#but I guess it can go the other way if Danny is the EMS worker on scene with RR

[ri-afan]

Soulmate au - first words on skin

“Woah, hey, you probably shouldn’t be doing that.”

“…Are you my conscience?”

Person 1 is a vigilante helping someone with a probable concussion after an attack of some kind.

Person 2 is a person who’s had many a philosophical debate on whether or not the words on their skin made them reckless or if they were reckless all on their own.

[thelastspeecher]

Superhero/villain AU - Jimmy Snakes

I spent my morning writing this instead of doing chores like I was supposed to.  As for what this ficlet is about?  Well, it’s on the tin.  Enjoy.

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              Stan whistled as he walked up to the door.  Even though he and Angie had lived in this house for ages, he had zoned out flying home from work, and as a result, he’d gone to the place he used to share with Ford before remembering he didn’t live there anymore.

              That was a bit embarrassing.  But not as embarrassing as it was for Ford.  Ford had rushed out of his bedroom, beet red and only in boxers, when Stan entered. Ford’s stammering when he asked what Stan was doing there didn’t ease Stan’s suspicion.  I wonder if he had someone over.  Hmm.  He’s been acting a bit weird lately.  Maybe he’s got a boyfriend he doesn’t wanna tell me about.  Guy’s gotta be a piece of work if Ford’s too embarrassed to tell me, his brother who’s engaged to a supervillain.  Stan sighed.  Whatever. He’ll tell me when he wants to. He could just as easily have been having some “alone time”.  Stan snickered softly.  Something shone in the corner of his eye.  He looked over.  A flashy motorcycle stood in the driveway, next to the Stanleymobile.  That wasn’t there this morning.  Maybe Angie bought it?  That’d be kinda hot.  He opened the door.

              “Ang?” he called.

              “In the livin’ room!” came the response.  Stan stepped inside.  “Oh, and we have a guest!”

              Right.  Stan grimaced.  Angie had warned him that morning that she had a former coworker visiting, who might still be around when Stan got off work.  I hate meeting Angie’s coworkers.  They’re always nice to me, but it’s weird as hell to have the person you threw in jail last week ask you about your plans for the weekend.  Sure, this guy is a former coworker, but he’s still an active villain.  He and Angie just don’t work the same area anymore.  Stan made his way to the living room, deciding to say a polite hello to Angie’s coworker and then leave again.  Maybe I go back to Ford’s place, find out what he was so nervous about.

              “There ya are!” Angie chirped.  She was sitting cross-legged on the light brown sofa, Daisy in her lap.  Her coworker sat next to her, holding Danny. Angie’s coworker was facing away from him, but Stan recognized the leather jacket and bandana.  Stan’s heart stopped.  “Stan, this is James.  ‘Member? I told ya ‘bout him.”

              “Uh.  Yeah,” Stan managed.  “James” turned around.  Stan swallowed.  “H-hey, Jimmy.”  Jimmy Snakes, his ex-boyfriend, peered at him over his sunglasses.  He smiled suggestively.

              “Hey, kitten,” Jimmy purred.  Angie frowned.

              “James, care to tell me why ya called my fiancé that?”  Her tone had a hint of warning to it.  Stan knew from experience that while not a jealous girlfriend, Angie did get territorial when other supers made a move on Stan.  Jimmy chuckled.

              “Relax, Angie.  I’ve moved on from him.”

              “Moved on?” Angie asked.  Jimmy shot another grin in Stan’s direction.

              “Stan and I used to be an item,” Jimmy drawled.  As if upset by this revelation, Danny began to fuss loudly.

              “Hand her over,” Stan said shortly, snatching his daughter from Jimmy. Jimmy raised his eyebrows.

              “Geez, relax.”

              “What the hell are you doing here?” Stan demanded.  He was painfully aware that his attempt to seem threatening was impeded by how he was bouncing Danny in his arms to calm her down.

              “I’m Angie’s former coworker,” Jimmy said, spreading his arms wide.  “I had to come in town for business.  Thought I’d drop by to catch up and hash out an agreement for transporting supplies.”

              “James purchases a lot of stuff from my folks,” Angie said.

              “Since when are you a villain?” Stan asked.  “You weren’t one when we dated.”

              “Yeah, but I never really liked followin’ the rules,” Jimmy said lazily.  “When I became a super, only made sense to go into villainy. I found a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy, set stuff up, and now I’m a regular highwayman.  With a side gig of transporting goods for Mr. and Mrs. McGucket.”  Jimmy raised an eyebrow at Stan.  “What about you, kitten?  You puttin’ those pyrotechnics to good use yet?  Actually, you don’t need to answer.  If you managed to shack up with one of the best villains on this coast, you obviously decided to do the same as me.”

              “No, I didn’t.”

              “Then what do you do?” Jimmy asked.  Stan tensed.

              “I don’t need to tell you.”

              “Fair enough.”

              “How did you become a super?  Did you have latent powers or something?” Stan asked.

              “Nah.  Accidentally summoned a demon, gave him my soul in exchange for abilities, you know how it goes.”

              “…No, I don’t.”

              “Hang on,” Angie said, holding up a hand.  She glared at Jimmy.  “You made a deal with a demon?”

              “And you’ve made politicians mysteriously vanish,” Jimmy retorted.  “Don’t try to take the high road when you rob a bank every Tuesday.”

              “James, my fam’ly might be villains, but we have our standards and morals,” Angie said firmly.  She crossed her arms.  “We’re good Catholic folks.  We don’t like bein’ affiliated with demons or their minions.”

