#and digging stuff out of boxes and double checking everything

[commander-damneron]

One day I will remember to do all my convention prep in advance, and all I'll need to worry about the day before is knowing where everything is and getting plenty of rest. But it 100% is not this day

[vincentvalenfine]

forget-me-not

Cloud understands better than anyone what it's like to forget about the important things.

"So you're telling me you forgot Marlene's birthday is tomorrow?"

All it takes is that little note of disbelief, the look that says 'you were already told a dozen times', and everything about you becomes brittle. Even your smile, accepting of the teasing up until now, feels liable to shatter away at a moment’s notice.

Luckily Yuffie isn't that observant. She takes your excuse that you've been tired and busy with WRO work as it is, then playfully suggests you'd better hurry and go pick up something nice for the kid before the ninja is finally distracted by Tifa calling her over from across the bar. It's still not safe to fall apart yet, and Tifa will question if you leave before your food even comes out, so all you can do now is stare morosely into your drink, stirring the straw about slowly.

"You look beat."

You look up at Cloud's voice, blinking a few times as he sets your meal down in front of you - and then sits down across from you. Normally he would wander off to check on other bar patrons, begrudgingly accepting his side gig here on the days where there's no deliveries to be made. But tonight's a slow one, and the only people around are his friends, so you're graced with his company for once.

Well, graced isn't the word you'd pick while trying to stave off your feelings.

You give him just a nod and poke at your food with disinterest, appetite vanished under the weight of your emotions trying to crawl out your throat and throw themselves on the table. That would be ugly, and you're pretty sure Cloud wouldn't appreciate it. He's never been big on talking about feelings.

But it seems like he's going to try for once, clearing his throat quietly. "You alright? What'd Yuffie say this time."

Not a question, but statement of fact - you had to admit the assumption made sense when the ninja has a bit of a motor mouth at the best of times. It makes you clench your teeth a little, finding brief distraction in sipping at your drink before you force yourself to answer him.

"She reminded me about Marlene's birthday. I forgot... again." You can't help the bitterness that seeps into your voice, staring down at your food that you'd normally be digging into by now. Instead, the smell of it makes your stomach twist.

It takes a moment before Cloud comes up with a response. "I forget stuff too, all the time. I get it."

"At least people are sympathetic to your reason," you snap without meaning to, glancing at him just long enough to spot the surprise in his mako tinted eyes before you abruptly stand, empty enough gil from your pocket to cover your meal, and head for the door quickly. You need some space, and privacy to lose your cool in peace.

"What was that about, Cloud?" You hear Tifa's voice behind you before the door closes, and don't bother giving anyone a chance to come after you as you practically race back to your apartment.

-

It's been... maybe an hour? Two hours? Your grasp on time is already bad enough without being caught in the throes of self-loathing and misery. The wallowing is interrupted by a knock on the door though, and you barely find the energy in you to shuffle over, still draped in your softest blanket as you check through the peephole.

There's Cloud, a to-go box in one hand and phone in the other as if he's waiting to get a message. Tifa's probably waiting for him to come back you realize, and a double pang of guilt crushes your heart in your chest. Both for snapping at him before when he was just trying to connect, and now for keeping him away from a nice, relaxing evening with his friends that are otherwise so busy most of the time. By the day after tomorrow most of them will disperse to their usual haunts until the next birthday rolls around. You're keeping him from the people who care about him the most.

"Go away," you croak, knowing he'll hear you through the door. To his credit he barely even reacts, just sets his thumb to texting before closing his phone up and tucking it away.

"Tifa wanted you to get your food. She's gonna yell at both of us if I just leave it here."

That much is likely true, prompting you to heave a defeated sigh - scoldings from Tifa are the worst, since she always knows just the right words to make you promise to do better even when your own brain makes you into a liar later. Forgotten promises and bad habits, the perfect storm to get lectured (even if it's with friendly intent) on the regular. She makes you feel like a kid again, and that stings too.

Finally you groan and unlock the door slowly, cracking it open just enough to stick your arm out while peeking with one reddened, puffy eye.

"She wants a picture of it in your fridge."

That prompts a louder groan, and Cloud just shrugs, snorting softly. You retract your arm back into the soothing warmth of your blanket, then just as slowly open the door further for him, holding it in front of yourself like a shield. Hopefully he'll just take care of this quickly and you'll be out of each other's ways in just a minute...

His footsteps on the floor are measured, and you listen quietly to the sound of your fridge opening, the belated realization of all the things you've forgotten in there making you cringe just a moment later. Now Tifa will get onto you for food waste too, shit. You wish you could retreat into your own body like a turtle to escape the upcoming scolding. She means well... but it's just another thing to stress about now.

The doorknob suddenly slips from your grasp, leaving you staring blankly with surprise at Cloud. He takes in your rumpled appearance without a twitch in his expression, a stoicism to be envious of at times. You almost wish he'd just express his disappointment already and be done with it, but instead... his hand ends up on your head, with an attempt at reassurance as he lightly brushes his hand from front to back. You go stock still in response, trying to figure out how to respond when he speaks.

"We... I just. Wanted to make sure you're alright."

For all his awkwardness, his sincerity still shines through and stabs you right in the heart. Your head droops, trying to hide the expressions flashing across it, and find yourself surprised again when his hands guide you into a light hug. He's warm, smelling like the savory fragrances of the bar kitchen and plain soap. Despite yourself, you end up clinging to him with fresh tears welling up to spill onto his shirt. His strength makes it easy for him to handle most of your weight leaning against him as he closes the door and then guides you to the couch to sit.

"It's okay," he mumbles. He's trying his hardest to be comforting, rubbing his hand on your back in slow, steady circles while you cry your eyes out on his shoulder.

When the tears finally die off again you pull back from him, though his hands catch on your shoulders in a request for you to remain close that surprises you again, but makes you settle in place and shake your head.

"It's not. I'm always going to keep forgetting things, even the important stuff, and I - don't even have the excuse of being mako-addled. It's just my stupid, broken brain."

"You're not broken."

You frown at Cloud, and he frowns right back.

"I mean it. You're just a person like anyone else, not a piece of machinery. Some of us just have shit memory too."

Now you give a disbelieving snort. His expression grows disgruntled, as if he's trying to find a way around your stubbornness, and finally he puts his hand on your head again, giving it a light ruffling motion. "Knock it off, I'm trying to make you feel better."

"You gonna just tell me to feel better next?" you retort, watching him grasp for a response again before he huffs and shakes his head.

"You don't need a reason for why your head works the way it does. We're your friends. It's okay."

You get the feeling Tifa may have said something identical to him before, and your heart writhes in your chest with discomfort. Though you make a brief attempt to pull away again, his grip remains firm; you duck your head instead, listening to an exasperated sigh leave him. Yeah, you'd be frustrated dealing with you too.

He suddenly drags you into another hug, and this time his arms are just tight enough around you to draw an undignified yelp from you at first. Against your better judgement you end up relaxing into him after a few seconds, heaving a frustrated sigh of your own. Why is he being so persistent? He'll give up eventually and it'll hurt less if he does it sooner rather than later.

"We... I care about you. Okay? It's okay to forget things." His voice is quiet, comforting even though you'd rather he not be. "I forgot Tifa's birthday. She doesn’t hate me for it."

You hate that you recognize the unspoken words behind that, the frustration with himself that makes your heart clench in empathy. You end up giving him a light squeeze around his shoulders, trying not to let his embrace comfort you in return and failing. At least someone understands what it's like to forget anything at the drop of a hat, understands the frustration and hurt, the disappointment of others and how they always edge closer to giving up on the mess that can't even remember the produce in the fridge.

You feel tears welling up again but blink them back fiercely this time, pulling back just a little and realizing his eyes are a bit watery as well now. You're both messes.

"Don't let me drag you down with me now," you joke weakly, "once you start crying it's all over."

Cloud gives a faint huff of amusement, shaking his head slightly before giving your head a pat and letting go to reach for the TV remote on your coffee table. The move makes you raise your brows, but he shrugs it off.

"I could use a break from the bar. You need to get out of your head for a while. We're gonna watch a movie."

His look is stubborn again, so you give a resigned sigh and lean back into the couch, pulling your blanket tight around you and making no complaint when his arm gently settles on your shoulders to draw you against his side. Maybe it won't be so bad to let him linger - he understands better than anyone else in the group.

And being understood... feels good. But you won't tell him that.

[hailthegodsong]

OUR LOVE IS BORN

Masterlist

Chapter 1 ~ Better Twin

Content Warnings: Fluff, angst, flirting, typical embarrassing teenage stuff, swearing, mentions of car accident, mentions of medical procedures, brief nudity (nothing crazy).

The trees blurred as our car whizzed past, piling down some highway. I wasn't sure. In fact, I had no idea where we were at all, other than the fact that it was somewhere in Michigan.

The trees were different, as well as the bird song and the grass which crept up upon the edges of the tarred road we drove upon.

Even in the heated car I could feel an isolated chill run up my arms, and effectively reaching my now very cold core. A thin layer of dirtied snow lay on the grass beside the long road, and I tried to think back to the last time I had seen snow.

It must have been when I was before 5, some ski trip maybe? I wasn't sure but it definitely was long enough ago that I couldn't remember much about it, and a small spark of excitement grew in me at the thought of seeing snowfall for the first time.

I shuffled further into the corner of my seat in attempt to relieve the uncomfortable dig of one of cardboard boxes shoved beside me in the back seat.

"How much longer, Dad?" I asked, interrupting the music softly blowing through the cars speakers.

"Nearly there Sweets, 'bout five more minutes," He looked at me through the rearview mirror, smiling sincerely but not without an angle of guilt. 

I knew they felt bad about making me leave home, and don't get me wrong, the news that we were leaving for Mums job was not on my Top Ten Best Moments of 2024, but I understood. 

Living prices were shooting and it only made sense for Mum to relocate closer to the project execution which she was formerly managing remotely.

A heavy weight of nerves set in at the thought of pulling up to my new home. My mind rushed with the copious amounts of unpacking I had to do, alongside the draining idea of starting Year 11- or Junior Year, at Frankenmuths' local High School.

Once my surroundings drifted from farms and empty fields into a standard suburban town, I knew we were here.

"Why does everything look German?" I asked, trying to shield the judgement from my voice as I analysed the traditional German architecture. 

Is this seriously where I was going to grow out my remaining teenage years? I could already miss the smell of sea salt in the air, and the heat of a humid wind, cooling the sweat on my skin.

"The town was founded by Germans, or something like that, I'm not really sure. But it definitely adds a bit of interest, hey?" My dad responded, his words laced with false excitement. 

I was sure he didn't want to be here any more than I did, but he had no choice.

After a few more minutes of mundane silence and repetitive buildings, our rental car finally pulled up a short stoned driveway, crunching the gravel beneath until we came to a complete stop. I quickly checked the time on my phone, which read 2:34pm, before unclipping my seatbelt and swinging the car door open.

I was immediately hit with a piercing cold that stung the wetness on my lips. 

Hugging my torso tightly, I rounded the car to wait for my parents to find the keys to our new house.

Stretching my legs after a twenty hour flight and an hour long drive was positively the best feeling I had ever felt in my life. The stiffness ached in my hamstrings but spread a comforting heat throughout my body when I reached down to touch my toes. 

Quickly shaking any remaining stale blood in my arms and legs, I turned and had a look over at my new house.

"Wow guys this place is massive," I gawked. It was double storied and had a long wooden patio out the front.

"Not really Sweets, you're just used to living in a tiny complex all your life," Dad chucked before wrapping his left arm around my shoulder, and his right around Mum before kissing my temple. "Welcome to our new home."

After we loaded all of our boxes out the car, I sorted through the pile to find my things and take them to my room. 

As the U-Haul wasn't arriving until the next morning with our furniture and belongings, we begrudgingly had to stay at a local inn overnight, and I couldn't be any more annoyed. 

I would never let it show because I knew my parents had been through a lot during the move, but the heavy tire in my muscles paired with my inability to sleep on the flight over made me incapable of thinking of anything other than sleep in my own bed.

Dropping my boxes of clutter on the soft white carpet of my new room, I collapsed on my back, arms sprawled out by my sides, as I stared at the plain white ceiling, adorned with a single hanging light.

As I lay there, I thought about my friends, my school, my new school, my hobbies, my running, my music, what if I'm too different? What if I can't adapt to the culture? What if I'm outcast? What if-

"Hi Honey, its getting late, we should starting thinking about leaving for the Inn in about 10, okay?" Mums voice interrupted.

"Mmm," I grunted back, before rolling over and reaching across the plush white carpet for my phone which had been chucked somewhere on the floor not long ago. 

The time on my screen read 5:52 as I swiftly sat up and grabbed my backpack, already full with everything I had needed on the flight including chargers, a water bottle and some headphones.

Hopping down the stairs, I jumped to the kitchen to refill my water bottle with fresh water. The house was silent, and all I could hear were the sounds of the water streaming from the tap, and the hushed voices of my parents. 

I turned off the tap, leaving my water bottle only halfway full and tiptoed towards the wall, effectively hiding me from view but giving me the perfect spot to eavesdrop my parents in the living room.

"I know that its what you want to do, but we have to be considerate of Layla. This is all new to her and I feel terrible for pulling her away from everything she knows. We need to be there for her," I heard my dad say in a feeble attempt to whisper.

"You're right. Maybe we should just put a few things on hold so that we can be there for her. Help her to adjust." Mum said. There was a moment of silence between them as I felt the familiar vice of guilt creep up the back of my spine.

"Okay so are we agreed then, no date nights until we are sure she is comfortable in the house alone, and no work trips at least for the first month, just to make things as familiar as we can." Dad said.

Mum let out a lengthy sigh, "Yeah. Yes. Yes, okay. But that also means no golfing for you. I know you love it and will want to meet the local golfers soon but I can't have you gone for days at a time either. Layla can't have that".

I quickly rounded the corner into the living room to see my parents sitting parallel to each other leant against the wall on the floor. I clapped my hands together and put on a bright smile.

"Alright guy are you both ready to go?" I beamed as they both turned to look at me. 

I knew I couldn't be selfish. I could adapt. I could cope. It really wasn't that big of a deal to move houses, hundreds of people did it everyday and it was pathetic of me to act like it was some big issue. 

From here on out, no matter how hard I was struggling, I pledged to myself that I would keep my issues to myself. Mum and Dad were amazing to me and the least I could do in return was to tolerate a slight inconvenience in my life.

"Yes Sweets let me just grab my bag," Dad smiled back as they both rose from the floor. Mum made her way towards me as we both waited by the front door for Dad to get his things. 

The last lights of the day were shining in through the fogged glass in our front door, and illuminating the living room through the expansive windows too. However, the lack of heating still made me feel uneasy in the new house. I'm sure Mum and Dad would get that sorted out once all of the furniture was in too.

As Dad made his way towards us, bag in tow, the front door sounded 3 polite knocks.

I whipped my head towards my mum who was already reaching for the door handle and swinging it open, revealing a woman around my parents age, wrapped in a thick cream sweater, with a deep red scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Hello! It's lovely to meet you, I'm your neighbour, Karen!" She beamed, opening her arms widely and stepping towards my mum before embracing her in a hug. 

Her voice was soft, yet full as she spoke to my parents, who exchanged 'hellos' and other introductions. I stood awkwardly to the side as the three of them moved in a blur before Karens focus was on me.

"Hi I'm Layla," I spoke politely. She seemed kind and motherly, and as if to confirm my thoughts she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight, squeezing before she let me go.

"Its lovely to meet you all. I have 4 kids who might be around your age actually Layla. Are you starting school at Frankenmuth High next week? Maybe you will be in some of my boys classes! Oh how wonderful that would be!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

I laughed a little, "Yeah I am starting Year 11- I mean, um.. junior year next week".

"Oh how wonderful you must be the same age as Josh and Jake then! They can show you around and help you find your bearings," she said sincerely. 

As much as I wanted some help in this new town, I couldn't help but dread the thought of two teenage boys showing me around a town and inevitably making me feel more socially awkward than I already was. Nevertheless, I didn't want my parents to worry. I promised.

"Yeah that would be great!" I said, the same smile still plastered on my face, almost getting painful to maintain. I just wanted to go to sleep. Karens face lit up in surprise as she clearly came to a thought.

"Maybe I could take you guys over to our place now to introduce you all? It wouldn't be a bother truly."

"We really shouldn't..." My dad started.

"I can make you all some supper too! Dinner shouldn't be too much longer from now and I'm sure you’re all starving from your travels," she continued, and as if on cue, my stomach let out a low grumble. 

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment as Karen opened up her mouth to speak again, most likely to coerce us into coming in for dinner.

"We really should get going, we have a booking at an inn tonight, but thank you for your kindness, Karen," Mum interrupted. Karen only furrowed her eyebrows and I got the feeling that her sons never won arguments against her.

"Oh now don't be ridiculous, stay at an inn? How outrageous. You can stay at our house tonight. We have space for you all and I cannot, in good conscious, let our new neighbours stay in an inn on their first night here now, can I?" She questioned with a look of disbelief.

"We don't want to intrude.."

"It would be our pleasure to have you all over, plus, you must tell us about Australia, your accents sound so exotic already I'm sure your stories are even more interesting," she said, spinning on her heel and walking down the front porch steps. 

I turned to Dad who merely shrugged to me and followed Karen down the steps, with Mum and I following closely behind.

With only a short distance of grass to cross to make it to their home, I quickly found myself rushing through their front door as Karen frantically ushered us inside otherwise we'd "catch a cold".

Warm orange lights adorned the living room as we entered the home, with warm wooden furniture and rugs, yet the feature that grabbed my attention was the smell. It smelt like home. My home. In fact, it absolutely reeked of it. 

I took a deep breath in and my eyes fluttered closed for a moment, basking in the smell of warmth with a hint of cinnamon, and despite the warmth surrounding us, the air was fresh and reminded me of the salty spray of the sea at the nearby cliffs.

Though, my comfort was short lived when a dirty sock came flying to the side of my face, followed by very loud, very angsty yelling.

"Fuck of Jake! It's your week not mine!"

"Can't you just do one thing for me Josh oh my GOD!"

Turning, I caught sight of two teenage boys, who looked my age, standing up in each others faces, once of which held a pile of dirty laundry in his arms and the other with his arms frantically waving them around the air.

One of the boys had long, silky, brown hair with subtle waves, while the other, who had his back to me, had a wild nest of curly brown hair.

"Are you serious?! I-" The curly haired boy screamed, charging forward before Karen grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Boys! Stop it right now! We have guests." She muttered the last part through clenched teeth at a volume I assumed we weren't meant to hear. Both boys dropped their arms and their faces went slack as they turned to face us. 

I stood awkwardly in my spot shuffling my feet slightly and offering them a small smile. The long haired boy cleared his voice and dropped his pile of dirty laundry next to the wall before making his way over to us while scratching the back of his neck. 

The curly haired one followed closely behind before filing next to him, wearing a very red and apologetic expression.

"Boys, these are our new neighbours from Australia!" Karen said excitedly, as if the whole previous interaction never happened.

"Hi I'm Jake," the long haired boy said politely, reaching his hand out for me to shake. It was slightly calloused and rough, but his hold was gentle on mine. He sent me a shy tight lipped smile and I offered a similar one back.

"And I'm the better twin, Josh," the curly haired boy beamed, throwing me a wink before wrapping his arms around me in a hug. 

I could hear Jake introducing himself to my parents while I breathed in his very earthy scent. His hold was softer than his mums, but still held that comforting feel. 

All this hugging and warmth and good smelling home made me even more tired than I thought I was.

After all were introduced Jake turned to me, "Sorry I didn't get your name?"

"Oh sorry! I'm Layla, it's lovely to meet you all."

Sitting stiffly in the Kiszkas' living room, I silently watched as the siblings bickered, having been introduced to their sister, Ronnie shortly after I met the twins.

Their conversations were funny, and I couldn't help but crack a small smile or giggle at some of their antics. Soon, the focus of the kids in the living room turned to me, much to my dismay.

"So what part of Australia are you from?" Jake turned to me. I quickly glanced up to my parents who were lost in their own conversation with Karen and the boys dad, Kelly.

Refocusing on the conversation, I nervously tangled my fingers together, "Umm I'm from Sydney.. right by the beach actually."

"Cool! So how hot is it over there?" Ronnie asked from beside me.

"Well it's summer right now so its like, 25 degrees to maybe 37 on a hot day?" I replied. "It can get to around 45 degrees sometimes but thats rare."

All 3 of them looked at me, baffled with their mouths hung open.

"25 degrees in the summer?! Thats freezing are you serious I thought Australia was meant to be really hot or something?" Ronnie exclaimed loudly, her arms waving in the air similarly to her brothers actions earlier.

I quickly realised my mistake and went a bit red in the cheeks at my inability to adapt to this new culture. I looked down at the peeling leather of the couch I was curled up on.

"Oh! Right I'm sorry thats in celsius not farenhieght... I don't really know how hot that is for you guys," I said bashfully, while my nails subconsciously dug into the soft flesh of my palms.

I looked back up from the couch and sawJake smiling at me softly, before Ronnies hand gently held the top of mine and squeezed lightly as she smiled. "Don't worry we'll help you figure it all out."

I looked down to Josh, to find him nervously picking at the carpet beneath his legs, a light pink tint on his cheeks. He looked up to Jake who seemed to already be watching him, and they both gave each other an indescribable look.

Confused and slightly embarrassed at the prospect of them silently judging me, I opened my mouth to break a bit of the silent awkwardness, but was quickly interrupted by Karens bellowing voice.

"Kids! Dinners ready!"

Josh bounced from the floor and took a step towards me before reaching his hand out for me to take, and helping me rise from the couch. His hand was very warm and soft, and I couldn't help but feel a bit colder when he let go quickly once I was standing, rubbing his fingers in his palm shortly after, strange. I followed his back as he made his way to the dining room, Ronnie and Jake close behind me.

"Ronnie go get you brother for dinner" Karen said, as Ronnie huffed in frustration and hopped up the steps, skipping every second one before shouting, "SAM! COME GET DINNER!"

We all found our seats at the table, my parents next to each other on my left, Jake on my right, and Josh directly in front of me. The smell of the feast before us was mouth watering, as I dragged my eyes across the roast chicken, vegetables and some kind of casserole, all piping hot with steam.

Shortly after I was seated, a tall, lanky boy, with similar hair to Jakes but a bit younger bounded down the stairs, smiling sheepishly while scanning his eyes across my parents and lingering slightly on me.

"Hi, I'm Sam it’s nice to meet you all," he said loudly. I wasn't sure if it was my lack of sleep, or maybe my extreme hunger, but the loud noises were starting to pierce my head, egging on a throbbing headache.

Consequently, throughout the whole meal, which was delicious as expected, all I could get my brain to focus on was the idea of sleep, occasionally offering a nod or smile, and the occasional "yep" here and there to ride me through the conversation.

Before I knew it, we were picking up our plates and bringing them to the kitchen to have them all cleaned up.

Reaching for the sponge, I was stopped by the familiar warmth of Josh's hand. He smiled kindly at me when I looked at him, to find his face mere inches from mine.

"Don't worry about dishes I'll do them. Plus, you're our guest. Go, Mom will help get you set up for tonight". Tucking my hair behind my ear and wiping my sweaty palms on the fronts of my jeans I muttered a quiet 'thanks' before wandering off to find Karen.

"Okay honey, you can sleep in Josh's room as his sheets were just cleaned and he'll stay with Jake tonight, and your parents will take the guest room, does that sound alright?" Karen looked at me expectantly.

"I can sleep on the couch, it's no bother really... I don't want to kick anyone out of their room.." I responded, truly feeling guilty. I was always such a burden nowadays.

She scoffed, "Oh nonsense he'll survive. Now, off you go, the room is yours." She shooed me down the hall to the direction of an open door.

Peeking in, I inhaled a stronger version of the familiar smell of home. I took a look around at the dark grey bedsheets, observing a small desk in the corner with papers scattered all over, writing scribbled all around them, like a flurry of thoughts literally spewed onto his table.

I placed my bag down against the wall and wandered over to his shelving unit which caught my eye, adorned with vinyl.

Flicking through many familiar albums, I reached one I knew I had myself, A Space in Time by Ten Years After. I smiled fondly at the memory of me dancing endlessly to the album at home.

"Space in Time, 's a great album...classic," Josh said, startling me enough to make me jump on the spot. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I realised I'd been caught snooping, warming even more when I saw him standing leant against his door frame with a smug smile on his face. He was... very attractive.

"I'm so, so sorry, I..I was just..umm..." I stuttered out while fumbling the record in my hand to slide back into its place. The sound of his laughter filled my ears as he stepped towards me and putting his hand on the side of my arm.

"Don't worry about it, you can listen to any of them if you like, my record player is just over there," he said gesturing to the corner of his room with his record player in it with a nod of his head.

"In fact..." he drawled out, before reaching into his collection and pulling out A Space in Time, slipping it from its casing and sheet before plopping it onto the turntable and delicately placing the needle on its outer rings.

He looked back up at me as the sound of music filled the room, followed by the light cracking of the vinyl. He smiled at me shyly again before wandering over to his chester drawers.

"I'm just grabbing some stuff for the night and then I'll be out of your hair," he said, reaching into his drawers, picking out a cream shirt and some long flannel pyjama bottoms.

He walked past me as I stood awkwardly near the foot of his bed in the room, heading straight for the door before turning to look back at me over his shoulder.

"Feel free to play anything else if you want, I don't mind," he winked, before wandering out the door and closing it gently behind him.

I let out a deep sigh, a breath I didn't really know I was holding. There wasn't a lock on the door, so I decided I would change into my pyjamas in the bathroom, after a much needed warm shower.

I grabbed my fluffy white pyjama pants and a matching singlet, with a deep red sweater and some warm, grey, fluffy socks along with my toiletry bag and padded towards the bathroom.

Once I made my way over, I could see the light peeking through under the door, and could hear the shower running and the sound of someone humming to an unfamiliar tune. I huffed out a frustrated breath. I just wanted to go to sleep.

Sliding my back down the wall beside the bathroom, I sat on the carpet, curling my legs into my body for warmth and waited patiently for whoever was occupying the bathroom to finish.

I briefly contemplated skipping the shower, but I felt absolutely disgusting after the day of travel I had sustained without one.

Sleep deprivation was starting to notably affect me as my mind began to explore unopened memories and the most abstract thoughts I could come up with, until the exhaustion took over completely.

As I sat, I fought the dark temptations of sleep, prying my eyes open to refocus on the carpet I was sitting on, forcing myself to think about the feeling of the cold wall behind me, but to no prevail.

I would catch my head from falling down to nothing a number of times, shaking it furiously and blinking the blurriness out of my eyes to keep myself awake.

Maybe if I closed my eyes for just 5 seconds I could rid some of the tiredness from my head? Yeah that should work. Just a short little reboot. Letting my eyes slip shut, I reluctantly let sleep overtake me, only for a moment. Just one minute. Just...

"No just let her...yes on the floor...shhh you'll wake....just leave her to...yes...yep okay".

Who in the hell? Groaning I rolled over in bed. A few footsteps and whispers further drawing me out of my slumber.

"Shut up oh my god Sam. Look she's- fucking hell she's awake now well done Sammy," the voice, which I now recognised as Josh's, scolded in a whisper. Forcing my eyes open, I breathed in the homey scent. Far out that was such a good sleep.

Sitting up in bed as I rubbed my eyes with the back of my curled hand I peeked up to see Josh and Sam standing awkwardly in the room, looking down at me sheepishly. What were they doing in here?

"What time is it?" I asked, praying for a jet lag-less start to my new life.

Sam and Josh exchanged looks before Josh spoke, "Ahh it doesn't matter, go back to sleep, I know you're tired".

"No..no I'm awake now its fine, what time is it?" I asked again, sitting up fully in bed and pulling the duvet off my body, only to be met with the same jeans I was wearing last night, and my cream quater-zip sweater. Why was I not changed? I thought back to the night before and retraced my steps. Getting my clothes and toiletries, going to the bathroom, sitting outside and waiting, and then.. oh crap.

Heat pooled up in my face as I realised I must have fallen asleep on the floor outside the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep last night, I don't know what came over me I-" I rambled on not looking to either of them in particular, unsure of which one found me on the floor, or if it was either of them in the first place.

Josh cracked a little giggle while Sam smiled down at me, "It's fine, truly," Josh said smiling at me sweetly. I opened my mouth to ask how I had gotten to his bed but Josh beat me to it.

"When I came out of the bathroom, and I saw you..you know, asleep...on the floor," he started, and I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment.

"Ughhh I'm sorry, how do I not remember you waking me up and taking me in here?" I must have been so exhausted.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Oh, no I just carried you in here, slept like a baby the whole time," he said the last part with a smug smirk on his face. An ugly image of me passed out and being carried into this room flashed in my mind, making me cringe.

"Oh that’s… embarrasing. I’m sorry about that. And thanks for.." I gestured with my hand to the bed explaining myself without words.

"It's fine, now stop apologising," He chuckled. "Come on, Mom can make you some lunch," he reached his hand out to help me up. Taking it, I felt the familiar warmth as yesterday, something about his touch that comforted me deeply. With a tinge of pink still warming my face, I glanced at Sam as we walked past to leave Josh's room, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face, but I was certain he was frowning slightly.

Making our way downstairs, I was met with the sight of my parents both cradling a cup of hot coffee, looking very tired and conversing with Karen and Kelly.

"There she is!" Dad exclaimed happily, setting his mug down and standing up. "C'mon Sweets, we have to get to setting the house up, I heard the U-Haul pull up about twenty minutes ago." Mum stood soon after, grabbing her and dads bags.

"Its already 3:30 how are you guys going to move all your things in on time? Josh and Jake won't you both go and help the Kings move their furniture into their new house?" Karen demanded more than asked. Wow, 3:30? I slept in really late.

I looked over to Jake, who I hadn't realised was loitering in the kitchen until now, sporting only a pair of sweatpants and a bare chest. I hurriedly looked away, embarrassed. Far out Layla, get it together.

"Yeah we could do that," Josh said before either of my parents could humbly decline.

