#i KNOW about thrifting but all the thrifts are DOWNTOWN and i HATE downtown

[liuisi]

anyone else completely disillusioned with buying new clothes

[hellfirenacht]

Reader ==> Go Shopping For Appropriate 80's Clothes

lsekai Chronicles Master List

START HERE <<-- FIRST CHAPTER HERE

Recommended Previous Chapter: ==> Meet The Party

Chapter Summary: You go shopping, think about morality, and run into a familiar face.

Cash is king. That’s how the old saying went, right? You’d heard that since you were a kid and had taken it to heart. Plus if you carried cash, that was money that your bank account didn’t know about so if you bought something it didn’t count. That’s just basic math.

It had been payday the night you had fallen into Hawkins, and you had managed to go to the bank that day, pulling out a couple hundred from your paycheck that you had planned to stick in your piggy bank at home for a rainy day. That handful of 20s was sitting uselessly in your wallet, and you knew that you needed to do something not super legal soon.

You couldn’t keep secretly borrowing clothes from the Wheeler family. It was starting to feel weird and uncomfortable. You needed your own clothing and soon.

It was the middle of the week and Ted was at work, Karen had taken Holly to the pool, and who knows where Mike and Nancy were. That was fine with you, in the five days that you had managed to hide in the home you’d quickly figured out the schedules. You hated it though, and you knew you’d need to find a new place to live soon.

Being out of the house helped. You managed to get a feel for the layout of the neighborhood and now made the long trek to the downtown area where there were shops. Your stomach twisted at what you had to do, as you tried to tell yourself it wasn’t that illegal.

It was still technically US legal tender. Would be. Maybe? You had flipped through the 20s in your wallet and picked out the oldest and most crumpled looking bills you could find to use first for things you needed and had crumpled the rest by hand in an attempt to distract the teller from what you were about to do.

God you wish you had a car. It was hot in August, and you were already sweating through your borrowed shirt, and you desperately needed a toothbrush and some deodorant that didn’t smell like teenage boy.

It was just after noon when you arrived downtown, feeling out of place.

Guess I better get used to it. You thought to yourself.

With the Starcourt Mall burned down, your only choice was a handful of local shops and thrift stores. Thrifting would be the best bet, maybe you could spend one of your twenties on maybe a pair of pants and a new shirt if you were lucky.

Shoulder pads. Shoulderpads and blazers as far as the eye could see.

You flipped through the rack of clothing, the second hand shop you found was filled with clothing that was already dated by 1985 standards, and so with your 2023 style it was pretty far out of your wheelhouse.

You wish you had a friend in this world. Yeah, Dustin and Mike had been nice to you and letting you hide out until you could find a more permanent place to stay but they were kids. You weren’t gonna add any additional stress on them when they were already trying to help you. And there was no way you were gonna ask them for fashion advice.

...Okay you were tempted to ask Dustin where he got his Weird Al shirt that he was wearing that first night. There was a comfort that the singer was a link to all weirdos and nerds in any decade.

It took all afternoon, sorting through the racks for clothes that fit you, felt like your style, and (hopefully) helped you blend into this world. Seeing the prices made you want to cry, realizing that you could afford the few pieces of clothing easily.

Right, things were cheaper in the 80s. You add that to the mental tally of ‘reasons to stay vs reasons to try and go home’ list you were keeping in your mind.

Stay. Go. Could you even go home? Did you want to? There was a way here, so there had to be a way back. If a portal opened up and you were able to jump through it right now and end up home would you take it?

The logical part of you said yes, that would be the smart move. Shit was going to hit the fan in a few months and it would be dangerous for you to be here, you could end up dead or worse. Finding a way home should be your priority, or at least getting out of Hawkins.

But there was another part of you, a part that lived in the back of your mind, that was saying something different. Four people were destined to die, and what if you could change that?

What was your responsibility to this world? To these strangers?

Every time you thought about anything harder than your immediate needs your stomach twisted into a knot. You couldn’t think about that, not yet. There were months before this was supposed to happen, right? And you wouldn’t be of help to anyone as a homeless time traveler with out of place fashion.

But those questions were what you kept coming back to as you made your way to another shop to get yourself some toiletries and underwear. You tried to focus on anything else, the songs on the radio you recognized, the brands in the store you didn’t, the people around you-

Well, that last part didn’t work out for you as you ran smack into someone head on. You dropped the tooth brush, toothpaste, and 8 pack of value underwear that you were holding and scrambled to pick them up.

“Shit, sorry-” you started, grabbing for the toothpaste that was closest to you while the person you ran into grabbed the value pack.

You stood up, and your face paled at the young man you had run into.

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the aisle like that.” Steve Harrington said, as he handed you your underwear back.

Philosophy aside, you decided that if a portal opened up you’d hop in no matter where it led you.

You grabbed the pack out of his hands, nearly dropping the toothpaste again in the process.

Before you could say anything else, you heard someone call Steve’s name and you booked it the second he turned around, leaving the toothbrush on the ground.

This was stupid, you knew that it was. There was no reason for you to be panicking like this, but when you saw him you didn’t know what else to do. Meeting him again was inevitable, and you knew that. He was friends with Dustin and the rest of the Party. You ducked into the clearance section and tried to calm your breathing.

Jesus Christ, he’d handed you back the underwear that you were about to buy. Had this been any other situation, with any random stranger it wouldn’t have mattered. You would have just gone about the rest of your day and not even thought about it unless the other person made a weird remark.

But this wasn’t just anyone, this was Steve Harrington. You couldn’t afford to fuck up any relationship with any of these people if you were going to help.

You were going to help, right? That’s what a good person would do.

Steve Harrington has a hairy chest. Your brain offered up helpfully, providing an image for you. No brain, that was not helpful, actually. Of all the information you could remember about Steve, it was THAT?

You rubbed your face and decided to check out before anything else happened. You found the aisle with the least interested looking teen and handed over the crumpled bill, holding your breath as they didn’t even look at the bill before ringing you up.

You stood outside the shop with your haul shoved in your backpack. Your D&D books were being borrowed by the boys, and you somehow doubted you’d see them again any time soon.

Now what?

Tumblr User ==> Now what?

[aprillikesthings]

I wrote on my 60's au fic, yayyy

For all the (bordering on excessive) research I've done for this fic, I have intentionally not looked up anything about how trust funds work, much less how they worked in the 1960's. I have Adora a week after her 18th birthday just sneaking her birth certificate and some "paperwork" from her mother's file cabinet when she's not home and going to the bank and pulling out a little cash, since it's her money now, right??

Anyway, now I have a draft of the scene of her buying a red jacket which is something I've looked forward to writing!! There's an irony in the fact that she wears that red jacket for the entirety of canon because she's uncomfy in any clothes so she just keeps wearing what's familiar and gives her purpose (per Nate on twitter), but in my fic Adora buying her red jacket is a big Fuck You to her mother and makes her feel cool and even kinda hot for the first time.

Anyway want to read my first draft of this scene, it's a bit over 400 words--

(side note before going in: antique/thrift stores/flea markets in the 1960's often had Victorian/Edwardian things for CHEAP. That stuff was the same age then, as buying stuff from the 1950's and 60's is now, but apparently there was just more of it? I dunno how often I've read about hippies buying clothes from that era by the pound for almost nothing and then cutting them up to make new things.)

A week after Adora's 18th birthday party, she found her birth certificate and other paperwork in her mother’s file cabinet. She went to the bank after school and smiled at the teller and pulled several hundred dollars out of her trust fund. 

That weekend, Adora and her friends went downtown, and stopped at a dusty antique store with racks of super-old clothes. They took turns trying on a top hat and laughed while the shop owner scowled. 

Glimmer grabbed a purple velvet skirt made of real silk with a small rip at the bottom. “I can cut it shorter. Maybe make a top out of what I cut off, or even just the lining.” She showed them the lining, a beautiful lavender satin. 

Perfuma dug through strings of beads and looked at each one separately before putting it back or setting it aside. 

“Damn. It’s too small.” 

Adora looked up to see Bow struggling out of a red jacket. She walked away from where her and Glimmer had been flipping through a rack. 

The jacket was a vivid red wool, trimmed in gold braid and brass buttons. There was fur lining the collar and cuffs. It looked like something from a marching band, or maybe an old-fashioned military uniform. It was amazing. “Let me try it on.” 

Adora pulled off her green letterman jacket and draped it over a nearby rack before taking the red jacket from Bow. She put her arms through the sleeves and knew before she looked in the mirror that it fit. 

Her reflection startled her, a little. It wasn’t just that it fit, it made her look…cool. Really, really cool. 

But she also looked…hot. That was a new feeling. She turned in the mirror, admiring herself.

“Wow. Adora, you have to buy that,” Bow said. 

Glimmer looked over. “Oh hell yeah.” 

It smelled a little like moth balls. It was also missing the top button.

She sighed. “My mother hates it when I wear red.” 

Perfuma looked over and then gave Adora an up and down. “Hmm. Red’s a good color on you, though. And I saw a brooch that might work for the missing button, hold on.” She came back and dropped it into Adora’s palm: it was a gold wing. She pinned it in place of the missing button. It fit, somehow; like the jacket was intended to have a wing for a top button.

Glimmer walked up behind her and made eye contact in the mirror and grinned conspiratorially. “You know, it’s cold in the summer in San Francisco. My aunt complains about it.” 

Adora grinned back. 

(author's note: ahahahaha yes the jacket is based on one of the ones Jimi Hendrix wore, not that Adora knows who he is yet)

[daisychains334]

about time i did an introduction, i suppose…

hi, i’m daisy (she/her)

i am a lover of this world and the creativity within it.

after all, earth without ‘art’ would only be ‘eh.’ :)

here’s a few things about me <3

*•💿୨⎯music ⎯୧💿•*

artists/bands: lana del rey, artic monkeys, tv girl, fiona apple, mitski, smashing pumpkins, nirvana, hole, queen, chappell roan, the cure, boygenius, lorde, phoebe bridgers, foo fighters, wolf alice, oasis, taylor swift, arcade fire, ethel cain

albums: french exit, when the pawn, mtv unplugged, the rise and fall of a midwest princess, pure heroine, punisher, the record, in utero, live through this, evermore

+⭐️୨⎯media⎯୧⭐️+

books: the mysterious benedict society, the book thief, pride and prejudice, a good girl’s guide to murder, the kingkiller chronicles, enola holmes, we were liars, genuine fraud, how to be perfect, folk of the air series, humor me

authors: e. lockhart, sylvia plath, jane austen, markus zusak

movies/musicals: hamilton, little shop, enola holmes (again), wonka, the greatest showman, pride and prejudice (again), elemental (it is a BANGER ok??), 10 things i hate about you

shows: ted lasso, everything sucks!, heartstopper, i am not okay with this, cowboy bebop, mtv’s downtown

*🎀୨⎯other⎯୧🎀*

ideologies i believe strongly in: free palestine, girls protect girls, socialism or just general anti capitalism, freedom of religion without freedom of hate speech “because” of religion, black lives matter, pro-choice, feminism, love is love, trans rights are human rights.

things i love: reading, fashion history, fall, old dogs, sunshine, naps, “weird” animals, the idea that things are only worth what we’re willing to give up for them, academia type aesthetics, chanel, tea and coffee equally, thrift shopping, poetry, quiet but not quite silence, libraries, cafes, hot showers, vivienne westwood, grammar, rain puddles

things i collect: cd’s and vinyl, dice, playbills, seashells, polaroids, sweaters, rings

and here’s a little guide to my tags so you can navigate my page!!

#🪴୨⎯ tags⎯୧🪴#

#daisy’s writing things ~ shitposts i make about writing, whether that be tips, encouragement to others writers, or simply rants about how it annoys the hell out of me lol

#daisy’s random things ~ pure shitposts about no particular topic, just random things i happen to think of…

#daisy’s work ~ writing, poetry, art, etc. that is my creation :)

#daisy’s quotes ~ quotes, lyrics, or excerpts from poems or books that i really like!

#daisy’s mood boards ~ a curated vibe about a particular aesthetic or lifestyle i’m really into, expressed through quotes, writing, or pictures

#daisy’s asks ~ exactly what it sounds like: info about my asks, answered asks, etc. :)

(sometimes there may be multiple of these tags on one post if the post includes multiple of these)

(small side note about my page ~ i only follow people i know in real life, for safety reasons, this doesn’t mean you can’t follow me though!!)

thanks for reading!!

daisy 🌼

[c0ffinrehearsal]

OMG congrats on your new job!!!! do you have any insider tips on thrifting/buying secondhand??

thank you so much!!! and YES, i have so many, these are the most important imo:

join your local ‘buy nothing’ group on fb/insta, etc. rich ppl who live in your neighborhood are literally always giving away cool stuff - often brand new - bc they have no concept of how much things are worth and don’t want to bother selling it.

avoid depop & poshmark like the plague. shit gets marked up like crazy - if ur shopping online for vintage, try ebay instead. or find ppl who are sellin’ stuff through instagram.

know your measurements! take a fuckin garment tape measure to the thrift store & measure what you can’t try on to get an idea of how it’ll fit you. people will stare at you for doing this, don’t worry about it.

always always try and find small, local thrift stores. avoid goodwill & salvation army unless they’re all you’ve got in your area. if they are, stuff gets marked down significantly towards the end of the month, and try going to the locations toward the outer part of town. the same shit will be priced higher in like, downtown areas or whatever.

goodwill outlets - with the huge blue bins, are the best place to find weird shit for super cheap but you have to literally dig through huge piles of stuff to find anything. there will be a ton of rude re-sellers there, don’t worry, employees hate them too. plan to get there really early or closer to close for less crowds.

idk if these are just popular in the south, but stop at that yard sale you were gonna drive past! go to the antique mall! find a flea market and spend a couple of hours going through all the insane little booths!

be nice to thrift store employees. they don’t decide on the pricing, usually, and when they do - they sure as hell aren’t going to give you something cheaper if you’re being a dick. we will put aside cool shit for regulars, and even call or message you from our instagram to ask if you want it and it’s the highlight of our day.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

I was going back through my previous months of monthly recaps when it struck me how almost every one starts with some befuzzlement over just what the heck we did the previous month.

Good thing I take notes.😉

For example, the missus ‘n I had an interesting experience at The Little Lies Apex Everett show on November 9 after which the next day the following exchange occurred between myself and the daughter.

"We're starting to get the sense  that you don't need to be Taylor Swift famous in order for people to walk up and tell us how AWESOME it is that we're your parents.

Well done, you. ☺️"

To which she responds

"seems like you guys were famous in the crowd 🥰"

That's maybe overstating our disposition a little but it did feel like we were getting a lot of undeserved deference and enthusiasm. What's really going on is that it's a reflection of how excited people are about the music of Fleetwood Mac and the members of this tribute band performing that music to such musical and emotional perfection. The experience is so powerful, no lie, that fans feel compelled to share what it felt like to them and what it meant to them...

With us.

It's sweet as hell.

Takes a bit of getting used to, is all.

You know what doesn't take any getting used to?

When someone says

"Was that your daughter???

She's amazing!!!"

☺️

November 11, of course, was Veteran's Day. Turns out it's also the day our friends Charlie and Scott decided to get married so we all made our way over to Alki United Church of Christ in West Seattle for not only the ceremony but a pretty significant gathering of local broadcast and production professionals. Which made for great coverage of the event itself. At least two people rolled on the entire ceremony. There's a file of the Livestream provided for family in Europe. And most everyone else captured video clips and a bazillion photographs. 

You could make a video of all that coverage, I'm thinking.

Hmmmmmmm. 😉

Afterward, we made our way to Duke's on Alki where we were joined by Charlie and her newly minted husband, surrounded by family and friends.

Fantastic food and drinks, by the way. Charlie put a lot of thought into which of her guests were seated at which table and, as a result, we all had fabulous times at our tables.

Birds of a feather. You know?

😁

One of the features of November each year is that Kimmer ‘n Linzy share this month for their birthdays. ‘Bout a week apart with Linzy’s day falling on actual Thanksgiving Day every so often.

As a broader theme, I'll also mention that a lot of birthdays in our families fall into these final two months of the year, surrounded by holidays so the holidays always color our birthdays a bit.

For example, Kimmer’s birthday had a lot of Christmas colored into it because we did impromptu thrift shopping and those stores have been geared up for Christmas since Halloween.

Linzy’s birthday was also colored in a touch with Christmas ‘cause we were downtown at Pacific Place watching the musical behemoth that is “Wicked”.

Later, my second-cousin texts me 

"Did you like it ??"

