#I have some quick sketches of them done and I’m ready at anytime to share

[emily-mooon]

Hey moots and followers!

[my-arlington-academia]

The main 10 cheering up a crying Scholar (Y/N) finally part 2!

Here are Neha, Raquel and Tadashi! I had to cut the last 5 in 2 posts because tumblr doesn't allow more than 250 blocks of text... But anyway! I finally did it! It's been 84 years... though I feel like those are not really headcanons anymore. They're all so long that it would be more accurate to say that they're scenarios. Sorry! It's probably gonna be really annoying scrolling up and down.

Neha

- crying is a really good way to let your emotions out and it always worked out for you

- whenever it's all too much you make yourself cry to feel better afterward

- one day, once you finished crying your phone rang

- it's from Neha, she's inviting you to her room

- oh boy.

- when you moved into the dorms Karolina did say that the previous owner of the room would put loud music on and they would hear it

- 'did Neha hear me cry?' God you hope not

- When you knock, the door immediately opens as if Neha was right in front of it waiting for you

- She pulls you in and starts taking your measurements

- "I've decided to use you as my model for my next outfit."

- "W-what?!?"

- now you're almost sure that she did hear you, or else why would she make an outfit just for you when she's got Karolina?

- surprisingly a few days later the outfit is done! Does it really take that little time usually? You're pretty sure that Neha already had the design ready in her sketchbook

- during that time though, everyday until the "outfit" was ready she would go out of her way to talk to you everyday even though she's usually either busy or with Karolina

- she knows that it annoys her but even when Karolina was around Neha would still come and chat with you for a bit

- You're guessing that she didn't want you to feel like you're alone in your hard times

- when the outfit was done she called you over again

- "Here, try it on!"

- there's more excitement in her voice than usual and it's really freaking cute

- "You mean right here, right now?"

- she keeps staring at you in silence before coming back to her senses

- "Oh, right. Sorry. I'll turn away while you change."

- but then while you're taking your clothes off the door flows open

- "Neha, did you see my-"

- Karolina looks at the both of you and while she's trying to process the scene all that she gets from the situation is: you taking your clothes off in their room, and Neha waiting for you to take them off while facing away?

- "N... Nevermind. Just do your thing I'll come back in one hour. Or uh, two hours. Actually."

- She closed the door in a hurry. Welp. She probably misunderstood.

- Neha kept on facing the wall but you could see her ears getting red

- that little accident is quickly forgotten when you've put the outfit on

- it's so elaborate and classy. it's making you feel self-concious

- Even though Neha was the one who made the outfit she blushed when she saw you in it

- "You look so lovely- uh. I mean the dress! The dress looks lovely on you, obviously, since I'm the one who made it."

- her bashfulness is making you blush too but you tell her that you can't pay for it

- "Are you kidding? It's a gift I've made for you. No one else in the world owns this and won't own it because I won't put it on sale. It's a special outfit only for you."

- She takes her sketchbook and rips out a page, it's a sketch of the outfit and... you're the one wearing it on the drawing!

- "To be honest, I had already heard you crying a few times in your room and I didn't know how to help. So uh... I guess what I mean is. I've been planning this for a long time but I wasn't brave enough to ask for your measurements until recently and um..."

- She's rambling and rambling, you've probably never heard her talk this much

- "Basically... when you're sad come over. Or ask me to come over, whatever. Our rooms are right next to eachother so whether you cry in your room or here I'll hear you anyway so you might as well be with me."

- this was maybe not the best way to phrase it, but you got the feeling she was going for and that's all that matters

Raquel

- Noticed that you weren't feeling good right away

- but more in a "are you catching a cold?" kinda way

- but it didn't have anything to do with your health

- You actually wanted to explain what happend as soon as it did but when you tried to, tears came down immediately from the very first sentence

- Raquel grabbed you by the shoulders

- "It's okay! You can tell me later if it's too hard."

- The next day when you were getting ready to go to school Raquel came to your room dressed in casual clothes

- "Hey Y/N! Let's skip today."

- You tell her that you can't because you're a scholarship student and all but she ends up convincing you anyway

- "It's all fine, it's just for one day! Everyone thinks that you're a really hard-working, punctual and honest person! They'll believe whatever you say."

- "Raquel... I am a hard-working, punctual and honest person..."

- "Exactly! And that's why you can take advantage of that and no one will doubt you."

- Oh well...

- it's not like you were looking forward to that math test anyway

- you sneak around and get out of the school through Raquel's knowledge of... blind spots?

- you feel a little guilty about it since you'll have to lie to the teachers later about "not feeling well"

- Raquel makes you forget that pretty easily though

- "Okayyy! Now let's go have our breakfast, I know a place."

- "Ah, cool."

- "You don't sound really excited... But you know, the both of us sneaking out of school to go on a date: isn't it a little bit like we're secretly lovers during war time between two kingdoms in a movie?"

- Wait, this was a date?? You had no idea

- You spent the whole day just walking around town in different fast foods, parks, and shops

- everytime you wanted to buy something Raquel would try to buy it for you

- You refused everything except the food, she was being extremely pushy about paying for the food

- on the way back you decide to tell her about your troubles again, this time hopefully you won't burst into tears

- She's incredibly understanding and doesn't let you downplay your feelings

- anytime you say "it may sound stupid"/"maybe I'm being too emotional" she's like

- "No! Fuck that! There's a reason why you feel this way and it's not dumb."

- You get a little bit teary eyed and before you can even think about crying Raquel hugs you

- then she whispers in your ear

- "Did it hurt?"

- "Uh... what?"

- At first you thought she meant your feelings because obviously it did hurt, you just spent like 20 minutes explaining what had happened

- but then you understood

- is she seriously trying to cheer you up with pick-up lines?

- "So did it hurt or did it not?"

- "You mean, when I fell from heaven?"

- She makes the biggest grin before replying

- "No, when you fell for me."

- You're trying your best not to burst into laughter

- "Nah, not really. It was a quick fall."

- Oh no, you outsmarted her lame pick-up line

- you guys end the day with the most stupid pick-up line fight

- little do you know that Raquel will shoot a ball in the face of a certain someone for hurting you

- maybe multiple times if she feels like it

Tadashi

- To be honest he didn't really notice at first

- maybe it was one of your "bad days", Tadashi knows what it's like so he totally gets it

- but then when it's been 3 days in a row and you're still in that state?

- he cancels all of his work and assignements for the day

- calls you over in such a professional manner that it's kinda scary

- he literally asks you to meet him in the student council's room

- tells you to "please sit down" in front of him

- Honestly, this situation is making you really tense. Did Tadashi figure out that one time, 3 months ago, when you stole a smoothie from the cafeteria?

- "Look, I'm sorry okay? I was just really thirsty and I needed sugar. Also, it's not like I wasn't allowed to get one! There was no one at the counter so I figured it wouldn't hurt to..."

- Tadashi IAmConfusion™ looks at you

- "Why are you talking about that now? Don't worry, I know."

- Now it's your turn to get confused

- "You mean... you knew and you didn't give me detention?"

- Now he looks a bit frustrated

- "Come on Y/N, I'm not that mean. I won't give you detention just because you came 5 minutes late to our meeting."

- This is most likely a misunderstanding...

- "This is what you were talking about just now, right? That the reason why you came here late is because you were drinking a smoothie. I figured you were probably busy doing something so no need to feel so guilty about it."

- "Oh. Oooohhh... yeahh... totally. Sorry."

- Now that this is out of the way, he asks you to tell him what's on your mind

- At first you hesitate a little but, if there's someone with whom you want to share this with, it's Tadashi

- he's listening really closely to what you're saying without cutting you off but sometimes you can see his eyes getting a bit darker

- Like, you're not being specific enough about a detail or something and he's probably taking notes of all the questions he has so that he can ask them when you're done

- At some point though, you become really emotional and your voice starts cracking when you're talking

- You end up crying and your tears fall on the desk

- Tadashi jumps out of his seat, his chair falls down as he panics

- "Hey! Y/N?? Err... Um..."

- Takes you in his arms carefully, like he's not really sure if that's what he's supposed to do when this type of thing happens

- "It's okay! I'm here... I'm here so... d-don't cry Y/N I'll do something about it no problem!"

- when you've calmed down he puts down his wallet on the desk

- "Uh... what?"

- "You can use it."

- "You mean your money??"

- "What else?"

- he explains that you can take all the smoothies and premium food in the cafeteria with this

- "Are you kidding? I can't use your money for that."

- He's literally trying to cheer you up with money which is obviously not the way to go about it

- He sees that you're not convinced so he pulls out his phone and shoves the screen on your face so closely that you have to take a step back in order to read what's on it

- It's Tadashi's to do list, probably the place where he writes all of his tasks for the week

- The spot on number one is you. It reads "1. Y/N"

- when you look at him Tadashi is furiously blushing and looking away

- this is incredibly sweet until you notice how wrong this sounds

- "Wait... Tadashi?"

