#he hates Philly rolls with a passion

[dersitedreamr]

Dirk would not eat red meat or cheese. He leaves chunks of cheese on his plate after a pizza dinner and its turkey bacon for breakfast. Cream cheese makes his ass hairs stand up so he doesnt eat bagels. His only exception for red meat is special occasions like wagyu and it has to be fully cooked or else he’ll hear it mooing in his stomach at night

[buckysdior]

okokok but now i’m thinking about new york!reader coming to chicago. and maybe they’re like visiting or moving here or something but it’s late at the bear, the kitchen is closed, the staff is sitting around, drinks in hand. you’re telling them all about your time with carmy in new york and while he pretends to hate it, really he loves having the one good piece of his old life here.

you were telling the bodega story. you love the bodega story. but you were telling it in what carmen called your radio voice. the voice you use professionally, the one that smooths out the bumps and cuts of how you naturally talk, no influences of your city or your culture. he loves hearing you talk and would do it for hours, radio voice or not (though he would prefer not).

he also knows that you’re a few drinks in and if he gets you the slightest bit passionate, it’ll jump out.

“—and carmy, poor thing, is looking at this sandwich so confused.”

“you said it was a philly cheesesteak!” he argues, beer bottle pointed at you.

“i said it was like new york’s version of a philly cheesesteak,” you counter with your bottle mirrored to his.

there it is. that emphasized ‘o’ in new york and clipped ‘k’s. the unedited version of you that was his home away from home.

“it was on a roll!”

“yeah, because a chopped cheese should be on a fuckin’ roll. also, the name has the word ‘chopped’ in it, ergo the meat is chopped up,” you’re gesticulating with the beer bottle in your hand and carmy just waves you off with a small smile. he’s missed this so much.

you sigh dramatically and lean over to tina on your right, “i swear ta’ god, when i first met carmy it was like watchin’ a baby deer learn ta’ walk. he was clueless!”

there’s laughter and richie elbows him as a silent tease, your version of carmen so different from theirs. he playfully counters, but he knows there’s some truth in it. “hey, i wasn’t that clueless.”

“babe, you paid 15 bucks at a fuckin’ halal cart,” you deadpan making eye contact with him, “it should only be like $8, max.”

“alright, alright, fuck off,” he resigns with a light tone, knowing you two could, and already have, banter about this all night.

you laugh and then you continue the rest of the bodega story—cat and all—with your voice sitting at it’s natural register and cadence.

and carmy just hopes this piece of new york stays with him forever.

[thebiggestfan1]

fit in - Nolan Patrick

I've always wanted to write an enemies to lovers imagine and I hope you like it as much as I do :) Nolan is my baby, pls give my boy more appreciation, I just want him to be healthy and happy <3

word count: 3,1 k

TW: language, enemies to lovers, men being idiots

Before you met Nolan, you were pretty sure you couldn't hate anyone with such a passion.

You were a friend of one of his former teammates - Travis Konecny. You two spent all your free time together until, well, Nolan ruined everything.

Since he got drafted and became Travis' teammate, they got inseperatable. Their handshakes, their smiles, their laughing at things you didn't understand made your blood boil.

It was bad to be jealous at someone who just wanted to belong but the pretty face of his didn't help either.

When you first met Nolan, you thought that he was the man of your dreams. And sometimes, even five years later, he was - but only when you were sleeping and your mind created some dirty fantasy that kept you awake all night.

"So, this is my friend, Y/N. Y/N, this is Nolan." The sight of his perfect hair and bright eyes made your knees go weak. You took the hand he offered you and his grip was soft and hard at the same time, his skin cold against yours. It was right after his first game in Philly and he looked so well in his suit, even with his hair all wet.

"It's nice to meet you, Travis has been talking about you a lot."

"I hope only about what an amazing friend I am," you laughed and Travis friendly punched you in your shoulder.

"What else would you think?"

You felt good with the two guys at your side - but it all went south in just a few days.

There was an after party in some bar to celebrate another win and Travis invited you to go with him. And so you did. The evening looked promising and you somehow liked how reserved Nolan was and the comfortable silence surrounding you two. You spent an hour just with him, sitting on the bar stools with empty shot glasses before you and talking about how glad he was he finally fit in.

Then Travis sat down next to you two and in a matter of minutes, you felt like if you were left alone. They laughed at their own inside jokes, talked about things you didn't understand and you just sat there, finally giving up trying to be a part of the conversation, and ordered more and more shots until your head felt empty and your heart filled sadness and rage.

Rage at Travis. Rage at yourself. But mostly, rage at Nolan, the guy who took your place in your friend's life.

"You going home so early?" Trav asked as you stood up, one hand clasping the edge of the bar so you wouldn't fall down as your head spinned from all the alcohol.

"Yeah, I have work tomorrow." you lied and mustered all the strenght in you to let go of the bar and walk to the exit. You'd have to call an uber because Travis was the one who got you there.

"I'll drive you home." Nolan said out of nowhere and stood up to meet you. His hand gripped your elbow to support you and you gritted your teeth with annoyance but had no strength or balance to fight him off.

"You don't have to-"

"Nonsense. I wanted to leave an hour ago but you two made me stay. You're clearly drunk and it's safer this way."

You nearly rolled your eyes but didn't say anything at all.

The drive in his car felt endless. You might have enjoyed it if it was two hours ago - when you blushed at Nolan's words and touched his arm slightly once in a time.

"Did I do something wrong?" he suddenly asked. You were quiet for some time before saying:

"I... I don't think so."

You were confused - all of this was confusing. In that moment, you could only recall why you got so angry at him. As if when you and Nolan were alone, things got back to normal; except for the fact that since that moment, nothing between you two was normal.

"Then why are you acting like this?" You watched him closely, the way his fingers gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. Was he angry at you? You felt like he had no right to do that - you were the one with all the reasons.

"Like what?"

"Like you hate me."

"Maybe I should." But it drove you crazy that you couldn't hate him as much as you'd wanted to.

There was a heavy silence it the car, the radio turned off and the only sounds were the ones from outside. So you spoke again, this time more quiet:

"Because the more you fit in, the less do I."

And then Nolan looked at you, his eyes searching your face for that light he'd seen a few hours before, when it all looked promising and when he thought he'd ask you out on a date.

There was non of it, only cold demeanor and colder eyes.

...

Things didn't look that bad the first few days afterwards: you visited Travis once in a while but only when you were hundred percent sure that Nolan wouldn't be anywhere near. The rest of your afternoons you spent in work and your evenings on the couch with a bottle of wine and a book in your hands.

It was all to forget how Nolan drove you crazy.

"Tonight, my apartment, bring some snacks. We gonna have a movie night."

This sentence played over and over in your head and you were so happy that Travis found some time to spend it with you. He called about an hour before, not saying anything else, and hung up on you.

At exactly eight p.m., you walked inside his apartment without even bothering to knock and put the bag of sweets and other stuff on the kitchen table. There were voices to be heard in the living room and at first, you thought it were the actors on TV when you suddenly froze on the spot, realizing one important thing:

Nolan was there.

You thought of everything you would have to endure that night, listening to Nolan and Travis talking and leaving you out of the conversation, feeling more desperate and angry with every second.

As you tried to walk out of the apartment as quickly as possible, the two voices drew near and you sighed softly before putting a smile on your face as the two hockey players walked into the room.

"Hey, Y/N! We've been waiting for ya, c'mon, let's get started," Travis looked so happy and you were ready to punch him square in the face. Nolan was leaning against the doorframe with s slight smile on his face and suddenly, you wanted to punch both of them.

"I thought we'd be alone," you said desperately, trying to get yourself out of there.

"You know I have a girlfriend, right?"

"You know what I wanted to say, TK. Why is he here?" you didn't mean it to sound as poisonous as it did and Nolan shifted his gaze to the floor.

"Because he's my friend."

It hit you then. You knew they were teammates and that Trav was trying to make Nolan feel like at home. But friends - it meant that they'd spend a lot of time together; on the ice and off the ice.

It also meant that Travis would spend more time with him than with you.

Nolan won a game he wasn't even aware of playing.

"But I'm your friend, too." It sounded way more vulnerable than you'd like to.

"Exactly. So get your ass on the couch and shut up."

...

You became second so easily that you didn't even realize it for some time.

Travis stopped calling in the middle of the night to tell you of "what a fucking weird dream he had". There were no drunken nights at your apartment where you two would talk about some deep shit while staring at the ceiling as if it was a starry sky. Texting on a daily basis became something rare and your hate for Nolan only grew.

"I'm moving to Vegas."

You were standing in Travis' doorway, raindrops dripping on the carpet from your umbrella. It was grim outside and now it got even grimmer inside.

"What?"

Trav was looking at you as if you had told him some kind of a joke.

"They offered me a job there. I'll be still working for the same company, but in a different place and for way better money." And to be honest, you were sick of this city.

"You can't just-"

"That's not fair. You've been ghosting me for months and now I can't leave? What's keeping me here if not you?"

It was that kind of silence that made you feel guilty even if you've done nothing wrong.

"You're right," he sighed, one of his hands tugging at his hair in frustration. "I can't tell you what you can and cannot do. And I'm sorry that you felt left out but to be honest, I can't understand why."

Fuck men and their blindness.

"It all went sideways when Nolan got here." you answered coldly.

"What's the matter with you and Nolan? He's never done anything to ya-"

"I hate Nolan! I hate that you replaced me by him so easily and I hate you for not even realizing that I can't go on like that anymore! I'm not able to say that I'm happy for him for finding his place in Philly when that place used to be mine!"

You both were stunned by your words. But you felt so... free after saying it all out loud.

"Y/N-"

"Don't bother calling me. I already know that you'll do okay without me."

And you slammed the door after you walked out of the apartment, not even noticing that the whole time, Nolan was listening to it all from the kitchen.

...

Sometimes you missed Philadelphia. It's been three years since you moved to Vegas and you adored that place but sometimes the longing for your hometown and your former friends made you feel homesick.

There was no TK in Las Vegas. But for a few days now, there's been a certain Nolan Patrick in Sin City.

It's been years since you last saw him and you expected that the one-sided rivalry was long gone. But when he knocked on the door of your apartment and you saw his face again, the memories came immediately back.

"What do you want, Nolan?" your voice was cold.

It was weird to see a face of someone you thought you'd never see again. He looked... well, he looked amazing. His hair was way longer that you remembered and he looked more masculine after those years.

"Hey." he said shyly, avoiding your question.

"How do you know where I live?"

"TK gave me your address."

"And how does he know my address?"

"I rather didn't ask."

Nolan stood there, hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking like an abandoned puppy.

Maybe this was a chance to make your past at least a bit right.

And so you left the door to your apartment open and walked inside, leading your former nemesis into your home.

...

"How's living in Vegas?" Nolan asked as he took a bite of the pie you offered him.

"Fine. Actually, more than fine. What about you?"

He put the plate down onto his lap and shifted his gaze to the big windows overlooking the big city, shining brightly in the dark.

"It's been... something."

Oh. So this was why he came here, knocking on your door at eleven in the afternoon. Desperate. Lonely.

"So what? Do you want me to call my friends so you can befriend them and replace me in their lives?" You immediately bit your tongue so you wouldn't say anything more stupid.

Nolan looked hurt by your words.

"You know, I was there when you told TK you were leaving for Vegas."

"You what?" you asked, completely horrified. It was the moment when you shouted how much you hated both Trav and Nolan. Till this day, you are still ashamed of your own words. It was childish and selfish.

"Travis told me you loved baking and especially apple pies so I thought I'd bake one to make you like me more. Then I heard you screaming that you hate me."

Your jaw was hanging and you couldn't muster any words that would make this right. He literally made an apple pie for you and you declared your hatred for him in the same exact moment. Your cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"At first, I couldn't understand what I've done wrong. I liked you a lot from the beginning and both you and TK were great and I finally felt like I belonged in Philly. I wanted to ask you on a date, you know, the night I drove you home from that bar. And instead, you told me that maybe, you should hate me. I thought you were just too drunk and that I'd ask you out some other day. But when that occurred, you acted so... cold towards me. And I finally understood when you said that you can't say that you're happy for me for finding my place in Philly when that place used to be yours."

"Nolan, I'm so sorry for ever saying something like that about you when I didn't even try to imagine being in your place-"

"I stole your best friend, Y/N. I think that I'm the one that should be apologizing."

You let out a startled laugh. Never have you thought that this conversation would be happening.

"It's been years, Nolan. You shouldn't apologize for something that wasn't even your fault."

He wanted to argue with you, you saw it in his eyes. So you started talking again to stop him from objecting.

"Anyways, why are you really here, Nolan? I know it's not because of your conscience. Are you having some trouble fitting in?"

His features turned sad in a moment and his shoulders slouched a bit.

"Yeah, I guess you could say it like that."

You were surprised by yourself as your hand gripped his knee in a soothing way. The muscles under your fingers tensed but Nolan didn't move away from your touch.

"Then let's do this together. You'll fit in just fine."

...

And he did. You introduced him to the city and to its people, carefully checking that he was never falling behind. He started smiling more and once in a while you even heard him laugh.

Your apartment was no longer empty - whenever Nolan had the time, he would sit on your couch, telling you about the people he met. It made you happy.

With your hatred long gone a new and foreign feeling slowly replaced it - something that made you blush at his words and melt at his touch. At first you thought that the little innocent touches were only the outcome of feeling really comfortable in your friendship. But all the secrets you shared in the middle of the night, the feeling of being sure that when you wake up, he will be lying at your side or on your couch, it all made you so used to him. He became the one person you though of when waking up and the last on your mind when falling asleep. Your heart sped up whenever you got a text or a call from him and-

You knew you fucked up when you realized you fell in love with him.

"Hey," Nolan said while closing the door behind him, taking off his shoes before stepping onto the carpet of your living room. You laid on the couch, watching some random sitcom that was currently on. It was a problem to even look him in the eyes without blurting out that you liked him more than in a friendly manner.

"I bought some popcorn and groceries." he put the bag on the floor. You still didn't look at him as he crawled onto the couch next to you, lifting the blanket that was covering your body and tucked the both of you in before leaning against your side.

You felt his body next to you, all that powerful muscle and hot skin. Every inch of you that touched him was burning with desire and restrain.

"Is something wrong?" Nolan asked and took your hand in his, drawing circles on it with his thumb.

"Nothing," you breathed out but couldn't stand his closeness any longer. You jumped off the couch, your legs trembling a bit and you walkled to the big window and looked down at all of the shining lights that made this city feel alive even in the middle of the night.

"Y/N," You tried, god you really did, to ignore how good your name sounded on his lips. Nolan was right behind you, his breath caressing the back of your neck and making you shiver.

"Do you remember the time when you said that you wanted to ask me out?" you whispered, some part of you hoping that he wouldn't be able to hear you.

"What about it?" His body got closer and you felt his hands wrap around your waist. For a moment, the butterflies in your stomach felt so magical that you thought this all was just a dream. Your heart skipped a beat.

"I think you should ask me again. And this time, the answer will be different."

"Different in a good or a bad way?" Nolan murmured against your neck, making goosebumps appear on your skin.

"You should ask me and see by yourself." It was like walking on a minefield or the edge of a knife. You've been dancing around each other for months now and there were no longer any games to be played. You were far from hating him and there was no way back from this moment.

"Will you go on a date with me, Y/N Y/L/N? I promise you will love every second of it."

He was mockingly kneeling on one knee, smiling up at you and the spark in his eyes that you've never seen made you realize that he finally felt as if he belonged.

Not in Philadelphia. Not in Las Vegas. He belonged to you and you belonged to him and you two fit each other just perfectly.

"I thought you'd never ask." you laughed and took Nolan's hand, helping him to stand up and kissing him fiercly on the lips. It felt like your bodies were made for each other.

"You know," Nolan breathed out, his heart leaping in his chest. He leaned his forehead against yours. "It was easy to fall in love with this city with you by my side.

But it was even easier to fall in love with you."

If you're interested in my work, add yourself to my tag list here!

[eberles]

24 Hour Diner

Nolan Patrick

request: for nolan patrick: u can pick a late night diner date or a brunch diner date in a mostly empty diner where u guys are just super cute and in love.

a/n: i lovedddd this request so much, i hope i did it justice for you! let me know what you think🥰 join my taglist!

warnings: tooth rotting fluff, mentions of pancakes/eating just in case that bothers anyone

“Baby, shut up.” If Nolan hated anything, it was being woken up, especially at a time like this. Everyone knew he was rather grumpy, but he most definitely grumpy during the very late hours of the night when all he wanted to do was rest. He huffed, turning over to face you, barely able to make out your face in the dark room. The only light coming from the moon illuminating through his window. “What do you want?”

You grinned to yourself, happy that you succeeded in waking Nolan up. It just wasn’t fair for him to be sleeping soundly beside you, his light snoring being the only audible noise you could focus on. Usually you slept great in his bed, sleepovers were a regular thing so you got used to it quickly. In fact, you almost always slept better with him in his bed, than without him in yours. “I can’t sleep.”