And I say

“Absolutely. But the experience for me went like this: They coulda lopped off the first five to ten minutes and started with Galinda arriving at school. I spent the first half of the movie HATING. GALINDA'S. GUTS. The middle of the movie was the most compelling, powerful part. Then fun until they meet oz. Then the end gets super intense until both linzy and I discovered this was part one of two movies and the second doesn't come out until this time next year. WHAAAAAAAAAAT???!!! 😡 But yeah. Great movie! ☺️”

So for Kimmer’s birthday we wound up at Linzy’s place for a bit of dinner and a family viewing of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (not the same magic as the first).

For Linzy’s birthday we wound up in downtown Seattle for a family viewing of “Wicked” during the film’s opening weekend. ($114million domestic box office)

And then Thanksgiving we all congregated back at the house: Kimmer, Linzy, ‘n myself, Rachel, Chris, Ben, Hilary, Lavi, and Noah.

Prior to the day, Kimmer’d settled on potluck as how we were gonna do the day. She was also quick on the using paper plates & plastic cups so we can throw ‘em all away after dinner bandwagon. After that, she and Hilary hit on turning our living room into a super comfy dining room as the best way to manage all of us along with a pretty substantial meal.

The result?

The best Thanksgiving ever. ☺️

The weight of getting the full meal prepared was shared among everyone and the cleanup was a quick, easy workload. The casual setting facilitated a lot of fun, enjoyable conversations and other shenanigans.

We're hoping to recreate this clever bit of magic in the lead-up to Christmas. 😁

Bad News then Good News:

For the second time this year, Dinker went missing. Like poof. Gone.

He was gone so many days that we took him for deceased. Perhaps at the hands of local raccoons.

He was gone something like two weeks and we really did believe he was gone for good. But then…

But then…

But then the morning of Linzys birthday, he just comes wandering up to the outside of our bedroom's french doors. No fuss. No fanfare. He was just back.

So where was he?

The clues we had were

He picked up a bunch of weight

He smelled of cigarette smoke

So unless Dinker had taken up smoking and developed not only the taste for but the ability to successfully hunt mice and birds… odds are someone in the neighborhood locked him into their home for a pair of weeks.

Not cool.

For sure Dinker's an indoor cat now.

😐

Oh I forgot to mention the storm.

Late afternoon Tuesday the 19th, the wind started picking up. Now, I’d got a prediction about a “Bomb Cyclone” from UW Atmospheric Scientist, Cliff Mass, but my read of his prediction put the worst of the storm along the coast and all over the Cascade foothills. Which sucks for those people… just not for us.

Soon enough, I’m walking across campus, starting my way home. A bit of rain... but a lot of wind pushing against me in a meaningful way. Then later I'm on 196th in Lynnwood waiting for the crosswalk light when an east to west gust of wind forces me to lean into that wind because I wasn't sure it would knock me over, otherwise. 

And so on.

Neighborhoods without power. Lighted candles all over our house. Salads at night. Breakfast sandwiches from Starbucks in the morning. Netflix through our hardware wifi hotspot. Seriously appreciating being under the covers. Call it Suburban Roughing It.

Tuesday night to Thursday morning’s how long it lasted. We celebrated with made in a nut-free facility deeply chocolate frosted cupcakes that’re also injected with chocolate frosting.

Cuz I'm a great husband like that. 🥳

In the end, it’s this year’s Thanksgiving that pops the most. A lot of tough competition for that spot, I won't lie. Having experienced Thanksgiving, though, in many, many, many different ways with a spectrum of different people in a lot of different places (including, yes, Death Valley in an RV), there is no question about it.

Enjoying the holiday with friends and family, it's clear that one of the things for which I have to be thankful are the people, each and every one, with whom I shared Thanksgiving. ☺️

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

1.2.24 Tuesday

7:04 am

Hmm... Aunt Teresa called last night coz my fake biological mother planned to go there.... By the way she called not on my mobile but on Uncle DD's mobile.

Betsilog'z is very,very excited to go to Japan, in a lil while...

I'm not gonna go with them coz I'm no longer a child and they are not assisting me correctly...

Well, it is up to them coz I need to have my own life and my own job. Though, I still have windblow but I need to have job... I don't like staying here in Cavite but our house is here and I still need to get a job for myself...

I wanted to meet rightful people along the way. I'm tired here in Cavite so many fakes and plastics...

I wanted to maintain a job, for me to grow... Like what I said it is my dream,one of my biggest dreams to be on TV.

Now, that I'm already 43 this year... I feel bitterish... I wanted a man who can be supportive of me... I don't want a man who will just control me....

I got some spaghetti from the house of Uncle DD and Aunt Karen, I put some on the bowl. Me,John and Uncle Jun ate as well that early Spaghetti...

Nana is still sleeping...

7:26 am

Well, I will go to SB this am hoping I can claim my card from Conduent...

10:37 am

I'm back from SB... My card is not yet available will just wait for it, waiting for their mail or Conduent's HR mail about my card...

Later will have work at 11 pm until 8am, as well as the start of my intermittent fasting/ diet... So, from 8 pm until 9 am will just take liquids of all kinds...

10:49 am

I badly need to work for me and John and I want to do butt bleaching and brazilian sooon and of course to buy Starbucks and save and travel going to sand-dunes ilocos...

I need money, angels...

I wanna join cosplay with Kaede... A stripper hahaha I need to do butt bleaching.

11:51 am

Thank God!!! John poops is already solid or back to normal... Mommy Peachy's love is the best for baby John...

12:49 noon

My God, I didn't notice that our training is 11 am as in daylight here in the Philippines and I wasn't able to do the screenshot but I know it is my mistake today... I didn't know that we shifted in the morning... Whew! I'm apologizing to Sho our facilitator in Conduent...

Anyways, my reason will be I'm processing the atm still connected to work, I think it will be acceptable aside from I mislooked the message.

Tomorrow will be 11am and I have to travel by 8am in the morning... It is very comedy in my part... Well, I can still wear my gift for myself this bonnet that I got from Penshoppe from the cash gift that I got from Aunt Karen.

The funny thing about this bonnet there is a phrase " Every Other Day" the real thing I knew the meaning but I tried asking the saleslady if she knew the meaning and she said she didn't know...

Not bad if it will be "Every Other Day" but I'm still single and there are so many things to be considered...

7:04 pm

Will eat before 8pm... Start of my intermittent fasting/ diet...

I'm somehow stress, I'm removing John's ticks and fleas manually again... Grrr...

My life is not a piece of cake angela... Our lives are completely upside down...

Doing this and that, thinking of my job and my baby-John... I have to keep the job... Cleaning and feeding here and there coz we can't afford to have helper or my assistant anymore...We are somehow on the downtown... Yeah! Tight budgeting... A poorish category, a downtown...

7:15 pm

I'm thinking if I'm gonna change my fasting time coz my shift on going to work is from 11 am until 7pm... hmm... Aside from I need to thrift... I hate this morning shift schedule but I have to follow of course, I'm just an employee, it feels that my rest time is not enough.... It feels that the rest time is shorter... But of course, I have to follow...

The shift from 11 am for me coz I'm travelling far, it looks like much more expensive coz of the break time on lunch and dinner... You get my point angels...

I'm thinking.... I'm thinking... Hmm...It is not good to eat at night,right?

7:31 am

I'm really thinking coz my body or biological clock needs to be fed at 12 noon and I need some dinner coz I had ulcer for skipping the lunch, brunch is fine... I just need to eat something... Whatever!!!

I have budget to keep coz I'm just working and it seems no help now coz we are on downtown in life these days...

I wanted a vanity oh! Courage, Courage and more Courage!

Courage to keep the beauty! Courage to work for my baby-John! Courage to save for my Starbucks! Courage to save for my travel in Sand Dunes ilocos! More Courage for my butt bleaching! A lot more Courage for my brazillian!!! COURAGE!!!

More Courage for my bonnet tomorrow! Yeah! I'm a thief!!!

10:26 pm

Still,have windblow... Still, worrying...

Hmm....Yeah! I just checked whatever food we have here... There are still fruits, it can survive me... Like an apple a day keeps a doctor away or having a banana in your life makes you alive... ;)

Still, there is self-pitying in me coz of career growth and money and savings... Like what I said I don't know if I can get a regularization here... Hoping for more life coz I haven't start yet...

10:50 pm

I think this is good for tomorrow... Not bad...

Surviving...

[crimsun-n-clover]

hey so i’m panicking for a stupid reason

sugar is just fucking OUT THERE. SOMEWHERE.

there are places i know to avoid. boston coffee house, beauty stores, tacky ass new age cafes, anywhere that promotes themselves as omg healing self care, beaches, all that shit.

there are places she probably avoids. gas stations, thrift stores, diners, comic stores, empty retention pond pits (literally so fun you just throw yourself into them), all the shit i do.

like today i was in a nice downtown area she likes, but because i stuck to the creepy antique stores and record shops, chances of contact were very low. i simply cannot see her strolling into main street music, absolutely covered in scary posters n shit, nearly impossible to walk in, and go “yeah i’m gonna look around.” i got a megadeth cd, two dio cds, one smiths album, an old comfort album, and a siouxsie album. if she doesn’t see taylor swift advertised on the door she’s fucking OUT OF THERE. thank GOD actually. i know i would’ve made her come in if we were still talking and went together, showed her where the things she likes are at, all that, but it’s better to know that my interests probably ward her off.

my brain on the other hand? helpfully supplying paranoia.

my sibling / bestie / hive mind member (jesus christ i need to come up with names atp) likes going to the beach and i’m the only person who can get her there. sugar goes constantly. i don’t know which beach she goes to or where at said beach she hangs around, but i’m terrified of running into her there. because chances are, she’ll see my friend first and go “omg hiii it’s so good to see you!!” and then see me hiding under the umbrella and immediately fucking 180 on her mood. i don’t want to see how she reacts to me. i know it’s bad, and i don’t want to know how bad it can get coming face to face with me.

i felt my chest get all tight and i couldn’t breathe or sit still or uncurl my body. i felt a strong and horrid urge to hurt myself. it happened in my head, but just knowing that it’ll probably happen someday?? i can’t bare it.

i ran into the gym rat girl i’m kinda into and her boyfriend this weekend. i see people i know all the time. i’m biding my time until it’s her. because then, statistically, it’ll be a long time before i see her again, if ever.

god, just writing this, i’ve unlocked a new fucking phobia. sure, i dream about it, but now that it’s summer, she’s fuckin out and about probably. i could go to the movie theater and put a quarter into the pac man machine and then fuckin whoops inky got my ass because i smelled the perfume she always wears and i went into fight or flight. it’s happened more times than i’d like to admit.

i don’t even know how i’d react.

i wanna say i’d play it cool and indifferent to fuck with her head, because she deserves that. but really, i’d probably catch a glimpse of a pale chick under five feet tall, do a final girl scream, and bolt the fuck out of there. not that i’m good at running. i probably have POTS, i have legs that are disproportionately long, and i’m usually wearing ten pounds of tacky jewelry and maybe some six inch platform boots if i plan on behaving. i’d be a blurry fucking stick of jingling chains and fucking fag terror.

i still know her exact pizza order, and yet, this is how i think about her. pizza hut, sometimes stuffed crust, plain with mushrooms. i doubt she remembers anything about me. i always was the archivist out of the two of us, keeping track of inside jokes and personal preferences. she probably only remembers hating my stupid queer guts. or maybe she also remembers how cold my hands are, and how i could pick her up bridal style when she got a bit too bold, and the time i brought her cotton candy from the fair just because she said she hadn’t had any in a long time. and i sat in her driveway for hours, listening to van halen while she took pictures of herself on my phone. i was late for band practice that day. and now she has me blocked on everything.

i wish i could say i hate her. i could say it, but i wouldn’t mean it. i’m weak like that.

i hate that i miss the way she made me feel. i hate that something in me still needs her. i hate that i lost so much of myself with her. i hate that i can’t be vulnerable again. i hate that the kiddos now either don’t know what’s going on, got a basic summary, or know that mom and dad are divorced as fuck. i hate that i have to worry about if the places i go would be somewhere she would be. i hate that i still dream about her. i hate that the whole area her house in makes me feel heavy and sick, not fluttery and warm like it used to. i hate that i feel so small, yet too big to handle at the same time. i hate that i have a pile of her things. i hate that my favorite sweater that i shared with her is on my bed. i hate that i showed her all the things i loved. i hate that i know everything about her and anything she ever told me. i hate that i know her guitar was strung right handed, even though she’s left handed. i hate that i can’t listen to some of my favorite songs because the warmth they bring me is too much like how i felt with her. i hate that i’ll never see her dog again. i hate that i won’t ever again lean against her kitchen counter while she stacks cups and refuses to let me help her prepare for a party. i hate that i miss when she would give me the wrong time for an event so she could be alone with me before it. i hate that i lost someone that would count down the days until i came home whenever i left, even when we didn’t see each other afterward, because she “likes having me close, even if i don’t see you.” i hate that all i wanna do is sleep, do reckless shit, self destruct, and lay under my weighted blanket. i hate that when i lay on the floor, i almost feel her sitting next to me, on my left side, leaning over me to continue the conversation. i hate that i remember that she always stood on my left. i hate that she told me that when she thought of me, she’d get a tingly feeling through her right arm. i hate that i’d get the same thing in my left. i hate that so many people thought we’d work out. i hate that i rarely wear leather anymore because she always commented on it. i hate that she would always be so jealous about me talking to other girls, which gave me false hope that led to me cutting them off. i hate that i know exactly where she wants to live and exactly what job she wants. i hate that whenever something she enjoys comes out with more content, i think “oh she must be ecstatic right now.”

i can’t stand any of it. fuck this.

[blurrychoker]

hi lov!!! could i request for sebastian stan? where she’s satying at her own place in new york and he doesn’t like it because it’s in a dodgy part of the city. someone breaks in and there’s a struggle, she calls him hysterical for help while he is out with friends and he panics. police arrive and yeah just angsty af and lots of fluff for traumatized reader haha

if this happened to you i’m so sorry and i hope you’re doing well and everything is okay my goodness :(

a/n: this is the first thing i’ve written in over two+ years so i apologize if it’s no good or not exactly what you wanted, i kinda struggled with the ending but i hope you enjoy! (i wrote this on my phone and didn’t proofread so i’m sorry for any typos!)

send requests

Sebastian was leaning against the doorframe to your bedroom as you looked around for your bag, looking around at the small bits of paint that had chipped off and the screws that were loose in the doors before averting his eyes back to you.

“What made you move into this place anyway?” He asked quietly, crossing his arms over his chest as he cocked an eyebrow up. “It doesn’t really seem like… You.” And the truth was that it wasn’t really you at all.

Although the paint was wearing off and the floorboards creaked in the night when you went to the kitchen for some water, only for the faucet to spit water outside of the sink, you were proud of the small apartment. Truth be told, it was one of the first things you were able to do on your own without any help. You had saved every penny from your job at the coffee shop downtown to be able to move out on your own and gain a whole new sense of independence.

“I don’t see why you hate it so much, it’s really not that bad” You sighed, finally tugging your bag over your shoulders and making your way over to Sebastian.

A fond smile had formed on your lips as you looked up at him, pressing the palms of your hands against his forearms. “You’re so worried about me and you have no reason to be.” You mumbled quietly, batting tour lashed up towards him. He wasn’t having it, though. He hated the fact that you lived downtown in an apartment with a wonky lock alone, of course he was worried. Every day he knew that you closed and were walking home alone, he was sure to call you and talk to you the entire time unless he was actually able to come meet you and take you home himself.

“You know why I am. This area, it’s not safe and I worry about you. Hell, Y/N, the lock barely works on that damned door to begin with.” He sighed, dropping his arms from his chest only to wrap around your body and tug you close to him. “I just don’t wanna see your picture pop up on the 11 o’clock news. Come stay with me.”

Your lips quirked up into a smile, a small laugh soon following as you shook your head. The idea of staying with Sebastian was a dream come true, but you didn’t want to be a burden or make him feel like he needed to help you. Besides, you had worked your ass off to get this apartment and that’s where you were going to stay. Sebastian already knew your answer just by the way you were looking at him, an annoyed whine leaving his throat as he stomped his feet like a child.

“At least think about it, yeah?” He asked, trying more to persuade you on the idea. You nodded your head in agreement just to get him to hush up about the situation, adding a quick kiss to his lips before you two headed out to grab something to eat.

You two had spent the afternoon together walking through the park, stopping for ice cream, and searching any and all thrift shops that you had walked past for new decorations to bring your apartment to life. It was around seven in the evening when he had dropped you off back at your apartment, saying his goodbyes before he headed out for a night on the town with his friends.

