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severalforraelee · 1 year

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The Girls Part 14: Charles Leclerc x Reader

Photo credit to Team Scuderia Ferrari

Word count: 4,410

Written by raelee / Posted Oct 10

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“I heard you were in Monaco and didn’t come see me,” Lando accuses as soon as I answer his FaceTime call.

“You were already in Mexico,” I answer defensively.

“Yeah, but asking me would’ve still been nice.”

“Why would I ask if I already knew that you weren’t there?” I question.

He opens his mouth to respond but stops, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I watch his eyes flicker on the screen, and as I’m about to ask him about the sudden movement, he answers my unasked question.

“Where are you right now?”

“Oh, uh,” I laugh nervously, causing Lando to squint at me. “I’m actually in my new flat.”

“Your new flat?” Lando raises his eyebrows at me.

“Yeah, Charles and I actually moved in together.” I wince, waiting for the earful that I’m about to receive.

If Lando doesn’t like Charles even staying at my flat, he’s going to hate that we live together now. Even if I told him that Charles is gone half of the year and we stay in different bedrooms he still wouldn’t be happy about it.

Lando opens his mouth, about to speak again, when his doorbell suddenly rings. I thank whatever God is listening in on our conversation for that.

“Hold on,” he tells me like I have another option, heading towards his door so that I’m left staring at his ceiling. I hear muffled voices before he returns.

“Who was that?” I ask, hoping that the question will distract him from our previous topic.

“The delivery man,” he answers.

“Oh, what’d you get?”

“It’s not for me.”

I give him a questioning look at the response.

“They’re birthday presents for Ada and Lucy.”

Ada and Lucy's second birthday is coming up. They’re so excited to have a day that’s just dedicated to celebrating them. They’re especially looking forward to being able to eat cake and junk food all day, and open presents.

Unfortunately, it also falls on the day of the grand prix in Brazil. So Lando and Charles, two of their favorite people, won’t be able to celebrate their birthday with them on their actual birthday.

It’s going to be extremely difficult to explain to the girls why we’re celebrating, but why we’re not celebrating with the ones that they love.

“You didn’t have to buy them anything, Lando,” I insist.

“They’re my nieces, they’re going to get spoiled.”

“Well, thank you. We appreciate it. Were you going to come to London soon to celebrate with us?” I question.

It’s at a weird point in the season right now. There’s only a few races left until the season ends and winter break starts, so the atmosphere is weird. There’s a lot of testing and media duties for the drivers to do, so they’re at one of their busiest points, but everyone is ready for the season to just be done so they can get a little break.

“Well I was actually thinking that I could give them the presents in Brazil.”

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “Like… you give them to Charles and Charles gives them to Ada and Lucy?”

“No, like you, Ada, and Lucy come to Brazil to watch the grand prix and McClaren will throw a birthday party for them, and I can give them their gifts then,” he suggests.

“Oh,” I’m taken by surprise. It’s honestly something that I hadn’t considered. “Lando, the grand prix is in like two weeks, that’s very short notice.”

“Yeah, but you already said that you don’t have classes on Fridays. And I think you said you work every other Friday and if I did my math correctly, you would have off that Friday,” he explains.

“I have a class on Monday in the afternoon, so if we flew back Sunday night or Monday morning I would still be able to make it…” I shake my head.

I can’t believe I’m considering this.

Going to a grand prix would bring the opposite of what I want for the girls. It would draw attention to them, especially if McClaren hosts a birthday party for them. After all of the drama on social media and people spotting us as a family of four out in public and posting about it, it makes me worried to go to Lando and Charles’ home away from home.

But… the girls have been showing more and more interest while watching the races lately. And I would love for them to be at a race to see their father and their uncle in their element. Plus meeting the people that Charles and Lando surround themselves with the majority of the weekend would be nice.

“I’ll have to think about it, Lando,” I sigh. “It just might be too hard and too soon after going to Monaco.”

“I get it, you don’t want to see your brother,” he jokes.

I roll my eyes. “Oh no, you caught me.”

“Let me know what you decide, alright? I can fly back and help you fly out with the girls, and I can pay for your flights and hotels and everything,” he offers.

I take a deep breath, gearing up to tell him that he doesn’t need to worry about that and I could figure it out myself. Then, I stop. “Okay, Lando.”

“You know what would be great?” Charles asks.

“What?” My eyes shift from the textbook in front of me to my laptop screen that has the problem pulled up, working through it in my head while also trying to carry a conversation with Charles.

“If you came to the Brazil grand prix with Ada and Lucy so that we could celebrate their birthday as a family.”

My head snaps towards where he’s set up on a FaceTime call on my phone leaned up against my water bottle.

“What?” I repeat my earlier question, although this time with surprise. My heart flutters when I catch that he referred to the four of us as a family. I know that I do it, but it’s nice to know that he does it too.

“Yeah, you know. We could celebrate their second birthday on their actual birthday, they could have a little party at Ferrari,” he suggests. “It’d be fun.”

“Have-”I pause at the question that I’m about to ask, already not believing the words that are about to leave my mouth, but Charles urges me on. “Have you been talking to my brother at all?”

“What? Why would you ask that?”

He’s a terrible actor.

“Because he said the exact same thing,” I deadpan.

“Great minds think alike.”

I sigh. “I’ll tell you the same thing that I told him. I’ll think about it.”

“If you’re worried about traveling with Ada and Lucy, I can fly back and fly out to Brazil with you three,” he offers.

“God, you really did talk to Lando,” I murmur. “You know what? Fine. If you and Lando can come out and help me fly out to Brazil with two toddlers and all of our luggage, we can spend their birthday at the grand prix in Brazil. I’m sure they would love that.”

“You’re not going to regret it, mon amour,” he grins enthusiastically. “I’m going to call Lando now to figure out all of the details.”

“Okay, have-”The phone call ends before I can finish my sentence. “Fun.”

I roll my eyes at the clear excitement on Charles’ face, but can’t hide the smile that’s growing on my lips.

“Lando, can you grab a bag, please?”

It’s like deja vu, except this time Lando is the one holding Ada and Lucy’s hands while I walk alongside Charles who struggles with the bags once again.

“No, I’m escorting Ada and Lucy right now,” Lando denies. Charles gives him a look of disbelief. “Uncle privileges.”

“Charles, just let me grab-””Not you, mon amour,” he declines, heaving a bag higher onto his shoulder.

I roll my eyes at his stubbornness but don’t persist any further.

I’m just surprised that I’m in the airport for the second time this month, jetting off on yet another international trip. I’m shocked that I’m doing this at this point in my life, nonetheless with two toddlers by my side.

Of course I have help from Lando and Charles (although, is Lando really help?) but after trying so hard to keep my daughters out of the public eye, taking them to a place where people from all walks of life attend is crazy to me. I can’t help but feel weirdly proud of myself for how far I’ve come.

“Are you okay?” Lando’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I return his gaze. “You just kind of zoned out there.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I smile at him and he smiles back.

And they’re genuine smiles. I really am fine.

Charles gets us in on Friday without having to deal with any of the media. I’m secretly relieved- as much as I’ve tried to reassure him that I don’t mind the media and fans, we’ll just have to hide the girls’ faces as best as we can, he’s taking all precautions to protect their privacy as best as we can.

“What are my nieces wearing?” A voice snaps me out of my quiet bickering with a whining Ada.

“Shirts and jeans,” I answer, picking her up and into my arms.

“Ferrari shirts,” Charles smirks at Lando.

“Ugh,” Lando wrinkles his nose in disgust. “That won’t do.” He glares at Ada’s gray Ferrari T-shirt and Lucy’s red one. “I’ll find something else for you.”

He disappears before Charles and I can say anything else.

I roll my eyes, a point for Charles not to comment on it, before we make our way into the Ferrari garage.

“Y/N!” I’m pulled into a pair of arms as soon as I enter. I don’t recognize the arms- he’s gotten much more muscular over time- but I do recognize the cologne.

He still needs to use less of it.

“Oh, Carlos,” I wrap my free arm around him.

When I was Lando’s assistant and Carlos still drove at McClaren, we became close because of their close friendship. I didn’t tag along on all of their outings, I hate golf, but we would go out to dinner and for walks together.

We became close fast.

And it was difficult when I had to end that friendship.

I pull back, wiping at the light tears in my eyes at the sudden rush of emotions hitting me. Luckily, Carlos doesn’t comment on it, leaning in closer to brush his thumb against the little girl in my arm’s cheek.

“And this must be Ada, I see you in all of your mother’s stories.”

“Is everyone on your private story’s list but me?” Charles whines.

“Step it up, Charles,” Carlos grins at his teammate, brushing a strand of Lucy’s hair behind her ear. Her cheeks blush as she stares at him.

“Oh no, no boys,” Charles scolds gently, turning away so that Lucy could no longer face Carlos.

To my surprise, Ada’s staring back at Carlos. Not in a bashful way like her sister, but in a curious way.

“I heard it’s your birthday,” Carlos says to Ada and Lucy.

“On Sunday they turn two,” I explain.

“Well I got you birthday presents that you need to open today.” He grabs two nearby bags.

“Carlos, they don't need anything. Especially not today, it’s not their birthday yet,” Charles tells his teammate.

“They’re opening them anyway.”

