” you said. “Reset! Action!”

“Who are you?” growled Jensen, grabbing Bri by the arms and throwing her back against a wall. “Who!”

She stared at him a little too long and you sighed, Jensen cocking his head.

“Bri, your line,” he said. 

“Fucks sake,” you mumbled. “AJ I am this close to putting you in a wig.”

“Sorry,” said Bri as Jensen walked back to his mark.

“Reset! Action!” you shouted.

“Who are you?” said Jensen, doing the same movements and pushing Bri back. “Who?”

“Molly,” she said, as if she were introducing herself at a freaking pep rally. 

“Someone up there help us,” groaned AJ beside you.

“Stop,” you called, Jensen giving you a look when you wandered onto set. “Bri, not so excited and happy. Jensen is scaring the shit out of you. Act like the shit is being scared out of you.”

“Okay but when Gil was doing this, this scene wasn’t in there,” she said.

“The scene was always there,” you said, doing your best to keep a friendly face. “It doesn’t matter. Watch me. Jensen, I’ll do Molly’s lines, you just act.”

“Got it,” he said, Molly going off to the side.

“AJ, call it for me,” you said.

“Action!” he said.

“Who are you?” growled Jensen, moving you back against the wall. “Who?”

“Molly,” you grit out, nearly kneeing him before he acted like it hit its mark and he bent over. You went past him, pushing on his shoulder and stealing the gun tucked away in the back of his pants. He panted as he righted himself and you pointed the gun at him. “Your turn.”

“Brad.”

“Try again,” you said, cocking the gun. He was quiet and you narrowed your eyes, jumping when you felt a hand over your mouth and the other knock the gun away.

“Don’t let pretty girls get the better of you,” said your dad. You breathed hard under the hand, nearly breaking out of the hold before Jensen picked up the gun and you were pinned back.

“So, Molly,” said Jensen, pointing the gun at you. “Tell me how you knew James or I will pull the trigger. Now.”

Your dad moved his hand away and you stared at Jensen, taking a deep breath. 

“Talk,” said your dad.

“I don’t think-“ you said, Jensen grabbing your throat lightly but surely making his grip seem something fierce. You whimpered and he smiled.

“I think we said talk. Now.”

“Cut!” said AJ. Both their hands fell away and you glanced over to behind the cameras.

“Something like that Bri. Be afraid but sassy. You know, be...” you said, walking out and throwing up your hands. “Where the fuck did she go?”

“I’ll go find her,” said AJ.

“Well hurry. Not like she’s in every scene today,” you mumbled. You ran your hands over your face, Jensen coming over and rubbing your shoulders.

“You’re really good,” said Jensen. “You ever act?”

“Not since she did drama club in high school,” said your dad. “She was tree number three. I was so proud.”

“You’re an ass,” you said, giving him a smile. “And I can’t act. I know this story is all. Also where is my actor?”

“Hey so,” said AJ, walking back on set. “Bri kinda decided to quit since she can’t work with Gil anymore.”

“Fuck,” you groaned, throwing your head back. “So we need a new actress yesterday. Great.”

“Y/N,” said your dad. He waved you to follow him and he went back behind the monitors. “Run back that last take we did with Y/N standing in.”

“Why?” you asked. 

“Just watch,” he said. You sat back in your chair and pulled on your headphones, a few people crowding around to watch the replay.

“How many scenes is Molly in?” asked AJ.

“Twenty something. She’s only set to film the next three weeks. We could-“ said Mark.

“We definitely could,” said AJ. “Let’s call up to casting.”

“Whoa, last I checked, I’m in charge and can someone explain what is going on?” you asked.

“They want you to play Molly, sweetie,” said your dad. You went wide eyed and shook your head.

“I can’t act!” you said.

“You were damn good,” said AJ. “You and Jensen especially.”

“Everyone slow down,” you said. “I am not an actor. Call casting, now, and see about who didn’t make the cut the first time. In the meantime, everyone is going to calm down, we are going to go film a few montage shots of Lyle and Hale so we don’t lose the time and I need Mark to handle directing for a few hours. Everyone got that?”

“Alright. You’re the boss,” said AJ, he and Mark taking off.

“Y/N,” said your dad, catching your arm before you could leave. “You could do this. I’m serious.”

“Dad. How am I supposed to direct if I’m in it? I’ll find some girls, bring them in for test reads during lunch and one of them will be a fit. I guarantee it.”

“How’s Jensen’s chemistry read going?” you asked three hours later with a mouth full of a chicken salad wrap.

“Oh. Lovely,” said your dad. You glanced at a monitor, Jensen and the girl seeming to have a heated argument even if you couldn’t hear it. “Casting brought down his ex so this is going very maturely.”

“Jensen,” you said, speaking into a headset. “Please come over to the monitor tent.”

You groaned as you ripped the headset off. He must have sprinted with how quickly he turned up.

“I am not working with her,” said Jensen to the team reviewing the footage, an angry look on his face. “I’m not.”

“She’s available,” said AJ. “Right age. She’s a little stiff but we can work on that.”

“I’m not a good enough actor to pretend I can stand to be in the same room as her let alone play a love interest,” he said.

“Well you’re gonna have to suck it up. She’s the best fit we got right now,” said Mark. Jensen threw his head back and sighed.

“Give me and Jensen ten,” you said, grabbing his hand and leading him outside. “You really can’t work with your ex?”

“That’s the one that said the stuff on TV,” he said quietly.

“I get that you’re mad but something else happened there,” you said.

“It did,” he said. You stared at him and nodded.

“Okay then,” you said as you headed back to the tent.

“What’s that mean?” he asked.

“It means that my next few weeks around here are going to be even more of a nightmare,” you said with a smile. “I’ll do it but only because it’s you.”

“Y/N. You don’t have to-“

“I want to. This goes both ways, Ackles,” you said. “I got this.”

“Y/N,” growled your dad late that night. “Stop checking every take. These guys have been doing this for years. Delegate a little.”

“Someone’s cranky,” you shot back as you went back to your mark. “I’m supposed to direct.”

“Always has to be a little perfectionist,” he mumbled. You glared at him before you glanced over to Mark.

“Call it,” you said.

“Action!”

“I still don’t trust her,” said your dad, looking over to Jensen behind you.

“Hale-“ said Jensen before he was cut off.

“She lied about James already. Who knows what else she’s lying about. For all we know, she killed him.”

“I didn’t kill your kid, you idiot,” you said. Your dad leered down at you and you swallowed, stepping back into Jensen’s chest.

“Repeat that,” he said. You stared and he grabbed your jacket collar. “Fine. Let’s go.”

He yanked hard and you tripped, more than a little pissed with how he was dragging you away.

“Hale, stop. What are you gonna do to her? Do what you did with me?” asked Jensen. Your dad froze and you could feel how quiet the studio was, so still you could hear yourself panting. “I thought you weren’t doing that shit anymore.”

“Don’t go soft, kid. She’s just a girl.”

