#at least i slept through all of my meals yesterday and since i can't eat in the mornings i get to be hungry too!!

[villageoracle]

inconsolable before clocking in

[stellar-solar-flare]

I have to know, is there anything in the works for Astronomical Odds? It’s by far one of my favourite docs I’ve read and I can’t wait to hear more about Starstuff and Little Star. I figured it was easier to reach out through tumblr than on AO3 ❤️

Hi, thank you for asking about Astronomical Odds (AO3)! I am very flattered to hear that it's one of your favorite fics ever and that you're looking forward to an update. And I always welcome readers reaching out, be it throuhg Tumblr or throuhg AO3!

I have the next chapter in the works; life was one giant hassle July-August, and I have only this month been feeling like my creative energy is recharging at least a little! But the chapter is in progress and I'm hoping to get it out before the end of the month, although due to offline life, I can't make a firm promise on that. But it always warms my heart to hear that someone is interested in the continuation of a story, so thank you for reaching out.

Here is a small sneak peek from Chapter 28 (aka the next one). Spoilers to Astronomical Odds if you aren't caught up.

Warnings: Implied sexual content, mention of brain aneurysm, mention of bad behavior from press.

You couldn’t recall when was the last time you had felt so recharged. It was certainly possible that it was simply the fact that the first trimester of your pregnancy was starting to pass — at least considering the accelerated time line of yours — and you’d read that many had gotten relief to their worst symptoms when it did.

Or, it could be the absolutely great good night’s rest you’d gotten in the giant hotel suite bed, with Steve’s arms wrapped around you, after having drifted off into sleep feeling entirely loved and thoroughly satisfied. You’d slept for the almost twelve hours, and when you had finally woken up, Steve had already been awake, reading right next to you. He had put his book away and smiled at you, and suggested ordering a giant breakfast from the room service — unless you wanted to head down to breakfast, which was still being served. You’d chosen remaining in bed, being close to Steve, and not having to put on clothes. Or more clothes than his blue button down you’d slept in, that was.

Stuffed with a delicious continental breakfast, you dropped your cake fork down on the tray on the bed and leaned back against Steve, who had sat back down next to you once he had fetched the tray from the door. Conveniently, since you had stolen his shirt, his upper body was bare, and you could press yourself against his chiseled, warm chest and drop your head back so that it rested against his left shoulder. It left the right side of your neck open for him, too, and he seized the opportunity to move aside the collar and kiss your neck. You hummed with pleasure, even as the touch was more soft than anything asking for more, and craned your neck up to look at him. Fuck, how had you gotten so lucky? His blue eyes sparkled down at you, and his blond hair was still ruffled by the pillows.

“I love you,” you murmured.

“I love you too,” he said. “Anything you’d like to do today?”

You set your tablet down on the bed, having skimmed most of the morning news during the breakfast, and Steve folded away the newspaper he had been reading. Before meeting him, you would’ve never guessed how lovely the simple task of reading next to each other and eating a meal, even if neither of you spoke, could be. “Will you get cabin fever if we just stay here? The room’s paid for seven days and after the day before yesterday, I really don’t feel like going out there,” you grimaced.

Even as Harriet’s press release had gotten some of the news outlets to focus on it, you were fairly certain some reporters were still camping outside the hotel. Steve’s eyes flashed with a protective darkness.

“Not at all,” he said. “I might go to the hotel gym at some point, though. Unless I feel like getting my exercise by throwing a few punches into well-deserved directions.”

He wasn’t serious, but the idea of him just absolutely decking the press members outside still made some age-old instinct inside you hum.

“I feel like it’d be rather impolite of us to cause Tony to have a brain aneurysm after he paid for the suite, dear,” you grinned, and Steve laughed.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

The Perfect Bad Boy (Pt. 15 of 18)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Working as a lifeguard in the Hawkins Community Pool, you try to fit in after moving from New York. Things were going pretty well when you notice you've been under someone's stare. Billy Hargrove, Hawkins' bad boy, has been staring at you since day one. You never intended to have anything to do with him, judging by the reputation he has. But Billy won't leave you alone, determined to show you his feelings are different this time...

As if your heart flooding you with confusing feelings wasn't enough, there are weird, strange animals lurking in the woods... But those have to be just part of the wild live of the woods surrounding Hawkins... Right?

<- Previous part (14)

Next part (16) ->

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

×

Missing

There are seven holes. Seven. But they aren't seven different nests, they're tunnels, with seven openings to the surface of the Earth. You only know that because Eleven spent the whole night focused on finding them, seated in the living room of Joyce's place, a piece of fabric covering her eyes. The map from before remained on the floor beside her, and she reached out to draw where the tunnels reach. You barely had any sleep, just the pair of hours you slept with your head on Billy's shoulder, seated on the couch, but someone's voice woke you up.

Relief fills your heart when the morning comes. During the night, you could only think about those things lurking around. After a quick shower, and using one of Eleven's shirt, you go to the kitchen and decide to have breakfast there, where you can be alone. Eating a bowl of cereal, you run a hand through your hair, trying to understand how are you going back to the pool today and act like none of this is happening.

“Hey, princess,” Billy says, coming into the kitchen. Hair is still wet and wearing only his jacket. “Are you ok?”

“I'm trying to be.” Pushing the bowl away, you watch as he makes himself the same meal you had. “Wondering how am I going to work today.”

“Wanna stay here? I can tell Anthony that you're sick. If he even shows up.”

“No. It'll be worse if I stay.” You're confused, not sure what's the best or what's worse. But at least in the pool you'll have something normal going on.

“Hey, you two,” Joyce says as she comes in. Her voice gets your attention, and when you look at her after exchanging a glance with Billy, you see that Hopper is right behind her, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed together. “How are you two doing?”

“Uhm... Good.” It sounds like a question. Joyce sits at the table, with Hopper standing behind her. He has the chief face on, and you have no idea why. “Everything alright? Are we in trouble or something?” Gesturing at you and Billy, and cross your legs, an eye on the clock because you'll still need to stop by home to get the swimsuit.

“No, of course not. It's just that the kids were talking about something and–”

“Are you two living together?" Hopper speaks up, swallowing Joyce's words. She gives him a hard stare, and there's some kind of conversation going on through facial expressions that you can't understand.

“Yes.” You answer, not sure why you're in this situation in the first place. You feel like you're having the talk with Diane all over again. Diane. You have to call her, just to make sure everything is alright. “Why?”

“There were some rumors running around that–”

“That Billy Hargrove got some chick pregnant.” Hopper again. But this time Joyce slaps his arm.

“We agreed you'd let me do this.” She whispers.

“Then just get to the damn point.” He snaps back.

With wide eyes, you look at Billy. He doesn't seem bothered by this, peacefully eating his cereal. There's a smile on his lips that he tries to hold back, but you know him far too well now. You can see it. He's having fun.

“Look, guys, Uhm... These rumors started after I fainted on the pool, but it was from heat exhaustion, so...” Deciding to just end whatever this is, you speak up, kicking Billy's leg and whispering to him. “Say something.”

“(Y/N), honey, do your parents know about that?”

This makes you laugh, but then you remember Joyce doesn't know about your relationship, or better saying, the lack of it. “No, and I don't plan on doing that. But my aunt Diane does.”

“And she allowed it?” Hopper takes his time pronouncing every word as if this is absurd. “You're lucky you're not my daughter.”

