#I think Vance and Robin would look wonderful with their hair up

[bruce--yamada]

R☆ck St☆r : Part One

Includes : Rinney / FinBin, Brance,?Possible Billy x Griffin?

Characters includes : Robin, Finney, Gwen, Billy, Vance, Bruce, Max Shaw

Add-on : The characters are all aged up, that does not mean this adds smut, I do not write smut about the characters and will not be writing about them in that way. Even with aged up.

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Finney stood at the gate excited, clutching his water bottle, threatening to pop open with the pressure Finney was putting on it.

Gwen glanced over, she raised a brow. "Jeez, Finn. Calm down man." Finney snapped his head towards the girl. "No! I'm excited, I'm finally seeing the Robin Arellano!!!" He said happily. "Yeah, and Vance Hopper."

Someone walked over to them. "God, Vance Hopper. Do you think I could get his guitar pick?" He asked. "Dunno Bruce. There's y'know, two other people in the band." "Griffin Stagg and Billy Showalter, we know Gwenny." Finn added.

"Can you believe we went to high school with them?" Finn mumbled as he leaned against the gate, staring at the dark empty stage that would soon hold the band.

"Nope, I literally can't. We went to the k-12 with them, actually." Gwen added on. Finney sighed and ran his finger along the rail that divided the stage with the crowds.

"I wonder if he'll remember me." Finney thought to himself. Him, Gwen, and Bruce all had VIP, they were going to get to meet them and that made him so happy.

"Hey kiddos-" "I'm twenty two.." Finney cut him off. "I'm twenty." Gwen spoke up. "And I'm twenty four.." Bruce finished. "Oh, well. What's up! I'm the GM, I see that you three have VIP. I'm Max Shaw, so when the show is done. Just come find me and I'll get you to the crew."

Finn smiled and nodded. "Thanks Max." "No problem kid, enjoy your time.. At The Black Phone." Just this random guy saying this gave Finney chills. He was so excited, this was his favorite band of all time.

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"Okay guys, we go out in a few minutes. We gotta get this shit ready." "No the fuck we don't? You dickwad, fucking check the schedule again asshole!" The blonde spoke, he was quite stressed and it was showing.

"I just fucking did assjack." The shorter one spoke. "God Vance, it's right fucking there."

"Well sor'ry Griffin. Coulda fucking started w'th that." Vance snapped back.

"Guys- Calm down. We have a show in a few minutes, can we not? We should be using this time making sure we are all warmed up. Voices, instruments! So c'mon-" The brown haired guy spoke.

Vance and Griffin just looked at him, the other gave them an awkward smile. "O-Or you can keep.. Fighting." "Nah." The final member joined them, he hooked his arm over the brown haired guy. "Don't tell 'em that Billy."

Billy jumped slightly. "God damn Robin- Scared me." Robin smirked and shrugged. "Hey, shitheads. Calm down, we have a show today and it's.. Starting.." Robin brought his wrist to his face, though he didn't have a watch. "Now."

"NOW? FUCKING NOW? I DON'T KNOW IF MY BASS IS TUNED." "Maybe you should have made sure it was instead of arguing with Griff." Vance rolled his eyes and grabbed it, he strummed through it a bit, making sure it was good. He brushed past Robin, shoulder checking him a bit.

Robin let his eyes follow Vance. Griffin grabbed his sticks and followed Vance quickly. Robin sighed and grabbed his pick, he looked at it. The entire thing was made to look like a galaxy.

"So ya think he'll show?" Billy asked as he looked at him. Robin gripped his pick and shrugged. "If he don't, then I'll hope for next show." He began to walk away before Billy grabbed his shoulder. "Robin." Robin turned and looked at him. "Who's to say he'll even remember you?" "Who's to say he won't?" Billy opened his mouth, but he didn't protest. He released his grip on him.

Robin turned back around and walked out of the room, Billy following close behind him.

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"You play?" The dirty blonde spoke, staring at the guitar. "Oh, yeah. I do." The other smiled, going over to pick up his guitar. "I could.. Play sm'thin for ya Finn." Finney smiled. "I think I would enjoy that Arellano."

Robin inhaled and exhaled, starting to strum a tune on his guitar. "Are you going to be a guitarist when you're older?" "Nah, haven't thought about it." "Robin."

Finney stood up and walked over to Robin, placing his hands on his shoulders. "I'm tellin' you, that you should be in a band." Robin felt himself tense up under Finney's touch, he loosened up quickly though.

"I am going to miss you Finney Blake." "Just don't forget me Arellano."

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The stage lights clicked off, and fog stormed the stage. Some floor lights came on, some escaping the fog, others piercing through it.

Finney gripped the railing, his smile huge. He loosened his grip, his hands starting to hurt from how tightly his hold was on the rail.

Some cheers started as the curly haired blonde came out. Bruce immediately got closer to the rail. "God he's so dreamy." He said with a lovestruck tone.

Vance grabbed the mic. "What the fuck is up every body? Y'all know me, Vance fucking HOPPPERR!" Cheers went through the entire crowd. Finney smiled and covered his ears a bit.

"We in The Black Phone, are so fucking happy to be performing for all you pretty ladies and pretty men. We love everyone here." He put his hands up and made a heart with his fingers. He set them back down and brought the mic back to his face.

"Anyways, we'll be playing our personal favorites, the crowds favorites. We hope, other than that, and a few other words from my fellow bandmates. LET'S GET THE FUCK STARTEDDD!" Cheers came from everyone again as Vance handed the mic to Griffin.

"Enjoy the show." He quickly handed it off, Billy didn't say anything he just handed it to Robin.

Finney stared at him in awe, he looked so different from high school. Robin looked around the crowd before he put the mic to his mouth.

"Billy is just saving his voice, everyone, I would too if I was the main singer. We love you Showalter." Billy looked at him with a straight face, but he couldn't keep it. Letting out a chuckle.

"I really hope.." He stopped as he made eye contact with Finney, he froze a bit. "Y'all enjoy our show!" Billy spoke and walked over to him, snatching the mic from the other.

Finney held the eye contact, Robin smiled. He mouthed "Hey Finn." Finney felt himself go red a bit, he said something back but Robin couldn't read his lips.

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The end of part one :) I hope y'all enjoyed it because I really liked writing this 😭

[staggersz]

What's your hc on Robin's relationship with his sexuality? How he discovered it, how he feels about it, how he deals with the heteronormative society around him, etc etc whatever you're thinking about. And feel free to include any of the other characters that you also hc as non straight!

Oh this question. I can go ON and ON about this.

Since this question mentioned mainly Robin, I’ll start with him and go more into detail with only Robin for this post.

I feel like Robin’s thoughts and mentality with his sexuality was mostly always negative and his self esteem about it was awful.

I can imagine just since day one of being friends with Finney, he had a crush on him. He saw Finney as someone who was so much better than him. Finney treated him with kindness and Robin treated him with just as much kindness, if not more.

I think around 4th-5th grade for him is when he realized the way he felt around and about Finney wouldn’t be considered normal by society. Robin read the newspapers, he watched the TV, he heard what people have said. He knows he isn’t considered “normal”.

The day he realized, he just went home and cried and yelled into his pillow because he thought he was a horrible person. He felt like he disappointed his parents, he felt like they were looking down on him in shame. He thought that if they were alive, they wouldn’t love him anymore if they knew. I feel like if Robin was religious, he would have prayed to god or whatever was up there to fix and cure him, to rid him of his “sins”.

Robin doesn’t discuss this with his uncle or Finney at pretty much any point early on. He wants to like girls so he can be considered normal, but he knows he can’t force himself to like girls. He can’t help but feel his heart flutter when Finney does so much as look at him. Seeing Finney have a crush on Donna completely destroyed him, but what could he do? He didn’t think Finney would ever like him; a boy.

Robin defends Finney from bullies that call him slurs and make fun of him because if Robin was the one in Finney’s place, Robin would want to be defended as well.

What Robin doesn’t know is that other kids do call Robin those things. They talk about him, just not to his face. He’s called those things because they think he looks gay in those jeans, gay in those tank tops, gay with his long hair. But the most damning piece of evidence is that he defends Finney, someone who is constantly bullied on the suspicion that he is gay. When Robin did find out about all these rumors, he felt more self hate than he ever did before.

He does learn to be accepting of who he is as a person, though it takes a long long time.

If you want to read about more characters in TBP with this question, you can click more to read more or leave it off here :)

I feel like Finney would be characteristically pessimistic when it comes to him realizing he’s bisexual. He knows all the backlash he’d get from people if he ever mentioned it. He knows Gwen would still support and accept him though. :)

I feel like he would discover/realize he was bisexual when he realized he started looking at Robin differently, like the same way he would look at Donna. He noticed how his heart started beating faster when he was around him.

He doesn’t talk to his dad about it for the fear that their relationship will get worse, and he doesn’t want to be hurt anymore than he already has been.

He mostly accepts himself, but he just wonders what would happen if his bullies did find out about this.

-

Bruce discovered he was bisexual when he saw Vance for the first time and went home, and couldn’t get him out of his head. Vance literally had him entranced.

Bruce is one of those people that despite all of society’s opinions on the lgbtq, he is open about his bisexuality. He’s a bit sad when his friends start looking at him weird and his baseball team avoid him completely after they learn this info.

Bruce’s family is 100% accepting of him and I don’t see it any other way. They would still love Bruce to the fullest and would just want him to be happy and to most importantly stay safe.

Bruce is probably the one who had the least amount of a crisis over his sexuality.

-

Vance is probably the one who hates himself the most when it comes to his sexuality. After his parents divorced and he became a child of split custody, his life kinda went downhill a bit. While Bonnie is a very supporting and kind mother, Scott (Vance’s dad) is pretty religious, and drills thoughts into Vance’s head, threatening him, and just making Vance afraid.

Vance had religious trauma, and he was very cautious when it came to his dad. He felt like he was walking on eggshells around him all the time.

Vance didn’t realize he was gay for a while. Sure, he read metal band magazines and would stare at the guys on his band posters for a bit too long, but he didn’t really consider it. He kind of only realized when he became friends with Bruce, and got unknowingly jealous when girls got close with Bruce.

When Vance finally realized he was gay, he kind of just lost it. He went home to his mom’s house, locked himself in his room, and kind of just had self-destructive behavior for a bit. He thought he was disgusting and thought that he didn’t deserve anything good since he had a crush on a boy.

Most kids in North Denver already suspected Vance of being gay. They would make fun of his choker, his clothing style, and his long curly hair; plus how angelic he looked physically was a reason for this.

Even after he starts dating Bruce, he’s still very very closeted and is afraid to even stand right next to Bruce in public. He gets very paranoid when people find out about them dating.

-

Billy is a bit like of an odd ball.

Billy would get notes from girls slipped into his backpack or folders when he was younger asking him if he wanted to be their boyfriend, but every time Billy said no and brushed it off.

Billy’s parents had zero clue or suspicions about Billy being bi but they didn’t berate him when they did find out; they loved him all the same.

Billy kinda didn’t really realize himself. All he knew was that he found the lonely boy on the playground that was a year younger than him interesting. Billy found Griffin to be interesting.

He was always thrown off by romantic and suggestive scenes in movies though. He’d exaggerate a gag, and would turn away or leave the room. He didn’t know why it irked him so much. He didn’t know of the term asexual.

When he finally did realize, all he knew was that he only wanted to grow old with one person, which was Griffin.

-

Griffin was always a bit wacky from the start.

Bonnie knew ever since Griffin was in daycare that he wasn’t like any of the other boys there. Griffin always wanted to play dress up, was a mama’s boy, was a very shy kid, and was kind of frightened by the rowdiness of other boys.

When Griffin grew older, he never had any crushes. He never found any kid in his grade interesting, he never had a thing for anyone. He found boys cute, sure, but never got any crushes on them. Heck, it even took a while for him to feel any kind of feelings for Billy.

Griffin also was irked by romantic and suggestive scene. He never saw the appeal. He could feel the sweat on his hands and the turning of his stomach whenever he saw stuff like that.

Griffin knew what the term gay was. His mom had taught him that some people were just different than others and that it was okay. When he finally kinda realized, he didn’t care in the slightest. But it was odd. He was interested in boys, but at the same time, he never had been. He had grown to only be interested in Billy.

He just had to get to him a little bit, that’s all.

-

Holy shit my fingers are TIREDDDD

I was so scared the app would crash half way through LMFAO

ANYWAYS I LOVE THIS ASK AAAA

[hopperzheartz]

Waiter (Brance, 1?)

A hellish summer day in mid july, vance sat at a table with a cold soda on the white marble as he tapped his calloused finger tips on the cold surface.

just like he had been the last couple days.

Lost in thought he missed the chime of the bell above the glass door of the diner.

he smiled softly as another hopeless fantasy ran by his mind.

a warm summer night at the drive in, or holding hands at the park or-

as the thoughts drifted by in a sweet day dream vance was interrupted by a brunette plopping himself onto the booth in front of him.

“Why do you sit here so often?” robin sat with his hair tied back in a low ponytail and a beige tank top, tilting his head in question.

vance blinked at the other still processing his question

“To stare at the totally hot waiter.”

“you mean waitress?”

a beat of silence

“no, the waiter.”

Robins eyes widened. Woah, vance with a crush? Not only that but a guy too?

soon enough robins shock turned into a smug display.