- "Yes?"

- "I'm first on your... "To do" list? Seriously?"

- "What's that's supposed to mean? Of course you're number one on my- Oh god..."

- he just understood how wrong it sounded and took the phone back before rewriting the list

- He's making it so easy for you to tease him

- the poor boy is literally begging you to stop it but you can't until he shows you his phone screen again

- this time it's written "1. Make Y/N smile again", you're literally his number one priority. This is so sweet to the point where you can't tease him anymore. It would be too mean.

- As for Tadashi, let's just say that he's about to get "really mean" with the person you were talking about just now and he's not going to hold back

[quentinxdelancret]

Discord Thread || Quentin & Roman

Discord thread featuring: Quentin and Roman

When: October 12th

Mentions: @dammitdorian​, @aaronhart93​, @jayceelynd​

Description:Roman meets Quentin at the bar  and they end up getting mugged.

Trigger Warning: Hate Crime Mentions!!!

Roman. Roman was...in a mood. He’d just had a major fight with Aaron, and now he just needed a distraction. Quentin was a great friend, someone he really felt like he could be himself around without being judged for anything. He also doubted that the other male would guilt him into considering therapy. That was kind of a burn at Aaron when he shouldn’t be thinking that way, but it’s not like he was in the best state of mind. He threw on some makeup to hide his puffy face from crying with some eyeliner, and a swipe of red lipstick before he was out to meet Q at a bar in between their places. “Hey!” He greeted his friend with a wide smile, tucking some hair behind his ear as he took a seat at one of the bar stools on the right side of Quentin.

Quentin. When Roman texted him needing a release and a sure way to clear his head. Q was quick to suggest his newest stand of weed. He had only smoked from this batch one other time before, and it left him loving life. So he knew it would be the perfect remedy for his friend. He had quite a lot of things on his mind as well though. It seemed he was getting closer and closer with Dorian, and he knew the other male didn’t like his playtime habits. Although, he never really made a stink about him quitting, Q knew it was something he had to consider. Which only brought him back to his break up with Jaycee, which also weighed heavy on his heart. As soon as he saw Roman though, he offered the male a wide smile. “Hey gorgeous” he greeted, complimenting on his make up. He always thought Roman was unnaturally beautiful, he always had such an extraterrestrial glow about him. “I went ahead and ordered us some drinks. Then we can head out back if you want and toke up.” He pushed the glass of alcohol into the space in front of his friend and turned in his seat to face him more directly. “I hope you like sex on the beach” he grinned.

Roman. Roman continued to smirk when Quentin called him gorgeous, because that made him feel good every single time. He wanted to feel pretty. It wasn’t about being a girl, or feeling feminine, he just loved makeup, and had fun with it. Roman snorted when Q said he hoped he liked sex on the beach, nodding as he took the drink, and swirled the straw inside of it. “Love it.” He teased, and then took a sip. “This is good — but the festivities will be the best part.” He sighed, and looked down into his cocktail. “How’re you by the way? Hope your night was better than mine.”

Quentin. “I had a feeling you would” he smiled proudly as he watched Roman take a sip from his drink. “Oh yeah, the festivities are always the best part. We can skip out of here if you want and get right to it” he suggested. Pointing with his finger toward the back exit, just in case he was interested. “I’ve been alright. No, that’s a lie. I’ve been pretty good actually. At least anytime after 5” he grinned. “How are you though. You okay? Still haven’t got that assistant have you?”

❝𝓡✮м𝕒𝐍 ❜❜ “Yeah, hold on though.” He held up a polished finger when Q suggested skipping out, picking up his drink to take it down until the glass was completely empty. He coughed a bit once he was done, smirking through it, because he couldn’t believe he’d just done that. Listen, it had been awhile since he’d had a drink, and tonight felt like the best night to get a little crazy. “Nope, no assistant. Looking though. Why? You interested?” He joked, already feeling just a slight buzz start to build from how fast he’d taken down that damn drink. “I’m glad you’re doing well though. That makes me happy.”

Quentin. Quentin watched as Roman downed his entire drink with wide eyes. An extremely amused grin pulling at his features as he eyed his own drink and debated doing the same thing. “Yeah, no... I’m not doing that” he chuckled. Taking another large sip instead before putting his attention back onto the brit. “I could be. Like I said, I have a lot of down time coming up, and I really wouldn’t mind helping out if I could” he shrugged. “I guess it all really just depends on what kind of things you would expect me to do.” He took another large sip before pushing his drink away and standing up from the bar stool. “I’m trying to do well. I still have plenty of faults though, trust me” he winked. Lacing his arm through Romans and pulling him with him toward the exit.

Roman. Roman of course hadn’t been serious when he asked if Q was interested in being his assistant. That would be ridiculous, but he supposed he was used to being ridiculous. His whole life was ridiculous. He was relieved when Quentin pulled him outside to smoke though, because lord knew he needed a hit, and was more than happy to stand in a dodgy back alley to wait for it. “Damn, it’s starting to get chilly out here.” He admitted while rubbing his hands together, and looking around, feeling a shiver run up his spine at the sheer mood of the place. “Kind of sketch back here, innit?” He asked in a thicker British accent than he really meant to put on.

Quentin. Maybe Roman wasn’t serious, and the whole idea was a bit ridiculous. But Quentin was used to doing some pretty ridiculous things to make a little extra cash. Not that he’d ever admit that to just anyone. Once they were outside though, he was quickly pulling the blunt from his pocket and leaning his back against the brick building. “Yeah, it is a little chilly. You want my jacket?” he asked, being the genuinely sweet guy that he was. He placed the blunt between his lips and lit it up before inhaling deeply and passing it along to his friend. “Ha, yeah. I guess it is a little sketchy. I usually don’t pay much attention to it though. I know the owner so, I don’t think he’d let just anyone back here.” God, was he about to be sorely mistaken though. “So.. what happened with you and Aaron? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t wanna. But,  I’ll totally kick his ass for you if it helps.”

Roman. Roman shook his head when Quentin offered his jacket, because for some reason, it just felt...yeah. He didn’t know how to describe it, but the gesture was so sweet. In another life, maybe he would have been dating Q, but it felt odd to imagine that now. He was happy with Aaron, at least, he usually was. He didn’t have the words to describe what tonight had been, but lord knows he felt off about it. Obviously. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering if saying what had happened out loud would be yet another confirmation that he’d been in the wrong. He really didn’t want to be. “I ehm...Aaron wants me to go to counseling for my past trauma...my depression. But, I’ve done therapy before, and I hate it.” He took the blunt, nursing it between his fingers before he was taking a deep hit, and blowing it out into the cool night air.

Quentin. He just smiled at Roman as he declined his offer and shrugged slightly. If he wanted to freeze than that was on him. He was never the type of person to push anything onto anyone. Except for maybe sex, in a totally mutual way though of course. He watched as his friend nursed the blunt and listened carefully to each word he had to say. “Damn, yeah, that’s rough. I don’t think therapy is really something you can force onto someone though. I’ve done it before myself, and you’re right, it’s awful. Plus, it only really works if you’re ready and accepting to it.” He wasn’t sure if his words would make Roman more mad or not,  but he was just speaking from his own truth. Roman definitely didn’t strike him as the type of guy who would do anything out of his own accord anyway. “You know, maybe you just need sex therapy.” Oh God, here we go. The logic of Quentin DeLancrèt, pot head extraordinaire. “Maybe he should just try blow jobs and back rubs on the regular. It’s always done wonders for me” he grinned.

Roman. Okay, Roman felt a little better that Q seemed to think therapy was awful. It couldn’t possibly be for everyone, right? Still, why did he feel so guilty?? He took a deep breath, and then nodded, once again taking another drag off of the blunt before passing it back to the other male. He snorted when Quentin suggested sex therapy, as if Roman didn’t have enough of that. “Trust me, we don’t need help in THAT department. We mess around all the time. I mean, when we can anyway. When des isn’t around of course.” He felt the need to clarify, looking off to his left when he heard some voices in the distance. Immediately, the actor noticed some men that had come out of the pub next door, clearly drunk, and also looking for a smoke in the alleyway. It made him nervous, even if it was completely harmless, just thanks to his past and what he’d had to deal with previously. The paranoia would probably never go away. “Anyway. So. Guess you and Dorian are still going great then?” He tried to change the subject.