“Hopper, just...” Joyce mumbles, her voice fading. “We just wanted to make sure you guys are... You know... Going somewhere with this. Living together is something really big and important to do.”

“I'll only say two things.” Billy finally makes his presence known, getting up and throwing his bowl in the sink. “First of all, I'm planning on marrying (Y/N). Second, we better go now or we'll be late. Again.”

There's a weird buzz in your ears as Billy takes your hand and starts pulling you with him. Joyce and Hopper have wide eyes, mouth half-open, in shock. You're not that different, and all your body is able to do is keep following Billy outside and to his car. You're silently looking through the window as he drives, but you're doing that on purpose, just to get back at him for saying that out of the blue.

“Aren't you gonna say anything?” He asks parking in front of the house.

“Absolutely not.” Stepping out of the car, you don't wait for him, heading inside. “If you really wanna do what you said, I'll patiently wait until you propose, Hargrove.” Turning around just enough to wink at him, you bite back a smile.

You're quick to get ready and manage not to be late. The song is blasting when Billy pulls over on his parking spot, and the moment the song is gone, you hear the chattering, noticing three police cars.

Your heart skips a beat when you leave the car, taking a deep breath. “Hey,” Billy calls, taking your hand. “Let's check what happened before jumping to conclusions, ok?”

“Ok.” Holding his arm, you move to the entrance, where a small crowd gathers. Hopper is here, and by the messy way of his clothes, he had to run over here. He immediately notices you and Billy, a sad look on his face. And that's when you see Monica, running a hand through her hair, tears glistening on her cheeks.

“Mon?” Calling, you let go of Billy and runs to her. Monica breaks a little bit when she sees you, and you're quick to hug her. “Mon, what happened?”

“It's Jason. My cousin is missing, (Y/N).” She cries on your shoulder, and you close your eyes tight because the first thing that comes to your head is probably what got him. The Demodogs. “He went out yesterday to buy dinner a-and his mom called mine saying he was taking long and...” You pull away, holding her hands. “...that was early evening yesterday. And he's still missing. The family spent the whole night looking for him and–”

“Mon, I'm sure we'll find him.” It's hard to lie. It's even harder not to break down in front of her. “Maybe he felt bad and fainted or something like that. We'll find him.”

“I hope so.”

“I'll drive you home, ok? Billy can keep the pools safe for one day.”

When she nods, drying off some tears, you make your way over him, who's talking to Hopper. He probably already knows, but you try to keep a straight face.

“Come here, princess.” He opens his arms and you don't even hesitate, hugging him tightly. “I'm so sorry. But we'll find him. The party is already aware of everything.” Whispering on my ear, Billy places a kiss on the top of your hair.

“I...” Getting rid of the single tear that escaped your efforts to hold it back, you pull away. “I'll take her home, she's very shaken. Can you just keep an eye–”

“Keep an eye on the kids, of course.” He bends over to kiss you, and your arms, almost automatically, move to be around his neck. “I'll pick you up after work, ok? I love you.”

“I love you.” It still makes you blush to hear those words, but you absolutely love to say it back. After one last kiss, you part ways.

Monica talks as you drive to her place, sharing memories with her cousin. Some of them you already know, but you don't stop her, laughing and making silly comments, trying to keep her mind away from the fact that Jason is missing.

Your mind also starts remembering. Obviously, you didn't have all the time around Jason that Monica had, but he was one of the first people you met when you got here. He's always smiling, carrying his siblings around, always complaining, but always happy to be with them. Jason is funny, even when he's the only one who actually gets his jokes.

Jason is missing.

Demidogs need a lot of food. An almost 6 feet tall male human has a lot of meat.

Shaking your head lightly, you push these thoughts away. No breaking down now. Monica needs you strong, to keep her strong too. Her family is either at Jason's or still looking, so you're alone. Both of you stay seated on her bed, and you give her your shoulder when she starts crying again. He's gone for one night and she's already losing it... If anything bad happens...

Her parents return home a couple of hours later, thankful to you for taking her back home. You drag her into the living room, turning the TV on this random movie and trying to convince her to pay some attention. You can hear her parents in the kitchen, making lunch, but you also hear when her mother cries, the low, cracking voice as she talks to her husband. It's getting hard by the minute to stay here, pretending you don't know what probably happened, but if you cry, if you start doubting Jason is ok, Monica will break apart.

A knock on the door, an unusually loud and frenetic knock, gets your attention. Looking over your shoulder, you see as Monica's father goes to answer it.

“Hi. Is (Y/N) here?” You hear a feminine voice, and you soon recognize it's Nancy.

Excusing yourself, you get up. “Yes, she's–”

“Hey.” You go to the front door, seeing Nancy and two cars in the sidewalk, many eyes looking at you. “Something wrong?”

“Sorry, but we need you. Uhm... Maxine is sick. We need to have a doctor check on her.”

“What?�� You exclaim, running a hand through your hair. “Mon.” Calling her, you quickly make your way back to the living room. “I'm so sorry, but Maxine is feeling ill, I have to go. But I promise I'll call you later, ok?”

“Sure. Go help.” She says, nodding and clearing her throat since her voice is all clouded by her crying.

“Stay calm, honey. Jason is alright, I'm sure.” Another lie. You shouldn't make promises you don't know if you can keep. Giving her a quick hug, you run outside, muttering a goodbye to Mon's father as Nancy does the same.

“We'll go looking for him.” She says in a low voice as you move toward the cars. “We don't stand still when shit happens.”

Her choice of words makes you raise your eyebrows. You never heard her saying anything like that. “Thanks.” Muttering, you seat shotgun in Steve's car as she goes to Jonathan's. There are four kids on the back seat, fighting for some more space. You're happy to see Max is alright. For a moment, you thought she was really sick.

You park in the woods, and there are already some people here. Everyone but Hopper, because he has to be in the official search party, and Billy. God, you wish Billy was here.

“Alright, let's do this,” Mike says, and he freely starts separating you in groups. “Eleven and Will with me. Lucas, Jonathan, and Robin. Uhm... Max, Steve, and (Y/N). Joyce–”

“Why are you messing up the groups, man. I wanna go with Max.” Lucas complains and Mike rolls his eyes. “Groups of four, as usual.”

“Since when?”

“Alright, just gather in groups, c'mon, guys,” Joyce says, eyeing both her kids until they go to stand by her side, alongside Nancy.

You move to stand with Max and Lucas, and after playing rock, paper, scissors with Robin, Steve comes to your group. You raise your eyebrows at him, trying to get why they had to use that method to choose a group. “Nobody wants to be with these two lovebirds.” He says when he's close enough.

“That's something I can understand.” There's no doubt Max and Lucas are into each other, but they're constantly fighting. It's funny to watch, actually.

“Let's get started then, guys. Be careful, pay attention to the radios, and let's find Jason.” Joyce announces, taking over Hopper's role in this.

And everyone starts moving, each group in a different direction. You're going to the holes first, just to check, and then you'll cover a specific area. Max and Lucas are once again responsible for the map and walk a couple of feet ahead.

“Hey. Take this.” Steve gets your attention, taking the bat from his backpack and handing it over to you. “I know Jason was a close friend of yours. Sorry this happened.”

“Yeah.” You lay the bat over your shoulder, careful not to entangle your hair in the nails. “I really thought it couldn't get any worse but life proved me wrong.”

