#aaron with glasses is cute too omg

[finelinevogue]

Hiii, I love ur work and I’m so down bad for Hotch rn :) I was wondering if you could write something like he’s always opening doors for her or pulling out her seat and just cute littler mannerisms he does for his BAU gf :)❤️

omg hi thank you so much my lovely! i’m so in love with this ask tysm!! <3

pairing - aaron hotchner x girlfriend!reader

word count - +1k

Aaron Hotchner’s love language was acts of service.

He wasn’t very confident with his words, having historically always managed to say the wrong things to the people closest to him.

What Aaron hadn’t quite understood, however, was that his actions were often ten times louder than his words. He didn’t have to constantly reassure you he loved you in words, because he was always doing something to show you he did.

1. He holds the doors open for you

It had been moving office day.

You were struggling to balance all your boxes in your arms at the same time as looking over them to watch where you’re going.

After climbing up the stairs from the third floor to the fourth floor, you came across the glass doors to enter the main office area.

“Sorry, excuse me…” You said as a man walked past, but he didn’t stop.

“Hi, sorry to bother you…” A woman walked by but didn’t stop either.

You sighed, trying to peer for where the door handle was without dropping anything.

Luckily your new boss, and boyfriend, came to your rescue.

“Honey, careful. What are you trying to do?” Hotch appeared at your side, taking off a box from the top of your pile and opening the door all in one sweep.

He held the door open for you to walk through first, looking over you to make sure you’re okay.

“Everyone’s clearly having an off day. No one would help me open the door, even when I asked politely.” You pouted.

“Give me names.” Hotch said seriously as you walked through the door.

“Aaron…”

“Names, please.”

2. He peels your oranges

It had been a weekend and you and Aaron hadn’t been on a case, so you were both enjoying some time together at home.

Aaron had just asked you to pause the movie you’d been watching whilst he went and got you both a snack.

He had been gone too long now and so you had to investigate - like the special agent you are.

“Aaron? Love?” You called out.

You walked into the kitchen to find him stood behind the counter, peeling an orange - your favourite fruit.

There was a little bowl of melted chocolate and a little bowl of strawberries which had been cut and sliced the way you like.

He continued to peel the orange and take off all the white stringy bits, the way he knew you liked it to be. It made it easy to eat for you without getting your hands the slightest bit messy.

“Honey.” You pouted with loving eyes.

He was just the best.

“What?” He smirked, showing off a dimple he only reserved for you.

“You know what.” You said, rounding the counter to hug him from behind. You held him tight, squeezing your love into him the best you could.

You loved and appreciated him so much and after everything he does for you, a hug was the least he deserved.

3. He warms your clothes

An odd act of affection that Aaron does that you love is when he warms your clothes.

You remember one time when you had gone to visit a friend after work and had come home late all you could think about was having a cup of tea, getting into your pyjamas and going to bed.

Luckily your boyfriend knew you all too well and had prepared.

You’d come home and everything was ready.

You dropped your keys on the kitchen counter with an exhausted sigh of relief.

Your boyfriend walked into the room moments later, empty cup of coffee in his hand ready to wash. How he drinks coffee this late you’ll never try to understand.

“Hey.” You smiled tiredly.

Aaron rounded the counter and leant down to give you a kiss. It was slow and sweet, feeling like you have all the time in the world when you’re in your home together.

“Hey.” He pulled away to kiss your forehead. “How was Claire?”

“Oh you know? Marital troubles as usual.”

“No. I don’t know.” Aaron washed out his cup as he spoke, giving you a hearty smile.

“And you never will know marital troubles if you keep washing your dishes like that.” You cheekily slapped his ass and he gave you a chuckle in response.

Just before you could leave the room Aaron called your name.

“Your clothes are on the radiator to keep them warm and there’s a tea on your bedside table.”

You just stared at him whilst he dried his now clean mug - it was the one you had bought him as one of the first gifts you gave him, because back then you didn’t want to seem like you were coming on too strong.

It almost made you want to cry with how thoughtful he was. Keeping your clothes warm and making you a tea were kind of the bare minimum in societies books, but in yours it was the mark of true love and going above and beyond.

“Aaron, baby?”

“Yeah?”

“If that was your way of proposing, then yes I’ll marry you.”

4. PDA

If there was one thing that Aaron hated, it was PDA. Which is why it was all the more special when it did happen.

You remember this one time where you were on your way back from a case and on the jet.

“I don’t get why you two don’t share a hotel room when we’re on a case? You’d save the Bureau hundreds.” Morgan said, from where he was sat across from Hotch.

Morgan had noticed that Hotch kept looking at your uncomfortable frame trying to get some sleep on the chair next to him. It really was killing Hotch not to help you.

Hotch looked up at Morgan.

“We discussed it with HR. They said it wasn’t workplace appropriate.” Hotch answered in the most cryptic way possible.

“Mhm.”

“Doesn’t stop them from sneaking into each others rooms like a pair of coming-of-age teenagers.” Emily joked, but she was more a less correct.

“What HR doesn’t know, they don’t know.” Hotch said and that shut down that conversation.

“Well they won’t know if you hold her to sleep then either, will they boss man?” Morgan suggested, before getting up from the chairs and going to sit on the sofa with Reid.

Hotch looked over your trying-to-sleep body.

You had heard the entire conversation, but had been too tired to open your eyes or contribute in any way.

It was only when you felt your boyfriends hands move the arm rest up between you both that you became restless.

“C’mon.” He spoke softly to you.

His hands helped guide you to move in your chair, until your body was angled back against Hotch’s side.

One of his arms came around your body to hold you in place securely against him. The other came to hold your hand in his, making sure you were tightly held for comfort more than anything.

“Love you.” He whispered into your hairline.

“Mm.” You responded, too tired to form a coherent response but Aaron knew what you meant nevertheless. He always did.

[ssahotchnerr]

ik i’ve been blowing up your inbox BUT! finding out ellie needs glasses so you, penelope and her make a little girls day out of picking her first pair of frames out!

STOP omg that's so adorable 😭 (and pls feel free to send ANY thoughts there could never be enough!!!🫶🏻)

it only makes sense for penelope to come along 🥹🥹🥹 hehe ellie's only grown up seeing allllll of her aunt penny's colorful frames and she absolutely has to match 🥹 plus the fact that her auntie has glasses helps tremendously: ellie wasn't too happy on needing glasses to begin with, but once you mentioned she'd be like penelope, she's on board completely 💓

ellie gets the most adorable pink pair, and now whenever penelope sees her, she wears her own pink glasses as well 🥰

but making a day out of it!!!!!! the three of you go out to lunch, the glasses store - which happens to be in the mall - so you just hit all the stores 🥰🫶🏻 ellie even gets a cute new outfit to match too!!!!! courtesy of her aunt penny 💕💓💓💕 and she just can't wait to go home to show aaron and jack her new look 🥹<3

[hububli]

small realisations on my 4/5th?? aftg reread (TFC)

wymack is a lot meaner in the books then in fanfic lol i think we kinda made him a cute grouch but he's a mean one

nicky?? kisses neil?? after he talked to andrew too?? whAt

neil throwing a literal clock at aaron is so funny to me still. and upending the glass wtf lol

the Moriyama Fam dynamics finally settled in, i made a chart and everything

seth is lowkey valid (except for the homophobia) but the kevin hate i kinda get, he makes a good point

honestly somone needs to write seth/allison fics bc that thing they have? that's something. and i need someone to figure it out and write steamy erotica ab it, thanks

AARON HAVING A COMPLICATED HIGHFIVE WITH THE BOUNCERS IS SO CUTE!!! omg <3

i think the comedy of these books is awfully overlooked, i mean this is the funniest shit ever (i.e. "Did you run here?😠" "No, I Walked™😐")

neil is so f***ing smart wth (HIS LOGIC OMG, honestly i am not surprised At All that he slays maths, he connects dots like it's nobody's business)

headbands with fox ears are canon. it's something students just wear out to school (what)

during the entire book, neil is stressing about how andrew might tell on him or maybe already has, but he does not a single time (besides outing his eyes by making him wear contacts but those were obvious anyways and talking to him in german) and i am 100% convinced that andrew gets a kick out of keeping neil's sercets and knowing things of him nobody else does (crush behaviour)

[entertainingsimmer]

But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own And in your eyes you're holding mine~

@camisims

[greg-montgomery]

omg can you write a little scenario about aaron and jack in the kitchen and aaron is telling jack eveything about you and you just watch and smile 😓 loving ivy so far btw!

this is the cutest thing ever!!! and thank you sm <3

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

“Why are we whispering?” Jack asked with a voice that could barely be heard, as he settled into his seat.

“I’ll explain,” Aaron answered in that same tone. “Did you have breakfast at aunt Jessica’s or do you want me to make you something?”

“I did, but I’d like some chocolate milk, please.”

Aaron smiled at his son’s politeness. “You got it.”

After serving him a large glass of chocolate milk, he sat on the chair next to him.

“We have to be quiet because someone is sleeping in our house,” he said.

“Who?” Jack asked, intrigued.

“Do you remember this girl I work with that I’ve told you is really, really pretty?” His expression was serious, making Jack feel as if he was confiding in him a huge secret.

“Of course I do, her name is Y/N!” he said, proud to have remembered it.

“That’s right. Well, she slept in our house last night.”

“What? You guys had a sleepover without me?” Jack’s mood switched from excited to disappointed in a matter of seconds.

“Don’t worry, buddy. We’re gonna have many sleepovers and you’ll get to be here too.”

“Is she in my room right now?” he questioned, fascinated by that mystery person. Aaron was sure that you were like a mythical creature in Jack’s mind.

“No,” he chuckled softly. “She’s sleeping in my bed, because your bed is so tiny,” he said, pinching Jack’s side making him giggle.

“Dad!”

“Okay, I’ll stop.” He raised his index finger at Jack. “But only because we need to be quiet.”

Jack took a big sip out of his milk that left him with a cute brown mustache. Before Aaron could say anything about it, he wiped it away with his sleeve.”

“Jack…”

“Sorry, I forgot.”

Aaron was in a way too good mood to care about having to remove the stain form his son’s white t-shirt.

“So, is she your girlfriend now?” Jack asked with a grin.

“She is,” he answered, his chest swelling from pride.

“Daddy has a girlfriend,” Jack sang with a mocking tone, and Aaron couldn’t help but join his giggles.

“Didn’t I say we need to be quiet?”

“Yes, but I want her to wake up so I can meet her,” he whined. “Do you think she’ll like me?”

“She’ll love you,” Aaron reassured him. “I talk to her about you a lot and she says you’re an angel.”

“She sounds so nice!”

“She is. She is nice and sweet and really funny too. I’m sure she’ll make you laugh all the time.” Aaron ran his fingers through Jack’s hair as he spoke. He really did believe you’d make Jack laugh a lot. And he deserved it; to giggle like all the kids his age.

“And you know what else?”

“What?” Jack’s brows were suddenly raised.

