#about halloween decorations. and besting the other half of our class in decorating our space

[sunb0ts]

today was good! not a lot happened, but there were cool people on the afternoon bus from an arts academy out here + bus driver had ra ra rasputin on the playlist and this one couple that regular said bus were honest to god headbanging to it and giggling 2gether + I thought about Trucy and Apollo a lot :) also Gregory and Miles (mostly Gregory) bc Investigations is everywhere rn

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 109

Happy Spooptober, everyone!

I’ve been planning since about February to do another camping trip this month, for the season.  I was super fortunately back in May to have some stories left over to share, that I didn’t have the opportunity for last time.  So thanks go to @catolicabuena for your submission, and to @dierotenixe for the PERFECT character to add to this chapter.

As always, thanks go to @zazen-rabbit, @baelpenrose, and @charlylimph-blog for being the beta readers and cheering section I need every day, no matter what.

As a reward for the clear, focused argument Charly gave in favor of Shalt-kri’i/Ekomari hostilities being over cultural misunderstandings earned her a reward of her choice.  I don’t know what Arthur expected, but part of me expected her to ask him something like throwing the class a party, showing up to teach class in sparkly footie-pajamas.  Her response, instead, left me convinced there was a conspiracy between her, Conor, and other mysterious parties to keep track of the Terran holidays.

“It’s almost Halloween,” she immediately pointed out. 

How? How did she say that so certainly? I wasn’t even sure it was Friday.

Oblivious to my thoughts, she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Today’s Tuesday - “ See!? “Which means Halloween is just under two weeks away? I think?”

“Your guess is probably better than mine,” I admitted. “Between the extra long days, artificial light, and consistent temperatures, I have no idea anymore.”

“She’s spot on,” Tyche confirmed, without even looking up.  We were sitting in my living room, digging into ice cream while all the guys were at work.

“How - “ I sputtered. “How are y’all keeping track of this?”

Tyche rolled her eyes, while Charly snagged my wrist and shook it. When my datapad popped up, she gave me the deadest stare I had ever seen on her face. “There is a calendar on this thing. You do know that, right?”

My face and neck burned so hot, I was surprised my hair didn’t catch on fire. “I keep it on the daily view, so I can see all my appointments.”

“Which is why she has me and Alistair,” my sister pointed out lazily before scooping up another spoonful of dessert. “By the way, this pumpkin ice cream is pretty good.”

I nodded, having had a scoop earlier.  We had been trying every flavor we could think of.  

True to form, Charly’s was a screaming purple that honestly scared me, sprinkled with gummy bears and some kind of acid-green syrup. Every time she leaned my direction, I couldn’t repress the flinch. “Pumpkin is a good point. We should go camping again, and carve pumpkins.”

I could almost feel my ears pick up. “You mean like jack-o-lanterns?”

“Duhhhhh,” she scooped up a large enough bite to convince me it probably wasn’t toxic. “I know we can’t have open flames in the lab, but we can still put emitters in them.”

“Where are we even going to get pumpkins in time?” Neither woman would look at me. “What did y’all do?”  I sighed.

“We did nothing,” Tyche insisted, chin jutting out stubbornly. “Now Sam….”

An audible smack sounded when I dropped my forehead to my palm. “How big?”

Charly gave me the widest puppy-dog eyes she could. “How big are what?”

“The pumpkins…”

“Pretty big,” Tyche smirked. “I don’t think I’ve seen even you carve any this big, honestly.”

I wasn’t a professional carver by any means, or even competitive, but I had done some pretty big ones in the past, so I was a little excited to see these.

 A couple nights later, sure enough, several of us were carrying our camping gear to the now-less-eerie clearing where our previous camping trip had taken place.  Even though Sam had decided not to join us, we were greeted by the sight of six enormous pumpkins around the edges of the space.  In awe, I approached one and ran my hand over it - I actually had to lift my hand, seeing as the thing came nearly up to my hips. “How long has he been growing these?” I asked.

“Just over three months?” Conor huffed, setting down our gear. “The things love our best guess of Von’s environment, turns out.”

“No shit,” I whispered before clearing my throat. “I don’t think we have large enough containers for the guts and everything in these.”  The deal with camping in the Lab was that we had to take out everything brought in with or for us.  While Grey agreed to allow the jack-o-lanterns to decorate the area for the next two weeks - ostensibly as a study of decomposition - if we couldn’t remove the waste from the pumpkins, we couldn’t carve them.

Something that felt like plastic beaned me in the face. While I rubbed my face, I glanced down at my feet where whatever-it-was fell. 

Maverick started apologizing before I could figure out what I was looking at. “Oh god, Sophia, I’m sorry! I meant to toss that on top of the pumpkin!”

With a joking scowl, I glanced at the vegetable between us. “How bad does your aim have to be to miss that thing?”

“Are you okay?”

“Only if you tell me what just hit me in the forehead?”  I tried leaning over to pick them up again, but Conor beat me to it.

“They’re composting bags,” Maverick admitted. “I brought them just in case. They were the only thing large enough and portable enough to at least get in here.”

“It looks like a roll of garbage bags,” Simon pointed out skeptically, poking the roll of pseudo-plastic Conor was holding.

Conor smiled and shrugged. “Pretty similar.”

Soon, we were spreading out and setting up our gear in  a familiar pattern. Just as the last bit of gear was stuffed into the tents or spread on the ground, Antoine’s head snapped up and over his shoulder. “Does anyone else hear that?”

Silence fell as we strained our ears to listen.  The others started looking around, searching for something, before I was able to actually catch what they were hearing.  Finally, I was able to hear what sounded like music, but it was in a minor key that sent shivers up my spine.  It was another minute or so before I could make out words drifting through the trees. 

“ -  a year, and then

A few weeks, doubled, and tripled again,

A fire was struck by a warrior’s band

Meant for food, warmth, and a place to stand”

“What the - “ Tyche started wandering toward the music, clearly expecting us to follow. “It’s beautiful, but so sad.”

Reluctantly, I followed, reminding myself that this was a lab, that the faerie ring we were standing in was manufactured as a prank.

 “Yet one bough too many was placed inside

The flames roared to life as they screamed and cried

Tore down the trees as the warriors fled

And only ceased by the river’s bed

 The warriors slain, charred skulls and bone

Have remained in the forest for years, alone

Yet a magic imbued in their ashen remains

That entered a child who hid in great pain”

 I glanced over my shoulder, and saw about half our group behind me, including - “Arthur, why do you have your sword?”

“Because it’s steel,” he shrugged, like that actually answered my question. “Which means it has iron in it, and we’re in space, so any fucked up space-fae might not know the difference.”

 “In order to warn those who may stay

In the trees embrace, and walk away

The girl reads the thoughts of those who stand

On the ashes of noses, bowels, and hands

 She sends them away with a haunted scream

That tears into souls with a power unseen

No one has entered who has not fled

Only to drown in the river’s bed”

 Because that line was reassuring as I realized we were getting toward the artificial lake. Totally want to hear about drowning in a river bed, on a Halloween camping trip, sang by a creepy voice I didn’t recognize.  A voice that we were steadily getting closer to, no less.

 “For what place is safer from fire and flame

Than the rushing of water, a power untamed

The danger evaded, the human is saved

As their lungs are filled with a liquid depraved

 To step foot in the forest is to invite death

For though the child has drawn their last breath…”

 Tyche came to a sudden stop, both hands abruptly on her hips.  She glanced back at me, one eyebrow arched, and twitched her head toward the lake.  The voice was incredibly close to us at this point, so I peeked past her as carefully as I could.

Even in the low light of the BioLab during simulated-night, I saw a bright gleam of silver trailing through the water, interrupted only by a thick, red-gold cable draped halfway down.

“Their soul remains as though chained to the ground,” Nixe smiled with her eyes as she wound the song to a close. “And they’ll tear you apart until you are drowned.”

“Very funny,” Tyche half-scolded. “You did that on purpose.”

A lazy flick of her tail accompanied a cool glance over the surface of the water. “Perhaps,” she replied calmly. “And perhaps not. I often swim at night. And I like to sing, it’s in my nature.”

“But a song about ghosts, and vengeance, and drowning?”

“I’m a siren, Administrator Reid.” A bright flash of teeth that my brain told me were sharper than I knew they were. “All of my songs are about love, and revenge, and how else do sirens take revenge?” Another lazy splash. “I can’t exactly burn people at a pyre.”

“I loved it!” Charly spoke up from behind me. “We’re camping for Halloween, so it was perfect!” I had to admit, at least to myself, that she had a point.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one. From over my shoulder, I heard Arthur murmur “Siren or not, you’re insane.” A brief pause. “But I love the spooky music…”

I couldn’t be certain that she heard the comment, but Nixe’s eyes suddenly snapped over my shoulder to the side where it sounded like Arthur was standing. “Iron has no effect on me, Educator,” she stated firmly, flicking her tail to make a point. “But I mean none of you any harm, so please put the blade away. One near-death experience is plenty, thank you.”

A metallic rasp told me Arthur had acquiesced. “Apologies, I didn’t know it was you.”

“Were it anyone else, you still wouldn’t need that sword.” She tilted her head. “I would be there first.”

“Okay!” I interrupted, trying to break the tension. “Nixe, we’re camping and carving pumpkins.  Did you want to join us?”

Another smile, this one less terrifying. “I appreciate the invitation, but I have plans tonight.  I do apologize for interrupting your evening.”

“We were just surprised,” Charly explained. “But it was beautiful and perfect and thank you!”

With a nod, Nixe turned her body toward the artificial lake. “I am glad the song was appreciated.  Good night.”

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[theassthatquits]

Blupjeans Week Day 2 - Ghost

Lup Taaco founded the premier science camp for teens - Camp Rocks! - this side of Faerun almost a decade ago. She did it by herself (mostly) and has the awards, articles, and accolades to prove that it’s a success.

So where does Davenport, her investor, get off going behind her back and hiring someone new without consulting her? Sure, enrollment has plateaued in the last couple of years, the main complaint being that they needed to shake up their staffing and curriculum, but she had it handled. She could take care of it herself, this was just a bump in the road. She didn’t need the help of some fancy doctor, this ‘Dr. Hallwinter’ that Davenport worked with at the university.

Lup scoffed while thumbing through his resume and cover letter. Top of his undergrad at Neverwinter U, a triple major in chemistry, astronomy, and physics. A brief stint working at a funeral home - a little weird, but everyone goes through a quarter life crisis, right? Returning to school a couple years later to get his masters and PhD and now taught at the same university while simultaneously doing interplanar research with Davenport. At the bottom of his resume with “related skills” he put ‘huge nerd’, as if that wasn’t obvious enough.

“Well, at least he knows what he’s talking about,” she muttered to herself as she threw the papers aside. There was no use fighting it now, she had spent weeks arguing and it wasn’t getting her anywhere. And it wasn’t like this was a bad idea, it just wasn’t her idea. This was her camp, after all.

---

Okay, maybe this Dr. Hallwinter guy wasn’t such a bad fit. They got off on the wrong foot, having a couple of heated discussions (fights) about things that she could barely remember. But now, she was standing in the corner of the pavilion, watching him give a very animated lecture on stars and planets. Angus McDonald, one of their first campers and the only one who came every single year, kept raising his hand to ask new questions and Hallwinter loved it. The two of them could go back and forth for hours, talking about theories and experiments and life itself. Angus had signed himself up for all of Dr. Hallwinter’s classes for the summer and loved every minute.

And he wasn’t so bad to look at, she supposed.

Lup was snapped out of her reverie by the class laughing very loudly at some Fortnite reference he made. Without realizing it, she smiled too. Dr. Hallwinter looked up at that moment to see her and his grin grew even bigger. With their eyes locked together, he dabbed and the class lost it all over again. When she giggled at that, she could have sworn he was blushing.

---

Every year towards the end of the summer the staff throws a “spooky soiree” to celebrate the end of camp. Everyone dresses up in a science-themed costume, they use the different things they have learned to create gruesome and cool decorations and effects, and they end the night with a ghost story bonfire. It’s easily Lup’s favorite night of camp. She loves amazing all of the younger kids with the cauldrons of “witches brew” (just dry ice in some punch) and grossing them out with the “eyeballs” (peeled grapes). This year she sewed some LEDs into her black vest, creating stars and constellations. Lup glowed in the dark and she fucking loved it.

She was in the middle of a (spooky) explanation of the witch's brew when she caught sight of Dr. Hallwinter walking up to the party. He was wearing a white shirt with lines drawn across it like a measuring cup and a long red robe over it. She was pretty sure he was wearing a graduation cap, too, which would mean…

“Holy shit you’re a graduated cylinder!” Lup shouted at him from across the way.

Immediately squeals of “language, Miss Lup!” began in front of her and she apologized to them as Dr. Hallwinter walked over with a smile on his face.

“Sure, am! This is pretty much my only Halloween costume, but I do love it.”

“Well, it certainly works for you, Dr. Hallwinter.”

He blushed before saying, “Lup, please just call me Barry. We’ve been having this discussion all summer. The only other person who calls me Dr. Hallwinter is Angus.”

As if to prove his point, Taako swooped in at that moment in a chef’s costume with the letters “FE” written on his shirt and yelled, “Excellent costume, Barold! You look even more like a nerd than usual and that’s saying something.”

Barry laughed. “Thank you, Taako, or should I say Iron Chef?”

Taako bowed deeply. “At your service, sir.”

“Dr. Hallwinter, sir!” They saw smoke before they saw Angus and Lup was a little alarmed before she realized that it was part of his costume. The boy had dressed up like a volcano with fake lava and smoke coming out of the top of it. “Look, it works!”

“All right, buddy!” The pair high fived and a weird fuzzy feeling struck Lup while watching the two of them.

“I think they’re about to start the scary stories over by the bonfire, are you coming, sir?”

“Pshh am I coming? Miss Lup asked me if I could host the festivities. Now you go get a good seat and I’ll be right over to start us off.”

Angus saluted him and ran off, eager for the frights ahead.

“Hosting the ghost stories, that’s a big deal Barold. Lup has hosted the bonfire herself for the last - oh, I don’t know, 2 decades?”

Barry turned to Lup, confused. “Is that true? I don’t want to impose or ruin any traditions.”

She waved him off. “Nah, it’s fine. We got off on the wrong foot, think of it as a peace offering.” Stepping closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, her voice got quiet. “You’re a member of this family, Barry.”

It was a good thing it was so dark, otherwise she would have seen his face turn a deep red. “You said my name.”

“Yeah, yeah, go get ready to spook some kids, Bluejeans.”

“Bluejeans?”

“You’ve worn the same blue jeans every single day since you started, even when we do activities by the lake. I’m absolutely convinced that you only packed that one pair for the entire summer.”

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you’re not entirely wrong.”

“Barold. My dude. You only packed one pair of jeans, no shorts, no swim trunks, for an entire summer at a camp?”

“There might have been a slight mishap on the way here in which I lost my shorts, swim trunks, and half of my underwear.”

No one moved or said anything for a second before Taako finally said, “Barry, you know we go into town once a week to get food for the camp, right?”

Barry just stared into space, regretting all of his life choices that led up to this moment. Lup busted up laughing, harder than anyone had seen her laugh all summer. As she wiped a tear from her eye, she patted his shoulder and said, “Well, I guess you know for next year, right?”

He raised an eyebrow playfully. “Next year, huh?”

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t make any promises until I see how well you do at our bonfire fright fest. Speaking of which, we should definitely be heading over there. I am a little nervous to see how Magnus has been keeping the kids occupied.”

---

Lup stood in the back of the crowd, letting Barry take over the hosting responsibilities of the bonfire. It was one of her favorite parts of camp, but it felt right to let him do it. He was doing really well, enhancing his performance with shadow puppets from the fire and interspersing the scary parts with science puns to ease the nerves of the younger kids. She found it absolutely adorable.

“I think Barold is giving you a run for your money, Lulu.”

“He’s better than I expected, that’s for sure.”

“I’m glad you gave the guy a chance. He’s a good dude.”

She smiled. “He is, isn’t he?”

Taako took a moment, watching his sister watch Barry. “You have the hots for him, don’t you? Jeezy creezy, I should have seen this coming. Those arguments you two had at the beginning were spicy.”

“What?!” Lup said, a little too loudly, face flushing. “I do not have the hots for Dr. Bluejeans. He’s just funny and good with the kids and very smart and looks good in jeans and oh my god I have the hots for Dr. Bluejeans.” Her eyes got wide and she clutched Taako’s arms. “Taako what the fuck am I supposed to do?”

“Lulu, I say this with all the love in my heart: don’t follow your instincts. Right now, your instincts are telling you to let him walk away tomorrow and not say anything, and they are dead wrong.”

“Ughhh but what if he doesn’t feel the same? It ruins the professional relationship we have and then I have to ban him from the camp and then Angus will hate me and we will lose our best customer.”

“Something tells me he also feels the same way.”

“But how do you know that?”

30 minutes earlier

Lup went ahead before the boys to make sure that Magnus hadn’t started a revolution of sorts and that left Barry and Taako to quickly clean up the food before following. Barry’s eyes lingered a little too long on Lup as she was walking away.

“Barold. Are you checking out my sister?”

“What?! No, what makes you think that?”

“I rolled a Nat 20 on perception, Barold. Legally you cannot lie to me. Now tell me: do you have the hots for my sister?”

Barry covered his face with his hands. “Maybe? Yes. Absolutely. Completely. As soon as she called me a poorly-dressed poser on my first day I was done for.”

“Rad. You should do something about that.” Taako started walking towards the bonfire, witch’s brew in hand.

“What, like tell her?”

“Tell her, kiss her, fight her, just something so I get to stop looking at you two making eyes at one another,” Taako yelled back without stopping.

“What - we don’t make eyes at one another, that’s not…she makes eyes at me?”

“Yeah, I think you’re good, my dude.”

The kids started clapping, signaling the end of the story that Magnus was telling.

“All right, thank you Magnus. Very scary, that story about zombie dogs. I think next up we have everyone’s favorite camp director, Miss Lup!”

The kids cheered and Lup had to pull herself together to nail this story that she was definitely going to pull out of her ass because she most certainly hadn't prepared anything.

“Are you kids ready to get the pants scared off of you?”

They screamed enthusiastically.

“All right, this story is about our very own Lake Igneous here at Camp Rocks. Legend has it that there was a woman who used to live in these woods by herself, not letting anyone else get near her. She refused help from anyone that came by, wanting to do everything alone and remain independent. The campers nearby could hear her blowing shit up in the woods and they knew to steer clear. One day, a man stumbled into her home, lost and confused. She lit off several explosions in an attempt to scare him off but he didn’t want to leave.”

As she talked, her eyes found Barry’s.

“He saw how lonely she was and helped her blow shit up. Eventually she grew to really like the man and really enjoyed blowing things up with him.” Barry laughed at that. Lup, suddenly remembering that this was supposed to be a scary story, abruptly tore her eyes away from his.

“They thought it would be a good idea to light some fireworks on the lake, so they took a boat out to the center and created the biggest and most beautiful explosion known to man, taking both of them out. They sacrificed their lives for the dopest light show, and sometimes, on a very clear and quiet night, you can see them in the lake, hand in hand.”

Lup bowed to signal that the story was over and she took her place back next to Taako.

“Lup, that was...pretty rough, not going to lie. Not your best work, that’s for sure.”

“I just got so distracted looking at his dumb face.”

“Yeah, that whole story was glaringly obvious.” She glared at him.

“I just need to get through this night without further making an ass of myself.”

He snorted. “Good luck.”

--

After the bonfire had wrapped up and all the kids were sent to bed, Lup sat at her favorite spot down by the lake to stare at the stars. She always sat here on the final night, reminiscing over the summer.

“Mind if I join you?” Barry’s voice came out of nowhere, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t expect it. Lup didn’t respond, just patted on the ground next to her. “So, your story was -”

“It’s okay, you can say it was shit, because it was. I definitely did not prepare this year like I usually do.”

“-good. I really liked it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Especially the part where they die a fiery but beautiful death.”

She snorted and he took the opportunity to move closer to her, their shoulders touching.

“Thank you for letting me join the team this summer.”

“I would say you’re welcome, but I honestly didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“I know. Thank you for giving me a shot.”

“Again, not much choice in the matter.” He laughed. “You turned out alright. Better than I was expecting.”

“High praise from Miss Camp Director.”

“Would you be interested in coming back next year?”

“Absolutely. Pretty sure Angus would boycott if I didn’t show up.”

“He would just show up on your doorstep. Expect a lot of emails this year. So I’ll see you next summer, then?” He hesitated. “Unless you already have other commitments, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Lup, I’ll definitely be here next summer. I was just hoping that maybe we could see each other a little sooner than that. Like maybe this Saturday, dinner?”

She smirked. “A little forward, aren’t we, Dr. Bluejeans?” His face dropped.

“Oh, God. Did I totally misread this situation? Fuck, I am so sorry, I am going to just walk into this lake and never come back -” Barry started to get up, mortified.

“Barry, stop.” He looked at her, eyes wide in embarrassment. She shifted so her face was directly in front of his. “You didn’t misread this situation.” And then she kissed him.

@blupjeansweek2021

[averyonelovesjack]

cost of friendship III ~ daniel seavey

requested: yes

hiii can we please please please have another part to parties and the cost of friendship? love love love your writing!

hey hon just requesting a third part to 'cost of friendship' with dani whenever you have the time, thanks love

Hey! I hope things are going okay! I was reading your imagines and I'm a big fan of your works! I was just wondering if you were going to post a part 3 to "cost of friendship"? Just curious :) I understand if you discontinued it/you're on a break.

summary: six months into the relationship and just in time for the holidays, daniel and y/n recognize the difficulty in spending the holidays away from each other and have to determine if it’s worth breaking the secret.

warning(s): cursing

disclaimer: i use christmas and thanksgiving as plot points in this story because it fit better with the way i wanted the story to go, but feel free to replace them with any other holidays you celebrate!!

word count: 2740

author’s note: accidentally posted this, unedited, last night with no word count and the author’s note that i wrote in december of last year when i originally made the draft and didn’t write a single word of this story:) so now that it actually makes sense to post this, here is part three to cost of friendship! thanks for all these requests even tho they were clearly from a long time ago since cost of friendship II came out TWO YEARS AGO in september. welp hope this was worth the wait lol enjoy:))

read these first: part one, part two

six months with daniel went by really quickly. the summer was honestly a lot of fun. i could spent hours at the boys’ house and nothing was suspicious about it. i grew a lot closer with them all because we spent so much time together, and it wasn’t weird for me to hang out there, and i could see daniel whenever i wanted. we really got to know each other during the summer months. i had known daniel for a while now, but getting to know him on a relationship level was really nice.

summer ended pretty quickly though and then fall came. i was back in school. i didn’t think it would be hard to see him since i was still in the ending months of school when we started dating. i think that going from so much time together over the summer to only seeing each other a few hours a week was a really hard adjustment.

we promised we’d never let our schedules be a problem, but managing a full time student’s schedule and a singer’s schedule is really difficult. i had classes monday through friday, and any time i wasn’t in class, i was doing homework. that left my only free time during the week to be late at night. so we hung out late at night, but by the time we saw each other we were usually too exhausted to really do anything other than lay around and watch a show or talk for a little bit. weekends were usually better for me, but daniel had a crazy schedule that usually had studio time incorporated on the weekend.

we still made effort to see each other all the time we could, but it wasn’t easy. i think that probably plays into my current nerves. it’s early november and the stress of the holiday season had already gotten to me.

as a kid, the holiday season was the absolute best. thanksgiving meant seeing all of my family, including my cousins who were really close in age to me. and then the stretch between thanksgiving and christmas was my absolute favorite. it was filled with christmas music, christmas decorations, buying gifts, giving gifts, getting gifts, and again, seeing family. and don’t even get me started on new years. as a kid, staying up late was the absolute best thing. the sparking cider and noise makers were all the rave.

as a much older college student now though, it was a lot less fun. the holiday season meant figuring out plans and traveling home to see my family and not knowing which part of my family was actually gonna be available. it meant buying actual meaningful or useful gifts and then figuring out how to get them home. there was still the music and the lights, but i had no time to meaninglessly drive around los angeles and see the lights or spend hours around a fireplace watching christmas movies. i didn’t even have a fireplace to begin with.

the holiday season was also much more confusing this year because i had daniel. i’ve never even had a boyfriend during the holiday season, let alone a secret boyfriend. most of the things we went out and did we could pass off as just things we’re doing as close friends, but the holidays were different. friends don’t ditch the holidays with their family just to hang out with their friends family. i don’t even know if daniel and i are at the level in our relationship, and then even if we were, i couldn’t do anything about it because keeping our relationship a secret meant not being able to do the explicitly for couples holiday stuff.

as much as i think daniel and i are ready for the family stage in our relationship, neither of us have really talked about it because there’s not really much room to do it anyways. i’ve met daniel’s siblings and parents before, but never as anything more than a friend because it was too risky to tell anyone. and daniel’s never had an excuse to come meet my family since they aren’t just down the road like his.

the secret relationship really damaged my normal holiday mood and it honestly stressed me out. i have to book my plane home soon and to do that meant that there really was no chance that i’d spend the holidays with daniel. even with us only being together half a year, daniel meant so much to me. in every other relationship i’d been in, it felt like i was waiting for the relationship to end or i at least knew that it wasn’t going to last. it was different with daniel though and that was really hard since we couldn’t even tell anyone about it.

tonight is a friday and i had finally finished my work for the week. i was invited to a party, but i didn’t really feel like going since i was pretty tired from the week and i wasn’t in a party mood. daniel texted me soon after and asked if i wanted to come over. i wasn’t really in a socialization mood, but since it was just daniel and i haven’t seen him much recently, i said yes. he even said he would pick me up which made it ten times easier to say yes because he knows i don’t like taking ubers alone and i don’t have access to a car.

daniel picked me up at about 7. i didn’t feel like getting ready so i just wore my grey sweatpants and wdw tee that daniel had gotten me for free. daniel never seemed to mind my lazy outfits and i knew as soon as we got back he would change out of his jeans too.