              “Ah, c’mon, Ang, gimme a break.  I don’t let the whole demon thing get in the way of gettin’ the job done. Your folks told me I’m the best transporter they’ve ever had.”

              “We don’t want folks who work fer Satan workin’ fer us.  We know which boss ‘ll come first.”

              “I don’t work for the big S.  Just one of his accountants.”

              “Well, it still stands.  We don’t like contractin’ folks that have another boss.  We like knowin’ that our workers are loyal to us.  It’s fer safety purposes.  We can’t risk our covers gettin’ blown.”  Angie sighed softly.  “Unfortunately, I’m goin’ to have to tell my folks ‘bout this.”

              “Really?  Over that?” Jimmy asked.  “I’ve only been loyal to you guys.”

              “Look, it’s how we run things,” Angie said.  Jimmy scowled.  

              “Bitch.”  Stan tucked Danny into the crook of his arm, then used his free hand to grab Jimmy’s shirt collar and pull him up.

              “Don’t talk to my fiancée like that,” Stan snarled.  Danny giggled loudly, clearly thrilled by what was going on. Jimmy held up his hands placatingly.

              “Geez, geez, fine!  I’ll back off!”  Stan let him go.  Jimmy adjusted his shirt.  He looked around.  A faint breeze was beginning to pick up, and smoke curled from Stan’s sleeve.  “Guess that’s my cue to leave.”

              “You think?” Stan rumbled.  

              “Ang, if your folks do decide to drop me as a transporter, make sure they call to let me know,” Jimmy said.  “I don’t like getting ghosted.”

              “We try to keep up good manners, and good manners includes tellin’ people if they’re fired,” Angie said.  Jimmy looked at Stan.

              “Good luck with the kids and fiancée, kitten.  Never took you for the parenting type, but, eh.  Maybe you’ll surprise me.”  With that, he strolled out of the living room.  The front door opened and closed.  A rumbling started up outside, then faded.

              “I’m guessing the motorcycle I saw when I got home was Jimmy’s,” Stan said, joining Angie on the couch.  Angie nodded.

              “Sorry about that,” she said quietly.  “If I’d known James was yer ex-”

              “It’s fine,” Stan said.  He frowned. “His behavior was weird, though. He was always a bit of a dick, but he never escalated things.  He always insisted on trying to calm people down instead of rile ‘em up.”

              “Yeah, I don’t remember him bein’ so rude the last few times I’ve spoke to him. Maybe it’s the prolonged demon exposure.”

              “Maybe.”  Stan grimaced.  “Your parents aren’t gonna be pissed at me, will they?”

              “Why would they be?” Angie asked, cocking her head.  Stan flicked a crumb of something off Angie’s T-shirt.  It was one of her favorites, with a large salamander emblazoned on the front.

              “Well, I showed up, started talkin’, and next thing you know, your parents lost their best transporter.”

              “Oh, hon.”  Angie took a hold of Stan’s hand.  “Honestly, I think my parents will be pleased ya got him to spill.  Like I said, we don’t affiliate with demonic forces.  Or employ folks already workin’ fer someone with interests similar to ours.”

              “Yeah, but what if he retaliates?”

              “We can take care of ourselves.  Don’t you worry ‘bout that.”  Angie smiled at him.  Stan smiled back.  “So, what took ya so long?  Did ya get lost comin’ home?”

              “I accidentally went to Ford’s place again,” Stan confessed.  Angie chuckled.  “Weird thing, though.  He ran outta his room like a bat outta hell, bright red, in his boxers.”  Angie scooted closer to him.

              “Really?”

              “Yeah.”

              “Think he had someone over?”

              “I think so.  The last couple times we’ve dropped off the girls, I’ve noticed a few things laying around that aren’t Ford’s.”

              “Ooh.”  Angie’s eyes sparkled.  “Maybe he’s found himself a, ah…”  Angie frowned momentarily.  “I don’t want to be presumptive, but I get the feelin’ he’d prefer a male lover over a female.”

              “You’re right.  On both counts.  That was my thought too, that he’s got some boyfriend he doesn’t wanna tell anyone about yet.”

              “Well, give him time,” Angie said.  “He’s yer brother.  He’ll tell ya eventually.  Every time, it takes Lute forever to come clean when he finds a new boyfriend, but he always tells me at some point.”  Angie rolled her eyes.  “Usually months after the fact.  Like, right now, I’m pretty sure he’s at least got a…”  Angie glanced down at Daisy, who was still in her arms.  “Hmm.  Tryin’ to figure out how to phrase it without sayin’ a swear in front of the girls.”

              “He’s got a regular lay?” Stan suggested.  Angie tilted her head.

              “I guess that works.  Yeah, I recognize the signs.  Not all the folks he knocks boots with end up bein’ his boyfriend, but in my experience, when he invites the same person to his bed multiple times, it’s headed into that territory.”

              “Man, Lute is way different from Ford.  I think Ford dated someone in college, but I don’t know who. Meanwhile, Lute’s out getting laid every night.”

              “Pfft.”

              “I’m tempted to sneak back over, see if I can spot anything,” Stan said.

              “I mean, we do need to confirm that he’ll be babysittin’ the girls tomorrow while we’re both at work,” Angie said.  Stan grinned.

              “Wanna come?”

              “It does sound entertaining, but I’ve got to call my parents about Jimmy. And I need to call Lute.  He was s’pposed to kidnap someone today and didn’t. Since I was the one who put him up fer the job, I’ve got the responsibility to follow up on why he didn’t do it.”

              “Okay.”  Stan kissed Angie on the cheek.  “Want me to take Daisy?  She and Danny are both asleep, so I can put them both in their cribs.”