“I was just a boy,” said Jensen. “She had the chance to run and she didn’t. I think that’s telling us something but you’re too thick headed to see it.”

“I ain’t running a daycare,” he said, shoving you aside and getting in Jensen’s face. 

“Come on Molly,” said Jensen as he grabbed your hand. You started to let him lead you to the door when you froze. “Molly, come on. I’ll get you somewhere safe.”

“I don’t know anyone named James,” you said over your shoulder. “I just know there’s a guy after me.”

“James get killed cause of you?” asked your dad. You shook your head. “Talk.”

“I saw a murder,” you said. “I have been running ever since. It’s all I know.”

“Last thing I need is another stray,” said your dad, bumping into you hard as he left the room.

“Hale. Hale!” called Jensen.

“Stay away Lyle if you know what’s good for you.”

“Cut!” said Mark. “We get it?”

“I’m good,” you said. “Wrap it for the day.”

“You did a good job, kiddo,” said your dad as he came back on set.

“I’m gonna ruin it,” you said, running your hands over your face. “What am I doing?”

“Pretty damn well for your first day,” said your dad as he rubbed your shoulders. You dropped your hands and saw Jensen nod back at him. “I’ll leave you in good hands.”

“Night dad,” you said.

“Night, sweetie. Have Jensen drive you home,” he said. “If you don’t mind that is.”

“I was probably going to crash at her place anyways,” said Jensen. Your dad blinked and Jensen just stared at him. “You know, as a friend.”

“I don’t want to know,” he said as he shook his head. “Night, Y/N.”

“Goodnight,” you said, covering your face. “Is he gone?”

“Yeah,” chuckled Jensen. “He’s gone. Come on, let’s take you home. You had a long day.”

“I’m exhausted,” you said as you plopped down on your bed close to eleven, Jensen ditching a bag with some of his clothes by your closet door.

“You need to eat some dinner,” said Jensen. You could hear him out in your kitchen and you shut your eyes, Jensen suddenly there and pushing on your shoulder. “Girl, you need to go grocery shopping. You ain’t got nothing but spinach and some dressing in there.”

“New diet,” you yawned as you shut your eyes again.

“I’m ordering us chinese,” he said. “Then we’re having that little chat and adding why you don’t need to go on a diet to that list.”

“Can we do it tomorrow?” you groaned.

“Nope,” he said. He lay back on the bed and ordered some food, turning to you when he hung up. “So.”

“What’s wrong with eating healthy?” you asked.

“Nothing, honey,” he said softly. “But you don’t need a diet.”

“Maybe not but it’s my choice,” you said.

“We’ll table that conversation for the moment,” he said. “Let’s talk about the whole incident this morning.”

“What about it?” you mumbled. You rolled to your side, Jensen resting a hand on your waist and rolling you back towards him.

“Why are you so mean to yourself? You’re so kind to everyone but you,” he said. 

“I don’t know,” you said quietly.

“Yes you do,” he said. 

“Cause I don’t deserve to be nice,” you said. He stared at you and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“You are so, so wrong,” he said. “You gotta be good to you, Y/N. You gotta take care of yourself. If you don’t, how can you take care of everything else?”

“I’m not good enough though,” you said.

“Can you try something for me?” he asked.

“What?”

“What do you like about yourself?” he asked.

“I guess my eyes are alright,” you said. He placed a hand on your cheek and smiled.

“I like your eyes too,” he said. “Was that so hard?”

“A little,” you whispered. He smiled and kissed you gently, bumping his nose against yours.

“Then we gotta practice everyday,” he said. “Okay?”

“You’re a good guy,” you said.

“Not really. You’re just not supposed to be an asshole,” he said.

“Jens. I know the difference. You’re a good guy,” you said. He stared at you, playing with the end of your hair. “I know you want to know why I’m...or what happened with Logan.”

“I do. But it’s not as important as you knowing that you more than deserve to be kind to yourself,” he said. “The other stuff can come later.”

“Okay,” you said, shutting your eyes. “I’ll try for you.”

“Try for you too,” he said.

“Alright. For both of us,” you said. He kissed the tip of your nose and you burrowed in closer to him, Jensen laying an arm over your waist. 

“Try to eat enough and get enough sleep too, huh?” he said.

“Alright,” you mumbled. “Can I go to bed now?”

“You still need dinner, silly,” he said. You could feel the rumble of his chest as he laughed and you sighed. “Real soon though. You can sleep in until eight tomorrow.”

“I have to learn a stunt,” you said. “I think.”

“You have to learn to delegate to your crew, especially the next few weeks,” said Jensen. “We get up at eight, go in, you can tag up with your team, learn your stunt and we’ll be rolling by 11.”

“I’m too tired to argue so fine, you win,” you said.

“Music to my ears. You did a really good job today. You should consider acting more,” he said.

“I wrote the story. It’s the only reason I even remotely know what I’m doing,” you said.

“No, you got talent,” he said. “Write, direct and act? Triple threat.”

“Whatever you say, Ackles,” you hummed.

“Y/N.”

You forced your eyes open, Jensen smiling back at you.

“I’m serious. Take the compliment,” he said. 

“Compliment taken,” you said. He was quiet but gave you a kiss on your forehead that made you smile.

“I started reading your other book today during a break. You should think about publishing those other stories of yours,” he said.

“Why? They aren’t all that good,” you said.

“They are really good, honey. People would love to read your other work. Why’d you put the Lyle Sullivan story out on your blog at first?” he asked.

“I knew people liked the character,” you said. 

“Maybe people will like Forest and Andi too. You don’t know unless you try and we’re on that whole try kick so…” he said. You rolled your eyes but gave him a smile. 

“When I am done with the movie, I will take a look and maybe publish one of those other ones,” you said. “Any other demands?”

“I’ll take a hug now that you mention it,” he said. You chuckled and moved your arm around his back. “Ah. Thank you, honey.”

“Thank you, fanboy,” you said. You pecked a kiss on his cheek and he gave a soft smile, his fingers playing with a few pieces of your hair again. “You okay?”

“Earlier with Erica...you didn’t have to do that, go and take her place. I could have sucked it up,” he said.

“You would have been miserable. Perks of dating the boss,” you said, Jensen not cracking a smile. “I got the vibe it wasn’t a good breakup either. I think that her talking about your sex life was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“It was. I don’t really want to talk about it. Not right now at least,” he said.

“You don’t ever have to. If it goes for me, it goes for you,” you said. His lip twitched up and he nodded. “So I’ve never done a stunt before. What’s it like?”

“It’s not hard. Everyone will make sure you’re safe and everyone involved in it is. Your dad and me have the big fight scenes to deal with so you won’t have to worry about choreography to learn,” he said. “I don’t know how your dad does it to be honest.”

“Does what?” you asked.

“He seems perfect. He’s good at his job, he prioritizes his family, he doesn’t screw up takes and also has advice for when I’m about to freak out over something,” he said.