Carlos’ tone leaves no room for argument and the girls have already focused on the bags, so Carlos hands them over to open.

They’re toddler sized Ferrari hats, but on the brim there’s a 55 and they’re both signed by Carlos.

“Really? You signed it too?” Charles looks unimpressed. I can’t help but laugh, which earns a grin for Carlos and a glare from Charles.

“They could make a nice buck off of it one day.”

I try to subtly walk through the paddock back to the Ferrari garage to meet Charles after showing the girls the cars on the track for qualifying, but it’s not easy with a tired toddler on each hip while trying to look out for any phones recording or taking pictures of us.

An arm suddenly pushes on my back, guiding me towards a different garage.

“These are my nieces,” Lando’s familiar voice announces proudly to the group of mechanics and engineers.

“Ew, Lando, get your arm off of me, you’re all sweaty,” I whine.

He rolls his eyes but removes his arm, reaching out to forcibly take the exhausted girls from my arms into his.

“No, you must be tired from the race, I can hold them,” I reassure them.

“Let me spend time with my girls,” he disagrees.

“And who might you be?” One of the mechanics raises an eyebrow at me flirtatiously.

Before I can handle it (in other words, embarrass myself) Lando speaks up, glaring at the mechanic. “She’s my sister.”

One of the other mechanics nudges the guy and mumbles something. All I can manage to hear is ‘Leclerc.’

Speak of the devil and he may appear.

“What are you doing here?” Charles asks in confusion, resting a hand on my waist gently and stepping around me to wave at his daughters.

“Lando pulled me in here,” I explain.

“Did you come to spy on the enemy, Leclerc?” A man I’ve only seen in photos approaches. Well, he’s really just a boy.

“Oscar Piastri,” my face lights up at the sight of him and I step forward to shake his hand. “It’s so great to finally meet you. You know, I loved your overtake in F2 in Bahrain-””Now hold on,” Lando interrupts me. “Are you telling me that my sister is actually an Oscar Piastri fan?”

“Yes, I really am,” I admit, watching as Charles wrestles Ada out of Lando’s arms.

“I can’t believe this, my own sister likes my teammate more than she likes me,” my brother says in mock disbelief.

“Why wouldn’t she? I’m the one decorating the cake for her daughters’ birthday party on Sunday,” Oscar grins smugly.

“Birthday party? On Sunday? Here?” Charles repeats parts of the sentence, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, that’s what he just said. Do you need your ears checked or something?” Lando questions jokingly.

“You can’t have a birthday party for the girls here on Sunday. We’re having a birthday party for them in the Ferrari motorhome,” Charles says.

“Well I’m their uncle that they rarely see, so they really should be spending more time here with me, and that includes having their birthday party here,” Lando responds.

“And I’m their dad, so they should have their birthday party in a familiar environment. And that’s surrounded by red,” Charles narrows his eyes at his competitor.

As if they both suddenly remember that I’m there, they turn to look at me with expectant gazes. As soon as I recognize the expressions, I laugh.

“Oh hell no, you’re not dragging me into this. Figure it out yourselves.”

They turn back to each other in defeat, narrowing their eyes at each other once again. This is going to be a long weekend.

“Oh my god,” I gape at the screen, hugging the girls tight to me as Charles crosses the line for a second place finish. “Dad came in second place, girls.”

The girls, despite not knowing what I’m saying, clap their hands in excitement, causing the engineers and mechanics around me to laugh.

“Are you going to the podium?” One of them asks.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I frown, fighting myself internally.

On one hand, it would be a great opportunity to remind Charles that I care about his career and success. Having his daughters at a race with him to watch him for the first time and then to get a podium, I know he’d be a little disappointed if we weren’t to go to the podium celebrations.

But on the other hand, I’m still worried about Ada and Lucy’s privacy. I know that pictures of their faces are already out there, but I want to do all that I can to prevent more of them from getting out. I want them to be able to have that privacy to decide what they want to do in the future instead of always being known as Charles Leclerc’s daughters. And a grand prix with cameras and strangers everywhere… they’re bound to constantly be on camera, especially with the controversy surrounding their existence and sudden appearance.

“Are you worried about their faces being seen?” Another mechanic asks. “Because I have a solution.”

I give him a curious look and he grabs two nearby helmets used for decoration, putting them over the girls heads. They squeal in excitement and I laugh.

“That’s genius.”

Together we make our way to the podium, crowding together behind the fence for Charles, Max, and Sergio to drive up. Everyone around me is polite, making sure to leave me plenty of room with a toddler on each hip.

When Charles pulls up and sees us, an expression that I’ve never seen before appears on his face. It lights up and it’s full of adoration, and he practically runs over to us.

He rips his helmet off, throwing it haphazardly on the ground behind him before leaning forward, lifting the visor of Ada’s helmet and placing a kiss on her nose. He does the same to Lucy and I smile at the gesture, expecting him to move on to the guys beside me to celebrate with them.

To my surprise, he pulls me into a hug, Ada and Lucy squished between us.

“Happy for you,” I confess to him, choking back the sobs that want to escape. He gives me a soft smile, able to tell that I’m seconds away from crying.

Thankfully he moves on to the guys before I start bawling my eyes out. I don’t know why I feel like crying. Maybe because this feels so… natural. Being at grand prixs again, surrounded by all of the drivers and mechanics and engineers. Taking my daughters to grand prixs, showing them the world that their uncle and dad were raised in and now are dominating.

Maybe it’s the pride that I feel for Charles, who’s having such a great season.

When Charles is up on the podium, I do let a tear slip.

“Good, I was just looking for you. They’re setting up the birthday party at the McClaren motorhome right now,” Lando catches up to the four of us as we walk back to the Ferrari motorhome.

“Lando, the Ferrari motorhome is already getting their birthday party ready,” Charles informs him slowly.

“Well, I already told you that McClaren’s going to host their birthday party.”

“And I already told you that Ferrari’s going to host their birthday party.”

Once again, the two stare each other down.

God I’m really getting sick of this.

“Guys, I have something to show you,” Alex suddenly appears, breaking the tension.

“Oh thank god,” I mumble, following behind him as he begins to make his way down the paddock.

“Is it in the Williams motorhome? That’s such a far walk,” Lando whines. I hear a thump, then another thump as Lando hits Charles back.

Alex holds the door open for us and Ada and Lucy enter ahead of everyone else. All of the sudden, a bunch of people jump out from behind the furniture in the room, shouting “Surprise!” and blowing party blowers.

Ada looks around shyly, clinging to my leg, while Lucy takes a step forward with a wide grin, loving the attention. There’s people from all the teams here, from employees in the communication departments to mechanics, engineers, and drivers.

I recognize a lot of the faces even years later, but there’s some new ones as well.

“Thank you for this,” I murmur to Alex as Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon manage to pry Ada off my leg to dance and Lucy watches in a trance as Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez engage in a conversion in Spanish.

“Of course,” he grins at me, knowing how much easier it is to have this party at a neutral location. Not only to stop the fighting, but also to hopefully mend the relationship between Lando and Charles.

It’s only when Ada and Lucy blow out the candles on their cake that it hits me. I have two two year olds.

Of course I know that they’re not the small babies that I once cradled in my arms or fed bottles to, but it’s so much harder actually realizing it. They’ll never be as little as they are now.

And right now… they’re not even that little. Right now they’re holding their own forks, feeding themselves cake while trying to keep it off of themselves as best as they can. They’re real people with thoughts and emotions, and they no longer need me as much as they once did.

It makes my heart hurt.

I glance over at Charles, thinking of his reaction when we found out that I wasn’t pregnant. If anyone’s the father of my girls, I’m glad that it’s him. It makes me curious about my future children… what their dad will be like. If it’ll be Charles.

“Why is she staring at him like that?” Alex’s question snaps me out of my thoughts.

My cheeks blush, thinking that I’ve been caught, but once I follow his sightline I see Lucy staring at Carlos, batting her eyelashes at him.

“She’s trying to flirt with him,” I inform him.

“That’s flirting with him?” Esteban raises his eyebrows in disbelief. It’s literally just staring creepily at Carlos and blinking quickly. She needs to work on it.

“I wonder where she learned that from,” Lily giggles, nudging me.

“That’s a classic Y/N move,” Charles chimes in.

“What? No it’s not,” I deny, reaching over to push his shoulder teasingly.

“Please, do you not remember?”

“Remember what?”

He grins at me and it’s like we’re the only two people in the room. “Remember when we would lay in bed at night on a race weekend and you would bat those pretty little eyelashes at me, ‘Oh Charles, can you please go get me a chocolate bar from the vending machine?’”

“I never did that,” I exclaim.

“Yes you did, on multiple occasions. I’m surprised we were never caught with how often I would have to buy you damn chocolate bars,” he teases.

I laugh and he joins in softly.

Someone clearing their throat snaps us out of the moment and I suddenly remember there’s people around us.

“Um, let’s move on to presents,” I announce awkwardly.

Ada and Lucy get so much stuff. Esteban gets them a book on how to learn French- I guess he doesn't know much about two year olds, Pierre gets them mini purses from Louis Vuitton, Lando had two toddler sized play cars sent to our new apartment but gives the girls practically the whole Barbie aisle for the party, and Max gets them a baby shark toy (something about how good the song is).