“ooo~ i wonder what man could be so striking as to win your heart over-“

From behind the counter, a tall dark haired boy stepped out in the black button up uniform, he leaned down to test his pen on the counter, making sure it worked enough for orders.

Vance was glued to him, definitely checking him out.

his mouth was slightly agape as he stared longer than he should have.

ah, there he was

The waiter looked up and caught his gaze.

Vance nearly choked on his own throat.

he quickly averted his eyes back to robin who had gotten a hold of his soda.

“jesus at least try to hide how gay you are-“

Of course, whilst vance is having a severe homosexual meltdown, a presence was now at the side of their table.

“hey, did they send a server your way already?”

Robin looked at vance as he seemed to have lost his ability to breathe.

the blonde hid in his hair refusing to look up.

“uh, no not that i know of.”

Said ‘hot’ waiter looked at vance, he couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“alright then i’ll get you guys started,”

vance slowly slid the soda back his way, in an attempt not to draw any sort of attention, failing miserably.

“i’ll actually put another soda on your order, and food wise?”

He looked at robin, oh, now he knows exactly what vance was talking about.

Robin was going to take it upon himself to be a wingman.

and get his own fun out of this.

“I’ll just take some fries, i’m just not sure what vance here would like.”

he snapped his head up at robin, blue eyes flying wide.

“don’t look at me, he’s taking your order.”

bastard.

Vance couldn’t spare even a glance at the other.

“i-i’ll take, um, just-“

he cut himself short

The boy leaned down to hear vance clearer.

“sorry, i didn’t really get that”

Vance died inside.

“uh, i think i’m good, thanks.”

The other shined a smile.

a hint of playfulness in his voice now.

“Okay, so just fries and another soda, any specific kind?”

“Ooo do you guys have orange?”

The waiter nodded and wrote on his note pad.

“alright orange soda, got it, i’ll take the menus.”

robin nudged vance as he was leaning on it.

“oh, shit, sorry.”

“no worries love.”

Vance thought his heart would eject itself from his body any moment now.

He picked up the menu, his hands trembling as he handed it to the other.

“i’ll be right back”

After he walked off vance let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He huffed out and threw his head onto the table with a thump, the silver wear clanging making robins eyes widen, he let out a snort as people turned their heads.

Robin laughed, Vance wincing at his embarrassment .

As the brunette hugged his stomach from laughter vance sat up and leaned his head back onto the red board he regathered his mind.

“You know, i think you really bagged this one kid”

Robin laughed even harder at his own joke.

Vance didn’t even bother looking at him, he just rolled his eyes.

“please, shut the fuck up-“

still leaning his head back finally calm from his blush, the waiter came back, vance glanced at him catching his brown eyes.

Shit he was fuming again.

“okay here’s the orange soda.”

he set down the glass cup and vance now sat properly, staring beams into robins eyes.

without breaking the contact robin began his question.

“hey uh, are you single by any chance?”

robin strikes again.

“Robin!-“

The waiter let out a genuine laugh.

vance looked at him.

Lord was he so pretty.

Vance again was staring.

“Uh, well, it depends who’s asking?”

he kept the warm smile on his face

Robin smiled back.

“just, asking for a friend, boys as pretty as you seem to be rare”

Vance wanted to strangle robin a little harder each passing second.

“In that case, if said friend is in the room with us, i am very much single”

Vance’s hopes may have gotten a little higher.

Now you may wonder, did vance know if he was gay or not?

“good to know, but if ‘friend’ was a guy?…”

Robin squinted his eyes in a hesitant manner.

“Oh, yea, for sure.”

He held his wrist up with a beaded bracelet that displayed intricate colors with significance that was very familiar to vance. (mlm)

“Oh shit! me too, and him.”

Vance turned his head again.

“Rob-“

he hid his face in his hands

“It’s good to know there’s others out there.”

bruce spoke with a laugh

after a little more back and forth conversation with robin and strange eye contact with vance bruce had to ‘tend to other customers��.

When in reality he was getting off his shift early.

He had plans for later.

“so i’ll be right back with you guys.”

robin nodded a ‘thank you’ and vance looked pissed.

“so, how am i for a wingman”

he crossed his arms and leaned back, looking rather prideful.

(LMAO)

Vance was more than gone by this point.

No he never planned to say anything to, well no longer cute waiter but bruce, at all.

He wanted to keep things calm and more of a ‘secret admirer’ type of ordeal.

Of course with Robin on this planet.

Peace was never an option.

“if he gives you his number, i expect you to pay for these fries or set me up with the cute baseball kid you hang around.”

“Finney?”

“Pretty name for an even prettier boy gaaadayum-“

Bruce had walked past the table and swiftly slid a piece of paper in front of Vance.

Vance was going to cry

he followed bruce’s every move before even thinking to open the paper.

He looked up and ahead to where bruce was placing down a plate, then turning to his coworker.

Vance couldn’t get enough of his smile.

Bruce caught his eyes, and gave a subtle wink.

Vance swallowed thickly.

robin looked at him.

With a shit eating grin.

“you better get me that date you fuck..”

His shaking hands opened the paper to pretty and curvy handwriting.

‘I’ve been watching you too, call me?’

‘ps: I think your pretty,’

with a phone number underneath.

(Pt.2???)

[viscerax]

(hey love your work) i was wondering could you write something for poly vance x robin x girly!reader (heels, makeup etc) and their being harassed by an ex because the ex is jealous of their new relationship?

She's ours

(fem!reader)

I feel I need to preface this with a Tw for assault, not SA specifically, although if you squint it could be that. If SA/implied SA makes you uncomfortable, be careful reading this

"Leave me alone, dickwad. I told you. It's fucking over! Its been over for 3 months. Stop calling, stop coming over, and definitely stop harassing my friends!" You shouted and slammed the phone down, ending the conversation with your ex.

It was sad, really. He cheated on you, and he still wanted you back? It made you laugh, really. What didn't make you laugh, however, was the constant phone calls, which sprouted into him going around and getting into fights with your "friends" over it.

Robin and Vance had both been targeted by your ex, Robin first, and then Vance the next day. You figured this out, because you had been the one to patch them up. Robin refused to tell you who had gotten him hurt, Vance however, struggled to keep his mouth shut about it.

"I swear to fucking christ on the cross, Y/n. If I see that motherfucker one more time, I'm going to pound his brains into the pavement outside of school. That shit will leave a red fucking stain." Vance seethed as you wrapped a bandage over his knuckles.

"Vance, if he bothers you again, just come tell me. I'll take care of it." You gave him a smile, kissing his cheek as you scooted off the edge of Vance's bathroom sink, patting down your skirt a bit.. You turned to face the mirror, smiling as you adjusted your hair before quickly whipping around to Vance again, placing a kiss on his nose, your lip gloss leaving a small bit of glitter on his nose.

The next day, you begrudgingly had made your way through school. Vance offered to take you out that day to skip, ride around in his brand new car, but you declined. Why? Because if you didn't show up, that would make it look like you were avoiding that punk son of a bitch you once called your boyfriend. And everyone needed to know that Y/n L/n, despite the frilly dresses and hair bows and makeup, was not the bitch to mess with.

You were reapplying lip gloss in the bathroom that always almost seemed unoccupied. It seemed like Vance and Robin had claimed that bathroom, and no one ever really went in out of fear of what might happen to them if they do.

You heard the door swing open, but didn't bother looking. From the heavy footsteps, you figured it was Vance. "Oh, hey V-"

You were cut off by a slap to the face, your lip gloss flying out of your hand and landing on the floor. A rough hand grabbed your shoulder and you were whipped around, face to face with your ex.

"You bitch! Your little gaurd dog boyfriends busted up my fucking face!" He growled, grabbing your ponytail and yanking it harshly. "You think you're hot fucking shit. But you're nothing without those pathetic asshole losers by your side. Not so confident now that they're not here, are you?" He smirked, a hand grabbing your cheek. You glared at him, hatred burning in your eyes. "I know you want me back, Y/n. Its written all over fucking little face."

You spit directly in his face, using the momentary distraction to lift your knee up harshly, hitting him in the stomach. He winced and backed up, to which you quickly kicked him in the stomach, the heel of your shoe adding more impact. "You wish. Im happier then ever because of Vance and Robin. They've given me so much more then you ever could." You walked up to him, punching him square in the face. He backed up and hit his back against the bathroom stall door, wincing.

The bathroom door swung open, and Vance and Robin both rushed in, ready to kick some ass.

You looked up, a warm smile spreading across your face when you looked at them. "Hey loves, I was just uhm-" you glanced over to your ex, who was just frozen as he looked between you and the two boys. "-finishing up here. I think we're done here. Right?" You turned to face your ex, a smirk plastered across your face as blood ran down his face. He simply nodded and practically skimpered out of the bathroom.

"And if you ever try touching her again, we'll all beat the shit out of you. She's fucking ours." Vance shouted as your ex pushed the door open.

You smiled and happily walked over to Vance and Robin, wrapping them in a tight hug and placing a kiss on the boys lips.

"I didn't know you could fight like that, sweetheart. We thought we were going to have to beat the shit out of him again." Robin smirked and tucked a loose strand of your hair behind your ear.

"He's a bitch. The man can't fight for shit. He gave up as soon as I landed the first blow." You chuckled and walked over to your lipstick on the floor, which was now broken and spilled. "What a shame. This was my favorite color." You huffed and picked it up, throwing the broken tube in the trash and wiping the excess off of the floor.

"Don't worry princess, I'll have my mom get you some from the makeup store. Its right across the street from her work." Vance huffed as he helped you wipe off the mess from the floor, using a fresh paper towel to wipe the smeared lipstick from your cheek.

"You don't have to do that hun. I really hate to bother your mom." You sighed, tilting your head so that Vance could rub the lipstick off better.

"Its no bother. She doesn't mind. You know my mom loves you." Vance chuckled and threw the paper towel in the trash bin.

"Thank you, love." You smiled and grabbed his hand, placing a kiss on the top of his hand, leaving a red lipstick stain. You did the same with Robins and the three of you walked back out into the school halls together.

[iheartred]

i LOVE ur writing n it’s perfect because i need to consume more media abt the black phone. could i request the black phone x reader where reader is rlly feminine? idk how to word it sorry i hope u get it😭😭

The blackphone x reader

m.list

Them with Feminine!reader

cw : fluff/crack / reader has no distinct gender but is feminine !!(they/them will still be used!!)

a/n : I understand this in a way (I think??) I hope everyone else understands too, and I'm hoping this is what you meant whsjsh😭

(After writing this I think this is just more of a really pretty and kind!reader oo my bad whsjsh,also this will be pretty short whdjd)

Finney Blake :

Doesnt know how to be around you

Like he's always so nervous, whether it'd be your very kind and soft personality or you're entire style that take his breath away

He's like just amazed at how pretty you can be dude :C

You : Hey Finn! What are we doing in class toda- you good??

Finney(sweating) : never been better!

You : okay??

he will try to compliment you and by try I mean he'll walk up to you, stare at you like you're a God, look down, then walk away

And you're just standing there with your friends wondering what that was all about

Friend : huh?? Was he gonna ask you out or something

Robin (from the sidelines) : he was gonna say you looked nice y/n

You : oh! Tell him I said thanks!

He'd tell you over the phone how sorry he was about how weird he was

Robin Arellano :

" Eres Bonita "(You're pretty)

Is all he'd say outlook before saying it was nothing when he realized you didn't hear him

He will literally always be trying to impress you, intentionally or unintentionally he will do so

He'll literally pick you up if you said your legs were hurting

Helps you fix your makeup because he always sees his mom during her makeup and she taught him how to do a girls makeup if he ever wanted to really impress a person

You : Wow!! My makeup looks even better than before Robin, thanks so much

Robin : Ofcourse no pro-

And then you'd kiss him on the cheek as a real thank you then you'd run off saying "OKAY SEE YOU TOMORROW BYEBYE ROBIN!!!"

Bruce yamada :

Will steal your sweaters as a joke because you said he'd never rock any sort of outfit you wear

Lowkey kinda likes these sweaters, won't ever admit that though

Will do your nails with you

You : Bruce you're literally painting my entire finger at this point stop

Bruce : whattt noo that's craz-

You : Bruce. I don't have nail polish remover. Please

Then he'd stop..

Then paint you finger again and run away

Loves to show off when he's at a game and you're there, will be on 170% during the entirety of the game

If his team coach ever found out it was you who fired him up like this, expect your mother calling you down to tell you that it was the coach for the 50th time that week

Loves doing you hair, since he has a little sister I can imagine him doing her hair whenever his mom is out and about or she would just rather that her older and cooler brother do it for her

Vance Hopper :

Is probably also really nervous around you

Doesnt show or admit it though because letting someone like you ruin his reputation of being a hard-core tough guy would be embarrassing

Now this doesn't mean he'll straight up ignore you, or be rude towards you it just means he won't ever let himself be seen blushing whenever you tell him how pretty he can be too

Vance : That's embarrassing literally shut up

You : It's not though! You really are pretty, like your hair and you're eyes are just really-

And then all you can hear is rambling from your end and a Vance who's trying really hard not to show that's he's extremely flustered by this

if he felt like the day was going pretty great, he'd definitely be very openly kind to you

Telling you how gorgeous you looked, complimenting your hand writing, letting his hand linger a little longer on yours when he tried reaching for his paper

Anyways, I feel like if you asked him on this particular day he'd MAYBE let you put his hair up not in public but you know it still works

Billy Showalter :

Is nervous around you, like whenever you're out in the morning waiting for the daily newspaper he always makes sure your last so he gets a lot of time to spare so he can talk to you

Billy : goodmorning y/n

You : Goodmorning Billy! Thanks for the newspaper!