Next thing I knew, all the furniture for the house had been lifted haphazardly into the main room, and only needed organising into each room.

A sheen layer of sweat lay on the back of my neck sticking to some stray hairs falling from my messy bun. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and began bringing up boxes of things up to my room, followed by Josh and Jake.

Once everything was inside, Jake and Josh had full rights to leave and relax at home, but instead they stayed and offered to help me unpack everything for my room. So, for the next two hours or so, we lugged my bed frame, mattress, wardrobe and vanity all throughout my room before starting on my small boxes of belongings.

I quickly learnt that Jake was a man of few words. Kind and gentle, but reserved and his presence didn’t demand too much attention. I could see girls being attracted to him for sure. Looking good was definitely a bonus, but he easily fell into the dark and mysterious category.

Josh however, was loud and boisterous. Not that I minded, but learning that they were twins was surprising to say the least. His personality was certainly flirty and somewhat overbearing, but it only made him more alluring.

We each assigned ourselves a box to store away to be more time efficient.

"Wow these are great!" Jake exclaimed sorting through my vinyl collection. "Do you have a record player?" He asked and I nodded, searching through several of my the unopened boxes on my floor before pulling it out and removing the bubble wrap around it. I plugged it into the nearest powerpoint and set it onto my vanity.

"Choose one to listen to, I don't mind" I said, sneaking a glance at Josh to see if he caught the reference, seeing him smirking back and me cheekily. Jake put on the Fleet Foxes self titled, and I hummed along to Sun it Rises as I put my shirts and jumpers on coat hangers.

We all organised in silence for a while until Josh spoke up, "Alrighty I think thats all your books put away now, next box please!" He beamed at me as I observed my book collection, neatly stacked away next to my vinyl collection that Jake had sorted through earlier.

"Looks great, thanks Josh," I replied while grabbing a random box and sliding it across the carpet his way. Turning back to what I was doing, I listened as Josh hummed along to Ragged Wood while ripping the cardboard box open.

Suddenly his voice was cut short mid-hum and I saw his movements freeze in the corner of my eye. I glanced up at him, my hair falling over my face and I saw his whole face beam red and he swallowed thickly. He hesitantly pushed the box away with one finger, as if afraid to touch it and looked up at me.

"Could you umm.. grab me another box actually Layla?" He asked quietly. Jakes head perked up out at the nervousness in Josh's voice as I crawled over to the box to see what had him so embarrassed.

Looking down, I was met with my white lacy nickers, surrounded by pinks and reds and blues. The contents of my underwear collection. My face went hot and I'm sure resembled a very similar colour to Josh's.

Jake crawled over curiously and peeked inside before I could slam the folds of the box shut, and broke the embarrassing silence with a loud snort of suppressed laughter before rolling onto his side and letting out a howl of laughter.

I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him, and soon after, Josh was also laughing. It didn't take long before all three of us were out of breath from laughing so hard, Josh choking on his spit at one point, fuelling out giggles even more.

Josh's hand was on my knee, stabilising himself as he came down from his high, as we all sat, letting the music break any silence apart from our occasional giggles.

"I need to pee," Jake said while climbing up off the floor.

I braced myself to stand too, "Oh do you need me to show you where the bathroom is?" I asked.

"No it's alright I'll find it," he smiled back before walking out the room.

Josh stood from his spot and wandered over to the record player, reaching out to twist the volume nozzle and holding his hand out for me to take, already letting his body wiggle behind him as He Doesn't Know Why played loudly from the speakers.

Once I was stood, Josh twirled me around before grabbing both my hands and holding me out at arms length, singing the music dramatically to me. He acted out each lyric as he pranced around the room with me, twisting and contorting my body with him.

Then, he got down on one knee and grabbed onto the sides of my waist looking up at me and bellowing the lyrics.

"There's nothinggggg I can dooooo," he sung, while shaking my body lightly. I threw my head back in laughter at the sight of him.

"There's nothingggg, I can doooo." His voice was beautiful, as it held a firm husk, but still warmed me deeply.

Then his hands left my hips and he clasped them tightly together as if he was begging, "There's nothinggg I can sayyy". His dramatics were hilarious and I couldn't stop myself from pulling him up and dancing the rest of the song out with him, bellowing the lyrics out alongside him.

Once the song ended, we both collapsed onto the floor, puffed and panting heavily, before Jake walked in with a puzzled look on his face as he wandered over to the record player to turn it down back to a respectable volume.

Looking at us quizzically, he pulled his phone out and frowned, "Josh we have to go back home Mom says we still have yesterdays washing to do." Josh let out a long, dramatic groan as Jake turned to look at me, "It was lovely to meet you Layla, I'm sorry we didn't get through all of your unpacking," he said, with a charming smile on his face.

"No worries thanks for all your help!" I replied. He offered a last smile before turning and walking out my bedroom door.

Josh sighed and turned to look at me, his eyes lingering on mine for a second too long. "Are you free tomorrow?" He asked.

"Umm yeah I just need to buy some school supplies but that’s about it," I answered, already feeling exited with the possibility of spending more time with them. He stared at me again with a small smile creeping up onto his face, the little gap in his two front teeth peeking out between his lips.

"I love your accent," he said suddenly. I laughed nervously.

“Oh, um. Thanks,” I said awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck in embarrassment.

His smile grew impossibly lager as he observed my reaction and he jumped up from his spot, grabbing his phone and house keys, "Don't be embarrassed, I think it sounds.. beautiful, it definitely suits you," he winced at himself as he said the last words, realising what he implied before licking his lips nervously and scratching his head.

I giggled, "Thanks Josh."

He furrowed his eyebrows, as if in deep thought before he smiled and turned around, quickly looking over his shoulder, similarly to last night in his bedroom, "Goodbye Layla, I'll come by tomorrow to pick you up at 12?" He asked. I nodded and he disappeared down the hallway from my room.

He was a strange boy, that was for sure. A bit quirky and a bit weird. But why wasn’t that putting me off? His charismatic persona was drawing me in like a heavy anchor and I was already sinking.

I lay back onto my now made bed, listening to the crackle of the finished vinyl on my vanity, letting my mind recap everything that had happened in the past few days, before finally lulling me to sleep, my last thoughts on Josh.

I awoke to a golden glow bleeding through my thin curtains into my bedroom, effectively lighting up the whole room. Groaning, I rolled onto my side and reached onto my bedside table, blindly fumbling for my phone with my eyes still glued shut. 

After many failed attempts, I huffed in frustration and peeled my eyes open, face still buried in my pillows, only to find my bedside table empty, apart from a lamp that I remembered Jake setting up for me.

Propping myself on my elbows and twisting my head uncomfortably, I spotted my phone across the room on the floor, next to a pile of empty boxes.

"Ugghh," I groaned again, dropping my face back into the pile of pillows below me, and after a few seconds of self pity, I forced myself out of bed and wandered over to my phone.

The time on my lock screen read 9:08, and I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I had skipped dinner last night in my exhausted state.

Wandering down the stairs towards the kitchen, I kept my eyes glued to my phone, scrolling through different social media platforms and checking for any unopened messages. 

There were only a few, a message from my closest friend back home telling me that she missed me, and one from a group chat asking if anyone wanted to hang out.

I didn't usually have a fear of missing out with my friends, and liked to think that I was much more relaxed than that, but I couldn't help the pit of sadness in my belly from dwelling after reading everyones messages, making plans that I wouldn’t ever be a part of. 

It didn't take me much more contemplation to go into the group chat settings before taping the 'Leave Conversation' option.

Soon I found myself at the kitchen island, scooping spoons full of cheerios into my mouth, while scrolling through photos that my friends had posted on instagram only a day after I left. Was I that easy to forget?

"Hi Honey, any plans for today?" Mum asked, strolling into the kitchen and filling the kettle with water before switching it on to boil.

I placed my phone face down on the counter. "I was gonna go to the store to get some stuff for school. Oh, and Josh asked if I wanted to do something around 12," I frowned, wondering what he had planned and now suddenly very conscious of the time I had to get ready.

Mum smirked at me while pouring her instant coffee into her mug of hot water, "Josh, huh?"

I groaned and dropped my head backwards, "Please don't go there Mum its far too early in the morning," I begged. She brought he mug up to her lips and raised her eyebrows at me before walking out, a smug look adoring her features.

I tipped the rest of the milk in my bowl back before walking over to the sink and washing it. I looked out the window in front of the sink while I dried the bowl off, noticing that our kitchen window looked right into the Kiszkas' living room and kitchen.

Walking out of my spot hastily in fear of being seen, I climbed the stairs and checked my phone again, which now read 9:36, before grabbing a change of clothes and a towel to shower.

I had been so busy with travelling and moving in the past day, that I found no spare time to shower, apart from my hallway incident at the Kiszkas' house. 

I felt positively disgusting, the plane air still lingering on my skin, and the sweat from lifting heavy furniture still ghosted the back of my neck. 

After I made my way to the bathroom, I turned on the water and peeled off my clothes, chucking them haphazardly onto the floor while waiting for the stream to warm up. Once a thin layer of steam clouded the air, I stepped under the water and sighed deeply, letting the stream run over my head and down my face, coating my skin and warming me to my bones.

I basked in the refreshing feel of lathering the soapy products through my hair, and over my body, and as if to reverse my lack of shower the past days, I used my most expensive products, exfoliating, cleansing and all the works. 

Lastly, I gave myself an all inclusive shave before twisting the heat off fully and forcing myself to stand under the freezing cold water for at least a minute.

The water shocked my body and caught my breath, while goosebumps erupted across my skin, as I rolled my shoulders to try and loosen up my now very tense muscles.

"Jesus, that's cold," I whispered before turning the water off completely and stepping out of the shower and wrapping my shivering body in my white, fluffy towel. 

After lathering my body in lotion and putting on my underwear, I stepped into my wide legged jeans and a tight, long sleeved crimson top, finishing the outfit with an off-white sweater. I let my damp hair fall back over my shoulders to dry naturally, giving it room to curl on its own.

I walked back down the hallway and into my room before searching through my vinyl collection and choosing George Harrisons, All Things Must Pass. I placed it on my record player and shut my eyes for a moment, letting I'd Have You Anytime fill the silence in the room. 

Wandering over to my vanity, I put on a bit of concealer under my eyes, followed by mascara on my eyelashes before inspecting myself in my body length mirror.

Other than having to adjust the collar of my sweater, I looked good. My jeans gave my legs the illusion that they were longer than they were, and my sweater had enough bag that covered my figure, but complimented my frame just the same.

It was still a while before Josh was coming to pick me up to take me to whatever plans he had for us today, so I grabbed a handbag and filled it with essentials, before slipping on some white adidas sneakers with red accents and wrapping a red scarf around my neck.

I found my parents doing some final decorations in the living room when I approached them, "Hey guys I'm just off to the store to buy some books and stuff for school, I won't be long," I said with a smile.

"Okay be safe, we love you!" Dad replied.

"I love you too," I bellowed as I slipped out the front door and onto the patio. The weather was considerably colder outside and I rubbed my hands together furiously to create some much needed heat.

It wasn't until I had hopped down the steps off the porch, and was standing on the pavement that I realised I had no idea where I was going. I looked up and down each length of the street, contemplating which way to go. I definitely should have thought this out before leaving.

I twisted my handbag round to my front, pulling on its zipper to take out my phone and the route to town on Google Maps. Just to my luck, the zipper was caught on something inside, and would not budge. I took the handbag off my shoulder before pulling the zipper with more force and leverage.

"Come on," I breathed out, pulling the zipper with as much strength as I could muster, my knuckles turning white at the stronghold I had on my bag. Then, as if my luck couldn't get any worse, the pull on the zipper snapped off completely.

Huffing in defeat, I threw the bag back over my shoulder angrily and began to walk down the street, mumbling profanities under my breath in annoyance.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

I whipped my head around at the voice before spotting Josh, who stood on his driveway in khaki pants and a large white jumper, mala beads hanging down across his chest.

"Oh hey, I'm just going to town to buy some things for school," I smiled sheepishly at him as if I had any idea which direction 'town' was in.

He looked at me strangely, "If you keep going that way you'll end up in Mr. Fables wheat field," he chuckled and my face burned red at my incompetence.

"Oh, um, whoops," I laughed dryly, sending him a dismissive smile and making my way past him. "Am I still seeing you at 12 today?" I asked.

He broke out in a one-sided smile, "How about I come with you? To the school shopping stuff I mean. We could just take off from there?" He asked, scratching the side of his forearm, with a nervous look on his face.

"I don't want to be a bother...but..." I droned out while Josh stared at me expectantly.

"But?" He asked.

"...But.. it would help to, you know, have someone there to show me around," my hands found my necklace as I fiddled wth it nervously, twirling it between my thumb and forefinger. A small smile crept onto my face as he beamed at me.

It wasn't long before Josh and I were walking through the town centre, conversation flowing freely and comfortably. 

His giggles were loud and boisterous, much like the ones in my room after finding my box of underwear, and the looks we received from passerbys weren't the kindest. He was very easy to be around, and I felt comfort in his small touches, whether it be a playful shove, or a small touch on my arm.

Once we reached Krogers, Josh lead me towards the stationary isles. We picked out books, pens and other necessities that he said were 'vital for a true Frankenmuth experience', whatever the hell that meant.

"You know, you'll have a lot of work to catch up on when you start... it's the middle of the school year," Josh pointed out, throwing packets of Lays into out shopping cart mindlessly. I groaned, of course I knew this, and it was plaguing my thoughts, weighing me down with stress and pressure.

"I know, I know. I finished Year 11 in December back home, so I should have a bit of background information. But I'm sure the syllabus is totally different over here," I ran my hands through my hair, tucking it behind my ears stressfully.

He studied me for a minute, watching my hands as they ran through my hair again, before I settled hands to my mouth, nibbling on my nails. 

"You can borrow my notes," he offered. "I don't know what electives you chose but you can use mine for whatever we have together, and Jake can give you anything else too." I looked up at him, pride written all over his face.

"I don't know.. I can't just use your work, that's hardly fair," I said, as the familiar vice of guilt warmed the back of my neck.

"Of course you can," he chirped back, before speeding off down the isle, subsequently ending the conversation there. I sucked in a breath and hurried down after him to the self checkout, where he was already scanning through my schoolbooks.

I reached to my bag to grab my card, feeling for the the zipper clasp to take my card out.

"Shit," I breathed under my breath, tugging at the metal contraption with my nails, trying to shove my finger in to open the zip.

"Please Insert Card," the machine demanded, as I frantically pulled at the broken zipper.

The machine beeped.

Whipping my head up I saw Josh quickly putting his card back into his wallet as the machine printed out a receipt.

"What- what are you doing?" I rushed out. He only shrugged at me with a sheepish smile on his face. "That was like $30 worth of stuff Josh! I don't even know how much thats worth in Australian currency. Don't worry, I'll pay you back once I can get my bag open. I just need to get some cash first. My God Josh you didn't need to do that-" I ranted.

Josh placed his hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about it," he searched my face for a second longer, "Seriously, just...it's okay." He let out a breathy chuckle and turned back to the register.

"Okay, well thank you," I said quietly as he began carelessly scanning through the copious amounts of snacks he bought, while I stood to the side like an idiot, nibbling the side of my cheek.

Once he finished up with his own shopping, we wandered out of the shops, as he pulled out his phone, glancing at the time before sliding it back into his pocket.

"It's nearly twelve, want to come back to mine now?" He asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll just go home to drop this stuff off first," I replied, holding the plastic bag up in front of us. He nodded before delving into an obscure topic of interest, holding the conversation the remainder of the walk home. 

His extroverted and dramatic actions didn't fail to make me laugh, and even pulled an ugly snort out of me occasionally.

Once had made our way back to our houses, we walked past Josh's house to mine, as he insisted on walking me the whole way. I caught sight of Sam and Jake on their porch with a boy I didn't recognise, as all three of them sported acoustic guitars, and were strumming a soft tune. Sam gave me a short wave and Jake offered me a smile.

I ran through my house, quickly throwing the bags from the store on my bedroom floor, next to the boxes which had yet to be organised, before hopping back down the steps to Josh who was sat waiting for me on the porch steps.

Hearing the front door shut, he looked at me over his shoulder before standing and motioning for me to follow him with a nod of his head.

Jake, Sam and the other boy stopped their playing when Josh and I made our way to their porch and walked up the steps.

"Hey Layla. Oh, this is our friend, Danny. He lives on the block over," Sam told me. He smiled at me warmly as I observed his long black curly hair and sharp bone structure. He looked like a Greek God.

"Hi it's nice to meet you, I'm Layla," I said to him.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Alrighty boys, are we ready?" Josh clapped his hands together, walking back down the steps of the porch towards the garage door, Sam, Jake and Danny all following closely behind. I trailed after them curiously, as they pulled up the garage door latch and pushed the heavy metal up halfway, ducking slightly as they entered. 

I stood by the door, suddenly feeling a bit forgotten and wondering if I was allowed to come in.

Sam poked his head out from under the door and smiled at me, "You coming?" He asked.

"Uh yeah sorry," I said, not having to duck nearly as much as the other boys due to my short stature.

Inside stood a shiny, silver drum kit with a bass guitar and electric guitar on either side. In the middle was a microphone on a long metal stand, wires tangled left and right over the floor. 

Jake wandered over to the guitar, crossing Sam who picked up the sea foam green bass guitar on the left side of Danny, who was already climbing onto the seat of his kit.

With everyone concentrated on their instruments, Josh wandered over to me with a smirk on his face, "So, whatcha think?" Biting his lip now, I couldn't take my eyes off him, his skin had a warm glow to it, and I could see the faint outline of a scar on the soft skin of his cheek. 

Up close, I could also see the scatter of hairs above his upper lip, and the wrinkles beside his lips from smiling too much. "Um..Layla?"

"Yeah?" I responded, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I said, what do you think?" He asked again, this time waving his arm around to the instruments behind him.

"Oh! Yeah, this is really cool," I replied quickly, looking around the room again to catch Jake leant over Dannys kit, whispering in his ear before Danny let out a low chuckle.

I could feel the undeniable bond that all these boys had together, and couldn't help but feel displaced from only knowing them all for a day or less and interrupting their peace.

Josh rushed over to a pile of clothes, blankets, wires and other unnamable items and threw them onto the floor, revealing an old tattered couch underneath.

He twirled his hand in the direction, bowing slightly, "Only the best quality for M'Lady."

I giggled before plopping myself on the couch, which I found to be surprisingly bouncy. I curled my knees up to my chest, rested my elbow on the arm of the couch and plopped my face on the heel of my palm.

After a bit of tuning, the boys had set everything up and began choosing which song to play, and it wasn't long before Josh spoke into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen," he looked me in the eye as their only member of audience causing me to giggle, "I present to you, Thunderstomp."

Jakes guitar rung out through the room for a moment, isolated in the silence of the room, before the room exploded with sound. Jakes body contorted around the guitar, lost in the music, Dannys mouth hung open in concentration as he swung at his kit, and Sam blinked furiously in time with the music, his feet flicking up behind him as he paced on the spot.

It wasn't long before Josh's voice rang out through the microphone. I was mesmerised by his voice, hitting notes so high that his voice would husk, before lowering, deeper than I had heard him speak.

Awestruck, I sat in awe as the boys finished the song, the last few notes lingering in the air as I gawked like an idiot.

"I- wow," is all I managed to stutter out and all four of them smiled at me.

"We only finished writing it about a week ago, but we've been trying to perfect it for months," Sam said to me.

"Writing?" I asked confused. "You mean you guys wrote that?" My voice raising slightly as I returned from whatever trance I was in.

Jake chuckled, "Yeah, you liked that?"

Blushing at the question, I nodded eagerly. "So do you guys have a name?"

"Yep. Greta Van Fleet" Josh replied, setting down a bottle of water after taking a large swing.

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh thats cool, you guys sound great," I said, trying to mask the nervousness in my voice incase it is taken as ingenuity. With all four pairs of eyes on me, I shuffled uncomfortable in my seat, before scanning the room once more.

"Is that a keyboard?" I asked, perking up slightly.

"Yeah Sammy plays bass and keys. You play?" Danny replied, sounding genuinely interested.

"Yeah, a little. I used to take lessons when I was a kid and I had a piano in my room for a while," I answered, my fingers suddenly aching to press the keys.

"Thats cool, how come you didn't bring it when you moved? I didn't see it in the U-Haul?" Jake questioned.

I stiffened slightly. Now definitely wasn't the time to tell them that I had to sell most of my things because we were struggling so much financially. 

Dad had just been let go from his job, leaving us with one source of income, and to top it off, the medical expenses from my car accident were heavy. 

Luckily I was the only one hurt; Mum and Dad weren't even in the car, but the metal rod placed in my thigh came at a high price. 

The whole healing process was pretty much a joke to me, costing us everything we had, but leaving me with a lingering pain in my thigh, and if inspected closely enough, a slightly lopsided walk from the irked way that it healed. 

"Ahh I don't know, just grew bored of it I guess," I lied.

"Well come up, play us something then," Sam said excitedly.

The boys all enjoyed hearing me play, and even took turns requesting songs like Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, which Sam claimed was from his favourite album.

"I have it on vinyl if you ever wanna borrow it," I offered. His smile grew tenfold, "Fuck yeah that'd be great, thanks," he replied with a light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

We spent the rest of the day messing around on the instruments, Danny trying to teach Jake polyrhythms on the drums, Jake trying to teach me to play simple chords, only for my hand to cramp up in pain, time and time again, and Josh and Sam screeching around the room like lunatics, jumping on the couch and throwing pillows at each other.

Reaching for my phone to check the time, I remembered my bag zipper predicament, "Hey um.. do any of you think you could help me fix this? My zipper broke off and all my stuff is in here." I asked and they all made their way over, snatching my bag from my grasp, discussing silently between themselves before running around the room to get several tools.

Jake ended up using his string cutters to cut a small part of the fabric which was stuck in the zip, and Sam tied a string to the zipper loop to help me open it. Smiling proudly, they handed me back the fixed up bag and resumed their spots at their instruments, messing around with different chord progressions and bickering between themselves.

I pulled my phone out of my bag, comforted to know I didn't have to ruin the whole bag to cut it out, before switching the power button on and seeing 3 missed calls from Mum and 5 missed calls from Dad.

"Shit," I whispered before looking at the time; 6:12pm.

"Whats wrong, is everything okay?" Josh asked. How did I lose track of time so badly?

"Uh yeah sorry my parents are worried about me, I have to head home," I rushed out, gathering my things and checking over my spot to ensure I hadn't forgotten anything.

Josh pulled up the garage door for me, a look of concern painted on his face as I hurried out into the piercing cold. The sun had set, leaving the dusk atmosphere with a dark hue of blue, lingering in the depth of the sky.

"Thanks for everything guys I had a really fun time!" I said looking back and smiling at all four boys, who returned smiles, waves and goodbyes.

"I'll walk you home," Josh said, following me closely as I sped down the pavement.

"You don't have to do that, I'm only like ten steps away," I replied nervously. He only shrugged in response, burying his hands into his coat pockets.

Once I made my way up the front porch step, I searched my bag for my house keys, ripping them out and fumbling with them to find the front door key. My keys from Australia still hung from the keychains as I filtered through them for the right one and made a mental note to take them off when I had the time.

Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal both of my parents standing at the threshold with worried looks on their faces.

"Where have you been?" Dad asked with an unreadable expression painted on his face.

"Is your phone not working? We've been trying to get a hold of you for hours," Mum asked with a tinge of anger in her tone.

"I'm so sorry, the zip on my bag was broken so I couldn't open it and my phone was in there, and I just totally lost track of time, it wont happen again I promise it was a total mistake.." I trailed off as I realised my parents attention wasn't on me, but the short, curly haired boy behind me.

I turned to see him shifting his weight between his legs and shuffling his feet nervously on the floor, "Umm it was nice to see you Mr and Mrs King, I uh, was just walking Layla home."

He smiled awkwardly, "I'm.. gonna go," he muttered before turning to me, "Bye Layla."

After a long lecture about safety and communication with my parents, I stalked off to my bedroom, shutting the door closed gently behind me. I wandered over to my window to pull my curtains shut, bus as I grabbed onto the fabric, I could see the light of a window inside the Kiszkas' house. In fact, the room was directly across from mine, about 5 metres away.

I knew it was Josh’s room by the furniture.

I could see the details of his desk and bed, just as I remembered it, and I scanned my eyes across his vinyl collection, admiring its length, before the back-end of a very naked boy blocked my view.

He was hopping around in his room trying to shimmy on a pair of boxers, one leg bent awkwardly in the air as he stumbled around mindlessly.

Blushing like a maniac, I quickly looked away and ripped the curtains closed. I huffed out a breath before grabbing my own pyjamas to put on, cursing my nosiness and swearing to never change with the curtains open like that idiot.

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 16 of the Other-world Universe. Girls kissing? More likely than you think. Girls having a hard time moving on in life after traumatic events? Even more likely then that.

All chapters linked here

(A little bit of spicy stuff in this one; just some more passionate kissing now that they’re together and all)

[The smallest sensations]

Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep even with Erica off my shoulder.  I just couldn't.  Every time I got close to dozing off, I'd get a pang of fear that somehow she had been taken again.  Then I'd get up and double check the cliffside.  Erica was always there, but I still checked every time.  Sleep did get the better of me eventually, and I was out like a light.  However, the moment the sun shone over the horizon, I was woken by the rapidly brightening sky.  All in all, I probably got two or three hours of sleep if I combined all the little naps I managed to snatch between anxious surveillance.

As the new day dawned, I continued my watch over the ruins.  There wasn't a soul in sight.  I wasn’t sure wether to be sad or relieved about that.  Once my morning scouting duties were complete, I made myself breakfast with the new box.  A plate of freshly made waffles and still sizzling bacon appeared at my very thought of them.  Wow, I really could’ve had this the whole time.  A few minutes later, Erica awoke, no doubt aroused by the wafting smell of my conjured breakfast.

Sleepily, she wandered over to the cliffside next to me.  "Can I have some of that?  It smells delicious."  I nodded, using one box to create the food and another to shrink it.  Balancing the tiny plate on my fingertips, I handed it off to Erica.  "Mmm.  No offense, Alexis, but I think the box makes better food than you do."  I chuckled and finished off my first decent meal in the other-world.  "I would take that into offence, but I have to agree with you."  As she smiled up at me, I couldn't help but wonder what was running through her head.  Surely anyone from her world would call her insane for even so much as befriending me, and yet, she'd had the courage to try the first kiss.  I was still baffled by the fact that she would rather live out in the ruins with me than in the secret little town I'd discovered.

After breakfast, we dug through the remains of the mansion.  Erica insisted there wasn't anything left worth keeping, but I proved her wrong after digging up her old dresser.  Most of her clothes had been mangled in the collapsed walk-in closet.  However, there were a few older pieces still laying clean in the drawers.  "Finally!  I can wear my own clothes!" Erica cried as she yanked open the first drawer.  "Ok, I take back what I said.  Maybe there are some useful things in there."  She ducked behind one of the larger portions of the house that was still standing, and returned wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a graphic tee with a logo I didn't recognize.  It was probably some random brand from the other-world.  "Damn, I haven't worn this in forever," Erica noted, looking herself over.  "Probably because I stashed it in there," she gestured to the dresser.  

We spent hours sorting through the leftover junk in the mansion.  Now, Erica was convinced we'd find more useful items somewhere in the wreckage.  Of course, I helped her search through everything.  Most of the ruins were too big for Erica to lift herself, but with my help, she managed to get to every last inch of space.  

"Hey!  I found something else that isn't completely destroyed!" she called, "Come get this piece of wall off it, will you?"  I happily obliged, easily pushing the three inch long piece of debris out of the way.  "Oh, it's.. that."  Erica's voice fell as she recognized what she'd found.  The infinite money box sat in the midst of the ruins almost mockingly — a relic of the time before I recognized the awful backlash behind what I was doing.  We both glanced at each other simultaneously, briefly making eye contact before quickly turning away.  "I.. should get rid of it," I stated nervously, reaching for the small object.  Erica watched in silence as I picked it up and pocketed it.  

"You seemed so horrible back then," Erica said quietly, unmoving from the spot where she stood.  "I used to think you were some invisible being from another dimension, playing god with creatures beneath yourself, using me like a character in a game to interact with my world.  Seems silly, huh?" a bitter laugh escaped her lips.  "I really believed I'd never have control over my own body again."  

Erica shuddered, then turned to me.  Her stony expression softened when she saw how distraught I looked.  Silently, she motioned for me to come closer.  I timidly knelt in front of her, resting my chin on the lawn where Erica stood.  "You were not the first person to make me feel so helpless like that.  However," she added, stepping closer to me, "you were the first to apologize for it."

I stilled as Erica walked the final few inches between us.  She closed her eyes and leaned into me slightly; her forehead came to rest on my brow.  "Thank you," she whispered, "for letting me rely on you.  Stay with me, please. Y- You probably want to go home by now, but I’m not ready for you to leave yet."  My throat began to burn with oncoming tears, but I swallowed the feeling back.  Pulling away from her embrace the slightest bit, I delicately kissed her cheek.  Being so big, my lips covered half her face.  It was so enthralling yet so nerve-wracking at the same time.

"I wouldn't trade your company for the world, Erica,” I promised her, “I’m not going anywhere."  Her eyes fluttered open as she stepped back in shock, hand raising to touch the place where my lips brushed her skin.  She gave me a thankful smile and pulled a few of my fingers into a small hug.  I folded the rest around her, trying to reciprocate it the best I could.

After a brief moment, Erica let go of me and moved away slightly to wipe her misty eyes on the back of her hand.  Once she’d composed herself, she nodded at the pile of various items we’d pulled from the ruined mansion.  “I’ll finish sorting this out, but once I’m done I’d like to practice balancing myself on your shoulder.”  Before I could utter one syllable towards talking her out of it, Erica held a hand up to silence me.  “Don’t ruin the mood,” she said with an air of authority, “Last night you promised me I could try it again.  How am I going to get better if I don’t practice?”  