“I remember when Will went missing. I was a total jerk back then so I didn't really care.” You glance over to Steve, and he has an apologetic look on his face. “They found the body and there was a funeral. But the body was fake and Will was fine in the end.”

“Someone should make a movie out of that story.” You mumble, taking a deep breath. “Do you think Jason could be in the... Upside Down?”

“No. According to Eleven, no portals were open. The Demodogs just made these woods into their new home and are doing what it takes to survive.” Through the corner of your eyes, you see when he almost slips, opening his arms slightly to regain balance. “Don't laugh.” He says, but you're already chuckling. “Anyway, wherever he is, he's here.”

“Why don't we tell Eleven to just use her powers and find him. Wouldn't it be easier?”

“These woods are huge. And we usually just do that when it's the last resource.” Lucas answers.

“We don't like pushing her. It always brings back sad memories.”

That's something you can understand perfectly. “We do it the old way then.” You've seen how complicated it is. Eleven's nose wouldn't stop bleeding while she was figuring out the tunnels, and after while blood came out of her ears too. As much as you want to find Jason, you'd never ask her or the party to do something just so you'd feel better. They're in it far longer than you, so you trust them to make the decisions and set the pace. “I just hope he's alright. He's Monica's cousin, and she's worried to death.”

“Yeah, I get that.” It doesn't go unnoticed how Steve doesn't make false promises as you did with Monica. He doesn't say he's ok, that you'll find him. Running a hand through your hair, you take a deep breath, confused between having hopes or just expecting the worse. “So, changing the subject.” He speaks again. “You and Hargrove. I never thought Billy would actually fall in love.”

A smile comes to your lips, and you're thankful for having something else to think about. “Yeah. It took a while for me to believe that but he... He worked hard.” Involuntary, your hand goes for the necklace, fingers playing with the earring.

“Joyce and Hopper were saying something about marriage...” It sounds like a question, and you give Steve a glance, giggling. “They were trying not to let anyone hear them but Hopper doesn't really know how to whisper.”

By the heat spreading through your cheeks, you know you're blushing. Could it be real? Would Billy marry you? Is he really considering such a thing? “We spoke about it, Uhm... Twice, I think. But not a real conversation, he just spilled it out.”

“Holy shit, he's going serious with you then.” He playfully elbows your arm. By what you've seen and by what Max told you, Steve usually grows protective of everyone since he joined the party, and you think it's cute. He's like everyone's babysitter. “Send me an invitation, would you?”

“I will.”

“You–”

Maxine's yell cuts him short, getting your attention as you notice you have fallen behind. Immediately, you and Steve start running towards then.

“Man, that's...” Lucas says as Max hugs him, eyes tightly shut.

You're about to ask them what the hell happened when you follow Lucas' scared stare.

It's a weird sensation when you're brain refuses to take in the information. When your eyes, focused on something, are blind. And your ears are deaf and the wind blowing doesn't touch your skin. It's like you're not there.

Jason's body is stuck between a big rock and a dead tree. His torso is opened up, and there's nothing inside.

As there's nothing inside Jason anymore. He's empty. Body and soul. There will be no laughter leaving his lips, no more jokes, no more arms to carry his baby siblings around. Nothing. Just flesh and bones, both ripped apart.

“(Y/N).” You're sure it's not the first time you hear someone calling your name, but you're not even sure where it comes from.

You only move when an arm pulls you, and you feel it around you. “We have to go. C'mon.” Steve says, and, far and distant, you hear static, and voices, coming from the radio. “(Y/N).”

“I need Billy.” It's the only thing that comes to your head, and you find a way to force the words out of your throat.

“Alright, let's go,” Steve says, and you're only set on motion because of his arm around your shoulders.

Everything is a blur. You notice people moving around, and some of them come to hug you as they start regrouping near the cars. Nodding and thanking their kind words, you remain silent, arms crossed, the image still burning in your brain.

Jason's rib cage broken open, the blood staining his clothes and the ground around him. His head twisted in an awkward way, neck probably disconnected from the body.

“Let's get moving. She wants to talk to Billy.”

“The pool will close in an hour. Take her home.”

“No, she's scaring me. We need to take her to Billy.” Max intervenes, and Steve pulls you to his car. You let Max seat shotgun, feeling better in the backseat where you can curl into a ball, knees pressed against your chest as the landscape passes by.

It reminds you the first time you saw that thing. You were trying to beat Billy, driving back to your place. Maybe, if you had gone to the police station the next day, let them know something was out there, you could've avoided this. But who would believe you? You didn't believe it either. What are you going to tell Monica? After saying things would be ok, that they would find Jason alive and well when you knew being out in the woods all night long probably meant he'd become Demodog's meal.

You knew it, yet you lied. Vain hope is the worst kind of hope, and that's what you gave her.

“(Y/N).” Steve gets your attention, touching your shoulder. “We're at the pool.”

Blinking a few times to wake up from the stupor, you bolt out of the car, making your way to the entrance. It's crowded today, but you don't see faces, you just see obstacles.

It finally starts kicking in.

You went to find Jason, and you did. But instead of the dear friend you so easily grew to love, you found a dead, empty corpse. The tears threat to overflow as you rudely bump into people, making your way through the pool. At a distance, you see the moment Billy finally notices the commotion, his eyes quick to find you. By the way his face changes, the way he takes off his sunglasses and jumps to the ground, shoving people out of his way, you must be looking terrible.

But you don't care. Billy is everything you need, the only thing you see and you know you can break down in his arms. You just need to reach him, and when you do, you collapse against his chest, not able to hold back the tears anymore, the sobs building up your throat as you hold onto him.

“I'm so sorry,” Billy mumbles in your ear. He knows. How could he not?

You suddenly feel him lifting you up, and you hide your teary face on the crook of his neck. Seconds later you're at the locker room, and Billy screams for the other girls to get out as he puts you down, seated on one of the benches.

“I'm so sorry, (Y/N).” He repeats, kneeled before you, thumbs coming to dry off some tears, just to make space for more.

“I saw him. H-he was all eaten, Billy. His body was-his body was wide open and everything was gone–”

“Stop, stop.” He begs, pulling you into a hug. “You don't have to tell me, not now.” Nodding, you take in his scent, feeling safe, secure, despite the terror creeping under your skin. “I'll take you home, ok?”

“No.” You mutter, pulling away just enough so you're foreheads are touching. You don't know what comes to you, but this has to be said. This feeling has to be let out. Not after, not tomorrow. Now. Maybe it's the fact that you saw death for the very first time. You just need to let him know “You're my home.”

×

@chloe-skywalker @dpaccione @dreamin-of-dacre @funeral-7 @uncookspaget @youhavemyfantasticbeasts @halloweenbitch2764 @redlovett @multific @shinydixon @nikkixostan @clockworkballerina @nope-thanks

[managedmischiefs]

north//chapter twenty

genre: fluff, angst

warnings: mentions of canonical violence and deaths, lmk if I missed anything

word count: 4k

summary: Spencer is getting reacquainted with life outside of prison, and he gets a not-so-great phone call.

pairing: season twelve spencer reid x oc

please remember to comment, like, and reblog!!

AMELIA

Spencer and I managed to sleep through the entire day and the majority of the night. After all, the previous day was probably one of the most eventful of my entire life and it left me absolutely exhausted. I can't quite speak for Spencer because I'm sure he's had much longer days than yesterday, especially when he has been away for cases, but it was still stressful and way too long for both of us.