              “That would be excellent, dear.”  Angie kissed him back.  “Have fun haranguing Ford.”

              “I always do.”

[samtheflamingomain]

to care is human

Warning: gruesome descriptions of suicide methods.

So last night I tried to kill myself. Sometimes I wake up knowing it'll be that kind of day, sometimes it creeps up on me. This time was different.

I usually drink a shitload, eat a bunch of sleeping pills and then put a bag over my head and a belt around my neck. It's almost worked a few times, but I usually wake up with a hole in the bag and a terrible headache.

I can't really do that anymore; I can tell it's causing actual brain damage, and I also don't have more than a few sleeping pills at any given time because my psychiatrist instructed the pharmacy to give me my meds weekly.

I was alright until around 4 when I realized I'd be drinking and that it would make a solid week in a row of drinking. Add in the fact that I just put $1200 of cat surgery on my credit card, and by the time I was gulping down an entire bottle of wine in an hour, I couldn't stop thinking about all the things that stress me out. I have no money. I hate working. I have no parents. I can’t stop drinking. I have to start working more hours.

I didn't wait long enough after the wine before going to the bar. It was another few beers before it hit me HARD. It takes A LOT for me to feel drunk; I've gotten used to drinking 10 beers to feel tipsy, so I was surprised to be genuinely drunk. Wanting that to continue, I kept at ‘er.

This is a pretty odd story, and I don't remember everything that happened but here's a self-indulgently-long description of it anyway:

I go to the bar after the wine and have about 8 beers (they have a non-standard "mini-pitcher" you can buy, maybe the equivalent of like 3.5 beers?) and I'm talking to another regular who's been trying to get rid of her last kitten for a while. I've always loved this kitten and have considered taking him in for a while now.

So Fran says, "Hey, wanna come over and see him?" and drunk me was like "Fuck yeah, kitties!"

We take a cab to her place, I ogle some felines, then had to walk home. I'm guessing I left her place at around midnight. Why am I guessing? Wellll...

My phone was dead, as I discovered trying to figure out how to get home from her place. I had no idea where I was.

I live at the edge of a very large neighbourhood with a lot of winding, twisting roads. I walked for hours in the freezing cold, crying, stumbling over drunk. I remember laying in grass at some point(s?) and also concrete.

And I remember far too vividly crawling from the sidewalk out to the road and laying down.

I laid there for what felt like hours, screaming at approaching vehicles, "FUCKING KILL ME!" as I bawled my eyes out. None did. Obviously.

I remember distinctly being stood up by a paramedic and escorted into an ambulance. The first thing I said was, "Great, another $40 I can't afford."

I was barely able to give the paramedics answers. I don't remember getting out or how I ended up sleeping on a hospital bed in the mental illness waiting area.

I was woken up at 4 in the morning by a crisis worker. She said "sounds like you had a bad night?" No fuckin shit.

Well, I'm not new to this rodeo. I don't remember much of what was said, but she discharged me as soon as we were done. I have a horrible, infected scrape on my hand that is putting me out of commission at work for at least a week. I can hardly move my hand or lift anything. They tell me to go to a walk-in-clinic.

Buses don't start till 7 on weekends, so I went for my phone to call an Uber. And that’s when I discovered a shitty Android-shaped hole in my pocket.

That's right, for those of you keeping score at home, that's two, count 'em, TWO phones I've lost in the last 4 months! How will he lose the next one??? Vote NOW!!

Anyway, I call a cab from the hospital, get home at around 5, message my coworkers that I can't come in to work, then pass out till 10, the exact time I was supposed to start work. I fire up the ole' Book of Faces and find that the shift has been covered.

I go buy a new phone and (attempt) to go to a clinic for my hand. Literally every clinic in this city is closed because of the stupid long weekend. I was exhausted so I didn't bother going back to the hospital for a scrape.

Then something weird happened. I realized that people actually care. Let me explain.

I fucked up the schedule at work this week by having to take my cat to the vet on Tuesday. I felt HORRIBLE about missing another shift, especially two in one week, and especially because this time it was my own damn fault.

It gets worse. When I was told that the shift had been covered, I wasn't told that it was being covered by Rob, who closed last night (a 4-12 shift). Running on 3 hours of sleep, he came in at 10 and is still there now. He'll be there till 12 again.

So now I feel even more horrible. Dude is working 22 hours in 2 days because of me*.

*Not quite - I'll get to that in a bit.

Without a phone to call my best friend, I felt very lonely when I got home from the hospital. I was still able to talk to my other friend from the States, though, and this is an important difference.

When I try to kill myself and tell Connor after the fact, he rarely reacts. (If I'm on the phone threatening to do it he's much more involved and often talks me down). But with Danny instead, who was extremely worried, I finally felt like someone actually cared after the fact. 

Everyone will care before because death is scary. Few people care after because living is boring.

Danny wasn't the only one. I didn't realize it at the time because I was still a little out of it but when I told my coworker I wouldn't be able to come in, I told her why. I didn't mean to.

She was so understanding about it, told me not to worry, that I could come in for free food if I wanted.

Then, as I began posting on Facebook about my lovely evening, another coworker messaged me - Rob, the one who is a working machine and could probably work 24/7 if necessary. He said he was on a break at Tim Horton's and I should join him.

Kind of worried at this point; I've bailed on 2 shifts in one week, he's got seniority and I singlehandedly* forced him to work a close-to-open-to-close. *Not really. Again, in a minute. Be patient.

To my surprise we just talked, about what happened, about work, about life. At the end of his break he says to come hang out at work.

The concept of "hanging out" coming together with the concept of "work" had never really made much sense to me because I hate working. But I realized that I hate working, not the work itself, not the place and not the people.