Slowly, everyone begins to leave, and Lando and George keep the girls entertained while Charles and I begin to clean up.

“Well I’d say the party was a success,” I say to Charles, bending down to pick wrapping paper off of the ground.

“Yeah, Albon did a great job hosting. Ada and Lucy had a lot of fun,” he glances over to where they’re playing with their new toys.

“So did the drivers,” I chuckle.

I begin to rise at an angle, hands full of wrapping paper as Charles bends down at an angle to grab some more wrapping paper. I turn my head at the same time he ducks his down, his lips landing on my own.

We kiss for a split second, lips moving against each other in sync before I remember where we are and pull away with a quiet gasp.

My eyes look over at the group of four, seeing them still playing. They didn’t notice the accidental kiss at all.

The damage is done as I look over at Charles, who’s staring back at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. I stare back with blushing cheeks.

“Are you guys almost done?” Lando calls out, breaking our staring competition.

“Yeah, just a little bit longer,” I agree, not breaking the gaze with Charles.

We don't have the chance to talk about it.

As soon as we get back to the hotel, both girls are sent into meltdowns from the sugar high and a long, exhausting day. Then, since they’re both throwing a fit, once one begins to calm down the other one begins to overreact which sends the other one into a fit again.

Finally Charles and I manage to bathe them, change them into their pajamas, and get them to bed.

If I’m exhausted, I don’t know how Charles feels.

I can feel his eyes on me as I anxiously fold one of Lucy’s dirty shirts.

I look up, meeting those hazel eyes that I’ve become so accustomed to seeing. Now I don’t know what I would do without them.

“So…” I start awkwardly.

He just looks so good like this. Hair messy from a long day, in just a casual T-shirt and gym shorts. It’s his dad look. The dim light from the hotel lamp casts a warm glow on him, making me want to just reach over and pull him into my arms.

Before I can even react, he takes two steps forward, hands gently placed on my biceps as he turns me towards him. He leans down and my hands reach up to grab the back of his biceps as our lips meet.

It’s an anticipated kiss, and god, was it worth the wait.

His lips are warm and comforting, like pulling on a sweatshirt straight out of the dryer. Like it’s meant to be, and although you know it can’t last forever, you’ll savor it while it’s happening.

His hands slide down to my waist and my arms wind around his neck, pulling him as close to me as I can.

It’s Ada and Lucy’s second birthday. And it’s also the day that Charles and I kissed twice- once on accident and once on purpose.

This may be one of the happiest days of my life.

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#formula 1 imagine #f1 imagine #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #formula 1 driver imagine

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whoblewboobear · 24 days

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Now see, I did ask for a doctors note to cover tomorrow as well and I’m still like “:ccc mhhhh I can’t take ANOTHER day off! They’ll be so mad at me!!” Girl take the extra day, your skin is eating itself and you hate those people 💖

I’m gonna take the extra day. I still need to make the call to the derm to refill my antibiotic & to make an appointment. Also the obligatory my body needs rest bc good god it so does. HR lady did offer to give me the paperwork for a temporary medical leave. It’s unpaid but.. idk I need it bad. Just need to pad out my savings a bit and then I can catch a break. We’re getting into out busiest season with football coming up, but I just.. I can’t push myself to the point of breaking for this job. I’m not recovering from the burnout or the fatigue. I just crawl into that office like a zombie, put my head down, and try to push through.

I should ask to work from home on the bad days but they’ve made it clear (or my boss has anyway) that I’m not trusted bc I used my phone to clock in, instead of my pc at work. They conflated it with “stealing company time.” Which is bullshit. I just :/ but our third designer works from home bc she has kids. She doesn’t come in and my coworker and I are stuck doing all her printing and finishing. It’s too much and they won’t listen when we’ve stressed we need a third designer again. They don’t care. When I’m flaring like this, neither do I. If I need to work slower or call out bc I’m on deaths door I’ll do it. They’d rather work us to death than accommodate us anyway.

#hidradenitis suppurativa #hs flare up

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dailymobpsychodrabbles · 2 years

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valentine’s day terumob?

But of course!

Word count: 1.8k

Tags: terumob, valentines day, flowers

In retrospect, maybe Shigeo should have realized that flower shops are at their busiest on Valentine’s Day.

By the time he gets there, he’s out of breath, sweating through his school uniform, and there’s a line of people out the front door. Shigeo’s excitement very quickly turns into dread when he stands on his toes and counts the number of people ahead of him. Ah, not good. He’d thought that coming early before school might be enough to beat anyone else who may have his idea, but it seems like everyone had this idea. He even notices a few of his classmates a little bit ahead of him in line.

Shigeo taps the shoulder of the person ahead of him. “Um, excuse me, do you think I could-”

“No way, bud,” they interrupt abruptly. “We’re all here because we forgot to get our girlfriend flowers. You can wait.”

But… Shigeo hadn’t forgotten. He and Teru had agreed not to get each other gifts, but then Shigeo had talked to Tome who insisted that was just boyfriend code for I’m secretly getting you a gift. Which only made Shigeo panic that much more, and he had decided to take a detour on the way to class to get something last minute.

…And apparently, so had everyone else in Seasoning City.

By the time Shigeo is actually inside and able to make a selection, he’s pretty sure he’s going to be late for school.

People brush by him carrying lovely bouquets full of roses and peonies and all sorts of big, pretty flowers. But when Shigeo reaches the shelves that are normally bursting with all sorts of arrangements, they’re totally bare. He frowns and looks around the store. They’re all empty? But… But it’s a flower shop. Flower shops can’t run out of the one thing they sell.

Panic grips his throat and threatens to squeeze the air from his lungs. No, no this can’t be right. He needs to get something for Teru! Or else that would make him a bad boyfriend, right?

Eventually, Shigeo makes his rounds around the entire store and finds one arrangement left. It’s… well, it’s minimalist, he supposes: one purple peony that’s still halfway to blooming, two smaller flowers, and a few sprigs of leaves. Shigeo feels himself deflate at the little bouquet in his hands. It’s nothing at all like his boyfriend. Teru walks into a room and exerts a confidence that demands attention to be drawn his way. This doesn’t fit him.

But it’s all that’s left, so it’ll have to do. Hopefully whatever Teru gets him won’t be too impressive.

–

Shigeo realizes he has to carry the flowers around all day, so he makes do and tucks them into the front pocket of his backpack with the blooms sticking out as much as they can. It’ll be alright. They only have to survive the school day until he can meet up with Teru.

Tome texts him in the middle of his last class to stop by the Telepathy Club slash Body Improvement Club’s room for a gift. According to Inukawa, she made Valentine’s for all her friends every year.

She already has Shigeo’s waiting by her side when he comes into the room. Tome pauses her game and kicks her feet off the table to get up and greet him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mob!” Tome announces happily. Shigeo sets his bag on the ground to get some weight off of his back. His friend holds out his card, and he accepts it with a bow of his head.

It’s handmade: thick cardstock with a little alien in a spaceship orbiting the moon. In sparkly font, it says I’m over the moon for you, valentine! Shigeo runs his fingers over the lettering and smiles at its texture.

“Thank you, Tome-chan.” Shigeo’s heart swells with appreciation.

“Don’t take it too much to heart,” Takenaka rings out from behind Tome, where he’s sharing a box of chocolates with Inukawa. “She uses the same, like, eight alien jokes every year.”

“At least I made something, moron!” Tome snaps back at him. “You just scribbled on a piece of notebook paper!” Inukawa grimaces as his Mobtendo Switch makes a very obvious game over noise.

Takenaka points a chocolate in Tome’s direction. “But it was original, wasn’t it?”

Shigeo’s smile widens a bit. He’s just glad his friends are all in one place.

The door to the club room swings open again, and it seems the Body Improvement Club is finished with classes for the day as well. They’re all talking to each other about a new workout regime and tossing their bags to the side. Shigeo watches in slow motion as Onigawara’s bag slips from his hand and hits against Shigeo’s.

Specifically, it hits the front of Shigeo’s bag where the flowers are neatly tucked away.

Shigeo ignores Musashi’s greeting and bolts to his backpack. No, no, no. Surely not. Surely this isn’t happening to him-

He removes the bouquet from his bag, and a few wilted petals fall to the ground around his feet. All that’s really left are some twigs and leaves and the vague semblance of some color.

“What’s that- Oh.” Onigawara pauses behind Shigeo. “Shit, was that important?”

Takenaka wrinkles his nose and scratches the back of his neck a bit awkwardly. Tome exchanges a look with Inukawa that suggests it didn’t exactly take the telepath in the room to understand that yeah, it had meant a lot to Shigeo.

“Kageyama-kun-” Musashi starts, holding out a hand as if to try and calm Shigeo.

“I have to go,” Shigeo blurts. He bows to Tome. “Thank you for the card.” And then he bows to Musashi. “I’ll-I’ll be back tomorrow.”

With that, Shigeo bolts out the door before he can do something stupid… something like crying. His eyes feel uncomfortably hot, and his throat squeezes tight as he fights back tears.

–

Teru is already waiting for him at the train station. His boyfriend is looking around, trying to find Shigeo in the swarm of people as one train dispels its passengers and allows more on.