You say slightly shouting it

He loves when you talk to him, especially when you ask him for help, specifically

He knows anyone would ask for help, but when you ask it's like an angel just put a blessing upon him

will help you put your hair up with your pins, and loves to compliment them

Billy : your pins are very cute

You : thanks Billy, I get them from Walmart they cost like one dollar, sometimes even just 50 cents!

Next thing you know, Billy comes up to you with different pins whenever they have new ones in-stock

Is flustered around you a lot, but never shows it

But his front breaks whenever you pat him on the shoulder and tell him he did a good job, or thank him for helping you study for the test that day

You always walk away and never realize that you leave him a blushing mess of a man

☆ ☆ ☆

[vainvenus]

⌲;꒰ Billy Showalter Headcannons! ꒱

Random Billy headcannons bc I love him sm!!

→ His favorite color is red and he everything he owns is that bright fucking red (His jacket, notebooks, water bottle, pencils, etc)

→No matter how hot it is he won't take off that damn letterman jacket, it could be 100 degrees and he'll still wear it

→Everyone wonders why Billy wears a letterman jacket even though he doesn't play a sport and he always like; "It looks cool"

→ If he had a crush on someone who wasn't in his usual route for the paper he would wake up extra early just so he could add them into it

→One time he hit Vance in the face with he newspaper on "accident"

→His hair looks honey blonde during the summer but when winter comes around it gets noticeability darker

→Watches Scooby-Doo every morning before school while eating cinnamon toast crunch

→One time he tried to cut his hair on his own and had a bald spot for three weeks

→He takes special care or his hair, washing it every weekend with cherry or strawberry shampoo and conditioner

→He got put in a vote for best hair at school and got ranked at 3rd, Vance got first and Robin got second.

→Was in Boy's Scouts for three years

→Moved from California to Denver

→He's 5'5 but tells everyone he's 5'6 or 5'7

-He's a morning person

→He listens to all kinds of music but he really hates country music

→Doesn't like necklaces because he forgets he's wearing them and freaks out bc he thinks its a bug or snake

→Animals are just attracted to him, on his rides to school he'll most likely be followed by a stray cat

→He's scared of snakes and bugs

→Prefers Fall over all the seasons

→Doesn't like pumpkin spice nor does he get the hype about it

→He loves chocolate and mint like mint chocolate chip ice cream or thin mint cookies

→Prefers French toast sticks over waffles and pancakes

→He doesn't eat the crust when he eats pizza

→He doesn't like onions, if they're on his burger then he won't eat it even if someone tells him to take them off

→He hates sour candy, says that something sweet shouldn't taste sour first

→His favorite kind of candy are jolly ranchers, blue raspberry and cherry are his favorite flavors

→If he splits something in half he's letting you have the bigger piece

-He doesn't like orange juice with the pulp

→His fave soda is Root Beer or Cherry Coca-Cola

→He got his dog for a birthday gift after begging his mom for years

→ His dog's name is Arlo bc I said so!

→He has to have Arlo sleep at the foot of his bed, claiming that he can't sleep if he's not there

→When he takes Arlo to the dog park he pets every dog there and tries to remember them if he sees them again when he comes back

→He uses Arlo as a pillow whenever he's doing his homework or reading comics

→Him and Griffin are best friends

→He takes Griffin on his bike rides to deliver the papers, letting him ride on the back of his bike

→Billy hates olives and Griffin loves them! The Olive Theory <3

→He swears up and down that he has the strongest immune system and then he gets sick as soon as the first day of winter hits

→He doesn't like flying, airplanes make him feel anxious

→He's really good at remembering names, like even people who probably don't know him he just knows everyone

→Whenever he goes shopping with his parents he always wonders off somewhere and has to be called back over the intercom

→Went fishing with his Dad and ended up falling in the water because he couldn't hold onto the fishing pole

→He's really into cars, being able to name any model he sees

→Can't play chess or checkers for shit he's really good at card games his fave to play is blackjack

→He broke his ankle once while riding his bike down a hill

→Really likes ladybugs, rolley pollys and fireflies

[sakannaz]

Hey! I have a request for Vance hopper if that’s ok! So the reader is the niece of the grabber and max so she living there for a while but what they don’t know is she can see ghosts after a while she learns what is happening and tries to help maybe the grabber kills her or something but the reader gets very close with ghost Vance. Thank you don’t feel like you have to do this request if you don’t like it :)

𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔

Yes! I can definitely do this! I’m still watching a bit of the movie since I don’t know much but I do know who the grabber and max are! Thank you so much for the request!

(Update): I watched the rest of the movie and I enjoyed it!

GUYS IM SO SORRY I FORGOT BRUCE

Warning(s): Cussing, violence, and death.

Spoilers below for the blackphone(?)

Btw I changed it up with just the reader living with the grabber, hope you don’t mind! I’m sorry it this took long.

Note ! : Albert Shaw is the grabber’s real name.

You’ve been living with the grabber for awhile now. You’re clueless about the cruel things he’s done, you wonder why he cause himself ‘the grabber’, what for exactly?

He doesn’t like you going outside. But for what? There has to be a reason why he doesn’t want you going outside..you swore you heard a kid screaming downstairs the other night.

Tonight is where you had to go to sleep early, you didn’t want to see him again. You were his niece and you didn’t know what he was doing, as you were thinking you heard something drop from in the corner of your room, you stood up and walked over to it.

The lights went out, you grew scared as you looked around, why’d the lights just go out?

Once the lights came back on, you saw a figure in the corner of the room, you let out a little scream, you noticed their was blood on his face and he had blond curly hair.

Who was this?

“H-Hello? How’d you get in here?” Was your first question, The male titled his head to the side and looked you up and down, “You’re his niece, aren’t you?” The male asked.

“Yeah, I am, why? Who are you?” You questioned, The male walked forward and revealed himself, “I’m vance. Vance hopper. And you?” Vance asked, “I’m..(Y/n).” You answered.

He turned to the door, why was he looking there for? Did he need something?

“Tomorrow night. You need to go down there tomorrow night. You’ll finally find out about him. And you know exactly who I’m talking about.” Vance whispered to you before disappearing, ‘What’s down in the basement?’ You just decided to go to sleep that night.

…

So, you woke up that day. Determined to go downstairs, maybe uncle Albert wouldn’t be home today.

Oh. But you were wrong. So wrong.

You walked downstairs and into the basement, and what your seeing now is a lot at the moment. You don’t know what to say.

Finney Shaw, what was he doing here? In The basement? Why was he here? There was a reason why Vance told you to go down there.

“F-Finney?” You said, his head perked up when you called his name, “(Y/n)?” He replied, You ran towards him and pulled him into a hug. How long has he been down here? Has he even ate anything?

Then, Finney’s eyes widen when he saw the grabber behind you, “Don’t worry, I’m gonna get you out of here, ‘kay? I promise. He won’t hurt you anymore.” You explained, Then, you saw him point behind you.

“(Y/n), you need to run.” Finney said, but instead or listening you ignored him and slowly turned towards Uncle Albert, you weren’t scared of him.

Not anymore.

“What? You gonna kill me like you did your other victims?” Yeah, that’s exactly what he was about to do. Cause next thing you know, he had wrapped a phone cord around your throat and started strangling you to death.

…

Everything felt dark. Why was it so dark? You felt someone carrying you and placing you softly on the bed. Once your eyes opened you checked your surroundings.

You were still in that nasty ass basement.

But…with some unfamiliar people. No- no, you recognized them. You knew who they were.

Billy, griffin, robin, and vance. Plus Bruce.

You would be the 6th victim. And you were his niece. He didn’t seem to care who he killed, long as they didn’t know what he was up too.

“Guess you joined us now.” Billy said, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall, you couldn’t process what you were seeing at the moment. Everything just felt…blurry. You couldn’t remember who you were but you knew these people. You couldn’t remember your name.

“Who- who am I?” You asked, over the past few months the bond you’ve created with Vance, he felt kind of bad for you. You didn’t know any better, you were just trying to help.

So, now it would be his turn to help you.

“Here, take my hand.” He said, you stared at him for a minute before taking his hand, he helped you up and told you all about what happened, something about someone named the grabber? Who was he?

You lost your memories. You didn’t know who he was talking about.

Since he couldn’t protect himself…now he would have to protect you.

Cause you deserved better.

And you deserved to live.

And so did the others.

[warmaidensrevenge]

Decision, decision

Eddie Munson x Plus size reader

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

Ok I lied there will be a part 3. Cuz I don't have time to finish this today. And I really wanted to get some opinions on how I should end this. Seems kinda obvious how it should end but I'm seriously on the fence. So feel free to suggest something.

Part 1, Part 3

Part 2

Warning: angst, cursing

Not proof read and no word count

Just an fyi I used a bit of the scene in Grey's Anatomy where Meredith asked Derek to choose her and a scene in one tree hill.

😮‍💨❄️✉️✉️

So Friday night was the plan. Samantha was still sick so Eddie thought you two could be alone and finally catch up on what you did for the summer. So after his campaign he went to the video store to pick out something. He placed a copy of Teenwolf on the counter grabbing a bag of popcorn and a pack of red vines.

" Hot date?" Steve asked while ringing him up.

" nah just hanging out with a friend." Eddie reached his hand to rub the back of his neck. That's right she's just a friend.

" so how's y/n" Robin said coming from the back room

" she's umm good I think." Eddie replied.

" what do you mean you think? Weren't you guys like a thing?" Steve said eyeing Eddie

" Uh what do you mean?" Eddie was confused.

" what aren't you guys like together?" Robin asked. " I thought you guys have been together."

Eddie let out a nervous chuckle. " Uhh no. Nope she's just my friend."

" I'm confused" Robin said looking at Steve.

" ooooohhhh I was wondering why she was hanging out with that hoodlum." Steve said putting Eddie's things in a bag. " Well I guess she has a type after all." Steve smirked.

" oh come on Robin. You can't be that clueless."

Eddie stood there awkwardly watching the two friends converse.

" you see the way y/n looks at Eddie. Or at least use to look at Eddie. Vance is like a weird shorter, thicker blonde headed version of him."

Robin gave Eddie a once over. " huh yeah I can kinda see it."

Eddie was so confused. What the hell are they talking about?

" Munson man you fucked up." Steve scoffed

It was then he realized what the two idiots were getting at. You liked him. And since he was with someone else you went for the best thing you could find. A more aggressive but mini him. Shit what has he done?

" you ok there Munson?" Robins question brought Eddie back to the present.

"uh yeah I uh got to go." Eddie said as he grabbed the bag and left.

Robin and Steve stood there watching him leave then looked at each other and grinned. They knew exactly what they just did. For some reason they liked to meddle in others affairs. And since seeing Eddie with Samantha they knew they had to intervene.

...

Eddie couldn't get his thoughts together while driving home. You liked him? For how long? Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he noticed it? He thought you just acted like that because he was your best friend. But now all the sleep overs and getting dressed in front of him, and leaning up against him when you guys would just sit in his room talking meant more to you than he thought. Fuck and you were coming over. He had no idea how to approach this newly found information.

He was sitting in his living room constantly getting up to pace then returning to sit back down, only to repeat the pattern all over again. Shit what was he gonna do? Fuck what about Samantha?

"Hey bud-" you started to say before Eddie pulled you in for a hug.

Eddie heard soft tapping at his front door. He froze. He had no idea what he was gonna do or what he was gonna say.

He went for the door and took a deep breath. He swung it open and you were there all smiles.

Eddie held you so tight. He waited so long for this moment, he just had to hold you. And when you hugged him back he held on tighter. He sniffed your hair in the process. God you smelled so good. He missed you so damn much. So did you by the way you held onto him. After a lengthy amount of time, that if anyone would have seen they would have thought you were more than just friends too, you guys finally pulled apart. But you weren't done with him. You pulled him back in for one more squeeze. This made Eddie's heart fill with joy. You loved him didn't you? You needed his arms to wrap around you. He needed it too.

Finally letting go you pushed by him to get into his trailer. Eddie felt cold when you left him. He wanted to pull you back but the thought of Samantha came. He had to break up with her. He needed to do it now. But he didn't want to leave you. You just got there. Besides how would he know if you truly wanted to be with him. So he waited. He was still determined to break up with Samantha regardless. He closed the door and turned to watch you take off your sweater and shoes. You were wearing your pajamas. Where you planning on staying the night like you use to? How did Vance feel about you doing that?

" So what's on the agenda bud?"

Bud?

Eddie cleared his throat. "Uhh teen wolf"

You smiled at Eddie choice. " Sounds good"

Eddie nervously laughed and grabbed the bag holding the things he picked up. Tossing you the red vines.

" Aww you remembered?"

Of course he remembered. He remembered everything about you.