I wake up before Spencer as the sun starts to rise the next day, the sunlight pouring in through the opened window on the other side of the room. Before I even consider getting out of bed or looking at my phone, I look to my side to check on Spencer. He's sleeping soundly, his cheek pressed against his pillow and his hand on my side of the bed, no longer wrapped around mine. He looks absolutely angelic at this moment, his mouth hanging open and his body completely relaxed.

I promised Spencer that I'd be here for him and that I wouldn't leave the bed without him. I've never broken a promise to him before and I don't plan on starting now. So, moving as little as possible so I don't disturb him, I sit up against the headboard, reaching into my bedside table for my journal. I pop open the top and start furiously scribbling down everything I can remember from the last two or so days and how I feel about it, how excited I am to have Spencer home again, and how terrified I am to have Spencer home again.

I barely even notice it when Spencer starts squirming beside me, and my attention is only taken away from my journal when his hand grabs onto my thigh. I smile down at his suddenly tiny figure, finding that he's already looking up at me with a tired gaze.

"Good morning, love," I chirp, tossing my journal onto the floor and sinking back under the duvet in an attempt to absorb some of his radiating body heat. Since he already touched me and he's seemingly feeling okay in the morning sun, I let my hand stray and trail through his flat curls. "Did you sleep well? You didn't wake me up."

Spencer sucks his lips between his teeth, shrugging softly. "I woke up a few times. I just--" he wiggles his hips as he tries to come up with an excuse, "I didn't need to wake you up. I didn't need to bother you. Having you here was enough."

I bring my hand to the back of Spencer's neck, huffing with some slight annoyance, "You're not a bother. You never have and you never will be," Spencer just shrugs dismissively in response, and reaches his hands up to rub his eyes. Spencer has never been good at these kinds of conversations and I imagine he's far too tired to entertain a lecture about how important he is. So I make a mental note to bring this topic back up as I sit up and stretch. "Alright, well, do you want some breakfast? I can make us something to eat."

"Yeah, sure," he nods, ducking away from my grasp and quickly sliding out of bed, putting on a pair of shoes I hadn't realized he set up on his side of the bed.

I reach for a pair of sweatpants but when I look up to find Spencer frozen in his spot, staring at the bed, I drop the pants and sit up on my knees. The sheets are rustled and the duvet is in a heap under me, and he's very fixated on this. His arms are glued to his side but his fingers are twitching like he's dying to use them.

"Spence? Everything okay?" I ask gently, and like the other instances where he gets lost in a daydream, he doesn't react to me. "Spencer?" I call again in hopes of getting some sort of response. But his fingers just twitch and he takes a long, frustrated breath. "Talk to me," I don't know if pressing the issue will help, but if I don't at least try to get him to talk, then I'll never figure out what his issue is. "I just wanna help you, but I can't do that if you don't talk to me."

Spencer quickly covers his face with his hands, his breathing becoming labored and heavy, chest heaving. "The bed. It's the bed. It's-- I need-- it's the bed."

It looks like a bed to me. It's a messy bed, sure, but it's just a bed to me. I pause for a second to try to get my brain to match Spencer's. I try to see what he is seeing, but all I see is a bed that we just used for its intended purpose. It just needs to be made, that's all. I can't see into Spencer's brain so I have to resort to asking. "What about the bed?"

"I--" he drops his hands, balling them up into fists again, "The bed is supposed to be made. I need to make the bed. It needs to be made or else they're gonna come and I'll get in trouble. It-- the-- the bed needs to be made."

Oh, this poor baby. My heart aches for him. Not all of him made it out of that prison cell. Part of him is still there. He's not here with me. He didn't really come home.

"Spencer, you're not gonna get in trouble here. It's just me. It's just Lia," My voice shakes as I try to speak, my hands pressed to my cheeks to continuously wipe the tears that start to fall. "I'm never gonna yell at you or hurt you or get mad because you didn't make your bed. Dove, you can make the bed if you want to, but you don't have to. It's okay. I'm not gonna be mad. You won't get in trouble. It's just me."

Spencer stares at me, his eyes wide and his lips parted. His hands aren't twitching anymore but they're still reaching towards the bed. He doesn't say anything, he just stares at me in bewilderment.

I compose myself with a deep breath, wiping my cheeks quickly and climbing off the bed. "Dove, make the bed, please. I want you to do anything that makes you feel better. But if you choose not to, I'm not gonna be mad," I step towards Spencer, holding my hands out in front of me and not expecting him to grab them. "I'm gonna go downstairs and I'm gonna start cooking, and you come down when you're ready, okay?"

I give Spencer one more attempt at a convincing smile before turning and going downstairs. My first stop is to the living room, and I pop the record into the player that Spencer had put on yesterday. If it did something to comfort him yesterday, hopefully it will do the same today. I grab both of our phones and start cooking breakfast.

I mix batter for waffles in a bowl as I check my notifications, sifting through a whole load of texts. My groupchat with my friends has a couple hundred texts, starting off with lots of questions and concerns about Spencer from yesterday, asking if he's okay, if he's home, wondering how happy we are. I have other texts from Wendy and Mike, asking the same types of questions that my friends did. I send some quick responses to all of them and let them know that we're home, we slept for a very long time, and that I'll contact them later with more updates.

Spencer's quiet footsteps approach and I turn to face him, breathing a sigh of relief when I find he's not so worked up anymore. "I hope waffles are okay."

Once I've closed the waffle maker and let it start cooking, I glance over my shoulder to ee what Spencer is doing. He's sitting gingerly at the island, placing his elbows on the granite and eyes darting around the room. Honestly, I don't even know why he sat there. He absolutely hated sitting there and eating yesterday, and it made him have some sort of flashback. Maybe it's because he started off the morning with the prison-bed situation, and now the natural order of events in the day is to be transported right to prison-breakfast.

"Hey, bub, you don't have to sit at the table," I say casually, trying not to bring too much attention to it. "You didn't like that yesterday. But you seemed better when we sat on the floor so we can do that again, or we can go on the couch or the balcony." I don't even have time to see his reaction before the waffle maker beeps, and I have to whip around to pull the waffle out.

I can hear Spencer shuffling behind me, and then I feel his shoulder brushing against my leg as he slides down to the floor beside me. I put the waffle onto the plate and hand it down to him, then open the drawer above his head to grab a fork.

"Thank you," Spencer mumbles, catching my free hand in his and pressing his lips to the back of my hand. It's clearly a thank you for more than just handing him a fork, or making him breakfast, or sleeping with him, or showering with him, or anything of that. It's a thank you for being so patient with him, but I couldn't fathom not being there for him in the way he needs. I want to tell him that he doesn't need to thank me, but in his mind, it is something he needs to do, so I decide to let it happen for a while before I start to refuse his thanks.

The next week functions almost identical to this. Spencer is quiet, keeping to himself and eating his meals on the floor and making the bed perfectly in the morning, cleaning the bedroom floor every night, wearing a tee shirt to bed. I get just a few glimpses of the man he was, but not many.

