#fluorescent star stickers

[elizabeth-mitchells]

I gotta ask about the Vampire au

thank you so much!!!

i kind of already answered some stuff about it but i'd love to say more!!!

basically, when they arrive to the cabin, the dead guy in the attic turns to be a nearly dead vampire that attacks lottie and turns her into a vampire 👀 he starts hunting and haunting our favorite girls and one by one all of them become vampires or the vampire's homoerotic source of blood <3

ask me about my wips!

[snowangeldotmp3]

How about 18 and 27 for the movie asks?

18.) a film who’s main genre is historical

YALL KNOW I LOVE A GOOD HISTORICAL MOVIE!!!! for this one i will have to recommend Killers of the Flower Moon. it’s a Long One (3.5 hrs) but my god. each moment is so worth it. SOOOOOO worth it.

27.) film with a budget lower than $10 million

oooo okay i have two for this bc i wasn’t aware either of these were produced for under $10 mil!!! but anyway: Whiplash (dir Damien Chazelle) and Get Out (dir Jordan Peele) !!

send me movie asks 🎬💖

[lionydoorin]

I finally watched scream 5 & 6 because of yours and everyone else's posts about it. I don't know if I should thank you or shake you by the shoulders

both?

[eskawrites]

I still cry over cfdau and living in the apocalypse, so, both are my favorites

Apocalypse series my love, my child, heart of my heart. I’m so amazed thats gotten as much love as it has because it really is just, like, my excuse to write about my headcanons and also make the characters hug each other a lot

[misfittq]

OMG HDHFH THANK YOU !! UNO REVERSE !!

[vanteguccir]

Hi! I love your fics and I was wondering if you could maybe do a dad!matt oneshot where they are like at a store and a creep like keeps staring at his daughter and he gets protective?

── ୨୧ !　BLURB

dad!matt sturniolo x mom!reader x daughter

matt is protective over your daughter when a creep guy keeps staring at her at target

　　　༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

The fluorescent lights of Target buzzed faintly as Matt, Y/N, and Stella strolled through the craft supplies aisle. Stella's face was lit with excitement as she combed through the colorful rows of markers, foam boards, and glue sticks.

"Do you think blue or green will look better for the background, mom?" Stella asked, holding up two sheets of poster board for Y/N to examine.

Y/N smiled warmly, tilting her head to consider.

"Green, maybe? It’ll make the other colors pop more. What do you think, Matt?"

Matt was standing a few feet away, scanning a shelf of decorative stickers.

"Green." He called over his shoulder, grabbing a pack of sparkly stars. "But you need these too. Every good mockup has stars."

Stella giggled, shaking her head in her mom's direction.

"Dad, I don’t think stars go with a science project."

"They go with everything. Your uncle says that all the time." Matt said, grinning as he tossed the stickers that Nick - and Stella - loved so much into the cart.

As he turned back to the shelf, something prickled at the back of his neck. The feeling of being watched - one that he had a big knowledge of, working for the internet for around 15 years. A sense of unease settled over him, and he instinctively glanced down the aisle, thinking that it could be just a fan.

But it wasn't.

His stomach tightened. A man stood at the far end, his gaze locked on Stella. The creep wasn’t even pretending to browse, his eyes were fixed in a way that made Matt's protective instincts kick in.

He moved closer to Y/N and Stella, subtly placing himself in front of his daughter. He grabbed a few random items off the shelf to look busy, all the while keeping an eye on the man. But when he glanced back, the guy was still staring.

"Y/N." Matt called quietly, his voice low but steady. He placed a hand on her waist and leaned in. "Take Stella to the next aisle."

Y/N’s brow furrowed, sensing the tension in his voice.

"What’s wrong?" She asked softly, already clutching Stella’s arm protectively, trying to look around but being stopped by Matt shaking his head.

"Just go." Matt said, his jaw tightening. "I’ll be right behind you."

Y/N didn’t argue, she knew that when her husband acted like that, something serious was happening. She nodded, her grip on Stella firm as she gently guided her toward the end of the aisle.

"Come on, sweetheart, let’s check out the paint pens."

"But I already-" Stella began, confused, but Y/N’s reassuring smile quieted her.

Matt watched them leave, his chest tightening with both relief and anger. He turned back toward the man, who was now looking at him with a startled expression, as if realizing he’d been caught. Matt didn’t hesitate. He strode down the aisle, his boots squeaking faintly against the polished floor.

