#i have probably forgotten Many favorites but here's what i've got! :P

[incomingalbatross]

top ten flowers 🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷🪻

Thank you!

Ummmmmm:

Lantana

We haven't been able to buy them in my area for a couple years now but they're so pretty. The flowers shift in color as they age!!

Daffodils

Am I basic? Yes. Am I right? ALSO yes.

Camellias

I've never actually grown these irl but I love seeing them. They're so symmetrical. They don't look real.

St. John's Wort

Since it's not native to America but is grown here, seeing it is an Exciting Event. It's St. John's Wort! It's in folklore! It reminds me that St. John Baptist's feast day is nearby! AND it's pretty.

Peonies

Mainly because there is just... so much flower per flower packed into those buds. Look at them. (Downside: ants also love them so they're hard to bring inside.)

Lobelia

Partly for childhood associations (my mom has gotten blue ones and white ones almost every summer of my life) but also they're so little and blue. (A flower worthy of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.)

Alstroemeria aka Peruvian lilies

My experience is you can find these in every assorted bouquet at the grocery store, but that's for a reason. They're pretty.

Superbells

They're little mini petunias in a variety of bright colors and they make me happy. :)

Cherry (white especially)

Look at that. Is that not the prettiest, snowiest spring tree you've ever seen.

Roses

The MOST basic choice of all. Look at them.

[hana-the-ghostieee]

alrighty!! even though i have exams next week instead of studying iiiiiii. have translated yet another song. shikaki to koohii :P it isn't my favorite but i like it because well. it's pretty important for amy lore and stuff also yorushika

if you're wondering when i'm finally going to post dakaboku i'll do that one after i post all the remaining dakaboku songs (which is... this one and elma)

4/12, 詩書きとコーヒー (Songwriting and Coffee/Shikaki to Koohii)

In this minimal, "bare essentials" life, in this small six tatami mat room, Staying with you was what I should've done, that was the only thing I kept thinking about. If the color of happiness truly is semi-transparent, then I guess I wish I'd have never seen it. Without doing anything, today ends.

In this bare-minimum life, in this small six tatami mat room, I keep staring at the ceiling, every day, thinking about what I should do The price of happiness is about 60000 yen But after rent, I've only got 4000 yen I guess I'll just spend my time looking for lost memories

And now, I can talk about love with cold, empty eyes But even so, my coffee, it's still cold, too… I hate it!

I don't understand, I don't understand, don't understand, don't understand. Even though you've turned into a distant memory, you're still in front of me, in my way I don't get it, don't understand, don't see it, don't know how, How people can just walk right Or simply say things like goodbye

At the lowest point in life, in a slightly bigger flat, I write down lyrics about cut-off gas, memories and this cold shower If this life really goes on like this, there's probably two years left for me, So I guess I'll keep going, racking my head for memories - Something, anything - that reminds me of you

Sunny days, and festivals at night, and those streetlights in Sekimachi And clouds, and mirages, and this outlook I have on these lyrics - It's all just sophistry.

I still don't understand, don't understand, don't understand, don't understand -- You've become a memory a long time ago, but you still manage to show up in these songs I don't see it, I don't get it, don't see how, don't understand, I don't know how things can even be forgotten Or what I should do from here on out.

With these cold, empty eyes, here I am writing a song about you All of these days I've got, I've been living through them all for your sake As dreams, and things like your mouth and eyes fade away, Look, someday this song's time will soon run out Because this go around - it's already yours!

I don't understand. I don't get it. I don't know how. I don't see it. Please, at least turn into a memory, become part of a song, I still don't know, don't understand, don't see, don't know how, How everyone can just keep walking, Acting like it's natural, commonplace - I don't understand at all. I don't understand anything.

---

yes, i know there are many readings for shikaki. it can also be called utagaki to koohii but i think shikaki rolls off the tongue better (ew roll of the tongue sounds weird. we should make a newer version of that.) (OH WAIT THERE'S THIS THING CALLED SOUNDS BETTER TWT) anyways. shikaki to koohii sounds better imo

also what's up with the price of happiness costing 60000 yen? i wonder if there's anything you can buy that equals happiness with about 400 usd :/ uhm yeah that's all. wooo.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S3:E6; Chapter Six, E Pluribus Unum - [Pt. 3]

A Will Byers x Fem!Reader Series

𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴. 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺/𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘮𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺/𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.