I sighed; with Erica staying with me, her demeanor became fearless.  A little too fearless for her own good.  Now that I’d vowed to protect her, she’d been a lot less concerned with protecting herself — leaving that job for me.  On the one hand, it was gratifying to see Erica so unbothered for a change.  She needed time to de-stress and do whatever she wanted after so long being unable to.  On the other hand, it was tiring and slightly stressful for me to take care of both of us.  Then again, I was used to taking care of her.

In the mess that was once the mansion, we'd managed to find a few more outfits Erica had stashed away, as well as various other household items, though most were useless without electricity.  Erica's phone had long since been taken from her, but, much to her annoyance, her phone charger was found completely intact.  She was far too distracted by the promise of a ride on my shoulder to bother with many of her newfound items, however.  Soon, she stood close to the cliff's edge, waiting expectantly for me to give her my hand.  I was hesitant, but eventually I let it rest on the lawn so Erica could climb on.  "Hold on tighter this time, alright?" I asked as I lifted her up to my shoulder, "I don't want you to fall over backwards like you did yesterday."  "I know, I will," Erica responded absentmindedly as she settled into a good position.

I started by walking slowly over the empty suburbs, then swapped into a more normal gait after Erica practically begged me to go faster.  It took a day or two of walking aimlessly through the other-world with Erica before she could properly balance herself without a single mistake.  Unfortunately, her record didn’t remain spotless for very long.  

On our last day of training, Erica fell forwards by leaning too far out after I'd pointed to something in the distance.  Thankfully I'd managed to save her from falling very far.  However, I reflexively pinned her to my chest in order to catch her.  I held her there for a heartstopping moment, my brain still processing the fact that she hadn't actually fallen very far, until I felt Erica squirm under my grasp.  Carefully, I released my grip and let her fall into my open palm.  Her face was flushed as she sat stunned for a moment.  "Yeah, that's what happens when you don't pay attention to what you're doing," I commented, thinking her nearly deadly mistake must have been the reason she'd froze.  

Slowly, Erica lifted a hand and placed it back onto my chest, eyes widening with amazement.  Suddenly, I doubted she'd even cared that she'd fallen.  "Your heart's beating really fast.  I can feel it; it..  sounds.. nice," she added awkwardly, drawing back slightly in my hand.  Clearing her throat, she waved a hand nonchalantly and gestured to the cliff where we'd set our camp.  "I'm ready to go back now.  I- I think that's enough practice for today."  I gave her a curious look, but nodded in agreement and headed towards camp.  

The strange tension dissipated shortly after we returned to the ruined mansion.  Erica and I started planning a return trip to the house with the generator so we could use the small bit of power to get laundry done.  I’d have to leave for a while to wash my own clothes, or at least change into something different, but Erica let me go, understanding — at least somewhat — that some things I just couldn’t do in her world.

After dinner, Erica sat near the cliffside, watching me do my nightly check for the scientists or survivors.  The moment I sat back down, she shifted closer to me.  Noticing how she drew herself closer, I turned so my head rested on the cliffside.  Erica glanced at me.  Recognizing my silent invitation, she stood up, walked over, and leaned against my cheek, happily stretching herself out over its soft surface.  We hadn’t bothered making a fire that night.  It was warmer than usual, and we didn’t really need the light, so I was the only heat source available.  I closed my eyes on the darkness, focusing on the small yet wonderfully overwhelming feeling of Erica’s form pressed lightly against mine.  She gasped, and my eyes flew open, heart racing.  My concern was thankfully cut short as I watched Erica point at the lawn behind me.

The grass was dotted with tiny lights that lazily drifted between one place to another.  You could never tell exactly where they went, though; their presence could only be noticed in second-long bursts of yellow light.  For someone as big as myself, they would be impossible to catch.  I instinctively reached out anyway, shifting on the rocky slope.  All the lights disappeared the moment I moved, my hand quickly diminishing the amount of space they had to roam.  It took a minute after I brought my hand back for them to reappear.  I sighed, “They’re always so.. enchanting, aren’t they?  When I was younger, I would sneak outside past my bedtime just to catch them.  I’d always release them the next day, of course, but that night I’d have a little sparkling jar beside my bed.  I would stare at it for hours.”

Erica sat up and scrutinized me curiously for a moment.  A small smile drifted onto her lips as she stepped out into the field.  I watched in lovestruck awe as she paced around in the dark, clasping her hands over the minuscule floating lights in the air.  Stepping back over to me, Erica offered me her cupped hands.

“I got you something.”  “What is it?” I asked, playing dumb.  Her smile grew wider, “Hold out your hand and find out.”  Smirking, I slid my hand beneath her arms, gently brushing them with the very tips of my fingers.  A small gasp echoed in the night, and I could feel Erica flinch at my touch before leaning into it.  She gently opened her hands, releasing two or three little fireflies to float around my palm for a moment before darting off into the sky.  I watched them go without sorrow, my gaze drifting back to the small woman in front of me, who, instead of watching the lights, had been watching me.

With a gentle touch, I eased her open hands into the palm of my own, nudging them between my fingers.  “Thank you,” I whispered gently, guiding her closer.  “I have something for you, too.”  Easing my head down beside Erica, I pressed my lips against her cheek, breathing in the distinct unmistakable scent of her.  She stood frozen for a moment, pulse pounding in her neck — thrumming against my lips like life.  Moments later, it softened, and she turned to me.  

Gently, Erica pressed her lips to the bottom of mine, but after what seemed like the briefest moment in existence, she pulled away.  “I- I don’t want to sound greedy, but can I have a bit more?  It’s so.. big.  But I can tell you’re holding back.”  “I don’t want to hurt you…” I mumbled.  Erica shook her head slightly, reaching for me.  “You won’t.”

I exhaled slightly, my breath ruffling her hair.  “It’ll cost you extra.”  Erica rolled her eyes, but they widened in an instant when I caught her chin on the side of my finger, tilting it up ever so slightly.  We locked eyes briefly, and I was shocked by the hope I saw in them.  She was so small, yet she wanted more of me.  I thought anything stronger would scare her off, but looking at her — she wanted it so badly.  Leaning down, my lips drifted over hers, leaving a slight gap between them that was immediately filled with the smallest sensations.

Erica groaned slightly as my tongue brushed against her lips.  She stepped closer, her body pressed against mine for the second time that night.  I just barely let my tongue slide into her mouth, scared that anything more would be too much for her.  Erica didn’t seem to mind; in fact, she opened it wider and pulled me close.   I could feel her tiny tongue slide over mine as we locked strangely together.  Erica exhaled as I leaned in and filled her mouth easily.

At last, I fell away from the cliff’s edge to take a proper breath, and Erica stumbled back, nearly falling over before quickly righting herself.  Her whole face was wet with saliva.  “That was..” she paused with a breathy laugh, wiping some of it away.  “That was a really good gift.  Mine kinda sucks in comparison.”  I shook my head, gently reaching out to caress her arm.  With a bit of my shirt, I carefully cleaned off her face.  That look of hopeful longing came over her again once I let her go.  Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.  

Quickly dragging over her sleeping bag, Erica caught my receding fingers and held one to her chest, sliding into bed with it tucked close.  I inhaled softly at the feeling.  I could feel her shifting around beneath the covers, twining my finger between her arms and legs as her head came to rest on the top of it.  Snuggling the digit closely, Erica glanced up at me, searching for my reaction.  “I- I know it’s not normal, but I uhh.. don’t think anything between us will be.  Not that that’s a bad thing!” she added quickly.  “You can have your hand back if you want-”  I shook my head quickly, “Keep it.  At least until you fall asleep.”

Carefully keeping my hand steady, I curled up beside the edge of the cliff, sliding her little sleeping bag over until it was nearly pressed against me.  “I don’t care what we have, as long as we have it together,” I told her quietly.  “I’m so glad you confessed, though I know it was probably hard for you.  I don’t think I ever would’ve said anything if it weren’t for that.”  “Why?  Were you scared of me?”  I laughed slightly and she frowned.  “Don’t take that the wrong way, but it was the opposite; I was worried you would be afraid of me.  I didn’t want to end up forcing you into something you weren’t ready for or didn’t want… again.  I do love you, Erica.  I never want you to feel helpless against me.  Not ever.”  My voice steadily grew out of a whisper, rising with meaning.  “If you ever feel like that, tell me, ok?  I’ll stop whatever I’m doing.  I promise.”

Erica jumped out of bed so suddenly she startled me.  I barely had time to react before she ran up to me, grabbing fistfuls of my shirt and pulling herself close — her face buried in its fabric.  “Thank you,” she said so softly I could barely hear her, “God, it’s nice to have someone I can trust again.”  Cautiously and gently, I hoisted her up into my hand, pressing the backs of her legs ever so slightly to get her to sit down.  

Turning over, I settled in with her tucked to my chest.  I felt Erica sigh and stretch, readjusting herself so she was curled up in my cupped fingers.  At once she seemed so much smaller and fragile.  No, not fragile, delicate maybe?  With my fingers pressed warmly around her, I could feel her chest slowly pulsing with miniscule rhythms — the rise and fall of her lungs and breath, the steady rhythmic beat of her heart thrumming so close to mine.  I could even feel the tiny twitches of her moving just slightly, getting comfortable in my soft grasp.

There were so many nights where I dreamed of this.  So many nights I spent wondering what it would be like if she loved me as deeply as I loved her.  With her resting comfortably against me, I finally got to feel what that was like.  And I didn’t doubt for a second that she was playing along just to keep me happy.  She wanted to be as close to me as I wanted to be close to her.  My heart stung, but not from longing.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but it filled me up warmly until I was grinning from ear to ear.

After a moment, Erica stifled a laugh.  “You look so happy for once,” she told me, straightening out until she was laying down.  “I am happy.  Are you?”  Erica nodded enthusiastically, “Never been happier.  You think we can make things work this time?  I’m feeling really good about all this, which.. isn’t actually normal for me.”  A soft throb eased away the stinging of my heart, replacing it with something tender.  I lifted her up to kiss her, but she stopped me, holding my face at an arm’s distance.  “Just.. stay like this,” Erica told me, resting her body on my lips.  She whispered something even softer that I couldn’t hear, eyelids sinking heavily.

I let her sit like that a long time, even after she’d fallen asleep.  Eventually, I guided her unconscious body back into my palm, thumb pressed gently in the space where my lips used to be.  Erica had been trusting me with her little unconscious self more and more lately — that alone was intimacy in itself.  I tucked her back in, making sure I moved her back away from the cliff’s edge before finally getting to bed myself.

Honestly, I don’t think I’d been happier in my life than I was over those few days after we learned we loved one another.  Apparently, Erica felt the same way I did.  The moment I got up, even before I could say or do a single thing but lean over the cliffside, she leapt up and hugged one of my fingers snugly to herself.  “Oh!  Erica!  Good morning.”  “Good morning, Alexis.  I.. missed you last night.”  Oh.  It’s one of those again.  

While we hung around the cliff as she recuperated from her time in the city, Erica had gotten into the habit of saying that phrase to me as her way of telling me she’d had one of those awful nightmare-memories.  It had started with her accidentally saying that phrase to me the first time.  After a bit of confusion, she’d had to explain her whole dream to me to get me to understand.  Not wanting to go through that again, she stuck to simply telling me that, and I’d understand.

“Are you alright now?” I asked, gently sliding a few more fingers around her in a strange-looking hug.  “Yeah…  It’s.. something that won’t happen to me anymore.”  I lowered myself down until my chin rested on the ground beside her.  Erica stepped back just slightly to make room.  “I’m here, Erica.  And they’re long dead.  So will everyone who tries to hurt you like that.  I won’t let them.”  She smiled, eyes quickly glazing over with tears.  Her expression crumbled into an awful grimace as I brought my hand behind her and gently pulled her into it.  I watched with deep concern as she tried to tell me something, but couldn’t make it past the tears choking her throat.

With her head buried in the pad of my pointer finger, she let out a shaking breath.  “I just want it to be over,” Erica whimpered, “It’s been over a month of nothing but you treating me kindly, but I-  The nightmares haven’t stopped!  They- They’re further in between now, but never gone.  Just when I think I’ve gotten rid of them, bam!  One hits me just as I’m starting to feel better for once.”  I sat and listened to her, stretching my thumb up to rub delicately over her back as she spoke.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure her nightmares would ever have a definite end — certainly not anytime soon.  Though I’d been trying my hardest to ensure she felt safe again, the events were still horribly recent.  It had been a month or so since I’d found her.  That was all.

“That must be so frightening,” I mused, coaxing her to take her face out of my skin before I could accidentally hurt her.  “I- It is.”  “I’m sorry those memories keep coming back.  I don’t really know how to stop you from having them, but I do know how to keep you from making more of them.”  Erica took a few deep breaths, then smiled softly up at me.  “For that, I can never thank you enough.”

The rest of that day was spent drawing up plans on what to do next.  I didn’t have to worry about food with the new box, so Erica eagerly began brainstorming ways we could hide away and live together.  Despite wanting to be with her in every single one of her little fantasies, I began to get melancholy over the whole thing.  Was I permanently going to stay in the other-world?  I don’t want to, though.  I just want to stay with Erica.  Her world is becoming too messed up with the weird scientists.  What about the weird scientists?!  What can I do about them?  How do I keep them from destroying everything?

All these questions refused to leave my head even long after the conversation on what to do ended.  By that evening, my thoughts were so jumbled that I found myself longing for my own world.  There were still plenty of things for me to worry about there, too.  However, they were normal, non-apocalyptic and life-altering things.  One crucial part of me would still be missing, though — a tiny part who would grow into an utter mess if I left her behind.  There she was, laying in her sleeping bag with my finger tucked beside her.

Desperately, I wanted to fall asleep like that.  No, desperately I wanted to fall asleep like that.  I wanted to be beside her, not just a single finger.  But it couldn’t happen, so after a moment, I cautiously slid my hand away from her until I was freed from her grasp.  A wave of heartache stung my chest as I watched Erica frown subconsciously — her arms grasping the empty covers beside her.  For a while, everything was blissfully simple and perfect, but I knew it wouldn’t last.  I’d have to return to my own world eventually.  I’ve already been gone for over a month.  

[scratchandplaster]

Stack The Deck - Here and back again

CW: Elliot's mother having a tough time, guilt, stalking

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

The bags had piled up outside the building now, a cluttered mess between a yard sale and bulk trash, and Evelyn still wasn't done yet. Done with the packing, the cleaning, the endless calls to that son-of-a-bitch landlord, but not this. Box by box she lifted out of the small apartment and with the rabbit long gone, it was soon left empty.

What now looked more like a wasteland made from drywall used to be Elliot's whole pride, the first station of his new life.

Even though the neighborhood was more than shady and the rooms overpriced, they had been ecstatic when he finally could afford to live on his own, not only because it was about time he freed himself from their two-room fleabox, but to also give him back some confidence. It had worked, sure, at least until now.

She was quick to organize the change in housing, it wasn't even New Year's Eve yet and everything had gone smoothly so far, before the double rent continued to eat up the money they didn't have.

Evelyn was told to watch out, so illuminated by neon lights she struggled to carry all the weight at once, her back twisting and bending into grotesque angles to safely maneuver down the staircase. Spine against the rail, feet searching carefully for the next step, she was at least useful for something.

Elliot's mood had taken a dip in the last few days. Every hour, the nurses checked up on them and every hour he seemed to give up all the strength left in him. 

Not that it was hopeless, no, she knew she could help. She, of all people, understood what was stashed deep down inside of him. She was there to help if her boy would just finally talk.

When he did, he begged her not to go alone, to at least ask her brothers to aid her. So much fear didn't fit her son. Nevertheless, it was practically pouring out of him, every waking second he-

She caught herself, again. Feet placed firmly onto the dirty concrete, she had nearly slipped down the few stairs that kept her from leaving.

This won't be forever, we didn't lose him.

Maybe his father had more luck. The days he was out on the road now grew into weeks...

Keep it together, just a bit more. We have no space for self-pity.

Mountains of clothing, all neatly folded and stacked into the cardboard, joined each other. Evelyn had saved the trip to her car for last, uncertain how risky multiple rounds would be for her. Maybe her son's warnings weren't in vain, even in broad daylight, nobody knew for sure.

The world had become a madhouse, but that didn't mean she belonged in one.

What couldn't be sold and given away was free to take; and why not: any shirt with tight sleeves was out of question now. Zippers, gloves - even his favorite sweater with the buttons at the front - they had to go.

She hoped to keep it stashed away somewhere, all his stuff, so she could return it to him again. No space for that either.

Piling the boxes on top of each other, Evelyn stepped out onto the cluttered sidewalk, the rough edges of the carton already digging into her fingers. She only had to make it down the street to her car, followed by a half-hour drive home.

Maybe there was time to decorate before they could bring Elliot home; his room had to be a gentle welcome after weeks between drips and resident physicians.

Whatever came next, she had to make it easy for him.

"Oh, ma'am, let me help you with that!" a bright voice suddenly called to her from behind.

That's how people get robbed, probably.

"I'll manage," she responded dryly, not slowing down for even a second, "don't worry!"

Just a few more steps kept her separated from her destination; the stomps echoed up to the back of her neck, but she was nearly done with all of-

Accompanied by a smack, the upper box slipped down onto the wet cement and what had been so carefully wrapped up now soaked in the dirty excrement of the city.

Not even this she could do right.

As Evelyn came to a stop, she fought to keep the tears back, tried to think of the happy moments, not what waited for her after she locked the remains of her son away. Through the veil of blurred tears, she made out the person who had caught up by now, already bent over the pavement and started to place the worn-out books and few shirts back together.

"Thank you," she mumbled weakly, not sure how much she trusted her voice.

The head full of wild curls looked back up at her, a friendly smile on the lips: "No problem, ma'am. I can carry this for you, my pleasure!"

He was tall, not as tall as her, but that rarely happens anyway. It'll be fine, she supposed, and felt the urge to hit herself for being so rude, mistrusting or whatever gnawed its way through her chest.

Evelyn returned the smile and signaled the stranger to walk the last few meters with her.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, it's quite slippery out, so I guessed you could use a helping hand. We look out for each other here."

"Ah," she continued to chit-chat, too tired to stop herself, "you live around this place too?"

He walked right next to her, as if he already knew where to go... Come on, don't be like that. Besides, enough people had arrived at the street meanwhile, so what was there to worry about?

He looked pensive for a short second, then explained how he stayed just a few blocks further down. It made sense to Evelyn, he did look like he belonged. Between bald treetops and dirty snow, she questioned how she had become so bitter.

"Well, you don't seem to stay for long anymore," the man ripped her back to reality, as they stopped in front of her car, "I hope the move is not too far, the fuel prices are going crazy lately."

The quick glance he took at her license plate betrayed him, though.

So you do want to rob me, boy, just not right now.

He was free to do so, honestly, nothing more to get here besides scrap metal.

"Very far, actually, upcountry. I'll miss the sea."

"Oh." The stranger looked like she just slapped him across the face: "Well...good luck, then."

He let his eyes wander back to the building, as if he just detected the pile of leftover plastic bags laying next to some kind of alley. All carefully placed down in the last hour.

"Thank you, truly. Maybe you find something useful in there," Evelyn shrugged the exhaustion away, "The smoothie maker behind the ironing board, if you like. I don't know if it's still working, couldn't get it going."

With him distracted for a moment, she took the chance to bring the car door between them and the boxes onto the backseat. Enough small talk for today.

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a safe drive...", the stranger whispered vacantly, before taking another intense glance at the back of her car. A weird man, yet helpful. Whatever.

She was done, at least for today.

As she pulled out of the tight parking space and onto the street, the tension eased from her jaw and hunched shoulders. Evelyn knew her family had to weather through what would follow, one step at a time, they could make it work - together.

--------

Plenty of clothes, nothing flashy or with print. All the wool sweaters felt very quaint, but he could help him with that too. Put something nice on that body.

One or two high-school textbooks were stuck between them, geography and history of all things. Flipping through the trash bags on the side of the road, he hoped for a more...personal discovery.

A diary? Maybe old photos, if he was lucky.

Upcountry, huh? The pressure under his heart made him swallow thickly. Please give me more time.

His thumb slipped over a stack of old piano booklets, bound by a frail rubber band. To use again soon, he hoped.

Rearranging the bulk trash and fitting everything that appeared worth it into his own bag, he knew how this looked in the long run. Nobody had to know that they had met today, it would only upset Elliot even more.

He really is that delicate, he thought with a smile, not intending to stop his scavenging until he had the most valuable treasures gathered in one place. Anything to keep him close.

Morris would give them back, eventually, maybe, when he finally got his hands on what he was looking for.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Thanks for reading 🤍 [Masterlist]

Taglist: @whatwasmyprevioususername, @canislycaon24

[andileighwrites]

We Ran and Found Home - Chapter 4 | Lane (March 2023) BOOK PREVIEW

When Lane arrived at the door of their new apartment, they noticed the shiny apartment number at the middle of the white door. C7. Floor C apartment 7. They were a little out of breath from climbing the stairs but they knew that what would be waiting for them would be worth the brief hassle. The lettering seemed to glow as Lane unlocked the door and pushed it open. They were met with a quiet room; one with clean walls, carpeted floors (except for the kitchen and bathroom), high ceilings, and nice windows. Lane set down their backpack and looked around at the one bedroom one bathroom place they now called home. They took off their coat and promptly dropped it on the floor next to the front door that they locked shut. Beads of water rolled off of the coat and soaked into the carpet. Lane looked up at the high ceiling and with every step, there was a slight squeak from the carpet-covered floorboards, but it was nothing to be worried about. Lane went over to the window to look outside and noticed that the window led right out to the fire escape. That was a comforting thought to them; not the thought of a fire happening in the building but to know there would be a way out if there was. Lane yawned and rubbed their eyes. It was so late. They took out their phone from their pocket and looked at the time. 3:46 a.m.

"Oh shit."

Lane looked over to their bag and went over to grab it. After picking up their bag, and after double-checking that the front door was locked, Lane went into the bedroom and looked for a wall outlet. There were a few in the bedroom and Lane sat on the floor to dig through their bag to retrieve their phone charger. The phone's battery was at 11 percent when Lane plugged it in to charge. Lane looked through the bag to see what else they could take out. Most of the bag's contents were clothing and hygiene products. A laptop that was in the bag took up a chunk of space but Lane couldn't leave the laptop behind. That was the one nice thing that they had and it was something that Atlas had gifted to them. They took the laptop out of the bag and slid it towards the wall next to their charging phone that rested on the floor. Lane pulled two paperback books out of the bag and set them aside. They were quick enough in the last moment before leaving the house to pack things like their wallet, important documents such as their birth certificate and social security card, along with some other sentimental trinkets, and of course some of their clothes. Lane was sure they grabbed everything important from the house while Atlas was drunk and passed out in the living room. They accepted that whatever they had to leave behind were long gone items. Lane would never get that stuff back but it would be okay.

Lane zipped up the bag that was still filled with softer items (clothes and papers) and set it behind them to use as a pillow. They leaned back on the floor and reached for their phone, noticing the new string of unread text messages from Atlas. There were new missed calls too. Lane wasn't ready to read any of those texts but they remembered that Atlas also left a voicemail. Their heart started to heave out of their chest when they opened their voicemail box on the phone. Lane reluctantly pressed play.

"Lane!" Atlas' voice boomed through the phone. Lane almost dropped the device. He sounded tired and enraged. Lane felt a cold sweat break out over their body. "Where the fuck are you? It's fucking late and you're acting crazy! Some of your shit is gone, why? You wanna tell me why? Why aren't you answering your phone, Lane? You can't do this to me. You can't! After everything I've done for you, after everything we have gone through together, you can't fucking do this. Come home and let's talk. I love you. You better come home in the morning." 

The voicemail ended and Lane rolled over on their side and began to sob. They pushed their phone away from them and curled up in a ball. Lane wiped their tears with the sleeve of their hoodie but the tears kept pouring out, staining the carpet and the bag they were using as a pillow. It felt like a long time that Lane was in tears but after the tears dried up, Lane kicked off their wet sneakers, not realizing they had never taken them off at the front door, and rolled back over to stare at the ceiling. The paneled ceiling looked so far away and in the dark it slightly looked like an endless void; ready to consume Lane and make them disappear forever. But that is what Lane needed to do. Not disappear forever from everything but disappear forever from Atlas specifically. To come out on the other side of the scary black hole as a new person. Someone who was free from the control that overtook their life for years. 

Lane's breathing had finally calmed down and they reached for their phone once more to text their best friend. Ophelia had been friends with Lane since they were small and the two did everything together. Ophelia had spent years trying to convince Lane to leave Atlas, she saw the destruction from the beginning and when they were finally ready to take her advice, she supported them a million times over.

"I did it. I'm here," Lane's text read.

Ophelia texted back almost immediately. She knew that tonight was the night Lane would escape. "I'm so proud of you! How is the place?"

"Empty."

"We'll fix that."

"He called and texted me a hundred times. Left a voicemail too."

"Did you respond?"

"No. But I listened to the voicemail. He's pissed."

"Good. Let him be pissed."

"I am happy I did this. But I still love him."

"I know. It's gonna take time but you made the first step."

"Come over soon? To this sad and empty place?"

"Of course. We'll turn it into a home for you, love."

"Goodnight."

"Night. Get some rest. You deserve it."

...

Copyright ©️ Andi Leigh, 2023

...

Thank you for reading chapter 4 of We Ran and Found Home! 2 more chapters will be release as part of the book preview. The novel has 50 chapters in total!

[to-many-wips]

Chapter 1

“In all of time, on all the planets of the galaxies in space. What civilizations have risen, looked into the night, seen what we see, asked the questions we asked? Are we alone? Is earth the only chapter in the story of life? The answers lie somewhere in distant space- and distant time. For the first time, the truth is finally within our reach. The search will reveal who we are and who we might become—“

“Kya!” The shout cut through the video I was listening to,

I pulled out my earbud but didn’t move from my bed. I lay there and heard for him to continue. When he didn’t, I shouted back,

“Yeah?” No response “Yeah?!” I tried again and sat up a bit and listened, then I sighed and rolled off my bed, forgetting that it was over three feet off the ground, and fell on my face. I got to my feet and tripped over a half-unpacked box on the way out of my new room. It’d been two days since we got all our stuff dropped off at the new house in Jasper, but I was lazy and still hadn’t finished unpacking. I padded down the hardwood hallway with bare feet, the cool wood a nice respite from the oppressive desert heat, and the flooring changed from hardwood to luxury vinyl. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my brother standing in front of a half-unpacked box. He was looking very lost.

“Hey, Kya, do you want anything for dinner?” He asked while examining a mug from the box.

“No, not particularly,” he nodded

“Okay, I’ll see if there are any pizza places nearby then, are you packed for tomorrow?” He pulled out a plate

“Yeah, I’ve got everything packed. Just need to set out clothes,” Alex nodded as he put the plate in the cabinet. I walked up and started to help him unpack. It was just him and me here, but honestly, getting sent to live with my 25-year-old brother was actually pretty nice. While having to switch schools mid-year was not as favorable, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they?

“Have you got your telescope up, or do you need help?”

“I got it all set up,” I pick up a bundle of forks

“Do you have enough space for your physical therapy stuff?”

“Yeah, it’s just mainly bands anyway. They don’t take up a lot of room,” he nods

“I know you can’t train here, but you need to keep your fitness up or else ya know…” I’ll be in pain again, my mind subconsciously finishing the sentence as I put away a mug.

“I think I’m going to go for a run tonight, I can’t vault here, but I can still run,” I pick up a glass

“That sounds like a good idea. You should probably go soon. It’s going to be getting dark,” I open the cabinet and put the glass with the others, and pick up a plate

“Yeah, I think I’ll go now,” I put the plate away and walked out of the kitchen and back to my room. I walk into my room and look around. I see the box with my exercise clothes and dig through until I find a pair of dark ashy purple Capri leggings and a light ashy purple short sleeve crop top that came halfway down my upper arm. It came down just far enough to cover my scar. I picked up my running shoes. They were white with hints of dark blue, coral pink, and turquoise. Why are running shoes always so bright? I thought to myself as I slipped them on. I took my hair and twisted my bangs around the left side of my head and then tied it back into a ponytail. I grabbed my phone and earbuds off my bed and slipped them into my pockets. I pulled 20 bucks out of my wallet and put it in my phone case just in case I needed something on the way back. I double-checked everything and then walked out. I gave my brother a little two-finger salute as I headed out the door, and he returned with a little salute of his own.

“Be back before 8,”

“Mkay!” I trotted out the door and put in my earbuds, and pulled out my phone. I paused and contemplated, podcast or music? I chose music popping on a playlist. A loud drum picks up, and I put my phone in my pocket

You thought nothing could surprise you

You thought you’d seen everything

But you never saw me coming

All eyes on me!

Ready or not!

I start down the street and turn left at the intersection. I let myself get lost in the music as my lungs burned a bit, and I felt my muscles firing. I let my mind wander back to a different street in a different town in a different state, with a different state of company. I turn to ask her a question to find empty space, reality hitting me like a brick wall right no pace partners in Jasper. I turned back to the street and kept running. I started doing equations in my mind in a vain effort to distract myself from any physical or mental pain. I was halfway through figuring out how many minutes were in a year when my ankle rolled and I stumbled. I fell off the curb and hit a parked car. My left shoulder just bumped the car but it was enough, I hissed in pain as all the damaged nerves went haywire from the sudden impact, the scar tissue a weird mix of numbness and fire. I sit up, hand on the painful angry scar, and look at the car I hit. It was a yellow muscle car with black stripes. I check my ankle and see it’s fine and stand up and try to put weight on my ankle. At first it’s tender and it gives way slightly, my hand automatically reaches out to find something to balance on. I find the back of the car and slam into it a bit, an emblem I didn’t recognize bit into my hand.

“Oh damn, sorry,” I said to the car, then mentally chastised myself for apologizing to inanimate objects again. When I tried again my ankle didn’t buckle and I started to walk, testing it to be sure. Even I decided it was okay to run on it again and pick up a light jog.