When Matt stopped just a few feet away, his glare was sharp enough to cut steel. His voice was calm, but the fury simmering beneath the surface was very much there.

"Is there a reason you’re staring at my daughter?"

The man blinked, caught off guard by the confrontation.

"What? No, I wasn’t-"

"Don’t even try." Matt interrupted, his tone dropping dangerously low. He took a step closer, his broad shoulders and tall frame imposing. "You’ve been staring at her since we got here, and I don’t appreciate it."

The man stammered, his confidence visibly faltering.

"I-I wasn’t doing anything. Just looking around... For my-"

"Looking around?" Matt echoed, sarcastically glancing at his empty basket, his voice laced with disdain. "Then look somewhere else. She’s thirteen. You understand me? Thirteen, you sick son of a bitch."

The man shifted uncomfortably, muttering something incoherent before backing away. Matt’s gaze didn’t waver, tracking him until he turned and disappeared down another aisle. Only then did Matt let out a slow breath, his hands still clenched into fists.

He returned to find Y/N and Stella by the markers, Stella innocently looking at all her options, but Y/N’s expression tight with concern.

She placed a hand on his biceps as he approached, feeling the tension there.

"Is everything okay?"

Matt nodded, his jaw still set.

"It’s fine now."

Y/N squeezed his covered skin, understanding without needing details. She knew Matt would do anything to protect their family.

"Dad?" Stella piped up, holding out a pack of metallic pens. "Do you think these will match the green poster?"

Matt’s face softened instantly, and he crouched down to her level, brushing a stray strand of brown hair from her face.

"They’ll look perfect, Stell. Just like everything you do."

She beamed, and thankfully, the tension lifted. Y/N reached out, brushing her fingers against Matt’s, intertwining them before caressing his knuckles with her thumb.

As they moved toward the checkout line, Matt kept a watchful eye on the store, his posture still on high alert.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism, copy, or "inspiration"!

[cyanbugremix]

MOOT APPRECIATION POST

(I've been tagged in a couple of these and it's cute!! Plus, as an extra thing, I'm sharing stuff that remind me of you (all meant in a positive way ofc))

@angelfiedyaz - A purple, sparkly bow

@azzyangelfish - Strawberry Starburst or strawberry Jello

@chronically-online-italian - A jumbo 13-inch pencil

@floofdeloop - A sugar maple leaf with red on the tips

@free-boundsoul - Sparkly gel pencil grips

@huxleaf - A red, fuzzy, worm on a string

@idontwantmyfriendstofindit - A cozy, red, knitted scarf

@kinoi-lol - A glue stick (specifically with purple glue) and NERDS candy

@miyaheestar - An icy, two-toned, yellow and pink bouncy ball

@moronkyne - Star and butterfly raised stickers (the ones that are kinda puffy)

@mywilltoliveisdecreasing - Fire and the powder that makes it change color

@pandoraroid - A silver sapphire ring

@porters-fangs - Cherry Twizzler candy

@professionallyyappin - Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly

@puffin-smoke - Polished brown Zircon (gemstone)

@romirola - A warm, rainy, summer afternoon

@sereh624 - A leather jacket with gold trim

@thatweirdomidas - A black Playstation 2 gaming controller

@unusualtacocat - A fluorescent, green question mark

@vind3miat0r - A pink lava lamp

@zeerohpunk - Those sinking 'dive rings' for pools

Love all of you!! <3<3

[stars-and-birds]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

ok i know it’s not new years yet for everyone but!! this has been a really good year for me and i wanna thank everyone esp my moots <3 (apologies if i accidentally tagged you/forgot to tag you!)

i don’t talk to a lot of you but always feel free to shoot me a dm btw !!