“hi love, how was your day?” daniel asks as soon as i get in the car. i felt a little emotionally exhausted, but so happy to see daniel. the car was like our safe space because no one was around to walk in on us and we didn’t have to hide our feelings and actions.

“exhausting, but better now that i’m seeing you.” i admit.

“at least it’s the weekend now.” daniel says. “and i went to the studio a little early today so that we won’t have to go in this weekend and i can spend more time with you.”

“really?” i ask, that news brightening my day a little. “i was just about to ask how studio was today?”

“it was good. we worked on a new christmas song today when we were finished. i don’t know if we’ll ever release it but it was a lot of fun. i’m sure you’d love it.”

“you know how i feel about christmas music.” i grin. maybe a little daniel written christmas music will brighten my spirit in these next coming weeks.

“speaking of, i feel like you haven’t played any christmas music. i swear i barely knew you this time last year as compared to now but i knew how much you loved christmas music. i feel like you played it as soon as halloween was over.” daniel mentions and as much as i wanted to hold it back and not say anything, i felt too tired to not.

“i haven’t really been in the christmas spirit.” i admit with a sigh that i knew daniel would read through.

“i know the holiday season is hard. it’s been on my mind a lot too and i was hoping it wasn’t adding to your stress, but i should’ve said something sooner because i knew it would.” daniel says, looking over and gently ok in a hand on mine.

“it’s okay.” i say. “i probably wouldn’t have even admitted it until we got to a night like tonight where i’m honestly too tired to pretend i’m not stressed.”

“i’m sorry, love. do you want to talk about it?” daniel asks.

“it’s okay, i don’t even know what to say because we can’t even do anything about it.” i answer. “and i don’t want to stress you out with all of my little annoyances and sad things.”

“i know that the last few months haven’t been easy.” daniel starts, deciding for us both that nothing i could say would be too much for us. “with our schedules and then keeping it a secret.”

“it’s just-” i don’t even know where to start because i know when i’ll do i’ll either inevitably cry out of stress or sound angry with him when i’m not, i’m just annoyed at our situation. “it really sucks that i can’t spend any of the holidays with you and i fucking hate that because i love the holiday season and the spirit and i’m avoiding it because i don’t want to feel sad about us not being together for the holidays. and i love you. i love you so much and i want you to meet my family because i know they’ll love you, but it would be way too obvious for you to fly home with me for the holidays and there’s really no hiding that so i know it makes no sense to even think about that because it just makes me sad.”

“i love you too, y/n.” daniel says, still processing everything. “i didn’t know you wanted me to meet your family yet. i would love to, but i didn’t want to bring it up until you were ready.”

“are you kidding?” i laugh a little bit, looking over at him as he parked the car in the driveway but neither of us moved. “daniel, of course i want you to meet my family. i know they’ll love you because you’re you. god, ever since i told my sisters i have a boyfriend they’ve been begging me to tell them who so that they could meet you. i don’t know, the holidays have always just been about being with family for my family, and i’m sure yours too. you’re such an important part of my life now and i wish i could share you with them. it’s whatever, though. we shouldn’t talk about it because i know that it’s not possible.”

“what about thanksgiving with my family and christmas with yours?” daniel says and my heart skips a beat. “and then we can figure out new years later. i know you have to go home for christmas because you’ll get kicked out of dorms, and as much as i would love for you to just stay with us, i’m sure you want to go home and see your family.”

“daniel, as lovely as that sounds, you know how suspicious it would be for me to stay here for thanksgiving and for you to fly home with me? i don’t think even we would be able to keep that a secret.”

“fuck the secret, then, y/n.” he blurts out. “y/n, i don’t see us ending ever, and definitely not anytime soon and it’s not like we’re gonna keep this a secret forever. fuck the secret. corbyn was right, okay, the boys are gonna be happy for us. it’s not like they haven’t picked up on us being close these last few months and keeping this secret isn’t worth us being apart for the next few months, okay? it’s hard enough to spend only a few hours together a week, i don’t want to be away from you for all of thanksgiving and christmas too.”

“fuck the secret.” i say, with a smile forming on my face. “are we really doing this?”

“i see no better time than now, y/n.” daniel leans over the console to kiss my lips softly. “wanna go tell the boys now?”

“let’s do it.” i unbuckle my seatbelt with a weight lifted off of my shoulders. daniel and i meet in front of the car, our hands interlocking as we walked into the house as a non-secret couple for the first time.

the boys were all sitting in the living room and a movie was playing with all of the lights out. they all look over as daniel closes the door and the two of us walk over to them.

“y/n? what are you doing here? daniel didn’t tell us he was bringing you over.” zach says. “of course he just wants to hog you again.”

“do you guys wanna pause the movie for a second? we have some important news.” daniel says and we separate hands as to not give it away just yet.

“fucking finally.” jonah says.

“what?” i ask, wondering what he meant.

“i mean, i don’t want to be the one to say it and ruin it for you two, but i mean, come on, we’ve been waiting months for you to admit to it. so get on with it.” jonah gestures for us to continue. guess we weren’t as great secret keepers as we thought.

“y/n and i have been dating for about six months and kept it a secret from everyone.” daniel says and then takes my hand in his and pulls me closer so that i’m in his arms.

“SIX.” zach yells. “i knew there were vibes between you two but you guys are good. six months??”

“not that good.” corbyn mumbles, which causes the other three to look at him.

“you bitch!” jack then exclaims. “you knew? and you didn’t give me my damn money??”

“it’s their fault, they told me not to say anything!” corbyn defends, pointing a finger at the two of us. “i was not supposed to find out. i wish i didn’t, this was a lot of stress i didn’t need.”

“i would like my twenty bucks now, thank you very much.” jack says and corbyn quickly throws a twenty dollar bill at him.

“this is so unfair.” the ninteen year old looks at the rest of us. “jack gets twenty bucks, corbyn gets stress relief, daniel gets a girlfriend and it’s y/n. what do i get? i want something!”

“zach, i didn’t get anything from this either.” jonah reminds.

“shut up. you have a girlfriend.” zach screeches in his jokingly angry voice. “god, i’m so lonely.”

“i have a couple sisters, if you want.” i laugh a little. “you’d have to come home for christmas with danny and i, though.”

“and you’re leaving us for christmas? gosh damnit y/n, why can’t you guys stay with me for christmas?” zach exclaims, which makes us all laugh a little bit. i wasn’t sure how everyone was going to react, but this was a pretty funny one from zach.

“i hate to break it to you bud, but we’re, uh, all going home for christmas. we do every year.” jack sets a hand on his bandmates shoulder. “i’m pretty sure y/n would rather spend christmas with her boyfriend and her family than you, no offense.”

“what the fuck, y/n. you don’t wanna spend christmas with me?”

i’m laughing too much at this interaction to answer before jack.

“to be clear though, zach, i would choose to spend christmas with you.”

“well we have y/n for thanksgiving. we’re gonna see my family, so we’ll still be in la and can hang out. have our own little friendsgiving.” daniel suggests.

“no no no, i’m too lonely for friendsgiving.” zach expresses, deciding to be unhappy with everything we say just for the comedy of it. “i’m too single. you’re all in relationships, i can’t be the only lonely one.”

“um, bro, i too am single.” jack looks at him funny.

“okay, well yeah, but you have a child.”

“yes, a child who lives in hawaii. i’ll be your friendsgiving date.” jack offers.

“really? you meant it?” zach faked being emotional and jonah looks at them, then back at us with a funny look.

“well, now that we’ve dealt with... that, i just want to say we’re all really happy for you two.” jonah starts. “not that this is surprising to any of us, because there has been way too much sexual tension since we’ve all been friends for this to not have happened, but i’m very happy you decided to tell us.”

“are you guys gonna go public? like tell management?” corbyn asks.

daniel then looks at me a little nervously and then back at the guys, “yeah that’s the next thing we have to figure out.”

lovely.

[citizen-l]

03. Dinner

Despite everything being white, the food was delicious. Apparently it was tradition that every weekend, if there were no other engagements, they would all gather in one of their places, usually it was Chen and Minseok's apartment since it was away from campus. 

"Why does it have to be outside campus?" Chanyeol asked while biting into white asparagus. 

"Baek, you wanna explain?" Minseok laughed.

"Loud music," Baekhyun said quickly and took a sip of water. The music in the background was some mild trap beats, pretty chill.

"You mean loud moaning," Jongin mumbled from the side and Baekhyun choked on water, which earned Jongin an upside on the head.

"Let's not make our new guest think we're savages!" exclaimed Poe's wife, Chanyeol couldn't remember her name. 

"Well, now that you've mentioned, it'd be more awkward if we didn't explain it," Chen laughed. 

"We tend to go a little wild, Chanyeol," Poe said. "Especially after a sufficient amount of drinks."

"I need a drink for this," Baekhyun sighed and got up. 

"Have some wine," another ghost smirked. 

"Not that," Baekhyun said, going into the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. 

"It was probably our second or third gathering, and back then we had some...entertaining ideas," Chen explained. 

"We thought it'd be fun to have a BDSM themed party," Minseok said bluntly. "And someone had the brilliant idea to get me drunk."

"How were we supposed to know you could down a keg without feeling tipsy?" Chen whined. 

"Long story short, everyone ended up drunk except Minseok, and we took our theme a bit too seriously...in Baekhyun's apartment."

"Wait," Chanyeol didn't know if he wanted to laugh or be horrified. "Where was Sehun?"

Baekhyun was still in the kitchen with his back to everyone, his ears redder than his pink hair. 

"The roommate?" Chen asked. "Probably at some party. It was during Halloween, I think."

"Aren't you gonna tell him the worst part?" Baekhyun returned with his beer. "How the neighbors called the cops and we had to explain why we were dressed in harness and handcuffs?"

Chanyeol choked on the potato. 

"It was Halloween," Chen said innocently. 

"Or why someone was bound to the bed," Minseok raised a brow at Chen. 

"Role play."

"Yeah, it didn't end well, and I'm never going through that again," Baekhyun said. "You wanna have your sexcapades, you can have it in your own apartment."

"If I remember correctly," Chen started, but was soon silenced with a kick under the table by Baekhyun.

Well, that was...interesting.

“Don’t worry, we try not to go overboard after that incident,” Chen reassured Chanyeol.

“Sure,” Jongin grumbled, and everyone laughed.

“Oh, that was all your fault,” Poe said. “Jongin’s initiation was legendary.”

“Initiation?” Chanyeol was confused, they sounded like a cult.

“Yeah, Jongin wasn’t part of our original friend circle,” Minseok explained. “Some of them left after the first few parties, but we loved this, so we thought why not invite more people who’d like this.”

“And,” Chen added. “We just wanted to make more friends who are like us.”

“I was nothing like you lot,” Jongin said in the most dramatic way possible, which only proved Chen’s point.

“Well, we thought differently,” Baekhyun said. “And he was already friends with us in class so he was the perfect candidate.”

“It feels like you wanted him to join your cult,” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun’s cheeks lit up with a smile.

“That’s exactly what it was!” Jongin said exasperatedly. “They lured me in, invited me to a party telling me they wanted to get to know me more, and I thought I was this special guy who caught the eyes of his seniors.”

“Jongin, you are a special guy!” Chen lifted his glass.

“Well, turns out,” Jongin ignored the interruption. “They thought it’d be fun to have a horror themed party, for a guy who can’t even tolerate the idea of ghosts.”

“Oh man, I still remember your screams,” Medusa laughed.

“And remember how he thought Taemin was a real ghost because of his long hair and make up,” the brunette, Soyeon, wiped a tear.

“I was kinda proud of that performance,” Lucifer, Taemin, smiled. “I just wish we recorded it all.”

“Thank god, nobody thought of it,” Jongin gulped down his wine.

They went on with their banters and laughter, Chanyeol honestly felt special that they were willing to share this with him. He genuinely enjoyed being there among this eccentric group of people. None of his other friends were like this, this wasn’t the usual crowd he hung out with. His usual friends were music people, and they were usually busy mixing tapes, participating in recitals, or playing a gig at some quaint bar on weekends. He occasionally saw them at parties on campus outside of class, or at times when they had group projects. None as close enough to call them up for a weekend get together.

Or maybe Chanyeol wasn’t the type of person who got close to people.

It wasn’t a lie that he usually avoided people and large gatherings. Sehun usually took matters into his own hands to get Chanyeol out of his room and into the world. But lately, Sehun was too preoccupied with Junmyeon to have time for his best friend. And it wasn’t that Chanyeol minded, per se. It was just that, he now realized he never felt like he actually enjoyed the company of others as much as he was enjoying this dinner party.

“Alright, time for cake,” Baekhyun said.

“I’ll get them,” Chanyeol said before Baekhyun got up. The cakes were heavy after all the decorating was done. And even though Baekhyun made sure to hide his bandage under the frills of his shirt, Chanyeol hadn’t forgotten.

“I’ll help,” Chen said and came with Chanyeol to the kitchen. “You having fun?”

Chanyeol at first didn’t realize Chen was talking to him until he saw Peter Pan waiting for him to answer. “Oh yeah, not what I was expecting when I was invited, but this is really nice.”

“I’m glad,” Chen brought out small plates.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Chanyeol waited as Chen started to cut the cakes. “Why did you guys invite me?”

“Why do you ask?” Chen laughed.

“Well, because, from what I gathered, you guys don’t invite just anyone on a whim to this party,” Chanyeol said. “This is, I think, very important to all of you. And I’m a stranger, practically.”

“The fact that you understand is reason enough to think inviting you was a great decision,” Chen said. “Yes, this is important. But we’re not a cult, despite how we might act sometimes. And we like making new friends.”

Chanyeol can understand that, but it still felt like a weak explanation.

“There is also the fact that you saved Baek, and he wouldn’t shut up about you,” Chen laughed.

Chanyeol stopped and stared. Okay?

“Half of us actually thought he was making shit up after what happened yesterday,” Chen said. “So when you showed up, we just couldn’t contain our curiosity about you, I guess.”

“What happened yesterday? You mean me showing up at Baekhyun’s place and scaring him half to death which led to everything else?” Chanyeol said while gathering the plates and forks.

“Uh, yeah, crazy chain of events,” Chen laughed after a while. “Let’s go.”

“You didn’t think it was going to be over so soon, did you?” 

Of course he did. Chanyeol didn’t think this dinner party would be anything more than a dinner party. Apparently, he was wrong.

They got on their coats and decided to walk a few blocks down to another place. Chanyeol kind of enjoyed the procession, people staring while trying to be discreet about it but failing. A group of people in white clothes, white coats, walking down the sidewalk without a care, laughing and talking as if nobody else is on the street. Chanyeol was somewhat jealous, that kinda confidence only came with being surrounded by supportive and like-minded people.

“You okay? Enjoying yourself?” Baekhyun lightly jabbed an elbow to his side.

“Yeah, you?” Chanyeol asked. “How’s your hand?”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. I hope my friends didn’t scare you or anything. They can be a bit much sometimes.”

“Nah, they’re pretty amazing people. You have cool friends,” Chanyeol said and watched Baekhyun’s cheeks redden as he smiled. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Baekhyun laughed. “Wait till the night is over, I’d feel lucky if you don’t run away embarrassed.”

“Why would I be embarrassed?” 

The place they arrived at was some kind of a club. Rainbow lights hung under an open space, the bar at one end seemed too well stocked and overcrowded. Chanyeol didn’t know what this was, but he loved it. The music was upbeat, but not too loud or annoying, he appreciated good music. People danced, some sat in garden chairs around small tables. This felt like a backyard turned into a nightclub, but Chanyeol loved the relaxed vibe.

“Hey! How was the party?” The bartender asked before Soyeon practically jumped over the bar to kiss him.

“Ugh get a room,” Jongin scrunched his nose and moved over to the dance floor.

There was definitely something in his voice, Chanyeol would have to be deaf to not notice.

“They used to date,” Baekhyun whispered beside him. “Jongin and Lay, didn’t work out.”

Judging by the blissed out smile Lay the bartender was giving Soyeon, he was pretty okay with things not working out with Jongin. Jongin, evidently, was not. But he didn’t linger, laughing and pulling the Medusa, Jessi, into a spin towards the dance floor. Jessi in turn grabbed Baekhyun and before Chanyeol knew it, he was sitting with Poe and his bride at a table nursing a beer and watching people laugh and dance in all their white glory.

“So, how did you like our party?” Poe’s wife, Lisa, asked in conversation.

“Not what I expected,” Chanyeol said. “But it was very enjoyable, thank you for having me.”

“I was a bit skeptical about you, not gonna lie,” Poe asked, Chanyeol couldn’t remember his name, he wasn’t at the rehearsal earlier that day. “The last time Baekhyun brought someone, it was a bit of a disaster.”

“We don’t talk about it,” Lisa joked. “And after Baekhyun told us what happened with you last night, we were sort of too eager to know who you were. Minseok legit thought Baek made you up.”

“Yeah, he does that a lot,” Poe said. “Bit of a drama queen. So how long have you two been dating?”

Chanyeol spat out his beer, coughing ridiculously. He genuinely did not see that coming.

“Uh, we’re not, we’re not together, or dating, or anything like that,” Chanyeol said once he drank some water from the bottle Lisa gave him.

“But, you were at his place, I thought…”

“No, nothing like that,” Chanyeol said. “His roommate is my friend, Sehun, he’s dating my roommate. And...yeah.”

How to say you got kicked out of your own place because two people wanted to bang without being embarrassed? You couldn’t. Chanyeol hoped he didn’t have to elaborate further.

“Oh! So that’s why Baek said he got scared when you showed up out of the blue,” Lisa laughed. “We just thought you surprised him after your date tomorrow.”

“Nah, I wasn’t his date. I was told he would be out so I would spend the night alone in Sehun’s room. Didn’t think he’d be home.”

Poe and Lisa exchanged some worried glances but they didn’t say anything further. Chanyeol sipped his beer and tried not to be too obvious about watching two Victorian ghosts dancing with Medusa.

“You don’t dance?” Baekhyun asked as he sat down beside Chanyeol.

“Not if I can help it,” Chanyeol said.

“Alright, Darcy,” Baekhyun laughed.

“Who?”

“So what have you been doing sitting here all alone?”

It had been a while since Poe and Lisa went on to dance, asking Chanyeol to join a few times but leaving eventually when he wasn’t budging.

“Just enjoying the scene, vibing. This place is pretty cool, I like the music,” Chanyeol said.

“Yeah, Lay makes music like you, he’s older though, maybe two years your senior. He’d have joined the dinner if he didn’t have to take up an emergency shift tonight.”

“So how many are part of the cult?” Chanyeol asked jokingly, getting a giggle out of Baekhyun. Worth it.

“There’s me, Minseok, and Jongdae, I mean Chen. We’re the originals,” Baekhyun giggled again. “Then Jessi, Lisa, Taemin, Lay. We brought in Jongin, Lisa brought in her boyfriend Justin. And Lay invited Soyeon.”

“And you invited me,” Chanyeol said.

“Yeah. There were a few more, they didn’t quite vibe with us much, left after a while.”

“Justin said you brought someone else long ago,” Chanyeol said before he could stop himself. He really didn’t plan to ask, he didn’t want to overstep, especially after Lisa said they don’t talk about it. But he couldn’t help it. And judging by the stiffness of Baekhyun’s shoulders, he made a mistake. He tried to lessen the damage. “Did they leave as well?”

“Uh, yeah, we didn’t really have...he had a falling out with us. So we sort of stopped interacting.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be, he was a little bitch.”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything afterward, so Chanyeol decided to change the subject.

“So, you guys come here every week?”

“No, not really. Depends. If we decide to drink too much, we usually stay over and don’t go out. If there is something special going on, like the carnival a few weeks back, we usually go for a visit. Tonight was a special occasion, your initiation, and also, Lay missed the dinner, so Minseok wanted to bring him some food and cake.”

“My initiation,” the words finally registered. “Does that mean I’m part of the cult now?”

“It’s not a cult, don’t be dramatic,” Baekhyun laughed. “But yes, you’re part of it, which means you’ll be invited to all future dinners, unless you don’t want to be a participant, which is cool too. No pressure. But if you do decide to join, you might want to be more serious about the themes. Chen said Minseok is planning something big for the winter solstice, maybe a Greek Mythology theme. Dibs on Apollo, if that happens.”

“Okay.”

“You think we’re crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Chanyeol said honestly. Eccentric, yes. Not crazy, though. It was actually kinda interesting, fun too. And every one of these people that Chanyeol got to talk to seemed very intelligent so far. They had arguments about Euripides and Bernard Shaw while eating cake, and Chanyeol enjoyed it even though he couldn’t understand one bit what was going on.

“It’s a getaway,” Baekhyun asked as he watched his friends dance and laugh and make fun of each other. “This started as a sort of intervention, a gathering to talk out problems and be civil about it, have dinner, talk things out, have fun. And now it’s like we’re committed. I missed maybe two dinners since we started this last year, and both times I felt like crap afterwards. It’s become a confort.”

It reminded Chanyeol of family brunches on weekends, except there usually weren’t much comfort these days. But he understood the sentiment. And to be invited to be a part of it was a huge deal. To be invited by Baekhyun at that, who has not invited anyone except him and one other person, that person turning out to be not the friend they hoped for, Chanyeol felt some pressure about making a good impression just so Baekhyun won’t have a hard time with his friends.

“I hope you friends didn’t dislike me,” Chanyeol said.

“Oh, trust me, they liked you,” Baekhyun said. “They threatened to not let me in without you next time. It’s an empty threat, don’t worry. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Right. Well, now, Chanyeol sort of wanted to attend dinner next week. Maybe he can bring some of his famous savory dishes.

It should alarm Chanyeol that he was thinking about cooking for a dozen people just to attend a dinner so Baekhyun didn’t look bad to his friends. It should alarm him, but he liked spending time with them, with Baekhyun. Enough to dress up again and cook food.

Either something was definitely wrong with him, or that one kiss was getting to his head.

Ask him, a voice in his head screamed at him. Ask him!

But what would Baekhyun answer? 

It was just to thank him for taking care of Baekhyun?

The kiss wasn’t that heated, if Chanyeol was being honest with himself. A chaste goodbye kiss. That tasted like strawberries.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked, and it looked like he’d been calling his name for a while now. “How much did you drink?” He laughed.

“Not much,” Chanyeol said.

“Your face looks pretty red, you sure you’re not drunk?”

“I’m sure,” Chanyeol wasn’t even tipsy. He’d just been daydreaming about a stupid kiss.

“Well, it’s pretty late. Everyone else is staying over so they’ll probably be here another hour or so. Do you want to stay?”

“Are you leaving?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun nodded. “You’re not staying over. Because of me?”

“No, I just like my bed,” Baekhyun said. “I can drop you off if you don’t want to stay here anymore.”

“Okay.”

Maybe Chanyeol was a tiny bit tipsy, that was the only reason he could come up with to explain why he was thinking about Baekhyun’s bed.

“Are you sure you’re sober enough to drive though?” Chanyeol asked when he could think straight again.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I just had one beer tonight, I don’t drink much. Lightweight.”

They said their goodbyes and walked over to the apartment to get the car. They were on the road when Chanyeol got a text from Sehun. 

“Stay over at my place, Baek will let you in.”

For some reason, the text made Chanyeol incredibly angry. The nerve! Sehun barely responded to any of Chanyeol’s texts or calls the whole day, and then, he had the nerve to tell Chanyeol that he couldn’t stay at his own home because… 

“Uh, not to sound rude, but would it be okay if I stayed over at your place tonight?”

“Your roommate and Sehun at it again?” Baekhyun laughed.

Chanyeol just sighed. He was getting too tired of Junmyeon and Sehun acting like teenagers. If they wanted to spend every night together, they might as well move in together and leave Chanyeol his meager place.

“Don’t worry, you can stay over.”

Chanyeol sighed again, for a different reason.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Alice’s Christmas Adventure

Hello, @theinkedfantasy! I’m your secret Satan. I really hope you enjoy this little story about Alice’s first Christmas outside of the sketch dimension.