I ran out of the neighborhoods and started along the road, some trucks drove by but overall the road was pretty empty. I came up on a dry concrete river bed, I turned right and ran along the top of it. I saw almost no one my entire run, it was like Jasper was a living ghost town. My heart ached as I ran along the red and orange dirt, I longed for the fresh crisp air as I ran through the trees of point defiance. I shook the mental image away and noticed I had inadvertently circled back to the neighborhoods. I ran in but realized I had no clue where I actually was. I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I walk down the street and see one person. I see a boy about my age with dark hair walking towards me across the street. I take out my earbuds and suck in a breath.

Time to meet the neighbors

|-o-|

I was minding my own business walking home from Raf’s when I met her

“Hey, excuse me?”

My head snaps up and I looked around when I spot a girl about 6 inches shorter than me and at least twice as tan with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail but it was fancy somehow, her work out clothes and obvious sweat betrayed her going anywhere fancy though

“Uh yes?” I was confused on why she was talking to me

“Hi I just moved here and uh I’m lost,” she said almost sheepishly “Can you give me directions to 19th?”

“Oh yeah i'm actually walking that way too, so if you want we can walk together instead of awkwardly walking the same direction,” I said beginning rubbing the back of my neck in a vain attempt to quell my rising anxiety, she laughs and says

“Yeah that’d be preferable,” she stuck out her hand

“Kyanna but you can call me Kya.”

“Jackson but you can call me Jack .” I introduced myself

“Nice to meet Jack,” we start down the street “so I’m assuming you're also in high school?”

“Yeah I’m a sophomore, you?”

“I’m a sophomore as well, anyone to watch out for?” My mind automatically flashes to a bright red head of hair

“Oh that’s easy, his name is Vince and he’s—“

“A total asshole?”

“Yeah exactly!”

“Every town’s got one,”

“Yeah he takes up the space for two though,” I sigh

“Damn,” silence followed for a minute, my anxiety rose in the silence so I asked

“So why’d your parents move you to the middle of nowhere Nevada?”

“Ah no parents just me and my older brother,”

“Oh sorry,”

Oh now you’ve done it idiot!

“Nah It’s fine, besides I can see the stars way better here anyway”

“You like space?” I ask slightly absentmindedly

“An maith liom spás?” I was at first confused, used to only hearing people switch to Spanish occasionally, and this was not Spanish. I look over to see her roll her eyes a bit then jump and say “Fuck yeah!” Pumping her arms, I stepped back surprised “I wanna study astrophysics and maybe even go to mars!”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she paused as if pondering something. “Do you believe in aliens?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the question,

Aliens, why did she have to ask about aliens!

“I mean It’s just as hard to believe they aren’t out there as they are,”

“Exactly! So what, we don’t have any evidence proving that aliens exist, we also don’t have any proof that they don’t exist!” She say exuberantly

“I mean yeah they could be out there but I doubt we’ll see any in our lifetime,” i said trying to reel her in

“Yeah you're probably right,” she looked down at her shoes, seemingly disappointed?

“But ya never know right?” I said quickly, she looked up a smile on her face

“Yeah you're right! You never know!”

Oh god she’s like Miko, she’s gonna discover the autobots through sheer optimism!

We turned the corner and she seemed to recognize something,

“Hey I recognize this one!”

“This is 18th, I live here,” I motioned to a house behind me. I turn and start up the driveway when Kya shouts

“Hey, we should exchange numbers!” She stands awkwardly as I turn around then adds “ya know if you want?”

“That sounds like a good idea, let me just grab my phone I left it inside,” I approached the garage door and she followed up the drive, the garage door started to open. I saw Arcee sitting there same as always

“Holy shit!” She said I turn “That's the most beautiful bike I’ve ever seen!” She rushed inside “now this is a bike! She’s so gorgeous and sleek! Jack if your bike was a person I’d say she’d be really fuckin hot.”

“She?” My heart just about lept in my throat when Kya said she

“There’s no way something this naturally beautiful is anything but female! No offense.” Breath returned to my lungs and my heart beat again

“None taken,” I chuckled trying to blow off the near cardiac arrest I just went through , “I’ll be right back,” I headed into the house to grab my phone and was back in less than a minute, we exchanged numbers quickly.

“Thank you again Jack, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said simply

“Yeah I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she waved and walked out of the garage. As soon as the garage door Arcee said

“You sure know how to pick ‘em don’t ya,” Arcee rolled forward a little bit. “I could hear her around the corner, how'd you pick up the cute alien fanatic?”

“She just moved here with her brother got lost—“ just then what Arcee said registered “Hey! I literally just met her 15 minutes ago!”

“Eh I’m just teasing, but honestly an alien fanatic?”

“She’s more of a general space nut loves astrophysics,” I sigh and walk towards the house “anyways I have homework so I’ll talk to you later”

“Talk to you later.”

[refried-ghost]

He didn't get a choice. No one did. Well, Zim did, but he didn't really count did he? He wasn't really apart of the family as much as Gaz and his dad pretended otherwise. No, they were just told to pack. The next day the movers were crawling through their house.

Gaz snapped and snarled. Dib panicked.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dib skidded in front of the burly man. The mover peered over the box with mild displeasure. Dib squirmed not knowing how to approach this. He digs a sharpie out of his coat, writing 'fragile' in big blocky letters. "Be careful."

"Cool it, kid, your stuff will be fine." Dib looks up at the man's face for reassurance, but doesn't find it. "Come on. Stop blocking the doorway."

Hesitantly, Dib stepped to the side. He capped the marker. The worker went by. The teen watched, nervously fiddling with his sleeves and the marker. Eventually he managed to tear his attention away from the empty doorway and back to his half packed room.

He pulled the bedding off the bed tossed it into the hamper. Then he started struggling with the curtain rod.

"Leave that alone." He heard Gaz through the walls as he forced the last box shut. Quick to tape it.

Then he doubled checked what he could. Triple checked his laptop and backpack had everything he might need on hand.

And now Dib looked at his now so empty room. The bare walls, the stacks of boxes and the uncertainty of everything tugged at his mind.

He didn't know anything about where they were going or why? He didn't understand why the house was being sold. They had the money. And yet this was happening.

Last night's screaming match was especially nasty. Not that their father really engaged.

Zim never gave an answer.

"What do you think GIR?" The Irken stopped his pacing, pulling his hand away from his face and looking to the robot.

"About?" The robot asked with mirth, holding his feet as he sat.

"The human's offer? Should we move the base? Should I live with them?"

"Ooooo. You like 'em!"

"Answer the-"

"YOU LIKE 'EM!"

Zim blinked at him. Dragged a hand down his face and turned. "Pests! Come to Zim!" Then he looked up. "Computer, don't let them touch anything."

The doors opened allowing the pups to enter. Tart Tar, Blubber and Velx no longer needed to remain in the incubation chamber, but Zim often left them there anyways. Their colors were beginning to emerge in splotches and speckles on their skin and eyes.

One of them, Velx, ran up to him with a hug. The Irken flinched and with hesitation hugged back. Awkwardly patting them on the back.

Blubber looked at the screens with a frown, "um, why isn't daddy..." Tart Tar looked at him as he spoke, but he trailed off.

Zim's eye twitched as he realized what he was doing. He fake coughed, quickly holding the pup a way from him. They whined, "Nooooo. My hug!"

"Enough! I didn't call upon you because of 777 today." They look at each other with confusion. "An offer has been made and depending on my decision, the base may be packed up for a short time."

"Are you getting rid of us, too?" Tart Tar asked quietly. Velx flinched.

Zim frowned.

"That's not what happened." He looked away. "And no. You're Zim's students now! You have to stay." He walks over to here and pats her head. "BUT-" reeling back to his full height, a flash of hesitant expression- "That means you'll be in Voot of a while."

Tart lit up, letting out a big excited gasp. GIR did too, bouncing up and down. "Does that mean we get to go OUTSIDE?!"

Velx looked at Zim unsure how to feel. But Blubber's expression swiftly dropped.

"Not-"

"WE CAN'T!" He broke, beginning to panic. "We can't."

"What do you mean we can't Blubber?" She said defensively.

"We can't go outside. We'll get hurt. We'll never see daddy again..."

"Silence. Now as I was saying, not exactly. Well, we'll be temporarily be in the air, but you will not be getting out of the Voot. Is that understood?"

Velx rushes him again. "Yessir!" She wraps her tiny arms around him. Blubber takes a breath of relief.

"But I wanna go outside," Tart Tar tears up.

"Do you want to get sick?" He snaps at her. "We'd get sick!"

"This planet is filthy. It's disgusting. The germs," Zim shivers. "They're everywhere." He straightens up. "No. You'll stay in the Voot." He points at her, pushing the other away once again.

"But-" she hiccups. GIR notices and pats her.

"I've made my decision!" He said with a clap.

[hearts-hunger]

growing pains || josh kiszka x reader

Read on AO3 | Masterlist

Summary: As you and Josh pack up your apartment for your impending move to Nashville, Josh is right by your side for this big, scary change and all the growing pains it brings with it. || Standalone fic in the Cabin Fever universe

Pairings: Josh Kiszka x Reader [ + Sam x Danny, Jake x Sparrow] | Genre: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff | Word Count: 4.6k | Warnings: anxiety, fighting

Title Song: “High, Wide, and Handsome” by John Denver

A/N: I should be packing up my apartment for my own move to Nash, but I wrote this instead hehe. I'm more excited about my move than Baby is, but I wouldn't say no to Josh offering to meditate through my feelings with me. I hope you like it!

“Baby, how do you want me to pack this?”

You looked up as Josh came into the living room, your attention briefly diverted from the sea of boxes and packing supplies around you. He was holding the beautiful gold terrarium that usually sat on your dresser, and though he was being careful with it, you had a sudden flash of anxiety and knew you’d feel better if you were in charge of it.

“Just set it on the table,” you said, turning back to the box of mugs you were painstakingly stuffing with wrapping paper. “I’ll pack it in a minute.”

You heard him give a short huff.

“You’ve said that about the last five things I've asked you about,” he said. “You can let me pack something, you know.”

“Pack up the bedroom closet,” you said, distracted.

“The closet’s already done,” he said, frustration creeping into his voice. “And I feel like I’ve already said that nine hundred times this morning, since you keep trying to get me to pack it every time I ask what you want me to do.”

You gave an exasperated sigh. “Sorry, but I’ve been a little busy, if you can’t tell. Pick something you can pack without having to ask me about every two seconds.”

He set the terrarium on the table. “I’ve tried that. But every time I do, you come in and boss me around about it because you don’t like the way I packed it.”

You could tell he was angry with you, and you were running short on patience yourself. It felt like a sauna in your apartment, the music you’d put on was now way too loud for your liking, and you were in desperate need of something to eat. You hadn’t taken the time to eat when Josh did earlier, and you regretted it now, but there was just too much to do .

“I don’t understand why you can’t just pack things the way they’re supposed to be packed,” you snapped. “It’s not that difficult, Joshua.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, here we go.” You both knew you only ever called him Joshua when you were very sweet on him or very upset with him, and it was definitely the latter this time.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” you said angrily. “I can’t babysit you the whole time. I’ve got a million other things to do without worrying that you’re going to pack the kitchen knives in with our good sheets or something.”

His cheeks pinked with irritation. “Number one,” he said, “that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Number two, I’m not a complete idiot, and I’ve done just as much as you have so far. So don’t act like I’m not helping.”

“It’s not helping if I have to go behind you and double check everything!” you burst out.

“It’s not my fault you’re a control freak!” he shot back. “Why can’t you trust me with our stuff, baby? When have I ever just thrown stuff in a box without taking care of it?”

You knew he was right, but his tone made you dig your heels in. You were well and truly fed up with him, never mind the whole idea of the move, and wondered if it wouldn’t be easier to just do all the packing yourself so you knew it would be done right.

“Can you find something to do other than annoy me to death?” you asked venomously. You stuffed another mug into the box. “Someone has to get this place packed because you decided to move us to the other side of the fucking country, Joshua. So if you’re not going to help, get out of the way so I can do it.”

He threw up his hands in exasperation. “Fine. If you want to pack the whole fucking house by yourself, be my guest.”

He left for the back porch, and though you knew he was likely only going for a quick smoke, it made your blood boil. You hadn’t taken a break all day. You’d been fussing over each and every box, including the ones Josh had packed, insisting on making sure everything was perfect. If something were to break or get lost during the move and you had to go without it in your new house, you didn’t know how you’d stand it.

You liked your apartment here, and if you could, you’d have taken the whole thing with you to Nashville just as it was. For the last two years, you and Josh had made it into a home for the two of you, decorating it with all the things you loved, making it work for you until it became your favorite place to be. You were close to your parents and the Kiszkas here. More than anything, you loved the countless precious memories you’d made in this small apartment: having the boys over at all hours; bringing Sparrow, Jake’s girlfriend, into your close friendship until she was a permanent fixture in your little family; spending long nights and early mornings with the man you loved, planning your future together. 

But Josh and the boys had decided, with their team, that moving to Nashville was the next step they needed to take for the band. It made sense, from a practical point of view, and even you had to admit that it was the right choice for the band.

But what about the right choice for you?

You sighed. It was selfish to think that way; you’d known what you were getting into when you started dating Josh, and you wanted to support him in this new phase with the band in any way you could. But you couldn’t get over the heartache of leaving the only thing you knew. You’d grown up in Frankenmuth, just like the boys, and you hadn’t planned on leaving. You wanted to be able to pack up and follow Josh anywhere he needed to go without hesitation, but it was proving much more difficult than you’d imagined.

You closed the box and taped it up before scribbling a label on the top. You weren’t proud of how you’d spoken to Josh and knew you were unfairly taking your fear and frustration out on him. But you felt that he’d be even more upset if you admitted what was really going on, if he knew you were unhappy, so you resolved to just keep your mouth shut about it until you were safely, irreversibly in Nashville. 

John came back in after a few minutes, turning down the music and bumping the air conditioner down another notch. You were surprised when he made his way over to you through the boxes and as-yet unpacked items you’d set out. 

“Can I sit with you for a minute?” he asked, and his voice was gentle.

You shrugged as if you couldn’t care less, trying to hang onto the upset of your argument despite knowing how unproductive it would be. Your anger was a safer emotion than your sadness, and you’d rather yell at Josh than burst into tears where he could see.

He settled himself on the other side of the box you were packing and brushed his curls back from his face. His cheeks were rosy with the heat of the day, and he took a measured breath as he met your eyes.

“I’m sorry I spoke to you like that,” he said after a moment. “I was feeling kind of overwhelmed, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed too.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Thank you,” you said quietly, still not looking up from what you were packing. You couldn’t quite manage an apology back, knowing it would open up the Pandora's box of your emotions. 

He put his hand over yours. “Baby.”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

You did as he said and tried to remember the frustration you’d lashed out with earlier. His expression was concerned and kind.

“I want to help you,” he said. “I’m not trying to make you crazy, and if you need to go behind me and check everything I pack, you can. If there’s something you know you can trust me with, please tell me so I can get it done for you.”

You felt tears come and fought to keep them at bay. “I don’t... I don’t know what to tell you to do, Josh.” You wanted to trust him, but giving up that last bit of control when everything felt like it was spiraling was so difficult.

He nodded, and he smiled a little. “I bet you wish you had another one of you instead of just me helping you pack, huh? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about getting everything done perfectly.”

You were raw with guilt and his kindness was only making it worse.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” you lied, taking your hand away from his. “It just has to be...”

“Perfect,” he teased, but his voice was affectionate. “That’s ok, baby. I know you want things done the way you want them. I’ll try my best to do them that way.”

You covered your face with your hands. “Josh,” you said softly. You wished he would go back to yelling at you so you wouldn’t feel so awful for the way you’d treated him.

He moved the box from between you and came closer, gently pulling your hands away from your face.

“Baby,” he said gently. He held your hands between you, running his fingers over your knuckles. “We can talk about how you want everything done, and I’ll go along with whatever makes this easiest for you. But I think you need a little break.”

You nodded, mute. He smiled, pleased you’d agreed with him.

“You need to eat something,” he said, “but first, I thought we could do a quick meditation. If that sounds good to you. Just to get you centered and in the right headspace to rest for a while.”

Josh often offered to meditate with you, or else invited you to join him when he did. It was a good exercise in dealing with your anxiety, and it certainly couldn’t hurt right now.

“Okay,” you said. “If you think it’ll help.”

He chuckled. “I know it’ll help, baby. I know you, remember?”

He made sure you were both comfortable before he started, and he held your hands in a gentle, soothing grip as he guided your breathing. You closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the quiet comfort of his voice, resting in the peace of the space he was creating for the two of you in the middle of all the chaos.

“Breathe here,” he said, his voice soft and calm. “Breathe as we ask for the barriers to higher consciousness to dissolve. Breathe as we ask for the illusions of fear to fall away from us.”

You matched your breathing to his, trying to block out the sounds of your neighbors, the heat of the summer day, the fear and worry that had caused you to lash out at the one you loved more than anything. It wasn’t as easy as he made it sound — it never was, and he never pretended it came easily to him, either. As if on cue, he began to speak again.

“As humans, our minds tend to wander,” he said, and you thought you could hear a smile in his voice. “That’s okay. Don’t judge it. Simply bring your awareness back to the breath.”

You did as he said. Josh always reminded you that focusing on your breath was the simplest way to tune back into a meditation, and even if you couldn’t focus on truly meditating, breathing with intention would always be of benefit to you.

“As we begin this journey,” he said, “we ask the universal energy to surround us, protect us, and heal us from the illusions of separation, anger, and fear. Thank you for your presence and assistance on this journey.”

You loved the sound of his voice, and it was always so calm and gentle when you meditated together. Just hearing it soothed your anxiety. Some people thought Josh was being pretentious with his recent public step into meditation and spirituality; music critics didn’t seem to take too kindly to it, and some fans thought it was too new-agey or just for show. But they didn’t know Josh like you did, and you knew that Josh had been sincerely, passionately pursuing this kind of spirituality for years. He was well-versed in it, and it worked for him; you were thankful that he shared it with you, and you’d seen the fruits of it in his life as well as your own.

“Where is your body?” he asked, drawing your attention back. “Is it pulled in a million directions? Or is it here, right with us?”

He knew as well as you did that you were all over the place emotionally, and it had taken its toll on you physically. 

“Do you feel sadness?” he asked. “Fear? Worry?”

You did, and you almost let them overwhelm you again.

“Give this permission to leave the body now,” he said. It grounded you, and you did your best to lean into the calm that meditating with Josh always brought you.

He ran his thumbs over your knuckles. “Breathe. You are safe here. You are held here. All of you is accepted and celebrated here.”

You felt the sting of tears. You’d been so horrible to him and couldn’t even be honest about why you were so upset. Josh loved you even after how you’d treated him, celebrated your closeness despite how you’d hurt him and still took joy in you.

“Our wounds have a funny way of showing themselves sometimes,” he said gently. “But the truth is, we all desire to be loved and accepted, to feel at peace, to feel safe.”

You didn’t even know you were crying until your breath hitched on a half-sob, and heat flooded your cheeks as embarrassment came on as strongly as your heartache. You were supposed to be quiet, and you were interrupting not only your mediation but Josh’s as well.

“Sorry,” you managed in a whisper.

He squeezed your hands.

“Shh, baby,” he soothed, fully in his meditative space but always attuned enough to comfort you. “You don’t have to apologize. This is why we’re taking this journey together. Let your body react how it needs to.”

You breathed a shaky sigh of relief and tried to settle, and Josh’s touch was grounding as tears poured down your face.

“Focus on your breathing,” he reminded you. “Whatever you’re feeling is okay. Allow yourself to be truthful to your mind and your heart.”

He took a deep breath, and you mimicked him.

“Good girl,” he praised gently. “Light surrounds us — breathe in this light. Love does not leave us, ever. This light is here to bring us back to the center of love.”

You rested in his voice and his touch, feeling a peaceful warmth fill your chest. Josh was the center of your love, and his love would never leave you.

“Gently thank the universe for reminding you of your essence,” he said.

You did. You would spend the rest of your days being thankful for Josh’s love and the way it anchored you in peace and joy.

“We can rest here,” he said. “We are one. We are joined in the truth of love and can begin to heal.”

He was silent for a long while, and you tried to match your breathing to his. Tears streaked down your face, but you were safe; Josh wasn’t going anywhere. As long as you had Josh, you could be happy anywhere in the world. Even Nashville.

“Time to leave this space now,” he said gently. “Rejoin your clear, cleansed, and grounded body. And when you are ready, slowly open your eyes.”

You waited a few moments, and you opened your eyes to see him smiling at you. He tenderly touched your cheek.

“I’m really proud of you, baby,” he said sincerely. “Thank you for letting me share that space with you.”

You put your arms around his neck and he caught you against him, hugging you tightly. You buried your face in his shoulder and cried.

“There we go,” he said softly, running his hand over your back. “Good girl. I’m right here.”

He kept up a steady stream of comforting words as you cried, and he held you until you were spent. When you pulled back, he took your hands again; you were worn out with crying, but you felt better than you had since the move had been decided on.

“Sorry for crying all over you,” you said, a little bashful at your behavior.

He smiled. “No need to apologize, sweetheart,” he reminded you. “To tell the truth, I’ve been a little worried that you haven’t had a good cry about it. This is about the move, right?”

You nodded and tried to wipe your face on your shoulder. He squeezed your hands.

“Sit tight for a second, honey,” he said as he stood. “I’ll be right back.”

He brought you back a few tissues, your water bottle, and some Tylenol. You gratefully accepted them and tried to repair yourself after you took the medicine.

“Okay,” he said, settling back in. He met your eyes. “Would it help to talk about it, baby?”

You took a deep breath. “I don’t want to... make you upset with me.”

His brow crinkled a little. “Why would I be upset with you?”

You hesitated, and he tucked your hair behind your ear.

“I want you to be honest with me, baby,” he said. “Whatever’s going on, we can figure it out together. I’d be more upset if you lied about it.”

You bit your lip. “I’m excited about how moving is going to change things for you guys,” you said truthfully. “And I’m so proud of you and the boys for all the hard work you’ve put in to get here.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I’m proud of us too.” He studied your face. “But what’s bothering you, baby? Please tell me.”

You sighed. “I’m just... afraid to leave,” you admitted. “I’ve never lived anywhere else.”

“Me either,” he reminded you. “I could say it’ll be a fun adventure for both of us, and I think that’s true, but that doesn’t help us with our fear of the unknown. It’s a leap of faith, and I’m nervous to take it too.”

You looked up at him, surprised. “You are?” You’d heard nothing but excitement from Josh about the move and could never have guessed he was worried about it.

He gave you a soft smile. “Sure I am. It’s a big change. We won’t be close to our parents any more. It’s a whole new city to get familiar with.”

“And a new house,” you added quietly.

He nodded. “And a new house,” he agreed. “That doesn’t bother me so much, but I know you’re having trouble with it.”

“It’s not that I don’t like our new house,” you said. You’d picked it together, and it was a sweet, old house with lots of character in the same neighborhood as Jake and Sparrow’s house. Sam and Danny had chosen a newer, swankier apartment in the city, but it was still only a few minutes from your new home.

You twisted your fingers together in your lap and looked around your nearly-bare apartment.

“But I love living here,” you said, “and I love all the memories we made here.” You met Josh’s eyes. “It was our first place together, and it makes me sad to leave it.”

“I know, my love,” he said, and his voice was impossibly kind. “It makes me sad to leave it too. But we’ll carry those memories with us, and we’ll make lots of wonderful memories in our new home.”

He took your hands, and like he often did without ever having to be asked, he let you play with his fingers to give you an outlet for your anxiety. 

“I haven’t done a very good job telling you how thankful I am for you,” he said, though you knew that wasn’t true. “I know I’m asking a lot with this move. I admire your bravery and selflessness in choosing to leave here, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re coming with me.”

You gave him a wobbly smile. “Of course I’m coming with you. You could decide to move to the middle of the desert and I’d go with you.”

He chuckled. “I know, and I love you for it.” He kissed you gently. “One day, we’ll have to make a big choice for you, and I’ll go wherever that takes us. I promise, baby. I know how big of a sacrifice you’re making for me, and I want to do the same for you when the time comes.”

You kissed him for a long while, slow and gentle and affectionate. You were glad you’d told him. You should have known better than to think that he would be upset with you for what you felt.

“I love you a whole lot, Joshua.”

He smiled. “I love you a whole lot too, baby. And for the record, I like it better when you call me that when you’re happy with me.”

Your smile was bashful. “I know. And I’m sorry I was micromanaging you to death. It’s been hard for me not to be a control freak, like you said.”

He winced. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

You gave a soft laugh. “No, you were right. I wanted to do everything myself because it gave me a sense of control over the move. But it’s not right for me not to trust you, and I don’t need to control everything about our move, because it’s going to be okay.”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed with a smile. “It’s like your favorite John Denver song — how does the chorus go?”

“Keep her steady, cowgirl,” you sang, knowing exactly which song he was talking about and pleased that he’d remembered it was your favorite. “Don’t let go of the reins.”

“Right,” he said, “and then it goes — you are ready now, girl, never mind the growing pains.” He kissed your cheek. “You’re ready to take this big step, baby. I know these growing pains aren’t fun, but you’re ready. And you won’t be alone.”

You hugged him again, and you loved the feel of his arms around you, steady and comforting like they always were.

“I’m sorry for blowing up at you,” you said. “Please forgive me.”

He gave you a quick kiss. “Already forgiven, baby.”

He stood and offered you a hand up, looking around your apartment.

“We still have a lot to pack,” he said.

“Yeah,” you agreed, a little overwhelmed at the thought. An idea occurred to you as you tried to decide where to start again.

“We could call everybody,” you said. “Ask if they want to come help.” You’d all helped pack up Jake and Sparrow’s place a few days ago, and you knew Sam and Danny were mostly done.

Josh raised a brow. “You sure?” he asked. “That really would mean you’d have to, uh... give up a certain amount of... control.”

You smiled at the caution in his voice as he tried to word it in a kind way.

“I know,” you said. You were less panicked about everything being done perfectly now that you were feeling more at peace with the move. “But I know I can trust you and our friends to take care of our things.”

He grinned. “Good. I’m glad. You can be in charge of the whole thing, if it’ll make you feel better.”

You kind of liked that idea, orchestrating the comforting chaos of your friends. 

He took his phone from his pocket. “I’ll tell Jake to pick up some food, too.” He tapped your nose. “You have to start taking better care of yourself, little miss.”

“Yes sir,” you said. You gave him a goofy salute that made him laugh.

“Go take a break,” he said, lightly pushing you towards the back porch. “Have a cigarette, make a cocktail, whatever you need.”

You laughed. “I just might make myself a cocktail.”

He put the phone to his ear. “The stuff for a salty dog is still out,” he said, nodding to the kitchen counter.

Josh called your friends as you enjoyed your salty dog out on the porch, and all four of them were bursting through your front door soon after, already making the packing up into a party. Josh made sure you had lunch from the takeout Jake brought and, re-energized, you joined the fray. 

You worked long into the night, the help of your friends’ willing hands canceled out by the time you all took to enjoy each other’s company. Danny and Sparrow were experts at making the most out of every box; Sam put himself in charge of music and store runs for packing odds and ends and gas station treats; the twins followed behind everyone else and scrubbed and vacuumed and dusted each room until it shone. You took care of the fragile, sentimental things like photos and tchotchkes and directed where you wanted the boxes to be stacked.

When all the packing was finally finished, Josh ordered pizza while Jake and Danny made drinks to celebrate. The six of you sat out on the porch and had dinner and got well on your way to being drunk.

“We’re crashing here,” Danny said with a soft laugh when Sam finished his drink and stole a sip of his boyfriend’s. “Because we’re obviously not finished drinking.”

Sam grinned when Danny offered him his drink. “Thanks, honey.”

“Groovy,” you said, leaning against Josh’s shoulder.  “We need to drink all this up before we go anyway.”

You looked to Jake and Sparrow. “You two down to clown?”

She laughed. “Sure.” She kissed Jake’s cheek. “You’re pretty plastered already, aren’t you, lover?”

Jake raised his solo cup. “Naturally,” he said, drawing laughter from all of you with the gravelly British accent he’d been perfecting. “Don’t invite me into a house that has tequila in it unless you want it drunk. Drank. Dranken.”

You sat out on the porch for a while, talking and laughing and getting excited for the move you were all making together. Sitting there with your four best friends and the love of your life, you finally let yourself be excited too — it was going to be a fun adventure, just like Josh said, and you were so glad you were all going together. Your happy memories wouldn’t end when you left this apartment; you were taking everything important with you to Nashville, and you had all the time in the world to make new, happy memories with the ones you loved.

You tipped your face up towards Josh and he obliged you with a sweet kiss.

“Feeling better, baby?” he asked.

You smiled. “Much better. Thank you. I love you.”

He grinned and gave you another kiss. “I love you too, baby.”

gvf taglist: @stardustdanny @gvfrry @the-chaotic-cow @mountain-in-springtime @xserenax-13 @stardustjtk @brooke-gvf @weightofdreams-gvf @serendipiti @jakeydoesit @gretasmokerising @loofypoofy @hayley1623 @doodle417 @finestoflines @brokenbellz @ria-gvf @s0livagant @katie-gvf @trplshotofdopamine @strugglingtodoshit @deadbeat-z @s-u-t @kay-jordan

josh taglist: @prophetofthedune

sorry if tumblr didn't tag you — it's stupid sometimes. but i'm real thankful for you, sweet peaches! and if you're a new bestie and would like to be added to my taglist, check it the form right here!

[esotheria-sims]

Hi Esotheria, as suggested by Goat, I wonder if you can help me finding antique knickknack deco to put on bookshelves of my Elder Sims? :)

Hello, friend of Goat! ^^ You opened quite the Pandora box with this ask, lemme tell you! xD There’s just SO MUCH good clutter to be found all across the web; listing each individual piece would take me months! So in that name, I’ll be mostly listing general sites and blogs where I download my clutter from, with only the occasional recommendation for specific pieces of cc. I trust that you’ll do the ‘hard’ but enjoyable job of browsing through those recommended sites. ;)

- First and foremost: Garden of Shadows. Obvious one, I know, but I can’t stress enough just how many terabytes of cc gems the forum contains! From the Antiques and Oddities section to Monthly themes, events, and gift exchanges, GoS is the go-to resource if you want weird and wonderful cc, clutter included. Even if you think you’ve browsed it all and know everything the forum has to offer, revisiting some classics (e.g. Advent 2012) with fresh eyes might put you in the way of awesome clutter that you missed the first time around!