@superboytoyy

@autistic-katara 

@lovestrucklovelorn

@trickarrows-bishop

@neveranatural

@imperpetuallylost

@twoplayer-game

@autistic-human 

@bodybetters

@candyskiez

@emreadsbooks17

@violetlovescomics

@longlivestv

@dyinggoosenoises

@the-happy-hotel

@that-glasses-dog

@s1xseasonsandamov1e

@bitchywitchshopavenue

@hecateisalesbian

@tabsters 

@kale-of-the-forbidden-cities

@parasocial-hermit 

@zyrafowe-sny

@idontliketomatoesleavemealone

@cereal-and-m1lk

@uhwhathappenedhere

@thornyclaw

@friendship-bracelet-anon

@yellowheart-anon 

@ty-the-trainwreck

@circlique

@corjucalesbica

@80shorrorstory

@weirdo09

@trobeds

@eclipsedbyglory

@rainbowangel110

@notablog42

@urfavcrime

@bylerswiftie

@lionydoorin

@nobodywhoishere

@strangertheories

@byler-alarmist 

@hearteyes-wheeler

@mental-breakdown-machine

@outofthewoods-tv

@fallon-bugs

@woorenergy

@hellmo

@icanmakewords

@ryderdire

@fluorescent-star-stickers 

@bloodied-dagger 

@cest—la—vee

@over-rated-cheese

@el-fandom-birb

@anderperries

@hellsfireclub

@evil-gay-person

@oooh-the-horrors

@angelcloves

@disco-girl

@secretly-of-course 

@haystarlight

@avocadosockz

@smokestarrules

@treebeards1701

@wanda-the-anaconda

@stealing-ur-wife

@platomity

@trefle

@chaoticnerdsstuff

@recklessandyoung

@7-omen-7

@and-scoop

@drunkonimagination

@fell-in-love-with-a-fantasy

@imhumanguysiswear

@queer-cat-katherine 

@agrebel18

@leeylisten

@presidentroarie

@burritowitch

@lazarusstumbles

@yj-98

@porto-rosso

@roseandgold137

@hyyperfixtated

@milfkarazorel

@dc-said-bi-robin-rights

@snersona

@cowsandcomics

[verymuchablog42]

thank you for the tag @flapdr0l!! the last chain was getting long, so im starting a new one :)

no pressure tags! : @el-fandom-birb @fluorescent-star-stickers @stars-and-birds @snowangeldotmp3 @the-knowable-entity @oooh-the-horrors @imhumanguysiswear and anyone else who wants to do it!!

[timebegins-onopeningday]

Time Begins On Opening Day 2024: Round Up Post #1

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to Round-Up Post #1! This post includes links to all works posted in the first half of the season + details about First Half Commentfest which begins today and goes through the weekend.

Soft Deadline #1 offers us 20 (20!!) fanworks for five teams and 104 prompts across several teams as well as some broad and open-ended prompts! For a small fandom and only halfway through the season, that's pretty cool. If you're just finding this prompt meme now, or if you didn't finish something you were working on before the deadline, never fear - this prompt runs the entire length of the 2024 season! There is still plenty of time create.

Enjoy the works, slam that kudos button, leave a comment, and enjoy the second half of the MLB season!

Soft Deadline #2 is September 29, the end of the regular season.

🌞 First Half Commentfest 🌞

First Half Commentfest runs this weekend, from Friday July 19 to Sunday July 21. As we catch up with all these amazing works (fic! art! poetry! y’all are amazing!!) my challenge as a mod for us is to get every single one of these works at least five independent comments from five independent readers by the end of the weekend. (So we’re not including creator responses in that comment count!)

Why? Because it’s very easy to feel isolated as a creator – particularly in a small fandom like baseball rpf. We all know how easy it is to hit the kudos button and move on, but in a challenge designed to inspire creators for a very small, very spread out of fandom, a little encouragement can go a long way.

justleaveacommentfest has a list of resources for helping write comments on fic here and hxphaestion wrote some notes on what kind of comments resonate with artists (scroll for reblog) if you’re not sure where to start.

Let’s get all these works some comments!

🌞 Fanworks from the first half of the season 🌞

That we got as many fics as we did in the first half makes your mod SO happy, because we’re already past what we had last year!! This was a pain in the ass to put together because there were so many links and that delighted me. Shout out to you all, you’re all amazing.

I organized these by fanwork type, then grouped works by team and sorted alphabetically by the creator’s name + title (with the exception of one set of works, which are grouped in order of the series). Enjoy the works, bang that kudos button and COMMENT 🥳🥳

Art

Baltimore Orioles

[collage] heat waves by sapplyandherfriend

a celebration of dingers and slug edit: WOOOOOO TONY IS AN ALL STAR

Toronto Blue Jays

[collage] cheer on your team! by idlt

a toronto blue jays collage made on a 6x4 index card with a bunch of junk from the recycling bin

[collage] love song (show elation) by idlt

a vladdy and bo collage made on half of a page of cardstock with a bunch of junk from the recycling bin and a pile of old magazines that I got from someone in my neighbourhood who was going to throw them out, plus a few star stickers and a picture of vlad and bo pasted on top digitally

Poetry

Toronto Blue Jays

come home (the way they need you to) by idlt

A short poem about Vladdy and home and being seen.