Quentin. He happily took the blunt back and chuckled softly to himself before taking another drag. “Well, I didn’t think you would. Honestly” he mused, slightly raising his brow. He had very vivid memories of his time shared with Roman in that department, and he had no doubt things were still going well for him. “I don’t know, man. Maybe just tell him what he wants to hear and move on from it. Fight about it another time” he shrugged. That of course was awful advice, considering he knew Roman better than that. His eyes shifting over to the group of clearly drunk men that had joined them in the alley. “Yeah, things are going really well. We aren’t official yet, but we’ve been exclusive. Does that make sense?” he asked with a giggle, clearly getting pretty stoned already. Apparently giggling was a bad idea though, because it gained them some much unwanted attention. “Oh, shit. Look at these two fairies over here” he heard one of them say as the group approached them. ”Which one of you is supposed to be the bitch?” another asked. Quentin was immediately pushing off the building and standing in front of Roman as he handed the blunt back to his friend. “Why don’t you guys just go back over there. We don’t want any trouble” he said firmly to the group. One of the men swiping the blunt from Roman’s hand before pushing Quentin back into him. ”You got anymore weed on you?” the man asked. Eying both Quentin and Roman before making an obscene comment about Romans lipstick.

Roman. Roman nodded when Quentin talked, smirking slightly at what he was saying about Dorian. “Yeah. I get that for sure. I’m happy for you.” He’d said that via text, but he felt he really needed to say it in person as well, because he WAS happy for his friend. He liked seeing him smile like that, and appear content. That was quickly shifted though when the other men in the alley noticed them, starting to pick on both of them, and start to get physical. “Listen. We don’t want any trouble.” Ro tried to reason with them, grabbing onto Quentin’s arm out of sheer primal instinct once Q was pushed into him. He’d been in a situation similar to this before, but his friend being involved in it was even worse. He was starting to regret his decision to wear makeup, drawing unwanted attention to himself once again. ”Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t look like a fucking lady boy then.” one of the men shot back at Roman, making his stomach sink as he turned to look at Q, hoping the other male would just give them what they wanted, if he even had anymore weed, and wouldn’t make a big deal of them picking on Ro.

Quentin. To be honest, Quentin was pretty used to being pushed around. He dealt with it his entire life with his adoptive father, and not to mention some of the older men he used to run around with. But there was something about this whole situation that was seriously rubbing him the wrong way. He came out here all the time and there was no way in hell he was going to let these guys ruin his vibe. “Yeah, I got more weed. Here”  he said as he tossed the baggy of weed he had in his pocket to the other man. “Just get the fuck out of here” he spat. Of course his French attitude was never shy to reveal itself in these situations. It wasn’t until Q turned his back to them though that the other male decided to comment again. ”Sorry for imposing on your little blowjob. That color would look nice around my cock too, don’t you think, lady boy” It was then that Quentin’s eyes turned almost black with rage. He could let the comment go once, but enough was enough. He turned back around to face the other man and used his full body weight to push him back. “I said, get the fuck out of here” he demanded with a bit more fire. He wasn’t sure what happened next though. It was almost like he blinked and his head was bouncing off the brick building. The man had given him a swift left hook straight to the eye, and he was literally seeing stars.

Roman. Roman knew that Quentin speaking back the way he was, wasn’t going to end well. Guys like this had too big of an ego to just take what they wanted and leave when they were being challenged. It was like his whole life flashed in front of his eyes when Quentin was knocked into the brick wall, a shriek basically escaping his throat as he ducked down to touch his friend’s shoulders, trying to make sure the man was okay before he was seeing red. He could deal with himself being hurt, but people he cared about? “Shit. Are you okay? Fuck!!” He cursed, tears pricking at his eyes before he was jumping up, and trying to reason with a group of strangers that couldn’t be reasoned with. “You got what you wanted, now fucking GO.” He spat, barely getting it out prior to a punch getting delivered to his own jaw. He didn’t know how many times he was hit, and kicked after that, just praying, and begging out loud for it to end until he was coughing up blood.

Quentin. He could feel Roman’s hand on his shoulder and he nodded his head to his question. “Yeah, I’m good” he half lied. Of course he wasn’t that good, his head was split open and bleeding. But none of that mattered the second he saw the man hit Roman. He was jumping in and swinging his fists relentlessly. Even kicking his legs as he was lifted off his feet before being thrown onto the ground. He could hear half the guys beating on his friend as the other half beat and kicked on him. His arms coming up to cover his head as he tried to shield himself from the blows. Fuck! This was not how this night was supposed to go, and to make it even worse, he felt like it was all his fault. It seemed way longer than it actually was before someone else finally opened the back door. Their threat of calling the cops inevitably causing the men to finally take off running. Leaving Roman and Q laying in a mess of their own blood. He just laid there on the ground for a moment before reaching his hand out to grab Romans. Giving his friends hand a light squeeze to let him know he was still there.

[seasonofthegeek]

Love Keeps You Warm: Miraculous

Written for Alyadrininette Week at @mlshipfleet <3

Parts 1, 2, 3. 4:

Nino scratched his fingernails lightly against Adrien’s scalp. He’d been letting his hair grow longer again and Nino had to admit he preferred it that way. While Adrien could pull off handsome with any style, there’d always been something about him with longer hair that he really loved. Maybe it was how it looked when he first realized how he felt about his best friend.

“Can we talk about it?” he asked quietly and felt Adrien go very still beside him.

“I’m so tired of talking.”

“Yeah, I guess there’s a lot of that with four people involved in a relationship,” Nino sighed. He began to scratch at Adrien’s scalp again and the other man relaxed in his arms. “Do you feel any better after some sleep?”

“I feel like I need to brush my teeth.” Adrien turned to press his face against Nino’s chest. “And take a really long shower.” He enjoyed the rumble he felt when his boyfriend laughed in response.

“Yeah, you don’t smell great,” Nino agreed even as he held him tighter.

“Did you sleep at all?”

“Not much. I was thinking.”

“About the mess I keep making?”

Nino let out a loud sigh. “Dude, this isn’t all on you. I think we all kind of messed up. It’s a touchy subject. I know I haven’t been acting the best around you lately and I’m sorry.”

Adrien swallowed and his throat felt scratchy. He’d overdone it with the drinking. It’d been a while since he’d had that much in one sitting. “I’ll do whatever you guys want,” he finally said. “I can’t lose this. I can’t stand the thought of losing any of you so if…” He trailed off and closed his eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of Nino’s heartbeat.

“I don’t want you doing anything you aren’t comfortable with. We’ll figure something out.”

They fell into silence and the sound of the shower coming on in the master bathroom floated in to them. Alya was getting ready for work. There was the sound of humming as Marinette passed by the closed bedroom door and then music began to play from the kitchen.

“Alya would be such a good mom,” Adrien said, voice low. “She takes care of us already and she’s so patient.”

“Yeah, she’d be pretty amazing,” Nino agreed. “I bet she’d have us reading every baby book ever written to prepare.”

“Nah, only the ones with the five-star reviews.”

“Ah, true.”

“And I bet Marinette would absolutely glow,” Adrien added. “You know how they say pregnant women have a glow sometimes? I think she’d have that. They’d both be so beautiful and happy, I think.”

Nino felt cautiously hopeful. “I’m kind of surprised you’ve thought about this kind of stuff,” he admitted.

“Of course I’ve thought about it. I just…” Adrien pulled back enough to look up at Nino but found he couldn’t quite hold eye contact and dropped his gaze to his chin instead. “I just never see myself when I think about you guys as parents.”

He considered that for a long moment. “If we said that we still wanted to have a baby and wanted you to stay?”

“I couldn’t ever bring myself to go anywhere else,” he confessed. “But I think you guys would regret me staying.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“I do.” Adrien sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “But I don’t want to talk about this anymore right now. We need to get showered. We’ve got that birthday party tonight and they want a big set up. I’m supposed to meet the dance floor rental people at the venue at noon so I really need to get going.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Wanna take a shower together?” He stood and stretched and Nino watched the action with appreciation.

“Sure, if Alya didn’t use up all the hot water.”

“Even more reason to share,” Adrien grinned. He dipped his head coyly, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes so that he was blinking at Nino through a curtain of blonde. “And you know I can be quick when I need to be.”

Nino felt himself rouse at the implication and pushed off the bed and into Adrien’s arms as the other man laughed. ______________________________

“How’s it going?” Alya asked, hooking her chin over Marinette’s shoulder as she worked.

“I think I’m almost done with this skirt which will give me three finished pieces. I want to try to get to ten before we do the shoot.” She lifted the skirt up and held it at arm’s length, tilting her head. “It’s kind of boring.”

“I like it. The little darts give it character.”

She frowned. “Maybe, but it still feels plain.”

“You could always come back to it later. You might like it more or you might know what you want to add. That’s what I have to do with my pieces sometimes.”

Marinette tilted her head back so she could kiss Alya’s cheek. “You have the best ideas.”

“I know,” Alya grinned. “Looks like we have the night to ourselves. The guys are working a birthday party.”