“Don’t drunk text me later, I’ll ignore your ass.” You mumbled softly into his chest, resting your chin against his sternum as you looked up at him. You were met with his blue eyes already looking down at you, squinting along with his wide smile.

“As if you could even try.” Sebastian leaned down to press a kiss to your lips, your eyes falling shut as you basked in the comfort of his arms and affection. He pulled away giving your body a small squeeze before he made his way to the door.

“Make sure this is locked, maybe put that chair in front of it or something.” He raised an eyebrow as he pointed towards the chair sat by your dining table.

“Goodbye, Seb.” You huffed, rolling your eyes as you waved him out the door. As much as you didn’t want him to him, you knew he had other plans to attend to. “Be safe.” You called out as he closed the door behind him.

You made your way over to the rusted door to switch the lock shut, wiggling the door gently to make sure it was actually locked and not going budging. Sebastian might’ve gotten in your head only a little bit.

The sun had soon set and you had been changed into some comfortable pajamas before settling in for the night in your bed, deciding on binging some scary movies for the night. ‘Tis the season for horror, anyway. You were nestled safe under your blankets when you heard some banging and clashing coming from the alleyway outside your window. The movies had you in a jittery state, so you decided to shake it off and put your focus back to your TV, changing the scary movies to family movies in hopes of getting yourself to relax. Minutes had passed when the banging only became louder, now sounding like it was coming from the hallway and less from outside your window. You stayed silent in your bed as you peeked out of your bedroom and towards the front door. The thought of messaging Sebastian had crossed your mind, wanting to tell him to come over and comfort you out of your fears but you didn’t want to pull him from his friends, you weren’t that kind of girlfriend.

That thought was quickly erased when the banging came louder, but this time it was against your front door. Your heart was racing in your chest as you reached over to grab your phone from its charger and make your way to your bathroom. The banging came louder from your front door when you suddenly heard the door swing open and crash against the wall. Your hands were shaking as your pulled up Sebastian’s contact, typing up a message as quickly as you could.

There’s someone in my apartment. You quickly hit send before bringing your hands up and over your mouth to quiet any sounds that would escape. You eyes closed tightly, breaking the seal of the tears that soon were falling down your cheeks. Immediately you started to regret every decision that you had made about the apartment. You settled on this one because it was within your price range and had everything that you needed, it just wasn’t in the best part of town, which was the biggest price to pay. Especially now that someone had shimmed the lock open.

Sebastian was out with his friends on round three of drinks when he felt his phone ping in his pocket, he laughed loudly as he reached down to pull his phone out. His face fell into a frown as he read over your message, heart dropping into his stomach as he reread the words again. There’s someone in my apartment. He couldn’t help but feel like you were messing with him given the conversation you two had earlier, but he wasn’t going to take his chances. “Hold on, guys. Somethings going on.” He mumbled, eyebrows furrowing together as he typed back to you, only to be interrupted with your name showing up on his screen.

Sebastian hit accept quickly before bringing the phone up to his ears, your breath on the other side was trembling and muffled.

“Baby,” He sighed softly into the phone, standing up from his chair to grab his jacket and wave by to his friends, he wasn’t spending another moment away from you, at least not until he knew you were safe. “What’s going on, doll, talk to me.” His voice was shaking as he made his way out of the bar and to the curb, waving his free hand around to call for a cab.

“Th-There’s so-someone in here.” You mumbled quietly into the microphone, holding the phone as close to your lips as possible as if to not make much noise. “I’m scared, Se-Sebastian.”

“Okay, okay. Where are you? Are you safe?” He asked, his words spilling from his lips quickly as he climbed into the taxi that had stopped for him.

You were slumped against the counter of your bathroom sink as you cried quietly into your hand, clashing coming from outside your living room and closet to your room as you spoke on the phone to Sebastian. “Get here soon, please.” You cried softly, eyes screwing shut as tears fell from them. Your body jumped as you heard a bang from the other side of the door, looking down to see shadows just feet away from where you were hiding.

The way you sounded only make Sebastian’s heart beat faster and sink further into his stomach. Sebastian was on the verge of a breakdown as he realized your call had ended. “Fuck!” He shouted, balling his fists up and punching the seat in front of him. He knew he shouldn’t have let you stay in that shitty apartment. He knew something was going to happen and he couldn’t help but blame himself.

Your free hand came up to cover your mouth as you sobbed silently and hung up the phone., wasting no more time as you dialed the police. You had to stay quiet, mumbling to the dispatcher about what was going on. They stayed on the line with you until they were able to get someone out to your apartment, the police showing up only minutes later to handle the situation. You were crouched in a corner of the bathroom when your door swung open, ducking down and cradling your head in your hands before realizing it was the police. Sebastian had made it just in time to meet them there, coming from behind the officers and dropping down next to you on the ground. His arms engulfed you in a warm embrace as his hands came up to your head and hair to run his fingers through it trying to do anything to calm you down.

“I wa-was so scared. I d-didn’t know wh-what to do.” You sobbed into his chest, your hands balling up the fabric of his shirt as you pulled him closer to your. Sebastian shushed you as he pressed his lips against your forehead, pulling away from you to wipe the tears from your cheeks.

“Sh, sh, baby. You did so good, you did exactly what you needed to do.” Sebastian assured you quietly, pressing multiple kisses to the skin of your face before pulling you back against him. “You did so good, doll.”

“I’m sorry,” You started to apologize, voice breaking with emotion as you shook your head but Sebastian quietly interrupted you, bring his hand under your chin to force you to look at him.

“No. Don’t do that.” He said sternly, softly tracing your jawline wit his thumb. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.”

Sebastian stayed with you on the floor until the police had cleared up the scene, assuring you that the place was clear and safe, but Sebastian wasn’t allowing you to stay there for the night. He helped you get a bag together, packing up your toiletries and clothes as you sat on the edge of your bed looking around your room. Your head hurt from how much you had been crying and your body was sore with how tense you were, you only relaxing slightly as Sebastian came over and pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“S’Okay, baby. You’ll be with me tonight, and however many nights you want to stay after that.” He smiled softly down at you, taking your hand in his to pull you from the bed and lead you towards the door. “No one is ever gonna hurt you when I’m around, okay? I’ll make sure of it.”

The rest of the night was spent at Sebastian’s home, curled up against your boyfriend’s side as he massaged your scalp and pressed gentle kisses to your head and face as you dozed off into sleep. The only thing keeping you from spiraling into a panic. If it weren’t for Sebastian, who knows where you would be.

if you have any tips/notes/advice i would greatly appreciate them! just shoot me a message!

[shemarmooresfedora]

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

Masterlist

Chapter 9

“Dinner at my house at 7. Be there,” Rossi announced to everyone in the bullpen.

Everyone nodded, accepting the invitation.

“Sorry, I can’t. I have Jo tonight,” Spencer declined.

“Bring her with you. The more, the merrier! Her mom is welcome too, I would use her name but I’m still in the dark about that one,” Rossi said.

“Well, I, for one, would love to meet the lady that Pretty Boy is throwing punches for,” Morgan smirked.

“Henry will be there, Spence,” JJ informed Spencer, trying to convince him to bring Jo.

“Alright, Jo and I will be there. I will ask Y/N and yes, that’s her name if she decides to come,” Spencer gave in.

-

“I don’t know, Spencer...can’t just you and Jo go?” you asked.

“Yes, we could. I don’t want to pressure you but I think it would be fun if you went too. Plus, Rossi’s pasta is phenomenal,” Spencer stated.

“I don’t want to intrude...and I’m horrible at small talk,” you added.

“Rossi specifically invited you so you’re not intruding. Will and JJ will be there, who you already know, and I promise I won’t leave your side until you’re comfortable,” he assured you.

“Fine, I need to take a shower and get ready then. How formal is this thing?” you asked.

“Most people either stay in their clothes from work or go home and change into casual clothes,” Spencer shrugged.

You nodded and headed up the stairs.

A half hour later, you came down in a cream colored midi sundress with a floral pattern and a slit down the side.

Spencer’s breath hitched in his throat.

“How’s this?” you asked, giving him a little spin.

“Y-Yes that’s f-fine,” Spencer choked out.

“You don’t like it?” you frowned, “They’re gonna hate it...and me.”

You started walking back up the stairs to change when you felt someone grab your wrist gently.

“I was having trouble speaking because you look absolutely radiant,” Spencer spoke softly.

“Not too bad yourself, Doctor,” you smiled.

Spencer had lost his sweater vest and tie from the work day, leaving him in just his pale blue dress shirt with a few of the top buttons undone.

“Jo, come on! I’ve got to do your hair before we go,” you called out, pulling out one of the kitchen table chairs.

Jo came running down the stairs in a light pink sweater and overalls.

“What do you want?” you asked, using a spray bottle to wet her hair slightly and then brushing it out.

“Two braids please, Mommy.”

You parted her hair and began working on the first braid, feeling Spencer’s eyes watching curiously from beside you.

Once you finished the first one, you turned to looked at him.

“Do you want to do the other side?” you asked.

“I was observing your movements but I’m not sure if I can replicate them with the same speed and accuracy,” Spencer stated as you pushed him forward.

“I’ll be your instructor then. You’re going to need to learn how to do this. Jo doesn’t like to have her hair in her face so she likes to have it styled back somehow,” you said.

Spencer brushed the hair on Jo’s left side once more and then sectioned out three even pieces from the front.

“So basically you just keep crossing the side strands over into the middle and adding more hair to the side strands each time,” you explained as Spencer slowly started to braid Jo’s hair.

By the time he got to the end, it was a little bumpy and a small chunk of hair had been left out of the braid and was hanging astray.

“Okay okay, not bad for a first attempt,” you encouraged him.

“I think I’ve got it this time,” Spencer released the braid from its elastic and combed Jo’s hair out again.

Spencer’s confidence definitely increased this time through, he was going much faster, almost as fast as you. His tongue was poking out the side of his mouth in concentration. You had to admit that he looked absolutely adorable.

“Much better,” you smiled as he tied off the braid with the elastic.

“If you can do a braid, pigtails and ponytails will be a piece of cake,” you informed him.

“I think my fingers are cramping,” he chuckled, admiring his handiwork.

-

“Spencer, what if they hate me?” you nervously asked as you walked up Rossi’s driveway.

“They are not going to hate you,” Spencer assured you as he carried Jo on his hip, “See, JJ and Will’s car is already here so there’s two people who already know and like you.”

Spencer rang the doorbell. You heard laughing and lots of conversation inside. You were nervously playing with your hands until Spencer reached over and grabbed one, squeezing it a little before letting go again. The simple gesture soothed you tremendously.

The front opened, revealing an older man with black hair and a goatee.

“You must be Y/N,” he smiled.

“Yes, that’s me,” you shakily returned the smile.

“I’m Dave or Rossi whichever you prefer. Come inside! Dinner will be ready shortly!” he waved to Jo in Spencer’s arms.

You entered the kitchen to see a bunch of grinning faces, staring at you.

“Guys, this is Y/N and you all remember Jo,” he introduced you to the group.

You gave a small wave, “Hi! It’s nice to meet you all.”

A blonde woman was the first to get up off her seat at the kitchen counter and wrap you in a warm hug. You squeaked a little at first, not expecting it.

“Hi, I’m Penelope! Sorry, I’m an avid hugger,” she chirped.

“No worries,” you smiled back.

Another woman with long dark hair approached you next, “I’m Emily! I love your dress!”

“Thank you! I actually got it at a thrift store downtown,” you replied.

Next in line was a man still in his suit, smiling only slightly but you could tell he was trying his hardest.

“I’m Aaron but everyone calls me Hotch,” Hotch said as he shook your hand.

And finally, “Derek Morgan, at your service,” Derek grinned as kissed your hand.

Spencer narrowed his eyes at Derek.

“Ignore him,” he said to you.

“Jo, I’m loving the braids,” JJ said as Spencer set her down on the floor.

“Daddy did the left one,” she beamed.

“Did he now?” JJ looked up at you and Spencer incredulously.

“Yes, he did,” you confirmed.

“He is going to have to start braiding my hair,” Penelope chimed in.

Henry and Jack came running into the kitchen.

“Jo!” Henry exclaimed, “Me and Jack are playing tag. Wanna play?”

Jo nodded enthusiastically and Henry touched her quickly and began running away.

“You’re it!” he called out.

“Oh, that was a cheap shot, Henry,” Will chuckled as the kids all left the kitchen once again.

“Jack is Hotch’s kid,” Spencer explained to you.

“Y/N, do you want some wine?” Emily offered.

You looked up at Spencer and he nodded, mouthing “I’ll drive home”.

“Sure! Thank you,” you accepted the glass.

You were talking to JJ, Will, and Hotch when you heard a familiar crying coming from outside. You set your wine glass down and ran to the backyard.

Jo was on the ground, clutching her knee, and the boys were hunched over her.

“Oh no, Baby J, what happened?” you asked, kneeling down.

“I fell while running and my knee got a boo-boo,” she cried.

You picked her up in your arms, rubbing light circles on her back, as Spencer came running outside carrying a mini first aid kit.

He gently rolled up Jo’s pant leg to above her knee as she clung to your neck.

“Alright, Jo, I have to put on some ointment and a band-aid so the boo-boo doesn’t get infected,” he spoke softly, applying ointment to the little scratch.

After he smoothed the band-aid over it, he kissed her knee three times.

“All better?” he asked.

“Thank you, Daddy,” she sniffled, letting go of you.

“You’re welcome, Princess. How about we have some dinner now?” he asked, using his sleeve to wipe her tears and snot.

Jo nodded and you all got up from the ground, heading back inside.

The rest of the team scrambled away from the window to pretend they weren’t just watching a truly heartwarming co-parenting moment.

[pennylanewrites]

I got seven different asks about the College AU so here are some headcanons I have about them! (imagine aiura is in the picture I couldn’t find a good one with all of them)

I definitely didn’t mean to make this so long but I can’t help it I love them all so much<3

~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~

Saiki Kusuo

→ marine!!!biology!!!major!!!!!!!!

→ doesn’t need to study but he still does bc he finds marine life so fascinating

→ read all of his textbooks on the first day bc he was so excited eeeek

→ always wears his germanium ring in class so he can stay hashtag focused

→ him and aiura have to bail toritsuka(didn’t go to college) out of jail once a month

→ speaking of aiura, she somehow has convinced him to go on a date on five different occasions

→ i think after high-school he realised he didn’t mind a kind of casual not-relationship with her

→ lets her hug him to greet him and sometimes he hugs back bc college boys stare a lot and he is just worried for her okay?

→ maybe I’m just projecting bc I kin aiura

→ does not go to parties unless he absolutely has to

→ if he does go to a party he’ll drink something quietly in a corner, just watching the crowd

→ a perv laced Teruhashi’s drink and almost lured her up the stairs so of fucking course Kusuo sprinted to help her, holding her on the way home bc men are drawn to her like bees to honey

→ she didn’t let him live it down ever

→ he rented a studio apartment and keeps it super clean, minimum clutter but enough to look lived in

→ cooks amazing food that Nendo smells from upstairs and next thing you know, they’re all bringing chairs to Kusuo’s apartment and have dinner

→ nothing excuses the fact he makes at least eight servings every time–

→ such a dad to everyone honestly

→ usually studies at a library or teleports back home if there’s a big test

→ mrs. saiki was banned from visiting every two days but she still ends up there somehow

→ not that he minds bc he’s the biggest mama’s boy ever

→ probably graduates a year early

→ doesn’t move away even though he got a job at the aquarium at the other side of the city help–

Kaidou Shun

→ fine arts major you can NOT change my mind

→ doesn’t do good in theoretical subjects but mans can draw some good bowls of fruit

→ wears those stained from the paints t-shirts all the time bc ‘no they’re not dirty it’s art!’

→ him and aren have small designated spaces in their apartment so they can focus on their hobbies/studying

→ his corner at the living room has newspapers on the floor to protect it from the splattering paint, some canvases propped up on the wall and a lot of unfinished projects

→ hides all of them when Nendou comes over

→ can not cook or clean to save his life

→ so he calls his mum to help clean up when Aren is at work

→ got over his 8th grader syndrome at some point

→ still wears red bandages bc he’s edgy

→ volunteers at the neighborhood exhibit centre

→ got asked to showcase his own works for a night and hasn’t shut up about it since

→ goes to yumehara for relationship advice and braids her hair as a thank you

→ couples sleepovers with Yumehara and Teruhashi (yes they’re dating shut up)

→ always makes something for Aren at special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries etc)

→ at first he went back home every saturday bc he missed his family :(

→ Aren helps him get over it though!!!!