So I go to work and... hang out. I try helping when I can but quickly realize my hand is going to be a problem, probably for a very long time. I can't lift much with it and I have a very limited range of motion; it wasn't just due to the scrape, it was also because I'd used it to break a fall. It's not the worst thing, but it does affect nearly every aspect of making pizzas.

Anyway, I shoot the shit with Alycia and Rob and Lily and nobody's mad at me and the store's a mess but it doesn't matter. *And that's when I'm told that 4 people are out of town, and the other morning person wouldn't message back or pick up the phone all day.* It wasn't completely my fault, so I felt a little better.

Then a few things happened.

First, Anthony showed up for his shift at 4. I really like Anthony: he's a hard worker, nice, funny and a little awkward in the same way that I am. Unfortunately, he only works one night a week, and I've only worked with him twice. He talks with Rob as they count the till and I assume Rob's telling him the reason the dough still hasn't been finished at 4pm (me).

Well, he didn't. I take my glove and bandage off my hand to redo it and he goes "Damn, what happened?" I say, "From last night."

"What happened last night?" 

I kind of stare at him for a minute. "Didn't Rob tell you?"

"No, what?"

"I tried to kill myself."

His face falls. I can tell he's starting to wear his awkward face. Many people react differently to this news based on relationship level and experience. When I told Danny, one of my closest friends, he was worried and upset. When I told Anthony, a work acquaintance I barely knew, he had a few moments of awkward "No, hey, that's no good, don't do that" before he suddenly opened his arms for a hug.

I'm a bad hugger. I usually just stand there as the other person does all the hugging. This is because my parents would only ever hug me when they were done yelling at me and had forced me to apologize for something I hadn’t done wrong.

I hugged him back, and I almost started crying. It was the first real hug I'd gotten probably in my entire life. By 'real' I mean for the hugger. He did the socially obligatory thing of pretending suicide isn't as serious as it is before he couldn't keep the charade up. That part of the reaction wasn't real. The hug was real.

Anyway. As Anthony arrives, Alycia leaves. As she's waiting by the door for her ride, she says lots of stuff people say to the suicidal, and also indicates that her boyfriend and herself have had their share of mental illness.

Then she tells me that her second cousin commited suicide. She says he did it because he thought no one would care. "It was sixteen years ago and the family has never been the same. People care. We would all care."

I'd heard it a thousand times before but never really believed it, either because it was being said by someone who probably wouldn't care after a week, or because it's said by someone who is socially obliged to at least pretend to care, so I assume they are just pretending.

But between Danny, a close friend but whom I've never met in person, and my coworkers, who, until now, I wouldn't have called friends at all, I feel like I've "realized" that people really do care.

Something I've never really felt before. Thanks, parents.

Anyway, long story, I know, but a happy-ish ending? Who knows. Still pretty fucking depressed but not suicidal. I don’t know if this will prevent me from trying again, but it might, and that’s better than nothing.

Stay Greater.

[lamiaward]

Coffee Shop Au

I don’t own OUAT. This is probably a different kind of ‘coffee shop’ than was meant , but I had inspiration ehe.

“Rubes, I cannot believe you” Emma said, laughing. She really should not have been surprised anymore. Ruby was kind of notorious for her gotta-try-everything-once behaviour. Hell, they had met when Ruby had been arrested for ‘multiple incidents of public exposure’ and Emma had bailed her out. Kind of should’ve told Emma she should’ve expected anything from Ruby, especially with how nonchalant Ruby had been about the whole thing ( she had really been more amused than anything , although she had never gone to jail for indecent exposure again. ‘I am not boring, I do not repeat stuff like that, Ems).

Still, this was something that was unexpected even coming from Ruby.

“ Oh, come on, it is a great idea!”.

“ How do you even think you will convince your grandma? “ Emma flopped down on her bed. After a long day of bounty hunting, she was tired but she actually did enjoy talking to Ruby a lot. The almost hyperactive energy was catching and her stories were often uproarious.

“ Ehm, with how much profit this is going to bring into the shop. Duh. “.

« Is there even like a demand for this kind of stuff ?”.

“ There is always a demand for this kind of stuff. Besides, we would only sell it in the evenings, in a back room so that we can still cater to kids and teens”.

Emma snorted. “ Won’t the teenagers be the ones that want it the most?”.

“Probably, but I am pretty sure mayor milf would have my head if I tried to sell it to teenagers, considering her son is only a couple of years away from that special age where they start drinking and stuff”.

“ Probably. Can’t say I blame her though, kids already get into trouble without help so- “.

“ Are you insinuating that I could ever corrupt our youth? “

Emma rolls her eyes, but grins a little  “ Didn’t you- “.

“ Omg, Ems let it go. Danny was only like two years younger”.

Emma chuckles. Ruby is definitely pouting. “ Fine, I will let it go. But only because you got dumped . For someone older”.

“ You being really sucky, bringing up old pains like this”.

“ I am sure you will live”.

“ Urgh. You do realize that you can literally die of a broken heart? You should not mock me, or you will feel really bad at my funeral”.

“ I could also die because a construction worker that is working really high loses his shoe and that shoe lands on my hand”.

“ uh your point being?”.

“ There is a lot of crazy things that could kill us. I wouldn’t worry too much about it”.

“ You sound like some sort of philosophy mayor”.

“.. no I don’t”.

“ Yeah, you kind of do” before Emma can react, she has to yank the phone away for the sake of her poor ear as Ruby yells “So are you coming?”.