“Kid or adult?”

“Adult, I think. Rich too. They went all out. I think this one was booked by some people who were at that big event they did at the zoo so you know it’s got to be expensive.”

“Yeah, they definitely won’t be back anytime soon then,” Marinette agreed. “I hope they get to bring home some of the food like that last big party. Those cheesecake bites were so good.”

“Yeah.” Alya walked over to Nino’s desk and looked down at the large planner taking up most of the surface. “He has so many gigs lined up. Crazy to think this all started with that small truck at the festival.”

Marinette straightened up the piles of fabric on her desk. “I miss that truck. So many good make out memories.”

Alya laughed. “So true. I miss our truck too.”

“Yeah, it was really nice. Sometimes I want to go back to it and then I remember that we were younger and didn’t mind being in a hot truck in the summer with only a fan to keep us cool.”

“I’ve definitely grown accustomed to a more pampered lifestyle.”

“Me too,” Marinette giggled.

“You want to take a break and watch a movie with me in the living room?”

Marinette worried her lip. “I should probably keep working.”

“Compromise and you can sketch while we watch?” Alya offered.

“I think I can live with that.”

“Popcorn?”

“Ooo yeah.” Marinette grabbed her sketchbook, pencil, and kneaded eraser. “And do we have any chocolate? I think I’d really like some chocolate with popcorn.”

“We might have some leftover from Valentines.”

“Excellent.”

They made the popcorn and Marinette melted chocolate over her bowl and they finally settled down to find something to watch. Marinette grabbed a few pieces of chocolate covered popcorn and hummed happily as she popped them in her mouth. She chewed for a few seconds and then grimaced, jolting upright and going to the kitchen trashcan to spit them out.

“Everything okay?” Alya turned to watch as Marinette straightened and wiped at her mouth.

“Yeah, I think maybe the chocolate was just old or something.”

“It didn’t look old.” Alya reached for Marinette’s bowl and scooped up some of the popcorn to try. “Hmm, this is actually pretty good.”

Marinette grimaced. “You’re welcome to it. My tummy doesn’t feel good now.”

“Poor Mari.” Alya offered her the bowl of plain popcorn but Marinette’s lip turned up.

“No thanks. I think I lost my appetite.” She settled back on the couch and pulled the blanket over her lap.

“You’ve seemed a little off lately.”

“I guess I’m feeling stressed about these designs.” Marinette erased a stray line in irritation. “If this doesn’t work, I’m not really sure what to do.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been crying a lot.”

“I’ve always cried a lot.”

“Not like this.”

“I don’t feel like I’ve cried that much,” Marinette shrugged.

Alya studied her as she began to sketch again. “Have you had your period this month?”

“What?”

“Your last period. When was it?”

Marinette’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. Not that long ago.” She fished her phone out from beneath the blanket and opened up her calendar. “Oh.”

“You’re late,” Alya said without needing to see the calendar for herself.

“Only by eight days.”

“That could be nothing. You said you’re stressed and mine’s been late before when I’ve been stressed.”

“Yeah.” Marinette worried her lip. “Except…”

“Except?”

She smashed her cheeks with both hands and brought them forward to pucker her lips.

“Marinette,” Alya prodded.

She dropped her hands. “Okay, so there was a night last month when you worked late and Adrien was in that goofy kind of sexy mood he gets in sometimes and wanted to do a strip show for us.”

“Uh-huh…” Alya had a sinking suspicion she knew exactly where the conversation was leading.

“So he got started and you know how you end up laughing at first but then he actually starts being all sexy and it’s a big turn on? He was grinding up against me and I was sitting on Nino’s lap and then he started grinding and I was in the middle and our clothes just kept falling off and…”

“You slept with Adrien without a condom, didn’t you?”

“Don’t say it all judgmental like that! It was in the heat of the moment and I was feeling weak and needy.” She shrank in on herself. “And it wasn’t just Adrien.”

“You didn’t use a condom with either of them?!” Alya threw her hands up in the air. “No wonder you’re knocked up!”

“I’m not knocked up! We ran out and I thought it would be okay,” she winced. “I showered right after and picked up some condoms the next day. You know I’m always so good!”

“I don’t think you get to use ‘always’ anymore.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “You don’t really think I’m pregnant, do you?”

“Well, yeah,” she scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you are.”

“Oh no…oh no…” She shook her head. “This isn’t good. Alya, this isn’t good!”

“I thought this is what you wanted.”

“Not like this!” She covered her face. “I’m such a slut. I don’t even know who the father is.”

Despite watching her girlfriend melt down and the small jealous feeling nagging at her, Alya couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think that counts when it was your boyfriends. It could only be one or the other. It isn’t like you slept with all of Paris.”

Marinette huddled in on herself. “Yeah, but what if it’s Adrien’s?” she asked weakly.

Awkward silence settled between them and Alya closed her eyes, trying to think. “Okay, first things first, we go get a pregnancy test.”

“Or ten.”

“Yeah, the more, the merrier.”

“And then?”

Alya brushed Marinette’s hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. “And then we go from there.” She noted the worry still evident on her girlfriend’s face. “We could be having a baby, Mari. A sweet little version of you running around here.”

Marinette melted with her words and touch. “Is it really going to be okay?” she whispered.

“It’ll be miraculous.” ______________________________

“Okay, maybe I should take one more just to be safe.” Marinette chewed on the edge of her thumbnail.

Alya pursed her lips. “I think the five sticks you’ve already peed on are proof enough. You hardly got enough on the last one. You’re running dry.”

“I could drink a juice.”

“Marinette.” Alya knelt down in front of her girlfriend, clasping her hands in hers. “How do you feel about this?”

Marinette swallowed audibly. “I feel…I feel…” She swayed slightly and Alya steadied her. “I feel like I need to go lay down.”

“Come on, sweets.” Alya helped her to her feet and led them back to the bedroom.

[queerchoicesblog]

Someone In The Crowd - Pt. 2 (TS, Kaitlyn x MC)

Here’s the second part of my short “Someone In The Crowd” series (here the link to the previous part) for the @choices-december-challenge hosted by the wondrous Christmas Elfie @kinda-iconic! 

Kaitlyn sees Hayley in the crowd of her London concert and panics. Thanks to a supporting friend, she recollects herself and finds Hayley sitting at the bar. Is she waiting for her?

Prompt: Hope

Word Count: 1613

_______________________

Hayley was standing there, in the crowd. A rush of adrenaline and panic ran through Kaitlyn veins. As Anisa played her solo, she quickly backpedaled to Amara. When she got reasonably close, Amara gave a quizzical look and she mouthed her:

“Hayley is here!”

Amara was about to ask “What are you talking about?” then seeing what was waltzing in her friend’s eyes she mouthed back:

“THAT Hayley?”

Kaitlyn nodded frantically before going back to the mic for the grand finale.

When it was over, Kaitlyn locked herself in the bathroom for half an hour. She paced back and forth nervously then stood in front of the mirror.

“What do I do now?”

That’s when Amara knocked at the door.

“Kait, I’m leaving. I have a Skype appointment with Darren so I’m headed back to the hotel, are you joining me?”

Kaitlyn immediately opened the door and Amara looked at her panicked face.

“Woah, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“I did” Kaitlyn hanged her head, frowning. “Are you coming back to the hotel with me? I can wait for you if you wish”

Kaitlyn shook her head.

“No, I think I’ll stay a bit more. I probably...should, right?” she tentatively looked into her friend’s eyes for confirmation. “It’s up to you. But I think you’d like to stay” Amara winked at her.

“Just let me tell you this, my friend” she added.

Amara placed both of her hands on Kaitlyn’s shaking shoulders and looked at her right in the eye.

“It’s now or never, Liao”

Then she pulled her into a hug and patted her back reassuringly.

“Whatever the outcome, it’s gonna be okay. I’ll let Darren know you say hi”.

After Amara and the girls left, Kaitlyn took a shaking breath and grabbed her purse and her guitar case.

“It’s now or never, Liao” she repeated as she headed to the main room.

The venue was almost empty, only bartenders and a few late costumers were lingering there. They saw her approached and some hurried to ask for an autograph or a selfie. When she was done with it, she noticed her. Hayley was sitting at the bar, wearing a beautiful vintage red dress she never saw before. She was looking her way and waved at her, a weak smile on her face. Kaitlyn's heart skipped a beat as she moved to approach her. "Well, well if it isn't the infamous Kaitlyn Liao!" Hayley greeted her with a smile. "Hey" she gave her a quick hug "Long time no see, Hayley!" 