“The world wants to adore him so that is what it sees. But you know it’s not all perfect. He has more pain inside him than I think even I know,” you said. You took a deep breath and Jensen gave you a quick smile.

“I’ll never tell anyone what you told me about his depression. I know how to keep a secret,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have told you if I didn’t trust you to know,” you said. “I know it’s weird but you’re my dad’s friend too.”

“He is kinda awesome,” said Jensen. You chuckled and he ran his thumb under your eye. “You know, you are too damn attractive for your own good.”

“I’m sleep deprived and had a near mental breakdown multiple times today,” you said.

“Like I said, hot damn woman,” he said, a little drawl in his words.

“Okay, cow poke,” you laughed. “What’s with the accent?”

“Accent? I’m from Texas,” he said. 

“Really?” you said as you sat up suddenly. “My dad’s from Waco. It’s where the rest of our family is.”

“Dallas,” he said with a big smile. “You ever live there?”

“Sometimes in the summer we would stay at my grandparents house. Now we have like a vacation house there for visiting. It’s really up and coming there now. You totally make more sense now if you’re from Texas. I’ve met a few southern gentlemen before,” you said.

“I think I went to Waco for a sleepaway camp once when I was a kid,” he said, his face turning pink. “I mean a baseball camp thing.”

“Why would I care if you went to a sleepaway camp?” you asked as you cocked your head. He sat up and stared at you, shrugging.

“Someone teased me about it once,” he said quietly as he shook his head. “It’s fine.”

“I used to go to a lot of camps,” you said. “My dad wanted me to grow up like we were some middle class suburban family. Not every kid has a freaking bodyguard with them though.”

“Brody, yeah, he seemed super cool,” said Jensen. “You grew up with him?”

“Yeah. Once my dad did Batman when I was about four, things kind of exploded. Some woman tried to kidnap me at the grocery store once. He flipped his shit and then I basically wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without him for a few years.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I think the chick was super obsessed or something. He was so leery of women after that. I’m surprised he ever found my mom to be honest,” you said. 

“She doesn’t act right?” he said.

“No. She’s an elementary school teacher,” you said. “He met her when he was late picking me up from school once. She tore him out a new one,” you said. “He said at some point when she was telling him how irresponsible he was for leaving a ten year old waiting outside all by herself that he fell in love.”

“Sounds about right,” he said. “Was she your teacher?”

“No, it wasn’t that cliche. She was new that year. She was nice,” you said. “I mean, she really made him happy. Still does.”

“I can’t imagine growing up like that. My dad does mostly commercials or voice over work. Some years were better than others but he was never big or recognized really.”

“You’re about to be just like my dad, Jensen,” you said. “The movie is going to change your life. It’ll change your family’s life.”

“Good thing I already found my girl then, hm?” he teased. “I won’t have to worry about that part.”

“You may end up needing your own Brody,” you said.

“Alright. If it happens, it happens. No use in stressing over something I can’t control,” he said. “Hey, plus then I wouldn’t need to worry about you either.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Jensen. I’m a big girl,” you said.

“Sorry, can’t help it. Sucks for you,” he chuckled. “Do me one small favor from now on.”

“Needy little thing tonight aren’t you,” you said as you smirked. “What is it?”

“When you’re working late and I’m not around, have security walk you to your car for me?” he asked. You nodded and he relaxed, shutting his eyes. His stomach growled and you giggled, putting a hand on it. He grabbed your wrist quickly and pushed your hand away before he got up from the bed fast.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

“Just don’t…” he said before he rubbed the back of his neck. “I get insecure about myself too.”

“Sorry. You’re so fit and healthy though,” you said.

“Don’t say that,” he said. 

“Alright,” you said softly. He took a deep breath and he looked past you with a wince. “Food will be here soon.”

He nodded and bit his bottom lip. He almost left the room but instead walked back near the bed, glancing down at the floor.

“My old girlfriend...she kinda told me I needed to get shredded to get bigger roles and stuff. I tried, I did, but I could only get to a certain point and-”

“Jensen,” you said, standing on top of the bed and looking down at him. “You are attractive. I like what I see, I do. It’s not why I like you though.”

“I have a stomach,” he said.

“Most people do,” you said. “It’d probably suck if you didn’t. It’s kinda important after all.”

“Y/N, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” you said as you hopped off the bed. You rested a hand on his stomach again and smiled. “If we’re gonna have rules for me about being nicer to myself, you’re gonna have those same rules and that starts with you knowing that you are perfectly healthy. Got that? Even Lyle Sullivan doesn’t have six pack abs and he’s a dreamboat like you.”

He smirked and you knew he felt better, your intercom buzzer going off at the front of the apartment. 

“I’ll get it,” he said. You went with him out to the kitchen, Jensen slipping on his sneakers and going down to the lobby for a minute, returning with a massive bag. “I ordered you some leftovers for tomorrow too.”

“You are really nailing this boyfriend thing so far,” you said as you took a seat at the counter.

“Fake it til you make it,” he said, pulling out a container and setting it down.

Ten minutes later you were both stuffed from shoveling food in your bellies and Jensen was tucking the remainder of the food in your fridge.

“Hey, Jens,” you said as you slowly made your way back into the bedroom.

“Mhm,” he hummed, going over to his bag to pick out some clothes to change into.

“You can talk to me about stuff too,” you said. He smiled and gave a slight nod. “Get your butt in bed, Ackles. I want a cuddle after today.”

“I could do with one of those,” he yawned. You went to your closet and changed into a pair of shorts, staring at your shirts for a moment before you felt fabric hit your head. You shook it off and glanced down, a short sleeve men’s band shirt in your hand. Turning your head you saw Jensen smirk before he went out of view. You pulled his shirt on, stepping out to the bedroom. Jensen grabbed a blanket from the corner and had a pillow in his hand.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

“Bed?” he said, pointing out your bedroom door.

“Jensen. You’re not sleeping on my couch,” you said. “It’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.”

“I don’t want to assume anything,” he said.

“Assume you can sleep in bed,” you said with a smile. You walked to your side and got under the covers, head hitting the pillow as Jensen got in the other side. You rolled closer and heard him laugh.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispered, giving you a chaste kiss. “Sleep good, honey.”

“Goodnight, Jensen,” you mumbled, out like a light before you could even feel him put his arm around you.

_____

A/N: Read Part 12 here!

[cordonian-literature]

The Aftermath - Ch. 1

The Met

Summary: Riley and her husband take a visit to a museum while their kids have lessons

Word Count: ~2.0k 

Warning: Mention of character death

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those that are unique to my story (I’ve also used some characters and fictional instances from Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch”*

Catch up here!

After giving Eleanor, Gabriel, and Theodore breakfast, Riley made her way to the kitchen of their New York penthouse and began making turkey sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies, for what she hoped could be for a picnic in Central Park in the late afternoon after the kids’ practices. 

The sound of the mixer didn’t allow Riley to hear her husband walk into the kitchen. She feels his stiff arms around her waist and chuckles. 

Kissing the back of her head, Theodore asks, “Making a treat for me?”