⚠️: angst?? unrealistic bird behavior & likely inaccurate descriptions (bird enthusiasts & experts, please don't come for me, it's a metaphor. Same with all the baseball stuff :p), horrible cringy attempt at me writing comedy, and a long but necessary authors note

📝: nothing is explicitly confirmed so that anyone may interpret this however they want—gender & sexuality is different for everyone. R is not ending up with anyone but Will since you as a reader chose this book, but that doesn't mean I haven't gone out of my way to create instances that invoke possibility/interpretation. Like, if you think Y/n and Max or El or whatever have some flirtationship going on, they do! If you think they are strictly friends, correct! It's up to you and despite my previous a.ns, in the end, it's really up to you. This is meant to be an extension of you—a character you play in the show that I hope you feel you can fit into and relate to as much as possible. Everything here is for your enjoyment. All I ask, is you respect others' interpretations. Thank you for reading, I know I have long a.n's. I hope you enjoy it! (EDIT: Sorry, I genuinely meant this when I wrote it and then I realized, "hey actually things can be wholesome and gay in a harmless little fic without people bursting into flames" also I've been writing in will's sexuality anyway and we never see comphet represented in fics and I know that if I had exposure to such questions to ask myself at that age, it would have been extremely beneficial for me and I wouldn't have dealt with so much internalized homophobia probably (hence the once deeply closeted lesbian subconsciously picking the gay character for the LI) so let's put this fem!reader copy to good use, shall we?!)(and no, the he/him and they/them copies will be sticking to Will byers LI. Fem reader will be moving away 🎉🥳)

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

- 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟏𝐒𝐓, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏 -

"You're such a jerk, Mike!"

"Yeah, well, at least I'm not a cheater!"

"--Guys!"

"Screw you! If anyone's cheating, it's you! You keep changing the rules anytime it's convenient for you,"

"--Guys, please!"

"Do not!"

"--Just stop!"

"Do too!"

The Henderson residence had played host to many of the Party's adventures in its day, but none in recent had been quite so tense as this summer evening. The sun was setting behind the tallest wall of timber and a curtain of clouds that set the shockingly secluded property aglow in a soft but vibrant lilac. The air was still very much hot though perhaps that felt the case to the young Y/n Henderson, all but absent of smoke blowing from her ears as she charged after her friend in a rage, baseball mitt chucked to the ground and forgotten.

Behind her on the sidelines, her brother, and two best friends desperately trying to put out the stoking fire between her and a young Mike Wheeler. The Wheeler boy in question stopped his angry pacing just steps from the extended porch to whirl on his feet, completely red in the face.

He threw his arms out in anger. "Guess what, Y/n?! Pointing out you can't play favorites as pitcher and actually have to pitch well to everyone isn't cheating or," he angrily got in her fuming face as he threw up air quotes. "'bending the rules'. It's enforcing them,"

"--Mike, lay off," Lucas eased. But Like Y/n, Mike wasn't listening. Both children were blinded by their anger.

Y/n let out a very loud, very obvious fake laugh. She was bitter and angry and at this point, didn't care. Mirroring Mike's exact actions from before she threw her arms out at her side before her hands landed on her hips. "Yeah?! I'm playing favorites? That's what you think, that I'm intentionally setting you up for failure-? 'Kay, and have you ever considered that—I don't know, maybe, I might still be learning how to pitch, jackass?! Our mom just got us this equipment cause she could spare to afford it with the extra hours she's been working—we've never had an opportunity to practice before,"

Off to the side, Dustin went quiet. His eyes curiously watched Mike as he dropped his angry stance a little in realization. The air had changed. The golden and lilac skies deepened and the hot summer air lingered, but a small breeze had settled in; sneaking in through the trees in this sudden silence.

It was often easy for Mike to forget the life his parents gave him differed in many ways from some if not all of his friends. He could feel the heat in his cheeks burning brighter as the anger fizzled into embarrassment.