Emily had called later that day to let Spencer know that the entire BAU was placed on a mandatory six week leave, but also that he had to be evaluated for reinstatement. A whole slew of people have to review Spencer's actions, have to interview him, have to test him to see if he's fit to return to work, and he didn't take this news well. He didn't talk to me for a hours and just curled up on the floor of the bedroom, staring out the window with the drawn-back curtains. I tried, for so long, to get him to talk to me, but he didn't budge and he didn't even look at me. So I just grabbed whatever book was inside his go-bag from the last case he went on and sat beside him, reading aloud in an attempt to bring him back down to earth. And when he did, he went off to shower and then straight to bed.

Spencer's work is his life and there's few things he loves more than his work. I know that he would be lost without the BAU and that he would have absolutely no clue what to do with his life if he couldn't keep working there. So hearing that there's a chance that he may not be reinstated to the BAU is absolutely crushing.

On the other end of the spectrum, the prospect of Spencer not being reinstated isn't all bad to me. In his line of work, there are always going to be enemies. There's always going to be another Cat and another Lindsay. He's always going to have guns pointed at him and bombs blowing up beside him and people wanting to kill him. If he's not reinstated, I get to have him home every morning and night and I won't stare at the wall at lunch with Jenna, wondering if Spencer has just been shot or if he has a knife to his neck. I know that he would absolutely hate not being reinstated, but it would save me so much heartache.

That's an incredibly selfish thought, I know. I'm happy and willing to strip Spencer of one of the things that makes him happiest in his life just so I can sleep at night. But all I've wanted from the moment I met him is for him to be safe and to be happy and if he's not chasing serial killers, I know that he will at least be safe. Happy? I can't help but imagine he wouldn't be.

After a tense week at home, I convince Spencer to let me take him back to his apartment. He insists that he doesn't want for stay there and would rather stay with me, even though I said I would stay at his apartment with him, but I'm happy to let him keep with me. I just want him to be happy.

So I drove him over to his apartment, picked up most of his clothes and whatever else he was needing, and he rounds up an entire duffle bag full of books that I'm sure he would read in just one day. But we collect whatever he could possibly need and shove it in my car, then go straight back to my apartment. I'm starting to get a little stir crazy, being trapped in my apartment, but Spencer doesn't want to go out anywhere yet and the last thing on my mind is forcing him into things he's uncomfortable with.

"So what do you wanna do today?" I unzip the bag full of books and start making a few small piles against the wall, glancing over my shoulder at Spencer. He shrugs gently, too distracted with picking a record to properly respond to my question. Sighing, I return my attention to the books.

The record turns on and this time, I recognize it to be a record full of Christmas music. We've been listening to nothing but Taylor Swift, Frank Sinatra, and Christmas music this past week, and while that's my favorite music and I have no problem with it, it's odd. Spencer never really listened to that music, whether we were together or not. He always managed to convince me to put on some cello concerto that wound up being fifteen minutes long. I thought he would rather listen to that and not Christmas music when it's almost the summer, but I haven't questioned this yet.

"Could we," Spencer starts speaking after a moment, tearing my attention from the books, "maybe watch a movie?"

It's the first time he's suggested anything like that. Honestly, it's one of the first times he's suggested that we do anything. He's just been staying quiet and following me around like a puppy dog, watching me attempt to draw in a sketchbook or watching me cook or watching me do the laundry. He's stuck to my side, even if he hasn't been touching me much. So now that he's suggesting that we do something, I'm not about to pass up this development.

"Yeah, of course. You can choose whatever you want. I'll be over there when I'm done," Spencer nods and turns his back to me, and I pick up my pace in emptying the books from the duffle bag. I don't want to lose this momentum of him, maybe, feeling just a little bit better.

Once I've stacked all the books, I fold up the duffle bag nicely and put it in a place where it won't bother Spencer, and then head into the living room. He's sitting on the couch with a DVD case in his lap, and he holds it out to me when I approach. Always a technophobe, he never goes near the DVD player and lets me do it.

"Polar Express?" I raise my eyebrows, but that's as far as my questioning goes. I pop the DVD out of the case and put it into the player, then grab the remote and press play.

I settle onto the couch with my favorite plaid blanket, draping it over my lap. As the movie starts and the title screen shows, I feel cold. I'm completely covered and under my trusty blanket, but I'm cold. Absolutely freezing. I pull the blanket tighter around me and when my temperature doesn't shift, I quickly realize where the cold is coming from.

Spencer and I are a very physical couple. Despite his aversion to touch, he never seemed to have the problem when it came to me. Especially when we watched movies, we were always touching. Legs, hands, shoulders and heads, laps and heads. There was always a connection, but now there's none. I'm left on my own couch cushion, not sharing Spencer's cushion and continuously pushing closer and closer until we're squished together. A shiver runs down my spine.

We watch the movie in silence for a little while, all the way up until the three main characters are singing a song at the back of the train. And while they're singing, I feel Spencer reaching over, grabbing the edge of the blanket, tugging it closer to him. "You can come closer," he tells me, looking up at me through his lashes, fingers grasping the fuzz of the blanket.

Happy to comply with this request, I scoot closer to him until our legs are touching. I think that's enough for now, but then Spencer slings his arm over my legs and tugs me closer until my knees collapse over his legs and I'm laying my head on his chest. It's a position that I'm so familiar with and I've been dying to be in, but he hasn't been up for lately. My body warms up. The shivers stop.

I completely melt into his embrace, pressing my ear against his chest to listen for the steady beat of his heart as I wrap my arm around his stomach. I let my eyelids flutter closed and relax into him. The movie isn't important anymore, at least not to me.

///

SPENCER

///

Today is a good day, one of the first I've actually had since being home since my prison release. I thought that actually leaving Amelia's apartment would make me nervous, but returning home wasn't as horrible as it seemed like it would be. For once, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm even feeling well enough to watch a movie and cuddle with Amelia on the couch, just like we used to do. She still can't creep up behind me or touch me without showing me her hands first and I still can't eat at a table, but it's an improvement. Albeit a tiny one, but it's there nonetheless.

By the time the movie is coming to an end, Amelia has slid down to rest her head on my lap, her curls sprawled out and her hands pulled up to her chin. She looks ridiculously adorable like this, and even though it's a sight that I've seen many times and I've committed to memory, I wish I could sit and stare at her forever.

But that plan is foiled when my phone starts buzzing on the coffee table. My first instinct is to look down to check that Amelia is still sleeping, and all she does is scrunch up her nose a bit before relaxing. Adorable.

I grab a pillow from beside me and slide it under her head when I slip out from under her. Thankfully, she doesn't notice and she doesn't wake up. Pleased with this, I grab my phone and rush onto the balcony. I don't have time to check who it is before I answer. "Reid."

"Hey, Reid," Rossi's voice comes through the phone. "How's it going?"

"It's-" I ponder my answer for a moment, double-checking that the door is closed as I sink into one of Amelia's adirondack chairs, "um, it's a good day today."

"Good, I'm glad. And I'm glad you've got Amelia to look after you. You've got a good one there. She really cares about you," Rossi says, and his words prompt me to turn and peer into the window at her sleeping form, curled up on the couch and holding the blanket to her chest. "Where-- uh-- where is she right now?"

"She's sleeping right now. I'm on the balcony," Honestly, this is already some of the most talking I've done in the last week and I'm exhausted. I'd rather be talking to Amelia, but Rossi called me for a reason, plus I know that Amelia needs to get some sleep. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah. I'm afraid I may need to bring your day down a bit," Rossi sighs, and my heart drops down to my feet. "I feel horrible calling you now, after everything you went through and while the BAU is on leave, but you need to know the situation."