Nolan rolled his eyes, letting out a deep sigh before swinging his legs off the side of the bed and standing up. He turned the light on the dimmest setting and grabbed a pair of sweats and a hoodie, quickly changing into both as you watched him curiously. Just as you were about to ask what the hell he was doing, Nolan threw a pair of your leggings in your face.

“What are we doing?” you laughed, getting out of bed and sliding the leggings up your legs, swapping your oversized t-shirt with one of Nolan’s flyers hoodies.

“You said you couldn’t sleep right?” Nolan grabbed his keys as you nodded, confused at his words. “Well then we’re going out.” Grinning, you wrapped your arms around his waist, standing on your tippy toes to kiss him.

He loved you. Like really loved you. It was common knowledge that Nolan wasn’t the most affectionate or romantic but when it came to you, he’d do anything to put a smile on your face. He was the epitome of hard exterior unless it involved you, and he became the softest man you’d ever met. His soft spot for you was well known around the team and you friends and he often got teased for it, but he never cared or stopped treating you differently because of it.

About 15 minutes later you wound up at a 24 hour diner in Philly. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you thought back to one of your first dates with Nolan. He brought you here after one of his late games insisting it was a ‘must visit’ restaurant. You were unsure at first but it ended up being the best date you’d ever been on and that’s the first time you knew you loved him.

Walking in the diner you darted for the back booth, the one in the corner, sitting across from each other, like always. The diner was completely empty at this time, the only other people around were the waitress and the cook and you wouldn’t have it any other way. “Pancakes?”

“Ugh yes.” your eyes lit up, not realizing how hungry you were until your stomach growled at the mention of food. Nolan smiled, taking your hands from across the table, rubbing the pad of his thumb over your fingers delicately. The action sends a thrill up your spine, filling your chest with a warm feeling. “You’re being awfully nice for someone who was woken up at 3 in the morning.”

“You looked extra cute tonight.” Nolan's cheeks flared a bright red, even rosier than usual, laughing under his breath at your words. He let go of your hands when the waitress appeared with your pancakes, she put the plates on the table and smiled politely before walking away, leaving you alone again. Nolan reached over pouring syrup on your pancakes for you before doing the same on his plate.

“Don’t I always?”

“Yea, but when you rudely woke me up I remembered how good you looked in my shirt.” you smirked, raising your eyebrows as you felt your cheeks get hot when he continued. “I couldn't resist giving you what you wanted.”

You didn’t say anything, instead dropping your fork and leaning over the table, kissing him with as much passion as you could muster. Pancakes long forgotten as Nolan's hands gently came to the sides of your face as he lightly swiped his tongue across your bottom lip. You broke the kiss, smiling widely at him, unable to control the fireworks going off in your brain and the heat filling your stomach. “And on that note, we should go back home.”

“Home?” Nolan smirked, an amused look in his eyes as he watched you freeze and try to backtrack.

“Um, I just meant-”

“No, no, don’t do that.” Nolan cut you off even though he loved seeing you flustered. This time he couldn’t hold himself back, visibly excited at what you were insinuating. “It could be our home.”

“What?” your eyes nearly bulged out of your head, unsure if you heard him correctly. You’ve definitely thought about it, of course you’ve thought about it. After nearly 2 years together, the idea of living together often crossed your mind. And damn, you loved him, living together would be a dream for both of you.

“My home is already wherever you are, but we should make it official don’t you think?” Nolan said smoothly, not an ounce of hesitance or nervousness on his voice. The butterflies were back and you couldn’t control the toothy smile, running ear to ear across your face.

“You really want to?” you asked giddy, your legs bouncing under the table. The excitement overcame you, as you forced yourself to hold back from lunging over the table at him. “Because I really want that.”

“I really do.” Nolan stood up from the table, leaving way too much money for the bill. He grabbed your hand pulling you out towards the car, backing you against it.

“It’s about damn time.” His hands landed on your hips as he dipped his head down and planted a kiss on your lips. The smiles you were both carrying making kissing almost impossible, but neither of you cared as you soaked up this moment.

taglist: @butgilinsky @taiter-tots @ana-maa @iamtheblondestblonde @elitebarzal @joelsfarabees @lovenhlboys @tortito @samsteel @joelsfarabees @sidscrosbyy @boqvistsbabe @bowenbyram @imagines-r-s @softboybarzal @beauvibaby @chicagoblackhawkslover96 @ebonyyyy-e @heatherawoowoo @honeybearbarzal @besthockeyfics @fallinallincurls @stars-canucks @kaitieskidmore1 @bitchforbarzy @fiveholegoal @radiantroope @teenagekook @lovethepreds @no-pucks-given @mac-blackwood @twinklelilstarkey @2manytabsopen @whitesummerx @latinahockeylady @svechnikolan @ilvd2 @barzysandmarnersbitch @eniotnak01 @bookoftenderthoughts @dumb-blonde-trash @himbos-on-ice

[ironhusband]

do u have any domestic TonyRhodey headcanons?

I sure do! Thanks for asking, Vix!

Rhodey is the one who cooks. Tony can’t cook at all. Seriously, Rhodey tried to teach him, videos online tried to teach him, professional chefs tried to teach him, Mama Rhodes tried to teach him. It’s no use. He just can’t do it. So Rhodey cooks. And Tony absolutely loves every single thing Rhodey makes for him. Rhodey says that he’s an amateur compared to his mother, but in true sappiness, Tony says Rhodey’s cooking is better because “you can just taste the love you have for me, honeybear.” Rhodey always rolls his eyes with a tiny smile because he loves how sappy his husband is. Rhodey is usually too busy with work to cook though, so usually Tony orders them takeout for dinner. Rhodey swears that the way Tony orders them takeout comes with psychic; Tony always orders by Rhodey’s mood even if he doesn’t know what Rhodey’s mood is. When he had a bad day at work, Tony orders him his comfort food. When he missed Tony that day, Tony orders the hamburgers from the chain Tony always invited on at MIT. When Rhodey had a good day at work and wanted to celebrate, Tony would order him something from some fancy new restaurant in Malibu. When Rhodey’s day was fine but tiring, Tony orders pizza and they eat quickly before going to bed. Even though their cooking skills are different, food is a love language for the both of them. 

They’re the kind of couple that can sit together in comfortable silence. They do like to do things together, watching TV or doing a puzzle or working together on a project, but sometimes it’s nice when they do different things in the same space, content and happy. Usually Rhodey would draw something while Tony would answer Emails or Rhodey would go over some of his trainees resumes while Tony was mindlessly playing the guitar. Occasionally, they would look at the concretion on each other's face and smile fondly. Sometimes they do it while sitting side by side or with their legs tangled together. They always feel completely at ease and relaxed, just by being close to one another. 

People (The Avengers) are sometimes surprised at how much Tony and Rhodey love PDA when they’re with people they trust. Usually in public, they like to keep their hands off each other. Oh sure, they flirt like crazy, and Tony loves to announce that they’re very much together and that he’s crazy about Rhodey, but they don’t really touch. It’s a left over instinct from DADT. At home though? Tony and Rhodey always kiss before they go to work. They hold hands a lot, even if it interferes with them doing something (that’s how they broke the sink once). They constantly call each other’s nicknames and tell each other how much they’re loved. Tony always kisses Rhodey’s forehead whenever it’s in reach and Rhodey kisses Tony neck in a way that makes him giggle because the spot is ticklish. They always cuddle up to one another at movie nights and play footsie under the table at dinnertime. DADT might have meant they can’t show their love in public, so they like to remind each other of how much they love each other and want nothing more than to touch in private. 

Tony and Rhodey have the exact same taste in everything. In movies, in books and in music and in humor and in hobbies. It’s not like they agree about everything, and even about their taste in popular culture, they like to pretend they’re different. But they have the exact same taste in everything. Which means they have monthly book clubs with just one another (because everyone else are clearly idiots) and they always listen to the same music in the workshop and for movie nights, they both laugh at each other’s jabs at the movie. They don’t ever have to tell each other before ordering tickets, because they’d either love it together or hate it together, but they’d always do it together. They do crosswords together and puzzles together and work on workshop projects together. As I said, they love doing things together, and with their shared interests, they get to do it a lot.

They love dancing! Absolutely adore it. They love dancing individually, Rhodey absentmindedly moving to the songs he used to like as a kid while Tony smiles fondly at his dork of a husband and Tony “distractingly” dancing in a seductive way, absolutely knowing what he’s doing to Rhodey. They love dancing together too. They love going to the clubs and complaining about the music the young people now but still dancing like they used to in MIT ( “let’s show them how it’s done!” they say. Everyone backs away twenty feet from them because these old people are so embarrassing). They love dancing in the workshop to the music they like, sometimes just nodding their heads to the beat and sometimes full on dancing, even if the music isn’t remotely dancing music. They love slow dancing, sometimes doing it randomly, without music in the background until JARVIS puts some Sinatra on, and by that time they’re too wrapped up in each other to notice the music came on.

Instead of date nights, Tony and Rhodey have “staying in bed” days. Sometimes their lives are so hectic and Tony’s sleep schedule is usually a mess anyway, that they need a break. They need a whole day to sleep in until late, have breakfast in bed brought to them (by Pepper, the hotel they’re staying at, or one of the Avengers), cuddle between the sheets, watch horrible new movies that they didn’t get a chance to see yet and make love where they want to. It happens once a month, usually at the last day of the month. It’s a nice way to start a new month, they think. It makes them both so happy to have a whole day for one another. They chose this instead of date nights, because this feels so much more intimate and romantic for them.

They don’t really say “I love you.” They both know they each other, but it’s very rare they say the words. They like to show it instead. Tony loves making big gestures and sending flowers to Rhodey’s work and he throws his arm over Rhodey’s shoulder while they lace their fingers together and kissing Rhodey passionately whenever he can. Rhodey for his part compliments Tony whenever the opportunity arises, never misses a chance to make him laugh and he leaves Tony Rhodey’s favorite hoodie for Tony to steal and he loves running his hands in Tony’s hair and kissing his cheeks. The word ‘love’ never needs to be said. They both know it and they both show it, and that’s enough for them. 

They’re silly and childish with one another. They absolutely build blanket forts together and talk until they both fall asleep, like they’re still teenagers. They still but lightsabers and pretend they’re fighting each other to the death. They both still say ‘jinx’ whenever they finish each other’s sentences. They both still fight over the bubble wrap whenever they get a new package, and eventually all the fighting means all the bubble are already popped. They both still declare the floor is lava sometimes, and take the game completely seriously. Tony and Rhodey are both serious professionals that can adult properly. But with each other they feel comfortable enough to have some childish fun together, feeling like no one would judge them.

They take care of each other differently when they get sick. Rhodey is more low-key about it. He makes Tony soup, reminds him to make his meds and cuddles Tony when he’s feeling too miserable. Tony likes it for the most part. Not working sucks and Rhodey is evil for forcing him to stay in bed. Rhodey just rolls his eyes and tells him projects are better without sick germs being all over them. Tony however, freaks out whenever Rhodey is sick. He forces him to go to the doctor, and when the doctor sends them home, because Jesus Christ, Tony, it’s just a cold, he constantly asks Rhodey how he’s feeling, buys him the best meds, piles blankets over pillows over blankets on his bed to make sure Rhodey is comfortable, he flies all the way to Philly to bring Rhodey soup from his mom and he gets him what he wants whenever he wants (unless the request is “oh my god, leave me alone!”). Rhodey thinks it’s sweet, even if Tony is a little bit overreacting. He would much rather have a nice, relaxing day to be miserable in his sickness, though.

They’re always bickering. About absolutely stupid things. It’s never serious, of course. They almost never fight, unless it’s about really important often moral issues. But they always bicker. It’s their way of flirting. Tony is just a person who generally bickers with people, and Rhodey is one of the few people who cam keep up with him (comes with practice) so of course he returns his quips jab for jab. Most times they bicker over breakfast or over their work together and sometimes they bicker while they’re with their friends or when they’re talking to the bots. But they always bicker with a fond expression and their fingers linked together and with a kiss at the end. 

[hardtchill]

just to add to the ertz- it is not surprising what so ever. He’s a trump supporter and when his team, the eagles, had their invite from the whitehouse withdrawn because trump thought he was kneeling, he got so angry about it and didn’t want to be affiliated with kneeling. It’s all very white saviour to me. Only support certain causes with Christianity philly black kids do not need an entire armed swat team turning up at a safe wear you’re suppose to feel safe, cop propaganda is dangerous

I have heard a lot of takes on this, one thing i haven’t heard is the following. 

These cops represent a group of people who are dangerous for these black kids. These individual cops may not have been a danger to them, heck maybe these cops were even passionate in trying to make things better, but is it truly a good thing to have black kids trust cops? Cops wearing the same uniform will not think before shooting a 12 year old black kid in a park so why do we even want these black kids to be exposed to cops at all? I would rather have these kids be scared because that is what might safe them. That is what will make them roll over and do everything a cop says even if their white friends refuse to do it (and face no consequences), that is what might keep them from being killed.

You can’t unite communities and have kids learn from people in uniform when people in that same uniform may shoot and kill one of those kids an hour later. That is the sad truth, black kids are not safe in America and we don’t need some rich, privileged white idiot teaching these kids that cops are not a danger to them.

I don’t care how many good cops there are, i don’t care how many people are trying to change the system. Right fucking now black kids are not safe and showing them fun and cuddly cops who don’t hurt them teaches them the wrong thing. Cops are not their friends because the overall system is rotten and filled to the brim with bad cops. Maybe one day good cops will make up the vast majority, when that day comes you can invite a cop to teach kids and unite communities. 

Until that happens you don’t teach innocent black kids that a cop is their friend (even if that individual cop is a good cop).

Extreme example to make this easy to understand. During WWII not every German soldier was bad, some were even good and protected Jews (or simply neglected to report Jews). That doesn’t mean that we taught Jewish kids that German soldiers were their friends. We taught them to hate Nazi’s because that is what kept them alive, the simple fact was that the majority of the soldiers were a danger to them. Teaching black kids that cops in essence are good and want to protect them is not only wrong but also extremely dangerous because by the time they recognize a bad cop that kid could be dead.

[baby-grayson]

Kind Stranger|GBD|Part 8

Parts 1-7 warning: fluffy and angsty

words: 2.5k Tags: @dolanpornhub​ @styles-dolan​ @evergreendolan​ @someonetogray​ @vintagedolan​ @prettyboydolan​ @dolansficsandpics​ @graysavant​ @baby-turtles @cypherdols

“Princess?” Grayson’s fingers stroked the inside of her thigh, his eyes transitioning between looking at the shapes her lamp made on the ceiling and the shadows in her eyes.

Kate shook her head softly, “No, too….prim” She nearly sneered out the last word. She followed Grayson’s gaze to the shapes on her ceiling. She looked down at him, wondering how his eyelashes could be both so long and so soft. “Sugar?” she proposed in a curious tone. Grayson let out a breathy chuckle while he shook his head, “No way, too……old school?” He leaned toward her and gave her a gentle kiss. He raised an eyebrow, “Sugar lips?” Kate let out a loud laugh, her face nearly bursting with whimsy “No. No. No. Not at all….never.” Grayson smirked and laid back with his head in his hands. Kate took the opportunity to curl up on his side and nuzzle her head against his shoulder. Somewhere on the floor, her comforter laid strewn across the floor. Grayson looked down at her, taking note of the many, ethereal wisps of dark hair that surrounded her face. “Well then what? I have to call you something—” Kate was about to make another suggestion for a pet name when Grayson continued, “—or else I would have to call you by your name, Kathleen.” 

Kate’s jaw dropped softly while she looked at him with wide eyes. For a moment, she thought he was serious before noticing the impish look in his eye. She swallowed and brought her head from where it laid on him. “Fine. Do it,” she crossed her arms from where she laid, “Go for it, Bailey”. She smiled in accomplishment when his face washed in white.

Grayson’s mouth fell into a straight-line. He breathed in through his nose slowly, causing a tinge of pain in his septum. “Okay look,” Grayson started, trying hard to ignore the sweet giggle escaping Kate’s lips, “I won’t use the K-word if you don’t use the B-word.” his tone raised slightly, “But we need to pick something. You’re my baby, I need to call you something—” a smile appeared on Kate’s face as her eyes brightened “—but you don’t like ‘baby’”. Kate laughed and crawled onto his bare chest, while she wore his shirt. She thumbed his jawline, whimsically memorizing his facial features. His body felt warm from underneath her. “It’s not that I don’t like it,” she cautioned, “It’s just…overdone.” She winked softly and suppressed a giggle when he rolled his eyes. Grayson’s right hand rested on the small of her back, drawing small circles with his fingertips. “My mom calls you ‘little beach girl’ when I talk to her.” Grayson was quickly running out of ideas and options, but his heart craned when Kate’s face popped up from its place on his chest. Maybe he had gotten it? Kate tried to contain her excitement, but her heart pumped with more fervor in that moment. Her voice came out of her mouth, soft and shaky “Your mom?” Her eyes glowed while she bit her lip softly. Grayson’s cheeks flushed a shade of light pink. He shrugged softly, trying to find words. “Yeah, she’s known for a while.” Grayson let out a nervous laugh before his heart soared as he noticed the wide grin across Kate’s face. “Really? What’s her name?” Kate started, her excited words blending into each other, “Does she like me? Or us?”  She sank her front teeth into her bottom lip to prevent more questions from spilling out, afraid of bombarding Grayson with too many.