“ To … Storybrooke” like always she hesitates before saying the name. She has known Ruby for years and she knows she can trust her but it is still a weird name. And there was that one time she searched for it and could find it nowhere. When she asked Ruby, she was told ‘it is a shithole. That’s why you can’t find it”.

« No, to Alaska ».

«  No need to unleash the sass on me ».

“  So are you coming?”

“ I guess so. When did you – “.

“ This weekend” Emma scowls a little at the phone when the words that follow are ‘ And because I know you are pretty much a zombie in the morning, you are allowed to arrive here in the afternoon” .

“ I am not that bad”.

“ Yeah, tell that lie to someone who hasn’t been around you in the mornings” and of course, because she is Ruby , the phone is hanged up before Emma can even react to that with (mostly fake) indignation.

Honestly.

Turns out , even if Storybrooke is non-existent on any maps and Ruby’s directions are a little vague (‘okay there is like a fuckton of trees and then there is a sign. Just do not turn right or left, follow the road and you will get there’) at the end, Emma does find Storybrooke.

Okay, here we go. She thinks and it is kind of odd , because she has known Ruby for years and whenever Rubes wasn’t globetrotting or with his grandmother, she would crash on Emma’s couch so she should not be nervous. She kind of is though. Just a little.

However, she also not a coward so she gets of her car without even taking the time to calm herself down. She gets out of the car and opens the door to ‘Granny’s diner” and even calls out for Ruby. Whose scowl immediately changes into a bright grin as she turns around from where she is taking someone’s order.

“EMMA “ she yells and then barges into Emma, hugging her tight before pulling back to kiss her once.

“ Is that another thing you picked up in Europe? “ Emma says, laughing. Even though Ruby has always been free with touches and flirtations.

“ Well, they kissed each other’s kisses like three times. Sometimes? I don’t know” she winks.  “You must just be irresistible”.

“ Lucky me” Emma says drily.

“ Yup” Ruby rolls her eyes and leans in so her whisper won’t be overheard.  “I am going to deal with whiny dude behind me. You can already sit down if you want” she pulls back again, then says in her usual voice. “ Grilled cheese and hot chocolate coming up” before dragging herself back to the customer.

Emma chuckles as she sits down and watches Ruby plaster on a smile. She could have easily become an actress, had she wanted to. She smiles emptily at the guy, only to throw Emma a ‘can you believe this douchebag?’ look as she has her back turned to him.

Emma gives her a quick smile before Ruby turns and sashays into the part of the diner that is the kitchen. When she has dealt with Douchebag as well as some nicer customers, she sits down across from Emma and pushes the grilled cheese towards her.

“ Don’t choke, Ems” Ruby says , laughing at the way Emma immediately digs her teeth in and takes a very large bite from the grilled cheese.

“ Hmm” Emma just groans, quickly swallowing before taking another large bite.  “You are the best” she says vehemently.

“You are pretty great too” as soon as Emma is in between bites, she asks  “how is Boston?”.

“ Okay. Bounty hunting continues to pay the rent” .

“ Do you spend your sad, lonely days tackling people on the wrong side of the law or do you actually get some action” the devious look in Ruby’s eyes tells Emma what exactly she means with ‘action’. She rolls her eyes before swallowing. “ You know the drill”.

“ Still with the one night stands?”.

Emma shrugs. “ I am not really the type of girl for anything else”.

Ruby lays her hand on top of Emma’s, the sadness in her eyes making Emma’s skin crawl slightly.  “ I really hope that will change one day, Ems” she smirks slightly. “Because one night stands are awesome and all, but I really wish you could have a little more”.

“ I don’t need more. I am fine, Rubes”.

“ Yeah, I know. You are Emma Swan, who is really independent and strong after a lifetime of rotten families” she squeezes Emma’s hand once before letting it go.. “ Just so you know though, you always have a family here, you know? One that does not suck”.

“ I know Ruby “she says , her voice stilted. She quickly adds. “ Thank you”.

“ You are welcome”.

Ruby lets her nearly choke on the remains off her grilled cheese for a while before offering her a napkin and pointing at her mouth. “ So…  “ Emma says, and lays down the napkin . “ what did your grandma say?”.

“She is thinking about it”.

Emma arches her eyebrows a little.  “Seriously?”.

Ruby dips her finger in the whip cream on top of Emma’s hot chocolate and licks it. She is a pouting a little.  “Yes. But she says the mayor needs to approve as well”.

“ and you think she won’t”.

“ Have you even listened to my stories ? No way that Mills will ever approve of a coffee shop”

“ Well, move to Amsterdam then” Emma teases.

It is when Ruby stiffens a little that Emma realizes she cares more than expected. Because Ruby has often ideas that are a little crazy or at least a little bit inappropriate or just not feasible and she gets really enthusiastic but often forgets about them after a while. Emma had expected this to be like that, but if the slightly hurt look Ruby gives her is any indication, it isn’t.

“ Sorry Rubes”.

Ruby slowly starts to smile again.  “It is okay” she sags a little. “ I am just enthusiastic about this and it is stupid that it might all not happen because the mayor thinks it is sordid or whatever”.

“ Have you actually talked to her about it?”

“ Not yet. But I would be really surprised if she actually approved”.

“ Stranger things have happened”.

“ Maybe” but Ruby does not look certain at all. She actually looks kind of droopy, which makes Emma shift a little and think of a better topic conversation. She is just about to ask whether the crush Ruby had been so frustrated and kind of teary about is finally not  a ‘shitfest waiting to happen’ anymore when Ruby perks up and jumps to her feet. Emma stares after her as she half-runs towards a brunette that is buried in a large, ancient-looking book.