“Her favorite superhero is Spider-Man,” he whispered in his ear.

“Oh my God!” Jack jumped out of his chair and stood right next to Aaron’s. “I’ll ask her to play with me and watch all of his movies with me! Can we watch all of his movies together, daddy?”

“Of course we can,” a voice that wasn’t his or Jack’s said. “As long as we make some yummy popcorn to eat as we watch.”

“Y/N?!”

“Hi, sweet Jack!” you said, and bent your knees so you could be at his eye level.

“Hi!” he said, and ran into your arms.

You looked up at Aaron who was standing behind him, as you wrapped your arms around his son. The sweet smiles you sent to each other said without words, that the meeting you were so nervous about, was a success.

[letarasstuff]

You are not gonna meet them

(A/N): This was requested by an anon. I hope you all enjoy it :)

Summary: How will their beloved intern react, when the BAU is able to profile that she is seeing someone?

Warnings: One swear word (for the sake of a vine reference)

Wordcount: 1.2k

✨Masterlist✨

__________________________________

“What is their name?” Confused (Y/N) takes her eyes off the cup of her favorite hot beverage. To make sure Derek really speaks to her, she turns around in the breakroom. It’s only the two of them. “Whose name? I’m (Y/N), but Derek I work here for two months already. Aren’t you a little too young to suffer from Alzheimer’s yet?”

He laughs into his own cup before taking a sip. “You are seeing someone. Don’t try to hide that from a bunch of profilers, there is no use in that.”

Being the ever stoic and mature teenager, she sticks her tongue out. “I’m not hiding anything. I’m the CEO of being an open book. But spill your tea about your deductions, Sherlock.”

“As you wish, Watson. You are wearing tinted lip balm instead of your usual clear lip balm. I saw you reapplying it after you dropped off some files in Hotch’s office. Also you have a new hairstyle, which looks quite nice on you. In addition to that you wear a bottom up and I saw you wearing one only once and that was when you had to dress up for an undercover thing. Therefore I come to the conclusion that this is your definition of dressing up and I see no reason for it except you want to impress someone and I know for a fact that everybody in this building is too old for you. So, what’s their name?”

“Whatever”, (Y/N) breathes under her breath and makes an effort to escape this interrogation. But Spencer, who also decided it’s time for the trillions refill of his cup of sugar with a drop of coffee, stands in the doorway. “Spencer, can you please step aside? I have work to do”, she asks him sighing. But the genius doesn’t bulge.

(Y/N) looks dumbfounded at her coworker and friend. “I- that was pretty good. But you haven’t considered that I may have a meeting with our dear Section Chief regarding my future in the FBI.” At the end she smiles, thinking she has won this round. “I did”, Morgan answers, wiping the grin from her face, “ and I know again for a fact that this meeting is next week, because Hotch is seeing her today to talk about that subject. So, what are they like?”

“Oh, does our favorite intern have a love interest? (Y/N), why didn’t you tell me anything?” Emily asks as she enters the breakroom. “No, I don-” “Princess, I told you it isn’t possible to lie to us. We are basically human lie detectors.”

“I heard tea and I want you to spill it.” He says, proud to put the phrase she taught him a while ago in the right context. “There is not tea, just a lame glass of water”, (Y/N) responds and squeezes past him. The three profilers look at each other in confusion. Attracted by her confounding statement, they follow her to her desk.

“Why are you stalking the child?” Rossi asks with Hotch hot on his heels. “(Y/N) is seeing someone, but isn’t willing to tell us anything about them. Now we try to pry every bit of information from her”, Spencer explains.

The talked about subject sits at her desk, acting like nothing just occurred while going through some reports. “Are you talking about her crush?” JJ joins the group observation. Everybody looks at her in shock. “What do you know about this?” Derek may be a bit overprotective over his favorite princess.

“Probably not more than you. I just saw her smiling down at her phone and I didn’t spot a cute dog or cat picture so I figured it has to be an important someone”, JJ explains whilst shrugging her shoulders.

“I don’t like this guessing. Why don’t we just ask her?” Rossi is up and goes to (Y/N), the calls of his team members falling on deaf ears.

As the teenager hears the oncoming footsteps, she lifts her head and spies the older Italian. “Not you, too.” A groan leaves her lips while rubbing her forehead in distress. “Bambi, think of it as that: The earlier you confess to your lies, the earlier your conscience is lifted. So tell us about them, will you?”

The rest of the team inches closer to the duo, while (Y/N) contemplates her choices. “Well that is interesting. But what’s also interesting is: I don’t give a shit” Confused by her unusual speech pattern, Rossi throws a pointy glance towards her.

“Fine”, she once again sighs, knowing there is no other way to escape this situation. Not even the teenager’s sarcasm or pop culture can help her anymore.

Eagerly the team crowds around her desk, even Hotch is ready to get some good tea served. “I met them on the bus. Since I started here we rode the same bus every morning and afternoon. Their hair was the first thing I noticed about them. After a month I worked up the courage to talk to them.”

“And?” Morgan asks as (Y/N) doesn’t continue for several minutes. “I chickened out. No cap. But they chatted me up the next day and we are texting each other for several weeks now and we maybe have kind of our first date tomorrow and see each other for the last time today before the date and I want to leave a lasting impression maybe?” At the end she turns red. Like legit red, with tomato ears and stuff.

A loud squeal is heard. “OMG (Y/N) THIS IS SO CUTE I LITERALLY AM DEAD! OUR BABY IS FEELING LOOOOOVE! CLAP THOSE CHEEKS!” Although it seems impossible, she turns even redder at Penelope’s outburst.

“Ok, princess. I’m happy for you, but we need to meet them before you go with them anywhere. How old are they? What do they do for a living? What is their name? Garcia needs to make a background check”, Derek swivels her chair in his direction, looking the girl straight in the eye to make sure he is dead serious.

“Do they read? Emilia Clarke once said to never trust anybody, whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf, and I recommend you to follow that advice”, Spencer adds. “Can we help get you ready? I wanted to do a makeover for you for ages already”, Penelope throws in. JJ and Emily nod at that, showing that they too want to participate in this.

“Are you sure they are not basic, Bambi?” “Oh, Rossi. Never say that again. You are not allowed to talk like ever. Yes, I’m sure they got a cake and an even bigger heart. Before you also say anything complete out of line, Hotch: You all aren’t allowed to see them before I’m completely sure. Period. No complains.”

It’s safe to say that Aaron just needs to flash his doe eyes to convince (Y/N) that they indeed will meet their date before they go out together. I mean, who is better at delivering The Talk to a date than a bunch of (intimidating) profilers and a (even more intimidating) tech goddess?

Taglist:

All works:

@agentshortstacc

Criminal Minds:

@averyhotchner @mggsprettygirl

[jpegjade]

The Proposal - Spencer

Request: omg I’m so happy I found your blog!! 🤩 Can you write a fic about spence proposing to the reader? maybe in front of the team? thanks!!

Warnings: if you hate fluff, this one isn’t for you. Like hardcore fluff. Like so fluffy that you can’t help but feel bad for a second. So fluffy... You get the point, I’m sure. 

_____________

“Spencer, do we really have to go to Rossi’s party tonight? I wanted to maybe watch a movie, cuddle, cover you in kisses. I just wanted to do something cute with you. Alone.” You said in the passenger seat of the car. 

You held your boyfriend’s hand while he drove with his other hand. 

“I promise that we don’t have to stay long.” He said, smiling. 

He had been quiet for the past couple days. It was strange, really. He rarely blurted out facts, he had been extra loving, which you didn’t mind, but he had also been a little more secretive. Hiding his phone, going places without telling you, even taking calls in other rooms. You knew his job required secrecy sometimes but damn, you wanted your boyfriend back to normal. 

“You’re not cheating on me, right?” You asked him, chuckling. You knew he wouldn’t dream of anyone else the way your name fell out of his mouth when he was sleeping. 

“Yes, with Morgan. I’m so glad to get that off my chest.” He said, eyes on the road. 

“Did my boyfriend just make a joke?” You said, feigning shock. 

The rest of the ride was peaceful, the sun hanging low in the sky. You loved having an excuse to wear your sunglasses outside since you didn’t get out much anymore. There was no point wearing sunglasses inside so you put them on for selfies on the porch. 

Pulling up to the driveway, you heaved a big, sarcastic sigh, dropping your head onto Spencer’s shoulder the second he put the car in park. 

“Only a little while, right?” You asked, looking up at him. 

“Only a little while.” He confirmed. 

Over an hour later, you were still there and hoping you would leave soon. You loved Spencer and loved seeing him around his team, his family, but you were tired. You had a couple different phone calls and zoom meetings during the day and you were drained. 

One good thing that came from it was you got to stare at Aaron Hotchner all night. If Spencer was your number one, Hotch was your eye candy. He was growing out his stubble from being on an apparent forced vacation and you were in heaven. You told Spencer about your admiration of Hotch before and Spencer went on a nervous tangent about how infatuation lasts for 180 days while the feelings of love lasted much longer. Considering you had loved Spencer for 2 whole years before you even started dating, you were more than secure with your relationship. You didn’t really have a thing for Hotch. You just liked to mess with Spencer about it because there was this one night where you had a dream and it was weird to say the least. 

You forced out some laughter because someone said something genuinely funny but you were too tired to really say anything. Between Rossi’s amazing cooking and all of the socializing, you needed a break. As soon as you sat down on the couch, Spencer popped up to sit down next to you. 

“Hey, do you want to go outside? On the patio to get some air?” Spencer asked, looking at you as though he felt guilty. He knew you were tired but he just needed a little more time. 

“Okay.” You said, letting him pull you up and put his arm around your waist as you put your head on his shoulder. 

The laughter was silenced as Spencer closed the door. You sat down on the swing chair, facing the sunset. It was pretty low in the sky and you noticed something weird about Rossi’s backyard. There were string lights hanging up everywhere, slowly becoming brighter as the sun set lower. It was chilly outside so Spencer stepped inside to grab a blanket. It took him some time to come back and you were getting so tired so you curled up and let yourself doze off. Just for a little while. 

Spencer was inside, pacing. His hands tapping on his leg while he practiced his speech. He practiced it on Penelope, JJ, even Morgan after he ran it by Hotch a couple times. He had to get this right. For once, he allowed himself some wine to help him calm his nerves. Once he grabbed the blanket, he looked outside to see you on the patio, you were curled up, hands under your head, sleeping lightly. 

“Ready, pretty boy?” Morgan asked Spencer one last time. 

“What if she says no?” Spencer said in a quiet voice. He looked down at his converse, noticing how scuffed they were. He should’ve gotten some new ones. This was a special occasion, why didn’t he think of that? 

He flipped open the box one more time. The ring was simple, half a karat. He knew it was perfect because it wasn’t extravagant, it was easy to look at and nothing flashy. It was understated and mesmerizing, like you. 