Fic

Baltimore Orioles

one warm summer night (fireworks outside) by Settsplitt

Technically, they’re kind of hidden, standing a few steps down the tunnel, with their teammates all turned towards the fluorescent night sky, eyes fixed on the show. But still, Kyle thinks, as Adley tucks his hand under the hem of his pants, slipping his fingers beneath his belt and digging until he finds bare skin, this can’t be a good idea.

Milwaukee Brewers

In Stadium Light & Shadow by TheGlobeLifeBarn 

A thin satellite in orbit of nothing.

Philadelphia Phillies

Pressure Point by caltrain

Bryce fucked up his hammy and he’s being an enormous baby about it.

you think it’s different but it’s always the same by palimpsestic

Florida’s always so fucking humid, even in February—the air is sticky with unshed rain, hangs heavy with anticipation.

Who’s on First by powerblu (bluspirits)

A lot may have changed since Rhys first got called up to the Phillies: the size of the crowds, their record, the fact that they're playing in the World Series. But one thing is exactly the same: Bryce Harper is still there on the other team, annoying the hell out of him.

put some moves on you, babe (i know you need it) by pronoe

Bryson reminds himself to be careful where he sucks his marks on Alec’s skin, with the way he keeps his jerseys half-unbuttoned.

Seattle Mariners

Broken Foot and Cuddles by Anonymous

turns out that record-breaking pitch had actually been “breaking” in more ways than one. Poor Ty, with the foot fracture.

Toronto Blue Jays

Fiber arts for first inning starts by caltrain

There’s a hot guy no one has ever seen before at the softball clinic. He crushes three balls out of the park off of Kevin and pisses Kevin off so bad that Yusei slings an arm around his neck and kisses his cheek. “Can we get him?” he says happily.

5 Times The Blue Jays were Blue Gays: Number 1 Will Shock You! by idlt

George Springer is writing for the first edition of the new Blue Jays newsletter, organized and edited by Davis Schneider. George's first assignment? Clickbait the fuck out of everyone with the most unbelievable listicle ever (except somehow it is actually that gay)! Here's what he wrote, plus what Davis had to say about it.

he said i have bisexual swag! by idlt

An ode to Jordan Romano's short-lived yet glorious septum piercing (in the format of 2 idiots texting)

the grip of artificial chaos by idlt

Davis and Ernie sneak a moment in the dugout as the fireworks go off.

Out of Left Field by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

Danny Jansen and Daulton Varsho were rivals playing on opposing baseball teams in high school. Now, ten years later, they are playing on the same team for the Toronto Blue Jays. As they weather the ups and downs of the baseball season, Danny and Daulton find an unexpected companionship in one another. But there is a lot on the line and neither knows if it is safe to indulge these feelings or if they are better left buried in the past.

Cover Your Bases by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

Ten years after being high school rivals, Danny Jansen and Daulton Varsho started playing baseball on the same team for the Toronto Blue Jays. Their months together brought them closer as teammates, friends, and then something more. Now they need to decide what risks they’re willing to take if they want to make their relationship official.

Swing for the Fences by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

Danny Jansen and Daulton Varsho are officially dating. Unfortunately, being public figures in a major league sport makes that anything but simple. They’ve agreed to keep things private until the end of the baseball season but that means Danny and Daulton must balance their blooming relationship and their work while navigating the ever-present media attention.

The Longest Road by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

After their nightly game of Settlers of Catan, Davis has a heart-to-heart with Spencer about his growing feelings for their mutual friend Ernie. Spencer offers some valuable advice and reassurance, which gives Davis the courage to accept when Ernie asks him to forgo the living room couch and share a bed for the night.

Therapy with Daulto Varsho by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles

Daulton has always been a listener rather than a talker. Whether it’s good news or bad news, he’s there to hear out his teammates. Sometimes, this leads to unexpected revelations.

[elizabeth-mitchells]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!🥳🥳🥳🥳✨✨✨✨✨✨

AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[lionydoorin]

oh hi! @charlunday tagged me in a WIP game (hi charlie!!!! thanks for tagging me <3333)

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it. Tag as many people as you have WIPs.

i'm not gonna use the name of files, really, because i dont name my drawings on procreate LMAO but i WILL list them !!!!