---

When Alice first found out about Christmas, it was on the first of December, when her teacher announced that her seventh-grade class would be decorating the school for it. It seemed like an adorable little tradition to her- another human world holiday, definitely more her style than Halloween and definitely the one that humans seemed to make the biggest deal about (though, Alice had only been out of the sketch dimension for six months at the time. Who knew what the other six months of the year might hold?). Amongst the lights and tinsel that Alice found in the box of decorations, she even found some silver angels. It was as Alice was decorating that one of her classmates came up to her. It was Alanna, one of Alice’s bullies. Her two lackeys were following her as well. Alice turned away and looked for her friend- Alanna usually left her alone if she was with someone who would stand up for her.

“Hey, Alice,” Alanna said, seemingly nicely enough.

“Go away,” Alice said, focusing in on the tinsel she was hanging up.

“I just figured you wouldn’t know much about Christmas and you’d want someone to fill you in.”

Alice sighed. “Fine. Tell me about it.”

“Well, on Christmas, families get together. Has your family gotten together, yet? While you were around, I mean.”

Alice stayed quiet. It was obvious that Alanna was searching for ammo. Alice hadn’t met Henry’s family yet- they’d spent Thanksgiving with Linda’s mother, who was so senile that she’d mistaken Alice and her two brothers as two regular kids and a dog.

“I wonder how your dad is going to explain you to everyone else. I mean, what are you? You’re like a plastic doll and you were essentially born yesterday. They’re going to think that he lost his mind.”

Alice continued to decorate, ignoring them entirely- just as Linda had taught her to do.

“Whatever, let’s go,” one Alanna’s lackeys said, and they did.

Alice didn’t let herself think about it until she was back at home. Being saved from the sketch dimension was the best thing that had ever happened to Alice- there was no doubt about that- but maybe choosing to go to school had been the wrong choice. Even outside of school, Alice couldn’t do so much as go to the corner store without being stared at. School was the worst, though. In terms of learning, she had to catch up with everyone, who had been in school since kindergarten. And preteens were merciless when it came to her looks and her naivety. She’d found one friend in her drama club, but that was it. Her friend had even tried to cover up her toonishness in brown paint and make up- not that it helped to hide the massive pie-cut eyes or the jointless limbs, and not that it ended in anything but Alice leaving paint everywhere (to the mockery and delight of her classmates), but it had been a nice thought.

Alice was used to shocked stares from strangers. But the thought of Henry trying to explain her existence to his family was painful to say the least. Come to think about it, Henry had actually gone to visit his youngest child, Rosa, a few times- and had always left his three toons behind. That night over dinner, Alice asked Henry who was coming over for Christmas that year. As it turned out, not only was Henry was inviting all four of his kids over for Christmas dinner, two of them were bringing wives and young children, and one of them was bringing his girlfriend over to meet his family for the first time. Her first introduction to the family, and it would include Henry trying to explain that he’d adopted living toons made from human sacrifice rituals.

Weeks ticked on. Alice found that she really did love the Christmas season- the baking, the music, the snowy weather. But as Christmas came closer, she couldn’t ignore her worry anymore. Late one night, she caved and shook Bendy awake.

“Bendy?”

“Huh? What is it?” Bendy asked, none too impressed to be woken up.

“I’ve just been thinking a lot about how on earth Henry’s going to explain us to his family. I know that some people are open to us right away, but most aren’t, and I don’t see why Henry’s family will be any different. Remember how Linda first reacted to us? She practically had a heart attack. And if Henry’s ever mentioned us to them, he hasn’t said it. I’m scared that his sons won’t want me around their kids, and I really don’t like that we’re going to be some girl’s first impression of Henry’s family.”

Bendy slid back into bed. “Ya worry too much, Alice. For every person that doesn’t like seeing us, there’s been one that thinks we’re amazing. Just go back to bed.”

Alice pulled the covers off of him. “That isn’t a good thing! If half of Henry’s kids like us, then we’ll be at the center of some stupid argument on Christmas. And this isn’t just our first Christmas, it’s Henry’s first Christmas since he spent years of lapsed time in a time loop. I don’t want to ruin this for him, either.”

Suddenly, Bendy came alert. “Good thinkin’- I don’t wanna ruin Christmas for Henry either. But what can be done?”

“I have a plan. But it’ll probably get us in trouble.”

“Well, lucky fer you, I’m not afraid of trouble.”

Alice hugged him. “I know you aren’t.”

---

“And how long exactly do we stay out here?” Bendy asked. The three of them had snuck out their window while Henry and Linda were distracted.

“Until late. I think we should be able to sneak back in at one in the morning. The others should be on their way home by then.”

“So... we’re missing Christmas dinner over this?” Bendy sounded less than impressed. Behind them, Boris whined at the thought of it.

“There will be plenty of food leftover from it. We won’t miss out on a thing. And in the meantime, I have three weeks’ worth of allowance and we have all day to do as we please. I left mom and dad a note saying that we’d decided to spend Christmas with Jasmine. He’s definitely going to ground us, but it’ll be worth it. So, what do you want to do today, Bendy?”

Bendy smiled. All day with no supervision? He was going to teach his siblings how to live.

The three of them spent the afternoon pulling pranks on the various townfolk with items that Bendy had pulled out of his hammer space (a way of saying that he could pull things essentially out of thin air). After they got tired of that, they found a sled hill and played in the snow, building things like snow forts and snowmen and snowballs until the sun went down and the snow was too frozen to mold anymore. The temperature had dropped off, and Boris nudged at Alice, pointing in the direction of home.

“It’s not even seven, yet, Boris. Still a few hours, yet. And anyhow, it being frozen like this means that the hill is basically a slanted skating rink. Bendy, you got any sleds in your hammer space?”

“Let’s see...” Bendy began pulling out items. After bringing out a train brick, a rubber chicken, a live goat, and a banana cream pie, he found what he was looking for. “Ah ha!” he called, pulling out a sled that was big enough for two of them to use.

After a few rounds of sledding, though, it became apparent that the dropping temperature would be a problem for them. Their winter clothes were wet from their previous snowball fight, and it was chilling them to the bone.

“Do you have anything drier for us to wear, Bendy?” Alice asked, after the two of them had wiped out on the sled and gotten covered in snow.

Bendy pulled out various items from his hammer space, but none of them were wearable. “No.”

“What about money? Did you bring any money?”

“No.”

“Okay. I have twenty dollars. Let’s try and find a place that’s open, so we can go inside for a while and maybe buy something dry to wear.”

Boris tried to run down the hill to join them, but slipped and ended up gliding the rest of the way down to them on his belly.

“Hey, Boris. We’re going to look for a store, now.”

Boris cringed and shook his head, then tried to pull Alice towards home. When Alice refused to come with him, he reluctantly started heading for home without them.

“Think he’ll make it back okay?”

“For sure. He has a dog’s sense of direction.”

With that, the two set off to the downtown area. Unfortunately, nothing was open on Christmas. No lights were aglow except for the streetlights. No one was out except for a few homeless people.

“Alice? I’m tired. Can we sit down a while? I think I have an, uh, here-” Bendy dug a blanket out of hammer space. The two sat down for a while, huddled under the blanket. A homeless man, clearly intoxicated, approached them. They clung tighter to each other.

“have you kids had Christmas dinner yet?”

Their first instinct was to stay still, like scared animals. Eventually, Alice spoke up. “No.”

“They’re serving it over at the Lighthouse. You might wanna take a look. Might still have some, or at least let you warm up.”

“Are they serving it inside?”

“Yep.”

“Thank you.”

Neither of them knew what a Lighthouse was, but once Bendy saw the words, “Lighthouse Homeless Shelter” on the sign outside the building, Bendy immediately got cold feet.

“No. I’m going home. We are not eating with a bunch of bums instead of family!”

“Bendy!” Alice yelled, “That’s a really disrespectful thing to say. We don’t know how they ended up here.”

Bendy sighed. “Let me translate this to ‘nice’ for you, then: this isn’t worth it anymore! I know you don’t want to take a meal from a person who needs it- we don’t even technically need to eat. And I’m cold, and staying out at night is scary, and some of the people in there might be bad people, and I want to go home! Now are you coming with me?”

“I-” Alice took a look at her watch. It was nine at night. “I’ll be okay. It’s only a couple hours, so I might as well not quit now. And I know the way back.”

“Okay. Good luck. And Merry Christmas, Alice,” Bendy said bitterly.

The shelter was warm, at least. They’d stopped serving food a while ago, but there were still plenty of people there.  Alice drew stares, of course. She always did. But the folks there were used to strange sights, and within minutes she was talking with one of the women who had found her way there, just listening to her story.

About forty minutes into this, the door opened, and Henry stepped into the shelter, Bendy by his side. Alice wasn’t sure whether to leap into his arms or hide. She knew she’d be in trouble for this eventually, but she didn’t think it would be now. She couldn’t force herself to meet his eyes.

“Alice- it’s okay. Bendy explained everything to me. Come here.”

Alice quickly said goodbye to the homeless woman and went to Henry, who scooped her up into his arms.

“You should have talked to me. I had no idea you felt the way you did. But I’m not ashamed of you. I never wanted to hide you away from my family or anyone else, and if you’d told me, I could have just sent them pictures of the three of you ahead of time. Next time something like this happens, just tell me, okay?”

“Okay. I’m sorry, Dad.”

“You should be,” Henry admitted, in that calming voice of his, “but let’s not worry about that tonight.”

The three of them got home, and the the toons got to meet Henry’s kids without issue. They spent a few hours talking and playing cards before they had to head back home.

The next day, Henry and Linda grounded Alice for a month and the other two toons for three weeks. Alice also came out to them about her situation at school, and they were able to give her recommendations on how to deal with it. No one ever said that parenting such special children would be easy. No one ever said that living in a world you didn’t belong in was easy. But it was certainly a blessing.

[alias-b]

sins of my youth. 004

Billy Hargrove x OC! Evie Fenny~ Also posted to my AO3

Summary: It was common knowledge that Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins. Hated Cherry Lane. Even loathed the strange girl next door. Evie Fenny wasn’t too fond of the chaotic Cali transfer either. An awful high school tradition sparks a chain of events that changes everything, ultimately bringing two frayed souls together.

A/N: Hello all! Pushing out a baby chapter early so I can focus on my other fic! Thank you so much for the support on this fic. Billy goes to dinner and Tries It. That's the chapter. :D  Tag list open!!!

Chapter 4: No Day But Today

   “Claudia, do you have the keys?” Mona crossed the salon floor.

   “I do, we’re fine here, go on. Dusty is spending the night at the Wheeler’s place. Having some castle and dragons party.” She'd gushed.

   “Feel free to close up early if we’re dead the last hour. Thanks, sugar.” Mona patted her back as she followed Evie out the door.

   “Can I drive?”

   “I was hoping you’d ask.” Mona smiled.

   Evie was saving for a car. And college. And her future. 

   And it was a lot.

   Truthfully, she didn’t care for school. It was in the way. Wished her lyrics could carry her straight to the red carpet before all those flashing paparazzi.

   Wanting to unwind, Evie hid in her room when she got home. Shut the curtains and prodded at herself before the vanity. Sorted dangly earrings in a mesh metal display. Huffing to lean over when Bourbon swept into her legs. His little body shivered and she plucked him up.

   “Okay, BB, you’re my best guy. You can’t let me down.” She scratched under his chin, gave him a little boop on the nose. “You take one look at that walking Def Leppard poster and you hiss and run. Got it?”

   A purr.

   “Good boy. You’re my only hope here. We can’t lose. Not to Billy Hargrove.” Arms let him down. She'd feel this sentiment often about Billy. A sigh. Evie applied a fresh lip color and paused. “Ugh.” She pushed up and didn’t change. Did her school work to get it out of the way and wandered out, turning the TV on to some game show. The savory smell of dinner wafted. “Need help here, Mom?” One tug and the ceiling fan spun, cycling cooler air.

   “No, I have it. You can set the table for me.” Mona drained some noodles.

   “Got it.” Plates and cutlery clicked around. Evie slid everything into place, perked up when the doorbell rang. Mona turned and smiled as her daughter adjusted fabric and fixed curls into place all the way to the door.

   Evie half expected Billy to not even show. But, there he was. Sly smile and all. Billow of date night cologne. A vision in moonlight.

   “Hey.” Evie said slowly. The surprise evident.

   “Hey." He mirrored it.

   "You're here." An exhale out. He blinked, found himself again.

   "I was gonna steal flowers from the old lady’s garden across the way, but there’s a huge opossum in her trash guarding it.” He tilted his head, earring catching the porch light and she cracked a grin.

   "Big Ben? Yeah, he's the neighborhood menace. Chief Hopper's nemesis because they get so many calls about it. You'd be a hero if you took him on." Evie persuaded lighter. His face fell.

   "I'm not trying to die in Hawkins, Indiana. That thing was bigger than anyone on our football team."

   “Color me impressed. King Billy didn’t want to do battle for the first time?” She actually teased him. Her nose crinkled when she smiled. Cute. “Shock and awe.”

   Billy felt this tug pulse up his ribcage. Pulled a genuine chuckle from his lips. He had to look away to give it. Glowy in starlight.

   “Sometimes I surprise people. I know my weight class and the pests here look like they were grown and mutated in some lab.” He shrugged into the door frame with one fist lifted, clicking his lighter shut. Hooded eyes all over. Evie went still as he leaned forward to her face with his tone lowering. “Am I allowed inside? Pretty please?”

   “With cherries on top?" Bright, wet lips parted. His lashes fluttered, a baritone sinking. Bringing her with him.

   "With anything your heart desires on top." Smooth.

   "Huh. I guess. For now.” Evie stepped out of the way. “We go to school with plenty of those lab grown pests by the way.”

   “No kidding.” Billy shrugged his jacket off and she awkwardly reached to take it. Hung it up behind her.

   Evie turned to see him staring again and swallowed a hard lump down. Thought maybe he saw all the begonias blooming behind her eyes and up her throat.

   “Billy.” Mona came out of the kitchen, arms out. “So glad you’re here.”

   “You saved me from a sad date with a TV dinner.” Billy winked, charming Ms. Fenny to bits. She giggled and shook her hair out.

   “Dinner’s got about ten minutes. Why don’t you show him around, baby?” Mona hurried back off, leaving them alone again.

   “Tour? Great idea." He peered behind Evie. A mission at hand. "Where’s the cat?”

   “Hiding from you, clearly.” Evie beamed, gesturing. “Welcome to the living room. Mom's showroom is a better word.”

   “Your mom like tchotchkes or what?” He came to the full mantle. Scanning.

   “How’d you guess?” Evie reluctantly trailed to his side.

   It was strange to let this boy wander around and see little bits of her life. Guess things about her as he went along, trailing deft fingers about the fireplace. She wondered what was blooming within the pit of his stomach, if anything.

   Mona Fenny's house overwhelmed.

   Photographs, plants, and crafts. Little porcelain figurines. Too many handmade candles. Crochet projects. A full dollhouse on a table in the corner.

   “My grandma passed a lot of craft skills down. She owned this amazingly strange trinket and voodoo shop in New Orleans that my aunts run now after Nana died."

   "Your mom didn't stay for a piece of that?" Billy let his eyes trail over every little thing.

   "Ah, I don't know. She was the baby and married pretty young. Seemed like she wanted something new," Evie peered behind her and whispered. "Never really got along with Nana like her older sisters did."

   Billy hummed a little. Decided not to pry with Mona in the next room. Evie brought him to the corner and flicked a lamp on.

   "Mom’s dollhouse is her pride and joy. Lights up and everything.”

   “Tell me why your mother has a framed photograph of Dolly Parton next to a picture of you two on the fireplace. And the same photo shrunk down in the dollhouse?”

   “Science may tell us the truth one day when the world is ready. And I fear for that day.” She replied in all seriousness and Billy snorted. Laughing.

   A truly enchanting sound Evie decided she liked.

   “And I have to say,” he plucked a photo off a bookshelf with a broad grin, “this one is my favorite.”

   One of Evie on Halloween. Had to be about six. Dressed in the campiest pink daisy costume with a huge toothy smile.

   “Gah,” she cringed and swiped it from his hand, “this house is a museum of embarrassment.”

   “You’re into the museum shit, guess this is like our first-” Billy stopped himself from producing the damning word when Evie turned. Blushing. Oof. He scratched the back of his neck. “So, uh, you got a bedroom in here or do you sleep in the dollhouse?”

   “You won’t find the cat that easily.” She caught him peering around again and led him past the kitchen. “C’mon, not much to the rest of the house. Garage. Spare room.” That used to be her dad’s office space. “Mom’s room. Attic up there and on this end. My cat's room that he lets me stay in too.”

   The door was open so Billy prodded it to peek inside. Evie exhaled and flicked the light on.

   It didn’t feel like a teenage girl’s bedroom. Not covered in decorations and pictures like the rest of the house. No posters cut from magazines covered in pink lipstick kisses.

   A vanity full of disorganized makeup. Desk. Overfilled bookcase of novels and tapes. Crafts and trinkets she collected in labeled tin boxes. Dresser covered in jewelry. Music player. Bed. Closet. Couple of pictures taped by the vanity and headboard. Mostly Evie and Heather laughing and bright. Her beloved acoustic guitar propped in the corner. 

   It felt like it was decorated by one trying to take up as little space as possible. Everything was compacted. Billy eyed the wall by her bed. Realized most of the papers were notes with random lyrics and words patched together.

   “Yeah, I tend to jot every little thought down even when I’m half asleep and hope it makes a song eventually.” She peered aside. It felt too intimate, letting Billy shift about the space.

   "Hey, everybody has a method." Two fingers traced over a note taped up to straighten it. She caught the ring gleaming on his middle finger. “My-”

   “Ah, don’t read them aloud, I may combust.” 

   “Oh?” Billy slunk toward her, licked his lips. A hungry way about it. Mouth watering fangs full of sweet venom. Wonder how they'd feel sinking into her throat. “Because I make you nervous, Angel?”

   “No, it’s just...just…weird.” Evie pressed up into her desk. Billy closed the distance. Got within inches of her. “It’s weird.”

   Repetition didn’t ease the sear of those ocean eyes drowning her too sweetly. She felt her chest fill and flutter all the way down. Flowers unfurled to be plucked and caressed. Billy pushed into the space until she was seated there on the desk. Scrambling further. Unable to climb the wall.

   “You do seem nervous though, Evie.” His tone hushed. Fingers brushed her thighs and palms came to rest there. The bunched fabric of her dress barely separating them. She inhaled his cologne. Smelled peppermint from his breath. Chest heaving.

   Billy knew this wasn’t part of the quest. If that’s what this was, maybe that was a nicer way to put it. Maybe rationalizing it a thousand times would help him get some sleep at night. Just show her a good night, cash in, and go home.

   It still sounded shitty. Wasn't doing Evie any favors. This girl painted too many iridescent colors. They could bleed and Billy wouldn't step away if it pooled too close.

   He liked to watch the blush spread across her freckled cheeks. Rose petals falling into a cool pond. Liked the way her nose scrunched when she smiled and when she was cross with him. 

   Billy didn't want her because she was a conquest. A challenge. Sure, she challenged him, that was part of it. And she also made him smile like he was looking at the rocking ocean waves again. Sand and wind kissing his warm skin. There was a mystery in those molten eyes he wanted to taste for himself. Maybe it was possible to just enjoy a person without strings.

   To let colors bleed and swirl. To just watch it happen without fear or judgement. To not step away from it either. Just sink right in and create those echoing ripples.

   It was too sweet and peculiar, how soft Evangeline Fenny was against the hard edges of his steel frame. So sharp, it warded everyone off.

   But, not Evie, she fit perfectly against him. Fire with fire. It gave them so much in this world that had forgotten them both. Freckles to count. Eyelashes to wish upon. Flesh curves and razor angles to explore.

   Hell, he even enjoyed how shaken she got as he neared and how still she went when his fingers trailed up her legs. 

   Evie watched his muscled chest rise, the saint pendant caught the light. Looked up at his eyes and then his mouth because it couldn’t be helped. Billy Hargrove filled Evie's space and lungs with sugary smoke. He was too many colors in one soul. So, he pushed further because those painted lips were big and full and right fucking there.

   One curious taste, that couldn't hurt.

   Brought his hand up toward her chin and leaned forth when…

   “Dinner!” 

   Evie practically shoved Billy back. Scrambled up so the desk gave a rut. Bright red as he stumbled.

   “Sorry.” She shuddered, passing him. Smelling of amber perfume. “Coming, mom.” Billy stared at the back of her hair. Blinked a couple times to pull himself together. To rationalize some.

   Curiosity. A deadly thing and so sweet too.

   It felt like he was dreaming and woke up sitting at the dinner table. Evie clicked a Coke in front of him, flashed a knowing expression that made him smirk before she sat down.

   “Now, I left a bowl in the kitchen to cool. We always bring extra to Miss Abigail, she’s three doors down.” Mona was setting plates about.

   “It looks amazing, Ms. Fenny.” Billy even shifted a dish to help make room for another.

   “Please, Billy, just Mona. Ms. Fenny was my mother and she was a harder woman.” She set a glass of water down and smoothed her dress out, sitting. Billy went for his fork and his hand was snatched. Evie shot him a look as Mona reached out. “I always say grace. Don’t feel pressured to join, sweetheart.” 

   Billy peered at Evie’s warm hand in his and accepted her mother’s. Bowed his head a little so Mona could say her prayer. 

   “Bless us, oh Lord. For this and all we are about to receive, make us truly grateful. And thank you for bringing Billy to our humble table, may he truly feel welcomed in our home. Please guide and protect him. Through Christ, we pray. Amen.”

   “Amen.” Evie offered softer. Lips lifting when Billy peered at their hands again leaving each other. Clearly not expecting such words from a neighbor.

   “You’ll forgive me, Billy, some people say they leave their hearts open. I just let mine fill the room.” Mona settled a napkin in her lap. “May I ask, if your family is religious at all?”

   “Dad’s Lutheran.” Which meant Susan was by default now whatever she believed before. “We don’t go to church or anything.”

   As if Neil Hargrove could drag his son under a steeple without one of them spontaneously combusting.

   “Well, that’s perfectly fine.” Mona cut each of her meatballs into smaller pieces which Evie mirrored. “Evie doesn’t attend with me when I go. Although, the choir sure misses her voice.”

   “Mom...” A teenage whine, near silent as she prodded at noodles.

   “She get all the solos?” Billy encouraged the pink spreading Evie’s cheeks.

   “Oh, every single one. She’s even been asked to come sing the national anthem at minor league baseball games.” Mona prattled and Evie’s head fell back.

   “Mom!” Another drawn out groan. Evie sunk down lower.

   “Oh, Evangeline, let your mother brag about you.” Mona ignored her.

   "Yeah, Evangeline." He chimed in, earning a harder glare.

   “Now, Billy, you’ve been in Hawkins just over two months?” Mona continued. Blue eyes lifted from the plate before he gave a nod. “How are you liking it? I’m sure it’s such a huge change from California. You must miss the beach.”

   “Getting used to the cold.” Billy speared a meatball and didn’t sound convincing.

   “I’ll bet you’ve never seen snow before, your poor sinuses aren’t going to know what to do. Anyone in your family takes ill, just give us a ring.” Such a mom. “It took me a few years to get used to the cold here too. We moved when Evie was just a baby straight up from N’aw Lins.” 

   Billy bit his tongue.

   “What type of music do you write?” Billy asked and there was a beat when Evie realized he was looking at her. Addressing her pointedly. Maybe to make conversation and suck up to her talkative mother. Evie’s back grew taut, lips opening.

   “Evie’s gonna be a folk singer.” Mona had cut in. “Voice of an angel, she’ll make it big. She’s been in competitions, just one look from any talent scout and she’s sold.” Evie sank down again to go back to her food. Billy watched her roll a meatball around her plate like it was the most interesting thing in the room. 

   Mona Fenny struck Billy as a woman who always meant well. Frilly like a lace doily. So well, she steamrolled over you because she knew best. Evie barely got two syllables out before her mother was flicking her hair and boasting. A doll that constantly had the string in its voice box yanked.

   Billy learned a great deal about her.

   That Mona had been arrested twice in her life for marching and protesting. Civil and women’s rights. She joked that she hadn't been arrested for gay rights yet, but looked forward to the inevitable. She was a pageant queen too. Stopped when she found out she was pregnant and couldn’t compete after that. No bitterness there of course. She had a daughter to mold and complete the legacy now.

   Mona insisted on taking the plates away. Grabbing her own, Billy’s, and a side dish. 

   Evie was still rolling that meatball around until Billy plucked up a fork, stabbed it, and swallowed in one bite. She perked with flushed cheeks. Glared again.

   Billy wanted attention.

   “Your mom is friendly.” Statement of the fucking millennium.

   “Just wait til she busts out her old pageant scrapbooks. You'll never see home again.” Evie quickly flashed a smile and picked up her own plate to follow her mother off. Billy stood too, peered around. That cat had to be close. “Give it up.” Arms crossed when she leaned into the doorway working a melting ice cube around her mouth. Swallowed it whole instead of crunching. Water ran in the kitchen behind her.

   “We agreed on an hour of television.” Billy matched her stance, saw her hip cock.

   “Half hour.”

   “Hour.” Billy went in to sit on the couch like he owned it. Legs spread. “Come on in, the water’s fine, Evangeline.” Evie plucked up the remote, sat as far away from him as she could. Turned the TV on to something campy just to make him suffer.