“Have you talked to her about getting married before? Have you tried to think about living without her? If you can see yourself living without her then don’t do it. But I know she’s crazy about you. She texts me when you don’t answer your phone because she’s scared something happened. She has made an effort to connect with all of us, get to know your family. She visits your mom with you, although it can be painful for her because of her own family issues. She can’t see herself without you. Do you feel the same?” Morgan said, hand on Spencer’s shoulder. 

“I can’t… I can’t see the world without her smile in it. I can’t see my world as brightly without her in it, if at all. And she wants a family, just like I do. She wants to move into a house, just like I so. She wants everything I do and more. She’s a dreamer and I’m a realist. We fit together and she understands me. She wants to hear me talk and she wants to grow old with me. She wants… Me.” Spencer caught himself smiling. 

“Then get out there and tell her that, not a rehearsed speech.” Hotch said, grinning. 

Spencer didn’t realize everyone was listening to him and Morgan’s conversation. JJ and Penelope were both shedding happy tears. Spencer breathed a deep breath before going back outside. 

You woke up when you felt Spencer lay the blanket over you. A grin spread across your face because that meant he was back from socializing and it was your turn to be with him. You sat up, letting him wrap the blanket around your shoulders. You extended your arm, opening the blanket so he could sit down but he remained on one knee. 

“Baby, what are you doing? Come on.” You said, rubbing your eyes. You didn’t care that your eyeliner was getting messed up. You just wanted to rest with Spencer before going home. 

“I can’t see the world without you.” Spencer said, continuing. “I know that we’ve talked about the idea of a family in the future but I also know that we’re not in a rush. We’ve been taking things slow and I like where we are but… I’ve been thinking. What if we were more? I want to be so much more than what we are now because I love you. You are my world, you are my life. You are everything to me and I want to show you that for the rest of my life.” 

“Baby, I love to hear you talk but I’m really tired and I know your knee is hurting because you’re the dumbass that is kneeling on your leg where you got shot.” You rubbed your eyes again. “Please tell me what you’re going to tell me.” 

“Y/n,” Spencer took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?” 

You paused, not sure he was serious. He pulled out the ring box from his pocket, opening it in front of you. The ring was beautiful but all you could do was look in his eyes. They were so pretty. 

“No, you asshole.” You said, chuckling. 

“What?” He looked heartbroken. He immediately snapped the ring box closed and stood up. You stood up, holding the blanket around your shoulders. 

“I said no. No. You know why?” You said, putting your hands in your pockets. 

“Why?” He said, his voice so quiet. 

“Because I wanted to propose first.” You had to dig around in your pocket a little bit but you finally found the ring you got from your grandmother. When your grandfather passed away last year, your grandmother gave you a ring that had been passed down for generations. The women in your family had a special way to get to the punch first. 

You got down on your knee and you heard squeals in the background. You leaned over to the side to see everyone staring at you through Rossi’s glass sliding door. You chuckled as you noticed there were tears streaming down your face. 

“You what?” Spencer’s knees went weak. It was his turn to sit in the swing chair. 

“Here, I wrote a speech and everything. It’s why I wanted to spend the night at home. I was going to hide it in the bottom of your sour patch kids bag. You’re such an asshole for getting to it first.” You said, sitting in the grass. Unlike Spencer, your knees were hurting and you weren’t sticking it out for shit. He can get the message while you sit on the patio, wrapped in the cozi blanket still because damn, it was cozy.

“I’m going to read my letter to you and then we’re going to swap rings and go inside and let everyone congratulate us.” You said, pulling the piece of paper out of your other pocket. 

“Spencer,” Your voice cracked. “Son of a bitch. Wait… That wasn’t in my speech although your father is a bigass bitch. I’ll get back to it. Spencer, I hate you. You have changed my life for the better. Before you, everything was so dark. There were times when I gave up on myself because I thought I deserved every bad thing that came to me. You were so sweet and so kind from the first time we met. I remember the first thing I said to you in the bookstore. ‘Hey cutie, you got a nice booty.’ Your ass does look amazing in your pants, not gonna lie. But we’ve come such a long way from there and I want to spend every day of the rest of my life loving you. I want to show you how much I appreciate everything you have done for me. I want to be there with you through the hard nightmares when all we do is cry together because the other is in pain. I want to be there in the victories when you come home and tell me the details you can about the case, when you successfully talked someone down. I want you to hold me when it’s good. I want to hold you when it’s bad. I want…” 

Spencer got down on the ground with you, gently knocking you off balance. You fell on the ground and he kissed you before you could even finish your sentence. 

“I want you too.” He said, sitting up. 

Sitting on the ground, the two of you exchanged rings. All you could do was cry together, your emotions running high.

____________

I am on a roll bc i am sad as fuck tonight. i’ll be writing for a while bc I don’t feel like sleeping. 

Tags: 

@winchestertardis

@ancailinaerach

[maybeimamuppet]

day 10 (with twins): christmas party

day 10!! double digits!!! yeeha.

the twins are six months old in this one!

enjoy!!

—————-

"Whatcha doing, Ladybug?" Cady chuckles when she comes downstairs holding Leo and finds Layla sitting in front of the screen door, looking out at the snow-covered world.

"Dedede," Layla babbles, drumming on the glass with a tiny hand.

"Aww, you miss Uncle Damian?" Cady coos. "Should we see if he can come play?"

Layla looks up at her and nods. Cady smiles back.

"Okay, hold on," she says. Leo gets set in her exersaucer for containment and then Cady heads back to Layla. "Should we make a video for Uncle Damian? Actually... should we see if everyone can come over? We should have a party!"

"Papapapaeeee," Layla babbles. Cady takes that as agreement.

"Yeah, okay," she chuckles, pulling out her phone and flipping to the camera to record her baby. "Bug, who are you looking for?"

"Dededede," Layla replies, pointing to the door. Cady sits down next to her and pulls her onto her lap.

"You're looking for Uncle Damian? Come here. Say 'come play with me, Uncle D!'"

"Dede!" Layla replies, giving a precious wide smile. She grabs Cady's phone and pulls it to her mouth to taste. Cady laughs and wrestles it back.

"No, don't eat it," she chuckles. "Goofy. Can you blow kisses?"

"M'ah!" Layla says, blowing a rather aggressive kiss to the camera. Cady smiles and ends the video to get it sent to Damian.

"That's a sweet girl," she says, picking her baby up and carrying her down the hall to find Leo. "Okay, let's see who can come over and play with you."

Layla gets plopped into her own little storage device next to her sister while Cady tries to get in touch with all her friends.

littleslice: Sent a video: One of your littlest slices wants you to come play 🥺🥺

littleslice: She's been there all day looking for you

bigslice: Omg she's so cute I can't

bigslice: Do you actually want me to come over??

littleslice: Yeah, of course!! I'm actually thinking of inviting the plastics too, have a little dinner party??? Either way the smalls would love to see you

bigslice: And I get food? Sold, tell that sweet baby I'm coming

littleslice: Haha, I will! See you soon 😍

"Lala!" Cady says, going to pick her baby back up. "Your sweet little face worked, Uncle Damian is coming over!" Layla shrieks excitedly and wiggles to be put down. "Okay, okay. Leo, come here, you wanna watch for Uncle Damian with sissy?"

Leo crows happily when Cady picks her up as well. Cady kisses every chubby cheek she can reach and sits them both by the front door to look out. She pauses for a moment to just watch them watch, looking lovingly at the back of two little heads. They both look so peaceful, just staring out the window happily watching the world go by.

Cady smiles contently and heads to find her wife. The babies can't crawl yet, so they're effectively stuck in place for the time being, and there's nothing nearby they can get into.

"Jayjay, are you okay with having the Plastics and Damian and Aaron over for a little dinner thingy?"

"Sure," Janis says, tucking her paintbrush by her ear and unknowingly smearing her temple with some red paint. "Let me clean up a little bit."

"Yeah, you might wanna do that," Cady giggles lovingly. "You have paint all over your face."

Janis frowns in confusion and swipes at her face like a cat. She huffs when she sees the multicolored mess she comes away with. "Been painting for fifteen years and still end up with it all over me."

"It's cute," Cady chuckles. "Go shower, I can handle the smalls."

"Okay," Janis replies with a small pout. Cady sends some more texts to invite the Plastics and goes to grab their babies while Janis cleans up after herself and heads upstairs to shower.

Layla whines at Cady when she's removed from her window, wriggling to be set down so she can go back. Cady bounces her a couple times to calm her down and kisses her temple.

"Oh, shh, you're fine," she hushes. "We just have to get you dressed, we've been in our jammies all day! You can keep looking once you have some clothes on."

Layla whines again as they head up the stairs, reaching over Cady's shoulder for her precious window. Cady rolls her eyes lovingly and decides to get her outfit change done first. Layla looks at her curiously as she's buttoned into her knit onesie and wiggles her bare toes. Cady smiles at her and kisses her forehead before subbing her out for her twin.

"There we go," Cady hums when both her daughters are in their outfits. "You girls look so cozy in your little sweaters! Should we go see if Mommy is ready?"

"Eee," Leo says happily, their version of 'Mommy'. Cady smiles again and scoops them up to go hunt for Janis.

They find her in the bathroom, clad in some nice black pants and a green satin top. She hears them come in as she's slipping some earrings in and smiles as she sees their babies in their cute sweater onesies.

"Oh my gosh," she says, taking the babies as they reach out for her. "Aww, girls, you look so comfy! Come here, Mama needs to get ready."

Cady kisses each of their cheeks before she heads back to their bedroom to get herself dressed. Janis pops the babies on the counter in front of her and smiles as they see themselves in the mirror. "Who is that? Who are these sweet babies?"

Leo drums on the mirror with her little hands and gives a quiet squeal. Layla points to herself and says, "Lololo."

"That's not Lolo, that's you!" Janis laughs. "That's my little Lala Loopsy!"

Layla looks at her in disbelief, but does seem to notice the two mommies she can see. She looks back and forth between them before reaching for the real Janis in confusion.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm confused by it too," Janis comforts. "Uncle Damian should be here soon, let's go look for him."

"Dedede!" Leo crows happily, cuddling into Janis as they're carried back downstairs to look for their relatives. Janis chuckles and kisses her cheek.

"Yeah, come on."

-

Layla shrieks and Leo squeals when they see Damian's car, and both start drumming on the door when they see their uncles hop out. Damian smiles and waves at them through the glass as Janis pries them off to let her friends in.

"Hi, girls!" he greets energetically, picking them up and smiling back at them. "Cute outfits!"

"We've been really into a knit lately," Janis chuckles, hugging Aaron in greeting and sort of sandwiching the babies in an attempt to hug Damian. Layla looks delighted to finally be with her uncle after a very long afternoon of waiting. Two whole hours!

Damian chuckles and winces slightly as Leo grabs his nose in a tiny fist, gently removing her hand and holding it. Cady comes down the stairs then and smiles as she sees her daughters interacting with their uncles.

"Hey!" she greets happily, hugging everyone and kissing her babies before moving to stand with her wife. Janis hugs her from behind and kisses her jaw.