He went to heat up the bag of popcorn as he watched you get up and slide in the vhs. How was he gonna do this? He pulled out the bag burning himself in the process. But you didn't notice. He poured it into a bowl and stood in the hallway looked towards his bedroom. Thinking about the letters he started to write for you but never sent. He wrote one every day that you were gone. Explain how much you meant to him. Writing how he and Samantha started to see each other. But how he wished it was you. But he stuffed them into a shoe box and wrote something else to send.

"Hey you're missing important plot points" you said while looking at the movie, bring a red vine to your lips.

Eddie looked at the screen and smiled. It was just the opening credits. He made his way to the couch sitting at the opposite end from you. That's when you did what you always did when it was just you two hanging out. You leaned your back against him propping your feet up on the couch. Pulling his arm around your shoulder.

" Missed you Eddie"

" Missed you too." He said just above a whisper.

For the whole movie he watched you while you watched it. Trying to find the right thing to say. And when the movie ended you yawned.

"Sleepy?" He asked

" mmm just a bit. Is it cool if I stayed the night?"

" uh yeah yeah sure"

You looked up at him. " Samantha won't be mad?"

" Why would she?"

" I don't know. Sharing your bed with another girl might not make her too happy."

" No I don't think she will. What about uh Vance?"

You shrugged. " He knows your my best friend. Even if he does mind then I'm gonna have to break up with him."

You would do that? For him? Ok this was happening.

Eddie watched you get up and turn off the TV and headed to his room. He cleaned up and followed you. You were already snuggled up in his blanket facing the wall. Eddie hesitate before changing into his pajamas. Which consisted of just a pair of sweat pants. He climbed in and got under the blankets back against the mattress looking up at the ceiling. He laid there for what felt like forever when you reached behind looking for his arm. Finally finding it you pulled him to spoon you.

His heart was racing and his breathing hitched. The sent of your shampoo filled his nostrils, making butterflies flutter in his stomach. Did you know that the actions you were doing had such an effect on him?

" Hey uhh y/n are you asleep?"

" not yet"

" umm I need to tell you something"

You turn to face him. Eyes droopy from tiredness. " What's up?" You whispered

" I uh was talking to Steve and Robin today...about you and uh Vance."

" uh huh"

" They said something about how he kinda looks like me"

You adjusted yourself a bit before answering. " huh yeah he kinda does"

You closed your eyes as Eddie continued

" they said that that's the reason why you are with him.... Because he looks like me."

" Umm ok?"

" Is that true? Are you seeing him because he reminds you of me?"

You laid on your back and rubbed your eyes to try and wake up a bit more. This was a conversation you hadn't planned on having.

" I uhh I don't know. Maybe"

" Maybe?"

You sighed. " Yeah maybe. Since you're with Samantha, I kinda just thought maybe it was time to move on. You know....get over you."

Over me? You were over me? Please please don't say that. He thought.

Silence fell. Only the dripping of the bathroom sink was all you could hear.

" ummm I-i don't want that."

" Don't want what Eddie?"

He hesitated. " I don't want you to be over me."

Now you were wide awake. You turned your head and were met with his big eyes.

" umm what?"

" I uhh I don't want you to stop liking me."

You were confused. Wasn't he still with Samantha?

" Why?" You asked

Eddie took in a sharp breath. " Because I'm in love with you."

You shot up and shook your head. You got up and went to the living room. With Eddie following.

"y/n?"

You let out a sarcastic laugh. " You have got to be joking?"

" I wasn't."

You put on your shoes and pulled on your jacket.

" Why? Why now?"

" Because y/n I just found out that you feel the same way."

"Felt." You corrected him.

" Felt?" Eddie was hurt.

" Yes Eddie. Felt!"

" Are you saying you don't have feelings for me anymore?"

" Eddie you have a girlfriend and I have Vance. We can't just hurt them like that."

You paused for a moment. Because yes you were still very much in love with him. But you guys were with other people now. What were you guys supposed to do? Break up with them and live happily ever after.

You guessed the moment took a bit longer than you intended because Eddie was now right in front of you.

"y/n I'm sure they would understand why."

" No Eddie. Have you met Vance? He's...he's violent. He will hurt you."

" Just because I don't get into fights doesn't mean I don't know how to. And if I get my ass handed to me then....then it will be worth it. If we can be together."

Eddie reached up to touch your face but you stepped back.

" Don't. Don't make me choose....don't make me choose between you and him....we had our chance and we missed it."

" No don't say that" Eddie took a step closer. "I can't promise you that." Eddie tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

" Here it is y/n. I love you. I love you so much. It feels like a piece of me is missing when you're not around. The type of love I have for you is the forever kind of thing. It's the kind of love that you throw your fist in the air when you finally get the girl. It's like wanting to hold a radio over my head towards your window. Like riding off into the sunset. Living happily ever after kind of love....I love you... Damnit y/n I love you so much. So please say you love me too. Because I know you do... Please baby. Please choose me. Pick me."

You didn't even know you were crying until Eddie was wiping away your tears.

" I can't." You shook your head. " I just can't."

You moved away from him and went to the door.

" y/n please just wait. Just wait. I have something for you."

You stood there shaking your head. When Eddie came back. He handed you a shoe box.

" in here is everything I ever wanted to say to you....please read them. And then make your decision."

You didn't looked at him. You just took the box and left.

...

@salenorona23 @let-love-bleeds-red

[portgasxy]

"If I knew how it was going to end, would I do it all over again?"

Warnings: Mention of child aggression and violence, angst, death of characters and kidnapping, you have been warned.

Author's notes: Hi, this is my first work on the platform and it couldn't be about any other topic than Tbp, which lately is my addiction, if you have any requests my box is open, I hope you enjoy it, thanks for your attention. =͟͟͞͞💌

Pairing: Robin x brother male reader (not romantically please)

"So tomorrow after school at your house?" Finney asked as he adjusted the strap of his backpack over his shoulder as he watched Robin nod.

"Yes, I'll buy us candy."

Finn smiled and said goodbye when he saw his sister waiting for him, Robin watched his friend walk away when he felt a hand grab his arm. Robin laughed turning his head back looking at his younger brother, (name) who found himself with an angry expression on his face.

"Come on, Robin. Sabes cómo a mamá no le gusta cuando llegamos tarde a casa".

(You know how Mom doesn't like us to be home late")

Name) Arellano, his brother two years younger. The boy was quite reserved and had a different personality from Robin he was not very sociable and hated Robin's quarrelsome side. Robin can remember all the lectures he received every time he came home injured and (name) healed his wounds.

(name) was also very smart he was an easy learner, so he and Robin were nicknamed the 'perfect duo' Robin is the body always protecting his brother from any bullies, and (name) was the body always helping Robin when he had difficulties with any matter. However, nobody was perfect and (name) had many flaws but the worst was that he could be very naive and kind he always helped others, anyone who needed help he was there and he can't even count how many lectures he got from his family for being like that, but (name) was like that by nature, he liked to help, he just didn't imagine that it would end up putting him in a big trouble.

✧✧✧

(Name), walking through the market parking lot next to his favorite candy store, he was there at the request of Robin who was busy helping his uncle wash his truck and couldn't leave anytime soon and as (Name) was bored and without his what to do Robin asked him to go buy them candy and Finney, (name) agreed he would take the opportunity to buy a present for Gwen, Finney's sister and the girl who made him feel thousands of butterflies in his stomach he plans to tell her eventually clear, he just needs to work up the courage to do it.

(Name) can't remember how or when he can only remember a white-faced cloaked gentleman dropping his groceries on the floor and him going to help and then he can only remember hearing a groan of pain coming from the man after get kicked and he tries to run only to feel an extra weight on his body and his head collide with the ground and then... he didn't see anything else.

(name) went through hell before he died, if he closed his eyes he could remember the leather belt that liked to paint his skin in shades of red and then turn to purple. He remembers screaming, crying and begging as he said he was going to be a good boy, he asked him to stop and he never did.

When he joined the other boys he spent most of his time crying, Vance nicknamed him the "cry baby" but couldn't help but end up clinging to him, but in fact in whom the dark haired boys found a kind of of solace had come to Griffin, when (name) saw Griffin the first thing he felt was an instinct to protect he felt the need to take care of the boy. It took a long time for (name), to "accept" his fate then he didn't cry anymore, he couldn't, he just felt pain and anger, anger because he didn't live his life as he should, no one lived there, and that was unfair to all of them.

He felt pain thinking about his family, pain thinking about his mother and his uncle stayed when he didn't come home that day, he wonders if Robin blamed himself too much when he found out about her disappearance, and there's Gwen, he thinks about her a lot. wish he had told her before, if he knew it would be like this would he do it all differently? He wasn't sure what would happen, he just knew he wouldn't have stopped to help that day, and he hated himself for it.

[chain-unchained]

December 17

The rustic twang of country guitar played over the jukebox in the Saloon. Sundays were far from the busiest days for the establishment, but there was always a handful of regulars that would come by, and someone would always plonk a few coins into the machine. The music was never loud enough to make conversation difficult; it was just there as background ambience.

It was a familiar song to Ashe as he stepped in through the door. By this point he’d visited so many times that he knew just about every track on the old machine. And this was one that he remembered fondly; he would often listen to it with his mother. Before the illness.

“Hey, there you are!”

Emily’s smile was a mile wide as she hastened around the counter to greet him. “It’s been forever since you stopped by.”

“Emily!” The hug they shared was mutual. “Sorry, just—I’ve been so busy.”

“No need to apologize. I’m just happy to see you again.” She held him back at arm’s length to study him with a critical eye. “You doing okay now?”

“Ah—” His cheeks flushed, and he looked anywhere but at her. “Yeah. I’m better. Definitely better.”

The smile was half-forced, half-genuine, and 100% embarrassed. It felt so awkward, having so many people ask him how he was doing these last few days. The same kind of awkwardness as standing there while people sang happy birthday.

“I’m glad to hear that. Don’t start pushing yourself too hard again, okay?” She gave his shoulders a squeeze. “You’ve got people you can talk to.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Good.” With another smile she let him go. “Well then, let me show you to the back. Shane’s waiting for you.”

The blush deepened. “He is? Am I late or something?”

“No no. He just got here early. Right this way.”

She led Ashe through the short swinging saloon doors to the left of the room. His heart began to flutter in his chest; it wasn’t their first date, but… this felt different to the gridball game. He didn’t know what to expect.

They made their way down the hall and to the private dining room. A ‘reserved’ sign hung from the hook in the center of the door, which sat slightly ajar. A different song was playing through the crack; it was softer, melodic.

‘Oh no—was I supposed to dress fancier?’

A nervous thought raced through Ashe’s mind as they drew near. The music sounded almost classical, and he couldn’t help but feel like maybe he should have dressed up a bit more.

“Hey, Emily?”

She stopped and turned back to him. “Yeah?”

“Um, is my outfit okay?”

“Hmm…” She observed him again. “Do a little spin for me.”

He did, the anxiety rising at the unreadable expression on her face. It wasn’t like he’d come here in his farming best— dark-washed bootcut jeans, his lavender turtleneck beneath a white sleeveless vest, his good boots—but the insecurity was there. He couldn’t help but doubt.

After a moment, Emily’s face split into another smile. “Very cute—Shane’s going to go crazy.”

“Really?” Ashe’s face lit up at the praise and prediction both. It was a relief for a worry that he knew was unfounded. “Whew… Thank you~”

“Hey, there’s that sunshine smile! I was getting worried I wouldn’t get to see it before winter ends.”

 The private room was small, and quaint, styled much the same as the bar area. Paintings decorated the walls, and one of Emily’s own hand-woven rugs adorned the floor, upon which an aged oak table rested. The music was coming from a smaller radio resting atop a matching end table in the corner; candle wall sconces cast a warm and gentle glow upon the red hues of wood and fabric both.

Shane was already there, of course—and Ashe’s face turned several shades of tomato red as his eyes fell upon him. Though his back was to the door, it was clear that he’d cleaned up for tonight. His hair, which he’d been letting grow out, was freshly washed and styled; he wore a well-fitted, plain dark sweater tucked into new jeans, with a black leather belt. He turned his head in response to the door opening—he’d even gone so far as to shave.

“Hey, you made it…”

His own voice trailed off as his eyes fell on Ashe, and there was a moment of silence as they both just stared at each other, somewhat slack-jawed.

“Wow,” Emily looked between the two of them, “you really are made for each other. I’ll go and grab some menus and some drinks to get you started.”

She traipsed out, shutting the door quietly behind her. Shane cleared his throat, his face nearly as red as Ashe’s at that point.

“You, uh… you look good, chickadee.”

“Th-thanks.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Ashe shyly added, “you do too.”

Shane grinned self-consciously. “Heh, you think so? Kinda feels like my gut’s gonna bust through this sweater…”

Ashe tip-toed closer until he was completely leaning against him, and his voice trailed off. “You look amazing,” the farmer mumbled, his face hidden in the fabric of Shane’s chest. “I can’t handle it.”

That was enough to silence Shane’s self-doubt—or at least keep him from vocalizing it further. “Yoba, you’re too cute.” He took the opportunity to steal both a hug and a kiss from his boyfriend, lingering perhaps a bit longer thank he intended to upon his lips. “So… d’you wanna sit down?”

“Y-Yes, please.”

It was with only minor reluctance that Shane stepped away from him to pull one of the chairs out from the table. He gestured for Ashe to sit, and pushed the chair back into place when he did. All the while, he had to fight to keep his hands from shaking. It had been at least a decade since he’d been on a fancy dinner date like this before, let alone with someone he cared so deeply about. He wanted it to be perfect.