✨ ma's doodle wips ✨

"gradually, i’m forced to accept who i am. a badly burned girl with no wings."

xi: justice

peeta's sketchbook part 3

soldier / poet / king

meet the artist !

no pressure tags !!!! @oooh-the-horrors @snowangeldotmp3 @sunflower-butch @fluorescent-star-stickers @lesbianlotties

[eskawrites]

What about 3, 13, and 22 for the writers asks? :]

you got it! :)

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

to no one's surprise, it's probably the celebrity fake dating au lol

but! i'll also throw in a curveball and say but your hand's wet with sweat, and your head needs a rest just bc i love love loved exploring robin in that fic, and it set up a lot of what i wanted to do with thriving in the apocalypse

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

umm depends on what you categorize as planning vs writing lol. i outline pretty heavily before i start writing, but my outlines can include some pretty fleshed out scenes--some of which only need very minimal changes once i actually write them out

in general though, i usually have an outline of the main beats of the story as well as character's mindsets, and any other important points or themes or whatever. and i'll almost always have at least a few scenes sketched out and put into a rough chronological order

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

for multichapters, pretty much always (the endings for Raise Dead and the cfdau were basically fully written before i really started the fic). for one-shots it depends. i usually don't have a specific scene in mind, but i know what the, like, emotional resolution should be. i'll usually have the ending of the last important conversation or like a final choice sort of thing planned out, and then i'll leave the actual closing scene for future eska to struggle with when she gets there

(so like, for example, in the nancy teaches robin to swim fic of thriving in the apocalypse, i knew that the last Important Thing they did would be sit on the beach and talk, and that Nancy would admit she was glad Robin came with her, and Robin would not quite open up to her, but it would feel like progress in their relationship anyway. i did not know they would go back to the water and try swimming again until i was writing that scene, because as nice and symbolic as that moment ended up being, it really is just a nice closing shot with very little plot importance. so i guess that means i do kind of plan out the ending, just not in as much detail as i would for longer fics lol)

thank you!

fic writer asks

[misfittq]

🌟 If you get this answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send this to the last 7 people in your notifications, anonymously or not 🌟

😨 facts are hard man uh 1: i played piano for 5 years 2: #emotionchangingeyes 3: i am bad at facts that is totally a random fact

[butchkaramazov]

A Shade Darker Than Red: Chapter 8

Chapter 7

A week passed by. Paro was eerily quiet when she was with me, and I thought of what I had said that day. Had I really, truly ruined all my chances of saving even our friendship?

A million thoughts rushed through my head as I turned restlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling.

The ceiling of our bedroom was painted with blue fluorescent stickers shaped like stars. Papa had done that. I had asked Maa to take them off if they bothered her, but we never did.

Beside me, Maa tossed in her sleep. They say if you think of someone, they can’t fall asleep. Could she hear my thoughts?

I had nothing to distract myself with. No phone, no book—nothing. Just me, my thoughts and the stars on the ceiling.

A sudden, vivid memory flashed in my mind. We were six. A year had passed since my meeting with Paro. We were running around like hooligans in the park while our mothers talked about work, pados-wali aunties and whatnot. I still remember what Paro was wearing: a frilly, white frock with Minnie Mouse sewn onto its sleeves. The sky was red and so was our laughter, until Paro bent down and ripped a flower right off its stem. “For you,” she had said, clumsily tucking the flower behind my ear. When she touched my earlobe, the flower was white. When she let go, it was red.

Another memory. We were nine. She sat with me on the bed while I rambled on about my latest hyperfixation: dragons. She listened to every single detail I had mentioned and, by the end of the afternoon, showed me a drawing of a wyvern.

Twelve. I was reading The Priory of the Orange Tree, sitting on the windowsill. I took a sip from my milk tea, letting out a contented hum. I wasn’t on the windowsill anymore. I was Ead, pressing a kiss to Sabran’s brow. Sabran was someone who looked uncannily similar to Paro.

An annoying ding! from my phone forced me back to reality. I heard Maa’s grunts and snores: the coast was clear. 

I climbed off the bed, taking care not to put extra weight anywhere that would make the mattress creak. I walked towards the desk and picked up the phone.

WhatsApp: You have 3 messages.

It was Paro. I checked the time: 3:49 a.m. Paro was a morning person, what was she doing staying up all night?