Ugh, dumb she thought. "How are you doing? Can I offer you...?" She gestured to the bar. "Oh, I thought it was closing time" Kaitlyn gaped. "No problem, Miss." said the bartender, drying a glass. "It's not every day that you get two stars like Kaitlyn Liao and Miss Sullivan at your counter. What can I get you, ladies?" "That's sweet, thank you! Whiskey for me then and for you, Hayley?" "Wine, please. White" "Chardonnay is fine, ma'am?" "Just perfect" Hayley flashed him one of her bashful smiles that always made Kaitlyn's heart weak. "Excellent, then top shelf whiskey for Ms Liao and a Chardonnay for Ms Sullivan. I'll be right back" They both took a seat at the counter.

"Your dress is gorgeous, Hayley! No surprise, you've always been pretty classy...Is it new?" Kaitlyn asked, nodding at her red vintage dress. "Oh thi?" Hayley sounded surprised "No, this one...well long story short, it was my mom's. She gave it to me when I first came to London for the...internship." Her voice trailed off a little in the end. "But thank you, Kait. I love this dress and it's a miracle it still fits me after all those years, to be honest!" They both shared a laugh at that. The bartender returned with their order. They reached for their purses at the same time but he gestured them that it was okay. "This one is on the house. I'm a huge fan: the concert was a treat, Ms Liao and Ms Sullivan, I can't wait to read your new novel" They thanked him then turned to each other. "Please don't spill your wine over that! After what you told me, I would never forgive myself!" Kaitlyn joked. "I'll be careful, ma'am" Hayley giggled, mocking a salute, then her tone became more somber. "It's odd, I usually wear this when I feel nostalgic. But I never realize it when I pick it out, only later" "Seems like your subconscious is speaking to you, mom would say" Kaitlyn commented, a sympathetic smile on her lips. "What's troubling you, Hayley? If I'm not overstepping..." Hayley shook her to gesture it was nothing and took a sip of her wine. "I'm okay, it must be some holiday blues or something like that...or that guy's request" she gave her a bittersweet smile. "Yeah, I know...I remember the effect that song had on you. Sorry" Kaitlyn diverted her eyes, biting her lip. "You...you kept your old guitar" Hayley said, nodding at her guitar case leaning onto the counter. "Oh yeah! I...I love it and it gives me a pretty badass look with the skulls, right?" Kaitlyn attempted to joke. Hayley giggled softly. "That was why I chose it. Abbie had a couple of other sketches ready but when I saw the black and the skulls I knew I'd found what I was looking for" Hayley's eyes fell on the rockstar's guitar case placed beside her. She realized in that very moment that what Kaitlyn played on stage was the same old guitar she asked Abbie to give a makeover to. When the lead singer of Midnight Mayhem was still her girlfriend and she beamed with pride at "her Joey Ramone". "You...you kept your old guitar" Hayley said, nodding at it. "Oh yeah! I...I love it and it gives me a pretty badass look with the skulls, right?" Kaitlyn attempted to joke. Hayley giggled softly. "That was why I chose it. Abbie had a couple of other sketches ready but when I saw all that black and the skulls I knew I'd found what I was looking for" "It followed me everyone" Kaitlyn patted her guitar case "I guess you can say this girl's my lucky charm" "Lucky indeed" Hayley smiled "It must have seen the world with you" Time flew by so quickly as they talked about their lives: concerts, book presentations, recording albums, writing sessions, globetrotting, the charm of London...they both avoided sharing their sentimental status". They just met accidentally, it was a bad time for that. And what if she moved on...no, no, wrong time. Then, as they were laughing at a funny story, Hayley became unusually quiet and started fiddling the hems of her dress nervously. "Listen, I was wondering if-" Hayley started, unexpectedly shy. "I was wondering if I could invite you to dinner one of these days. We...well, it's been a while since we had a chance to sit and chat like you know the old days. Since you're in London...". "Oh, I...I'd love to but we only have one last concert. We're leaving the day after tomorrow, we're back to New York for the New Year's Eve concert.." Hayley smiled grimly, defeated. "Oh I get it, I should have known better. I haven't checked my social media lately and here we go. Sorry if I ask-".

"Hey no! It's...I'd love to, seriously but I'm not sure I can squeeze it in my schedule tomorrow" Kaitlyn bit her lip again "We haven't seen in years and I don't want to-" "No apologies needed, Kait" Hayley interrupted her "You're a worldwide famous rockstar now, it's only natural that you have a tight schedule, especially on this time of the year" "Yes but I-" Kaitlyn frowned. Hayley squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay, I should have known better" Then she stood. "I'm just happy I bumped into you tonight and got the chance to have a chat. As the bartender said, it's not every day that you meet Ms Liao" A grim smile formed on her lips. Kaitlyn noticed and her heart skipped a beat for the second time that night. She knew what was next. "I guess it won't happen anytime soon so...I'll cherish that" she threw a glance at the huge retro clock hanged on the wall. "God, it's so late I...thank you, Kaitlyn. For taking time for me, I missed our talks" she smiled "Have a goodnight and hap-" Her sentence was cut short by Kaitlyn. "Hayley, wait!" She reached for her wrist as her ex-girlfriend was starting to backpedal towards the coatroom. Hayley was totally taken by surprise by that and looked at hand gently but firmly wrapped around her wrist. Kaitlyn took a deep breath and spoke again. "I...I don't want to be the one who always gets away. Not this time at least. I missed our talks too. Spending time together, yes even your bad inside jokes" She let Hayley's wrist go only to frantically rummage into her purse. When she found what she was looking for, she handed it to Hayley. "This is a ticket with a backstage pass for our New York's Eve concert. Please take it and...be there. If you want, of course, and I know it's late and flights are packed but...will you?" She looked expectantly in Hayley's eyes. Inside she was shivering like a child. Not again, God please,not again. Hayley gaped for a while then she put it into her purse. She walked back closer to Kaitlyn and gave her a weak smile. "I've never been to New York on New Year's Eve" she said before kissing her forehead. "Goodnight, Kait".

[scatteredenthusiasm-blog]

24-hour Tech Break: Reflections and Realizations from a Screenless Day

For 24-hours this weekend, I joined up with Imaginarium and took a tech break. Starting at 6pm on Friday and going until 6pm on Saturday, I turned my phone off – not “do not disturb” or airplane mode, but just completely off. I closed my computer and iPad as well and zipped them up in my workbag and put them in my closet, out of sight and relatively out of mind. During my time away from screenland, I had a few realizations that I want to share.

Before that, I do want to acknowledge one thing.

I understand that people have actual hardships in life, and that taking a 24-hour tech break is not one of them. And I know a 24-hour tech break sounds like something that would be recognized at the Millennial’s Choice Awards.

“Oh my god, is that the guy that did the 24-hour tech break?” “Wow, I can’t believe it’s him!” “I thought he died at hour 13.” “No, the doctors actually rushed in and were able to resuscitate him after the 24th. That’s why he’s the guest of honor at this year’s MCA’s.”

Anyway, you get the point. But here’s what I learned.

Silence is Golden (for real)

I didn’t realize how much of the day my attention and thoughts were being guided by noise. My typical daily routine consists of nonstop noise. 

When I wake up I put in headphones first thing and listen to a podcast while I make coffee and breakfast, then I take out the headphones to write my morning journal of three pages by hand, then the headphones go back in and I clean up breakfast. Next up I swap out headphones for Spotify to play on my phone while I shower and get ready for the day, then I go headphones again and get my stuff together to head out the door. As I get in my car, I switch from headphones to my car audio, so I’m either listening to music (SiriusXM Fly channel 47, 90′s-00’s hip-hop and r&b, to be precise), or I’m making calls. My workday then consists of either interviewing people, training, staff meetings, or doing in-home sales presentations, which is pretty much me talking 80% of the time, which is just more noise. During a lunch break, or anytime between appointments/meetings, I toss the headphones back in and pick back up on a podcast. Eventually I hop back in the car to head home, so it’s back to music or phone calls. When I get home, the headphones go back in as I cook dinner, and then they come out as I eat dinner while catching up on the previous night’s Late Night with Seth Meyers (and other shows) on my DVR. As that finishes, I’m mindlessly scrolling through social media, just refreshing stuff waiting for the next little dopamine hit that is a new post, story, article, etc. To end the day, I toss the headphones back in while I do dishes, I still have them on as I get ready for bed, and then I pop them out only to fall asleep to Netflix on my iPad that is a foot away from my face, which I then wake up to 30-minutes later to find it still playing, so I close the case and go back to sleep.

Whew. That looks WAY worse typed out. From the moment I get out of bed to when I fall asleep (for the second time), it’s just noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise-noise, with zero breaks.

My first realization during the tech break was how vital the silence was. I needed it desperately. The silence revealed to me exactly how much noise I fill my day with.

I like to think of clarity of mind as a mirror that I’m looking into. Every bit of noise throughout the day adds a little fog to it. Podcasts – fog, phone calls – fog, texts – fog, every refresh of social media – fog (and fog and fog and fog and fog). These things aren’t inherently bad on their own, but my relationship (or addiction, really) to them is unhealthy, because I let them fog the mirror all day.