But Shigeo has had a bit of a growth spurt, so he stands out better than he may have used to. Teru’s eyes lock onto him at the same instant Shigeo notices him searching for him. His boyfriend’s neutral expression very quickly changes into a big grin. Teru pushes off from where he’s leaning against the wall and shoves through the crowd to get to Shigeo.

Shigeo feels so guilty the second Teru starts to approach him, but Teru also has a quality to him that soothes Shigeo like no one else can. As soon as Teru is in front of him, Shigeo wraps him into a hug.

“Oh!” Teru laughs, voice ringing gleefully even with the subtle roar of hundreds of people talking at once. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!” He hugs Shigeo back just as tight, tucking his face into his shoulder. Slowly, the horrible shame starts to melt. The warmth of Teru against his body is enough to seep away all the terrible feelings weighing down Shigeo’s conscience.

They part after a moment. Teru still has his hands on Shigeo’s hips, and he’s beaming up at his boyfriend. Ah, he’s really cute, isn’t he? His school is strict on uniforms, but it seems Teru managed to rebel in his own little way with dangly heart earrings and pink hair clips.

Teru reaches up and tucks a stray piece of hair behind Shigeo’s ear. “I know we said no gifts-” His hand moves to cup Shigeo’s cheek. “But I couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry!”

Only Teru would apologize for getting a gift. Shigeo’s heart sinks. He’d been secretly hoping Teru really didn’t get him anything, but it seems that Tome’s secret language had been correct. Shigeo can only watch in half-masked disappointment as Teru rummages through his bag and produces a little gift bag, maybe a little bigger than his hand. Reluctantly, Shigeo takes it from him and peers inside.

A keychain with a milk carton. Shigeo takes it out and lets it dangle from one finger. “It’s a little silly, I know,” Teru starts with a sheepish smile, “but it reminded me of you. I saw it whenever we went to that store that’s beside the churro store- you know the one? And I couldn’t help but-” He cuts himself off, smile dropping into a horrified expression. “Shige? Are you crying?”

Oh, when did that start? Now that Teru’s mentioned it, Shigeo can’t focus on anything but the hot tears falling from his cheeks. He drops his head in shame. “I-I tried to get you something too, but-but I…” Shigeo sniffles loudly. “It’s terrible.”

Teru ducks his head so he can see Shigeo’s face. “I know for a fact that nothing you could have gotten me is terrible,” he says, offering a reassuring smile. Shigeo only hiccups at that. Why is Teru so wonderful? His boyfriend nestles close to him, rubbing his arm. “Can I at least see for myself?”

Every fiber of Shigeo’s being screams at him not to show Teru, but… he can’t deny him anything. Teru’s his biggest weakness. So Shigeo reaches around to take out the sad, wilted bouquet from his backpack. It looks even worse than it did in the club room. Even the leaves are starting to fall off now. All that’s left are stems and maybe the leftover bud from one of the flowers and- man, Shigeo is crying again.

“I-I couldn’t- There weren’t-”

“They’re perfect,” Teru says.

Shigeo risks looking up at him. He expects… well, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but certainly not the pleased expression on Teru’s face. His boyfriend takes the sad bundle of stems in his own hands and looks up at Shigeo.

“You thought of me when you got them,” Teru explains with a warm smile. “That’s what matters.”

The tears stop coming, but Shigeo can’t stop his lower lip from trembling. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” he asks softly.

Teru nods, and he stands on his toes to meet Shigeo halfway. Their lips brush together, and it’s like coming home. It’s taking your shoes off and flopping into bed. It’s submerging into a warm bath with a candle lit. It’s comfort. It’s home, Teru is home-

The stems in Teru’s hands tremble, and as if they were fireworks waiting to pop, they explode into an array of big, colorful flowers. Teru yelps in surprise and looks down in awe at the transformation happening right in front of them. The sad little arrangement is no more. Now it’s pinks and yellows and oranges and purples- roses and carnations and peonies and exactly what Shigeo had been looking for when he set his alarm extra early this morning to get Teru a bouquet.

Teru grins down at the bouquet, then back up at his boyfriend. “You-”

“Thought of you,” Shigeo finishes.

Teru reaches up for a second kiss, a third, a fourth. The cracks in the sidewalk around them start to have wildflowers sprout up, the flower beds lining the pavement begin to spill over-

And they end up missing their train.

#terumob #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #shigeo kageyama #kageyama shigeo #teruki hanazawa #hanazawa teruki #happy valentines day :D

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greyias · 2 years

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It’s halfway through October and I’m finally in a spot where I have processed everything and am not an absolute wreck anymore. I’ve discussed this in private and over on Twitter, but I know some over here are probably wondering what’s gone down in the past 16+ days.

Fair warning, frank (and sort of graphic) discussions about pet medical issues ahead.

At the very end of September, I had to bring Griffin in for an emergency vet visit because he was... well. Bleeding. Out of an orifice in which you shouldn’t be bleeding. All of this was preceded by two weeks of him having issues with blood in his stool (never a good sign) -- and the ultimate culprit turned out to be a tumor that his body was basically trying to eject forcibly.

He had surgery to successfully remove it, and his recovery was, in a word, painful. Excruciating for him (despite being on several heavy medications), and within a week had me completely sleep deprived and at my wit’s end. Thankfully, after a few days boarding at the vet, he’s fully mended from the surgery. Eating and doing everything a dog should do normally, without pain, and without medication. So in the short term, he’s doing all right.

Long term... there’s not really one. The biopsy came back and he has high grade malignant lymphoma, so my baby boy is on borrowed time. They said that it’s likely to come back within a few weeks to maybe a few months. I keep going through the five stages of grief at various intervals, but I’m trying to make the remaining time I have left with him as happy an experience for him as possible.

You wouldn’t know he’s terminal at this point, as he’s as happy and exuberant and weird and loving as ever. Which in some ways is helping keeping me distracted from getting to sad or angry, because it’s hard to not laugh or smile at his antics.

It’s not fair that he doesn’t get to have a full, long life. We never get enough time with our pets, but this... this feels extremely cruel. This is compounded by the fact that my other, older dog also is probably going to have liver failure at some point here within the next few months. So I’m going to go through this twice in a short time span, and that’s really going to suck when it happens.

To top it off... my dad has cancer. I do not know what stage it’s at, nor how long I have left with him, because my family... they kind of suck at the moment, and aren’t telling me anything directly. I'm trying to be understanding that we're all dealing with things as best we can, but it really sucks to hear crappy news third hand. (You might ask if I’ve tried to ask for details. Yes, and I was told “I’m just trying not to think about it” when asked. Cool.)

The only ones openly communicating with me are my brother and his wife, who are joyfully expecting a second baby, but also are going to be moving across the country to be closer to her family for help with childcare as daycare is slowly bankrupting them (because did I mention my immediate family is kind of going through a sucky period right now? Sort of understandably so but still.)

That’s kind of the long and short of it right now, and one of the reasons I’m super quiet at the moment. (The other reason is this is the busiest season of the year at work for me, so I kind of drop off the radar for a few weeks anyway).

I probably won't talk about this on main too much, because I'm just trying to focus on enjoying what little time I have left with my babies and I don't really want to dwell on what life without them is going to be like. (I'll have plenty of time for that when it comes). So, if it seems like I post a lot of doggo pictures here or on Twitter, or just go full ham on fannish things, I'm just trying to distract myself.

In short: Am I okay? Yeah, as best as I can be at this point. Heartbroken, but trying to cope.

#personal

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garbagefarm · 2 years

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Garbage Farm

2023-02-17, Garbage Farm session #[???]!

cast:

me (@mothmute)

E.B. (@salamand3rin)

Kimi (@2kimi2furious)

Highlights include, but are not limited to:

All that planning and plotting paid off, we started strong and finished strong

farm cleanup went well!

Robin built a fancy bed, Demetrius calls it a “sleep receptacle”

moved all the sheds

E.B. takes the strawberry seeds for a little walk before we plant the big strawberry patch

Lewis calls “just to check in”, on one of the busiest days of the farm year

E.B. removes the long-standing Garbage Bee Houses to make space for the big cauliflower field

Kimi finishes converting the entire NW quadrant of the farm into Grass

we’re short on wood to upgrade another shed

I scrape together just enough wood ... right as Robin closes, whoops

Kimi goes to deforest the island, we love destroying ecosystems in our garbage cult

got the big shed started the next day

I realize that I’ve still got Storylines to do, and go retrieve the Wizard’s magic ink

(Wizard is slightly insecure about his ex, but grants me access to Wizard Store)

Evelyn wants to get a lot of leeks for George. We can do this ... right? I mean we’ve got all season

I find an omelet in the saloon’s trash, thanks Gus!

E.B. caught me digging in the trash...

(it’s only good and proper)

Junior is speed-walking, apparently

Pizza is now old enough for Kimi to toss him in the air like an italian chef

Sam is trying to do a kickflip.

Hey Sam, guess what?

(I immediately dig through both garbage cans in plain view of him)

I barely make it back to bed after a night in the mines

Elliott has nightmares about me cutting his hair. Honey, I would never

Harvey decides to make E.B.’s floors blue. “harvey, honey, no.”

Kimi is inspired to repaint things around the farm

I install a mini-obelisk! * teleport sound! *

Caroline mailed me a single potato

Elliott waters all the crops!!