She smiles a little as she sees Ruby lean in , place her hand on the woman’s shoulder and say something to her. The woman slowly lowers her book, gives Ruby a shy but brilliant smile. Let me guess, that’s- yup. That is definitely Ruby’s crush. The slightly hesitant way Ruby talks and touches says it all. She is kind of curious about what exactly is so bad about liking her( Ruby had only muttered something about gold, which Emma had distributed to her just being drunk at the time)

Emma smiles at the woman as she is pulled along by Ruby. Ruby throws an arm around her and points at Emma. “ This is my lemur”.

“ Ehm, lemur? “the woman hesitantly asks.

“ It is a nickname Rubes has for me” Emma explains, offering the woman her hand. “ Emma Swan. Nice to meet you”.

The woman clutches her book with one arm as she shakes Emma’s hand with the other. “ Belle French” she says.

Emma smiles. “ Ironic name” Belle stares at her, so she explains.  “ Belle is French for beautiful, right ? «  Emma is definitely not fluent, but she has picked up some French over the years. She doesn’t even know where anymore, possibly to either pretend to be someone else or impress someone. “ So the name ‘Belle French’ is kind of ironic considering the first part is a French word”

Belle smiles brightly. “ My father was born in France , but he moved to Australia when he was pretty young”.

“Ah. That explains it”.

Ruby pulls Belle a little closer to her. “ You did not tell me you spoke the language of love”

“ And you are so very surprised by this fact? I may be a dropout, but that does not mean I hate learning stuff, you know”.

“ Ems. I have seen your apartment, I know you have a lot of curiosity and everything” . Yeah, that may have come out a little too intense. Emma cannot help it: almost everyone she ever meets assumes that she is stupid and/or doesn’t like to read just because she dropped out of high school.

She shrugs. Ruby and Belle sit down. Emma really wants to talk about why it cannot work between the two when Ruby throws glances whenever she thinks Belle isn’t looking and Belle blushes slightly as their hands brush. Then relaxes with her shoulder pressed against Ruby’s.

“Ruby told me you are a bail bondsperson. It sounded- “ Belle hesitates for several seconds ( Emma really needs to talk to Ruby, with how she is staring at the crunchy face Belle makes when she thinks with this bright smile) “ interesting. Do you enjoy it?”.

“ I guess? I mean, I am pretty good at it and it pays enough so that is cool”.

“ Oh. Is it as dangerous as it sounded when Ruby was telling me about it? “.

“ Maybe a little. But I can handle myself” .

Belle really seems interested, so Emma decides to tell one of her funnier (and weirder) stories. She is in the middle of describing how she slipped over the plate her ‘date’ had thrown on the floor and crashed into a group of too-pale businessmen when she sees her.

“ So they gave me this lo – “ she trails off, her hands freezing in the air. A woman has just entered. Her brown hair is coiffed, her brown eyes are almost scary they’re so intense and Emma just knows she is the kind of woman that is a really Bad Idea. Still, she takes one look and she is sold. Damn.

“ What are you- “Ruby starts, then turns around and back with a knowing smile.  “The mayor. I told you she was hot, didn’t I?”.

“ you didn’t tell me she was hot enough to spontaneously combust things” Emma mutters, slowly dropping her arms and still staring at the mayor. And yeah, of course she has seen attractive women before but wow. The woman is really attractive. And wearing a perfectly fitting pantsuit, that Emma recognizes to possibly cost her entire month’s salary. She is also barely looking at anyone around her, head tilted slightly.

Emma tries to stop Ruby, she really does. But she is too late when Ruby calls out “ Hey, madame mayor!”

“What are you doing?” Emma hisses as the woman arches her eyebrows- fuck, that is hot too – before walking over to them.

“ I need to ask her something, remember?” Ruby says, but she is smirking and there is that look she gets into her eyes before she tricks Emma into going somewhere like a fight club or whatever ‘entertainment’ she has found.

“ Miss Lucas” the mayor says , gifting Ruby with a small but seemingly genuine smile. She nods at Belle. “ Miss French”.

“ Hey madam mayor. How are you doing?”.

“ I am fine” it is kind of cute (maybe?) how Regina is obviously not the best at small talk. Emma can almost imagine her thinking ‘what does she want now’… or perhaps that is her experience with Ruby’s crazy plans talking. She knows the mayor has seen some of those.

“ Have I ever told you about Emma?” Ruby says which is when the mayor deems to actually look at Emma. She kind of bristles at how she looks at the red jacket hanging over the seat, then smiles as there is a flash of interest as those brown eyes linger on her arms for a moment.

“ Regina Mills “ she says, offering her hand with that same small smile.

The hand is kind of cold as Emma takes it.  “ Emma Swan. Hi “.

The smile grows at Emma’s awkward ‘hi’ and damn it she is usually far more suave around dangerously attractive women with really intense and pretty brown eyes. Not that she has ever met any that are like Regina Mills.  

“ I am pleased to meet you” Regina says and Emma tells herself let go off her hand, you doofus. That is the signal even as it takes three additional seconds before she actually does. Perhaps she should have taken Ruby more serious when she described Regina as ‘kind of Marilyn Monroe except mixed with like an evil queen possibly and then stuck into a pantsuit” . Instead, she had laughed.

Emma finally recovers enough to give her most charming smile and say “ Pleased to meet you as well. Especially after Ruby told me about you “ The last part is revenge for how Ruby was smirking during Emma’s awkwardness. The mayor smiles and arches her eyebrow. “ Oh? I hope she has not mentioned anything scandalous”.

“ You do not seem like the type to cause scandals”.

Regina starts to smirk slowly. “ No. But miss Lucas herself causes them frequently”.