"Cads?"

"Mm?" Cady hums, tilting her head slightly to kiss Janis' cheek as her head rests on her shoulder.

"This is a dinner party?"

"Mmhmm!"

"Where's the dinner?"

"God damn it!"

"What happened?" Aaron asks in a mix of shock and concern, looking up from Leo's little face after she had reached to be held by him instead. Cady buries her face in her hands sheepishly.

"I forgot the food. I knew I was forgetting something."

Layla giggles as she's squished against Damian's chest, since he had covered one of her ears in shock at Cady's cursing. Cady turns around and buries her own face into Janis' chest. Janis pats her back to comfort her.

"I'll go pick something up," she murmurs. "It's fine."

"It's late, everywhere is closed," Cady whines.

"...Taco Bell isn't."

"You want- we can't-"

"Why not? It's Taco Bell or, like, the one carrot we have in the fridge split between seven people," Janis says gently.

"Fine."

Janis chuckles and kisses her forehead, giving her wife a gentle squeeze before moving to grab her coat. She kisses each baby's cheek and is out the door with a, "Back in a tick."

Leo whimpers when the door closes and her mommy disappears, looking at Aaron in concern. Aaron rocks her a couple times to try to distract her.

"It's okay! She'll come back. Look over here, here's a bunch of people to look at."

Leo looks between him and the rest of her family a few times, seeming to calm down slightly. Aaron smiles and follows everyone to the living room as Cady leads them that way.

-

The Plastics arrive in the middle of a very dramatic game of patty-cake, as sounds of baby giggles echo throughout the house. Cady lets them in and hugs them in greeting.

"Where's Janis?" Karen asks, stealing the baby Aaron has for some cuddles.

"She's... um..." Cady says sheepishly. "She's getting... the dinner." Everyone bursts out laughing at that as Cady massages the back of her neck.

"You threw a dinner party and forgot the dinner?" Regina chuckles. "That's about the most Cady thing I've ever heard."

"We would've brought something if you told us," Gretchen says kindly, hugging her friend carefully. Cady hugs back with a sigh.

"This was all kind of last minute, I'm sorry," she says. "We'll have food soon."

"It's fine," Damian says. "We can eat these babies in the meantime!"

Layla shrieks happily as her uncle pretends to eat her chubby cheeks, trying to push him away with her little hands. Damian chuckles and settles for just holding her on his lap.

————-

"I have food!" Janis calls as she enters their house once more. The twins look up as they hear their mommy come home. "Probably too much, but whatever."

"Christ, Janis," Cady laughs as she heads down the hall to help carry everything in and finds her wife weighed down with no fewer than four of the largest plastic bags they offer, along with several drinks. Janis hands over a few things and follows her wife to the kitchen.

"Where are our children?"

"I dunno," Cady shrugs. "Last I saw Damian had one and Karen had the other."

"Ah," Janis chuckles. "That's fine then."

"They're in good hands," Cady grins. "There's no way we can eat all of this."

"You underestimate us," Janis says. "We can watch movies and eat around the coffee table. Saves having to wrangle the babies into their seats."

"God, yeah," Cady says. "That sounds good, come on."

"Hey gang," Janis greets as she heads to the living room with the first round of food bags.

"Hey!" Everyone choruses. The babies chime in with a happy, "Eee!"

Janis takes Leo from Karen as she starts fussing, reaching for her with some heartbreaking little whimpers. "Hi, sweetheart! You're okay, I'm back, shh. I missed you too! Come here, help us carry this food."

Leo does the opposite, dropping the bag Janis placed within her grasp and taking up a significant amount of room for the others. Janis just kisses her cheek and decides to make some more trips.

"What movie should we start with?" Cady asks as she brings the last of the drinks over.

"Elf!" Karen says immediately, tearing into the bag in front of her and pulling out a burrito. Everyone else circles around the coffee table and tucks in while Cady gets the TV set up.

-

Aaron laughs as Layla sits on his lap and tries to steal some food, reaching out and coming back with a fistful of shredded lettuce. That's a choking hazard, so he tries and somehow manages to pry her little fingers apart to remove the danger. Unfortunately for him, Layla whines indignantly and pouts at him.

"Here, Lala, try this," Damian offers, handing over an entire bean burrito that's about half her size. No onions, so no choking dangers. Layla takes it and tries to bite it, eventually setting for just gumming at it since she doesn't have teeth yet. "What do you think?"

Layla pulls it away and looks at it interestedly but almost disgustedly, before seeming to nod and digging back in. Eventually, she makes it to the beans and pulls an absolutely revolted face.

"You don't like your burrito?" Janis laughs.

"It's a new texture for her, it might just be that," Cady says. Layla promptly bursts into tears and holds the offensive meal as far away as she can get it. "Or not. Poor baby, what happened?"

Aaron passes the baby across the table to her mama. Cady takes her and pats her back gently to calm her down. Leo seems content to be on Gretchen's lap and nibbling on some shredded cheese.

"Shh, snowflake, you're okay," Cady hushes. "You don't have to eat the beans. We'll stick to mamas for a while, hm? Poor thing, shh."

Janis pouts as Layla finally pokes her teary little face out from Cady's shoulder and rests it facing the other way. She gets a hint of a smile when Janis leans in and steals a quick peck.

"You sleepy, Ladybug? Time for bed?"

"Me too," Regina yawns, leaning backwards against the couch and seeming to give up on eating any more. Gretchen chuckles as she slumps to the side and ends up against her shoulder.

"This one seems fine," she hums, looking down at the little one on her lap. Leo is just barely at eye level with the table. All that's visible from the other side are the little antennae pigtails Regina had put in a while ago. She still doesn't have quite enough hair, so they're rather thin and just stick straight up in the air. Leo looks up at her aunties with a precious little smile. Gretchen laughs as she suddenly gives a particularly wide yawn. "Spoke too soon."

Cady laughs and takes her other baby as well. "I'll go feed them and then we'll come say goodnight."

"Okay," Janis says, tipping her head up and receiving kisses from her three girls. "I'll keep, um... entertaining."

"Yeah, switch the movie," Cady chuckles. Janis huffs and goes to change the movie over now that Elf has run its course.

—-

Cady returns after a short while with two exhausted babies, clad in adorable pajamas. Damian squeals out loud when he sees the little lions on the bums. Cady hands one baby to Aaron and the other to Karen to be passed around to say goodnight.

Everyone kisses each baby on the cheek or forehead and gives them a quick cuddle before handing them over to Janis.

Janis holds her babies close and stands up to go put them to bed. "Say night night to everybody, girls."

Everyone waves back as Janis puppets a little hand to wave before carrying them upstairs to put them down.

"We actually finished more of this food than I thought we would," Cady hums, looking around at the absolutely decimated pile of food on her coffee table. "Nice job, guys."

"Food coma time," Damian hums. Everyone scatters, settling in on the couch or a spot on the ground and cuddling in with someone. Damian has Aaron on one side and Cady on the other (with a spot saved for Janis, of course). Regina is begrudgingly sandwiched in between her girlfriends on the ground in front of them, and takes the offered blanket to spread over them to watch the movie.

Janis comes back to a pile of people in her living room and wiggles her way in with a chuckle. Cady ends up with her wife nearly on her lap, but doesn't complain.

"This wasn't half bad," Janis hums, looking up at her wife. "We should do this every year."

"I had a good time," Damian agrees with a shrug. Aaron raises the last sip of his red slushee to toast.

"To new traditions. Even though I kinda regret having that many tacos."

Everyone gives very weak choruses of agreement.

New traditions indeed.

—————

hope you enjoyed!! thanks for reading and i'll see you tomorrow!

[mintiemarmalade]

GET TO KNOW ME TAG

Rules: Post a picture of your simself with your traits and answer the questions so your followers can get to know you better!

I was tagged by the lovely @surreysimmer, @racingllama​ + @storylegacysims​! Thank you so much bbs. ♡

I tag @pixeloasis​, @simsiecakes​ + @gottacatchemallsims​.

This has literally been sitting in my drafts halfway finished for the past week. Tbh I completely forgot about it until @storylegacysims​ tagged me this morning. 🙈

Anywhooo, this is my simself. I’ve given her the geek, goofball + foodie traits. (Truthfully, glutton would probably be more accurate but your simself is supposed to be a better, more ideal version of yourself, right?)

Questions below the cut ↴

1. What is your name?

Kayla

2. What is your nickname?

My family calls me Katy / Katy bug, for some reason.

3. Birthday?

June 17, 1994

4. What is your favorite book series?

Harry Potter, duh.

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

Yes

6. Who is your favorite author?

J.K. Rowling, duh.

7. What is your favorite radio station?

Octane, Pop2K, and PopRocks on Sirius XM.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything?

Chocolate, banana, or pumpkin.

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?

Lovely, wonderful, superb, idk all are viable options.

10. What is your current favorite song?

I honestly don’t even know.

11. What is your favorite word?

TUFT

12. What was the last song you listened to?

Misery Business by Paramore (I have my beloved throwback playlist playing.)

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch?

Boy Meets World - I firmly believe that the world would be a much better place if everyone had Mr. Feeny as a teacher.

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?

Harry Potter or pretty much any Disney / Pixar movie.

15. Do you play video games?

Way too much, if I’m being honest.

16. What is your biggest fear?

Being alone, rejection, socializing, tight / crowded spaces, etc. I’m a big scaredy cat, okay. Leave me alone.

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion?

I’m hilarious. I’m incredibly caring and loyal.

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion?

My crippling anxiety.

9. Do you like cats or dogs better?

DOGS but cats are nice too.

20. What is your favorite season?

Fall - I sweat less and all the bugs die.

21. Are you in a relationship?

N O P E

22. What is something you miss from your childhood?

Innocence, being naive to how terrible the world actually is.

23. Who is your best friend?

Hannah ♡

24. What is your eye color?

Green

25. What is your hair color?

Auburn

26. Who is someone you love?

My dog

27. Who is someone you trust?

Hannah

28. Who is someone you think about often?

My sims

29. Are you currently excited about/for something?

CHRISTMAS

30. What is your biggest obsession?

The Sims, probably.

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child?

Boy Meets World

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?

Aaron and Joe, I suppose.

33. Are you superstitious?

Nope

34. Do you have any unusual phobias?

Fun fact, butterflies cause me a lot of anxiety for some reason. Conveniently, I found this out while in a one of those butterfly sanctuaries at the zoo.

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

Behind. I’m quite literally the least photogenic person ever.

36. What is your favorite hobby?

Playing video games, eating, sleeping. Do those count?

37. What was the last book you read?

I... actually don’t know?

38. What was the last movie you watched?

Crimes of Grindelwald.....

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any?

I mean, not to brag or anything but I played the recorder in fourth grade~

40. What is your favorite animal?

SLOTHS

41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow?

You can’t make me choose.

42. What superpower do you wish you had?

Teleportation

43. When and where do you feel most at peace?

When I’m with Hannah tbh.