- Another obvious one: The PlumbBob Keep. Like GoS, it’s a HUGE forum with tons of hidden treasures, so definitely worth taking a look at. These fine porcelain plates, for example, look like something an elderly sim with a refined taste would display on their shelf! The forum also has a Conversions sections that’s worth checking out, because...

- ...conversions from other games like Bioshock, Skyrim, TSM, Dragon Age, etc. are a great way to get your hands on unique clutter! Some of my go-to object converters include Yolartut, Delonariel, Veranka, Hafiseazale, Amovitam, Mistyfluff, and Kativip. The last is an individual creator, but also the name of a whole forum that shares super-cool conversions, among many other things. I understand that most of the preview pics on Kativip’s site are sadly busted these days, but don’t let it discourage you! The site is absolutely worth digging through, even blindly.

- If you want clutter that’s shabby chic, old-timey but still contemporary in essence, SimPearls is a good place to look. The forum requires registration to be able to download from, but a number of resident SimPearls creators (e.g. Kim, Amythestfenix, Deatherella, Betsy4arts) also have personal blogs that you can check out!

- An oldie but goldie, Parsimonious features tons of great stuff that holds up incredibly well despite its age. Their creations are sorted in sets by room rather than by type of object, but there’s clean previews for each included piece, so browsing around should be a breeze!

- A more recent(ish) creator, MrsReval has many, many droolworthy object conversions. How about this cool pipe for your elders’ shelves, or these fancy figurines?

- Pocci/Gardenbreeze is a somewhat forgotten creator with a limited, if nice selection of quality cc. Their Roses Mini Set is a personal fave I can’t seem to play without, and then there’s also these sunflowers in a vase and these dainty deco birds that I’m submitting for your consideration.

- Speaking of forgotten creators: make sure to not miss out on HolySimoly, Adele, Om/Avalon, and Ogulama: all dead sites that have been archived courtesy of Liquid Sims. (*Protip: if you ever run across a creator who has disappeared and/or deleted their stuff, @sims2packrat likely has backups!)

- Riekus13‘s Tumblr is an absolute must for top-tier cc recolors! I don’t think there’s a cc object in existence that Riekus hasn’t recolored at some point, so their download archive doubles as a cc catalogue in its own right!

- Moxxa is a retired creator who shared many gorgeous converted object sets back in the day. Note that her cc style is mostly modern/contemporary, but maybe you can still find something nice for your elders’ shelves. How about this decorative model plane, for example?

- Someone else you might wanna check out is Beautifulnerdkitty. Like Moxxa, their cc is predominantly modern, but it’s so gorgeous and well done that it’d be a shame not to mention them!

- Pixelry is another member of the ‘gorgeous hq cc that’s not strictly antique but absolutely worth the effort‘ gang. Their original Tumblr got deleted and the link I’ve given only contains a small fraction of all the stuff they’ve shard over the years, so make sure to also check out their Old CC archive and SFS backup folder. (*Note: The Archive is on SimPearls so might require registration).

- Finally, a useful tip: sometimes, the best way to find good clutter is to rip it straight outta the games of other people via lot downloads! ;) I can’t even begin to tell you just how many unique pieces I’ve gotten just by plucking JodelieJodelie’s furnished lots; and you can do the same with any creator whose style you like!

I feel like there’s a ton of creators I’m forgetting to mention, but I believe there’s enough material here to keep you busy for a while. ;) Have fun downloading! ^^

[sofiahahaaa]

HEY NEIGHBOR - Tom Holland x Reader

Description: Reader is new to LA, trying to get her start as a screenwriter. She finds out on her first night in town that she has some famous company in her apartment block, and she never seems to be on the right terms with him.

A/N: So, I had this idea, and I requested it from a writing blog I really like, but I can’t force them to write anything, so I decided… finals are over, I should just write it myself! And this way– I HAVE TOTAL CONTROL. Anyways– I haven’t published any of my writing since my PJO series… which is still incomplete. AHEM. Let’s not talk about it, I don’t have the motivation to finish.

 Alright. So. This is not a writing blog, but I do enjoy writing! So I will do this! For myself! And everyone else who reads, of course. That is to say, it's been a while, but I hope you enjoy!

Warnings:  18+ some cursing, mentions of sex, and a little bit of angst. Fem!Reader, sick hurt/comfort, heavy alcohol use, possessiveness/jealousy. Girlboss reader.

Wordcount: 12.6k

Pt 1. WELCOME

I brushed my hair back as I waited for the front desk to hand me my new keys. My nerves had me picking my hands raw. 

This was it. I was in LA, lo and behold, and I… had no plans. I should’ve made plans.

I bit my lip anxiously, trying to tune out the annoying clicking of someone’s keyboard. Don’t be stressed. It’ll all be okay.  

Finally, the meek man at the front desk popped back up, his wild blue hair flying everywhere. He stuck out his hand awkwardly, key dangling from his dirty fingers.

“Here you go Ms… ms…” He looked positively in pain as he tried to remember my name.

“Y/N is fine. Just, um–” I grabbed the keys and picked up my bag again. “Which unit?”

“Unit– uh– 320.”

“3rd floor?”

“Um– yes. Yeah.”

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Laurence.” I said, glancing at his name tag. The guy was certainly a hot mess. I hoped I didn’t look that way. 

Traffic made the ride from the airport to my new apartment building about an hour long (double the time it should’ve been), and  after a 2-hour plane delay, I was just rushing to make sure I got here in time to meet the moving guys. I hadn’t had a chance to check that I still looked… presentable.

I lugged my carry-on suitcases down the hallway and up the stairs (elevator wasn’t working) until finally, I found my apartment. Man, having to make that walk all the time would not be enjoyable.

I shuffled around in my bag for about a minute trying to find the damn keys, which I couldn’t have possibly lost already– oh, there. 

Finally, with a satisfying clunk, I slid the keys in and unlocked the door, opening it to take in the wonderful smell of… apartment. It was so plain. A fresh start. This was a good sign.

My boxes were already there, complete with a little note. Guess I didn’t make it to meet the moving guys. It was alright, though– everything seemed to be there. And because it was just a one-bedroom, there wasn’t really a ‘wrong’ place to put the boxes.

This, I could work with. I moved around to set my bag down on the counter, taking in my new digs. It was surprisingly nice for how cheap the rent was. Relatively new doors, modern appliances, barely a sign of ceiling stains from water leakage. There had to be something wrong, right?

Just then, I heard a loud crash from next door. Hmm. Maybe that was the issue.

I shrugged it off and started tearing open boxes. It was such a small apartment; I didn’t get why my mom insisted on me hiring moving guys. I told her that if she wanted to keep all my stuff from my old place, she could just hire the moving guys to come to her house. The apartment wasn’t furnished yet, but it wasn’t like I had to keep my old stuff. I liked the idea of starting anew. 

Alas, my mom is the kind of person to always get what she wants, so thus, the moving guys were hired, and now my apartment was already full of stuff, and I had just arrived.

I had only torn open 2 boxes by the time my phone started ringing, lighting up with my mom’s caller ID. I left the stack of books I was trying to organize and picked up the phone. “Heyyy sweetie…”

“Hi mama. What’s up?”

“Well, I figured you were all settled right about now and that I should call you to make sure you’re doing well!”

“Actually, mom, I just landed.”

“What? But your flight was for 11 am!”

“Yeah, but it was delayed from Phoenix.” I paused, holding my scissors between my teeth as I looked for my bedding box.

“No! LAX is such a nightmare– I can’t believe I have to fly through there every time I want to see you.” My mother huffed, hard to read but hopefully in a playful tone. 

“It’s not so bad.” I tried to interject, but she left me with silence. “Okay, so it’s pretty bad. Anyways, I’m just unpacking some stuff before I go out to dinner.”

“Dinner? Do you have plans with someone? Not a date, right?” My mom already sounded worried.

“No, mom. Just me. I mean dinner, like… Chipotle. Not a fancy dinner.”

“Oh, okay. Well, stay safe!”

“I’ll try.” I hung up before she could carry on the call. Seriously, the sun was almost setting and I had barely fixed the apartment.

I had been at it for what seemed like hours, blasting my favorite music and unpacking things at rapid speed. I wasn’t new to unpacking, either. My old job in sales and marketing had me traveling all the time, so I was in and out of my old apartment every other day. It was probably why I could never hold down a relationship. It was sad and lonely, but it paid really well, especially since I was straight out of college. 

Finally, with enough savings, I had decided to pursue my true dream in Hollywood: writing stories that so many people around the world would see. My work, on the big screen.

It was risky. My employer was shocked when I handed in my two weeks; I think because he had basically given me everything I could ever ask for. Sure, I felt bad, but it wasn’t like they relied on me 100%. And I wanted a change, quick.

So here I was, arranging chairs at the countertop and throwing my old throw pillows on my old couch. Shiny new apartment, shiny new city. Exhilarating. 

All of the sudden, I heard a loud knock at my door, sending me out of my unpacking haze. I rushed to the door, straightening out my shirt and trying to hide my sweat stains. Ah shit, my hair.

Whatever: I don’t care if my neighbor sees me like this, it’s going to happen a lot more.

I opened the door wide, immediately shocked with who was on the other side.

“Tom… Holland?” I took a deep breath and blinked hard. I had to be seeing things.

“That would be me.” He smirked a little, straightening his cuff.

“Sorry, are you my neighbor?” Why did Tom Holland live in a moderately priced apartment building– not to mention one that was decently far away from anything significant?

“Well, I do live in the apartment unit right next to yours, so I suppose I would be.” He was being… snarky.

I couldn’t lie, he was attractive– I was a huge fan of Spiderman and, well, how he plays Spiderman, but I’d never expected him to be so… uppity. No, that wasn’t the right word. He wasn’t posh, necessarily. Just had an air about him that made him seem superior to you. I was sure he could be perfectly sweet if given the chance, but with me– he would never get the chance. I’d make sure of it. I’m going to be working with celebrities all the time if my career takes off; so, I have to learn to speak to them– like normal people. Right. Just some practice for the big leagues.

“You suppose?” I said, mocking his accent. He made a face.

“You got me. I’m British,”

“Funny.” I held in an actual laugh, knowing that just a chuckle from me would boost his ego through the roof. “But in all seriousness, is there a reason you came over? I know you are a star and you know, you have such a busy life–”

“Oh, if that’s how it is–” He made like he was going to walk out the door. I bit my lower lip and decided to have some restraint.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m being rude. Why did you choose to grace me with your presence on this fine day?” He turned back to me, resting his arm on my door jamb.

“Well, I know you’re new, but the blasting of music… you gotta keep it down. We have thin walls here, darling.”

I swallowed a gasp when he called me darling. LA is absolutely surreal. “Oh… I see.” I pouted, “You don’t like my taste in music?”

“It’s not the music, love. It’s your singing. It’s like in the shower, except we can hear you. And you don’t have range.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ouch! You think you can do better?” I instantly winced, remembering he had a history on the West End. Stupid.

“I definitely can.” He was still smiling, though– so, no harm, no foul.

I raised my hands up playfully. “Okay, I surrender. I’ll stop singing– but the music is staying on.”

“Actually, I do have a date over right now– so could you turn it down? Or… put in some headphones?”

I could feel my heart beating. A date? So he wasn’t… flirting.

Or maybe he was. Maybe it was a casual thing with his… date. 

“A date? Didn’t know you were dating anyone!”

“Well, it’s not exactly public. We are thinking of moving in together, however, so I suppose you should meet her as well.”

So it was serious. There go my chances. “Any other secret roommates you want to tell me about?”

“Actually, yeah. My brother Sam is living with me right now. He’s quite the chef, so maybe you could come over for supper in the future.”

“I might; I’m not exactly financially equipped for gourmet, so a free dinner is appealing.”

“You’re a funny one. Alright, well–” His apartment door came open, the girl who I assumed was his girlfriend poking her head out the door.

“Babe? Are you coming back to bed?” She whined. Yikes, wouldn’t have taken him to end up with this kind of girl.

“Soon, sweetheart. I’m introducing myself to the new neighbor.” He explained, eyes tired.

She stepped out of the doorway, and thankfully she was dressed. “Hmm,” she moaned lightly. Does his girlfriend always make sex sounds when speaking casually? She was eyeing me up and down, eating me up with her eyes. “She’s pretty,” she said, a hint of jealousy in her eyes. Jealous? Of a girl he just met? “Are you sure she’s not some crazy fan?”

“She’s right there, baby.” Tom reminded her. “And I doubt she’s ‘some crazy fan’. She seemed genuinely surprised that I was her neighbor.”

“Who even is she?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” Tom replied. She shrugged. Seemed like… a brat. “Okay– actually, I don’t remember your name– please tell me I haven’t asked yet.”

“No, you haven’t. My name’s Y/N, uh, L/N.”

“That’s a pretty name,” he said almost without thinking, then immediately looked guiltily at his girlfriend. Apparently, that’s exactly what she was looking for, because she was pouting at him for making that comment. “Um, but– the prettiest of all, the queen of my world right here– her name is Emily.”

“Nice to meet you, Emily.” I stuck out my hand to shake hers, but she neglected to return the shake. I let my hand drop to my side and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “Well then. Tom, Emily, nice to meet you both. I’ll turn down that music for you. We can… catch up soon.”

I dropped back into my apartment, sitting on the floor, defeated. That girl was… toxic– but I couldn’t get involved. It was someone else’s relationship. For now, I would have to focus less on the hot neighbor, and more on the journey ahead of me.

Pt 2. REFERRAL

“Yep. Yep, got it. No, it’s totally fine. Yep. Okay. Bye.” I hung up the phone in frustration. Another rejection. Nobody would hire me with no experience and the wrong degree. All of the work I had done independently was nothing in this kind of industry. I slumped face down onto the floor, my face hitting the cold wood.

“AHHHHHHHHH,” I screamed in frustration. 2 weeks of nothing but rejection and tears. The stress was building up, and my part time job at the Starbucks down the street wasn’t paying the bills. “FUCK!” I screamed again, kicking the ground as hard as I could without hurting myself.

I had been laying there, crying, for a couple minutes, when I heard a knock on my door. I didn’t answer it. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.

“Y/N?” Ugh, it was Tom.

You know, being neighbors with Tom wasn’t all I had hoped it would be. I had barely spoken to him since the night you’d met, save for a couple interactions on the way to get the mail or take out the trash. I’d almost seen his girlfriend more than him, and everytime she saw me she gave me that horrid catty look. She was… the worst, to put it lightly.

Oh, and the sex. No, not with him. Him and… Emily, just going at it. If anything, I guessed Tom was staying with that nightmare because the sex was good. Sometimes the moans coming through the walls were so loud that even my sound-blocking headphones wouldn’t block out that shit. That paired with the sound of the bed hitting the wall made me want to jump off the roof of the building.

Tom went silent, and I sighed, hitting the floor with my forehead again. Then, I heard the door creak open. Before I could sit up to protest, Tom spoke. “You left it unlocked.”

“So you just walked in?”

“Being a friend, I wanted to see what was wrong with you.” He shrugged.

“Gee, thanks. Besides, what makes you think we’re friends?” I shot back, genuinely upset.

Tom mocked being hurt. “What’s wrong with me?”

“I could tell you, but you have to answer my questions first.” 

“Okay, sounds fair.”

“Is your girlfriend going to barge through that door in a second and kill me for speaking to you?” I sat up fully.

“I don’t… think so? She’s away at the moment. And why do you say it like that?” Tom had a small frown scrawled on his face.

“She’s… I’m going to be honest with you, because I honestly couldn’t care less if you hate me. She’s a nightmare. She’s so rude. I can’t believe you’re– actually, I’m not going to finish that sentence.” This time, he seemed genuinely shocked.

“I didn’t realize you felt that way.” I couldn’t decipher whether he was disappointed or just upset with me for being so blunt about it.

“Of course not. We’ve barely spoken.”

“Yeah… yeah. Okay, you said ‘questions’. What are the other ones?” He sat down on my couch, kicking one of his legs over the other in a weird cross.

“Why did you come over?”

“Because you were screaming. It was really loud– and distracting.” He crossed his arms.

“Oh nooo, me losing another job is so devastating to you, oh noooo.” I rolled my eyes.

“Apologies, but did you say… another job?” I was ready to blow up on him right then and there, but I held it back in my throat.

“Been having some trouble getting a job with practically no experience.” I coughed out, blinking away my emotions.

“What do you do?”

“I’m trying to get a job writing for a show or movie… or, anything.”

“I know a lot of writers,” he said, and I interpreted it as him being boisterous.

“Yeah, that’s great news for me.”

“No, no– ugh, I mean, I might be able to connect you to someone, and like, maybe you could assist or something.” He tried to explain.

“Or something.” I hummed.

“Yeah, if you’re interested, I’ll submit your resume to some of my colleagues. I’m sure they won’t mind taking a look.”

“Why are you doing this?” I was surprised by his sudden interest in helping me.

“Don’t want you to keep crying.”

“That’s… sweet.” He held up a wary hand.

“Because it’s loud, and I am trying to get some rest.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Will you please keep it down?”

“Yep. Sureee. No problem.” I slumped my shoulders again.

Without another word, he had left my apartment, leaving me with the most confusing rollercoaster of emotions waiting to come crashing in. I had almost forgotten I was suppressing them. I just took myself to my bed to cry softly, making sure to not disturb him. Life is messy. What is wrong with me? Why do I have to rely on my stupid hot actor neighbor to get a job? And… why am I crying?

I hope he can’t hear me. Wouldn’t want that to interrupt his wonderful sex life.

Pt 2. Alternative: Tom’s POV

I had been trying to find an excuse to talk to the new girl for so long, it was really wearing on me. I felt like every time I intentionally ran into her, she was in a rush to leave, even though she was always in her apartment. She literally only left for work, and that was less than half the day; so why did she avoid me?

I knew Emily hadn’t exactly made the best impression on her, but she was just intimidated by the new, pretty face in town. I had been really impressed by how she was able to keep up banter with me without shaking. It was so refreshing.

And now she wouldn’t talk to me. 

I hadn’t even gotten her number– I mean, we did live next to each other– but I never got the chance to invite her over to dinner with Sam. I didn’t even know if she’d be interested.

So, when I heard her cry out like she was in pain at 10pm, I had to check it out. I was dying to at least have a conversation with her.

When I walked in, she just looked so defeated. I felt really bad. I had to fix it, right?

She just… made it so hard to be nice. I knew it was all fun and games, but this was dangerous. What happens when I cross a line? We weren’t close enough for me to know where that line is.

So there I was, stepping in and out. And that’s when I hear that she is trying to be a writer. I don’t tell her, because I don’t want to get her hopes up, but there’s a writer’s position open on the next project I’m working on, and it’s a big one. It would look great on her resume.

So I mention it, act like I’m being a decent person, and leave before I get ahead of myself and start spewing nonsense about wanting to be her best friend in the whole wide world. Finally in my apartment, I danced around the room erratically, so crazy happy that I had a conversation with her, despite it being… neutral, to say the least.

When I finally settle down into bed, resting comfortably, I hear quiet sobs coming from the other side of the wall. It takes me a second to remember that Emily isn’t here; her crying was a regular occurence. It’s Y/N who’s crying. I take a second to listen, hearing that she doesn’t stop, she just keeps sobbing quietly. I hear a soft thud, and muffled sniffle.

“Fuck.” She says softly. Then she starts crying again.

Wow. Did I… make her cry? 

But– I tried my best to be nice, and I practically opened up her future to success in one conversation! Way to be grateful.

I should be nicer. It was probably something I said. Or something Emily said. She just doesn’t know how to control herself sometimes. I’d leave her– but the sex is magical.

I was bordering on wanting to have her move in and wanting to break up with her entirely, and it stabbed at my nerves every time I went to bed with her. I felt guilty. I can’t keep my life so unstable with a woman I can’t see myself with in the future. But… at the same time, she’s… my cure to loneliness.

What to do, what to do.

And how to sleep, since Y/N won’t stop crying? Not that it’s that loud, but I can’t sleep knowing I’ve caused her that much pain.

Finally, the crying subsides, and I hear light snores. So she’s sleeping. That’s good.

Pt 3. BREAKFAST

I climbed out of bed the next morning feeling weak, like I had a hangover. My mouth was dry and my face was red, but there was no alcohol involved. In fact, I remembered everything vividly.

I had to push it down. If Tom had done what he’d promised, there would be an offer on the table… or, a rejection. So I just had to wait. I decided I would treat myself after finding a spare 20 in my coat pocket, heading to town to grab a bite of breakfast to eat. As I walked into the Rising Sun Eatery, however, it seemed that… someone else… had the same idea as I did.

Tom and Emily were sitting at a table at the far back of the restaurant, Tom hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses and a hood. It didn’t matter, though. I recognized Emily clear as day with her platinum blond locks that reached her backside, and her flashy pink talons, which I liked to imagine were a reflection of her true personality. It looked like Sam was also there, currently engrossed in his phone.

Immediately, I shrunk down, asking for a table outside. Emily wouldn’t see me anyways, she was facing the other way. I was just on my way to be seated when, unexpectedly, someone yelled my name. I swiveled around, scanning the room for anyone else who could’ve said it. Some people were looking around for the cause of the commotion, but no possible perpetrators, except for– well, Tom, who was waving his hand over for me to join them.

I felt like I was obliged to join after that, so I apologized to the hostess and awkwardly made my way over to their table. “Hi… guys.”

“Y/N! This is my brother, Sam– he’s in town for the next two months or so while I get a start on this new project– he’s my, uh, personal chef and brother!”

“Hi Sam, pleasure to meet you,” I stuck out my hand, and he thankfully shook it, smiling at me kindly. He seemed a little meeker than Tom, perhaps– a spray of freckles and a shyer smile.

“Pleasure is all mine,” He replied, beckoning for me to take the seat across from him, which, naturally, was next to Emily. She smiled, poison dripping from those glossed lips.

“Y/N, right?”

“Emily, dear, don’t be silly. You’ve met Y/N, several times I believe.”

“Oh, yes, how could I forget? The pretty one next door.”

“Thanks Emily. I don’t mean to intrude on you guy’s brunch, so I’ll just head out if that’s alright.”

Tom bit his lip uncomfortably. It was hard for me to figure out whether he did that because he wanted me gone or because he wanted me to stay. I mean, he did call me over, so it would be weird if he wanted me gone– but perhaps he had a lapse in judgment and had only now remembered that his girlfriend hated me with a burning passion.

Sam, oblivious to this whole affair, put away his phone. “Nonsense, Y/N, I would love to get to know you! We’ve been neighbors for so long and I haven’t even had you over for dinner!”

“Oh, that’s alright. I’ve got a busy schedule, anyways.” You saw Tom quirk his eyebrow at you and you sent him a challenging look right back. What gave him the right to judge you for not leaving the apartment?

“Still, I’d love to have you. How’s Friday night sound?”

“Uh…”

“But Sammy, I won’t be avail Friday night!” squealed Emily. I lifted my head.

“Friday? Friday sounds great.”

“I’ll be there too,” Tom added. I almost immediately regretted my choice, looking away from Tom’s penetrating gaze.

Emily was still pouting, but I liked seeing her so upset. Almost made up for how mean she was.

The waiter dropped by with their dishes, noticing me at the table. “Oh, pardon miss, I didn’t realize you were seated here as well! Do you have an order?”

“Um, no. I’m alright.”

“What? Y/N, it’s lovely here. Order something.” Tom insisted.

“I don’t want to spend your money on my food. That wouldn’t be right.”

“I do it all the time for Ems here; it’s not a big deal.” I tried to ignore his comment about Emily always letting him take the check and just shook my head.

“No, that’s okay.”

“Okay then. Everything alright with everyone else?”

“Delightful, absolutely delightful.” Tom hummed as he took another bite of his pancakes.

Sam looked at me with sad eyes. “If you won’t spend Tom’s money, will you at least have some of my omelette? I promise I don’t mind.”

Knowing he wouldn’t give up, I surrendered. “Sure, I’ll have a couple bites.” Emily huffed, rolling her yes, and I tried to ignore it. Sam forked over almost half his dish before I had to stop him, “Whoa, not the whole thing! You still have to eat.”

“You’re too kind, but ever since I got into culinary school, all I’ve been doing is eating. I’ll be fine.”

I took a tentative bite of the omelet, then a bigger one. Wow. “Um, this is really good.”

“Heavenly, right?”

“Yeah… no kidding–”

“Just between you and me, my omelet is better. But this will serve.”

“I guess I’ll just have to try yours,” I shrugged, and Sam smiled.

“Finally! You’re in a good mood!”

“I was before!” I protested.

“You were not!” Sam chuckled, wiping egg off his lip. “I really like you, Y/N. You seem very kind.”

“And you seem very wise.” I joked back, finally laughing. You saw out of the corner of your eye that Tom was leaning back in his chair, furiously typing something. You ignored it, focusing on conversing with Sam, who was quite a racket.

“Hmph,” Emily whined softly. Nobody paid her any mind, so she did it again, but louder. When everyone ignored her again, she spoke up. “Tommykins, who’re you talking to?”

“It’s work stuff,” He said, brushing her off, still totally engrossed in whatever he was typing.

“Tommy, what kind?”

“What?”

“What kind of ‘work stuff’? Why are you so worked up, babes?” She said in a cutesy high voice, making me wanna stick a hand down her throat.

“It’s nothing. You’re never interested in whatever I’m working on, you won’t be interested in it now.”

“Tommykinsss,” Emily dragged out, finally making a grab at Tom’s phone. He snatched it back, and she made another grab, this time looking serious. “Tom. What the fuck? What are you working on you little asshole? Huh? You can’t keep secrets from me, I’m your one and only. Hand over the phone.” Tom looked like he was in pain, but he submitted to her, handing it over.

I gave him a concerned look, but quickly changed it to disgusted. I can’t believe he just lets her walk all over him like that.

“What. The fuck. Is this?” Emily cocked her head, holding out his phone. I couldn’t read it from my spot but it looked like an email.

“Ems, it’s an email dear. Just a little referral. Networking.”

“Yeah? Just a little ‘referral’. Why does it say ‘Cherry’?

“It’s my next project, love.”

“Yeah, duh. But why does it say Cherry and her name?” Emily hissed. Tom swallowed, red rising in his cheeks. He was so hard to read. Was he angry, embarrassed? She was obviously causing a scene, and making me very uncomfortable.

Sam raised his hands up defensively. “Who’s name?”

“It says here. ‘Addressed: Joe and Anthony Russo and the writing team. During the current production stage of Cherry, I would like to make a referral to a new friend of mine who is new to the scene in LA. Below is listed her resume, credentials, and information. Please consider having her added to the team, as I feel she could be an interesting added perspective.’ And below that, name of referral.”

“Yeah?” Sam pushed.

“Y/N L/N.”

“What?” I said, eyes wide.

“Yes, you little boyfriend-stealing bitch, he referred you to his new team. Which he’ll be working with for the next year. So, he wants to spend time with you for a year, huh?”

“No– I don’t think that was it, I just am really struggling– and he, um, probably just felt bad.”

“Yeah,” Sam piped up, “as a member of the writing team, Y/N isn’t going to be working that closely with Tom at all. It probably isn’t as it seems.”

“Tom?” Emily asked accusingly. He looked defeated, his eyes holding her with regret.

“I referred her to them because I believe she would be a good fit.”

“How do you even know that?” Emily pestered. How does he know that?

“I read one of her scripts. She’s a talent.” Tom explained, but sadness laced his voice. He read my script? Why?

“I’m not putting up with your womanizing shit, Tom. It’s me or her.”

“What? Emily, that’s so unreasonable.”

“You heard me. Either you retract your statements of recommendation and bar her from working on this project with you, or I leave you.”

“But… this is her livelihood. It’s her job. I can’t just take that away because you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous! I’m being perfectly reasonable about my boyfriend prioritizing me over some– some crazy bitch!” Emily exploded, getting up from the table. “You have 24 hours to decide.” She stormed out of the restaurant, drawing eyes to the table.

“What the fuck?!” Tom said, to nobody in particular. I held my head in my hands, ready to cry.

Sam looked so taken aback; he just patted my arm in sympathy and watched her leave. “Tom, there are too many people watching. We should leave before the paparazzi arrive.” Tom was shaking his head in bewilderment.

“Okay. Y/N, need a ride?”

“No thanks.” I let them leave and then started my lonely walk home.

I wished this had never happened. Why did I have to leave my cozy suburban finance job for the big city? Why did my dreams have to revolve on everyone around me being sane?

Pt 4. CHOICES

This chapter is written from Tom’s perspective. In the future, chapters will start being shorter and switching between the two a lot. I hope this is not too confusing.

When we got back to the apartment, I was still in shock. Sam had been rattling off on me the whole ride down about how I was a bloody idiot for trying to make things with Emily work.

“Tom, seriously. What was that? She’s mental, talking to you that way– giving you an ultimatum. You know what the right choice is.” Sam declared.

“Do I? We were so serious about moving in together. We had a future.” I said, hope still lingering somewhere in the distance.

“Key word: had. And besides, things change. Or, in her case, they don’t. Don’t lie, she’s been like this forever. You can’t have a girlfriend who’s a jealous mess over any girl that you come across! You're adored by millions, it’s in the boyfriend application.”

“Sam, don’t talk about her like we aren’t together.” He was being so… frustratingly off it. He’s my brother, he shouldn’t take a side. He should support whichever side I take.

“As far as I’m concerned, you aren’t. Not like this. Don’t be a prick. Y/N is bloody brilliant. She’s so sweet and… genuine. Nothing like Emily. If anything, you should be dating her.” That did it.

“Sam, will you fucking SHUT UP about dating– for another 24 hours, I am with Emily. And, who knows. Maybe after that. Just– fuck– don’t mention Y/N. I feel guilty enough.”