“Lisa. And yeah,” Grayson weighed his next words, “She’s happy that I’m happy.” He placed a quick kiss on her forward. “She likes that you’re from Philly, thinks it’ll give me more reasons to visit the East Coast.” Kate leaned forward and placed a kiss on Grayson’s lips. They stopped there for a moment, his hand gripping the small of her back, while she cupped his face in her hands. They pulled back softly, drinking in each other’s presence. Kate broken their silence, “I wonder what my mom will call you.” She winked playfully as Grayson’s heart sank. She began to trace patterns into Grayson’s collarbone and mused, “Jersey boy? Vegan boy? Youtube boy? I’ll probably call her this weekend to tell her about us” Grayson gulped down hard, a drop of sweat sliding on his brow. He didn’t want to say it. He definitely did not want to say it. He wanted to keep laying there, holding her while she wore his shirt and listening to her sweet voice. The hand on the small of her back stopped moving, dropping heavy on her. “Uh could you wait on that?” He shut his eyelids and drew in a breath, not wanting to see the reaction waiting for him. He opened his eyes and hated it. He hated to see her eyes turn downward, brows furrow, and a confused look run across her face. “What do you mean?” She sounded so innocent and well-intention. Grayson wanted to curl up in a ball and escape the world. Grayson’s mind and eyes disagreed: one wanted to give all of his attention on the beautiful girl with kind eyes and soft hair laying on his chest while the other warned about the threat of his relationship being leaked and the idea that the mother of the woman he….cared about would see him making a fool of himself on the internet. His head was clouded by thoughts of him doing ridiculous things on the internet. That can’t be his first impression…

“Maybe it’s not the best idea to tell her so soon,” Grayson’s face writhed in pain. His blood throbbed in his forehead. He stared at one of the shadows on the ceiling, intently and with laser focus. He swallowed again and tepidly lowered his eyes to meet hers.

Kate tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at Grayson. She bit her lip and darted her eyes from Grayson’s gaze to the wall and back to Grayson. She moved her shoulders back softly and gulped before uttering, “Well if it’s okay for your mom to know, why is it not okay for mine?” Grayson’s face went hot as his mouth dried. His tongue nearly glued itself to the roof of his mouth with bashfulness. His tongue was heavy as it hit the bottom of his mouth, he started speaking with a blank mind, “It’s like I mentioned a few days ago. With my career and all…I have to worry about stuff getting out about me..and us.”

Kate’s brow furrowed even more; her eyes narrowed as she pulled her head back. The hand that used to cup one side of Grayson’s face found a new home on the pillow beside his face. She pulled herself up to see him better, “You think my mom would leak stuff about us?” Kate tried to let go of the accusatory tone in her voice, but it grew more prominent with each word, “Who would she even leak us to? The press? Do you think my mom knows the press?” She tried to insert a short laugh to ease the harshness out of her voice, but it only sounded more hostile.

“It’s not like that,” Grayson started while running a hand through his hair. He grabbed at his own hair and closed his eyes. Well it’s kind of like that. “I just have to be careful, especially with things that are special to me.” Because my platform puts the things I hold close at risk. And I hold you really close, but you don’t have a platform and I don’t know how you can understand that.

Grayson’s eyes went wide when Kate moved from his chest. She sat cross legged in the empty space of her bed, her scarred leg resting on the stronger one. She toyed with her fingers, nibbling at her bottom lip. Grayson sat up, his right hand passionately missing the feeling of her back. Kate ran her fingers together and took in an audible breath. “So what you’re telling me is—” Kate cocked her head to the side and squinted at him, “---that you---” she pointed to Grayson , “—can tell your mom all about me—” her voice quivered before she pointed to herself, “—but I can’t say a word about you to mine.” Grayson gulped hard, feeling his palms become clammy. His heart sank into his stomach when Kate finished, “And. You think…that’s fair?” Her voice picked up at the end, washing Grayson in shame and disappointment. “You have to try to understand,” Grayson breathed heavily. When his chest fell as he exhaled, his heart moved even deeper into his stomach. His eyes went a little glossy, struggling to find words. His tongue felt like a cement block inside of his mouth. “This isn’t me. It’s the life I live.” He sounded pretentious. He sounded so fucking pretentious. He sounded like every other LA douchebag within a 20-mile radius. He sounded like an idiot. Grayson’s heart wanted to beat the living shit out of both his brain and his tongue.

Kate stood up, not making a sound. She sucked in a breath that Grayson heard as the loudest sound in the room. Revealing a lacy bralette, she took off his sweatshirt and placed it on the bed, “Take this” her voice was low. “Kate—” Grayson started but she shook her head. She held up a hand in his direction, “I don’t want to do this right now. “ Her shoulders squared off and she bit her lip while staring at the floor. Grayson’s shirt sat on the bed, a physical indicator of this stagnant moment. “Am I actually important to you?” Kate’s voice rang in Grayson’s ears. He sat and stared at her, mouth slightly agape. How could she think that? She was the first thing in his head when he woke up, and the last thing he thought about before going to bed. Since they met, he had been walking on clouds with her in his heart. Kate’s brows raised and she crossed her arms, waiting for Grayson to quit his inner monologue and answer her. “You are! Of course you are! I really care about you” Why did this sound so insincere and cliché ? Grayson groaned softly, and shook his head “What makes you think that you’re not?”

“I feel..—” Kate bit her lip, feeling a small piece of skin tear off between her teeth. Inside of her crossed arms, her fists balled. “I feel like there is a double standard here.” She bounced on her good leg, impatient with her feelings that were refusing to come out, “There is a set of rules for you and a set of rules for me…and they’re not the same Gray.” Her voice cracked and the words whimpered out. Her big brown eyes went glossy, her lip quivering slightly.

A shiver ran down Grayson’s spine. His heart felt like it was hanging itself from inside of his stomach. He hated this moment. He hated himself in this moment. He ran a hand through his hair and stood up. He had the intention to bring her into his arms, but felt an invisible knife run through him when she stepped away from him. “I’m only really asking for one thing…and that’s just a little bit more privacy…. then you might be used to..”

Grayson’s chest went tight. Kate stared at the ground; gaze locked on her fluffy rug. She heaved in a breath, Grayson’s heart shattered when he notice a few, transparent droplets floating down her cheeks. “Kate..” Grayson stepped forward again, trying to embrace her but she stepped back even further and started shaking her head furiously. She heaved in a few heavy breaths, and did not look up to meet his eyes, “Privacy? Like you know anything about privacy Grayson? You’re entire life is online. You realize, that right? That there are people on the internet who wonder how you have sex? Who wonder about what you do when you’re alone? Who think they know you because you let the entire world in on so much?” She started to ball, her words barely making it through her sobs “You make so much public. You make your milestones public. You make your friends public. You make your emotions public….” Her voice came out as just above a whisper, “but I’m not public.” Grayson wanted to grab her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to apologize. For what? He wasn’t sure but she was crying, and he needed to make it stop. He didn’t like seeing anyone upset, much less Kate. Her life was already hard enough—she was trying to save the planet, she was disabled, and she was living in LA without anyone else there with her. And Grayson gave her another stress, another reason to worry. He wanted to beat himself up for making her cry. Every muscle in his body ached in an emotional distress that locked his lips together. Not minding his inner dilemmas, Kate continued. “What is it huh? Is it because I’m not an LA kind of girl? I’m not an ‘influencer’s girlfriend’” she used air quotes. “I feel like you’re hiding me Grayson. I feel like I’m this secret, like you’re ashamed of me and I can’t figure out why.....are you hiding me?” Her tears rolled off her cheeks and dived into the air. Grayson’s eyes wanted to crawl out of his skull and never see this scene again. Her dainty frame looked crooked and dismayed, like a broken porcelain doll. Her eyes were glossy and wet, with heavy tears hanging onto the edges of her eye lashes. Grayson gulped, feeling a quiver of sadness fill his throat “I’m not, I’m really not. I don’t want to live this way. But it’s the life I live. And-and I’m sorry if it’s confusing because I get that this is new. B-but I do want you in my life.” Kate shook her head, his words making her feel dizzy and senseless. “I don’t want to do this,” she said it more to herself than to Grayson. “Maybe you should go home now Gray.” “No, you’re not okay—” She shook her head, stopping him from continuing, “No really Gray, I want to be alone right now. I can’t…I can’t do this right now.” “Talk to me, I’ll answer whateve---”

“No Grayson.” Her tone firmer, “I’m not doing this. I don’t even know what to do”

 “We can---” “JUST LEAVE GRAYSON!”

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1980

Under the cut.

KC & The Sunshine Band -- "Please Don't Go" -- January 5, 1980

Is that falsetto in the opening or merely an attempt at it? KC & The Sunshine Band trying to do a sincere, sad ballad does not work. Now I have the dance remix by KWS that was a hit in the 90s (and apparently plagiarized from a Euro-dance group) in my head.

Michael Jackson -- "Rock With You" -- January 18, 1980

I thought I had never heard this song before until I heard the chorus. Oh yeah, this one. I don't know if Michael Jackson singing a sex jam would have worked for me before, well, all the child molestation coming to light. Now it really doesn't. There's only so much "separate the art from the artist" I'm capable of, though I am in favor of it. On another note, in the video, he's wearing the sparkliest outfit I have ever seen.

The Captain & Tennille -- "Do That To Me One More Time" -- February 16, 1980

I don't want to think about The Captain doing it even once. That is the problem with this song. Other than that, I think it's a perfectly acceptable cheesy love song. Well, except for the... plastic flute? I don't know what that is, but I'm not fond of it.

On a kind of strange note, I scrolled ahead, and starting here, I recognize almost all the songs for the next couple years on this list. Maybe they were played more on the oldies stations? At clubs? Restaurants? Maybe I came to musical consciousnous at three and a half years old?

Queen -- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" -- February 23, 1980

 This is not a top tier Queen song, but Freddie Mercury belching would be better music than anything Barry Gibb did. Not top tier, but still very fun. And it's always great hearing Freddie Mercury do whatever the hell he wants to do with his voice. Here, he has fun doing a little bit of Elvis, but not too much. It's a rockability track by Queen. So it's great.

Pink Floyd -- "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" -- March 22, 1980

We don't need no education. This is a song about the horrible British teachers who used withering sarcasm and cruelty against the children under their care. (Like Snape, basically.) I think it's about boarding schools, since the teachers apparently have control over whether or not the kids get pudding. British boarding schools were terrible. British boarding schools are terrible, though they seem to be trying to be better. We'll see. They have hundreds of years' practice at bricking kids' psyches up in walls, and I don't trust them to change. Um, anyway, it's a good song, but not one I'd choose to listen to separate from the entire album.

Blondie -- "Call Me" -- April 19, 1980

This song actually does start with "Color me your color, baby." Or I suppose "colour" since Blondie are Brits. But it's not like the lyrics are deep -- if you can understand "Call me," you get it. I guess it's technically a love song, but since Debbie Harry sings in such an intentionally icy manner, it's anything but passionate. It's still fun and light and musically interesting.

Lipps, Inc. -- "Funkytown" -- May 31, 1980

This song is about moving out of a town that's stifling and to a town that's right for you -- "Funkytown." It could be any big city with a music scene. It's a dance song with very few lyrics, and yet the lyrics are important. The singer has "talked about it talked about it talked about it," but is determined to finally do it. It's a good funky disco song, and a good send-off for the genre's dominance.

Paul McCartney and theWings -- "Coming Up (Live At Glasgow)" -- June 28, 1980

It sounds a little bit like McCartney trying to do Philly soul, horns included. But lighter, because Paul McCartney. I can't remember the lyrics even just after I heard them, but it's a love song. Quite boring.

Billy Joel -- "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" -- July 19, 1980

I love a lot of Billy Joel songs. I don't really love this one. I like the sentiment -- "Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers/ 'Cause it's always been the same old scene/ There's a new band in town but you can't get the sound/ From a story in a magazine/ Aimed at your average teen." He also criticizes the 80s' roaring materialism, which hadn't even hit its nadir yet. But I dunno. Maybe it's a little slow? It needs something.

Olivia Newton-John -- "Magic" -- August 2, 1980

I had never heard of the movie Xanadu until about a decade ago. It's a staple of bad movie sites. Its plot is bonkers, and some very 1980 blockhead is the male lead. The story would have made more sense and the movie been far better if Olivia Newton-John's character had gotten together with Gene Kelly, who's also in the movie, instead. Anyway, this love song is from the movie's soundtrack. It's got a little bit of that mystical vibe that Stevie Nicks did so well, and that always appeals to me. I can't pretend this is a great song, or even necessarily a good one. But it speaks to the 12-year old in me.

Christopher Cross -- "Sailing" -- August 30, 1980

This is the most Florida song ever. Because it doesn't sound like he really has a boat. "Fantasy, it gets the best of me/ When I'm sailing/ All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony/ Won't you believe me?" Musically, it sounds like it would go well with a sailboat. But almost none of us have sailboats. We have fantasies. It's a nice-sounding song, and if you think about it enough, it becomes more complex than it seems.

Diana Ross -- "Upside Down" -- September 6, 1980

I'm going to have to face up to the fact that I usually don't like how Diana Ross sings. She's too slick and detached for me, without lyrics that go with that. I cannot believe this woman was ever turned "upside down" by love. And of course the guy she's singing this to is cheating. But she's okay with it, because of course she is, he's just so awesome that she's singing to him "respectfully." I like this song musically, except for Diana Ross' emotionally distant singing, but I hate the lyrics, and I am extremely sick of this no-maintenance schtick.

Queen -- "Another One Bites the Dust" -- October 4, 1980

This might be the only Queen song I don't like. I'm not saying it's bad. It's probably very good. But I have heard the chorus way too much. Otoh, I've heard "We Will Rock You" even more, and I still like that. Maybe there's too much... stuff in this one? I don't know. It's definitely too repetitive. It's no "Don't Stop Me Now," that's for sure. Queen's best songs never reached #1 in the U.S., and I don't know if any came near until "Bohemian Rhapsody" hit #2 when I was in high school. But reaching the charts is a very bad sign of whether or not music is actually good.

Barbra Streisand -- "Woman in Love" -- October 25, 1980

I'm not going to go back to check, but I think Barbra Streisand has exactly the same pose and expression on the covers of all her singles. This one was written by Barry Gibb, oh joy. I wondered if this would be an additive or a multiplicative factor in how bad the song (which I had never heard) was. Something happened that I didn't expect: It made the song so boring it slips out of my head while I’m listening to it. There's the line "no truth is ever a lie." Brilliant, Barry, what a lyricist. Also, that line is not true. Barry Gibb was apparently not familiar with Othello. Anyway, since I'm just bored, I guess Streisand and Gibb together is actually better than them separately. Still bad, though.

Kenny Rogers -- "Lady" -- November 15, 1980

It's a love song in which the narrator sings that he's your knight in shining armor. That sentiment should be surrounded by more interesting music in some way. Something operatic, or mystical, or country, something. Kenny Rogers was never one of my favorites, but he's capable of something. This song is nothing. Lionel Richie wrote it, so of course.

John Lennon -- "(Just Like) Starting Over" -- December 27, 1980

This song hit #1 just after Lennon was murdered. I was 4 years old, but I actually remember when John Lennon was murdered -- I was in the car with one or more parental units (I don't remember who), and it came on the radio. I was upset. I knew Beatles music, my parents played it all the time, and I knew who John Lennon was. I'm still extremely sad about his death today. This song is about how happy he was with Yoko, all settled down and looking forward to a nice, calm, loving future together. Ugh I'm gonna cry.

BEST OF 1980 -- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. WORST OF 1980 -- "Please Don't Go" by KC & The Sunshine Band

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 109 2Xs2) "Welcome To The Hotel Diablo"

@crystalbaby12 @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @5sosfam1dlover @rosefilledhearts-blog

El Diablo begins play as the lights go up. The masses lose their minds at the sight of the full stage. Luna's next to Colson with Casie. Pete, Ashleigh, Dom and Ashley are close by. Sam's near Baze as Dub, Noah, Mod, Caroline, Naomi, Trippie and Skies spread out around them.

Only Colson has a mic but you can barely hear him as everyone rapid fires the lyrics with him. Luna dances with Pete, Ashleigh and Casie while teasing Colson as he moves around his friends on stage. All of them loudly shouting how they KEEP THEIR CIRCLE TIGHT.

It's a fun and unique sight. Something that will never be recreated again. A true gift from Colson to his original fan base.

"THANK YOU!! WE FUCKING LOVE YOU FAM!! SEE YOU AT ESTFEST!!" Colson screams as the lights go down one final time.

Kissing Casie's cheek, he glances over at Ashleigh. Her nod tells him she's Got It. With that, he slings a squealing Luna over his shoulder and trots OffStage. He's got his own Backstage Ritual to attend to.

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"That was so fucking intense, Bunny!" Luna exclaims once Colson sets her down.

"I know." His mouth buzzes into her's as they strip off each other's clothes.