By the time he’d taken his own seat opposite Ashe, Emily had returned with glasses of ice water—lemon slices included—and two menus. “Here you go,” she said with another smile. “Take your time, and press the buzzer when you’re ready to order.”

“Thanks, Emily.”

She dipped back out the door again, and for a moment there was silence as they both skimmed the menu. “Order whatever you want,” Shane said, glancing up to see the conflicted look on Ashe’s face. “Don’t worry about prices. It’s my treat.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He grinned. “I can afford to splurge on my favorite dweeb every now and then.”

Ashe hid his blushing pout behind the menu. It was hard to focus on choosing, because every few seconds he couldn’t help peeking over the top to get another look at Shane.

“… What?” Shane caught him staring. “Did I nick myself when I was shaving or something?”

“N-No no—It’s just—” He hid behind the menu again, face redder than it had been before. “I-I never realized how good you look with long hair. Sorry, I’ll stop.”

Now it was Shane’s turn to become a tomato head. “Bud, you’re gonna give me an ego with all these compliments.” He looked through the menu a bit more. To be honest, he was in the mood for pizza, but he wanted to impress Ashe—

“Would you judge me if I said I wanted pizza?”

He lowered the menu to look at him again. There was a meek sort of grin on the farmer’s face, which he was quick to hide once more behind his own.

“Nevermind, I’ll—pick something else.”

“Actually, I was literally just thinking the same thing.” Shane dropped the menu onto the table. “Do you just wanna order a large and split it?”

“Oh my Yoba, yes please.”

So much for a romantic dinner. Shane’s expectations went out the door, and with them the hesitant awkwardness that hung in the air. It was like they both settled back into their skins, and once the 16-inch pie was on the table they dug in. No forks, no plates, just greasy slices in hand and a couple of paper napkins.

“Ahh, I’m in heaven~” Ashe practically melted into his chair. “Sssooo good…”

“Yeah, it’s been awhile since I had one of his pizzas.” A long strand of cheese stretched out from Shane’s mouth to the slice he’d taken a bite from. The sign of a quality cheese pie. “This cheese didn’t come from Hanako, did it?” He joked.

“I wish it did! She’s still just a baby though. I was kind of thinking I might see about getting a full-grown cow in the meantime—sometimes I worry that she’s lonely, being in that big barn all by herself at night.”

“What about Silva?”

“Oh, well… Silva kind of picks on her a bit. I had Robin build her a stable.”

Shane sighed. “Bugaboo, I’m not gonna lie—that horse scares me.”

“I’m not giving her up.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that—” even though he really thought that was the best idea, “—I just want you to be extra careful with her. Please.”

The plea made Ashe deflate a bit. He picked up a strand of cheese that had fallen and nibbled on it before answering. “I will. Don’t worry, I haven’t tried to ride her yet. And I still really believe that she wouldn’t ever actually hurt me.”

“I sure hope that’s the case.”

Shane helped himself to another slice, hesitating only briefly in contemplation—it was going to be more calories to burn in the gym later—and taking a bite when he decided it was worth it.

After a minute, Ashe spoke again. “I, uh… I saw Dr. Vance yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s why you were gone. I was wondering.” Shane licked a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth. “You don’t have to answer, but how’d it go?”

“It went… good.” The farmer began to gently rock back and forth in his chair. “A lot of talking. It was harder than I thought it would be.”

Shane could see that he was getting nervous. Wiping his hand on one of the napkins, he held it out to Ashe across the table; after a moment, Ashe took hold of it. “Yeah, it can be like that sometimes. But it’ll get better. Might not ever be easy, but better.”

“I hope so.” The warmth of Shane’s hand was comforting, and the rocking ceased after a minute. Ashe even managed to smile as he added, “I’m getting really tired of crying my eyes out already.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of the process.”

“Did you cry?”

“Oh yeah. More than I’m comfortable admitting, honestly.” He laughed. “So yeah, don’t feel bad about it. It’s different for everyone, and some of us just gotta cry before we can start moving on.”

“Yeah… I guess so.” Ashe shifted in his seat. “… I know I’m the one who brought it up, but… can we talk about something else?”  

“Of course. Uhhh…” A stream of air blew past Shane’s lips as he fished around for a different topic. Of course now of all times he was drawing a blank.

“You still haven’t told me what you want for Christmas.”

Shit, that was the one he was hoping to avoid. “Cos I don’t want anything. I’ve already got all that I could ask for.”

“Shane,” Ashe leaned forward a bit, a very serious expression on his face, “I’m gonna get you something. It might as well be something you actually want.”

“Oh! Shit, that reminds me. Would it be okay if Jas hung out at the farm with you tomorrow?”

Ashe blinked. “Uh—of course. Why?”

“Because me and Marnie are gonna get some shopping done in Zuzu. And both Penny and Jodi are gonna be busy, and I feel bad for all the times they babysit her already. We’ll pay you for it, of course.”

“Oh, nonono you won’t.” He shook his head.

“You sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. Use that money to get Jas an extra present.”

“Bud, believe me, she’s gonna have more presents than she knows what to do with.” Shane wiped his hands on his napkin again and took a sip of lemon water. “What about you? You haven’t told me what you want.”

Ashe went quiet. The truth was, what he wanted more than anything was something that he knew he could never get back. But… well, there was one other thing…

“I just don’t want to be alone. That… That’s all…”

This time Shane gently took hold of both hands. “Who says you will be? The Feast lasts all day, and you can hang out at the ranch with us after. Okay? Don’t even worry about that.”

“I-I’ll try.” Ashe drew a shuddering breath. The emotions had utterly blindsided him, but at least he’d managed to keep from crying… again. But he was going to end up with whiplash with how all over the place his emotions were.

“You know, there’s gonna be a big countdown in Zuzu on New Years’ Eve. Would you feel up to going?”

“… Y-Yeah.” He managed a small smile. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”  

[bruce--yamada]

“ Denial. ” : Part one

This includes : Brance

Characters include : Vance, Bruce, Robin, Finney, Amy Yamada, Mrs Yamada

Tw : Vance

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Screaming was heard from the trailer, you would think someone was getting murdered. Things clashed against the thin walls of the mobile home.

"Vance- Calm down! Let's talk about this like two grown teenagers!" Robin pleaded. "NO!" Vance screamed back, throwing a cup at the side of the house. "Oh my fucking god, why. WHY ARELLANO, FUCKING WHY?" He yelled as he picked up a plate and threw it towards a terrified Robin.

"I DON'T KNOW PUTA, I'M NOT YOU." Robin yelled back. "PLEASE, JUST CALM DOWN AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS LIKE ALMOST ADULTS." Vance glared at him as he picked up another glass. His eye twitching a bit, he felt like he was going insane. All Robin was thinking about was why did he still go over to Vance's place.

"You don't understand Arellano." "THE FUCK I DO PUTA, I'M LITERALLY IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND??" Robin yelled, Vance felt his eye twitch again. He set down the glass and looked around at the mess he had caused around the home. "Shit, my dad is probably gonna kill me."

"Wanna stay at mine? Just till he'll calm down?" Robin suggested, sure. He was scared shitless and such, but Vance was still his friend. Vance shook his head. "Nah, you probably will have Finn come over. No thank you." Robin sighed and nodded, he stood up. Trying his best to avoid stepping on the broken pieces of everything. "Alright, I'mma get going. Just uh, don't be in denial."

Vance watched blankly as Robin left the trashed house. Denial?

"Denial? I'm not.." A pause, the blonde looked around the trashed trailer. "Fuck, I'm in in denial."

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Vance stood in front of the door, he stared at the numbers that stood in the middle of the seemingly pristine white door. For being in this town, it was always such a pretty house. At least to Vance who lived in the trailer park, Robin thought so too.

Vance sighed, was he actually going to do this? The people who lived here, they were so much better than the people he usually hung around. The kids here, nice good, clean records. Nothing like Vance.

He raised his hand and knocked gently against the door, he didn't knock too loudly nor too softly. He didn't usually worry about stuff like this. Now, he was.

The door opened, and at the entrance stood a woman. She looked just like her son, or well. He looked just like her. The pin straight raven black hair. The eye color, the facial features. Everything.

"Oh, why hello Vance. What can I help you with dear?" She spoke sweetly and softly. It was always a nice change to Vance. "Hi Mrs. Yamada. I was wondering if I could see Bruce?" He spoke back, just like she spoke to him.

"Mm, of course. Just give him a second dear. He's just helping Amy with her homework. Would you like to come in?" She asked, stepping to the side already for him to enter. "I'd love to." He waited for her to move fully so he could wipe his shoes off on the doormat, he didn't want to track mud in.

Going to Bruce's house always scared Vance. He was always so.. Different there. Polite. Respectful, quiet and nice.

Vance walked over to the steam cleaned couch, he made sure that his pants weren't dirty before he sat down. "Would you like something to drink, Vance?" Mrs Yamada spoke from the kitchen. Her voice was light and soft, but he could still hear her, even with the hushed classical music playing.

"Yes please." He spoke back, trying his best to keep his voice low.

Vance let his head snap towards the stairs that made a soft creaking sound, indicating that someone was walking down.

"Vance?" The boy spoke. "Hey-" Vance got up and smiled towards the other. "Hey." The other spoke back, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Vance walked over to the stairs and looked up at the other. "I wanted to maybe see if I could stay over? If that's okay with you Bruce-" He quickly added.

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, of course. Let me ask my mom." Vance nodded along what he said, he just stared up. Starstruck with how Bruce looked. He was definitely in denial, but he refused to let himself actually have feelings for the other.

Bruce brushed past Vance and went into the kitchen with his mother, Vance sighed. Debating going up the stairs, he didn't want to be too straight forward, if he wasn't allowed to stay the night, then he would just chill with Bruce for a bit downstairs. Not intrude on the other.

Bruce came back after a few seconds and smiled, holding a glass of tea. "She made tea and I told her it was fine for you to drink, is that all good?" He asked with a smile. "Yeah yeah. Of course, thank you." He smiled a bit as he took the cup.

"She said yes by the way. Do you have a bag with you?" Vance's mind went a bit blank at the question, he had just left his house with nothing but his decaying shoes, his jacket and that was it.

"Uh, nah-" He stopped himself. "No. No I didn't. Um, can we go to your room and I'll explain?" Bruce had a bit of a worried expression lingering on his face. "Of course man."

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Vance sighed as he sat down, he pulled his shoes off and looked around. Bruce's room was always so clean.

"So, what's up?" Vance felt the smile tugging at his lips, Bruce always did know when Vance was upset.

"Uh, yeah. My dad got pissed at me. Again." Bruce rolled his eyes. "That man-" "No." Vance cut him off and stood up. "It's my fault. I trashed the house, you could even ask Robin. Like, shit is trashed." Bruce raised a brow. "Okay..? Why did you do that?"

Vance was not going to tell the other the actual reason, he couldn't. "Well I-" He stopped and took a deep breath in. "You could say, I'm in.. Denial?" He hushed out. An oh sparked from the other.

"So, what is the Vance Hopper in denial about?" Vance let out an awkward laugh. He shrugged, letting his hands follow. He looked around in the room, everywhere but the reason. "I dunno, it's kind of embarrassing."

He felt so weird not cussing every other word, but he always tried to be respectful at Bruce's house.

"I'm sure it's not that embarrassing Vance." Bruce circled around Vance, the blonde let his head follow. "Oh it is though." He breathed out. "C'mon, you know you can tell me." It was an opening. "You can tell me, obviously you don't have to."

"I read you like a book, Yamada." Vance smiled, still letting his head follow the other. "And I read you like a novel." That sparked a small chuckle from Vance.

"Only if you knew.." He said in a hushed whisper. "Wanna go to the field?" Bruce spoke up. "Huh? Would your parents be good with that?" "Nobody said they would know." Bruce smiled, and Vance went red. "Bruce Yamada, where has this version of you been?"

Bruce was already at his window. "Right in front of you the entire time." He chuckled as he slid onto the roof. Vance stepped to the window and looked at the room one last time before he crawled out.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Tehe :)

[isslibrary]

New additions to the Indian Springs School Library May thru August 2020

Bibliography

Sorted by Call Number / Author.

152.4 O

Owens, Lama Rod, 1979- author. Love and rage : the path of liberation through anger. "Reconsidering the power of anger as a positive and necessary tool for achieving spiritual liberation and social change"--.

200.973 M

Manseau, Peter. One nation, under gods : a new American history. First edition.

304.8 K

Keneally, Thomas. The great shame : and the triumph of the Irish in the English-speaking world. 1st ed. New York : Nan A. Talese, 1999.

305.5 V

Vance, J. D., author. Hillbilly elegy : a memoir of a family and culture in crisis. First Harper paperback edition. "Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis--that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.'s grandparents were "dirt poor and in love," and moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually their grandchild (the author) would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that this is only the short, superficial version. Vance's grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother, struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. Vance piercingly shows how he himself still carries around the demons of their chaotic family history. A deeply moving memoir with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country." -- Publisher's description.

305.8 D

DiAngelo, Robin J., author. White fragility : why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism.