Sam groaned. “You never learn.”

“Pipe down, too, okay? She can hear us.” I added. Sam rolled his eyes, leaving the room with his middle finger right up. 

“Fuck right off, mate. If you don’t stand up to Emily, I’m gonna release your phone number to the masses. Bite that one off.”

I sighed loudly, crashing onto the bed. Why, why, why.

Pt 5. OPPORTUNITIES

I sat alone in my living room, wondering why on earth life had me collide like this. I was just hitting wall after wall. A week since Emily had started that huge scene, a week since I’d spoken to Tom. Not a text. Not even in the hallway. It was so quiet, I almost thought he’d moved out. Until I heard the noises. Those god-awful sex noises.

So they were back together. Right on– and I had no job. Again. I couldn’t believe Tom, betraying me to… stay in that nightmare situation. God has no mercy on me– and I am going to go homeless by the end of next month. Maybe mom would let me move in with her again.

I rubbed my hands across my face, holding back a loud cry that I wanted to let out. I knew Tom was home. He made a racket coming in. It was so late at night… why? Why was he disturbing the peace so late at night?

I opened my phone again, surprised to see there were text messages. And they weren’t from my mom. 

Unknown Number

Hi, this is sam. ~9:46am

Please get back to me ~12:04pm

Can we meet up for dinner? ~3:57pm

Okay I don’t know if you aren’t seeing these or if you’re ignoring them but we need to talk. ~8:12pm

Hi– I didn’t see them. We can call, or you can come over. ~12:02am

I’ll come over. ~ now

You opened the door to Sam’s light knock and saw him looking kind of ghastly.

“Hey Sam, what’s up? What’s… is something wrong?”

“Uh, Tom doesn’t know I’m here. So if we could… is there a place where he can’t hear us?” Sam asked, looking around anxiously.

“Um, not really. But we can be quiet. What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been really sick these last couple days, and usually Tom helps me get better when mom’s not around; like with soups and stuff, but I don’t know what’s going on with him. He hasn’t been around at all. I collapsed next to the sink when I went to… the restroom,” he flushed.

“It’s okay, we all do that.”

“And I, um, I was crying for him to come… and he never did. He showed up so late, that I had already made it back to my bed, and when he saw that I had really badly cleaned up my, uh, vomit, he just got really angry at me and hasn’t spoken to me since. He was so drunk, and… and, I know I’m such a big baby for needing him to take care of me, but I’m really sick and I just… hic! … need my brother.” I felt a surge of panic and sympathy towards Sam, so despite his kind-of stained clothing, I pulled him into a tight hug and held him there. He let out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, buddy. He has no right to treat you that way– everyone gets a little helpless when sick. You can stay over here until you’re better, I don’t trust you alone over there, what with Tom acting the way he is.”

“I’m sorry ms. Y/N. I’m… hic! … so sorry,”

“Don’t be. You’re fine, bud. Just relax and I’ll get you settled on my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

“You don’t have to! It’s okay…”

“In the words of someone very wise, ‘nonsense, you must stay!’ Trust me buddy, you’ll be better in no time with doctor Y/N on the case.”

He smiled weakly and allowed me to lead him to the bed, instantly snuggling up under the covers. “I can’t sleep,” He muttered softly, and I sat up next to him.

“That’s okay. I’ll stay until you do.”

“Don’t you want to ask me about Tom?”

“And why would I want to do that?” That was exactly what you wanted to do, but you couldn’t, because your priority was keeping Sam safe.

“Because he’s being weird and you barely know why.”

“Okay, you got me. I do want to know. What happened?”

“He sent in the offer anyway. Broke it off with Emily. She took everything the first day, told him it didn’t matter; she never liked him, she was cheating, and left. She literally hasn’t said anything since. He was so bummed, naturally, because that was super hurtful. But he knew he had to do it.”

“So he’s gone out drinking to what? Pick up chicks? Rebound?”

“That, and he never heard back from them about your referral. They’re not working closely yet, so it’s purely digital contact, and he’s done all he can to get you the job. And radio silence from them.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know how to react. He… he put himself forward for me when I thought he’d abandoned me… and he’d still lost everything. He didn’t even have the satisfaction of knowing he did a good thing; knowing that I had a job now. This was because of me and my shitty writing. I made him hurt, with my shitty writing and my shitty experience and my shitty communication with his crazy ex. He probably hated me so much for tearing his life apart. Tearing him away from a girl he could've loved for forever.

I was the mistake.

“Y/N, why are you crying?”

“‘M not. You’re seeing things.”

“Y/N, it’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, it is. It’s my fault, and now Tom hates me. And he's drunk. And he yelled at you!”

“I yelled at him first.”

“For what?”

“When she gave him that ultimatum, I told him to shove it up his arse and just cut her off. I said… a lot of things, actually. And I got really mad at him. Called him some names.

“Oh, Sam…”

“I had only met you but I knew you were some kind of national treasure. I wasn’t going to let my idiot brother choose his lunatic girlfriend over you getting a job of a lifetime.”

“But I didn’t get the job.”

“They haven’t rejected you yet, Y/N.”

“But haven’t they? It seems like a sign. I should move back to the suburbs, start a family with some unassuming upper-middle class gentleman, and forever work in finance or as a housewife.”

“Since Tom said they were good, I went and read the scripts you wrote. They really are good, you have talent. You’re meant to be a writer, Y/N, and no one can take that away. This is just a speed bump. You have great things ahead.”

“Thank you… Sam, for the speech. You’re probably right. I can get through this. But, can Tom?” I waited for Sam to say something ridiculously optimistic, but then I saw he had fallen asleep, a small bit of drool leaving his mouth. I tucked him in tightly, then hopped off the bed to rest on the couch.

We’d talk tomorrow.

Pt 6. SICKENING

This chapter is written from Tom’s POV.

When I woke up, my mind still felt hazy with the memory of the night before. I felt the edges of my thoughts tickling my head, making me dizzy.

God, I hadn’t had a hangover this bad since Haz’s 20th birthday.

I felt instantly as if I was going to throw up, so I stopped trying to lift myself up and just breathed. 

I knew I had brought a girl home last night… Shay? Ray? I didn’t remember at all. She wasn’t there, but I had to tread lightly in case she was in the main room. Sam would probably be bothered if there was a strange woman while he was trying to prepare breakfast, if he was even doing that since I went off on him.

I hadn’t really spoken to him lately, but I’ve been busy– not that there are any pressing projects or filming, but I’ve had meetings here and there. He was sick, but he just kept leaving stuff everywhere! I mean, I’m a busy man. I don’t have time to take care of his sorry ass when he gets a little fever.

I finally cleared the spots in my eyes enough to lift myself out of bed, taking a stroll to the main room. Oh, she was gone. Thank god. I hated having to put up with the girls who didn’t understand this was a one time thing.

Just to clarify, I’m not usually a… one-night kind of person. But I’ve been bloody miserable since Emily left, and a man has needs. LA is the kind of place where I can get my needs fulfilled.

I checked my phone for messages. I still  felt a twang of sadness when I saw no notifications from Emily, but… it had to happen.

Or maybe it didn’t. Clearly, the Russo’s didn’t care much for Y/N’s writing, despite me thinking it was amazing. And Y/N hadn’t spoken to me either, so I had just lost twice. Three times? I was too bogged to count.

Seeing as Sam wasn’t up yet to cook, I might as well take him to breakfast on the town again. He’s been wanting to try this place near the pier that has weird crepe flavors. Maybe I’d humor him.

I knocked on his door loudly, “Sam? In the mood for a bit of a walk?”

No answer. Hmm. Well, it was my apartment. I opened the door, which, to my surprise, was unlocked, and peered through. He wasn’t… there.

That’s weird. He usually texts me if he’s going out someplace.

I open up my phone again to see if I missed anything. Huh. Nothing since… yesterday? Asking me to buy him Nyquil. So he was still sick? He really shouldn’t be out and about, then.

Sam, where r u? ~ 9:17am

Can u respond pls, trying to make brunch reservations. ~ 9:22am

Are u coming? ~ 9:23am

Sam. ~ 9:46am

Hello? Are u dead? ~ 10:12am

I was honestly shocked. What the hell had gotten into him? Immediately, I dialed up mum, wondering if she knew. “Mum, do you know what’s gone on with Sam?”

“Sammy? He is alright, isn’t he?”

“Well, I can’t find him and he isn’t responding to my texts, so ‘alright’ doesn’t cover it about now.” I said, now slightly panicked.

“Hmm. I did get a call from him the other day. He seemed sad. Are you treating him well, sweetheart?”

“I am housing and feeding him, no?” I sighed. “Okay, just, tell me what he told you on the call.”

“Well, he expressed the feeling that he wanted to return to England. I don’t think he was having a very good time. He also seemed sick, so I told him that if he had to come home, at least get better first.”

“He wanted to go home?”

“That’s what he said,” my mom seemed perplexed at how I was acting. “Why, is it the first you’ve heard of it?”

“Actually, yes. It is. If you don’t mind, mum, I gotta go. Don’t put out a missing persons report for another 24 hours, alright?” “‘Course, sweetie. Well, if you do find him, tell him to call me. Alright. Bye, love.”

I hung up, sweat beading on my forehead. Holy fuck. Sam ran away. God, what a childish move. 

And before you go thinking I’m a bad person– of course I was worried! But sometimes you have to put logic first, and in this case, my logic says: Sam’s gone and lost his marbles.

I mean, where would he be? He’s not exactly stacked with cash, and LA hotels are not cheap. There’s no way Emily would allow him in her apartment; not that he’d want that. Hmm. He was sick, so maybe he took a visit to the doctors? There is a 24 hour clinic close by that he could’ve walked to.

I didn’t really think he was so sick that a clinic would be necessary, but knowing it was a possibility sunk into me coldly.

So I rushed to the hospital and asked them to look for records of Sam visiting.

“Sir, it does look like we have Sam Holland in our records from today, around 8 am. He’s since left, though.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I’m afraid we are not allowed to disclose any personal details of any of our patients.”

“I’m his brother, for fucks sake!” I had lost it at this lady. Who did she think she was? “Fine. Just tell me: did he come in alone?”

She looked taken aback at how I had just blown up on her, but she quickly composed herself and pursed her lips. “I really shouldn’t be telling you anything.”

“Please, please– just tell me who he was with, if– just tell me!” I was on the verge of tears. Angry and sad and guilty ones. My face stung with emotion.

“I believe it was a girl. Same age.” That was an awful description if I’ve ever seen one.

“Anything else? Hair color, eye color?”

“I don’t recall. In any case, that would be too much information to give someone,” she paused, scrutinizing me. “Even you, Mr. Holland.”

‘Ugh. Whatever,” I said, leaving the hospital. I refused to believe that Sam was actually hurt, but where on earth could he be? What girls did he know? I was fairly certain he didn’t have a girlfriend, and as far as I knew, he wasn’t too close to anyone from his work. Who would know where he is?

In a last ditch attempt, I doubled back from my apartment door. I locked eyes on the one next to it. I remembered Y/N and Sam had gotten along quite well at that disastrous brunch… and he had later defended her, even against me.

He probably wouldn’t be with Y/N, but it was worth it to ask.

Was it?

Ugh, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to her. I had let her down, let myself down, and worst of all, she probably hates me. 

But I had to, for Sam.

I knocked twice, then stepped back, holding my breath expectantly.

I heard a weird shuffle going on in the apartment, a small yelp, and the sound of a large object falling.

She opened the door, looking fresh out of a magazine. How did she manage to look good on mornings like these?

Then again, she hadn’t gone through the hell I’d been through.

“Sorry, I fell off my chair,” She explained, finally looking me in the eye. I could see her eyebrow tweak downwards, and I already knew I had upset her.

“My apologies– I didn’t mean to, uh, startle you.”

“Um. Okay,” she started, her line of sight trailing her right. I swallowed, and she snapped back to focus. “Sorry, is there a reason you’re here?”

“My brother, Sam. I can’t find him and he’s not answering his texts.”

“Ah,” She nodded slowly.

“Do you know where he is?”

“Can’t say I do.”

“I really, really need to find him. Please, do you have any idea where he might be?”

She looked deep in thought, her hands fumbling around together. “I might not, but I think that if he went to these lengths to avoid you– sorry, to escape you– I think he probably just wants to be left alone.” Her face was right below mine, but she was not small. She was almost frightening. 

“And how would you know anything about what HE wants?” I yelled, finally letting the walls crash down.

“I’m just saying– I don’t think it’s a smart idea for you to pursue this; I’m sure he’s safe.”

“You don’t know that. I’m his brother, I need to take care of him and I said I would and I was doing just fine and I’ve fucked up and he’s gone.” I cried, holding the collar of her shirt in my hands. She was shrinking. Oh no. She was scared of me.

“Please, Tom– let– Tom, let go I can’t–” I instantly released her, tears in my eyes.

“I’m sorry,”

“Tom, what the hell? Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m– I’m not, I promise. I’m so sorry. Please just help me find him. Please help me find my brother.”

“I don’t think that it’s the smartest idea, Tom–”

“Please! What– what if he got kidnapped, or hurt, or– I mean, I don’t know! He was in the hospital, they told me! And I don’t– what if something’s really wrong?”

“He’s fine, Tom. He’s fine.”

“How would you know–” I was cut off by the sound of another person in the apartment. “Do you have someone over?” Something in my brain starts throbbing, rage filling my senses.

Y/N winces. “Not really.”

“Not really? What does that even mean?!” I feel helpless. In so many ways.

“I can’t– Tom, no. I can’t.” She moved to go back inside the apartment, but I held her arm tightly. “Tom, ow! What the hell? Stop–” Apparently, too tightly. Then the door opens all the way. It’s Sam.

“Tom, what the hell are you doing to her?” I release her arm and panic rises in my chest.

“What– what is going on?” I ask demandingly. Sam looks livid. Is he mad at me? And why is he not wearing a shirt? What the hell is going on between them?

“You shouldn’t be here.” Sam says coldly. I notice he still looks ill; his nose is reddish and his skin is really pale. Y/N is holding her arm and wiping away a tear. What have I done?

“Are… are you guys together?” I say, my heart beating really fast. They did hit it off at brunch. Maybe a little too much.

But then, Sam shakes his head. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you.” He’s scowling. At me. “I came over because I have no friends in this shithole, and when I was relying on you to take care of me while I was sick, you left for the bars.” Sam was still so angry.

“Yeah, and unlike you, I cared about your brother enough to take him to the doctor to get checked out. He has a minor case of the flu, paired with pneumonia. Didn’t know that, did you?” Oh god, and Y/N too.

“I really didn’t mean to. I’m just very overwhelmed right now.”

“So overwhelmed, yet you can still bring home girls? It’s not like you, Tom. I’m staying here until you fix whatever is going on.” Sam spat, placing a solid hand on Y/N’s shoulder.

They went back inside, and I heard the click of the lock almost immediately. How did this happen?

Pt 7. NEWBIE

“Hi Sammy,” I called as I got home from work. Since the devastatingly slow pace of my writing career, I had taken up being a contracted marketing advisor to some small companies. It paid, but not as well as I would’ve liked. Still, Sam was working on his degree and had two part-time jobs on the side, so he was finally helping pay rent, and the load taken off of my back was huge.

In the month and a half since he stopped living with Tom, he had permanently moved in and I had rearranged the already cramped living room to fit a futon/bed for him. He bought a cute little divider so he had his privacy in the early mornings, but besides that, we pretty much shared the same space.

Tom hadn’t texted me at all. I didn’t know what had gotten into him, but I knew he needed to sort it out on his own. Besides, I knew deeply that he was probably hurt from how I had caused his breakup, and nothing would change that. I was a failure, and I had dragged Tom down with me.

“Hi, Y/N. I prepared dinner for you. It’s sitting on the counter, but I need to go to the bathroom real quick.”

“Thank you so, so much. Man, I’m starved. Work was a nightmare today.”

“You can tell me all about it,” he bounced up and down on his heels, “once I pee! Eek!” I laughed and settled down at the table, where I found he had prepared the exact dish I said I had been craving! He really seared the Korean beef to a perfection for an amateur, and the sauce was the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.

“Do you like it?” He said as he left the bathroom, beaming at me.

“Yes! It’s perfect. You should make it more often.”

“I think I will– believe it or not, it only took me like 10 minutes to cook, not counting how long the sauce had to sit.”

“Awesome. Alright, so how was your day?”

“It was lovely! So, you won’t believe it, but I think…” I continued to gobble up the dish as Sam rattled on and on about his day, which sounded super chill in comparison to mine. He was one of those people that really liked the praise of other people, and everytime I smiled at one of his jokes, or mentioned something that he had said to me in passing, he would just light up. I was always taking mental notes to keep him on his toes. And happy, most of all.

Just as I was going to fish out my phone to take a picture of the sun setting behind the Commerce Tech building, loud rock music started blaring. I looked around the apartment for my speaker, wondering if I had accidentally turned it on, but Sam had it already and it was off.

“Do you think it’s Tom?” I asked him.

“WHAT?” Oh, he couldn’t hear me.

“I SAID, DO YOU THINK TOM IS PLAYING THE MUSIC?”

“NO, I DON’T THINK SO– IT’S COMING FROM THE OTHER WALL.”

“ACROSS THE HALL?”

“NO, OTHER WALL!” He pointed towards the wall that faced him and I nodded my head.

“I’M GOING TO GO OVER AND ASK THEM TO QUIET DOWN.”

“OKAY!” My head was ringing with the loud percussive noises. Jesus, did these people know they lived in an apartment?

I had just made it to the door that was sourcing me with enough decibels to break a wine glass, when I stopped in my tracks. Damnit.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said tersely, his chest heaving with a breath.

“Hi. I was, um, just going to–”

“File a noise complaint with the new neighbors? Yeah, me too.”

“They’re new?”

“Yep. Big douchey bachelor dude. Came knocking on my door the first night he arrived asking if I had a spare beer.”

“You did, didn’t you?” I knew he was still getting drunk on occasion– I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.

“Well, yeah, but you don’t just go on asking a man for his beer.”

“Are you going to knock or what?”

“Um, yeah. I’ll knock,” Tom stood back as he waited for their response.

“So, not a good impression of him?”

“No, not anything like yours,” Tom said offhandedly, but I caught it. 

In the past month or so, I’d had lots of time to mull over some things– like how the last time I spoke to Tom, Sam had said that we weren’t a thing, and then said ‘I wouldn’t do that to you’. I knew, of course, that this implies Tom had a thing for me, or something similar. But if that was the case… Why did he treat me so poorly? And why had he made so little effort to make it better?

“I seem to remember our first meeting was a little less orthodox than most. And that it quickly turned… unenjoyable.”

“If we pretend Emily was never there, it was pretty decent.”

“I can’t pretend she doesn’t exist.”

“Why not? I do.” I went silent. He wasn’t happy, I could tell. It pained him, maybe, to see me.

“How has he still not answered the door?” I asked, exasperated.

“Well, as you well know, I’m not a stranger to just opening it anyways.”

“Oh, I do recall that quite vividly. You are… strange.” 

“Whatever.” That seemed to have struck a chord with him, so I kept it in my mental no-no’s box. He went to open the door, revealing the inside of the new tenants apartment to be… horrendous.

There were about 50 people in this tiny-ass studio, all laughing and throwing shots, and none of them seemed to care at all that they were causing quite the cacophony.

“Yo, is that Tom Holland?” One of the drunk party goers shouted, and Tom immediately ducked his face down.

“Nah bro, you’re so high right now! Tom Holland doesn’t go to parties with us.. Heh,” his equally-drunk friend responded, clapping his hands really loudly. Tom rolled his eyes.

“What, are you what they say you are? Do you not enjoy parties?”

“Not these kinds of parties, Y/N. Come on, let’s get the idiot who owns this place to keep it down.” Tom grabbed me by the wrist, which sent me back to the last time he had done that. I shook my head and tried to wash out the discomfort, and even though I didn’t see him look, he still loosened his grip as he led me through the crowd.

“Alright, party people! Is this the best house warming party or what, Double G style?” A beer-bellied man with a fizzing bottle of beer in one hand and a girl on the other yelled out to the crowd. 

“Wow, Mr. G, this place is popping– the deposit must have been cray!” One of his scummy friends said, right before slapping his girl on the thigh.

“Wow. This is revolting.” Tom said, shaking his head.

“Yeah. I’m beginning to see why you don’t like these kinds of parties. I, myself, don’t enjoy being sexually assaulted– and I doubt she does.”

“These people aren’t exactly classy. They don’t care about how she should be treated. Let’s just get out of here.”

“So, Mr. Good Guy, you treat women with the utmost respect?”

“That’s how I was raised, darling.” Darling. Tom never stopped, did he? We had finally made it to Double G, and he was currently eyeing me up and down like a toy.

I snapped my fingers in his face. “Hey, eyes up here. I’m your new neighbor, and I’d like to request you keep it down.  We have thin walls, you know.” Tom raised his eyebrow.

“That’s my line,” He whispered in my ear.

Ignoring you, he faced Tom. “So what, she your broad?”

“Sorry, broad?” I asked incredulously. What was this, the 1950’s?

“She’s a woman, an independent one, and her being ‘mine’ is frankly revolting.”

“Okay, I see you’re into this ‘politically correct’ stuff, yeah? I mean, is she your girl? Because if she is, tell her she should really be dressin’ it up. She’s like a 2 dressed like this, but showing a little more skin? I’d tap that.” Tom made a face.

“It doesn’t matter. Turn the volume down, or we get an official sound violation set up.”

“Bro, what’s your damage? Just quit tryna stop the party and wear headphones or something!”

“It’s shaking the walls, mate. Just turn it down.”

“You’re really getting on my nerves, neighbor. I’ll turn it down, on one condition.”

“What?”

“You let me feel up that girl of yours.”

“What? Hell no.” Tom said before I could step in.

“Then no deal, homie.”

“Turn it down, or you’re getting in legal trouble.”

“Whatever, dude! Get out of here!” One of ‘double G’s’ friends said, splashing their beer at Tom. Tom stepped back reflexively, and it hit another girl right in the chest. She started hollering, immediately rushing forward at the dude, slapping him. She threw something, which in turn caused someone else to throw something, until pretty much everyone was fighting each other.

“Jesus, Y/N, let’s get out of here.”

“I’ve never agreed with you more,” I replied as we squeezed by to leave. As we stepped into the hallway, Tom held up his hand to stop me from saying anything.

“I don’t wanna waste any more of your time. I’m going to leave– just don’t bring this up with Sam, okay?”

“I was just going to thank you for standing up for me back there,” I said sheepishly, watching his eyes droop.

“Look, it’s nothing. And sorry for letting them believe I was your boyfriend or… whatever.”

“Again, it’s fine. I’m thanking you.”

“You shouldn’t,” he sighed, turning his head away so I couldn’t look him in the eyes. His lips tightened. “I’ll be on my way.” I didn’t know what to do, so I let him leave. The music had shut off completely, which made me think someone had broken the speaker. Thank god.

With that, I headed into the apartment to try and sleep.

Key word: try.

“Hey, Y/N, wait–” Sam said before I entered my room. 

“Yeah, Sam?”

“I um… didn’t mean to overhear your conversation with Tom outside but–”

“You heard that? Oh, man. Um–”

“No, I’m not gonna ask you about it– I mean, I am, but you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

“Do you… have feelings for Tom?”

“Well, no. I mean, I don’t think so.” I bit my lip. I really didn’t think I had feelings for Tom– I mean, I spent a lot of time thinking about him, but it was mainly to worry about him not liking me. Sam met my eyes and narrowed his.

“Okay. Yeah,” Sam looked down. “Are you totally… sure?”

“Maybe? Oh god, please don’t make me have a crisis right now.”

“I’m sorry– I shouldn’t have asked, it was out of place.”

“No, it’s fine. There’s no harm in that question. I just don’t dwell too much on it. I haven’t had a relationship in forever, and now that I’m kind of settled– it might be a good idea.” I smiled at him. “So, if anything, I thank you for reminding me.” Sam let out a chuckle.

“You don’t let anything get to you, huh? How do you do that?”

“I let things get to me, I promise. I just… don’t show it as externally so others realize.” I let out a tight smile, but my eyes were sad.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck, not looking at me. “I hope you feel better, then.”

“I hope so too,” I laughed sadly, blinking a lonely tear away.

“Okay, goodnight, Y/N.” He hesitated, then looked me in the eyes and held out his arms to bring me into a hug. I accepted gratefully and threw my arms around him tightly, wiping my tears on his hoodie.

“You smell… so bad.”

“Thanks, Sammie.”

He let go of me, keeping his hands on my shoulders. “I love you and you deserve everything.” He said earnestly, staring right at me. I swallowed a sob and shook out a reply.

“Not everything. I don’t deserve you.” He shook his head and let out a chuckle, then turned to go to bed. I took a refreshing breath.

Sam was too kind. And to think… with the way we met, I never would’ve expected this to happen. For us to become friends, for him to live with me.

I thought happy thoughts as I lay myself to rest that night, thoughts that were louder and much nicer than Tom’s grunty snoring.

Pt 8. ACCEPTANCE

This chapter is written from Tom’s POV

I couldn’t rest that night. Not after… seeing her. I had dreamed of talking to her– making up for ruining everything. I had dreamed of finally getting her number. Finally being real, certified friends.

I was so desperate for Y/N to like me. It was pathetic, frankly. Maybe I just had the love to spare after the devil herself left me in the ice.

Too much love. Too little to love.

I sat at my dining table, eating another sad takeout meal whilst scrolling pointlessly through Instagram. I missed Sam’s awesome cooking, and I missed Sam.

A part of me wanted to burst through their door and declare that I cared about them and that I wanted to not be lonely– but I knew these things couldn’t just be… left behind.

So I’ve been cowering. Like that’s the answer.

There were 2 weeks until filming for Cherry started (finally. I’m so bored, sitting at home doing nothing.) I’ve yet to visit my mum, but I haven’t been missing her as much as I usually do. Maybe it’s just because I’m occupied missing other people at the moment.

And still no email from the Russo’s. It almost pained me more to not have heard anything. You would think I would at least get a rejection. Now all I had was false hope and hopeless sadness.

And it was all my fault.

It was already noon. If I went out in a couple hours, I could be brainlessly drunk with a girl on my arm by sunset.

Somehow, I felt I didn’t want to do that tonight. After my short encounter with Y/N the previous night, I felt fresh. Not fulfilled, exactly– but I remembered what was wrong. And how… sleeping around wouldn’t help a thing.

This whole situation was killing me slowly. I could hear Y/N’s laughter through the walls, and it was pure torture. My brother probably had something frying on the pan, and they were probably watching her favorite trashy TV. Why couldn’t that be me?

Why am I so stupid… How did I let her go like this?

It wasn’t that I was obsessed with Y/N. Or in love, or whatever. But… I was single. She was single, as far as I knew– and… well, she’s amazing. Maybe that’s too enthusiastic. It’s just– her. She’s so brilliant and pretty (no, beautiful. That’s the proper way to describe a woman.) and… God, she is powerful. The power she had over me… not that she forced anything over me, but I would willingly follow her to the ends of the Earth. She had an air about her that made me want to pledge myself to her side forevermore.

Oh god, maybe… I am obsessed. Maybe… in love? God, that’s a concept. But, I barely know her– kind of, I mean– I can hear her uneven breaths when she has a late night. I know she’s been having trouble sleeping. I know she cries too much to be truly happy. I know she curses a lot when others aren’t around, and that she watches Mean Girls religiously. I heard her explain to Sam that it was her favorite movie, and though her scripts are considerably more deep and riveting than… Mean Girls… she still gets emotional defending it. I know that she thinks Love Island is ridiculous (it is, but I love it. So shut up.) but will watch it if Sam begs enough. I know she hasn’t talked to her dad in ages but speaks to her mom nearly every other night. 

I know her. We don’t know each other. In her eyes, we are basically strangers. If I wasn’t such a fucking weirdo, I wouldn’t know all these things. These private, private things.

These things can’t be dwelled on, though. Especially when she ignores me and hopes I’ll stop existing.

She never said that. But it feels like she did– her cutting me off was so painful to me. And for what?

For what…

I had been resting on the couch, for a large amount of time, I think, contemplating things I could do to get my mind off my loneliness. Things that didn’t involve drinking the night away and forgetting 5 hours of my life.

Then, there was a rapid knock on my door. Really quick and sharp. And it was relentless.

“Hello? Hello? HELLO?” I shouted at the door, too unbothered to remove myself from my comfortable spot on the couch.

“It’s me, you idiot! Open up!” An assertive voice said. Y/N.

I nearly hopped out of the couch in anticipation, scrambling to get the door open.

“Sorry I don’t leave it open for unsuspecting strangers,” I coughed, as the door opened all the way.

She rolled her eyes at me, looking almost pissed, but seemed to remember something. Her whole face lit up, in the most perfect way…

Ugh. God. No more gross love-bird stuff. “What… is it? Why are you so– happy?”

“I got a job!” She exclaimed, holding a fist up to her chest in victory. I took a second, and smiled for her. I suppose I should be happy. And if getting a job meant she would speak to me again, I guess it wasn’t so bad that I failed her the first time around.

“That’s wonderful.”

“You aren’t as excited as I thought you’d be.”

I sighed, then fixed myself with a faulty ‘ecstatic’ face, taking a look at her. “Is this better?”

“Oh, come on– I mean, I’ll be working with you, and it’s– well, you got me the job!” I cocked my head.

“Wait– the job you got is my job, as in the job I– as in Cherry– like, that job?”

“Yes! That job!” I raised my eyebrows in surprise and fought back the urge to scream ‘THANK YOU!!!’ to the heavens.

“Oh my god! Um, wow! Congratulations!” Without thinking (at least, not very hard), I took a huge step forward and pulled her into a crushing hug. She was stiff for a second, not expecting it, but just as I was going to pull away, she hugged me back.

I felt like a great weight had been lifted off of me, and it was all thanks to this job offer going through. If only they’d accepted it earlier.

“So… you don’t hate me anymore?” I said softly, trying my best to ignore the way her hair tickled my nose as we still embraced.