Nendou Riki

→ got in on a sports scholarship

→ we already know he couldn’t be accepted in a college otherwise

→ in the chiropractic major bc he wants to be one of those athlete doctors

→ has failed way too many exams and classes

→ Hairo helps him so much though!!!

→ the last one in the group to graduate but somehow gets a job first (excluding Saiki)

→ him and hairo get up at 5 am for jogging or to hit the gym

→ and then he goes and gets noodles bc ‘if noodles aren’t for breakfast why do shops open at 6 am?’

→ hasn’t stepped foot in class in months

→ he gets decent grades after failing the first semester and it’s totally not Saiki’s doing

→ he ends up signing up for way too many clubs

→ attends all of the meetings and has so many friends through them

→ I would be his friend too in college honestly

→ a fraternity wanted to get him bc he’s so good at sports

→ he declined bc he does not understand how fraternities even work

→ is the life of EVERY SINGLE PARTY change my mind you can’t

→ whatever you do don’t imagine nendo surprising his boyfriend with flowers after every practice

→ *dies cutely*

Kuboyasu Aren

→ SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

→ idk I just think he would enjoy Marx’s Capital

→ debate club? hell yeah

→ gets in philosophical conversations at the school yard for HOURS

→ kaidou has to drag him away

→ only shops at thrift stores and makes coffee at home bc “capitalism is not accepted in this household”

→ rides his motorcycle to college even though he lives five minutes away

→ grew his hair out in a mullet again and he looks *chef’s kiss*

→ thought he would be moving too fast if he asked Kaidou to rent an apartment together

→ aiura convinced him it was fine

→ cooks kaidou’s favorite foods every day

→ participates in student rallies, human rights protests etc etc

→ comes home with bruises and kaidou thinks he looks so hot but still yells at him

→ Aren’s favorite place to study is his balcony or at a coffee shop

→ always with kaidou! cute boyfriends who do everything together!!

→ gets so drunk when they go out

→ drunk karaoke with kokomi yes yes yes

Hairo Kineshi

→ did someone say Athletic Training?

→ does every single sport and is amazing at it

→ will cheer for his bf if they have a game at the same time though

→ it was his idea to move in together bc ‘hey we’ve been dating for three years now might as well’

→ volunteers at a nearby elementary as a coach for the kids

→ SO GOOD WITH KIDS

→ wants to be a P.E. Teacher and he’s going to be great at it

→ does everything he can at campus

→ helping random clubs, making posters, cleaning up the hallways, helping the cheer squad with their new routine

→ dances ballet as a hobby even though he’s so good at it that he could be a professional

→ makes everything a competition with Nendo so they never get bored

→ once made everyone get up to jog with them and they ended up sleeping on random benches while Hairo and Nendo were halfway across town

→ will punch someone if he sees them catcalling a girl

→ doesn’t drink at all and eats super healthy

→ designated driver for the group’s outings downtown

Aiura Mikoto

→ THEATER MAJOR

→ is so good at stage acting it’s unreal

→ lands the lead role almost every time

→ is also an amazing singer so she gets great roles in musicals as well

→ doesn’t have to get a job bc she gets all her money from doing readings on campus

→ gets coffees and pastries from all the coffee shops around campus and sits Kusuo down so he can taste them

→ they have a little taste-testing date in his apartment until they decide none of them are as good as the ones at Cafe Mami

→ she totally doesn’t make him teleport there every morning and he totally doesn’t listen to her

→ moved in with chiyo bc they wanted a nice place that they couldn’t afford on their own

→ teruhashi told them to move in with her but they already loved their little place

→ aiura’s bedroom is the most comfortable and cozy room ever

→ their apartment is also the hang out spot for the group bc it’s just so homey

→ hangs out with her theatre group a lot, especially after class

→ they can’t compare to her friends though:(

→ everyone goes to her when they’re worried and she loves it bc she’s the mummy of the group

→ she makes everyone coffee and their comfort food before big exams:)

Yumehara Chiyo

→ psychology major one thousand percent

→ you know how they say that people choose psychology bc they don’t know what major they want?

→ that’s exactly what happened except she fell in love with it immediately

→ such a good student!!!

→ always does her assignments on time and still manages to have a social life

→ teruhashi asked her out at the end of their first semester and that’s the first time chiyo missed a deadline

→ practically lives with teruhashi, insisting it’s just to leave aiura alone

→ she’s just IN LOVE OKAY?????

→ would want to be a sorority girl at first

→ changed her mind when she realized how much shit they all talked

→ her and kaidou drink wine and talk about their relationships and studies

→ she’s so sleep deprived it’s unreal

→ she doesn’t need sleep anymore though

→ coffee is her best friend

→ makes asks Aiura for readings twice a week

→ brings all her psychology friends home and they analyze their textbooks

→ once she got the hang of it, she decided to examine Kusuo

→ she told him he needs actual medical evaluation

→ he almost threw her out the window when she offered some Xanax for his nerves

→ chiyo is a neat freak one hundred percent

→ hates when Aiura throws everything on the floor, but she loves cleaning

→ opens her own office after school

Teruhashi Kokomi

→ PRE-MED

→ lesbian doctor :)

→ just wanted to get away from her perv brother at first

→ she always wanted to be a doctor though, preferably a neurosurgeon

→ she’s super duper smart and hates when she gets good grades bc of her good looks:(

→ makes it her goal to show her professors that she’s more than a beautiful girl

→ hasn’t failed a single exam

→ helps everyone with their studies even though she’s drowning in work

→ drops the perfect girl image at college and decides she should try and aim for something normal

→ gets invited to every single party

→ in a knitting club bc it would get disbanded without one more member

→ knits!!!matching!!!sweaters!!!for all of her friends!!!

→ asked Chiyopipi out while drunk

→ never regretted it though

→ her and aren get so drunk when they go out with the group

→ it’s honestly unreal how much they can drink before passing out

→ has to get carried home

→ wakes up after getting drunk and runs to her class before remembering it’s Sunday

→ her penthouse has the perfect view of the sunset and sunrise and is all she could ask for in life

→ does get lonely so she’s practically living with Chiyo and Aiura

→ once she realized she didn’t like boys she made it her goal to get Saiki and Aiura together

→ people wonder how she has so much time to play matchmaker and volunteer while she’s in premed

→ does her internship at a hospital

→ ends up working there as a neurosurgeon after her Doctorate degree

~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~~~♡~~~~~~~~

[plus-size-reader]

The Trouble with Thrifting

Spencer Reid x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1718 words

Warnings: none 

Summary: The reader goes thrifting with Spencer and gets super frustrated bc nothing fits

——————————————————————————————————

Days off from a job like yours were rare. They weren’t common, especially with the amount of monsters there were out there, but they did happen sometimes. 

Every once and awhile, you got a day off when you and Spencer could both sleep in a little later than normal

...And today was one of those days. 

You rolled over in bed, stretching out fully in the soft, plush space, only to find Spencer’s side of the bed cool and empty. Though, you weren’t surprised by that.  

Spencer had always been a little bit of an early bird, and nothing was going to change that. Not even a few spare hours in bed. 

There were just too many things to be doing right now to be in bed. Spencer’s mind just ran too fast and it made getting a restful night of sleep difficult. 

You understood that. 

Without even thinking about it, you sat up to find him at the foot of the bed, his nose in a book. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead” he hummed, finding you there with a tired look in your eyes. The sheets were pooled around you haphazardly and you yawned deeply as he addressed you, but you smiled nonetheless. 

“Morning Dr.” you allowed, stretching your arms up as far as you could in your sitting position, a small groan escaping you as you moved. 

You two didn’t have anything planned for today, for once in the last few weeks, and it was nice to have the whole day ahead of you. Though, you did have something in mind that could be fun. 

You and Spencer had been talking about going thrift shopping for a while, but you’d yet to have time until now. Today was the first time in quite a while you’d gotten a chance. 

...But before you could even mention it, Spencer had already stood from where he’d been sitting and made his way over to you. 

“I was thinking we could check out a few of those little shops downtown today? What do you think?” he offered, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

It was quite the offer, an offer you weren’t going to refuse and Spencer knew it. He knew that you had been looking forward to this forever, and he wanted to take you. 

After all, he had been looking for a chance to take you shopping forever, and this was just the chance he was looking for. 

It was perfect. 

“We could do that, and we could even go to that sandwich shop you like for lunch” you hummed, thinking about it with a nod. 

Today was going to be awesome, absolutely awesome and you weren’t going to let it pass you by. This was something that was rare for you and Spencer, but that only made it more special. 

This wasn’t some quick coffee on the jet in the middle of a case, or dinner that was interrupted by a job. Right now, there was nothing that could go wrong. 

Right now, the two of you just got to be a normal couple, on a shopping trip.

Nothing was better than that.

...Or so you thought. 

You had only gotten to the second shop by the time you wanted to quit. Nothing was worth the kind of trouble you were having in that fitting room, and you couldn’t get over it. 

It was killing you. 

You had a hard enough time shopping fast fashion when it came to getting something to fit, but thrift shopping was even worse. 

There were already fewer options available in thrift stores and vintage boutiques but that only further drove down the chances of you finding something in your size. 

Now, Spencer was in the middle of sorting through a very mismatched set of teacups when you came out of the fitting room, eyes red and head down. 

It was clear to him almost immediately that you’d been crying but you did nothing to acknowledge it. 

Instead, you just joined him in his fiddling, without a word and pretended like you hadn’t just dropped an entire stack of clothes against the wall. 

You couldn’t wear a single piece you found, not even that super cute blouse you had immediately fallen in love with, the one with the shiny buttons in the front that your eyes had sparkled upon seeing. 

Nothing was going to make that any better. 

Not even watching Spencer meticulously try to find the china that matched the set was enough to make you feel better. It just made you feel so sick to not be able to find anything. 

Especially after how excited you’d been over all this. 

You hadn’t stopped talking about all the cute thrift stores right downtown from the apartment you and Spencer had just bought since you moved in. 

...But now, your body language had completely changed. 

“What is it? What happened?” Spencer wondered, catching on immediately to the negative change in your attitude. You seemed as if your heart was broken, and that was hard to miss. 

For Spencer, especially. 

You two were basically inseparable between living together and working together, and it was hard for him to ignore the obvious shift in your mood. 

It was like an itch he couldn’t scratch, and it wouldn’t go away until he found out what was wrong with you. 

Not that you made him wait very long. 

That was all it took before you completely shut down. You had a lot of control over your emotions as a general rule but not where your body was concerned. 

This was the one thing that triggered you beyond reprieve, and nothing was going to change that. 

Usually, you did this sort of thing by yourself so you never had to explain the way it made you feel. However, that was one thing you couldn’t get away from with Spencer here. 

Now that you were overwhelmed, you couldn’t just leave and go home like you normally would. With Spencer here, you had to tell him the truth. 

There wasn’t any hiding it anymore. 

“I can’t wear any of this. Can you believe that? All the stuff I found, it doesn’t fit” you huffed, ignoring the burning in your eyes as you thought about it. The dressing room had been hot, and stuffy, like a prison. 

It killed you. 

“Traditionally, vintage sizes were much smaller, and most of the things they carry are likely older than we’re used to” he reasoned, realizing that was likely the reason you were having trouble. 

However, that wasn’t what you wanted to hear. 

You knew that was probably the real reason, but all you thought about as you tried to stretch those garments over your shoulders, was all the things wrong with your body. 

In your mind, it had nothing to do with the fabric. 

So, it followed that the last thing you wanted to deal with was Spencer’s endless facts, even if he was only trying to help. It didn’t make you feel any better, even if he was right. 

It just made you that much more frustrated. 

“I know Spencer, I know that. But if I wasn’t so big, that wouldn’t matter” you sighed, not even meaning to be so snippy with him as the words fell from your lips. You were just so over being here, and all you could think about was going home and crawling into bed. 

Nothing else mattered but that right now. 

Not even how much Spencer clearly cared about the duress you were under. 

“Hey, don’t say that.” Spence tutted, letting his hand fall to your arm lightly, where he gave it a light squeeze. You two didn’t talk about this super often but when it did come up, there was no avoiding it. 

Confidence issues had always hit home with Spencer and he understood them, but not in you. Personally, he didn’t see anything wrong with the way you looked and found you to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen but that didn’t make your hurt any less valid. 

There were things about Spencer that he hated, but you had always made it clear that you loved him. You loved everything about him and there was no avoiding it. 

It didn’t matter to you that he had trouble with himself, because you couldn’t have seen a thing out of place in him. However, it was hard to imagine that same courtesy extended to you.

The love you had for him was unconditional and you would never change that, even if you had reason to and that was the same for you as far as Spencer was concerned. 

Though, nothing was going to change what you had been through. You had spent so much time dealing with this in your life and no amount of assurance was going to change that. 

“Come on, cheer up. We’ve got more places we can check” he assured, reaching out to take a hand in your own. It was a good plan, and he had a point. 

However, you weren’t sure about that. 

You weren’t sure if you had it in you to do something like that after what you’d already had to deal with before.

“Can we maybe do it later Spence? I just want to go home” you decided finally, knowing well enough that getting in some good cuddle time and a hot dinner would make all the difference in the world. 

You didn’t have it in you to do this whole thing again this late in the day and Spencer understood that. He didn’t like the idea of you giving up under such sucky circumstances but if you weren’t in the mood, he wasn’t going to force you. 

“Okay, we can do that too” he allowed, taking your hand in his own to head you toward the door. Since you hadn’t found anything, he wasn’t going to just keep dragging you around for no reason. 

That wouldn’t be good for either of you. 

This conversation was far from over but Spencer knew it wasn’t time sensitive to figure it out. You two could have a conversation when you weren’t so tired and overwhelmed. 

Right now, Spencer just wanted to make sure that you were taken care of and didn’t beat yourself up too badly over it. 

[spicycreativity]

Howl - Chapter 1

Rating: Teen

Fic Content Warnings: Blood, injury, suggestive content, alcohol use

Characters: All

Pairing: Analogical, background Moceit because apparently I can't help myself

Add'l Notes: dw if you don't know what a loup-garou is or how the lore works; all is explained in the story / Have I ever been to Louisiana? No 💕Did I write an entire story set in rural-ish Cajun Louisiana anyway because I hate myself? Yes 💕 / If you're from Louisiana and noticed any screw-ups, pls correct me so I can fix it

It also comes with a playlist! For ambience, not necessarily for the lyrics

Summary:

Two things happen to Virgil Landry on Halloween:

1) Logan Doucet, his longtime friend and slightly-less-longtime crush, asks him out

2) He becomes cursed to spend his nights as a half-man, half-wolf monster: a loup-garou

Despite his new affliction, Virgil strives for normalcy all the way up until he can't anymore and everything falls apart.

The floorboards creaked in their familiar pattern as Virgil paced over them, his feet sliding around awkwardly in his over-the-knee boots. He was supposed to meet Logan alone in an hour, an hour! His heart thumped painfully under his ribs. What did Logan want?

Virgil yanked his phone out of his pocket to re-read the message for the 85th time, ignoring a few new messages in his assorted group chats:

Logan: If it's not inconvenient, could you meet me early at the Plaza tonight? Maybe 6:30?

Virgil: yeah sure 

Virgil: everything OK?

Logan: Yes :-)

What did it mean? Was everything okay? Or was Logan just lying to make him feel better? Because if so, it wasn't working. Virgil ran his hands through his hair, careful not to smudge his makeup. It had taken him an hour and a half to perfect his vampire makeup in the mirror and he didn't want to risk messing it up.

With a sigh that turned into a groan, Virgil threw himself down on his couch. It made the walls rattle, nearly displacing a few trinkets on his crappy, rickety shelves. He heard a tell-tale scrape above his head and knew that his favorite painting had gone crooked again. God, this place was a wreck-- Just like Virgil. He made a mental note to ask Patton for help patching up the leaky roof. It was as good a time as any, as they were well out of rainy season, but it did seem a little rude. What was he even supposed to say? Hey, Patton, I know carpentry is literally what you do for a living, but could you help me for free since I'm broke and sad? Thanks, bud. Yeah, right. He sighed again and tugged at his medallion, a rusted old thing with a glass gem in the center. He had picked it up from a thrift store months earlier in anticipation of Halloween, but maybe he should have made some effort to restore it. It smelled strongly of rust and decay and felt terrible between his fingers, all oily and sticky.