I furrow my eyebrows, balling my free hand into a fist, digging my nails into my palm to give the pain somewhere to go. "What situation?"

"Damian Kelsey's signature popped up on two bodies in LA."

I didn't think that I would have to face a day where Damian Kelsey's signature reappears. I admit that I have stayed late at work many times just to look at Damian's case file and rememorize the details and try to predict what his next murder would have been all while ignoring the chilling family photos that contain my girlfriend as a horribly abused child.

And this is the worst possible time for this to happen. I can barely go a day without flashing back to prison or almost yelling at my amazing and patient girlfriend. How can I possibly tack on dealing with her serial killer father's signature resurfacing, all while trying to keep it a secret from her? It's nearly impossible. I thought that I could just take these stupid six weeks off to spend time with Amelia and try to rest comfortably, but I guess that's not possible.

"I'm heading to LA as we speak. I'm getting on a plane right now. And while we both know what his signature coming up again could mean, the good thing is that these are male victims and they're not surrogates for Amelia. I know that's what you're worried about. The other good thing is that this is across the country and obviously nowhere near Virginia. So--"

"Spencer?" Amelia's sweet voice comes from the balcony doors, the blanket disregarded on the couch and her hair messy on the top of her head.

"Gotta go," I mumble, hanging up my phone and tossing it aside, not even waiting to say goodbye to my coworker.

Amelia steps onto the balcony, her bare feet silent as she approaches me slowly, rubbing her eyes like a small child. "Everything okay?"

I reach my hands out for her and she smiles, placing her hands in mine and slowly sinking onto my lap, resting her head on my chest, similar to the position we had been in before. Amelia runs a hand over my chest and it takes everything in me not to let out a sound akin to a cat purring.

I just hold her tightly in my arms, probably the tightest I have since I saw her for the first time in the parking lot of my correctional facility. Rossi swears that Damian Kelsey won't come after Amelia but I just hold her tighter, as if that will protect her from the horrors of the world. I have a lot of holding to make up for from when I was gone, and I suppose that time starts now.

TAGLIST

@babybloodstonebones @bxnnywriting @blameitonthenight21 @feralreid @anepiphany @reidscardigan @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto @4x24 @whollytaciturn @thegingerfairchild @yasminwashere @shrimpyblog @anamelessfacelessnerd @wonderlandhatter @whxt-to-write @just-call-me-non @imagining-in-the-margins @boldlyvoid @homoose @gubler-me-up @thundergunexpresss @eideticmemory @andiebeaword

[silly-jellyghoty]

Me vs my mom rn. So a few weeks ago she broke her wrist in a little work accident. Coincidentally, just a few days before that ahe and dad called this one company to do the fence, gate, and a driveway to their house and they finished it all this week, but the place is a mess and mom can't do literally anything with the cast on. So yesterday she called me to come tomorow help her with cleaning because there is concrete dust everywhere. Which, fair, sure.

Except i am horribly sleep deprived. Since May the city is reconstructing pipes in my area and ever since the monday they finally got to my appartment house. This of course means that for the last 6 days there have been workers going from place to place, hammering parts of walls and floor pannels to get to pipes, get them out, install the new ones, and then repair what they had to destroy. All covered by city funds so that's nice, but i too still have all the dust and smudges on the floor, because as for the last week...

I had been working night shifts. About an hour after getting home there has been a group of 4 running around my hallway and bathroom well into early afternoon. I have a dog and the doors had to be open at all times so they can come and go with tools and stuff. Which means that i had to be awake and take care of him. Then snooze for like 3 hours in the afternoon, then go to work. Monday to friday.

Now. Through all this week i slept a grand total of about 18 hours, that is until this morning when i finally could just fall unconscious because it's weekend and they are done amd gone. The shit is still dirty. Until this evening didn't shower in a week because there was no water because there were no pipes. Between being home and up, work, and that little snooze, i did nothing. There's no food. All my laundry is dirty and waiting for a wash. There's dust and sand and random pieces of shaved plastic everywhere. I've been living on pizza and instant porrige. I'm out of clean cups and utensils because again, no water. To top it off i'm sleep deprived and all i want to do is spend aproximately 16 hours tomorow in a horizontal position, preferably sleeping.

But what am i going to do instead? Travel to a different fucking town into soneone else's different fucking house covered in the fucking cement and spend fucking 12 hours sweeping and dusting and washing and polishing and then i will have to fucking travel all the way back and somehow fix at least the laundry issue before dropping dead because if i don't then i have LITERALLY no shirt, no undies, and not a single pair of socks to put on on monday when i will be back to work.

So yeah.

I'll fucking do it, mom, but CRIST ALIVE FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE HAPPENING ATTHE SAME FUCKING TIME OH GOD I HATE THIS AND I LOVE YOU BUT I HATE YOU YOU FUCKING BITCH

I want to cry.

Anyway, i have finished eating my first meal of the day at fucking 11pm because i wasn't able to move from the bed before 6pm and then i was just gooily wandering around still half unconscious so i guess that it's time to get back to bed.

Ok bye everyone

it’s rotten work. especially to me especially if it’s you. I’ll fucking do it but christ alive.

[gretavanfleetlife]

Only Time Will Tell:

Chapter Two

AN: Thank you guys sooo much for the amazing feedback in the last chapter!! I tried to write this one as fast as possible without compromising the quality of the story. Hope you all enjoy!!💕

Warnings: Swearing

Word count: 2,330

You are woken up by the sound of a car honking loudly outside your bedroom window. You open your eyes slowly and let out a wide yawn as you glance at the clock.

"Shit!" you curse as you throw your covers to the side and race towards your closet, tripping over your dirty clothes that lay scattered across the floor.

"Shit shit shit shit..." The honking continued as you reach into your closet and grab the first things that you touch, not bothering to see what you chose before throwing them on. You try running a brush through your tangled hair before giving up and quickly tying it up in a loose ponytail.

You grab your bag and rush downstairs, continuing to mumble profanities as you call out a brief goodbye to your dad.

"What did you say y/n? I can't hear you over all this goddamn honking!" your dad complains through a mouthful of bacon. You sigh and jog briskly into the kitchen to give your dad a hug.

"I said I'm leaving now," you repeat, "bye dad." He waves you off and continues to devour his meal. Your stomach grumbles but you know that there's no time for breakfast, so you grab an apple on your way out the door instead. You walk swiftly towards Josh's car and see him shaking his head at you while continuing to honk the horn. You give him a quick wave and hop into the seat beside him, relieved that Josh has finally decided to stop making so much noise as he takes his hands off the wheel, crossing his arms.

"You're late," Josh complains as you buckle your seatbelt.

"Good morning to you too," you reply sarcastically, "sorry, I must have slept through my alarm."

"Woah, isn't your phone set to play Safari Song? How on earth did you manage to sleep through that?"

"I guess I'm just so used to tuning out your voice that it wasn't a problem," you shrug, grinning and hitting his shoulder playfully.

"Ouch," Josh replies, smirking at your tease, "hey isn't that Jake's shirt?" he asks you, noticing your outfit and giving you a confused look. You look down at your t-shirt for the first time, reading the words 'Church of Rock and Roll' printed across it.