Colson lifts Luna up onto the small table against the wall. Having lit a joint as he carried her down the hall, she lifts it to his lips.

"I love you." He lightly chuckles as he exhales.

Guiding his thick cock into her warm pussy, Luna groans out in pleasure. Wrapping her legs around him to pull him in closer as he begins to thrust into her. Luna sucks on Colson's neck before lifting the joint to his lips. Grabbing her by the back of her neck, he kisses her hard. Exhaling his hit and filling her lungs.

The extra carbon dioxide makes Luna heady. She closes her eyes and runs her hands through Colson's hair. Enjoying his cock as he plays with her pierced nipples and nibbles on her ear. There's a sweet electricity to Colson and Luna's sex. It's passionate and rough but not aggressive.

Clenching herself around his dick, Luna lowly moans out Colson's name. Letting him wash over her as she gets them high. Colson grips her ass and lower back, making his way deeper into her. With her head back and neck exposed, Colson draws his tongue over her tattooed skin before opening wide and biting her JUST enough to make them both cum.

"Holy FUUUUUCK, Bunny!!" Luna cries out as her body shakes with his in pleasure.

"Can't say I don't know your spots." Colson sighs with a grin as he kisses her.

"I love you too." Floats from between Luna's lips in a content sigh as she closes her eyes and leans her forehead against his.

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Dressed in a pair of tight, black shorts, sheer tights, a printed black tank and knee high black boots, Luna's hair is still loose. Colson had tossed on a dark T and jeans while Luna had cut out their lines. Burning, kissing and snorting before making their way BackStage.

Everyone's in high spirits, celebrating the epic show and album's success. Casie reminds her dad of the necklaces and helps Colson pass off the coveted Double X chains to Naomi, Trippie, Ashleigh, Skies and Dub. They all go on to toast Colson, Hotel Diablo's release and each other while hugging and joking together.

It's not long before they have to head out to Velvet Dog for the release party. Casie gets huge GoodByes and Love before Bullet leads her and Ashleigh out to a private SUV. Her and Bullet will meet back up with them after dropping off Casie to Emma.

------------------------------------------------

The rest of them pile into multiple other SUVs. They're headed DownTown to a smaller, more intimate nightclub. Each of them chatting, drinking and getting stoned along the way in the five seperate vehicles.

Leaving Agora wasn't a problem. Pulling up to Velvet Dog, they can see it's gonna be much more of a hassle getting in there. Fans and The Paparazzi are surrounding it from all angles. The venue's own security is doing it's best at controlling the chaos. Benny's driving Colson, Luna, Rook, Baze and Sam.

"What do you wanna do, Kells?" Benny asks looking over his shoulder.

"Fuck it, make a path and let's get the fuck in there." He shrugs at Benny. Turning to Luna, he looks at her seriously. "Do NOT let go of my hand." He asserts before kissing her.

Luna nods a silent Yes as Benny taps on the window. Grabbing Luna's hand, he confirms everyone's ready before opening the door. Making Luna laugh when he shouts WE OUT.

Outside in the dark it's bright. It's loud. People are aggressive and Colson is on a mission. Clutching Luna's hand, he pulls her through the crowd behind Benny. Colson's super focused. Knowing how much she hates crowds, he's trying to successfully get them inside before anyone can stop them, seperate them or say anything to piss either of them off.

He does. Like a champion. Winning him a thousand happy kisses from a grateful Luna.

-----------------------------------------------

Inside is just as crazy. Record executives are there. Other artists from Interscope. More family and friends from Cleveland along with fellow supportive friends who flew in from LA and Philly.

Normally ones to seperate and work their own aspects of a room, Colson keeps Luna close to him tonight. She doesn't mind, happily staying by his side as he introduces her to those she doesn't know and they greet mutual acquaintances and friends they have together. Watching them in action, they truly are a Power Couple. Both of them smart, charming, gorgeous and engaging. Easily laughing and enjoying each other as they glide through to the nightclub celebrating Colson and The Boys.

They run into Johnny, Colson's partner in his 27 Club coffee venture. Unlike Dub, Johnny isn't leery of Luna. Colson listening with amusement as the two easily connect over music, the pain of starting up a business and his shocking love of her paintings.

"Yeah, I caught your exhibit back in '15.... Your shit is incredible. I wanted to buy a piece but none of it was for sale surprisingly..." Johnny trails off with furrowed eyebrows.

"That's myyy girl for ya." Colson laughs as he tosses his arm carefully around Luna's shoulders. "Dawg, she's a snob. She don't sell shit... if I didn't hear them myself, I wouldn't even believe she has seven fucking records!" He laughs looking down at Luna's rolling eyes as he kisses her forehead.

"Maaan..." Luna begins to whine with a smile.

"Why don't you sell your stuff?" Johnny asks.

"I hate you." Luna lightly chuckles as she nuzzles her head against Colson's chest before answering Johnny. "Most of my physical work is made for someone or something intentional. I'm not comfortable with someone else owning something that holds my intimacy with another." She tries to explain to his accepting nod.

"So then why release your music?" Colson challenges her.

"Because that's universal.... And it's MY guts I'm bearing not some..."

"You got like 20 mins, Kells." Ashleigh interupts them.

"Oh shit, alright. You coming with me, Kitten?" He asks looking down at her.

"Of course." She reassures with a smile. "We'll catch up later. It was a pleasure to meet you." Luna beams as she shakes Johnny's hand.

Before he can agree, she's gone. Hand in hand with Colson. Blonde hair trailing behind her like a memory.

------------------------------------------------

Their performances during the record release party were equally on point. Some more fun while others are more thought provoking and gut wrenching.

Catching certain faces before he had hit the stage, Colson decided to have Luna pop OnStage during Hollywood Whore. Cutting in only to recite the changed lyrics the way he wanted her to. As always, on and off stage, Luna was nothing short of a wreckage to be dealt with. Her powerful voice reaming out the room with Colson's truth as she moved her tiny, tattooed body seductively around her Lover before propping herself against his slender one.

🎶It's because of y'all//He couldn't understand//The worth of his career//'Cause of y'all//He hated himself//For so many years//'Cause of you//He never thought//That he could trust//But//You better watch your back//Cuz he's about to wife//ME up🎶

Her slip in had been flawless. Sending their friends into an uproar as Colson grabbed Luna's ass. Neither missing a beat while she trotted OffStage.

The rest of the gig went off without a hitch. Smoke and lights exploded around them constantly while Naomi and Phem's voices were on perfect pitch. Trippie and Lil Skies nailed their own features with Colson and Dom killing their performance of I Think I'm Okay.

With no encore planned, Luna and Colson went HARD on Bad Things. Both of their voices strong as The Boys roared behind them and they passionately played and pushed off each other. Their performance intense and extremely sexual as Luna ran the stage with her presence and Colson with his guitar. To this day, it's both of their favorite times OnStage.

------------------------------------------------

Trying to escape to his dressing room with a laughing Luna over his shoulder, Colson is stopped. By Diddy and Jimmy Iovine of all fucking people. Setting her down, the couple addresses the two men.

"Yo!! Be proud, Son. That shit was fire!!" Diddy proudly proclaims as he pulls Colson in for a full on hug.

Luna and Jimmy stand eyeballing each other. He doesn't know what to say to her and she's not fucking up Colson's Big Night.

"You too, Kid!" Sean says to Luna as he pulls her in for a hug once he's released Colson.

"That was an extraordinary show." Jimmy says, offering his hand to Colson.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I leave everything I have OnStage every time I perform." Colson answers as he shakes his hand.

"It shows." Jimmy nods his head, never seeing Colson perform before he's beyond impressed by the underrated artist.

"He's going overseas..." Sean says to Luna as Jimmy and Colson interact.

"I know." Luna answers with a nod.

"With Hotel Diablo debuting so high, if the momentum keeps up I'm adding more US dates after." He says as he studies her reaction.

"Then you better get us a bigger bus... And. I don't want fucking Don." Luna eyes Diddy with a seriousness to her tone.

"What's your problem with him?" He asks with a laugh.

"He's a fucking douche who has no respect for Colson.... You know how I feel about that, Sean." Luna giving two answers that they both know.

"Alright, no Don." Diddy laughs at her.

"And a bigger bus?" Luna pushes.

"We'll see." Colson's boss laughs at his girlfriend. "Just don't mention any extra dates. I don't wanna hype him up til I'm sure..."

"So, bigger bus?" Luna smirks.

"Yeah. Bigger bus, you bitch." Diddy laughs as he pulls her in for a hug. "He's lucky to have you. You're one of the very FEW I give into." He continues to laugh as he kisses her cheek.

"I know." Luna grins at him. "And I love and appreciate you for it." She asserts before squeezing him again tightly and making him laugh even more.

"You better marry this bitch before she changes her mind!" Diddy continues laughing as Luna releases him from their hug.

"Psh... As quick as I can, Boss." Colson laughs as Luna tucks herself under his arm.

"YEEEOOOOOO!!!" Comes a loud voice above them.

"Looks like you got more shit to attend to. We'll catch up soon. Congratulations, Slick. I'm proud of you." Diddy says, dapping it out and hugging Colson once more before disappearing with Jimmy.

"I SAID YEEEOOOOOO!!" Tyree shouts as he bursts through the BackStage crowd.

"My mans!!" Colson hollers in delight as they embrace each other while Lamar and Luna happily greet each other in the meantime. "You made it!!" Colson says excitedly.

"Yeah... But without Ash we'd be dust in the wind, Homie." Ree replies with an annoyed look.

"My bad, Yo. But you're HERE!!" Colson shouts as he pulls Luna, Lamar and Tyree in for a group hug.

"Look at these motherfuckers." Dub comes up with a laugh.

Lamar and Tyree turn to greet their longtime friend. Dapping and laughing, the boys catch up while Luna stands awkwardly amongst them. Finding her exit clause, Dub calls her out.

"She don't like me." He teases her.

"Nah, Motherfucker. Don't put that shit on me.... You're the one who came up in here all Strong Man, Strong Man." Luna cocks her lip as she narrows her eyes.

Standing amidst Lamar and Tyree, Colson can't help but laugh at Dub from behind her. They may know... But he has no idea what he's in for.

"I don't know what your fucking problem with me is or where the fuck you get your Word from but until you climb on that bus or in a house with us... You better check your resources MOTHERFUCKER cuz you don't know shit. Bestfriends or not, we can buck. Right here. Right fucking now." Luna snarls with squared shoulders and a deadly look in her eyes.

"Ho!! Calm down, Shorty!!" Dub laughs, putting his hands up. "Don't shoot. I don't wanna fight, I was just pressen' you. You know. I gotta make sure you live up to that hype if you gonna lock my boy down!" Dub continues to laugh.

"What's goin' on over here?" Slim asks as he throws his arms around Luna and Dub.

"You, Bitch." Luna asserts as she ducks out from under his weight. "Don't think I don't fucking know." She spouts as her drunken eyes bounce between Slim and Dub. "It's alright though... He'll learn just like you did." She asserts as she snakes her head at both of them before dropping a middle finger, a kiss on Colson's long neck and turning to find someone more fun to hang out with.

"For real?" Colson asks both of them.

"Hey, I'm just goin' off what Slim said." Dub defends himself.

"Dawg, I AIN'T SPOKE TO YOU IN LIKE A WEEK!!" Slim uncharacteristically shouts, refusing to be thrown under the bus.

"Annnnnnnnd?" Dub cocks back.

"SHIT CHANGES!!" Slim continues to holler at his high school friend.

"Yo... Yo... Yo... Chill." Colson interupts them. "If anyone should be pissed it should be me, you back alley bitches. You got questions, words or problems with me and Luna, you come to ME. Don't be a couple of old lady pussies talking shit behind my fucking back."

"It wasn't shit, Kells." Slim starts to explain.

"It was enough for Dub-O to form a negative opinion about her before meeting her though, wasn't it.?" Colson shoots back as he tries to hold his anger.

Slim looks down sheepishly at Colson's words. He hadn't trusted Luna. At all, for a while. Even after she'd thrown down for his bestfriend multiple times. It wasn't until she stepped up when Bleta threatened Ashleigh and Benny and refused to lie to Colson, did Slim finally accept her. Dub doesn't know these things though because he wasn't on tour with them.

"Hey... Hey... Hey..." Dub comes jogging up behind Luna. "I'm sorry..." He says as he grabs onto her shoulder.

It's the wrong choice. The music and noise are too loud. The small BackStage area is filled with too many people. Not hearing Dub and only feeling his firm hand upon her, the New Yorker in Luna kicks in as she turns and lands a solid blow straight into his nose. Busting it wide open as he stumbles back off of his feet and onto the floor.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK!!" Dub shouts as he grasps his face.

"Don't ever fucking touch me." Luna replies emotionlessly before grabbing her leather and disappearing.

------------------------------------------------

"Hey.... You okay?" Colson asks after finding Luna alone on the steps out back of the nightclub.

"I don't know... I think I'm losing my shit..." Luna sighs as she passes the lit joint she has to Colson.

"Why?" He asks as he takes a hit.

"I don't know... I just laid out one of your bestfriends, was rude to a fan on the street and fought with my Mom-Mom all in the last 3 days ." Luna let's out with an annoyed sigh.

"Why'd you fight with Patti?" Colson asks.

"Fuck me and my big stupid mouth." Luna mentally curses herself.

"It's nothing." She tries to brush Colson off.

"No, it's not." Colson isn't having her bullshit, he knows Luna doesn't fight with her grandmother.

"I need a PreNump." She sighs with frustration.

"Okay?" Colson asks with confusion.

"What do you mean okay?" Luna's drunk and irrational.

"I mean okay. I'm not marrying you for your shit so.... OKAY. I'll sign whatever as long as I still get YOU. That's all I want, Baby." His voice breaks as he climbs on to the step behind her and wraps himself around a confused Luna. "You."

"You don't care what the PreNump includes?" She asks with a slight attitude.

"No. I don't give a fuck." Grabbing her chin, he pulls her eyes to him. "I'm marrying you, Luna. Not THAT Brooklyn Bitch. Not Patti Smith and Robert Maplethorpe's granddaughter. Not the coolest chick in The World. Just you. My own personal Addy." He grins as he begins to attack her with sweet, sloppy kisses.

"Ahhhh!!! Stop!" Luna giggles as she tries to wiggle out of Colson's grasp. It doesn't work. Submitting, she holds his face in her hands as she stares into his beautiful blue eyes. "Thank you." She says first as she gently kisses his lips. "And I'm sorry for hitting Dub."

"He shouldn't have fucked with you." Colson replies with a shrug and a smirk. "Back inside, please?" He asks as he stands and offers Luna his hand.

"Yeah." She agrees as she rises to kiss him.

------------------------------------------------

Back inside, the nightclub is going off. The DJ playing Hotel Diablo again in full as everyone dances and grooves. The words maybe alarmingly dark but the bop is on point.

"Yo. My bad." Dub immediately approaches Colson and Luna. "I was just trying to fuck wit you and clearly I shouldn't." He apologizes with a light laugh.

"No. I shouldn't have just swung, I'm sorry." Luna apologizes as she begins to rub her forehead.

"Nah, Ma, you good. I pushed to see how hard you'd rock... I didn't expect this shit but now I know!" Dub laughs at himself.

"I still feel like an Asshole." Luna admits.

"You good. I'd rather have Kells with a chick holding a solid right than some VSCO boujie bitch. We ride hard... And as much as it kills me to say it... I think you might ride harder!" Dub laughs again as Colson joins him.

"Enh... I got my name for a reason. Still, I'm really sorry about all that." Luna says as she gestures towards his nose.

"Stories, B. Stories." Dub winks at her with a smile as he opens his arms.

With that, Luna and Dub become friends. Her appreciating the lengths he will go to for Colson. Him respecting her fierce loyalty and the strong right fist she has for herself and her man.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The album release party is still in full swing. Colson dips off as Luna grabs her and Dub drinks before she looks at his nose. Apologizing for the thousandth time to his laughter before they make their own way into the party.

Sam and Baze are making out like teenagers in a corner. Luna finds Naomi, The Ash's and Dom as Floor 13 kicks in. Drinks in hand, they jive, jerk and rap along Colson and the unique beat. Colson's with Slim, Benny, Pete, Mar, Ree and Dub by the bar busting it up. Noah, Caroline, Mod and Phem find Luna, the Ash's and Dom, easily coaxing them to the dance floor as Roulette begins. Rook can be found macken' on girls with Trippie and Skies while Bullet watches all from his perch at the bar.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"What cha guys doin'..." Luna asks as she approaches The Boys at the bar.

Bad choice. Colson and Pete immediately pounce on her like the night at 30 Rock. Linking their arms together, they catch her again like they're playing London Bridge. Shaking her all about as they happily sing their made up song.

🎶We gotta Moon Pie. We'll never let her get by🎶

"Whhhyyyy????" Luna moans as they justle her back and forth.

🎶Even when she asks why. She's our drunken Moon Pie🎶

They continue to laugh as they toss her around. It takes strategic planning to get out of a mess like this, only a skilled mind could handle the pressure. Being a smart cookie, Luna turns and throws her arms around Colson's neck and pulls him in for a perfectly distracting kiss. With her fingers climbing up his neck into his hair and her tongue dancing in his mouth, Colson has no choice but to let go of Pete's hands as they begin to roam around Luna. Pressing his large palm in between her shoulder blades as he kisses her deeply.