(what a sweet bpo boi)

Desert day!

Instead of wasting time gambling I just outright buy enough coins to get the rarecrow

Huh, don’t think I’ve seen this dialog box before! “Your loyal horse waits patiently for your return” Frucko has a name

Gus mails me a plate of veggies

Deluxe scarecrow recipe is here!!

(now we just need to, y’know, make a few)

New cows: Tony & Mooprano (moop for short)

fairy on the farm! here to be very helpful and not make things more annoying at all by desynchronizing your crops or anything 🙃

Alex wants Kimi to give his grandma a diamond. “that’s George’s job”

Hat Mouse called!

Sorry Hat Mouse, this is Garbage Farm.

(We have plans for you, but, not yet)

Elliott wants me to catfish Willy

Demetrius mails me a nautilus shell

Strawberry day! Cauliflower day! Keg day!

E.B. gets the second horse on Garbage Farm, Grover!!

having planted some trees for tapping up by the railroad, I cut down the ones on the farm

We didn’t get to everything I’d hoped to get done, but we sure did a lot of it!

Next time, on Garbage Farm:

tap those trees

Kimi gets a horse??

egg

#garbage farm #stardew valley

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lgcmanager · 1 year

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PERSONAL CHANNELS ( Q2 2023: PART 2 )

SCHEDULE TYPE: N/A RESTRICTIONS: ACTORS AND MODELS ONLY

now that we’ve gathered all of the submissions, listed below are the ones that have been approved/renewed:

0-199 NOTORIETY

seonny side up - BAEK SEONA ( @lgcseona )

tomitalks - SATO MINAMI ( @lgctomi )

200+ NOTORIETY

jinseo’s communication center - KIM JINSEO ( @lgcjinseo )

mulljingi’s gym - KIM JINYOUNG ( @lgcjinyoung )

sanghyun’s stories - LIM SANGHYUN ( @lgcsanghyun )

time turn - OKADA TAIYOU ( @lgctaiyou )

xander: off the runway - HAN JISOO ( @lgcjisoo )

we’ve mentioned some of the rules and requirements to this over HERE, but we wanted to expand a bit further so you can get a better idea of how the personal channels are set up:

depending on the muse’s NOTORIETY (at the time of this post), the writing requirements may vary slightly so please pay attention to that when planning when to write the solos/posts!

once the debuted artist has created a personal channel, they will be expected to pay any of the expenses that might be used. so if you’re planning on doing some sort of game or challenge with a guest, do note that they will be given the bare minimum especially that the selected artists are just starting their channels.

since there is an option to invite a GUEST on the show once per trimester, this will probably be filmed during a time when BOTH the host and guest are free. generally speaking, actors and idols usually are the busiest due to their schedules followed by models and trainees so take that into consideration when thinking of who to invite. for this term there are some special rules about this, so please read below for more info!

in terms of traveling, the debuted artist can travel to different parts of korea but most likely that will be filmed on sunday, which is the day that everyone has a day off (exception is if they’re given a holiday break like chuseok). if the debuted artist plans to do that at any time during the trimester, they will have to do all of the filming by themselves.

the length of the videos vary, but typically each video is about 10-25 minutes long with all of the editing!

for Q2, we’ve added some special rules as a way to spark some creativity with the solos/threads.

first, if you are PLANNING on doing a thread for one of the videos, rather than the usual restriction ( ex. the guest must be a debuted artist/model/actor ), the guest must be someone who HAS hosted a vlive/youtube show in the past terms ( Q4 2022 & Q1 2023 ) and isn’t in NOVA currently. this is because everyone has a busy schedule ( including the trainees ) so rather than letting them host another season of their show or having their own, we’re allowing them to be featured as a guest for the personal channel. listed below are all of the muses who have hosted a vlive show or youtube show during that time:

HAN HYUNHEE ( abracadabra, alakazam! )

HAN NOEUL ( legacy hall battle )

KANG MAXIMILIAN ( literature slam )

KIM CHERRY ( our incherrysting history )

KIM YUJIN ( scrapbooking with yujin )

PARK JAEKYUNG ( dungeon noob discussions )

PARK SEOJIN ( noraebattle )

like mentioned previously, the guest will NOT receive any points for replying to the thread if the personal channel owner chooses to do the thread component.

second, to receive an additional +4 MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE, and +2 NOTORIETY, one of the solos ( NOT threads ) must be a charity related video. this means that the profits earned from the views in that specific video will be donated to a charity of the personal channel owner’s choosing, so it’s up to them to decide the charity they would like to donate the money to and bring some awareness to the charity in their video ( this can be done by either having the video focusing on what the charity does, doing an activity that can help the charity, etc. ). if this is completed, you will get both the base rewards ( +6 MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE & +4 NOTORIETY ) AND the additional rewards ( +4 MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE & +2 NOTORIETY ). the total of the rewards will then be +10 MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE, and +6 NOTORIETY for that solo.

third, while this only applies to muses who are in BULLET INQUIRY, you can film content during the bali trip but if you choose to have another cast member featured in the video make sure that it’s short ( less than 1 minute ) and you’ve asked permission from the mun about the cameo appearance since the majority of the video should be focusing on the personal channel owner. for the owners that are in LGC SPRING BOYS, you can film behind the scenes content with another fellow LGC SPRING BOYS member for the thread component, but the same rules applies ( ex. the guest will not receive points for replying to the thread, can only be one of the lgc spring boys members that has hosted a vlive/youtube show in q4 2022/q1 2023, etc. ) if you choose to write a solo about the LGC SPRING BOYS behind the scenes, you could if you want to but all solos and threads related to that project will be posted ( ic wise ) after the project is done ( so around JUNE ).

after the deadline has passed, we’ll add on the lgc master sheet (specifically on the LGCMEDIA SCHEDULE tab) when the episodes that you’ve submitted were aired. as a reminder, the debuted artist has released more episodes than the number that was written for this trimester.

POINTS FORM

you have until JUNE 24, 2023 11:59PM EDT to finish the writing requirements. please tag all solos and posts pertaining to this with lgc:personalchannel. when you’ve finished the writing requirements, send the form below to the lgcpoints blog ( you can copy the episode line multiple times depending on how many solos/threads were written ):

MUSE NAME ∙ PERSONAL CHANNELS (Q2 2023) - EPISODE: +6 ( MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE ), +4 NOTORIETY [ LINK ] - BONUS (CHARITY): +4 ( MCING/HOSTING, VARIETY, ACTING, OR PERFORMANCE ) +4 NOTORIETY [ LINK THE CHARITY SOLO ]

#lgc:event #lgc:q22023 #lgc:personalchannel

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atlanticcanada · 2 years

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Second catalytic converter theft leaves Moncton food depot frustrated

With its catalytic converter stolen, an essential delivery truck for Food Depot Alimentaire in Moncton, N.B., is officially out of commission.

"It’s extremely frustrating, especially this time, because the robbery happened in broad daylight. So we caught them on camera, they were wearing masks, a hoodie. We filed a police report,” said executive director Stephane Sirois. “It’s very frustrating. It’s costing time and money that’s not going towards food.”

“The RCMP, we filed a police report and they're just overwhelmed with these cases,” she added.

It’s the second delivery truck from the food depot that’s been targeted this year.

"We called the garage who's fixing our truck and there's a huge waiting list for them to even get the part because so many are getting stolen, so we might have to wait several weeks... months,” said Sirois.

Overall, the organization services 64 food banks and community kitchens, plus more than 100 schools.

Sirois said this means the non-profit will have to rent another truck in the meantime, which is another added expense on top of other operational obstacles.

"We anticipate a major increase again this year, we don't see things slowing down. Donations are way down as well and we have to purchase a lot more food, so up to date in our budget, we had to buy almost 10 times more food than last year to get to the same volume," he said.

Despite the set backs, the Food Depot Alimentaire is pushing forward and in some cases even expanding.

The provincial coordinator for programs and community engagement, Carrie Delaney, says that its school breakfast program is feeding more students than ever this year.

"We're very excited to have the province on board this year, it means a lot to us and that was what was able to encourage us to be able to grow,” she said. “So we're pushing hard for a universal program where it's available to every student across the province right now.”

Delaney says the province committed $550,000 this year towards the program.

“It’s so important, some students find this is the only meal they get a day,” she said. “Breakfast is a staple in every household, so you can’t learn unless you have a full belly and it also promotes a culture of learning and engagement within the students.”

Adding, “last year we did 52 schools and this year we're doing 110. So now we're reaching about 25,000 students."