   “Fucking Love Boat. Really? Susan watches this crap.”

   “You said the full hour.” Evie flashed a smug grin. “I think The Golden Girls is on too.”

   “Love Boat is fine.” Billy lifted his hand. Swiped the remote from her to set it on the other side of him. They both sunk in there. Eyes on the screen. Mona left them alone to bring the plate to their neighbor, stayed for conversation.

   Billy fidgeted. Stretching to scoot closer so he could nudge his knee into Evie's. Her face remained at total peace. She pushed back at his leg which drew slow smiles upon them both.

   “What kind of music do you really like, or does your mother always do all the talking?”

   “Doesn’t matter.” Evie felt him peer back over and held herself. A beat.

   “Yeah, your dreams. They don't matter." Came sarcasm. "A girl who wants her name in lights. Don't spend too much time feeling for the switch in darkness, Angel."

   "Why do you want to know?"

   "Just asking. You really want to sit in silence to this cheesefest? Young actresses paired with old ass grandpas playing love sick.” Billy put his arm up over the couch. Missed Evie twitch. Got his hand smacked for tugging her curl like a giddy little boy. 

   “I don’t know,” Evie faced him with a shrug, “somewhere in the rock and pop area. Maybe with a touch of soul. Not the hair metal I’m sure you’re into."

   How beautiful she looked when she hoped.

   "And my name in lights won't ever be enough, I need people to chant it too.”

   Lips curled at Evie.

   “Better than folk music.” Billy decided. Pride welled because she smiled too. Genuinely. Evie fiddled with her necklace. Delicate little music note caught the technicolor glow. Brown eyes turned to see him, she tried to bite the smile down. Failed.

   “So, what’s the deal with this party thing? A dance?”

   “One of many in the city. Bunch of high schools will probably run drunk through the streets with everyone else. No one will get carded because no one cares on New Years. Dancing and whatever. Watch the ball drop, it’s just the feral thing to do that night.”

   “And you could score with any girl, but you’re asking me. It won’t be like a date or anything.” Evie dropped the charm in her fingers to see Billy’s eyes linger.

   “You mentioned that. I know how to get out and have a good time without fucking. I have all sorts of tricks.” He noted the word didn’t make her wince. “Not looking to break your seal.”

   “You’re gross.” Again, no argument on the details of it.

   “You’re too tightly wound.” He paused, whispering. “Maybe not, but you hide it.”

   "Nothing to hide, I'm an open book."

   "A never ending record," Billy pushed into her so their legs pressed flush, "not nervous around me though."

   "Nope." Her lips popped, fingers curling into the hem of her dress when his arm snaked behind the couch. "Not nervous."

   "Not running either." That realization seemed to hit them both.

   "Why would I? I can handle you just fine." She hissed at that because it came out sexual. Billy licked his lips and snickered, shifting to face her head on.

   "Oh, I like the sound of that." He'd murmured, inches from her face. Evie found herself wondering how he managed to weasel his way in this close. Wondered why she was drinking him back in. "Picture this. You and this perfume enjoying a couple free drinks and some fireworks in the city. No strings attached. Not a date. Just those exploding lights and that chilly wind cooling your cheeks down, because you'll be blushing and you won't know it."

   "Uh huh. I guess I can see it." Evie sized him up and crossed her legs to lean back into him. "You and the roar of a Camaro commanding the city to its knees. Glam and hairspray working their magic."

   "I love an audience, Angel." Billy shook his head and froze because her palm came to his knee. Bold move. "But, I don't mind the front seat to see you blush too."

   "What about you?" She whispered with a hum. "What makes King Billy blush? Does all the noise you like to make hide it?" A spark flitted up her eyes. Made his chest heave. "Is that your secret?"

   "Come to the party, I'll tell you all my secrets." Fingers grazed up her arm when soft digits gave a rhythmic tap against his thigh. Billy went for it. "Do this dance with me."

   "You don't play as hard to get as you let on."

   "Not when I want something bad. Better to just play harder." Lips parted to hit that word. Her brows lifted at such an admittance. "You're sizzling up a fuse, aren't you, Evie?" She shook her head with a lazy smile. Eyes finding his again after. Near sultry.

   "You have to light a fuse first, Billy, for it to sizzle." Her hand crept along denim. Felt him go rigid and part his thighs just a little bit wider before she sat back. "And the fire's out anyway. I'll make good on the deal. If you win."

   "I hope you have a dress picked." Billy scoffed, breathless and still intent on her while she looked ahead at the screen.

   “Time is ticking. As if you taking me out will do me any good." Evie rolled her eyes and reclined back into his side. Quite comfortably like she wasn't thinking about it. "Give me cool points so Tommy and Carol leave me alone.”

   “They’re assholes to everyone. It’s not you.” Billy replied dismissively. Curled his finger into her locks behind the sofa.

   “You don’t notice who they target because you’re too busy chasing skirts and fighting others yourself. Also haven't seen the writing about me on the bathroom walls. School hierarchy rules. Open those pretty ocean eyes and see the world for what it is. You're untouched because of your front. Everyone wants to be Billy Hargrove or screw him.”

   Evie looked at him there, blinking.

   "What side of the line are you on?" He bit his lip. "I can guess."

   She plucked his hand from her shoulder and placed it back into his lap. Patted it for good measure.

   “So, you really think my eyes are pretty?” Billy laughed when a square pillow nailed him in the face. "You said it before too! When we were drunk and you still think it now that we're sober. Telling."

   Tension shattered. Evie glittered right back at him, teeth flashing. Still chuckling, he tilted his head back to create the magical sound. Quieted.

   “Fine. I’ll pay attention if it helps you sleep at night.”

   Evie blew air out her lips, let a curl fly up and bounce down. They watched the screen again. Shared a space. Maybe it shouldn't have felt so intimate. 

   “Episode’s almost over. Thanks for playing.” She about sang. Triumphant.

   “I guess you have me, Fenny.” Billy pushed up. “Mind if I take a leak?” He was already pacing off so she said nothing.

   Just watched couples go hand in hand into the sunset.

   There was a flush, the sink running, and then Billy’s huge smile crept back down the hallway. The boy was gone all of three minutes.

   Bourbon in his arms. Purring. Perfectly happy. Evie’s jaw dropped open.

   “Guess who crawled out of the shower to eyeball my junk? Not that I blame him.” Billy quipped, scratching the cat’s chin. Bourbon rubbed back into the touch. Rasped his scratchy meow for more.

   “Traitor...” Evie muttered, coming to her feet. “Damn it.”

   “Oh, yeah. You’re mine now, Evie. Seven o’clock. Wear something short if you like.” Billy’s lips were pressed up. Such an ass.

   "I call foul." Her finger lifted.

   "And I'll be calling on you. New Years Eve. Just an annoying dance. It'll be fun and free." His chin gestured at her. "Just say yes, Evie. Get out of this small town and see some lights for once. You want your name in them so bad, you gotta look at the damn things first. No day but today. Right?"

   "Right," a lengthy sigh, "but, the fire's still out. Bourbon, why? First, mom and now you. He's just hypnotizing you both.” Evie took the cat from Billy, watched his face scrunch.

   “Your cat is really named Bourbon?” He said flatter.

   “I found him when we visited family in New Orleans. Bourbon street.” She let the feline nuzzle into her chest.

   “God, Angel, I hope your lyrics are more creative than that.” Billy lightened, chest shaking as he peered away shaking his pretty head. “Well?”

   She pouted and if that cat wasn't between them, Billy didn't know what he would have done. Another time or place. Another pretty dress. Another shared beat of bleeding together.

   That itched him the rest of the night.

   “I’ll go. Seven. I’ll dress nice. It’s not a date, so don’t try anything and get me home in one piece. I reserve the right to leave you if you act like too much of an ass.” Evie grumbled some about it, defeated.

   But, she wondered about the lights and what it might be like to share them. Suppressed all urges that longed to hope.

   “That much I can do, I might even keep my ass in check. Don’t flake, we have a deal. I’ll be your Mr. Darcy or whatever.” Billy made for the door, plucking up his jacket as she opened it.

   “That’s an impossible standard, but keep dreaming.” Evie sighed out. Watched him turn to beam. Offered a pet to Bourbon. “Least you got his name right.”

   “Quick learner, I get points. New Years Eve. Don’t make me chase you, Evie, because I will.” Billy stepped off the porch lighting a cigarette, idly waved behind him.

   Game. Set. Match.

   “I’m not gonna be nice about it.” She called.

   “So, you’ll be your normal, cheery self with me. Great. Won't ask for anything else, we have a good thing going.” He turned to wink, curling a final smile. Evie stilled, petting her cat before sighing into the cold air. “See you then, Fenny.”

   “Whatever you say, Hargrove.” She shut the door as he climbed his own porch. Looked at her cat.

   “You did this to us, I hope you’re proud.” 

   Bourbon blinked. Another rumbling purr in response.

** ** **

   “The world...” Evie plucked an idle cord. Sang soft to not disturb her mother down the hallway sleeping. Nestled into the wall on her bed next to the window. “May think I’m foolish. They can’t see you like I can...”

   Darkness shrouded save for a small set of twinkling lights around her bed frame. Eyes kept averting to the clock.

   “Oh, but anyone...who...” 

   Another pause to see the clock. Eyes flickered out along the street marked with lamps. Cracking her window to see out. Nothing. Evie settled. Changed the tune to something original and plucked another heart string.

   “Those ocean eyes… Drowning me out. What I wouldn't give to...” Her palm caught the vibrating cord to snuff the sound. A groan as she set the guitar aside. “Shit.”

   That was not happening.  

   A car went down the street at the exact moment the clock struck eleven. Evie grabbed her coat and locked her bedroom door. Checked her hair and makeup before hitching one leg over the window. Felt the naughty thrill pulse into her heart as she snuck out.

   Billy peered to see beyond his own window near the foot of his bed. Unseen in the pitch black space. Thought about catching her. It was always a Saturday night. Evie Fenny crept out like clockwork. Wearing something nice under a jacket she held close. Sometimes with the guitar on her back. Lips painted red. Went down the street and returned as the sun rose. He’d observed it often. Sometimes it happened on school nights. Two to three times a week. Never asked because it didn’t seem important enough before. But, now…

   Billy knew a teen girl didn’t paint her lips red at eleven o’clock on a Saturday for just anyone.