"Man... Fuck you guys." Pete complains as he leaves them be.

"🎶And a Moon Pie got away🎶 Luna sings to herself as she enjoys Colson's mouth much more than his and Pete's stupid ass game.

"Mmmm... You may taste good but you're not slick." Colson smirks once their mouths seperate.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luna replies with a devilish smile.

"Okay, Moon Pie." Colson laughs before kissing her again. "Grab a drink?" He asks as he gazes at her.

"Yeup." Luna smiles brightly at Colson, standing on her tippy toes to kiss him before they make their way to the bar.

"KELLS!!!" Naomi comes barreling up to Colson, grabbing him around the waist into a huge hug. "I haven't seen you but I met Luna!!" She exclaims. "I LOVE her. Where is she??" Naomi adamantly asks.

"Right here." Colson laughs, pointing behind him to Luna's back, she's facing the bar ordering them drinks.

"She is the best." Naomi drunkenly decides. "Do you know that she keeps dry shampoo in her bag and that she's got these weed candies that taste like yellow SweetTarts? She gave me two. One for now and one for later... Who does that, Bro? She's like a tiny, beautiful, little, tattooed drug pixie. I think you should marry her." Naomi declares.

"Good thing you chose first then, hunh?" Luna comments with a huge smile as she joins Colson and Naomi.

Holding her Old Fashioned, she passes Colson his Henny straight up. Always having a trick up her sleeve, Luna easily passes Naomi her seltzer and lime as a vodka and seltzer. She's too drunk to tell the difference and water is gooood.

"I love this SON OF A BITCH!!" Naomi shouts as she grabs ahold of Colson. "Will you take a quick picture of us?" She asks Luna, handing over her phone.

"Sure... Hold on... Ready?" Luna asks trying to set them up.

It's in the the dark. On a phone's camera. In a club. Looking at it, it is definitely NOT her best work.

"I can retake it." Luna offers.

"No!! I love it" Naomi gushes as she hugs Luna. "Catch you later?" She asks, pointing at Colson's confused nod. Two quick kisses to each of their cheeks and she's off with a "Cool... Love you guuuuyyyysssss!"

"She's fantastic." Luna states as she watches Naomi disappear.

"SHOTS!" Rook hollers as he makes his way towards Luna and Colson.

"So, I heard you hit Dub." Rook immediately states once they've downed the clear liquor.

"What the fuck... I'm never gonna live that down." Luna groans as she puts her head in her hands.

"Nope." Colson and Rook say in unison, their laughter makes Luna groan even more.

The release party keeps going. Top shelf liquor easily flowing. Everyone's having a blast. Dancing, drinking and joking as they enjoy each other's company. They keep the party rolling until they're kicked out around 430A.

-----------------------------------------------

Almost EVERYBODY comes back to Colson's. That would be The Blonde Don himself, THAT Brooklyn Bitch, Rook, Ashley, Dom, Lamar, Tyree, Noah, Caroline, Phem, Mod, Trippie, Skies, Benny, Bullet and a gaggle of girls.

Ashleigh had decided to go home to her family instead. While Baze and Sam tried to catch some privacy at his spot and Naomi some sleep in her hotel. Slim deciding not to go home but to follow the party as it rages on.

Always having instruments on hand, they begin a jam session. Starting off with the original riffs from Hotel Diablo before twisting them into acoustic versions. Luna and Noah subbing in for Naomi when needed.

Alcohol and blunts roll through the room as they run through different songs, joke and laugh at each other. The party going well into the ACTUAL sunshining morning.

"Yo. That could work.... That acoustic jawn. It's something different and totally sick..." Slim tells Colson as he stops him and Luna on their way upstairs, knowing exactly the seed he's planting.

-----------------------------------------------

"I'm so proud of you." Luna coos as she pulls off her shirt and bra.

"I'm proud of those titties!" A naked Colson laughs. "Now bring 'em hear!" He demands as he pulls Luna closer to him and buries his face in her plump breasts.

"Mmmm.... Show me more of what your proud of." Luna giggles.

"I'm proud of this nipple and this nipple." He says as he lightly nips at them. "I'm proud of this scorpion." He says as he traces it with his tongue. Pulling her shorts off, he kisses each thing. "I'm proud of this leg and this leg...." Colson looks up at her with a cocky grin, grabbing her ass cheeks he pulls her closer to his face. "I'm proud of this pussy." His deep voice says, his lips just barely touching her lips but his baritone easily vibrating her skin.

"Alright." Luna pants as she pulls his face up to hers. "You got me, now give it to me." She says after she kisses his soft lips.

"Get on the bed the way I like." Colson directs Luna.

On all fours she goes, ass in the air, perky and dying in anticipation. Colson gives her one HARD

❗SLAP❗

Making her squirm in delight before dragging her closer to him by her hips. Running his fingers along her lips he can feel her dripping for him. Reaching around, he sticks his finger in her mouth as he enters her. Luna's back arches as she sucks her juices off his finger. Both moaning in pleasure as Colson makes his way deep inside of her.

Releasing her mouth, Colson slaps her ass again. Making Luna buck against him. Slamming her ass into his hips as he fucks her from behind. Colson runs his hand up Luna's bare slender back to the base of her hair. Wrapping his fingers inside her long locks, he grips her hip tighter. Demanding her to cum.

Luna's already came twice before so a yank of the hair is just icing on the cake. Letting her body go, she shakes and quivers as she feels Colson's dick pulsate inside of her as he drops his load.

"Fuck, Luna." Escapes from his pants as he moves her hair to kiss her lower neck, making her purr.

They lay there quietly, Colson's still inside of Luna as he plays with her hair. Just as she's about to drift off, his voice brings her back to reality.

"You're still gonna go tomorrow?" Colson asks lowly as they lay together.

"I have to." She replies lightly as she tries to train her breath.

"You HAVE to take a shit. "You don't HAVE to see Jackson." Colson states as a matter of fact as he rolls out of her.

"But I do have to mindfully wipe my ass after I take a shit." Luna retorts irritated by his frustration.

"What does that even fucking mean?" Colson jerks his head to look at her.

"I don't know..." She giggles as she pulls his face close. "I don't wanna fight though... Can we just be? We never get to just be." Luna says as she drunkenly snuggles into Colson neck.

"You're coming home tomorrow?" He asks with a trembling assertiveness to his tone.

"Absolutely.... Now, can we just be Us?" She answers with a pout as she lifts her head to kiss his neck in reassurance before snuggling deeper into him.

"Yeah, we can just be Us." He sighs as he holds her naked body close to his and kisses her tossled hair.

"It better be just Us...." Colson's heart pounds. "I swear to God, I'll kill 'em both.... Fuck, she's gonna leave me like my mom... She can't... I'll will FUCK some MAJOR shit up... Calm down, Kells. You trust her.... Don't fuck this up by spinning out.... You're not Justin.... You've got her. She KNOWS that.... She loves you." Colson's mind is trying to battle all the underlying insecurities that are bubbling up.

"Bunny... You feel alright?" Luna sits up asking.

"Yeah... Why?" Colson lies.

"Because I can feel you not breathing and your heart pounding through your chest... So... What's up?" She asks as she begins to stroke his hair.

"Ahhhh... Nerves." He sighs, half lying now.

"About?" Luna pries as she continues to stroke his blonde hair.

"Fucking Jackson." He slightly admits as he reaches for a joint.

"And...." Luna continues to lead as he sparks it.

"And that you'll leave me like my mom did." He exhales a cloud of frustrated smoke.

Luna pulls Colson into her chest. Stroking his hair again, she's silent as they share the joint. It's not an awkward silence. It's the sad silence of two children who never had their mothers for different reasons.

Once the joints finished, neither need to speak. Colson reaching over to turn the side light off as Luna slides down comfortably into the bed. Resting his head on the pillow with her arm under his neck, they lay face to face in the dark. Colson pulls her closer by the small of her back as they tangle their legs inside each other. Luna let's out a shuddered breath of content as she falls into Colson's body and hold. Stroking his face, in the dark, there's no words. Just a heartfelt, lingering kiss and one thought that drifts between them both as they fall asleep.

"FUCK, I fucking love you."

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Word Limit 2 of 2

To be continued.....

[kircns]

⌜ •°  ✦  °• — HEY!! is that AVAN JOGIA? no, that’s KIRAN MEHTA, hanging out in BROOKLYN. they’re TWENTY-EIGHT years old and use HE/HIM pronouns. what do they do here? they’re A MUSICIAN and they’ve lived here FOUR YEARS. their favourite thing about the city is THE FEELING OF INVINCIBILITY, but they hate THE COLD. they pride themselves on being CAREFREE.

Kiran was born and raised in a small, suburban town in North Carolina. His father was an immigrant from India, but his mother had grown up in that same town. His parents met in college, at Duke University, and settled down in his mother’s hometown because at the time of their marriage, her mother had been sick and they needed to be nearby. 

His father is a lawyer and his mother a pediatrician. There wasn’t much room for creativity in their household, as Kiran was very much expected to follow the path of the straight and narrow. Kiran was always arguing for the sake of arguing, and his father would simple ruffle his hair and say he was born to be a lawyer. At 7, he’d never seen his father so proud as when he proclaimed, “I want to study at Duke and become a lawyer like Dad!” 

Of course, goals change. Kids who once dreamed of becoming a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, start to find their real passions — or, in Kiran’s instance, discover their short comings. School was not something he enjoyed and he tended to get distracted by doodling in his notebook or drumming his fingers against the edge of his desk. He learned guitar in secret  — it’s not that his parents were against music, they liked it just fine, but rock ‘n roll was not allowed in the house, and spending his free-time playing the instrument as opposed to studying was certainly not acceptable 

He discovered weed at 16, which was the first time he felt as though he escaped from the pressure. It was on a particularly enlightening trip that he decided: Fuck. This. I wanna be a Rockstar. 

So when his senior year rolled around, he didn’t actually apply to any colleges (though of course he’d told his parents he had). And when acceptance letters started, he teamed up with his best friend to forge a UCLA letter, where he told his parents he’d be attending for pre-law.

So August after he graduated, he took his car (an Audi that his parents had given him for his 16th birthday due to perfect grades, a report of which he had forged as well), and drove out to Los Angeles with his best friend, who was actually going to UCLA for computer science. His thought process was: I’ll get there, I’ll go to Capitol Records, I’ll play for them, and boom. Record deal. Obviously, that wasn’t so much the case. 

In December of that year, his parents discovered he wasn’t actually attending UCLA. Angry and disappointed, they cut him off, which left Kiran with an apartment he couldn’t afford (and was forced to vacate) and a suitcase full of his belongings. And his precious car, which he’d end up living out of on top of couch surfing for the next six months. 

And then, good news finally struck. A UCLA student, a friend of a friend of a friend, who was studying to be in the entertainment industry, had decided to take on Kiran as his project. He wanted to manage him — and, with the little luck he’d had in succeeding so far, Kiran agreed. Next thing he knew, he was being signed to a small, independent record label and was booking shows at small venues around Los Angeles, and then San Diego, and then Portland and Seattle, and he just kept on spreading. 

It had been two year after he graduated high school that he returned to the east coast, but he hadn’t gone back to North Carolina. This time, he was in New York City, and he absolutely fell in love. He played a small show in Brooklyn with not even a hundred people, but it was still perfect. He met a girl, who’d complimented his set, and who he briefly fell in love with for just the night, just for the hours that he took her back to his hotel room. In the morning that feeling had vanished, and he’d sent her on her way, promising to call. He’d since forgotten that promise. 

After a few shows in NYC, Boston, Philly, etc, he returned to LA. But there was always something missing out there, and he never felt quite right about it. At twenty-four, he decided he wanted to live in New York full time. By then, he’d gained a sort of cult following. He wasn’t famous, by any means, but he was playing to rooms of about 300 people, and his shows tended to sell out amongst the underground crowd. He moved to Brooklyn, renting out an apartment in Williamsburg, where he has remained ever since. 

Personality wise, Kiran can be a bit of a snob at times. His stage name is KIRAN. He’s super passionate about music but can come across as a bit pretentious about it. He’s a big lover, but he falls in love with everyone and everything. He can write a love song about someone one night, and write another love song about someone else the next. Has a very carefree, go with the flow attitude. Literally always playing guitar or humming a tune. 

Wanted Connections

Band Mates: Every frontman needs his band!  If there’s any musicians, a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and mayhaps keyboardist would be cool. I’m still deciding on the voiceclaim, but I’m thinking something like The Growlers 

That One Girl: This is mentioned in the bio in slightly more detail, but when he was twenty and came to New York on a mini tour, he met a girl after his show and they went back to his hotel. Of course he’d promised he’d keep in touch, of course he didn’t. NYC is a huge place, he never thought he’d see her again. Well...I thought it’d be a fun connection if he did see her again. All these years later ( nearly 8 years ! ), they randomly bump into each other in some thrift shop in Brooklyn, or some diner in Manhattan, or a brewery in Queens. Anything works ! 

Manager/Best Friend: This is kind of a specific request so I may have to put in a wanted connection for this, but Kiran’s manager was a UCLA student that decided to make Kiran his project. Kiran was the first artist he ever managed, and it’s been a whole decade, so the two are thick as thieves, even if they don’t always see eye to eye on everything. 

All I Need: This is a connection inspired by a song, lol. Kiran is bisexual, So this is open to any gender ! In the song All I Need by The Frights, the lead singer sings about their baby!! The Love of their life!! In a song later released, Whatever, he sings: “and i’m still messed up from when you said you didn’t love me thirty minutes before we played ten songs about your name. and this crowd is screaming back, as i had a heart attack, as i tried to play the lead as i yelled you’re all i need” Basically gimme an ex who broke his heart, an ex who he wrote a lot of love songs about and now they’re hard to play live ! He’s been living in NYC for the past 4 years, so any time within then works. 

Honestly everything ! Neighbors, enemies, frenemies, give me a ton of friendship plots because i seriously can’t get enough of friendships

[daleisgreat]

Lockdown 2009

Greetings all and welcome to my fifth installment of marching through every TNA/Impact Lockdown PPV. Catch up on the previous entries right here! As I watched this PPV it reminded me of where I was with enjoying Impact in this era of April of 2009 when Lockdown emanated from Philly. Even though this was about a third of the way into infamous head booker Vince Russo’s eight year run with TNA, I think I was near the peak of my TNA/Impact fandom. They maintained a solid X-Division lineup and former X-Division stars were becoming mainstays in the World Title picture like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. TNA was getting a lot of momentum with its Main Event Mafia faction consisting of former ‘Monday Night Wars’ stars like Nash, Sting, Booker T, Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle. TNA’s ‘Knockouts Division’ they established when Impact went two hours in 2007 put WWE’s then ‘Diva-Search era’ to shame and I feel it was the predecessor to the ‘Women’s Evolution’ era in the WWE for the past few years. This came to a halt when Eric Bishoff and Hulk Hogan arrived in TNA by the end of 2009 and within a year Impact went from must-see programming to becoming a chore and largely ignoring it by the end of 2010. There will be more on that to look forward to in future Lockdown entries. Here are some key takeaways I had from the 2009 Lockdown before I breakdown the matches…. -I think this is the final Lockdown with Don West announcing because Tazz at this time in the midst of his no-compete clause after finishing up with WWE after nine years. Don West did an entertaining short run as a heel announcer a couple months prior although he largely played it straight on this PPV. Sure enough, Tazz debuted in TNA a couple months later and West was gone from the announce desk. West was an affable and authentic voice for TNA in these early years for the promotion and while Tazz was always a solid announcer, I could not help but feel the announce desk permanently took a dip with the removal of West. -This was year two or three of TNA leaving the safety nest of the Impact-Zone Arena at Universal Studios for a bigger arena gate on the road. Lockdown was one of just a handful of PPVs that TNA took on the road per year and it paid off with a big-time atmosphere, especially with this 2009 card taking place in a city known for its passionate fan-base in Philly.

-Yearly props again go out to TNA promo-package voiceover guy, Barry Scott for delivering powerful narrations for all the storyline recaps before most matches yet again. His poignant voice makes any rivalry and PPV no matter how weak or strong at that moment seem must-see. WWE or AEW needs to hire this guy!!! -The 2009 DVD has a decent smattering of just over a half hour of extras. Aside from the pre-show match, there is a recap of the TNA Interaction fan fest, post-match interviews with Sting, Kevin Nash, Team 3D and a in-progress-of-being-stitched-up Mick Foley. Sting has some kind reflections after his match, Nash is a riot enjoying a post-match brewski, and they get so up close to the medical staff working on Foley that they have to issue a graphic content warning. A Smashing Pumpkins music video and a photo gallery I once again borrowed a few pics from for this entry round off the decent amount of extras. -TNA head honcho Dixie Carter made one of her first on-screen appearances for the company giving a quick interview to Jeremy Borash in the pre-show thanking the fans for their support. She started to make some PR appearances around this time to help promote the recently released Impact game on PS3 and 360 and I believe this was her TNA on-air programming debut. Regrettably, Dixie would go on to make more regular appearances in the years to come as an on-air authority figure much to the displeasure of viewers.