"That's what I thought," Y/n glowered, turning away in a huff to retrieve the long-forgotten roll-away ball that lay nestled against the forest floor. "Go home, Mike. I don't need this,"

"Y/n," Mike sighed. He sounded more tired than sorry, still whirling in the aftermath of his dwindling anger. Off to the side, Will, Lucas, and Dustin shared anxious looks. "Come on, I didn't think about it like that--"

"--I said go home! I don't want you here!"

Mike stiffened, his chest thundering with a storm of conflicting emotions that were threatening to get the best of him. He could feel his fists tightening at his sides and the urge to apologize drowning in his urge to deflect his embarrassment was winning.

"Yeah?!" He practically stutters, completely pink in the face and his hands balled up at his sides. "Well, maybe I don't wanna be here! Like you're gonna hear me out anyway-!"

Y/n scoffed, crossing her arms. "Like you're capable of real apologies!"

"--You guys, please," Came Will's small and pleading voice. The young boy felt a sympathetic hand fall on his left shoulder, stopping him from going any further and getting caught in the crosshairs. He looked over his shoulder to see an equally worried Lucas. The two shared silent words before watching what the three worried would be the end of their Party.

"You know what?! Fine!" Mike hollers. "As always, it's what Y/n wants!" He stops only to look around at the others, his voice lowering in volume before he says what he is certain is his final goodbye to Y/n. "I'm leaving."

The small audience watched as Mike yanked his backpack off the back patio and stormed off around the side of the house. Y/n, despite the searing anger practically pulsing off of her skin in waves, was almost shocked to see he called her bluff. Mike, though she hadn't been part of the group long, had quickly become one of her best friends. And though they had a special knack for getting under one another's skin, they always had each other's back when it really mattered.

Was she really about to let that go? Was Mike?

Dustin, Lucas, and Will seemed to be wondering the same question based on their reaction; one by one their tiny slack-jawed faces trailed from the side of the house where Mike had disappeared over to where she stood. Still cross-armed and fuming, but relinquishing muscle by muscle as reality settled in.

Her brother and friends were the first on Mike's heels, snapping themselves from their stupor and calling after their friend. If they could just convince him to stay long enough for both of them to cool down and work something out. They feared just what might happen if he left now; that what was broken just might stay broken.

Y/n didn't quite understand what she wanted to do or say—or even if she had any intention of doing or saying anything at all—when she found herself reluctantly following after Dustin, Lucas, and Will. Maybe she was just curious to see if Mike truly had the guts to leave. Maybe some part of her was scared to know the answer, no matter how furious she still was with him.

When she finally rounded the corner, she had little time to wonder why her friends had snapped into action and joined Mike on the empty driveway in worried tones.

She had caught him just as he was pushing himself off his hands and knees and onto his backside, grinding his teeth in pain from where he now sat on the dirtied-up driveway. Blood was already seeping through the abrasions on his right knee, a mixture of pebbles and dirt wedged into his bloodied skin around the wound could be seen even in the dying evening light. The lip of the concrete driveway peeking out of the dirt just a foot behind him suggested he hadn't had such luck in the darkness.

Sensing the extra pair of eyes on him, Mike looked up with a small huff only to meet eyes with the very friend he was trying to escape. Both were far too stubborn to relinquish an apology, and Mike's sudden vulnerable state only made his humiliation double down. He thought for sure he'd seen the last of Y/n, or at the very least, she'd laugh and say something about him deserving it. But instead, she turned tail and stomped inside the house without another word.

Nobody said anything at first. And Mike made quick but clumsy work of dabbing at the blood with his hands as carefully as possible. The sooner he got up the sooner he was out of here.

"You okay--?"

Will barely had time to finish the words before the slam of the front door returned and Y/n's frighteningly stern voice rung out (unintentionally and unknowingly) cutting off Will.

"Don't be an idiot, Mike. Your hands are filthy," everyone turned to see Y/n marching down the brick steps, her trusty Crystal-and-Lockjaw-lunchbox-turned-first-aid-kit in hand. "Let me see,"

"I'm fine," he snaps, growing self-conscious and throwing himself on his feet. He fails to hide a wince at the sudden bend of his knee and Y/n pins him under a tired glare. "I said I'm leaving, so I'm leaving."

"Stop being a baby and just sit down, Wheeler," Y/n pressed, her voice climbing again as she subconsciously began backing him up and around to the front steps of their front door.