305.800973 D

Dyson, Michael Eric, author. Tears we cannot stop : a sermon to white America. First edition. I. Call to worship -- II. Hymns of praise -- III. Invocation -- IV. Scripture reading -- V. Sermon -- Repenting of whiteness -- Inventing whiteness -- The five stages of white grief -- The plague of white innocence -- Being Black in America -- Nigger -- Our own worst enemy? -- Coptopia -- VI. Benediction -- VII. Offering plate -- VIII. Prelude to service -- IX. Closing prayer. "In the wake of yet another set of police killings of black men, Michael Eric Dyson wrote a tell-it-straight, no holds barred piece for the NYT on Sunday July 7: Death in Black and White (It was updated within a day to acknowledge the killing of police officers in Dallas). The response has been overwhelming. Beyoncé and Isabel Wilkerson tweeted it, JJ Abrams, among many other prominent people, wrote him a long fan letter. The NYT closed the comments section after 2,500 responses, and Dyson has been on NPR, BBC, and CNN non-stop since then. Fifty years ago Malcolm X told a white woman who asked what she could do for the cause: Nothing. Dyson believes he was wrong. In Tears We Cannot Stop, he responds to that question. If we are to make real racial progress, we must face difficult truths, including being honest about how black grievance has been ignored, dismissed or discounted. As Dyson writes: At birth you are given a pair of binoculars that see black life from a distance, never with the texture of intimacy. Those binoculars are privilege; they are status, regardless of your class. In fact the greatest privilege that exists is for white folk to get stopped by a cop and not end up dead...The problem is you do not want to know anything different from what you think you know...You think we have been handed everything because we fought your selfish insistence that the world, all of it--all its resources, all its riches, all its bounty, all its grace--should be yours first and foremost, and if there's anything left, why then we can have some, but only if we ask politely and behave gratefully"--Provided by publisher.

305.800973 G

Begin again : James Baldwin's America and its urgent lessons for our own. New York, NY : Crown; an imprint of Random House, 2020.

305.800973 O

Oluo, Ijeoma, author. So you want to talk about race. First trade paperback edition.

320.9 B

Bass, Jack. The transformation of southern politics : social change and political consequence since 1945. New York : Basic Books, c1976.

323.1196 L

Lowery, Lynda Blackmon, 1950- author. Turning 15 on the road to freedom : my story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March. Growing up strong and determined -- In the movement -- Jailbirds -- In the sweatbox -- Bloody Sunday -- Headed for Montgomery -- Turning 15 -- Weary and wet -- Montgomery at last -- Why voting rights? -- Discussion guide. As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history.

364.973 U.S.

U.S. national debate topic, 2020-2021.

420 M

McCrum, Robert. The story of English. 1st American ed. New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Viking, 1986.

488.2421 A

Balme, M. G., author. Athenaze : an introduction to ancient Greek. Revised Third edition. Book I -- Book II.

510 C

Clegg, Brian. Are numbers real? : the uncanny relationship of mathematics and the physical world.

530.092 F

F©œlsing, Albrecht, 1940-. Albert Einstein : a biography. New York : Viking Penguin: a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc, 1997. Family -- School -- A "child prodigy" -- "Vagabond and loner" : student days in Zurich -- Looking for a job -- Expert III class -- "Herr Doktor Einstein" and the reality of atoms -- The "very revolutionary" light quanta -- Relative movement : "my life for seven years" -- The theory of relativity : "a modification of the theory of space and time" -- Acceptance, opposition, tributes -- Expert II class -- From "bad joke" to "Herr Professor" -- Professor in Zurich -- Full professor in Prague, but not for long -- Toward the general theory of relativity -- From Zurich to Berlin -- "In a madhouse" : a pacifist in Prussia -- "The greatest satisfaction of my life" : the completion of the general theory of relativity -- Wartime in Berlin -- Postwar chaos and revolution -- Confirmation and the deflection of light : "the suddenly famous Dr. Einstein" -- Relativity under the spotlight -- "Traveler in relativity" -- Jewry, Zionism, and a trip to America -- More hustle, long journeys, a lot of politics, and a little physics -- Einstein receives the Nobel Prize and in consequence becomes a Prussian -- "The marble smile of implacable nature" : the search for the unified field theory -- The problems of quantum theory -- Critique of quantum mechanics -- Politics, patents, sickness, and a "wonderful egg" -- Public and private affairs -- Farewell to Berlin -- Exile in liberation -- Princeton -- Physical reality and a paradox, relativity and unified theory -- War, a letter, and the bomb -- Between bomb and equations -- "An old debt. Albert Einstein's achievements are not just milestones in the history of science; decades ago they became an integral part of the twentieth-century world in which we live. Like no other modern physicist he altered and expanded our understanding of nature. Like few other scholars, he stood fully in the public eye. In a world changing with dramatic rapidity, he embodied the role of the scientist by personal example. Albrecht Folsing, relying on previously unknown sources. And letters, brings Einstein's "genius" into focus. Whereas former biographies, written in the tradition of the history of science, seem to describe a heroic Einstein who fell to earth from heaven, Folsing attempts to reconstruct Einstein's thought in the context of the state of research at the turn of the century. Thus, perhaps for the first time, Einstein's surroundings come to light.

530.092 G

Gleick, James. Isaac Newton. 1st ed. New York : Pantheon Books, c2003.

539.7 B

Lise Meitner : Discoverer of Nuclear Fission. Greensboro, NC : Morgan Reynolds, Inc, 2000. A biography of the Austrian scientist whose discoveries in nuclear physics played a major part in developing atomic energy.

598.07 T

Watching birds : reflections on the wing. United States : Ragged Mountain Press, 2000.

811 D

Dabydeen, David. Turner : new and selected poems. 2010. Leeds : Peepal Tree Press, Ltd, 12010.

811.54 J

Jones, Ashley M., 1990- author. Dark // thing. Slurret -- //Side A: 3rd grade birthday party -- //Side B: roebuck is the ghetto -- Harriette Winslow and Aunt Rachel clean -- Collard greens on prime time television -- My grandfather returns as oil -- Elegy for Willie Lee "Murr"Lipscomb -- Proof at the Red Sea -- Sunken place sestina -- Hair -- Antiquing -- The book of Tubman -- Harriet Tubman crosses the Mason Dixon for the first time -- Avian Abecedarian -- Harriet Tubman, beauty queen or ain't I a woman? -- Broken sonnet in which Harriet is the gun -- Recitation -- What flew out of Aunt Hester's scream -- Election year 2016: the motto -- Uncle Remus syrup commemorative lynching postcard #25 -- To the black man popping a wheelie on -- Interstate 59 North on 4th of July weekend -- Red dirt suite -- Love/luv/ -- Summerstina -- Ode to Dwayne Waye, or, I want to be Whitley -- Gilbert when I grow up -- I am not selected for jury duty the week bill -- Cosby's jury selection is underway -- A small, disturbing fact -- Water -- Today, I saw a black man open his arms to the wind -- Xylography -- I see a smear of animal on the road and mistake it for philando castile -- There is a beel at morehouse college -- Dark water -- Who will survive in America? or 2017: a horror film -- In-flight entertainment -- Imitation of life -- Broken sonnet for the decorative cotton for sale at Whole Foods -- Racists in space -- When you tell me I'd be prettier with straight hair -- (Black) hair -- Kindergarten villandelle -- Song of my muhammad -- Ode to Al Jolson -- Hoghead cheese haiku -- Aunties -- Thing of a marvelous thing / It's the same as having wings. A multi-faceted work that explores the darkness/otherness by which the world sees Black people. Ashley M. Jones stares directly into the face of the racism that allows people to be seen as dark things, as objects that can be killed/enslaved/oppressed/devalued. This work, full as it is of slashes of all kinds, ultimately separates darkness from thingness, affirming and celebrating humanity.

814.6 G

Gay, Roxane, author. Bad feminist : essays. First edition. A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay. "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink, all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

822.3 T

the tragical history of Doctor Faustus : The Elizabethan Play. Annotated & Edited by John D. Harris, 2018. Wabasha, MN : Hungry Point Press, 2018.

822.33 Shakespeare

Major literary characters : Hamlet. New York : Chelsea House Publishers, c. 1990.

822.8 W

Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900. An ideal husband. Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, 2000.

823.914

Vincenzi, Penny, author. Windfall. 1st U.S. ed. Sensible Cassia Fallon has been married to her doctor husband for seven years when her godmother leaves her a huge fortune. For the first time in her life, she is able to do exactly as she likes, and she starts to question her marriage, her past, her present, and her future. But where did her inheritance really come from and why? Too soon the windfall has become a corrupting force, one that Cassia cannot resist.

843.8 F

Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880. Three tales. Oxford ; : Oxford University Press, 2009. A simple heart -- The legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller -- Herodias.

909 S

Sachs, Jeffrey, author. The ages of globalization : geography, technology, and institutions. "Today's most urgent problems are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planetwide action if we are to secure a long-term future. But humanity's story has always been on a global scale, and this history deeply informs the present. In this book, Jeffrey D. Sachs, renowned economist and expert on sustainable development, turns to world history to shed light on how we can meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Sachs takes readers through a series of six distinct waves of technological and ideological change, starting with the very beginnings of our species and ending with reflections on present-day globalization. Along the way, he considers how the interplay of geography, technology, and institutions influenced the Neolithic revolution; the spread of land-based empires; the opening of sea routes from Europe to Asia and the Americas; and the industrial age. The dynamics of these past waves, Sachs contends, give us new perspective on the ongoing processes taking place in our own time-and how we should work to guide the change we need. In light of this new understanding of globalization, Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development. The Ages of Globalization is a vital book for all readers aiming to make sense of our rapidly changing world"--.

937.002 B

Bing, Stanley. Rome, inc. : the rise and fall of the first multinational corporation. 1st. ed. New York : Norton, c2006.

937.63 L

Laurence, Ray, 1963-. Ancient Rome as it was : exploring the city of Rome in AD 300.

940.3 B

Brooks, Max. The Harlem Hellfighters. First edition. "From bestselling author Max Brooks, the riveting story of the highly decorated, barrier-breaking, historic black regiment--the Harlem Hellfighters. The Harlem Hellfighters is a fictionalized account of the 369th Infantry Regiment--the first African American regiment mustered to fight in World War I. From the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France, bestselling author Max Brooks tells the thrilling story of the heroic journey that these soldiers undertook for a chance to fight for America. Despite extraordinary struggles and discrimination, the 369th became one of the most successful--and least celebrated--regiments of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters, as their enemies named them, spent longer than any other American unit in combat and displayed extraordinary valor on the battlefield. Based on true events and featuring artwork from acclaimed illustrator Caanan White, these pages deliver an action-packed and powerful story of courage, honor, and heart"--. "This is a graphic novel about the first African-American regiment to fight in World War One"--.

940.53 B

Browning, Christopher R., author. Ordinary men : Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland. Revised edition. One morning in Józefów -- The order police -- The order police and the Final solution : Russia 1941 -- The order police and the Final solution : deportation -- Reserve Police Battalion 101 -- Arrival in Poland -- Initiation to mass muder : the Józefów massacre -- Reflections on a massacre -- Łomazy : the descent of Second Company -- The August deportations to Treblinka -- Late-September shootings -- The deportations resume -- The strange health of Captain Hoffmann -- The "Jew hunt" -- The last massacres : "Harvest festival" -- Aftermath -- Germans, Poles, and Jews -- Ordinary men. In the early hours of July 13, 1942, the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, a unit of the German Order Police, entered the Polish Village of Jozefow. They had arrived in Poland less than three weeks before, most of them recently drafted family men too old for combat service--workers, artisans, salesmen, and clerks. By nightfall, they had rounded up Jozefow's 1,800 Jews, selected several hundred men as "work Jews," and shot the rest--that is, some 1,500 women, children, and old people. Most of these overage, rear-echelon reserve policemen had grown to maturity in the port city of Hamburg in pre-Hitler Germany and were neither committed Nazis nor racial fanatics. Nevertheless, in the sixteen months from the Jozefow massacre to the brutal Erntefest ("harvest festival") slaughter of November 1943, these average men participated in the direct shooting deaths of at least 38,000 Jews and the deportation to Treblinka's gas chambers of 45,000 more--a total body count of 83,000 for a unit of less than 500 men. Drawing on postwar interrogations of 210 former members of the battalion, Christopher Browning lets them speak for themselves about their contribution to the Final Solution--what they did, what they thought, how they rationalized their behavior (one man would shoot only infants and children, to "release" them from their misery). In a sobering conclusion, Browning suggests that these good Germans were acting less out of deference to authority or fear of punishment than from motives as insidious as they are common: careerism and peer pressure. With its unflinching reconstruction of the battalion's murderous record and its painstaking attention to the social background and actions of individual men, this unique account offers some of the most powerful and disturbing evidence to date of the ordinary human capacity for extraordinary inhumanity.

940.54 S

Snyder, Timothy. Bloodlands : Europe between Hitler and Stalin. New York : Basic Books, c2010. Hitler and Stalin -- The Soviet famines -- Class terror -- National terror -- Molotov-Ribbentrop Europe -- The economics of apocalypse -- Final solution -- Holocaust and revenge -- The Nazi death factories -- Resistance and incineration -- Ethnic cleansings -- Stalinist antisemitism -- Humanity.

951.03 S

The search for modern China : a documentary collection. Third edition.