-I liked the frequent quick backstage interviews with talent before their matches and them combined with the aforementioned Barry Scott recaps served as a nice refresher on the rivalries going into this, and none overstayed their welcomes unlike a lot of modern WWE rivalry recap packages. I think Lauren was probably the fourth or fifth backstage interviewer for TNA at this point, and she did a fine good job with her reactions and adding in a quick take relative to the storyline’s after most of the interviews wrapped which added a nice ‘fan’s perspective’ view on the feuds. -Also worth noting is future TNA president and current top brass of NWA, Billy Corgan made an early TNA appearance in the music video hype package for the PPV, which is also a DVD extra, with him lending TNA Bullet with Butterfly Wings for use. Speaking of Corgan, you guys should really watch NWA Powerrr!! It and NXT are my current top two shows of the overcrowded 2019 wrestling bubble in America. -Before we begin (I know…sorry), I have to touch on the Suicide character making his Lockdown debut. He was a masked wrestler that debuted in the previously touted Impact videogame. The Impact game was ridiculously over-promoted on TV each week, eventually culminating in the videogame character becoming an actual wrestler. As of this writing, six different individuals have donned the Suicide gear for various stints for the character in TNA up until earlier this year when his most recent run ended. Worth noting is Suicide’s trademark fingers-to-the-temple pose. That same pose would coincidentally become the well-known cover art of the far better performing game, Borderlands when that game first released the following year. Naturally, having fans chant ‘Suicide’ and having him face off against opponents named ‘Homicide’ stirred controversy and TNA answered the criticism and would change his name to Manik…..before ultimately changing it back to Suicide due to presumably fan demand/creative resentment? TNA! TNA!

-Last year I noted how Lockdown 2008 had a shockingly low blade-job count with Brother D-Von being the sole wrestler who bled throughout the card. 2009 exponentially upped that number with six wrestlers donning the crimson mask with Abyss, Matt Morgan, Bully Ray, Mick Foley, Sting and Kevin Nash all doing the honors. Unlike WWE today, TNA did not change the mat canvas after a match if a wrestler bled so gradually throughout the night the mat transformed into a blood-soaked mess as you can see by the cell-phone photo I took with an overhead camera shot of the main event near the end of the PPV. -Ok, enough babbling, onto the matches of this 2009 Lockdown! The pre-show match is included as a DVD extra and has Eric Young squaring off against local Philly radio personality, Danny Bonaduce. Danny tries some slimy antagonist antics against fan favorite EY, and even sneaks in a little offense before Young surprised him with a roll-up for the win. Danny tried to avenge his loss by beating down Young afterwards, but Rhino came in for the save and gore’d the smithereens out of Bonaduce! The first official match on the PPV card was the annual X-Title, X-Scape contest. This saw champ, Suicide defending against ‘Black Machismo’ Jay Lethal, Sheik Abdul Bashir (formerly WWE’s Daivari), Kiyoshi and Consequences Creed (a pre-WWE Xavier Woods). I will give Vince Russo credit for accidentally stumbling into a legit thrilling finish for this X-Scape matc! It is probably one of my favorites of them so far. After a lot of trademark X-Division high-flying and a few pinfall eliminations, it came down to Suicide and Bashir to escape in order to win. Kiyoshi tried to climb the top of the cage to prevent Suicide from climbing over, but security intervened and pulled him down while Bashir attempted to sneak through the door during the distraction. Before Bashir could sneak out however, Suicide surveyed the surroundings and did a dive from the top onto the security and Kiyoshi outside the ring for the instant victory! It played out very convincingly and I was popping just as big for it as the crowd! -The second annual queen of the cage bout took place next between Sojourner Bolt, ODB, Daffney and then-Beautiful People intern Madison Rayne. Rayne would become a big player for the Knockouts division so it was interesting seeing her quite early in her TNA run. Unfortunately the Knockouts could not quite gel in this match and after several minutes of unremarkable action ODB hit a powerslam for the victory. The IWGP JR. Tag Titles match faired much better though with Motor City Machine Guns defending against LAX and No Limit. It was a bit on the spot-fest side of things, but a good one at that with the Guns successfully defending after hitting their Made in Detroit signature finish for the pin.

-Abyss and Matt Morgan squared off next in the uniquely titled ‘Doomsday Chamber of Blood’ that saw its stipulation being a wrestler cannot score a fall unto they make their adversary bleed. With that, we saw the use of tacks, glass shards and chairs resulting in the expected bloodbath. This Lockdown also took place while Abyss was a little ways into his ‘escaped mental facility’ version of his character and he referenced in a pre-match interview seeking therapy to stop weapon violence from one ‘Dr. Stevie.’ That Stevie turned out to be a TNA-debuting Stevie Richards fresh off his WWECW run who distracted Abyss by taking away a chair from him that caused Morgan to hit his finish for the win. This match gets the honors of being my annual induction for being a solid lock for the eventual WWE home video release of ‘Top 50 OMG Moments of TNA/Impact.’ -The Knockouts Title was on the line next in a triple threat with Awesome Kong defending against Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde. Unfortunately a freak concussion happened to Angelina Love a couple minutes in after she took a cross-body from Wilde. She looked on auto-pilot while Wilde tried to bide time with a hold, but eventually they got the call to go home and Wilde took a weak kick from a handcuffed Kong for the awkward sudden victory. Hate to see it whenever this happens, but this was still a few years before the concussion controversies gained steam in the NFL and before WWE and TNA banned head chair-shots, so part of me was surprised TNA did the right thing and quickly ended the match when they realized something was not right, so good on them for that.

-Both the TNA Tag Titles and IWGP Tag Titles were simultaneously up for grabs next between Team 3D and Beer Money. The announcers and promo package did a tremendous job hyping up this match for who would be the king of the tag teams and making this match have the vibe of a homecoming for Team 3D due to their ECW roots. All wrestlers left the cage within seconds of starting the match (they would be among many to do so throughout the night) and did a ECW-esque brawl throughout the crowd for old time’s sake! Eventually the action came back inside and saw a few good highspots that got the crowd and me rolling and finishing with Team 3D getting the feel good win after hitting Roode with a 3D through a table. -TNA’s version of War Games, Lethal Lockdown, happened next. It saw AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe team up against Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Booker T and Kevin Nash. Seeing how worn down Kurt Angle looked in his farewell match earlier this year it is remarkable how much better he looked ten years prior. He looks about 30 years younger! Highlights of this Lethal Lockdown see Steiner hitting impressive top rope suplexes and Franken-steiners to a big crowd pop and Scotty responded by doing an aggressive flurry of bird flipping motions to the Philly crowd before they could conjure up a ‘You Still Got It’ chant. After Jarrett entered last and the roof of the cage locked down with weapons on top, AJ and Angle quickly ascended on top of the cage roof with a big spot coming from AJ doing a splash through the roof of the cage onto a few Main Event Mafia members to a big reaction. The finish occurred when AJ got the pin on Booker T when Jarrett hit him with a guitar after Jarrett teased turning on AJ. TNA had another former WWE-debut immediately after the match though with Bobby Lashley having an odd motorcycle-themed tron and theme-song package as he posed to the crowd and did…..nothing else of note. This would be the first of two runs for Lashley in TNA where he eventually evolved into a pretty decent act before he went back to WWE last year.

-The main event saw Sting defend his world title against Mick Foley. I recall not being into Foley’s ‘executive shareholder’ authority figure character here where he was squabbling with Sting for calling him out for being inactive and being portrayed as losing his marbles. He continues that characterization by pounding his forehead to bust himself open at the very beginning of the match. Foley looks like he got himself in decent shape in time for this match, but he could not go like he use to by this point in 2009 as this was mostly a kick and punch affair until in a baffling booking decision, Foley attacks a cameraman for being in his way, only moments later to demand that same cameraman to hand him an out of reach barbed-wire bat from outside the ring, to which the cameraman who just got pummeled by Foley quickly acquiesces to. After beating down on Sting with the bat for a while the two engage in a anticlimactic climbing-over-the-cage affair that Foley gets the best of to become the new TNA World champion in an underwhelming headlining bout. The two put on a good effort, and I hate to slight Foley, but he and the odd booking dragged things down a couple notches to the ‘alright’ quality level. -This was a 50/50 night for the eight PPV matches. On one hand we had the off night for the women and the mediocre Doomsday and world title matches, but on the other we had two standout tag title matches, easily the best X-Scape match yet and better-than-usual Lethal Lockdown bout. Overall I would have to say the good outweighs the bad and will give 2009 Lockdown a solid thumbs-up. Join me next time as we enter the first of four Lockdowns that transpired during the not-so-highly-regarded Hogan/Bishoff run! Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[better-inwriting]

Art and Hot Pockets

In honor of International Women's Day (Though its well after midnight when I'm posting this), I thought I would write something that features a strong, beautiful woman. So, enjoy some modern Jackrine.

**********************************************

The rain is coming down fast on a dreary day in September. Outside, the streets of New York are nothing if not full of life despite the depressing mood. The temperature is lower than normal with wind coming in from all directions. As she stands alone in her small, quaint apartment she wonders if it's even worth it-

“Earth to Katherine!” Jack's voice cuts through Katherine's internal monologue.

With an annoyed huff, she turns away from her laptop to stare at him, annoyance clear in her eyes. His holding a hot pocket in one hand and his sketchbook in the other. He's also drenched, meaning he probably ran all the way to her apartment in the rain.

“Did you walk here?” She asks.

He smiles sheepishly, “Maybe.”

“You're an idiot,” She says, rolling her eyes playfully. “What do you have there?”

“A Philly cheesesteak hot pocket,” Jack says, setting his sketchbook aside and approaching her with the other quarter of his lunch. “Try it. I'm not a fan.”

She takes a small bite out of the hot pocket. “It's not bad.”

He hands her the rest of it. “But the superior hot pocket is the pepperoni pizza.”

Katherine vigorously shakes her and struggles to swallow the large bite she gad the taken. “Ham and cheese!” She exclaims still with food in her mouth.

He makes a face before brushing off the comment and reaching for the dishtowel on the kitchen counter to dry his hair. Katherine figures it's a step up from him just shaking like a dog, so she lets it go and makes a mental note to get out a new dish towel when he's not paying attention.

“So did you run all the way here in the rain just to talk about the hot pocket or-”

“No, no, no,” Jack answers in a rush. He lazily tosses the dish towel aside and grabs his sketchbook. He sits down on the couch and motions for her to join. She closes her laptop and sits next to him, watching him flip through many filled pages of drawings.

Finally he finds what he was looking for. He hands her the notebook to an open page where he had sketched a big double gate with a padlock surrounded by overgrown foliage. A worn down brick walkway leads up to the gates and a young girl in a dress with her hair in pigtails sits in front of the gate facing it. Next to her is a small backpack and a kitten licking at it's paws. Katherine recognizes the image instantly.

“This is from my book,” She says almost in a whisper as she examines the drawing. “This is the entrance to the adandoned mansion. This is amazing, Jack. This is exactly how I pictured it.”

“So you like it?” He asks hopefully.

“I love it!” She practically shouts. “How did you know all these details?”

He hesitates. “Don't get mad. The other day when I was here and you took a call to deal with yet another of Specs’ emotional ordeals, I read a little bit of what was on your computer.”

She opens her mouth to start an argument. Jack had a tendency to peek at her things, be it her computer, her phone, her mail. He seems to have a compulsive need to be invasive and they've fought over it a million times. The fact that he would look at it, create it, and then tell her about it is a little astonishing.

“Look, I'm sorry,” He says before she can argue. “I know you hate when I look at your things and rightfully so. I shouldn't do that, I know. But I also know you've been doubting yourself about this book and I didn't want you to give up another project that you're passionate about because you think no one else will appreciate it. Well, I do. I think the book is great. Everything you've written that I could read in the time you were on the phone was amazing, Kath. You're so talented. I thought that if I could just show you how much I believe in you, you wouldn't give up.”

Jack kneels down on the couch in front of her and takes both of her hands. He looks genuinely sorry. “I'm sorry I looked at your things without asking.”

After a second she nods. “Okay. I'll let it go.”

“Thank you,” He says and kissing the back of her hand. “You amaze me, Katherine. You can create life and worlds with just some words and punctuation marks and that is… that is so amazing. You are the most intelligent, beautiful, talented woman I know and I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Jack,” She says. “Thank you. This drawing is fantastic.”

He shrugs. “You made it, I just drew it.”

“That doesn't make sense.”

“No, it doesn't, but I know what I'm trying to say,” Jack says, standing back up and stretching. He leans down to kiss Katherine briefly. “Do you have any pizza hot pockets? Because I'm still really hungry.”

“Yeah probably,” Katherine says, resettling herself as her desk chair and opening the document of her novel. It's been an uphill battle of internal judgement and an inferiority complex, but Jack's support never ceases to help. His support is one of the things that keeps her going.

“Just the damn ham and cheese!” Jack shouts from the kitchen. “Oh well, that'll work, I guess.”

Ten minutes later, Jack is situated on the couch with his sketchbook and his large array of materials. They lapse into comfortable silence, both working on separate projects requiring total focus. Then after a few hours, they catch each other up on what they've done. Katherine finds herself writing more that day than she has in a while and Jack sketches up more and more scenes from her work in progress.

Katherine finds it to be so much easier to work when there's someone in her corner. And after eating three hot pockets because Jack can eat nothing else.

[newagesispage]

                                                                AUGUST    2021

THE RIB  PAGE

Fran Drescher is running for National SAG-AFTRA President with Anthony Rapp as secretary treasurer for Unite for Strength!!! Matthew Modine is running under Membership first with Joely Fisher for Secretary Treasurer. Running in local elections are, among others, Yvette Nicole Brown, Shari Belafonte, Rosie O’Donnell, Jeff Garlin, Ezra Knight, Dule Hill, Camryn Manheim, Sara Rue, Mindy Cohn and Ever Carradine. Sept. 2 is the day!** Frances Fisher filed a suit against SAG-AFTRA over the health care plan but a judge rejected it.

*****

Sha’Carri Richardson’s problem is all our problem. No more drug testing for Mary Jane in this country!

*****

Chuck Schumer finally unveiled the Cannabis administration opportunity act to end Federal prohibition of marijuana.

*****

Dolly Parton used the $10 mil + in royalties from the Whitney Houston version of her song to invest in a black neighborhood in Nashville.

*****

Bob Balaban and Henry Winkler play brothers in The French Dispatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for October 22!!!!!!!!!!!!** The next Wes Anderson film will star Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody and Tom Hanks. No other details are out there yet.

*****

Trees save lives in heat waves.

*****

TBS will bring us n updated Stupid Pet Tricks with Sarah Silverman.

*****

So much organized religion is based on forgeries, fakes and plundering. Virtually none of it is based on any sort of truth, spiritual or even historical. Just lies to fulfill an agenda and control the masses. And so far it has worked. –Larry Charles

*****

Scarlett Johansen has sued Disney cuz her contract guaranteed a theatrical release only.

*****

An expert on the circus industry recently reached out to me and urged me to not compare Trump and his comeback tour to clowns and the circus, as that is an insult to clowns. –Jim Acosta

*****

Eric Adams has won the Dem primary for Mayor in NY.

*****

Have you seen High on the Hog?? It’s awesome!!

*****

Jeff Flake will be ambassador to Turkey.

*****

Cornell West resigned from Harvard with a scathing letter accusing the school of “intellectual and spirited bankruptcy of deep depths.”

*****

Biden gave a hell of a speech in Philly. He needed to go on more about the filibuster but he was passionate about the For the People act and the John Lewis voting rights advancement act.  He roared, “Peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country.”

*****

Will Celebrity Dating Game continue? I am sure they think romance expert, Michael Bolton is a cute and quirky thing to do but not so much. If it stays, I hope they change the music, at least those final notes. And why are half of the questions, “Who am I?” The show could be cute but they need a little work!!

*****

Jeff Bezos donated $200 mil to the Smithsonian air and space museum.**Feminists everywhere winced when Gayle King was interviewing the Bezos space team.  Bezos commented about the 18 year old going with them into space and that he was just worried about the prom at 18. Gayle said “And I was just hoping for a date to the prom.”** But we have to love Wally Funk, the oldest woman to go into space.**Bezos thanked the Amazon employees and customers for paying for his trip. Yikes!**  Saw a great sign: Pay fair taxes, end hunger, help people, end poverty, save Earth or fly to space.

*****

Antonio Banderas and Harrison Ford will star in Indiana Jones 5.

*****

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ashes were laid to rest 5 years after her death.

*****

The Britney conservatorship mess is still going thru the courts, and now topless?

*****

Pope Francis underwent colon surgery which caused him to comment on the need for good health care for all.

*****

Questlove brings us Summer of Soul!!!

*****

Reports show that about 150 people were killed by guns in more than 400 shootings during the 4th.

*****

Has anybody ever built a show around the Tex Watson tapes?? The LAPD apparently liked to deny them but there was a book.

*****

Henry Hall is out with his debut album, Neato, along with a tour.