“What?” She said, confused. Oh. Shit. I really should’ve kept my mouth shut. I pulled away and rubbed the back of my neck with my hand, searching her eyes for what she was thinking. “I didn’t… hate you.”

“But you… you didn’t speak to me after brunch. And we had that argument about Sam. And… I thought that I didn’t get you the job.”

“After brunch, I thought you had gotten back with Emily. I was so upset that you would choose that… nightmare over… well, me. I know that sounds so shallow but I– well, you didn’t. You put me first, in the end. I just didn’t know.” She lowered her eyes. “Sam explained everything to me, anyways. The only reason I was mad with you is because of how poorly you treated Sam. He was just looking for his brother to take care of him, and you went off drinking when he needed you most. And when you… came to speak to me… you were really different. Scary.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She held her wrists carefully, seemingly remembering what happened. God, don’t think about it. Or you might change your mind. “I just… instantly bonded with Sam. And you… well, you never came to me. At all. It was devastating. I thought you blamed me for losing Emily and I thought you resented me for everything that had happened.”

“I don’t. I never did.”

“Never?”

“The only thing I resented was everything I had lost.” You. I can’t say that, though. “I didn’t blame you for it. It was my decision.”

“It wasn’t exactly free will.”

“Not quite. But you weren’t at fault and it would be unfair for me to say you were.” I explained to her, begging for her to look me in the eyes again. For me to be met by those kind eyes would cure everything. Right there.

“I can’t believe we haven’t spoken to each other. All we needed to do was speak.” She said in exasperation.

“It’s rather ironic.” I said, a small smile finally breaking from my lips. And it wasn’t acting this time.

“Not quite the word. I think you’re thinking of ‘theatrical’.”

“Perhaps.”

“I’ll think about making this into a story.”

“Would you really?” I hoped she wasn’t kidding. I would read it.

“It wasn’t a promise,” she raised her hands playfully, and I had a sudden flashback to the first time we had met. When she had done the exact same thing. And here we were, almost two months later, and yet our relationship had barely budged in any direction. All these ups and downs and we were back to the start.

I realized with a start that I wanted to make things clear to her. I reached out a hesitant hand to cup her cheek, and rather than push me away, she allowed me to step closer to her. “Is this okay?”

“My hot neighbor just made physical contact with me. I’m not sure what’s okay anymore.”

“Are… we okay?”

“We always were.” She smirked playfully.

“Okay.” I parted my lips, feeling her nose in a whisper of a touch against my face.

“Okay.” She closed the gap between us, her kiss a reassuring gesture that she was ready for our next adventure, and she was leaving the old one behind.

A loud creak sounded, followed by the disruptive clink of a wine glass meeting the floor. “In the hallway? Really?! Get a goddamn room…” I heard Sam huff, before closing the door on us again. There we stood, alone and in each other’s embrace, finding some security in our relationship for the first time.

[syddsatyrn]

Roses are Red, Violets are Pink (Vi/femreader)

☆Series Rated 18+ for smut, fluff, alcohol, service kink, angst, swearing

☆Summary:

"You moved to a brand new area to start over, everything seems to be going really well, you like your new job and new home. Things start to get exciting when a pink haired girl shows up and you just cant seem to say 'no' to her."

This is a series I'm starting. Chapter one is a really mild intro. There will be more mischief in the future chapters ;) There are a few Vi fics out there were the reader is a bartender and I totally dig the idea. I actually thought about this in a dream. Anyway, Enjoy!

☆Roses are Red, Violets are Pink MASTER LIST

Chapter 1: You're gonna go far, kid.

“Okay, okay just one more” you thought as you picked up the last heavy box to take up to your new apartment. You recently moved from a far east district and you're looking to start fresh. You had a job interview for a new hire position at a bar two weeks back. When you went in to interview, they mentioned they were also looking for a tenant for the studio upstairs. You just had to swipe up this opportunity. Life in your previous district was not ideal. You have some bad memories you just can't shake when you're there. Plus there's a few people you wouldn't mind never seeing again. You also thought living above your new job would make things really easy.

It's noon and the bar was closed and completely empty. You scope out the layout of the booths, tables and take in the atmosphere before your shift starts tonight at 6pm sharp. You head upstairs to unpack a few things. After deciding to slip your headphones on to jam out, you start with hanging up your clothes in the closet and making your bed. You hang up a variety of black tops for work and organize your skirts and pants. Next you pull out a few large blankets and a couple pillows wrapped up in plastic bags. With your bed made and your closet finished, you find the box with all of your bathroom supplies. You carefully put everything away in the cabinet and under the sink.

The layout of your place is small but it’s enough space for you and a guest. It contains a small kitchen in the far corner and a small bathroom on the opposite side. You already moved in all the bigger stuff so it made things a bit easier. You hummed the tunes in your ear, every once in a while softly singing the lyrics out loud. As you stand back to marvel at your hard work, you still feel like something is missing. “ Oh yeah!” You say out loud and snatch a box off the kitchen counter. You quickly opened it and pulled out a set of string lights. After grabbing your step stool, you hang them above your window. Perfect. you thought with a please look on your face.

5:30 pm rolls around and you start to get a little nervous. You are wearing a black long sleeve crop top, dark purple leggings, and black skirt. You lean on the bathroom sink applying eyeliner, praying to the beauty gods you don’t mess it up. You finally completed “The look” and threw on a pair of ankle high punk boots. You’ll be on your feet all night and heels are just impractical. You double check yourself and head down stairs.

When you get to the bottom of the stairs a voice calls out “Ah, y/n! Just the newbie I was looking for!” It’s your new boss, Zaire. He’s a big guy with tattoos down his arms and across his chest. He’s super nice though, unless you upset one of the female bartenders. It gave you a little reassurance that the creeps might leave you alone. “I'm not new at bartending, Zaire!” You retort with a short laugh. “I’ve been doing this for 3 years!” you announce proudly. “Alright, alright” Zaire snorted, “Show me what you got, kid.”

You begin by taking three glasses and gathering different liquor bottles. First you pour a variety of liquor into each glass, throw some ice in a shaker and then add mixers. You shake the glass and the tumbler together, then pour. You do the same with each drink, pouring different colors into each glass. You garnish the drinks, add straws and gesture to your works of art. “Wow, that was fast!” Zaire said very surprised “Alright, now for the taste test”. He takes each drink and sips them slowly, pausing after each one to clear his palette. “Wow, y/n, these are delicious! I think you're gonna go far here kid” Zaire gives you a big grin and walks off with one of the drinks for himself, throwing a towel over his shoulder. “If you need anything, just holler!” He calls out. “Thank you!” You reply loudly with enthusiasm. Tonight was going to be a breeze.

Customers started to pour in slowly until the place was packed. Zaire is busy slinging shots to practically everyone. You run to each of your tables and deliver drinks, take empty glasses and occasionally share words with the customers. They are definitely a rough bunch, but you felt okay here. Besides, you don't mess with the people who pour your drinks.

By 1:45 am almost everyone had stumbled out, just a few more stragglers left. You decided to clean up, taking a hot rag to the countertops. When you finished, you started washing shot glasses and placing them on a drying rack. Zaire deemed it was time for him to kick out the leftover strays and lock up. After he’s done he turns around on his heel and walks towards you “Hey! y/n, you did really well tonight! I knew I made the right choice when I picked you.” he chimes. “Did anyone else even apply?” you ask with a sneer. He lets out a big hearty laugh “I'm trying to be nice y/n, don’t push it!” he replies playfully “ Now get outta here before I change my mind and ask you to sweep the floors.”

You wave goodbye and head upstairs, today went so well. You had so many doubts in the back of your brain but you did it! You unlock your front door and slip inside, remembering to lock it behind you. Feeling pretty good about yourself, you take out a bottle of whiskey from your kitchen cabinets and pour yourself a shot. “New job, new life, new Y/n” You hold up your glass like you're making a toast with a group of people and down the liquor quickly.

It’s 12:00 pm and your cell phone starts blaring the most ungodly noise. It's your alarm, you groan into the pillows and reach for your phone. It took you a couple tries but you finally found it. You turn off the alarm and reluctantly roll out of bed. You make your way to the kitchen to make some coffee and instant oatmeal. Stirring your coffee you start thinking about what you want to do today. You definitely need to continue unpacking. You finish your breakfast and start putting away the rest of your cooking utensils, pots and pans, and other various kitchen gadgets.

After what seems like an unpacking montage, you feel satisfied for now. You decide to take a shower, you walk into your bathroom and turn on the water. Removing your clothes and checking the water temperature, you hop into the shower with a relaxing sigh. You washed up with a rose scented body wash paired with a rose shampoo and conditioner. Everything seems to be coming together and you seem to float around the apartment with a content feeling in your heart. You get out of the shower, dry off, and brush your teeth. You decide to lounge around for a bit and watch some TV.

Some silly reality show plays in the background as you paint your nails a bright blue. You blow on your finished manicure and stare at the ceiling. What time is it? You turn to face a clock on the wall in the kitchen. Oh wow! It's already 5pm! You start digging through your closet and pull out a black and white plaid skirt, long black stockings, and a black short sleeve crop top with a fishnet undershirt. You put on the same boots you wore yesterday and feel pretty badass. Same routine, you attempt to put on makeup and mess up a couple times but you eventually get it all evened out. You take one last look in the mirror and head down stairs.

Work is picking up slowly but surely! You are making multiple drinks and shots then running them out with a tray. Before your shift started, you met up with the third employee, her name is Tillie. She generally serves drinks and preps the bar. She’s actually super clean, helpful, and funny. You were excited to have another woman on the team and you both already got along. She chatted you up about her interests and her boyfriend that she’s totally head over heels for. Things are going really smoothly so far, a few small groups left early. When it slowed down a little you went back behind the bar to do some prep work. It’s almost halfway through your shift when the door bursts open.

(Chapter two will be posted shortly)

[hasgudagudadoneanythingwrong]

How to make F/GO sprite comics

Saw in one of the tags someone wondering about how we make these, so here ya go! A tutorial on how we personally make these things! We'll try to keep it simple for ya dw.

First thing's first, the most important part: the actual dialogue box.

We keep this on roughly 80% opacity, but you could go a bit lower if you wanted I think.

Then, if you want a dialogue option, here's this bit too, just for good measure:

That's probably among the hardest to get your hands on, but also this is assuming tumblr doesn't fuck up the transparency. If it does, I'll point out where you can crop 'em yourself later.

Next up: the font! It uses something like FOT-SkipStd-B, which you may or may not already have installed on your computer, so double check before downloading anything ofc.

Now, we just kind of eyeballed the exact placement and font size, but we use 19pt font and 125% line spacing and it looks pretty alright.

But, just leaving the text as-is will still look super flat and jarring, so you gotta add a bit of a gradient effect to it as well.

It might go by a different name in your program, but in Krita, all our gradient bars are set to inherit alpha (transparency) from the layers below it in its group, meaning the "Gradients" layer folder will only be visible over anything solid from the Nameplate, dialogue option, and Text Box layers here (aka, it'll only show up over any text itself).

And that should cover most everything for the text! Next up, the expression sheets!

You can usually find most any character's expression sheet from the images section of the fgo wiki, where you can then slap it down, do some select/cut/pasting of each expression off the sheet, and line it up with the original sprite itself like so:

We find that numbering them and giving a short description of what expression it is helps a lot when digging for the exact face you want. Turns out, at least the first 4-6 expressions off most everyone's sheet are gonna be the same general emotions too, btw! Some have duplicates though for simplifying coding things across ascensions, so be aware of that as well.

And finally, the backgrounds. This one's kind of spread all over the place, so I'll drop a bunch of links and you can take your pick.

First is the Kyuburu user blog off the fgo wiki that has a lot of the Part II onward story/events in a pretty well organized fashion that's easy to look through and find what you need. Only problem is it doesn't seem to have much of the earlier stuff, so you'll need to look somewhere else for that.

Second is this asset dump that I don't remember where I grabbed it from, but has a lot of stuff that's pretty well organized, but only up to LB 1 I think. When I said earlier about if tumblr fucked up the transparency, file 3 under User Interface has the raw asset sheet it's from, so you can scrap it together if need be.

This asset dump from this thread seems to be more up-to-date though (through LB 6.3 I think?) so you'll probably have more luck with this one for your general needs.

And finally, if you're looking for something harder to find (like the more recent JP content), you can go digging around the Atlas Academy Database and look for the cutscene scripts of what scene you're wanting, and it should have links to the BG and the expression sheet of whatever's there at that moment. It might be a little messier to dig through though, so give the other stuff a look first before resorting to this.

And that should be mostly it! The most difficult part is just getting things initially set up, and each expression sheet takes a hot minute to get sorted out, but I just do all my work in the same file so you can just re-use everything you pull together and you'll be set.

It's pretty fun and easy once you get the hang of it, so best of luck and have fun!

[romansleftshoulderpad]

The Happiest Place (in Our Apartment)

Ships: Platonic logince

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: mentions of quarantine, some suggestive humor, food, joking death threats, and Roman getting jumpscared.

If you like this fic, please reblog ! and maybe, buy me a ko-fi?

---

Logan stabilized the camera and double-checked that everything was in order before pressing record. It was quarantine which really didn’t help when you make your living from vlogs. He took a deep breath. “Hello, faithful viewers, I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve noticed a trend on Twitter where pass holders have recreated- in a sense- their favorite rides from the parks.” He sneakily grabbed a pen from his desk, just to have something to fiddle with. Intros were always the worst part of recording, in his humble opinion, there was nothing to do other than state facts that viewers would already know from the title! “Now as I happen to live with an actual cast member, Disney never fully leaves my house.” He made a mental note to show off Roman’s many displays while editing. “So, I’ve decided to take this challenge to the next step and have my roommate rate these rides.”

Roman waited an appropriate amount of time before coughing into his arm, “Nerd.”

Logan turned off the camera and threw him a mock glare. “This was half your idea.”

“I sent one video to you and Virgil, I hardly think that counts as an idea.”

“Yeah, well, you agreed to help, which makes this your fault,” Logan teased. “Now, obviously I can’t use your assistance in making these homages, but I will need every fake bird you own.”

—-

Logan shouldn’t have been surprised at how many cheap leis they owned. They kept them all in a box and Roman refused to get rid of any (in addition to the ones they got from their other friends). Nonetheless, he at least found use for them.

He could hear Roman from outside the door, “Logan told me to record some stuff. I’ve never been much of a vlogger, but it’s always fun to help. Plus, I want to see if I can get any hints to what he’s doing through the door.”

“Not a chance!” Logan yelled, accidentally knocking over his step stool in the process.

“Carousel of Progress!"

“No!”

He finally got all the leis on the birds and connected the speaker. He turned off the lights and prepared the press play on his phone. The camera was recording, he opened the door a tiny crack and whispered, “Are you ready, big boy?”

Roman rolled his eyes. He stepped inside and froze as the lights came on. “Oh no.”

“Welcome to Disney World,” Logan teased, as he pressed play on his phone and “In the Tiki Room” blasted from multiple speakers.

“You are insufferable!” he yelled. “Zero out of ten stars!”

—-

“You officially owe me one,” Roman said, digging into a homemade dole whip.

“You live in my house, I think we’re about even.”

Roman ate another bite of dole whip. “Right.”

“But I might be inclined to let you play pretend work,” he added.

Roman smiled. “I’m turning you into a Disney princess.”

“I assume nothing less. Do I at least get a choice of which princess?”

He smirked through another scoop of ice cream. “Depends on how the rest of your vlog goes.”

—-

“Logan, do I want to know what this next attraction is?”

“Nope, it’ll ruin the surprise.”

“Can you at least tell me why I’m blindfolded?”

“Also no,” Logan said, glancing back at the camera. He held Roman tightly in his arms. “But do you remember when Jungle Cruise sank earlier this year?”

“Logan...”

“Yeah, Roman?” Logan asked.

“What the fuck are you- DON’T YOU DARE-“ There was a large splash as Roman was dropped into the tub. He ripped off his blindfold and glared.

Logan put a Santa hat on his head. “Now it’s Jingle Cruise.”

“I hate you, you’re the worst roommate in the world, and I never want to see your face ever again,” Roman said. He couldn’t continue to hold back his laughter as he faced the camera. “Six out of ten stars.”

“Is that so?”

“Plus a bonus for holiday overlay. Seven out of ten.”

“Thank you, Roman.”

—-

“Now, this last attraction has cost me, to say the least,” Logan said, holding the camera in one hand and gesturing to the door behind him with the other. “The others were fairly simple- and if you enjoyed them please do consider leaving a like and a comment, as well as clicking ‘subscribe’ if you’re so inclined- I hope to do another one of these videos with, perhaps, a different park. I hear Universal shall be reopening soon, perhaps I will take some inspiration from them.” He glanced up at the clock. “I sent Roman out while I set this up, but he should be back any minute now. Depending on the wait, I may have to edit this later, though I’d hate to shut off the camera.”

He later found himself editing nearly five minutes of rambling to himself out of the video before Roman arrived, tired and sweaty.

“It’s really hot out there,” was all Roman could justify before taking a massive gulp of water.

“Well, we are recreating outdoor ride queues in central Florida,” Logan teased. “It wouldn’t be accurate if you weren’t dying a little.”

“I hate you.”

“This ride has a gift shop at the end of it! And by that I do mean a box of all your things I had to borrow for the Tiki Room.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Oh, a wonderful start by Roman at guessing what this last attraction is,” Logan said to the camera.

“I can’t believe it,” Roman deadpanned. “You’re the little dead girl from Tower of Terror.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Oh, be smart, Roman. I’ve been consistent with my park for this long, would I give up now?”

“What?”

He pushed open the door, revealing the room to be lit only by flickering (fake) candles. Virgil’s voice could be heard through a speaker. “When hinges creak in doorless chambers...”

Roman let out a tiny gasp as projections started around him of familiar paintings (though he knew he was only seeing parts of them). He smiled as Virgil’s recording continued, “When candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still- that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight.”

“How much did you have to pay him for this?” Roman asked.

“Not much, just five bucks,” Logan said. He mumbled under his breath, “multiplied by ten.”

The projections began to move, revealing more of the paintings at a speed that felt far too slow to be noticeable. “Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your ghost host....”

“You know, these shouldn’t be moving yet,” Roman teased.

Logan groaned. “I know, it’s killing me.”

“Here you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state. Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone.” Virgil’s voice lowered, “There’s no turning back now.”

Roman froze. “Is it just me or did he sound... very in character on that line?”

“You are aware that Virgil will likely see this video, yes?”

“If Disney doesn’t sue your ass over using their monologue in this video, let me know.”

“I’d honestly be surprised if they shut me down but continued to let ride through- oh you’re... you’re joking. That was a joke. I see.”

Roman gave Logan a gentle nudge and they both shared a smile.

“And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows and no doors, which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out!” He let out a laugh and Logan tried not to draw attention to Roman’s slight blush. “Of course,” his voice dipped low again, “there’s always my way.” Logan quickly pulled at a string and a plastic skeleton fell- hanging from a noose- to the air in front of them Roman fell back with a scream.

“That is not part of it!”

“You and I seem to have different ideas of the ride then,” Logan teased.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you pre-maturely . The real chills come later. Now, as they say, ‘look alive,’ and Logan will continue your little tour.” There was a clicking noise as the audio ended.

Roman gave him a quizzical glance but Logan only smirked and led him into the next room. Logan’s bookshelf- which was usually organized perfectly- was now messy with fake cobwebs and books falling diagonally and laying on their sides. “Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions- only ghost stories of course,” Logan said, straining his voice in an attempt to lower it like Virgil had done.

“Your Paul Frees impression is awful.”

Logan responded with a gesture off camera. “And marble busts-” he gestured to various Funko POP!s as he spoke “-of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known. They have all retired here, to the Haunted Mansion.” He pointed a laser at a picture taped to the wall of the mansion in question. He then picked up a purple book- one Roman had seen in the shelves of gift stores around the properties- and continued, “We actually have nine hundred and ninety nine happy haunts here. But there’s room for a thousand. Any volunteers?” He laughed loudly, tossing his head back as he did so. Roman pushed back an uncomfortable feeling.

“Maybe your impression isn’t terrible.”

Logan winked. “If you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour.”

Roman blinked back to reality and continued looking around the room. Desks were lined with paper coffins and bats. Logan continued the monologue, but Roman found it easy to tune out something he had heard so often before. Logan’s ipad sat on his desk, showing a video of the famous clock just before the seance.

Logan opened a closet door to reveal a black table with playing cards (apparently tarot cards were unavailable) and one of those kids’ hairstyling dolls with a blue wig. Logan turned on another speaker and a blue light. Leota’s speech came playing and Roman could see Logan rubbing at his throat. He made a note to make sure he drank water after the video. Maybe even tea with honey. He started to wonder why Logan had committed so much. Sure, YouTube was his job, but he wasn’t so desperate for views as to trash his own apartment. However, Roman was not granted much more time to wonder due to the looping speech being very short and extremely annoying to hear more than twice in a row.

They walked silently across the living room towards the bathroom. “Forgetting something, Logan?” Roman teased.

“This is my own personal alternative universe headcanon where the ghost host doesn’t fuck off after the seance.”

“Do you know what half those words mean?” he asked. “Specifically in the order and context that you’ve said them in?”

“Of course, I learned them from the tumblr and the interwebs.”

“You’re worse than Patton.”

“Agree to disagree, my fanatic friend.”

“You stopped,” Roman said.

“Yes, I have. Go on, open the door, Roman. You’re a big boy.”

“Logan.”

“The ghost host isn't even supposed to be here.”

“Fine, but I still don’t trust-” Roman let out a loud scream. Logan focused the camera in on the sight- a cardboard cutout of a nun from a horror movie with a printed out picture of a hatchet taped to her. She stood in the shower next to the opened and “bloodied” (it was a mix of dyed water and cornstarch) curtains.

“Don’t have a heart attack, sixer. You’re not ninety three yet.”

“LOGAN, YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE FOUND DEAD IN MIAMI.”

Logan laughed- nothing like his previous evil cackle- he laughed with bubbles and snorted as he clutched his stomach. Roman considered his roommate to be the biggest nerd in Florida.

“I’m going to kill you,” he warned.

“I’ll make it up to you, don’t worry.”

He grabbed Roman’s hand and helped pull him off of the floor, leading him to the kitchen where a tiny graveyard had been glued to cardboard. It was a perfect (though still) match of the ending to the ride, as if someone had taken a screenshot and printed out life.

“And there’s one thing I forgot to mention,” Logan said. He switched back to his (not great) impression, “Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts.” He pulled a box out from under the counter and put it in front of Roman. He had stopped recording.

“Logan, what is this?”

“That, Roman, is the fiftieth anniversary edition metallic Target exclusive Hitchhiking Ghost Funko POP! set.”

“I can see that.”

“I told you this ride had a gift store.”

“No way-”

“Surprise.”

“Thank you, Logan, really, but... you didn’t have to do this.”

“I’m aware, that’s what makes it a gift.”

“So... why did you?” he asked, holding the box close to his chest.

“I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“You’ve done plenty of nice things for me and-”

“Roman,” he said sternly. “You’re my friend. I must be honest in saying that I had a motivation, I had noticed a slight decline in your mental health and believed this would be beneficial towards you.”

“This?”

“The- uh- the figurines, I mean.”

Roman gave him a soft smile. “Thanks, Logan.”

“We both know how much I’ve done for you, but I don’t think you know why.”

“What a cryptic thing to say,” he joked.

“Roman.”

He let his gaze fall to the ground. “I know.”

“You don’t.” Logan gently lifted up his chin and they locked eyes. “But that’s okay. Now help me clean up before we film the outro.”

---

“Thank you for watching,” Logan said, giving a signature smile. Not too wide, no teeth, keeping a professional aura. Roman wondered how much time he spent in the bathroom just practicing it. “Please do leave a comment or contact me on Twitter if you have any requests for video ideas. We are all going through a lot right now, please remember to take care of your mental health and seek resources if and when you need them.”

Roman kept watching him on the monitor. He still had that professional aura to him, but something soft and understanding in his eyes. No matter who you were or where you were, he seemed to be talking to you. He seemed to care about you. Roman smiled at the monitor, knowing first hand what that meant.

“Roman, would you like to comment?” Logan asked, snapping him back into reality.

“Oh, uh, gay rights!” he said to the camera, trying to shake off any distractions. The last thing he needed was Logan’s fans questioning him on Twitter . Again.

“Well said, Roman. Gay rights, dear viewers. I’ll be returning next week.” He turned off the camera. And smiled.

[pastelwitchling]

Alex stared at the box in front of him. He felt like hours had passed, and he’d yet to move. He rubbed his face, leaning forward on his knees, and sighed deeply into his palms. The box was made of old wood, splintered and carved from knocking around with other trinkets in a duffel bag for too long.

Alex rested his chin on his hands, closing his eyes for a moment before reality took over. I have to do this. He stood, opened the box, and checked the contents. It looked almost like his own; medals that were better left stored away than a blaring reminder, dog tags that would never be worn again, a keychain with Iron Man figurine, given as a gift from Alex himself during a few hours’ trip to Paris.

And then there was the family photo. A husband, wife, and son with identical blonde hair, blue eyes, and wide smiles at the camera. The son was as tall as his father, and though he was skinnier than the man Alex knew, he was no less cheery.

Alex sighed and closed the box, standing there a full minute longer. Then he tossed on his backpack, and headed to the bunker door. He had not expected to find Michael outside, leaning against the passenger door of his truck.

He stopped, his brows furrowed. “Hey,” he said. “What’re you doing here? The Project Shepherd files were burned, remember?”

“Cute,” Michael tilted his head, and nudged his chin at the box in Alex’s hands. “Need a ride?”

Alex’s shoulders slumped. “Thanks, Guerin, but this is kind of a long trip.”

“Even longer if you take the bus,” he said.

Alex sighed, exasperated. “Kyle?”

“He’s a real chatterbox when you get him going.”

“What’d you do to him, Guerin? Do I have to call Max again?”

“Would you relax?” he scoffed. “Dr. Cheekbones is fine. A little annoyed with me,” he shrugged, “but fine. And when I told him I would drive you to Austin myself so you wouldn’t have to sit on a hundred different buses with your bad leg, he was a little more cooperative.”

Alex looked away, and walked past him. “I’m not going on a field trip, Guerin, this is actually important.”

“You’re going to give your old war buddy’s family the rest of his stuff,” Michael called, and turned around. “Which I’m guessing are in that box.”

“What didn’t Kyle tell you?”

Michael’s smirk dimmed. “Why you didn’t just ask me to take you in the first place.”

Alex softened. “Because we’re not dating, and it’s too long a trip.”

Michael faltered for only a second before it was gone again. “It’s not that long.”

“It’s almost nine hours.”

“That’s less than ten!”

Alex almost smiled. “Guerin, this is really, really personal to me. Do you understand? Henry asked me for one thing before I left for good, I can’t afford a detour –”

“Private, Private,” Michael came closer, but stayed at arm’s length. “I’m not doing this because I want you to climb into my lap on the side of the road. I know it’s important. Let me do this for you.”

That was how, almost seven hours later, Alex found himself in the passenger seat of Michael’s truck, his head rested on the glass as memory after memory of his blonde-haired, blue-eyed friend replayed in his mind. He had his eyes closed, so maybe Michael thought he was asleep. Maybe that was why he felt Michael’s fingers gently graze his cheek, down to his jaw. When he opened his eyes, Michael took his time pulling away.

“Not far now,” he said, “from the address you gave me.”

Alex sat up, stretching in his seat, the box secure on his lap.

“You want to tell me about him?”

Maybe Michael expected him to politely refuse, but the truth was that he’d had so many words lodged in his throat about Henry Isaac since he’d gotten the news of his death two days ago that had been building and building, and he was about ready to erupt.

“He was part of my unit,” Alex said. “I was his captain, but before that . . . he was my friend.” A miserable chuckle escaped his lips. “I guess it’s something about me that just screams gay, but a lot of people were careful about coming up to me when I first started. I was a Manes that wasn’t like the others, and I was made to feel like a disappointment every day for it.”

Michael let his hand hover close to Alex’s before he dropped it. Alex pretended not to notice.

“Henry was different,” he said. “He wouldn’t leave my side, and at first I thought he was messing with me, but then I found out he beat up Eric Magson in the bathroom – that’s – uh –” he laughed “—about the poster child for homophobes – because he called me a name. He protected me when everyone was ashamed to be seen with me. He got in a lot of trouble for it, and I screamed at him when he came back. But he just laughed and said he knew I would’ve done the same for him.”

“I think I like this guy.”

Alex smiled. “He confessed he had a crush on me.”

“Never mind.”

He laughed. “He was just like you. He joked around and you never knew if he was actually upset or not. After a while, I was better at being able to tell. Or maybe he just let me.”

“Not hard to believe,” Michael said, not looking at Alex, “that someone could fall in love with you so easily.”

Alex couldn’t look at him either.

“Did his family know about you two?”

“There was nothing to know,” Alex said, and at Michael’s look, he said again, firmly, “There was nothing to know. Not that they would’ve loved it anyway. Henry always said things became distant between them since he came out. They all tried to pretend everything was the same as always, but . . .” Alex pressed the bottoms of his palms into his eyes and sighed. “I don’t know, I guess I just understood.”

Michael frowned. “You’re not expecting happy introductions, are you?”

Alex’s grip tightened on the box. “I have to try,” he whispered. “I owe him that much.”

“And if they don’t want it?”

Alex swallowed thickly, and patted his backpack strap.

“What?” Michael scoffed, incredulous. “You’re not . . . staying in Austin, are you?”

“I’ve only brought enough supplies for a few days,” Alex said. “Don’t worry, Guerin, I’m not planning on sticking around where I’m not wanted.”

Michael looked like he wanted to say something to that, but refrained. Soon, they pulled up in front of a white, two-story house with a long winding gravel path that led up to the front double doors.

Michael whistled low under his breath. “Sure hope that Henry guy paid for all of your dates.”

“There were no dates,” Alex reminded him, though he was unable to smile. He hugged the box tightly. “Okay. Okay.”

Michael put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, look at me.”