973 M

Meacham, Jon, author. The soul of America : the battle for our better angels. First edition. Introduction : To hope rather than to fear -- The confidence of the whole people : visions of the Presidency, the ideas of progress and prosperity, and "We, the people" -- The long shadow of Appomattox : the Lost Cause, the Ku Klux Klan, and Reconstruction -- With soul of flame and temper of steel : "the melting pot," TR and his "bully pulpit," and the Progressive promise -- A new and good thing in the world : the triumph of women's suffrage, the Red Scare, and a new Klan -- The crisis of the old order : the Great Depression, Huey Long, the New Deal, and America First -- Have you no sense of decency? : "making everyone middle class," the GI Bill, McCarthyism, and modern media -- What the hell is the presidency for? : "segregation forever," King's crusade, and LBJ in the crucible -- Conclusion : The first duty of an American citizen. "We have been here before. In this timely and revealing book, ... author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. With clarity and purpose, Meacham explores contentious periods and how presidents and citizens came together to defeat the forces of anger, intolerance, and extremism. Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called 'the better angels of our nature' have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women's rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson's crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life has been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear--a struggle that continues even now. While the American story has not always--or even often--been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, "The good news is that we have come through such darkness before"--as, time and again, Lincoln's better angels have found a way to prevail."--Dust jacket.

976.1 S

Smith, Petric J., 1940-. Long time coming : an insider's story of the Birmingham church bombing that rocked the world. 1st ed. Birmingham, Ala. : Crane Hill, 1994.

F Bir

Birch, Anna, author. I kissed Alice. First. "Fan Girl meets Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda in this #ownvoices LGBTQ romance about two rivals who fall in love online"--.

F Bra

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012, author. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster trade paperback edition, 60th anniversary edition. Introduction / by Neil Gaiman -- Fahrenheit 451. The hearth and the salamander ; The sieve and the sand ; Burning bright. History, context, and criticism / edited by Jonathan R. Eller. pt. 1. The story of Fahrenheit 451. The story of Fahrenheit 451 / by Jonathan R. Eller ; From The day after tomorrow: why science fiction? (1953) / by Ray Bradbury ; Listening library audio introduction (1976) / by Ray Bradbury ; Investing dimes: Fahrenheit 451 (1982, 1989) / by Ray Bradbury ; Coda (1979) / by Ray Bradbury -- pt. 2. Other voices. The novel. From a letter to Stanley Kauffmann / by Nelson Algren ; Books of the times / by Orville Prescott ; From New wine, old bottles / by Gilbert Highet ; New novels / by Idris Parry ; New fiction / by Sir John Betjeman ; 1984 and all that / by Adrian Mitchell ; From New maps of hell / by Sir Kingsley Amis ; Introduction to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 / by Harold Bloom ; Fahrenheit 451 / by Margaret Atwood ; The motion picture. Shades of Orwell / by Arthur Knight ; From The journal of Fahrenheit 451 / by Fran©ʹois Truffaut. In a future totalitarian state where books are banned and destroyed by the government, Guy Montag, a fireman in charge of burning books, meets a revolutionary schoolteacher who dares to read and a girl who tells him of a past when people did not live in fear ... This sixtieth-anniversary edition commemorates Ray Bradbury's masterpiece with a new introduction by Neil Gaiman ; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Nelson Algren, Harold Bloom, Margaret Atwood, and others; rare manuscript pages and sketches from Ray Bradbury's personal archive; and much more ... --- From back cover.

F DeL

White noise. 2009; with an introduction by Richard Powers. New York, NY : Penguin Books, 2009.

F Gri

Grisham, John, author. Camino Island. First edition. Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer's block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable's circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets. But eventually Mercer learns far too much.--Adapted from book jacket.

F Hem

Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961, author. The sun also rises. The Hemingway library edition. The novel -- Appendix I: Pamplona, July 1923 -- Appendix II: Early drafts -- Appendix III: The discarded first chapters -- Appendix IV: List of possible titles. A profile of the Lost Generation captures life among the expatriates on Paris' Left Bank during the 1920s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain, and the moral and spiritual dissolution of a generation.

F Hur

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching god. 1st Harper Perennial Modern Classics ed. New York : Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Foreword / Edwidge Danticat -- Their eyes were watching God -- Afterword / Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- Selected bibliography -- Chronology. A novel about black Americans in Florida that centers on the life of Janie and her three marriages.

F Kid

Kidd, Sue Monk. The invention of wings. The story follows Hetty "Handful" Grimke, a Charleston slave, and Sarah, the daughter of the wealthy Grimke family. The novel begins on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership over Handful, who is to be her handmaid, and follows the next thirty-five years of their lives. Inspired in part by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke (a feminist, suffragist and, importantly, an abolitionist), the author allows herself to go beyond the record to flesh out the inner lives of all the characters, both real and imagined. -- Provided by publisher. "Hetty 'Handful' Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke's daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. The novel is set in motion on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other's destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women's rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, the author goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful's cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This novel looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved. -- Publisher's description.

F Nab

Vladimir Nabokov. Glory. United States : McGraw-Hill International, Inc, 1971.

F Orw

Orwell, George, 1903-1950. 1984. Signet Classics. New York, NY : Berkley: an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC, c. 1977. "Eternal warfare is the price of bleak prosperity in this satire of totalitarian barbarism."--ARBookFind.

F Sal

Salinger, J. D. (Jerome David), 1919-2010. Nine stories. 1st Back Bay pbk. ed. Boston : Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, 2001, c1991. A perfect day for bananafish -- Uncle wiggily in Connecticut -- Just before the war with the Eskimos -- The laughing man -- Down at the dinghy -- For Esme--with love and squalor -- Pretty mouth and green my eyes -- De Daumier-Smith's blue period -- Teddy. Salinger's classic collection of short stories is now available in trade paperback.

F Tho

Thomas, Angie, author. The hate u give. First edition. "Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life"--.

F Tho

Thomas, Angie, author. On the come up. First edition. Sixteen-year-old Bri hopes to become a great rapper, and after her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, must decide whether to sell out or face eviction with her widowed mother.

F Tol

The Hobbit : or There and Back Again. First U.S. edition; Illus. by Jemima Catlin, 2013. New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers, 2013.

F Ver

Around the world in 80 days. Classics. Trans. by Geo. M. Towle. Lexington, KY, : October 29. 2019.

F Ver

Around the world in 80 days. Illustrated First Edition. Translated by Geo. M. Towle. Orinda, CA : SeaWolf Press, 2018.

F. Gri

Belfry Holdings, Inc. (Charlottesville, Virginia), author. Camino winds : a novel. Hardcover. "#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham returns to Camino Island in this irresistible page-turner that's as refreshing as an island breeze. In Camino Winds, mystery and intrigue once again catch up with novelist Mercer Mann, proving that the suspense never rests-even in paradise"--.

SC A

Alomar, Osama, 1968- author, translator. The teeth of the comb & other stories.

SC Mac

Machado, Carmen Maria, author. Her body and other parties : stories. Contains short stories about the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. "In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella 'Especially Heinous,' Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naïvely assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgängers, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes. Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction." -- Publisher's description.

[tunesscribbles]

Sanji x Male!Reader

AN: This is a collection of not quite chronological snippets | I listened to ‘Lost On You’ by LP and ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy a lot while writing this

Penny For Your Thoughts?

"I've heard a saying that a some men can live for 2 months on a good compliment alone.", you heard Robin say as you both watched Sanji leave the library after he had brought her some tea. You let out a dry chuckle, remembering how the cook had happily twirled around upon hearing a simple "thank you" from the archaeologist. "I feel like Sanji could survive for half a year on less than that as long as it comes from a woman.", you said in return. Robin took a sip from her tea before smiling softly. "I'm afraid you don't give yourself enough credit on this matter.", with that she resumed reading and you were left to wonder about her words. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know", you pronounced your thoughts out loud, "I think if Sanji was less pushy a lot of girls would be into him." After all he was a good guy if you got to know him and certainly far from bad looking. Your observation was met with silence. Which wasn't surprising, considering you were sitting alone in the crows nest on night shift. You nodded to yourself. Night shift was so boring when nothing happened. You threw another glance out the window. Still nothing but a calm ocean and a starry night. With not much else to do, these were the kinds of thoughts that popped into your brain at this ungodly hour in the morning. Of course they weren't all exclusively about the cook, that would be concerning. Though you had to admit he's been on your mind more often recently. Huh. Nah, it's nothing serious. However you still made it a point to think about something else. Finally the sun came out and your shift was over. It was still very early in the morning, maybe around five. You climbed back down from the lookout. You turned around just in time to see Sanji emerge from the guys dorm, hair slightly wavy, wearing casual clothes and stifling a yawn while fumbling with a cigarette and a lighter. The early sun rays casted soft shadows on his form. All in all he still looked a bit sleepy. "Oof", you said breathlessly in place of a stronger word. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Everything alright, Sanji? You seem a bit traumatized." The two of you were running errands when suddenly the blond stopped walking in front of some clothing boutique. He looked like he was having a flashback, but not the nice kind. More like he was remembering something disturbing. "Sanji?", you tried again and poked his shoulder this time. "It's nothing!", he said in the exact voice someone uses when it's definitely not nothing and started to walk away from the store. "You sure?" A wave of pink lipstick terror swept through his mind again. He lit up a new cigarette. "A hundred percent." You decided to drop the subject. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You were in and out of consciousness. You had tried getting up a couple of times but that hadn't worked out. So you decided to wait for one of your crew members to pick you up or until you could feel your limbs properly. One moment you were looking at the sky, the next your vision faded to black. The next memory you had was of you coughing up some more blood. Things got mushy in between but at some point you heard a voice calling out your name. You managed to open your eyes. "Sanji?", your voice sounded croaky and the inside of your mouth tasted metallic. You saw the cook walk over to you. "Man, that bastard got you good, huh?" You tried shrugging, bad idea. "Nah, 'm just taking a nap. You should see the other guy." "Oh, I saw.", he said with a slight grin. "Can you get up?" Your vision blurred again and turned Sanji into a vague black, blond and crimson shape. "Uh..I might need some assistance." He helped you get back to your feet but you had to lean on him for support or else you and the ground would reunite. As you began walking back to the ship he told you how the others were. You tried to focus on his voice but didn't quite succeed. It became harder to open your eyes again after blinking. "Hey, don't pass out [Name]." He sounded concerned. You should get a grip on yourself! " 'm not gonna pass out!", you said, before losing consciousness. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man you know you're really starved for affection when someone gives you a friendly pat on the back and your knees get all wobbly, you thought as you tried to keep your composure when you met Sanji again after two years. Followed by an intrusive thought of the second worst kind: What if we hugged? No, no, no, stop! The chances of you being able to let go in case of a hug were fairly slim, besides... You looked over to find the cook sort of levitating behind a group of women. "You've got to be kidding me!", you muttered while burying your face in your hand. You decided to abandon this entire situation to return to the Sunny then and there. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The strawhats were celebrating something. What exactly you were celebrating had however currently slipped from your mind. Maybe that was because you were more than a bit drunk. "What are you doing up here?" You turned around to see Sanji exiting the kitchen. "I'm getting a good view on my favourite people. You gotta get down there though, so the picture's complete!", you replied and pointed towards the main deck where the crew had gathered for the festivities, whatever they were. His lips quirked in amusement and a hint of fondness. "Alright.", he said and did as he was told. You grinned widely as you framed the scene with your hands. Your crew, the people you love the most, all together, safe and happy. You wanted this image to burn itself into your mind, so you would always remember it. A sort of bubbly feeling of happiness soared in your chest. It made you want to giggle with glee. "Oi, [Name] get down here!", you heard Usopp call. "Watch out!", you shouted before jumping off the railing onto the deck. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "How's [Name]?", Sanji asked the doctor. Chopper finished bandaging your leg. "There is some internal bleeding, but he's strong. He will be fine.", Chopper assured the cook. "And I've got the best doctor to take care of me." You slowly cracked your eyes open and smiled a bit when you saw the reindeers flustered dancing. "If you just acted like you were unconscious to get me to carry you back to the Sunny, I will kick you across the ship!" Sanji feigned exasperation but sounded somewhat relieved. "THERE'S NO KICKING THE PATIENTS!", Chopper yelled and tried to shield you with his tiny body, bless his soul. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanji doesn't quite remember when but at some point the feeling in his chest blossomed into something he could no longer deny. If he didn't talk about it soon, it would probably tear his body apart. Yet every time he tried to it got crushed between his teeth and his pride or the nicotine in his lungs and the fear in his throat. So he couldn't do much more than sneak a few glances over to where you sat next to Usopp, who was telling you and Chopper about his superior fishing techniques. It was funny how the same emotion could feel so violent at times and so gentle in other moments. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You absentmindedly watched the ocean waves from the swing on the main deck. Today was a bit of a slow day. You know, those days where everything feels heavy and sluggish. Even the vibrant life aboard the Sunny seemed dull. Maybe you were a little bit homesick, or a lot. But that's alright, your bad mood would pass sooner or later. Suddenly a plate with your favourite food from your home island appeared in your field of vision. "You looked like you could need something to cheer you up a bit.", Sanji said nonchalantly while handing you the plate. Your eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you!", you smiled brightly at him and started eating. You didn't notice how his cigarette smoke took on the shape of hearts for a moment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was one of the rare quiet moments that Sanji relished. You two were cuddling together on the upper deck. He watched as you played with his hands. He heard the voices of some of his crewmembers from the main deck, they seemed to be mildly arguing. If he focused on it he could hear the faint clanking of metal, which meant either Franky or Usopp were tinkering in their workshop. Sanji heaved a content sigh and nuzzled his face into the bend between your neck and shoulder. As you let out a quiet giggle because of his beard tickling you he felt close to swooning. Sometimes he feared one day all the love he felt for you would become too big for his body. He could already feel it trickling through the seams. Something behind his ribs ached. It was a good kind of ache, but an ache nonetheless. He squeezed you a bit tighter in an effort to pull himself together. "You okay?", you asked him curiously. He hummed in response and then added: "Can you say it again?" He could practically hear you smile. You shifted around a bit so you could look at him. "Ready?" He nodded. You leaned in and whispered the desired words so quietly only he could hear, because they were meant for him alone: "I love you." If he hadn't kissed you that instant he would have burst at the seams.