Paro<3: hi renu are you awake? —00:27 do you wanna hang out on the roof like we used to?  —02:01 its ok if you dont wanna. go back to sleep you have a big day tmrw. actually, if ur awake rn i’ll kill you —03:48

Oh, Paro.

I glanced at Maa, slowly increasing the fan’s regulator. Please don’t wake up soon.

I walked out of the room and closed the door. Thank goodness I’d oiled its hinges last week. 

The main door was locked—opening it meant creating a ruckus. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath. No wait, actually not shit. This meant I’d have to take the old way around. Jeez, fourteen-year-old me was fun.

I opened the door to the balcony and hoisted myself up on its railing. It was an easy jump. I tumbled onto the grass, praying that a grasshopper wouldn’t find its new home in my ear. The grass was wet and the air smelled of petrichor. 

I stood up, smoothening my pyjamas. Staying out late at night was a risky thing, especially in our neighbourhood. Plenty of TicTac-shaped pills here and there, and men on the prowl. I didn’t give a damn. I was eighteen and probably feeling some feelings I wasn’t supposed to be feeling. (That’s a lot of ‘feeling’s, I know.) What could possibly hurt me?

A lot of things, I realised, as I walked up to Paro’s house. Like that mad dog Rathode had warned me about. The creepy guy who keeps children in his basement (just a speculation, but when Madhu speculated about something, it was most probably right). An overspeeding motorcycle that could crash into me any minute. My own mother, with her pots and pans, once she realised I was gone.

Oh well, the damage was done. I found myself opening the gate on instinct, as if I knew Paro’s house better than I did my own.

I stepped into their garden, careful not to trample on any beetles—and made my way to the window of the woman who lived below Paro’s flat. Madame Fosco, I called her, in everything but her looks.

The tin shade Madame Fosco had installed last year was probably on its deathbed by now. Rust had made its edges creaky, but Fosco was deaf, anyway. I grabbed onto it and hoisted myself up, finding myself staring right at Paro’s face, our faces a millimetre away from each other’s. She screamed.

I screamed.

My foot slipped and I fell off the tin shade, tumbling onto the grass once again. At this point, I would be surprised if a grasshopper hadn’t found its home in my ear.

“For Whitman’s sake, hush,” I hissed.

Paro peered out of the window, her mouth forming a perfect ‘o’. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed. 

I shook my head (in case a grasshopper had organised a nice family dinner in my hair) and climbed onto the tin shaft once again, pulling myself onto Paro’s windowsill.

“Come in,” she whispered, switching the lights on. 

I felt comfortable squatting on her windowsill like a failed Spiderman and grumbled as I walked into her bedroom.

Paro switched her phone’s torchlight off. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“What?” I stared at her retreating figure. “What did I do?”

“Why are you still awake?” she snapped. I followed her to the door.

“Why are you still awake and staring out of your window like Oscar fucking Wilde?” I snapped back. Paro flipped me off while trying her hardest to pull the gates across the door. Sweat shone on her forehead, her eyes illuminated in the moonlight.

“Hold on, let me help,” I offered, gently grabbing her wrist. Paro grumbled, stepping aside.

I pushed the gate back and pulled it in again, keeping the screw in with my thumb. It glided into the opening on the other side, miraculously not making a single noise. I turned towards Paro. She was staring at my arms.

“What?” I asked her, incredulously. One moment she said she wanted to kill me, and the next she looked at me like I was something she couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

“N-Nothing,” she muttered. My heart fluttered. Dammit, these butterflies in my stomach had turned into fucking bats at this point.

Paro walked up the stairs while I followed her footsteps in the dark. “Just like the old times, huh?” I heard her say.

I smiled weakly. “You make it sound like we're old.”

Paro opened the door to the roof, the tensed line in her jaw glinting in a sliver of moonlight. God, she was as beautiful as ever.

“Come in,” she said, her words echoing in the marble walls.

I followed her to the railings, leaning against the cool surface. A light breeze rippled through, making her hair fly for a brief second. Dear God, she was poetry herself.

“Where are Auntie and Uncle?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

A light breeze caressed my cheeks. “They won’t be back before tomorrow. Business trip,” Paro explained, edging closer to me.

“Oh.” I was suddenly aware of the pen still tucked behind my ear.

Silence.

“So we’re—we’re all alone, then?” I asked her, hoping she wouldn’t hear the slight quaver in my voice.