“Hey!” Ruby protests

Regina chuckles. It is somewhere in between teasing and slightly cruel.  “The paperwork from your latest stint was quite extensive” her smile sharpens a little. “ Do remember to stay out of trouble, dear”.

“ Oh please, you totally enjoy it when I ‘cause trouble”  Ruby ways it off, sending Regina a small smirk.

“ Quite the opposite, dear”.

“ Oh really? “Ruby leans forward, her tone slightly more flirtatious. “ I remember you enjoying one of my ‘scandals’ quite a bit”.

Emma would feel oddly and inappropriately jealous , but Regina just rolls her eyes.  “In order to avoid humiliating yourself, I would stop with the insinuations miss Lucas”.

Ruby pouts, but she is smiling a second later. “ You’re no fun”.

“ I will have to check my job description, but I am quite certain that ‘to be fun’ is not in there”

“Your job is to make your citizens happy, so basically the same thing. And it would make me happy”

“ I am certain it would” Regina merely says, smiling at Ruby one last time. She turns to Emma. She smells like apples and possibly cinnamon when she leans on and slowly smiles. “ Miss Swan. I do hope you enjoy your stay “ and she squeezes Emma’s bicep briefly before sauntering over to the counter.

Emma’s eyes are still on her when she directs a question at Ruby. “ Should you not have asked her about the coffee shop thing? “.

“ Yeah, maybe. When she is -  “

They all stare at the card that is revealed when Emma lifts her mug. ‘Regina mills’  it says, along with a series of numbers and , beneath that; ‘I hope your taste in venues is better than your taste in jackets. Call me’

“ Oh My “ Ruby slowly says, staring at the card.

Belle looks mainly confused and slightly terrified. “How- how did she place it there? I never saw her hand anywhere near it!”

“GOD “ Ruby nearly shrieks, turns it into a slightly less obvious thing at the last moment. Emma glares at her.

“ Will you stop already?”.

“ I can’t- I have been flirting with her forever and you what? Come into town and show her your muscles and she just- “.

“ Do you not have a crush on someone else?” she almost glances very obviously at Belle, but catches herself. She really doesn’t want to be murdered now that she might be going on a date with Regina Mills.

“ Have you seen her? Plus, someone who is as tightly wound as her would probably be a –“.

“ Ruby” Belle hisses. Emma is surprised at how not-sweet her voice can sound. Ruby cowers a little, then mutters “ sorry”.

Emma would make a joke about how whipped Ruby is or at least give her a look, but she is too busy staring at the card. She glances behind her: the mayor is still at the counter. She glances at the card again. “Right back” she says, then slides out of the booth.

She leans on the counter, waits until Regina turns around. She looks down at the card, smirks. “ I have excellent taste”.

“ The jacket begs to differ , dear” but the tone is more teasing than anything.

She leans in a little, lowers her voice.  “Would you still think I have horrible taste if I tell you that you are my type?”.

“ I might be persuaded into believing you are not a lost cause”.

Emma smiles. She had meant to smirk and play coy and hopefully fluster Regina (there is something about her that makes Emma really want to fluster her) but she can’t help it. “ So will you let me show you I am not?”.

“ I did offer you my card, dear” the woman points out.

Emma shrugs. “ Just checking. So uh- “ she hesitates, because she doesn’t want to be too eager but she also really doesn’t want to wait. Screw it. “ are you free tonight or do the people need their mayor?”.

“ The people can ask someone else to solve their issues for the night”.

Emma grins. “ Wonderful. Should I- “ .

“ Eight O’ clock sharp. I do not tolerate tardiness “ her eyes flick to Emma’s arm again before she smirks and looks into Emma’s eyes. “ Make sure to wear something that shows off those arms” .

And the lady has departed, coffee in one hand and take-out bag in the other. Emma watches her go with a smile that prompts Ruby to throw a balled-up napkin at her and say “ The queen has stolen another heart” with a devious smile.

Emma walks over to them, says “ Have fun dealing with her when she finds out you have just outed her in front of a quarter of her town” then starts to walk away. Her smile only widens when Ruby calls out “she was ogling you, I just said what was clear. No way that she can murder me for that”

Emma laughs at the insecure  “right?” that is the last thing she hears. She has a date to prepare for.

[myquizzilablog]

April 2015/May 2017

1. Last kiss Matt on his bed / Jonathan  2. Last phone call Mom / Mom  3. Last text message Sent something to Danni don’t remember what / Asked Azita if she wants anything from Aldi  4. Last song you listened to Novacane / Wicked Game by Chris  5. Last time you cried Tonight / I think four weeks ago  HAVE YOU EVER: 6. Dated someone twice Not really / No   7. Been cheated on No I cheated with  8. Self harmed No 9. Lost someone special Yeah 10. Been depressed Yes 11. Been drunk and threw up No

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: 12. had sex Not really, playing around was hot though / Yes, the best sex I’ve had was definitely with Jonathan  13. How many people have you had sex with this year? None, but I have played a little with Matty / 1 15. Made a new friend Yes indeed 17. Laughed until you cried Yep  18. Met someone who changed you Not this year no 19. Found out who your true friends were I found out long ago, and I haven’t let anyone new in that much / It’s something I don’t believe will ever be something you stop finding out to be honest. Different times in my life will show me different sides to people. 