"No, alright?!" He tried again, looking over her shoulder like he was getting ready to sprint. "I'm fine! I'm fine!"

"Just shut up and let me help you!" She bellowed, jabbing a finger behind him on the front steps.

His eyes blew open wide in fear as he collapses on the front steps and did his best to ignore the slight sizzle in the air that carried along with the breeze. Thankfully he knew better than to say anything, and judging by the looks on their faces from where they stood behind her so did the trio of boys who had watched the scene unfold with slight shock. Y/n heaved a tired (almost regretful?) sigh as she rubbed at her temples. All before kneeling at Mike's feet and unlocking the tin lunchbox and sorting through to find the correct supplies.

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" Mike finally asked after a minute or two. The rest of the Party, having realized they had intruded enough, was promptly led inside by Dustin to grab their coats and things and call it a night. They were currently inside, getting ready to leave. Perhaps this is why Mike had the sudden courage to mumble out the first words he had spoken to Y/n in minutes. "Thought you hated me,"

She rolled her eyes in great annoyance as she discarded the last of the cleaning supplies off to the side where she would eventually dispose of them properly. As she fished for a big enough band-aid, she didn't bother looking up at her friend to grumble her answer.

"I don't hate you, Mike," she admits much to his surprise. "I'm not happy with you, and I don't exactly want you here right now, either."

There was a small pause as she plucked a square strip from the tin, her attention focused on peeling back the paper to get to the bandage.

"But I don't hate you."

Mike would be lying, even to himself, if he said he wasn't relieved to hear that.

"You're lucky I even bothered to waste my supplies on you--" she nods to her lunchbox, her first and favorite first aid kit from a lunchbox she loved so much she was too afraid to take to school at the risk of ruin. "Just because you fell doesn't mean I don't think you deserve it,"

He frowned at that. But any instinct to bite back died out when he remembered the guilt he felt minutes ago for his thoughtless remark on her pitching. And as he sat here now, watching as the seething glare she had him trapped in all evening had effortlessly turned to a laser-focused gaze, making sure she applied his bandage just right, he couldn't help but feel a change. The remorse he felt from earlier was growing heavier and heavier, bringing his shoulders down in a slump and turning his frown genuine.

He tried thinking back earlier on in the day, asking himself why they had even started fighting in the first place. But he didn't have one right answer. Not one that justified losing a best friend over. It was all silly, selfish, and ridiculous. He had been all those things.

"I'm sorry, Y/n," Mike admitted, his heart pounding a little in his chest. She looked up from her lunchbox, where she had been tucking any loose items away, and paused as she searched his eyes in return. "I shouldn't have said those things."

That pounding in his chest was turning into hard and thunderous booms. Mike wanted to ignore it but it was the only distraction he had as Y/n studied him for any sign of false meaning. She found none.

The question of whether or not Mike had lost one of his best friends—a question he had been dreading to ask—was finally answered when Y/n's lips slowly stretched into a thin smile of relief.

||𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐄'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

- 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 -

"...you're jealous of me?"

Okay. Yeah, it was definitely time to leave the country. Leaving the country is a good plan. A great plan.

I don't know how long it actually takes me to answer. I just sorta... stand there. Trying to will my heart to start pumping again—it actually feels like all the blood has stopped pumping and my entire body is turning cold. Shit!

My eyes dart back over my shoulder through the screen door, but nobody—not even Will—seems to have noticed. I don't bother asking this time before I manage to bring myself to sit across from her on the steps without my knees buckling. My palms are clammy, my throat is dry and I can't even bring myself to meet her eye line.

This is totally ridiculous! I have to think about what I told Will that day—what she did for us. I know who she is. I have to remind myself who I'm talking to... But this is also the person I've screwed over for the past year and a half.

"Are you mad?"

Out of everything I could have said, I ask that?

Y/n scoffs, and my heart skips a few beats in fear. From the corner of my eye, I can see she's looking down at her lap and picking at the plastic seams of the comms as she thinks. She looks tired. Emotionally.