Riley laughs, removing herself from his grasp to preheat the oven on the other side of the kitchen. “For the kids.”

Theodore looks into the bowl. “Isn’t it a little early to be making dessert?” 

“Actually,” Riley goes back and stops the mixer. “I thought we could go on a little picnic?” She looks at her husband thoughtfully. Bringing her attention back towards the cookies, she continues, “After Gabe’s soccer practice and Ella’s dance class, of course.” 

“Of course,” he repeats. He watches her put the cookie dough in the fridge. “We should ask the kids.” 

Riley turns, holding a piece of bread in her hands. “Do you think they might not want to go?”

“Nah, I’m sure they do.” He walks up to her and collects her in his arms. “But I had other plans for us today.”

A shy smile spreads across Riley’s face. “Which is?”

“A visit to the Met. They’ve a new exhibit.” 

“With the kids?” she removes herself from his embrace with her free hand and goes back to making sandwiches.

“We can ask them to come with.”

“And if they don’t want to?”

Theodore laughs. Letting go of Riley, he goes into the fridge to grab an apple. “Gabe’s old enough to watch over Ella for a couple hours. We’ll bring them back dinner.” 

Gabriel had just turned ten, and Eleanor was still many weeks away from turning eight. Even though her husband argued that they were old enough to be somewhat self sufficient, Riley still felt nervous leaving them alone. 

Noticing the concern on her face, he suggests, “We could also just go during their practice times if that’ll make you feel better, babe.” 

“Thanks, Theo,” she smiles, eyeing the apple. “I just... get worried sometimes. Especially for Gabe.”

Theo gives an understanding nod and takes a bite into his apple, but not before Riley notices the irritation on his face. After ten years, she no longer let it bother her, unless Theo’s annoyance of her and Liam’s son got excessive. She understood that it was difficult for Theo to raise a child that wasn’t his, especially when his wife made it very clear that she was still in love with the father of that child. 

Even though Theo agreed to parent Gabriel with Riley, he was glad that they had their own daughter, Eleanor, so he could at least be a father to her in the ways that he wasn’t with Gabe. 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, right?” Riley turns to fully face him, wanting to keep her husband in a good mood, she tries to explain herself. “It’s just that I don’t want them to do anything foolish or—.”

“Riley. Babe,” Theodore looks at his wife, in her old, dark tank top and a worn pair of jeans. “I know. I worry about them, too. I wanna keep them safe, too.” 

Riley smiles and gives her husband a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispers. Turning back to the counter, she finishes making the sandwiches as Theo stands behind her, eating his apple. “I’ll leave these for lunch then, if we’re not going on the picnic. We can get Chinese for dinner, and maybe the cookies could be a snack for later today?” She looks at Theo, and he nods in silent agreement.

-------

Ella and I raced down towards the elevator, Mom and Dad trailing far behind us. We hold the “close doors” button and leave them on our floor as the elevator falls towards the lobby. 

We tumble out, giggling, but Ella freezes and cries, “I forgot my water!” She starts throwing things out of her bag and onto the lobby floor. When Mom and Dad finally come out of the elevator, Mom starts laughing. 

“Forgot this?” she holds out Ella’s bottle to her and helps her put everything back in her bag.

The four of us walk together towards the waiting limo. Once we’re inside, Mom and Dad turn to us. 

“While you guys are at practice,” Dad begins, “Your mother and I will be seeing a new exhibit at the Met.”

“Ou, take pictures for me, please!” Ella requests.

“We’ll pick you up on time, promise,” Mom reassures, caressing my cheek. “You both have your phones on you, yes?”

Ella and I pat our pockets, signaling where we put our devices. 

We reach the indoor soccer courts first. Mom gives me a quick kiss on my forehead and Dad gives me a pat on the back as I fumble out the door with my large bag. I wish Ella good luck during dance practice and head inside. 

I played until I could barely breath. I skipped some of the water breaks, my body wanting to keep moving, so when everyone was hydrating themselves, I continued to dribble and chase after the ball. During the third water break, coach yells at me to “Sit the hell down!” so I relent and down my water in one breath. My parents are planning a trip to Italy next week, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to lose that much practice time; I was motivated to work ahead. 

After practice, I wait in the lobby with some of my friends. We talk, but we’re not fully engrossed in the conversation: everyone either has their eyes glued to the doors or to their phones, waiting for their parents to give the signal that it was time to go home. 

I turn on the ringer of my phone and sit back on the bench, waiting for my parents. Dad was usually the punctual one, but since they’d gone to visit a new exhibit, I guessed he wanted to spend a little more time there; Mom and Dad weren’t always free to be able to do things together. 

I take a nap while I wait, but when I wake up, I realize that I’ve been waiting for almost half an hour. Ella’s session would end in a couple minutes, so I shoot her a text hoping that she would see it as soon as she got out. 

Hey.

hi. r u guys on ur way?

No. Mom and Dad haven’t picked me up yet.

rlly? whats taking them so long?????

I’m going to check their location 

She leaves me on read.

It says “loading” but then says unavailable. The Met has wifi right?

weird

Can you check, please?

yessir

After a few moments, she texts me back.

it says the same for me :(( im worried

Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a reason 

I sit in the lobby, trying to calm down Eleanor through text and wave goodbye to all my friends as their parents pick them up. After another half hour, the next set of lessons start for the older kids. The receptionist steals glances at me before finally saying, “Hey Gabriel, is your mom coming to pick you up today?”

“Um,” I look down at the phone in my hand, contemplating whether I should call one of my parents. “I’m not sure.” 

“What about your dad?” she asks.

“No, they should be in the same place. They usually pick me up by now.” 

“We have your grandmother as an emergency number. Want me to call her up and make sure everything’s alright?” she suggests. I want to say no, that there’s no reason to worry, but the sense of dread in my chest threatens to yield tears. 

“Sure,” I allow. 

My mother’s mother lives in Northern New Jersey and visits often, since it’s not too long of a train ride — she’d drive, but parking was difficult, and our reserved underground parking spots in the building was already filled with Dad’s cars. The receptionist introduces herself, then waves me over to talk on the phone. 

“Hell-o!” Grandma greets. “How was practice? Everything okay?”

“Good. Yeah everything’s fine,” I say. “Practice ended almost an hour ago, but I’m still here. And Ella says that Mom and Dad haven’t picked her up, either.” 

“Uh oh,” she says, and I can hear her face fall. “Do you want me to come pick you up? You both can stay with me tonight. Then we will call Mama and tell her you guys are alright. How does that sound?”

I give a sigh of relief. “Yes, please. I’ll tell Ella.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

I fill in my sister, but she doesn’t reply to my texts.

Twenty minutes later, I throw my bag into the trunk of Grandma’s Buick and slide into the back seat next to Ella. She stares at her lap, and I know she’s feeling the same amount of worry and confusion that I am. 

When we reach Grandma’s small town, she asks us if we want dinner. When both of us say we’re not hungry, she still grabs us McDonald’s. 