*****

Do all male law enforcement officers have to be bald now?

*****

Idaho has begun an eradication campaign that could slash the number of gray wolves living in the state by 90%.

*****

Hooray for the monthly child tax credit!!

*****

Release Me 2 from Barbra Streisand is due out August 6.

*****

The look into the Jan. 6 insurrection has begun. Kinzinger and Cheney are in. **Tucker Carlson attacked Harry Dunn, a Capitol officer on air. The man protected Carlson’s son, a House staffer.** On Jan. 5, the Steve Bannon podcast went like this: All Hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Just understand this. It’s gonna be moving. It’s gonna be quick.** Why is mainstream media putting nearly all eggs in the Covid and Olympic baskets and only a few on the insurrection hearing?

*****

Why do so many that call America , “great” seem to hate it?? How can one love this country and not want majority rule, not want democracy??

*****

The Emmy noms are out: Lovecraft Country was nominated even though it has been cancelled.  Also hooray for Pose, The Flight attendant and for Conan!! Lead actor is a tough category with Matthew Rhys, Billy Porter and Rege-Jean Page. Aidy Bryant and Jean Smart got lead and supporting noms. I have to route for Ewan McGregor and Anya Taylor-Joy. I am excited for Paul Reiser, Bowen Yang, Evan Peters, Carl Weathers, Renee Elise Golsberry, Dave Chappelle, Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Levy. There is love for Yvette Nicole Brown, Issa Rae and Maya Rudolph. The Masked Singer got a few noms. The doc category included Tina, Allen V. Farrow and The Bee Gees. Friends: The reunion got 4.

*****

“Voting is not supposed to be easy. That’s what our men died for.”- Jack Finger

*****

Giant Pandas are no longer endangered.

*****

Zalia Avante- Garde is the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ.** I’m more impressed by the girl who won the Spelling Bee than the billionaire who went to space. –Mike Jollett.

*****

Why do they have to run erectile dysfunction ads during true crime rape episodes? ** And why do people still say things like, “this just don’t happen here” or “dumped like a piece of trash? “ There have to be other things to say.

*****

Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee for Trump was arrested for foreign lobbying shenanigans. America first, right?** Wilbur Ross lied to congress about the census and the Trump administration declined to prosecute.** Stephen Calk, bank exec was found guilty of trying to get a WH position by giving Manafort millions in loans.

*****

Jake Ellzey won the Texas special election run off for congress, beating out Trump’s girl Susan Wright.

*****

Every city should have a Peacemobile!!!!!

*****

The Chinese government has been called out for malicious cyber -attacks.  Four officials have been indicted in California.

*****

Miracle Workers’ Simon Rich was there when FB was invented and was so creeped out by people using it to stalk women.

*****

There was a story in Rolling Stone about how Eric Clapton threatened to cancel shows if the venue required proof of vaccines. Valerie Bertinelli tweeted: Once a dick, always a dick.

*****

Every Fox news host is vaccinated. –Mikel Jollett

*****

Toyota has dropped out of Olympic ads.  Contenders are starting to drop out due to positive Covid tests.

*****

Actor Isaiah Stokes has been indicted for murder.

*****

Lionsgate has bought the rights to Clerks 3.

*****

Ready or not, here come the Olympics.- Harry Shearer

*****

The Cleveland Indians will now be the Cleveland Guardians.

*****

A bust of KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest was taken out of the Tennessee capitol.

*****

American Housewife was sold into syndication.

*****

The poorest zip codes include Erie, Pennsylvania, Decatur and the south end of Peoria, il, Canton, Oh, Waterbury, Ct., Bonsecour, Al. and Elpaso, Tx.

*****

Issa Rae married Louis Diame.

*****

The court of appeals disqualified Judge John W. Ouderkirk from the Jolie- Pitt divorce because of a business relationship with Pitt’s attorney.

*****

Joe Manchin owns a coal company.

*****

The Hollywood walk of fame has welcomed Jimmy Smits, Kathie Lee Gifford and 90 year old Marla Gibbs. Terry Crews is next!

*****

Generation after generation of women love the bad boy.  Do they never learn? I will never understand, please explain.

*****

Pelosi rejected 2 of the noms to serve on the special committee looking into Jan. 6. Kevin McCarthy withdrew his 5 noms.

*****

The gun that killed Billy the Kid is for sale.

*****

I think you should leave with Tim Robinson on Netflix is hilarious if U get thru the gross. U can’t miss the episode with Clifton Davis and Fred Willard!!

*****

Joaquin Phoenix is trying to get some bears from a traveling show moved to an accredited sanctuary. The Bearadise Ranch in Florida has been cited for, “violating state wildlife laws.”

*****

Go employees Go!! Frito Lay is on strike, Coal miners are on strike and Ride Share drivers are on strike. A good portion of this country should be on strike. The top of the corporate ladder needs to learn! Let those that treat us fair rise to the top.

*****

Who owns Brett Kavanaugh?

*****

A Bishop seeking to deny Biden communion was caught on Grindr.

*****

Gabriel Jagger married Anouk Winzenried.** I don’t know why the Rolling Stones bass player doesn’t just change his name to “not pictured.” –Michael Mckean

*****

Frank Fritz will not be back on American Pickers.

*****

For the first time, astronomers have seen behind a black hole. Einstein predicted the gravitational pull of black holes is so enormous that they warp the very fabric of space. He was right. Scientists have now spotted light which was being emitted by the far side of the black hole.

*****

Look for Heels on Starz.

*****

What is this new screen for Amazon? It sucks.

*****

Biden has signed an executive order to protect infrastructure from cyber- attacks.

*****

Arthur was canceled.

*****

The Kennedy Center has revealed the latest honorees. The 44th class is Justin Diaz, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell and will be held on Dec. 5.

*****

Get well Bob Odenkirk!!!! The fabulous Odenkirk collapsed on the set of Better call Saul from a minor heart attack.

*****

Days alert: We have lost Days of Our Lives first director, Joseph Behar.  He will be missed.** Marla Ginns is joining the cast as Paulina’s Mother. ** Is EJ throwing Sami out? Will AJ McLean join the cast? **Rex is back.**Peacock is bringing us a limited series, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem that will send many couples on romantic vacations and lead to intrigue. Lisa Rinna will star.** Arianna Zucker (Nicole) is set to marry Shawn Christian (former Daniel).  He popped the question on Father’s Day.

*****

R.I.P. President Jovenel Moise, Philece Sampler, Robert Downey Sr., Richard Donner, flood victims of Belgium and Germany,  Robby Steinhardt, Covid victims, Joseph Behar, Robert Moses, Jackie Mason, Dusty Hill, joey Jordison, Priscilla McMillan, Ron Popeil, Carl Levin, Saginaw Grant and Charles Robinson.

[olgagarmash]

During their senior year of high school, Ahmad, Kahlil and Malik Jones posted their first workout video on YouTube.

Seven years later, the identical triplets own a successful personal training company, Triyo Fitness, and are prominent members of the boutique fitness community in Philadelphia.

While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, they went from creating workout videos to training students on campus. “We really started to grow the business doing bootcamps, training clients and making a name for ourselves as the fitness guys on campus,” Ahmad told TODAY.

After graduation, the triplets decided to take a risk and focus on Triyo Fitness full-time. “It wasn’t a group decision, but it was a decision that would not have worked if all three of us had not come to the same conclusion individually,” said Ahmad.

For Khalil, it was a conversation with his father that convinced him to take a risk. “I said I was going to get a marketing job and do Triyo Fitness on the side and (my dad) said, ‘Why would you do that if your goal is to do Triyo Fitness full-time? … You all should go all in if you want to do it.’ That was one of the most reassuring things my dad ever said to me. That was a really important experience: This is where you choose to take the risk.”

Malik came to the decision after experiencing corporate life firsthand. “I came to realize that I was more exhausted after being in the office from 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. than I ever was teaching classes or interacting with clients. That energizes me and gives me the fulfillment I need, knowing that I’m helping someone and doing it on my own terms,” he said.

Once they were all on board, they hustled to build a network in Philadelphia. “Beginning of 2020 is really when people started to take note,” said Ahmad.

Ahmad, Kahlil and Malik Jones want to help people associate positive experiences with fitness.Triyo Fitness

‘Lit and Fit’: The trio’s approach to fitness

An active lifestyle was ingrained in the brothers from an early age, playing almost every sport among the three of them. “It was always very much an active household we lived in, whether it was riding bikes with our parents or going on hikes,” said Malik. “In high school we got serious with track and field. That’s really where we started to understand training principles.”

“In the beginning it was more about enjoying fitness and having fun. Our parents always wanted us to find something that we could do together that we really enjoyed,” said Ahmad. “It wasn’t necessarily about having a business, but about having something that was ours; that was a good representation of who we were.”

And fun is an important component of their training style, as well as the content they post on social media.

“From the beginning, our motto has been ‘lit and fit.’ We want people to enjoy themselves, to be social, to have a good time, and associate positive experiences with fitness,” said Ahmad. “That’s how we try and curate our content and the behavior we exhibit when we teach classes and interact with clients. We want people to feel good when they’re around us.”

Related

Divide and conquer: Calling on their individual strengths

The identical triplets may have used their “sameness” to build a brand, but keeping it running successfully requires calling on their individual strengths.

Ahmad handles all tech, production and content creation. Malik handles the finances and business tasks, like taxes and pricing. Khalil handles marketing and overall brand direction.

And the same divide-and-conquer mentality applies to their training.

“In our in-person events Khalil does boxing, I do strength training, and Malik ends it with HIIT cardio,” said Ahmad, who also teaches at Barry’s Bootcamp. You can find Khalil on the schedule at Rumble boxing, and Malik teaches classes at Unite Fitness.

Their diverse skill sets — and the fact that there are three of them — allows them to create inclusive fitness programs that have “something for everybody,” said Ahmad.

“We have the ability to make sure each one of us is showing something that most, if not everybody, in the class can relate to,” he added. “We recently did a private event; there were around 2,000 people on the stream, between 12 and 80 years old. The goal was to make sure everybody had something they could do. So we had modifications, chair exercises and progressions to ensure that everybody felt comfortable and we met them where they were.”

Rolling with the punches

While gyms were especially hard hit by the pandemic, Triyo Fitness used it as motivation to launch new programs and expand their business. They all transitioned to virtual one-on-one training and group fitness classes on Zoom, which allowed them to reach a new audience outside of Philadelphia.

“I have a client that lives in California, but now we train together because of Zoom, which is super cool. I never would’ve met her if it wasn’t for the pandemic,” said Khalil.

This led to a shift in priorities. “We really embraced remote training; we can connect with anybody anywhere, and that’s what we want to continue to do,” said Malik. So they pressed pause on their goal to open up brick and mortar locations, and instead focused their efforts on developing an app.

“A lot of people want to be able to connect more online because of the pandemic, so it’s opened up a new avenue for us,” said Malik. “That’s the next thing: growing the community, being able to connect with people everywhere — creating a space where fitness is social, fitness is fun; that makes it more enjoyable to work out.”

Related

‘We’re not just trainers’

“Anyone can show you how to do a bicep curl, but we also want to show you how to have fun and maybe we turn that bicep curl into a cool dance video and then in the next post we tell you how you can be anti-racist with your friends who are experiencing Asian hate,” said Khalil. “These things set us apart because we’re not just trainers. I think that’s part of the reason people are drawn to us because they are getting a look into what we are beyond working out.”

A big piece of who they are is advocates for social change. When social unrest peaked this summer, the brothers used their platform to educate and to support causes they felt passionate about, like the Black Lives Matter movement.

They hosted Zoom workouts as fundraisers for different causes. “We were able to make a serious impact,” said Khalil. “That was huge in terms of talking action. Education is good, but we were able to then take people who we just educated and wanted to do something about it and help them do something about it by doing this sweat for a good cause.”

These personal values also informed their business decisions. “We decided to start really picking and choosing what brands we were going to work with and making sure every single collaboration had some sort of positive social impact,” said Ahmad. “By defining those goals, it gave us the confidence to say ‘these are our standards, if these aren’t the values you’re aligned with, this isn’t a collaboration that’s for us.’ It helped us really define our image and how we want to be seen, and also helped us make that positive impact.”

A 12-minute cardio workout

Want a little taste of what Triyo Fitness has to offer? Get your heart rate up with this sample workout from their new bodyweight program, “Be Anywhere, Be Greater” — no equipment necessary.

Heisman shuffle

Skaters

Squat & twist

Steam engine toe touch

This circuit is meant to improve your balance and agility. Complete 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest for each exercise. Run through all four exercises in a circuit format and complete a total of three rounds. Modify exercises to your skill level and have fun with it!

via Wealth Health

[elleberquist6]

Stray Cat - chapter eleven

Rating: Mature Word Count: 2581 Warnings: Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut Summary: Phil Lester believes that if he does good things then good things will happen to him, so on one of the worst days of his life he invites a rain-soaked Neko boy named Dan into his home. Phil has never met a Neko before and he knows nothing about the dark system that has molded Dan. Dan is part of a repressed population with few rights, and as Phil gets to know him he can’t understand why – Dan is the most amazing person he has ever met. — Though he liked the idea of hiding beneath Phil’s duvet from the world for the rest of the day, Dan dragged himself out of bed. While Phil got ready for work, Dan made himself presentable by putting on a t-shirt and sweatpants – the pants were uncomfortable because of his heat, and Dan stifled a whimper as he settled onto the sofa beneath a blanket.

Someone knocked on the front door, but before Dan could shift the blanket off his lap and get up, Phil had answered the door. Dan heard him say, “Morning, Mar.”

“Hey, Philly.” Dan heard them walk to the kitchen, and then Martyn asked, “Where’s Dan?”

“I think he’s in the living room,” Phil responded. Dan wondered if he should tell them that he could hear them. “Thanks for coming over.”

“No problem,” Martyn said “So, you said he’s sick? Does he like need anything? I’m happy to help but I do need to get some things done today… Just letting you know that I can’t be a nurse if that’s what he needs.”

Phil hadn’t told Martyn what was wrong with him yet – Dan definitely wasn’t going to tell them that he could hear them now. “He should be fine. He’s got a fever and he’s throwing up, but I just don’t want him to be alone in case he passes out and falls down or something.”

“Okay. So, he has the flu?” Martyn asked.

“Uh, no, not a flu.” There was a pause as Phil thought of how to respond. “He’s in heat. Have you heard about that before? It’s a thing that Nekos get.”

“Oh shit. I have heard of that. But not from a reliable source. Just pornos… Yeah, I don’t really know anything about it. I didn’t even know that it could make them sick like this. Just horny.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t imagine that this is anything like what you saw in porn. He’s feeling poorly. I think it’s because he’s resisting it, fighting the way his body is trying to feel. It doesn’t help that this is happening before he has recovered fully from what was done to him before we met – the bruises haven’t even fully healed yet. It’s all just… really awful. But he should be feeling better in a couple days when this heat is over. Can you come over tomorrow, too?”

“Sure, Phil. What time do you have to go to work today?”

“Oh!” Phil exclaimed, and there was the sound of a chair scraping across the kitchen floor. “I should leave now.” There were approaching footsteps and Dan looked up as Phil materialized in the doorway. “There you are. I have to get going. Martyn is in the kitchen setting up his laptop – he’ll be here until I get home, so you won’t be alone.”

“Okay. Have fun at work. Keep an eye out for those flying chocolate oranges.”

Phil grinned at him. “Don’t worry. I’ve been practicing my dodge. I won’t get hit again. See you later.”

“See you.” Dan listened to him as he walked away and then left through the front door; he missed him already. A moment later he heard the chain being put across and then Martyn popped his head into the living room.

“Hey, just wanted to say… hi,” Martyn gave him a wave while Dan stared at him. So, this was awkward – not that Dan could blame him. “I’ve got to get some work done. If you need anything, give a shout, or else I’ll just see you in a few hours when I take my lunch break.”

“Okay,” Dan said, exhaling in relief when Martyn left the room and took the awkward tension with him. Wanting a distraction, he turned on the TV and the game console. He muted the TV so that he didn’t bother Martyn in the kitchen and he started playing Mario Kart. After a few minutes, he was glad that Phil wasn’t here to see how awful he was – he felt too lousy to concentrate on the race and he kept getting hit by items. He played until he couldn’t focus anymore, stared at the menu for a while, and then dropped the controller.

Dan buried his face in the arm of the sofa. He wanted the pain to stop – his head was throbbing, his heart was pounding, his dick was so sensitive that it was painful, and his stomach was rolling with nausea though he hadn’t eaten anything today. Dan didn’t like being a Neko – he never had – but it was moments like this that made him hate what he was. He was broken.

Someone was touching his shoulder. Dan woke with a shout and flinched away from the hand. “Sorry!” someone said. Dan looked up to see Martyn backing a step away from him. “I made sandwiches for lunch. I was just waking you up to see if you were hungry.”

“Oh,” Dan tried to even his breathing. He must have been asleep for a while if it was lunchtime. Truthfully, he was tired and would have preferred to continue sleeping, but he gave Martyn a polite smile. “Thanks, Martyn.”