So far, the only saving grace of the day was that it wasn't raining now. Virgil had spent his workday in silent anxiety, eyeing the storm clouds through the shop window and rubbing a small piece of sunstone between his thumb and forefinger. It seemed to have worked, as the clouds had dispersed a little and allowed the watery light of the autumn sun to peek through.

Virgil's phone lit up with a few more messages in his group chats: Roman having hysterics over some detail of his costume, Janus and Remus discussing how to avoid the small army of toddlers that always ran rampant at the Halloween parade. Virgil ignored them all. He was in no mood to be friendly, would probably snap at them. Logan hadn't said anything since his message to Virgil, which he had presumably sent on his lunch break. The question haunted Virgil, that great unknown lurking behind him and instilling a fear that no ghost ever could: What did Logan want?

Virgil set his phone down and leaned forward, heaving a sigh that turned into a yawn. Great. Whatever. That meant he was on the verge of hyperventilating, his breathing already irregular. Damn it, Logan knew better than to leave him hanging like this! They'd known each other for so long and he'd always been more perceptive to Virgil's needs than the others.

Especially lately… They'd been spending more time alone, and Virgil couldn't deny the sweet, warm giddiness that enveloped him every time they were alone together. First meetings were always his favorite, seeing Logan's face light up with a smile. He hadn't dared to think that Logan might feel the same way, but it was getting harder and harder to keep his fantasies on a leash. Worst-case scenarios and best-case scenarios dueled in his head: Logan kissing him, Logan telling him they couldn't be friends anymore, Logan confessing, Logan announcing that he had some incurable disease.

Virgil grabbed his phone and jumped to his feet. He couldn't do this anymore, couldn't sit here and torture himself. He would just leave now. He would rather arrive freakishly early than face another minute of this self-inflicted torment 

He double and triple checked he had his wallet and his plastic fangs, which he

was planning on putting on later. The medallion bounced against his exposed chest as he walked and he wondered briefly if it might be more trouble than it was worth. He could always swap it out for one of his pendants, maybe amethyst to calm his nerves. But it looked so good against his skin, falling perfectly in the deep V of his flowy white poet shirt. Unlike his other necklaces, it screamed vampire. And Janus would tease him if he caught Virgil wearing a subpar costume, and then Roman would join in, and Remus, and it would turn into a whole thing . He could wear the stupid medallion for one night.

 -

Virgil regretted this decision as soon as he got his moped going. Even at its 30 mph crawl, the heavy necklace bounced against his chest in a maddening rhythm. At least it was distracting. Every time he started to worry about Logan, the erratic tap-tap-tap of cold metal on his chest brought him back to Earth.

It was a long ride into town down a windy country road. He hugged the shoulder as best as he could despite the lack of traffic; Virgil's neighbors were few, but they all liked to take corners at frighteningly high speeds. The one person who did drive by honked at him and flashed their lights. Virgil's heart dropped and he nearly flipped them off before he realized that they liked his costume. It occurred to him then that he must look pretty absurd: A vampire riding a purple moped, cape fluttering on the wind.

Upon reaching the Plaza, Virgil did a few laps around downtown, smiling at the spiderwebs decorating Vaillant City Hall. Another lap revealed that empty parking spots were already becoming scarce, so Virgil pulled into one and checked his phone. Nothing from Logan. Just more hysterics from Roman, and Patton's best attempts at comfort. Virgil rolled his eyes. Maybe Roman did need some tough love. He scanned through the messages to orient himself, to make sure he didn't look dumb, and then typed out his reply.

Virgil: look, Prince Charming. 2 rolls of body glitter is more than enough. Stop freaking out

Roman: That's DOCTOR Prince Charming to you

Virgil: :*

He put his phone away, tucked his keys in his pocket, and forced himself to walk slowly toward the Plaza. He was still excruciatingly early, but maybe he could pop into a bar or grab a coffee or even swing by his work-- Oh.

There, standing by the reflecting pool with his hands in his pockets, was Logan. Virgil smiled despite his nerves and sped up. Leave it to Logan to somehow be earlier than early.

"Hey, Data," Virgil said once he was in earshot.

Logan's face lit up, and even the yellow contacts he was wearing couldn't mask the fondness in his face. "Evening, Virge," he said. His smile dropped too quickly and he kept his hands shoved in his pockets. Virgil surveyed all this with dread. Was he reading too much into it? Most definitely. Could he stop? No way.

"Everything okay?" Virgil asked, tugging at his medallion and turning his nervous gaze upon the placid waters of the reflecting pool. Great. Now he had two awesome reasons to be nervous. It was an old Vaillant legend that anyone who disturbed the waters of the pool would be cursed, and Virgil did not mess with curses. He usually took pains to avoid the Plaza, even if it meant he had to take the long way to work.

"Yes, Virgil," Logan said in a voice that was far too breathy. He cleared his throat. "As you know, we have been friends for a long time. I…" He paused, blinked. "I forgot what I was going to say."

"Jeeze, Lo," Virgil tried to tease. "You're making me nervous."

"But I--" Logan ran a hand through his hair. "Virgil. I had prepared something far more eloquent than what I am about to say, but I can't seem to remember it at the moment. Forgive me if this comes across as confusing."

"All good," Virgil said, making only a minimal effort to hide his confusion. The medallion was cold and oily under his fingertips, but he couldn't stop messing with it, tugging at it, rattling the chain. He needed some outlet for all this nervous energy.

"We've been spending more time alone together and I

thought-- I wanted--" Logan touched his face and Virgil realized a second later he had tried to push up his glasses, which he wasn't wearing. Oh, how cute. "Virgil, I would like to go steady with you."

A rush of vertigo smacked into Virgil with such force that he had to take a step back just to keep his balance. "Go steady?" he heard himself say. "Like-- Like, boyfriends?"

"If you are amenable to that," Logan said, furiously running his fingers over the piping on his uniform. "If not, I-- We can pretend this never--"

"Yes," Virgil interrupted. "Yes, yes, yes. Logan, I do want that."

"Oh," said Logan, his face breaking into a smile. "Good."

Virgil clenched his fist around the medallion wondering if it was too soon to ask for a kiss. He took a breath and felt something give with a quiet snap. The broken chain snaked along his neck, dragged down by the weight of the pendant. Virgil watched in silent agony as the necklace landed in the water of the reflecting pool with a quiet splash. "Shit."

"Allow me," said Logan, already in motion.

"No!" Virgil caught his hand and held it. "The curse." He realized what he had done and let go of Logan's hand.

"I don't believe in such things, Virgil, but if it's important to you, then I'll leave it."

"Thank you." Virgil stared down at the water and sighed through his nose. He'd already disturbed the water. Would it be better to leave the necklace or take it out? Littering seemed more disrespectful, he supposed. So he bent and grabbed the necklace before he could change his mind. "I'll, uh, de-curse-ify myself later."

Logan nodded, looking preoccupied. "Let me know if I can help. I might be able to repair the chain."

"Actually," said Virgil, stuffing the wet necklace into his pocket, "I was wondering if maybe, um…"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Please do."

Virgil closed his eyes so he wouldn't get weirded out by Logan's contacts. He had been expecting a short kiss, sweet and chaste, but Logan's hand tightened in the loose fabric of Virgil's poet shirt and his teeth grazed Virgil's bottom lip. Fuck propriety, then; the Plaza was still fairly empty. Virgil raised a hand to grab a fistful of Logan's hair and ran his tongue along the edge of Logan's lip.

They were interrupted by a wolf whistle and golf claps. "I'll be damned." Crap. Why did it have to be Janus? He was never going to let Virgil live this down.

Virgil pulled away so fast it made pain shoot through his neck. He exhaled sharply and covered the area with his hand for all the good it would do, turning to face Janus with a blush blooming on his cheeks. "What are you supposed to be?" he asked, looking Janus up and down. Janus had always been unnecessarily private about things that really didn't matter. He had evaded all of Virgil's attempts to guess his costume, and now presented wearing an old-fashioned suit including top hat, gloves, and cane.

"Don't change the subject," said Janus, dismissing Virgil with a wave.

In true vampire fashion, Virgil snarled and bared his teeth, then remembered something. "Oh, shit, my fangs!" He dug in his pocket for them, leaving Janus to do… whatever he was going to do.

"Logan, I presume?" Janus asked. Virgil stopped in the process of sticking on one tooth, heart hammering again. Janus and Logan had never met, and they could both be… a bit much in their own ways.

Logan nodded. "Logan Doucet." He held out his hand for a shake.

Janus took it. "Thank God you didn't bother to paint your face, else Virgil would have more than smudged lipstick to contend with. You've got some on your mouth, by the way."

"Thank you," Logan said stiffly. He withdrew his hand and used it to wipe away the lipstick stain on his face. "Nice to meet you, Professor Moriarty."

Virgil's eyes darted back to Janus, who smiled. "When I'm not acting as the Napoleon of Crime, you can call me Janus. Janus Bellefontaine."

"Where's Remus?" Virgil interjected, looking around. "Didn't he ride with you?"

"He got waylaid by some angry mothers because his costume made their kids cry," Janus said, nonchalantly running a

fingertip over the brim of his hat. "He'll be along." To Logan, he said, "Virgil tells me you're an accountant."

"Yes," said Logan. 

"And you haven't killed yourself yet, so I assume you must like it."

Virgil busied himself sticking his fangs onto his canines so he wouldn't worry about the conversation at hand. A sideways glance at Logan revealed that he seemed to find the comment amusing, thank God . "I've always been good with numbers. People, less so."

"Never would have guessed," Janus said, and Virgil didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling that crooked, tight-lipped smile that might have been genuine or might have been mocking. Asshole. "Well, if you have any rich clients, send them my way, won't you? I sell nice suits to dumb men with low self-esteem and too much money and I'm always on the lookout for another rube to swindle."

"If the suits are any good, I'd be happy to," Logan said.

Satisfied that his fangs were in properly, Virgil's attention shifted suddenly to the cold, wet medallion in his pocket. Right. He was cursed. Despite his interest in the occult and the supernatural, Virgil didn't have much experience with curses. His friends weren't really the type to play around with magic (well, maybe Janus, maybe- maybe Roman) and he wasn't the kind of guy who made enemies. No one had ever cursed him before. How soon would this one take effect? Should he go home and come back? Should he hop into the bayou, makeup be damned? Did bayous even count as running water?

He was so caught up in his panic spiral that the sudden sensation of hands on his shoulders made him jump. "Fuck!"

To his surprise it was Roman, not Remus, who laughed from somewhere behind him. "What, are Logan and Janus boring you?"

Virgil looked up and flinched again. While Roman looked relatively normal in his glittery Doctor Frank-n-Furter costume, Remus, who was lurking just behind his brother, was a horrorshow of fur and face paint and fake blood. "Um…" He shook himself and noticed Patton standing a ways off, peering at Remus. Distracted, he went to introduce Patton to Remus and Janus only to learn that he and Roman had run into Remus on their way over and rescued him from a brigade of shouty young mothers.

"He's Macavity," Patton said in a tone like he was pronouncing the death of the family goldfish.

"The other Napoleon of Crime," Janus agreed. "And you are?"

"Patton Haydel!"

A pause. "I gathered that. " Janus gestured at Patton's costume, which he had also kept a secret. Virgil had been staring at it as well, trying to figure it out. Patton was wearing what appeared to be a headless bear costume, round glasses, and what might have been a cowboy hat, though Virgil wasn't 100% sure. "What are you?"

"You have to guess!" Patton said, extending his arms and backing up so everyone could get a good look at him.

Virgil stared at him, running his tongue over the edges of his plastic fangs. "I got nothin'."

Logan took a sideways step and tapped Virgil's hand. Virgil nodded, and Logan interlaced their fingers as casually as he might clock in for work. "He's Teddy Bear Roosevelt."

They all groaned. "Good work, Pat," Virgil said begrudgingly.

"You have a big wet spot on your crotch," Remus pronounced, pointing at Virgil.

Janus raised his eyebrows, turning to Virgil with undisguised schadenfreude, but Logan stepped in before anyone could say anything. "It's water. He dropped his necklace in the reflecting pool."

"Well," said Patton, "that's not good."

"You dropped something in the reflecting pool and didn't immediately run for the nearest source of running water?" Janus asked. He looked from Virgil to Logan, then to their intertwined fingers and grinned. "Ah. More pressing matters at hand?"

"Maybe it's not too late," Roman said, drumming his acrylic nails against his thigh. "We can still dump him in the bayou."

"There's alligators in there!" Virgil said. "Fuck that. You know my house is plastered with wards. I'm sure I can make it through one evening."

"Your funeral," said Remus, leering. "Let me know if your dick falls

off.

 -

Despite his friends' concern, Virgil had a wonderful evening. Logan stuck close the whole night through, and they even snuck a few kisses here and there like infatuated teenagers. Each one sent a lightning thrill down Virgil's spine and made him want a dozen more. His friends noticed in turns and either teased or cooed, but each reaction was encouraging.

Logan kissed him goodbye at the end of the night and he practically floated back to his moped. He was so caught up in his daydreams that he only remembered the curse when he caught sight of the nazar hanging on his kitchen wall. Cursing under his breath, Virgil went to his bookshelf and began to compile a few methods of curse-breaking. Did a shower count as running water? God help him, he was not getting in the bayou. Maybe he could combine methods.

A few moments later, Virgil had everything set up in the bathroom. He lit the last candle, tightened the herb sachet around his neck, and stepped into the shower. Okay, time to focus. He was washing himself free of the curse and wouldn't it be nice if Logan were here? Logan didn't believe in magic and his clear-headed confidence would undoubtedly make Virgil feel better, too-- Focus! Wash away the curse. Logan would probably help him if he asked, helping Virgil set up the crystals and making sure his candles stayed lit-- Virgil! The curse! Wash away the curse.

The bathroom smelled of candles, incense, and herbs. Almost like Virgil's workplace, except that Virgil was using lavender and his boss preferred nag champa.

He stepped out of the shower and inhaled deeply, letting the mixture of scents relax him and draw him toward sleep.

[pedropascalonline]

Love is fire

Maxwell Lord x Reader 

Summary: Y/N is saving up to attend the university of her dreams,she is shocked to find out that her father got her a job as Maxwell Lord’s assistant. Y/N can’t stand him but soon enough they become infatuated with each other.

Warnings: Swearing. 

A/N : Hello everyone. I’m an absolute simp for Max Lord. I hope y'all like this and want me to continue. Feedback is appreciated and remember to let me know if you want to be tagged.

“I’m sorry Wyndham but there’s nothing to do, I just don’t have an opening at the moment.”

“That’s okay, Mr.Lord I was just hoping that maybe there would be a place here for my y/n I have worked here for years and I was kind of envisioning the same thing for her.”

Wyndham had been Maxwell's personal driver since he was 40 and Maxwell only 20, now that he was 65 the time came for him to go home indefinitely at the end of his shift today.

“Mr.Lord, I have them on the phone for you.” said his redhead assistant Anna. Who was visibly uncomfortable in her high heels.

“Are you alright Anna?” asked Wyndham noticing her uncomfortable walk.

“Oh yes thank you, I just can’t wait for this one to finally come out, he’s making my feet swell like crazy,” said Anna as she looked down at her swollen belly.

Max rolled his eyes at interaction.

“Right Wyndham I need to take this call I’ve been waiting for it all week, I’ll see you later then. Remember it’s straight home tonight.”

“Of course Mr.Lord.”

Wyndham and Anna took their leave and left Max to do his job, which seemed like lately, it was only screaming at people.

X

You sighed as you wiped down the sticky counter top, you couldn’t believe that it was the fifth time a child had knocked over their drink on your shift. Every time you reminded yourself to never have children.

“Y/N when you’re done there can you please come to help me in the back ?”

“Yes, Charlie I’ll be there in a minute,” you answered.

Charlie was your boss but also your best friend. He’s the one that got you your waitressing job after you finished high school together.

His family owned the cafe where you worked. Your family didn’t have enough money to send you to the university of your dreams so you decided you’d make the money yourself. It was proving to be more difficult than you initially thought.

“What’s up?” you asked Charlie.

“Are we going out tonight or what? This week has been exhausting and I need a distraction.”

“You can say that again but unfortunately not tonight, it’s my dads last night of work and I want to be there when he gets home.” You said smiling sadly.

Charlie sensed your change in mood and hugged you.

“Hey, cheer up. It’s the 80’s anything can happen, just don’t give up yet.”

“My parents are old, and now my dad won’t be bringing back money anymore, my mum is getting tired of looking after kids all day and now I’ll have to start helping with bills. I don’t mind doing it but this just isn’t how I saw my plan going yah know?” tears were spilling down your face at this point and Charlie pulled you in tighter.