Mom and Dad don’t answer our calls. We even call Dad’s assistant, but she also says that she hasn’t heard from him.

We eat dinner quietly, with Grandma giving us encouraging kisses and pep talks while we talk about our practices. Afterwards, we go into the living room to quietly watch some Netflix while Grandma makes some apple pie. The smell of it baking in the oven makes me nostalgic for something unknown, and it reminds me of the cookies that Mom was making earlier today. I hear Ella sniffle, and turn to see her silently crying. 

After desert, Grandma gives us some of Mom’s old baggy clothes to sleep in. Ella gets to sleep in Mom’s old room while I sleep in the guest room. My eyes burn from the amount of tears I held back today, and its almost painful to close them. 

...

I wake to the smell of pancakes and a familiar rumble in the pit of my stomach. I brush my teeth, but don’t bother to fix my hair. Ella eats quietly on the island in the kitchen. I slide onto the seat next to her and watch Grandma start making another pancake.

“Good morning!” she says to me. “Could one of you please turn on the news in the living room?”

I allow Ella to keep eating and walk towards the little doorway that separates the living room from the kitchen. Turning on the news, I increase the volume. The image of police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks from a helicopter view flash on the screen while a female reporter narrates the incident. 

“On the evening of May seventeenth, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was bombed by an unidentified group. Investigations are underway and the city has been closed off, including trains and bus routes into and out of the city, along with roads and bridges. 

“Many dead bodies have been found, and many others are severely injured. CEO of Blaise Enterprises, Mister Theodore Blaise, has been found dead. The whereabouts of his wife, Riley Brooks, are unknown. Senator Nicolae Adebayo sustained serious injuries, as did many other persons.”

Ella’s screams drown out the sound of my heart thundering in my ears. Grandma rushes towards her and collects her off of the floor and into her arms. I stare at them, the reporters’ voices and the smell of the pancake burning melt into the background as I take a shaky breath and allow my tears to fall. 

[lawchan89]

No Matter What

@saveshootingstar wanted a Starco prompt, so I whipped this up at their suggestion. Also for @ghostgetters cuz both of these nerds indirectly challenged me to write a makeout scene. Love you guys <3

“How many packets of airline peanuts did you steal?!” Marco looked over her shoulder with his jaw hanging open as his warrior princess fianceé rummaged around in her purse.

“Chill out, Marco. They got, like, a bajillion of those -- ah, here it is!” Star whipped out a silver glittering scarf she had bunched up in the bag and unfurled it. “It’s for your Abuelita. On Mewni, we have to give gifts to the elder family members of our betrothed as a token of our gratitude for inviting us into their home.”

“Actually, I’m the one that invited you.” He chuckled slightly under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I, uh...I haven’t told any of the Diazes that we’re engaged yet.” 

Star suddenly stopped walking up the dusty desert-like road and whirled around before Marco rammed into her. “What?”

“Yeah…”

“Why not?” she demanded, folding her arms across her chest. “You proposed to me almost a month ago!” 

“I’ve been busy--”

“Oh we’re all busy, Marco, that’s no excuse!” She narrowed her eyes as she peered up into his sheepish gaze. “There’s something else goin’ on.”

Marco chewed the inside of his cheek nervously. There was no easy way to tell her the truth -- that there was a definite vibe that his father’s side of the family didn’t care for Star. That every time they flew down here, he was terrified someone would make that fact too obvious, and they would depart Jalisco in rage and tears. He couldn’t do that to her, he cared about her too much. But they were family, and...well, they at least had a right to know that he was going to become prince consort of a distant dimension.

Star’s boisterous energy and magic usage with her inherent power (thankfully they would never be able to get her wand past airport security) freaked his religious and superstitious relatives out. His great uncle had called her a witch (“Hey, she should take that as a compliment” Janna had said), and his grandmother had muttered “diablo” at least three times under her breath. But the enthusiastic reactions to her powers from his little cousins seemed to have distracted Star from all this, and she was convinced they loved her.

“I...wanted us to tell them together.” Lying to the woman you love. Nice move, Diaz.

Star instantly stopped surveying him and smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek and hugging his arm in both of hers. “Aww, that’s so nice! How should we do it? I’m thinkin’ a flashy fireworks display on the beach -- ‘Mr. and Mrs. Star Butterfly’!”

“Marco, mi neito!” Abuelita Linda didn’t stop peppering Marco’s face with kisses for several minutes after they walked in the door. “Come, we make you lunch -- you’re too thin.” She turned to her grandson’s girlfriend with a tight smile Star read as genuine. “Hola, Star-girl.”

“Hi, Abuelita Diaz!” The princess grabbed the older petite woman into a tight bear hug that caught her off guard. “Hang on, I got you something -- close your eyes.”

“It’s fine,” Marco assured her when his grandma looked at him in slight alarm. She did as she was told, and Star draped the scarf around her, giggling with glee. “Okay, open.” 

“Oh!” Abuelita’s eyes were wide as saucers when she saw the sparkling gift, nearly blinding her when caught by the light of the afternoon sun. “Es muy brillante,” she muttered as pleasantly as she could, squinting.

“Pfft, it’s nothing,” Star spluttered, waving her hand in the air, “Just the most rare and expensive fabric on Mewni that only the royal family has access to.” She gave Marco a quick look, as if asking him if it was okay to pop the news, and he returned it with a “not yet” shake of the head.

“Marcooooo,” came a whining voice from the back living room, and little cousin Nina wandered into the room. “Did you bring the Star-girl with you?”

“Hey girlfriend, what’s goin’ on?!” Star said cheerily, bending down to the little girl’s level and holding up her hand for a high five. Nina half-heartedly slapped her palm to hers, not taking her attention off Marco.

“Papi said he wants to know--”

“Marco, good to see you!” came Uncle Enrique’s bombastic greeting as he flung back the beaded curtains hung in the archway. “Nina, don’t you have cartoons to watch?”

“But you said to ask Marco when he was gonna dump that crazy blonde girl.” 

Star froze, her smile melting off faster than ice cream in the hundred and ten degree weather outside. “Say what?”

“I-I, well you know--a joke! I said it as a joke!” Enrique stammered, chuckling at his nephew who didn’t even crack a grin back.

“And then you said her heart tattoos made her look like a clown and her magic is gonna kill us all--”

“Nina, ir en la otra habitación, por favor!” Grabbing his daughter by the shoulders, Enrique steered her back through the curtain and out of sight.

“They’re not tattoos…” Star finally managed to say, her eyes lowered to the floor.

“Heh, kids you know? Say the darndest things.”

“Yeah, all that honesty must be so hard to live with,” Marco bit out icily, making it clear that he did not want to exchange another word with his uncle. 

“Aiiiiiiii!” At the scream from the kitchen, several heads poked out of the living room to see Abuelita tearing across the front hall, her fingers scrambling at the scarf around her neck. Ripping it off, they saw a deep red rash embedded in her skin.