Martyn sat next to him on the sofa and Dan saw that he had already placed two glasses of Ribena and a platter of sandwiches on the coffee table. Martyn nodded to them in invitation. “Peanut butter and jelly. I even cut them into triangles because that makes them better, of course.”  

Dan took a bite of a sandwich hesitantly, but his stomach seemed to have settled. Martyn was acting less awkward around him, and a few moments later they settled into a casual race of Mario Kart between bites of peanut butter and jelly. Dan asked, “How much longer are you on break?”

He glanced at his watch. “About 45 minutes, but my schedule isn’t really strict. It’s more a matter of keeping track of how much time I work for when I bill my client later.”

“What is it that you do?” He asked, and he said it with more than casual curiosity – Dan liked the sound of a job he could do from home.

“Web design.”

“Oh,” Dan said, unsure what to ask next. He only knew about ‘the web’ in an abstract sense when people like Phil talked about the internet or he saw it depicted in movies or on TV. He was curious about going online, but no one had ever allowed him to do it before Phil handed him a laptop when they were looking at jobs, and Dan hadn’t explored any other websites at the time. “How did you learn how to do that? Did you have to go to school?”

“Yeah, I went to college. I knew some things about it since I was a kid, but I couldn’t get hired until I earned some credentials.”

Dan sighed, letting go of a vision of the future where he could be a web designer.

Martyn glanced at him. “You’re thinking about getting a job?”

“Well, I don’t want to live off Phil forever, and I know there aren’t many options for people like me. When Phil said you work from home I started thinking about how nice that sounded. It might not matter that I have a tail and ears if I can work from home.”

Martyn nodded. “I can see that. There’s lots of other jobs you can do from home. Not all of them require degrees. I’m sure you’ll find something.”

“Thanks,” Dan said with a smile, feeling a bit more optimistic. They completed another race, and Dan came in nearly last as he became distracted by another thought. “Martyn, could you tell me something about Phil? I didn’t want to ask him in case it would be crossing a line, but why does he work in customer service if he doesn’t like it?”

“Oh, he wouldn’t have been bothered if you’d asked him. You should know that Phil has a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics, but there aren’t many jobs in that field and he doesn’t want to work in that area anyway. He also started working on a Master’s degree in Post-production and he loved it, but he stopped since he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his degree and the classes were really expensive. So, Phil started working in customer service jobs to pay his student loans while he took a break from school, and that’s what he’s been doing since.”

“So, he hasn’t found his passion yet? The thing he wants to do with the rest of his life?”

“Oh, no,” Martyn shook his head. “He found it. Hasn’t he shown you yet?”

Dan just blinked at him.

“Where’s his laptop?” When Dan pointed to Phil’s bedroom, Martyn left and then returned with Phil’s laptop. He opened it but then stared at the place where he was supposed to enter a password. “Hmm, I know his old password, but I’m not sure if he’s changed it. Oh well. If it’s wrong, I’ll just show you on my laptop when I’m finished with work, or you can get Phil to show you.”

Dan watched Martyn’s hands move across the keyboard, and then he said, “His password is Buffy1987?”

“It used to be. Let’s see…” Martyn hit ‘enter’ and they both laughed when the laptop accepted the password. “I guess I know my brother. Okay… so, have you heard of YouTube?”

“No.” Dan watched as Martyn pulled up a website with bright red logos. Martyn typed ‘AmazingPhil’ into the search field. Then he slid the laptop over to Dan.

“Okay, I’ve got to get back to work, but if you’re curious this used to be Phil’s passion. He would make videos on this website. I’m not sure why he stopped – I haven’t asked him. But it made him happy, so I hope he starts doing it again someday.”

Martyn returned to the kitchen and Dan pulled the laptop into his lap. He plugged in some headphones, but he hesitated before clicking on a video. It seemed personal somehow, like he had found Phil’s diary and was about to start reading it, but then he had to admit that this was a poor analogy because if he came across Phil’s diary he would probably read it. Dan wanted to know everything about Phil. So, he played the video. And then another. And another.

“Hey! Can someone please get the chain?”

Dan looked up at the sound of Phil’s voice – Phil was home, but he was locked out. Dan shut the laptop and shifted it to the cushion beside him. He gathered the blanket around his body to conceal the effect his heat was having on his body and he walked to the front door. Martyn was already there, closing the door behind Phil.

Dan grinned like a fool and launched himself at Phil. After taking a second to recover from his surprise, Phil wrapped his arms around Dan. “Hello, you. What was that for?”

“Just happy to see you,” Dan responded. There was a slight rumble accompanying his words and Dan realized that he was about to start purring, but he held the sound in and pulled back from Phil with an apologetic smile, wrapping the blanket tighter around his body as if he could hide beneath it in his embarrassment. “Didn’t mean to attack you as soon as you walked in the door. Sorry, I just missed you.”

“Missed you, too.” He looked at Martyn. “I know you were working, but you didn’t ignore him the whole time I was gone, did you?”

Martyn snorted. “No, Phil.”

“He was nice, Phil! Don’t be cross with him. He just wasn’t you.” Dan looked away, embarrassed.

“Okay,” Phil clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Thanks for your help today. I’m just going to change out of my work clothes, and then you can get going. I’m sure you want to go back to your place.”

Martyn nodded, and Phil started walking to his room. When his back was turned Martyn made eye contact with Dan and then glanced at the kitchen. He whispered, “Come, please.”

With a mix of apprehension and curiosity, Dan followed Phil’s brother to the kitchen. Martyn didn’t immediately indicate what he wanted as he started packing his laptop and papers into a bag. “What is it?” Dan asked.

“That hug you gave Phil…” Martyn said as he continued shuffling his papers. “I was just wondering what that was about. Did you ever talk to Phil? About the thing you said you were going to talk about?”

It took Dan a moment to remember the conversation he had with Martyn the last time they were together. “Oh! Yeah, we did talk about that.”

“You did?” Martyn looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. “How did he take it?”

Dan suddenly found it difficult to meet Martyn’s gaze. “It didn’t go the way I thought it would. Kind of the opposite.”

“He was upset when you said you didn’t like him?” Martyn whispered, glancing at the door to make sure that Phil wasn’t coming.

“No, I was the one who… No. I told him that I might like him.”

Martyn gaped at him. “Why did you do that? You said you weren’t going to hurt him.”

“What’s going on?” Phil was in the doorway, looking between their faces. Dan’s face was flushed, and he wasn’t sure if it was from his heat or shame. “What are you guys talking about?”

Martyn picked up his bag. “Nothing. Um, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. If you want me to come back.”

“Why wouldn’t I want you to come back?” Phil asked suspiciously.

Dan shook his head. “Don’t be silly, Martyn. Of course he’ll want you to come back.”

“No hard feelings?” Martyn asked with a sad smile. After Dan gave him a nod, he turned back to Phil. “Well, good night.”

Phil walked his brother to the door so he could lock it, and then he returned to the kitchen. “What was that about?”

Dan pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

Phil sat down at the table beside him. “Sorry, are you feeling okay?”

Dan gave him a small smile. “Not exactly, but don’t worry about it. Listen, about Martyn...” Phil nodded encouragingly, and Dan went on. “Don’t fight with him, not on my behalf. He’s just being protective of you.”

Phil frowned. “I’m used to it. He always has been. Well, except for this one time when I started going to the same school as him and he ditched me on the first day. Other than that, yeah, he’s always been there for me. Kind of annoying actually.”

“Don’t take it for granted.” Dan spoke with a hardness in his voice that seemed to get Phil’s attention. “Don’t throw that away. No one has ever looked out for me, not in the way your brother looks after you.”

“What did he do, though? Looked like a pretty tense conversation when I walked in.”

Dan shrugged. “That’s all it was – a conversation. He knows you like me, so he’s been asking about it. He’s just being protective of you. It’s fine.”

“Oh. Well, sorry about him. I should have told him not to bother you about it – I just didn’t realize that he knew I liked you.” Phil looked away. “Hey, have you had dinner yet?”

Dan shook his head.

[himbowelsh]

"I'm gonna need you to calm down." - the Philly squad upon seeing a gator in the bayou visiting Roe's family.

prompt me like a love song baby (ACCEPTING)

Gene’s not sure what he regrets more – inviting Babe down to Louisiana for the week while his cousin is also visiting, or saying it was fine if Babe brought his friends with him.His sister Minnie put it quite nicely. “We call him the creepy cousin for a reason, and it ain’t because he’s a friendly guy. We call him that cause he’s weird, a little scary, and has his share of problems. You’re supposed to keep him away from kids or open flames, not invite your boyfriend down here to meet him.”

To be fair, it’s not like Gene planned it this way. Babe’s visit had been a very spur-of-the-moment thing – as in, Babe called him up one day and told him, “I need to get out of Philly for, like, a week. Can I please crash at your place?” Apparently half a country away seemed like a far enough escape from whatever trouble Babe refuses to tell Gene about. Gene wasn’t even surprised when Babe called him from the plane a few days later and sheepishly told him that the rest of his crew was coming along.(Gene shudders to think of being crammed in alongside the Philly bunch on a long plane ride. He thinks he’d start looking for parachutes before they even made it off the runway.)His cousin showing up on the Roe family’s doorstep on the morning before Babe is set to arrive: that’s a surprise.Merriell Shelton straightened up in the doorway, bared his teeth in a shameless grin, and wasted no time making himself at home. He bedded down on the couch (the guest room, Gene insisted, was for Babe), drank all of the beer, and leered at Gene and his siblings over the top of the Bayou Chene Times. If there’s one thing Merriell’s good at, it’s showing up when he’s not welcome. If he’s good at anything else, it’s making people so uncomfortable that they want to crawl out of their skin.(Minnie and Winnie, the twins – who aren’t actually twins, but are so alike in every way that the family considers them a single unit – hate Merriell with a passion. He antagonizes them, they snap at him right back, and it turns the entire house into a war zone. Gene is ready to rent a hotel room, just because he knows he won’t be able to endure them for long.)Merriell is the last person Gene wants in the house when his boyfriend and his friends show up. But, well, it’s not like he can kick his cousin out. His mother would never let him, or forgive him for suggesting it; his aunt would roll in her grave. Merriell might not care either way, but Gene won’t risk the wrath of his Maman.So, when a gaudy orange taxi rolls through the bayou and pulls up in front of Gene’s family home, Gene is waiting at attention in the doorway; and Merriell is lounging on the porch.“Where in the sweet hell,” Merriell mutters, “did they find a taxi in the middle of this swamp?”Gene doesn’t answer. He knows better than to question Babe’s way of doing things by now. The taxi could be stolen, for all he knows, and he really doesn’t want to find out.As each person steps out (there are so many folks in there that taxi might as well be a clown car), it couldn’t be more obvious that the city-dwellers are out of place. Fran is wearing a sunhat and sunglasses. Bill is grimacing down at the mud staining his pristine white sneakers. Julian’s in jeans, for god’s sake, and Spina has a damn map under one arm. Worst of all, Babe’s Irish porcelain skin all but makes him luminescent in the warm bayou sunlight. The snorts he’s wearing do his bony legs no favors. Gene has no doubt he’ll be red as a cherry before the day is out, and moaning about how much the sunburn hurts.He doesn’t get much of a chance to gape at his out-of-place guests, however. Babe catches sight of his boyfriend and breaks into a grin wide enough to light all of New Orleans.“Gene!”Babe rushes forward, and the next second Gene finds him swept up in an enthusiastic hug. His arms lock around Babe’s shoulders; he pulls him down to plant a kiss against soft lips. In an instant, Babe is pliant against him, and Gene has to stop himself from grinning. He’s missed this.When they break apart, Babe is flushed as red as his hair, and he’s still beaming. “Oh god, you look –” he says, and is cut off by Gene kissing him again. “Great,” he finishes, when the part for air once more. “You look incredible.”From over Gene’s shoulder, he hears his cousin whistle. No force on earth is getting him to tear his eyes from Babe just to tell Merriell Shelton off.A part of him wonders if the Philadelphia gang are actually from earth. If they were some bizarre pack of aliens, it would explain a lot.An unholy shriek splits the bayou, and that’s what gets Gene to tear his attention away from Babe. To be fair, Babe does the same thing. He reels around at the first sound of his friends in trouble, and is already bounding towards them before he catches sight of something that makes him freeze in his tracks.Then Babe screams, and everything falls to chaos after that.People are wailing. The taxi’s horn blares. The Philadelphia tourists run around each other like chickens with no heads, any sense completely abandoned in their panic. “HOLY SHIT,” someone is hollering. It’s shrill enough that it could be Babe, but there’s an equal chance of it being Bill, or Julian. It’s definitely not Fran. “THAT’S A DINOSAUR. THAT IS A GODDAMN DINOSAUR.”Fran has climbed on top of the taxi,  armed with her purse and ready to use it. Spins is hammering on the car windows, but the driver has locked the door. Babe has leapt into Bill’s arms, clinging to his neck like a damsel in distress. Julian is on the ground, curled up with his hands clasped over his head, ready for the end of times. Guarnere, in classic Wild Bill style, looks ready for a fight.They’re all losing their minds over an alligator.To be more accurate, they’re losing their minds over Etienne.Etienne has lived around their home for as long as Gene can remember. He’s a friend of the family. Not their pet, of course (“You can never tame nature,” Gene’s late grandmére once told him a small solemn-eyed little boy who never forgot her words. “You gotta to learn to live with it, or it’ll eat you up.”), but a friend all the same. Etienne and the Roe family have an unspoken agreement: you don’t bother us, we won’t bother you. He Roe children were kept well out of the way of the ancient gator as children, though little Gene always dared to venture too close when his mother’s back was turned. In exchange, Etienne gobbled up the pests around the Roe home, and left all the “good things” (like people) alone. Etienne isn’t someone Gene’s Maman will invite in for dinner, but he’s harmless.Mostly.Gene wonders if he has a taste for Philadelphians.Bill drops Babe to the ground, and Babe immediately wraps himself around the taxi’s tire. He looks like he’s crying. Everyone’s screaming so loud that Gene can’t tell whose voice belongs to who.He takes a few steps back onto the porch. For a few moments, all he can do is watch in bemusement. He’s jolted out of his gaze by an inevitable  snort of laughter.“You’ve really thought this through,” Merriell drawls, and takes a long drag from his cigarette.Gene sighs through his teeth, and debates the merits of intervening. He could let them wear themselves out – it seems easiest. Then again, if they keep this racket up, the entire bayou is going to be awake, and old Etienne might just get offended enough do do something about it.So he reluctantly clears his throat and steps forward. “Everyone,” he calls; and when this gets no response, “everyone!”Nothing. He’s not sure what he expected.A sudden projectile flies past his head, not leaving Gene time to duck. It shatters against the nearest tree with a loud crash. The noise is jarring enough that, all at once, the chorus of screams cuts off. Merriell is standing up now, staring at the group with a wide-eyed, unreadable expression. He’s doing the thing again, Gene realizes, and fights not to moan. The creepy thing. This is why Merriell is the cousin they don’t like to leave alone in the house.“Oh, look at that. You do know how to shut your mouths.” Merriell’s lips curl back in what no sane person would call a grin. He looks thrilled. “Makes it lots nicer ‘round here when it’s quiet.”Babe is the one to break the spell that Merriell seems to have cast over the group. His attention swivels back to Gene, and he chokes on air as he fights to form words. “G-G-Gene! There’s a, there’s, it’s a goddamn –”“That’s Etienne,” Gene interjects, stepping off the porch again. “Afraid I’m gonna need y'all to quiet down. My Maman’s inside cooking, and all this screaming’s not good for the gumbo.”Fran is staring at him as if he’s lost his mind – even though she’s the one clinging to the hood of a taxi. “You gave that monster a name?”“He’s our neighbor. We’re friendly.” To prove it, Gene gives Etienne a wave. The old gator, smart enough to not want to get involved, slinks back into the depths of the bayou.Only when he’s gone do the Philly crew seem it safe enough to exit Crisis Mode. Babe peels himself off the ground, while Bill lifts Fran off the hood of the car. No one bothers to help Julian up. When they all turn to Gene, wide eyed and expectant, Gene is reminded of schoolkids waiting for the teacher’s instruction. He’s never wanted to be a teacher.“Lets go inside,” he says after a beat. “Time for you to meet to family. My brothers are out, but my sisters are in, and so’s my Maman. They’re all dying to meet you.”“And who’s this asshole?” Bill demands as they pass Merriell (he pulls Fran a little closer to him when Merriell leers at her). His cousin doesn’t seem offended in the least, so Gene just rolls his eyes.“That’s Merriell. He’s part of the family, but he ain’t supposed to be here now. You can ignore him.”As the Philly gang filters through the doorway, one after the other, Gene feels like a mama duckling counting heads. Only when he gets to the last head – full of messy ginger hair – does he pause to look up into Babe’s bright face.“That might have been a rough start,” Babe whispers, looping an arm around his waist, “but this is gonna be a great vacation, Gene. I’m sure of it.”Gene bathes in the confidence of his boyfriend’s words. He wants more than anything to believe that Babe is right.The jagged smile he glimpses on Merriell’s face, however, suggests that Babe and his friends are in for more trouble than they’re prepared to handle.