[purplebenjy]

2005-Part 2

There’s six patients at his next session. Then nine. Then twelve. Dorcas has stopped participating to give up her spot to the thirteenth member, new today, a girl with nails that are bloody stumps and a smile that doesn’t reach her glazed over eyes. She gets her long dirty red hair in the paint and Dorcas has to gently help her tie it back.

RJ had missed last week’s but was back again, sitting determinedly next to a boy who looked maybe a year or two older than him, and twice as nervous. Katie, ever the faithful student, was still remarkably skinny, though Benjy could see a noticeable difference in five weeks of classes. Deena was in her usual spot in the back, but Benjy noticed she was quieter than usual that day, only heckling Benjy twice through his muddled lesson. Their sessions have extended to an hour and a half, so all of them spend the first sixty minutes putting paint on paper. He makes the rounds after that, pausing and smiling big when Rj tugs on his flannel to show him what he’s made. 

“You uh, get it?”

Benjy laughs delightedly. It was a painting of a young boy with the head of a cow, floating in space. 

“Space Cow Boy. Amazing and really well done. Rj you’re really talented.” He blushes, the tips of his ears turning bright pink. The boy next to him smiles shyly at RJ when he looks down.

“I’m glad you came back.”

“Me too. Vance told me I should.”

Benjy introduces himself to Vance and tries not read into the shy, borderline flirty smiles the boys are exchanging. Katie and her friend also from the ED program, Shawna, have both painted sunflowers. Her strokes are finally looser, slightly less perfect, though Benjy knows she’s got a long battle ahead of her. 

When he finally makes his way back to Deena, he’s surprised. Every session after their first one had depicted some sort of flying penis motif, but not this time. She’s painted a field, with mountains in the background. Her talent is obvious, it’s a semi-photo realistic style that Benjy has never even really been able to master himself. In the field there are all sorts of wildflowers and walking through them are a little girl with unruly tangled hair and a woman with slightly less wild curls. They’re facing the mountains, only the backs of them visible, their blue dresses picked up by a breeze Benjy can almost feel. Deena’s coloring in the raised arm of the mother, and she glances up at Benjy when he sits down beside her. 

“Deena...”

“I’m more than just flying dicks you know.”

She’s studying him now, Benjy can feel it. Waiting for his approval-a feeling he knows all too well, he can feel it coming off of her almost in waves. It’s bizarre to be in this position, to be on the other side of the canvas as it were, but he’s here, and Deena’s eyes are boring into him. 

“I know. I just didn’t know...you’re incredible.”

She scoffs. Without thinking, Benjy grabs her hand. “I mean it.”

She smiles, a real smile. A rare smile. She squeezes his hand once and lets it go.

“Thank you. I was..I mean I’m going to be again, in a program for art. It was just...a lot. My parents are splitting up and I...”

She trails off, glancing around the room. It’s alive with chatter and activity of the other patients and the two other nurses Dorcas rounded up to help her. No one’s hearing her, so Deena lets the wall down, just a little.

“It’s been hard. But I’m-I go home tomorrow, Benjy.”

He hears the excitement and fear in her voice as pride swoops through his heart.

“D, that’s great.”

“I’m terrified.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Deena snorts. “Oh yeah? When was the last time you were terrified?”

“When was my first session here again?”

That makes her smile again. 

“I hope it’s a good thing. I’m uh...” She drops her gaze to the painting. “I’m gonna miss you.”

The pride turns into affection.

“I’m gonna miss you too. But I can talk to Bernie about an outpatient program maybe...”

Deena shakes her head.

“No uh, other people need you more than me.”

“I mean, clearly.” Benjy says, nodding at her painting. “I can’t do that shit. You’re remarkable.”

“Not like you are.” She says, looking at him again. She clears her throat.

“You know how whenever you talk about your mom, you say she’s the best person in the world?”

“I talk about my mom that much?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, I’m really cool.”

Deena laughs.

“Well, uh, my mom’s the best person in the world too. She got me in here, came to visit as much as they let her and...well after you came the first time, I finally could talk to her. It was just about the session at first but then…” She smiles. 

“I told her about you. About what you do. She asked me what your name was and she uh, knew you?”

Wildly, for a second that doesn’t make sense, Benjy wonders if Deena is one of Forest’s daughters. He shakes himself. At most they were middle schoolers right now, barely if that. Still, his chuckle is nervous when he speaks. 

“Um, how?”

“Her name’s Donna-uh, Donna Pierce?” 

Deena keeps talking but Benjy feels a little piece of him die. Donna Pierce was arguably one of the most influential art agents in not only the Bay Area, but the whole fucking state. She’d been at his showcase. She’d shaken his hand and taken a sample of his portfolio-he found out later he was one of only two she’d done that with. And she was one of the agents’ whose assistants had told him they’d call him, but he hadn’t heard anything.

“She saw me at school.” He says dumbly. Deena laughs.

“That’s what I just said. Anyway we’ve sort of just...talked about you and painting and stuff when talking about the other stuff was too hard. She wants to meet you again-she left her personal card for you at the front desk. I hope uh-I hope that’s okay. You obviously don’t have to call her if you don’t want to.”

“I think I’m going into shock.”

Deena laughs.

“Yeah uh, she’s a pretty big deal. That’s part of why all of this was just….like I’m her kid and if I fuck up it’s twice as bad, you know?”

Benjy softens, snapping out of his surprise for a moment.

“I doubt she’d ever see you as a fuck-up.”

Deena grins.

“That’s what she said too.”

~~

Cass glances nervously towards the corner booth. He’s been cleaning the same mug for the past 20 minutes, which happens to be about as long as Benjy has been having a conversation with Donna Pierce. She’d almost look out of place in the Spacey KC’s if it weren’t for her wild collection of curls. Her sharp red blazer stands out  aggressively against the seafoam green of the wall she sits in front of. Cass smiles to himself when Benjy says something that makes her laugh, the sound crossing the cafe and hitting him at the  rainbow bar. She’s got black cat eye glasses and light green eyes that look like they could easily turn cold, but they look like they’re at least entertained by his boyfriend as he sits across from her. He can only see the back of Benjy’s head but he studies it all the same, a smile crosses his face for a moment when he notices the blue streak is fading back to the almost white bleach they’d put in it. He’s not messing with his hair too much, which either means he’s not nervous at all or too nervous to do it. Benjy’s jean clad leg is bouncing under the table but it always was. He’d worn the “Kinda Gay” shirt today after almost 20 minutes of debating with himself. He’d finally decided on it, not wanting to hide himself, even if it meant risking what this opportunity could be. Cass was proud of him either way, and of course he knew Benjy knew that. He knew Benjy was talented and if things didn’t work out with Donna, they’d work out with someone else. But still-he’d been lower than either of them had really realized before he’d started volunteering to do the therapy sessions. Cass had watched Benjy come back to life after each of them, his self assurance blooming again, his confidence rising, wounds that were still painful healing a little more each time. If Benjy could get an agent...well, when he does get an agent, Cass was sure he’d be completely unstoppable. He already was of course, but he needed something to remind him, to fully light that fire again-

“Shit.”

Cass quickly averts his eyes as Benjy turns around to look at the counter, grinning like an idiot at the too clean mug in his hands when a snippet of what Benjy is saying drifts over to him.

“That beautiful tall one? Who doesn’t fit in at all with the Rainbow Brite thing that’s going on? That’s the love of my life.”

“Um, hello?”

Cass whips his attention to cash register and smiles sheepishly at the customer. Well, not customer. It’s Carly-one of the co-owners and his boss.

“Hey, hey, Car. Sorry.”

“Is that her?”

Everyone at work knew about Benjy’s meeting today, mostly because he couldn’t stop nervous babbling about it to anyone who would listen, and whenever Cass was at KC’s, Benjy wasn’t far away. Cass just nods, playing it cool and Carly, mercifully, picks up on the hint. Kat, her wife, was far less subtle, and probably would’ve gone over to also introduce herself. Cass makes Carly the weird herbal tea she stocks for pretty much only for her own use and she settles at the robin egg blue part of the bar, close to the register-doing the books but also listening in. 

When Cass goes back to his mug, Donna and Benjy stand up. They shake hands, and then, in something that appears to surprise them both, Donna pulls Benjy in for a quick, maternal hug. She laughs a little sheepishly, but Benjy says something to her that makes her instantly relax. They speak in low voices, probably because Benjy was highly aware of eavesdroppers. Donna Pierce straightens her blazer and with a nod to Cass, who doesn’t even pretend to not be staring, she leaves the cafe.

His eyes find Benjy’s as he walks over to the counter, hands in his pockets, body language casual.

“Hi baby.” 

“Hi…”

Benjy smiles at him in a way that really shouldn’t be legal and Cass can barely resist the urge to reach over the bar and pull him in for a kiss.

“Do I look different?”

Benjy cocks his head to the side slightly when he asks, the small gold earring in his ear catching the light. Cass’s eyebrows come together; that wasn’t what he was expecting him to say.

But he should know by now; Benjy Fenwick is anything but what’s expected of him. 

“Uh, no? Not really? Should you?”

“Well I thought you know, landing an agent, therefore making me an official professional artise would make me a bit more-”

Benjy doesn’t get to finish his thought because Cass lets out a cry of delight and gives into temptation, grabbing the sides of his face and bending ¾ of his body over the bar to kiss Benjy victoriously, swallowing his laughter and breaking away in astonished giggles.

“Shut the fuck up!”

“I’m guessing it’s good news?” Carly says dryly, glancing up from her books with a smile that betrays her. Benjy’s grinning almost manically and he nods so fast Cass actually sees a blur.

“Congratulations, Benj. You deserve it.” She jerks her head to the door as her eyes find Cass.

“Go. Celebrate. I can start half an hour early.”

“Are you sure?” Cass asks, already untying his apron. Carly nods, her smile growing.

“Your lives just fucking changed, of course I’m sure. You only get to celebrate this once.” 

Cass doesn’t even bother to properly walk around the counter, opting instead to clamor over it to get to Benjy as fast as possible, squeezing him in a bone crushing hug that lifts him slightly off of the ground.

“I knew you’d get it.” He tells his hair, Benjy just grins back at him. They leave the shop and start walking home, their hands firmly together, safe in their own neck of the city. Benjy breaks the contact soon, energy pouring out of him as he recaps everything for Cass, practically dancing as he walks backwards on the sidewalk.

“So she said she remembered me from school, even before Deena mentioned me-and I was honestly already in her ‘possibilities pile’ which is just...I want one of those. How fucking bad ass. But anyway, she remembered my name since it’s you know, ridiculous. And then she said uh, she remembered me because of my talent, but she was giving me a shot because of my compassion, which you know...pretty cool.”

Cass knew it was a lot more than ‘pretty cool’. He could see it on Benjy’s face, the way he spoke, how his eyes danced right along with him-he didn’t need to explain himself further.

“And we talked about Deena for a long time and just...god Cass, she’s such a cool kid and just, like, even if her mom had been like a dentist or something, I still would’ve loved meeting her like this, you know? But she’s not a dentist and now…”

His smile kind of fades and Benjy stops, Cass watches it all sink in right in front of him. When Benjy meets his eyes again, galaxies are forming.

“I’m real.”

Cass closes the distance between them and kisses him sweetly. He wants to tell Benjy that he’s always been real, that he would’ve been real no matter what had happened, but he knows what Benjy  means. And he doesn’t want to take even a fraction of any of this away from him. 

“You’re real.” He says, taking his hand again and giving it a squeeze. Benjy tells him all about logistics, the next steps, how he made sure he could still do the program at the hospital-answering Cass’s questions as best as he can. When they get to their building, Cass starts to unlock the door as Benjy balances on the top of the railing like always.

“You know what one was her favorite?”

Warmth is already spreading to Cass’s cheeks, instincts and the way Benjy’s voice has gone impossibly soft giving him a hint.

“What one?”

Benjy hops off the railing and stands on his tip toes to reach Cass’s lips fully.

“You, your highness. Your photograph. My favorite too.” 

Their fingers are locked together as they climb the stairs. Benjy pauses when they get to their landing.

“Do you think Carly was right? Is everything about to change?”

Someone not fluent in Benjy would’ve missed the tiny hint of doubt in his voice, but not Cass. He pushes some of Benjy’s hair out of his face and smiles at him.

“I think so, Star Eyes. But you know what?”

“What?”

“So far, every change with you has been a good one.”