“Listen, you’ve got this. If there is anybody that can do this, it’s you. I’ve never seen you fail at anything and I won’t have you start now.”

“I love you so much,” you said as you held him closer.

“I love you too babe.”

X

“You ready Mr.Lord?” Asked the elderly man.

“Always,” replied Max as he got into the back seat of his limousine.

Wyndham got into the car and adjusted his mirrors for the last time. He put on his driving hat. His eyes meeting Max’s in the rearview mirror.

“Going home, Mr Lord”

Maxwell only nodded as the car took off. He’s heard those words for over 25 years and now it’s suddenly stopping. His new driver will be picking him up on Monday morning and he sighed at the thought of having to get to know someone all over again.

The city was alive with teenagers partying, adults dancing and kid’s at the movies. Sometimes he wondered...

X

The view of The Lord mansion came into view as the large iron gates opened. The doubted rooted in the middle of the drive-in looking especially beautiful with the recently added lights. The head housemaids idea. Agatha practically raised Max since his parents were always away for business.

Wyndham and Agatha were about the only people Max could stand. Well, and of course the exception of his assistant Anna and maybe just maybe his Gardner but he never really saw him all that much but he reminded him of one of the friends he has as a child. Heck, he didn’t even know his name. Alec maybe? Or Rodney?

Wyndham opened the door for Maxwell and swiftly closed it behind him again.

“Well Sir, it was a privilege working for you. I’ll never forget how good you were to me.” The old man’s eyes turned glasses as he took off his hat, handing it over to Max.

“Keep it please, it won’t be same in somebody else. Are you sure I can’t give you any kind of compensation?”

“No Sir please we’ve been over this, I’ve managed to put away a sum of money each month, I couldn’t take any more.”

“This doesn’t feel right Wyndham, is there anything I can do? Anything at all.”

“Well, perhaps there is one thing...”

X

“YOU GOT ME A JOB AS MAX LORD’S ASSISTANT?” you were fuming.

“Oh come on Y/N this could be your big break,” said your dad trying to cheer you up.

“My big break? Dad, I’m not working for that prick.”

“Hey you watch your mouth, that prick is who paid your school fees and fed you your whole life.”

“I know it’s just...I’ve never liked him, he’s so cold and have you seen him on tv? He’s so full of himself and he doesn’t know what to do with all that money and...”

“Didn’t you use to have a crush on him? You would see his commercials and go all read.” said your mother from across the room.

“MOTHER !!!”

“Listen, honey, just give it a chance. It’s good money and it will look great on any university application.”

“Your father is right Y/N just see how it goes, we would never force you to stay if it’s unpleasant.”

You never could say no to your parents and half of the time they were right.

“What if I take the job but work at the cafe at nights with Charlie?”

“You could do that but won’t that be exhausting?” questioned your mother.

“Being a personal assistant can be a lot of work especially for Mr.Lord.”

“Maybe your right, I’ll go down to the cafe tomorrow and talk to Charlie. How did you get me this job anyway?”

“Well, his current assistant is pregnant and is going on leave soon. When I dropped him off tonight I asked him.”

“And how did he react ?” you hated that you were curious.

“Well he wasn’t surprised but since it’s only temporary he agreed, he mentioned sometime about how he cannot wait to meet you.”

“There she goes all red again.” said your mother giggling.

“Stop bothering the child Lillian.” said your dad grinning at your mother. Enjoy your embarrassment equally as much.

“Okay fine I’ll do it but if he gets on my nerves I’m quitting.”

X

“What on earth are you wearing ?!” Charlie practically had a heart attack.

“What do you mean this is all I had? I wore it to a christening.”

You shyly pulled down the hem of your dress to get the dress to cover your knees.

“We’re you the one being christened?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Okay listen if you were leaving me to work for Max Lord then you can’t go in looking like that. They will eat you alive. It’s business not pancakes.” said Charlie as he desperately tried to put your hair up.

“What do you suggest?” You asked defeated.

“We'll start by curling your hair if you are going to wear it loose or at least pin it up. Your make up shouldn’t be all over your white-collar and it’s the 80’s your allowed to wear pants, get rid of that dress and maybe buy a pencil skirt.”

“With what money Charlie? I can’t just make a new wardrobe appear.”

“I’ll tell you what. I know this cute thrift place downtown, I’ll take you there and give you your last paycheck early. Sides you get a gift as a thank you for your service yah know.” said Charlie as he grinned at you.

If it wasn’t for Charlie you probably would be a lost cause.

“Okay fine, you and me after work okay. I need your advice if I’m gonna take over the business world.”

Both of you started laughing. Your laughter stopped however when you saw Max’s commercial on the TV that was in the kitchen of the cafe.

“Shoot I’m late, I gotta go. See you later.”

“There she goes.” Mumbled Charlie as he watched you run off.

X

“Being late isn’t exactly a good first impression Y/N.” said Anna as her eyes landed on you.

“I know I’m sorry I lost track of time. Has he asked about me yet ?”

“You’re in luck, he’s not in today. He’s away for business he’s out the whole week. That’s good because if he saw you in that outfit he’d probably send you home.”

“He’d send me home for wearing a short dress what a - “

“No don’t even go there, he’s not like that, he’d send you home because you have terrible taste in fashion,” said Anna as she gave you a stern look.

“This is not an easy job but I trust in you. I’ll show you the basics today and then at the end of the week you’ll be starting on your own.”

The idea was scary. Would you be able to cope all alone in a big office? The one upside though was that Max’s assistant had their own little office away from the other workers which mean nobody could stare at you the way they did when you came up.

At least you could go shopping with Charlie after work, you didn’t want to admit it but you wanted to make a good impression now that you knew you had a second chance. Maybe your parents were right. This could be good for you.

X

Monday morning came zooming than you would have hoped. Your thrifting with Charlie went well and at least now you had a decent enough outfit.

Why did you even want to make a good impression, don’t you loathe this man?

Maybe it was just to avoid the uncomfortable stares from your co-workers. Everyone here looked like they belonged somewhere like they had to succeed.

To be honest, you felt intimidated walking to your office, maybe this wasn’t a good idea, maybe you should just go home and -

“Ohf, I’m so sorry I didn’t look where I was going.” you apologized.

Your bright e/c eyes traveled up to meet the dark brown ones of the man you had just bumped into. It was him. Max Lord.

“That much is clear.” His words sounded forced, almost like he didn’t even want to waste his time talking to you.

“I...I -“

“Out with it girl.”

“I'm new I’m filling in for Anna.” you managed to string together a sentence while still locking eyes with his.

“Oh yes, I was told you’d be here. Uh, why are you standing about? You know where to go.”

“Yes of course.” You muttered.

“Also, why don’t you get me some hot coffee. I’ll be in my office. Knock before entering.”

And just like that, he walked off. People seemed to be in awe of him, you couldn’t blame them, so were you.

You hurried down to the cafeteria and got Max his coffee, luckily Anna had shown you how to make it. No sugar, no milk, no cream no nothing.

“Black, like his soul.” Anna’s words came back to you. She chuckled when seeing your fearful face.

“I’m only joking, he isn’t all that bad. Just don’t cross him and by no means be a smart mouth.”

You wondered what she had meant by that, why would anyone want to talk back to Max in the first place?

You timidly knocked on his office door and entered when you heard his authoritative voice permitting you.

“Here’s your coffee Mr.Max.”

He looked amused at you, not in a good way.

“Mr.Max? Honestly are you that nervous, it’s pathetic.”

“So just Max then ?” And there it was. It’s his fault he made you want to talk back.

It was your turn to look amused as he almost choked on his coffee.

“Cat got your tongue, Max?” For God’s sake why couldn’t you stop talking.

“You may call me Mr.Lord or Sir if the former is going to be a struggle for you.”

“I guess we’ll have to see.”

You turned on your heels and made for the door, ready to go stick your head in a hole.

“Were you this much trouble working at that pathetic little cafe ?” He spat back.

“Oh, much more Sir.”

X

[longitudinalwaveme]

Power Outage

The Flash stars in: Power Outage

Dramatis Personae

The Flash (Jay Garrick), the wise, benevolent hero of Central City

Joan Garrick, Jay’s intelligent, charming wife

Captain Cold, the earthy, practical leader of the Rogues and Central City’s worst villain

Golden Glider, a thrill-seeking, deceptively charming thief and little sister of the above

Weather Wizard, a lazy, dimwitted crook who works with Captain Cold

Script

Act I

(Enter Jay and Joan)

Joan: Honey, I’m worried about you.

Jay: Why? Any particular reason?

Joan: I don’t like how you’ve decided to protect Central City all by yourself while Barry and Wally go on vacation together for two weeks. You’re not as young as you used to be, you know, and I don’t want you to get hurt chasing down supervillains who are half your age.

Jay: Why didn’t you tell me that earlier, honey?

Joan: Well, Barry and Wally seemed so excited to be able to get away for awhile, and you seemed so happy to have a chance to come out of retirement, so I was afraid I would disappoint you if I said anything about it.

Jay: Joan, you know me better than that. Sure, I do love a little crime fighting, but that’s not nearly as important to me as you are. If I’d known that you were that worried about me, I would never have agreed to come out of retirement.

Joan: Well, it’s too late for you to change your mind now-Barry and Wally are already halfway to England, and you can’t leave the city unprotected.

Jay: I’ll be careful, Joan.

Joan: Oh, I know you will, dear. You couldn’t have survived this long as a hero if you hadn’t.

Jay: And you’re sure you’re okay if I go out?

Joan: I suppose. I just worry about you.

Jay: I know, and that’s why I’m so careful. I know that you’re waiting for me, so I can’t take any unnecessary risks. I can’t bear the idea of my dying and leaving you all alone.

Joan: Oh, Jay, I don’t worry about you because I don’t want to be alone-I worry about you because I don’t want you to be hurt.

Jay: Every hero risks that, Joan. It’s part of the job.

Joan: I know, but you’re just so athletic and you love to run. I’d hate to see you get injured and lose your ability to exercise.

Jay: Have I ever mentioned that I’m blessed to have you for my wife?

Joan: Every day, dear, every day-and I’m blessed to have you for my husband.

Jay: Thank you, darling. I love you so much.

Joan: I love you, too.

(Jay and Joan kiss, then Jay’s phone rings and he pulls it out)

Jay: Hello? Hello, Commissioner. Yes, I am filling in for Barry and Wally while they’re on vacation. Yes, I’ll be at work protecting the city soon. Mmm-hmm. Uh-huh. Yes, I’m sure I’m still up to the task. I may be old, but I’m as fast as ever. Oh, it’s no problem, Commissioner. I love Central City-I certainly don’t mind protecting it. Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I don’t need any money. Mmm-hmm. Uh-huh. Tell your wife happy birthday for me. I’ll be sending her flowers soon. And send Officer Johnson my condolences. No one should lose their wife that way. Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. All right, Commissioner. I’ll be watching for them. Okay. Okay. Good-bye. (Jay puts phone away)

Joan: What did the Commissioner tell you?

Jay: He was just checking to make sure that I was ready to protect the city-and to warn me that Captain Cold broke the Golden Glider out of jail, and that they and the Weather Wizard are on the loose.

Joan: Captain Cold and Weather Wizard I remember, but who is Golden Glider?

Jay: If I recall correctly, her name is Lisa Snart. She’s a former ice skater who apparently got bored with her career and decided to turn to crime-and she’s Captain Cold’s little sister.

Joan: A supervillain who’s a woman? Why, I never!

Jay: Villany isn’t exclusively the department of men, you know.

Joan: I suppose that’s true. How dangerous are they?

Jay: It’s hard to say, but since Captain Cold likes to avoid attention, they’re unlikely to try anything too diabolical.

Joan: Well, that’s one good thing, I suppose.

Jay: Agreed. (Pause)  Well, I’d better get going. Love you, Joan.

Joan: I love you, Jay. Good luck!

Jay: Thank you. Good-bye, dear.

Joan: Good-bye, darling. (Exit Jay) I hope Jay knows what he’s getting into. He’s been retired for a long time, and those villains are young enough to be our children. If he gets himself into trouble, I’ll never forgive myself. (Pause) Well, standing around here and worrying isn’t going to change a thing, so I might as well start making some plans of my own!

Act II

(Enter Captain Cold and Golden Glider. Weather Wizard is asleep onstage, and a doll and a large necklace are sitting next to him)

Cold: Stop trying to peek, sis. You’ll ruin the surprise!

Glider: I’m not peeking!

Cold: Oh, what the heck, go ahead and look.  

Glider: (Sees presents) Oh my gosh! Lenny, you didn’t!

Cold: Happy birthday, sis.

Glider: (grabs the necklace) How did you afford this? It’s beautiful!

Cold: Uh….about that….

Glider: You stole it for me, didn’t you?

Cold: No! I robbed a bank and used the money to buy it.

Glider: How come the Flash didn’t stop you?

Cold: I got lucky, I guess.

Glider: (Picks up doll) And what would this be? Cold: You don’t recognize that?

Glider: No. Am I supposed to?

Cold: Seriously? You asked for that for your birthday and Christmas like every year!

Glider: I did?

Cold: Uh-huh. Don’t you remember? When I couldn’t find it for your sixth birthday, you cried for like ten minutes and then Lewis beat the living daylights out of both of us because you woke him up.

Glider: Lewis beat the living daylights out of us on like every one of my birthdays. That doesn’t narrow things down much.

Cold: It’s still got the tag on it. Maybe that’ll help you remember.

Glider: (Reads) “Lucy”. (Pause; laughs) Lucy? The doll I was obsessed with as a kid? But she went off the shelves when I was eight years old. How did you find this one?

Cold: Well, I’ve been scouring garage sales and thrift stores and stuff for the thing around your birthday every year since you were eight. The odds were in favor of me finding one eventually, especially given how popular the thing was when you were little, and I finally found this one two weeks ago at that creepy Goodwill downtown.

Glider: Are you telling me that you’ve been trying to find this doll for me for 25 years ?

Cold: Of course. Given how much misery the stupid thing caused for both of us, I couldn’t’ve lived with myself if I hadn’t.

Glider: So even though, in the same general time period, you’ve given me 4 different cars, several dozen necklaces, and several thousand dollars in cash, you still felt obligated to get me a doll that I wanted when I was eight just because you couldn’t get me it then?

Cold: Well, yeah. Don’t you remember that I promised you I would get it for you someday?

Glider: Vaguely.

Cold: Well, I finally did! Don’t you like it?

Glider: No. (Cold looks upset, then she hugs him) But I do like you, Lenny.  I’m glad you think so much about me. You’re the best big brother in the world.

Cold: Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. I didn’t break you out of prison just to celebrate your birthday, you know.

Glider: Ooh, do you have a heist planned?

Cold: You’d better believe it, sis.

Glider: Hurrah! This day just keeps getting better and better! What’s the angle?

Cold: I’ll tell you as soon as I wake up Mardon.

Glider: What’s he doing here? Didn’t he win the lottery or something?

Cold:  He did, but now he’s broke-again-and needs a place to stay. Again.

Glider: There’s a shock.

Cold: (To Wizard) Yo, Mardon, look alive! We’ve got a job to pull! (Wizard doesn’t respond. Cold throws a pillow at his head)

Wizard: What time is it?

Cold: It’s two in the afternoon, you lazy bum. Get up- we’ve got a job to do.

Wizard: But I’m still tired, Cold! I just spent two weeks without a roof over my head!

Cold: Yeah, because you spent all your cash on parties, gambling, and cars you couldn’t afford. Again.

Wizard: I was doing it to impress my new friends!

Cold: The friends who skipped town as soon as you ran out of money?

Wizard: Yeah.

Cold: I rest my case. Honestly, Mardon, why I bother to keep you around is beyond me.

Wizard: Because of my charming personality and dashing good looks?

Glider: Definitely not that.

Cold: It’s because you have a wand that can control the weather, you doofus!

Wizard: Uh, about that. I may have accidentally kind of broken the wand a couple days ago.

Cold: HOW?

Wizard: Well, I was robbing a gas station when the thunderstorm I created to short out the power grid got a little out of control. I got struck by my own lightning, and the wand flew out of my hand and into a tree and snapped in half. And, uh, I didn’t even actually manage to rob the gas station, because when the wand broke, the thunderstorm cleared up before it could take out the power. Well, that and I was still recovering from the whole getting struck by lightning thing. So yeah. No more weather powers.

Cold: Can’t you just-you know-fix the wand?