44. What makes you smile?

Making other people smile / laugh.

45. What sports do you play, if any?

Sports hurt.

46. What is your favorite drink?

Sweet tea

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?

I have no idea.

48. Are you afraid of heights?

My fear of heights is directly correlated with my probability of falling.

49. What is your biggest pet peeve?

People who are rude to food service / retail employees.

50. Have you ever been to a concert?

Yes

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian?

I could never.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Teacher

53. What fictional world would you like to live in?

Stars Hollow

54. What is something you worry about?

Literally everything.

55. Are you scared of the dark?

Sometimes, it depends.

56. Do you like to sing?

Like to, yes. Am I any good? Not at all.

57. Have you ever skipped school?

Yes

58. What is your favorite place on the planet?

Wherever my friends are.

59. Where would you like to live?

I care less about where exactly and more about having the people I love near me.

60. Do you have any pets?

Yes, one doggo named Neville.

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

NIGHT OWL

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better?

Sunsets

63. Do you know how to drive?

Yes

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds - headphones make my ears feel claustrophobic.

65. Have you ever had braces?

Nope

66. What is your favorite genre of music?

Early to mid 2000′s punk~ I never outgrew my emo phase, sorry mom.

67. Who is your hero?

My mom

68. Do you read comic books?

No

69. What makes you the most angry?

Seeing those I love get hurt / taken advantage of.

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?

I prefer the experience of a real book but I do appreciate the convenience of an electronic device.

71. What is your favorite subject in school?

Psychology

72. Do you have any siblings?

One brother + one sister

73. What was the last thing you bought?

Christmas presents!

74. How tall are you?

5′4

75. Can you cook?

I mean, I can follow a recipe sometimes.

76. What are three things that you love?

My mom, my friends, and my dog.

77. What are three things that you hate?

Tomatoes, socks, and loud noises.

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends?

Well, I guess more male friends, with a ratio of 2:1. (I only have three friends lol.) Unless we’re also counting internet friends, then the females far outnumber the males.

79. What is your sexual orientation?

Straight

80. Where do you currently live?

Southern Illinois

81. Who was the last person you texted?

Hannah

82. When was the last time you cried?

Probably yesterday over something stupid. I cry a lot lol.

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber?

Jenna Marbles

84. Do you like to take selfies?

Not really, no.

85. What is your favorite app?

DISCORD

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like?

Mom - decent. Dad - non-existent.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent?

All of them. Accents are so cute OMG.

88. What is a place that you've never been to, but you want to visit?

Japan

89. What is your favorite number?

2

90. Can you juggle?

Lol no.

91. Are you religious?

Yes

92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting?

SPACE

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?

Not at all

94. Are you allergic to anything?

Deathly allergic to sulfa - the doctors almost killed me when I was a baby.

95. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

96. Can you wiggle your ears?

Nope

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something?

This is complicated because I doubt myself a LOT but I’m also incredibly stubborn.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach?

Beach

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?

On the last day of my senior year, my history teacher left us with two words of advice before we departed: 1) never tattoo your face, and 2) don’t give your kids a stupid name. It still makes me laugh whenever I think about it.

100. Are you a good liar?

NO

101. What is your Hogwarts House?

HUFFLEPUFF ♡

102. Do you talk to yourself?

Pfft she and I have full-blown conversations sometimes~

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

More accurately, I would consider myself an ambivert.

104. Do you keep a journal/diary?

I’ve never been able to keep up with one.

105. Do you believe in second chances?

I do, and it kicks me in the ass more often than not.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?

Try to return it.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change?

Yes, but the person must be willing to change.

108. Are you ticklish?

Yes

109. Have you ever been on a plane?

Once, when I was five.

110. Do you have any piercings?

Nope

111. What fictional character do you wish was real?

CatDog, I have so many questions~

112. Do you have any tattoos?

No

113. What is the best decision that you've made in your life so far?

To love myself

114. Do you believe in karma?

I don’t know, maybe.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts?

Glasses - I’ve never worn contacts.

116. Do you want children?

Eventually, yes...

117. Who is the smartest person you know?

Aaron’s a pretty smart dude, I suppose.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory?

My existence in and of itself is embarrassing tbh.

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

Many, many times. I stay up for 48+ hours sometimes~

120. What color are most of you clothes?

I own a lot of blue apparently.

121. Do you like adventures?

Yes, as long as they don’t involve any strenuous activity.

122. Have you ever been on TV?

Not that I know of.

123. How old are you?

24

124. What is your favorite movie quote?

I honestly don’t know.

125. Sweet or savory?

SAVORY

[senstia]

Thank you for the tag💗 @queenofmotherfuckingterrasen

Rules: tag your fav 10 characters/people from different fandoms then tag 10 people

1. Aaron Warner Anderson, The Shatter Me Series. Okay this man is the most beautiful lil baby ever he has the softest heart ever even though he hides it as much as possible. He’s insanely intelligent and my first book boyfriend i love him more than life itself and everyone should read Shatter Me just because of this character. Trust me it’s worth it.

2. Dorian Havillard, Throne of Glass. The bravest, strongest, kinkiest smol bean in the world. Aside from Aelin Dorian made me fall in love with this series. His character development was absolutely amazing and I love his sassy lil personality and ofc he’s beautiful.

3. Rhysand, A Court of Thorns and Roses Series. Literally smoothest, finest, sexiest man in literature. So brave and so selfless. Reading his dialogue is so fun bc he’s so insanely smooth and seductive and also intelligent as hell. Husband material right here. Gives off the sexiest vibes ugh im sweating.

4. Kaz Brekker, Six of Crows Series. This man is absolutely the most intriguing person ever. His vibes, his style, his personality, his past. I mean UGH right when i started the series i knew i loved him. He has been through hell and back and he’s insanely intelligent (probably insane too (; ) I just love him and his lil cruel self.

5. Aelin Galathynius/Celaena Sardothien, Throne of Glass Series. This sassy bitch is MY QUEEN. The strongest, hottest, funniest girl ever. She’s such a relatable character and she’s literally my idol. She’s so smart and strong ugh i wanna be like her. I am so thankful i met this character bc she changed me more than any other character in any other book. My love<3

6. Rowan Whitethorn, Throne of Glass Series. Rowan has been through so much and he’s so strong and alot of people think he’s boring but he actually has an adorable sense of humor and he is so caring and protective of those he loves. He is also fine as hell and can turn into a cute lil white tailed hawk. The muscle on that man too I mean UGH no wonder Aelin fell for his ass.

7. Azriel. A Court of Thorns and Roses Series. MY SHY BABY BAT BOY. Az never gets enough attention he is so classically beautiful and he’s so kind and so caring despite how horribly he has been treated in his life. His self deprecation makes me wanna cry bc he deserves happiness and love more than anyone in the world. Literally my babyyyyyyyy ugh he needs his own book bye.

8. Neil Josten. All for the Game Series. This boy is so sweet ugh. He wears his heart on his sleeve even though he’s always had to run away. Seeing him hurt or scared throughout this series broke my heart because he deserved to be safe and loved more than anything. He literally has no chill though and will roast ur ass to the ground he’s hilarious. He gives no fucks and it’s amazing. Ugh i love Neil

9. Andrew Minyard. All for the Game Series. My poor violent aggressive bb omg ily. Been through the worst and he stayed strong. Never ever gave up on his brother and will always protect those he loves. Wish i could tell him that he deserves love and protection too even though i know he wouldn’t believe me. Ily Andrew.

10. Manon Blackbeak, Throne of Glass Series. The hottest badass bitch around. Once again so strong, so intelligent. She has a heart of gold to go along with those golden eyes. This girl made me more confident in myself and i love her for that.

Wow that was alot im sorry i just have so much love for my favs okay

Anyone who wants to do this is insantly tagged!! Tag me in yours so i can read it!!

[iheartsurveys]

183?

What is something you’re behind the times on?

Somewhat behind the times on popular music. I do listen to the regular radio from time to time but idk I feel out of touch somewhat.  And earlier this month when I saw my cousins who are all 10-14 they were watching the Disney Channel and wow I felt so old idk what they play on that channel anymore

What are you brainstorming ideas for right now?

Nothing really, I need to shop for more work-related clothes. Especially because since I moved out in May I’ve been eating mildly healthier/stopped drinking as much soda so I’ve lost weight and some of my clothes are kinda baggy now.  

Do you have a neighbor who plays real annoying music?

Not that I can hear, though the neighbors below us to the left have two Yorkies and they let them on their balcony which is near my window and they bark alllllll the time.  So that gets annoying

Do you miss someone?

Kind of

What’s something you’ve had a toxic reaction to?

Nothing too wild that I can think of

Have you ever had a severe allergic reaction?

Again, nothing crazy

What do you want to be for Halloween this year?

I have no clue idk if I’ll ever be able to top Wednesday Addams

If you don’t know, what are some ideas you have?

I have 0 ideas.  I’m at a loss

Are you happy at the moment?

I’m soooo tired but here I am

Do you have a headache?

No shockingly. I feel like I always have a headache

What color are your glasses, if applicable?

I have brown and black sunglasses. I still have a pair of migraine glasses that were like pinkish. But I don’t wear them anymore

Do you still look in the toy aisle, or do you pass it by?

I mean if I’m buying something for my niece or nephews I’ll look obviously but I don’t look for myself

List a great $1 store find:

The best thing about the dollar store is their Christmas stuff. And it’s not even that great but you can get cute wrapping paper and whatnot there

List a great garage sale find:

I haven’t been to a garage sale in a while

Have you ever had a friend push you away for no reason?

Idk if there was no reason but I know some that did for stupid reasons

What are your summer fashion essentials?

Sandals, shorts and spaghetti straps, maybe a cute dress or two

Do you have a 5-year plan?

I don’t even have a five day plan...

Who is one celebrity you would like to meet?

Oh man idk. Probably Harry Styles still.  Hello, it’s been a while, I’m 24 now and I still love Harry Styles kbye

Who is one youtuber you would like to meet?

No one really in particular, I don’t really watch a lot of Youtube anymore because I just don’t have the time

What are your fall fashion essentials?

Moccs, docs, tall boots, leggings, sweaters. I live for Fall weather it’s my fave

What was your favorite outfit to wear this past summer?

Hmm, I got a really cute dress from stitchfix.  And I have this super cute romper from Target. Both look good with sandals.  

Where do you buy most of your clothes?

Target and Old Navy mostly.  I used stitchfix for a while and have a bunch from there but yeah, target and old navy

Do you post on youtube regularly?

I post on youtube never

Do you have your own website?

Nope

What do you sell, if anything?

Nothing

Do you think you would be a good salesperson?

Nope

What are ten positive words that describe you?

Wow that’s a lot. I kinda don’t want to do this lol not because I’m self-deprecating but because I’m lazy. There’s two negative words for ya

Are you getting excited about fall?!?!

Yesssss I love Fall

What’s your favorite school supply to purchase? 