"Yeah, he gave it to me when he grew out of it," you shrug, taking a bite out of your apple.

"If you say so," Josh replies, clearly unconvinced.

"What is that supposed to mean?" you chuckle.

"I'm just saying if you're fucking my brother you could have at least told me," Josh says, keeping his eyes on the road while earning a slap and a groan from you, "which is not ok by the way!" he states, shaking his pointer finger at you and furrowing his eyebrows. You let out a giggle and shake your head.

"You know I wouldn't," you smile lightly.

"I know you used to have a crush on him when we were younger," Josh replies, raising his eyebrows at you while throwing you a glance. Your eyes widen as you almost choke on your apple.

"You knew about that?!" you shout.

"Y/n everyone knew about that. You weren't exactly subtle," Josh laughs, watching you shield your face with your hands.

"Alright fine...whatever that was ages ago. Can we talk about something else please," you smile at Josh, blushing furiously as you remove your hands from your face and drop them into your lap.

"Alright, if we must. Are you excited for the last day of school?" Josh questions as you speed down the road towards your high school.

"I almost forgot actually, summer took way too long to get here," you reply, thankful for the change in conversation as you relax into your seat. "I'm even more excited for your party tonight though!" you grin giddily at Josh who returns it with a wide smile of his own.

"I can hardly wait," Josh beams as you pull into the crowded parking lot of Frankenmuth High. You thank Josh quickly before hopping out of the car and slamming the door, briskly jogging into the school. You walk hurriedly to your classroom and open the door, giving your teacher a brief apology before taking your seat at the back of the class beside Sam. You give him a quick smile but notice he doesn't return it.

"Hey," you whisper.

"Hey," Sam responds, not bothering to look up from his phone.

"What did I miss?" you ask Sam, who puts away his phone and takes out his math binder.

"Nothing," Sam whispers as he puts in his earbuds begins copying down algebra questions from the board at the front of the classroom. You sit in silence as he scribbles down numbers and you glance at your phone, noticing a text message from a very close friend of yours.

'Danny: wanna get pizza for lunch?'

'Y/n: definitely. Meet me at your locker.'

You quietly nudge Sam who takes out his earbuds and looks at you.

"What y/n?" he sighs.

"Danny and I are gonna get pizza for lunch, you coming?"

"I dunno, maybe," Sam says, returning his attention to the equations in front of him.

"Oh, um ok," you stumble, slightly shocked that Sam doesn't want to eat lunch with you, and especially Danny, his best friend. Maybe he's still upset about whatever he was worried about yesterday. You have an idea of what might cheer him up, so you nudge him again, "Hey are you excited for Josh's party tonight?" You whisper excitedly.

Sam drops his pencil and frustratedly turns to face you, "Maybe you should just do your work and stop obsessing over the fucking party," Sam spits loudly. He sighs and turns his back to you. You are stunned at Sam's harsh words, having no idea as to why Sam was so pissed at you. You and Sam didn't say another word to each other for the remainder of the class. A long hour later, the bell rang and you left quickly to head to your next class, not wanting to interact with Sam after his bitter outburst. You spend the entirety of your next class daydreaming until the bell rings for lunch. You walk to Danny's locker and see him rummaging through his bag, his long black hair falling over most of his face. He throws his bag over his shoulder and closes his locker, smiling when he sees you standing next to him.

"Hey y/n."

"Hey," you reply, "let's go I wanna talk to you about something." Danny follows you as you lead the way into the crowded cafeteria. You grab some pizza and walk towards your usual seats. You set down your tray across from Danny, who looks around the room, confused.

"No Sam? He always sits with us," Danny asks.

"That's what I wanted to talk about," you sigh, receiving a worried look from Danny. "Sam's pissed at me for some reason but I can't figure out why. Has he told you anything?" Danny shakes his head in response while taking a large bite of his pizza.

"No, he hasn't said anything," Danny frowns, "I've noticed he's been pretty distant lately though, really quiet too which is weird for Sam. Usually, I can't get him to shut up." You give a small laugh and continue to eat.

"I dunno Danny, but whatever it is he better get over it soon before the party tonight!"

"Yeah, it should be fun. I'm planning on asking out Mackenzie tonight, just between you and me," Danny says as you beam at him.

"It took you long enough! That girl is all over you," he smirks and waves his hand dismissively.

"We'll see," He mumbles.

The rest of the day dragged on, leaving you very tired and causing you to sleep through your third period biology class. Heading towards your final class before summer officially begins, you nervously hum a tune to yourself as you head towards the music room. Avoiding Sam has been easy so far, but you know that you will have to interact with him soon. You take a seat at the back of the class, across the room from your usual seat beside Sam. You take out your guitar and begin to lazily play the tune that has been stuck in your head since the day began. You close your eyes and sway to the music, ignoring the chatter and quiet music that fills the rest of the room as other students began to practice around you. As you near the end of your song, you open your eyes and catch Sam watching you play from across the room before he quickly looks away, busying himself with his bass guitar. You smile as you feel a familiar blush creeping onto your face. Sam has always loved listening to you play guitar, and you used to play together all the time growing up.

Your music teacher steps into the room and briskly declares a sectional rehearsal. You were hoping this wouldn't happen since you're in a group with Sam as well as a few others.

"That's just fucking perfect," you mumble to yourself as you walk into the small practice room with your fellow group members. You sit down beside Claire, a talented pianist with long brown hair, practicing scales on an organ. Ethan, a tall, muscular boy with short blond hair and stunning blue eyes enters the room next. He takes a seat beside you, holding a guitar similar to yours as you see Sam following him in and sitting across from you. The rest of the class is spent jamming with your group, playing songs that you've rehearsed several times before as well as improvising tunes as you play. You and Ethan are focused mainly on each other as you both concentrate on harmonizing your guitars. Every now and then you share a smile with Ethan as you appreciate the beautiful sounds of your dueling guitars. As you play you can feel Sam's eyes on you, but you refuse to look at him, letting yourself relax into the music instead. The bell rings and Sam immediately gets up, rushing out of the practice room without a word. Claire follows him out, and you are left alone with Ethan as you both put away your guitars.

"You played great today y/n, you're a really talented guitarist if I haven't said it before," Ethan smiles as you head out into the halls together.

"Thanks, so are you!" you beam as you admire his kindness. You find yourself blushing slightly. It isn't the first time that you've admitted to yourself how attractive you find him. You get an idea and start to fiddle anxiously with your bracelet.

"Hey um, a friend of mine is throwing a party tonight, would you want to come? Most of the people in our grade will be there so I figured you might be interested. Unless you're not which is fine too, there'll be drinking and shit which might not be your scene so..." you ramble but are quickly cut off by the feeling of Ethan's fingers entwining with yours. You look up at him and he smiles back at you.

"It sounds great y/n. I'll be there." You give him a wide smile as the two of you walk towards your locker, both of your hands still laced together. You give him more information about the party and he listens intently.

"It'll be this address at around 8:30," you say, scribbling down Josh's address on a loose piece of paper before handing it to him.

"Thanks y/n, see you tonight," Ethan says, smiling as he leaves down the crowded hall. You watch him go and feel your heart flutter as you pack your bag and head outside towards Josh's car.

"look who finally decided to show up," Josh calls to you from behind the wheel, "What took you so long?"