Officials say it is coming up to the busiest time of the year for donations, and while they are hopeful this holiday season will fill their shelves, they are also preparing for potential future challenges.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/MsCfZga

#new brunswick #prince edward island #nova scotia #news #politics #canada #CTVAtlantic

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pashterlengkap · 9 months

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Pete Buttigieg “has your back” during this busy holiday travel season

As holiday travel kicked into high gear this week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg assured Americans that his department “has your back.” In a video message posted to X on Thursday, the out secretary touted improvements to the country’s aviation system since last year’s disastrous holiday travel season. As The Hill noted, more Americans are expected to travel this year than have since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Buttigieg said that flight cancellations have actually been lower this year than they were prior to 2020. Related: Pete Buttigieg slams Republicans for complaining about flight delays but trying to cut funding This weekend could be the busiest for air travel ever. Buttigieg also reassured viewers that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has “secured enforceable commitments from the ten largest airlines to cover expenses for things like rebooking, meals” and other expenses related to flight delays and cancellations and noted that travelers are entitled to a full cash refund if their flights are canceled for any reason. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our daily newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Promotions (occasional) * Week in Good News (one on the Weekend) * Week in Review (one on the Weekend) * Daily Brief (one each weekday) * Sign Up “Our work as a watchdog has helped get over $2.5 billion returned from airlines to travelers,” Buttigieg said. He also noted the department’s efforts to get all airlines to offer fee-free family seating. He directed travelers to the DOT’s new online dashboard at flightrights.gov, which provides information on the commitments the department has gotten airlines to make to protect passengers’ rights. We’re anticipating today to be the peak day for flights ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. As you prepare for your trip, visit https://t.co/1QkmVqmAaB to learn what your airline is required to cover in case of a controllable delay or cancellation. pic.twitter.com/xgUZaIbM0Y— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) December 21, 2023 Earlier this week, the DOT announced a $140 million civil penalty against Southwest Airlines for “numerous violations of consumer protection laws during and after the operational failures that canceled 16,900 flights and stranded over two million passengers” last Christmas. In a press release, the department touted the penalty as 30 times larger than any previously levied by the DOT for consumer protection violations. “Today’s action sets a new precedent and sends a clear message: if airlines fail their passengers, we will use the full extent of our authority to hold them accountable,” said Buttigieg. “Taking care of passengers is not just the right thing to do — it’s required, and this penalty should put all airlines on notice to take every step possible to ensure that a meltdown like this never happens again.” According to the December 18 release, the “DOT has issued the highest amount in fines ever against airlines for failing to refund customers promptly and for unlawfully keeping passengers on the tarmac for hours” under Buttigieg. The department previously secured more than $600 million in refunds and reimbursements from Southwest for passengers whose travel plans were disrupted last year. Those refunds came in large part due to significant changes the airline made to its customer service plan at Buttigieg’s urging in September 2022. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden trumpeted the Southwest penalty in a post on X. “Taxpayers kept airlines afloat during COVID-19,” he wrote. “They should get a better deal.” My Administration filed a $140 million penalty against Southwest Airlines for its 2022 holiday meltdown. This is on top of $600 million @USDOT secured in refunds for passengers who faced disruptions. Taxpayers kept airlines afloat during COVID-19. They should get a better deal.— President Biden (@POTUS) December… http://dlvr.it/T0dzP0

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weshipyourride · 10 months

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Holiday Shipping Tips

With the holiday season comes a lot of shipments and what is, in fact, the busiest time of year for carriers. Potentially wintery weather can also affect shipments. Thus, we’ve compiled some helpful holiday shipping tips for getting your bikes, wheels and gear safely and on-time with Bikeflights to wherever they need to go. Whether you’re shipping bike-related gifts to recipients or your own bike for holiday travel, we’re here for you.

Tip #1: Allow Extra Shipping Time.

There will be no pickups or delivery service on December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve) and December 25, 2023 (Christmas Day), and how fast your shipment will travel depends on what level of service you purchase.

Our carrier UPS suggests the following ship-by dates by service level to help you make sure that your packages are delivered by Friday, December 22, 2023, the last business day day prior to the Christmas holiday.

3-Day: Tuesday, December 19, 2023

2-Day: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Next Day: Thursday, December 21, 2023

UPS Store® locations may also have modified business hours over the holidays. We recommend checking with your local UPS Store® for specific hours of operation.

For all shipments via ground service, you can easily get estimated delivery dates at Bikeflights.com based on your ship-to and ship-from locations and your ship-on date, but remember that carriers always suspend their delivery guarantees during the holiday season, so the estimated delivery date you receive is just that: an estimate! Do yourself a favor and build in some extra shipping time to reduce potential delays due to high shipping volumes.

Tip #2: Account for Potential Weather Impacts.

Snow delays can and do happen. Throughout the northern hemisphere, it’s winter, and therefore it can snow or ice at any time in many places. Significant storms may slow or even halt package delivery, especially when the system is already strained due to the higher volume of shipments.

Even if you are shipping to or from a warm climate, your bikes, wheels and gear may have to travel through wintry climates en route, or their travel may be impacted as consequences of winter storms in other places propagate through the system. Potential weather delays are another good reason to ship earlier to give your shipments some extra time.

Tip #3: Remove or Completely Cover All Previous Labels and Markings

After you receive all the items ordered during your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, it’s time to wrap and ship your gifts to recipients. Be sure to always remove or completely cover all previous labels and markings from any boxes that you’re reusing for subsequent shipments. This includes addresses, barcodes and hazmat and other warning stickers.

Automatic scanners will read old labels and markings, and your package could end up getting delivered to the address on a previous label. If the previous label’s address is yours, the package could come right back to you instead of going to your intended recipient, and then you’ll have to ship it again!

Tip #4: Book Shipments With Accurate Dimensions and Weight.

When booking, be sure to enter accurate dimensions and weight. We’ve pre-loaded the dimensions of popular cases suitable for shipping that you can select when booking. For all boxes or cases not on our list, use a tape measure to determine the following dimensions for your shipment: Length, Width and Height.

Length is the longest side of a box or case; Height is the second longest, and Width is the dimension that’s leftover - measure each at their widest parts to account for any bulges. Then use a scale to determine package weight. Always round up to the next unit. For example, enter 13 inches for a measurement of 12.25 inches, and enter 14 kg for a measurement of 13.7 kg.

Shipments are audited multiple times during transit. If a package’s actual dimensions and weight do not match booked dimensions and weight, it may be delayed en route while the discrepancy is resolved, and you may be charged additional fees. Such shipments are also more susceptible to damage because they may end up getting incorrectly sorted by size.

Tip #5: Double Check Your Addresses.

You’ve gone to all the work to get the gifts you’ll be giving, and now you’re ready to send them. Remember to double check your address BEFORE shipping. Make sure you’ve got a complete street address, including the house, apartment or suite number so the delivery driver knows exactly where to go.

Prior to shipping, all address corrections are free, so just reach out to us with your corrected addresses, and we’ll update your shipping label at no charge. Once a shipment is underway, you can still contact us with any delivery address changes; however, standard change and re-route fees will apply, and your delivery date will likely be later than originally scheduled.

#bikeflights #bicycleshipping #bikeshipping #weshipyouride #shipthebestway #shipyourbike #holidayshipping

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bestatruesentiment · 1 year

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When You Should Start Planning Your Christmas Lighting Installation

Are you tired of settling for Christmas lighting that’s less than the very best? Do you want your Christmas lighting to be a topic of discussion and awe not just during the winter months but all year long? It might seem odd to be thinking about Christmas lighting installation in July, but the truth is, this is the time of year when you may want to “get out in front of this” so to speak. As holiday lighting contractors, we’ve helped many folks throughout Southern California to have the best holiday lighting for many years.

When You Should Start Planning The short answer is: now. Here, in late July/early August, now is the time to consider reaching out to Christmas lighting installation pros. The truth is that, if you wait any longer, others aren’t going to. Here at True Sentiment, folks start contacting us about holiday lighting at this time or, frankly, even earlier in the year. Doing so now ensures that you’re going to be able to schedule us when you want to schedule us, thus making certain you have the Christmas lighting that you want.

Why Start Planning Your Christmas Lighting Installation Early In addition to being able to schedule us when you want (which is no small thing), the earlier you start planning the earlier we can start planning. Here at True Sentiment, we have installed many Christmas lighting installations all throughout Southern California, each unique and eye-catching in their own way. If you have something in mind, we can make it a reality, building on it with what we’ve discovered over our years of experience. By that same token, we can design something for you “from the ground up,” so to speak, too.

Customized Christmas Lighting Installation and Maintenance At True Sentiment, we’re busy all year long. That said, the holiday season might very well be our busiest, as we install Christmas lighting all throughout the area. We can install Christmas lights that will make your home the one that onlookers could potentially come from far away to drive by, or, alternatively, we can install Christmas lighting for your places of business, too. We’ve installed Christmas lighting on just about any kind of building in just about any kind of way: from the most simple, elegant design, to something as grandiose as it is epic. We can tailor your Christmas lights to what you want them to be. Then, our maintenance services can make sure that they’re working as they should be, too.

Outdoor Lighting Contractors for All Seasons Hopefully, you’re reading this blog around the time that the leaves are beginning to change. That way, you can reach out to us and schedule us for the Christmas lighting installation that you want. However, should you read this a bit later than that, it’s still worth it to reach out to us. Of course, in addition to installing your Christmas lights, we completely handle all of the “taking down,” too, safely, quickly, and efficiently. To see how we can help, reach out to us today through our site or by giving us a call.

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studioaudio · 1 year

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Key Qualities to Consider When Choosing a Voice-over Artist

Voice-overs are quite literally the voice of your brand. They are the host for perhaps the most important type of brand communication you’ll ever do: video. That’s why it’s absolutely critical to match the ‘voice’ to your brand identity, for the sake of your overall marketing success.

This brings us to the critical question: what skills should you be looking for when selecting the definitive voice for your brand in social media videos, commercials, telephone hold messages, audiobooks, and voicemail?