Wizard: No. I don’t know how it works!

Cold: What do you mean you don’t know how it works? You’ve been using it for like 14 years!

Wizard: I stole it from Clyde, remember? He’s the one who built it! I don’t have a clue how he made it or how it actually produces its effects- I just know it works. Er, worked.

Cold: Clyde?

Wizard: You know, Clyde! My older brother who was better than me at everything!

Cold: Okay, then we’ll just ask him to fix it.

Wizard: We can’t. He’s dead, and he was kind of a recluse, so it’s not like he had any partners who were watching him build the thing.

Cold: Are you telling me that your wand is permanently broken?

Wizard: Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you.

Cold: Well, that’s just great. Now I’m going to have to change my plans, and it’s all because the man who had the most powerful weapon in the world was enough of a brain-dead moron to both never learn how the thing worked and to break it!

Glider: And on his little sister’s birthday, too!

Cold: Yeah, and on her birthday, too!

Wizard: Sorry?

Cold: You know what? If you don’t have your wand, then you’re useless to me.

Wizard: You’re kicking me out?

Cold: Not yet. You’re one of us, after all-but you aren’t getting a cent from our heists until you figure out a way to either fix the wand or provide some other asset to them, and if you can’t do that in a month, then you’ll have to find someone else’s basement to live in. I ain’t running no charity here, Mardon.

Wizard: Are you saying I’m not a good thief without my wand?

Cold: No, I’m saying that you were a mediocre thief with the wand and that you are a terrible one without it. Powers or no powers, you’re pathetic.

Wizard: Nobody talks to the Weather Wizard like that! Nobody! (Punches at Cold. Cold catches his punch, and then Glider knees Wizard in the abdomen. Wizard falls to the ground and Cold “freezes” his left leg to the ground with his gun.)

Cold: Well, maybe no one talks to the Weather Wizard like that, but until or if you fix the wand, you aren’t the Weather Wizard, you’re just Mark Mardon.

Glider: And we can talk to an idiot like Mark like that all we want.

Cold: See you after the heist, loser.

(Exit both)

Wizard: (Breaks ice on leg and sits up) How can this be happening to me? A month ago, I was a millionaire and the most powerful crook in the world, and now look at me. I’m broke and my wand is broke and now Cold says I ain’t even the Weather Wizard anymore. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was right about me bein’ a pathetic idiot. (Pause) Oh, who am I kidding? They’re right. Without the wand, I’m nothin’ more than stupid, pathetic Mark Mardon. (Pause) I need a drink or something. Anything would be better than sitting around thinking about how bad my luck’s been lately-or working to try and fix the wand!

Act III

(Wizard is sitting at the bar of a restaurant. Enter Joan)

Joan: Nothing like a nice cup of coffee to take my mind off my worries. (To Weather Wizard) Excuse me, sir, but is this seat taken?

Wizard: Huh?

Joan: I was wondering if this seat was taken.

Wizard: It’s not.

Joan: All right, then. (Sits down next to him) I’m Joan Garrick. Who are you?

Wizard: Name’s Mark. Mark Mardon.

Joan: Are you here by yourself?

Wizard: Yeah. You?

Joan: Well, I normally come here with my husband, but today I’m alone, too.

Wizard: Why? You have a fight with him or something?

Joan: No. He’s just filling in for some friends at work today.

Wizard: Are all your other friends busy, too?

Joan: No. As a matter of fact, after I eat lunch here, I’m going to my friend Betsy’s house to help her sew some clothing for her latest grandchild.

Wizard: Boy or girl?

Joan: Girl. Her name is Maria, and she’s only a month old.

Wizard: Is she cute?

Joan: All babies are cute, Mr. Mardon-just like all brides are beautiful.

Wizard: Not according to my baby pictures!

Joan: Oh, hush! (Pause) So, why are you here alone?

Wizard: Trust me, it’s not by choice. I can’t stand being alone without my power.

Joan: Have you fallen on hard times, then?

Wizard: Yeah. I’m pretty much broke, and my friends have made it pretty clear that they won’t give me any money until I can help them, which I can’t.

Joan: Are you sure these people are your friends?

Wizard: (Shrugs) They haven’t kicked me to the curb yet.

Joan: Don’t you have your own home?

Wizard: Not any more!

Joan: Oh, dear, you are in a mess, aren’t you?

Wizard: No duh, lady.

Joan: Is there anything I can do to help?

Wizard: Not unless you’re a millionaire.

Joan: No such luck, I’m afraid.

Wizard: Too bad. I could use that money. (Pause) You always start conversations with random strangers in restaurants?

Joan: No. You just seemed to need some company, and since I was alone, I decided to provide it.

Wizard: Why? There’s nothing all that special about me-at least not the way I am now.

Joan: Because I know how it feels to be lonely. My husband is wonderful, but he’s also very busy, so I spent a lot of time by myself before he retired.

Wizard: Why do you love him so much if he spends so much time away from you?

Joan: Because he’s a good man who sacrifices himself for me. The least I can do is make sacrifices for him in return. After all, a big part of love is being willing to sacrifice your own desires for the people that you love.

Wizard: That sounds like an awful lot of work, lady.

Joan: Sometimes it can feel like it, I’m afraid-but it’s worth it to experience genuine love.

Wizard: I think I’ll pass.

Joan: How can you say that? Haven’t you ever loved anyone?

Wizard: No-and no one’s ever loved me, either, except maybe my older brother, Clyde-and that was only ‘cause he felt bad for me.

Joan: Felt bad for you-why?

Wizard: Because I was a lazy bum right from the start, that’s why. No ambition-not that there would’ve been much of a point in trying, what with Clyde bein’ a genius and a great athlete and all. Even if I had decided to try, Mom and Pop would’ve liked him better, ‘cause I never coulda been as good as he was. The only thing I was ever good at was getting lucky.

Joan: You sound almost proud of yourself for that!

Wizard: Well, it beats feeling terrible about myself.

Joan: Not if it keeps you from improving yourself.

Wizard: Now you sound like Clyde.

Joan: Well, in that case, I would suggest that you listen to your brother on occasion.

Wizard: I can’t. He’s dead now.

Joan: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.

Wizard: Don’t be. It was a while ago, and I was never real close to him anyway. He was too perfect.

Joan: Aren’t you close to anyone?

Wizard: No one I don’t work with.

Joan: Well, if you don’t mind, I plan to fix that.

Wizard: But you don’t know anything about me!

Joan: I know that you have a dead brother, some questionable friends, and a somewhat self-destructive lifestyle.

Wizard: Oh, believe me, you don’t know the half of it.

Joan: And I won’t pry. Are you up for continuing the conversation?

Wizard: I guess. (Pause) You are the weirdest woman I’ve ever met.

Joan: I know-but I’d like to think I make decent company anyway.

Wizard: You’re better company than my partners, at least.

Joan: That’s always nice to hear. So, is there anything you particularly like to eat?

Act IV

(Enter Cold and Glider)

Cold: Okay, sis, I’ve taken out the alarms. Are you ready for the biggest heist of our career?

Glider: You bet, Lenny! This is so exciting!

Cold: And you’re sure you’re not mad about us doing this on your birthday?

Glider: Of course not! In fact, I can’t think of a way I’d rather be spending my day.

Cold: (Aside) I could think of several ways I’d rather see her spending her day, but if this makes her happy, I can’t refuse her. (To Glider) I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Now let’s move!

(Enter Jay Garrick)

Jay: Stop in the name of the law!

Cold: Well, well, well. Look who it is. It’s Grandpa Flash. Aren’t you retired?

Jay: As long as criminals like you are roaming the streets, I’ll never be truly retired.

Glider: Wow. You sound like a really bad Saturday morning cartoon show.

Jay: Perhaps that line was a bit hackneyed, but then again, so are supervillainous bank robberies. It’s not like the two of you invented that idea, you know.

Glider: No, we just perfected it.

Jay: I’ll give you one chance to surrender peacefully.

Cold: And I’ll give you the same chance, Grandpa Flash. I don’t particularly want to beat up an old man like you.

Jay: Old or not, I would never surrender to a criminal.

Glider: Okay then, Grandpa-let’s dance!

(Starts “skating” around him)

Jay: (Knocks her down) I don’t dance with anyone but Joan, miss.

Cold: Leave her alone, old man! (Shoots at Jay and misses)

Jay: You’re good, son. It’s quite a pity you decided to waste your talents on crime.

Cold: Don’t call me son! (Shoots wildly and misses badly)

Glider: (Gets back on her feet and tries to hit Jay from behind, but he catches her punch) Let me go, you old geezer!

Jay: Sorry, daughter. I’m afraid that’s a no can do. You’ve violated the laws of our fair nation, and you must pay the penalty for your actions.

Glider: (Aside) Is this guy for real? (Breaks Jay’s hold) Only if you can keep ahold of me! (Captain Cold finally manages to hit Jay while Jay is attempting to recapture his sister)

Jay: Nice try, son, but I’ve gotten out of worse traps than this before! (He breaks free)

Cold: DON’T CALL ME SON! (Starts shooting wildly again as Glider begins to enter the bank)

Jay: (Dodges Cold’s blasts and grabs Glider) Oh, no, you don’t, child.

Glider: (Steps on his foot; Jay screams and releases her) Oh, yes, I do.

Jay: (Aside) As much as I hate to admit it, Joan’s worries may be more valid than I wanted to admit. These younger villains are wearing me down pretty well. (Manages to grab the Glider again, only for both to be hit by a wild shot from Cold, who runs over and smashes the ice around his sister. Jay vibrates free a few seconds later, but both villains have moved out of his way in the meantime)

Glider: (Aside to Cold) How is it possible that this old guy is harder to fight than the other two?

Cold: (Aside to Glider) Never mind that-just get into the bank! (He starts shooting again and Glider moves towards the bank, only to be stopped for the second time by our hero. Cold stops shooting when this happens to avoid hitting his sister again)

Glider: We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Grandpa.

Jay: Well, if all goes as planned, child, you won’t be meeting me for several years.

Glider: Why do you keep calling me child? I’m your enemy, not some dopey little kid.

Jay: Force of habit, I’m afraid. After all, you and your brother are young enough to be my children-though I would have raised my children to have better manners.

Cold: SHUT UP, FLASH! (He rushes at Jay, who dodges him, manages to keep a hold on Glider, and then handcuffs both of them)

Glider: Well, this is turning out to be a lousy birthday!

Jay: It’s your birthday?

Glider: Yeah.

Jay: Then I am sorry that you and your brother were foolish enough to break the law on it, child.

Cold: Stop calling her that.

Jay: Why? It’s not an insult.

Cold: It’s what Lewis used to call her. If that’s not an insult, I don’t know what is.

Jay: Who?

Cold: Our “father”. He treated us like trash. If that’s being someone’s child, I’d rather die.

Jay: (Aside) So that’s why he kept-pardon the horrible pun-losing his cool. When I called him son, it seems I was bringing back some ugly memories. (To Cold) Very well, then. I’ll stop calling her child.

Cold: Good. No one upsets my baby sister.

Glider: Before you take me away, old man, would you mind bringing me something real quick? It was the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.

Jay: I’m afraid I don’t trust you two enough to leave you alone here. If you want to see it, I’ll have to take you with me.

Glider: (Aside) Well, it was worth a shot- and I do want to see it. (To Jay) Okay, that works. The gift’s in our hideout on Seventh and Main.

(Cut to hideout)

Jay: Which one is it?

Glider: The doll. (Jay hands it to her)

Cold: But I thought you said you didn’t like it!

Glider: Lenny, she isn’t the present-the fact that you spent 25 years looking for her is. Having a brother like you was the best present of all.

Cold: Aww, shucks. It was nothing, sis.

Jay: Now who sounds like a bad TV show?

Glider: It’s still you, gramps.

Jay: Unfortunately for the two of you, you still have quite a debt to pay to society. Let’s get you back where you belong.

Act V

(Joan and Wizard are still sitting at the counter. Joan has a cup of coffee now)

Wizard: And then I got a concussion.

Joan: (Aside) Well, one thing’s for sure: this fellow wasn’t kidding when he said that I didn’t know the half of his self-destructive lifestyle! In fact, I’m slightly surprised he’s still alive. (To Wizard) And this was before you dropped out of high school?

Wizard: Two weeks after, actually.

Joan: I’m starting to think you might need more help than I can give you, Mr. Mardon.

Wizard: Told you. (Pause) And just call me Mark.

Joan: Well, Mark, have you ever considered seeing a counselor?

Wizard: You mean a shrink? No way, lady. I’m stupid, not crazy.

Joan: Going to a counselor doesn’t mean you’re crazy. In fact, a lot of the time, it means that you’re smart enough to realize that you need help to change.

Wizard: Who said I wanted to change?

Joan: No one-but by your own testimony, you’re responsible for the mess you’re in right now, and nothing will get better for you until you decide to change your life.

Wizard: Seriously, are you sure you never met Clyde? Because you sound just like him.

(Enter Jay)

Jay: Hello, Joan.

Joan: Hello, sweetheart. What a pleasant surprise!

Jay: Well, I already recaptured Captain Cold and the Golden Glider, so I decided to stop by and visit my lovely wife.

Joan: Oh, Jay, stop flattering me.

Wizard: Your husband is the Flash?  

Joan: Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to mention that! Mark, this is my husband, Jay Garrick, the first Flash. Jay, this is Mark Mardon. He and I have been having a little chat.

Jay: Joan, get away from him-now!

Joan: Why? He’s not bothering me.

Jay: Joan, Mark Mardon is the Weather Wizard!

Joan: You’re a supervillain?

Wizard: Yeah.

Joan: When were you planning on mentioning that fact?

Wizard: Well, I wasn’t planning on mentioning it at all, because I assumed that you knew who I was. Although, now that I think about it, your not knowing would explain why you didn’t freak out when you saw me. (Pause)  No hard feelings, right?

Joan: I’m not sure what I’m feeling, honestly.

Jay: How long have you been here together?

Joan: About an hour, I think.

Jay: And you never recognized him?

Wizard: Well, in her defense, I’m out of costume and you and I haven’t fought much. There wasn’t all that much of a reason for her to recognize me without my gear.

Jay: And you didn’t realize that she was my wife?

Wizard: Nope. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her before.

Jay: Son, if I find out that you’re lying about that and this was a plan to kidnap her or something, you will regret it.

Wizard: Kidnap her? Why? I don’t hate you nearly enough to do something like that-and besides, I’d have to be crazy to kidnap her now. My wand’s been broken for a week, and I can’t fix it, so I’d have to have a death wish to make you angry at me.

Jay: You can’t control the weather any more?

Wizard: Sadly, no-and that means that you won’t be hearing from the Weather Wizard again. Without the wand, I don’t have the talent to be a supervillain, and if word got out that one of the Rogues was back to picking pockets, I’d be the joke of the underworld. I’d rather quit crime than go through that sort of humiliation.

Joan: Well, while I certainly don’t admire your reasoning, I’d say that quitting crime is the best life decision you’ve ever made, Mark. At the very least, it’ll certainly make the city safer.

Wizard: Okay, so now what happens?

Jay: I don’t know. That would depend on whether you’ve committed a crime since you got out on parole four months ago.

Wizard: Why would I tell you if I had?

Joan: Because if you do, he’ll be a lot less angry than if you lie to him and he finds out later.

Wizard: You make a good point, lady. (To Jay) I tried to rob a gas station by knocking out the power, but before I could actually knock out the power or do anything, I got struck by lightning and my wand broke, so I didn’t actually try to steal anything. Is that attempted robbery?

Jay: I’m afraid we’ll have to let a jury decide that, son.

Wizard: And since I don’t have my weather wand, I ain’t about to get humiliated by trying to escape from a guy with super speed and then failing.

Joan: You know, for a man with such limited common sense, it’s amazing how practical you can be when it helps you save face.

Wizard: Well, considering I already lost a million dollars and my powers, I’ve kinda had my fill of being laughed at and called an idiot for the year.

Joan: So, you can change after all.

Wizard: (Shakes head) Lady, you’re something else. I’m not sure if it’s a good something else or a stupid something else, but you’re something else.

Jay: All right, son, time to go.

Wizard: (To Joan) See you around, lady. It was nice talking to you.

Joan: I suppose I’m glad you appreciated it. Good-bye, Mark.

(Jay exits with Wizard, then returns)

Jay: Are you alright, Joan?

Joan: Yes, I’m fine. He didn’t really do anything to hurt me, after all.

Jay: Oh, thank goodness. If he’d hurt you, I’d never forgive myself.

Joan: See, now you know how I feel!