Paro nodded. “We are.” Silence, again.

She leaned against the railing. “You’re going away in three weeks.”

I nodded, not quite knowing what to say.

“I asked you a question.” Her voice was cold and harsh, harsher than I deserved. 

“That was a statement,” I snapped. “And don’t use your CEO voice with me.”

Paro frowned. “I’m not.”

“You are.” I glared at her. “And you know it.”

She stared at me, scrutinising my every feature. “I’m sorry,” she finally said, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just been—you’ll be gone—and—”

“I know, it’s okay,” I heard myself murmur, edging closer towards her.

“I—I’ve got that Poe book with me,” she said. “Do you want it now or at the graduation party?”

“Now,” I said, without thinking. “The party will be too loud. And too crowded,” I added as an afterthought.

Paro bit her lip so hard I was scared it would bleed. “Alright,” she nodded. “I’ll get it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

I watched her retreat into the shadows, taking the white along with her. The night was a pool of blood, again.

I hummed. Did she know about the history of ‘OK’? Probably not. I’d tell her. Not knowing things I wouldn’t be able to tell her before we drifted apart wasn’t a good idea. At least she’d be able to tell her children that their Renu Auntie had told her about the history of ‘OK’. Maybe she’d sigh and think of me, again. Words were a certain but clumsy way into a person’s mind. 

Papa had told me that. Maybe that’s why I can’t stop thinking of him.

Did Paro know about Jinnah? That Netaji might’ve actually been alive? Did she know that birds came from lizard-hipped dinosaurs? There was so much I had to tell her before I vanished from her mind. It was pathetic. Scrambling onto every crumb of unrelated information I could find, just to hang onto her thoughts, stay on in her mind for a little while longer.

“I’m back,” Paro said, stepping into the moonlight.

She looked like Aphrodite, the goddess of love born from love itself, in all her glory—clutching a book of Edgar Allan Poe, the letters of which shone in the lamplight or moonlight, that I do not know.

“For you,” she said, handing me the book.

“It’s beautiful,” I gasped as I ran my fingers along the edge of its spine. It was a leatherbound book, The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe written in shiny gold lettering. I opened the first page. To Renu, it said. Keep me in your mind, always. From, Paro.

I chuckled, flipping through the pages. “Of course I’ll keep you in my mind, Paro,” I laughed. “What a silly thought!”

Paro looked at me, hope faintly glimmering in her eyes. “You will?” Her voice had softened down to a murmur.

I looked at her incredulously. “Well, duh, Paro, I can’t just forget my best friend of thirteen years now, can I?”

Paro’s lower lip trembled. “You promise?”

I smiled. “Always.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

A comfortable silence followed and as we looked at the stars, I knew we were both smiling.

@avani-amulya @manujanolavu @nirmohi-premika @lovesickpdf @arachneofthoughts @sonilaalbindi @desi-yearning @alhad-si-simran @thatpagalchokri @trashmeowcan @waitingforthesunrise @vellibandi @thesunandstarss @chanda-chamke-cham-cham @damnn-dorothea @the-unhinged-fanwinggg @watchingblsnowandforever @disproportionatelysculpting @bundle-of-glitter @bibliophile-dendrophile please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist <3

[tearsofperseides]

Tag ten people you wanna get to know better!

was tagged by lovely @legitcookie thank you dear!!

relationship status: singleee

song stuck in my head: Billy Joel's Zanzibar, ugh it's just too good!!

last song I listened to: Lysander by Heaters

three favourite foods: Ohhh that's a hard one. I'd have to say gnocchi with mushroom sauce is one, then we have... I mean watermelon is a classic (and its super hot here so I'm CRAVINGGG) and to top it all of we have... crepes with ice cream (can you tell I just want something cold to eat at the moment?? ahahaha)

last thing I googled: "fred melamed height" don't even ask hbjsdkhfb

dream trip: Paris, it's a cliche, BUT travelling to Paris by train with my friends and then going to London to meet up with some of my wonderful English buds sounds just SO fun! Plus... pretty artwork and castles in Paris.

anything I want right now: to not be so hot kfhosnfs

Tagging my lovelies!! No pressure!

@hellsfireclub @fluorescent-star-stickers @hellmo @idyllghost @pzyii @haaawaiianshirt @the-fire-might-be-shooting-at-us @strangertheories @yourpigeonwife @lionydoorin <333