   Evie hurried down the street toward the woods at the end. Got into a shiny car. Disappeared until sunrise.

~~~~~

Chat with me about Evie & Billy and the impending Skirt Safari Dance! Thanks!

TAGGED:@80sbxtch​ @nottherightseason​ @orxhidshavana​   @alagalaska​ @alongcamedolly​

[wienerbarnes]

Whatever It Takes (1/6)

Pairing: Bucky x Doctor!Reader

Word Count: 1,491

Prompt: Doctor AU

Warnings: mentions to medical diseases?

A/N: this series is my submission for @sgtjbuccky and @jaamesbbarnes‘s writing challenge! ill be updating this story every friday at 8 pm est but anyone is free to send me an ask to be added to the taglist :) also! this story is based off of season 4 episode 6 of house m.d., in case anyones curious ;)))

SERIES MASTERLIST

Monday morning has you in your office of the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York; the hospital that has claimed you has the Head of the Diagnostic Medicine Department for several years now. A beautiful and private hospital, orange rose bushes adorning the perimeter of every building, and a smaller workplace to house you, one of the most brilliant medical geniuses of your generation; specialty in infectious disease. Surrounding you are the two doctors that make up your team; Dr. Teddy Abraham and Dr. Nikki Jordan, specialties in immunology and neurology, respectively. Two incredibly smart doctors that you hired to help you solve case after case and keep people happy and healthy; they are probably the smartest decisions you’ve made in your career.

Sunlight beaming in through the window in your office on the sixth floor of the hospital, you throw a slightly dirty tennis ball against the piece of wall above the frame of the window and catch it as it bounces back to you. You tune in and out of whatever Abraham is explaining to you as you focus on catching the ball each time.

“20 year old female with visual and auditory processing deficiency. I did a consult-“ Dr. Abraham continues. Dr. Abraham joined your team about six years ago and is one of the few remaining doctors able to put up with you.

“What kind of race car does she drive?” You interrupt, catching the ball and glancing at him.

Although you have solved nearly every medical case brought to your attention, you’re seen as a bit… misanthropic. Definitely not a “helping-hand” kind of person.

“Dragster.” Abraham responds, smirk growing on his face and he sees your attention gravitating more and more to the case.

You ponder for a moment, “Okay, continue.” You prompt him, going back to throwing the tennis ball again.

“You’re gonna take a case based on the kind of car she drives?” Dr. Jordan asks, the other doctor with a patience thick enough to handle your antics. Although she puts up with you, the annoyance on her face is always visible.

“Nothing says ‘Thanks for saving my life’ like a car that accelerates faster than the space shuttle.” You defend.

“Well, there’s nothing to save because she’s not dying. Lab tests showed signs of dehydration, she probably got heatstroke.” Jordan inquires, hoping that you’ll become disinterested in the case and take on one that actually requires work.

“Kinda hard to get heatstroke in four and a half seconds,” You argue sarcastically.

“Not when you’re wearing a three-layer fireproof suit.” She quips back.

The conversation is interrupted by the sound of your office door opening. Everyone in the room freezes and eyes widen as Sergeant James Barnes, World War II veteran and current Avenger, steps inside; long-sleeve, black shirt with the Avengers’ “A” printed on the left breast and black tactical pants donning his body, large handgun decorating his hip. Deadpan expression on his face and hair pulled loosely in a low bun, the guy does some good cosplay, you think. Of course that’s not the real Bucky Barnes! You’re a measly doctor in a random private hospital, why would Bucky Barnes be here?

“A little early for a Halloween costume, huh, buddy?” You tease. There’s no possible way anyone from the Avengers would come close to this place. Sure, it’s a nice hospital, but what does a super human who has access to some of the best medical professions in the world have any business roaming around this hospital? Probably some prank from one of the cleaning ladies or a patient who holds a grudge.

“Are you the Head of the Diagnostic Medicine Department?” He questions, serious look and furrowed eyebrows never easing from his face.

Your fellow colleagues look at you to see what your response will be, as well as to see if they can somehow figure out why the Avengers are looking for you.

“Uh, no, actually, she called in sick again. I can leave her a message, though, if you’d like.” You excuse as Sergeant Barnes walks up to your desk, reaching into his back pocket.

He pulls out a photo. A photo of you. Specifically, the photo you didn’t want to take for the hospital website. I didn’t want to take that picture for this exact reason; it would cause me problems with the government.

“May we talk in private, Doctor?” The soldier politely asks.

Everyone stares and awaits to see what you’ll do or say. You glance at your employees before slowly standing.

“So… either it’s heatstroke and we can all leave early, or it’s one of the diagnoses that you two will have for me in…” You glance at the Avenger and back to your team, “Five minutes.” You decide.

You walk towards the door and Bucky follows you out into the hallway.

As the door shuts behind him, you look him up and down.

“So, you’re an Avenger?” You ask, mocking tone evident in your voice. You gotta hand it to him, this guy’s a great look alike.

“One of our agents recently came back sick from a mission, many of the doctors at the Avengers Tower believe that he was a victim of an assassination attempt.” He ignores your question and gets straight to the reason he’s here.

Bucky Barnes has heard a lot about you. You’re considered a medical genius and are known around the world for your intelligence. But he never imagined someone so smart could be so immature. He thought he’d have the pleasure of encountering some world-class expert in all things medicine, someone with profession qualities, someone so opposite of you.

He looks you up and down as you exaggeratedly rub your chin as if you’re thinking extra hard. He rolls his eyes and takes a moment to take you in. You’re quite attractive; pretty face, dark eyes and plump, pink lips, brown slacks with a white t-shirt tucked into them, and beige heels strapped around your feet. Your personality seems to be the opposite of the professional way you dress yourself.

“This isn’t a joke. If you’re interested, we need to leave now.” Bucky informs you, patience wearing thin as you continue to stall time not believing he’s serious.

You let out a sigh before warning, “If I don’t encounter any aliens or robots, you’ll be seeing a nasty Yelp review.” You stand and swing the door to your office open again.

“Okay, what do you got?” You ask your two doctors as you walk back behind your desk to retrieve the matching brown blazer hung around the back of your desk chair.

“Hereditary Brain Disorder, Paraneoplastic Syndrome,” Abraham begins listing. Bucky remains standing at the door.

“None of which go away with IV fluids; it’s heatstroke.” Jordan argues as you tug on your blazer.

“Or Cushing’s, or Calcium Deficiency.” You offer as Jordan rolls her eyes realizing she’s going to get stuck with a simple heatstroke case.

“Who’s your friend?” Abraham questions, clearly no longer interested in convincing you of the case, his childhood hero is standing in front of him.

“We use the term ‘lover’,” You tease and Bucky rolls his eyes, “Get a fresh history, a neurological exam, and an MRI of her head. If I estimate 15 minutes for the lap dance, 30 minutes to scrub the regret from my body and soul; see you guys in 45 minutes.” You call out as you exit the room, Bucky following behind you.

Bucky walks in the opposite of direction of the elevators and you speed walk in order to keep up with his long strides. As you two approach the staircase leading up to the roof, you open the door slowly and cautiously, looking for cameras or any other tech equipment and Bucky pushes the door open all the way.

“C’mon! We need to hurry, Doctor.” Bucky huffs as he passes you and climbs up the stairs.

“Yeah, we need to hurry. Look, I’d believe a cop or even FBI but, Avenger? C’mon, do you really think anyone is gonna believe that?” You ask as you approach the door leading to the roof of the building.

Bucky pushes open the door to reveal a massive, black jet hovering over the roof of the hospital. It’s sleek and shiny and there are two tall, beefy men in black tactical gear standing on either side of the entrance to the plane and you’re starting to think that this just might be real. Your hair is flying around and the loud whirring of the jet is already beginning to create a buzz in your ears.

“It’s easier when you have the props.” Bucky replies with a smirk over his shoulder, leading you to the aircraft.

A hand is outstretched to help you board and you look down to see a black and gold metal hand awaiting for your hand to use it as support.

Yep, this is real.

TAGS: @thefvcker-tucker @gagmebucky @angel-fire @hannie-writes-marvel

[rosedavid]

Summer-Salt

word count: 4,657

summary: the past comes back to haunt TJ and Cyrus when Andi announces her big Halloween bash she’s planning. 

tag list: @youve-cath-to-be-kitten-me

Happy Halloween everyone!! I hope you all enjoy this one-shot that’s been a long time coming :) Also this is unedited, so I apologize!

                                                             ...

“What did Andi’s text say again?” TJ questions as he gets tugged along the sidewalk by a persistent, fast-paced Cyrus.

“She just said something like, ‘Meet at The Spoon ASAP! It’s of the upmost importance!’” Cyrus replies, doing a terrible impression of her voice.

“First of all, I don’t think Andi says things like ‘of the upmost importance’! You’re the only one who uses words as fancy as that. Second, she definitely does not sound like that.”

Cyrus rolls his eyes, purposefully knocking his shoulder against TJ’s shoulder as they continue walking. TJ chuckles in response to his boyfriend’s antics, bumping his shoulder back. Meanwhile, Cyrus sticks his chin out defiantly before retaliating to TJ’s comments.

“I don’t use fancy words,” he debates, “I just prefer proper grammar when conversing with someone. Also, my accents and imitations are spot on, thank you very much.”

“Conversing with someone,” TJ snickers. “You’re adorable.”

Cyrus sputters, face reddening. “Is that all you got out of what I just said?!”

“Sorry, Underdog, I can’t help it. Honestly though, that impression was…not great. I would not have guessed Andi if I didn’t know who texted.”

“Who would you have guessed?”

“Uh…Jonah, maybe?”

Cyrus pretends to look offended, but he can’t keep his composure for long before descending into giggles. TJ smiles and laughs along with him, unable to resist the fluttery feeling that flows through him as a result of their bantering. When they officially announced their feelings for each other on the bench at Andi’s party a few months ago, TJ was terrified that things would change significantly between them. He worried that, like some of the stories you hear about, they were potentially ruining their friendship. His fears only intensified after their first, extremely awkward date. Thankfully, the initial awkwardness and tension between them faded rapidly after they both stopped placing so much pressure on themselves, and they quickly fell back into their normal routine with each other (except this time with their feelings toward each other known and reciprocated).

Now, TJ feels more at ease than ever. The conflict that was previously raging inside of him has simmered down, allowing him to be more comfortable in his skin than ever. And he knows that without Cyrus here, he would probably still be the Scary-Basketball-Guy that Cyrus first knew him as. Many times, TJ finds himself pondering what his life would be like if he never interacted with Cyrus. Although there’s no real way to know, TJ thinks that there’s no way he would have progressed this far. On days like those, TJ looks over at Cyrus to confirm that it’s all real; that everything that happened in the past months between them wasn’t just a sick, twisted dream.

“Come on, dork, we’re already running late!” Cyrus laughs, yanking on his hand with an even stronger grasp.

“If anything, you’re the dork with your big words,” TJ replies.

“Says Mr. I Know Every Line in Hamilton.”

“Of course I do! That play is more than just a play: It’s an experience!”

They stumble through the door of The Spoon a few seconds later, still calming down from their giggling. Immediately, they spot the group in their usual corner booth (the only booth in the entire diner big enough to fit their vastly expanding friend group). However, they also quickly notice that the group is lacking one key person. They make their way over to the others, hands still linked. Once they get over there, they take a seat beside Jonah, with Buffy and Marty sitting across from them.

“There are the lovebirds!” Buffy teases, something she says almost every time she sees the duo together now. Despite the frequency, TJ knows that both of them still blush slightly whenever she says it.

“Yeah, sorry we’re late. We were in the middle of a movie which turned into an impromptu nap,” Cyrus apologizes.

TJ adds on, “You mean your nap. I was still awake the whole time acting as your pillow!”

“Why are you so tired, man?” Marty asks Cyrus.

“Ugh, well it all started with our math teacher assigning a ridiculous amount of homework...” Cyrus begins, delving into the long story he told TJ just this morning over text. TJ couldn’t understand how he typed it out so fast, either, but he had a feeling that Cyrus had just loaded up on coffee, causing the crash he witnessed just a little bit ago.

As Cyrus recounts his story, TJ zones out a bit. Instead, he focuses on the way Cyrus’s eyes light up avidly, hands swishing around and almost hitting TJ in the face a few times. His exuberance is contagious, as TJ finds himself unable to prevent the beam from spreading across his face alongside the others.

“That sucks,” Jonah comments once the story is over. “I hope you can actually get some sleep soon.”

“Me too,” Cyrus sighs, slumping over in his seat. “When I get home, I’m going to take another nap I think.”

“That sounds great if Andi would ever get here,” Buffy frowns, checking the time on her phone again. “She texted nearly half an hour ago saying it was so urgent, yet she isn’t even here yet!”

“What do you think the text was about, anyway?” Jonah wonders, to which everyone at the table shrugs.

Before they can continue on their conversation, Andi finally arrives. She bursts through the door, nearly tripping and falling before a certain blonde waitress steadies her. In Andi’s arms is a gigantic container teeming with what appears to be random objects. TJ is amazed that everything managed to stay inside the container despite her stumble. With Amber in tow, the two of them come up to the booth. Amber stands off to Andi’s side warily as she carries the teetering container. Finally, Andi drops it down onto the floor with an echoing thud. She huffs, wiping her hands of on her jeans before offering everyone an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, it took me longer than I thought to lug this here,” Andi states, squeezing into the booth beside everyone.

“Amber, thank goodness you’re here--” Cyrus sighs in relief.

Amber smiles at him, “Wow Cyrus, that’s really sweet of you to say!”

“—I need baby taters right now. It’s a matter of life and death itself!”

Amber rolls her eyes, flipping out her notebook and scribbling baby taters down. Cyrus, on the other hand, goes as white as a ghost, suddenly terrified that he offended her. After all, she appears furious.

“I’m sorry, Amber! I am really glad you’re here, even without the baby tater part.”

Amber’s expression morphs from one of anger to one of humor in an instant. She waves it off. “It’s fine, Cyrus. I know. Also, I already started your baby taters right when I saw you come in. I’ll go get them right now”

“You’re amazing.”

Andi clears her throat, calling the attention back to her. “Sorry, but this is really important.”

“I’m still confused,” Jonah admits, peering over the table at the container on the floor. “What exactly is this all for?”

“You’re kidding, right? Don’t you know what day it is?”

“October 3rd,” TJ offers, descending into snickers with Cyrus and the others.

“No, seriously. Do none of you remember?” Andi asks with disbelief, looking over all the individual members of the table.

“Uh…is it someone’s birthday?” Jonah asks, stilling. “Wait, is it my birthday?!”

A frustrated sigh escapes Andi’s lips. “No, Jonah, your birthday was a few months ago. Guys, it’s officially one week before Halloween!”

TJ frowns, having completely forgotten about the holiday coming up so soon. He supposes that he’s just been so preoccupied with his first year of high school as well as his relationship with Cyrus that he just forgot. Not to mention, he’s been swamped with homework recently to prepare for midterms, so all he’s had on his mind have been math formulas and history dates. Basketball has also been taxing this year; finding his spot on the team with new dynamics has been difficult. As he glances over at Cyrus, he looks just as shocked to remember about Halloween. TJ knows for a fact that Cyrus has been working nonstop recently for all his honors classes he’s been taking this semester.

“Oh,” Buffy states, summing up pretty much what all of them are currently thinking.

“Oh? Just…oh?! You all forgot about Halloween, one of the best holidays of the year!” Andi groans, throwing her hands up in frustration.

“We didn’t forget…we just temporarily spaced it out. After all, Grant Highschool isn’t as decorative and festive as Sava. I think the few spiderwebs they put up at the beginning of the month were torn down within a few days.”

“It looks like we have more work to do than I thought.”

At that moment, Amber returns with the baby taters. Cyrus immediately starts inhaling them, smacking TJ’s hand away when he tries to steal one. Amber then declares she’s on her break before pulling up an extra chair to the end of the booth right beside Andi’s massive container full of miscellaneous objects.

“Work for what?” Amber asks, trying to figure out what she missed.

“The greatest Halloween party ever,” Andi finally announces dramatically.

Cyrus rubs his hands together in excitement. “Another famous Andi Mack party!”

“But this one has to be better than all the last ones,” Andi replies. “It’s even higher stakes now than before. That’s why I’m enlisting all of your help to make sure that it’s going to be an awesome party.”

“What do we need to help with?” Buffy asks.

Andi smirks, reaching down to grab a huge list out of the container full of party ideas. She places it on the table in front of them so they can all read it. Then, she flicks out her duct tape pen, poised to write some more.

“This sounds…amazing!” Cyrus gapes, reading over the list. “Are you sure you need our help? I think this is perfect already.”

“I just need a few things from you all,” Andi begins, “First, Jonah and TJ, I need you two working on putting together a Halloween playlist. I need Amber’s help with setting all the decorations up because Bex and I will never get it done on our own. I also need Buffy and Cyrus to pick up a bunch of stuff at the store for me before the party. Also, bring Marty to get some decent snacks, because I know the two of you would just pick a bunch of gross health foods. But, most importantly, we have to have the best Halloween costumes!”

“Well, what are you going to be?” Buffy wonders, hoping for some inspiration.

Andi shakes her head and mimics a zipper along her lips. “It’s a surprise! But just know it’s going to be amazing! So, I need you all to dress up, too.”

Jonah raises his hand, “Can my costume be Boy Who Plays Guitar?”

“Ugh, yeah, that’s fine,” Andi sighs, knowing she shouldn’t force him to get involved in a more intricate costume. “But I expect great things from everyone else!”

“Don’t worry, I already have the best idea for a couple’s costume for Marty and I,” Buffy gushes.

Marty frowns, nudging her side, “But what if I already had a great idea.”

Buffy looks at him, unimpressed. “Let’s hear it then.”

“I was thinking we could each be a shoe! You be the right, I’ll be the left. We’re a pair, get it?”

Everyone looks at him, unamused, besides for Jonah who laughs at almost everything. Buffy shakes her head in disappointment.

“I was thinking more along the lines of a childhood TV show throwback, like Velma and Shaggy,” Buffy offers.

“You watched Scooby Doo?” TJ asks incredulously, causing Buffy to cross her arms at him.

“You say that as if you don’t still watch it,” Buffy retorts which TJ chuckles at, hands raised up in surrender.

“I’ll go as Princess Peach,” Amber declares, smiling at Andi softly. “After all, I have to look my best for the coolest party in town.”

Andi coughs abruptly, cheeks turning red as she looks over to the remaining two people. “TJ? Cyrus? Can I count on you two?”

TJ glances over at Cyrus, but finds that the other boy is staring down at his lap instead. Since Buffy and Marty are doing a couple’s costume, he assumes that him and Cyrus will do one, too. After all, they’re officially a couple now, as in they’re out at school and to their parents. Plus, matching costumes on Halloween are the pinnacle for couples; it’s usually just expected that you’ll match if you’re dating. So, TJ goes to answer Andi, saying that he and Cyrus will think of a creative couple’s costume.

Before he can respond, though, Cyrus blurts out, “I think my step-dad has an old jumpsuit that I could turn into a ghostbusters costume.”

Across the table, Buffy meets TJ’s eyes, surprise evident in her expression. TJ is also surprised. Why doesn’t Cyrus want to do a costume with him? He frowns, reaching for Cyrus’s hand again but finds that Cyrus moved them both into his pockets. In fact, not only Buffy seems surprised by Cyrus’s decision, but no one comments on it. Andi simply offers him a smile before looking over at TJ.

“What about you, TJ?” she asks.

TJ bites his lip and shrugs. He spares one last glance at Cyrus, who is pointedly looking anywhere but at him. “I’ll figure something cool out, I’m sure.”

The rest of the time talking about the party goes by painstakingly slow for TJ. Cyrus seems to liven back up and get into the conversation, but he still casts his eyes away when TJ looks at him. TJ hates the tension between them at the moment. Although they’re squished up against each other’s sides, TJ still feels like he’s miles away from Cyrus. Normally, TJ and Cyrus have this connection, this spark between them, but right now it’s fizzled out. TJ can’t decipher Cyrus’s emotions as he covers them up behind robotic laughter and half-smiles. Normally, Cyrus is expressive and easy to read; however, TJ just can’t figure out what’s going through his head in that moment. Is he mad at TJ for assuming that they’d do a couple’s costume? Why would he be mad about that, though, since they are a couple?

Finally, after forever, the group goes to dismantle for the day and do their respective tasks. Cyrus slides out of the booth, getting ready to walk home with Jonah, but TJ catches his wrist before he leaves.

“Can we talk for a second?” TJ questions.

Cyrus purses his lips before nodding, sitting back down at the booth as Jonah follows the others to wait outside for him. Now, it’s just the two of them alone together. Based on Cyrus’s lack of chattiness, TJ has a feeling that Cyrus knows why he stopped him.

“Why don’t you want to do a couple’s costume with me? I mean, we are a couple, right? Or do you not want to be—”

“Of course we’re a couple, Teej,” Cyrus promises, grasping his hand resting on his lap with a comforting squeeze.

TJ smiles, feeling at least a bit more relieved but also more confused. “I-I don’t understand, then. I just figured since Buffy and Marty are doing a couple’s costume that, y’know, we would do one, too.”

The smile drops off Cyrus’s face as he lets out a deep sigh. He rubs the back of his neck with a ducked head as he tries to think of what to say. TJ begins to run through all the possible reasons Cyrus is acting this way. The shaking leg, uncomfortable gait, inability to explain himself, the dejected look on his face…

“I’m sorry, just after Costume Day—” Cyrus stammers, voice shaking. “I just can’t.”

TJ’s heart drops in his chest. “Cy, I would never do that again, I swear. I’m sorry.”

“I-I know, really, but I still can’t get over that feeling I had on Costume Day. And then before with Jonah…I don’t know how to explain it, but I just can’t match with you. I’m sorry.”

Then, Cyrus stands up abruptly, barely even flinching as his knee hits the edge of the table. He checks the time on his phone, then looks out the window at where Jonah is still waiting. TJ stands up beside him, not wanting to leave things like this.

“I understand,” TJ finally whispers, staring at his shoes.

Cyrus smiles wearily, although the usual twinkle present in his eyes has vanished. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.”

Cyrus offers another quick hand squeeze before jogging out the door to catch up with Jonah. Meanwhile, TJ is left there frozen, still contemplating everything that just occurred.

TJ knew that he hurt Cyrus, and he still feels guilty about it every day, but he never knew that his actions had that huge of an impact on Cyrus. Thinking about it now, it seems stupid that TJ didn’t think about it before. At first, TJ got upset with the idea that Cyrus thought he would bail again. After all, things are so different, now, and Cyrus knows that. But then, as TJ thinks about it more and more, he begins to understand. That look of dejection Cyrus had earlier, it matched the look on Costume Day. Cyrus trusted him, and he betrayed his trust. But how can TJ even begin to think of winning it back? TJ knows for certain that he can’t just forget about this or it may forever be a hole in their relationship that grows wider and wider each day. He just worries that there’s nothing he can ever do to fix this. After all, he’s already apologized numerous times. What else could he possibly do?

Lunch at school during the next week is more awkward than normal. Although he and Cyrus still act like a couple, holding hands and kissing each other’s cheeks, TJ can’t get over that subtle feeling of tautness between them. It’s like their relationship is a stretched rubber band about to snap. TJ can tell Cyrus feels it, too. In fact, Cyrus has been acting a bit off all the time since the day at The Spoon. He’s been a bit less talkative, although to most people it would seem like nothing is wrong. Andi isn’t really around enough because of SAVA to notice the tiny differences, while Jonah and Marty aren’t clued into Cyrus’s coping strategies. Buffy seems to be the only one scrutinizing Cyrus when he’s not looking. Every late laugh and quiet spell sends Buffy looking at him strangely. She begins to piece it together rather quick, as she notices TJ’s awkward looks on more than one occasion.

Soon, it’s the day before Halloween, and TJ is feeling more down in the dumps than ever. After school that day, he finds himself in one of the places that relieves his stress the most: the basketball courts. He would normally go to the swings, but he doesn’t want to have to face Cyrus there before he can think of some way to make up for everything. Frustration leaks out of him as he shoots the basketball at the hoop with exceeding aggressiveness. He’s not mad at Cyrus at all but rather himself. If he wasn’t such a coward that day, maybe things would be different. Kira coming into the equation just threatened to ruin everything between them, and they’re obviously still reaping the repercussions of her manipulation today. He grunts as he heaves the ball at the hoop as hard as he can, not even caring as it bounces off the backboard and skitters along the pavement. His heartbeat thrums in his ears, and he crouches down to try and calm himself. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, hand running through his sweaty hair.

“TJ?” A familiar voice asks. “Are you okay?”

TJ opens his eyes to see Buffy standing over him with a mild look of concern on her face. His first instinct is to snap back with the classic “I’m fine” method. That definitely worked for him before. He could also pretend like nothing was wrong, going back to playing basketball like normal, but Buffy would see right through that. Then, he thinks about how much he’s changed in just the past couple of months. Blocking things out or covering them up is a common tactic that the old TJ used, but he’s better than that now.

“I don’t know,” TJ admits timidly, dropping from his crouch until he’s completely sitting on the pavement. Buffy hesitates for a moment before sitting down beside him.

“You can talk to me, you know. I know we’re not super close, but you’ve grown on me, Kippen.”

TJ cracks a smile. “Thanks, but I don’t think anyone can help me with this one.”

“Try me.”

Not wanting to go into too much detail, TJ says vaguely, “I apologized to Cyrus for something, and even though he says it’s okay, it’s obviously not. I just don’t know what to do.”

Although there’s hardly any context behind any of it, Buffy appears as if she knows quite a bit more about the situation than she’s letting on. Still, she doesn’t press TJ for more information or even badger him for what he did to Cyrus.

“Apologies are hard, sometimes,” she admits. “I definitely struggle with them a lot of times. But…I’ve found it’s not really the actual words that count, it’s your actions.”

“Your actions…” TJ trails off, a lightbulb suddenly going off in his head. “Actions speak louder than words. That actually helped a lot Buffy, thank you.”

Buffy smiles, “Anytime, TJ. But also, do we have to keep calling each other by our first names? I have to admit, it’s kind of weird.”

“Agreed.”

With a determined look on her face, Buffy jumps up from the ground. She goes over to retrieve the abused basketball from the grass and tucks it under her arm. Then, she walks back over to TJ and offers a hand down to him. “So, Kippen, care for me to beat you at a game of one-on-one?”

TJ chuckles, taking it and letting her haul him to his feet. “In your dreams, Driscoll!”

As he plays, he feels lighter than before. He knows what he needs to do.

…

The next night, TJ arrives at the party just as it’s getting into full swing. It certainly seems to be a hit so far, with what seems like almost all of the students at Grant Highschool coming out to enjoy her party. Even from the outside, the house is decorated head to toe for Halloween, with crafty, spun spiderwebs hung from every corner and giant spiders creeping along them. Strands of Halloween lights illuminate the front yard in an eerie green color, while smoke from what TJ assumes are smoke machines leak out from the door and window cracks inside.

At the last second before stepping into the party, TJ rethinks his entire plan. What if Cyrus still doesn’t forgive him after this? What if Cyrus can never trust him the same way again? TJ doesn’t know if he could stand that. This needs to work. He needs to make this right. As Buffy made him realize, actions speak louder than words, and this is definitely making a statement. With a deep breath, he enters the house.

Inside is even more crazy and spooky. Almost everyone is dressed up in amazing Halloween costumes. Music blasts over the speakers which everyone dances with in excitement. Paper Mache ghosts and ghouls hang from the ceiling, lit up by colorful lights. Carved pumpkins line one wall, and there’s a place to bob for apples. Marty and Buffy are already over there competing, dressed up in their Shaggy and Velma costumes like they planned, although Buffy seems to be getting annoyed by her plastic glasses as she keeps having to push them up her nose. A huge table is lined with spooky punch and a gaggle of monstrous snacks. He has a feeling that Cyrus had a lot to do with some of the baked goods, as he knows how seriously Cyrus takes good presentation.

“TJ?” Andi speaks from behind him, voice just barely audible over the noise of the party. He turns, taking in her costume. She’s dressed as Mulan, and it’s obvious that her costume is hand made because it’s much more beautiful and realistic than any costume. She has a variety of fancy clips in her hair, along with a fake sword tucked into her belt. Amber stands beside her in her Princess Peach outfit, complete with the huge poufy dress and everything.

“Andi,” he breathes, “Great costume! You too, Amber.”

She looks him over with a knowing smirk. “Cyrus is in the backyard.”

TJ blushes, trying to come up with a good response but can’t think of anything. Amber and Andi giggle together before heading the opposite direction, patting him on the shoulders as they go. TJ figures that it’s now or never.

He heads outside where only a few people linger, one of them being Cyrus. He’s sulking in his costume on the very bench they sat at just a few months prior, except the fire is extinguished and replaced with giant pumpkins. TJ pads up behind him.

“You’re missing the party,” TJ states nervously.

Cyrus turns his head, and his eyes widen a comical amount as he takes in the familiar look TJ is sporting. TJ’s wearing the very Salt costume that Cyrus was wearing on Costume Day, colander and all. He looks and feels ridiculous, but he’d wear it for the next week if it meant Cyrus would forgive him.

“You…” Cyrus stutters, still in shock.

“I know that I really hurt you on Costume Day, and I know I needed to make it right somehow. Then, Buffy kind of told me how actions speak louder than words, and I hoped that maybe this would speak for itself?”

Cyrus stands, and a flash of fear courses through TJ as he worries that Cyrus will simply leave again. However, he actually does the exact opposite, and takes a step closer to TJ. They’re so close that they can see each other’s breaths in the cold air. Cyrus reaches up to adjust the colander on TJ’s head so it’s not tipping to one side. TJ quirks his lips up at Cyrus, relief washing over him.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” Cyrus whispers.