Jay: Why, Joan, I think you’re right!

Joan: Have I ever mentioned that I love you?

Jay: I’m not sure. You know how our memories get at our age.

Joan: (Laughs) Well, then, Jay, I love you more than you can imagine.

Jay: And I love you to the moon and back.

(They kiss)

Joan: Oh, that reminds me-I need to go to Betsy’s house! My, I can’t imagine what she’ll think when I tell her that I had coffee with a supervillain!

Jay: The same thing that I do: that you’re the bravest, kindest woman on the face of the Earth. (Pause) Do you want me to take you to her house before I go back on patrol?

Joan: Oh, of course!

Jay: Then your chariot awaits you, my lady.

Joan: Oh, Jay, that’s so cheesy!

[sourbat]

Thrifting

Pairing: Toki Wartooth/Magnus Hammersmith

Words: 3200

Summary: “Shopping,” Part 2. Magnus needs a new belt. Things escalate. 

Read the previous chapter here on Ao3  (not required).  

Magnus’ belt strap had long since reached the point where the buckle was doing more harm than good, but he didn’t think it was such a big deal, not when he was gaining weight anyways and had plenty of other, unused holes that could handle the additional stress. He figured a few more wears wouldn’t hurt, but when he tried putting it on felt the strap near the center bend a little too much, and begin to tear.

After a series of petty swears and an attempt to find an easy fix, Magnus pulled out his phone, checking his savings for the rest of the month, and decided he’d splurge a little on some new clothes. His boots were worn as it were, leaving his arches aching after a long day, and it was getting colder.

There were a few thrift shops not too far from where he lived. Since wasting money on gas wasn’t an option this late in the month, Magnus opted for the bus. About an hour later, right as Magnus reached his stop and checked his phone to see how much farther he’d have to go on foot, Toki texted him, informing him that he’d arrive earlier than expected. After a series of messages, Magnus let Toki know where he was headed, and left it at that.

Luckily for him the first shop wasn’t a total bust, and he found something decent enough to replace the belt he had dumped. Shoes were a no-go. There were a few warmer looking tops available, but nothing that really spoke to him. Magnus left the store with his single purchase, somewhat thankful he only spent a few dollars and not a cent more, and he waited by the curbside for Toki and his gruesome chariot to arrive.

A chilly breeze swept across the dreary shopping center. Magnus shivered, then pulled out a cigarette to nurse and warm his spirits. Twenty minutes later, Toki arrived, popping out of the door before his servant could open it for him. He raced across the street, meeting Magnus in a tight embrace.

“Hey, I’m heres.” Toki squeezed the older man, feeling a slight shiver vibrate against his chest when his arms wrapped around Magnus’ waist. “You gots clothes?”

“Just a belt,” Magnus replied, patting Toki lightly on the head, making him stir underneath and peer upwards, eyes locked on his face.

“Oh, that’s all?”

“Well, this place doesn’t really have a wide option,” Magnus said, shrugging as Toki peeled himself off from him, opening Magnus up to that uncomfortable chill. He made sure not to let it show, and continued after Toki as he led them back inside of the limo. “I really should’ve gone downtown. They’ve got better thrift stores.”

“Wants to go?” Toki asked as he knelt inwards.

Magnus shook his head. Toki, at a thrift store? Did Toki even know what a thrift shop was?

“Nah,” Magnus answered, grinning slightly as Toki nestled close, arm reaching over and turning up the heat to quell the remaining tremble that still haunted Magnus. “Let’s get you a meal first, and we’ll check out your–”

“Lets go. I likes shopping anyways. Always nice to go outs and buys the toy models and the gifts for my friends.” The way Toki said it made it sound like it was a damn treat. He inched closer to Magnus, nestling close and making that damn pout that tugged at the heartstrings.

“Alright,” Magnus said, unwilling to challenge the two, wide blue eyes that were set upon him, reflecting his image back at him and exposing just how weak they could make a man. “I needed to get some stuff for later anyways–” 

“Oh, wowee!” Toki chirped, raising himself up and nuzzling Magnus’ cheek with his nose. “We’s going on a shopping sprees!” Toki turned his head and yelled out to the front of the limo: “Heys, we’s going shoppings now! Takes us somewhere nice!”

“Yes, sir,” came an unknown voice.

Toki returned to Magnus, hand already sliding up his leg as he leaned in for a kiss. As good as it felt, Magnus gently removed Toki off from him.

“You do realize we’re thrifting, right?” Magnus said, voice tensing at the mere thought of spending more than what he currently possessed in his wallet.

“Thriftins,” Toki said. “Ams when you buy clothes at poor peoples or stupid hipsters stores, rights?”

Magnus told himself not to get offended. It wasn’t Toki’s fault he stopped growing up the second he became famous. “For lack of a better definition, sure,” he replied, expecting Toki to say something smart, maybe even toss a nasty line about how he never had to worry about such a thing. 

His sarcasm was met with a toothy, nonjudgmental grin.

“Oh, okays,” Toki said, then turned again, and yelled out, “Goes to not so fancy places for shoppings!”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Betters?” Toki asked Magnus, who in turn, sank a little in his seat, letting his legs spread some and embracing the heated air splashing across right when Toki peered up again, waiting for permission to continue where they left off.

The engine roared alive. Toki dropped on top of Magnus right as the limo entered the street, falling on top his legs and giggling at the shock, flipping himself over and bringing his hands up to Magnus, gesturing him to join and rest beside him.

Without giving his answer, Magnus merely stared down, flashing a suggestive grin and letting Toki grab him by the bottom of his shirt and pull him down.

…

It became abundantly clear that what Toki counted as frugal or cheap did not match Magnus’ definition. Magnus didn’t pay much attention to their changing surroundings; how could he, when he was too busy getting reacquainted with Toki after nearly a month of separation? When the limo finally parked, and Magnus stepped out and viewed the massive, layered shopping center full of designer stores and upscale restaurants, his heart sank.

Out of politeness, Magnus held his tongue. Toki wanted nothing more than to lead and with so many distractions surrounding them, Magnus couldn’t bring himself to shut the kid down. He formulated a plan: window shop and politely disregard anything Toki offered up, or convince Toki to focus more on himself, rather than him and whatever he was in search of.

This proved a difficult challenge. Toki stopped at whatever store caught his fancy, yanked Magnus inward, and went through various articles of clothing that he certainly didn’t need, much less Magnus. It wasn’t too annoying at first: the first two stores Toki spent most of his money on things he liked or wanted, but always picking up something and offering it Magnus’ way, asking if he’d consider trying it on, or if he preferred one color over the other. It was easy to suggest a color, only to reject an outfit for something as simple as it being the wrong design, wrong fit, or just not “my thing.” That said, if there was any silver lining, it was Toki’s impeccable taste in clothing. Toki’s first few suggestions were questionable, but by the second store, was pulling things from racks that made Magnus turn, curious to know what special occasion Toki was saving said outfit for. 

It wasn’t until the fourth store when Toki started to slow down, and Magnus began to really dread the afternoon. Again, Toki inquired about colors, designs, whether Skwisgaar might like something in silver instead of white, or whether Magnus thought there was a difference between “midnight sonata” and “desert night” as far as black goes. With little else left to do, he ended up picking out various clothing; a nice pair of pants, a ring, a black coat, and tested the fabric and admiring the designs, only to check the tag and be reminded just how out-of-touch Toki was with the real world. 

“Whats do you thinks of this?” Toki asked, raising a lovely button down shirt in front of Magnus.

“Uhm.” Magnus eyed the slim fitting top, and imagined what Toki might look like in it, how snug and form-fitting it would be, and smirked. “Real nice, man. For you?”

“No, yous.”

“Oh, well.” Magnus feigned disinterest. By the point, there was no need to glance at the price. He already knew it was well beyond what he could afford, at least if he wanted to eat next week. “Not really my color, dude.”

“You sures?” Toki asked, edging the top a little bit closer in Magnus’ view. “Ams maroon.” 

“Yeah,” Magnus said with a bored shrug. As Toki put the top away, Magnus glanced at the remaining portions of the store they hadn’t perused through yet, sighing inwardly at the thought of having to deal with this for another ten minutes. “Y’know,” he said aloud, “I think I’ll look over that way. You go ahead and do your thing.”

Toki beamed at him. “Cool. Oh, takes one of the gears with yous to holds on to your clothes.”

“Sure, whatever,” Magnus said, more than willing to accept some silent no-name shadowing him if it meant escaping this hell of refusing every single article of clothing Toki tossed his way.

He isolated himself in the far reaches of the store, away from Toki’s immediate line of sight, and once he was sure he was safe, groaned. He picked up a pair of faded black jeans, fondled through it until he located the price tag, and took one quick glance before shoving it back with the rest.

Who in their right mind would spend over a hundred dollars on a pair of pre-faded jeans?

“Need any help?” The klokateer asked.

“No,” Magnus growled, uncaring when she huffed a complaint before stepping away from him.

Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Magnus grumbled a sound, bottom lip curling as his eyes rested on another pair of slick looking, dark gray jeans.

He wouldn’t admit it, but if he had the money, he’d waste it all. As much as he wanted to be jealous of Toki, Magnus knew if he had the wealth to wear it, he’d buy it all up. The fact that all of this meant nothing to Toki, because he was a successful billionaire, and spending eighty on a button down was just a drop in the bucket that represented his overall wealth, was something to be envious of. How could he hate Toki for doing what came natural?

Something poked his back. Magnus turned, spotting Toki standing before him, carrying a few bags. “Hey,” he said. “Finds anything?”

“Just window shopping,” Magnus answered, smiling warmly at Toki.

“Heys, I’ll be rights back,” he said, then raised the small bag up to Magnus. “Cans you look afters?”

Magnus took the bag. “Where are you headed?”

“Back to Manson’s,” Toki replied.

“The one with the coat, right?” Magnus inquired, remembering and idolizing the make and heftiness before immediately recoiling in fright once he realized it was worth two whole paychecks.

“Yeah, forgots something,” Toki answered, then snapped a finger at the remaining klokateer to follow him.

“I’ll be waiting,” Magnus said, gesturing to one of the benches just outside the store.

They parted ways the moment they exited the store, and although it was getting chilly, Magnus settled on the bench, legs spread and consuming as much space as he could while he waited for Toki’s return. By now his feet were starting to ache, and it was getting late enough that he couldn’t ignore the occasional hunger pang for much longer, but when Magnus made a quick glance at the available restaurants, even checked his phone to see what his options were, was dissuaded when he didn’t recognize the names of anything close buy, or saw multiple dollar signs left by reviewers.

Magnus fished out his wallet. There was enough for a decent meal; not anything around here, but something equally fulfilling, if not better in flavor, closer to where he lived.

Maybe he could convince Toki to get a pizza? Toki loved anything topped with extra, melted cheese.

A few minutes passed. Magnus lifted his head to the rolling clouds above, making a note that he’d really need to get his hands on some heavier clothing soon. More time passed, and Magnus closed his legs, brought his arms closer to his chest to collect whatever heat his scrawny form could naturally produce. A frigid wind swept behind him, causing him to shudder and hunch forward, protective of his sensitive scar that would always throb and pang whenever it got too cold.

“You alrights?”

Magnus looked up, comforted when he saw Toki’s concerned stare. “Yeah, just a chill,” he said, and picked himself up, but not before taking the bag he’d been assigned to look after, and offered it to one of the available klokateer. “Hey man,” Magnus added, catching Toki’s arm in his, “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a bite. How’s pizza sound? I’m buying, of course.”

“Sounds greats,” Toki answered. “C’mon, let’s go.”

He’s relieved to hear it. He was also weirdly happy that Toki improved his wardrobe, even if it meant an afternoon of just standing and window shopping. Shit, almost like a real couple.

Magnus remained huddled close to Toki on their way back to the limo, partly to show affection and maybe milk another fun ride back to the pizzeria, and because his front scar still stung, and the one on his back wasn’t faring much better.

The klokateers ran up ahead, one lifting the trunk to store the remaining bags, while another rushed to open the car door for the two of them. Eager to get away from the cold, Magnus slipped inside first, edging his way deeper, only to be met with some filled shopping bags from the various designer stores he and Toki visited before. He picks them up, throwing them to the other side of the limo so Toki can sit beside him.

“Your stooges left some bags in there,” Magnus mentioned, reaching for the heater in anticipation. 

“Ams supposed to be there,” Toki calmly stated, dropping the large shopping bag between his legs, then waited for the door to shut before tacking on, “They ams your clothes.”

Magnus froze. “What?” he asked, hoping he misheard Toki.

“Your clothes,” Toki repeated, dropping the high pitch for his lower, more natural voice. Hearing it sent a warm chill Magnus spine. “Everythings you looks at for a long times when we went shoppins.”

Magnus glanced at the cluttered shopping bags he’d been so quick to throw, disregarded because as far as he knew, they were for Murderface or Nathan, or some other unlucky, unworthy fool that Toki insisted on befriending and caring for. The engine started, and once the limo started to move, one of the stiffer bags toppled over, and Magnus could see the outlines of something dark resting within.

Magnus started shaking his head. Keeping a straight face, he started: “Toki, I–”

“Kept my mouth shut so you wouldn’ts come up with more excuses,” Toki interrupted, unwavering and ignoring the threatening look starting to surface across Magnus’ already strained expression.

Toki picked up the large bag he had resting between his legs and offered it to Magnus, who wanted nothing more than to throw it out the window, but accepted because Toki kept staring and refused to look away from him. Magnus saw the brand name spread on the shopping bag, and already had a feeling he knew what was inside, but Toki wouldn’t let him escape, so with a trembling hand he reached in and pulled out the black coat he’d secretly been vying for, now his.

Magnus lifted the rest of the coat, letting the bag slip as he pulled it up, letting it all topple over and rest on his stiff, shivering knees. He tried furrowing his brows, tried getting his lips to turn southward, but all he managed was a staggered inhale.

There was an insurmountable desire to flee the scene.

Besides him, Toki continued: “You lookst really colds when I picked you ups. And you were really colds when I founds you at the bench, so you cant says no to Toki.” 

How dare Toki make it sound so easy, like buying clothes for someone who clearly didn’t deserve it was just another everyday occurrence. Like it wasn’t a big deal. 

It wasn’t a big deal, Magnus thought, and tried sticking to the words, but when he tried tearing his eyes from the coat to try and force a smile on his face, tell Toki “thank you,” or just look him in the eyes like a goddamn man, he couldn’t.

Tell him this is the nicest thing anyone has done, he thought, but couldn’t.

Tell him a joke, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

Tell him you don’t deserve this, but already knew Toki would try and stop him.

Tell him something.

Throat tightening, Magnus blinked, and brought a hand to cover his mouth.

There was something he desperately wanted to say, but couldn’t. He could feel those three terrifying words swirling in his chest, perfectly formulated and merely waiting for his permission to leave, fill the air and Toki’s heart with promises of a brighter future.

The back of his right eye burned, and when Magnus blinked, hoping that he could obscure that overwhelming sensation that was so close to choking him, felt something wet roll down his left cheek, catching him off guard and triggering a series of actions Magnus couldn’t control. He hunched forward, taking the coat with him, and covered the rest of his face with it and his second hand. He shut his eyes, holding his breath for as long as he could to hide away the tears, the ugly face he was forming as he fought to control himself.

“Needs a minutes?” he heard Toki ask, voice transitioning to its usual pitch, and lacking that strength from before. It was softer, gentler. Hurt, but ultimately accepting of what was happening.

It was Toki back to being Toki.

Face still buried in the coat, Magnus managed a short nod. “Mhmm.”

“Okays.” Toki hand patted the cushion underneath. Magnus heard each tap, finding the closeness of the sounds intimidating, but accepting it as a reminder that Toki wanted to touch him, comfort him, but wouldn’t. Not like this. “You has one minute, but after that, I can hugs you and makes you put on the coat, rights?”

“Mhmm.”

“Not gonna says anything means about how you looks, okay?” Toki gently warned, hovering a little close to ensure the older man could hear him over the occasional sniffling and airy breath.

Magnus opened his eyes. He stared through the thin gaps between his fingers, vision in both yes almost equally blurred from the pressure and tears he couldn’t hold back. “Mhmm.”

“Magnus?” Toki’s voice hung over him like a guillotine, ready to sever whatever limited connection and control he had over himself. “I loves you.”

Magnus exhaled, and every thought and feeling under the damn sun threatened to pour out, but somehow Magnus held it all in, just long enough to drop everything and grab Toki, bury his face in the man’s stomach and begin counting down how much longer he had to grow a spine and say what was on his mind.