The silence, however, is the only thing that would clear the mirror. Each hour of silence during the tech break was a small wipe across the mirror, until finally the fog was gone, which happened maybe at hour 17. The more fog you put on the mirror, the longer it takes to clear it.

When the mirror finally cleared, I was reminded of who I am and what I want to do with my energies that particular day. My creative juices started to flow, I had three or four short story ideas come up, and I was able to look in the mirror and see what the next right thing to do was. When the mirror is foggy, I don’t have a chance at seeing the next right thing. I’ll get an idea, but then a Facebook notification will completely derail that train of thought. With a clear mirror, I was able to think through a story idea completely uninterrupted, even sketching out a quick outline so I could return to it later.

Silence is vital, and it brings clarity along with it. I don’t mean that you have to treat your tech break like a silent retreat – you can talk to anyone you’d like in person – but when I say silence I really mean just a break in the noise of screenland, whether the screen is making noise or not. The silence recharged my batteries.

Productivity

Without the constant interruptions of noise, I was able to accomplish more tasks in my 24-hour tech break than I had done in the first two months of the year. I always have a running list of things I’d like to get done around my house on a day off, but then stuff comes up and those things get pushed aside, or I’ll start one project and then come back the next weekend and try to finish it, usually leaving it 75% done.

Over the 24-hour tech break, I did laundry (sheets, towels, clothes), reorganized my bedroom, cleaned out my car, deep cleaned my entire house (not just dusting and cleaning the floors, but like the scrubbing the shelves of my fridge kind of deep cleaning), raked leaves, pulled weeds, trimmed all my hedges, bought new succulents for inside, moved everything off my front porch, swept the floor, wiped down the furniture, and then rearranged the layout of the porch, I read 50+ pages of a book, I wrote my three morning journal pages, wrote 50% of this post (by hand, of course), I cooked, and I got rid of (donated) two trash bags full of clothes I haven’t worn since I moved into this house in 2016.

All done in 24-hours, with ~8 of those hours spent sleeping.

I don’t mind a good day or two of cleaning and organizing because I would usually catch up on podcasts or listen to music while I did those things. But without any distractions from noise or screenland, I was able to accomplish each task in about 60% of the time they would normally take because I was solely focused on that particular task.

For example, if I have headphones in while trimming hedges, I’ll come across a song I don’t want to listen to on a playlist, so I’ll get my phone out of my pocket to change songs, but then I’ll see an Instagram notification, and when I open Instagram I’ll see some new stories pop up, then I’ll comment on a friend’s story, which will remind me to text another friend back about something else, and then 10-minutes go by and I’m standing on a ladder with hedge clippers in one hand and my phone in the other, all while my playlist is now 5 songs past the one I wanted to skip in the first place. When finally get back to work on the hedges, another song will come on that I don’t want to listen to, and the cycle starts over.

(Exhale) I told you my relationship to screenland was unhealthy.

Without my phone in my pocket, I was not only able to complete the tasks much quicker, but I was also able to do them better because they had my full attention. Instead of just buying new succulents and putting them in new pots, I cleaned out all of the old pots and mixed in new dirt for the succulents I already had. At the end of the day, I was tired, but it was that good kind of tired, where you’re proud of your work.

I was at my most productive when the mirror wasn’t fogged.

Constant Contact

Last point, so I’ll make it quick.

I was stunned at how many times I would think of something that would make me reach for my phone to text a friend. The smallest thought would pop in my head, and I’d reach for my pocket for a phone that wasn’t even there because my first instinct is, “Oh, I gotta text that person about that.” I do that ALL DAY, which puts me in constant contact with so many different people. The reaction to reach for my phone was Pavlovian like.

The shirt I wore yesterday was one I bought in Encinitas last year when I was visiting my friend Luke, and I thought, “Oh, I need to send him a picture of this shirt.” Later on I was getting my golf clubs out of my car and thought, “Oh, I need to see if my friend Patty wants to walk 9-holes tomorrow because the weather is so nice.” Then I found an old jacket from college that made me think, “Oh, I need to send a picture of this to my friends because it reminds me of this thing we did back in 2009.” This routine happened over and over and over and over.

Again, texting my friends isn’t a bad thing – in fact, it may be a nice pick me up for both of us in the process. But the quick reaction to reach for my phone anytime those thoughts popped in my head scared me. It was like I was desperate to be in constant contact with a bunch of people all day, and that constant contact is going to add more and more fog to the mirror, distracting me from writing, cleaning, reading, or whatever I want to spend my energies on. Plus, each time I open my phone to send one of those texts, I’m more likely to come across something else on that shiny, 5.5” screen that will take me down a different rabbit hole, which will, in the end, make me forget to send the original text.

The break from constant contact was incredibly calming.

If you read one part, let it be this

As the clock approached 6pm, I started to get a little sad. I wasn’t ready for the tech break to be over. I wasn’t ready to return to my old way of doing things. Texts, calls, social media, emails – I knew it would all come flooding back with the press of one button. Or even worse, what if no texts came flooding in? OR, what if only one text came in and it was from the pharmacy saying that my monthly prescription was ready for pickup? That wasn’t the case, but I digress…

I loved my time off of the grid, and quite frankly, I liked no-tech Jeremy a lot better than screenland Jeremy. It reminded me of being a kid, when I could jump from task to task, pursuing whatever interested me at the moment, free of anything buzzing or lighting up in my pocket, and solely focused on what was right in front of me at that exact moment in time. I got out of my own head. The mirror was clear.

A power shift had taken place – one I was dying for and didn’t even know it. For the first time in probably a decade, I owned my phone instead of my phone owning me.

So going forward, I’ll make some adjustments to my routine: I’m going to limit the amount of time headphones are in my ears, I’ll swap out Netflix for a book before I go to sleep (because I know I don’t need to watch all of The Office for the millionth time), I will leave my phone in a different room of my house when I want to get stuff done, and I’ll continue not checking social media before noon, which I’ve been doing for Lent this year.

If you’d like to try a 24-hour tech break, here are my suggestions:

1. Do it over a regular weekend at your house, because it’s easier to analyze your habits when you are in your typical routine. If you do it outside of your routine, then you’ll have other distractions to keep you away from technology in the first place, which won’t reveal your tech instincts enough. It’s best to have as little planned as possible.

2. Get someone else to do it that doesn’t live with you, because it’s a nice little encouragement to know other people out there are doing it as well.

3. Keep a notepad with you and write down your accomplishments every time you complete one. By the end of the day, you’ll be shocked at what all you’ve done.

I know one tech break isn’t a cure all, so I’m planning on doing this once a month for the rest of the year. In the meantime, I’ll be working hard to keep the mirror clear.

[cookieswriting]

Bare Your Soul (SSC/Rosvolio Modern!AU)

((Set before Migraine))

“I’m telling you, Tybalt looked ready to slash my tires.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so pissed before.”

“Yeah, well, you did turn him in for smoking pot in the library, ‘Cutio,” Romeo pointed out from his spot on the floor.  Benvolio chuckled at them, particularly when Mercutio threw a pillow at him from the couch and hit Juliet in the face rather than her boyfriend, who was sprawled out using her stomach as a pillow. 

“I am all for enjoying a joint, don’t get me wrong…but not within the walls of our proud university!”

Livia snorted derisively, and Juliet rolled her eyes at him.  “Oh please, how many times have you lit up in the student center or one of the labs?  You just wanted to get my cousin in trouble and you know it! He almost got kicked out for that.”

“Oh please, like that would actually get one of the golden boy Capulets expelled.  It’s not like your family owns an entire science building or anything,” Romeo pointed out.

None of the Capulet women could argue, which brought a grin to Ben’s face.  The gang had taken over their apartment, almost everyone spread out in the living room studying or working on mid-term assignments.  Even Paris had joined them, helping to test Livia on her anatomy knowledge. The only one not with them was Rosaline; she was busy making more snacks in the kitchen, having already finished her exams for the week.

As if his thoughts had conjured her, the eldest Capulet returned carrying a tray of nachos and bowl of chips and dip.  She paused at the doorway, watching them bicker with a fondly exasperated grin on her face.  Before she could turn her gaze to him, Benvolio returned his focus to the project on his lap.  

“Are you guys seriously still on about Tybalt? I’m pretty sure you all have more important things to do than gloat about fanning the flames of this stupid feud.”

“Sorry, Ros, but nothing is more important than getting a leg up on the likes of a Capulet,” Mercutio teased, winking at her as her sister and cousin scoffed at him.  Ben turned his eyes back to Rosaline, and raised a brow at her when he saw that she was staring at him with pleading in her gaze.  She gestured towards the others, and he smirked.