“I’d do it again,” TJ promises. “And again. And again. I just needed you to know how much you really mean to me and how truly sorry I am.”

Dark eyes peer up at him, barely visible past his metal hat. “How could I not forgive anyone who’s willing to wear a colander on his head for me?”

TJ shares a grin with Cyrus. They find themselves inching closer to each other until finally Cyrus brushes his lips against TJ’s own in a soft, loving kiss. TJ relaxes at Cyrus’s touch, and things feel right again between them.

“I’m pretty sure Andi has some kind of cheesy beach shirt here,” Cyrus mentions breathlessly when they separate.

It takes TJ a second before it clicks. “Are you sure? You really don’t have to.”

Cyrus strokes TJ’s cheek with his thumb. “I want to match with you.”

And when Cyrus descends from upstairs wearing a pair of too small flipflops, a oversized beach hat, basketball shorts, and a completely unmatching Hawaiian-themed shirt, TJ can’t hold back his grin. This is how it should’ve been all along, and TJ hates that it took him so long to make up for it. At least now he can say that Summer-Salt is still their thing.

[coolveraverto]

Treacherous

Summary: Meet Lyra Bones: She has best mates losing all sorts of virginities, her step-sister-to-be is out to ruin her life, she spends every weekend helping Hagrid feed the thestrals (and whatever else he manages to bring onto Hogwarts property), she has an embarrassingly massive crush on Lorcan Scamander, and Albus Potter wants to make a deal with her?

Harry Potter Fanfiction ~ Albus Potter/OC

Chapter 1:

I’m eating my dinner in The Great Hall when Jess Jordan, one of my best friends and roommates, flips off the Gryffindor quidditch captain as he saunters by our table and makes a snide comment towards her.

“I call it as I see it, douchebag.” She tells him, not even bothering to look over her shoulder at him.

Joel McLaggen stops in his tracks, some of his Gryffindor quidditch posse behind him. I start munching on my chicken wing, happy for some entertainment with my meal. This should be good.

“Maybe you should get your eyes checked then. It would explain why you always look like shit.” He says.

Oh, Helga.

Jess rolls her dark eyes and takes a big ol’ bite of her shepherds pie. “Take your complaints to the Headmaster and piss off. I’m eating.”

Margo, my other best friend and roommate, and I share a smile beside each other. We both know that Jess can handle some jerk - she’s done it a million of times since she’s become the Quidditch Commentator in our fourth year. Some people take their quidditch a little too seriously if you ask me. . .

“Slag.” He retorts and begins walking towards the Gryffindor table.

Oh no he did not!

Without thinking I flick my wand and McLaggen’s black pants slide right down to the floor, causing him to trip and fall on his face, his undies out for everyone to see. The entire Great Hall erupts into laughter.

“Oh, Helga - does his undies say tuesday on them?” I wonder out loud whilst grinning like mad. This only causes my friends to laugh even harder.

Lysander Scamander sits beside Jess. His dark blond hair is a big mess and his yellow and black tie is a bit crooked. I look over at the Gryffindor table just as Louis Weasley, looking just as disheveled, sits with his Weasley-Potter clan. He and Lysander have been dating since they got drunk at the end-of-the-year party last June and snogged in a broom closet.

“Did I just see McLaggen’s knickers?” He asks and tries to take a fork-full of my mashed potatoes. I smack his hand away.

“Yes. But I bet his isn’t the only you’ve seen tonight.” Margo replies with a smirk.

Lysander’s cheeks turn red. “Oh, sod off. But I’m curious, did you have an ulterior motive to do it or were you just bored, Jess?” He asks the raven-haired girl beside him. She rolls her eyes at him.

“Why do you just assume it was me who had done it?” She wonders.

Lysander shrugs. “I don’t know, because you’re the hot-headed one of us?”

“Oh, really?” Jess literally growls and Lysander looks at Margo and I with a see-I-told-you look. “Well, you’re wrong. It was Lyra, actually. So suck it, Scamander.”

Lysander’s jaw drops. “Merlin’s beard. Why?”

“He had it comin’.” I tell him.

Lysander nods his head, taking this as a good enough answer and starts eating bread rolls. He and I have been best friends since before Hogwarts when we met at a Christmas party hosted by our parent’s mutual friend. I always thought of Lysander as more of a brother.

But his twin brother, Lorcan?

I always always had a horribly embarrassing crush on him.

Without even thinking my eyes immediately find Lorcan at the Ravenclaw table. He has his own group of mates, including my crazy soon-to-be-step-sister Indigo Patil, but he’s most certainly the smartest, the nicest, and the cutest of them all. With those dreamy, wistful-looking blue eyes and white blond hair that always fall in those eyes. . .

Ugh. How could I not be into him? Too bad he will never feel the same way about me. Every time I try to talk to him I always sound like a complete flobberworm! Nobody but Margo knows about my harbouring crush; Jess would just tear the mickey out of me if she knew and Lysander would probably feel super weird if the girl he thought of as a sister fancied his actual brother.

“Helloooo! Earth to Lyra!” Lysander snaps his fingers in front of my face with an amused expression.

“Huh?”

“You were spacing out again. And drooling.” He tells me. Margo giggles.

“I was thinking of pumpkin pie.” I say because they know how much I love pumpkin pie. And now I really do want pumpkin pie.

“Of course you were, you goon.” Jess replies half-heartedly. “We were discussing the Halloween party. You, Margo, and I should really talk about costumes. And decorations.”

“Okay. But I promised Professor Hagrid I’d feed Fang tonight while he’s away on important travels. So I’m not sure when I will be in bed.” I tell her and she nods her head understanding.

“And I have my lesson with Trelawney.” Margo murmured beside me.

“What about me? I don’t get a say in anything?” Lysander asks with a pout.

“Nope!” Jess replies with a smirk.

“Wow, thanks.”

“Did you get the password for the Room of Requirements from Louis?” I ask him.

“Yes, I did. And I got enough Firewhiskey to last us ten years probably.”

“Then we’re done with you. Leave us.” Jess tells him with a wave of her hand, dismissively.

He flips her off. Affectionately, I swear.

*

Fang nearly knocks me to the ground the second I step inside Professor Hagrid’s Hut. He’s taller than me (which isn’t much considering I’m only five feet) and he slobbers happily all over my hands and trousers.

I giggle. “Hello to you too, pup.”

He barks in response and I scratch behind his ears before making my way to turn on the lights.

Wait. The lights are already on. I didn’t turn them on, did I?

Hmm. I guess I did!

Fang follows me as I go to the closet that I know Professor Hagrid keeps Fang’s food in. His tail wags faster. What a funny pup! And yes, he’s pretty old but all dogs are puppies in my book, no matter their age.

As I’m filling his bowl, a creaking sound comes from behind Professor Hagrid’s bedroom door. And muffled voices? It can’t be Hagrid, can’t it?

Helga Hufflepuff. I will die if he is with . . . a lady in there.

I’m quickly making my way to leave when the bedroom door swings open and it’s not Hagrid. It’s even worse.

It’s Albus Potter.

“What are you doing here!?” We both ask each other. At the same time.

He looks peeved but he looked that way before he even noticed me here. He moves a hand through his messy dark hair and his Slytherin tie is hanging loosely around his neck. He’s very attractive. But a total jerk.

No thank you.

Well, not like he’s ever asked but he’s so not my type. Maybe more of Margo’s type. She has a thing for “bad boys”.

“I’m here because Professor Hagrid asked me to feed Fang while he’s away tonight.” I tell him and cross my arms. “Clearly you got whiff of him being out tonight as well.”

The corner of Albus’ lips turn up slightly. “Did you just say ‘whiff’?” He asks, just as a figure emerges behind him. Eleanor Zabini. A sixth year Slytherin that I’ve never spoken to but Margo (being a Prefect) has complained about for always breaking the rules.

“Oh thank Merlin. It’s just a Hufflepuff, I was afraid it was someone important.” She says.

Um? Ouch. That’s so rude.

Still, I don’t say anything back. It’s not really my style. . .

She turns to Albus. “Can we get out of here? This place reeks of dog.”

“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you.” He tells her and she sneers at me while walking past.

What did I do to her?

Once she’s gone, it’s just me and Albus Potter standing across from each other in Professor Hagrid’s Hut. And I realize he’s looking at me. Well, more like studying me. His brows are furrowed and he’s got this hint of a smirk on his face. Over the years, I’ve noticed he always has a hint of a smirk on his face.

I’ve never really spoken to Albus Potter before but everyone knows the Potter-Weasleys. Especially the kids of Wizard Savior himself. James is a year older, a Gryffindor Quidditch star that now plays for the Finches. Lily is a fourth year Gryffindor who is probably even crazier when it comes to Quidditch than James is. And Albus is in my year, a Slytherin Prefect whom I’ve shared classes with but was never partnered with. I know he has tea with Professor Hagrid every Tuesday because Hagrid has mentioned it.

“You’re not going to tell Hagrid about this, right?” He implies.

“Uh, excuse me? And why the bloody hell not?”

“He’ll tell my parents and I can not deal with that right now.” He says. “So could you just not tell him?”

I narrow my brown eyes at him and say, “He has a right to know. What you did was very disrespectful.”

Albus sighs. “Another reason I don’t want him to know. Come on. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

I look at him in surprise. “I don’t want anything. But. . . I won’t tell him, but if I catch this happening again you give me no choice but to let him know. He deserves that much respect for trusting you, you know.”

“Great, now I’m getting lectured by a Hufflepuff.” He says and rolls his eyes. Um. Excuse him?!

“Wise words from someone who was just begging me to keep a secret.”

He snorts like I’ve just said a joke. “Good point, Bones.”

“You know me?” I ask flabbergasted.

“Yup. Lyra Bones. Hagrid talks highly of you. . . Pretty sure you’re his favorite student.” He explains.

I already know this but still - it makes me smile.

“I better get going. . . “ He trails off.

“Oh, um, yes. Me too!”

Then we awkwardly bump shoulders trying to walk out the door at the same time. He lets me go first and I mumble a thank-you.

He walks a few steps behind me and once I’m closer to the castle, I run. Embarrassingly.

*

“He was shagging Eleanor Zabini in Professor Hagrid’s bed?!” Jess is bewildered.

I’m sliding under the sheet of my bed in between her and Margo’s respected bedposts. Their jaws all but dropped when I told them what happened. I waited until after we discussed our Halloween costumes to tell them, which they were pissed about. Apparently when it comes to ‘juicy gossip’ as Margo calls it, it comes first.

“Well, I don’t know if they were shagging. . .” I falter.

They both give me a get-real look. Albus Potter has quite the reputation. He ‘hooks up’ with girls but doesn’t date them. I’m not quite sure why but everyone knows this. The bloke has never even held hands with a girl before.

Margo shakes her head. “That’s so. . . skeevy. Even for him.”

“Yes.” I affirm.

Jess shrugs. “He’s Albus Potter - what did you expect? I just can’t believe your virgin eyes walked in on it.” She says with a shit-eating grin.

“I did not!” I yelp and throw a hufflepuff-crested pillow at her which she catches easily.

We’re all laughing until Margo takes that familiar sharp intake of breath and her blue eyes go glassy. Jess and I immediately hurry to her. She stares off into space for what feels like half a second.

Then she comes back to us. I hand her a bottle of water from the mini fridge we keep in our dormitory. She takes the bottle and sips water.

“Did you see something awful?” Jess prods her. I give her a stern look over our friend’s blonde head but she ignores me.

Margo shakes her head. “No but I saw something. . . insane. Crazy. Unbelievable-”

“Seriously, Margo. Just say it.” Jess interupts her, annoyed.

“I saw Albus Potter holding hands with a Hufflepuff girl.” She says.

“Woah.” I say.

Jess’ eyebrows fly into her hairline. “Are you sure?”

Margo rolls her eyes. “Yes I am sure!”

“Well, I’m just asking. You know sometimes the things you see don’t happen, or it doesn’t mean the way you think it does.” Jess tells her abruptly.

“Who was the girl?” I ask Margo, trying to avoid any kind of argument between them. Lysander is right when he said that Jess is the hot-headed one of us. Sometimes it’s a wonder how she got sorted into Hufflepuff, but Jess Jordan is quite possibly the most loyal person alive so I think that’s why.

Margo bites her lip. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see her face.”

“As much as I love to hear about Albus Potter’s future love-life, I’d much rather sleep. Goodnight, girls.” Jess climbs into her bed and draws her curtains around her.

I stand up from Margo’s bed to slide into my own but she grabs my wrist lightly. Her beady blue eyes are staring up at me. In a hushed tone she says, “It was you.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes flicker to Jess’ bed and back at me. “The girl he was holding hands with was you. I didn’t want to say anything in front of her because well. . . you know how she can be.”

“Okay,” I mutter and slide into my bed beside her. I don’t take Margo’s visions too seriously because most of them never come true and she’s usually wrong about them. It’s why she spends so much time with Trelawney so she can learn more about them.

Also - me and Albus Potter????? Helga Hufflepuff, get REAL. That will never ever happen.

“And you looked truly happy.” Margo says.

I scoff. “I am happy, Margo.”

She pursed her lips slightly before smiling warmly at me. “Goodnight, Lyra.” She says and flicks her wand to turn out the lights.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #257

I hope y’all are behaving and staying inside. This’ll blow over, folks.

Have you ever met a guy for coffee? No. How often do you get called on your home phone? We don't have a landline. Do you feed your leftovers to your dogs? We don't have a dog anymore. When we had them, we very rarely did. Mom did so more than me, and I wouldn't give them anything if they were begging. Except chicken nuggets with Teddy. There was no denying him chicken nuggets. Do you like salt on your popcorn? Yes. What tricks does your pet do? Well one is a snake and my cat doesn't know any because since when do cats obey you lmao. Do you believe in psychics? No. When you hear the name “Ginger” what do you think of? Jason's old fatass dog. What is the worst damage that your car has seen? N/A Who is your least favourite character on your favourite television show? In Meerkat Manor, fuck that, I loved them all, lmao. Well, I remember I was bitter towards Rita/Amira for killing Rocket Dog's pups, but even then I knew that was meerkat nature to ensure the survival of their own offspring. That '70s Show, definitely no one. I adore all the characters. For Fullmetal Alchemist, honestly, there are SO many that I don't remember probably even half of them. BUT, from what I do remember, Nina's dad whose name evades me. You watch it and you know why alkdsjf;kaldjw. Have you gotten sick this year? No. When was the last time you got a new ringtone? Eons ago. Where do you put your keys when you get home? They're always in my purse. What’s your phone background picture? Lock screen is a cute as fuck picture of Mark, home screen is two meerkats. If you could move to any country, what would it be? Realistically, Canada. Have you ever seen a snake in the wild? Plenty of times. Do you have any posters, paintings or other artwork on your walls? A LOT. My walls are cramped; it makes it feel homey to me. Would you ever take a trip to space if given the chance? Nah, too long of a journey. How do you cope with anxiety? Watch YouTube more attentively, listen to music, nap, take one of my anxiety meds. Are you expecting any phone calls or emails? No. Who makes you laugh the most? In my "real life," my dad. Out of anyone that includes those I don't actually know, probably Shane Dawson. He's a Mood, constantly. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? Oh, plenty. I have like the most common white girl middle name out there. What did you have done the last time you saw a dentist? I had a cavity filled. What does a successful relationship look like to you? Both ends are happy, communication is ideal and easy for the pair, both feel loved and accepted fully, and each has healthy freedom. What do you like to put on your baked potato? The ordinary butter, cheese, and bacon bits. What field of science interests you the most? Genetics. What’s the closest shop or restaurant to your house? A Zaxby's and McDonald's are tied, being right across the street from each other. What was the most memorable birthday you’ve had? My 16th is the one I remember best, but not in a good way. What is the best house you’ve ever lived in? Our last house, aesthetically. Right in the woods and relatively pretty, yet simple. Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house? Yeah. Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way? No. Do you know why your parents named you what they did? No. I think Mom just liked the name, though. What do you like to dip your fries in? Ketchup, mostly. Is your house clean or messy right now? It's actually really clean right now. We've had a lot of help around the house recently thanks to family and friends with Mom's cancer, and then I've been much neater and attentive to cleanliness than usual because 1.) it's my responsibility to ensure it is for Mom's health and 2.) I dropped out of school so literally have zero excuses to not be doing at least one productive thing. What was the last email you received? That wasn't trash, it was from my old major's dean in school. She was trying to comfort me and give me options on what to do versus leave, but yeah. I'll 100% give it to the school that they deeply and sincerely care for their students, I just needed to go. Do you know someone who speaks without a filter? lmao me. Well, depends, I guess, actually. I know when to keep my mouth shut in some situations. What’s your favourite kind of museum? Science museums. Especially those with d i n o z. Do you believe in alternate universes? I'm open to it, especially with the mandela effect theories, but I don't think so. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. What games do you play on your smart phone? Pokemon GO (if I'm in an area w/ Stops to get balls) and Dragons of Atlantis. What kinds of decorations do you put up at Halloween? We don't really decorate anymore for Halloween, or holidays in general. How many tabs do you have open right now? Two. What’s something you’ve been meaning to do but keep putting off? Try more sites to hopefully get a poem I wrote published, but that crippling fear of rejection tho. :^) What’s the first thing you check on your phone at the start of the day? The time. Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah, I loved that as a kid. I’m guessing you’ve probably been asked this before, but which do you prefer - Coca Cola, or Pepsi? Coke. Pepsi is gross. Has your phone ever gone off in the middle of a class at school? No. Did you go to your school dances? Did you dance with anyone? Just two proms. We didn't dance tho because the music was shit. What’s your relationship with the last person you talked to on the phone? What was your conversation about? Like, talk-talked, no texting? Uhhh who was that. OH YEAH, my sister. My mom didn't answer her phone so she just called me to make sure she was okay. The last time you washed your hair, did you use conditioner?
 No, I never do. It just adds oil to your hair, and mine is naturally oily enough. Do you have an item of clothing that reminds you of someone? Tell me about it, and the person it reminds you of. I have a lot, none positive. If the last girl you texted told you that she was pregnant, how would you respond? Ask her who the fuck I need to kill. How would you react if your mother told you that she was pregnant again? Well considering 1.) she's past menopause and 2.) she has serious ovarian and Fallopian cancer, I'd say that's pretty impossible. Who do you have the most text messages from? Sara. The last time you skipped school, what was the reason?
 Uhhh if you mean "skip" as in I had seriously no realistic reason not to go, I think I was just really tired. I tried not to skip unless I was having serious mental health issues. When did you last see or speak to someone you dislike? Why do you dislike this person? I actually don't know who that would be. When you listen to music, do you generally sing along, or just listen? I rarely sing. I just listen. Do you have any of your exes as friends on Facebook? Yes. Does more than one person like you? *shrugs* Has your partner ever accused you of cheating, when you actually didn’t? No. Who was your first love? Do you ever miss that person? Jason. Of course I do sometimes. Other times I know it's probably for the better we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Do you like your middle name?
 I mean it's pretty, but boy do I wish it was more original. If your hair is long, would you ever think about having it cut short? Or, if it’s short, would you like to grow it long? I doubt it will ever be long again. Would you consider your parents to be strict? Dad never was at all; Mom sorta was when I was little. Do you have a mirror in your room? On the back of my door. Have you ever worked in food service? No, thank God. Do you often stay in your pajamas all day? I almost always do, unless I have to go out somewhere. I pretty much never leave my house ever, forget just quarantine, so like... why make more laundry. What are three YouTube videos you would like to film soon? N/A Do you ever listen to country music? No. What is your most severe allergy? Pollen. What’s the largest library fine you’ve ever had? Oh wow, no clue. I haven't been the library in millennia. Have you ever lost a library card? *shrugs* Name three literary characters you feel resemble you the most. UH yikes. This requires too much thought for me rn. Name three cartoon characters that resemble you, and say why. Ummmm I still don't know. Do you have a good doctor? I haven't seen her enough times yet to honestly say. Mom knows and likes her well, though. She's fine so far. Do you wear a watch every day? If so, what color is your watch? No, I never do. Does your phone alarm ever scare you? No, it's very peaceful. Which department store do you shop at the most? Wal-Mart. How old were you when you got your driver’s license? I'm 24 and am yet to have it. Do you have regrets? A good handful or two. Do you ever curl your hair? It's too short to do so. Do you know anyone who has coronavirus? No, and I pray I never do for my mom's sake. Out of all the big cities you’ve visited, which has/have been your favorite? Chicago is the only big city I've ever been it. Was pretty damn dope, though. Do you like dreamcatchers? I mean, they're cool. I don't believe in them being magical, though. Have you ever made a dreamcatcher, and if not, would you like to learn? No and no. Who was your high school’s biggest bully? I don't remember. What color was your graduation cap and gown? Red. Did you keep your graduation cap? I think I did. Did you decorate your graduation cap? Nope. What is your favorite part of nature? The animals within it. Do you use Photoshop? Yes. Favorite photo editing app on your phone? I don't have an editing app. Did you love or hate college? Well, considering I dropped out three times, guess. Favorite class in high school? Art. Favorite class in college? Idk. Probably Writing. Class you hated the most in high school? Math. Class you hated the most in college? Painting brought me the most stress. Do you know how to write in calligraphy? Not technically. Have you ever had a pen pal? No. Do you prefer brownies or cookies? Brownies. Man I could go for one. Favorite Girl Scout cookie? Those Reeses-ish ones. Did you ever go camping as a kid? No. Do you have hormone issues? No. Have you ever gotten a misdiagnosis because your parent(s) lied about you? Er, no? A shitty doctor has misdiagnosed me, though. Which Barbie doll was your favorite? I didn't even know there were "types"... Do you wake up to an alarm? No. When did you go to bed yesterday? Like, 8-something... I rarely make it past 9:30 nowadays. Do you live in a city, town, or in the country? The country. What color is your toothbrush? White. When was the last time you had a nightmare? Yesterday while I was napping. Woke up shrieking and scared Mom out of her skin. Tainted my mood almost the rest of the day. If you had a terminal illness, would you want to know? No shit I would. What was the last thing someone called you other than your real name? I don't know. If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? I have no clue. Is there a candle in the room you are in? No. Are you currently taking any prescribed medication? More than I like. Do you have bad anxiety? If so, do you take any kind of medications for it? Yes and yes. Who was the last person you felt you were wasting your time on? I don't know. One thing you’ve experienced that you thought you never would have? A suicide attempt. What was the last thing someone said to you that kept repeating over & over in your head? Ugh. If a random person were to look through the photos on your phone, is there anything you’d be embarrassed about? No. If you could, would you work from home? Do you think that would make you more or less productive? No no no no. I need a reason to leave the house. I'm way more productive away from home anyway. What were you like in middle school? "The weird kid" describes it pretty well. If you could give one charity a million dollars, what charity would you donate money to? YIKES!!!! Now that's a question. Probably something for suicide prevention/awareness. What is something you’re surprised hasn’t been invented yet? The cure for cancer. It's incredible, just how many "possible" cures have been identified in nature, yet you like... hear NOTHING about it afterwards??? My conspiratory and "the medical industry just cares more about money" ass wonders about that a lot. Most disturbing movie you have ever seen? Paranormal Entity or The Rite. Has a life goal or dream ever come true for you yet? If yes, what is it? If no, do you think you’ll achieve it? No. And probably not. What one thing has always bothered you, but seems to bother no one else? Hm. I'm sure there's something. Do you still own a VCR and VHS tapes? No, pretty sure they've all been sold. Did you ever build furniture forts as a child? Yep. What kind of dog is your favorite? Pretty sure I'm biased towards beagles. Are the majority of your friends male or female? Female, I think? Have you ever considered dropping acid? Noooo sir. Would you consider yourself to be mature? Mostly. Describe your music style: I like unique alternative stuff. Catchy, heavy riffs do me in easily, too. I like well thought out, dark, and impactful lyrics. Are you close to any of your aunts/uncles? Not very. Have you ever had a seizure? No. When was the last time you were in a hospital? For myself, 2017. I think. Do you go on vacations a lot? I never do. Are you self-conscious around other people? Very. At your workplace, are you required to wear a uniform? N/A Have you ever witnessed a physical fight in real life? Huh, good question actually. What was your GPA in high school? 4.2/3 or something. Do you use a lot of hair products? I don't use any. I mean, besides shampoo. What is the most amount of money you’ve spent at one time? My own money, I think $300 on a tattoo. What is the best pizza place out there? Domino's. I'm such a basic bitch. Do you know how to play any odd instruments most people can’t play? Nope. When was the last time you used a disposable camera? I think the zoo visit in 5th grade. What is your favorite book series, if you have one? Can't say I really have one. It definitely used to be Warriors by Erin Hunter, but I haven't read any in maaaaaany years. Do you have any celebrity autographs? Nah. What is your favorite color of clothing to wear? Just black. Admit it – you want a Snuggie. What design/color? I got a black one one Christmas, lol. They're honestly not all that great. Do you prefer movies at home or movies at the theater? THE THEATER. I actually enjoy watching movies in the theater. It's just the vibe, I guess, and the size of the screen so you take in everything. How many songs does your iTunes have? Just over 1k. Its memory is maxed out, oof, so if I want a new song, I have to thin the library out. Do you take a shower in the morning or the night before? I've been taking showers more often in the morning, lately. It's a nice, refreshing start to the day. I'm just too tired and unmotivated to at night. Who’s your youngest teacher? N/A When’s the last time you had a rock, paper, scissors match? Wow, no clue. What’s your favorite anime? Fullmetal Alchemist. Did you cry when Ash let his Butterfree go with the other Butterfrees? Oh I probably did, but THEN AGAIN, the female was FUCKIN PINK so I'm sure I was also happy for Butterfree lmao. Even as a kiddo, I knew pink was The Shit. Skinny, flared, ripped, or faded jeans? Skinny, ripped ones. What are you excited for? Just honestly, nothing in the even remotely near future. Nothing in my life is exciting rn. Are you part of the Farmville cult? Never played. Have you ever stood on a frozen solid body of water? YIKES besides like, small puddles, definitely not. I'd be scared to. Which person from way back when would you love to hang out with? Jenna, an old best friend, came to mind first here. It'd be great to catch up with her. She called me in the hospital after my suicide attempt despite not talking in absolutely forever, and I'm never going to forget that. Does your family use a real pine tree or a plastic one for Christmas? Plastic. Literally the only positive of the real ones is the smell. Otherwise, it's a mess that dies too quickly. Do you have any foreign exchange students at your school? N/A What’s your second language? I'm not fluent in it, definitely not anymore, but the language I took for four semesters was German. Is it uncomfortable for you to take showers in glass stalls w/out curtains? OH MY GOD I would positively hate that. Even IF I had a decent body. Did you understand Shakespeare? I was alright. What was the last shot you got? It was a numbing agent into my gums. They had to do it like... seven times. Apparently, I'm just like. Really hard to numb. Ever gotten cavities? Yeah. Do you use hair ties as bracelets? I don't even wear hair ties. What was the last school project you did that you couldn’t wait to turn in? Uhhh... I don't remember. Have you ever graded papers? I actually have; I was helping a teacher on work day. I used to go back to my elementary school a lot to visit my favorite teachers. What was your favorite year of school up to this point? Maybe like, junior year of high school? Or senior. I don't remember which one of those I enjoyed more. I just remember I loved my art class, I had great grades, my relationship was strong, yada yada. What’s the latest you’ve ever woken up? Like 5-6 PM. Had a busy night and that evening was a complete panic attack because my system was so thrown off. One thing I DON'T miss from high school: how bad my anxiety was. Can you recite the alphabet backwards? NOOOO I cannot. Like, at all. Are you a sucker for foreign accents? Some, yes. Do you do yoga? Not anymore.

[sending-the-message]

My Mother Kept Everything by TheTrueRory

As a kid, you never really realize when your parents tend to be different. To you, they’re just you’re parents. But eventually, the whispers start, the ongoing murmurs, and you can’t help but think about your parents in a different light. That moment tends to be unforgettable, even if regrettable.

I was seven when the whispers got to me. I’m from a small town, very small, very closed off, very religious. The type of town that seems ten years behind the rest of the world around it. The kind of town where you call everyone by their first name, even at seven.

We lived outside of town, on a small farmstead that had been in my family for a few generations. Though we had sold most of the land and no longer farmed, we kept enough for ourselves to live off of. A few cows for milk, a few chickens for meat, nothing special. Just small time country life.

You’d think that we would have this grand sense of space, being out in the country, no other home for two miles in any direction. The Great Big Empty, as my now-fiance refers to it. But it wasn’t empty to me, nor my family. No, my family’s property was filled with everything, scrap and junk and garbage, because my mother kept everything.

Back then, “hoarding” wasn’t a known compulsion by any metric. But a medical diagnosis wasn’t really a necessity when it came to Coffee Row, the rumour mill every small town is at least familiar with.

“I’ve heard she goes to the dump and steals all the old mattresses.”

“It’s such an eyesore.”

“I’m surprised none of her kids have caught some sort of disease from playing in that yard.”

“Well, they aren’t the brightest of kids. Probably get that from her.”

“Bruce isn’t the brightest man in the world either. Look who he married.”

These phrases, repeatedly spoken by the crotchety retirees at the local coffee house, would then trickle down to mouths of their kids, and their kids, until a punch of third graders couldn’t help but think of me and my family as dirty. And, well, you tend to internalize those things after awhile. I didn’t think too highly of myself in my childhood.