Are you overthinking the criteria, and are you confused about choosing ‘the voice’ for your brand’s persona? Instead of getting lost in the overwhelm of possibilities, just read this blog and you’ll be better prepared to make the right choice.

What does a voice-over artist do?

A voice-over artist is a voice actor who records the narration for a video. This could be a single narrator or a dialogue. A voice-over artist also records for a range of business materials like audio messages, voicemails, telephone hold messages, commercials, announcements, podcasts and more.

They usually read a script, and bring the words to life with their own particular style. This is why voice-over is called an art.

Studio 52 is the busiest voice-over service provider in the UAE, and when we’re selecting a voice-over artist for your video we always voice test several artists to find the one best suited to your brand persona. The talent is vetted on their voice modulation skills, timbre, intonation, voice control and modulation.

Once we have narrowed down the search to a few shortlisted options, we record dummy voiceovers for approval from the client. Only once you approve ‘the voice’ do we get the talent into the recording studio for the final audio recording.

The recording, rendered into an audio format, is then edited to the visuals to create a brand video or social media video for your business.

Here is a list of the essential qualities for a voice-over artist to be able to deliver a great audio recording:

1. Professionalism

You’ll want to select a voice-over artist who is on top of their game. Look for a track record in taking custom requirements and transforming them into accurate and brilliant voiceovers. Seek out someone who accepts and responds to feedback and always completes tasks on time.

Video is an expensive business and you can’t afford to waste valuable editing and post-production time waiting for your voice-over artist to show up for an audio recording, or to put in a substandard performance that needs costly correction.

At Studio 52 we look for consistency. When we find a seasoned and talented voice-over star, we add them to our list of ‘go-to’ voice-over artists. It’s this list that helps make us the foremost voice over service provider in UAE. To make this list, the artist should be consistent with their availability and vocal quality over several projects.

2. Experience

Anyone can choose a career as a voice-over artist, but only a handful succeed. This career path doesn’t require a formal degree; instead, natural skills are enhanced and perfected on the job.

This means learning to hold the mic correctly to kill the sibilance, taking the right breaks for breath control, plus the perfect intonation, enunciation, and voice modulation.

Sadly, just having a great voice does not a voice-over artist make! If you pick an inexperienced voice-over artist, you’ll have to do a lot of editing of the recorded narration in the audio studio, wasting both time and money.

3. Vocal quality

These are very specific qualities of the voice that help you assess whether the talent is a good match for your audio requirements:

Range of vocals — Range relates to a voice-over artist’s ability to change the pitch of their voice. They should be able to carry a low note and a higher note equally, and with ease. This is a good way to ensure that the artist is able to inject emotional range into the voice-over. A powerful range means you have voice-overs that are engaging and memorable.

Versatility — A great way to assess versatility is to ask for a portfolio of recorded voice-overs. This usually gives you a fair idea of whether the voice-over artist will be able to perform to your standards. This will also give you an idea of whether they will be able to vary their tone of delivery, for example whether they can deliver both serious and funny voice-overs equally well.

Clarity — The voice should be clear. Each word should be clearly articulated with no mumbling, extra sibilance, or sharp breath exhalation sounds.

Rhythm or cadence — Cadence is the ability to read a complete sentence without long pauses, and without using fillers like “uhm”, “aaaah” and “uuuh”.

4. Correct accent

If you want an American accent, you need to pick a voice-over artist who can deliver this accent credibly. They don’t need to be an American voice actor, but they do need to have that accent in their portfolio of available options.

5. Proper pronunciation

The voice-over artist should be able to pronounce all words perfectly. A recording with even a single mispronounced word has to be re-done, wasting time and resources. If your script is likely to have difficult or unfamiliar words, get your potential artist to confirm and demonstrate that they can deliver the correct pronunciation of that word before you begin recording.

Finally…

Never shy away from asking for audio resumes, audio portfolios and demo voice samples from prospective voice-over artists.

You can also ask the talent to attend a mini audition. Give them a script peppered with tough words, which requires a specific accent and a certain cadence and expression. Only choose the voice-over artist once you have evaluated the mini recording, saving post-production mayhem.

At Studio 52 we feel that the artist fee is more than worth it when finding the perfect UAE voice-over artist for our clients, because we realise that quality comes with an appropriate price tag.

A good voice-over artist also cuts down on recording and post-production costs. Fewer voice errors in the recording means the sound engineer doesn’t have to spend time correcting hisses and sibilance, which also means your video gets completed before the deadline.

We make happier voiceovers!

For frictionless audio and voice-over recording, get in touch with us at the link below.

Hire Voice Over Artist…

#voice over artist #voice over service #quality voice over service #top rated voice over company #voice over recording services #professional voice over #high quality voice over

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dogrocks · 2 years

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so my job is interviewing for seasonal staff and a thing that’s been plastered all over the application and shit is that they HAVE to be available on weekends, because we’re understaffed and getting progressively busier because of the holidays. but so far every person that’s been interviewed has said they can’t do weekends and it’s… Then why did you apply??? i cannot stress enough how much we need more people for a sunday when it’s literally our busiest day of the week and we only have two (2) people working!! like even if they’re just here for 3 hours cleaning tables that’s fine!! i just want to go through one sunday without having a panic attack. pleeeaseeee

#meows #doesn’t help that the other person i’m with on a sunday is my shitty supervisor who leaves the place in a shit pit #and takes hour long breaks when he’s not allowed to!! and has been told he’s not allowed to multiple times!!#if i have to do one more solo shift with him i might kill the both of us

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clonewarsarchives · 2 years

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SUPER TROOPER (#130, JAN 2012)

Dee Bradley Baker might just be the busiest member of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cast. He certainly had his work cut out when voicing the clones during their deadly encounter with Jedi Master Pong Krell on the planet Umbara. Interview by Jonathan Wilkins

When you first signed on to do the show, did you ever imagine that you’d be working on such complex storylines as the recent Umbara story arc?

The short answer is “No.” This is insane! Not only to be involved in a show that’s gotten so big, so deep, and so gratifying to watch as a fan, but also to be involved in the Umbara arc is striking in a lot of ways. One of them is the involvement of Walter Murch, whose work with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola includes THX-1138 and Apocalypse Now. He is very exacting, very thoughtful, and has a unique directorial mind. Despite all the fun things that I get to do on the show, to be directed by Walter for episodes like this is a whole different level from anything I’ve been involved with. I can hardly believe it. As I was watching it up on the screen at Skywalker Ranch I was amazed. It’s really knockout stuff.

When you first saw those scripts, can you remember your initial thoughts?

My initial thoughts were Oh, boy! Here’s another clone arc! It’s always very challenging and interesting, and a lot of fun. As we got into it, and as we marched across the dark planet of Umbara, with a Jedi general who has strategies and methods that are not in line with what the clones are used to, I realized that we had something here that we’ve never seen before.

To spend four episodes on this planet, trying to fight our way out and trying to find how to get along with this general, was really rather difficult for me. With the level of personal involvement I feel with these clones, to be sent into this story with this despicable character actually bothered me. It’s something I’d never seen before in this show and it was not an easy thing to bring to the surface, but once it got out there, it became pretty dramatic!

So how did you overcome those feelings?

The only way to overcome them is to fully realize them, and that’s really what we did in this show. This story and the performances don’t pull any punches. You see Rex pretty much lose it at one point, which I’ve never seen before. You see clones that come into conflict with their general in a way you’ve never seen, and the only way to exorcise that is to bring it all out and bring it to life. This is more like a war film and really has some interesting issues involved in terms of who the clones are, what the war is, how they deal with the difficult situation and how the war is fought.

Rex is incredibly popular with the younger fans (see page 19). Was there ever any concern whether they would be okay dealing with such dark themes?

This is not a show that I think is written with just kids in mind. I think this is a story that George Lucas wants to put out there, and most of it appeals to kids, but a lot of it appeals to adults and deals with issues that are in the adult world.

This story is predestined to play out in a way that everybody already understands in Episode III. The fans who know and love this series know what’s coming. I think it’s something you can expect to manifest itself more and more as we get closer to Episode III with our television series. With the television format and the length of the series, we’re able to portray it with depth and reality, and with a sense of humor and humanity that adds so much to the epic storyline of this saga.

How important do you think Season One’s “Rookies” was in putting the clones to the forefront for episodes like these?

To my mind, that was really the first big experiment: whether we could throw an entire storyline to these clones, who in the feature films were not really presented with distinct personalities or any sort of differentiation. It was a really cool creative risk to step out and do that and I think most people will agree that it really paid off. It showed that these guys were interesting and different. We can always go back to the clones because actually, they have a lot to do with what’s interesting about this whole conflict. What happens to the humans that are thrown into this war to fight against droids? These guys are intelligent, they’re flexible, they have a sense of humor and you love them because of it! They’re able to adapt and think, and to attack their problems and solve them as humans facing great odds, and a great war. This comes in the face of the manipulation that they’re really only beginning to become aware of and, in this case, perhaps even against one of their own commanders.

The humanity of the clones makes what happens in Revenge of the Sith even more tragic and poignant.