"I'm not mad, Mike," she admits. There's a small, sad smile fighting to stay on her face. It reminded me of that week we were looking for Will. "At least-- well, not about that, anyway,"

She chuckles a little, but I can tell even through her joking tone there's some layer of truth. Y/n sighs again, setting the comm on the steps at her feet, and glazing over the breeze in the trees before catching my eye for the first time.

"To be honest, I-- I'm not exactly surprised. Either."

The urge to get angry again creeps up but thankfully I'm just enough in my right mind to recognize I'm getting defensive. I'm embarrassed. 'How long have you known?' I'm not even sure the words left my mouth but she still answers me anyway.

"I've known you since the fourth grade, Mike," Y/n says. "Don't forget I spent a year on the sidelines. I saw how you two were—how you can be—around each other. Stuff other people might have missed... and I heard what you told him that night in the shed, about how you guys met."

My head is pulled over my shoulder without thought. Immediately, I catch sight of Will through one of the cabin's windows. He's standing in the kitchen, finishing off his stupid bowl of Lucky Charms by shoveling the last spoonfuls into his mouth like he always does. A few pieces fall from his spoon and his head falls with it, watching it slip away regretfully. He doesn't think anyone's watching him-- he's just Will, being himself.

The sight brings a similar, sad smile to my face when I recall the things I said to him that night. The moment Y/n is talking about.

'It was the best thing I've ever done,'

I'm broken from the memory when Y/n continues. Her tone suggests she knows what I'm thinking.

"What's between you and Will is something... I don't know," Y/n admits after a moment, shrugging and dropping her hands on her knees, unable to find the proper word. "But it's not nothing."

Y/n can tell I haven't said anything in a while. And she's smart enough to guess I'm not jumping to reply. I feel her gaze on me when my eyes fall to my shoes. I'm not sure whether to be relieved, embarrassed, horrified, or what... But despite what she's saying, I notice there's something still bothering her: I know this because her hands haven't stopped fidgeting, and they only got worse when she weakly—but playfully—nudged my knee with hers.

"Look, I-- " maybe I'm looking for things, but I swear she's trying to spit the words out. I swear the look she throws over our shoulders at the window and into the living room where Max, stood with Lucas and the others—not far outside El's door—lingered just a little longer than normal. But maybe I'm looking for things. "I get it. Believe me..." something somebody says inside has the pair laughing, and Y/n bows her head into her hands, rubbing exasperatedly at her temples. But maybe I'm not. "I get it."

The fidgeting got worse as she laid her eyes back on the forest. Two birds were meeting on a branch, cautious of one another, but neither of them willing to budge. I felt yet another small, playful nudge on my leg, and I nearly laughed upon recognizing her go-to weak attempt at lightening the mood.

It took me a moment to process her words, and when I finally registered I'm meeting her eyes I can tell she was waiting for a reaction of some sort. But really, there's nothing I can say that does justice to how I feel. But one look and I know—every suspicion I've ever had is gone. Y/n feels it too.

"But you know," she shakes her head thoughtfully, going back to those birds on the branch. They're scoping each other out. I'm surprised they haven't started fighting—gotten territorial or anything. It's almost like they're getting used to each other again. "I really don't think there's anything wrong with that. I mean, the connections we make with people, whatever they look like, are up to us. It's scary but it's true. But the feelings—not so much. Feelings just happen, and they can happen with anyone, and when they do they just... take hold of you."

The darker bird snapped its beak at the red one when it got too close. It cocked its head but didn't budge, only snapping back at it before hopping closer on the branch. In a lightning-fast motion, it plucked a twig from the feathers on its back, not without lecturing the black one for yelling at it as it did so. The red bird promptly hopped back several spaces, and the black bird quieted in guilt.

"I think you just gotta be brave enough to stick it out if you're willing," she shakes her head at the ground. "I don't think that makes anyone bad. And I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy with how things turned out." I found myself chuckling noiselessly as I nod along. The road here was definitely long and winding and far beyond complicated. But there were some things I just wouldn't change.

As they always were, the army of trees was a tempting sight to turn back to in such a heavy realization, but I was too preoccupied with the flustered haze Y/n was beginning to fall into. It was curious to see.

"I'm..." a genuine smile I hadn't seen on anyone in days flashed over her face as she looked wistfully over her shoulder. "so happy with Will." She admitted. But that smile eventually fell a little. "And I know how happy you are with El—I have a pretty good idea of what she means to you."