Pens and notebooks << not in school anymore but same. And a planner

Do you keep a planner every year?

I have pretty much since college

Do you write a lot?

Yes but for work

What’s your favorite color pen to write with?

I mainly use blue & black because of work 

Do you go to church?

No

What’s your favorite fall drink?

Apple cider. Mulled wine. PSLs because I’m basic

Do you use a sunlamp?

Idk if I even know what that is

What’s your favorite thing about Sundays?

Lounging around

Do you like candy corn?

Ew no

What’s on your to-do list for today (or tomorrow, if it’s late)?

I have some work appointments, need to do laundry, Britt and I need to take out our recycling

Where do you buy calendars?

My planner is from....omg I can’t even remember where it’s from. Not Erin Condren, I used her in college but this one I currently use has a better layout that fits my work life.  I think it’s paper something? Idk can’t remember...anywayyyyy for wall calendars I usually buy the Caps puppy calendar because proceeds go to animal shelters/charity and it’s a cute ass calendar so yes

Do you like to wear skirts?

I wore one today.  Skirts are okay

What is your name (first and middle)?

Brianna. Middle name is a common girl middle name

What are your sibling(s)’ names?

Aaron and Laura

What would you have been named if you had been born the opposite gender?

I know for a fact I would’ve been Ryan Andrew

If you had another sibling, what would he/she be named?

I mean I assume if I had a brother he would be Ryan Andrew since they liked that name, but I’m an only child.  The only names I’ve heard my mom say she likes for girls are Brianna and Brielle.

Do you like your name? It’s fine. I think I like Brielle better lol

What does your name mean?

Strong

What would you name your daughter/daughters?

I love the name Ryan for a girl actually.  Brooklyn, Stella, 

What would you name your son/sons?

Dakota, Reid, Brayden. I feel like there’s another but I can’t recall.

Do you want to have kids?

Undecided

What was your favorite vacation you went on as a kid?

Probably Disney

Were you happy as a kid?

Yeah

Which Barbie had your hair color?

The brunette, whatever her name was

Do you have any toys still from when you were a kid? 

I have some board games and some stuffed animals

What were some of your favorite toys as a child?

Polly Pocket, play dough, there are probably more I can’t think of, those were my faves. Barbies and Bratz too of course

[whyarethedolanssoattractive]

Paint You Wings ~ Ethan Dolan {Part Ten}

Ethan’s POV

The front door swung open without warning. Averly and I sat up and smoothed our clothes out, trying our best to make it look like we weren't just making out. Of course, Grayson, Jack, and Aaron figured it out the second they stepped inside.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we didn't mean to disrupt the baby-making process." Aaron joked and sat down beside me.

Averly and I laughed, then she leaned on my shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked and messed with my fingers.

Grayson went and got the cameras, then started setting them up in front of the couch. "We're gonna film a video for Jack's channel. You guys are in it." He declared.

Averly and I sighed, then she stood up. "I'm gonna go put on some war-paint then. I'll be back in ten." She bent down and kissed me quickly, then turned around and left.

The second the door shut, the guys all crowded around me. "Boy! How much action have you been getting lately?" Jack asked and laughed.

I shook my head and groaned. "You guys are pervs! We haven't done anything more than make-out yet." I shrugged and sat back on the couch. They all raised their eyebrows. "Honest!"

Grayson rolled his eyes. "Sure, buddy. Anyways, for the video we're doing a Try Not To Cringe thing, but we can only use stuff that we've got of each other, like, secretly. So do you have anything of Averly?"

I laughed when I thought about the video I got of her a few days ago when she was curling her hair and saw a spider, then dropped her curling iron on her foot and hobbled over to punch me for laughing.

"No, nothing."

Damn, I was a good boyfriend.

"Whatever, bro! Come on, it won't be as fun if we don't have any dirt on her!" Aaron groaned and tried to take my phone.

I shook my head again. "No! But we could do it where you can't laugh either, you know? Like you get a negative point if you make any expression, and we could call it The Poker-Face Challenge." I suggested.

The boys all nodded their heads and agreed. We started setting up more cameras and lights, then the microphones.

"I still don't believe that you don't have anything embarrassing of Averly, though." Aaron mentioned and sat back on the couch.

I shrugged. "I do. I mean, I guess there're a few embarrassing text conversations I can show." They weren't that bad, and Averly wasn't easily embarrassed anyways.

"That'll work." Jack laughed.

A few seconds later, Averly came in and sat beside me on the couch. We all had to squeeze so there was enough room, and Averly wound up half on my lap.

"What's up guys? I'm back, and this week I've got special guests Aaron Carpenter, Ethan and Grayson Dolan, and their neighbor-slash-Ethan's-girlfriend Averly." Jack pointed at all of us.

Averly and I looked at each other. I hadn't told the fans that we were dating yet, but I guess that I could post a picture of us tonight to reveal it before Jack posted the video. I would have to ask her first, though. Then Jack might have to re-film this part. I would figure it out later.

"So, today we're doing a challenge that we kind of came up with called The Poker-Face Challenge and basically, we're gonna show embarrassing texts, videos, pictures, etcetera of each other, and we all have to stay cool. You can't cringe, laugh, squeal, scream, get up and leave, anything like that. So, let's get started. Grayson, show us everything you have of all of us, starting with Ethan." He said and looked at Grayson. I took a deep breath because I knew Grayson would have a ton of shit on me.

He laughed and showed us all his phone. It was a picture of me mid-sneeze. I looked kind of like a two-hundred year old turtle, so I didn't make a face. Averly tucked her lips inside her mouth and her eyes got huge. I smacked her arm lightly and smiled at her. She wrapped her arms around me and got a closer look at the picture.

"Okay, next thing." He showed a video of me lip-syncing to A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton in my boxers and fluffy socks with star-shaped sunglasses and broom.

Jack and Aaron lost it, but Averly and Grayson kept their cool. Probably because they witnessed it in person.

Grayson shrugged. "I don't have anything else on E, so let's move on to Av." He grinned at us and showed us a picture of her laying on top of me sleeping while I stuck a french fry up her nose.

She gasped, then slapped my arm. "Oh my god!" She laughed and covered her face, then sighed. "You guys suck!" She declared.

I laughed and kissed her cheek. "We know."

The guys all groaned, then covered us with their hands. "Go to your room, Ethan!" Grayson ordered and pointed.

Averly and I looked at each other and wiggled our eyebrows. "Okay!"

Jack grabbed us and held us to the couch. "No! We've gotta film!" He laughed.

Grayson kept showing embarrassing things of the rest of us, then it was my turn. I started with a few photos of Gray, then a video of him dancing to Treasure by Bruno Mars. I showed Jack and Aaron after Grayson, then Averly last.

"Okay, this is my text conversation with Averly from this morning. She said, 'Hey come over here riiiight now! I have to show you something!' and I said, 'Babe, I'm sleeping' and she said, 'No, Ethan, it's really important!!' and I said, 'Tell me what it is then!' and she said, 'I just shaved my legs and they're really smooth and you need to feel them right now.'" I smiled at the conversation, but Jack and Aaron groaned.

"What. . . Why did you. . . I'm confused." Aaron laughed and looked at Averly.

She started rolling up her leggings. "They're still smooth, you guys wanna feel?" She laughed.

I pulled her leggings back down and held them to her leg. "They're not touching your legs." I shook my head and laughed.

She sighed and fake rolled her eyes, then got her phone out. "It's my turn, right? Well, I only have stuff on Ethan because I don't spend much time around the rest of you guys. Do enjoy a photo of him before he shaved last time and had a mini-mustache." She showed us all the picture.

Instantly, I cringed. It was honestly a horrible photo. "Oh, Babe, really?" I laughed.

She nodded her head. "I also have a picture of you from the other night when we went on our midnight McDonald's run. Should I show the world?" She asked and grinned.

I knew exactly what she was talking about and got sick to my stomach. My hair was pulled down in front of my face and I had a mullet sort of thing going on. I was goofing! "No, no, no!" I laughed and grabbed her phone. "Oh, God, I'll do anything!"

She laughed shook her head. "Fine, fine, I won't show it. Instead I'll show the video of you yesterday morning."

She pressed play and I instantly got chills. I was laying down next to her and singing Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade completely out of tune. They boys all choked down laughter, but had to cover their mouths.

I groaned when the video was over and hid my face in the crook of Averly's neck.

Jack and Aaron's videos were definitely the worst. They had stuff from a few years ago when we were cringe-worthy all the time. Grayson and I lost with a tie and had to go ask a random woman to tell us which one of us was more attractive. She slapped both of us, cursed at us in a foreign language, then stormed off.

We filmed a closing, then put away all the cameras and lights and stuff and hung out in the apartment. Averly and I sat on the couch, her legs on top of mine like always. I scrolled through our photos together to choose one to use to reveal our relationship to the fans. I came across my favorite picture of us - she had on her glasses and her hair was all messy, and I just looked tired. She sat behind me and her arms wrapped around my shoulders. We were both smiling the most sincere I'd seen in any picture.

"Hey, Babe, do you think it's time for me to tell the fans?" I asked and kissed her cheek.

She nodded. "It's up to you."

I smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "Great. I'm gonna use this picture." I showed her my phone.

She smiled. "I love that one."

"Me too."

I went on Instagram and started writing the caption.

Hey everyone! So I've been keeping secret from you guys for a little while... you guys saw Averly in Tuesday's video, but we just called her our neighbor. At the time she was, but now I am very proud to say that she is my amazing girlfriend! She makes me incredibly happy and I couldn't ask for anyone better <3 @averlyy.dixonn

When I posted it, the comments flooded. Most of them were positive, but there were a few that were negative. I tried to overlook those, though. I mainly focused on the comments from my friends.

@rickydillon: OMG YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE??? YOU BOTH HAVE TO BE ON MY CHANNEL

@jamescharles: Do I have to stop calling you daddy now?

@camdol: Why did I not know about this?

@graysondolan: Guys stop they aren't cute they're annoying

@averlyy.dixonn: I can share with you ;) @jamescharles

@averlyy.dixonn: you're the best<3

I laughed at most of them, then wrapped my arms around Averly and pushed her down on the couch so I was laying down mostly on top of her. "You're the best thing that's happened to me in a while, you know that?" I asked.

She laughed and kissed my cheek. "You're the best thing that's happened to me ever."

I was kind of honored, but also kind of scared. That was a lot of pressure on me and I didn't want to screw it up.

[stillgeekingout]

surprise! it’s chapter 13 of the ultimate aaron milverton crossover fic! I may have stopped my routine but I will never give up on my greatest work

previous:  1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here, 5 here, 6 here, 7 here, 8 here, 9 here, 10 here, 11 here, 12 here

------

A week later, Rachel was once again visited at work. But this time, it wasn’t Aaron visiting.