And, I mean, they weren’t necessarily wrong. No, my mom never went to the town dump to steal old mattresses or broken down equipment. Actually, I don’t think she ever went to the dump once in her life. To her, everything would eventually have it’s purpose. “It’s better to have something and not need it then to need something and not have it” was a common wisdom she imparted on us kids. Though after a few years, I can’t help but see it as a defensive posturing than anything else.

By the time I became aware that my mother’s “collection” wasn’t as common as I suspected, my father had given up on trying to curb her ways. The strong and silent type, barrel-chested and heavy-hearted, he thought it best just to let things be. He didn’t care of the whispers and the murmurs and of Coffee Row. He just wanted a simple life with his family. And if having to live in what others considered a condemned area was what stood in the way of his loving happiness, then that’s what he would do.

My mother seemed normal, to me at least. I know I was just a kid, but you’d think any sort of compulsion would have more signs, more symptoms. But no, not really. My mom was just…a mom. She made me packed lunches. She baked things for the school bake sale. She made me Halloween costumes. From the inside, everything was normal, everyday, life.

But that was until the rumours got to me.

I didn’t confront my mom. I mean, what’s a seven year old going to say? Stop being weird? Throw some of this shit out? No, I never told her how I felt. But my resentment was something that became obvious to the rest of the family.

“Never you mind what the other kids say,” my father told me, sitting in the near darkness of my room one night after a bedside story. “They’re just bitter people with nothing more to talk about then that they don’t understand.”

“But I don’t understand it, Dad!”

In that near dark, only half illuminated by my bedside lamp and the nightlight plugged in beside the door (used as a guide when midnight nature called) my father took a moment before saying, “I don’t either. But I don’t think it’s our place to understand.”

After that, I tried my best to push it all away. But parents tend to forget to pressures of the classroom, and the resentment still tended to boil up from time to time. It was the approach of my eighth birthday that really made things clear to me that I wasn’t dealing with the family farm situation properly.

“How did it go today, hunny?” my mother asked with her usual brightness. She was almost always cheery when me and my little brother got of the bus, espicially on days she didn’t work a shift at the county hospital.

I didn’t reply, choosing instead to have some classic childhood seething. But she wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“Did you remember to hand out the invites?”

“Nobody wants to come, Mom!”

I was louder than I had wanted to be, on the verge of tears, but not backing down.

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? I handed out all the invites to everyone in the class, but nobody wants to come to a birthday party in a junkyard, Mom!” I turned to storm off to my room in an overly dramatic way that would have been suited in a melodrama than from an almost eight year old. My mom didn’t stop me. I glanced back and she was just standing at the other end of the hall, watching me walk away.

After that outburst, my mother wasn’t as cheery when I came home, but she didn’t throw anything out. She didn’t clean the yard or the barn or the three abandoned sheds that dotted our grazing field like rat infested infections. Those sheds, which me and Shaun, my younger brother, called the Junks, was the worst of it. We rarely ventured out to them ourselves. To me at least, the insides of the Junks were what I imagined my mother’s mind to be like. Decades old newspapers piled high, broken equipment, rusted tools, all of our school projects and hand drawings and childhood activities, labelled and stored and stacked and stacked and stacked. Organized is a polite word to use when describing having to actually carve a pathway from one side of the room to the other.

Every once in a blue moon something would come up and my mother would need something from on of the Junks. An old certificate. A decoration for a rare occasion. A newspaper article about a study from years gone by (this was before the advent of Google made such discoveries simpler). And off to the Junks she would go to find her well kept gold. “It’s better to have something and not need it” as her saying goes. Sometimes she’d come back, item well in hand. Many times she didn’t.

I never liked going to the Junks myself. I didn’t like the idea of lifting up some boxes to find a rats nest, or something long ago dead. It never happened, but imagination is a powerful thing. And after a few years of quiet resentment following my eighth birthday outburst, and the growing distance between myself and my mother, I was never sent out to get anything anyways.

School life, of course, never helped either. The birthday shut out was one of many that I would experience in my small school. The friendship pool tends to be small when you have less people in your entire school then most city classes. And every class needs an outcast. That’s tradition at this point, right?

It wasn’t until grade ten that I made a friend. A girlfriend, in fact. She moved to our small town after her dad became the doctor at the county hospital. She wasn’t a big fan of country life, I could tell, but the pay for being the only doctor for miles around was too much to pass up, and the man himself came from a neighbouring community. So I started dating my mom’s boss’ daughter. Some might think that might make things complicated, but much like the friendship pool, The dating pool isn’t something small towns are known for. Not to disparage those who end up marrying their high school sweethearts, but in these situations it’s more beggars can’t be choosers than anything else.

I was worried when I first started dating her. The other kids teased relentlessly.

“You’re gonna catch something from him. The plague is somewhere in his yard.”

“His mom’s fucking crazy. You must be too if you’re dating him.”

“Don’t go to his place unless you have your tetanus shot.”

She didn’t really give them mind, but after awhile (in teenage days, “awhile” is a month at most) it did start bothering her. I never invited her over to my place either. I was embarrassed, and I think that bothered her too. She thought we were sneaking around, that I didn’t want her to meet my family. Again, she was only half correct.

Three months into the relationship, though, a situation arose where avoiding having her over was really not going to work: a long weekend with the house all to myself. Every horny teenager’s dream, and it was happening to me. Mom, Dad, and Shaun were all going to the Grand Canyon for a fun family vacation. Me, being the brooding teenager that all fifteen year olds aspire for, asked to be left home. While my Mom protested, my father talked her into letting me get my way.

“He’s becoming a man, and if he wants to stay home and work, I don’t see a reason to stop him,” I overheard him saying to her one night, long after I was meant to be sleeping, sneaking out for a cold glass of water.

“You know that’s not why he’s wanting to stay home as much as I know it,” she retorted.

“He’s a teenager, Maggie. I know you two have had your problems, and you think that this is just another step of distance, but he’ll come around. Trust me on that. In the mean time, let’s just give him some space.”

She didn’t reply, and I snuck off without making a sound. The next morning, it was settled. I was a man, as my father said, and could make this decision myself. Though, as he reminded me thoroughly, this meant I wasn’t get a vacation, period. My chores would still be well in affect throughout the weekend, he said, but the smirk told me that if things slid, the punishment wouldn’t be the harshest.

They left early in the morning on the Saturday. I was planning on sleeping in myself, as every fifteen year old plans, but was groggily, gently shaken awake early, by my mother, sitting beside my bed (something of a rare site, her being in my room).

“Mom? What’s going on?”

“Just wanted to talk to you before we left.”

She looked around my room,, as if seeing it for the first time. I was groggy and annoyed at being disturbed, but I noticed the sadness that seemed to blend into her usually sturdy eyes.

“Everything okay, mom?”

She looked back at me, that sadness even sharper, “Yes, yes, everything is…fine,” she sighed, “you know I wasn’t a fan of having you stay home alone this weekend, but here we are. You’re father can be rather convincing, as you know. I just wanted to say…you’re a man almost, but not yet. But almost. And I guess that’s harder to accept than I would like to admit.”

The grogginess abandoned me. A sobering conversation like this was a rarity from my mother, and it deserved my full attention. Yet, she just sighed, this sigh seeming to be an apology of sorts as she slipped off my bed to stand.

“I didn’t want to leave while we were both angry at each other. I guess we’ve been angry for a long time, longer than we should be,” I could see it, that sadness was not a new thing but something that was always there, just deeper, maybe smaller, but always, always, “I hope that when we get back, we could maybe try not to be. How does that sound?”

“That sounds…that sounds good, ma.”

She smiled at that. She always enjoyed being called “ma”. But the smile seemed to curdle, turn in a second, as another thought drifted into view. The true purpose of this early morning reconciliation.

“I know that you’re planning on having the Somner girl over while we’re away. Don’t, don’t get upset or indignant. I don’t much care to argue about teenage love at the moment. I only have one request from you.”

She looked at me, the sadness gone, replaced by an affirmation, a forcefulness which surprised me after such tenderness.

“Don’t take her out to the sheds. I know that it wasn’t on your mind, and that you’d probably be preoccupied otherwise, but it needs to be said. Don’t take her out there.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was just confused, very confused. I would almost have laughed if not for that harshness in her eyes, and that tone, that don’t-mess-with-it tone. I just nodded, which was enough for her. Her features softened once more, and left my room without another word.

Saturday afternoon, Morgan came over, and that’s when things changed for me.

I had tried to make it as perfect as a fifteen year-old could. I cleaned the house as much as I figured I should and then some, I washed up nice and clean, I made a true presentation of what we were all taught romance was. Even with the scrapyard front yard and the closets burdened with random assortments of just stuff, I thought the day would go off without a hitch.

Morgan was a year older than me and got a car for her sweet sixteen. Nothing to flashy, but enough to make her squeal with delight when it first arrived, and enough to get her to pull into my yard early that afternoon. I had wanted her to come early, make a day of it, you know? Go for a hike, take her through the garden, show her the points of my family life that didn’t embarrass me to no end. Hopefully offset her initial reactions from pulling into the yard.

That all changed the moment she arrived.

“Imagine seeing you here,” she said playfully as she stepped out of her car.

“Yeah, imagine that,” I walked up and kissed her, quick deep and all too excited. She laughed at this see-through nervousness and looked around.

“So, I guess this is why you never invited me out before.”

I looked around, ashamed of it all, “Yeah…yeah I guess.”

She looked at me, saw it all, all that guilt I apparently had, and couldn’t help but laugh a little, “Come on, it’s not that bad. So you’ve got a few junkers and clunkers and stuff. What’s the big deal?”

I looked at her, and smiled, “Wish I knew.”

She rolled her eyes and started towards the house, “Don’t be so dramatic. Come on, you going to show me around or what?”

“Depends what ‘or what’ might mean?”

(I always thought I was more creative with words than I actually am)

She looked back at me, smiling, God what a smile, “Don’t be an idiot, please. I don’t like idiots.”

I smiled, too. Until…until I saw her eyes wander from me, and her smile fade, as those eyes locked onto something off in the distance.

“What are those over there?”

She pointed off behind me, and I turned to see she was pointing out, across the field, through the junkers and the clunkers, straight across to The Junks.

“Oh, those? Those are just The Junks. That’s what me and Shaun call them, at least. They’re just…just more of all this, I guess.”

(There’s that shame again)

“Can we go out there?” she asked as she already turned and took steps away from the house.

“What? Why?”

“I...I just want to, I guess? Can we go out there now?” She was now walking for them, seemingly not caring what I had to say on the matter.

“Morgan, you don’t want to go out there, they’re just full of garbage. Come on, let’s go inside.”

She just continued. She didn’t look back.

“Morgan, come on!”

Nothing. I went after her and grabbed her wrist.

“Morgan, stop!”

She did, and looked back at me, but not like she ever had before. There was a moment, just a moment, a flash, of hate on her face as she pulled free of my grip. If she hadn’t pulled free, I would have dropped it out of shock.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Jesus Christ, what’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing! I just…I want to go out there, okay? Why the hell can’t we? Why are you being a jerk about it?”

“I’m not being a jerk, I just don’t want to take my girlfriend out to the shitty junk buildings where my mom stores all her useless shit! Okay?”

She looked at me, just looked and nothing more, for a few seconds before turning and continuing towards The Junks. I didn’t run up and grab her wrist this time. I just followed behind, confusion clouding my mind, anger choking my throat, and a chill, a coldness, crossing my body.

She stalked her way through the field, stomping down the long wild grass which prevailed throughout the field, weaving her way around the destitute machinery and piles of rubbish which littered the field. I simply followed, nothing else I could seem to do, no protests to be made.

She stopped dead centre of the three leaning and over-sunned buildings. Any paint that had once existed on their rotting exteriors had since given way to the unforgiving gift of time. The windows were empty, gaping holes, robbed of their glass by wailing winds and weak installations. The doors barely existed, a courtesy extended to the interiors more than actual protection from the elements. Standing there, actually taking them in instead of taking them for granted, they didn’t really seem like buildings as much as memories long since abandoned.

I walked up behind Morgan, almost tentative, worried I’d send her off on another rage tangent. She didn’t react to me, simply staring up across the buildings which fascinated her so much.

“There you go. Three eyesores, just like I said. Happy?”

“What’s in them?”

I shrugged. “Junk, like I said. Newspapers, old toys, family projects that never took off, antiques that aren’t worth shit, I don’t know. Nothing worth salt, really.”

“But, what’s really in them?”

This question sent chills down my back. The way she said it, eyes wide and body slack, like a child, it was unnerving. Her voice no longer sounded like her own, like the voice that liked to whisper things privately into my ears. She sounded and looked like a complete stranger in that moment.

She was moving again, cascading forward towards the door which only ever held back layers of old, forgotten junk and the shame I felt for it all. A door that, to me, was nothing but rotting boards and rusty nails. A door to nothing. But to her, to my teenage heart-breaker, it was a door to all she seemed to want and more.

I wanted to not move, not from my place in front of the three Junks, but my mind was gone, blank, as those chills that shot throughout me went from creeps to fear to terror in giant leaps and bounds. I marched, steps behind her, but I watched it all like I wasn’t there at all. Like a security camera watches the murder of a late-night service attendant.

She reached out and pulled the door open. The hinges screeched, cried out, not from rust, but from some sort of…of satistaction. A moan of disgusting approval. And those doors revealed...nothing.

Pure nothing.

A blackness that is unknowable, unexplainable, stood in that doorway. Inky , thick, tangible blackness. This was not simply the absence of light, this was the death of it. Light touched this and simply stopped existing. In fact, the blackness seemed to feed off the light, to grow and pulse with each moment of exposure to life outside it.

Morgan stood outside the throbbing, living blackness, not taken aback, not shocked or confused or even afraid. She stood there and breathed it in, watched it with a fascination, a love that was almost as dreadful as the blackness itself.

I wanted to scream, to do anything. And I almost did it, almost pulled myself together enough to run over and grab Morgan and slam that door shut and never, ever come back to these horrible ruins again in my life. I almost did it. But then the sounds reached me, and overpowered every ounce of will I had gathered to that point.

The screams. The blackness was screaming, wailing, rasping. It was like listening to a thousand deaths. It was the sound a soul makes when it is wrenched unceremoniously from it’s unwilling host. It was a sound that came with a stench. It made my blood curdle in my veins. It made my heart stop beating.

But Morgan…that smile, that whimsy simply grew on her face as the orchestra of hell reached her. In the ecstasy of evil, she seemed to love the song it sung. For her, it wasn’t horror she heard, but a siren call, a lullaby. An acceptance.

She didn’t look back. Didn’t say anything. Didn’t make a noise. She simply took a step forward, and was gone. And worth her, in a blip, in the blink of an eye, the nothing was gone. In a blink of an eye, I stood there, alone, looking at a rotten building filled with rotting things, but things nonetheless. The blackness, the horror, the screaming, was gone. And with it went Morgan, forever.

I was found by a neighbour, crying, screaming, running but almost collapsing. I don’t know how long had passed, I don’t remember anything else from that weekend, from the rest of that year really. Everything I’ve heard about it is second hand, whispered amongst the townsfolk and told to me by my brother on his less than sober nights.

The police. The investigation. The allegations. None of them I can recall. Any time I think of that day, the sucking, feeding screams return, and I just start to shake all over. Therapy doesn’t help. They want you to talk through it, to write it out in a private journal, to make it real, and I refuse to do that. Drugs don’t help either. If I slip into something less, something relaxed, something even one step away from this heightened fear that I have forever resting in my heart, then it returns. That hunger. That screaming black hunger.

My family, already burdened with the strange looks my mother had always gathered, were now outcasts. We weren’t formally dejected, but we were never welcome anywhere again. Both my mom and dad lost their jobs, my brother and I were basically ostricisized at school. We weren’t welcome here, not in this small town, or any of the neighbouring ones. Wouldn’t be surprised if the whispers of our names reached coast to coast. I know that’s the paranoia talking, but I still wouldn’t be surprised.

But we never moved. It wasn’t even discussed, wasn’t even a consideration within the family. It wasn’t an option.

Years later, after both my brother and I had gotten as far away from that middle of nowhere, middle of nothing town, I went home to visit. I didn’t do it very often. Though I had grown up to both look more and act more like my father than my younger years would have initially suggested, the buzz that my visits generated at Coffee Row still caused my skin to crawl.

It was my final night of a four day visit. My father had gone to bed at that premature time that older men who have known little else besides work seem to need. It was me and my mother sitting in their living room, both reading quietly, enjoying just being together but not needing to say it. The sitting area was towered over by books, wall to wall, books stacked to the ceiling, and doubled-up in other areas. It made the room both comfortable and suffocating, with a sudden jolt of Earth undoubtedly ending our lives under the hard covers of Holmes and Hemingway.

I sat reading only to stop and look up. My mother, hair tinged grey, face lined with years of secrets.

“What’s up?” I asked. She just continued looking at me for a moment more, seeming to decide something.

“I know what happened to her.”

“What happened to who, ma?”

“The girl. That Somner girl from years ago. The one that you try and pretend you’ve forgotten about, and that you’ve gotten over. I know what happened.”

My mouth immediately went dry, my heart raced. Simply hearing that name, remembering, remembering all that darkness. That empty.

“Mom, I never told you what happened.”

“You never said what happened because you couldn’t. No man could.”

Her face, her lines, they seemed to age before me, to by weighed down, tortured by what she was thinking about. She took her time, but I waited.

“You don’t see what I see. Neither does your brother, or your father, or any man. You can’t see what we can. I don’t know why, so don’t bother asking. All I know is that this land, our family’s land, my family’s land, has belonged to us, has been our burden for much longer than I think we can really know. This land has been our responsibly. The men are to protect the women, and the women are to…to stop it.”

She looks at me, deep and hard and knowing, and that’s all she feels she needs to say to describe everything in that nothing.

“There’s no need to ask me questions about what it is or what it does. You saw it. You know that no matter what, it’s not a good thing. No, no, it’s where goodness goes to die, that’s for certain. And it’s our family job to keep it back. To keep it contained. To keep it hidden.”

She stops now. Getting this little bit of information out seems to have drained her from any remaining energy she had. Much more and she would simply fall asleep where she sat.

“Mom, why are you telling me this? Why now?”

Her eyes became harder, her mouth set in place.

“Don’t you understand? It’s our family’s duty to keep the darkness at bay.”

My heart beat so hard, but my blood ran cold, sluggish, as what she was saying was dawning on me.

“It’s our duty…but I can’t see it. And dad can’t see it. And Shaun can’t see it.”

She nodded. That was it. That was the end of the conversation.

It was our duty to keep it out, to keep it locked up in the Junks or whatever the fuck those buildings actually were. It was our job…and I can’t even see it.

The Great Big Empty. That’s what my fiance calls it. That’s what most anyone would call it. Any man, at least.

I wish it was empty. I wish it was that simple. I wish that it was the empty we actually know, a quantifiable empty. But it’s not. It’s a hungry empty. An empty that will rob you of everything you are.

An empty that is now my fiances’ responsibility.

[minhoinator]

By My Side, a Hogwarts AU (5/?)

hallowe’en - “Minho darted ahead, taking Kibum’s outstretched hand as he took them off the path and into the grass. He let go once they were almost to the Forbidden Forest, both coming to a stop in the shadows of the trees. Minho bent, holding his knees, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth like his dad taught him. Kibum leaned against him, his arm draped across Minho’s back, as he tried to catch his breath.

‘You’re too fast,’ Kibum said, and Minho laughed.

‘Sorry.’”

read on AO3 / master list // first year - muggle-born, sorted, first day, homesick

@lockandminkey @minhosbowties @sapphicshawol @spoo-key (if anyone else wants to be tagged in this just let me know!!)

* - * - *

An excited buzz hung in the air of the Great Hall on Halloween morning. Kibum yawned, which spurred his dormmates to do the same. They had gotten maybe two hours of sleep last night – what with all the decorating they did in their room.

Callum and Travis grabbed as many decorations as they could from the common room while everyone else was busy. Aaron pulled strings of Muggle twinkle lights that his dad bought for him out of his trunk. Once Charlie came by to make sure they were all asleep, they jumped out of their beds and decorated their room with as much orange and black as they could manage.

Kibum had spent most of the time sitting cross-legged on the floor and untangling the twinkle lights in the dark. He grabbed his Standard Book of Spells from beneath his bed to search for a spell to light them without electricity. Lumos worked, and once the lights were strung around the room, they all sat back to look at their handiwork.

The lights flickered softly on and off, illuminating the spaces between their beds. A Jack-o-lantern sat on the dresser, a warm flame lighting the inside, with a cluster of smaller pumpkins surrounding it. It was too dark to make out the other stolen decorations they had put up, so they went to bed, leaving the twinkle lights on through the night.

Kibum yawned again, covering it with the back of his hand before he finished spreading jam on his toast. A half day for Halloween! McGonagall had announced it before breakfast appeared before them, and everyone couldn’t wait for classes to be over.

A slight hush fell over the Great Hall as the owls arrived with the morning mail. Nutmeg soon appeared in the window, swooping down and dropping a small package on the table before him. “Good job, Meg,” he said, kissing the top of his soft head before he flew away.

It was the smallest package his grandmother had sent him so far – he could hold it in in his palm. What could it be? Kibum untied the ribbon and peered inside. “Whoa…”

One of Grandma’s favorite spells was the Undetectable Extension Charm. He remembered her using it for their luggage to save money when she took him from New York back to her home in London after his father passed. The cupboards around their cottage were enchanted with the spell – “To fit all our memories,” she would say.

Grinning, Kibum held the package closed as he left the Slytherin table to rush across the hall to the Hufflepuff’s. He slid into the empty spot next to Minho and set the box down on the table. Minho’s eyebrows raised. “What’d Grandma send us?”

“Well,” Kibum glanced over at the Hufflepuffs who were watching them with curiosity and pulled the package back towards himself. “I don’t even know,” he said, switching to quiet Korean. “We’ll find out later when we study.”

“Oh, are we still doing that today? I thought McGonagall said there was a feast.”

“Hey,” Kibum smacked his arm, Minho rubbing the spot. “Just because it’s a half day doesn’t mean we can slack off. You’re making so much progress!”

Minho bit back a smile and lowered his eyes to his breakfast. Last night, he had finally been able to lift his feather with the Levitation Charm. They had both been so elated, they forgot to study for the rest of the night. Instead, they danced around the storage closet in excitement, pausing occasionally for Minho to lift something else with his newfound skill.

It was a good night.

“Okay, we can still study tonight,” Minho said in English, and Kibum cleared his throat, following suit.

“Good. What classes do you have today?”

Minho pulled his crumpled schedule out of his robe pocket and set it on the table between them. “Uh, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms,” Kibum squeezed his arm in encouragement, “and History of Magic.”

Riiiing!

They both looked up at the sound of the bell and Kibum climbed out of his seat. “I’ll save you a seat at History, okay?”

“Okay!” Kibum ran back to his place at the Slytherin table and grabbed his books, standing on his tiptoes to wave at Minho across the Great Hall. Minho waved back with a grin. Warmth bloomed in his chest and Kibum smiled back before running off to Potions.

Kibum dropped his books on his and Aaron’s desk, crossing his legs underneath him as he sat down. He pulled out his unfinished notes from yesterday’s class, picking up where he left off in writing down Slughorn’s comments on the recipe for the Forgetfulness Potion.

He dipped his quill in his inkwell, scraping the excess ink off on the bottle opening as Slughorn stepped up behind his cauldron. “All right, class. Open to page 139.” Kibum glanced up at the page number of Magical Drafts and Potions, confirming that it was the right page. “We’ll continue our study on the Forgetfulness Potion. Does anyone remember which ingredient we left off on? Or did you forget?”

Slughorn let out a nervous-sounding chuckle, the whole class looking up at the sound. He stopped after a moment when no one joined him. Tracey Prince raised her hand, Slughorn looking her way with a nod. “We left off on the different herbs that make up the Standard Ingredient?”

Sighing, Slughorn nodded again. “Yes, we did, Ms. Prince. Now, if everyone would get their writing utensils. I see Mr. Kim is ahead of us.” Kibum’s hand twitched, the ink scratching across the parchment, and his cheeks flushed a warm pink when he felt their eyes on him. “I always appreciate when my students are prepared! Five points to Slytherin!

“Now,” Slughorn untied a small burlap sack and passed it to the nearest student, “as for the Standard Ingredient. It’s a combination of seven different dried herbs that is generally used as a base ingredient for many potions.”

Kibum grabbed the Standard Ingredient when Aaron passed it to him and took a quick sniff before giving it to the Gryffindor next to him. Peppermint stood out to him, followed by the faint scent of rosemary. He wrote those down on his notes for Minho, dropping his quill when he hand started to cramp.

Was it even worth it? Doing all this?

Minho seemed to appreciate it, but…Kibum rubbed his palm, reading over his notes. Maybe he was putting in too much effort. Maybe Minho was just using him. Maybe…No.

Kibum shook his head, picking up his quill. Minho genuinely seemed to like him as a friend. They spent time together whenever they could, outside of classes and studying. It was hard, though, since they weren’t in the same house. Actually…Kibum stopped writing and dragged his free hand through his hair. Now that he thought about it, they did only seem to spend time together for studying.

No, no, he was over-thinking this again. Minho was his friend. His best friend…well, his only friend, if he was being honest.

Riiiing!

Kibum started at the sound of the bell and hurried to gather his books. He rolled up his notes, wincing when the ink smeared. Hopefully, they would still be readable. He got caught up in the flurry of students in the hallways, all four houses intermingling on their way to their next classes.

Kibum looked for the Hufflepuffs, spotting a couple fourth years, but no one else. He scuffed his toe on the stone floor, hugging his books to his chest. He needed to stop dwelling on this. Minho was nice, Minho…was calling out to him. Kibum looked up, spotting him on the staircase leading to the South Tower.

Minho hopped off the second step, jogging over to him. “Hi! How was Potions?”

“Fine,” Kibum shrugged.

“Good!” Minho grinned, digging around in his pockets and producing a handful of silver and orange covered drops with little paper flags sticking out of them. “Take them,” he said, taking Kibum’s hand and dropping them into it.

“What are they?”

“Chocolate!” Minho picked one out of Kibum’s hand and unwrapped it before popping it in his mouth. “Rhys’ mom sent him a huge bag of Muggle chocolate this morning and he shared it with all of us. It’s a Halloween thing.”

Kibum cautiously unwrapped it and looked at it. It certainly was oddly shaped. He bit off the chocolate tip and frowned. Minho laughed, pushing Kibum’s shoulder as he backed away. “Gotta go to Charms, bye!”

“Bye!” Kibum smiled, turning and slipping the rest of the chocolate into his mouth as he started after his classmates on their way to Herbology.

* - * - *

“’Scuse me, if ya please.”

Minho grabbed Kibum’s arm, pulling him out of Hagrid’s way, and guided him out of the Great Hall. Both turned to watch as the gamekeeper dragged a cart full of pumpkins behind him. Dark peat sifted through the wooden slots of the cart, leaving a trail down the corridor to the Great Hall. The doors slammed shut behind the last of the students leaving lunch – both Minho and Kibum jumping at the sound.

Minho continued to stare at the closed door with wide eyes, asking “What do you think those are for?” as Kibum said, “Anyways like I was saying…”

“Sorry,” Minho said, nodding to Kibum when he froze. “You go.”

“We could go study now? If that’s what you want, I mean.” Minho scuffed his toe in the nearest clump of dirt, nodding. “O-or, if you’d rather, we can just go back to our dorms and wait for the feast tonight…” Kibum’s voice trailed off with a sigh.

Minho’s brow furrowed as he glanced over at his friend. He seemed sad, for some reason. Minho could not figure out why; he just hoped it wasn’t something he said or did.

Whenever Minseok was sad, Minho would grab their football and race him to the backyard to play with him until he was smiling again and Mom called them in for dinner. Jinki didn’t get sad often – typically only when his parents fought – and when he did he would come over to Minho’s house with a handful of movies. Minho held his hand sometimes when he seemed especially sad, and Jinki would squeeze it tightly before relaxing next to him. When Taemin had a bad day at school, Minho would invite him to come home with him and they would play video games until his mom got off from and came to pick him up. Minho would always let Taemin win – sometimes unintentionally – and Taemin would give him a quick hug before he left with his mother.