We both hear chirping in the branches, and we pull our sights back on the birds. The black-feathered bird—who had flown off before—had returned. He seemed almost shy. But he had food. And he was offering some of it to the other. She didn't look like she believed him at first, but she must have been hungry. Or needed a friend. Cause she cautiously hopped closer and took some of the food with a thankful chirp.

Y/n turns back to me, reluctant to take her eyes off the sight. "But that doesn't mean you haven't hurt people,"

I'm pretty sure the look on my face said it all.

"I never meant it, you know. That stuff I said. At the mall. You know, about you being locked away."

Her head sunk a little lower and I swore I could feel the air grow hotter around me. Almost as much as it did when she cornered me in the storage room.

"I was just... I was just--"

"Jealous?"

"Yeah," I laugh bitterly along with her. It's the first time either one of us has successfully been alone in a long time, I realize. "Yeah, I was. I was also scared. But mostly, Y/n, I was really mad. I don't know what for exactly, but I was panicking, and jealous and of course I don't want you locked up-- and I should never have said that. Maybe I said it cause I wanted to make you mad. Like I was mad... But I shouldn't have."

I'm too embarrassed to fully realize the heat in the air cooling. All I know is I feel a bit more relaxed. But maybe that's cause she's finally meeting my eye again.

"So, Y/n, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. For everything."

Maybe it's because all of this feels familiar.

"No, alright?! I'm fine! Just leave me alone!"

Something in the way Y/n's looking at me tells me she's thinking the same thing.

"Just shut up and let me help you!"

Something like we've been down this road before. But that oddly puts me at ease...

Y/n's lips slowly stretched into a thin but familiar smile.

"I miss being your friend, Mike,"

Something about those words felt just as familiar: everything about this moment, including the birds, but I couldn't quite call it deja vu.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I shouldn't have said those things."

I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see someone laugh at me. It was just a small chuckle, I'm pretty sure out of relief. But a laugh. "Thank you," Y/n says. She winced as she stood first, then offered me a hand to my feet. "And me too. And I'm sorry I said, you know, that you were a jerk and, all that stuff about you being stupid. I was just angry, but that wasn't cool,"

"What?"

The look on her face didn't change, but she took a moment to gulp. "...did I not say that stuff out loud?"

I felt my eyes narrow at her. "You said I was a jerk, but you didn't call me stupid,"

"..."

"..."

"--truce?"

"--truce?"

We both laughed a little, and I knew I wasn't the only one feeling the last of the tension disappearing. Together, the two of us walked to the pile of bikes at the edge of the empty garage. I could barely make out the sound of Dustin hushing Lucas and Will from inside and I rolled my eyes at the thought of them all listening. I wouldn't put it past them. Knowing those three, if we both turned around to look we'd probably find them with their noses glued to the window.

"Hey, Mike?" Y/n asked, pulling my bike off the wall and offering it to me. I think she could tell despite our resolution, I was eager to make it home.

"Yeah?"

It had been a long day. A long week or so really. We hadn't been getting along since she's been spending more time with Will. The two of them had been running late working on building and leveling up her character, Y/C/N. And honestly, it's been hard without either of them.

Y/n opened and closed her mouth, suddenly embarrassed. She shakes her head finally. "...I don't know, I guess I just--"

I take the handle of my bike and she released her grip, looking over at me and offering a crooked smile in the process.

"I've missed being your friend,"

-𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞-

Something lifts in my chest and off my heart and lungs—something that's been weighing heavily for years. I actually feel myself smiling a little, and inhaling what feels like the first fresh breath of air I've had in a long time.

"I miss being your friend, too,"

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Asian American's Advancing Justice:

"Fighting for civil rights and empowering Asian Americans to create a more just America for all."

AAPI Equity Alliance:

"AAPI Equity Alliance (formerly, A3PCON) is a coalition of community-based organizations that advocates for the rights and needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Los Angeles County and beyond."

Asian American Advocacy Fund:

"The Asian American Advocacy Fund's mission is to advocate for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians in Georgia. Through a combination of policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, and by supporting candidates that believe in our values, we fight to create a better Georgia for us all."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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