"Just talking to a friend," you say as you hop into the backseat beside Danny and Sam. You decide to tell Josh about Ethan after the party, not wanting to get his hopes up in case nothing ended up happening between the two of you. "Hey Jake, Danny, Sam," you say as Jake greets you from the passenger seat and Sam ignores you, staring out the window.

"Nice shirt y/n," Jake smirks at you as you share a knowing laugh with Josh.

"Jake and I were just picking up some supplies for the party tonight," Josh informs you, motioning to the many cases of beer stacked in the trunk.

"I figured," you respond, sharing a laugh with Danny.

"We're planning on practicing when we get home, you wanna listen in?"Jake asks you as you shake your head at him.

"No that's alright, I think I'm just gonna take a nap," you reply as Jake nods, turning on the radio as you drive to the Kiszka house. Normally you'd love to listen to the boys perform, but you don't feel like being around Sam. Once you arrive, the twins bring the cases of beer into the house as you head up to Josh's room, flopping on his bed and hearing the faint clinking of bottles in the kitchen. After a while, you fall asleep to the distant sound of rock and roll coming from the garage. You dream you're at a local bar listening to boys' band, Greta Van Fleet, play their music for the crowd as you dance and sing along. You have a feeling they'll make it big someday, they're too talented not to.

Your dream comes to an abrupt end as you are startled awake by Josh, shaking you wildly as you groan and open your eyes.

"Y/n wake up! It's 7:50 already you've got to get ready!" he yells in your ear. You smile at him and bounce out of bed, eager to get ready for the busy night ahead of you.

Taglist: @aliensforleaders @obetrol-and-cocktails @goodoldfashionedqueen @kiszkaboi @greta-gvf @rogers-wristbands @strawberry-fieldsssss @littlegeekwonder @spngvf @mutantpanda54 @allons-ytomyworld @diggrycedric @sammysgirll @rogerinascigarette @thaliamessi

[pbandjesse]

It's been such a nice Christmas Eve. I finally felt like I was actually on vacation. For the most part. I don't have to be anywhere or do anything that I didn't want to do. We can just move slowly.

I slept well last night. I woke up a couple times but mostly just cuz I was thirsty. I got up at 9 and I felt okay. Got washed and dressed. And then I hung out my room until mom was ready at 10.

We went to Friendly's for breakfast. Turns out from this Monday through Thursday during breakfast is always 50% off. So our entire meal was $12. That was cool. It was nice just hanging out too. Talking and laughing. It was good.

We went over to Sally Beauty First. I picked up hair dye. I'm going for a more red purple look this time. I'm going to do that tomorrow night. We left there and try to wander over to Habitat for Humanity but they were closed on Mondays. Oh well. We got back in the car and we went over to the Goodwill. We had very good luck there.

I got a great new blanket. Because that's what I needed in my life. I also got another pair of clogs which have break in the heel but still very comfortable. I'm going to have to fuss with them a little bit but very cute. We looked through all the stuffed animals to try to find three similarly-sized bears to get to Steve's kids. We actually found three Build-A-Bears. But the one was kind of dingy so we switched out for a pink bear. I also found a stuffed animal for sleepy and had a fun time looking around. I got a couple small things. A new sweater and I'm going to work at the Christmas party on Friday. And I got a cast iron heart baking tray. I grabbed a couple things and put them back. But mostly I just had a good time looking around and taking pictures of things and laughing at stuff with Mom.

We went over to the other side of the parking lot to go to Target. I got some of the home good stuff I needed. I wanted to find a new cup to replace the one I had smashed the other day. And the one I got I really like. It's silver. And it has a weird neon green or yellow straw. That's probably my least favorite part but it's leak-proof and it's the same brand and if I drop it it will not explode. And worst case I can paint the neon parts. It's not the worst.

We were going to also get groceries while we were there but they were short on a couple things that I wanted so we left and we went to Redner's.

I was running out of steam but we got the groceries we needed. I got some laughs from some of the others customer it's because I kept throwing things in the cart from too far away. We paid and we headed home.

When we got back here we unpacked and then I spent the next hour and a half working on lesson plans. I could not for the life of me remember where the list of terms they need to learn our. So I was very annoyed with myself. But I did get the first 4 weeks kind of mapped out. The lesson plans aren't exactly done but they're on their way. I will for sure finish at least some more of that tomorrow. And then I'll start a couple more. I would like to get the six done before the end of the week.

Around 3 I went to my room and lay down for a bit. I didn't nap but I did watch some videos and play on my phone. At 4:30 everyone started getting dressed and we got out of here pretty quickly relatively speaking.

Dad made a reservation at Bonefish Grill. I have never been but the men you didn't really seem promising. At least vegetarian wise. But I kind of just wanted a salad. So it worked out for me. We went and it was really really nice.

We all eat too much bread. Dad spilled olive oil all over the table. I got a Cobb salad that has avocado and kale and it was very good. That also got an appetizer that I ate the lettuce for an appetizer that was good too. Food was really good and it was nice talking to my parents. My brother texted me while we were at dinner and we're going to see him tomorrow. But I did invite him and his girlfriend to come to Baltimore to see me and be a tourist. I hope he takes me up on it.

And we all got dessert which was way too much. He had already eaten too much food. And the chocolate thing I got was a little too much chocolate. But we were full and happy and tired. Where did over the live nativity so we can all have some animals. The goats and the Sheep were butting heads and it was very cute. We went in the church to take a picture with the Christmas tree. Pastor woman was very sweet but did not know how to take pictures. But that was fine. It was just nice being altogether.

We are back here and Mom put the clothes in the dryer so I could dry my clothes that I had washed earlier in the day. And then we all got together to open presents.

I got to go first. I got a dapping set for a jewelry making. Which is going to be great once me and James moved to a new place. I'm just going to work on collecting my jewelry making stuff and cleaning up the stuff I already have since I can't really make metal jewelry in the space I am now since my floor is tile and I will break it if I try to hammer anything on it. I also got some rose petal bath salts and a cool metal anchor. I also got 12 boxes of pasta salad. My favorite kind of pasta salad. So he's very excited about that.

They also gave me some money and that that went towards the jacket in the jeans I got yesterday. Plus I was able to buy a couple of the things on my Amazon shopping list like the tea diffuser and purse I have had my eye on. So overall a really good Christmas.

Mom and Dad open all their gifts next. They really liked the things I got them. And then they both opened the why I love Mom and why I love Dad books I had filled out. I made mom cry. That's an accomplishment. We try to do that every year. I'm glad that they really appreciated hearing from me. They are very important to me and they are very good parents.

After everyone opened their gifts I remember James had left one for me to open why he wasn't here. And it was the deer we had looked at on Amazon a few weeks back that reminded me of toy act when I was a kid. He also wrote a very cute note to go along with it. The deer does make me laugh though because it has a very uneven shoulders. He's very soft and we have named him Cupid. Because of love and stuff.

I hung out in the living room with them for a while. But now I'm in bed. Surrounded by about 12 blankets. Of varying softness. I'm going to go to sleep soon and tomorrow we're going to have a really chill Christmas. We're going to go visit my brother at lunch time. And then we're going to come home. And I'm going to work on lesson plans. And I'm going to lay around and do nothing. And then me and Mom are going to make dinner. I hope to watch a Muppets Christmas Carol and just enjoy a nice day. I hope you all do as well weather you celebrate or not. Good night everyone. Merry Christmas.