“Okay, children, time to get back to school work,” he commanded playfully, met with a choir of “oh, come on, Ben,” and “children, really Benvolio?”  With a glare sent to each of his friends, they finally complied with muttered complaints.  When Benvolio glanced back to Rosaline with a smug grin, she rolled her eyes but nodded to him in thanks.

“Mom, since we’ve been forced to study…could you bring me a drink?” Romeo requested innocently. Benvolio bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing aloud, imagining murder in her eyes.  The woman in question released a slow breath, and he finally gave in to his curiosity.  By the time he turned around, Rosaline was on her way back out of the room.  

Ben jumped up to follow her, a little voice in the back of his mind nagging him to make sure she wasn’t upset.  Romeo just reminded me that I’m thirsty, that’s all, he insisted to himself. He didn’t realize until he’d reached the kitchen that he still had his portfolio in his hand.  

“Kids need something else?” Rosaline questioned, drawing Benvolio’s attention.  The amused smirk on her face silenced the little voice in his mind, and he pushed down a swell of annoyance at his apparent unconscious concern for her wellbeing.  

“No, I need a drink of my own.  I’ll grab Romeo’s too.”

“Thanks,” she murmured.  Her eyes fell to the pad in his hand.  “What’s the project that you’re working on?”

Ben considered showing her his work; Mercutio and Romeo were the only ones he’d shown willingly…and the only other person to see his work had stolen and destroyed an entire book of deeply personal sketches.  Rosaline, though…something made him want to show her all of it.  Not just his Architecture final project.  She’d recognized the dark side of his relationship with his uncle, and even more than that, she understood in a way no one else in his life could.  In the months since that day, their relationship had seemed to evolve…where there had been a superficial distance between them, both seemed to have leaned into the support of the other anytime something went wrong at home.

“Ben?” Her voice drew him out of his thoughts, and he took a deep breath.  

“It’s…uh, it’s just my architecture project.”  He offered the portfolio to her, unable to meet her eyes.  Rosaline gently took it from his hands, and opened it slowly.  As he waited for her response, Ben kicked himself for being so nervous.  He knew his work was good…there wasn’t really anything in his life that he’d poured more of his soul into than his artistic skill.  It was having her see those pieces of his soul that had him itching to snatch the book back and run.

“This is stunning, Benvolio.  You’re going to be an incredible architect.”  Despite his self-confidence, her earnest compliment left him blushing furiously.  Just rip of the Band-Aid, Ben…just do it.

“Thank you, Rosaline.”  Her name felt smooth in his mouth, and he had to quell the desire to say it again, just because.  “So there’s some other work of mine in there, if you…if you want to look through them.”  As much as he wanted her to like his artwork, the insecure part of him hoped that she would either decline, or skim through them and gloss over the depth of meaning in each piece.  

Finally, his gaze turned to her face, and he knew there was no way she didn’t understand what he was offering.  Rosaline glanced between his face and his portfolio, as if she was searching for any doubt…and suddenly his reservations dissipated.  With a confident smile, Ben nodded, and watched as she began to leaf carefully…slowly…through the pages.  Emotions played across her features, and when she finally looked up from the last sketch, it was with an understanding and kindness he’d never seen directed at him, even when she confronted him about his uncle.

“I know what it means for you to share this with me, Ben.  Thank you for that trust.”  Ros gave it back.  “I’d love to hear the stories behind some of these pieces sometime, if you’re comfortable.”  Just as Ben opened his mouth to respond, her phone rang, drawing her attention.  Distress flickered across her face for an instant.

“Your aunt,” he murmured.  She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment to steel herself to answer.  The muscles in her shoulders, back, and arms coiled, and he noticed a minor tremor as she swiped across the screen.  Ben ducked his head to catch her attention, and gestured behind them to let her know where to find him if she needed him.  Rosaline gave him a weak smile and mouthed her thanks before returning her focus to the phone.

Ben was mildly surprised to see that the others had actually returned to studying when he made it back to the living room.  Juliet glanced up when his shadow crossed her face, and immediately started looking for Rosaline.  “Phone call,” he explained as he handed Romeo a soda.  

“I mean, I was looking for something a little stronger than this…” his cousin teased.

“Uh, no.  If there’s anyone who needs to get some major studying done today, it is you, dude.”  As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he had to resist the urge to cringe.  Mercutio snorted behind him, and Benvolio flipped him off behind his back.

“Damn, you guys are taking the whole ‘mom and dad friend’ thing a little too seriously.”  Heat rose in his cheeks, and the elder Montague knew that he couldn’t deny Romeo’s claim.  He really didn’t have any desire to deny it…he spent his life looking after his cousin and his best friend…did anyone expect that to change now that they were adults?  If anything, their shenanigans in college had brought out his protective nature even more than when they were kids.  Someone had to make sure those goofballs didn’t throw away their futures for the sake of fun and love.

“Someone’s gotta be the responsible one and keep you all in check.”

The group settled back into their work, including Ben who put the finishing touches on his own project.  Once he finished he glanced up at the clock, and realized Rosaline had been gone for forty-five minutes.  He glanced back towards the door and then looked to Juliet.  “Ros?”

“She texted me a few minutes ago…she’s not feeling well.”

Ben nodded, smothering a frustrated sigh.  Discreetly, he drew his phone out and tapped out a quick message.  Migraine?

Yeah, sorry to just bail.

You’re not the one who should be apologizing.  Need anything?

Nothing really helps at this point.  Just gotta sleep it off. Thanks Montague

Sleep well, Capulet.  

Ben dropped his phone against his chest and cursed the fact that no one else, according to Rosaline, knew that her migraines were because of her miserable aunt.  He got it, though…he knew all too well the desire to keep such a painful secret from loved ones.  Even still, he was itching to go and have a word or two with Lady Capulet.  The last person to deserve her abuse was Rosaline.  

Curious, he lifted his phone again, and pulled up his search engine.  After a few moments Ben smiled; he might not be able to help his friend against her aunt, but maybe he could help her find some relief from the aftermath.

[topazshadowwolf]

The Start of Adventure

Campfire Talk

by:Topaz Shadowwolf inspired by: @poisondilu sketch in the Soriel discord group, which then turned into a collaboration, this is the drawing she did. Make sure to check it out!

This is an Undertale fanfic Undertale is owned by Toby Fox

AO3

 It was like him to be late, but Toriel did not mind. She set up a campfire and placed a couple of fish on skewers to cook. The rest of the meal consisted of fruits and vegetables that she found earlier in the day, while traveling to this spot.  Toriel stood at the campsite, admiring her work, and expected her friend would soon be here. It is typical of him to show up after, and only after, all the preparation was done. As angry as some would be at this, she didn't really mind. It was just what she had to pay for having him around. She felt it was a worthwhile price for Sans's company.

She had found the odd, and short, skeletal wizard one day while near the Ruins. He had been telling knock-knock jokes to himself while scavenging for random loot, which he would sell for more than it was worth later in town. When she replied to his "knock knock," then laughed at the joke, that was the start of their friendship. The two joked for hours till they were holding their sides from laughing. It was still curious to her that a skeleton could have stitches in his side without muscles, but his discomfort seemed as genuine as hers. They made camp together, shared food and talked most of the night, getting to know one another.

By talking to him, she learned he was mainly out that way because he had been contracted to keep watch for humans. He called the job boring, but had to admit it paid the bills. This concerned her though, as she was also keeping an eye out for humans, but for a different reason. Not wanting to lose this newly made friendship, she decided to get to know him more. When he agreed to work together, she found this an opportunity to strength that friendship and hopefully get him to see things her way.

The first few times he used magic, she was amused by his fun, all be it, unique form of spell casting. If she had to pick a word to describe it, she would say 'punderful.' There was not a single spell he had caste without using some bad, yet hilarious, pun. Her own quick wit allows her to reply to them, turning the few battles they shared into part time comedy acts. Also, no matter how lazy, laid back, and unreliable he may seem, she has learned she could always depend on him to be there when she needs him.

Over time, she found she was enjoying his company more than anyone else she has partnered with in a long time. He did seem set on keeping some secrets though, no matter how hard she tried. Still, they were getting to know each other more and more, and it was clear they were best friends, if not perhaps more.

It would be nice for it to be more. Then again, there were things about herself that perhaps he should know before that could occur. Things that, she feared, could result in him losing interest in herself, that is, if he had interest to begin with.

Some of their puns, jokes and pranks have been nearly, or completely, flirtatious. Though, neither seemed to take them seriously; so, it was hard to say if he did have feelings for her or not. As much as a part of her wished he did, another knew it was more sensible if he didn't. Right now, she really shouldn't be looking to get into a relationship.

And, right now, she needs to stop thinking about that, and focus on something else till he gets here.