20. Found out someone was talking about you No one talks about me anymore, I don’t give em that luxury ;) / I haven’t found out for sure but I do have a feeling that Carly and possibly Taylor don’t think that highly of me thanks to none other but the lovely Sandra :) So, you know, someone who was my best friend bitching about me is always nice, right?   26. What did you do for your last Birthday Awww I had a big burrito and churro get together with my best friends. Was such a beautiful weekend. / My last birthday ... I Think Sandra and I went out for dinner and dessert and I saw a few friends but I was a little sad about it tbh. I invited so many people and none of them came along.  27. What time did you wake up today Like 10 AM / 11 PM 29. Name something you CANNOT wait for I think I’m looking forward to seeing Brian again, and I can’t wait for my holidays / Supanova and my birthday dinner :) Oh and of course, all AFI concert with Azita, and hopefully going on a holiday to the islands for my 25th and also getting my tattoo this year. 

30. Last time you saw your all of your siblings at the same time Over an hour ago / Couple of hours ago  31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? Dad to still be here / At the moment I wish my family and I lived in a better house, I wish dad was still alive and well and I wish I had a job then I’d be a lot happier I think. 32. What are you listening to right now? Rainy mood app / Sound soother - 8 hour relaxation  33. When is the last time you had sex? I haven’t / Feb  34. Who’s getting on your nerves right now No one / urgh... Sandra I guess. Just how she’s gone about this whole situation. No consideration or care for my feelings, lousy excuses to have been treating me like I’m satan and she’s the angel trying to protect herself from me.  35. Most used app Facebook / Instagram and Spout, for sure.  36. Favorite color Blue and black  37. Nicknames Rosey 38. Relationship Status Single 39. Zodiac sign Sexy and Seductive Scorpio :P 40. Male or female female 41. Primary school Liverpool public and Busby west 42. Secondary School James busby high, quakers hill high 43. High school/college Wyndham college 44. Eye color Dark brown / Brown 

46. Height Not sure 47. Do you have a crush on someone Brian, yes / Kurt Cobain :P   48. What do you like about yourself I am so much like everyone I love, I am my mother, I am my father, my fallen idol Jeff Buckley, my favorite tv show characters Dean and Sam Winchester, Garth. I am Prue and Phoebe Halliwell and I am so influenced by my friends. These people are all an extension of me. / I’m kind and caring and forgiving and I don’t always conform to the norm of society and I actually think and feel and I’m actually able to have such an open mind that I can form a completely unbias opinion on things and situations including times when I know I have to own up to something when I know I am wrong. *breathes*  49. Piercings Just ears but they’re closing up 50. Tattoos Not any yet / First one will be a turtle and a moon.  51. Righty or lefty Righty FIRSTS: 53. First piercing Ears- age 5 I think, or younger / Nah I was definitely about 2 or 3.  54. First best friend Sophie Lemon and Rebecca Clark. 55. First kiss Ellie 56. First boyfriend Never had one RIGHT NOW: 59. Eating Nothing yet / m&m’s  60. Drinking Nothing / Jasmine Green Tea 61. I’m about to Go get something to eat  / get back to writing my paper after this quiz 63. Waiting for Brian, Sandra or Matt to reply / This quiz to finish 

YOUR FUTURE: 64. Want kids? Yeah/ I want two daughters and a son. Prudence, Patricia Grace and Alan.  65. Get married? Yeah I don’t mind 66. Career Social Worker or counselor / I got a coupla ideas. I want a job at my university, though. Ultimately. I would like to either get a job as an HR Assistant, IT Tech, Careers Assistant, Study Coach or Student Advisor. Either way, I want a long term career at my university.  WHICH IS BETTER: 67. Lips or eyes Eyes 68. Hugs or kisses Hugs 69. Shorter or taller Taller 70. Older or Younger Older 71. Romantic or spontaneous Both   72. Nice stomach or nice arms Both / Doesn’t matter too much. I’d like a guy who is not too fat though  73. Sensitive or loud Dunno 74. Hook-up or relationship I’m not fussed / Relationship.  HAVE YOU EVER: 76. Kissed a stranger I’ve kissed someone I barely knew, but he wasn’t really a stranger 77. Drank hard liquor No 78. Lost glasses/contacts No 79. Had sex No 80. Broken someone’s heart Yes :( 82. Been arrested No 83. Turned someone down Yeah 84. Cried when someone died Yeah 85. Fallen for a friend Only the great Matty / Yeah  DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 86. Yourself Yes I am here, I exist, haha 87. Miracles Not really 88. Love at first sight No 89. Heaven Yeah 90. Santa Clause No 91. Kiss on the first date Yeah 92. Angels Yeah 93. How would you label yourself? - 94. Someone You Pray Everyday For I don’t pray 95. Did you sing today Yeah 96. Who From All Your Ex’s have You Cared The Most About I have no ex but in the dozen set of guys I loved, adored and deeply cared for Matt only. He was everything to me at one point. Don’t think that really goes away / I don’t have an ex and I remember who i cared for the most at one point, but those days are completely over and I have no desire to go back or think back.  97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go? 2003-7, drag daddy-o to the doctors. Even if I have to bang my head against the wall throw a full blown tantrum, beg whatever have you I will do it. / Yep, to this day. I don’t know if meddling with the forces of time will fuck up any future that is meant to be, I don’t know if I even believe that anymore. That everything happens for a reason and you can’t save people and everything has a time. Does everything really have a time? Are we really so powerless? Why did my dad’s death have to happen so early, what lesson or good or future plan could have been accomplished by it? It’s six fucking years later and I’m still living the same story, sure theres progress being made but it could have happened with dad here because those changes are inevitable. There was literally no point to his death other than God deciding to bring my family and I some more suffering and a less brighter future.   98. Out Of Everything In The World What Do You Wish For To own a time machine that goes back in time. 99. Are you afraid of falling in love? Yes, terrified. / Nope  100. Do you like the way you look? Only sometimes.