“Oh my gosh -- Abuelita I am so sorry--”

“No! You stay right there!” the elderly woman shouted, pointing her finger forcefully at Star, who stepped back almost frightened. The other uncles, aunts and cousins who had stepped out to see what happened all exchanged the same look when they saw who Marco had brought with him. “Oh, it’s her” their faces all read.

Star didn’t even acknowledge their stiff greetings or pleasantries, she only saw the glares from Enrique and a few others who were tending to Abuelita’s allergic reaction. She bit her lip as it started to shake, wrenching her purse off her shoulder.

“Here, there’s some ointment at the bottom somewhere,” she muttered to Marco, flinging the bag into his stomach.

“Star--”

“Earth aloe isn’t gonna help that, please just use it.”

But Marco didn’t immediately go to his relatives, who were whispering rather horrible things in Spanish that thankfully Star couldn’t understand. Expression and tone were universal, and she appeared to have finally read those loud and clear.

“Star wait, where are you going?” he called, grabbing her wrist as she headed for the door.

“Away from here.” She sniffled, withdrawing her hand from his. “I’m sorry...I didn’t know…” And then she was gone.

Marco’s chest felt like it was on fire as he turned and marched towards his grandma, the tube from Star’s purse in his hand. Wordlessly, he squirted the purple cream into his palm and gently smeared it around the redness on Abuelita’s neck. Within seconds, it disappeared and her tan skin returned to normal. 

“There, you happy now?” he announced to the whole room, glaring at Enrique in particular. “You finally showed your true colors. You don’t have to pretend when she’s in the room anymore. Don’t you just feel so great?!”

No one dared to answer, so he went on: “That scarf was a gift, a custom in her kingdom. I’m sorry it backfired, Abuelita, but that’s no excuse for the rest of you. You think I don’t hear what you’re saying behind her back?! You think that’s gonna change my mind about her?! It’s not! I love her with all my heart! Star Butterfly is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me! And if you can’t accept her and everything that she is, then you can forget about me speaking to any of you ever again!”

Clutching Star’s purse tightly in his fist, Marco stormed towards the door after her -- but not before delivering the final touch over his shoulder. “By the way -- we came to tell you we’re engaged.” And he slammed the door behind him.

He found her down on the beach, curled up into a ball with her face in her knees, her arms wrapped around her head. Even as an adult, Star still retreated to this position when the world became too much for her to bear. It wasn’t until Marco sat down in the sand beside her that he realized the waves had been drowning out her sobs. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around her huddled form and pulling her close to him, his nose buried in her golden hair.

“You lied to me,” Star hiccuped, but didn’t shrug him off.

“I know, I -- I’m sorry.” He literally didn’t know what else to say. 

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? Why’d you let me believe they liked me?” 

“‘Cause I couldn’t do that to you…” Marco trailed off, knowing it was a terrible excuse, but it was all he had. “I didn’t want...this to happen.” He couldn’t stand seeing her cry, it tore him apart every time. And the fact that his own family was the cause of it only made it worse. “I didn’t wanna break your heart, Star. I didn’t want you to feel like you did something wrong. ‘Cause you didn’t.”

She turned towards him, sliding her arms around his waist as his cozy red hoodie surrounded her. He felt his chest dampen from her tears, and he kissed the top of her head with a soft “Shh”.

“I guess I should’ve seen it coming,” Star mumbled in his arms, closing her eyes as evening darkened the sky above them. “Never thought about it when Abuelita or your aunts didn’t hug me -- my mom and her family aren’t huggers either. The kids...I mean, who knows?”

“The kids think you’re cool, trust me,” Marco smiled. “You saw Nina back there -- one hundred percent genuine.” He paused, letting out a long sigh. “I told them about us. I got mad and blew up in their faces and it sorta slipped out.”

“It’s okay. But what’s not okay was keeping all this from me in the first place. I-I feel like the biggest fool, Marco.”

“You’re not. And you’re right, I should’ve told you the truth.” Now it was his turn to glance downward in shame, and Star lifted her head to him. “We should go home.”

“Yeah...maybe we should.” But neither of them moved, the tranquility of their area of the beach surrounding them. Stars began to twinkle in the clear sky, the waves rolled in and out in a steady pattern, and sand got stuck between their curled toes.

No stars were brighter than the ones in his future wife’s eyes, glittering like her namesake as she brought a hand to his face, cupping it as his lips drew nearer. And at once, every care flew from their minds the moment her lips captured his. There was nothing but lips and hands and skin, fingers stuck in thick hair, sand getting everywhere once they realized they were lying in it. Star slipped her hands under his hoodie, feeling his fingers clutch at her bra under her dress as their mouths and tongues continued to work passionately. 

It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter anymore that not all of Marco’s family loved her, it just wasn’t meant to be and she could learn to accept that. She was still loved. She was loved by Marco Diaz, the most wonderful young man she had even known. Who rubbed his lips over the flawless ivory skin on her neck and collarbone as she sighed contentedly, a shiver of excitement rippling through her as his hands passed over her breasts, cupping her slender form delicately and respectfully. Even in the heat of the moment, he treated her like a queen. 

“You’re still crying,” Marco whispered as they stopped to catch their breath, his eyes opening to find themselves lying on their sides, Star staring at him like he was her eternity with tears dripping off her nose.

“I’m just happy,” Star whispered, pressing her lips to his eyes, cheeks, nose and lips again. “Even after all this, I’m happy, Marco. ‘Cause you’re still here.”

“Sure am, I’m all yours.”

“I can’t wait to marry you.”

“We still gotta invite them to the wedding though.”

“They can sit in the back. And they won’t come to the Castle wedding, just the Earth one.”

“Alright, deal.” And their ardent intimacy resumed.

Neither of them noticed the light of the full moon above bathing them in a deep wash of bright blood red.

[ganymedeandcallisto]

someone asked me for the 100 questions but tumblr is fuckin up so here u go my friend