To pass the time she thought about making sure her sword was well sharpened and oiled. While she was decided on that, Sans finally made his appearance. As usual, he marked his arrival by knocking twice on a tree next to him.

“knock, knock,” he said in time with the knocks.

“Who’s there?” Toriel replied without looking.

“gnoll”

“Gnoll who?”

“mind sharing some gnolledge on what it is we will be doing?”

With a laugh, she turned to looked at him, “I may, if you let me know why you were so late. Avoiding w-orc again?” She smiled at her friend.

The skeleton wizard shrugged, “i was planning on being here sooner, but i got held up.”

“Is that so? Getting another round at Grillby’s pub, were you?” She teased. Using the log near the fire as a bench, she sat down, ready to hear what he had to say. To tease him, she exaggerated her interest by leaning forward to rest her elbow on her knee and chin in her hand.

“tori, i’m hurt that you would think that,” Sans feigned injury before shuffling over. He sat next to her, but on the ground, making him seem even shorter than he already was. He was half turned to her, allowing for him to face her as he spoke, “naw, actually there was a meeting concerning paladin training that paps wanted me to join him at. it ended up running longer than expected, and he wanted to introduce me to undyne.”

“Undyne?” Toriel hadn’t heard that name before.

“she’s a fish, or mermonster, that will soon be my bro’s teacher,” He then pointed at the skewers, “think those are done yet?”

“That's wonderful to hear, and yes,” Toriel replied, and without being asked, Sans moved to grab the food.

“well, it is actually quite the honor really, considering that undyne is the head of the order.”

“Oh!” Toriel smiled, taking the food offered to her, “He must be very excited about that.”

"i think that is an understatement, but yea, he's excited," Sans grinned. Then the skeleton winked and shrugged, "guess you can say, he talked my ears off about it."

The play on words caused Toriel to howl with laughter. She then patted him on the shoulder, "I bet you didn't have the guts to ask him to stop, did you?"

There was a snort followed by a deep chuckle, "aw, you know me too well, it's like you can see right through me."

The two then sat and laughed before falling silent to eat. Sans gave her complements and thanks for the meal once done, then leaned back against the log. Toriel drew her sword and used her whetstone to sharpen the edge. As she worked she said, "Before we met, I used to spend most of my time in the Ruins. I was hoping you'd join me when I go back to exploring it again."

"in the ruins?" Sans looked back, in the direction they would be going if he agreed. His face hardly ever changes, making reading his thoughts very difficult to those who don't know him. Over time she had gotten better at it, but currently she hadn't a clue what he was thinking. She had to admit though, that skill of his was useful for the few times they gambled at the local pub.

After a moment, he reached into his robe sleeve and pulled out a pipe, "yeah, sure, we can do that." He placed his pipe in his wide grin, and somehow it stayed, "looking for something?"

"In a way, yes. Something I honestly hope to not find," Toriel sighed.

"well, that's not cryptic at all," Sans chuckled.

"Sans, I have a," Toriel paused, nervous about how her friend will react to what she is about to say. Looking down at him, she can see he was looking over her face, brow furrowed. She didn't mean to worry him, but after all they've been through, she feared this could end what they have. This close, perhaps too close to still really be just best friends, friendship.

With a sigh, she finally decided to try again, set on learning what he will do. Still, her fear was reflected in her tone, "Sans, what do you think of humans?"

"humans?" The skeleton blinked, then tilted his head to the side in thought, "can't say i've thought much about them. well, the king wants them captured and executed. but, beyond that? i have to admit, i don't know much about them. well, except, they typically have less magic than we do, being made of more physical matter compared to monsters."

Toriel frowned, looking away, "Would you? Capture a human, that is?"

Sans sighed, taking his pipe out, or away, from his mouth for a moment, "well, it is one of my jobs, watching for them and capturing them." He fiddled with his pipe for a moment, watching Toriel before placing it back. "i'm guessing there is a reason you brought this up?" he asked.

"Would you, instead, protect and keep an eye on a human, if you see one? For me?" She asked. She felt silly for being too nervous to look at him, but she was honestly scared. Instead, she focused on the sword, and watched him indirectly from his reflection in the blade.

"oh, boy, tori, that's no small task you're asking for," he looked away, thinking. Finally, he looked back and winked, "kind of hard to keep an eye on something without eyes; but, i'll see what I can do."

That made Toriel smile and turn her head back to him. A part of her felt she should have known he'd react that way, the other still assumed the worst. For now, she settled on being happy with his answer and she nodded, "Thank you."

"welcome. besides, hard to say 'no' to a woman with a sword, and could easily beat me up if she wanted to," he chuckled.

With a snort, Toriel struggled not to laugh, "Is that so. I should make sure my sword is in hand anytime I'm asking you for something."

"heh, might lose its affect after a while," Sans said with a lazy shrug.

"Is that so?" Toriel mused.

Glancing from her to the sword, then back again, he seemed to be debating something. With a wink he said, "well, it does get the point across; but, i think we're friends enough that you wouldn't hurt me with it."

Toriel hummed, as if thinking, "You are pretty sharp." She sheathed the weapon and set it to the side before grinning at him, "You're right, I wouldn't hurt you like that. Though, what about the other thing you said?"

"other thing?" he looked puzzled, glancing to the side, as he recalled what he’d said. His grin grew a little sheepish and he shrugged, "oh, that, yeah… i mean, i'm well aware you're stronger, tori."

"But, does that mean I would beat you up?" As she asked, she reached over and took Sans's hat off his skull. She didn't want to risk damaging it, despite it's already rumpled condition.

Sans was starting the sweat a little, "uh, tori, what are you doing?"

She set the hat to the side, watching Sans as she did. His eye lights were trained on his hat, wondering what she was planning on doing with it, she figured. This distraction gave her time to surprise him, and she leaned closer. "Well?" she asked.

Turning his eye lights back to her, his pressed his back against the log as he was surprised to see her face so close to his. There was more sweat appearing, as he glanced away, "i, uh, i'm sure you could."

Toriel hummed again and leaned a little closer, "I'm sure I could too, but I think I asked if I would."

The chuckle Sans made sounded nervous and he kept switching between looking at her and finding an escape route. Finally, his eye lights settled on her, "no?"

Without warning she jumped from her spot and pounced on him. Sans had started to move away but she was too close and he was unprepared. Once she was on him, he surrendered and let himself be pinned. Her snout wrinkled and lips struggling not to curl as she tried to avoid laughing. "You lazybones, you're not even going to try fighting back?" she asked while lightly bumping her head against his.

His face had a light shade of blue on it as he grinned weakly up at her, "see no reason to, uh, fight the inevitable."

Toriel laughed before sitting back and helping him up. He was laughing too, and his face was looking relaxed and happy again, but still rather blue. That light blue color on his cheeks was adding to her already growing feelings for him, as she couldn't help but find it adorable.

Picking up his hat she placed it back on his head and smiled at him, "Well, you were right. No, I wouldn't do that. Though, prank, tease, and other various non-harmful means of punishment I may consider."

"i'll bare that in mind," he chuckled. "don't say 'no' to tori, or i'll end up in the pungeon."

With a laugh and shake of her head, Toriel tapped him in the nasal bone, "You defiantly would, though, I'm sure you'll just teleport out."

"depends," he said, glancing away again, "if the foods better than my bro's cooking, i may be tempted to stay."

She huffed, "You're not supposed to enjoy being captured, you know."

"hey, if i'm getting tasty food, an excuse not to go anywhere, and a chance to be around you, why shouldn't i?"

"I suggest not finding out," She giggled, then stood and stretched. "We should rest and get ready for tomorrow."

"sure, i can take first watch," Sans said.

Toriel sighed, "Sans, with how safe it is here?"

"sounds like famous last words to me," Sans winked.

A snort escaped Toriel despite her attempts to hold back a chuckle, "And how quickly you fall asleep? You seem as useful for the task as a deaf watchdog."

"i'll be fine till you wake. i'm, uh, currently wide awake, and i have spells that can help me keep watch, even if i do drift off."

"I know, you've never failed before," she sighed, "Fine, well, I'll see you in a few hours, my friend."

"till then," Sans replied.

Toriel prepared to sleep and started to get into her bed roll. Glancing back at Sans, she saw him watching the fire, looking deep in thought. She wondered if he was thinking about his brother, the Ruins, or... humans. Settling in, she looked up at the stars and sighed.

"sleep well, tori," he whispered.

"Thank you, see you in a few hours," she whispered back. Rolling to her side, she turned her back to him to avoid staring. She was sure by the time she will wake he would have fallen asleep, but still, she felt safe. As safe as she could hope some human might be under his care.

Closing thoughts: There, my part done. I’d like to visit this world again eventually. But for now, I have many other things to write or edit.