Absolutely. That’s the thing that’s killing me: I want to know how this plays out for Rex! He’s Anakin’s right hand man; he’s there for him! What happens to Rex? I want to know what happens to Ventress, and to Ahsoka, for goodness sake! But for me, it’s about what happens to Rex. I’ve heard that the finale’s been discussed, but to my knowledge, it hasn’t been decided yet. But then again, I’m pretty far down the command chain!

How important is the writing in separating the various clone characters?

The differentiation comes from the really marvelous writing on this show—that’s ultimately my guide in separating the fellows and portraying their distinctness clearly. I don’t know all the writers, but that ultimately is the compass for me. The bedrock of any good show, whether it’s dramatic or comedic, is the writer, and it’s often an unsung position or part of the whole project. But you can’t have a good show without good writing: I don’t care how good the rest of it is. We’ve got great writers and I rely on them every episode!

When you’re working with (supervising director) Dave Filoni, what sort of direction does he give you?

Dave’s very clear. He knows the story and the clones. He’s an ultra Star Wars nerd, and deeply involved with this entire universe. He knows what he’s talking about. Working under him is easy, because he knows what he wants. That’s ultimately what you need as a voice actor—a good script and a director who knows what they want. We get a lock on that right up front and we pretty much go straight through recording these days.

Doesn’t that get confusing?

It used to, but now we’re used to setting the characters. We have a little method for setting their status, their degree of obedience, their age and all these other things so that I can flip back and forth with just a quick little note I make next to their name on the side of the script. I don’t get asked to do something like this ever. From a voice actor’s standpoint, it’s a very unique project.

Do you think there can be more stories like the Umbara arc?

Yes there can, and there will. I have it on good authority. Bring in the drop-ship and let’s go!

Dee Bradley Baker on why kids can’t get enough of Captain Rex!

Captain Rex is what a kid aspires to in a lot of ways. He’s smart, dependable, strong, able, flexible, and able to make things happen, and also to be a integral part to the story. All of these, I think, are things that a kid wants, and Rex is that in an attainable way. He’s not a Jedi or superhuman. He’s also the right hand man of the central character [Anakin]. Kids may think, If this human can be so important to the main character—the Chosen One—why couldn’t I be heroic like that? ! think these days people want to be that hero character because the world needs heroes. We know that there are villains; we’ve seen that quite clearly in the past and throughout history. People thirst to see the heroic, and to partake in that, and that’s a part of what’s so brilliant about this series. It brings that out in sort of its own epic, mythological, fantasy kind of way, but this is real stuff! I think it speaks for that yearning for the heroic that people have in themselves, that really ties them into the series and to Rex.

#clone troopers #dee bradley baker #season 4 #cast #insider #i130 #the clone wars

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fuck-customers · 2 years

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I used to work full time before I started school in February, now I just do weekends and the occasional weekday closing. I didn’t realize how much I was doing for the store until I showed up on Saturday after my first week off and everything looked like shit. Now every weekend I have to bust my ass to make the store presentable (and functional! Customers can’t buy anything if there’s nothing on the shelf to buy!). We get our biggest order on Monday and we’re supposed to bring out all the overstock that can can fit on the floor so there’s room in the back for it. They’re supposed to be doing this through the week as shelves empty but they’re leaving it all to the weekend shift! There’s not enough time and manpower to get it all out in time! Not to mention the other shit that doesn’t get done. The breakroom and employee bathrooms are filthy, price or sale tags are either nonexistent, expired, or just wrong, none of the overstock is organized, everything is dusty, garbages are overflowing. I’m so confused, the week is not so busy that this stuff can’t get done! There are more people scheduled per day then there is during the weekend, despite the fact that weekends are the busiest (not the managers fault, everyone we hire requests weekends off). There’s just two of us, and someone needs to man the till. It’s approaching summer which is our busiest season for customers and amount of product per order. One coworker who used to do a lot has been promoted so she’s busy with training, another is only scheduled for order days and he’s busy with that, and my manager is pregnant so she can’t lift the boxes (it’s a liquor store, shit gets heavy). My other coworkers seem to be doing fuck all, and I’m told they’re calling in multiple times a week, which I’m not usually bothered by but that’s just excessive. I’m sore all the time now and so tired. My manager has given multiple warnings in the communication book and everyone signs off on it, but nothing changes. I’m so done.

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amanda-teaches · 3 years

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Our Christmas Mission ~ 1/9

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Summary: With Sam stationed overseas, he asks his brother, Dean, to help plan a surprise Christmas proposal for his girlfriend, and your best friend, Eileen. With very limited Christmas experience, Dean enlists your help to create some holiday magic for the lovebirds. Will the two of you find a little love of your own along the way?

Pairing: AU Dean x Reader

Square filled: Baker AU for @spnchristmasbingo

Word Count: 884

Warnings: None yet. :) We’re building the foundation in this one.

A/N: This is the start of my 9-part Dean x Reader AU drabble series for @spnchristmasbingo. The drabbles connect together like a puzzle to reveal a fluff-filled Christmas love story built around “The Christmas Song” to fill the squares on my bingo card. I really enjoyed writing this world, and I hope it brings you some merriment to read it.

Our Christmas Mission Masterlist

One of the greatest parts about owning a bakery was the smell.

It was an unmatched experience, never staying the same, always evolving, always surprising you. The cheerful citrus and floral lilac cakes that signaled the arrival of spring. The strawberry pies and peach macarons of summer. The pumpkin and caramel scones in the cool of fall. One step through the door in the morning, and you could instantly tell what time of year it was, just by smell alone.

Your personal favorite was winter. The roasting chestnuts, the unmistakable peppermint, the delicious eggnog. They burst forth from every cookie and muffin in your shop, heralding that the Christmas season was finally here. It was your busiest time of the year, but it was also your happiest, rush and all.

It was at the end of one of those Christmas rushes when he walked in. You’d been running the counter by yourself all day, serving out donuts and bread loaves like they were going out of style. By the time the clock hit 11:00 a.m., you were already dead on your feet, but you pushed through with a smile on your face, greeting your regulars and strangers alike as welcome friends.

You only allowed relief to flood through you when the rush finally died down, and you actually had a second to breathe. Pulling out a towel, you sighed happily and began to wipe down the counter for the umpteenth time that day. You’d barely been able to make a full circle before he stepped up to the other side of the wooden slab, clearing his throat in front of you to draw your attention. You inwardly groaned at the interruption of your first moment of peace in hours, but you plastered on a smile anyway, looking up to meet his eyes. “Welcome! What can I get for you?”

His hair was slightly mussed, his smile lopsided, but there was something charming about him, something that quickly replaced your retail smile with a real one. “Our specials today are fresh gingerbread scones, right out of the oven, and a candy cane pie.”

His eyes brightened at the word pie, but he nevertheless signaled his refusal with a shake of his head. “Actually, I’m not here to order anything. My name is Dean Winchester. Sam’s brother?”

It took a second for the name to register out of context, but once it did, your whole face brightened. Sam was one of your absolute favorite people. He was dating your best friend, Eileen, and you genuinely thought the world of him. He’d been deployed overseas for the past year, and you knew firsthand from all the late night phone calls with Eileen that his girlfriend missed him like crazy, especially since his deployment had just gotten extended another three months.

Your smile widened. “Dean! I’m sorry, I should’ve recognized you. I’ve seen pictures of you at Sam and Eileen’s place.”

He waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you weren’t expecting a picture to show up in your bakery.” He trailed off, falling into silence while shifting his feet restlessly back and forth.

“Is, uh, is everything okay?” Your face froze as a horrible thought occurred to you. “Oh my God, is it Sam?! Did something happen?”

“No, no,” he rushed to reassure you. “Nothing like that.” Looking down, he smiled softly before meeting your gaze again. “Just the opposite actually. Do you have a sec?”

You nodded, moving out from behind the counter and gesturing towards one of the many open tables in the empty bakery. He waited for you to sit before joining you, leaning his forearms on the table. “You were right, I am here about Sammy, but it’s nothing bad. He wanted me to ask you for a favor.”

“Okay…” you started, still a little confused. “But Sam’s not getting back until March. How could I help him all the way over there?”

Dean leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Yeah, that’s the thing, he’s not coming home in March.” He grinned at your surprised reaction, nodding along to emphasize what he had said. “Sammy’s coming home in a few weeks. On Christmas Eve.”

Your mouth dropped in a combination of shock and excitement. “Really? Wait, what? I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s amazing, but...I don’t understand. He told Eileen-”

“He wanted to surprise her. That’s actually why I’m here. For your help. When Sammy gets back, he’s gonna propose.” Dean paused to smile again at the gleeful gasp you let out, chuckling softly. “He asked for help arranging it and I’m kinda struggling on that front. He thought you could help.”

“I’d love to. What’s the plan?”

“Well, Eileen loves Christmas, right? Sammy’s big plan is to propose on Christmas Eve, but since he’s not here, he can’t make any arrangements. He asked me, but…we didn’t exactly grow up with the most traditional Christmases, you know? I’ve got no clue what to plan.”

You quickly agreed to help, your whole body teeming with excitement for Eileen and Sam. “I’m in. If you want some Christmas magic, I’m definitely your girl. Let’s plan the proposal of their dreams. But first,” you added, standing up with an inviting grin, “how’d you feel about that pie?”

#spnchristmasbingo #supernatural fanfiction #dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #fluff

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