1. What’s your middle name, and do you like it? a: lea (pronounced lee), it was my grandmas middle name and yes I do love it 
2. are you artistic? a: fuck yeah I am I sing and play instruments and do art 
3. Have you had your first kiss? a: yes 
4. What is your life goal? a: to be happy TBH 
5. Do you have any expieriences with a famous person? a: my dad went to grade school with this guy who won an Oscar! also Bernie sanders came to my high school for a rally which was so so cool 
6. Do you play any sports? a: what is a sport 
7. What’s your worst fear? a: that everyone I love is pretending to like me TBH 
8. Who’s your biggest inspiration? a: Kim from Matt and Kim ngl, also the people in Costa Rica who created the giant dog sanctuary 
9. Do you have any cool talents? a: I play 6 instruments and also I have a really good memory 
10. are you a morning person? a: YES I love getting up early especially when I don’t have to do anything 
11. How do you feel about pet names? a: hate (dyldoge) 
12. Do you like to read? a: YEAH I DO it’s so fun to me 
13. Name a list of shows that have changed your life. a: the office, game of thrones, the walking dead (mostly cause glenn and maggie) 
14. Do you care about your follower count? a: nope unless it’s 420 or 666 
15. What’s the best dream you’ve had? a: probably one where I was either flying or hugging someone 
16. Have you ever kissed someone of your same gender? a: I have not 
17. Do you have any pets? a: YEAH I HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL BABIES (dogs) 
18. Are you religious? a: I am not 
19. Are you a people person? a: ahahahahaha noooooooooooooooo 
20. Are you considered popular? a: I’m not sure?? TBH 
21. What is one of your bad habits? a: saying yes when I want to say no, also procrastinating 
22. What’s something that makes you feel vulnerable? a: showing music I love to people 
23. What would you name your children? a: *dogs I love all dog names 
24. Who’s your celebrity crush? a: Marcos is the biggest celebrity of my heart 
25. What’s your best subject? a: English/history that uncovers how awful white america is/has been 
26. Dogs or cats? a: both!!!!!!!! but TBH dogs more 
27. most used social media besides tumblr? a: I’m not sure but I’m gonna say chat snaps 
28. best friends name a: Marcos and varla ofc <3 <3 <3 
29. who does your main family consist of a: my sister and my mom and dad and my two beautiful dog children 
30. Chocolate or sugar a: chocolate 
31. have you ever been on a date? a: yes! not formally like “would you like to go on a date with me?” tho 
32. Do you like rollercosters? a: I did……but Marcos and I went to the fair last summer and concluded that we are too old for this and our joints are too stiff 
33. Can you swim? a: yes and I love swimming so much 
34. What would you do in the event of an apocolypse? a: grab everyone I love and live in a Costco 
35. Have you struggled with any kind of mental disorder? a: yes ednos, depression, and trichotillomania 
36. Are your parents together? a: yes they are 
37. What’s your favourite colour? a: green forever and ever 
38. What country are you from/do you live in? a: USA :^) 
39. Favourite singer? a: I’m gonna say my favorite artist is Matt and Kim but there are so many other favorites ahahah 
40. Do you see yourself being famous some day? a: no TBH unless it’s for cooking 
41. Do you like dresses? a: yeah I fuckin love dresses but they are uncomfy sometimes 
42. Favourite song right now? a: poplar street by glass animals or vampire money by mcr honorable mention: planetary [go!] by mcr, well it’s true that we love one another by the white stripes, northeast by Matt and Kim, man on the moon by zella day, the way we move by langhorne slim and the law, when you’re young by Edward sharpe and the magnetic zeroes 
43. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? a: no I actually really like talking about sex! I think it’s healthy to 
44. How old were you when you first got your period? a: like 11 I think lmao 
45. Have you ever shot a gun? a: nope and I don’t really wanna 
46. Have you ever done yoga? a: yes 
47. Are you a horror girl? a: hell yeah give me some of that 😩💯😭👌🏽✔️✔️👅💦💦😳👀😍 babadook 
48. Are you good at giving advice? a: sometimes like I know exactly what I wanna say but I talk around it bc I’m bad at explaining things 
49. Tell us a story about your childhood. a: one time when I was 4 my cousin was bothering me and putting a pillow over my face so I bit him so hard it bled and now he’s a trump supporter but I can’t bite him bc I’m an Adult 
50. How are you doing today? a: I’m good!! I had a really great breakfast with my RA Rebecca and my roommate Sydney! 
51. Were you a cute kid? a: there was no kid cuter than me up until like 1st grade when I got glasses 
52. Can you dance? a: when no one is watching TBH 
53. Is there anything you do that you can’t remember ever not doing? a: eating with chopsticks and also wanting to be in love 
54. Have you ever dyed your hair? a: nooooo but I wanna 
55. What colour are your eyes? a: brown 
56. What’s your favourite animal? a: horses and dogs!! 
57. Have you ever made a huge fool of yourself? a: yes I definitely have :^)))) 
58. Do you have a good relationship with your parents? a: I think so!! they support my decision to change my major and I’m so so happy 
59. Do you have good friends? a: like 3 maybe who I never get to see ://// 
60. Are you close with anyone of the lgbtq+ group? a: ya bich it me (also yes!! many of my friends are) 
61. What’s your favourite class? a: this quarter, Asian American studies 
62. List all the tv shows you are watching. the walking dead, westworld, full frontal with Samantha Bee, daily show, game of thrones, I think that’s it? 
63. Are you organized? a: honey………no 
64. What was the last movie you saw? Opinion? in theaters I saw rogue one and I loved it so much THERE WERE POC LEADS 
67. Which tv character do you relate to most? a: I don’t know actually but probably Pam from the office TBH 
68. What are some things that stand between you and complete happiness? a: distance :/ and financial instability :/ 
69. If you received enough money to never need to work again, what would you spend your time doing? a: taking care of dogs 
70. What would you change about your life if you knew you would never die? a: id change the not dying part…….it’s gotta happen sometime just not now 
71. What would you do differently if you knew that no one was judging you? a: I’d dance all the time in public 
72. If you could start over, what would you do differently? a: stand up for myself 
73. Would you break the law to save a loved one? a: is this even a question of course I would 
74. When was the last time you travelled somewhere new? a: in August when me and Marcos went to SLO 
75. When you think of your home, what immediately comes to mind? a: the living room and my dogs greeting me and getting in n out for dinner 
76. What have you done to pursue your dreams lately? How about today? a: I found out I can change my major really quickly 
77. What did you want to be when you were a kid? a: a paleontologist I loved dinosaurs 
78. If you dropped everything to pursue your dreams, what would you be risking? a: not too much actually I dream of being financially stable with my love Marcos and being surrounded by dogs and having my family live not super close but not too far away 
79.When did you not speak up, when you know you really should have? a: in class bc participation is part of the grade 
80. Describe the next five years of your life, and your plans, in a single sentence a: I’m going to finish college with a steady job, hopefully travel a lot, and spend all the time I can working towards The Dream™ 
81. What would happen if you never wasted another minute of your life, what would that look like? a: me: graduates college and gets a masters degree within a year 
82. If you could live forever, how would you spend eternity? a: looking for a way to make Marcos also live forever and then taking care of all dogs 
83. How would you spend a billion dollars? a: I’d buy a big house that has a lot of land for my dogs to run around in and pay for a bunch of kids’ tuition and buy my parents a bunch of vacations and create spaces for dogs everywhere and donate to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren……that’s kind of a big question 
84. If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future? a: the past so that I can see all the history white people cover up 
85. What motivates you to succeed? a: The Dream ™ of being financially stable in a nice apartment with a few dogs and the love of my life Marcos 
86. What dream that you’ve had has resonated with you the most? a: I had a nightmare that trump became president 
87. Would you rather live in the city or the woods? Why? a: woods bc city smell like pee and is smoggy 
88. Do you believe in life after death a: kinda but I hope it’s a life where I don’t really have to Do anything 
89. What teacher inspired you the most? How did they? a: my great uncle because he was a professor of English and he loved my great aunt so much and had a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forest and deer and it had a greenhouse and a place for bats to roost 
90. What’s your fondest childhood memory? a: making pillow forts with my sister and then destroying them by jumping on top of them 
91. If you could have dinner with any one person, living or dead, who would they be and why? a: I wanna have dinner with Donald trump, specifically so I can stab him in his orange face with my fork 
92. What would you have to see to cry tears of joy? a: not too many things TBH I cry very hard at practically everything 
93. What is the hardest lesson you had to learn in life? a: you shouldn’t have to change something about yourself in order to deserve love (unless ur a neo nazi or a mass murderer or something like that obviously) 
94. What do you think happens after we die? a: party in the afterlife 
95. What would you do if you would be invisible? a: probably steal money from trump but make it look like mike pence or richard spencer did it 
96. What’s something you can’t do no matter how hard you try? a: whistle ahahaha 
97. Would you want to choose the sex and appearance of your offspring? a: all dogs are beautiful 
98. How did your first crush develop? a: my first crush was on Luke Skywalker and it developed by me watching a new hope 
99. Is there a feeling you are trying to ignore? What is it? a: it’s the feeling of That Fuck Shit and i ignore it on the daily 
100. Do you live or do you just exist? a: time is meaningless and none of us Actually exist