He didn’t have a football at Hogwarts, nor movies, nor video games…but Kibum also wasn’t Minseok or Jinki or Taemin.

Minho licked his lips quickly, his heart sinking at Kibum’s slight pout. “What if we went outside?” Kibum’s eyebrows rose and he looked up. “I’ve been wanting to explore out there anyway.”

“Why haven’t you said so before?”

“You’ve always wanted to study, so…” Minho shrugged and smiled when Kibum did.

“Oh.” Kibum scratched the nape of his neck as he averted his eyes, the tips of his ears tinged pink. “It’s a little cold. You want to go now, or – “

“Go get your coat,” he said, giving Kibum’s shoulder a shove. “I’ll race you!” Minho grabbed the straps of his backpack and started running off to the Hufflepuff dorms. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kibum dart off in the direction of the Slytherin house. His backpack fell heavy against his back with every loping stride, and Minho pulled it off once he came to a stop at the hidden doorway.

Grabbing his wand from his back pocket, Minho tapped the password on the front of the barrel and crawled inside, dragging his backpack behind him. He dropped it at the foot of his bed by his duffel bag, slipped off his robe, and looked around for his dad’s Manchester United hoodie he let Minho take with him. Once he found it, he pulled it on and flipped the hood off his head

As he turned to leave, he paused. Did wizards even have coats? Or were their robes their coats? Minho frowned and went back to his duffel bag, digging around for his puffy winter coat and putting it on. All at once, he was too warm, but he kept it on as he reached for his wand on his bed and rushed back to the hallway.

Kibum was waiting for him in front of the Great Hall with his polaroid in his hands, smiling when Minho turned the corner. No coat, just as Minho had suspected. Kibum had simply grabbed his house scarf and wrapped it around his neck twice.

“You ready?” Minho asked, rubbing his hands together and glancing at the open door leading to the castle grounds. Grinning, Kibum started running down the corridor with Minho on his heels.

Fallen leaves skittered across the dirt path on a breath of crisp autumn wind. The sky was overcast and heavy with the promise of rain. In the distance, the Whomping Willow’s branches whipped to and fro – though Minho couldn’t tell if it was because of the wind or the group of Gryffindors playing just out of its reach.

Minho darted ahead, taking Kibum’s outstretched hand as he took them off the path and into the grass. He let go once they were almost to the Forbidden Forest, both coming to a stop in the shadows of the trees. Minho bent, holding his knees, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth like his dad taught him. Kibum leaned against him, his arm draped across Minho’s back, as he tried to catch his breath.

“You’re too fast,” Kibum said, and Minho laughed.

“Sorry.”

Kibum’s hand slid across his back as he stood and he shoved it into his robe pocket, sniffing. Minho straightened and looked over at Kibum, huffing at his cold-kissed cheeks, nose, and chin. Wordlessly, he slipped out of his winter coat and passed it to him.

“Won’t you get cold?” Kibum asked, his teeth chattering.

“Nope!” He passed his polaroid from one hand to the other as he pulled it on, fumbling with the zipper with one hand. “Let me help you,” Minho said, easily zipping it up to his chin. “There.” Kibum sniffed again, as if for emphasis, and Minho chuckled. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Me?” Minho nodded, and Kibum blinked. “I don’t even know.”

“Hmm…” He revolved in place, turning slowly from the castle ahead to Hagrid’s hut to his left to the forest behind them. Minho stepped up on his tiptoes, peering into the deep shadows. From them, there came various animal sounds, most of which Minho could not recognize. He took a step closer, and Kibum smacked his arm.

“Hey! We’re not allowed to go in, remember?” he said, grabbing Minho by the elbow and pulling him back. “I don’t want us to get in trouble.”

“Yeah, but,” Minho took a step closer, dragging Kibum along with him. “Nobody’s watching.” Kibum shook his head, and Minho slipped out of his hold before he scampered into the forest. He didn’t make it two steps inside before he heard a faint, yet distinct growl from somewhere above him. Minho froze, his heart beating wildly in his ears as he whirled around and ran back to Kibum.

Click!

Minho squinted and blinked at the bright flash from Kibum’s polaroid, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth when Kibum doubled over in laughter. “Oh god,” he said, still laughing, “you’re such an idiot.”

Minho rolled his eyes and took the polaroid before Kibum lost his hold and dropped it, grabbing the undeveloped picture as it slid out of the slot in the front. Kibum was leaning against him again, his hand clasping his shoulder as he continued to laugh. He shook the photo as the grays became slightly more defined, smiling.

All he had to do to make Kibum smile was be an idiot. He could do that. Easily.

“Oh, I’m keeping that,” Kibum said, taking the mostly developed photograph from Minho’s hand.

His eyes were wide and his normally tan skin was just slightly pale as he stumbled out of the forest and locked eyes with Kibum. The camera shook slightly – from Kibum’s laughter, he assumed – and the scene restarted.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go in?” Minho asked as he stepped away from the forest with Kibum following him. “Just once to say you’ve done it?”

“No,” Kibum said, scoffing. He slipped the photograph of Minho in his robe pocket. “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh, hey,” Kibum nudged him when he came alongside him. “I didn’t get to ask how Charms went. So?”

Minho bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet and ran back over to the forest to grab a handful of leaves. He pulled out one of Kibum’s hands out of his coat pocket and placed one of the leaves there, letting the others fall around their feet. He whipped his wand out of his back pocket and flicked it over the leaf.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

The leaf floated up against the autumn wind, hovering between them. Kibum’s eyes brightened in a smile when he looked from the levitating leaf to Minho. He set the leaf back down in Kibum’s hand and lowered his wand.

“Professor Flitwick was really proud.”

“Well, he should be.”

Warmth bloomed in Minho’s chest and he let out a huffy sigh in a white plume. It felt good, succeeding after such an effort. It was just one, simple spell, but it meant that he could actually do this, that he was meant to be here…that he belonged.

Kibum was smiling at him when he looked over, and Minho quickly averted his eyes to the polaroid in his hands. He had been so kind and attentive to Minho in the short months that they had known each other. More than anything, he wanted to thank Kibum for everything he had done to help him, but he had never been good with words. He opened his mouth, hoping the right words would find their way to the forefront of his mind, but...

“Woah!” Minho looked back up when Kibum tapped his arm, pointing over to Hagrid’s hut and the pumpkin garden set between his home and the Forbidden Forest. His eyes widened at the size of the pumpkins, and he jogged after Kibum as he ran to inspect them. He plopped down on the largest pumpkin – nearly the size of his bed, he guessed – next to Kibum and laid down across the top, staring up at the darkening sky.

Raindrops started smattering against his hair. They would have to go inside soon.

Kibum turned, taking the polaroid from Minho’s hands, and shifted in his place on the pumpkin before raising the polariod to face him. Minho watched Kibum’s finger poised above the button. When he started to press down, Minho shot up, surprising Kibum by latching onto his shoulder and posing with a peace sign over his eyes. Once the flash died, Minho let go of his friend and ran off, laughing as Kibum chased him back to the castle.

* - * - *

Hundreds of black bats flew above the lighted Jack-o-lanterns hanging in the place of the candles in the Great Hall. They swerved and dodged the rain falling from the enchanted ceiling. Kibum flinched whenever one of them flew past the Slytherin table and he instinctively covered his plate of food whenever he heard the tell-tale flapping of their wings.

He wasn’t very hungry anymore, having eaten more than his fill during the abundant feast. Still, he grabbed the last pumpkin pastie on the plate closest to him, blinking in surprise as the plate vanished as soon as he lifted the pastie from it. Kibum nibbled absently on the crimped crust, sighing.

He wished he hadn’t found the letter.

Once he was back in his dorm from being outside with Minho, Kibum noticed the small package from his grandma sitting on his nightstand. He dumped out the contents, loads and loads of candy and baked goods to celebrate the day -- and at last, a folded square of paper fluttered down amidst the treats. Eagerly, he grabbed the letter and unfolded it.

My darling Kibum~

I’m so happy that you’re making friends within your house. From what you’ve told me, Minho seems like a nice boy. I hope that you will share at least some of these goodies with your new friend.

Kibum frowned, re-reading the first sentence. Did she think he was in Hufflepuff? That was partly his fault, having not mentioned that he was sorted into Slytherin in any of his letters. He didn’t want to disappoint her, so he just never...brought it up.

I’ll admit this now, but I was worried at your silence, that you weren’t sorted into Hufflepuff. But, of course you were. I’m so proud of you. I know you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps and do great things.

I’ve got to go, darling. Dinner with Ruby and Harold tonight and I want to send the goodies while they’re still warm. Have a happy Hallowe’en!

With all my love...

Kibum’s stomach turned, and he set down his half-eaten pastie, staring at his robe pocket where his grandma’s letter lay hidden. He should have just told her straight off, but he didn’t want to. And she seemed happy by the “news” so...maybe...maybe he didn’t have to tell her.

The sound of benches being pushed back roused Kibum from his trance and he blinked, looking up to find all the students leaving the Great Hall. Even though they had a half day for the holiday, it was still a school night. Kibum stood slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets. The letter and Minho’s leaf crinkled against his fingers as he shuffled to the open doors.

“There you are!” Minho said, startling Kibum into looking up at him instead of the ground beneath his feet. Minho’s head cocked to the side and his brow furrowed as he stepped closer, his hand settling lightly on Kibum’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?”

The concern in Minho’s voice almost loosed the tears Kibum had been refusing to cry. Instead, Kibum pursed his lips and shook his head. Minho’s expression hardened into a determined little scowl before he grabbed Kibum’s hand and led him away to the tower just off the Great Hall. He took them down the stairwell to the first landing, stretching his legs out in front of him as he sat. Kibum soon sat beside him, his elongated sigh breaking the silence.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well,” he started to say, his voice cracking. Minho’s hand was soon on his back, rubbing gently back and forth between his shoulders. Kibum dug into his pocket and produced the letter, unfolding it for Minho to read.

“Oh...oh no...” Kibum gulped as Minho carefully refolded the letter. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”

Kibum shrugged, his shoulders drooping. “I didn’t tell her anything. I-I just w-wanted her to be proud of m-me,” he said, wiping away the tears that started rolling down his cheeks. Minho wrapped him in a tight side hug, his chin resting on Kibum’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything, he simply held him, until Kibum stopped crying. He sniffled, rubbing his wet nose with the sleeve of his robe.

“I’m sure she still would be. Proud of you, I mean.”

He sniffed again, smiling when Minho released him from his embrace. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat and shifted a little in his seat. "So, do you want to study now?"

"Not really. It's been nice to have a fun day. We should do it more often." Kibum looked over at Minho, and he smiled, moon and torchlight dancing in his brown eyes. “Ready?” Kibum nodded and Minho stood, offering his hand to help Kibum stand. They ran up the stairs, parting ways at the doorway. Minho darted off with a wave and a Bye, Kibum! thrown over his shoulder as he ran back to his house.

Kibum waved at his back, watching Minho until he disappeared behind the corner. He hurried, then, to his own house and found the right brick. He tapped it three times and said, “Viridi” -- Slytherin’s new password since Monday. The wall opened for him and he went inside, avoiding the curious looks of the others lounging in the common room.

The first year’s dorm room was empty; Kibum sighed in relief at the sight. He changed quickly into his pajamas and tucked himself into bed, his teeth chattering until the sheets warmed around him.

A slight movement in the corners of his eyes caught his attention, and he looked up to the photographs from earlier hanging on the bottom of the top bunk, Kibum had pasted them there before he dumped out the package from his grandmother, and he had forgotten that he’d done so until just now. He smiled at the one from the Forbidden Forest before he focused on the other one.

In the photograph, Kibum shifted so that he could see Minho over his shoulder. Minho was also watching the camera, before he lept up and grabbed Kibum, giving the camera the cheesiest smile he could muster, a peace sign framing his squeezed-shut eyes. His own small smile opened into a yell and Minho laughed, pushing away from him.

Then, the scene restarted.

Kibum smiled as he watched the scene replay over and over again. His eyes soon lost focus and drooped shut, his lack of sleep from the night before setting in. A thought crossed his mind as sleep took him, one that he rather liked...

It’s nice to have a friend -- and Minho was his best friend. For sure.

[writtenbymatthew]

🎈 ♡ 🎩 🃏 ☔🌚 (You said to send a few so whoops)

Halloween with Jay

🎩 - our muses go costume shopping together 

“You didn’t say ‘no peaking’ so I thought I’d take my chances.” Matt said, holding the curtain of the dressing cubicle to the side. Only just far enough for him to eye Jay with a smug smile on his face but shielding her with his long posture from other curious eyes. Not that there were many customers out in the costume shop. Which surprised Matt a bit, considering it was Halloween but then again, who else went shopping this late for an event on a Tuesday afternoon? He surely didn’t mind anyway, as it gave Jay and him all the space they needed. “You really want me to turn around?” He gave her a little pout after being caught staring at her half-dressed body. Every line and curve were still in their familiar place and the only thing holding his hands back from lingering over her soft skin was the fact he already enjoyed their time out together without his hormones. He liked keeping it that way. “You look really good in that.” He complimented at last, never actually having complied to her request of turning around. She’d probably never really expected him to anyway. His words were true, however, he knew Jay looked as beautiful as ever in literally anything she wore. Including this little devil costume. A bright smile formed upon his lips, happy that he could make her happy. “Love, it’s called irony. And it’s still very matching!” Matt pointed out after getting a remark on his outfit. He’d traded his original satan suit for one of an angel. The fact it fit him well only added to its humour, he thought. “C'mon, just admit you like it. You’ll be able to tell everyone how I’ve fallen for you.”

🎈 - our muses go to a Halloween party together

“You look dead.” That was the response the bantering lad gave Jay as she twirled around for him, asking him how she looked. “What?! I mean, to be fair, that was what you were going for, wasn’t it?” Matt held up his hands in surrender though there was no innocence to be detected in his grin. Luckily, Jay saw the humour in it. One of the things he loved most about her, though to be fair he loved every piece of her to bits, was the fact they could joke around all the time. And there was no one he enjoyed teasing more than the girl making her way over to their front door. It often surprised him she wasn’t aware of how breathtakingly beautiful she struck as. But perhaps it had something to do with the fact he just called her dead. Which in his defense was true today, seeing as they’d went all out to dress up for the Halloween party they were attending. Usually he was in charge of picking out the best party spots but when Halloween came around, he crowned Jay as decision taker for the month. After all, she had a way of combining what was best for both of them, a skill he had yet to learn or at least re-acquaintance himself with after their time apart. “Can I have this dance?” There was a tap on the black haired girl’s shoulder and a drink that almost spilled over as she spun on her heels. Matt almost had to shout in her ear to get the words across the crowded room, booming with music and glowing lights. But when they reached her at last, their smiles appeared simultaneously and she nodded, probably thinking it was silly of him to ask. Offering his hand, they connected right in the middle. However, instead of starting to sway or do anything that came remotely close to being called ‘dancing’, he led her outside. Carefully and protectively so no one would crush what he held so preciously. Once the refreshing air hit them, he repositioned them and let the rest of the world fade away like the music had. “I love you so much.” He admitted, swaying with her to the rhythm of beating hearts and synched breathing.

🃏 - our muses to play a prank on someone else (throw toilet paper over their house, etc) 

“I’m glad you agreed with my genius plan.” Matt looked up from the lock he was picking. “Fine, fine, our genius plan.” He huffed slightly. “Alright, it was yours. But I’m helping, aren’t I?” The small click of success resonated after his words and the door swung open after his admission, drawn out by Jay’s scrutinizing gaze. Both of them were just joking, of course, and it felt incredibly good to fool around with her like this again. Only, he was persistent on not comparing it to before and calling it ‘the good old days’. Because this time around, Matt was adamant on not letting things go wrong. Making these the good days, so who would care about the old ones? “You’ve got the sticks? If you think about it, we’re just doing a good thing by recycling these.” Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out the empty rolls of toilet paper, out of which they’d cut two eyes, shaped differently every time. Jay shushed him, telling him they’d blew their cover if he kept making her laugh and of course she was right but he couldn’t help longing for that delightful sound. However, the scared squeals of chaos in a few more minutes would make a nice second, he decided at last. Breaking the red glow in the dark sticks and attaching them to the insides of the rolls went fast as they worked side by side, putting them up in the corners of the hallway as quiet as they could. The second part of the plan where they had to cut the power was a little trickier. Not necessarilly the breaking in part, they were pretty skilled in that but they had argued about doing it before the chaos or after, to create only more chaos. Eventually Matt had had to admit, it did sound better to turn the lights off after luring the students out of their rooms but they’d have to work fast if they didn’t want the rolls to be found first. “I’ll miss you.” A small pout placed playfully on his lips as they finished ‘decorating’ the place. Their ways had to part now as they’d cover a lot more rooms if they split up. Her eye-roll made him break out into a big smile and he leaned in to give her a long kiss. “In case I never see you again.” He whispered when he pulled back for air. She sent him on his way with a slap against the shoulder and he chuckled, starting his quest with three solemn knocks on every student’s door he could get to in time. The floors were creaking under their weight but it would only add to the effect. Right when he accidentally knocked over something, the first doors were being opened up by confused, sleepy students and he sprinted back to the electrical service panel, pulling down all levers as fast as he could. “I’m so proud of us.” He smiled a little out of breath, once reunited with Jay. The red glow sticks gave everything a nasty glow at 4:15 in the morning. With a sound mixed between a sigh and a laugh, he added, as they sneaked back out, “Next year, we’ll have to find a solution to the flashlights everyone has built into their phones though.” 

☔ - you get caught in the rain with my muse 

♡ - your muse cuddles up with my muse (for warmth, obviously)

His sneeze was the only thing to be heard over the loud clattering of rain. Followed by her coo. And a final sigh to top it all off. He was supposed to thank God for the small plastic roof provided above their heads but instead he’d rather cuss him out for not letting him find the damn appartment keys. “I could’ve sworn I put them in my pocket. But then again, I couldn’t even bring a bloody umbrella so who knows?” He muttered under his breath. Normally Matt wasn’t as affected by the weather, it was only natural to him since he grew up in England. Three sunny days and he knew they’d hit their yearly maximum. But it was cold this time of year and the clouds kept showering over not only him, but also her. And he hated to see her soaked to the bone, trying her best not to shiver when he looked cause it felt like his fault they’d left unprepared. What a bloody brilliant idea it had been to pick Jay up from class but park your car miles away, Matthew, seriously, he thought to himself. The little walk he’d had in mind had turned into a ‘Who’ll be first at the car’-race rather quickly when the rain had started pouring down on them. “Sorry. Come here.” He pulled her close, rubbing her hands together between his own, hoping it would provide him some warmth. Then he pulled his sweater’s sleeves as far as he could to cover hers as well and put them inside the front pocket of his sweater. Hopefully keeping them warm despite the wet fabric. “I promise you’ll get to take the first hot shower.” He offered as a way of an apology, the tips of their cold noses touching in an eskimo kiss now they were standing so close. Suddenly her eyes went wide and before he could even ask what was up, she pulled out her hand from his sweater, holding up the keys triumphantly. “If I wasn’t afraid I’d sneeze all over you, I could kiss you right now. Yes!” With a slight tremble and desperation in his hands, he unlocked the door and held out the door for her. By the time she’d gotten out of the shower, she returned to a turned on stove and a fort of blankets on their couch. “I’m cold.” Showing up from behind her with a childish pout and in only a fresh pair of boxers and a blanket, he spread his arms to welcome her under the soft fabric as well. Then he encompassed her, almost hugging her inside so they merged into one big, fluffy blanket with two heads poking out. Both their hair still dripping wet, though one colder than the other. “Okay, I did not think this through.” Laughter arose as they awkwardly shuffled like a big mass to the couch and plopped down there at last, enjoying each others warmth.

🌚 - you decorate the house for Halloween with my muse 

“Jay… Did you put goggly eyes on literally everything?!” Matt yelled in surprise as he walked out of the bathroom. With a proud smile, her head popped around the corner, her black hair falling down and framing her soft face as she mouthed the word ‘yes’. Well, maybe she’d said it out loud, but it was hard to hear over their loud music. With the remote, he turned it down a notch and walked over, cupping her face with his bloodstained hands. “Brilliant.” He pecked her nose. “I didn’t think you could surprise me anymore but you always end up doing so. When did you even buy these?” He laughed at the comical sight of the plastic eyes following him with every move. The whole house was set in an orange glow as night had set in and all the light bulbs had been changed. They always went all out for Halloween cause it was her favourite holiday and seeing her so happy, made it his favourite holiday as well. “Oh, look at that, you got a little something on your cheek, dear.” He chuckled as he let go of her. His hand prints a little smudged in red, stained her cheeks. Matt himself had busied himself with decorating the bathroom, the usual bugs drawn on the toilet paper; bloody handprints on the wall; lipstick on the mirror and a corpse in the tub. With all that, he’d forgotten to wash his hands and now he was smiling down at the messy consequences. “Do we put up our bug cut-outs in the lamps? Maybe add some more spider webs or are we done?” He rolled his eyes as she pointed out to him that with his lack of cleaning, there were already plenty of spider webs around the appartment. Pulling out a wipe, he reached for her cheeks and got the fake blood of. “Tsk, don’t say I don’t clean anything up anymore.” A tiny hint of wicked edged on his lips as he placed his dirty hands full on on Jay’s shirt before using the wipe on his own hands. “Oops. I think I’ll have to clean that up too.” Hinting, he reached for her shirt as he pulled her in for a kiss. But it didn’t last long and confused she asked him what was wrong. “They’re watching us.” His eyes were trained on the goggly eyes as he replied before they both ended up in a fit of giggles.

[danpowell282590-blog]

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[morethanjustaradio]

Last weekend I found myself chasing seagulls in Bolinao with the significant human. I’m turning 28 soon and she thought that we can use the Halloween season (read: vacation season) to do an early celebration. Of course we can. One of the first things you would learn as a working adult is that other than client-imposed deadlines, all events are pretty much movable.

I don’t exactly know what to feel about turning 28. Half of the people I know thinks I’m younger because I have the build of a guy in his late teens and a stupid smile. The other half is convinced that I sound way too old I can’t be only 28. I believe they all mean well. The idea that people cannot agree whether I’m young or old is just crazy. Someone asked my mom how old I am. That person’s follow-up question was “Are you sure?” Mom’s brain probably did somersaults.

Getting to the Place

Google says that Bolinao is about 280 kms from Manila—a 4-hour-and-40-minute drive. The latter is of course a lie. The bus ride took roughly 7 hours. Without breakfast and no stopovers long enough for us to get a full meal, by the time we reached the place, I was convinced that I was already starting to evolve into a simpler organism in order to survive. This is largely because the bus we booked tickets in left without us even though we came before the supposed departure time. And no, just because the bus company sent an email advisory that passengers better come an hour earlier doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. There’s a reason why people select the time when booking trips—more often than not, it’s because that time is the earliest they can get to the terminal. Piece of advice to bus companies: there’s a difference between encouraging people to come early, and officially moving up the departure time by say, one hour. The bus company likely did it for extra income. Some chance passengers who came before us probably paid for our seats… again. Great. Shame.

The Tour

Getting a vehicle to tour you around the place is a breeze; literally every tricycle driver will offer you a tour. The human got the number of the driver who brought us to the resort. The driver came back the following day for our tour which cost us P1, 200. That’s just a little over the cost of our inland tour in Puerto Galera. We think it’s fair.

Bolinao Falls

The tour started with Bolinao falls 1, 2, and 3. Yes, it gave us the impression that the locals are not very creative with names. It reminded me of how I named temporary variables in my first programming classes but we won’t talk about that here because this blog post is not supposed to hurt our brains.

I’m 97% convinced that nymphs can be found in here somewhere.

This one underwent editing but the water was really that blue, no shit.

I took a dip here. It has the least people and offers you a good view of the sky.

The first thing you would notice when you visit any of the three waterfalls is the seemingly unrealistic blue green waters. It’s a shame that due to the fact that I can’t really swim and the water was deep, I cannot call it inviting. But I’d believe anyone who would say so.

You have to pay a fee of P50 to see each waterfall but you can certainly make the most out of it. I rented a life vest to swim in the third one. I looked pathetic surrounded by the locals who have probably been swimming there before they learned to walk but to hell with it. I cannot let the opportunity pass.

Enchanted Cave

We then headed to Enchanted Cave where they had a Halloween thing going on. I appreciated the decorations, the food, the general ambience, everything but the cave. To be fair, it was not the cave itself that was the problem. It was just a little too crowded for me to stay in and take a dip. It looked quite safer than Bohol’s Hinagdanan cave but it was just not the best time. The human didn’t event get to take good photos. We were out in just a couple of minutes.

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

There was nothing much to see but an old lighthouse you cannot even go into. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the kind of place I can spend an afternoon in and wait for the sunset given fewer tourists roaming around. If you get a good spot, the place would offer you a good view of beach and surrounding areas which looked really peaceful in the afternoon. But that’s an old soulish way of enjoying things for you.

Patar Beach

Instagram that sh_t!

I describe Patar beach as low key. The beauty was in its simplicity. The water and the sand looked great but it really was its being not overly commercialized that appealed to me. For once, we didn’t pay an entrance fee. There were cottages owned by surrounding resorts and nothing more. Stores were situated far enough to give tourists enough space to enjoy the place. It’s a great place to chill if you’re tired of beach parties. 

There you are human!

Bolinao Rock Formation

The view was breathtaking. We even chanced upon a prenup photoshoot when we got there. However it got old fast given that in just a few paces, we were already walking into someone else’s property and we had to pay if we intended to continue. Bummer. We didn’t stay long. There was nothing much to do. The rocks are even a little too sharp to sit on if you fancy watching the waves which I must admit can be fascinating.

Last Day and Heading Home

We had a day before heading to Manila so we dropped by St. James Parish and witnessed a painter going full Michelangelo on the church’s ceiling. He was impressive. Also, watching him paint atop the scaffold hurt our necks. That was probably half of what he was feeling then. We left before we totally creep him out and he starts throwing paint buckets at us.

For lunch, we visited Adora’s Restaurant which is pretty popular. It is a modest place that offers a variety of Filipino food that are very affordable. We’re sold. There’s really little point in checking out uberfancy restaurants when traveling to far-off destinations. You can already find a lot of them in Manila. The small, family run ones are those that would expose you to the local culture. I cannot blame people who wouldn’t trade comfort for food though.

For our coffee fix, we visited Coastal Coffee Bar which has a great ambiance. It’s a perfect alternative if you’re missing your Starbucks. You won’t find any in Bolinao.

In the afternoon, we went back to Patar beach to watch the sunset and then head back to the resort where we checked in, to kill time in the pool. I badly need to improve on my swimming skills if I’m planning to join more vacations like this.

Heading home was thankfully hassle-free. The traffic was more than okay and we were entertained by Baahubali which they played in the bus’ television. It’s the first Indian movie [franchise] I ever watched and I must say that I was impressed by how they pulled off everything on a tight budget. I googled it. I think USD 67 million is tight given that some Hollywood films spend more than double. I liked how it showcased the Indian culture. Maybe I’ll do a review soon.

To sum it all, Bolinao is a laid back place perfect to chill and unwind. It’s not the place for seekers of extreme adventures. It’s also not gonna wow you in every turn. If anything, it will give you the relaxing feeling of being at home and that sense of happiness on the appreciation of simple things. It’s nice. Just what I needed. -aB

I’d be turning 28 on the 24th at around 4PM if you care to know. Greet me! Pathetic folks like me would appreciate it.

Also, this is me with the human.

Find yourself a human who can tolerate conversations about your fictitious business ventures called Emma's Store and Michelle Brunch.

A post shared by Vin (@iamthearvin) on Oct 30, 2017 at 10:49pm PDT

Travel Notes: Bolinao Last weekend I found myself chasing seagulls in Bolinao with the significant human. I’m turning 28 soon and she thought that we can use the Halloween season (read: vacation season) to do an early celebration.