“Blair? How did you-- what are you doing here?” Blair had appeared-- literally appeared-- in the middle of the store. Luckily, Rachel’s manager was in the back as usual and no other customers were around. She had believed Zoe about Blair and Alex being gods, but the teleportation still threw her off guard.

Rachel couldn’t imagine why Blair would show up out of the blue. She hadn’t gotten the impression that Blair had particularly liked her on their last encounters.

“I need to speak with you,” said Blair by way of greeting. “But first, I am going to eat some froyo.”

And with that, she began loading a cup, leaving Rachel trying and failing to think of a response. (Blair really loved froyo, according to Zoe. They had been texting constantly for a week and a lot of Zoe’s end was just stories about Alex and Blair, her coworkers, and her new friend Violet. Rachel didn’t mind. She thought it was nice how much Zoe cared about her friends.)

Blair ate her froyo in silence, filled and ate a second cup, and finally addressed Rachel. “I came to offer a proposition.”

“Ok…” She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but that wasn’t it. “What kind of proposition?”

“Well, Zoe won’t stop talking about you, and there’s all that mortal nonsense about physical distance--”

“Wait, she talks about me?” Were Alex and Blair hearing about her the way she heard about them? She hadn’t realized she would like the idea as much as she did. It felt nice to be among the people Zoe cared enough to talk about.

“When will you humans learn not to interrupt the divine when we’re speaking? Yes, I just said that she talks about you. Now, as I was saying--”

“What does she say?” She wasn’t sure what she wanted Zoe to be saying.

“You’re making me regret my proposition before I even make it.”

“Sorry, go on.”

Blair took a deep breath, eyeing Rachel as if to make sure she wouldn’t cut her off this time. “Zoe is the best human I know,” she said matter-of-factly, “and she clearly thinks highly of you. And not having you around is making her upset. My proposition is this: one of Zoe’s human friends has informed me that there is a position open at the Smithsonian, and--”

Rachel caught on to what Blair was trying to say. “Whoa, wait, I can’t move to DC!”

Blair huffed at being interrupted again. “Why not?”

“Well, my parents are here,” she said, though she had been eager to leave her parents’ house for months. “And I just met Zoe, I’m not about to Rebecca Bunch myself at her--”

“I do not know what that means.”

“It’s from a TV show.”

“Oh, one of those.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Rachel said, not wanting to anger Blair too much. Zoe had said she didn’t really lash out anymore, but Rachel didn’t want to push it. “The point is, I can’t move halfway up the country for a girl I barely know anything about.”

“Well that’s easy, I can tell you about her. What do you want to know?”

“That’s… nice of you, but not what I meant.”

“I don’t understand what the problem is. I will provide housing for you if necessary. Although I’m sure that you don’t have issues obtaining human currency, considering that you work in such an esteemed field as frozen yogurt distribution.” She gestured around at the store. Rachel laughed. Blair stared at her as if she didn’t understand the joke.

“Listen, Blair, this is really nice of you,” Rachel said, “but I just can’t. It’s too much to process right now.”

“Very well. I will return when you’ve had time to consider.”

“That’s not what I m--”

But Blair was already gone, vanished into thin air.

------

Aaron couldn’t decide what was worse: when he had been agonizing over Chad not liking him back, or his newfound agonizing over being in a long distance relationship.

That was a total lie-- as terrible as long distance was, he definitely preferred it to his previous situation. He and Chad talked constantly. They skyped every night. Aaron still got excited every time he saw Chad’s face pop up on his screen. And even though Chad was far away, he was still undisputably Aaron’s. That feeling alone was worth the pain of separation.

For all intents and purposes, he was very, very happy. But Chad’s next visit couldn’t come soon enough.

------

How was christmas shopping with violet?

Rachel sent the text, then flopped down on her bed. She and Zoe had been texting for several weeks. It was comfortable, easy. Rachel no longer felt nervous to reply to every text. She still didn’t know where she stood on the romantic front, but Zoe hadn’t mentioned anything about it. For now, it was nice having a friend to talk to.

Two friends, actually. She and Aaron had seen each other several more times. She had come close a few times to telling him the truth about everything, but it was easier just to console him about Chad. (Who, by the way, was visiting for New Year’s. Rachel got an update on the countdown every time she and Aaron talked.)

Her phone buzzed.

Suuuuuper weird lol i finally met her infamous detective friend bc we stopped by their office

???

Oh did i not tell you about that? it’s somebody she knows from college, they have like a consulting business or idk. but they kept asking me a million questions about my family and if i had any relatives my age in georgia

Weird, why?

apparently i look like some dead drug lord??? Violet has told me this before but she tells me a lot of weird stuff, i try not to ask too many questions tbh.

your roommates are gods, aren’t you beyond ruling out weird stuff lol

Blair had stopped by the store earlier that day, in fact. It was her third time, and luckily Rachel had finally convinced her to use the front door in case there were other people around.

“The position at the Smithsonian was filled,” she’d said. “But I’m still prepared to find you something.” Rachel had insisted that it was still too soon and too drastic. Blair had stuck around to eat 4 or 5 cups of froyo, and they had actually talked a little bit. It was nice, in a weird way.

I’m used to my own weird by now hahaha, Zoe’s text said. actually though sherlock did look kinda familiar to me too so probably we met at some point and now she’s mixed me up with this other girl

Wait omg sherlock???

yeah... weird name i know

no omg I think you might have met aaron’s ex

you sure??

How many people do you know named sherlock…

wtf……. small world

Did you catch a last name? I’ll fb stalk. She wondered if Aaron’s ex was cute. They seemed to have about the same taste in terrible women.

homes? i think? something like that

Sure enough, “Sherlock Holmes” was the first result on facebook. Lives in DC, went to SACU. So this was the girl who had broken Aaron’s heart. Her profile picture was hard to see, so Rachel clicked to make it bigger… and almost dropped her phone.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands shook. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then looked back at her phone cautiously, hoping she had been imagining things. But no, the uncanny resemblance was still there.

“Hamlet!” she shouted to her empty bedroom. “If you’re doing this, it’s not funny, okay? Leave me alone!”

Her phone buzzed.

so, any conclusion? same sherlock?

Then, a few seconds later: omg does this mean violet and aaron went to the same college

Rachel steadied herself. She couldn’t do this right now. She couldn’t respond to Zoe like everything was normal. Since the day they met, Zoe had always been surrounded by things that reminded her of the life she was trying so hard to forget. Blair looking like Laura. Zoe driving Marci’s car. But this… this felt more deliberate than coincidental.

Hey I’ll talk to you later ok? She managed to send the text to Zoe, then put her phone down. What now? Was this Hamlet’s ghost messing with her? She wouldn’t, right? Rachel couldn’t bring herself to believe that Hamlet would intentionally hurt her.

She sat on her bed, taking deep breaths. After a few minutes with no sign of anything out of the ordinary, she picked her phone back up and called Aaron.

He answered almost immediately. “Rachel!!! What’s up?”

“Hey, are you busy?” she asked, trying to match his enthusiasm and failing miserably. “Can I ask you something weird?”

“Um...?”

“Just-- are you around people?” Her voice was shaking. “I don’t want to bring this up if you’re not in private.”

“No, I’m not around people,” he said cautiously. “Rachel, are you ok? You sound weird.”

“I think so. I mean, I’m not in danger. Um. I hate to ask you this, but can I talk to you about Sherlock?” Now he must be really confused.

“What about Sherlock? Did she try to contact you?” If Aaron sounded concerned before, now he really did.

“No! She didn’t. It’s complicated. Um, this is going to sound weird, but can you tell me what she looks like?”

“Short brown hair, glasses, really pale, kinda tall…” So the picture was probably real. Maybe she was imagining the similarities to Hamlet. A lot of people fit that description. She looked at the picture again, and-- nope, definitely still looked like a less goth Hamlet.

“And um, she lived at SACU full time, right? She didn’t like pop back and forth from Orlando?” She couldn’t imagine that her former best friend and roommate led some sort of secret double life in Middle-of-Nowhere, Georgia. But she just had to check.

“I mean, she was secretive, but I highly doubt it… hey, can you tell me what’s going on now?”

“I…” She hadn’t really thought far enough ahead to come up with an explanation. “So um. It turns out Zoe’s friends in DC know Sherlock.”

She heard Aaron sigh. “She really is going to haunt me forever, isn’t she?” he muttered.

He meant ‘haunt’ as a figure of speech, Rachel told herself. There’s no way Sherlock is ALSO a ghost. Out loud, she said, “Um, so I looked her up because I was curious and I wanted to make sure it was the same Sherlock. That’s all.” Now that she was fairly convinced that Sherlock was actually just a person who looked a lot like Hamlet, and there was nothing supernatural going on, she didn’t want to go into more detail. Maybe doppelgangers were just much more common than she previously realized. She did have a cousin who looked a lot like her.

“And what were you saying about Orlando?” Aaron asked.

“Oh, uh, nothing.” Very convincing.

“Rachel. Are you sure you’re ok?”

She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t tell Aaron, and she definitely couldn’t tell him over the phone. “I’m fine,” she said, trying to steady her voice. “I’ll explain later. It’s not a big deal.”

“Ok…”

“I promise. I’m ok. I’ll talk to you later, ok? Thanks for answering.”

“You’re welcome…” He still sounded skeptical. She hung up.  

She got on her computer and googled Sherlock Holmes, only to find out that her (their?) friend had a vlog. Because of course. She clicked through a few videos, but the similarities to Hamlet were too disturbing. Right down to the ace ring.

Knowing how much of a bad idea it was, she pulled up Hamlet’s channel. (Her therapist always told her not to watch the videos, and she usually agreed. But then, it would be much easier not to if she could just delete them. Her therapist never understood why she didn’t, and never seemed to believe that she physically couldn’t.) After two or three videos, she managed to close the tab. She lay down on her bed and cried.

That night, she dreamed of Hamlet dying in her arms.

------

Rachel’s phone rang. It was Zoe.

She let it go to voicemail.

She felt guilty for ignoring Zoe the past several days, but she didn’t know how to talk to her. With all of her secrets back to the forefront of her mind, it seemed impossible to be casual. Eventually, Zoe was bound to ask her more things about her past. Or, you know, what her last name was. Somehow or other, Rachel knew she would find the videos and see everything. Which left her with two options: tell Zoe everything before that could happen, or ignore it and hope it would go away. And she hated confrontation.

Her phone buzzed with a voicemail notification. It occurred to her that she and Zoe had never actually talked on the phone, only texted. Which meant she hadn’t heard Zoe’s actual voice since Thanksgiving weekend. She figured she should listen to the voicemail. It had to be something serious if Zoe was going to the trouble of actually calling.

“Hi, ok, so I really need you to call me. I haven’t heard from you in days and I don’t know what the explanation is but I need to know that you’re ok and you didn’t have some kind of emergency. And I really hope you’re safe and fine and you don’t have a family member in the hospital or something. Please call me if you get the chance so I know if you’re ok. Bye, I love y-- I MEAN! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that, I’m so used to saying that to my mom and friends and stuff… not that we’re not friends! I just. And this is making it worse, I’m sorry, I lo--NO. Gods. Ok. Call me. Bye.”