Alex did, and Michael cupped his jaw. He might’ve leaned into the touch if not for the sharp edges of the box digging into his palms.

“I could come with you,” he offered.

Alex actually did smile that time. “Thanks, Guerin, but I have to do this alone.”

Michael clenched his jaw like he didn’t like the idea of Alex being alone anywhere, but he nodded. He let his hand fall. “Then I’ll be right here.”

Alex opened the car door. “I know.”

Alex’s smile fell away as soon as he closed the door behind him. He exhaled shakily, and maybe it was because he knew Michael was watching him, but he pushed himself up the gravel road to the doors.

When he was on the front porch, he clenched and unclenched his fist at his side. Then he looked down at the box and knocked.

The blonde woman from the picture came to the door, then her husband with salt and pepper hair followed.

They looked at Alex dubiously. “Can we help you?” she asked.

Alex introduced himself, he told them he was from Roswell, New Mexico. He offered them the box and watched as their expressions turned to shock, then recognition, then their eyes filled with tears.

“We never got the chance to fix things,” the husband said with a trembling voice.

Henry’s mother pulled Alex in for a hug as his father clutched the box like it was treasure. They thanked Alex and asked if he wanted to come inside, if there was anything they could do to repay him for coming all this way. He was already shaking his head. The woman’s hand clung to Alex’s as he stepped back and off the porch. The three raised their hands in farewell, and Alex turned back to Michael’s truck with his heart still rattling.

“Uh,” Alex said once he closed the door behind him. “Guess I’m not staying in Austin at all.”

Michael was staring at him. “You okay?”

Alex nodded, opened his mouth to say, Of course I am! I’m great!, but the lie wouldn’t leave his lips. “Can we please just go?”

Michael started the truck and started to drive. Alex stared ahead for a good two hours before the tears started to silently fall. Then his cries stopped being quiet, and he couldn’t keep his face dry long enough to take a single deep breath. It felt like being stabbed in his chest, the words, I’m so sorry, Henry bleeding into every corner of his mind. Henry had always tried to protect Alex, but when it had mattered, Alex hadn’t been there to protect him.

You would’ve done the same for me.

Michael’s hand made it inches away from Alex’s, but Alex didn’t want him pulling away again. He took Michael’s hand and held it tightly. He felt Michael squeeze back.

“I don’t even have his box anymore,” Alex cried, unable to help the words. He covered his eyes with one hand. “I’m sorry.”

Michael brought Alex’s hand up to his lips to kiss. “Cry all you want, Alex. We’ve got a long way home.”

[impalas-r-important]

Branch Out - Chapter 1

Summary: Y/N left everything she's ever known, and Dean just wants to be left alone. With both of them trying to heal from heartache, they might just end up finding what they need in the last place they'd ever look.

Word count: 6219

Pairing: Dean x reader (eventually, maybe?)

Warnings: I don't think there are any for this chapter, but if you think i should add one, feel free to let me know!

A/N: I started this series a long time ago and just barely had the motivation to start it up again. I really love this series, and have been enjoying writing it. Let me know if you want a tag!

My Masterlist

Branch Out Masterlist

Thank heavens for GPS, there’s no way you would have found this place without step-by-step directions. A narrow gravel driveway branched off from the worn mountain road and wound to a homely cabin. You stepped out of your old pickup truck and pulled out the key the realtor had given to you. Buying a house sight unseen wasn’t the smartest idea and you second guessed your impulse decision as you took in the dense woods that were so foreign to you. The seasoned wooden boards of the porch creaked under your feet while you made your way to the door and let yourself into your new home. Dust rested gently on every ledge and the frigid January air was lined with a twinge of must from sitting unoccupied for so long, but something felt so promising about the sturdy structure.

A modest kitchen and living room made up most of the house with a bedroom and bathroom on either side of a small hallway. A small, metal woodburning fireplace sat just next to the backdoor and you had a feeling you would end up putting that to good use if you ever figured out how to use it.

Your hand was subconsciously touching the bruise that was prominent on your forearm and when you realized, you pulled your sleeve down to cover it. The decision to leave your family and friends behind was a heart-wrenching one, but you knew you had to make a change if you wanted to heal completely. You needed to do something for yourself, and you wanted a fresh start. A small cabin in the freezing cold woods of Idaho was about as far from what you knew to be normal as you could have gotten, but a seed of hope was planted firmly in your chest.

When a job posting for the assistant city accountant had fallen in your lap a few weeks back, you applied without thinking twice. A few online interviews later, you had secured the job and things fell into place effortlessly, as if some external force was paving your path to this small town. You bought this quaint home with the help of a local realtor, packed your things, and left the only home you had ever known in Arizona, despite the protests of your family. Not knowing what your future held was scary, but something about this place felt right from the moment you pulled in.

You had brought only what you needed to in hopes of making a quick escape, meaning you had only a mattress, some clothes and a few personal belongings. After working for a few years, you had a built up a good savings account and figured it would be easier to buy furniture once you got here instead of trying to move big pieces by yourself. It didn’t take long to move your things inside, and you felt grateful that you called ahead to have the power and water turned on so you could shower once you had unpacked what you needed for your first day on the job tomorrow. Anxiety sat like a rock in your stomach, so you skipped dinner and went straight to bed, burying yourself under a mountain of blankets to shield you from the winter chill that had settled in your bones.

Your nerves woke you up well before your alarm went off, so you dragged your feet across the frozen floor and pulled your clothes on quickly before digging through your boxes for some granola bars for breakfast. You leaned against the kitchen counter and began to make a list of things you would need to buy since you were essentially starting from scratch. Double checking the email that you had received with instructions for your first day, you took a deep breath and headed out.

City hall was a historic, two-story red brick building that was shared with the fire department. It looked like something out of a storybook, but then again, this whole town did. You pushed the door open and looked around at the empty lobby, checking your watch to make sure you weren’t crazy early. Rustic chairs lined the walls by the door, and a few empty desks were placed behind the tall front counter.

“Hello?” You asked, turning your head left and right to look for any signs of life.

“Oh!” A muffled voice responded, and distant footsteps quickly scuttled your way from the back room. “You’re here!” A pretty, dark haired girl gave a few excited claps as she made her way to you. “You must be Y/N. I’m Sarah. Sarah Blake.” She eagerly pulled you into a hug which caught you by surprise and she chuckled a bit to herself before taking a step back. “Sorry, my boyfriend says that my enthusiasm scares new people away. I’ve just been so excited since I heard they hired you. I’ve been praying for someone my age to come work around here for a long time.”

“Don’t apologize, you’re the first person I’ve met in town so it’s nice to see a friendly face.” Her warm welcome calmed some of your nerves.

“That’s right, you just moved in yesterday, huh?” You tiled your head in question, wondering how she knew that. “It’s a really small town, everyone knows everything, especially when it comes to new people. You’ve been the talk of the town the past little bit.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m the marketing/PR girl here, and we all just kind of pitch in with working the front desk. Come on back, let me give you the grand tour.”

Sarah led you around the corner and stopped at the first office on your left. “This is Ellen Singer’s office. You’ll be working under her, she’s the lead accountant.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Hmm, she should be here by now. I bet her car is giving her trouble.”

A friendly voice called out to Sarah from down the hall and she motioned for you to follow her as she stepped just inside the end office which was significantly bigger than the rest.

“Y/N, this is Garth Fitzgerald, he’s the mayor. Garth, this is Y/N.” Sarah introduced you and he stood to shake your hand.

“It’s great to meet you, Mayor Fitzgerald.”

“Please, call me Garth.” You smiled and nodded. “We’ve been excited about you around here. I think you’ll make a great addition to our community.” His phone ringing broke the conversation. “Excuse me, ladies. Oh, and welcome to Wallace, Y/N!”

“Next up is Arthur Ketch, he’s the city planner. Sometimes he can be a little abrupt, but deep down he’s a big softie. Don’t let him scare you.”

He was on the phone, so he simply waved to you two as you passed. Sarah’s attention was drawn back down the hall when two police officers walked in. “Jody, Donna!” She hollered to them.

“Heya, kiddo! Who you got with you?” The blonde officer sent a warm smile your way.

“You must be Y/N!” The other responded.

“Oh, that’s right! I heard you were coming to town. I’m Donna and this is Sheriff Jody Mills. It’s so great to meet you.” She pulled you in for your second hug of the day.

“Everyone here is seriously so nice. I don’t know why I didn’t move here years ago!” You joked.

“Well listen, if you need anything, you can always come to me, okay?” Jody put her hand on your shoulder. “We’re all so excited to have a new face around.”

“Thank you. You’re all making this transition so much easier than I thought it would be.”

Sarah waved to the officers as they left and pulled gently on your arm. “Come on, let’s chat while we wait for Ellen.” She took a seat at one of the desks in the front and you sat across from her.

“Thanks for showing me around, it’s nice to know that I have a friend at work already.” Sarah’s eyes lit up when you called her your friend.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been dying for you to get here. I knew we’d get along.” She folded her arms and sat back in her chair proudly. “So, where did you move from?”

“Phoenix, Arizona.”

“And you moved to Idaho in the middle of January? Are you crazy? I would give anything to go lay out in the sun for an afternoon.”

“Yeah, I might be!” You laughed. “I guess I just needed a change, you know? It was just time to move onto the next chapter of my life.”

“I get that. I grew up here and couldn’t wait to leave for college, but as soon as I was gone, I missed this place.”

“I can see what you’re talking about. It has a good feeling to it here.”

“So, now to the juicy stuff.” Sarah leaned forward. “Are you dating anyone? Because there’s a whole pool of eligible bachelors I could set you up with here.”

“No, actually I just got out of something kind of messy, so I don’t think I’m really looking for anything at the moment.”

A sympathetic look was sent you way. “I’m sorry to hear that. But if you ever feel ready, you let me know, okay?”

“You will be the first. What about you? I heard you mention you have a boyfriend. Tell me all about him.”

A smile spread across Sarah’s face and she pulled out her phone to show you a picture. “This is Sam, we’ve been together since high school.”

She handed you her phone and you looked at the tall, handsome guy whose arms were wrapped around her. “He’s cute, nice work!” She beamed as you handed her phone back. The expression on her face was clearly one of adoration as she looked at the picture.

“We actually broke up before we went to college. He went to Stanford and I went to the University of Oregon and we figured it would be easier to break it off on good terms rather than fade away in a long-distance relationship. That lasted about two weeks and we’ve been together ever since.”

“Do you think you’ll marry him? You guys are so stinking cute together.” You weren’t sure if you had ever seen a better fitting couple.

“I overheard Sam talking to his older brother about buying a ring. I don’t think he knew that I was just in the other room, but I’ll let him try to surprise me.” Sarah giggled. Your conversation was interrupted by someone walking in the back door.

“Hey, Ellen.” Sarah greeted. “Your reinforcement has arrived.”

Ellen looked at you with relief in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Come on back here and we’ll get started.”

“Have fun!” Sarah left you to meet your new boss as she went up to help someone at the front desk.

“Y/N, you’ll have to forgive me for being so late. My stupid car has been giving me hell the past few weeks. You’d think with my husband owning the only mechanic’s shop in town, I’d have a reliable vehicle, but here we are.”

“No worries. It gave me a chance to meet some people around the building. I’m excited to get started though.” You sat in the chair across from her desk and she plopped down with a sigh as well.

“I’ve been begging Garth for two years for some help, so you are a light at the end of my tunnel. I’m hoping to retire in a few years and hand you the reigns, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

The next few hours were spent introducing you to all of the systems and procedures. After receiving a call from her daughter, Ellen decided to call it a day just after three in the afternoon and the two of you agreed to hit it hard tomorrow. You gathered your things and returned to the front area where Sarah was scrolling through her phone. She looked up when you entered the room.

“Hey! How are things going?”

“Ellen has to take off, so we’re going to call it a day and just work a little longer tomorrow.” You sat at the desk adjoining Sarah’s and set your things down.

“Take any desk. It’s just you and me out here. Charlie is the county IT girl and works out here sometimes, but she hops from building to building.”

“Well, I suppose this one is as good as any.” You unpacked a picture frame and a few supplies at the desk across from Sarah’s. “Hey, are there any places to buy furniture around here? I only moved with the bare essentials so I’m in desperate need of a few things.”

“So, what you’re saying is you need to go on a shopping spree? I’m in! I’ll drive.” Sarah grabbed her purse and coat and led you out the door.

She took you on a short tour of the staples around town before arriving at the only big box store nearby. You browsed up and down the aisles, pulling all the necessities off the shelf and tossing them in the cart. You’d have to order some of the bigger furniture pieces online since it was a small place, and they didn’t have anything like here.

Sarah had a basket and was creating a good-sized stockpile of her own. “Sam has been trying to put me on a budget for a while now, so I’ll have to hide this stuff before he sees.” A guilty smile pulled on the corners of her mouth.

“Just tell him you were shopping with an accountant and I approved all your purchases.”

“Hah! We’re going to be good friends.” She picked up a candle, smelled it, and placed it in her basket.

“Where does Sam work?” You asked as you looked through the bathroom towels.

“He’s the lawyer for Winchester Lumber, the sawmill in town. A lot of people work there actually, it’s kind of the main business that brings people in. Sam’s great grandpa started it and it’s stayed in the family. Sam’s older brother, Dean, runs the place right now, but I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to hand the throne over to their Dad when he gets back. He got cancer a few years ago and they moved to Kansas to be closer to medical treatment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. How is he doing?”

“He’s doing really well, actually. He’s in remission and they’re hoping to move back soon.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent checking things off of your to-do list and grabbing dinner with Sarah. She dropped you off back at your truck and you thanked her for showing you around before you went your separate ways.

Back at home, it took you a few trips to unload your haul, but you were just happy to have a few more things to fill your empty home. Your first day had gone better than you could have imagined, and you were filled with confidence in your decision to uproot your life.

Sarah opened her front door and did her best to sneak her shopping bags past Sam and Dean who were sitting in the living room, sharing a pizza and some beers. She successfully stowed her treasures away in the hall closet and joined the boys.

“Hey hon!” She placed a kiss on Sam’s forehead before grabbing a slice of pizza and plopping down on the couch next to him.

“You’re in a good mood.” Sam noticed his girlfriend’s chipper energy.

“I made a new friend today.” She took a big bite and gave a smile.

“Don’t you already know everyone in town?” Dean’s voice sounded as pessimistic as usual.

“No, actually. There’s a new accountant at city hall, Y/N. She just moved in yesterday.”

“That’s great! You’ll have to invite her over sometime.” Sam placed his hand lovingly on Sarah’s knee. “Where’s she living?”

“She bought a cabin up in the mountains sight unseen, so we went shopping for some essentials. I think she might be kind of close to you, Dean.”

Dean frowned, trying to think of which cabin the new girl would have bought. He moved up there to be alone, so the thought of a neighbor was disheartening. “You mean that old shack just off of Placer Creek Road?”

“Yeah, I think that’s the one.”

“She’s got a lot of repair work to do on that place.” Dean shook his head, glad that it wasn’t him that put any kind of investment into what he was sure was a money pit.

You awoke early the next morning to find that it had snowed overnight. Growing up in Arizona, you had never really experienced snow like this before. Every breath you took felt like your lungs were filling with ice and you couldn’t help but cough, willing the warm weather to find you soon. Winter was one thing you didn’t think about when moving to a mountain town, so you wanted to give yourself plenty of time for the commute. After packing a few things for lunch, you stepped outside to find your truck buried in a mountain of frozen powder.

“Ugh!” You groaned and threw your head back, looking around for a stick to help you dig out your vehicle. You made a mental note to buy a scraper after work. Ten minutes and one soaked pair of shoes later, you had finally freed your car. You twisted the key, forcing the engine to sluggishly turned over, then blasted the heat on high while you ran inside to change into dry shoes and socks before taking off down the road.

The feeling of your back wheels slipping around on the frozen dirt road was so foreign to you, and you weren’t a fan. About two miles away from the main road, your engine began to sputter as it struggled to trudge ahead through the wet snow.

“Please don’t do this to me…” You steered towards the side of the road as much as you could while the truck wound down to a full stop. An annoyed sigh escaped from your lips. “Great.” You turned the car off and then back on, willing it to start up again, but the clicks of defeat that sounded from under the hood dashed your hopes.

You hadn’t had the time to buy a heavy winter coat yet, so you zipped up the light jacket that you had on and began walking. You didn’t want to make a bad impression on your second day of work by calling in sick, so you picked up your head and kept going. One of the points of starting your new journey was to be more self-reliant, and this definitely fell under that category. Ten minutes had passed, and your toes were so cold that you were sure they would snap off and rattle around in your shoes at any point now. The sound of an engine coming down the hill made you look over your shoulder to see a snowmobile barreling around the corner and straight towards you. You quickly side-stepped out of the way, but not enough to avoid the kickback of snow that was thrown into your face as the machine drove past.

“Seriously?!” You yelled as you shook the snow from your clothes. The snowmobile stopped and slowly backed up to meet you.

“What are you doing up here?” The man abruptly asked as he pulled off his helmet. If you weren’t so annoyed and cold, you might have thought he was attractive.

“Being buried alive by some maniac speeding down the mountain.” You retorted and brushed the snow from your hair with your fingers.

“I’m going to assume that’s your truck back there?”

“Lucky guess.” The wind-chill blew through your jacket and you crossed your arms. “I don’t think it likes the cold, and I don’t exactly blame it.”

His eyes assessed you. “Crappy shoes, thin jacket, and no gloves. I’m going to assume that makes you the clueless new girl.”

“What an ass...” You thought to yourself.

“I guess it does, Kowalski.”

“Kowalski? Really?”

You were surprised he got your reference to Clint Eastwood’s infamously crotchety main character.

“If you’ll excuse me, I gotta get to work.” You didn’t find much point in continuing on this conversation with such a smug jerk, so you continued on your path down the road and heard the snowmobile make a sharp u turn to climb back up the trail.

Ten more minutes later, you could see the main road just ahead of you had been plowed, and you were thankful that you wouldn’t have to be hiking through any more ankle-deep build-up. You could hear a vehicle slowly coming up behind you and you made sure to move as far over as you could to avoid being blasted with snow again. The truck slowed to a stop next to you and you looked over to see the same man from earlier rolling the passenger side window down.

“Get in, I’ll give you a ride.” His voice still sported an undertone of condescension and he rolled his eyes when a doubtful frown from you was sent towards him. “Just get in.”

Hundreds of episodes of Dateline should have taught you to not get in a car with some stranger, but you figured that even if he didn’t murder you, you’d end up dying of frostbite and decided to you’d rather die inside a warm truck. You opened the door and took off your damp jacket before getting inside.

The man’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel tight. You placed your hand by the heater on the dashboard in hopes of defrosting your fingers enough to feel them again.

“You shouldn’t drive a pickup in the winter.” His gaze stayed firmly glued on the road ahead.

“Uhm…” You dramatically looked around, “aren’t we in a pickup right now?”

“Yeah, a pickup with chains on the tires and a weighed down bed.”

“Well, I’m still pretty new at this whole snow thing…”

The man glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. “I couldn’t tell. You’re Y/N, aren’t you?”

“Should I be concerned that you know my name?” You raised an eyebrow.

“No, no,” he must have realized how creepy that came off, “I know Sarah. She’s dating my younger brother and she was telling us about you last night.”

“Oh, it all makes sense now. You’re the grumpy older brother. Dean, right?”

Another eyeroll made an appearance, but you could tell he wasn’t going to make any further comments.

“Well, I appreciate the ride. I’m sorry if I screwed up your morning routine.”

“It’s no big deal.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that Dean wasn’t a man of many words, and you were okay with that. You weren’t really one for small talk either. Dean’s eyes moved to your arm that was extended towards the vent blowing heat.

“That’s a gnarly bruise. How’d you manage that?”

You pulled your arm back quickly, hoping that your sudden move didn’t come across as suspicious. “Oh, you know, just being a clutz. They never tell you that moving by yourself is a dangerous game.” You chuckled casually while watching his eyebrows knit together ever so slightly as he glanced at the bruise one more time. No further remarks were made so you assumed he bought your story.

Dean pulled up in front of City Hall and stopped as close to the door as he could get. Before you could reach for the door handle, Dean instructed, “give me your keys.”

“What?” Your face twisted in confusion.

Yet another fed-up sigh escaped from his chest. “Bobby Singer down at the auto shop owes me a favor. I’ll get him to tow your truck down and take a look at it.”

“Oh.” you weren’t expecting such a generous gesture from such a grumpy guy. “I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have.”

“Hand it over.” The tone in his voice remained gruff, but the bluntness was slightly faded at this point. You reached into your pocket and pulled out your key ring, sliding the truck key off and placing it into Dean’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Dean’s eyes avoided yours and you took the hint that it was time to leave.

The wind blew flurries in the air, forcing you to quickly sprint to the door, meaning that you missed Dean watching you with curiosity. Sarah, who was observing from the front desk, didn’t miss his wondering stare. He quickly averted his eyes when he saw her spying and peeled away.

“Kowalski.” He muttered to himself with a half-entertained chuckle once he was a few blocks away. Dean would have never admitted it, but he quite enjoyed the witty nickname.

Sarah couldn’t stop the mischievous smirk that crept up on her face and leaned on the counter to greet you the second you stepped through the door.

“You look like you’ve had quite the morning.” She greeted.

“Yeah, something like that.” You hung your jacket up on the coat rack in the corner to dry and stomped the packed snow from the tread of your shoes.

“Am I going blind or did Dean Winchester give you a ride to work?” She quickly cornered you.

“Yeah. My truck broke down and then he tried to bury me in snow, so he gave me a ride.” Goosebumps covered your arms as you made your way to your desk. You had never been more grateful for heat.

Sarah crossed her arms and sat on your desk as you took your seat. “You know, people call him the Grinch because he moved way up the mountain to be all broody and alone.”

“I can’t say I don’t understand it. It’s kinda fitting.” You logged into your computer, but Sarah continued to press for details.

“Well did he say anything on the ride over or did he just glare at the road?”

“A little bit of both I guess. He told me I shouldn’t be driving a truck in the winter, but that’s about it.”

Ellen arrived and cut the chatter short. “Hey girls. You ready to get started, Y/N?”

“You bet.” You stood from your desk, but not before Sarah pointed an accusing finger at you.

“This conversation is not over!” She warned.

After lunch, Ellen had given you some expense reports to review and organize. It was tedious, but you didn’t mind the slow afternoon after a crazy morning. Sarah was helping you to punch holes in the stacks of papers and organize them into departments while the two of you chatted away. The snow had kept most people inside, so it was a slow day at the front desk. Just before it was time to call it a day, the bell of the front door dinged, and Sarah walked over to see who it was.

“Hey, Dean. You going over to Benny’s tonight?” She greeted.

“Not sure yet.”

Dean’s hands were shoved into his front pockets as he stared Sarah down, not wanting to give her any more room to speculate as to why he was here.

“Hi.” You smiled softly, trying your hardest ignore Sarah’s curious stare as you joined in the conversation.

He pulled a key from his pocket and set it down on the counter. “She’s all fixed up. Battery terminals were corroded so I cleaned them up a bit, but you’re going to need a new battery soon. That one doesn’t have much juice left in it.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that you worked at the auto shop.” You remembered Sarah saying something about Dean working at the sawmill.

“No, I used to. But I figured it would be an easy fix, so I took a look myself. I stuck some old grates in the bed for some weight. Take it into Bobby’s tomorrow after work and he’ll take care of the rest. He knows you’re coming.”

“Wow, I really owe you one. Thank you.” You slid the key from off the counter and fiddled with the metal ring.

“Don’t read into it.” Dean tapped his fist on the counter twice before swiftly leaving.

Sarah was biting her lip, and you slowly turned your head towards her. “Spit it out.” You gave permission for her onslaught of questions.

“You didn’t tell me he was going to fix your car for you!”

“He said he would have Bobby tow it back to the shop and take a look at it. I didn’t know he was going to fix it himself.”

“I’ve known Dean for a long time, he’s pretty much my older brother at this point, so I can see past all the grumpiness. He’s a really good guy, he’s just been dealt a hard hand the past few years that made him swear off people.”

That was a feeling you could easily relate to. “He really went out of his way to bail me out today, so he can’t be all that bad.”

“He’s all bark and no bite. Granted, it’s a big bark.” Sarah checked her watch. “Closing time! Hey, would you want to come back to my place after we clock out? Sam’s playing poker at a buddy’s house tonight so I figured maybe we could grab some take out and find some furniture for you online?”

“Yeah, that’d be great actually! It definitely beats the PB and J I would be making otherwise.”

After work, you ran home to change and Sarah stopped for some Chinese food, then the two of you met at her apartment.

Some crappy TV movie played in the background while mostly empty take-out containers littered the kitchen counter. You were sitting on the floor with your laptop on the coffee table, browsing through loveseats while Sarah lay on the couch behind you giving her input.

The door gently swung open and the man you assumed to be Sam walked through. Sarah stood up and stretched before giving her boyfriend a hug.

“How was the poker game?”

Sam tossed his keys on the counter and pulled off his jacket. “About the same as always. Benny won most of the games, Cas still has no clue what he’s doing, and I lost a little too much pride.”

“You’ll get them one of these days. Come on,” she tugged on his shirt sleeve, “I want you to meet Y/N.”

You stood when Sam and Sarah walked into the room. “Y/N, this is Sam.”

“Ah, the infamous Y/N, I’ve heard lots about you the past day or so. It’s nice to put a face with the name.” He shook your hand. “How are you settling in?”

“Honestly, the move has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Everyone here has been super welcoming and helpful.”

“Including Dean.” Sarah gave a knowing look to her boyfriend, who was clearly confused.

“My brother, Dean?”

“The one and only. He gave Y/N a ride to work and fixed her truck up for her.”

Sam’s face read skeptical. “My brother, Dean?” He repeated.

“I found myself knee deep in snow and car problems this morning. I’m sure he helped me out of pity more than anything.” You tried to explain, not wanting to make a big deal of the situation.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow. I guess that’s why he was late to work today. Well, I hope he didn’t scare you off too much.”

You shook your head with a smile. “Not at all, he really helped me out. But I have to admit, I feel bad. He would barely acknowledge my thank yous. I don’t want to come across as ungrateful.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he heard you loud and clear, he’s just hasn’t been properly socialized yet.”

Sam finished off the rest of the Chinese and got to know you a little better while Sarah sat next to you on the floor, scrolling through furniture.

“Where’d you go to school, Y/N?” Sam stacked the empty red food containers together and set them aside as he pulled his feet up on the couch.

“University of Arizona. I didn’t originally plan on staying so close to home, but a full ride soccer scholarship is hard to turn down.”

“No way! That’s awesome.” Sam’s face lit up with an idea. “Oh! Every summer we do this obstacle course race thing here in town as part of the summer festival. Maybe you can be on our team this year?”

“That sounds super fun! Count me in.”

“Yes!”’ Sam made a fist in the air. “We’ve used to win every year, but we’ve come in second the past three times, so maybe you’ll be our secret weapon.”

Sarah joined the conversation once she’d had her fill of online shopping. “I was thinking, Y/N, I don’t know if you’re much of a baker, but if you wanted to say thank you to Dean, he’s a sucker for a good pie. I know he wouldn’t just brush that off.”

“It’s true. He’s a pie whore.” Sam nodded.

“Sam!” Sarah scolded.

“Noted,” you said through your laughs.

The clock in the corner of your laptop screen caught your eye and you realized how late it was getting. “I should probably start heading home before I hate myself tomorrow at work.”

“At least it’s not supposed to snow tonight.” Sarah teased.

“Wow, it’s going to be like that, huh?! It’s a learning curve, okay?” You stuck your tongue out as you gathered your things.

Sam stopped you after Sarah had said goodbye. “Hey, Y/N, I know Dean doesn’t make the greatest first impression, but do me a favor and don’t write him off just yet. He’s had a rough go the past little while and could always use another friend in his corner.”

“I won’t. I’m sure there’s a great guy buried under all that angst.” You gave a reassuring smile and Sam gave you a hug before you left.

The next day was Friday and between training and helping out with the front desk, the workday flew by. You needed to take your truck in to get the battery switched and Sarah had agreed to give you rides while you were without transportation. After work, you dropped off your truck at Bobby’s, and Sarah took you home. You were glad for a little time to yourself so you could clean up the house before the first delivery of furniture tomorrow morning.

On your lunch break earlier that day, you had gotten all the ingredients to make blueberry pie bars as a thank you for Dean. Time was in short supply, so you hoped these would be a suitable place holder in lieu of a regular pie. You quickly threw them together and loaded up a plate once they were cool enough. Baking had always been a stress reliever for you, and the way it filled your small cabin with warmth and sweet smells felt so cozy and charming.

Dean’s place was only a ten-minute walk from yours, so you bundled up and began your hike. You had finally gotten yourself a suitable coat and boots and couldn’t believe the difference they made as you crunched through the snow that was matted on the gravel road. His cabin was much newer than yours, and considerably nicer. A long staircase on the right side of the house led up to a wide porch. Smoke spilling from the chimney and lights beaming through the windows told you he was probably home, so you knocked on the door.

Clattering of locks being undone broke through the silence a few moments later and an expressionless Dean opened the door.

“Hi,” you began, “I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out so much the other day.” Dean stood silent and stone-faced, so you awkwardly continued. “I, uh, heard you were a big fan of pie, but I didn’t have enough time to make one from scratch, so I hope these will do.” You extended the plate of goodies and he looked at them doubtfully.

“Look,” a gravelly voice ended his vow of silence, “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not looking for any new friends or whatever this is.” He began to shut his door when you interjected.

“Listen, this is nothing more than a simple thank you for bailing me out when I really needed it. I’m not going to force you to eat them, but I’m also not going to take them home with me. Maybe just wait until I’m gone before you throw them away though.” You set the plate on a neatly stacked pile of firewood off to the side of the door. “Don’t read into it.” You echoed his parting words from yesterday and took your leave. A sneaky glance over your shoulder as you walked away revealed that Dean had picked up the plate and was looking at it with a half-impressed nod. You assumed that was as much of a reaction as you’d get from him and marked the trip to be successful.

Chapter 2