[grilledkatniss]

Day whatever. Who’s counting anyway

How many entries behind am I? We’d be on day, what, 8? I’ll do a quick recap of what happened these past few days *featuring:

-The cousin that’s studying to become a makeup artist: Ana(25), big sister to:

- Older cousin: Wen(24)

-Closest cousin: Stan(22)

-Sister: Vero(23)

-Other sister AKA the one that had a concert AKA oldest sister AKA the one that has a Tumblr: Pao(27)

-Yours truly: Sofi

We ready? K GO!

Friday: Went to buy some boots to a thrift store with my sister and a friend of hers. After that, my parents picked us up and drove us to the music school to give my other sister some parts for her gig that night that she’d forgotten home and from there my dad dropped us off at my grandma’s. There we found our cousins that had just gotten there from a long trip, Ana and Wen. One of my cousins is studying to become a makeup artist and along with my mom gave facials to her brother, my grandma, my sister and her friend and myself. A few hours went by and my dad came to pick us up to head for my sister’s concert. Grandma and cousins stayed. In the car, I decided to try on my sister’s brand new boots. We had about 30 minutes to kill before the concert so we walked around the park near the theater. The boots were too damn high and one size too small for me so the entire walk I held onto my sister and her friend for support while my little toes screamed and my ankles panicked. So once we got to the theater my sister and I swapped shoes and I put on her sneakers, that again were a size too small. 

My sister’s concert went great. it was a Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” tribute and she was in the backing orchestra. After the 2 and a bit hour-long gig, I managed to post Thursday's weak-ass blog while we waited for her to finish up backstage. I can’t remember what time we finally got home but it was definitely after midnight. We had leftover pizza for dinner.

Saturday: (I said quick recap didn’t I) 80th bday tea party cousin’s place monopoly emotional meltdown. Lol that reminds me of Grace’s “worst pants-shitting story or close call in three words or small phrases” challenge (if you can call it so). 

Okay, we start at noon having to drive to a little farm diner for brunch and my putting on makeup in the car and miraculously not spilling. There were ducks and sheep and there was one duck in particular that at one point started harassing a chicken and biting it too. We all ate and drank and were mostly full by the time the actual meal came. My great aunt was fast drunk and convinced the manager to put on some 80′s music so they all could dance and tried really hard to get us to form a conga line. After some old people dancing they brought out the birthday cake for my grandma, and lowkey kicked us out coz it was past 4pm and we’d overstayed our welcome, so a big bunch of us drove back to my grandma’s house to have cake and coffee. The cake was really good. After that my closest cousin, Stan tried to talk my oldest sister, Pao into a cousins retreat back to his place for monopoly before another one of our cousins took off back to his hometown (Wen), but she had to decline because she had to study for finals, so they got stuck with me and my sister, Vero for monopoly. In the ride to his place, they all talked about Pokemon Go. There was a football match going on that my aunt was listening on the radio and her husband’s team lost to some Brasilian team so they stopped at the mall and bought a jersey from the opposing team to mess with him and honked the horn of the car all the way that was left to her house in celebration. People would boo at us from the street and other cars. 

The monopoly game was very heated. Wherever we landed we bought the property. I spent most of the game in jail. At one point I stepped out for a smoke and I could hear them start yelling at each other. When I went back inside I saw Vero and Wen yanking and stealing properties from one another. Negotiation went south I suppose, I don’t really know what the whole fight was about, but you could see Stan trying to mediate and get them to play fair. Wen got so upset he decided not to play anymore and relinquished his properties. Then, while Stan pleaded with him to get back in the game, he decided to give them to Stan and me while my sister said he had no right to do so since he was no longer in the game and those weren’t his properties anymore. So he then went like “no, I’m kidding, I want to keep playing” and got his cards back, and THEN he distributed them to Stan and me and his money as well and went “I’m broke I lost the game”. My sister’s blood pressure peaked at that. While we all tended to her she had an emotional meltdown and started to vent about stuff. We winded up talking about how she needs to get a steady job and get out of my parents’ house, both my aunt and uncle included. We all played dumb when my parents came to pick us up in the car.

Sunday: We went to Wen and Ana’s dad’s place for a barbecue. The entire family was there (mom’s side). I have a crack on the triangular ligament of my right wrist so while trying to cut the overcooked rib with a stiff hand I spilled bbq sauce all over my white tank top. The uncle that was hosting the gathering got drunk pretty fast and tackled me to the floor for no apparent reason, so I, in turn, lifted his foot while getting up and got him to fall backward. Everyone cheered at my uncle’s humiliation. My dad had had a few glasses of wine so we had to wait a bit for him to drive, so in the meantime, the cousins played Pictionary, even the lil rascal, John(11 probably), and his twin sisters (9 or 10? omg), siblings to Ana and Wen. We got home and while some went to church I finished up installing the newest update of the Sims 4 and had a few sims apply for college. I wanted to watch the American Music Awards but it was dubbed so... I only watched from Taylor Swift’s medley and until the end over dinner.  

Yesterday, Monday: I cleaned the pool, folded two weeks worth of clothing that was piled up on the couch, got a bit sunburnt and also came to the conclusion that I am truly, after all, allergic to the sun (these “””freckles””” are itchy as fuck) and transcribed some scribbled on call sheets to send in over to production for the final folder of our college short film project. Turns out we’re missing the paperwork for at the very least to days of filming. Two days unaccounted for. I’m currently still waiting for production to send over all the templates so I can make up the missing paperwork to send over for the folder.

Today I finished up writing this journal/blog entry. Now I can move on with my life. Okay tomorrow the cousins will be having lunch at my grandma’s so expect an update on that. I highly doubt anyone will read this crap but I’m committed.