Rachel played the message again. She felt terrible for making Zoe nervous about her wellbeing.

I got your message, she texted. Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’m ok… it’s hard to explain.

Her phone rang again. This time, she answered it.

“Hello?”

“Ok, seriously, what the hell?”

“What?” After the message she’d just heard, she hadn’t expected Zoe to sound so angry.

“You can’t just disappear off the face of the earth like that,” Zoe said. “I get that like, things happen and people get busy but you can’t go from texting every day to not saying anything for almost a week and not expect me to get worried! I’ve been freaking out!”

“I’m really sorry, I--”

“Listen, if you don’t want to talk to me anymore, can you at least have the courtesy to tell me? I’m not going to waste my time if you don’t want to be friends but it’s really not cool to just ghost me like that.” Trust me, Rachel thought, I’ve seen ghosting, and this isn’t it.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you,” Rachel said.

“Then what?” Zoe still sounded angry. “Because honestly I’ve been wracking my brain for days and if you don’t have an emergency and you’re not avoiding me then I’m really confused as to why you can’t just respond to a simple text, even to say you’re too busy to talk.”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Rachel said. She should have known confrontation would come for her one way or another. “I’m… I’m not exactly what you think I am, Zoe.”

“My best friends are gods,” Zoe said. “Try me.”

Rachel sighed. “I wasn’t being totally honest about being ok,” she said. “I mean, I’m fine, I’m safe, I don’t want you to worry about me. But I have these... ghosts, I guess. Of my past. And sometimes it’s too much.”

“Rachel, I’m here for you,” Zoe said, no longer sounding angry. “We’re friends now, ok? You can tell me.”

“That’s the thing, I really can’t tell you.” Maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe Zoe would understand anyway.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… ok, so some things happened in my life that… really kind of messed me up. And it was really bad for a long time. I’m mostly fine now, but sometimes I just get reminded and that’s what happened the other day and I just… I couldn’t…” She trailed off.

“Hey, if you’re dealing with something, you can just tell me that, okay? You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong. I’m here for you either way.”

“Thanks,” Rachel said. “I’m just not ready to talk about it yet. Maybe someday I’ll tell you.”

“In the meantime, tell those ghosts I said to leave you alone,” Zoe said. It took Rachel a second to remember she had used ghosts as a metaphor. “And if you need space, I’m cool with that too. But do me a favor and tell me that next time, ok?”

“Ok. Sorry I worried you.”

“I’m just glad you’re ok,” Zoe said. “And that you still want to be my friend.”

“Of course I do!” Rachel said. “You and Aaron are the first people in a long time I feel comfortable being friends with.”

Zoe laughed. “Wow, so glad to be in an exclusive club with Aaron,” she said.

“Seriously! He’s a great guy,” Rachel said. “Over the top, sure, but really genuine.”

“Oh, speaking of Aaron, did you ever find out if--”

“Hey!” Rachel cut her off. “Um. Remember the thing I said before, about not being able to explain? That again, but can we not talk about Sherlock? I don’t know how to tell you why, but I just really don’t want to.”

“Okay…” Zoe sounded confused. Of course she did. Nothing Rachel was saying made sense.

“Oh and hey, Zoe?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for reaching out to me,” Rachel said. “That was a really thoughtful voicemail, and um, I know you said it on accident but I think it’s perfectly fine to tell your friends you love them.”

“Oh my gods,” Zoe groaned. “That was so embarrassing…”

“No, I thought it was sweet!”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I’m not. It means a lot to me,” Rachel insisted.

“Well um. You’re welcome, I guess.” There was a long moment of silence, then Zoe broke it. “So um, do you mind hearing a story about Violet? Will that bother you?”

“I would love to hear a story about Violet,” Rachel said. Zoe was so considerate. Why had Rachel been nervous to talk to her again?

Zoe launched into her story, and Rachel forgot everything she had been worried about. She forgot all the trouble about a potential relationship and her past and Blair coming to pester her about moving and just thought about Zoe, and how nice it was to have a supportive friend to talk to and to hear stories from.

“...so now she’s got a whole group of people convinced, and I don’t even know how to start undoing all that damage,” Zoe wrapped up. “Blair thinks it’s hilarious, though, so at least that.”

“That’s great,” Rachel said. “Um, I should go actually. I think my parents wanted to go out to dinner or something.”

“Ok,” Zoe said. “Well it was nice actually talking to you.”

“Yeah! We should do it again. At some point. If you want.”

“I’d like that.” She could hear Zoe smiling through the phone.

“Well, goodnight. I love you.”

“Oh my gods, stop it,” Zoe said. “I’m never living that down, am I?”

Rachel had said it as a joke, but she realized that no matter how she felt about romance or relationships or long distance or whatever else, she did love having Zoe as a person in her life. And that had to be enough justification, right? But she didn’t say any of that-- because she had a feeling, or maybe a hope, that Zoe already knew. Instead she just said, “Nope!”

“Love you too,” Zoe said, as if to confirm everything Rachel hadn’t said. “Bye.” She hung up.

With just one phone call, Rachel felt that warm feeling again. Like she did at the Goodwill buying the jackets. And in the back of Zoe’s van on the way to Miami. And on the beach at sunrise.

For a second, she almost considered Blair’s proposition.

------

The next time Blair showed up at the store, she didn’t even ask about Rachel moving. She just went straight for froyo and conversation. Rachel had a sneaking suspicion that Blair was actually starting to like talking to her. (She did know a lot about mythology, even if a lot of that came from Percy Jackson.)

“So Blair,” Rachel said, after they had been talking for a little while. “You’re like an all powerful goddess, right?”

Blair narrowed her eyes. “Of course…”

“How much control do all-powerful goddesses have over the internet?”

“That’s absurd. As much as we want.”

“I wasn’t doubting you!” Rachel assured her. “Just asking.”

“Well, are you ‘just asking’ for your own amusement, or did you need something from me?” Blair looked at her expectantly. Rachel took a deep breath. The idea had come to her suddenly, and she thought it just might work. A way to get one step farther away from her past.

“Do you think you could delete some videos for me?”

[enrcses]

do all the even numbers!

shit fam okay.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

it depends !! if i have to trudge through the cold and i’m walking somewhere, it’s not as fun. but if i’m running outside for something, yes.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

coffee,,,, i like to flavour it up with so much stuff you can’t taste the coffee anymore. and my tea i usually just drink straight up. or i add honey.

6: do you keep plants?

i used to have a cactus !! but he got knocked over during a party and he’s dying so my grandma’s taking care of him.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

usually writing or sometimes photoshop.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

my stomach. i like to bury my face in the bed.

12: what's your favorite planet?

venus, probably.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

brick walls, very open, off white curtains that flow with open windows that are made of real glass. lots of plants and paintings. it’ll smell like sandalwood and egyptian cotton.

16: what's your favorite pasta dish?

all of them.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

oh god. i once got pegged for calling this girl at my middle school a “dumpster slut” and it’s just been this big insult that everyone around me uses now. i never said it, but i’ll take credit for it.

20: what's your favorite eye color?

blue or green !!

22: are you a morning person?

it depends !! if i get enough sleep, i’m really bubbly in the morning. but i also get really affectionate and just cling to everyone.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

not every one of them, but most of them yeah sure !!

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

i have these brown boots that are so cute and i have to wear them all the time.

28: sunrise or sunset?

both. i’m a sucker for pretty colored skies.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

uhm. i’ve had men catcall me while walking down the street at night and i thought they were gonna try and follow me home. i was really scared then. ive also had a total stranger make sexual advances towards me and i freaked out and went up to my room. i made my girlfriend at the time stay on skype with me because i was too scared to sleep alone.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

everything that happens after 3am when im with my friends usually involves us being drunk so,,,, the usual drunken stories.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

i do !! i keep my white teddy bear from when i got my tonsils out. his name is gilbert and i love him.

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now?

i’m not sure ! maybe seafret.

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

i have so many but i really can’t stand people who lie. and i can’t handle people who are so snobbish they think it’ll ruin their aesthetic to be nice to people. just be nice.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?

i have this necklace that i wear quite often and i bought it one day at the mall with my friend. she bought one as well. so now we both have matching necklaces.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

i don’t. i don’t really go to coffee shops. but the froyo place next door to my work has some decent coffee !!

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

uhm. it was the last time i did yoga. afterwards i felt so relaxed and mellow it was incredible.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

i always use this one on my coworkers and i swear they want to hit me every time. what do the french call a really horrible thursday ??? a trajeudi.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

all my fears are pretty much the same. spiders, crocodiles / alligators, open water, abandonment, etc.

50: what's an odd thing you collect?

i have a bunch of glass soda bottles ??

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

I LIKE THE ONES OF PEOPLE LIKE DANCING THRU SPACE TO THAT MUSIC

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

i’m not actually sure ?? i mean my friend was pretty sad today when i went to give a high five and then dabbed instead.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

endearing ?? i don’t know. i love people who are kind. people who believe that this world can still turn itself around and believe that there are good people still. idk.

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

i’m probably the wine mom. i’m such a Mom Friend and i always want wine. maybe my friend kylie would be vodka aunt ?? i’m not sure. none of them really drink a whole lot of vodka.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

i honestly,,, i’m so indifferent to poetry. but it’s for my own reasons.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

i like orange juice !! apple juice too !!

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

its blue !!

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

lots of purple and browns.

68: what's winter like where you live?

it used to be brutal. i live up north so we’ve gotten like 3 feet of snow before. but anymore, it’s just dead and cold.

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

NO. DONT FUCK WITH OUIJA BOARDS MAN.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it?

yes. my notes on my phone are just full of random crap.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

absolutely stellar. they’ve been with me through so much and are always there if i need a shoulder to cry on. they understand me on levels that not a whole lot of people do and we’ve grown so much together, they’re family.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't?

nope !! i’m completely task free for the rest of the day !!

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

i hate minions. god. they annoy the shit out of me.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

they’re like a greenish color. like eggshell green. but no, it was like that when i moved in and i’ve never been allowed to change it bc we’re renting the house.

82: are/were you good in school?

no, i wasn’t. not public school. homeschool, yes. i just hated homework. it had nothing to do with my intelligence.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

i want to get “etre en harmonie avec votre vie” tattooed on my arm somewhere.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

i’m not sure tbh.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

uh again, not sure.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

one of my favorite cities omg,,,, either paris or marseille or aix-en provence. i just am so in love with the art, the culture, the food, the architecture. all of it.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

i’m kinda a happy medium. not too much, but enough to actually taste it.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

my friend, aaron.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

i’m a big computer geek. i like to make sure my baby is all up to date on software and usually just do them at night before bed.

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

i don’t know !! it’s been so long !! but my mom invited me a couple days ago !!

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

5 years into the future. i wasn’t happy in the past. 14 year old me was miserable and i wouldn’t ever want to go back to that.